Epaper – March 24 LHR 2021

wednesday, 24 March, 2021 i 9 shaban, 1442 i rs 15.00 i Vol Xi No 265 i 12 Pages i Lahore edition

IndIan premIer seeks ‘cordIal relatIons’ wIth country In pakIstan day message g

Modi's coMMeNts coMe days aFter geN Bajwa said it was tiMe For PakistaN aNd iNdia to 'Bury the Past aNd Move Forward'

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NdiaN Prime Minister Narendra Modi on tuesday said to Prime Minister imran khan that "as a neighbouring country, india desires cordial relations with the people of Pakistan". the above was said in Modi's Pakistan day message to the premier, wherein he extended his greetings to the people of Pakistan who celebrated the anniversary of the Lahore resolution across the

country. the message was conveyed to PM imran by the indian high commission in islamabad through the Foreign office (Fo).

"For this, an environment of trust, devoid of terror and hostility, is imperative," Modi said in the message. he also sent his wishes to the prime minister and the people of Pakistan, who were facing a "dif-

PakistaN says reaDy to bury hatChet with iNDia for PeaCe NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

on the occasion of Pakistan day, islamabad expressed its desire for good neighbourly relations and said that it wanted to settle all disputes, including kashmir, through dialogues. “i would like to emphasise that peace and stability in this region are essential for the development of all the countries. Pakistan would like to have good neighbourly relations with all its neighbours especially india for durable peace and stability,” acting Pakistan high commissioner in india aftab hasan khan said while speaking during an

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event organised the mark Pakistan day. “it is essential that we solve all bilateral issues with negotiations through dialogues especially the issue of jammu and kashmir,” khan told aNi news agency. it is important that New delhi and islamabad work towards eliminating poverty and illiteracy, he said. “it would only be possible if there is peace.

For peace to prevail, issues must be resolved through dialogue.” khan’s remarks come days before Foreign Minister shah Mahmood Qureshi will attend heart of asia — a meeting that among others would be attended by india’s external affairs Minister s jaishankar — in dushanbe, tajikistan.

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with the gulf widening between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N), PPP President asif ali zardari has directed party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-zardari not to shoulder the PML-N’s anti-government protest agenda in the opposition alliance, the Pakistan democratic Movement (PdM). while the PML-N has decided to raise the statements of Bilawal with PdM President Maulana Fazlur rehman. well-placed sources in the PPP informed Pakistan today that the party would not allow the PML-N to hijack the PdM with its protest agenda,

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Nation observes Pakistan Day sans traditional fervour amid Covid-19 STORY ON BACK PAGE

PML-N decides to raise BiLawaL’s stateMeNts agaiNst its LeadershiP with FazL ISLAMABAD

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always remain susceptible to derailment due to politically motivated bellicosity." "we feel it is time to bury the past and move forward," he said, adding that the onus for meaningful dialogue rested with india. "our neighbour will have to create a conducive environment, particularly in occupied kashmir." it is worth mentioning here that recently Bloomberg reported that the government of united arab emirates (uae) was facilitating the development of a four-step “roadmap for peace” between Pakistan and india.

PPP not to shoulder PML-N, Jui-f’s protest agenda from PDM platform g

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ficult time for humanity" due to the covid-19 pandemic. "Please accept, excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration," the message concluded. Modi's comments come days after chief of army staff (coas) general Qamar javed Bajwa, speaking during the islamabad security dialogue, said that lasting peace in the sub-continent will remain elusive until the resolution of the kashmir issue, stressing that it was time for Pakistan and india to "bury the past and move forward". the army chief had noted that stable indo-Pak relations were the key to unlocking the potential of south and central asia by ensuring connectivity between east and west asia. But this potential has always remained hostage to the disputes and issues between the two "nuclear neighbours", he said. "the kashmir issue is obviously at the heart of this. it is important to understand that without the resolution of kashmir dispute through peaceful means, [the] process of sub-continental rapprochement will

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adding that the PPP will not be part of any protest politics. however, the sources say that the PPP has decided not to part ways with the PdM and instead focus on preventing the PML-N and the jamiat ulema-e-islam (jui-F) from using the opposition alliance for their petty objectives.

Furthermore, after Bilawal’s visit to Mansura and meeting with the chief of jamat-e-islami (ji) sirajul haq, wherein both the opposition parties agreed on a national dialogue, the PPP chief has decided to play its role without taking an extreme political position against Prime Minister imran khan. “the PPP will set a new course in politics. it will not be part of the PdM’s protest movement nor will it be subject to PdM’s decisions. rather, the PPP will make its own decisions in future from the PdM’s platform,” the sources said. it was also reported that the PPP will not join the protest agenda even after Maryam’s NaB appearance. “the PPP will field its own candidate for the slot of leader of the opposition in the senate elections. it would not allow Maryam Nawaz to bully all the parties in the opposition alliance,” a source said.

PML-N DeCiDes to take uP biLawaL stateMeNts to faZL: Meanwhile, the PML-N has decided to contact the PdM chief regarding the statements of Bilawal.

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MORE INSIDE

occupied kashmir marks another Pakistan Day under guns

Protests block rawalpindi’s airport road after murder of minor

STORY ON PAGE 03

STORY ON PAGE 03

Blast outside Levies office leaves 4 dead, 13 injured in chaman STORY ON PAGE 02

rejecting us peace plan, ghani to offer election in six months STORY ON BACK PAGE

More Chinese vaccine jabs to reach Pakistan by March 31 ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

chinese state councilor and Foreign Minister wang yi on tuesday announced china would donate additional shots of coronavirus vaccine to Pakistan by March 31. the assurance came during a telephone call between Foreign Minister shah Mahmood Qureshi and yi wherein the former sought more chinese vaccines to fight the disease. yi said that over a hundred countries had approached china for the shots but the country would prioritise the fulfillment of Pakistan’s needs, considering the ideal bilateral ties between the two nations. according to a Foreign office (Fo) statement, Qureshi thanked Beijing for promising 1.5 million doses of chinese vaccines for Pakistan, saying it had been pivotal to protecting lives. so far, Pakistan has received 1 million of those doses. he also thanked chinese leadership for wishing Prime Minister imran khan a speedy recovery from covid-19. he tested positive over the weekend. the conversation encompassed the latest covid-19 situation as well as matters of mutual interests, the statement said. the call comes days after Pakistan received a second chinese donation of 500,000 doses of sinopharm vaccine, bringing the country’s total supply to 1 million shots. “these doses will ensure a smooth continuation of our vaccine drive, currently underway for senior citizens,” Minister of state for health dr Faisal sultan said. Qureshi further said that chinese assistance to the world, particularly Pakistan, during the challenging situation of the pandemic was exemplary. Qureshi further told yi that Pakistan was taking all precautionary measures including the smart lockdown in line with the vision of Prime Minister imran.

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Wednesday, 24 March, 2021

LAHORE

NEWS

Pti-PPP on same Page for resolution of sindh's ProBlems: ismail kARACHI

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INDH Governor Imran Ismail on Tuesday said that the politics of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) could be different but both parties sought prosperity and development for the province.

“There are reservations of both PTI and the PPP against each other, which either can be resolved or not,” Ismail said while speaking to reporters after visiting the mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in connection with Pakistan Day. He was flanked by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.

Both the parties are on the same page for

the resolution of the problems faced by the people of Sindh, he said and added there are no such differences between the federal government and the Sindh government that can halt the process of development or flow of funds to the province.

On the occasion, Shah said that his government is working hard to serve the public and added his government seconds the move of the federal government to resolve Karachi’s problems.

“Apart from political differences, we are united when it comes to the resolution of the public problem.”

The nation celebrated Pakistan Day on Tuesday with a renewed pledge to transform the country into an Islamic and welfare state in line with the vision of Jinnah.

shrines to remain open in sindh HYDeRABAD app

The Sindh government on Tuesday decided to keep all shrines open with strict implementation of Covid-19 guidelines. Earlier, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) had decided to close shrines in the country. The provincial home department, in a letter, addressed to the Auqaf chief administrator directed to keep all shrines open with strict implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs). Auqaf department was directed to strictly follow guidelines and in case of any violation, immediate closure of the shrines be effected, the letter said. Pilgrims will be checked for fever before they are allowed to enter the shrines, and they will be provided hand-washing facilities or hand sanitisers.

The department was further directed to constitute implementation teams in coordination with district administration for effective implementation of restrictions.

Blast outside levies office leaves 4 dead, 13 injured in chaman News Desk At least four people including a child were killed while 13 others got injured in an explosion outside the Levies headquarters in Chaman on Tuesday. Police officials said that the explosives were planted on a motorcycle and the apparent target was a police mobile stationed outside the Levies prison. They further said that the bodies and injured have been shifted to Civil Hospital, Chaman. A large number of law enforcement agencies (LEAs) are present at the location and further investigation is underway, they added. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. In August last year, at least five people, including a 10-year-old boy, were killed and 22 others injured in a powerful bomb blast in Chaman. As per the security officials, unknown miscreants planted an improvised explosive device (IED) on a motorcycle parked on Mall Road near the District Police Officer (DPO) office. Security officials said that the blast ripped through the congested Mall Road area of the border town. “The blast was that of an IED, which was planted on a motorbike parked in front of a market,” a senior security official said, adding that the IED was detonated through a remote-controlled device.

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Attacks on security personnel continue in Sindh province as at least three persons, including Rangers personnel, were injured in a cracker attack on the security personnel’s vehicle in Khairpur city on Tuesday.

The assailants hurled a cracker on a Rangers vehicle near Barr Chowk of the city, leaving three wounded in the attack. The wounded persons were shifted to Civil Hospital Khairpur for medical treatment. Heavy contingents of Rangers and police cordoned off the area.

Sindh Inspector General (IG) took notice of the incident and sought details from the senior Khairpur police superintendent (SSP).

Earlier on March 15, an official of Rangers was martyred and five other people got injured as a result of

a blast reported near the Orangi Town area.

According to police, the blast took place near a Rangers vehicle that was parked in the Mominabad area of Karachi’s Orangi Town.

The Sindh Rangers personnel were discharging their duties and were busy snap checking at the Mominabad neighbourhood of Karachi when the blast occurred near their vehicle, said police. Two Rangers officials and three other people who were present at the site were injured in the blast. The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital for medical aid, according to rescue sources.

Earlier, attacks on security personnel were reported from Karachi, Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on March 8 warned that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is reorganising in Pakistan, adding, “There are threats in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, and Karachi.”

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British High Commissioner to Pakistan Christian Turner, in his Pakistan Day message on Tuesday, said that the coronavirus pandemic “has been frustrating” but “please do keep safe”.

The high commissioner, in a video message on Twitter, spoke about the worsening coronavirus situation in Pakistan, the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the travel restrictions in place.

Turner said that coronavirus cases “in Pakistan are rising” and “the country is going through a third wave, with a recent spike of cases”, he said. As a result, the government of Pakistan has reintroduced a series of tougher measures to curb the virus, including smart and local lockdowns.

“This is no time for complacency,” he warned, advising people in Pakistan to follow the rules, observe the coronavirus-related standard operating procedures (SOPs), and wear a face mask.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Qamar Zaman Kaira said on Tuesday that fear was not a part of PPP Cochairman Asif Ali Zardari’s personality, adding that the PPP has never “done any politics on the behest of the establishment”.

These comments came one day after Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Punjab President Rana Sanaullah asserted that the former president had claimed to be weak during the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) meeting that took place last week.

He said that the PPP’s narrative had always been that it wants no role of the establishment in politics.

However, he added that the party did not want to put an end to this role by fighting.

“In PDM meetings, it was decided that all decisions would be guided by everyone’s consensus and not by

whose opinion held a majority,” the former minister asserted.

There has been speculation of dissent among the ranks of the PDM after Yousaf Raza Gillani lost the Senate chairman seat to the incumbent government’s candidate. Previously, it had been planned that the PPP would obtain the chairman seat, the Jamiat Ulema-eIslam-Fazl (JUI-F) would win the deputy chairman slot, and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would have the position of leader of the opposition in the upper house. However, there are rumours that Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is now vying for that position for his own party. Furthermore, after last week’s high-power meeting of the PDM, it emerged that the PPP refused to hand in resignations until PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif returns to the country. The PPP had asserted that it was ready to take part in the long march, but did not approve of the sudden connection between the march and the

He also advised people in the United Kingdom against travelling to Pakistan since “you must stay at home and it is illegal to travel abroad for leisure” under Britain’s current coronavirus restrictions.

“You shouldn’t travel unless you have a legally permitted reason to do so, and you will need to fill in a form declaring that your travel is essential which can be checked by UK authorities at the airport,” Turner added. Noting that the UK border controls were “under constant review”, he said it was possible for changes to take place at short notice. If they did, “direct flights could stop and hotel quarantining on arrival in England could be made mandatory”.

The coronavirus pandemic “means we can’t celebrate occasions like Pakistan Day with the normal festivities that we used to, as part of our dosti [friendship]”.

“So wherever you are, I say Youm-e-Pakistan Mubarak. You can follow updates on our social media and Travel Advisory pages as ever and please do keep safe and well and follow the SOPs,” he said.

resignations. During Tuesday’s press conference, Kaira said that the situation in Pakistan would have been different had Gillani’s victory, on slot of Senate chairman, not been blocked.

“We are for the option of submitting resignations and are moving forward with some points. However, the time is not right for what you [PML-N, JUI-F] are asking for,” Karia stated.

The PPP leader further maintained that the position of the Senate opposition leader was not so important, adding that “the party is not ‘dying’ for it”.

Kaira further said that the PPP would go to the PDM after its Central Executive Committee’s (CEC) meeting, scheduled to be held on April 4.

Moreover, while the PDM president had announced that the workers of the alliance would accompany the PML-N vice president to her hearing in front of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on March 26,

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) leader and former senator Javed Abbasi on Tuesday contracted Covid19. After experiencing symptoms for two days, I tested for Covid-19 which came back positive, Abbasi said in a statement. He said that he has quarantined himself at home and sought prayers from friends and well-wishers.

Abbasi remained a member of the Senate from March 2015 to March 2021 on a technocrat seat. A number of high-profile politicians, including the prime minister, have tested positive for the contagious disease since it was first detected in the country in February last.

Minister for Planning Asad Umar, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari are among the politicians who contracted the disease so far. Staff RepoRt

landslide blocks Karakoram highway

Coronavirus ‘frustrating’ but ‘please do keep safe’, says British HC

Fear is not part of Zardari’s personality, says PPP leader News Desk

Pml-n leader contracts coronavirus

Rangers attacked again in Sindh; three injured

The Karakoram Highway between Gilgit and Rawalpindi has been blocked for traffic due to landslides. The road was hit by landslides in Shatan Pari and Kargil Nallah near pattan in Kohistan early in the morning on Tuesday. Efforts of Workers of Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) were underway to restore the road for all types of traffic.

The FWO, responding to the landslide, immediately moved its troops and engineers with equipment to the area. According to reports, all people stranded there were evacuated to a safe area, while hot meals were served to all the affected families.

Temporary field medical camps have been established and pedestrian crossing has been set up to facilitate the move. The FWO is assisting the civil administration to remove the debris from the landslide, which will take considerable time. The scheduled flights from Islamabad to Gilgit were also cancelled on Tuesday due to inclement weather. NewS DeSk

Kaira said that a decision in that regard would be given later. Separately, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar has said that the political parties of the PDM have their own narrative and ideologies that are conflicting. He added that differences in PDM will be beneficial for the government.

He said that Asif Ali Zardari is an intelligent politician who understands that in case of resignations from the assemblies, the Sindh government will also end.

The Punjab governor was talking to media after inaugurating the first project of restoration of filtration plants under Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority at Mahmoodpura Lahore on Tuesday.

Chaudhry Sarwar said that the opposition parties are only safeguarding personal and political interests and they have no concern for the nation and as far as differences in PDM are concerned, it is definitely beneficial for the government. This also proves that there is no unity and consensus among the PDM parties on any issue. If it were not for the PPP government in Sindh, Asif Zardari would have had the same views on the issue of resignations from the assemblies as other PDM parties, he added.

Wednesday, 24 March, 2021

LAHORE

occuPied Kashmir marKs another PaKistan day under guns sRINAGAR

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HE people of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) greeted Pakistani people and the government on Pakistan Day by putting up Pakistani flags for the third consecutive day in Srinagar, Kulgam, Shopian and other parts of the occupied territory.

Pakistani flags and posters carrying pictures of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Prime Minister Imran Khan and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Hurriyat leaders, including Syed Ali Geelani, were displaced to celebrate Pakistan Day in IOK, according to the Kashmir Media Service (KMS).

The posters were displayed by Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Alliance and Ahl-e-Jammu and Kashmir, Kashmir Resistance Movement, Kashmir Hurriyet Youth Forum and Jammu and Kashmir Justice League.

Political experts say the posters are a message to India that it cannot weaken the Kashmiris’ liberation movement through its military occupation and brutalities. They said that the posters have well explained the Kashmiris’ demand for freedom from Indian illegal occupation.

The resolution passed on March 23, 1940, is the main driving force behind the Kashmir freedom struggle, which is in fact a continuation of the Pakistan

PAKISTANI FLAGS, PICTURES OF PM, COAS PUT UP IN HELD VALLEY

Movement. This has been stated in a report released by Kashmir Media Service in connection with Pakistan Day. The report pointed out that a Kashmiri delegation had attended the public event in Lahore on March 23 in 1940 and had announced in the big gathering that the people of Jammu and Kashmir would be a part of the future Muslim state in the region.

The report said that Kashmir is the unfinished agenda of the partition plan of the subcontinent. Besides, Pakistanis and Kashmiris share strong religious, historic and cultural bonds.

The report said that Pakistan and

Jammu and Kashmir are incomplete without each other, and pro-Pakistan slogans raised by the Kashmiris in the volley of brutal fire by Indian forces in IOK depict the oneness of Pakistan and Kashmir.

Right from 1947, the people of IOK have been celebrating Pakistan’s national days under the shadows of Indian guns; Kashmiris unfurl Pakistani flags; raise slogans like ‘Long Live Pakistan’ and ‘We Want Pakistan’ to show their attachment and love for Pakistan, the report added.

It mentioned that ‘Kashmir Baney Ga Pakistan’ slogan is the voice of every

Kashmiri Muslim, while Pakistanis too stands shoulder to shoulder with the Kashmiris in their freedom struggle.

The KMS report referred to the statement of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and said that Kashmir issue is the lone irritant standing in the way of better ties between Pakistan and India.

PM Imran stressed that Kashmiris must be given the right to self-determination as stated by the United Nations resolutions.

Pakistan’s Army Chief Gen Bajwa has also said that South Asia cannot progress without the resolution of the Kashmir dispute through peaceful means. He, therefore, asked India to create an environment conducive particularly in IOK for meaningful dialogue between New Delhi and Islamabad.

The report pointed out that India’s actions post-August 5, 2019 have once again testified that Muslims needed a separate homeland in the sub-continent.

It said that occupied Kashmir is destined to become part of Pakistan, and shrouding of Kashmiri martyrs’ bodies in Pakistani flags is a manifestation of IOK people’s attachment and love with Pakistan, besides being a vindication of the fact that the Two-Nation Theory is more relevant today than ever before.

Opp resorting to attacks instead of answering the law, says Faraz IsLAMABAD app

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz said on Tuesday that a mindset that thinks of law as subservient to it is not doing politics, but something else. Instead of answering questions, the law is asking, the opposition is instead resorting to attacks, said the information minister while addressing a photography exhibition in Islamabad, held with regards to Pakistan Day. Faraz’s comments appeared to be in reference to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief’s, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, statement that workers of the alliance will accompany Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz to the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) hearing on March 26.

Further referring to the PML-N supreme leader, Faraz said that Nawaz Sharif fled the law. “They fled from the country whenever they were faced with

challenging times,” he said.

The minister observed that the country’s institutions were weakened to keep a veil on corrupt practices.

The minister went on to add that the PML-N was created to strengthen businesses.

“Maulana Fazlur Rehman is in the rent-a-crowd business,” the minister quipped, adding that the sole purpose of bringing different political parties together [under an alliance] was to safeguard personal interests.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader maintained that the opposition alliance failed to garner praise from the public for its politics.

PAKISTAN DAY: On the occasion of Pakistan Day, Faraz said that Pakistan was earned after a lot of sacrifices.

“The armed and civil forces rendered innumerable sacrifices [for the country],” he said, adding that the PTI government was trying to build a country where the law was supreme.

“We’ll create a society where people can realise their dreams of

economic prosperity. We’ll bring the powerful and the elite under the law,” he stated.

The minister further said that the PTI took measures to bring economic equality in the country, saying the government put Pakistan on the right track in a span of two-and-a-half-years.

In the past, he noted, that the

Govt’s hunger-free initiative to uplift low-income families, enhance social protection IsLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Aftab Khan, 46, has been selling mobile phone accessories near a bus stand in Rawalpindi city for almost a decade.

Originally from Swabi district, Khan said that he makes some Rs1,000-1,200 a day and sends most of the earnings back to his six-member family in Swabi.

“I would hardly make ends meet with this amount, but the outbreak of Covid-19 in the country last year has made the situation even worse as I could not earn enough money to support my family due to ensuing lockdowns and halt of businesses,” he said.

Under such circumstances, Khan said he had been struggling to afford quality food for himself as he would send a major chunk of the income to his family.

Thanks to the recently launched hunger-free initiative, he can now have freshly-cooked and free-of-cost food.

“I used to spend around Rs300 on food per day, but recently I am getting free food from food trucks roaming in the city. I feel elated that by the end of this month I would be able to send back more money,” he said.

The government has recently kicked off a “no one goes to sleep hungry” initiative under the Ehsaas

programme, a major poverty alleviation initiative of the government benefiting millions of poor across the country.

“There are many areas in Pakistan where people go to bed hungry. Most people are on daily wages and when they don’t get their wages, they have to sleep empty stomach,” Prime Minister Imran Khan said while addressing the launching ceremony in Islamabad.

The initiative would help the poor, deserving, and daily wagers to save their hard-earned money to fulfill the needs of their children and families instead of spending it on food items, the prime minister said.

The needy individuals will be able to feed themselves twice a day at various points including near hospitals, bus stations and public places, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar said, adding that the programme has initially been started in Islamabad and Rawalpindi and would be scaled up soon to other areas of the country.

Private donors would also be able to contribute towards the poor-centric programme, and the government has set up a donor coordination group within the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division of Pakistan to engage with the benefactors to make it more financially stable, Dr Sania told Xinhua.

governments nurtured mafias under the umbrella of their politics.

“This nation, under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, will reach the heights of success.”

Regarding the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the minister stressed on following the standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Lauding the all-out efforts made by the government for the most vulnerable and marginalised sections of the society, Talat Anwar, a renowned economist and former advisor on macroeconomic policy at the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, said that the programme will bring a positive change to the people as it is in line with the global model for reducing poverty.

“For vulnerable communities, setbacks like the Covid-19 pandemic has brought incredible difficulties in the form of job loss, rising prices, disruptions in supply chains, loss of remittances, education and health services.”

Taking care of the vulnerable groups is the primary responsibility and obligation of the governments towards the achievement of optimal social protection and minimum social exclusion, the economist told Xinhua.

In a conversation with Xinhua, Bashir Farooqui, chairman of Saylani Welfare Trust, the country’s largest non-governmental organisation working for the welfare of poor and destitute, said that in compliance and realisation of its responsibility towards the common people, the government has been working strenuously for their welfare and well-being.

“Poor people are now feeling owned by the state as they have been given due care by the state,” he said.

Farooqui was of the view that providing shelter and food has greatly lessened the burden of the poor but he also stressed the government should take a leap forward to make their lives even better by imparting education and required skills so they can make their own way in the society.

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Protests BlocK rawalPindi’s airPort road after murder of minor Rawalpindi’s airport road was blocked on Tuesday following the alleged rape and murder of a nine-yearold girl, wherein the protests attempted to break into the police station where the main suspect is being kept. The police detained a man identified as Babar Masih after a little girl went missing a day earlier in the Jhanda Chechi area. According to the reports, the girl was kidnapped after she had gone to a nearby shop to buy something. The girl’s body was later found under the bed of the family’s neighbour. Masih was detained after the incident and moved to the Civili Lines police station, where the protesters gathered asking the officers to hand-over the alleged culprit, saying they would hang him publicly. A confrontation took place between the police officers and the protesters as the former barred the latter from entering the premises. Elite force commandos were also deputed on the site to beef up the security. Upon the arrival of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Chaudhry Adnan and Operations Senior Superintendent (SSP), the protesters were assured that justice would be delivered and that the suspect would be produced in the court with concrete evidence. The police said that as per the initial investigation, the minor was sexually assaulted before being killed. However, they added that that the post-mortem report could ascertain the suspicion and the cause of death. It added that the suspect, Babar Masih, is being interrogated, adding that his DNA sample will also be sent for a test. NewS DeSk

Punjab health department revises restrictions regarding covid-19 LAHORE: The Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department on Tuesday issued an update to the restrictions that would be applied to cities within the province to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. According to the notification, the new standard operating procedures (SOPs) have outlined that indoor dining shall remain barred, however, outdoor dining is now permitted till 10 pm on weekdays. Takeaways and home delivery are to be allowed. Ban on indoor gatherings shall continue to remain in place while outdoor gatherings with the upper limit of 300 people – particularly concerning marriage halls – are hereby allowed subject to strict adherence to Covid-19 SOPs. All manner of sports, festivals, cultural and other events would remain banned. Furthermore, amusement parks would be closed, but jogging tracks would be allowed to remain open so long as they follow the SOPs. Certain activities will be allowed to continue in a 24/7 manner, including all manner of agricultural activities, medical services and pharmacies stores, opticians, bakeries along with general or grocery stores, milk, meat and chicken shops. Tire puncture shops, fruit, vegetable shops, tandoors, flour mills, postal and courier services are also allowed to operate on 24 hours basis. Driver hotels, petrol pumps, oil depots, LPG outlets and filling plants, agriculture machinery workshops and spare parts shops shall also remain open. The national tally on Tuesday of total active Covid-19 cases recorded 34,535 with 3,270 more people tested positive for the deadly virus and 1,733 people recovered from the disease during the last 24 hours. 72 coronavirus patients have died during the past 24 hours, 64 of whom were under treatment in hospital and eight of them perished in their respective homes or quarantines, according to the latest update issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). During the last 24 hours, most of the deaths had occurred in Punjab followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Out of the total 72 deaths that occurred during the last 24 hours, 27 of the deceased had died on ventilators during their treatment. The maximum ventilators were occupied in four major areas including Multan 52 per cent, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) 57 per cent, Peshawar 32 per cent and Lahore 52 per cent. The maximum oxygen beds (alternate oxygen providing facility other than ventilator administered as per the medical requirement of the patient) was also occupied in four major areas of Gujrat 86 per cent, Peshawar 62 per cent, ICT 51 per cent and Rawalpindi 37 per cent.

Around 334 ventilators were occupied elsewhere in the country while no coronavirus patient was on a ventilator in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), GilgitB-altistan (GB) and Balochistan. Some 39,742 tests were conducted across the country on Monday, including 6,622 in Sindh, 20,279 in Punjab, 6,278 in KP, 5,384 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 249 in Balochistan, 246 in GB, and 684 in AJK. Around 585,271 people have recovered from the disease so far across Pakistan making it a significant count with over 90 per cent recovery ratio of the affected patients. Since the pandemic outbreak, a total of 633,741 cases were detected that also included the perished, recovered and under treatment Covid-19 patients so far, including AJK 11,792, Balochistan 19,347, GB 4,974, ICT 52,676, KP 80,519, Punjab 200,969 and Sindh 263,464. app

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Wednesday, 24 March, 2021

LAHORE

NEWS

RegIonAl peAce, development lInKed to KAshmIRIs’ RIght to selF-deteRmInAtIon: AFRIdI ISLAMABAD

p

STAFF REPORT

AKISTAN Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Chairman Shehryar Khan Afridi on Tuesday said that regional peace is linked to right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people and the Kashmiris would soon get freedom from the illegal occupation by the Indian regime.

He expressed these views while addressing the participants at a seminar held under the aegis of Ittehad-e-Islami, Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK) and Pakistan Falah Party.

Afridi said that the EU DisInfoLab has exposed the Indian fake news and the world now understands how Indian media and propaganda machinery have been twisting facts about Kashmir.

He said the ceasefire agreement was reached upon with the Indian army to safeguard the Kashmiri population living on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC), adding that the Indian agents have been twisting facts to portray the ceasefire agreement in a negative manner.

He said that the recent statements of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa

about regional peace and development were also being negatively projected by the Indian media.

Afridi reiterated that Pakistan stands committed to the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people and said the Kashmiris would be provided support at all platforms till they get the right.

He said the Indian occupational forces were committing war crimes in Kashmir and urged the world leaders to take action and sanction the Indian army personnel and regime for committing war crimes in the IOJK. "On the Pakistan Day, the entire Pakistani nation, especially the Kashmiri brothers and sisters, must be congratulated for their steadfastness and continued struggle for the completion of incomplete agenda of partition of the subcontinent," said Afridi.

“Kashmir is incomplete agenda of the 1947 partition. We will continue all possible efforts for the independence of Kashmir. On the Pakistan Day, we pledge to continue all possible diplomatic, moral and political support to Kashmiris."

He said the Pakistan Day reminds us of the sacrifices made by our elders for the country. “Posters and flags in support of Pakistan at various places across the IOJK emerged today on the occasion of Pakistan

Day are evidence of our bonding.

That is why we condemn the Indian atrocities, war crimes and crimes against humanity, that are being committed against the people of IOJK, and salute the Kashmiris' struggle for independence," he added. Afridi

said the ideology of Pakistan was the basis for the establishment of Pakistan, under which the Muslim leadership refused to be dominated by the Hindutva mentality and struggled for the establishment of a separate state. "The sacrifices of the freedom

fighters of IOJK will not go in vain. We salute the sacrifices of the freedom fighters. We believe that the people of IOJK will soon breathe a sigh of relief and will be given the right to self-determination," he concluded.

Youth dead, two injured in bike-rickshaw collision SHEIKHUPURA: A youth died and two others injured in a collision between an overspeeding motorcycle and a passenger rickshaw in Sheikhupura on Tuesday, according to the local police. The accident took place near Raza Chowk at the Faisalabad Bypass Road, where an overspeeding motorcycle collided with a passenger rickshaw. A youth, Atif (18), died on the spot while Aqib (20) and Zafar (30) were injured in the incident. The body and injured were shifted to a nearby hospital and investigations were started by the local police after registering a case into the incident. INP

Three dead, nine injured in Chiniot CHINIOT: A heavy downpour followed by a wind storm played havoc in Chiniot as three people died and nine injured in various incidents of structure collapse on Tuesday. The rain also adversely damaged the wheat crop. According to details, a roof of a house located in Jani Wadey Shah area of Chiniot collapsed due to the rain and as a result of which, Sher Mohammad died. While an elderly woman, Fateh Bibi (70), died in a collapse incident in Thatta Lona area. Another person, whose identity was not confirmed, died in a roof collapse in Chenab Nagar. INP

LAHORE: PAF’s Air Vice Marshal Nadeem Akhtar Khan arrives to lay a floral wreath at Mazar-e-Iqbal. ZubAIR MEhFOOZ

FIA officer suspended over alleged harassment at Karachi airport The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has suspended one of its immigration officers over an incident of alleged harassment at the Jinnah International Airport, according to a news outlet. As per the report, FIA Sindh Director Amir Farooqi had taken notice of the officer’s act of harassing a young woman arriving from Bahrain to Karachi.

Some officials said the incident of alleged harassment was happened on Monday evening when the security agency’s officer asked the young woman for her number and sweetmeat. The onlookers filmed the suspect, who was unable to respond to any of the questions. On the other hand, the FIA officer suspected of harassment said he had asked the woman for her number to write in the list and for sweetmeat as a joke. The FIA director later suspended the immigration officer, directed him to report at the zonal office, and initiated departmental action against him. NEWS DESK

Punjab decides to exempt taxes on entertainment LAHORE ShAhAb OMER

The Punjab government has decided to exempt all duties and taxes on entertainment and collect property tax on the basis of rental value instead of area, Pakistan learnt on Tuesday. According to details, the sixth meeting of the Ministerial Committee for Resource Mobilization 202122 was held by the finance department under the chairmanship of Provincial Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht on Tuesday.

In the meeting, Provincial Minister for Industries and Commerce Mian Aslam Iqbal, Provincial Minister for Agriculture Hussain Jahanian Gardezi, Provincial Minister for Board of Revenue Malik Anwar, Provincial Minister for Irrigation Mohsin Leghari, Secretary Finance Iftikhar Ali Saho and other concerned officers were present. The purpose of the meeting was to give final approval to the proposals to increase the resources of the Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control (ET&NC) department for the next fiscal year.

However, during the meeting, the ET&NC proposed a review of property tax and motor vehicle registration tax, expansion of professional tax net and application of entertainment duty.

The finance minister announced that no duty or tax

would be levied on entertainment at the provincial level.

He added that necessary amendments would be made in the Urban Immovable Property Tax (UIPT) Act 1958 regarding real estate tax to benefit taxation in the local governments. “Taxes collected from the local level will be used to provide municipal services in the areas. Municipal services will also be defined in local government laws prior to the application of tax laws. Rental value will be considered in property tax instead of area-based exemption. The proposal to close the gap between personal use and tenancy in commercial property will also be considered,” he said.

The finance minister directed the ET&NC to bring the vehicle registration fee equal to the fee charged in the federal capital. “The ET&NC should offer suggestions for increase rather than further reduction in limited entertainment opportunities and eliminate the lifetime token option in Motor Vehicle Tax, besides removing the barriers to registration of vehicles operating in the province,” he said.

However, during the meeting, Mian Aslam pointed out that valuation of commercial and rental property needs to be evaluated by a third party instead of excise officers. “Property owners receive increments from tenants on an annual basis but resort to illegal methods to avoid paying taxes, which must be discouraged,” Mian Aslam said.

Wednesday, 24 March, 2021

LAHORE

NEWS

DUtCh teLeCoM gaINt VeoN aCqUIres DhabI groUP's stake IN Jazz For $273M

More Chinese vaccine jabs to reach Pakistan by March 31 ContunIeD froM pAge 01 Both the leaders had a detailed discussion on bilateral ties and multiple cooperation besides agreeing to keep up the high-level contacts between the two countries. Separately, Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar, speaking to Reuters, said that Pakistan will receive its first purchase of over one million doses of Chinese Sinopharm and CanSino Covid-19 vaccines by the end of March. This will be the first consignment of Covid-19 vaccines the government has purchased from any manufacturer. “We have purchased one million and 60,000 doses of Sinopharm and CanSino vaccines,” Umar said. “We will be receiving the consignment before the end of March.” He said that the government was in talks with the same companies to purchase a further 7 million doses of the vaccines. Meanwhile, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid said that Pakistan would receive seven million more doses of the coronavirus vaccine by mid-April from China.

“On March 28, another 1 million SinoPharm corona vaccines will arrive, and by April 15, 6 million vaccines from Sinopharm or CansinoBio will arrive,” Dr Yasmin Rashid said on Twitter, referring to two Chinese vaccines cleared for emergency use in the country. She said the Punjab government has allocated $150 million to procure coronavirus vaccines and would buy 2.5 million jabs from its own resources.

China’s Sinopharm and CansinoBio, Russia’s Sputnik-V and the British AstraZeneca vaccines are approved for emergency use in Pakistan, whose government has not secured any vaccine from manufacturing companies yet and is relying so far on donations. Last week, a private pharmaceutical company, AGP Limited, imported the first shipment of 50,000 doses of the Russian vaccine to Pakistan but they are in cold storage until the government can set a price cap for privately imported jabs to be used for commercial sale.

PPP not to shoulder PML-N, JUI-F’s protest agenda from PDM platform ContunIeD froM pAge 01 “We will not respond to the statements of Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Zardari. Our target is Imran Khan. We will not allow the opposition to be divided,” a source in the PML-N told Pakistan Today. According to the source, a consultation meeting of the PML-N was held in the Punjab Assembly under the chairmanship of Punjab Opposition Leader Hamza Shehbaz. Ahsan Iqbal, Javed Latif, Saad Rafique, Maryam Aurangzeb, Pervez Rashid and Ataullah Tarar attended the meeting. “The meeting reviewed various proposals on Maryam Nawaz’s NAB appearance. The meeting also reviewed the statements of Bilawal Zardari. PML-N decided to contact Maulana Fazlur Rehman in this regard,” the source said. The source also said that Hamza gave important instructions to the party leaders regarding the Daska by-election.

Hamza further said that corner meetings should be held at the level of the Union Council.

LAHore

V

STAFF REPORT

EON, a leading global provider of connectivity and internet services, in an official statement announced that it has successfully concluded the acquisition of the 15 per cent minority stake in Pakistan Mobile Communications Limited (PMCL), the operating company of Pakistan's leading mobile operator, Jazz, from the Dhabi Group for $273 million.

The Dutch telecommunications giant is the ninth largest mobile net-

work operator in the world with an estimated 214 million customers across Asia, Africa, and Europe. Meanwhile, Jazz is one of the largest mobile network providers in Pakistan.

According to the statement, the transaction follows the UAE-based Dhabi Group's exercise of its put option announced on 28 September 2020 and gives VEON 100 per cent ownership of PMCL, subsequently Jazz.

Earlier, Profit reported that VEON was to buy remaining shares in Jazz for 100 per cent stake. The deal was expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2020, however, it is speculated that due

The meeting provides a platform for regional cooperation with Kabul at its centre and with the recognition by the participants that a secure and stable Afghanistan is vital to the prosperity of the region.

The statement coincides with India and Pakistan holding in three years the first meeting of a commission that deals with water rights on the Indus River on Tuesday, illustrating a broader resumption of diplomatic ties.

The Permanent Indus Commission, set up under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, is scheduled to meet in New Delhi on March 23 to 24, said two Indian officials that deal in bilateral water issues.

At the talks, Pakistan is expected to raise its objections to the technical designs of India’s Pakal Dul and

to the global pandemic this deal has been delayed and finalised just now.

This deal also marks the exit of the Dhabi Group from Pakistan within the telecommunication sector. In a story by Profit in late 2019, that investigated Dhabi group's potential exit from Pakistan, highlighted the troubles faced by Dhabi Group's Wateen and Warid, and other entities in Pakistan. Warid's merger into Mobilink Jazz was the first move by the Dhabi group to wind up its operations in Pakistan.

This transaction will simplify and streamline VEON's governance over its Pakistani assets and will enable VEON

Bitcoin falls to $55,372 as cryptos remain bearish ISLAMABAD TLTP

The major cryptocurrencies continued on downward slide on Tuesday for the second straight day and Bitcoin (BTC), the world's biggest cryptocurrency, slipped by 3.30pc to $55,372.

With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of the BTC has reached $1,033 billion. During the last seven days, the BTC has shed 0.47pc.

Likewise, Ethereum (ETH) shed 4.43pc to reach $1,708. With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of ETH clocked in at $196 billion. Similarly, Litecoin (LTC) price shed 5.21pc to $187.

The market capitalisation of LTC stood at $12.5

billion after this decrease. However, the price of Tether (USDT) remained stable at $1 without any change. The market capitalisation of the USTD was recorded at $39.5 billion.

Meanwhile, the US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell during a webinar sponsored by the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) on Monday, said: “Crypto assets are highly volatile, see bitcoin, and therefore are not really useful as a store of value. And, they are not backed by anything. They are more of an asset for speculation.

They are also not particularly in use as a means of payment.” He added: “It’s more a speculative asset. It’s essentially a substitute for gold, rather than for the dollar.”

Govt allows import of auto-disable syringes till June 31st ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA

The federal government has allowed the import of auto-disable syringes till 31st June 2021, it emerged on Tuesday. According to sources, President Dr Arif Alvi has issued an ordinance with regard to the import of raw material for manufacturing of auto-disable syringes within the current fiscal year.

Importers can now import auto-disable syringes with or without needless till June 31, 2021. In addition, they can also import raw material such as tubular

Pakistan says ready to bury hatchet with India for peace ContunIeD froM pAge 01

Lower Kalnai hydroelectric plants.

The talks represent a thawing in bilateral ties, which have been frozen since a 2019 suicide bombing in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) blamed on Pakistan and India’s decision later that year to strip the disputed region’s autonomous status in order to bind it closer to India. But over the past few weeks, the two governments have made tentative efforts to re-engage and calm the borders as they struggle to extricate their countries from the worst economic downturn ever amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

About a month after the armies of Pakistan and India agreed to observe a ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC), Bloomberg revealed the months-long talks that preceded the landmark announcement were brokered by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

metal needless as well as rubber gaskets for manufacturing of the same. The FBR would not charge any sales tax and customs duty on the import of raw material/manufacturing of such syringes in the country.

It may be noted that the ECC, on the request of the Ministry of National Health Regulation and Services, had given an approval to the import autodisable syringes. Although the ECC's was duly ratified by the federal cabinet, the government preferred to issue an ordinance in this regard instead of bringing the issue before the parliament.

The cease-fire, the report which cited sources said, is only the beginning of a larger roadmap to forge a lasting peace between the arch-rival neighbours.

The next step in the process involves both sides reinstating high commissioners in New Delhi and Islamabad, who were pulled in August 2019 after Pakistan protested India’s move to revoke the semi-autonomous status of occupied Kashmir.

The reinstatement of the envoys will be followed by the hard part: Talks on resuming trade and a lasting resolution on Kashmir. Last Thursday, addressing a gathering of scholars and experts discussing national security at the Islamabad Security Dialogue, Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, in a rare conciliatory call, urged for a peaceful resolution in Kashmir and for peace talks with India. He had also called for burying the past and moving forward, saying that Kashmir holds the key to peace in all of South Asia, a region that is home to a quarter of the world’s population.

“It is important to understand that without the resolution of the Kashmir dispute through peaceful means, the process of sub-continental rapprochement will always remain susceptible to a derailment,” the army chief had observed.

Microsoft in talks to acquire messaging platform Discord for more than $10bn AgenCIeS Microsoft Corp is in talks to buy messaging platform Discord Inc for more than $10 billion, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Discord has reached out to potential buyers and Microsoft is one of them, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. One person said it was more

05

likely to go public than sell itself.

Earlier in the day, VentureBeat reported that Discord was exploring a sale and it was in final talks with a party.

Microsoft declined to comment, while Discord did not immediately respond to Reuters request.

Discord, which is valued at around $7 billion as of last December, is a platform on which users coordinate group activities such as games, discussions and

even virtual parties.

The Xbox maker has been seeking to strengthen its video game offerings with $7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax Media last year, its biggest gaming acquisition ever.

The Covid-19 pandemic has boosted the prospects of gaming companies as people stayed at home and turned to video games for entertainment during lockdowns.

With its strong gaming business, Microsoft has also been looking to own mass social media platforms. Its last big social media deal was the $26.2 billion acquisition of LinkedIn in 2016, while it failed in its bid for short video app TikTok’s US assets in September last year. Recently, the Financial Times reported about Microsoft’s interest in buying social media platform Pinterest Inc.

to capture the full value of this growing business, including future dividends paid by PMCL. VEON's co-CEO, Sergi Herrero said, "We are excited to conclude this transaction and take full ownership of our business in Pakistan. Jazz has an abundance of growth opportunities as its customers embrace our marketleading 4G and digital services. We look forward to supporting the team at Jazz as they continue to develop these opportunities further. I would also like to thank the Dhabi Group, which has been a strong partner to VEON in Pakistan."

Indian premier seeks ‘cordial relations’ with country in Pakistan Day message ContunIeD froM pAge 01 The report cited the surprise joint statement by directors general of military operations (DGMOs) of Pakistan and India on February 25, that agreed to end Line of Control (LoC) ceasefire violations (CFVs) as the outcome of the talks brokered by the Emirati government months earlier. The report also stated that progress on the Pakistan-India “peace” process had been discussed during Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed’s meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during the former’s visit to New Delhi on February 26. Separately, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang Tuesday congratulated Prime Minister Imran on Pakistan Day. In his congratulatory message, Keqiang said that the favourable development trend of the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership has been maintained.

The construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has yielded significant results and the CPEC has now entered a new phase of high-quality development. "I look forward to working with Prime Minister Imran Khan to strengthening cooperation between the two countries in various fields so that both countries and people can benefit from it," he added. Furthermore, United States President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday congratulated President Arif Alvi on the 81st Pakistan Day, wherein the latter promised to further strengthen the partnership with Pakistan. "Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, sent the congratulatory message on the occasion of a national holiday - the Pakistan Day to H.E. Dr A. Alvi, President of Pakistan, and H.E. Mr Imran Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan," Russian Embassy in Pakistan said Monday on Twitter. Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said, "Russia and Pakistan maintain friendly relations, a regular political dialogue and interaction at international organisations.

We send greetings to our Pakistani friends." US President Joe Biden, in his message, expressed his resolve to strengthen partnership with Pakistan in future. "We will continue cooperation for the establishment of peace in Afghanistan and meet common challenges including that of coronavirus and climate change," said Biden in a letter to President Alvi sent on Pakistan Day. Biden said that the Pakistan-US partnership is based on the common goal of regional peace and prosperity. Pakistan is observing the 81st Pakistan Day across the country with great national spirit and enthusiasm amid the coronavirus pandemic. The day dawned with gun salutes and special prayers in mosques for the progress and prosperity of Pakistan, the liberation of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and eradication of Covid-19. Pakistan Day is held to commemorate the historic 'Lahore Resolution' passed on March 23, 1940, that eventually led to the creation of Pakistan within seven years of its adaptation on August 14, 1947. Earlier, COAS Bajwa and US Defence Minister Lloyd J Austin held a telephonic conversation on Monday. The US defence minister had underscored Washington's commitment to forging better relations with Islamabad. Austin also thanked the army chief for Pakistan’s continued support for establishing peace in Afghanistan. UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supre me Commander of the UAE Armed Forces His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also sent similar messages to President Alvi, as well as to PM Imran on the occasion.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Rouhani sent separate messages to the Pakistani president and prime minister to congratulate them on the advent of Pakistan Day. In separate messages, the Iranian president congratulated President Alvi and PM Imran on the occasion of Pakistan National Day and expressed hope that the joint efforts of the two countries' officials would lead to significant steps to improve bilateral relations in all dimensions.

Wednesday, 24 March, 2021

06 COMMENT

Israel’s election is all about Netanyahu

The need for PDM The importance of a two-pronged struggle

a

The USA is watching carefully

verbal dual continues between the PPP and PMl(N), leading to questions about the survival of the PDM. a 10-party alliance is sure to have differences and exchanges of hot words between the components. But the opposition alliance will remain in one piece as long as it serves vital social functions and does not hurt the core interests of any of its components.

The entire opposition is under pressure. The common man’s sufferings continue to increase. There is no check on the prices of food items, power or gas. The media is in chains. smaller provinces fear the annulment of the 18th amendment. even the courts and the election Commission of Pakistan face threats. The issues do not come under discussion in Parliament. The PDM provides a forum to take up the vital matters.

There was a need not to try to force the PPP to resign from the sindh assembly where its government has yet to complete the second half of its tenure. similarly, the election of Yousuf raza Gilani as senator should have led the PPP to be thankful to the alliance instead of demanding that the PMl(N) surrender the office of leader of the Opposition in the senate to its nominee. The exchange of acerbic remarks between the topmost PMl(N) and PPP leaders followed by repartee between their heirs apparent leads one to doubt the claims that both parties have drawn the right conclusions from their blunders. in a country like Pakistan, where Parliament has been made dysfunctional, there is a need for a two pronged struggle, one from inside Parliament, the other from outside. The opposition parties consolidated their position by taking part in by-elections. it may not however be possible to legislate electoral rules that ensure that the electoral process is not manipulated by those who matter without strong public pressure outside the legislature. as things stand, the PPP is confined to sindh, the PMl(N) to Punjab. Both are at times constrained to adopt a parochial approach. The PDM’s rallies provide an opportunity to both to establish a foothold all over Pakistan. This makes PDM useful to both, provided they do not tread on each other’s toes.

Washington Watch dr JaMes J Zogby

I

sraelis are going to the polls for the fourth time in two years. it’s a weird election, to be sure, in part because for some it’s so very important, while for others so very little is at stake.

The only suspense for much of the israeli public and israel’s supporters in the Usa is whether this election will finally finish off Benjamin Netanyahu or give him yet another term as Prime Minister. since he’s been Prime Minister for 15 of the past 25 years – including the last 12 years – this election is really all about Netanyahu.

Netanyahu has always been a deeply polarizing figure. Yitzhak rabin’s widow blamed him for inciting the hatred and violence that led to her husband’s assassination. He ran his first campaign promising to end the israeli-Palestinian peace process and left his first term in office in 1999 with that process mortally wounded.

While Netanyahu has always been a far-right ideologue, he has never hesitated to feign moderation or cast off faithful allies if it would secure his hold on power. in the last 12 years he has been prime minister, his brazen quest for power has led him to become increasingly autocratic. Not only has his behaviour alienated members of his own party and other partners who felt betrayed by his usurping authority and his broken promises, it has also resulted in his facing trial

Vaccine policy Transparency international highlights important concerns

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aKisTaN’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout is hardly at par with regional countries’ vaccination programmes that have been ramped up, both in terms of procurement and administration of doses. There are now other concerns with how the vaccination drive is progressing, particularly with regards to how there is ample room for corruption and profiteering. This was highlighted in a letter to Prime Minister imran Khan by Transparency international Pakistan (TiP) Chairperson retired Justice Nasira iqbal, in which she drew attention to how Pakistan is one of the first few countries in the world to allow the private sector to import the vaccine. elsewhere in the world the inoculation effort against the coronavirus is being led by the government, free of cost for citizens. although federal and provincial governments in Pakistan are vaccinating older sections of the population for free, the existence of private markets creates an opportunity for those free shots to be sold for profit, shots that are meant for higher risk individuals rather than those willing to pay to jump the queue. another alarming development that has only recently come to light is that of pricing. The russian sputnik-V vaccine for example will cost rs 8449 for two doses and China’s Conividecia at rs 422 per injection. Both vaccines are being imported by private pharmaceutical companies and there has reportedly been quite a tussle between them and the Drug regulatory authority of Pakistan (DraP) over how much the former can sell them for. it seems the DraP has left a lot on the table during negotiations considering how the global price set for a single dose of sputnik-V is $10, making the complete vaccination as very affordable $20. at the prevalent exchange rate this comes to around rs 3000, which means someone is making more than 160 percent on each person fully inoculated. a single dose of sputnik-V is costing less than iNr734 across the border in india, the TiP letter notes.

Taking into consideration the indian rupee is double in value to Pakistan rupee; a single dose should not cost more than rs1500-2000 in Pakistan. Clearly there is something wrong with the price mechanism at play here and the relevant authorities need to investigate and bring about a correction to make the price more rational.

Zardari’s checkmate Avoiding an old mistake

Mustafa abdullah baloch

O

Ne must move in silence and only speak when it’s time to say ‘checkmate’ as it’s all about making the right move at the right time. Chess is a game of minds where only the wise and calm player can win.

Today in Pakistan the political moves and strategies are similar to that of chess. However in this political arena, there is only one politician who is unanimously admired for his wisdom and calculated moves, the one who rejuvenated PPP after the party lost its leader and his wife shaheed Benazir Bhutto. He is capable of making way in the toughest situations, he is known for his patience as he spent 11 years in prison, showing victory sign with a smile on his face despite torture and persecution by opponent party and the dictator both whom he outclassed in the field of politics. even in Naya Pakistan he was victimised, but he faced the cases valorously despite serious health issues. in fact he is the only politician of Pakistan who apparently is not scared of prison, which makes his opponents curious as he shows no weakness. The current government is known for its vengeance and political victimisation, it is believed that imran Khan is even more hostile to the opposition than Zia, but despite all that asif Zardari opted to stay in Pakistan and face the cases. However as an option he could have easily taken a flight to somewhere far and safe just like Mian

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on charges of gross corruption and misuse of office.

Netanyahu’s policies during the past 25 years have also frustrated the Democratic administrations of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, while endearing him to republicans, especially from the neoconservative and Christian fundamentalist wing of that party.

This was compounded during the past four years by his complete embrace of Donald Trump.

There are, of course, other issues in this election, maybe the most significant of which is the alliance Netanyahu has made with the ultra-Orthodox parties.

Though he is not known to be an especially religious person, for electoral reasons, he has been tied to the hip with these parties. They give him votes and he continues allowing them to be exempted from military service, providing them with generous subsidies, and granting them a veto over matters of religious practice.

What should be of even greater concern is how, born of his desperate desire to win, Netanyahu has courted and promised a ministerial post to the overtly racist Kahanist party. it is deeply troubling that there has been so little negative fallout in israel or in the Usa over this inclusion of a party that has been implicated in acts of terror against arabs and Jews who do not adhere to their fanatic messianic nationalism. as has been the case in the past three elections, polls show that the pro- and anti-Netanyahu coalitions are near evenly split, making it difficult to predict which will emerge victorious. His likud grouping remains the strongest of the parties, but together with their allies in the religious parties, they do not appear able to secure the 61 Knesset seats needed for him to remain as prime minister.

Netanyahu’s opponents, most of whom were former likudniks or former partners with likud, despite collectively winning more seats than Netanyahu’s coalition, also appear to be short of the 61-seat majority. To even come close to that number, they will need overcome their personal animosity for one another and include the support of the major bloc representing the Palestinian citizens of israel. relying on arab support, however, remains anathema to most of these parties. so not unlike the last election, for a new government to be formed, it will be necessary for some party leaders to hold their noses and make deals with rivals whom they either dislike or don’t trust. This is pretty much what happened after the last election when one of Netanyahu’s rivals joined with him to form a government, breaking faith with his own party. since both Netanyahu and his leading opponents all largely agree on maintaining israeli control and expanding settlements in most of the occupied lands, denying Palestinians full sovereignty and freedom,

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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Nawaz sharif but he chose the difficult path.

One thing that differentiates asif Zardari from Nawaz sharif is the mature parliamentary politics of the former and the hasty agitational politics of the latter. it would have been easier for asif Zardari to toe the line with Nawaz and go all out for a long march and resign from Parliament to mount pressure for reelections but then there were many unseen repercussions to this agitational move.

What if Khan does not step down and rather call for by-elections in the vacant seats? Will this make any difference to political dynamics? What if the confrontational move takes democracy towards a dead end, leaving no way for return? These are important questions which must have been brewing in the mind of the former President who has seen the highs and lows of Pakistani politics. in recent time he has proved himself by tilting PDM’s policy from agitational to parliamentary politics and the results have been prominently fruitful. From Daska to Nowshera, and then in the senate, the PDM gained magnificently. By putting Khan in an awkward spot where he had to seek a vote of confidence from his own MNas who ditched him in the senate elections was itself a big success of PDM and for which the credit must be given to Zardari.

He knew that Khan is weak and has lost the control over his legislatures and allies who were willing to part ways from the PTi government which is already tumbling on the slippery floor of poor governance. also history tells us that giving space in Parliament by resigning is never a sane option, it’s always better to remain part of the system and exploit the weakness and incompetencies of government.

The news regarding the recent PDM meeting is making waves, as the former President conditioned the PPP’s resignation from Parliament to Nawaz’s return in Pakistan so that he may join the long march together with other leaders of PDM if he genuinely wants to confront the Khan regime. This was clearly a fair de-

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

and denying equal rights to Palestinian citizens of israel– this election won’t be about peace with justice. it will be between Netanyahu and a collection of “i’m not Netanyahus.” it is an election about whether his corrupt and autocratic rule should be rewarded andif kowtowing to the religious right should continue.

Many of israel’s liberal supporters in the Usa believe that a Netanyahu defeat will be important to restore support for israel among Democrats. This is, at best, a delusion. While Netanyahu created tension with the Democratic establishment, it is israeli policy and a growing awareness of what Palestinians have been forced to endure under occupation that has caused the split– not only between the two parties, but between the Democratic base and the party’s leadership in Congress. so, while getting rid of the corrupt autocrat might clean up israel’s image for some, it will not fundamentally change attitudes, unless there is a change in policy. and this is not on the agenda of any of Netanyahu’s opponents.

For Palestinians and their supporters, it is bewildering to hear commentators in the Usa refer to this election as being one that pits the right-wing (Netanyahu and the religious parties) against a center-left coalition. Bewildering, because israeli politics has moved so far to the right, that what can properly be called the left will not be able to amass more than one-sixth of the seats in the next Knesset. They will be in no position to shape the policies of the next government– whether it is led by Netanyahu or a coalition of his opponents.

Maybe the only new and negative dynamic in this election has been the rupture of the Joint arab list that, for a time, brought the more than two million arab citizens of israel under one roof. suffering from systemic racism, inequities in employment and government services, and police neglect and violence, one of the arab parties was courted by Netanyahu with the promise of greater support. They split from the Joint list, failing to learn the lessons of the past.

Netanyahu will betray them, as he has done his other allies time and again. Polls now show that this party, a Muslim Brotherhood affiliate, may barely win enough votes to enter into the Knesset, while the major bloc of the Joint list will win only eight or nine seats, as opposed to the 15 they won when unified.

For more than five million Palestinians living under occupation, this election is “much ado about nothing” as it will only change which party governs the occupation. in fact, their concern is that a new face at the helm may cause israel’s supporters in the Usa to breathe easier for a time, buying israel some good Pr, but it will not change their lives or the ever-deepening hold israel has over their lands and their future.

mand put forward, but the response from PMl(N) has put their party in a weak spot as Maryam showed weakness by being ultra-protective about her father, but at the same time expecting her allies in PDM to go heads on against Khan’s government regardless of how serious and worse the response may be from the other side. it would have been better if Nawaz would have given a green signal that he would return back and share the stage of the long march with asif Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and other PDM leaders. in 1985 when PPP boycotted the partyless elections, the space was filled by non-democratic entities.

Therefore, the PPP will never take such extreme measures again because the party paid a hefty price back then as the boycott paved the way for electables and clan politics in Pakistan. even in 2008 Nawaz wanted to boycott the general elections, but it was asif Zardari who convinced him to contest and not leave the space, which later Nawaz accepted and it turned out to be beneficial for PMlN as it regained its position in Punjab after a 10year hiatus.

These events have proved that leaving ground in parliamentary democracy has never been fruitful and must be considered as the last option. surprisingly Fazlur rehman who is currently insisting PDM for resignations was of the different opinion back in early 2000 when Qazi Hussain ahmed advised him to resign from Parliament, which he refused and asserted that he would bring change through Parliament and ultimately Qazi Hussain resigned from his own seat which consequently led to the split of the MMa. Today Pakistan is facing severe economic challenges and can’t afford further turmoil. in the current hostile atmosphere the Zardari factor can work big time for the fragile democracy and his idea of parliamentary politics can give better results as he has already proven himself in recent times. However, it’s never too late in politics, and the PMl(N) must review its idea of resignation and toe the line with Zardari, and he knows the art of turning tables and can easily oust Khan without any chaos or agitation and then say ‘checkmate’.

Today Pakistan is facing severe economic challenges and can’t afford further turmoil. In the current hostile atmosphere the Zardari factor can work big time for the fragile democracy and his idea of parliamentary politics can give better results as he has already proven himself in recent times.

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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The writer tweets at @MustafaBaloch_ and can be reached at mustafarind01@gmail.com

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Wednesday, 24 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

Violation of traffic rules and duties of traffic police

Imperatives for economic prosperity and peace The Indian government must realise its role

Malik MuhaMMad ashraf

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riMe MiNisTer imran Khan while addressing the ‘islamabad security Dialogue’ was right on the money to emphasize that economic prosperity could not be sustained without peace in the neighbourhood. He justifiably felt that it was imperative for india to give Kashmiris their right to self-determination as per the UNsC resolutions and take the first step for creating an enabling environment for moving forward. He also wished for a political settlement in afghanistan that could lead to sustainable peace, which was a pivotal factor for unlocking the connectivity potential and regional prosperity.

Undoubtedly his vision for peace is premised on lessons learnt from history and a futuristic outlook. Wars and conflicts are always destructive in terms of loss of human lives and a drain on resources which scuttles the ability of countries engaged in them to change their economic profile and promote the well-being of their people; a basic responsibility of the state. Peace and security therefore are pivotal to economic development and prosperity. Pakistan and india unfortunately have been locked in a perennial dispute over Kashmir and have also fought three wars. There are millions on both sides of the divide who are living below the poverty line and who are destined to remain deprived of the basic necessities of life if the leadership does not learn from history and resort to course-correction. The responsibility for moving towards that direction surely lies with india which due to her hegemonic designs, use of military might to keep the people under subjugation in defiance of UNsC resolutions, and threatening posture towards Pakistan, remains a serious threat to peace and security in the region. indian leaders need to realize that they cannot keep the people of Kashmir in shackles for an indefinite period and also cannot browbeat Pakistan through threats as it is also a nuclear power capable of thwarting her aggressive designs and acting as a stumbling block against her hegemonic ambitions.

The continuation of this state of affairs is mutually harmful, and god forbid any clash between the two nuclear powers can have cataclysmic consequences for both of them as well as the region. The only feasible option to avoid those prospects and

address issues related to abject poverty is to ensure peaceful co-existence through resolution of disputes through dialogue. History will never forgive indian leaders if they fail to see the consequences of their actions.

The Prime Minister also wished for a political settlement in afghanistan that can lead to sustainable peace, which he thought was key to unlocking the connectivity potential and regional prosperity. The role played by Pakistan in facilitating a dialogue between the Usa and the Taliban which led to a peace deal between them and in nudging intra-afghan parleys, surely stemmed from this well-considered conviction and policy option. Pakistan has suffered the most in the war against terror and the fall-out from conflict in afghanistan, and rightly feels that peace in that country is pivotal to peace in Pakistan.

Chief of the army staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa in his discourse also reiterated Pakistan’s desire for peace with india, stressing the point that the choice of peace was based on rationality and not the result of any pressure. He said, “We are ready to improve our environment by resolving all our outstanding issues with our neighbours through dialogue in a dignified and peaceful manner. But for the resumption of peace process or meaningful dialogue, our neighbour will have to create a conducive environment, particularly in indian Occupied Kashmir. Pakistan has learnt from the past to evolve and we are willing to move ahead towards a new future; however, all this is contingent upon reciprocity. Our leadership’s vision is alhamdullilah transformational in this regard. Despite being one of the most impoverished regions of the world, south asia ended up spending a lot of money on defence, which naturally happened at the expense of human development. But Pakistan has been one of the few countries, which notwithstanding the rising security challenges, has resisted the temptation of involving itself in an arms race. it was time that synergies were created in south asia through connectivity, peaceful coexistence

and resource sharing to fight hunger, illiteracy and disease instead of fighting each other.`` apart from dilating on the need for regional peace General Bajwa also made a very pertinent point by saying, “We have realized that unless our own house is in order, nothing good can be expected from outside.” This surely represents a transformation in thinking. No country can really fight the challenges confronting it both on the internal and external front unless there is social harmony and unity, the country is politically stable, has a strong economic base, its military prowess is capable of warding-off aggressive designs of its enemies and the state institutions operate within their constitutional domains. it is said that the ability of a country to manage international affairs and to exercise its clout in that regard is determined by its impregnable unity, economic strength and military muscle; also known as the worth of a nation at the global level. international politics is a politics of interests and not principles. The nations which are poor and weak or lack unity simply are not in a position to have their voices heard even if they have a legitimate cause, unless that cause fits into the radar of the big powers. Therefore no person in his right mind can take exception to what General Bajwa has said.

Pakistan presently is in the grip of economic and political crisis, and the situation demands responsible behavior by the political leaders and political parties by giving preference to national interests rather than indulging in activities designed to destabilize the sitting government and pursuing their narrow political ends. They need to abandon their agitation and engage the government in a dialogue to bring systemic changes in the system of governance and the way we elect our representatives, which is essential to ensure political stability; a catalyst to economic prosperity and national strength.

Pakistan presently is in the grip of economic and political crisis, and the situation demands responsible behavior by the political leaders and political parties by giving preference to national interests rather than indulging in activities designed to destabilize the sitting government and pursuing their narrow political ends. They need to abandon their agitation and engage the government in a dialogue to bring systemic changes in the system of governance and the way we elect our representatives, which is essential to ensure political stability; a catalyst to economic prosperity and national strength

Malik Muhammad Ashraf is an academic.

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

i want to invite the attention of authorities to the traffic problems in a Cities. as it results the loss of property and life it demands priority. all authorities relating to traffic at local or intercity levels are well aware of the fact that we have unqualified drivers, sub - standard vehicles, inefficient administration. all these unhealthy factors contribute to traffic problems. last Tuesday i was out for university standing beside the road to cross it, there was a heavy running traffic at that time as it is a main national highway road it runs busy all the time, i was almost 10 minutes of me standing there, i was getting for my class, not a single trading police officer was there to control the traffic. sometimes many people got hit by the car or motorcycle while crossing the road. in order to improve the traffic situations a good, efficient, well trained and honest team of traffic police should be allocated in the areas where there is more these problems and they should be well aware of their duties. roads should be widened and local transport should strictly observe their allotted routes, over speeding should be checked and drivers found guilty should be punished, public awareness on traffic rules should be given importance. i think, the concerned authorities will personally look into the matter and save the lives, time and property of people. so the situation will improve and people will enjoy save and smooth travelling.

Madiha Zubair Karachi

COVID-19 and universities THe covid 19 pendamic has effected the educational sectore worldwide, 70% of students population has been effected globaly by the pendamic. in my point of view, i think reopening of universites would be a good decision, becouse education sector has been worst effected due to the pendamic. For how long can we close them?, when the vaccine is not avilable for the pendamic yet. Might the pendamic live forever with us as world heath organization said, so literacy can’t be halted forever. There is already too much lose of students. However, if we can opene the market, business sector and other places where mass of people u can see without following sOPs, so why not to reopene education sectors? if they can’t take the risk of reopening schools, that is understable where children can’t follow asPs properly, and they are in high risk. But if we talk about youngsters who can take care of theirselves and can be made to follow sOPs properly. and extrem social distancing is much pretty intervention availible to be protected by the viruse, which shouldnt be a big deal for teenages. indeed, study says, teenges, who face lower risk of severe illness. so, reopening of universities with the proper arrengments of sOPs won’t be risky.

Mahnoor Siraj awaran

TB too, not just Corona eaCH year, we commemorate World Tuberculosis (TB) Day on March 24 to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of TB, and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic.

The date marks the day in 1882 when Dr robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB, which opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease. TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious killer. each day, nearly 4500 people lose their lives to TB and close to 30,000 people fall ill with this preventable and curable disease. Global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 54 million lives since the year 2000 and reduced the TB mortality rate by 42%. norEEn Yar MuhaMMad Karachi

Website for Corona as corona is extensively discussed in social, electronic, and paper media.

The problem is undoubtedly challenging however, being threatened, panic, and anxious may not help coping up the situation. as laymen people believe whatever they were thrown to by overflowing social media tools, therefore, it is an extremely important to make an official and authentic platform nationally and provisionally where information can be pasted and timely updated. These forums will definitely provide a across match for filtering the fake and fabricated piece of information. i humbly wish to notify the authorities to make such an arrangement and propagate through electronic and paper media. arEEba Karachi

Learning from Trudeau iNDeeD, among non-Muslim leaders Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has given a very balanced reaction to the ballooning crisis.

Observing that while he defended freedom of expression, it is “not without limits” and should not “arbitrarily and needlessly hurt” certain communities. Certainly, emmanuel Macron can learn a thing or two about how to compassionately handle delicate matters from Mr Trudeau.

Once more the fires of islamophobia have been lit, setting off an ugly series of events that have put the Muslim and Western worlds on a collision course. This time again the trigger was blasphemous images of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), published in France. Following the republication and display of these in a French classroom by a teacher, the educator was murdered while three people were killed in a separate attack on a Nice church. Unfortunately, French President Macron’s combative rhetoric in the aftermath of the controversy has not helped matters. instead of addressing the issue in a statesmanlike fashion, Mr Macron has held forth in a neocolonial fashion about the ‘crisis’ islam faces. This has led to certain questionable reactions from some in the Muslim world; former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad in a blog post wrote that Muslims had a right to be “angry and kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past”.

MuhaMMad haSSan Karachi

Wednesday, 24 March, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

US military SUbverted the afghan peace agreement

Grayzone

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GaReth PoRteR

n an exclusive interview with the Grayzone, Col. Douglas Macgregor, a former senior advisor to the acting secretary of defense, revealed that President Donald trump shocked the U.s. military only days after the election last november by signing a presidential order calling for the withdrawal of all remaining U.s. troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year.

As Macgregor explained to the Grayzone, the order to withdraw was met with intense pressure from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff (JCs), Gen. Mark M. Milley, which caused the president to capitulate. trump agreed to withdraw only half of the 5,000 remaining troops in the country. neither trump’s order nor the pressure from the JCs chairman was reported by the national media at the time. the president’s surrender represented the Pentagon’s latest victory in a year-long campaign to sabotage the U.s.-taliban peace agreement signed in February 2020. Military and DOD leaders thus extended the disastrous and unpopular 20-year U.s. war in Afghanistan into the administration of President Joe Biden.

THE PENTAGON WAS DETERMINED: the subversion of the peace agreement with the taliban initiated by the U.s. military leadership in Washington and Afghanistan began almost as soon as trump’s personal envoy Zalmay Khalilzad negotiated a tentative deal in november 2019. the campaign to undermine presidential authority was actively supported by then-secretary of Defense Mark esper. in February 2020, under heavy pressure to amend the agreement, trump ordered Khalilzad to deliver the taliban an ultimatum: agree to a full ceasefire as a prelude to a broader peace deal, including negotiations with the Afghan government, or the deal was off. the taliban refused the immediate ceasefire with Kabul, however, offering instead a “reduction in violence” for seven days to establish a conducive atmosphere for implementing the peace agreement that had already been fleshed out in detail. it then gave the U.s. its own ultimatum: if the U.s. refused the offer, its negotiators would walk away from the table. to salvage the deal, Khalilzad agreed to the taliban proposal for

a one-week “reduction of violence” by both sides. the adversaries reached further understandings on what such a “reduction in violence” would mean: the taliban agreed there would be no attacks on population centers and Afghan stationary military targets, but reserved the right to attack government convoys if they exploited the reduction to seize control of new areas. the U.s.-taliban peace agreement signed on Feb. 29 called for a withdrawal of U.s. troops from the country in two stages.

First, the U.s. agreed to reduce its troop levels to 8,600 within four and a half months and remove forces from five military bases ahead of a final withdrawal that would take place in May 2021. second, the U.s. and its allies pledged to “refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan or intervening in its domestic affairs.” the taliban promised in turn that it would “not allow any of its members, other individuals or groups, including al-Qaeda, to use the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United states and its allies.” those two commitments obliged U.s. and taliban forces not to attack each other. the agreement also specified that the taliban would enter into “intra-Afghan negotiations on March 10, 2020, after the two Afghan parties were to have exchanged prisoners.” they also required the taliban to keep al-Qaeda personnel out of Afghanistan – a pledge the taliban military commission appeared to implement in February when it issued an order to all commanders forbidding them from “bringing foreign nationals into their ranks or giving them shelter.”

But the pact did not provide for the immediate ceasefire between taliban and Afghan government forces which the U.s. military and Pentagon demanded. instead “a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire” was to be negotiated between the two Afghan parties.

With startling swiftness and determination, Pentagon officials and military leadership exploited the open-ended terms of the ceasefire to derail the implementation of the agreement. secretary of Defense esper claimed the peace deal allowed the U.s. military to defend Afghan forces, blatantly contradicting the agreement’s text. He then pledged to come to the defense of the Afghan government if the taliban began mounting attacks on its forces, setting the stage for American violations on the ground. esper’s promise of continued U.s. military support, made public in congressional testimony days later, gave the Afghan government a clear incentive to refuse any concessions to the taliban. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani promptly refused to go ahead with a promised prisoner exchange until formal negotiations with the taliban had begun. the taliban responded by initiating a series of attacks on government troops at checkpoints in contested areas. the U.s. military command in Afghanistan responded with an airstrike against taliban forces engaged in one

of those operations in Helmand province.

U.s. officials said privately that the airstrike was “a message to the taliban” to continue what they described as the “reduction in violence commitment they had agreed…” the combination of esper’s assurance to the Afghan government and the U.s. airstrike showed the hand of the Pentagon and military leadership. it was clear they had no intention of passively accepting a deal to withdraw the remaining U.s. personnel from Afghanistan, and would do whatever they could to unravel it.

Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the head of Central Command, further highlighted the Pentagon’s opposition to the deal when he declared in congressional testimony that troop withdrawals would be determined by “conditions on the ground.” in other words, it was up to the judgment of military commanders, rather than the terms of the agreement, to determine when U.s. troops would be withdrawn.

SHAPING A FALSE NARRATIVE: the military’s plan to sabotage the agreement hinged on creating the false impression that the taliban had reneged on its commitments. this ruse was advanced mostly publicly by secretary of state Mike Pompeo and Defense secretary esper. in an interview with CBs news, Pompeo mentioned “a detailed set of commitments that the taliban have made about the levels of violence that can occur…” But that was a deliberate obfuscation. though the taliban had agreed to the seven-day “reduction in violence,” it did not apply to the peace agreement signed on Feb. 29, 2020.

On March 2, esper told reporters, “this is a conditions-based agreement…. We’re watching the taliban’s actions closely to assess whether they are upholding their commitments.” that same day, U.s. commander in Afghanistan Gen. scott Miller stated through a spokesman on twitter, “the United states has been very clear about our expectations — the violence must remain low.”

Once again, the Pentagon and the U.s. command were dictating conditions to the taliban outside the actual written terms of the peace agreement. the Pentagon and military command’s ploy was advanced through a story leaked to the new York times and published on March 8. Below the headline, “A secret Accord With the taliban: When and How the U.s. Would Leave Afghanistan,” the story referred to two “secret annexes” to deceptively suggest that the agreements reached with the taliban were not fully reflected in the publicly available text. the times’ ploy recalled the national hysteria the paper triggered last summer when it legitimized an Afghan intelligence fraud by publishing a series of lengthy articles claiming russia had paid taliban fighters bounties for dead American service members. indeed, the “secret annexes” story was simply the latest political deception deployed by the Pentagon to torpedo plans for a U.s. withdrawal.

Despite the article’s assertion that the two documents “lay out the specific understandings between the United states and the taliban,” the only specific reference in the story to any such understanding mentioned “commitments from the taliban not to attack American forces during a withdrawal.” However, that explicit commitment was missing from the actual terms of the published accord.

As the times acknowledged in its article, when esper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley appeared before the House Armed services Committee just three days before the agreement was signed, both were asked about any “side deals with the taliban.” neither said they were aware of any unpublished agreements. Pompeo, who also denied the existence of any “side deals” with the taliban, referred to them as “military implementation documents.” the evidence clearly indicated that the so-called secret annexes were, in fact, internal U.s. documents on U.s. policy related to the agreement. in April 2020, the taliban accused the United states of flagrantly violating the deal, citing 50 attacks by U.s. and Afghan forces between March 9 and April 10, including 33 drone attacks and eight night raids by special Operations forces.

By the summer, as the taliban stepped up attacks on government checkpoints in areas bordering territory under their control, U.s. forces in Afghanistan and the Defense Department informed the special inspector General for Afghanistan reconstruction (siGAr) that the orders to Afghan government forces allowed them to preemptively strike taliban positions. the war thus returned to the situation that prevailed before the agreement was signed and the peace deal was effectively shattered.

Meanwhile, the U.s. military continued to accuse the taliban of failing to adhere to the agreement. in July, the U.s. governmentrun voice of America reported that McKenzie had “told vOA the taliban has not kept up their commitments agreed to in the U.s.-taliban peace deal, leading to one of the ‘most violent’ periods of the war in Afghanistan.”

REVERSING A PRESIDENTIAL ORDER: Following trump’s defeat in the november 2020 presidential election, and after fashioning the strategy to sabotage the Afghan peace agreement, esper, McKenzie, and Miller agreed on a memorandum from the “chain of command” warning trump against further withdrawal from Afghanistan until “conditions” had been met. these terms included a “reduction in violence” and “progress at the negotiating table.” trump reacted to the memo with outrage, swiftly firing esper on nov. 9. He replaced him with Christopher Miller, the former head of the U.s. counter-terrorism center who agreed with trump on withdrawal from Afghanistan. that same day, trump asked Col. Douglas Macgregor to serve as Miller’s “senior adviser.” Macgregor was an outspoken advocate of withdrawal from Afghanistan and a harsh

critic of other U.s. wars in the Middle east, from iraq to syria. During a January 2020 interview with tucker Carlson on Fox news, Macgregor blasted Pentagon leadership for its failure to find a path out of Afghanistan.

Once inside the Pentagon, Macgregor immediately took on the task of enabling a rapid and complete withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Just how close trump came to withdrawing all U.s. troops before leaving office had not been reported until now. Macgregor recounted the episode to the Grayzone.

According to Macgregor, he met Miller on nov. 10 and told him that a pullout from Afghanistan could only be accomplished by a formal presidential order. Later that day, Macgregor dictated the language of such an order to the White House by phone. the draft order stated that all uniformed military personnel would be withdrawn from Afghanistan no later than Dec. 31, 2020.

Macgregor told the staffer to get a national security Presidential Memorandum from the White House files to ensure that it was published in the correct format.

Macgregor’s White House contact informed him in the morning of nov. 11 that trump had read the memorandum and immediately signed it. On nov. 12, however, he learned that trump had met with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley, national security adviser robert O’Brien, and Acting secretary Miller. trump was told that the orders he placed in the memorandum could not be executed, according to Macgregor’s White House contact. Milley argued that a withdrawal would harm the chances of negotiating a final peace settlement and that continued U.s. presence in Afghanistan had “bipartisan support,” Macgregor was informed. Later that night, Macgregor learned that trump had agreed to withdraw only half of the total: 2,500 troops. trump had once again given in to military pressure, as he did repeatedly on syria. the maneuvering by the Pentagon to obstruct the trump administration’s initiative to end an extremely unpopular war in Afghanistan was just one example in a longestablished pattern of undermining presidential authority over matters of war and peace.

When he was vice president, Joe Biden witnessed first-hand the pressures the Pentagon brass imposed on President Barack Obama to escalate the war in Afghanistan.

With the peace agreement’s May 1 deadline for final U.s. withdrawal just weeks away, Biden is certain to face another round of maximum pressure to keep U.s. troops in the quagmire of Afghanistan, supposedly as “leverage” on the taliban.

Gareth Porter is an independent investigative journalist who has covered national security policy since 2005 and was the recipient of Gellhorn Prize for Journalism in 2012. His most recent book is The CIA Insider’s Guide to the Iran Crisis, coauthored with John Kiriakou, just published in February.

The role of the university: Nation needs it, and it can only thrive with academic freedom and institutional autonomy Times of india

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C Raj KumaR

niversities have been forums of knowledge creation and exchange, and they continue to play an instrumental role in transforming nations into knowledge societies. Over time, their academic freedom has been curtailed, and their significance as tools of social change has diminished. the Academic Freedom index established by the Global Public Policy institute (GPPi) has demonstrated that academic freedom has been challenging for universities in several nations. Albert einstein famously observed, “By academic freedom, i understand the right to search for truth and to publish and teach what one holds to be true. this right also implies a duty: One must not conceal any part of what one has recognised to be true.” recent events that have taken place in a reputed indian university are only a reflection of the more significant public concern across the world relating to academic freedom, institutional autonomy and regulatory stringency. While many issues of academic freedom are being debated in the public domain, we need to engage in a deeper and more nuanced analysis of these issues, which will shape the future of universities in india and

across the world.

At the outset, it needs to be mentioned that academic freedom is fundamental to any university in the world.

Democracies take pride in the fact that they’ve precious spaces in society where freedom of speech is duly protected and promoted. in a democracy that celebrates freedom of expression of diverse views, ideological dogmatism of any kind, either from the Left or from the right, will not help universities. At the heart of academic freedom is preserving democratic ideals consistently, promoting pluralism and nurturing democratic institutions.

Our challenge as educators is to recognise the complex role universities play as social organisations. no unique circumstances favour or disfavour a public or private university to promote academic freedom within its institutional context. However, there’re undoubtedly historical, social, political and economic factors contributing to institutionalising academic freedom in some societies more than others. the fundamental objectives of university governance are based on the following three principles to promote academic freedom, while ensuring institutional autonomy.

First, all recruitment, appraisal and assessment of faculty and staff ought to be entirely undertaken within the university. they must be performance-based, following the policies, rules and regulations of the university. the powers for decision-making to implement these processes must be vested in the university’s leadership, which includes the faculty and staff. Outsiders, including the most generous donors, should be excluded from this process. internal governance of a university is central to protecting academic freedom, and it has to be led by the faculty and

not anybody from outside the university. second, all decisions relating to the formulation of programmes, curriculum, courses, pedagogy and establishment of schools/ departments ought to be determined within the university as per established policies, rules and regulations of the university with all powers of decision-making vested within the faculty and staff of the university. While these decisions are taken in consonance with the laws, rules, regulations and guidelines given by the various government and regulatory bodies and based on international best practices, nobody from outside the university should exercise control or influence in these decisions.

And third, all decisions relating to the research that’s undertaken by the faculty members, including their publications ought to be based upon the principles of academic freedom and intellectual autonomy. those faculty members who’re involved in academic research ought to have full autonomy to determine the type of research projects and initiatives, including the topics of research that they undertake, and the outcomes of the research.

While the faculty members will be engaging in research and publications that’ll speak truth to power, it should be based upon evidence, especially when the intention of the research is to inform policy-making.

Going forward, we need to recognise the importance of two central aspects of university governance for academic freedom to be meaningfully institutionalised in indian universities. One, regulatory freedom. the national education Policy (neP) 2020 has envisaged substantive regulatory reforms to empower indian universities. regardless of their public or private character, universities in india are hugely dependent on multiple stakehold-

ers for effective internal governance. these stakeholders are internal and external to the institution. Without achieving substantive regulatory freedom, no university can function in a genuinely autonomous manner and protect the academic freedom of faculty and students. i believe that this is the intention of neP 2020 as well, which promotes “a ‘light but tight’ regulatory framework to ensure integrity, transparency, and resource efficiency … while encouraging innovation and out-of-the-box ideas through autonomy, good governance, and empowerment.” two, universities need to develop a culture of transparency in which important decisions are taken after proper consultation with all stakeholders. the need for consultation, communication and consensus-building is imperative. However, for decisions to have legitimacy and acceptance, there ought to be the fundamental and foundational aspect of trust, respect and collegiality among all stakeholders. Only then will disagreements not lead to acrimonious engagements that can vitiate the academic and intellectual ecosystem, and universities must guard against that. the vision and imagination of neP 2020, if implemented in letter and spirit, will enable indian universities to provide world-class education, while promoting excellence and contributing to nation-building. ‘Atmanirbharta’, for the nation, institutions, especially universities, is intertwined with the fundamental principles of freedom, autonomy and governance.

Professor C. Raj Kumar, a Rhodes Scholar is the Founding Vice Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU), Sonipat.

Wednesday, 24 March, 2021

BUSINESS 09

LAHORE

SBP AmenDS PrUDentiAL regULAtionS to encoUrAge inveStment in reitS KARACHI

t

STAFF REPORT

HE State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has amended prudential regulations to encourage enhanced participation and investment of banks and development financial institutions in the real estate investment trusts (REITs). The central bank in a recent statement said in line with the government’s initiative for the development of the housing and construction sector, the State Bank of Pakistan has been taking various regulatory steps to enhance banks/DFIs

Karachi, Larkana remain most expensive cities for consumers: PBS

participation through their financing in the development of these sectors.

"In order to further boost activities in these sectors, the SBP has now made changes to certain provisions of existing Prudential Regulations for Corporate & Commercial Banking to encourage enhanced participation and investment of banks/DFIs in the REITs," the statement read.

REITs are asset management companies that own or finance income-producing real estate across a range of property sectors. These asset management companies raise funding from the general public and insti-

Asia to dictate global LNG prices in coming decades: report ISLAMABAD

NEWS DESK

TLTP

Karachi and Larkana remained the most expensive cities in the country for the third consecutive week in terms of the gap between actual market prices of essential food items and the rates fixed by the district administrations, data issued by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) showed. In Sindh, Karachi has retained its top position with a decrease in the differential of 1.6 points to 93.2pc this week from 94.8pc between consumer prices and DC rates, followed by a decrease in the differential of 4.4 points from 49.54pc to 45.14pc; and Hyderabad with a decrease of 0.44 points to 27.9pc from 28.34pc. An increase of 3.81 points was noted in the differential of prices in Sukkur from 38.77pc to 42.58pc. It shows that prices remain very high in Sindh. On the other hand, the price differential remained much lower in Punjab as Bahawalpur maintained its position at the lowest of 9.42pc with a slight increase from the previous week. The gap in prices is based on the Decision Support System for Inflation (DSSI), which shows the district administrations failed to enforce the rates.

Global demand for liquefied natural gas will grow to 700 million tonnes annually by 2040 from 360 million tonnes last year, Shell said in its LNG Outlook 2021, adding as much as 75pc of this demand growth will come from Asia. “Asian economies have been a key market for liquefied natural gas for years now.

The fuel has been gaining growing prominence as a cleaner and cost-effective alternative to coal. This prominence will only continue to grow and may turn Asia into an LNG buyers’ cartel,” Shell said.

In light of Shell’s forecast about 75pc of future LNG demand coming from Asia, Europe starts to look like a minor buyer in what is certainly a booming market. Over the next couple of years, European gas prices will become less and less Europe-centric, and more and more globally influenced.

Most of this influence will come from Asia, as evidenced recently during the winter price spike. And it may well come with long-term supply contracts, which will have their own—longer—influence over LNG prices. The spot market was the go-to place to buy LNG in Asia until prices soared by more than 1,000pc earlier this year. Now, long-term supply contracts look more reasonable to buyers.

Last month, the energy minister of Qatar, the world’s top LNG producer and exporter, advised big sellers to secure long-term contracts to avoid a repeat of the January price spike, which, he said, would be inevitable if the spot market continued to dominate the LNG trade space, not least because supply was

Facebook likely to launch operations in Pakistan NEWS DESK Facebook has proposed to initiate a number of projects in Pakistan, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) offering the social media platform to open its first Pakistan office in the province. According to a local media report, Adviser to KP Chief Minister (CM) on Science and Technology & Information Technology Ziaullah Khan Bangash recently held a meeting with Facebook’s representative Sehar Tariq to mull ways for a potential collaboration in this regard. Bangash said that following the vision of the KP CM, the province has offered complete support to the social media platform and has promised to review the legislation causing hardships in the company’s operations in Pakistan.

tutions by floating various kinds of funds. REITs deploy funds by investing in real estate properties thereby enhancing the investment in the housing and construction sector to contribute to economic growth and development.

The units of listed REITs are tradable on stock exchanges and offer a number of benefits to investors.

The changes in SBP regulations would enable banks/DFIs to make higher investments in REITs to the tune of 15pc of their equity as against the existing limit of 10pc of equity. This move will not only bring more capital towards REITs but would also enable banks/DFIs

about to tighten once again.

So, on the one hand, demand is growing, and most of this growth is coming from one single region, dominated by three big consumers: China, India, and South Korea.

The first two are particularly important: last year, China and India together accounted for the bulk of global growth in LNG imports, according to Shell, while the other two big LNG importers in Asia—Japan and South Korea—saw declines.

On the other hand, long-term supply contracts are starting to look more attractive than the volatile spot market once again, so big buyers could lock low prices while they last. This means that the spot market could become even more volatile if Qatar’s top energy man, Saad alKaabi is right and supply is indeed set to tighten. These trends are painting a picture of what could be called an emerging buyers’ cartel.

It is an involuntary cartel, for sure, at least for the time being. In LNG, Asian states are looking out for themselves, not for their neighbour, not least because of neighbourly tensions such as the ones between China and India. But even an involuntary cartel could—and would—affect global LNG flows and prices, reducing supply to other LNG markets and pushing prices higher.

If big energy traders in China secure most of the LNG the country needs from Qatar, Australia, or the United States under long-term contracts, this will leave less LNG to go around outside China. This usually means higher prices, both on the spot market and the long-term supply contract market for latecomers. This is how Asia, although politically divided, could dictate global LNG prices in the coming decades.

to diversify their investments.

In addition, SBP has also relaxed restrictions, in existing regulations, on seeking financing against shares of listed group companies. It will enable investors in raising liquidity for further investment in new business opportunities and ventures leading to greater economic activity.

The change in regulation would also benefit the capital market by encouraging sponsors of companies to consider listing on the stock exchanges. This will promote documentation of the economy, transparency, and good corporate governance practices as well.

Asad Umar for disbursement of additional PSDP funds to expedite development ISLAMABAD APP

Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Minister Asad Umar on Tuesday directed the Planning Commission to allocate additional funds from the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2020-21 to respective ministries/departments so that timely completion of development projects could be ensured. "For this purpose, the Planning Division should encourage and facilitate re-appropriations to and from different projects," he said, while chairing a meeting to review the PSDP 2020-21. The minister was briefed on the mid-year review of PSDP projects, carried out by the Planning Commission. The meeting was informed that PSDP projects of all ministries/divisions, including their progress reports and work plans for the remainder of the financial year, were discussed in detail during the recent review exercise. Asad Umar directed the Planning Commission to work with concerned ministries/divisions to ensure the optimum utilisation of development funds. He also directed that the provincial governments to expedite the finalisation of healthcare schemes so that available financial resources earmarked under the Covid-19 programme could be transferred to them.

Samsung may launch double-folding phone by year-end AGENCIES Samsung is working on a double-folding phone to add to its lineup, according to a report by Nikkei Asia.

This new phone will be the third foldable phone launched by Samsung after Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip and is expected to be revealed around the end of this year.

The report predicts that the phone’s screen could have a more standard 16:9 or

18:9 aspect ratio, making it easier for app makers to design than the 25:9 screen found on the Z Fold. The phone would fold into three segments using two hinges.

However, the design is still being finalised.

It may be noted here that Samsung has warned that it might not be able to ship a Galaxy Note phone in 2021 after all, citing difficulties in launching two flagship phones in one year, in comments at its an-

nual shareholders’ meeting reported on by Bloomberg.

According to foreign media reports, this could be a test to see if Note users are ready for the fold. By giving customers three foldable options to choose from, Samsung could be trying to make it as likely as possible that people will find one that works for them.

Folding phones are already more difficult to make than standard smartphones,

and if Samsung’s not able to get the chips it needs, it could push the company’s plans back.

The launch of a third foldable phone not only indicates the company’s efforts in improving its foldable lineup by making something available for everyone but also points towards Samsung’s ability to successfully navigate the chip shortages issue impacting the entire smartphone industry.

Shares and oil slide as sanctions, virus fears strike LONDON AGENCIES

Shares slipped from a one-year peak, sovereign bond yields fell, and oil prices slumped as a wave of coronavirus infections, a fresh lockdown in Germany and US and European sanctions over China combined to curb risk appetite worldwide.

The STOXX index of 600 European shares fell 0.4pc, while the benchmark 10year German government bond yield dropped 4 basis points to -0.351pc and gold inched up as investors sought safer assets.

US markets appeared set to inherit the negative mood with S&P 500 futures down 0.4pc ahead of Congressional testimony by Fed Chair Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen later in the day.

In remarks prepared for delivery to a

GLOBAL EQUITY MARKETS SLIP WHILE OIL PRICES DROP 4PC AMID FRESH WAVE OF COVID INFECTIONS, LOCKDOWN IN GERMANY, AND US AND EU SANCTIONS OVER CHINA congressional hearing on Tuesday morning, the Fed chief Powell said the US economic recovery had progressed “more quickly than generally expected”.

“The FOMC last week laid out pretty clearly what the Fed’s view is with regard to rates... the next thing that markets will focus on is maybe getting some details from Yellen with regard to further infrastructure investment,” said Alex Wolf head of investment strategy for Asia at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, referring to a statement from the Federal Open Market Committee.

MIXED MOOD: A mixed bag of new Western sanctions on China, coronavirus

concerns and Turkish tumult after President Tayyip Erdogan’s shock sacking of the central bank chief at the weekend left investors awaiting a firmer signal.

The Turkish lira appeared to find a floor after Monday’s historic 7.5pc slump, rising as much as 1pc in volatile trading to 7.7192 against the dollar.

In Asia, MSCI’s broadest index of AsiaPacific shares outside Japan dropped 0.66pc, hurt by a 0.95pc fall in Chinese blue chips as a fresh wave of US and European sanctions related to human rights abuses in Xinjiang hit.

The sanctions on China prompted an im-

mediate riposte from Beijing against the EU that appeared broader, including European lawmakers, diplomats, institutes and families. Adding to market jitters were further worries over the efficacy of the AstraZeneca Plc vaccine developed with Oxford University after a US health agency said the drugmaker may have included outdated information in its data.

SUMMER CANCELLED? Oil prices fell 4pc, hit by concerns that new pandemic curbs and slow vaccine rollouts in Europe will hold back a recovery in demand along with fresh travel restrictions.

Brent crude futures dropped by $2.59, or

4pc, to $62.03 a barrel by 1108 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell by $2.43, or 3.95pc, to $59.11 a barrel. “Global travel is still looking like it could be a while away,” said Matt Stanley, a fuel broker at Star Fuels in Dubai, adding that a second-half recovery in oil demand looked doubtful as lockdowns remain the order of the day.

Benchmark 10-year US Treasury notes last yielded 1.6505pc, down from 1.732pc late on Friday.

The dollar gained slightly against a basket of six major currencies last trading at 92.019, having slipped 0.32pc on Monday, while making advances against the kiwi, Aussie and sterling.

Spot gold rose slightly to $1,740 per ounce by 1100 GMT, buoyed by easing US Treasury yields.

Wednesday, 24 March, 2021

10 FOREIGN NEWS

LAHORE

Several dead, thouSandS of homeS burn aS fire SweepS rohingya camp: witneSSeS DHAKA

a

AGENCIES

HUgE fire swept through a Rohingya refugee camp in southern Bangladesh on Monday, destroying thousands of homes and killing several people, officials and witnesses said, in the worst blaze to hit the settlement in recent years.

Video and photographs showed a blaze ripping through the Balukhali camp in Cox’s Bazar. Black smoke billowed over burning shanties and tents as people scrambled to recover their possessions.

“Fire services, rescue and response teams, and volunteers are at the scene to try to control the fire and prevent it from spreading further,” said Louise Donovan, spokesperson for UN refugee agency UNHCR in Cox’s Bazar.

Mohammed Shamsud Douza, the deputy Bangladesh government official in charge of refugees, said authorities were trying to control the blaze.

Rohingya refugees in the camps said many homes were burned down and several people had died, but neither the authorities nor the UNHCR could confirm the number of deaths. The cause of the blaze has not been established.

More than a million Rohingya live in the camps in southern Bangladesh, the vast majority having fled Myanmar in 2017 from a military-led crackdown that

UN investigators said was executed with “genocidal intent”, charges Myanmar denies.

Zaifur Hussein, a 50-year-old refugee who escaped the fire but lost his home and was sheltering with friends, said he believed dozens may have been killed and that fencing around the camps made it difficult to flee.

“When we were in Myanmar we faced lots of problems […] they destroyed everything,” he said. “Now it has happened again.”

Snigdha Chakraborty, the Bangladesh director for Catholic Relief Services, said she was worried about the lack of medical facilities in the area.

“Medical facilities are basic and burns require sophisticated treatment, plus hospital beds are already partly taken up with Covid-19 patients,” she said. “Most likely there will be fatalities because the fire is so large.”

A Rohingya leader in Cox’s Bazar, a sliver of land bordering Myanmar in southeastern Bangladesh, said he saw several dead bodies.

“Thousand of huts were totally burned down,” Mohammed Nowkhim told Reuters.

Another large blaze tore through the camp in January, destroying homes but causing no casualties.

The risk of fire in the densely populated camps is high, and Monday’s blaze was the largest yet, said Onno Van Manen, Country Director of Save the Children in Bangladesh.

“It is another devastating blow to the Rohingya

Saudi says it would reopen port, airport in Yemen peace offer RIYADH AGENCIES

Saudi Arabia presented a new peace initiative on Monday to end the war in Yemen, which would include a nationwide ceasefire under United Nations supervision and the reopening of air and sea links, the kingdom’s foreign minister said.

The initiative includes the reopening of Sana’a airport, and would allow fuel and food imports through Hodeidah port, both of which are controlled by Riyadh’s enemies, the Houthi movement. Political negotiations between the Saudi-backed government and the Houthis would be restarted, said Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.

“The initiative will take effect as soon as the Houthis agree to it,” Prince Faisal said, calling on the group and the government to accept the offer.

The Houthis have demanded the lift-

ing of an air and sea blockade, which has contributed to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis in Yemen, as their main precondition before any peace deal.

The Saudi-led coalition has said the port and airport must be restricted to prevent weapons from reaching the Houthis who control the capital and most populous areas. The announcement did not specify which routes would be permitted for aircraft flying to Sana’a, or whether food or fuel imports through Hodeidah port would be subject to additional pre-authorisations.

The UN has already set up a mechanism in Djibouti to inspect ships before they dock at Hodeidah port, but Saudi-led coalition warships hold up most vessels despite UN clearance.

Prince Faisal said tax revenues from the port would go to a joint bank account in Hodeidah’s branch of Yemen’s central bank, according to an agreement signed in 2018 in Stockholm by both sides.

refugees who live here. Just a couple of days ago we lost one of our health facilities in another fire,” he said.

The UNHCR said humanitarian partners had mo-

bilised hundreds of volunteers from nearby camps for the support operation, as well as fire safety vehicles and equipment.

Gunman kills 10, including police officer, at supermarket in US COLORADO AGENCIES

A gunman opened fire at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, on Monday, killing 10 people, including the first police officer to arrive on the scene, before the bloodied suspect was arrested in the second deadly United States mass shooting in a week.

Police gave few immediate details of the latest shooting and no known motive for the violence, which unfolded at about 3:00 pm at a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, a north-central Colorado city at the eastern foot of the Rockies, about 28 miles (45 km) northwest of Denver.

Frantic shoppers and employees fled for cover through the supermarket as law enforcement officers swarmed the scene, located about 2 miles from the University of Colorado’s flagship campus.

Sarah Moonshadow, 42, a customer and Boulder resident who was in the store with her son, Nicholas, recounted scenes of pandemonium as gunfire rang out from inside the store.

“We were at the checkout, and shots just started going off,” Moonshadow told Reuters. “And I said, ‘Nicholas get down.’ And Nicholas ducked. And we just started listening and there, just repetitive shots […] and I just said, ‘Nicholas, run.'”

Moonshadow said she tried to go to the aid of a victim she saw lying on the pavement just outside the store, but her son pulled her away, telling her, ‘We have to go.'” The woman broke

down in sobs, adding, “I couldn’t help anybody.”

The bloodshed came less than a week after gun violence last Tuesday that left eight people dead, including six Asian women, at three-day spas in and around Atlanta. A 21-year-old man has been charged with those killings.

HANDCUFFED AND BLEEDING: Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold, her voice choking with emotion, said 10 people died in the attack at King Soopers grocery. Among them was 51-year-old policeman Eric Talley, an 11-year veteran of the Boulder police force, who she said was the first officer to respond to the shooting. He was the father of seven children, according to his father.

Police said the gunman, who was not publicly identified, was injured in the violence but they gave no further details.

Video footage from the scene broadcast earlier by television stations showed a shirtless, bearded man in boxer shorts being led away from the store in handcuffs before he was placed

on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance. The man in custody appeared to have a bloody leg and was limping.

Colorado has been the scene of some of the most shocking mass shootings in modern US history. In 2012, a young man dressed in tactical gear burst into a movie theater in the Denver suburb of Aurora during a midnight screening and sprayed the audience with gunfire, killing 12 and wounding 70. In 1999, a pair of students went on a shooting rampage at Columbine High School near Littleton, Colorado, murdering 12 classmates and a teacher before taking their own lives.

One man who was shopping inside the King Soopers store with his wife told KCNC-TV that he heard three gunshots and ran through the store with other customers to escape through a loading bay at the rear of the building.

He said the shots sounded like they came from the checkout area at the front of the store.

Authorities gave few details about how the shooting unfolded.

14 militants sentenced to death over plot to kill Bangladesh PM Hasina in 2000 DHAKA: Fourteen militants were sentenced to death in Bangladesh on Tuesday for attempting to assassinate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina more than two decades ago, a prosecutor said. The 2000 bomb plot was one of several attempts on Hasina's life in a wave of violence by extremists who were angry at her secular stance at the time. Since then, a major crackdown against homegrown groups has seen more than 100 extremists killed in raids by police and more than 1,000 suspected militants arrested. A fast-track court handed down death sentences to all 14 accused — five of them absconding — after they were found guilty of sedition and criminal conspiracy, prosecutor Abu Abdullah Bhuilyan told AFP. They planted two bombs in the grounds of a college where Hasina was due to address a rally. The devices were discovered and defused. AGENCIES

Commander Kerry Yamaguchi of the Boulder Police Department told reporters several hours after the fact that investigators were just starting to process the crime scene.

“Boulder has suffered a terrible and horrific mass shooting today,” Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said at a news conference later in the evening.

Video footage taken by an onlooker and posted to social media shows two bodies lying in the grocery store parking lot, before the person with the camera walks inside and films a third body lying there, as three shots are heard in the background.

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, Local 7, which represents 32 employees at the King Soopers outlet, expressed gratitude to emergency responders, customers and staffers who “acted swiftly to prevent even greater loss of life.”

“There are news reports that after gunshots rang out, grocery workers helped customers in the store find safety, directing shoppers to an exit at the back of the store, and assisted one another to escape the danger inside,” the statement said. The Table Mesa area of Boulder where the shooting occurred is home to a residential neighborhood and the hilltop laboratory of the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Police declined to say what kind of weapon was used, but the Denver Post reported that initial 911-emergency calls described the suspect’s firearms as a “patrol rifle.”

Wednesday, 24 March, 2021

LAHORE

IndIa wIn OdI SeRIeS OpeneR afTeR KRIShna and ThaKuR deRaIL engLand

PUNe AGENCIES

An ODI of fluctuating fortunes eventually went the way of India by a comfortable margin, giving them a 1-0 lead in the threematch series. The home side were grateful to a pair of fine debuts from Krunal Pandya and Prasidh Krishna, alongside vital contributions from several senior hands, as England collapsed after a dominant start to their chase had seen them reached 135 without loss in the 15th over.

Like Shikhar Dhawan earlier in the day, Jonny Bairstow fell narrowly short of a century - though the openers enjoyed success via starkly different methods.

Dhawan set himself to bat for much of the innings, and helped lay the platform for India in partnership with Virat Kohli, although India needed the spark provided by Krunal's 26-ball fifty and an unbroken sixth-wicket stand with KL Rahul that yielded 112 from 57 at the death.

Bairstow, meanwhile, epitomises England's ultra-aggressive approach. He and Jason Roy had seemingly broken the chase by the time the first wicket fell, as the openers hared off to post their 12th century opening stand in ODIs. But England imploded spectacularly in the face of a re-

newed India bowling effort, led by Krishna and Shardul Thakur, both of whom recovered from expensive initial spells to share seven wickets between them.

Krishna's dismissal of Roy triggered a period in which England lost two wickets and scored just two runs from the next 17 balls, with Bairstow starved of the strike.

It would have been worse had Kohli held on to an outside edge coaxed by Krishna from Eoin Morgan's first delivery; the India captain immediately acknowledged his mistake by unsuccessfully trying to run out his counterpart, who had seemingly already begun to make his way back to the dressing room. It was not to prove costly, as England slumped further when Thakur had Bairstow caught splicing a hook towards the deep-midwicket boundary six runs short of a century. Two overs later, Morgan and Jos Buttler were dismissed in the space of four balls from Thakur to leave England 176 for 5 - still well ahead of the required rate, but short on batsmen available to knock them off.

Moeen Ali and Sam Billings patched things up with a stand of 41 before Krishna struck again. There had been doubts about Billings' continued participation after he left the field with a "sprained collar bone joint" during the India innings, and al-

against the new ball, with 15 runs coming from the first six overs, and 39 without loss in the powerplay.

By contrast, after allowing a few sighters from Kumar, the England openers opted for their big spoons. Bairstow was particularly belligerent, accelerating from 6 off 18 as England plundered the powerplay for 89 runs; he greeted the arrival of Kuldeep Yadav in the 12th over by clubbing him for four and six, raising a 40-ball fifty and England's 100 from consecutive deliveries.

India had reached three figures in the 24th over of their innings, and they pushed a see-sawing innings beyond 300 only thanks to the efforts of Krunal and IndIa 317 for 5 Rahul, whose unbroken (dhawan 98, rahul 112-run stand lifted the 62*, Krunal 58*, KohlI 56, team from 205 for 5 in StoKeS 3-34) beat england the 41st. The elder Pandya struck five of 251 (baIrStow 94, his first 14 balls for KrIShna 4-54, thaKur fours and added a couple of towering sixes for good 3-37) by 66 runS measure on the way to the joint-fastest fifty on ODI debut - a milestone he celebrated with a thump of the helmet and a look to the skies. Krunal's cap had been presented before play by Hardik Pandya and the broththough passed fit to bat he was unable to ers, who lost their father and mentor in reprise his finisher role from the 2020 sum- January, shared another emotional embrace mer as he chipped tamely to extra cover. at the mid-innings interval.

Krunal Pandya and KL Rahul pushed India had seemingly ground their way India's scoring at the death BCCI into the ascendancy at 169 for 1, with With night-time dew taking effect and Dhawan and Kohli motoring along omiAli finally benefitting from some time in nously during a century stand. But the rethe middle - his only previous England turn of Wood, who had bowled a sharp outing all winter had come in the second opening spell, saw Kohli taken on the Chennai Test - England were still in con- deep-midwicket boundary - making it 42 tention. But Bhuvneshwar Kumar ex- innings (and 16 fifties) since his last huntracted Ali with a sharply seaming lifter dred - as England re-established their early and Krunal collected a wicket to go with stranglehold. Stokes, who was playing his his batting cameo as the tail were rounded first ODI since the 2019 World Cup final, up cheaply. India's chief concern come the claimed three wickets including that of end was a shoulder injury suffered in the Dhawan, who pulled low into the hands of field by one of their own, as Shreyas Iyer midwicket with his hundred beckoning. walked off in obvious pain after getting his Iyer also departed attempting to hit Wood hand to a powerful Bairstow drive. Rohit over the top, and with Hardik Pandya Sharma, too, played no part during Eng- steering Stokes to slip India were in danger land's innings, having sustained a blow on of falling short on a good surface. the elbow from Mark Wood while batting.

England were largely excellent in the The differences in approach to ODI field, bar Ali dropping a straightforward cricket between these two sides were typ- chance in the deep offered by Dhawan on ified by the opening pairs. Dhawan and 59, as India lost 4 for 36 just as they were Sharma have scored almost 5000 runs to- looking to press on. But the death bowling gether at the top of the order for India, but went awry in the face of some explosive their success has been based upon steady hitting, Rahul clearing the ropes four times accumulation early on before cracking on in 62 from 43 as India's explosive finish ulonce set. Here, after being inserted, they timately proved enough to thwart their settled for a period of reconnaissance fast-starting opponents.

SPORTS 11 I do not have any fitness issue: Sharjeel Khan News desk Pakistani cricketer Sharjeel Khan has said that he is working hard for fitness and following instructions given by the team's management.

Speaking in a virtual press conference on Tuesday, Sharjeel said that he is working to reduce excessive fats and dismissed the notion that his fitness issue can have any impact on his batting skills. "I do not have any fitness issues. I have never missed a match due to fitness but completed the domestic season," he added. Sharjeel, after being inducted into the national squad after four years, has been in discussion since then. The national side is scheduled to play three one-day internationals and four Twenty20 internationals (T20Is) against South Africa from April 2 to 16. After the South Africa tour, the team will depart to Zimbabwe where they will play two Tests and three T20Is against the Chevrons.

Roach strikes but Sri Lanka battle back in first Test ANTIGUA AGENCIES

West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach struck early to remove Dimuth Karunaratne in just the fifth over of Sri Lanka's second innings but the visitors knuckled down to reach 67 for one at lunch, still 35 runs behind, on the third day of the first Test in Antigua on Tuesday.

Lahiru Thirimanne, top scorer with 70 in the paltry Sri Lanka first innings total of 169, looked solid again in getting to the interval on 28 and added an unbroken partnership of 59 for the second wicket with Oshada Fernando, who stroked five boundaries on the way to unbeaten 34. Roach was earlier left unbeaten after Sri Lanka wrapped up the home side's first innings just two overs into the day.

Vishwa Fernando dismissed top-scorer Rahkeem Cornwall for 61 and last man Shannon Gabriel within the space of four deliveries as the West Indies were all out for 271, a first innings lead of 102. Suranga Lakmal missed out the tail but ended with career-best Test innings figures of five for 47, an improvement on the fast-medium bowler's previous best of five for 54 against New Zealand in the Boxing Day Test in Christchurch in 2018. With Cornwall resuming on 60 and the West Indies already ahead by 99 runs with two wickets in hand, any hope of extending the lead significantly beyond the 100-run mark ended when Fernando bowled the burly right-hander through the gate with just one run added to the batsman's score. Shannon Gabriel then lived up to his reputation as a certified tail-ender when he was trapped plumb leg-before to end the innings and cause some relief in the Sri Lankan camp that they were finally able to complete a task they appeared to have under control when the West Indies were labouring at 171 for seven after tea on the second day.

bangladesh’s fielding errors gift new Zealand odI series win ChrIsTChUrCh AGENCIES

New Zealand secured a series-clinching fivewicket win in the second one-day international against Bangladesh on Tuesday after a string of fielding errors dashed the tourists’ hopes of victory.

Black Caps skipper Tom Latham scored an unbeaten 110 after being dropped twice with New Zealand chasing 272 at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval.

New Zealand batsman Jimmy Neesham was also given a life, with the errors undoing Bangladesh’s good work in making 271 for six after losing the toss and being put into bat.

Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal was left frustrated after seeing his side come close to a maiden victory on New Zealand soil.

“We should have won this game. We created chances but we just couldn’t hold on to those dropped catches,” he said.

“We hardly ever win games but in this kind of situation we have to make sure that we do everything 100 per cent. I’m disappointed.” Tamim topscored for the tourists with 78 and Mohammad Mithun contributed an unbeaten 73 off 57 balls.

Latham’s 110 came off 108 balls and was his fifth ODI century, while Devon Conway’s 72 helped anchor the innings.

The Black Caps reached the target after 48.2

overs, finishing on 275 for five to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.

Tamim had demanded a better performance from his players after they were skittled for 131 in the opening match and slumped to an eight-wicket defeat. Signs did not look promising when opener Liton Das departed for a duck in the second over.

But Tamim and Soumya Sarkar preserved their wickets, grinding out an 81-run partnership at an agonisingly slow run rate to lay the foundation for a big finish. Soumya was stumped on 32 trying to lift the run rate as Tamim brought up his 50th ODI half-century off 84 balls after surviving two umpiring reviews. His luck ran out trying to pinch a quick single, when Neesham showed impressive soccer skills to kick the ball into the stumps sideon and dislodge the bails.

Entering the final 10 overs at 183 for three, Bangladesh finally stepped on the gas through Mithun’s career-best ODI knock.

New Zealand began briskly in reply despite the early loss of opener Martin Guptill for 20.

A double strike from spinner Mahedi Hasan applied the brakes to the run rate, forcing Conway and Latham to rebuild. Conway’s departure in the 34th over with New Zealand at 166 for four gave Bangladesh a chance to put the hosts under pressure. The bowlers obliged but errors in the field meant chances went begging and momentum shifted back to New Zealand.

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NAtioN oBserves PAkistAN DAy sANs trADitioNAL fervoUr AMiD CoviD-19 LAHORE/KARACHI/ISLAMABAD

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HE nation observing Pakistan Day on Tuesday sans the traditional fervour as parts of the country remain partially locked down in view of a third coronavirus wave. The day commemorates the Lahore Resolution adopted on March 23, 1940, in which the All-India Muslim League set the agenda of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the sub-continent.

Sixteen years later, on March 23, 1956, Pakistan also adopted its first constitution, making itself the world’s first Islamic republic.

The national flag was hoisted atop all major government buildings, Radio Pakistan reported. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) also released a special song in connection with the day.

Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah along with members of the cabinet visited the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi where they offered prayers (fateha) and laid floral wreath on the country’s founding father’s grave, Radio Pakistan reported.

The traditional military parade in Islamabad has been postponed to March 25 (Thursday) due to the forecast of “inclement weather and rain” in the capital and Rawalpindi on March 23 and 24.

The administrations of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have announced a local holiday in the twin cities on March 25. In Lahore, a sophisticated change of guard ceremony was held at the mausoleum of Allama Iqbal in Lahore. A smartly turned-out contingent of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) assumed charge of duty.

Air Vice Marshal Nadeem Akhtar, who was the chief guest on the occasion, laid a floral wreath on the poet’s grave and offered prayers. Later, he paid rich tributes to Iqbal and wrote his comments in the visitors’ book.

In view of the rising coronavirus cases, all events commemorating the day were held in strict compliance with health guidelines, Radio Pakistan said.

An investiture ceremony was also held at Aiwan-eSadar (President House) in the afternoon where President Dr Arif Alvi confered awards and medals to personalities for their contribution in different fields.

Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Television broadcasted special programmes to highlight the significance of the day and to pay tribute to the leaders of the Pakistan Movement.

MESSAGES POUR IN: In his message, Prime Minister Imran Khan reaffirmed his commitment to making Pakistan a humane, progressive, and prosperous state based on rule of law, meritocracy, egalitarianism and compassion, APP reported.

He said March 23, 1940, was a momentous occasion when the Muslims of the subcontinent decided to estab-

PML-N finalises strategy ahead of Maryam’s appearance before NAB LAHORE inP

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) has finalised its strategy ahead of party Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s appearance before the investigators of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on March 26, it emerged on Tuesday. The political party will establish camps to welcome the vice president at Adda Plot Raiwind Road and Thokar Niaz Baig, wherein she will be met by the central leaders, including Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah and others, who will then lead the PML-N workers to the outside the NAB Lahore office. Maryam will be accompanied by Hamza Shehbaz, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leaders and political activities while departing for the NAB office.

INP reported that PML-N workers will hold a sit-in outside the NAB Lahore office if Maryam is arrested there, however, the leadership directed activists to remain peaceful. In the case of Maryam’s detainment, the political party will summon workers across the country to join the sit-in outside the NAB office. Separately, Interior Ministry approved a request by the watchdog to declare their Lahore office a “red zone” and for security to be provided to the bureau on the day of PML-N Vice President Maryam’s hearing. A day earlier, the anti-graft body had announced that the NAB Lahore office and surrounding areas have been declared as a ‘Red Zone’, and had deployed police and rangers to protect it from the supposedly planned attack of the opposition parties’ goons during the hearing of two inquiries of Maryam on March 26. Quoting media reports that the workers of opposition parties and some corruption suspects were planning vandalism at the NAB Lahore office during the hearing of PML-N Vice President Maryam in connection with her two inquiries in NAB, a spokesperson of the anti-corruption body had said that effective steps were being taken to provide foolproof security to NAB Lahore building. NAB would continue playing its due role for the recovery of looted amount sans caring about browbeating, intimidation or duress by some suspects, the spokesperson had added. Previously, PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah had asked NAB not to “put obstacles” in the way of PML-N workers who plan to accompany the party Vice President Maryam during her hearing on March 26.

UN chief concerned over rising violence against Asians NEW YORK Agencies

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “profoundly concerned” about the rise of violence against Asians and people of Asian descent since the coronavirus pandemic began, his deputy spokesman said on Monday. “In some countries, Asian women have been specifically targeted for attack, adding misogyny to the toxic mix of hatred,” Farhan Haq said, without citing any specific incidents. “Thousands of incidents across the past year have perpetuated a centuries-long history of intolerance, stereotyping, scapegoating, exploitation and abuse,” the spokesman said. The UN chief’s response follows a deadly shooting in Atlanta last week that may have targeted Asians. Of the eight victims in the shooting rampage by a white male suspect, six were women of Asian descent. Guterres “expresses his full support for the victims and families, and stands in solidarity with all those who face racism and other assaults on their human rights,” according to the spokesman.

lish a separate homeland to free themselves from the shackles of oppression and slavery of the Hindutva mindset. “While commemorating this day, we need to adhere to the principles of unity, faith, and discipline given by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Our vision is to transform Pakistan into a truly democratic welfare state, on the model of Riyasat-e-Madina.

Our great nation has successfully overcome challenges of immense magnitude in past through unity and resilience. Today, we need to remain strong to face the pandemic that has engulfed the entire World. Insha’Allah, we will succeed in these testing times,” he maintained.” Imran also expressed solidarity with the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK).

“We salute their courage and will continue to support them morally, politically, and diplomatically for the realisation of their right to self-determination under the relevant UNSC [United Nations Security Council] resolutions,” he said.

President Alvi reaffirmed the resolve to make Pakistan an economically stronger and prosperous country.

He also urged the nation to remember the people of held Kashmir, who are being subjected to the worst form of repression and state-sponsored terrorism.

The president said that the world must take notice of blatant human rights violations being committed by India in occupied Kashmir.

He said that the key to durable peace in the South

Asian region was the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said March 23 was an important landmark in the nation’s history. “On this day, we commemorate the valiant struggle of our forefathers for a separate homeland that began with the historic Pakistan Resolution of 1940, and culminated in the attainment of freedom seven years later,” he said.

“This day provides us an opportunity every year to renew our commitment to making our country a true welfare, progressive and prosperous state.”

Qureshi reiterated that the leadership’s vision of “Naya Pakistan” was focused around economic security, reiterating the focus has shifted from geo-strategic to geo-economics.

“Rather than partaking in geo-political competition and rivalries, Pakistan is advocating co-existence and win-win cooperation. Pakistan is committed to pursuing policies that promote peace and stability,” he said.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that Pakistan could only evolve into an egalitarian nation and a role model for other Muslim countries when it truly followed the ideology on which this country was built.

“A democratic society based on justice, fair play, and equality were the core beliefs on which this great one was founded,” he said.

President confers civil awards to prominent personalities ISLAMABAD MiAn AbrAr

President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday conferred Pakistan civil awards on prominent personalities including foreign nationals in recognition of their services in different fields of life, including medicine, education, social services, arts and for showing gallantry in the war against terrorism and during the coronavirus pandemic.

During the investiture ceremony held at the President House in connection with Pakistan Day, the president bestowed Nishan-e-Imtiaz on Sadeqain Naqvi (arts, painting, sculpture), Prof Shakir Ali (arts, painting), Zahoorul Haq (arts, painting/sculpture), Abida Parveen (singing), Dr Jameel Jalibi (literature) and Ahmad Faraz (literature). He also conferred awards on the following personalities: Hilal-e-Imtiaz was given to Prof Dr Anwarul Hassan Gillani (pharmaceutical science) while Dr Asif Mahmood Jah and Syed Javed Anwar received the same award for their services to Pakistan.

Sitara-e-Shujaat was given to the following citizens for their gallantry: Jawad Qamar, Safia Shaheed, Malik Hayatullah, Malik Sardar Khan Shaheed, Mumtaz Khan Shaheed, Hayatullah Khan Dawar Shaheed, Malik Muhammad Niaz Khan Shaheed, Sepoy Akhtar Khan Shaheed, Muhammad Naveed Sadiq, Mahar

Muhammad Yasir Manzoor Shaheed, Shafqat Ullah Malik, Dr Mustafa Kamal Pasha Shaheed, Prof Hafiz Maqsood Ahmad Shaheed, Dr Bashir Ahmed Shaheed, Dr Khalid Masood Qaisrani Shaheed, Dr Muhammad Asif Shaheed, Dr Shafqatullah Shaheed, Dr Younas Channa Shaheed, Dr Wilayat Ali Gopang Shaheed, Prof Dr Muhammad Javed Shaheed, Munir Khan Shaheed, Dr Usama Riaz, Malik Ashdar Shaheed and Dr Muhammad Akhlaq Shaheed. The president conferred Sitara-e-Imtiaz on Prof Dr Farhan Saif (education), Bushra Ansari (arts), Muhammad Imran Qureshi (arts), Sultana Siddiqui (television production), Syed Farooq Qaiser (arts, puppeteer/writer), Rana Irfan Shakeel Ramay, Col Farooq Shahbaz (public service), and Pir Syed Lakht-e-Hasnain (philanthropy).

The president also conferred the President’s Pride of Performance Award on Ruth Wenny Lekardal (services), Prof Dr Khalid Masood Gondal (education), Naimat Sarhadi (film), Muhammad Ali Shyhaki (music), Saima Shah (Resham) (film), Humayun Saeed (film), Ali Zafar (singing), Hina Nasrullah (Sufi singing).

Similarly, the Performace Award was received

by Sarmad Sehbai (literature), Indu Mariam Mitha (dancing), Farhan Mehboob (squash), Abdul Majeed Qureshi (philanthropy) and Muhammad Faheem (arts, wood lacquer).

Moulana Tariq Jameel (religious scholar) was also awarded the President’s Pride of Performance

Award.

Sitara-e-Quaid-e-Azam was given to Prof Dr Tariq Shafi for services to Pakistan while Sitara-eKhidmat was awarded to Richard Geary Horwitz (US) and Tamgha-e-Pakistan to Jane Teller (Denmark) for services to Pakistan.

The president awarded Tamgha-e-Shujaat to Fida Hussain (Gilgit-Baltistan), Ali Aftab Tarar (Punjab), Syed Shahzad Hassan (Punjab), Haroon Rashid Khan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Fakharud Din (Punjab), Mian Khan (Punjab), Muhammad Faheem Raza Khan (Sindh), Malik Wasid Khan (KP), Molvi Gul Dad Khan (KP), Malik Aslam Noor Khan (KP), Muhammad Rafi Shaheed (KP), Daud Khan (Shaheed) (KP).

Tamgha-e-Shujaat was also conferred upon Alam Zeb Shaheed (KP), Allah Rakha (Azad Jammu and Kashmir), Shakeela Naz Shaheed (KP), Ghuncha Sartaj Shaheed (KP), Aetzaz Ahmed Goraya (Balochistan), Sajid Khan Mohmand (KP), Shahid Ali Shaheed, Muhammad Iftikhar Shaheed, Khuda Yar Shaheed and Hassan Ali Shaheed for showing gallantry.

Tamgha-e-Imtiaz was awarded to Muhammad Tahir Javed, Zeba Shehnaz, Hameedullah Shah Hashmi, Faisal Edhi, Syed Aamir Mehmood, Capt (r) Muhammad Ilyas, Farid Ahmed Khan and Omar Saeed. Begum Samina Arif Alvi, federal ministers and people from all walks of life attended the ceremony.

Rejecting US peace plan, Ghani to offer election in six months KABUL Agencies

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani will propose a new presidential election within six months, under a peace plan he will put forward as a counter-offer to a United States proposal that he rejects, two senior government officials told Reuters.

Ghani will unveil his proposal at an international gathering in Turkey next month, signalling his refusal to accept Washington’s plan for his elected government to be replaced by an interim administration, the officials said.

Washington, which agreed last year to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by May 1 after nearly

two decades, is pressing for a peace deal to end the war between the government and the Taliban. Talks between the Afghan sides in Qatar have stalled. US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has been circulating a proposal which would replace the Kabul government with an interim administration. But Ghani has voiced vehement opposition to any solution that requires his government to step aside for unelected successors.

“The counterproposal which we are going to present at the Istanbul meeting would be to call for early presidential elections if the Taliban agree on a ceasefire,” one senior government official said on condition of anonymity.

Another Afghan government offi-

cial said: “The president would never agree to step aside and any future government should be formed through a democratic process, not a political deal.” A third senior official also said that Ghani’s proposal would include possible early elections, although he did not specify the exact time frame for the vote. The third official said that Ghani had already shared his road map with Khalilzad.

US SEEKING SUPPORT: With just weeks left before a deadline it agreed with the Taliban last year to end the longest war in US history, Washington is seeking regional backing for its approach to push the Kabul government and insurgents to share power.

But diplomats and foreign offi-

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

cials have said that it will be difficult to move forward with the US plans without Ghani’s support.

During a visit to the region, which included stops in Doha and Islamabad, Khalilzad pushed for a conference to be hosted by Turkey with involvement from the United Nations next month. The Afghan officials said that as part of Ghani’s counter-proposal, his government would ask the UN to closely observe the new election to ensure it is accepted by all sides. A presidential palace spokesman declined to comment.

Peace negotiations between the Afghan government and insurgent Taliban in Qatar’s capital Doha have made little progress, while violence has increased.