Epaper – December 22 KHI 2020

Tuesday, 22 December, 2020 I 6 Jumada Al-Awwal, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 173 I 12 Pages I Karachi Edition

Pakistan tells Uae it won't recognise israel Until Palestine disPUte is resolved

MULTAN STAFF REPORT

F

OReIGN minister Shah mahmood Qureshi while speaking to his emirati counterpart said that Pakistan would not recognise Israel until a concrete solution to the Palestine issue is found and denied any pressure on Pakistan to recognise Israel.

“Pakistan in any situation cannot establish relations with Israel until a concrete and permanent solution is found to the problem of Palestine,” said Qureshi.

The above was said to media persons in multan on monday, after processions for the

Urs of hazrat Shah Rukn-e-Alam. The foreign minister had just returned from a two-day visit to the United Arab emirates (UAe).

“The prime minister has said this, I have clarified it and the Foreign Office (FO) has given a statement on this, there is no pressure by anyone on us,” he added. during the trip, Qureshi said he had “heard and understood why the UAe took the steps it did to recognise Israel but presented Pakistan’s stance on the issue very clearly ”.

Qureshi added that he had briefed the UAe leadership on Pakistan’s policy, adding that Islamabad will make decisions in Pakistan’s interests.

coronavirUs in

Pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

458,968

LAST UPDATED AT 7:27 AM ON DECEMBER 21, 2020

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

62

RECOVERED:

NEW CASES:

1,792 DEATHS:

409,085 9,392 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

204,840

131,933

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

55,183

17,926

8,002/4,827 36,257

Furthermore, Fm Qureshi said he discussed at length the Kashmir conflict with the emirati leadership and pointed out similarities with the Palestine issue. he exchanged views on the Afghan peace process and appraised UAe on the recent Taliban Political commission visit to Islamabad.

On the matter of visas, the foreign minister insisted it is a temporary issue which will be resolved soon.

In response to a question, Qureshi said that the UAe leadership does not view India as a replacement for Pakistan.

Qureshi said a number of other issues concerning bilateral relations and how they could be further strengthened were discussed. he added that the matter of India’s false flag operations were also discussed. “I have mentioned that any response of ours will be immediate and if the Afghan peace process is affected and the peace of the region is affected, then India will be [held] responsible for it,” said Qureshi.

“India’s real face has been uncovered through the dossier and the Indian chronicles,” added Qureshi. earlier, there had been wide-ranging media reports that a minister from Pakistan had gone to Israel. however, Pm Imran had in an interview with a private news channel refuted these rumours. “we will never recognize Israel until the Palestinians get their rights,” Pm Imran had said, and added: “why would anyone go from Pakistan when it’s our policy that we don’t recognise Israel?” “what’s a minister going to do there? This is absolutely fake news,” the premier maintained.

On wednesday, Zulfikar bukhari, Khan’s special assistant for overseas Pakistanis, dismissed rumours that he had visited Israel after online reports of an alleged meeting went viral.

Pakistan wants Israel to honour Palestinians’ hopes for a state of their own.

Pakistan suspends flights from UK over new coronavirus mutation g

ThOSe TRAvellING FROm UK OR hAve beeN TheRe dURING PAST 10 dAyS wON'T be AllOwed TO cOme TO PAKISTAN NEWS DESK

After a high infectious new strain of the coronavirus emerged in the United Kingdom, Pakistan on monday decided to suspend all flights from the UK until december 29.

The restriction will be on all direct and indirect flights from the UK, effective december 23 at 12:00am, and will be applicable on all persons who are travelling from the UK and are in or have been in the UK for 10 days.

On the other hand some passengers will be exempted from these restrictions. Transit passengers who do not leave airside in the UK and who were travelling from areas other than the UK will be allowed to travel to Pakistan. Similarly, Pakistani passport holders who travelled to the UK on visitor visas will be allowed to return with the following arrangements: A negative PcR test within 72 hours before the flight

Government won't offer any kind of NRO to opposition, says Faraz ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Federal minister for Information and broadcasting Syed Shibli Faraz has said the government will never offer any kind of NRO to the opposition.

Addressing a news conference on monday, the information minister said that the opposition had proposed 34 out of 38 amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance to hide corruption of its leadership committed in the past. he said that they pressurised the government by proposing these amendments, at a time when the government was seeking opposition’s cooperation in Financial Action Task Force related legislation to bring Pakistan out of FATF’s grey list.

Faraz said that the opposition proposed that the National Accountability bureau (NAb) should not have powers to take up cases reported before 1999 and should only take notice of corruption cases reported in the last five years. he said that the opposition also suggested that corruption cases of less than one billion rupees, wilful default or writing off loan, and offence of money

They will stay in the airport or in a government facility until the PcR test is taken. mandatory enforced home quarantine for 7 days Trace and Test all passengers who arrived from the UK over the past 7 days as per TTQ protocol, including passengers arriving on 21 and 22 december.

The Pass Tack App, introduced by the National command and Operation centre (NcOc), is mandatory for all travellers arriving in Pakistan.

Those who do not have it will need to fill out the web form of the Pass Track App.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

PIA flights to Saudi Arabia cancelled after Kingdom shuts down int’l travel STORY ON PAGE 09

more inside

COAS, Chinese envoy discuss regional security situation, CPEC STORY ON BACK PAGE

laundering should stay out of NAb’s purview.

The minister said that another proposal is to change the definition of benamidars, giving free hands to make corruption in the name of wife and children. It was proposed to allow convicts to contest elections till final disposal of their cases and disqualification should be up to only five years. he also said that the opposition desired to make redundant the international mutual legal assistance law and deal with it under law of evidence of Pakistan.

Faraz said these amendments if incorporated will grant corrupt leaders of opposition an NRO plus, making the NAb practically dysfunctional.

he said that the “gang of corrupt leaders” is misleading the people by holding mass gatherings in the country. he also said that the opposition attempted to create a divide among institutions responsible for the country’s security. he further said that the government is functioning as per law and the constitution. he added that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government will fulfil all its pledges, including provision of 10 million jobs and five million houses, in its five-year term.

Faraz said that things are improving in all sectors, which is evident from the fact that the country’s exports are now increasing every day.

climate change could create millions of migrants in Pakistan by 2050 STORY ON BACK PAGE

PM Imran launches ‘Billion Tree Honey Initiative’ STORY ON PAGE 02

Pak-Afghan transit trade accord to be finalized by 30th STORY ON PAGE 09

02

Tuesday, 22 December, 2020

NEWS

PM IMran laUnCheS ‘BIllIon Tree honey InITIaTIve’ ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

RIME Minister Imran Khan has formally launched the Billion Tree Honey Initiative to promote tree plantation and honey production in the country under the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme (TBTTP).

Addressing the launching ceremony on Monday, the PM said that TBTTP will help control environmental degradation, including enhancing forest cover, cleaning rivers and protecting groundwater from pollution, and checking air pollution. He said that it is the responsibility of his government to hand over a clean Pakistan to younger

generations.

The PM said that the Billion Tree Honey Initiative will also help enhance exports and create job opportunities for the youth. He said that this initiative will benefit the local population of areas where these forests will be grown.

Imran Khan said that Pakistan has great potential to grow olive and avocado trees. “Through olive plantation, we can be able to export olive oil and avoid import of edible oil.”

Earlier, Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul said that TBTTP created around 84,000 jobs in the country while its scope will be enhanced in the coming days.

The state minister said that efforts are being made

Maryam to go to Sukkur on Saturday: PMl-n

JUI-F to meet after party leader calls Fazl 'selected' president PESHAWAR STAFF REPORT

The leadership of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) is expected to hold a meeting later this week after a senior party leader held an explosive press conference calling party president Maulana Fazlur Rehman "selected", a derisive term the opposition parties use to refer to Prime Minister Imran Khan. In a press conference in Loralai, Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani raised objection to Fazl's selection as party's president in addition to questioning the motives of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the umbrella alliance of opposition parties, seeking to oust the government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The former Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) chief had also hurled a variety of accusations at Fazl, asking how could he call the prime minister "selected" when he himself was "selected" to the office of JUI-F president. Reports also quote him as criticising PDM for being "self-serving" and an alliance "unnatural" in nature, saying it would soon "break down". Sherani said there was no virtually no threat to the government and the premier will complete his tenure.

Reports suggest during the meeting expected to be held on December 24, the party would discuss Sherani's presser.

Senator Kalsoom Perveen dies of Covid-19 LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Kalsoom Perveen passed away on Monday due to coronavirus-related complications, a statement issued by the Senate Secretariat said. Perveen was diagnosed with Covid-19 last month and had been undergoing treatment at the Ali Clinic in Islamabad. On November 27, Senate deputy chairman Saleem Mandviwalla urged people to pray for her health, as he announced that she had been placed on a ventilator due to her deteriorating condition. Hailing from Balochistan, Perveen completed her Bachelors of Education from the Balochistan University in 1994 and subsequently secured a Masters of Philosophy in History. She was elected to the Senate on a reserved seat for women as a candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) in the 2003 elections. Upon expiry of her term, she contested for a Senate seat in 2009 as an independent candidate after being denied a party ticket by the PML-Q and was successfully reelected. She subsequently joined the Balochistan National Party-Awami (BNP-A) with whom she remained affiliated until 2015. After quitting the BNP-A In January 2015, and resigning from her Senate seat, she joined the PMLN and was re-elected to the Senate on a reserved seat for women. She was due to retire in March 2020. Senate chairman Sadiq Sanjrani expressed grief over the Senator's passing, saying that her death has "deprived the Senate of a very active and progressive-thinking member". She did not only serve the people in underdeveloped areas of Balochistan but also played an important role in Pakistani politics, he added. In his message, Minister for Information and Broadcast Senator Shibli Faraz said Perveen had been "an active member of the Senate".

to ensure effective monitoring, reporting and verification of the programme at all levels.

Prime Minister's Special Assistant on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said that the Billion Tree Honey programme will help enhance the country's potential to produce 70,000 metric tonnes of honey in a year.

He said that under the programme, bee keepers will be trained and through proper branding and ensuring quality certification, the value of the country's honey will be increased in the international market.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also signed among various organisations to promote beekeeping and tree plantation in the country.

ISLAMABAD: A view of sunset at Islamabad's Fatima Jinnah Park. INP

SUKKUR: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz will arrive in Sukkur on December 26 (Saturday) to attend a proposed Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) public meeting, party's Sukkur president Khursheed Mirani confirmed to media on Monday. This will be Maryam's first political appearance in interior Sindh, the power base of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Maryam is scheduled to visit Garhi Khuda Bux, slain prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s final resting place, on the former premier’s 13th death anniversary at the invitation of PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari who invited the PDM leadership to Larkana to attend the event.

The PML-N leader will address a workers convention in Sukkur on December 26.

“Party workers will welcome Maryam Nawaz at Sukkur Interchange,” Mirani said.

The PPP has been working to organise another power show of the PDM on December 27, the death anniversary of Bhutto. The leadership of the party's Sindh chapter is expecting all key leaders of the PDM in Garhi Khuda Bux next week. STAFF REPORT

PM Imran has ‘no answer for what is to be done’: Bilawal NEWS DESK Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has no solution for the people’s issues and as such he should resign from his post so that those with answers can step in.

"If he does not have solutions for addressing the people's issues, he should resign. We have solutions for providing relief to the people," he said while talking to media persons in Lahore on Monday.

He added that the incumbent government and premier have no “answers” for “people who are fed up

with inflation, unemployment and poverty.”

Referring to Imran as a “puppet premier”, Bilawal insisted that “wealth generation” was not the answer.

“I think the government is not aware of ground realities. The current government does not realise the kind of issues the people are facing [and] their hatred for a system which deprives them of meals,” he said on the occasion.

Reiterating that a long march would take place, Bilawal said that there is no backdoor contact between the government and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). He said that PDM has made it clear that any further dialogue will only take place after the puppet

Prime Minister has been ousted.

The PPP chairman said that those who cannot afford to buy medicines or meals would come along with the opposition alliance in the long march and would force Imran Khan to resign.

"These are PDM's cards to play. We will play them according to our will. But we will surely play these cards."

He said that there was no freedom in the media or the parliament, adding that false propaganda was spread in the media after his meeting with Shehbaz Sharif. The meeting was only to offer condolences on the death of his mother.

Indictment of Gillani, others in advertisement case deferred ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

An accountability court in Islamabad on Monday deferred the indictment of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gillani and others in a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) case pertaining to allegedly illegal issuance of tenders of government advertisements.

Accountability Judge Muhammad Bashir also rejected the acquittal requests of co-accused before adjourning the hearing till January 12.

The anti-graft watchdog has accused Gillani, Muhammad Saleem, former Principal Information Officer (PIO), PID; Farooq Awan, former secretary of the Ministry of Information Technology; Riaz Asher Siddiqui, former chief executive officer (CEO), Universal Services Fund (USF); Inam Akbar, CEO of Midas; Syed Hasan Shikoh, former company secretary, USF; and Muhammad Hanif, former PA to PRO of IT

of misuse of authority in the illegal publicity campaign through Midas and attempt to cause loss to the national exchequer.

Gillani was elected prime minister on March 25, 2008. He was declared ineligible by the Supreme Court on April 12, 2012, leading to his ouster from the office.

THE CASE: NAB Rawalpindi had filed the reference in the accountability court of Islamabad. According to it, then prime minister, being the minister for information technology (IT) and as the chairman of the Universal Services Fund (USF), had directed for running a media campaign to highlight achievements of the Universal Services Fund (USF).

Farooq Awan, the former secretary of the ministry of information technology, misused his authority in the award of illegal publicity campaign through Midas against rules and attempted to cause a loss to the national exchequer.

Inam Akbar, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Midas, allegedly violated the Press Information

Department (PID) instructions and prescribed procedures regarding media campaigns and undertook the entire electronic media campaign without getting any written orders (release order) either from the ministry of information technology or from the Universal Services Fund (USF) and served bills for payment. The media campaign was launched by Midas which was not on the panel of the Universal Services Fund, neither before nor afterward.

The NAB investigation said that it had been manipulated by accused Riaz Asher Siddique, CEO of the USF, to place Midas on the panel in connivance with accused Muhammad Saleem, PIO, and the PID, to legitimise the media campaign and to facilitate payment of Rs128 million.

The investigation further said there was no competition held to formally award the media campaign which was totally against PPRA rules and policy guidelines of the ministry of information and press information department (PID).

Tuesday, 22 December, 2020

pm SayS fazl would have to Surrender before nab ISLAMABAD

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MIAN ABRAR

RIMe Minister Imran Khan, while referring the nonappearance of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) hearings, made it clear that everyone would have to bow before the law of the land and no one should be considered above the law.

The above was said while the premier was chairing a meeting of the party spokespersons at the PM House on Monday. Sources in the ruling coalition told Pakistan Today that PM Imran said that Fazl will have to surrender before NAB. He reiterated his stance that the

navy chief discusses regional security with Sri lankan hc ISLAMABAD: Sri Lankan High Commissioner vice admiral Mohan Wijewickrama on Monday called on Navy chief Admiral Amjad Niazi at the Naval Headquarters in Islamabad. According to the Navy's Directorate General Public Relations (DGPR), the two "dignitaries discussed matters related to mutual interests, regional security & bilateral collaborations". The visit comes a day after Wijewickrama, while addressing members of the business community, during his visit to Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), observed the two countries shared deep historical, cultural and trade ties. “The volume of bilateral trade between the two countries, which is currently close to $450million, could be increased to $2 billion,” he had said. Trade relations could be further strengthened in many areas as there is a huge potential for developing partnerships in trade, investment and industry within various sectors including textiles, construction materials, agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, gems and jewellery, tourism and education, he had added. STAFF REPORT

‘unmogip probe into targeting of un vehicle by indian troops at loc continues’ UNITED NATIONS: The investigation by the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) into Friday's incident in which Indian troops at the Line of Control (LoC) in the disputed Kashmir region fired at a UN vehicle is continuing, according to a UN spokesperson.

The vehicle was damaged but two UN military observers, who were conducting routine monitoring activities near Rawalakot on the Pakistani side of LoC, escaped unhurt.

On Friday, the UN confirmed that its vehicle was damaged by an "unidentified object", and that the Mission was investigating the incident. "The investigation is ongoing," UN Secretary-General’s Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in response to a question from APP at the regular noon briefing in New York on Monday. "Nothing further to add," he said about the progress in the probe. APP

law ministry to initiate work on anti-rape ordinance: farogh naseem ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Law and Justice Barrister Dr Farogh Naseem on Monday said that the ministry was initiating work on ordinances to punish rapists and ban children from evicting parents from their houses. In a video message after his recovery from coronavirus, Naseem said, "I am very grateful to those who expressed their prayers and good wishes." He said that help was needed for implementation of the anti-rape ordinance. He said that the ordinance regarding parents would prescribe the right of parents to evict their children and their spouses and protect rights of parents living with their children. APP

opposition wanted to escape the accountability process and the opposition movement is only to seek an NRO. The premier told the party leaders that since the opposition had no legitimate reason to launch a movement against the government, the second phase of the movement will also fail.

PM Imran said that the government are waging a war against mafia while mafia is busy in a vicious propaganda against the government.

According to the sources, PM Imran also consulted the party leaders on political, economic issues as well as the Senate elections. He also gave guidelines to the party spokespersons.

The premier also directed the party leaders and spokespersons to bring out the NAB amendments tabled by the

opposition.

He said that the opposition had tabled 34 demands to the government in lieu of its support on legislation related to the FATF conditions, which were all seeking relaxations from the corruption cases being investigated by the NAB. He said that the opposition had proposed amendments to the NAB Act focused on relocation in NAB cases.

Giving guidelines regarding the rumours about recognition of Israel, the prime minister said that Pakistan has a clear position regarding Israel and it had no intention to change its stance over the issue. It was suggested in the meeting that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and Fazl were the ones who kept trying to recognise Israel.

NEWS

03

Soldier martyred during Search and clearance operation: iSpr ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Upon receiving intelligence information regarding the presence of terrorists and their facilitators in Jatt Bazar near Awaran in Balochistan, security forces conducted a search and clearance operation, wherein a soldier embraced martyrdom. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), due to intense exchange of fire with terrorists during operation, Lance Naik Muhammad Iqbal was injured and immediately evacuated to Karachi.

However, he embraced shahadat due to excessive bleeding. Security forces have successfully cleared the entire area of Jatt Bazar.

punjab cm teStS poSitive for covid-19 NEWS DESK

IHC seeks federation’s reply over social media rules legality ISLAMABAD TLTP

While issuing notices to the federation in response to a plea claiming provisions of Social Media Rules 2020 were curbing constitutionally guaranteed freedoms, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has asked the Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) and others to submit a reply

by January 25, 2021, on the matter.

Challenging Social Media Rules (Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards), Rules 2020 and constitutionality of Section 37(1) of the Prevention of electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (PeCA), Advocate Usama Khawar Ghumman submitted that such rules indiscriminately violated constitutionallysecured freedom of speech and expression, the right to access to information, the right to privacy, and freedom of trade, business, and profession, and right to property, of all Pakistani citizens.

Appearing on behalf of Amber Shamsi and TikToker Ashfaq Jutt before the single-member bench of the Chief Justice (CJ) Athar Minallah in the matter, Ghumman urged the court to declare the Rules ultra vires the Prevention of electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (PeCA).

Making the federal government, Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) as respondents, Ghumman requested to suspend the implementation of the rules. Talking to TLTP after the hearing, Ghumman claimed that civil society, rights watchdogs, journalists, activists, and global internet giants have opposed the new rules for regulating social media. He categorically expressed that the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has shown its grave concerns that the authorities wanted to use the regulations to control the “freedom of expression and opinion in the guise of protecting “religious, cultural, ethnic, and national security sensitivities”. “Superior Bars of the country, including

Pakistan Bar Council and the Supreme Court Bar Association, have also voiced concerns about the impugned Rules. Similarly, the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), an association of leading internet and tech companies including Google, Facebook, Apple, Twitter, Amazon, Airbnb, Booking.com, expedia Group, Yahoo, Grab, LinkedIn, and Rakuten, have expressed concern to the prime minister that the Rules would severely cripple the growth of Pakistan’s digital economy and make it extremely difficult for its members to make their services available to the country’s users and businesses,” said Usama.

It is pertinent to mention that previously, one of the petitioners, Ashfaq Jutt, had challenged PTA’s ban on TikTok, consequently, the IHC had appointed President of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) Vice-Chairman Abid Saqi, journalist Mazhar Abbas, and former federal minister for information Javed Jabbar as amici in the matter. While assisting the court on banning of online platforms and implications for freedom of expression and speech and right to access to information under Article 19 and 19-A of the Constitution and misuse of PeCA 2016 and to consider how can freedom of expression, speech and access to information be curtailed by PTA on vague criteria of immoral and decent content. Vice president of the PBC Abid Saqi submitted that the social media rules were prima facie unconstitutional. Besides, during previous hearings of the TikTok case, the Attorney General for Pakistan has expressed a desire to assist the court in the matter while appearing personally. In the TikTok petition before the Court, the Petitioners had raised broader issues concerning misuse of PeCA by PTA, unbridled discretion of PTA, lack of existence of proportionality test, lack of competency of PTA to determine vague terms like indecency/immorality, non-framing of rules, etc.

According to the counsel, Usama Khawar, for the petitioner, “PTA has been given broad and sweeping powers affecting the fundamental rights of citizens. PTA’s powers are dictatorial and no place in a democratic society.”

1.6m to get job opportunities under Punjab Rozgar Scheme: Firdous LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Special Assistant to Punjab Chief Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has said that more than 1.6 million needy persons will get employment opportunities under the Punjab Rozgar Scheme.

Addressing a press conference during her visit to Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry on Monday, Awan said that loans from Rs100,000 to Rs10 million will be provided under the scheme.

Firdous said that Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has agreed to exempt taxes of outdoor advertising from April to June due to coronavirus and in this regard, notification will be issued soon. She said that the Punjab government is also taking into consideration the demand of Outdoor Advertising Association to decrease PHA rates for outdoor advertising.

She also said that the Punjab government introduced a comprehensive and integrated industrial policy for the first time in the history of the country for promotion of industries in the province. She further said that the government promulgated Anti-Hoarding Ordinance, 2020, and launched “Qeemat Punjab” app for price checking and complaint registering. Firdous said that about 362 Sahulat Bazaars were set up across the province including 13 in Lahore.

SAYS OPPOSITION WANTS TO CAUSE ECONOMIC DAMAGE TO THE COUNTRY She said that the government established consumer courts in 17 districts of the province for protection of consumer rights. The government launched a loan programme on soft conditions for the revival of cottage industry and initially under the scheme, skilled persons are given soft loans from Rs0.3 million to Rs0.5 million in 13 districts of the province, she added.

Firdous said that a substantial amount of Rs1.5 billion has been allocated for “Hunarmand Jawan” programme and the scheme is a reflection of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision for the youth and an important step towards fulfillment of the promise made with the people by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) regarding creating job opportunities.

Responding to a question, she said that Maulana Shernai exposed the real face of Maulana Fazlur Rehman who is conspiring against PM Imran just for his personal gains. She said that Fazl should answer the NAB’s questions about his illegal assets and corruption instead of agitating against the government.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has tested positive for coronavirus and has gone into selfisolation. "Chief Minister Usman Bazdar will continue to deal with necessary government matters from home," said a statement issued by the CM Office, asking for prayers for the CM. Buzdar has suspended all meetings for the time being and is now isolating in the CM House. The chief minister had self-isolated earlier when he was feeling unwell, reported a local news outlet.

However, he had chaired many meetings over the last week. Special Assistant to the CM on Media Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan blamed the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) for Buzdar's ill health. "The results of PDM's activities of spreading coronavirus through jalsas has been received. Despite taking all precautions, Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar has contracted coronavirus. All of us are praying for his speedy recovery," she said on Twitter. Pakistan reported 1,792 new coronavirus cases on Monday, taking the nationwide tally to 458,968. In the last 24 hours, the virus claimed 62 lives. The country's death toll stands at 9,392.

parliament's real strength lies in serving masses, upholding constitution: pm ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that parliament’s real strength lies in serving the masses and upholding the Constitution of the country.

Talking to National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Monday, he said that the parliament is the biggest constitutional and key institution of the country not only for legislation but for the continuity of democracy as well. The premier said that people always look towards their elected representatives for raising their voice in the parliament for resolution of their problems. He urged all the political parties to ensure the sanctity of the Parliament and uphold democratic values in the country. Views were also exchanged on a parliamentary system of the country. STAFF REPORT

pakistan wants peace but will never compromise on sovereignty: rasheed ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has said 20 politicians, including Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman, have serious threats to their lives.

Talking to the media on Monday, he said that some of these politicians have already survived attacks in the past. He said that Fazl has been informed of this threat. The interior minister also urged the opposition to stay away from mass gatherings in view of the spike in Covid-19 cases. He said that the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia have called off their flight operation. In this regard, it is suggested that Pakistan should also stop its flights to and from London.

Rasheed expressed the belief that the opposition alliance will participate in Senate elections as parliament is the right forum to resolve issues.

Responding to a question, the minister said that a befitting response will be given to India if it goes for any misadventure. He said that Pakistan wants peace, but it will never compromise on its sovereignty. PPI

Tuesday, 22 December, 2020

04 NEWS

cabinet May approve placeMent of Minister’s census coMMittee before cii ISLAMABAD

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AHMAD AHMADANI

he federal cabinet is likely to grant its approval on the placement of a minister’s committee regarding the final results of the sixth Population and Housing Census 2017 before the Council of Common Interests (CCI) for final approval.

The Sindh High Court had last month expressed resentment over the delay in the issuances of the census results. During a hearing, it was pointed out that until the results of the census were officially declared and notified, the delimitation exercise for local government elections would be useless.

On November 13, 2017, the provisional results of sixth Population and Housing Census 2017 at block level were approved by the CCI, with directions for 1 per cent validation of census results. However, in a subsequent meeting held on November 24, 2017, it was decided to enhance the validation to 5 per cent.

However, the validation process could not be completed and the final results of Census 2017 were not released. On the direction of the then prime minister, a summary was moved to CCI to seek approval to release final results from the incoming government.

Subsequently, on the request of Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Imitative, the cabinet constituted a committee of five ministers, including Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Dr Fahmida Mirza, Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, Minister for Defence Production Zubiad Jalal, Minister for Information Technology & Telecommunication, Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi, under Syed Amin-ul-Haq's chairmanship “to deliberate and make recommendations for finalization of the results of Census 2017 within the period of two months”.

In compliance of the cabinet’s decision, the committee held five meetings to discuss the issues, including census

Govt to issue ordinance for settlement of land claims ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA

The federal government has decided to issue ordinance with regard to the settlement of land claims.

Sources said that the Ministry of Interior has forwarded the draft “the Capital Development Authority (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020” to the cabinet which will be discussed in Tuesday's meeting. The issue of compensation is on the meeting agenda, as the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has given multiple benefits against one plot of land. A new clause shall be inserted to solve the land-sharing matter and under that, the civic body will give just one benefit against the land in the federal capital. Similarly, the government has also decided to give a joint venture option under this ordinance.

Furthermore, a new section shall be inserted in the ordinance to override other laws.

pti finalises five senate candidates from punjab ISLAMABAD INP

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has finalised five names for the upcoming Senate elections for the Punjab seats. The ruling party has finalised five candidates for the 11 Senate seats to be elected by the Punjab Assembly. The PTI leaders who would be given the party ticket include Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari, Shahzad Akbar, Saifullah Niazi, Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhary and Ali Zafar. The party is still in consultation to finalise the names for the women and minority seat candidates. The Senate elections are likely to be held in late February or early Match next year amid the threat of resignations from the assemblies from the opposition parties, which could jeopardise the electoral college for the elections of the upper house of the parliament.

senate elections cannot be held before feb 10: ecp ISLAMABAD INP

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday said that the Senate elections cannot be held before February 10. The ECP spokesperson said in a statement that the Senate polls are generally held in the first week of March and the ECP will issue date according to the law on appropriate time. The spokesperson told that half of the Senate members are retiring on March 11. It is pertinent to mention here that Prime Minister Imran Khan had said that the government would hold the Senate elections earlier. Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) had announced that they would challenge the move in the court.

methodology and legitimacy of the last census in depth.

During the course of these meetings, the members had expressed reservations about the veracity of the census, saying that the last census was not a true reflection of the actual population in different parts of the country.

However, it was decided that the sixth Population and Housing Census 2017 should be accepted as final in the larger national interest.

The committee also recommended that the next census should be held at the earliest possible time, which may be held before the lapse of a period of 10 years.

Likewise, the use of technology should be ensured in order to remove doubts that were expressed in respect of Census 2017.

Moreover, a committee may be constituted under the Ministry of Information Technology comprising NADRA, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Its mandate would be to suggest optimum use of technology to achieve objectives of census reflecting the

ground realities.

Initially, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had demanded verification of the results of Census 2017 through a third party. However, this committee, after deliberating for three years, has communicated that situation would become more problematic after the validation of the results of 5 per cent results of Census-2017.

Syed Amin-ul-Haq had also expressed reservations and concerns on the legitimacy of the last census, the results are to the disadvantage to the people of Karachi.

While the other members agreed that there were problems, they were of the view that reverting and reopening of 300 or any number of blocks as suggested would not serve the purpose, as the change in population due to birth, death and migration is a continuous process.

The members of the committee also noted that last general elections were held on the provisional census of 2017 under the cover of a constitutional amendment.

Court adjourns hearing of reference against former PM KARACHI PPI

An accountability court on Monday adjourned the hearing of a reference pertaining to illegal recruitment in Pakistan State Oil (PSO) against former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and other accused.

The former prime minister and other accused appeared before the court. The National Accountability

Bureau (NAB) informed the court that the witness could not appear in the hearing as he has tested positive for coronavirus.

The court ordered the witness and accused to ensure their presence in the next hearing of the case and adjourned the hearing until January 14. “We have no dispute with the establishment, we only want that the country should be run according to the constitution,” Abbasi

said while talking to the media outside the court.

NAB has paralysed the system of governance and have nothing positive in its work, the former prime minister added.

“NAB is a major evil and the most corrupt institution of Pakistan,” he maintained.

“The Supreme Court has termed the NAB an institution of political engineering,” he added.

PTI govt took loans of $14bn in 2.5 years: Marriyum Aurangzeb ISLAMABAD INP

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb on Monday said that government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) took loans of $14 billion in last two and a half years.

Addressing a press conference in the federal capital, she said that the government only played its role against opposition parties and the incumbent rulers destroyed the country in an attempt to exact political revenge.

Marriyum said that inflation in the country cannot be controlled if mafias run the government and questioned what Prime Minister Imran Khan had done for the masses and the development of the country.

Referring to election promises of PM Imran, she said that PTI prom-

ised to construct five million homes, however, it has failed to even build half that amount.

The PML-N leader further said that the government has failed to give employment to 10 million people, re-

duction in inflation and even failed to add a single project in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Government constitutes commissions just to fool the masses, she claimed.

Man kills wife, two children over doMestic dispute LAHORE: A man in Lahore on Monday killed his wife and two children over a domestic dispute. According to police, the incident was reported in Green Town, where Ashiq killed his wife and two children. The bodies were shifted to a nearby hospital. The suspect fled away easily after the incident while the police are in search of him. STAFF EPORT

kp govt closes religious seminaries amid second wave of coronavirus PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has issued orders to close all religious seminaries in the province in a bid to curb spread of coronavirus. According to the notification issued by Home Department, legal action will be taken against those who refuse to obey government orders, which were issued in light of recommendations of National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). The department, while urging religious scholars to cooperate with the provincial authorities, said that the government took the decision in greater interest of public. Pakistan has reported 62 deaths in the last 24 hours by coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 458,968. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 9,392. According to the latest figures by the NCOC, 1,792 persons tested positive for Covid-19 in the past 24 hours.

Furthermore 3,638 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab 3,333 in Sindh, 1,546 in KP, 391 in Islamabad, 206 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), 179 in Balochistan, and 99 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). Sindh remains the worst-hit province by the pandemic in terms of cases followed by Punjab, KP and Islamabad. Punjab has overtaken Sindh in the greatest number of casualties. As of now, 204,840 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 131,933 in Punjab 55,183 in KP, 36,257 in Islamabad, 17,926 in Balochistan, 8,002 in AJK and 4,827 in GB. INP

ac to indict MQM-p leader in illegal appointments case KARACHI: An accountability court in Karachi announced on Monday to indict Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader and former minister Rauf Siddiqui on January 6 in a case pertaining to misuse of authority and making illegal appointments in Sindh Small Industries Corporation. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has accused the former minister and eight others of making 372 illegal appointments during his tenure and causing a loss of Rs420 million to the exchequer. During the hearing, Siddiqui appeared before the court, while another suspect Mushtaque Leghari skipped the hearing due to his health issues. Following the proceedings, the hearing was adjourned till January 6, and the court, while announcing to indict the accused on the day, ordered to ensure their presence. Siddiqui served as provincial minister for industries and commerce from 2008 to 2013. He has also served as home minister, excise and taxation minister and culture and tourism minister in previous governments. INP

Fayyaz dislikes Firdous-Maryam boxing bout LAHORE INP

Punjab Minister of Punjab for Prisons and Colonies Fayyaz Chohan, expressing his displeasure over the idea of the boxing match between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Firdous Ashiq Awan and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, said on Monday that he does not support such a match in the wrestling rings.

“I don’t like much judo karate or boxing matches in actual between political personalities,” said Chohan.

On Sunday, Punjab Chief Minister’s Special Assistant on Media Firdous on Sunday accepted a challenge to have a

boxing bout with PML-N VP. The challenge was proposed by internationally acclaimed boxer Amir Khan, who was addressing media persons along with Firdous and Balochistan’s boxer Muhammad Waseem in Lahore.

Khan asked whether Firdous would like to fight in the ring with Maryam, adding that it will be one of the highestrated fights in Pakistan.

Firdous accepted the challenge and said, “Prime Minister Imran Khan has knocked out Mian Nawaz Sharif using his legal punches.”

She said that Maryam will be knocked out in the first round of the bout.

On the other hand, PML-N leader Azma Bokhari responded to Firdous on social networking website Twitter, and said, “As you know Maryam Nawaz is a Rajkumari who is trying to save the people from the government's punches of inflation, unemployment and corruption.”

In this regard, Chohan, while addressing media persons in Lahore, expressed his dislike for the proposed match. He also took notice of the death of three prisoners in District Jail Gujarat.

The prisons minister said that he contacted IG prisons and Gujarat superintendent jail, and according to preliminary information, the three prisoners died at Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Hospital in Gujarat.

“One was an AIDS patient, the second died of an asthma attack while the third one caught cardiac arrest,” he further said. Chohan has also sought detailed reports from IG prisons and superintendent jail within 24 hours.

Tuesday, 22 December, 2020

PM’S aIDe SeeKS US INveSTMeNT IN LNG SecTor aMID favoUraBLe TPa rULeS nEWS DESK Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Petroleum (SAPM) Nadeem Babar has said that Third Party Access (TPA) rules are a favourable development that could lead more US companies to invest in the LNG sector of Pakistan.

SAPM Nadeem Babar along with Federal Minister for Energy Omar Ayub Khan held a virtual meeting with Francis R Fannon, Assistant Secretary of US State

Department for Energy Resources, on Monday evening. Angela Aggeler, US Chargé d'Affaires, was also present in the virtual session.

The federal minister gave an overview of Pakistan's energy sector along with the incumbent government's earnest endeavours in uplifting the sector.

The SAPM highlighted key areas of TPA rules under which the government would open up the LNG business from a pure state-led monopoly to an open mar-

Govt to appoint Nadeem Lodhi as ZTBL board chairman ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA

The government has decided to appoint Nadeem Lodhi as the chairman of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) Board of Directors (BoD). Sources told this that the Ministry of Finance (MoF) has asked the federal cabinet to approve the appointment of nine members of ZTBL board, including Lodhi. Other members of the board include Akar A Jaffer from Sindh, Syed Javed from KP, Farhan Malik from Punjab, Zaigham Mahmood from Punjab, Harris M Chaudhry from the federal capital, Hassan Ali Chainio from Sindh while ZTBI president and joint secretary Finance Division would join as ex-officio officers. The bank’s board was dysfunctional due to the absence of a required number of members for the last three years. As per rules, the bank shall have a board consisting of a president, chairman and not less than five and not more than seven other members as per the law. The MoF has proposed to appoint these members and chairman for a term of three years.

ket for private participation. He also informed the US officials about various steps taken by the government to encourage the private sector step in the LNG sector.

"If the existing terminals want to remarket their excess capacity, they are free to do so," he said.

While explaining the third-party access rules, he said that TPA was already available for pipelines.

"Pipelines now have open access to

anyone who has a gas marketing licence from the independent regulator OGRA," he stated. "Any unused government capacity of terminals is also being advertised and private companies will be able to bring & sell the LNG to consumers of their own choice."

Fennon thanked the minister and SAPM for an informed session on TPA rules of Pakistan. He hoped that the US would step up cooperation in the energy sector.

Aleem seeks new mechanism for wheat procurement, distribution LAHoRE STAFF REPORT

Punjab Food Minister Abdul Aleem Khan has directed the officials concerned to devise a new mechanism for procurement and distribution of wheat across the province by the end of this month.

Presiding over a meeting on Monday, Aleem Khan noted that the wheat situation in the province has returned to normal after the government’s decision to import the commodity, adding that there was no shortage of wheat and flour anywhere in Punjab.

He informed that 8 out of 20 ships of imported wheat have arrived, of which seven have been distributed among flour mills. He said out of the total imported wheat, 1.138 million metric tonnes would be given to

flour mills by Feb 2021.

Commenting on the purchase and distribution of wheat and subsidy on flour, Aleem Khan said that the Punjab government has to bear a financial burden of Rs100 billion per annum under the current system. "But as the common man is still not benefiting, the government is going to change it".

He directed the food department to coordinate with the monitoring systems at Punjab borders and ensure timely release of wheat to flour mills. He also instructed the officials to maintain the improved situation of wheat and flour in the province so that the common man does not face any difficulty.

The meeting was also attended by Punjab Agriculture Minister Hussain Jahanian Gardezi, food secretary and senior officers of relevant departments.

Petroleum Division denies gas load shedding

Shaheen-IX drill not targeting any third country: Beijing ISLAMABAD STAFFREPORT

Beijing has said that Shaheen-IX exercise of Pakistan and China air forces, which will continue till the end of this month, is a routine arrangement and it is not targeting any third country. The Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin during his regular briefing in Beijing on Monday said that China and Pakistan have friendly exchanges and cooperation in many areas including politics, economy, military, and security. He said, “We are committed to jointly upholding regional peace and stability.” China and Pakistan are holding the joint air force training dubbed “ShaheenIX,” which will continue until the end of December. This is the ninth time the air forces of the two countries have held “Shaheen” joint training. The first “Shaheen” joint training was in March 2011 in Pakistan. The last time was held in Northwest China in August 2019 and lasted for half a month. The training in 2019 involved some 50 aircraft, the most personnel and the most complete combat units. To question that the month-long exercise was seen by Indian experts as a larger strategic posture and matter of concern for India, he said, “As all-weather strategic cooperation partners, China and Pakistan have friendly exchanges and cooperation in many areas including politics, economy, military, and security.” He hoped that the relevant party could view the exercise being conducted in Pakistan, in an objective manner and said, “We are committed to jointly upholding regional peace and stability.” The confrontations between India-Pakistan and China-India will not affect the normal military exchanges between China and Pakistan, said Fu. India’s frequent military exercises with other countries have given it little reason to question normal military exchanges among other countries, he added.

Pakistan suspends inbound flights from UK over new coronavirus mutation The passengers who do not have the Pass Track app will need to fill out the web form of the application. "NCOC will review the above-mentioned decisions on December 28, 2020, and any change will be communicated to CAA for further necessary instructions," the notification from the Aviation Division said. It is important to mention that flights from the UK are being suspended to 40 countries across the world including, Spain, India and Hong Kong. Other countries to impose a ban on UK arrivals include Belgium, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Russia, and Switzerland. Some of the bans are already in force while others are to begin on Tuesday. The World Health Organisation (WHO) tweeted late on Saturday that it was “in close contact with UK officials on the new #COVID19 virus variant” and promised to update governments and the public as more is learned. The new strain was identified in southeastern England in September and has been spreading in the area ever since, a WHO official told the BBC on Sunday.

A WHO spokeswoman told AFP that "across Europe, where transmission is intense and widespread, countries need to redouble their control and prevention approaches." It is important to note that while increased transmission is proportional to the chances of further mutation, the EU experts do not believe that the mutation should hinder the effectiveness of the vaccines.

PESHAWAR

ABBOTTABAD: An eye-catching view of snow-lined roads in Abbottabad. PPI

Oil tumbles as new virus strain revives demand fears nEW YoRK AGENCIES

Oil prices tumbled more than 3pc on Monday as a fast-spreading new coronavirus strain that has shut down much of Britain and led to tighter restrictions in Europe sparked worries about a slower recovery in fuel demand.

Brent crude was down $1.85, or 3.5pc, at $50.41 a barrel by 11:06 a.m. ET (1606 GMT,) while US West Texas Intermediate

05

ContInuED fRoM PAgE 01

STAFF REPORT

The Petroleum Division on Monday claimed that no gas load shedding is being carried out in any part of the country. In a statement on Twitter, the division said that “there is no gas load shedding for domestic, industrial and commercial consumers in the country while the LNG cargo ship scheduled for December 18 reached the country on December 21, today”. As per the division, both the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and Sui Northern Gas Company (SNGC) are trying their best to maintain a normal supply of gas to the consumers.

“The complaints of low pressure are being resolved and the use of a gas compressor is illegal.”

On Sunday, commuters and transporters in KP lamented about facing difficulties, as over 600 compressed natural gas (CNG) stations in the province had remained closed on the second consecutive day due to suspension of gas supply to filling stations. The government had ordered SNGPL to suspend supply of CNG stations in KP for four days a week to ensure supply to domestic consumers. The move came after CNG stations across the province, despite government directions to suspend operations, continued to provide gas filling services to vehicle owners.

NEWS

(WTI) crude for delivery in January fell $1.79, or 3.7pc, to $47.31 ahead of expiry.

The more active February WTI contract fell $1.83, or 3.7pc, to $47.41 a barrel.

Both contracts had lost as much as $3 earlier in the session, their biggest daily drop in six months.

“Reports of a new strain of the coronavirus has weighed on risk sentiment and oil.

New mobility restrictions across Europe are also not helping as European oil demand will suffer,” said UBS oil analyst Giovanni

Staunovo.

“Investors need to be mindful that the road to higher oil demand and prices will remain bumpy.”

Brent climbed above $50 last week for the first time since March, buoyed by optimism stemming from Covid-19 vaccines.

But a new Covid-19 strain, said to be up to 70pc more transmissible than the original, has renewed fears about the virus, which has killed about 1.7 million people worldwide.

More countries closed their borders to

CMYK

Britain on Monday, causing travel chaos and raising the prospect of UK food shortages.

“The new strain of the coronavirus in the UK has shown us that the vaccine optimism holding Brent above $50 per barrel could be deflated in a fleeting moment,” said Rystad Energy analyst Louise Dickson.

The new virus strain has already been detected in other countries, including Australia, the Netherlands and Italy.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said the new strain had an impact

on oil prices, adding that recovery of global oil markets was happening more slowly than previously expected and could take two to three years.

“Travel restrictions over the next several weeks will complicate OPEC+ plans to gradually raise output,” said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA in New York.

“The monthly meetings will be very tense and keep oil prices volatile until the virus spread is under control across both Europe and the US” The negative sentiment overshadowed the rollout of a new vaccine in the United States, a deal among US congressional leaders for a $900 billion coronavirus aid package and European regulatory approval on Monday for the use of the Covid-19 vaccine jointly developed by US company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech.

The approval by Europe’s medicines regulator puts the region on course to start inoculations within a week.

Tuesday, 22 December, 2020

06 COMMENT

Sayonara 2020

A colossal foreign policy failure Pakistan’s relations with Gulf

P

AKISTAN has a history of decades of warm relations with the Gulf countries which has benefitted both sides. The agreement about the return of Gwadar to Pakistan from Oman was a landmark event under Prime Minister Feroz Khan Noon. Pakistan provided manpower that played a significant role in the massive development of the Gulf region’s infrastructure, trained its military personnel and helped set up airlines in the Gulf. The Gulf provided jobs to tens of thousands of Pakistanis whose remittances became an important source of the much needed foreign exchange to Pakistan. Despite occasional problems, the relations never lost their warmth.

Relations with Saudi Arabia suffered a strain earlier this year when FM Qureshi, in an unusually sharp warning, asked Saudi Arabia-led OIC to stop dilly-dallying on the convening of a meeting of its Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) on Kashmir. Pakistan was subsequently required to pay back $1 billion out of a $3 billion Saudi loan after the kingdom reportedly decided to reduce its financial support. Meanwhile, the UAe suspended issuance of work or employment visas to Pakistan. Had the ban been related to Covid-19, India and not Pakistan would have faced the restriction. There must have been some other reason that the government is reluctant to reveal.

Initially the PTI government flatly denied the suspension of visas with SAPM Zulfikar Bukhari asserting that the UAe authorities had maintained there was no ban on the export of Pakistani workforce. This was a patent untruth. Despite staying in Dubai for two days, FM Qureshi failed in his mission to persuade Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAe, to lift the ban.

Since the ban that came into effect on Nov 18, one recruitment agency in Rawalpindi alone is reported to have lost 3,000 jobs that have now been avowedly diverted to India. That a country which is home to 1.2m Pakistanis is arbitrarily taking such a harsh position on the entry of Pakistani citizens is deeply troubling and can have serious implications for long-term ties.

The government should come upfront about the reasons behind the UAe’s decision instead of remaining in a state of denial over an issue that can have serious consequences for tens of thousands of Pakistanis. It would hurt Pakistan a lot if the ban was to continue.

And not one moment too soon

HASAN AFTAB SAEED

F

ew would dispute that 2020 is right up there in the list of forgettable years. (The more forgettable they are, the harder they are to forget.) It was, of course, dominated across the world by Covid-19. The virus struck just when humanists and science enthusiasts had enthusiastically started suggesting the death of death and an amortal (even if not immortal) existence for human beings by 2050. The virus was a reality check and a grim reminder that in the delicate balance that we call life, it is humility, not arrogance that is called for.

Although Pakistan fared better than many countries of the world in terms of casualties and number of infections, the loss to economy was immense; and who knows how damaging the on-going second wave, and any subsequent waves could be. But life has a way of moving on, coronavirus or not. Move on it did, in some ways better than before. Online education, for example, made many realise that the crazy school-time traffic jams were not inalterable facts of life to be accepted with philosophic resignation. Also, people stopped insisting on shaking one’s hand and hugging one once every few hours. One should be thankful for small mercies.

In what was another positive of the year, Talal

Fact-free politics

w

HAT has happened in the US over the past four years since Donald Trump was elected President is unprecedented. The current administration’s reaction to a crushing defeat in the elections held last month, that saw democrat candidate Joe Biden winning by a considerable margin, is reminiscent of what usually takes place soon after polls are held in immature and fractured democracies such as Pakistan. Although he had hinted at not leaving office silently if he lost, Donald Trump has doubled down on his ‘election fraud’ claims and now there is talk of a martial law that would entail a reelection under army control in the states where he lost. Sound familiar? That there is literally no evidence to back the President’s assertion of widespread systematic rigging to hand the election to Joe Biden just goes to show how little facts have to do with serious political discourse anymore. A country that can easily be considered one of the biggest proponents of democracy, to the extent that it ‘exports’ its system of government by waging wars against communism and dictatorships, is witnessing an unraveling of democracy at home.

This post-fact world has been created not only by individuals such as Trump, but more so by the tools that they use to spread lies and falsehoods with such shamelessness and confidence on a daily basis that a less informed and large section of society simply takes it at face value. Social media has made it possible for fake news to not only exist but thrive as the former enables the latter to spread, making it viral enough to influence the peoples’ conscience and psyche. This in turn leads to extreme polarization, with extremists on both sides of the political spectrum. Trump was able to identify this opportunity early into his campaign, a strategy that paid off so well that not only did he bag the 2016 election but is also the only viable GOP candidate for the 2024 presidential race. It is highly unlikely that on January 20th Joe Biden is not sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, but what remains uncertain is whether or not he is able to repair the damage done to the country and its democratic principles.

Of Law and Order MoHiB ASAD

“T

HIS is a court of law, not a court of justice”——-Oliver wendell Holmes, famous American jurist, in a comment on the US Supreme Court (circa early 20th century) The above quote sums up all of what is wrong with all courts established under the British Common Law tradition, throughout the Old Brit empire and now the so called Commonwealth nations. Consider the following: The laws which this country inherited from the departing colonial rulers have remained largely unchanged in the last seventy-three years. The major civil, criminal, and evidentiary laws have been tweaked from time to time, but no major legislations have occurred. whenever under pressure from external forces we have legislated, it has always been Special Laws, administered by Special Courts. This is true of laws relating to anti-corruption, terrorism, financial offences, revenue matters and what have you. It is a settled principle of Jurisprudence that all Special Laws are bad law, and all Special Courts are Kangaroo Courts. Civilized countries which believe in the ‘due process’ strengthen their entire court system in such manner as to handle the whole gambit of law enforcement in a unitary manner. we do not have a Judicial Service. Junior judges, who are recruited by the higher courts, have different training iterations depending upon the policy of the Provincial High Courts. Some of these direct entrants reach the status of Sessions Judge in around twenty five years of service which is end of the line for them because judges of the High Courts are appointed out of practicing lawyers, with very few exceptions. Disgusted with the lack of future promotions, many senior district judges seek early retirement and go into private practice.

High Court judges are appointed under a totally opaque method which has no transparency, nor accountability to the people of Pakistan, who pay their salaries and for their considerable perks. There is no formal training, no performance audit, and no oversight for corrupt practices, apparently no internal rule-of –law either.

It is the ‘Old Boy’s Network’ at its very worst.

Therefore, a very strong case exists for the creation of Provincial Judicial Service to be recruited by the Provincial Public Service Commission, and a Judicial Service of Pakistan, to be recruited by the

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Although Pakistan fared better than many countries of the world in terms of casualties and number of infections, the loss to economy was immense; and who knows how damaging the on-going second wave, and any subsequent waves could be.

The courts

The unraveling of American democracy

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Chaudhry solved a perennial problem for reporters, editors and laymen who need to recount certain activities of men and women for which the Urdu language had long failed to provide expressions fit for polite company. At three in the morning Chaudhry was found inside premises where he had no business being. with his arm fractured and mobile phone missing things looked bad when the police arrived. A lesser man would have crumbled. Not Chaudhry, who chose that hour to fill the aforestated void in language by calmly explaining that his reason for being there was tanzeem-saazi (organising).

Such was Chaudhry’s brilliance that fellow Faislabadi Rana Sanaullah’s referring to Sharif family’s infamous TTs as ‘tax management’ (a certain winner any other year) can only be relegated to the ‘also-ran’ category.

Many had written Chaudhry off as a spent force when he was disqualified. How wrong they were. You just cannot keep a good man down.

In summer, Diamond Supreme Foam introduced ‘Saha’, the first Islamic mattress of the country. According to the company’s website, the mattress has ‘scientifically been developed and balanced for every body type based on Islamic principles’. Kudos to the manufacturer; after Islamic honey and Islamic nuts an Islamic mattress was sorely being missed by the public.

On the cultural front it was ertugrul all the way.

It is amazing how one show could simultaneously be the source of such unbearable pain for so many groups: The desi liberals, our jealous artistes, the ultra-pious brigade, and the Saudis. The whole arrangement was quite delicious. Of course, no conversation on landmark television is complete without Dr Shahid Masood. One such moment was realised when for a discussion on Sino-Indian Ladakh skirmishes he had on live TV none other than the legendary Javed Miandad. whatever was felt missing on the intellectual front was more than made up for by

I

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unchecked flow of raw emotion.

There were other happenings that can be categorised as the bad or the curious. Ishaq Dar’s interview to BBC’s Stephen Sackur, for example, was without doubt the cringeworthy moment of the year.

So pathetic was Dar’s discomfiture, and so visibly shaken and out of his depth he appeared that it embarrassed the viewer regardless of his political alignment. Dar was convinced that he had done a mighty good job: he later claimed that Sackur was frustrated by his wit and presence of mind. This indicates the kind of delusion these individuals operate under. This is the man who singlehandedly managed the country’s finances and headed two-dozen odd committees for years! Any wonder Pakistan is in the mess that it finds itself in?

Coronavirus had provided people with an unassailable excuse to save up on expensive (and frankly stupid) pomp and show in weddings but most of them heroically refused to avail of the opportunity. This included those with limited resources (the demographic that happens to constitute the majority). Making use of the opportunity would apparently have been akin to fleeing the battlefield, a cowardly act. Of course, the filthy rich do not have to overcome such temptations.

The ceremony that caused a sensation on the media by its splendour and opulence put Maulana Tariq Jameel in a spot of bother when it was falsely reported that he had charged a million to deliver his keynote at a wedding.

The maulana was quick to deny the charge: he pointed out that there was no question of demanding money considering his friendship with both the families. (The maulana has this habit of being friends with the rich and the famous everywhere.) The theme of the sermon – Hazrat Umar’s austerity – could not have been more appropriate considering the occasion.

Last but not the least, 2020 will be remembered by posterity as the year in which Nawaz Sharif turned ideologue for a record eleventh (and probably the last) time in his life.

FPSC. At the time of graduation, a lawyer must decide if he wishes to spend the rest of his career in the Judiciary, or to go into private practice. Thenceforth, the streams should never be allowed to mix. Arguably, the greatest judges ever produced by this country, Justice AR Cornelius, and Justice MR Kayani, were officers of the Civil Service of Pakistan, recruited by the FPSC, and did not have a day’s private legal practice experience.

It is a strange and cruel anomaly that the judiciary is not within the jurisdiction of any Anti-Corruption Agency—all of whom are created under the Constitution of Pakistan. Here, one is not necessarily inferring that judges are corrupt, but merely that there have to be external watch mechanisms in the same manner as those which cover other state functionaries paid by the budget estimates of the state.

Cows, holy or otherwise, may be revered in Hinduism, but not so in Islam.

Our religion dictates accountability, both in this life and the hereafter. Freedom of the judiciary is essential for an equal application of laws across all classes, but the conduct of individuals should be subject to question by auditors exercising civil and criminal powers.

This brooks no argument against it.

There is a famed legal maxim that says “Justice delayed is justice denied”. Unfortunately, like the other Common Law countries, the concept of ‘due process’ has been extended to a ridiculously high time frame in Pakistan. Regrettably, the laws in effect in this country today were drafted by an alien ruling elite who had the agenda of keeping a grip on power over the ‘natives’; the laws of the Raj era were designed to trap the litigant in a vicious system of ‘appeals’ which extended over

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

seven or more rungs starting from the Court of Civil Judge to the Full Bench of the Apex Court. we are such incompetents as a nation that we continue to wallow in the same quagmire. Those of us who once admired the Brits as a civilized nation have been shaken out of our reverie, by the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement which has even knocked down Churchill (Greatest Briton of the 20th Century) into the gutter of racial bigotry and cruelty to colonized people of the British empire. “what a great fall it is, my Countrymen” (Loosely plagiarized from Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar’). The BLM movement is profoundly thought provoking for us in many social and historical perspectives. One is to trash all laws given by colonists and work our indigenous justice system based on Islamic equity.

Another major reason for the extended time-frame in disposal of cases is the economic structure of the Bar. There is a loose understanding between the Bench and the Bar that the fees charged by the latter are enriched by long-standing litigation. where a judge does not join this alliance in keeping with the interests of the litigant, unionized lawyers put unrelenting pressure on the judge till he either plays ball, or resigns from his career. The state, which in the final analysis is the keeper of the interest of the citizen couldn’t care less. So the hapless guy caught in this convoluted system either suffers in silence or just gives up on ever getting justice from the cruel set-up.

I opened this piece by quoting a famous common law judge. It is an admission by one of the titans of the United States common law system; and it seems to have been said by Justice Holmes as a commentary on our courts. Our Lordships follow the letter of the law to such extremes that justice gets left out somewhere in the legal debate. How so very sad. One cannot even begin to imagine the horrible impact of our present court structure and output on the over-all untidy law and order scene. But it must be considerable to say the least.

Another major reason for the extended time-frame in disposal of cases is the economic structure of the Bar. There is a loose understanding between the Bench and the Bar that the fees charged by the latter are enriched by longstanding litigation. Where a judge does not join this alliance in keeping with the interests of the litigant, unionized lawyers put unrelenting pressure on the judge till he either plays ball, or resigns from his career.

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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Mohib Asad is a freelance columnist

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Tuesday, 22 December, 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

Cold, corona, and politics OVeR the past couple of decades, the weather has become very unpredictable, harsh, and erratic. It has become very difficult for an average person to find a sigh of relief be it bone-chilling winters or the excruciating hot summers. The situation has been worsened by the deadly Coronavirus coupled with political parties holding public meetings to topple the government. People at large are at the mercy of weather, virus, and the selfish calls of the political parties. The leaders ask their supporters to join their public meetings in large numbers in biting cold. The leaders of PDM riding on high powered luxury vehicles equipped with cooling and heating system reach places of meeting, deliver speeches, and assure their followers their problems will be solved by destabilizing and toppling the government. People freeze in the open to listen to their beloved leaders’ speeches exposing themselves to Corona as well as cold. These large public gatherings seem to be the harbinger of the spread of Coronavirus and cold-related illnesses. The importance our leaders give to people is evident from their willingness to risk the lives of the public to gain their selfish motives. while our public bear the burden of inflation, disease, and weather, our leader enjoy life in their mansions. They rule the country for a long time, but they still have no regard for the people who brought them into power. They only raise the slogan of helping the poor to gain power for personal gains and their hunger for power seems insatiable.

Raja Shafaatullah ISlamabad

Welcome back to fly

PIA in trouble again The VSS should be structured better SAlMAN MuNir

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HeRe was a happy and productive worker in a public sector organization far away. The organization was profitable and happy too. It wanted more of this happiness and kept looking for ways to increase revenue and provide employment to some highly recommended citizens. For the organization, increase in revenue always brings happiness no matter at what cost to its people. One day it occurred to the organization that the worker was not supervised and perhaps with supervision his productivity will increase.

So they brought in a supervisor.

The worker was still happy and productive.

One day the supervisor thought there should be a layer between him and the worker so he doesn’t have to interact directly with the worker.

So he brought in an assistant supervisor. even with this increased supervision the worker was happy and productive and the organization was still making money. In its wisdom, it thought that with some more supervision there were chances of further increase in productivity and revenue. So they brought in a manager to supervise the supervisor. After a few days the manager thought that an assistant manager will be effective in maintaining close level of supervision and hence may contribute further to the bottom line. The worker started losing some of his productivity and happiness with all these layers of management. But by now there was no one close enough to the worker to care about his productivity and happiness. The worker with each passing day lost productivity resulting in the organization losing money. He felt left out, disengaged and unhappy. This state of affairs affected the bottom line.

The organization was concerned at this constant loss of revenue and hired a very expensive and world-renowned management consultant to find what the problem was? The consultant ran numbers, interviewed every one concerned and informed the organization that it was overstaffed and that was the reason it was losing money. The consultant recommended a redundancy program.

So the organization fired the happy and productive worker.

Sounds familiar! This could easily be PIA. I had read this story some 40 years ago in a management magazine. This still holds true in all organizations, especially state-run enterprises.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is again in the news trying to tackle overstaffing. This time offering a large-scale Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS), the numbers of which are staggering. This is not the first time PIA is going this route. This has happened before and is a road much travelled. PIA informed the Supreme Court that it is set to reduce it’s employees from 14,500 to around 8000 for 29 aircraft through VSS. Compare this with Turkish Airlines, no jewel among airlines, with 31,000 employees for

329 aircraft. Along with the VSS, PIA will carry certain other measures of separating core and non-core activities, discriminatory transfers to dislocate employees so they leave of their own accord (also called harassment), and reduce allowances arbitrarily to go in the black one way or the other. How did PIA come to this sorry state of affairs and will VSS help in any way? while the free fall of PIA is not a state secret and you do not need 007 to uncover it, it is still worth mentioning. First is staffing: In 1975, PIA embarked on a large intake of Grade 6 officers fresh out of university. Some of my ablest of classmates took up employment with PIA. Surprisingly, two of the MBAs from the Punjab University left Citibank and joined PIA. This was the kind of lure PIA enjoyed. Gradually, the recruitment standard fell. emphasis shifted during President Zia ul Haq’s time from ability to knowledge of religion. Later, recommendations of politicians started mattering more than either ability or knowledge of religion.

The result of this meddling is in front of us.

Second is management: at best, the management has been loose, incompetent, and corrupt or based on cronyism. Again the result is in front of us. Third is business acumen: PIA’s biggest assets were the routes it was lucky to have as an old airline when the world was smaller and less competitive. Gradually and perhaps intentionally the most sought after and profitable international routes were given up making it a regional airline.

Now efforts are afoot to give up PIA Investments’ hotels too.

A few words about the VSS: In my view, the reason for VSS is flawed. PIA would like to reduce its staff strength by 50 per cent. why? Because the airline has just 29 aircrafts and believes this number is adequate for 29 aircrafts.

Does this mean PIA plans to keep the aircraft strength around 29? Then of course this makes sense. To pay off a large amount of money to a large number of people to reduce future costs.

If, however, PIA plans to increase the number of aircraft then it will again embark on a staffing drive. Adding additional costs, and perhaps at a higher level. Replacement costs are always higher in the corporate world.

According to reports the VSS has been introduced and staff has been given up to December 28 to opt for it “if they like.” Otherwise, wide scale transfers shall take place. This is like opening a Pandora’s box. The people will run to the courts and the courts will come to their res-

cue and the story will go on and on. even the beginning of the VSS was flawed, asking staff who opt for it to pay for their trainings undertaken at PIA’s expense. I am glad PIA management withdrew this condition because it would have never withstood the Courts’ scrutiny. Now the tussle is about giving up medical and travel facilities if opting for the VSS. So what should be done? I understand that this number of some 7500 employees will be a mix of white and blue collared workers. while Labor Laws apply to blue collared workers, white collared workers have no such protection under the law and are treated as master and servants. And our courts are renowned in taking their own sweet time in deciding cases filed by such employees, which obviously benefits the employers. So PIA can hide behind this or be fair to it’s workforce and apply across the board fair and equitable scheme of “Last-in-first-out.”

LIFO is a principle used in selecting workers for redundancy. This simply means that those with the least seniority are the first to lose their jobs. This method has always seen as a fair way to deal with redundancies and most likely to stand the judicial scrutiny. Furthermore, the governments of MQM, PPP and PML (N) have been accused of extreme cronyism in PIA’s recruitment drives earlier this century. LIFO will take care of that too.

PIA might see this method as unfair because it does mean that the organization might loose some of the best employees who are relatively new and some of the worst older ones staying on. well there is no perfect method. But employees and the public always perceive a method as fair and transparent if applied across the board with the same criteria without fear or favor or discrimination or antagonism. After all, the secret of good governance is in its application.

Another thing PIA must introduce is to recruit on a fixed-term employment of 2/3 years.

In other words discontinue open-ended employment. This way it might be able to retain a skills mix that can cater to the future. Or even re-hire the good ones lost under LIFO. It also gives the employer a lot of flexibility to deal with COVID-19 like emergencies, ever-changing business scenarios, long-term expenses and ultimately be profitable. After all “the business of business is business,” said Milton Friedman, the winner of 1976 Nobel Prize for economic Sciences.

A few words about the VSS: In my view, the reason for VSS is flawed. PIA would like to reduce its staff strength by 50 per cent.

Why? Because the airline has just 29 aircrafts and believes this number is adequate for 29 aircrafts.

The writer is a management consultant and innocence lawyer. He can be reached at as1236m@gmail.com

THe CNN news report has confirmed that the Brazilian GOL Airline has started operating the services of Boeing 737 Max passenger planes. These planes have been pressed into service after quite a long gap caused by various reasons like the current pandemic, fatal incidents.

All these events are pretty encouraging and such bold steps should be welcomed by all. Quite interestingly, the recent business tie-ups between GOL and the 737 Max maker have been inspiring on top of good lessons and ethics to be emulated by other competitors over there.Travelling always carries boundless joy en route, exposing you to new people and places in quick time. In my college days in the late 1990s, students from Korkai, Tiruchendur, Tuticorin, Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu had enthusiastically started embarking on paragliding through special arrangements out there.

No wonder then all the students had enjoyed their tryst with the paragliding experiment. Besides that, Asia has been home to all kinds of tourism, most Asian nations having been able to attract tourists through their uniqueness and geographical locations. There have been of late air travel bubble arrangements between various countries facilitated to restart commercial flight services in the best interests of the fliers across the world. Against the backdrop of the COVID vaccine breakthrough, it would only do well to reopen the economy and flight operations through such bubble system.

P SEnthIl SaRavana duRaI mumbaI

Karachi Kidney Hill Scam THeRe is no law on statute books which allows an irregularity and illegality, such as illegal occupation of land allocated as an amenity park to be regularized, even through an out of court settlement or compromise.

Land once allocated for amenity park, exclusively becomes public property and nobody has the right to take over or occupy such property.

There will be chaos if muscle power or threats and intimidation are allowed to prevail over what has been declared as unlawful by the constitution. A state that allows such abuse to go on unchallenged, is a country doomed to become a Banana Republic like Somalia ruled by warlords. Unfortunately, in 2005-2006 over 62 acres of land, near Karsaz, became a subject of dispute, in connivance with criminal patronage of Altaf Hussain led MQM, and Overseas Housing Society, headed by a controversial lawyer of Karachi and his son, working as a pilot in state owned national airline. As usual what has been happening in Pakistan, where crime pays dividends, an out of court settlement was made, with patronage of corruption infected elements within the city and provincial government, and over 20 acres of land belonging to the public was surrendered to the land mafia.

Such illegalities escalated after 2002 in Karachi when Altaf Hussain affiliated MQM became a terror group, which was allowed to indulge in kidnapping for ransom and neither state, nor private land was safe from illegal occupation by the mafia. All this occurred while Musharraf junta held power and the constitution became hostage to greed of few. Thousands of acres of land belonging to railways, including that on which Karachi Circular Railway was built, was taken over by the mafia and till to-date people suffer. alI malIk t lahoRE

Children of Lesser gods IT is the moral and constitutional responsibility of the State to treat all citizens equally, offering them equal opportunities, irrespective of their creed, status, faith or ethnicity etc. The priority for state welfare should be the most deprived, or those who while in the active service of the state offer supreme sacrifice, or are permanently disabled, placing moral obligation on the state to look after his/her dependents. The irony is that while Islamic Republic of Pakistan has shown magnanimity to its paid employees post retirement, it has failed to look after the welfare of citizens of Pakistan, including those who were paying taxes while employed in private or stateowned enterprises. If this country does not have fiscal space to provide welfare to deserving citizens, the least it can do is not tax citizens who invest their life savings in various schemes offered by the National Saving Centre, so that they can survive. In the rare cases when common citizens were allotted plots through balloting in CDA in e12/4 in 1989 or DHA Valley Islamabad in 2009, still await possession. Unfortunately, all state resources are exhausted in the welfare of its paid elite, giving them pensions, plots and other perks, which even more qualified professionals, cannot imagine even while in service. Former PM Shaukat Aziz through an executive decision enhanced pensions of the paid elite by double, apart from an increase in the number of expensive real estate plots and a house. malIk taRIq lahoRE

Tuesday, 22 December, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

hoW huntington And fukuyAMA got the 21St century Wrong A DECIDED TURN TOWARDS AUTHORITARIANISM, TO OFFSET POPULAR DISSENT, IS ARGUABLY BECOMING A DEFINING FEATURE OF POLITICS IN ASIA, THE MIDDLE EAST, AND SOUTH AMERICA, AND INDEED IN THE DEMOCRATIC WEST, AS WELL

al Jazeera dr howard BrastEd and dr shafiMostofa

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hAt is going on in the 21st-century world of international politics? With very few exceptions, national elections are revealing degrees of partisanship and ideological polarisation among voters never seen before. it seems not to be a rare occurrence these days that the losers are either claiming that they are actually the winners or that the results have been rigged by their opponents and can therefore be disregarded. this is the farcical game outgoing President Donald trump is currently playing in the United states, despite there being little or no evidence that President-elect Joe Biden and the Democratic party committed the widespread electoral fraud he wildly accuses them of. As Republican Governor Larry hogan of maryland has openly lamented, today the Us risks being seen as a “banana republic” rather than as the leader of the democratic world.

Despite this, hordes of Republican supporters continue to rally behind the anti-democratic narrative that President trump continually tweets. As one newspaper article pointed out, the “United” states has become the “Divided” states of America. if the recent examples of Belarus and myanmar are anything to go by as well, it would seem that opposition parties have little faith in the mechanism of democratic elections reconciling alienating differences or bringing citizens closer together. Creating divisiveness seems to be the order of the day, even in established democratic countries. in india, the largest democracy in the world, for example, Prime minister Narendra modi secured a second term for his BJP government in 2019 with a campaign that demonised the muslim minority as enemies.

“Divider-in-Chief” was how time magazine labelled him on one of its front covers. everywhere, the volatility of public opinion has confounded the pollsters and seen political scientists searching for explanations.

None of these developments was foreseen by two of the most prominent political scientists – Francis Fukuyama or samuel P huntington – in their respective grand theories of how the 21st century would unfold.

Following the ending of the Cold War, Fukuyama confidently predicted in an article titled, the end of history – and later in a book that liberal democracy would sweep through the world as the ultimate form of human government. in his view, the collapse of the soviet Union meant that communism had failed as the obvious alternative, and political islam as a political system was never likely to draw more than minority support.

Accordingly, the 21st century would experience, under America’s custodial guidance, the installation of a new world order based on a single global system of democracy, individualism, and free markets.

Although he drew on the same turn of events, the postcold war world that huntington conjured up in 1993 was very different. in his Foreign Affairs article titled, the Clash of Civilizations, he argued that international relations would be characterised not by consensus about liberal democracy, but by conflict between entire civilisations, particularly between islam and the West. huntington contended that substantial differences in culture and religion would propel the 21st century in the direction of inter-civilisational war. the fault lines between civilisations would specifically become the “battle lines of the future”.

As 2020 draws to an end, however, neither of these grand theories seems to be playing out the way their authors anticipated.

As early as 2006, when American forces were beginning to get bogged down in Afghanistan and iraq, Fukuyama conceded that “liberal democracy” could not be imposed on people without their consent. By 2020, he was not even sure that “liberal democracy” existed in the Us any more. For under trump, he maintained, the

Us had become the epitome of “kakistocracy”, a government of the “worst”, not the best kind.

At a first glance, huntington’s “clash of civilisations” theory may have been looked more successful. the 9/11 tragedy, the recurrent deadly lone-wolf attacks on non-muslim targets, the isiL’s (isis’s) proclamation of a new caliphate, and the “fault-line” tensions about the hijab and status of muslim women in Western countries may lead some to think that there is indeed a major clash between the islamic world and the West. in fact, even though huntington died in 2008, his thesis has remained the standard reference point for thinking about the future direction of international relations and in just the past two years, it was cited more than 35,000 times on Google scholar.

But a growing number of scholars (more accurate to say ‘the vast majority of scholars’. When thesis first came out it was roundly derided. it still is though less vehemently.) are simply not convinced that these happenings presage the kind of culturally-based religious conflict that huntington foresaw breaking out on a cataclysmic. What collectively they take issue with is the reductionist basis of huntington’s whole thesis. they part company with him over his key assumptions that islam and the West constitute monolithic civilizations, that differences of religious culture will put them on a direct war footing, and that all muslims will come to embrace the world order advanced by fundamentalist islam. Niall Ferguson appears to be the only one prepared to countenance that huntington’s prophecy could become “a real winner”. intra-civilisational fissures have undermined not only Fukuyama’s world system of liberal democracy, but also the cohesiveness of huntington’s civilisational blocs. the erosion of the very hallmarks of American world order, such as open debate, the rule of law, and accountable government, have gradually devalued the currency of Western democracy, while bitter sectarian conflicts have set back any immediate prospect of a muslim anti-West coalition forming.

What has arguably overtaken the envisaged ascendancy of “liberal democracy” and the placing of entire

Joe Biden'S AfghAniStAn conundruM

USa today

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John allEn and MichaEl o’hanlon

heN President-elect Joe Biden takes the oath of office on Jan. 20, he will face many issues demanding immediate attention. According to some, ending the twodecade-old U.s. and NAto military engagement in Afghanistan should be one of those. many also argue that the Feb. 29 deal between the United states and the taliban requires American forces to be out by this may. We disagree with both of these points. Biden should go slow on Afghanistan. the frustration of many with the “forever wars” of the middle east is understandable. Nineteen years since 9/11, we have not found the formula to build a stable and self-sufficient Afghanistan. more than 2,000 Americans have died there. About $1.5 trillion in American taxpayer money has been spent. American allies have lost hundreds and spent hundreds of billions, too. Afghans themselves have been at war more than four decades, ever since the soviet invasion of Afghanistan — when they defeated soviet forces and helped end the Cold War. Yet it is worth bearing in mind several key points as the Biden team considers future policy options: ►As counterintuitive as it may sound, there has been some success in Afghanistan. there has been no subsequent large-scale attack against U.s. or Western interests originating from that country since 2001. that this accomplishment seems obvious does not make it unimportant. ►Without even President Donald trump’s latest abrupt cuts, which Biden might need to consider partly reversing, the United states has reduced American forces in Afghanistan by 95% relative to the peak of 2011 (when one of us had the privilege of commanding U.s. and NAto forces there). ►American casualty rates have declined even more sharply in percentage terms — and that was true even before the taliban stopped taking aim at our forces as part of the Feb. 29 accord. Any loss of American life is too much. But compared with what could happen to this country if al-Qaida or the islamic state gained a solid foothold in a future Afghanistan, taking advantage of either turmoil or taliban

rule, a small enduring presence could be our least bad option. ►the recent cost of the U.s. operation in Afghanistan has been $10 billion to $20 billion a year — hardly cheap, but a far cry from the triple-digit figures of earlier periods, and it's less than 3% of the U.s. defense budget. ►the U.s. role in Afghanistan is part of a larger NAto effort that the Biden team, rightly eager to rebuild America’s alliances, should approach multilaterally. Yes, we should do so while putting America’s own interests first — but that does not mean we should treat allies as afterthoughts. And Pakistan could be showing a greater willingness to be helpful in peace talks than before, though it is too soon to be sure. ►over-the-horizon counterterrorism, say from ships in the Arabian sea, is oxymoronic. Counterterrorism requires partnership with indigenous forces and quick reaction times for tactical operations.

U.s. forces in country need not be big, but for the foreseeable future they do need to be present. the intra-Afghan peace process is going very slowly. For some, that is reason to pull the plug. But it would be strange to risk handing over the country to the principal perpetrators of violence in Afghanistan as a reward for their intransigence at the talks in Doha, Qatar, and their unwillingness to reduce violence during the peace process. moreover, the taliban’s ongoing ties to al-Qaida elements mean that it is not in compliance with the terms of the Feb. 29 accord. that point the Biden team should make early, even as it undertakes a broader and patient policy review. the taliban have also been unwilling to propose any serious ideas for power sharing with the government of President Ashraf Ghani and Chief executive Abdullah Abdullah. they have not, for example, talked about an accord that might freeze the security forces of the two sides in place, invite in a small United Nations observation presence to monitor the cease-fire and gradually create a loose coordinating command mechanism to integrate the forces over time. such ideas would prove seriousness. they have not yet been voiced.

Ultimately, working with a U.N. mediator perhaps, the United states and international community will need to help the peace process along with these kinds of suggestions. As another example, under any eventual peace deal, Afghans who face legal issues may be given the choice of the existing court system or a taliban-controlled sharia system. Also, mechanisms need to be found to preserve gains in education for girls, and more broadly the role of women across civil society and the government. minority protections must preserve the gains since 2001. it is true that there will be no perfect solution to Afghanistan. even finding imperfect solutions will likely take years. But we can be patient. the issue has already been relegated to the kind of second-tier national security matter consistent with its importance for U.s. national security. the level of the American presence and effort in Afghanistan are now sustainable. President-elect Biden does not need to prioritize this issue in his first 100 days in any rush to get out the door.

John Allen, former commander of the International Security Assistance Force, is president of the Brookings Institution, where Michael O’Hanlon is a senior fellow.

civilisations on a war footing has been the globalisation of neoliberal ideology and its concomitant by-product of populist reaction.

Neoliberalism, which nearly all capitalist societies have embraced since the 1980s, has verifiably resulted in the inequitable distribution of national wealth to the few who effectively exercise power and benefit most from the policies they promote. that the large majority of people acquiesces to a situation that ostensibly disadvantages them is due to the pervasiveness of neoliberal ideology and the difficulty of effectively questioning the global system it sustains. enter populism, a phenomenon that is changing political landscapes throughout the world, though in different ways. in the West, populism manifests itself as a groundswell of right-wing disaffection with liberal democratic governments and corrupt ruling establishments.

Populism of this kind is driven by narratives that identify metropolitan elites and multinational outsiders as virtual enemies of the state. in south Asia, populism has fed into top-down discourses that identify religious minorities as anti-national impediments to unity and development. in both modi’s india and mahinda Rajapaksa’s sri Lanka, muslims have been instrumentally targeted to garner populist support for policies that blunt opposition to their regimes and weaken constitutional checks on their use of power. in muslim Pakistan and Bangladesh, the omnipresence of india in their neighbourhood has always fed into populist narratives about the hindu other and the role their respective armies play as the symbolic bulwarks of islam.

While huntington has been credited with incorporating a populist dimension into his “clash of civilization” thesis, he did not foresee that the trajectory populism might take would just as likely foment intra-state tensions as heighten inter-civilisational antagonisms.

A decided turn towards authoritarianism, to offset popular dissent, is arguably becoming a defining feature of politics in Asia, the middle east, and south America, and indeed in the democratic West, as well. A political scientist looking into the crystal ball today might well project the remainder of the 21st century not in terms of looming civilisational war, but of increasing civil unrest.

Dr Howard Brasted is the Professor of History and Islamic studies at the University of New England, Australia.Dr ShafiMdMostofa is an Assistant Professor of World Religions and Culture at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of New England, Australia.

A welcome nudge on reopening schools from Microsoft Seattle timeS

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Editorial Board

ometimes state decision-makers need a generous nudge from outside.that came this month as microsoft and other major employers urged Gov. Jay inslee to hurry up and help get students back in school.this welcome effort is only the latest show of civic leadership by the Redmond software giant and Washington’s extraordinary business community.

Despite toxic, anti-employer politics emanating from seattle’s City Council, the seattle area’s largest companies stepped up this year in remarkable ways. Both microsoft and Amazon, for instance, continued paying wages of idled hourly workers even though their campuses are largely closed and contributed generously to help enable remote learning.Now they are focusing on ways to get through the remainder of the pandemic, restore communities, create more opportunity and continue the state’s economic vitality.that includes expediting the return of in-person education, particularly in grades K-5. opening schools turns out to be not as risky as initially feared, if disease transmission rates are relatively low in the surrounding community.What’s also become clear is that keeping schools closed is causing severe harm to overall student progress and worsening inequity.You know it’s bad when even microsoft executives are distressed by how much time students are spending online on PCs and calling for a return to in-person learning. inslee responded promptly, adjusting the state’s safety threshold for school re-openings to a more reason-

able level. that should lead to more district openings early next year.microsoft President Brad smith went further and arranged to help provide safety equipment in schools statewide, in part by sharing the company’s supplies. the company will also provide online health reporting for every school district, so local educators and families can easily see and monitor disease incidence and other factors affecting school closures.microsoft also is using its influence to urge early vaccination of teachers, particularly those who face greater risks from CoViD-19.Altogether this effort should benefit teachers, families and the 1.1 million students in Washington’s K-12 schools. microsoft also announced that it will increase its support of hourly workers and nonprofits in the state to around $250 million, with a new commitment of around $110 million.it will continue paying hourly workers’ wages until campuses fully return, potentially in early July.Nonprofits received more than $98 million so far this year from the company, including around $67 million in cash and $31 million worth of technology, services and meals for needy students and families that are being provided by its cafeterias. this is all over and above the enormous contribution that such companies make by creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, directly and indirectly.their success is keeping Washington’s economy relatively stable this year and enabling Washington state and even seattle to continue spending heavily on public services.that’s never enough for some.But we should put politics aside this week and be grateful for support and gifts, small and large, from all our generous neighbours.

Tuesday, 22 December, 2020

buSiNeSS 09 CORPORATE CORNER

PAK-AfghAn trAnSIt trADe AccorD to be fInAlISeD by 30th AN AFGHAN DELEGATION WILL BE VISITING ISLAMABAD LATER THIS MONTH TO FINALISE AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN TRANSIT TRADE AGREEMENT ISLAMABAD

ISLAMABAD: Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi exchanging views with High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Pakistan Vice Admiral (r) Mohan Wijewickrama at the Naval Headquarters.

KARACHI: Fiscus Private Limited has signed a sevenyear agreement worth Rs500 million to collaborate with Marshfin Group for FlexPay - a highly innovative, cloudbased platform.

PIA flights to Saudi Arabia cancelled after Kingdom shuts down int’l travel KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has announced to cancel its flights scheduled for Monday to different destinations in Saudi Arabia, consequent to the Saudi government's decision of a week-long suspension of all international flights. Talking to the media persons in Karachi, PIA Spokesman Abdullah Khan said that it is due to resurgence of Covid-19 that flights are being stopped, adding that the duration of this suspension may be further extended. He said that the national flag carrier has decided to cancel its flight numbers PK-9739 and PK9760 from Multan and Lahore to Jeddah. Similarly, those on routes Lahore-Jeddah-Lahore, Islamabad-Dammam-Islamabad, Lahore-Dammam-Lahore and Karachi-MedinaKarachi have also been cancelled. In addition, the airline suspended flights from Lahore to Medina, Medina to Karachi, Medina to Multan, and Karachi-Jeddah-Karachi.

“These flights would remain cancelled till Saudi Arabia opens their airspace for international flights,” the spokesman added. He advised the passengers to contact concerned PIA officials via helpline for their queries and guidance, besides getting registered their correct contact numbers, through PIA call centres, so that they may be kept updated about the status of flights. Earlier today, Saudi Arabia had temporarily suspended all international commercial flights for a week except for foreign flights already in the Kingdom. The Saudi Press Agency said entry into the Kingdom through land and sea ports was also being temporarily suspended for one week, adding that the suspension could be extended for another week.

The move came after a new strain of Covid-19 was identified in the United Kingdom. England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty had said on Saturday that the mutation can spread more quickly while urgent work was underway to confirm that it did not cause a higher mortality rate.

KP govt approves PeshawarDI Khan motorway project PESHAWAR

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GHULAM ABBAS

ITH major negotiations on the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) already held, an Afghan delegation will be visiting Islamabad later this month to finalise the accord. As per commerce ministry officials, the highlevel Afghan delegation, scheduled to visit Pakistan from December 28 to 30, will also discuss the proposed Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between the two countries.

Another major agenda of the Afghan delegation visit is to establish 'joint border markets' to promote bilateral trade and business activities, they added.

"APTTA will expire in February 2021 and there is an urgent need to finalise a revised agreement," an insider informed. "Negotiations on bilateral PTA and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) ceremony for the establishment of joint border markets will also be held on the sidelines of the 8th APTTA meeting to be held in Islamabad this month." The visit of Afghan delegation comes as a follow up of the previous meeting held during a Pakistani delegation’s visit to Kabul.

It may be noted that Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood was part of the prime minister’s entourage for an inter-ministerial delegation that went to Afghanistan last month for talks on the APTTA and possibilities of a PTA between the two countries.

Following the prime minister’s visit to Kabul, the

Construction of Pakistan’s first private sector LNG terminal to start in Jan ISLAMABAD APP

After the government opened up the energy sector under its ‘ease of doing business’ strategy, a multinational company will start construction on the first merchant Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal in the country by end of January 2021.

“A vibrant structural framework is very much in place under which construction work on the first private sector LNG terminal will start by end of the January, whereas physical work on another merchant terminal will commence in second half of the year,” a senior official privy to the development told APP. According to the officials, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) will issue the construction licence within a day

or two, while all other agreements, permissions and arrangements have almost been finalised. After setting up the terminals, the companies would import and sell the commodity on their own without any involvement of the government except in regulation matters.

It may be noted that the country’s existing natural gas reservoirs are depleting fast at a rate of 9.5 per cent per annum.

LNG is the only available instant remedy to bridge the increased gap between demand and supply. Currently, Pakistan’s indigenous gas production is around 3.7 Billion Cubic Feet per day (BCFD) against the demand of 6 BCFD. According to a recent report by OGRA, the gap between demand and supply of gas could increase by 5,389 Million Cubic Feet per day (MMCFD) by 2029-30.

Ministry of Commerce also started engaging all stakeholders on items to be placed on the proposed PakAfghan PTA. Talking to media, the commerce adviser had said that PTA between two countries would be finalised by the end of January 2021, besides expressing hope that APTTA would also be signed around the same time.

Meanwhile, according to officials, a meeting on Pak-Afghan trade ties was held at the Ministry of Commerce on Monday wherein matters related to Pakistan’s trade with Afghanistan and the Central Asian Republics (CARs) were discussed.

Dawood briefed the session on his meetings with the leadership of Afghanistan during his visit to the country last month which preceded the visit of the prime minister to Kabul.

During the meeting, the adviser was apprised of the work being done to further the impact of these visits. It was informed that consultations with all stakeholders were underway to negotiate a PTA with Afghanistan. The adviser was further informed that work on the revised APTTA was in final stages.

Pakistan signs pact with 19 creditors for debt service suspension ISLAMABAD TLTP

The government has successfully negotiated and concluded rescheduling agreements with 19 bilateral creditors, including members of the Paris Club, under the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). According to a statement, debt rescheduling agreements were signed on Monday with France, Switzerland and China by Economic Affair Division Secretary Noor Ahmed.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by senior embassy officials of these countries. Speaking on the occasion, Noor Ahmed appreciated the debt suspension support provided by the G20 and Paris Club countries. He said it was timely and had helped Pakistan save lives and livelihoods of millions during the difficult Covid-19 times. It may be recalled that the G20 countries, together with the Paris Club creditors, had announced DSSI to provide much-needed fiscal space to stressed countries in their fight against Covid-19. The government, taking advantage of this initiative, entered into negotiations with 21 creditor countries for debt suspension amounting to $1.7 billion.

MARKET DAILY

Stocks bleed 406 points on crude plunge KARACHI STAFF REPORT

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) started the week on a negative note, as equity markets around the world reacted badly to the plunge in global crude oil prices, which came after many countries announced a fresh round of lockdown and travel restrictions.

According to media reports, oil prices tumbled by $3 on Monday, their biggest daily fall since June, "as a fast-spreading new coronavirus strain that has shut down much of Britain and led to tighter restrictions in Europe sparked worries about a slower recovery in fuel demand".

Brent crude was down $3.00, or 5.7pc, to $49.26 a barrel by 1028 GMT, and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down $2.92, or 6pc, to $46.18 a barrel.

MARKET SUMMARY: After moving within a nar-

row range for the most part, the benchmark KSE-100 Index fell to its intraday low at 43,295.64 after losing 444.92 points. It settled lower by 406.80 points at 43,333.76.

Among other indices, the KMI-30 Index declined 1,164.61 points to end at 70,481.99, while the KSE All Share Index dropped 246.50 points, closing at 30,491.86.

The overall market volumes appreciated from 482.53 million shares in the previous session to 516.44 million shares (+7pc). Average traded value, however, declined 5pc, from $147.6 million to $139.7 million.

Worldcall Telecom (WTL +9.26pc), TRG Pakistan Limited (TRG +1.14pc) and Invest Capital Investment Bank Limited (ICIBL +46.92pc) led the volume chart, exchanging 36.56 million, 35.18 million and 31.02 million shares, respectively.

Sectors that dragged the benchmark index lower included oil & gas exploration (-177.39 points), bank-

ing (-91.99 points) and cement (-45.67 points). Among the companies, Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd (OGDC -69.32 points), Pak Petroleum Ltd (PPL 60.29 points) and Habib Bank Ltd (HBL -32.77 points) dented the index the most.

Shedding 3.60pc from its cumulative market capitalisation, the oil & gas exploration sector as the session’s worst performer, with Mari Petroleum Company Ltd (MARI 1.90pc), Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd (OGDC -4.25pc), Pak Petroleum Ltd (PPL -4.14pc) and Pakistan Oilfields Ltd (POL 2.51pc) closing in the negative.

The Board of Directors of First Treet Manufacturing Modaraba (FTMM 0.00%) approved conversion of short-term loan by Treet Corporation Limited into FTMM’s equity. They also approved that the debtconversion will take place without rights issue and it is subject to approval by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan.

TLTP

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government on Monday approved the Dera Ismail Khan-Peshawar motorway project. The Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) granted approval to the project in its session chaired by Additional Chief Secretary KP Shakeel Qadir Khan at the Planning and Development Department. A briefing on the motorway project was given to Chief Minister Mehmood Khan a day earlier.

Peshawar-Dera Ismail Khan (DIK) Motorway has a length of 360 kilometres and comprises six lanes and 19 interchanges at various points. The motorway project also has two tunnels of seven kilometres length each. According to officials, the project has an estimated cost of Rs276 billion and it is expected to be completed within four years. The mega project not only promises better connectivity of the region with the rest of the province but will also integrate the merged districts with the main centres of the province. The motorway will begin from Chamkani area of Peshawar, pass through Darra Adamkhel, Kohat, Hangu, Karak, Bannu, Lakki Marwat and Tank, and end in Dera Ismail Khan. It is expected to pave way for the development of southern districts of the province.

PSX holds gong ceremony for three local companies recognised by Forbes ISLAMABAD APP

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) held a gong ceremony on Monday to honour the achievements of three listed companies based in Pakistan that were recognized in the Forbes 'Asia's Best Under A Billion' list.

"The companies that made it to the Forbes' distinctive list included Feroze1888 Mills Limited (FML), The Searle Company Limited (SEARL) and Systems Limited (SYS)," a PSX statement read. "FML CEO Rehan Rehman,

SEARL CEO Syed Nadeem Ahmed and SYS CEO Asif Peer struck the gong to mark the start of the trading day."

Also present on the occasion were PSX MD & CEO Farrukh H. Khan, PSX Board Chairman Sulaiman S. Mehdi, senior officials of the exchange as well as the top management of the three companies recognized by Forbes.

The Forbes 'Asia's Best Under A Billion' list comprised of top 200 listed companies in Asia-Pacific region with sales under $1 billion that have excelled in corporate performance.

These companies were selected

CMYK

based on quantitative and qualitative metrics and included measures such as debt, sales, and earnings growth over both the most recent fiscal one- and three-year periods as well as the strongest one- and five-year average returns on equity. The selection criteria for the top 200 best performing companies also included geographic diversity of companies from across the region.

Speaking on the occasion, Farrukh Khan said that it was matter of pride that these three companies have not only created tremendous shareholder value but have also contributed significantly to the

economy of the country, while projecting a positive image of Pakistan globally.

FML CEO Rehan Rehman said that the award truly reflected the sheer dedication of all employees, support of all business partners and trust of shareholders that they had put in the company. Expressing pleasure over the inclusion of his company in Forbes' distinctive list, SEARL CEO Syed Nadeem Ahmed said that the company's phenomenal growth and achievements in last 10 years were result of intense transformation during which it met and exceeded the expectations of stakeholders.

Tuesday, 22 December, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS Three rockets fired at US embassy in Baghdad BAGHDAD

ChInA CAllS US OUT FOr DISCrIMInATIOn AGAInST ChInESE FIrMS BEIJING

AGENCIES

At least three rockets were launched at the US embassy in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone on Sunday evening, causing the embassy to activate its defence system, Iraqi security officials said. Iraqi government blamed an “outlaw group” for the attack and said the rockets were fired from Al Rasheed Camp in the east side of Baghdad. But so far no group has claimed the attack. The rockets landed inside a residential complex and damaged buildings and cars. There were no casualties among civilians, the government said. The US embassy’s C-RAM defence system was used to destroy the rockets mid-air, three Iraqi security officials told the Associated Press, with damage caused to property and parked cars. The Green Zone is the seat of key government offices and western diplomatic missions. It has been a frequent target for armed groups since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein's regime. Shia cleric, Muqtada Al Sadr, denounced the attack, accusing the “militias” for putting the civilians in danger “under the pretext of resisting the occupation”. Al Sadr called on the government to declare the state of emergency in Baghdad and protect the civilians and diplomatic missions.

“I’m ready to co-operate in this regard,” he said on Twitter. He urged the US embassy not to respond militarily, leaving it to the Iraqi government. The US has drawn down staff members at the embassy this month before the first anniversary of the Washington-directed killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani outside Baghdad’s airport on January 3. US officials said the decision stemmed from concerns about a possible retaliatory strike. The frequency of rocket attacks have frustrated the Trump administration. Armed groups have been blamed for orchestrating the attacks.

Judge orders George Floyd trial to be livestreamed WASHINGTON AGENCIES

A US judge has upheld his decision to livestream the trial of four former Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd. Judge Peter Cahill said he would allow video coverage because of immense global interest in the case and limited courthouse space, the Star Tribune reported. The trial is scheduled for March. In his order issued, Cahill dismissed concerns by state prosecutors, who argued last month that recording audio and visuals of the trial would breach court rules and scare away potential witnesses. Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office, which is leading the prosecution, asked that Mr Cahill rescind his previous ruling or consider narrowing the scope of outside access. The judge, who declined to modify his original ruling, said he had granted more extensive video coverage than allowed in court rules but he is permitted to modify the rules “in any case to prevent manifest injustice”. A coalition of media organisations, including The Associated Press, had requested camera access, arguing that cameras would increase transparency, especially during the pandemic.

Floyd died while being arrested on May 25 after a white police officer pressed his knee against the black man’s neck for several minutes even after he could not breathe. The officer, Derek Chauvin, faces second-degree unintentional murder and manslaughter charges. Three other officers involved in the arrest are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter. All four officers were removed from service.

WTO misses deadline on deal to end harmful fishing subsidies

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AGENCIES

EIJING urges Washington to halt crackdown as Trump signs bill that could kick Chinese firms off US exchanges The Chinese Foreign Ministry has blasted US President Donald Trump after he signed a bill that would see Chinese firms removed from US stock exchanges unless they adhere to American auditing standards.

Speaking at a regular news conference on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin called Washington out for its discriminatory provisions

against Chinese companies.

“This is nothing but an unjustified political crackdown on Chinese enterprises listed in the United States.

It will seriously hinder the normal listing of Chinese companies and distort the basic market economy rules that the US has always touted,” Wang said.

“We urge the US not to implement the discriminatory provisions in the law that involve China and stop the wrong practice of politicizing securities supervision.” The spokesman also warned that the move would be detrimental to the international status and reputation of the US capital market, and would weaken global confidence in it.

Wang’s comments come after Trump signed the Foreign Company Accountability Act into law on Friday. The new bill will see Chinese companies kicked off US stock exchanges unless they adhere to US audits standards and provide more information to American authorities.

Beijing previously accused the US of a smear campaign against China as the Trump administration embarked on a crackdown against Chinese firms.

Earlier this month, the US Nasdaq exchange announced the decision to remove the shares of four Chinese construction and manufacturing companies from its indexes. The move was condemned by Beijing.

US politicians strike deal on $900bn pandemic relief plan WASHINGTON AGENCIES

Congressional leaders reached a deal on a roughly $900 billion spending package to bolster the US economy amid the coronavirus pandemic giving politicians a short time to review and pass the second largest economic-rescue measure in the nation’s history.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer announced the agreement on Sunday. The legislative text was still being written, but the House was expected to vote on it Monday, followed by the Senate.

The plan would provide direct payments of $600 to most Americans and $300-per-week in enhanced unemployment benefits through March. Expiring programmes for gig workers and the long-term unemployed also would continue.

There would be $284bn for the Paycheck Protection Programme that provides forgivable loans to small businesses.

The package includes money for transportation – including for airlines – vaccine distribution, schools and universities, and food aid.

Negotiators failed to bridge partisan differences over a liability shield for companies wanted by some Republicans, and aid for state and local governments that Democrats had demanded, and left those out. A lastminute dispute over the Federal Reserve’s emergency lending authority threatened to derail an agreement until a compromise late on Saturday cleared the way for the broader deal.

The agreement came together after rounds of negotiations over the past week among Ms Pelosi, Mr Schumer, Mr McConnell and House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin

also took part in the talks.

The relief plan will be attached to a $1.4 trillion bill that would fund the federal government through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, 2021.

The haggling over the relief package forced Congress to twice pass temporary funding for government operations. The current stopgap expires at midnight Sunday. The House passed another one-day extension to give time for votes on Monday; the Senate was expected to take it up Sunday night.

“At long last we have the bipartisan breakthrough the country has needed,” Mr McConnell said on the Senate floor.

Pelosi and Schumer lauded the agreement, though they expressed disappointment that the package wasn’t bigger.

“While this bill is far from perfect, nor is it the bill that we would pass if Democrats had a majority in the Senate.

It is a strong shot in the arm to help American families weather the storm,” Mr Schumer said at a news conference

Brexit deal clouds British pound outlook in 2021 LONDON AGENCIES

The British pound is on the ropes again. It has taken a battering since the UK voted to leave the European Union in June 2016, and the blows continue to rain down. Less than two weeks before the country leaves the EU for good on December 31, Prime Minister Boris Johnson still hasn’t struck a trade deal with the bloc.

Both sides have been digging their heels in, with fishing rights said to be the final and most insurmountable obstacle.

Fisheries may contribute only 0.1 percent of the country’s gross domestic product but they symbolise the UK’s desire to regain sovereignty, while French President Emmanuel Macron wants his country's fishing fleets to retain access to British waters.

As if that wasn’t enough, the country faces another two months of lockdown after being hit by a mutant strain of Covid-19 that is up to 70 percent more transmissible. Mr Johnson’s worst fears have come true as he becomes the man who cancelled Christmas.

In a cruel irony, Europe has shut its doors on the UK as a string of countries block all flight, ferry and train arrivals to protect themselves.

Sterling is now at a tipping point. At the time of writing, it has dipped below $1.33 and €1.09.

From here, it could go anywhere, depending on the outcome of EU talks. We will know in the next few days.

So what should UAE-based expats and residents who want to make remittances or buy assets such as property in the UK be doing right now?

Brexit may be a mess for the UK, but it has been an opportunity for anybody earning US dollar-linked dirhams. On January 1, 2016, when currency markets assumed the UK would reject the “Leave” campaign and stay in the EU, sterling traded at $1.47 and €1.36.

Within three months of the shock referendum result on June 23, it had fallen 17 per cent against the US dollar to $1.22. It crashed almost 20 percent against the euro to €1.10.

In recent days, it picked up and hit $1.35, as much due to US dollar weakness as sterling strength, and many felt the opportunity to send money to the UK had passed. The opportunity may soon be back, though. Gaurav Kashyap, head of futures at Equiti Global Markets in Dubai, says a trade deal could drive the pound as high as $1.42, while a hard Brexit could see it crash to $1.27, a fall of 6 per cent from today’s level.

GENEVA

with Ms Pelosi. “We will do more, we must do more.”

The deal came about after a months-long standoff that followed passage in March of the largest in a series of pandemic relief packages: a $1.8tn mix of spending and tax breaks that represented the biggest such measure in US history.

Since then, the economy has struggled to fully recover and another round of lockdowns is threatening to put millions of jobs at risk as deaths from coronavirus rise above 300,000.

Pelosi and the Trump administration were close to a $2tn deal before the November 3 election – which Senate Republicans never fully embraced – and the final agreement is less than half that.

While the deal would represent a substantial infusion of aid, it also will put immediate pressure on the incoming Biden administration to spell out the next steps and then wrangle it through Congress.

ADB to provide $40m loan to support MSMEs in India NEW DELHI AGENCIES

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $40 million loan (in Indian rupee equivalent) to Northern Arc Capital Limited (NACL) to support the livelihoods of microfinance borrowers and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in India. The loan is disbursed to NACL as part of ADB’s ongoing Covid-19 response. NACL will on-lend the loan proceeds and provide guarantees to financial institutions and individual borrowers. NACL will also on-lend to affordable housing finance companies. “The pandemic has had a deep impact in the country’s informal economy, especially among microfinance borrowers and MSMEs. NACL’s unique business model of working with the most impacted segment of MSMEs and financial institutions makes them an ideal partner,” said ADB’s Private Sector Operations Department Director Christine Engstrom. “This project will provide additional support for the Government of India’s ongoing efforts to kickstart credit flow to this segment of the economy.” “NACL and ADB have a long-standing association and our mission is to serve the under-banked, especially during this time of crisis. This transaction is significant as it will enable us to support small and mid-sized NBFCs across microfinance, small business loans and affordable housing finance, which are facing difficulties in attracting debt funding from investors,” said NACL Chief Operating Officer Bama Balakrishnan.

AGENCIES

After more than two decades of negotiations, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has announced it will miss its 2020 deadline to reach an agreement on eliminating harmful fishing subsidies.

Countries will resume talks in January, trying to resolve the disputed passages in the consolidated draft document. Negotiators had been tasked with eliminating subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and prohibiting certain subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing. But talks were delayed this year due to Covid-19 restrictions and the US presidential elections. Subsidies paid to the global fishing industry amount to around $35 billion per year. Of this, $20 billion is given in forms that enhance the capacity of large fishing fleets, such as fuel subsidies and tax exemption programmes, according to the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries.

Toyota says electric vehicles are overhyped TOKYO AGENCIES

There is too much hype surrounding electric vehicles (EVs), one of the world’s top automakers, Japan’s Toyota, says, noting that the electricity needed to charge electric cars would strain grids and increase carbon emissions.

If all cars in Japan were electric, the country would be short of electricity in the summer, while the infrastructure for a 100-percent EV fleet would cost the equivalent of up to US$358 billion, The Wall Street Journal quoted Toyota’s President Akio Toyoda as saying at a press conference in his role as chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association.

Japan is reportedly considering a ban on the sale of new gasoline-fueled cars in the middle of the 2030s, reports emerged earlier this month.

“When politicians are out there saying, ‘Let’s get rid of all cars using gasoline,’ do they understand this?”

Toyoda said, as carried by the Journal.

A rush to ban gasoline and diesel cars would destroy the automotive industry and leave millions of people out of a job, Toyota’s president also said.

Toyota has been working to develop hybrid electric vehicles and hydrogen-fueled cars, but it also says that it plans to “accelerate the popularization of battery electric vehicles with more than 10 models available in world markets by the early 2020s.”

Toyota is selling the Mirai fuel cell vehicle running

on hydrogen, and plans to boost tenfold the global sales of the Mirai with the second-generation Mirai. The new Toyota Mirai will have a 30-percent increase in driving range to around 650 kilometers (404 miles), the carmaker said at the end of last month.

“The introduction of the new Mirai will see Toyota target deeper market penetration with a 10-fold expansion in sales volume. This growth will be supported by the new model’s stronger performance and greater customer appeal, notably as a more affordable vehicle with a selling price reduced by around 20 percent,” Toyota said. The Japanese carmaker also plans to become the first auto manufacturer to sell an EV with a solid-state battery in the early 2020s, Nikkei Asia reported last week

Tuesday, 22 December, 2020

BaBar azam, Imam-ul-Haq ruled ouT of fIrST TeST; moHammad rIzwan named caPTaIn

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AGENCIES

ABAR Azam and Imam-ulHaq have been ruled out of the first Test against New Zealand, starting December 26 in Mount Maunganui as the duo is yet to recover from their respective thumb injuries. In Azam’s absence, vice-captain Mohammad Rizwan will lead the side.

Meanwhile, Pakistan included uncapped 24-year-old Imran Butt in the 17member squad. Butt was the top run-scorer in the 2019-20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy with 934 runs at an average of over 62. Faheem Ashraf returned to the Test squad after missing out for two years while Haris Sohail, who pulled out of the England tour due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was also back in the side. Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan and Yasir Shah continue to retain their place in the squad.

“Although it will be nearly two weeks to Babar’s injury when the first Test starts, it will be hard on him and the team to play him without any net sessions,” head coach Misbah-ul-Haq said in a statement on Monday. “I remain confident and optimistic that other players will rise to the oc-

UNCAPPED 24-YEAR-OLD IMRAN BUTT WAS NAMED IN THE 17-MEMBER SQUAD casion in Mount Maunganui and use the opportunity to rise to the occasion and put the disappointment of the T20I series behind them.”

Azam had fractured his right thumb a day after Imam had fractured his left thumb in training sessions in Queenstown last week. They have both not returned to the nets since then and a decision on their participation in the second Test, starting January in Christchurch, will be taken later.

Pakistan are carrying two squads - the national team and the Shaheens - in New Zealand that include 34 players out of which 17 are in the Test squad. On the conclusion of the ongoing T20I series in Napier, as many as 10 players - Abdullah Shafiq, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Musa Khan, Usman Qadir and Wahab Riaz - will be released from the national side to join the Pakistan Shaheens for five T20s against the local

and New Zealand XI sides.

Imad Wasim will be released after the final T20I on Tuesday to travel to Australia to join the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League, while Mohammad Hafeez will return to Pakistan. Rauf, who signed with the Melbourne Stars, will stay back in New Zealand for a little longer before flying out for Australia on January 6 after his stint with the Shaheens.

Pakistan have already lost the T20I series and are trailing 2-0, after they failed to defend 153 and 163 in the two games.

“It is disappointing to lose the T20I series against a well-settled New Zealand side, who utilised their resources and conditions to their advantage,” Misbah said.

“We need to up our skill and improve our individual and team performances, including in Tuesday’s match, and the sooner we get these sorted the better it will be in terms of player confidences and team results as 2021 will not be any easier as we have two major events.

“Contrary to the T20I side, the Test side appears to be pretty organised and we boast some experienced cricketers, both in batting and bowling departments. With some competitive cricket on the tour now under the belt, I am hoping we will be a

better outfit in the longer version of the game.”

Sarfaraz Khan who is the secondchoice wicketkeeper for Pakistan will continue to find a place in a larger squad as Rizwan will become the country’s 33rd Test captain. Just over a year ago, Rizwan had played just one Test and none in three years. Since then he has cemented his place by impressing in Australia, playing at home against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and then having a standout series in England with both bat and behind the stumps.

He was given the vice-captaincy when Azam was named the new Test captain to replace Azhar.

PAkISTAN SqUAD FOR FIRST TEST: Mohammad Rizwan (capt), Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Butt, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan, Yasir Shah.

Pakistan Shaheens for T20s: Rohail Nazir (capt & wk), Abdullah Shafiq, Amad Butt, Danish Aziz, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Musa Khan, Usman Qadir, Wahab Riaz, Zafar Gohar, Zeeshan Malik.

How Mohammad Hafeez has been a T20 giant in 2020 AGENCIES Ending the year trying to understand how Mohammad Hafeez is the answer to Pakistan’s T20 batting issues feels appropriate for 2020 - a damned year, yes, but also a confounding and unexpected one. Hafeez, 40, in his 18th year as a Pakistan player, the epitome of the anchoring but elegant batsman, a Test opener with ten hundreds, now a top-order T20 firebrand, torch-bearing for senior citizens in the format? Stop it 2020, stop it now.

When the year began, Hafeez wasn’t even in the Pakistan side, par for the course for a story such as this. He had retired from Tests, and after a middling World Cup, been nudged out in the name of post-tournament transitions.

Without a central contract and overlooked for the series against Sri Lanka and the tour to Australia, it felt like he was finally gone. Pakistan were moving on, and of all the weird selection decisions of Misbah-ul-Haq’s regime, this was probably the least strange. Transitions are fickle moments, though, so, of course, two series losses later and by the start of this year, Hafeez was back, for exactly the reason that he was initially turfed aside - too old then, wizened and experienced now. Since then, bingo, with the added bonus of proving pretty much everyone wrong.

He’s the seventh-highest run scorer this year in the format, with the fourth-highest average. But it’s his strike rate that catches the eye. At 138.84, it’s better than those of a fair gaggle of elite top-order batsmen: Jonny Bairstow, David Warner, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Dawid Malan, Babar Azam, Aaron Finch and Fakhar Zaman. Hafeez’s strike rate is better this year than those of at least seven batsmen in the ICC’s current top ten, including Glenn Maxwell and Colin Munro.

IN A CONFOUNDING, CHAOTIC YEAR, ONE MAN HIT AN UNEXPECTED PURPLE PATCH IN THE SHORTEST FORMAT Filter it down to performances at one down only, where Hafeez has batted 17 out of 27 innings, and his year becomes even more golden: a near-50 average and a strike rate above 142 are the kind of metrics it’s difficult to slice any which way other than very good.

So there is a little mischief at play so far, brandishing these big names against whom Hafeez compares favourably on the basis of a solitary - and very unusual year - and that too across such a spectrum of T20 standards. The truer, more revealing, comparison for Hafeez is with Hafeez himself, and with pretty much his entire T20 career to this season. When the format was in its infancy, in the mid-2000s, he appeared the perfect player for it: more than bits-n’-pieces, not quite a genuine allrounder.

And for his first two years - 2005 and 2006 - he was much more. All but one of his 23 innings in those two years mostly in the much-loved ABN-AMRO Twenty20 cup for Faisalabad Wolves - were as opener, averaging 34.35 at a strike rate of 163.18. Throw in 20 wickets and an economy of under 6.5 and you have a player ahead of his time.

This last decade, though, as the format evolved, Hafeez kind of didn’t. If ever a strike rate captured the limitations of a batsman it was his from 2010 to 2019: 116.34 was a batsman good enough to find occasional boundaries when opening, but not nearly enough to make up for the missed scoring opportunities leading to them. And given

that strike rate remained fairly stable over this period, it was reflective of a batsman either not willing - or able - to expand his game.

This year’s data may as well be speaking of a different batsman. Now batting at mostly three and four, his middleovers play, where he was once slowest, is unrecognisable.

Across 2018 and 2019, Hafeez’s strike rate across that phase was 114 (and about 115 if you stretch back to 2015).

This year it has jumped to 147 (all for matches where ESPNcricinfo has ball-by-ball data). The driver for that would appear to be his boundary-hitting; he has gone from hitting one every nine balls (across 2018 and 2019) to more than one every over this year in those middle overs (for matches where ESPNcricinfo has ball-by-ball data).

He has always been better value at the death than often thought - a legacy, no doubt, of his early tape-ball years but even there his strike rate has jumped to nearly 174 this year, up from 149 the previous two years.

How has this happened, to a player as deep into his career - and often thought to be as set in his ways - as Hafeez? Primarily, it is that he has changed his ways, and perhaps because he was snubbed after the World Cup, understood the need for evolution. Leaving Test cricket has not only allowed him to give time to that need, it has also broadened his view of batting itself. Because he has been such a sweet timer of the ball, and because it had gotten him so far, it’s not entirely surprising it’s taken him till now to understand that power-hitting is as important in the modern game. It’s almost been an unlearning, to recognise that not every shot has to be timed impeccably to send the ball across or over the ropes. Freed from the other formats, he has devoted greater, more dedicated, time to range-hitting during practice.

SPORTS 11 Playing 360 degrees can sometimes be a downfall: Tim Seifert VERSATILE BATSMAN EXPLAINS IMPORTANCE OF “STANDING STILL AND REACTING, TO GO FOR THE RIGHT OPTION AT THE RIGHT TIME” AGENCIES Tim Seifert has all the shots in the book, ranging from the scoop over the keeper’s head to the down-the-track leg-side slog to the perfect straight drive. But, until recently, he didn’t seem to have the clarity to pause and reflect on the game-scenario before pulling out his trick shots. For instance, in the Super Over against Chris Jordan at Eden Park last year, he searched for the scoop when he might have been better off trying to clear the shorter straight boundary. Jordan knew that Seifert would go searching for that shot and darted a wide yorker away from his reach. It resulted in another Super Over heartbreak for New Zealand. A year on, Seifert understands his strengths better and knows when to play the right shot at the right time. This mindset change came to fore during his back-to-back half-centuries in the ongoing T20I series against Pakistan. In the series opener at Eden Park, Seifert shelved his scoops and ramps and instead focussed on timing orthodox shots like that defensive push off Faheem Ashraf which whistled past extra-cover for four. The in-form Glenn Phillips holed out in the next over, but Seifert still played within himself, gliding a rapid short delivery from Haris Rauf to the third-man boundary. He fell for 57 and after the game said that he was disappointed at not finishing off the chase. Two days later, Seifert remedied that. The conditions at Seddon Park were strange. The new ball didn’t swing, but then Tim Southee got a semi-new ball to move both ways. Then, in the second innings, Pakistan’s seamers got spongy bounce from a good length. Wary of that bounce, Seifert realised that scooping the ball in the ‘V’ behind the wicket would be a better option than looking to hit it in the ‘V’ in front of it.

After plays-and misses against Shaheen Afridi and Ashraf, Brendon McCullum, who has coached Seifert at Trinbago Knight Riders and Kolkata Knight Riders, called it on the Spark Sport commentary that the batsman would “pick up the ball” behind the wicket. The scoop found the boundary, as McCullum predicted, and Seifert was off and running. He would be unstoppable on Sunday, finishing with an unbeaten 84 off 63 balls. “There was a tricky little period when Kane [Williamson] came in,” Seifert said at the post-match media conference. “But, you know in T20 cricket if you just ride that wave, the tough little period could just be one or two overs. Then you get one good ball out of the middle - that gets your innings underway. “Personally, [I] felt like I chewed up a couple of balls and then that’s when I did my scoop and got my second half of my innings underway. I just felt on that wicket, hitting through the line over the top of the bowler was a tough option with the ball popping up a little bit. I thought it was a good time to bring the ramp out and it worked.”

Rudderless Pakistan eye revival of lost T20I prowess as New Zealand gun for clean sweep CAN PAKISTAN MOUNT AN AD HOC DEFENCE FOR RESPECTABILITY IN THE THIRD AND FINAL T20I IN NAPIER? AGENCIES BIG PICTURE: It was the third T20I against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui in 2018 that signified how far Pakistan had risen from the depths of a disaster at the T20 World Cup in India two years earlier, having finished fourth out of the five teams in their group.

After being told they didn’t have enough power-hitters for T20Is and were just capable of beating the weaker sides - or the stronger teams only at home - Pakistan beat New Zealand in that match to complete a comefrom-behind series win against a side that had just blanked them 5-0 in the ODIs. That pushed them to No. 1 in the T20I rankings, a position they would hold on to - incredulously - until as recently as earlier this year.

Fast forward to their 2020-21 tour of New Zealand, and Pakistan head to Napier for the third and final T20I of the series. But this time, the series is already gone, with the No.1 ranking having gone long before that.

Pakistan are no longer at the elite table in T20I cricket, and don’t look like they have a

plan to get there again anytime soon. The bowlers that got them there have begun to fade away; the very term “fielding standards” sounds oxymoronic following the second T20I in Hamilton on Sunday, as Mohammad Rizwan opening the batting, to put it gently, is sub-optimal.

Of course, Babar Azam’s absence leaves a chasm few sides would know how to bridge, but don’t let that con you into thinking this is a series defined by an absence. Pakistan have had Azam available throughout that steady slide from No. 1; his absence has merely hastened their plunge to the depths.

None of this is New Zealand’s concern, though, who barely have more people in the entire country than the number of club cricketers Pakistan possesses, and have yet engineered a way to develop a bench strength in all three formats like few sides in world cricket. If it didn’t come from a self-effacing unit like New Zealand, you would think the squad they named for the first T20I in Auckland was gentle showboating. None of Kane Williamson, Tim Southee, Trent Boult,

Lockie Ferguson, Kyle Jamieson and Colin Munro was playing - all absent for varying reasons, gutting both the bowling attack and the top order. Yet they reduced Pakistan down to 20 for 4 inside five overs and went on to complete a routine five-wicket win with more than an over to spare.

In the second T20I, with the big guns back, Williamson scored a half-century and Southee got four wickets, thus making the home side look even more comfortable. It is hard to see what Pakistan could do to change that in Napier, a rot that set in well before this series, well before Azam’s injury and well before that extended quarantine period, which can neither be attributed to those factors nor solved in the immediacy. For now though, they must look to mount an ad hoc defence for respectability. Once this series is done, Pakistan might want to look across at New Zealand - or indeed themselves from four years ago - and come to appreciate where fresh thinking and long-term planning can get a side.

FORM GUIDE: Last five completed matches, most recent first Pakistan: LLWWW New Zealand: WWWWL IN THE SPOTLIGHT: New Zealand lost just the one wicket in

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the second T20I, and Martin Guptill will have been bitterly disappointed to miss out on a surface both Tim Seifert and Williamson appeared to find little trouble dealing with.

Once regarded as the foremost power-hitter available to New Zealand following the chasm left by Brendon McCullum’s retirement, Guptill has somewhat seen his importance to the side diminish, with one big-hitter after another jostling for positions in a historically competitive New Zealand team. The veteran opener has suffered something of a dip in form of late, not having caught fire either in the recent three-match series against West Indies or in the first two matches against Pakistan. But he looked good enough in a cameo in Hamilton - 21 off 11 deliveries to set the tone - to suggest he still very much belongs at this level. He will be itching to give everyone a reminder of that tomorrow.

Azam’s absence means the weight placed on Shaheen Afridi’s broad shoulders increases even more, and while he’s done little to deserve scapegoating, he’s yet to hit the levels that have turned him into an all-format starter for Pakistan. Afridi was brilliant for much of the first game, before an ordinary final over that leaked 16 ended up costing Pakistan the game. In the second, he struggled to keep New Zealand pinned in the powerplay or quiet at the death, his figures of 4-0-38-0 the

second worst in his career. Afridi was still hitting his lines frequently enough to suggest he’s due a star performance, one that stand-in captain Shadab Khan will be desperate to get from him on Tuesday.

TEAM NEWS: New Zealand have a fullstrength, well-rested squad available to them, and may well just go with the same again as they push for a clean sweep.

NEW ZEALAND (POSSIBLE): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tim Seifert (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Devon Conway, 5 Glenn Phillips, 6 James Neesham, 7 Kyle Jamieson, 8 Ish Sodhi, 9 Scott Kuggeleijn, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent Boult Given how many things need remedying for Pakistan, any number of changes are possible. They might resist an overhaul, though, if history under this management is a guide.

PAkISTAN (POSSIBLE): 1 Haider Ali, 2 Abdullah Shafique, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Shadab Khan (capt), 5 Iftikhar Ahmed/Faheem Ashraf, 6 Khushdil Shah, 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Mohammad Rizwan/Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 9 Wahab Riaz/Mohammad Hasnain, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Shaheen Afridi PITCH AND CONDITIONS: Expect another surface conducive to big scores. There’s a slight chance of a passing shower, but any serious threat to the contest is unlikely.

Tuesday, 22 December, 2020

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STAFF REPORT

HIEF of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said that the recent visit of the Chinese defence minister to Pakistan will further strengthen Pakistan’s time-tested relations with its ‘iron brother’.

The army chief said this while talking to China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong on Monday who called on him here at the General Headquarters (GHQ), said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

According to the ISPR, matters of mutual interest, bilateral defence cooperation and regional security situation including China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) were discussed during the meeting. The Chinese ambassador also appreci-

ated Pakistan’s role for peace and stability in the region. On November 30, China’s Minister of National Defence General Wei Fenghe called on COAS Bajwa.

Detailing the meeting via its Twitter

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account, the ISPR said that during the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional security and enhanced bilateral defence collaboration were discussed.

The army’s media wing said that the

visiting dignitary acknowledged and appreciated Pakistan Army’s sincere efforts for regional peace and provision of a secure environment for the CPEC projects. “[The] COAS thanked the dignitary for China’s unwavering support to Pakistan on all key issues at regional and international forums.” The ISPR in its press release said that the Pakistan Army greatly values their time-tested and brotherly relations with China. “We have been standing together all along, and our relations will be no different in wake of future challenges,” COAS Bajwa said.

Moreover, an MoU was also signed for enhancement of defence cooperation between both the armies. Minister of National Defence, laid a floral wreath at Yadgar-eShuhada while a smartly turned out contingent of Pakistan Army presented the Guard of Honour to the visiting dignitary.

Climate change could create millions of migrants in Pakistan by 2050

WASHINGTON: The head of United States forces in the Middle East has said that Washington is “prepared to react” if Tehran launches an attack to mark the first anniversary of the killing of powerful Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. “We are prepared to defend ourselves, our friends and partners in the region, and we’re prepared to react if necessary,” General Kenneth McKenzie, who heads the US Central Command, said. He was touring the region weeks before the first anniversary of the January 3 assassination of General Soleimani by a US drone strike near Baghdad airport. “My assessment is we are in a very good position and we’ll be prepared for anything the Iranians or their proxies acting for them might choose to do,” General McKenzie, a four-star marine general, said from an undisclosed location in the region. The commander said that he had recently visited Baghdad, where he met the head of the anti-extremist coalition, US General Paul Calvert, as well as the Iraqi army chief of staff, General Abdul Amir Yarallah. General McKenzie said that he had been to Syria to meet American forces stationed in the small southern base at Al Tanf, near the border between Jordan and Iraq. In an apparent sign of US military leaders’ concerns about Iranian intentions after Soleimani’s assassination, General McKenzie’s current tour was not announced in advance.

Similarly, last week’s visits by General Mark Milley, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Israel and Afghanistan were kept secret until he had left the region. “I talk to my commanders about it every day and I think we will be ready,” General McKenzie said. AGENCIES

KARACHI AGENCIES

The growing impacts of climate change have already pushed more than 18 million people to migrate within South Asian countries, but that could more than triple if global warming continues on its current path, researchers have warned.

Nearly 63 million people could be forced from their homes by 2050 in the region as rising seas and rivers swallow villages, and drought-hit land no longer supports crops, said ActionAid International and Climate Action Network South Asia in a report. The projection does not include those who will be forced to flee sudden disasters such as floods and cyclones and so is likely an under-estimate, noted Harjeet Singh, global climate lead at ActionAid. He said the situation could become “catastrophic”. Many will head from rural areas to towns and cities in their own countries, in search of work, he said.

There they often end up living in slum areas exposed to flooding and with very limited access to social services, doing precarious jobs such as rickshawpulling, construction or garment-making. “Policymakers in the Global North and the Global South are not yet waking up to this reality,” Singh told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “They are not realising the scale of the problem, and how we are going to deal with [it].”

He urged rich nations with high planet-warming emissions to redouble efforts to reduce their carbon pollution and provide more funding for South Asian countries to develop cleanly and adapt to conditions on a warming planet.

If governments meet a globally agreed goal to limit warming to below 2 degrees Celsius, the number of people driven to move in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal could be cut almost by half by 2050, the report said. It builds on research published in 2018 by the World Bank, which said unchecked climate change could cause more than 140 million people to move within their countries’ borders by 2050 in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America. The new report, which used an updated version of the same methodology, raises the original 2050 projection for South Asian migration by about half, adding in new data on sealevel rise, as well as the effects of ecosystem losses and droughts. The new report also tracks expected migration on a finer scale.

PREPARING FOR MOVEMENT: The projections have financial implications for countries such as India and Bangladesh, where the poorest people often lack the means to move far from their original homes to safer places without state support.

The new figures show the largest number of people are expected to migrate by 2050 in India, at more than 45 million.

But the country with the sharpest projected rise in migration is Bangladesh, with a seven-fold increase from today.

The report included examples collected by aid workers of people who have already been hit by worsening climate pressures. In the arid Tharparkar district, Rajo, 37, and her husband, both labourers, moved to three different places in their area in the last three years to escape hunger caused by severe drought.

She lost a baby because of the heavy lifting in her job and had to borrow money from the landowner to cover medical bills for her family, she told the researchers. Kabita Maity, from an island in the Sundarbans delta region of India, has had to move five times as previous homes were gobbled up by the sea. “We will have to stay here until the sea forces us out, as we do not have resources to buy land and resettle inwards,” Maity was quoted as saying.

The report called on South Asian governments to do more to prepare for worsening displacement linked to climate change — and emphasised the importance of acting now to limit the number of people who will be forced to migrate in the future. It recommended strengthening social protection systems to provide cash and work for those affected by climate extremes and improving essential services for migrant workers in cities - now hit doubly by the Covid-19 pandemic, with many left jobless.

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EvEry thIrd cOrONAvIrUS tESt cOMES bAck POSItIvE IN GAzA: whO GAZA: Every third test is coming back positive in the Gaza strip due to an alarming surge in community transmission, the World Health Organisation has said. “Testing is not the reason for why there’s been an increase in the number of cases,” WHO head in the occupied Palestinian territories Dr Gerald Rockenshchaub said. “There is a relatively high positivity in cases in Gaza where every third test is coming back positive.” On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, kicking off the roll out of Israel’s inoculation programme. But the timeline for a vaccine in the occupied territories is still unclear. “The Palestinian and Israeli economies are so closely interconnected, it would make sense for Israel to put every effort in ensuring that Palestinians get vaccinated. The Israelis aren’t safe until the Palestinians are safe,” Dr Rockenshchaub said. The global organisation to inoculate developing nations against the coronavirus, known as Covax, is set to cover 20 per cent of people in the occupied Palestinian territories once a vaccine has been approved, while the Ministry of Health said it is planning to cover another 40 per cent - all of the territories’ adult population. But funding, logistics and supply issues with Covax means poorer nations may have to wait until 2024 to receive vaccines.

Meanwhile, the number of cases in the Gaza strip continue to rise quickly. AGENCIES

Pakistan rejects Indian MEA’s denial over responsibility for targeting UNMOGIP observers ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday categorically rejected a denial of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to accept responsibility for targeting the United Nations Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) by the Indian occupation forces. The deliberate targeting of a UN vehicle engaged in discharging the mandate of the UN Security Council (UNSC) constituted a grave violation of India’s obligations, under the UNSC Resolutions and the UN Charter, which included the obligation to ensure the safety and security of the UNMOGIP Observers, the FO spokesperson said in a press release. “Pakistan reiterates its condemnation of the Indian attack on the UNMOGIP Observers and their vehicle and calls upon India to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding and maintain peace along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary,” it was further added. According to spokesperson the Indian side was also urged to allow UNMOGIP to play its mandated role as per UNSC Resolutions. STAFF REPORT

UAE, Saudi spywares target phones of Al-Jazeera journalists: report DUBAI AGENCIES

Dozens of journalists at Al-Jazeera, the Qatari state-owned media company, have been targeted by advanced spyware in an attack likely linked to the governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, a cybersecurity watchdog said Sunday.

Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto said it traced malware that infected the personal phones of 36 journalists, producers, anchors and executives at Al-Jazeera back to the Israel-based NSO Group, which has been widely condemned for selling spyware to repressive governments.

Most unnerving to the investigators was that iMessages were infecting targeted cellphones without the users taking any action — what’s known as a zero-click vulnerability. Through push notifications alone, the malware instructed the phones to upload their content to servers linked to the NSO Group, Citizen Lab said, turning journalists’ iPhones into powerful surveillance tools without even luring users to click on suspicious links or threatening texts.

The coordinated attacks on Qatarifunded Al-Jazeera, which Citizen Lab described as the largest concentration of phone hacks targeting a single organization, oc-

curred in July, just weeks before the Trump administration announced the normalisation of ties between Israel and the UAE, the archival to Qatar. The breakthrough deal took public what had been a long-secret alliance. Analysts say normalisation likely will lead to stronger cooperation in digital surveillance between Israel and the Persian Gulf sheikhdoms.

Apple said it was aware of the Citizen Lab report and said the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 14, “delivered new protections against these kinds of attacks.” It sought to reassure users that NSO doesn’t target the average iPhone owner, but rather sells its software to foreign governments to target a limited group. Apple said it has not been able to independently verify Citizen Lab’s analysis.

Citizen Lab, which has been tracking NSO spyware for four years, tied the attacks “with medium confidence” to the Emirati and Saudi governments, based on their past targeting of dissidents at home and abroad with the same spyware. The two countries are embroiled in a bitter geopolitical dispute with Qatar in which hacking and cyber-surveillance have increasingly become favored tools.

In 2017, the two Gulf nations and their allies imposed a blockade on Qatar over its alleged support for extremist groups, a

charge Doha denies. The UAE and Saudi Arabia served the tiny country with a list of demands, among them shutting down its influential Arabic-language TV network, which the UAE and Saudi Arabia see as promoting a political agenda at odds with their own. The feud continues to fester, although officials recently have indicated a resolution may be within reach.

Emirati and Saudi authorities did not respond to requests for comment.

The NSO Group cast doubt on Citizen Lab’s accusations in a statement but said it was “unable to comment on a report that we have not yet seen.” The firm said it provides technology for the sole purpose of enabling “governmental law enforcement agencies to tackle serious organized crime and counterterrorism.” Nevertheless, it added, “when we receive credible evidence of misuse … we take all necessary steps in accordance with our product misuse investigation procedure in order to review the allegations.” NSO does not identify its customers.

Prior to Sunday’s report, NSO’s spyware has repeatedly been found deployed to hack journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders and dissidents. Most notably, the spyware was implicated in the gruesome killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was dismembered in the Saudi consulate in Istan-

bul in 2018 and whose body has never been found. Several alleged targets of the spyware, including a close friend of Khashoggi and several Mexican civil society figures, sued NSO in an Israeli court over the hacking.

The NSO Group’s surveillance software, known as Pegasus, is designed to bypass detection and mask its activity. The malware infiltrates phones to vacuum up personal and location data and surreptitiously control the smartphone’s microphones and cameras, allowing hackers to spy on reporters’ face-toface meetings with sources.

“It’s not only very scary, but it’s the holy grail of phone hacking,” said Bill Marczak, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab. “You can be using your phone normally, completely unaware that someone else is looking at everything you’re doing.”

The Citizen Lab researchers connected the hacks to previously identified Pegasus operators in attacks attributed to Saudi Arabia and the UAE over the last four years.

Rania Dridi, a newscaster at the Londonbased satellite channel Al Araby, never noticed anything amiss. Although she said she’s accustomed to Emirati and Saudi criticism over her reporting on human rights and the UAE’s role in wars in Libya and Yemen, she was shocked to learn her phone had been infected with invasive spyware on several

occasions starting October 2019.

“It’s a horrible feeling to be so insecure, to know my private life wasn’t private this whole time,” she said.

The zero-click vulnerability is increasingly being used to hack cellphones without a trace, said Marczak. Last year, WhatsApp and its parent company Facebook filed an unprecedented lawsuit against the NSO Group, accusing the Israeli firm of targeting some 1,400 users of its encrypted messaging service with highly sophisticated spyware through missed calls. Earlier this month, an Al-Jazeera anchor filed another lawsuit in the US, alleging that the NSO Group hacked her phone through WhatsApp over her reporting on Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

With the UAE and Bahrain normalizing ties with Israel, the use of Israeli spyware in the region may accelerate, Marczak added, encompassing a “much wider range of government agencies and customers across the Gulf.”

The Al-Jazeera attack represents the tip of the iceberg, said Yaniv Balmas, head of cyber research at Check Point, an Israeli security company.

“These hacks are not supposed to be public,” he said. “We should assume they’re happening all the time, everywhere.”

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