Epaper – January 24 ISB 2021

CMYK

24 January, 2021 I 10 Jumadi-ul-Sani, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 206 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition

Rifts emeRge in PPP, PmL-n on stRategies to toPPLe govt g

PML-N's AhsAN sAys ‘decisive LoNg MArch’ AgAiNst the goverNMeNt is the oNLy wAy

LAHORE tLtp

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iFFereNces in approach between the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to oust the incumbent government have emerged, as the parties are divided over whether to bring an in-house change via no-confidence motion or build pressure outside.

A day after PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari recommended that the opposition should table a no-confidence motion in the parliament, PML-N secretary general Ahsan iqbal during a press conference on saturday said that this is an “old recommendation” and the tactic did not work during the senate

elections. he, however, invited Bilawal to share numbers he may have, which could lead to a successful vote. the PML-N general secretary said there is “only one way” the opposition must take, and that is a “decisive long march” against the government. he said that March is an ideal month for the march.

Ahsan added that the government brings up issues like Panama and Broadsheet to divert attention. “After crying Panama, they came into power through election rigging, and now they want to divert attention from their failures by raising a hue and cry about the Broadsheet,” he said. referring to Minister for interior sheikh rashid’s categorisation of the matter as “Panama 2”, he said that the Panama Papers

CoRonaviRus in

Pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

530,818

LAST UPDATED AT 9:23 AM ON JANUARY 23, 2021

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

43

1,927

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

SINDH:

PUNJAB:

484,508 11,247

239,935 KP:

64,945

152,925 BALOCHISTAN:

18,715

AJK/GB: ISLAMABAD: 8,770/4,899 40,629

CM Sindh, Ali Zaidi complain PM about each other’s behaviour KARACHI

case–that led to the disqualification of former prime minister Nawaz sharif–was a “fraud” and “so is Broadsheet”. he added the government is “hiding the true facts” behind the Broadsheet scandal. “if the government is serious about the investigation of Broadsheet, it should have contacted Leader of the opposition shehbaz sharif. Let us investigate it and form a parliamentary commission by consensus,” said the PML-N stalwart. he criticised the government for appointing “their own man”, who will simply give a “clean chit” and “wipe the issue away”, referring to retired Justice sheikh Azmat saeed, who has been named as the head of the government committee probing the Broadsheet scandal.

Also addressing the interior minister’s remarks that saeed has “read volume 10” of the Joint investigation team (Jit) report in the Panama Papers case, Ahsan said, “whether it is volume 10 or 20, these are all tall tales– like the Arabian Nights.” “the nation does not want to read volume 10. it wants to know why the economy stands at 0.4 per cent from a previous level of 5.80 per cent,” he continued. on the other hand, PPP sindh President Nisar Ahmed Khuhro on saturday said that there are only two ways to get rid of the incumbent government, which are through either tabling no-confidence motion in the parliament or mobilizing masses. “while we are keeping the window for resignations open, we have openly said we are not looking forward to boycotting elections,” the senior party leader said.

tLtp

Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi and chief Minister of sindh syed Murad Ali shah have penned letters to Prime Minister imran Khan after a verbal clash in a meeting regarding Karachi transformation Plan a week earlier. the information of the incident surfaced on saturday after the letter written by the chief minister came to the forefront. “that on January 16, another meeting of the committee took place at the chief Minister house, Karachi. however, towards the end of the meeting, Zaidi acted in a hostile and belligerent manner towards the undersigned [cM Murad] in the presence of the committee…,” said the letter. the letter further stated that “Zaidi’s unruly behaviour, which under no stretch of imagination can be deemed as one expected from a federal minister, was ignored”. the province’s top executive further complained to the premier that “this is clearly not the first time, Zaidi has shown such arrogance and belliger-

China to ask companies to ‘speed up’ vaccine provision to Pakistan BEIJING/ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

the chinese government on Friday directed its pharmaceutical companies to accelerate the provision of coronavirus vaccination to islamabad a day after Foreign Minister wang yi assured his Pakistan counterpart, shah Mahmood Qureshi, of the “gift” of half a million shots. “in order to support our brothers and sisters in Pakistan, the chinese government has decided to provide a batch of vaccines as aid and will actively coordinate with the relevant chinese enterprise to speed up [the] export of vaccines to Pakistan,” chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson hua chunying said in response to a question from Associated Press of Pakistan during a press briefing Friday. the confirmation comes a day after Qureshi held a telephonic conversation with yi to discuss “Pakistan’s requirements,” after Prime Minister imran Khan had directed him to increase interaction with Beijing “considering the sensitivity of the [coronavirus] situation” at home. “i also informed [yi] that our needs are far greater than [those 0.5 million doses] … we

ence at public forums, which is unbecoming of any citizen let alone a federal minister”. registering his protest against Zaidi’s behaviour through the letter, Murad expressed hope that the Prime Minister office will take some action, and in future, maturity (to some extent) will be seen as merit for appointments at such positions. on the other hand, Zaidi, in a series of tweets on saturday, presented his side of the story. he said he has written a letter to the prime minister after a verbal clash with the sindh chief minister during the Karachi transformation Plan meeting on January 16. the federal minister said that Murad had the audacity to write to the PM and his letter shows nothing but arrogance and conceit. “he does not even have the etiquette and manners on how to address the office of the prime minister,” he said.

Zaidi complained in his letter that six months have been passed since the formation of the Karachi transformation Plan committee, but the sindh cM is not answerable to anyone.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

more inside

Iconic TV and radio interviewer Larry King dies at 87 STORY ON BACK PAGE

covid-19 claims 43 lives, infects 1,927 in a day: Ncoc need 1.1 million doses [for frontline workers] in the first phase,” he said while speaking to reporters. At this, yi assured him this could also be accomplished by the end of February, Qureshi had added.

“Pakistan is an all-weather strategic partnership with china,” chunying said, adding: “we have the tradition of mutual assistance.

And we always lend each other firm support when in need.” however, she did not confirm the number of vaccine doses that china would provide, nor the name of the “relevant” chinese company. “since the outbreak, china

and Pakistan have worked together to go through the difficulties in order to support our brothers and sisters in Pakistan,” she added. chunying said as yi mentioned, the china-Pakistan friendship is solid as a stone, and “it is our precious strategic asset and we will continue to carry out such momentum.” in december, the federal cabinet approved $250 million in funding to buy coronavirus vaccines, initially to cover the most vulnerable 5 per cent of the population, including the frontline health workers.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

STORY ON PAGE 03

Broadsheet case exposed politics of NRO: Faraz STORY ON PAGE 02

cNg stations in islamabad, Punjab to reopen today STORY ON PAGE 02

02

Sunday, 24 January, 2021

NEWS

PM lAuds feMAle MPs’ role IN resolvING PuBlIC Issues ISLAMABAD

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tLtP

RIMe Minister Imran Khan has said that women parliamentarians are playing an effective role in the resolution of problems in their constituencies, which is quite welcoming.

The prime minister said this while talking to AsmaQadeer and Ghulam Bibi Bharwana, members of National Assembly (MNAs), who called on him on Saturday.

Asma briefed the prime minister about

President Alvi approves grant for PIA voluntary separation scheme

SAYS SKMT KARACHI TO BE BIGGEST, MOST MODERN HOSPITAL ongoing steps towards tree plantation, in which the National Highway Authority (NHA) is supporting her.

Ghulam Bibi briefed the prime minister about the ongoing development projects in Jhang. She also presented a proposal of provision of gas in Sial Sharif due to growing demand.

Separately, the prime minister has said that ShaukatKhanum Memorial Trust

the Sustainable Household Project and said, “The project will not only help meet needs of a middle-class house but also contribute to livelihood. The project is not only environment friendly for minimum carbon footprint but also has the capacity to transform a house into a sustainable unit.”

Asma felicitated the premier on positive results of the Billion Tree Tsunami project and also apprised him of the

(SKMT), Karachi will be the biggest and most modern hospital in the country.

In a tweet, the premier expressed satisfaction that the construction work on the SKMT, Karachi is going on full pace.

“Work on the basement of SKMT, Karachi (is) proceeding at a good pace after a slowdown during the Covid-19 crisis,” he tweeted. Imran also shared a few photographs of the construction work.

ECP again rules out open trial in foreign funding case ISLAMABAD Staff RePoRt

The election Commission of Pakistan (eCP) has ruled out the suggestion to hold open hearings in the long-pending foreign funding trial against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), a spokesperson for the body confirmed on Saturday.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan called for a public trial in the case as he sought to “challenge” opposition parties to likewise submit to proceedings to prove they had not received any “illegal” funds from foreign sources.

However, in a statement, the spokesperson said: “The scrutiny committee [of the eCP] will not conduct an open hearing of its proceedings,” adding that “the proceedings

Minister rejects opposition’s reservations on Broadsheet inquiry panel ISLAMABAD Staff RePoRt

Minister for Human Rights ShireenMazari on Saturday rejected the reservations expressed by the opposition leaders on the committee formed to look into the Broadsheet saga. “Investigation [in the case] would reach to a logical conclusion despite hue and cry of the opposition”, Mazari said in a statement. Responding to the criticism on the appointment of former Supreme Court judge Azmat Saeed as the head of the inquiry commission, she further said the opposition parties did not want a judge who was aware of their corruption.

Saeed was part of the five-member bench of the apex court that announced the verdict against deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers case.

Asking the opposition about the inquiry committee is just like asking thieves about their will, she said. On January 19, the federal cabinet decided to form a new inquiry committee on the recommendation of an interministerial committee that had earlier been constituted by Prime Minister Imran Khan to look into the scandal. Subsequently, on Friday, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) rejected the formation of the committee as an “attempt to distort the facts”. The PML-N, on the other hand, sought what it said should be an impartial head of the inquiry committee. In 2000, Broadsheet LLC — a company registered in the Isle of Man, tax heaven in the UK, and engaged by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) — helped the government and the newly-established accountability agency track down foreign assets of some 150 Pakistan nationals including members of the Sharif family acquired through ill-gotten wealth.

The agreement was terminated by the bureau in 2003, after which Broadsheet filed a claim with the High Court of Justice, London against Pakistan, seeking the award of $28.7 million. The now-defunct firm’s chief KavehMoussavi, in an interview, had claimed Sharif through a frontman offered him a $25 million bribe to drop the probe in his foreign assets.

will be made public only after the committee submits its report [in the case].”

The statement, he said, was being issued to address the concerns regarding the conduct of the committee.

The election commission is pursuing the 2014 claim — filed by Akbar S. Zaidi, a founding member of the ruling party — accusing the PTI of receiving foreign funding during years leading to and after the 2013 election.

The trial gained fame and momentum earlier this week following a protest of opposition parties outside the offices of the eCP in Islamabad to “question” the delay in the probe that has dragged on throughout the tenure of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the two-and-a-half years of the incumbent setup without a verdict.

The party has sought to distance itself from the case, saying its funds were gathered by “agents” who were working at odds with the instructions of then chairman Imran Khan, and as such, the PTI was not liable for their sources.

Last week, the scrutiny committee summoned both the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), directing them to submit their respective records of funds collected through foreign sources.

In his statement, the spokesperson further said the trial is taking place in the presence of the representatives of the concerned political parties, adding an open trial will be held to forward the recommendations of the committee after it submits its report.

Broadsheet case exposed politics of NRO: Faraz ISLAMABAD INP

Minister for Information and Broadcast Senator ShibliFaraz on Saturday said the Broadsheet case has exposed the politics of NRO (National Reconciliation Order) and it will prove a second edition of the Panama Papers episode for the opposition parties.

In a statement, the minister said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders were baffled and couldn’t mislead people with their lies.

The minister said the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the umbrella alliance of the opposition parties, has lost its spirit, and

the opposition has been left with only disappointment, failure and humiliation.

He said those who wanted to topple an elected government have lost their own respect among the people. Faraz said when Prime Minister Imran Khan was establishing universities and cancer hospital for the underprivileged segments of the society, deposed premier Nawaz Sharif and former president Asif Zardari were constructing their palaces at Mayfair, London and Surrey by looting the poor.

He said Imran is known for his firm resolve and steadfastness and added those who have plundered the national coffers will have to answer for it.

ISLAMABAD: President DrArifAlvi has approved funds worth Rs9.5 billion for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) voluntary separation scheme, according to a notification issued on Saturday. The funds were approved after the national flag carrier had requested the government to release grants for employees under the voluntary separation scheme. After President Alvi's approval, the finance secretary has also approved the transfer of funds to PIA. It is pertinent to mention that over 1,300 employees of the airline had submitted applications seeking early retirement under the voluntary separation scheme (VSS). The PIA had planned to cut down the number of its employees to 7,500, less than half the current strength of its workforce, to reduce cost. A mandatory retirement scheme will follow the VSS, under which employees with poor performance will be laid off, the sources said. Besides laying off almost half its employees, PIA plans to move its head offices, including the flight services division, commercial department and human resource divisions, to Islamabad by the end of January as part of its restructuring plan. tLtP

CNG stations in Islamabad, Punjab to reopen today ISLAMABAD: Central leader of All Pakistan Compressed Natural Gas Association (APCNGA) Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha said on Saturday the CNG stations, after almost 37day closure, would reopenin Islamabad and Punjab from 6:00amon Sunday (today). The gas supply to CNG outlets in Punjab and Potohar region was suspended for the last 37 days due to shortage of the commodity in peak winter season. “We are not yet confirmed that the CNG stations will remain open for what duration, but the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited has intimated us that the CNG stations are going to reopen in Punjab from Sunday (today) at 6:00am,” he said in a statement. Paracha was of the view that the public would get relief with availability of the CNG as all stakeholders including owners, employees of the stations as well as motorists faced great financial hardships during the supply suspension period. He hoped that the CNG sector would get uninterrupted supply in the next winter season with the import of its own ‘private’ liquefied natural gas. aPP

MoST submits draft for drone regulatory authority to PM ISLAMABAD tLtP

The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) has submitted a draft for an ordinance to establish Civil Drone Regulatory Authority (CDRA) in the country to Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Talking to TLTP, MoST consultant UmerSajjadChaven said that the federal government has decided to set up a Civil Drone Regulatory Authority for effective use of remote-controlled surveillance technology in various fields.

He said after promulgation of the ordinance, drones would be allowed exclusively for civil purposes, including usage for agriculture, recreational activities and research & development, adding that the law would allow the government to carry out activities with the purpose of obtaining new knowledge that shall enable the development of drone and its associated technology or creating new

equipment, products and tools using the available information and resources, creating new systems, processes and services, including software production or improving those that are available.

UmerSajjad said the authority would also regulate operation, manufacturing, assembling, designing, import, development and research on drones and associated technologies used for civil purposes in Pakistan.

Other functions of the authority would be to grant, cancel and renew licences for manufacturing, importing and operating drone and associated technology on payment of some fees.

Besides, the authority would have power to prescribe standards for grant of licence to local manufacturers and importers of drone and associated technologies and certify compliance of such equipment with prescribed standards.

The consultant said in order to support the local industry in

manufacturing, assembly, integration and design of drone and drone-based applications, the authority would monitor and enforce licences, besides entering into contracts. “Once the ordinance is passed, the authority will attract investment into drones and associated technologies including foreign direct investments, venture capital funds, public sector

investments, public-private investments and private funds.”

According to the draft, the authority would develop studies, feasibility reports, experiments, public-private partnership frameworks, financial vehicles, technical research and surveys related to drones and its associated technologies.

Sunday, 24 January, 2021

Covid-19 ClaimS 43 liveS, infeCtS 1,927 in a day: nCoC ISLAMABAD

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TLTP

HE novel coronavirus has claimed 43 more lives during the past 24 hours in the country, taking the overall death toll to 11,247, said the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Saturday.

Out of forty three corona patients, who died on Friday, forty were under

treatment in hospitals and three in their respective homes.

During the last 24 hours, most of the deaths occurred in Sindh followed by Punjab. Out of the total 43 deaths, 28 patients died on ventilators.

According to the NCOC, 1,927 fresh infections were reported during the last twenty four hours, surging the national tally of cases to 530,818. A total of 40,403 tests were conducted across the country on Friday, while so far 7,602,380

samples have been tested.

As many as 1,737 patients recovered from the deadly virus in the past 24 hours while 484,508 people have so far recovered from the disease.

The total count of active cases is now 35,063.

A total of 2,283 patients were stated to be in critical condition. The maximum ventilators are occupied in four major areas, including Multan (38 per cent), Islamabad Capital Territory (38 per

cent), Bahawalpur (32 per cent) and Lahore (34 per cent).

The maximum oxygen beds occupancy was reported in four major areas, including Peshawar (44 per cent), Multan (36 per cent), Karachi (40 per cent) and Rawalpindi (27 per cent).

Around 301 ventilators were occupied elsewhere in the country while no Covid-affected person was on ventilator in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Balochistan.

Rabbani warns of security risk in WAPDA units’ privatisation KARACHI PPI

Former Senate Chairman Senator Raza Rabbani has said that privatisation of the WAPDA’s distribution and power generation companies would be a security risk for the country.

Addressing a press conference along with trade unions and labour leaders at the Karachi Press Club on Saturday, Rabbani condemned the recent increase in power rates and demanded to take “back this decision”.

“Earlier, the government had increased prices of petroleum products unilaterally, which would affect the poor population and further increase in prices of essential commodities, Rabbani said.

“Privatisation is being done under the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB), but the agreements are being kept secret. The privitisation of basic infrastructure industries like power generation units may become a threat to national security,” he remarked.

Demanding the government to cancel its entire privatisation

programme, he said that the privatisation programme is unconstitutional because all the public sector companies under the federation come under the purview of Council of Common Interests (CCI).

“Unfortunately, the government is supporting its crony capitalists and big private investors and plans to hand over national assets to their friends. The government gave a National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) to the construction industry by providing attractive incentives to big investors so that they may whiten their black money.

Only three days ago, another NRO ordinance was issued, extending the incentives package for the industry for the next six months,” he said.

On the other hand, Rabbani said that workers who play an important role in the development of the country are not provided with any facilities. “Instead, they are being crushed through price hikes and other anti-people measures.”

“Committee on privatisation or Cabinet is not entitled to take any such incident to privatise,” he added.

The former Senate chairman said that earlier, a CBA in all companies of

WAPDA was present, but the present government decided to set up separate trade unions in each company, which he termed an anti-workers step.

“The government has decided to hold a separate referendum in each distribution company,” he added.

Rabbani said earlier the government had privatised K-Electric, which was sold to a private management on the condition that the new management would invest in infrastructure. However, he pointed out that services were not improved and citizens continued to suffer.

He opined that privatisation of WAPDA’s distribution companies would not improve efficiency, but further aggravate the situation.

Speaking about the Cabinet’s decision to privatise 10 distribution companies and four power distribution companies, All Pakistan WAPDA Hydro Electric Workers Union (CBA) President Abdul Latif Nizamani and General Secretary Khurshid Ahmed said that the government has decided to remove 1,806 workers of the powerhouse.

“Over three crore customers receiving power through the WAPDA

system in Pakistan would suffer, while power supply to both domestic and industrial consumers would be hampered like this,” they said.

“WAPDA’s performance is impressive where recovery is 100 per cent and privatisation would be harmful to the national economy wherein large numbers of employees would be jobless,” said Nizamani.

It may be noted here that the IMF delegation is coming to Pakistan in March and it is their pre-requisite to privatise 10 distribution companies.

Similarly, Akhlaq Ahmed of the KE Workers Union said that national assets should not be privatised.

Speakers on the occasion recalled that in the past, private companies in Multan and Rawalpindi were handed over to WAPDA due to faulty power supply systems after which an improvement in services was noted and millions of consumers in rural and hilly areas got access to electricity.

The speakers demanded that talks be held with representatives over 130,000 WAPDA workers, while the proposed privatisation process of all national institutions should be abolished.

Firdous accuses Fazl of misappropriation of religious funds LAHORE INP

Sanaullah seeks ban on parties receiving foreign funding LAHORE INP

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Punjab president Rana Sanaullah Khan on Saturday demanded a ban on parties being run on funding secured through foreign sources.

Talking to the media, the PML-N leader said those who had been accusing others [of receiving foreign funding] for three years have turned out to be the [real] culprits. “The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has their confession and there is no other option but to punish them,” he stressed. “The money taken from Indian and Israeli lobbies was spent in Pakistan, and accountability of every penny will be held. Courts will soon hear cases against the selected group,” he declared.

“Fake narcotics case was lodged against me on the direction of Prime Minister Imran Khan, he claimed. “Case copies have not been provided even after one-and-a-half years. All fake cases will end by only one order and that time will soon come.”

Special Assistant to the Punjab Chief Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan termed JamiatUlema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) President FazlurRehman as a corrupt wizard of the modern era making properties through frontmen off the religious funds.

In a series of tweets on Saturday, Firdous said Fazl always misled people and his politics revolves around personal interests and creating turmoil.

The JUI-F chief, she said, is adamant to damage the country to save his corruption worth billions.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader said Fazl

and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) are out to save their corruption but it is a part of the manifesto of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government to hold all those accountable who looted the national exchequer.

Her tweets come as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) summoned Fazl’s son-in-law Fayaz Ali on January 28 as part of an ongoing inquiry into his (Fazl’s) alleged illegal assets.

The bureau warned that if Fayaz Ali failed to comply with the notice, penal action would be taken against him under the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), 1999. According to the notice, there is an inquiry against Fazl regarding corruption and corrupt practices and accumulation of assets beyond known sources of income.

NEWS

03

Un warns staff against travelling on Pakistanregistered airlines The United Nations has asked all its staff across the world to avoid travelling on airlines registered in Pakistan, including the national flag carrier, over alleged fake pilot licences. “Due to an ongoing investigation of the CAA [Civil Aviation Authority] Pakistan…due to dubious licenses caution is advised on the use of Pakistan-registered air operators,” an advisory issued by the UN Security Management System (UNSMS) on Saturday stated. According to local media reports, the advisory has been issued for all Pakistan-registered carriers and been recommended to all UN agencies, including the UN Development Programme, World Health Organisation (WHO), UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESC) and others whereas UN personnel have been barred from travelling by any Pakistan-registered airline even domestically.

The airlines listed in the advisory include Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Air Eagle, Air Indus, Air Blue, Aircraft Sales and Services, Askari Aviation, Hawk Adventure Air, Hybrid Aviation, IAMC Airline, Meezab Aviation, Rayyan Air, Star Air Aviation and Vision Air International. However, according to a report by The News, UN staff has now been allowed to travel only by Serene Air. NEWS DESK

Govt to construct 16 small dams in nine Balochistan districts LORALAI: Balochistan Additional Chief Secretary SaboorKakar said on Saturday that the provincial government has planned to construct 16 new small dams in nine districts of the province under its 'special development package'. Talking to media persons in Loralai, he said that newly planned dams will have the capacity to irrigate 150,000 acres of land. Kakar said these dams would help reduce water scarcity and improve groundwater level in respective areas. "Health, education, electricity, public health infrastructure and road facilities will also be provided to the people of these nine districts," he added. INP

41-nation aman-21 naval exercise to kick off in february KARACHI: 40 countries with host Pakistan as the 41st will be taking part in Pakistan Navy’s five-day joint multinational exercise Aman-2021, scheduled to start in February in the North Arabian Sea. “Together for Peace,” will be the motto of the exercise, a navy spokesman on Saturday said. The principal purpose of the exercise, conducted after every two years since it was initiated in 2007, is to provide a forum for the understanding of each other’s maritime concepts and operational cultures and come up with ways and means to combat common threats at sea. The Pakistan Navy’s ships, submarines, boats, marines, and special forces will all take part in the exercise, along with the Pakistan Air Force, Pakistan Army, and Pakistan Rangers. “The people of these countries speak different languages and their work procedures are also not the same. But they will work and plan together as a team during the exercise in the name of peace and unity,” the spokesperson said. “The Pakistan Navy Peacekeeping Exercise will play an important role in strengthening maritime cooperation, promoting a safe maritime environment and building regional and global maritime peace and stability,” he added. STAff REPoRT

PM Imran's decision to establish markets along western border areas an important step: Cheng Xizhong BEIJING APP

Prime Minister Imran Khan's decision to establish markets along the western border areas is an important measure to fully open the border trade with Afghanistan and Iran, said Cheng Xizhong, a visiting professor at Southwest University of Political Science and Law, on Saturday.

He said that the prime minister has directed the concerned authorities to fast-track establishment of markets in the country's border areas with Afghanistan and Iran, besides formulating a comprehensive strategy for the borders’ economic development.

"With better security situation, the borders will be more opened and the economy will be more active. I believe that the decision of the Pakistani government to establish markets along the western border areas is an important measure to fully open the border trade with Afghanistan and Iran," he said in a statement.

“This reflects at least three points that Pakistan has

made substantial progress in its efforts to improve relations with its western neighbours Afghanistan and Iran over the years, the security situation in the western border areas has been significantly improved by strengthening the fight against terrorism and extremism together with regional countries, and Pakistan is committed to regional connectivity, development and prosperity.”

He also said that the decision to fast-track markets in the border areas was a concrete reflection of the geoeconomic strategy of the Imran’s administration and conducive for curbing the commodity smuggling in the border areas, bolstering up the regional economy, creating more employment opportunities for the local people and bringing the prosperity to the people, residing in the border areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

“The people in the border areas of Afghanistan and Iran would also benefit. Over the years, Pakistan has taken a firm stand on the issue of anti-terrorism and implemented a series of security operations in the western border areas to control terrorist activities. The overall

security situation has been improved year by year. This has created favourable conditions for the full opening of border trade with Afghanistan and Iran. Pakistan is a peace-loving country and has played a very important role in the process of peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan for many years,” he added.

Earlier on Thursday, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said that Pakistan has played a role of mediator during the peace talks between the Afghan Taliban and the United States, resulting in a landmark deal, signed in Doha in February last year.

According to the deal, United States had committed to reduce the number of its troops in Afghanistan.

Pakistan's important role in regional security has been fully affirmed by the Biden administration, as Biden's nominee for Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin had acknowledged on Tuesday that Pakistan holds the role of a critical ally in any peace process in Afghanistan.

“Pakistan has taken positive steps to bring peace to Afghanistan,” Austin had said.

04 NEWS

Sunday, 24 January, 2021

PLHRD faiLs To eLiminaTe CHiLD anD bonDeD LabouR LAHORE

CTD foils terror plan BANNU inp

The counter-terrorism department (CTD) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police on Saturday foiled a terrorist attack attempt as it recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition from the Ghulam Khan town of North Waziristan district. The weapons included eight hand grenades, 25 anti-personnel mines and five kilograms of explosives and were buried underground purportedly by the members of the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). In December, CTD and the counter-terror wing of the premier spy agency in a joint intelligence-based operation smashed an alleged terrorist network in Lahore sponsored by an Indian intelligence agency. During the operation, the counter-terror personnel arrested five suspected terrorists from a warehouse in Shahdara town, just hours before they were allegedly scheduled to detonate an improvised explosive device (IED) in front of the Peoples House Gate of the Civil Secretariat at the time of its closing.

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shahab oMer

HE Punjab Labour and Human Resource Department (PLHRD) has failed miserably in implementing the project launched to eradicate child and bonded labour and ensuring necessary recruitments and equipment for the project, Pakistan Today learnt on Saturday.

According to details, after approval from the Planning and Development Board, the PLHRD had initiated a project titled “Elimination of Child & Bonded Labuor” in all 36 districts of the province from July, 2014 to June, 2019 to eliminate worst form of child labour.

The project was initially approved at the cost of Rs5159.629 million with a

gestation period from July 1, 2014 to June 30 this year (84 months).

The project was later revised in the 26th meeting of PDWP, held on May 19, 2019, with reduced cost of Rs966.500 million and gestation period of 60 months after the recommendations of the project steering committee, comprising of the PLHRD minister and provincial chief secretary.

The project was aimed to conduct surveys on child labour and develop linkages of child labour with governmental and private agencies for providing education and skill training. The other major objectives were to develop online Management Information System (MIS) for monitoring and record keeping of the project activities and establish coordination among various

provincial departments and district offices, including ILO, UNICEF and other International agencies, for support to combat child labour.

The directorate general monitoring and evaluation (DGME) has recently evaluated the project and revealed in its report that the project was not properly planned by the department as initially the project was planned for 84 months with the cost of Rs5159.629 million but later revised twice and reduced to 60 months with the cost of Rs966.500 million.

According to the report, the PLHRD also failed in running the MIS system.

“The child status was different in different lists within the system. The data validation checks were missing on data entry forms. The data entered in the system was not complete, which led to poor

data quality. There were a lot of bugs in the portal. It was not well tested before deploying into production. The work places and schools were not geotagged.

The system was not in use by the department after closure of the project,” the report said.

Only 471 (65.8 per cent) schools for child labourers against the target of 715 and 32 (17.29 per cent) schools for the children of NGOs against the target of 185 were covered.

The DGME has declared the project as ‘unsuccessful intervention’ and recommended that admin department of the PLHRD may probe into the status of non-traceable physical assets and conduct special audit through DG Audit to check the financial spending and utilisation in the project.

Two arrested for forced underage marriage KARACHI sTaff reporT

The Dadu police arrested two men, including the bridegroom’s father, in Karampur Town for attempting to perform an underage marriage, reports said Saturday. The nikkah ceremony of a 13-year-old girl and a 21-year-old man was stopped, police said, adding the victim was being forced to marry the son of her father’s friend. The girl is now in the protective custody of the police. Her father and his friend were arrested and a case registered against them under the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2013. The girl told the police her mother passed away in 2014 and her father had remarried.

LAHORE: A view of dense fog near Liberty Market in the provincial capital. Zubair MehfooZ

IESCO issues two-day power suspension schedule ISLAMABAD app

Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) has issued a two day power suspension schedule for Sunday and Monday for various areas due to necessary maintenance and routine development work.

According to an IESCO spokesman, the power supply of different feeders and grid stations would remain suspended for on Sunday from 9am to 2am at Club-1, Mahfooz Shaheed, Orchard, Filtration Plant, Scheme 2, Pandorian, Park View, Pindi Board, Jail Park, Car Chowk, Mehboob Shaheed, Fuji Foundation, Morgah, Daultalah, Ahdi, Islamabad Club, Koral, Madina Market, G-9/3, H-8/2, New Exchange, F-11/3, NIH, Company Bagh, Gharial, Kotli Sattian, Bari Imam, F-Block, A-Block, Gangal, Dhok Hikmadad, Liaquat Bagh, Jinnah

Road, Mangtal, Quaidabad, Eid Gah, Tench Bhatta, Askari-XI, Ameer Hamza Colony Azharabad, I-14/3, Bank Road I-, Dhoke Farman Ali, PAF, Car Chowk, RCCI Express, National Park, Chontra, Chahan, Rajar, Thalian, Gulshan-e-Saeed, Cantt, Sihala College, Lehtar I-, Kallar, Khawaja, Ghazan Khan, Basali, Bhangali, Nishan-eHaider, New City A Block, New City Eye Block, Multi Orchard, Nisar Shaheed, Museum, Mushtaq Hussain, Jalala, Kohsar Valley, Hameed, Shanka, Hatian, People’s Colony, Dhok Fateh, Shamsabad, Gharibwal, Mathial, Bahtar, Maqsood Shaheed, Chib, Ahemadal Kamrial, Laniwala, Gagan, F-5 Jada, Zubair Shaheed, F-3 Gul Afshan, Shukrila, Mandi Bhalwal, Chapran, Fatehpur, Akram Shaheed, F-8 Civil Line, F-9 Chak Dhulat, Bong 2-, Dina 1- Bakrala, Hasnot, Mumtaz Shaheed, Sandal, Gujar Khan, City Sohawa, Mal Awan, Galyana,

Smoot, Adhi, Dhudial Express, Khanpur, Sarkal, Pepli, Balkasar, Lawa, Malikwal, Bilalabad, Akwal, Patwali, Multan Khurd, Tamon, and Kariala.

Similarly, grids for areas including F6, PM Secretariat, CBR, PM Staff Colony, Blue Area, OGDC, University, Saudi Embassy, Residential Saudi Embassy, Pind Pariyan, Sarai Kharboza, MPCHS BlockA, Paswal, STW, Wapda Town, ECHS, and D-18 will remain suspended from 9am to 4pm.

On Monday, the power supply will be suspended in CDA, FHS, I-8/4, KRL, Fazia, Jinnah Camp, Al Noor, Falcon, Shakrial, Noor Muhammad, Kurry Road, Service Road, Tariq Shaheed, Muslim Town, Chakri, Arsalan Poultry Farm, SPD, Padial, Kahuta City 1,2, Hanif Shaheed feeders and surrounding areas from 9am to 2pm.

Balochistan fishermen warned of hurricane QUETTA TLTp

The Balochistan Fisheries Department has directed the fishermen in Gwadar and Pasni to refrain from venturing into the deep sea till Monday (tomorrow) due to an expected hurricane.

The department in a statement on Saturday said that typhoons have been reported in coastal areas of Balochistan, including Gwadar and Pasni, following which the fishermen have been instructed to

remain cautious.

The fishermen were directed to avoid going into the deep sea for fishing.

According to a directive issued by the department, the Pakistan Meteorological Department has warned of a hurricane. Strong winds are likely in the coastal areas of Balochistan till Monday (tomorrow) due to the high tide. The statement asked the fishermen in Gwadar and Pasni to avoid the deep sea and take precautionary measures to avert any mishap.

Sunday, 24 January, 2021

NewS CM Sindh, Ali Zaidi complain PM about each other’s behaviour CONtiNuED fROm pAgE 01 He said that during the meeting, he requested the CM to include the devolution of organisations, like SBCA and SwwMB, to divisional levels as committed by him months ago. “The CM replied by saying three times that he is not answerable to me.

So if Shah felt he was not even answerable to elected members of the National Assembly from his province, then there was no further need for me to waste my time sitting in that meeting. I walked out,” Zaidi said.

Zaidi further said that a high-powered committee of federal and provincial ministers, CM, NDMA chairman and heads of various law enforcement agencies held multiple meetings just to discuss how to clean garbage from storm drains and remove encroachments all because of a corrupt provincial government, which had looted for decades. Talking to the reporters, Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani expressed concerns on making the letter available to the media. Ghani said that the Sindh government has always acted responsibly and no statement was made by the provincial government on the verbal clash between the two officials. Ghani asked for removal of Zaidi from the cabinet as well as Karachi Transformation Plan committee and said that everyone knows about political non-seriousness of Zaidi.

Munir briefs unSC chief on iok situation iSLAmABAD TLTP

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations Munir Akram has briefed the President of the UN Security Council Tarek ladeb on the grave situation in the Indian-occupied Kashmir (IOK). According to a statement, Akram briefed the UNSC president of continuing human rights violations by Indian forces, notably the illegal incarceration and trial of Kashmiri political leaders. The meeting took place soon after India began its two-year term on the 15-nation Council as a non-permanent member. Ambassador Akram also briefed the council president about Pakistan’s dossier on India-sponsored terrorism against Pakistan, including India’s support and financing of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA).

nAB summons fazl’s brother pESHAWAR TLTP

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday summoned Ziaur Rehman, the younger brother of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman, on January 26. The NAB has also issued call-up notices to former chief secretary Sahibzada Riaz Noor, former secretary establishment Sahib Jaan and former secretary to governor Ahmed Hanif Orakzai. The bureau is probing into the illegal inclusion of Fazl’s brother Ziaur Rehman in KP’s Provincial Management Service (PMS) in 2007.

SwATi vowS To TAke fReighT TRAinS BuSineSS To RS36Bn PeR AnnuM LAHORE

R

STAFF rEPOrT

AIlwAyS Minister Azam Khan Swati has said that the government has set a target to take freight trains business to up to Rs36 billion per annum.

Talking to the media on Saturday, Azam Khan Swati said, “Pakistan Railway needs to be run on the business pattern if we want to develop this organisation.”

He said the department will seek experts' opinion with regard to upgrading the basic structure of Pakistan Railway, adding that that it is the government's topmost priority to provide suitable working facilities to the employees of the railways department.

Swati asked the workers' union to work for the development of railways and avoid what he called "blackmailing the officers" for personal gains. "Hopefully, the workers will get more facilities,

such as buildings, hospitals and educational institutions, in the near future," he added.

Swati said that railways' assets would not be sold, vowing that illegally occupied lands of railways would be retrieved at the earliest.

He said encroachments on the railways lands would end now and they were planning to reclaim the lands. "KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has assured me the assistance of Frontier Constabulary

No new sales tax imposed on IT services, clarifies FBR iSLAmABAD APP

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Saturday clarified that no new sales tax was imposed on IT services as claimed in a news report published in a section of media.

"IT and IT-enabled services were subject to sales tax at 16pc since July 2015 under Islamabad Capital Territory (Tax on Services) Ordinance, 2001. later, FBR reduced the rate of sales tax on these services to 5pc vide SRO 781 (I)/2018 dated 21st June, 2018," the FBR said in a statement issued in response to a media report.

The FBR clarified that the scope/extent of IT services

was not defined under Islamabad Capital Territory (Tax on Services) Ordinance, 2001, which was giving rise to dispute between tax authorities and taxpayers. However, the definition of IT and IT-enabled services was available under the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001.

"The same definition has been adopted for Sales Tax purposes vide SRO 77 (I)/2021 dated 21st January, 2021," the FBR stated. "The recent SRO has been issued as a clarification to reduce disputes on the definition of IT and IT-enabled services."The recent SRO has been issued as a clarification to reduce disputes on the definition of IT and IT Enabled Services. The FBR has vehemently clarified that no new tax has been imposed.

iSLAmABAD Transparency International, the leading civil society organization working to end corruption worldwide, will release its annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2020, on January 28.

The CPI is the leading global indicator of public sector corruption, providing

and police force for the reclamation of Pakistan Railways land encroached in various parts of the country," Swati added.

The minister said that measures would be taken to ensure safety and avoid rail accidents. He added that the signal system would be improved while the issue of unmanned railway crossings would also be addressed.

Swati said he has given directions to make railway stations hubs of economic activities.

CORPORATE CORNER

KARACHI: Pakistan’s first 6-star residential project ‘Creek Marina’(DHA approved) is being developed by Meinhardt, a leading designing and architectural company of the world which is ready to set a benchmark of luxurious residential living in the heart of DHA Phase 8. Pr

China to ask companies to ‘speed up’ vaccine provision to Pakistan CONtiNuED fROm pAgE 01 On December 30, a special cabinet committee for procurement of Covid-19 vaccine, chaired by Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, decided to procure 1.1 million doses of vaccine from state-owned Sinopharm.

The vaccine is able to be stored at two to eight degrees Celsius, or a normal refrigeration temperature. The jab has already been approved in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain and is slated for use next in Morocco.

Meanwhile, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) announced to have opened registrations for frontline healthcare workers who are set to receive the first doses of the vaccine.

Staff in both public and private health facilities will be vaccinated, NCOC announced on its website and gave

an elaborate definition for who qualified as a healthcare worker.

Under vaccine protocol, the vaccination of frontline healthcare workers will be followed by remaining healthcare workers and people over 65 in the second phase, and the general public in the third phase. last week, Dr. Faisal Sultan, state minister for health, said Pakistan has been engaging with a number of vaccine makers, adding the country could get “in the range of tens of millions” of vaccine doses under an agreement with CanSino.

The company’s Ad5-nCoV coronavirus candidate is nearing completion of Phase III clinical trials in Pakistan.

The preliminary results of the CanSino vaccine may come in by mid-February, Dr Sultan had said.

In addition to Sinopharm, DRAP has also approved the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for emergency use.

KARACHI: Hi-Tech Lubricants Ltd (HTL) and Hyundai Nishat Motor (Pvt) Ltd (HNMPL), through its AfterSales Department, have entered into an agreement for exclusive sale, supply and branding of ZIC Brand Lubricants to all the authorized / designated dealers of HNMPL. Pr

Demonetisation of Rs5,000 note to help curb bribery: Shabbar Zaidi NEWS DESK Former Federal Board of Revenue chairman Shabbar Zaidi believes that the government should go for the demonetization of the Rs5,000 note from July onwards.

"5000 Rupee Notes. Demonetise from July 1, 2021. Announce two months earlier" said Zaidi in a tweet on Friday.

The accountant said that in order to go through with the demonitisation the government should announce a "transition" period so that the plan goes smoothly.

Zaidi believes that those against demonetization have "no idea about abuse" and claimed that vested interests do not let the benefits of the move come forward.

The former tax czar believes that the demonitzation will improve the economy and help the banking sector.

He also claimed that by demonetising the Rs5,000 note, bribery will become difficult.

He also suggested that those hoarding gold in lockers should have to inform the government if bullion is being held and the government should also monitor bullion trading.

Transparency International to release Corruption Perceptions Index on 28th GHULAM ABBAS

05

an annual snapshot of the relative degree of corruption in 180 countries and territories. The index for 2020 draws on 13 expert assessments and surveys of business people.

TI says the 2020 CPI report will highlight the impact of corruption on government responses to Covid-19, comparing countries’ performance in the index to their investment in health care

and the extent to which democratic norms and institutions have been weakened during the pandemic.

The Index ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, according to experts and business people. It uses a scale of zero to 100, where zero is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.

Pakistan’s ranking in the 2019 Cor-

CMYK

ruption Perceptions Index was 120 out of 180 countries with a score of 32. In that year, with an average score of just 44 for three consecutive years, the Asia-Pacific region made little progress in the fight against corruption.

Most top scorers in the region, including New Zealand and Australia, have well-functioning democratic systems, which help contribute to their top scores.

KARACHI: In continuation of planned infrastructure upgrades and systemic improvements to strengthen service delivery and mitigate disruptions ahead of monsoons, K-Electric staff can be seen undertaking maintenance on Imam Bargah PMT in Shah Faisal Colony. Pr

ATM withdrawal limit not restricted to Rs1,000, clarifies SBP The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Saturday clarified that it has not restricted ATM cash withdrawal limit to Rs,1000. In a statement on Twitter, the SBP said it categorically rejects the false message making rounds on social media attributing to it that ATM cash withdrawal limit is restricted to Rs1,000. “SBP does not put any limit on ATM withdrawal limit. Banks decide about such limits,” it added. The central bank issued the clarification after social media users claimed that they are receiving messages from their banks that the cash withdrawal has been restricted by the SBP. "Dear customer, as per State Bank of Pakistan directions, ATM cash withdrawal limit is restricted to 1000 PKR from 0000 hrs 23 Jan 21 to 0800 hrs 31 Jan 21," read a message shared on Twitter. NEWS DESK

Sunday, 24 January, 2021

06 COMMENT

Ridin’ with Biden

Selling the unsaleable SAPM Moed Yousuf in Washington

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he PTI government is keen to improve relations with the USA. So within days of President Joe Biden’s swearing in, SAPM Moed Yousuf dashed to Washington where he laid out his government’s stand on issues considered vital by the two countries at a think tank.

The visit was aimed at conveying to the new administration that there were enough commonalities between the two countries and both would benefit by working together. For this there was a need to redefine the relationship.

Pakistan, maintained the SAPM, wanted to go beyond a transactional relationship which is centered around Afghanistan and the fight against terrorism. Pakistan wanted a partnership with the USA in development through trade and investment instead of assistance. It was in fact keen to extend the relationship further. For this there was a need for a structured high level dialogue encompassing global issues like climate change, reduction of hostility between the USA on the one hand and China and Iran on the other. Pakistan was ready to play the role of the mediator. Pak-China-US economic partnership in CPeC projects, he said, would benefit the region and beyond.

Isn’t PTI government biting off more than it can chew?

There were questions after the talk that Mr Yousuf had no convincing answers for. Did Pakistan have a conducive business climate for investment? his tentative answer was that due to the CPeC, the infrastructure is better than it was six to seven years back. Asked whether Pakistan had legislation to provide a one-window operation, he said this was not certain. Reminded that building democracy was high on President Biden’s agenda, asked whether Prime Minister Imran Khan would make necessary changes in his policy regarding human rights that included freedom of expression, civilian supremacy and provincial autonomy?

The answers given would convince few in Pakistan where media remains under unprecedented pressure.

Mr Yousuf maintained that conversation in Pakistan is more democratic than in any other country as any individual or institution could be openly criticized, sometimes beyond an acceptable level. he insisted that Pakistan had developed a most efficient model of civil-military relations where the Army is used in accordance with the Constitution to assist the government without in any way undermining democracy. Can claims that continue to be challenged by many in Pakistan convince the outsiders?

New US President will pose same old diplomatic challenges to Pakistan

Arif NizAmi

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N a way, with Joe Biden being sworn in as president after a lot of travails, America has passed the stress test posed by Donald Trump and his red-neck followers. In the end analysis, democracy has survived. But the country stands divided like rarely before.

Trump’s toxic persona permeated not only virtually every section of American society, it impacted the whole world negatively .his “my way or the highway”, approach towards intricate state matters simply did not work.

Despite Trump’s exit, the new Democratic administration will have to work overtime to fix things.

Nevertheless such negative cross currents have been unleashed by the former president and his alt-right cohorts that it will be virtually impossible to put the genie back in the bottle There is a proposal to fast track Trump’s pending impeachment trial within three days. however it does not seem likely as he has substantial support amongst Republicans who are in no hurry to impeach him Thanks to misdemeanours of the previous administration, the GOP lost its thin majority in the Upper house. however, the newly elected vice president Kamala harris, casting her vote in case of a tie, things could take turn for the worse for the former president.

An inappropriate appointment

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The Broadsheet episode investigation committee should be more balanced

rAbiA Ahmed

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he Constitution of Pakistan allows the death penalty, and hanging is the method of execution permitted. A moratorium on executions was briefly put into place in 2008.

As a result, none took place for a couple of years. That moratorium was lifted in 2014 following the attack on the school in Peshawar, and several executions followed.

If there has to be a single, powerful argument against the death penalty, it is that a judge can never be unbiased. It is not human nature to be so. And when a human’s life hangs in the balance there is really little more to be said.

It is wrong to simply state as it is often done that Islam allows the death punishment, and therefore it is. There is more to it than that. What is said in Surah Al An’am verse 6:151 is ‘take not life which Allah has made sacred, except by way of justice and law.’

A simple look around the world will reveal that such a thing as justice exists in only very few places, and certainly not in Pakistan. So whereas the law may allow the death penalty, the absence of justice negates that permission.

In Pakistan, seven executions were carried out in 2014, 326 in 2015, 87 in 2016, 65 in 2017, and 14 in 2018, the same number in 2019. There appear to be no figures yet for 2020. Pakistan, it is obvious, has a strong record of capital punishment.

Despite what is said in support of this particular

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

Arif Nizami is Editor, Pakistan Today. He can be contacted at arifn51@hotmail.com http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk

Questioning capital punishment

T seems that the government is making attempts to sweep the Broadsheet scandal under the carpet by first referring it to an “investigation panel” tasked with ascertaining all the facts related to the complex case, and then by appointing former Supreme Court Judge Mr Justice Azmat Saeed to head it. The opposition is crying foul and rightly so; Mr Justice Saeed having been one of the judges on the bench that gave the Panama Papers Case verdict that resulted in former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification. Furthermore, because the Broadsheet case has at its centre the many indiscretions od NAB (National Accountability Bureau) and Mr Justice Saeed was part of the accountability watchdog in the Musharraf regime, which is when the firm was hired, his appointment has raised some eyebrows. Such moves are bad for optics and further validate preconceived notions in the minds of skeptics, especially the opposition in this case, that the government is biding its time, is seen to be doing something by going through the necessary motions, until this latest controversy blows over and the next one arrives.

The government has conveniently chosen to ignore a cold hard fact that responsibility for the Broadsheet debacle lies primarily and to quite an extent solely, on military dictator Musharraf and the NAB of the time which he established.

But unfortunately, due to extenuating circumstances, the real perpetrators of the highway robbery committed by Broadsheet with the Pakistani taxpayer will never be brought to book, let alone properly accused of the same by the PTI government. Apart from the controls on free thought and expression, there is also the PTI’s extreme dependence on NAB to keep the opposition in check, which is why its hands are tied when it comes to reprimanding an already out-of-control institution for past mistakes.

It would have been better if the opposition had been consulted over the formulation of the team probing the entire episode and the person heading it, rather than deliberately choosing a figure that would understandably irk them. Considering such decision-making on part of the government, it is no wonder why its relationship with the opposition is the way it is, and has been for a while.

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Trump’s biggest miscalculation was not to concede to Biden and his refusal to attend the inauguration ceremony, decamping to Florida on the very day.

An even bigger blunder was the brazen armed attack on Capitol hill where highly charged armed goons forcibly entered the Senate and created mayhem with five persons dying as a result.

Such incidents, leave alone America, are not so common in first world countries. Trump not only encouraged the attack he was also gloating over his pyrrhic victory.

The sad incident amply demonstrated the deep polarisation amongst the US polity. The former president with his racist rants and anti-immigration rhetoric will keep on feeding the hate agenda of his supporters.

That is why some analysts contend that America is a failing state. The advent of Trump on the political scene is merely a manifestation of stark realities of the day.

Whether Joe Biden has the magic wand and the healing touch to fix things within four years, we will soon know where things are headed.

The rest of the world is looking at how the change of leadership in the sole superpower will impact them.

Relations with China transformed into open hostility in the Trump era. In order to block China, the previous administration started a trade war with Beijing . But to no avail. China’s economy unlike the rest of the world still grew by 2 3 percent In order to thwart China, US-India strategic relations were given a further boost when. Modi was given a red carpet reception when he visited Washington in 2019 and the “howdy Modi” rally organised

by BJP (Bhartiya Janata Party) was its hallmark, with Trump in attendance.

Islamabad’s relations with Washington had gone from strategic to transactional a long time ago. It was a simple choice for Pakistan: to stand with a friend that has helped economically and militarily during difficult times, but that relationship soon changed a while ago when Washington abandoned, cutting off all economic and military aid.

The US also has a litany of complaints from Pakistan, the chief amongst them what its terms as double-dealing on negotiating with the Taliban.

According to this logic, Islamabad on the one hand is facilitating talks between the Afghan Taliban and Washington, but on the other not doing enough to thwart violence in Afghanistan.

These sentiments were echoed by Biden’s nominee for secretary of State Antony Blinkin during his confirmation that though some progress has been made on the issue of terror financing and supporting India specific terror groups, it isn’t sufficient. Similar sentiments were echoed by the new secretary for defence Lloyd Austin, the first African-American to make it to this post Although Prime Minister Imran Khan had reasonably cordial relations with Trump, this ostensibly personal rapport did not translate into any tangible gains for Pakistan. In fact, it was under Trump that military assistance for Pakistan was suspended .The issue is yet to be resolved.

President Biden is known to be well aware of dynamics of Pakistan’s military and civilian leadership. he, unlike his predecessor, knows the lay of the land.

With China, Islamabad’s relations is a given; CPeC (China Pak economic corridor) is simply nonnegotiable. Partly owing to New Delhi’s prodding, various US emissaries have been trying to work on Islamabad to downgrade its alliance with Beijing if not actually leave it altogether.

Foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi is not new to the game, holding the same portfolio under Yousaf Raza Gilani led PPP government. he had to quit after he was not given foreign affairs portfolio in a cabinet reshuffle. It was generally surmised that Qureshi was towing the military line during the Raymond Davis affair.

This time around, Qureshi’s real ambition was to become the next chief minister of the Punjab. But unfortunately, he lost his provincial seat. Or rather made to lose by his rivals.

With his eyes on domestic politics he gives a lot of time to local issues and in an interview he has urged President Biden to follow up on the withdrawal of US troops in Afghanistan.

No one in Pakistan disagrees with SMQ (Shah Mehmood Qureshi) but he should be seen to be more proactive, visiting important foreign capitals. Relations with Washington have gone by default for some time. Merely issuing statements will not do.

SAPM on National Security Moeed Yusuf has said that Pakistan wants unconditional bilateral ties with the US. he correctly branded India as a different country than what it used to be, intolerant with serious internal tensions and human rights concerns.

US dependence on India is an undeniable reality and as long as the latter remains an economic powerhouse, Pakistan will always receive the short end of the stick. As far as our bilateral relations with the US are concerned, it will remain reciprocal, depending heavily on what we do for them, which is usually considered insufficient by our so-called ally.

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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punishment, there appears to be no decrease in crime.

According to a 2017 report, Punjab, which is the source of more than 80 percent of these punishments, ‘witnessed only a 9.7% drop in murder rate in 2015 – 16, whereas Sind a 25% drop in murder during the same period,’ even though Sindh performed 18 executions to Punjab’s 382 in the same period.

It must be obvious to even its supporters that the death penalty is hardly the way to bring about change for the better in society, particularly when gross disorganization is added to ignoring the law and ignorance of the law, and sidelining justice. A mindboggling example from 2016 is the case of two brothers who had been on death row for 11 years in Bahawalpur. It was only when they were acquitted by the Supreme Court that it was discovered that the two men had been executed the year before. execution in Pakistan is a way of making room in overcrowded cells. It is also used as a political tool. had Gen. Zia ul haq not been in power at the time, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto might well have not been hanged. Seeing that facts do not change, this can only indicate that not commuting Bhutto’s controversial sentence was a personal decision and a political one.

Why was that decision in the hands of a military general in any case? A man who brought and kept himself in power, and was the source of many dubious decisions and constitutional changes in the country he set himself up to rule.

It is worth questioning, on that note, if the power to pardon or not should at all be in the hands of the leader of a country, as it is in Pakistan, and in the USA. As Donald Trump’s tenure came to an end, his last acts were a grisly chain of executions, and a long list of pardons. The people pardoned were mostly his allies, persons convicted of fraud and the such, including his son-in-law’s father Charles Kushner, a

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

disbarred attorney ‘convicted of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering.’

There were 13 executions in all in the USA in Donald Trump’s tenure. The first set took place right after anti-racism protests that rocked the country. All these men were white.

The last five executions took place just before Biden’s inauguration and seemed to be the result of a fit of anger after losing the election. These people were executed despite a custom whereby the outgoing president generally stops executions, handing over the decision instead to his successor. What’s more, all of these persons in the last set were black. They included Brandon Bernard, who at 40 years of age had been in prison since he was 18, when he was convicted of robbing and shooting a couple.

Why was the power to pardon or execute ever in the hands of a man other than a judge trained in the job? And in the case of Donald Trump, a man who was known for his unbalanced decisions and narcissism.

Why was anything also in the hands of General Zia, a man who as a soldier was trained to kill, who personally had no respect for the constitution of the country and was focused on making changes that were nothing but the personal whims of yet another unbalanced mind?

There are times when constitutions need reexamination. Such as the Second Amendment of the Pakistan Constitution. And those sections of the Constitution that grant the power of life and death to people who must not have it, who have no qualifications to possess it, although whether anyone at all should have it is as much a question to be discussed.

There are times when constitutions need reexamination. Such as the Second Amendment of the Pakistan Constitution. And those sections of the Constitution that grant the power of life and death to people who must not have it, who have no qualifications to possess it, although whether anyone at all should have it is as much a question to be discussed

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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Rabia Ahmed is a freelance columnist. Read more by her at http://rabia-ahmed.blogspot.com

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Sunday, 24 January, 2021

COMMENT 07 Editor’s mail send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. e-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively

Pandemic and Joe Biden ACCORDING to NewYork Times, approximately 400,000 more Americans have died due to coronavirus since March of last year. Nearly, every country is enduring the second wave including the USA. The second wave is described as more lethal. Therefore, it can snatch more lives in America. The new elected president Joe Biden has come to power and gotten the opportunity to provide his service and save the people in the USA. The citizens have alot of hopes from him since they had seen the carelessness of the previous president Donald Trump. As it is said the first impression is the last impression. Joe Biden needs to make efforts in order to create a good image at the beginning of his presidency to earn the trust and support of the Americans for the future journey.

Farahnaz Farooq ahmed TurbaT

Internet access ON Wednesday, PM Imran Khan has announced to launch 3G and 4G internet service in South Waziristan. however, some regions of Balochistan still await for internet services in their areas such as Turbat, Awaran, Panjgur and many more. During the online classes in the pandemic the students in Blalochistan could not take their class due to not having internet. Further, the internet in Turbat had been banned for the last few years for no reason. The residents of Balochistan direly need the internet, particularly, the students. PM should establish 4G in the areas of Blalochistan also which lack internet.

Farahnaz TurbaT

A legacy of crime

Agricultural woes

The saboteurs within the system must be sought and eliminated

Candid Corner rAoof hAsAN “Crime is a fact of the human species, a fact of that species alone. But it is above all the secret aspect, impenetrable and hidden. Crime hides and, by far, the most terrifying things are those which elude us.”— Georges Bataille

P

ANAMA leaks, Broadsheet blues, NROs sought and NROs given in providing escapes to criminals, exiled in disgrace only to return with trumpets blowing, weaving conspiracies remorselessly, denying truth unashamedly, spreading disinformation and inciting rebellion, looting, plundering, slandering, lying, resorting to invective in preference to engaging in a rational and pragmatic discourse, celebrating crime with pride and merriment– this and so much more reflect the varying hues and shades in which Pakistan is being painted on a minuteto-minute basis, without the slightest respite.

So low is the sway of narrative that we have sunk to the bottom of the pit with no space left to fall any deeper.

Broadsheet disclosures are not only an indictment of the alleged criminals who decamped with assets of the state, but also of those rulers who conspired and contrived to make that happen. It is a sickening saga spread over more than two decades encompassing a dictatorship, two so-called democratic dispensations and lots and lots of people who were the beneficiaries of this spree of loot, and who were complicit in weaving ways and mechanisms for the guilty to walk away unscathed. It is as if the roots of this depravity were dug in deep and every plant that sprouted drank profusely from their putrid juices. There may hardly be a soul who survived the wicked drama.

But, instead of looking inwards, we complain endlessly about others, their conduct and their proclivities. In the process, we forget that we may be the pioneers of spreading the ailment which has now penetrated the veins of the entire society. Virtually no one has evaded its poisonous effects. But we lumber on, crossing one degenerative mark after another and alighting one belittling pedestal after another. The celebratory medals that we wear proudly upon our chests are in fact symbols of our degeneration.

There is another aspect which is even more worrisome than these rotten indulgences. In-

stead of castigating these acts by naming and shaming the criminals and pursuing them till they are held accountable and punished, the legions of apologists fed on the illicitly-earned billions start finding justifications for their crimes by becoming complicit with these bands of thugs and pillagers. It is as if they are comfortable among a large family of crooks happily perpetuating these humiliating enactments.

There were also times, not so long ago, when such people were not even identified.

They were mostly residing in the corridors of power who, ever so often, would let their whims run amuck to appease their insatiable lust and greed. No arm of law was long enough to catch them as they had their Qayyums and Saif ur Rehmans in abundance who were all too willing to be used to advance their nefarious designs in exchange for a few favours. The judiciary was subdued by despatching briefcases of silver to Quetta by one from their own ranks. The Chief Justice, who was suspected of giving an adversarial judgement, was toppled. As a last nail in the coffin, even the Supreme Court was attacked.

It is only now that an effort is being made to break this chain of rampant corruption and crime which has been perpetrated through decades, so that the country could be guided along a trajectory to progress and development. In going after these mafias, the Prime Minister has virtually placed his hands in the hornets’ nest with these gangs lined up against him with an express intent to sabotage the effort. The tribe of criminals thought that they have had the better of dictators and potentates in the past and that the Prime Minister would also fall in line, sooner or later, to save his government. But, to their utter angst and anger, he has proved to be of a different mettle. he has refused to give in to all kinds of manipulations to back off. In fact, increasing pressure and agitation have only made him more resolute in his cause. he has said often that he is willing to sacrifice his premiership, but would not compromise with criminals and their tribes of cronies, bootleggers and sycophants.

It is a horrid legacy of crime that he has inherited. With the state having been rendered naked of its attire, these people emptied its coffers and took its assets away to stash away in foreign lands. Panama leaks and Broadway blues provide only miniscule reflections of their crime and corruption. There is more, much more, which is yet to be discovered. One doesn’t even know whether the entire gambit would ever unravel because these people have got away with daylight murder in the past. Just

imagine that they could ‘buy’ a whole medical board to stamp their fallacious claim that Nawaz Sharif was in a critical condition and must be flown out for treatment without any further loss of time. In the implementation of this plan, the judiciary lined up submissively alongside to let him take the plane on the basis of a simple stamp paper signed by that other alleged criminal, Shahbaz Sharif. They did not even allow the government to recover the amount of the fine which had been imposed on him by the Supreme Court. he went running up the staircase of the plane, casting a glance of disdain upon all and sundry.

This is not an exception in this wonder land.

This is routine. Pakistan is also the country where a former Prime Minister, who sermonises much on the blessings of virtue these days, helped his Finance Minister escape the clutches of the law in his personal plane. We are still waiting for him to come back to face cases pertaining to grievous crimes that he committed during his endless tenure as the guardian of the Finance Ministry.

I am convinced that these criminals would not have been able to pull all this off without the support of influential actors within every facet of the government. They are the people who were planted and patronised during their tenures in power. They were complicit then and are still engaged in covering their tell-tale tracks.

Such people are operative in just about every institution of the state, not limited to the bureaucracy and the NAB alone. They are the ones who help these gangs of criminals from inside this putrid system.

This legacy of crime and its attenuations spread throughout the governmental echelons constitute the roadblocks that the Prime Minister is faced with in his effort to cleanse the system of its ills and handicaps. As long as these parasites survive hidden in the alleys of power, it would remain a daunting undertaking.

It was Seneca who once said that “those who do not prevent crime support it”. One will have to look for those who are part of the system, trying desperately to preserve it with all its belittling ailments, hoping that their masters of yore shall return to reward them for their faithfulness. They are the saboteurs who have to be sought and eliminated. This may be an uphill task, but a task which must be undertaken for expediting the process of genuine reform.

This legacy of crime and its attenuations spread throughout the governmental echelons constitute the roadblocks that the Prime Minister is faced with in his effort to cleanse the system of its ills and handicaps. As long as these parasites survive hidden in the alleys of power, it would remain a daunting undertaking

The writer is a political and security strategist, and heads the Regional Peace Institute – an Islamabad-based think tank. Email: raoofhasan@hotmail.com.

Twitter: @RaoofHasan

SIR, agriculture is considered the lifeline of Pakistan’s economy. And it can be described as the basic root of the country’s economy. But unfortunately, nowadays the country’s agriculture system is not running as it was. Due to the complete neglect of the government towards agriculture system, the residents are in a worsen circumstance. Sugar and wheat are not enough for the large population of the country and due to none availability of these commodities the prices of them are out of capacity of a common man. In the time of covid-19 people have already lost their jobs and now high prices of essential items are another challenge for them. So, the government is responsible for resolving this sensitive matter throughout the country otherwise the masses can suffer a lot and also the country can loss its economy.

ImTaIz JavId awaran

PUBG addiction MANY people around the world suffer from a variety of addictions, including drug addiction, mobile addiction and TV addiction. Joining the bandwagon is the latest addiction to the PUBG mobile game and is proving to be the worst. PUBG addicts are so attached to the game that they often give up their food and important work to play the game. This addiction has also resulted in irregular sleep patterns which are a cause of great distress.

People with PUBG addiction have a higher risk of developing health problems such as chronic migraines, poor vision, obesity, insomnia, Alzheimer’s, heart problems, depression, and spondylitis. And schizophrenia.

They lose interest in the activities necessary for a healthy life. Children are most affected by this addiction. Parents should take responsibility for identifying the warning signs of PUBG addiction in their children. They should help their children get rid of it as soon as possible. PUBG is a firstperson shooter game. The Android version of the game was released in March 2018. When the game was released on Microsoft Windows in December 2017, the game was very popular. The release of its mobile version has garnered a lot of downloads around the world and increased interest in the game. PUBG is a royal multiplayer war game. It is inspired by the Japanese film Butt Royale, released in 2000. PUBG craze can be seen in people of all ages. however, it is especially popular among young people.

PUBG is currently one of the most popular mobile games in the world. This is one of the most dangerous games because it is highly addictive.

FaTIma Imam bakhsh TurbaT

Chinese help appreciated The Chinese government will provide a batch of Covid-19 vaccine to Pakistan “as aid” and will “actively coordinate with the relevant Chinese enterprise to speed up export of vaccines to Pakistan”, Foreign Ministry spokesperson hua Chunying said in a press briefing on Friday. “Since the outbreak of Covid-19, China and Pakistan have been working together to overcome difficulties,” she said in response to a question by the Associated Press of Pakistan. “In order to support our brothers and sisters in Pakistan, the Chinese government has decided to provide a batch of vaccines as aid and will actively coordinate with the relevant Chinese enterprise to speed up export of vaccines to Pakistan. State Councilor Wang Yi shared this decision of the Chinese government with Pakistani Foreign Minister [Shah Mahmood] Qureshi yesterday during their phone call.” She did not, however, confirm the number of vaccine doses that China would provide, nor the name of the “relevant Chinese enterprise”.

The confirmation came a day after Qureshi announced that China has promised to provide 500,000 doses of a coronavirus vaccine to Pakistan by January 31. The minister said he held a detailed conversation with the Chinese foreign minister in which he “discussed Pakistan’s requirements”, after Prime Minister Imran Khan had directed him to increase interaction with Beijing “considering the sensitivity of the situation”. In a tweet, Qureshi suggested the doses to be provided to Pakistan will be of the Sinopharm vaccine, which the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) had approved for emergency use in the country earlier this week. On December 30, a special cabinet committee for procurement of Covid-19 vaccine, chaired by federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, had decided to procure 1.1 million doses of vaccine from Sinopharm. ehTIsham ahmad Lahore

Sunday, 24 January, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

Millions Migrate to google/Facebook/twitter alternatives TELEGRAM CLAIMS IT HAS REACHED 500 MILLION USERS. SIGNAL SAYS A RUSH OF “MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS OF NEW USERS” HAS THEM “ADDING NEW SERVERS AND EXTRA CAPACITY AT A RECORD PACE EVERY SINGLE DAY THIS WEEK NONSTOP”

BreitBart

o

JOHN NOLTE

VER the past week or so, millions of people have migrated to Google, Facebook, and Twitter alternatives. It’s only a beginning, but hopefully the beginning of something big and permanent.

The Google alternative DuckDuckGo just surpassed 100 million daily searches. The Facebook alternative MeWe saw a recent surge of 2.5 million new users. Signal and Telegram are exploding in popularity; these are both messaging apps that offer a way to workaround Twitter and Facebook’s messaging features. What does all this mean?

Well, first a little context is required. DuckDuckGo, which is great (I’ve been using to for years) reaching 100 million daily searches isn’t much compared to Google’s five billion — with a “B” — searches. But at least DuckDuckGo is growing. That’s a wonderful thing that will hopefully continue.

MeWe currently has 15.5 million members, compared to Facebook’s billions. Facebok alternatives have a long way to go. On the messaging front, things are a little sexier. On Wednesday, Breitbart News reported: The Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp has seen a major drop in new downloads following a change to the company’s terms of service with many users turning to privacy-focused alternatives like Signal and Telegram.

WhatsApp downloads fell by more than 2 million between January 5 and 12 compared to the previous week, falling to 10.6 million. In comparison, Signal saw 17.8 million downloads while Telegram saw 15.7 million during the same time period, according to data from the app analytics firm Sensor Tower.

Telegram claims it has reached 500 million users.

Why the Foxification of the British media must be resisted

New StateSmaN MARTIN FLETCHER

With Joe Biden’s inauguration, the US will take a huge step back from the lies, conspiracy theories, and relentless stream of misinformation and disinformation that Donald Trump, ably supported by Fox News and other right-wing media outlets, has spewed out over the past four years.

Here in Britain we seem to be moving in the opposite direction. Two new right-leaning television news channels will be launched this spring – a prospect that fills me with foreboding. Right now this deeply fractured, ill-informed country needs the gradual “Foxification” of its broadcast media (and concurrent weakening of the BBC) like a proverbial hole in the head.

Is “Foxification” too strong a word? Not if you recall the blueprint for advancing the right’s agenda that Dominic Cummings unveiled when he ran a think tank called the New Frontiers Foundation back in 2004.

He called the BBC a “mortal enemy” and “determined propagandist” whose “very existence should be the subject of a very intense and well-funded campaign”. He continued: “There are three things that the right needs to happen in terms of communications...1) the undermining of the BBC’s credibility; 2) the creation of a Fox News equivalent/talk radio shows/loggers etc to shift the centre of gravity; 3) the end of the ban on TV political advertising.”

Part one of that strategy has been underway for several years. Conservative ministers, backed by press barons with their own vested interests, have relentlessly attacked what Boris Johnson likes to call the “Brexit Bashing Corporation” – labelling it the mouthpiece of the liberal metropolitan elite, boycotting its news programmes, threatening to decriminalise non-payment of the licence fee and calling its future funding into question.

Part two is now taking shape. News UK TV – an evening-only service offering news and political debate – will be financed by Rupert Murdoch’s media empire and overseen by David Rhodes, a former Fox News and CBS executive.

GB News, backed by £60m from predominantly rightwing financiers, will be a 24-hour service fronted by Andrew Neil, the chairman of the Spectator. Its chief executive will be Angelos Frangopoulos, who built up Murdoch’s Sky News Australia and turned it into an echo chamber for that country’s right-wing Liberal government.

GB News will serve “the vast number of British people who feel underserved and unheard by their media”, says Neil, an unlikely champion of the left-behind who seems to forget that he has long been a stalwart of Britain’s mainstream media and was one of the BBC’s star turns for 25 years.

Unlike America’s Fox News, of course, the new channels will be bound by Ofcom’s impartiality rules – but those rules can be bent. “Balance” can be achieved over a day – as at LBC, where Nigel Farage was offset by the lib-

eral James O’Brien, or over a series of programmes rather than just one. Forceful right-wingers can be balanced by lacklustre opponents. The former can be promoted much more heavily than the latter. Highly-opinionated presenters such as Piers Morgan already get away with a degree of pontification unthinkable a decade ago.

Commercial imperatives, moreover, all push in one direction only. In its early years Fox News was relatively mainstream, but it soon realised how to drive up ratings and advertising revenue. The trick was not expensive, high-quality journalism, but the stoking of division, tribalism and outrage, and the decrying of rival channels as purveyors of liberal agendas and fake news.

That led to the increasing polarisation of US broadcasting as Fox’s rivals on left and right were themselves forced to become ever shriller and more partisan. Opinion trumped fact, and normal democratic discourse was poisoned.

How striking it was to see James Murdoch, of all people, castigating the US media in the Financial Times for stoking the “toxic politics” now threatening American democracy. “Those outlets that propagate lies to their audience have unleashed insidious and uncontrollable forces that will be with us for years,” he said, albeit without mentioning Fox News by name.

A similar if subtler process of broadcasting polarisation here would have another unfortunate consequence.

It would enfeeble the BBC, with its obligation to provide balanced and impartial public service journalism, because its news output would inevitably seem staid and boring by comparison.

As a lifelong newspaper journalist I’m certainly not an uncritical supporter of the BBC. I’ve seen first hand how wasteful, inefficient, bureaucratic and arrogant it can be. It uses licence fee money to pay bloated salaries. It periodically ties itself in knots in its efforts to be politically correct. It needs reform, as its new director general, Tim Davie, has acknowledged.

But I also happen to believe that the BBC plays a vital role in British life. It has no wealthy proprietor setting its agenda. It is not in hock to the government or any commercial interest. It is held to account for mistakes in a way that newspapers seldom are. I know many of its journalists, and without exception they do their best to inform, enlighten and tell the truth.

The BBC is a unifying force, a counter to the present-day tsunami of misinformation (not least during the Covid-19 pandemic) and – still – the most trusted provider of news in a country ill-served by its highly partisan and often mendacious press.

It also happens to be a “world-beating” institution respected across the globe, an icon of “Global Britain”. Our prime minister should be trumpeting not undermining it.

But then Johnson perhaps has a personal reason for resenting the BBC given that his own journalistic standards were so much lower.

To millions of Remainers the right’s sustained assault on the BBC is baffling. They remember how, in its efforts to be fair, our “state broadcaster” failed to call out the Brexiteers’ lies during the 2016 EU referendum; how it practised “false equivalence” by giving equal time to both sides however spurious or manifestly fallacious the Leavers’ arguments.

But in the eyes of the right the BBC’s real crime is not bias – metropolitan, liberal, elitist or any other sort.

It is its assiduous and uncompromising neutrality. The real problem this government has with the BBC is that it cannot bend it to its will.

Martin Fletcher is a former foreign editor of the Times and a New Statesman magazine contributing writer and online columnist.

Signal says a rush of “millions upon millions of new users” has them “adding new servers and extra capacity at a record pace every single day this week nonstop.”

That is all very good news.

There are all kinds of alternatives out there, and while we are a long way from breaking the monopolistic Apple/Google/Amazon/Facebook/Twitter control over our public square, millions of people are finally beginning to move elsewhere, and for two reasons: The first is privacy. No one trusts Apple/Google/Amazon/Facebook/Twitter not to snoop, steal, share, and sell — nor should they.

Second is all the corporate fascism.

Apple/Google/Amazon/Facebook/Twitter are blacklisting conservatives and conservative ideas. They’re all on a drunken rampage of McCarthyism, and people are tired of it. With the promise of free speech, Apple/Google/Amazon/Facebook/Twitter suckered us into their monopoly, and then, as soon as they had that monopoly, they changed the rules to ban us, going so far as to blacklist no one less than the president of the United

States. My favorite part of all this new is reading about Signal operating off its own servers. Yes! Build your own. Duh. The Twitter alternative Gab built its own and remains alive and kicking. The Twitter alternative Parler used Amazon’s servers and was disappeared. The more we build our own and atomize out to different services, the more we spread out — and by “we,” I mean anyone, right or left, who believes in free speech — the harder it will be to disappear us. Someone already built an Apple/Google/Amazon/Facebook/Twitter, which means someone else can do the same. But even better would be dozens of Apple/Google/Amazon/Facebook/Twitters out there that are connected in some way through an app available on dozens and dozens of different operating systems. The government is never going to solve this problem. That means we have to do it on our own.

I don’t message, so I can’t speak to Telegram and Signal, and I hate social media, so I can’t speak to MeWe, but DuckDuckGo is great, every bit as effective at Google, but without the fascism and tracking and blacklisting and all that other un-American stuff.

Mahmood Jamal obituary PIONEERING PRODUCER OF FILMS AND PROGRAMMES SET IN BRITISH-ASIAN COMMUNITIES, AND PUBLISHED POET

GuardiaN

M

FARRUKH DHONDY

AHMOOD JAMAL, who has died aged 72, was one of the pioneers of multicultural television in Britain. As a producer of films and documentaries Mahmood sought to bring talent and material from minority-ethnic communities to the screen.

The launch of Channel 4 in 1982, and its remit to feature programmes and concerns that the BBC and ITV had not, led Mahmood and his brother, Ahmed Jamal, to form the all-Asian Retake Film and Video Collective, the first of its kind in the UK. Two years later, while continuing to work with Retake, Mahmood formed his own production company, Epicflo, and began to make films set in, and of interest to, British-Asian communities.

Among these was The Peacock Screen (1991), a four-part history of Indian cinema, Turning World (1996), a drama series set in a psychiatric hospital starring Art Malik and Roshan Seth, which Mahmood also wrote, and Quarrels (1996), a documentary series that featured and mediated disputes between different groups of people in Britain.

One programme centred on the relatively new Muslim community of Highfields, Leicester, whose representatives objected to the sex workers who had traditionally worked those streets for decades, if not centuries. Another mediated between the residents of a village in south-east England who objected to the hundreds of Hindu worshippers arriving each weekend to attend ceremonies at Bhaktivedanta Manor, a temple newly endowed by the former Beatle George Harrison.

As the commissioning editor at Channel 4 for these series, I had to fend off criticism that some of these programmes, through their exposure of some possibly repressive traditions, inflamed racism against Asians.

However, Mahmood believed that an honest, truthful approach was the most acute weapon against race prejudice, and could only contribute to the assimilation of the new communities of Britain.

In the early 1990s Mahmood’s Epicflo also brought a series of concerts by international qawwali singers, such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen and Aziz Mian, to British television for the first time. When I approached the Channel 4 scheduler for time-slots for these performances, I was asked when and for what duration I wanted them. I said a start of 11pm through to 2am, as is traditional for such concerts in the Indian subcontinent. I was told by a bewildered boss that that would entail extending the channel’s broadcasting hours. Still, in the interests of authenticity, it was done.

Another snag occurred prior to the performances, when Mahmood spent hours at the airport rescuing

Mahmood Jamal

the accompanying choric singers from British immigration. Some of them, much to the astonishment of the director of programmes at the time, Liz Forgan, were, as medically certified heroin addicts, carrying their prescribed supply. They were eventually admitted into the country and the live performances were nevertheless a landmark in the channel’s history.

Mahmood was also a published poet and the cowriter (with Barry Simmer) of the only Asian soap opera to be made for British TV, Family Pride (199192, Central Television). Though his import of certified addicts had been unwitting, Mahmood did have a mischievous sense of humour: the European names of several characters in Family Pride doubled as salacious Urdu puns; while the channel received a few protests, Mahmood played innocent.

Born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, into a leading Muslim family who lived in the monumental Firangi Mahal, Mahmood was the son of Jamal Miah, an Islamic scholar, and his wife, Asar Fatima. He attended St Mary’s school in the city, then, after his family moved to Dhaka in what was then East Pakistan (later Bangladesh), St Joseph’s high school. He came to Britain in 1967 to study chartered accountancy as an articled clerk in the London firm Prince Simon and Co, but his creative and political inclinations led him to enrol in London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas), from which he graduated in 1982 in South Asian studies.

He taught accountancy at Lansdowne College in Notting Hill Gate, but from his undergraduate days Mahmood wrote poetry and had his work widely published in, among other periodicals, the London Magazine. He was invited to read his verses on BBC radio and in 1984 published his first collection of poems, entitled Silence Inside a Gun’s Mouth. He had a dozen collections published in total, including SugarCoated Pill (2007) and The Dream and Other Poems (2020), and was widely anthologised.

One of the prominent poetry platforms he joined was Apples and Snakes, which features the voices of scores of poets from the minority-ethnic communities of Britain. This poetry collective has brought the benefit of new oral traditions, dialects, and poetic forms to contemporary English poetry.

Mahmood also produced several volumes of translations from Urdu into English, including the Penguin Book of Modern Urdu Poetry (1986) and Islamic Mystical Poetry (2009).

Mahmood’s latest film, Rahm (2017), a Pakistani adaptation of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure directed by Ahmed, won the annual award of the Tongues of Fire British-Indian film festival in 2018.

He died on December 23 last year and survived by six siblings, Bari Mian, Ahmed, Moin, Farida, Amina and Humaira.

Sunday, 24 January, 2021

BUSINESS 09

KP govt approves computerised financial management system for TMAs PESHAWAR

‘SBP’S dEciSiOn TO MAinTAin STATuS quO illOGicAl AMid fAllinG inflATiOn, riSinG GrOwTh’ KARACHI

AZIZ BUNERI

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has approved the introduction of computerised financial management system for tehsil & town municipal administrations (TMAs), villages and neighborhood councils across the province. Services of the Bank of Khyber (BoK) would be hired to implement the new system, which would initially be introduced only in TMAs. Each TMA would be authorised to open four accounts in BoK. After the project's success in TMAs, the system would be extended to villages and neighbourhood councils. Under the new system, all financial accounts would be available to the KP government with one click. "Bank accounts will have complete details of assets received, including government grants, income and expenditure, and utilization of development funds by each TMA," documents available with this scribe read. "With the introduction of the new system, the value of all TMAs assets, current status, lease amount including lease start and end period, all properties and payments will also be made available online. Besides, real-time transactions will be available simultaneously to TMAs, local council board, local government department and finance department.” The system was first implemented in Punjab in 2011 which would be now extended to KP with some changes. The TMAs would be able to register not only financial matters but also their assets in the online system. According to the local government department, the system would be obtained from the Punjab government in the next few days. "It will be implemented in towns 1, 2, 3 and 4 of Peshawar, record collection for which has already started and as soon as the system is made available, data entry will also commence," an official informed. "The LG department has identified 56 TMAs in the province where the system will be implemented in the next phase; TMAs have been directed to send their respective tehsil officers for training in this regard." Areas under the new system are divided into three categories: Category A includes Peshawar (towns 1, 2, 3, 4), Abbottabad, Bannu, DI Khan, Temergarh, Haripur, Kohat, Batkhela, Mansehra, Mardan, Nowshera and Babuzai TMAs, whereas Category B includes Charsadda, Domail, Batgram, Dagar, Chitral, Upper Dir, Hangu, Till, Karak, Dasu, Lakki Marwat, Matta, Tank, Gagra, Sarai Noring, Dargai, Havelian, Takht Bhai, Swabi, Miranshah, Lower Karam. These include TMS of Upper Karam, Jamrud, Khara and Wana. Likewise, Category C consists of Alai, Tangi, Shabqadar, Paharpur, Samarbagh, Ghazi, Banda Dawood Shah, Takht Nusrati, Lachi, Balakot, Ogi, Alpuri, Dara Adamkhel, Ghalanai and Landi Kotal.

T

STAFF REPORT

HE ruling group of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has raised concerns over the State Bank of Pakistan's decision to keep monetary policy rate unchanged at 7pc for the third consecutive time. However, it hailed the bank's indication of maintaining its accommodative monetary stance in the near-term to support recovery amid uncertain Covid-19 challenges.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Businessmen Panel (BMP) Chairman Mian Anjum Nisar said in view of the policy rates in neighbouring countries, Pakistan's 7pc interest rate is very high, and that its reduction is essential to make Pakistan's exports as well as the local industry competitive.

"After the devastation caused by coronavirus, Pakistan should take advantage of those export orders canceled by other regional countries. For this, the government will have to reduce production cost of industries," he added.

Nisar opined the inflation would decline further in the near future due to low demand amid the second wave of coronavirus. On the other hand, he said, the external front is also presently sustainable due to foreign financial support and rescheduling of debt, which has helped reduce current account deficit.

He termed the 7pc policy rate as insufficient, especially at a time when there are extraordinary prospects for Pakistani exporters in the wake of world-

BUSINESS COMMUNITY DEMANDS COMPETITIVE INTEREST RATE IN LINE WITH NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES wide trade and industrial lockdowns.

"The central bank keeping the discount rate unchanged at 7pc is not understandable and confusing, as the bank had expressed satisfaction over declining inflation and rising growth, saying the risks to the outlook for both growth and inflation appeared balanced," he stated, referring to the central bank reports.

The former FPCCI president further observed that most economic activity data and indicators of consumer and business sentiments have shown continuous improvement.

He said the trajectory of the Covid pandemic is difficult to predict, given the still-elevated global cases, the emergence of new strains, and lingering uncertainties about the roll-out of vaccines worldwide.

"Trade and industry needs continuous support from the government in the form of lower interest rate amidst such external shocks," he suggested.

Nisar noted that the large-scale manufacturing grew by 7.4pc year-on-year in Oct and 14.5pc in Nov 2020, while recovery in manufacturing activities is also becoming more broad-based, with 12 out of 15 sub-sectors registering positive growth in Nov and employment beginning to recover.

On the external sector, he said the outlook for the

external sector has improved further and the current account deficit for FY21 is now projected to remain below 1pc of GDP. He said the current account remained in surplus during the first half of FY21, at $1.1bn compared to a deficit of over $2bn during the same period last year.

This improvement has been mainly driven by workers’ remittances, which have remained above $2bn every month during the current fiscal year, he added.

Encouragingly, he said, exports have also recovered to their pre-Covid monthly level of around $2 billion since Sept 2020, with a broad-based recovery in export volumes recorded in almost all categories in Dec. Nisar said that the reduction in electricity tariff for SMEs was the first step towards cut in production cost while the second and vital step toward this direction would be bringing discount rate to the regional level with a view to provide level-playing field especially to the export industry. "The decision would have the same importance for the domestic industry too, as it has also been facing tough competition of cheaper imported merchandize in the country following FTAs with several countries, including China."

He said the group appreciates the central bank to bring its policy rate to 7pc from a high of 13.25pc and several other measures of continuing fiscal, monetary and credit stimulus, but suggests the SBP committee to further lower interest rate to at least 5pc.

He said SBP should take measures and develop a strategy to protect the pace of economic and trade progress of Pakistan otherwise the country might again face lower industrial growth.

Govt likely to privatise more SOEs The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is mulling over the privatisation of 10 more State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) including Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), two gas utility companies and Utility Stores Corporation (USC) amid slow progress. Any entities put on this list would be an addition to dozen and a half entities that have already been selected for the purpose. According to local media reports, ZTBL, and entity that can be privatised in the next phase, is the only specialised bank lending money to the agriculture sector. The other entities that have been proposed for privatisation are Utility Stores Corporation, Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL), Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation, Pakistan Expo Centres Private Limited, Pakistan Environment Planning and Architectural Consultants Private Limited, Overseas Employment Corporation Private Limited, National Investment Trust and National Engineering Services Pakistan Limited (NESPAK). After holding meetings with the line ministries, the Ministry of Privatisation will present the list before the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation for its formal endorsement. Reportedly, this list was also presented before the last Cabinet Committee on SOEs meeting. It may be noted here that the government has dropped Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) from the list whereas the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) was added to the list again in June 2019 after being dropped earlier. NEWS DESK

QUETTA: TT A vendor sprinkles water on his fish as he waits for customers. INP

FBR caps reward money for whistleblowers The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has put a limit on the cash reward for whistleblowing at a maximum of Rs5million, which was previously 20 per cent of the recovered taxes against a tipoff.

The reward was fixed under the new Inland Revenue Reward Rules 2021, which are applicable from January 1.

By capping the reward money, the

FBR wants to keep most of the recovered taxes into the kitty. Under the rules, a private person can also be registered with the FBR to provide information on tax evasion.

“The whistleblower is required to provide information in the shape of concrete evidence, which conclusively leads to detection of tax evasion, formulation of assessment/reassessment

and eventual recovery of the evaded taxes,” the FBR said in a statement.

The FBR maintained the reward will be paid only if the tax sought to be evaded has been recovered at least to the extent of 50pc, adding that if detection and assessment had been made by the same officer, “he shall be entitled to a reward of the lesser of 20pc of the tax sought to be evaded or three years’

salary as at the time of detection/filing of the detection report.”

Under the rules, FBR may give rewards to officers in recognition of the meritorious services at the close of every financial year. “The amount of reward for meritorious services in no case will be less than three and more than six salaries in every single case,” the FBR said. NEWS DESK

Govt urged to reverse electricity price hike KARACHI PPI

Businessmen Group (BMG) Chairman and former Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) president Zubair Motiwala, Pakistan Apparel Forum Chairman Muhammad Jawed Bilwani and KCCI President Shariq Vohra have appealed Prime Minister Imran Khan and his economic aides to take back the 'unwise' and 'ill-timed' decision to raise electricity tariff by 15pc, besides closing down captive power plants.

"The decisions would not only have a devastating impact on the export-oriented industries but would also terribly disturb the local production of general industries, besides sabotaging all the efforts being made by the government to enhance the volume of exports," they said in statement issued by

‘SUCH DECISIONS TERRIBLY AFFECT THE COUNTRY’S IMAGE, AS BUYERS SITTING ABROAD BECOME DUBIOUS THAT WHETHER PAKISTANI EXPORTERS WILL BE ABLE TO FULFIL THEIR DELIVERY COMMITMENT OR NOT’ KCCI on Saturday.

They said this was not the right time to impose such anti-business and anti-export decisions, as the country's exports, particularly in textiles, have started picking up some pace, with exporters having substantial number of orders.

"Such decisions terribly affect our image, as buyers sitting abroad become dubious that whether we will be able to fulfill our delivery commitment on time or not,"

the statement read.

They opined that the announcement made by government representatives was immature and technically out of place, adding that the industries of Karachi are highly aggrieved and have conveyed their concerns on the one-sided decision of the government.

"Industries have communicated to KCCI that their fundamental right guaranteed by the constitution must not be

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usurped and it is industry's lawful right to get gas for their captive power plants to operate their industries. If gas is discontinued one-sidedly, the industrialists reserve their legitimate right to invoke Article 199 of the constitution and approach the court of law to safeguard their lawful rights and legitimate businesses, as revealed during the press conference by Asad Umer, Tabish Gohar and others," the Karachi chamber maintained. "The government representatives, during the press briefing announced unwarranted supply of gas to K-Electric at the cost of destruction of industries which is highly condemnable and stands rejected."

They said that the decision to suspend gas supply and enhance electricity tariff affects the performance of general industries which are an important part of the supply

chain of export-oriented industries. Hence, the general industries in one way or the other participate in the export activities. Consequently, it will also have very devastating trickledown effect on the trading, wholesale and retail networks which will ultimately create a total chaos and uncertainty.

They believed that the electricity tariff hike and closure of captive power plants would tarnish the government's export friendly policies and put a deathblow on the exports, foreign exchange earnings and the most labor-intensive sector.

The government must realize that these decisions would only favor our competitors from India and Bangladesh who will take advantage of the situation by attempting to somehow get all the orders achieved by Pakistani exporters shifted to respective countries, they added.

Sunday, 24 January, 2021

10 forEign nEwS

ForeigN Forces igNore Libya exit deadLiNe uNder FragiLe truce TRIPOLI

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OREIGN forces ignored a deadline to pull out of Libya as scheduled Saturday under a UN-backed ceasefire deal, highlighting the fragility of peace efforts after a decade of conflict. Satellite images broadcast by CNN show a trench running tens of kilometres (miles) dug by "Russian mercenaries" near the frontline coastal city of Sirte, as main foreign protagonists Ankara and Moscow appear intent on defending their interests under any final settlement.

An unidentified US intelligence official, quoted by the American news network, said there was "no intent or movement by either Turkish or Russian forces to abide by the UN-brokered agreement".

"This has the potential to derail an already fragile peace process and ceasefire. It

eign troops and mercenaries.

That deadline passed on Saturday, with no movement announced or observed on the ground. The UN estimates there are still some 20,000 foreign troops and mercenaries in Libya helping the warring factions, the

will be a really difficult year ahead," he said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday urged all "regional and international actors to respect the provisions" of the October 23 ceasefire accord that set out a withdrawal within three months of all for-

Moscow police detain Navalny supporters at rally MOSCOW

UN-recognised Government of National Accord in Tripoli and military strongman Khalifa Haftar in the east.

The GNA has received military support from Turkey. Haftar has the backing of the United Arab Emirates and Egypt as well as Russia.

Guterres called on all parties to implement the terms of the ceasefire "without delay," something he noted "includes ensuring the departure of all foreign fighters and mercenaries from Libya, and the full and unconditional respect of the Security Council arms embargo," which has been in place since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted and killed longtime ruler Moamer Kadhafi.

INTERESTS: Any withdrawal or end to foreign interference "does not depend on the Libyans but on the outside powers", said Khaled al-Montasser, professor of international relations at Tripoli University.

Turkey on Friday welcomed a deal reached at UN-backed talks for Libya's warring factions to set up an interim executive to rule the North African country until polls in December.

Turkey has backed the GNA with military advisers, materiel and mercenaries, repelling an advance on Tripoli by Haftar's forces, and it also has a military base in AlWatiya on the border with Tunisia under a 2019 military accord.

Last December, parliament in Ankara extended by 18 months its authorisation for Turkey's troop deployment in Libya, in apparent disregard of the ceasefire deal.

"The mercenaries are unlikely to leave Libya so long as the countries which have engaged them have not guaranteed their interests in the new transitional phase," said Montasser, referring to the multiple tracks of UN-sponsored talks currently underway.

"Their presence keeps alive the threat of military confrontation at any moment, while the current calm staying in place seems uncertain," he said. Most of the foreign forces are concentrated around Sirte, at Al-Jufra air base held by Haftar's forces 500 kilometres (300 miles) south of Tripoli and further west in Al-Watiya.

"The context of the presence of mercenaries and foreign fighters is not the same in the east and the west," said Jalal al-Fitouri, another university professor in the capital.

UAE seeks to allay Danish concerns over pre-flight virus tests

AGENCIES

DUBAI

He said the five-day suspension would give officials time "to ensure that the required negative test is a true screening that has been carried out correctly".

The UAE foreign ministry insisted that all accredited testing centres were "regularly subject to strict quality checks".

"Severe penalties are imposed for non-compliance with international standards to ensure the highest level of quality in testing," it said.

While other tourist destinations are applying tight restrictions to control the pandemic, Dubai has kept its doors open since reopening them in July, despite a sharp spike in cases.

But the glitzy emirate clamped down on its entertainment scene this week. It also suspended nonessential surgery in hospitals after a surge in Covid-19 infections since the New Year.

It said that more than 200 cases of non-compliance with coronavirus guidelines had been recorded and around 20 establishments closed in the past three weeks, adding: "All entertainment permits issued will be on hold effective immediately."

Authorities in Dubai issued more stringent health guidelines on Friday after the UAE registered a daily record of 3,552 cases, a new high for the 11th consecutive day.

Restaurants and cafes have been instructed to increase the spacing between tables from two metres to three, and the number of people allowed at each table has been reduced from 10 to seven for restaurants and four in cafes.

Authorities have also limited the number of people allowed to attend social gatherings, including weddings, from 200 to "first-degree relatives totalling a maximum of 10 people".

While mask-wearing and social distancing have been in force, restaurants, hotels and mega-malls have remained open in Dubai -- whose economy heavily relies on tourism.

According to Emirati health officials, the UAE has already inoculated more than two million of its approximately 10 million population.

It has recorded more than 270,000 Covid-19 cases, 776 of them fatal.

Police in Moscow on Saturday began detaining supporters of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny after he called for demonstrations across the country against President Vladimir Putin's rule. Navalny, 44, put out the call for nationwide protests after he was detained last week on arrival to Russia from Germany where he had been recuperating from a near-fatal attack with the Soviet-designed nerve agent Novichok. In the centre of the capital, police detained several Navalny supporters ahead of the 2:00 pm (1100 GMT) official start of the rally, when protesters are expected to march towards the Kremlin, AFP reporters said.

OVD-Info, a group that monitors political detentions, said more than 200 anti-Kremlin protesters had been swept up by law enforcement in around 30 cities across Russia.

Russian authorities ramped up pressure on Navalny's aides on the eve of the protests, handing short jail terms and fines to his close associates for violating protest legislation and urging people to take to the streets. Russia's media watchdog had also issued a warning to social media platforms that hosted calls for a large turnout at Saturday's demonstrations. Navalny's arrest sparked sharp condemnation from the leaders of Western countries who echoed calls from the Russian opposition for his release.

The United Arab Emirates said late Friday it was in contact with Danish authorities to "clarify the details" of the concerns over coronavirus testing that prompted them to suspend flights.

Danish Transport Minister Benny Engelbrecht announced earlier Friday that all commercial air traffic from the UAE would be suspended for five days over concerns that its pre-flight Covid-19 tests were not rigorous enough.

"Communication is currently underway with the Danish authorities to clarify the details and cases behind the decision in order to guarantee the safety and security of all travellers," the UAE foreign ministry said.

All air passengers arriving in Denmark need to show a negative virus test from the previous 24 hours, but Engelbrecht said Danish authorities want to be sure there were no botched screenings or tests that had been bought in Dubai -- one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE.

Pandemic forces Jordanian children into labour market

Wuhan marks a year since lockdown as Biden warns of 600,000 dead

AMMAN AGENCIES

Omar's heart sinks when he trudges past his closed school gates in the Jordanian capital Amman -- now part of his trip to work, to repair and clean kerosene heaters. The 14-yearold, who dreams of becoming a pilot, is one of many minors experts say have been forced prematurely into the labour market. Schools throughout Jordan have been closed for nearly a year now, and the economic fallout from the novel coronavirus pandemic has eaten into breadwinners' ability to feed their families. "As school is shut, I help my family financially," said Omar, sporting a sweater and dirty jeans as he cleaned a heater with his blackened hands. He works exhausting 12-hour days at the workshop, and collapses into bed after a shower and a quick evening meal. Overall, the work "doesn't bother me", he said. "What is unbearable is the smell of kerosene... (it) doesn't go away." He earns three dinars (around $4.25) a day, which helps pay the family's monthly rent of 130 dinars. His contribution is vital because his father, a day labourer, has struggled to find work due to the coronavirus downturn. But Omar has not given up hope, and said he was determined to return to school as soon as possible. "I would love to continue my studies" and eventually become a pilot, he said. "I don't want the coronavirus to destroy my dream."

RISING POVERTY: The education ministry has announced a return to classes next month for kindergarten and some elementary school levels, as well for students in their final year of high school. Everyone else will have to wait until March. UN children's agency UNICEF said that while it had no hard statistics, it believed many Jordanian children had been forced into precarious work since the pandemic began -- despite it being forbidden to employ those under 16.

Some 76,000 children were already working in Jordan according to the last official count, published in 2016. "When we see children and when we speak to people, we are concerned that the numbers are increasing," said Tanya Chapuisat, UNICEF's country representative in Jordan. "It would seem logical... because we know the levels of poverty are increasing" during the coronavirus crisis, she added. The official poverty rate in Jordan was 15.7 percent last autumn, but the World Bank has warned this will increase by 11 percentage points over "the short term".

AGENCIES

WUHAN AGENCIES

The Chinese city of Wuhan marked one year since the start of its traumatic 76-day coronavirus lockdown Saturday while the pandemic continued to rage elsewhere, with US President Joe Biden warning America's death toll could pass 600,000.

Traffic hummed, sidewalks bustled, and citizens packed parks and public transport in Wuhan, underscoring the scale of the recovery in the metropolis of 11 million where the pathogen first emerged before going global. The spread of the virus was accelerating elsewhere, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying a new strain that emerged in the UK could be more deadly and more transmissible than the one that menaced Wuhan a year ago.

"In addition to spreading more quickly, it also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant... may be associated with a higher degree of mortality," Johnson told a news conference. The sobering news came as Britain reported record deaths from Covid-19, following a surge in cases and hospitalisations since the variant was first identified in southeast England in September.

The nation's death toll -- 95,981 as of Friday -- is the highest in Europe.

In the United States, the world's worst-hit country, the new president gave his highest estimate yet of its eventual toll, as he stepped up federal aid.

"The virus is surging," President Biden told a news conference. "We're at 400,000 dead, expected to reach well over 600,000."

Globally, the virus has killed more than two million people, infected tens of millions of others and hammered economies.

There were new signs of the depth of damage dealt to the global economy, with the closely watched Purchasing Managers' Index showing that Europe was heading for a new recession, while Latin America suffered its steepest drop in foreign trade since the global finan-

"And it is definitely too early to come to a conclusion of exactly where this virus started, either within or without China."

Beijing is braced for the scrutiny the team will bring to its virus narrative, having drip-fed the idea that the pandemic started outside its borders.

And while Wuhanites looked back on their confinement from the distance of a year, Hong Kong was introducing

cial crisis.

ORIGINS PROBE: In Wuhan, a team of World Health Organization experts was still in hotel quarantine ahead of a mission to investigate the source of the virus, and the body said it was too early to conclude whether the pandemic actually started there.

"All hypotheses are on the table," WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told a press conference in Geneva.

its first lockdown of the pandemic, the government ordering thousands of residents to stay home as authorities battled an outbreak in one of its poorest and most densely packed districts.

The order bans anyone inside multiple housing blocks within the neighbourhood of Jordan -- about 150 blocks and up to 9,000 people, according to local media -- from leaving their apartment unless they can show a neg-

ative test. Countries across the world were bringing in new measures Saturday, including the Netherlands, which was set to introduce its first curfew since World War II. Until February 19, residents will have to stay home from 9 pm until 4:30 am, on pain of a 95euro ($115) fine.

And in the Colombian capital of Bogota, residents were under their third weekend quarantine in a row, meaning the closure of all non-essential shops in the city of eight million from Friday at 8:00 pm until Monday at 4:00 am.

VACCINE SCRAMBLE As vaccine rollouts gain pace around the world, Hungary announced it was going it alone and buying two million doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, frustrated by the European Union's unwieldy strategy of buying shots in bulk on behalf of members.

"It doesn't matter if the cat is black or white, as long as it catches the mouse," Orban said of the different vaccines, despite wariness from some experts over Sputnik V being rolled out before large-scale clinical trials.

Brazil was meanwhile due to receive two million doses of a different jab developed by British pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca and Oxford University. The WHO has repeatedly warned that richer countries are hogging vaccines. "We can only end the pandemic anywhere if we end it everywhere," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

A separate deal, brokered by international agencies working with the WHO, will supply developing nations with tens of millions of rapid antigen tests at half the usual $5 price.

Sunday, 24 January, 2021

BABAr AzAM WAntS PAkiStAn tO PlAy 'FeArleSS' CriCket AgAinSt SOuth AFriCA

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NEWS DESK

AKISTAN’S captain Babar Azam said on Saturday that he expects his side to play "fearless" and "aggressive" cricket ahead of the twomatch Test series against South Africa.

Speaking to Ramiz Raja via the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) digital platform, the 26-year-old batsman said that he wants players to give 100pc on the ground without fear of any consequences. “I want the team to play positive but aggressive and fearless cricket, especially in white-ball cricket if we want to challenge top teams,” he said.

“Usually we stop scoring runs if we lose one or two quick wickets and this is where I want the team's mindset to change — even if you’ve lost two quick wickets, you must continue to add numbers to the scoreboard,” the skipper added. Babar said that Micky Arthur had always backed him and that support from the former coach helped him gain confidence.

“I was struggling, especially with red-ball cricket but Mickey supported me and kept backing me, which gave me confidence. It also made me realise how important it is for a player to be

backed by team management when he’s struggling,” the Pakistan captain said.

"I am going to apply the same. I will support my players," he said.

Babar said that being a captain, he always tries to take responsibility instead of escaping blame and always aims to lead from the front. The top batsman, however, added that when he’s in middle order with the bat, he tries to focus on the game just as a batsman and doesn’t think much about the captain’s role.

Murray 'gutted' to miss Australian Open LONDON: Former world number one Andy Murray said he was ‘gutted’ after deciding to withdraw from next month’s Australian Open following a positive test for Covid-19 earlier this month. The 33-year-old Murray, a wildcard, confirmed last Thursday that he had tested positive for the virus and was in self-isolation at his home near London. That meant he was unable to take one of the charter flights laid on by Australian Open organisers, leaving him facing a race to be able to arrive in time to complete the mandatory 14-day quarantine period as per health protocols. “Gutted to share that I won’t be flying out to Australia to compete at the Australian Open,” Murray was quoted as saying by British media on Friday.

“We’ve been in constant dialogue... to try and find a solution which would allow some form of workable quarantine, but we couldn’t make it work.” Even if Murray had managed to arrive in time he would have faced going into the event with minimal time to practise.

“I want to thank everyone there for their efforts. I’m devastated not to be playing out in Australia. It’s a country and tournament that I love,” the Briton added. It is another blow to the five-time Australian Open runnerup who last played at the tournament in 2019. On that occasion, after a first-round defeat by Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, he received an emotional farewell on the court as it appeared his career was coming to a close because of a long-standing hip injury. After another surgery, however, Murray returned to the Tour later in 2019 and even claimed a title in Antwerp. Last year he played only seven Tour-level matches because of more injuries and the disruption caused by the pandemic -ending his season in October after a pelvic problem. The three-time Grand Slam champion, currently ranked 123rd in the world, had pulled out of the season-opening Delray Beach Open in Florida earlier this month to reduce the risk of contracting Covid-19. Seventy two players are currently confined to their rooms in Melbourne after they travelled on three flights where positive cases were found on arrival. AGENCIES

He also made it clear to his cricket friends that they shouldn’t expect any out-of-the-way support from him.

“When you’re in the ground, you’re there for Pakistan and Pakistan should come first, [we are not] friends there.

All your relations with individuals should be kept out of the ground,” he said. Azam said that to be a top-quality side, it is important for Pakistan to be aggressive and beat top teams on their home soil.

“We need to be good enough against top-quality sides if we want ourselves to be considered as a topside and for that, we need to win series against top teams,” the Pakistan captain said.

‘STILL GOT IT’: Meanwhile, Pakistani spinner Yasir Shah is all set to prove he is “still good enough” during the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa.

Speaking during an online press conference after the Pakistan team’s training session on Saturday, the 34year-old bowler defended himself despite a decline in his bowling graph and said that lately, he wasn’t getting spinfriendly conditions to bowl on.

“I am fit and playing. I know that I am 34 but I am doing well for the team.

I will try to prove my worth in this series and try to prove here that I still have cricket left in me,” he said.

“A bowler’s performance is always linked with the conditions available to him. If spinners aren’t getting any support from the wicket then their role turns into the role of supporting bowlers and fast bowlers lead the attack. I know I’ve not been able to take wickets like I used to do in past, but that doesn’t mean that I bowl that bad,” Yasir said about his recent performances.

Gilgit-Baltistan scouts clinch 28th National Alpine Ski Championship

NEWS DESK Gilgit Baltistan Scouts clinched the 28th National Alpine Ski Championship in the ongoing winter sports events held at PAF Ski Resort, Naltar.

Pakistan’s two time winter Olympian Mohammad Karim of Pakistan Air Force won gold medals in both Slalom and Giant Slalom categories, but could not secure the coveted trophy for his team as remaining four medals were claimed by the skiers of Gilgit Baltistan Scouts.

Mir Nawaz of Gilgit Baltistan Scouts got silver medal in both categories while his teammates Zahid Abbas earned Bronze medal in Slalom and Waqar Junior in Giant Slalom category.

Meanwhile, Gilgit Baltistan Ski Association

won the Ice Speed Skating Championship. The Gold and Silver medal were won by Israr Ahamd and Basharat of Gilgit Baltistan Ski Association, earning them the championship trophy, while the Bronze medal was claimed by Zia-ur-Rehman of Gilgit Baltistan Scouts.

Another exciting event of the season was the final of 3rd Ice Hockey Championship. The final was played between Gilgit Baltistan Scouts and Gilgit Baltistan Ski Association. It was easy sailing for the team of Gilgit Baltistan Ski Association as they scored seven goals while their rivals could score only one goal. Teams of PAF, Pak Army, GB Scouts, Punjab, Sindh, Civil Aviation Authority and GB Ski Association participated in the event.

SPORTS 11 Strict virus measures for Club World Cup in Qatar DOHA: The Club World Cup will be staged with strict measures to combat the spread of Covid-19, the Qatari organisers said Saturday less than two weeks before the tournament which will be closed to overseas fans. It is due to get underway on February 4 with spectator numbers capped at 30 percent of capacity at each of the two 40,000-seat grounds which will host games. "Fans will have to undergo rapid PCR or antigen tests up to 72 hours before each match. If it comes out negative they are allowed to receive their ticket," said Abdulwahab alMusleh, sports affairs adviser to Qatar's health ministry.

Social distancing, mask wearing and use of Qatar's contract tracing app and sanitiser will be mandatory, he added, during a media briefing in Doha. International fans will be unable to attend because of Qatar's virus mitigation measures, and there will be no public events including fan zones. Qatar's coronavirus cases are steadily ticking up, with 59.5 new cases per 100,000 people in the past week, up 15 percent on the week before. The death rate is very low and cases remain fewer than many other countries in the region. "This slight increase means we won't raise the capacity beyond 30 percent," said Musleh who added the new variants of coronavirus are likely already in Qatar.

Following a cluster of cases in the Saudi Al-Hilal team during the AFC Champions League at the end of last year, Musleh said that "several measures to prevent that recurring" had been taken. On January 15 Auckland City withdrew from February's tournament, because of the Covid-19 pandemic and related quarantine measures required by the New Zealand authorities. FIFA said it would work with the Qatari authorities to provide "the safeguards required to protect the health and safety of everyone involved in the competition". The February 411 Club World Cup 2020 will now be contested by Qatari club Al Duhail, Al Ahly of Egypt, Bayern Munich, Ulsan Hyundai, Tigres UANL and the winners of the CONMEBOL Libertadores final scheduled for January 30. The first round match will no longer take place and Al Duhail will begin the competition in the second round. The competition format remains otherwise unchanged. Matches will be held at Qatar's recently inaugurated Ahmad Bin Ali and Education City stadiums, important test fixtures ahead of the 2022 World Cup. AGENCIES

Southampton dump holders Arsenal out of FA Cup SOUTHAMPTON: Southampton dumped FA Cup holders Arsenal out of the competition on Saturday, winning 1-0 courtesy of a Gabriel own goal to set up a fifth-round meeting with Wolves. The much-changed Gunners, who have won the competition a record 14 times, fell behind midway through the first half and could not find a way back. Ralph Hasenhuttl fielded a strong side at St Mary's, with Danny Ings returning after a hamstring injury and a positive coronavirus test alongside former Arsenal forward Theo Walcott. Mikel Arteta made seven changes from their 3-0 Premier League win against Newcastle on Monday.

Southampton, who had never previously beaten Arsenal in the FA Cup, were the brighter team in the first half in the winter sunshine on England's south coast. James Ward-Prowse rattled the crossbar from a swerving corner and Che Adams forced a fine save from Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno. Southampton got the reward their positive approach deserved in the 24th minute.

Mohamed Elneny gave away possession on the edge of his own box and the ball was worked to Kyle WalkerPeters on the right side of the Southampton attack. The defender drilled it across the six-yard area and it was inadvertently turned in by Gabriel -- the first time rejuvenated Arsenal had conceded since December 26 against Chelsea. Ward-Prowse then struck a shot from distance that sailed wide and Ings hit a fierce volley that was blocked by Hector Bellerin. Arsenal found their feet in the second half and Fraser Forster was forced to make a sharp save with his feet to keep out Eddie Nketiah's deflected shot after a pass from Nicolas Pepe. Arteta threw on forward Alexandre Lacazette to bolster his attack as Arsenal pinned Southampton back. AGENCIES

England paceman James Anderson’s six-for keeps Sri Lanka in check GALLE AGENCIES

England paceman James Anderson returned his best figures of 6-40 in Asia to help bowl out Sri Lanka for 381 on day two of the second Test on Saturday.

The tourists were 98 for two at stumps after Lasith Embuldeniya struck early to remove the openers.

Skipper Joe Root, on 67, and Jonny Bairstow, on 24, were batting as England trail by 283 runs in Galle.

Anderson, 38, denied wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella a century after sending him back on 92 to claim his 30th five-wicket haul and second in Sri Lanka -- his previous best was 5-75 in Galle in 2012.

Anderson, who replaced Stuart Broad in the team for this Test, bowled 29 overs with 13 maidens before Sri Lanka were bowled out in an extended second session with Dilruwan Perera scoring a defiant 67.

The pace spearhead struck in his first over of the day to send Angelo Mathews caught behind for 110 after the former captain added just three runs in the morning. But the dismissal was skipper Joe Root's

mastermind after he reviewed the umpire's call, which was not out, and replays suggested the ball had grazed Mathews' bat. Fast bowler Mark Wood sent debutant Ramesh Mendis trudging back to the pavilion for nought with wicketkeeper Jos Buttler taking a one-handed diving catch towards his left.

Dickwella made the team fight back with his 16th Test fifty as he put together a 89-run seventh-wicket stand with Perera. Perera also dug in after Dickwella's wicket and scored his seventh Test half-century to frustrate the England bowlers before falling to Sam Curran. All the 10 wickets went to the pacemen with Wood taking three scalps. But it was spin in the final session with left-arm orthodox Embuldeniya sending back Dom Sibley, for nought, and Zak Crawley, for five, in quick succession.

Root and Bairstow got together to thwart the Sri Lankan attack as they put on an unbroken 93-run stand till close of play. Root, who hit 228 in his team's opening win last week, recorded his 50th half-century in his 99th match. The series, which is being played behind closed doors, resumed after being cancelled in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Sunday, 24 January, 2021

PrAyEr TImINGS

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IconIc TV and radIo InTerVIewer Larry KIng dIeS aT 87 NEW YORK

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AGENCIES

ARRY King, the suspenders-sporting everyman whose broadcast interviews with world leaders, movie stars and ordinary Joes helped define American conversation for a half-century, died Saturday. He was 87.

King died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles, Ora Media, the studio and network he co-founded, tweeted. No cause of death was given, but CNN had earlier reported he was hospitalised with Covid-19.

A long-time nationally syndicated radio host, from 1985 through 2010 he was a nightly fixture on CNN, where he won many honours, including two Peabody awards.

With his celebrity interviews, political debates and topical discussions, King was not just an enduring onair personality. He also set himself apart with the curiosity he brought to every interview, whether questioning the assault victim known as the “Central Park Jogger” or billionaire industrialist Ross Perot, who in 1992 rocked the presidential contest by announcing his candidacy on King’s show.

In its early years, “Larry King Live” was based in Washington, DC, which gave the show an air of gravitas. Likewise King. He was the plainspoken go-between through whom Beltway bigwigs could reach their public, and they did, earning the show prestige as a place where things happened, where news was made.

King conducted an estimated 50,000 on-air interviews. In 1995 he presided over a Middle East peace summit with PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, King Hussein of Jordan and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. He welcomed everyone from the Dalai Lama to Elizabeth Taylor, from Mikhail Gorbachev to Barack Obama, Bill Gates to Lady Gaga.

Especially after he relocated to Los Angeles, his shows were frequently in the thick of breaking celebrity news, including Paris Hilton talking about her stint in jail in 2007 and Michael Jackson’s friends and family members talking about his death in 2009.

King boasted of never over-preparing for an interview. His non-confrontational style relaxed his guests and made him readily relatable to his audience.

“I don’t pretend to know it all,” he said in a 1995 Associated Press interview. “Not, `What about Geneva or Cuba?′ I ask, `Mr. President, what don’t you like about this job?′ Or `What’s the biggest mistake you made?′ That’s fascinating.”

At a time when CNN, as the lone player in cable news, was deemed politically neutral, and King was the essence of its middle-of-the-road stance, political figures and people at the centre of controversies would seek out his show.

And he was known for getting guests who were notoriously elusive. Frank Sinatra, who rarely gave interviews and often lashed out at reporters, spoke to King in 1988 in what would be the singer’s last major

Biden administration to review US-Taliban withdrawal deal WASHINGTON AGENCIES

TV appearance. Sinatra was an old friend of King’s and acted accordingly.

“Why are you here?” King asks. Sinatra responds, “Because you asked me to come and I hadn’t seen you in a long time to begin with, I thought we ought to get together and chat, just talk about a lot of things.”

King had never met Marlon Brando, who was even tougher to get and tougher to interview, when the acting giant asked to appear on King’s show in 1994.

The two hit it off so famously they ended their 90minute talk with a song and an on-the-mouth kiss, an image that was all over media in subsequent weeks.

'Regular-guy' approach became dated After a gala week marking his 25th anniversary in June 2010, King abruptly announced he was retiring from his show, telling viewers, “It’s time to hang up my nightly suspenders.” Named as his successor in the time slot: British journalist and TV personality Piers Morgan.

By King’s departure that December, suspicion had grown that he had waited a little too long to hang up those suspenders. Once the leader in cable TV news, he ranked third in his time slot with less than half the nightly audience of his peak year, 1998, when “Larry King Live” drew 1.64 million viewers.

His wide-eyed, regular-guy approach to interviewing by then felt dated in an era of edgy, pushy or loaded questioning by other hosts.

Meanwhile, occasional flubs had made him seem out of touch, or worse. A prime example from 2007 found King asking Jerry Seinfeld if he had voluntarily left his sitcom or been cancelled by his network, NBC. “I was the No. 1 show in television, Larry,” replied Seinfeld with a flabbergasted look. “Do you know who I am?”

Broadcasting amBitions: King came by

his voracious but no-frills manner honestly.

He was born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger in 1933, a son of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe who ran a bar and grill in Brooklyn. But after his father’s death when Larry was a boy, he faced a troubled, sometimes destitute youth.

A fan of such radio stars as Arthur Godfrey and comedians Bob & Ray, on reaching adulthood, King set his sights on a broadcasting career. With word that Miami was a good place to break in, he headed south in 1957 and landed a job sweeping floors at a tiny AM station. When a DJ abruptly quit, King was put on the air — and was handed his new surname by the station manager, who thought Zeiger “too Jewish.”

A year later he moved to a larger station, where his duties were expanded from the usual patter to serving as host of a daily interview show that aired from a local restaurant. He quickly proved equally adept at talking to the waitresses, and the celebrities who began dropping by.

By the early 1960s King had gone to yet a larger Miami station, scored a newspaper column and become a local celebrity himself. covid-19 hospitalisation: A three-packs-aday cigarette habit led to a heart attack in 1987, but King’s quintuple-bypass surgery did not slow him down.

Meanwhile, he continued to prove that, in his words, “I’m not good at marriage, but I’m a great boyfriend.”

Early in 2021, CNN reported that King was hospitalized for more than a week with Covid-19.

Through his setbacks he continued to work into his late 80s, taking on online talk shows and infomercials as his appearances on CNN grew fewer. “Work,” King once said. “It’s the easiest thing I do.”

SAPM questions India’s presence in UN Security Council ISLAMABAD APP

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on National Security Division and Strategic Policy Planning Dr Moeed Yusuf has said that fake NGOs were a failure of the UN system, and questioned whether a country, like India, should even be sitting on the UN Security Council.

“India has a conflict with every single neighbour, and has broken all international law obligations that are a classic example of a rogue state,” the SAPM said while addressing a webinar organised by the Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies (CASS) titled “In-

dian Chronicles: India’s Disinformation Campaign against Pakistan”.

Other speakers in the webinar included Indus TV Executive Editor Ejaz Haider, journalist and research scholar Ramsha Jahangir and Research Society of International Law Director Mr Oves Anwar.

In his keynote address, the SAPM stressed that the malicious campaign against Pakistan had been going on even before the latest revelations of “Indian Chronicles”, which he termed just the tip of the iceberg.

Pakistan was a country squarely focused on the economic security paradigm, in contrast, India was pursuing Hindutva ideology with an expansionist agenda.

Talking about Islamabad’s response, he informed that Pakistan had written to the EU Parliament and investigations were already underway.

He further added that India must stop its subversive activities against Pakistan and resolve the Kashmir issue under the international law to bring peace in the region as there was no scope for peace under the current circumstances.

In his welcome remarks, CASS President Air Chief Marshal (r) Kaleem Saadat noted that the world remained unmoved despite the disclosure of this network by the EU Disinfo lab report and cautioned that the consequences of these tactics would be an “unstable, insecure and underdeveloped neighbourhood.”

The Biden administration said it will review a landmark United States deal with the Taliban, focusing on whether the insurgent group has reduced attacks in Afghanistan, in keeping with its side of the agreement. Washington struck a deal with the Taliban in Qatar last year, to begin withdrawing its troops in return for security guarantees from the militants and a commitment to kickstart peace talks with the Afghan government. The US had committed to reducing the number of its troops in Afghanistan from 13,000 to 8,600 within 135 days of signing the deal, and working with its allies to proportionally reduce the number of coalition forces in Afghanistan over the same period. Currently, there are 2,500 US troops in Afghanistan. But violence across Afghanistan has surged despite the two sides engaging in those talks since September. President Joe Biden’s newly appointed national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, spoke with his Afghan counterpart Hamdullah Mohib and “made clear the United States’ intention to review” the deal, said National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne late on Friday. Specifically, Washington wants to check that the Taliban are “living up to [their] commitments to cut ties with terrorist groups, to reduce violence in Afghanistan, and to engage in meaningful negotiations with the Afghan government and other stakeholders”, her statement continued. It added that Sullivan “underscored that the US will support the peace process with a robust and regional diplomatic effort, which will aim to help the two sides achieve a durable and just political settlement and permanent ceasefire”. Sullivan also discussed the US’ support for protecting recent progress made on women and minority groups’ rights as part of the peace process. The statement is in line with Biden’s stance on Afghanistan, who has stated that while he would reduce the number of combat troops in Afghanistan, he would not withdraw US military presence. Biden’s nominee for state secretary, Anthony Blinken, had also hinted earlier this week that an increase in violence in Afghanistan may lead to US retaining some of it troops. “We want to retain some capacity to deal with any resurgence of terrorism, which is what brought us there in the first place,” Blinken said in his confirmation hearing.

“We have to look carefully at what has actually been negotiated. I haven’t been privy to it yet.” He added, however, that “we want to end this so-called forever war”.

When contacted about Horne’s statement, the Taliban said they remained “committed to the agreement and honour our commitments”. “We expect the other side to remain committed to the agreement too,” Mohammad Naeem, the group’s spokesman in Qatar, said. Washington’s move was met with a sigh of relief from officials in Kabul after months of speculation over how the new administration would potentially recalibrate the Afghan policy. Mohib, the Afghan national security adviser, tweeted that during the call the two sides “agreed to work toward a permanent ceasefire and a just and durable peace” in the country. Another top Afghan government official lambasted the Taliban’s failure to live up to the February 2020 deal, saying the agreement had failed to achieve its stated goals. “The agreement so far, did not deliver a desired goal of ending Taliban’s violence and bringing a ceasefire desired by the Afghans,” Sediq Sediqqi, Deputy Interior Minister and former spokesman to President Ashraf Ghani said on Twitter. “The Taliban did not live up to [their] commitments.” Deadly attacks and high-profile assassinations have increased in recent months, particularly in Kabul where several journalists, activists, judges and politicians have been murdered in brazen daylight attacks.

The Taliban have denied responsibility for these killings.

British prime minister says evidence UK virus strain more deadly LONDON AGENCIES

The coronavirus strain that has swept Britain and beyond in recent months could be more deadly as well as more transmissible, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said late on Friday.

The sobering news came as the UK sees record deaths from Covid-19, following a surge in cases and hospitalisations since the variant was first identified in southeast England in September.

The strain has also spread to more than 60 nations — including China, where the pandemic began more than a year ago — according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

“In addition to spreading more quickly, it also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant [...] may be associated with a higher degree of mortality,”

Johnson said at a news conference.

He blamed the variant for the grim situation engulfing Britain, where another 1,401 fatalities were announced on Friday, taking the overall toll to 95,981 — the highest in Europe.

Virus deaths have risen 16 per cent over the past week, while the number of people hospitalised with Covid-19 is approaching double the number seen during the worst days of the first wave of the pandemic in April.

Chief government scientist Patrick Vallance said the new variant could be 30-40pc more deadly for some age groups, although he stressed the assessment relied on sparse data.

“There's a lot of uncertainty around these numbers and we need more work to get a precise handle on it, but it obviously is of concern,” he said, flanking Johnson in Downing Street.

“You will see that across the different

age groups as well, a similar sort of relative increase in the risk.”

However, Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO's health emergencies programme, said it had not yet seen evidence that the variant is more lethal.

“What we are seeing is that if you infect more people, more people will get very sick, and if more people get very sick more people will die,” he added.

“Increasing incidence leads to higher mortality.”

'Signs of improvement' Britain is in the grip of its third and worst wave of the virus.

The country is pinning its hopes of a return to normality later this year on the biggest vaccination programme in its history, which began last month.

Johnson revealed 5.4 million people had

now received their first dose of two vaccines currently being administered, with a daily record of 400,000 people inoculated in the last 24 hours.

“All the current evidence continues to show that both the vaccines we are currently using remain effective both against the old variant and this new variant,” he added.

The government appears on track to meet its pledge to vaccinate 15m of the most vulnerable by mid-February.

It is also aiming to inoculate the entire adult population by September at the latest.

England has been in a third nationwide lockdown since early this month, with similar restrictions in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, where devolved administrations are responsible for health policy.

New Office for National Statistics (ONS) data released on Friday showed the

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stay-at-home order had helped prompt a slight drop in infection rates across England last week. On average, one in 55 people have got the virus there, rising to one in 35 in London, it found.

However, chief medical officer Chris Whitty warned that despite the “signs of improvement” cases remained “at a very high level” and hospitals were still in danger of becoming overwhelmed.

The government said on Friday it was launching a new national campaign featuring hospital staff and Covid-19 patients, in a bid to remind the public of the extreme pressures still facing the state-run health service.

The “emotive” TV advert “challenges the public to think about the impact their actions might have by asking: 'Can you look them in the eyes and tell them you're helping by staying at home?'”