Epaper – March 17 LHR 2021

Wednesday, 17 March, 2021 I 2 Shaban, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 258 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition

Zardari urges NawaZ to returN to PakistaN; loNg march delayed g

PPP leAder sAys resigNAtioNs would oNly helP PM iMrAN ISLAMABAD

P

Mian abrar

AKistAN People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari on tuesday urged the former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim league-Nawaz (PMl-N) supremo Nawaz sharif to return to Pakistan to strengthen the Pakistan democratic Movement (PdM). the two senior leaders spoke during a meeting of the anti-government alliance, wherein the former president told Nawaz that he must be ready to go to jail if they wish to fight against the establishment.

“Nawaz sharif sahab, if you are prepared to fight a war, you will have to return to your country,” a local news outlet quoted Zardari as saying.

Zardari said that he remained in jail for 14 years. he urged PMl-N supremo Nawaz sharif to return to the country at the earliest. he complained that PMl-N senator ishaq dar did not come to Pakistan to cast his vote in the senate election. “the struggle against the estab-

lishment should be aimed at achieving democratic stability, instead of settling personal scores,” Zardari told the meeting.

Nawaz, who attended the meeting through video link, was told that he needs to return whether the PdM moves forward with a long march or a no-confidence motion. Zardari further said that Nawaz’s presence was extremely important to secure sup-

port from Punjab.

Zardari said that the PPP “is ready to fight until its last breath”, adding how he “gave powers to the parliament and approved the NFC (National Finance Commission Award) for which my party and i were punished”. speaking to Nawaz about the idea of mass resignations, Zardari maintained that such a move would

only help Prime Minister imran Khan and the members of the Pakistan tehreek-e-insaf (Pti) government.

“Mian sahab if you want en masse resignations then not only us, everyone will have to go to jail.” he further stated that no move would be made to divide the parties of the PdM, emphasising that their war is within the parliament, not from the mountains. “when you return to Pakistan, we will hand over our resignations to you,” Zardari added, urging both Nawaz sharif and ishaq dar to return.

PdM chief Maulana Fazlur rehman and former premier Nawaz sharif had asked Zardari to agree to their unanimous demand for submitting resignations before launching of the long march on March 26. however, according to sources in the PdM, Zardari while addressing the PdM meeting through a video link, blew away the PdM’s top leaders by asking Nawaz to end his self-exile in london and return to Pakistan to lead the long march.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

SC upholds ECP Daska re-election order

ISLAMABAD staff report

the supreme Court (sC) on tuesday declined a request to declare as void the decision of the election Commission of Pakistan (eCP) on the contentious by-election for NA-75 (sialkot-iV), a seat in daska tehsil of the city. last month, the electoral process regulator had ordered re-polling in the entire constituency

after suspecting that the results of some polling stations had been compromised. on March 5, Pakistan tehreek-e-insaf (Pti) candidate Ali Asjad Malhi, who had contested the election, moved the apex court against the order, saying the order was “clearly contrary to law and facts of the case”. in tuesday’s verdict, Justice umar Ata Bandial said the top court would “not overturn the eCP’s decision”, ordering that “re-election in the con-

stituency would be held under any condition”. the judge, when requested by the complainant to set aside the eCP order, rejected the request and said re-polling will take place, but it is yet to be determined if it will happen in the entire constituency or in certain polling stations. the judge further said the court “respected constitutional institutions” and would look at every aspect of the matter.

Justice Qazi Muhammad Ameen, another member of the bench, said it was the responsibility of the district administration to stop violence at polling stations. At this, the Pti counsel told the court the dro did not lay any blame on the civil administration, yet the election commission wanted to hold re-elections in the entire constituency.

At this point, Justice Bandial intervened and observed that a lack of police personnel led to violence in polling stations. he further said the general elections in 2018 were held peacefully because of the posting of rangers. they were not posted in the constituency by the election commission which he said was a mistake. the counsel for the eCP informed the court Punjab police chief inam ghani had not submitted his response which was sought by the commission. “is this the cooperation and respect that security agencies have for the eCP?” Justice Bandial wondered.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

FBR track and trace system necessary to end tax evasion: PM g

'uNtil this systeM is iN PlACe, we CANNot stoP tAx eVAsioN' ISLAMABAD staff report

Prime Minister imran Khan on tuesday urged for making progress on the track and trace system of the Federal Board of revenue (FBr).

PM imran chaired the federal cabinet session in order to review the overall political, economic and coronavirus pandemic. he and the cabinet members expressed concerns over the rise in Covid-19 cases in Pakistan. the premier directed relevant authorities to ensure the implementation of coronavirus standard operating procedures (soPs). during the session, the premier urged for making progress on the track and trace system of the FBr. he maintained that FBr is making efforts to activate its track and trace system which is sabotaged every time.

“Approximately 40 per cent of cigarettes are sold [without paying taxes] which causes the country to suffer. For the past 15 years, the FBr has been trying to introduce the system, to bring in automation but it is sabotaged each and every time,” the prime minister said. he informed FBr has announced to make its track and trace system functional from June 1 but the sindh high Court (shC) issued a stay order.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

coroNavirus iN

PakistaN

CONFIRMED CASES:

609,964

LAST UPDATED AT 7:40 AM ON MARCH 16, 2021

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

MORE INSIDE

NCOC raises alarm as Covid-19 positivity rate reaches 7.1pc STORY ON BACK PAGE NAB dismisses Maryam’s allegations as pack of lies STORY ON PAGE 02 Sindh cabinet decides to engage private hospitals, labs for Covid-19 mass vaccination STORY ON PAGE 03

58

RECOVERED:

NEW CASES:

2,511 DEATHS:

573,014 13,595 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

261,582

188,225

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

76,379 11,089 / 4,961

19,233

48,495

02

Wednesday, 17 March, 2021

NEWS

ECP rejects PPP request against Imran over uplift funds announcement ISLAMABAD

LAHORE

NAB dIsmIssEs mAryAm’s AllEgAtIoNs As PACk of lIEs

Staff RepoRt

LAHORE

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday rejected as non-maintainable a petition of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) against the proposal to release uplift funds for MPs and involved Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, counsel for the PPP, had submitted a request against the prime minister, claiming the lawmakers were given “bribes” in the form of development funds thereby violating the code of election conduct.

A three-member commission headed by election commission’s member from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Irshad Qaiser conducted the hearing wherein Bukhari appeared. Bukhari argued that Imran met MPs after the announcement of the Senate election schedule.

In doing so, he argued, the prime minister violated Section-181 of the Election Act. The violation of the election code by Imran was tantamount to insulting the ECP on which the commission can impose a sentence of three years and a fine of up to Rs100,000, he said.

“The code of conduct only mentions the president and governors, not the prime minister,” said a member of the commission.

At this, Bukhari said the commission possessed the power to take notice of the announcement to grant funds. he further said four ruling MPs confessed to receiving funds during a television programme and the commission should send notices to them and the premier.

The ECP observed the election code of conduct does not mention the release of funds by the prime minister. Bukhari responded the PM had explicitly assured the MPs he would give them Rs500 million in development funds. ECP also asked about the petition filed in the Supreme Court. Bukhari said it had been disposed of. In February, the Supreme Court disposed of a suo motu case involving the matter after the government denied reports of the premier announcing the allocation of funds. After hearing the arguments, the commission rejected the petition.

tLtp

Pakistan wants to promote bilateral ties with Bangladesh: President ALVI URGES THE NEED TO ENHANCE BILATERAL CULTURAL AND POLITICAL EXCHANGES ISLAMABAD app

President Arif Alvi highlighted the need for stronger economic and cultural ties with Bangladesh on Tuesday. The president was meeting the Pakistani High Commissioner in Bangladesh Imran Ahmad Siddiqui to discuss ties between the two states. “Pakistan attaches high value to its relations with Bangladesh,” said the president, adding that Islamabad wanted to expand cooperation with Dhaka through political consultations and the Joint Economic Commission forum.

President Alvi directed the Pakistani high commissioner to work towards strengthening ties between the two countries. He said trade ties, business cooperation and relations between people of the two countries should be increased for the mutual benefit of the two nations.

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HE National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday dismissed the recent statement of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, by terming it an attempt to halt the ongoing investigations against the Sharif family in Chaudhry Sugar Mills and money laundering cases.

Responding to allegations levelled

by Maryam Nawaz against the NAB after it moved Lahore High Court (LHC) to seek cancellation of her bail, the bureau in its declaration said that Maryam tried to create differences among the institutions.

“Statements against NAB and judiciary had been given in the past and the attack over NAB Lahore office last year is evidence of it.”

The NAB Lahore office was pelted with stones under an organised plan.

Terming the statements of Maryam Nawaz as a pure lie, the anti-graft body, in its press statement, has asserted that the PML-N leader tried to give the impression that NAB cases are politically motivated.

“The NAB is an independent institution and striving to eliminate corruption from the country without any discrimination,” said the statement, adding mega corruption cases will be brought to a logical end.

The primary purpose of these statements was to create obstacles in, and influence, the investigation of cases related to corruption and money laundering against the Sharif family besides promoting conditions that were detrimental to peace, the handout said.

“Through such statements, Maryam Nawaz had been trying to get herself acquitted in ongoing investigations against herself and bring the institutions to a point of confrontation,” it said.

The bureau claimed that Maryam had “challenged law and order by giving inciteful speeches”, citing the violence that had erupted during her appearance at the NAB Lahore office in August last year.

It recalled that a first information report (FIR) had also been registered against Maryam and party workers for the clash in which many people, including some officials, were injured.

However, NAB had decided not to summon Maryam “for a while, keeping in view the overall political situation, her political activities and national interests”.

It claimed that Maryam had taken “undue advantage” of the delay by “constantly challenging the accountability process”. An effort was also made during this time to “make fun of the respectable courts’ past judgements”, it added.

The PML-N leader’s statements outside accountability courts at different times showed “a plan of extremism”, NAB said. This was akin to giving the public a “false impression”, according to which NAB’s summoning and questioning of Maryam were given a political colour, the press release stated.

“NAB considers it important to clarify that Maryam did not only discuss the institution’s petition in the court in a very wrong way but tried to distort the facts.

“NAB is a national institution that believes in taking constitutional and legal steps on the basis of justice and merit according to its mandate and will continue to do so. NAB is not affiliated with any political party and all its steps are associated with the benefit of Pakistan and its people,” it concluded.

On Monday, the LHC had served a notice on PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz in a NAB request seeking to cancel her bail in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) reference.

In November 2019, the high court granted post-arrest bail to Maryam in the reference but directed her to surrender her passport as the prosecution feared she might flee the country.

Islamabad to raise issue of hydropower projects on Chenab with Delhi ISLAMABAD tLtp

Pakistan’s Indus Water Commission will raise the issue of controversial hydropower projects built on the Chenab River by India during the annual meeting of the commission on March 23-24.

Pakistan Commissioner for Indus Waters (PCIW) Syed Muhammad Mehr Ali Shah told a private news channel that the Pakistani delegation will leave for New Delhi on March 22 where the meeting would take place.

Shah will head the Pakistani delegation whereas the Indian side will be led by PK Saxena.

“Controversial projects of 1000 MW Pakkal Dal and 48 MW Lower Kalnai will be discussed during the twoday meeting. Pakistan has already raised objections to the design of these projects,” he said, adding that two more water projects -Darbuk and Nemochaling – will also come

under discussion.

The top official of the Indus Water Commission said that the issue of delaying flood data will also be raised with New Delhi. “India has been violating the Indus Basin Agreement in providing flood data for 2 years.

Pakistan wants daily flood data from July 1 to October 10,” Shah noted.

The Pakistani delegation will include representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, WAPDA, Meteorology, Attorney General Office, and Irrigation Department.

The meeting is taking place after a hiatus of nearly three years. The last meeting was held in Lahore in August 2018. The last year’s meeting, which was earlier scheduled to be held in New Delhi in March 2020, was cancelled in view of the pandemic situation. Under the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty, both the commissioners are required to meet at least once a year alternately in India and Pakistan.

Govt made ECP resignation demand to ‘escape’ funding case verdict: Abbasi ISLAMABAD INp

Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday said the government demanded the resignation of chief election commissioner (CEC) and

Last week, the dirty money watchdog challenged the bail in the court, adopting a stance that the PML-N leader is taking “undue benefit” of her freedom and has withdrawn her cooperation in the probe into her assets despite being offered a reprieve.

During the proceedings on Monday, a NAB prosecutor, Faisal Raza Bokhari, had told the court that Maryam is out on bail and is issuing statements targeting state institutions.

Maryam, he had said, is not cooperating with the agency in its investigations into her assets and has not provided relevant documents required for the probe.

Subsequently, the court had directed Maryam to submit her response by April 7 and adjourned the proceedings ‘NAB NOT AUTHORISED TO JUDGE MY STATEMENTS’: Speaking to reporters the same day, before leaving from her Jati Umra residence for the hearing, Maryam had hit back at the agency for “making an issue about my statements”. “[…] your job was to supposedly stop rampant corruption. Now that you’ve failed in that [sic], have you changed your responsibilities?” she had said.

Since institutions such as the military and the courts had their own spokespersons, who had appointed NAB as their spokesperson, she had asked.

NAB had in its petition submitted to the high court on Saturday had accused Maryam of non-compliance with its directives. In her talk on Monday, she had said the bureau had uttered a “great lie” about her obstructing the investigation.

“I presented myself at the NAB office for the hearing,” she had said, adding that the institution resorted to delaying tactics and did not attend to her.

“For three months on the pretext of investigations you kept me in NAB and what did you do?” Maryam had asked, adding that nothing but trivial and unrelated questions had been asked of her.

She had claimed NAB had still not been able to successfully register a reference against her over the charges she had been arrested for.

Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) members to avoid an “imminent decision” in the foreign funding case against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Talking to reporters in Islamabad, Abbasi said the cabinet “attacking” the electoral process regulator is an “unprecedented development”.

“The government, rather than accepting its defeat in the recent Senate elections, chose to order the ECP to step down,” Abbasi said, claiming: “An imminent decision in the foreign funding case is the reason behind the demand”.

He further said the government is aware the commission’s decision will be against it.

“It would be proven [through the verdict] PTI received funding from prohibited sources and the funds were transferred to [then-chairman PTI] Imran Khan’s personal bank accounts.”

Abbasi termed the reported discovery of spy cameras during the election for Senate chairman and deputy chairman as a replay of

the 2018 general elections.

“If there were any moral standards in this country, the Senate chairman would have stepped down realising doesn’t have the majority,” he said.

To a question regarding the resignations of PML-N MPs from parliament, Abbasi said that the final decision will be taken by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

“The party has not given assurances to anyone in this regard.”

Regarding the mistreatment meted out to prime minister’s aide Shahbaz Gill Monday, Abbasi said: “It shouldn’t have happened in the first place, but such actions are always feared for those who badmouth others.”

Wednesday, 17 March, 2021

LAHORE

NEWS

03

sINdh CABINEt dECIdEs to ENgAgE PrIvAtE hosPItAls, lABs for CovId-19 mAss vACCINAtIoN KARACHI

t

BODY FORMED TO ASSESS FINANCIAL DISCIPLINE OF LOCAL BODIES, KDA

ppI

HE Sindh cabinet has decided to engage private hospitals and laboratories in the Covid-19 Mass Vaccination programme and to encourage the private health sector to import vaccines, allocate human resources and establish vaccination centres, especially in Karachi. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah at CM House on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by provincial ministers, the law advisor, the chief secretary and other concerned secretaries.

The health department told the cabinet that during the Covid-19 pandemic, the provincial response to combat coronavirus was characterized by a mixed public and private delivery of care.

The private health sector played a critical role in providing essential health services, especially when the public sector was so overwhelmed with Covid patients, and catered for the need to test patients for Covid-19 as well as the isolation and treatment of patients who required hospitalization and critical care.

On the receipt of the first consignment of the Sinopharm vaccine, the provincial government started its vaccination drive to inoculate frontline healthcare workers against Covid-19 in the first phase.

Recently, the vaccination of 60 plus general population has begun, and, in the next phase, mass vaccination of all ages

above 18 will be initiated.

This will require the involvement of the private health care sector to shoulder the efforts of the health department to vaccinate every eligible resident of the province, the cabinet was told.

The chief minister said that the government must seek the commitment, capability and capacity of the private sector to import the vaccine to fulfil this national duty in the most effective and efficient manner, for the relief of citizens and in a bid to help the country to return to normalcy.

The cabinet allowed the health department to engage private hospitals and laboratories in Covid-19 Mass Vaccination and encourage the private health sector to import Covid-19 vaccines.

The chief minister directed the health department to formulate standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the purpose along with registration mechanism under the Sindh Health Care Commission (SPSC) so that everything, including the price of the vaccine, could remain under control.

The cabinet was told that the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) had forwarded a list of 958 eligible candidates (male and female) and recommended for the appointment as staff nurses, BS-16.

After their appointment, the SPSC has sent a list of nine nurses, among whom the Pakistan Nursing Council certificates (PNC) of six candidates were after the cut off date,

while in the case of three others PNC certificates were not attached.

The chief minister directed the health department not to terminate or withdraw their appointment order but convert their order into a contract. The cabinet endorsed the chief minister’s directives.

The cabinet was told that the Letters of Administration and Succession Certificate Bill, 2021, duly passed by the assembly in January 2021 was sent to the governor for an accord of assent thereto. The governor has returned the bill with some observations.

The governor is of the opinion that if all the legal heirs are required for biometric verification for succession certificate, it will create problems for the legal heirs living abroad.

The cabinet keeping in view the observations of the Sindh governor referred the bill back to the committee for reconsideration.

The local government department requested the cabinet to approve a loan of Rs844.159 million to clear outstanding dues of the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) which would be paid back after the auction of KDA plots.

The chief minister said that the KDA, local bodies and market committees were autonomous bodies and they have their established system to pay their salaries, gratuity and pension to their retiring or retired employees from their resources.

He questioned why these bodies have failed or maintained their financial discipline and off and on keep requesting the provincial government for grant-in-aid to pay their pensions.

The chief minister asked where their pension fund was and how they have invested and utilized it. The cabinet, keeping in view the questions raised by the chief minister, constituted a committee under Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Shah. The other members would be Ismail Rahu, Saeed Ghani, Imtiaz Shaikh and Murtaza Wahab.

The committee would examine the pension funds of KDA, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), DMCs, other local bodies, market committees and other such organizations and look into how they have invested it and why they have bogged down in such a serious financial crisis and report to the cabinet.

The organizations which were overstaffed would also be identified and a proposal for developing a `surplus pool’ would also be submitted so that they could be absorbed somewhere else.

The provincial cabinet in November 2019 had approved the establishment of Special Courts under Sindh Building Control Ordinance (SBCO-1979) at divisional headquarters.

The cabinet, with the concurrence of the Sindh High Court (SHC) chief justice (CJ),

NAPHDA proposes escrow account for routing payment for low-cost housing unit ISLAMABAD Shahzad paRacha

The Naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority (NAPHDA) has proposed an escrow account for routing all transfers and payments, including the payment of a cost subsidy of Rs300,000 for a low-cost housing unit.

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet on Wednesday under the chair of the Federal finance minister will take up the summary of NAPHDA with regard to the cost subsidy for housing units.

The NAPHDA through the cabinet division has submitted new proposals to ECC pertaining to eligibility criteria, modalities for payment of cost subsidy, payment of cost subsidy on beheld of the allottees, and other entities like Workers Welfare Fund.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: The NAPHDA board last month approved eligibility criteria for Nava Pakistan Housing Program (NPHP).

It excluded unverified, incorrect or blocked CNICs for NPHP. Moreover, only one application per family (which includes applicant, and applicant’s father, mother, spouse and dependent children), as well as only one application per CNIC, is allowed.

In addition, the clearance of NACTA, PTA and participating banks from a bankability [credit worthiness] point of view is also mandatory.

Moreover, NAPHDA shall also obtain the consent of the verified bankable applicants to occupy low-cost

housing units at the proposed location and terms and conditions of loan on a prescribed form.

PAYMENT MECHANISM: As per the details, NAPHDA also proposed an escrow account, maintained with the participating bank or the lead bank – in case of a consortium of banks – which shall be used for routing all transfers and payments, including the payment of cost subsidy Rs300,000 per low-cost-housing unit, to be paid upfront by the government and the amount of down payment paid by the end/user/borrower.

SELECTIONS OF APPLICATIONS: The NAPHDA will share the list of applicants who fulfil the eligibility criteria as mentioned above, with the bank(s) for their credit assessment.

Subsequently, the bank(s), based on their selection criteria, select applicants for extension of financing and share the list with NAPHDA. In addition to this, the department will ballot the list of eligible/willing applicants shared by banks to select allottees and share the list back with banks.

Furthermore, The Banks shall process/sign loan agreement(s)/document(s) with eligible applicants (borrowers) for providing a loan equal to the cost of the housing fewer Rs. 300,000 and the amount contributed by the borrower as a down payment. The Banks (through Lead Bank in case of consortium’ shall provide to NAPHDA, list of the borrowers.

RELEASE OF ACCOUNT: The NAPHDA will submit a Sanction Letter (along with approved

CoAs, IsI chief laud air chief’s contribution in making PAf second to none RAWALPINDI tLtp

Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Faiz Hamid have thanked Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, Chief of Air Staff (CAS), for his contribution in enhancing the professional capability of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) during his illustrious career. According to the InterServices Public Relations (ISPR), Mujahid on his farewell visit called on General Qamar at General Headquarters (GHQ) on Tuesday. The army chief thanked the CAS for his services to the nation during a long and illustrious career. The COAS also appreciated air chief’s dynamic leadership and professionalism displayed during “Operation Swift Retort” and critical support rendered in fight against terrorism. The army chief told the air chief that because of his immense efforts and quality leadership, the PAF is a force second to none at present, said the military’s media wing. Earlier on arrival at GHQ, the CAS was presented a guard of honour at Yadgar-e-Shuhada.

applicants/allottee(s) borrowers to the Finance Division for the release of subsidy funds (Rs. 300,000/- per allottee/borrowers].

Finance Division (Expenditure Wing) shall endorse the Sanction Letter to Accountant General Pakistan Revenue (AGPR) subsequently, the AGPR shall issue Sealed Authority of the sanctioned amount in favour of participating bank for Lead Bank in case of consortium) to be credited in the Project Account (Escrow Account).

RELEASE OF PAYMENT FROM THE PROJECT ESCROW ACCOUNT: The NAPHDA shall decide construction milestones along with the schedule of payments to the selected builders and convey the same to the participating bank.

The builder will approach NAPHDA for the release of payment from the escrow account with documentary proof of achievement of the construction milestone, which shall have been verified beforehand by the consultant.

IN CASE OF DEFAULT: The amount of cost subsidy shall be treated as equity participation for a mortgage in each case, and shall be liable to be repossessed by the federal government in the event of default by the borrower. Similarly, the ownership of under-construction property will be transferred to allottee(s) in case of default of a builder/ developer.

It is pertinent to note that the government will provide Rs 300,000 for each house for the first 100,000 units of the NPHP.

Seven killed in Balochistan coal mine incident QUETTA Staff RepoRt

At least five miners and two rescue officials died of suffocation after methane gas accumulated in a coal mine in Quetta, officials said Tuesday.

The fire took place at a mine in Harnai late on Monday, said Sohail Anwer Hashmi, an official with the provincial government, Al Jazeera reported.

“The miners entered inside the mine to fill the cracks caused by [the] fire, but they died of asphyxia caused by the deadly methane gas,” Hashmi said.

“The coal miners were working 1,400 feet [427 metres] deep inside the mine when the incident [was] reported,” he said.

The bodies were recovered after rescue operations through the night, Hashmi said.

It was the second mine disaster in the region within a week. Last week, six miners were killed in a blast at a coal mine in minerals-rich Balochistan.

The dead were among eight miners trapped about 1,000 feet underground when accumulating methane gas exploded at the coal field in Marwar.

In the past year alone, 102 coal miners have been killed in Balochistan in 72 different incidents, Sultan Muhammad Lala, president of the Balochistan Coal Mines Workers Federation, said.

Lala said the government and mine owners were not ensuring safe working conditions at the sites. An explosion caused by methane gas at another coal mine in Marwar in May 2018 killed 20 workers. In August that year, another methane-fueled explosion in Quetta killed seven.

In 2011, 45 coal miners were killed by a methane gas explosion, also in Balochistan.

approved the proposal that the sitting district & sessions judges of districts in Karachi Division, in addition to their own work in their respective districts, would the powers to exercise the jurisdiction within their territorial limits, as vested with judges of Special Courts under Sindh Building Control Ordinance, 1979.

The provincial cabinet, on the recommendation of the National Coordination Committee on Housing, Construction and Development to reduce registration fee on a mortgage for low-cost housing projects approved a reduction in mortgage fee.

Under the approved proposal, mortgages under Rs1 million would be Rs1500, Rs 1 million to Rs5 million Rs3000 and over Rs5 million Rs10,000.

At the request of the health department, the provincial cabinet approved Rs300 million Grant-in-Aid in favour of Aman Health care Services for a period of six months, January 2021 to June 2021 for the continuation of operations of Sindh Rescue and Medical Services.

The cabinet also directed the health department to get a new company registered so that funding issues could be resolved for good.

The provincial cabinet decided to allot 20 acres of land to Dawoodi Bohra Community for their graveyard near Gadap at a rate of Rs7.5 million.

NAB response sought on PPP leader’s plea to remove name from ECl KARACHI INp

Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday served notices on National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director general, Passport director-general, Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP), and others in Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Nisar Khuhro’s petition seeking removal of his name from the Exit Control List (ECL). Khuhro had moved a petition in the high court seeking the removal of his name from the no-fly list. In the petition, the PPP leader said he wanted to go to the United States to meet his family living there as his wife and children have contracted coronavirus.

The federal government placed his name on the basis of dishonest practices and the ongoing inquiry of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was an act of political vengeance, read the petition. The PPP leader pleaded with the court to order the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to remove his name from the list. The SHC after issuing notices to the respondents sought a response by 24 March. Khuhro, who served as the food minister, is facing a number of graft cases including alleged irregularities in wheat procurement, assets beyond income, and misuse of power instituted by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). He is also being investigated over his alleged involvement in money laundering.

korean embassy showcases cultural costumes ISLAMABAD MIaN aBRaR

With an ambition to showcase the rich cultural heritage for the Pakistani people, the embassy of the Republic of Korea held an exhibition of Korean traditional cultural costumes on Wednesday. In the expo titled ‘Korean Culture Day’, the traditional costumes of South Korea were displayed. Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, Suh Sangpyo, has been strongly advocating and promoting people-to people contact between Pakistan and Korea. Korea has a very unique culture, which makes it distinct from the other countries. Though Korea is developing very fast on modern lines, its people are proud of their cultural heritage, family values, food and traditional attires. The expo afforded a chance for the people of Pakistan and the diplomatic community to take a closer look at the Korean culture.

04

Wednesday, 17 March, 2021

NEWS

Three children found dead at home in Quetta QUETTA

LAHORE

KP govT decIdes To close schools In nIne dIsTRIcTs due To suRge In coRona cases

STaff rePorT

PESHAWAR

Three children were found dead in a house in the New Sariab area of Quetta on Tuesday. According to the police, unidentified persons broke into the house of Ataullah, a clerk at the provincial education department, in New Sariab and murdered three young boys — Hasnain, Zain, and Aqsa — with a sharp instrument, and injured a girl, Kashmala. The victims’ throats were slit, they added. Kashmala’s condition is said to be critical. The children are aged between six and 12 years, the police said. The police said Ataullah and his wife were not home when the children were slaughtered and neither was their domestic helper. The worker was, however, arrested for questioning. The police reached the scene and shifted the bodies to a nearby hospital for medicolegal formalities.

iNP

The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has decided to close schools in nine districts of the province due to a surge in coronavirus cases.

The decision was taken in a meeting of the provincial task force for coronavirus in Peshawar on Tuesday.

The committee members include Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra, Shaukat Yousafzai and Kamran Bangash.

The task force decided closure of schools in Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Kohat, Malakand, Swat and Lower Dir. It took the decision to shut academic sessions at the schools as the positivity rate of Covid-19 cases was recorded above 10 per cent.

During a briefing, the task force members were told that the current positivity rate

of coronavirus cases stands at 1 per cent in southern districts.

The task force granted conditional per-

mission to organise the Dera Jat festival and a jeep rally. According to the decision, the relevant authorities will shut all programme

in case of any violation of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for Covid-19.

Mahmood Khan said that the provincial authorities are taking necessary steps to curb the spread of the virus and asked the citizens to strictly follow the SOPs. He added that the nation could cope with the challenge of the pandemic by exhibiting responsibility.

Meanwhile, Pakistan on Tuesday purchased coronavirus vaccines from China for the first time. According to the health ministry sources, the Pakistani authorities have signed an agreement with Chinese company Sinopharm for vaccines.

The company will provide the vaccine to Pakistan in phases. The sources told that frontline health workers and elderly people will get vaccinated on priority basis.

It is to be mentioned here that the campaign to vaccinate people above 60 years and health workers against coronavirus is already underway.

FIR of Karachi blast registered KARACHI STaff rePorT

The counter-terrorism department (CTD) registered a first information report (FIR) against unidentified terrorists on Tuesday, a day after a remote-controlled bomb went off near a vehicle carrying Rangers personnel in Karachi. One soldier lost his life in the roadside blast while 11 others, mostly pedestrians, received wounds, the authorities said. The case was lodged by a Rangers official under sections related to terrorism, murder, and attempt to murder. According to the FIR, when the Rangers vehicle reached Orangi Town-5 check post, a bomb, planted in a parked motorcycle, exploded. The FIR said two militants can be seen in the CCTV footage. “The suspects after parking the motorcycle went away to stand at a distant place,” it further said. Militants from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the blast in a statement. The group has been involved in terrorist activities in Balochistan, targeting security forces and infrastructure and mineral extraction projects. Last June, the BLA took responsibility for an attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), also in Karachi, where four militants armed with guns and grenades killed two guards and a policeman before security forces killed them. In a related development, the funeral of the martyred troop, Roshan Solangi, was offered at his hometown of Naushahro Feroze. Rangers officials and locals attended the prayer.

LAHORE: Workers stage a protest for their demands at the 7 Club Road in the provincial capital. Zubair MehfooZ

SC suspends BHC verdict against clauses of DHA Act ISLAMABAD TLTP

The Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended the Balochistan High Court’s (BHC) verdict that had declared several provisions of the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Act, 2015 unconstitutional.

A three-member bench of the apex court, comprising Justices Umar Ata Bandial, Qazi Amin Ahmed and Mazahir Hussain Naqvi, granted leave to appeal against the BHC judgement in a petition filed by DHA Quetta.

Makhdoom Ali Khan, senior advocate appearing for the petitioner, submitted that Article 24 of the Constitution permitted the acquisition of property for a public purpose. The DHA was acting in the public interest and all the allotments were made to members of the public by ballot, he maintained.

He submitted that the BHC had itself acknowledged that the society was working in the

interest of the people and many other societies were doing poor quality work. He stressed that the statute merely authorised the DHA to exercise municipal functions and develop master plans in areas that had been procured, purchased, leased or acquired by it.

The BHC had not appreciated this aspect of the case, Khan said. Developing master plans for or performing municipal functions in lands that were those of the DHA was only proper and there was nothing unconstitutional about it, he argued. The counsel submitted that the major premise of the full-court judgement was that the DHA Act 2015 was in conflict with the Land Acquisition Act. The high court had incorrectly concluded that the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 was a federal law and that it being in conflict with the DHA Act, 2015 was unconstitutional as per Articles 141 to 143 of the Constitution, he argued.

He submitted that since the Government of India Act, 1935, the Land Acquisition Act has been a provincial, not a federal statute. Therefore, there was no conflict between a federal and a provincial statute. No article of the Constitution was, thus, violated, Khan underscored.

He further submitted that the DHA Act, in any event, provided that the authority will act in accordance with the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act so the question of any conflict did not arise.

As the counsel urged that the entire operation of the DHA has been paralysed and its work stopped, causing the authority and its customers tremendous hardship, the court suspended the full-court judgement of the BHC. Earlier, a full court of the BHC comprising all its five judges had declared several provisions of the DHA Act, 2015 unconstitutional. The high court had declared that the DHA was like a non-government agency and therefore, acquisition of property by it would violate the constitutional right to property. It had also held that the DHA could not be allowed to develop its own master plans or perform other municipal functions.

The power of the authority to declare a specified area in which development could be carried out was also held unconstitutional. The BHC judgement had resulted in all development work ongoing in DHA Quetta at the time being halted.

TikTok to remain blocked until removal of immoral content: PHC PESHAWAR TLTP

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has ruled that TikTok, a short video streaming application, will remain blocked until a mechanism is devised to remove “immoral and indecent” content from the app.

A two-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid, issued a threepage written order on Tuesday.

“No doubt, it is apparently merely an application just for entertainment but over the period, it has become an addiction to which mostly the younger generation has fallen prey. Inspired by the TikTok application, there are even reports

of some teenagers having committed suicide,” the bench noted in the verdict.

“Due to such activities, the TikTok application has been banned by some of the Muslim countries and certain other countries as well.”

The bench directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to block the app “until and unless some mechanism is devised to filter the material which is immoral and indecent and goes against our norms and ethics.”

Earlier on March 11, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) ruled in favour of a man who petitioned it to ban the video sharing app TikTok on moral grounds.

The ban issued by the Peshawar High

Court will remain in place until TikTok takes action against objectionable content, Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan said. The court ruled that the ban should be applied starting from March 11.

“The kind of videos being uploaded on TikTok are not acceptable for our society as they are spreading obscenity and must be stopped immediately,” the PHC CJ remarked during the hearing.

Justice Rashid inquired from DG PTA whether the social media app would be affected if it was banned.

Replying in the affirmative to the court, the director general said, “We had requested the management of the app to control immoral content but no positive

response had been received so far”. He added that the country’s youth was being affected by the social media platform and he termed the reports regarding the platform “sad”.

The court also inquired on the location from which the platform was being operated from, to which DG PTA replied that the head office of TikTok was located in Singapore; however, the application is operated from its Dubai office. He added that the platform has no office in Pakistan.

The PHC then ordered the closure of the social media platform till its management processes PTA’s request regarding moderation of obscene content.

Wednesday, 17 March, 2021

LAHORE

NEWS

SC upholds ECP Daska re-election order contInueD froM pAge 01 In a statement issued following the by-election, the election commission said Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja had contacted Punjab Chief Secretary Jawad Rafique Malik after reports of returning officers going missing had emerged. Malik assured Raja that the results would be sent after tracing the “missing” officers and polling bags but soon after, he made himself “unavailable”.

According to a report by the Interior Secretary Yousaf Naseem Khokhar, “terror was spread in the constituency because of clashes,” the counsel further informed the court.

But the counsel said the “conditions in the constituency were the same as before” which is why it had extended the date for re-polling to April 10 from March 18. Justice Ameen observed the culture of violence during elections needs to be ended. The hearing of the case was adjourned until March 19.

DELAYED RESULTS: In a statement a day after the byelection, the election commission said it received the results of the constituency with “unnecessary delay”. It said it had tried to contact the presiding officers (POs) several times to ascertain the situation but achieved no success. “The chief election commissioner tried to contact the Punjab inspector general of police, commissioner and deputy commissioner on receiving information from the district returning officer (DRO) and returning officer (RO) so the whereabouts of the presiding officers concerned could be ascertained but received no response,” read a statement issued by ECP. The presiding officers appeared along with the polling bags around six in the morning the following day, the statement said. “The DRO and RO of the NA-75 (Sialkot) constituency informed [the ECP] that there is a suspicion of falsification in the results from 20 polling stations.

Therefore, it is not possible to release the initial results without a complete inquiry. The DRO is sending a complete report on the matter to the Election Commission.” The statement said the ECP had stopped the DRO and RO from announcing the initial results for the by-election, directing them to conduct a complete inquiry and identify those responsible for the delay.

SECP warns public against investing in ‘All Pakistan Projects’ ISLAMABAD TLTP

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has warned the general public against investing in ‘All Pakistan Projects’. In a statement on Tuesday, the SECP said that in view of various complaints and queries received about ‘All Pakistan Projects’, it has emerged that the entity is offering lucrative investment packages through its website. “The general public is being informed that All Pakistan Projects is not registered with the SECP. However, it has been noted that a few individuals, whose names are appearing on the website of the entity, are directors/members of the registered companies including: APP Projects and Real Estate (Private) Limited; AITS Traders (SMC-Private) Limited; APP Restaurants & Cafe (Private) Limited; APP Riders (Private) Limited; and APP Shopping Mall (Private) Limited.” As previously clarified, mere registration of a company with the SECP does not necessarily mean that these companies can invite or accept deposits from the public, the commission maintained. “In view of the above, the general public is advised in their own interest, to refrain from investing their hard-earned savings in unauthorised schemes and verify the legitimacy of any investment scheme before investing.” The SECP said that it regularly issues warnings and alerts to guide the general public to refrain from investing in fraudulent investment schemes that promise hefty profits and unrealistic returns. As clearly covered in Section 84 of the Companies Act, 2017, inviting and accepting deposits from the public is a prohibited activity, and can only be offered by specialised companies duly authorised by the SECP or State Bank of Pakistan.

05

CAbInEt APPrOvES DrAft PrOtOCOl On AmEnDmEntS In PAk-ruSSIA IGA On nSGP ISLAMABAD

t

AHMAD AHMADANI

HE federal cabinet has approved the draft protocol on amendments in Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) between Pakistan and Russia on North-South Gas Pipeline (NSGP) Project, it was learnt on Tuesday.

According to sources, the Petroleum Division, in a summary titled 'NSGP project – approval of protocol on the agreement between Govt of Pakistan (GoP) and the Russian Federation', had sought an approval from the federal cabinet.

"So far, the assignment account for NSGP has been opened and the GIDC Board has approved the release of sufficient funds to meet project requirements for the current fiscal year, whereas a draft shareholders agreement has also been prepared and shared with Russian Federation," an insider informed.

Similarly, NESPAK was being engaged as technical consultant for the project, subject to PPRA exemptions.

Moreover, the Sindh government had designated land acquisition collectors, whereas Punjab government was in the process of designating district-wise land acquisition collectors.

Following the submission of the NSGP implementation status by the Petroleum Division in light of the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s judgment dated 13th August 2020, the Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) directed the division to ensure that the timelines for NSGP should be adhered to and that GIDC should be utilised for NSGP in accordance with the directions of SC. Subsequently, the Petroleum Division proposed certain amendments in the IGA to Russian Federation. The two sides also formed their respective technical committees to finalize technical parameters of NSGP and negotiated

Zardari urges Nawaz to return to Pakistan; long march delayed contInueD froM pAge 01 “Be it a long march or a vote of no confidence (against Prime Minister Imran Khan), you (Nawaz Sharif) have to return home and lead as you are represent Punjab,” he said. “Don’t make decisions that will divide us,” remarked the PPP leader.

“I am not afraid of the establishment […]

When Shaheed Bibi (Benazir Bhutto) came Pakistan in 1986 and 2007, she mobilised the public and then started the march. The long march must be planned as it was done in 1986 and 2007,” Zardari reminded his colleagues.

He told the meeting that PPP was a democratic force and it had waged struggle against the establishment.

Defending her father, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz stressed that her father’s “life is in danger” and questioned how he could return under the circumstances. “Does Zardari sahab guarantee that my father’s life will not be in danger in Pakistan?”

Maryam then reportedly said that she is there “of her own accord”. “Just like you are on video link, so is Mian sahab,” she said.

She said that Nawaz’s life is “threatened under NAB custody” and that he had suffered “two heart attacks while in jail”.

Separately, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed told a local news station that Zardari doesn’t want his lawmakers to resign from the assemblies.

“He is not in favour of resigning from the assemblies and he has conveyed this message to Nawaz two or three days ago,” the minister said. Sharif won’t return to Pakistan “at any cost,” he added.

Rasheed said he had a meeting with PM Khan earlier in the morning and the premier made it clear that he wouldn’t bow down before the opposition.

The government would allow the opposition to stage a sit-in or hold a long march as long as they remain in constitutional bounds, he said.

Similarly, Special Assistant to the Punjab Chief Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Tuesday said the opposition alliance is unable to decide about resignations even after six months.

The special aide took to Twitter and termed the alliance as a group of the corrupt. The opportunist and corrupt godfathers having ugly political faces talk about taking the country out of crises, she

added.

Firdous said every member of PDM wants to control the alliance by proving themselves as the biggest leader. Imran Khan will remain the prime minister until 2023 regardless of PDM’s long march and resignations, she stressed.

According to PPP sources, Zardari later apologised to Maryam, to which Maryam responded by saying: “It was never my intent to have you apologise. I merely considered myself a daughter to you and complained like Bakhtawar or Aseefa would.”

Addressing a press conference after the meeting of the PDM in Islamabad, JUI-F’s Fazlur Rehamn announced that the long march would be delayed due to differences between the member parties of the anti-government coalition.

“We have given them the chance and we will await their decision. Until then, the March 26 long march will be considered postponed,” Fazl said.

Rehman left the press conference abruptly following the announcement, and did not stop when Maryam called him out to take questions.

Asked whether the PDM had “ended practically”, Maryam said: “PDM is standing in front of you. […] We are also standing with each other and will cooperate.”

Meanwhile, talking about the PDM’s meeting, Nawaz told reporters in London that the long march “was set to be held on its time”, but the PPP had sought time to discuss the issue of the resignation in its Central Executive Committee (CEC) due to “reasons you already know”.

IMRAN SAYS MARCH NO THREAT: “Let them have their wish of staging a long march… it’s no threat to our government. If the opposition is serious then it should negotiate with the government over electoral reforms in the parliament,” PM Imran said during the meeting of the federal cabinet in Islamabad.

Imran maintained that the PDM was a movement with the sole purpose of protecting the personal goals and “corruption of its leaders”. He stated that the PDM was only creating havoc within the country.

Terming the Electoral Voting Machines (EVMs) vital for a transparent election in the country, the premier said that the accusations of rigging can only be eliminated after the introduction of EVMs.

the protocol amendments to the IGA. Likewise, meetings of the Joint RussiaPakistan Technical Committee (JTC) were held from 16th to 18th November, 2020, in Islamabad, besides video conferences on various subsequent dates.

The JTC finalized the protocol on the amendments to the IGA, subject to approval from respective governmental authorities.

Although the IGA for the project was signed with Russia on 16th October, 2015, the progress on NSGP remained lackluster as both sides could not agree on a sanction-free and commercially viable Russian project-implementing agency.

Service plans $10m IPO to invest in Chinese tyre company ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Service Global Footwear Ltd, Pakistan’s largest shoe exporter, is planning an initial public offering in the domestic market to raise funds to invest in its parent’s tyre joint venture. Service Global Footwear is part of Service Industries Ltd, which has more than 13,000 employees and is known for its shoes and tires in the country, according to a media report. The footwear unit supplies brands including Inditex SA’s Zara, Levi Strauss & Co.’s Dockers and Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc’s Scholl. The business has an annual revenue of about $44 million and exports to European countries such as Germany, France and Italy. It has a capacity to produce 3.6 million pairs of shoes annually. A representative for Service Industries confirmed the details of its unit’s IPO plans. Service Global Footwear plans to use the IPO proceeds to buy about 20% stake in a joint venture set up by Service Industries and China’s Chaoyang Long March Tyre Co., Shahid Ali Habib, chief executive officer at Arif Habib Ltd., the sole adviser on the IPO said. “The business will manufacture truck and bus radial tires in Pakistan for export from a factory near Karachi. At a cost of about $250 million over seven years, it’s the largest investment in a tire manufacturing plant in the country.

The first phase will start operations in August.” The Lahore-based company plans to raise at least 1.6 billion rupees ($10 million) by offering 41 million shares at a floor price of 38 rupees each, Habib said.

“The price could be boosted by as much as 40%, meaning Service Global Footwear could raise as much as $14 million,” Habib added. “The company is scheduled to start taking investor orders as soon as the last week of March.” The shoemaker is joining a global rush to tap capital markets for funds, riding on strong investor sentiment.

FBR track and trace system necessary to end tax evasion: PM contInueD froM pAge 01 “Until this system is in place, we cannot stop tax evasion,” he said, directing the law minister to inform the SHC about the situation to get the stay order vacated. “Because of tax evasion, we have to rely on indirect taxes which leads to inflation.”

The premier stated that Rs400 billion tax was imposed only on the sugar industry for the last five years. He directed Farrukh Habib to hold consultations with the attorney general. The prime minister said that the court should be given all details about the importance of the track and trace system.

Moreover, PM Imran issued directives to give awareness of the electronic voting system in every cabinet meeting. He said that e-voting is inevitable for holding transparent elections.

Similarly, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said on Tuesday forensic audit of 10 loss-incurring entities would be held under the directives of the federal cabinet.

Addressing a press conference along with

Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar in Islamabad, he said Pakistan Railway, Sui Southern Gas Pipeline Company, Pakistan International Airlines were among the enterprises which were running in loss, adding that the audit would be completed

by June 30 this year. Briefing media persons after a federal cabinet meeting, Fawad said 51 out of 85 loss-making State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) have become profitable due to prudent policies of the government.

He said the PM has been personally monitoring the prices of daily use commodities and all possible steps were being taken to provide relief to the common man.

Fawad said when Pakistan Tehrik-eInsaf (PTI) came to power, the economy was in a shambles but the government had taken all possible steps to protect the poor segments of the society from the effects of inflation and price hike.

He maintained that the good news was that while Utility Stores Corporation (USC) was ruined during the previous regimes but due to efforts of the present government, it

would come out of loss by the end of the year.

The minister said the cabinet expressed its concern over the increasing incidents of the coronavirus and expressed the hope that Pakistan would also handle the third phase the way it had handled the first two phases.

He said the pandemic had played havoc with the health systems and economies of many developed countries but Pakistan due to timely action and effective policies was successful in saving the lives and livelihood of the people. Fawad said at the start of the meeting the premier highlighted the issue of transparency in the electoral system.

PTI had two important points in its manifesto which included accountability and transparency in elections. The prime minister directed for the introduction of an electronic voting system and also stressed that every week the cabinet should be apprised of the process of introduction of electronic voting machines. He said there were some political forces that would always dispute the election process but the government wanted to ensure transparency for the satisfaction of the general public.

He informed the cabinet gave approval to the proposal of appointment of Raja Mazhar as Managing Director of National Book Foundation. The cabinet also gave the approval to end the ban on issuance of prohibited and non-prohibited bore licenses of arms by approving the comprehensive license policy. He said the cabinet also discussed the issue of improper use of petroleum companies CSR. Now rules have been changed and the minister for petroleum has been authorised to monitor the entire process of CSR utilisation, Fawad said.

He said the cabinet gave approval to the proposal of issuing smart cards to registered Afghan refugees and this decision was part of the prime minister’s policy of providing relief to the poor people. The cabinet was informed that this year 400,000 new gas connections have been given whereas the target was 600,000 by the end of the current fiscal year.

The next year the target would be issuing 1.2 million new gas connections. He said so far only 27 per cent of residents had been provided piped gas facility whereas 67 per

cent were still without this important facility.

He said reforms were being done in the gas sector and a new system would be introduced to bring these 67 per cent in this regime.

He added the cabinet also briefed on structural reforms and it was decided that in the future latest audit paragraphs would come up before the public accounts committee to promote the timely process of parliamentary supervision and accountability.

Fawad said tax exemption was granted on auto-disable syringes to prevent the spread of various diseases. The federal cabinet also approved Ramazan Relief Package, worth Rs7.8 billion, to provide 19 essential items at subsidised rates to the common people during the holy month through the outlets of Utility Stores Corporation (USC).

Hammad said earlier this subsidy was available on five items only. He added that sales of the USC are likely to reach Rs100 billion this year and it is expected to earn some profit as well. “Under the Ramazan package, the prices of commodities will be reduced,” he maintained.

Wednesday, 17 March, 2021

06 COMMENT

Hate speech exhorting Hindus to exterminate Muslims

From the opposition’s media trial to the ECP’s Pressures on the Commission to resign

T

He election Commission of Pakistan’s verdict on the Daska polls, the stand taken in the Supreme Court by the Commission on the secret ballot, its refusal to disqualify Mr Yousuf raza Gilani and the latter’s subsequent victory led Prime Minister Imran Khan to heap all blame for his election woes on the eCP. An irate PM pointed an accusing finger at the eCP and thundered “You protected these criminals through secret ballot, you have damaged our democracy.” The PM even objected to the eCP, which is an independent and constitutional body, taking a stand in SC on the secret ballot being a constitutional requirement. On Tuesday three PTI ministers, with education Minister Shafqat Mahmud as spokesman, accused the eCP of failing to fulfill its responsibility to conduct free and fair elections that were not marred by corruption. Mr Mahmud made the speculative claim that the eCP had lost confidence of the people and all political parties were unhappy with it, a claim immediately rejected by a number of opposition leaders. The minister then preposterously demanded that all the five members of the eCP resign forthwith. The PTI had the option to file a reference against the eCP in the SC which is the only constitutional way of removing eCP members. This was not done by the government because it had no incriminating evidence against it. Instead it decided to conduct a media trial of the constitutional body.

In recent bye-polls, the PTI lost elections in all four provinces. Unable to explain its electoral upsets to its supporters, the PTI leadership decided to use the eCP as a scapegoat. This is unhelpful as unless one discovers the real weaknesses that have caused a failure—- and in this case these are bad economic policies that are widely resented—-one is likely to fail again. The PTI conducts the media trial of its political opponents with a sinister purpose: to malign and discredit them and to create disrespect and public hatred against them. Leveling irresponsible charges against a constitutional body is tantamount to harming its credibility.

One expects the eCP to vigorously defend its report on gross violations of the code of conduct in the Daska by-polls in the Supreme Court. A continuous refusal to submit to pressures from all sides would add to the eCP’s prestige.

Military training with live fire arms amJeD JaaveD

A

vitriolic anti-Muslim speech by Yogi Narsinghananda Saraswati, mahant (chief priest) of Dasna Devi temple Ghaziabad, has become viral. The priest furiously spoke against jihad and vowed to eliminate Muslims from India. He intends to hold a world congress of religions inviting scholars from all religions except Islam. He alleges a Muslim hand in all the world’s evils in the world, including the farmers’ protest aimed at the repeal of new marketing laws.

He exhorted Hindus to have at least five children a family lest Muslims outnumber them.

In an earlier speech from May 2016, also, Narsinghananda is heard saying that India will collapse in 20 years if the Muslim population continues to grow at the same pace. He once said in an intervie he went on a hunger strike for the cause in 2017 and only ended it when one lakh youths pledged to have five children each.

Hindus draw inspiration from the Jewish state of Israel. They want Hindus to be given preferential treatment and minorities, particularly Muslims, relegated to a lower class of citizenship.

Muslims in India are already in a miserable condition. Muslims are one of the six minorities (14.2 percent in India’s Census 2011). But they are underrepresented in every realm of life.

Their condition worsened under BJP rule since 2014. A magazine reported, “However, the ascendance of majoritarian Hindutva since Narendra Modi first came to power in 2014 is arguably a new turning point in the downward fortunes of India’s Muslims, compounding the socio-economic misfortune, arguably born of chronic neglect by the state, with a new sense of deliberate political marginalisation and active persecution”.

The 2006 Sachar Commission report highlighted that Muslims lagged in terms of such parameters as income, employment and literacy behind other minorities. The report pointed out that some 31 percent of Muslims fell below the poverty line. Twenty-five percent of Muslim children did not go to school.

Their representation in the IAS and IPS was a mere 1.8 percent, and 4 percent in the police.

According to Steven Wilkinson, Muslims are less than one percent of colonels and above. This figure was confirmed by Mulayam Singh Yadav, a former defence minister. Yadav’s successor bluntly explained, `The Muslim is not wanted in the armed forces because he is always suspect. Whether we want to admit it or not, most Indians consider Muslims a fifth column for Pakistan.”

A 2018 UNDP report stated ‘every third Muslim is multidimensionally poor’. A 2018 NITI Aayog report found that more than half the 20 most backward

Electoral reforms Government must make more of an effort to engage the opposition

G

OING by the turmoil seen in at least one National Assembly seat by-poll and Senate elections, it is a welcome move by the government to go for constitutional and electoral reforms through a bipartisan parliamentary committee. No parliamentary election in recent memory has been free from incidents of fraud, rigging (both pre- and post-poll) and in the case of the Upper House, excessive horse trading through the use of money or coercive measures to change loyalties. Prior to becoming Prime Minister through an election that contained many of the same flaws that previous ones had, Imran Khan had become the most prominent proponent of electoral reforms following a defeat in the 2013 general elections, following which he hit the streets, holding his infamous dharna to enforce some action. Once in power, the street agitation option no longer existed and given the razor—thin majority that the government has in Parliament coupled with the treatment it has so far meted out to the opposition, any headway in amending the Constitution for electoral reform was a longshot. This was more than evident when the push for an open ballot in the Senate was denied by the opposition, the eCP and eventually the Supreme Court.

Unfortunately, the choice of people the government has chosen to lead this legislation is a non-starter for the opposition. The opposition has clearly stated in the past that it will not participate in any committee that would be headed by National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, while it had already objected to Mr Babar Awan moving the elections (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in the capacity of an advisor to the PM rather than as an elected member of the House, which in their view is a clear violation of rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly. In an environment where there already exists so much distrust, animosity and hate between the opposition and treasury benches, such offers of ‘working together’, followed swiftly by obviously controversial appointments, hold little weight. If the government is truly committed to bring about meaningful electoral reforms through Parliament it should make a genuine effort at it rather than just going through the motions that support its narrative.

Washington Watch Dr James J Zogby

O

ver the years, the approach of most US policymakers toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been Israel-centric with near total disregard for the suffering endured by the Palestinian people. The architects of policy in successive US administrations have discussed the conflict as if the fate of only one party (Israel) really mattered. Israelis were treated as full human beings with hopes and fears, while Palestinians were reduced to a problem that needed to be solved so that Israelis could live in peace and security. t is not just that Israelis and Palestinians haven’t been viewed with an equal measure of concern. It’s worse than that. It appears that Palestinians were judged as less human than Israelis, and were, therefore, not entitled to make demands to have their rights recognized and protected.

Operating from this mindset, the USA has given Israel carte blanche, while pressure and punishments have been reserved for the Palestinians. On occasion, policymakers have timidly raised issue with some Israeli practices, but because they’ve taken no effective measures to change this behaviour, Israel has seen no reason to alter its course. As a result, Israel operates with impunity, while Palestinian actions have been scrutinized and condemned and their protests have either been ignored or silenced as disruptive or counterproductive. recent actions by the Biden Administration sadly fit this pattern. In just the past few weeks, they have: condemned the decision of the International Criminal Court to begin prosecution of Israel for its war crimes in Gaza since 2014 and its illegal settlement expansion in the West Bank; criticized the UN Human rights Council for its condemnation of Israeli abuses of Palestinian human rights; rejected tying US aid to

Arif Nizami Editor Managing Editor

Joint Editor

Umar Aziz Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

women and children, treaties, etc. examples follow.

The Qur’an gives a clear instruction that there is no compulsion in religion (2: 256). It states that people will remain different (11: 118), they will always have different religions and ways and this is an unalterable fact (5:48). God tells the Prophet that most people will not believe ‘even if you are eager that they should’ (12: 103). Marriages with Ahl al Kitab are valid.

Muslims do not think of war as to be desired. The Qur’an (8: 61) says: “And if they incline to peace, incline thou also to it, and trust in God.” And again: “So do not falter, and invite to peace when ye are the uppermost” (Qur’an 47:35). A Hadith says: “Do not be eager to meet the enemy, but ask God for safety. Yet if you meet them, persevere and have patience; and know that Paradise is under the shadows of swords (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood). On another occasion, the Prophet said: “Do not be eager to meet the enemy, perhaps you may be put to test by them, but rather say: O God! Suffice for us, and keep their might away from us!”

Jihad is not considered a personal duty (farz ayn) to be observed by each and every individual, but only a general duty (farz kifaya) which, if accomplished by a sufficient number, the rest will no more be charged with the neglect of that duty: this renders the administration of jihad entirely in the hands of the government. The practice of the Prophet also confirms this.

Generally, all religions make distinctions betwee just and unjust wars. But, practitioners of the wars coin their own reasons to justify a war (for political reasons), no matter how inhumane and unjust.

Look at concept of the holy wars (dharma and koota yuddha) under Hinduism. The ramayanas and the Mahabharata elucidate various types of yuddha (wars). In ancient India there were three schools of war. Bhishma’s belonged to dharma yuddha (ethical or just war). Two other schools, Brihaspati’s and Krishna’s, belonged to koota yuddha (all-out war).

Bhishma stressed chivalry and ruled out surprise and deception. But, Brihaspati recommended that the king should attack an enemy only if the enemy’s strength is one-third his own. He suggested e should never trust the enemy or spare him, no matter how old or virtuous.

Similarly, the keynote of Krishna’s military philosophy was that end justifies the means. He laid great stress on deception. Truth may often have to be sacrificed in pursuit of victory. He advocated the use of force to defeat an enemy superior in strength or capability, that opportunity once wasted never returns.

It is unfortunate that the international organisations took no notice of hate speech from Hindu priests, and followers of the rSS and its affiliates.

The Bajrang Dal is even giving military training with live fire arms to its recruits.

The writer is a freelance journalist, has served in the Pakistan government for 39 years and holds degrees in economics, business administration, and law. He can be reached at amjedjaaved@gmail.com

US policy ignores Palestinian Human Rights

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Yousaf Nizami Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

districts in the country were ‘Muslim-dominated’.

India’s National Crime records Bureau in 2019 reported “the number of Muslim inmates in Indian prisons remains disproportionately high (around 18 percent) while the figure for detenues has risen significantly, with Muslims accounting for some 35.8 per cent of all detenues”.

The wave of ‘gau raksha’ lynching, massacre of the CAA-NrC protesters, including the Delhi riots, witch-hunts of ‘Corona jihad’, ‘love jihad’, and ‘UPSC jihad’ have isolated Muslims. The terrified Muslims are joining the rSS’s Muslim munch in hordes.

Yale researcher Felix Pal, in a 2020 paper, ‘Why Muslims join the Muslim wing of the RSS’, “challenges the claim that the rSS is winning over Muslim minds”, saying “Muslims join for largely instrumental reasons; for material reward and security”.

The media has, by and large, ignored the koota yuddh undercurrent in India’s history. But it has given much negative publicity to Islamic jihad. For one thing, jhad (al-Quran 25: 52) does not mean ‘Holy War’. Jihad fi sabil l’illah, as described in the Quran, can mean argumentation, writings, or financial help and may include actual fighting. But, the proper term for `fighting’ is qital.

The Hindu priest as also non-Muslim writers not only mistranslate the word jihad and qital, but also distort the true meaning of Quranic texts by quoting them out of context. They present a jaundiced microscopic view of Islam, equating jihad with terrorism.

They meticulously avoid discussion of conduct of an Islamic state under the Shariah. Unfortunately, the books distorting Islamic teachings are bestsellers. The preacher on internationally-syndicated radio broadcast `Grace to You’, Dr John MacArthur (like the Hindu priest) in his book Terrorism, Jihad, and the Bible says, `Muslim regard war as a legitimate means of turning people to their religion. A war whose purpose is to bring infidels into submission under Islam is considered jihad, a holy war.

Mohammed himself justified and participated in killing and robbery against infidels in the name of Allah. “Convert or die” has always been the most persuasive tool in the Islamic missionary’s arsenal.

Islam has always conquered by the sword. And in medieval times, converted virtually all of the Middle east by force’… `Islamic fundamentalists regard all non-Muslims, including Christians, to be infidels. A verse in the Koran (9:5) authorizes the faithful to “slay the idolaters wherever you find them’… ‘The Koran itself is filled with teachings that promote violence and advocate the spread of Islam by force. ..Islam is the main persecutor of Christians all over the world. Thousands of Christians are dying under Islamic persecution, especially in the Middle east, Africa, Indonesia, and other parts of Asia’.

Contrary to what the non-Muslim writers in their prurient writings suggest, Islam does not support unbridled jihad or qital. Quran, Ahadith and conduct of the Pious Caliphs explains types of wars, reasons for waging them, treatment of POW, civilians,

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Israel’s human rights behaviors; declared opposition to Palestinian calls to boycott, divest, and sanction Israel for its violations of Palestinian rights; and “embraced” the expanded definition of anti-Semitism that includes some legitimate criticisms of Israel. especially revealing was one of the reasons given for US opposition to Palestinians taking their complaints to international fora. The USA charged that, “Such actions against Israel... increase tensions and undercut efforts to advance a negotiated two-state solution.” This appears to suggest that Israel’s aggressive land confiscation, settlement construction, demolition of Palestinian homes, detention without charges or trial of hundreds of Palestinians, collective punishment of the entire population of Gaza, and Israel’s mass killing sprees of Palestinians in 2014 and 2018, did not “increase tensions or undercut efforts” at peace making.

But Palestinians seeking legal remedies against these Israeli actions are disruptive. In short, Israel can do whatever it wants, with US backing. But when Palestinians protest— precisely because the USA will do nothing to defend them— then they are at fault. regardless of the US intent, what this says to the Palestinians is that their human rights don’t matter and will always be subordinated to Israeli interests.

Listen to this exchange at a recent State Department briefing. A reporter asked: “Considering your position on the Palestinians now, where should the Palestinians go to get accountability for what they claim to be problems?”

The State Department official responded: “Of course the United States is always going to stand up for human rights... That is why you have heard us continue to endorse a two-state solution to this long running conflict... because it protects Israel’s identity as a Jewish and democratic state but it will also give the Palestinians a viable state of their own and fulfill their legitimate aspirations for dignity and self-determination.”

Because the answer was non-responsive to the question asked, the reporter repeated 13 times

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“Where do they go?” No further reply was given.

The best this Administration has so far offered the Palestinians was the reiteration of a vague commitment to “a negotiated two-state solution in which Israel lives in peace and security alongside a viable Palestinian state.” But this remains hollow as long as it fails to address the complete and abusive control Israel exercises over Palestinians and their land, and the USA refuses to apply pressure to end these Israeli abuses. even more telling was a policy address on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict delivered by a US Ambassador at a recent meeting of the UN Security Council.

It was so Israel-centric that any acknowledgment of Palestinian concerns were either accompanied by caveats or framed in terms of Israel’s interests.

For example, the Ambassador expressed the hope that Israelis and Palestinians would both get covid19 vaccines, but sidestepped any mention of Israel’s refusal to accept its responsibility to do this. He recognized “the unsustainable disparity in economic development” between Israelis and Palestinians but weirdly attributed this to “a structural issue that should be diagnosed and addressed,” without acknowledging that the “structural issue” has a name: “occupation.” He stated the US intention to restart aid to Palestinians, but claimed that it would do so because this “ultimately supports Israel’s security.” And then, of course, added that “our efforts to reengage the Palestinian people and leadership do not detract in any way from our commitment to Israel.”

Forty-five years ago, we started the Palestine Human rights Campaign. Our motto was a simple affirmation: “Palestinians have human rights too!” I also wrote a monograph entitled Palestinians: The Invisible Victims. Our goal was to challenge policymakers to recognize the humanity of this long-beleaguered people. Sadly, that challenge remains as relevant today and it was back then The writeris President of the Arab-American Institute

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Wednesday, 17 March, 2021

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

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

Shrinking global village

Indiscretions by media The media must check facts first

malik muhammaD ashraf

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He media, in its capacity as the fourth pillar of the state, which is why it is often called the Fourth estate, actually represents the people of the country. To be able to play its envisaged role in a democratic polity it must enjoy freedom of expression. The freedom of expression for the media derives its legitimacy from right of the people to know. Since the government in a democratic set-up runs the affairs of the state on behalf of the people, they have the right to know about the policies and initiatives of the government in regards to promoting their well-being and securing and advancing the cherished objectives and interests of the state. In the modern era it is the media which performs that role.

However there is no concept of unbridled freedom of expression anywhere in the world.

The media is supposed to act with utmost social responsibility, making sure that the information passed onto the people is authentic and truthful.

All the professional and ethical codes for the media evolved by the media representative bodies, including the International Federation of Journalists, invariably emphasize truthfulness in reporting as the foremost duty of a journalist.

Dissemination of false, unauthenticated and false information can have serious repercussions, particularly in this age of social media when it spreads with the speed of lightning.

The expansion in the electronic media in Pakistan has indeed been a very positive development and I would say that it is the best thing that has ever happened in this land of the pure. But it is really regrettable to note that while the media is zealously guarding its freedom of expression it is not fulfilling its role in regards to social responsibility.

In the mad race for better rating and earning the distinction of being the first to break a particular news, certain channels do not bother to ascertain the authenticity of the information or news that they put on the air. The same is then picked up by the social media and assumes propagandist hue which actually is a disservice to the people. And if it is a false news about the government it is also unfair to it as it tends to tarnish its image.

My motivation to write this piece stems from a discussion on a private channel recently in which the subject at hand was expenditure of the Prime Minister’s office. It was claimed that in spite of giving priority to austerity as an-

nounced by the Prime Minister Imran Khan, the expenditure of his office had gone much above the previous levels. It was quite intriguing for me to hear that and I felt compelled to pursue the subject and verify its authenticity or otherwise. I knew for a fact that the Finance Ministry has authentic record of the allocations made and the expenditures incurred under those heads. I approached the concerned authorities to seek information about the expenditure of the Prime Minister’s office in the period under discussion.

My findings are that the information put out in the programme of the concerned electronic channel was absolutely false. Perhaps it would be pertinent to share my findings with the readers to give them a proper perspective on the subject. In any budget there are two types of expenditure.

One relates to the salaries and allowances of the employees of the office and the other pertains to operating expenses. The year 2019-2020 showed a slight increase in the total budget under salaries and allowances from the previous year, mainly due to grant of annual increments to the employees which was inescapable. However there were drastic cuts in the heads under the Operating expenses.

The expenditure under this budgetary allocation is the real indication of the promised austerity.

The demand estimates in the budget for the fiscal year 2019-2020 under the head of operating expenses amount to rs 218 million while the actual allocated budget was rs 46 million; a huge reduction from the proposed demand estimate. Similarly a considerable reduction was ade under the head of Travel and transportation, amounting to rs 10 million. In addition to that, a visible reduction in expenditure was made under the head of entertain-

ment and Gifts from rs 1.5 million to just only rs, .1000, which was allocated to keep the head alive.

As far as expenditures on Physical Assets are concerned, they were reduced by rs 4 million. Another massive cut was applied on Tour expenses to the tune of rs 1.2 million. Under the head of Miscellaneous expenditures, a saving of rs 20 million was ensured. The most important and prominent reduction occurred under the head of Discretionary Grants where only rs 1000 were allocated just to keep the head alive, down from original estimate of rs 1 million. The expenditure on Wages of Household Servants was cut by rs 30 million.

Under Prime Minister’s estate Garden establishment, a cut for rs 10 million was effected.

The foregoing undeniable and verifiable facts do corroborate austerity in the expenditures of the Prime Minister’s Office as promised by him. We have also, from time to time been informed about the comparative expenditures on foreign trips by the former heads of the government and Prime Minister Imran Khan which also confirm the authenticity of the austerity drive by the PTI government undoubtedly under the instructions of none other than the Prime Minister himself.

Had those who dished out the wrong information about increased expenditure of the office of Prime Minister bothered to verify the fact before going on , the public would have been saved of the onslaught of their indiscretion. Such indiscretions not only soil the reputation of the concerned channel or the media outlet but also constitute a disservice to the people of the country. The electronic channels indulging in this kind of activity, therefore, need to change course in their own as well as the public interest.

Malik Muhammad Ashraf is an academic.

He can be contacted at: ashpak10@gmail.com.

The foregoing undeniable and verifiable facts do corroborate austerity in the expenditures of the Prime Minister’s Office as promised by him. We have also, from time to time been informed about the comparative expenditures on foreign trips by the former heads of the government and Prime Minister Imran Khan which also confirm the authenticity of the austerity drive by the PTI government undoubtedly under the instructions of none other than the Prime Minister himself. Had those who dished out the wrong information about increased expenditure of the office of Prime Minister bothered to verify the fact before going on , the public would have been saved of the onslaught of their indiscretion. Such indiscretions not only soil the reputation of the concerned channel or the media outlet but also constitute a disservice to the people of the country. The electronic channels indulging in this kind of activity, therefore, need to change course in their own as well as the public interest

THe notion that “dark cloud have silver lining” is apt in context of pandemic societies which have shown profound resilience, survival abilities and even growth in the midst of testing times. With education being more dynamic and innovative at the backdrop of digital solutions, work from home creating avenues for more flexible and evolving work patterns, family life becoming more connected and strengthened and sustainable green growth saving the world from global warming annihilation, multiple milestones are covered consequently.

However what adds to this silver lining is the fact that our lives are becoming more globalized than ever. The paradox of the pandemic can be highlighted by the fact that people, despite being apparently disconnected, have reconnected with each other in myriads of ways previously unimaginable. As people find themselves sharing a similar fate at the backdrop of this “great leveller”, the globalized world have further shrunken. Cross-border online learning opportunities has paved the way for unique collaboration between people and non-state actors across continents allowing people to explore novel means of communication and cultivating friendship through common interests. With physical interaction upended under series of on and off lockdowns, social media have become the game changer. From “pawri girl” taking the world of social media by storm, to online gigs to rise of freelancing and website designing, it is irrefutable that youth have learnt exceptional skills that allow to brace themselves through a tough tide.

Moreover, philanthropic approach to life have seen the light of the day as personal lives swing between family ties and protecting social values in the post-Covid-19 period. The economic void has spurred feeling of empathy and greater awareness of poverty and depravity. As a result, societies and national governments are working hands-on to mitigate to effects of income disparities and bridging the gap between classes and individuals.

Thus, to steer societies out of the striding tide of pandemic and strengthen the momentum of grit and resilience, unlearning the old ways in the emerging norm. As the youth grabs the reins of new skills, Wordsworth assessment of youth power in the wake of French revolutions becomes apt, “to be young was heaven”. Therefore, one can envision states and societies coming together to pave the path that strives to galvanize and create more opportunities than piling liabilities in the post-Covid-19 world.

Hadia MukHtar karacHi

Expelled students IN this conservative society of Pakistan, expressing love affection publicly between the couples is viewed as religiously, morally and socially unacceptable and unethical. In spite of being married or not. It does not matter. Two days ago, the University of Lahore issued an order in english expelling two students for expressing love in the “crime” of promoting “Western culture”. After the video went viral, the university administration expelled them from the university for violating the rules. Some social gurus say in Islam, it is forbidden to openly show love in front of ordinary people. This leads to the deterioration of society. Yes, somehow correct. Is expulsion of two students from Lahore University due to a controversial process is the solution to the problem? The video has caused a stir on social media and became a top trend on Twitter despite being the most important day of the Senate election. For this particular case, some broadminded personalities of Pakistan have supported the alleged couple as condemning the university’s decision, the politicians and progressive Students’ Collective union have raised voice against the decision of the University to expel the students. The Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has said in his tweet that voluntary marriage is the basic right of every girl, the rights that Islam gives to women, marriage of choice is central to these rights. He said that considering girls as property is against Islam. Moreover, on the micro-blogging site Twitter, Shiza Akram said, “Apply all the rules you want but you can’t expel love!

It’s in our hearts, it’s the best part about being young and it is what makes life worth living! You learn more about love than you can ever learn at an institution. On the other hand, the video couple Hadiqa and Shehryar have refused to apologise and say they did nothing wrong, and they are not sorry for the action they have committed. They say they are receiving online threats for the show of affection. kaMran kHaMiSo kHowaja Sujawal

Tik Tok ban SIr, It all started with the Trump administration imposing a ban on Tik Tok following the American policy to impose restrictions on China.

India followed suit in January 2019 after relations with China became tense following a border skirmish. Why should few within the elite, most of them with split loyalties, be allowed to single out TIK-TOK in Pakistan. Tik-Tok is the most popular social media application amongst the youth and common people who sometimes vent their anger against government policies, social issues and also for entertainment. Like other social media sites, it has sometimes been abused, despite the efforts of Byte Dance, the Chinese owners, who have always emphasized on respecting local customs, traditions and values. Tik Tok has over 20 Million users in Pakistan, many earning a handsome amount. It has been used to promote awareness about Covid19 very effectively and about the excesses being committed in society. Its content is limited to a few minutes. Neither Tik Tok, nor other social applications should be held responsible for the immorality that afflict our society. The failure, if any, lies with state institutions responsible for law enforcement, prosecution and illiteracy along with the decadent hypocritic mindset of the ruling elite. While Islam emphasizes upon equality and justice for all including rights of minors and women, yet we still witness traditions of Karo Kari, treating girls and women like commodities given in exchange to settle tribal and property disputes and misuse of Islamic Laws for the benefit of affluent, like payment of Diyat for murder, in violation of the spirit of Islam. Unlike Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Twitter etc. which are all owned by companies located in the West, TIK TOK has never been involved in an Islamophobia campaign, nor in blasphemous content against Holy Prophet PBUH. Malik tariq ali laHorE

Wednesday, 17 March, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

HurryIng to a bad deal In aFgHanIstan AFTER 20 YEARS AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS INVESTED INTO AFGHANISTAN, BIDEN’S ADMINISTRATION SHOULDN’T RUSH IF THEY WANT TO ESTABLISH TRUE PEACE

usa Today

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JAmEs s ROBBIns

HE Biden administration is trying to rush through a comprehensive peace deal in Afghanistan before the upcoming U.S. troop pullout. But hurrying to a bad deal with the Taliban would be worse than no deal at all.

News leaked last week of the proposed agreement, which the administration is calling a “moonshot.” Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called on Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to show “urgent leadership” in reaching a comprehensive peace plan.

The need for urgency is tied to an agreement made with the Taliban last year setting a May 1 deadline to remove the remaining 2,500 U.S. and 7,500 coalition troops.

So far, the Biden administration is sticking to the terms of the deal, but Blinken expressed concern that the Taliban could make “rapid territorial gains” in an expected spring offensive, absent an armistice agreement. Blinken envisions a United Nations-facilitated conference including representatives from the United States, russia, China, Pakistan, Iran and India to meet in Turkey “to discuss a unified approach to supporting peace in Afghanistan.”

THE US INVESTMENT IN AFGHANISTAN: The eight-page discussion draft for the agreement is ambitious, laying out the framework for a new Afghan constitution, establishing a transitional peace government with power-sharing arrangements with the Taliban, and outlining terms for a comprehensive cease-fire. The Taliban are reportedly studying the plan, but the Afghan government has not been receptive. Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh said his government would “never accept a bossy and imposed peace.”

Given this last-ditch attempt to bring about an Afghan peace, it is fair to ask what the United States has accomplished in its 20-year engagement in that country.

The initial objectives after the terrorist attacks on Sept.

11, 2001, attacks were clear: Punish al-Qaida, overthrow the Taliban government that gave it sanctuary, and prevent Afghanistan from becoming a future center of global terrorism. The latter objective involved supporting the creation of a new government, helping build Afghanistan’s defense infrastructure, and aiding in the development of democratic institutions and the economy.

The opening military moves were astonishingly effective, displacing the Taliban regime within weeks using support to indigenous anti-Taliban resistance and direct engagement with coalition forces. The subsequent stability-building efforts worked so well, at least initially, that by 2005 House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi was able to argue that “the war in Afghanistan is over.”

But coalition troops remained in place through the Bush years, then the U.S. presence surged to 100,000 under President Barack obama before settling back to around 8,400.

The Taliban were not defeated, Western-style civil society did not expand much beyond Kabul, and the nationbuilding effort dragged along at a cost of about $50 billion

a year and more than 2,000 tragic American deaths.

President Donald Trump returned to first principles when he outlined an Afghanistan policy in which victory was narrowly defined as “crushing al-Qaida, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan, and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge.” over his term, troop levels dropped to about 2,500.

In essence, the American troop pullout has mostly already taken place, and while conditions in Afghanistan are not markedly better, they are not significantly worse, either. To put the Afghan troop levels in another perspective, there are about the same number of National Guard troops on security detail in the nation’s capital this spring.

Creating a stable, centralized Afghan society was an objective that vexed the Soviet Union, which gave up after only 10 years. our two decades of effort have done better, but it’s still not enough. The reason is that the idea itself is flawed. Afghanistan, even in the more peaceful days of the monarchy, has always been a decentralized society of tribes and warlords, shifting political allegiances, ancient feuds and ingrained customs. outsiders will never change that, and those who try inevitably learn the hard way.

CREATING UNITY AND PEACE IN AFGHANISTAN: Secretary Blinken desires a future Afghan government of “unity and inclusivity” but, in fact, he can have either one or the other. Including the opposition in a transition government will guarantee gridlock and conflict. And unfortunately, the most “unified” period of Afghanistan’s recent history was under Mullah Mohammad omar’s brutal Islamic Emirate. The Taliban cannot be counted on to recognize boundaries in power sharing, because they still believe themselves to be the legitimate government of Afghanistan. Any deal they agree to will be a tactical move to achieve their 20-year strategic objective of re-

moving foreign forces from Afghan soil.

They will then act in the same spirit as the North Vietnamese under the Paris Peace Accords, discarding the peace terms when they sense an opportunity to seize total power.

The hurry-up peace push presents a false dichotomy of either agreeing to a comprehensive plan or abandoning Afghanistan to its fate. But the United States should not legitimize the Taliban’s return to power, even in part, through this diplomatic process. our country can still support the government in Kabul through intelligence coordination, providing airpower, logistic support and other means short of an overt troop presence, while reserving the right to intervene if the country is in duress.

Meanwhile, we could continue to give materiel and advisory support to the Afghan government, help broker trade deals and remain involved in more durable diplomatic efforts for peace. Giving the Taliban immediate entrée into the Afghan government would make this type of continued American assistance impossible and would hasten the onset of a new fundamentalist emirate once the threat of foreign intervention has been removed.

In December 2011, then-Vice President Joe Biden stated, “The Taliban, per se, is not our enemy.” After a two-decade war, the mullahs may disagree. It is important that our 20-year commitment of billions of dollars and thousands of casualties not be squandered in pursuit of a false peace.

James S. Robbins, a member of USA TODAY’s Board of Contributors and author of “This Time We Win: Revisiting the Tet Offensive,” has taught at the National Defense University and the Marine Corps University and served as a special assistant in the office of the secretary of Defense in the George W. Bush administration.

Kobad Ghandy’s notes from prison Biden’s stimulus will OF THE AMBITION TO BUILD ‘A DEMOCRATIC AND JUST SOCIETY’, GHANDY affect the whole world SAYS, ‘ONE MAY NOT HAVE ADVANCED EVEN A STEP FURTHER’. OF HIS COUNTRYMEN, HE ASKS, ‘WHY DID THE MASSES SO EASILY CHOOSE A FREE MARKET OVER REAL FREEDOM, AS ALSO FREEDOM FROM WANT?’

HindusTan Times

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KARAn ThApAR

don’t usually think about jail, but there are times I’m curious. Kobad Ghandy’s just-published book provides a fascinating insight. Called Fractured Freedom: A Prison Memoir, it’s the story of the 10 years its author, allegedly a politburo member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), spent in jails in Delhi, Hyderabad, Patiala, Visakhapatnam, Hazaribagh and Surat. of Tihar, he writes, “Throughout my stay … I was in a cell with a CCTV camera, being watched day and night”. There was even one “perched just above the toilet”. It made him feel like an animal in a zoo. But the prisoners were thoughtful and kind. When his shoes wore out, Sunil rathi, a murder convict, gave him a new Adidas pair. Sometimes jail superintendents could be equally considerate. one permitted Ghandy and Devinderpal Singh Bhullar, a Khalistani sentenced to death, to plant tulsi, guava and dhania in the courtyard and provided a hose for watering the plants.

However, Ghandy has no illusions about the jail’s capacity to reform. He comments cynically: “Most (inmates) have one aim. To commit a bigger crime on their release and make pots of money. That is the common refrain.”

What I found particularly interesting is Ghandy’s description of his fellow prisoners.

He met many we know of. In 2015, he shared a cell with a Delhi 2012 gang rape case convict, Vinay Sharma. He calls him “a vile sort”.

om Prakash Chautala “would call his lawyer every day so he could continue his political activities from within the jail.” When he got caught, lawyer-visits for everyone were restricted to one a week. A third was Chhota rajan. He had “the whole high risk ward to himself, with VIP facilities … for his own protection no one was allowed to meet him”.

This made rajan “a veritable state guest”.

However, Ghandy’s account of Afzal Guru, who he knew well and liked, reveals a side we’re unaware of. We think of Guru as a conspirator sentenced to death for the 2001 attack on Parliament. Ghandy reveals the man behind the convict.

Guru “had a knack of converting basically hot water into an excellent cup of tea”. He was also well-informed, if not scholarly. “He introduced me to the Kashmir situation, Islam and its progressive aspects,” Ghandy writes, “and, most importantly, Sufi thinking, in which he strongly believed”. And who could have guessed Guru was romantic? “once when he had access to someone’s mobile I remember him singing ghazals on the phone to his wife, which continued for nearly an hour.”

Without emotion and certainly bare of rhetorical flourish, Ghandy recounts the morning of Saturday, February 9, 2013, the day Guru was hanged. “The staff was apparently in tears on seeing his courage while going to the gallows. They said while he was walking towards the phansi koti from his cell — barely a threeminute walk — he wished all the staff lined up and asked the officers to take good care of them.” Ghandy adds: “The staff quite respected him as he was not fanatical, was highly disciplined, lived simply and was of a jovial temperament”. of course, there’s more to this book than an account of prison life.

Towards the end, Ghandy reflects on communism. It seems the scales have fallen and doubt or, at least, questions have taken their place. of the ambition to build “a democratic and just society”, he says, “one may not have

advanced even a step further”. of his countrymen, he asks, “Why did the masses so easily choose a free market over real freedom, as also freedom from want?” Actually, what struck me is the word “masses”. Its use by a communist is surprising.

Finally, Ghandy laments: “So where did we or, for that matter the communists throughout the world, go wrong?” There isn’t a clear answer but there is a hint. “The goalposts have to be changed from fighting inequality to happiness for all”. That sounds more philosophical than political. Did prison transform his Naxal journey into a quest for spiritual fulfilment?

Karan Thapar is author of Devil’s Advocate: The Untold Story.

POORER COUNTRIES WILL FIND IT HARDEST TO ADJUST TO HIGHER INTEREST RATES AND STRONG DOLLAR Financial Times

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EDITORIAL BOARD

or the decade after the 2008/2009 financial crisis, many commentators pointed out that monetary policy had become the “only game in town”. With governments concerned to repair their own balance sheets as tax revenues collapsed following the financial crisis, it was left up to central bankers to try to stimulate the economy through cheap money and unconventional asset-purchase programmes. The gargantuan fiscal stimulus package that will soon pass the US Congress will end this regime. The shift will have significance far beyond America’s borders.

The oECD’s latest economic outlook forecasts that US president Joe Biden’s programme of government spending — worth 8.5 per cent of US national income — together with the rapid rollout of vaccination efforts, will lift global income by 1 per cent this year.

The Paris-based think-tank estimates that the world economy will expand 5.6 per cent this year from its pandemic-induced low — up from its previous 4.2 per cent forecast last December.

A booming US economy means economic demand will “spill over” into the rest of the world, particularly its nearest neighbours and most important trading partners Mexico and Canada as well as export-oriented economies in east Asia and Europe. For advanced economies, which borrow in their own currencies, the implications of faster growth in the US is almost entirely positive — increasing potential exports as well as encouraging the “risk on” sentiment that boosts investment.

An overheating US — if the greater demand for goods and services leads to capacity constraints and causes higher inflation — could, however, trigger higher interest rates globally. Investors are betting that the Federal reserve will

either be forced into increasing rates to choke off inflationary pressure or feel comfortable removing stimulus as the economy returns to something near full employment. Members of the European Central Bank’s board are already concerned that this could raise financing costs — reducing the effectiveness of their stimulus efforts in a region where monetary policy remains by far the largest form of stimulus.

Poorer countries that struggle to borrow in their own currencies will find it harder to adjust. rising rates will reverse some of the capital flows that have financed fragile economies and led to a stronger dollar, especially if the US recovery diverges from other rich countries. The most exposed countries are in a better position today than during the 2013 “taper tantrum”, when the Fed suggested it would begin to reduce the pace of asset purchases, and emerging market currencies plummeted. Many have spent the intervening period building up reserves to protect against similar outflows and reduce their reliance on external, dollar-denominated finance.

Higher public sector debt loads, however, mean that for many poor countries rising rates will make themselves felt through government deficits as much as current account deficits — higher interest costs could mean some governments struggle to service debt. rising commodity prices — lifted by both Chinese and US stimulus efforts — will help exporters but add to the woes of importers.

Ultimately, though, the policy mix is an improvement on the post-2008 reliance on monetary policy. If the oECD is right about the impact of Biden’s stimulus programme — and there is good reason to think it will be — then a stronger US economy will help to drive a global recovery. It would be even better if the world no longer had to rely on just one source for stimulus and other rich countries were similarly ambitious.

Wednesday, 17 March, 2021

BUSINESS 09

LAHORE CORPORATE CORNER TCL collaborates with Daraz for Pakistan Day Sale 2021 LAHORE: TCL Pakistan joins hands with Daraz to deliver one of the biggest sales this Pakistan Day. The sale will commence on 17th March and end on 24th March.

Each year TCL and Daraz aim to bring high-quality products at incredible prices. Witnessing the amazing response on the previous sales from the customers, TCL and Daraz decided to bring great offers this Pakistan Day. Speaking about the Pakistan Day Sale, Majid Khan Niazi, Marketing Manager of TCL, said, “We are thrilled to again work with Daraz this Pakistan Resolution Day. We are giving customers premium products and aim to give them the best deals and offers this Pakistan Day.” pr

P&G Pakistan commits to bold actions to drive gender equality KARACHI: P&G Pakistan announced new declarations aimed to propel gender equality at an event held today, following the success of its third annual #WeSeeEqual summit held in Singapore last month. Hosted virtually, the event saw distinguished advocates and personalities from the media and private sector come together to address the challenges of gender and women’s equality in Pakistan, to mark the beginning of the global Equality & Inclusion month. Speaking on the occasion, P&G Pakistan’s CEO & Senior Vice President Sami Ahmed said, “Under the banner of #WeSeeEqual, we reaffirm our commitment with the aim of improving the society, celebrating and embracing both women and men to create a more equal, world inside and outside of P&G.” pr

BankIslami wins 10th CSR Award KARACHI: BankIslami, Pakistan’s leading Islamic Bank, earned the 10th International Corporate Social Responsibility Award in the categories of “Sustainability Initiatives” and “Social Impact” by fulfilling its vision of serving humanity the right way. The award is the first and only CSR Award initiative in Pakistan, registered with the IPO, Government of Pakistan, and was presented to BankIslami at a ceremony held recently in Karachi. In order to serve its extensive customer base in the country as best it can, BankIslami relies on perspectives, skills and valuable insights from every aspect of the societal wavelength. With this target in mind, BankIslami continues to organize CSR initiatives around the country, staying true to its core values. pr

KARACHI: EBM, the largest biscuit manufacturers in Pakistan, has won Gold-Award 2021 at the 8th annual EFP Employer of the Year Awards in the Star-Ranks Category. President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi personally chaired this prestigious ceremony organized by the ‘Employers’ Federation of Pakistan’ (EFP). pr

CABIneT ISSueS DIReCTIveS foR foRenSIC AuDIT of LoSS mAkInG enTITIeS ISLAMABAD

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CIENCE & Technology Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said on Tuesday that the federal cabinet has decided to conduct forensic audit of 10 loss-making entities.

Addressing a press conference along with Industries & Production Minister Hammad Azhar in Islamabad, he said that Pakistan Railway, Sui Southern Gas Pipeline Ltd and Pakistan International Airlines were among enterprises that were incurring losses, adding that their audit would be completed by June 30 this year.

"As many as 51 out of 85 loss-making state-owned enterprises have become profitable due to the prudent policies of the government," he claimed.

Fawad said Prime Minister Imran Khan was personally monitoring the

prices of essential commodities and that all possible steps were being taken to provide relief to the common man.

"When Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) came to power, the economy was in shambles, but the government took calculated measures to protect the poor segments of the society from the effects of inflation and price hike," he noted.

"Utility Stores Corporation, which was ruined by the previous regimes, will finally become profitable by the end of the year only due to efforts of the present government."

The minister said that the cabinet has expressed its concern over the increasing incidents of coronavirus and hoped that Pakistan would handle the third wave the same way it had handled the first two waves.

"The pandemic had played havoc with the health systems and economies of many developed countries, but Pakistan, due to timely action and effective

policies, has been successful in saving the lives and livelihood of the people."

During the cabinet meeting, Fawad said, the prime minister had highlighted the issue of transparency in the electoral system. "PTI had two important points in its manifesto, which included accountability and transparency in elections," he stressed.

As per the IT minister, the PM directed the officials concerned to introduce electronic voting system, besides ordering a weekly briefing in this regard. "There ate some political forces that will always dispute the election process but the government wants to ensure transparency for the satisfaction of the general public."

Meanwhile, the minister said that the cabinet has approved a proposal for the appointment of Raja Mazhar as managing director of the National Book Foundation. It also approved to end the ban on the issuance of prohibited and non-pro-

Traders oppose imposition of new Covid-19 restrictions PESHAWAR AZIZ BUnerI

The trading community has asked the government to immediately withdraw the imposition of new Covid-19 restrictions as a new wave of the coronavirus spreads, warning that the community will strongly protest against them.

In this regard, reservations were raised by different delegations of trade bodies and office bearers of bazaar unions during a meeting with Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) President Sherbaz Bilour here at the chamber house on Tuesday. SCCI Senior Vice President Engr Manzoor Elahi, Vice President Junaid Altaf and leaders of the trading community and others were present on the occasion.

Participants of the meeting lamented that the business community had struggled to revive economic and

trade activities after the last lockdown whereas the latest orders to close trade and commercial hubs by 8 pm can further worsen the situation besides.

Bilour agreed with the members of the meeting, remarking that the business community would face further financial debts and compel starvation if the government didn’t review its decision.

He added that the government and authorities concerned to enforce policies with the due consent of the business community and relevant stakeholders.

He demanded that a special fiscal relief package should be announced to revive businesses and economic activities instead of taking measures to close running businesses.

The SCCI president also condemned the district administration for imposing heavy fines, and punishments, as well as disrespecting the business community by using various tactics.

Large scale manufacturing expands 7.9pc in seven months The country’s large-scale manufacturing (LSM) expanded by 7.85 per cent during the first seven months of the current fiscal year (7MFY21) as compared to the corresponding period of last year, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Tuesday.

On a month-on-month (MoM) basis, industrial growth witnessed an increase of 5.36pc in January 2021 when compared with December 2020.

Meanwhile, Minister for Production and Industries Hammad Azhar in a Tweet on Tuesday said that LSM

grew 9.1pc in January 2021 as compared to Jan 2020.

“The sustained and robust growth in the industry is expected to lift economic growth beyond earlier forecasts InshAllah,” he added. Major sectors that showed positive growth during July-January FY21 included textile, food, beverages and tobacco, coke & petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, non-metallic mineral products, automobiles and fertilisers saw an increase in their production, whereas electronics, leather products and engineering products saw a contraction. news desk

hibited bore licences of arms by approving the comprehensive licence policy.

Fawad said the cabinet also discussed the issue of improper use of petroleum companies' CSR. "Rules have now been changed and the petroleum minister has been authorized to monitor the entire process of CSR utilisation."

Moreover, he said the cabinet approved the proposal of issuing smart cards to registered Afghan refugees, adding that this decision was part of the PM's policy of providing relief to the poor people.

The cabinet was informed that 400,000 new gas connections have been given so far this year, against the target of 600,000 for the current fiscal year.

The next year's target would be 1.2 million new gas connections.

On a query, the minister said tax exemption was granted on auto-disable syringes to prevent spread of various diseases.

SBP to announce monetary policy on 19th The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) will issue a monetary policy on March 19.According to a press release issued by the External Relations Department of the SBP, the Monetary Policy Committee of the central bank will meet on Friday in Karachi to decide about the monetary policy.The SBP will issue the monetary policy statement through a press release on the same day.Earlier on January 22, the SBP had kept interest rates on hold at 7 per cent as it sought to balance economic headwinds from the Covid-19 pandemic with the need to curb inflation.The move was the third time that the central bank had kept its main policy rate unchanged after cutting it by 625 basis points, down from 13.25pc, at the time the global pandemic hit the country’s economy in February 2020. news desk

Govt to slash power subsidy Policymakers have approved power subsidy reform measures under which subsidy for 8 million consumers will come to an end in the first phase. According to local media reports, the government will increase the ceiling for lifeline consumers from 50 units to 100 units per month as part of reforms. At present, 22 million electricity consumers are getting a subsidy.

However, it will be limited to 13.9 million consumers, which will be only through the Ehsaas social welfare programme, following the implementation of reforms. The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), in its meeting held last week, was told that ideally electricity subsidy for residential consumers should be restricted to the lowest socio-economic class. news desk

MARKET DAILY

Stocks drift higher in volatile session KARACHI sTAFF repOrT

KARACHI: OPPO, the leading smart device brand, ropes in Maya Ali in the OPPO Family. The power icon will be representing the OPPO F19 Series that is soon to be launched in Pakistan. pr

HUB: The 8th Toyota Hub Rally culminated amidst huge fanfare after an exhilarating, adventure filled two days. Organised yearly under the Toyota Gazoo Racing umbrella, the Hub rally was sponsored by Indus Motor Company in collaboration with the company’s dealer, Toyota Highway Motors. pr

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) endured a volatile session on Tuesday, with indices swaying both ways in search of a clear direction before settling in the green.

Equity markets around the world showed a mixed trend, whereas crude oil prices inched lower from the previous close; WTI crude price declining 1.41pc to $64.48, while Brent crude price dropping 1.39pc to $67.91 (as at 3:49pm PST).

"The market traded in a narrow range after an increase of 2,500 points in the last two sessions. Leveraged positions continued causing jitters every now and then, which kept activity in tech stocks as well as food sector a bit volatile. Cement sector stocks went up earlier in the session, however, selling pressure brought the levels down by the end of session. Besides, cement, O&GMCs, steel

and E&P sectors also witnessed selling pressure," a report issued by Arif Habib Ltd read.

MARKET SUMMARY: The benchmark KSE-100 Index moved within a narrow range today, registering its intraday high at 44,910.93 (+144.34 points) and low at 44,545.43 (221.16 points). It closed higher by 90.47 points at 44,857.06.

Among other indices, the KMI-30 Index lost 200.07 points to end at 74,062.13, whereas the KSE All Share Index added 15.74 points, settling at 30,663.31.

The overall market volumes declined from 455.55 million shares in the previous session to 408.37 million shares (-10pc). Average traded value also declined by 9pc, from $140.1 million to $127.5 million. Unity Foods Ltd (UNITY +5.95pc), Telecard Ltd (TELE +7.89pc) and TRG Pakistan Ltd (TRG +7.50pc) led the volume chart, exchanging 37.24 million, 35.61 million and 28.55

million shares, respectively.

Sectors that kept the benchmark index afloat included technology & communication (+131.86 points), banking (+62.23 points) and fertilizer (+38.19 points). Among the companies, TRG Pakistan Ltd (TRG +106.86 points), Habib Bank Ltd (HBL +28.67 points) and Meezan Bank Ltd (MEBL +19.22 points) remained the top contributors.

Adding 4.56pc to its cumulative market capitalization, the technology and communication ended as the session’s top performer, with Systems Ltd (SYS 1.80pc), NetSol Technologies Ltd (NETSOL 4.24pc) and Avanceon Ltd (AVN 7.33pc) posting decent gains.

Meanwhile, in a notification to the exchange, Pioneer Cement Ltd (PIOC -2.28pc) announced that its second turbine (12MW) of the newly-installed Coal Power Plant, having generation capacity of 24MW, has started power generation.

KARACHI: Engro Polymer & Chemicals CEO Jahangir Piracha receives Employer of Choice ‘Emerald Award’ from President of Pakistan Dr Arif during the 8th EFP Employer of the Year Awards. pr

LAHORE: VEDA Transit Solutions (Pvt) Ltd has signed a financing agreement for a Rs2,600 million term loan from a syndicate of banks led by the Bank of Punjab as Mandated Lead Advisor & Arranger. Samba Bank Limited, Askari Bank Limited, Bank Alfalah Limited and JS Bank Limited shall act as co-arrangers for this transaction. pr

Wednesday, 17 March, 2021

10 forEIgn nEWs

LahorE

MyaNMar FaMilieS Hold FuNeralS For crackdowN victiMS aS activiStS deFy Security crackdowN YANGON

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AGENCIES

HE families of dozens of people killed in demonstrations against military rule in Myanmar attended their funerals on Tuesday as more protesters defied the security forces and at least one man was shot dead. The political and economic crisis over the February 1 overthrow of Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government could also force the poor into hunger as food and fuel prices rise, the United Nations food agency said.

Security forces shot dead at least 20 people on Monday after 74 were killed a day earlier, including many in a suburb of Yangon where Chinese-financed factories were torched, according to advocacy group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

On Tuesday, a crematorium in Yangon reported 31 funerals, a mourner at one of the ceremonies said. Hundreds of young mourners spilled out on to the street at the funeral of medical student Khant Nyar Hein who

was killed in Yangon on Sunday, the bloodiest day of the protests. “Let them kill me right now, let them kill me instead of my son because I can’t take it any more,” the student’s mother was seen saying in a video clip posted on Facebook.

Mourners, including many fellow medical students in white lab coats, chanted: “Our revolution must prevail.”

Some families told media the security forces had seized the bodies of victims, but they would still hold a funeral.

At least 184 people have been killed by the security forces in the weeks of protests, the AAPP said, with the toll rising as one protester was shot dead in the central town of Kawlin, a resident there said.

People held up pictures of Suu Kyi and called for an end to the repression during a small protest in the southern town of Dawei on Tuesday, the Dawei Watch media outlet reported. There was no report of violence.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was appalled by the escalating violence and called on the international community to help end the repression, his spokesman said,

New coronavirus variant found in French region of Brittany: French govt PARIS

while the United States also denounced the bloodshed.

“The military is attempting to overturn the results of a democratic election and is brutally repressing peaceful protesters,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a news conference in Tokyo. A junta spokesman did not answer telephone calls to seek comment and Reuters could not independently confirm all the casualties.

‘STOP KILLING’: State broadcaster MRTV said martial law had been imposed in parts of Yangon and military commanders would take over administration of districts and courts.

The UN human rights office said some 37 journalists had been arrested, including 19 who remained in detention, while “deeply distressing” reports of torture in custody had emerged and five people were known to have died in detention.

“We call on the military to stop killing and detaining protesters,” the office’s spokeswoman, Ravina Shamdasani, said in Geneva. The army said it took power after its accusations of fraud in a November 8

LONDON AGENCIES

A new coronavirus variant has been found in the French region of Brittany, said the French health ministry in a statement late on Monday, adding that initial analysis did not show this new variant to be more serious or transmissible than others. The health ministry said the new variant had been found in a cluster of cases in a hospital centre in Lannion.

Britain wants to expand its influence among countries in the Indo-Pacific region to try to moderate China’s global dominance, a document laying out postBrexit foreign and defence policy priorities said on Tuesday.

It sets out a planned increase to Britain’s nuclear arsenal to weigh against evolving global security threats, and underlines the importance of strong ties with the United States while naming Russia as the top regional threat.

Britain’s biggest foreign and defence policy review since the 1990 end of the Cold War sets out how Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to be at the forefront of a reinvigorated, rules-based international order based on cooperation and free trade.

Calling the Indo-Pacific “increasingly the geopolitical centre of the world”, the government highlighted a planned British aircraft carrier deployment to the region and said a previously postponed visit to India would go ahead in April.

“There is no question that China will

CAIRO/DUBAI AGENCIES

Two ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi group landed in uninhabited border areas of southern Saudi Arabia on Monday, the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen‬ said in a statement carried by state media. The coalition later said it had destroyed a bunker for ballistic missiles and launch pads in the northern Yemeni province of Saada, from which it says the missiles had been launched, Ekhbariya TV reported. “We are taking operational measures to neutralize and destroy sources of threat to protect civilians,” the coalition said, adding that its military operations complied with international law and its customary rules. The coalition early on Tuesday said it had also intercepted an explosive drone fired towards Khamis Mushait. Houthi attacks into Saudi Arabia have escalated in recent weeks. On March 7, the coalition said a barrage of drones and missiles had been intercepted en route to their targets, which included an oil storage yard at Ras Tanura, the site of a refinery and the world’s biggest offshore oil-loading facility. A residential compound in Dhahran used by state-controlled oil giant Saudi Aramco was also targeted. The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the Houthis ousted the Saudi-backed government from power in the capital, Sanaa. The conflict is widely seen in the region as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The United Nations and the United States have urged the Houthis, who are also pressing an offensive against government-held Marib city in Yemen, to turn to negotiations rather than military escalation. US special envoy on Yemen Tim Lenderking said last week a “sound plan” for a nationwide ceasefire in Yemen has been put to the Houthi leadership.

racy a decade ago.

That has been derailed and instead the protests and a civil disobedience campaign of strikes are paralysing large parts of the economy and could undermine the ability of poor families to feed themselves, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned.

UK seeks more influence in Indo-Pacific as 'moderating impact' on China

AGENCIES

Houthi ballistic missiles land in uninhabited Saudi land, coalition says

election won by Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) were rejected by the electoral commission. It has promised to hold a new election but has not set a date.

The military ruled the former British colony for decades after a 1962 coup and cracked down hard on uprisings before beginning a tentative transition to democ-

pose a great challenge to an open society such as ours, but we will also work with China where that is consistent with our values and interests,” Johnson told parliament.

“The review describes how we will bolster our alliances, strengthen our capabilities, find new ways of reaching solutions and re-learn the art of competing against states with opposing values.”

But, responding to Johnson, opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer said the review had been built on “weakened” foundations, particularly after Britain threatened to break international law by undermining its divorce deal with the European Union.

“From Europe to the Indian Ocean, this government now has a reputation for breaking international law, not defending it,” he said.

MARGINAL INFLUENCE: Britain, the world’s sixth-largest economy, is dwarfed economically and militarily by China, but believes that via soft power and strategic alliances it can help persuade Beijing to play by the rules of a new, more dynamic international system.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab ac-

knowledged Britain’s attempts to influence Beijing had been marginal so far, telling Times Radio it was better acting “in concert with clusters of like-minded countries...to have the maximum impact and moderating impact on China.”

The United States has also underlined the importance of the Indo-Pacific region under President Joe Biden, who took office in January, and warned against China’s growing assertiveness. The EU also hopes to deepen relations with countries in the Indo-Pacific. The British government has long promised the “Integrated Review” will show that Britain, which completed its exit from the EU at the end of last year, still has international clout and will define a new era.

The document, however, will be scrutinised for evidence of how the government will deliver on Johnson’s promises as Britain copes with the economic and political fallout of withdrawing from the EU, the world’s largest trading and financial bloc, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic.

Britain said it would raise the upper limit on its nuclear warhead stock to 260 from 180, reversing a previously planned

cut, and the report classified Russia as “the most acute threat to our security” in the Euro-Atlantic region.

“Until relations with its (Russia’s) government improve, we will actively deter and defend against the full spectrum of threats emanating from Russia,” the report said. It took a more nuanced approach to China, calling Beijing’s increasing power and assertiveness the most significant geopolitical factor of the decade, and promising to challenge it where necessary and defend British national security.

In 2015, Britain’s then-finance minister, George Osborne, predicted a “golden” era in Chinese-British relations. But ties have since frayed over issues including Beijing’s security crackdown on former British colony Hong Kong and security concerns around Chinese investment in Britain. The report also affirmed the importance of Britain’s relationship with the United States.

“The United States will remain our most important bilateral relationship, essential to key alliances and groups such as NATO and the Five Eyes, and our largest bilateral trading partner and inward investor,” it said.

Londoners continue to protest against police after murder of Everard LONDON AGENCIES

Protesters angry at men’s violence against women and heavy-handed policing in the wake of the murder of Londoner Sarah Everard protested outside police headquarters, parliament and Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office on Monday.

Everard, 33, was abducted as she walked home in south London on March 3 and a police officer has been charged with her kidnap and murder, provoking a national debate over how British society deals with male violence against women.

Protesters gathered outside parliament in Westminster, where lawmakers started debating a bill on Monday that opponents said would give police too much power to restrict peaceful protests, days after police

were criticised for using excessive force at a vigil for Everard.

The protesters briefly blocked traffic on nearby Westminster Bridge before

gathering outside New Scotland Yard, the headquarters of London’s Metropolitan Police, and moving on to Johnson’s Downing Street office.

Holding signs reading “Educate your sons” and “End violence against women”, protesters stood opposite a line of police outside New Scotland Yard, chanting “Sisters united will never be defeated” and “Who protects us from you?”

Political focus has shifted onto London’s Metropolitan Police after officers tried to disperse a vigil for Everard on Saturday, saying it breached Covid-19 lockdown rules. They scuffled with mourners and dragged women away in handcuffs.

Monday’s protest proceeded for several hours without the same heavy-handed police tactics, following widespread criticism of Saturday’s events and calls for the Met’s chief to resign. “They came with flowers, you came with force,” read one protester’s sign.

Wednesday, 17 March, 2021

SPORTS 11

LAHORE

BrilliAnT BuTTler guides englAnd To T20 win over indiA AHMEDABAD

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AGENCIES

OS Buttler hit a brilliant 83 as England beat India by eight wickets on Tuesday to take a 2-1 lead in their five-match Twenty20 series. Virat Kohli’s 77-run blitz saw India to 156-6 at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad which was kept empty because of the rising number of coronavirus cases in India.

Buttler carried his bat through the innings, smashing four sixes and five fours, to guide England to 158 for two with 10 balls to spare. Jonny Bairstow made an unbeaten 40 to keep up the pace.

The fourth match of the series is on Thursday in Ahmedabad.

Eariler, Kohli plundered 77 runs off England’s pace attack as India reached 156 for six.

Mark Wood took three key wickets on his return to the England side but could not douse the Indian captain’s fireworks.

ENGLAND After a foot injury kept 158 FOR 2 (BUTTLER 83 him out of the second match — which India NOT OUT, BAIRSTOW 40 NOT won to level the series — OUT) BEAT INDIA 156 FOR 6 Wood claimed openers (KOHLI 77 NOT OUT, Rohit Sharma and K.L. Rahul, as well as Shreyas WOOD 3-31) BY EIGHT Iyer, as India initially strugWICKETS gled to find runs. run out of Rishabh Pant, who Kohli was indomitable howhad made 25 valuable runs from ever, smashing four sixes and eight 20 balls. fours in his 46-ball bash at the world’s Kohli had taken an easy two runs off biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.

Sam Curran but, while Pant seemed conKohli’s only regret may be the bizarre tent to rest there, Kohli darted down for a

eighT-yeAr BAn for uAe crickeTers found guilTy of corruPTion DUBAI: UAE's Mohammed Naveed and Shaiman Anwar were both handed eight-year bans from all cricket by the ICC on Tuesday after being found guilty of corruption by an independent anti-graft tribunal in January. The bans are backdated to October 16, 2019, when they were provisionally suspended for attempting to fix matches at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019 in the UAE. Former UAE captain Naveed was also found guilty of breaking two counts of the Emirates Cricket Board corruption code in relation to the T10 league. "Naveed was the captain and leading wicket taker. Anwar was the opening bat. Both had long international careers and were well versed in the threat from match fixers," said Alex Marshall, who heads up the International Cricket Council's Integrity Unit, in a statement. "That they both chose to engage with this corrupt activity was a cynical betrayal of their positions, their teammates, and all supporters of UAE cricket. "This should serve as a warning to any cricketer who considers taking the wrong path." AGENCIES

ATP's revised ranking system makes no sense: Zverev HAMBURG AGENCIES

third, leaving his partner flailing to reach safety. Eoin Morgan won the toss on his 100th match as England’s T20 captain and put India in to bat.

England’s pace attack started well with Wood taking the openers and Chris

Jordan claiming Ishan Kishan in a crucial three-over spell.

Indian authorities ordered the final three matches of the five-game series to be played behind closed doors because of rising coronavirus numbers in major cities.

Jota returns as Liverpool score narrow win against Wolves in Premier League LONDON AGENCIES

Jurgen Klopp said he had no problem with winning “three dirty points” as Diogo Jota returned to haunt Wolves with the only goal in a 1-0 win at Molineux on Monday.

A wretched run of six successive home league defeats has left Liverpool with an uphill task to qualify for the Champions League next season. But Klopp’s men have now won six of their last seven games away from Anfield.

Victory moved the English champions back up to sixth and within five points of fourth-placed Chelsea.

“It’s all about the result,” said Klopp. “It was a big fight.

We won three dirty points, I am completely fine with that.

We need that to get back on track.” A disappointing night for Wolves ended with a bigger concern than just the result as goalkeeper Rui Patricio had to be stretchered off after 15 minutes of treatment for a head injury following a collision with his own player Connor Coady in the closing stages.

However, Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo allayed fears over the Portuguese international’s health.

“He’s OK. He’s conscious, he remembers what happens, he’s aware, so they tell me he’s OK,” said Nuno.

“He’s going to recover, so it’s OK.”

Wolves have already been badly affected by a serious head injury this season. Their top scorer for the past two seasons, Raul Jimenez, has been out since fracturing his skull against Arsenal in November. The absence of Jimenez means Nuno’s men have missed Jota even more since he joined the English champions for an initial £41 million ($57 million) in September. Jota has also been missed by Liverpool for much of the past three months due to a knee injury that halted his flying start to life at Anfield. But the winger is hopeful his return can inspire a strong end to the season to secure Champions League football either via the Premier League or winning Liverpool’s seventh European Cup. “Hopefully this can be a great start of a run towards the end of the season,” said Jota.

ALISSON ESCAPES: Klopp named the same side that bounced back to form with a 2-0 win over RB Leipzig last midweek to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League. However, the visitors should have been punished for a slow start as goalkeeper Alisson Becker somehow escaped without conceding a penalty when he crashed into Nelson Semedo after just two minutes.

Sadio Mane missed two big chances at the other end to open the scoring for the visitors, but the Senegalese did

have a part to play in the only goal of the game in firsthalf stoppage time as he exchanged passes with Mohamed Salah before teeing up Jota for a low shot that should have been kept out by Patricio low to his right.

Liverpool’s lack of fluency compared to the side that romped to the title last season was even more clear after the break as they were happy to sit on their lead and would have been punished by a more clinical opponent.

Coady headed wide a great chance to score against his former club, while Adama Traore stung the palms of Alisson and Fabio Silva’s weak header floated into the grateful Liverpool ‘keeper’s arms.

But with Jimenez watching on from the stands, even Liverpool’s makeshift central defensive pairing of Nat Phillips and Ozan Kabak were not asked serious questions.

Salah had a second goal for Liverpool ruled out for offside five minutes from time. During his attempt to stop the Egyptian, Coady inadvertently caught his goalkeeper.

A lengthy stoppage ensued before the game restarted in the 100th minute and Wolves used a concussion substitute as John Ruddy replaced Patricio.

Despite a nervy finale, Liverpool held out to take advantage of a weekend in which a host of the other contenders for the top four all faltered.

US Open runner-up Alexander Zverev says it is “absurd” he remains behind Roger Federer under the ATP Tour’s revised rankings system during the Covid-19 pandemic, given that the Swiss was out injured for more than a year.

The ATP, which runs the men’s tour, froze the rankings last year during the five-month shutdown of professional tournaments with countries imposing lockdown and sealing borders to check the spread of the novel coronavirus. When the tour restarted in August a revised system was put in place for calculating the rankings, which determine a players’ ability to enter events and receive seedings. “The ranking doesn’t really matter, especially with the system that we have now,” Zverev, who is ranked seventh, told reporters ahead of this week’s ATP 500 tournament in Acapulco, Mexico. “I should be top-four, topfive in the world right now in the normal ranking system. But the ranking system that we have now is a little bit absurd.” Federer, who only returned to the tour in Doha last week, has been a big beneficiary of the new system with the 20-times Grand Slam winner ranked sixth despite a lengthy break due to double knee surgeries last year. “I am the biggest fan of Roger Federer but he hasn’t played in a year and he is ahead of me in the rankings,” the 23year-old Zverev said. “I played a Grand Slam final, a Masters 1000 final, won two tournaments. “Right now the ranking system is just so messed up that you don’t need to pay attention to it.” The rankings traditionally operate on a “Best 18” results basis over 52 weeks but the system was changed to cover a 22-month period from March 2019 through December 2020 to allow players flexibility to skip events amid the pandemic. The revised system for calculating rankings was this month extended through the week of August 9 and the ATP anticipates that the traditional process with points dropping off on 52-week basis will restart after that.

Messi marks matching Xavi’s appearance record with brace in Barcelona's win over Huesca BARCELONA AGENCIES

Lionel Messi scored a spectacular double the same night he equalled Xavi Hernandez’s appearance record for Barcelona, the Argentinian inspiring his team to a 4-1 win over Huesca on Monday.

Messi tied Xavi’s 767 games in all competitions for Barca and marked yet another milestone with a brilliant brace, a curling effort in the first half flying in off the crossbar at Camp Nou before a late shot nestled in the corner. “He’s the most important man in the history of Barca,” said coach Ronald Koeman. “Even better that he’s still with us.”

Antoine Griezmann had earlier followed suit with another impressive shot into the top corner before Huesca pulled one back, Rafa Mir converting a doubtful penalty on the stroke of half-time.

But Messi helped Barca pull away, sending in a cross for Oscar Mingueza to head in and then scoring his second as the Catalans moved to within four points of league lead-

ers Atletico Madrid.

Messi’s performance had all the key elements of the 33-year-old’s genius. In a game that celebrated his longevity, he showed his class with perhaps his best goal of the season, his creativity with an assist and his consistency, by making it 13 consecutive campaigns that he has reached 20 La Liga goals. “He’s so decisive,” said Huesca’s Mir. “They play with one man extra.”

Huesca stay bottom, four points adrift of safety, while Barcelona continue their own excellent form.

They have now managed 11 wins and a draw from their last 12 matches, putting them within sight of Atletico, who they still have to play at home in May. Messi should break Xavi’s record on Sunday against Real Sociedad and the club toasted his achievement with a video that included tributes from numerous current and former team-mates including Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez, Neymar, Andres Iniesta, Carlos Puyol and Xavi himself.

“You’re still breaking records,” said

Suarez. “I think this one says a lot about you as a player and what you represent for Barcelona.” “We think you’re extraordinary, something from another planet,” said Neymar.

Koeman played Frenkie de Jong again in the centre of a back three but he was replaced in the second half by Ronald Araujo, whose return from injury should also be a major boost to Barca during the run-in.

Messi rose to the occasion in the 13th minute. He darted back to receive a pass from Busquets and flicked his first touch around the sliding Jorge Pulido. The ball was still spinning when he tapped it forward and whipped a shot that flew off the crossbar and in. Barcelona were dominant and Jordi Alba thrashed a shot against the crossbar before Griezmann made it two, played into space by Pedri and driving another thundering effort into the same corner Messi had picked out.

De Jong poked a cross onto bar and Huesca were given hope at the end of the half when a scintillating counter-attack was rewarded with a mysterious penalty, Mir failing to connect with Ferreiro’s cross but

CMYK

given a spot-kick anyway, seemingly for a late challenge from Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Mir made no mistake. Yet Barca gave themselves breathing space when Mingueza

headed in his first Barcelona goal from a cross by Messi, who had the last word, cutting in from the right and firing into the bottom corner for his 661st.

Wednesday, 17 March, 2021

prayer timings

NEWS

NCOC rAises AlArm As COviD-19 POsitivity rAte reAChes 7.1PC ISLAMABAD

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THE VIRUS KILLS 58, INFECTS 2,511 MORE IN A DAY

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HE National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Tuesday raised the alarm as the Covid-19 positivity rate crossed seven per cent during the last 24

hours.

According to the NCOC data, 35,303 tests were conducted in the country in the last 24 hours out of which 2,511 returned as positive taking the positivity ratio to 7.1 per cent.

The positivity ratio in the federal capital has reached 7.7 per cent, the district health officer (DH) said. The DHO added that 414 cases came out positive.

The new positive cases take the national total of coronavirus positive cases to 609,964. The NCOC said out of total

cases, 11,089 have been reported in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), 19,233 in Balochistan, 4,961 in Gilgit Baltistan, 48,495 in Islamabad, 76,379 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 188,225 in Punjab, and 261,582 in Sindh. Total active coronavirus cases in Pakistan stands at 23,355.

The central body dealing with the coronavirus pandemic said that the country also lost 58 people to the deadly virus in the last 24 hours with the most deaths occurring in Punjab followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The new deaths take the national tally of coronavirus deaths to 13,595.

The breakdown showed that 4,461 patients have died in Sindh, 5,812 in Punjab, 2,169 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 526

in Islamabad, 202 in Balochistan, 103 in Gilgit Baltistan (GB), 322 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has decided to close schools in nine districts of the province due to a surge in coronavirus cases. The decision was taken in a meeting of the Task Force on Covid-19 in Peshawar on Tuesday. The districts include Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Kohat, Malakand, Swat and Lower Dir. It has been decided to form a committee comprising members of the KP cabinet ahead of the expected closure of markets. The committee members include Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra, Shaukat

Yousafzai and Kamran Bangash.

The meeting decided to shut academic sessions at schools if the positivity rate of Covid-19 cases rises above 10 per cent. During the briefing, the task force members were told that the current positivity rate of coronavirus cases stands at 1 per cent in southern districts.

The KP task force granted conditional permission to organise Dera Jat Festival and jeep rally. According to the decision, the relevant authorities will shut all programmes in case of any violation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) against Covid-19.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan appealed to the public and traders’ community to strictly observe corona SOPs contain the spreading of this deadly pandemic. He added that the nation could cope with the challenge of the pandemic by exhibiting responsibility.

Pakistan, UN raise concerns over Sri Lanka move to ban burqa COLOMBO/ISLAMABAD agencies

New Delhi is world’s most polluted capital for third straight year: study NEW DELHI agencies

New Delhi was the world’s most polluted capital for the third straight year in 2020, according to IQAir, a Swiss group that measures air quality levels based on the concentration of lung-damaging airborne particles known as PM2.5. India was home to 35 of the world’s 50 most polluted cities, according to IQAir’s 2020 World Air Quality Report, which gathered data for 106 countries.

The findings were based on the country’s annual average of particulate matter PM2.5, airborne particles with less than 2.5 microns in diameter. Prolonged exposure to PM2.5 can lead to deadly diseases, including cancer and cardiac problems. In 2020, New Delhi’s average annual concentration of PM2.5 in a cubic meter of air was 84.1, the study said, more than double the level of Beijing, which averaged 37.5 during the year, making it the 14th most polluted city in the world. Air pollution caused an estimated 54,000 premature deaths in New Delhi in 2020, according to a recent study by Greenpeace Southeast Asia Analysis and IQAir. Despite an 11 per cent reduction in the annual average of PM2.5 levels due to nationwide coronavirus lockdown curbs imposed last year, India emerged as the world’s third most polluted country after Bangladesh and Pakistan. “Air pollution in India is still dangerously high,” the report said. In 2020, South Asia endured some of the world’s worst air quality on record, it said. Last year, Delhi’s 20 million residents, who breathed some of the cleanest air on record in summer months due to the lockdown curbs, battled toxic air in winter, following a sharp increase in farm fire incidents in the neighbouring state of Punjab.

As the burning of crop stubble peaked, Delhi’s PM2.5 levels averaged 144 micrograms per cubic metre in November and 157 micrograms per cubic metre in December, exceeding the World Health Organisation’s annual exposure guideline by more than 14 times, it said.

Pakistan ambassador in Colombo and a United Nations expert have expressed concerns over Sri Lanka’s proposed move to ban the wearing of burqas.

Sri Lanka announced plans over the weekend to ban the wearing of burqas and also said it would close more than 1,000 Islamic schools known as madrassas, citing national security. Pakistan’s ambassador to Sri Lanka, Saad Khattak, tweeted the ban would “only serve as injury to the feelings of ordinary Sri Lankan Muslims and Muslims across the globe.”

The United Nations’ special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Ahmed Shaheed, tweeted that the “burqa bans are incompatible with [international] law guarantees of the right to manifest one’s religion or belief & of freedom of expression.”

BURQA BAN JUST A ‘PROPOSAL’: Meanwhile, Sri Lanka said on Tuesday a call to ban the wearing of the burqa was “merely a proposal”.

The Sri Lanka foreign ministry said a decision had not yet been taken on what it described as “merely a proposal… under discussion”.

“The government will initiate a broader dialogue with all parties concerned and sufficient time will be taken for necessary consultations to be held and for consensus to be reached,” it said in a statement.

Earlier on Saturday, Sri Lanka’s minister of public security, Sarath

Weerasekara, called the burqa a sign of religious extremism and said it has a direct impact on national security.

Weerasekara signed a paper on Friday seeking Cabinet approval to ban burqas.

The wearing of burqas in Sri Lanka was temporarily banned in 2019 soon after the Easter Sunday bomb attacks on churches and hotels that killed more than 260 people in the Indian Ocean island nation.

Two local Muslim groups that had pledged allegiance to the Daesh group, or Daesh, have been blamed for the attacks at six locations — two Roman Catholic churches, one Protestant church, and three top hotels.

Sri Lanka also plans to ban more than 1,000 religious seminaries, saying they are not registered with the authorities and do not follow the national education policy.

The decision to ban burqas and seminaries is the latest move affecting Sri Lanka’s minority Muslims.

Muslims make up about 9 per cent of the 22 million people in Sri Lanka, where Buddhists account for more than 70 per cent of the population.

Ethnic minority Tamils, who are mainly Hindus, comprise about 15 per cent of the population.

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Bahrain lauds PN’s efforts for regional stability ISLAMABAD/MANAMA staff report

Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi, who is on an official visit to Bahrain, held separate meetings with the Commander-in-Chief of Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) and commanders of National Guard and Royal Bahrain Naval Force (RBNF) in the capital of Manama and discussed defense cooperation. During these meetings, Admiral Niazi dilated on the role of the Pakistan Navy in maritime security. He also highlighted the Pakistan Navy’s initiative of Regional Maritime Security Patrol and contributions to maintain peace and order at the Indian Ocean region, the navy said in a tweet. The hosts commended Pakistan Navy’s role in maritime peace and stability, Radio Pakistan reported. On his arrival at the RBNF Headquarters, Admiral Niazi was received by the force’s commander and presented a guard of honour. A security briefing involving the RBNF was also given to him. Later on, the naval chief also held a meeting with the deputy commander of United States Naval Forces Central Command and discussed matters pertaining to maritime security.

Gunmen ambush university bus in Afghanistan killing at least two KABUL agencies

Gunmen ambushed a bus carrying university staff in northeastern Afghanistan on Tuesday killing the driver and a student, officials said, as attacks on civilians continued, while peace talks between the government and the Taliban remained stalled. Six university lecturers were also wounded during the attack in Baghlan province, said Sayed Hamid Rushan, a spokesman for the interior ministry said.

The ministry blamed the Taliban for the attack, but the group denied involvement. “The attack…has nothing to do with our mujahideen (fighters), we condemn the attack and consider it as a conspiracy of the enemy,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman. On the other side of the country, unidentified gunmen attacked security forces guarding a dam in Herat, killing three, wounding one, according to officials in the western province. Four other members of the security forces were missing.

Diplomats and advocates have become alarmed at the rising violence, including targeted attacks on government employees, journalists, academics and rights workers in recent months even as peace negotiations were being held in Qatar. Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement on Tuesday condemning the targeted killings, especially those against minority groups, women and journalists.

“Unidentified attackers have also gone after journalists, civil society activists, and professionals, killing many, driving some from the country, and leaving the rest to live in fear,” said Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at HRW.

Beijing to issue visas to foreigners, including Pakistanis, who take China jabs BEIJING agencies

China is poised to ease border restrictions to allow some foreigners — including from the United States, India and Pakistan — back in, provided they have taken a Chinese-made Covid-19 vaccine.

The country has been closed to most foreigners since last March to stem the spread of coronavirus which it has largely brought under control at home, stranding many foreigners with jobs and family inside China overseas.

But Chinese embassies in several countries have issued notices saying the country will open visa applications to select people who have taken a Chinamade jab.

The Chinese Embassy in the US said in a statement dated Monday that it would begin to process “visa applicants inoculated with Chinese Covid-19 vaccines”.

This would apply from this week to those visiting the Chinese mainland for work resumption, business travel, or for “humanitarian needs”, such as reuniting with family members.

Beijing is driving forward its inocula-

tion plan for its vast domestic population with four domestically produced vaccines approved so far. But it has yet to approve

any foreign-made jabs.

China has also shipped its vaccines overseas as it works to blunt foreign criti-

Published by Arif Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk

cism of the initial spread of the virus from its shores.

The embassy statement said this applied to those who had either had two doses of the vaccine or a single-dose at least 14 days before applying for the visa.

Chinese embassies in other countries including India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Italy and Sri Lanka have published similar statements.

Those arriving in China will still have to face a gruelling quarantine of up to three weeks.

China’s vaccines have been rolled out in several countries around the world, including Turkey, Indonesia and Cambodia.

The Philippines received 600,000 vaccine doses from China two weeks ago, kickstarting its inoculation drive. But they are not readily available everywhere, including in India or Sri Lanka.

And Beijing has struggled to gain international trust for its vaccine candidates, hindered by a lack of transparency on test results.

But Chinese companies are still set to export nearly 400 million doses of home-grown vaccines overseas, state media has reported.