Epaper – September 05 LHR 2020

Saturday, 5 September, 2020 I 16 Muharram, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 66 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition

PM IMran refuses saPM Bajwa’s resIgnatIon g

PTI says PremIer Is saTIsfIed wITh The evIdence PresenTed In The general’s defence

ISLAMABAD

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staff report

T gen (r) asim saleem Bajwa tenured his resignation as special assistant to prime minister (saPm) in the face of recent allegations, but Prime minister Imran Khan refused to accept it.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) official Twitter account stated that Pm Imran was satisfied with the evidence presented in gen Bajwa’s defence, while in another tweet senator faisal Javed Khan said the premier had directed Bajwa to continue working as his aide and as the saPm on information and broadcasting.

Journalist ahmed noorani had alleged on a website that gen Bajwa had set up offshore businesses of his wife, sons and brothers using his offices. Bajwa resigned as the Pm’s aide after almost a week of silence but said that he would continue to work as chairman of the china-Pakistan economic corridor (cPec) authority. he also said that he was ready present

documents about his family’s assets and the money trail before any judicial forum. according to the news report, nadeem Bajwa – who started as a delivery driver for the Papa John’s Pizza – asim Bajwa’s wife, his brothers, and sons now collectively own a business empire comprised of 99 companies in four countries.

These consist of 66 main companies, and 33 branch companies.

The news report added that Bajwa’s wife was a shareholder in all the foreign businesses, and the estimated current net worth of businesses and properties of these companies jointly owned by Bajwa’s wife, farrukh Zeba, is $52.7m.

These companies have investments in the real estate sector and own 13 commercial properties in the Us, including two shopping centres, according to Us government state records. It cost an estimated $52.2m to develop these businesses and $14.5m to purchase properties in the Us, according to the report. saPm Bajwa rejected the allegations and said that these accusations were only

Defence

Day 2020 REMEMBERING WAR HEROES

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efence Day is celebrated as a national day to commemorate the memory of Pakistan’s successful defence against India that marked the ceasefire in the 1965 war on September 6.

Lieutenant GeneraL abDuL aLi MaLik A member of the Ahmadiyya community, Lt Gen Abdul Ali Malik commanded the 24th Infantry Brigade during the chawinda confrontation in 1965. air Vice MarshaL eric GorDon haLL During 1965 war, Hall served as the founding chairman of Pakistan’s Atomic energy commission and planned the dramatic adventure ‘Hercules Bomber’. He received the Hilal-e-Jurat, Hilal-eImtiaz, and Sitara-e-Jurat for his services.

meant to “tarnish [his] image” The allegations arose after he failed to disclose the investments made by his wife abroad, but Bajwa replied that on the date of filing of the assets declaration, i.e. august 22, his wife was no longer an investor or shareholder in any business of his brothers or anyone else. “my wife had disinvested all her interests at 01.06.2020 in any entity abroad and such fact has been duly documented in the official records in the Usa,” he said.

“The process of change of name in the secP [securities and exchange commission of Pakistan] in Pakistan has been conducted in due course, but that was only a ministerial function since the interest in the parent companies in the Usa stood no more in the name of my wife as on 22.06.2020 i.e. the date of filing of my declaration of assets and liabilities as a saPm,” he added. he added that over the last 18 years, his wife had only invested $19,492 in his brothers’ companies and that this was all from their own savings “Over 18 years the actual out of pocket cash investment into businesses by my brothers and wife has been about $73,950. It is further pointed out that out of $73,950, my wife’s contribution, as stated aforesaid, is $19,492. Thus, the total out of pocket cash contribution of my five brothers, for eighteen years, has been $54,458,” he said. he further added that of the total assets and franchises purchased at around $70 million, $60 million had been bank loans and other financial facilities. speaking on the allegations against his sons, Bajwa said that scion Builders and estates (Pvt) ltd, which was owned by his son “has never done any business and is dormant since inception”. similarly, saPm said that advance marketing (Pvt) ltd has also remained dormant since the beginning. regarding himalaya ltd, he said his son owned the only 50 per cent of its shares.

schools likely to reopen from sept 15, says minister

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ISLAMABAD staff report

federal minister for education and Professional Training shafqat mahmood has said that some fake social media accounts in his name are spreading false news that schools will remain shut until October.

In a tweet on friday, the minister said that education ministers of all provinces, gilgit-Baltistan (gB) and azad Jammu and Kashmir (aJK) will meet on upcoming monday (september 7) to finally decide on reopening of educational institutions and there is likelihood of reopening of schools from september 15 in a phased manner. “some fake accounts in my name are spreading false news that schools will remain closed till Oct. not true. education ministers meet on 7th to finally decide with likelihood of opening on sept 15 in a phased manner,” the minister tweeted. On august 21, shafqat mahmood had said a final decision to reopen schools that were closed in march to prevent the spread of coronavirus would be taken at an inter-provincial education ministers’ conference on september 7. speaking at a press conference, he said that the ministry of health will devise standard operating procedures (sOPs) for educational institutions to follow to prevent the spread of the virus. schools will reopen from sept 15

Bilawal hopes PM will come with hefty relief package KARACHI staff report

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari expressed hope that Prime minister Imran Khan would come to the province with rehabilitation and reconstruction plans as well as hundreds of billions of rupees in his purse. addressing a press conference on friday, the PPP chairman said, “we are looking forward to packages that the Pm will announce to provide relief to the people of the province.” he said that the sindh chief minister has put forward a rs800 billion plan for Karachi. “If the amount we demand is allocated, we are sure that the most issues of the city can be resolved. we need massive support from the federation to pull the city out of these catastrophic situations,” said Bilawal.

The PPP chairman appreciated the federal government for showing seriousness as regards to investing in Karachi for its infrastructure and development. “all the crops and businesses in the province have been destroyed due to the devastated situation caused by the monsoon downpour,” he added.

given that the coronavirus situation improves, he added.

On wednesday last, it was reported that the government is mulling to introduce a new testing strategy for educational institutions to contain the spread of coronavirus after their expected reopening on september 15. meanwhile, sindh minister for education saeed ghani has suggested to the provincial government to put forward a proposal before the federal government that classes from grade-IX onwards should be recalled from september 15 in the first phase of the reopening of education institutes. ghani said this on friday after chairing the meeting of the provincial steering committee for education. he said that the meeting finalised the standard operating procedures (sOPs) for the reopening of schools and also finalised the recommendations that the province will share with the federal government in an upcoming meeting.

The meeting will be held on september 7 and will include all education ministers regarding the decision of reopening of schools. “according to the recommendations, educational institutes will be reopened in different stages,” said the minister. ghani said the committee recommended that from september 15, classes from grade-9 onwards should be called back.

more inside

Quetta blast leaves at least 4 injured STORY ON PAGE 03

rains wreak havoc in different cities of Punjab STORY ON PAGE 03 he said that even chief of army staff (cOas) general Qamar Javed Bajwa said that no one can face such calamity.

Bilawal said that funds from the federal government were the right of the people of sindh.

“Those who taunt us by saying that we will not give sindh its due share of funds. They should understand that this is not their father’s money,” he said. “These are funds that belong to the people of sindh. They use money from the people of sindh to run their government and their centre,” he added. he urged the federal ministers to desist from such taunts, advising the centre to help people from every province and city. “you have to support people from

every province,” he further said.

The PPP chief said that recent spells of rains have added to the sufferings of the people of sindh after facing the coronavirus pandemic and locust attacks. he added that the sindh chief minister and his entire team are working endlessly to provide relief to the people of the province. he further said that the national disaster management authority (ndma) has provided sindh with some financial support but emphasised that the province’s requirement is far more than the allocated amount. “we are looking forward to our disaster management authority for more funds to reinstate the city,” said Bilawal.

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Terrorism charges added to FIR against Maryam and Safdar STORY ON PAGE 03

Un lauds Pakistan’s role in afghan peace process STORY ON BACK PAGE

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Saturday, 5 September, 2020

NEWS

pM liKely to announce rs800Bn Karachi pacKage today KARACHI

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TLTP

RIME Minister Imran Khan is likely to announce a Rs800 billion Karachi Transformation Plan during his visit to the rain-hit city on Saturday. According to media reports, the prime minister would announce 50 projects for the rain-hit city. Six mass-transit projects with the cost of

Rs447.45 billion will be announced for the city, while Rs300 billion for Karachi Circular Railway will also be included in the transformation plan.

The Chinese government would also provide Rs250 billion for the project while the Sindh government would also have a share of Rs50 billion in the project.

Sewerage and solid waste management projects are also included in the Karachi Transformation Plan to be announced by

at least one killed, six injured as roof of bank collapses NEWS DESK The roof of a private bank collapsed in Lahore’s Chauburji area, leaving at least one killed and six others injured on Friday. The injured were rushed to Services Hospital, Lahore. One of the injured died at the hospital while others are being provided medical treatment. However, more people are feared to be buried under the rubble. Following the incident, rescue teams reached the spot and relief operations were underway to evacuate the others stuck beneath the rubble. "It seems the explosion occurred due to gas leakage," said Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Lahore Ashfaq Khan, adding that the real facts will come to light after a thorough investigation of the case. Later in the day, the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) spokesperson said that the building did not have gas connections installed. "The gas pipeline is at a distance of 30 feet, far from the bank's building," the spokesperson said.

PM Imran. Eight sewerage projects costing around Rs162.60 billion and four solid waste management projects with an estimate of Rs14.86 billion will likely be announced by the premier.

The plan also includes repair works of the road infrastructure with an estimated cost of Rs62.30 billion while Rs4.60 billion would be earmarked for two water drain projects. It is pertinent to mention here that PM Imran will arrive in Karachi

on Saturday to resolve the city’s civic and infrastructure problems.

The prime minister will reach the provincial capital of Sindh at 12:30 pm and will address a press conference at the Governor House at 1:30 pm. Later in the day, the premier will visit Pakistan Stock Exchange and will meet industrialists, businessmen and traders. He is also expected to meet leaders of the coalition parties.

Seven more die of Covid-19; another 498 infected ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Coronavirus has claimed seven more lives in the country during the last twenty-four hours, lifting the death toll from the disease to 6,335, said National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Friday.

Out of these deaths, six were reported from Sindh while one Covid-19 patient died in Punjab. A total of 498 new cases of the novel coronavirus surfaced during the last 24 hours, taking the national tally of infections to 297,512. A total of 23,218 samples were tested over the past 24 hours, out of which 498 turned out to be positive.

According to the NCOC, as many as 282,268 patients have recovered from the coronavirus in the country with active cases standing at 8,909.

So far, Sindh has reported 130,041 confirmed cases of the virus, Punjab, 97,044, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 36,414, Balochistan, 13,045, Islamabad, 15,714, Azad Jammu and Kashmir

(AJK), 2,306, and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) has reported 2,948 cases. According to the NCOC, there is no patient on ventilator in AJK, GB and Balochistan. 90 patients are on ventilators, while 1,920 ventilators are allocated for Covid-19 patients across the country. There are 735 hospitals with Covid-19 facilities with 1,050 patients admitted across the country.

Meanwhile, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said that the government has adopted a comprehensive strategy to control the coronavirus pandemic.

Talking to a private news channel, Asad said the coronavirus cases have decreased but the virus has not been eliminated completely from the country. He urged people to continue following the standard operating procedures (SOPs) until a vaccine of the coronavirus is introduced. He said the second wave of the Covid-19 could be more dangerous than the first one.

Replying to a question, he said schools would be opened with strict

precautionary measures. He said a final decision in this regard would be taken in a meeting to be held on the upcoming Monday.

COVID-19 TESTS ACROSS KP: KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has directed the concerned authorities to conduct Covid-19 tests across the province.

The chief minister issued these directives while presiding over a meeting of Provincial Task Force on Covid-19 on Friday. The meeting was told that there has been a significant decline in corona cases across the province whereas the recovery ratio of coronavirus patients is also above 90 per cent. More than 34,000 coronavirus patients have been recovered so far across the province while only 20 patients are under treatment in the hospitals.

The chief minister expressed satisfaction over the implementation status of standard operating procedures (SOPs). The meeting also reviewed preparations regarding reopening of educational institutes in the province and decided that the final decision to this effect would be taken in consultation with the NCOC. Meanwhile, talking to newsmen during his visit to Swat, CM Khan said that the government is actively working for providing relief to the flood affected people in the province.

Balochistan reports 17th polio case of 2020 QUETTA: Another polio case was reported from Pashin district of Balochistan on Friday, taking the provincial tally to 17 in the current year. According to the Balochistan health department, a 34-month-old boy has been detected infected with the polio virus in Pashin’s Union Council, Ali Zai. The child was tested on August 19 and 20 after falling ill. The family of the child was reluctant to administer anti-polio drops to the child, said the health department. Earlier on August 10, a case was reported in Quetta where a 20month-old boy was confirmed with the virus.

The samples had been collected on July 25 and 26. The child infected with the crippling disease had never been administered the anti-polio vaccine. It is pertinent to mention here that the federal government resumed polio vaccination activities on July 20 last with a campaign in selected districts after a four-month suspension of all vaccination activities due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Districts covered in the first round were Faisalabad, Attock, South Waziristan, and parts of Karachi and Quetta. Almost 800,000 children under the age of five vaccinated during the campaign. It was learnt that the first polio immunisation campaign in the country during Covid-19 pandemic has achieved desired results as 94 per cent of the targeted children were administered polio drops during the drive. STAFF REPORT

indian troops martyr two youngsters in ioK SRINAGAR: In Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK), Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Baramulla district on Friday. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation at Yadipora in Pattan area of the district. Earlier, an Indian Army major was killed and a policeman was injured in an attack in the same area. Meanwhile, Indian troops during house raids arrested three youth in Pattan. An Indian policeman was killed in an accident in Tukroo area of Shopian district. INP

Saturday, 5 September, 2020

NEWS

rains wreaK havoc in different cities of punjaB LAHORE

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STAFF REPORT

M Buzdar directs WASA and local administration to immediately drain out rainwater from low-lying areas Life in major cities of Punjab, including Rawalpindi and the provincial capital Lahore, was paralysed due to the heavy rains.

Low-lying areas were submerged and the electricity system also collapsed due to the torrential rains. Pani Wala Talab area had the highest recorded rainfall at 135 mm, while reports show 48 mm at Jail Road, 70 mm at the airport, and 100 mm in Gulberg.

Heavy downpours were also seen on The Mall, Defence, Garhi Shaho, Mughalpura, Chongi Amar Sidghu, Kacha, Ferozpur Road, Nishter Colony and so on.

The Met Office predicted the rain would continue intermittently for the next 24 hours.

Eight people, including six women and one child, were killed in two separate incidents in Chakwal when the roofs of houses collapsed. Rescue teams retrieved the bodies and moved them to hospitals, reports said. Responding to the current conditions, Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Usman Buzdar directed the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) and local administration to immediately drain out rainwater from low-lying areas of Lahore. He further directed the authorities to utilise all measures to ensure immediate drainage of accumulated rainwater.

CM Buzdar added that there is no room for negligence and that the flow of traffic should remain unimpeded.

Multiple cities in Punjab have been affected by flash floods, and the Pakistan Army troops were dispatched to assist

secp officer sajid gondal goes missing in islamabad ISLAMABAD: Joint Director of Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) Sajid Gondal went missing in Islamabad, said police on Friday. The car of Sajid Gondal has been recovered by the police near the National Agriculture and Research Centre (NARC) building in Islamabad. “We have obtained a record of car data and are examining it from various angles,” said police. Police said that Gondal has been missing since Thursday and more information is being gathered from his family members. Meanwhile, Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari tweeted, "We as government have a duty to ensure his early recovery." She directed the Islamabad police to register a first information report over Gondal's alleged disappearance.

"Protection of each citizen's life is our constitutional obligation," she added, noting that everyone must be dealt with according to the law and the "rule of law must prevail". Separately, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior, Shahzad Akbar also directed police to promptly recover the missing SECP official.

Akbar had taken a notice of the reported disappearance, which went viral on social media, a news release said. STAFF REPORT

naB achieves 68.8pc conviction rate, says chief ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal has said that accountability watchdog has achieved an unprecedented overall conviction ratio of 68.8 per cent due to effective strategy devised by incumbent management to eradicate corruption. Iqbal, in a statement, said that concluding mega corruption and white-collar crimes cases is the priority of the bureau. He said that NAB has so far deposited Rs466.069 billion in the national exchequer. NAB Rawalpindi has established a forensic laboratory having advanced facilities to help the investigators. In 2019, the lab had analysed some 15,747 question documents, 300 fingerprints, 74 devices including laptops, mobile phones, hard disks. In total, the analysis of 50 cases was conducted by the forensic lab. In the previous year, the anti-graft body received 53,643 complaints, of which 42,760 had been concluded. STAFF REPORT

Mna Mohsin dawar stopped from entering Quetta at airport Lawmaker Mohsin Dawar on Friday was barred entry into Balochistan’s capital after arriving at Quetta airport. In a tweet, Dawar said that he had been stopped by the airport authorities and informed that he was not allowed to enter Balochistan for another 90 days. “The state thinks it can break our resolve with such petty tactics. They can’t,” he added. According to a notice he posted, under the Balochistan Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960, both Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) leaders – namely, Dawar and Ali Wazir – were barred from entering Balochistan for 90 days. The notice had supposedly been imposed “in the best interest of public peace and safety”. According to an airport official, the last returning flight from Quetta to Islamabad had taken off before Dawar’s arrival. NEWS DESK

ZUBAIR MAHFOOZ

the civil administration in relief efforts.

Mangla Corps troops were engaged in damage assessment and relief efforts

to help affected flood victims in Jabbi, Dhokri, Bhola, Khaliqabad, Waheer, Hadali areas.

Terrorism charges added to FIR against Maryam and Safdar LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Lahore police on Friday incorporated Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997 in the First Information Report (FIR) registered against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz, her husband Captain (r) Muhammad Safdar, party leaders, and supporters over a violent clash with law enforcers outside the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) Lahore office.

On August 11, violence erupted outside the NAB office as PML-N workers and police contingents clashed with each other shortly after the arrival of Maryam there in a land acquisition case.

Safdar appeared before an antiterrorism court on Friday and ob-

SESSIONS COURT REJECTS HEAR CASE AFTER INCLUSION OF SECTION 7 OF ANTI-TERRORISM ACT tained interim bail till September 11.

The court also sought a record of the cases against the PML-N leader from the police. In his bail application, Safdar said that police had registered a "false and baseless" case against him, adding that his nomination in the case was politically motivated.

In a tweet, PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif termed the addition of terrorism charge in the FIR against PML-N leaders and workers as "highly condemnable".

The move "shows how coward and insecure Niazi government is.

PTI is brazenly promoting the poli-

tics of vendetta and revenge," Sharif said, referring to Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Meanwhile, a sessions court rejected the bail pleas of Captain (r) Safdar and over a dozen workers of the PML-N in the NAB office attack case and asked them to approach the anti-terrorism court for the purpose.

Additional Sessions Judge Shakeel Ahmed dismissed the bail applications after police informed him that terrorism charges have been added to the case, due to which the applicants should approach an antiterrorism court to seek bail.

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Quetta Blast leaves at least 4 injured The police said on Friday that at four people were injured in a blast outside a mosque on Quetta’s Sariab Road. The blast happened right after Friday prayers, and the injured were taken to the Civil Hospital for treatment. Plumes of smoke were seen coming out of a blazing motorbike after the explosion, a video showed. The nature of the explosion is being investigated as the officers cannot ascertain whether a bomb was planted or a motorbike caught fire, said Quetta Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Abdul Razzaq Cheema. However, another officer claimed that there were 1-1.5 kilogrammes of explosives next to the bike, and the blast was a result of the denotator blowing up. He added that the explosives themselves did not catch fire, preventing more destruction. The area has been cordoned by the police, shops have been shut down and rescue services were also dispatched. On August 11, at least six people were killed and 21 others sustained wounds when a blast ripped through the Chaman’s Mall Road area. The remote-controlled bomb was planted on a motorbike. Police had said that the explosion targeted a vehicle of the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF). NEWS DESK

ihc dismisses plea for reopening schools ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday rejected a writ petition seeking directives for the government to reopen educational institutions, which have been closed since March to stop the spread of coronavirus. Chief Justice of IHC, Athar Minallah dismissed the petition after hearing arguments of the petitioner’s lawyer, ruling that this is a policy matter and that the court cannot meddle in executive affairs. The counsel submitted before the court that his client had approached this court seeking reopening of education institutes, but it directed him to approach relevant forums to have his grievance redressed. He added the petitioner submitted applications to relevant departments in compliance with its order but to no avail. He complained to the court that the government is not serious about resuming academic activities in the country and requested the court to issue directives for reopening educational institutions. At this, Chief Justice Minallah observed that this court cannot issue any order on the basis of assumptions. This is improbable that the public interest matter of such immense significance would not be under the executive’s consideration, he remarked. STAFF REPORT

04

Saturday, 5 September, 2020

NEWS

High flood alert for Guddu, Sukkur barrages issued SUKKUR INP

The Sindh Irrigation Department (SID) has issued an alert for high flood in River Indus at Guddu and Sukkur barrages.

Provincial irrigation department said that the high flood stream in Indus will pass through Guddu Barrage between September 8 and 9.

High flood levels are expected at Sukkur Barrage shortly thereafter, the irrigation department added.

The river is presently in medium flood levels at Guddu Barrage, and low

flood levels at Sukkur Barrage, according to the department.

The water level in Indus surging at Guddu and the inflow of water has reached to around 400,000 cusecs, according to the flood control room record.

The water in Indus rose to 54,000 cusecs at Guddu barrage in the last 24 hours, according to the report. Another 50,000 cusecs flood inflow is expected in the next 24 hours. The residents of the Katcha area have been directed to move to safer places immediately. The administration has set up a camp to monitor and tackle the flood situation.

South Punjab SeCretariat to beCoMe oPerational on oCt 15 ISLAMABAD

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APP

meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday decided that the South Punjab Secretariat will formally become operational on October 15.

The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Punjab Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht, Punjab chief secretary, south Punjab additional chief secretary and south Punjab additional inspector general.

The premier emphasised that the govern-

ment’s main focus was to bring about improvement in the lives of the common man and directed the administration of South Punjab to work in fulfilling the same vision.

He lauded the efforts of CM Buzdar and the Punjab government for establishing the South Punjab Secretariat. He regretted that governments in the past ignored the people of south Punjab. Stressing on the need for Provincial Finance Commission Award (FCA), PM Imran said that a separate allocation for South Punjab would usher in a new era of progress and prosperity.

He asked to be kept regularly updated on the progress of the new secretariat.

FM Qureshi highlighted the practical

steps taken by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for the people of southern Punjab, and the establishment of South Punjab Secretariat, devolution of administrative powers.

He added that the PTI government had fulfilled its promise to establish South Punjab Secretariat. Qureshi presented a proposal for allocating budget for South Punjab in next year’s Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) and reserving a quota for the locals in employment.

The prime minister was also updated that divisions of health, education, police, planning and development, local government, finance and agriculture had been transferred to South Punjab.

WCLA starts Royal Trail package-4 restoration SHAHAB OMER LAHORE

The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) has started work on the Royal Trail package-4 to restore and develop the path from Old Kotwali Chowk up to Sonehri Mosque.

According to Walled City of Lahore Authority spokesperson Tania Qureshi, “As part of Package 4, the path from Old Kotwali Chowk up to the Sonehri Mosque will be rehabilitated and restored.” This restoration scheme affects 22 streets, almost 150 buildings, the bazaars, and Sonehri Mosque.

Qureshi also said Walled City of Lahore Authority would also ensure the timely provision and changing of electric, telephone and TV, along with streamlining the water channels and improving the drainage and rainwater system. “All the electricity system will be taken,” she added.

Regarding the budget, Qureshi said that the project will cost around Rs289 million whereas work on Sonehri Mosque would require Rs20

million. The Agha Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) will be the technical partners for this project and it is expected to be completed in a year and a half.

“In the previous phase of this project, the Walled City of Lahore Authority finished restoration work from Delhi Gate to Purani Kotwali Chowk and on the same pattern, the work will be commenced on the package 4.

The package 1 was from Delhi Gate to Chowk Kotwali, the package 2 was from Chowk Kotwali to Masti Gate via Dabbi Bazaar and this is the package 4 now while package 3 will be carried out later which includes the waterworks,” she added.

Walled City of Lahore Authority Director-General Kamran Lashari believes that this work is imperative to restore the old city’s precious beauty and for the provision of new infrastructure to the local community.

“Historical and old buildings play a prominent role in highlighting a country’s social and cultural image.

Buildings and local community both should be the beneficiaries,” he said.

Restaurants violate sales tax laws LAHORE SHAHAB OMER

Restaurants in the provincial capital have started levying 16 per cent sales tax on credit and debit cards in violation of sales tax laws, however, the Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) is now cracking down on violators.

The Punjab government reduced the sales tax rate on credit and debit cards to restaurant owners from 16 per cent to 5 per cent in the current fiscal year yet there were complaints from customers that many restaurants still charged 16 per cent sales tax. PRA spokesperson said that the authority has taken notice of the matter and has decided to crack down on violating restaurants.

“We have been receiving complaints from people on which we have also issued notices to some restaurants.

If restaurant owners do not comply with tax laws, strict action will be taken against them.” Asim Javed, a resident of DHA, said that restaurant owners also deduct full tax on payments made through credit or debit cards, whilst claiming that the “government has not given any tax exemption”. Many other Lahori residents have reported having to pay a 16 per cent tax at various restaurants despite the deduction from the government. Abdul Moeed, the owner of Wasabi restaurant, told Pakistan Today, “We charge only 5 per cent tax on credit and debit card payments and we have been following this decision by the government ever since.

This is a very simple process as it gives a discount to the customer and the tax goes to the exchequer. We have been regularly submitting the tax collected on cash payment to the government.”

Ex-MPA Achakzai acquitted in traffic cop murder case QUETTA TLTP

Balochistan’s former lawmaker Majeed Khan Achakzai on Friday got a clean chit in a traffic policeman’s death case.

According to details, a model court in Quetta has acquitted former provincial assembly member (MPA) Majeed Khan Achakzai in the traffic sergeant murder case due to lack of evidence. Model court judge Dost Muhammad Mandokhail announced the verdict. It is pertinent to mention here that Traffic Sergeant Haji Attaullah had been run over and killed in Quetta’s GPO Chowk allegedly by a vehicle belonging to then MPA Majeed Khan Achakzai in 2017. The traffic police

officer had been seriously wounded in the accident and was taken to Civil Hospital Quetta for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries.

The incident had come to light when the footage of the legislator’s vehicle ramming into the traffic officer began circulating on social media.

On 29th December,2017, Balochistan MPA Majeed Achakzai had been released from jail after an anti-terrorism court granted him bail in a case pertaining to the killing of a traffic sergeant in Quetta by his over-speeding vehicle.

Judge Dawood Khan Nasar had approved the bail for the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) leader against a surety bond of Rs500,000.

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar inspects p an underground water storage facility at Lawrence Road during his visit to different areas of the provincial p capital p to oversee the situation caused by rainfall on Friday. STAFF PHOTO

CM orders launch of an anti-dengue campaign LAHORE APP

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has ordered the launch of an anti-dengue campaign across the province and expressed his concern over the surfacing of a polio case. The Health Department, as well the administration, will have to work hard for the eradication of polio and dengue. The commissioners and deputy commissioners should monitor both these campaigns, he added. CM Buzdar ordered that the dengue surveillance plan should be implemented quickly and said that he would personally monitor the steps taken. "It is my mission to save the province from both the diseases and the line departments will have to work hard for the purpose," he added. Special attention be paid to indoor and outdoor surveillance and the teams should be available in the field daily, he said and added that the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the eradication of polio and dengue have been devised in the light of the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. He warned that poor performance would not be tolerated and that departmental action would be taken in necessary. Provincial Ministers Murad Raas, Yasir Humayun, Pir Saeedul Hassan Shah, chief secretary, additional chief secretary, special member Board of Revenue, commissioners of Lahore and Dera Ghazi Khan divisions attended the meeting. Other divisional commissioners participated through video link.

Saturday, 5 September, 2020

NA Body orderS ShIftINg of govt dePoSItS to ISlAMIc Mode CHAIRMAN SAYS NA COMMITTEE 'CANNOT WAIT ANOTHER TWO YEARS' FOR GOVT TO FULLY CONVERT BANKING SYSTEM INTO ISLAMIC MODE ISLAMABAD

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GHULAM ABBAS

N a major development, the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue has asked the Ministry of Finance and the State Bank of Pakistan to shift government deposits to Islamic mode.

In this regard, the NA body also constituted a sub-committee to consult with the finance ministry, SBP and other relevant institutions. Renowned Islamic scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani would also be part of the committee.

Talking about the issue, committee chairman MNA Faizullah said that the NA body "cannot wait for another two years" for the government to fully convert the banking system into Islamic mode. "The government should at least shift its deposits to Islamic mode."

Meanwhile, National Bank of Pak-

Bilawal hopes PM will come with hefty relief package cONTINUED ON pAgE 01 He added that not much attention was given to the infrastructural issues of the city in the past. The PPP chairman asked the government to immediately address the issue of power outages and the recent price hike in electricity tariffs. “Recently, I have heard about the hike in power prices. I am speechless how they made such a decision especially in these times when the institution has failed to deliver,” said Bilawal. He appealed to the federal government to retract the decision. He said that appointment of administrators in Sindh is the constitutional right of Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and his government.

Bilawal also thanked Opposition Leader in the National Assembly (NA) Shehbaz Sharif for his visit to Karachi. He expressed happiness at the Rahbar Committee’s decision to allow the PPP to host the All Parties Conference (APC), adding that the platform will be a good one to discuss all issues of the country and to ensure all opposition parties are on the same page.

istan President Arif Usmani briefed the committee about the hiring status of NBP employees during 2019 and 2020.

He also informed the committee regarding the accountability process initiated across the board, wherein two senior executive vice presidents and five EVPs were terminated in order to make NBP a thriving organization. "The recent flow of complaints was a reaction to the disciplinary performance measures being undertaken."

The committee expressed its concerns over the educational criteria highlighted for recruitment of senior officers of the bank. On this, the State Bank of Pakistan deputy governor explained that the recruitment of president, board directors and key executives need approval of the SBP. “Sometimes the bank can appoint key executives itself and report to SBP. If SBP thinks there was further required clarifications, they can intervene accordingly.”

The committee chairman expressed re-

PML-N'S AHSAN IQBAL ACCUSES NBP PRESIDENT OF MONEY LAUNDERING

sentment over the mismanagement made in appraisement, rewards and appointments of branch managers in NBP at lower level, especially in Faisalabad Division.

After detailed discussion, the committee directed the Ministry of Finance and NBP to provide details of criteria of the last three presidents appointed at NBP along with the criteria followed for the current president.

It also asked the concerned to explain as to how many employees were recruited in New York (USA) along with details of their recruitment procedures -- experience, qualifications and performance.

The committee further directed the MoF to provide a comprehensive report on whether the required process for the hiring of NBP senior officers, including group heads, were being followed or not.

Interestingly, MNA Ahsan Iqbal alleged that the NBP president, during his services in Nigeria, was "involved in

money laundering".

"While the country is facing threats at FATF, the NBP president has allegedly been involved in money laundering," he claimed.

Arif Usmani, however, categorically denied "fabricated and baseless stories" about his reputation and stated that his appointment was made on merit after fulfiling all necessary requirements.

The committee recommended that the NBP group head (HR) may be invited in person in the next meeting.

Moreover, the committee discussed the Eradication of Riba Bill, 2019, moved

by MNA Abdul Akbar Chitrali and expressed its dissatisfaction on the presentation given by the State Bank of Pakistan.

It directed the finance ministry's additional secretary SBP deputy governor to arrange a meeting with the mover along with MNAs Dr Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, Amjad Ali Khan, Abdul Wasay and Syed Javed Hasnain for the way forward in this regard.

FM for deeper Pak-China cooperation in agriculture sector ISLAMABAD TLTP

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has emphasized the need for deeper cooperation between Pakistan and China in the agriculture sector.

Talking to Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing on Wednesday, the foreign minister said that agriculture is the mainstay of Pakistan's economy, as the sector employs a large part of the country's productive labour force.

The foreign minister said that there is a greater need to revamp and modernize the agriculture sector with China's cooperation and unleash the

second ‘Green Revolution’ in Pakistan.

He said that China has introduced wide-ranging reforms in its agriculture sector that has contributed significantly to its GDP and it is imperative for Pakistan to benefit from these experiences.

Welcoming the establishment of Joint Working Group on Agriculture Cooperation under CPEC, Qureshi emphasised that inclusion of agriculture in CPEC will promote industrialization and modernization of the agriculture economy. He thanked China for helping Pakistan fight locust plague through provision of pesticides, machinery and drones.

The foreign minister stresses that

the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) free zone will help Pakistan in export of meat to China and, in this regard, urged China to send a team of its technical experts to Pakistan to visit relevant facilities and expedite exports of meat to China.

Ambassador Yao Jing thanked Foreign Minister Qureshi for holding a meeting on a subject that is of vital national importance to Pakistan and hoped that, with the foreign minister’s personal attention, the cooperation between China and Pakistan in the agriculture sector will grow and solidify leading to substantial economic benefits for Pakistan and its people.

K-Electric asks NEPRA to increase power tariff KARACHI: K-Electric (KE) has asked the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) for an increase in the price of electricity, despite the fact that the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) had recently permitted KE to pass on fuel adjustment to its consumers. KE has asked NEPRA to allow it to charge Rs1.54 per unit to its customers, besides seeking permission from the regulator to invest more than Rs143 billion. NEPRA will hear the KE's reasoning behind the request for the price hike in a hearing scheduled for September 16. TLTP

NEWS

05

PM Imran refuses SAPM Bajwa’s resignation cONTINUED ON pAgE 01 He admitted that Mochi Cordwainers was registered in the name of one of his sons but said that it had only incurred losses for the last five years. Bajwa said that a business entity, Krypton, was owned by his son. It dealt in mines and minerals and was registered at the time when he was posted in Balochistan.

“Unfortunately, no one has bothered to find out that the said business entity is registered as a sole proprietorship in the FBR [Federal Board of Revenue] in 2019, but it has always been dormant and has not done any business,” he added. Replying to an accusation regarding a house own by his son, he stated that the house was bought for only $31,000 in cheap foreclosure proceedings and that the journalist should have researched the matter before accusing him.

Schools likely to reopen from Sept 15: minister cONTINUED ON pAgE 01 He added that grade-6 to grade-8 students should be recalled on September 21, while preprimary to class five should be called back on September 28. The minister warned that if any school opens before the said date then it will be violating the law. He added that if a school wants to take time in ensuring that the SOPs are implemented then they will be given time. “We will announce our final decision after the September 7 NCOC meeting,” said Ghani. The recommendations put forward by Sindh’s steering committee for education are in line with last month’s NCOC meeting’s suggestion that educational institutions should be reopened with a “top-to-bottom” approach, starting from universities, colleges and high schools. The NCOC had suggested a gradual opening of institutions based on best practices and input from experts. The forum proposed that educational institutions be opened with a top-tobottom approach on a rotation basis with a focus on higher education. It also recommended staggered timings for various institutions while the suspension of activities which involve contact and mass gatherings, including cocurricular activities. “Educational institutions must ensure all Covid-19 protocols and prepare accordingly before final decision,” the NCOC said in a statement after the meeting.

NO WINTER VACATIONS, SATURDAY OFFS: In an effort to overcome the educational loss of students due to Covid-19 pandemic, the federal government on Friday decided to end winter vacations for educational institutions this year. According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Education, winter vacations will not be observed this year in all the federal government-run educational institutions and private schools. The federal government also increased working days to six for the schools.

Special classes will be conducted every Saturday to overcome the educational loss, read the statement.

Returning our children to schools and colleges: how and when?

DR FAISAL SULTAN / SHAFQAT MEHMOOD The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in Pakistan prompted the government to implement a country-wide closing of schools and colleges as a measure to protect children and prevent the spread of disease. The decision was taken after much deliberation. On one hand, school closures have been one of the most effective social distancing measures globally, but these come with serious costs.

Learning outcomes for our future generations have the potential of being disrupted, especially for the poorest with little access to remote learning and online education. In addition, the livelihood of millions of teachers and faculty was put on risk along with the survival of thousands of low and middleincome private schools which provide an important source of bridging the gap between demand and supply of schools for a large part of the population. With a significant reduction of disease burden in our society, the time has now come for us to consider letting our children, teachers and faculty return to schools, colleges and universities. A safe return to education will require careful planning, community buy-in and joint execution.

The latest scientific evidence suggests that young children in schools are at lower risk for serious consequences Covid-19 compared to adults; susceptibility to infection in people under 20 years of age is approximately half that of adults aged over 20 years. When children do become infected,

they are far less likely to suffer severe symptoms of the illness and are 42% less likely to infect a contact. Children and adolescents under 18 years of age account for less than 7 per cent of Covid-19 cases and less than 0.1 per cent of Covid-19-related deaths.

However, rare instances of severe disease and inflammatory response in young children have been reported.

Pakistan has over 50 million young people in educational institutions, over 300 000 schools and 20 million teachers. The in-person school environment is important because it supports the development of social and emotional skills, creates a safe environment for learning and facilitates physical activity, especially among very young children where alternative strategies such as on-line learning are not an option. These key windows of opportunity do not return, and this is why there is so much concern about keeping schools closed for so long, given the potential negative impact at the individual, and societal level. To illustrate, the primary school children that were out of school during the Ebola outbreak in west-Africa are struggling to catch up with their peers even 6 years after the epidemic. Furthermore, protracted closure of the education sector for six months has also hurt education economics with thousands of low-cost schools at risk of bankruptcy. In effect, closure of schools in the presence of existing disparities in access and enrollments runs the risk of further exacerbating inequality; many boys and especially

girls who have now had a disruption in schooling for almost 6 months risk never having to resume education.

We have witnessed a drastic reduction of Covid-19 disease burden in Pakistan, from a height of 6,825 positive cases, a positivity ratio of 24% and over 150 deaths a day, to the current status of fewer than 500 cases daily, positivity ratio of below 2% and less than 10 daily deaths on average. The strategy of ‘Smart Lockdowns’ by the government and strong enforcement of containment measures in virus hotspots has resulted in a stable well-controlled situation. Pakistan’s successful journey on Covid-19 containment has now brought us to the stage where a strong case can be made for a well-considered and cautious attempt at reopening of educational institutions on 15th September.

Since May this year, 72 other countries have already reopened schools.

Re-opening educational facilities will take place in phases. We will opt for a staged (some age groups to start first and others to follow) and staggered (dividing students into shifts or different days of the week or staggering into different sections so classroom sizes are kept small) re-opening with extreme care and caution and based on the latest science. Ensuring effective infection prevention and control measures have been essential for all countries that have opted to re-open education facilities, and so will be the case for Pakistan.

Key risk and challenges around re-open-

CMYK

ing include the potential for resurgence in Covid-19 cases as educational facilities offers an intersection of three distinct environments; teachers, staff and students, that create circumstances for virus transmission to and from the school. If disease transmission becomes too high, localized reclosures will need to be implemented.

Even if the risk for children to get infected is low, school-going children should avoid contact with the elderly and people of any age who are at higher risk for severe illness from Covid-19 such as those with chronic illnesses or those who are immunocompromised.

Key pillars of our guidelines to minimize the risk of exposure and transmission in educational institutions include: • Staged and staggered approach to re-opening.

• Reviewing and taking stock of all educational institutions for infrastructure, staff training and especially access to running water, clean toilets and hand sanitizers.

• Ensuring physical distancing, with 6 feet between desks/seating and open-air classes where feasible.

• Usage of face mask (these can be washable cloth masks that can be reused) and stringent hand hygiene practices for teachers and children over 12 years of age.

• Avoiding crowding in school transport and premises especially in breaks, and suspension of morning school assemblies • A structured health screening and

sentinel random testing regimen will be adopted by each relevant health authority to ensure continued safety, monitoring and dynamic decision making Our children’s safety and wellbeing is our collective responsibility and cannot be left only to the government and teachers. Parents and caretakers have a crucial role to play in ensuring the success of these measures.

• Parents will need to educate themselves and their children in infection prevention including regular hand washing, and use of face masks as recommended • Parents must keep their children at home if they are sick, have a sore throat or flu-like symptoms.

• Parents will need to teach adolescents about physical distancing, hand sanitization and use of face masks as much as possible.

• If there are elderly people or vulnerable adults at home, to try to prevent close contact with children • Parents will need to cooperate with the school administration and staff and comply with school policies around Covid19 prevention.

We may have controlled the Covid-19 burden in Pakistan through hard work, but the threat of resurgence is serious, and we cannot risk complacency. We will need to work together across all sections of society and unite in the effort to ensure that our children resume safe and effective education as soon as possible.

Saturday, 5 September, 2020

06 COMMENT

The spirit of Defence Day

Towards an opposition alliance?

Despite mutual rivalries, à la MRD

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lAiMiNG that it enjoys full support of the establishment, the Pti government wants the opposition, particularly the PMl-N and the PPP, to support its policies and stands without questioning. offers by the opposition of resolving the differences through talks are rejected out of hand as attempts to seek an Nro. ignoring that the opposition had recently joined hands with the government to pass a number of laws as required by the FAtF, the opposition’s refusal to support arrest without warrant was termed by the Prime Minister as an attempt to harm the country to hide corruption. the opposition maintains that the law proposed by the government will give it dictatorial powers. the two major opposition parties are meanwhile being pushed to the wall. encouraged by the attitude of the PM, NAB continues to register fresh cases against opposition leaders after failing to get them sentenced in earlier ones. recently, terrorism clauses were added to the Fir against PMl-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz and spouse Captain (retd) safdar for the clash outside the NAB lahore office. the government has turned parliamentary democracy into a quasi-presidential system by inducting unelected but powerful advisors and assistants into the cabinet and relying more on promulgating ordinances rather than passing laws. the Pti MNAs meanwhile continue to poison the atmosphere in the National Assembly through provocative speeches and recourse to unparliamentary remarks leading to frequent protests and walkouts. this provides the opposition temptations to take the issues to the streets.

Despite there being a loose alliance between the opposition parties, the PMl-N and PPP didn’t go beyond token support for Maulana Fazlur rehman’s islamabad sitin. instead they put full faith in struggle inside Parliament.

An attempt is being made by them now to revive the unofficial alliance, with some of the smaller parties proposing to turn it into a full-fledged alliance. Mutual suspicions, rivalries and lack of clarity on goals and tactics still divide the opposition. the lack of flexibility in the Pti government is however likely to give birth to an MrD-like (Movement for the restoration of Democracy) united front to give a tough time to the government outside Parliament also. When driven to the wall, opposition parties tend to unite despite mutual suspicions and strong differences on a single point: the government’s ouster.

MuhaMMad zahid Rifat

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iKe every year, the Pakistani nation is celebrating Defence of Pakistan Day in a befitting manner on september 6, thus paying rich tributes to its shaheeds and Ghazis who had defended the geographical as well as ideological borders of the motherland boldly and courageously in september 1965, defeating the enemy squarely on the ground, in the air and on the sea. they had thus written a golden chapter of the history of the country which had come into existence with the blessings of the Almighty under inspiring leadership of the Quaid-i-Azam on 14 August 1947. like independence Day, Defence Day is also being celebrated by the civil, military and political leadership and the entire nation to demonstrate and reiterate solidarity with the Kashmiris who are struggling indigenously unarmed against the occupying india security forces to secure their birthright of self-determination in accordance with the UNsC resolutions.

Kashmir is the lifeline of Pakistan and the agenda of Partition is incomplete without the Kashmiris deciding their future themselves.

Following the 5 August 2019 unilateral action of india’s Modi Government, Pakistan’s civil and military leadership, indeed the entire nation, brushing aside all political and other differences, are availing every opportunity to reiterate their continued moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiris. the Kashmir issue was discussed by the UN security Council on an urgent request of Pakistan and support of China and other friendly countries after more than five decades as a result of hectic Pakistani diplomatic efforts. on 6 september 1965 that india crossed the international borders and attacked Pakistan through lahore without warning or formal declaration of war. thus india had utterly violated the UN Charter. even after lapse of 54 years, those who had witnessed sneaky and treacherous indian attack like this scribe, having vivid memory of those 17 days, celebrate Defence Day each september 6 and keep reminding the new generations about how the armed forces of Pakistan, solidly backed by the entire nation, had defeated the indian invaders . the then indian Army Chief, Gen J.N. Chaudhry, was so confident of victory and straightaway capturing lahore that he had announced very proudly he would have a peg of whisky in the Gymkhana Club

Press freedom Time to stop making press scrutiny an excuse for non-performance

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ressMAN have taken cold comfort from Prime Minister imran Khan’s saying that he had spent 20 years of his life in england and knew what freedom of speech was. Apart from the fact that he spent that time playing cricket, not perusing newspapers, listening to the radio or watching tV, that ideal should not be held up too frequently, not least because it sounds patronizing. it does nothing to address the fact that the media is suffering from a spate of arrests, attempted kidnappings and other forms of persecution. those suffering such treatment just happened to have criticized the government or its main props in the course of their coverage. this cannot be a mere coincidence. the government has got a number of reasons to be criticized, and the sooner the government realizes that if it fulfilled its promises, it would not be criticized, the better. the Pakistani media may sound more strident to Mr Khan than the British press he presumably studied so closely, because in the UK he probably focused on the sports pages, while here he may look at others. Pakistan lacks the equivalent of the tabloid press, which delves relentlessly into the personal lives of public figures. there is an element of typical self-righteousness in the dismissal of the Pakistani media as agents of the corrupt regimes of the past. the current regime also has favourites; displayed clearly by the incarceration of one major media outlet’s Ceo that was reservedly critical of the Pti’s government, and back-to-back interviews of the PM with servile anchors on two other tV channels that stick to the new normal.

Mr Khan should realize that, as long as his government continues to underperform, it will be subject to criticism, and some of this criticism will surface in the print and electronic media. He should also be aware that regime critics are turning to his party’s own favourite tool, the social media. As his government is discovering, while the government has tools to control print and broadcast media, there is nothing to control the social media. it is also less responsible than traditional media. His much-admired British government is also finding this out.

Democracy remains an aspiration MuhaMMad NauMaN hafeez KhaN

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ristotle knew that democracy was not the panacea for all public woes. For him, all forms of government had a good and evil side. Monarchy has to be perfect, else it has all the ingredients to slip into a tyrannical government. Aristocracy, on the other hand, has a hairline division with oligarchy. likewise, democracy has to be the government of the people, otherwise, it will fall prey to anarchy. But Aristotle was not sanguine about a democratic government, as it doesn’t ensure good governance. then what good does a democratic government serves, if it doesn’t ensure good governance?

Democracy has evolved itself as the most suitable and venerated form of government in the modern world. still, there is a wide gap between the theory and practice of democracy. the theory of democracy has laid down lucid essentials for a truly democratic government. Yet, in practice, it frequently diverges from these essentials.

Democracy has hailed as the most celebrated form of government in the present times, yet, emerging populist governments are pushing its essentials against the wall of an authoritarian rule. Democracy has travelled a long path reaching its present form.

From ancient Greece where its evolution started to the present Us model of governance, democracy has forged itself to best represent the public interest. today, populism is the biggest threat to democracy. Abused by populist promises and the cult of nationalism, the public easily confuse populist leaders with democratic representatives. For instance, ultranationalist rhetoric was an easy way for Us President Donald trump to lay the foundation of a populist government on the pillars of democracy.

But why democracy is subjected to such populist engineering so easily? the answer is interesting. the first essential of democracy is a list of fundamental human rights that it promises. A free ballot, free speech and free movement– this slogan is too good to be true when democracy is practically implemented, and these promises are more easily abused

Arif Nizami Editor Umar Aziz

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of itself and its armed forces. the nation had demonstrated utmost unity in its ranks and file in facing the danger and aggression from india. it is quite rightly said and believed that the national unity, and full and solid support in unquestionable manner to the armed forces in the field, is essential for victory in the war. And this was amply proved during the september 1965 War. With the unstinted support of the entire nation, the armed forces of Pakistan were able to repluse the naked indian aggression across the international border, forcing her to pay the price for it by capturing four times more territory than what india had occupied and forcing her to accept a ceasefire, return to the negotiating table and to vacate each other’s captured territory. it was certainly the finest hour of glory of Army, Air Force and Navy and a day to be always remembered by future generations and paying tributes to the shaheeds and Ghazis of the september War. While paying tributes to the shaheeds and Ghazis of the 17 days of war with india , we should also be offering tributes and prayers also for those officers and jawans of the armed forces martyred in action since 1948 in the defence of the ideological and geographical frontiers of the motherland, including those laying down their lives in the ongoing war against the militants, extremists and terrorists, to ensure a safe and secure Pakistan for the posterity.

And, while we celebrate the Defence of Pakistan Day on september 6 now and in future as well with continued blessings of Almighty Allah, it should also be observed as a thanksgiving day. in line with the spirit and national unity demonstrated during the september War being above all petty personal, political and other considerations whatsoever, we should all be praying for the safety , security and solidarity of Pakistan and also seeking blessings of Almighty Allah for continuously granting up the strength, courage , commitment and determination to continue protecting and safeguarding at all costs and offering all sacrifices , the freedom and honour of our God-given motherland Pakistan for now and always. All of us should also be paying tributes to the shaheeds and Ghazis of the september War and reaching out their families, taking care and thus reiterating that they are alone and the entire nation is with them in every difficult hour of theirs.

Muhammad Zahid Rifat is Lahore-based Freelance Journalist, Columnist and retired Deputy Controller (News) Radio Pakistan Islamabad and can be reached at zahidriffat@gmail.com

Moribund democratic essentials

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

of lahore in the evening of 6 september 1965.

But he could not accomplish this as india’s attack on lahore was not only held but beaten back with heavy losses to the attackers. the Pakistan Army and fully supported by the Pakistan Air Force was able to blunt the indian offensive. the dogfight of PAF and iAF planes over lahore is still fresh in the memory of many like this scribe. Afterwards, indian aircraft hardly dared to attack lahore whilethe war lasted, which was till september 23, when the Ussr’s mediation started, leading to the tashkent peace agreement. if india had captured about 400 square miles of Pakistan territory, it had also lost about 1600 square miles of its own. the great tank battle at Chowinda in sialkot sector, the largest tank battle since World War ii, was a bitter struggle over many days and nights resulting in heavy casualties on both sides. However, the main indian attack was held and repulsed. india had used its armoured division and other strike formations in the tank battle but still could not penetrate Pakistani territory any further and was forced to withdraw after suffering very heavy losses in men and materiel. the large number of damaged and destroyed indian tanks remained in the battlefield for days together, telling the visitors from all over the country the story of the spirited fight of Pakistani troops with a limited number of tanks.

During the 1965 War, while the armed forces were engaged in defending geographical frontiers on ground, air and sea, the entire nation formed a strong rock-like second defence line, extending and providing all support to their forces. in doing so, the people had forgotten as to which government was in power.

Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan was at the helm of national affairs as President and his inspirational speech after the sneaky indian attack over radio Pakistan, had infused great spirit and courage among everyone. the national priorities had thus become very clear and unambiguous in those days, any danger to the motherland called for the unity and unstinted support to the government and the armed forces and it was forthcoming in a very strong and firm manner. it is a matter of record that during those 17 days Pakistan was at war with india, crime had been reduced negligibly to the lowest level ever. No political party or leader was seen trying to draw any advantage out of the war or berate the government of the day for political or personal gain. they were all one and united in the defence of the motherland and defeating the indian aggressors. in all fairness, Pakistan had emerged from 17 days long september 1965 war with india as a strong and self-confident nation, genuinely proud

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by dictators like Ayub Khan. A similar manifestation system was restructured by a military dictator in Pakis present-day india. the rise of Narendra Modi led istan, democratic leadership has visibly failed to bring to the marginalization of Muslims in india, even in a positive change in the local bodies. District administrations are controlled by the already weakened buKashmir, where Muslims are in majority.

Democracy is the only form of government reaucratic system where the public is not given due which cures its ills. to leave breathing space for representation in their grassroot affairs.

Judicial activism is democracy to survive not favoured in demoand prosper, its essentials cratic states, but in Pakmust be nurtured. And istan, it remains a the only way to do so is In Pakistan, democracy can only contested concept. Judito practice them frecial meddling in the exquently. Among these esthrive if the Constitution is not ecutive is a popular sentials, freedom of choice. the space of speech stands prominent. considered just another piece of poor governance created Curbing freedom of by the executive is often speech is a primrose path paper. The current democratic filled by a series of suo for democratic governstatus of Pakistan shows a bleak motu cases cascading ments. For example, redown from the apex stricting the press and picture. The marginalization of court. this constitutional media is an easy option for autocratic states to journalism, civil society and social overstepping degrades the executive-judicial rebrush their poor govermedia by the current government lationship in the country. nance under the carpet, the supreme Court, on but they miss out the critwill pose hurdles in the way the other hand, can ical oversight of goverstrengthen the roots of nance that a free media towards a change, which is democracy in Pakistan provides: it ensures good frequently narrated by Imran Khan. by introducing sustaingovernance. able judicial reforms and Pakistan’s path to A combination of rule of law, upholding the fundamendemocracy has always tal human rights. been rocky. internal and institutionalism, constitutional in Pakistan, democexternal crises, leadership voids and the lust liberalism and political flexibility is racy can only thrive if the Constitution is not for power has rendered the only way out for Pakistan considered just another the democratic norms in piece of paper. the curthe country mere wishful rent democratic status of thinking. in democraPakistan shows a bleak cies, Parliament is the supreme decision-making body. However, in Pak- picture. the marginalization of journalism, civil soistan, this role has frequently been stripped away ciety and social media by the current government from it by prime ministers themselves. Parliamen- will pose hurdles in the way towards a change, tary committees, on the other hand, remains subject which is frequently narrated by imran Khan. A comto controversies on their performance as an over- bination of rule of law, institutionalism, constitusight over the executive. When democracy is alien- tional liberalism and political flexibility is the only ated from a powerful parliament, it is governance way out for Pakistan. that suffers the most.

Muhammad Nauman Hafeez Khan is a freelance Democracy also needs a functioning local government system. even though the local government columnist

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Saturday, 5 September, 2020

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

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Story of heroism

Impact of Covid-19 on the global health system dR RajKuMaR SiNgh

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N today’s context, globalization is both good and bad. it carries infectious diseases with the flow of information, goods, capital, and people across political and geographic boundaries. the old connection and new dependency have opened the ways also for the exchanges of diseases. the early diseases that spread from Asia to europe include bubonic plague, influenza of various types and similar infectious diseases. these and other diseases expanded in a large area of the globe through trading routes established between Asia and the europe. With the increase in travel and business, natives of the land were first infected followed by others in the shortest possible time. As they have not developed the antibody of the said infection, they became easy prey to the new disease. Also, according to etiology, a branch of modern science which deals with the causes of infectious diseases, there are five major modes of transmission: airborne, waterborne, bloodborne, by direct contact and through a vector. As these isolated seas and lands were covered by newcomers, they also brought with them the diseases unknown to the natives and thus, they increased the chances of transmission and expansion on a large scale. However, at the same time, globalization alleviates the factors of hunger and poverty which help improve the global health index. in comparison to earlier in the Age of exploration, which generally refers to the period between the 15th and 17th centuries, a large amount of travel from one part of the world to the other was performed. Fortunately, by that time the world has made much progress in shipping and navigation which made it easier to move through sea and river. it not only made trade with other countries flourish, but personal and social contacts also increased in proportion. the large amount of exchange among them also exposed them socially, politically, and economically and as business demanded a labour force to continue and control, so the system of slavery started. slaves of the period was deprived of any facility and they were the hubs of infectious diseases. Now by trade in slavery it became very easy to carry the infectious diseases from one part to another. in addition, during this phase people with their animals started mixing with people of other races but mainly concentrated in regions where food for them was available. this apart, unfortunately, at that time there was no proper system of treatment of disease and it was totally depending on magic, religion, healing of body and soul. While some diseases were treated by magic and religious faiths and superstitions, others were treated by herbs and meditation. thrid was the global position of treatment: in the Age of exploration and even earlier diseases like smallpox, measles and tuberculosis were common in europe and Asia. in the latter part of the Age of exploration people developed some antibodies, but again they moved to new places in search of new colonies

where they erected their long-lasting empires. ards, habits such as consumption of tobacco, in the context, a major breakthrough came in alcohol, and unhealthy foods that reduce the year 1881 when louis Pasteur gave his the- human immunity in general. While developing ory about germs. He also said that people need countries are suffering from scarcity and to wash hands and maintain sanitation. to poverty-centred diseases, developed countries prove his germ theory, he demonstrated and are more prone to lifestyle diseases.

Now, as the world has globalised fully, the validated it by developing a vaccine for anthrax current ongoing coronavirus which broke out in in May 1881.

As earlier, with the development of more Wuhan, China, in November-December2019, modern transportation and increased rate of and spread to more than 200 countries of the travel, diseases too became intercontinental and world in the early months of 2020 has broken all began to travel by air, of which one example is past records for speedy transmission. With the the West Nile virus. it is believed that this virus large-scale globalization of the world transport reached the UsA via mosquitoes that crossed the system through airlines and sea ports, nations ocean by riding in airplane wheel wells and ar- began looking for an increased international scope for their busirived in New York ness. in this context, City in 1999. Alman-to-man contact most the same hapat global level bepened to the In so far as the role of came natural to spanish Flu which boost the business spread in several globalization in diseases was and the responsible countries with the factor for speedy returning armies concerned, it can benefit the transportation of the which participated people who have noncovid-19 virus was in the First World this connectivity.

War, in the year communicable diseases such as Although, in this 1918. As trade has already been globheart problems and mental health phase of pandemic the global economy alised, the travelers, problems. The World Trade was the most aftraders, and trade fected part due to employees have beOrganisation (WTO), which shutdowns of busicome modern carriers of infectious controls the global trade can do a ness establishments, nationwide long and diseases. However, lot for making the status of complete lockwith the passing of downs, stay-attime and many degeneral health of the people of the home orders and velopments in restrictions on other sphere of medicine world better by increasing their economy-related acand vaccines some tivities. the World of the worst disincome, providing them better Health organisation eases such as health care system in the larger (WHo), viewing the plague, typhus, global spread and its cholera, and interest of humanity. severe fatal nature, malaria. have been officially declared it cured and cona pandemic on 11 trolled.

March. the three However, the evolution of diseases is perhaps more rapid than most common symptoms of covid-19 include that of the medicine and vaccines. in fact, any fever, tiredness and coughing as reported by the medicine or vaccine is made or prepared after WHo. surprisingly, it also categorized in the the coming of its virus. it is done only after virus those who show no symptoms and therestudying the virus in detail. some vaccines are fore called asymptomatic Covid-19, but when it partly made from the virus itself, and so it is not is transmitted to other persons, they can show possible to do anything in advance. Whenever a severe and deadly symptoms. in so far as the role of globalization in disnew or unknown virus comes in the environment, it takes time for the medical community eases was concerned, it can benefit the people who have non-communicable diseases such as to prepare its vaccines or suitable medicine. in modern times, the evolution of disease heart problems and mental health problems. the presents a major challenge before the medical World trade organisation (Wto), which concommunity. For example, the “swine flu” or trols the global trade can do a lot for making the H1N1 virus is a new form of old flu. it is a status of general health of the people of the virus that has developed from and partially world better by increasing their income, providcombined with portions of avian, swine, and ing them better health care system in the larger human flu. But apart from this, there is another interest of humanity. aspect of non-communicable diseases which Dr Rajkumar Singh is head of the political transmits with the spread of culture and behaviour of the other’s society. it goes from south science department of the B.N.Mandal to North and North to south. there are several University, Madhepura, Bihar, India and can be exchanges of cultural inputs and health haz- reached at rajkumarsinghpg@gmail.com

it was the night intervening between 5 and 6 september when our beloved homeland came under sudden attack by the enemy. the enemy was ten times powerful and equipped with heavy weapons and machinery but the courage, Heroism and Valour of our soldiers Dominated them during those eleven days of War. the whole nation was abreast with our soldiers and we crushed the enemy and defended our beloved homeland. Violating international law indian Armed forces launched its attack from rann of Kutch Border later they attempted to apply the same strategy on Major Cities of Punjab province mainly lahore, sialkot and Kasur but trigger-happy indian forces were at their utter shock when they faced an unanticipated and strapping retaliation from Daring Pakistani soldiers, the response was so willful that indian personals prefered to backtrack for lives.

Major Aziz Bhatti Major an emblematic character of 1965 war vigilantly and valiantly defended BrP Canal.in Barki sector. He Kept enemy forces on the back foot and prevented them from advancing forward. Courage And Valour of Major shafqat forced Naranjan Prasad to escape the battlefield leaving behind his jeep. Virtuoso Fighter Pilots Cical Chaudhary and M.M Alam Never Allowed indian Air Forces to take control,they kept destroying indian jets at regular intervals.

Destruction of PathanKot air base further aggravated the circumstances for indian air forces.Bobartment on indian Coastal town Dwarka By Pakistan Navy completely shattered indian hopes. Pakistani Vessel Ghazi,s Assault left indian Navy static.

Contributions of our artists during the days of War can Never be forsaken. Comparer shakeel Ahmed kept informing the nation about each and every Moment of War. Melodious Voice of Madam Noor Jahan enthralled our soldiers and inspired them to defend our motherland. Her remarkable services during hard times made her an enduring voice of Pakistan. today our country is surrounded by enormous challenges but we can get the better of those challenges through the same unity and courage that we as a nation had demonstrated during that Warred salute to each and every martyr, who laid down his life for our Beloved Country Kamran KhamiSo Khowaja Sujawal

California wildfire A few months into the covid-19 lockdown, i had bumped into a crucial newsflash on CNN of raging wildfires in California in the UsA. incidentally, CNN had been reporting the fire incident back-to-back. the Amazon fire and bushfires in Australia have now set off a wake-up call for protecting our natural environment around like those beautiful dense forest areas, failing which “real Armageddon” will appear on the horizon. All the plants and trees growing on Mother earth have unique features, giving a new lease of life to the whole world having already been affected by so many crises.

My native areas like Korkai, tuticorin, tiruchendur, Nagercoil, Kanyakumari, and tirunelveli, all in tamil Nadu have long been home to various waterbodies like thamirabarani river, big trees, coconut groves and agricultural activities like growing bananas and paddy cultivation. such natural flora and fauna must be protected at all costs like serious water conservation and many more green initiatives in order to keep on feeding the international community over millions of years into the future. surely, the California wildfire incident holds many a lesson for you and me.

P SEnthil Saravana Durai mumbai

Fixing NAB iN fury environment, at last Chairman NAB has submitted replies of queries which were asked by the apex court in suo moto case regarding performance of his under controlled anti graft watchdog and high profile appointments in this autonomous body. it’s too late , but thankfully, Chairman NAB has found the flaws in watchdog’s performance . in a reply submitted by Chairman NAB to apex court highlights the two major and the most vital factors on which the entire watchdog’s performance depends first investigation and second Prosecution.

According to submitted reply the chairman NAB vowed to hire expert and experienced lawyers for smooth and efficient prosecutions against accused in courts. Good, it’s too late but comes true, but main factor which relates to wholesome performance has been ignored by Chairman that’s investigation. NAB Chairman expressed his intention to take the services of expert investigators on deputation from various investigation agencies who possess the sufficient knowledge to probe white collar crimes.

Why Chairman NAB is not willing to recruite such experts directly under section 28 which empowers him to appoint employees of NAB? in several references filed by NAB investigation officers find flaws when Convicted moves to higher courts.the major reason is lacking of sufficient knowledge to probe the case. in the beginning of this year, NAB advertised through FPsC to recruit Assistant Directors for investigation and nonprofessional degree holders are allowed such as engineering, economics, Defence strategies against these high profile posts. Can Chairman NAB glorify the performance of his under controlled anti-graft watchdog by appointing engineers, economists and Defence experts to probe white collar crimes? some days ago, Justice Qazi esa Faez showed serious concerns when a NAB officer who was an engineer appeared before the Honourable judge in a separate case. After debate the worthy Justice of sC was astonished and asked how an engineer is performing his duty to probe corrupt practices in this institution. this question is related to the wholesome performance of NAB, i am not finalising it by admitting that there are other numerous reforms which have to do for making this institution non politicised. Detention of accused for 90 days, arresting of accused without warrant, appointment of NAB Chairman by president with consultation of PM and opposition leader, Bargaining and much more to be addressed but the foremost and primary responsibility lies on the recruitment of professionals in country largest anti-graft watchdog. in this regard Chairman NAB must appoint experts who possess depth in knowledge of white collar crimes rather than such non-professionals to make the efficiency of his institution better than past ever. mahtab ali Khan lahorE

Saturday, 5 September, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

How Facebook tHreatens vulnerable MusliM coMMunities THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM HAS BEEN USED TO INCITE AND CONDONE VIOLENCE AGAINST ADHERENTS OF THE ISLAMIC FAITH, FROM MYANMAR TO KASHMIR TO PALESTINE

Middle eaSt eye

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CJ WErlEmAn

HE social media giant Facebook poses an existential threat to vulnerable Muslim communities.This assessment is based on how Facebook has failed to prevent its platform from being used to incite mob violence against adherents of the Islamic faith. Palestinian and Kashmiri human rights activists have long complained of having their accounts suspended or permanently deleted after posting videos of Indian and Israeli soldiers carrying out human rights violations.

"Facebook has now turned into a beast, and not what it originally intended," said Yanghee Lee, a UN investigator who in 2018 described the social media platform as a vehicle for inciting "acrimony, dissension and conflict" and driving the Rohingya Muslim genocide in Myanmar.

DEFYING 'COMMUNITY STANDARDS': A recent investigation by the Wall Street Journal has revealed that when it comes to the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable Muslim minorities, Facebook not only puts profits and politics before social and moral responsibility, but also before its stated user policies or what it calls "community standards" - as evidenced by how it refused to punish a right-wing Indian politician

for advocating violence against Muslims because doing so would be bad for the company's business.

"We do not allow hate speech on Facebook because it creates an environment of intimidation and exclusion and in some cases may promote real-world violence," reads the site's hate-speech policy. "We define hate speech as a direct attack on people based on what we call protected characteristics - race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, caste, sex, gender, gender identity, and serious disease or disability."

When T Raja Singh, a member of India's ruling BJP, called for the slaughter of Rohingya Muslim refugees, threatened to demolish mosques, and labelled Indian Muslim citizens as traitors, Facebook's online security staff determined his account should be banned for not only violating its community standards, but also for falling under the category of "Dangerous Individuals and Organizations".That's when Ankhi Das, Facebook's public policy director for India, stepped in to protect Singh from punitive action, because "punishing violations by politicians from Mr Modi's party would damage the company's business prospects in the country," according to Facebook employees cited by the Wall Street Journal.

TURNING A BLIND EYE: These revelations should be seen not as an isolated incident, but rather in the broader context of Facebook managing its business in a way that puts it in lockstep with the Hindu nationalist agenda - because India, with its more than 290 million Facebook users, represents a key market. Facebook did not respond to Middle East Eye's request for comment.

"For years now, verified Facebook pages of BJP leaders such as Kapil Mishra have routinely published hate speeches against Muslims and dissenting voices.

The hate then translates into deadly violence, such as the anti-Muslim attacks in Delhi that left many people dead in February in some of the worst communal violence India's capital had seen in decades," observed Indian journalist Rana Ayyub. "...

It's clear that Facebook has no intention of holding hate-mongers accountable and that the safety of users is not a priority."

In June, after The Gambia requested in a US District Court for Facebook to release "all documents and communications produced, drafted, posted or published on the Facebook page" of Myanmar military officials and security forces, in order to evaluate what role they played in the mass violence against the Rohingya, Facebook indicated that it would evaluate the request.

STANDING WITH POWERFUL STATES: The hopes of Rohingya activists were buoyed when Facebook's head of cybersecurity policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, acknowledged the company had found "clear and deliberate attempts to covertly spread propaganda that were directly linked to the Myanmar military".

"I wouldn't say Facebook is directly involved in the ethnic cleansing, but there is a responsibility they had to take proper action to avoid becoming an instigator of genocide," ThetSwe Win, who founded Synergy, a group devoted to encouraging social cohesion in Myanmar, told the New York Times.

This month, however, Facebook rejected The Gambia's request, arguing that the re-

lease of "all documents and communications" by key military officials and police forces was "extraordinarily broad" and would constitute "special and unbounded access" to accounts.

The profit motive apparently drives Facebook to stand with powerful states and against the victimised and downtrodden. The idea that Facebook is an impartial platform built on fairness and equality for all is patently absurd, given that it is a for-profit corporation that bases its commercial decisions on the quest for everhigher revenues.

'ONLY MUSLIMS GET BLOCKED': There is much evidence of this in both India and Israel/Palestine. A 2019 report noted that WhatsApp, the messaging app now owned

by Facebook, blocked or shut down around 100 accounts belonging to Palestinian journalists and activists, banning them from sharing information and updates as Israeli warplanes pounded Gaza in November 2019.

Facebook has also been accused of showing favouritism to Israel by categorising vague or even commonly used Arabic terms or slogans as "incitement to violence," while simultaneously turning a blind eye to Israeli accounts that openly call for "death to Arabs". Facebook has revealed a "political bias in favour of elevating the Israeli narrative while suppressing the Palestinian one," observed +972 Magazine.

MarwaFatafta, a Palestinian writer and policy analyst, says that Facebook "cannot use ignorance as an excuse," noting that "economic and political incentives" explain why social media companies comply with Israeli government requests.

The court can gain respect only through its judgements, not through the contempt law FULL TEXT OF THE WRITER’S STATEMENT TO THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS’ CLUB

Scroll.in ArundhAti roy

Greetings. It’s a pity that in the India of 2020, in the Era of Minus 23.9, we should have to gather to discuss something as primitive as the Right to Free Speech – surely the most fundamental building block of a functioning democracy.

On the other hand, perhaps we have ceded the right to call ourselves one – economically, and socially we are on our knees.

Over the past few years our country has suffered from a series of artificially induced heart attacks (the sudden and unexplained demonetisation, the rough-shod introduction of the Goods and Services Tax, the abrogation of Section 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the attempts to ram through the Citizenship Amendment Act, the bungled Covid-19 lockdown and now Covid itself.

Like often happens to patients with diabetes, these heart attacks have been silent attacks – masked by the pre-existing illness. That illness in the case of our country is the cacophony of relentless propaganda and the dereliction of duty by public institutions who have done little to stop the slide. And this includes the judiciary. Our heart is failing. And one of the doctors who – like the many academic, activists, lawyers and scholars who are in jail right now – has been warning us for the longest time about our condition, is Prashant Bhushan. For his pains, he is now a convicted felon.

A LIST OF FAILURES: In his lengthy reply to the Supreme Court’s 2020 charge of contempt of court, apart from the legal arguments challenging the accusation, Prashant Bhushan has listed a number of issues in which he maintains that the

Supreme Court has failed, by commission as well as omission, to act as the guardian of the Indian Constitution, safeguard citizens fundamental rights to life and liberty and stem the slide into illiberal majoritarianism.

Among these are the habeas corpus petitions by the relatives of some of the thousands of Kashmiris jailed around August 5 of last year, the internet siege (which in my opinion amounts to a crime against humanity), the Supreme Court’s role in the execution of the National Register of Citizens in Assam (resulting in untold suffering and tens of millions of people being excluded from the list), the assault by police and rightwing thugs in the campuses of JamiaMiliaIslamia and Jawaharlal Nehru University, the mysterious death of Judge Loya, the scandal around the government’s purchase of Rafale fighter jets, the court’s refusal to intervene to protect workers during the lockdown which resulted in horrifying migration on foot of millions as they walked hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles home to their villages.

Prashant’s reply affidavit also details several egregious corruption scandals some of them involving judges of the Supreme Court who have been named. This is a monumental public document that ought to be compulsory reading for anybody seeking to understand how modern-day India works – or, as the case may be – does not work.

But now that Prashant has been convicted and punished, we cannot cease to pursue, question and write about all of these things. We must follow his example, and build on the courage he has shown.

I’d like to raise one more important issue.Between its judgment holding Prashant Bhushan guilty for “scandalising” and “lowering the dignity” of the court and the quantum of punishment he has received – a symbolic fine of one rupee there – is a whole swampy universe. I am glad that Prashant plans to challenge that judgement, because as long as that judgment stands, it is a dangerous trap for those of us who are not well-known Supreme Court lawyers from illustrious families.

In recent years, others have been con-

victed of contempt of court too. Among them, Justice Karnan, a judge – a Dalit judge – in the Kolkatta High Court. He was convicted under a different section of the contempt law – interfering in the administration of justice – and sentenced to six months in prison. The Supreme Court lawyer Mathews Nedumpara was convicted of contempt of court in 2019 for “contemptuous allegations and attempting to “browbeat” the court. He was given a suspended three-month jail sentence and barred from practicing in the court for a year. Neither of these two were given the option of symbolic punishments.

There is a fair amount of commentary in the social media about the different strokes for different folks – both in terms of the Supreme Court’s judgement as well as the groundswell of public support.

A WHIFF OF UPPER-CASTE PATRIARCHY: Speaking for myself, I found the language used in the judgment that convicted and jailed me for contempt of court in 2002, intemperate, sexist and denigrating. To be sure the “offences” that each of us are supposed to have committed are by no means the same, and Prashant’s sterling record of public service plays an enormous part in all of this.

However, there is certainly a whiff of upper-caste patriarchy in the air that must not go unremarked upon. In an unequal, caste-ridden and overtly sexist society such as ours it is the duty of not just the courts, but everybody, to be alert to all forms of discrimination.

We cannot expect that the judicial establishment will volunteer to reduce its powers by repealing the section in the contempt law with its Victorian notions of “scandalising the court” and “lowering its dignity” – even if it knows full well that the only way it can gain respect is through its judgments and not through this ridiculous law.

Since the law is unlikely to be repealed we must strive to make it redundant. Not by deliberately and gratuitously insulting the court, but by, like Prashant Bhushan has, speaking our minds about courts, judges and their judgements, conscientiously and responsibly.Thank you.

In Indian Occupied Kashmir as well, journalists and human rights activists have for years accused Facebook of censoring content that casts Indian security forces in a negative light. Four weeks after India revoked Indian Occupied Kashmir's autonomous status in August 2019, Facebook suspended scores of accounts over posts on the disputed territory, including "Stand With Kashmir," a page owned and managed by a Kashmiri American based in Chicago.

"Why is it that only Muslims get blocked? Facebook is being one-sided by supporting the atrocities committed by the Indian army. Other people can say whatever they want, but if Muslims say something, we get blocked. It is not neutral," RizwanSajid, a Kashmiri activist, told the Guardian.

A CLEAR CHOICE: What's clear is that Facebook, like much of the international community, appears to hold a bias against Muslims, because the international community is oriented towards the economic and strategic interests of non-Muslim majority countries, where the social media giant exacts the lion's share of its profits.

AmarnathAmarasingam is an expert in violent extremism and the author of Sri Lanka: The Struggle For Peace in the Aftermath of War. He told MEE: "Many of the more frontline people at Facebook dealing with hate speech and incidents of violence against minorities - often Muslims - in places like India, Myanmar [and] Sri Lanka are quite knowledgeable, and I've found them to be eager and open when it comes to reaching out to experts and learning about the ground realities. I fear that at the leadership level, different calculations are at play."

When it comes to the choice between social responsibility and responsibility to shareholders, it would appear that Facebook is eschewing measures that might impede delivering greater profits to the latter.

Rampant violence in Arab society is Israel's badge of dishonour ARAB CITIZENS OF ISRAEL HAVE THE RIGHT TO FEEL SAFE ON THEIR STREETS Haaretz EditoriAl

The murder of Sharifa Abu Muammar, the 30-year-old mother of three and schoolteacher from Ramle, who was shot to death on Monday night in her home, is a badge of dishonour to Israel’s police, who have lost all control over crime in Arab communities and over the possession of illegal arms there.

It is also a badge of disgrace for Israel’s government, which has not placed the dealing with crime and violence in Arab society at the top of its list of priorities, and a disgrace for the state, which treats its Arab citizens as second-class citizens, giving them second-rate police protection. Israeli society should also be ashamed for relating to violence in Arab society as a natural phenomenon with no chance of being uprooted.

Abu Muammar is the 56th homicide in Arab communities since the beginning of this year. This inconceivable number underscores the fact that criminal gangs are operating unhindered, without being apprehended, tried or deterred. Abu Muammar’s relatives denied earlier reports that suggested she was hit by a stray bullet.

They say their family is in conflict with another family, against which they had filed earlier complaints due to violence, but police had done nothing about it.

“I asked several times for the police to do a search for weapons at the other family’s home, but to no avail,” said one family member. Another said he had filed a complaint in early July

after members of the other family had beaten up his young son in the street, but nothing was done about it.

In recent years, police have opened new stations in Arab communities, but this is far from satisfactory.

Police are unsuccessful in fighting organized crime or in removing illegal weapons, they do not catch lawbreakers and do not file indictments. They effect no deterrence at all.

One mustn’t make do with criticizing the police, since the force lacks sufficient resources and tools for handling the situation. As long as the government and public relate to violence in Arab society as an internal Arab community affair, it will continue. This is a problem that requires steps taken on a national scale, with clear objectives and an allocation of resources.

Along with these, Arab society must mobilize in a campaign against crime and violence, with a change in attitudes to weapons and gunfire, often used in celebrations. Last October, masses of people took to the streets in the hope of bringing about change. Now, a year later, the situation is unchanged.

Recently hopes have been pinned on a national plan for combating crime, but it’s unclear whether this plan will take effect and if the government intends to allocate the required resources. Arab citizens of Israel have the right to feel safe on their streets, to enjoy police protection and live in a society without guns. The tragedy of Abu Muammar must not become just one more statistic reflecting incompetence.

Saturday, 5 September, 2020

buSinESS 09 corporate corner

CeMent desPAtCHes slow down In AuGust

HabibMetro, IBA launch scholarship award for deserving students

OVERALL DESPATCHES DROP FROM 4.83M TONNES IN JULY 2020 TO 3.52M TONNES IN AUG

KARACHI: The Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited (HMB) and the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) have announced the launch of ‘HABIBMETRO Scholarship Award’ to provide financial assistance to two undergraduate students from the IBA National Talent Hunt Programme (NTHP) for the entire duration of their studies (4 years). To ink this initiative, an MoU was signed by HMB President & CEO Mohsin Ali Nathani and IBA Executive Director Dr S Akbar Zaidi at the IBA Karachi City Campus. As per the agreement, HMB will contribute towards supporting students on a merit-cumneed basis. The scholarships will be awarded on a case-to-case basis keeping in view the applicants’ academic record, personal circumstances and financial conditions. PRess ReLeAse

ISLAMABAD: Imarat Group of companies wins prestigious ICCI Achievement Award for ‘Leading Construction & Real Estate Group’. Chairman, Imarat Group of Companies, Graana.com and Agency21 Mr. Shafiq Akbar received the award from the President of Pakistan, Mr. Arif Alvi, the Chief Guest of the event. PRess ReLeAse

Govt mulls investing in coastal tourism to earn $5bn revenue per annum ISLAMABAD: The federal government is mulling to take immediate measures to promote coastal tourism in the country, as the development of Pakistan's coastal areas could help the government earn $5 billion per annum. According to the Maritime Study Forum, the government intends to develop coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan and a study has already been conducted in this regard. Pakistan hardly generates around $50,000 from this industry. The forum recently conducted a survey wherein it was revealed that around 70pc of Pakistanis have either never experienced coastal tourism or had not seen Pakistan's coastline beyond Karachi. It suggested the federal and provincial governments of Sindh and Balochistan take immediate and concrete steps to promote coastal tourism and avert sea blindness. As per Air Vice-Marshal (r) Ijaz Malik, Pakistan needs to learn from coastal tourism development models of countries that are exploiting the sector's potential. In this regard, he suggested the UAE model could help Pakistan develop its coast into a thriving tourism industry. Meanwhile, senior journalist and anchorperson Nadia Naqi explained how Pakistan’s coastal tourism has remained stagnant through decades. "In order to promote coastal tourism, we not only need to develop infrastructure on coasts but also bring about sustainable development that protects the coastal ecosystem," she stated. Naghmana Zafar, Senior Research Associate at NIMA, stressed the need to promote maritime domain awareness among institutions and organizations within the country. “In order to address sea blindness in the country, the common public, as well as investors and institutions, need to be sensitised.” Moreover, Al-Noor Cruise Shipping CEO Shoaib Ahmed emphasized the importance of developing local coastal communities. He said the local culture of coastal communities can act as a great incentive to attract tourists towards this part of the country.

Maritime Study Forum President Dr Syed Mohammed Anwer also stressed the need for promoting maritime awareness in the country. "It will not only help to promote coastal development and tourism but will also highlight the importance of the overall maritime sector in the national economy". He suggested the establishment of a coastal tourism authority to manage and promote coastal tourism in the country. MIAN ABRAR

LAHORE

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sTAFF RePORT

EMENT despatches increased by 5.04pc to 3.520 million tonnes year-on-year in August 2020, as compared to 3.351 million tonnes in August 2019. However, on a month-onmonth basis, the despatches were much less than 4.838 million tonnes recorded in July 2020.

According to data released by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA), the local uptake of cement in August 2020 increased by 4.84pc to 2.794 million tonnes (2.665 million tonnes in August 2019), while exports appreciated by 5.82pc to 0.725 million tonnes (0.685 million tonnes last year).

During the month under review, Pakistan's northern mills despatched 2.493 million tonnes of cement in the domestic market as compared to 2.347 million tonnes in August 2019, registering an increase of 6.26pc. Exports from the north stood at 0.211 million tonnes, which was 8.45pc higher than the exports of 0.195 million tonnes last year.

On the other hand, south-based mills continued with the declining trend in the domestic market, despatching only 0.301 million tonnes of cement in August 2020, 5.6pc less than 0.319 million tonnes recorded in August 2019.

Exports from south mills, however, increased 4.78pc to 0.515 million tonnes in August 2020 as compared to 0.491 million tonnes in August last year.

The country’s overall despatches

APCMA ATTRIBUTES THE SLOW DOWN TO HEAVY RAINS, EIDUL AZHA AND ASHURA HOLIDAYS during the first two months of the current fiscal year (FY21) surged by 21.78pc, from 6.863 million tons in July-Aug 2019 to 8.358 million tonnes.

Domestic despatches stood at 6.747 million tonnes in Jul-Aug 2020, up 19.53pc from 5.644 million tonnes in the same period last year. Exports during the period under review registered an increase of 32.2pc, from 1.218 million tonnes in Jul-Aug 2019 to 1.61 million tonnes.

The APCMA spokesman stated that the jump in cement sales during July was "probably a one-off phenomenon".

"The industry was expecting the July momentum to continue but an appreciable decline in monthly domestic uptake and exports is disappointing," he said.

"The decline was mainly due to heavy

KP Revenue Authority reduces sales tax on 29 services

rains, Eidul Azha and Ashura holidays."

He said that the industry is unable to understand as to why the impact of the construction package has not been felt in the south. Moreover, he added, the normal growth of 6.26pc in domestic sales in the north suggests that the impact of the construction package was also not visible there in August.

He requested the government to minimise duties and taxes on the cement sector in order to increase consumption. He also wondered why the cement sector and captive power plants were excluded from subsidized power and gas that is available to five exporting sectors. “Cement is an energy-intensive sector and availability of energy and power at concessional rates will boost cement exports appreciably.”

President says reforms underway for ensuring ease of doing business ISLAMABAD TLTP

SALES TAX ON CONSTRUCTION SERVICES LOWERED FROM 15PC TO 2PC; HOTELS, RESTAURANTS, GUEST HOUSES TO BE TAXED AT 8PC PESHAWAR AZIZ BUNeRI

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority (KPRA) has notified reduced rates of sales tax on 29 services, as approved in the budget 2020-21, in order to provide tax relief to businesses and encourage investment in important sectors.

"Sales tax on 10 different services has been reduced from 15pc to merely 2pc in the tax relief package offered by the provincial government," the notification read. "Similarly, ST on five services has been brought down from 15pc to 5pc, while the same has been lowered from 15pc to 8-10pc for six services.”

The services that would benefit from this "tax relief package" include construction and allied services, hotels and restaurants, workshops, business support services, laboratories, labour or manpower providing services and beauty parlours.

According to the notification, ST on construction services, which were earlier being taxed at 15pc, has now been brought down to 2pc.

Likewise, sales tax on services provided by hotels, restaurants, guest houses and lodges having local chains has been reduced

from 15pc to 8pc. For hotels and restaurants having Restaurant Invoice Management System (RIMS) that works properly, the rate of sales tax would be 5pc.

"The aim of the package is to provide relief to the public, ensure ease of doing business in the province, encourage tax compliance and ultimately build a tax culture," KPRA Director General Fayyaz Ali Shah remarked. "Tax compliance will help the government utilise financial resources on socio-economic uplift of the people."

According to the notification, sales tax on manpower or labour supplying services, business support services, laboratory and testing services and contractual execution service providers, which was 15pc previously, would now be 5pc.

Airports, dry ports, container terminal service providers and storage or warehouse service providers, which were previously taxed at 15pc, would now

pay 10pc.

The ST rate for workshops operating as a standalone business has been brought down from 5pc to 2pc while the same for industrial workshops have been reduced from 10pc to 5pc.

The sales tax on beauty parlours services has been lowered from 8pc to 5pc and for the medium sized laundry services, ST rate has been reduced from 8pc to 2pc.

For capital goods' dealership services, equipment renting services, railway cargo services, underwriter services, indenting services, auctioneering services, erection & commissioning services and quality assurance services, the tax rates have been reduced from 15pc to 2pc.

Also, sales tax on services provided by property dealers, bargain centres, car wash, Digital or IT firms, call centres and firms or individuals providing cinematographic services has been brought down from 5pc to 2pc.

President Dr Arif Alvi has said that the incumbent government is taking adequate measures to ensure ease of doing business in the country. Addressing a ceremony during the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) Achievement Awards, the president said that despite the coronavirus pandemic and heavy odds, the government is striving to stabilise national institutions. He said the development of institutions leads to an improved economic situation of the country, adding that due to lucrative packages offered by the government, the country's stock exchange has been declared as stable and people of the world are recognizing it. He said with the right policies of the government, Pakistan’s economy is now heading towards a ‘take off’, urging the business community to have confidence in the future of Pakistan. He stressed that the business community should focus on the branding of products to promote exports. Congratulating the award winners, Dr Alvi appreciated the ICCI for organizing the awards to recognize the contribution of outstanding businesses.

Speaking on the occasion, Adviser to PM on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood said the government has taken several steps to ensure ease of doing business in the country, which would lead to an increase in exports. He said the government is also focusing on 'Look Africa Policy' to enhance the volume of Pakistan's exports to this larger market. “The PM has given a vision for the economy... let us work hard to make Pakistan a strong economy.” Dawood urged the exporters to widen the range of products, as the government is focusing on export-led growth of the economy. He assured that the government would further reduce duties and tariffs, besides removing hurdles to make businesses more competitive. He said that the economy has been put in the right direction and more steps would be taken for ease of doing business, adding that the business community should promote ‘Made in Pakistan’ and lauded the initiative of ICCI for organizing the Awards 2020. In his welcome address, ICCI President Muhammad Ahmed Waheed said that the main purpose of organizing 3rd ICCI Achievement Awards was to acknowledge the role of top performing businesses in the economic development. He said that the business community has always contributed to steer the economy out of challenges and the government should create a more conducive environment for businesses to flourish.

Information & Broadcasting Minister Shibli Faraz, S&T Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Adviser to PM on Institutional Reforms Dr Ishrat Hussain, MNA Sajida Zulfiqar, high government officials and diplomats were also present on the occasion.

MARKET DAILY

KSE-100 snaps winning streak on profit booking KARACHI sTAFF RePORT

Breaking its winning streak, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) closed the last session of the week in the red, with the indices accumulating losses amid narrow range trading.

Global stock markets also showed a negative trend, whereas crude oil prices moved north from the previous close; WTI crude price rising 0.63pc to $41.67 while Brent crude price increasing 0.41pc to $44.25.

Despite a lacklustre close to the session on Friday, the benchmark KSE-100 Index managed to gain 2.35pc during the outgoing week.

"The market traded in a narrow range following the onslaught in international markets that saw stocks markets in developed countries plummeting overnight. Local investors probably thought it was best to book profit rather than carry positions over the weekend," said a report issued by AHL Ltd. "Selling pressure was observed in cement, fertiliser, exploration & production and banking stocks, while a rally was witnessed in some steel and tech stocks."

MARKET SUMMARY: The KSE-100 started the day on a negative note, losing 264.43 points to touch its intraday low at 41,923.68. It, however, managed to recover

the lost ground later in the day, marking its intraday high at 42,291.92 (+103.81 points). Regardless, the index failed to hold on to its gains and closed lower by 165.11 points at 42,023.00.

Among other indices, the KMI-30 Index lost 11.32 points to end at 67,522.28, while the KSE All Share Index dropped 31.60 points, settling the day at 29,748.90.

The overall market volumes fell from 919.45 million shares in the previous session to 758.08 million shares (-18pc). Average traded value also declined by 7pc, from $160.1 million to $149.4 million.

Hascol Petroleum Limited (HASCOL

CMYK

+7.49pc), Fauji Foods Limited (FFL +7.48pc) and Unity Foods Limited (UNTIY +2.54pc) led the volume chart, exchanging 73.16 million, 51.66 million and 41.35 million shares, respectively.

Sectors that dragged the benchmark index in the red included banking (-59.87 points), power generation & distribution (58.66 points) and cement (-32.21 points).

Among the companies, Hub Power Company Ltd (HUBC -52.58 pts), United Bank Ltd (UBL -25.58 points) and Lucky Cement Ltd (LUCK -21.52 points) dented the index the most.

Losing 1.63pc from its cumulative

market capitalization, the power generation & distribution sector emerged as the session's top gainer, with Hub Power Company Ltd (HUBC -2.84pc), Pakgen Power Ltd (PKGP -6.79pc) and Kot Addu Power Company Ltd (KAPCO -0.96pc) closing in the red.

Meanwhile, in a notification to the exchange, Dolmen City REIT (DCR -0.53pc) announced that its management has decided to waive 15pc rentals of the tenants having retail outlets in "Dolmen Mall Clifton" for the month of Sept 2020. The discount will not apply to tenants providing essential services such as supermarkets and banks.

Saturday, 5 September, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS Mahmoud vows to end intra-Palestinian rifts RAMALLAH AGENCIES

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has vowed to achieve intra-Palestinian reconciliation and national partnership to end internal division, official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. Meeting with the heads of all Palestinian factions, Abbas pledged to make the necessary arrangements for convening the Palestinian Central Council as soon as possible, the report said. "Until that time we'll agree on the necessary mechanisms to end the division and achieve reconciliation and national partnership in a time-bound manner and with the participation of all," Abbas said. He urged all Palestinian factions, particularly Fatah and the Islamic Hamas movement that controls Gaza Strip, to initiate an inclusive dialogue to approve mechanisms to end the division based on the one-people and one-political-system principle. Abbas said that the meeting was held "at a very dangerous stage, in which our national cause is facing various conspiracies and dangers," referring to Israel's illegal annexation plan, the U.S. Mideast plan, and the projects to encourage Arab countries to normalize ties with Israel. He slammed the United Arab Emirates' recent decision to normalize its relations with Israel as "a poisoned dagger" which "stabbed our people and our nation." The Palestinian leader said that the Palestinian people and leadership would neither accept the United States as the sole broker of any future peace negotiations, nor its Mideast plan which violates international law.

Rights of Turkey, Turkish Cypriots to be protected, Erdogan tells Merkel ANKARA TLTP

While discussing over prevailing tension in Eastern Mediterranean, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel via video conference on regional affairs and reiterated to protect the rights of Turkey and Turkish Cypriots. "During the video conference, President Erdogan reiterated his commitment to a fair allocation (of energy resources), whereby the rights of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots in the Eastern Mediterranean would be protected, and which would serve the interests of all littoral states," said a statement by the Turkish Presidential Communications Office. Erdogan accused Greece, the Greek Cypriots, and the states supporting them of having been taking steps to escalate the tension, said the statement. Erdogan also stated that he welcomed Merkel's efforts to contribute to the solution of the problem "that has been caused by recent steps by Greece and its supporters, which undermined regional peace." Athens and Ankara have been at odds over hydrocarbon rights in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey dispatched its seismic survey vessel, Oruc Reis, escorted by Turkish warships to the area after Greece and Egypt signed a maritime border agreement. Greece, which has called on Turkey to withdraw its vessels from the area, also deployed warships to monitor the Turkish activities there.

SoftBank reportedly considering bid for TikTok in India TOKYO AGENCIES

Japan’s SoftBank Group is exploring assembling a group of bidders for TikTok’s India assets and has been actively looking for local partners, according to people familiar with the matter. Over the past month, the Japanese conglomerate, which owns a stake in TikTok’s parent ByteDance, has held talks with the heads of India’s Reliance Jio Infocomm and Bharti Airtel, the people said, asking not to be identified because the details are private. China's TikTok is considering selling its operations in several countries after local governments shut out the app, citing security concerns.

UN ChIEf fOR G20 ACTION TO COMBAT COvId-19, BUIld BACk BETTER NEW YORK

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NITED Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called on the Group of 20 (G20) countries to take concerted action to combat the Covid-19 pandemic and build back better.

Speaking to an emergency meeting of G20 foreign ministers on the Covid19 crisis, Guterres noted the pandemic has forced "unprecedented lockdowns, travel suspensions and limited movement across borders," adding that "concerns are growing that some of the current

movement restrictions could outlast the immediate crisis."

He flagged "five focus areas" for the discussion, requesting first that they seek agreement on common objective criteria in relation to the removal of travel restrictions, based on scientific evidence.

Second, the UN chief called for "investments on systems and practices that support safe travel - in close coordination with the private sector.

Third, he called for better coordination in preventive measures - "in particular more systematic use of testing and tracing and other proven actions to avoid the spread of the virus and allow for ef-

fective control of the potential impacts of increased mobility."

Next, the UN chief highlighted the importance of full respect for international human rights and refugee law, and also called for agreement that future vaccines will be considered a global public good to be available and affordable everywhere, supporting global health, global mobility and global economic recovery.

"All actions must recognize upholding human dignity as the guiding principle for cross-border policies."

He said there is "a long way to go" on two key fronts: "First, in our capacity to fight the pandemic together. We have

EU, France call on US to reverse sanctions against ICC officials BRUSSELS AGENCIES

Terming recent US sanctions against two international Criminal Court (ICC) officials unprecedented, EU top diplomat declared the act unacceptable while seeking immediate reversal of the imposed sanctions whereas French foreign minister called them a grave attack on the court.

In March, the ICC unanimously authorized a probe into war crimes in Afghanistan allegedly committed by the US, Afghan, and Taliban forces.

The inclusion of US troops in the investigation has drawn the ire of Trump and his top officials.

The sanctions are “unacceptable and unprecedented measures that attempt to obstruct the court's investigations and judicial proceedings,” EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Josep Borrell said in a statement.

The US should “reconsider its position and reverse the measures it has taken,” Borrell added.

His comments came shortly after French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian condemned the sanctions as “a grave attack against the court,” saying it put into question “multilateralism and the independence of the judiciary.”

In September 02, the State Department imposed sanctions against ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda over her investigation into alleged war crimes committed by US troops in Afghanistan. Phakiso Mochochoko, head of the ICC's Jurisdiction, Complementarity and Cooperation Division, was also sanctioned for providing support for Bensouda’s investigation.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described the ICC as “a thoroughly broken and corrupted institution” and said the US “will not

Egypt, China's Huawei discuss electricity network's transformation CAIRO

tolerate its illegitimate attempts to subject Americans to its jurisdiction.”

As many as 123 countries around the world are parties to the Rome Statute that created the ICC. The US was originally among them, but President George W. Bush withdrew the signature of his predecessor Bill Clinton and in 2002 the US Congress passed a law that authorized the use of military force to free any Americans or allies held by the ICC. Earlier, ICC has condemned US saying it will continue to stand firmly by its personnel and its mission of fighting impunity for the world’s most serious crimes under international law, independently and impartially, in accordance with its mandate.

“In doing so, the Court benefits from the strong support and commitment of two thirds of the world’s States which are parties to the Rome Statute,” ICC stated.

Malaysia drops Goldman Sachs criminal charges over $3.9bn KUALA LUMPUR

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Egypt and China's tech giant Huawei have discussed the gradual transformation of Egypt's electricity network to a smart grid, Egyptian Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy said. Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohamed Shaker met with Huawei's regional president Li Jiguang in Cairo, where they discussed the cooperation, the ministry said in a statement. The meeting is part of Egypt's plans to develop its energy sector based on the latest technologies, it added.

During the meeting, Shaker hailed the existing cooperation between Egypt and China in several mega projects, welcoming further cooperation with China to benefit from its expertise and technological progress.

"The future vision of the Egyptian electricity sector is based on the gradual transformation of the current network from a typical one to a smart grid that would help absorb the large amounts of generated power," Shaker said. Shaker highlighted his ministry's efforts to improve its services, including power generation, transportation and distribution. Li, president of Huawei Northern Africa Enterprise Business Group, commended the rapid and remarkable development of the projects implemented by the Egyptian ministry to establish a strong infrastructure along with a smart grid that supports the digital transformation.

Malaysia has dropped criminal charges against units of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. over the bank’s role in the alleged theft of billions of dollars from a government investment fund, a key step under the terms of a recent $3.9 billion settlement. Goldman Sachs will not face criminal charges over its alleged role in the theft of billions of dollars from Malaysia’s government investment fund, 1MDB, after the Wall Street bank agreed to pay $4 billion in compensation. The bank and its units were acquitted of all charges filed by Malaysia, High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan announced on Friday, as cited by state media. The charges were dropped after the two sides reached a settlement deal following lengthy talks last month. Under the terms of the agreement, which allows the Wall Street bank to move on from one of the worst scandals in its history, Goldman Sachs agreed to a $2.5 billion cash payment to Malaysia and a guarantee to return at least $1.4 billion in assets acquired with misappropriated funds from sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Last week, the bank made the promised $2.5 billion payment. The fund was set up in 2009 by Najib Razak, the then-prime minister, who was sentenced to 12 years in jail after being convicted on all charges related to 1MDB.

seen the results when each country pursues its own strategy, with the advice of the World Health Organization being largely disregarded."

"When countries go in different directions, the virus goes in every direction," he noted. "Second, we still lack effective international solidarity to respond to the economic and social impacts and the underlying fragilities exposed by the pandemic."

The secretary-general said that more than ever, effective international solidarity is key to advancing these priority areas and build a more inclusive, resilient and sustainable world for all.

Russia to review possibility of murder attempt on Navalny MOSCO AGENCIES

Russia's Investigative Committee Friday asked one of its regional branches in Siberia to probe the possibility that someone tried to murder Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny. Germany has said that Navalny was poisoned with a Sovietstyle Novichok nerve agent and has called for the perpetrators to be held to account. Russia has until now not opened a criminal investigation and said there is no evidence yet of a crime. Navalny, 44, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's fiercest critics, fell ill on a flight returning to Moscow from Siberia on August 20 and was taken to a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk after the plane made an emergency landing. He was later transferred to Berlin's Charite hospital, where doctors last week said there were indications he had been poisoned. He remains in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator, but his condition is reportedly improving. The Russian doctors who treated Navalny in Siberia have repeatedly contested the German hospital's conclusion, saying they ruled out poisoning as a diagnosis and their tests for poisonous substances came back negative. Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow rejected any suggestion that Russia was responsible and warned other countries against jumping to hasty conclusions.

Greece, Turkey set for 'technical talks' on Mediterranean tension: NATO BRUSSELS AGENCIES

NATO has said that alliance members Turkey and Greece have agreed to hold "technical talks" on ways to de-escalate military tensions in the eastern Mediterranean Sea over disputed gas exploration activities. Tensions are running high over Turkey's drilling activities, which Greece and Cyprus say violate their sovereignty, and both sides have deployed warships in a show of force, raising fears of conflict erupting by accident. "Following my discussions with Greek and Turkish leaders, the two allies have agreed to enter into technical talks at NATO to establish mechanisms for military deconfliction to reduce the risk of incidents and accidents in the eastern Mediterranean," NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement.

China plans huge investment in next-generation chips: Bloomberg BEIJING AGENCIES

China is planning a sweeping set of new government policies to develop its domestic semiconductor industry and counter Trump administration restrictions, conferring the same kind of priority on the effort it accorded to building its atomic capability, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Beijing is preparing broad support for so-called third-generation semiconductors for the five years through 2025, said the people, asking not to be identified discussing government deliberations. A suite of meas-

ures to bolster research, education and financing for the industry has been added to a draft of the country's 14th five-year plan, which will be presented to the country's top leaders in October, the people said.

China's top leaders will gather next month to lay out their economic strategy for the next half decade, including efforts to ramp up domestic consumption and make critical technology at home. President Xi Jinping has pledged an estimated $1.4 trillion through 2025 for technologies ranging from wireless networks to artificial intelligence. Semiconductors are fundamental to virtually every component

of China's technology ambitions -- and an increasingly aggressive Trump administration threatens to cut off their supply from abroad.

"The Chinese leadership realizes that semiconductors underpin all advanced technologies, and that it can no longer dependably rely on American supplies," said Dan Wang, technology analyst at research firm Gavekal Dragonomics. "In the face of stricter U.S. restrictions on chip access, China's response can only be to keep pushing its own industry to develop."

Shares in several major Chinese chipmakers gained. Shanghai Fudan Microelec-

tronics Group Co. finished 4.3% higher in Hong Kong. On mainland bourses, Will Semiconductor Ltd. -- the second most valuable listed Chinese chip firm -- rose almost 10%. Xiamen Changelight Co. closed 14% up while Focus Lightings Tech Co. jumped 5.6%.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which is responsible for drafting the tech-related goals, did not reply to a request for comment. China imports more than $300 billion worth of integrated circuits each year and its semiconductor developers rely on U.S.-made chip design tools and patents, as well as critical manu-

facturing technologies from U.S. allies. But deteriorating ties between Beijing and Washington have made it increasingly difficult for Chinese companies to source components and chipmaking technologies from overseas.

The U.S. government has blacklisted dozens of China's tech companies so they can't buy American parts, and slapped bans on ByteDance Ltd.'s TikTok and Tencent Holdings Ltd.'s WeChat. In the case of technology giant Huawei Technologies Co., the Trump administration sanctioned the company and pressed allies to ban the company's equipment from their telecom networks.

Saturday, 5 September, 2020

SPORTS 11

FLawLeSS aUgeR-aLIaSSIMe knoCkS oUt andy MURRay In StRaIgHt SetS NEW YORK

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ANADIAN Felix Auger-Aliassime proved too strong for former champion Andy Murray, cutting short the Briton’s Grand Slam comeback at the U.S. Open with a breezy 6-2 6-3 6-4 victory in the second round on Thursday.

Before the start of the match, the 20year-old Auger-Aliassime had said he would look to be aggressive against his three-time Grand Slam winning opponent.

The Canadian lived up to his promise and went on the offensive from the start, dominating rallies from the baseline and making the 2012 U.S. Open champion, who has twice had hip surgery, move all around

the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

Auger-Aliassime, seeded 15th, has had problems with his serve and unforced errors in the past but it was almost a near-perfect outing in his debut appearance on the centre court, which had its roof closed due to rain.

He did not face a single breakpoint on his serve, hit 24 aces and an incredible 52 winners compared to the nine managed by the Scot, who was playing his first Grand Slam since the 2019 Australian Open. “It’s an amazing feeling. I wish the fans were here but ... it’s funny, life is funny because I came here in 2011, I got tickets for a match and I watched Andy Murray and Feliciano Lopez playing third round here,” Auger-Aliassime said in his on-court interview.

“So it’s crazy that nine years later I’m here playing him and getting a win.”

Messi's father says release clause not applicable Lionel Messi’s father has published a letter sent to La Liga dismissing their claim that a 700 million euro ($830 million) release clause in Messi’s contract still applies if he is to leave Barcelona and join a rival club.

Six-time world player of the year Messi insists he can leave on a free transfer while Barcelona, backed by La Liga, argue that the release clause must be paid. La Liga released a statement on Sunday saying Messi’s contract was still valid, days after his shock announcement that he wanted to leave the club in the close season and hours after he failed to attend a pre-season medical. The ruling body said the only way a club can sign the forward is if he triggers a release clause of 700 million euros but Jorge Messi’s letter to La Liga president Javier Tebas states that clause is no longer applicable. “We do not know which contract they have analysed and on what basis they have concluded it would have an applicable ‘termination clause’ in the event that the player decides to unilaterally revoke the contract after the conclusion of the 2019-20 season,” Jorge Messi wrote in a letter published on social media. “This is due to an obvious error on your part... This compensation will not apply when the termination of the contract by unilateral decision of the player takes effect from the end of the 2019-20 sports season’,” he added referring to the clause in the contract. “It is obvious that the compensation of 700 million euros, provided for in the previous clause... does not apply at all.” AGENCIES

Ronaldo, stuck on 99 goals, doubtful for Croatia match PORTO AGENCIES

Cristiano Ronaldo may have to wait a few days longer before he can attempt to score his 100th Portugal goal after a toe infection made him doubtful for Saturday’s Nations League match at home to Croatia. Ronaldo, Portugal’s all-time leading scorer and most capped player, has been stuck on 99 goals for 10 months since scoring in the 2-0 win away to Luxembourg in their last international. “I have a few doubts as to whether he will be fit,” coach Fernando Santos told reporters. “Cristiano trained very well on Monday and Tuesday but on Wednesday had this pain in his toe. “It looked a bit like a bee sting but it turned out to be an infection. It has been treated with antibiotics and seems to be back to normal but we still have to evaluate it.” There have been no international matches played in Europe since last November due to the coronavirus pandemic, which forced the postponement of Euro 2020 until next year.

Ronaldo, 35, is bidding to become only the second player to score 100 goals at international level after Iran’s Ali Daei.

Portugal’s following match is away to Sweden on Tuesday.

Auger-Aliassime said he worked hard on his serve during the lengthy shutdown for the professional tour due to COVID-19 and his efforts paid off against Murray.

Murray had rallied from two sets down to beat Yoshihito Nishioka in four hours and 39 minutes in his opening round but did not have the strength or stamina to script another comeback and suffered four breaks of serve in the match. The Scot is tied at 10 with Roger Federer for the number of comeback victories after going down by two sets but despite the constant muttering to himself to find some energy and motivation, he could not shift to a higher level on Thursday.

“At the back of your mind you know you’re facing Andy Murray. Even though you’re up 2-0, you always think ‘I gotta get this break or this lead’ because you never

MURRay HoPeS to bUILd PHySICaL CondItIonIng to RevIve CaReeR NEW YORK: Building the stamina to consistently survive the rigours of playing five-set matches will top Andy Murray’s agenda as the former U.S. Open champion, who has undergone two hip surgeries, plots the revival of his career. Sep 3, 2020; Flushing Meadows, New York, USA; Andy Murray of Great Britain reacts against Felix AugerAliassime of Canada on day four of the 2020 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports Playing his first Grand Slam singles match since the 2019 Australian Open, Murray produced an astonishing fightback from two sets down to defeat Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in four hours and 39 minutes in his opening round. But that match seemed to take a toll on the 33-year-old as he bowed out against Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets on Thursday. “The more tournaments that you play, the more matches that you play, you build up that sort of robustness in your body which right now I don’t really have,” Murray, who won his first Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows in 2012, told reporters. “So that’s something that I’ll need to build up over the next few months and hopefully beginning of next year if I can stay healthy, I will be better able to back up difficult physical efforts.” The Scot arrived for the U.S. Open tuneup at the Western & Southern Open having not played a professional match since the Davis Cup Finals in November. Murray picked up back-to-back wins over Frances Tiafoe and world number seven Alexander Zverev but his level dropped against Milos Raonic in the round of 16 loss.

“I felt like I played some good stuff at times, but it was quite up and down. I would like to play consistently better tennis,” he said. “If you aren’t playing at a high level consistently, then you will play longer matches because you’re having dips. With recent injury struggles, Murray accepted it would be “extremely difficult” to add to his three Grand Slam titles. “It was hard enough when I had two normal hips. So it will be difficult, but I’ll keep trying, like, why not? Why shouldn’t I try my hardest to do that?” he said. AGENCIES

know how he can start playing well and come back,” the Canadian said.

“You never know what tricks he’s got in

Serena Williams faces old foe at US Open: Her inner critic NEW YORK AGENCIES

Even after 23 Grand Slam titles and more than two decades of professional tennis, Serena Williams is still fighting to quiet the voice within that wants her to strive for no less than perfection.

The 38-year-old American overcame stiff competition in the second round of the U.S. Open on Thursday, defeating Russia’s Margarita Gasparyan in straight sets, telling reporters that she is still working toward giving up her fight for perfection.

“I always feel like I’m not perfect unless I’m perfect. That’s not a fun way to live your career and live your life,” she said. The six-time U.S. Open

champion is once again gunning for a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam title, coming heartbreakingly close to achieving the goal with four finals appearances in majors since she returned from maternity leave.

Her career is the undeniable product of a relentless and lifelong drive for perpetual self-improvement. But acknowledging perfection is among the biggest challenges she has faced.

“You can’t win every single match every time, and that’s kind of the pressure I put on myself. It’s just completely unrealistic,” she said, adding that some of her earliest memories were those of self-torment over her perceived shortcomings. “I was going to school and doing, like, the alphabet and it wasn’t

perfect,” she said. “I stayed up and kept erasing it until I got it perfect. Then I would cry and then I would erase it and redo it and redo it. I remember I woke up the next day and I didn’t finish my homework because I kept erasing it.

“That’s been really the story of my life. It’s so, so crazy because my daughter does the exact same thing.”

Williams claimed her 102nd U.S. Open match win on Tuesday - yet another record broken - and next faces fellow American Sloane Stephens in the third round. “I feel like every day I’m on a new journey, and in this tournament in particular and this year, it’s just a new journey,” said Williams. “I feel like I’m on that journey and I’m going in the right direction.”

England's men's and women's teams receive equal pay, says FA AGENCIES England’s men’s and women’s national soccer teams are being paid the same appearance fee to represent their country, the Football Association said on Thursday.

In a statement released to British media, the FA revealed parity on match fees had been in place since January.

“The FA pays its women’s players exactly the same as their male counterparts for representing England, both in terms of match fees and match bonuses,” the FA said in a statement.

On Wednesday, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) joined Australia, Norway and New Zealand in committing to paying their men’s and women’s sides the same amount for earning a cap.

"There is no more gender difference, the CBF is treating men and women equally," CBF chief Rogerio Caboclo said in statement here.

Caboclo, however, said prize money from the World Cup would be proportionally equal to what global soccer governing body FIFA pays the competing nations. The Brazil women’s team reached the World Cup final in 2007 and Olympic finals in 2004 and 2008. The men’s team have won the World Cup a record five times and Olympic gold once.

FIFA offered prize money of $30 million to the teams in the 2019 women’s World Cup, while the men took home $400 million.

Yet the CBF said it would give men and women the same daily allowance when they are on international duty and

pay them the same prize money for success in the Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee does not pay prize money to medal winners.

Pay disparity between men’s and women’s professional soccer players has been in the spotlight since the United States women’s team sued its governing body U.S. Soccer last year alleging gender discrimination in earnings and working conditions.

The team’s claims were dismissed by a court in May and a bid to appeal the decision immediately was denied.

Australian soccer’s governing body said in November that it had reached an agreement with the players’ union on a new collective bargaining agreement that “closes the pay gap” between the men’s and women’s teams.

his pocket. To close it out, it’s not easy because you’re facing a great champion. It’s not an everyday second round.”

Sanchez says he wanted Man Utd exit after one training session Inter Milan forward Alexis Sanchez has said he was ready to end his ill-fated spell at former club Manchester United after only one training session with the Premier League side. United had signed Chile international Sanchez in January 2018 after he scored 80 goals in 3-1/2 years at Arsenal, but he failed to reach those heights at Old Trafford under both Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with five goals in 45 games. The former Barcelona man joined Inter on loan at the start of the 2019-20 campaign, before the Italian Serie A club signed him permanently on a three-year deal in August.

"I accepted the opportunity to go to United, it felt tempting and it was something good for me ... but I didn't ask for information on what was happening inside the club," Sky Sports quoted Sanchez as saying in an Instagram post here.

“Sometimes there are things that you don’t realise until you get there, and I remember the first training session I had, I realised a lot of things. “After the session I got home and I told my family and my agent ‘can you not rip up the contract to go back to Arsenal?’. They laughed, I told them there’s something that doesn’t sit right, it doesn’t seem good. AGENCIES

Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh pulls out of IPL Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has opted out of this year’s Indian Premier League citing personal reasons, his team Chennai Super Kings (CSK) said on Friday. Harbhajan is the second Chennai player to withdraw from the tournament after allrounder Suresh Raina last week pulled out due to personal reasons too. The 40-year-old Harbhajan helped Mumbai Indians win three titles before joining Chennai in 2018, where he took 23 wickets in the last two seasons. "Harbhajan Singh informed us he won’t be available due to personal reasons. Team Chennai Super Kings is supportive of his decision and stands by him and his family during these testing times," CSK said in a statement on Twitter here, without naming a replacement. AGENCIES

Anti-doping leaders call for surge in testing ahead of Tokyo LONDON AGENCIES

International anti-doping leaders have called for a surge in testing ahead of the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympics next year, saying the Covid-19 pandemic should not be a free pass to dope.

During a two-part virtual meeting held this week, leaders also called for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to conduct a thorough investigation into the recent dismissal of RUSADA Director General Yuri Ganus. The ongoing pandemic has created huge challenges for anti-doping agencies with border closures and events being cancelled, prompting concerns that

dopers could try and take advantage of the unprecedented circumstances.

“The reduced level of testing worldwide (as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic) is immensely frustrating for everyone, especially athletes,” a joint statement from 16 national anti-doping bodies said on Friday.

“We understand clean athletes’ concerns, and that’s why, once operations are permitted to fully re-start, we encourage a surge in testing amounts by Anti-Doping Organisations ahead of the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. “Given the increasingly broad nature of anti-doping strategies -- this is a movement that no longer relies solely on

CMYK

testing -- the global pandemic does not, and must not, be seen as a ‘free pass to dope.’” Ganus was dismissed as head of Russia’s national anti-doping body last week, having been appointed to help RUSADA’s push to be re-instated by WADA. Russia accused Ganus of presiding over serious financial violations, allegations he denied. WADA and other global sports bodies had expressed their concern when RUSADA’s supervisory board recommended that Ganus be fired, stressing that anti-doping agencies should operate without state interference.

“The leaders lend their support to WADA to be strong and firm and to ensure as the Code requires that the full and on-

going independence and autonomy of RUSADA is and should remain a prerequisite for RUSADA’s return to code compliance,” the statement from the leaders said.

“The world’s clean athletes need assurance that there is robust, compliant testing in Russia leading into the upcoming Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

Russia has been rocked by doping scandals since a 2015 report commissioned

by WADA found evidence of mass doping among Russian track and field athletes.

Suspended in the wake of the report, RUSADA was conditionally re-instated two years ago but declared non-compliant late last year after WADA found Moscow had provided it with doctored laboratory data.

Saturday, 5 September, 2020

PRAyER TImINGS

NEWS Iran rejects russian offer to directly negotiate with us TEHRAN AGENCIES

Iran rejected on Friday an offer made by Moscow to facilitate “direct negotiations” between Tehran and Washington amid simmering tensions between the two sides. “We have no intention of negotiating with the Americans, and we have declared our stance very clearly,” said Mahmoud Vaezi, the Iranian president’s chief of staff, in response to a Russian offer to help launch direct negotiations between Iran and the U.S. Vaezi was responding to a question from the Tasnim news agency on the Russian offer, which was made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a speech delivered to an audience of teachers and students of MGIMO University. “We support direct negotiations between Iran and the U.S. and stand ready to help them begin the negotiations,” the chief Russian diplomat said. “We are ready to hold talks with the two sides in order to pave the way for the direct talks [between Tehran and Washington] if they both are interested [in negotiations]. We think that it’s better to directly address differences and issues and get answers.” Vaezi said Lavrov wasn’t the only person to have proposed a direct negotiation between Iran and the U.S., saying other countries have made similar offers.

“Americans must return to the JCPOA and speak within the framework of the JCPOA, otherwise, no other action would yield a result,” he noted.

Vaezi also pointed to U.S. sanctions on Iran, saying the Americans have taken a “wrong path” by imposing sanctions on Iran. Iran’s response to the Russian offer comes against a backdrop of heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over the U.S. bid to re-impose all UN sanctions on Iran using a contested mechanism within the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The mechanism – known as snapback- was designed to allow participants to the JCPOA to restore the international sanctions on Iran in case it didn’t implement its commitments under the deal. In a highly controversial move, the U.S. resorted to the snapback process on August 20, notifying the UN Security Council of Iran’s “significant non-performance” as defined in UN Security Council Resolution 2231. The U.S. move faced massive opposition from the international community.

Bahrain opens airspace to uaE, Israel flights MANAMA AGENCIES

Bahrain announced on Friday that it will allow all flights to and from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to cross its airspace. Flights coming to and departing from the UAE to all countries to cross its airspace, an official source at the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications has revealed. The state-run Bahrain News Agency quoted an official source from the Transportation and Telecommunications Ministry stating that Civil Aviation Affairs had approved a request from its UAE counterpart. The new development follows the US-brokered historic UAE-Israel normalization deal. It is pertinent to mention here that all UAE flights were already allowed to use Bahrain space and the term “all flights to and from the United Arab Emirates (UAE)” means now Israel can also use its airspace for its flights to UAE.

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STAFF REPORT

HE United Nations (UN) top envoy to Afghanistan has lauded the role of Pakistan in setting the stage for the peace process for Afghanistan.

Briefing the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Deborah Lyons welcomed the prospect of intra-Afghan talks, saying it is a historic moment.

She called for a humanitarian ceasefire in the country as the negotiating teams of Afghanistan and the Taliban prepare to sit

in Doha for talks.

Lyons highlighted urgent issues related to peace, human rights, and the humanitarian situation, as well as other pressing issues, stating that a humanitarian ceasefire was crucial to ensure that relief efforts can be conducted.

“I want to emphasise again the importance of the humanitarian ceasefire.

This is a win-win for both parties to the peace talks and it is clearly a win for the Afghan people. We all need to be raising our voices to focus on the need for a humanitarian ceasefire,” said Lyons. She explained that a humanitarian ceasefire is not permanent but intended to allow civilian populations caught in the fight-

ing to receive care.

She reiterated that holding the intraAfghan negotiations is imperative. “As I speak, Afghans representing the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan are preparing to sit with other Afghans representing the Taliban to discuss, at long last, a political settlement to the conflict. This is truly a historic moment,” said Lyons. “The coming days will hopefully bring the formal launch of intra-Afghan negotiations.”

She stated that solutions will not be found on the battlefield and Afghans need to talk to each other. She said the level of violence on the battlefield remains deeply worrying.

Indian army chief says talks can resolve border row with China

On peace spoilers, she said, “The last few weeks have seen near-record numbers of security incidents, including egregious attacks by spoilers targeting civilians involved in the peace process.”

The UN envoy added that the conflict continues to kill and injure hundreds of Afghans every week. Despite significant progress in the last two decades, Afghanistan remains one of the worst places in the world to be a woman, and one of the worst to be a child,” said Lyons.

On women’s inclusion in the peace process, Lyons said, “We have spoken as well, a great deal, in this forum about the necessity of including women in the process.”

China asks India to rectify discriminatory practices violating WTO rules NEW DELHI

AGENCIES India’s army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane said on Friday he was confident the ongoing border stand-off with China could be resolved through talks, even as thousands of troops remained amassed along a disputed Western Himalayan region.

“We are sure that the problem can be resolved fully through talks,” Naravane told Reuters partner ANI during a visit to the Ladakh region, where troops from the two nucleararmed countries have been squaring off for months.

India accuses China of violating bilateral agreements by pushing its troops through the Line of Control (LAC), the de-facto border, in the snow deserts of Ladakh. “The situation along the LAC is slightly tense,”

Naravane said, adding that India had deployed additional troops in some areas to stall any attempted Chinese incursions.

China, however, has blamed India of trespassing the LAC late last month, saying the “move has grossly violated China’s territorial sovereignty,” according to a Chinese embassy spokesperson in New Delhi.

But both countries have repeatedly reiterated that they are keen on talks to resolve the process, with military officials meeting for several days this week south of Ladakh’s Pangong Tso lake, where the latest flare-up occurred over the weekend.

Indian and Chinese media on Friday reported a possible meeting between the defence ministers of both countries in Moscow, where they are attending a Shanghai Cooperation Or-

ganisation gathering.

“Based on what I know, this arrangement between the two sides has made progress. The meeting between Wei Fenghe and Rajnath Singh has a big probability to be held,” Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of China’s Global Times newspaper said on Twitter, naming the two defence ministers.

A spokesman for India’s defence ministry said he had no information on a likely meeting, which would be the first face-to-face talks between senior Indian and Chinese officials since the stand-off intensified after a clash between troops in June.

Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in brutal hand-to-hand fighting in Ladakh’s Galwan valley on June 15, with the Chinese side also suffering an undisclosed number of casualties.

Ad frauds cost Japan advertisers $38.5m in 1st half of 2020: Spider Labs SINGAPORE BABAR KHAN JAVED

During the peak of the Covid-19 lockdowns in Japan, during April and May 2020, ad fraud activity slowed down according to an analysis by Spider Labs, an artificial intelligence technology company that offers an ad fraud countermeasure service. In the 2020 First Semester Ad Fraud White Paper, Spider Labs reveals that out of 42 million installs in the six months between January and June 2020, approximately 18.5pc were found to be fraudulent.

“If left alone, at a rate of $5 per install, the resulting damage would be $38.5 million during this six-month

period in Japan alone,” said the report.

“Fraudsters are not taking a break during the Coronavirus pandemic, and advertisers need to make sure they are aware and prepared for fraud. There is a limit to what each company can do, and it is necessary for the entire industry to work together to take measures.”

According to Spider Labs, one of the collaborative initiatives was a crowdsourced blacklist where information was shared about ad fraud, with the intention of improving the safety of the internet advertising industry.

The role of Apple in ad fraud While the report from Spider Labs acknowledged that the iOS 14 update, which has been delayed as first reported

by The Information, is intent on giving users more control over their data privacy, the depreciation of the identifier for advertisers (IDFA) reduces data transparency and will cause fraud to be harder to detect than ever before.

“Installs will begin to be more anonymized, and click to install time (CTIT) will no longer be a reliable method to identify click farm or flooding,” said the report. “Although SKAdNetwork is providing some security around the prevention of forged of data, sophisticated algorithms will continue to be essential in making sure that the digital advertising marketplace remains a healthy and safe place.”

Rescuers sift Beirut rubble amid signs of life a month after blast AGENCIES

Rescue workers dug through the rubble of a Beirut building for a second day on Friday, hoping to find someone alive more than a month after it was destroyed by a huge port explosion that shattered the Lebanese capital.

Rescuers said on Thursday that sensors had detected signs of a pulse and breathing under the debris of the building in the Gemmayze district. Mechanical diggers lifted chunks of concrete and masonry as workers used shovels and their hands to dig down.

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AGENCIES

The Chinese embassy in New Delhi has urged India to rectify discriminatory practices violating rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) with regard to the Indian government's decision of blocking 118 Chinese mobile apps. In response to media questions, Ji Rong, spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in India, said that China is seriously concerned and firmly opposes the Indian government's decision to prohibit mobile apps affiliated with China with the excuse of "national security."

"We urge the Indian government to rectify the discriminatory practices violating WTO rules, and provide an open, fair and impartial business environment for all market players from various countries including China," said the spokesperson. "The Chinese government has always required overseas Chinese companies to abide by international rules and operate in compliance with laws and regulations," she said. "The relevant practices by the Indian government not only harm the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese investors and service providers, but also harm the interests of Indian consumers and the investment environment," she said. "Suppression, self-seclusion and restrictions cannot benefit one country's development. It's the right way to integrate into global cooperation by being open, fair and transparent," she stressed.

Noting that "China and India are the opportunities of development to each other rather than strategic threats," she said that the essence of economic and trade cooperation between China and India is for mutual benefit and results.

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CONFIRMED CASES:

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LAST UPDATED AT 07:38 AM ON SEPTEMBER 4, 2020

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Gemmayze and the neighbouring Mar Mikhael district were among the areas hardest hit by the August 4 explosion at the nearby port, which was caused by massive amounts of badly stored ammonium nitrate.

The blast killed about 190 people and injured 6,000, in a nation already crippled by economic crisis.

Rescue workers said there may also be a dead body under the rubble of the building. “The machine is saying that there is one alive, a heartbeat, and the dog is marking a dead body … This is the theory. Now we are searching to make sure,” said Mansour Al Asmar, a Lebanese vol-

unteer rescue worker at the scene.

A mechanical digger pulled steel girders and other heavy debris from the ruins.

Residents gathered nearby, hoping someone could be found, while some said the government had not done enough to help. “The government has been completely complacent, has been completely absent,” said Stephanie Bou Chedid, a volunteer from a group helping victims of the blast.

President Michel Aoun followed up on the operation in a phone call with the head of the civil defence, the presidency said.

Near the site, Mohamed Houry, 65, said he hoped someone was found alive but, even

if only bodies were uncovered, “it’s important their families can find peace.”

The explosion ripped through a swathe of the capital, shattering districts such as Gemmayze, home to many old, traditional buildings, some of which crumbled in the shockwave.

Rescuers, including volunteers from Chile, used scanning equipment to create 3D images of the wreckage to try to locate anyone alive, local television images showed. The building being searched once housed a bar on its ground floor.

Lebanon’s army called for one minute’s silence at 6:07pm (1507 GMT) on Friday to mark a month since the blast.

Published by Arif Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore. Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk

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RECOVERED:

NEW CASES:

498

DEATHS:

282,668 6,335 SINDH:

130,041

PUNJAB:

97,047

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

36,414

15,714

2,306/2,948 13,045