Epaper – July 25 ISB 2020

Saturday, 25 July, 2020 I 3 Dhul-Hijjah, 1441 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 27 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition

Jadhav not being Pardoned under new ordinanCe, govt insists g

Law MInIster says InDIa wouLD have aPProacheD unsc for ‘BrIngIng aLL kInDs of resoLutIons, sanctIons agaInst PakIstan’ If IcJ JuDgeMent was not IMPLeMenteD

ISLAMABAD staff report

F

eDeraL Law Minister farogh naseem said on friday that an ordinance was needed to follow the International court of Justice (IcJ) judgement regarding captured Indian spy kulbushan Jadhav so India could be stopped from approaching the united nations security council (unsc). speaking on the floor of the national assembly (na), naseem said he wanted to clarify the facts so the opposition could understand the context. holding up a copy of the IcJ judgement, the law minister said that the IcJ decided that Pakistan would have to grant [Jadhav] consular access and review and reconsider the case. “It placed an obligation on Pakistan. Paragraphs 144-148 of the judgement showed that IcJ placed the obligation on the country to enact a law for effective review and reconsideration [of the case].” he said that this was why an ordinance was framed and promulgated. he denied that it was similar to the national reconcil-

iation ordinance (nro). “an nro is what gen Musharraf promulgated to forgive sentences and suspend pending proceedings. we have to follow the IcJ’s decision as a responsible state.” naseem said that India “wanted that Pakistan not follow the IcJ judgement so that they could approach the unsc for bringing all kinds of resolutions, sanctions and declare Pakistan a rogue state”. “we have to follow IcJ decisions as we are a comity of nations. If we do not promulgate this ordinance, then India could use article 94 of unsc and article 60 of IcJ statute. we cut off India’s hands by bringing this ordinance. Pakistan has done this responsibly,” he added. “when kulbushan Jadhav was arrested on March 3, 2016, the [then] federal government took a decision that consular access would not be given to him because he was guilty of espionage.”

“I am not playing a blame game but Pakistan could have expressed reservation, gotten out of optional protocol and jurisdiction of the IcJ verdict. But this did not happen and [the government] exercised its discretion.

Coronavirus in

Pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

“the second important date is May 8, 2017 when India filed a case in the IcJ. we were unable to judge [the situation correctly] then. when they filed the case, that was a cut off date. after that, Pakistan could not come out of IcJ’s jurisdiction.” responding to a question as to why the government did not inform the opposition before promulgating the ordinance, he said that the constitution stated that if Parliament was not in session, the ordinance could be promulgated by the governor or president. “there is no clause that says the opposition and Parliament have to be taken in confidence first,” he emphasised. referring to the opposition, he claimed that when they brought ordinances in their tenures, they did not consult the opposition. “this ordinance was published in the gazette on May 21, 2020. the supreme court has declared that when it is published in the gazette, it is a notice to public at large.” the minister further said that the ordinance was made according to the IcJ judgement. “this ordinance has not forgiven Jadhav’s sentence. It is not an nro.

It proves Pakistan is a responsible state and will try to fulfill all its obligations.

“India has already made preparations if we do not do this”. he denied claims that the explanation of the ordinance sought to end Jadhav’s sentence.

“IcJ has directed us to ensure effective review and reconsideration. as a responsible state we made a law. this ordinance states that Jadhav himself or a representative from the Indian embassy can file an appeal on his behalf,” he said, terming it a “matter of national interest”. “the ordinance is neither an nro nor an appeal,” he repeated, adding that it was also not person specific. “It is for the future as well so that if a similar situation arises in the future, the concerned state does not file a case in the IcJ but approaches the Islamabad high court instead.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Development projects to end Balochistan’s sense of deprivation, PM Imran says ISLAMABAD app

Prime Minister Imran khan on friday expressed his firm resolve to end the “sense of deprivation” long felt by the people of Balochistan by launching a series of development projects to undo the neglect of decades in the province. “ensuring complete peace, security and socio-economic development for the people of Balochistan are the key priorities of my government,” he said while chairing the second meeting of the national Development council (nDc). the nDc’s first meeting was held in august 2019 after its formation in June that year. the prime minister said he was fully cognizant of the problems people in Balochistan face and expressed his commitment to turn the situation around by providing them relief and services in the best possible manner. “financial resources allocated for Balochistan in the past were never diverted towards the development of the province,” he said. the prime minister said such a state of affairs led to dismal development in the province and caused “a sense of deprivation”among its people. federal ministers shah Mahmood Qureshi, asad umar, Mohammad hammad azhar, ali

Gold price reaches Rs118,700 per tola

271,490

haider Zaidi, omer ayub khan, advisers Dr abdul hafeez shaikh, and abdul razak Dawood, chief Minister Balochistan Jam kamal khan, chief of army staff general Qamar Javed Bajwa, special assistant Lt gen (r) asim saleem Bajwa, Dg IsI Lt gen faiz hameed and other senior officials attended the meeting. the meeting reviewed in detail several projects related to the national development agenda. these included the provision of means of communications in the remote areas of Balochistan, better facilities for irrigation, agriculture, energy, and setting up barter markets to attain optimal benefit from the gwadar Port. the premier said the development of gwadar Port would be a game-changer, not only for the people Balochistan but also for the entire region. “there must be a full focus on the development of infrastructure, provision of employment for the youth, and completion of road networks to gain benefit from the completion of the gwadar Port and the cPec,” he said.

In this regard, the prime minister constituted a committee comprising umar, shaikh, and chief Minister kamal, that would submit a report to him on the priority areas for development — particularly in communications, agriculture, energy, and other important sectors.

more inside

Chaudhry brothers laundered money through fake accounts, NAB tells LHC STORY ON BACK PAGE

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

restructuring PIa, not privatising it, aviation minister says

NEW CASES:

54

1,209

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

219,783 5,778 SINDH:

116,800

PUNJAB:

91,423

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

33,071

11,523

1,989/1,918 14,766

STORY ON PAGE 02

newS DeSk gold prices in Pakistan continued to rise for the ninth consecutive day on friday, reaching rs118,700 per tola.

Investors have been pouring money into gold for a while now, boosting its demand, as the coronavirus pandemic weakens confidence in other commodities, currencies, and stocks. according to the all sindh

sarafa and Jewellers association (assJa), gold rates shot up rs1,400 per tola, while the price of 10 grammes rose rs1,200 to rs101,766 as well. on thursday, gold registered an increase of rs2,300 to clock in at rs117,300 per tola despite vaccine trials around the world churning out successful results to curb risks of a recession over the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. the price of 10 grammes of

gold became rs1,972 costlier.

Moreover, the gold rates in international markets surged $14 an ounce to almost $1,896. the yellow metal has been been on a steady path to go beyond the $1,900-an-ounce levels in the global markets — past the nine-year peak hit earlier — as fears of economic stagnation grew owing to the skyrocketing coronavirus cases.

Govt says it will ‘review’ medicine price hike STORY ON PAGE 02

Part 2 of khursheed kasuri’s interview on kashmir’s future STORY ON PAGE 06

02

Saturday, 25 July, 2020

NEWS

reStructuring Pia, not PrivatiSing it, aviation miniSter SayS ISLAMABAD

F

STAFF REPORT

EDERAL Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan on Friday said the government is looking to take action against Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) pilots with fake licences and restructure the airline.

“We are not going to privatise PIA, but

restructure it,” he said while addressing the National Assembly.

He said Pakistan had sent the licences of 176 PIA pilots working internationally, of whom 10 had licences suspected to be fake.

In the past, PIA employees have been hired through nepotism, but we want to ensure transparency and appointments on merit, he added.

The minister said he wasn’t blaming

govt says it will ‘review’ medicine price hike ISLAMABAD APP

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan on Friday said that an increase of 7 per cent in prices of essential and 10 per cent in non-essential medicines was witnessed, but the government would review the increase to facilitate the people. The minister was responding to a calling attention notice in Senate regarding the hike in prices of medicine by the government. Khan said some market-driven factors caused an increase in the price of medicines. However, “the government would review these prices for the ease of people”. Prices of 360 medicines were decreased by the incumbent government, but the medicine companies challenged it with the Sindh High Court, he said.

“The court has quashed most of their petitions and the government would do its best to bring down the prices,” he said. The minister said that the PML-N government had introduced a policy during its tenure in May 2018 to fix prices of medicines and the incumbent government had no role in the price hike. Last week, The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) had stated that it had approved a 7pc increase in the prices of essential drugs/biologicals and a 10pc increase in other medicines. The government had allowed a 5.14pc increase in prices of essential medicines and biologicals whereas it had allowed a 7.3410pc increase in prices of other medicines.

ihc reserves verdict against formation of sugar inquiry commission ISLAMABAD INP

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday reserved its verdict on an appeal of Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) against the formation of sugar inquiry commission. A division bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb reserved the verdict after hearing arguments from petitioners and the federation at length. During the proceedings, the Attorney General for Pakistan adopted the stance that the federal government had taken bold step of forming inquiry commission to probe sugar scandal. He said the inquiry commission had discovered important facts during the probe.

anyone but only working to avoid any mishaps in future. “We’ve had four plane crashed in the last few months. We are not pointing fingers…just inquiring into matters,” he said.

“The inquiry we conducted found that 28 of 260 PIA pilots had fake licences and they were later canceled.”

On June 30, the European Union Air Safety Agency suspended authorisation for PIA to operate in Europe for six months.

The airline is already under scrutiny after several problems were uncovered after the May 22 crash in Karachi’s Model Colony.

In a letter dated July 13, 2020, Civil Aviation Authority Director General Hassan Nasir Jamy notified his counterpart in Oman that none of the CAA-issued pilot licenses were fake.

This contradicted what Khan had revealed in June and he therefore drew criticism from opposition members.

Appointment of Maulana Fazl's brother as DC in Karachi stirs controversy KARACHI STAFF REPORT

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Friday lashed out at the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-led Sindh government for appointing Ziaur Rehman, a Grade-19 PMS officer and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s brother, as deputy commissioner for the metropolis’ Central district.

Soon after the news of Rehman’s appointment broke, leaderships of the ruling PTI and MQM-P termed the move a “tactic” to make the All Parties Conference (APC) successful. Ziaur Rehman had been transferred from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and was “posted with immediate effect and until further orders as Collector/Deputy Commissioner, Central, Karachi, vice Farhan Ghani Khan, an officer of Ex-PCS (8519),” a notification issued on Thursday read. Ghani, on the other hand, was transferred and appointed as Additional Secretary, Local Government, and Housing Town Planning Department, the notification read.

It is pertinent to mention here that Rehman’s appointment has been made in one of the most important districts of Karachi. Reacting to the appointment, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur, said Rehman was appointed against merit and without passing the required examination.

Senior MQM-P leader Khawaja Izharul Hasan said they reject the appointment of an officer from KP in Karachi. “More than 100,000 jobs were given on fake domiciles. The DC is appointed without the federal government’s notification.”

”Under which law has he been brought into civil services,” he asked, adding that Prime Minister Imran Khan was running the assembly without “diesel”.

Moreover, PTI Karachi’s secretary-general Saeed Afridi remarked that the government of Sindh was in need of “diesel” for their expenses. Afridi said he believed that the appointment was done in a bid to make the opposition’s APC a success. ”The Opposition, after House No. 22 and the Kashmir Ministry, has found new ways to appease Maulana Fazl,” he said.

Responding to the criticism, Sindh Information Minister Nasir Hussain Shah said it was ”not a crime to be Maulana Fazl’s brother”. ”Ziaur Rehman has held administrative positions in KP,” he said, adding that the appointment was an administrative matter.

Responding to the criticism, JUI-F Senator Maulana Hafiz Hamdullah also termed Rehman’s appointment “an administrative matter”.

“What is so strange about Ziaur Rehman being posted as a DC in Karachi? Why are they so bothered about Ziaur Rehman’s appointment? Is it Ziaur Rehman’s fault that he is Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s brother?

“Ziaur Rehman has previously held administrative positions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab,” Hamdullah said, adding that he could be posted anywhere in Pakistan’s four provinces.

The JUI-F leader further spoke on the incumbent PTI-led government’s advisers and special assistants, noting how “half of them” were “dual nationals”.

“While dual nationals can sit in the cabinet, Ziaur Rehman is a Pakistani citizen,” he said.

Govt to set up 50,000 more utility stores across country, minister tells NA ISLAMABAD APP

Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed on Friday informed the National Assembly (NA) that the government had started the work on setting up 50,000 more utility stores aimed at ensuring provision of quality food items at controlled rates across the country.

“As per the government announcement about establishing 50,000 more utilities across the country, the work has started on it,” he said during a question-hour session while responding to a query of MNA Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali. He said under the Kamyab Jawan Programme, youth would be encouraged to implement their workable business plans so that they could be able to open their own stores. “The government will help and finance them [youth] in starting their business.”

Answering a question, Parliamentary Secretary for Finance and Revenue Makhdoom Zain Hussain Qureshi said the prime minister and his economic team are regularly monitoring the price movement of common use items in

consultation with provincial governments.

The government, he said, is taking all necessary measures to control unnecessary increase in the prices of edibles and common use items for protecting the common man from any undue inflationary pressure.

Qureshi also said a monitoring cell at the Ministry of National Food Security is monitoring price hikes of essential food items on daily basis.

The PTI government is expanding the network of Sasta Bazaars and utility store outlets for provision of smooth supply of daily use items, he said, adding that effective measures are being taken to prevent cartelisation and undue profit.

“The National Price Monitoring Committee is regularly monitoring the prices and supply of essential items in consultation of federal ministries and provincial governments,” he added.

The parliamentary secretary said Consumer Price Index inflation had declined from 14.6 per cent in January to 8.6 per cent in the month of June due to pro-active policy and administrative measures of the government.

Zardari, Talpur's indictment in money laundering reference deferred yet again ISLAMABAD APP

An accountability court on Friday deferred the indictment of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairperson and former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur in the mega money-laundering case.

The hearing was adjourned due to the non-availability of judge Azam Khan. Suspects, including Abdul Ghani Majeed and others, appeared before the court.

A plea bargain report pertaining to the reference is expected to be presented in court at the next hearing. The case will now be heard on July 29.

Six PakiStaniS die in turkiSh migrant boat Sinking ANKARA AGECNIES

The fatalities from a migrant boat sinking in Lake Van in Eastern Turkey include six Pakistanis, according to the Grievance Commissioner Cell for Overseas Pakistanis in the Federal Ombudsman Secretariat. Acting on a request from the president POAF Germany, Grievance Commissioner Hafiz Ahsaan Ahmad Khokhar directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, and other relevant officials, to bring back the bodies of the deceased to Pakistan. Three of the deceased were identified as Mohsin Ali Bhatti son of Muzaffar Bhatti, Syed Ali Hassan Shah son of Jadshah, and Rehman Ashraf son of Muhammad Ashraf Rahmani, according to the statement issued on Friday, which stated that three other deceased hailed from Gujrat and belonged to the same family. It was specified that the aggreived families offered funeral prayers in absentia after hearing of the migrant boat’s accident. Now, however, they await for the bodies of the deceased to arrive in Pakistan so that the burial rites may be performed. In this regard they contacted the Grievance Commissioner, who asked relevant departments to initiate immediate action, read the statement.

As of last week, the death toll from the migrant boat sinking in Lake Van had risen to 54. The boat, which sank on June 27, is believed to have been carrying 55 to 60 migrants, according to Turkey Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu. Five people have been arrested in relation to the incident. Nine bodies were recovered from the lake on June 18, bringing the confirmed death toll to 54, the governor’s office said. Lake Van is near Turkey’s border with Iran, from where migrants from Iran, Afghanistan and other countries regularly cross into Turkey heading west towards Europe. Seven people died and 64 were rescued when a boat carrying migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan sank on the lake in December.

More than a million people reached Greece from Turkey in 2015-16.

ihc suspends Pubg ban ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to lift the suspension on the popular online game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG). The PTA had on July 1 temporarily suspended the game after receiving several complaints about the game being “addictive”, a waste of time and its potential negative impact on children’s physical and psychological health. While announcing the short order which was reserved on Jul 14, Justice Amir Farooq directed the PTA to immediately restore the game. The judge also directed the authority to make any such decisions in the future after listening to the stakeholders. A detailed verdict is expected to be released soon.

The order comes a day after the authority had announced that the game will remain blocked in Pakistan. In a statement, the authority said the “decision has been made […] on the directions of the Lahore High Court”. STAFF REPORT

hrcP warns Punjab assembly against fueling bigotry LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Friday said that it was appalled at recent developments that are set to further whittle down space for freedom of intellectual thought, enquiry and expression. In a statement, the human rights body said that the most concerning of these is the Punjab Tahafuzz-e-Bunyaad-e-Islam Act, 2020, which restricts the publication of books (among other materials) that are deemed immoral, blasphemous, or anti-state. “Given that Section 505(2) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 8 of the Anti-Terrorism Act already penalise racial and sectarian hate speech, the intention this new legislation is akin to the antiquated practice of ‘book-burning’. To give the government’s Directorate General Public Relations the power to decide what constitutes ‘objectionable material’ on behalf of all citizens is unacceptable. There is also ample reason to expect that Section 3(f) of the new act will be used to target religious minorities and sects,” it added. HRCP also said that the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board has begun what it says is ‘a critical review’ of 10,000 books taught by private schools across the province. STAFF REPORT

Saturday, 25 July, 2020

NEWS

cabinet aPProveS amendmentS in comPanieS act, 2017, to meet FatF’S demandS ISLAMABAD

t

SHAHZAD PARACHA

HE federal government has approved amendments in the Companies Act, 2017, to meet the demands of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

Sources told Pakistan Today that the Finance Ministry had proposed amendments in the aforementioned act during the last meeting of the federal cabinet.

They also disclosed the details of the proposed amendments. Section 60 would be amended through the insertion of Section 60A and Section 122 - Prohibition on Issuance of Bearer Shares and Securities.

The stipulations relating to the ban on issuance of all financial bearer instruments, in addition to the method of registration and cancellation of any such bearer securities issued already, are being added to restrict the misuse of companies- coherent

to the recommendations issued by the FATF. Pakistan’s Mutual Evaluation Report issued in October 2019 by the Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering also highlighted certain deficiencies in the regulatory framework relating to the misuse of bearer shares and bearer share warrants. Sources said that an explicit prohibition is accordingly being provided through the proposed amendment. Bearer securities are vulnerable to misuse because they can effectively obscure the ownership of a corporate entity, thereby providing maximum anonymity and making such corporate vehicles more susceptible to misuse for illicit purposes, including money laundering.

The issuance of bearer securities by National Investment Trust Limited under the National Investment (Unit) Trust Ordinance, 1965, and the rules made thereunder have been addressed through sub-section (1) of the proposed section,

lhc moved against unelected federal cabinet members LAHORE: A petition was filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday against Prime Minister Imran Khan’s unelected advisers and special assistants. In his petition, Advocate Nadeem Sarwar said PM’s Adviser on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh is not an MNA nor a senator yet he is heading the Ministry of Finance. “According to Article 92 of the Constitution, only an MNA can perform duties of a federal minister on the prime minister’s recommendation,” said Sarwar. He added that the Article 2(A) states that a non-elected person cannot use the State’s powers and remarked that an adviser who is a dual national can be a threat to the country’s security. The petitioner urged the court to stop PM Imran and his unelected cabinet members from working until the court decides on the matter. The advocate has made the PM, his advisers, assistants and Law Minister Farogh Naseem respondents in the case. On Sunday, the government revealed that five of its cabinet members were dual nationals while one had a green card and the other a residency. These are Zulfi Bukhari (British citizenship), Shahzad Syed Qasim (US citizenship), Nadeem Afzal Gondal (Canadian citizenship), Shahbaz Gill (US green card), Tania Aidrus (Canadian citizenship and permanent resident of Singapore), Nadeem Babar (US citizenship) and Moeed Yusuf (US resident). Once this news spread, opposition parties began demanding the resignation of these government officials, however, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi feels there’s no problem. “The law allows it. There’s no problem with it,” Qureshi was quoted as saying on Monday. He said this isn’t surprising since previous governments have also appointed people with foreign nationalities. “The prime minister has appointed technocrats. They are all experts of their respective fields,” he said. He added that the law bars dual nationals from becoming a senator or member of the National Assembly. STAFF REPORT

sources further said, adding that consequential amendment arising from prohibition of bearer debt securities is also required through deletion of Section 122(3) which provides for issuance of bearer debentures.

The Finance Ministry has also proposed that a new provision 123A with regard to record of ultimate beneficial owner has also been added. Introduction of the proposed regulatory framework for obtaining, maintaining and updating information about the ultimate beneficial owners, and providing a declaration for compliance to the commission, is aimed to ensure compliance with the recommendations issued by the FATF to enhance transparency of companies.

Pakistan’s Mutual Evaluation Report also highlighted certain deficiencies relating to the lack of obligation on the part of companies to maintain beneficial ownership information beyond their

original subscribers, shareholders and directors. An ultimate beneficial owner exercises ownership or control rights over a company directly or indirectly through such percentage or shares or controlling rights or by exercising effective control through such other means as may be specified.

Sources also told this scribe that an amendment to Section 413 (Disposal of books and papers of a company that has been closed) has also been proposed. The interpretive note to FATF (Transparency and Beneficial Ownership of Legal Persons) specifies that for at least five years after the date on which the company is dissolved or otherwise ceases to exist, the company itself or its administrators, liquidators or other persons involved in the dissolution of the company, should maintain the information and records relating to its basic and available beneficial ownership information.

Active Covid-19 cases drop below 45,000 ISLAMABAD TLTP

The number of total active Covid-19 cases reduced to 44,854 from 51,283 during the last 24 hours, as so far 219,783 people have recovered from the disease across Pakistan. A total of 1,209 new coronavirus cases were reported in the country during the last 24 hours taking the tally to 270,400, said National Command & Operation Centre (NCOC) on Friday.

The death toll from the virus stands at 5,763 with 54 deaths were reported over the last twenty-four hours. A total of 22,006 coronavirus tests were carried out during the aforementioned period.

The total reported cases include 115,883 in Sindh, 91,423 in Punjab, 32,898 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 11,523 in Balochistan, 14,766 in Islamabad, 1,918 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and 1,989 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). Sindh remains the worst-

hit province by the pandemic in terms of cases followed by Punjab, KP and Islamabad.

NCOC decides crackdown against illegal cattle markets: Meanwhile, the NCOC on Friday decided to launch a crackdown against illegal cattle markets across the country.

The NCOC, in an important meeting ahead of Eidul Azha, decided to take action against the cattle markets, which are illegally set up in the country. The move has been taken to ensure implementation of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) in the cattle markets and to ensure health of the masses.

The police and local administrations seem uninterested in taking action against illegal cattle markets established in different parts of the country. The markets could become hotspots of Covid-19 due to a lack of precautionary measures taken against the virus.

They are further causing traffic jams at main thoroughfares in major cities.

Matiullah Jan’s abduction ‘attack on freedom of speech’, says Bilawal ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday said that the abduction of journalist Matiullah Jan was an attack on Pakistan’s democracy and media, which is in all ways against the country’s laws. In a media briefing at the journalist’s house, Bilawal said that one can dislike Matiullah Jan and his views but kidnapping him was an attempt to snatch the freedom of speech from the public.

“An attack such as this one is not only unlawful and against the Constitution, but also inhumane,” Bilawal said. “I have come here today to extend my support to Matiullah Jan because what happened with him can happen with you or me as well,” he added.

Responding to Bilawal, the journalist thanked the

PPP chairman and other political parties for supporting him. “Freedom of speech is not only important for journalists but also Parliament and the judiciary,” he said. Matiullah Jan was abducted on Tuesday from Islamabad’s Sector G-6. He was picked up from outside the school his wife works at around 11:10am.

A CCTV camera installed at the school has captured the incident and it showed people wearing black uniforms taking the journalist away.

He was released 12 hours later. His abductors left him near Fateh Jang after driving him around in a car for 11 hours blindfolded, according to his lawyer Shahid Abbasi. Matiullah Jan, an outspoken journalist, has often come under attack on social media for his views. Last week, the Supreme Court had initiated contempt proceedings against him over a ‘derogatory’ tweet against the court and its judges.

Growing global recognition as PM’s smart lockdown strategy paying dividends ISLAMABAD APP

With a steep decline from around 6,800 Covid-19 patients a day in mid-June to 1,209 during last 24 hours across Pakistan, the world is acknowledging Prime Minister Imran Khan’s smart lockdown strategy, mainly focusing balance between lives and livelihood.

On June 13, Pakistan had reported 6,825 coronavirus cases out of 29,546 tests – the highest score so far in the country. During last 24 hours, only 1,206 persons tested positive of total 22,006 tests.

Out of 1,821,296 tests, the country has so far reported 270,399 confirmed cases, with 219,783 recoveries and 5,769 deaths. However, courtesy of the prime minister’s undeterred opposition to the blanket lockdown, the country ebbed away the feared economic disaster as faced by the countries in the region and in the developed world. “The only solution as the world has discovered is a smart lockdown, which allows for eco-

nomic activity with SOPs. We are amongst the pioneers of this approach,” the prime minister said on Twitter.

In its latest study, Imperial College of London ranked Pakistan at fourth for coronavirus reproduction in the country based on July 20 data. Pakistan has achieved 0.73 rate while the countries getting below 1 rating are considered the best for their anti-Covid efforts. Interestingly, the countries including Germany and Portugal which rank above Pakistan are also advocating the very concept of smart lockdown to prevent new surge in coronavirus infections.

Besides the administrative measures to ensure strict closure of hotspots, the prime minister repeatedly addressed the nation advising them for strict precautions to avert the disaster.

“But now as the results show that the measure works, many developing nations are also promoting the policy. Germany, Italy and Portugal are also discussing urban shutdowns to avert a new increase in infections of coronavirus. More and more countries are closing

down smaller territories, as opposed to shutting down the whole country,” Bangladesh-based The Business Standard while lauding the prime minister’s smart lockdown approach despite “fierce opposition.”

The rationale behind the smart lockdown was to protect the country, particularly the daily wagers, from the worst economic scenario in a country where millions already live below poverty line.

With the passage of time, not merely the countries but the international organizations, joined the prime minister’s call for balancing between lives and livelihood to avert the massive layoffs and consequent deaths due to hunger.

“By the end of the year, 12,000 people per day could die from hunger linked to Covid-19, potentially more than will die from the disease itself. This is more than the peak global coronavirus death rate of 10,000 per day in April,” according to Oxfam, an international confederation of 20 NGOs working in over 90 countries against injustices causing poverty.

03

Five women, Four children killed over enmity in rawalPindi RAWALPINDI: At least five women and four children were killed in an attack on a house in Rawalpindi’s Chauntra area Friday. The attack was an outcome of enmity between Azhar-Nazar-Imtiaz and Rab Nawaz groups, a spokesman for the Rawalpindi Police said. The bodies and three other children who received injuries were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital. A forensic team was collecting evidence at the site of the incident, he said. The police said they were investigating the matter. STAFF REPORT

Punjab bans 100 textbooks over ‘anti-Pakistan, anti-religious’ content The Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board has banned the sale and printing of 100 textbooks for having anti-Pakistan and anti-Islamic content. According to the board’s Managing Director Rai Manzoor Hussain, the books were being used at private schools. More than 10,000 books have been seized from the institutions and the matter is being further investigated, he said. The board has formed 30 committees to investigate the books. They have been printed by 31 publishers, including Oxford University Press Pakistan. They have been ordered to halt their publishing and sale. According to Hussain, the banned books contained ‘blasphemous’ and ‘anti-Islamic’ content against the caliphs.

The birth dates of Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal in the books were incorrect and Azad Kashmir was shown as a part of India in the maps. The books also contained incorrect sayings by Mahatma Gandhi and other people.

Hussain added that it was sad that children were being taught incorrect things at schools. The committees formed will visit private schools across the province again and check if the books are still being used. Violators will be punished. On Thursday, the Punjab Assembly passed the Punjab Tahaffuz-e-Bunyad-e-Islam Act, 2020. It states that Lahore’s director -general of public relations will have the power to visit and inspect any printing press, publication house, book store and confiscate any books before or after printing. Publishers have been obliged to provide four copies of their books published to the authorised officer the day they are published. The DGPR can refuse permission to import, print or publish a book “if it is prejudicial to national interest, culture, religious and sectarian harmony,” it added. Following this, people took to Twitter and other social media platforms to criticise the law calling it “unreasonable”. NEWS DESK

04

Saturday, 25 July, 2020

NEWS

KP GOVERNMENT iSSuES GuidEliNES fOR Eidul AZHA PESHAWAR

T

TLTP

HE Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has issued instructions for sacrifice of animals on Eidul Azha as well as establishment of cattle markets.

According to a press release issued on Friday, in line with the consensus recommendations developed at National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) for Covid-19 and to have a uniform policy throughout the country, the government of KP issued the following instructions/ directions/ guidelines.

Collective sacrifice through reputed organisations like Edhi, Alkhidmat, etc, is encouraged. The public shall be persuaded to approach these organisations for the purpose. These organizations shall have a proper system of sacrifices of animals in place outside the cities.

The butchers shall be fully trained and properly screened for Covid-19 as negative.

with directions. The DHO would keep the medical team ready for market if Covid-19 testing is required for any reported/ suspected case from among management/workers/sellers/ buyers at the market. Such a team will be deployed on directions of deputy commissioner or other authorised officer.

There should be specified entry and exit points properly manned by security/ market administration personnel to ensure entry according to SOPs. All the areas should be clearly marked with sign boards and markings for directions and flow /movement of vehicles and persons. Place for veterinary staff shall earmarked for checking animal related diseases especially those that spread from animal to humans like Congo virus, etc Place for doctors/ medical /staff with first aid treatment shall be ensured at side of the market. There should also be a waiting area as well as a place for those who are suspected of Covid-19 and will undergo Covid-19 testing.

All these organisations would keep /place their animals and sacrifice arrangements outside the cities/ congested areas duly adhering to the general standard operating procedures (SOPs) of Covid-19 prevention.

Open areas as large as cattle markets shall be earmarked for sacrifices. These areas should be provided with supply of water, waiting area for people, arrangement of transport for public and cattle, presence of doctors and veterinary doctors along with ambulances.

For cattle markets, the SOPs have been already issued. There shall be a monitoring committee at each district level under deputy commissioner with DPO and TMO as members and a subcommittee at the tehsil/ town level under assistant commissioner with representatives of relevant departments who shall be responsible for ensuring compliance with all directions in monitoring for the purpose of action against violations.

At least one model market be established at each district/tehsil in accordance

Kamal directs for timely completion of Quetta projects QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan has instructed to ensure timely completion of ongoing developmental projects at Sariab Road in Quetta.

The chief minister gave these instructions on the occasion of his surprise visit to Sariab Road in Quetta. He reviewed the pace of construction work on Sariab road, Qambrani and Qambrani link roads projects. He also inspected the under-construction Mini Sports Complex at Sariab Road area which includes a multi-purpose hall, gymnasium and other sports facilities. While inspecting the sport complex, the chief minister directed the concerned authorities to provide recreational facilities for women and children in the complex. TLTP

Survey for Rs98bn Surizai housing project begins on Monday: Amjad PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Housing Dr Amjad Ali has said that the survey process for the Pakistan Housing Scheme Surizai will begin from Monday. The project worth Rs98 billion is one of the mega projects of the province, which would be completed in collaboration with Pakistan Housing Foundation. The minister for housing expressed these views during a meeting with a delegation from Surizai Bala, Azakhel, Telaband and Garhi Chandan. TLTP

The instructions and awareness posters in Urdu, Pashto or the language commonly read /understood in the locality will be displayed at prominent places.

A s far as security arrangements are concerned, the district administration will convene special district intelligence coordination committee meetings to formulate a security plan for Eidul Azha. The commissioners and deputy commissioners will hold special meetings for the Eid and cattle market arrangements and supervise the process. The district administration shall establish a control room to be operational 24/7 for coordination with district police.

There shall be a representation of district administration and police at the market round the clock to oversee and report violations to the district control room. The deputy commissioners will impose section 144 when required. Moreover, meetings of the divisional/district Ulema-e-Karam Committee should be held by the respective commissioners/deputy commissioners and the Ulema should be requested to pursue the public to follow SOPs and the above instructions.

The statement said that the SOPs decided by the religious scholars for Eidul Fitr shall be followed in letter and spirit for Eidul Azha. All parks and recreational facilities shall remain closed on Eid days, concluded the guidelines.

No extension in anti-polio drive: PPEP ISLAMABAD TLTP

The spokesperson of the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program (PPEP) has refuted the news about any extension in the ongoing anti-polio drive in the country.

“Such news of extension in anti-polio drive are baseless”, the spokesperson said on Friday, adding that the drive will continue till July 25. The drive is underway in the selected districts of the country as per schedule, he added. The campaign kicked-off after suspension of four months on Monday last in selected districts across the country.

Under the guidance of the Ministry of Health and following the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) guidelines and Polio Oversight Board recommendations, the Pakistan Polio Eradication programme had suspended all polio-related activities in the last week of March, except surveillance.

During the campaign, social distance and implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) is being ensured in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.

Masks, sanitizers and infrared thermometers have been provided to the polio workers.

The decision to revive the campaigns was taken in consultation with all provinces. The formal approval to resume the anti-polio campaign had been sought from the technical advisory group in June.

PARC introducing new interventions in agroforestry, says chairman ISLAMABAD TLTP

Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) Chairman Dr Muhammad Azeem Khan has said that modern and innovative practices in agroforestry -the use of trees in farming -- can bring development in both agriculture and forestry.

The PARC chief viewed agroforestry as a sustainable management system for land that will

increase overall production including agricultural crops, tree crops and forest plants and animals. He added that keeping in mind the utmost importance of trees for the environment and economy of the country, PARC has established the Rangeland Research Institute at NARC. Rangeland Research Institute (RRI) of NARC aims at conducting research studies on various agroforestry systems in-

volving multipurpose tree species (MPTS) suited to various ecological zones. While development of shelter belts for deserts, ranching model for Pothwar tract, adaptation of salt agricultural land technology (SALT) and establishment of high-tech lowcost nurseries is achieved in this field so far.

Dr Azeem said that the first time in Pakistan introduction and adaptation trials of two broad leaved plant species Salix and Robinia, were transported from Hungary. It is a highly valuable plant for timber, sports industries, and soil/water conservation.

Qureshi stresses need for consensus-based legislation ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that incumbent parliamentary leadership believes in consensus-based legislation to ensure parliamentary supremacy in the country. He expressed these views while chairing the maiden meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Legislative Business on Friday. The foreign minister said that both treasury and the opposition benches together can ensure legislation for the benefits of the people and the country.

The committee discussed the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2020, and the United Nations (Security Council) Amendment Bill, 2020, in detail. Members of the committee were of the view that bills in question need further discussion; therefore, taking into account their suggestions, the committee decided to meet again on coming Monday for further discussion. TLTP

Punjab minister hints at opening restaurants after Eid LAHORE: Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat has said that the provincial government intends to open all the closed business with strict implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) set to contain the spread of coronavirus. The provincial law minister was talking to a delegation of Punjab Restaurants Association here on Friday. The delegation called on Basharat to discuss their problems due to closure of restaurants. Speaking to the visiting delegation, Raja Basharat said, “Punjab government is fully aware of the problems being faced by the restaurant industry.” He hinted at opening of the restaurants according to the SOPs after Eidul Azha. It may be noted that on July 14, the Punjab government decided to continue the smart lockdown for another 15 days. According to a notification issued by the Punjab government, all the public and private educational institutes, parks, cinemas, restaurants and marriage halls would remain closed by July 30 across the province. Sports activities, political, social and religious gatherings would also be banned in the province till the end of this month. TLTP

No wheat shortage in Sindh: Rahoo KARACHI: Ruling out any shortage of wheat in the province, Sindh Agriculture Minister Ismail Rahoo on Friday said that wheat is in abundance in the province. There is no shortage of wheat in Sindh as 1,250,000 tonnes of wheat is stored with the province, he said in his statement. The minister said that flour mills in Sindh are also having wheat stock and added that the provincial cabinet will decide about release of wheat to the flour mills.

Rahoo also alleged the federal government is responsible for shortage of wheat in Punjab.

On July 20, Flour Mills Association in the Sindh province hiked prices of flour after they claimed an increase in prices of wheat province-wide. The mill owners had raised the prices of flour No 2.5 by Rs3 per kg, fine flour by Rs1.5 per kg, and Chakki flour by Rs2 per kg. After the increase in prices, the 10-kilogram bag of flour No 2.5 is being sold out at Rs570. TLTP

Varsities train KP’s young entrepreneurs online with US cooperation: embassy ISLAMABAD TLTP

Two universities in the federal capital have launched a digital platform to provide business incubation training to selected entrepreneurs from three merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in partnership with the US government.

According to a press statement issued by the US embassy in Islamabad on Friday, Bahria University and Islamic International University, in partnership with the US government through the United States Agency for In-

ternational Development (USAID), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the local business community, launched a digital platform to provide business incubation training to select entrepreneurs from the merged districts of Khyber, North Waziristan, and South Waziristan. The shift to online course work offers great new opportunities for developing business skills while Covid-19 public health precautions limit in-person meetings.

The training supports aspiring business leaders as they develop their ideas and products

under the mentorship of highly experienced professionals. Candidates with the most innovative ideas will also receive an implementation grant. “This program is aligned with the government of Pakistan’s strategy to empower youth from the merged districts and provide them with the skills to enhance their self-reliance, and thus build resilience,” said USAID/Pakistan KP Director Randy Chester.

“We are pleased to see how our partner institutions quickly adapted the formerly in-person course to an online format given the Covid-19 challenges, prevent-

ing a break in learning. It also challenges the participants to revise their business plans to adapt to or address the challenges the pandemic has introduced,” said Chester. “Before this training, I had no idea about the essential components of a business,” said Jamaima Afridi, a young entrepreneur from Landi Kotal, Khyber. “Now enlightened with the concepts of marketing, finance, and human resources through this program, I am planning to open a cafe in Peshawar exclusively run by women for women.”

Prior to launching the digital platform, the program already provided business incubation training to 369 individuals from Khyber, North Waziristan, and South Waziristan districts.

Saturday, 25 July, 2020

KP awaits release of funds froM federal govt for adP 2020-21 peSHAWAR

t

AZIZ BUNERI

HE Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has not yet released the first tranche of the Annual Development Program (ADP) 202021 three weeks after the end of FY20 due to delay in release of funds by the federal government.

According to sources in the KP Finance Department, the policy for the release of funds is usually formulated at the start of every new financial year, however, no policy for FY21 has been formulated as of yet.

THE DELAY IN THE RELEASE OF FUNDS MAY CAUSE AN INCREASE IN THE COST OF DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS Sources further said that usually after the presentation of the budget the federal government provides funds for the ongoing development projects however this time around even after three weeks of the budget presentation, the KP government has been unable to release development funds. They added that the delay in the release of funds may increase the cost of the projects.

According to sources, 93 per cent of the

KP government's budget depends on federal funds, which have not been released till now due to the economic losses caused by the global pandemic that has caused a shortage of finances with the center.

The KP government currently has some leftover funds from the previous fiscal year, which it plans to release later this month in order to pay salaries and pensions of its employees.

The government has already released more than Rs13.89 billion to the districts for the payment of staff salaries ahead of Eid ul Azha.

According to sources, KP will release funds for its administrative departments once it receives funds from the federal government.

KP Finance Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra said that the delay in formulation of the fund release policy has been caused due to the delay in release of funds by the federal government adding that the policy will be formulated as soon as the federal government releases funds.

PPP leaders say 'worst kind of political engineering' imposed after July 25, 2018 ISLAMABAD INP

103-year-old Pakistani man becomes one of the oldest in world to survive Covid-19 ISLAMABAD AGENCIES

A 103-year-old man has recovered from Covid-19 in Pakistan to become one of the oldest survivors of the disease in the world, beating the odds in a country with a weak healthcare system, his relatives and doctors said. Aziz Abdul Alim, a resident of a village in the mountainous northern district of Chitral, was released last week from an emergency response centre after testing positive in early July. “We were worried for him given his age, but he wasn’t worried at all,” Alim’s son Sohail Ahmed told Reuters on the phone from his village, close to the border with China and Afghanistan. Ahmed quoted his father as saying that he had been through a lot in life and the coronavirus did not scare him. He did however, not like being in isolation. A carpenter until his 70s, Alim has outlived three wives and nine sons and daughters, said Ahmed, who is himself in his 50s, adding that his father had separated from his fourth wife and is currently married to his fifth.

Alim also had to be provided with moral and psychological support during his isolation and treatment, Dr Sardar Nawaz, a senior medical officer at the Aga Khan Health Service emergency centre told Reuters on Friday. The makeshift centre was set up in a girls’ hostel just weeks before Alim was brought in and is the only one equipped to deal with Covid-19 patients for miles. Pakistan has registered more than 270,000 cases of the disease and 5,778 deaths. While the number of people testing positive has dropped over the last month, government officials fear there could be another rise during the Eidul Azha holidays and Muharram.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) central leaders have alleged that worst kind of political engineering had happened and pygmies were imposed in Pakistan after July 25, 2018.

PPP Secretary Information Dr Nafisa Shah and Deputy Secretary Palwasha Khan were addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Friday.

Nazir Dhoki, the chief media coordinator to PPP chairman was also present on the occasion.

They said that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, in his first speech in this assembly, had called Prime Minister Imran Khan ‘selected’.

The “selected” had come to power with a 100-day programme but after 700 days, the “selected” have taken uturn and nothing else, they added. The presidency is issuing illegal ordinances and notifications, Osama Bin Laden is called a martyr and when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is asked questions in this regard, Ehsanullah Ehsan threatens the PPP leadership, they further said.

The PPP leaders said that the wife of Justice Qazi Faez Isa is asked to present herself before the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials and on the other, Syed Zulfikar Bukhari says that he is sorry that he could not file his tax returns. “How is Zulfi Bukhari signing contracts in Dubai?” they asked. The government is introducing an ordinance to protect Kulbhushan Jadhav, they alleged.

They claimed that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is busy in political engineering and even the judiciary has mentioned political engineering in its verdict. NAB is arresting opposition politicians whereas the government members are free to roam about, they added.

“Jahangir Tareen has fled the country and his name was not put on the Exit Control List (ECL). The PTI had claimed a lot but is doing nothing to give any relief to the people. The prices of oil, sugar and flour have been increased and the tariffs of electricity and gas bills are increased. The government has left the agriculture of the country on the mercy of locust,” they further said.

The PPP leaders said that their party wants a new law for accountability with consensus in which there is no political victimisation and accountability is done across the board. They said that PPP chief is trying to hold the All Parties’ Conference (APC) but unfortunately Shahbaz Sharif’s health is deteriorating.

Palwasha said that three main ministries have been handed over to imported people. These imported people are laying off poor people of Pakistan.

“Zulfi Bukhari is illegally signing contracts in Dubai. Who has authorised him to sign these contracts? The ministry of water has been given to an American citizen. Adviser for Finance Abdul Hafeez Sheikh is a partner in a company “New Silk” which is an Indian company. The owner of Abraj Group is Prime Minister Imran Khan’s close friend and his financier,” she said.

Palwasha asked to form a joint investigation team (JIT) on the issue of Raymond Davis so that the people know that who facilitated his escape.

“The NAB-Niazi nexus has been exposed,” she said.

The PPP leaders also demanded the release of the people in NAB’s custody.

IHC expresses dissatisfaction over MoI's report on American blogger ISLAMABAD APP

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday directed the Ministry of Interior to review its report pertaining to American blogger Cynthia Dawn Ritchie, who gave controversial statements about the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leadership.

Hearing the case, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah said the American citizen had leveled serious allegations against the PPP leadership in her tweets. No foreigner had the right to play with the image of country, he added.

The chief justice inquired about the law on the basis of which the state institutions had involved a foreigner in the country’s different projects. The court, he said, did

not accept any assumption.

Additional Attorney General (AAG) Tariq Khokher pleaded the court that Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was investigating the matter pertaining to Cynthia’s statements. He prayed the court to grant more time to give comments on the subject.

Addressing the AAG, the chief justice said you are playing with country’s image with this report of interior ministry.

The petitioner’s lawyer Sardar Latif Khosa said how Cynthia was working in governmental institutions as she was not a Pakistani citizen.

Cases were underway against the American blogger with FIA, he said.

After this, the court adjourned the hearing of the case till August 4.

NEWS

05

Jadhav not being pardoned under new ordinance, govt insists contInueD on pAge 01 A day earlier, PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari criticised the government for passing the ordinance in May “without telling anyone” even though both the houses were in session during June. He recalled that the Indian pilot Abhinandan, who was captured after his plane was shot down by the Pakistan Air Force in Azad Jammu and Kashmir last year, was “offered tea and sent back quickly”. “And now, Kulbhushan Jadhav who admitted to spying and committing terror offences in Pakistan, is being granted an NRO by Imran Khan.” Earlier in the day, Naseem was appointed as law minister for the third time and was administered the oath of office by President Arif Alvi, according to a government notification. Naseem had resigned as the law minister on June 1 in order to represent the government in the presidential reference filed against Supreme Court Justice Qazi Faez Isa. Through an official statement, Naseem had announced that he would represent the federation in the case and, therefore, he had stepped down as the law minister. Earlier in November, Naseem had quit the ministry to pursue a case in the Supreme Court about the extension of the army chief’s tenure. He appeared in the Supreme Court as counsel for Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa. He then took the oath as the law minister on Nov 29, only a day after the apex court had announced its verdict in the case.

Punjab and KP CMs brief PM on development projects ISLAMABAD APP

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar called on Prime Minister Imran Khan here on Friday and briefed him on the development projects being undertaken in the province.

Buzdar also briefed the prime minister on the political situation in the province and relations with the coalition partners. He also gave a detailed briefing about the steps taken by the provincial government to control coronavirus and the party’s preparations for the upcoming local bodies election. Separately, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Shah Farman and Chief Minister Mahmood Khan also called on Prime Minister Imran. During the meeting, they discussed the overall situation and development projects for the province. The provincial leadership also briefed PM Imran Khan on the latest status of the Covid-19 epidemic, while a briefing was also given on cattle markets and other rules and regulations to prevent the spread of coronavirus on the occasion of Eidul Azha.

Government withdraws FIR against minister’s friend ISLAMABAD AHMAD AHMADANI

The federal government on Friday withdrew a First Information Report (FIR) registered against Atif Raees, a close friend of the minister for maritime affairs and his company.

The friend of the maritime affairs minister has allegedly caused a loss to the national exchequer and committed violation of an agreement.

Sources while talking to Pakistan Today said that it is surprising that the government has used the forum of the Federal Cabinet to ensure the withdrawal of FIR against a private company that was allegedly involved in committing a violation of the agreement and causing a massive loss to the national exchequer.

They said that a summary for the Federal Cabinet was prepared on the advice of the Prime Minister’s (PM) office to ensure the withdrawal of a case in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) against Atif Raees and his company.

Additionally, a settlement agreement

was signed between NITB Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Capital Development Authority (CDA), proprietor of LMKT Private Limited, and LMKR Pakistan Private Limited.

Under this settlement, the latest version of e-office will be delivered by LMKR to CDA in two weeks after the issuance of the direction of withdrawal of the case to the ministry and FIA, while five modules will be delivered as per addendum to the master agreement under the e-office project, said sources.

Sources informed Pakistan Today that LMKR had signed a contract worth Rs175 million for the e-services project in CDA under which LMKR was bound to provide different module applications till 2009, while LMKR could not complete the project till 2017.

They said that forensic experts of FIA have conducted an inquiry on the application of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication and a FIR was registered against Atif Raees, LMKR CEO, and two government officials, Syed Raza Abbas and Faisal Kamran, based on findings of the

inquiry on October 11, 2017.

Sources said that Atif Raees had approached Islamabad High Court (IHC) to get the FIR withdrawn, however he failed to do so.

According to sources LMKR has been working with the Peshawar Metro Bus project on a $83 million information technology project.

An inquiry was earlier initiated upon the complaint of Joint Secretary (Admin) Ministry of Information Technology Islamabad Dr Jamal Yousaf, that huge financial loss has occurred to the government exchequer in 13 different PSDP funded projects. CDA’s eservice project was one of those projects.

According to documents, a five-member committee was constituted under the chairmanship of Advisor to Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms and Austerity Dr Ishrat Hussain for reaching an amicable solution of the legal conflict between the IT ministry, LMKR and LMKT. This committee included the Special Assistant to the PM on Petroleum, IT ministry secretary, CDA Chairman and NITB Chairman as members.

CMYK

Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication informed the cabinet committee that the Institutional Reforms Cell (Cabinet Division) has forwarded a report stating that the adviser to PM on institutional reforms and austerity has desired that the IT ministry may prepare a summary and place it before the federal cabinet’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC).

The matter was raised by a member of ECC in a meeting held on January 29 2020.

The chairman constituted a sub-committee under the chairmanship of adviser to PM on institutional reforms and austerity to look into the matter and to have an amicable solution of the legal conflict between the IT ministry, LMKR and LMKT. As per documents, IT ministry further informed that the sub-committee held meetings which were attended by FIA Director General (DG) and his representatives who informed that only one FIR was registered which relates to the CDA project. He informed that given the completion of the task, they would act on the instruction of with-

drawal of FIR from the government.

According to sources, clause-4 of the supplement agreement signed between the NITB CEO, CDA, proprietor of LMKT Private Limited and LMKR Pakistan Private Limited provides that the remaining work of the CDA project will be completed and for its completion NITB will have to activate the PSDP project titled as “e-service at CA” and ensure the availability of requisite funds.

This will require instructions of the government to the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives.

They said the IT ministry had forwarded recommendations for the approval of the cabinet committee and sought withdrawal of FIR against Atif Raees and LMKR and withdrawal of inquiries by FIA in the projects of LMKR subject to fulfillment of clauses of the agreement.

The IT ministry also recommended to direct the planning ministry to activate the project on the request of NITB and provide the requisite funds to complete the work, said sources.

Saturday, 25 July, 2020

06 COMMENT People of Pakistan are not short on religion

Global pandemic and workplace health management How to reopen safely?

What they want are jobs and affordable food

Dr rajkumar Singh

W

ITh opinion polls showing a continuous fall in Prime Minister Imran Khan’s popularity, he has decided to make increasing use of religion for political gains. While it might not save his political fortunes, it would strengthen divisive tendencies in society and lead the nation astray from the pluralism andinclusiveness advocated by Founding Father Quaid-eAzam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

Islam is not under threat in the country. Pakistan remains a Muslim-majority state as it was when it came into existence in 1947. The mosques and seminaries have increased. The Objectives Resolution remains a justifiable part of the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Under the circumstances, it is incomprehensible why at this juncture the Punjab Assembly has considered it necessary to pass the Tahafuz-e-Bunyad-e-Islam bill.

What this would do is to raise the alarm that Islam is currently under threat, providing grist to the mills of conspiracy theorists and strengthen the extremist elements.

Under the rubric of introducing a uniform education system, school children are being overloaded with a huge volume of religious material. Thousands of hafizes and qaris would be employed inside normal schools. With Punjab government displaying more zeal than other provincial administrations, it has decided to introduce a new compulsory course based on Urdu translation of the holy Quran for all graduate and postgraduate programmes. The PTI’s narrow-minded religiosity leaves former dictator Ziaul haq far behind and is meant to rally the remnants of his erstwhile admirers around Mr Khan.

In the 13th century the books of Muslim philosopher Ibne Rushd, who stood for freedom of thought, were taught in Muslim Spain but were condemned by the Catholic Church as subversive and profane.

On Thursday the PTI’s Punjab government banned 100 books, some of them taught in schools and which were published by Oxford and Cambridge for containing “profane, blasphemous and antiPakistan content”. This is how a person with an extremist mindset looks at views different from his own. What is needed in schools is to promote a questioning mindset rather than impart learning by rote and reproducing it in the exams. The PTI’s education policy will create a new generation of extremists at odds with the world at large.

W

hen a mass of people or a group shares many hours of the day indoors, the place is considered a workplace, and in any workplace transmission of disease can be checked only through safe practices. Commonly in all workplaces occupational safety and health methodologies apply equally to hazards like covid-19. The chances of vulnerability at any workplace depend on various factors like worksite, job task, sources of exposure and disease severity in the community.

In workplaces risk factor is not equal, and occupations having minimum public contact and meeting with co-workers have the least chances of infection.

For them only basic preventive measures are recommended, which include washing hands, encouragement to stay home, maintain routine cleaning and disinfecting the work environment.

In medium type of exposure people come in contact with those they do not know due to community transmission and international travel, and include those who work in schools, high density populated area and some high-volume retail settings. For prevention this category needs ventilation using high-efficiency air filters, sneeze guards with personal protective equipment.

The highly exposed category work in healthcare delivery, support, laboratory, medical transport system and mortuary staff. They all are always on high risk because they directly face coronavirus patients or live with them. Throughout duty hours they deal with either confirmed or suspected cases.

The workplace may be affected in many ways due to covid-19 and other infectious diseases. Workers may be absent due to illness or fear of being sick.

In addition, the work in which they are engaged can also be affected because of fluctuations in demand or supply, and shipments in virus-dominated geographical areas. In such cases change of working patterns may be one solution, but a fool-proof strategy of preparedness for infectious diseases must be made at the authoritative level associated with worksite, job tasks, sources of exposure, risk factors due to home and community settings and risk of old or chronically sick individual members. The said plan should also be divided into two parts-pre-outbreak and post-outbreak, based on various recommendations of national and subnational agencies. Under the contingency plan, after the outbreak first attempt should be made to reduce transmission among staff and protect those made highly vulnerable by long illness or weak im-

Sailing Club sealed Everyone must obey the law

From Notre Dame to nuclear accident

T

he Islamabad high Court has ruled that the navy and the Capital Development Authority were both acting outside the ambit of the law, the latter in giving land, the former in building a sailing club on the shore of Rawal Lake, and ordered the sealing of that club. It does appear natural for the navy to gravitate towards the only piece of water available in Islamabad, and want to set up a club there to facilitate its officers posted in naval headquarters there. That, however, does not mean that this was a legal desire or that the CDA was legally able to fulfil it in the manner it did.

The court’s proceeding revealed that the land had not been allotted, and that the navy had just built the Club without any intervention from the CDA, which, the court observed, allowed the elite to violate the law. That the navy would need such an elaborate set-up away from the navy Sector would not accord with logic, especially when it is recalled that the navy has got its main facility at Karachi, and others on the Balochistan Coast at Ormara and Gwadar. however, the naval headquarters has duly shifted to Islamabad from Karachi, as envisaged by the planners of Islamabad. however, a lot of the facilities developed in Karachi, such as the club there, could not be shifted, nor was any land allotted to them.

The Rawal Lake is not only the main reservoir of potable water for Islamabad, but also the capital’s main leisure spot. The navy’s construction activity there had obviously been disruptive enough to prompt the petition, which had revealed that the club was being set up without any legal authority. The episode should have made clear, as have others, that there must be legal authority for the actions of a government organisation, and a blustering manner, and swagger and panache, are not a substitute for legal authority. The matter has been duly adjudicated in court, and that is the preferred method of settling disputes, no matter which institution they involve.

Did both fires have the same cause? muhammaD Sohail ahmeD

T

he fire on the French naval nuclear-powered submarine on 13 June reminds all of previous nuclear and fire accidents on board submarines in the past. It also reminded the French authorities of the inferno at the famous notre Dame cathedral at Paris about 14 months ago.

Since France is preparing to host the 2024 Olympics, the President of France expressed his desire to restore the famous church before their start. now more of a tourist spot, the cathedral esecially earned fame due to the novel of Victor hugo, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. even though the cathedral had 160 fire detection devices, installed after six years of designing the fire detection system, the fire caused serious damage to the building and tower.

When the fire broke out the alarm system alerted the security staff but they wasted 30 precious minutes to locate the fire and it took another 15 minutes for the firefighters to arrive. By this time the fire had spread significantly. Investigations involved 1000 pieces of evidence and 100 witnesses’ statements. It pointed out the possibilities of cigarette butts or electric shortcircuit that caused the fire. This was further aggravated due to the delay in locating the start-point or location of fire soon after the alarm had sounded.

The cost of renovation is estimated at $600 million which are being collected through donations from US residents, presumably of French origin. The findings of the fire investigation report are somehow linked to the fire on board the Rubis-class nuclear-powered submarine at Toulon. The submarine was undergoing a major refit and life extension programme when the fire broke out in its forward section.

French Defence Minister Florence Parly visited the submarine in question, the Perle soon after the fire and made two interesting comments. her first was that the submarine was stripped bare in the dock, implying that since it was under refit, all the systems were dismantled and there was no safety issue concerning nuclear plant onboard. She did not elaborate on the status of core, the plant and safety of nuclear devices. Moreover, stripped bare gives an impression of French summer beaches with vacationists lying bare on the beeches as part of French culture despite opposition

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

munity system. In the context, locality of the business to rescheduling the sitting arrangements to maintain is also important and severity of the disease largely social distancing between employees and employees and customers. Other workplace guidelines include depends on mutual responses. however, to control the health hazards at work- the precautions of physical hygiene and distancing places and maintain occupational safety, there are three with general people to control transmission of disease types of effective controls applied at workplace like the coronavirus. If during travelling any case of equally, a. engineering control, b. administrative con- covid-19 is found, he or she should be dealt sepatrol, and c. personal protective equipment. In engineer- rately with all precautions for other travellers.

There is no equivalent guidelines for schools, ing control, employees are isolated from the task-related hazards without believing on workers’ be- which vary with the severity of the disease. Under the haviour, while administrative controls pertains to schools and childcare recommendations both shortchange in work policy and procedures. The third, or and long-term suggestions have been provided. In personal protective equipment, is not so effective but case the infection is minimal to moderate, short-term can help employees avoid exposure. The PPe is to be closure of schools to disinfect should be done, if any selected as per requirement of the employees and infected people have been in the school. In the context, the formula of social needs constant watch and distancing is most suitregular supervision. To able and keeping it in check contamination the view a strategy can be imPPes must be worn propAfter a long phase of lockdowns, plemented to cancel field erly, cleaned on time, and trips, assemblies and stored or disposed of as almost everywhere in the world other gatherings like per requirement. Random business establishments began to physical education, choir checking and preventive classes or meals, increasmeasures are required to open and preventive measures are ing the space between maintain the quality of desks, recasting of arrival PPe and other allied mabeing developed to co-ordinate the and departure time and terials like masks, gloves workers in a manner to minimise limiting the number of and gowns. non-essential visitors.

For all types of the effects of the coronavirus and however, the most workplaces and risks the vulnerable group are those three methods of control prevent its transmission at all who work directly for work perfectly if implecovid-19 patients. The mented properly. Acpossible levels emergency medical techcording to the USA’s nicians need the highest Occupational Safety and quality of precautions behealth Administration (OShA) low, medium and high type of risks need cause they always live near them and serve them to separate strategies and planning. While the lower risk save their costly lives. negligence of any kind will factor requires basic measures of prevention, the prove very costly for them. The WhO has also issued medium range danger needs to maintain a distance of several guidelines for patients as well as for their caresix feet or 1.8 metres from people they do not know takers. It suggested to keep confirmed and suspected or who are suspected patients. The administrative cases separately. Both PPe and OShA said to provide control, generally implemented by the employer, respirators for those who work within six feet of the must also make arrangements to avoid higher risk in confirmed or suspected patients. In case of any aerosol– these cases and as a solution the authority encourages generating procedures, WhO recommends surgical sick workers to stay at home, replace face-to-face mask, goggles or face shield, gown, and gloves.

After a long phase of lockdowns, almost everymeetings with virtual communication, discontinue unnecessary travel and develop emergency plans to where in the world business establishments began to open and preventive measures are being developed meet arising situations.

In addition to the general guidelines, OShA has to co-ordinate the workers in a manner to minimise recommended separate considerations for them who the effects of the coronavirus and reventits transmiswork in retail grocery establishments. They are ad- sion at all possible levels. vised to encourage touchless payments and not to use Dr Rajkumar Singh is head of the political cash or credit cards frequently. They also need to sanitize cash counters, and touched surfaces, like work- science department of the B.N.Mandal University, stations, cash registers, payment terminals, door Madhepura, Bihar, India and can be reached at handles and tables. The employer are recommended rajkumarsinghpg@gmail.com

I

Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

I

from within the French society the ugly practice con- Rubis-class submarine, Émeraude, during its operatinues. The most startling revelation that came from tion at sea in March 1994. The commanding officer the minister was an analogy that she drew about the along with 10 sailors was inspecting a steam pipe fire onboard submarine with that of notre Dame. compartment at sea. During the inspection, the captain The reports are that the workers engaged in reno- detected leakage of steam from a pipe. The diving ofvation work in the forward compartment of the sub- ficer was informed who started an emergency surfacmarine. After welding or soldering processes, there ing procedure and increased the speed. This caused was simmering heat in the area when the workers left leakage to increase at such a fast pace that the person the site. Besides tubes and tanks, the forward portion in the compartment failed to open the double hatch to houses bunks for the crew. Due to paucity of space, the vacate the compartment, thereby killing all the ten bunks are made like railway berths one over the other, people in it, including the CO. Subsequently, the with the option to use space below the bunk as a stor- French authorities claimed that the leakage of steam age locker for crew memwas not radioactive. bers. Since woodwork is All the Rubis-class required in a space which submarines were directed is surrounded by oil, to return to port for inThe government of Pakistan needs spection and possible recwater tanks of steel and needs welding work for tification to avoid to take up the matter at UN level the reinstallation of the recurrence of such acciitems, the risk of fire inand also directly with the French dent. Unfortunately, decreases in the area. The veloped countries don’t government to share their fire was so immense that share lessons learnt from it heated the pressure hull their failures which puts experiences related to nuclear for 14 hours. The question them in a disadvantageous is what made the fire last position also. What these installations and mutually assist 14 hours if most of the countries fail to realize is each other to improve safety of equipment was removed. that nuclear technology The answer given by the can be a global threat like nuclear installations minister to the media is coronavirus and it can enthat the electric cables gulf their population benetwork is not removed sides others. Failure of the and it is estimated that it French defence minister continued to burn for such a long time. to publicly admit that pressure hull of a submarine can’t While welding a pressure hull, a sudden cooling be reliable after being continuously burnt for 14 hours is not usually practised to avoid its deformation. is a clear example of hiding facts under the umbrella of however, in this case, it was a compulsion. excessive technical reports and analysis. It is the strength of Islam heating followed by sudden cooling of high elasticity that emboldens one to accept the loss by stating, from steel causes deformation of the hull’s metallic struc- Allah we come and to him we return. ture. It is also possible that electric shortcircuiting in On the lighter side it is being stated by some perportable or fixed repair system caused the fire. Most son that since all the submarines are painted black, systems are removed during the major refit and lo- the fire might be an act of racism against the blacks. cating scene of fire becomes difficult, as with notre The government of Pakistan needs to take up the Dame where the staff failed to locate the fire quickly. matter at Un level and also directly with the French Similarly, a cigarette butt thrown by a contract worker government to share their experiences related to nucould have started the fire onboard. Irrespective of clear installations and mutually assist each other to the cause, the deformation of pressure hull steel could improve safety of nuclear installations. jeopardize the safety of the dived platform. If such platforms operate with a nuclear reactor onboard, Muhammad Sohail Ahmed retired as a they pose a risk to the environment.

Commodore from the Pakistan Navy. He can be It will be interesting to recall the accident on the reached at msohailyz@gmail.com

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

I

Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

I

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Saturday, 25 July, 2020

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

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

Friday prayers at Hagia Sophia TURKeY possesses a rich history of events from ertugrul to hagia sophia and it looks like history is repeating itself. Where ertugrul (tv serial) shattered all the TRP records of tv dramas, streaming in more than 56 countries and then the cherry on the top was the conversion of hagia sophia back into mosque. hagia Sophia now known as the Ayasofya Museum, was the greatest Christian cathedral of the Middle Ages, later converted into an imperial mosque in 1453 by the Ottoman empire, and into a museum in 1935. After 83 years converted back into mosque, the azaan echoed through the walls and a wave of happiness phased among all the Muslims around the world. Despite being from different countries having a same religion, everyone showed connectedness to this event by celebrating the jumma prayer. hagia sophia’s jumma prayer is not just a religious ritual to be celebrated, but the message in disguise that, having the differences of any kind, we all still are connect with strong chain in the name of Islam. This exposed the truth that if we unite in a way that we are united now by this event, the Muslim ummah can retrieve it’s lost value in this modern world.

Mian aizaz ahMEd Shadakot

All worn and no pay!

A new axis of power The Iran-China strategic partnership and its implications muhammaD irfan

T

he USA is reeling as a result of the economic downturn and global isolation triggered by the coronavirus. Beijing senses US vulnerability, feels capable of confronting the USA, and is finding a time to forge a strategic agreement with Iran. The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the People’s Republic of China, consisting of 20 articles and Chinese investment in Iran of $400 billion over 25 years, with $280 billion for the development of Iran’s petrochemical sectors and another $120 billion for the country’s transportation and manufacturing infrastructure, covers banking, commerce and services, transportation and railway, ports, energy, industry, and dozens of other projects.

To benefit from Chinese investment and infrastructure projects and confront US domination in the world, Iran has rightly capitalized on China’s growing influence across South east Asia, Central Asia, the Middle east and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. A long term Chinese commitment would help Tehran demand greater economic cooperation with Beijing.

Iran, which has a vision of non-alignment with the slogan of neither east nor West since the 1979 revolution toppling its pro-US monarch, is steadily turning towards Asia as part of its Look east strategy. As in 2019, Iran, China, and Russia conducted a joint military exercise in the Gulf of Oman. Moreover, Iran requires both China and Russia, with veto power in the Un Security Council, to neutralize US hegemony, and to prevent any kind of sanctions by the United nations backed by the USA. Furthermore, an insatiable oil demand and military and civilian technology pushes Iran toward alliance with the rising superpower.

The Sino-Iranian deal, if enforced as planned, would more effectively end Iran’s non-alignment and incorporate Iran into the framework of eurasia. This strategic shift and incorporation into the eurasia region indicates Iran has the capacity to find economic partners and energy consumers among major economies of the continent to quench its thirst for economic progress.

The failure of Iran’s repeated attempts to improve economic links with the West as a prelude to improved political ties has been a major reason for Iran’s move towards China and other Asian countries, regarded locally as the “pivot to the east”.

Iran welcomed US and european companies into the country, including many energy companies, after the nuclear deal was signed in 2015, which offered to buy oil and gas. however, the response to Iranian offers by Western states under pressure from the USA was inhospitable. Washington was not interested in improving relations, but instead wanted regime change in Tehran. The Iranian leadership soon smelled a rat.

The infusion of a significant amount of cash into its economy, especially its energy sector ($280 billion) and manufacturing and transport infrastructure ($120 billion) would be a boost for Iran’s ailing economy and ease its economic burden. no doubt it will create more jobs in Islamic Republic of Iran and more industrial growth.

Iran’s deal with China is expected to relieve domestic opposition too. economic and political

progress would boost the regional status of Iran jing would have a land route to europe.

Probably, China will have a large security and perhaps allow opponents to reduce tensions with Tehran. Arab states might rush to make footprint at two new ports expected to be established adjacent to the Strait of hormuz, through their own special deals with China.

Iran, which has much of the world’s oil re- which 30-40 percent of the oil trade passes. Oil serves and is one of the top five producers of supply to its market would be assured.

In addition, China’s regional position would natural gas, had to face an economic shrinkage of around 10 percent, largely due to the reintro- be strengthened by having a presence on Iranian duction of US sanctions. Because of the covid- land, ultimately undermining US strategic su19 outbreak, Iran ‘s economy was hit hard by the premacy in the Gulf. This could also strengthen lowering of oil and gas roduction. Oil output and China’s international position. Deepening ties revenues have plummeted— falling from nearly with Iran is an outcome to safeguard its interests.

The very reason why the US geopolitical su4 million bpd in 2018 to just 2 million bpd premacy over the world is preserved is the connowadays, as reported by The New York Times.

The Iranian Supreme Leader, a staunch ad- trol of the world’s maritime routes. Among nine vocate of alliances with non-Western powers, key maritime channels, the Gulf of hormuz sigsees this deal as more reliable than with Western nificantly controls the major global outflow of powers, that is, the USA or europe. US President fossil fuels. The Chinese presence would give it Trump’s decision to scrap the Iran nuclear deal a stranglehold on these waters through which (2015) further intensified public emotions. Iran- much of the world’s oil transits.

The US assistance to ASeAn countries to ian President hassan Rouhani, who once wanted to open avenues with the West, also advocated limit Beijing’s scope and legitimacy on the South greater cooperation with Asian economies like China Sea would be of no benefit but to give China more options China, Japan, and to use. Similarly, it South Korea. Folwould be no use for lowing the futile efthe USA to condemn fort to reopen Iran ‘s it over hong Kong. economy to the In global affairs, nothing is Providing military West after the nueverlasting. The US returning to and economic assisclear agreement, he tance to the Southnow tries to negotithe Iran nuclear deal and lifting eastern partners to ate a fair agreement contain China and with the only major sanctions against Iran, and labelling it violation world power whose allowing European and US of the navigation economic weight freedom provided can match that of the companies to deal with Tehran, under UnCLOS USA or europe.

(Un Convention on Iran is in dire may avert Iran’s strategic the Law of the Sea) need of civil and milwould not weaken itary cooperation and partnership with China China ‘s efforts over voices on a global its territorial claims. scale, which can only China will certainly be achieved by aligning itself with a superpower with enormous invest- consider alternatives.

The deal has a provision of China building ment potential in multidimensional sectors.

In addition, Iran wishes to expand its sphere infrastructure for 5G telecommunications netof influence in the eurasian region by acquiring work in Iran. It would provide an opportunity to full membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Or- Chinese telecommunications giant huawei, a ganization. To this end, China, the founding mem- company that is facing US sanctions, to enter the Iranian market. ber of the organization, is required to support it.

It would also bolster China’s new digital Similarly, the Sino-Iranian deal will help provide Iran with a bargaining lever with europe currency, the e-RMB, as a way to bypass US fiand the USA over easing sanctions as the West nancial systems, and reduce the power of the will divert its attention towards this holistic dollar. It would benefit China, the world’s agreement. China’s greater interest in Iran should largest energy consumer. Furthermore, Iran alert the USA to review its past approach towards could find a mechanism to sell its oil while Tehran. It would also serve as a balancing factor evading US sanctions.

Iran having million barrels of oil and gas in the normalization of relations between the West and Beijing, which due to the coronavirus now a burden on Iran’s economy to finance oil storage, would ultimately benefit from this deal. and their trade war is at the lowest ebb.

Beijing, on the other hand, is a big winner and If the Iran-China agreement were implemented, plays a longer game. At Iranian ports, it could it would revive Iran’s economy and conseenjoy preferential treatment and develop free- quently stabilise its politics. On the other hand, trade zones around the country. It will also in- over the decades, China would have continual clude discounts for Iranian oil. Iran is to provide energy supply to materialize its vision of conregular and discounted supply of oil to China for necting the eurasian region and challenging the 25 years. China would also develop free-trade world’s US unipolarity.

Yet in global affairs, nothing is everlasting. zones in Maku, in northwestern Iran; in Abadan, where the Shatt al-Arab river flows into the Per- The US returning to the Iran nuclear deal and lifting sanctions against Iran, and allowing eurosian Gulf, and on the gulf island Qeshm.

This agreement promises to greatly enhance pean and US companies to deal with Tehran, may China’s position not only in the Middle east, but avert Iran’s strategic partnership with China. also in Central Asia, the Black Sea, the Caspian Muhammad Irfan is a freelance columnist and the Mediterranean. Through this route, Bei-

MAnY organisations like Berlitz and eureka are well renowned; they have been operating in Pakistan for years. Fast forward to 2020 when the global pandemic hit all of us and businesses started downsizing. Instead of downsizing, these organisations asked all of their staff to work from home without any wages. Instructors, customer relation officer and student advisor were working from home from mid march expected to carry out all their duties without a payment in return.

Most of the people who have left did not receive their wages for working from home or even their provident fund, which is their right.

From the start it has been an organisation which treats their employees like slaves and pays them their month’s salary whenever the administration wishes to. These Managers are running not organisations but a sultanate.

My request to such organisations is to either lay off their employees so they do not have expectation of getting their wages for the work they are putting in. Asking people to work for no money is literally a scam. To anyone and everyone who wishes to work for Berlitz or similar organisations should do their research before signing a contract as these companies have several hidden policies which mostly involves deduction of money from their minimum wage.

People should be aware of the companies they are committing to because mistreatment from employers can affect one’s mental wellbeing and it could be problematic for them in the future. Asking people to work for free indirectly, in this global pandemic is nothing less than inhumane. aMbEr Shaikh karachi

Should YouTube be banned? nOWADAYS, Supreme Court is hinting to ban YouTube in Pakistan due to secretarian crime committed by Shaukat Ali. But every picture has two sides. here the questions arise what about those whose major source of income is based on YouTube ? how will you replace 400 million dollar in digital industry? how will you help students to pass their exams without tutor? how will you promote tourism without showing Pakistan to the world? These are few positive sides of YouTube. Before coming up with any decision government should consider this facts too. Banning it due to such irrelevant act of mongers will move the Pakistan in backward clock.

Government should ban irrelevant sites and channel which are misleading the people instead of blocking entire website.

Moiz ahMEd Siddiqui karachi

Evolving regional dynamics AS the geopolitical situation evolve in Pakistan’s backyard and soft power diplomacy paves way for regional cooperation, the foreign policy makers at home are now in a better position to secure maximum advantage from the emerging economic and political scenario. As China and Iran secure the notable and landmark 25-years strategic deal of $400 billion centered on bilateral cooperation in economic and military domains, time is ripe to set things right.

With optimism and economic prosperity in the air, it is prudent to see the real facts on the ground. As China and US ties become frosty which many analysts dub as being the return of the “Cold War”, challenges from multiple fronts open for Pakistan. If history be the guide and if the geography of the region is taken into consideration, it is undeniable that the US and Pakistan has shared a long, chequered relationship and the latter shares its borders with both China and Iran. In this respect, it is test for Islamabad as it needs to play its cards well on a highly contested and perfidious international check board.

As China cements the strategic deal with Iran, a window of opportunity also opens for Pakistan. As CPeC and BRI stem from the same regional connectivity and economic prosperity vision, Pakistan can synergize its cordial relationship with China to revitalize its ties with Iran.

With an ideal geostrategic location at hand, Pakistan can play a fundamental role in this promising relationship and can become an important channel in the BRI venture that connects the eurasian heartland with the South Asia and Persian Gulf ports. nevertheless, there is still more than that meets the eye. As US is already in an antagonistic relationship with China and is crushing Iran through its crippling sanctions after the collapse of JCPOA, voices are heard that India backed out from the key Iranian projects to avoid enraging Washington. In this respect, Pakistan needs to harbor deft diplomacy if it has to take advantage from the important regional developments.

Moreover, regional integration can help Pakistan and its neighbors if proper planning is conducted. And for the most part, Pakistan needs to keep a didactic stance and foster the narrative that even though it values its relationship with America, it cannot isolate itself from its neighbors just because the latter does not gets well with them. hadia Mukhtar karachi

Saturday, 25 July, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

‘IndIAn ActIons hAve effectIvely mAde chInA A thIrd pArty to the JAmmu & KAshmIr dIspute’ FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER OF PAKISTAN, MR KHURSHID MAHMUD KASURI’S INTERVIEW FOR THE SPECIAL ISSUE OF THE OUTLOOK MAGAZINE ON ‘ONE YEAR OF THE SCRAPPING OF ARTICLE 370 AND HOW IT HAS CHANGED JAMMU AND KASHMIR’ Q: After the Pulwama attack and the Balakot airstrike last year, and later the scrapping of special status to Indian held Kashmir, India- Pakistan relations have hit a stonewall. Both the countries had no talks since 2015— from downgrading missions to calling off trade ties, both the countries severed most diplomatic activities. Where do you see the relationship going?

A: i am glad you talk of Pulwama and Balakot; you should have also added ‘surgical strikes’ claimed by the government of india. This is where the real problem lies. one reason why india has taken reckless decisions in recent times dealing with Pakistan and with china is a prevailing atmosphere of self-delusion, in which indian government or at least some sections of it feel that they can fight two and half wars simultaneously, with china, Pakistan and also deal with the people of Kashmir. This always occurs in an environment where media is tightly controlled and attempts are made to muzzle contrary opinions. Forget the Pakistani media, the international media did not accept the official indian version regarding ‘surgical strikes’ inside Pakistan or the damage allegedly perpetrated by the Balakot airstrike. even new York Times reported that india did not shoot down any F-16 as claimed by official indian sources and that the number of Pakistan Air Force's F-16s was fully accounted for under an agreement with the US and that not a single aircraft was missing. The international media also contradicted official indian claims of killing hundreds of people during their strike on Balakot and showed the building in question was very much intact and thus there was no question of any killings.

Prime Minister Modi was happy with his media management in this respect also and rightly felt that he was able to convince a large section of indian public regarding his claims during confrontation with Pakistan. in fact, he went on to win the next election making the people of india believe that they had the better of Pakistan in the latest aerial skirmish. it has happened many times in history; leaders and governments start believing their propaganda where nobody is allowed to contradict its version in any meaningful manner. in fact, i remember the congress Party which questioned official versions was labeled as traitors. in such an atmosphere the government often take wrong decisions on erroneous assumptions. ironically, when you build up hype, it reduces the government's maneuverability which is thus unable to rectify its own mistakes. i am glad that the Pakistani media management regarding Balakot and the air combat between two forces the next day was very sophisticated and to the point. in fact, efforts were made to restrain the emerging anger against india and this is what enabled the Pakistan government to release pilot Abhinandan Varthaman after he was captured. instead of being condemned by the people of Pakistan, the government was praised for their statesmanship in preventing further escalation and won applause from the international community and people of Pakistan. This would have been impossible, if Pakistan Army and the government had built the same anti-india hype as the BJP government tried to build against Pakistan. it amazes me that in every general election in india, Pakistan appears very prominently, whereas, india is hardly a subject in any election campaign in Pakistan. There seems to be no obsession with india in Pakistan. An enlightened and independent media in Pakistan and india can play a positive role in reducing tensions between the

Brasil Wire Frei Betto

A

genocide is taking place in Brazil! As i write, on 16 July 2020, coVid-19, first detected here in February this year, has already killed 76,000 people. There are already almost two million people affected. By Sunday 19 July we shall reach a total of 80,000 fatalities. it is possible that when you read this dramatic appeal, we shall already have reached 100,000.

When i think that in the Vietnam war, over twenty years, 58,000 lives of US-American military personnel were sacrificed, i grasp the scale and seriousness of what is taking place in my country. This horror causes anger and revulsion. And we all know that precautionary and restrictive measures that have been adopted in so many other countries could have avoided slaughter on such a scale.

This genocide is not the result of the Bolsonaro government’s indifference. it is intentional. Bolsonaro delights in the deaths of others. When he was a member of congress, he said in a TV interview in 1999: ‘Voting won’t change anything in this country, nothing, absolutely nothing! change will only come, unfortunately, if one day we engage in

two countries and enabling them to restart a dialogue. As Foreign Minister, i engaged extensively with indian media and this helped in creating and enabling an atmosphere for a purposeful dialogue. (i have devoted an entire section on the importance of media in my book). i do however, agree with you that Pakistan and india have not talked since 2015 and diplomatic activities have almost ceased. The reasons have been given above. This is a dangerous situation and it must be reversed. otherwise, the situation could well take a turn for the worse.

Let us hope that sanity prevails, because a war between two countries having strong conventional armies and nuclear weapons is unthinkable.

Q: Do you think Pakistan’s diplomatic moves to internationalize the Kashmir issue yielded desired results?

Is Mr. Khan facing criticism within the country for not pushing the issue successfully in international forums?

A: Prime Minister imran Khan’s speech at the UngA was widely hailed in Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir. in response to his speech, leader of the opposition Shehbaz Sharif declared that the government and opposition were "united like a rock" and Bilawal Bhutto Zadari, leader of PPP offered his 'unconditional support' in efforts to engage global community. despite the fact that in any democratic polity, the opposition will never spare the ruling party for presumed faults, it is fair to say that Prime Minister has not faced any major criticism on this issue.

Admittedly, the international media gave a lot of coverage to the Prime Minister’s speech. You just need to look at the negative coverage of events on the role of security forces in J&K, in the international media to realize how far Pakistan had succeeded in internationalizing the Kashmir issue. Additionally, the issue has also been raised twice at closed-door meetings at the UnSc after many decades.

Q: You have worked extensively with former PM Vajpayee to open track II diplomacy and both the countries nearly reached an agreement, according to your book.

Track II diplomacy has been an integral part of the ties and the best phase-in India-Pak relations remain as the two years from 2004 -2006. Do you still believe that backchannel negotiations can work? Do you expect both the governments to show the political will for negotiations?

A: As mentioned earlier, i have great respect for PM Vajpayee’s and PM Manmohan Singh’s wisdom and a lot of progress was indeed made on the backchannel on Kashmir. Yes, currently when the situation is very bad indeed, a backchannel could prove useful. it’s not uncommon for foes that are fighting actual battles and are engaged in active warfare to talk to each other secretly.

For example, at a time when United States was bombing Vietnam in an unprecedented manner, Henry Kissinger and Le duc Tho, north Vietnam’s chief negotiator would meet every Tuesday at the Hotel Majestic in Paris. Similarly, more recently, the United States and Taliban talk to each other for years despite the fact that they were fighting with each other very fiercely on the battlefield.

Let me tell how backchannel was useful to us, during our tenure, while Kashmir remained an important issue on the composite dialogue, over a period of time, both sides realized that, in view of the sensitivity of the dispute, it needed to be discussed in the initial stages in a confidential manner through the backchannel. The fact is that all meetings of Foreign Ministers and Foreign Secretaries are preceded and followed by extensive

With Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (Delhi, 2007). He supported the peace process. He could not visit Pakistan due to domestic political considerations in late 2006 when great progress was made over the Kashmir issue, nor could he come in March 2007 due to political upheaval in Pakistan. The devised framework will help future statesmen to resolve the Kashmir issue.

media coverage and, what is worse, intense speculation.

Both Pakistan, india realized that this enabled their opponents of the indo-Pak peace process to put a negative spin on the whole process. The same reasoning with respect to the backchannel would be true today. The question is whether the political leadership has the will to pursue this process openly or secretly.

Backchannel taught us another lesson, what made the backchannel on Kashmir even more useful was the fact that both parties were forced to revisit their positions in the light of the proposals coming from the other side.

This can happen even now but only if the talks are secret and on the backchannel. currently i feel there is a strong need for backchannel talks for preventing further deterioration in Pak-india relationship. it should consist of two individuals who have direct access to their respective Prime Ministers.

Q: Is Pakistan apprehensive of India’s direct intervention in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit and Baltistan? Can both countries afford escalating tension on the border?

A: no sensible person or even an indian defense expert worth his salt would advise the government of india to such a dangerous course of action. of course india is a very large country and size of its army and its economy is much larger than Pakistan’s but it is also a fact borne out by history that neither country has been able to gain an inch despite various wars that they have fought. Both countries are not just nuclear powers but have very large and powerful conventional armies. The scope for adventurism by either party is thus very limited. Moreover, Pakistan Army is a very professional and battle-hardened force, because of the situation on our western borders for the last 40 years. The Pakistani Army had to fight against entrenched militants in Swat, north Waziristan, South Waziristan and other tribal areas. They drove the terrorists out of the territory; in this type of warfare they performed much better than the American and allied-forces in Afghanistan who were similarly engaged with the Taliban on the other side of the border. i do, however, admit that sometimes mistakes can be committed by political leadership to score political brownie points. no political party in Pakistan is interested in goading the government to resort to this type of action. i hope enlightened opinion in india acts as a restraint on a possible reckless action by its government.

Q: Many strategic experts attribute the abrogation of Article 370 as one of the main reasons behind the current stand-off between India and China. They say that China is a third party to the Kashmir dispute. Your

comments.

A: i agree with this point of view. indian actions have effectively made china a third party to the Jammu & Kashmir dispute. After india’s recent actions china criticized india for “unilaterally” changing the status quo in Jammu & Kashmir and asked both Pakistan and india to resolve the issue “based on the Un charter, relevant Un Security council resolutions and bilateral agreements”.

The Security council meeting on ‘the situation in Kashmir’ held on 16 August was a closed-door meeting. However, the chinese Ambassador briefed the press soon after the council meeting leaving no doubt that human rights situations in indian held Kashmir was discussed at great length. Additionally, chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was brutally frank on Ladakh and told india’s external Affairs Minister S Jaishankar that this ‘’has posed a challenge to china's sovereignty and violated the two countries' agreement on maintaining peace and stability in the border region". What has india gained with respect to china? earlier we were being told about an improved india-china relationship in accordance with the ‘Wuhan Spirit.’ (i was one of those who was happy because i felt, based on my own experience, that an improved relationship between china and india could well be beneficial in reducing tensions between Pakistan and india.) it is because of reckless statements issued by top indian leadership that india will capture Azad J&K, gilgit Baltistan and Aksai chin that india is confronted with the current dangerous situation. it is clear that india has itself provoked china. it is noteworthy that india has been building infrastructure right next to LAc for quite some time. china had in the past, not publically objected to this. it is because of recent actions and statements by top indian leadership in their meeting with the leadership of the QUAd (US, Japan, Australia and india) which along with other actions and statements gave a clear impression that india would be a willing party in this attempt to ‘contain’ china. Similarly, certain defense agreements with the US in the recent past and statements and actions following 2+2 talks between india and United States gave the same impression. it was after the statements, followed by recent actions in J&K followed by publication of political map which undoubtedly upset the leadership in Beijing. They thus now started regarding development of indian infrastructure right up to the LAc and Karakorum pass as part of a grand plan to threaten china, Pakistan and cPec.

A genocide is taking place in Brazil THIS GENOCIDE IS NOT THE RESULT OF THE BOLSONARO GOVERNMENT’S INDIFFERENCE. IT IS INTENTIONAL. BOLSONARO DELIGHTS IN THE DEATHS OF OTHERS a civil war here in Brazil, and do the work the military regime didn’t do: kill 30,000.’

When he voted for the impeachment of President dilma Rousseff, he dedicated his vote to the memory of the Brazilian army’s most notorious torturer, colonel Brilhante Ustra.

Because of this great obsession with death, one of his main government policies is allowing the sale of weapons and ammunition. When asked at the entrance to the presidential palace if he wasn’t concerned about the victims of the pandemic, he replied, ‘i don’t believe in these figures (27 March, 92 deaths); ‘We’re all going to die one day’ (29 March, 136 deaths); ‘So what? What do you want me to do?’ (28 April, 5,017 deaths).

Why this necrophiliac policy? From the beginning he stated that the important thing was not to save lives, but to save the economy. That is why he refuses to order a lockdown, follow the guidance of the World Health organisation and import respirators and personal protection equipment. The

Supreme court had to delegate this responsibility to state governors and city mayors.

Bolsonaro did not even respect the authority of his own ministers of health. Since February Brazil has had two, both sacked for refusing to take the same attitude as the President. now the ministry is headed by general Pazuello, who has no knowledge of health matters; he had tried to hide the data about the increasing numbers of victims; he has employed 1.249 military personnel in important posts in the ministry, without the necessary qualifications; and he has cancelled the daily interviews from which the population received guidance. it would take too long to list all the measures to release resources to aid low-income victims and families (over 100 million Brazilians) that were never taken.

The reasons behind the criminal decisions of the Bolsonaro government are clear.

Letting the elderly die saves the resources of the department of national insurance. Letting those with pre-existing conditions die

saves the resources of the national health service, the SUS. Letting the poor die saves the resources of the Family Welfare programme and other social programmes targeting the 52.5 million Brazilians who live in poverty and the 13.5 million that live in extreme poverty (Federal government figures). not satisfied with such lethal measures, now, on 3 July the President has vetoed the section of a law that made obligatory the use of masks in shops, places of worship and educational institutions. He has also vetoed the imposition of fines on those who failed to keep the rules and the government’s obligation to distribute masks to the poorest sections of the population, the main victims of coVid-19, and prisoners (750,000). These vetoes, however, do not overturn local legislation that has already made the use of masks obligatory. on 8 July Bolsonaro overturned three sections of a law approved by the Senate, that obliged the government to supply drinking water and health and cleaning materials, to in-

–To be continued stall internet connections and distribute basic food supplies, seeds and agricultural implements to indigenous villages. He also vetoed emergency funds intended for indigenous health services, and to give indigenous and members of Afro-Brazilian ex-slave quilombola communities emergency aid of R$600 (120 euros or US$120) for three months. He also vetoed the obligation on the government to provide more hospital beds, ventilators and oxygenation machines to indigenous and exslave communities. indigenous and ex-slave communities have been decimated by the increasing socio-environmental devastation, especially in the Amazon region. Please give as much publicity as possible to this crime against humanity. condemnation of what is happening in Brazil must reach your country’s media, social networks, the Un Human Rights council in geneva, and the banks and companies that represent the investors the Bolsonaro government so greedily wants.

Long before The economist did so, on social media i have been calling the President Bolsonero – while Rome burned he played the fiddle and promoted hydrochloroquine, a drug scientifically shown to have no effect on the new coronavirus. But its manufacturers are political allies of the President.

Frei Betto is a Brazilian writer, philosopher, liberation theologian, and Dominican friar.

Saturday, 25 July, 2020

BuSineSS 09 CORPORATE CORNER JazzCash, Ignite partner with IT ministry ISLAMABAD: JazzCash has partnered with Ignite to facilitate the Ministry of Information Technology (IT) and Telecommunications national level training programme Digiskills.pk. Ignite CEO Syed Junaid Imam and Mobilink Microfinance Bank President Ghazanfar Azzam signed the MoU under the presence of Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Syed Amin Ul Haque, Secretary IT and Telecommunication Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui and JazzCash CEO Erwan Gelebart. PreSS releASe

Eighteen, WWF collaborate for tree plantation ISLAMABAD: Eighteen, a leading estate destination in the twin cities, has signed an agreement with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) for a tree plantation campaign that aims to uplift the green spaces in the capital's urban areas and to improve the environment of the region. The agreement was signed between Eighteen CEO Tarek Hamdy and Senior Director Programmes Rab Nawaz, on behalf of WWF CEO Hammad Naqi Khan at the EIGHTEEN Head Office in Islamabad on July 24. Phase I of the tree plantation drive shall commence from July 30 2020 and will draw to a close on August 14 2020 with a ceremony. However, the partnership will be extended till 2023 and Eighteen,will fund further plantation initiatives which will entail plantation of thousands of trees across the city in collaboration with WWF-Pakistan. “This plantation is an effort by Eighteen to engage in environmentally-friendly initiatives that help to preserve nature,” said Eighteen CEO Tarek Hamdy. Talking about this campaign, WWF Pakistan Director General Hammad Naqi Khan that trees are extremely important for urban areas as they stabilize climate, regulate the water cycle and provide shelter to a number of bird and insect species. PreSS releASe

Pakistan Tobacco Company’s profit increases 7.95pc to 7.6bn in six months LAHORE HASSAN NAQVI

Pakistan Tobacco Company Limited (PAKT) on Friday released its financial results for the half year ended June 30, 2020 announcing that its profit increased 7.95 per cent to Rs7.614 billion compared to the profit of Rs7.053 billion during the same period of last year. The company announced an interim dividend of Rs15 per share for the financial year ending December 2020. The company’s income tax expense decreased by 8.855 per cent to Rs2.826 billion compared to Rs3.1 billion for the same period of last year. PAKT profit before tax increased by 2.82 per cent to Rs10.440 billion during the six months ended June 30, 2020 compared to Rs10.153 billion during the same period of last year..The company’s gross turnover stood at Rs85.884 billion as compared to Rs80.270 billion showing an increase of 6.99 per cent. PAKT’s finance income for the period under review stood at Rs463.420 million compared to Rs617.020 million during the same period of last year. Its finance cost increased from Rs78.387 million during the same period of 2019 to Rs109.483 million during the six months ended June 30, 2020 showing an increase of 39.7 per cent.

PakIsTan LosEs $100m In RECEIPTs FRom daTEs ExPoRT, as TRadE REmaIns susPEndEd WITh IndIa ISLAMABAD

P

GHUlAM AbbAS

AKISTANI exporters of dates have incurred a loss of $100 million due to the suspension of trade with India since February 2019.

Pakistani dates exporters were previously fulfilling more than 99 per cent of India’s date demand which has come to a halt after the suspension of trade with the neighbouring country.

However, the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) has claimed that it has managed to export dates worth $14.20 million to Nepal in 2019-20 as an alternate destination.

Before the suspension of trade with India, Pakistan exports of dates to Nepal stood at $0.03 million in 2018-19.

During a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Commerce held on Friday, the commerce secretary informed that India is a

MOC SAYS PAKISTAN HAS INCREASED EXPORTS TO DATES TO NEPAL AS AN ALTERNATE DESTINATION FROM $0.03 MILLION IN 2018-19 TO $14.2 MILLION IN 2019-20 major importer of dates in the world hence Pakistani exports of dates were badly affected after India imposed a 200 per cent on its import.

The secretary said that the MoC has taken several steps including exploration of new markets to divert its exports in order to minimise the loss from suspension of trade with India.

The commerce secretary informed that after withdrawal of Most Favored Nation (MFN) status from Pakistan, India has imposed a 200 per cent duty on all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan.

Since India’s move was in violation of Article 7 of SAFTA (Trade Liberalisation Programme) Pakistan has for-

mally suspended imports and exports with India. The secretary further informed that Pakistan exported dry dates worth $1.2 million to Singapore and $1.13 million to Thailand for the first time in 2019-2020. He said that Pakistan’s exports of dates to UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Bangladesh and Turkey were also on an increasing trend.

The MoC is currently organising dates exporters’ delegations to Germany, Australia and Netherlands.

Committee Chairman Syed Naveed Qamar directed the MoC to explore new markets and engage trade and investment officers to aid efforts for the export of dates. He directed the commerce secretary to prepare a compre-

Asia LNG spot prices plummeted by 50pc from January to $2.5 per mmBTU in July: Fitch Solutions LAHORE MOHAMMAd FArOOQ

A report released by Fitch Solution on Friday revealed that Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) spot prices in Asia have remained depressed, plummeting by over 50 per cent since the beginning of the year to touch $2.5 per mmBTU in July, from $4.0 per mmBTU in January Entering 2020, LNG prices were hardly rosy even before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and they continue to hover at historical lows as Covid-19 continues impacting economic activity and demand, said Fitch Solutions.

“Amid a negative backdrop of slowing coal-to-gas switching

in China and a milder winter, although looks to have deteriorated further as energy demand sinks across the region,” it explained. It observed that the return to normality in large emerging markets like Pakistan and India including other smaller markets in South and Southeast Asia look set to take longer than most, as these markets continue to struggle to fully control the spread of first wave infections.

While speaking to Profit, on how Pakistan could take advantage of the low spot prices of LNG Khadim Ali Shah Bukhari Securities Managing Director Arsalan Soomro said, “The government must focus on procuring more RLNG on a spot basis. Given the

economic resumption and need for energy, we need more LNG terminals in the country on war footing to cater to industrial, power, residential, fertiliser and CNG demand.”

“The low international prices are a brilliant opportunity for government nowadays to regain energy competitiveness, provide affordable electricity/gas & catalyze the decaying industrialization,” said Mr Soomro. He shared, “The government has already ordered cargoes coming in a few weeks. The private sector should be allowed to import RLNG on the spot and a mechanism must be evolved to reduce weighted cost & provide level playing field to all consumer.”

Stocks end week flat amid volatility KARACHI: Recovering losses made in the first half of the day the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Friday, closed the last session of the week flat gaining just 29.41 points and ending the week at 37,607.62 points. Losing 319.04 points the KSE100 index touched its intraday low of 37,259.17 points. The index then recovered its losses and touched its intraday high of 37,863.30 points. The benchmark KSE-100 index gained 0.74 per cent on a Week on Week (WoW) basis. Equity markets around the world also saw a negative trend on Friday. The KMI-30 index declined by 0.89 per cent or 541.26 points to close at 59,947.61 points on Friday. The KSE All Share index ended the week at 26,719.32 points with a loss of 43.24 points. Overall trading volumes slumped from 379.28 million shares to 266.40 million shares.

Unity Foods Limited (UNITY +0.71%), K-Electric Limited (KEL -1.85%) and Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim Limited (FFBL +4.33%) were volume leaders of the day. The scrips had 21.64 million

shares, 16.84 million shares and 15.83 million shares traded, respectively. Sectors that added gains to the KSE100 index included the banking sector (249.10 points) and the investment banking sector (23.36 points). While the oil and gas Exploration sector (60.22 points), cement sector (52.20 points) and power generation and distribution sector (40.06 points) were top negative contributors. During the day, Habib Bank Limited (89.80 points), United Bank Limited (47.33 points) and MCB Bank Limited (26.90 points) were top contributors. While Hub Power Company Limited (31.43 points), Lucky Cement Limited (28.23 points) and Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (22.91 points) depleted the most points. Moreover, Byco Petroleum Pakistan Limited (1.68%), Pakistan Refinery Limited (5.53%), Attock Refinery Limited (2.98%) and National Refinery Limited (3.14%) all closed negative. Meanwhile, the PSX announced eid holidays from Friday July 31, 2020 till Sunday August 2, 2020. STAFF rePOrT

hensive plan with the consultation of all stakeholders and present the plan before the committee in 30 days.

According to data from Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Company (PHDEC), Pakistan exports only 13 per cent fresh dates, while 87 per cent of dates exported from Pakistan are dry dates.

India on the other hand, imports 30 per cent of the world’s dry dates out of which 99.6 per cent are supplied by Pakistan. Pakistan also exports dry dates in small quantities to the United Kingdom (UK), Bangladesh, Germany and Turkey.

In Pakistan, the livelihoods of around 100,000 growers and farmers have been severely affected by the ban on trade with India.

During the meeting of the NA standing committee on Friday, the committee also passed “The Marine Insurance (Amendment) Bill, 2019” moved

by Member National Assembly (MNA) Riaz Fatyana.

FFBL posts loss of Rs1.16bn LAHORE HASSAN NAQVI

The Board of Directors (BoD) of Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim Limited on Friday released its financial results for the second quarter of 2020 (2Q2020), ended June 30, 2020 announcing an unconsolidated loss after tax of Rs1.16 billion compared to a loss after tax of Rs84million during the same period of last year.

According to Topline Securities Limited Research Analyst Sunny Kumar, the loss is higher than the industry’s expectations due to lower than expected gross margins and higher than expected other expenses. He added that the revenues of the company declined by 15 per cent Year on Year (YoY) to Rs15,224 million compared to Rs17,998 million in 2Q2019 amid a decline in Urea and DAP offtake by 1 per ent YoY and 13 per cent YoY, respectively. Kumar maintained that other expenses were up by 43 per cent YoY to Rs1,391 million because of exchange loss. He added that despite a decline in interest rates, Other income increased by 21 per cent YoY to Rs1,372 million mainly due to dividend income from power companies. Sequentially, the company losses reduced owing to an increase in revenues by 59 per cent Quarter on Quarter amidst a significant increase in Urea and DAP offtake of 149 per cent and 32 per cent respectively. Finance costs also declined by 20 per cent QoQ. The company booked taxation expenses of Rs314 million in 2Q2020 versus a tax reversal of Rs533 million in the same period last year. However, Ailia Naeem, a senior research analyst at AKD Securities Ltd, stated that FFBL posted 2QCY20 Net Loss after taxation (NLAT) of Rs1.2 billion compared to 2QCY19 NLAT of Rs84 million. This takes 1HCY20 NLAT to Rs4.2 billion compared to Rs1.9 billion in the same period last year. Naeem maintained that the YoY increase in losses in 2QCY20 came on the back of a 43 per cent YoY higher other expenses, courtesy of exchange losses and a higher effective tax rate of 37 per cent compared to tax credit of Rs533 million booked in the same period last year. She added that a 15 per cent YoY decline in topline in 2QCY20 was neutralised by higher gross margins of 13 per cent which kept gross profits flat. On a sequential basis, Naeem said the decline in losses came on the back of a 59 per cent QoQ higher topline led a higher urea/DAP offtake, double digits gross margins as opposed to negative 6 per cent in 1QCY20 and a 20 per cent QoQ decline in finance cost due to a lower discount rate.

HBL reports Rs15.2bn profit for first half of 2020 LAHORE/KARACHI TAIMOOr HASSAN ANd ArIbA SHAHId

Habib Bank Limited (HBL) Friday announced a massive after-tax profit of Rs15.1 billion for the half-year ended June 30, 2020, up 286 per cent from the same period last year, on the back of a surge in interest and non-interest based incomes and higher than expected capital gains.

For the quarter, the bank realised an after-tax profit of Rs11.08 billion, compared to Rs749 million for Q2 last year. The bank reported Earnings per share (EPS) at Rs10.32 for the half-year against an EPS of Rs2.53 for the same period last year, depicting a staggering Year-on-Year (YoY) surge of 309 per cent.

The EPS for the quarter was announced at Rs7.53 against Rs0.44 for the same period last year. No dividend was announced as per the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) directives

for capital conservation.

“HBL’s results for the second quarter of 2020 were higher than expectations. Better interest income, non-interest income and higher than expected gain on securities led the bank to announce stellar earnings for the outgoing quarter,” said BMA Capital Executive Director Saad Hashmi.

The net interest income (NII) of the bank settled at Rs63.1 billion for first half of 2020, rising 32 per cent YoY while posting a drastic jump of 25 per cent QoQ. “The sharp growth in NII was witnessed due to early repricing of deposits,” KASB Securities said in its report.

The non-interest income of the bank also surged 88 per cent QoQ to Rs10.8 billion.

Within the non-interest income, fee income declined 22 per cent YoY and 12 per cent QoQ to Rs4.2 due to economic slowdown, closure of branches and waiver fees on digital transactions.

HBL’S TOTAL CONSOLIDATED REVENUE GREW 43PC TO NEARLY RS80BN DURING THE FIRST HALF OF 2020 The Net Financial Income (NFI) of the bank posted a massive surge of 109 per cent YoY during half-year 2020 primarily owing to capital gains of Rs6.7 billion against losses of Rs2.1 billion in the same period last year. The bank booked 94 per cent higher QoQ capital gains which are most likely being booked on its bond portfolio following aggressive rate cuts, read a report by Arif Habib Limited, a securities brokerage firm.

“Capital gains and normalisation in administration costs, which was widely expected post US windup, helped the bank to post phenomenal results. It overshadowed the jump in provisioning costs which is a bit concerning and needs to be watched going

CMYK

forward,” said Hamza Kamal, equity analyst at securities brokerage firm AKD Securities.

“HBL earnings were higher against street consensus due to capital gains realised during Q2.”

However, the bank reported improved net interest margins of Rs59 billion as against last year given increase in asset base,” said Standard Capital CEO Naushad Chamdia.

“Significantly, the bank also reported higher admin cost and tax incidence wherein investors kept a watch,” he added.

Provisioning expenses for the bank clocked in at Rs4.8 billion, 674 per cent higher QoQ, which was mostly offset by

Rs4.4 billion capital gain booked during the quarter. Operational expenses witnessed a breather, declining 14 per cent QoQ following the closure of the New York branch of the bank and completion of the domestic business transformation programme.

“The bank’s income from FX operations also provided a major sigh of relief with total income from FX derivatives clocking in at Rs990 million during the second quarter of 2020, against a loss of Rs1.5 billion last quarter,” said AHL in its report.

Darson Securities Head of Research Yousaf Saeed said that earnings of the bank would be affected once the repricing effect comes into play from the third quarter of 2020.

“We expect NII to decline and new income margins to shrink as advances reprice going forward due to a 400bps cut in the policy rate to 7 per cent during the quarter,” KASB said in its report.

Saturday, 25 July, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

PomPEo UrGES ‘frEE worLd’ to UnitE aGainSt BEijinG aS fBi hUntS for ‘ChinESE miLitary SPiES’ aCroSS US WASHINGTON

t

TLTP

HE Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has claimed that Chinese researchers with secret military ties are active in dozens of US cities, just as the top US diplomat urged the ‘free world’ to unite against Beijing and cut the ‘Frankenstein monster’s tentacles.’

Doubling-down on the anti-China rhetoric, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appeared at the Nixon Presidential Library in California on Thursday to deliver a borderline messianic tirade against Beijing – which he titled “Communist China and the Free World's Future.”

During the 40-minute address, Pompeo called on US allies to join a worldwide effort to “induce change” in the country’s behavior, warning that Beijing is a threat to “our people and our prosperity.”

While Pompeo said the administration had adopted a “tough” approach to China, he insisted that other nations join the initiative to “empower the Chinese people,” stopping just short of calling for outright regime change.

“Every nation will have to come to its own understanding of how to protect its national security, its economic prosperity, and its ideals from the tentacles of the Chi-

nese Communist Party,” Pompeo said.

The secretary of state went on to condemn Chinese President Xi Jinping as a “true believer in a bankrupt totalitarian ideology” who is “destined to tyrannize,” asserting that “communists almost always lie.” Though Washington will continue to deal with Beijing, the “conversations are different these days,” Pompeo said, adding that the administration’s MO is now “distrust and verify” – putting a hawkish new spin on a Russian proverb famously invoked by Ronald Reagan in his dealings with former Soviet Union.

Through a series of recent interviews,

the Federal Bureau of Investigation says it uncovered a “concerted effort” by a number of Chinese citizens conducting scientific research in the US to “hide their true affiliation” to the People’s Liberation Army, with the intent to “take advantage of the United States and the American people.” Four of those individuals have since been charged for visa fraud, according to the Department of Justice.

The accusation comes as Washington ratchets up tensions with the People’s Republic, expelling Chinese diplomatic staff from a consulate in Houston earlier this week as US President Donald Trump warned additional

facilities could be shuttered.

As the US inches toward its November presidential election, Washington has unleashed a torrent of accusations at Beijing in recent months – ranging from blaming the country for the coronavirus pandemic to targeting alleged rights abuses in Hong Kong and elsewhere.

China has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, insisting the US is merely distracting from its own internal problems. It has, however, retaliated to some of Washington’s more hostile moves, most recently ordering a US consulate office in the city of Chengdu shuttered in response to the similar closure in Houston days earlier.

CHINA ORDERS CLOSURE OF US CONSULATE IN CHENGDU BEIJING: China has ordered the United States to close its consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu, retaliating against Washington's move earlier this week to shut down the Chinese consulate in the city of Houston. The Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday the Chengdu mission's closure was a "legitimate and necessary response to the unreasonable measures by the United States".

"The current situation in China-US relations is not what China desires to see," it said in a statement, adding that "the US is responsible for all this". "We once again urge the United States to immediately retract its wrong decision and create necessary conditions for bringing the bilateral relationship back on track." It did not say when the consulate must be vacated, but Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of the Communist Party-owned Global Times newspaper, said the notice period was 72 hours. "It means US Chengdu consulate will be closed Monday morning," he wrote on Twitter. The tit-for-tat moves come amid a dramatic escalation in tensions between the world's two biggest economies. On Tuesday, Washington gave Beijing 72 hours to close its mission in Houston, Texas, alleging the theft of intellectual property and espionage - a claim the Chinese side called "malicious slander". Ties have also deteriorated over a number of issues, ranging from the new coronavirus pandemic to Beijing's trade and business practices, and its territorial claims in the South China Sea to its clampdown in Hong Kong and the far western region of Xinjiang. TLTP

Global stocks dip amid growing China-US tensions BANGKOK: Markets in Europe and Asia fell on Friday after Beijing ordered the US government to shut down a diplomatic facility in Chengdu in retaliation to the US closure of the Chinese Consulate in Houston. Chinese stocks led the losses in Asia, with the Shanghai Composite down more than three percent. Both the Shenzhen Composite and the Shenzhen Component Indices dropped over four percent. The selloff was also seen in Hong Kong, as the city’s Hang Seng Index tumbled over two percent. Markets declined elsewhere in the Asia Pacific, with Australia’s All Ordinaries losing around one percent, while India’s key Mumbai Sensex and South Korea’s Kospi dropped around half a percent. Another key bourse in Asia, the Tokyo Stock Exchange, was closed for holidays on Friday. Shares in Europe followed their Asian peers at Friday’s opening. The three main indices – France’s CAC 40, Germany’s DAX, and Britain’s FTSE 100 – all fell over one percent.

The selloff came amid escalating tensions between the world’s two biggest economies, the US and China. On Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry ordered the US Consulate in Chengdu to cease operations. Beijing said Washington provoked the move, as earlier this week it was told to vacate a diplomatic facility in Houston, Texas. US President Donald Trump warned that additional facilities could be shuttered. Some analysts warned that rising tensions could further drive markets down at a time when the global economy is struggling with the coronavirus pandemic. “US and China tensions escalating is the last straw to the market,” Alan Li, portfolio manager at Atta Capital, said as cited by the South China Morning Post. TLTP

Tehran says US jets endangered passengers over Syria TEHRAN TLTP

The US Air Force, not Israeli, fighter jets, were responsible for unsafely intercepting a plane of Mahan Air over Syria, which resulted in injuries to several passengers traveling to Beirut, Iranian media reported.

Mahan Air Flight 1152 was en route from Tehran to Lebanon when it was intercepted by two F-15 fighters near the Syria-Jordan border. The approaching jets forced it to rapidly change course and altitude, resulting in several injuries among the passengers, the company said.

Initial reports from eyewitnesses

on board spoke of Israeli planes, and were repeated by international media outlets. The captain of Flight 1152 later told an Iranian news agency that the pilots had identified themselves as US Air Force during the radio contact.

Iran's Ambassador to the UN Majid Takht-Ravanchi had informed Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of the incident, and warned that “the Islamic Republic of Iran will take the United States responsible” if any harm befalls the plane on the way back to Tehran, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi.

By Thursday evening the plane had returned to Tehran safely, but at least three passengers on board were

injured in the incident.

The intercept took place in Syrian airspace over the At-Tanf border crossing with Iraq, according to Syria’s SANA news agency. The US has established a military base in the area, which the government in Damascus considers a violation of Syrian sovereignty.

Mahan Air is a privately owned Iranian civilian carrier. It was placed on the US sanctions list against “proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their supporters” in December 2019, when Washington accused it of transporting troops and equipment for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

Political leadership, community engagement vital for Covid-19 response: WHO GENEVA: The chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted that political leadership and community engagement are the two vital pillars of the response to COVID-19. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual press conference on Thursday that although all countries have been affected, intense transmission has been seen in a relatively small group of countries. "Almost 10 million cases, or two-thirds of all cases globally, are from 10 countries, and almost half of all cases reported so far are from just three countries," he said.

According to the latest figure released by the WHO, the three countries that were hit the hardest by the Covid-19 are the United States, Brazil and India. Globally some 15 million cases have now been reported to the WHO, with almost 620,000 deaths. "We're asking everyone to treat the decisions about where they go, what they do and who they meet with as life-and-death decisions -- because they are," the WHO chief said. "It may not be your life, but your choices could be the difference between life and death for someone you love, or for a complete stranger." "In recent years we've seen young people leading grassroots movements for climate change and racial equality," he said, adding that "now we need young people to start a global movement for health -- for a world in which health is a human right, not a privilege." TLTP

‘EU-UK post-Brexit trade deal unlikely’ LONDON TLTP

The European Union's (EU) chief negotiator for relations with the United Kingdom (UK), Michel Barnier, has said that the UK's approach was making a post-Brexit trade deal "unlikely" as the sixth round of talks ended with little progress. Barnier told a news conference in London on Thursday that the UK was refusing to move on its red lines and was not showing "the same level of engagement and readiness to find a solution" as the EU. "By its current refusal to commit to conditions of open and fair competition and to a balanced agreement on fisheries, the UK makes a trade agreement at this point unlikely," he said. Barnier said the two sides remained far apart on how to ensure a level playing field between EU and UK businesses, as well as on access of EU fishing vessels to British waters, warning that "the time for answers is quickly running out" as "the UK did not show a willingness to break the deadlock." On the issue of a level playing field, Barnier said the UK was refusing to commit to maintaining high standards in a meaningful way. "This is all the more worrying because we have no visibility on the UK's intention on its future domestic subsidy control regime... The UK wants to regain its regulatory autonomy. We respect that. But can the UK use this new regulatory autonomy to distort competition with us?" he asked. On fisheries, Barnier explained that the UK was effectively asking for a near-total exclusion of EU fishing vessels from UK waters. "That is simply unacceptable," he said, adding that "any agreement cannot lead to the partial destruction of the EU fishing industry." He noted that the UK had chosen to leave the EU Single Market and the Customs Union on Jan. 1, 2021, but with just more than five months to go, the timeframes were tight. "If we want to avoid additional friction, we must come to an agreement in October at the latest, so that our new treaty can enter into force on January 1 next year. This means that we only have a few weeks left and we should not waste them." Barnier said talks will continue in London next week before the next formal round of negotiations in mid-August.

US opposes all foreign military interference in Libya TRIPOLI: The US Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland reiterated the US opposition to all foreign military interference in Libya, the U.S. embassy to Libya said late Thursday.

Norland made his remarks during a phone call with the Speaker of Libya's eastern-based House of Representatives (parliament) Aguila Saleh, the embassy said in a statement. "The ambassador reiterated U.S. opposition to all foreign military interference in Libya and full support for UN-facilitated dialogue," the statement added. "Norland supports Libya's sovereignty, the National Oil Corporation to resume operations nationwide, as well as to achieve a negotiated, peaceful resolution to the Libyan conflict beginning with the stabilization of the situation around Sirte and Jufra," the statement said. Libya's state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) of the UNbacked government recently declared force majeure on oil exports due to renewed oil blockade by the eastern-based army, which is demanding transparency in the distribution of oil revenues. According to NOC, the country has lost more than 7.2 billion U.S. dollars so far because of months of oil blockade. The North African country has been plagued by political division and conflicts ever since the fall of its former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. TLTP

UK manufacturing sees record slump amid pandemic LONDON TLTP

British manufacturers activity saw a record fall in the three months to July due to significant impact caused by the coronavirus pandemic, said an industry report.

The Confederation of British Industry's (CBI) quarterly industrial trends survey showed on Thursday that output dropped in 14 out of 17 sub-sectors in the quarter to July, with the headline fall being led by "motor vehicles & transport, food, drink & tobacco, and mechanical engineering".

According to a survey of 356 manufacturing firms, the total new orders in the period fell "at their fastest pace since October

1980", said the survey.

"Manufacturers continue to face extreme hardship due to the Covid-19 crisis," said Rain Newton-Smith, chief economist at the CBI, adding that "output volumes continued to decline at a record pace, while total orders have fallen at their fastest rate since October 1980."

However, firms expected output to begin to recover in the next quarter, representing the first time that manufacturers have anticipated output to grow since February.

"There are some early signs that the worst might be behind us," said the CBI, adding that business sentiment stabilised in the three months to July.

The body unveiled that investment spending for the year ahead "is still planned

to be cut back sharply, but to a lesser degree than in April".

In addition, total new orders and domestic orders are expected to pick up in the next three months, while "export orders are anticipated to fall at a slower pace", it added.

Smith said although the government has provided "vital support" to the sector, firms remain very concerned about their financial situation and capacity to invest.

"It's clear that many firms are still in distress", said Tom Crotty, chair of the CBI Manufacturing Council, urging the government to continue to work with firms to "both shore up near-term cash flow and build a stronger, more sustainable manufacturing sector."

Saturday, 25 July, 2020

SPORTS 11

Manchester United, chelsea, and leicester city to coMpete on a Final Match-day preMier leagUe showdown For Ucl qUaliFication

t

Agencies

HE race for Champions League qualification from the Premier League has now come down to a final-day scramble, with three clubs -Manchester United, Chelsea and Leicester City -- locked in a battle for the two remaining places alongside Liverpool and Manchester City in next season's competition.

A single point separates third-place United from fifth-place Leicester, who meet on Sunday at the King Power Stadium. But the sense of jeopardy and drama has only been heightened with Chelsea playing sixth-place Wolves, who need a win to secure a Europa League spot, at Stamford Bridge.

United and Leicester can both claim a Champions League berth with a draw if Chelsea lose to Wolves, but with Chelsea only needing a point to qualify, it looks like a case of winner-takes-all at the King Power. With Champions League qualification worth at least £50 million to each club in prize money and broadcasting revenue, there is much more at stake than the chance to lift the European Cup in Istanbul next May. Following is the assessed impact of losing a UCL spot for the three clubs: Details: Man United: 3rd, 63 points, GD +28 (Leicester (A)) Financial impact: United's status as a commercial giant in the football world has protected them from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the club reporting cash reserves in excess of £90m in their quarterly accounts in May. But missing out on Champions League qualification would hurt United, nonetheless.

A penalty clause within the club's £75m-a-year, 10year kit deal with Adidas states that United would incur a £22.5m reduction on each occasion that they missed out on the Champions League for two successive seasons. Failure to qualify this time would trigger that 30% pay cut, so being absent from the Champions League is a costly business, even for a money-maker like United.

Liverpool earned €111m (£100.87m) when they won the competition in 2019 and stand to earn €84.1m (£76.4m) this time around, despite only reaching the round of 16, so the earning potential for United is obvious.

Manager's future: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is under con-

tract through the end of the 2021-22 season, but Champions League qualification would considerably strengthen his claims for a new deal at Old Trafford. The Norwegian has overseen a squad-rebuilding programme that has led to youngsters such as Mason Greenwood and Brandon Williams breaking through to shine.

United have improved under Solskjaer, but a failure to reach the Champions League would put him under intense pressure to deliver next season. For now, he is safe in his position no matter what happens on Sunday, but qualification will buy him the time he needs to continue his progress at Old Trafford.

Transfer plans: United are favourites to sign Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund and they are also keen to bolster their midfield and defence. Missing out on the Champions League would hurt their spending ability and also make Old Trafford a less attractive destination for

potential signings.

It could also make United more vulnerable to having their leading players targeted by rival clubs, with Real Madrid and Juventus both interested in Paul Pogba and Paris Saint-Germain long-term admirers of Marcus Rashford. That said, qualification would make United a serious force in the market.

Chelsea: 4th, 63 points, GD +13 (Wolves (H)) Financial impact: Chelsea's reliance on the backing of billionaire owner Roman Abramovich remains, despite the club's growth on and off the pitch since the Russian's takeover in 2003. Recent years have seen Abramovich spend less time and money on Chelsea, with a failure to secure a UK visa in 2018 coinciding with him distancing himself from Stamford Bridge. The club continue to insist, however, that Abramovich remains fully committed to Chelsea.

IPL 2020 to start on September 19, final on November 8 or 10 Agencies The 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) will be played between September 19 and November 10 in the UAE. Brijesh Patel, the IPL Governing Council chairman, told ESPNcricinfo that the final could be played on November 8 or 10, with a definitive decision expected soon.

Even as the BCCI has set the ball rolling for relocating the IPL to the UAE, it still needs the nod of the Indian government. Earlier this week Patel had said that the permission "will come" and had confirmed Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah will be the three main venues for the tournament.

Patel said the tournament dates had been "circulated" among the IPL Governing Council members but he did not confirm whether there is a Governing Council meeting scheduled which was speculated to take

place this weekend. He further said that key points including the schedule along with the contours of what a biosecure bubble would comprise would be finalised and communicated to the franchises soon. It is understood the franchises were informed only about the

tournament dates on Thursday and were told further details would emerge soon.

One key advantage of having the tournament in the UAE is the quarantine period is less relaxed. Currently anyone travelling into the UAE needs to test negative before flying in, and also has to take a test upon landing.

If both those tests are negative there is no quarantine required. But if a person lands without having done a test prior to flying in, then a quarantine period is mandatory.

The IPL will comprise 60 matches and will be played over 51 days (in case final is on November 8). In the original schedule prepared in March for this year, the tournament days stretched to 50 to keep the double-headers minimal, a request of the franchises who did not want players to suffer during the peak Indian summer. It is likely the double-headers will remain minimal even in the UAE.

Liverpool captain Henderson wins Football Writers' Association ‘Footballer of the Year Award’ Agencies Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has won the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year, it was announced on Friday. The award, voted on by the FWA's members, has been running since 1948 and crowns the player adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football.

Henderson said: "I'd like to say how appreciative I am of the support of those who voted for me and the Football Writers' Association in general. You only have to look at the past winners of it, a number of whom I've been blessed to play with here at Liverpool, like Stevie [Gerrard], Luis (Suarez) and Mo [Salah] to know how prestigious it is.

"But as grateful as I am I don't feel like I can accept this on my own. I don't feel like anything I've achieved this season or in fact

during my whole career has been done on my own. I owe a lot to so many different people -- but none more so than my current teammates -- who have just been incredible and deserve this every bit as much as I do.

"We've only achieved what we've achieved because every single member of our squad has been brilliant. And not just in matches. Not just in producing the moments that make the headlines and the back pages but every day in training." Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said: "I saw videos of him when he was young, but he was already an exceptional player. And you have to be ready to fight every day -- and that's what he's done.

"If you want to have a guy who has fought his way through to become one of the best players in the league and this year everybody acknowledged that. I am really proud of him."

Henderson beat stiff competition from Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne after captaining Liverpool to their first league title in 30 years. He also played a key role in setting up the #PlayersTogether initiative, which helps raise and distribute money for Britain's National Health Service amid the coronavirus crisis. De Bruyne was runner up, Manchester United's Marcus Rashford was third while Henderson's Liverpool teammates Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane came fourth and fifth respectively.

The midfielder moved to Liverpool from Sunderland in 2011 and after his initial struggles, has gone on to establish himself as one of the club's key players.

Henderson won the Champions League with the club last season, as well as the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup in 2019-20.

CMYK

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Frank Lampard's longterm futures would be a lot more secure if both qualify for the Champions League on Sunday. Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images But plans to rebuild Stamford Bridge have been shelved and Chelsea have now become a club that spends what it earns, so missing out on the Champions League will have a significant impact on finances. Having cited the absence of Champions League football as a factor in a £96.6m loss in their 2019 financial results, qualification this time is absolutely crucial.

Manager's future: No Chelsea manager in the Abramovich era has survived in the job after failing to qualify for the Champions League, but it is unlikely that Frank Lampard will be sacked if he finishes fifth in his first season in charge.

The former Chelsea midfielder was recruited a year ago and tasked with the challenge of steadying the ship following the sale of Eden Hazard and a worldwide transfer ban, which denied Lampard the chance to strengthen the squad. Lampard has given youth a chance and been repaid by the likes of Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Christian Pulisic, so he has earned at least another year at the helm. But Abramovich's legendary impatience will leave Lampard with little margin for error next season if Chelsea end up in the Europa League.

Transfer plans: Chelsea have already done most of their business, striking deals for Ajax winger Hakim Ziyech and RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner, with a move for Bayer Leverkusen's Kai Havertz also close to being completed. The majority of Chelsea's spending so far has been sourced from the €100m (£88.5m) sale of Eden Hazard to Real Madrid last summer, so further signings will depend on how much they can anticipate earning if they qualify the Champions League.

If Chelsea qualify, expect a move for a new goalkeeper. If they miss out, manager Frank Lampard may have to persevere with unconvincing, £71.6 million shot-stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga for another campaign. Lampard & Chelsea will be 'panicking' ahead of Wolves match Steve Nicol says Frank Lampard's lack of solid defensive options at Chelsea could be costly vs. Wolves.

Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler partnership shores up England effort Agencies A steadying innings from rescued England in the face of some threatening West Indies bowling on the opening day of the series-deciding Test at Emirates Old Trafford. At the close of play, and with rain expected to feature heavily on Saturday, Pope was unbeaten just nine runs shy of his century with England 258 for 4 after they had been 47 for 2 before lunch and 92 for 3 after the break.

Rory Burns contributed 57 but, with England effectively a batsman down after leaving out Zak Crawley to accommodate an extra seamer in the likely event that Ben Stokes was unable to bowl, the hosts ideally needed someone to convert a start, especially after a shaky beginning to their innings.

Kemar Roach did the most damage, claiming 2 for 56 including the important wicket of Stokes, as he moved within one wicket of becoming the ninth West Indies bowler to reach the 200-mark in Tests.

Jos Buttler helped England's cause and his own, having come into this match under pressure after a year in which he has averaged 21.26 from 12 Tests and scores of 35, 9, 40 and 0 for this series. On this occasion, he managed 56 off 120 deliveries, his first half-century in a Test since September 2019, some 15 innings ago.

Pope had been quiet in the previous two matches also, with a high score of 12*, but he went into his 10th Test with an unbeaten century and a fifty under his belt this year, against South Africa, and a career average of 39.41.

His innings was assured, coming off 142 balls and including 11 fours. He came in with his side three wickets down, with England's batsmen having all moved up a place after Crawley's omission, leaving Joe Root back at No. 3 rather than his preferred berth at No. 4.

Dom Sibley, whose marathon 120 helped set up England's 113-run victory in the second Test, was out for nought on the sixth ball of the match, lbw to an excellent Roach delivery that angled into the stumps off a length and straightened slightly.

A wave of concern surely rippled through West Indies' ranks when Shannon Gabriel pulled up two balls into his fourth over, the eighth of the day, with an apparent leg problem. Having won the toss and elected to bowl with two spinners, bringing in Rahkeem Cornwall for Alzarri Joseph, the tourists were relieved when Gabriel returned to the field after the first drinks break after a stretch to alleviate "some general tightness".

It was West Indies' other spinner, Roston Chase, who struck from the field to remove Root. As Burns steered Cornwall towards third man, Root set off for a quick single but Chase swooped on the ball and fired it into the keeper's end, removing the bail with a direct hit that caught Root short of his crease.

Stokes, who admitted on the morning of the match to having felt better after injuring his quad muscle while bowling late on the final day of the second Test, in which he played a starring role with bat and ball, was thrust into the action perhaps before he would have liked with Root's dismissal. He reached 20 before Roach struck again with a gem of a delivery that beat Stokes' forward defence and crashed into middle and off stump.

Burns had been ticking along nicely before he fell thanks to the sharpest of slips catches by Cornwall, thrusting his hand out to snatch a top edge from an attempted cut off the bowling of Chase to leave England 122 for 4.

While Burns had shared in promising partnerships with Root, Stokes and Pope, England had to wait until Pope and Buttler came together for their first 50-plus union of the match, and their unbroken stand of 136 was just what England needed. Pope survived an appeal for lbw to Gabriel, which was adjudged not out before West Indies' review. Hawk-Eye showed the ball, which hit Pope just above the knee roll, was clipping the bails and the decision stayed with the on-field umpire's call.

Pope responded with a four off Gabriel two balls later to move to 47 and brought up his fifty with a boundary off Jason Holder in the next over.

Saturday, 25 July, 2020

PRAyER TImINGS

NEWS

erdOgan JOins tHOusands at istanBuL's Hagia sOpHia fOr first prayers ISTANBUL

t

AGENCIES

URKEY’S President Tayyip Erdogan joined thousands of worshippers at Hagia Sophia on Friday for the first prayers there since he declared the monument, revered by Christians and Muslims for almost 1,500 years, a mosque once again.

Erdogan and his top ministers, wearing white facemasks as a precaution against Covid-19, knelt on blue carpets at the start of a ceremony which marks the return of Muslim worship to the ancient structure.

Earlier, crowds formed at checkpoints around the historic heart of Istanbul where massed police maintained security. Once through the checks, worshippers sat apart on prayer mats in secured areas outside the building in Sultanahmet Square.

“We are ending our 86 years of longing today,” said one man, Sait Colak, referring to the nearly nine decades since Hagia Sophia was declared a museum and ceased to be a place of worship.

“Thanks to our president and the court decision, today we are going to have our

Friday prayers in Hagia Sophia.”

A top Turkish court announced this month it had annulled Hagia Sophia’s status as a museum. Erdogan immediately decreed that the building, a Christian Byzantine cathedral for 900 years before being seized by Ottoman conquerors and serving as a mosque until 1934, had been converted once again to a mosque.

Several hundred invitees joined Erdogan for the ceremony inside the sixth-cen-

tury building. Some, including his son-inlaw and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, could be seen recording images of the historic occasion on their mobile phones.

A large screen and speakers were set up in the square to broadcast proceedings to the thousands gathered outside.

As crowds grew, leaving little space for social distancing, Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said authorities had stopped people entering the area due to concerns

about the spread of the coronavirus. On Twitter, he called for patience and said the mosque would be open for prayer until Saturday morning.

CHRISTIAN ICONS CONCEALED: “Allah-o-Akbar (God is greatest),” chanted people in the square. Some slept after arriving overnight and others ate on the grass, shaded by trees from the hot sun.

Some in the crowds held Turkish and Ottoman flags. “This is a source of great pride for us, great excitement,” said worshipper Latif Ozer, 42.

During his 17-year rule, Erdogan has championed Islam and religious observance and backed efforts to restore Hagia Sophia’s mosque status. He said Muslims should be able to pray there again and raised the issue — popular with many pious AKP-voting Turks — during local elections last year.

The conversion triggered fierce criticism from church leaders, who said the change to exclusively Muslim worship risked deepening religious divisions.

Turkey says the site will remain open for visitors and its Christian artworks protected.

Covid-19 cases surge as US passes 4m, Europe 3m mark BRUSSELS AGENCIES

A fresh rise in Covid-19 cases from Japan to Belgium and Australia have seen a rise in the infection, which crossed the four million mark in the United States (US) and surged past the three million mark in Europe, on Friday.

While EU lawmakers combed through a huge aid package for their economies, the UN called for a basic income for the world´s poorest to help slow the spread of Covid-19, and the Red Cross warned of “massive” new migration caused by the economic devastation.

The United States, the hardest-hit country by the virus, added one million new cases in just over two weeks, according to a tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University. In the previous 24 hours alone, the country notched more than 76,000 new cases.

Having recorded more than 144,000 total fatalities, the United States has seen a coronavirus surge, particularly in southern and western states, as Texas, California, Alabama, Idaho and Florida all announced record one-day death tolls. Nevertheless, the rate of new cases is now showing signs of easing off in some of the worst-hit zones.

Against a backdrop of mass unemployment and sagging approval ratings, President Donald Trump announced he was scrapping next month´s Republican nominating convention in Florida, stating that it was not the right time to hold a “big, crowded” event.

Meanwhile, the European continent now accounts for a fifth of the world´s more than 15 million cases and remains the hardest hit in terms of deaths, with 206,633

NEWS DESK Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) informed the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Friday that its new auditor, EY Ford Rhodes has issued a revised qualified audit report for SNGPL’s financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2019.

A qualified audit report by an auditor means that most matters have been dealt with adequately, except for a few issues.

Such issues include a limitation of scope in the auditor’s work, a disagreement with management regarding application, acceptability or adequacy of accounting policies, misrepresentation of factual financial position by the company among other issues.

SNGPL had faced a similar crisis when its financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2018 were deemed as qualified by

WHO expresses cOncern Over rise in cOrOnavirus cases in eurOpe COPENHAGEN AGENCIES The European chapter of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday expressed concern over the surge in new coronavirus cases across Europe, saying countries should impose tighter restrictions if necessary. The number of infections in Europe crossed three million on Thursday, a fifth of the world´s more than 15 million cases. It remains the hardest hit in terms of deaths, with 206,633 out of 627,307 worldwide. With 335 new cases for 100,000 inhabitants in the last two weeks, Kyrgyzstan is the worst affected country in the sprawling zone covered

by WHO´s European chapter. Others include Montenegro (207), Luxemburg (196), Bosnia (98), Serbia (71), Romania (52) and Bulgaria (46). However,

out of 627,307 worldwide. A 750-billion-euro post-coronavirus recovery plan was hammered out at an EU summit this week, where fiscally rigid nations butted heads with hard-hit countries like Spain and Italy that have called for huge aid grants. EU chief Charles Michel said the total stimulus would eventually reach 1.8 trillion

the numbers of new infections have gone down significantly in Armenia (197 cases per 100,000), Kazakhstan (128), Moldavia (82), and Russia (60).

“The recent resurgence in Covid-19 cases in some countries following the easing of physical distancing measures is certainly cause for concern,” a spokeswoman told AFP. “Where new clusters of cases appear, these need to be controlled through rapid and targeted interventions including rapid case detection and isolation and diligent contact tracing and quarantining,” she said. “If the situation demands, reintroduction of stricter, targeted measures with the full engagement of communities may be needed.”

However, the number of new cases across Europe has remained stable at around 20,000 daily since May 20 — more than two times lower than peak numbers at the start of April.

euros ($2.2 trillion). “This moment, it´s my conviction, is pivotal in European history. We acted fast and with urgency,” Michel told the bloc´s parliament in Brussels.

“Europe´s response is greater than that of the United States or China,” he said.

Meanwhile, the UN warned that the world´s poorest also need help. Funding of $199 billion per month would provide 2.7 billion people with a temporary basic income and the “means to buy food and pay for health and education expenses,” the UN Development Programme said.

“Bailouts and recovery plans cannot only focus on big markets and big business,” said UNDP administrator Achim Steiner. UN projections have warned the virus could kill 1.67 million people in 30 low-income countries.

The knock-on effects will also be huge, warned Red Cross chief Jagan Chapagain. “Many people who are losing livelihoods, once the borders start opening, will feel compelled to move,” he told AFP. “We should not be surprised if there is a massive impact on migration in the coming months and years.”

There were signs the virus can quickly re-emerge when lockdown measures are lifted. Australia, Belgium, Hong Kong and the Japanese capital Tokyo all had early successes in containing outbreaks but are now facing an upsurge, prompting new restrictions.

compliant with the mandatory requirements established by IFRS 15, which had superseded IFRIC 18 in January 2018.

The auditor further determined that the retrospective impact of the new standard would augment the quantum of contract liabilities by Rs6,835 million, differential margin recoverable by Rs1,225 million and income tax recoverable by Rs1,627 million.

On the other hand, unappropriated profits and deferred tax liability would decrease

by Rs2,001 million and Rs1,982 million respectively. Consequently, profit for the period would have decreased by Rs169 million, translating to Rs0.27 per share. The SNGPL management has been proactive in

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA 5:01

7:05

8:39

NAB REPORT SAYS SHUJAAT’S FAMILY OWNED ASSETS WORTH RS2.1M IN 1985 BUT THEIR POSSESSIONS EXCEEDED RS518.4M IN 2019

LAHORE STAFF REPORT

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday told the Lahore High Court (LHC) that Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leaders Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi were involved in laundering money through fictitious accounts.

NAB stated so in its reply on a petition filed by the Chaudhry brothers in the court to restrict the anti-corruption watchdog from reopening an old inquiry against them for owning assets beyond means. Hussain and his family owned assets worth Rs2.1 million in 1985, the anti-graft body said in its reply.

Their assets exceeded Rs518.4 million in 2019. The PML-Q leaders used five fictitious accounts to launder money, according to NAB. Hussain also accumulated properties worth Rs123m while his sons provided over Rs1.5bn loans to their own companies. The NAB report said that Rs581m were transferred to the accounts of Shujaat’s sons from abroad but they failed to provide its money trail. According to the NAB report, Elahi also accumulated properties worth Rs250m and his family received Rs978m from abroad through unnamed accounts. NAB requested the court to dismiss the petition filed by them. Earlier on June 17, the LHC had directed NAB to submit comments on petitions filed by Hussain and Elahi challenging the powers of NAB Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal.

spB says no policy rate cut in July KARACHI ARIBA SHAHID

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Friday decided to skip the meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) which means policy rates will remain at the same level of 7 per cent as before. The central bank announced that the next monetary policy committee meeting will be held in September 2020.“Given the number of MPC meetings that have taken place in recent months, and actions taken in those meetings, the MPC does not consider it necessary to hold the regular meeting of July 2020,” read the statement.The central bank said that the MPC will continue to observe economic conditions and stand ready to take whatever further actions may become necessary in response to any adverse impact on the economy because of the pandemic or any other factor.

its stance relating to the audit statement. The management disclosed that the draft audit report (issued on July 17, 2020) did not qualify the accounts ending June 30, 2019 with respect to the adoption of IFRS 15.

According to the management, the auditor’s letter to the Board of Directors (BoD) accompanying the aforementioned report did not state any reservations about IFRS 15.

The letter merely stated that the company has obtained interpretation of the new standard from the Accounting Standard Board (ASB), and “requested the BoD to ratify the assertions in respect of adoption of IFRS-15 by the company.” Following this, the Board Audit Committee (BAC) on July 21 met

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

ZUHR 12:09

5:13

chaudhry brothers laundered money through fake accounts, naB tells LHc

SNGPL at odds with its auditors again A.F.Ferguson & Co. In its audit report A.F.Ferguson & Co had cited that the revenue recognition procedure of the company had been clearly a departure from the accounting and reporting standards applicable in Pakistan. EY cited a similar reason this year, as it objected to the revenue recognition procedures while providing an elaborate basis for the qualification.

According to EY, application of IFRS 15, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers”, by SNGP has been undertaken on a prospective basis as opposed to a retrospective basis during the financial year.

The auditor said that it viewed the company’s treatment of revenues as being non-

FAJR SUNRISE 3:39

with the auditors, who are now also demanding an endorsement of the interpretation of the ASB from the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), contrary to the earlier requirement of endorsement by the board only. The BAC agreed to the interpretation of the ASB as the final authority on the matter, and deemed additional requirements of the auditors as invalid but advised the management to obtain endorsement from the SECP. The BAC also recommended approval of the financial statement alongside an unqualified draft audit report. The board met the same day and approved the accounts which were released to the PSX. The SECP was also approached by BAC. The SECP composed a letter in response to the company, as requested by the auditor.