Epaper – September 15 LHR 2020

Tuesday, 15 September, 2020 I 26 Muharram, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 76 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition

PM says raPists should be PubliCly hanged or CheMiCally Castrated g

(CCPO) umar Sheikh.

“They (rapists) should be given exemplar y punishments. In my opinion, they should be hanged at the chowk (piazza),” he said, adding that this punishment should be reserved for rapists and those who abuse children. “unforunately, when we had the discussion, [we were] told it would not be internationally acceptable,” he remarked about public hangings. “They said the GSP-Plus trade status given to us by the european union will be affected.” The premier added that one other option was to “chemically or surgically castrate” rapists, according to the degree of the crime, “as is done by many countries”.

“We need fresh legislation to permanently sterlise such [criminals],” he said, while noting that the prime suspect of

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

P

IMrAN STreSSeS Need FOr LeGISLATION TO PerMANeNTLy STerLISe SuCH CrIMINALS

rIMe Minister Imran Khan on Monday said that rapists should be given the most severe punishments, such as hanging them publicly or chemically castrating them, to curb sexual violence in the country.

This was said by the premier in response to a question about the motorway gang-rape case on a television interview.

The incident had resulted in outrage across the public, and #PubicallyHangrapists trended on twitter after the incident. There had been an outcry over both the incident itself and the victim-blaming comments from the Lahore Capital City Police Officer

the case had previously been involved in other rape incidents. The PM also lamented the lack of a sex offender registry in the country.

“World history tells when you increase fahashi (vulgarity) in the society, two things happen: sex crimes increase and the family system breaks down,” he added, saying it was the responsibility of the country to fight these sorts of incidents as well as the police.

Compared to the West, “our family system is intact. We can fix our justice system and the institutions but if our family system breaks down, we will not be able to rebuild it,” the premier stressed, furthering stating that New delhi too has become the “rape capital” of the world due to obscenity in Bollywood. In another example he cited, he said that the

divorce rate in the united Kingdom is up to 70 per cent.

The premier added that he had pushed for Turkish blockbuster ertuğrul to be broadcast on Pakistani television as he wanted to prove that Islamic and historical family programmes could be popular in the country too. This was his way of using the entertainment industry to combat some of the aforementioned “vulgarity”.

In the same interview, the PM talked about the opportunity to fix the issues in Karachi, and shed light on the government ’s efforts to resolve Karachi’s municipal and infrastructure issues. “Karachi is Pakistan’s engine of growth. When Karachi sneezes, the entire Pakistan catches cold,” he added.

GOVT TO TABLE BILL TO PUNISH SEX OFFENDERS WITH CASTRATION ISLAMABAD: MIAN ABRAR

Prime Minister Imran Khan has approved a draft law to make the perpetrators of rape a horrible example through castration punishment. Senator Faisal Javed Khan told Pakistan Today that the prime minister had approved a draft law and the Law Ministry has been tasked to formalise the new law to make the culprits horrible examples. He said that it has also been decided to improve prosecution to bring the culprits to justice. “The prime minister is much concerned over a sharp rise in such cases. Without punishing the culprits and making them horrible examples, the prime minister believes we will not have deterrence against such crimes,” he said. When asked how the government would be able to bring new laws, Senator Faisal said that the government would also take the opposition parties on board to get the laws passed. “Since it is a common cause, we hope that the opposition must support the bill,” the senator said. He said that the accused of rape should be hanged in public and the motorway tragedy has shaken the entire nation. He said that the rape incident on motorway was shocking and the accused of sexual abuse should be given exemplary punishments.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Nawaz failed to corroborate treatment claim, IHC told ISLAMABAD TLTP

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was given sufficient time and opportunities to provide necessary medical reports to corroborate his claims of undergoing treatment in London but he failed to do so, the Punjab government said in a report submitted in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday.

The report said that on February 25 last, the provincial cabinet discussed the matter at length and after considering the opinion of a special medical board, the recommendations of a committee formed to look into the matter, and relevant record as well as the law, it was decided that the circumstances of the case do not merit the concession of continued suspension of Sharif’s sentence. “Furthermore, the cabinet observed that sufficient

Coronavirus in

Pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

302,020

LAST UPDATED AT 8:57 AM ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

4

RECOVERED:

NEW CASES:

539

DEATHS:

289,806 6,383 SINDH:

132,084

PUNJAB:

97,760

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

36,992

13,595

2,421/3,227 15,941

time and opportunities were afforded to the applicant to establish continuation of his indisposition, but the applicant was unable to provide required medical reports to establish such medical condition,” the report said.

On September 10, the IHC Court had ruled that it would decide on September 15 whether former prime minister Nawaz would get any relief or not.

A two-judge bench comprising Justice Aamir Farooq and Mohsin

Akhtar Kayani heard appeals filed by the PML-N supremo against his conviction in the Al-Azizia and Avenfield cases.

The bench questioned how the court could proceed with his plea without his surrendering before it and directed both his lawyer Khawaja Harris and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor to forward their arguments in this regard on next hearing.

Suspect in motorway case confesses to raping woman: Buzdar LAHORE STAFF REPORT

A suspect in the motorway gang-rape incident arrested in the morning has confessed to raping the victim, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar usman Buzdar has confirmed.

The chief minister, through a tweet, identified the suspect as one Shafqat Ali and said his dNA had matched with the samples collected from the crime scene.

“Our entire team is also continuously making efforts for the arrest of suspect Abid Ali, which is expected soon,” he said, referring to the primary suspect in the case. The tweet comes after a second suspect surrendered himself to police and denied his involvement in the crime, according to a police statement.

Inam Ghani, Inspector General of Police (IGP), also confirmed that Shafqat’s dNA had matched the samples obtained from the crime scene. Police sources added that Shafqat was arrested from the depalpur area yesterday. An informant, Waqarul Hassan, told investigators that Abid Ali had been committing crimes with a man named Shafqat for some time. This tip helped track down the criminal.

An earlier suspect, Abbas, brother-in-law of Hassan, refuted his involvement in the rape, said Model Town Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) deputy Superintendent of Police Hasnain Haider.

Hassan himself had approached dSP Haider on Sunday while claiming his inno-

more inside

LHC asks Punjab govt to apologise to nation for CCPO’s remarks STORY ON PAGE 03

Govt, Opp trade barbs over motorway rape case STORY ON PAGE 02

cence and requesting that his dNA test be carried out to clear his name. earlier, IGP Inam Ghani addressed a high-profile press conference on Saturday had disclosed the identity of the two suspected rapists as Abid Ali from the Fort Abbas area of Bahawalnagar and Waqarul Hassan of Qila Sattar Shah from Sheikhupura district.

Their photos were made public along with the announcement of rs2.5 million reward money for information leading to their capture.

Abid Ali is still at large and police teams are working “day and night” to arrest him according to the IGP.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

In meeting with army chief, Khalilzad discusses Afghan peace process STORY ON BACK PAGE

Court issues arrest warrants for Shehbaz’s wife, daughter

STORY ON PAGE 03

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Tuesday, 15 September, 2020

NEWS

Govt, opp trade barbs over motorway rape case ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

HE treasury and opposition benches on Monday exchanged heated words over the motorway rape case. Initiating the discussion, Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif said that incidents of desecration of women are condemnable. He thanked God over the arrest of the culprit, saying those, involved in such horrific and horrendous incidents, should be given exemplary punishments to send a strong message to the criminals and to protect citizens’ lives.

The opposition leader proposed the speaker to constitute a committee of the House to look into the security lapse on the motorway. He accused the government of appointing incompetent officials which led to a surge in crimes.

“When the entire nation was griefstricken, the government was involved in discussing under whose jurisdiction the motorway falls,” he said. Shehbaz criticised the government, saying that it has stood by the Lahore CCPO despite his controversial statement against the rape victim. He criticised the prime minister for “playing politics” on Zainab’s rape-andmurder case two years ago but remaining silent on the motorway case.

The PML-N president demanded to know why police officials were not deployed on the motorway when the Punjab IGP had written to the government in July and asked for more security there.

MURAD SAYS INCIDENT DIDN’T TAKE PLACE ON MOTORWAY: Federal Minister for Communications, Murad Saeed, responded to Shehbaz’s comments by saying that it is disappointing to see how the debate was focused on who had built the

PM welcomes students back as schools gear up to reopen after six months ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday welcomed students back to schools as educational institutions across the country gear up to reopen on Tuesday after six months. The premier, through a tweet, said it was “our [the government’s] priority and collective responsibility [of the society] to ensure that every child can go to school safely to learn”. “We have worked to en-

sure that school operations are aligned with public health safety rules on #COVID19,” he said. The federal government last week had announced to reopen in phases the educational institutions across the country from September 15. According to the plan, in the first phase, students of grade 9 to 12 will start attending their schools on Sept 15, in the second phase grade 6-8 classes will resume on Sept 23 after a review of the Covid-19 situation and the primary sections will be reopened on September 30.

motorway instead of providing relief to the rape victim. He expressed disappointment at the opposition for not addressing broader issues with regard to women’s safety. “This incident did not take place on the motorway,” he said. “However, I admit I am responsible for it. Being a man, I am responsible for this tragedy. As a member of this parliament, I am responsible for providing hope to the people,” he added. He called for collective efforts to give a joint message of protection to women.

It is pertinent to mention here that the area where the tragic incident happened is part of the Lahore-Sialkot motorway.

PPP Leader Qadir Patel also called for exemplary punishment to the accused.

Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said that a woman should be respected and given all the due rights entitled to men. She said that women are equal citizens and stressed the need to change the

mentality of men. She termed the CCPO Lahore’s statement as unacceptable and said more women should be employed in the police force. In his remarks, the chair asked the lawmakers to think about public hanging as no way is left to end such kind of crime. He said that rapists and anti-social elements should be dealt with an iron hand. He said stringent laws should be enacted.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly (NA) passed “The Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2020. The House also referred “The Islamabad Capital Territory Waqf Properties Bill 2020” and “the AntiMoney Laundering (Second Amendment) Bill, 2020” to the joint sitting of the Parliament for consideration and passage.

The bills referred to the joint sitting were passed by the lower house but rejected by the Senate. Adviser on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan moved the motions.

Pakistan, China sign agreement for Rashakai SEZ development ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday it was his government's top priority to provide jobs to the locals through promotion of industrialization under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He was addressing an 'agreement signing ceremony' for the development of Rashakai Special Economic Zone. The prime minister on the occasion congratulated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on the agreement, which he said would prove to be a great milestone not only for the province but also for the entire country. He said out of four industrial zones to be set up under CPEC, Rashakai was prioritized to encourage the growth of industries and spur local jobs for the people at their doorsteps. "People usually go out of the country or other parts of the country to get jobs, and it is a difficult to leave behind a family.

Tuesday, 15 September, 2020

NEWS

LHc asks punjab Govt to apoLoGIse to natIon for ccpo's remarks LAHORE

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STAFF REPORT

HILE Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Umar Sheikh apologised for his controversial remarks which purportedly accused the victim of motorway gang-rape incident of inviting the incident by failing to take due precautions before setting off for the journey, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday said the Punjab government should apologise to the nation for his remarks.

The direction came during the hearing of a petition seeking a judicial probe of the incident which outraged the entire nation.

Large demonstrations and protests took place across all major cities of the country on Saturday, demanding justice for the rape

CCPO APOLOGISES TO VICTIM FOR OFFENSIVE STATEMENT victim. Placards seen during the demonstrations suggested the country was not safe for the women anymore. During the hearing, LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan regretted that an impression has been created that the women of the country were not safe on the roads. The court directed that the culprits be apprehended immediately and directed the CCPO to submit a report in this regard day after Wednesday.

Subsequently, the hearing was adjourned for September 16. The court took up the petition, filed on Saturday, in the morning and summoned Sheikh at 1:00 pm to present a report regarding headway made in the case.

Shortly before appearing in court, the Lahore

police chief, while speaking to reporters, apologised to the victim for his remarks.

“I did not mean anything wrong or [to give a wrong] perception and if any misunderstanding was caused because of me, then I apologise from the depths of my heart to my sister who was abused and to all sections of society who were saddened or angered,” Sheikh said.

COMMITTEE TO PROBE CASE: During the hearing, the Punjab government’s counsel presented the notification under which an inquiry committee, headed by Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat, was constituted to probe the case.

“We can’t play committee-committee,”

Court issues arrest warrants for Shehbaz’s wife, daughter LAHORE APP

An accountability court on Monday issued bailable arrest warrants for Nusrat Shehbaz and Rabia Imran, wife and daughter of opposition leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, in a money-laundering case.

Accountability Court Judge Syed Jawadul Hassan conducted the case proceedings, wherein Shehbaz Sharif also appeared.

As the proceedings started, the court questioned the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor whether the bureau had filed a reply to an application of Javeria Ali, daughter of Shehbaz Sharif, for permanent exemption from personal appearance. To which, the prosecutor requested the court to grant some time for

the purpose. The court granted a one-time exemption from personal appearance to Javeria Ali while allowing an application, filed on her behalf for the purpose.

The court also granted a one-time exemption from personal appearance to Hamza Shehbaz and extended his judicial remand after the jail authorities stated that Hamza could not be produced as he was suffering from Covid-19.

Shehbaz submitted that he served the masses during his tenure as chief minister and claimed that his decisions caused loss to business of his sons and brother. He claimed that it was a politically motivated case. However, the court noted that his statement was not required at this stage. It would be recorded at a later stage, as per usual practice in criminal cases, it added.

Subsequently, the court adjourned

further proceedings till September 29 and issued bailable arrest warrants for Nusrat Shehbaz and Rabia Imran for not appearing before the court despite being summoned.The court also initiated proceedings to declare co-accused Ahmad Ali and Tahir Naqvi as absconders. Speaking to media outside the court, Shabaz said that the incumbent government was taking political revenge from PML-N. “I have always served the people of Punjab with sincerity,” he added.

HAMZA’S MEDICAL REPORTS PRESENTED BEFORE COURT: Doctor Muhammad Afzal Khan of Kot Lakhpat Jail presented medical reports of Hamza Shehbaz and stated that the PMLN stalwart will undergo another coronavirus test.

the chief justice remarked, asking the counsel who exactly was a part of the inquiry panel. “The provincial law minister, the additional chief secretary (home) and other officials are part of the committee,” the government’s counsel replied.

The chief justice also inquired about the show-cause notice issued to the CCPO. “The officer was issued a show-cause notice by the Punjab police chief Inam Ghani for the controversial remarks he made about the victim in the motorway gang-rape case,” the counsel responded, adding that provincial police officer had also sought a reply within seven days.

“If [Sheikh] does not give a satisfactory and detailed reply, a reference will be filed against him,” he added. Responding to this, the judge remarked that the notice doesn’t mention the rules under which action can be

03

taken against the CCPO. Appearing before the court, Sheikh said that police arrived at the scene “within 20 minutes”. However, Justice Khan noted that after contacting the motorway helpline, the victim was told to contact the highway authorities. “The highway authorities then told her to contact the police,” he said. The CCPO replied that, unfortunately, security arrangements along the motorway were not up to par. When asked when the motorway was opened, Sheikh replied that the motorway became functional two months ago and no security arrangements had been made thus far.

“If there is no security along the highway, then this incident was bound to happen,” the judge remarked. The CCPO replied that his authority extends up until Ring Road. However, he admitted that there could have been “better coordination” between the departments. He added that once the police were involved, he launched a “scientific investigation” into the matter. “What did Dolphin Force officials see [at the scene]?” asked the judge. “When the Dolphin Force arrived, they opened fire into the air, upon which the victim cried out for help. Officials then found the victim and her children in a ditch and informed the high command,” the CCPO replied.

Imran intentionally obstructing Hamza’s treatment, alleges marriyum NEWS DESK Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Secretary lnformation Marriyum Aurangzeb on Monday said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was intentionally obstructing Hamza Shehbaz’s treatment just like he obstructed Nawaz Sharif’s and brought him to the verge of death. In a statement, the PML-N leader said, the authorities refused to accept Hamza’s request to be moved to a hospital on PM Imran’s orders.

She said that the “fascist government” is once again at its dictatorial worst. She also said that Nawaz too was in government

detention when his health stayed deteriorating. She added that it is still to be ascertained what caused Nawaz’s ailment and what was he fed in jail.

The former information minister said political point scoring over the health and life of opponents is shameful, disappointing and extremely condemnable. Imran is completely blinded by his political vengeance, she added. She also said that if anything were to happen to Hamza, Imran would be the chief culprit. PML-N and its leadership has not and will not be blackmailed through such vicious and low tactics, she added.

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Tuesday, 15 September, 2020

NEWS

Four of a family gunned down in Kasur KASUR STAFF REPORT

Four members of a family, including a minor girl, were gunned down in Kasur on Monday. According to police, unidentified armed men barged into a house located in Kasur’s Bhatta Gorian Chowk and opened indiscriminate fire upon the family, killing three people on the spot and injuring four others. Getting the information about the incident, the rescue teams reached the spot and shifted the dead bodies and the injured to Lahore General Hospital. During treatment a minor girl succumbed to her bullet wounds, taking the death toll to four in the firing incident. The police registered a case and launched investigations into the incident. The motive behind the attack is yet to be ascertained, however, the police believe that it seems to be a case of old enmity. Meanwhile, the city circle police have arrested two suspects. Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has sought a report from Regional Police Officer (RPO) Sheikhupura regarding the incident. The CM directed to provide justice to the bereaved heirs and treatment of the injured children.

Nine doctors of Lahore hospital contract Covid-19 LAHORE TLTP

Nine doctors of Shaikh Zayed Hospital in Lahore on Monday contracted coronavirus. According to details, Dr Muhammad Umer, Dr Ahmed Zaman, Dr Arsalan, Dr Haider, Dr Naeem Haider, Dr Waqar Ahmed, Dr Sharjeel, Dr Hassan, Dr Maria Yasmeen and Abdul Hanan have been tested positive for the coronavirus.

The aforesaid doctors have quarantined themselves at their houses. It may be noted that five coronavirus patients are currently under treatment at the Shaikh Zayed Hospital. Meanwhile, the coronavirus has claimed four more lives across the country during the last 24 hours, lifting the death toll from the highly contagious disease to 6,383. According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), 539 more people tested positive for the infection during this period, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the country to 302,020.

PAKiStAN weLComeS ChiNA'S LAuNCh oF GLobAL iNitiAtive oN DAtA SeCurity ISLAMABAD

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MIAN ABRAR

AKISTAN on Monday welcomed the launch of Global Initiative on Data Security by China, saying that an equitable and reliable Information and Communications Technology (ICT) regime is essential to ensure socio-economic progress, including the Strategic Development Goals (SDGs).

The Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson, while responding to a question about

China's initiative, said that the announcement made by China on the initiative was very important against the backdrop of rapid developments in the field of ICT and increasing reliance of economies on digitized information, data and information networks.

"The Global Initiative on Data Security is, therefore, both relevant and timely. The Global Initiative advocates a comprehensive approach towards data security and addresses several key issues which are being extensively deliberated at the United Nations and other multilat-

eral fora, and on which the norm-building process is currently underway, " the spokesman said.

He said that Pakistan underscores the need for dialogue and international cooperation to ensure open, secure, peaceful, and inclusive environment in cyber space and ICTs and a balanced approach to technological progress, economic development and national security interests.

"With a population of over 200 million people, and a flourishing digital landscape marked by growing number of online users, Pakistan attaches immense

Five Pakistanis held over phone scams in Saudi Arabia

SHC extends bail of Sindh minister, other in corruption case KARACHI TLTP

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday barred the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from carrying out raids on the residences of Sindh Irrigation Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal and his relatives.

A two-judge bench of the high court gave this restraining order while hearing bail petitions of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) minister and others.

The court extended the interim bail granted to him as well as Zafar Siyal and Jameel Soomro until November 12 and sought a progress report from the bureau on its ongoing

COURT SAYS NAB CAN’T RAID HOUSES WITHOUT SEARCH WARRANTS inquiry against them.

The bench observed that the national graft buster does not have powers to raid houses without a search warrant, nor can it persecute women by conducting raids without any plausible reason.

Justice KK Agha said that National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials ought to be accompanied by female police officers during a house raid.

A counsel for the PPP minister

importance to leveraging digital technologies for enabling socio-economic development and facilitating more effective and efficient governance and public service delivery, " he added.

The spokesperson said that Pakistan is committed to promoting international cooperation in ICTs and cyber security as a means of bridging the digital divide.

"All countries are equal stakeholders in the development of rules governing digital economy and security of cyberspace and ICT," concluded the spokesperson.

complained to the judges that officials of the bureau raided the residences of his client’s father, late uncle, and other relatives without any search warrant and harassed their female family members.

The NAB prosecutor informed that the corruption watchdog has completed the assets beyond means inquiry against Sohail Anwar Siyal but it is yet to calculate the value of his properties. He sought time to complete the inquiry.

ISLAMABAD: Five Pakistani expatriates, aged between 30 to 40, have been arrested by Riyadh Police, for suspected phone scams and sending text messages on mobile phones of citizens and residents with fraudulent content, Saudi media reported. The messages included requests to update bank data and fake announcements about winning cash prizes in order to hack into the bank accounts of people who receive messages, and make wire transfers and cash withdrawals. Media spokesman for the Riyadh region police, Major Khaled Al Kreidis, stated that the five suspects managed to obtain approximately SR300,000 using phone scams. He said that 13 mobile devices were seized from them, which contained fraudulent text messages and data for various ATM debit cards. Al Kreidis confirmed the suspects have been arrested and legal measures have been taken against them after being referred to the Public Prosecution. TLTP

Child rapist, murderer handed death sentence LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Monday awarded the six death penalties on three counts to convict Sohail Shehzad for raping and murdering four minor boys in Chunian. The ATC judge Muhammad Iqbal handed life imprisonment twice and six death penalties to convict Sohail Shehzad on three counts in two cases and ordered him to pay a fine of Rs2 million in addition to Rs400,000 compensation to the legal heirs of the victim. The anti-terrorism court judge Muhammad Iqbal announced the verdict after recording the statement of the accused under section 342. The court had earlier sentenced Sohail to death in two cases. A case of child abuse and murder was registered against the accused in City Chunian police station under special provisions of terrorism. Four children between eight to 12 years of age had gone missing back in June 2019 in Chunian city of Punjab’s Kasur district. Later, the police recovered remains of minors who were murdered after being raped.

Last year in December, an Anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore had awarded death penalty on three counts to convict Sohail Shehzad for raping and murdering a minor boy in Chunian. The ATC judge Muhammad Iqbal handed life imprisonment and death sentence to convict Sohail Shehzad and ordered him to pay a fine of Rs3 million. In case of failure to pay compensation and fine, he will have to serve an additional six months. TLTP

Judges duty-bound to preserve, defend Constitution: CJP ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Justice Gulzar Ahmed has said that the judiciary shall continue to strive to uphold the supremacy of the Constitution to foster justice in all circumstances and ensure rule of law in the country. The chief justice said this while addressing the opening ceremony of the New Judicial Year 2020-21 of the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday. The CJ said that justice cannot be delivered and fundamental rights of the people cannot be protected unless the judges are fully independent and under no external pressure. The top judge said that every judge of the superior judiciary is under solemn oath, inter alia, to discharge the duties honestly to the best of his ability and faithfully in accordance with the Constitution and the law, and, in all circumstances, to do right to all manner of people, according to law, without fear or favour as well as affection or ill-will.

He said that it is not only a privilege to be a judge but a heavy duty is cast upon judges, even under the oath, to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, and not allow their personal interest to influence the official conduct or official decisions. Commenting on the coronavirus situation in the country, the top judge said that the judicial system is also disturbed due to the outbreak of the pandemic and added that the pace of solving cases also decreased. STAFF REPORT

Tuesday, 15 September, 2020

NEWS

PaKiStan winS Global iSlamic leaderShiP award for Promotion of iSlamic financinG ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

AKISTAN has been awarded with the 'Global Islamic Leadership Award' in recognition of its efforts towards promotion of Islamic financing. The award was received by President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday. Addressing the 10th Global Islamic Finance Awards ceremony, President Dr Arif Alvi noted that Islamic financing was increasing around the world, but its full potential was yet to be explored.

He said that Islamic finance contributed $2.7 trillion globally, which was comparatively much less than conventional banking. He appreciated the fact that 17pc of Pakistan's banking sector has turned to the Shariah-compliant instru-

ments. "A Sukuk bond was recently floated in the energy sector to arrest circular debt."

President Alvi commended the role played by State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) for promotion of Islamic banking. He emphasized the need to adopt the basic principles of Islamic financing to help establish a society based on equality and compassion.

“The basic principles of Islamic financing are fairness, equality, justice, transparency and pursuit of social harmony. Utilisation of Islamic financing instruments should help uplift the poor people out of poverty.”

The president further stressed the need to raise public awareness about Islamic financing, particularly the spirit

leading towards its positive impact on society due to a far bigger scope than just being limited to money lending.

He said the coronavirus pandemic posed financial problems worldwide that required adaptations in systems accordingly. He mentioned that Ehsaas programme launched by the government provided financial assistance to the people during difficult economic situations.

Dr Alvi regretted that the world over, morality suffering at the hands of economic interests and mentioned the response of the United Nations on several important issues based on the same approach. He urged multi-national companies to think about the notion that profit-making should not be a lone factor in dealings, but welfare of consumers and employees as well.

He mentioned measures adopted by the government in the domain of Islamic finance including representation of three Islamic schools of thought in Shariah Advisory Committee for an inclusive approach, setting up of Shariah boards at banks and mandatory Shariah audit.

Speaking on the occasion, GIFA Founding Chairman Dr Hamayun Dar highlighted the salient features of the awards with its role to promote, regulate and supervise the Islamic banking and finance the world over. Later, President Alvi gave away awards to banks working in Islamic finance for their significant performance in related fields.

Former SBP governor Dr Shamshad Akhtar, foreign delegations, including financial experts and representatives from banks, attended the ceremony.

Pakistan, China likely to sign MoU for cooperation in ICT ISLAMABAD AHMAD AHMADANI

Pakistan and China may expand bilateral cooperation in the field of information and communication technology (ICT) in the near future as the federal cabinet is likely to give a go-ahead for this partnership.

According to sources, the federal cabinet in its Tuesday meeting is likely to approve a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and it’s signing between Ministry of Industry and IT of China and the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication (MoIT&T) of Pakistan.

The IT minister has already seen and authorized the submission of a summary regarding the MoU to the cabinet in order to accomplish the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan on promotion and advancement of ICT. Sources said that Chinese Embassy had already shared a draft MoU with Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), which then shared the draft MoU with MoIT&T and intimated that the Chinese side has proposed to sign it.

The draft MoU was viewed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Law and Justice and, so far, the MoFA has communicated no objection on signing of MoU while the ministry

of law has vetted the draft from its legal point of view.

The proposed bilateral cooperation framework between China and Pakistan in the ICT sector entails several objectives, including cohesive engagement in the development for regional infrastructure including but not limited to a network of regional terrestrial connectivity, the establishment of internet exchange points, the development of nationwide public and government cloud centres, the development of smart infrastructure using 5G and IoT technologies, and collaboration in the development of state of the art centre of excellence (COE) based on technologies identified as part of the 4th Industrial Revolution such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, 5G, Robotics, cloud technologies and nanotechnologies.

According to objectives of proposed bilateral cooperation framework between China & Pakistan in the ICT sector, The CoE may be used for the transfer of technologies through integration with similar CoEs in China, with a profound focus on developing demand-driven systems and solutions for market penetration of indigenously developed products, and possible establishment of testbeds on IoTs, 5G and 3D printing technologies.

Likewise, Pakistan and China may consider collaborating for providing ac-

UK’s credit financing agency increases financing limit to Pakistan ISLAMABAD: The British government’s credit financing agency, UK Export Finance (UKEF), has increased its financing limit to £1.5 billion for UK businesses looking to import from and invest in Pakistan. This announcement will boost trade partnerships between the two countries and widen Pakistan’s growth potential, said a statement issued on Monday.

British High Commissioner to Pakistan Dr Christian Turner met with the Federal Minister of Commerce for Pakistan Razaq Dawood on Monday to discuss trade ties and business potential between the two countries. Dawood welcomed the UK's announcement of an increase of £500million in the credit limit for business investment in Pakistan, especially at a time when Pakistan is looking to expand its trade potential to mitigate the impacts of Covid-19. STAFF REPORT

Suspect in motorway case...

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01 Police sources told a local news outlet that Hassan was taken into custody for further investigation and DNA sampling. The 35th meeting of the provincial cabinet, which held here with Punjab CM Sardar Usman Buzdar in the chair on Monday, strongly condemned the Motorway rape incident and assured the victim of early provision of justice. The IGP apprised the meeting about the progress made in the case. The CM reiterated that the Punjab government would leave no stone unturned for provision of justice to the victim, says a handout issued here. The government was in constant contact with her and early provision of justice would be ensured, he said and added that positive progress has been made and good news would be given soon. Meanwhile, CCPO Lahore has been issued a show-cause notice over his irresponsible statement.

cess to funds/grants allocated for supporting international/regional high-end technology research and innovation under Belt & Road initiative or any other related program(s).

The two countries may provide information and access to angel investors, private equities and venture capital funds for participating in the development of the local startup ecosystem and for identifying common civic problems of the real world that need to be addressed by mutually supporting initiatives (public/private startups, incubation centres, government programs) offering rectification after their association with sustainable development.

The objectives of said bilateral cooperation framework between China & Pakistan in ICT sector also entail a partnership in the development of skilled human capital based on latest tools and technologies in emerging technologies related to the possible development of high-tech laboratories in major cities of Pakistan on cloud technologies, supercomputing, routing, switching, IoTs and etc.

They also want to work towards the establishment of Chinese Learning Centers nationwide and online campuses and the creation of Pak-China ICT Education Scholarship program for undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral curriculums

through leading educational institutions of China to provide financial support to ongoing and or upcoming high impact human capital development program on ICTs. The objectives also include the development of a network of national ICT University in Karachi through the virtual university of Pakistan.

As per objectives of proposed bilateral cooperation framework between China & Pakistan in the ICT sector, it was proposed that there will cooperation in the field of ICT consumer devices manufacturing and associated infrastructure development for competitive manufacturing/production of ICT goods in Pakistan in partnership with China.

For this purpose, a feasibility study will be conducted on the existing establishment and or new facility (ies) for smartphone and IoT devices manufacturing in Pakistan.

The two countries also want to work towards the possible establishment of chip/processor design centres and fabrication laboratories in Pakistan based on latest tools and technologies and possible assistance in the development of ICT manufacturing zone/s in a coastal city(ies) of Pakistan which invite Chinese conglomerates to establish regional technology support centre(s) on a competitive basis.

Traders demand removal of bottlenecks hampering Pak-Afghan trade PESHAWAR AZIZ BUNERI

The Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has urged the government to take pragmatic steps to remove hurdles and problems in way of bilateral and transit trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

SCCI President Engineer Maqsood Anwar Pervaiz on Monday issued a statement saying that the freight charged by various bonded carriers at Karachi port from exporters is up to Rs600,000 per cargo truck, which is alarmingly high. The exporters have faced huge financial problems because of the bonded carriers’ monopoly and the policies have brought neg-

ative impact on the bilateral and transit trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the SCCI chief noted. He emphasized that the government and relevant authorities should take proactive steps and introduce business-friendly policies in order to create a favourable working atmosphere and to minimise the cost of doing business.

Furthermore, he proposed that the phenomenon of the bonded carriers be abolished in transit trade and the border agent shall be made responsible in the jurisdiction of each transit directorate to arrange a fleet as per their requirements through an insurance guarantee for the vehicles which may be enhanced with the provision of additional transport units suiting their changing demands.

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Govt, imf shortlist 12 state entities for privatisation ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA

The federal government, in consultation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has prepared a list of 12 organisations which will be privatised in a phased and sequential manner. According to sources, the Cabinet Committee on State-Owned Enterprises (CCoSOEs) recently considered a summary submitted by the Finance Division and accorded in-principle approval to the proposed list of entities for privatisation and restructuring categories.

Entities placed in proposed categories were discussed one by one, sources said, adding that the committee had advised that the placement of SOEs for privatisation should be done in a phased and sequential manner. The government shall retain only those SOEs that were essential for its functions, besides those which the private sector was unable to undertake. Sources said that House Building Finance Company Ltd, National Engineering Services Pakistan Ltd, National Investment Trust Ltd, Overseas Employment Corporation Ltd, Pakistan Environment Planning & Architectural Consultants Ltd, Pakistan Expo Centers Ltd, Pakistan Television Corporation Ltd, Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd, Sui Southern Gas Pipelines Ltd, Utility Stores Corporation and Zarai taraqiati Bank would be the candidates for the next phase of privatisation after due consultation with relevant ministries.

fbr revises duty drawback rates for electric fans ISLAMABAD APP

Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood said on Monday that the FBR has revised duty drawback rates from 4.39pc to 1.7pc for electric fans after 11 years. "I am pleased to announce that Federal Board of Revenue has issued the notification for new rates of duty drawback for electric fans," the adviser wrote on his official Twitter account. "I have always maintained that duty drawback is a right of the exporter and hope that these measures will result in enhancing domestic production and consequent exports," he added. He said that the step was in pursuance of the government's policy of diversifying the country's exports, wherein engineering goods was one of main priorities.

Pm says rapists should be publicly hanged or chemically castrated CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01 The premier talked about the damages from the rains, and how the various stakeholders had been given a deadline of three years to resolve the issues as well as complete the tasks that are part of the Karachi Transformation Plan (KTP). The main issue, he added, is how to run cities like Karachi so they generate their own funds and fix their own issues. When he was asked a question about the wrangling between the federal and Sindh governments over the Rs1.1 trillion package announced for Karachi, PM Imran said, “I am not aware of Sindh government’s problems. But I know after the [post-rain] devastation in Karachi, all the stakeholders sat and decided to resolve Karachi’s main issues of water supply, waste disposal, sewerage, transport and cleaning nullahs.” The prime minister said Karachi was “non-functional” because the provincial government was elected from rural Sindh and controls the funds, while Karachi has no empowered system of its own.

‘Pakistan's economy gaining momentum as Covid-19 cases drop’ NEWS DESK Pakistan’s economy showed positive momentum after a decline in coronavirus cases in the country, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

The economic journal said Pakistan is showing signs of business activity picking up at a faster clip, “as worries about new Covid-19 infections fade in an economy that contracted for the first time in seven decades”.

“Evidence of momentum returning can be seen from growing cement-to-fuel sales and demand for home appliances to cars,” the Bloomberg report stated.

Cement sales rose 38pc from a year ago to 4.8 million tonnes in July, and near a record level seen in October. A

CMYK

government programme to give amnesty to tax evaders, provided they fund construction projects, is expected to fuel activity — and demand for cement — as work resumes after the lockdown. IGI Securities research head Saad Khan said, “We expect dispatches to continue their rising run moving forward because of tax measures. Substantial decline in interest rates and mandatory targets given for banks to increase housing and construction financing to at least 5pc of private sector credit will also help.” Pakistan’s July cement sales rose close to October all-time high. Cement sales eased to 3.5 million tonnes in August, mainly because of torrential rains across the country.

Gasoline sales in June rose to a record high as people return to work after lockdown measures eased in

May. Sales have stayed elevated in July and August.

Fuel for power generation has increased as well.

Fuel oil sales rose in June to the highest in a year while LNG spot cargo purchase resumed in June after a sixmonth hiatus, said the economic journal.

Local car deliveries have recovered to about 10,000 units after four months as the end of lockdown ushered in new demand. Kia Motors Corp.’s local unit is planning to add a second shift at its factory in Karachi from January. Manufacturing output improved for a second consecutive month in June. The overall recovery in large-scale manufacturing will likely be stronger in the October-to-December quarter with worldwide demand picking up.

Tuesday, 15 September, 2020

06 COMMENT

Revering the Quran

Premature claims can earn discredit Better take time but produce results

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Hardly anybody interested in understanding it

VeRYONe in PTI’s leadership is looking for an opportunity to seek credit. Any insignificant positive looking development is interpreted as a trend and presented before the public as a great success without waiting for more evidence to support it. The Wednesday motorway gang rape is yet another incident that underlines this trend. For three days there was little progress in the case. The Punjab government instead was being asked to justify the appointment of the Lahore Police Chief who had been appointed despite a highly damaging report about his lack of integrity and incompetence while he was being criticized for his misogynic victim blaming reaction to the incident. After mounting pressure from the public he finally apologized for his incendiary remarks yesterday.

On Saturday a jubilant CM Buzdar announced that the police under his watch had been able to reach the real culprits in 72 hours. Abid Ali was declared as the primary suspect and Waqraul hasan as his accomplice. Their photographs were immediately released to the media with the result that the accused escaped before the police raided their houses.

It was claimed that police were “95-96 per cent” sure of the identity of Waqarul hasan. Soon after the man courted arrest claiming innocence with a request for his DNA test to be taken to corroborate his claim. Reportedly the rape victim has not identified him while the district police have claimed the accused had no criminal record.

This puts a question mark on the premature claim of identifying the accused through ‘scientific methods.’

Although one of the other suspects, Shafqat Ali, was arrested yesterday who confessed to the crime and his DNA also matched the crime scene, the prime suspect Abid still remains at large.

The incident should have encouraged the government to improve the policing system. Instead one hears voices calling for public hanging of the criminals despite sufficient evidence indicating that in countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran that employ public executions and other severe sentences, there is no end to heinous crimes. The demand may satiate short-term public pressure but cannot bring down the crime rate. In 2018, six-year-old Zainab’s rapist and murderer Imran was hanged in Pakistan. This however failed to stop cases of the sort in Kasur and other places which have in fact increased. Countries that have significantly managed to control crime have done so by a more efficient police system which instead of depending on torture of the accused relies on intelligence system supported by forensic evidence based techniques of investigating crime.

HASAN AFTAB SAEED

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he Quran is an integral part of culture in the Muslim part of the Indian subcontinent and its diaspora in the West. The bride bids farewell to her parents under a mushaf held aloft for the purpose. There is the customary Quran khwaani when people shift to a new house. Then there is that old tradition of shopkeepers – however disposed to sharp business practices and worse – starting their day at work by reciting a part of it. With technology this recitation has given way to playing back audio of a part of the Quran.

This has now made its way to homes where one can find Quran recitation on mobile phones with hardly anybody listening to it. Nobody understands a word of what is being read or played back, anyway.

It would be hard to find a Muslim home without multiple copies of the Quran. Most Muslims are painstakingly taught how to read the Quran; but it is a very mechanical process: the way a gramophone ‘knows’ how to ‘read’ a piece of music. hardly anybody has the faintest idea about what any part of the Quran has to say.

Arabic calligraphy makes for great art, and you

Road rage Parliamentarian thrashing judge, a new low

What happened to the construction of Pakistan’s first Hindu temple in Islamabad?

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AKISTAN is not an easy place to drive in given how there is hardly any meaningful deterrent to stop commuters from breaking the rules and a general widespread lack of basic civic sense that makes the experience of getting from A to B a particularly stressful experience, especially if you are of the rare breed that follows most traffic regulations. Road rage is therefore very common; it’s inevitable in fact, which results in physical altercations and in some very extreme cases, even death. The incident that took place in the capital yesterday, involving PTI MPA Abida Raja’s husband, Chaudhry Khurram, and a sessions court judge, Malik Jehangir Awan, is of the extreme variety as it ended in not only a fistfight between the two but also firing of a bullets by the judge at Mr. Khurram’s feet in order to disengage him. While the judge may be guilty of ‘improperly overtaking’ the other car, what ensued at a gasoline station later, where the judge had parked his car, which is clearly visible in CCTV footage, is use of excessive force by the MPA’s husband. It is unlikely that Mr. Khurram was aware of the fact that the person in the car that had cut him off on the road earlier was a trigger-happy armed judge, perhaps instead expecting a relative ‘nobody’ he could beat up and get away with it. And that is the problem here, this sense of being above the law due to family relations, in this case having a wife who is an MPA of the ruling party, a party that has over the years resorted to physically assaulting its opponents inside parliament and on TV talk shows, with no reprimanding from the top leadership, not even a slap on the wrist, rather a pat on the back and a well done.

That the incident took place opposite the foreign office building on Constitutional Avenue where other sensitive installations like the Supreme Court and Prime Minister’s house are situated, is particularly shameful considering the parties involved. Although the matter has been resolved with neither side pressing charges, MPA Abida Raja should be brought to book by the party. Otherwise the impression that elected representatives, their spouses and relatives are somehow above the law, will be further solidified, creating an environment where similar incidents will continue to happen. After all, it is Prime Minister Imran Khan who vowed to “set an example of how the law should be the same for everyone”.

Religious extremism is truly entrenched in society

SulmAN Ali

O

N June 24, 2020, foundation for a hindu Temple was laid in Islamabad, the first for the capital and the first to be built in Pakistan following the 1947 Partition. Prime Minister Imran Khan called it a new start for Pakistan.

The political leadership of the ruling party stated that it will give a positive image of the country that a hindu temple is being constructed in the capital of Pakistan. Furthermore, it would have helped the country push itself out of the counterterror quagmire, amid the bid to get out of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey-list.

Observers lauded it as a positive move for Pakistan in international image building.

The prime minister also ordered to provide $1.3million for the temple, which is roughly a fifth of the total budget for the project. Lal Chand Malhi, an MNA, of the ruling Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) inaugurated the project. “The PM was very happy

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

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Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

would find beautiful exhibits of Quranic verses are reading.

Despite losing some of their popularity of late, adorning walls in many homes. In others you would see random verses over door headers, or a collection amulets are still widely used as protection against of letters that some Quranic chapters start with – for misfortunes. Apart from other things they too conaesthetic reasons, for warding off evil-eye, and for tain Quranic verses. Then there are traditions such blessings. Nobody understands a word of any of it. as the ‘blessings’ of reading a certain part of it on And this does not seem to bother anybody. The 62nd Fridays or before going to bed. Many of these pracchapter of the Quran gives an interesting similitude tices are based on prophetic traditions reported for those who have the Book but do not bother to through very dubious chains of narration.

Muslims around the understand it. world love to listen to There is more. It is berecitation of the Quran by lieved that recitation of renowned Qaris for the Surah Yasin makes the last In summary, the Quran helps sheer beauty of its sound. stages of life somewhat easThe sound is beautiful no ier for a dying man. even fulfil all sorts of purposes in doubt (and why wouldn’t it after he is dead and buried, people’s lives. Except one, that be, when it is the verbatim there are extensive procespeech of God?) but there is dures in place for his iisaalironically happens to be the some message there as well, e-sawaab (to help him in to which Muslims of the subsequent stages of his book’s raison d’être – if one subcontinent are amazingly journey): There are the qul goes by what the book itself to indifferent. and the chaaleeswaan, In summary, the Quran which feature recitation of say on the topic. That it is helps fulfil all sorts of purthe Quran along with other guidance for those who ponder poses in people’s lives. activities. Then there is the except one, that ironically khatm-e-Quran, which is sincerely on its verses. happens to be the book’s held any number of times, raison d’être – if one goes and where the Quran is read by what the book itself to (‘completed’) a certain numsay on the topic. That it is ber of times. In this regard, some curious conversations are heard. ‘Did you tell guidance for those who ponder sincerely on its person A to read part 23?’ ‘I did, but she mistakenly verses.

Despite arguably being the most-read book in the read part 22.’ ‘No worries. Luckily, person B has yet to read part 22. I will immediately ask her to read part world, the Quran is the least understood of any book.

23 instead of 22.’ Sometimes madrassa children are Muslims revere the Quran but are remarkably ignorant paid to read the Quran on such occasions. You about its contents. Mention the Quran to any Muslim guessed it… nobody understands a word of what is and chances are that he will tell you that his book is the verbatim speech of God – his last Word to being read. And nobody seems to care.

Then there is the medicinal use: For this malady, mankind – revealed in a faultless manner and forever read this verse; for that one, read that one or the other. preserved against any corruption. And yet, few of Other variants include blowing on water after reading them are curious enough to try and find out what their a part of the Quran followed by making the patient God has to say to them, in a book whose translation is drink that water. The Quran does talk about ‘cure for one-click away. If there is a stranger creature than what ails the chests’ of men [10:57], but it is obviously human beings, at least this scribe is unaware of it. not referring to cardiac diseases. It refers to psychoHasan Aftab Saeed is a connoisseur of music, litlogical problems on account of faulty philosophies of life – something that the Quran claims it corrects for erature, and food (but not drinks). He can be reached its readers, provided they try to understand what they at www.facebook.com/hasanaftabsaeed

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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with the project, as it will give a very positive mes- development for the hindu Council, IhC rejected the plea. sage to the world about Pakistan,” he said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) anThe Krishna Temple was given 20,000 squarefeet plot in h-9 Sector of Islamabad. The land was nounced support for the temple. The Chairman of allotted to the hindu community in 2017 and handed PUC Maulana Tahir Ashrafi said the council deover for temple construction in 2018. however, the nounces the controversy, as making the temple consituation started to change very quickly, when the troversial was not right on part of the extremist news of temple construction was aired on the media. clerics. “PUC will call a meeting and present its stance to Council of Islamic The Islamic clerics Ideology (CII),” he said. started protesting, saying The Ministry of Relithat Pakistan is an Islamic gious Affairs sent the issue country, and hence a hindu The prime minister also to CII to seek permission. temple cannot be conTill the time of writing, no structed here. Some locals ordered to provide $1.3million decision has been taken by also went to the site and gave azaan there, saying for the temple, which is roughly CII. Observers say the temthey will not let a temple be a fifth of the total budget for ple would be a positive deconstructed here.

Along with the clerics, the project. Lal Chand Malhi, an velopment for the image of Pakistan. But the protests media channels openly reMNA, of the ruling Pakistan and severe opposition from ported against the construcclerics, media, and the tion of this temple. experts Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) masses show deeply-rooted say the hysterical news rereligious extremism in our ports made the situation inaugurated the project. “The society, they maintain. more hostile.

PM was very happy with the Noting the large scale reThe government buckaction, observers say that led under the pressure of project, as it will give a very barring a small minority of clerics and the media, and positive message to the world young progressive voices, not only retracted from prowho held a demonstration in viding funds, but also the about Pakistan,” he said. favour of the temple and halted the construction. The launched campaigns on sogovernment sent the matter cial media, it seemed as to Council of Islamic Ideolthough the popular sentiment ogy (CII) asking whether the in Pakistan is against the construction of the temple. temple can be constructed in Islamabad or not.

A large number of people argued that they do not The Capital Development Authority (CDA) even stopped the hindu Council from constructing the want a temple being constructed from the tax money boundary wall at the site. Giving their reason, the of citizens, because this is an Islamic country. This CDA said that the site plan had not been submitted to argument, experts note, completely ignores the fact the institution; hence, the construction cannot con- that minorities also pay taxes and are equal citizens tinue. This was despite the hindu Council’s reitera- of the country with the constitution allowing them tion that it wanted to secure the plot from vandalism. freedom to practice their religions.

In the next step, the opposers of the temple Sulman Ali is a staff member. submitted a plea in Islamabad high Court against https://twitter.com/sulman_85 the allotment of the plot. however, in a positive

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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Tuesday, 15 September, 2020

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

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

Respecting parents PAReNTS are those who brought us in this world. Who left their wishes and to complete our wishes.They work for us with sorrows and difficulties that we should get a better life along with a bright future.They always care about us when we don’t know how to care ourselves. So, when they become old we should take care of them we should be kind to them and not to take them to old age home. While they become old we must spend time with them, give them love and make them always happy that their good prayers must be always with us.

Mahina SaghEEr TurbaT

Sexual assault on the rise

A Palestinian vision Absent, but needed

Washington Watch Dr JAmES J ZogBy

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AST week’s news that all the Palestinian factions were meeting might have been a hopeful sign, since Zogby Research Service (ZRS) polling shows that what Palestinians most want from their leaders are unity and a strategy that will move them toward realization of their rights. It was, therefore, somewhat disappointing to read reports of the speeches delivered at the gathering, since they appeared to be long on denunciation and short on strategy or vision. By focusing their wrath on the recent UAe-Israel accord, the Palestinian leaders missed the mark. The UAe’s move to normalize in order to stop annexation is not the cause of Palestinian woes; it is a symptom of the state of affairs that has for too long plagued the noble cause of justice for the longoppressed Palestinian people.

While a few observations are in order, first I must relate a story I have never before told.

It was in the early 1990s and I was in Tunisia to meet with Palestinian leaders. I had been asked by the White house to inform them of our Builders for Peace project – an effort launched by then Vice-President Al Gore to help grow the Palestinian private sector.

At one point in our conversation, a senior leader began speaking of the importance of communications and power in serving the Palestinian cause. Mahmoud Darwish, a famous poet, intervened saying that vision was also needed.

The leader waved his hand dismissively saying “No, it’s not important.”

I’ve often thought about this exchange because that moment was like a metaphor for what had gone wrong with the Palestinian cause and its then-visionless leadership. They had lost their spark and their way after repeated costly setbacks: Black September in Jordan, their use of horrific acts of terror against innocents, their expulsion from Beirut in 1982, and their foolish embrace of Saddam in 1990. Some of these were massive blunders on their part, while others were not exclusively of their making. In any case, the spark was gone, no longer lighting up the way forward.

I have written before of how I first fell in love with Palestine in the early 1970s. I caught the spark in 1971 during my time in Lebanon’s and Jordan’s refugee camps, where I was deeply moved by the stories of the 1948 expulsion, witnessed the resilience of the people whom I met, and was captivated by their longing to return to their homes. I was further inspired by the vision-

ary art of Ismail Shamout and Kamal Boullata, ans, and might result in greater prosperity and the compelling characters of Ghassan Kanafani’s peace in the Middle east. novels, and the fierce poetry of Mahmoud DarMost Arabs continue to support the Arab wish, Samih al Qassem, and Tawfiq Zayed. The Peace Initiative, but acknowledge that it has vision of the Palestine of the future was filled in borne no fruit. Neither has the Arab boycott. If by conversations with and the political writings these efforts had moved the needle toward realof Safiq al hout, Nabil Shaath, and edward Said. ization of Palestinian rights, it might have been An entire generation of Arabs, Arab Americans, a different story. Alas, they did not. Majorities and so many others world-wide had also em- across the region tell ZRS they want Arab leadbraced this vision. ers to try another approach.

When Yasser Arafat took center stage at the earlier this year, a significant crisis occurred meeting of the non-aligned nations or at the following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin NeGeneral Assembly of the United Nations for that tanyahu’s announcement that he would formally historic speech in 1974, he spoke for not only annex significant areas of Palestinian land. Ishis Palestinian people but for those who sup- raelis were not moved by the PA’s hollow threats ported justice for the oppressed across the world. to “end cooperation” or hamas’ display of There was a spark and a vision. And Palestinians rocket fire into the sea. These gestures were disand their supporters missed as being borne were inspired. more of impotence, That was then. than displays of power.

Today, it is with sadness Our 2020 polling, howToday, it is with sadness that that we must acknowlever, did show that sigedge that the Palestinian numbers of we must acknowledge that the nificant movement is without a Israelis were moved to clear vision or a strategy oppose annexation by Palestinian movement is to move forward. For all the UAe’s initiative without a clear vision or a intents and purposes, and by Jordanian King the Palestine Liberation Abdullah’s dire warnstrategy to move forward. For Organization has beings of the conseall intents and purposes, the come a hollowed-out quences of shell of its former self.

Netanyahu’s threat.

Palestine Liberation Palestinian refugees are Palestinians now without hope and supfear that the UAe move Organization has become a port. The Palestinian may open the door to hollowed-out shell of its Authority has become a other Arab states nordependency relying on malizing relations with former self. Palestinian international support to Israel. But what if these refugees are without hope and states propose condipay for its bloated bureaucracy and security tions of their own for support. The Palestinian forces. Denied by a renormalization: stopping pressive Israel the opsettlements, granting Authority has become a portunity to develop an more rights to Palestinidependency relying on independent economy, ans to grow their econas in pre-Oslo times, omy and gain international support to pay over 100,000 Palestiniadditional freedoms? for its bloated bureaucracy ans are forced to rely on While not an end to the day-labor employment occupation, might these and security forces. in Israel or Israeli settlenot prove advantaments. geous?

Meanwhile, in desI have heard some titute Gaza, hamas’ commentators lament only strategy is survival – not for the suffering that the move toward normalization represents people of that impoverished strip, but for their the “obliteration” of the Palestinian cause. That own misrule. They, too, have miserably failed to is nonsense. As long as the majority of people beprovide a vision. Instead, they have repeatedly tween the river and the sea are Palestinian Arabs; engaged in counterproductive violence, once as long as this majority is denied their rights to using terror attacks and now relying on pointless live as full human beings with equality and jusrockets and other devices that cause little dam- tice; and as long as Palestinians are dispersed age while provoking brutal disproportionate vi- throughout the world and denied their inalienable olence from Israel. Israel has used these rights to their ancestral homes and inheritance – provocations to justify their cruel collective pun- the Palestinian issue cannot and will not die. ishment of Gaza’s entire civilian population.

What is needed is to rekindle the dream of What ZRS’ polling tells us is that Palestini- Palestine, a Palestinian vision for the future, and ans have lost hope. They cling to their desire for a strategy that can inspire Palestinians, Arabs, independence but don’t see how their current and those who support justice. If the factions’ leaders will get them there. This has had a leadership can’t move beyond rhetoric and spillover effect in the broader Arab World. Arabs measures to maintain their own survival, then still care deeply about Palestinians, but they too it’s time to turn to Palestinian civil society – the see no way forward and have lost respect for the poets, artists, and intellectuals, the entrepreneurs Palestinian leadership. and educators, and the community-based organAs a result, when, in 2019, ZRS asked Arabs izers – to reignite the vision of a Palestine that across the region whether they thought normal- can unite and inspire this generation. This is ization without peace was desirable, majorities what is needed – now more than ever. said they did. When ZRS asked why, they exDr James J Zogby is President, Arab Amerpressed hope it might help end the killing, might give Arabs some leverage to support Palestini- ican Institute.

SexUAL assaults and abuses are on the rise in our society and are becoming alarming , involving children and adults alike. Parents feel shy to talk to children on the subject at the appropriate time to gaurd against the evil and they do not encourage them to speak to their parents openly .

Similarly , teaching of sex subject is not done to the students at the appropriate age at the school level , and no instructions are imparted to the young ones as how to protect themselves from the wrong people around .

An awareness drive is necessary in the country to check and arrest the rising incidences . In rural areas where there is no schooling , the parents , elders and khateebs of the mosques should play their role to educate the young and old to distinguish between evil and good. Alongside , all sorts of media be cleaned of immoral content and material. A concerned citizen . riaz bhuTTa LahorE

Importance of the media MeDIA is a tool of social flourish. It’s a great source to educate and guide illiterates in direction of modernization. It has paramount significance in diverse facets of life and livings. Its feats are praiseworthy which has altered the modes of behaviour and social interactions. Globalization and modernization are moving abreast in the line of progress. But unfortunately there is no way to express the grief and woe of contents being produced by media nowadays. Substandard, biased, discriminatory and fully wrenched into demon structures is the status quo of electronic media channels. Due to this concept and notions of current content, youngsters get involved in immoral and notorious crimes that harm the society. It converts fragil mind into defying and subdue as a notion of pride as Broadcasted in serials. The drama serials and seasons being produced are totally unchecked and their ratings are at rife. By this notion and content as wanted and rated by human psychology, they reiterate and motivate their scams and lucrative nature.

The advertisements include, women in skarts , having intimate relationships with youngsters. Owing to this fact, irrational, baseless and fraudulent mind sets and cultures as they reveal on media is merely desperate. Some serials even show and indicate the facets of nudity . Its totally malign and ill to play with future generations. Did they ever think of those minds who are in the state of nurture? how would they justify whether the serial is inflicting positive vibes on observers? Its is anticipated that its effects will be in the foam of fueds, skirmishes religious extremism and sexual fervour.

Such elements in society adds fuel to discrimination, disparities between caste systems and inappropriate behaviour of masters to maids .

Minor smears leads to major issues. Its a humble plea to relevant authorities and concerned institutions to have a proper check and balance over content and advertisements being produced by media channels .

Material must be properly scrutinised before Broadcasting so that a spendid and worth watching content be available. Let’s promote candid and rational moves to nourish our peoples. Sultan Ayyubi said “If you want to destroy the nation without war, make adultery and nudity common in young generations. zubair ahMEd rind Jacobabad

Lessons from Orwell ANIMAL Farm is an allegorical novel by George Orwell,the book is based on the chilling”fairy story” of timeless and devastating satire of idealism betrayed by the power and corruption.

It’s set in a world where animals are much clearer than now and because of their cleverness,the pigs started a revolution against the human.pigs could speak fluently in english unlike the other animals,and that gave them the power to be leader.

Animal Farm is set in a farmyard where the animals decide to seize the farmer’s land and create a co-operative that reaps the benefits of their combined labors, however,some animals see bigger share of the rewards than others,and the animals start question their supposed utopia.little by little,the rules begins to mysteriously change,and the pigs seem to gain power little by little, making the animals question what they were striving for in the first place and whether their new-found freedom is as liberating as they might have hope.

Animal Farm is easily the most famous work of political allegory ever written.the animals,take over the running of a farm,and everything is wonderful for a while, until the pigs get out of hand.it is a brilliant description of what happens when the revolution goes astray.allegory is hard to do graceful,but Orwell manages it superbly.while true appreciation of Animal Farm requires an understanding of the history of the Russian revolution,those without it will still get the point.And animals Farm can even be appreciated as a story by children with no understanding of political message at all.

The story can be enjoyed as the simple , moving and enlightening parable it essentially is,a story that clearly shows humankind as it’s best and worst.for me,it highlight the demon within every human ,such as jealousy,greed, laziness and cruelty born for fear.

The slow ironic twist from the original purpose of the even commandments,which were supposed to keep order within Animal Farm by uniting the animals together against the human and preventing animals from following the humans’ evil habits, demonstrates how simply political dogma can be turned into twisted propaganda. aTTauLLah baLoch QuETTa

Tuesday, 15 September, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

The Taliban and The afghan governmenT Talk peace aT lasT

a

Economist

fter six months of intransigence and delays, the taliban and Afghan leaders sat down together on September 12th in Doha, in Qatar, for the launch of “Intra-Afghan talks”. the government, the militants, opposition politicians and representatives of civil society have to try to hammer out an agreement on how to run the country. the get-together is the cornerstone of attempts to end the war between the taliban and the internationally backed government. An agreement in february between America and the taliban covered the withdrawal of American troops, and mainly tackled those two foes’ individual disagreements. America agreed to a military pull-out by May 2021 if the taliban gave guarantees not to harbour terrorist outfits like al-Qaeda—the original reason for the American-led invasion in 2001 that toppled the taliban regime. the Afghan government was not part of the troop-withdrawal agreement, and peace after the Americans quit needs much more solid underpinnings. Afghanistan's nightmare began with a coup in 1978, long before the Americans arrived. Grievance and bloodshed have mounted over four decades; the two delegations in Qatar themselves show just how long the conflict has dragged on. Some government negotiators are the children of commanders who fought the same taliban negotiators in the

TROOP NUMBERS FELL FROM 13,000 IN FEBRUARY, TO 8,600 IN JUNE. THEY WILL NOW FALL AGAIN, TO AROUND 4,500 BEFORE THE AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN NOVEMBER, ALLOWING MR TRUMP TO TELL VOTERS HE IS KEEPING HIS PROMISE TO END THE WAR 1990s; the current insurgency is only the latest chapter in their enmity. Millions have been displaced and hundreds of thousands killed. foreign powers have meddled for their own advantage. A negotiated settlement must somehow deal with this history. “the current conflict has no winner through war and military means,” said Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National reconciliation. “But there will be no loser if this crisis is resolved politically and peacefully through submission to the will of the people.”

Both sides were on their best behaviour as the ceremony began in an opulent hotel ballroom. Opponents greeted each other like old friends. Some Afghan delegates remarked on the positive mood and even General Austin Miller, the American and NAtO commander in Afghanistan, exchanged pleasantries with his adversaries. for optimists, the negotiating teams also contain hints of a less fractured country. Both MasoomStanekzai, leading the government team, and Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanekzai, deputy chief negotiator for the taliban, hail from the same tribe and province.

the first sessions are expected to start gently, breaking the ice and setting the agenda. A ceasefire is then the Afghan government’s main priority. the war is killing or wounding scores of civilians each week. Hopes of a reduction in violence after America’s deal with the taliban were largely dashed over the summer. A study by the Afghanistan Analysts Network, a research group, found that both sides have become more restrained in proclaiming offensives and that more attacks are happening without claims of responsibility. the killing, however, has been largely undiminished. Violence is the taliban's most important bargaining chip and they will be reluctant to give it up. they know that force of arms is what has won them a seat at the negotiating table. talks will then at some point have to move on to the thorniest issues: how the country should be governed; how power should be allocated; and what rights should be enshrined in a constitution. these issues may take months, if not years, to resolve. the taliban have so far given little detail of what they want, leading some Afghans to question whether they are serious about negotiations. Mullah Abdul Ghani

Baradar, the militants’ deputy leader, did little to flesh out their aspirations. He told the opening ceremony his side wanted “a free, independent, united and developed country”. It would have “an Islamic system in which all tribes and ethnicities of the country find themselves without any discrimination and live their lives in love and brotherhood”.

When pressed on women’s rights, the militants have previously said only that they will be protected under Islam. Such vagueness has not reassured many Afghan women. the taliban were after all claiming to protect them in the 1990s when they forbade them from work and education. former taliban officials now admit their repressive regime made mistakes.

As talks unfold, they will have to spell out just how far they have shifted from their extreme fundamentalism and give details of their present aspirations. that may expose painful divisions between moderate factions and doctrinaire stalwarts who want a restoration of their emirate.

Nor, for its part, has the Afghan government given many details of its own hopes. Ashraf Ghani, the president, has previously said he wants “a sovereign, democratic, and united re-

public”. talks are taking place behind closed doors and no foreign officials are allowed inside. America, as the Afghan government’s main backer, still looms large, but its influence is waning and changing. the summer’s delays in getting talks going, combined with intelligence assessments that the taliban are still chummy with al-Qaeda, might have given President Donald trump excuses for slowing his troop withdrawal, had he wanted any. He did not. troop numbers fell from 13,000 in february, to 8,600 in June. they will now fall again, to around 4,500 before the American presidential election in November, allowing Mr trump to tell voters he is keeping his promise to end the war.

Mr trump's Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, is himself no fan of the military campaign. So whatever the election outcome, America’s longest war seems to be entering its closing phase. Mr Pompeo told the delegates that Washington would in future use its muscle in other ways. “As you make your decisions, you should keep in mind that your choices and conduct will affect both the size and scope of future US assistance,” he said. the task of forging a settlement is formidable, but the two sides must now realise America is intent on leaving. that imposes a deadline of sorts. they have a limited window to try to ensure that the void left by America does mean history repeats itself, and that the long foreign intervention becomes just another interlude in Afghanistan’s interminable civil war.

The Middle East just doesn’t matter as much any longer

Politico magazinE AARON DAVID MILLER AND RICHARD SOKOLSKY

Joe Biden has made clear that he wants America “back at the head of the table” to “rally the free world to meet the challenges facing the world today. ... No other nation has that capacity.”

While it is essential for the United States to restore U.S. leadership and credibility on issues that are vital to national security and prosperity—most notably, global health cooperation, combating global warming and pushing back on China’s predatory trade practices—there is one region that simply isn’t as important as it used to be: the Middle east.

No matter who wins the White House in November, it is important to recognize that in recent years, the turbulent Middle east—where more often than not American ideas go to die—has become decidedly less important to American foreign policy and to our interests. the change reflects not only new regional dynamics and U.S. domestic priorities but the changing nature of American interests there.

American leadership and exceptionalism cannot fix a broken Middle east or play a major role in leading it to a better future. the U.S. still has interests there to protect but America needs to be realistic, prudent and disciplined in how it secures them. If we can learn to act with restraint, we’ll avoid the overreach, arrogance and self-inflicted wounds that have caused us and many others so much unnecessary misery and trouble.

If the past two administrations were wary about overcommitments in the Middle east pre-pandemic, Washington should be downright allergic to any unnecessary involvement in the time of Covid. Domestic priorities will and should take precedence over any Middle east adventures likely to absorb large resources or the president’s time. the next administration will confront the greatest challenge of national recovery since the 1940s—and it won’t have a world war that energized the U.S. economy and left America as the dominant power abroad. Add to that crisis domestic unrest driven by severe polarization along class, racial and political lines and a loss of confidence and trust in our governing institutions. Pressures from growing debt and deficits will impose severe fiscal constraints on pursuing anything but vital American interests abroad.A glance at the daily headlines underscores just how much U.S. strategic priorities have shifted away from the Middle east over the past few years: the coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc on American lives and livelihoods and our credibility around the world; extreme weather events—raging forest fires in California, Hurricane Laura ripping into the Gulf Coast, a summer of unusually repressive heat—linked to climate change; an adversarial China flexing its muscles throughout the AsiaPacific region and an intensifying U.S.-China rivalry for military, economic and technological supremacy; russia’s continued rogue behavior and the Kremlin’s continued interference in the U.S. presidential election; and the rise of homegrown white-nationalist terrorism.

All these challenges have assumed far greater signifi-

cance than the declining terrorist threat to the U.S. homeland emanating from the Middle east. the last thing this country needs is to throw good money after bad in a futile search for opportunities to reform, let alone transform, the dysfunctional Middle east.

During the Cold War, America’s quest to dominate the Middle east was driven largely by the need to ensure the uninterrupted flow of its energy resources to America and its allies. throughout most of this period, the Persian Gulf constituted a disproportionate share of global oil reserves and U.S. oil imports. Ancient history. With the growth of nonfossil energy sources, the discovery of large oil and natural gas deposits outside the Persian Gulf and increased domestic U.S. oil and natural gas production, the Middle east’s vast energy resources are of declining strategic significance to the United States. the price of oil has dropped significantly in recent years despite continued turmoil in major oil producing countries like Iraq, Iran and Libya, which together have removed billions of barrels of oil from international markets. Moreover, roughly 85 percent of Persian Gulf oil exports are bound for China, India, Japan and South Korea.

Still, oil production in the Gulf still accounts for about 20 percent of world oil output, and roughly one-third of total seaborne oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz. thus, maintaining stable global oil prices still depends in part on preventing significant interruptions in oil exports from the Gulf that would create a sudden and dramatic spike in the price of oil that markets would have difficulty adjusting to in the short term. this threat can be mitigated by maintaining the U.S.’s modest naval presence in Bahrain and timely release of oil from national stockpile reserves. Simply put, the United States now has the capacity to respond rapidly to price swings through market mechanisms; Middle eastern crises don’t have the impact on oil prices that is generally assumed; and all the oil producing states, including a disruptive Iran, have an interest in getting their product to market.

Afghanistan and Iraq—the two longest wars in American history—are trillion-dollar social science projects that serve as poster children for the limitations of American power. the standard for victory in these conflicts was never: Could we win?—if winning meant building stable, peaceful pro-American polities—but rather: When could we leave? No amount of rationalization can justify the sacrifices made by Americans, Afghans and Iraqis given the paucity of the returns.

It is magical thinking to believe that a less militarized foreign policy—one that relied more heavily on diplomacy, aid and democracy-building programs rather than the use of military force—could have secured better endings. Sectarian, ethnic, regional and tribal rivalries; the dearth of leadership, rule of law, and basic freedoms; poor governance and weak institutions; the lack of transparency and respect for human rights and gender equality; and rampant corruption have created a broken and dysfunctional region beyond the capacity of America to ameliorate, let alone repair. these are challenges that need to be owned and resolved primarily by those who live in the neighborhood. the U.S. faces a conundrum in the Middle east: It’s trapped in a region it can neither transform nor leave because it has interests, allies and adversaries there. the key to survival and success is not only understanding the limits on American influence but also distinguishing between vital and peripheral interests. We believe vital interests are those that directly impact our security, prosperity and way of life, and on whose behalf a president is prepared to deploy force, risk war, expend serious resources and invest America’s prestige and credibility.

None of this means that Washington should ignore the myriad challenges that beset the region, especially the hu-

manitarian crises in Syria and Yemen. But we cannot and should not invest heavily, especially given the other crises America confronts, in hopeless causes, in issues that don’t relate directly to America’s vital interests or problems where local actors aren’t ready to do most of the heavy lifting themselves. the seemingly endless pursuit of Israeli-Palestinian peace is a classic example.

It’s our view that the U.S. has three truly vital interests in the region: limiting terrorism, protecting the flow of oil and preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Before the trump administration withdrew from the Iranian nuclear deal, the U.S. was doing pretty well in safeguarding them.

Since 9/11, there has been only a single successful attack seemingly directed by a jihadi terror organization at the continental United States. Indeed, the cruel irony is that, according to one authoritative estimate, the United States has spent over $6 trillion since 9/11 on countering that threat only to ignore the threat of a pandemic that’s killed more than 180,000 Americans and wrecked an economy. More to the point, we don’t need thousands of American combat forces permanently stationed in foreign lands. We can minimize the threat to the homeland by using offshore assets and small numbers of special forces in country to kill terrorists that want to do harm to the United States.

We may be weaning ourselves off Arab hydrocarbons.

But the rest of the world isn’t—yet. A serious and sustained disruption of the flow of Persian Gulf oil could have devastating impact on the world’s economy and obviously ours as well. Iran may be able to close the Strait of Hormuz for a short period of time, but it lacks the military capability and likely the interest to keep it closed indefinitely. the U.S. can protect its energy interests in the Middle east without a significant increase in military or economic investments.

Iran, a minority Shia and Persian regime in a dominant Sunni Arab world, isn’t 10 feet tall. Iran is currently constrained by crippling sanctions, russia, Israel, a healthy respect for American military might, and its own self-inflicted wounds of gross economic mismanagement and corruption. Clearly a better alternative to keep Iran further away from acquiring nuclear weapons would be a return to some sort of agreement on the nuclear issue.

And an incoming administration ought to test the waters with tehran to see what’s possible, keeping in mind that some grand bargain with Iran to significantly erode its influence in the region or its ballistic missile program is pie in the proverbial sky. the Middle east will remain a mess for years to come.

It is, of course, an unpredictable region that could offer up crises when America least expects it. But we don’t need to set ourselves up for failure by chasing unrealistic ambitions, acting imprudently, and looking at the region the way we want it to be rather than the way it really is. Memo to the Biden administration: It’s no one’s region. And no single power inside or outside the region can dominate it. Indeed, the U.S. is no longer the top dog in the Middle east neighborhood. And it doesn’t need to be.

Aaron David Miller served as a State Department Middle east analyst, adviser and negotiator in republican and Democratic administrations and is the author of the end of Greatness: Why America Can’t Have (and Doesn’t Want) Another Great President.

Richard Sokolsky is currently a non-resident senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He was a member of the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Office from 2005-2015 and served in the State Department in six administrations.

Tuesday, 15 September, 2020

CORPORATE CORNER

BUSINESS 09

ReMIttAnCeS exCeed $2bn foR tHIRd MontH In A Row KARACHI

MEIRYUM ALI & ARIBA SHAHID

R

KARACHI: Hamdard Pakistan Marketing & Trade Director Syed Faizullah Jawad receives ‘Brands of the Year Award 2019’ for Gripe Water from Law & Justice Minister Farogh Naseem during the 9th Edition Awards Distribution Ceremony.

LAHORE: Haleeb Foods (HFL), one of the pioneer dairy and beverages company of Pakistan, donates Rs1 million, collected through its social-development initiative “Donate to Educate - Agay Barhay Ga Pakistan” to support ‘Free of Cost Education’ underprivileged children.

EMITTANCES rose to $2.095 billion in August, according to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday, depicting a year-on-year growth of 24.4pc when compared with August 2019.

On a monthly basis, however, remittances were 24.3pc lower than the $2.768 billion remittances posted in July 2020.

According to the SBP, this monthly decline reflected the usual seasonal decline in the post Eidul Adha period.

Most of the remittances in August were received from Saudi Arabia, at $593 million; followed by UAE at $410 million; and the UK at $302 million.

According to the SBP, workers’ remittances have now remained above $2 billion for the third month in a row.

In July, remittances were recorded at $2.77 billion, which was the highest ever level of remittances in a single month in Pakistan. And in June, remittances were

‘OVER THE LAST THREE MONTHS, REMITTANCES REACHED AN UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL OF $7.3BN, WHICH IS 37.2PC HIGHER THAN THE SAME PERIOD OF LAST YEAR’ recorded at $2.47 billion, which the SBP had dubbed as ‘historic’ at the time.

“Over the last three months, remittances reached an unprecedented level of $7.3 billion, 37.2pc higher than the same period last year,” the SBP noted.

According to the SBP, the rise in remittances is due to two reasons.

First, there has been increased efforts under the Pakistan Remittances Initiative (PRI). Under the PRI, the threshold for eligible transactions was changed from $200 to $100 under the Reimbursement of Telegraphic Transfer (TT) Charges Scheme, there has been an increase in adoption of digital channels, and a push for targeted marketing campaigns to promote formal channels for sending remittances.

Second, there has been a gradual reopening of businesses in major host

KARACHI

ISLAMABAD: Nestlé Pakistan recently launched a book – Dining Along The Indus. The book was earlier unveiled in 2019 in collaboration with Pakistan Mission to the United Nations at UN Headquarters in New York. Dining Along The Indus is an accolade to Nestlé’s purpose of Good food, Good life, and is a reflection of the love Pakistani people have for food.

LAHORE: Participants of a cycle rally ‘Ride Against Cancer’ regroup after completing the specially designed route to mark ‘Childhood Cancer Awareness Month’ at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre.

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a volatile start to the week, with the benchmark index shifting sides throughout the session before ending flat. Global equity markets also showed a mixed performance, whereas crude oil prices headed south from the previous close; WTI crude price falling 0.38pc to $37.18 and Brent crude price declining 0.40pc to $39.67.

"Selling pressure in cement, exploration & production, steel and refinery sectors caused the index to post losses, while banks and oil marketing stocks helped the index avert the red zone," said report issued

by AHL Ltd. "Volumes remained relatively low today, considering the recent spate of 700-million volumes in the past few weeks."

MARKET SUMMARY: The benchmark KSE-100 Index moved within a narrow range on Monday, recording its intraday high at 42,720.98 (+190.31 points) and intraday low at 42,367.81 (-162.86 points).

It settled flat (+0.64 points) at 42,531.31.

Among other indices, the KMI-30 Index lost 161.83 points to end at 67,825.05, while the KSE All Share Index fell dropped 13.55 points, closing at 30,232.66.

The overall market volumes were recorded at 509.52 (-3pc). Average traded value also declined by 17pc, from $105.8 million to $87.5 million. Hascol Petroleum Ltd (HASCOL +4.12pc), Pakistan International Bulk Terminal Ltd (PIBTL +2.95pc) and Fauji Foods Ltd (FFL +7.47pc) led the volume chart, exchanging 67.08 million, 42.94 million and 29.88 million shares, respectively.

Sectors that kept the benchmark index in green in-

Motorbike, three-wheeler sales up 19.6pc in July-Aug FY21 ISLAMABAD APP

The sale of motorbikes and three-wheelers witnessed an increase of 19.59pc during the first two months (July-August) of the current financial year (FY21) as compared to the corresponding period of last year.

As many as 288,849 motorbikes and three-wheelers were sold in July-Aug FY21 as against the sale of 241,515 units in July-August FY20, according to data released by the Pakistan Automobile Manufacturing Association (PAMA).

The sale of Honda motorcycles in the country grew by 11.80pc to 179,003 units during the months under review (160,109 units in 2MFY20).

However, the sale of Suzuki motorcycles dropped by 13.66pc, from 3,162 units to 2,730 units, while that of Yamaha motorbikes decreased by 31.77pc, from 3,805 units to 2,596.

Among others, the sale of United Auto motorcycles increased from 52,379 units to 70,419 units (+34.44pc), while the sales of Road Prince motorcycles increased from 16,062 units to 25,120 units (+56.39pc).

On the other hand, the sale of Road Prince three-wheelers increased by 151.61pc, from 804 units in 2MFY20 to 2,023 units in July-Aug FY21. The sale of Qingqi three-wheelers surged 99.39pc, from 534 units to 3,226 units, whereas that of United Auto three-wheelers rose by 42.82pc, from 976 units to 1,394 units.

HabibMetro, Adamjee Life enter strategic partnership NEWS DESK: Habib Metropolitan Bank Ltd and Adamjee Life Assurance Company Ltd have entered a strategic alliance for the promotion of Bancassurance products. This alliance aims to enhance HabibMetro Bank’s bancassurance product offering in its efforts to deliver an unparalleled level of customer service. Mian Mohammad Mansha, Chairman Nishat Group, and Mohsin Ali Nathani, President and CEO of HabibMetro Bank, along with other senior representatives of the two organizations attended the signing ceremony.

BABAR KHAN JAVED Manhattan International has appointed Fouad Husain as the new CEO of Omnicom Media Group in Pakistan.

The decision comes less than a year after Husain resigned from his position as CEO of GroupM, which he held since mid-2015.

Prior to leading the world’s largest media investment firm, Husain spent nearly 15 years with Mindshare, across four different client servicing roles including as managing director for eight years. Led by Dara Bashir Khan, Manhattan International is a creative agency that owns the Omnicom Media Group franchise in Pakistan, which in turn serves clients of OMD and PHD - specialized media agencies under the holding group - in the country.

Husain is the third senior executive from WPP hired by Manhattan International for Omnicom Media Group in Pakistan, with Sohail Ansar joining as an executive director towards Q3 2018 and Arun Perwani joining as chief operating officer towards Q4 2019

CMYK

cluded banking (18.67 points), oil & gas exploration (17.48 points) and power generation and distribution (12.43 points). Among the companies, Pakistan State Oil Company Ltd (PSO 16.85 points), Habib Bank Ltd (HBL 16.62 points) and Hub Power Company Ltd (HUBC 16.53 points) remained the top contributors.

Adding 0.66pc to its cumulative market capitalisation, the oil & gas marketing sector emerged as the session's top gainer, with Pakistan State Oil Company Ltd (PSO 1.73pc), Hascol Petroleum Ltd (HASCOL 4.12pc) and Hi-Tech Lubricants Ltd (HTL 7.48pc) posting decent gains.

On the financial side, Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Ltd (SNGP -1.90pc) declared earnings per share of Rs2.96 for the first quarter of FY20 (Rs4.09 in 1QFY19), while Kohinoor Textile Mills Ltd (KTML +1.53pc) announced an EPS of Rs5.11 for FY20 (Rs5.85 last year).

CCP raids Lahore, Islamabad offices of PSMA NEWS DESK: As part of an ongoing enquiry into the possible anti-competitive activities in the sugar industry, the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) carried out a search and inspection of the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA)’s Lahore and Islamabad offices. The CCP authorised its officers to the ‘Enter and Search’ PSMA premises under Section 34 of the Competition Act, 2010 following indications of PSMA’s anti-competitive activities including, but not limited to, the collective stoppage of crushing in season 2019-20, collective rise in prices of sugar, and collective refusal to supply sugar to Utility Store Corporation (USC) as recently reported, said a press release issued here on Monday. Two different teams, authorised by the commission, simultaneously carried out the search in PSMA’s Islamabad and Lahore premises and impounded the relevant record. Through its various enforcement orders, the CCP warned industry associations from indulging in activities, which may violate the Competition Act. The rule of thumb is that the associations are not allowed to discuss, deliberate or share sensitive commercial information that may allow its members, who are competitors, to co-ordinate business policy or discussion on economic aspects.

Omnicom Media Group names Fouad Husain as Pakistan CEO LAHORE: Participants of a cycle rally ‘Ride Against Cancer’ regroup after completing the specially designed route to mark ‘Childhood Cancer Awareness Month’ at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre.

to make sure money reached their families. In addition, the movement of cash transported on flights increases during Hajj and Umrah season. But this year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic there was a limited Hajj, and a bank on Umrah, which further curtailed people’s ability to send money through informal channels, and pushed them to use formal channels.

'31PC SURGE IN JULY-AUG' Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday remittances received by the country have increased by 31pc during the first two months of the fiscal year as compared to the same period last year.

Taking to Twitter, the premier said remittances of $2,095 million were received in August, which is an increase of 24.4pc.

Stocks close flat in range-bound session STAFF REPORT

LAHORE: Bank Alfalah has collaborated with Master Changan Motors Limited to offer best in class auto financing to their extensive customer base.

countries such as Middle East, Europe and United States.

It is a view echoed by analysts.

According to Tahir Abbas, head of research at Arif Habib Ltd., there has been an increase in remittances flows though formal channels.

Samiullah Tariq, head of research at Pakistan Kuwait Investment, also said that more overseas Pakistanis are using official banking channels to remit money to their homes, as there was a closure of flights and restriction of movement due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Typically, money is sent to Pakistan by people physically carrying cash in their luggage, when they travel to visit Pakistan. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the subsequent cancellation in flights, people were forced to switch to formal channels, in an effort

with both tasked to help the full-service agency group lead teams that would win and retain business. A representative of Manhattan International told Profit that Perwani left his role with Manhattan International before Q2 2020. As confirmed by the Pakistan Broadcasters Association agency-client database, within the span of a year, Omnicom Media Group in Pakistan has lost Telenor Microfinance Bank to Z2C Limited, Telenor Pakistan to Brainchild Communications, and Daraz to Adcom Media. The same directory also lists Soneri Bank, Reckitt Benckiser, and Ismail Industries as recent client wins, with industry data suggesting that the latter two were won based on direct pitches.

The business has also lost key talent in media and client servicing teams, amid concerns that upper management is resolving churn issues by bringing in several expensive executives to grow the top line, instead of addressing the root causes. Additional complaints point to breaking promises on increments against delivered targets while paying consultants heavy fees.

Amid concerns that Sohail Anwar may have a

conflict of interest as a board member of Hum Network Limited, he sold his shares by mid-June 2020 and was among the eight listed retiring directors of the Pakistani media company according to a print circular pertaining to the 9th extraordinary general meeting of Hum Network Limited. This is verified by a letter consisting of the 15 individuals contesting elections as directors of the media company, in which Sohail Ansar is not listed.

GLOBAL BRAND PERCEPTION According to The Forrester Wave™ Global Media Agencies for Q2 2020, both OMD and PHD rank in the top ten, with OMD ranking high in terms of planning and buying, content development services, technology strategy, data strategy, media partner strategy, global billings, and agency headcount. The report found that PHD ranked high in terms of technology strategy, and data strategy.

“OMD is a good fit for CMOs looking for a connected communication experience,” said Forrester analysts Jay Pattisall, Keith Johnston, Alex Sobchuk, and Rachel Birrell who authored the report. “OMD shows strength with a unified planning team, the use of private marketplaces to procure preferred inventory, and resources dedicated to audience activation (although there is little evidence of widespread client adoption of said audience activation technology).

Clients like OMD for its media planning, buying, and econometric models.”

Tuesday, 15 September, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

JapaN's sUga poised to wiN party race, headed for premiership TOKYO

J

AGENCIES

APANESE Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, a longtime loyal aide of outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, was poised to win a ruling party leadership election on Monday, virtually ensuring that he replaces Abe this week in the nation’s top job.

Suga, 71, who has said he would pursue Abe’s key economic and foreign policies, is expected to get the bulk of votes from 394 Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmakers and is likely to win a majority of 141 votes from the party’s local chapters.

Suga was on track to win over 70% of the MPs’ votes and was leading among local chapters, public broadcaster NHK reported. The winner of the LDP race is virtually certain to be elected prime minister in a parliamentary vote on Wednesday because of the LDP’s majority in the lower house. He will serve out Abe’s term as party leader through September 2021.

Abe, Japan’s longest-serving premier, said last month he would quit due to ill health, ending a nearly eight-year term.

Suga has said he would continue Abe’s signature “Abenomics” strategy of hyper-easy monetary policy, government spending and reforms while juggling the

problems of Covid-19 and a slumping economy, and confronting longer-term issues such as Japan’s ageing population and low birthrate. Japanese manufacturers remained pessimistic for a 14th straight month in September, a Reuters poll showed, underlining the huge challenge

the next leader faces. Suga, whose resume is thin on diplomatic experience, faces geopolitical challenges such as building ties with the winner of the Nov 3 US presidential election and balancing concern over China’s maritime aggressiveness with bilateral economic interdependence.

Speculation is simmering that Suga will call a snap election for parliament’s lower house as soon as next month to boost his chances of winning a full threeyear term as LDP chief next year. A vote for the lower chamber must be held by late October 2021. Suga, the son of a strawberry farmer from northern Japan who got his start in politics as a local assemblyman, has since 2012 held the key post of chief cabinet secretary, acting as Abe’s top government spokesman, coordinating policies and keeping bureaucrats in line.

He has the image as more of a behindthe-scenes operator than a frontline leader but rose in opinion polls after he announced his candidacy to succeed Abe.

Belarus leader looks to Putin to help him cling on to power MOSCOW AGENCIES

President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus will seek the backing of Russia’s Vladimir Putin at a crucial meeting on Monday after a fifth consecutive weekend of huge protests demanding that he step down.

Lukashenko, facing the gravest crisis of his 26 years in power, will travel to Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi with his fate in Putin’s hands.

Economic and military support from Moscow could help tip the balance in his favour as his security forces crack down hard on the opposition.

The Belarusian opposition accuses Lukashenko of rigging last month’s presidential election, which he says he won fairly with 80% of the vote. Since then, thousands of people have been arrested and nearly all the opposition’s key leaders have been detained, deported or forced to flee the country. At least 100,000 protesters took to the streets of the capital Minsk on Sunday, taunting Lukashenko with chants of “You’re a rat”. Police said they detained over 400 people.

Putin’s actions so far suggest he has no desire to see the leader of a neighbouring ex-Soviet country toppled by pressure from the streets - even if Lukashenko has often proved a prickly and difficult ally.

The Kremlin leader said last month he had set up a “reserve police force” at Lukashenko’s request, but it would be deployed only if needed. On Monday Russia will send paratroopers to Belarus for joint “Slavic brotherhood” military drills until Sept. 25, RIA news agency quoted the defence ministry as saying.

Russia has also offered to restructure Belarusian debt

can i use a face shield instead of a mask?

NEW YORK AGENCIES

Can I use a face shield instead of a mask?

No. Health officials don’t recommend the clear plastic barriers as a substitute for masks because of the lack of research on whether they keep an infected person from spreading viral droplets to others. However, those who want extra protection may want to wear a face shield in addition to a mask. Face shields have the added benefit of protecting your eyes and discouraging you from touching your face by acting as a physical barrier, says Christopher Sulmonte, project administrator of the biocontainment unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Meanwhile, the available research so far indicates that the best face shields for preventing viral spread are hooded or wrap around the sides and bottom of the face, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s because those shields leave less space for droplets from sneezing, coughing and talking to escape. If you do wear a reusable face shield in addition to a mask, the CDC notes the importance of cleaning it after each use.

The agency also says you should wash your hands before and after taking it off and avoid touching your face while removing it.

UN rights body agrees to hold UrgeNt debate oN belarUs GENEVA AGENCIES The Human Rights Council agreed on Monday to an EU proposal to hold an urgent debate on the human rights situation in Belarus as the U.N. rights chief described “alarming” reports of repression since a disputed election last month.

The EU and other critics accuse Belarusian authorities of detaining opposition leaders and cracking down on peaceful protesters opposed to Alexander Lukashenko who officially won reelection last month. The Council’s President Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger said 25 members of the council voted in favour and two against, with 20 abstentions, meaning the motion was adopted. The debate is scheduled for Friday. “Reports continue to indicate unnecessary or excessive use of force

and support the banking system.

The cost of further Moscow backing could be Lukashenko’s acceptance of even greater Russian dominance in the relationship between the two countries.

by law enforcement officials,” U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said of the situation, adding that there was “limited evidence” of any steps by authorities to address these violations. Belarus, which is not a member of the council, vigorously opposed the EU proposal brought by Germany, describing it as a “deplorable” and a violation of international law.

The EU “is creating the conditions for preserving this political standoff in the society of Belarus”, said ambassador Yury Ambrazevich. Several European countries voiced support for the motion.

“The situation on the ground clearly warrants an urgent debate. The human rights council should not stay silent on this matter,” said German Ambassador Michael von Ungern-Sternberg.

Objections were from Venezuela and the Philippines.

The Kremlin has long pushed for closer political and economic integration with Minsk, including a joint currency, but Lukashenko has resisted the pressure from his more powerful neighbour.

Chinese study finds way to better repair injured heart muscle BEIJING APP

Chinese scientists have made a breakthrough in a heart disease treatment that enables patients to rehabilitate from cardiac muscle tissue injuries.

Regenerative medicine experts at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and doctors at the Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital in east China have developed an injectable collagen scaffold in stem cell therapy for patients with injured heart muscles.

Previous studies have proven that using stem cells, which have the potential to grow into a variety of heart cell types, could repair and regenerate damaged heart tissue. However, like any other therapy, injecting stem cells into the heart can fail or lead to poor cell survival.

"One difficulty was how to retain the stem cells at the injury site after cell transplant," said lead researcher Dai Jianwu, also a researcher at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology under the CAS.

After years of experiments on animals such as pigs, Dai's team developed the collagen scaffold with biomaterials to solve the problem.

"It can be injected into the heart and prevent transplanted stem cells from moving around, maintaining their placement in the injured tissue, which will help increase the therapy efficiency," Dai noted. A heart attack, or myocardial infarction, is permanent damage to the heart muscle caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms are tightness or pain in the chest, back, neck or arms. At least 2.5 million new cases and more than 1 million deaths from the disease are reported every year in China.

Common treatments include medications and surgery, but they have little effect, and many doctors view the disease as incurable.

Researchers started human trials in the Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital in March 2016 and continued until August 2019. According to Dai, 44 patients have received the collagen scaffold in their stem cell transplants, and follow-up studies were completed.

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The results, published last week in the journal JAMA Network Open, show that the use of the collagen material can result in greatly reduced volumes of dead heart tissue in patients one year after cell transplants and can enable the heart to restore functions.

"For patients with severe illnesses, the effect is particularly obvious," said Dai, adding that the collagen scaffold is safe and feasible for application in larger groups of patients.

Dai has had previous successes in repairing organs with stem cells. In 2015, his team pioneered stem cell therapy for patients with chronic spinal cord injuries. Three years later, his team also cooperated with Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, successfully using stem cells to rehabilitate a woman's damaged ovary, enabling her to give birth to a healthy boy.

The latest trials for heart attack patients have increased Dai's confidence in regenerative medicine, leading him to say that it is possible that all human organs could be regenerated in the future.

sUspected israeli air strikes iN easterN syria kill 10 pro-iraN fighters BEIRUT AGENCIES

Suspected Israeli air strikes in eastern Syria on Monday killed 10 pro-Iran fighters, most of them Iraqis, a war monitor said. The raids against militant positions south of the town of Albu Kamal in Deir Ezzor province took the lives of eight Iraqi and two Syrian combatants, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said the strikes, which also destroyed munition depots and vehicles, were "likely" carried out by Israel.

The Observatory has previously reported suspected Israeli air strikes on Deir Ezzor, but these reports are rarely corroborated by Syrian state media or the Jewish state. A US-led coalition is also present in the area after years of backing Kurdish forces in their fight against the Islamic State group. On September 3, presumed Israeli air strikes on eastern Syria killed 16 Iran-backed fighters, the Observatory said at the time. The monitor says it relies on flight patterns, as well as type of aircraft and ammunition involved, to determine who was behind an aerial bombing.

Along with Russia, Israel's nemesis Iran has been a key backer of the Damascus regime in its nine-year-long civil war. Israel has carried out hundreds of air and missile strikes on Syria since the civil war broke out in 2011, targeting Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah forces as well as government troops. The Israeli army rarely acknowledges individual strikes, but did confirm on August 3 that it had used fighter jets, attack helicopters and other aircraft to hit military targets in southern Syria. Syria's war has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced millions more since starting in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

two more labs confirm Navalny Novichok poisoning: germany BERLIN APP

Germany said Monday that two more European laboratories have confirmed its own findings that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent, ramping up the pressure on Moscow to shed light on the case. Hitting back at doubts raised by Russia about the German investigation, Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said Germany had asked France and Sweden "for an independent review of the German evidence on the basis of new samples from Mr Navalny," who is receiving treatment in Berlin. "The results of this review at specialised laboratories in France and Sweden are now available and confirm the German evidence (of Novichok poisoning)," Seibert said in statement. He said Germany was still waiting for the outcome of a separate evaluation by the OPCW global chemical weapons watchdog. On the basis of the findings by the three European laboratories, however, Seibert said Germany was "renewing its call for Russia to make a declaration on the events" of the case. "We are in close contact with our European partners about further steps," he added. Asa Scott, head of division for CBRN defence and security at the Swedish Defence Research Agency, confirmed to AFP its lab in Umea in northern Sweden had also found Novichok in the sample and said it probably came from Russia. "I can't say whether this sample is from Russia or if it is they who have used it, but what we do know from Russian defectors is that they developed it between the 1970s and 1990s," Scott said.

"So I find it unlikely that any other nation that is party to the Chemical Weapons Convention would have it."

'ABSURD': The 44-year-old Kremlin critic and anticorruption campaigner fell ill after boarding a plane in Siberia last month and was hospitalised there before being flown to Berlin. Navalny has now emerged from a medically induced coma and is responding to speech, Charite hospital has said. Germany said two weeks ago there was "unequivocal evidence" that he was poisoned with Novichok but Russia has angrily dismissed the findings, saying its doctors found no trace of poison. Western politicians have insisted the incident appears likely to have been state-ordered and urged Moscow to prove its lack of involvement. Meanwhile the Kremlin has denounced attempts to blame the Russian state as "absurd". The case has prompted international calls for Russia to carry out a transparent investigation or risk sanctions, but the country has not opened a criminal probe.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Russia took offence "when other countries dictate to us what legal procedures we should start and when".

He insisted Russia "de facto" is probing the incident, but cannot open a criminal case "on the basis of tests by the German side, especially when carried out in German military labs."

Tuesday, 15 September, 2020

US OPEn 2020: DOMInIC ThIEM bEaTS aLExanDEr ZvErEv TO LIFT MaIDEn GranD SLaM TITLE

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AGENCIES OMINIC Thiem produced a historic comeback to beat Alexander Zverev in a nervy five-setter and win the US Open on Sunday for his first Grand

Slam title.

The second seeded Austrian beat the fifth seed 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) in 4hr 2min inside a near-empty Arthur Ashe Stadium. It marked the first time in the US Open's Open era history that a player had recovered from losing the opening two sets to win the title. It was also the first time the final had been settled by a tie-break.

The title marks Thiem's maiden Grand Slam trophy after three previous defeats in

finals of tennis majors.

Thiem was runner-up at the Australian Open earlier this year and also lost in the last-two showdowns at the French Open in 2018 and 2019. He also becomes the first new Grand Slam champion since Croatian Marin Cilic won at Flushing Meadows in 2014. Thiem is also the first Grand Slam champion other than Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer since Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka won the third of his majors at the 2016 US Open.

Zverev smashed four aces and 16 winners in the first set as he displayed an impressive serve and volley game to take a 1-0 lead in just 30 minutes. The German was helped by some sloppy serving from Thiem, who hit three double faults as he was broken

Miller lavishes praise on Dhoni ahead of IPL If we think of cricket’s greatest finishers then the name of MS Dhoni always comes to mind. He has been instrumental to India’s success in the past decade and has taken them to victory with his match-winning ability.

Team India reaped the benefit of Dhoni’s finishing ability when he hit an unbeaten 97 runs to power his country to a second World Cup victory in 2011. He has since continued to win matches for India and his IPL team Chennai Super Kings. Dhoni is now retired from international cricket but he will continue to CSK in the Indian Premier League. Fans will continue to see Dhoni’s finishing skills in the upcoming IPL 2020 in UAE. It is just not the fans who are looking forward to seeing Dhoni but some cricketers as well. South Africa international David Miller is in awe of Dhoni’s finishing skills and the Rajasthan Royals player says he wants to imbibe the former India skipper’s calmness in highpressure run chases. Miller will be playing for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL beginning September 19 after eight years with Kings XI Punjab. “I absolutely love the way Dhoni goes about his business. Certainly his calmness - you just think he’s always under control. The way he portrays himself, that’s something he’s extremely good at and I do enjoy that about him. I try and give off the same energy,” Miller told ‘ESPNcricinfo’.

Miller is a Dhoni fan but he is not oblivious to the two-time World Cup winner’s weaknesses even though he prefers to steer clear of the specifics. “...he’s got his strengths and weaknesses as a batsman and so do I. I tend to be in awe of some of his chases rather than ‘I want to bat like him’. I suppose I just want to finish games like he does. AGENCIES

Ferrari 'stuck in a hole', says CEO Camilleri MUGELLO: Ferrari chief executive Louis Camilleri says that the iconic Formula One team knows they are "stuck in a hole" after watching his drivers finish outside the podium places at the Tuscan Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc and departing four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel were eighth and 10th respectively at Mugello on Sunday, encouraging results after two pointless races at Spa-Francorchamps and Monza but hardly inspiring on their 1000th GP. "We're in a hole now, and we know we're in a hole," he said.

"It's a confluence of factors, but anything I say will come across as excuses. And we're not into excuses. "So what matters is to focus on the issues we have and to work hard with determination to get back to what we consider to be our rightful place." Camilleri, who was at Mugello with chairman John Elkann, made clear the Italian outfit had no intention of even considering pulling out of Formula One. "I think Ferrari and F1 are sort of joined at the hip," he said. "How to imagine F1 without Ferrari? Or the other way around? "We've been there forever and we're the only team. Others come and go. And yes, history creates pressure too -- so we're looking forward to the next thousand." Next year Formula One will introduce certain changes which include a cost cap of $175 million (147.5 million euros) per team, per season. "We will take time and I am hoping, that with a bit more flexibility in the regulations next year, we can at least step up from where we are now. "Hats off to Mercedes. They have done an incredible job.

We will see, in 2022, with new regulations, if it creates a re-set... That's our hope." APP

twice, in games three and seven.

In set two, Zverev wasted three set points while 5-1 up but held on to take a 20 lead on his fifth set point.

The tide was beginning to turn though as Zverev's play became increasingly cagey as his suspect second serve got slower and his forehand, another weakness, became more defensive.

After Thiem easily took set four, Zverev found himself serving for the championship at 5-3 in the fifth set.

But he could not hold and soon Thiem found himself 6-5 ahead. He took a medical timeout before it was his turn to serve for the championship. However, like Zverev moments earlier, Thiem failed to clinch the match and it went to a tie-break.

He found himself 5-3 up after two double faults by Zverev but Thiem, by now exhausted and limping, blew two championship points. He won the title on his third and collapsed to the court with his head in his hands. The match was watched by just a few dozen people, mostly officials, journalists and event staff after the coronavirus pandemic forced the tournament to be held behind closed doors. This year's field at the Billie Jean King US National Tennis Center in New York was depleted by the absence of Swiss legend Federer and defending champion Nadal.

The tournament was also blown wide open by the disqualification of world number one and heavy favorite Djokovic in the last 16 for hitting a line judge with the ball.

Australia's Zampa wants 'worldclass' Smith back for England decider MANCHESTER APP

Australia leg-spinner Adam Zampa is eager to have "world-class" Steve Smith back in the team as the tourists bid for a series-clinching victory in the third one-day international at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Smith has been on the sidelines for the opening two matches of the threematch series against world champions England after being hit on the head during practice on Thursday.

Australia have repeatedly said the star batsman has been rested purely as a precaution despite passing two concussion tests. They won the opening match by 19 runs on Friday and were cantering to victory on Sunday at 1442, chasing a target of 232.

Australia, however, suffered a dramatic collapse, sparked by pacemen Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer, as England won by 24 runs to level the series.

"It's been disappointing to have him (Smith) miss the last couple of games," Zampa told a conference call on Mon-

day. "He's a world-class player and has that experience as well. It's pretty obvious if Steve Smith is fit he's in most cricket teams. I'd hope to have him back for the third game."

Australia were cruising to victory while captain Aaron Finch (73) and Marnus Labuschagne (48) were compiling a partnership of 107 before a flurry of wickets on a used pitch.

"Marnus and Finchy played it beautifully, I just think once you lose a wicket after a big partnership like that, it's really hard to start, balls were hitting the toe of the bat and some were hitting the handle of the bat too," said Zampa.

"We were so close to winning the series with a game to spare. When you're watching that happen, it's never easy."

'UNBELIEVABLE ENGLAND': England have made a habit of recovering from seemingly hopeless positions to beat Australia, winning last year's Ashes Test at Headingley by one wicket and fighting back for a two-run victory in the first Twenty20 at Southampton earlier this month.

"It says England are a really, really

good cricket team," said Zampa when asked about those results. "Their oneday cricket over the last four or five years has been unbelievable -- they really attack with the bat and do the job with the ball. "They read conditions really well, the bowlers literally hit the top of off-stump the whole time and they are very disciplined. England are just a really good cricket team and we can learn a lot from them."

Zampa has been in fine form this tour. The 28-year-old is the leading bowler on either side in the ODI series with seven wickets at an average of just 13. "I really enjoy bowling the death overs, I love those pressure overs, especially when the game's on the line," he said. England leg-spinner Adil Rashid also found himself bowling late on during Sunday's match when, despite conceding 67 runs from 9.4 overs, he wrapped up the game with eight balls to spare by having Alex Carey stumped.

"I love watching him bowl," said Zampa. "He's got control but he's a really gutsy bowler too. He's always attacking and trying to get wickets."

Tough one to get your head around, says Pat Cummins after loss in 2nd ODI AGENCIES

last 10 (overs) went for 80-odd, I think - we’re suddenly only chasing 200 and it’s a different game. “It’s a tough one to get your head around. I thought we bowled really well and then let them off the hook in the last 10 overs ... we gave them an extra 40 or 50 runs.” It was a slow surface which helped the spinners and Cummins said his team will have to improve its game on pitches like these, something it will encounter in the 2023 World Cup in India. “Something we always talk about in tournament play and World Cups is that towards the back end, you are likely to get these kind of wickets where spinners (will play a role) and you’re not getting 350 that you might get at the start of the tournament,” he said. “On a really good wicket, in your death bowling you go to yorkers or slower balls or bouncers. Here it’s tossing up what’s the hardest ball to hit - is it a yorker or maybe it’s top of the stumps?

Australia pacer Pat Cummins says the 24-run loss to England in the second ODI here was “tough one to get your head around” with his team letting the hosts off the hook twice in the game. From 149 for eight, England went on to make 231 for nine on a surface where runs were hard to come by. Australia then made a good start before a dramatic collapse saw them slip from 144 for two in the run chase to be 207 all-out.

The three-match series is now levelled at 1-1.

“I’ll get my head around that tomorrow and have a bit of a look at the footage. On that wicket, for 40 overs it felt like a good length was the hardest to hit, and suddenly they started hitting them quite nicely,” said Cummins after the game on Sunday. “We’ll have a review. If we’d kept them down - those

SPORTS 11 FUrIOUS nEyMar aLLEGES raCISM aS FIvE SEnT OFF In PSG STOrM PARIS: Neymar insisted he had been the victim of racism as he was one of five players sent off in a mass brawl at the end of Marseille's 1-0 win over Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday. PSG's Brazilian star appeared to accuse Alvaro Gonzalez of calling him a "monkey" in a series of furious tweets after he was sent off in injury time for slapping the Marseille defender on the back of the head. "Look at the racism. That's why I hit him," Neymar, who was returning from coronavirus quarantine, said as he left the pitch. "The only regret I have is not hitting this idiot in the face," the world's most expensive player tweeted later. Neymar was red-carded after a VAR review, while teammates Layvin Kurzawa and Leandro Paredes were also sent off. Marseille striker Dario Benedetto and defender Jordan Amavi were also expelled.

"It's easy for VAR to show my 'aggression'.

'Now I'd like to them to show the image of the racist who called me a 'MONKEY SON OF A BITCH'. I'd really like that!" Neymar tweeted later. Florian Thauvin's close-range volley on 31 minutes earned Marseille a first victory over their bitter rivals since November 2011 but the ugly scenes overshadowed the game at Parc des Princes. Neymar "told me it was a racist insult, but I didn't hear anything on the pitch", PSG coach Thomas Tuchel said. "There is no place for racism in football but I don't think that was the case," Marseille coach Andre Villas Boas told Telefoot. "We'll have to look at it." According to Telefoot, Gonzalez replied "What racism?" when he was asked about the incident. Insulting comments on his Instagram account received tens of thousands of likes. PSG sporting director Leonardo suggested referee Jerome Brisard lacked the experience to officiate such a highly-charged fixture. "Fourteen yellow cards and five reds means the match was out of control," said Leonardo. "Not to criticise the referee but perhaps it's not the time to officiate a 'clasico'."

Tuchel tried to downplay the defeat. "I'm not angry. I think you have to separate the performance and the result. We played a great match, I'm happy with the quality, mentality and the effort," he said. "I told the players if we continue to play like that we'll win every match. It was a great performance but the result is what it is." PSG, runners-up to Bayern Munich in the Champions League final last month, have now lost their opening two games of a season without scoring for the first time since 1978/79. A frenzied schedule awaits Tuchel's coronavirus-hit side, starting with the visit of Metz in midweek and a trip to Nice next Sunday, and Neymar now faces a suspension. Marseille find themselves with an early six-point advantage as they attempt to close the gap on PSG, French champions seven of the past eight years. After fielding a depleted line-up at Lens on Thursday, Tuchel was able to recall Neymar and Angel Di Maria for a match played in front of around 4,000 supporters in Paris. However, Kylian Mbappe remained absent after testing positive for Covid-19 on France duty at the start of the week with Mauro Icardi and Marquinhos also still missing. Marseille 'keeper Steve Mandanda produced a magnificent reflex to keep out an effort from Marco Verratti just a minute in as tempers bubbled over frequently in the capital. Thauvin, who shone in Marseille's opening 3-2 win at Brest before the international break, made the breakthrough when he turned in a Dimitri Payet free-kick from point-blank range. AGENCIES

Frank Lampard more amused than annoyed at criticism over summer spending AGENCIES Chelsea coach Frank Lampard says he is amused rather than annoyed by Jurgen Klopp's criticism of his summer spending, pointing out that Liverpool splashed the cash on the road to Premier League glory.

Lampard has invested around 200 million pounds ($257 million) on Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Ben Chilwell, with Thiago Silva arriving on a free transfer and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy reportedly set to join from Rennes. By contrast, Klopp has added only Greece left-back Kostas Tsimikas to his league-winning squad so far. Lampard, whose side begin their campaign away at Brighton on Monday, said any owner needed huge resources to compete in the Premier League.

"I was less annoyed with it, I found it more, slightly amusing, I would say," he said, referring to Klopp's comments. "Because I think when you talk about the owners of clubs I don't think it matters what line of business they

come from, we're talking about some very wealthy owners of clubs in the Premier League."

CHELSEA BAN: Lampard, who last season warned Liverpool not to get "too arrogant" after they won the title, said the champions' owners, Fenway Sports Group, had spent a lot of money since Jurgen Klopp had been in charge.

"Liverpool's story, it's a fantastic story of a club over four-and-a-half, five years that Jurgen Klopp's been there that have managed to get recruitment right to a really high level," said the Chelsea boss.

"And the reality is probably, other than maybe Leicester (champions in 2016), which is an incredible story, most clubs that win the Premier League in the modern day have recruited well and recruited at a high level money-wise.

"And you can go through the Liverpool players: Van Dijk, Alisson, Fabinho, Keita, Mane, Salah, incredible players, that came at a very high price."

Lampard, who guided Chelsea to fourth place and the FA Cup final in his first season in charge, said his spending

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should be put into context, given that when he replaced Maurizio Sarri the club was under a transfer ban.

"So Liverpool have done it, and they've done it over a period of time," said Lampard. "What we've done is come off the back of a ban, probably tried to address the situation ourselves to help improve us.

"So I think it's par for the course, and I think we all know that there's no point in doing the maths too much because I think we know that Liverpool have spent at a high level, we know they have an incredible coach, we know they have incredible players."

Lampard said he hoped he could do as Klopp had done and repay the faith of owner Roman Abramovich by delivering results. "The really smart thing Liverpool have done I think is believe in their coach, believe in their system for a number of years," he said.

"So it's a great story, but it's story that has seen money spent on players. And this summer we've spent money on players, and now the hard work has to be done."

Tuesday, 15 September, 2020

PRAyER TimingS

NEWS

In meetIng wIth Army chIef, KhALILzAd dIscusses AfghAn PeAce Process RAWALPINDI

u

STAFF REPORT

NITED STATES Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad met Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa to discuss Afghan Reconciliation Process among other matters, the military’s media wing said.

Khalilzad arrived in Islamabad earlier today and is being accompanied by a three-member delegation of senior US officials. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), in a statement, said, “A delegation headed by Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad called on COAS at [the General Headquarters].” Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq was also present during the meeting.

According to the ISPR, matters of mutual interest, regional security, and the ongoing Afghan Reconciliation Process were discussed during the meeting.

“The visiting dignitary greatly appreciated Pakistan’s role in the ongoing peace process and said that it could not have succeeded without Pakistan’s sincere and un-

conditional support,” the statement said.

The army chief said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had given a clear vision regarding peace and connectivity in the region. “All elements of national power are united towards making that vision a reality to ensure long-awaited peace, progress, and prosperity in the region,” the army chief said.

AFGHAN GOVERNMENT PRESSES TRUCE DEMAND IN TALIBAN TALKS: The Afghan government on Monday pressed its calls for a truce with the Taliban, reiterating its desire for a longterm ceasefire at historic talks in Qatar.

The two sides are in the early stages of meetings in Doha as they try to hammer out a deal that would bring 19 years of bloodshed in Afghanistan to a close. The Afghan government and its allies, including the US, called for the warring sides to lay down their arms at Saturday's opening ceremony. But the Taliban, who fought a years-long guerrilla campaign against American and Afghan forces after they were toppled in a 2001 US-led invasion, did not mention a truce as they came to the negotiating table.

The head of the peace process for the

Afghan government, Abdullah Abdullah, suggested however that the Taliban could offer a ceasefire in exchange for the release of more of their jailed fighters.

Afghan presidential spokesman Sediq Seddiqi tweeted Monday that the presence of government negotiators at the talks "is aimed at achieving a ceasefire, ending the violence and ensuring lasting peace and stability in the country." The United States struck an agreement with the Taliban in February that will see it withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

The deal, which paved the way for the

Doha negotiations, did not commit the insurgents to any reduction of violence, only requiring that it be "an item on the agenda" in negotiations. But Crisis Group analyst Andrew Watkins told AFP "the Afghan government needs a ceasefire because without current levels of US support, it would very likely continue to lose ground to the Taliban". Schedules and a code of conduct for the talks were discussed in meetings on Sunday and were due to continue on Monday, according to the government side, but talks on substantive issues are yet to get underway.

Potential sign of alien life detected on inhospitable Venus

AGENCIES Scientists said on Monday they have detected in the harshly acidic clouds of Venus a gas called phosphine that indicates microbes may inhabit Earth’s inhospitable neighbour, a tantalising sign of potential life beyond Earth.

The researchers did not discover actual life forms, but noted that on Earth phosphine is produced by bacteria thriving in oxygen-starved environments. The international scientific team first spotted the phosphine using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii and confirmed it using the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) radio telescope in Chile.

“I was very surprised — stunned, in fact,” said astronomer Jane Greaves of Cardiff University in Wales, lead author of the research published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

The existence of extraterrestrial life long has been one of the paramount questions of science. Scientists have used probes and telescopes to seek “biosignatures” — indirect signs of life — on other planets and moons in our solar system and beyond.

“With what we currently know of Venus, the most plausible explanation for phosphine, as fantastical as it might sound, is life,” said Massachusetts Institute of Technology molecular astrophysicist and study co-author Clara Sousa-Silva.

“I should emphasise that life, as an explanation for our discovery, should be, as always, the last resort,” Sousa-Silva added. “This is important because, if it is phos-

phine, and if it is life, it means that we are not alone. It also means that life itself must be very common, and there must be many other inhabited planets throughout our galaxy.”

Phosphine — a phosphorus atom with three hydrogen atoms attached — is highly toxic to people.

Earth-based telescopes like those used in this research help scientists study the chemistry and other characteristics of celestial objects.

Phosphine was seen at 20 parts-per-billion in the Venusian atmosphere, a trace concentration.

Greaves said the researchers examined potential non-biological sources such as volcanism, meteorites, lightning and various types of chemical reactions, but none appeared viable. The research continues to either confirm the presence of life or find an alternative explanation.

Venus is Earth’s closest planetary neighbour. Similar in structure but slightly smaller than Earth, it is the second planet from the sun.

Earth is the third. Venus is wrapped in a thick, toxic atmosphere that traps in heat. Surface temperatures reach a scorching 880 degrees Fahrenheit (471 degrees Celsius), hot enough to melt lead.

“I can only speculate on what life might survive on Venus, if indeed it is there. No life would be able to survive on the surface of Venus, because it is completely inhospitable, even for biochemistries completely different from ours,” Sousa-Silva said. “But a long time ago, Venus could have had life on its surface, before a runaway greenhouse effect left the

majority of the planet completely uninhabitable.”

THE ACID TEST: Some scientists have suspected that the Venusian high clouds, with mild temperatures around 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius), could harbour aerial microbes that could endure extreme acidity. These clouds are around 90 per cent sulphuric acid.

Earth microbes could not survive that acidity.

“If it’s microorganisms, they would have access to some sunlight and water, and maybe live in liquid droplets to stop themselves dehydrating, but they would need some unknown mechanism to protect against corrosion by acid,” Greaves said.

On Earth, microorganisms in “anaerobic” environments — ecosystems that do not rely on oxygen _ produce phosphine. These include sewage plants, swamps, rice fields, marshlands, lake sediments and the excrements and intestinal tracts of many animals. Phosphine also arises non-biologically in certain industrial settings.

To produce phosphine, Earth bacteria take up phosphate from minerals or biological material and add hydrogen.

“We have done our very best to explain this discovery without the need for a biological process.

With our current knowledge of phosphine, and Venus, and geochemistry, we cannot explain the presence of phosphine in the clouds of Venus. That doesn’t mean it is life. It just means that some exotic process is producing phosphine, and our understanding of Venus needs work,” Clara Sousa-Silva said.

Venus should be hostile to phosphine. Its surface and atmosphere are rich in oxygen compounds that would rapidly react with and destroy phosphine.

“Something must be creating the phosphine on Venus as fast as it is being destroyed,” said study co-author Anita Richards, an astrophysicist associated with the University of Manchester in England.

While previous robotic spacecraft have visited Venus, a new probe may be needed to confirm life.

“Fortunately, Venus is right next door,” Sousa-Silva said. “So we can literally go and check.”

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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Palestine to reconsider relations with Arab League RAMALLAH APP

The Palestinian government will present a recommendation to President Mahmoud Abbas for reconsidering relations with the Arab League, Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtayeh said on Monday. “The Arab League has become a symbol of the Arab inaction,” Ishtayeh said during his weekly cabinet meeting. The Palestinian premier, however, did not provide further details. The move comes amid Palestinian anger over recent USsponsored agreements between the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Israel to normalize their relations. The White House will host the signing ceremony of the normalization agreements on Tuesday. The ceremony will be attended by US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul-Latif al-Zayani. "Tuesday will be a black day in the history of the Arab nation and a defeat of the Arab League institution." Ishtayeh said. Last week, an Arab League ministerial meeting failed to adopt a Palestinian draft condemning the UAE-Israel normalization deal. Bahrain became the fourth Arab country to have diplomatic relations with Israel, after Egypt in 1979, Jordan 1994 and the UAE in August 2020.