Epaper – October 23 ISB 2020

Friday, 23 October, 2020 I 5 Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 114 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition

Centre rejeCts Claim of forCing sindh govt to arrest safdar

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI staff report

a

MId growing calls urging the Supreme Court (SC) to take suo motu notice of purported manhandling of Sindh police chief, the federal government on Thursday rejected Sindh chief minister’s claim of receiving threat of dismissal of the provincial government in case of failure in the lodging police case against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Captain (r) Safdar Awan.

Addressing a session of the provincial assembly on Wednesday, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had said, “A federal minister gave me an ultimatum that if an FIR [First Information Report] was not registered [against Awan], the Sindh government will face consequences.”

Karachi police had arrested Awan from his hotel room early Monday morning for slogan-mongering inside the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Later in the day, claims of “kidnapping” of the provincial police chief Mushtaq Mahar to pressure the force into arresting Awan had emerged.

Amid controversy and mystery surrounding the arrest, the following day, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, while taking notice of the incident, ordered an immediate inquiry into

the incident.

Addressing a press conference, Minister for Information and Broadcast Senator Shibli Faraz “condemned” the “lie peddled” by Shah.

“They [Sindh government] are mentally distressed by the [lukewarm] public response offered to their rallies,” said Faraz, who was flanked by Adviser to Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Mirza Shahzad Akbar.

The Sindh government was trying to hide its “incompetency and corruption” through the incident, Akbar said.

“The video footage of the incident shows Safdar sitting in the police car very comfortably,” the minister said, highlighting that it was “evident” that there was no element of force in the arrest.

When asked if the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) lawmakers in the province were involved in the process, Akbar said they were involved in the filing of the police case against the PML-N leader.

Akbar, while narrating the incident as it occurred, said: “A few days ago, a ruckus was observed at the Mazar [of Jinnah].”

“First, there was a ruckus. Afterward, some people from Karachi, including PTI workers, gave an application at a police station to file an FIR,” he added.

He explained under the established procedure, police receive an application and then report it. He added that police

Coronavirus in

Pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

325,480

LAST UPDATED AT 7:19 AM ON OCTOBER 22, 2020

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

10

RECOVERED:

NEW CASES:

736

DEATHS:

309,136 6,702 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

142,641

102,107

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

38,810

15,738

3,639/4,107 18,438

officials develop an opinion, take a legal view, and thereafter register an FIR. “PTI’s total role in all this was that we gave an application. The laws that were [allegedly] violated were written down and a written application was given that action should be taken,” said the adviser.

Akbar aide said that after this process, “everyone’s role finished” and the role of the Sindh government started.

“After we woke up in the morning, we saw that an FIR had been registered at night and Safdar Awan was arrested,” Akbar claimed. He also added that the claims of police breaking into the hotel room still needs to be investigated.

“The thing that came forward in camera footage was that Safdar Awan was seen leaving the hotel in the front seat of a Sindh Police vehicle,” Akbar said.

He reiterated that it was clearly Sindh Police that arrested the PML-N leader.

The PM’s aide also said he disagreed with the arrest, saying there was no point for it as Awan’s crime was a “bailable offense”. “Everyone knows where Sindh Police gets its directives from,” he said.

He also added that the Sindh CM should disclose which federal minister called him and threatened to end his government.

SBC CALLS FOR SUO MOTU NOTICE OF INCIDENT: The Sindh Bar Council (SBC) on Thursday joined opposition leaders in urging the Supreme Court to take suo motu notice of the incident to address the implications the situation poses for the rule of law and constitutionalism in the country.

In a resolution, the body said it was “shocked” at reports of Mahar allegedly being abducted from his residence “by Rangers/agencies” and forced to issue orders for the arrest of [the] Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader Mohammad Safdar.

“Till now, this report has not been contradicted by the relevant authority and has been tacitly confirmed by the Sindh government,” it said, adding the leave applications submitted by dozens of senior police officers over the demoralisation of the force due to this incident was a sign of “complete breakdown of the rule of law and an undeclared martial law.”

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Security agencies directly take orders from PM: Abbasi on Safdar’s arrest ISLAMABAD staff report

While the controversy and mystery surrounding the arrest of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s husband is nowhere near settling down, former prime minister and party leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Thursday said security agencies take their orders from the prime minister, implying the involvement of the highest office in the incident.

Speaking to media in Islamabad, Abbasi observed the institutions such as the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Rangers take their orders directly from the premier, saying the ultimate responsibility of the whole incident falls on Prime Minister Imran Khan.

“Both the institutions, the ISI and Rangers, directly report to the premier. Someone gave them instructions and that person can only be the prime minister. No one else can do that. The officials of these institutions take their orders from the country’s premier,” he said.

Karachi police had Karachi Police arrested Awan early Monday morning for slogan-mongering inside the mausoleum of Quaid-eAzam Muhammad Ali Jinnah which — according to Quaid-e-

FO rejects claims of Saudi vote against Pakistan in FATF ISLAMABAD staff report

The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday rejected as “false” the Indian media reports claiming Saudi Arabia voted against Pakistan during the ongoing plenary of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) which is being held virtually to decide, among other things the economic fate of the country.

Addressing his weekly press briefing, FO spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri “categorically rejected the story circulating on a segment of the media as false and baseless”, according to a press release.

Earlier in the day, Azhar Mashwani, Punjab chief minister’s focal person for digital media, tweeted that report of Saudi voting against Pakistan during the full-scale review meeting was fake news and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) would issue a statement on this.

“Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong fraternal ties and the two countries have always cooperated with each other on all matters of bilateral, regional and international importance,” said the FO statement.

“Pakistan greatly values its relations with […] brotherly Saudi

Arabia and firmly rejects such malicious propaganda.”

A virtual meeting of the global watchdog will decide if Pakistan should be excluded from the grey list, based on a review of Islamabad’s performance to meet global commitments and standards on the fight against money laundering and terror financing.

The Asia-Pacific Group (APG) of the body, in its first follow-up report (FUR) on the mutual evaluation of Pakistan earlier this month, had shown the country “improving” its full compliance on two of

the 40 FATF recommendations.

However, the APG report would have “no immediate bearing” on the on-going review.

The FATF plenary was earlier scheduled in June but Islamabad got an unexpected breather after the global watchdog against financial crimes temporarily postponed all mutual evaluations and follow-up deadlines in the wake of grave health risk following the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Paris-based agency also put a general pause in the review process, thus giving additional four months to Pakistan to meet the requirements.

The plenary had formally placed Pakistan in the grey list in June 2018 due to “strategic deficiencies” in its anti-money laundering, combating financing terror (AML/CFT) regime after a push from India supported by the United States, the United Kingdom, and some European countries.

The body will examine if the country had demonstrated remedial actions and sanctions applied in cases of AML/CFT violations, relating to terrorist financing (TF) risk management and TFS (terror financing sanctions) obligations.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Azam’s Mazar (Protection and Maintenance) Ordinance, 1971, governing the premises — is punishable by “imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or a fine, or both”.

Later in the day, claims of “kidnapping” of the provincial police chief to pressure the force into arresting Awan emerged. The following day, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, while taking notice of the incident, ordered an immediate inquiry into the incident.

“This is the reality behind this incident [and] this is the reality that the country’s premier gave the order to violate the sanctity of the chaddor and char dewari,” Abbasi said, adding that giving such an order was unlawful.

“These matters are very serious. The Constitution was violated, the authority of the province was challenged and the province’s top officer was kidnapped. These are not small matters [and] all things go back to the premier’s office,” he added “The premier will have to give an answer. Please read the oath you took when you assumed office. Not only did you break your own oath, you also directed other officials to break their own oaths.”

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more inside

Safdar’s arrest: PML-N leader raises questions over PPP’s shifting of blame STORY ON PAGE 02

Bilawal launches GB campaign with harsh criticism of PTI’s governance STORY ON PAGE 03

NAB approves another graft reference against Nawaz Sharif STORY ON PAGE 03

Accountability courts ordered to hear cases daily and without adjournments

STORY ON PAGE 03

02

Friday, 23 October, 2020

NEWS

PM directs Prior environMental studies, conservation for islands' develoPMent ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

RIME Minister Imran Khan Thursday directed the authorities concerned to conduct prior environmental studies and ensure the conservation of natural resources before launching development work on the islands.

Chairing a meeting to review progress on Pakistan Islands and Ravi Riverfront Urban Development projects, the prime minister emphasised that the development activity in the two projects would bring in huge investments for Pakistan and create significant employment opportunities for the local people. He said that the revenue earned by the projects would be spent on other welfare projects in the respective provinces, a PM Office press release said.

While briefing about the Pakistan Islands, the Pakistan Islands Development Authority (PIDA) chairman said that due attention would be paid to environmental conservation and corporate social responsibility (CSR). In that regard, he said, the authority was working with international environmental organisations, including International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and had also obtained “Silver Rating” of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design by the US Green Building Council. Regarding the CSR initiatives, he informed the meeting that the Fishermen Welfare Fund would be established for welfare schemes of local fishermen. He assured that the development of Pakistan Islands would be made in an environment-friendly manner. He also briefed in detail about sustainability, water conservation and financial advisory and investment functions of the Authority.

Afghan parliamentary delegation arrives today ISLAMABAD APP

On invitation of the National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser a 17-members Afghan parliamentary delegation led by the speaker of the Wolsey Jirga (Afghan Parliament), Mir Rahman Rahmani, will arrive in Islamabad on October 23 on a six-day official visit. During its stay in Islamabad the delegation besides meeting with the Qaiser, would also call on President Dr Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, said a press release. The delegation would also an interactive meeting with the members of Pakistan-Afghanistan Friendship group in National Assembly and senior government functionaries. Inter-parliamentary contacts, bilateral relations on trade, regional security issues, and enhancing cooperation between two countries would be deliberated upon during the meetings of the Afghan delegation. On the second leg of its visit, the delegation would participate in two days seminar “Pakistan-Afghanistan Trade & Investment Forum 2020-Partnership For Mutual Benefit” which will commence from October 26 in Islamabad. Qaiser has regarded this visit of the parliamentary delegation as a harbinger of change as it will bring peace and stability in the region. He said that this visit would also open new avenues of political and parliamentary co-operation and co-ordination between two brotherly countries.

PTA approaches Twitter to block propaganda accounts NEWS DESK The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has asked Twitter to take steps to reduce the sharing of fake news by blocking those social media accounts that have been found to be “spreading false information against Pakistan”. The PTA, in its press statement, said that it has asked the social media site to take steps to curb the promulgation of fake information against Pakistan and its institutes, as the spread of such information can lead to unrest within the country.

Furthermore, the PTA expressed its disappointment with that fact that many of the accounts involved in the “current smear campaign” had been verified on Twitter, but continued “operating with immunity”. “The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has approached Twitter administration to immediately sensitize its moderation teams and ensure that the platform is not used as a propaganda tool for spreading fake information,” read a statement by the authority on Thursday.

The RUDA chairman briefed the meeting about progress on legal requirements regarding land acquisition, investments and construction. The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Syed Ali Haider Zaidi, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, Naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority Chairman Lt Gen (r) Anwar

Ali Haider, Pakistan Islands Development Authority Chairman Imran Amin and senior officers. Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister Dr Salman Shah, Punjab chief secretary, senior member of Punjab Board of Revenue, Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) chairman and Bank of Punjab president participated via video-link from Lahore.

Safdar's arrest: PML-N leader raises questions over PPP’s shifting of blame ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR

In a new twist to the arrest of Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) leader Captain (r) Safdar Awan, the former ruling party has asked the leadership of Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) and Sindh government to come clean on Safdar’s arrest. The development comes amidst rumours that the PML-N and PPP leaders had allegedly developed differences and that the PPP leadership had contacted Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa to seek his help and carry out a probe into the episode of the arrest of Safdar in Karachi.

Former Sindh governor and spokesman of Nawaz Sharif, Mohammad Zubair, on Thursday asked the Sindh government and the PPP to make it clear who it believed was behind the arrest of Safdar.

“If the PPP is blaming the federal government for the Karachi incident, then why did they demand an inquiry from the army chief into the matter? It does not make any sense,” Zubair argued during a private television talk show, referring to the fact that the PPP first blamed the Rangers and then shifted the blame to the federal government.

He argued that if the federal government means Imran Khan, the PPP must clarify as who was ordered by Imran Khan to carry out this operation.

“Who besieged the inspector-general of police [IGP] Sindh? If we presume that the federal government was responsible and that the sector commanders, etc. were not involved in the arrest of Safdar, then who was involved. This all makes the arrest episode a mystery,” said Zubair. He said

that it is amazing to note that the Sindh government blamed one person while its leadership requested another to probe into the matter.

“This way, they are dragging [the armed forces] into politics, while on the one hand, they say that [the army] should not take part in politics. In the same breath, the PPP also claims that [the army] was not involved but the culprit was Imran Khan. So then, the PPP should also tell us through which alien creature did Imran Khan carry out this whole operation,” demanded Mohammad Zubair.

He further raised questions on the inquiry ordered into the matter and said that why would the inquiry would be conducted into by a corps commander. “Why would [Karachi Corps commander] investigate a civil matter? I am completely confused on this issue,” lamented the PMLN leader. PPP leader Senator Maula bakhsh Chandio, who was present on the occasion, tried to explain the entire situation to Zubair.

“How is it possible that Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari would spread anarchy in the country based on a single incident and also dissolve the Sindh government? We do not want to spread chaos and rather we want to bring real democracy in the country by resolving the matter amicably,” he argued.

He also defended the request by Bilawal to ask the COAS to start a probe into the matter and said that in his view, it was not a bad idea to make a request to the army chief.

“Army is our own institution and the people also have faith in the army chief. And it is also not true that we have asked him to stay while he was going home. He is a reality and is here to stay,” asserted Senator Chandio.

IPRI says Asim Bajwa prime target of Indian propaganda NEWS DESK The Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) has claimed that its data analysis of social media shows an uptick in online Indian propaganda since the 2018 elections in Pakistan, with China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Chairman Lieutenant General (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa having been their primary target for the last few months.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the institute purported that the purpose of India’s propaganda tactics has been to cause civil unrest in the country and that it has been doing so since 2018, but added that since August 2020, the primary target has been General Bajwa in an attempt to sabotage CPEC. The IPRI asserted that Indian propaganda comprises of 4 key elements; namely, the campaign against Pakistan Army, the stroking of civil unrest in Pakistan, the propaganda on Kashmir and the sabotaging of CPEC. According to the information shared by IPRI, some of the tactics employed by the propaganda machine have been claims of a civil war in Karachi, creating issues in the Afghan peace process, the spreading of fake news vis-a-vis

the Balakot airstrike, Indian newspaper articles on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) bills, media campaigns against Prime Minster Imran Khan, as well as attempts to isolate Pakistan internationally.

Pakistan to welcome Bhutanese pilgrims visiting sacred sites: PM ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Pakistan will welcome Bhutanese pilgrims visiting the sacred Buddhist sites in the country. The prime minister called his counterpart of Bhutan Dr Lotay Tshering on Thursday and discussed matters of mutual interest including Covid-19. Appreciating Bhutanese model of tourism promotion and conservation of heritage sites, PM Imran apprised his counterpart on steps taken by his government to promote tourism, especially religious tourism in Pakistan.

He said that Pakistan is proud of its rich Buddhist heritage which dates back to the Buddhist Gandhara civilization. The premier commended measures taken by the leadership of Bhutan to contain the pandemic. He particularly highlighted the adverse economic impacts of Covid19 on the developing countries, for which he had also called for the "Global Initiative on Debt Relief". PM Imran shared that his government’s priorities are the safety of people amid the spread of the global pandemic while simultaneously keeping the economy alive to sustain the adverse effects that ensued the public health panic. “We restrained the pandemic spread on our land via smart lockdown strategy,” he said. TLTP

Opp moves House for parliamentary probe of Capt Safdar’s arrest The opposition parties put forth a resolution in the Senate regarding the formation of a committee to look into the arrest of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Captain (r) Safdar Awan. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman said that the the upper house should also be allowed to play its role. She agreed with the tabling of the resolution by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Raja Zafarul Haq, and further warned that the matter could have serious consequences if the parliament does not take action. “This can lead to a grave crisis and it can turn into a constitutional crisis,” she cautioned. “Let Senate play its role.” Similarly, PPP leader Raza Rabbani said that the incident had created a “precarious situation” and asserted that the Senate should be allowed to act. “The police force is an armed and uniformed force, and this force registered their protest by applying for leave. It was not just the IG, AIGs, DIGs, even the SHOs […] They knew that they were protesting against the state. Nothing can be more serious than this that a uniformed force protests against the state or a step taken by the state. This needs to be handled properly,” he said. Earlier, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa had ordered the Karachi Corps commander to launch an investigation into the incident. This order was given shortly after PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari called on the army chief and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Faiz Hameed for help in the investigation of Safdar’s arrest. While Rabbani commended COAS Bajwa for conducting a probe into the matter, he said that it would be a “departmental inquiry”. NEWS DESK

CCP completes inquiry into 'anti-competitive activities' in sugar industry ISLAMABAD: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has completed its inquiry into alleged anti-competitive activities in the sugar industry, and recommended initiating proceedings against the violations. As per the recommendations of CCP report, despite an abundant supply, sugar is not available to consumers at an affordable price. It cannot be ignored that the related industries such as beverages, confectionaries, etc. – which are the largest consumers of sugar – are also affected due to lack of competition in the sugar industry. International competitiveness has also suffered due to the higher cost of production.

To ensure its availability to consumers at a reasonable price, a large amount of public money is spent on subsidising sugar through Utility Stores Corporation (USC), Ramzan bazaars and imports. AHMAD AHMADANI

Friday, 23 October, 2020

NEWS

03

covid-19 Positivity rate reaches 2.58Pc, highest in two Months ISLAMABAD

t

ANOTHER 736 INFECTIONS, 10 DEATHS REPORTED

TLTP

HE coronavirus positivity rate in Pakistan has again increased to 2.58 per cent, making it the highest positivity rate in over two months, according to the data of the last 24 hours shared by the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) on Thursday.

According to the NCOC, out of 28,534 tests conducted on Wednesday, 736 turned out to be positive. So far, Pakistan has a total of 325,480 coronavirus cases.

The country reported 10 more coronavirus-related fatalities during the past 24 hours, taking the death toll from the disease to 6,702. There are 9,642 active cases of the coronavirus as 309,136 patients have recovered from the disease.

So far, Sindh has reported 142,641 cases, followed by Punjab that reported 102,107 cases while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) reported 38,810, Balochistan 15,738, Islam-

abad 18,438, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) 4,107 and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has reported 3,630 cases. As many as 856 patients are under treatment in hospitals across the country and 91 of them are on ventilators.

The government officials have expressed concern about the rising positivity ratio in the country, even though it is still below the 5 percent threshold set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Meanwhile, academic activities at Fazaia Medical College Air University in Islamabad were suspended for over a week after it reported eight cases of coronavirus. According to a notification issued by the varsity's administration, the university will remain closed from October 22 to November 1.

"Students in their final year of MBBS will stay home to avoid interacting with others to control the spread of the virus," the notification read. The administration further instructed students to stay at home, strictly follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) and avoid roaming in public.

Bilawal launches GB campaign with harsh criticism of PTI’s governance NEWS DESK At the start of his Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) campaign, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari warned the people to be mindful of former governments’ propaganda to ensure that the region prospers.

Speaking at a worker’s convention in Skardu, the PPP leader said, “We have to save this region from unseen devastation.”

“We need to save GB because we have seen what [former governments] have done in other provinces. Go ask the people of KP [Khyber Pakhtunkhwa] what they are suffering through,” he said, adding that “They will ruin your children’s future.”

The PPP chief said that the people of GB should understand the issues faced by those areas where the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was in power

when proceeding in the elections.

Bilawal pointed out his political pedigree and contrasted against a player [Imran Khan] who takes U-turns from his promises”.

Bilawal criticised the incumbent

FM for highlighting Indian atrocities in IOK at UN ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has emphasised the need for further highlighting the Indian atrocities in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) at United Nations (UN) and other international human rights forums aiming to bring Kashmiris out from New Delhi's oppression. He was talking to Pakistan's Permanent Representative in the United Nations Munir Akram on Thursday. He said that Pakistan will continue its political, diplomatic and moral support to oppressed Kashmiris. He said that Indian forces in IOK are targeting innocent Kashmiris and violating United Nations Security Council's resolutions. He said that serious human rights violations are being committed by Indian occupying forces in the valley. Acknowledging the role of the Pakistani Mission's best coordination during the 75th session of the UN General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council elections, he said that victory is an expression of confidence by the international community in Pakistan’s efforts to protect human rights. The permanent representative congratulated the foreign minister on Pakistan's remarkable victory in the UN Human Rights Council elections and assured him that he will work effectively in highlighting Indian atrocities at the forum of UN. TLTP

Accountability courts ordered to hear cases daily and without adjournments A written order issued by the Supreme Court (SC) directed all accountability courts to treat cases expeditiously, wherein cases should be heard daily and adjournments should not be granted. Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed during the hearing of a suo motu case regarding a delay in the trial of corruption cases issued the above order. “The Prosecutor General, NAB [National Accountability Bureau] will ensure availability of all witnesses, from the prosecution side, in all the References pending before the Accountability Courts and shall not seek any adjournment in this regard,” the written SC order stated. A day earlier, the SC ordered the government to make a decision within a month about establishing 120 accountability courts throughout the country.

The CJP had sought a report from NAB, but was told that its amended rules were with the Law Ministry, The additional attorney general informed the court that at the moment there were 24 fully functional accountability courts working in the country. There was no vacant post in any of these courts, he added.

“Currently 24 accountability courts are fully operational across the country. The judges have been appointed to vacant positions and there are no vacant seats in the NAB courts now,” said Additional Attorney General (AAG) Sohail Mahmood. “There is no room for ad hocism now,” the chief justice remarked, adding that there is NAB had said the same during a previous hearing. NEWS DESK

government for the lack of economic prosperity in the region and held them liable for “historic inflation, poor education policies, and health reforms”.

He spoke against the treatment of

farmers in the area, who were left to fend for themselves instead of receiving help from the authorities in Islamabad. Bilawal said that GB needs food processing plants, cold storage chains, and a dense transport network to transport fruits and vegetables.

He also called the treatment of lady healthcare workers “reprehensible”, and said that it was the health programme launched by his father, Asif Ali Zardari, that was still used to facilitate the workers to this day.

“We plan on launching free quality hospitals in the region just like we launched Gambat medical institute that rushed to the rescue of Shaukat Ali when he was suffering from a lung ailment,” he said.

Reiterating that democracy is the only solution to all woes of the country, Bilawal hoped that PPP will witness a remarkable win in the region.

NAB approves another graft reference against Nawaz Sharif ISLAMABAD INP

The executive board of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Thursday approved another graft reference against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

The NAB executive board meeting, led by Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal, passed an accountability reference against Nawaz for illegal use of bullet-proof vehicles, a statement of the accountability bureau said.

Former director general Aftab Sultan, former ambassador Aitzaz Chaudhry and Fawad Hassan Fawad have also been named in the reference.

The NAB session also approved an accountability reference against the former federal secretary of interior Shahid Khan.

Moreover, the executive board approved a corruption reference against the former chairman of the National Police Foundation (NPF) Mohammad

Rafique Hassan and other accused.

The NAB meeting approved another reference against the officials of the Punjab Sports Board (PSB), former Sports DG Usman Anwar, Wilayat Ali Shah and others. The NAB executive board approved an accountability reference against former CDA chairman Farkhand Iqbal and others. The accused were allegedly involved in the misuse of authority, the bureau said in its statement.

Indian media goes on fake news peddling spree after Safdar arrest episode LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Amid the detention and subsequent bail of opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Captain (r) Safdar Awan and events surrounding it, the Indian media has gone onto a spree of coverage of trumped-up, fake news, promoting disinformation on the “civil war” in Karachi.

Since Wednesday, mainstream Indian channels including India Today, Zee News and CNN 18 have been reporting a “civil war-like situation”. The coverage follows the arrest of Safdar and subsequent accusations of the “kidnapping” of the Sindh police chief.

Safdar was arrested on Monday for slogan-mongering inside the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah the previous day. Amid claims of manhandling of Sindh police chief Mushtaq Mahar at the hand of Rangers personnel, the following day, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa ordered an immediate inquiry into the incident.

Capitalising on the chance to defame Pakistan, Indian news channels reported “clashes” between the Sindh police and the army in the country’s financial hub. A fake video was also being circulated on Twitter, claiming to show the alleged clash.

CNN NEWS18, a partnership between Mukesh Ambani-owned TV18 and CNN International, also shared a similar video on Twitter. However, it soon deleted the video from its timeline but shared other ones, putting forward more outlandish claims.

PAKISTAN CALLS ON TWITTER TO TAKE

ACTION: Responding to the absurd claims, government ministers called on Twitter management to take notice of the disinformation.

“Indian media in hyper drive with fake news on Pakistan and unfortunate that Twitter is [deliberately ignoring it],” tweeted Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari.

Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi said that the Indian media propaganda was at its peak and was being fuelled by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) “circus”.

“Both social and economic indicators of Pakistan are showing positive signs. The artificially manufactured food inflation is being brought under control as well. Pakistan is on the rise under Prime Minister Imran Khan,” he said.

Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Chairman Shehryar Khan Afridi said that Indian media is “deeply involved in a fake, fabricated and malicious propaganda campaign” to malign the country’s state institutions.

“Twitter needs to take action against Indian social media accounts who are involved in nefarious attacks of fake news against Pakistan.”

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman stated Pakistan’s internal dissent is a sign of its “political health”.

“That democracy is never one person or view; That when freedoms are curtailed people push back; That when constitutional rights are under threat, the brave speak out. Indian trolls need to get a life and look to their own,” she said.

Routine academic activities will resume on November 2, and students will continue their training from when they stopped on October 21, the notification stated.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson to the Primary and Secondary Healthcare department confirmed on Thursday that 171 new cases of coronavirus reported in Punjab during the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 102,107. Four more deaths were reported while the total count reached 2,323, the spokesperson added.

The province has conducted 1,493,502 screening tests so far, whereas 9,289 patients recovered from the virus.

Army to always meet nation’s expectations in defence: COAS RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said that Pakistan Army will always live up to the expectations of the great nation in the defence of motherland. The army chief said this on Thursday during his visit to Gujranwala and Marala, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The COAS was briefed about operational, training and administrative matters of the corps at the Corps Headquarters Gujranwala. Later, he visited field training events near Gujranwala and Marala Headworks and witnessed troops honing battle drills and procedures for conventional operations. Speaking with participating troops, COAS Bajwa appreciated battle worthiness and impressive training standards achieved by the formation. Training being hallmark of professional competence, plays a vital role in enhancing combat readiness to withstand the rigours of battle, he reiterated. “Whatever the odds, Pakistan army will always live up to the expectations of our great nation in the defence of motherland, Insha Allah,” the army chief concluded. The COAS also visited Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Gujranwala where he was updated on various up-gradation projects undertaken for the benefit of patients.

He also lauded the efforts of Army Medical Corps in containment of Covid-19 and saving valuable lives.

Earlier, Gujranwala Corps Commander Lieutenant General Syed Asim Munir received the army chief on arrival in Gujranwala. STAFF REPORT

Cache of explosive materials recovered in Balochistan BALOCHISTAN: Security forces recovered a large amount of explosives in an operation conducted in Qamar Din Karez tehsil of Balochistan against Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Thursday. According to security sources, items were likely to be transported recently from Afghanistan through the Ghudwana enclave and were further being moved to carry out terrorist activity in Zhob or Quetta. Eight fully ready improvised explosive devices (IEDs) weighing six to eight kilograms each and a bag comprising 12 to 15 kilograms IED and other accessories including remotes, detonators, ball bearings and detonating cord were recovered in the operation. STAFF REPORT

04

Friday, 23 October, 2020

NEWS

Civil soCiety to protest for provinCial status for GB ISLAMABAD

a

GHULAM ABBAS

S the government delays the announcement of granting provincial status to Gilgit-Baltistan, the civil society and political workers of the area are going to organise a protest rally in Islamabad on Saturday in favour of constitutional reforms in GB. Addressing a press conference at National Press Club in Islamabad on Thursday, former minister and Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) GB leader Dr Muhammad Iqbal, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce &

Industry (FPCCI) Vice President Haji Qurban Ali, Hunza Qaumi Itehad leader Imtiaz Gilgiti, Diamer Youth Forum leader Zaeehullah and others expressed that the delay in granting due rights to GB is adding frustration among young population of the area.

They demanded the government to grant the provisional provincial status to GB as promised by the government. The same was also previously recommended

by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) through a high power committee.

“We assure our Kashmiri brothers and other stakeholders that granting provisional provincial status to GB will not affect the Kashmir issue. We would be taking

part in plebiscite whenever it takes place,” said Dr Iqbal inviting leaders and activist from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to join hands with people of GB in the struggle for rights, which are denied for over 70 years.

“As we are going to hold a protest rally from Press Club to D-Chowk in Islamabad on October 24, 2020, we invite the political leaders, workers and civil society from AJK to support us in the struggle for rights. Since the Kashmir issue is not being affected, Kashmiri brothers should stand by GB for grant of provisional provincial status to the region,” he added. According to him, a provisional status it is not the real aspiration of people of GB, who demand a complete provincial status, but ad-

mitted that it would at least resolve many issues.

“The representation to GB in National Assembly and Senate, as proposed by the previous government of PML-N, would reduce the sense of deprivation of the people of GB,” he said, adding that people of the area would continue their support to Kashmiri people.

He also said the Supreme Court (SC), in it’s a landmark decision regarding reform in GB, also made it clear that granting provisional provincial status to GB would not affect the cause of Kashmir.

Haji Qurban Ali, while addressing the press conference said that the protest rally on Saturday would be joined by political leaders, workers, civil society activists, students and residents of GB. Besides, to attend the rally, people from Gilgit and other parts of the region would also leave for Islamabad by Friday.

Imtiaz Gilgiti said that the federal government should not wait for the election in GB for the announcement of the provincial status as there was a complete consensus among political parties in GB regarding their demand for constitutional rights. Unanimous resolutions of GB Assembly and joint statements of All Parties Conferences held in GB were enough to know the aspiration and demand of GB, he added.

lahore may witness smoG spell in novemBer: offiCials LAHORE: As smog has once again started to develop over the plains of Punjab, the authorities on Thursday forecast that it is likely to prevail with variable intensity in Lahore during the first week of November. Punjab Environment Protection Secretary Zahid Hussain said since 2017, smog engulfs different parts of Punjab in the first week of November and the department was expecting smog around the same time this year too. The government has taken a number of steps to control the spread of smog, he said. Punjab Relief Commissioner Babar Hayat Tarar said that a restriction has been placed on the burning of crops. Brick kilns across Punjab will also remain closed from November 7 to December 31. Air pollution levels in Lahore were reported to be among the worst in the world last year and Amnesty International issued a statement that the hazardous air quality in Pakistan violates human rights. At least 95 per cent of all children in low and middle-income countries were exposed to unsafe levels of air pollution, according to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report on air quality and child health said. In Lahore, a report prepared by the Children’s Hospital revealed a three-fold increase in admissions for chest or cardiovascular complaints in the past decade. According to the WHO, air pollution impacts every organ of the body and can result in brain deformities and stunting. STAFF REPORT LAHORE: Baloch students of Bahauddin Zakariya University protest for the acceptance of their demands. ZUBAIR MEHFOOZ

Punjab government changes the role of 'Patwari' in modern revenue system LAHORE SHAHAB OMER

The Punjab government has made redefining the role of Patwaris in the modern system of revenue a condition of any further recruitment of Patwaris in the Land Record System (LRS).

Punjab Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht on Thursday chaired the first meeting of the committee formed by the Chief Minister Usman Buzdar to reconstitute the organizational structure to improve the service delivery and revenue system under the Punjab Board of Revenue (PBR).

The meeting was attended by Provin-

cial Minister for Irrigation Mohsin Leghari, Board of Revenue (BoR) Senior Member Babar Hayat Tarrar, Additional Chief Secretary Shaukat Ali, Secretary Local Government Tahir Khurshid, chairman of Punjab information technology board, commissioner Bahawalpur, director Punjab Land Record Authority (PLRA), former federal secretary Irfan Elahi, Rashid Langarial and representatives of related institutions.

Babar Hayat Tarrar, while informing the meeting about the aims and objectives of the committee, said that the committee headed by the finance minister of Punjab would determine measures to eradicate

corruption in land record centres as well as the exploitation of the people at the hands of Patwaris.

“The committee will make recommendations to improve transparency and service delivery through innovation in the revenue system. Determining a timeline for computerization of land records and setting up a new management structure for future revenue will also be part of the committee’s responsibilities,” Tarrar added.

He also briefed the meeting on BoR’s existing service structure and performance improvement recommendations.

Meanwhile, the finance minister directed the BoR to rectify the lack of liaison

between PLRA and the Patwaris and to redefine the responsibilities of the Patwaris in the existing system of revenue before hiring more Patwaris.

Bakht directed all tax collecting agencies, including the BoR, to focus on improving service delivery instead of more recruitments. “A large portion of the revenue is being spent on the salaries of the employees of the revenue collection agencies. Innovation in the tax system aims to reduce the burden on costs by minimising human intervention. For this, it is necessary for the departments to focus on increasing the volume of revenue instead of increasing the volume of salaries.”

KP PDWP approves 39 uplift schemes PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) on Thursday approved 39 schemes with an estimated cost of Rs48,999.792 million. The 9th meeting of Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) was held under the chairmanship of Additional Chief Secretary P&D Department Shakeel Qadir Khan.

The meeting was attended by members of PDWP and concerned departments. The forum considered 50 schemes pertaining to E&SE, food, home, excise, information, water, industries, multi-sectoral development, relief & rehabilitation, roads, transport and establishment & administration sectors for the uplift of the province. The forum approved 39 schemes with an estimated cost of Rs48,999.792 million. One scheme was cleared by the PDWP and was recommended for approval of CDWP, while 10 schemes were deferred due to inadequate designs and were returned to their respective departments for rectification. TLTP

NITB providing e-office portals to 12 out of 40 ministries ISLAMABAD SHAHAZAD PARACHA

The National Information Technology Board (NITB) has so far provided e-office portals to just 12 divisions and ministries of the 4o that it had previously promised, sources told Pakistan Today.

The NITB briefed the Cabinet Committee on Institutional reform (CCIR) on the implementation of the eoffices in the ministries and divisions.

There is no standardisation to the rollout process of

these portals so far. Out of 40 ministries and divisions, 28 are at stage 2, which means that requisite hardware has not been provided. On the other hand, 12 are at level 4, wherein e-offices are fully functional.

The NITB officials further said that under the proposed transformation process, every file that leaves a division will be updated on its respective e-office by the particular ministry’s secretary.

Furthermore, the NITB said that it would send regular monitoring reports to the CCIR. It was proposed by NITB that the CCIR may recommend to the cabinet to

direct that all inter-departmental correspondence, including summaries and letters, be strictly through e-office.

During the discussion, the secretary of the Establishment Division said that secrecy of sensitive official communication should not be compromised, therefore, this proposal should be given due consideration while fully adopting e-office technologies. The forum also highlighted that automation of e-office portals may also require appropriate amendments in rules of business. NITB said that the security features of the new version of e-office are being improved.

The CCIR noted the progress made by the NITB regarding the “use of E-Office for all Inter-Departmental Communication” and directed that, after a review, a new version of e-office software should be prepared.

It is pertinent to mention here that the federal cabinet recently approved the Ministry of IT’s summary with regard to issuing an executive order for running the affairs of NITB. In addition to this, the cabinet also approved the grant of an additional budget of Rs689 million for 19 new positions and other expenses of the department.

Friday, 23 October, 2020

ACtionAble SuggeStionS froM exPorterS to be given Due ConSiDerAtion: PM ISLAMABAd

P

STAFF REPORT

RIME Minister Imran Khan has said that promotion of the industrial sector is the top priority of the government to expedite the economic process, create job opportunities and generate wealth to strengthen the country's economy.

Talking to a delegation of leading exporters of the country on Thursday, the PM assured them that every actionable suggestion from exporters and industrialists will be given due consideration so that more and more facilitations be provided to the business community.

The delegation commended the government's policy and PM Imran Khan's steps to enhance exports. It said that confidence of the business community has been restored as a result of the government's prudent economic policies, which

has accelerated the economic process in the country.

In this regard, the delegation especially mentioned increase in exports, and record sale of cement, steel and automobiles.

The members of the delegation presented multiple proposals to the Prime Minister to increase exports and capitalise the country's potential in this regard.

The delegation comprised representatives from Overseas Investors Chambers of Commerce, Pakistan Business Council, automobile sector, tanners association, hosiery, fisheries, garments, pharmaceutical industry, steel, textile, and other industries.

Meanwhile, PM Imran chaired a meeting to review progress on Pakistan Islands and Ravi Urban Development projects on Thursday.

The premier stated that special attention should be given to conservation of natural resources at project sites and en-

Hafeez Shaikh calls for broadening of tax net through data usage ISLAMABAd

vironmental studies must be conducted before the start of development work.

He emphasised that development activity in these projects would bring in huge investments for Pakistan and create significant employment opportunities for local people.

He stated that revenues earned by these projects would be spent on other welfare projects in the respective provinces.

While briefing about the Pakistan Islands, the Pakistan Islands Development Authority chairman stated that due attention will be paid to environmental conservation and corporate social responsibility (CSR). In this regard, the project authority is working with international environmental organizations including International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and has also obtained "Silver Rating" of Leadership in Energy and Environmental De-

Petroleum Division moves for 'unbundling' of SNGPL, SSGC ISLAMABAd

STAFF REPORT

AHMAD AHMADANI

Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh has reiterated the need for broadening the tax net through the use of data, already available with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), without burdening the existing taxpayers. The adviser said this while chairing the 3rd meeting of the FBR Policy Board at the FBR Headquarters on Thursday. Hafeez Shaikh advised Special Assistant to PM on Revenue Dr Waqar Masood Khan to formulate a proposal for liaison between National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) and FBR for data analysis to fulfil the requirements of FBR and ensure all stakeholders are on board. He directed that the policy board may also look into important issues that need special attention of the government regarding tax collection and trade management. He further directed that the next meeting of the board may be convened after two weeks. The FBR Policy Board approved the minutes of the previous meeting. The members proceeded with the discussion on the proposed terms of reference (ToRs) of the policy board, prepared by Industries & Production Minister Hammad Azhar and former FBR chairman Abdullah Yousaf. The subcommittee presented the proposed ToRs before policy board for discussion. The members of the board gave their valuable input to fine tune the same. There was extensive discussion on the task assigned to another sub-committee which included Hammad Azhar and Faizullah Kamoka for designing a mechanism of data sharing between FBR and NADRA. During the meeting, the chair also inquired on the progress of clearance of containers on the Torkham Border.

The chair was briefed that the situation is back to normal at the Torkham Border and the trade is business as usual. The current situation, due to the Covid-19, is no longer the cause of concern for the traders, the meeting was told. On the proposed ToRs, Hafeez Shaikh, after detailed discussion with all the members of the Board, gave certain guidelines to refine the proposed ToRs under the supervision of the Dr Waqar Masood Khan.

sign by US Green Building Council.

In CSR initiatives, he informed that the Fishermen Welfare Fund would be established for welfare schemes of local fishermen. He emphasized that the development of the Pakistan Islands would be environmentally friendly.

He also briefed in detail about sustainability, water conservation and financial advisory & investment functions of the authority.

The RUDA chairman briefed the meeting about progress on legal requirements regarding land acquisition, investments and construction.

The meeting was attended by Maritime Affairs Minister Syed Ali Haider Zaidi, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, Naya Pakistan Housing & Development Authority Chairman Lt Gen (r) Anwar Ali Haider, Pakistan Islands Development Authority Chairman Imran Amin and other senior officers.

The Petroleum Division has requested the Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) to grant an approval for the "unbundling" of the two state-owned gas utility companies (SNGPL & SSGC).

According to sources, the next meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) will be held on Tuesday to discuss gas sector reforms, particularly the unbundling of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited and Sui Southern Gas Company Limited. They said that the Petroleum Division has been actively pursuing the break-up of government-owned gas utility companies into different entities in order to ensure sustainability of the sector.

The division has already devised a way forward to proceed with the gas reform agenda, sources said.

The Petroleum Division’s newly devised gas reform agenda includes appointment of a 'transaction advisor' through a competitive process. The cost to be incurred during this process would be equally shared by the two gas utility companies. OGRA should accordingly allow the same in the revenue requirements of the companies and alternatively, financing from international donor may be explored to accomplish the task.

The division suggested that an independent National Gas Transmission Company (NGTC) may be formed, which would operate as a common carrier for

the existing/newly formed gas distribution companies as well as under third party access rules/codes promulgated by OGRA, while the company would not be engaged in the purchase or sale of gas and will only be mandated to transport gas.

Similarly, multiple gas distribution companies would be created with unified principles by both SNGPL and SSGCL within the area of their jurisdiction for operation of smaller business units/distribution companies. These companies would be established on technical and economical basis keeping in mind population, network, density, gas demand, workload and management/supervision and efficiency for the sustainability of newly formed gas distribution companies.

As per the way forward to pursue the gas reforms agenda, a mechanism of weighted average sale price equalization or any other suitable mechanism would be developed for gas sale pricing and the same would be implemented simultaneously.

The two integrated midstream and downstream gas utility companies, namely SNGPL and SSGCL, are currently engaged in gas purchase from exploration and production (E&P) companies as well RLNG and transmission, distribution and sale to various categories of consumers under an integrated business model.

They are operating on cost plus return formula under licensees from OGRA and the government is major shareholders of both entities.

FO rejects claims of Saudi vote against Pakistan in FATF ContInued on pAge 01 The FATF will also judge if competent authorities were cooperating and taking action to identify and taking enforcement action against illegal money or value transfer services (MVTS) and had proven implementation of cross-border currency and bearer negotiable instruments (BNI) controls at all ports of entry, including applying effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions. Pakistan has also to determine if law enforcement agencies (LEAs) were identifying and investigating the widest range of terror financing activity and that such investigations and prosecution target designated persons and entities, and those acting on behalf or at the direction of the designated persons or entities besides showing terror financing prosecutions result in effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions.

NEWS

05

Centre rejects claim of forcing Sindh govt to arrest Safdar ContInued on pAge 01 The council regretted that the judiciary had remained a “silent spectator in the face of this creeping martial law,” noting that it was rather being seen as a facilitator of elements seeking extra-constitutional roles. “For several years now, Bars throughout Pakistan (and a handful of bold judges) have been protesting against the interference by covert agencies/establishment in judicial affairs. However, unlike the Sindh police, the judiciary is yet to take a strong stance against such interference,” it added. Calling upon Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed to “urgently” take suo motu notice of the ongoing crisis and fix it for hearing before a full court bench, the Bar Council said that it feels that unless this trend of “military interference in civil and judicial administration is immediately reversed, it will permanently damage the public reputation and trust, not only in the government and the judiciary of Pakistan, but also the beloved Armed Forces of Pakistan”.

Security agencies directly take orders from PM: Abbasi on Safdar’s arrest ContInued on pAge 01 Abbasi also said that he had expected the courts to take suo motu notice of the incident. We expected that our courts that have taken notice of mere transfers of officials would have taken suo motu notice,” he said. “Today a police officer was kidnapped and they did not take notice.” “We [the courts] ousted a premier of the country for holding a visa in a suo motu case [but] today when the Constitution is in trouble our courts are silent,” he said, adding: “If the inspector general of police is not safe, then no one is safe.”

Depleting gas reserves not enough to meet winter demand, Senate told ISLAMABAd APP

Federal Energy Minister Omer Ayub Khan said on Thursday that the country was going to face gas shortage in the upcoming winter as domestic consumption has increased manifold due to the excessive use of room and water heaters.

Responding to a question of Senator Bahramand Khan Tangi, the minister said gas load management was inevitable during the winter season as indigenous gas sources were continuously depleting and cannot meet the winter demand. "The domestic demand goes up by three times in Sui Northern Gas Pipeline's system, while it doubles in the Sui Southern Gas Company's system during December and January," he said. "Both the Sui companies have been directed to ensure smooth gas supply to all categories of consumers on their network, especially to high priority domestic consumers." He said in the SNGPL network, enhanced demand of domestic sector would be met through diversion of Re-gasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) to domestic consumers.

Agha Steel makes a solid entry to PSX KARACHI ARIBA SHAHID

The Agha Steel Industries Limited’s initial public offering (IPO) will result in Agha Steel becoming the third company to be listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange in the fiscal year 2021.

The issue of Agha Steel Industries Ltd consists of 120 million ordinary shares or 20.83pc of the total post-IPO paid-up capital. The issue was offered through 75pc (90 million shares) book building method and 25pc (30 million shares) retail/general public portion. The floor price in the issue was set at Rs30 per share.

During the book building phase, held on October 6 and 7, the scrip was oversubscribed 1.63 times. As a result, the strike price for the public and retail subscription held on October 14 and 15 was Rs32 per share.

Applications for a total of 38.32 million ordinary shares were received against the

issue size of 30 million ordinary shares. The issue was oversubscribed by 1.28 times. The total amount raised through the IPO was Rs3.84 billion against the targeted amount of Rs3.60 billion, reflecting the extraordinary success of the IPO. Speaking about the successful IPO of Agha Steel Ltd, Farrukh H Khan, CEO of PSX, stated, “The year 2020 has shown tremendous growth in terms of offerings on the equity board and debt sector of PSX. With the addition of this IPO, there will be three listings on the equity board of PSX for the fiscal year 2021. The successful IPO of Agha Steel Industries Ltd goes to show the overwhelming confidence and interest shown by institutional investors, high net worth individuals and the public in the capital market of Pakistan.”

He further stated, “This year has also been a challenging one with different factors responsible for making it a difficult year for the economy as a whole and the capital mar-

ket in particular; from the Covid-19 pandemic to the terrorist attack on the exchange and the thunderstorms that could have weighed in on the market, yet the capital market of Pakistan has withstood pressures emanating from all these factors and shone brightly right through them.”

Hussain Agha, CEO of Agha Steel Industries Limited, while speaking about the remarkable performance of the company in its IPO, said, “We are overwhelmed by the response that entailed, and thank all the partners involved in the process for making Agha Steel Industries IPO a big success. The financial corporate market of Pakistan is very vibrant and we are very positive on the overall financial growth of the industry. It was heartening to see the systematic and streamlined process of listing in PSX as we are assured more companies will be looking to get listed in the near future. This is a great step for Pakistan.”

CMYK

Shahid Ali Habib, CEO of Arif Habib Limited -- the Lead Manager & Book Runners to the issue, said, “This was the largest IPO for a steel company in Pakistan. We saw a broadbased investor participation with 298 investors taking part in the book building and over 5,200 participants in the general public subscription.

In value terms, the book building was oversubscribed by 1.6x and the General Public subscription was oversubscribed by 1.3x.

“The market and the investors have shown strong resilience post-easing of Covid-19 lockdown and Arif Habib Limited remains poised to bring several other companies for listing in the next few months.”

The lead manager & book runner to the issue as well as the underwriters to the book building portion of the issue were Arif Habib Limited. Bankers to the book building part of the issue was Habib Bank Limited whereas bankers to the retail portion were UBL, Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited,

HBL, Bank Al-Habib Limited, Meezan Bank Limited, Faysal Bank Limited, Soneri Bank Limited, Askari Bank Limited and MCB Bank Limited.

The company is to utilize the IPO proceeds for its phase-II expansion, having undertaken the phase-I expansion earlier. The phase-II expansion includes increasing the production capacity and continuing the technological upgrade and advancement. The technological advancement includes installation of state of the art and first in Pakistan Mi.Da. Rolling Mill which is an advanced and competitive way to produce steel rebars from the perspective of capital and operating expenditure. The Company is also set to install an in-house Air Separation Unit project.

The total cost of the project is Rs7.04 billion, wherein 51pc of the total funding requirement is set to be raised through the IPO and the remaining cost through long and short term debt financing.

Friday, 23 October, 2020

06 COMMENT

The elephant in the room

Moving from crisis to crisis Is the worst yet to come?

I

T suits the PTI government to redirect the opposition’s criticism of its failures towards the establishment. There is a perception that to enable an incompetent administration to continue in office the establishment has provided it props. With a prime minister who does not know how to deal with a political crisis except with a confrontational approach, those providing him support are likely to come under criticism .

If all institutions work within their constitutional domain and refrain from interfering in the spheres of others, the country would run smoothly. It was for Karachi police to decide whether, and under which law, a case was to be registered against Captain (rtd) Safdar. The use of a force under the Interior ministry to humiliate the topmost Sindh police officers was not only a violation of law but also tantamount to degrading the police in the common man’s eyes. With PTI leaders in Karachi pressurizing the police for an FIR and a federal minister threatening the Sindh Cm wit dismissal if he failed to cooperate, all these events point to the involvement of the county’s highest office holder who makes no bones about his desire to send every political opponent behind the bars. The reaction on the part of the Sindh police officers was natural, keeping in view the treatment meted out to a force that has to be seen to be strong and prestigious to be able to maintain law and order. Sanity required that the provincial government order a probe, stand by a humiliated police force and persuade its officers to continue to work meanwhile. Chief minister murad Ali Shah has managed to defuse the situation for the time being, but unless action is taken against those responsible for police humiliation the crisis is likely to re-erupt. The Sindh Assembly has meanwhile adopted a resolution to pay tribute to the Sindh police and express concerns over the harassment and humiliation of the IgP. The resolution demands investigation and punishment for those involved in the police officers’ mishandling.

The federal government has again tried to cover up its ineptness by accusing the Sindh administration of confronting institutions against one another. If there is confrontation between institutions the responsibility lies squarely on those who transgressed their limits. It is also unfortunate that this imbroglio has added to the controversy over the islands off Karachi that the federal government wants to take over.

at Penpoint M a Niazi

T

He Pakistan Democratic movement (PDm) rally at gujranwala was remarkable, but not explosive. It would have been explosive had it been ruthlessly suppressed, starting with the arrest of anyone remotely connected with the PDm, going on to the imposition of Section 144 on the city, and ending with the flooding of the venue. None of these things happened, and while it would have been too much to ask the PTI or its supporters to welcome it (after all, it was aimed at toppling its government), it deserves some credit for not having behaved as previous governments, especially military ones.

It was also remarkable rather than explosive, because of PmL(N) supremo mian Nawaz Sharif’s speech attacking the Army. It was not the first time he had made the attack, though it was the first time he had spoken directly to such a large audience. It was also the first time he blamed the Chief of Army Staff and the Dg ISI as responsible. He accused them of toppling his government, installing Imran Khan and backing him by strong-arm tactics.

Imran Khan has twice attempted a rebuttal, first by calling Nawaz a traitor and accusing him of wanting to control the ISI and failing to do so. Recently, at a Tiger Force Convention, he accused him of using inappropriate language against the COAS and Dg ISI. By doing so, he managed to keep them and their names in the public eye, where they should not really be.

It could thus be argued that Nawaz has succeeded in making Imran join him in doing something that is not supposed to be done: make the COAS and the Dg ISI the subject of the political conversation. Nawaz has thus made it necessary for politicians to discuss the elephant in the room: the Army as a political player. This is something that is not supposed to happen, and which the Army will not admit happens. Indeed, the COAS, in a recent statement, while addressing a passing-out parade at the Pakistan military Academy, says that the Army will obey the Constitution.

The war of words merely confirmed what was already common knowledge: that the military operated through the ISI. That is the true Zia legacy, perhaps even more than the ‘heroin culture’ and the ‘Kalshnikov culture.’ Along with these adjuncts of the Afghan War jihad which was the salient feature of the era, was the vastly expanded role of the ISI. meant for the Afghan jihad, the ISI became a useful tool of political control. That made the ISI, not the Army as such, the real player in the political game.

It has taken mian Nawaz a long time to move from being a member of governor ghulam Jilani Khan’s Punjab Cabinet to his present position. general Jilani had been Dg ISI at the time of the 1977 coup, which was the time when the ISI began provid-

First quarter surplus Good news won’t last unless government puts in effort

T

HAT the country’s current account has remained in surplus for the first quarter is cause for celebration, but does not quite justify the jubilation being shown in official quarters. It does not mean that the country’s economic problems are over, or even that the economy has moved into the right direction. The current account experienced a surplus of $73 million during September, taking the cumulative surplus to $792 million.

However, there needs to be some caution, because exports have not recovered, and in fact are lower than last year’s first quarter, being only $5.36 billion, as opposed to $5.98 billion last year. Despite a massive devaluation, imports have only declined to $10.61 from $11 billion last year, with the result that the trade deficit has actually grown, to $5.25 billion from $5.05 billion.

The current account was placed in surplus by worker’s remittances, which were $7.15 billion this year, as opposed to $5.45 billion last year. That is hardly the best source to rely on, though the PTI, which relies on overseas Pakistanis, would be naturally optimistic, because the global downturn induced by the pandemic means that Pakistani labour, instead of sending remittances, would lose their jobs and return home. money that came to Pakistan because the Hajj was suspended will dry up soon. The government should understand that the country’s most lucrative markets, europe and the uSA, have begun to experience the dreaded second wave of the covid-19 pandemic, and are thus unlikely to buy Pakistani exports. The government must focus on the challenges ahead, over which it will not be able to exert any control. The problem with the jubilation by Prime minister Imran Khan in his tweet on the news is that it indicates that he is not getting realistic assessments, which in turn will lead to economic decision-making based on his imagination, rather than the economy as it really is.

Also, such celebrations may mislead those who think the economy is doing well, and thus make them make incorrect decisions. The Prime minister should realize that having wrong ideas about the economy has real-world costs for millions of people trying to make ends meet.

“First and foremost, we are Pakistanis” Begum Nusrat Bhutto, Mother of Democracy

Bashir riaz “First and foremost, we are Pakistanis” – Begum Nusrat Bhutto, Mother of Democracy

B

egum Nusrat Bhutto, mother of Democracy, gave this powerful message to the Chief martial Law Administrator, general Zia ul Haq, “Our heads might roll but they will never bow down. We will fight for the rights of our people, generation after generation.”

These words were welcomed by the people of Pakistan who felt trapped by the continuous oppression of a dictator. The space to breathe was becoming constricted as years of undemocratic rule stretched on but Nusrat Bhutto ensured that she reminded people they can create their own space of freedom by protesting and she would stand by them. Having Nusrat Bhutto leading from the front, party workers fought with great courage and despite harsh measures such as flogging, hanging or exile, they were not deterred in

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

of his era in office. The components of the PDm have differing solutions, while mian Nawaz’s own PmL(N) and his rival PPP have separate track records. ing the COAS political intelligence.

The performance of the economy was the plank The Pakistani Army is no exception in the world in forming views about national security and by ex- on which the PTI based the campaign, first to oust tension of diplomacy and foreign policy. All mili- the government and then to replace it. The PTI came taries need strong intelligence setups to provide to office with the existence of only a slim record, that information independent of the civilian intelligence of having governed KP. Admittedly, the scope for exsetups. As an almost natural concomitant, the ISI hibiting its economic decision-making prowess was moved from merely reporting to obtaining results that limited, but it did not use this platform to enunciate the political masters required. However, the ISI has an economic vision. The only solution it presented never been subordinate to the political government, was that it would end corruption, and provide honest because its political master did not control the pro- leadership. That dream ended when the Finance minister it had announced earlier, Asad umar, ended up motions of its most senior being replaced by Dr officials, who were posted Hafeez Sheikh on the diin from the armed forces, rections of the ImF, as one mostly the Army. Their of the conditions of giving promotion matters were Pakistan a package. Dr Ayub Khan is remembered (by a determined by their services, at promotion boards shrinking and greyer audience) as a Sheikh had a previous stint as Finance minister, headed, for senior officers, the PPP, and was reby the COAS. model of economic governance. In under placed by Shaukat Tareen.

The ISI was supposed One of the more interto remain in the shadows, the end, the PDM will depend on the esting developments takbut its political role seems government’s poor economic ing place is mian Nawaz’s to be pushing it into a limeown distancing of himself light it wishes it were abperformance for its movement to from the military. unlike sent. There are two major factors for military inter- succeed. The flaw in the PDM’s plan Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who had opposed his military vention in politics. First, is that it relies on the backers it mentor, Ayub Khan, mian there is the hangover from has never disbouts of martial law. It has alleges switching from the PTI to it, Nawaz tanced himself from his, created a sizeable number Ziaul Haq. And while even though it has tried its of military men who have Bhutto also distanced himsome experience of civilian components before. The doubts its self from Ayub’s ecoinstitutions. It means that management, these officers also have components have on Mian Nawaz’s nomic Nawaz has not only opinions about that sector. claimed Zia’s heritage, but strategy can be seen from the There is probably no subalso claimed Ayub’s. ject about which all officers doubts about his continued Imran has not claimed would say, “I don’t know.”

Second, there is the profes- addresses. However, while they may musharraf as his mentor, which is probably right, sional interest in security for he never held office policy, and thus in foreign not want the debate, now that it has under him, but he does policy. Parties with certain started, it may be impossible to stop have Ayub’s grandson in policy desires contest elechis Cabinet. tions, trying to convince Ayub Khan is remempeople that not only are bered (by a shrinking and they right, but also capable greyer audience) as a of implementing that policy That is how the PTI came to power, by convinc- model of economic governance. In the end, the PDm ing people that the economic problem could be will depend on the government’s poor economic persolved by ending corruption. The PTI has been in of- formance for its movement to succeed. The flaw in fice for over two years, and is presiding over what the PDm’s plan is that it relies on the backers it althe PDm is painting as a collapsing economy. It leges switching from the PTI to it, even though it has should not be ignored that mian Nawaz’s speech tried its components before. The doubts its compolinked this economic collapse to generals Bajwa and nents have on mian Nawaz’s strategy can be seen Faiz Hameed, saying that they had brought an incom- from the doubts about his continued addresses. However, while they may not want the debate, now that it petent Pm to office.

The implication is that the PDm could do better. has started, it may be impossible to stop.

So far, there has been no hint of a solution, unless it The writer is a member of staff. was the picture mian Nawaz painted of the prosperity

Can there be political discussion without considering all factors?

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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their mission to strive for democracy and restore the will of the people. Their mission united them. In the struggle for Pakistan, they were only Pakistanis and not Punjabis, Pathans, Sindhis or Balochis.

After the judicial murder of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Begum Nusrat Bhutto redoubled her resolve to continue the political struggle for democracy. On 16 September 1979, general Zia ul Haq postponed the general elections. Pakistan People Party’s voice, musawat newspaper was shut down and strict censorship was imposed on all modes of communication.

A lot of party workers suffered during this time.

Begum Nusrat Bhutto and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto were arrested and thrown in jail. These tactics failed to stifle the voice of the people as the streets of Pakistan continued to echo with slogans of “Long Live Bhutto!” The courage of the party leaders inspired courage in the workers and they refused to give up.

There were always more people willing to stand up for democracy than the people whose voices were snatched, from those in the jails.

In the heartrending and iconic image from gaddafi Stadium, the world witnessed the barbarity of the martial law where Begum Nusrat Bhutto was captured with a blood-covered face and police holding batons in the background. When dictators are afraid of ideas and freedom of choice, they revert to inhumane tactics and violence. Begum Bhutto was well aware of the risks and threats to her well-being.

However, she chose to side with the struggle for a democratic Pakistan. Her strong will troubled the autocratic rulers.

On 22 November 1982 Begum Nusrat Bhutto reached munich, germany, to seek medical care for her illness. Her sister Behjat Hariri accompanied her on this journey. Begum Bhutto was physically weakened but her will was unbreakable. Despite her ill health, she addressed the party workers in europe.

She reminded them of their role as responsible Pak-

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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istanis and the difference they could make for their home-country by protesting against dictatorship and working for democracy and the rule of law. She reminded them that the seemingly strong pillars of dictatorship were hollow from within and together, with the help of Pakistanis from around the globe, the pillar of oppression could be demolished soon.

After Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto passed away, Begum Bhutto played an integral role in keeping the people united and in high-spirits—focused on the mission of fighting dictatorship. Born on 23 march 1928, our courageous mother of Democracy passed away on 23 October 2011. She was awarded the title of mother of Democracy posthumously and the most prestigious award, Nishan e Pakistan.

Her generosity of spirit is evident by her love for Pakistan and Pakistanis. She dedicated her own life as well as the lives of her children and grandchildren for the sake of democracy in Pakistan. In an interview with me, she emphasized that the new generation must not forget that “first and foremost, we are Pakistanis. The divisive politics based on being muhajirs, SIndhis or Balochis is wrong. Our primary affiliation should be with our country. If anyone asks from within or outside country that where are you are from? You must always say I am a Pakistani.”

In 1975, Begum Bhutto represented Pakistan as the First Lady at the International Women’s Conference. In that conference, she was selected as VicePresident, which was a great honour for Pakistan.

Her work, nationally and internationally, will always be remembered as a valuable contribution for the people of Pakistan. As we commemorate her death anniversary, we must remember the lessons of unity, equality and democratic values left behind by her as the legacy of the Bhuttos and the guiding light for a prosperous Pakistan.

The writer is the former press secretary of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and advisor to Bilawal Bhutto, Chairman PPPP

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Friday, 23 October, 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

Increasing poverty POVeRTY refers to the condition of not having the basic facilities such as clean water, nutrition, healthcare, clothing and shelter. It is one of the major social problems that Pakistan is facing. undoubtedly, it is not just an important and sensitive problem for Pakistan but for the entire world. It hurts me to mention that social problems like crimes, theft, lawlessness, injustice, corruption, adultery, early marriages, child labour are associated to poverty. When these problems are not met timely, the results are in the form of deviant behavior. Drug abuse, smuggling, corruption, illiteracy and many other problems take place. To sum up, the government should work to improve the stability in our country and reduce poverty as it is the main cause of our backwardness.

SHAHNoor AMEEr TUrBAT

Life of senior citizens

Kosovo - Towards true independence It must be beware of foreign intervention aloN BeN-Meir

K

OSOVO became the youngest country in europe when it declared independence in 2008. Sadly though, Kosovo continues to suffer from mounting problems, including a lack of experience in governing, rampant corruption (especially at the top echelons of the national government), dislocation of human and natural resources, bitter political rivalries, and undue influence by foreign powers. Although these problems and others have impeded Kosovo’s progress, the country has tremendous potential if it only mobilizes its human and material resources and establishes a cohesive national agenda aimed at addressing its woes and unraveling the web of problems that have plagued the country from its inception.

As a young country, it is expected that many of the following problems would occur. But given its youth and being that its very existence is still contested, Kosovo must focus on addressing its national shortcomings to enable it to stand on its feet and cement its independence while growing and prospering.

There is nothing more debilitating to the country than widespread corruption and organized crime, which have infected much of the government as well as the private sector. Kosovo ranks low —101 —on Transparency International’s 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index listing 180 countries from least to most corrupt.

Whether appointing cronies unqualified to government posts, cutting corners in businesses, wantonly spending government funds, compromising national interest for personal financial benefit, making unsavory deals with foreign entities, and squandering money on projects for political favors, all severely limit Kosovo’s progress and undermine its standing in the eyes of the international community. Weeding out corruption is a must, especially if the country wants to attract foreign investment and financial assistance, which are critical for its flagging economy.

Central to its future wellbeing and eligibility for eu accession, Kosovo must adhere to the democratic principles on which it was founded and strengthen its democratic institutions. moreover, since Kosovo had successive governments characterized by fragile, dysfunctional, and weak coalitions, it must now focus on repairing its mismanagement by being transparent and accountable and scrutinize scandalous decisions by leaders. It must also allow for independent oversight bodies and the enforcement of the rule of law, as progress on improving human rights protections was slow in recent years according to Human Rights Watch.

Despite Kosovo’s comprehensive legal framework for the independent media sector, little progress was made in implementing this framework in practice. In the first eight months of 2018, the Association of Journalists of Kosovo documented 13 cases of threats and violence against journalists. A free media, speech, assembly, and peaceful protest must be treated as sacrosanct as they are the pillars on which democracy thrives

or dies. moreover, the government must ensure individual freedoms in all walks of life, protect minorities and vulnerable groups, and safeguard human rights and equality before the law. Kosovo is one of the continent’s poorest and youngest countries. unemployment is almost 30 percent, disproportionately affecting the young. Kosovo’s treasure of young people— 53 percent of the population is under the age of 25— have futures in limbo due to the limited opportunities to grow and prosper professionally. many young adults with university degrees who could become significant contributors to the building, growth, and prosperity of the nation end up leaving the country for better job opportunities. This brain drain is the biggest loss for the country. The government must plan and institute national programmes to provide a better future for the young who would otherwise be gone permanently.

Sustainable development projects involving community input— be that land development, afforestation, collective produce and animal farming, and manufacturing of house-hold products— will be a critical national programme. These projects will provide thousands of young professionals the opportunity to work closely with their communities, use their skills, and develop a sense of belonging as well as a vested interest in the development of their projects. This will help improve living standards in rural communities, increase competitiveness in agriculture, and allow the young to develop skills to the benefit of all.

For example, $2 million will achieve profoundly impactful community projects in water management (drinking and irrigation) and school infrastructure, women’s cooperatives and adult education, food security and unalienating production, and enterprises based on local capacities and self-described goals. Kosovo represents a real opportunity for wide-scale poverty alleviation and sustainability driven by peoplepowered change. However, it requires investment in strengthening people’s skills in local community planning of life-enhancing initiatives and managing participatory movements for development and social change.

No country can harness its human resources unless it makes education at all levels a priority.

Investing in education is the best investment and most profitable in the long-term. In Kosovo, education is lagging behind.

The government must spare no effort in making education available. Although elementary and high school education is compulsory, the government investment should focus on the quality of education and on giving priority to the sciences and technology. undergraduate and graduate students should be able to earn their degrees free of charge provided that they commit to perform a community service (such as firefighting, disaster relief, and community elder care) for the same number of years as their schooling years.

Kosovo needs to embark on a national program that reforms the energy sector by focusing first on renewable energy sources, harnessing in particular solar and wind, while tackling major environmental and health problems which are badly affecting the country.

Since Kosovo aspires to become an eu

member-state and wants to become energy-independent, it should not invite Turkish energy companies to explore its vast reservoir of energy as Turkey wants to control the energy sector. Instead, Kosovo should work in partnership with european and Israeli energy companies to guarantee sovereign control over its energy resources while ensuring a reliable energy supply.

Whereas Kosovo needs to work with and establish good neighbourly relations with other countries, it must remain vigilant against undue influence by foreign powers, especially erdogan’s Turkey. Ankara has its own geostrategic agendas, often contrary to Kosovo’s national interests.

Turkey views Kosovo as a province of its would-be neo-Ottoman empire, and erdogan’s investments in mosques and major national projects, including Kosovo’s airport and energy distribution network, are controlled by Turkish companies designed solely to keep Kosovo in Turkey’s influence. Yes, Kosovo needs foreign investments, but it must never accept any investments from foreign governments that compromise its independence. Russia, on the other hand, has used its veto power at the uNSC against recognizing Kosovo. Putin’s aim in this regard is to isolate Serbia from europe and bring it into moscow’s orbit: as long as Serbia does not recognize Kosovo, neither country will be eligible for eu membership, as the eu made mutual recognition a pre-condition to their integration. given the rapid development of digital technology, Kosovo has an unprecedented opportunity to further advance in this area, especially now that Israel has recognized Kosovo. Israel, being the world leader in this field, can assist Kosovo in the development of its technological industry without any strings attached.

There are several IT startups in Kosovo which began at the Innovation Centre Kosovo (ICK), a high-tech complex whose mission is to create jobs and business opportunities “in Kosovo’s IT and ‘green energy’ sectors through innovation, entrepreneurship and investment.”

Indeed, partly due to ICK, Kosovo enjoys thriving IT startups; it can emulate Israel and become the IT hub of the Balkans.

Certainly, many of these programmes and initiatives require significant funding. While the eu, the uSA, the World Bank, and the ImF will continue to assist financially and provide longterm loans, it is essential that Kosovo harnesses its own natural resources, especially in the energy sector. This would give Kosovo over a period of five years the funding it needs to invest wisely and provide job opportunities for tens of thousands of people, especially the young.

Thousands of Kosovar Albanians have sacrificed their lives to see Kosovo rise from the ashes of war. They bequeathed the country to this generation who must honor their sacrifices and never again allow a foreign power to impede their march toward a real democracy. They must stand tall and strong because it is only from that position of strength and vigilance Kosovo will march confidently toward true independence.

Dr Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Centre for Global Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies. alon@alonben-meir.com

SeNIOR citizens always face tough times in Pakistan.The country has always neglected its senior citizens by snatching their rights such as medical insurance , loan on emI and many more.It is states' duty to serve its people , especially senior citizens as they are too old to work at the age.It is high time to stop investing on such unintentional schemes which do not benefit anyone rather the focus should be on needy senior citizens which are unable to earn. The elderly have a lot to contribute to society.

We can learn from them. We can seek their advice. We can ask for their prayers. But most importantly, we owe them a debt. It is important to take care of them. A society is measure by how it treats its most feeble members. The old are part of that category, and it is morally imperative on us to make sure they live their sunset years as comfortably and with as much dignity as possible.

HAMMAL NAEEM BUGH

Fire hazards THeRe have been increasing incidents of fires recently involving factories , business houses and trading plazas in our large cities including Faisalabad , Karachi and Lahore , with heavy losses of goods and property amounting to several millions of Rupees .

Fire incidents have also been happening in the past . The main reason has been attributed to electrical short circuits . electrical short circuits are caused by sub - standard wiring and poor workmanship and due to non - adherence to standards and safety measures by both the power provider and / or by the owners of the outlets and the properties. generally , the electric installations are not well designed and constructed according to established good engineering practices . The installations are neither checked and inspected properly by competent government inspectors to ensure their compliance to prescribed regulations and standards before granting permission to operate the power supply system . unless the electric installations and wiring are strictly carried out and maintained as per recognised approved international practices , the short circuits are likely to continue with heavy financial losses that may include human lives as well .

ENGr riAz BHUTTA LAHorE

Underage Marriages CHILD marriage continues to be a rampant evil practiced in Pakistan.

This is because in Pakistan, 22% of children get married before reaching the age of 18, and 3% get married before reaching the age of 15. In fact, by doing this cruelty to children, what parents are essentially doing is denying these children an education, basic rights, and forcing them into something they are far from mentally and physically ready for. many young girls that are child brides also get pregnant as children and end up dying because of complications during childbirth, because their frail bodies cannot handle something so traumatic happening to them. They do not even get a proper education, and are unable to complete their studies since their parents force them to marry and quit education, which is the most essential thing for a person to get. However, this culture being prevalent is bad news, and will badly affect the future of Pakistan, because kids are the future of our country. And if we are to rely on these children for the future, the only way they can make Pakistan shine is if they are educated, and if they do not have the emotional and physical weight and trauma of child marriage to carry on their shoulders throughout their lives. At last, I plead to the prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, to take action against child marriages on an emergency basis, because this is a critical issue that needs to be solved if we are to save the future of our country.

WALi MUHAMMAD TUrBAT

Wheat and inflation WHeATS are used to make naans and other kinds of foods for the people to survive in life. The estimation of wheat used in Pakistan is 22 million tons annually in Pakistan. When the Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf (PTI) came to power after the 2018 elections and formed governments at the center and in three provinces, the price of wheat flour was 50 PKR per kilogram (Kg).

However a bag weighing 20 Kg was available for 640 (ex-mill price) during September 2018 which had jumped up from Rs 1060 to 1240 per bag of 20 Kg wheat flour on the open markets in different parts of the country and Rs 1350 per 20 kg in KPK. However, wheat flour prices were increasing since last year, as the official record showed that a 20 kgs flour sold at Rs 854 in open markets during August 2019 and it jumped Rs 908 during 2020. Increasingly, the price of 20 kg of wheat flour increased Rs 912 during April 2020, Rs 972 during the first week of June in 2020 and now this 20 kgs flour has increased or upwarded Rs 1240 in these days of the year.

It is my suggestion to the government of Pakistan to take steps on the issue which sensitively affects the people who cannot get three times food regularly in the country.

YoUNUS FAzAL AWArAN KULLi

Friday, 23 October, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

Samuel Paty murder: WhoSe free SPeech iS threatened?

IN FRANCE, A DAILY CHORUS OF POLITICIANS AND PUNDITS DEBATE CURBING MUSLIM RELIGIOUS FREEDOMS IN THE NAME OF THE NATION'S FREEDOM AND SECURITY FOR MUSLIMS IN FRANCE, 'FREE SPEECH' IS NOT ABOUT THE LUXURY TO OFFEND; IT'S ABOUT THE RIGHT TO BE HEARD WHEN IT COMES TO INSECURITY, JOBLESSNESS, DISCRIMINATION AND POVERTY

middlE East EyE

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MyriaM Francois

HE murder of Samuel Paty, a 47year-old French father and teacher, by what appears to be a Muslim extremist, has sent shockwaves through France.

For his friends and family, Paty's death is an immeasurable loss. For the nation, it’s the latest trauma etched into the public consciousness, just as the trial of the Charlie Hebdo attackers gets underway - a reminder that old wounds are far from healed.

Allegedly enraged by his decision to show a cartoon of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) during a class on free speech, 18year-old Abdullakh Anzorov took what initially began as a campaign by a lone parent to confront Paty, and turned it into a bloodbath.

Since Paty’s killing on Friday, thousands have rallied in support of “free speech”, apparently united in the conviction that this tenet of French identity is under threat. President Emmanuel Macron vowed that “fear will change sides”, an ominous oath that - much like his speech on separatism earlier this month - presages increased scrutiny of Muslims in general, not terrorists in particular.

IN THE FIRING LINE In the wake of the killing, senior ministers promised to close organisations and mosques deemed to be linked to the attack,

regardless of how tenuous that link appears to be. For those in the firing line, including charities and an anti-Islamophobia campaign group, the sense of being unjustly targeted and tarred with the terrorism brush runs deep.

Simplistic slogans are now a pillar of nationalism: France is under attack for its values, and all citizens are called to its defence against an amorphous enemy. This enemy is violent because it is Muslim, and so the political logic goes, all Muslims should be regarded with suspicion and any signs of religiosity with fear.

This, despite studies showing religiosity is in fact often a bulwark against extremism, and there is no empirical evidence that religion and ideology are primary motivators for violent extremism, with radicalisation largely identified as a social issue.

Yet, in France, a daily chorus of politicians and pundits debate curbing Muslim religious freedoms in the name of the nation’s freedom and security. Chief among them is Eric Zemmour, who despite having been repeatedly convicted of incitement to racial hatred against Muslims, has seen no curb on his free speech, as a remains a regular contributor to French TV and radio, with bestselling books and a warm welcome from many journalists as he broadcasts predictions of impending civil war into French homes.

SOUNDING THE ALARM French nationalism is nothing new, but its veer towards a form of ethno-nationalism should have us all sounding the alarm - not least because it is deeply counterproductive in the struggle against extremism. By grad-

ually alienating more and more Muslims, the French government not only leaves very little space in which French Muslims can exist safely, but also creates fertile opportunities for frustrated, angry minds to be channelled into rebellion against the state.

The problem, however, is that the brutality of Paty’s killing makes the broaching of longstanding grievances over social and economic marginalisation, cultural rejection and discrimination virtually impossible for a community only ever interpellated in the media to answer for the violence of alleged co-religionists.

Enduring frustrations among many French Muslims over their treatment at the hands of the Republic - from police brutality, to profiling, to poverty, to job discrimination, to flippant and open disdain for practices at the heart of Muslim identity, including prayer spaces, fasting and dress are being instrumentalised by hardliners.

The fanatics portray themselves as the liberators of an embattled Muslim community denied its basic religious rights; the politicians, as the liberators of an embattled non-Muslim majority allegedly equally terrorised by beheadings as by halal food aisles and full-body swimming attire.

It has never been more vital to disrupt the binaries - and yet, handed the opportunity to set a progressive agenda, Macron has instead continuously flirted with far-right terrain. He has pushed a regular diet onto the French citizenry of concerns over separatism, peppered by fake news stories and a constant slippage in his discourse between extremism, “communalism” and Muslims.

To those half-listening as they prepare din-

Hate is poisoning Indian society MANY WANT TO DENY IT, BUT BIGOTRY AND HATE ARE EVERYWHERE

Washington Post rana ayyub

Hate is suffocating every aspect of life in India. No space seems safe. Early morning on Oct. 18, a neighbor alerted me to a WhatsApp message distributed by our building’s security guard celebrating the killer of Mahatma Gandhi and urging people to take up the gun to protect the idea of Hindu sovereignty. These types of messages are popular with Hindu nationalists and right-wing supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. When I posted it on my social media, many unabashedly supported the hate and threat in the message.

And when the iconic jewelry brand Tanishq recently ran an ad showcasing an interfaith marriage, the resulting Hindu right-wing backlash on social media forced the company to pull the commercial.

The beautiful 45-second ad encapsulated the Indian traditions of pluralism and cultural diversity, with a Muslim family celebrating Hindu customs and traditions in a ceremony to make a pregnant Hindu daughter-in-law feel loved in her home.

But the video swiftly triggered a wave of threats of physical violence against employees of the jewelry brand. Indian social media flared up, with the term #LoveJihad trending, a slur invented by Hindu nationalists for interfaith marriages in which a Muslim man is married to a Hindu woman.

This is where division and hate have driven us, in a country that ranks second only to the United States in the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases.

Many felt that ad, which dominated news coverage for days, was the real existential threat to India and not the horrible mismanagement of the pandemic response. In less than 24 hours, the brand announced the withdrawal of the commercial, titled “Ekatvam,” or unity, saying “the film has stimulated divergent and severe reactions contrary to its very objective. ” The fact that a major brand, part of the conglomerate once run by Ratan Tata, one of India’s richest and most powerful men, had to withdraw a commercial promoting unity to protect its employees offers a clear example of the disturbing depths we have reached in 2020 under Modi. The ad’s withdrawal led to anger and disillusionment. The 152-year-old iconic business group has been known for its commitment to pluralism and integrity; many tweets and editorials condemned Tata, who is considered the face of the company by many but has stayed a mute spectator through the intimidation.

As I’ve written many times before, these campaigns of hate are generated, circulated and amplified by government supporters, senior officials and prominent news channels alike. A well-meaning ad couldn’t stand in the way of well-funded media corporations tasked with dividing and fanning the flames of division for political gain. But not everyone has bent the knee. Unlike many invertebrate personalities in India’s business community who have chosen to prostrate themselves before the Modi regime, allowing themselves to be censored and co-opted, there are important exceptions. Bajaj Auto and iconic foods company Parle Products have refused to advertise on channels that broadcast toxic news items that lead to polarization and majoritarian sentiments in the country.

But not all is lost. Indian officials are investigating news channels for fudging viewership numbers. These channels have been consistent in their pro-state activism, spreading misinformation about Indian

minorities that gives a shot in the arm to communalism in India.It will take great political will and a mobilized Indian society to hold these powerful forces accountable. These independent investigations are a powerful bulwark against the further erosion of Indian democracy.

Many still refuse to face the racism and communalism that has permeated and flourished in recent years across virtually all facets of Indian society.

Rahul Gandhi, one of the key leaders of the Indian National Congress, recently tweeted that “the shameful truth is many Indians don’t consider Dalits, Muslims and Tribals to be human.” The tweet sparked outrage, including from many liberals. The tweet came in the wake of the alleged gang rape and killing of a lowercaste young woman in the state of Uttar Pradesh by upper-caste men. Police officers burned the body of the victim in the hope of making the story and justice vanish. The young woman’s parents were gagged from speaking to either the media or any political party, and members of the ruling party rallied in support of the accused. Gandhi hit a raw nerve and exposed the systemic hate against religious and caste minorities, whose women are the most vulnerable.

The controversy over the ad simply reinforced this: Hindu nationalists were outraged at a Hindu woman exercising her agency to love and be part of a Muslim family, an idea that is anathema to supremacists who hold women as objects that need to be controlled and destroyed to establish their hegemony.

Now the ad has been censored and wiped out from our imagination under a flood of violence, exposing the moral deterioration in our country. I’m sure my building’s security guard agreed with the decision to pull the ad. Many want to deny it, but bigotry and hate are everywhere.

Closer than many might want to admit.

Rana Ayyub is an Indian journalist and author of “Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up.”

ner for the kids, the message is clear: Muslims are the problem.

SOCIAL INTEGRATION A 2019 international study highlighted that radicalisation follows a sense of isolation from society. The study’s co-lead author, Nafees Hamid, said that “extreme pro-group behaviour seems to intensify after social exclusion”. And it’s not the only study to corroborate this finding - previous research commissioned by Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham after the 2017 arena attack identified a lack of social integration as a key factor in radicalisation, which societies ignore at their peril. France cannot afford its current trajectory. None of us can. In the wake of Paty’s killing, two Muslim women were stabbed under the Eiffel Tower following a row during which the white female attackers shouted "dirty Arabs", in what is being treated as a racist attack. The attack fits a growing pattern of targeted attacks against Muslims, often women.

The problems facing Muslims in France are multidimensional, and to continuously target Muslims as a problem community on the basis of their religious identity - without any attempt to address the systematic issues they face as citizens - is to show a profound disdain for the inequality that plagues French society.

In a debate so focused on freedom of speech, we rarely hear directly from French Muslims. We rarely hear about the range of experiences, outlooks or polemics that this diverse demographic encounters. Instead, either compliant imams or firebrands are invited to make contributions to which few can actually relate.

This failure to understand the historical “other” in France, which today is fully French and rightfully demanding that their whole identity - as citizens, as descendants of the colonised, as racialised groups, as religious adherents - be fully accepted by the Republic as part of its modern incarnation, is the real struggle simmering below the surface.

GRIEVANCES IGNORED This week, as thousands rallied across France to honour Paty and to defend “free speech”, we should be very attentive to what lies beneath such slogans. It is true that acts of violence, such as Paty’s murder, threaten free speech when it comes to the dissemination of material designed to shock and offend. But free speech has long been curbed for those whose grievances have consistently been ignored.

Their “free speech” is not about the luxury to offend; it’s about the right to be heard when it comes to insecurity, joblessness, discrimination and poverty. This silent majority of Muslims - and their non-Muslim neighbours in the forgotten suburbs have long been silenced, their speech rarely elevated to public debate, their grievances rarely taken up as a cause celebre for pundits or politicians.

There are many ways free speech can be threatened, and for some, the luxury to be heard has long been in short supply.

If this tragedy should yield some value to the nation, it should be in examining closely who exactly gets to speak, long before that speech itself becomes threatened and how such suppression feeds the cycle of resentment, frustration and disillusionment.

There is a lesson about free speech here for us all: that being able to speak - and crucially, to be heard - is vital for all in a society.

No society should seek the homogeneity of unity, but what it can and should promote is the equality of all citizens.

Myriam Francois is a Franco-British journalist, broadcaster and writer with a focus on current affairs, France and the Middle East. She is also a Research Associate at SOAS, University of London.

Yes, Joe Biden is compromised by shady foreign dealings Washington ExaminEr Editorial

The release of a joint report by the Senate committees on homeland security and finance raised important questions about obviously unethical foreign profiteering by members of the Biden family.

In particular, former Vice President Joe Biden’s ne’er-do-well son Hunter received a remarkable amount of money from highly suspect foreign entities, including ones controlled by the Chinese government. On at least one occasion, the elder Biden appears to have directly facilitated his son’s tawdry dealings. On another, the current Democratic presidential nominee ignored an obvious appearance of a conflict of interest that compromised the moral authority of U.S. diplomacy.

Not to be outdone, Joe Biden’s brother James and sister-in-law Sara cashed in as well, creating an international financial web that Politico a full year ago dubbed “Biden Inc.” Finally, and rather sickeningly, the new report shows multiple payments from Hunter to Russian and Eastern European women suspected of links to an “Eastern European prostitution or human trafficking ring.”

The legality of some of these dealings is at least questionable. But the ethical stench is undeniable. And while a father is not responsible for the actions of his grown son, Joe Biden’s role as at least a silent enabler raises serious questions about his judgment, not to mention his susceptibility, at least at the margins, to forms of foreign emotional blackmail.

The Senate committees’ report is a compelling account of Biden Inc., and even then, it isn’t exhaustive — because it alludes to plenty of other disturbing material related to Hunter’s dealings with China that remain to be analyzed. But what’s there already should concern every voter enough as it is. The dealings of Hunter, James, Sara, and Hunter’s business partner Devon Archer involved arrangements not just with multiple Chinese government-controlled entities and the People’s Liberation Army but also with corrupt Ukrainian oligarchs, the wife of Moscow’s former mayor, and a Kazakh power player, with millions upon millions of dollars flowing among numerous Biden family and foreign holdings.

None of this is immaterial to Joe Biden’s fitness for the presidency. As his son sought all

this business with Chinese entities, the vice president ferried Hunter Biden on Air Force Two when Joe took a diplomatic mission to China. Again, Hunter Biden was no child accompanying his father: He was a wheelerdealer adult with no obviously legitimate role on the trip. Hunter Biden emerged afterward with a deal estimated to approach $1.5 billion, of which an unknown amount apparently entered his own pockets as the deal’s broker.

Joe Biden should be forced to explain why he took his son on that trip and also why he didn’t ask him to avoid such sketchy financial arrangements with elements of a communist, largely hostile major global rival.

Meanwhile, the report makes clear what Washington Examiner writers long have explained — namely that Hunter Biden’s membership on the board of the Ukraine-centered Burisma company created significant headaches for U.S. diplomacy. With Joe Biden as the Obama administration’s point man on Ukraine, two top diplomats told the vice president’s team (or, once, the vice president directly) that his son’s position created “the perception of a conflict of interest” and “enabled Russian disinformation efforts and risked undermining U.S. policy in Ukraine.”

Biden knew full well of his son’s board service, but he did not recuse himself from heading the administration’s Ukraine-related efforts. In failing to recuse himself, he showed woefully deficient judgment. A supposed statesman as experienced as Biden obviously knows that merely by trumpeting connections to powerful U.S. officials, corrupt foreign actors can leverage those connections for favors or for immunity from sanction or prosecution — even if the American official is genuinely pushing anti-corruption measures, as Biden did in Ukraine. In other words, the son’s business dealings might have directly retarded the father’s legitimate goals for U.S. foreign policy.

There is no good excuse for Joe Biden’s ethical blindness about his son’s and his brother’s sleazy foreign profiteering. It is not enough to say that the vice president himself neither profited from those dealings nor deliberately changed U.S. policy because of them.

Due to the very nature of those business arrangements, Joe’s tacit enabling of them necessarily compromised U.S. interests. In terms of moral capital, the damage continues still.

Friday, 23 October, 2020

BUSINESS 09

PM IMran dIrectS BankS to facIlItate the Poor In avaIlIng loanS

CORPORATE CORNER

ISLAMABAD

KARACHI: Dubai Islamic Bank Limited & IGI Life Vitality through its Window Takaful Operations have signed a Bancatakaful Vitality product launch agreement. Under the agreement, IGI Life Vitality Takaful products will be distributed using various channels of Dubai Islamic Bank Limited. PRESS RELEASE

market daily

PSX breaks bullish streak as index falls 336 points KARACHI STAFF REPORT

A three-day long bullish streak broke on Thursday as the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) closed in the negative amid profit booking. Equity markets around the world displayed a mixed pattern, whereas crude oil prices moved north from the previous close; WTI crude price rising 0.75pc to $40.33 while Brent crude price increasing 0.77pc to $42.05. "The market opened on a positive note but profit booking dragged the index down to the red. Instead of any negative development on economic or political front, today’s profit booking was largely an outcome of risk taking at the beginning of this week. The FATF's decision regarding Pakistan will be announced tomorrow after the close of the market; outcome of this decision will have an impact [on the market] from next week," said a report issued by AHL Ltd. In line with this week's trend, the benchmark KSE-100 Index started the positively, touching its intraday high at 41,818.24 after gaining 282.32 points. However, it failed to sustain gains and slipped to its intraday low at 41,088.38 (447.54 points) later in the day. It finally ended lower by 336.90 points at 41,199.02. Among other indices, the KMI-30 Index lost 794.61 points to close at 65,635.60, while the KSE All Share Index dropped 247.13 points, settling at 29,046.21.

The overall market volumes fell from 661.19 million shares in the previous session to 500.09 million shares (-25pc).

Average traded value also declined by 21pc, from $135.1 million to $106.9 million. Unity Foods Ltd (UNTY +2.86pc), Pakistan International Bulk Terminal Ltd (PIBTL -6.16pc) and Maple Leaf Cement Factory Ltd (MLCF +3.10pc) led the volume chart, exchanging 61.28 million, 56.23 million and 44.49 million shares, respectively. Sectors that dragged the benchmark index south included oil & gas exploration (109.88 points), power generation & distribution (-85.13 points) and oil & gas marketing (-38.11 points). Among the companies, Hub Power Company Ltd (HUBC -71.15 points), Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd (OGDC -40.17 points) and Pak Petroleum Ltd (PPL -33.19 points) dented the index the most. Shedding 2.43pc from its cumulative market capitalization, the oil & gas exploration sector ended as the session’s top loser, with OGDC (-2.70pc), Mari Petroleum Company Ltd (MARI -2.00pc), PPL (-2.47pc) and Pakistan Oilfields Limited (POL -1.91pc) posting significant losses. On the financial side, Cherat Packaging Ltd (CPPL +3.38pc) announced earnings per share of Rs3.24 for 1QFY21 (Rs0.53 last year); National Foods Ltd (NATF 1.48pc) declared an EPS of Rs2.56 for 1QFY21 (Rs8.77 last year); Pakistan International Bulk Terminal Ltd (PIBTL 6.30pc) posted an EPS of Rs0.26 (Rs0.26 in 1QFY20); whereas Askari Bank Ltd (AKBL +3.22pc) recorded an EPS of Rs2.54 for 3QFY20 (Rs1.00 last year). Meanwhile, in a notification to the exchange, Hascol Petroleum Ltd (HASCOL -5.90pc) informed that it was challenging the Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority’s order to suspend the company's marketing license for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa along with a penalty of Rs10 million.

P

STAFF REPORT

RIME Minister Imran Khan, while chairing a meeting of the National Coordination Committee on Housing, Construction, and Development on Thursday, emphasised the need to facilitate the poor seeking loans from banks.

The prime minister asked all provinces to use online portals so as to make the loan approval process transparent and prompt.

State Bank of Pakistan Governor Dr Reza Baqir briefed the meeting about the provision of loans to the poor and middle-class on easy instalments.

Heads of National Bank, Allied Bank,

Meezan Bank, Bank Al-Habib, Habib Bank and the Bank of Punjab also updated the PM about the provision of loans under Naya Pakistan Housing Programme.

The meeting was informed that the process for acquisition of loans has been made simple, and that separate desks have been established in bank branches for this purpose. It was further informed that private banks will soon provide loans under both Islamic and traditional banking facilities.

The banking heads of assured the government of promotion of the construction sector, saying that they would facilitate the poor segments of society in building their own houses.

They lauded the PM’s economic

team for taking appropriate for facilitation of the business community and banks in view of Covid-19 pandemic.

The meeting was apprised that technology was being used to reduce the time period in the process of provision of loans (to verify antecedents of the borrowers).

The Punjab chief secretary on the occasion briefed the meeting that an online portal for builders has recently been launched in the province, adding that the portal has so far received 6,694 applications, with 54pc approval rate.

He further informed that concerned departments have been linked with the online portal to avoid any delay in approval. “Every approval has been made time bound and the applicant can track

Punjab labour dept to develop mobile app for registration of small businesses LAHORE

progress of his case through the mobile application.”

Separately, PM Imran Khan urged the people to use the Pakistan Citizen Portal forum for effective resolution of their complaints.

In a tweet, the PM said that public participation at Pakistan Citizen Portal has crossed three million mark. "Out of 2.6 million complaints registered at the portal, around 2.4 million have been resolved," he said, adding that 591,000 people have expressed their satisfaction [with the portal].

Imran Khan said that Pakistan Citizen Portal has truly empowered the common citizen and urged all citizens to use the Pakistan Prime Minister Delivery Unit for effective complaints' resolution.

Businessmen demand abolishment of dual taxation, broadening of tax base PESHAWAR

SHAHAB OMER

AZIZ BUNERI

The Punjab Labour & Human Resource Department (PL&HRD) has decided to develop a mobile application with the help of Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) for the registration of small businesses across the province.

According to a PL&HRD official, this decision was made during a recent meeting held under the chairmanship of PL&HRD Secretary Ahmed Javed Qazi. PITB Additional Director Saima Sheikh on the occasion had briefed the participants on the salient features of the application.

Ahmed Javed Qazi, while stressing the need for automation in government institutions, directed the concerned officials to develop the mobile application for business registration at the earliest.

He noted that the application will also make it easier for people working in shops and stores to have themselves registered. "Following the registration, these workers will receive online certificates, which the labour officer will be able to verify using QR code during his visit [to the premises]."

Emphasising the importance of

information technology in today's world, the secretary said his department had already launched several projects to automate business procedures in Punjab. "Online services for registration of large industrial units are already in place; more than 73pc of social security-registered industrial and commercial entities have submitted contributions online this month."

Meanwhile, talking with this scribe, Punjab Labour Minister Ansar Majeed Khan Niazi said, "We plan to automate the entire registration process of the department in order to facilitate labourers.

"The new automated system will not only help labourers to get themselves registered but will also increase the number of registered

labourers in the province."

Unfortunately, no survey for labourers' registration has been conducted since 2014, he lamented, adding that the incumbent government has now started the survey in the entire province.

"Only those labouers who are working in big industrial units are registered with us; we have the data of approximately 1.2 million labourers which is very low. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), our department should have three million labourers registered."

He said the number of registered labourer was one million before the PTI government came into power. "The target is to register two million labourers by 2022."

rupee hits five-month high against dollar NEWS DESK Pakistani Rupee gained 60 paisas against the US Dollar on Thursday, closing the session at a five-month high of Rs161.82 in the open market, according to data released by the Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan (ECAP).

The rupee’s appreciation comes on the heels of a record current account surplus of $792 million in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, as reported by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Wednesday.

“The surplus reached $73 million [in September]

against a deficit of $278m a year earlier. As a result, the current account recorded a surplus of $792m in 1QFY21, the first quarterly surplus in more than five years. Continued buoyancy in remittances (up 9pc m/m) and a broad-based rebound in exports (up 29pc m/m) drove the current account surplus in September.

Imports also picked up in line with the ongoing revival in domestic economic activity,” the SBP had stated.

The dollar is likely to hit Rs160 by December of this year, mainly on account of declining imports and a significant jump in remittances, said ECAP Chairman Zafar Paracha while speaking to a private media outlet.

The business community of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday urged the provincial government to take prudent measures for elimination of double taxation, broadening of existing tax base, reduction in property tax ratio and exemption to Hayatabad Industrial Estate from additional taxes. These demands were made by Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) President Sherbaz Bilour while chairing a meeting with Special Assistant to Chief Minister (SACM) on Excise and Taxation Syed Ghazi Ghazan Jamal at the chamber house. The meeting was attended by former and current officials of the SCCI and Industrialist Association Peshawar (IAP). Participants of the meeting asked the provincial government to provide immediate relief to the Covid-hit businesses, adding that the involvement of business community in policymaking was imperative to avoid a rift between government departments and traders.

Warning that a crackdown on business activities was tantamount to creating a gulf between the business community and government, Bilour said that the abolishment of dual taxation was essential to address the business community's grievances. Responding to the business community's woes, Ghazi Ghazan Jamal informed that the government was formulating a concrete strategy to eliminate double taxation and bring people under the tax net, adding that the provincial excise department has reduced different taxes from 8pc to 4pc. The SACM said that the department will soon launch an online system to reduce interaction between taxpayers and the relevant department, while a GIS Map survey would be launched in Peshawar by end of December this year. Furthermore, he informed the meeting that the department was also going to introduce an e-payments system.

Later, he assured the SCCI and business community that the government would take practical steps to address their grievances regarding double taxation and others. Later, he agreed assured the SCCI and business community that the government will take practical steps to remove their grievances regarding double taxation and other demands.

audit report finds appointment of senior S&t official irregular, calls for inquiry ISLAMABAD GHULAM ABBAS

In an interesting development, auditors have found the appointment, regularization and proportion of a BS-19 officer, who holds three important positions in the Ministry of Science & Technology (MoST), to be "irregular".

According to documents available with this scribe, auditors of the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) have found that the entire process of appointment, regularization, deputation and promotion of Shakil Arshad "was not according to laid down procedures".

Arshad presently serves as director to the MoST minister, deputy secretary (admin) and deputy scientific advisor at the ministry.

"An in-depth inquiry be initiated with particular reference to know the legitimacy

of [Arshad's] entry into government; manipulation and misstatement of facts forwarded to National Institute of Science and Technical Education (NISTE) and sub-committee; requirement and codal formality for regularization as per policy; and inquiry of those who were involved in assisting him for preparation of case for regularization and waiver of termination of probation etc.," the audit report suggested. They also called for recovery of Rs3.462 million received by the official as pay and allowances.

Arshad, who is considered to be influential in the ministry, entails an interesting employment history as per the audit paras and a petition filed against him in Islamabad High Court.

According to documents, Shakil was hired by the NISTE on 15th February 2006

for a project that involved making of video films on technical and vocational subjects.

Till the year 2009, he was working on contractual basis, but from 27 Aug 2009, NISTE engaged him with its video production unit as a "producer" on daily wages.

Documents revealed that he had manipulated the NISTE employment record in connivance with its officials, and by concealing facts he succeeded in placing his name in the list of "persons eligible for regularization".

Following his regularization, it was found that there was no evidence of Arshad's work on the said video making project. It was further unearthed that "Arshad was never selected against any permanent post and was only working on a project with lump-sum remuneration". Such posts end upon completion of the projects and do not

CMYK

operate to create any right for the regularization against regular post.

Although the NISTE admitted that Arshad had fraudulently succeeded in getting his name entered in the list of regularization, the institution never bothered to take any action against him despite recommendation for his termination.

NISTE had, however, recommended an inquiry against officials involved in manipulating Arshad’s illegal regularization as 'senior research officer/producer', but this inquiry was never conducted and it was thrown to the back burner. The said official had approached Lahore High Court and later Islamabad High Court his termination, but could not get any relief in this regard.

Interestingly, by ignoring the rules, he was absorbed in the MoST against a post of

assistant scientific adviser (BS-18) in 2019.

Despite having no relevant qualification or experience for the post of ASA, he was then promoted and later given the charge of deputy secretary under Section 10 of Civil Servants Act, 1973.

According to sources, the post of deputy secretary was a cadre post and Arshad was not even an eligible ex-cadre officer. The MoST additional secretary and secretary were responsible for illegal promotion and absorption of Arshad in the ministry, they added.

When contacted, Shakil Arshad claimed that he has submitted a reply to the auditors against the audit paras (which he termed observations). He claimed that the actions against his employment in previous organizations were taken due to "personal grudges" of some officials.

Friday, 23 October, 2020

10 FOrEIgn nEws

HARIRI SeCUReS pARLIAMeNtARy SUppoRt to BeCoMe LeBANoN pM BEIRUT

L

AGENCIES

EBANESE former prime minister Saad Hariri has been chosen to try to form a government to tackle the country's worst crises since the 1975-1990 civil war.

Hariri, whose last coalition government was toppled about a year ago after mass protests broke out, secured enough support to return during parliamentary talks on Thursday.

He promised on Thursday to form a “government of non-partisan specialists" after the meeting President Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday afternoon.

In a statement published by the staterun National News Agency, he said he would “work to stop the collapse that threatens [Lebanon’s] economy, society and security, and to rebuild what was destroyed by the terrible port explosion” that killed at least 190 people on August 4.

“I will first focus on forming a government quickly because time is running out,” he added. Celebratory gunfire was heard in the northern city of Tripoli, which traditionally supports Hariri, reported the NNA. In the parliamentary vote he was backed by 65 MPs, while 53 did not vote for anyone and there were two absentees.

“Usually, a Prime Minister secures the two thirds of the votes in the Lebanese system,” Lebanese political analyst Sami

Libyan sides agree to ceasefire following UN talks GENEVA AGENCIES

Representatives from eastern and western Libya agreed to maintain calm on the front lines, open transport links and look at securing the flow of oil as talks progress in Geneva. The warring parties will soon start working to produce a single state budget, the deputy head of the Tripoli-based government said, as the protagonists met under UN auspices in Geneva. “Today we are looking to unify the budget," said Ahmed Maiteeg, deputy prime minister in the Government of National Accord in Tripoli. UN envoy Stephanie Turco Williams said she was "quite optimistic" after sides began the latest negotiations this week. The talks come during a renewed diplomatic effort to end the fighting and reunify the fractured government of the country. She said that Libyan sides agreed to "continue the current state of calm on the front lines and to avoid any military escalation”, and that steps would be taken to restructure the forces guarding Libya’s oil production centres to ensure the recently restarted flow of oil. Opening air and land routes will have a “direct and material positive impact on the lives” of the people of the country, Ms Williams said.

She said the parties agreed to initiate joint security arrangements to safeguard traffic on the roads that are to be opened across the country. “The delegations directed that civilian air authorities take all necessary measures to open these air routes as quickly as possible,” she said. She said a decision by Fayez Al Sarraj to step down as prime minister of the Government of National Accord in Tripoli “should help end the long period of transition and the move towards a democratically elected government". Again, she urged for a halt in foreign interference and interventions to allow space for the sides to negotiate and solve divisions. The proliferation of armed groups and local conflicts have marked Libya since Muammar Qaddafi was overthrown in 2011.

45 legislators urge US to boycott S Arabia-hosted G20 WASHINGTON AGENCIES

Forty-five legislators in the United States have urged the Trump administration to boycott next month’s G20 summit in Riyadh unless Saudi authorities address key human rights concerns, according to a correspondence. The letter from US Congress members to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo comes after European legislators passed a resolution this month, calling for the European Union to downgrade its attendance at the summit, also over human rights. The developments are a source of embarrassment for the kingdom, the current G20 president, as it gears up to host world leaders next month at what is widely seen as a crucial event for Saudi international diplomacy.

Among a suite of demands, Congress members called on Riyadh to release jailed activists, end its military campaign in neighbouring Yemen, and provide accountability for the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul. “As the world’s leading democracy and purveyor of human rights, our government should demand dramatic changes to Saudi Arabia’s dismal record of human rights violations,” said the letter.

Nader told The National.

Hariri’s short win “will put his legitimacy into question,” he added.

The small Mediterranean country is facing its worst economic and social crisis since the country's 1975-1990 civil war.

Sunni leader Hariri's last coalition government was toppled almost exactly a year ago as protests gripped the country, furious at Lebanon's ruling elite. But the anti-government movement has significantly weakened since. Hariri's successor, Hassan Diab, claimed to head Lebanon's first "independent" cabinet when it was formed in January, despite receiving backing from traditional political parties.

Diab failed to attract financial support for the cash-strapped country and resigned

after the explosion at Beirut port. Eight MPs also stepped down, bringing their total number down to 120.

Hariri, who was the only candidate for the job, received the backing of Amal, the political party of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, during the parliamentary consultations that started Thursday morning in Mr Aoun’s palace in Baabda, outside Beirut.

But Hariri was neither supported by President Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement, which represents 17 MPs, nor by Lebanon’s second biggest Christian party, the Lebanese Forces with 14 MPs. The NNA reported that Berri said that “there will be a rapprochement between the Future and the Free Patriotic Movement,” he said as he left Baabda.

UK, EU to resume trade talks this week in London LONDON AGENCIES

Britain announced that it will resume talks on future relationship with the European Union (EU) later this week in London, a few days after Downing Street said the post-Brexit negotiations were over.

"We are ready to welcome the EU team to London to resume negotiations later this week. We have jointly agreed a set of principles for handling this intensified phase of talks," Downing Street said in a statement.

It said the initial phase of the negotiations has taken place in London from Oct. 22 until Oct. 25. "It is clear that significant gaps remain between our positions in the most difficult areas, but we are ready, with the EU, to see if it is possible to bridge them in intensive talks," Downing Street said.

Meanwhile, a Downing Street

spokesperson said the development has been sparked by EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier's statement in the European Parliament on Wednesday that both sides must be willing to compromise. Barnier told the European Parliament that a deal was "within reach".

However, Downing Street warned that the no-trade deal scenario still could not be ruled out. "As both sides have made clear, it takes two to reach an agreement. It is entirely possible that negotiations will not succeed," it said. "If so, the UK will end the transition period on Australia terms and will prosper in doing so."

The Australia-style arrangement is an euphemism for failure to reach a free trade agreement, which means the Britain-EU trade will fall back on World Trade Organization (WTO) rules in 2021. Britain urged businesses, hauliers and travellers to prepare actively for the end of the transition pe-

riod, whether an agreement is reached or not.

Britain and the EU started their lengthy and bumpy post-Brexit talks in March after Britain ended its EU membership on Jan. 31, trying to secure a future trade deal before the Brexit transition period expires at the end of the year. The post-Brexit trade talks stalled last week, with Downing Street insisting there was no point in resuming discussions unless there was a change in stance from the regional bloc.

There are big gaps between the two sides on such fields as the fisheries, state aid. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, were engaged in a video meeting in early October trying to unblock the trade talks at a time when countries, such as Britain, China, Russia and the United States, are racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines.

Jack Ma to buy one-fifth of Ant shares in mega IPO HANGZHOU AGENCIES

Alibaba Group agreed to subscribe to more than a fifth of Ant Group’s imminent initial public offering, propping up its part-owned fintech giant’s potentially $35 billion debut.

Asia’s largest corporation will buy 730 million of about 1.67 billion Shanghai-listed A shares as part of a placement to strategic investors, the e-commerce giant said in a stock exchange filing. Including the Hong Kong tranche of its IPO, Ant intends to sell a total of 3.3 billion shares.

In addition, the financial services giant plans to issue about 1.16 billion Hong Kong-listed or H shares to Alibaba, part of a distribution of about 3.26 billion shares to existing backers.

Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma’s Ant Group is racing toward what could be the world’s largest ever coming-out party, slated for sometime over the coming weeks. The IPO shares deal helps Alibaba prevent the dilution of its stake after Ant goes public. The Chinese e-commerce giant will hold about 32 per cent of its affiliate’s shares after the IPO,

based on data compiled by Bloomberg.

Ant’s IPO is said to have drawn interest from strategic investors including Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC Pte, Temasek Holdings and China’s $318bn National Council for Social Security Fund. That strong demand means the Alipay operator could fetch a valuation of at least $280bn, despite concern that people within the Trump administration are exploring restrictions on the Chinese fintech giant, according to people familiar with the matter.

Ant reported a 74 per cent jump in gross profit to 69.5bn yuan ($10.4bn) from January to September, according to an A-share prospectus posted to the Shanghai exchange.

Mr Ma’s Ant Group is asking buyers of what could be the world’s biggest-ever initial public offering to commit to the deal just days before the US presidential election.

The Chinese fintech giant will price the Shanghai portion of its dual listing on October 27 and allow subscriptions on October 29, it said in a prospectus published on Wednesday. The deadline for payments will be November 2. Ant hasn’t yet spelled out dates for the Hong Kong leg of the IPO, but they’re expected to be similar.

Air pollution kills 476,000 newborns in 2019: study WASHINGTON AGENCIES

Air pollution killed 476,000 newborns in 2019, with the biggest hotspots in India and subSaharan Africa, according to a new global study which said that nearly two-thirds of the deaths came from noxious fumes from cooking fuels.

More than 116,000 Indian infants died of air pollution in the first month of life, and the corresponding figure was 236,000 in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a State of Global Air 2020 study released on Wednesday. The estimates were produced by the United States-based Health Effects Institute (HEI) and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease project. The authors wrote they relied on a growing body of evidence linking mothers’ exposures during pregnancy to air pollution with the increased risk of their infants being born too small (low birth weight) or too early (preterm birth). These conditions are associated with serious complications and already account for the vast majority of neonatal deaths in both regions.

The new analysis estimated what percentage of those deaths came from ambient and household air pollution. “An infant’s health is critical to the future of every society, and this newest evidence suggests an especially high risk for infants born in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa,” said Dan Greenbaum, president of HEI.

Call to recognise genocide ahead of UN Rohingya donor meeting LONDON: Civil society groups have urged the countries convening a UN-backed Rohingya donor conference to acknowledge that genocide was committed against the ethnic minority in Myanmar, as the United Kingdom announced new funding for the tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees now living in camps in Bangladesh. With the donor conference due to start later on Thursday, a group of 35 organisations appealed to the US and other countries to acknowledge that what happened in Myanmar constituted genocide. The August 2017 crackdown that prompted the exodus to Bangladesh is the subject of an ongoing genocide investigation at the United Nations’ top court in The Hague. In a provisional ruling in January, the court told Myanmar to take emergency measures to protect the Rohingya, saying it had caused “irreparable damage” to their rights. Myanmar does not recognise the mostly Muslim Rohingya as citizens, even though they have lived in the country for generations. Government officials refuse to even use the term Rohingya. AGENCIES

S Arabia inks deals with IBM, Alibaba, Huawei to boost AI capabilities RIYADH: The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) joined forces with US tech giant IBM and China’s Alibaba and Huawei to build advanced capabilities in the fields of artificial intelligence and smart cities in an effort to boost its AI strategy. SDAIA signed three different pacts with the tech companies at the Global AI Summit in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia has launched its National Strategy for Data and Artificial Intelligence, which aims to make the Arab world’s biggest economy a leader in AI while helping it to diversify the economy and reduce its reliance on hydrocarbons. The kingdom is aiming to attract foreign and local investment worth $20 billion in the fields of data and AI in the next 10 years. “We are looking forward to developing real use cases in the fields of AI … many of them will focus on Arabic language,” Majid Altuwaijri, chief executive of the National Centre for AI at SDAIA said after signing three pacts with the tech companies at the Summit. AGENIES

Russia warns of consequences of US curbs on Nord Stream 2 MOSCOW AGENCIES

If Washington proceeds with sanctions against the Russia-led natural gas pipeline, Nord Stream 2, it will hurt a wide range of Western contractors and investors involved in the undertaking, the project operator has warned.

“If imposed, [the sanctions] could directly hit more than 120 companies

from more than 12 European countries,” the company said as quoted by Russian media.

The pipeline, designed to boost gas supplies to Germany and other European states by 55 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year, has already been granted all the necessary permits from regulators, the operator added. The underwater link is 94 percent complete, with pipes already stretching across 2,300km of its total

length of 2,460km.

The statement comes less than 24 hours after the US State Department announced the extension of sanctions against the project as it broadened the interpretation of Congress’ Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act of 2019. It now applies to companies that provide services or funds for the upgrade or installation of equipment on ships for laying the gas pipeline. The US gave the firms 30 days

to ditch the project or face potential sanctions.

Russia has already condemned the move, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov comparing it to a hostile takeover. Speaking to reporters, Peskov said such a destructive policy and the constant introduction of different restrictions against Russia only further damage relations between Moscow and Washington.

Friday, 23 October, 2020

WESTErN crIckETErS MorE LIkELy To HAvE MENTAL HEALTH ISSuES: MISBAH oN PLAyINg IN BIo-BuBBLE LAHORE

H

AGENCIES

EAD coach Misbahul Haq feels that western cricketers are more prone to mental health issues if international matches are continued to be played in a strict bio-secure environment.

Misbah feels that Pakistani players are mentally very strong due to their social environment and so they can get through this period of 'bio-secure environment'.

"Yes, it is an issue about players and team officials facing mental health issues if the cricket continues to be played like it

is being held right now. As far as Pakistan is concerned I think our players due to their social environment are mentally very strong so they can get through this period.

"But yes I believe in the long run, players and officials from western countries could be facing more such problems because their culture is different from ours," Misbah said in an interview to the Cricket Baaz YouTube channel.

"For them, I think this existing Covid19 environment that has been created to ensure cricket is played is more of a challenge," Misbah added.

Misbah conceded that restricted and isolated conditions in England helped the

‘Never seen so much respect given from a franchise’: Imran Tahir all praise for IPL franchise

Pakistani players and officials a lot despite being difficult. "I think it was good for us because communication improved between management and players, the players were supporting each other a lot and generally the bonding in the team improved a lot."

“Staying indoors all the time, the movement being restricted and not being able to go out with freedom does take a toll on the players and even officials.”

Misbah said the sooner things normalised the better because if the Covid-19 threat continued for more months, it would create uncertainty as to how big events would be played and in what environment.

“Staying indoors all the time, the movement being restricted and not being able to go out with freedom does take a toll on the players and even officials.”

Misbah said that he had decided to step down as chief selector for a number of reasons, but he had every intention of completing his three-year tenure as head coach.

"I have completed one year in the job and there are a lot of things to be positive about.

"There has been development and progress in the team and more importantly I can say with confidence that the mindset and approach of the players to white-ball cricket has changed for the better.

India vs Australia: Sydney, Canberra likely to host limited-overs leg

DUBAI AGENCIES

Chennai Super Kings have had a dismal season in IPL 2020 so far and they might, in all likelihood, miss out on a play-offs spot for the first time ever. The team has won just three of their 10 matches so far and are currently placed at the bottom of the points table.

One man who could have made a difference but has had to watch it all from the sidelines is last season’s Purple Cap winner Imran Tahir. The South African leg spinner has not got a game yet as MS Dhoni has preferred the likes of Sam Curran and Dwayne Bravo over him, given their all-round abilities. But despite not getting a game, the Protea spinner maintains Chennai Super Kings are the best team that he has played for among all the T20 franchises he has represented world over.

“Best team, from my heart is Chennai. I’ve been all over the world. I’ve never seen so much respect given from a franchise. I’ve never seen someone look after my family so well, the fans in Chennai are unbelievably lovely,” Tahir told Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in his YouTube show ‘Hello Dubaiahh.’ “When I play there it was a different atmosphere. And the main reason is I love their culture. They don’t talk about performances and are always supportive and that’s is what I like about it as in cricket You’ll perform one day, and not on another,” he added.

Tahir said that he has got “no clue” as to when he would play and asserted that it is quite difficult for a player to get into the CSK squad when four overseas players have already cemented their name. “I have no clue.

Earlier, Faf Du Plessis had to carry drinks the whole season. It was quite painful. He’s got a brilliant T20 average. I’m doing that this year. I actually got an idea of how he felt. I have been talking to him as well,” Tahir said.

With four games remaining for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the MS Dhoniled unit would ideally look to finish on a high. With Bravo ruled out, CSK is likely to finally bring last year’s purple cap, Imran Tahir, into the playing XI for the remaining four games. “And once four overseas players are settled in CSK then it’s hard for the fifth guy. I hope I get a game,” said Tahir.

BRISBANE AGENCIES

Cricket Australia have been given the all clear for the India squad to quarantine in Sydney ahead of their blockbuster Test series around the New Year, the Sydney Morning Herald reported on Thursday.

The tourists had been scheduled to arrive in Brisbane and undergo quarantine there before playing six shortform internationals in Queensland and moving on to Adelaide for the first

Test in early December.

With time running out before the arrival of the players next month, and negotiations with Queensland health officials stalling over aspects of Cricket Australia’s plans, however, the governing body started exploring other options. The Sydney Morning Herald said the New South Wales government had approved CA’s plans only 72 hours after they were lodged, clearing the way for the tourists to arrive in Sydney and play the short form matches there and in Canberra. Cricket Australia offered no

comment on the report when contacted

by Reuters.

The Indian and many of the top Australian players will be arriving from the United Arab Emirates where the Indian Premier League (IPL) concludes on November 10.

An agreement with the New South Wales government would allow Cricket Australia to finally confirm the international schedule for the home season, including the four Tests against India in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

Guardiola says injuries starting to bite for Manchester City MANCHESTER AGENCIES

Pep Guardiola admits Manchester City's lengthening injury list is a concern as they prepare for a gruelling schedule of three away games in the space of eight days.

Wednesday's 3-1 Champions League win over Porto ended on a sour note as substitute Fernandinho limped off in the closing stages and the veteran Brazilian is expected to miss four to six weeks with a muscular problem.

Summer signing Nathan Ake was missing from the match squad with what Guardiola described as a niggle in his groin.

Aymeric Laporte and Kevin De Bruyne were due back in training on Thursday, but resources are stretched ahead of a week in which City will travel to West Ham, Marseille and Sheffield United before facing Olympiakos at home on November 3.

"On Thursday we'll start with Kevin and Laporte training again, but I don't know how they'll come back," Guardiola said.

"We get players back and others we lose. In three days we go to London (to play West Ham) and then to France to play Marseille (on Tuesday) and then Sheffield (on Saturday).

It's so demanding."

With Ake out, Guardiola turned to Eric Garcia as the want-away 19-year-old made his third appearance of the season, leaving John Stones to make do with a late substitute appearance after Fernandinho's injury.

Garcia is wanted by Barcelona and has said he will not sign a new contract with City before his existing deal expires next year, but Guardiola has not given up hope of keeping the player.

"I know he wants to leave, but maybe we can seduce him to extend his contract with us," Guardiola said with a smile.

"He is a guy who is so stable in many, many things and I'm so happy (with him)."

Ilkay Gundogan, who found the net with a free-kick, is among those who have already missed time for City this season and said he was not yet back at full speed after testing positive for Covid-19 last month.

"If I'm honest, we are struggling a little bit with injuries and to lose Fernandinho towards the end of the game is another blow," he said.

"There are others, of course, plus some who have just come back and I myself am not fully there yet after having Covid-19."

SPORTS 11 England to tour South Africa for limited-overs series in November LONDON AGENCIES

England will travel to South Africa for a fourmatch limited overs tour starting in late November, with all matches to be played without spectators in Cape Town and nearby Paarl, Cricket South Africa (CSA) confirmed on Wednesday. CSA has received government approval for the tour, which will consist of three One-Day Internationals and three Twenty20 Internationals between Nov. 27 and Dec. 9, with the players to first face a 10-day quarantine period. CSA acting chief executive Kugandrie Govender said the governing body had drawn on the experience of England, who recently hosted Ireland, the West Indies, Pakistan and Australia in bio-bubble environments, to develop their own plans. “This is a first for us and we commit to learn quickly and with great responsiveness as we have an action-packed international season ahead of us,” Govender said in a media release from CSA on Wednesday. “The fact that England are the current (ODI) World Cup champions will add tremendously to the two series and will give our own players every motivation to perform at their very best to challenge the reigning champions.” Chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, Tom Harrison, confirmed that the team would fly to Cape Town on a chartered flight and praised the plans of CSA for the bio-bubble. “I would like to personally thank Cricket South Africa for their efforts in ensuring this tour goes ahead and their diligent work to create an environment that is safe for our players and staff,” he said. “They are working tirelessly to pull together a bio-secure plan in Cape Town and Paarl. We owe it to the sport that we do everything we can to keep international competition progressing during this pandemic.” England also toured South Africa in February. The three-match ODI series was draw 1-1, but England claimed the T20 honours with a 2-1 win.

Holder unhappy with lack of talk about Black Lives Matter movement in IPL 2020 DUBAI AGENCIES

Sunrisers Hyderabad all-rounder Jason Holder is disappointed with the lack of noise surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement in the Indian Premier League 2020.

Holder is one among many West Indies players who has been actively supporting the BLM movement in cricket ever since it gained strength in America following the death of George Floyd in May. When international cricket resumed in July, West Indies toured England for a series of 3 Tests during which players from both teams, match officials and umpires took a knee before every game to show solidarity towards the BLM movement. But nothing of that sort has happened in IPL 2020, which is what Holder is disappointed about. “To be honest, I haven’t had one conversation up here around it (BLM). Sometimes it seems it has gone unnoticed, which is a sad thing. I guess it’s for us to re-highlight the importance of it, for people to understand what is happening in the world,” Holder said in his address posted on Cricket West Indies website.

Zimbabwe cricket team tour tests Pakistan’s peace claim KARACHI ANAdolu AGENCy

The Zimbabwean cricket team arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday after five years to play the limited over series, a development which analysts believe could bolster Islamabad’s plans to host more sports events in the months to come.

Pakistan will face the visitors in the three 50 over one-day Internationals in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on Oct 30-Nov. 3, followed by as many 20 over or T20 Internationals in northeastern Lahore from Nov. 7-10.

It was also Zimbabwe that had ended Pakistan’s six-year isolation in May 2015, after militants brought Pakistani cricket to a shuddering halt.

Local stadiums had remained deserted since 2009 when seven of the touring Sri Lankan cricket team members were shot in an ambush by heavily armed militants in Lahore. In the same attack, six Pakistani policemen and two civilians were also killed.

The brazen attack had forced Pakistan to shift its cricket base to the UAE, where they hosted foreign teams till 2019. Several countries are still reluctant to send their teams to Pakistan, citing security concerns.

“This tour has a double significance.

First, the team that had visited Pakistan when it was in a kind of isolation, is again here after five years,” veteran sports journalist and commentator, Qamar Ahmed told Anadolu Agency.

Also, Zimbabwe’s visit coincides Pakistan’s efforts to lure foreign teams, particu-

larly England to visit Pakistan early next year. “Zimbabwe cricket team’s visit to Pakistan is part of an ongoing campaign of the PCB [Pakistan Cricket Board] to lure international teams to the country to prove to the cricketing world that Pakistan is now a safe place to visit and participate in sports,” said Ahmed, a former cricketer, who as a reporter has also covered 450 five-day test matches, 738 one-day internationals, and nine out of 12 cricket world cups. “If the PCB manages to convince England to visit Pakistan next January, it will open the gates for other highprofile teams like Australia, South Africa to come here,” he said.

NEXT SIX MONTHS CRUCIAL: Echoing Ahmed’s views, Abdul Majid Bhatti, a Karachi-based sports analyst termed the next six months crucial for Pakistan’s cricket, fol-

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lowing the Zimbabwe tour.

“Small efforts, which began with Zimbabwe’s 2015 tour, together have brought the PCB in a position, where it can refuse to play on a neutral venue, and invite big teams, like South Africa, and England,” Bhatti told Anadolu Agency. South Africa is scheduled to play a full test, and one-day series against Pakistan in January, whereas the PCB has invited England to play a short series of three T20 matches early next year.

According to Bhatti, if England and South Africa visit Pakistan as per plans, it will mark the full-fledged return of cricket to the cricket-frenzied country.

“Zimbabwe is a test-playing country.

Their tour will boost the confidence of the big teams to visit Pakistan,” he maintained.

According to the PCB, it had lost more

than $100 million in TV rights and other expenses during the six-year domestic hiatus when it was forced to host home games abroad, in neutral countries like the UAE. This Zimbabwe visit to Pakistan, Ahmed said, is an attempt by the PCB to have regular overseas visitors to the country for not only financially getting stronger but also to reassure cricketing countries that security and safety at all level are in shape to host events. Following an improved security situation, West Indies, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka have visited Pakistan to play short format games, and even Test cricket during the past two years. A team of the prestigious Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) also visited Pakistan as a goodwill tour in February this year to support Islamabad’s efforts to bring sporting events back in the country.

Friday, 23 October, 2020

PrAyEr TImINGS

NEWS

ISrAelI delegAtIon vISIted SUdAn In PUSh to normAlISe tIeS

A

AGENCIES

N Israeli delegation has visited Sudan to discuss normalising relations following the Jewish state’s US-brokered deals with UAE and Bahrain, local sources said Thursday.

The one-day return trip on Wednesday has heightened speculation Israel could soon strike a peace deal with the Arab-led African country with which it is technically at war.

US President Donald Trump, fighting for reelection on November 3, has pushed for further deals between Israel and majority Muslim states traditionally hostile to it.

A chartered plane left Tel Aviv for the Sudanese capital on Wednesday, according to the specialised air traffic website Flightradar24. Israeli sources requesting anonymity told AFP Thursday that an Israeli delegation indeed went to Sudan to discuss normalisation of relations, confirming Israeli media reports. The same day, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he hoped Sudan would “quickly” recognise Israel.

That call came after Trump had pledged Monday to take Sudan soon off the US state sponsors of terrorism blacklist, a legacy of the era of fallen dictator Omar al-Bashir. Israel’s top-selling daily, Yediot Aharonot, re-

Children killed in Afghan airstrike that hit mosque KABUL AGENCIES

An airstrike by the Afghan military killed 11 children and a prayer leader at a mosque, local authorities said Thursday, in an account disputed by the national government. The strike on a village in northeastern Takhar province on Wednesday came as Afghan security forces clashed with suspected Taliban fighters, according to provincial police spokesman Khalil Aseer. “The airstrike was carried out when the victims were busy studying the Holy Quran,” Aseer said, adding a prayer leader was killed and 11 students. He said 14 others were wounded. Mohammad Jawad Hejri, the spokesman for the provincial governor, also said the strike had killed children. But the ministry of defence — who confirmed the strike was carried out by the Afghan air force — denied civilians had died. “Twelve Taliban including several of their commanders were killed,” it said.

Afghanistan’s Vice President Amrullah Saleh said news that children had died in a mosque “was baseless”. “Those who spread rumours will be dealt with,” he wrote on Facebook. The ministry of defence said it had appointed a team to investigate. “The enemy bombarded the mosque at a time when tens of children were busy in religious studies,” the Taliban said in a statement, adding the airstrike had destroyed the mosque. The Afghan military has a fledgeling air force and small attack planes capable of conducting limited close-air support for troops on the ground.

Heavy fighting in Takhar since Tuesday has left at least 25 Afghan security personnel dead, officials have said. Despite joining peace talks with the government in Qatar last month, the Taliban have only increased violence in a bid to wield leverage in the negotiations. The top US envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said earlier this week that fighting is threatening the peace process.

ported Sudan’s post-Bashir transitional joint civilian and military government had internally agreed to normalise ties.

“According to reports that have been received in Jerusalem, the leadership in Khartoum has made a decision in principle to that effect,” the newspaper said. It reported that “an agreement has been reached between the president of the Sovereign Council, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who had been opposed up until now to normalising relations with Israel.” The newspaper mentioned a possible announcement by Trump “in the coming days” from Washington, with Israeli

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Burhan to join by video conference. Netanyahu and Burhan in February held a landmark meeting in Uganda.

‘VERY CLOSE’: Israeli intelligence minister Eli Cohen was also quoted in local media as saying Israel was “very close to normalising ties with Sudan,” in comments his foreign affairs advisor Arye Shalicar confirmed to AFP. Sudan experienced a historic shift last year as Bashir was ousted in April in the face of youth-led street protests, and it is now turning the page on decades as an international pariah. It has launched a series

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of reforms, put Bashir on trial and is cooperating with the International Criminal Court to try him over his regime’s scorchedearth campaign in the Darfur region. Sudan is one of four nations branded by Washington as a state sponsor of terrorism, along with Iran, North Korea and Syria, severely impeding access to loans, foreign investment and debt relief.

Sudan was designated in 1993 during the rule of Bashir, who had welcomed AlQaeda founder Osama bin Laden as he imposed a brand of political militancy on the country. Trump said he was ready to remove Sudan from the blacklist after Khartoum agreed to a $335 million compensation package for victims and relatives of past attacks.

Pompeo had discussed the issue of normalising ties with Israel in August on the first visit in 15 years by a top US diplomat to Khartoum. But Hamdok at the time demurred on the controversial step, saying the transitional government did not have authority to normalise with Israel.

India to relax travel curbs despite virus crisis NEW DELHI AGENCIES

India on Thursday announced it will start easing international travel restrictions, despite the country’s daily coronavirus case count still being well over 50,000.

As part of a “graded relaxation” plan, the government said borders will be opened to “more categories of foreign nationals and Indian nationals who wish to enter or leave India.” The decision came on a day when 55,839 more infections and 702 deaths took India’s overall tally past 7.7 million, including 116,616 fatalities.

The world’s second worst-hit country, however, has seen a steady decline in daily cases over recent days, and a government panel declared a few days earlier that India likely crossed its transmission peak last month.

“It has been decided to permit all OCI [Overseas Citizenship of India) and PIO [Persons of Indian Origin) cardholders and all other foreign nationals intending to visit India for any purpose, except on a Tourist Visa, to enter by air or water routes through authorised airports and seaport immigration check posts,” read a statement by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

It said that all existing visas – except electronic, tourist, and medical visas – will be restored with immediate effect.

India suspended all tourist and student visas, as well as the visa-free entry of PIO cardholders, on March 13.

Foreign nationals can now come to India for various purposes, including business, conferences, employment, studies, research, and medical treatment, it concluded.

POLLS AMID PANDEMIC: Around 70 million people in the eastern state of Bihar are

preparing to cast their votes in local elections starting next week. The three-phased polls, set for Oct. 28, Nov. 3, and Nov. 7, are the first large-scale electoral activity in India since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. With over 200,000 infections in Bihar so far, fears are running high that the elections could further exacerbate the state’s Covid-19 situation.

Under safety guidelines issued by electoral authorities, all polling stations must have a thermal scanner, while Covid-19 patients who are in quarantine will be allowed to vote in the last hour of polling. Earlier, the election commission said more than 52,000 senior citizens and people with disabilities will vote through postal ballots in the first phase.

The elections are a test for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, which is currently ruling Bihar in alliance with the Janata Dal (United) party.

Banksy artwork sells for almost $10 million at auction AGENCIES Banksy’s playful take on a famous Impressionist painting has sold at auction for 7.6 million pounds ($9.8 million), the second-highest price ever paid for a work by the British street artist. “Show Me the Monet” sold to an unidentified bidder at Sotheby’s in London on Wednesday evening, surpassing its upper pre-sale estimate of 5 million pounds. In the 2005 work, Banksy added abandoned shopping carts and an orange traffic cone to Claude Monet’s image of water lilies in his garden at Giverny. Alex Branczik, Sotheby’s European head of contemporary art, said the work was one of the “strongest and most iconic” Banksy works to appear at auction. Banksy, whose real name has never been officially confirmed, began his career spray-painting buildings in Bristol, England, and has become one of the world’s best-known artists. Another Banksy work, “Devolved Parliament,” sold last year at Sotheby’s in London for 9.9 million pounds.

India, US set for military pact on satellite data during Pompeo visit AGENCIES India is closing in on an agreement with the United States that will give it access to satellite data for better accuracy of missiles and drones, government and industry officials said, as it tries to narrow the gap with the powerful Chinese military. The two sides are expected to announce the pact during the visit next week of US State Secretary Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark Esper for talks in New Delhi with Indian counterparts Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh. The United States, which antagonised Beijing this week by approving the potential sale of three weapons systems to Taiwan, has also been pushing for stronger security ties with India to help balance China’s growing regional influence. US companies have sold India more than $21 billion of weapons since 2007 and Washington has been urging the Indian government to sign agreements allowing for sharing of sensitive information and encrypted communications for better use of the high-end military equipment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet discussed the final draft of the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement on Geospatial Cooperation on Wednesday, an Indian government source said. An accord would provide India with access to a range of topographical, nautical and aeronautical data, a defence industry source said. It would also allow the United States to provide advanced navigational aids and avionics on US-supplied aircraft to India, the defence source said. “It is a foundational agreement, which the US has signed with many of its partners for greater interoperability,” the source said. India has traditionally been hesitant about getting drawn into a US-led security alliance and antagonising China. But tensions have risen dramatically with China this summer, erupting into a clash between border troops in the western Himalayas. This week New Delhi agreed to invite Australia into next month’s naval exercises scheduled with the United States and Japan, disregarding concerns it would anger China, which sees such a grouping as directed against it. “In tandem, the moves signal a new level of strategic convergence between the two democracies and a break from India’s ‘non-aligned’ past,” said Jeff Smith, a South Asia expert at the Heritage Foundation, about the proposed pact. Already there is robust intelligence sharing between US and India, particularly about Chinese activity in the region, a second government official said. This includes information on PLA deployments on the Indian border and also Chinese maritime activity, including its deep water fishing fleets, which have caused friction between Beijing and other countries.

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A majestic view of Karakoram Highway in Gilgit-Baltistan. INP

Taiwan says not seeking arms race with China after new US arms sale TAIPEI AGENCIES

Taiwan is not seeking to get involved in an arms race with China but does need a credible combat capability, Defence Minister Yen De-fa said on Thursday, after the United States approved a potential $1.8 billion arms sale to the Chinese-claimed island.

Beijing has applied increasing pressure om democratically-ruled Taiwan to accept China’s sovereignty, including by flying fighter jets across the sensitive mid-line of the Taiwan Strait, which normally

serves as an unofficial buffer. The latest US arms package includes sensors, missiles and artillery, and further congressional notifications are expected for drones made by General Atomics and land-based Harpoon anti-ship missiles, made

by Boeing Co, to serve as coastal defence cruise missiles. Speaking to reporters, Yen thanked the United States and said the sales were to help Taiwan improve its defensive capabilities to deal with the “enemy threat and new situation”.

“This includes a credible combat capability and asymmetric warfare capabilities to strengthen our deter-

mination to defend ourselves,” he added. “This shows the importance attached by the United States to security in the Indo Pacific and Taiwan Strait. We will continue to consolidate our security partnership with the United States.”

China is likely to condemn the new weapons sale, as it always does, but Yen said they were not looking for a confrontation. “We will not engage in an arms race with the Chinese Communists. We will put forward requirements and build fully in accordance with the strategic concept of heavy deterrence, defending our position and defensive

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

needs.” Taiwan President Tsai Ingwen has made defence modernisation a priority in the face of a rising Chinese threat, particularly “asymmetric warfare” capabilities, which refers to making any attack Chinese attack difficult and costly, for example with smart mines and portable missiles.

Washington, which, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taipei though it is its strongest global backer, has been pushing Taiwan to modernise its military so it can become a “porcupine”, hard for China to attack.