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Tuesday, 22 September, 2020 I 3 Safar, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 83 I 12 Pages I Karachi Edition

Countrywide polio campaign resumes after four-month hiatus

Govt tells opp to avoid draGGinG institutions into politics

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD/KARACHI

ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

The authorities launched a five-day nationwide polio vaccination drive today to reach 40 million children and eradicate the paralysing and potentially deadly virus in one of the last countries where it is endemic. According to a statement issued by the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme (PPEP), this is the first nationwide immunisation drive in the country since February after a four-month suspension due to the Covid-19 outbreak in the country. “The September nationwide polio campaign coincides with the recent news of Africa being certified as polio-free. With this development, Pakistan and Afghanistan are now the only remaining strongholds of the virus in the world,” the statement said. Pakistan is one of only three countries in the world, along with Afghanistan and Nigeria, that suffers from endemic polio, a childhood virus that can cause paralysis or death. As many as 73 polio cases have been reported in the country so far this year as compared to 147 cases in 2019 and 12 in 2018. Provincial data for the current year shows that 22 cases each have been reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, 20 from Balochistan, and nine from Punjab. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan, in a tweet, urged parents and caregivers to cooperate with polio teams in an effort to rid the country of the debilitating disease.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

STAFF REPORT

HE product of Sunday’s antigovernment conference was a forum known as Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), which plans on removing the incumbent government, and in reply, top government ministers held a press conference on Monday, wherein they lashed out at the opposition for dragging institutions into politics. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had attended the conference via video-link and broke his two-year silence, saying that their battle was against the system which allowed the current PM into power. “Our foremost priority should be removing this selected government and this system. Our struggle is not against Imran Khan,” said Nawaz. “Today, our struggle is against those who installed Imran Khan and who manipulated elections to bring an incapable man like him into power and thus, destroyed the country.” Responding to his allegations in a joint press conference with Planning Minister Asad Umar, and Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Monday, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz said, “The elections in which

he was elected the prime minister thrice were right but because in this one he was unable to form the government, he is raising these questions.” He claimed that the opposition parties were making the state of democracy controversial for their own gain. The minister added, “they are not helping the democracy and are trying to discredit a political setup which they claim to own.” Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi asked the opposition to refrain from dragging national institutions into politics as it will not serve the interest of Pakistan.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

MILITARY HAS NO DIRECT OR INDIRECT ROLE IN POLITICS, MINISTERS TOLD AT REPORTED HUDDLE Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed and Federal Minister for Communications Murad Seed on Monday confirmed that parliamentary leaders had met the military leadership and discussed matters related to the country, to which the army had stressed that it should be kept away from political parties’ matters. “They target institutions and then ask for time for meetings,” Saeed said, referring to opposition leaders. He had said that the clear message from the military leadership was to “not involve the military in politics”. According to reports, the military had conveyed clearly that the army was “not involved, directly or indirectly, in any political process of the country”. “If the need arises, the army will stand with the civilian government,” a senior military official had told parliamentary leaders in the meeting. The meeting was attended by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director-General Lt Gen Faiz Hameed. Gilgit-Baltistan’s (GB) administrative affairs were also on the meeting’s agenda. The military leadership had told the civilians that the army was not involved in either electoral reforms or problems related to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and other political matters. It had also told them that it was the responsibility of the political leadership to work out such matters between themselves. NEWS DESK

Tuesday, 22 September, 2020

NEWS

ihC Asks AkbAr to submit report on 'poor poliCe probe proCess' to pm, Court ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

HILE hearing a petition regarding the alleged abduction of a Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) official, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday directed Adviser to Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Shahzad Akbar to prepare and place before the premier a report on the “poor standard” of the capital police’s investigation process in two weeks. The directive was given during the hearing of a habeas corpus petition filed September 5, a day after SECP Joint Director Sajid Gondal was allegedly picked up from Islamabad. The petitioner, Gondal’s mother, had expressed apprehensions that her son may be “put to mental and physical

torture as his whereabouts are unknown and his life is also in danger”. Gondal, however, returned safely on September 8. During Monday’s hearing, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, who had expressed concern about the purportedly enforced disappearances in the capital, also directed Akbar to submit a detailed report on the matter within three weeks. Akbar, along with Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat, capital police chief Aamir Zulfiqar Khan and Interior Secretary Yousaf Naseem Khokhar, appeared before Justice Minallah. The judge told Akbar that despite a court ruling, there was no prosecution branch in Islamabad. The judge said that the capital should have been a “model city”, adding that the “standard of the police investigation is extremely poor”.

suspects in dr maha death case escape after court suspends bail Junaid Khan, Waqas Hussain Rizvi and Dr Irfan Qureshi along with two others were booked in the case about Dr Maha Shah’s death, and two of the suspects fled from the courtroom on Monday after a sessions court recalled their interim pre-arrest bail. Police had initially said the 24-year-old doctor, practising at a private hospital in Clifton, had allegedly committed suicide by shooting herself in her home in DHA on August 18. On Monday, Additional District and Sessions Judge (South) Samina Ghauri dismissed the applications seeking interim bail-before-arrest (BBA) for two of the suspects — Junaid Khan and Waqas Hussain Rizvi. “However, both the applicants (Junaid and Waqas) escaped from the courtroom after their bail applications were dismissed,” the complainant’s counsel Abbas Razvi told a local news outlet. “Suspect Waqas escaped first, but the investigating officer managed to get a hold of Junaid. However, unfortunately, some lawyers and other people in plain clothes helped Junaid escape as well from the IO’s custody,” Razvi added. During the defence counsel arguments, Khawaja Naveed Ahmed and Rehman Ghous had requested the court to confirm the suspects’ pre-arrest bail, arguing that they would not misuse their interim bail and would not escape from the court. In a counter, advocate Abbas Razvi for the complainant had vehemently opposed the applications for bail confirmation, added that suspect Junaid was a habitual offender as he was previously implicated in two other First Information Reports (FIRs), adding that both the applicants had to prove mala fide intent on the part of the complainant and the police for the sake of confirmation of their interim bail. The counsel further apprehended that if interim bail was confirmed there were chances that the suspects might tamper with the evidence, as they had allegedly already tampered with the postmortem report of the victim, which showed that Dr Maha had supposedly committed suicide instead of being shot. However, the defence counsel had contended that the two FIRs in which Junaid was previously nominated had already been declared C-class (cancelled). The counsel further stated that Junaid and Dr Maha had not met on the day she died. NEWS DESK

‘Video surveillance equipment’ made mandatory for manufacturers The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has made it mandatory for manufacturers to install “intelligent video analytics” at their premises so as to ensure electronic monitoring of production. According to an SRO issued on Monday, “The FBR is pleased to direct amendments in Sales Tax Rules 2006, wherein it has inserted a new chapter XIV-BA after XIV-B under subchapter 1 preliminary. The provision of this chapter shall apply to video surveillance for electronic monitoring of production on a real-time basis.” The FBR will issue a separate notification to specify the deadline for vendors to install the video surveillance equipment at the manufacturing premises. It is to be noted that almost all manufactures of items sold in retail packing or sold in the basis of printed retail price are covered under the new procedure of the FBR. NEWS DESK

“Go to a katcheri and see how courts are operating, no one has paid any attention towards it,” Justice Minallah told Akbar. “The court verdicts are based upon police investigation. The standard of the police investigation is extremely poor, investigation officials have not been trained,” the judge added. He further said that many suspects are acquitted due to poor investigation by the police and the courts were deemed responsible. The judge said that Akbar was among the five people who had been appointed by the prime minister as advisers and who had his trust. “Tell the prime minister that the rights of a layman are being trampled upon,” Justice Minallah said. Akbar said that the matter of missing persons had been brought to the cabinet’s notice and a sub-committee has been

formed. The recommendations will be sent to the cabinet, he added. “This is an ongoing issue,” Akbar told the court, agreeing that there should be an independent prosecution branch in the capital. The petitioner’s counsel Barrister Jahangir Jadoon told the court that Gondal has returned and also recorded a statement before the magistrate. He added that authorities have yet to ascertain who was behind Gondal’s disappearance. The judge said that the court could not comment on who was responsible for Gondal’s disappearance as the matter was being investigated by authorities. “This is a matter under investigation, the law will take its own course,” Justice Minallah remarked. The hearing was adjourned until October 19.

Cabinet to discuss granting provincial status to Gilgit-Baltistan ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR

Days after the civil and military leadership discussed ways and means to turn Gilgit-Baltistan into the fifth province of Pakistan, the federal cabinet is likely to have a threadbare debate over the proposal today which has been making rounds in the power corridors for the past few years. Sources told Pakistan Today that Prime Minister Imran Khan is likely to take the cabinet members onboard over the proposed plan aimed at mitigating the sense of deprivation among the people of GB. Earlier, the civil-military leaders had agreed that the new government of the autonomous region should decide on the matter. Sources said that if the new legislative assembly agrees, GB would be given representation in the Senate and the National Assembly, and political leaders may also grant it provincial status after making some constitutional amendments. They said that parliamentary leaders suggested during the meeting that a resolution could be passed by the new legislative assembly to make GB the fifth province of Pak-

istan. “Though some participants cautioned that altering the status of GB will affect the Kashmir dispute, they were assured that all stakeholders had been taken on board, and they agreed to the proposal,” a source said. Recently, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur told the media that the federal government has decided to elevate GB to the status of a full-fledged province with all constitutional rights, including representation in the upper and lower houses of the parliament. The minister said that Prime Minister Imran Khan would soon visit the region and make a formal announcement in this regard. “After consultation with all stakeholders, the federal government has decided in principle to give constitutional rights to Gilgit-Baltistan,” the minister told a delegation of journalists from GB. “Our government has decided to deliver on the promise it made to the people there.” Gandapur further said after constitutional rights are granted to GB, the subsidy and tax exemption on wheat given to the region would not be withdrawn. “Until the people there stand on their feet, they will continue to enjoy this facility,” he added.

Covid-19 caseload across Pakistan crosses 7,000 ISLAMABAD/QUETTA STAFF REPORT

With another 633 people across the country infected, including 237 reported in educational institutions of Balochistan, the number of active cases is now 7,015, said the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Monday. According to the latest statistics, the disease claimed the lives of another four people over the last 24 hours and now the death toll from the highly contagious disease stands at 6,420. Schools, colleges and universities across Pakistan reopened on last Tuesday, ending a nearly six-month-long closure due to coronavirus pandemic. According to details shared by the education department, so far four universities of the province, including Agriculture and Watermarine, Engineering University

Khuzdar, have been closed till September 26 after the surge in coronavirus cases. The department, in its report, further stated that a college and 10 schools have also been closed after a rise in coronavirus cases. It may be noted that so far 35 educational institutions in Balochistan have been shut over failing to implement anti-coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs). The other provinces are also seeing a rise in cases. As many as 51 students, three teachers and a staffer tested positive for the novel coronavirus in various schools in Punjab on Monday. Talking to journalists, Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Secretary Captain (r) Muhammad Usman confirmed the report, adding that nine classrooms of various educational institutions have been sealed for violation of SOPs.

Another womAn gAng-rAped during robbery in punjAb OKARA TLTP

In yet another horrendous incident of sexual abuse, a woman was allegedly gang-raped during a robbery in Depalpur tehsil of Okara district on Monday. Police registered the first information report (FIR) of the incident against seven suspects on the complaint of the victim’s husband. The woman has been shifted to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, Depalpur in critical condition, a police official said. He said that the robbers took cash, gold ornaments, and other valuables with them after raping the woman. Taking notice of the horrific incident, the regional police officer (RPO) Sahiwal reached the crime scene along with the district police officer (DPO) Okara. He constituted a special police team to be headed by the DPO to investigate the incident. He said that the victim woman’s medical examination is being conducted at the hospital. Earlier on Friday, a woman labourer was allegedly raped during a robbery in Faisalabad neighbourhood on Friday. The incident occurred in Peoples Colony near Raja Chowk within the jurisdiction of Batala Colony police station where two suspected robbers raped the woman in front of her daughters, according to police. They took Rs200,000 cash, gold ornaments, and other valuables of the woman with them after sexually abusing her. It is pertinent to mention here that earlier this month, a woman, driving with her two kids on Lahore Motorway link-road, was robbed and gang-raped mercilessly after her car ran out of gas and stranded on the road.

All-out efforts underway to reform system of subsidies: pm ISLAMABAD TLTP

Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday that it is the top priority of his government to ensure that subsidies reach the deserving people. The prime minister said this while chairing a meeting on making the system of subsidies, provided by the government in various sectors, transparent and systematic. The PM said the government is making all-out efforts to reform the system of subsidies in different sectors for the purpose. He said subsidies provided from the state exchequer are aimed at supporting the weaker sections of the society and promoting socio-economic development. The PM said that taking advantage of the loopholes in the subsidy system by the undeserving people is not only a waste of government resources but also a waste of the rights of the deserving. He further said that a non-deserving person availing facility of subsidy is a burden on the national exchequer and vowed to bring reforms in the process to eliminate it. He appreciated the efforts of the think tank and directed that a roadmap be drawn for each viable proposal, keeping in view government's priorities so that they can be implemented in a phased manner.

CPEC to play key role in regional economic growth, prosperity: PM Imran ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would play a key role in promoting regional economic growth and prosperity. The premier expressed these views while speaking to Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing, who paid farewell call on the premier. During the visit, PM Imran lauded the efforts of Ambassador Yao in further deepening and strengthening Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership.

The prime minister conveyed that the people of Pakistan were keenly looking forward to welcoming President Xi Jinping to Pakistan. Appreciating priorities of Chinese leadership for its people, he emphasised that the Chinese leadership had played a remarkable role in China’s socio-economic transformation and there was a lot to learn from Beijing’s example of economic development and poverty alleviation. PM Imran underlined that during the envoy’s tenure, CPEC had entered the second phase focusing on industrialisation, agriculture and socio-economic de-

velopment. Ambassador Yao thanked the premier for the leadership role he had played in further solidifying and deepening Pakistan’s relationship with China which was greatly valued by the Chinese leaders at the highest level. Ambassador Yao underlined that PM Imran’s vision and leadership was instrumental in Pakistan’s transformation. He emphasised that with the prime minister’s personal focus on poverty alleviation and people-centered approach, CPEC had entered into its second phase and will deliver substantial and immense benefits not only to people of Pakistan

but the entire region. Ambassador Yao stated that Pakistan’s policy of “smart lockdown” in containing Covid-19 was internationally recognised and could be followed as a model by others to deal with a possible second wave of Covid-19. Ambassador Yao maintained that he will have very fond memories of Pakistan and would wish to see PakistanChina relationship further strengthened. He emphasised that China would continue to support Pakistan in pursuit of its national development and objectives. The prime minister appreciated the envoy’s overall contribution to the Pakistan-China partnership and wished him well in his future endeavors.

Tuesday, 22 September, 2020

NEWS

pm, CoAs disCuss nAtionAl, regionAl seCurity issues ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

RIME Minister Imran Khan and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Monday discussed national and regional security issues. The army chief called on the prime minister at his office. Members of the federal cabinet and other officials were also present in the meeting. The meeting was given a briefing on the Indian aggression along the Line of Control (LoC). Prevailing security situation of the country was also discussed. The meeting also discussed the Afghan peace process, Indian ceasefire violations along the LoC and regional security

FACtory CollApses in kArAChi's site AreA: poliCe KARACHI: A factory building located near Siemens Chowrangi in Sindh Industrial & Trading Estate (SITE) area of Karachi collapsed on Monday, according to police officials. Several factory workers are feared trapped underneath the rubble, police said, adding that a rescue operation is ongoing. SITE Station House Officer (SHO) Ayaz Khan said that one man has been pulled from the rubble and taken to the hospital. He added that there were fewer workers inside the factory at the time due to a break for prayer. Meanwhile, a police spokesperson said that officials have asked the factory owners for a list of people who were working inside the factory when it collapsed. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah took notice of the incident and directed Karachi Commissioner Suhail Rajput to put the administration on alert. Efforts should be made to save the lives of labourers, he instructed. STAFF REPORT

FiA recovers billions from suleman shehbaz's employees' bank accounts ISLAMABAD: The banking crime circle of the Federal Investigation Agency has discovered billions of rupees stashed in bank accounts of staffers of Suleman Shehbaz, the son of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif, it emerged on Monday. Reports suggest the agency found a staggering Rs9.5 billion in bank accounts of staffers working at the Ramazan and Al-Arabia Sugar Mills. Providing a breakdown of the amount, the agency said, Rs2.3 billion was found in a bank account of a peon, Maqsood, who also purchased a luxury car worth more than Rs15 million. A sum of Rs1 billion was discovered in an account owned by Shahbaz’s clerk Shabbir Qureshi while Rs240 million was found in the account of another employee, Rana Wasim. According to reports, the agency has referred the matter to a combined investigation team (CIT) in addition to seeking details of accounts of the employees in various banks. It has also directed the Security Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) to submit details of companies owned by Shabaz. INP

pakistan received $3.7bn in grants, loans during Covid-19 pandemic, senate body informed ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Special Initiatives was informed on Monday that Pakistan received $3.7 billion in grants and loans from various countries to support the country’s coronavirus relief efforts. The senate standing committee meeting was held under the chairmanship of Senator Agha Shahzaib Durrani. The meeting was further informed that out of total, $73.99 million had been disbursed to the concerned institutions and authorities. The Senate body was told that the European Union provided a grant of $57 million while the United States, Japan, Asian Development Bank (ADB), China, and the United Kingdom dispatched the grants of $31 million, $28 million, $7 million, $4 million and $3 million, respectively. The meeting was informed was that for various health related projects Pakistan also received loans from different countries and institutions. The World Bank provided a loan of $500 million, ADB $350 million, Islamic Development Bank $70 million, OPEC Fund $50 million, and French AFG provided $51 million. The committee was told that out of total loans, an amount of $380 million was disbursed among the provinces for different projects. Meanwhile, the meeting was also briefed on the budgetary support under which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) provided $1.386 billion, ADB $500 million, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank dispatched $750 million. APP

matters. The meeting took place a day after former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s no-holds-barred onslaught against a “parallel state” in Pakistan while speaking at an all parties conference of opposition in Islamabad via video-link. The PML-N supremo said that the opposition’s struggle was not against PM Imran “but against those who had imposed such an incapable person on the country through a rigged election”. ‘BID TO PLEASE INDIAN LOBBY’: Reacting to the opposition’s criticism during Sunday’s All Parties Conference (APC), PM Imran, while chairing a separate meeting, said that allegations levelled at state institutions were an attempt to please the Indian lobby.

The meeting was attended by party representatives and spokespersons. The premier asked the attendees to respond with reason and logic to the opposition’s criticism. He said that no one is bothered by the APC’s decision. The nation is aware of the opposition leaders and their personal goals, he added. The premier said that in a democracy, all institutions work under the government and that the opposition’s criticism is pointless and an attempt to divert attention from their corruption. The meeting decided to speak on the APC’s demands and tasked federal ministers Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Shibli Faraz, Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry to counter the opposition’s narrative presented at the conference.

Punjab CM summons IGP to brief on motorway case LAHORE SHAHAB OMER

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Bazdar has summoned Inspector General of Police (IGP) Inam Ghani as the main accused in the motorway case, Abid Malhi, has not been arrested yet, Pakistan Today learnt on Monday. Sources confirmed that Ghani has been summoned by CM to inquire about the progress made so far in the motorway gang-rape case. Despite nearly two weeks passing since the incident occurred, the police failed to arrest Abid, the main accused in the motorway rape case. However, the police department is claiming that the scope of the investigation has been extended to bring Abid to justice. The chairman of the Special Investigation Team, Lahore, Shahzada Sultan, said, “All resources are being utilised for the arrest of accused Abid, wherever the accused is going, police are behind him. The accused is trying his best to avoid his arrest but he cannot escape and will soon be in the custody of the police.”

Moreover, Abid’s brother-in-law’s brother has also been arrested by the police, while all the detainees and suspects are being interrogated, including two cousins, one woman and two other relatives of the accused. Reportedly, Abid contacted the aforementioned after fleeing. Earlier, a search operation was conducted in Raja Jhang area to capture the accused, but the police failed and claimed that the accused was being pursued at the behest of Shafqat and Abid’s wife and will be arrested soon. The IGP has also issued a letter to the police officials of all the districts for the arrest of the accused, while informing them about his possible whereabouts. While issuing instructions, the IGP added that District Security Branches (DSBs) should play their role in the arrest of the accused and video clips regarding the accused should also be broadcast on cables.

Rape cases on the rise STORY ON PAGE 06

Separately, while speaking to Adviser on Parliamentary Affairs Dr Babar Awan, who called on him, PM Imran categorically said that the government will not bow down before any blackmailing tactics. The meeting discussed the current prevailing political situation in the country and matters related to the new legislation. The APC of the opposition also came under discussion. The PM said that all the state institutions are on the same page and added that the nation stands firmly united with its institutions. Reacting to Nawaz’s speech in the APC, the premier termed it as part two of “why I was ousted”. He vowed not to bow down before any blackmailing and to continue the accountability process.

nawaz refuses to receive arrest warrants in london NEWS DESK Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has refused to receive his arrest warrants from the Pakistan High Commission in London. According to media reports, an official of the high commission went to serve the arrest warrants sent by the government on Sharif at his London residence but no one received them. Later, the high commission sent him copies of the warrants through email. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had directed the foreign secretary to ensure production of ex-PM before the court on September 22. He was told to “cause the production of appellant (Sharif) through the High Commission of Pakistan in the United Kingdom” on September 22. Last week, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Registrar Office had started implementing the orders and issued a notice to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for taking steps to arrest the former prime minister. The high court issued Nawaz’s arrest warrants in the Al-Azizia and Avenfield cases and also sent its copy to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for assisting the relevant authorities in arresting the former premier who is currently residing in London.

PML-N supremo will now take political asylum in the UK: Rasheed ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, while speaking to a local news programme, said that he considers the opposition’s All Parties Conference (APC) as a failure and that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif will now seek asylum abroad. The minister said that the former prime minister shut all doors for his return to Pakistan after his address at the moot. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader had spoken against the current government and prime minister, calling it a “failure of democracy”. Speaking to the APC via video-link from London, Nawaz’s address centred on criticising the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, and he spoke on the “poor state” of Pakistan’s economy, “deteriorating” international relations, “muzzling” of media and “corruption within the PTI”. “This is the principle of democracy in the world: when democracy is hit, the entire democratic system becomes meaningless,” he had said. Nawaz went on to comment that the root cause of problems being faced was that the country had been deprived of true democ-

racy. “The Constitution says that the opinion of people should be respected, which is the real spirit of democracy,” he had lamented. “Pakistan has been constantly deprived of a democratic system […] When the vote is dishonoured, the entire democratic system becomes meaningless. When it is decided before the election process as to who will win and who will lose, then it can be guessed how the public is betrayed and how the public’s mandate is stolen,” he had added. Nawaz had further alleged the government has enforced a “martial law”. However, Rasheed questioned Nawaz’s credibility as he spoke against the establishment, noting that Nawaz “was brought to power by the former military ruler General Ziaul Haq”, and added he believes that “the PML-N supremo will now take political asylum in the UK”. Similarly, the federal minister said that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has clearly stated that the military has no interest in administrative matters and has told the political leaders to arrange the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) elections on their own. Sheikh Rashid said that a call made by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur

Rehman for resignations from the assemblies was muted by the APC itself. “The expressions on the faces of Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Shehbaz Sharif at the APC were worth watching,” he remarked.

SC stays potential extradition of NY attack suspect to US ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Wondering if the government has signed extradition treaties with the United Kingdom and the United States, the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday stayed the proposed extradition of a suspect accused of plotting attacks in New York City for IS. Talha Haroon, 19, was arrested in Pakistan in 2016 after US authorities identified him as one of three men, along with a Canadian citizen and a man from the Philippines, planning attacks on Manhattan’s Times Square and the city’s subway. His counsel and family deny the charges. “Are there extradition agreements with the US and the UK?” asked the apex court during the hearing of a petition

filed by Haroon. Justice Qazi Amin wondered if a suspect can be extradited in the absence of such an agreement between the two countries. “America picks up whomever it wants regardless of any mutual agreement [in this regard but] where is the evidence on the basis of which the state seeks to extradite the accused?” asked Justice Amin. The judge remarked that Pakistan is a sovereign state, declaring the state cannot simply hand over a citizen to another country. “The courts will protect the citizens but we will do it as per the law,” he added. Giving his argument, the counsel for the petitioner, Idrees Ashraf, recalled the apex court had also issued orders to ex-

tradite former ambassador to Washington, Hussain Haqqani, which were never executed. Ashraf also brought attention to the fact that a single-member bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had ruled in his case that the “evidence was not admissible”. The counsel also told the apex court that in the intra-court appeal, the IHC had asked a magistrate to first determine if Haroon is in fact guilty. He said that his client fears the magistrate may conduct an inquiry just to satisfy the court and issue orders to extradite Haroon. At this, the court issued a stay order, barring the government from extraditing Haroon while it hears the case. The court, while summoning the details from the attorney general and for-

eign ministry, directed the officials to present details of how many prisoners were extradited from and to Pakistan from the US and the UK. The court, after listening to the lawyer, sought the details of Pakistan’s extradition agreements with the US and UK and adjourned the hearing of the case for two weeks. The planned attacks, which were thwarted by law enforcement, included detonating explosives in Manhattan’s Times Square and in the city’s subway, according to Reuters. One of the men, 19-year-old Canadian citizen Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy, has been in US custody since May 2016, when he was arrested in New Jersey. He pleaded guilty to terrorism charges in October 2016, the prosecutors said.

Tuesday, 22 September, 2020

NEWS

KP ChiEf sECrEtary dirECts aCtiOn against iLLEgaL mining, digging at arChEOLOgiCaL sitEs PESHAWAR

Aziz BUNERi

HYBER Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Secretary has directed all concerned departments to take effective action against illegal mining and digging at the archeological sites of the province. According to a notification issued in this regard, the chief secretary has directed a robust system to be set in place which would ensures continuous monitoring and action against illegal mining and excava-

tions at archaeological sites of the province. The official has also ordered that all the existing leases be re-visited immediately for actions against lease violations. “This should include a robust repeated monitoring system to ensure timely action against repeat offenders too,” the notification read, adding that all leases which include river beds, archeological sites should be considered for annulment by following all legal procedures in consultation with relevant stakeholders. The high officials of the province believe that the river sand and gravel is

widely exploited for construction, often mined directly from the river channel as well as from floodplain and adjacent river terrace deposits. Minerals Department, in most cases, has issued leases/licenses for mining but it has been reported that illegal extractions also rampant along river banks in the province especially in Malakand and Hazara Divisions. “The officials said that these instream mining’s are creating serious impacts for ecology, environment, river stability, flood risk, road and bridge structures,” said the notification issued

by the chief secretary. “The ensuing environmental degradation also affects the basic needs of local population including food and communications.” The negative impacts of excessive mining also came under discussion on the sidelines of the prime minister’s meeting on construction sector recently and it was directed to take remedial action in this regard. Similarly, the chief minister had directed, during the recent provincial cabinet meeting, that all such mining from river beds may be stopped immediately. “The impact on environment is much more than the revenue generated for government from such activity,” the CM had said. The chief secretary has, therefore, directed that no new leases may be granted in river beds, archeological sites. For this purpose, Minerals Department will obtain GPS coordinates of rivers/streams and archeological sites. In lease granting committee, members from Environment, Archeology, Irrigation and other concerned departments will be included to protest environment and archaeological sites of the province.

ECP to issue electoral rolls for Karachi LB polls on Oct 4 KARACHI TLTP

PESHAWAR: A beautiful view of sunset at Sirdaryab-Charsadda Road. iNP

15 wounded in Jamshoro bus accident ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

At least 15 people sustained injuries when a speeding passenger bus overturned near the Indus highway in Jamshoro on Monday. According to a local news channel, rescue sources said that the incident took place when the bus turned turtle on the highway, wounding more than a dozen. Rescue 1122 and police reached the spot and shifted the wounded to the hospital for medical assistance where some of the injured are said to be in a critical condition.

Qaiser, Gandapur urge world to help resolve Kashmir dispute ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser has urged the international community to play its role for the resolution of the lingering Kashmir dispute. Addressing a seminar in connection with the International Day of Peace on Monday, the speaker said that resolution of Kashmir dispute as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions is imperative for regional peace and stability. Condemning the blatant human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK), the speaker said that Indian troops have been given free hand to persecute the innocent

and armless Kashmiri people. He said that Pakistan has been making effective efforts to expose the evil face of India before the world. Meanwhile, Minister for Kashmir Affairs Ali Amin Gandapur has said the international community and the UN should play their role in resolving decades old longstanding disputes like Palestine and Kashmir. In a statement on the occasion of International Day of Peace on Monday, he said that India not only refused to implement UN resolutions on Kashmir but also involved in gross human rights violations in Indian IOK. Gandapur said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has forcefully highlighted Kashmir issue at all international fora.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday announced to issue electoral rolls for local bodies polls and by-elections in Karachi on October 4. The Election Commission of Pakistan said that a message service is also being introduced for the voters to check details regarding their vote. The voters will have to type their computerised national identity card (CNIC) number in the message and send it to 8300. The voters would be able to acquire information on the polling station having their vote, besides also getting contact details of the district election commissioner for any assistance. The voter could also acquire information regarding the helpline number of the ECP and link to its website for further details. The Election Commission of Pakistan said that form 21, 22, and 23 could also be downloaded from its website. The electoral rolls would also be present at the offices of district election commissioners or registration officers for the verification process. It is pertinent to mention here that the Election Commission of Pakistan on September 17 ordered the suspension of the delimitation of constituencies for local bodies polls in Sindh. The Election Commission of Pakistan heard a petition filed by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Sindh chief Nisar Khuhro and Taj Haider in the Election Commission. The Election Commission of Pakistan after hearing of the petition suspended the delimitation of constituencies in the province. The Election Commission of Pakistan had earlier issued a schedule for the delimitation of constituencies for local government elections in Sindh from September 9. The Sindh government has demanded fresh delimitation of constituencies with the release of final figures of the population census. In a previous meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, it was observed, “The data of the population census is a fundamental factor for delimitation of constituencies.” “Government publication of the population census is necessary for the delimitation process”, the ECP session concluded.

Using chemicals creatively CiTy NOTES M A NiAzi Prime Minister Imran Khan came up with a solution for the gang-rape on the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway. Public hanging, which he said was impossible because the European Union would not stand for it, or castration, chemical or actual. Well, I suppose it is lucky he did not suggest public castration. I know they tried chemical castration in the UK, as well as all around the world, but it was generally as part of a deal involving probation and release into the community. I wonder if Imran would like to choose between death or release. I suppose the chemical castration, which is reversible by the simple expedient of leaving off the chemical castrator. However, I suppose we should bow to Imran’s superior medical knowledge, which was confirmed by the Islamabad High Court (IHC), which ruled that Nawaz Sharif would have to appear before it if he hoped to appeal his conviction. I suppose that means that his request

to have the conviction converted from one of corruption to one for murder would not be entertained. It is so much more impressive in the village, you see. It can be argued that he had an urban constituency, but in Gowalmandi, murderers are looked upon with deep respect, even more than nuclear physicists. Information Minister Shibli Faraz came up with the interesting defence that there had to be some reason to allow public hangings in Islam. As the accused is married, a conviction would not entail merely public hanging, but public execution involving stoning to death. Perhaps it was inevitable that the State of Medina would come in at some stage, but why only the public execution? And anyway, there is no punishment of chemical or other castration prescribed in the statutes. One of the problems that would face the prosecution attempting to get a public stoning for the rapists would be the need for four eyewitnesses unless there is a confession by the accused, from which they do not resile before sentence is carried out. There are no witnesses, let alone four, and confessions may have been made, but the accused will probably re-

sile. They will get up to 25 years in jail, and up to 30 stripes, for Zina bil-jabr liable to tazir. At the time of writing, the main accused has not been arrested. But the fellow mechanic with whom he was committing robberies, as well as the man whose workshop they worked at, have been. I assume we will soon have a protest on The Mall by motor mechanics angry at having their reputations besmirched. Mechanics are privy to a lot of secrets, and I have certainly never suspected any of the chhotas of going in for burglary as a side-line. Perhaps the most relieved person is the Lahore CCPO, at nobody suggesting his castration (chemical or otherwise). The criticism that hit him was tending in that direction, but it did not happen. But certainly, it did seem as if someone was trying to create the impression that he was guilty. Luckily for him, no court will listen to mere declarations of guilt to convict, and certainly not to order punishment, especially one not in the books. I suppose no one is suggesting chemical castration for the Excise DG who is supposed to have conned the CM into granting a liquor licence for a new hotel.

So, Usman Buzdar emerges from the whole affair without a stain on his character, but sober, much to his regret. It is the Excise DG, it seems, who goes staggering around with breath that makes drunk anyone to whom he merely says good morning. But you end up wondering why the liquor licence has caused so much of a problem when road rage in Islamabad is causing a judge to be shot at. Yes, Judge Jehangir Awan overtook someone by cutting in front of him, but when he tried to get some petrol at a pump, the other fellow turned up and would not let the matter go. If the good judge had entered the judiciary so that he could overtake hoi olloi with impunity, the other driver, Chaudhry Khurram, had not had his wife elected an MPA so that anyone could enjoy this impunity. So, he drew his gun (which everyone carries around, especially if your wife is a PTI MPA) and engaged in a favourite cliché of Western films when one gunslinger shoots at the other’s feet to make him dance. That is a bit extreme, is it not? Especially since the lady MPA could have moved a privilege motion, or at least an adjournment motion against traffic, in the House. If the Islamabad CTO was anything like the Lahore CCPO, he would have said the traffic was not responsible in any way whatsoever, and it was all the motorist’s fault.

Tuesday, 22 September, 2020

NEWS

CAbiNet LikeLY to ALLow iSSuANCe oF FreSh AdvertS For oGrA ChAirMAN'S SLot ISLAMABAD

AHMAD AHMADANI

HE Cabinet Division has asked the federal cabinet to select Member (Oil) from the recommended panel, and allow the issuance of a fresh advertisement to fill the vacant slot of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) chairman. According to details, the federal cabinet in its Tuesday meeting would take up a 14-point agenda, including appointment of OGRA member (Oil) and chairman; approval for reduction in maximum retail price of remdesivir-100mg injection as well as grant of exemption from Section 23 (1) (a) (vii) of the Drugs Act, 1976; terms and conditions for the appointment of acting chairman for Pakistan Islands Development Authority, Karachi; reclassification of cantonments, declaration of varied constitution for cantonment boards; appointment of chairman (MP-I) and

member finance (MP-II) in the Appellate Tribunal under Section 12 A of the Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power Act, 1997; appointment of chairperson (BS-21) in the Environmental Tribunal Islamabad under Environmental Protection Act, 1997, etc. Sources said that the cabinet is likely to approve the appointment of OGRA member (Oil) as the post had fallen vacant due to expiry of the tenure of the former member on 16th May 2020. The Cabinet Division had started the procedure for selection of the member oil in January 2020, as advertisement in this regard was published on 19th Jan 2020. As many as 18 applications were received by the Cabinet Division within the due date (3rd Feb 2020). Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan had constituted a selection committee under Adviser to PM on Accountability and Interior Mirza Shahzad Akbar to recommend a panel for the post of OGRA member oil. After thorough examination

of credentials and detailed interviews, the committee recommended three candidates in order of merit for appointment against the post for a period of three years. Sources said the selection committee had recommended the names of Zainulabideen Qureshi, Ziaul Haq Mirza and Asim Niazi to fill the vacant slot of OGRA’s member oil. Zainulabideen Qureshi, who is currently working as OGRA’s senior executive director, is likely to be made the new member oil, sources added. Meanwhile, the federal cabinet may also grant approval to issuance of fresh advertisement for the post of OGRA chairman, with an upgraded selection criteria and on special performance pay scale (SPPS), instead of MP-I scale, in order to attract better candidates. The post of the Chairman OGRA had fallen vacant due to the expiry of tenure of the former chairperson on 17th July 2020. The Cabinet Division had started

the procedure for selection of the OGRA chairman in January 2020. In all, 38 applications were received by the cabinet division within due date. The selection committee shortlisted 26 candidates for the post, keeping in view their age, experience and other criteria mentioned in the advertisement. Interviews for final selection were held on 18th Aug 2020. Sources said that the selection committee had observed that none of the candidates secured more than 60pc, while the feedback gathered about their claimed credentials from the organization in Pakistan where the candidates had previously worked was not much encouraging and none of the candidates were found suitable enough to be selected as OGRA chairman. In light of the recommendations of the selection committee, the federal cabinet has been asked to allow re-advertisement of the post of OGRA chairman with upgraded selection criteria.

Govt tells Opp to avoid dragging institutions into politics CONtuNIED fORM pAgE 01 He rejected the opposition’s objections on foreign policy of the country, saying that the entire world is acknowledging Pakistan’s role as facilitator in the Afghan peace process. Qureshi said that it is a great achievement that now intra-Afghan negotiations have begun for lasting peace in the country. Regarding the Kashmir issue, the foreign minister said that PM Imran has vociferously raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), world human rights bodies and other global forums. He said that it seems strange that on the one hand, the opposition is criticising the government’s Kashmir policy; while on the other, they had supported the government to get passed resolutions on Kashmir unanimously from the parliament. Refuting the opposition’s claim that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is being rolled back, Qureshi said that all the projects of CPEC are rolling on and will be completed within the stipulated time period. Planning Minister Asad Umar said that Prime Minister Imran stated at the start of his government’s tenure that “the opposition has everything at stake … and when accountability moves forward they will all get together,” adding that yesterday’s All Parties’ Conference (APC) was

Mobile phone imports surge 87.37pc in July-Aug FY21

a manifestation of the premier’s “words coming true”. He said the opposition had hoped that “the economic recession they left behind would be enough to oust the government” but the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government brought the country out of the economic crisis. “Then came the global coronavirus crisis. If you look at the initial days these leaders had a lot of enthusiasm [and] some came running back from London in the hopes that destruction and devastation would befall Pakistan, and [they] would make that the basis of finishing the government,” he added. “What I found entertaining in yesterday’s speech was that the people who did not leave a single thing to criticise in Pakistan, did not mention coronavirus,” he further said. Asad said that the opposition is doing all these gimmicks to protect its corruption and properties. He regretted the approach adopted by the opposition for personal gains. He said that the opposition’s narrative is very close to anti-Pakistan forces. He added that unfortunately, the opposition has waged a war on state institutions, including the military, judiciary, and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for not acting to its dictates. The minister accused the opposition of using the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) bills to manipulate the incumbent government into obtaining an NRO, adding that the FAFT bills had “nothing to do with a political party or person and are only for keeping us out of the

blacklist.” “But even in that, they were defeated. They cannot even control 200 members in the Senate and National Assembly, so their panic reached another level,” the minister said, adding that the passage of the anti-money laundering law had also unnerved opposition members because “their properties are now in danger”. Asad said one should keep in mind that democratic system is fully functioning in Pakistan, while civilian and the military leadership is collectively working hard to take the country forward. He said that the government and the military are collaborating in all matters, including Covid-19, locust attack, realisation of Karachi transformational programme, and development in Balochistan. Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said the government has set new traditions of tolerance by allowing live broadcast of speeches of opposition leaders. He said that Nawaz wanted to use institutions to protect his corruption and on refusal he used to turn against them, which is evident from the fact that the former prime minister had failed to develop working relationships with any army chief during his three terms as chief executive of the country. The PDM was formed as a result of the APC held in the federal capital on Sunday. It presented a six-point action plan to remove the incumbent government, that will be carried out in phases in October, December, and January.

Textile exports decline 15pc YoY in August ISLAMABAD GHULAM ABBAS

ISLAMABAD TLTP

The import of mobile phones into the country witnessed an increase of 87.37pc during the first two months of the ongoing financial year (2020-21), as compared to the corresponding period of the last year. Pakistan imported mobile phones worth $306.383 million during July-August FY21 as compared to the imports of $163.519 million during July-August FY20, according to data issued by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). On a year-on year basis, the import of mobile phones witnessed an increase of 85.84pc in August 2020, from $85.224 million in August 2019 to $158.384 million. Similarly, on a month-on-month basis, the imports of mobile phones increased by 7.02pc in August 2020, as compared to the imports of $147.999 million in July 2020.

Pakistan’s textile exports have shown a 15 per cent year-on-year decline in August FY21, as compared to same month of the previous fiscal. According to data released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Monday, Pakistan’s textile and clothing exports declined by over 15 per cent year-on-year in August 2020, from $1.19 billion in Aug last year to $1.007 billion. The textile industry boasts a significant presence in Pakistan, being the largest manufacturing industry and the largest export earning sector. It contributes 8.5 per cent to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the economy and employs 45 per cent of the

labour force in the country. Exports in the textile sector have dipped in the second month of the current fiscal year after posting a growth in the first month. The Covid19 has severely hampered the demand for the country’s textile exports during the last five months. Earlier, it was only in February when the textile and clothing exports jumped nearly 17 per cent YoY. This growth was reported after a long time as the past few years had been marred by single-digit increases. Details showed readymade garments exports declined by 13.74pc in value and drifted much lower by 51.83pc in quantity during August, while those of knitwear dropped 10.65pc in value and 27.2pc in quantity, and bed wear posted negative growth of 12.29pc in value and

25.52pc in quantity. Towel exports fell by 10.12pc in value and 15.85pc in quantity, whereas those of cotton cloth dipped 17.91pc in value and dipped by 33.42pc in quantity. The government lifted the ban on exports of seven products classified as personal protective equipment (PPE) in a bid to allow manufacturers to honour international orders. Among primary commodities, cotton yarn exports dipped by 51.36pc, while yarn other than cotton by 100pc. Export of made-up articles — excluding towels — declined by 5.82pc, and tents, canvas and tarpaulin increased by a massive 34.07pc during the month under review. The export of raw cotton declined by 94.4pc during the month under review.

PM’s aide claims Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme in full swing KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Special Assistant to Prime Minister Malik Amin Aslam said on Monday that while the implementation of the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme across the country is full swing, all-out efforts are being taken to ensure its effective monitoring, reporting and verification at all levels for attainment of desired outcome of enhanced environmental development and climate change resilience of the country. Addressing the participants of the high-level event ‘Third Party Monitoring of Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme’, as a chief guest at a local hotel, Amin said that in management projects and pro-

grammes, information regarding its transparent implementation is not always readily accessible to everyone and is on a need-to-know basis for some. “The project or programme directors, managers and relevant key stakeholders are the ones with access to all the information. This lack of transparency can lead to public distrust and resentment and hamper publicity of the programme and project activities,” Amin said. “We hope that independent and impartial monitoring and evaluation by third party of the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami, would help systematically measure and assess programme activities across the country through various internationallyused tools and techniques and provide

support to establish and maintain public trust about the activities,” he added. Meanwhile, recalling the pressing reasons behind success story of the Billion Tree Tsunami Programme, upon philosophy of which the programme is built, the special assistant said that tackling challenges of timber mafia, enhanced community participation, sustained focus on both regeneration of new forests and reinvigorating the existing forests and lastly the enhanced transparency through the third party monitoring and evaluation of the BTTP’s activities across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) were the key driving forces behind the successfulness of the afforestation project. The programme’s success story,

CMYK

under which 1.18 billion trees were planted across KP against the target of one billion trees, mustered not only international support but also it was globally recognised by various international organisations including the World Economic Forum, United Nations Development Programme and UN-Food and Agriculture Organisation as the best replicable climate change mitigation and adaptation initiative in other countries. Amin said that thanks to heightened political support by the KP government, the programme not only surpassed the target but also helped restore the province’s ailing forestry and wildlife sectors, creating thousands of green jobs for unemployed women and young people.

SNGPL urges masses to use gas wisely during winter LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) on Monday said that due to increase in demand of gas during the winter, the supply will only be available during cooking hours. In a statement issued on Monday, SNGPL said that the gap between demand and supply of gas increases more than three times during the winter. During the severe winters, the difference can be as high as 500 MMCFD, it added. “In winter, gas will only be provided during cooking hours,” it further stated. SNGPL said that due to increasing demand of gas, the government is ensuring the import of LNG. “Despite all these efforts the industrial sector might face load management. By using gas wisely, the situation can be better. Use electric heaters instead of traditional unhealthy gas heaters and use solar or instant geysers on priority basis instead of traditional gas geysers, also be sure to use a saver cone and timer device with a traditional gas geyser,” it added.

Sindh to face 300mmcfd gas shortage in winter: SSGC NEWS DESK Sindh will face a severe gas crisis during the upcoming winter season, a spokesperson of Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) said on Monday "Karachi and other parts of the province could possibly face a shortfall of 300mmcfd in winter," the gas utility said in a statement. The SSGC, while denying gas load shedding, said that the crisis may occur due to the company getting lesser gas from fields. "The complaints of low gas pressure are due to the low pressure at gas fields," the statement read. "At present the SSGC is facing a gas shortfall of 150mmcfd." It further informed that Sinjhoro and Zarghun gas fields have been closed for annual maintenance work. The spokesperson, however, said that gas supply to domestic consumers is among the foremost priorities of the company. It is pertinent to mention that the houses in several localities of Karachi are suffering from unannounced gas load shedding much ahead of the beginning of the winter. According to reports, K-Electric, the sole power company in Karachi, could also face a shortage in the gas supply during the winter season.

Countrywide polio campaign resumes after four-month hiatus CONtuNIED fORM pAgE 01 “With the news of Africa being certified as polio-free, we are also ramping up our efforts to bring us closer to a polio-free Pakistan. We are consistently reviewing our campaign performance and responding to the needs of the communities we interact with in order to improve our outreach and capacity,” he said in a statement. “Moreover, we are integrating and synergising systems and services across our polio and immunisation programmes to accrue benefits from their respective assets and opportunities and ultimately strengthen the routine immunisation of children,” he added. Dr Rana Safdar, the coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Centre of the PPEP, also urged parents with children under the age of five to ensure they are vaccinated. “This is an opportune moment for parents to make sure that their children are vaccinated against polio. We have made sure that all safety measures for Covid-19 are in place to protect children, their parents and caregivers as well as our vaccinators. The safety and health of our people will always come first,” he said. A country must have no cases for three consecutive years in order to be considered to have eradicated polio by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The authorities have to contend with extra suspicion of immunisation drives because of the 2011 US special forces raid inside the country that purportedly killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the architect of the Sept 11 attacks on the United States in 2001. A doctor was accused of using a fake vaccination campaign to collect DNA samples that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was believed to have been using to verify bin Laden’s identity.

Tuesday, 22 September, 2020

06 COMMENT

Less than perfect recollection of history

Pakistan Democratic Movement From Parliament to streets

HE formation of the Pakistan Democratic Movement on Sunday could turn out to be a watershed event in the country’s politics. The PML-n and PPP wanted the PTI to complete its tenure while confining their role to parliamentary debate to critcise government policies. The way the opposition’s majority was tuned into minority in a Senate vote last year and then at the joint sitting of Parliament last week forced the opposition to meditate challenging the government in the streets also. Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is an alliance of about a dozen parties. It is like the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD) created to fight military ruler Zia-ul-Haq and the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) against Gen Pervez Musharraf. Addressing the APC on Sunday, former PM nawaz Sharif set the tone for the alliance. With PM Imran Khan repeatedly claiming that he was on the same page with the army, he encouraged politicians to question the army’s role and whether it was in consonance with the constitution. This was the theme of the speeches delivered at an APC called by Pakistan Bar Council. On Sunday former PM nawaz Sharif maintained that his struggle was not against Imran Khan but those who brought him to power. The PDM has announced a 26 point charter of demands which among other things seeks end of the establishment’s role in politics, production of missing persons, end of media restrictions, reduction in prices of commodities of everyday use and resignation of PM Imran Khan in 10 days followed by free and transparent elections. The PDM has announced a line of action also. The alliance will hold joint rallies in all the four provinces next month. This will be followed by larger protests in the country in December and a long march to Islamabad in January. The possibility of a dharna has not been ruled out and would be decided upon at a suitable time. The option of resignations from national and Provincial Assemblies will be exercised if necessary The forthcoming struggle will test the PDM’s maturity. One expects it to keep the movement peaceful and orderly. As the two major parties have a long history of mutual rivalry, they have a responsibility to do nothing that can split the alliance.

Not Nawaz Sharif’s fault

HASAN AFTAB SAEED

n his video-link address to the opposition’s APC, nawaz Sharif has presented his version of what is wrong with Pakistan, which a less charitable observer may be tempted to categorise as selective amnesia. That it was a tour de force in special pleading – presenting just enough information to support one’s case and keeping the rest of it in the background. I would not go as far as that. As far as I am concerned, Sharif was always an exceedingly innocent soul. Recall his statement that he does not remember accepting Mehran-gate money in the IJI days, but he would be happy to pay all of it back with interest, just in case. Memory plays tricks on the best of us. That was ten years ago. now Sharif is 70 and is hardly getting any younger. But at the same time, it is important for those of us who are not (yet) senile to set the record straight by providing the minor details Sharif may have forgot to mention here and there, no doubt unwittingly. In what follows I propose to do that in the most indulgent manner at my disposal, for each one of us is bound to become somewhat forgetful provided he lives long enough. Sharif started by demonstrating his mathematical prowess when he told the participants that military dictators had ruled the country for an average of nine years each whereas the average prime minister had lasted barely two years. He lamented the fact that none of the prime ministers had completed a full term in office. That out of those who were elected by the people, one prime minister was hanged, while others were labelled traitors. He missed the minor fact that the prime minister in question was hanged by Sharif’s own godfather and political mentor (one of the aforementioned dictators), to whom Sharif owes his polit-

Rape cases on the rise Culprits evade the law or are set free

T has been eleven days since the horrific motorway rape case took place and the key suspect in the case, Abid Ali, still remains at large while his accomplice Shafqat was arrested during a raid and confessed to the crime. That Abid was a known serial rapist who had recently secured release on bail from a local court after being caught for a robbery shows just how inept the policing and judicial system is at keeping dangerous criminals off the streets. During this ‘manhunt’, necessitated by the media coverage of the case, the resulting outrage and national protests that followed, there have been at least nine more incidents of rape in Punjab. In Bahawalpur the victim, a young woman, was unable to get an FIR registered leading her to committing suicide. CCPO Lahore, who blamed the victim of the motorway rape incident for what happened to her as she was ‘out at night on a highway’ should be asked whether or not the victim of another incident, where armed men broke into a house and gang-raped a woman in the presence of her children and husband in Sargodha, is also at fault for being brutally sexually assaulted as her family was made to watch. It is not as if there has been an unusual uptick in such crimes; they have been happening at the same rate for years in various parts of the country but are hardly reported because the victims and their families are either unwilling to register the case altogether due to the stigma attached or are simply unable to do so owing to a noncompliant local police station. While the government is busy passing laws that will allow courts to hand down ‘exemplary punishments’ to convicted rapists, such as chemical castration or worse, the tally of victims of sexual assault continues to rise. There are serious deficiencies in the system from the point of getting a case registered with the police, the prosecution in the case getting a conviction and the rapist remaining in jail long enough to serve his sentence. These are systemic issues that require long-term reforms to fix. Simultaneously, there needs to be a national conversation about an educational initiative, especially in rural communities, aimed at eliminating a culture of misogyny that refuses to acknowledge women as equals, which in turn makes violence against them acceptable. Short of this, not much will change, and lives will continue to be unnecessarily destroyed.

Ban culture is counterproductive Smarter policymaking is the answer JuNAiD AkrAm

HE problem is never with the invention. The problem is always with the usage. Apply it to any human creation. Our ancestors used to work manually; making mud houses, creating tools like stone hammers etc. There is a YouTube channel, Primitive Technology, which tells us how prehistoric man increased his productivity using such means. It is different now, when these tools are used to facilitate everyday tasks; remember that mobile snatcher you met, wielding that fancy dagger… definitely it wasn’t a pretty sight. There have always been elements in human history that have misused tools and inventions for their own greater good. Similar is the case with technology. Take the case of Pakistan for instance - the best case study in almost all peculiar cases. We have deceitful, adult, antagonizing content; everything crass under the roof that only exists to milk likes and views. So much so that YouTube was banned in Pakistan for three years, because of a certain video. Those were extremely crucial three years since a whole new industry of content creators was being erected worldwide. We think YouTube is just synonymous with Cricket highlights and adorable cat videos. no. YouTube in fact has become a global necessity not just with conventional distance learning but also because it keeps on generating fresh content that potentially expands the horizons of one’s mind. From YT channels like Khan Academy to TedEd, there is knowledge in all flavors for all kinds of people. In our case, the fault was with the usage, not the platform. We could have just banned the video instead of the whole platform and capitalized on the opportunity that it presented. Let me give you my example. In 2012, a number of videos on my channel had started to become viral and my popularity could have grown exponentially, since I had fans located globally from Pakistan to Somalia to Argentina. Enter the YouTube ban and I lost all visibility to content clutter that took over from around the world. Yet, the loss was not just mine; rather it was the country’s loss: The Pakistani content creators who would have come forth did not, and no revenue was generated as

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Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

ical birth and rise, and whose mission he kept prom- that it was none other than Sharif himself who was ising to complete long after he died in that famous instrumental in getting Gillani ousted from the PM plane crash. The fact that Sharif was instrumental in office, with help from an over-reaching court whom at least four of those prime ministers being dismissed he now accuses of judicial over-reach but did not prematurely also seemed to have slipped his mind then. He added that Gilani and his successor Raja momentarily. Some say he was also the single major Pervaiz Ashraf would know how hurdles were created around a civilian prime reason behind his own disminister and president. missal in each of his three Sharif probably banked on stints. He also failed to touch the fact that both gentlemen upon Benazir Bhutto and all are almost the same age as that ‘security risk’ business Sharif was visibly perturbed he is, and therefore chances he benefitted from at her by his conviction that are that they would have forcost. gotten the identity of the Sharif further comconscientious judges were chief architect of those hurplained that nAB was a dles. stinking rot that was being being pressurized and Sharif was visibly perused for vindictive activities, targeted. That he forgot those turbed by his conviction that where political opponents conscientious judges were were being dragged in cases notorious phone-calls to being pressurized and taralong with their daughters Justice Qayyum from Shahbaz geted. That he forgot those and family members. He fornotorious phone-calls to Jusgot to tell his audience who Sharif and Saifur Rehman is tice Qayyum from Shahbaz was responsible for the presSharif and Saifur Rehman is ent appointments in nAB. hardly surprising, since the hardly surprising, since the Also, he completely missed episode is more than twoepisode is more than tworecalling the activities of one decade old. The storming of Saifur Rehman as head of decade old. The storming of the Supreme Court by PMLthe Ehtesab Bureau – nAB’s the Supreme Court by PML-N n workers is even older. predecessor. The concerned Sharif informed his paterfamilias also seemed to workers is even older. countrymen that elections in have forgotten all about the country were managed those pamphlets with docby invisible non-democratic tored photographs dropped forces. He forgot to add that from helicopters, as well as his political opponents made to run from court to he had won more elections than anybody else. In fact, the only documented case of planned rigging in gencourt with young kids in tow. Sharif’s address consisted of more than mere eral elections is the IJI episode. For the benefit of milidentification of problems. He offered concrete solu- lennials, that election saw Sharif come to power. That tions as well. For example, he demanded that the was the first of the ‘heavy-mandate’ elections – two Hamoodur Rehman Commission Report be made more would follow. It may just be that Sharif’s defipublic immediately, completely forgetting the fact nition of rigged elections is elections that he loses. that he had chosen not to do so despite having plenty More probably, he does not remember a thing. It was, after all, a long time ago. of time during three terms as prime minister. Sharif reminded the nation that Yousaf Raza Hasan Aftab Saeed is a connoisseur of music, Gillani had rightly said in the national assembly that there was a state within a state. In what can only be literature, and food (but not drinks). He can be described as another memory lapse, he failed to recall reached at www.facebook.com/hasanaftabsaeed

Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

stream for even those who were creating good decent a result. Currently, a similar emerging case in point is of acceptable content. But the PTA and those in a position of power the platform TikTok. The app has more than 500 million followers around the world, and in Pakistan it must also realize that two wrongs don’t make a has made superstars out of youngsters from a vast right. If the PTA bans platforms now; the citizenry range of economic backgrounds. Yet, a lot of the con- will never learn how to become better netizens protent from Pakistan and India revolves around lip ducing higher quality content. They will never learn syncing over movie dialogues and songs. Why? Be- to harness their creative side and will continue to cause it is being made by our mazdoor tabqa (manual abuse technology. In my opinion, TikTok labourers) and it is getting is the one of the most demoviewed by similar people. cratic platforms as of yet. It It was when I was in Sinhas given a voice to the gapore last november that I In 2012, a number of videos on voiceless and visibility to saw the educational, creative those who have been invisiand innovative content there my channel had started to ble. There are already a that my ideas about the app changed. Also, I have been in become viral and my popularity number of TikTokers who gotten their stardom the UK since March and the could have grown exponentially, have breaks like Sehar Hayat with content that I get to see here is highly educational from since I had fans located globally 5 million followers who has been called on a number of short videos of science exfrom Pakistan to Somalia to morning TV shows and Roperiments to psychological maisa Khan with 2.8 million theories that it has me adArgentina. Enter the YouTube followers who has gotten a dicted. Hence, since the past number of modeling breaks. two months I have been ban and I lost all visibility to Then there is @Phoolllu, posting a series to my Facecontent clutter that took over with 4.2 million followers, a book, Instagram and villager who is not even edSnapchat accounts called from around the world. Yet, the ucated, but is loved for his The Other Side of TikTok, loss was not just mine; rather it acting. comprising of videos that are In such a case, there is completely different from was the country’s loss: The no need for authoritative what we get to see on TikTok in Pakistan and India. Pakistani content creators who dictation, since the app itself is cautious in terms of user The response I have would have come forth did not, security. In fact, a banning been getting is overwhelmculture should not be there ing and I intend to start my and no revenue was generated at all. Rather we need poliown educational channel on as a result. cymaking, the likes of the app. And this is going to which we see in countries be my protest to the content like Malaysia, Singapore I see being posted from Pakand Turkey for example; one istan and India: I do not want to take away anybody’s right to express, yet at that we should look up to. The Malaysian government the same time I want people to know that this is the has an account on TikTok, and they uploaded videos kind of content I want to promote. There is already a of Mahathir Muhammad’s 64th wedding anniversary dearth of creative expression in the country and if you celebrations. Why can’t we be in the same space as or others like you are being given the opportunity to our youth to reach out to them? earn some extra money or recognition, you exploit it to the extent that it is taken away from everyone! You Junaid Akram is a YouTuber, Social media will get a blanket ban placed and eliminate a revenue sensation, stand-up comedian and a social worker.

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Tuesday, 22 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

Looming sectarian crisis AFTER months of relative calm, the sectarian issue has reared its ugly face once again in Pakistan. Sectarianism has been long-standing and yetunaddressed problem notwithstanding far-reaching implications. Recent incidents of hate speeches have sparked fears of sectarian violence and causes extreme concern from security point of view. What is more disturbing in this particularly fragile context is timely inaction of security officials which compounds the already complex issue. It is an open secret that Pakistan has already bore the many brunt of sectarian conflicts till recent past and thus cannot afford further damage. There are fears that the violence may erupt, if not dealt timely. Sectarianism is internal security and law and order problem. Therefore, realization of the gravity of the issue will pave the way considering FATF as well. It is high time state bring all stakeholders on board particularly Ulema from all sects for the sake of country’s increasing security concerns in order to eliminate this problem from the grassroots level. Concerted efforts for sectarian harmony are indispensable besides implementing nation Action Plan in its true manner. Furthermore, state must undertake crackdown on hate speeches whoever incites violence and maintain the rule of law. M Shahjahan MEMon, QaMbEr ali Khan Sindh

Poverty in Pakistan

The new normal A post-Covid world SAlmAN muNir

n Saturday (September 19, 2020), I travelled from Lahore to Karachi for the first time since Covid-19 hit our streets and restrictions of sorts were imposed. I preferred to travel by PIA for its low airfare and because I expected it to observe government guidelines on social distancing better than the private carriers. My travel on PK303 was the result of commencement of the first post-Covid Executive MBA class at the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi, where I teach the Strategic Human Resource Management course. It was pleasantly surprising that the Airport was not crowded and the airlines check-in counters had been increased to avoid rush. At every few feet instructions to keep distance were imprinted on the floor for people to easily follow and avoid bumping into each other. Inside the aircraft it was, however, a different story. Each row had six seats, three on each side. In an ideal situation the middle seat on each side of the row could have been left vacant to provide the much touted and needed social distancing. That would have meant one third vacant seats and loss of much needed revenue. I was dismayed at this disregard of the instructions of the government regarding social distancing by a government entity. Other than this the flight was right on time as was the return flight the very next day. Each passenger and the crew kept their masks on throughout the flight. Hand sanitizing gel was frequently offered by the crew, adorning their new style of dressing with caps a la Middle Eastern airlines’ style. At the IBA throughout the class every one kept wearing masks and desks had been placed at a distance from each other. Everyone seemed careful enough not to touch or stand very close to each other. I asked the students about their experience of working/learning from home and minimal personal contact with friends and colleagues. And how had this changed their lives? They said that this is the new normal. This is the way forward and shall be for a long time as the fear of the beast that this disease is, will linger on. Some of them loved it and said they became more responsible and more productive. They were able to spend more time with their families, especially children. Some of course missed the routine to mingle and meet their friends and thought they had missed out on a number of opportunities that could have defined them better. It has been said that the only thing we can be certain of is change. That is certainly truer now after Covid-19 changed the way we did things at work or home. In fact a dramatic change in the world of work and in peoples’ lives has occurred. For the last two or three decades some companies implemented work-life initiatives to distinguish themselves from their competition by addressing issues like overwork, stress and healthcare. In this regard they introduced work-life policies in their establishments. The increase of women in the workforce resulted

in dual-focus workers—-workers focused on social distance are the new norms of work and work and family, rather than work or family—- of social gatherings too. I asked my students and and the aging of the baby boomer workforce many other people that I sometimes come into forced to work beyond age 60 affected the work- contact with if the new normal impacted their business in a negative place and its demoway? Mostly the angraphics. As a result, swer is that it has employers were forced our way of to introduce flexi-time, Well Covid-19 has changed all changed work, it has made some childcare at work, eldof us more productive, erly care at home, that. Working from home, our employers have bepartly work from home, working in isolation and come more sensitive to time off and other such our needs and have benefits to retain, enkeeping social distance are the started valuing us more gage and enable their and that we have also employees. new norms of work and of started to value our jobs A few years ago social gatherings too. I asked more than before. Hay Group’s research My class was sad showed that “engaged my students and many other at two recent events. employees perform up people that I sometimes come One was the decision to 10 percent better. But of the District and Seswhen they are enabled into contact with if the new sions Judge, Quetta in as well—-placed in the which MPA Majeed right job and given the normal impacted their Achakzai was acquitright support—-they business in a negative way? ted in a hit and run can perform a massive 50 percent better. Mostly the answer is that it has case in which a traffic warden was run over What’s more, employee changed our way of work, it by an SUV in full pubturnover can drop by up lic view and recorded to 54 percent and revhas made some of us more in a video that went enue growth may inviral and run over all crease by 4.5 times.” productive, our employers TV channels. And the This shows how have become more sensitive second was the most some simple adjustments in policies and to our needs and have started unfortunate incident on Lahore-Sialkot motorbenefits help organizavaluing us more and that we way on the morning of tions in so many ways. 3 September 2020 and Still there are CEOs like have also started to value our in which case the main Marissa Mayer who accused is still at large. after taking over as jobs more than before. These two incidents reCEO of Yahoo in 2012 mind me of John ordered all home workSteinbeck who obers to start reporting for duty at workplace and kind of banned working served that “A sad soul can kill you quicker, far from home. This action of hers was likened to quicker, than a germ.” going back to the Stone Age and widely criticized Salman Munir is a management consultant in the corporate sector worldwide. Well Covid-19 has changed all that. Work- and innocence lawyer. He can be reached at ing from home, working in isolation and keeping as1236m@gmail.com

PAKISTAn is an underdeveloped country. It has many stumbling blocks from the time of creation till today and these stumbling blocks remain a challenge for every government and authorities of the country. The electricity problem, low supply of gas, poor infrastructure, shortage of water, environmental pollution, low literacy rate, poverty and unemployment are the major highlighted issues. not only this besides these factual issues other controversial affairs are also reaching its worst at climax including the scourge of extremism, terrorism, violence and toleration, hence our society is engulfed by the myriads of external and internal problems. With each passing day the poverty rate in Pakistan is increasing. Poverty is a curse and it accelerates many crimes in society. Every time our government is blamed for this cause, did people peek into their pockets? Let’s accept it that the government is not performing its responsibilities effectively, so do we fulfill our responsibilities? Do we pay taxes to the government? Do we help the government in enhancing the economic system of the country? even our elites didn’t pay taxes, they can donate funds but they cannot pay taxes. If more they galvanize is that they can build mosques. Every day lots of people sleep malnourished, even most of the people do not have a place to live. SaulEha MuSharraf Karachi

Respecting victim privacy APPAREnTLY, in Pakistan rape cases have been increasing recently that is a major issue and government should find a way to evacuate the rapists as soon as possible. I’m not really willing to highlight any specific case and people who share the news about this type of crimes should understand that sharing the picture of the victim is not necessary but wrong. I have seen numerous posts and videos showing the pictures of the victim just for gaining some likes and views I just want to say that STOP right now stop posting pictures stop spreading fakes news just stop posting literally anything with a click bait title on your YouTube videos in these sensitive situations just for the sake of some views. they need support and justice and not you revealing their identity. whenever you start talking about these matters just think thousand times how would they feel about it. haMza Khan Karachi

A silent community WOMEn are called the most important part of a society and they sacrifice their all life for the development of the nation. We live in a state where women are not saved at all. Pakistan is one most dangerous country for women in world because women in Pakistan are not getting their rights, most of women suffer from domestic voilence like rape, honor killing, abduction, education and so on are most famous. Beyond the immediate event, the protest touches on some deep and endemic problems in Pakistani society. Among them rape is one of the most bad and vulnerable activities in Pakistan. Over the year these activities are maltreated as various cases of abduction, rape and murder are heared. The last case in Lahore Sialkot motorway on 9th September, a woman was raped in front her two children but unfortunately nobody is serious in this regard. Mahtaj ShouKat turbat

Proposed economic zones THE PTI government led by the Prime Minister intend to new economic zones to encourage small and medium-sized industrial projects with the aim to boost the economy. This idea is commendable, but they must be careful in implementation as many such initiatives in the past have failed. The main reason for the failure is that industrials and businessmen with clout end up taking the plots in such zones. This not only crowds out new entrepreneurs but also used as a tax evasion ploy by the old players. Their intention is to show a profit at units set up in such zones to take advantage of the tax holiday. In many cases they start showing losses in their current units elsewhere in the country and show huge profits in the units at new economic zones, thus avoiding taxes on their incomes. In many cases, the units are not even functioning to capacity but are used to show profits. The result is that new entrepreneurs do not get a chance to try their luck and not much of employment is created either. Worse so, the FBR revenues suffer as taxes are evaded by many through the tax holiday. Many economic zones such as Gudon and Hattar have failed to produce desired results in the past. The Prime Minister needs to pay visits to old economic zones and find out reasons for their failure before he opens new zones. Strict action should be taken against allottees of old zones who never set up proper units in such zones and only used those as a vehicle for tax evasion. raja Shafaatullah iSlaMabad

Tuesday, 22 September, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

IndIa’s democracy Is under threat NEW DELHI’S CRACKDOWN ON DISSENT IS ENDANGERING FREE SPEECH AND THE ENTIRE SYSTEM OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE

foreign poliCy

Sumit GanGuly

FAIR and transparent judicial system represents the bedrock of any democracy, especially one as large and diverse as India’s. But there’s a growing body of evidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is using state powers to intimidate its political opposition as well as critics. And amid a coronavirus pandemic and other concerns for the international media, there is a danger that New Delhi’s erosion of democratic values may go unnoticed before it is too late. One of the first signs of this trend came in August 2019 when New Delhi deployed one of the principal national investigative bodies, the Central Bureau of Investigation, to arrest and incarcerate Palaniappan Chidambaram, a former finance minister from the opposition Indian National Congress party, on charges of bribery and corruption. It was a made-for-TV moment, with agents

scaling the walls of his New Delhi home to issue their arrest warrant. Chidambaram, a lawyer of some repute, was able to obtain appropriate legal counsel and was eventually released on bail. But given the delays that have long defined India’s judiciary, it may be months, if not years, before a court delivers a verdict. Without taking a stance on the veracity of the charges, the move in effect muzzles a prominent opposition politician who has long been vocal in his criticism of the Modi government. Of course, corruption is rife in India, but the BJP has yet to explain why Chidambaram in particular was singled out. The Modi government has also sought to quash political dissent through the use of anti-terrorist laws, most notably the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which allows the state to designate individuals as terrorists on extremely flimsy grounds. One of the most prominent such cases stemmed from a riot that took place in January 2018 at an annual gathering of Dalits—members of India’s so-called lowest caste—in the village of BhimaKoregaon to commemorate a military victory against high-caste rulers more than 200 years ago. Several left-wing intellectuals and activists were detained under the UAPA last February on the grounds that they were guilty of “promoting enmity between groups” and involved in abetting terrorism. They included, among others, Varavara Rao, a 79-year-old left-wing poet and writer; Arun Ferreira, a criminal lawyer; SudhaBharadwaj, a trade

Could Boris quit?

SpeCtator, uK Patrick O'Flynn

Could Boris do a Harold Wilson? Over the years there has been much speculation about the sudden resignation of Wilson as prime minister less than a year after he had settled, apparently for good, the momentous question of Britain’s future in Europe via the 1975 referendum. Was he forced out by MI5? Had he already got wind of his early-onset Alzheimer’s? Was there some other hidden personal scandal that would have emerged had he not stood down? The truth was rather more bland: it seems more likely that Wilson had just lost his appetite for the grind of the job. In a resignation minute circulated to all cabinet ministers he observed: ‘It is a full-time calling. These are not the easy, spacious, socially-orientated days of some of my predecessors… I have had to work seven days a week, at least 12 to 14 hours a day.’ Few would suggest that Boris Johnson, for all his gifts, ever had a Wilsonian concentration span or a Stakhanovite work ethic. So it requires no great leap of imagination to suppose that the not easy, not spacious, not socially-orientated days he is enduring right now are not what he had in mind for his premiership. Throw in divorce, fatherhood again at 56, an impending further marriage and a touch-and-go spell in intensive care that may have left its mark on his own capacity and it's easy to see why the gossip has been building that Johnson may do a Wilson early in 2021, once the main loose ends of Brexit have been tied up. As someone who knows him well told me this week: ‘He is hating it. He can’t make his mind up on stuff. His rupture with his family occupies his thoughts a lot. Dominic Cummings has mainly gone over to work with Michael Gove on Brexit and he knows that a lot of the other people around him are

union leader; and GautamNavlakha, a human rights activist and a long-standing critic of state coercion in India. It was hardly a group of people likely to be involved in terrorism. Worse still, local police claimed that they had unearthed a plot to assassinate Modi. These charges aside, what is known is that the accused had, in fact, participated in a meeting in late December 2017 that had foreshadowed the BhimaKoregaon celebration. Some of them had given speeches in which they had roundly condemned the curse of caste hierarchies in India. All of them, at various points of their careers, have been known to be associated with left-wing causes including the rights of the socially marginalized or oppressed. The police, seizing on their left-wing credentials, dubbed them “urban Naxals”—a misplaced reference to a violent left-wing movement that began in West Bengal in the 1960s. Despite concerted attempts on the part of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which had brought the legal proceedings against the activists in the first place, the authorities were unable to gather evidence linking them to any of the professed charges. Even so, the Bombay High Court refused to grant bail to several of the key detainees— highlighting the court’s unwillingness to stand up to the present government. Worse still, the NIA’s persistence in legally harassing these activists highlights how a premier investigative body has been rendered into a

second-raters.’ While his success in electoral politics cannot be declared over — as the continuing Tory poll lead attests — his failure in governmental politics, following a tenure as Foreign Secretary that was decidedly ropey, is close to becoming an acknowledged fact of life in Westminster. A natural flippancy, an overwhelming desire to be liked and a tendency to think he can get away with not doing his homework are the three traits most often cited as his undoing. This week all three were on display, as when he was blind-sided in front of the Commons liaison committee over Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis’s assessment that the EU was, in fact, negotiating in good faith compared to his own assessment that it wasn’t.Making it up as he went along, Johnson theatrically declared that it was always possible his own assessment would be proved wrong by virtue of the EU behaving more reasonably, smirking and looking around the room for signs of approval, amusement or admiration as he did so. And then there was that interview in the Sun where he said that people should not dob in neighbours for breaking the rule of six — adjudged by his own administration as essential to public health — unless they were having a rumbustious, US frat-house style, full-on party — ‘hot tubs and so forth’. That completely cut the ground from under ministers and MPs who had through gritted teeth told interviewers that yes, of course, the right thing to do was to let the authorities know when this law was being broken. With an extremely tough autumn on the Covid front now the central expectation of ministers and officials, this style of leadership really does seem singularly ill-suited to the times. No wonder then that the name of Michael Gove is once more on the lips of the Tory tribe, with the influential columnist Paul Goodman floating the idea of him being made Deputy PM in January, once the Brexit saga is concluded. One is struck by the degree of admiration for Gove’s brainpower, strategic nous and sheer skill at government that is felt across the political spectrum. Nigel Farage is but one unlikely admirer. At times each of the three most recent Tory PMs have viewed Gove as untrustworthy, but equally all three have also at times found him indispensable. That is how he is seen right now and it may be that bolstering someone good at being electable but bad at governing with someone good at governing but bad at being electable will bring a belated sense of coherence and grip to the Johnson premiership. Equally, even that may simply lead to more Tory MPs wondering whether it mightn’t be an idea to install someone who is good at both. It would not be the very greatest shock — certainly not a shock on the scale of Wilson’s resignation — were Johnson himself to reach that view.As he said once before when defining the mission facing the UK Prime Minister: ‘Having consulted colleagues… I have concluded that person cannot be me.’

plaything of the government in office. As their legal fate remains in limbo, the government has now chosen to go after another group of politicians, university professors, and activists whom it claims were responsible for instigating riots in New Delhi last February. Among them are Jayati Ghosh, a noted economics professor from Jawaharlal Nehru University; SitaramYechury, the general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist); Yogendra Yadav, a well-known pollster and the cofounder of a civil society organization; and Rahul Roy, a prominent documentary filmmaker. Each of them has been accused of participating in a wide-ranging conspiracy to provoke the inter-religious riots that swept through the capital. In reality, the riots largely stemmed from protests against Modi’s controversial Citizen Amendment Act, which allows many Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Jains, and Sikhs from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan to obtain accelerated citizenship in India on the grounds that they constitute oppressed minorities in those countries. However, the legislation does not apply to Muslims—a fact that protesters rightly highlighted as discriminatory and going against the secular values of India’s constitution. The bulk of the protesters were university students and civil society activists— and most demonstrations were peaceful. But there is ample evidence that Hindu mobs, many of them affiliated with the BJP, set upon the protesters and attacked them.

They also used the cover of the disturbances to attack vulnerable Muslim communities in New Delhi. Perhaps most disturbingly, the New Delhi police, which is directly under the control of the federal Ministry of Home Affairs—and not the local state government—either supported the rioters or stood by as the riots proceeded apace. Far from prosecuting those who were actually involved in organized mob violence against hapless communities, the central government is now using its powers to intimidate those whom it deems to be critics of the government’s policies. This blatant, partisan use of police powers threatens to further undermine the already troubled rule of law in India. Police partisanship is not new. The most egregious historical examples are the antiSikh riots in New Delhi in 1984 following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, for which blame lies at the door of Gandhi’s Congress party, and anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat in 2002 during Modi’s term as the state’s chief minister. Both sets of incidents are a stain on the country’s judicial record—but they are largely seen as lapses in the wider history of democratic India. The systematic abuse of police and judicial powers that is now underway—with the apparent blessing of the Modi government—amounts to a new and major challenge to India’s commitment to impartial justice. It is a dangerous trend that could, if unchecked, upend Indian democracy. Sumit Ganguly is a Foreign Policy columnist. He is also a distinguished professor of political science and the Rabindranath Tagore chair in Indian cultures and civilizations at Indiana University, Bloomington.

What will great power competition look like in 2025-2030?

Centre for StrategiC and international StudieS Samuel Brannen

CSIS’s Risk and Foresight Group created four plausible, differentiated scenarios to explore the changing geopolitical landscape of 2025-2030, including the potential lasting first- and second-order effects of Covid-19. The scenarios center on the relative power and influence of the United States and China and the interaction between them, along with detailed consideration of other major U.S. allies and adversaries within each of four worlds. Each scenario narrative was informed by deep trends analysis and subject-matter-expert interviews. CSIS’s DracopoulosiDeas Lab brought to life the scenarios in four engaging videos designed to test policymakers’ preconceived notions about the defense and security challenges facing the United States and its allies in the second half of this decade. This research was sponsored by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Strategic Trends Division. The world order is fragmenting without a clear organizing principle to follow. Within this transforming geopolitical landscape, the most important variables at play are the relative influence and leadership of the United States and China, and the bilateral relationship between these countries. The scenarios suggested that the relative influence of the United States and China and their interaction would play a preponderant role in defining the international landscape in key regions around the world during this timeframe. The relative recovery of both countries from Covid-19, and the degree to which they are weakened or strengthened as a result, was also found to play a significant role in shaping the future geopolitical landscape. Under no scenario was the U.S.-China relationship found to be fully cooperative or positive, though cooperation was possible on select, shared global interests when U.S. power and influence equalled or was greater than China’s. In all scenarios, the U.S.-China relationship remained intertwined, and in all scenarios but the most severe reduction of Chinese global influence, bilateral dynamics were increasingly competitive. Notably, the United States could find sustained advantage in shaping the behavior of China through its allies and partners but only when it was willing to engage multilaterally and when other nations made the cost-benefit calculus that supporting a world under greater U.S. leadership would be preferable to a China-led or non-aligned order. U.S. alliances generally held across scenarios but were more stable and predictable in Europe than Asia and the Middle East, where geopolitics were more in flux and shared in-

terests under increased strain. This scenario analysis found that the highest likelihood outcome for world order in the decade ahead would not be a unipolar order or a bipolar Cold War-style competition, but a loose multipolarity. Under any outcome, the relative strength of both the United States and China would be diluted or balanced by the influence and independent foreign and security policies of India, Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and others. There also emerged in the scenarios a growing number of contestations of U.S. power and influence—in particular due to the “spoiler” or other nefarious behavior of Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Despite its relative loss of economic power during this timeframe, Russia remained the most problematic global actor for the United States and its allies, with only limited room for cooperation on issues of strategic stability. Iran was most aggressive across scenarios in which it sensed weakened U.S. commitment to the Middle East. North Korea remained a consistent challenge in the expansion of its weapons programs, though it was more open to negotiation when the United States was stronger and China was weaker. Violent extremist organizations were active across scenarios but more localized and less transnational. They preyed on relative U.S. weakness or its seeming retreat from key regions where they sought to consolidate gains and when they sensed diminished U.S. cooperation with regional partners. The scenarios notably identified volatility in the China-Russia relationship, suggesting in many ways that ties between countries may have reached a high-water mark that will be difficult to sustain. Russian foreign policy was found to be strongly tied to its own views of its relative strength vis-à-vis both China and the United States, against which it dynamically rebalanced to its own perceived advantage. Technological and military surprise were “black swans” in 2025-2030. Military application of technology was more likely to be evolutionary than revolutionary, but technological surprise could not be ruled out and in many ways was considered inevitable, if impossible to precisely predict. Key technologies to track, in order of likely strategic importance, included conventional and nuclear hypersonic weapons, autonomous systems, and synthetic biology. Strategic surprise seemed especially problematic and likely to occur in outer space amid intensified gray zone competition and potential warfighting. Related, inadvertent and uncontrolled escalation across domains was a concern in multiple scenarios, paving the way either for a basis for new strategic stability considerations and possible arms control talks or military confrontation. Last, U.S. adversaries increased gray zone activities across scenarios, seeking to reduce the risk of conventional or nuclear conflict while gaining political objectives in areas the United States has struggled to respond. The risk of conventional or nuclear conflict between countries was understood to increase inversely to relative U.S. influence and was especially high in a world order in which the influence of both China and the United States was diminished and global recovery from Covid19 especially problematic. Samuel Brannen leads the Risk and Foresight Group and is a senior fellow in the International Security Program at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C.

Tuesday, 22 September, 2020

BUSINESS 09

IntErEst rAtE rEmAIns unchAngEd At 7pc

CORPORATE CORNER

KARACHI MEIRYUM ALI & ARIBA SHAHID

KARACHI: Jazz CEO Aamir Ibrahim, along with his team, inaugurates the company’s brand-new southern regional office, ‘the Digital House’, in Karachi’s Sky Tower, Clifton.

KARACHI: Hum Mart (Private) Limited has launched Home Services. Hum Mart will be providing its customers top quality pre-screened independent workers like electricians, plumbers, handyman, and services like AC maintenance, laundry, cleaning, fumigation and disinfection. To provide these services, Hum Mart has partnered with Helpp Technologies (Private) Limited. Hum Mart will be initially providing these services within Karachi only.

ISLAMABAD: In recognition of its outstanding performance and leadership in Pakistan, Bank Alfalah Islamic received the ‘Most Innovative Islamic Banking Window 2020’ and ‘Best Islamic Savings Product 2020’ awards at the prestigious Global Islamic Finance Awards (GIFA).

Export of leather products rises 8.39pc YoY in July-Aug

he State Bank of Pakistan, in a meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on Monday, maintained the country’s interest rate at 7pc. The decision was taken in light of the SBP’s view that business confidence and the outlook for growth had improved, but that the forecast for inflation had risen slightly. This represents the first time since June that the policy rate was not cut. In the space between March 17 and June 25, the SBP cut the policy rate by a whopping 625 basis points, from the relatively high 13.25pc to 7pc. More specifically, the central bank cut the policy rate by 75 basis points from 13.25pc to 12.5pc on March 17, by a further 150 basis points to 11pc on March 24, by 200 basis points to 9pc on April 16, by 100 basis points to 8pc on May 15, and by 100 basis points to 7pc on June 25. In explaining its rationale for maintaining the policy rate, the SBP said that financial conditions continued to be accommodative, with real interest rates remaining slightly below zero on a forward-looking basis. Given the decline in Covid-19 cases in Pakistan, easing of lockdowns and stimulus provided by the government and SBP, the “stance of monetary policy remained appropriate to provide needed support to the emerging recovery.” INFLATION EXPECTATIONS: According to the SBP, average inflation is expected to fall between the previously announced range of 7-9pc for next fiscal year, rather than marginally below, as had previously been believed. In January 2020, the inflation rate had hit a record 14.56pc, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). However, it has been declining since, slowing to 12.4pc in February, 10.24pc in March, 8.5pc in April and then 8.2pc in May. It then

‘WAPDA to increase share of hydropower in energy mix’ ISLAMABAD TLTP

ISLAMABAD APP

The export of leather products during the first two months of the current fiscal year (FY21) increased by 8.39 per cent when compared with the corresponding period of last year. During the July-August FY21 period, leather products worth $98.23 million were exported from the country, as compared to the export of $90.62 million during the same period of last year. According to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the export of leather garments increased by 2.18pc, from $51.41 million last year to $52.53 million, while that of leather gloves surged from $37.4 million last year to $43.1 million. During the period under review, the export of ‘other’ leather products grew by 42.81pc, from $1.81 million to $2.59 million.

jumped to 8.6pc in June, to 9.3pc in July before stabilizing at 8.2pc in August again. According to the SBP, the forecast for inflation has risen slightly, primarily due to recent supply side shocks to food prices. However, the bank maintained that core inflation has been relatively stable and demand-side risks to inflation remain well-contained. Still, it highlighted some risks. “On the upside, risks revolve around food prices, especially in the wake of recent flood-related damages and potential locust attacks. On the downside, the main risk stems from a lower-than-expected pickup in domestic activity. On the global front, the future trajectory of oil prices will also have an important bearing on the domestic inflation outlook,” explained the SBP. PAKISTAN OUTLOOK: The MPC was somewhat uncertain about Pakistan’s growth outlook. In a statement, the MPC said that growth is projected to recover to slightly above 2pc in fiscal year 2021, after falling to -0.4 percent last year. Much of this growth is expected to be driven by manufacturing-related activity. The MPC also noted that large-scale manufacturing index grew 5pc year-onyear in July, after significant contraction in March and June 20202. Still, the MPC said that economic recovery remains uneven across industries, with the hospitality and certain services sectors especially lagging, and the level of activity generally still remains below pre-Corona level. The MPC was also concerned about risks such as a potential second wave of Covid-19 domestic infections, a possible sharp increase in infections in the winter months in Pakistan’s major export markets in Europe and the US, and the threat to agriculture from locust attacks. In comparison, the MPC was more optimistic about Pakistan’s external sector. “Looking ahead, the current account deficit is expected to remain bounded at around 2pc of GDP. This,

Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) Chairman Lt Gen (r) Muzammil Hussain has said that the share of hydropower would gradually be increased in the total energy mix so as to reduce the cost of doing business and facilitate the growth of business activities. The WAPDA chairman said this while exchanging views with a delegation of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), led by its President Muhammad Ahmed Waheed. The chairman gave a detailed briefing to the ICCI delegation about the water reservoir projects being constructed by the WAPDA across the country. He said that the construction activities on the strategically important Diamer-Bhasha Dam project are picking up pace and that the project would provide over 16,000 jobs to the

engineers and local people, leading to poverty alleviation and socio-economic uplift of the local area. He said that Diamer-Basha Dam is at the highest point of the world with a water storage capacity of 8.1 million acre feet (MAF) and power generation capacity of 4,500MW. "This dam is a vital project for water, food and energy security of Pakistan and will go a long way in stabilizing the economy," he opined, adding that the dam would produce low-cost energy that would boost the country's industrial and agricultural productivity. He also briefed the ICCI delegation about the under-construction hydropower projects including Keyal Khawar, Dasu, Khurram Tangi dams. He said that Mohmad Dam, Bunji Dam and Tarbela-5th Extension are also ready for construction and all these dams would be instrumental in generating cheap hydropower in the country.

together with expected private and official flows, should continue to keep Pakistan’s external position stable in FY21,” the MPC said. The MPC noted that remittances rose to a record monthly high in July, and have crossed $2 billion for the last three months. Low global oil prices and subdued domestic demand also helped to reduce the current account deficit. This has meant that the SBP’s foreign exchange reserves have returned to their pre-pandemic level of around $12.8 billion. In other words, Pakistan’s reserve adequacy is now back above the important global benchmark of three months of import cover. The MPC also noted that the increase in public debt was contained to around 1pc of GDP. “This largely reflects the strong steps taken by the government to ensure a primary surplus in the first nine months of FY20, which helped provide fiscal space to respond to the Coronavirus outbreak,” the MPC explained. Tax revenue has averaged 1.2pc growth year-on-year in the first two months of fiscal year 2021, while federal PSDP-related outlays almost doubled during July to August 2020, compared to the same period last year. “While far below pre-pandemic growth rates, this recovery in tax collections represents an encouraging turnaround from the double-digit reduction observed during the last quarter of FY20,” the MPC said. SBP MEASURES: In the press conference held on Monday, the MPC made an effort to highlight the SBP’s own series of five targeted measures, which the bank said had helped to inject liquidity. Together, the measures injected an estimated stimulus of Rs1.58 trillion, or about 3.8pc of GDP, in the cash flow of businesses and households. The SBP came to this conclusion by dividing up the impact in the following manner: by reducing interest rates, the SBP passed on interest rate benefit to individuals and businesses amounting

to Rs 470 billion, which is 1.1pc of GDP. Loans worth Rs650 billion were deferred, amounting to 1.6pc of the GDP, while loans worth Rs184 billion were rescheduled, which is worth 0.4pc of the GDP. The layoff prevention scheme brought a benefit of Rs207 billion or 0.5pc of the GDP, while the scheme supporting hospitals and new investment positively contributed Rs69 billion, or 0.2pc of GDP. ANALYSTS’ REACTIONS: The decision is in line with analyst expectations. Previously, the CFA Society Pakistan released an MPS survey suggesting that 91pc of research analysts had said that the SBP will not change the interest rates, However, 9pc said that interest rates will further decline by 25 to 50 basis points to 6.75 per cent or 6.5 per cent subsequently. “Inflation rate in August fell on a year-on-year basis and there is a chance of it falling more,” Intermarket Securities Director Research Raza Jafri said, adding that “Because of the uncertainty about the inflation rate, the SBP most probably would keep the interest rate constant.” Former Pakistan Stock Exchange Research Officer Muhammad Munir said, “KSE-100, the benchmark rate of PSX, has also risen by almost 5,000 points since the last two months and the government would not want to slow down the market by increasing the interest rate.” According to Saad Hashmi, Executive Director at BMA Capital, the central bank was expected to maintain the status quo. “This is based on average inflation expectations of around 6.5pc7pc for the current fiscal year.” “We expect a status quo due to lower inflation expectations in the near term (particularly Jan-20 CPI of 5.5pc),” noted Sateesh Balani, Director of Research at Ismail Iqbal Securities. Tahir Abbas, head of Research at Arif Habib, said that “monetary policy targets to increase the aggregate demand which still remain subdued due to the outfall of Covid-19 situation.”

K-Electric chief walks out of NEPRA hearing as citizens protest BUSINESS DESK K-Electric Chief Executive Moonis Alvi on Monday walked out of a hearing on public complaints against Karachi's sole power supplier after angry citizens raised chants over not being allowed to speak and the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority's (NEPRA) boss momentarily adjourning the discussions. As per media reports, the hearing, organised by NEPRA at a local hotel in Karachi, was attended by many, including people associated with different industries, various stakeholders, and officials of the K-Electric. Industrialist Siraj Qasim Teli was also spotted in the audience. According to activist Jibran Nasir, the hearing's focus was to decide on "whether to end K-Electric's exclusive rights to distribute electricity to Karachi and allow other players to compete in the market given KE's failure to ensure safe and uninterrupted supply of electricity to Karachi". When a participant raised a question,

NEPRA Chairperson Tauseef H. Farooqi said the K-Electric would be given a chance to speak first and present the company's position, which exacerbated the resentment among the Karachiites who were present at the hearing to speak about their power woes. Chants against the K-Electric rang out loud in the hearing, following which Farooqi adjourned hearing for 30 minutes, while K-Electric CEO Syed Moonis Abdullah Alvi left in a hurry after the NEPRA boss warned anyone not speaking in an orderly manner be kicked out of the hall. The public outcry was strong, turning the hearing bitter and leading to harsh exchange of words between those at the panel and the aggrieved participants. Earlier, addressing the hearing, KE CEO Alvi said the city's sole power supplier had boosted power infrastructure by 104pc. "The KE has reduced losses by 16pc and consumer growth has been 9pc," he said, adding that the power supplying company has invested more than what was required under an agreement with NEPRA.

MARKET DAILY

Stocks shed 330 points as investors turn cautious KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Bears dominated the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on first trading session of the week, as investors preferred to stay on sidelines ahead of monetary policy announcement by the State Bank of Pakistan. Global equity markets also showed a negative trend, whereas crude oil prices slipped lower from the previous close; WTI

crude price falling 2.03pc to $40.49 while Brent crude price declining 1.88pc to $42.34. MARKET SUMMARY: The benchmark KSE-100 Index remained in the red throughout the day, registering its intraday low at 42,121.32 (-383.44 points). It settled lower by 330.63 points at 42,174.13. Among other indices, the KMI-30 Index dropped 473.98 points to end at 67,858.97, while the KSE All Share Index lost 205.95 points, closing at 29,961.06.

The overall market volumes were recorded at 433.92 million. Shares worth Rs11.32 bn were traded on Monday. Aisha Steel Mills Ltd (ASL +5.51pc), Unity Foods (UNITY +0.61pc) and Fauji Foods Ltd (FFL -4.55pc) led the volume chart, exchanging 58.75 million, 48.20 million and 35.99 million shares, respectively. Sectors that drove the benchmark index south included banking (-90.85 points), fertilizer (-52.10 points) and oil & gas explo-

CMYK

ration (-48.94 points). Among the companies, Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd (OGDC -25.74 points), United Bank Ltd (UBL -21.66 points) and Fauji Fertilizer Company Ltd (FFC -20.74 points) dented the index the most. Shedding 2.45pc from its cumulative market capitalisation, the refinery sector ended as the session's top loser, with Byco Petroleum Pakistan Ltd (BYCO 2.58pc), Attock Refinery (ATRL -1.12pc), Pakistan Refinery Ltd (PRL -4.43pc) and

National Refinery Ltd (NRL -1.70pc) closing in the negative. Meanwhile, Ghani Automobile Industries Ltd (GAIL -2.46pc) and Ghani Value Glass Ltd (GVGL -6.36pc) announced earnings per share of Rs-0.66 and Rs4.25 for FY20, as compared to Rs-0.47 and Rs6.82 in FY19, respectively. The GAIL Board of Directors also approved the merger of the company within and into GVGL.

Tuesday, 22 September, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS Sudanese leaders in UAE for talks with Emirati, US officials KHARTOUM AGENCIES

A high-level delegation led by the head of Sudan's ruling council has travelled to the United Arab Emirates for separate talks with Emirati and US officials, including discussions on its removal from the US' list of countries that "sponsor terrorism", according to state media. The Sudanese state news agency disclosed that General Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, head of the sovereign council that has been in charge following the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir last year, will hold talks with the UAE's leadership on "all regional issues that are related to Sudan". It added that Sudanese Justice Minister Naser-Eddin Abdelbari will meet US officials present in Abu Dhabi to discuss the "removal of [the] name of Sudan from the list of states sponsoring terrorism, support of the transitional period and writing off American debts on Sudan". However, the Axios website reported that US, Emirati and Sudanese officials would hold a "decisive" meeting in Abu Dhabi on Monday "on a possible normalization agreement between Sudan and Israel", similar to the US-brokered deals struck by the UAE and Bahrain in recent weeks. Citing anonymous sources, Axios said Sudan's transitional government - besides the terror delisting - is asking for "more than $3bn in humanitarian assistance and direct budgetary aid" in return for a deal with Israel. It is also seeking "a commitment" by the US and the UAE "to providing Sudan with economic aid over the next three years", Axios reported.

AT lEAST 10 dEAd in bUilding CollApSE nEAr MUMbAi, dozEnS fEArEd TrAppEd BHIWANDI

AGENCIES

T least 10 people were killed on Monday and dozens were feared trapped when a portion of a three-storey residential building collapsed on the outskirts of Mumbai, officials said. Some residents were trying to get out of the building, in the industrial town of Bhiwandi, 40 km (25 miles) northeast of Mumbai, after cracks appeared in it in the middle of the night, when it crashed down. “Half of the building collapsed and nearly 25 to 26 families are feared trapped,” Pankaj Ashiya, the municipal commissioner of Bhiwandi, told reporters. It was not clear why the building, which had 54 apartments on three floors, collapsed. At least 11 injured people were rescued. Teams of police, city workers and members of the National Disaster Response Force removed debris in the cramped lanes of the neighbourhood, trying to reach people calling out for help under the rubble, a Reuters witness said. “We heard a noise and I noticed that there were cracks on the floor,” resident Sharif Ansari, 35, told Reuters.

JIUQUAN AGENCIES

China on Monday sent a new ocean-monitoring satellite into orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China. According to the launch centre, Long March4B rocket carrying the Haiyang-2C (HY-2C) satellite took off at 1:40 p.m at Beijing time. The HY-2C, the country's third ocean dynamic environment satellite, can provide allweather and round-the-clock observation of wave height, sea surface height, wind and temperature. Onboard equipment enables the new satellite to provide information on the identification of vessels, and to receive, store and transmit buoy measurement data in China's offshore and other marine areas. Developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the HY-2C will form a network with the previous HY-2B and subsequent HY-2D to carry out high-precision maritime environment monitoring. The planned satellite network will be capable of carrying out 80 percent of the world's sea surface wind monitoring within six hours, said sources with the China National Space Administration. Unlike the previous satellites HY-2A and HY-2B -- the HY-2C will be placed in an orbit with a 66-degree inclination, which will enhance its capability to revisit wind fields rapidly, according to the administration. Monday's launch was the 347th by the Long March rocket series.

“We jumped from there and managed to escape but there are at least another 60 people trapped,” he said. Torrential rain is often blamed for building collapses in India, with the number of incidents, often involving old or il-

Biden blasts Trump’s plan to push for Supreme Court nominee ahead of election PHILADELPHIA/WASHINGTON

China launches satellite to monitor ocean environment

“I woke up my neighbours and my wife and we rushed everyone down.” Ansari said he went back up to alert more people and was on the first floor with some other residents when the building came down.

AGENCIES

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden urged Senate Republicans not to vote on any candidate nominated to the US Supreme Court as the November election nears, calling President Donald Trump’s plan an “exercise of raw political power.” A second Senate Republican on Sunday voiced objections to Trump’s plan for a quick vote on a replacement to liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on Friday. Such an appointment by the president, if approved by the Senate, would cement a 6-3 conservative majority that could influence American law and life for decades. “Voters of this country should be heard … they’re the ones who this Constitution envisions should decide who has the power to make this appointment,” Biden, who leads Trump in national opinion polls, said in Philadelphia. “To jam this nomination through the Senate is just an exercise of raw political power.” Biden said that if he wins the Nov 3 election, he should have the chance to nominate the next Supreme Court justice. The former vice president rejected the idea of releasing the names of potential nominees, saying that doing so, as Trump did, could improperly influence those candidates’ decisions in their current court roles as well as subject them to “unrelenting political attacks.” He reiterated his pledge to nominate an African-American woman to the court, which would be a historic first, if he has the opportunity.

Earlier on Sunday, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she did not support Trump’s plan to move fast on filling the seat, becoming the second of the 53 Republicans in the 100-seat chamber to object publicly following Ginsburg’s death. On Saturday, Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine said the presidential election winner should pick the nominee. She is locked in a tight re-election battle, while Murkowski’s current term extends two more years. Senator Lamar Alexander, another moderate Republican, said in a statement he did not object to a vote, adding: “No one should be surprised that a Republican Senate majority would vote on a Republican president’s Supreme Court nomination, even during a presidential election year.” Democrats noted that in 2016 Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked a vote on a Democratic appointee on the grounds that the vacancy should be filled by the next president. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer did not rule out that his party might move in future to end the filibuster, a procedural tactic under which the support of 60 members is required to move to a vote on legislation, if the Republicans went ahead with the nomination. “We first have to win the majority. […] But if we win the majority, everything is on the table,” he said. Schumer and US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York told a joint news conference that putting another conservative on the court would put at risk rights.

A majority of Americans, some 62 percent including many Republicans, told a Reuters/Ipsos poll that they thought the winner of the November election should get to nominate a justice to fill the vacancy. JOLT TO THE CAMPAIGN: Justice Antonin Scalia, a close friend of Ginsburg’s, died in February 2016, but McConnell blocked a vote on Democratic President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland. Trump said on Saturday he would make his nomination this week and named Amy Coney Barrett of the Chicago-based 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals and Barbara Lagoa of the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit as possible candidates to fill the vacancy created by Ginsburg, a revered figure among liberals. Ginsburg’s death upended the November election campaign, energizing both Trump’s conservative base – eager to see the court overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide – and presenting new complications in the battle for control of the US Senate. “I will be putting forth a nominee next week. It will be a woman,” Trump said at a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where supporters chanted: “Fill that seat.” Trump and McConnell have time to schedule a vote. While elections are on Nov 3, a new Congress will not be sworn in until Jan. 3, with the winner of the presidential contest inaugurated on Jan. 20. Republican Senator John Barrasso on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday brushed off Democratic complaints.

legally built buildings, rising during the June-September monsoon. Last month, more than a dozen people were killed when a building collapsed in the industrial town of Mahad, 165 km (100 miles) south of Mumbai.

Uncertainty hangs over shape of TikTok sale to US investors BEIJING AGENCIES

China's ByteDance has said that TikTok's global business will become its subsidiary, even as Oracle Corp and Walmart Inc said recently that they and United States-based investors would own the majority of the video app following a deal with US President Donald Trump's administration. Trump signed an executive order on August 14 giving ByteDance 90 days to sell TikTok, citing concerns that the personal data of as many as 100 million Americans that use the app could be passed on to China's government. On Saturday, he said he supported in principle a deal that would allow TikTok to continue to operate in the US. Accounts of the deal differ. ByteDance said on Monday that it will own 80 percent of TikTok Global, a newly created US company that will own most of the app's operations worldwide. Oracle and Walmart, which have agreed to take stakes in TikTok Global of 12.5 percent and 7.5 percent respectively, had said that majority ownership of TikTok would be in American hands. ByteDance said in its statement on Monday that it was a "rumour" that US investors would be TikTok Global's majority owners. Oracle declined to comment on ByteDance's statement, while Walmart did not respond to a request for comment. Some sources close to the deal have sought to reconcile the discrepancy by pointing out that 41 percent of ByteDance is owned by US investors, so by counting this indirect ownership, TikTok Global would be majority owned by US parties. One of the sources said the deal with Oracle and Walmart values TikTok Global at more than $50bn. TikTok also confirmed plans for an initial public offering of TikTok Global. The Beijingbased firm said TikTok Global's board of directors will include ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming as well as Walmart's chief executive Doug McMillon and current directors of ByteDance. The current plan for TikTok Global does not involve any transfer of algorithms or technologies, and Oracle will be able to inspect TikTok US's source code, ByteDance said. This is akin to US companies such as Microsoft Corp sharing their source code with Chinese technology experts, ByteDance added.

New Zealand to invest $18.3m in global vaccine facility WELLINGTON AGENCIES

The New Zealand government has committed to investing 27 million NZ dollars (18.3 million U.S. dollars) in Covid-19 vaccine development through the global Covax Facility, Deputy Prime minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Monday. "The Covax Facility is a key part of our Covid-19 Vaccine Strategy to obtain safe and effective vaccines. It

allows us to invest in a high-quality, diversified portfolio of Covid-19 vaccine candidates. This will ensure we are spreading risk and keeping our options open," Peters said in a statement. New Zealand expressed interest in joining the Covax Facility in July, which allowed the country to support international efforts to shape how the facility works, he said. New Zealand has officially confirmed its commitment to the Covax Facility and will invest an initial

amount of 27 million NZ dollars to support development and manufacturing. It will act as a pre-purchase should any of the vaccine candidates be successful, Peters said. Additional funding will be required to purchase Covid-19 vaccines if any of the candidates in the COVAX Facility portfolio are successful, but the exact amount of additional funding is not yet known, he said. This initial investment is part of the allocation the government announced in August from the

Covid-19 Response and Recovery Fund, he added. "The agreement will ensure that New Zealand receives enough vaccines to cover up to 50 percent of the population of New Zealand and the Realm, which includes Tokelau, Cook Islands and Niue," said Peters. "It's important that all countries are able to access sufficient amounts of vaccines to protect their populations and contribute to getting the pandemic under control on a global level," he said.

Tuesday, 22 September, 2020

HAmPSHIRe STAR SHAHeeN AfRIdI TAKeS 4 IN 4 To STuN mIddleSex S NEWS DESK

HAHEEN Shah Afridi took four wickets in four balls as his sixwicket haul made sure Hampshire ended their horror Vitality Blast campaign with victory over Middlesex. The Pakistan fast bowler demolished John Simpson, Steven Finn, Thilan Walallawita and Tim Murtagh's stumps in consecutive deliveries to blow away the visitors. Having returned a disappointing 1 for 191 across his first six outings, Afridi celebrated an incredible 6 for 19 Hampshire best ever T20 bowling figures, and the county's second format hattrick in their history. He became only the seventh player to take four wickets in four balls in a T20. It meant Hampshire ended a six-game losing spell to win by 22 runs, although couldn't prevent them from finishing bottom of the group stage for the first time since 2007. Hampshire needed quick wickets in their defence of 141 for 9, and Felix Organ continued the trend of spin it to win it as he opened the bowling with his offbreaks and had 20-year-old Jack Davies lbw. Organ had Joe Cracknell caught at point by Joe Weatherley in his second over - the 21-year-old bowling three overs in the Powerplay and returning 2-13.

Afridi claimed his maiden Ageas Bowl wicket for the county when he yorked Stevie Eskinazi, who ended the group stage as the tournament's second-leading scorer with 413 runs. Ryan Stevenson bowled Nathan Sowter with a slower ball before Mason Crane continued the spin domination when Tom Alsop stumped Martin Andersson. Simpson threatened a comeback for the visitors as the run-rate climbed, he added 25 with Luke Hollman before Afridi turned the latter's off stump into a javelin. Wicketkeeper Simpson helped take 17

Sharjeel Khan plots Pakistan return by way of National T20 Cup NEWS DESK Sindh's opening batsman Sharjeel Khan has set himself the target of playing the T20 World Cup for Pakistan next year, Geo Super reported on Monday. The left-hander was a regular for Pakistan but lost several years of his prime after being found guilty in the infamous spot-fixing scandal of Pakistan Super League 2017. After admitting his guilt and serving his time, Sharjeel was given a second chance by Karachi Kings in the PSL earlier this year where he did show glimpses of his former self. Speaking to a group of journalists, Sharjeel said that his main goal remains to play for Pakistan again and make it to the T20 spectacle, which will be played in India next year. “I played the last T20 World Cup that was played in 2016 in India. Right now my focus is on The National T20 Cup that is starting soon. I want to perform well there, get my team the title, and then make a comeback into the national side and play the World Cup next year,” he said. The biggest knock on his career, apart from the betting scandal, has been his fitness and resultant immobility in the field. Sharjeel, however, says that he is now vastly improve on that front as well. “I have worked the most on my fitness and improved it too,” he said. “I had been working on my fitness even during my time away from the game but after making my comeback in PSL I worked even harder. Now I will try and maintain that level and also strive to hit the standards set by the Pakistan Cricket Board.”

off Stevenson in the 16th over, thanks to two huge sixes, as Middlesex required 37 from the last four overs. But left-armer Afridi, who flies home tomorrow, took four wickets in four balls to provide an explosive end to a below-par season. It was the second hat-trick taken by Hampshire this year, after James Fuller had taken a treble against Surrey in the Bob Willis Trophy. Having chosen to bat, Hampshire ground through their innings, as partnerships struggled to flourish against an impressive spin performance on a slow pitch.

Middlesex's spin triplets of Walallawita, Hollman and Nathan Sowter took 8 for 74 in their 12 combined overs to restrict Hampshire. James Vince chopped veteran Tim Murtagh onto his own off stump, before Alsop and Sam Northeast laid a solid foundation with a 32-run stand. But that was as good as the batting got for the hosts as Walallawita, Sowter and Hollman constricted them. Alsop was bowled while attempting a slog-sweep off legspinner Hollman and top-scorer Northeast nicked Walallawita behind to Simpson. Joe Weatherley split the leg side boundary riders with a perfect sweep, before he was plumb lbw when he switched into a reverse. From 55 for 1 after eight overs, Hampshire found their recognised batsmen all dismissed by the end of the 17th over on 114 for 7. The spinners forced the batters to play to the long square boundaries as an impatient Fuller and Organ holed out to long-on, while Ian Holland - following a six down the ground - was leg-before attempting a huge slog sweep. The latter two scalps fell to Walallawita on his T20 debut, having impressed with his left-arm spin during the Bob Willis Trophy earlier this summer. Stevenson found a hat-trick of boundaries off Tom Helm but leggie Sowter returned to bowl him and Chris Wood - as Hampshire bobbed to 141 for 9 in their 20 overs.

Bale 'motivated' to recover for second Spurs debut, says Mourinho LONDON AGENCIES

Gareth Bale's desire to play for the "club of his heart" could speed his recovery from a knee injury, Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho said Monday. Spurs initially indicated that Bale, who rejoined the club last week from Real Madrid on a season-long loan, was unlikely to be match fit until after next month's international break. That would put him in line to make his second Spurs debut at home to West Ham on October 17 -- 13 years after making his original debut at Old Trafford against Manchester United in Au-

gust 2007. Mourinho did not put a timescale on when the Wales forward will feature, but he hinted Bale's desire to pull the Spurs shirt on for the first time since 2013 will hasten his recovery. "I don't know when Gareth can be back," said the Portuguese, whose side beat Southampton 5-2 on Sunday. "The only thing I know is that his motivation is high. "He's so happy to be with the club of his heart, he's so happy to play for us. And when a player has this motivation, many times you can shorten the period of recovery, you can shorten the period of getting fit and ready to play. "We want to help him so when he's

available to train with the team, we're more than happy to have him and help him back to a level that made him one of the best players in the world." Whenever he does make his second debut, Bale and the Spurs fans will be hoping it goes better than his first which ended in a 1-0 defeat. It took two years and one month, 25 games and 1,606 minutes of Premier League action before Bale first tasted victory in the competition. Spain left-back Sergio Reguilon, who moved to Tottenham from Real Madrid in a separate deal on Saturday, could make his debut against Newcastle on Sunday.

Arsenal sign Dijon goalkeeper Runarsson LONDON AGENCIES

Arsenal signed Iceland goalkeeper Runar Alex Runarsson from Dijon on Monday to act as back-up for first choice Bernd Leno. Runarsson joins the Premier League club for a reported 1 million pounds ($1.3 million) after agreeing a four-year contract. The 25-year-old replaces Emil-

iano Martinez after the Argentine keeper joined Aston Villa last week. Englishman Matt Macey was on the bench as Arsenal beat West Ham on Saturday. "We want to create healthy competition for places and we look forward to seeing Alex bring further depth to the goalkeeping position," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told the club's website. Runarsson joined Ligue 1 club Dijon in July 2018 and made 13 appear-

ances in all competitions last season. He started his career with Icelandic outfit KR Reykjavik and went on to join FC Nordsjaelland in Denmark before moving to Dijon. "We're very pleased to welcome Alex to our squad. We have been monitoring him for some time and from the analysis, he has strong attributes that we look for in a goalkeeper and as a person," Arsenal technical director Edu said.

SPORTS 11

National T20: Shadab Khan, Saad Nasim to fill in for captains Imad Wasim, Babar Azam NEWS DESK Shadab Khan will captain Northern whereas Saad Nasim will lead Central Punjab in place of Imad Wasim and Babar Azam respectively in the first phase of the National T20 Cup that kicks off on September 30 in Multan, The News reported on Monday. The regular captains of both the sides are away in England, playing Vitality Blast, necessitating the need for stand-ins. “Saad and Shadab will be leading the teams during the first phase of the Cup as the duo has already been announced as deputy to the announced skippers,” a PCB official said. The official added that both skippers along with Shaheen Shah Afridi would not be available for the entire first phase. Meanwhile, all the national team members who were on tour to England for Tests and T20s will join their respective provincial team from September 25. “All the participating players will undergo Covid-19 test tomorrow (Tuesday) and on Thursday again before joining their respective team on September 26 for start of the training session. These players will only join their teams once they are tested negative. The National T20 Cup will be the first domestic event following the postponement of the Pakistan Super League-V in March.”

Pak v Zim: Africans name 25-man provisional squad for upcoming tour NEWS DESK Zimbabwe Cricket on Sunday announced, in a post on Twitter, its 25-man provisional squad for the upcoming limited-overs tour of Pakistan. The Africans are expected to land in Pakistan on October 20, and, following the mandatory quarantine, will play a three-match ODI series in Multan and as many T20Is in Rawalpindi. The bio-secure bubble that the Pakistan Cricket Board has created for domestic season will be used for the tour of Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe's upcoming tour will be their second visit to Pakistan in the last five years. Here is the privisional/training squad announced by Zimbabwe: Faraz Akram, Ryan Burl, Regis Chakabva, Brian Chari, Tendai Chatara, Chamu Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Tendai Chisoro, Craig Ervine, Kyle Jarvis, Luke Jongwe, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, Wesley Madhevere, Timycen Maruma, Wellington Masakadza, Brandon Mavuta, Peter Moor, Carl Mumba, Richmond Mutumbami, Richard Ngarava, Sikandar Raza, Milton Shumba, Brendan Taylor, Donald Tiripano, Sean Williams.

Sporting name academy after 'greatest ever' product Ronaldo LISBON: Sporting announced on Monday they will re-name their academy after former attacker and five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo, who scored in Juventus' first Serie A game of the season on Sunday, joined the capital city side aged 12. "The Academy will thus immortalise the name of the greatest symbol it ever produced and that will be an inspiration to follow for all the younger talents," the 18-time Portugese champions said in a statement. "The Academia Cristiano Ronaldo will represent Sporting's DNA in its excellence and will follow the destinies of the one that now gives it its name: to be the best in the world," they added. AGENCIES

Djokovic makes masters 1000 history, clinches fifth Rome crown AGENCIES Three weeks after completing his second Career Golden Masters at the Western & Southern Open, Novak Djokovic created more ATP Masters 1000 history at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Monday. The World No. 1 rallied from a double break down in the first set to defeat Diego Schwartzman 7-5, 6-3 and claim a recordbreaking 36th Masters 1000 crown. Djokovic entered the event level with 35time Masters 1000 titlist Rafael Nadal, but has now moved ahead of the Spaniard with his fifth Rome trophy. Djokovic has now won 31 of his 32 matches this year. The 33-year-old has won four trophies from five events in 2020, following title runs at the Australian Open (d. Thiem), the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships (d. Tsitsipas) and the Western &

Southern Open (d. Raonic). The Belgrade native has won the past three Masters 1000 tournaments. Prior to his wins in New York and Rome, Djokovic also claimed the 2019 Rolex Paris Masters trophy (d. Shapovalov). “It was a great week. A very challenging week. I don’t think I played my best tennis throughout the entire week, but I think I found my best tennis when I needed it the most in the decisive moments today, yesterday [and in] practically every match,” said Djokovic. “That definitely makes me very satisfied and proud that I managed to find that fifth gear when it was most needed. Turning to Paris, I couldn’t ask for a better tournament here in Rome. Another big title and [I am] super pleased with it.” This is the first of two milestone moments for Djokovic today. When the new FedEx ATP Rankings are run later this

evening, the Serbian will begin his 287th week at the top of the FedEx ATP Rankings to pass his idol Pete Sampras’ total of 286 weeks. Djokovic has also moved ahead of Nadal to become the oldest champion in tournament history. The 33-year-old improves to 5-5 in Rome championship matches, one year after falling to a 32-yearold Nadal in last year’s championship match. This is the second straight year that Djokovic has defeated Schwartzman at the Foro Italico. The 17-time Grand Slam champion overcame the Argentine in three sets to advance to last year’s championship match. Djokovic is unbeaten in five ATP Head2Head matches against Schwartzman. “[Diego] played well in heavy conditions, especially at the beginning… He played many long matches. He had fantastic wins against Nadal and Shapovalov last night, so credit to him for a phenomenal

CMYK

tournament and I wish him all the best in the rest of the season," said Djokovic. Appearing in his first Masters 1000 final, Schwartzman was attempting to become the fifth Argentine to lift a Masters 1000 trophy. Schwartzman became the shortest Masters 1000 finalist in history (5’7”) with back-to-back victories against nine-time champion Nadal and #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov. Schwartzman would have cracked the Top 10 in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time if he had captured the Rome trophy. As a result of Djokovic’s win, Rome semi-finalist Shapovalov will make his debut in the Top 10. Schwartzman made a fast start on Centrale, charging around the court and playing with great variety to outmanoeuvre his opponent and establish a double-break advantage. After hitting a number of unforced errors in the opening three games, Djokovic

responded quickly. The World No. 1 began to dictate rallies with his forehand and recovered both breaks to level the score at 3-3. Djokovic was unable to convert a set point at 5-4, when Schwartzman stepped inside the court to strike a forehand winner. But the Serbian was handed three further opportunities at 6-5 as Schwartzman committed a series of errors. Djokovic took the third of those chances, dragging the Argentine across the baseline with a series of heavy forehands to extract another error. After trading breaks to open the second set, Djokovic made the crucial move at 3-3. The 81-time ATP Tour titlist held serve to love and struck two inspired winners: a forehand lob and a backhand winner down the line to earn a love service break in the following game. Djokovic earned three consecutive championship points at 5-3 and took his third opportunity with a backhand drop shot.

Tuesday, 22 September, 2020

PRAyER TImINGS

NEWS

uS ImPoSES SaNCTIoNS oN IraN'S dEFENCE mINISTry, vENEzuEla'S maduro WASHINGTON

AGENCIES

HE United States on Monday imposed new sanctions on the Iranian defense ministry and others involved in Iran’s nuclear and weapons program to support its assertion that all U.N. sanctions against Tehran are now restored, a move disputed by key

European allies as well as U.S. adversaries such as Russia and China. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, flanked by President Donald Trump’s top national security aides, also told reporters the United States put new sanctions on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has deepened ties between Caracas and Tehran. The latest sanctions include a new executive order signed by Trump targeting those

ISraEl urgES E-3 To rEImPoSE SaNCTIoNS agaINST IraN TEL AVIV: Israel has urged European powers to recognize U.S. unilateral announcement over the resumption of the United Nations Security Council's sanctions against Iran. In a statement issued by his office, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi called on Israel's allies, known as E-3 countries, namely France, Britain, and Germany, "to retreat from their opposition and work towards rigorously implementing the sanctions." He urged them to reimpose the sanctions on the national level, as well as on the EU level and through the UN mechanisms. His call came after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed that all pre-2015 sanctions against Iran had been reimposed. However, most of the member states of the UN Security Council said that Pompeo's move is based on a mechanism that is part of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers, meaning that his announcement was not valid. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government considers Iran its arch-foe and has long called the international community to impose sanctions on the Islamic republic. AGENCIES

Six Pakistani banks named in FinCEN leak NEWS DESK Six Pakistani banks have been named in an investigation on the role global banks play in money laundering by Buzzfeed News and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), for 29 suspicious transactions close to $2.5 million. The banks named are Allied Bank, United Bank (UBL), Habib Metropolitan Bank, Bank Alfalah, Standard Chartered Bank Pakistan, and Habib Bank (HBL). All the suspicious transactions took place in 2011 and 2012. Buzzfeed News had shared with ICIJ more than 2,100 suspicious activity reports, or SARs, filed by global banks to the U.S. Treasury Department’s intelligence unit, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, known as FinCEN. According to the investigation, global banks moved more than $2 trillion between 1999 and 2017 in suspicious payments, and flagged bank clients in more than 170 countries who were identified as being involved in potentially illicit transactions. Banks file SARs when they believe a client is using services for potential criminal activity, though the filing in itself does not require a bank to stop doing business with a client. According to the data revealed by ICIJ, 29 such suspicious transactions to and from Pakistan were flagged. Of those, the ‘received’ transactions amounted to $1,942,560, while the ‘sent’ transaction was $452,000. Allied Bank had 12 suspicious transactions flagged, receiving $1,001170; UBL had eight transactions flagged, receiving $399,620; Habib Metro had two transactions flagged, receiving $74,980; Bank Alfalah had three transactions flagged, receiving $99,480 and sending $452,000; Standard Chartered had four transactions flagged, receiving $199,860; and HBL had one transaction flagged, receiving $167,450. Out of the 29 transactions, Standard Chartered filed 28 SARs with FinCEN, while The Bank of New York Mellon Corp., filed one. All of these transactions took place between September and December 2012, except for one transaction that took place in November 2011.

who buy or sell Iran conventional arms that was previously reported by Reuters. Acting under that order, the United States said it had imposed penalties on Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, Iran’s Defense Industries Organization and its Director, Mehrdad Akhlaghi-Ketabchi. The impetus behind the U.S. action is the impending expiry of a U.N. arms embargo on Iran and a desire to warn foreign actors U.S. entities are already barred from such trade - that if they buy or sell arms to Iran they will face U.S. sanctions. Under the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran struck with six major powers - Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States - the U.N. conventional arms embargo is to set to expire on Oct. 18, shortly before the Nov. 3 U.S. election. “No matter who you are, if you violate the U.N. arms embargo on Iran, you risk sanctions,” Pompeo told a news conference with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and Robert O’Brien, the national security adviser. The United States says it has triggered a “snap back,” or resumption, of virtually all

DUBAI Iran is ready for a full prisoner exchange with the United States, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a virtual address to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on Monday, amid heightened tension between the longtime foes. Washington has long demanded that Iran release U.S. citizens including Iranian-American father and son Baquer and Siamak Namazi, who it says are political prisoners. Tehran denies it holds people for political reasons and has accused many of the foreigners in its jails of espionage. It says Iranians detained in the U.S., mostly for breaking sanctions, are being unjustly held. “There are Iranians in U.S. prisons who are there only because they refuse to betray their country (Iran). We are prepared to exchange all of them and all those who have been kept in jail,” Zarif said. “I repeat, we

STAFF REPORT

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir has asked the United Nations (UN) to call on New Delhi to halt the human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). At its informal meeting in New York, the Contact Group said that India should also be pressed upon to implement the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, which call for a plebiscite to enable the people of IOK to exercise their right to self-determination. The members of the contact group voiced deep concerns over the continued violations by India of the fundamental human rights in occupied territory.

U.N. sanctions on Iran, including the arms embargo, to come into effect at 8 p.m. on Saturday (0000 GMT Sunday). Other parties to the nuclear deal and most U.N. Security Council members have said they do not believe the United States has the right to reimpose the U.N. sanctions and that the U.S. move has no legal effect. Despite this opposition, Pompeo said the United States was not isolated. “The country that’s isolated today is not the United States but rather Iran,” he said. The United States also targeted six individuals and three entities associated with the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) under a separate executive order and the U.S. Commerce Department added five individuals associated with the AEOI to its “Entity List,” imposing export control restrictions on them. The Treasury Department also sanctioned three individuals and four entities as-

can exchange all prisoners. Period.” The two sides have done two prisoner exchanges despite a deterioration in relations in 2018 when U.S. President Donald Trump exited Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with major powers and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran that have crippled its economy. Washington piled more pressure on Iran at the weekend when it said it had triggered a snapback of U.N. sanctions and slapped new sanctions on Iranian officials on Monday. Navy veteran Michael White, detained since 2018, returned home in June in return for the United States allowing an Iranian-American physician Majid Taheri to visit Iran. White said he contracted Covid-19 while in detention. In December 2018, Washington and Tehran worked on a prisoner exchange in which Iran freed U.S. citizen Xiyue Wang, who had been held for three years on spying charges, and the US freed Iranian Massoud Soleimani, who faced charges of violating US. sanctions on Iran.

Conveying the special message of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN Munir Akram said that the BJP government is engaged in systematically engineering a demographic change in occupied Kashmir through new domicile laws. The issuance of 1.6 million domicile certificates is meant to change the demography of the occupied territory from a Muslim majority into Hindu majority territory. He also said that the status of Urdu is also being changed under a new legislation by India to obliterate the Muslim identity of IOK. Qureshi, in his special message emphasised that it is imperative for India to immediately lift its inhumane military siege, remove restrictions on communications, movement and peaceful assembly, release incarcerated political leaders and reverse new domicile laws.

Global banks moved trillions in dirty money for oligarchs, criminal networks: ICIJ WASHINGTON AGENCIES

The International Consortium for Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has released the results of an investigation based on more than 2,100 so-called suspicious activity reports (SARs) filed by banks and financial institutions with the US Department of Treasury’s Financial Crime Enforcement Network (FinCEN) between 1999 and 2017. The SARs were obtained by Buzzfeed News and shared with the ICIJ. According to the investigative organization, the megabanks continued to profit from

powerful and dangerous players even after US authorities fined the financial institutions for earlier failures to stem flows of dirty money. The documents reveal that the US-based JPMorgan moved money for people and companies tied to the massive looting of public funds in Malaysia, Ukraine and Venezuela. The ICIJ reports that tainted transactions continued to surge through accounts at JPMorgan despite the bank’s promises to improve its money laundering controls as part of settlements it reached with US authorities in 2011, 2013 and 2014. JPMorgan told the ICIJ that while the bank was legally prohibited from discussing clients or transac-

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA 4:47

6:28

7:44

NEW YORK: While opposing the US recent unilateral announcement on the return of UN sanctions on Iran, Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations in a letter to the president of the Security Council and UN secretary-general terming US demand illegitimate. In his letter, Zhang said that the United States unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May 2018, and is no longer a JCPOA participant. Therefore, it is illegitimate for the United States to demand the Security Council invoke the snapback mechanism. In response to the U.S. letter dated Aug. 20, 13 members of the Security Council earlier wrote to the president of the Council and clearly stated that any decision or action resulting from the U.S. letter is devoid of any legal, political or practical effect. Their view was also reflected by the president in his conclusion on Aug. 25. Zhang emphasized that given the above, the snapback mechanism shall not be deemed as invoked. The provisions of resolutions 1696 (2006), 1737 (2006), 1747 (2007), 1803 (2008), 1835 (2008) and 1929 (2010) will continue to be terminated pursuant to OP 7 (a) of Resolution 2231 after Sept. 20. China is committed to upholding the efficacy of the JCPOA and the authority of the Security Council resolution, and will make relentless efforts toward the political solution of the Iranian nuclear issue, he stressed. AGENCIES

OIC asks UN to call on New Delhi to halt HR abuses in IOK ISLAMABAD

ZUHR 12:25

6:21

uS uNIlaTEral aNNouNCEmENT oN SaNCTIoNS oN IraN IllEgITImaTE: ChINa

Iran says it is ready to swap all prisoners with US AGENCIES

FAJR SUNRISE 5:05

tions, it has taken a “leadership role” in pursuing “proactive intelligence-led investigations” and developing “innovative techniques to help combat financial crime.” Bank of New York Mellon, Deutsche Bank, HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank also continued to wave through suspect payments despite similar promises to government authorities. In the last decade, the banks paid billions of dollars in fines and agreed to deferred prosecution agreements over failures in their antimoney-laundering programs. Shares of the banks fell sharply in Hong Kong on Monday after the report came out, with HSBC’s stock at one point trading at its lowest level since 1995.

sociated with Iran’s liquid propellant ballistic missile organization, the State Department said. The Trump administration has previously imposed sanctions on Maduro, Venezuela’s socialist leader, a rare action against a foreign head of state, accusing him of undermining democracy in the South American country. Washington and dozens of other countries back opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s legitimate president. But U.S. officials have said privately that Maduro’s continued grip on power – backed by the military as well as Russia, China, Cuba and Iran – has been a source of frustration for Trump. “For nearly two years, corrupt officials in Tehran have worked with the illegitimate regime in Venezuela to flout the U.N. arms embargo,” Pompeo said, providing no specifics.

Taiwan military says it has right to counter attack amid China threats TAIPEI: Taiwan said on Monday its armed forces have the right to self-defence and counter-attack amid “harassment and threats”, in an apparent warning to China, which last week sent numerous jets across the mid-line of the sensitive Taiwan Strait. Tensions have sharply spiked in recent months between Taipei and Beijing, which claims democratically run Taiwan as its own territory, to be taken by force if needed. Multiple Chinese aircraft flew across the mid-line of the Taiwan Strait and into the island's air defence identification zone on Friday and Saturday, prompting Taiwan to scramble jets to intercept and President Tsai Ing-wen to call China a threat to the region. Taiwan's defence ministry said in a statement it had “clearly defined” procedures for the island's first response amid “high frequency of harassment and threats from the enemy's warships and aircraft this year”. It said Taiwan had the right to “self-defense and to counter-attack” and that it followed the guideline of “no escalation of conflict and no triggering incidents”. AGENCIES

CoroNavIruS IN

PakISTaN

CONFIRMED CASES:

306,304

LAST UPDATED AT 7:43 AM ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

RECOVERED:

NEW CASES:

633

DEATHS:

292,869 6,420 SINDH:

133,947

PUNJAB:

98,428

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

37,357

14,394

2,533/3,483 16,162

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