Epaper – November 20 KHI 2020

Friday, 20 November, 2020 I 3 Rabi al-Akhir, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 141 I 12 Pages I Karachi Edition

Pakistan, afghanistan agree to Protect each other's territory from destabilisation g

BotH CountRIEs to uPsCAlE IntEllIgEnCE CooPERAtIon, tAkE joInt ACtIons to ‘IdEntIfy And tACklE EnEMIEs of PEACE’

ISLAMABAD MIAn ABRAR

P

AkIstAn and Afghanistan on thursday agreed to work together for sustainable and durable peace and not to allow their enemies to destabilise each other's territory using their respective soil.

More significantly, both the countries also agreed to a document titled ‘A shared Vision’. Per the document, both Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed on a timeline for tangible and strategic actions to take the joint actions to the next level, including intelligence sharing and joint intelligence operations against what it called the ‘anti-peace elements’, and further enhancing the regional connectivity of trade and communication.

An official in Ministry of foreign Affairs told Pakistan today that Inter-services Intelligence (IsI) director general lieutenant general faiz Hameed, who was accom-

panying the Prime Minister, played a key role in bringing the two countries to sign the consensus document. some of the core elements of the shared vision that officials agreed for Afghanistan and Pakistan include: that Afghanistan and Pakistan should enjoy a "special relationship" founded on predictability, transparency, mutual and full respect for one another's sovereignty, and on expanding and furthering their mutual interests through state-to-state mechanisms. that Afghanistan's posture of "multialignment" with other countries, pursuing a number of friendly relationships, "presents a real opportunity for the two countries to exploit and conversely presents no threat". that neither country's territory should be used for "malicious purposes" against the other's territory, and that both countries should work together to "identify and tackle enemies of peace". that regional connectivity should be broadened and deepened, with an em-

coronavirus in

Pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

365,927

LAST UPDATED AT 7:36 AM ON NOVEMBER 19, 2020

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

18

RECOVERED:

NEW CASES:

2,547 DEATHS:

326,674 7,248 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

158,559

112,284

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

43,052

16,582

5,690/4,482 25,278

phasis on trade, free movement of people, goods and services, opening of trade and customs posts, and transport and energy infrastructure development, aiming for regional development dividends greater than what each country might expect to achieve alone that a safe, time-bound and dignified return of Afghan refugees from Pakistan would help the two countries address the humanitarian and socio-economic challenges associated with population displacement.

PM VOWS TO HELP IN REDUCING VIOLENCE: during his day-long maiden visit to the neighbouring country, Prime Minister Imran khan vowed to do whatever he can to ‘help reduce violence’ in the war-torn Afghanistan. the visit comes at a crucial juncture as intra-Afghan talks which began in september made little headway amid continued violence in the war-torn country, making Islamabad-brokered peace dialogue between the taliban and the united states to end the 19-year-old war further complicated.

Addressing a joint press stakeout alongside Afghan President Ashraf ghani here at the Presidential Palace, Prime Minister Imran said: “the whole idea of [my] coming at a time when violence is increasing in Afghanistan is to assure you that we, the people and the government of Pakistan, have only one concern: that we want peace.”

“We feel the people of Afghanistan have suffered for four decades, and if ever a human community needed peace, it is Afghanistan,” he added.

PM Imran landed in kabul thursday morning accompanied by foreign Minister shah Mahmood Qureshi, IsI dg lieutenant general Hameed, Adviser on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak dawood and other senior officials.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

‘Who are you asking relief for?’ IHC judge questions petition against PEMRA ban Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief justice Athar Minallah, while hearing a petition regarding the ban on airtime issued by Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), asked who would benefit from the ban being lifted. the petition, filed by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and 15 renowned journalists, anchors and media analysts, pertained to the PERMA order issued last month which barred television channels from airing the speeches of the absconding accused and proclaimed offenders. the decision had come after the speeches of the absconding three-time prime minister and Pakistan Muslim league-nawaz (PMln) supreme leader nawaz sharif were broadcast on the national television and the government demanded the authorities to take notice of it. the IHC Cj, asked the petitioners’ counsel, salman Akram Raja, “Who are you asking relief for?” the chief justice added that throwing out the PEMRA order would allow “all absconders will get the right to go on air”. furthermore, he cited the precedent of a previous case relating to former dictator general (r) Pervez Musharraf, wherein no relief can be granted to a fugitive.

TLP chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi passes away tehreek-e-labbaik Pakistan (tlP) chief khadim Hussain Rizvi passed away on thursday at the age of 54.

According to his family, the religio-political leader had been suffering from longstanding ailments.

Rizvi reportedly had a high fever and was admitted to lahore’s shaikh Zayed Hospital, confirmed the family. After Rizvi’s health deteriorated, he was taken to sheikh Zayed Hospital on thursday where he passed away.

Rizvi’s body was taken to his residence at grand Battery stop, Multan Road, where a large number of tlP workers gathered.

Pir Aijaz Ashrafi, a senior leader of tlP, in a statement said that the timings of his funeral prayers would be announced later. Prime Minister Imran khan and foreign Minister shah Mahmood Qureshi expressed condolences over the demise of chief of the tlP chief.

Minister for Religious Affairs noorul Haq Qadri expressed grief and sorrow over the tlP chief’s demise. He said “Pakistan has lost a respected religious scholar and true admirer of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be upon Him)”, adding that Rizvi’s

services for Islam will be remembered for long.

“Allama khadim Hussain Rizvi’s death is a tragedy,” said Hafiz tahir Mahmood Ashrafi.

“We offer condolences to Allama khadim Hussain Rizvi’s family,” he added. the tlP chief had been a consequential figure in the political landscape of Pakistan for the past three to four years. In 2015, he founded tlP. the party came into existence after the hanging of Mumtaz Qadri, who assassinated salmaan taseer, the former governor of Punjab.

His party held a major sit-in in 2017 against the Pakistan Muslim league-nawaz (PMl-n) government. subsequently, in the 2018 general elections, he obtained 2.2 million votes and tlP

emerged as the country’s fifth largest party. the cleric made his last public appearance at a sit-in staged by thousands of tlP followers at Islamabad’s faizabad Interchange to protest the publication of blasphemous caricatures of Holy Prophet (PBuH) in france. the group had decided to end the sit-in on Monday last after successful negotiations with the government.

Rizvi was born in Attock district on june 22, 1966. for his early education, he studied Hifz and tajweed from a seminary in jhelum and later on studied from the jamia nizamia Rizvia in lahore.

A Hafiz-e-Quran and sheikhul-Hadith, Rizvi used to deliver friday sermons at lahore’s Pir Makki Masjid, located near daata darbar, during his time in the Punjab Auqaf department.

Rizvi had been confined to a wheelchair since 2006 ever since an accident near gujranwala. He was injured because the driver of his vehicle fell asleep while driving from Rawalpindi to lahore. He was a staunch follower of Imam Ahmed Raza khan Barelvi, the 19th-century founder of the Barelvi sect. ne ws d esk

the justice also questioned which person had been banned by PEMRA, to which the counsel replied that no person had been banned. the court remarked that “two people have been affected by PEMRA’s order” and noted that the “affected parties” were not present, adding that the person affected by the order was an absconder and could not challenge it. the judge remarked that the “absconding suspects should first surrender themselves before the court and then take advantage of their legal rights”. “freedom of expression is very important but here, the question is somewhat different,” said IHC chief justice, asking Raja if he would have Musharraf’s speeches aired as well. “[this is] a test for the entire judicial system. you want that relief be granted to all absconding suspects?” he questioned and added: “granting relief to an absconding suspect is not in the public interest.” “your appeal would grant relief to all absconding suspects which the court does not want to give,” the judge said and told the counsel to prepare arguments to convince the court to take up the petition for further hearing. the case was adjourned until december 16. news desk

more inside

Covid-19: Asad warns opposition of legal action for organising rallies STORY ON PAGE 03

PtI secures majority in gB after five independent candidates join hands STORY ON PAGE 02

Karachi Circular Railway resumes partial service STORY ON PAGE 03

us to label Israel boycott movement as ‘anti-semitic’: Pompeo

STORY ON BACK PAGE

02

Friday, 20 November, 2020

NEWS

PTi secUres majoriTy in GB afTer five indePendenT candidaTes join hands GILGIT

P

STAFF REPORT

AKISTAn Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday secured majority in the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly after five victorious independent candidates joined the party, whereas another is likely to join the ruling party on Friday.

Wazir Muhammad Saleem, Raja nasir Ali Khan, Mushtaq Hussain, Haji Abdul Hameed and Javed A Manwa joined the party on Thursday. Haji Shah Baig, another independent candidate is also likely to join the party on Friday. On the other hand, another independent candidate, who is also a nationalist leader, may not join PTI as he

Mushtaq Hussain of GBLA-22 Ganche-1 and Abdul Hameed of GBLA-23 GhancheII were denied the tickets as PTI preferred electables of other parties. PTI had given party tickets to electables, including Wazir Hassan, former Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader, Fida nashad, GBLA speaker and former PML-n Pakistan Muslim League-nawaz (PML-n) leader, Ibrahim Sanai (former minister of PML-n) and Amina Ansari. Instead of Javed A Manwa, the party had made seat adjustment with MWM candidate (Haji Rizwan).

Raja nasir, Javed Manwa, Wazir Saleem and Mushtaq Hussain had earlier joined PTI but decided to contest election as independent candidates after the party denied them tickets. Apart from the

has previously avoided joining any national political party.

With the inclusion of five new candidates, the total number of PTI seats has been recorded as 14. As a candidate of Majlis-e-Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen (MWM), an ally of PTI, would also be supporting the ruling party, PTI, with 15 seats will be in position to form a government in GB. Interestingly, some independent candidates, who are now in PTI camp, were denied tickets by the party. They, however, succeeded in securing their seats in the election against the ‘electables’ who were granted tickets by the ruling party.

Raja nasir Ali Khan in GBLA 10Skardu-4, Wazir Saleem of GBLA-9, Skardu- 3, Javed Manwa of nagar-5 and

Two soldiers marTyred in s wazirisTan Terror aTTack: isPr RAWALPINDI STAFF REPORT

Two Pakistan Army soldiers embraced martyrdom in an early morning attack on a security check post in South Waziristan from across the Afghanistan border on Tuesday. According to a statement released by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), terrorists opened fire at the post near Pash Ziarat, South Waziristan late Wednesday night to which the security forces “promptly responded”. During the exchange of fire, ISPR said, two soldiers — Havaldar Matloob Alam, 32, and sepoy Suleman Shaukat, 25 — embraced martyrdom while one received wounds. A clearance operation was underway in the area, the statement added.

Afghanistan’s insecure and often unmanned border areas serve as a base for the Taliban and other militants. Pakistan Army, as a result of recent counter-terror operations, has cleared the region of insurgents, but occasional attacks have continued.

Such attacks have raised fears the members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a proscribed militant organisation, were regrouping

ISLAMABAD: Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Minister Asad Umar has said that the government will spend Rs600 billion on the uplift of nine Balochistan districts in the next three years.

Addressing a news conference along with Information Minister Shibli Faraz, Communications Minister Murad Saeed and Defence Production Minister Zubaida Jalal on Thursday, Asad Umar said that these projects will help bring prosperity and improve law and order situation in the province. The minister said 57pc households of these districts will be given electricity and gas; 16 small dams will be constructed to enable the irrigation of 150,000 acres of land; while three plants for dates and olives will also be established in Balochistan. He said that the federal government will fully support Balochistan Exploration Company to explore minerals in the province. The minister said as many as 640,000 children will be given distance education using modern teaching, while teachers will also be trained for this purpose. He said that 83,000 children will be enrolled in schools through provision of Rs2,000 cash stipend for female and Rs1,500 for male students.

Asad Umar said that over 200 basic health centres will be upgraded through provision of modern health equipment, doctors and other paramedical staff. He said several initiatives are being taken to address issues related to malnutrition. STAFF REPORT

NEWS DESK

independent candidates, PTI would also try to win the seat of GBLA-III, Gilgit-3 where the election has been postponed after the death of its candidate, Syed Jafar Shah.

Similarly, the party would also test its luck in GBLA-4 nagar-1, as the PPP candidate had won two seats in this election but is likely to vacate the seat to retain the GBLA1 Gilgit-I constituency. PPP got three seats, PML-n grabbed two seats, MWM bagged one seat and independent candidates were declared victorious on seven seats in the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly elections held on november 15.

As many as 330 candidates, including four women, contested on 23 seats. At least 1,26,997 fresh voters had used their right of vote in general elections of GB.

Hafiz Saeed handed 10 years in prison for terror financing LAHORE STAFF REPORT

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Thursday handed proscribed outfit Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed 10-and-a-half years in jail in two cases pertaining to terror financing and money laundering.

Accountability court Judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta also slapped a fine of Rs110,000 on him and ordered authorities to confiscate his “move and immoveable” properties.

Saeed’s two aides — Zafar Iqbal and Yahya Mujahid — were also slapped with a similar prison time, while his brother-in-law, JuD deputy chief Abdul Rehman Makki, has been handed six-month imprisonment.

Punjab police’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) had arrested Saeed in July

last year in connection with a terrorism financing case while on his way from Lahore to Gujranwala.

Last year, the top 13 leaders of JuD, including Saeed and Makki, were booked in nearly two dozen cases for terror financing and money laundering under the AntiTerrorism Act, 1997.

The CTD, which registered the cases in five cities of Punjab, declared the party was financing terrorism from the massive funds collected through non-profit organisations and trusts including AlAnfaal Trust, Dawatul Irshad Trust, Muaz Bin Jabal Trust.

These non-profit organisations were banned in April as the CTD during detailed investigations found that they had links with the JuD and its top leadership, accused of financing terrorism by building huge assets/properties from the collected funds in Pakistan.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday claimed that his party had the highest number of votes in the recent Gilgit Baltistan (GB) election and reasserted his claims of removing the incumbent government by January. “The election commissioner not only sold the people of GB but also its land,” Bilawal said. “Reports of HRCP and FAFEn clearly show that rigging and violation of election laws happened in the GB elections. FAFEn report says that at least three incidents of rigging and irregularities were reported from every polling station,” the chairman said while speaking to the media in Gilgit. Bilawal, who stayed in GB after the elections, termed the results as rigged and asserted that the people of the region have supported the PPP for the last three generations.

Claiming that the people had been cheated by the federal government, he appealed to the independent winners of the election not trade their victory to a government “that is to end in January”. “Do not become a minister for two to three months,” he said. “We have to send Imran Khan packing because he has failed on every front, be it Kashmir or Covid-19. The PTI government does not have the capacity to deal with these issues,” he added. The PPP chief claimed that women had not been given their due right to vote in the Tangir area. He added that the world saw this through foreign media and demanded the right to vote of those 7,000 women be given. “The law says that these women should be allowed to vote,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Bilawal, through a tweet, also shared the graph of the percentage of votes secured by the parties in the GB elections, which showed that the PPP secured 25 per cent of votes, while the PTI secured 24 per cent. He added that it was the protests of the people which led to a recount by the election commission and stated that the election commissioner was biased towards the ruling party. “On whose instructions did he hold a press conference in Islamabad against the opposition?” he asked. The PPP chief also asked the commissioner to explain a photograph of him sitting with PTI leader Amin Gandapur, which was shared by a journalist on Twitter.

Pakistan supports talks for peace, stability in Afghanistan: FM KABUL

Govt to spend rs600bn in three years for Balochistan uplift: asad Umar

Bilawal protests the GB polls, promises to send PTi packing

TLTP

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that Pakistan has always been supportive of the dialogue process for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Qureshi held a meeting with his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Hanif Atmar in Kabul on Thursday and discussed bilateral relations, Afghan peace process and regional peace and security situation.

He noted that peace in Afghanistan is important for peace and stability of the region. He said that it is a matter of satisfaction that the world at present is acknowledging Pakistan’s stance and appreciating its facilitator role in the peace process.

Qureshi said that the success of Afghan peace process is imperative for durable peace in Afghanistan.

The foreign minister said that the Transit Trade Agreement (TTA) and Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between Pakistan and Afghanistan will help promote the volume of trade and investment between

PHC commutes death sentence in Mashal Khan lynching case PESHAWAR INP

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday commuted the death penalty of a convict based on appeals challenging the verdict of an anti-terrorism court in lynching case of Mashal Khan, a university student in Mardan.

A bench of the high court maintained life sentence to seven convicts and three years jail term to 25 others. The appeals were filed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government, Mashal’s father and the convicts who were awarded jail terms by the trial court.

Mashal, 23, a student at Abdul Wali Khan

University (AWKU) in Mardan, was beaten and shot to death on April 13, 2017, by an unruly mob instigated by rumours that he had committed blasphemy by posting sacrilegious content online.

The court cancelled bails of 25 convicts and ordered their arrest from the courtroom.

On February 7, 2018, the ATC sentenced the prime suspect to death while five others to 25 years’ imprisonment in the case. The ATC had acquitted 26 suspects and awarded three years of jail term to 25 other accused in the case.

Convict Imran, who was awarded capital punishment, was found guilty of firing shots at the victim student from his pistol, which led to his death.

He had also confessed to the crime before the court.

the two countries.

Afghan Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar appreciated Pakistan’s sincere efforts in the Afghan peace process and for taking practical steps for further strengthening of bilateral relations.

PM’s Adviser on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood, Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood and Pakistan’s Special Representative on Afghanistan Muhammad Sadiq were also present on the occasion. It is noteworthy that Qureshi is accompanying Prime Minister Imran Khan on his maiden visit to Kabul.

Friday, 20 November, 2020

NEWS

03

Covid-19: AsAd wArns opposition of legAl ACtion for orgAnising rAllies ISLAMABAD

f

FARAZ SAYS OPP BEHAVING IRRESPONSIBLY BY FLOUTING COVID-19 SOPS IN GATHERINGS

TLTP

eDeRAL Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Asad Umar has said that legal action will be taken against the opposition parties if they do not abide by the rules and regulation set by the government for combating Covid-19 pandemic.

Talking to a private television channel, Asad Umar, who also heads the National Command and Control Centre (NCOC), said the decision taken by the government to protect people from the second wave of threatening virus, will be implemented without discrimination and legal action would be taken if anyone is found organising public gatherings and gatherings.

Commenting on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, he said that a convicted person is inciting the party workers and masses against the state institutions. Nawaz, he said, is enjoying his stay in London, adding that the former premier should follow the court orders and return to the homeland at the earliest. “There are clear orders to bring the convict back to Pakistan,” he commented.

The suggestions regarding smart lockdown, the federal minister said, was given in October but the Sindh government had opposed the proposals then. “The orders given by the courts containing the second wave of the virus in the country, have been

dispatched to chief secretaries for applying in their respective jurisdictions,” he said.

In the same press conference, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Syed Shibli Faraz said that the opposition parties are behaving irresponsibly by not adopting the standard operating procedures (SOPs) in their public gatherings to contain the coronavirus.

The information minister said that opposition did not follow the SOPs during their public gathering at Mansehra which caused serious concerns regarding the spread of Covid-19.

On Tuesday, Jamiat Ulema-e-IslamFazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the president of the PDM, said that the alliance has rejected the government’s decision to suspend rallies and public gatherings on the “pretext” of Covid-19. “This [restriction on rallies] has been imposed after the G-B elections.

Until a day before yesterday, the ruling party was itself holding rallies,” he added.

His comments come after Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced a ban on public political rallies, fearing hospitals will be overwhelmed as they were in June if people do not act responsibly.

Meanwhile, the NCOC said that

those who think the law is a joke will be answerable, says former pM NEWS DESK Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that the actions of the courts have become a “joke” and demanded those who created these laughable circumstances be held accountable. “Those who think the law is a joke will be answerable,” he said during a media talk outside an accountability court after appearing for a hearing on Thursday.

Regarding the charge sheet that was issued against him, he said that it was 26 pages long.

Abbassi added that he had consulted ten lawyers, and none of them claimed to have seen anything like this before. Getting into more detail, he said the first of the 64 points in the sheet was regarding the fact he changed the name of the Ministry of Petroleum to the Ministry of energy when he was prime minister. “This was my crime, according to this charge sheet. How is this in violation of any law?” he asked, adding that the courts have become a joke. earlier this week, an accountability court had indicted the former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in the LNG terminal reference. Former finance minister Miftah Ismail and former PSO MD Imranul Haq among 12 others had been indicted too. The PML-N MNA took the rostrum and denied all the charges against him.

The court has sought evidence from the prosecution on the 19th of this month.

Accountability Judge Muhammad Azam Khan ordered provision of a copy of the charge-sheet to all accused. ex-PM Abbasi, Miftah Ismail, ex-PSO MD Imranul Haq and others are accused of awarding an LNG import contract allegedly at exorbitant rates in 2015, which caused a huge loss to the national exchequer.

According to the NAB, Abbasi had awarded an LNG import and distribution contract to a private company in violation of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules in 2013. In a previous hearing, Abbasi’s lawyer Barrister Zafarullah had contended that the NAB had written to make Miftah Ismail as an approver in this case while his client had been charged under section 3. The documents in this regard were not provided to the defence side, he added. “Charges could not be framed against them until provision of these documents to them,” Zafarullah added.

The NAB prosecutor maintained that the demanded documents had been shared with the defence counsel.

Pakistan recorded another one-day highest Covid-19 infection toll since July 13 with 2,547 cases on Thursday.

According to the NCOC, as many as 18 more fatalities were also recorded, taking the country’s death toll to 7,248. About 36,899 tests were conducted across the country in the last 24 hours, of which 2,547 came out positive, taking the country’s tally for cases so far reported to 365,927. The positivity rate increased up to 6.9 per cent during the last 24 hours.

The number of active coronavirus cases in Pakistan reached 32,000. As per the official data, Punjab is leading with the greatest number of active cases, 13,754, followed by Sindh with 11,960 cases, Islamabad with 6,132, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with 3,025, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) with 947, Balochistan with 841 and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) has 240 active cases.

As for the death toll, a total of 2,764 deaths have occurred in Sindh, 2,519 in Punjab, 1,138 in KP, 265 in Islamabad, 157 in Balochistan, 132 in AJK and 93 deaths have been reported from GB. The NCOC stated that of the 18 fatalities reported on November 18, four were reported from Sindh, 10 from Punjab, two

CORONAVIRUS CONTINUES INFECTION SPREE WITH 2,547 FRESH CASES from Islamabad and one each from Balochistan and AJK. About 886 patients also recovered from the deadly virus in the past 24 hours, taking the number of total recoveries recorded in Pakistan so far to 326,674.

According to NCOC, of the total recoveries, 158,559 have been recorded in Sindh, 112,284 in Punjab, 43,052 in KP, 25,278 in Islamabad, 16,582 in Balochistan, 5,690 in AJK and 4,482 in GB. About 234 ventilators are occupied across Pakistan out of the total 1,806 ventilators allocated for Covid-19 patients.

Pakistan has so far conducted about 5,055,382 Covid-19 tests. There are about 794 hospitals with Covid-19 facilities with around 2,025 patients admitted across the country. A total of 36,899 tests were conducted across the country during this period. 326,674 people have recovered from the deadly disease while 5,055,382 samples have been tested thus far.

In Balochistan, 53 new cases including 11 from educational institutions were reported during the last 24 hours.

The provincial health department said on Thursday that the positivity rate of Covid19 is 3 per cent in the province, whereas the recovery rate is 96 per cent. A total of

877 infections have been reported from educational institutions so far.

In Rawalpindi, the district administration sealed five virus hotspots for 10 days after recording an unusual hike in Covid-19 cases. Markets, shopping malls, restaurants, offices and public transport will remain closed in the coronavirus hotspot areas including Sector C, Phase 1, DHA, Gulshan Abad, Street 10 Hali Road, Block B4 Muslim Town and Bahria Town, PhaseIII. In Karachi, four more cops have been infected by the novel coronavirus. The four police officials posted at Mubeena Town police station contracted Covid-19, the police department said in a statement.

Infected policemen have quarantined them at their homes.

The tally of overall infected police officers and other personnel has been 3435, while 3378 policemen have been recuperated and returned to their homes, police said. Nineteen policemen including officers died while performing duty during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to police.

“Presently 38 officers and personnel have been under medical treatment,” the department stated.

Freedom of expression shouldn’t hurt religious beliefs: Firdous LAHORE TLTP

The life of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) is a shining example for all of us to follow as he was the kindest of persons imbued with a sense of compassion that was directed at Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

These views were expressed by Special Assistant to Punjab Chief Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan while addressing the Ulema Mashaikh Conference, arranged under the auspices of Auqaf & Religious Affairs Department

on the fourth day of “Shan-e-Rehmatul-Lil-Alameen” on Thursday. “His love, affection and care for orphans and widows, the kindness that he exhibited to the poor, needy and the oppressed knew no bounds,” she said. “The world has seen a lot of scholars, philosophers and preachers but none was as great as the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). He is a role model for every person of this world.”

“He is a source of light and guidance that can lead us completely. The life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) guides us in our individual and collective life,” she said. She also said that the purpose of this conference

is to promote inter-religious harmony and send this message to the world that Pakistan is a peaceful country where rights of religious minorities are safeguarded. “The enemies of Pakistan want to fan hatred, hostility and confrontation but we will spoil all such attempts. Freedom of expression should not be misused as means to attack or hurt public sentiments or religious beliefs and fan interreligious hatred,” she added.

She further said that the Prime Minister Imran Khan is also following the golden principles set forth by the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and endeavouring to take affairs of the country forward in the light of Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). He is trying to take all government measures in accordance with the guiding principles of the state of Madinah, she added.

Firdous said that the topics of “Shaan-e-Aqdas” and “Seerat-e-Taiba” have been included in the curriculum of Punjab Textbook Board. The Punjab government has given scholarships worth Rs250 million to encourage students to do research on the topics related to “Seerate-Taiba” in order to present the true picture of Islam and “Seerat-e-Nabi” to the West. “Our youth should respond to the West against their propaganda against Islam through social media,” she suggested.

She said that the PM Imran’s letter to the world leaders after the publication of blasphemous sketches in France is the representation of sentiments of all Pakistanis. The United Nations (UN) must decide code of conduct on the disrespect of Holy Prophet (PBUH) by the French government and equal punishments should be proposed for those who insult the Prophets in the world, she added. Provincial ministers Raja Basharat and Pir Syed Saeed-ul-Hassan, renowned scholars from all schools of thought, and scholars from other religions were also present on the occasion.

Karachi Circular Railway resumes partial service KARACHI STAFF REPORT

The Pakistan Railways (PR) partially resumed on Thursday the much-delayed Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) service on a 14-kilometre cleared stretch of the around 55-kilometre route of the old passenger service, Radio Pakistan reported.

The KCR ceased operations in 1999 after suffering huge losses and a lack of investment.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said that the department is operating four trains daily along the Karachi City-Orangi-Karachi City route.

Operations on the remaining tracks would be launched later, PR chairman Habibur Rehman Gilani had announced Sunday.

The resumption of the service, which had been a bone of contention between the Sindh government and the Centre, follows a warning by Supreme Court (SC) on September 24 to PR and the provincial government not to further extend the deadline for launch due to concerns about the project’s rising costs.

Work on KCR is expected to be completed in mid-2023 and is being carried out by PR and the Sindh government through a private-public partnership (PPP) with third parties. The federal government allocated Rs10.5

billion ($US 66.41m) of funding to restore the service in the 2020-2021 budget. The provincial budget also allocated Rs207 billion to the project.

When completed, the line is expected to provide between 300,000 and 500,000 passenger journeys daily.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Rasheed announced the fare would be Rs30 per route and in the first phase, the service would operate daily between Pipri and City railways stations.

He revealed that a travelling pass for the tram would be available for Rs750.

Rasheed said that there was a huge land mafia on the KCR tracks and the provincial government would try to clear it.

“In 25 years, the land mafia has taken

over the KCR tracks. We are making efforts […] We are fully cooperating with the Sindh government. They have started work on sewerage lines, they have [issued tenders] for over-bridges. As more bridges keep coming, we will increase the KCR [tracks] and the credit goes to the Imran Khan government. “We are going to do lots of work in railways and God willing we will try to reduce the problems of Karachi. We will completely modernise [the KCR] within a year.” Talking about the cost of the project, the minister said: “One coach cost Rs9 million and 40 coaches have been refurbished. Around Rs1.8 billion has been allocated of which Rs17m has been spent so far.”

Responding to a question about when the complete track would be recovered from the land mafia, the minister said that the apex court’s orders were for the Sindh government.

Friday, 20 November, 2020

04 NEWS

smog: lHc puts weight behind decision to close brick kilns LAHORE TLTP

A bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday heard a petition against restraining order of a civil court against shutdown of brick kilns. A report from the sessions judge Pakpattan was submitted to the court and the court in the light of that report dismissed the petition against the civil court’s stay order granted to brick kilns. The report submitted by the sessions judge informed the high court bench that the civil court has withdrawn its restraining order against shutdown of the brick kilns. After reports about a stay order issued by a local court of Pakpattan against shutdown of brick kilns in Punjab, a petition was filed in the high court challenging the local court’s mandate to submit such a restraining order. Later, the high court disposed of the petition.

It is pertinent to mention here that the provincial government has ordered the shutdown of brick kilns in Punjab due to pollution causing smog in Punjab in the winter. The smoke produced by automobiles, brick kilns and stubble burning in agriculture areas converts into smog during the month of November with falling temperature. The concentration of smog remains very high in rice producing areas of Punjab including Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Nankana Sahib, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Gujrat and Sialkot during November, causing low visibility which results in scores of road mishaps, disturbance in flights and train schedules etc.

lahore court approves use of armoured vehicles for shehbaz, Hamza NEWS DESK An accountability court in Lahore approved the use of armoured vehicles for Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and his son, Hamza Shehbaz, on Thursday. The judge ordered the authorities to transport Shehbaz, who was indicted in assets beyond means case on November 11, in an armoured vehicle when bringing him or his son to court from now on. The former chief minister is accused of accumulating assets worth Rs7,328 million in connivance with his co-accused family members, benamidars, front persons and close associations and for developing an organised system of money laundering. On Wednesday, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari 2016 petition for extra security was approved by the Sindh High Court (SHC), and the authorities were told to provide foolproof security to the PPP leader.

QUETTA: Birds flying on a sunny day in the provincial capital. INP

Ministry recoMMends early closure of educational institutions to reduce virus spread ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

He Ministry of education has proposed to close down the educational institutions from November 24 to reduce the spread of coronavirus which appears to be gaining momentum.

According to a National Coordination Committee (NCC) statement issued late Wednesday night, the ministry said that primary schools should be closed from next week, while secondary schools could be kept open till December 2.

However, a final decision on this would be taken on November 23 during a review meeting of provincial and federal education ministers.

The November 23 meeting was called after the previous Inter-Provincial education Ministers Conference (IPeMC) meeting, held under the chairmanship of Federal education Minister Shafqat Mahmood, failed to reach a consensus on the early closure of schools and extension of winter vacations to curtail the disease there. earlier this month, Punjab education Minister Dr Murad Raas had said that the government may choose to close down

educational institutes in Punjab if the coronavirus spread continued to increase, adding, however, no such decision has so far been taken.

“I am continuously checking and monitoring the implementation of the coronavirus SOPs [in schools] and school administrations are making maximum efforts to fully implement these,” he had said.

The NCC, through its statement, also announced an “immediate” ban on large public gatherings, including political rallies and similar events.

According to the statement, the government has banned any outdoor gather-

ings that have more than 300 attendees.

Further, the management of any event would be responsible for ensuring standard operations procedures (SOPs) were implemented to prevent the spread of coronavirus, including face masks and social distancing.

If, read the statement, any event results in a proven increase in new infections of Covid-19, the organisers of that event would be held responsible.

Similarly, the NCC also banned all indoor weddings from November 20, adding that outdoor events would still be permitted so long as their attendance did not exceed 300 people.

NAB ordered to provide reference copies in NSC case to suspects ISLAMABAD INP

A day after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a reference against Pakistan Muslime League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal in connection with the Narowal Sports City project, an accountability court in Islamabad on Thursday ordered the agency to provide copies of the reference to the

former minister.

The anti-graft agency has accused Iqbal of misuse of authority and “illegally enhancing the scope of [the] project from Rs34.75 million to Rs3 billion”.

Accountability judge Ashgar Ali heard the reference filed wherein Iqbal and other suspects appeared before the court.

The court ordered to provide copies of the reference to the accused and adjourned the hearing till

Punjab govt made ACE autonomous institution: Shahzad Akbar LAHORE APP

Adviser to Prime Minister on Accountability Mirza Shahzad Akbar on Thursday said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led Punjab government had made Anti-Corruption establishment (ACe) an autonomous institution and as a result, its performance had improved, adding that there was no past example of recoveries and retrieval of state lands as made during the last 27 months as recoveries to the tune of more than Rs206 billion had been made.

Addressing a press conference along with Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, he said that the ACe remained under political influence during previous regimes. The institutional performance had been much improved when it was liberated from political

domination by the incumbent government, he added. People would be the direct beneficiary of the recoveries made

by ACe and the amount would be spent on Sehat Insaf Cards, ehsaas programme and anti-coronavirus drive, he said and added that the same mafia which used to take benefit of such illegal activities would make hue and cry over this drive. He said that the state and people had first right over the state lands and Prime Minister Imran Khan had promised that they (mafia) would not get any NRO in Centre or the provinces.

The looters would have to be answerable for their misdeeds, he added. The adviser said that 6,474 complaints had been received through Report Corruption mobile app of the Punjab government and besides making recoveries of more than Rs2 billion, 5,196 complaints had also been resolved.

November 30.

Iqbal was arrested by the bureau in December last year and remained in custody for two months. He has pleaded his innocence in the case, but NAB has accused him of launching the project close to the Pakistan-India border in Narowal, escalating its cost from Rs750 million to Rs3 billion by “misusing” his office when he was minister for planning and development in the last PML-N government.

Friday, 20 November, 2020

Cabinet ratifies amended Petroleum aCt to Curb illegal sale of Pol ProduCts iSLamaBad

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AHMAD AHMADANI

HE federal cabinet has approved the ratification of Petroleum (Amendment) Act, 2020, to stop the illegal sale of petroleum products, ensure compliance of international standards and curb avoidable fire incidents caused by petroleum cargo in the country.

Under the newly enforced Petroleum (Amendment) Act, 2020, an offender of this act will be punishable with fines up to Rs10 million in case of loss of human life or serious injury to a person in an accident. Similarly, offences punishable under the new act will be triable by a judicial magistrate of the first class.

Sources familiar with the development informed that the

federal cabinet on November 17 had ratified the decisions taken by the Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC) during its Oct 21 and Nov 5 meetings.

They said that the Petroleum Division, in the light of Rules of Business 1973, had earlier prepared a draft bill and asked the CCLC to grant approval to the proposed amendments in the Petroleum Act, 1934. Subsequently, the CCLC gave its approval on 5th November, 2020.

After the cabinet’s ratification, the new act has come into force at once, sources said, adding that prior to cabinet’s ratification, the draft bill was duly vetted by Law and Justice Division.

According to sources, following amendments have been incorporated in the Petroleum Act, 1934: i) Insertion of word “sale” in certain sections of the act, as per the comparative list to stop the illegal sale of petroleum prod-

ucts; ii) Petroleum products have been classified as per international standards; iii) The definition of “sale”, “OMC” and “dealers” are added to avoid any confusion; iv) The term “gallon” and “fahrenheit” in certain sections have been replaced with the terms “litre” and “centigrade”, respectively to meet the international standards; v) Insertion of a list of authorized testing officers with respect to their expertise; vi) A new sub-section has been added to create provision for punishment of those responsible for accidents in which loss of human life or serious injury to persons have occurred and existing fines/penalties have been enhanced; and vii) The concept of “Magistrate” has been substituted with “judicial magistrate” and ‘deputy Commissioner” in section 25 and 27 respectively to fulfill the core purpose of these sections and avoid confusion.

CCP raids Karachi offices of cement manufacturers' association iSLamaBad SHAHZAD PARACHA

The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has seized the record of the offices of chairman and vice-chairman of the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) during a raid in Karachi.

According to officials, the CCP has exercised its powers under Section 34 of the Competition Act 2010 as part of an inquiry launched in May this year to investigate possible anti-competitive activities by the cement manufacturers.

Two different teams entered and

searched the offices of the chairman and vice chairman of APCMA-Karachi and impounded the relevant record.

The inquiry in the cement sector was started based on the information gathered through various media reports, and concerns and complaints expressed regarding a concurrent increase in cement prices, particularly during the month of April 2020.

The reports indicated that an increase ranging between Rs45 – Rs55 per cement bag was apparently collectively decided in a meeting of the cement manufacturers held under the umbrella of APCMA.

On 24th September 2020, the CCP had also conducted search and inspection of the APCMA main office as well as the office of the senior vice chairman of APCMA’s Executive Committee (a senior employee of a major cement company in Lahore).

The impounded record, including Whatsapp messages and emails, warranted conducting search and inspection in the south zone as well for obtaining evidence relating to anticompetitive practices.

The evidence in Lahore suggested the possibility of a cartel/collusive arrangement between the cement manu-

facturers.

It is pertinent to mention that the cement sector has a history of collusive activities and they have been penalized in the past to an amount of collectively more than Rs6.3 billion on account of forming a cartel and involvement in the prohibited agreements in violation of Section 04 of the Act. In 2012, the commission again initiated enquiry against cement companies, however, the same could not be proceeded and concluded due to a stay order granted to cement companies by the Lahore High Court. The current enquiry was initiated in 2020.

NEWS

05

Pakistan condemns killing of 4 Kashmiris in fake encounter iSLamaBad TLTP

Pakistan has strongly condemned the extrajudicial killing of four more innocent Kashmiri youth in a fake encounter near Jammu by the Indian occupation forces in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK).

In a statement on Thursday, Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry said that during the last one year, Indian occupation forces have martyred more than three hundred innocent Kashmiris including women and children, in fake encounters and socalled "cordon and search" operations in complete violation of the international humanitarian laws.

He said that the fascist ideology, preached and practised by the RSS-BJP, has resulted in the systematic targeting of Kashmiri youth through extrajudicial killings under the cover of draconian laws such as Armed Forces Special Powers, Public Safety Act and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. The FO spokesperson said that Pakistan calls for immediate and transparent judicial inquiry, under international scrutiny, into the extrajudicial killings of innocent Kashmiris including these four.

He also urged the international community to take immediate cognisance of the rampant state terrorism being perpetrated in occupied Kashmir and hold India accountable for its serious crimes against humanity.

Earlier, at least four Kashmiris were martyred

by Indian security forces near Jammu. Police Inspector General Mukesh Singh told reporters the shooting lasted for three hours.

Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to protect each other's territory from destabilisation continued from page 01 Upon the arrival, the premier was received

by Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar and Ghani’s Special Representative for Pakistan Mohammad Umer Daudzai.

Later, the prime minister was presented with a guard of honour at the palace.

During his presser, PM Imran observed despite the role Pakistan has played in getting the Taliban to speak with Americans and facilitating intra-Afghan talks, the level of violence has inflated in Afghanistan.

Assuring the Afghan leadership that Pakistan will play its part in helping reduce violence in the country, saying: “If you feel there is somewhere Pakistan can help [in reducing violence], please let us know”.

“We assure you that we will do whatever is within our reach,” he said. He stated that one of the reasons Islamabad was pushing for peace in Afghanistan is because of Pakistan’s tribal areas which were devastated by the ‘war on terror’. “The only way to help people on both sides of the border is by peace, trade and connectivity,” he said and added that trade and connectivity between the two countries will increase in days to come.

He said that Pakistan and Afghanistan enjoy historic links and brotherly relations and recalled that during the era of 70s, Kabul and Peshawar were favourite destinations for the visitors from both sides.

Speaking on the occasion, the Afghan president said that he had a very productive engagement with PM Imran. He said, “A comprehensive political settlement for enduring peace within the framework of our values and our constitution is the future of Afghanistan.” He added that violence is not the answer to any conflict.

Ghani said, “We can move forward and a comprehensive ceasefire can be achieved.”

Reacting to the rising trend of Islamophobia in some European countries, the Afghan president said, “Respect for our Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) is in the blood and mind of every Muslim.

Respect for our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is respect for the entire Muslim world.”

He said that there is a need to differentiate between positive and negative freedom of expression.

Earlier, the PM Imran and Afghan President Ghani held a meeting and discussed ways to strengthen ties between their countries. The meeting focused on further deepening the fraternal relations between the two countries, the Afghan peace process, and regional economic development and connectivity.

The two sides discussed the prospects of resumption of peace in Afghanistan follow-

ing the Doha peace agreement inked between the United States and Taliban.

The move has been seen as an effort to build on sustained engagement between the two countries in recent months for enhancing bilateral cooperation in diverse fields.

The last time PM Imran and Ghani had met in person was when the latter visited Pakistan in June 2019. Before that, they had met on the side-lines of the 14th OIC Summit in Makkah, Saudi Arabia in May 2019.

THE VISIT: The visit is part of regular high-level exchanges between two countries and comes a year after Ghani visited Pakistan on PM Imran’s invitation.

Per a Foreign Office statement, the prime minister’s schedule included a meeting with the Afghan president, delegationlevel talks between the countries followed by a joint press statement.

Afghanistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gran Hewad had announced the visit last week, claiming it would focus on the ongoing Afghan peace process, as well as efforts to strengthen political, security, trade, and economic ties.

Hewad also confirmed that Ghani had extended an invitation to Imran during a telephonic conversation in October this year.

The visit follows the US announcement to drawdown its troop levels in Afghanistan to 2,500 by January 15, 2021, raising concerns and fears of further escalation of violence as Ghani’s regime has no or little influence and control in violence-hit Afghanistan. The US currently has some 4,500 troops stationed in Afghanistan.

PM Imran has long maintained that there can be no military solution to the Afghan conflict, but dialogue. In recent months, he has stressed that the people of Afghanistan should embrace this opportunity for a political solution, adding that peace and stability in Afghanistan would be beneficial for all of South Asia and would boost trade and economic cooperation between Kabul and Islamabad.

SHARED VISION: Pakistan and Afghanistan Thursday agreed on a timeline for actions on joint intelligence services-led work against anti-peace elements, proposals for refugees' return and further enhancing the regional connectivity.

The time frame for the said actions was agreed in a comprehensive document titled, ‘A Shared Vision’ between Afghanistan and Pakistan, to support peace and stability in both countries and the wider region. The document was issued during visit.

The document is aimed at advancing a forward-looking cooperative partnership between the two countries for political, economic and people-to-people exchanges. The

two-part document mentions the agreement reached between Pakistan and Afghanistan on September 30, 2020 wherein they agreed fundamentals to help each other in furtherance of peace and stability in both their countries as well as the wider region.

By December 15, 2020, both the countries would be re-energizing joint intelligence services-led work on analysing, mapping and cooperating against enemies of peace and those undermining the peace process.

By January 1, 2021, the two countries would formulate a joint proposal for refugees' return, elevating and intensifying treatment of the issue, to the point for taking a credible and progressive action.

Similarly, both the sides agreed for a joint proposal to enhance regional connectivity by January 1, 2021, in a way which strengthens not only both Afghanistan and Pakistan, but also the wider region.

Confirming commitments made on previous occasions, the representatives of the two countries agreed to take rapid action on the said three main strands of activity, including identifying lead officials to take forward each activity. They stressed the need for urgency in their approach, with progress needed by the beginning of December 2020.

They agreed that timely progress to meet the vision would require close coordination, a structured dialogue, and willingness to take difficult and courageous decisions.

Under the document, it was decided that the government leaders of the two countries would visit each other's capitals alternately to keep the momentum going, which was started with PM Imran’s visit. Likewise, Afghan President Ghani would plan a reciprocal visit to Islamabad in the first quarter of 2021.

Moreover, Afghanistan would share with Pakistan a summary of the key issues being discussed during the Afghanistan peace process. Both countries agreed to keep the shared vision, its commitments, and previous commitments under regular review, to ensure measurable, clear and irreversible steps towards furthering closer and more productive relations between them.

The two sides welcomed the start of Afghanistan peace process and hoped for lasting peace and development in Afghanistan. They affirmed that the two countries should look towards a future relationship built on trust, to achieve tangible outcomes from that relationship.

They viewed that closer and fraternal relations between the two countries would be beneficial, desirable and achievable, as indeed they had been in the decades before the latest conflict in Afghanistan.

As per the agreed document, the shared

CMYK

vision for Afghanistan and Pakistan should comprise the following core elements, including both the countries enjoying a special relationship, founded on predictability, transparency, mutual and full respect for each other's sovereignty, and on expanding and furthering their mutual interests through state-to-state mechanisms.

They observed that the mutually agreed cooperation framework under APAPPS provided a comprehensive, multi-sectoral mechanism for optimising bilateral cooperation.

The document said that Afghanistan's posture of "multi alignment" with other countries, pursuing a number of friendly relationships, presented a real opportunity for the two countries to exploit and conversely presented no threat. Both sides believed that peace and stability of two countries was linked with each other.

“Lasting peace implies peace-making which is wholly inclusive, encompasses the whole nation, and respects a democratic constitutional order in which rights of women and men remain inalienable and protected,” the document said. Both sides agreed not to allow use of their respective territories for malicious purposes against the other's territory, and should work together to identify and tackle enemies of peace, irreconcilables and those who undermine the peace process.

Pakistan and Afghanistan vowed to further their links and connections including through people-to- people contacts, business to business, government to government and, of particular note, security to security ties.

It gave a special emphasis on broadening regional connectivity for trade, free movement of people, goods and services, opening of trade and customs posts, and transport and energy infrastructure development, aiming for regional development dividends greater than what each country might expect to achieve alone.

The two sides agreed that expeditious resolution of the refugee situation, like their safe, time-bound and dignified return, would help the two countries address the humanitarian and socio-economic challenges associated with population displacement.

The issues including Afghan peace process, connectivity, refugees’ return and ways to further enhance bilateral ties were also discussed between PM Imran’s “wideranging” talks with Afghan President Ghani in the Afghan capital.

They reviewed efforts during the past two years to promote shared objectives of strengthening Pakistan-Afghanistan bilateral relations and achieving lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan.

According to a Foreign Office (FO)

press release, the prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s support to a peaceful, stable, united, democratic, sovereign and prosperous Afghanistan, and reiterated his longstanding view that there was no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan rather a negotiated political settlement was the only way forward for enduring peace, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan.

He called on all sides for taking necessary measures for reduction in violence leading to ceasefire to protect Afghan lives.

Underscoring the importance of an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement, the prime minister underlined that Pakistan would respect the decisions made by Afghans in the peace process. He also cautioned against those who could spoil the peace efforts. The two leaders agreed to constitute committees to pursue security and peace-related matters.

The prime minister expressed satisfaction at increasing high-level leadership exchanges imparting a steady momentum to bilateral cooperation in diverse fields.

In this regard, he appreciated that the recent visit of Advisor on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood to Kabul from November 16-18 led to important breakthroughs for commencement of negotiations on Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), progress in revision of APTTA, Customs Assistance Agreement, and understanding to have a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation between two central banks.

The two leaders also agreed to expedite infrastructure and energy connectivity projects, besides discussing development of new rail-road projects between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The prime minister extended an invitation to Afghan President Ghani to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience.

US APPRECIATES PAKISTAN’S SUPPORT IN AFGHAN PEACE PROCESS: The United States has appreciated Pakistan’s contributions for conflict prevention in the region and relentless support provided in Afghan peace process.

This was expressed by the US Charge d’ affaires Angela Aggeler during a meeting with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa here at the General Headquarters (GHQ) on Thursday, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

Both discussed issues related to regional security and Afghan peace process.

According to the military’s media wing, the American official also assured Islamabad of US continuous assistance “for common cause of peace in Afghanistan”.

Friday, 20 November, 2020

06 COMMENT

Polls up north

Imran Khan in Kabul Evaluating the visit

a

FgHan President ashraf ghani rolled out the red carpet for Prime Minister imran Khan on his first visit to Kabul. the visit took place in response to the afghan President’s invitation and is aimed at building on the sustained engagement between the two countries in recent months with the focus being on enhancing bilateral cooperation in various fields, hastening afghan peace process and regional economic development and connectivity. the visit ended with both Mr Khan and President ghani assuring each other of mutual cooperation at a joint presser. the past few months have been marked by several high-level meetings between the two countries. these include regular exchanges between the foreign ministers and visits to islamabad by afghan official abdullah abdullah, afghan Wolesi Jirga speaker Rahman Rahmani and afghan Commerce Minister nisar ghoraini. the basic issue that divides the two countries is lack of mutual trust. Pakistan thinks that the afghan government allows the RaW-sponsored ttP and Balochistan separatist networks to use its territory for attacks inside Pakistan. the afghan government maintains that Pakistan supports afghan taliban who attack afghan security forces and the civilian population.

What worries afghanistan most is that the Doha talks have been bogged down on principles and procedures for talks even before the discussion on the agenda. Meanwhile the taliban continue to launch attacks inside afghanistan and are not even willing for reduction in violence.

Benefitting from the situation, the islamic state has targeted the Hazara community in the country through daredevil attacks and suicide bombing. the afghan government wants Pakistan to persuade the taliban to agree on a ceasefire during the talks.

While President trump was in haste to withdraw troops from afghanistan and had reached a peace agreement with the taliban, it is yet to be known what policy Presidentelect Biden is going to pursue. the change of administration in the Usa has added a new factor of uncertainty into the afghan peace process.

While the afghan side will judge Mr Khan’s Kabul visit from its own perspective, from the Pakistan side it would be considered fruitful if it leads to a reduction in terrorist attacks launched from afghan territory inside KP’s tribal districts and in Balochistan. even on the day the PM visited Kabul, two Pakistani soldiers died in a security check post attack near Pash Ziarat, south Waziristan. the incident underlines the need for better understanding between Pakistan and afghanistan.

At Penpoint M A NIAZI

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ilgit-Baltistan has had two elections since being made a province, but the third election, on sunday, was the first one to get national attention. this is not really because gilgit-Baltistan moved closer to centre stage in Pakistan’s political drama, but because its polls coincided with the opposition having formed an alliance, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and its campaign to dislodge the Pti government. thus the gB elections were a sort of testing ground, not just for the PDM, but also for the government, and the win must be a relief. the poll campaign was also remarkable for the way opposition leaders Bilawal Bhutto Zardari of the PPP and Mariam nawaz of the PMl(n) devoted time to gB, but also how the latter also used it to reveal that she had been approached by the military to effect a patch-up. the opposition campaign was taken seriously enough by the Pti for Prime Minister imran Khan to visit to campaign personally, but also to promise gB provincial status. at the same time, the release of the report into the Karachi incident must be seen as a positive signal to Ms nawaz (as the incident involved an FiR against her husband, Captain safdar). gB is a peculiarity as a province, for it is mentioned in the Constitution as a constituent, but as Fana, the Federally administered northern area. it is still federally administered, and is still subordinate to the federal government, through the Kashmir and northern areas Ministry. gilgit-Baltistan was part of the Kashmir state, but back in 1890, the British leased it from the state and created the gilgit agency. this allowed the British Raj to deal with neighbouring China directly, rather than through the princely state of Kashmir. thus, when Partition was decided upon, the Raj cancelled the lease, and announced that it would return the agency to the state. the Maharaja sent a brigadier of the state Forces, ghansara singh, to take over from the British as his Viceroy. He never did. He arrived at gilgit to find the locals in rebellion and having declared for Pakistan, and was immediately captured. it was not until travel became possible in early 1948 that the rebels handed over the area to Pakistan (as well as ghansara singh, who was repatriated). By that time, rebels had declared part of the state azad, but gilgit-Baltistan never became part of it, though it was administered by the federal government through the same Ministry as Kashmir, the Kashmir affairs and northern areas Ministry.

State Bank report IMF visit will force tough choices

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He problem with the state Bank of Pakistan’s latest report is that the rosy picture it paints of the future of the economy is not just predicated on imponderables, but is not that rosy. it projects growth of 1.5-2.5 percent in the current financial year, which is anemic, ascribing the weakness of the recovery to the covid-19 pandemic. the report says there was an economic recovery underway before the pandemic struck, and that it would resume. However, the report noted, there would be inflationary pressure because of gas and electricity prices, while the balance of payments would be under strain from imports of wheat, sugar and material for the construction industry. the Bank appears to have bought into the government narrative that its housing projects would revive the construction industry, which would in turn act as an engine for the economy.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister imran Khan was trying to drum up support for this, while addressing a gathering of industrialists on a visit to Faisalabad, when he urged exporters to invest in Pakistan without worrying about shifts in policy or hurdles. this might not only jar with observations of the present government’s failure to deliver on promised reforms. the failure to reform the Federal Board of Revenue was crucial, for its excesses constitute the main grievance of businessmen. this would also be the main grievance of the iMF, whose conditions include a revenue target which will not be met. state Bank said one of the risks to growth was progress on the reform front. that does not seem very promising, for the government’s reforms seem to have stalled, with its central campaign promises seems to have foundered, turning into a hounding of political opponents. an iMF team is due, though PM’s Finance adviser Dr Hafeez sheikh was not more specific than saying it would be in a ‘few weeks’. the permanent mission has indicated that there would be online conferences rather than a physical visit, but that would still mean that the government would have to make tough choices: accept terms which would be inflationary at a politically charged time, or come off the iMF programme. While he promised to clear investors’ hurdles, Mr Khan did not mention those his government faces.

The social contract wearing thin The 18th Amendment should have stimulated debate, not ended it MuhAMMAd SAAd ASlAM

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He 18th amendment was a significant event in Pakistan’s constitutional and political history. still, it should not remain an event as a footnote in history. instead, it should trigger a process of progressive law-making in the light of healthy discussions in Parliament. this legislation should reflect the will and aspirations of the people of Pakistan. Federation could only be strengthened by further administrative and financial decentralization to the grassroots. the Constitution must also ensure people’s fundamental rights because being a liberal and vibrant democracy is the only way for a diverse country like Pakistan the theory of social contract was one of the greatest gifts of the era of enlightenment. it brought a paradigm shift in the political discourse of 17th and 18th century europe. the state’s divine origin’s philosophy was challenged by distinguished thinkers like Hobbs, locke, and Rousseau. Regardless of its inaccuracies, the Hobbesian social Contract was lauded because it ointed out the state was not an ecclesiastical creation. the rulers had no divine right to rule. instead, the masses created a leviathan due to a social contract that would ensure their safety and security.

However, if people were to revolt against the leviathan, they would revert to the state of nature, where anarchy would be the day’s order. the 18th constitutional amendment is always hailed as a new social contract in Pakistan’s political and constitutional history. after a decade of dictatorship, when democracy returned to Pakistan, all the major political parties agreed that the 1973 constitution should be restored in its original shape. therefore, the 18th amendment was passed in 2010 and was considered a cure-all solution for all Pakistan’s ills. it was an essential milestone in the constitutional

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

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Asher John

Joint Editor

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an alternative explanation is that ‘invisible forces’ ensure that aJK and gB are on the same page as islamabad, to ensure that there is a uniformity of Kashmir has never been part of Pakistan, which messaging from Pakistan on the Kashmir issue. it only handles its foreign relations, defence and cur- could also be seen as mirrored in election results in rency. However, the northern areas have, though not indian-Held Kashmir, where elections are won by being part of any province, the provincial status it has, the local allies of the party ruling in Delhi. Of course, or rather the quasi-provincial status, is the result of a Delhi has also had recourse to imposing governor’s presidential order. the provincial government does rule for prolonged periods of time. if Mian nawaz sharif raised the slogan ‘vote ko not rely on constitutional provisions, but on presidenizzat do’, it is perhaps partial goodwill. that is not the adoxical that he has not position in azad Kashmir, raised the slogan before, which is governed in accorabout results that in aJK or dance with its own ConstitugB that his party benefited tion, passed by its own If Mian Nawaz Sharif raised from. it is also to be noted constituent assembly, as an the slogan ‘vote ko izzat do’, that the PPP was the first interim constitution pending political party to the Un plebiscite to deterit is perhaps paradoxical that Pakistani establish itself in aJK or mine the will of the people of the whole state. he has not raised the slogan gB, to be followed by the PMl(n) and the Pti. it is imran has promised before, about results that in worth noting that while provincial status for gilgitaJK inherited parties from Baltistan, something which AJK or GB that his party the pre-partition state, they can only be done with oppohave now become more or benefited from. It is also to sition cooperation, because less defunct. gB has never it requires a constitutional be noted that the PPP was developed regional parties. amendment, which can only it is worth noting that in be done by opposition coopthe first Pakistani political india, Kashmir had seen the eration because the Pti govparty to establish itself in emergence of regional parernment only has a simple ties, as was the trend in majority in the national asAJK or GB, to be followed by other states. sembly, and will only have the question of talks bethe PML(N) and the PTI. one in the senate after its tween the PMl(n) and the elections in March.

It is worth noting that while establishment was raised it is no coincidence that during the campaign by the the opposition wants to topAJK inherited parties from PMl(n)’s Maryam nawaz ple the Pti by that time. if the pre-partition state, they saying that there had been at the time of a senate eleccontacts between her and the tion, the provincial assemhave now become more or establishment. this came blies are dissolved, the after the army brought back less defunct. election must await their to gHQ the Rangers and isi elections. it may well be officers who are supposed to noted here that gilgithave kidnapped the igP Baltistan not only elects no sindh to get him to register Mnas, but no senators. this in turn reduces the importance of the assembly an FiR against Maryam’s husband Captain safdar. just elected, but if it became a constitutional province, though the PMl(n) has rejected this as an ‘eyeit would also elect senators, and also take part in the wash’, it was still a gesture towards her. However, it did serve to keep alive a debate the army would like general elections due in 2023.

Perhaps one of the more off-track aspects of the not to take place. gilgit-Baltistan has many who want to enter the campaign was the way Maryam nawaz used it to advance her narrative about the role of the military in national mainstream, but it is not likely that they politics. that can be seen in both azad Kashmir and would like this to happen because of a debate on gilgit-Baltistan, if one likes to interpret the election civil-military relations. However, being part of the results that way. the ruling party in islamabad wins mainstream does not mean just a better access to dethere too. this could be because the national current velopment funds, but taking part in national politics. has an effect in local politics. However, that would at the moment, that means a consideration of the mean that waves take their time about reaching civil-military relationship. gilgit-Baltistan, because its elections have always The writer is a member of staff. fallen in the middle of the tenure in Pakistan.

Gilgit-Baltistan is not so much off to one side as it might seem

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development of the nation. But constitution-making is a continuous process. the constitution of a country is a living document, and it develops over time according to the people’s wishes. the debate about the 18th amendment has a polarizing effect. supporters of the amendment argue that if the amendment is tinkered with, Pakistan will return to the so-called state of nature. Contrarily, the critics claim that the said amendment is responsible for all financial, economic, and governance woes. the reality lies somewhere in-between. the 18th amendment should not be treated as Hobbes’ leviathan but as Rousseau’s general Will, where the social contract reflects the people’s will. the 18th amendment strengthened the federation and empowered the provinces. it also guaranteed some fundamental rights for the first time in the history of Pakistan.

But it fell a bit short on these significant accounts and needs some improvements to make it more effective.

18th amendment devolved many essential subjects like health and education to the provinces, and they were given greater financial autonomy, and the 7th nFC award played a vital role in this regard. But, the amendment did not ensure the constitution of Provincial Finance Commissions. PFCs would have provided an equitable distribution of resources within the provinces. therefore, Provincial Finance Commissions should be created to bring the underdeveloped parts of the provinces at par with relatively developed areas.

Critics of the amendment argue that after disbursing the due share to provinces, the federal government is not left with enough resources for debt servicing and defense expenditure, but leading economists refute this claim. strict centralization is anathema to democracy and leads to authoritarianism, and our history also proves this fact. therefore, we should not re-tread this path and move towards more and more decentralization. Unfortunately, the defenders of the 18th amendment do not talk about further decentralization. local governments are considered the bedrock of

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democracy, ensuring effective service delivery at the grassroots. local government also acts as a training institution for future leaders. article 140a of the Constitution mandates the provincial governments to hold local body elections, but successive governments have failed to set up effective local body systems.

Hence, local governments should be given tenure security like national and provincial governments in articles 52 and 107, respectively. local bodies should also be given financial and administrative autonomy to have an autonomous local government system with robust service delivery apparatus.

Public accountability and transparency are considered the essential cornerstones of democracy. We cannot achieve them without a steady flow of information for the general public. article 19a of the constitution guarantees the right to information, but the respective legislations are not adequate to ensure easy access to information. Many important pieces of information are hidden from the public eye on the pretext of national interest and security. there is an urgent need for effective legislation that could ensure easy access to information to the general public. it is not only in the people’s interest but also in the government’s, as it could make decisions based on public feedback. the 18th amendment was a significant event in Pakistan’s constitutional and political history. still, it should not remain an event as a footnote in history. instead, it should trigger a process of progressive lawmaking in the light of healthy discussions in Parliament. this legislation should reflect the will and aspirations of the people of Pakistan. Federation could only be strengthened by further administrative and financial decentralization to the grassroots. the Constitution must also ensure people’s fundamental rights because being a liberal and vibrant democracy is the only way for a diverse country like Pakistan.

Muhammad Saad Aslam is an alumnus of NUST, a member of the literary think tank, 'Institute of policy and Research’ and is currently pursuing an M-Phil in Political Science.

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Friday, 20 November, 2020

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

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

Khadim Rizvi passes away

Constitutional and political fate of Gilgit-Baltistan Much is to be done MuhAMMAd BIlAl ABdul GhANI

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ilgit-Baltistan, formerly known as northern areas, is most neglected region of Pakistan. the people of this region have fighting for their identity since their independence, but also crawling for basic necessities. they have been ignored in their own land. the roots of democracy in Pakistan general and gB in particular are getting stronger with each passing election. the third gB legislative assembly has been elected and apart from its role in decision making is very important for continuation of democracy in the region.

Before Partition, gB was part of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. at the time of independence the people of these territories revolted against the Dogra Maharaja and decided to join Pakistan. since 1947, no comprehensive plan has been made by the federal government to bring out the people from vicious cycle of poverty. the region has gained more importance with the start of the Diamer Bhasha Dam and the China-Pakistan economic Corridor gB’s constitutional development remained pitiable. every government failed to give it provincial status.

On 28 april 1949, the Karachi agreement was signed through which administrative and legal control of the northern areas were officially handed over to the federal government. it was managed by the Frontier Regulations. northern areas and azad Kashmir thus became two different entities. in 1969 the national assembly advisory Council was made, but local authorities not given decision making powers. Because of protests by local authorities Zulfikar ali Bhutto abolished FtR and introduced northern areas Council legal Framework Order. it introduced some administrative and judicial reforms but did not empower the people of gB. During 1988-1990, Benazir Bhutto for the first time appointed Qurban ali as PM’ advisor for northern areas. thus for the first time the northern areas were represented in the national assembly. in 1994 the PPP government introduced a Northern Areas Legal Framework Order with all executive powers transferred to the federal Kashmir affairs and northern areas minister. He also was chief executive of the northern areas legislative Council.

His authority was absolute and no legislation could be passed without his prior approval. in 1999, the supreme Court ordered fundamental freedoms be extended to the northern areas. During the Musharraf era, the government delegated further administrative and financial powers to the national assembly legislative Council. in 2007 the nalC was upgraded to highest assembly, with the Kashmir affairs minister its ex-officio chairman. in 2009 the PPP-led government romulgated the gB empowerment Of self-governance Order. it changed the name of region to gilgit Baltistan and created new offices of governor and Chief Minister. gB was also entitled to have its own public service commission, election commission and auditor general. it also established an Upper House comprising 15 members with the Prime Minister chairing it ex-officio. the elected legislative assembly

functioned only in name as all decisions are effectively taken by the federal government. in 2016 a comprehensive proposal was made that gB be represented in the senate like other four province of Pakistan, as an interim federating unit. the constitutional status of gB remained in limbo since 1947. its people fought for freedom from Dogra rule but now are fighting to get their identity in Pakistan and the world. Despite resolving the issue, its fate is attached with resolution of the Kashmir issue. More unfortunate is te that unelected gB council has more power than its elected assembly. the result will be more depressing than from the follies in Baluchistan and erstwhile Fata.

We have to learn lessons from the past and strong democratic solutions are needed to address local concerns. this area has become more important as it is gateway of tHe CPeC. the region is rich in tourism and natural resources. With little management billions of dollars can be added to the frail national economy. the status of women empowerment in gB causes concern. according to the eC there are 745,361 voters, of which 46 percent are women.

For the 2020 elections the gender gap reached nine percent. Of the total 327 candidates, only four were women, all in the same constituency.

Parties are reluctant to give tickets to women. the PMl(n) campaign was run by Mian nawaz sharif’s daughter, but it did not give a single ticket to a female candidate. according to research by Karakoram University, gB is one of the country’s most poverty-ridden areas. average monthly household income is only Rs 1225. according to the Multiple indicator Cluster survey (MiCs) report of 2016-2017, the multidimensional poverty index of gB is 0.179. it includes the proportion of the population who are multidimensionally poor, which is 34.8 percent, the intensity of poverty being 51.1 percent. the condition of the education system is very alarming. For a population of 1.49 million, only a handful f schools, college and higher education institutions are available. gB’s higher education commission is almost non-functional. the literacy rate is only 45 percent. girls’ schools are being burnt. 79 percent of children are out of school, the most in Pakistan. Research grants and world ranking universities are unavailable for the youth. according to the MiCs report, the schooling years in gB are 15.5 and the school attendance remained only 23.2 percent. gilgit Baltistan has only one percent share in the federal services of Pakistan. this has unleashed resentment. gB has mountainous ranges. the major three ranges, the Himalayas, Karakorams and Hindu Kush are present here. infrastructure is almost unavailable. trade routes are not designed despite borders with China, afghanistan and Kashmir. Karakorum highway is the only way available. access to markets from farms is very difficult. the tax being collected from gB’s trade is not being invested on its development. tourism is in shambles due to lack of infrastructure. the area is home to the world’s most beautiful valleys but income from them is negligible due to lack of infrastructure and development.

Quality healthcare delivery is the bedrock of development. Un-fortunately, in Pakistan generally, and gB particularly, healthcare has been long neglected with the common man bearing the brunt. there are critical healthcare challenges,

with paucity of trained human resource and deficit of regulated infrastructure and service delivery predominant dilemmas. For 1.49 million people in ten districts, there are only five DHQ and 27 civil hospitals, two rural health centres and two basic healthcare units. another grave issue is that the doctor-to-population ratio is alarming at 1:4100. according to the MiCs report, 23.4 percent of children suffer malnutrition and the child mortality rate is 38/100,000 births. according to the MiCs report, the living standard has six parameters: availabilioty of electricity , sanitation, drinking water , floor , cooking fuel and assets. the reports says only 2.1 percent have electricity, 14.2 percent proper sanitation system and 24.5 percent proper drinking water. this paints a picture of an extremely poor society. gB is the gateway of the flagship project of one of the most ambitious modern geo-economic development initiatives. geographically, gB is nestled between the border region that bridges south asia, south east asia and Central asia. gB is the fulcrum of this land bridge between east and West. the road from Kashgar to gawadar passes through gB and is considered the eighth Wonder of the world. a special economic zone of Maqpondass is being setup in gB. this area is rich in precious stones and fruits. the proposed seZ would be 35 km from the nearest airport, 200 km from the nearest dry port (sust), and four km from the CPeC route on the gilgit-skardu road. the sense of alienation among the people is continuously growing. islamabad must come up with workable solutions to address grievances of the people. some suggestions are as under: n gB must be declared Pakistan’s fifth province, which will not harm our stand on Kashmir. n a 10-year development plan must be designed for the region’s economy. n a special quota must be given from the federal tax pool in upcoming national finance commission award in addition to their due share. n all other four provinces must slash their nFC share to support this. n the HeC must start scholarship programmes for gB students n it must resolve the technical issues of gB universities to give relief to their students. n the federal government must increase gB’s job quota. n electricity, water and gas issues must be addressed at highest level. n special implementation committees for the development plan. n advanced agricultural techniques must be implemented to increase yield. n the elected members of gB must be empowered for decision making instead of the unelected gB council. n the government must accelerate its efforts to bring back the angry leaders of the region instead of further antagonizing them. n Judicial reforms must be carried out for land issues, and other disputed matters. n smuggling and un-official trade must be stopped. n More projects like Diamer Bhasha dam must be started it is imperative for our political elite to change its mindset and bring the area into the national mainstream. the Pti government has announced provincial status. it will be the first step in the right direction.

teHReeK-i-laBBaiK Pakistan (tlP) chief allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi has died in lahore at the age of 54, his political party confirmed on thursday night. the cause of his demise wasn’t immediately clear. Rizvi was said to be ill for quite some time and passed away during treatment at the Farooq Hospital in lahore’s allama iqbal town. His body is being transported to his residence. Pir aijaz ashrafi, a senior leader of tehreek-i-labbaik Ya Rasool allah (tlYRa), in a statement said the timings of his funeral prayers will be announced later. His death was also confirmed by Dr asif ashraf Jalali, the head of tlYRa. Jalali said Rizvi passed away at his home in Chowk Yateem Khana in lahore. the firebrand cleric made his last public appearance at a sit-in staged by thousands of tlP followers at islamabad’s Faizabad interchange to protest the publication of blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) in France. the group had decided to end the sit-in on Monday after successful negotiations with the government. Minister for Religious affairs noorul Haq Qadri expressed grief and sorrow over the tlP chief’s demise. He said “Pakistan has lost a respected religious scholar and true admirer of the Holy Prophet (PBUH)”, adding that Rizvi’s services for islam will be remembered for long. Who is Khadim Hussain Rizvi? Born in 1966 in the Pindi gheb area of attock district, Punjab, Rizvi was said to be an introvert who shied away from talking about his personal life even among his close circles, let alone with media personnel. a Hafiz-e-Quran and sheikh-ul-Hadith, Rizvi used to deliver Friday sermons at lahore’s Pir Makki Masjid, located near Daata Darbar, during his time in the Punjab auqaf Department. Rizvi had been confined to a wheelchair since 2006 ever since an accident near gujranwala. Contrary to rumours, Rizvi was injured because the driver of his vehicle fell asleep while driving from Rawalpindi to lahore. Many mistook him as a shia because of his last name, but in truth, he was a staunch follower of imam ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi, the 19th-century founder of the Barelvi sect.

EhtiSham ahmad LahorE

Election reforms PRiMe MinisteR imran Khan said to have electronic voting system (e-voting) in Pakistan order to have convenient and satisfactory elections.He also said to put a stop to secret balloting in senate election instead they should raise hands which will prove a milestone in terminating of corruption as many parliament members sell off their votes. He said we expelled our 20 members of party just because of this reason. Moreover, he asked opposition to support the government in passing the bill. indeed, they should if they want transparent elections and results. Hitherto, we had not seen any government accepting the results of pleasently.the results of electric system would be more acceptable and reasonable than results of manual voting system. it will be the first prominent work made by Pti government. this would make the elections fair and transparent. the people of backwards areas will be able to vote easily earlier which they don’t vote because of reasons such as no poll stations nearby. everyone’s opinion matters therefore everyone would be able to caste his vote. there are multiple benefits of e-voting. Currently, voting system operates manually. Votes are polled hand-operated and peoples are paid to look after. all the bio-data of voters, parties and polling stations are kept manually, results are counted physically by election commission. Many a problems being faced by peoples at polling stations and errors may occur in counting. it’s a big problem for election commission and a huge amount of fund is being spent on it.

Meanwhile there will be nothing such in e-voting system it would be totally computerized and much more secure and efficient as compared to manual voting system. also the expenditures of election would be minimized. Most importantly its results which would be totally reliable and free from questions. muzafar KhoSo SuKKur

E-challans made easy PaKistan is progressing rapidly when it comes to digitization and that is a welcome sign for becoming a technologically adept nation. i recently witnessed one more aspect of this when on my way to office one day, i had the misfortune of being stopped by a traffic constable at a busy intersection as the rear windshield of my car was tinted, which is apparently unlawful.

Being a responsible citizen i immediately complied with the constable and provided my driving license to him. next i started thinking about the ordeal that i would have to go through to get my license back as it was an extremely lengthy and arduous process. But to my absolute surprise, the constable after processing the challan asked me if i was a user of easypaisa or JazzCash, so that i could easily submit my challan on the spot and get my license back there and then. luckily, being a frequent user of these digital payment platforms, i immediately opted to pay my challan digitally. Within minutes i was on my way without going through the hassle of standing in long queues of banks and police stations to get my license back. a few taps from a smartphone made life a lot easier. the convenience i enjoyed compels me to commend the great work government departments are doing by collaborating with private companies. i see it as an indicator of a digital Pakistan in the future hoping that everyone will follow suit and adapt such services for quick, secure and hassle-free experiences. On a side note, please obey the law and follow all traffic rules.

SyEd faKhir aLi LahorE

Friday, 20 November, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

COVID-19 muTATeD. CAn VACCInes Keep up?

VACCINE-AND INFECTION-INDUCED IMMUNITY WILL LIKELY PROTECT PEOPLE FROM THE VIRUS INFILTRATING THE LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT AND BEYOND, BUT IT MIGHT NOT PROTECT EVERYONE FROM GETTING A SNIFFLY INFECTION CONFINED TO THE UPPER RESPIRATORY TRACT

BLoomBerg

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FaYE FlaM

NE of the factors that will drive the future of the COVID-19 pandemic is how the virus evolves.

And last week, scientists announced the first evidence that the virus has evolved to be more transmissible.

The mutation happened around late February, as the virus moved from East Asia to Europe. The first group to publish a paper raising this possibility was led by computational biologist and HIV evolution expert

Bette Korber at Los Alamos National Laboratory. She couldn’t quite convince the scientific community, but virologist Ralph Baric of the University of North Carolina was persuaded enough to continue this line of investigation. Last week, after a series of experiments in cells and hamsters, he and Yoshihiro Kawaoka at the University of Wisconsin published a more complete case in Science. The implications for the history of the virus and its likely future are profound.

Natural selection favors organisms that are better at survival and reproduction. For viruses like SarsCoV-2, that means reproducing prolifically and transmitting to new hosts easily. So far, scientists have found only one mutation that improves the survival ability of the virus. The more transmissible strain is referred to as G614, and the ances-

tral one as D614. It doesn’t look like the G strain is any deadlier than the D. Being deadlier might actually make a virus less evolutionarily fit, because viruses die with their hosts.

The other good news, says Baric, is that the structure of the spike proteins on the now-dominant G strain make it more vulnerable to being wiped out by vaccine-induced antibodies. That’s true even though the vaccines were all developed to work against the ancestral D strain. And G is probably more vulnerable to antibodies from past infections as well.

To test G’s transmissibility, they started with cultured cells that mimic cells from the nasal passages down to the deepest parts of the lung. Then they genetically manipulated the D strain, adding just the one mutation that Korber thought gave the G strain an edge. And in-

deed, the mutation did allow the virus to spread from cell to cell better than the original. They also infected the same cells with both viral strains and found the mutant strain dominated, over and over.

That may have been how it all started — with the mutation cropping up in a human host, becoming dominant in the airways of that person, and spreading to other people in a chain of transmission that crossed continents. To test the possibility that the mutant strain is more contagious, the researchers also used hamsters housed in separate cages. They found viruses with the mutation were much more likely to travel through the air from infected hamsters in one cage to uninfected ones in another.

That mutation in the G strain may explain why the virus became so explosive once it got to Europe, and why, while early U.S. outbreaks

were traced to China, the bulk of U.S. infections have now been traced to Europe. Even the predominant strain in Southern California came not from Asia but from Europe via New York. The D strain is still around, but it makes up about 2% of infections worldwide. Baric says there are reasons the G strain didn’t explode in China — mostly to do with the country’s much more Draconian lockdown policies as well as a system set up to support people who have to miss work if they need to quarantine.

Will the G strain find a way to evolve resistance to vaccines? It’s possible, Baric says. Once immunity builds up, the virus will be under pressure to change. As time goes on and more people develop immunity, evolution favors the viruses that are best at evading antibodies.

One way it could do that is to jump to another species, where it can evolve rapidly — as in Denmark’s minks. Another concern is the possibility that the virus could jump to one of the world’s 1,400 bat species. Bats are good hosts for coronaviruses, and it’s still thought they were the most likely source of SARS-CoV-2.

That’s where the danger lies, Baric says. If the virus changes what

Did Russia win the Karabakh war?

MOSCOW AT FIRST RESPONDED TO THE WAR CAUTIOUSLY, BUT WAS IN THE END FORCED TO INTERVENE DECISIVELY. WAS THIS A GEOPOLITICAL COUP OR WAS MOSCOW’S HAND FORCED?

eurAsiAneT

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laurEncE BroErs

ITH its dramatic brokering of a ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the deployment of peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh within hours to enforce it, Russia has appeared to pull off a spectacular geopolitical coup.

Moscow added Azerbaijan to the list of states where it has boots on the ground in the South Caucasus, shut out the West, put Turkey in its place and made plain that it remains the dominant power in the South Caucasus.

Throughout the six-week war, Russia’s relative restraint had been the subject of avid speculation. Now, with its decisive intervention in brokering and enforcing the agreement cementing its authority in the region, what can we glean about its motives and ambitions for its newfound clout?

Was Moscow really playing a long game all along, circling while the belligerents weakened each other sufficiently for it to swoop in and impose a new regional order? Or was Russia caught unprepared by Turkey’s forceful entry into its backyard and left struggling to define red lines in a conflict that was itself second-tier in Russian strategic thinking but tied to many other, more vital, interests?

The truth may lie between the two. Faced with an all-out war in its neighborhood that resisted traditional forms of brokerage, Moscow improvised in a series of tactical moves that consciously sought to avoid overcommitting. This can be taken to reflect a sense of pragmatism in Russia’s policy toward its “near abroad,” one that privileges on-the-ground realities over the sticky attachments of neo-imperial nostalgia.

When the conflict broke out with Turkey much more explicitly on Azerbaijan’s side, Moscow’s restraint may have reflected calculations that some kind of modus vivendi with Ankara was both inevitable and ultimately more useful than holding out for an effective multilateral approach with disengaged Euro-Atlantic actors, with whom Russia is at loggerheads on a host of other issues.

Yet as the conflict progressed, the prospect of a complete Azerbaijani military victory forced Russia’s hand. The Kremlin revived a previous scheme, circulating since 2015 and informally referred to as the “Lavrov Plan” after its architect, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. In the past, Moscow had been unable to persuade the parties to accept the plan, in particular because of its stipulation of a Russian peacekeeping deployment.

That resistance was weakened by the outcomes of the six-week war, which ravaged Armenia and saw Azerbaijan regain not only four of the occupied terri-

tories around Nagorno-Karabakh but the symbolic and strategic prize of Shusha (known as Shushi to Armenians). Why Baku did not then proceed to complete the operation is a question that will be widely discussed in years to come. At least in the short-term, Azerbaijani restraint was sweetened by the attainment of Armenian withdrawals from all occupied territories within weeks (which President IlhamAliyev had foregrounded as the key war goal), as well as a long-coveted land connection to Nakhchivan.

KEEPING OPTIONS OPEN: A major peacekeeping operation – deployed in a matter of weeks – may not have been on the Kremlin’s agenda when the war broke out. But once lower-cost options were off the table, Moscow acted decisively to stave off what could have been an outcome even costlier to its regional standing.

In the early stages of the conflict, Russia’s initial responses were modest: pro forma calls for restraint and a joint statement with Minsk Group co-Chairs France and the United States. President Vladimir Putin also reminded journalists that Russia’s security guarantees to Armenia did not extend to Armenians in NagornoKarabakh, pouring cold water on Armenian hopes for a more forceful Russian intervention.

Many hoped that when the Kremlin brokered a ceasefire on October 10, that that would be the end of it. The war was then 14-days old, already a significant step up from April 2016’s “Four Day War,” but still seemingly rooted in the same paradigm of limited operations aimed at reclaiming territory piecemeal, or what analyst NicuPopescu dubbed Azerbaijan’s “salami tactics” to reclaim Nagorno-Karabakh bit by bit. A Russian-brokered ceasefire honored by the warring parties would have been the optimal outcome for the Kremlin, affirming that its writ still runs large in the South Caucasus. The realization that the game had changed, however, came within hours when the ceasefire was broken. Just a few days later the Azerbaijani advance had broken through deep into the Armenians’ southern flank, further signaling that this war was headed towards a fundamental remaking, rather than incremental shift, of the status quo ante.With hopes for a real ceasefire apparently dashed, Russia’s subsequent responses are illustrative.

Around October 20, small Russian military outposts were established near Armenia’s borders, which could have been interpreted as a (very delayed) show of support to Armenia, but one which also left options open if hostilities continued. Russia also conducted airstrikes on the Syrian National Army faction Faylaq al-Sham on October 26, killing around 80, in a kind of indirect escalation that sent a signal to Turkey that the deployment of Syrian mercenaries in the South Caucasus was a red line.

In the first week of November, as Azerbaijan prepared for its operation to capture symbolic Shusha, the elements of the trilateral agreement to be signed were already defined and leaked to the media by Turkish officials. The success of the Shusha operation was the essential trump card that enabled President Aliyev to reenter talks with the retention of Shusha and the schedule of Armenian force withdrawals as his baseline position.

AN EXERCISE IN CONTAINMENT: The trilateral

agreement can be read as a vehicle truncating decisive outcomes. It truncates, but does not deny, Azerbaijan its victory. By the same token it makes Armenia’s defeat less than total, but defers discussion of core Armenian concerns – namely, the status of the remaining parts of Nagorno-Karabakh – into an uncertain future.

Russia’s intervention does not prevent Turkey’s entry into the South Caucasus as a security actor, but pending the outcomes of negotiations on the scope and location of Turkish military observers, it contains it. Russia’s intervention thus ensures that the regionalization of the conflict happens on terms more favorable to Russia, only conceding ground to Turkey where necessary.

A major peacekeeping operation in NagornoKarabakh nevertheless represents a substantial escalation in Russian commitments. It is not a hegemon’s first choice of strategy. Hegemons usually act in less direct ways: offering collective security that prevents conflicts breaking out in the first place, providing attractive aid and trade arrangements, and inducing subordinates to follow your rules and values through powers of persuasion. Paradoxical as it may seem, Russia’s intervention represents the truncation of more genuinely hegemonic alternatives for the exercise of power.

In the mid-term, the renewal of Russia’s peacekeeping mandate will now become a disproportionately weighty item on its bilateral agenda with Yerevan and Baku, presumably with conflicting pressures for and against its renewal emanating from Armenia and Azerbaijan, respectively. Managing the friction and its spillover into other interests in its relations with each state, while preserving friendly relations with both, will be a significant challenge for Russian diplomacy.

This matters because the Kremlin has long defined its best interest in this conflict as the avoidance of choosing sides, in order to preserve long-term influence over both Baku and Yerevan.

By interceding before a complete destruction of the unrecognized Armenian jurisdiction in NagornoKarabakh, the trilateral agreement saves a future for Moscow’s relationship with Yerevan. Yet by preserving a truncated Nagorno-Karabakh to which former residents may not feel incentives to return, and mandating a fiveyearly veto power for both Baku and Yerevan on the renewal of the peacekeeping mandate, it does not sacrifice the future of Moscow’s relationship with Baku either.

Rather than a stable long-term game, what is striking in Russia’s approach to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict is its tactical flex. That approach has always used a variety of different tools and mechanisms, on which the Kremlin draws in response to particular political opportunities and risks in a conflict that it has not controlled and to which it has sought to avoid becoming a direct party.

Now, arguably, Moscow has that control. The test will be whether it can avoid being seen to take sides, and can instead focus on the more important goal of workable relations with both Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Laurence Broers is the Caucasus program director at Conciliation Resources, a London-based peacebuilding organization and the author of several books on the region including Armenia and Azerbaijan: Anatomy of a Rivalry.

he calls its antigenic structure, our antibodies might not recognize it.

But it’s also likely that this virus will do what other coronaviruses have done and become another common cold. Vaccine- and infection-induced immunity will likely protect people from the virus infiltrating the lower respiratory tract and beyond, but it might not protect everyone from getting a sniffly infection confined to the upper respiratory tract.

It would then join the four common coronaviruses already circulating among humans, all of which cause colds. Those viruses may have started off as deadly pandemics; one appears to have spread right around 1890, when there was a deadly pandemic known as Russian flu.

“Remember the virus really doesn’t want to kill anybody,” Baric says. “It just wants to replicate and transmit … so if it can manage to do that and take advantage of your nose as a major site for replication and transmission, then it’s happy as a lark because it’s surviving.” If the vaccines work as well as hoped and the virus becomes the sniffles, we should feel the same way.

Faye Flam is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist.

Trump's pull-out from Afghanistan is rushed and self-serving Los AngeLes Times Editorial Board

President Trump has decided to end his presidency with a flourish by withdrawing many of the U.S. troops deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. The drawdown, announced Tuesday by acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, is alarmingly abrupt, and it preempts what should have been a decision by President-elect Joe Biden.

The announced reduction in U.S. troops in Afghanistan is especially troubling. The U.S. has more than 4,500 forces training and advising the Afghan military and engaging in counter-terrorism operations there. Trump plans to cut that number to 2,500, after suggesting last month that all of the troops would be home by Christmas. Meanwhile, U.S. forces in Iraq will be reduced from 3,000 to 2,500. The target date for the reductions is Jan. 15, five days before Biden is sworn in.

We oppose a sudden withdrawal from Afghanistan, but not because we believe U.S. forces should remain perpetually in that country. We welcomed the Trump administration’s willingness to negotiate with the Taliban. In February, those talks produced a tentative agreement linking withdrawal of remaining U.S. forces to a commitment by the Taliban to prevent Al Qaeda, Islamic State and other militant groups from using Afghan territory to launch attacks on the United States.

However, further negotiations, including those between the Taliban and the Afghan government, have been halting and not very productive. Trump’s drawdown would deprive the U.S. and the Afghan government of leverage in those talks. A rushed troop cut also could leave U.S. bases in Afghanistan vulnerable to being overrun.

Trump acted after firing Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, who reportedly wrote a memo opposing drastic troop reductions, pointing to continuing violence, potential dangers to remaining troops and an adverse effect on the peace negotiations. The president also disregarded advice from the secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization — an alliance that has played a key role in Afghanistan — and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) It’s understandable that, almost two decades after U.S. forces were deployed to Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Americans would tire of this commitment, even though the number of U.S. troops there now is minuscule compared with the 100,000 deployed in 2010. Regardless of what happens in the negotiations with the Taliban, the U.S. might eventually decide to remove remaining troops from Afghanistan and explore other ways to protect this nation from terrorists who might seek to operate there.

But that decision should be made by Biden, who, echoing Trump, has talked about ending "forever wars." And it should be made deliberately and in a way that doesn’t suggest political calculation. Given Trump’s pattern of confusing his political interests with those of the U.S., it’s hard to resist the suspicion that this decision is designed primarily to allow him to claim that he brought the troops home and pocket that accomplishment for a possible presidential campaign in 2024.

Friday, 20 November, 2020

BUSINESS 09 corporate corner

PAKIStAn’S CUrrEnt ACCoUnt rEMAInS In SUrPlUS For FoUrtH ConSECUtIvE MontH

P

KARACHI: Faysal Bank Ltd (FBL), one of the leading Islamic banks in Pakistan, has yet again brought another first for the convenience of its housing customers by forging a strategic alliance with Zameen.com which is Pakistan's largest real estate online portal. PRESS RElEASE

AKISTAN’s current account balance remained in surplus for the fourth consecutive month in October, rising to $382 million or 1.6 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP), data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) showed on Thursday.

“In October, the current account surplus rose further to $382 million from $59 million in September (+547pc MoM), on the back of a sustained increase in remittances and smaller trade deficit,” the SBP said.

“Since the start of this fiscal year in July, the cumulative current account surplus has reached $1.2 billion, reversing the $1.4 billion deficit recorded in the same period last year.”

“The current account recorded a fourth consecutive monthly surplus in October […] an improvement was

witnessed on account of better trade deficit as imports declined by 9pc month-on-month compared to exports increasing one per cent month-on-month,” said Syed Atif Zafar, chief economist at Topline Securities.

“Remittances also remained healthy at $2.28bn,” he added.

On a monthly basis, the trade deficit in October narrowed by 20pc to $1.49bn from $1.86bn in September. Remittances during the month clocked in at $2.284bn, unchanged from the previous month.

The country’s current account has been helped by a significant increase in remittances during the current fiscal year.

So far, in the four-month period from July to October, total inflows of remittances have risen to $9.43 billion, up 26.5pc compared to $7.45 billion in the

Pakistan develops two new banana varieties KARACHI: Barrister Sana Pirzada presents her book 'Naomi Byron' to Saman Abid during a ceremony held at a local hotel. PRESS RElEASE

FGEHA to auction commercial plots in Islamabad ISLAMABAD: The Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) strives to ensure that government employees are provided with a home before retirement. In this regard, FGEHA has launched excellent housing projects in all major cities of the country. These include the construction of high-rise buildings under the vision of the prime minister to meet the housing shortage. FGEHA is going to auction the commercial plots of G-13 and G-14 of Maui area of Islamabad on November 25, 2020. In addition, commercial plots of Class III shopping centers in the same sectors are also being sold through public auctions which will be held on November 26. PRESS RElEASE

Al-Karam, Make-a-Wish Foundation join hands to grant wishes on ‘Universal Children’s Day’

ISLAMABAD GHUlAM ABBAS

Pakistan has achieved a breakthrough in banana production, as the country’s apex agricultural research institution has developed two varieties of the fruit for cultivation in Sindh.

"The new varieties -- NIGAB-1 and NIGAB-2 -will boost banana production in the country, which will further help in meeting domestic requirements as well as export targets," said Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) Chairman Dr Muhammad Azeem Khan. He lauded the scientists involved in the development of NIGAB varieties.

According to details, the new varieties of banana were developed at the National Institute for Genomic and Advanced Biotechnology (NIGAB) of the National Agricultural Research Centre, where 300,000 disease-free plants have so far been produced through tissue culture.

These high-yielding varieties will have more shelf life, a basic requirement for export.

The two varieties have been approved by the Sindh Seed Council for commercial cultivation in the province, which is the largest grower of the fruit in the country. Statistics showed that banana is cultivated over an area of 80,000 acres in Pakistan. However, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, per-acre yield in Pakistan is lower when compared to India and China, which produce more than ten tonnes per acre.

Bananas are the world’s most exported fresh fruit with the volume of $10 billion per year. They are an essential source of income for thousands of rural households in developing countries. However, agrochemical-intensive production along with declining producer prices has given rise to many environmental and social challenges.

As per the FAO, global production of bananas and tropical fruits is projected to grow at 1.8pc per year between 2019 and 2028, after registering 2.3pc per year growth in the previous decade. Under the baseline scenario, production is expected to slightly exceed 255 million tonnes by 2028.

KARACHI: Al-Karam Textile Mills and Make-a-Wish Foundation Pakistan have joined hands to fulfill wishes of children suffering from life threatening diseases on ‘Universal Children’s Day’. “There is nothing more important to Al-Karam than giving back to the society that has helped us come this far. Our collaboration with ‘Make-a-Wish’ gives us an opportunity to help these children and make their dreams come true! Everyone deserves a chance at happiness and Al-Karam is proud to contribute in any way that we can!” said Sherbanoo Raza, Head of HR and Communications. PRESS RElEASE

Qatar Airways announces fleet expansion DOHA: Qatar Airways is pleased to announce it will operate three weekly flights to Abuja, Nigeria via Lagos from 27 November 2020 becoming the sixth new destination announced by the national carrier of the State of Qatar since the start of the pandemic. The Abuja service will be operated by the airline’s state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner featuring 22 seats in Business Class and 232 seats in Economy Class. PRESS RElEASE

PESHAWAR: A man carrying wooden logs on his truck passes through Charsadda Road. inP

same period last year.

On the other hand, during the same July-October period, the country’s trade balance in goods has risen four per cent to $6.74 billion from $6.48 billion during the same period last year; the services trade balance narrowed 38pc to $785 million compared to $1.27 billion.

Reacting to this development, Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar said “Pakistan’s economy continues to improve”.

“The trade deficit continues to shrink and industrial production is showing strong growth,” he said.

Meanwhile, Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar said, “This is the fourth month of current account surplus. We inherited the biggest current account deficit in history with monthly current account deficits of $2bn when the government was formed!” nEWS DESK

MARKET DAILY

Stocks close flat in range-bound session KARACHI STAFF REORT

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) failed to sustain gains accumulated in early trade, closing a range-bound session flat on Thursday. Global equity markets mostly displayed a negative trend, whereas crude oil prices also slipped lower from the previous close; WTI crude price falling 1.45pc to $41.38 while Brent crude price dropping 0.88pc to $43.95. "Uncertainty over lockdown and rising Covid cases amid finalization of IMF review kept the market in limbo on Thursday," a report issued by Arif Habib Ltd read. "OGDC, PPL and DGKC remained the negative contributors today whereas HBL, UBL and LUCK helped the index close in green." The benchmark KSE-100 Index started the day on a positive note, registering its intraday high at 40,745.02 after gaining 230.35 points. It, however, failed to sustain the positive momentum and fell to its intraday low at 40,431.41 (-83.26 points). Recovering some of its losses towards the end, the index finally settled flat (+26.03 points) at 40,540.70. Among other indices, the KMI-30 Index added 22.58 points to end at 64,517.52, while the KSE All Share Index gathered 40.94 points, closing at 28,431.51. The overall market volumes improved from 145.88 million shares in the previous session to 188.55 million shares (+30pc). Average traded value also increased by 28pc, from $39.1 million to $50 million. TRG Pakistan Ltd (TRG +3.62pc), Unity Foods Ltd (UNITY +2.06pc) and Faysal Bank Ltd (FABL +2.66pc) led the volume chart, exchanging 27.14 million, 17.81 million and 9.12 million shares, respectively. Sectors that kept the benchmark index afloat included cement (+16.57 points), technology & communication (+15.77 points) and banking (14.60 points). Among the companies, Habib Bank Ltd (HBL +26.50 points), TRG Pakistan Ltd (TRG +20.55 points) and Lucky Cement Ltd (LUCK +17.38 points) remained the top contributors. Adding 1.04pc to its cumulative market capitalization, the technology & communication sector ended as the session’s top performer, with NetSol Technologies Ltd (NETSOL 7.49pc), Avanceon Limited (AVN 1.88pc) and Telecard Limited (TELE 1.28pc) posting decent gains.

‘PIA undergoing financial restructuring KCR back on track after 21 years to regain lost glory to deal with Rs450bn debt’ LAHORE SHAHAB OMER

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Air Marshal Arshad Malik said on Thursday that financial restructuring of the nation airline is underway, as the government is committed to clearing its debt of Rs450 billion. The PIA CEO said this while addressing a ceremony at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry. LCCI President Mian Tariq Misbah, along with other senior officials and members of the business community, was also present on the occasion.

Malik said the airline had reduced the numbers of domestic flights after observing that the people had started using roads following the construction of motorways. "PIA made a profit in September and October and we will only maintain those routes where

business is high," he added.

He informed that the government has formed a committee to restructure the national flag-carrier, adding that a merit-based policy for the staff is being formulated under which golden handshakes will be given to around 3,000 employees.

"Every Pakistani knows that PIA is overstaffed. One solution is to fire them but we are trying to manage this in a responsible way.

We are taking strict actions against those who are not on merit, besides those with fake degrees." He said despite financial constraints in the wake of Covid-19 crisis, PIA did not terminate a single employee.

"Unlike in the past, all decisions are now being taken by mutual understanding and there is no political interference at all," the CEO maintained. "PIA is upgrading its fleet to ensure maximum facilities for the passengers." On fake li-

cences of pilots, Malik said that action has been initiated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

"Since PIA is the operator, CAA is looking into the matter. As many as 141 pilots were reported in fake degrees case and PIA has so far dismissed 30 pilots, while no decision has been taken about 16 pilots yet."

Malik admitted that the report on the Havelian accident came in late, but said that the airline has improved its engineering setup.

"PIA is not panicking... steps are only being taken to facilitate the passengers. We have not received any subsidy from the government for a year," he concluded. Earlier, a memorandum of understanding was signed between PIA and LCCI to promote mutual cooperation. "LCCI is keen to promote business relations with PIA so that its members could have the best facilities for domestic and foreign travel," said LCCI President Tariq Misbah.

CMYK

KARACHI STAFF REPORT

After remaining non-functional for over 21 years, the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) was partially restored on Thursday.

An inaugural function was held on the occasion which was attended

by Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, the railways minister said that the circular railway would run from Karachi City Station on the 46km track starting today, that included the 14km KCR track.

"After 15 days, another 14km track will be added and an additional 12 gates will be installed, whereas construction of track crossings will also be completed."

Currently, the KCR project comprises of a 44km long track, with the inclusion of a 30km loop with 20 sta-

tions, and a 14km main line with five stations. Today's inauguration focused on the first of the three phases of KCR's revival. In this phase, trains will run along the 14km track from Karachi City Station to Orangi Station and back.

The second phase will cater to the 7km track running from Orangi Station to Gilani Station, while the third comprises the 9km track from Gilani Station to Drigh Colony.

Rasheed said that two trains per day will run the inaugurated route initially. The number of trains will increase to eight on Dec 14, and finally 20 trains will ply the route on a regular basis. The fare for the circular railway has been fixed at Rs30, with the working class being able to travel with a Rs750 monthly card.

Further addressing the ceremony, the minister said "a powerful land mafia had usurped the land belonging to the KCR", and that the

railways ministry was not getting the political support needed to reclaim the land. He said the ministry was cooperating with the Sindh government fully, and that the provincial government has released the tenders for the overhead track to the FWO. "The KCR trains will begin plying longer routes as the crossings and the overhead tracks will continue to be constructed," he stated. "The circular railway will be completely modernised with a year."

Rasheed credited the KCR's revival to the efforts of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Sindh government and the workers of the Pakistan Railways. The KCR first began its operations in the year 1969, under the administration of Pakistan Railways.

Its trains served the Karachi metropolitan area as an affordable means of intra-city transport for thirty years, until the service was eventually discontinued in 1999.

Friday, 20 November, 2020

10 ForeiGN News

STOp ETHIOpIa war and HElp CIvIlIanS, BIdEn TEaM UrGES ADDIS ABABA

U

agencies

S President-elect Joe Biden’s foreign policy aide on Thursday urged an end to fighting in north Ethiopia, where federal troops are battling rebels and pushing towards the regional capital.

A two-week-old war in the Tigray region has killed hundreds, sent 30,000 refugees into Sudan and called into question whether Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Africa’s youngest leader and last year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, can hold his fractured nation together ahead of national elections next year. Hundreds of foreign aid workers have left Tigray, warning of a spiralling crisis in an area where hundreds of thousands of people relied on food aid even before the fighting.

“Deeply concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia, reports of targeted ethnic violence, and the risk to regional peace and security,” tweeted Antony Blinken, a veteran diplomat and longtime Biden confidant.

Africa’s second most populous nation

with 115 million people, Ethiopia is a federation of 10 states run by separate ethnic groups. The war has pitted the central government against one of the most heavily militarised regions.

The northern Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) effectively ruled Ethiopia for decades as the strongest force in a multi-ethnic coalition, until Abiy took power two years ago.

Ethiopia is a major U.S. ally whose soldiers serve in peacekeeping missions in South Sudan and Somalia. Its military and intelligence services are among the most capable in Africa.

“The TPLF and Ethiopian authorities should take urgent steps to end the conflict, enable humanitarian access, and protect civilians,” added Blinken, who is expected to play a senior role in the incoming U.S. administration.

On the ground, the TPLF leader said his soldiers still held the important town of Axum, though they had lost Shire as federal troops aimed for the state capital Mekelle.

Assertions by all sides have been impossible to verify because internet and phone connections to Tigray have been

Turkey faces EU sanctions over Mediterranean aggression: Germany BERLIN

suspended and the government has restricted access.

‘ATROCITIES’: An Ethiopian government statement referred to reports of ethnic killings in the town of Mai Kadra, documented by Amnesty International last week. Survivors told the rights group that militias affiliated to the Tigray government killed scores or even hundreds of civilians.

The TPLF has denied involvement.

“We would like to remind the leaders of this group that the atrocities that have been committed by their forces and loyalists in places like Maykadra constitute serious crimes,” the government statement said, using an alternative spelling.

Ethiopian federal forces are trying to advance along main roads from the south and the northwest of Mekelle and were around 200 km (124 miles) from the Tigrayan capital, a diplomat monitoring the conflict said.

The military accused World Health Organization (WHO) head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a Tigrayan, of trying to procure arms and diplomatic backing for the TPLF. They offered no evidence for the accusations and there was no immediate re-

‘Strategic Compass’: EU considers military doctrine, new tank development BRUSSELS

TLTP

Germany's foreign minister said on Thursday that the country was ready to lead an EU drive to impose sanctions on Turkey over its aggression in the eastern Mediterranean. Heiko Maas demanded Turkey cease provocations in the eastern Mediterranean if it wants to avoid new discussions about European Union sanctions against Ankara at an EU summit in December. "It is up to Turkey what decision will be taken at the EU summit in December," Maas said before a meeting with his EU counterparts. "If we see no positive signals coming from Turkey by December, only further provocations such as [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan's visit to north Cyprus, then we are heading for a difficult debate," Maas said. The question of imposing sanctions against Turkey would then certainly come up again, he said. In a joint opinion piece written to welcome president-elect Joe Biden's victory, Maas and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called for a unified approach against Turkish policies. "We will have to address Turkey's problematic behaviour in the eastern Mediterranean and beyond," they wrote. In a senior leaders meeting last week Greece and Egypt also said they would welcome more active engagement in the eastern Mediterranean from the administration of Biden. “Greece and Egypt will receive positively a more decisive role of the United States in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean," Kyriakos Mitsotakis said as he met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. "See what is happening with Cyprus, in Libya, in the Caucasus. There does not seem to be a common understanding with Turkey on important, strategic priorities. And this is not just an observation on the part of Greece. Many other countries in the region seem to share the same view on Turkey's role as a troublemaker in the region," he said on a visit to the UAE on Wednesday. Nato divisions in the region spilled into the open in the summer as naval vessels from France, Greece and Turkey clashed on the high seas. Turkey has been accused of undermining peace and stability in the region by deploying a research vessel, the Oruc Reiss, in a contested area of the Mediterranean until November 23. Overlapping maritime zones have been carved across the area by Turkey, Libya, Egypt and Greece to stake out further claims on natural gas deposits.

sponse from Tedros. He held ministerial posts for a decade in Ethiopia’s TPLF-led governing coalition before being elected the WHO’s first African leader in 2017.

The conflict has also embroiled Ethiopia’s neighbours: the TPLF fired rockets at Eritrea last weekend, Sudan is receiving refugees. In Somalia, Ethiopia has removed weapons from ethnic Tigrayan soldiers in its peacekeeping contingent.

Tigrayans make up just 5% of Ethiopia’s population but had outsized political power for decades after TPLF guerrillas led a revolution in 1991. Abiy, whose parents are from the much larger Oromo and Amhara ethnic groups, became premier in 2018 and began opening up both the economy and a repressive political system.

He won last year’s Nobel for ending a long-running conflict with Eritrea, but since then his government has overseen curbs on the media and mass arrests after periods of deadly unrest.

He has so far rebuffed calls for talks over Tigray. The government denies any ethnic undertones to the offensive, saying it is a law-and-order operation necessary to maintain unity.

agencies

The European Union aims to draw up a master military strategy document to define future threats, goals and ambitions in defence while focusing on six new areas of joint weapons development including tanks, officials and diplomats said.

The EU’s “Strategic Compass”, the closest thing the EU could have to a military doctrine and akin to NATO’s “Strategic Concept” that sets out alliance goals, is the latest step in accelerating efforts to deepen EU defence cooperation.

After four years of hostility towards NATO by U.S. President Donald Trump, the EU, led by France, wants to become a standalone military power in the long term, strong enough to fight on its own and potentially a more useful ally to the United States.

The EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, will brief EU foreign ministers by video conference on Thursday on a confidential, intelli-

gence-based threat analysis before EU defence ministers take up the work at a virtual meeting on Friday, aiming to deliver a final document in 2022.

“We need to build a compass.

This is a common way of looking at the world, of defining threats and addressing them together,” said a senior EU official.

The document would not be a list of threats, in part because EU governments have different views on their gravity. Russia is seen with more alarm in the Baltics than in France, where Islamic militancy is more pressing, envoys said.

However, it does signal what Borrell has cited as “an increased momentum to strengthen our collective capacity” since a December 2017 EU defence pact to develop more firepower independently of the United States.

Britain’s vote in 2016 to leave the EU, while depriving the bloc of a military power, has given Paris an opportunity to push longstanding ambitions for a bigger EU role

in defence, with support from Berlin.

During Britain’s membership, London resisted a major military role for the EU, fearing the creation of an EU army, which officials in Brussels say is not under discussion.

Defence ministers will also receive the bloc’s first annual review on joint capabilities on Friday, which is expected to set out 100 areas for governments to develop together from 2025 over six areas, including battle tanks, maritime patrol vessels, countering drones and jamming technology.

France, Germany, Italy and Spain hope that by developing national defences together, the EU will save money by putting an end to competing national industries that duplicate weapons.

“This is not just another report”, a second senior EU official said of the first review. “This is the path for the EU to plan, spend and cooperate together in countering next-generation threats.”

Outrage after Muslim woman ‘burnt alive by molester’ in India NEW DELHI TLTP

Many political leaders and women’s rights activists in India have come together to demand justice for a Muslim woman, who was allegedly burned to death by a Hindu man and his friends in Vaishali district in the eastern province of Bihar. Gulnaz Khatoon, 20, was burned after the accused poured kerosene over her in Rasoolpur village on October 30 who succumbed to her burns on Sunday. The woman’s family alleges the police delayed in taking action against the accused, who were identified as Satish Kumar Rai, Chandan, and Vinod Rai. Khatoon was brought to the local hospital with 75 percent burn injuries. She was later moved to Patna Medical College Hospital, the largest hospital in the province, where she died. She was engaged to another man and the marriage ceremony was scheduled to be held in four months, her family said. Satish Kumar Rai had been harassing Gulnaz to marry him, the victim’s family said, adding that the woman refused to enter into an interfaith marriage with Rai. Enraged at her refusal, Rai and his friends killed her, the family said. Media reports said Gulnaz was burned when she went out to take out the rubbish. According to the video statement of the victim before her death, she was caught by three men, all residents of Rasoolpur village and they started molesting her. When she resisted and threatened to tell her mother about their misconduct, the angry men poured kerosene on her. The statement names Rai specifically, who poured the kerosene and set her on fire. Vaishali District Superintendent of Police (SP) Gaurav Mangla said the accused persons were on the run and three police teams have been formed to arrest them. “Investigations in the case were in progress and the accused people would be arrested very soon,” said Mangla. The chief of the local police station has been suspended for negligence in the case. Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Khatoon’s younger sister Gulshan Parveen said the killers fled the scene as soon as villagers gathered after hearing her screams.

“The accused persons had been stalking and sexually harassing my sister for the last threefour months and pressurising her to marry Satish Rai. They killed her because she refused,” she said.

Thai PM says all laws to be used against protesters BANGKOK agencies

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Thursday that all laws would be used against protesters who have demanded his removal, a new constitution and reforms to the monarchy of King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

The announcement came in a statement a day after thousands of protesters threw paint at Thai police headquarters in what they said was a response to the police use of water cannon and teargas that hurt dozens on Tuesday.

“The situation is not improving at there is a risk of escalation to more violence. If not addressed, it could damage the country and the beloved monarchy,” Prayuth said in a statement.

“The government will intensify its actions and use all laws, all articles, to take action against protesters who broke the law.”

It did not specify whether this included Article 112, which forbids insulting the monarchy. Prayuth said earlier this year that it was not being used for the moment at the request of the king.

‘Five Eyes’ group slams China crackdown on Hong Kong legislators LONDON TLTP

The United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand have accused China of carrying out a “concerted campaign to silence all critical voices” after it imposed new rules disqualifying elected members from Hong Kong’s Legislative Council. In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the so-called “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing group also said the decision was a “clear breach” of a Sino-British pact that guaranteed Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy, rights and freedoms for at least 50 years after the UK returned the city to Chinese rule in 1997. Hong Kong expelled four opposition legislators last week after China’s parliament passed a resolution allowing the city’s government to bypass the courts and disqualify any member of the legislature deemed to be endangering national security. Such acts include advocating for Hong Kong’s independence, refusing to recognise Chinese sovereignty over the city and colluding with foreign forces, according to Chinese state media.

Ahead of recount results, Georgia officials say Biden likely to remain the winner WASHINGTON agencies

A key battleground state in the 2020 US presidential election is expected on Thursday to affirm Democrat Joe Biden’s victory over President Donald Trump, which would deal yet another setback to Trump’s scattershot efforts to hold on to power.

Georgia’s top election official, a Republican, has said a labor-intensive hand recount likely will not erode Biden’s initial 14,000 vote margin enough to hand Trump a victory in the state.

That would leave Trump with a dwin-

dling number of options as he tries to overturn the results of an election in which he drew 5.8 million fewer votes than Biden nationwide.

To remain in office, Trump would need to overturn results in at least three large states to flip the results of the state-by-state Electoral College that determines the winner.

Biden has captured 306 electoral-college votes to Trump’s 232.

Trump’s campaign has met with little success so far.

In Wisconsin, election officials say a partial recount underway in the state’s largest Democratic-leaning counties probably will likely only add to Biden’s 20,000-

vote margin.

Trump’s campaign can request another recount in Georgia after that state certifies its vote tally, expected to be on Friday.

In Michigan and Pennsylvania, Trump’s lawyers have met with a string of defeats as they argue those states should declare Trump the winner, despite unofficial results that show Biden ahead by 158,000 votes and 83,000 votes, respectively.

Those legal motions, sprinkled with factual errors, have been dismissed by Biden’s campaign as “theatrics” that are not based on sound law. Several prominent law firms have pulled out of the operation, leaving Trump’s

personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani to spearhead the efforts.

State and federal election officials, as well as outside experts, say Trump’s argument the election was stolen from him by widespread voter fraud has no basis in fact.

However, it does appear to be affecting public confidence in American democracy.

A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Wednesday found about half of Republicans believe Trump “rightfully won” the election.

Arizona’s top election official, Katie Hobbs, said she and her family had been getting violent threats. Hobbs, a Democrat, called on Trump to stop casting doubt

on the result.

Trump himself has no public events scheduled for Thursday. He has largely stayed in the White House and kept out of public view since the election.

His administration so far has refused to recognise Biden as the winner, which has held up funding and security clearances to ease the transition from one president to another ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration.

Biden said on Wednesday the delay is preventing his team from being able to plan new efforts to fight a third wave of coronavirus infections, which is putting immense strain on the US healthcare system.

Friday, 20 November, 2020

SPORTS 11

Lahore QaLandars ‘missed out because we misjudged the pitch’: aaQib javed

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SportS dESk

AQIB JAVED, the Lahore Qalandars coach, has said that his side “misread the pitch” after they lost the final against rivals Karachi Kings on Tuesday. After Lahore opted to bat, Fakhar Zaman and Tamim Iqbal added a steady 68-run opening stand off 61 balls, but the middle-order batsmen struggled to get going on a slow track, as they managed only 134 for 7.

“We misread the pitch,” Javed told ESPNcricinfo.

“The idea was to bat first in a high-pressure game and set a big total to take an early advantage. But the standard of the pitch wasn’t great .. it was sticky, maybe it was the lack of heat in November or whatever but it didn’t go well. We realised the slowness of the pitch and that is why we sent [Mohammad] Hafeez ahead of Sohail Akhtar to keep the scoreboard rolling. But it just didn’t work either...everyone went for big shots.

“We had our chance and did start well with the con-

trol of winning the toss but sometimes losing a toss can be a blessing in disguise and I feel Karachi went away with the advantage. In such big games, we never wanted to chase and take extra pressure but [us] batting first on a pitch that turned out to be slow gave Karachi a clear idea as a testing case.”

Javed also pointed out that Babar Azam was the difference between the two teams. Azam made an unbeaten 63 - his sixth successive fifty-plus score - to secure a chase of 135 despite a late wobble.

“You got to give credit to Babar the way he played and took the game away from us and he was clearly one player who made the difference,” Javed said. “Had we got him earlier, Karachi Kings could have easily struggled chasing it [135].”

Javed, though, was pleased with how Lahore bounced back after having finished at the bottom of the table in the first four seasons. Despite the presence of high-profile players like Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, and Brendon McCullum at different points, they couldn’t

qualify for the playoffs in the first four seasons. However, this year, under Sohail Akhtar, who is uncapped at the international level, they made their maiden final.

Shaheen Afridi finished as the highest wicket-taker in PSL 2020, with 17 strikes while Dilbar Hussain ended fourth on that list with 14 wickets. Four of the top-five run-getters this season were also from Lahore.

“Nobody really expected us to be in the final but we played brilliantly throughout and came long way,” Javed said. “We might have lost the final but our spirits are not defeated. Our philosophy is to develop players and give something back to the system. Over the years we developed our own players and other than Hafeez all our local players - Harris Rauf, Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Afridi grew with us over the years and established [themselves] because of Lahore Qalandars.

“Overall, this season, playing final is a massive rise and we had an excellent season. It’s unfair to judge us just on the basis of the final alone but we have played some exciting cricket and challenged everyone. We have

Perez says if he ends up leaving F1, he can do so with ‘a lot of pride’ AGENCIES Time is running out for Sergio Perez to extend his stay in Formula 1. But if the Mexican can’t find a way to secure a seat on the 2021 grid, he says he will leave the championship with his head held high…

F1 motorsports boss Ross Brawn said earlier this week that it would be a tragedy if Perez does not stay in F1 next year, the Mexican enjoying his best season to date to sit fourth in the drivers’ standings. He’s hit a century of points for the third time in his career - helped by that brilliant podium in Turkey - and is almost certainly going to achieve his best-ever tally.

However, after he was told his services with long-time team Racing Point would no longer be required, to make way for Sebastian Vettel as the team morph into Aston Mar-

tin Racing, the Mexican has been unable to lock down a seat anywhere else, with his only chance now lying with Red Bull, should they choose not to keep Alex Albon.

“That one is not in my hands,” said Perez, when it was implied his only chance was at Red Bull. “At the moment, I’m just focusing on finishing on a high. If the opportunity comes, great. If not, I’m prepared to stop for a year.” Esteban Ocon was the most recent driver to take a year out and return to F1. Kimi Raikkonen took a couple of years out, too. So it is possible. But should Perez not return, the 30-year-old nine-time podium scorer is proud of what he has achieved in F1. “I’m pleased with how I’m performing,” he said, speaking before he captured that first podium of the year in Istanbul.

“There have been things that could have been better, I should have two podiums al-

ready this season, should be having a lot more points, missing two race is not ideal in such a short championship, but overall I’m pleased especially with the level of consistency throughout the year, or throughout the years. “[Regarding] if it’s an injustice on missing out, I think it’s part of Formula 1, I always knew this is how it is. I can call myself privileged, I have had a great career, 10 years in F1 up to now. “If it’s the case I have to leave the sport, I can leave with a lot of pride as I’ve delivered with the material that I have had.

Not many people can have such a career. So we’ll see what happens but I’m at peace with myself.” Perez is currently three points clear of Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ standings, and his tally of 100 points – 41 more than team mate Lance Stroll – will be the defining factor should Racing Point hold on to a bestever P3 in the constructor’s championship.

Latifi explains how dealing with ‘undriveable’ Turkey conditions will make him and Williams ‘better off’

managed to change history from the last four years sitting at the bottom and finishing No.2 this season. I am proud of my team making the final and raising the bar big time...It’s really great to see Fakhar Zaman, Harris Rauf, Dilbar Hussain, Shaheen Afridi growing up and their individual performances are pushing their careers ahead. I know batsmen win games and bowlers win tournaments and we had such great balance this season and had a great combination but unfortunately missed out just one mistake of misjudging the pitch.”

Mir ‘more intelligent’ than rivals in 2020, says Marquez AGENCIES Honda’s Alex Marquez says new MotoGP world champion Joan Mir was “more intelligent and more regular” than the rest of the field in 2020.

Mir was crowned the 2020 world champion last Sunday at the Valencia Grand Prix after coming home a safe seventh after starting from 12th.

The Suzuki rider put one hand on the title the week before with his victory in the European GP, which moved him 37 points clear ahead of last Sunday’s race.

Mir has scored more podiums than anyone this season with seven, including his victory, and has finished all but two races inside the top five. This is in stark contrast to long-time points leader Fabio Quartararo, who despite his three wins didn’t score any other podiums and just one other top five all season. “Well, he was consistent,” Marquez said when asked for his thoughts on Mir’s championship win. “[If] anyone else have the consistency he had, maybe it’s like a different championship. “We have a championship that [normally] from the beginning of the sea-

son you see clearly who will be the champion but this year was really, really strange.

“There was a lot of ups and downs, especially from the Yamaha riders. Then also [Andrea] Dovizioso was not really consistent. “But he [Mir] was there, he was smart, he was really intelligent, and he did a good job to get that title for Suzuki.

“He was more intelligent and more regular than everybody.” Marquez says Mir’s run to the championship in just his second year in the premier class gives him “more motivation” for his 2021 season, but admits the expected return of his brother Marc Marquez will make “everything tough again”. “I think the situation, or I hope it will change with the COVID and we will have a normal year,” he added.

“So, everything is changing. Marc will be back, so everything will be tough again and will be more difficult.

“It’s true this gives me motivation because we saw in MotoGP everything is possible, in MotoGP everything is open and you just need to believe. “It’s a good example for the other riders that are aiming from Moto2, that in MotoGP if you work hard, if you have the proper bike you can be also world champion.”

Rins rivalry part of Suzuki’s MotoGP success in 2020, says Mir AGENCIES

AGENCIES If being a rookie wasn’t already hard enough for Nicholas Latifi, the Williams driver says he was faced with the worst conditions he has driven in his life at Istanbul.

A new track surface provided very little grip even in dry conditions, but drivers then had to contend with wet weather on Saturday and Sunday that meant the slicks were not seen in either qualifying or the race. In what was “no doubt” the hardest race of his rookie Formula 1 season to date, Latifi ranks the conditions as the toughest he has ever raced in.

“I mean I’ve already had some very very tricky ones this year, Budapest being one of them where I drove the whole race with a very badly damaged car, and this took the cake really,” Latifi admitted. “I’m sure most drivers would say the same.

“The low grip to a certain extent it’s fun; FP1, once you realise how it’s going to be and wrap your head around: ‘OK there’s low grip, it’s going to be how it’s going to be’,

you can have fun with it – but at some point you do expect the track to rubber in, at a certain standard to be able to go racing.

“The fact the rain made it 100 times worse, I’m surprised. I was expecting the rain to make it relatively better than how low grip it was in the dry, but it was just undriveable.

“Some cars, some drivers had an easier time, some more difficult. The position we are in… everything was down to tyres, getting them into the right window and you’re fighting for any bit of degree, half a degree, [of temperature] you could generate.

“If your car has that bit more grip, you pick up an extra km/h or two into the corners, you generate a bit more, and it generates a spiral, but not being in one of the stronger cars it becomes so, so tricky. “Definitely the hardest conditions I’ve had to drive in my life, not just F1, just staying on track. A lot to learn, irrespective of how bad the qualifying was for me, how bad the race was for me, I definitely feel a better driver for it.

“I’m sure most drivers will say they are

better for the experience of getting to drift a Formula 1 car around every lap and corner, but just frustrated with the whole outcome.”

It wasn’t just the difficulty in controlling the car in such conditions that Latifi struggled with, pointing out the mental capacity required to address other issues was also stretched.

“From a physical point of view nothing compared to in the dry but mentally we’re working as we can’t afford to let up and have those moments on the straight, when the car is usually easy flat, or when the car is on the grip that you can take a breath and take stock of ‘What are my tyres doing?’, ‘Do I need to make changes?’ - you’re constantly having to think, and on edge. “It is only my second time driving Formula 1 cars in the rain. It wasn’t even rain, this was ice, worse than ice! I’ve driven on the ice in a rally car before with spikes and I can safely say I had more grip on that than I did this weekend in the wet and in the race. A very difficult challenge, but definitely something that we’ll be better off for having dealt with it.”

CMYK

MotoGP world champion Joan Mir says his respectful rivalry with teammate Alex Rins was “part of the success” Suzuki has been able to enjoy in 2020.

Mir was crowned MotoGP champion with a round to spare last time out at the Valencia Grand Prix, after crossing the line in a safe seventh.

The world champion has amassed seven podiums across the 2020 campaign, including his victory in the European GP, and joined Rins on the podium four times this year. Rins himself has managed four podiums so far, including his Aragon GP win, in a campaign which was heavily affected by a nasty shoulder injury at the opening round. The Spaniard has been with Suzuki since 2017 and has helped steer development of the GSX-RR. When asked by Motorsport.com last Sunday if he owed his title in part to his teammate, Mir replied: “Of course. He’s part of the team. Him, Sylvain [Guintoli, test rider], [Andrea] Iannone in his time (2017-2018), he gave good information.

“The first two riders at Suzuki, Mav-

erick [Vinales] and Aleix [Espargaro].

These riders and the work of course of Suzuki year by year were making the bike better and better and made the difference.

“For sure Alex is the one that stayed with Suzuki for longer and the one that gave more information.

“He was always a really good teammate, on track he showed a lot of respect for me and for Suzuki. “And for sure always he was my first rival. Last year, this year I always wanted to stay in front of him and he also [wanted to beat me].

“And this is part of the success that made Suzuki on the podium in almost every race because you see that when the teammate is pushing, you push on the limit.” Mir is Suzuki’s first world champion in 20 years and joins an elite list of Barry Sheen, Marco Lucchinelli, Franco Uncini, Kevin Schwantz and Kenny Roberts Jr as the only riders in the premier class to have won the title for the Japanese marque.

With just one round to go in 2020, Rins lies third in the standings and just four points off the runner-up spot currently occupied by Valencia GP winner Franco Morbidelli.

Friday, 20 november, 2020

PRAyeR TIMINgs

news

US to label ISrael boycott movement aS ‘antI-SemItIc’: PomPeo US SECRETARY OF STATE CALLS THE GLOBAL PRO-PALESTINIAN MOVEMENT‘A CANCER’AS HE VISITED THE OCCUPIED GOLAN HEIGHTS

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AGENCIES

HE United States will label the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, which seeks to isolate Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians, as “antiSemitic”, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, calling the movement “a cancer”.

Washington “will regard the global antiIsrael BDS campaign as anti-Semitic … We want to stand with all other nations that recognise the BDS movement for the cancer that it is,” Pompeo said in a joint appearance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday.

The BDS campaign is a non-violent people-led movement that aims to economically pressure Israel into providing equal rights and a right of return to Palestinians.

Modelled on the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, it has inspired people from around the world to boycott businesses and academic and cultural institutions that have either a direct or indirect affiliation with Israel.

This includes companies associated with illegal Jewish settlements, those that provide services to the occupation, companies exploiting natural resources from Palestinian land and those that use Palestinians as cheap labour. The UN human rights office has

identified more than 200 companies linked directly or indirectly to illegal settlements, mostly from Israel and the US but also Germany and the Netherlands.

They include banking and tourism companies, as well as construction and technology firms.

POMPEO VISITS THE OCCUPIED

FAJR SUNRISE

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ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

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GOLAN HEIGHTS: Pompeo, who is in Israel as part of his last Middle East tour as US secretary of state, also visited the Golan Heights, a territory Israel captured from Syria and occupied in the 1967 war.

“You can’t stand here and stare out at what’s across the border and deny the central thing that President Donald Trump recognised, what the previous presidents have refused to do,” Pompeo said. “This is a part of Israel,” he added. In March last year, Trump recognised the Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights when he signed a decree alongside Netanyahu at the White House.

The move was condemned by the international community, which does not recognise the land grab, while Syria called it a “blatant attack” on its sovereignty.

Pompeo’s visit came after he became the first US secretary of state ever to visit an Israeli settlement in the illegally occupied West Bank on Thursday.

Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law and are a major obstacle in peace negotiations but the US broke from the international community consensus and announced that it no longer considers the settlements as unlawful.

Dozens of Palestinians demonstrated outside the settlement and Israeli soldiers responded with tear gas.

Report finds Australian troops unlawfully killed 39 Afghans WELLINGTON AgeNCIes

A shocking Australian military report into war crimes has found evidence that elite Australian troops unlawfully killed 39 Afghan prisoners, farmers and civilians. Australian Defence Force Chief Gen. Angus Campbell said Thursday the shameful record included alleged instances in which new patrol members would shoot a prisoner in order to achieve their first kill in a practice known as “blooding.” He said the soldiers would then plant weapons and radios to support false claims the prisoners were enemies killed in action.

Campbell told reporters in Canberra the illegal killings began in 2009, with the majority occurring in 2012 and 2013. He said some members of the elite Special Air Service encouraged “a self-centered, warrior culture.” The chief was announcing the findings of a four-year investigation by Maj. Gen. Paul Brereton, a judge and Army reservist who was asked to look into the allegations and interviewed more than 400 witnesses and reviewed thousands of pages of documents. Brereton recommended 19 soldiers be investigated by police for possible charges,

including murder. “To the people of Afghanistan, on behalf of the Australian Defence Force, I sincerely and unreservedly apologize for any wrongdoing by Australian soldiers,” Campbell said.

He said he had spoken directly to his Afghan military counterpart to express his remorse.

“Such alleged behavior profoundly disrespected the trust placed in us by the Afghan people who had asked us to their country to help them,” Campbell said. “It would have devastated the lives of Afghan families and communities, causing immeasurable pain and suffering. And it would have put in jeopardy our mission and the safety of our Afghan and coalition partners.” As well as the 39 killings, the report outlines two allegations of cruel treatment.

It says that none of the alleged crimes were committed during the heat of battle. Only parts of the report have been made public. Many details, including the names of alleged killers, remain redacted.

The report said a total of 25 current or former troops were involved as perpetrators or accessories in 23 separate incidents, with some involved just once and a few multiple times. It said some Australian troops would regularly carry “throw downs” — things like foreign pistols, radios and grenades that they could plant on those they killed so the Afghan civilians would appear

like combatants in photographs.

The report said most of the alleged crimes were committed and concealed at a patrol commander level by corporals and sergeants, and that while higher-level troop and squadron commanders had to take some responsibility for the events that happened on their watch, they weren’t primarily to blame.

The report paints a picture of a toxic culture in which soldiers were competing against those from other squadrons, accounts of deaths were sanitized or embellished, and many procedures to ensure safety and integrity had broken down.

China to foster new development paradigm to help world economies grow; says Xi Jinping ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR

Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday said that China would be fostering a new development paradigm to help world economies grow by mutually reinforcing domestic and international circulations.

Addressing the participants of APEC CEO Dialogues through a video-link, Xi said that China would keep pursuing mutual benefits and win-win cooperation with the world to help build a community with a shared future. He said the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated changes unseen in a century in the world and the global economy finds itself into deep recession, its industrial and supply chains are disrupted, and governance, trust, development and peace deficits continue to grow.

“Mounting unilateralism, protectionism and bullying as well as backlash against economic globalization have added to risks and uncertainties in the world economy. However, peace and development remain the underlying trend of our times. Meeting challenges through cooperation is the only way forward for us in the international community,” he said.

He said that the pandemic once again shows that the interests of all countries are closely interwoven and that humankind shares a common stake.

“Indeed, our world is an indivisible community with a shared future. To beat the virus and promote global recovery, we in the international community must close ranks and jointly respond to this crisis and meet the test. All countries should act in the spirit of partnership and get through this tough time together,” he observed.

He also said that since the start of this year, facing the sudden onslaught of Covid19, China has put people and life above everything else. He added the 1.4 billion Chinese people, united as one, have made a major strategic achievement in fighting the virus.

“We have endeavored to both contain the virus and speedily bring production and life back to normal, thus maintaining economic and social development. China’s economy resumed positive overall growth in the first three quarters this year. This hard-won achievement speaks volumes about the resilience and vitality of the Chinese economy,” remarked the Chinese leader.

“The fundamentals sustaining China’s

steady and long-term economic growth remain unchanged. We have full confidence and ability to maintain stable economic performance and achieve the goals of finishing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and eradicating poverty within the set time frame,” he added.

CHINA TO TRANSFORM INTO A MODERN SOCIALIST COUNTRY: He said that from next year on, China will embark on a new journey toward fully building a modern socialist country.

“We will develop a full understanding of the new development stage, and apply the new development philosophy. We will foster a new development paradigm with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other. The new development paradigm is a strategic decision we have made based on the current stage and conditions of development in China and with full consideration given to economic globalization and changes in the external environment,” he added.

He also said that China will expand domestic demand as a strategic priority and ensure smooth flow of economic activity.

In recent years, he added, China’s development model of reliance on foreign markets and resources has gone through some gradual changes.

“The ratio of foreign trade to GDP dropped from 67 per cent in 2006 to less than 32 per cent in 2019, while the ratio of current account surplus to GDP has come down from 9.9 per cent in 2007 to less than one percent today. In seven years since the 2008 global financial crisis, the contribution of China’s domestic demand to GDP exceeded 100 per cent, making domestic consumption

the main driver of its growth,” he further said.

SCIENTIFIC, TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS TO FOSTER NEW GROWTH DRIVERS: Xi said that China will vigorously make scientific and technological innovations to foster new growth drivers and a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is gathering pace, and science and technology are playing an even more significant role in boosting social productivity.

“To China, innovation has always been the primary driver of development, and we have made major achievements by implementing an innovation-driven development strategy. As China enters a new stage of development, factors of production underpinning its development have gone through profound changes. This means that China must pursue innovation to achieve highquality growth driven by domestic demand,” he observed.

DEEPENING REFORMS TO ENERGISE MARKET: Xi said that China will continue to deepen reform and energize the market. “What we have achieved during the past 40-plus years of China’s reform and opening-up shows one thing: Reform is crucial for unleashing and boosting productivity. China has entered a new stage of development and faces new tasks of reform,” he said.

He also said that Beijing will take more steps and remove with greater resolve deepseated systemic and institutional barriers to modernize China’s governance system and capacity. “We will enhance our ability to better apply the new development philosophy, namely, one of pursuing innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared

development,” he added.

“China’s per capita GDP has topped US$10,000, and its middle-income population has exceeded 400 million. It is projected by many international institutions that China’s retail market will reach six trillion dollars in size this year. As China’s economy grows, our people naturally want to lead an even better life. This will create more demand for a greater variety of quality products, technologies and services from across the world,” he further said.

CHINA TO DEEPEN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION: Xi said that the new development paradigm will enable China to continue to deepen international cooperation for shared benefits and China will take a more active part in the international division of labour, get more effectively integrated into global industrial, supply and value chains, and more enthusiastically expand exchanges and cooperation with other countries.

“We welcome cooperation with every other region, country, or company that wants to do so. China will remain committed to openness and cooperation, and adhere to multilateralism and the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits,” he said.

BRI TO LEAD THE WAY FOR THE WORLD ECONOMIES: Xi said that China will work to pursue high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with its partners, and seek greater complementarity between the development strategies and connectivity plans of regions and countries concerned.

“China will further harmonise policies, rules and standards with BRI partners, and deepen effective cooperation with them on infrastructure, industry, trade, scientific and technological innovation, public health and people-to-people exchange. Together, we will make the Belt and Road a model of cooperation, health, recovery and growth and deepen cooperation on green development. This will allow us to contribute to common development and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind,” he concluded.

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot No 66-C, 1st Floor, 21st Commercial Street, Phase-II (Extension), DHA Karachi and printed at Ibn-e-Hassan Printing Press, Hockey Stadium, Karachi, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 021-35381208-9. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk