Epaper – May 18 LHR 2021

Tuesday, 18 May, 2021 I 6 Shawwal, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 317 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition

Zulfi Bukhari resigns amid rumours of involvement in rawalpindi ring road sCam ISLAMABAD

a

Mian abRaR

Mid allegations of wrongdoing in the rawalpindi ring road scandal, special assistant to Prime Minister syed Zulfiqar bukhari on Monday announced to step down from his public office till the inquiry into the scam is completed. bukhari was away from mainstream media for the past four days due to rumours of his alleged role in the scam and was also not visible in the Prime Minister’s House. However, since these allegations took a new turn in the past two days as media reports emerged, Zulfi bukhari met Prime Minister imran Khan on Monday and informed him about his decision of stepping down due to the allegations.

Later, bukhari took to the social media site, twitter, to announce his resignation from the office.

“My Prime Minister has always said that if a person has been named rightly or wrongly in any inquiry he should cease to hold any public office till his name has been cleared of charges. owing to the allegations in ongoing (rawalpindi) ring road inquiry i want to

set this example …,” he said. “by resigning from office until my name is cleared up of any allegations and media’s obnoxious lies. i reiterate that i have nothing to do with ring road or any ongoing real estate project. this

time the inquiry should be done by capable personnel, i endorse a judicial inquiry,” he wrote in a subsequent tweet. “i’m here to stay in Pakistan and stand united with the Prime Minister and his vision. i sacrificed my life overseas to

gaza reels after israeli strikes as death toll surpasses 200 AgencIeS

PM orders state-level protests against Israel on Friday STORY ON PAGE 03

bers of the commission have refused to sign the report,” the source said. on saturday, Prime Minister imran ordered a full-fledged inquiry into the rrr project scam after which the Punjab government decided to send the case to the Federal investigation agency (Fia) or the National accountability bureau (Nab) for a thorough investigation. the decisions were taken as two fact-finding reports — one by the rawalpindi commissioner and the other by the deputy commissioner — landed at the prime minister office, with the second report hinting that the project had been realigned with the approval of Punjab Chief Minister usman buzdar and his finance adviser dr salman shah.

However, the PML-N demanded action against the relevant authorities for approving the ring road’s realignment, asserting that neither Chief Minister buzdar and Prime Minister imran nor “direct beneficiaries” such as cabinet members ghulam sarwar Khan and bukhari should be exempted.

PML-N deputy secretary-general attaullah tarar had alleged that both bukhari and Khan had received huge financial benefits through the ring road project because their lands were near the project.

Shehbaz placed on ECL, says interior minister g

gaza residents cowered indoors on Monday after israeli jets pounded the enclave, as violence that has killed more than 200 people — overwhelmingly Palestinian — entered a second week. before dawn, in the space of just a few minutes, dozens of israeli strikes bombarded the crowded Palestinian coastal strip controlled by Hamas, according to aFP journalists and the army. Flames lit up the sky as intense explosions shook gaza city, sparking widespread power cuts and damaging hundreds of buildings, local authorities said. some 3,100 rockets have also been fired by Palestinian fighters toward israel since the violence escalated on May 10 in the heaviest exchange of fire between the ri-

come and serve my country, i am ready to face any inquiry,” he concluded. sources in the federal cabinet informed Pakistan today that bukhari had been missing from the political scene since the rumours started doing rounds in the government circles.

“Prime Minister imran Khan was also unhappy with the featuring of Zulfi in the scam. it seems that Prime Minister’s closest confidants are being targeted one by one into scams and some quarters are framing close confidants of the premier to isolate him in power corridors.

First, it was Jahangir Khan tareen who was targeted and shunted out. Now it is Zulfi bukhari and tomorrow it may be someone else,” said one of the sources another source said that rawalpindi Commissioner syed gulzar Hussain shah, in the fact-finding commission, had implicated bukhari without any evidence. the source said that however rawalpindi deputy commissioner and assistant commissioners of rawalpindi and attock had refused to sign the factfinding commission report and hence the report had no credibility. “technically, it’s not a report of a fact-finding commission as three mem-

PML-N PresideNt Moves LHC agaiNst Fia For reFusiNg PerMissioN to FLy abroad 'desPite Court order' ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

vals in years, sparked by israeli violence in Jerusalem. on Monday morning, an aFP reporter in gaza saw huge plumes of grey smoke billow from a mattress factory, as civil defence members aimed high-pressure water hoses at the blaze. as well as strikes from the air, israeli artillery guns surrounding gaza have also been firing barrages of shells.

Later in the day, dust clouds rose from near gaza’s port from further explosions.

West gaza resident Mahdi abed rabbo, 39, expressed “horror and fear” at the intensity of the onslaught. “there have never been strikes of this magnitude,” he said. gaza resident Mani Qazaat said israeli Prime Minister

benjamin Netanyahu “should realise we’re civilians, not fighters”. “i felt like i was dying,” he said.

2,500 HOMELESS: israel’s army said on Monday it hit the homes of nine “high-ranking” Hamas commanders, a day after strikes on the house of yahya sinwar, head of the group’s political wing.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

NA passes resolution against Israel’s barbarism in Palestine STORY ON BACK PAGE

MORE INSIDE

Pakistan asks UN to hold Israel accountable for its atrocities STORY ON BACK PAGE

Pakistan conveys concern to afghan side on baseless allegations: Fo STORY ON PAGE 03

Pakistan wants to enhance mutually beneficial ties with eu: Coas

the government has placed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and National assembly opposition Leader shehbaz sharif on the exit Control List (eCL), Minister for interior sheikh rasheed ahmed announced on Monday. the same was also confirmed by Minister for information and broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry who said that the measure was taken after approval from the cabinet and completion of legal requirements. “the [air travel] record has also been updated,” he in a tweet. in a related development, shehbaz also filed a contempt petition against six Federal investigation authority (Fia) officials in the Lahore High Court (LHC) for keeping him from flying abroad despite a LHC order. the agency on May 8 had refused him permission to leave the country, telling him his name was placed on Provisional National identification List (PNiL). shehbaz was released on bail in april, seven months after he was arrested by National accountability bureau (Nab) on charges of money laundering and graft. subsequently, on May 8, the high court also permitted him to travel to the united Kingdom for a medical check-up between May 8 and July 3 for a medical check-up in a ruling that drew criticism from the government. sharif had petitioned the court, saying he is a cancer survivor who now needs treatment abroad.

STORY ON PAGE 02

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Coronavirus in pakistan CONFIRMED CASES:

880,362

STORY ON BACK PAGE

Murad warns of strict restrictions if coronavirus infections increase

angered, Fawad described the ruling as a “joke” that he said could help sharif “escape the law as his brother did” in 2019. addressing a press conference in islamabad, rasheed said that shehbaz had not submitted any documents to support his request for medical treatment or specified the treatment for his illness.

“He was the guarantor for his brother Nawaz. but instead of bringing him back, he was trying to flee without having any suhoor. this is the only country in the world where, in the span of a day, a case was accepted for hearing, a decision was announced […] and a [air] ticket was booked.” “Five members of the sharif family have already escaped,” he recalled. the absconding members of the sharif family include deposed prime minister Nawaz sharif, ishaq dar, abid sher ali and shehbaz’s son suleman shahbaz.

LAST UPDATED AT 8:31 AM ON MAY 17, 2021

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

SINDH:

PUNJAB:

BALOCHISTAN:

792,522

KP:

127,038

23,866

DEATHS:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

74

3,232 299,194 327,362

RECOVERED:

19,617

18,258/5,423 79,221

02

Tuesday, 18 May, 2021

LAHORE

NEWS

FAzL, SHeHBAz To coNveNe PDM MeeTiNG To STArT cAMPAiGN AFreSH ISLAMABAD

P

Staff RepoRt

AKISTAN Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Fazlur Rehman and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif agreed on Monday to convene a special session of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) by the end of this month, reports said.

An agreement was reached between the two during a telephonic conversation wherein they discussed at length the domestic political situation.

Fazl would soon announce a final date after contacting the component parties of the

anti-government alliance.

Nine opposition parties formed the joint platform in September last year to give tough time to Prime Minister Imran Khan and begin a nationwide agitation against his government but it deflated like a punctured balloon in April when the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Awami National Party (ANP) quit the campaign citing a lack of trust.

Earlier in the day, reports, citing sources, quoted Fazl as considering a meeting of the multi-party on May 28 — Youm-e-Takbir which is celebrated to mark the anniversary of the country’s first nuclear weapons test.

According to sources in the PDM, the movement has also planned to hold

Family of PML-N MP booked for flouting coronavirus restrictions LAHORE: A police case was registered against the son and two brothers of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MP Mian Javed Latif for gathering a crowd and violating coronavirus restrictions on the arrival of the party’s vice president, Maryam Nawaz, in Sheikhupura. Sheikhupura deputy commissioner further said a case was also registered against the price control magistrate for violating restrictions on Maryam’s arrival who addressed a worker’s convention in the city. The case accuses Latif’s son Hassan Javed and two brothers Amjad Latif and Munawar Latif of holding a public meeting in violation of coronavirus protocols. Local PML-N leadership and a host of workers and supporters have also been booked. Staff RepoRt

Health dept suspends 18 officials for accepting queue-jumping bribes LAHORE: The Primary and Secondary Health Department on Monday suspended 18 officials found charging people for government-sponsored Covid-19 vaccination doses. The vaccine is being provided free of cost at all public facilities and the said officials were caught accepting bribes to allow customers to jump the queue at the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI).

The employees were served show-cause notices and were suspended after confirmation of the charges. They include Nawaz Joban, Sajjad Ali, Muhammad Tanvir, Babar Ali, Karamat Ali, Amjad Ali, Taimur Fayyaz, Muhammad Yousuf, Faqir Hussain, and others. The federal government is providing vaccines to the province free of cost. The novel coronavirus claimed 74 lives across Pakistan during the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 19,617, said National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). INp

K2 base camp gets 4G connectivity: PTA ISLAMABAD: In line with the government’s vision of promoting tourism across the country, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the telecom operators are focusing on improving telecommunication services in areas full of tourism potential. In a press statement on Monday, the PTA said that to provide better communication facilities to the mountaineers and trekkers, a 4G Base Transceiver Station (BTS) has been installed at K2 base camp area of Concordia. The site has been named after Ali Sadpara the late mountaineer who disappeared on the ‘savage mountain’ earlier this year. The site has been made operational by the Special Communication Organisation (SCO) to ensure communication facilities at the world’s second tallest peak K2 base camp. It was inaugurated by the prime minister of Pakistan during his recent visit to Gilgit-Baltistan. The mobile coverage and internet access will prove to be pivotal for mountaineers and trekking groups to stay connected with their families and assist in emergency situations. It will also help promote adventure tourism and weather monitoring. It is an evidence of government, regulator and operators’ efforts to provide better communication facilities in every nook and corner of the country, said the statement. tLtp

nationwide rallies and public gatherings in June and July to pressurise the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

Sources further disclosed on May 21, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) will take out rallies against Israel’s attacks on Palestine followed by its central committee’s meetings on May 23 and 24 in which Fazl will take his party into confidence on the planned anti-government movement.

Large protests are planned for June and July and the PDM has also planned to launch a long march in August to send the government home.

PDM was formed by the nine major opposition parties, including PPP, JUI-F, PML-N, ANP, to remove the government.

On March 16, Fazl had announced the postponement of the long march which was initially scheduled to be held on March 26.

The decision was taken as the PPP, a key component of the PDM, was reluctant to tender resignations from assemblies.

In a brief press talk, Fazl had said that all parties except the PP had agreed to resign from the assemblies. He had said that PPP had sought time to make a consensus on the resignation issue, announcing to postpone the march.

Later, on March 26, a major crack appeared in the opposition alliance when

PPP, without consulting other parties of the alliance, managed to get former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani elected as Leader of the Opposition in Senate with the help of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP).

Gilani secured 30 votes for the slot. They further said that even four independents Senator Ahmed Khan, Senator Kuhda Babar, and Naseebullah Bazai had thrown their weight behind him. This did not go down well with the PML-N and JUI-F which accused the PPP of not taking them into confidence.

Murad warns of strict restrictions if coronavirus infections increase KARACHI INp

Sindh has decided to endorse the decision taken by the National Command and Operation Center on the relaxation of specific non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) notified on May 15.

This was announced by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah during a meeting of the Provincial Task Force on Coronavirus at his office on Monday.

The province will, however, review the impact of Covid-19 in the post-Eid scenario on Thursday and may take strict decisions if the standard operating procedures (SOPs) are not being followed or a spike in the cases is reported, he said.

The meeting was attended by ministers administrative officials, military representatives, and World Health Organisation (WHO) staff.

At the outset of the meeting, the body endorsed relaxation in certain specific NPIs. It was decided, however, that the forum will again review its decision

next Thursday.

“If the SOPs are not followed in letter and spirit, the government would take strict action and may withdraw the relaxation given to the NPIs,” the chief minister warned. In a press conference after the meeting, Shah’s adviser Barrister Murtaza Wahab said the provincial government did not like placing restrictions and they were imposed only when the situation went “out of control” and Covid-19 protocols were violated.

He said the positivity rate in Karachi and Hyderabad had increased, blaming it on SOPs violations. He said the taskforce had supported the NCOC decision to decrease restrictions from May 17, however, if there was no improvement or reduction in the new infections then “we will be compelled to take strict decisions.”

Addressing people, businessmen and sections opposing restrictions, he said: “The government does not like placing restrictions. We place restrictions when the situation goes out of control, when you violate

restrictions, don’t wear masks and hold indoor gatherings on a large scale.”

“So if the nation, traders and citizens want that we take the situation towards normalcy, then we will have to do three things,” he said. People would have to wear masks, follow SOPs and vaccinate themselves.

He said if these three things were worked upon then “we can easily move towards opening up or else the government will have to take strict and difficult decisions”.

Addressing the issue of oxygen production capacity and said the Sindh government had called a session of the taskforce when reports of deaths due to lack of oxygen in India had emerged. It was decided, he said, to work on making oxygen supply a reality.

“How you can augment and further supplement your oxygen supply” was the focus of the meeting, said Murtaza, adding that instructions were given to administration and government officers by the chief minister to focus on alternate arrangements and other sources through which oxygen could be generated and produced for medical purposes.

Fawad urges int’l community to meet its obligation in normalising situation in Palestine ISLAMABAD app

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Monday, while expressing Pakistan’s deep concern and anguish over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, stressed that the international community had an obligation to help normalize the situation and facilitate a just solution.

He was talking to European Union Ambassador Androulla Kaminara during a meeting, a press release said. The information minister said that Pakistan had declared Friday as a day for expressing solidarity with the people of Palestine, who were suffering from continuous violence at the hands of Israeli forces. The EU ambassador said that Vice President Borell had called a meeting of the foreign ministers of EU member states on May 18 to discuss the situation. The meeting was convened to coordinate and discuss how the EU could best contribute to end the current violence, she added.

During the meeting, both sides also exchanged views

on the Covid-19 pandemic situation in the country.

The minister said that the Pakistani government was undertaking all possible steps to contain the pandemic through timely decisions and effective preventive measures. He said that the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) was spearheading the drive against the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said that when Covid-19 surfaced in Pakistan early last year, the country was not producing any protective gear against the viral pandemic, but, within a period of four to six months, it not only started manufacturing protective masks, kits and quality ventilators but also exported them.

Kaminara appreciated the steps taken by the Government of Pakistan to protect its people from the pandemic. She also appreciated the rise in Pakistan’s exports despite pandemic.

The information minister also apprised the ambassador about the approval of two long awaited bills for protection of journalists and media professionals and the forced disappearance (Criminal Law Amendment Bill). He reiterated the government’s resolve to continue to facilitate the growth of free and responsible media in Pakistan.

Judiciary to ensure rule of law: CJP KARACHI app

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed on Monday said that all efforts were being made to ensure rule of law, the supremacy of the constitution, and independence of the judiciary in the country.

He said: “Rule of Law is most important.”

He stated this while addressing the groundbreaking ceremony of the Supreme Court Registry in Karachi on the premises of the Pakistan Secretariat.

The chief justice said that the judiciary does not need more buildings, or such structures, for dispensing justice as it could be done from its existing workplaces but because of the modern requirements, everything had to

be placed in proper space and for that purpose-built building were necessary.

He said that rule of law was the purpose behind all these buildings.

Justice Ahmed said that the basic requirement was to maintain rule of law, the supremacy of the constitution and the independence of the judiciary that was most vital.

He said that judges and lawyers were trying to establish the rule of law, which the country required.

He hoped that the new building was going to be one of the most admired buildings in Karachi. He said that the building would have six courtrooms, ample space for bar and other offices.

Earlier, he unveiled the plaque to perform the groundbreaking of the building. Judges and lawyers also attended the ceremony.

Suspect in murder of Pakistan-British woman appears before police LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Suspect in the murder of a Pakistan-origin British woman in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) neighbourhood earlier this month appeared before the police on Monday to record his statement. In his statement, Saad Ameer Butt — one of the two suspects, who appeared after securing pre-arrest bail — said he was sleeping at his house the night Mahira Zulfiqar, 24, was shot dead. He said he did not kill Maira and that the deceased was a friend but the bond had been strained. “I never attempted to kidnap her”, he told the investigation team. He further informed the team he had put the matter before an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in Zulfiqar’s life after she accused him of kidnapping attempt. Zulfiqar was found dead on May 3 after four attackers reportedly barged into a bedroom in the home of her friend where she was staying the night. Zahir Jadoon and Butt were two of the four accused of being behind the murder in the first information report (FIR) filed by Mohammad Nazeer, a relative of Zulfiqar.

Nazeer said Zulfiqar had told him she had become embroiled in a dispute with two male friends after she had refused their marriage proposals, and that they had threatened her with “dire consequences”.

The case was registered under sections 302 and 34 — premeditated murder and common intention, respectively — of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Tuesday, 18 May, 2021

LAHORE

PM orDerS STATe-LeveL ProTeSTS AGAiNST iSrAeL oN FriDAy ISLAMABAD

P

Staff RepoRt

RIME Minister Imran Khan has ordered officials to make preparations for holding statelevel protests against the Israeli atrocities in Palestine on Friday.

The PM issued the orders during a meeting of the government spokespersons on Monday, according to informed sources.

Apart from the situation in Palestine, sources said that the government’s economic team briefed the spokespersons on the country’s economic outlook. The officials told the spokespersons that Pakistan’s economic indicators are positive despite the coronavirus pandemic. They were told

that the exports and remittances of the country are steadily increasing.

The officials said that inflation is a global problem but added that the inflation rate is less in Pakistan compared to other countries. They added that the price of petroleum products is the lowest in Pakistan among countries of the region.

The country’s economy is in the right direction and the economy is improving due to the actions taken by the government, the premier said. He told the spokespersons that the country’s exports have increased by 13.50 per cent and the current account has been in surplus for the last 10 months.

Sources said that the PM also told the spokespersons that the IT exports of the country have increased by 44 per cent

Qureshi condemns israeli attacks on Palestinians ISLAMABAD

and cement sales have also shot up by 40 per cent. The PM assured the spokespersons that his government is working to provide relief to people as much as possible. The sources said that the PM instructed the spokespersons to speak about the government’s economic performance.

The meeting was also briefed about the contempt of court petition filed by Shehbaz Sharif against his name being placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) despite the Lahore High Court (LHC) order.

As per sources, the PM remarked that the former Punjab CM’s name was added to the ECL as there are corruption cases against him. “I have no personal enmity but those who looted the national wealth cannot be freed,” said the PM,

according to sources. He added that “there will be no compromise on supremacy of law and accountability”.

Meanwhile, rallies were taken out in Balochistan against barbaric aggression of Israel in connection with the Solidarity Day with Palestinians. The participants of the rallies chanted slogans in favour of the Palestinians and against Israel. The rallies were attended by Balochistan government officials, employees and political party leaders.

Addressing the rallies, speakers pointed out that Israel is committing serious violation of international law of human rights in Gaza. They demanded that the United Nations and the European Union should take the notice of Israeli terrorism in Palestine and would provide protection to the Palestinian people.

Pakistan asks UN to hold Israel accountable for its atrocities NEW YORK

Staff RepoRt

Staff RepoRt

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday received Palestinian Ambassador Ahmed Jawad A A Rabei at his office in Islamabad, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. During the conversation, Qureshi strongly condemned violence by the Israeli forces against innocent worshippers at AlAqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan. He also conveyed his deepest sorrow and condolences for the innocent victims of lethal attacks by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza and the West Bank, the statement said. “He [Qureshi] categorically condemned IDF’s continuous and indiscriminate attacks that had resulted in the martyrdom of more than 140 Palestinians, including 39 children, and 22 women, and injured more than 1,000,” it added. The meeting comes as UN Security Council diplomats and 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) convened emergency weekend meetings to demand a stop to civilian bloodshed while Israel’s warplanes carried out the deadliest single attacks in nearly a week of its airstrikes. OIC met to demand Israel halt attacks. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud called on “the international community to take urgent action to immediately stop military operations”. On Monday, Qureshi also briefed Rabei over his outreach to foreign ministers of important regional partners and reassured him of his country’s ongoing efforts. The ambassador expressed his gratitude for Pakistan’s unwavering support and steadfast policy on Palestine and apprised Qureshi about the latest situation on the ground, which was already dreadful due to Covid-19, and the ensuing humanitarian suffering. Despite growing calls, even from some Democrats, for Washington to get more involved, President Joe Biden gave no signs of stepping up public pressure on Israel to agree to an immediate ceasefire. In a call with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, Biden focused on civilian deaths from Hamas rockets, and a White House readout of the call made no mention of the US urging Israel to join in a cease-fire that regional countries were pushing. Netanyahu told his nation in a televised address Sunday that Israel “wants to levy a heavy price” on Hamas. That will “take time,” he said, signaling the attacks would rage on for now.

Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations Munir Akram on Sunday (early Monday in Pakistan) called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to initiate steps to hold Israel accountable for its war crimes and human rights violations in Palestine.

“Above all, the Security Council must promote the full implementation of the relevant UN resolutions especially for the realization of the two-state solution through the establishment of a viable, independent and contiguous Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” Akram told the Security Council’s open video conference debate dedicated to discussing the recent escalation of violence in Israel, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

“In the grim backdrop of the deteriorating situation in the region, we urge the Security Council to fulfill its Charter obligations, to call for an immediate halt to Israel’s use of disproportionate and arbitrary force, to offer protections to the Palestinian civilians who are bearing the brunt of the Israeli attacks, and to ensure Israel’s full compliance with international humanitarian and human rights laws, including the right to life, freedom of worship, movement and peaceful assembly,” said the ambassador.

Israel must be asked to stop all unilateral and illegal steps including settlements and attempts to change the status of Jerusalem, noted Akram, who is currently president of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

“Pakistan condemns Israel’s use of indiscriminate and disproportionate force, including aerial bombing, resulting in the deaths of nearly 200 Palestinians, including dozens of women and children, as well as the destruction of civilian infrastructure,” he said.

“We also strongly condemn Israel’s deliberate and systematic assault against Palestinian worshippers in the Haram-al-Sharif, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan, its violation of the sanctity of these holy sites, its continued policy of expansion of its illegal settlements, its forced evictions of Palestinians and demolition of their homes, and its targeting of journalists and international media outlets in the occupied Palestinian territories,” said the ambassador.

These Israeli actions are unacceptable and in contravention of the norms of international law. They violate UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, and have grave implications for the maintenance of peace and security in the region and beyond, he added.

“The Palestinian cause is a legitimate struggle against an ‘occupying power’ by an ‘occupied people.’ It is a just struggle for self-determination and against foreign occupation. The asymmetry of power between an occupied and beleaguered people and one of the most powerful militaries in the region is stark and brutally evident,” said the ambassador.

After hundreds of Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli police in East Jerusalem last week, Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, launched rocket attacks against Israel, which responded with intense airstrikes against targets in Gaza.

NEWS

03

Pakistan wants to enhance mutually beneficial ties with eU: coAS RAWALPINDI Staff RepoRt

Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said that Pakistan earnestly looks forward to enhancing mutually beneficial multi-domain relations based on common interests with the European Union (EU). According to a statement issued by the InterServices Public Relations (ISPR) on Monday, the army chief made Pakistan’s intentions clear regarding the EU in a meeting with the bloc’s ambassador to Pakistan Androulla Kaminara at the General Headquarters (GHQ). During the meeting, the officials discussed matters of mutual interest and regional security situation, including recent developments in the Afghan peace process, the statement said. “Pakistan values its relations with EU and we earnestly look forward to enhance[ing] mutually beneficial multidomain relations based on common interests,” said the COAS. The military’s media wing said that the EU envoy lauded Pakistan for its sincere efforts for bringing peace and stability in the region, especially the Afghan peace process.

Work on Faisalabad Sez in full swing: Asim ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority Chairman Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa has said that Development work on Allama Iqbal Special Economic Zone at Faisalabad is in full swing. In a tweet on Monday, Bajwa said that several Pakistani and foreign industries have started construction at this SEZ. He said that 2,276 acres of land have been fixed for this zone.

He said that 33 percent of this land has been purchased by local investors while 182 acres by foreign investors.

On last Wednesday, Bajwa said that 88 per cent work on 720-megawatt Karot Hydropower Project — CPEC’s first hydropower project — had been completed. In a tweet, Bajwa said that located on the Jhelum River on the boundary between Punjab and Azad Kashmir, the project is expected to be completed

by April 2022. He said that the investment in the project amounted to $1,780 million whereas 5,000 local people were directly employed in the construction. The project was earlier expected to be completed in 2021 and will generate 3.2 billion units of cheap, clean electricity for Pakistan. In September 2018, the plant finished a river closure and entered into the comprehensive construction phase. It aims to annually meet the electricity needs of about 2 million local households and deliver about $20 million in taxation. The China Three Gorges South Asia Investment Ltd (CSAIL) is the lead sponsor in the three hydropower projects in Pakistan namely 1,124MW Kohala Hydropower Project, 720MW Karot Hydropower Project and 640MW Mahl Hydropower Project.

No political involvement in alignment of Ring Road project: Sarwar ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan on Monday clarified that there was no political involvement in finalizing the alignment of Rawalpindi-Islamabad Ring Road project.

“If there is any change in the road alignment, it is purely due to technical reasons that can be explained by relevant experts,” he said while addressing a news conference. The minister viewed that the inquiry report about the project should be revisited as some members of the investigation committee had attached their separate dissenting notes with it.

He regretted that although there was no mention of his or any of his family

members' name in the inquiry report, yet some elements were attempting to involve him in the scandal. He asked such elements to prove his involvement with documentary evidence, or otherwise get ready to face legal action.

Sarwar said that an alignment of the Ring Road from Rawat to Thalian Interchange connecting it with the motorway, was discussed in 2017, but it was not approved. “Onward it was directionless,” he added.

He said that there were some reservations of the National Highway Authority (NHA) that it would not be able to control the traffic on Ring Road, which was calculated at 33,000 vehicles per day at that time.

Moreover, the existing motorways and

N5 (Grand Trunk Road) had no capacity of bearing such an axle-load of heavy vehicles, he added.

Sarwar said that it was the hallmark of present government that it took the initiative and he, himself, got a fresh briefing on the project and the management decided to provide another entry point to Islamabad at Sanjgani area, keeping in view all technicalities.

It was aimed at lowering the burden on Srinagar Highway that was the only available road for all the traffic coming from motorway and N5 to enter the federal capital, he added.

He claimed that he and his family members had neither acquired nor sold any piece of land on both sides of the proposed route of the Ring Road. “We neither had

any land in the past nor acquired any land currently.”

The minister also clarified that he or any of his family members had no association with any housing society.

He said that his family did politics for the last 50 years, considering it a public service and never took any financial gain.

Answering a question, Sarwar said it was a project of national importance like Tarbela and Mangla dams, and must be executed and completed at every cost, no matter what alignment was taken as final.

He said that all major cities had bypasses or ring roads, but unfortunately the twin cities’ project faced inordinate delay for the reasons unknown, depriving the residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad of the facility.

Pakistani engineer receives international recognition for contributions to NASA software code NEWS DESK Ahmad Awais, an engineer from Pakistan, has been internationally recognised for his expert contributions in mankind’s first-ever attempt at controlled flight on the surface of Mars. He contributed code to the software for the Mars 2020 helicopter mission, also known as NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter. Last month, the helicopter became the first

aircraft in history to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet.

The Ingenuity team at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California confirmed the flight succeeded after receiving data from the helicopter via NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover.

Awais, who has so far not been appreciated by the government officials, has been recognized by the US Embassy in

Islamabad.

“Pakistani developers are truly making their mark in the world. #DidYouKnow Ahmad Awais (@MrAhmadAwais), a Pakistani award-winning open-source engineer, contributed code to the software for the Mars 2020 helicopter mission, also known as NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter?,” read a message on US Embassy Islamabad’s official Twitter account.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Awais has thanked the embassy for appreciating his work.

“I’m incredibly humbled that my teenytiny open-source contribution was part of humankind’s first successful attempt at a powered, controlled flight of an aircraft on another planet,” Ahmad Awais tweeted.

The award-winning open source engineer, last month, announced his achievement on twitter. He wrote, “My Open

Source Contribution to NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter Made it to Mars”.

“I mean, through open-source, I contributed code to the software of Mars 2020 Helicopter Mission — NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter.

“I can’t believe it. I’m here on Earth, but my code is on Mars. A small contribution but it means a whole lot to me, more than any of you can imagine,” he added.

04

Tuesday, 18 May, 2021

NEWS

sindh complaints against discrimination in water distribution, irsa denies KARACHI: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has said that Sindh is not getting its fair share of water and the claim of Indus River System Authority (IRSA) that the province is getting 71,000 cusecs of water is false. Irrigation Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal said in a statement on Monday that Sindh faces a supply shortage of 28 per cent. “IRSA’s claim that water is being distributed according to the 1991 agreement is false. IRSA cannot deprive any province of water,” he said adding that Sindh releases its facts and figures publicly. IRSA, however, said in a press release that it is distributing water “strictly in accordance with the share of provinces.” It said that there was a dip in Indus River from April 27 to May 5, but now the situation is improving. The authority said that on Sindh’s request, it has increased supply from Chashma dam, raising it from 66,000 to 71,000 cusecs. Punjab and Sindh are experiencing 18 per cent shortage each, it said. “IRSA will ensure that shortages are shared equally by Punjab and Sindh by the end of early Kharif season.” INP

faisal edhi files visa application for Palestine to help war-torn country ISLAMABAD: Social worker Faisal Edhi has announced that he has submitted a visa request with the Palestinian embassy in Pakistan for travelling to the warn-torn country with the aim of helping the innocent Palestinians. “We want to take part in the relief work in Palestine via the Edhi Foundation. Five people, including my son Saad Edhi [and myself], will be going to Palestine,” Faisal told media on Monday.

He said that he will be going to Palestine via Egypt, adding that he has applied for a visa for the country.

The son of renowned philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi and chairman of the Edhi Foundation said that representatives of his organisation had met with the Palestinian envoy in Islamabad and were informed that there is an urgent need for medicines in the wartorn country. Faisal said that his organisation will buy food and medicine from Egypt, adding that the foundation has arranged a budget of Rs25 to 30 million for the purpose. “We do not want any support from the government as we will do everything with the help of people,” vowed Edhi. However, he added that the five people visiting the country will be in touch with the Pakistani embassy in Cairo. Regarding the duration of his trip, Faisal said that the decision will be taken once the team reach Palestine and assess the situation there. INP

LAHORE

PM directs Ministries for robust follow-uP of his visit to saudi arabia ISLAMABAD

P

MIAN ABRAR

RIME Minister Imran Khan on Monday chaired a high-level meeting to discuss the followup of his successful visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Foreign Office secretary briefed the premier on the key outcomes.

Recalling the warm hospitality and keen interest of the Saudi leadership in making closer cooperation with Pakistan in diverse fields, including economic and investment, the prime minister directed the concerned ministries to ensure quick and robust follow-up on the outcomes of his visit.

The prime minister laid special emphasis on initiating agreements to promote Saudi investments in Pakistan. He

tasked the concerned ministers to develop close liaison with their Saudi counterparts to develop tangible outcomes for the benefit of both countries.

The prime minister stressed that significant potential exists in bilateral cooperation in trade, commerce, energy, tourism, and manpower export to Saudi Arabia.

Highlighting the potential of Saudi Arabia’s plans, the prime minister mentioned the prospects of job opportunities in skilled and semi-skilled sector for Pakistanis in the coming years and said the prospects, if optimally utilised, could help transform Pakistan’s economy and development.

Imran Khan underscored the importance of assiduous follow-up to realize the true potential of the special relationship between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Karachiites experience sizzling hot weather KARACHI: Karachiites experienced sizzling hot weather on Monday as the temperature touched 43 degrees Celsius under the influence of cyclonic storm Tauktae. According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the maximum temperature recorded in the city was 43 degrees Celsius with 19 per cent humidity. Gusty winds were sweeping across the metropolis, the weather department said, adding similar weather conditions are likely to prevail on Tuesday (today). Last night was May’s second hottest night, it pointed out. The Met Office said the cyclonic storm Tauktae is moving further to north. There are little or no chances of rain due to the system moving away from the city.

The storm is expected to make landfall near Dwarka in Indian state of Gujarat around Tuesday (today) afternoon as a ‘very severe’ cyclonic storm, according to a weather report. INP

LAHORE: Members of civil society protest against Israel’s attacks on Palestinians at Liberty Chowk. ZUBAIR MEHFOOZ

Shehryar urges world to raise voice against barbaric Israeli attacks on Palestinians ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR

Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir Chairman Shehryar Khan Afridi on Monday called on Palestinian Ambassador to Pakistan Ahmed Ameen Rabei and expressed full support for the Palestinian nation.

He said that Pakistan has special connection with Palestine and all political parties of Pakistan are united over the Palestine issue. "We have been closely observing developments taking place in Palestine. A meeting of OIC was called immediately for the protection of Palestine. The so-called champions of human rights are nowhere to be seen over the killings of Palestinians," he said.

"Except for a few voices supporting the Palestinians, the world is silent or standing with the illegal Israeli administration," he said and added that the world needs to speak for Palestinians, who are rightful owners of their lands occupied by the Israeli government.

He said that a pragmatic approach needs to be adopted by the Muslim countries and Israeli atrocities need to be

stopped immediately against the people of Palestine.

"Muslim Ummah needs to stand united and convey a message to the world that no more Israeli terrorism against Palestinians would be tolerated," he said.

Afridi said Prime Minister Imran Khan is standing tall to support the Palestinians. "Demographic terrorism is being implemented by the illegal occupational regime against Palestinian people. It is unfortunate that Muslims are divided on

sectarian and regional lines. Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken steps to remove misunderstandings between the Gulf states. Pakistan stands right behind Palestine and Pakistan would keep raising its voice for the cause of Palestine," he said.

Ambassador Ahmed Ameen Rabei expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Imran Khan and entire Pakistani nation for supporting Palestinians. The ambassador said the Palestinians are very pleased with Prime Minister Imran Khan over his diplomatic overtures to support Palestine. We have strong resolve to defend our land and our people, he added.

"PM Imran Khan speaks from his heart on Palestine issue. Palestine and Pakistan have deep-rooted ties since decades," he said.

He said that around 300,000 Palestinians were attending prayers in Al-Aqsa mosque during Ramadan, which made the occupational regime concerned.

He said the occupational regime of Israel is involved in replacing Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah area. "200 Israeli jets have destroyed around 1000 houses and killed 200 Palestinians, including women and children. They are targeting civilian people and using sophisticated weapons. The Western countries say the occupational regime of Israel has right to defence but they do not accept the right of defence of Palestinian, who are rightful owners of Palestine," he said.

Tuesday, 19 May, 2021

LAHORE

CRyPtoS Sag with BitCoin fallS to $45,465 NEW YoRK

a

AGENCIES

CRYPTO crash continues for the fifth straight day on Monday due to back to back statements of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. As of 1145 hours GMT, bitcoin, the world's biggest cryptocurrency, shed 7.70 percent to reach $45,465. With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of the BTC has reached $846 billion. The price of bitcoin sank to as low as $42,441 a coin earlier in the day in its biggest slump in more than three months, and one of its biggest drops in value since

the price first began to soar in January.

Likewise, ethereum (ETH) shed 8.60 percent to reach $3,495. With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of ETH has fallen to $405 billion.

Similarly, Binance Coin (BNB) shed 8.72 percent to reach $536. The market capitalisation of BNB stands at $82 billion after this decrease.

Likewise, dogecoin (Doge) shed 4.88 percent to reach $0.5039. With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of Doge reached $65 billion.

Similarly, Tether (USDT) reached $1 with 0.01 percent decrease in its price. Its

market capitalisation has reached $58 billion with this decrease.

It is pertinent to mention here that Elon Musk fuelled speculation on Sunday in a Twitter exchange that his company, Tesla, may consider selling or has sold its holdings in the cryptocurrency.

“Bitcoiners are going to slap themselves next quarter when they find out Tesla dumped the rest of their #Bitcoin holdings,” a user named CryptoWhale said in a tweet on Sunday. “With the amount of hate @elonmusk is getting, I wouldn’t blame him,” he added.

Musk simply responded with a single

word: “Indeed.”

Later on Monday, the cryptocurrency rallied more than 5% to above $45,000 per token after Musk tweeted, "Tesla has not sold any bitcoin".

Earlier last week, Musk announced on Twitter that Tesla is no longer accepting bitcoin for payments. He said this decision was made in connection to the effect mining and transactions of the crypto have on the environment.

According to Musk, Tesla will continue to hold the Bitcoin it already has and won’t sell it. He said that BTC has a promising future but that it can come at the cost

Shehbaz placed on ECL, says interior minister CoNtINuED fRom pAgE 01 All the accused in the cases involving Shehbaz are on the no-fly list except the former Punjab chief minister, he said, adding that under the Constitution, all suspects are to be treated the same.

Rasheed further said that the Ministry of Interior issued the notification after receiving approval from the cabinet, adding Shehbaz had two weeks to request a review of the decision.

AGENCIES USED FOR ‘POLITICAL ENGINEERING’: The high court in its May 7 orders had observed: “Keeping in view the past conduct and travel history, the fact that name of the petitioner is not in [ECL] at the moment, the name of the petitioner in blacklist, if already placed, will not stop the petitioner from one-time

visit to UK […] as per his personal commitment made before this court.”

After Shehbaz was not allowed to travel, the PML-N had said court orders were violated and vowed to file a contempt petition.

“That by now it is a matter of public knowledge and an open secret that state departments and its agencies are being employed and used as a tool for political engineering and to victimise the political opponents, instant complaint is a classic example of high handedness, utter disregard of rule of law, blatant defiance and deliberate disobedience, defeating and frustrating an order of this honourable court through contumacious and contemptuous conduct by way of resorting to false and frivolous pretext,” read the petition.

It said that the court order had been announced and read over in the presence of the deputy attorney general and two deputy directors (law) of the agency.

“The order had become a matter of public knowledge on that very date as various representatives and federal ministers of the federal government had discussed its contents and expressed reservations,” said the petition.

It argued that the reason given for not permitting Shehbaz to proceed abroad for medical treatment was “lame and false because a comprehensive mechanism as to updating of IBMS (Integrated Border Management System), placing or removal of names in the stop lists 24/7 round the clock is in vogue.”

“That the respondents with malafide intention have deliberately disobeyed, de-

fied and disregarded the order dated May 7, 2021, which all the respondents are persisting with obdurately.

“Hence, they all have committed gross contempt of this honourable court and have rendered them liable to be proceeded against and punished in accordance with law,” argued the petition.

The petition nominated the Interior Secretary Yousaf Naseem Khokhar, FIA Director General Wajid Zia, chief of FIA Punjab chapter, and the deputy director, inspector and sub-inspector immigration posted at the Lahore airport.

It called for the respondents to be summoned and “proceeded against and punished for contempt of this honourable court in accordance with law”, along with any other relief deemed to be “fit and appropriate” to the petitioner.

Gaza reels after Israeli strikes as death toll surpasses 200 CoNtINuED fRom pAgE 01 It gave no details of any casualties. On Monday, an Islamic Jihad commander was killed, a source within the group and the Israeli army said.

The Israeli army also said its fighter jets hit what the army calls the “Metro”, its term for 15 kilometres (nine miles) of Hamas underground tunnels, which the army has previously acknowledged runs in part through civilian areas.

The renewed strikes come a day after 42 Palestinians in Gaza — including at least eight children and two doctors, according to the health ministry — were killed in the worst daily death toll in the enclave since the bombardments began.

In total, 198 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including at least 58 children, and more than 1,200 wounded since Israel launched its air campaign against Hamas on May 10 after the group fired rockets, according to the authorities there.

Israel says 10 people, including one child, have been killed and 294 wounded by rocket fire launched by armed groups in Gaza.

The army said about 3,100 rockets had been fired in the past week from Gaza — the highest rate ever recorded — but added its Iron Dome anti-missile system had intercepted over 1,000.

Netanyahu said in a televised address on Sunday that

Israel’s “campaign against the terrorist organisations is continuing with full force” and would “take time” to finish. Israeli bombardment of Gaza has displaced 38,000 people and made 2,500 homeless, the United Nations says. It has also battered infrastructure in the enclave, with the electricity authority on Monday warning it only had enough fuel left to provide power for another two to three days. On Saturday, Israel gave journalists from Al Jazeera and AP news agency an hour to evacuate their offices before launching air strikes, turning their tower block into piles of smoking rubble.

Netanyahu on Sunday said the building also hosted a Palestinian “terrorist” intelligence office, and claimed it was a “perfectly legitimate target”.

INTER-COMMUNAL CLASHES: The violence between Hamas and Israel is the worst since 2014, when Israel launched a military operation on the Gaza Strip with the stated aim of ending rocket fire and destroying tunnels used for smuggling.

The war left 2,251 dead on the Palestinian side, mostly civilians, and 74 on the Israeli side, mostly soldiers. Opening the first session of the UN Security Council on the renewed violence on Sunday, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the fighting “utterly appalling”.

“It must stop immediately,” he said.

But the UN talks, already delayed by Israel’s ally the United States, resulted in little action, with Washington

Banks revert to normal SRB extends date for hours with revised timing filing sales tax returns for public dealing KARACHI TLTP

NEWS DESK The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has revised banking hours for public dealings, effective from Monday, as the holy month of Ramzan ended recently. The SBP said that all banks will revert to normal office hours effective from May 17 i.e.

9:00am to 5:30pm from Mondays to Thursdays and 9:00am to 6:00pm on Fridays. The central bank said that as per new schedule, the banks and microfinance banks will observe banking hours from 9:00am to 1:30pm for public dealing from Mondays to Thursdays, while on Fridays, the timing will be from 9:00am to 1:00pm. The SBP said that banks may prescribe banking hours as per the requirement with the minimum benchmark of SBP (BSC) set for the purpose.

The last date for filing monthly returns has been extended because taxpayers failed to make compliance due to weeklong Eid holidays. In this regard the Sindh Revenue Board (SRB) on Monday issued a circular to extend the last dare for filing monthly sales tax returns for the month of April 2021. The SRB allowed the taxpayers to make payment for the month of April 2021 up to May 24, 2021. Further, the provincial revenue authority also extended the date for filing tax returns for the month of April 2021 up to May 27, 2021.

opposing a resolution.

President Joe Biden’s administration says it is working behind the scenes, and that a Security Council statement could backfire.

Israel is also trying to contain inter-communal violence between Jews and Arab-Israelis, as well as unrest in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinian authorities say Israeli forces have killed 19 Palestinians since May 10. Clashes broke out at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound — one of Islam’s holiest sites — on May 7 after Israeli forces moved in on worshippers, following a crackdown against protests over planned expulsions of Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

Sheikh Jarrah has been at the heart of the flareup, seeing weeks of clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians.

The Israeli police said a car-ramming attack in Sheikh Jarrah on Sunday wounded seven police officers, and that Israeli forces had killed the attacker.

Police also arrested several people amid clashes in another east Jerusalem neighbourhood overnight Sunday.

Guterres warned the fighting could have far-reaching consequences if not stopped immediately.

“It has the potential to unleash an uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis and to further foster extremism, not only in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel, but in the region as a whole.”

NEWS

05

of the environment.

Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, is also behind some of the fall cryptocurrencies are seeing. Buterin recently moved more than $2 billion worth of crypto and it spooked investors. That includes $1 billion worth of crypto tokens inspired by Dogecoin being donated to the India Covid Relief Fund. In addition to that, Buterin also moved $1.3 billion worth of Ethereum from his public address to a separate wallet. That caused worry among ETH investors that the co-founder was about to trade to crypto for cash.

PSX makes 621-point rally amid bullish trend KARACHI TLTP

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) remained bullish on Monday due to a decline in Covid-19 cases and the benchmark KSE-100 Index gained closed the session at 45,796 level, after gaining 621.64 points (+1.38 percent) to close the session at 45,796.31 points The KSE-100 Index remained positive throughout the session touching an intraday high of 45,806.9 points. Among other indices, the KSE All Share Index gained 266.48 points (+0.87 percent) to close at 30,741.96 points, while All Share Islamic Index gained 192.38 points (+0.88 percent) to close at 22,039.24 points. A total of 405 companies traded shares in the stock exchange, out of them shares of 278 closed up, shares of 105 closed down while shares of 22 companies remained unchanged.

The overall market volumes increased by 191.81 million to 437.45 million shares, while market capitalisation increased by Rs68.07 billion. The number of total trades increased by 67,198 to 143,381, and value traded increased by Rs10.85 billion to Rs20.32 billion. The sectors propping up the index were cement with 200 points, technology and communication with 140 points, fertilizer with 55 points, food & personal care products with 40 points and textile composite with 35 points.

Dollar climbs to Rs152.6 against rupee KARACHI TLTP

Pakistani rupee depreciated by 32 paisas against the US dollar in the interbank on Monday. According to the State Bank of Pakistan, the US dollar opened at Rs152.28 and closed at Rs152.60. Prior to this depreciation, Pakistan rupee strengthened by Rs1.60 against the greenback in eight consecutive sessions.

Within the open market, rupee was traded at 152/152.80 per dollar. The local unit has gained Rs15.46 against the greenback in the current fiscal year 2020-21 while appreciation has been Rs7.24 in 2021. The currency dealers said that demand for dollars increased as the market opened after nine days break due to Eid holidays and lockdown. Furthermore, the acceleration in the economy also increased demand for imported raw and finished goods, they added. Meanwhile, the foreign exchange reserves held by the country stand at $22.74 billion by week ended April 30, 2021, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP)

Gold price surges to highest since Feb ISLAmABAD TLTP

Gold price in the international market pushed higher on Monday and reached its highest since February last.

At 1355 hours GMT, gold in the international market was trading at $1,854.80 an ounce after gaining $9.90 an ounce in its value as compared to its closing value on Friday last.

The price of 10 grams yellow

metal in Pakistan has reached Rs90, 800 after gaining Rs600.

The closing price of 10 grams gold was recorded at Rs90, 200 on Friday last.

According to analysts, gold prices are expected to be mixed in the coming week, as US dollar, treasury yields and rising inflation expectations are likely to weigh on the precious metal. Analysts are still watching gold's $1,850 level closely as inflation pressures start to heat. Still, the uncertain

economic outlook forces the Federal Reserve to remain patient and maintain its ultra-loose monetary policies.

Analysts have said that gold is in a sweet spot as more investors look for an inflation hedge. The renewed interest in gold comes after annual US CPI rose 4.2 percent last month, its most significant increase in 13 years. The next primary target would be the January highs above $1,900, according to the analysts.

Tuesday, 18 May, 2021

06 COMMENT

Warning: False analogy ahead

Undeterred by UNSC and OIC Netanyahu continues his rampage

T

he ongoing massacre of the Palestinians in Gaza and the illegal grab of Palestinian lands in occupied West Bank and eastern Jerusalem is a damned indictment of the international community and the OIC. The virtual meeting of the UNSC to address the soaring violence between Israel and the Palestinians was first blocked by the US. When finally held on Sunday, the US barred it from issuing a joint statement. Meanwhile, President Joe Bident put his weight behind Israel, maintaining that Israel has a right to defend itself against thousands of rockets flying into its territory. Biden, however, chose to ignore the Israeli rockets that flattened high-rise buildings and killed Palestinian civilians in Gaza, including a large number of women and children.

Unconditional US military, economic and diplomatic support for Israel, irrespective of which party occupied the presidency, has made the Israeli governments more intransigent regarding the occupation of Palestinian territory and human rights abuses.

A militarized Israeli state provides a solid base for US power in the region. This explains why there is bipartisan support for Israel’s strategies of terror and expulsion to expand its territory, by killing and displacing the Palestinians. Amidst calls for making US aid to the Netanyahu government conditional on Israeli adherence to human rights law, 330 members of the US house of Representatives, including 125 Democrats signed a letter last month insisting that the $3.8 billion in annual military aid the US provides Israel remain unconditional. The move brings under focus the hollowness of the American claims regarding human rights and the rule of law.

The Gulf Arab states are in close embrace with the Israeli government, which has the blood of their fellow Arabs on its hand. Most of these regimes have direct or indirect economic or strategic relations with Israel and are unwilling to go beyond passing ineffective resolutions.

While a grandstanding Imran Khan tweeted “I am PM of Pakistan. We stand with Gaza, we stand with Palestine,” his FM told Secretary of State, Blinken, that Pakistan desires “a broad-based and comprehensive” partnership with America, the patron of Israel.

This explains why the Israeli government continued with bloodshed during and after the UNSC and OIC meetings. In a televised address, Netanyahu said that the attacks were continuing at full force and Israel “wants to levy a heavy price” from Gaza’s hamas rulers.

The more things change, etc…

HASAN AFTAB SAEED

T

he ‘False Analogy Ahead’ sign ought to be put up everywhere: in schools, universities, barber shops and drawing rooms. For it is an extremely rare occasion when a faulty analogy fails to make its appearance within ten minutes from the commencement of any debate.

The other day I happened to mention to a Japanese acquaintance what I have always found curious: the fact that for all the reverence they have for the Quran, most Muslims have little clue regarding its contents. he wondered if translations were difficult to obtain. I told him that multiple translations could be found in every home but, with few exceptions, people were interested only in ‘blessings’ and were, therefore, content to blindly recite the Arabic text. he agreed that this attitude was strange to say the least.

At this point, somebody (Pakistani, Muslim, male) exclaimed that he failed to see what was so strange.

‘Why must every Muslim understand the Quran?’ he asked. For good measure, he pressed this analogy into service: ‘Nobody expects the average man to be an expert in medicine, law or operating systems. When in need of a professional opinion, we all defer to the experts. Why should religion be any different? Why should we not defer to the expert in religious matters?’

This analogy leaves much to be desired on so many levels. For starters, there are many experts, of-

Identity-less section of society

T

heRe are at least 2.5 million people living in Pakistan who aren’t recognized by the state as residents of the country. A significant majority of them settled here decades ago and started families that are now in their second and third generations. Unfortunately, these children of the identity-deprived remain unable to secure a nationality even though they are fully eligible under Pakistan Citizenship Act 1951. More than half of this section of the population is in Sindh, belonging to the Bengali, Burmese and Afghani communities spread across the province. No government, past or present, has attempted to give this issue the attention it deserves as a deplorable form of racism and ethnic marginalization has been allowed to continue unchecked. There are of course genuine cases of illegal immigrants trying to find refuge in the country, and given our sensitive security paradigm, these aliens need to be traced out and removed. But those who genuinely deserve to have a National Identity Card (NIC) but are denied, should be accommodated. Not being a citizen creates a host of barriers to entry in education, work and even medical treatment. The Covid19 pandemic has given an entirely new dimension to this problem as anyone not in possession of a valid NIC cannot get vaccinated anywhere in the country, at not least legally through the government’s vaccination program.

This should be a major concern for the state that is presumably doing its best in the fight against the virus that continues to spread when left unchecked, taking lives in the process. Therefore, while the larger issue of rationalizing identity-deprivation in general needs to be addressed immediately, a more pressing problem of vaccinating them should take priority. That many of them do not occupy cities, rather small villages, means that a breakout in such underdeveloped parts of the country, lacking in even a basic medical infrastructure, is a possibility and a serious risk. It is imperative that the government does not turn away willing recipients from vaccination centers only because they do not possess an ID card. This is not an immigration problem at the moment, it is a health emergency.

SulmAN Ali

T

he United States has announced complete withdrawal from Afghanistan. US President Joe Biden announced that America will withdraw its military by September 11, 2021, exactly 20 years after the 9/11 Twin Towers attack. “It’s time to end America’s longest war,” Biden said. Official data indicates that the U.S. has spent $978 billion on the Afghan war between 2001 to 2020. The US and NATO forces entered Afghanistan in 2001 to topple the Taliban government, in response to the Al-Qaeda attack on twin towers and Taliban’s refusal to hand over Al-Qaeda Chief, Osama Bin Laden, to the US. This is not the first time the US is leaving the region after a deadly conflict. After the first Afghan war, which ended in the disintegration of the USSR, the US conveniently left the region, leaving Afghanistan and Pakistan to counter the issues of militancy, religious extremism and the Taliban.

Former US Secretary of State hillary Clinton admitted in an interview with Fox news that, “The Soviets left Afghanistan. And then we said great, goodbye – leaving these trained people who were fanatical in Afghanistan and Pakistan, leaving them well armed, creating a mess, frankly, that at the time we didn’t really recognize.”

Arif Nizami Editor Joint Editor

Umar Aziz Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

We all learn our religion from multiple sources: parents, maulvi sahab, friends, teachers, and experts. Hence, there is always a need for the wheat to be separated from the chaff.

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

Making a jihadist surge across South Asia very possible

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Managing Editor

demns them and explains what is wrong with them.

There is another important aspect that sets religion apart from medicine, law, and the like. In the matter of health (for example), if you happen to stumble upon and adhere to the right recipe (diet, exercise plan, medication, etc) it will work for you regardless of how well you understand the why part – for action is what really matters. Religion – at any rate Islam – does not work that way. It is not merely a matter of dos and don’ts. Actions are no doubt important, but there is imaan as well. That is why anywhere the Quran mentions the formula for success it is always ‘aamanu’ accompanied by ‘amilussaalihaat’ – not the one, not the other, but both side by side. Unaccompanied by the corresponding actions, imaan is hypocrisy.

On the other hand, actions without the consciousness of God could be anything from pretence to blind ritualism. Understanding the Quran is crucial for this imaan, as I propose to explain below.

Outside the domain of jurisprudence (fiqh) where a man (at any given moment) is either a believer or not, imaan, in its reality, is far from being a static item: it increases and decreases. With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, even accepted and understood realities (God, death, afterlife) tend to retreat to the backwaters of the mind. Therefore, their consciousness needs to be refreshed – not just once or twice, but regularly. The Quran calls itself zikr (remembrance) for this reason. If its verses are understood, it washes away the dust of error and forgetfulness that tends to accumulate over the heart, while we tend to our various vocations and avocations.

According to the Quran, when the believers hear its verses their imaan grows. No Muslim in his right mind would even think of depriving himself of this benefit.

The Muslims’ indifference to the contents of God’s Book is strange enough. What is even stranger is the fact that many of them resort to bizarre arguments to rationalize this indifference.

US withdrawal from Afghanistan

Vaccinating this part of population is crucial

Yousaf Nizami Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

fering differing (often clashing) opinions on an issue.

Which one makes the most sense then comes down to one’s own good judgment. One would therefore be well-advised to develop at least a working understanding that allows one to make that judgment call reasonably competently. else, one is very likely to be taken advantage of. To deliberately keep oneself ignorant of any subject is silly… much more so when it comes to something as critical as religion.

We all learn our religion from multiple sources: parents, maulvi sahab, friends, teachers, and experts. hence, there is always a need for the wheat to be separated from the chaff. In the Quran, we have a ready and infallible source to ascertain which item belongs to which category. Of course, one does not become an ‘expert’ by weighing an opinion against what the Quran has to say on the subject. That is because one still relies on the expert (the translator or the exegete). The point is to keep one’s mind switched on. It is not easy to think of a polite word to describe the propensity of insisting on a mind switched off.

Where the above analogy really breaks down however is this: while it is true that there are many experts of the Quran, it is a book for all mankind – and not just for the expert. The same cannot be said about the Gray’s Anatomy or the Civil Procedures Code. even the Bible, which was considered the property of the church and the priest and which if the layman owned was for long centuries a crime punishable by death, fits in this category. The Quran has always been the property of all Muslims. There is no professional ‘priest’ class in Islam. There are experts, yes, but it is not as if they know the secret meanings of its verses to the exclusion of all mankind. Any opinion on a verse by an expert or otherwise will be judged in the context of the verse and in the light of what the Quran says on the subject in other places. On a broader level, any Islamic position will be accepted or rejected depending on whether the Quran endorses it or not. So, the Quran is every Muslim’s business, not just that of the experts. If only they knew the contents of the Quran, Muslims would stop believing the fairy tales that they hold so dear, because they would know that the Quran explicitly con-

I

Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

I

Observers maintain that the US is not doing anything different this time, because even after its longest war the US has failed to eliminate the Taliban from the country. A large territory of the country is under the Taliban’s control and this war has paved the way for extremist groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda to establish their basis in the war-torn country. experts reiterate that the US withdrawal will make the situation worse.

Since the US has announced its complete withdrawal, there is a new wave of militancy attacks in the country. Taliban have started fresh attacks against Afghan forces. Thousands of people have left their houses in the helmand province of Afghanistan after the Taliban launched a massive offense against the army.

“Many who still have not found shelter in the city need urgent assistance,” noted provincial council head Attaullah Afghan.

The concerns were vindicated on Saturday, when a bomb attack targeting a girls’ school in Kabul killed at least 85, mostly schoolgirls.

Authorities claim that the withdrawal has been done under a US-Taliban agreement, which means the Taliban now holds political legitimacy. This means Washington has accepted the Taliban as a strong political actor in Afghanistan, hence, held negotiations with them, which appears to be another success for the Taliban. After a two-decade war, observers contend that the US has accepted the Taliban as a powerful entity, at the cost of thousands of lives, and the destruction of economic and social structures.

Another major consequence of this whole scenario, as mentioned earlier, would be ISIS gaining space and base in the country. In the last couple of years, ISIS has gained power in different parts of the country, attacking Taliban, civilians and the military of Afghanistan. There are reports that the US has secretly supported the Taliban against ISIS, but after its

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

withdrawal, it seems highly unlikely in the future. experts say that this means more attacks, militant clashes, civilian casualties, leading to a civil war situation is inevitable. What worries many observers is that the US might distance itself from these realities and might even may blame Afghanistan or Pakistan for “spreading terrorism” and will continuously urge the both countries to “do more” to stop urgency. Another concern shared is that while Washington has a major role in bringing Afghanistan to the current situation, the world might not blame the US for instability in Afghanistan in the coming future. experts also issue reminders of the situations created in the past, just like in the Middle east, where the US toppled Saddam hussain’s regime and tried the same with the Assaad regime in Syria, which resulted in complete devastation of the whole region and the emergence of extremist organisations like ISIS. The fear is that those situations might be similar to the one now in Afghanistan.

Last week, four FC soldiers were martyred and six others were injured in a cross-border attack in Manzakai sector in Balochistan’s Zhob. In a statement, Pakistan military media wing said, “terrorists from Afghanistan ambushed them”.

Madiha Afzal, a research fellow at the Brookings Institution, says that Pakistan would need to continue to seek cooperation with the US even after the withdrawal of troops, which shouldn’t be limited to the strategic situation in Afghanistan.

“The new focus recognises that a geo-strategic approach only goes so far, and if Pakistan is to rise on the world stage, that position will have to be predicated on economic growth”, she noted.

Analysts in Pakistan maintain that the circumstances for Pakistan can also become menacing.

There is concern that the counterterror gains following Operation Zarb-eAzb in the former FATA region might be lost in the absence of US forces.

I

Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

I

The author is a https://twitter.com/sulman_85

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

staff

member.

Tuesday, 18 May, 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

Regulating inflation PAKISTAN is faced with ever increasing inflation with increasing price of food and vegetables. First it was wheat, flour than sugar, milk and now it is Chicken. On closer investigation it was found out that the increased cost of these items was due to illegal collusion and increased profitability of a few suppliers in the supply chain by creating “whatsapp monopoly groups” and increasing the price of the commodity together and without any competition.

These incidents highlight how dangerous it is when a few rich people can increase inflation across the Country. And therefore food items used for calculating the inflation food basket should all be regulated.

The Government would announce a fixed percentage as profit for shopkeepers and distributors for the regulated food items. No tax would be charged for dealing in these items but it would be mandatory to maintain records of purchase and sale of the items for 30 days. If a citizen reports any shopkeeper selling the regulated food item at high price, then the local DC would check the supply chain by checking the record, to find out where price increase above allowed limits was made and take appropriate action.

Similarly due to the small number of local industrial competitors, it is easier for same industry companies to create monopolies in their field through industrial associations. Therefore such associations should only be allowed with at least one Government organization and one provincial Business association member as it’s member and Chair, who would rotate annually, to help keep an eye on monopoly forming in the industry.

SHaHryar KHan BaSEEr P EnGr PESHawar

Mental pollution can be calamitous A healthy mind can address much of life’s many problems

ABiD HuSSAiN RATHER

M

eNTAL pollution is bewilderment and perplexity in the thinking process which ultimately leads to stress, anxiety, and tension in our lives. It is the amalgam of preoccupied imaginary negative thoughts, apprehensions, and speculations that psychologically haunt our minds. With the advancement of science and information technology in our lives, we have oceanic information available to us. This information contains the main mental pollutants, in the form of sexual, horrible, or violent video clips that contaminate our mind, adversely affect our decision making and learning process and weaken our memory. Mental pollution can also be caused by some criticism, disfavor, dishonor, or an unpleasant situation or relationship. Pride and inferiority complex is also a kind of mental pollution. All those people who give preference to their personal gains without caring for others are involved in a kind of mental pollution. As our body requires a clean, nutritious, and balanced diet to remain healthy, similarly healthy content is required for a healthy mind. Anxiety, depression, jealousy, illogical and negative thoughts, immoral actions, and fear of the future are some of the adverse effects caused by mental pollution.

Mental pollution is also harmful to society as it leads to all sorts of evils in a society like robberies, rapes, murders, and other crimes. Modern man is living in a lustrous imaginary world because of the easy availability of technology where he imagines that

everything is under his control. he has forgotten that God has created different people with different abilities. This forgetfulness has resulted in jealousy, competition, avariciousness, and egoism which in turn has resulted in mental pollution.

It has been observed in a study that out of almost 6700 languages spoken in the world more than 2000 languages are spoken in the continent of Africa where the educational standard is very low. Furthermore, as per the reports of the Centre for Advanced Study of African Languages, almost 75-80% of Africans are multilingual and can speak 12-15 languages as either their first or second language. Since Africa is the world’s least developed continent where people are living in very poor and impecunious conditions with little availability of scientific and industrial resources, they have limited access to multimedia videos, books, dictionaries, and internet services. On the other hand, people in developed and civilized regions of the world can hardly learn a single foreign language in their lifetime though they have access to all these aids and helping tools. According to experts, the absence of mental pollutants in the environment enables an African to learn and speak an average of 13 languages. Researchers believe that besides socio-cultural and psychological factors, the absence of mental pollutants in the form of violent and sexual images and videos coming from various media sources can play a vital role in learning foreign languages. Intentional or unintentional encounters with various mental pollutants in the form of movies, programs, pictures, posters, advertisements can trigger brain hormones and disturb the biochemical system of our body, which results in the arousal of various emotions like anger, frustration, fear, or sexual thrill. Such emotions weaken our memory power, imbalance our

It is pertinent to mention here that media and communication is not the only source of mental pollution but any process, event, or episode which confuses our mind, diverts our attention, or disturbs our concentration can decrease our mental abilities and result in mental pollution.

thoughts and make our mind unable to concentrate and focus on new things and hinder our learning and other cognitive processes. Researchers are of the opinion that during the ancient periods despite the unavailability of science and information technology and powerful tools, people had sharp memory power and they were masters in many fields and languages due to the absence of mental pollutants in the atmosphere, which could weaken their learning process and other mental abilities. It was observed during a survey conducted by some experts in the Faith University of Turkey, that people who spend most of their time in front of TV or computer screens because of their work, entertainment or some other purposes are involved in some kind of mental pollution irrespective of their age, sex or occupation. According to this survey, the level of mental pollution of an individual depends upon the amount of time he or she spends indulging in different media forms of media.

It is pertinent to mention here that media and communication is not the only source of mental pollution but any process, event, or episode which confuses our mind, diverts our attention, or disturbs our concentration can decrease our mental abilities and result in mental pollution. As positive comments and applause from people can give a person happiness, similarly their inexpedient criticism or negative behavior can clog our mental capabilities. hence, we should always avoid people who have negativity in their ideologies so that our minds could remain free from any kind of pollution.

It is the need of the hour to create awareness about the ill effects of misuse of modern technology. The sole purpose of technology is to make our life easy and comfortable; it should not take away the peace of our mind by polluting it. It will be time-consuming and difficult for us to learn new things and processes if we will fail in controlling the different factors which result in mental pollution. Overuse and misuse of media and information technology will result in wastage of time instead and can deterioration of our mental health. We should take every possible step to curb mental pollution and keep our minds clean and healthy because nothing can harm an individual as much as an unhealthy mind.

It was observed during a survey conducted by some experts in the Faith University of Turkey, that people who spend most of their time in front of TV or computer screens because of their work, entertainment or some other purposes are involved in some kind of mental pollution irrespective of their age, sex or occupation.

The author is a columnist and teaches Geography at GDC, Kulgam. He can be reached at rather1294@gmail.com

Why the law department?

UNIVeRSITy of Turbat (UOT) is the major university of Kech which has been constructed in Ginna with all essentials. Its campuses are providing education too like the Panjgor campus and Gowadar campus, but they are eminently directed and managed. While Turbat university is the main branch which owns a huge issue by the mismanaged department. This is bizarre that all the department are present on the precise spot of university, however, law department is available in the boundary of the public library.

The public library is for all public where recently UOT is has been constructing a profound and embellished building in the boundary which highlights as if the scarcity of piece of land persists. The responsible authorities have no idea that due to taking classes in the boundary of the public library most of the students and the public are in hot water as already the library is small without fundamental essentials, and they have been reaching their stride to shift whole law department. Besides, sometimes the students and professors confront problems to get instantly what they need.

The authorities must research it and wisely take appropriate measures so that the members of UOT as well the public should not be in trouble.

MuDaSir KariM TurBaT

Congratulations Sadiq Khan SIR, It is indeed a matter of pride, joy and satisfaction for millions of Pakistanis that Sadiq Khan, the son of a working-class immigrant family, has on his own merit and hard work, managed to get elected as Lord Mayor of London. This should serve to prove to those who have doubts, that given a level playing field, with no space for nepotism, nor the elitist mindset that has destroyed merit in this country, there is no dearth of merit in Pakistan. I fail to understand the delay, or the hesitation by the Federal Government of Pakistan and our high Commissioner in UK in facilitating Lord Mayor Sadiq Khan, who got elected for a second term in free and fair elections. People with small minds, captive to their egos, blinded by bias, should never sit in positions of authority, unless they are willing to shed these complexes. It is Unislamic for Muslims to be captive. ali MaliK laHorE

Comprehensive SOPs ACCORDING to the National Command and Operation Center ( NCOC) announcement ‘stay home Stay Safe’ strategy to control mobility from May 8 to 16 including eid holidays. Actually it was a correct decision since we can observe the current spike of coronavirus in the country which requires effective measures to contain it’s further spread. It also underscored issuance of comprehensive SOPs and guidelines for youm-e- Ali (AS), itekaf, Night of Qadr, Jumma-tul-Wida and Namaz-e- eid. And NCOC announced that all markets, businesses and shops will remain closed except essential services that are grocery shops, pharmacies and medical stores, medical facilities and vaccination centres, vegetables, fruits, chickens, meat shops, bakeries, petrol pumps, good takeaways, utility stores, electricity, natural gas, internet, cellular networks/telecommunication call centres and media. however, the ban has been busy imposed on Chand Raat Bazars including mehndi, jewelry, ornaments and clothing stalls. There would also be complete ban on tourism for both local and outsiders. All tourists resorts, both formal and informal picnic spots, shopping malls and hotels and restaurants will get closed too.

And travel nodes which lead the tourists to visit places like Murree, Galyat, Swat Kalam, Sea view, beaches and Northern areas and other tourists destinations. I hope the all given SOPs will be followed with no comprises.

BarKaTullaH TurBaT

Gender discrimination Through the column of your esteemed newspaper I would like to draw the attention of our community that in this Modern era, women are still being the victims of gender discrimination that includes differences in education, honour killings, institutional discrimination, child marriage, and domestic violence etc. This is more likely to be found in poor families and those who are unable to raise their voice for their rights. Gender discrimination can lead an individual to serious physical and mental problems. It always imposes a negative impact on the society. Therefore, proper rules and regulations must be followed and educating people over gender discrimination might lower its ration from our society.

TalBia SyED KaraCHi.

Tuesday, 18 May, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

FaceBooK’s secret rULes aBoUt tHe Word ‘Zionist’ iMpede criticisM oF israeL OBTAINED BY THE INTERCEPT, THE POLICIES ALARMED ADVOCATES, WHO SAID FACEBOOK IS SILENCING POLITICAL SPEECH

inTercepT

F

SAM BIDDlE

ACEBooK’S secret internal rules for moderating the term “Zionist” let the social network suppress criticism of Israel amid an ongoing wave of Israeli abuses and violence, according to people who reviewed the policies.

The rules appear to have been in place since 2019, seeming to contradict a claim by the company in March that no decision had been made on whether to treat the term “Zionist” as a proxy for “Jew” when determining whether it was deployed as “hate speech.” The policies, obtained by The Intercept, govern the use of “Zionist” in posts not only on Facebook but across its subsidiary apps, including Instagram.

Both Facebook and Instagram are facing allegations of censorship following the erratic, widespread removal of recent posts from pro-Palestinian users critical of the Israeli government, including those who documented instances of Israeli state violence.

Mass violence has gripped Israel and Gaza since last week. Tensions kicked off amid Palestinian protests against planned evictions in occupied East Jerusalem to make way for Jewish settlers. Eventually, Israeli security forces stormed the Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem’s old city, one of the holiest sites in Islam. The Palestinian militant group Hamas responded with rocket fire aimed at Israel. Israel, in turn, unleashed massive aerial bombardments and artillery attacks against the occupied Palestinian Gaza Strip, reportedly leaving more than 120 people, including 20 children, dead. At least 900 Palestinians have been injured since Monday. Reports said that in Israel, seven people, including a soldier and a child, had died as a result of the violence, with more than 500 injured.

“Facebook claims that their policy on the word ‘Zionist’ is about Jewish safety,” Dani Noble, an organizer with Jewish Voice

for Peace who reviewed the rules, told The Intercept. “But, according to their content policy excerpt, it seems Facebook decisionmakers are more concerned with shielding Zionist Israeli settlers and the Israeli government from accountability for these crimes.”

Though none of Facebook and Instagram’s content removal has been tied conclusively to the term “Zionist,” users and pro-Palestinian advocates were alarmed by disappearing posts and notices of policy violations over the last week. Facebook said the sudden deletion of deeply disturbing content documenting Israeli state violence was, as the company so often claims, just a big accident. Company spokesperson Sophie Vogel, in an email to The Intercept, blamed the deleted posts, many about the recent attempts to seize Palestinian homes by Israeli settlers, on an unspecified “wider technical issue” within Instagram and on a series of “mistaken” deletions and “human error.”

Another spokesperson, Claire Lerner, said, “We allow critical discussion of Zionists, but remove attacks against them when context suggests the word is being used as a proxy for Jews or Israelis, both of which are protected characteristics under our hate speech policy.”

She added, “We recognize the sensitivity of this debate, and the fact that the word ‘Zionist’ is frequently used in important political debate. our intention is never to stifle that debate, but to make sure that we’re allowing as much speech as possible, while keeping everyone in our community safe.”

Facebook did not provide comment about when the rules were implemented and the apparent contradiction with its public statements that such a policy was still under consideration and not being actively used.

While some Palestinians’ Facebook and Instagram posts have simply vanished, suggesting a technical problem of some sort could plausibly be the cause, many others reported receiving a notification that their posts were removed because they violated company rules against “hate speech or symbols.” Those alleged violations constitute just one of many prohibitions drawn from a library of internal Facebook documents that ostensibly dictate what’s permitted and what should be deleted for the company’s multibillion-person audience.

Though the company claims its content decisions are increasingly made automati-

Hiding corpses in Uttar pradesH No dignity for the dead, endangering the living Tribune, india The Uttar Pradesh government is headed by a politician who wears saffron robes, signifying Hindu monastic traditions. But if news reports from UP are to be believed, the state’s administrative machinery is indulging in the un-Hindu act of putting mud on the dead to hide the corpses that have started floating on the holy Ganga. According to a Hindi newspaper, the Ganga has been carrying over 2,000 bodies in its journey through 27 districts of UP. Local journalists claim to have sighted 900 bodies in Unnao, 350 in Kannauj, 400 in Kanpur and 280 in Ghazipur; and these are mere guesstimates. That these corpses were either thrown into the river or abandoned on the banks of the Ganga, points to the possibility of the perpetrators being pious Hindus. But, instead of a mass cremation or a decent disposal, the district administration and the police are reported to have merely thrown soil atop the bodies.

This is not just un-Hindu, but it is unhygienic, unhealthy and unscientific. When the water level in the river rises, these bodies are bound to float again if they are not buried deep far away from the river. The likelihood of diseases these corpses could spread through the state’s most important water body ought to have shaken up the authorities. But no amount of suffering seems to make any difference to certain politicians, who have failed to offer life breath to the living, let alone the dignity of a cremation to the dead.

If the poor of UP have let their dead float on Ganga Ma praying for their deliverance at least in the other world, the middle classes have been begging for slots to cremate their loved ones in the national capital. A former senior journalist of a reputed TV station has recently written about the mind-numbing experience of having to see her father getting cremated along with two others for want of space. Visuals from Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district of a son carrying the body of his mother on his shoulder and walking alone to the crematorium sum up the Indian tragedy of inadequacies.

cally by machines, Facebook and Instagram still rely on legions of low-paid contractors around the world, left to delete or preserve posts through a mix of personal judgment calls and the application of byzantine rule books, flow charts, and hypothetical examples. Facebook has previously dissembled on the question of whether it would add “Zionist” to a master list it maintains of protected classes of people, telling Palestinian activists at a virtual conference in March that it had made “no decision” on the matter. “We are looking about whether in some certain limited contexts, is it is accurate to consider that the word Zionist may be a proxy for Jew in some certain hate speech cases,” Facebook’s human rights chief Miranda Sissons told the Palestine Digital Activism Forum. This does not appear to be entirely true. (Sissons could not be reached for comment.)

BAFFLING EXAMPLES FOR MODERATORS: A portion of one such internal rulebook reviewed by The Intercept walks Facebook and Instagram moderators through the process of determining whether posts and comments that make use of the term “Zionist” constitute hate speech.

“Zionism,” strictly speaking, refers to the movement that advocated historically for the creation of a Jewish state or community in Palestine and more recently for the nation that emerged from that push, Israel. A Zionist is someone who participates in Zionism. Though “Zionist” and “Zionism” can be fraught terms, deployed at times by flagrant antisemitic people as a wink-and-nod synonym for “Jew” and “Judaism,” the words also have unequivocal historical and political meaning and clear, legitimate, and non-hateful uses, including in the context of criticism and discussion of the Israeli government and its policies. In the words of one Facebook moderator who spoke to The Intercept on the condition of anonymity to protect their job, in practice the policy “leaves very little wiggle room for criticism of Zionism” at a time when precisely that ideology is subject to intense scrutiny and protest.

The policy text on “Zionist” is only a brief section of a much larger document that walks moderators through the process of identifying a wide variety of protected classes and associated hate speech. It provides moderators with instructions “to determine if ‘Zionist’ is used as a proxy for Israeli/Jew” and thereby

subject to deletion. Facebook says it does not currently consider “Zionist” a protected class on its own. It reads as follows: What are the indicators to determine if “Zionist” is used as a proxy for Israeli/Jew? We use the following Indicators to determine Proxy for Jew/Israeli: 1. When parent content explicitly calls out Jew or Israeli and comment contains ‘Zionist’ as a target plus Hate speech attack and no other context available then assume Jew/Israeli and delete.

Examples: Delete: Parent Content, “Israeli settlers refuse to leave houses built on Palestinian territory”; Comment, “F*** Zionists!”

No Action: Parent Content, “Zionist movement turns 60”; Comment, “Zionists are awful, I really hate them all” In scenarios of visual or textual designated dehumanizing comparisons where there are references to “rats”, should the references to Zionist(s) be considered as a proxy for “Jew(s)”?

Yes, only in these scenarios please consider “Zionist(s)” as a substitute to “Jew(s)” and action appropriately.

Critics noted that the first example is tied to a frequent and often violent real-world event — seizures of Palestinian homes by Israeli settlers — almost always carried out with justifications rooted in ideological Zionism or Israeli government policies themselves rooted in Zionism. The advocates who question Facebook’s rules on the term “Zionist” worry they would collapse denunciations of such action and state policies into hate speech against Jews, making it difficult to criticize Israel online at all.

“The absurdity, futility, and politicized nature of Facebook’s policy should be as clear as day right now, as we witness continued ethnic cleansing in occupied Jerusalem, and a new war on the besieged population of Gaza,” said Dima Khalidi, director of Palestine Legal, an advocacy group. “The fundamental problem is that Zionism is a political ideology that justifies exactly the kind of forced expulsion of Palestinians — making some Palestinians refugees 3-times over — that we’re seeing right now in Sheikh Jarrah and other occupied East Jerusalem neighborhoods.”

COLONIALISM AND COLONIZERS: Critics said Facebook’s decision to zero in on

“Zionist” as an ethnic identity elides the fact that it describes a concrete ideological choice and ignores how Palestinians and others have come to use the word in the context of their historical repression by Israel. This focus inhibits the very political discourse and protest throughout the world that Facebook claims it’s protecting, according to Jillian York, the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s director for international freedom of expression and a longtime critic of Facebook’s moderation practices. “While ‘Zionist’ is used as a selfidentity, its use by Jews and others (including many Evangelical Christians) demonstrates that it’s not purely a synonym for ‘Jewish’ as Facebook has suggested,” York told The Intercept. “Further, its use in the region is different — Palestinians use it as a synonym for ‘colonizer’, not for ‘Jew.’” The policy constitutes a form of ideological “exceptionalism” around Zionism, according to York, a treatment not provided to other political identities like socialism or neoconservativism “as the result of political and other pressure.”

Though Facebook said that no Instagram posts about the recent Israeli violence were removed at the request of the Israeli government, the country routinely makes such requests to the largely compliant company. And brigades of loosely organized pro-Israel volunteers, many coordinating through the smartphone app Act.IL, participate in massreporting campaigns that can essentially trick Facebook’s automated moderation systems into flagging nonviolent political speech as hateful incitement. The company declined to comment on the record when asked about evidence of mass-reporting campaigns.

The existence of the “Zionist” rules comes as a surprise to Palestinian advocates who say Facebook previously created the impression that limits on using the term “Zionist” were being considered within the company but not actually implemented. “We were led to believe that they are considering this policy and therefore they were consulting with civil society,” Marwa Fatafta, Middle East and North Africa policy manager for Access Now, told The Intercept. Fatafta noted that she was asked to provide feedback on the possibility of such policy in 2020, whereas the document containing the rules indicates the rules on “Zionist” were released to moderators in 2019.

After reviewing the policy for herself, Fatafta said it reflects precisely the concerns she held when it was posed to her as hypothetical. “Zionism is a politically complex term that requires nuance,” she told The Intercept. “There is no way for Facebook to moderate such content at scale without their systems running amok, curtailing legitimate political speech and silencing critical voices.”

Netanyahu’s master plan for Israel and Palestine has failed Financial Times

U

GIDEON RACHMAN

ntil about a week ago, it looked like Benjamin Netanyahu had a good chance of disproving the adage that “all political careers end in failure”. His grip on power in Israel was weakening. But even if he lost office, Netanyahu would still leave politics as Israel’s longest serving prime minister ever — and one of its most consequential.

Last year, Netanyahu secured a historic breakthrough in the Jewish state’s relations with the Arab world. The Abraham Accords normalised relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Israel under Netanyahu was at peace, prosperous and breaking out of its international isolation. The long and often bloody struggle with the Palestinians was out of the headlines.

A world-beating Covid-19 vaccination programme had further burnished the country’s image. There was just the small matter of avoiding conviction in a corruption trial and a possible jail sentence — and his legacy would be secure.

But over the past week, Netanyahu’s plan for securing Israel’s future has collapsed. The Israeli prime minister’s hope that the Palestinian issue was safely sidelined has proved to be a delusion.

A dispute which started with clashes between Israeli police and Muslim protesters in Jerusalem has escalated — with rockets being fired at Israeli cities, Israel bombing Gaza and violent clashes between Arabs and Jews breaking out across Israel.

With the encouragement of the Trump administration, the Netanyahu government had followed what some called the “outside-in” strategy. This was the idea that Israel should pursue agreements with the outside world, above all the Arab world, to help

solve its internal conflict with the Palestinians. This was a reversal of the more traditional “inside-out” approach to the conflict — which held that Israel first had to secure a settlement with the Palestinians; and only then could expect to achieve a durable peace and international acceptance.

The signing of the Abraham accords was brandished as evidence that the outside-in strategy was working. Israel hoped that Saudi Arabia, the most powerful country in the Arab world, would be next to establish diplomatic relations.

As for the Palestinians, the hubristic hope in Netanyahu’s circle was that, deprived of Arab and international support, they would lose the will to resist.

Human rights activists could continue to support their cause but the wider world would move on, allowing Israel to impose its own terms on a weakened and dispersed Palestinian population. Some Israelis speculated that the Palestinians might end up like the Tibetans — a people whose national aspirations look increasingly forlorn and forgotten.

The rockets raining down on Israel’s cities from Gaza have inflicted grave damage not just on property and citizens, but on that strategy too. The hope that Netanyahu’s policies had rendered the Palestinian issue irrelevant now looks foolish. International condemnation of Israeli actions has revived, spurred on by civilian deaths in Gaza, including many children. Further Israeli diplomatic breakthroughs look unlikely.

Most serious of all, the brutal clashes between Jews and Israeli-Arabs, who make up 20 per cent of the population of the country, have brought the conflict inside the borders of Israel itself, leading to talk of civil war.

In recent years, many Israeli politicians had come to hope and believe that Arabs living inside the country were no longer identifying so strongly

with the Palestinian cause. But the current crisis has brought a renewed sense of unity between Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel itself. The idea that the Palestinian problem could be safely walled-off, out of sight, is no longer credible. Instead, Netanyahu’s strategy may have increased the threat to his country — by inadvertently opening up a new front, within Israel itself.

That threat will remain, even after the pummelling of Gaza has stopped.

The major flaw in the outside-in strategy was its assumption that Palestinian despair would lead to quiescence. In reality, the increasing boldness of the Israeli far right — which is determined to push ahead with further annexations of Palestinian property and land — eventually provided the spark that ignited the latest conflagration. The far right had itself been courted and legitimised by Netanyahu, as he sought allies in his efforts to hang on to power.

For Netanyahu himself, the current crisis does have one significant benefit. After the fourth inconclusive election in a row, his opponents were on the brink of forming a coalition government that would finally lever him out of power. Those negotiations have now stalled — and so Netanyahu looks likely to continue as prime minister.

A successful effort to cling on to power — and to fend off the corruption cases against him — would demonstrate that Netanyahu remains a master political tactician. But the upsurge of violence this week has gravely undermined his claim to be a statesman. His supporters boasted that his diplomatic strategy had provided a route out of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — one that did not even require painful concessions on land and Palestinian rights. But Netanyahu’s route out of conflict now looks like a dangerous dead-end.

Tuesday, 18 May, 2021

BUSINESS 09

LAHORE CORPORATE CORNER Indus Motor undertakes ration distribution for underprivileged communities KARACHI PRESS RELEASE

Committed to its resolve to support the Sustainable Development Goal 2 - Zero Hunger, Indus Motor Company (IMC) in partnership with the Saylani Welfare International Trust (SWT) distributed food rations to the underprivileged communities under its flagship CSR initiative, Toyota Community Uplift Program. The annual campaign benefits families residing in goths neighbouring IMC at Karachi. This year the company has expanded its outreach to around 1,200 destitute families residing in six villages.

The Toyota Community Uplift Programme supports the less privileged communities through several regular services such as food distribution, medical and psychiatric camps, targeting families in villages as aforesaid. The Toyota Goth Education Programme is another facet of the community uplift programme which provides full financial support for elementary and secondary school education to out-of-school children from economically disadvantaged communities living in villages neighbouring IMC.

Mobilink Microfinance Bank posts financial results during Q1FY21 ISLAMABAD PRESS RELEASE

Mobilink Microfinance Bank Limited (MMBL) has posted strong financial results during the first quarter of 2021 as showcased by its quarterly financial statements.

MMBL recorded a 70 per cent increase in net revenues and a whopping 1,390pc increase in profit before Tax in Q1FY21 against the corresponding quarter of the last year. The bank continued its positive momentum from Q4FY20 to post healthy financial results during Q1FY21 ending on March 31. It recorded gross revenues and net revenues of Rs2.295 billion and Rs1.884bn respectively and its profit before tax peaked at Rs490 million despite the economic slowdown caused by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. As of the end of Q1FY21, MMBL’s gross loan portfolio closed at Rs27.4bn while the deposits portfolio stood at Rs48.8bn. Commenting on the bank’s performance, Chief Finance and Digital Officer Sardar Mohammad Abubakr said, “We are on a journey to revolutionize the financial services landscape in Pakistan through our digital and core microfinance financial services. Q1FY21 financial performance is a continuation of our strong performance in Q4FY20, a testament to our strong focus on customer centricity, portfolio diversification, and strong shareholder value creation. We are committed to providing the best banking experience to our customers through innovative products and services all across Pakistan.”

Private airline fined for bringing Covid affected patients into country MONITORING REPORT The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has slapped a fine over a private airline for bringing passengers with fake negative Covid-19 reports into Pakistan. According to details, as many as 27 Covid positive passengers were flown from Sharjah to Peshawar on May 10 and 17. Action against the airline has been taken under Civil Aviation Rules, 1994. The CAA also warned that any further violation shall entail more stringent penal action. Earlier on may 1, the government had announced that Pakistan plans to reduce the number of inbound international flights to 20 per cent of current numbers to curb rising Covid-19 cases, the official body overseeing the country’s pandemic response said on Saturday. “In view of prevailing global and regional disease trends, Pakistan has decided to reduce inbound international travel from 5 May to 20th May,” said the National Command Operation Centre (NCOC), which oversees the government’s pandemic response, on Twitter.

The decision in this regard would be reviewed on May 18.

Four SEZS to CrEatE 1.47M joBS, BooSt InDuStrIal growth ISLAMABAD

F

APP

OUR Special Economic Zones (SEZs), work on which is continuing at full swing, would soon create as many as 1.47 million jobs besides, playing an important role in promoting local industry to lead the country towards sustainable economic growth.

“The SEZs including Rashakai M1 Nowshera; Dhabeji Thatta; Allama Iqbal Industrial City Faisalabad and Bostan Balochistan would create around 475,000 direct and 1,000,000 indirect jobs all across the country,” senior official of Board of Investment (BoI) told APP here Monday.

Talking to APP, the official said these SEZ, which are part of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would promote overall industrial growth in the country, adding that development of these four zones was top priority of the government.

“The 1,000 acre Rashkai SEZ has already attracted at more than 2,000 domestic and foreign investments in different sectors of economy,” he said, adding that the zone would be developed in three phases and as per the plan

NEWS DESK: Adviser to Prime Minister on Comm¬erce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood has said that Pakistan’s exports to China have increased by 31 per cent over the past ten months of the current fiscal year (10MFY21).

In a series of tweets on Sunday, Dawood shared details of the achievement. “The Second Phase of Pakistan-China FTA (FTA-II) became operational on 1st January 2020.

MOC is glad to share that during Jul-Apr 2021 our exports to China have increased by 31% to USD 1.951 Billion from USD 1.491 Billion in corresponding period last year,” he wrote.

247 acres of land would be developed in the first phase, 355 acres in the second phase and 399 acres in the third phase.

Likewise, the federal government would provide 210 MW electricity to the zone in three phases while it had also earmarked Rs1203 million for gas for this zone.

Rashakai SEZ is connected to all the provinces of Pakistan through airports, dry ports, railway stations, motorways and highways. The zone is located at the confluence of the five major districts of KPK, Nowshera, Mardan and Swabi, Charsadda and Peshawar.

The zone will provide employment to 80 per cent whereas there is fertile land in the adjoining districts, which is suitable for growing a variety of cash crops and vegetables. The SEZ would cover more than 400 industries, including garments and textile products, home appliances, general commercial goods, electronics and electrical ap-

pliances, automobiles and mechanical equipment.

Meanwhile, talking to APP the Adviser to Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood talking about the shift of industries from China to Pakistan said, “We are looking to welcome the Chinese industries in our SEZs to Joint Venture (JVs) with local investors and also share the mutual experience for benefiting the local industries.”

“The SEZs are primarily focused on industrialisation that result in export promotion, import substitution, transfer of technologies and employment generation, which are the primary targets of our government as well,” he said.

“The establishment of SEZs was critical to resolving balance of payment issues as we tend to give priority to enterprises which are involved in export generation or import substitution” he said.

He said that Rashakai SEZ is the flagship project of CPEC and its success will further strengthen industrial cooperation between Pakistan and

China.

He said the development of Rashakai SEZ had a huge strategic implication, because it is closer to resource rich Central Asian Republics (CARs) and also plays a role for economic integration of the region.

He said that all of these SEZs would have far-reaching socio-economic impact in the region by attracting more investment, spurring industrialization, creating employment in the industry and ensuring export led-growth.

He said that Pakistan’s proximity with China would allow these SEZs to foster economic interdependence for mutual economic advantage.

Replying to another question, he said that Rashakai SEZ held a unique competitive advantage due to its proximity to the first juncture of CPEC route, and significant resource and manufacturing base in the region.

Replying to another question about the most priority sector for future investment in Pakistan, he said that textiles value addition, information technology, logistic, tourism and housing are the major sectors in which the government wants to bring foreign investment.

Oil prices remain upward as European economy reopens NEW YORK AGENCIES

Crude oil futures started the week on a positive note on Monday as reopening of European economy offsets gloom from surging Covid-19 cases in India and other Asian countries.

At 1350 hours GMT, Brent, the international benchmark for two-thirds of the world's oil, was trading at $69.04 a barrel after gaining 0.48 percent. Likewise, the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures made 0.63 percent gain to reach $65.78 a barrel. The price for Opec Basket was recorded at $66.57 a barrel with 2.39 percent decrease, Arab Light was available at $67.85 a barrel with 2.43 percent increase while price of Russian Sokol increased 1.89 percent to reach $68.39 a barrel.

The British economy reopened on Monday, giving 65 million people a measure of freedom after the gloom of a four-month Covid-19 lockdown.

With accelerating vaccination rates, France and Spain have eased Covid-related restrictions in recent weeks, and Portugal and the Netherlands eased on Saturday travel restrictions as the summer holiday season approached.

Some Indian states said on Sunday they would extend Covid-19 lockdowns to help contain the pandemic, which has killed more than 270,000 people in the

country. Domestic sales of gasoline and diesel by Indian state refiners plunged by a fifth in the first half of May from a

month earlier. Singapore is preparing to close schools this week, meanwhile Japan has declared a state of emergency in three

more prefectures to contain outbreaks.

Disappointing economic data from China also added to pressure.

Crypto crime down in 2021 through April, but ‘DeFi’ fraud at record NEW YORK AGENCIES

Exports to China rise 31pc in 10MFY21, says Dawood

ESTABLISHMENT OF SEZS CRITICAL TO RESOLVING BALANCE OF PAYMENT ISSUES, SAYS RAZAK DAWOOD

Losses from cryptocurrency theft, hacks and fraud fell sharply in the first four months of the year, but crime in the booming “decentralized finance” space hit an all-time high, a report from crypto intelligence company CipherTrace showed on Thursday.

DeFi applications are platforms that facilitate crypto-denominated lending outside traditional banking, using an open-source code with algorithms that set rates in real time based on supply and demand. Many DeFi applications are embedded in the ethereum blockchain.

Globally, crypto criminals ran away with $432 million as of end-April, according to the CipherTrace report.

About 56% of that, or $240 million were DeFi-related, a record peak.

For the whole of 2020, losses in the crypto sector through fraud and crime were $1.9 billion. In 2019, crypto crime losses hit a record $4.5 billion.

Cryptocurrencies are once again in the spotlight with the surge in prices for the second-largest token, ethereum, and social media darling, dogecoin.

The drop in crypto crime reflects some maturation in the industry, as infrastructure improved and companies and exchanges boosted security sys-

tems.

DeFi, however, is another story.

The value locked – the total number of loans on DeFi platforms – was $86 billion as of Wednesday, DeFi Pulse data showed, up roughly 650% from $11 billion in October.

The surge in the industry’s growth has attracted the bad actors and market participants said the rise in crime is likely to accelerate as DeFi expands further.

“As more money pours into the space from retail and institutional players, bad actors will seek to take advantage of the hype to draw people into scams and hackers will seek out projects that have launched without

performing adequate security audits, exploiting loopholes encoded in the smart contracts,” Dave Jevans, CipherTrace’s chief executive officer, said in an emailed response to Reuters. Losses from DeFi-related hacks already exceeded the $129 million taken for the whole of 2020.

In 2019, there were no DeFi losses reported.

One of the major losses in the DeFi space was the $80 million worth of funds stolen on April 19 from EasyFi Network, a DeFi project on the Polygon Network, the CipherTrace report said.

EasyFi reported that a hacker stole roughly $80 million worth of funds from its wallet.

Tuesday, 18 May, 2021

10 FOREIGN NEWS

LAHORE

IndIa reporTs 26 poTenTIal cases of bleedIng, cloTTIng afTer asTraZeneca vaccIne NEW DELHI

I

AGENCIES

NDIA has found 26 suspected cases of bleeding and clotting among recipients of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the health ministry said on Monday, describing the risk as "minuscule" out of the 164 million doses administered.

Some countries have suspended or restricted use of the shot over fears of possible side effects, though health experts have said its benefits outweigh the risks.

This is the first time India has reported any serious reaction to the use of the vaccine, branded locally as Covishield.

India's adverse events committee reviewed 498 instances of serious and severe side effects following the injection of the shot, the ministry said, 26 of which were potentially "thromboembolic" — meaning the formation of a clot in a blood vessel that might break loose and plug another vessel.

The ministry said the rate of these events

NEW DELHI SAYS RATE OF CASES OF SIDE EFFECTS IS ABOUT 0.61 PER MILLION DOSES in India was about 0.61 per million doses, much lower than Britain's four and Germany's 10.

"Bleeding and clotting cases following Covid vaccination in India are minuscule and in-line with the expected number of diagnoses of these conditions," the ministry said in a statement that cited data from the committee.

The vaccine "continues to have a definite positive benefit risk profile with tremendous potential to prevent infections and reduce deaths due to Covid-19", it said.

The ministry did not give details on the nature of the clots.

The committee found no clot-related reactions after the use of domestically developed Covaxin vaccine, of which nearly 19m

Top Indian virologist quits government panel after airing differences NEW DELHI

doses have been given in India.

PAKISTAN RECEIVES FIRST BATCH OF ASTRAZENECA DOSES: Pakistan received its first shipment of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines through the Covax facility on May 8.

A statement issued by the National Command and Operation Centre had said that the first consignment consisted of 1,238,400 vaccine doses and would be followed by an additional 1,236,000 doses in a few days. It had added that the doses would serve to support the government's "ongoing historic drive to bring the pandemic to an end".

"Further allocations from June onwards will be confirmed in due course. The goal of the Covax facility is to supply Pakistan with

enough doses to vaccinate 20 per cent of the population depending on availability."

Pakistan is offering Astrazeneca vaccine to all adults over 40 years of age. This decision is based on WHO's recommendation of

Bill Gates left Microsoft board amid probe into relationship with female employee: report

AGENCIES

A top Indian virologist has resigned from a forum of scientific advisers set up by the government to detect variants of the coronavirus, he told Reuters, weeks after questioning the authorities’ handling of the pandemic. ShahidJameel, chair of the scientific advisory group of the forum known as INSACOG, declined to give a reason for his resignation. “I am not obliged to give a reason,” he said in a text message, adding that he quit on Friday. RenuSwarup, the secretary of the Department of Biotechnology that oversees INSACOG, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan also did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment. Another INSACOG member said he was not aware of any direct disagreements between Jameel and the government. A top government scientist who is part of the forum said, on the condition of anonymity, that he did not think the departure of Jameel would hamper INSACOG’s monitoring of virus variants. Reuters reported earlier this month that INSACOG, the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genetics Consortium, warned government officials in early March of a new and more contagious variant of the coronavirus taking hold in the country. The variant, B.1.617, is one of the reasons India is currently battling the world’s worst surge in Covid-19 cases. Asked why the government did not respond more forcefully to the findings, for example by restricting large gatherings, Jameel had told Reuters that he was concerned that authorities were not paying enough attention to the evidence as they set policy.

considering local epidemiology (including incidence and mortality from Covid-19 disease), age groups targeted for vaccination, data on vaccine adverse effects and the availability of alternative vaccines.

WASHINGTON AGENCIES

Bill Gates left the Microsoft board in 2020 as the board pursued an investigation into the billionaire's romantic relationship with a female employee, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

The founder and former head of the US technol-

ogy giant stepped down as board chair in March 2020. “Microsoft Corp. board members decided that Bill Gates needed to step down from its board in 2020 as they pursued an investigation into the billionaire's prior romantic relationship with a female Microsoft employee that was deemed inappropriate,” the Journal reported, citing people close to the matter.

This was “an affair almost 20 years ago which

ended amicably,” a spokeswoman for Gates told the Journal. According to the spokeswoman, Gates left Microsoft to focus more on his philanthropic organisation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Gates and his wife Melinda, who co-founded their charity two decades ago to battle global poverty and disease, announced their divorce on May 3 after 27 years of marriage.

A spokesperson for Microsoft told AFP that the company was alerted in the second half of 2019 that “Bill Gates sought to initiate an intimate relationship with a company employee in the year 2000. A committee of the Board reviewed the concern, aided by an outside law firm, to conduct a thorough investigation.”

The employee, an engineer, claimed in a letter to have had a sexual relationship with Gates “over years,” the Journal reported.

According to the Journal, some board members also asked about links between Gates and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for allegedly trafficking minors. Gates's team assured the board the Microsoft founder had met Epstein for “philanthropic reasons” and “regretted doing so,” the Journal said.

Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975, stepped down as the company's CEO in 2000, saying he wanted to focus on his foundation. He left his fulltime role at Microsoft in 2008. His seat as board director, which he left in March 2020, was the last position that officially linked him to the company.

Working 55 hours a week increases risk of death: UN WHO SAYS NO JOB IS WORTH RISK OF STROKE OR HEART DISEASE GENEVA AGENCIES

Working more than 55 hours a week increases the risk of death from heart disease and stroke, according to a United Nations study out Monday.

The report by the UN's World Health Organization and International Labour Organisation agencies comes as the Covid-19 pandemic accelerates workplace changes that could reinforce the tendency to work longer hours.

The WHO-ILO study, published in the journal Environment International, is the first global analysis of the risks to life and health associated with working long hours.

It does not focus on the pandemic but on the preceding years.

The authors synthesised data from dozens of studies involving hundreds of thousands of participants.

"Working 55 hours or more per week is a serious health hazard," said Maria Neira, director of the WHO's environment, climate

change and health department.

"It's time that we all -- governments, employers, and employees -wake up to the fact that long working hours can lead to premature death."

The study concluded that working 55 hours or more per week was associated with an estimated 35-percent increase in the risk of suffering a stroke, and a 17-percent rise in the risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, compared to working 35 to 40 hours.

TELEWORKING: The WHO and the ILO estimated that in 2016, 398,000 people died from a stroke and 347,000 from heart disease after working at least 55 hours per week.

Between 2000 and 2016, the number of deaths due to heart disease linked to long working hours increased by 42 percent, while the figure for strokes went up by 19 percent.

Most of the recorded deaths were among people aged 60 to 79, who had worked 55 hours or more per week when they were between 45 and 74 years old.

"With working long hours now

known to be responsible for about one-third of the total estimated work-related burden of disease, it is established as the risk factor with the largest occupational disease burden," the WHO said.

The organisation also said that the coronavirus crisis was speeding up developments that could feed the trend towards increased working time.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly changed the way many people work," said WHO director-general TedrosAdhanomGhebreyesus.

"Teleworking has become the norm in many industries, often blurring the boundaries between home and work. In addition, many businesses have been forced to scale back or shut down operations to save money, and people who are still on the payroll end up working longer hours.

"No job is worth the risk of stroke or heart disease. Governments, employers and workers need to work together to agree on limits to protect the health of workers."

Tuesday, 18 May, 2021

SPORTS 11

LAHORE

RAFAeL NAdAL beATS NovAk djokovic To WiN 10Th iTALiAN oPeN TiTLe

ROME

R

AGENCIES

AFAEL Nadal beat world number one Novak Djokovic to win a 10th Italian Open title on Sunday and set down a key marker two weeks out from the defence of his Roland Garros crown.

Second seed Nadal won through 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 in 2hr 49min against the defending champion in the 57th career showdown be-

tween the pair.

"It's amazing I have this trophy in my hands for a 10th time, something impossible to imagine," said the world number three who also equalled Djokovic's record of 36 ATP Masters 1000 titles in his 12th Rome final.

"I remember the first final I won here in Rome back in 2005 against (Guillermo) Coria which lasted five hours," recalled the 34-year-old of his five-set battle past the Argentine. Djokovic and Nadal were fac-

ing each other for the 57th time, having last played in the 2020 French Open final which the Spaniard won in straight sets.

The pair have won 15 of the last 17 Rome titles between them, while Nadal leads their head-to-head in finals in the Italian capital 4-2.

"I really wanted this title. This had been one of the most important titles in my career. I'd won 10 in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Roland Garros and really wanted it here too," added Nadal.

Despite losing his opening service game Nadal broke back in the third game hitting twice as many winners as the Serb with 21 in the set. A dip in form in the second set allowed Djokovic to break twice and get back into the game.

But Nadal got back on track in the third with Djokovic having played nearly five hours on court on Saturday between his rain-delayed quarter-finals and semifinal matches.

The Spaniard saved two break points on his serve in the fifth game and broke for love for 4-2. Djokovic saved a first match point in the eighth game but Nadal made no mistake on his second chance in the following to seal his 88th career title after winning in Barcelona earlier this month.

"It doesn't get a bigger challenge than playing in the final against Rafa," said five-time Rome winner Djokovic, who leads their overall head-to-head 29-28.

"Overall three hours of high-quality tennis. I'm disappointed not to win, but pleased with my level.

"Going into Paris it's a good sensation.

I feel like I want to feel on clay. If I play like I did last night and today I think I have a shot in Paris.

"I'll play in Belgrade and then go to Paris ready to rock and roll."

Nadal has now won 10 or more titles at a single event for the fourth time, after Roland Garros (13), Barcelona (12) and Monte Carlo (11).

The French Open gets underway in Paris on May 30 where Nadal will be chasing a record 21st Grand Slam title.

Djokovic, the 2016 champion at Roland Garros, will be hoping to become the first man in over half a century and just the third in history to win all four majors more than once.

Alisson boosts Liverpool’s Champions League bid with dramatic late winner LONDON AGENCIES

Goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s dramatic 95th-minute goal gave Liverpool a 2-1 victory at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday to maintain their bid to play in next season’s Champions League.

Tottenham were more comfortable 2-0 winners over Wolves to move into pole position for a place in the Europa League, but Everton’s hopes of European football were dealt a massive blow by Sheffield United’s shock 10 victory at Goodison Park. Alisson’s perfectly executed header keeps Liverpool’s top-four fate in their own hands despite sitting fifth in the table.

Jurgen Klopp’s men trail fourth-placed Chelsea by one point and Leicester by three, with two league games left to play. But with Leicester and Chelsea still to face off in a repeat of the FA Cup final, which the Foxes won 1-0 on Saturday, victories over Burnley and Crystal Palace will take Liverpool into the top four.

The already-relegated Baggies took an early lead through Hal Robson-Kanu before the in-form Mohamed Salah equalised before half-time.

‘GOD PUT HIS HAND ON MY HEAD’: But Liverpool were still heading for a damaging draw when Alisson headed in from a corner in the fifth minute of stoppage-

time. The Brazilian’s father died in February when he drowned in a swimming accident.

Alisson could not even return home for the funeral at the time due to quarantine rules on foreign travel and was visibly emotional at full-time. “I played since I remember as a human being with my father. I hope he was here to see it but I’m sure that he’s seeing with God on his side and celebrating,” said Alisson.

“You can’t explain a lot of things in life. For me, the only reason for those kind of things is God and he put his hand on my head today and I’m feeling really blessed.”

Liverpool were stunned when Robson-Kanu, making his first league start of the season for Albion, put the hosts ahead in the 15th minute after he ran onto Matheus Pereira’s pass and found the bottom corner at the Hawthorns.

Liverpool levelled when Sadio Mane, starting in place of the injured Diogo Jota, intercepted a loose pass to Kyle Bartley, with the ball then falling to Salah, who hit a first-time shot into the bottom left corner.

The Egyptian’s 22nd Premier League goal of the season drew him level with Harry Kane in the race for the English top-flight’s golden boot award.

KANE ON TARGET: Kane was also on target as Spurs edged ahead of West Ham into sixth on goal difference.

Pro Football League provides club development opportunities in Pakistan NEWS DESK The organisers of Pro Football League have vowed to hold the first season of the league before the end of year 2021 subject to the situation of Covid-19 pandemic. The organisers have also announced that the inaugural season of the league is expected to kick off during the fourth quarter of 2021. Haider Ali Daud, founder of Strawberry Sports Management, which had initiated the league, is very hopeful that the league will be a landmark event for the football clubs belonging to all parts of Pakistan. “Pro Football League will be a unique football league for Pakistan in many ways. We have brought together more than twenty leading and renowned football clubs from all parts of the country for the league,” Haider said. “The format of the league will be open and the participating clubs will compete on round robin basis. After the conduct of a minimum of three seasons, the league will expand into two divisions along with mutually agreed promotion and relegation rules. In due course, we will build capacities of the constituent clubs, both on and off the field, to enable them to steer themselves in a self-reliant and sustainable manner.” Owing to the prevalence of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the league managers believe that they will utilise this time to build technical capabilities of the clubs through coaching, training and mentoring, and their respective brand equity. “Covid19 has hit every aspect of our lives, including sports. Without further delay, we are looking forward to kick off the development campaign for the participating clubs,” sources in the organisation said. The league managers have also disclosed that the participating clubs hail from Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Islamabad, GilgitBaltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir.

Serena Williams gets first clay win of the season at WTA Parma

The England captain fired Tottenham ahead on the stroke of half-time,curling the ball into the corner of the net after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s through ball behind the defence. Hojbjerg made it 2-0 just after the hour when he followed up as Gareth Bale’s shot was parried by Rui Patricio as Spurs bolstered their hopes of at least playing Europa League football next season.

Everton’s miserable home record has ended their chances of Champions League football as bottom-of-thetable Sheffield United became the latest side to win at Goodison. The Blades scored the only goal after just seven minutes when 17-year-old Daniel Jebbison tapped home Jack Robinson’s cross.

The Toffees have won just once at home since December and remain in eighth, three points behind Tottenham and West Ham in the battle for a Europa League place. Leicester’s FA Cup triumph means seventh place will also be good enough for a place in the new Europa Conference League next season. Earlier, Crystal Palace twice came from behind to beat Aston Villa 3-2, with Tyrick Mitchell’s first goal for the club sealing victory six minutes from time.

John McGinn and Anwar El Ghazi were on target for Villa before the break. Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha twice levelled before Mitchell completed the comeback to lift Palace into 13th.

PARMA: Serena Williams brushed aside the challenge of local teenager Lisa Pigato in the opening round of the WTA tournament in Parma on Monday. Williams, ranked eighth in the world, beat the 572nd-ranked Pigato, making her WTA debut, 6-3, 6-2 in the first meeting between the two players. The 39-year-old American had been given a wild card to play in Parma after her premature exit from the Italian Open, where she crashed out in the second round in what was her first match in nearly three months since her semi-final defeat in the Australian Open. Williams, who had already won five Grand Slam tournaments by the time Pigato was born, made a sluggish start as the 17-year-old came up with three glorious winners to break the 23-time Grand Slam champion in the first game. The American, however, got into gear and dropped just five more points on her serve, firing down six aces and many more that Pigato could barely reach. Williams, however, was full of praise for her teenage opponent. “Lisa played really well,” she said in her on-court interview. “She told me she was only 17. Her future is super-bright. She handled the moment well, so I look forward to cheering for her in the future.” AGENCIES

ICC says 'insufficient evidence' in Al Jazeera corruption claims DUBAI AGENCIES

The International Cricket Council (ICC) said Monday there were “insufficient grounds” to bring charges against five people who were featured in an Al Jazeera television programme about corruption in the game.

‘Cricket’s Match Fixers’, broadcast by Al Jazeera on 27 May 2018, alleged that two matches were fixed: India

v England in Chennai in 2016 and India v Australia in Ranchi in 2017.

The ICC anti-corruption unit’s investigation, which focussed on the claims made by the programme, the suspects who were part of it and how the programme gathered evidence, concluded that there was “insufficient credible and reliable evidence” to pursue the matter.

The ICC engaged four independent betting and cricketing specialists to analyse the claims.

CMYK

All four concluded that the passages of play identified in the programme as being allegedly fixed were entirely predictable, and therefore implausible as a fix.

“There are fundamental weaknesses in each of the areas we have investigated that make the claims unlikely and lacking in credibility, a viewpoint that has been corroborated by four independent experts,” said ICC general manager Alex Marshall.

“We have been unable to assess the full context of

the conversations that took place beyond what was seen on screen versus what the participants claim actually happened.

“This combined with the absence of any other credible evidence means there are insufficient grounds to bring charges.” One of those named in the programme, Sri Lanka fast bowler Dilhara Lokuhettige, was handed an eight-year ban last month on a separate charge of match-fixing.

Tuesday, 18 May, 2021

PrAyer TImIngs

NEWS

FAJR SUNRISE

ZUHR

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

3:31

11:59

4:51

5:04

6:54

8:28

NA pAsses resolutioN AgAiNst isrAel’s bArbArism iN pAlestiNe ISLAMABAD

t

TLTP

HE National Assembly has passed a unanimous resolution expressing deep concerns over the increasing oppression and brutalities being perpetrated against the people of Palestine by the Israeli apartheid regime.

The resolution, moved by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, strongly condemned the systematic and institutionalised oppression and domination of the people of Palestine by Israel. It also denounced the systematic and brutal disenfranchisement, exclusion and ethnic cleansing of the Palestine people.

It denounced the attacks by the apartheid Israeli regime on worshippers in Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan and attempts to stop the Azaan.

It denounced and rejected the continuing practice of expanding settlements through forced evictions by the apartheid regime in violation of Fourth Geneva Convention.

The resolution condemned the deliberate destruction of buildings, housing local and international media outlets in Sheikh Jarrah and Jerusalem, carried out with the intent to erase evidence of genocide being committed against the Palestinian people.

It reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering support for the realization of the right to self-determination and other fundamental rights of Palestinians as well as for the twostate solution, based on the pre-1967 borders, and a free, secure, viable, independent and contiguous State of Palestine with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

The house called upon the UN Security Council to take necessary action to bring to an end the ongoing crimes against humanity being perpetrated against Palestinians. It urged the United Nations to ensure Israel’s compliance with the resolutions passed by the UNSC, UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council, reaffirming the right to self-determination of the Palestinians. The resolution called upon the UN to ensure Israel’s compliance with the Fourth Geneva Convention relative

to the Protection of Civilian Persons in time of war. Ensure Israel to immediately halt aggression, which has violated the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is a holy site for over 1.5 billion Muslims, and respect their freedom to worship and allow unfettered access to Muslims to repair any damage done to the religious holy sites by Israel’s criminal actions.

The NA called upon the UN secretary general to establish an independent inquiry tribunal to investigate the crime of genocide by the apartheid Israeli regime against

the people of Palestine. It demanded that the international community should ensure accountability for all past and present grave human rights violations and crimes against humanity being perpetrated against Palestinians through fair, impartial and independent accountability and trials.

The resolution called upon the OIC to take immediate decisive steps for the protection and safety of the Palestinian people and to break the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza to provide humanitarian assistance.

Blinken says hasn’t seen any evidence on AP Gaza building strike WASHINGTON AgencIes

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday he has asked Israel for any evidence of Hamas operating in a Gaza building housing news bureaus that was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike over the weekend, but hasn’t seen any.

Blinken spoke at a news conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, as pressure is increasing on the Biden administration to ask for a ceasefire in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel destroyed a building housing The Associated Press and Al Jazeera and claimed that Hamas used the building for a military intelligence office. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the building a “perfectly legitimate target” and told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that Israel passes such evidence through intelligence channels.

“Shortly after the strike we did request additional details regarding the justification for it,” Blinken said Monday. He declined to discuss specific intelligence, saying he “will leave it to others to characterize if any information has been shared and our assessment that information.” But he said, “I have not seen any information provided.”

Blinken’s comments came after UN Security Council diplomats and Muslim foreign ministers convened emergency weekend meetings to demand a stop to civilian bloodshed as Israeli warplanes carried out the deadliest single attacks in nearly a week of Hamas rocket barrages and Israeli airstrikes.

President Joe Biden gave no signs of stepping up public pressure on Israel to agree to an immediate cease-fire despite calls from some Democrats for the Biden administration to get more involved.

His ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told an emergency high-level meeting of the Security Council that the United States was “working tirelessly through diplomatic channels” to stop the fighting.

But as battles between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers surged to their worst levels since 2014 and the international outcry grew, the Biden administration — determined to wrench

US foreign policy focus away from the Middle East and Afghanistan — has declined so far to criticise Israel’s part in the fighting or send a top-level envoy to the region. Appeals by other countries showed no sign of progress.

Thomas-Greenfield warned that the return to armed conflict would only put a negotiated two-state solution to the decades-old IsraeliPalestinian conflict even further out of reach.

However, the United States, Israel’s closest ally, has so far blocked days of efforts by China, Norway, and Tunisia to get the Security Council to issue a statement, including a call for the cessation of hostilities.

In Israel, Hady Amr, a deputy assistant dispatched by Blinken to try to de-escalate the crisis, met with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who thanked the US for its support.

Blinken himself headed out on an unrelated tour of Nordic countries, with no announced plans to stop in the Middle East in response to the crisis. He made calls from the plane to Egypt and other nations working to broker a cease-fire, telling Egypt that all parties “should de-escalate tensions and bring a halt to the violence.”

Rep. Adam Schiff, Democratic chairman of the House intelligence committee, urged Biden on Sunday to step up pressure on both sides to end current fighting and revive talks to resolve Israel’s conflicts and flashpoints with the Palestinians.

“I think the administration needs to push harder on Israel and the Palestinian Authority to stop the violence, bring about a cease-fire, end these hostilities, and get back to a process of trying to resolve this long-standing conflict,” Schiff, a California Democrat, told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

And Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, the senior Republican on the foreign relations subcommittee for the region, joined Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, the subcommittee chairman, in asking both sides to cease fire. “As a result of Hamas’ rocket attacks and Israel’s response, both sides must recognize that too many lives have been lost and must not escalate the conflict further,” the two said.

Biden focused on civilian deaths from Hamas rockets in a call with Netanyahu on Sat-

urday, and a White House readout of the call made no mention of the US urging Israel to join in a cease-fire that regional countries were pushing. Thomas-Greenfield said US diplomats were engaging with Israel, Egypt and Qatar, along with the UN. Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City flattened three buildings and killed at least 42 people Sunday, medics said, bringing the toll since Hamas and Israel opened their air and artillery battles to at least 188 killed in Gaza and eight in Israel. Some 55 children in Gaza and a 5year-old boy in Israel were among the dead.

Netanyahu told Israelis in a televised address Sunday that Israel “wants to levy a heavy price” on Hamas. That will “take time,” Netanyahu said, signaling the war would rage on for now.

Representatives of Muslim nations met Sunday to demand Israel halt attacks that are killing Palestinian civilians in the crowded Gaza strip.

The meeting of the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation also saw Turkey and some others criticise a US-backed push under which the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and other Islamic nations signed bilateral deals with Israel to normalise their relations, stepping over the wreckage of collapsed international efforts to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians long-term.

“The massacre of Palestinian children today follows the purported normalization,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said.

At the virtual meeting of the Security Council, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the UN was actively engaging all parties for an immediate cease-fire.

Returning to the scenes of Palestinian group’s rocket fire and Israeli airstrikes in the fourth such war between Israel and Hamas, “only perpetuates the cycles of death, destruction and despair, and pushes farther to the horizon any hopes of coexistence and peace,” Guterres said.

Eight foreign ministers spoke at the Security Council session, reflecting the seriousness of the conflict, with almost all urging an end to the fighting.

Earlier speaking on the floor of the NA, Foreign Minister Qureshi announced to observe the coming Friday as a day of solidarity with the people of Palestine and to condemn Israeli aggression against them. He said that Pakistan strongly condemns indiscriminate attacks on unarmed people of Palestine.

He also said that Pakistan strongly raised its voice at the OIC and other world forums, including during interaction with world leaders, against Israeli barbarism on Muslim brothers and sisters of Palestine.

The foreign minister said that a meeting of the foreign ministers of European Union is taking place on Tuesday and it is hoped that the forum will raise its voice for the sake of humanity and to protect fundamental human rights of the Palestinians.

Qureshi said that the PTI-led government would never step back from the country’s stance on Palestine and Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK).

He said that he would leave for United Stateson Monday night and meet his Turkish, Palestinian, and Sudanese counterparts there. He said Pakistan, Turkey, Sudan, and Palestine’s foreign ministers would visit New York and raise their voices against Israel’s aggression in the Gaza Strip at the UN General Assembly. “I will represent the voices of 22 million Pakistanis in New York,” he said. The Permanent Observer Mission of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to the United Nations will contact the president of UNGA and ask him to summon a session on the issue immediately, he said. He informed the house that the Palestinian leadership had lauded Pakistan’s support in the matter.

Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif, speaking on the floor of the house, demanded the government to observe the upcoming Friday as Al-Quds Day to express solidarity with the people of Palestine.

He urged the house to pass a unanimous resolution to condemn Israeli aggression and text of the resolution should be shared with the UN mission in Islamabad.

Shehbaz proposed that relief goods should immediately be dispatched through OIC and the Red Crescent to help the oppressed Palestinians.

Pakistan conveys concern to Afghan side on baseless allegations: FO

ISLAMABAD PPI

Pakistan has conveyed its serious concerns to the Afghan side by making a strong demarche with the ambassador of Afghanistan in Islamabad on the recent irresponsible statements and baseless allegations made by the Afghan leadership.

In a statement, Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said that the Afghan side has been urged to effectively utilize the available forums like Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity to address all bilateral issues.

The spokesperson emphasised that groundless accusations erode trust and vitiate the environment between the two brotherly countries and disregard the constructive role being played by Pakistan in facilitating the Afghan peace process.

“The Afghan side has been urged to effectively utilise available forums, like the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity, to address all bilateral issues,” the FO spokesperson added. The FO statement comes days after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani —

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

in an interview with a German publication — claimed that Pakistan “operated an organised system of support” for the Taliban, adding that the Taliban “receive logistics there, their finances are there and recruitment is there”.

“The names of the various decisionmaking bodies of the Taliban are Quetta Shura, Miramshah Shura and Peshawar Shura — named after the Pakistani cities where they are located. There is a deep relationship with the state,” Ghani told the German weekly news magazine.

When asked about the peace process, Ghani said that it was a “crucial moment of rethinking”, adding that the US only played a minor role in the peace process now, adding that the “question of peace or hostility is now in Pakistani hands.”

He informed that Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa had assured him that the restoration of the Emirate or dictatorship by the Taliban was not in anybody’s interest in the region, especially Pakistan.

“However, he said, some of the lower levels in the army still hold the opposite opinion in certain cases. It is primarily a question of political will,” Ghani added.