Epaper – September 25 KHI 2020

Friday, 25 September, 2020 I 6 Safar, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 86 I 12 Pages I Karachi Edition

Imran proposes measures to stop IllIcIt cashflow from developIng countrIes g

Premier says stolen assets of develoPing countries must be returned

ISLAMABAD staff report

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rime minister imran Khan on thursday called upon the international community to take steps to counter illicit flows of money, saying the “stolen assets of developing countries must be returned”, noting that billions of dollars illegally flow out of developing countries each year. according to the Prime minister’s office, Pm imran, on the sidelines of the ongoing united nations general assembly (unga) session, addressed a high-level panel on financial accountability, transparency and integrity (facti) asking the world forum to help prevent “this bleeding of the poor and developing countries”. He further said his government had come “with a robust public mandate to get rid of this menace from our country”. “$1 trillion is taken out each year by these white-collar criminals,” he noted. “$20-40 billion is in the form of bribes received by these corrupt white-collar criminals; $7 trillion in stolen assets is parked in these safe tax haven destinations; $500600 billion is lost each year in tax avoidance by multinational companies.”

PRImE mINIStER ImRaN PRESENtED thE FoLLowINg mEaSuRES So that thE woRLD

mIght CuRb ILLICIt FINaNCIaL FLowS: n the stolen assets of developing countries, including proceeds of corruption, bribery and other crimes, must be returned immediately n the stories in haven destinations must impose criminal and financial penalties on their financial institutions which receive and utilise such money and assets n the enablers of corruption and bribery such as accountants, lawyers and other intermediaries must be closely regulated, monitored and held accountable n the beneficial ownership of foreign companies must be revealed immediately upon inquiry by the interested and affected governments n multinational corporations must not be allowed to resort to profit-shifting to lowtax jurisdictions for avoiding taxation. a global minimum corporate tax could prevent this practice n revenues from digital transactions should be taxed where the revenues are generated, not elsewhere n unequal investment treaties should be discarded or revised, and a fair system for adjudication of investment disputes set up n all official and non-official bodies set up to control and monitor illicit financial flows must include all the interested countries n the un should set up a mechanism to

coronavIrus In

pakIstan

CONFIRMED CASES:

308,217

LAST UPDATED AT 8:12 AM ON SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

5

RECOVERED:

NEW CASES:

799

DEATHS:

294,392 6,437 SINDH:

134,845

PUNJAB:

98,686

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

37,470

14,765

2,591/3,572 16,288

coordinate and supervise the work of the various official and non-official bodies dealing with illicit financial flows to ensure coherence, consistency and equity in their work. “unless these steps are taken, the difference between the rich and poor countries will keep growing,” he said, adding that the gap can worsen the migration crisis, saying it “will be dwarfed by what will happen in the future”.

Pm imran added that Pakistan appreciated nigeria and norway’s initiative in establishing the panel. along with the facti panel, the premier also spoke at the ‘Poverty at a crossroad: using leadership and the multidimensional Poverty index to build back better’ event. the event was co-hosted by Pakistan and chile. earlier on twitter, the Pmo said that the facti panel is being convened to “present the interim report of the facti panel, which identifies the major gaps in the implementation and the systemic shortcomings of the existing international frameworks for tax cooperation, anti-corruption [and] antimoney laundering”. it added that the event would also “foster a discussion amongst civil society, international institutions, academia and the business sector to explore the issues highlighted in the facti panel’s interim report”. it furhter said that the forum would be used to discuss priority actions regarding recognied challenges, “particularly in light of the impact of the covid-19 crisis on progress towards the implementation of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development”. furthermore, the event would also “foster a discussion amongst civil society, international institutions, academia and the business sector to explore the issues highlighted in the facti panel’s interim report”, the Pmo added. the prime minister is also scheduled to address the unga on friday. His speech will focus on Kashmir dispute, the foreign office (fo) said earlier. in his speech at the 74th unga session last year, Pm imran had highlighted sufferings of Kashmiris and the indian action of annexing the occupied territory. the general debate, which is the centrepiece of any unga session, started from tuesday.

No private meetings with military, Nawaz tells party workers ISLAMABAD staff report

Pakistan muslim league-nawaz (Pml-n) supreme leader nawaz sharif has banned his party members from meeting with the military leadership covertly after railways minister sheikh rasheed revealed details of the private meetings. taking to twitter, nawaz on thursday said that no member of his party would hold individual, private or delegation-level meetings with the country’s military leadership. “if necessitated by national security or constitutional requirements, such meetings in the future will be approved by the party’s leadership and will be made public,” he added. nawaz said that “recent events once again prove how some meetings remain hidden behind seven veils while others are given the colour of choice through publicising them. this game should now stop.” the Pml-n supremo added that he was barring his party members from meeting representatives of military or associated agencies in order to fulfil “requisites of constitution of Pakistan and to remind

Diplomats meet victims of Indian aggression during LoC visit ISLAMABAD staff report

a delegation of foreign diplomats, defence attaches and representatives of international organisations visited the line of control (loc), the de facto border between Pakistan and india stretched along Kashmir, on thursday. the delegation included diplomats, attachés and representatives from azerbaijan, bosnia and Herzegovina, the european union, Portugal, saudi arabia, south africa, turkey, greece, australia, iran, iraq, the united Kingdom, Poland, uzbekistan, germany, switzerland, france, egypt, libya, yemen and afghanistan, as well as representatives from the united nations World food Programme. inter-services Public relations (isPr) director general major general babar iftikhar told the foreign diplomats that there had been some 2,333 indian ceasefire violations and unprovoked firing incidents across the loc during 2020 leaving 18 civilians martyred, 185 injured.

He said that the indian army was deliberately targeting the civilian population with heavy

the armed forces to comply with their oath”. nawaz’s statement comes a day after the railways minister sheikh rasheed ahmad said that some senior politicians of the party, such as senior Pml-n leader and former sindh governor muhammad Zubair, had held two meetings with the military leadership, including the army chief.

When the details of these covert meetings were revealed, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader bilawal Zardari bhutto had said that those conversations were meant to be confidential and that certain people needed to refrain from revealing their details.

Pml-n’s ahsan iqbal and maryam nawaz had also denied reports of any one-on-one meeting military army leadership and said that rasheed was lying about the meeting. later, inter-services Public relations (isPr) director-general majorgeneral babar iftikhar had revealed in a tv talk show that “mr Zubair twice met the army chief, once in the last week of august and then on september 7 in the presence of director-general isi”.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

more inside

Pakistan records highest one-day rise in Covid cases in two months STORY ON PAGE 03

nePra approves rs1.62 per unit hike in power tariff weapons, which was a violation of international law, whereas the Pakistan army being a professional army only targeted the military posts. major general iftikhar said that india was firing indiscriminately on the civilian population to increase provocation in an attempt to divert the global attention from the oppression in the illegally occupied Kashmir (ioK). india, he added, was committing grave human rights violations in ioK and had increased ceasefire violations on the loc since 2014. the isPr dg noted that india used cluster ammunition on innocent civilians in the neelum valley on July 30 and

31. international bodies, especially the united nations Human rights commission (unHcr), had highlighted indian oppression in their various reports, he added. major general iftikhar said that the Kashmir issue needed to be resolved in accordance with the united nations (un) resolutions.

Pakistan, he said, had always welcomed the visit of the united nations military observer group for Pakistan and india, international media, and diplomats to any area of the loc and provided them access to the local population to assess the ground situation themselves.

former australian cricketer dean Jones dies of heart attack

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

STORY ON PAGE 11

STORY ON PAGE 03

100 medicines see 262pc price hike after govt’s approval STORY ON PAGE 04

02

Friday, 25 September, 2020

NEWS

fM PRoPosEs sAARC REsouRCE Pool, REgioN-CENtRiC APPRoACh to fight CoMMoN ChAllENgEs ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

OREIGN Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday called upon the South Asian states to pool resources and adopt a region-centric approach in jointly addressing the common challenges of pandemic, food security, locust invasion and climate change.

“The development needs of the people of South Asia can only be fulfilled by pooling resources and taking a regional approach,” the foreign minister said in his virtual address to the informal meeting of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Council of Ministers on the sidelines of 75th United Nations General Assembly, held in New York.

Qureshi said that Pakistan was ready to contribute and play its part as SAARC re-

newed its focus to get better prepared for the challenges.

Being a founding member of SAARC, he said that Pakistan always attached great importance to the forum and remained committed to the principles and objectives of the SAARC Charter.

He assured that Pakistan would continue to play a proactive role towards the success of SAARC. The foreign minister said that as the pandemic exposed weaknesses of global healthcare systems, particularly of developing countries, it was time to remodel and develop medical systems.

He apprised the meeting that taking opportunity out of challenging situation, Pakistan manufactured its first own ventilator machine during the pandemic. Pakistan, he said, remained successful in containing the virus by following a com-

PiA gets permission to operate additional flights to ksA this month RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has permitted Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to operate 21 additional flights this month, the national flag-carrier said on Thursday. in a statement PIA Chief Executive Officer Air Marshal Arshad Malik a day earlier informed Prime Minister Imran Khan that many Pakistanis were scrambling to fly back to the Kingdom as their resident permits, or iqamas, would expire on September 30, but there were not enough flights. “PIA is [now] allowed to operate more flights exclusively after using high-level diplomatic contacts,” the statement said.

“With the involvement of the Prime Minister, 21 more flights have been added to the PIA flight operations, bringing the capacity to fly 25,500 passengers,” it said. All nationals would be able to return to their homes and workplaces in Saudi Arabia before September 30, the statement said, adding, “PIA has already requested Saudi officials to double its flights for the month of October.” PIA currently operates 23 weekly flights to Saudi Arabia with a capacity to carry 12,000 passengers. A day earlier, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Zulfiqar Bukhari had discussed with the Kingdom’s deputy labor minister, Abdullah bin Nasser Abuthnain, the possibility of increasing the frequency of flights to the kingdom to allow more Pakistanis to return to their workplaces and homes on time. STAFF REPORT

global body bars CAA from issuing new licences to pilots, crew KARACHI: The International Civil Aviation Organisation has barred the Civil Aviation Authority from issuing new licences to pilots, air traffic controllers, engineers, and flight attendants over concerns about its safety protocols, it emerged on Thursday. According to sources within the CAA, the ICAO has directed the organisation to halt the issuance of all licenses and submit a formal reply by Sept 29. It has also urged the CAA to expedite the review process of all licenses that have already been issued to ensure they match international requirements.

The CAA is expected to submit a “written response” to the ICAO to alleviate its concerns, with sources saying that if the reply does not meet the international watchdog’s requirements, the ICAO could impose a “significant safety concern” status on Pakistan. This designation does not necessarily indicate a particular safety deficiency but, rather, indicates that the state concerned is not providing sufficient safety oversight to ensure the effective implementation of all applicable ICAO Standards. According to the CAA sources, the ICAO has expressed dissatisfaction over CAA’s licensing process, claiming it ignores international safety standards. The CAA has been under fire from international bodies since Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan claimed in June that around a third of all registered pilots had “fake” or “dubious” licenses. The CAA has claimed this was misstated, as all its licenses are “genuine,” but admitted that some procedural lapses merited further investigation. STAFF REPORT

prehensive strategy of “smart lockdowns”, tests, tracing and quarantine.

“Our efforts in finding a balance between lives and livelihoods was helpful in mitigating the impact of the pandemic,” he added.

Qureshi mentioned the provision of state support to the vulnerable segments through the prime minister’s $8 billion relief package, constituting a one-million volunteer youth Task Force and re-employment of people through the ambitious 10 Billion Tree Tsunami projects.

He said that although Pakistan had controlled the pandemic within its boundaries, still the government believed that a regional approach was needed to stop the spread of Covid-19, and save lives and livelihoods of the people of South Asia.

He recalled Pakistan’s hosting of the SAARC Health Ministers’ Video Confer-

ence on April 23 to develop a regional response to fight the pandemic, besides providing an opportunity for all member states to learn from each other’s successes and experiences.

He also mentioned Prime Minister Imran Khan’s appeal for a ‘Global Initiative for Debt Relief’, which, he said, gave a fiscal space to the developing countries in dealing with the challenge.

Similarly, the foreign minister said, to strengthen the resilience of the country’s healthcare system, Pakistan Preparedness and Response Plan (PPRP) worth $595 million was launched.

He said that Pakistan remained supportive of upgrading the status of active Observer countries to Dialogue Partners to ensure their contribution for development of the region, especially in context of postpandemic economic recovery.

SC directs for concluding Perween Rehman murder trial in a month ISLAMABAD TLTP

The Supreme Court on Thursday issued directives for conclusion of the trial in the high-profile Perween Rehman murder case within a month.

Headed by Justice Umar Atta Bandial, an apex court bench noted with wonder that the trial has been experiencing delays for the last 20 months. Perween Rehman, head of the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP), was gunned down near her office in Orangi Town on March 13, 2013.

A Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) lawyer informed the judges that five men were named in the case.

One of them, named Qari Bilal, was killed in an encounter with police. He had nothing to do with the murder of Per-

ween Rahman, the counsel said.

Justice Mazahir Naqvi, a member of the bench, questioned how Bilal’s gun matched with the bullet shells of a 9mm pistol used to kill Rehman if he had nothing to do with her murder.

Pir Muhammad Shah, head of a joint investigation team (JIT) formed to probe the murder case, stated before the court that statements of witnesses had been recorded and the trial could not proceed further due to the SC’s hearing of the case.

At this, Justice Bandial observed that the apex court has not passed any stay order, halting the trial.

Later, the court ordered for conclusion of the trial in the high-profile case within a month and adjourned the hearing.

NAB gets six-day physical remand of Fazl’s aide PESHAWAR STAFF REPORT

An accountability court in Peshawar on Thursday granted the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) six-day physical remand of Jamiat Ulema-eIslam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Musa Khan.

Khan, party’s Peshawar chapter’s president, was arrested Wednesday night while he was travelling from Dera Ismail Khan to Peshawar, where he was meant to appear before the agency. According to his son, the

agency had sent Khan a questionnaire regarding the case and the latter was headed to Peshawar to submit his answers.

Khan is included in the inquiry of a case pertaining to assets beyond means. He will be presented before the accountability court on September 30. In a statement issued on the arrest, JUI-F Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) spokesperson Haji Jaleel Jan termed Khan’s arrest as “political revenge”.

He said that Khan was arrested while he was on his way to appear before NAB and asked: “What is the logic behind arresting a person who is co-

operating?”

Jan said that NAB was “arresting people for their affiliation with opposition” figures.

“What message is being given by [Khan’s] arrest at a time when NAB is inquiring Rehman?”

In a comment on the summons issued for the party chief, Jan said that they had not received the notice yet.

The party will decide whether Rehman will appear after it receives the notice.

The arrest comes two days after the NAB issued a summons for Fazl, directing him to appear before its investigation team next month in an inquiry launched on charges of corruption and possessing assets beyond means. The notice, issued under Section 19 of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999, was sent to his residence in Dera Ismail Khel.

NEPRA APPRovEs Rs1.62 PER uNit hikE iN PowER tARiff ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Thursday approved an increase of Rs1.62 per unit in the power tariff due to the fuel adjustment cost for the second and third quarters of Financial Year 2019-20. The consumers will have to bear the burden of Rs164.87 billion if the government approves NEPRA's tariff hike. The decision was taken in light of requests filed by power distribution companies during the last financial year.

"The Authority has determined a uniform rate of Rs.1.6236/kWh attached as Annex-I with the instant decision, for the allowed amount of quarterly adjustments of Rs.73,065 million pertaining to the 2nd quarter and Rs.91,805 million for the 3rd Quarter of FY 2019-20 (total Rs.164,870 million)," read a press release by NEPRA. "Across each category of consumers of XWDISCOs, based on projected sales for the FY 2017-18, after excluding therefrom the sales to lifeline consumers, to be recovered in twelve (12) months period." "Since, through the amendment in NEPRA Act, the power to impose surcharges by the Federal Government has been removed, therefore, the Federal Government shall not rationalize the allowed uniform rate of Rs.1.6236/kW}i upwards for any consumer category," read NEPRA's statement. The decision to hike electricity tariff will not be applicable to K-Electric. STAFF REPORT

PMo launches Arabic language twitter account ISLAMABAD: The office of Prime Minister Imran Khan has launched a new Twitter handle to share news and information about the premier in the Arabic language. The account, which was launched in May this year, has shared videos of the prime minister’s speeches and interviews along with Arabic messages. Imran has 12.5 million followers on his official Twitter account, the largest of any Pakistani politician. Pakistan enjoys close ties with many Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Around 3 million Pakistani expatriates live and work in Saudi Arabia and UAE is also the second-largest labor market for the country’s workers. STAFF REPORT

Corruption Inquiry: NAB summons former Sindh CM on 30th KARACHI: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned former Sindh chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on September 30 in another corruption inquiry. Shah moved the Sindh High Court (SHC) to get bail due to fear of his arrest in the corruption inquiry over alleged embezzlement in funds released for colleges. The anti-corruption watchdog launched an inquiry into corruption into colleges’ funds against the former chief minister. The former chief minister is also facing charges of massive corruption in Roshan Sindh project initiated by the provincial government for installation of solar streetlights across the province. STAFF REPORT

Opp ready to approve govt-proposed NAB legislation ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The National Assembly (NA) is set to adopt the government-presented National Accountability (Second Amendment) Bill “as it is”, a day after a Lower House panel deferred consideration of three important bills. According to its schedule, the Standing Committee on Law and Justice was to adopt the legislation yesterday when it met under the chairmanship of Riaz Fatyana to discuss the bills — National Accountability (Second Amendment) Bill, 2019 (Ordinance No XXVII of 2019), Whistleblower Protection and Vigilance Commission, Ordinance No XXIII of 2019 and International Court of Justice (Review and Re-consideration)

Ordinance No VI of 2020.

However, during the session, when the committee was about to take up the amendment bill related to curtailing National Accountability Bureau (NAB) powers in cases against businessmen, the law secretary, Raja Naeem Akbar, said the ministry did not want a discussion on the bill in the meeting. The secretary’s insisted on delaying the discussion even though Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Syed Naveed Qamar of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) said that the opposition was ready to pass the legislation “as it is”.

However, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MP Malik Ehsan Ullah Tiwana said that the opposition’s stance made the government think if it was going to com-

mit a mistake. Another ruling MP then criticised the law ministry’s “attitude” and insisted that there must be a discussion when the bill was on the agenda.

Fatyana said that a message had been received from Law Minister Farogh Naseem who had some personal engagement but he wanted a discussion on the bill in his presence.

THE BILL: The NAB amendment bill is being brought as NAB Ordinance, 2019, meant to provide relief to businessmen by excluding their cases pertaining to “federal or provincial taxation, levies or imposts” within the purview of the accountability law and transferring the existing trials from the accountability courts to the criminal courts dealing with such offences had lapsed on April 26.

The ordinance had not only taken care of the business community but also of civil servants and politicians to some extent as it redefined the terms “misuse of authority” and “acts done in good faith”.

When the ordinance curtailing NAB powers pertaining to action against businessmen, civil servants and politicians had been promulgated by the government in December last year, it was termed “Mother of All NROs”. The opposition parties had made a hue and cry over the government’s act of promulgating the ordinance accusing the ruling PTI of taking another U-turn on its slogan of across-theboard accountability though later not only agreed to hold negotiations with the government as some politicians also claimed relief under the ordinance.

Friday, 25 September, 2020

NEWS

MiNistERs iN CoNfliCt About REoPENiNg of sChools AMid fEAR of viRus REsuRgENCE KARACHI

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STAFF REPORT

MID a dramatic surge in fresh coronavirus cases following a steep decline, Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho on Thursday warned against reopening of schools while Education Minister Saeed Ghani insisted on opening schools by September 28 and Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah saying that the situation was under review.

Speaking to a news channel, the health minister said the positivity rate “has increased from 1.5 per cent to 3 per cent” and that it would be unwise to reopen schools at this stage.

The statement comes as the provincial government gears up to reopen schools middle schools from September 28 which were earlier scheduled to resume classes from

September 21.

The Sindh government had decided to postpone the reopening fearing a resurgence of cases. However, classes from six to eight were resumed across the country from September 23 after approval from the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC).

“A second wave of coronavirus has been predicted in the current situation,” Pechuho said, adding that she had reservations about reopening of the educational institutes.

“Do not rush to open primary schools!

Primary schools must be given at least one to one-and-a-half month to reopen,” the minister warned.

“It would be right to send children to school only when the situation [related to the coronavirus pandemic] is clear,” she added.

However, in spite of the warnings,

Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani announced that both lower secondary and primary classes will resume on September 28, and directed relevant authorities to ensure implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs).

NCOC had earlier this week permitted schools across the country to resume inperson classes for sixth to eighth grade, but Ghani delayed the opening of schools from 23 September to 28 September. Primary school classes are set to resume from 30 September.

However, Sindh CM Syed Murad Ali Shah said on Thursday that the provincial government will review the situation about the second phase of reopening of the schools in the province on September 28.

“Children are the future of our country and parents and teachers should ensure enforcement of SOPs,” he said and added that there is no cure of the disease till now

PAkistAN RECoRds highEst oNE-dAy RisE iN Covid CAsEs iN two MoNths LAHORE: 799 people tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, marking the highest single-day rise since August. 42,299 tests were conducted in the past day, with a total 3,306,515 tests conducted in the country so far. Currently, there are 7,388 active cases, while 548 are critical cases. The death toll has risen to 6,437 with five deaths in the past 24 hours. The total number of recoveries is now 294,392, with 476 people recovering in the past 24 hours. The recovery rate is 95.5 per cent. Sindh has recorded 134,845 cases, Punjab 98,686, Balochistan 14,765 and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has recorded 37,470 infections. Similarly, 16,288 cases have been confirmed in Islamabad, 3,572 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and 2,591 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). STAFF REPORT

other than adopting precautionary measures. Tens of educational institutions were closed soon after across the country over violation of standard operating proce¬dures (SOPs) and detection of Covid-19 cases among some students, teachers and other staff, resulting in the aforementioned delay in classes resuming.

More than 4,000 coronavirus tests have been conducted at educational institutions across Balochistan, the health department said on Thursday, adding that 382 have been declared positive. As many

Fazl held one-on-one meeting with COAS Bajwa: Sheikh Rasheed FAISALABAD APP

Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad on Thursday said that both, Jamiat Ulema-eIslam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman held one-on-one meeting with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

“Fazlur Rehman had met the army chief in a one-on-one meeting,” he said and further challenged that he was ready to divulge details of a one-on-one meeting between the two in Lahore if Fazl continues to deny his meeting.

He further expressed surprise over hue and cry over the meetings and asked if it was not an honour to meet the chief of the armed forces. He said that the JUI-F chief wanted to fuel sectarian rifts in the country.

Rasheed further dared the opposition leadership to resign from the assemblies so that they could know about their standing within the masses in the next polls.

“PPP [Pakistan People’s Party] will never agree to resign from Sindh Assembly as they know that they could lose the province in case of re-election,” he said.

The railways minister said that the only

sEMiNARy tEAChER toRtuREs 5-yEAR-old studENt to dEAth PINDI BHATTIAN INP

A five-year-old student was killed as he was brutally tortured by a seminary teacher on Thursday.

Mother of the child appealed to the prime minister, chief minister and other officials for strict action against culprit. The five-year-old, who hailed from Pindi Bhattian, was suffering from fever and went to the seminary after absence of several days. The brutal seminary teacher tortured the minor child mercilessly, and resultantly he fell unconscious.

When the mother of the child reached the scene, she found her child’s back stained with blood and he had passed away. The widow said that the brutal teacher killed her only son. She appealed to the prime minister, chief minister and others for taking notice of incident and bringing culprit to book as the influential seminary teacher was forcing her to resolve the dispute without consulting the police.

aim of the opposition parties is to create hindrance for Prime Minister Imran Khan in acquiring a majority in the Senate after the scheduled polls in March 2021.

He said that former premier Nawaz Sharif remained silent for a year and now after speaking during the All Parties Conference (APC) he had dig himself a grave for his political future. “I will now expose a political leader every week from now onwards,” he said.

Rasheed said that prime minister was a beacon of truth in the country and wanted to reform the country and lead it towards progress and prosperity.

LHC extends Shehbaz’s interim bail in money laundering case LAHORE STAFF REPORT

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has extended interim bail of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif till September 28 in money laundering case.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem heard the bail plea of the opposition leader.

The opposition leader in the National Assembly, appeared before the court under strict security, whereas a large number of PML-N workers also reached the court.

At the outset of the hearing, Shehbaz’s counsel said that why the NAB wants to arrest his client when it has filed money laundering case against him.

He added that the investigation officer of the NAB said to his client during interrogation that there is no need for further investigation in the case. “My client can give this statement on oath too,” he added. Later, the LHC extended interim bail of Shehbaz till Monday.

On August 17, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed Rs7 billion money laundering and assets beyond means reference against the Shehbaz family, including his wife Nusrat Shehbaz, sons – Hamza Shehbaz and Suleman Shehbaz – and two daughters, Rabia Imran and Javeria Ali. NAB has prepared another reference against the PML-N president, exposing the alleged procedures adopted by the Sharif family to launder money from Pakistan.

tEEN giRl AllEgEdly Bilawal demands free and fair elections in Gilgit-Baltistan gANg-RAPEd KARACHI iN ChiNiot STAFF REPORT

CHINIOT APP

In yet another horrendous incident of sexual abuse, a 14-year-old girl was allegedly gangraped in the Rajao Saadat area of Chiniot on Thursday. According to APP, a first information report (FIR) has been registered on the complaint of the victim’s relative. The victim, in an initial statement, said two men kidnapped her some days ago when she left her home following a heated argument with her father. The suspects, she said, held her hostage for a week and repeatedly subjected her to sexual assault. The girl was sent for a medical checkup, APP added. Meanwhile, the police said they were conducting raids to arrest the accused.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday demanded “free and fair elections” in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) so that the people of the region can “decide their own future”. In a series of tweets, Bilawal reminded the people that former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in 1974 had introduced reforms in GB by abolishing the Frontier Crimes Regulation Act and Raajgi System in the region.

He added that his mother and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 1994 had given the first legal framework order and, then in 2009, former president Asif Ali Zardari gave “GB its name, empowered its assembly & more”.

“I promised more rights to the people of GB in our 2018 election manifesto. We now

03

demand free & fair elections in GB so the people of GB can decide their own future,” said Bilawal. He added that the PPP would run its 2020 election in the region on “the same manifesto” to make “GB’s dream a reality”. He also asked people to download the PPP manifesto 2018 and see the reforms that his party has promised for GB. The PPP chairman took to Twitter to announce the start of his party’s campaign for the GB polls a day after President Dr Arif Alvi approved general elections of the GB Legislative Assembly on November 15. The president signed the summary sent for approval by the prime minister, the President House said.

The GB Legislative Assembly was dissolved on completion of its term on June 24, after which a caretaker government was formed. The earlier scheduled elections for August 18 were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

as 158 new cases of the coronavirus were detected in the province over the last 24 hours.

SENTINAL TESTING TO ‘IDENTIFY EARLY TRENDS’: Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said that a “significant build-up in covid testing [has been] done to carry out sentinel testing at educational institutions in order to identify early trends, if any”.“42,299 tests carried out yesterday which is by far the highest ever.

[The] positivity ratio continues to be stable below 2%,” he tweeted.

04

Friday, 25 September, 2020

NEWS

100 MEDICInES SEE 262PC PrICE HIKE AftEr govt’S APProvAL ISLAMABAD

t

STAff rePorT

HE federal government has approved price hikes as high as 262 per cent of nearly 100 local and imported medicines in Pakistan. According to a notification issued on Thursday, this change was approved for drugs in the “hardship cate-

gory” on the recommendation of the Drug Pricing Committee (DPC) under the Drugs Pricing Policy of 2018, said an official of Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP).

Due to long-term shortages of some lifesaving medicines, the federal cabinet allowed rationalising prices of drugs that had previously been reported to be in short supply.

SC adjourns former IHC judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui's appeal for a month ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday adjourned the hearing on the appeal of former Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui for a month. A five-member larger bench of the apex court headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, Justice Faisal Arab, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel heard the case seeking setting aside of Report/Opinion of Supreme Judicial Council and Notification Issued by Ministry of Law dated 11.10.2018. During the course of proceedings, the court rejected the petitioner’s request for issuance of notices to respondents. The court also sought petitioners’ counsel Hamid Khan’s assistance to elaborate Article 211 of the Constitution. Justice Umar Ata Bandial asked the counsel to first argue on article 211.

He said that according to Article 211, Supreme Judicial Council’s report could not be challenged. Justice Bandial said that this was the first case of its kind before the court. He asked the counsel to argue why the constitution did not allow the report to be challenged.

He asked the counsel if he was talking about amending the constitution. He said that the court could interpret Article 211. He said that the court was adjourning the case for one month until then, the case of Justice Qazi Faiz Isa would also be decided. Addressing the counsel, Justice Bandial said that when the case of Judge Isa was decided, he would have the material for arguments. APP

Webinar held to celebrate International Day of Peace LAHoRE: Keeping the SOPs of COVID19 in consideration, a webinar was hosted here on Thursday to celebrate the International Day of Peace (IDP) with the theme ‘Shaping Peace Together’ which focused on youth actions that helped the community come together to fight this corona in Pakistan. Parliamentarians and bureaucrats from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab also joined the webinar along with 50 students from Kinnaird College, Lahore College for Women University, University of Education, Bahauddin Zikriya University, COMSATS, Qurtuba University Swat University, Abdul Wali Khan University, Punjab University and University of Sargodha. Some students also joined from Gujranwala and Multan.

Zoraiz Riaz, founder of popular initiative of Corona Recovered Warriors (CRW), said that the initiative started off as a small Facebook group. He has linked thousands of patients with plasma donors and for this service he was also recognized by the Governor of Punjab. Ms. Sadia Sohail, MPA Punjab and Ms. RabiaBasri, MPA from KP, highlighted the need for coming together in these times and youth leading the way.

Both stressed on the role of youth in the pandemic as leaders of the community. The attending students also engaged with the guest speakers through questions and comments. The webinar was moderated by Ms. Salma Butt and Ms. Natasha Faisal. STAff rePorT

'Maritime sector needs to be promoted to benefit from CPEC' RAWALPINDI: Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi on Thursday said that promotion of maritime sector is vital to fully benefit from China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). In a message on the occasion of World Maritimes Day, he said that the government has declared this year as Blue Economy Year which is a good step. The naval chief said that increasing pollution besides traditional challenges is a serious issue and there is a need of collective efforts by all coastal countries to cope these problems. He said that Pakistan Navy has taken various steps including cleanliness of ports, prevention of oil spill and plantation of mangroves in coastal areas. INP

The previously permitted price hikes of the drugs were insufficient to stopping non-availability and subsequent reselling of such drugs on the black market, along with a lack of control of the quality of drugs obtained outside official channels.

Considering the above-mentioned factors during its 37th, 38th and 39th meetings of the DPC, the body recommended to the federal government in-

creasing the price of these non-available or scarce drugs.

According to the notification, the drugs that have become costlier include those used to treat eye, ear, tooth, mouth, and blood infections, fever, postpartum issues, heart diseases, abdominal and stomach pains, malaria, diabetes, headache, sore throat, flu, skin diseases; as well as certain antibiotics.

SC directs Railways to retrieve encroached land along KCR track ISLAMABAD APP

The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday directed Pakistan Railways to retrieve its land along the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) and demolish encroachments on the track.

The court was hearing a case pertaining to the revival of the KCR. During the hearing, the counsel for Railways informed the court the department has submitted its report over the matter. At this, Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed said that the photographs included in the report do not paint a complete picture, observing the pictures showed encroachments on state-owned land.

“How the train will run when the land adjacent to track has been under encroachment,” the top judge remarked.

“The path for running a train has been cleared,” Railways chief executive officer told the court.

“Talk as a responsible officer,” the judge retorted.

“Don’t you think the encroached land belongs to Railways,” he asked. Expressing dismay over the failure of the department to provide any proper update about the project

to revive the KCR, the court ordered its officials to demolish all encroachments on its land.

The top court in February directed the Pakistan Railways and Sindh government authorities to carry out the operation for removal of encroachments from all the lands meant for the long-delayed KCR to start its operations within six months.

Last month, during a hearing, the railways secretary informed the court that the track had “almost” been cleared of encroachments. The court however expressed disappointment, saying the time granted by the court was over, but the KCR had not yet been revived.

The KCR which was commissioned in 1964, originally to help employees of the Pakistan Railways travel between their jobs, the service became a full circle of 44km in 1970 and connected Karachi’s four main work areas: the port, the Sindh Industrial Trading Estate (SITE), the city’s central commercial areas such as Saddar and the Landhi Industrial Area.

The KCR remained the public transport of choice for the people of Karachi till 1984 when the number of its trains was reduced.

Work on CPEC projects ongoing on priority basis: Buzdar LAHORE TLTP

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said that work on ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects is ongoing on a priority basis and these schemes are being completed at a fast pace and in a transparent manner.

The chief minister said this during a meeting with Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa who called on him here on Thursday to discuss the ongoing CPEC projects in the province.

The CM and the SAPM, who is also the CPEC Authority chairman, deliberated on progress on the Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) project.

Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and agriculture transformation models for Punjab under the CPEC framework also came under discussion during the meeting.

The chief minister emphasised that the country’s economy will improve with completion of these projects. The OLMT has already completed its test run, he said, adding the government intends to run the train by the end of next month.

After the meeting, Bajwa tweeted:

“Productive mtng (meeting) with CM Punjab,discussed SEZs, agriculture transformation models for Punjab under CPEC framework & operationalisation of Orange Train. (The) CM, in presence of concerned ministers directed to extend fullest support for envisaged CPEC projects.”

LHC imposes ban on polythene bags at motorways LAHORE INP

A bench of the Lahore High Court on Thursday imposed ban over use of polythene bags at Motorways. A single bench of the high court comprising of Justice Shahid Karim issued orders over a petition filed by Abuzar Salman Niazi.

The high court bench in its orders said that polythene bags should not be seen in use at motorways. The court prohibited use of plastic bags at restaurants, food shops and tuck shops at and around motorways. The bench instructed strict enforcement of the court order and summoned compliance report of the order in next week. It is to be noted that the high court in past week had banned use of polythene bags in the province.

Justice Shahid Kareem heard the petition, seeking a ban on plastic bags, terming it hazardous for the environment and human health. “Polythene bags are creating environmental pollution”, the applicant stated in his plea. The LHC after hearing of the case, imposed complete ban on the use of plastic bags across the province.

Earlier on February 21, the high court issued directives for a complete ban on plastic bags at the departmental stores and ordered the provincial authorities to submit a detailed report in this regard. During a hearing at the LHC, Justice Shahid Karim said that the world has already abandoned the use of such bags and companies in the United States and other countries have moved towards eco-friendly green bags. “The plastic bags are becoming toxic especially for our marine life,” he said.

Diplomat underlines UK’s long-standing relationship with KP PESHAWAR: British High Commissioner Dr Christian Turner, CMG, has said that the United Kingdom will continue working closely with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to help provide basic services like education and health, and build resilience against things like Covid19 and flooding. The British High Commissioner said this during a meeting with KP Chief Minister Mehmood Khan, said a press statement issued on Thursday. The high commissioner visited Peshawar to underline the UK’s long-standing relationship with KP. Dr Turner visited Peshawar to see how UK aid has been working closely with the provincial government of KP to transform lives. He said that there is a great chance now to secure a more peaceful Afghanistan and this means greater regional trade, and closer connections. “We also support inclusion and diversity, working to ensure that women are part of the economy and girls have a full 12 years of education,” he said. On his first visit, he met ministers, parliamentarians, and development experts - discussing how the UK will continue a commitment which has already lasted more than 10 years. The British high commissioner was joined on his high-level visit with Country Development Director Annabel Gerry. Dr Turner and Gerry held meetings with the Chief Minister KP Mehmood Khan and KP Minister for Local Government, Elections and Rural Development Department Kamran Khan Bangash. They also met with a group of KP-focused development experts. They also met KP Finance and Health Minister, Taimur Saleem Jhagra and XI Corps Commander Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood. They held a meeting with members of the KP Assembly to discuss political developments in the province, and ended with a visit to Peshawar Museum. TLTP

SC seeks report from CDA, MCI in Bani Gala environmental pollution case ISLAMABAD APP

The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday expressed concern over delay in execution of previous orders in Bani Gala environmental pollution case and directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Municipal Corporation Islamabad (MCI) to submit reports in the case.

The court also sought a report on the inclusion of unhealthy substances in Rawal Dam. The court stated that the concerned departments should find out from where such hazardous material was entering the water and take steps to stop it.

A three-member bench of the apex

court headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi heard the case regarding unplanned/unregistered construction in Bani Gala, National Park area and grant of commercial lease by the CDA. During the course of proceedings, the bench expressed annoyance over Planning Commission for taking five months to plan a project.

The court directed the CDA to receive offers for the sanitation project within a month.

The bench also ordered that the issue of CDA and municipal corporation powers should be resolved soon.

The court also directed CDA to plant

trees in the area of Bari Imam.

The CDA counsel said that the Bani Gala environmental pollution projects would cost a total of Rs4 billion while CDA had Rs500 million at present.

Justice Umar Ata Bandial asked the CDA to start the project with seriousness.

The counsel said that the Planning Commission began work, but was delayed due to coronavirus added that the work would be resumed by December this year. Justice Bandial, addressing the counsel, said that the report did not mention the lack of funds.

He said that illegal construction was still going on around Rawal Dam area.

He asked if the cleaning work of Rawal Dam had been started.

The counsel responded that cleaning work of the dam would be started under Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).

Justice Bandial said that it would take five years to start work under PSDP and ordered the CDA to initiate work in the next three months.

The counsel assured the court that work would be completed soon in collaboration with the municipal corporation.

Justice Bandial asked what problems did the municipal corporation face in working with CDA. The Municipal Corporation should state which areas had room for improvement so that the court could issue an order, he added.

The counsel said that three more clean water projects were being launched in E-11 and Saidpur area.

Justice Bandial observed that no timeline had been set for the construction of the projects.

Later, the hearing of the case was adjourned until November.

Friday, 25 September, 2020

NEWS

GovT foLLowING MaCroECoNoMIC fuNDaMENTaLS To aChIEvE INCLuSIvE GrowTh: hafEEz ShaIkh ISLAMABAD

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TLTP

HE government is committed to following macroeconomic fundamentals through effective policy making and targeted reforms with an aim to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth trajectory.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh said this while chairing a meeting of the Monetary and Fiscal Policies Coordination Board on Thursday.

Other members of the board present in the meeting were Adviser to the PM on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood, Planning Commission deputy chairman, special finance secretary and State Bank Governor Dr Reza Baqir. The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman also attended the meeting on special invitation.

Dr Hafeez Shaikh emphasized the active role of the board for designing policies to address economic challenges like inflation, stagnant exports, resource mobiliza-

PM directs all-out measures to facilitate foreign investors ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday called for the utmost facilitation and incentivization of Pakistani expatriates looking to invest in their home country. The prime minister, while presiding a meeting on Thursday, highlighted that the overseas Pakistanis should be provided with better opportunities of investment in the country and be facilitated and incentivized to the highest extent regarding the efficient utilization of their remittances.

The purpose of the meeting was to review the increase in remittances and foreign exchange reserves. The prime minister said that the government was focusing on exports, imports substitution, foreign investments, and an increase in foreign remittances and foreign exchange reserves, which had a vital role in economic stabilization and betterment. Advisor on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, secretary finance, Governor State Bank of Pakistan Dr Reza Baqir and senior officers also attended the meeting. The meeting deliberated on various steps and proposals about increasing the remittances and foreign exchange reserves. APP

CCoE forms committee to finalise agreements with IPPs ISLAMABAD: The Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCOE) on Thursday reviewed the report of a committee that was formed to negotiate with Independent Power Producers (IPPs). The CCOE meeting was convened under the chairmanship of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Minister Asad Umar. Committee chairman Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad presented its findings, highlights of the MoUs reached with the IPPs and its recommendations to the CCoE. The CCoE discussed various facets of the MoUs and its implementation. An initial estimate of potential savings was also presented to the cabinet committee. An ‘implementation committee’ was formed under the chairmanship of the energy minister to finalise the agreements based on MoUs and to develop an implementation roadmap for the future. CCoE will regularly review the progress of the committee. The meeting was attended by Energy Minister Omar Ayub Khan, Information and Broadcasting Minister Shibli Faraz, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Petroleum Nadeem Babar, and SAPM on Mineral Resources Shahzad Qasim. APP

tion etc. He also stressed the need for building the capacity of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics to provide reliable data that could help in effective policymaking.

He urged the role of public-private partnership which can help the government in resource mobilization and desired that PPP authority should come up with a comprehensive plan of resource mobilization for socio-economic development of the country.

He stated that the mandate of the board is to review the overall economic situation and coordinate policy actions in an effective manner to achieve the desired targets of key economic indicators.

The special finance secretary on the occasion presented the current economic situation of the country and elaborated that the economy is on path of recovery. He also highlighted various policy measures adopted to achieve high economic growth and job creation.

The SBP governor appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Finance for making a technical committee to design a joint macro-economic framework which will help in making effective monetary and fiscal policy being the

prime objective of this forum.

He said that the policy rate has been kept unchanged at 7pc due to improved business confidence and growth outlook. "The current accommodative stance of monetary policy will support economic recovery. Inflationary pressure is also expected to ease out in coming months due to various policy and administrative measures of the Federal and Provincial governments."

Meanwhile, the commerce adviser informed that performance of exports remained subdued in August due to unprecedented monsoon rains taking a toll on supply chain. He, however, observed that the exports will register a sharp improvement in September 2020.

He said that current account balance is in surplus, which will have a positive impact on the exchange rate stability of the currency.

The Planning Commission deputy chairman apprised the meeting that coronavirus has affected the confidence of both consumer and investors. However, the stimulus package of the government and recent accommodative monetary policy are providing impetus to investment and growth.

PESHAWAR Due to the financial crisis faced by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, completion of a number of important power generation projects in Chitral has been delayed for the last several years, which has increased its cost in billions.

According to the department of power and energy, various projects were launched by the provincial government to increase power generation at a cost of billions of rupees, but since the federal government couldn’t provide funds to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in term of net electricity profit, these projects are facing delay.

Due to the unavailability of funds, other de-

No private meetings with military, Nawaz tells party workers coNtINuED oN PAgE 01 “In these meetings, the army chief made it clear to him that the legal issues of both of them would be resolved in Pakistani courts and political issues would be resolved in the Pakistani parliament. The army should be kept away from these issues,” the ISPR DG had said, adding that he would make no more comments over the issue. However, after ISPR DG’s revelations, Zubair had also confirmed that the meetings took place.

Diplomats meet victims of Indian aggression during LoC visit coNtINuED oN PAgE 01

GSP-Plus facility: EU envoy urges Pakistani exporters to focus on product diversity ISLAMABAD

The APBF and the EU agreed to work on women entrepreneurship, better labour laws, promotion of SME sector, freelancers IT resource along with other projects.

Androulla Kaminara said that the EU is the biggest export market for Pakistani goods, as it accounts for about one-third of all Pakistani exports.

The ambassador said the European Union fully backed Pakistan’s efforts to overcome the socioeconomic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and build back better for a more sustainable future. The EUPakistan bilateral relations received a major boost when the Strategic Engagement Plan (SEP) was signed in June 2019, to further enhance engagement between the two sides, and address emerging global challenges, she added.

She said that during 2014-2020, the grants provided to Pakistan amounted to over €600 million, focusing on rural development, education and vocational training and

INP

European Union’s Ambassador to Pakistan Androulla Kaminara has stressed the need for product diversity and more value-addition to exploit the full potential of market access to the countries under GSPPlus regime.

She was talking to All Pakistan Business Forum President Syed Maaz Mahmood and General Secretary Khurram Niaz Khan in a meeting held on Thursday.

Both sides discussed in details technical education, skills development, EU support for Pakistan in TVET sector, women entrepreneurship and role of SME sector in economic growth.

The ambassador discussed various ideas for providing support to the freelancers in IT, handicrafts and tourism, with the focus on creating linkages within the EU to open new markets for the products.

human rights etc. She said the EU can assist Pakistan to expand its exports and uplift its industry through collaboration with the APBF by launching joint ventures in various sectors.

The envoy appreciated the role of APBF in boosting trade activities in the region and added that her embassy would be in touch with the forum to increase the bilateral ties.

She said that Pakistan can make more progress by putting in best efforts for skill workforce development and EU can also take some positive step to support it.

APBF president Syed Maaz Mahmood on the occasion lauded the ambassador for her efforts to support Pakistan during and post-Covid-19.

He said that the countries of the European Union have been the most important trading partner of Pakistan, accounting for almost 33pc Pakistan’s total exports, which is encouraging, as the trade figures with the EU countries had been going upwards.

SBP eases cash margin restriction on imports NEWS DESK The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has eased 100pc cash margin requirement on the import of certain raw materials to support manufacturing and industrial sectors and further enhance their capacity to contribute towards the recovery of the economy in post Covid-19 era.

According to a statement issued by the apex bank, the cash margin condition was initially imposed in 2017 on 404 HS Codes and later in 2018 on a further 131 items, with a view to contain the import of mostly consumer goods and to allow room for the import of more growth-inducing items.

"Considering the challenges posed by the Covid-19 to the manufacturing sector and other economic segments, and on the representations made by various businesses and associations, the SBP re-evaluated the cash margin requirements and decided to remove this requirement on 106 items/HS Codes."

The removal of the cash margin requirements on these items will support businesses’ cash flows and liquidity, by freeing up funds previously held with the banks under cash margin against imports, and route these funds towards avenues of growth and development that will benefit the economy.

Five years on, flood-damaged hydel electric projects in Chitral remain inoperable AZIZ BUNERI

05

velopment projects in the province couldn’t be started during the ongoing financial year as well.

Reshun hydel electric project in Chitral, severely damaged by floods in 2015, couldn’t be restored as the 4.2MW project suffered at the hands of incompetent provincial government.

Similarly, the 69MW Lavi hydel power project started by the Awami National Party (ANP) government in Chitral district could not be completed so far.

According to Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO) sources, the department will soon resume work on the flood-damaged Reshun project and all efforts would be made to complete it within due time.

Work on the Lavi hydel power project, which had been stalled for a long time due to an

emergency situation like coronavirus, has been resumed and the contractor has been directed to prepare a recovery plan and submit a report within 10 days.

Similarly, the rehabilitation work on the Reshun power plant damaged during the floods was also reviewed and it was informed that the power plant was to be rehabilitated after completing the work in June this year.

However, the condition of the power plant has been severely damaged. At the same time, the roads leading to the project were also destroyed by the floods.

The officials have directed the concerned authorities to contact the communication and works department to re-construct the connecting roads so that there may be no further delay in power generation from the project.

CMYK

He highlighted that, on the contrary, India had never given access to anyone to visit the LoC, however, even the UN military observer group was not allowed by India to visit IOK or the areas across LoC. India had detained journalists and members of the international media for covering the situation in the IOK, he added. The diplomats took stock of the violations of the ceasefire agreement by the Indian Army on the Line of Control. The delegation also met the victims affected due to Indian firing.

SBP reserves fall $119m to 12.7bn NEWS DESK: The foreign exchange reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan declined 0.9pc on a weekly basis, according to data released by the central bank on Thursday. On September 18, the foreign currency reserves held by the SBP were recorded at $12,701.6 million, down $119 million compared with $12,820.4 million in the previous week.

According to the central bank, the fall came on the back of government’s external debt repayments. The overall liquid foreign currency reserves held by the country, including net reserves held by banks other than the SBP, stood at $19,903.7 million. Net reserves held by banks amounted to $7,202.1 million.

Friday, 25 September, 2020

06 COMMENT

Castrations and public hangings

Nothing remains secret in politics Need to abandon pursuit of fool’s gold

PM starts a premature debate

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HRoUgHoUT the PTI’s tenure foreign ambassadors and government leaders, as well as delegations of local businessmen and ulema, have called on the CoaS to discuss the issues they faced presuming that the army chief alone could get them resolved. Recently a delegation of the opposition leaders was invited to discuss the changes being visualised in the status of gilgit-Baltistan with the CoaS and Dg ISI. This shows that the Prime minister was considered incapable of creating a consensus on the issue.

The opposition parties have criticized military takeovers in the past, and for good reasons. They claim that they stand for civilian supremacy and want to strengthen Parliament. In her latest remarks on the issue, PmL(n) Vice President maryam nawaz said that political decisions should be taken in Parliament rather than the gHQ. It is ironical that on a single telephone call from the right quarters to discuss gilgit-Baltistan’s status, politicians made a dash to the gHQ without insisting that the matter being a political issue, the meeting should be held in Parliament House. They kept the visit secret even from parties in the PDm which were not invited.

The two separate meetings by PmL(n) leader mohammad Zubair with the CoaS and Dg ISI will remind many of mian Shahbaz Sharif and Ch. nisar ali Khan holding secret talks with military leaders, then looked at with suspicion by the PPP. one would readily agree that the army should not be dragged into politics and that political issues should be taken to Parliament and legal matters to the courts. But the change in the status of gilgitBaltistan is a purely political matter and should have been left to Parliament to resolve without any need for the intervention of the gHQ. It was for the Pm to have invited political parties to remove their reservations if they had any. mr Zubair should have been plainly told after the very first meeting that naB and the courts alone can decide the cases of former Prime minister nawaz Sharif and daughter maryam nawaz. This would have left no need for a second meeting and questions arising from it.

at Penpoint M a NIaZI

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He debate that has begun about the punishment of the accused in the Sialkot motorway gangrape shows a touching confidence in the police’s ability to do something it has failed to do so far, despite what seem to have been vigorous efforts: arrest the suspects. It seems that the efforts of the CCPo Lahore to blame the victim for negligence have failed to shake public confidence that the police will get the criminal.

The lack of a local link does not seem to have helped. The police has resorted to the methods that worked best when the police was more or less convinced, and all investigators now needed was evidence that would lead to a conviction. The police have arrested as many relatives of the accused as possible, and hoped that this would oblige the accused to surrender, even though they should realize that the accused is driven to the crime by irrational urges, not the normal motivations of the criminal, and is unlikely to care all that much about who has been arrested.

The police spends a lot of time investigating the essential rural crimes of murders for revenge or honour (frequently both), and theft (very frequently of cattle). Torture of suspects is not applied in special cases, but is routine. Similarly, arresting a suspect’s relatives (preferably parents) and torturing them (sorry, interrogating them to find out where the suspect has gone), is also routine. It assumes that the suspect will learn of their arrest and torture, and will prefer to surrender himself. after all, even criminals have a code too. If suspects have a family, then they too will find themselves arrested. as a counter, there developed in rural areas a culture of non-cooperation with the police. Indeed, among some communities, it was not just a matter of pride, but a necessary precondition of marriage, that the intending bridegroom not commit a theft, but be caught, and then not to confess (bakya na’een) despite all the police could throw at him.

However, now that big-city cops have been known to off suspects in staged police encounters, torturing detained relatives has not become a guarantee of surrender. The cavalier attitude of the PTI and its leader towards conviction, and its apparent belief that accusation is guilt, makes it a distinct possibility that the main accused is wise not to surrender. The failure to arrest indicates that the accused has a criminal background. Whether or not he does, it is a safe assumption that he has a strong support network,

NAB Law needs change But the last onslaught on Mian Shahbaz is not encouraging

a

T a time when the opposition agreed to let the government amendment bill go through, the government has chosen to institute new cases against national assembly Leader of the opposition mian Shehbaz Sharif and his family for money laundering. mian Shehbaz has responded defiantly, saying that ‘Imran niazi’, as he tauntingly calls Prime minister Imran Khan, wanted to see him in jail, where he was willing to go. This has taken place in a backdrop where the opposition has begun moving against the government, and where PmL(n) leader nawaz Sharif is also in legal trouble after refusing to come back to pursue his appeals, and has also taken on the establishment.

It seems the need of the government for opposition cooperation does not outweigh its need to pursue the opposition, using naB. The institution has been ruined in the public eye because of how it has gunned for the opposition. mian Shehbaz is in the middle of one such effort, being a particular peeve of Pm’s adviser Shehzad akbar, who has dug up the evidence naB is to use, showing mian Shahbaz and his sons as laundering Rs 7 billion through certain fake accounts. So far, naB has failed to obtain more than one conviction against mian nawaz Sharif, and that too has been thrown in doubt by the behaviour of the accountability court judge in another case.

The money laundering cases against mian Shahbaz has also not resulted in the case moving to trial.

The government should realize that the opposition’s readiness to let it have the changes it had brought to the naB ordinance, allowing it to exclude bureaucrats and businessmen from its purview, should not provoke the reaction it did, which was hasty re-examination of the bill to see why the opposition had agreed to it, but should be met with an attempt to build on this to develop a consensus on a law that can actually reform naB so that it can carry out due accountability. or does the government prefer naB to go on suffering the reputation of being the government’s main weapon to persecute opponents?

The motorway to misogyny So much to be done!

Mustafa abdullah baloch

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oman, not just a mere word but a quintessential force that brings into being the very existence and continuation of mankind. Beyond being an architect of the society, she holds onto herself being the nucleus that nurtures future generations and weaves the social fabric. apart from all the roles attached to her like being a mother, a daughter, a sister, a wife... she demands to be treated as a human first, one who deserves every and equal right to think, speak, travel and live a life on her own terms and wishes.

In 2020, while we as a society are assumed to be on a highway of progress and modernization, the unfortunate and ugly truth is that the women of our era are still on the streets protesting for their fundamental rights. That is certainly not a sign of a healthy progressive society, where a major section of society feels anguished about being suppressed time and again.

These protests are not new and the bad news is that we still continue protesting, which goes to say “we ain’t getting any better” thus highlights a huge social problem for both men and women. my question to the readers is, should we just play ostrich and ignore the insecurities and injustice around us or should we talk about it, raise awareness and address the grievances and walk the talk? If we don’t then there is no hope for a balanced and healthy societal order.

Recalling a quote by nobel Peace laureate malala Yusufzai where she says “I raise up my voice...not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. … We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.” From holding back a gender from getting basic education to denying it level playing field, how can we expect 50 percent of our population to compete in a deeply entrenched male-dominated patriarchal society?

It will be unfair to not touch upon the recent horrific motorway incident where a woman was raped in front of her children and after the incident what we

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

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which has allowed him to escape the attention of the to apply? In that case, the punishment would be for police. even if he had the ability to pay off the police, zina bil jabr. Zina (adultery) and zina bil jabr (rape) which he does not appear to, in such a high-profile do not have different punishments; the latter is merely case, the police would respectfully refuse him. or a defence for the victim against a charge of the formore likely, use the knowledge of his whereabouts to mer. The punishment depends on the marital status of the criminal: the married rapist is publicly stoned to make the arrest and to win credit.

Punishment should come only after conviction, death; the unmarried rapist is given 80 stripes. Under but Prime minister Imran Khan had two suggestions. the Hudood ordinance, the requirement for the punFirst, that he be publicly hanged, and second that he ishment is four eyewitnesses. not even one is be chemically castrated. H also mentioned physical claimed. There can be a confession, but the accused castration as a possibility. While public hangings were can resile at any point from the confession, even just a common event once, now they are not carried out before being stoned, in which case the hadd will not even in states which still have the death penalty. Pub- apply. If someone is convicted despite the shortage lic executions were last held in the UK in 1868, in or absence of eyewitnesses, and the lack of a confesFrance in 1939, and the USa in 1936. The last coun- sion, he can still be punished for Zina bil jabr liable tries having public executions are Iran, Saudi arabia, to tazir, which means a sentence of up to 10 years in jail, 30 stripes, or fine. If north Korea and Somathe rapist had been lia. awarded the same beChemical castration cause of a confession, refor sex offenders is not siling would mean a really common, but has The government intends to retrial, and perhaps the been legislated freconviction with a lower quently enough for it to legislate. Before it does, it needs sentence. be possible to see a patThere has also been a tern: it is not so much a to make up its mind on what is the brutal rape-cum-murder punishment as a means purpose to legislation, revenge, in Karachi, of 5-year-old of making an offender marwah, by two of her safe for release back into deterrence, or pacifying an neighbours. again, the society. admittedly, there is more pressure on enraged public opinion. Whatever police have made the initial arrests, but whether Pakistani prisons than it does, it must resist acting under they will be able to gather Western because of overevidence for conviction is crowding, but there is the influence of the rage engulfing another matter. not the same impulse toWhether punishwards giving prisoners society, which is entirely natural ments are supposed to be probation and thus letdeterrents, or just plain ting them out into socirevenge, depends on the ety. In the West, sex police’s ability to gather offenders may find that evidence. Unless courts chemical castration is one of the conditions of their release. It has not so far get the evidence they need, they cannot convict. and been used as a punishment. It is meant to ensure the if they cannot convict, the discussion of punishments person being released is not likely to relapse into will be premature. no court will order a chemical castration just because it has been suggested by someone criminal behavior.

Physical castration, which the Pm also proposed, who built a cancer hospital. It is probably a coinciis practiced nowhere. It has never formed part of any dence that the chemical used is also used in treating penal code, though historical accounts do mention it certain cancers.

The government intends to legislate. Before it being used against prisoners taken in battle in mediaeval times. as testicles are a pair of organs, the diyat does, it needs to make up its mind on what is the purfor their loss is equal to that for the loss of life. Is- pose to legislation, revenge, deterrence, or pacifying lamic law does not prescribe castration, physical or an enraged public opinion. Whatever it does, it must resist acting under the influence of the rage engulfing chemical, as punishment for any sort of crime.

Information minister Shibli Faraz pointed out society, which is entirely natural. that Islam provided for public executions. The problem is, can one cherrypick? Is the hadd punishment The writer is a member of staff.

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ment ordinance 2013 was promulgated and six new fast-track courts created to hear rape cases. Some say the countermeasures brought a sense of awareness to see is that the Capital City Police officer of Lahore women as the number of crimes reported by them rubbing salt on the victim’s wound by blaming her substantially increased.

It is disheartening to see that despite Parliament for not checking fuel and traveling in wrong hours.

Don’t you smell patriarchy? It doesn’t end here, later unanimously passing an anti-rape bill on 7 october we even saw the who’swho of the federal government 2016, with strict punishments for culprits, we still see juming in as a savior to defend the CCPo over his a rampant increase in rape and abuse cases in Pakistan. This supports the argument that the law is not controversial and insensitive remarks.

In a similar act, in year 2005 a woman was gan- being enforced with all will and might. The grievgraped in Pakistan by four police officers, who asked for ances of women are genuine and must be addressed in order to give a better a bribe so her husband society to our generawould be released from tions to come. prison; one officer was arThe problem doesn’t rested while three disapend with the culprits peared. Isn’t it a mockery Let’s join forces and pledge to being put behind bars. of justice and the police raise our voices for this issue in The problem is much system? Those who are deeper and hence needs a meant to protect citizens hand, let’s break the shackles of total sterilization. There are themselves the culprits. are various measures the Is it the first case of its patriarchy and inequality, let’s government must take to kind? Has any rape and vikill this evil of rampant olence victim got justice up recreate Jinnah’s Pakistan, a inequality, violence and till now? Is there any hope nation where women were patriarchy. To name a few for secure environment for critical yet practical acthe women to travel freely promised all fundamental rights tions like cyber paany hour of the day/night? trolling, better I pose this question for my and protection, Yes, let’s make a street-lights and wider readers to think, introspect conscious effort to bring more pavements, separate and learn how other natransportation for women, tions have dealt with simiwomen in power! gender balancing the polar situations. lice institution, monitorLet’s for a quick refing repeat offenders, erence look into similar scanning and geo-mapmenace that plagued neighboring country’s capital, new Delhi, infamous ping of high crime spots enabled with modern surveilas the “Rape Capital”. In 2012 Jyoti Singh, 23, was lance systems, creation of one-stop facility for gangraped which generated widespread outrage medico-legal assistance including psychological counamongst the society the victim was also known as selling and temporary shelter assistance to women susnirbhaya (fearless) as Indian law doesn’t allow the ceptible to this crime. So much to be done!!!

Let’s join forces and pledge to raise our voices press to publish rape victims’ names. amidst mass public protest a judicial committee was formed to for this issue in hand, let’s break the shackles of patake up public suggestions for amending laws for triarchy and inequality, let’s recreate Jinnah’s Pakprompt investigation and prosecution of sex offend- istan, a nation where women were promised all ers. The committee concluded after considering fundamental rights and protection, Yes, let’s make a 80,000 suggestions that it was a failure of the gov- conscious effort to bring more women in power! ernment and police behind such crimes against Mustafa Abdullah Baloch is a freelance columnist women, following which the Criminal Law amend-

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Friday, 25 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

Incomplete justice

Tragic Response to Abrogated Statehood of Jammu and Kashmir Deriving Held Kashmir of status as a state violates a raft of obligations dr abdus sattar abbasI

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ISToRY speaks truth; our extensive campaign on abrogated statehood of occupied Jammu and Kashmir is like beating around the bush. according to renowned Indian jurist a.g. noorani, “The Indian government has over the past 70 years played a part in the systematic covert erosion of J&K’s protections with 47 presidential orders that extended the Indian constitution over the region without any concurrent consent of the State of J&K”. This is affirmed by Sumantra Bose who describes the 1954 Presidential order and the ones that followed as “the end for the article 370” deeming it “effectively… dead in letter and in spirit since that time” It is important to understand the historic evolution of the issue. The State of Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India through the Instrument of accession. according to Clause 4 of the Instrument of accession signed on october 26, 1947, “The State of Jammu and Kashmir accedes to the Dominion on India on the assurance that if an agreement is made between the Dominion and the State of any law of Dominion Legislature shall be exercised by the State of J&K only.” Clause 5 says, “The terms of this instrument shall not be varied by any amendment unless accepted by the State of J&K.” Clause 6 of the instrument says, “nothing shall empower the Dominion Legislature to make any law for the State of J&K authorising the compulsory acquisition of land for any purpose.” Clause 7 of the Instrument says, “nothing shall commit in any way to acceptance of any future Constitution of India.” Clause 9 concludes the document, “any reference in this Instrument to the Ruler of the State of J&K is to be construed as including a reference to successors.”

Hereditary State Subject order 1927 defined the ‘Peoples of Kashmir’ as ‘State subjects’, a type of citizenship with the right to government office and land ownership. These rights were exclusively given to Kashmiri people and, thus, the differentiation was established between state subjects and non-state subjects, and the latter were excluded from such rights. The Instrument of accession and the Delhi agreement of 1952 granted special autonomy to the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

The former gave Jammu and Kashmir autonomy except in the areas of defence, communications and foreign affairs while the latter gave the Kashmiri people of Jammu and Kashmir the exclusive rights of ‘permanent residency’, buying and selling of property as well as eligibility for jobs within the region. India’s J&K Reorganisation order 2020 defines new domicile laws which will replace the power vested in Jammu and Kashmir.

according to scholars and legal experts, it union territory reflected “a political holocaust is India’s attempt to demographically change inflicted on the people. It is political betrayal the muslim-majority region, amounting to a and beginning of an era where violence as an crime against humanity, a crime of aggression argument will have justification, which is inand a war crime under article 8(2)(b)(viii) of deed unfortunate.”

The new domicile laws introduced for the Rome Statute. article 370 allowed the Indian Parliament to legislate only in the matters Kashmir will replace the powers vested by the limited to the areas specified in the Instrument abrogated article 35a for the state to define of accession. all new laws would be subject to its own ‘Permanent Residence’, which is an the concurrent consent of the Jammu and Kash- obvious violation of the Instrument of accesmir Constituent assembly. article 35a allowed sion. Citizenship definition will now flow by the Jammu and Kashmir legislature to define the direction of the Indian government under their own ‘permanent residence’, a similar legal the new rules upon the issuance of a ‘Dominotion as the ‘state subject’, which stood re- cile Certificate’ (DC), which clearly indicates placed in 1954 through a Presidential order. mala fide of Indian government to alter the deRevoking articles 370a and 35a is a material mography of Jammu and Kashmir. It is so blabreach of the Instrument of accession, Delhi tant to allow everyone to apply for the DC to agreement 1952, the Constituent assembly of demographically change the muslim majority Jammu and Kashmir, and the resolutions of Un Jammu and Kashmir. entitlement to a DC is usually based on Security Council. your birth certifiIndia, being a cate: however, the so-called democrecent move to racy, never recogissue domicile cernized even The recent move to issue domicile tificates to thoudemocratically sands of retired elected representacertificates to thousands of Indian army pertives of Jammu and sonnel clearly indiKashmir whenever personnel army Indian retired cates the malicious institutional maintentions of the Innoeuvring was the clearly indicates the malicious dian government objective. They detowards Jammu liberately dissolved intentions of the Indian and Kashmir and professed represengovernment towards Jammu and suggests even tative assemblies in worse days for the 1957 and 2018 beKashmir and suggests even worse residents of Jammu fore institutional and Kashmir who amendments and days for the residents of Jammu have been under thus criminally defor more than nied the right of and Kashmir who have been under siege a year now. The reKashmiri people by sponse of all naavoiding concursiege for more than a year now tions around the rent consent of globe is indeed even the representragic to resolve the tative assembly of decades-long Jammu and Kashhuman crisis of mir which has intentionally replaced the Constituent assembly Jammu and Kashmir. nevertheless, a poem in of the State. Intentions and the mindset of In- a recently released video does present the pain dian policymakers is evident by such glaring and sufferings of the people of Jammu and manipulations of constitutional interventions Kashmir: Which story can I tell? through illegal means by the dissolution of the Which pain can I explain? representative assembly of the state of any everyday of mine is the same kind, thus violating India’s own constitutional For my share is only shame procedures.

Kashmir is my name Hasnain masoodi, an Indian parliamentarDeath is my fame ian from south Kashmir and a former judge, massacre again and again said Delhi’s decision to revoke the status was Suffering here is my sight unilateral and a “massive assault on the idenFor dignity is my fight tity and autonomy of the state. We were an inTorture endless torture dependent country 70 years ago, we have a Kashmir is my name history of 5,000 years and suddenly we have been reduced to a municipality. everyone has The writer is Associate Professor of Mana sense of bitterness. There is a sense of injustice, disillusionment and humiliation.” Syed agement Sciences and head, Center of Islamic Babar, a lawyer based in Kashmir’s main city Finance, COMSATS University Islamabad, LaSrinagar, said Kashmir’s transformation into a hore Campus

aFTeR 8 years an anti-terrorism court of Karachi spelled out the verdict in the Baldia factory carnage case, sentencing, two mQm workers Zubair aka Chariya and abdul Rahman aka Bhola to death, while the rest of the convicts who facilitated the blazing of the factory in Baldia area of district west were sentenced to rigorous life imprisonments accompanied with fine.

Leaders of mQm Including Rauf Siddiqi former minister for commerce who were accused of hatching the conspiracy of this deadly massacre were acquitted on need of evidence. Why only those who commit crimes are punished? and why not those who conspire? other than sentencing convicts the court also agreed that the baldia factory carnage was not an accident but an act of deliberation. Initially owners of the factory accused watchmen of negligence and filed a case against them but the JIT report presented by rangers in the court after three years of the incident disclosed that the factory was advertently blazed for non-payment of extortion money by the Factory owners, apart from it high profile politicians were involved in the whole episode. The JIT also highlighted the non-professional and lethargic approach of police towards the investigation of this planned terror pursuit that turned 260 innocent laborers into ash. The initial investigation report of police said that the eruption occurred due to a short circuit but the JIT report proved that the initial police report was "Cooked with hands".In the course of case proceedings, the prosecutor complained of the constant intervention of mQm in the case which was probably delaying justice.

He said that the first investigation officer was withdrawn from the case by the police high-ups following constant Political pressure. Several eye-witnesses evaded recording their statement for the sake of their lives. When it comes to timely justice coupled with fairness the name of our country is not written in good books. Despite all the facts and figures presented by JIT mQm-P is claiming that their party had no relatedness with this case.

It is rightly said that justice is blind because it is done in the light of given evidence but we as a society must not close our eyes.

Renowned Jurists, political analysts, and members of civil society have termed it an incomplete justice because once again only those were punished who were used to commit the crime, while those who were the main delinquents and planned the strategy of the whole carnage were acquitted for want of evidence. There is a famous quote that," Justice must not be done but also seen to be done" and here justice was done but nobody saw it being done.

KAMRAN KHAMISO KHOWAJA SUJAWAL

Circular debt and national economy no doubt circular debt existed in the times of previous government , but in the last two years , it has multiplied many times and crossed over a hefty sum of Rs . two trillions and is likely to grow higher with time , as the government has completely failed to control it .

For god 's sake , draw out a transparent plan to correct this menace which is hindering growth of the national economy .

The two years of the present government has shown that it does not have the necessary potential to solve the menacing problem , except to blame the preceding government for all the ills .

There is total absence of managerial skills in the ranks of the power & energy ministries who do not have a clear vision to solve the issue once for all . I think the issue is beyond the capability of the present lot at the helm of affairs . Continuing with the present administrative and political set up is going to drive the country to a total collapse.

Let us act before it is too late and stop painting rosy picture for revival of the national economy now and then . a surgical operation is imminent to cleanse the atmosphere of inefficiency , incompetence and rampant corruption . But the question arises who is going to carry out this operation ?

This is a difficult question .

ENgR RIAz BHUTTA LAHORE

Balochistan reserved seats BaLoCHISTan is known as a backward province in the walk of education in Pakistan , so it is granted above 500 seats for underprivileged students of different universities and colleges in Punjab , Which even does not cover a one third of students to get free higher education.

Recently, the Balochistan directorate has conducted the test of reserved seats through (CTSP) Career Testing Services Pakistan , wherein more than 3000 students appeared. It bemuses every awaiting candidates whether their seats are secured or not.

I don't know what to call it , the failed governance of chief minister Balochistan Jam Kamala khan or random roadmaps of Prime minister of Pakistan mr. Imran Khan along with education minister , Shafkat mehmood ?

Finally , I appeal to the federal and provincial government to satisfy us with the provision of more educational and job opportunities , since we could serve our country better than ever.

NABEEL HUSSAIN KECH

Begging a trend SIR , it has been observed by every individual in the capital city of Balochistan Quetta , begging is increasing in an unbridled manner . a group of specific people has rationally made the compulsion a pure tendency.

Furthermore, most beggers in the city are not even disable yet tend to big. However, begging is a compulsive source for the people who exist with different abilities. This tradition may be a cause of joblessness. So for , government is urged to take concrete measures regarding the issue.

NABEEL HUSSAIN QUETTA

Friday, 25 September, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

The TransformaTion of diplomacy THE TOP FOUR RANKS OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE ARE WHITER TODAY THAN THEY WERE TWO DECADES AGO; ONLY TEN PERCENT ARE PEOPLE OF COLOUR AFTER FOUR YEARS OF ATTACKS BY THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, US DIPLOMACY IS BADLY BROKEN POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS SHOULD BE DRIVEN BY QUALIFICATIONS AND DIVERSITY CONSIDERATIONS, NOT CAMPAIGN DONATIONS Foreign AFFAirs William J Burns and linda Thomas-Greenfield

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e joined the US Foreign Service nearly 40 years ago in the same entering class, but we took very different paths to get there. One of us grew up amid hardship and segregation in the Deep South, the first in her family to graduate from high school, a Black woman joining a profession that was still very male and very pale. The other was the product of an itinerant military childhood that took his family from one end of the United States to the other, with a dozen moves and three high schools by the time he was 17.

There were 32 of us in the Foreign Service’s class of January 1982. It was an eclectic group that included former Peace Corps volunteers, military veterans, a failed rock musician, and an ex–Catholic priest. None of us retained much from the procession of enervating speakers describing their particular islands in the great archipelago of U.S. foreign policy. What we did learn early on, and what stayed true throughout our careers, is that smart and sustained investment in people is the key to good diplomacy. Well-intentioned reform efforts over the years were crippled by faddishness, budgetary pressures, the over-militarization of foreign policy, the State Department’s lumbering bureaucracy, a fixation on structure, and—most of all— inattention to people.

The Trump administration also learned early on that people matter, and so it made them the primary target of what the White House aide Steve Bannon termed “the deconstruction of the administrative state.” That is what has made the administration’s demolition of the State Department and so many other government institutions so effective and ruinous. Tapping into popular distrust of expertise and public institutions, President Donald Trump has made career public servants—government meteorologists, public health specialists, law enforcement professionals, career diplomats—convenient targets in the culture wars. Taking aim at an imaginary “deep state,” he has instead created a weak state, an existential threat to the country’s democracy and the interests of its citizens.

The wreckage at the State Department runs deep. Career diplomats have been systematically sidelined and excluded from senior Washington jobs on an unprecedented scale. The picture overseas is just as grim, with the record quantity of political appointees serving as ambassadors matched by their often dismal quality. The most recent ambassador in Berlin, Richard Grenell, seemed intent on antagonizing as many Germans as he could—not only with ornery lectures but also through his support for far-right political parties. The ambassador in Budapest, David Cornstein, has developed a terminal case of “clientitis,” calling Hungary’s authoritarian, civil-liberties-bashing leader “the perfect partner.” And the U.S. ambassador to Iceland, Jeffrey Ross Gunter, has churned through career deputies at a stunning pace, going through no fewer than seven in less than two years at his post.

In Washington, career public servants who worked on controversial issues during the Obama administration, such as the Iran nuclear negotiations, have been smeared and attacked, their careers derailed. Colleagues who upheld their constitutional oaths during the Ukraine impeachment saga were maligned and abandoned by their own leadership. In May, the State Department’s independent inspector general, Steve Linick, was fired after doing what his job required him to do: opening an investigation into Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s alleged personal use of government resources. Battered and belittled, too many career officials have been tempted to go along to get along. That undercuts not only morale but also a policy process that depends on apolitical experts airing contrary views, however inconvenient they may be to the politically appointed lead-

HOW TO SAVE THE STATE DEPARTMENT ership.

Not surprisingly, the Foreign Service has experienced the biggest drop in applications in more than a decade. Painfully slow progress on recruiting a more diverse workforce has slid into reverse. It is a depressing fact that today only four of the 189 U.S. ambassadors abroad are Black—hardly a convincing recruiting pitch for woefully underrepresented communities.

No amount of empty rhetoric about ethos and swagger can conceal the institutional damage. After four years of relentless attacks by the Trump administration and decades of neglect, political paralysis, and organizational drift, U.S. diplomacy is badly broken.

But it is not beyond repair, at least not yet.

ReFORM AND ReNeWAL The State Department is capable of reform. The challenge has always been to link that reform to wise statecraft and adequate funding. After 9/11, with uncommon speed and few additional resources, the department managed to retrofit itself to help prosecute the war on terrorism and take on the new imperatives of stabilization and reconstruction in Afghanistan and Iraq, along with smaller but still complex missions from sub-Saharan Africa to Southeast Asia. New training and incentives were put into play, and a generation of career Foreign Service officers was shaped by tours in conflict zones. Diplomats quickly became secondary players to the military, preoccupied with the kind of nationbuilding activities that were beyond the capacity of Americans to accomplish. It was easy to lose sight of the distinctive role of the U.S. Foreign Service—the classic, headbanging work of persuading senior national leaders to bridge sectarian divides and pursue a more inclusive political order while standing up for human rights.

Although the transformation of the State Department into a more expeditionary and agile institution was healthy in many respects, it was also distorting. It was tethered to a fundamentally flawed strategy—one that was too narrowly focused on terrorism and too wrapped up in magical thinking about the United States’ supposed power to transform regions and societies. It paid too little attention to a rapidly changing international landscape in which geopolitical competition with a rising China and a resurgent Russia was accelerating and mammoth global challenges, such as climate change, were looming.

The contours of a new agenda for diplomatic reform have to flow from a sensible reinvention of the United States’ role in the world. The restoration of American hegemony is not in the cards, given China’s rise and the diffusion of global power. Retrenchment is similarly illusory, since the United States cannot insulate itself from outside challenges that matter enormously to its domestic health and security.

Instead, U.S. diplomacy has to accept the country’s diminished, but still pivotal, role in global affairs. It has to apply greater restraint and discipline; it must develop a greater awareness of the United States’ position and more humility about the wilting power of the American example. It has to reflect the overriding priority of accelerating domestic renewal and strengthening the American middle class, at a time of heightened focus on racial injustice and economic inequality.

And it has to take aim at other crucial priorities. One is to mobilize coalitions to deal with transnational challenges and ensure greater resilience in American society to the inevitable shocks of climate change, cyberthreats, and pandemics. Another is to organize wisely for geopolitical competition with China.

INVESTING IN PEOPLE The ultimate measure of any reform effort is whether it attracts, unlocks, retains, and invests in talent. The last thing the State Department needs is another armada of consultants descending on Foggy Bottom with

fancy slide decks full of new ideas about how the department should look.

To start, the United States needs a top-tobottom diplomatic surge. The Trump administration’s unilateral diplomatic disarmament is a reminder that it is much easier to break than to build. The country doesn’t have the luxury of waiting for a generational replenishment, marking time as new recruits slowly work their way up the ranks. Since 2017, nearly a quarter of the senior Foreign Service has left. That includes the departure of 60 percent of career ambassadors, the equivalent of four-star generals in the military. In the junior and midcareer ranks, the picture is also bleak. According to the Federal employee Viewpoint Survey, as many as a third of current employees in some parts of the State Department are considering leaving—more than double the share in 2016.

A diplomatic surge will have to incorporate ideas that in the past have seemed heretical to the department and its career staff but that today are inescapable. These include bringing back select personnel with critical expertise who were forced out over the past four years; creating midcareer pathways into the Foreign Service, including lateral entry from the civil service; and offering opportunities for Americans with unique skills (in new technologies or global health, for example) to serve their country through fixedterm appointments. Another useful initiative would be to create a “diplomatic reserve corps” made up of former Foreign Service and civil service midlevel officers and spouses with professional experience who could take on shorter or fixed-term assignments abroad and in Washington. Still another idea would be to create an ROTC-like program for college students, an initiative that would broaden understanding of the diplomatic profession across society and provide financial support to those preparing for diplomatic careers. All these ideas would have landed in the “too hard” pile when we were serving. But the reality today is that the State Department simply cannot afford to continue its bad habits of offering inflexible career tracks, imposing self-defeating hiring constraints, and encouraging tribal inbreeding among its cloistered ranks. Another major priority is the need to treat the lack of diversity in the diplomatic corps as a national security crisis. It not only undermines the power of the United States’ example; it also suffocates the potential of the country’s diplomacy. Study after study has shown that more diverse organizations are more effective and innovative organizations. At the very moment when American diplomacy could benefit most from fresh perspectives and a closer connection to the American people, the diplomatic corps is becoming increasingly homogeneous and detached, undercutting the promotion of American interests and values.

The top four ranks of the Foreign Service are whiter today than they were two decades ago; only ten percent are people of color. Just seven percent of the overall Foreign Service is made up of Black people, and just seven percent are Hispanic—well below each group’s representation in the U.S. labor force.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has reversed a more than quarter-century-long push to appoint more female ambassadors. Overall female representation in the Foreign Service remains roughly the same today as it was in 2000—still 25 percent below female representation in the wider U.S. labor force.

The State Department should make an unambiguous commitment that by 2030, America’s diplomats will, at long last, resemble the country they represent. Achieving this goal will require making diversity a key feature of the diplomatic surge at every point along the career pipeline. It will demand an unshakable commitment to diverse candidates and gender parity in senior appointments. And it will require the State

Department’s leadership to hold itself accountable by not only getting departmental data in order and making the information accessible to the public but acting on it, as well, with clear annual benchmarks for progress.

Lower promotion rates for racial and ethnic minorities and the precipitous drop-off in the number of women and minorities in the senior ranks are flashing red warning lights of structural discrimination.

The State Department ought to invest much more in mentorship, coaching, and diversity and inclusion training. It has to make its career track more responsive to the expectations of today’s workforce for a work-life balance rather than perpetuate the imbalance that has prevented too many talented Americans—disproportionally those from underrepresented groups—from serving their country. The department has to pay more attention to the particular hazards facing minorities serving overseas, including LGBTQ employees. And it has to revise its promotion criteria to require personnel to foster diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplaces.

To succeed in both a serious diplomatic surge and a historic new campaign for diversity and inclusion, the department must commit to winning the war for talent. The entrance exams to the Foreign Service are designed to weed out candidates rather than recruit the most talented ones. Too much of a premium is placed on written and oral examinations and too little on a candidate’s résumé, academic performance, skills, expertise, and life experiences. The whole process can seem interminable—taking as long as two years from start to finish and inadvertently benefiting candidates who have the means to hold out. After hiring their diplomats, the most effective diplomatic services spend up to three years training them. The Foreign Service Institute still spends only six weeks testing the mettle of its recruits; the only real difference from our experience many years ago is that the tedious lectures now feature PowerPoint presentations. Once on assignment, there is no rigorous, doctrinal approach to the art of diplomacy and no system for after-action reviews. The personnel evaluation process consumes three months of an officer’s time, with no commensurate accountability for, let alone improvement in, individual or collective performance. Opportunities for midcareer graduate or professional education are scarce and carry little weight with promotion panels. The effect is often to penalize employees who receive extra training or undertake assignments to other agencies or to Congress. They should be rewarded instead.

Senior leadership positions are increasingly out of reach for career personnel. Over the past few decades, the proportion of political appointees to career appointees at the State Department, reaching down to the deputy assistant secretary level, has grown far higher than at any other national security agency. That worrisome trend—like so many others during the Trump era—has worsened dramatically. Today, only one of the 28 positions at the assistant secretary level at the State Department is filled by an active-duty career officer confirmed by the U.S. Senate— the lowest number ever. A record share of ambassadors are also political appointees as opposed to professional diplomats, a significant blow to morale and to diplomatic effectiveness. In a reformed State Department, at least half the assistant secretary jobs and three-quarters of the ambassadorial appointments should be held by well-qualified career officers. The remaining political appointments should be driven by substantive qualifications and diversity considerations, not campaign donations.

The State Department also needs to rethink how and where it invests in language studies. One out of every four positions designated as requiring foreign-language skills is filled by an officer who does not in fact meet the minimum language requirements. The State Department trains nearly twice as many Portuguese speakers as it does Arabic or Chinese speakers.

A NEW CULTURE Part of investing in people means investing in the technology that allows them to realize their full potential. A more digital, agile, collaborative, and data-centric diplomatic corps depends on more robust and secure communications tools. Today, too many diplomats lack access to classified systems and technology, especially on the road. That leaves them more vulnerable to foreign intelligence and unable to keep up with other U.S. national security agencies.

Technology can no longer be seen as a luxury good for diplomacy. The last big technological push at the State Department came during Colin Powell’s tenure as secretary of state, nearly two decades ago, when the department began to set aside its mini-fridgesized desktop computers and move cautiously into the modern age. It is long past time for another major effort. To enhance the department’s technological platforms, the State Department should appoint a chief technology officer reporting directly to the secretary of state. That official should work with the U.S. Digital Service—an information technology consulting group within the executive branch that was created in 2014—to make internal systems, foreign aid, and public diplomacy more effective.

But technology is not the only—or the most important—aspect of the State Department’s culture that must change. A systemic reluctance to tolerate physical risk has led to the proliferation of fortress-style embassies that can trap personnel behind chancery walls and isolate them from the people they should be meeting, not only foreign officials but also members of civil society. This has also led to an evergrowing number of posts where officers can’t be joined by family members, shorter tours, misaligned assignment incentives, lower morale, and less effective diplomacy.

A torpid bureaucratic culture is no less significant. Policy information and recommendations often amass 15 or more sign-offs before reaching the secretary of state’s office, suffocating initiative and stifling debate.

A seismic cultural shift is needed to create a more upstanding, courageous, and agile institution, with greater tolerance for risk and a simplified, decentralized decision-making process. The State Department must get out of its own way—delegating responsibility downward in Washington and outward to qualified chiefs of mission overseas and reducing the number of undersecretaries and top-level staff members to avoid duplicative authority and inefficiencies. Initiative should be prized, and the passive-aggressive habit of waiting for guidance from above should be discouraged.

The department ought to discard the current cumbersome process for clearing papers and policy recommendations and start from scratch. A new, more flexible framework would allow expertise in Washington and in the field to be quickly distilled into cogent policy proposals and would grant embassies in the field more autonomy to implement the resulting decisions. The State Department’s leaders must also offer political top cover for constructive dissent, supplanting the corrosive “keep your head down” culture with an “I have your back” mentality—in other words, the exact opposite of how the State Department treated its diplomats during the 2019 impeachment hearings.

CHANGE THAT LASTS Any effort to reform the State Department should start from within. It should focus in the first year of a new administration or a new term on what can be accomplished under existing authorities and without significant new appropriations.

With a sturdy foundation of reforms laid, the next step would be to codify them in the first major congressional legislation on U.S. diplomacy in 40 years. The last Foreign Service Act, passed in 1980, modernized the mission and structure of the State Department, building on acts from 1924 and 1946. A new act would be crucial to making reforms durable. It would also help shape a style of diplomacy that is fit for an increasingly competitive international landscape and better equipped to serve the priority of domestic renewal. Serious, lasting transformation of U.S. diplomacy will be very hard. But it matters enormously to the future of American democracy in an unforgiving world.

WILLIAM J. BURNS is President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He was U.S. Deputy Secretary of State from 2011 to 2014.LINDA THOMASGREENFIELD is Senior Vice President at the Albright Stonebridge Group. She was U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs from 2013 to 2017.They served as Co-Chairs of the Council on Foreign Relations Study Group on Revitalizing the State Department and American Diplomacy.

Friday, 25 September, 2020

buSineSS 09

UseRs CaLL FOR Ban On PTa as inTeRneT seRviCes disRUPTed COUnTRYwide LAHORE TAIMOOR HASSAN/AHMAD AHMADANI

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TOMCL profit rises 22pc in FY20 LAHORE HASSAN NAQVI

The Board of Directors (BOD) of The Organic Meat Company Limited (TOMCL) met on Thursday to review the company's performance and announce its financial results for the fiscal year (FY) ended June 30, 2020. As per details, the meat exporters reported a profit of Rs266.35 million for FY20 as compared to profit of Rs217.97 million for FY19, showing an increase of 22 per cent. The company reported sales revenue of Rs3.384 billion in FY20 as compared to sales revenue of Rs2.578 billion during the same period last year (up 31pc). During the year, the company’s cost of sales increased by 27 per cent to Rs2.75 billion as compared to Rs2.17 billion last year, which resulted in a 54.5 per cent growth in gross profits, reported at Rs629.94 million for FY20 as compared to Rs407.66 million last year. The company’s selling expenses decreased by 11.5 per cent, from Rs136.167 million in FY19 to Rs120.473 million in FY20. But TOMCL suffered in other aspects, as the company's administrative expenses increased by 25.5 per cent to Rs67.12 million as compared to administrative expenses of Rs53.55 million last year. During the year ended June 30, 2020, the company’s non-core income also decreased by 92 per cent. Its finance cost also increased by 26.7 per cent to Rs90.08 million from Rs71.07 million last year. However, the company received some respite from a 64 decrease in its income tax expense which amounted to Rs17.13 million as compared to income tax expense of Rs47.46 million during the same period last year. TOMCL also announced a final cash dividend of Rs2 per share. The annual general meeting (AGM) of the company would be held on October 27, 2020.

Pegasus to start PakistanTurkey flights today KARACHI TLTP

Pegasus Airlines, a low-cost Turkish carrier, is set to launch its flight operation to and from Pakistan as the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has given a green light to the airline’s flights to land in the country. The Kurtköybased airline’s first flight to Pakistan will take off from a Turkey airport on Friday and will touch down at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi. Pegasus will operate four flights on the Pakistan-Turkey route in a week. The airline’s flight will depart for Turkey from the Karachi airport on every Monday, Wednesday, and Sunday while from Karachi for Turkey on Sunday, Tuesday, and Saturday. Earlier on September 13, a Crawley-based British airline, Virgin Atlantic, had announced that it would launch flights to Pakistan from December 10 in a bid to facilitate the Pakistani diaspora in the UK. The airline has announced three routes to Pakistan from the UK i.e. London-Lahore, London-Islamabad, and Manchester-Islamabad.

SERS on Wednesday reported widespread internet connectivity issues caused by a blockage by the national telecommunications regulator, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), under new rules introduced to curb grey traffic.

PTA has since denied that the disruption in the internet service has anything to do with the authority and that it might be “service disruption at a local level”.

Users across the country reported massive ping and packet losses, making the internet sluggish enough to disrupt all sorts of internet-related operations in business and domestic usages such as making VoIP calls and multiplayer gaming.

The social media was inundated with complaints, with #BanPTA trending on social media platform Twitter after the outage, which became more inconvenient because the regulator did not inform about it to users beforehand.

ONLINE GAMING COMMUNITY BADLY AFFECTED BY PING, PACKET LOSSES; BUSINESSES FACING LOSS OF PRODUCTIVITY “While the overwhelming complaints are coming from gamers and service providers, some parents are facing issues with their baby monitors as well,” said Haider Toor, a resident of Lahore. “I can’t use my camera because it’s not streaming properly anymore and I can’t monitor my baby if I have to be away,” he added.

“Call centers, internet VPNs, gaming servers, affected countrywide, apparently by PTA’s blocking. Business @ snail speed,” a user tweeted.

Talking to Profit, PTA denied that it was responsible for the outage and said that they would be issuing a statement in this regard to clarify.

Late on Wednesday, the PTA on its official Twitter handle wrote: “With respect to social media posts about packet loss being experienced by some consumers while using gaming apps, it is

clarified after checking from internet bandwidth providers that internet traffic including gaming apps are currently working normal across Pakistan. No service degradation has been experienced.”

“Attributing the packet loss to PTA without ascertaining factual position or clarifying with PTA is uncalled for and disappointing,” the statement on the social media said.

Although PTA also acknowledged that there might have been service issues in specific areas, which may be reported to service provider or PTA as a complaint which can then be duly fixed.

To curb grey traffic, in June 2020, the PTA had started the registration of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), and warned that IP addresses with unregistered VPNs would be blacklisted.

In its statement to Profit, the PTA had maintained, “The exercise is being

MARKET DAILY

PSX ends red despite late recovery

undertaken to promote legal ICT services/businesses in Pakistan and to ensure the safety of telecom users.”

In a report, Profit had highlighted the problems that could stem from the fact that small IT businesses and startups dependent on VPN usage to serve their clientele could face disruptions and severe hardship in light of the PTA’s decision to ban its usage.

Likewise, not only would this cripple such businesses but also severe their lifeline and revenue stream making them go kaput.

The ban on unregistered VPNs was followed by PTA blocking the widely popular online game PlayerUnknown’s BattleGround (PUBG). The ban, though challenged, was retained following an order by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) after a hearing conducted by PTA on July 9, 2020 and in accordance with the provisions of PECA 2016.

Both the bans had added to users’ frustrations, with today’s development involving PTA’s blocking of internet service adding insult to the injury.

FBR arrests another man in major tax evasion case LAHORE SHAHZAD PARACHA

KARACHI STAFF REPORT

It was another round of volatile trading at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Thursday, with the indices swinging both ways in search of a clear direction before settling in the red.

Global equity markets also showed a negative pattern; whereas crude oil prices continued with its upward flight; WTI crude price increasing 0.20pc to $40.01 and Brent crude prices rising 0.24pc to $41.88.

"The stock market had a field day, with heavy selling pressure witnessed in cement, exploration & production and banking stocks," said a report issued by AHL Ltd. "Settlement of rollover trades, apprehensions on rising corona-related cases as well as weak investor sentiment in international markets caused local investors to stay cautious as well."

The benchmark KSE-100 Index followed a volatile trajectory on Wednesday, recording its intraday high at 41,942.35 (+66.09 points) and intraday low at 41,416.90 (-459.36 points). It finally settled flat (-69.89 points) at 41,806.37.

Among other indices, the KMI-30 Index lost 108.56 points to end at 66,931.82, while the KSE All Share Index dropped 157.21 points, closing at 29,597.34.

The overall market volumes contracted from 582.79 million shares in the previous session to 434.89 million shares (-25pc). Average traded value, however, increased by 17pc, from $77.6 million to $91 million. KElectric Limited (KEL -0.71pc), Unity Foods Ltd (UNITY +0.17pc) and Hascol Petroleum Ltd (HASCOL +0.19pc) led the volume chart, exchanging 40.01 million, 33.17 million and 32.11 million shares, respectively.

Sectors that kept the benchmark in the negative territory included oil & gas exploration (-86.29 points), food & personal care

(-19.72 points) and power generation & distribution (-15.82 points). Among the companies, Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd (OGDC -48.35 points), Pak Petroleum Ltd (PPL -33.09 points) and TRG Pakistan Ltd (TRG -20.09 points) dented the index the most.

Shedding 2.01pc from its cumulative market capitalization, the oil & gas exploration sector emerged as the session’s top loser, with Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd (OGDC -3.07pc), Pakistan Oilfields Limited (POL -0.39pc) and Pak Petroleum Ltd (PPL -2.31pc) closing in the negative.

On the financial side, Aisha Steel Mills Ltd (ASL +1.63pc) recorded earnings per share of Rs-0.89 for FY20 (Rs0.26 in FY19), Byco Petroleum Pakistan Ltd (BYCO 1.28pc) declared an EPS of Rs-0.46 for FY20 (Rs-0.32 in FY19), Nishat Chunian Power Ltd (NCPL -4.63pc) announced an EPS of Rs12.44 for FY20 (Rs9.30 in FY19), while Ferozsons Laboratories Ltd (FEROZ +7.50pc) posted an EPS of Rs13.11 for FY20 (Rs8.32 in FY19).

Meanwhile, in a notification to the exchange, Descon Oxychem Ltd (DOL +2.33pc) announced that the company has completed its expansion project which would increase current plant capacity by 25pc.

The Federal Board of Revenue's (FBR) Intelligence and Investigation Inland Revenue (I&IIR) has arrested one of the major culprits, Muhammad Yousaf, responsible for running a racket that issued fake and flying invoices causing a huge loss of revenue to the national exchequer. Speaking to Profit, an FBR official said that the directorate had unearthed the big sales tax evasion scam involving tax frauds worth millions of rupees after which it had initiated a crackdown on the criminals involved. He said the directorate's Faisalabad branch had arrested the proprietor of M/s Saytex International, Muhammad Yousaf, following which a first information report (FIR) was lodged against M/s Arrow International, its buyers, suppliers and other beneficiaries under section 37(a) of the Sales Tax Act 1990. "The person arrested had issued fake invoices worth Rs104.446 million to M/s Arrow International and thus defrauded payment of due taxes thereon.

Investigation Officer (IO)/Deputy Director Imran Zafar who arrested the accused has obtained physical remand of the accused from the Lahore Customs, Taxation & Anti-Smuggling Special Judge whereas the accused is currently under further investigation," he added.It is pertinent to mention here that two other members of the fraudsters’ network, namely, Arshad Mehdi and Muhammad Danish Javed were also arrested a few days earlier. Arshad Mehdi is the declared proprietor of a dummy unit, M/s Arrow International, in whose name five bank accounts were opened in Faisalabad and Lahore through which transactions of Rs.288 million had been affected. He is currently on judicial remand. Similarly, Muhammad Danish Javed has been found to have deposited money in the bank accounts of the same dummy unit whereas an FIR for tax evasion amounting to Rs134.4 m has been lodged against him as well. The said person is also under judicial remand. An investigation into the activities of the arrested persons had subsequently led the authorities to identify the real culprits behind a network involving 65 units and a total invoice value amounting to Rs1.3 billion. The arrest of Muhammad Yousaf, proprietor M/s Saytex International, is in continuation of the Revenue Intelligence’s tirade against tax fraudsters and networks of dubiously registered firms involved in fake and flying invoices. The Faisalabad directorate has so far arrested six persons and recovered Rs6 million defrauded amount.

Another 13 registered persons nominated in the FIR have voluntarily deposited their tax liability totalling Rs2.2 million.

Further investigations into the scam are underway whereas further arrests and recoveries are expected.

CCP raids Lahore offices of cement manufacturers’ association ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP), as part of an enquiry launched in May 2020 to investigate the possible anti-competitive practices by the cement manufacturers, on Thursday carried out investigation of the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) in Lahore.

As a part of the inspection, two teams entered and searched the APCMA main office and the office of one of its member firms. The commission dedicated a team to investigate one of the member companies of APCMA because a senior employee of this company is also the office bearer of the APCMA’s executive committee, representing the northern region. Hence, an inspection of the premises of the member firm was essential to determine any signs of collusive arrangements for the purposes of the Com-

petition Act, 2010.

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

The reports indicated that an increase of Rs45-Rs55 per cement bag was apparently decided in a meeting of the cement manufacturers held under the umbrella of APCMA. Some of the media reports also quoted cement dealers saying that the leading cement companies in the northern region had collectively decided to increase the cement prices

by Rs55 per bag.

From the analysis done by the CCP’s enquiry officers of the cement companies’ profitability trend, it transpired that due to the lower demand of cement in the first quarter of 2020, the companies had to undergo financial losses at variance, however, the in-

crease in price was starkly parallel, raising concerns of collective decision-making and price-fixing by the cement manufacturers.

Some other players of the construction industry also hinted upon the cement cartel in the North region becoming active following price increase trend in the northern region.

The official data available with the CCP indicated that the prices of cement increased by 4 per cent in Islamabad, 10 per cent in Lahore, and 6 per cent in Peshawar from the second week of April 2020.

From the analysis of the information obtained from the news reports, price trends and facts gathered pertaining the same, it appears that the correlation between the increased prices of cement and grounds presented by the representatives of the cement industry needs to be assessed on an objective basis.

Sudden increase in price by the cement manufacturers at a time when there is low de-

CMYK

mand compared to the installed capacity of the manufactures and considering that input fuel cost (coal and oil), transportation and interest rate have declined raises suspicion of a collective rise in price by cement companies.

It may be noted here that the production capacity of cement sector has increased from 44 million tons in 2014 to 69 million tons in 2020. The losses incurred by the cement sector and an increase in the price of cement in a similar time period raises suspicion of a collective decision of the cement companies to recover losses incurred due to unutilized installed capacities.

It is pertinent to mention here that the cement sector has a history of collusive activities and they have been penalized in the past to an amount of collectively more than Rs6.3 billion on account of involvement in the uncompetitive practices that stand in violation of Section 04 of the Competition Act, 2010.

In 2012, the commission again initiated

an enquiry against cement companies, however the same could not proceed further due to stay order granted to cement companies by the Lahore High Court.

Under Section 34 of the Act, the authorized officers of the commission have access to any premises, place, accounts, documents and computers, including computer-stored information, on the premise and to impound, or make extracts or copies of, any document and account relating to any agreement made or decision taken, or to their implementation, by undertaking. In case an undertaking refuses, without reasonable cause, to allow the authorized officers of commission to exercise the aforesaid powers the commission can make forcible entry.

The search has been carried out to gather the evidence of possible communication, arrangement, agreement, or understanding between the cement producers pertaining to the violation of the provisions of the act.

Friday, 25 September, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS n korea shot s koran official dead and ‘burnt his body’: seoul SEOUL AGENCIES

The South Korean military has accused North Korea of murdering a state official who went missing earlier this week and disposing of his body. The man is said to have wanted to defect to the North. A 47-year-old Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries staffer went missing on Monday while inspecting the waters off the western border island of Yeonpyeong. South Korea’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that the man was killed by North Korea. The ministry condemned the “brutal act” and urged Pyongyang to explain its actions and punish those responsible. President Moon Jae-in called the incident “shocking.” His office said that “shooting our citizen, who had no weapon and no intention to resist… cannot be justified for any reason.” The statement added that the alert level will be raised along the border. According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the victim jumped into the sea while trying to defect to the North and drifted into North Korean waters. He is said to have worn a life jacket and used an unidentified object in order to stay afloat. The man was questioned by North Korean sailors in gas masks before being “executed,” the South’s military said. A South Korean civilian was last killed by the North Koreans in 2008, when a soldier shot a tourist who wandered into a restricted border zone.

China donates medical supplies to syria to help fight Covid-19 DAMASCUS: A new batch of medical donations from China was delivered to the Syrian health authorities on Thursday to help the country fight Covid-19 pandemic.

The aid, raised and donated by a voluntary organization in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang, includes face masks, goggles, protection suits and ventilators, according to the Chinese Embassy in Syria. At a delivery ceremony at the Ibn al-Nafis hospital in Syria's capital Damascus, Chinese Ambassador to Syria Feng Biao said the situation in Syria has improved in terms of fighting the pandemic. "I have confidence in the steadfastness, awareness, and courage of the Syrian people. We will defeat this pandemic. I am proud of this spirit ... and the friendship with the Syrian people," Feng stated. Meanwhile, Ahmad Khleifawi, deputy Syrian health minister, said the Syrian Health Ministry is "extremely grateful for ... this precious gift that will help the health sector in Syria." It is the latest in a string of humanitarian supplies from China since the outbreak of coronavirus in Syria. On Aug. 18, the Chinese embassy in Syria donated medical equipment to the University Children Hospital in Damascus to help improve the medical services of the university's Bone Marrow Transplant Center. On June 24, the Syrian Health Ministry received a batch of Chinese medical equipment to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. On June 4, the ministry received a similar batch of aid transferred by the Chinese embassy. AGENCIES

UAe, israel discuss investment opportunities in energy sector DUBAI: The UAE and Israel agreed to discuss potential investment opportunities in the energy sector and boost cooperation between the two countries, local media reported. The development came during a video call between UAE’s Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Suhail Al Mazrouei and Israeli energy minister Yuval Steinitz on Wednesday. The two countries also discussed ways of strengthening their co-operation in the oil and gas sector, adoption of green energy and advanced technologies in the areas of energy. Mr Al Mazrouei presented the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, which is the country’s first unified energy plan that “aims to maintain a balance between production and consumption and meet global environmental commitments, to create a favourable economic environment for overall growth”, the statement said. AGENCIES

TikTok sAys Us bAn To eRode 90pC of iTs UseR bAse SAN FRANCISCO

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AGENCIES

looming US ban on TikTok will force its user base to “precipitously decline”, by as much as 90 per cent, and drive content creators to “less attractive and less functional” substitutes, the video sharing app said in a new court filing.

Nearly 40 to 50 per cent of its daily active users will not return to the platform even if the ban is lifted after two months. If it stays for up to six months, 80 to 90 percent of daily active users are less likely to return, the company added.

“Even if the TikTok ban is later lifted, we would not be able to make up for lost ground … people will have already turned to other competing platforms such as Byte, Triller, Zynn and Reels to fill the void,” Vanessa Pappas, TikTok's interim global head, said in the court petition.

Last Friday, the US Commerce Department said it will issue an order that will bar Americans from downloading the videosharing app starting September 20. Later, US President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of the order by a week.

The company said the US ban will have a major impact on its global growth because content created and shared by the US users is “highly exportable” to other English-speaking markets like the UK, Canada, and Australia.

“US content can comprise as much as 60 per cent of the content in TikTok’s non-US markets. Banning [that] will result in a massive decrease in content available globally, which will decrease business,” Ms Pappas said.

She also said that such a step will devastate its US workforce, “permanently harming its ability to recruit and retain talent”. Since July 1, 52 candidates have declined offers of employment with ByteDance and TikTok due to the per-

ceived uncertainty about its existence in the US. Launched in China in September 2016, TikTok is owned by Beijing-based technology firm ByteDance. It was rolled out in the US in 2018 after ByteDance’s $1 billion (Dh3.67bn) purchase of lipsynching app Musical.ly. TikTok allow users to create and share 15-second videos while providing musical soundtracks.

As of August 18, TikTok had 92.8 million monthly active users in the US, almost 53 million more than in October last year.

The company said it has always invested “heavily in data privacy and security”. “We take steps to protect the privacy and security of US user data … including industry-standard encryption to protect data and security controls to protect the integrity of our source code and safeguard against data breaches, hackers and other malicious actors,” Ms Pappas said.

As a first step, the US Commerce Department has ordered the removal of

Shipping industry urges EU for plan to safely disembark migrants LONDON AGENCIES

With the EU leaders putting forth a new plan to address Europe’s migrant crisis, leaders from the shipping industry are calling for provisions that guarantee that ships which undertake humanitarian efforts can quickly and safely disembark the people they are rescuing.

The shipping industry says that its ships are fulfilling their moral and legal requirements to save the migrants but then are being put in jeopardy due to the lack of agreements on how to promptly disembark the people.

The challenges faced by merchant ships in the migrant crisis came to the forefront recently when a tanker, the Maersk Etienne was called on to go to the rescue of 27 migrants in distress in the waters south of Malta. Responding to calls from a human rights group the tanker saved the migrants including women and children. The vessel was then caught in limbo for nearly six weeks with no port willing to let the ship land the people.

Citing the situation that has just been resolved with the Maersk tanker and other incidents the leaders of the European Community Shipowners’ Associations, European Transport Workers' Federation, International Chamber of Shipping, and Interna-

tional Transport Workers' Federation signed an open letter to the president, vice president and commissioners of the European Commission calling for action to ensure a similar situation did not happen again.

Reporting that since the height of the migrant crisis in 2014, merchant ships have helped rescue over 80,000 distressed persons in the waters of the Central Mediterranean, the industry is calling for action from the EC. While acknowledging that there had been a decline in the number of migrants, they cited new data from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, known as Frontex, that reports an 85 percent increase in the number of migrant transits this year over last year.

“This is deeply alarming to the shipping industry, as the migrant routes pass through international shipping lanes, increasing the likelihood of merchant ships being called on to conduct rescues. As recent incidents such as the Talia and Maersk Etienne demonstrate, there is no guarantee that those ships will receive prompt and adequate assistance when fulfilling their humanitarian responsibilities,” the letter says.

They go on to cite the obligations that ships face in these situations noting that once they take the migrants on board the ships act based on in-

structions received from the Search and Rescue (SAR) Authority coordinating the SAR operation.

“Merchant ships will not shrink from their legal and moral responsibility to render assistance to those in need of assistance at sea,” they say while pointing out that vessels such as the Maersk Etienne are not designed or equipped to take these numbers of people aboard. In addition to the safety issues of boarding the people, they point out that the ships do not have provisions for first aid, medical care, and food and water for large groups of distressed persons.

"It is therefore essential that the rescued persons can be disembarked at the earliest opportunity in a place of safety – as the law demands.” They call for clear rules without attempts to criminalize or complicate the situation further. “States must ensure that the vessels and the masters of those vessels carrying persons in distress whom they have rescued at sea are relieved as soon as reasonably possible in accordance with international law.”

The letter concludes by saying that the ECSA, ICS, ETF, and ITF call on the EU and Member States to facilitate such an outcome without any further delays, taking full account of the need to ensure the safety and security of merchant ships, seafarers, and the distressed people they help.

UK reveals ‘Kent passport’ plan for truckers to prevent Brexit gridlock LONDON: The British government sets up a permit system monitored by surveillance cameras aimed at stopping chaos at roads leading to busy ports. Haulage companies have criticised plans for a new surveillance operation designed to prevent the southeast of England being transformed into a huge lorry park when the UK ends its close trading relationship with the European Union. Truckers will need a new permit before they are allowed to enter the county of Kent to prevent queues of up to 7,000 trucks with longer border checks expected to cause major congestion from 2021. Kent, in the southeast corner of England, is closest geographically to the UK’s biggest trading partner, the European Union. Thousands of trucks travel through the county every day to the busiest cross-Channel port of Dover.

Under the new plan, truckers will have to obtain permits or face being turned back from the county, known as the Garden of England, by police monitoring network of cameras at key points on the road network. AGENCIES

TikTok from the country's app stores on September 27. Subsequently, the app will be shut down entirely in the US on November 12.

Removing the app from the US app stores will halt the influx of new US users, making it unavailable to the hundreds of millions of Americans who have not yet downloaded the app, Ms Pappas said.

“To remain competitive, continued growth at this stage in our development is critical. New users are the lifeblood of a social media application like TikTok … without new users, we cannot compete with other platforms,” she added.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration approved Oracle’s bid for the American operations of TikTok, leading to a tentative deal where Oracle and Walmart would get a combined 20 per cent stake in a global TikTok business. However, a final deal looked uncertain when ByteDance said it would never give up majority control over TikTok.

China bans two Australian ‘antiChina’ scholars BEIJING: China has barred entry to two “antiChina” Australian scholars, the Global Times newspaper said on Thursday, citing unnamed sources, amid heightened tension between Beijing and Canberra. The paper, published by the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s official People’s Daily newspaper, identified the two as Clive Hamilton and Alex Joske. It added that the decision came after Australia revoked the visas of two Chinese scholars over “alleged infiltration” in early September. The Australians could not immediately be reached for comment.

Ties have become strained over issues from trade disputes to Australia’s call for an international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus that first emerged in China late last year and accusations of Chinese meddling in domestic affairs. In a 2018 book, Hamilton, a professor of public ethics at Charles Sturt University in the Australian capital, accused China’s Communist Party of a campaign to exert influence in Australia’s domestic politics. Joske is an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, which the Global Times called “infamous for churning out anti-China propaganda and fabricating antiChina issues.” AGENCIES

China, Russia to enhance cooperation in archives field BEIJING: Archives authorities of China and Russia have formulated a cooperation framework in the field of archival work for the next five years, the National Archives Administration said Thursday. According to the outline, the two sides will jointly prepare and publish two compilations in the period: one on documents of cultural relations between China and the Soviet Union from 1949 to 1960, and the other on economic ties between the two countries from 1949 to 1991.

Besides, the two sides plan to jointly sponsor multiple exhibitions, including one commemorating the 95th anniversary of the sixth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and hold seminars on archives collection and archives law. AGENCIES

Google mulls hybrid model as 62pc employees don’t want to work from office CALIFORNIA AGENCIES

Google is working on a “hybrid” work model after an internal survey showed a majority of its employees do not want to return to the office full-time.

More than six in 10 employees said they want to return to the office at some point but not everyday.

“We value our offices, we value the culture … but we do think that we need to create more flexibility and more hybrid

models,” chief executive Sundar Pichai said in an interview to local media.

Only 8 percent of Google’s employees said they want to come to the office everyday, while 10 per cent want to work from home permanently, the company said. Face-to-face meetings and socialising with other team members were some of the reasons given by employees who opted to work from office.

“I see the future definitely being more flexible [but] we don’t think that future will be 100 percent remote,” said Mr Pichai.

“We firmly believe that in-person, being

together and having a sense of community [are] super important, whenever you have to solve hard problems and create something new … we don’t see that changing,” he added.

Alphabet-owned Google, which earlier said its employees can work from home till January 2021 to stem the spread of Covid-19 virus, later extended it to June 30 next year. “Google was one of the first companies to have the view that the workplace could be fun. We have the same philosophy but now we are thinking in context of the Covid-19,” said Mr Pichai.

“When it started, I realised this is going

to be a period of tremendous uncertainties ... so we wanted to lean in and give certainty wherever we could. We made a decision to work from home [as] we realised that people are trying hard to plan and it is affecting productivity,” he added.

In May, the company said it will reopen most of its global offices on July 6 for employees who are keen to return to the workplace. But it was postponed due to a recent surge in the number of coronavirus cases.

Google is currently investing heavily in expanding its offices in San Jose, New York

and at the company’s sprawling headquarters in Mountain View. Mr Pichai said the new emphasis on remote working will not affect those ongoing projects. Global tech companies are considering a staggered return to work in an effort to resume office operations safely in the absence of a vaccine.

Facebook and Twitter have already given their employees an option to work from home permanently. Apple, however, is bringing staff back to its stores in different phases after it shut down its retail operations amid the outbreak.

Friday, 25 September, 2020

SPORTS 11

FOrMer austraLian CriCketer Dean JOnes Dies OF heart attaCk

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AGENCiES

ORMER Australia cricketer Dean Jones, regarded as one of the finest batsmen of his generation, died from cardiac arrest on Thursday aged 59, Indian broadcaster Star India said, prompting tributes from the prime minister and fellow players.

Jones won the World Cup with Australia in 1987 and played 52 Tests and 164 one-day internationals in an international career that spanned 10 years from 1984.

Jones was in Mumbai as part of Star India’s commentary panel for the Indian Premier League. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison paid tribute to “an absolute cricketing legend” as he sent his condolences to Jones’s family. “A true entertainer at the crease, whose flair with the bat and electric running between the wickets changed the game forever. A genuine good guy & a huge loss,” Morrison tweeted.

Former India batsman Sachin Tendulkar said he was heartbroken. “A wonderful soul taken away too soon,” Tendulkar said. “Had the opportunity to play against him during my first tour of Australia. May his soul rest

Obituary - Dean JOnes AbdullAh NiAzi Big, burly, arrogant, and swashbuckling, cricket owes more to Dean Jones the batsman than it does to countless players with seemingly bigge names than his. As a limited overs batsman, his average of just under 50 and strike rate of just under 80 would be considered middling today, but in his day, Jones did things that are still considered audacious in the game.

A pioneer that took fast bowlers on by charging down the pitch in the great era of fast bowling, one of the lasting images of his career being telling the 6’7 West Indian fast bowler, Curtly Ambrose, to take off his white wristbands. What followed was a volley of bouncers and one of Curtly’s greatest spells of ODI bowling. From the other end, Mark Taylor cursed Jones for making the big man angry. Australia lost that match, but who could ever forget that moment? The gall, the

PCb asks south africa to reschedule ODi series after PsL in March 2021 AGENCiES The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday conveyed its readiness to Cricket South Africa (CSA) to reschedule the South African series planned for this month and postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to sources, PCB has suggested to its South African counterpart that the national team tour Zimbabwe in March for the three-match ODI series. This will provide the green squad with a 10-day window after Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021. Cricket activities in South Africa have not yet resumed after restrictions were imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.Earlier in August, Pakistan's tour of South Africa was postponed as CSA informed its Pakistani counterpart that it could not establish a biosecure environment the the COVID19 pandemic continuing to rage.

Chelsea sign rennes goalkeeper edouard Mendy AGENCiES Chelsea on Thursday announced the signing of goalkeeper Edouard Mendy from Rennes on a five-year deal for a reported fee of $28 million. The Senegal international will compete for a starting spot with Kepa Arrizabalaga, who has struggled for form and confidence at Stamford Bridge. He is Frank Lampard's seventh senior signing of a busy summer following the arrivals of Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Ben Chilwell, Kai Havertz, Thiago Silva and Malang Sarr. "I am so excited to be joining Chelsea," said Mendy. "It's a dream for me to be a part of this exciting squad and to work with Frank Lampard and all of his coaching staff." "I look forward to meeting my team-mates and can't wait to get started."

The 6 feet 5 inch (1.96 metre) stopper kept nine clean sheets in 24 Ligue 1 appearances last season, helping the Bretons finish third and qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history.

sports events can be held without vaccines, says iOC President AGENCiES The recent resumption of sports events show they can be organised safely without vaccines, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said on Thursday. Bach made the comment at a news conference. The Tokyo Olympics were postponed from 2020 to 2021 due to the coronavirus. The pandemic has continued to spread, casting a shadow over the viability of hosting the Games next year.

RELAXED ENTRY RULES: Tokyo Olympics officials meanwhile, are proposing that the government relax immigration regulations to allow athletes to enter the country before next year's postponed games and train during a 14-day quarantine period, Toshiro Muto, the CEO of the organizing committee said on Wednesday.

audacity, the pure hubris? That was the fearless brand of cricket Jones was known for, and he was indeed a fearless man. It would not be remiss to say that the brand of cricket he played rebranded Australia in the ODI arena, and was perhaps the origin story of the series of dream teams they produced from the 1990s all the way up to 2009.

But his pioneering efforts and gutsy batting do not undercut his role as a fine, classical, test cricketer. His innings of 210 against India in the tied Chennai test of 1986 was legendary, and often cited as one of the greatest innings ever played by an Australian. That he needed a drip after batting two days in the scorching heat is testament to his commitment to the game.

Perhaps that is the one thing he should most be remembered for, that he was an excellent and devoted servant to the game of cricket. His career as a broadcaster was not so much about a post playing days

career as it was about his love for the game.

As a broadcaster, Jones went to the places no one wanted to go to, namely Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the first edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), he took his team, the Islamabad United, to an inaugural tournament win. During the PSL’s second edition, even though his team had been knocked out, he still came to Pakistan for the final - as a message of support to Pakistani cricket. Fearless as always, he quickly became an ardent supporter and benefactor of Pakistan cricket. He later moved to the Karachi Kings franchise, and formed close bonds with local players. His coaching methods were strict, but also loving As a man, his joy was infectious and his reflections on the game often somber and always important. This writer had a chance encounter with the man at a private art exhibition in Lahore, where Jones had been dragged by the owner of the Islamabad United. Surrounded, perhaps for the first time, by a group of Pakistanis fawning over art rather than cricket, Jones was more than a little uninterested.

in peace and my condolences to his loved ones.” One of Jones’s most memorable innings came in the tied Test against India in Chennai in 1986, when he battled extreme heat and physical exhaustion to notch a memorable double century. Jones ended his career with 3,631 runs in Tests at an average of 46.55 with 11 hundreds and 14 half-centuries, and over 6,000 runs in ODIs with seven centuries and 46 fifties. Earl Eddings, chair of Cricket Australia, said Jones would be sorely missed by fans around the world.

“Dean Jones was a hero to a generation of cricketers and will forever be remembered as a legend of this great game,” Eddings said in a statement. The cricketing fraternity took to social media to pay tribute.

“I can’t believe this news. So very sad to hear about this. Rip Deano,” Australian batsman David Warner tweeted while Steve Smith said Jones was a “wonderful player for Australia” who would be missed.

Former Australian batsman Darren Lehmann said: “Dean Jones ... taught me so much on and off the ground. I and all of the cricketing world will miss him. Our thoughts are with Jane and the family at this time.”

Ramiz Raja, who worked with Jones as a co-commentator, said the news had left him in complete shock. “One of a kind you were Deano and how lonely and helpless you must have felt on your own in that hotel room - a death we commentators fear the most, and likely to meet, helpless and gone in that hotel room... RIP my friend,” Raja tweeted. Jones retired from all forms of cricket in 1998, going on to work as a coach and commentator.

Djokovic braces for Nadal, Roland Garros demons AGENCiES Novak Djokovic will renew his lovehate relationship with Roland Garros in the knowledge that it's himself rather than 12-time champion Rafael Nadal who could pose the greatest barrier to winning a second Paris title and 18th Grand Slam crown.

The only man to beat Djokovic in 2020 is Djokovic after the Serb's hairtrigger temper prompted a sensational disqualification from the US Open.

The 33-year-old heads for the French capital with a 31-1 record this year after his New York brain-fade, which saw him accidentally hit a line judge with a ball, was followed by a record 36th Masters title in Rome.

Djokovic's 2016 triumph at Roland Garros allowed him to become only the third man after Don Budge and Rod Laver to hold all four Grand Slams at the same time.

Not even Nadal, the holder of 19 majors, or Roger Federer, with a record 20 Slams, can match that staggering achievement.

Federer will miss the French Open as he rehabs his injured knee while Nadal has played just three matches since February, a ring-rustiness evident in his quarter-final exit in Rome.

However, Djokovic refused to get carried away by his chances at Roland Garros ahead of Sunday's start.

"It's Nadal," insisted the world number one when pushed on who heads to Paris as the favourite.

"The record that he has there, the history of his results, you just can't put anybody in front of him."

Djokovic is right to be cautious after experiencing numerous low points on the red clay of Paris.

In the 2012 final against Nadal, having won eight games in a row, he was up a break and pushing to level the match at two sets apiece when rain brought an overnight suspension.

Play resumed the following day but Djokovic's momentum was lost and a double-fault on championship point completed his misery.

Twelve months later, Djokovic was poised for a semi-final win over Nadal

with just a routine putaway required to help give him a 5-3 final set lead and a chance to serve for the match.

However, he chose a smash rather than a soothing touch. He tumbled into the net, losing the point and Nadal pounced to eventually take the tie after four hours and 37 minutes.

In 2018, he lost a quarter-final to world number 72 Marco Cecchinato while last year he was beaten in the semi-finals by Dominic Thiem.

That match took two days to complete, featured numerous rain stoppages and winds so strong that a courtside umbrella was sent flying across court.

"Obviously when you're playing in hurricane kind of conditions, it's hard to perform your best," said Djokovic.

Nadal, who skipped the defence of his US Open title due to fears over coronavirus, eyes a 13th French Open.

Since his title-winning debut in 2005, the Spaniard has only lost twice at Roland Garros in 95 matches - to Robin Soderling in 2009 and Djokovic in 2015.

The 34-year-old may appear to be

Fans excited to see live action as UEFA allows first spectators budAPEST AGENCIES

Football fans began to arrive on Thursday in the Hungarian capital for Europe’s first major match open to fans since the Covid-19 pandemic began, just as much of the continent tightens its social restrictions for a second wave of the virus.

European soccer’s governing body UEFA has said the Super Cup, a traditional season opener played this year by Champions League winners Bayern Munich of Germany and Europa League champions Sevilla of Spain, would be safe to attend. Jan Tanne, a Bayern supporter who flew in to Budapest for 24 hours to attend the first game he was allowed to see since March, said he was not afraid as long as people followed the rules.

“The security concept of the game is good so I guess if you honour the rules and stay 1.5 metres away from other people and avoid big crowds then I guess there is no problem to watch the game,” he said.

Despite UEFA filling the stadium only to one-third of its nominal capacity of 67,000 and

painstaking attention to limiting the spread of the coronavirus, there has been a growing number of voices calling for fans to stay away.

UEFA considers the match a safety test before any future game is opened to spectators, which was rejected as cynical by Hungarian opposition groups; but the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an avid football fan, has persisted.

As the city began to close down large sections of the area around the new state-of-the-art Puskas Arena, fans appeared in the central area that normally bustles with tourists but is now much more deserted as the pandemic keeps visitors at home.

Tanne plans to watch the game, get one night’s sleep in Budapest then return to Bavaria, where Prime Minister Markus Soeder told returning fans they would either have to be tested or face quarantine. Tanne thinks that move was unwarranted. “(Soeder) makes rules a little too hard for the Bavarian people, because few days ago there was no problem,”

CMYK

he said. “Then on Monday evening he decides it is a big problem and he talks of Ischgl, the Covid hotspot in Austria.”

The ski resort Ischgl became a continental hotspot when tourists were allowed to socialise then return home, many of them carrying the virus and spreading it around Europe. “I think he cannot compare Ischgl to the situation here, because there nobody was tested, everybody celebrated near each other,” Tanne added. “Here in Budapest the football game has a hygienic concept... I think it’s everyone’s own choice to stay at home or to come here.”

Far from worried, some Hungarian football fans looked at the match as a golden opportunity to see teams they would normally have to travel far and pay hefty sums to witness in action.

For Zsolt Ladanyi, chairman of the Bayern Munich Hungary fan club, going to the game was a no-brainer, and the 33-year-old also takes his father, 65, with him.

He is not ignorant of the risks but says good hygiene and obedience protects fans.

under-cooked after his last-eight exit in Rome to Diego Schwartzman.

However, the last time he suffered such an early departure from the Italian capital was in 2017 -- just weeks later he was lifting a 10th French Open without dropping a set.

"It's a completely special and unpredictable year," admitted Nadal of a French Open pushed back four months due to the pandemic.

The unusual sight of Roland Garros being played in the autumn also means radically different conditions to those expected in its normal time slot of May and June.

That could suit newly-crowned US Open winner Thiem who has lost the last two finals to Nadal in Paris.

The world number three Austrian has 17 career titles with 10 of those on clay.

Four of his five wins over Nadal have come on clay with three of four victories against Djokovic carved out on the sport's most testing surface.

World number five Daniil Medvedev has yet to win a match at the tournament in three visits while sixthranked Stefanos Tsitsipas made the last 16 in 2019, losing a five-set marathon to former champion Stan Wawrinka.

World number seven Alexander Zverev, fresh from his runners-up spot in New York, has made the quarter-finals in the last two seasons.

Devastated australian spratt to miss imola road race AGENCiES Australian cyclist Amanda Spratt has been ruled out of this week’s UCI Road World Championships in Imola after failing to recover from injuries sustained in the Giro Rosa. Spratt, who claimed the bronze medal in the women’s road race last year, damaged her shoulder and suffered concussion in a crash that has also ruled out Mitchelton-Scott team mate and reigning world champion Annemiek van Vleuten.

“Right now it feels pretty devastating that I am not well enough to be able to race the Worlds,” Spratt said. Spratt will be replaced in the Australian team by experienced racer Tiffany Cromwell. “My shoulder is recovering well but unfortunately, my concussion still needs some time,” Spratt who was runner-up in the world championships in 2018, said.

emotional suarez proud to have thrived alongside Messi as he heads to atletico BARCELONA: Luis Suarez highlighted his close friendship with Lionel Messi as he bid a teary farewell to Barcelona on Thursday ahead of his move to La Liga title rivals Atletico Madrid. Messi had failed to dovetail with other top strikers such as Samuel Eto’o, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Villa but took no time at all to gel with Suarez, who became his best friend at the club as well as a prolific strike partner. AGENCIES

Friday, 25 September, 2020

PrAyEr TIMINGS

NEWS

FBR uneaRths money laundeRing woRth Billions oF Rupees NON-BAILABLE ARREST WARRANTS ISSUED AGAINST CEO, CFO AND TWO OTHER DIRECTORS OF M/S BURSHANE LPG PAKISTAN LIMITED ACCUSED OF MONEY LAUNDERING AND TAX EVASION

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Shahzad Paracha

he Federal Board of Revenue (FBR)’s Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation Inland Revenue (I&I-IR) has unearthed a major case of money laundering and tax evasion involving complex accounting techniques and organized financial crime through clandestine transactions and prima-facie an intricate network of various shell companies by the accused company namely M/s Burshane LPG Pakistan Limited.

Sources said that the directorate of I&IIR Karachi, under the supervision of Director General Dr Bashir Ullah, has investigated into the case and unearthed

fraudulent activities and financial malpractice of the specified company.

Sources said that the deceit network for money laundering is run by the accused CeO of the company in collusion with other directors and the Chief Financial Officer. The investigation has revealed that the accused company is also involved in purchase and sale of smuggled Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) which is bought from Taftan border, and the related proceeds are kept out of books, thus these are concealed sales and purchases.

The accused company has thus evaded huge amounts of tax of around Rs1,775 Million, and the accused CeO, CFO and other directors of the company have acquired properties worth billions from the

proceeds of crime as defined under section 3 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2010, sources disclosed.

In addition to this, sources said that the investigation into the case is being conducted by the Deputy Director I&I-IR, Karachi which has unveiled an extremely organized and complex structure of various bank accounts and banking transactions established by the accused for laundering of illegal money.

The accused persons have also established various shell companies wherein illegal money is injected as equity against the issuance of shares. These shell companies then declare heavy salaries to directors and various expenses and declare loss even before commencement of operations.

Parliamentary panel for removal of bottlenecks in CPEC SEZs ISLaMaBad APP

Parliamentary committee on Thursday directed the ministries concerned to remove all bottlenecks associated with the establishment of special economic zones (SeZs) across the country under China Pakistan economic Corridor (CPeC). The directions were passed in a meeting of the committee chaired by Sher Ali Arbab.

The committee was briefed by board of investment (BoI), power and petroleum divisions regarding the provision of gas and electricity to three early harvest economic zones including Rashakai, M-3 Industrial estate – Faisalabad, and Dhabeji in Sindh.

The chairman directed the ministries concerned to

resolve this issue at the earliest because success of CPeC depends heavily on industrialization in these economic zones. “If these areas lack basic services for establishing industries, we will not be able to woo the business community to come and invest,” the chairman said. The committee directed the management of the SeZs to sit with the concerned authorities to sort out the issues and submit the timelines within a week.

The committee, taking cognizance of the issues, remarked that if any legislation is needed to remove the bottlenecks, it would be exercised to make CPeC a success story. BoI was directed to consult with Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for implementation of same tax regime as envisaged in the SeZs Act. Secretary railways also briefed the committee on the scope of project ML-1 with an ap-

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another arab country to ink deal with israel soon: us envoy NEW YOrK AGENCIES

Through this way, the money taken out of companies under different heads is shown as acquired through legitimate means.

In tax year 2015, the accused company was fraudulently acquired by another private limited company by funds acquired from National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) on the basis of defective land Khata. The same accused directors were the directors of the acquiring company at the time of this fraudulent merger which violated the provisions of section 97A of the Ordinance resulting in evasion of capital gain of around Rs1 billion. The accused company has also concealed heavy investments of around Rs240 million in a private limited company, M/s Roots International Private Limited , and has also concealed acquisition of the said company in the name of the accused CeO.

Another Arab country is expected to sign a peace deal with Israel this week, US Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft disclosed while giving an interview to Saudi-based Arabic language television here.

The US ambassador’s comments came a week after the United Arab emirates and Bahrain signed a deal with Israel to normalize ties, known as the Abraham Accords. Craft explained that the US planned to bring more countries into the deal. “We will have more being announced very soon,” Craft said, claiming that one country would be signing a deal with Israel “in the next day or two.” “I know others are going to be following,” the senior US diplomat claimed. Donald Trump told world leaders earlier this week that he “has never been more optimistic” about the future of the Middle east.

(Editor’s Note: This company has no association with the famous school system which goes by a similar name.)

trump hedging on handing over power highlights legal battles on election

proved cost of $6.806 billion.

This project has been sub-divided into three packages and the completion period is 8.5 years. It includes upgrading and doubling of main line-1 (ML-1) from Karachi to Peshawar (1733 KM) and havelian dry port, rehabilitation and construction of bridges, provision of modern signalling and telecom systems and conversion of level crossings into underpasses/flyovers. establishment of dry port near havelian and up-gradation of Walton training academy are components of this project. The committee directed the ministry to look into the option of electric locomotives instead of diesel because modern railway systems in the world have switched over to electric engines for higher speed and environment friendliness.

Peshawar to Torkham railway line may be made part of this project because it will enhance the connectivity up to Central Asian States.

The meeting was attended by national assembly members Noor Alam Khan, Sadaqat Ali Khan Abbasi, Umar Aslam Khan, Nafeesa Inayatullah Khan Khattak, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Mehnaz Akber Aziz, Raza Rabani Khar, and Zahid Akram Durrani.

WaShINGTON AGENCIES

US President Donald Trump has declined to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the November 3 election to Democratic rival Joe Biden, opening up what some experts fear could be a constitutional crisis that would tear apart the foundation of American democracy. "We're going to have to see what happens," Trump, a Republican candidate, told reporters at the White house when asked if he would commit to handing over the reins to Biden if he loses. The president has sought repeatedly to cast doubt, preemptively, on the legitimacy of the election because of his concerns about mail-in voting, which Democrats have encouraged during the coronavirus pandemic.

Trailblazing journalist Harold Evans dead at 92 NEW YOrK AGENCIES

Sir harold evans, a British-American editor whose 70-year career as a hard-driving investigative journalist, magazine founder, book publisher and author made him one of the most influential media figures of his generation, died on Wednesday at the age of 92. evans died of congestive heart failure in New York, according to his wife Tina Brown.

A former editor of Britain’s Sunday Times and, at his death, Reuters editor-at-large, evans put a unique stamp on investigative journalism. Championing causes either overlooked or denied, he and his team uncovered human rights abuses and political scandals and advocated for clean air policies.

One of his most famous investigations ex-

posed the plight of hundreds of British thalidomide children who had never received any compensation for their birth defects. evans organised a campaign to take on the drug companies responsible for manufacturing the drug, an effort that eventually won compensation for the families after more than a decade. “All I tried to do — all I hoped to do — was to shed a little light,” evans said in an interview with the Independent in 2014. “And if that light grew weeds, we’d have to try and pull them up.” After 14 years at the Sunday Times, evans became editor of the Times of London shortly after media mogul Rupert Murdoch purchased the paper in 1981. evans left a year later in a dispute with Murdoch over editorial independence.

A few years later, evans moved to the United States with Brown, the journalist and editor to whom he was married for nearly 40

years. he continued his career as an author, publisher and university lecturer. he penned several books, including “The American Century” (1998) and its sequel “They Made America” (2004), as well as an ode to good writing called “Do I Make Myself Clear?” (2017). he became the subject of books and documentaries, including “Attacking The Devil: harold evans and the Last Nazi War Crime” (2014), about the thalidomide campaign. evans founded Conde Nast Traveler magazine and served as president and publisher of Random house from 1990 to 1997.

Under his leadership, Random house scored various publishing successes, including the best-selling “Primary Colors,” a satire about Bill Clinton by Anonymous, later revealed to be journalist Joe Klein, and Colin Powell’s “My American Journey.”

NIFT, Checkout.com aim to bring int’l payment methods to Pakistan ISLaMaBad

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GHULAM ABBAS

FTeR signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) last month, the National Institutional Facilitation Technologies – Pakistan (NIFT) and Checkout.com have kicked off their project aimed at bringing international payment methods to Pakistan.

According to officials, the project was launched during the 3rd meeting of National e-Commerce Council (NeCC), held at the Ministry of Commerce on Thurs-

day. They said the implementation of the project will enable both organizations to provide payment services through each other’s infrastructure and pursue commercial opportunities as a partnership.

This strives towards a borderless experience for business and consumers alike, promoting digital payments and settlements for exports and digital commerce across Pakistan, the officials said.

Last month, a MoU was signed between NIFT and Checkout.com for collaboration to bring greater payment options to the Pakistan market. The agreement enables both organizations to provide pay-

ment services through each other’s infrastructure, pursue commercial opportunities as a partnership.

Checkout.com is a global payment provider which offers reliable payments in more than 150 different currencies, in-country acquiring, robust fraud filters and reporting all accessed through a single point of integration. They accept payments from all major international card schemes, including Visa, MasterCard, American express and Union Pay as well as popular alternative and local payment methods.

Checkout.com brings a unified offering of all the prominent international payment methods and

wallets such as PayPal, AliPay, Apple Pay and Google Pay enabling the merchants to pay and run their businesses in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, during the meeting of NeCC, a MoU was also signed between Pakistan Software houses Association (P@ShA) and Chain Store Association of Pakistan to promote the use of indigenous technology and connectivity of the SMes. The agenda items pertaining to FBR included updates on cross border e-commerce procedure (integration of e-commerce exports with WeBoC), and progress on formulation of return policy for e-commerce exports.

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