Epaper – April 12-2022 ISB

tuesday, 12 april, 2022 i 10 ramzan, 1443 i rs 15.00 i Vol Xii no 284 i 12 pages i islamabad edition

Shehbaz Sharif elected aS Prime miniSter of PakiStan g

Announces raise in minimum wage to Rs25k, 10% hike in pensions

g

Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani administers oath as Dr Alvi falls ill

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

P

AkiStAn Muslim League-nawaz (PML-n) president Shehbaz Sharif was elected the nation’s 23rd prime minister on Monday in a session marked by a Pakistan tehreeke-insaf (Pti) boycott of the vote.

Shehbaz Sharif clinched victory with 174 seats while his opponent in the polling that took place in the national Assembly after a week-long crisis that climaxed on Sunday when his predecessor imran khan lost a no-confidence vote.

Later in the evening, Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani administered oath to Shehbaz Sharif as President Dr Arif Alvi was feeling uncomfortable.

Just minutes before the vote, legislators from Pti resigned en masse from the Lower House in protest at the expected formation of a government by khan’s political opponents.

“We are announcing we are all resigning,” Shah Mahmood Qureshi, former foreign minister and vice president of the party, said in a speech in the assembly.

Sharif emerged as the leader of a united opposition to topple khan who has claimed that the United States was behind his downfall, which Washington has denied.

Pti submitted papers nominating former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi as its candidate for prime minister Sunday before opting for mass resignations on Monday. the national Assembly convened for a session to decide the new prime minister at around 3:00 pm. no elected prime minister has completed a full term in the nuclear-armed nation since it won independence from colonial power Great Britain in 1947, though khan is the first to be removed by a no-confidence vote. the military has ruled the country of 220 million people for almost half its nearly 75-year history. it viewed khan and his conservative agenda favourably when he won the election in 2018. khan remained defiant following his defeat in parliament. “the freedom struggle begins again

coronaviruS in

PakiStan

CONFIRMED CASES:

1,526,666

today,” khan said on his twitter account on Sunday, which is followed by more than 15 million. thousands of khan’s supporters gathered in cities, including karachi, Lahore and Peshawar, for protests against his ouster that went on until the early hours of Monday. they blocked roads and shouted slogans against rival parties and the US government.

Sharif’s first task will be to form a cabinet that will also draw heavily from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), as well as find space for the smaller hardline Jamiat Ulema-e-islam-Fazl (JUi-F).

After the Pti lawmakers left the hall announcing resignations, Ayaz Sadiq started the voting process for the election of the chief minister. Ayaz also mistakenly pronounced Shehbaz Sharif as nawaz Sharif. He then apologised to Shehbaz, saying he

has “made the mistake because nawaz was in his heart and mind”.

Following the announcement of Shehbaz as the country’s new premier, lawmakers started walking from the opposition benches to the treasury benches. However, with chairs empty on both sides of the aisle, many stayed where they were.

Victory speech: in his speech, PM-elect Shehbaz congratulated the Supreme Court of Pakistan for declaring the deputy speaker’s ruling unconstitutional and “burying the doctrine of necessity forever”. though the opposition parties have the support of the dissident members of Pti, they didn’t cast vote on Monday but stayed in the opposition’s lobbies.

Shehbaz said he would resign the second it is

‘won’t give legitimacy to shehbaz’: pti resigns en-masse from national assembly ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

LAST UPDATED AT 8:20 AM ON 11 APRIL 2022

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

0

98

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

1,486,879 30,361 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

576,354

505,412

KPK:

BALOCHISTAN:

219,273

35,480

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

43,301/11,719

135,127

Pakistan tehreek-e-insaf (Pti) lawmakers on Monday submitted en-masse resignations in the national Assembly as the party chairman imran khan has refused to be a part of election of Shehbaz Sharif as Prime Minister, saying he won’t give legitimacy to the ‘corruption king’. the decision was made during the Pti’s parliamentary party meeting held on Sunday.

“We will not sit in this Assembly under any circumstances where a person wanted by FiA in corruption charges and money laundering,” khan said, adding that Pti will not sit in the Assembly with the “people who have robbed Pakistan” and who have been “imported by foreign forces”. “We have made this decision to keep the institutions under pressure who want this government to run the country […] we will not let them continue.” “the man who has 16 billion and 8 billion rupees of corruption cases, whoever selects and elects the Prime Minister can not be a big insult to the country. We are resigning from the national Assembly,” imran khan was quoted as saying. He stated that the entire country saw the power of Pti on Sunday night as hordes of people.

Almost all the MnAs including Hammad Azhar, Farrukh Habib, Shehryar Afridi, Ali Zaidi, Murad Saeed, Shireen Mazari, Shafqat Mahmood, Ali Amin Gandapur, Ali Mohammad khan and others have resigned.

“A man facing two separate corruption

proven that the opposition had any link with the ‘foreign conspiracy’, saying soon an in-camera briefing would be arranged on the alleged threatening letter. the prime minister-elect also shunned the allegations of treason against opposition parties, saying: “Dialogue should replace deadlock as change would not come merely through speeches”. He emphasised on bringing harmony for moving forward, especially, addressing the economic issues being faced by the country. “neither anyone was traitor nor anyone is traitor,” Shehbaz said, adding that it’s time to move ahead with unity instead of being divided.

MiniMuM wage rises to rs25k: PM-elect Shehbaz also said the Pti-led government left the country’s economy in tatters with current account deficit and other economic indicators “worsening”.

He announced raising the minimum wage to Rs25,000 and also announced a 10% hike in pensions of retired government employees. Government employees earning less than Rs100,000 would also be given a 10% raise, he added.

Bisp Makes a coMeBack: Responding to former PM imran khan’s ‘independent foreign policy’ claims, Premier-elect Shehbaz said former premier nawaz Sharif did not say “absolutely rejected” to US when it pressured Pakistan to halt nuclear tests.

“We respectfully rejected their [US] offer of $5 billion and made country’s defence invincible.” the premier-designate said his government will work with provinces to provide relief to masses and reintroduce the Benazir income Support programme which was introduced by the former PPPled government at Centre. ‘khadiM-e-pakistan’: the PM-designate referred to him as “khadim-e-Pakistan” (chief servant of Pakistan), a title that is reminiscent of the designation “khadim-e-Aala” that Shehbaz used to describe himself when he was a chief minister of Punjab. ‘new foreign policy’: Speaking about the country’s foreign policy, the PM-designate vowed to restrengthen ties with Beijing, saying that his government will complete China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects at “Punjab speed”.

He accused his predecessor of damaging relations with China.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

MORE INSIDE

felicitations pour in as shehbaz sharif sworn in as 23rd pM of pakistan STORY ON BACK PAGE

US welcomes Shehbaz’s election as PM charges of Rs16 billion and Rs8 billion being selected or elected the prime minister is the biggest disrespect to the country,” khan told the media after chairing a meeting of the Pti parliamentary committee. “We are resigning.” the move was being anticipated since early Sunday when Chaudhry said party MPs will tender their resignations if the party’s reservations on Pakistan Muslim League-nawaz (PML-n) president Shehbaz Sharif’s candidature as the prime minister are not addressed. the decision was taken in a meeting of the parliamentary party, presided over by chairman khan Monday, to chalk out the future strategy.

Chaudhry said the committee recommended to khan the party should resign from the assemblies starting with the national Assembly.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

STORY ON PAGE 02

Elahi, Hamza to mutually decide date for CM election: LHC

STORY ON BACK PAGE

tareen to return on April 16 STORY ON PAGE 03

02

Tuesday, 12 April, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

US WelCOMeS Shehbaz’S eleCTiOn aS PM wASHINGTON

a

ageNcIeS

DEMOCRATIC Pakistan is critical to the interests of the United States, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Monday, hours after Shehbaz Sharif was elected as the prime minister.

Ex-prime minister Imran Khan repeatedly blamed the US for backing the no-confidence motion — that lead to his ouster early Sunday — and has refused to

Opposition withdraws no-confidence motion against KP CM PESHAWAR: The joint opposition parties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly on Monday withdrew their no-confidence motion against KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan. KP Assembly Speaker Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani informed the House that the joint opposition parties have withdrawn their no-confidence motion against the chief minister through a letter signed

by Sardar Hussain Babak, Khushdil Khan and Sobia Shahid. Speaking in the House, Parliamentary Leader of Awami National Party Sardar Hussain Babak said that the no-confidence motion was submitted to save KP Assembly from a possible dissolution in the wake of political and constitutional crisis that had happened last week in Islamabad. He said the opposition in KP would continue efforts to strengthen democracy and constitutional rule in the province. He suggested the treasury benches to remain calm and do not create situations like in the National Assembly and Punjab Assembly. Nighat Yasmin Orakzai of PPP said the treasury benches should appreciate the joint opposition over withdrawal of no-confidence motion against the CM. Inayatullah Khan of Jamat-e-Islami said that he was not part of the no-confidence motion.

However, MPA Sultan Muhammad Khan moved a resolution in favour of Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, which was passed by the House with majority. Sultan said that the House has endorsed trust in CM Mahmood Khan and appreciated his work. He said that Mahmood ran the government according to the traditions and made record developmental works in KP as well as in the merged districts. Meanwhile, the treasury and opposition benches chanted slogans against each other. In the meanwhile, Nighat Yasmin Orakzai fell unconscious while chanting slogans, however, she became stable after a few minutes.

Later, the speaker adjourned the assembly proceedings till Tuesday afternoon. app

FWO starts execution work on Rawalpindi Ring Road project RAWALPINDI: The Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), under the supervision of Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), has initiated the execution work on Rawalpindi Ring Road project.

Chairman RDA Tariq Mehmood Murtaza on Monday inaugurated the construction work and cut the ribbon for the project’s execution at Thallian. Director General RDA Tahir Zafar Abbasi, Chief Engineer RDA Dr Habibul Haq Randhawa and FWO team’s incharge Col Muhammad Irfan were also present on the occasion. Tariq Mehmood Murtaza said that the construction work of 38.3-km main carriageway from Baanth (N-5) to Thallian (M-2) under Rawalpindi Ring Road project would be completed in two years.

He said the RDA has awarded Rs22.8 billion contract to the FWO for the mega project. He requested the FWO to speed up the work on the project. He said the basic aim of the project is to ease congestion on the urban transportation system of twin cities. On the occasion, the chief engineer gave a detailed presentation on the project. He said the government of Punjab had approved Rs33694.43 million for the project, adding that the project’s land acquisition cost will be Rs6724.73 million and the project’s construction cost will be Rs26969.70 million. The project would cater the traffic issues by providing an alternative bypass by connecting N-5 with M-2, he added. INp

accept the newly-elected premier, saying “there can’t be any bigger insult to this country” — but the Joe Biden administration denied any role.

In a press briefing at the White House, Psaki said: “We support the peaceful upholding of constitutional democratic principles, we don’t support one political party over another.”

The White House press secretary said the United States “certainly” supports the principles of rule of law and equal justice under the law.

WILL BIDEN cALL SHEHBAz?

Psaki added that the US values its long-standing cooperation with Pakistan and has always viewed a prosperous and democratic Pakistan as critical to US interests — that remains unchanged regardless of who the leadership is. In response to a question about whether Biden would call Shehbaz, Psaki said: “In terms of future calls, I don’t have anything to predict at this point and time, obviously, we stay in close touch with them at a range of levels.” Since Biden assumed the US president’s office in 2021, Imran Khan and Biden did not hold a telephonic conversation.

IHC dismisses petition seeking treason proceedings against ex-PM Imran ISLAMABAD app

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday dismissed a petition seeking orders for registration of high treason case against former prime minister Imran Khan and his former cabinet members and placement of their names on Exit Control List in ‘letter gate’ matter.

The court declared the petition as non-maintainable and imposed a fine worth Rs100,000 upon petitioner Molvi Iqbal Haider.

Chief Justice Athar Minallah announced the verdict,

which was reserved earlier by the court after listening arguments from the petitioner.

The petitioner had prayed the court to also place the names of ex-ministers Chaudhry Fawad Hussain and Shah Mehmood Qureshi, and former NA deputy speaker Qasim Suri on ECL after registering a high treason case against them.

At the outset of hearing, the chief justice asked the petitioner that why he wants to politicise the subject, adding that the state is as strong to view such matters.

The court in its decision said that the petitioner has leveled baseless allegations against an elected prime

minister. It is the responsibility of every citizen to not politicise and create thrill in national security issues.

Dragging ambassadors and their classified reports into political disputes could weaken the national interests.

The petitioner had adopted the stance that if the government had received the letter on March 7, then it should have investigated it.

The court said it is a cable instead of a letter. The petitioner had further said that it is necessary to interrogate the matter as it is related to foreign policy and relations with US.

President Alvi complains of ‘discomfort’ hours before PM Shehbaz’s oath-taking ceremony NewS DeSk President Arif Alvi Monday complained of “discomfort”, according to the president’s Twitter account, hours before Prime Minister-elect Shehbaz Sharif’s oath-taking ceremony. “President Dr Arif Alvi has complained of discomfort.

The physician has examined him thoroughly and has advised him [to] rest for a few days,” the tweet added. In absence of the president — a PTI and Imran Khan loyalist — Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani will administer the oath to the newly-elected prime minister,

ECP announces delimitation schedule for next general elections ISLAMABAD

Dr Tauqir Shah posted as PM Shehbaz’s secretary ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced the delimitation schedule for the national and provincial assemblies for the next general elections.

From today, no new administrative unit will be formed anywhere in the country, the electoral body said in a statement on Monday.

The chief secretaries and provincial election commissioners are directed to provide required maps and other documents for demarcation work.

Documents will be provided from April 11 to April 26. Training of delimitation committees will be conducted from April 20 to April 24. Preliminary delimitations will be published on May 28.

From May 29 to June 28, people will present their objections and recommendations to the ECP on the initial delimitation.

The ECP will hear and decide all objections from July 1 to July 30. The final list of constituencies will be published on August 3.

The ECP last week decided to immediately start the delimitation exercise of all National Assembly and provincial assembly constituencies on the basis of the 2017 census and population statistics.

according to sources. Shehbaz secured 174 votes as opposed to PTI’s candidate Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who received no votes after his party decided to boycott the polling process.

The poll took place under the chairmanship of MNA Ayaz Sadiq, two days after the lower house of Parliament voted in favour of removing Imran Khan from office, following a nearly 14-hour standoff between the Opposition and Khan’s ruling party that started on Saturday morning. PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique told Geo News that the oath-taking ceremony will take place at 9pm tonight.

Staff RepoRt

The decision came after a landmark unanimous ruling from the Supreme Court, which set aside then National Assembly deputy speaker Qasim Suri’s ruling to dismiss the no-trust resolution against ousted premier Imran Khan and the subsequent dissolution of the lower house of parliament by President Arif Alvi on the premier’s advice.

The decision was made in an important meeting of the ECP which was held under the chairmanship of Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and was attended by the members of the Commission and senior officials.

Following the oath-taking ceremony of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday, Dr Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah has been transferred and posted as secretary to the prime minister. “Dr Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah, a BS-21 officer of Pakistan Administrative Service, presently awaiting posting in Establishment Division, is transferred and posted as Secretary to the prime minister, Prime Minister’s Office, under Section 10 of the Civil Servants Act, 1973, with immediate effect and until further orders,” the statement issued by the Cabinet Secretariat read.

Shehbaz Sharif was elected as the premier after the ouster of PTI Chairman Imran Khan through a noconfidence motion. Earlier in the day, Shehbaz secured 174 votes in the NA as opposed to PTI’s candidate Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who received no votes after his party decided to boycott the polling process. It is worth mentioning that Mohammad Azam Khan, a BS-22 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service, was serving as the secretary to former prime minister Imran Khan. Azam is among the six key aides of former PM Imran Khan whose names have been added to the ‘stop list’.

Profile: Shehbaz Sharif – Pakistan’s new PM NewS DeSk Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif was elected the nation’s 23rd prime minister on Monday after the lawmakers of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf boycotted voting and decided to resign from the National Assembly.

The 70-year-old cancer survivor is the younger brother of the party supremo and thrice-elected prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

He has served three times as Punjab’s chief

minister. He previously held the post from 1997-1999, and then again from 2008-2013 and then from 20132018, making him the longest-serving chief minister of Punjab.

Most recently, he was the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly during the PTI’s tenure.

Shehbaz was first elected as an MPA to the Punjab Assembly in 1988. In 1990, he chose to run for a National Assembly seat, returning as an MNA. However, in 1993, he again stood for a provincial assembly seat and became leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly.

His term ended in 1996 when the assemblies were dissolved.

After his win in the 1997 election, Shehbaz earned the opportunity to serve the largest province of the country for the first time and remained its chief minister until Musharraf’s military coup in 1999.

Following his return from nearly a decade-long exile, Shehbaz became chief minister of Punjab for the second time after the PML-N won the majority number of seats in the province in the 2008 election.

The Metro Bus projects in Punjab are frequently touted as his biggest achievements.

In 2018, Shehbaz contested election on multiple NA seats but won NA-132 (Lahore) only. He also won two Punjab Assembly seats (PP-164 and PP-165).

Eventually, he retained the NA-132 seat and was nominated by the PML-N and other opposition parties as their nominee for the prime minister but lost the contest to Imran Khan, who bagged 176 votes compared to Shehbaz’s 96.

On September 28, 2020, Shehbaz was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau on charges of money laundering. He was released on bail in the case

by Lahore High Court on April 14, 2021.

Tuesday, 12 April, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

inDiCTMenT OF Shehbaz, haMza in MOney laUnDeRinG CaSe DeFeRReD LAHORe

a

Staff RepoRt

N accountability court in Lahore on Monday deferred until April 27 the indictment of Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz in a moneylaundering case, paving way for graft-tainted Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) president and deputy to become prime minister and Punjab chief minister.

Sharif and his family are facing charges of money laundering of billions of rupees using accounts operated in the name of their businesses and employees, according to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Special Court (Central-I) judge Ijaz Hassan Awan chaired the proceedings of the case wherein Sharif’s counsel submitted a petition to exempt the former Punjab chief minister from proceedings.

During the proceedings, the court said the suspects should be produced in order to frame charges and proceed with the case. Responding to the judge, an FIA prosecutor in the case, however, said the agency is yet to receive orders regarding the reference.

A special prosecution team probing the case skipped the proceedings and

FIA teAm SkIPS Court, SAyS AgenCy boSSeS hAve ordered them AgAInSt APPeArAnCe

said the agency higher-ups have directed them against appearing in the court.

Meanwhile, the counsel of PML-N leaders, Amjad Pervaiz, said the interim bail awarded to Sharif and his son be extended.

Governor Punjab, Pervez elahi discuss political situation, election of new CM LAHORe Staff RepoRt

Punjab Governor Omer Sarfraz Cheema called on Pervez Elahi at his residence on Monday and inquired after Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on the occasion. During the meeting, current political situation, especially the election of a new Chief Minister of Punjab, came under discussion.

Chaudhry Shafay Hussain was also present on the occasion. While talking on the occasion, Governor Omer Sarfraz Cheema said that all the members are in high spirits and voting for Chief Minister Punjab is awaited in the Punjab Assembly under the leadership of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. Governor Punjab further said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will fully support Chaudhry Pervez Elahi. He said that the whole team is in high spirits and will play till the last ball. Omer Sarfraz Cheema said that Imran Khan has given awareness to the nation to live with dignity even in the challenging times.

He said that Imran Khan was the first leader who gave the nation the consciousness of an independent Pakistan and its precedent is not found in the history of Pakistan.

“We should first analyse if the evidence submitted by the agency [in the case] could be used for indictment or not,” he said. “I am also going to perform Umrah so please extend the bail for a longer period.”

The judge asked Pervaiz to submit the request in writing.

Later, the court adjourned the case till April 27 and extended the PML-N leaders’ interim bails.

The reference mainly accused Sharif of being a beneficiary of assets held in the name of his family members and benamidars, who had no sources to acquire such assets.

It said the family members and benamidars of the Shehbaz family received fake foreign remittances of billions in their personal bank accounts.

In addition to these remittances, the bureau said, billions of rupees were laundered by way of foreign pay orders, which were deposited in the personal bank accounts of Hamza and his brother Suleman Shehbaz.

The reference further said that the family of Shehbaz failed to justify the sources of funds used for the acquisition of assets.

It said the suspects committed offences of corruption and corrupt practices as envisaged under the provisions of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999, and money laundering as delineated in the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010. It asked the trial court to try the suspects and punish them under the law.

FIA places former Imran aides on ECL ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) placed the names of former accountability czar Shahzad Akbar and former adviser on political communication Shehbaz Gill on the Exit Control List (ECL).

Akbar vigorously pursued cases of mega corruption against members of the Sharif family but could not bring to a logical conclusion in the accountability courts.

In addition to the two, the agency also placed Punjab Anti-Corruption Director General Gohar

Nafees and former principal secretary to prime minister Azam Khan on the no-fly list.

The names of FIA Punjab chief Muhammad Rizwan and head of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) social media team Arsalan Khalid were also included in the list.

Placing a name on the no-fly list requires approval from the federal cabinet. Since the former cabinet was de-notified Sunday, it wasn’t immediately clear who approved the move.

In a late-night tweet, PML-N leader and lawyer Attaullah Tarar said: “[They] can’t leave the country [without prior approval]”.

China says political changes won’t affect Sino-Pakistan ties BeIJING MIaN abRaR

China has said that political changes in Pakistan will not affect ties between the two countries.

Talking to the media in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that China will maintain its policy of friendly ties with Pakistan.

He said, “We hope that all factions in Pakistan will remain unified and jointly safeguard their overall national stability and development.”

He said that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners. History has proven time and again that China-Pakistan relations have always been unbreakable and rock-solid, no matter

how the international landscape and their respective domestic situations may change.

Zhao added: “We believe that the overall situation of China-Pakistan cooperation and the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will not be affected by the political situation in Pakistan. As Pakistan’s iron-clad friend, we sincerely hope that all parties in Pakistan will remain united and work together for national development and stability.”

He said that experts from both China and Pakistan are confident in the future of the China-Pakistan ties, as they believe the new government will continue to uphold the country’s long-standing tradition to make sure the friendship with China and all China-Pakistan cooperation projects will be unaffected.

NEWS

03

‘Good news’ of completing next iMF tranche soon: Reza baqir NewS DeSk State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Reza Baqir on Monday said that the central bank is confident that it will soon announce the “good news” of completing the conditions required to obtain the next tranche of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In an exclusive interview with Bloomberg, Baqir stated that it is “no surprise” that “unpopular decisions” required by the IMF, such as, increasing fuel and electricity prices, are proving to be difficult given the current political situation. He added that such problems were not individual to Pakistan but to other developing nations as well. In light of these “unpopular decisions”, the SBP governor stated that it is not uncommon for institutions to face delays. However, he felt confident that Pakistan will “put the delay behind” it and announce the completion of the upcoming tranche.

bulls rule PSX as index gains 1,700 points to close at 46,144 points APP The KSE 100-index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed bullish trend on Monday, gaining 1,700.38 points, with a positive change of 3.83 per cent, closing at 46,144.96 points against 44,444.58 points on the last working day. A total of 557,672,451 shares were traded during the day compared to the trade of 227,885,722 shares the previous day whereas the price of shares stood at Rs13.362 billion against Rs6.785 billion on last trading day. As many as 386 companies transacted shares in the stock market, 330 of them recorded gain and 45 sustained losses, whereas the share price of 11 companies remained unchanged. The three top trading companies were WorldCall Telecom with a volume of 140,797,500 shares and price per share of Rs2.13, Cnergyico PK with a volume of 40,149,171 and price per share of Rs6.00 and Fauji Cement with volume of 18,176,500 and price per share of Rs17.86. Bata (Pak) witnessed a maximum increase of Rs145.19 per share, closing at Rs2,484.39 whereas the runner up was Rafhan Maize, the share prices of which climbed up by Rs100 to Rs11,500. Gatron Ind witnessed maximum decrease of Rs30.23 closing at Rs471.67 followed by Mithchells Fruit, the share price of which declined by Rs9.21 to close at Rs118.82.

Tareen to return on april 16 LONDON Staff RepoRt

PTI Governors of Sindh, KP and GB also tender resignations ISLAMABAD ghulaM abbaS

PTI governors of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Gilgit Baltistan Provinces have stepped down in protest after the oath-taking of PML-N’s Shehbaz Sharif as new Prime Minister of the country.

Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shah Farman Monday stepped down from office after the ouster of Imran Khan as the prime minister, with the country’s political situation changing with every passing day.

Farman, who has tendered his resignation to President Arif Alvi, was the 32nd governor of the province — and took the oath on September 5, 2018.

Since joining PTI in 1995, Farman was elected to the provincial assembly, while he remained a minister from 2013 to 2018.

The PTI Governors have refused to give protocol to a “corrupt” person — Shahbaz Sharif.

The PTI MNAs minutes before Farman’s resignation from office, had also announced resigning from their seats — as the country is likely to witness intense political activity due to by-elections.

Meanwhile, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail also stepped down from his post soon after the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President, Shehbaz Sharif was elected as the 23rd prime minister of Pakistan in the National Assembly on Monday.

Ismail, who is a PTI leader, submitted his resignation to President Arif Alvi on Monday, saying, “I refuse to work for culprits who are the subject of an ongoing federal investigation on account of serious charges of corruption and financial misconduct of billions of rupees”.

I refuse to work for culprits who are the subject of an ongoing federal investigation on account of serious charges of corruption and financial misconduct of billions of Rupees.

— Imran Ismail (@ImranIsmailPTI) April 11, 2022 Ismail wrote in his resignation letter that his ‘conscience’ did not allow him to accord state protocol to PM-elect Shehbaz, who he said was “facing serious charges of corruption”.

He also mentioned the allegations of ousted PM Imran Khan that foreign elements hatched a conspiracy with opposition parties to remove him from power through no-trust motion.

Ismail also held the state institutions responsible for failing to take any action of “letter-gate and foreign sponsored conspiracy” against former premier Imran.

“While I shall continue to strive for achieving true sovereignty of our motherland under the command of my able leader, Imran Khan, I believe that holding this office any further will be a violation of my selfrespect,” he maintained.

Meanwhile, Governor Gilgit Baltistan Raja Jalal Hussain Maqpon has announced to resign from office after the National Assembly voted in favour of Shehbaz Sharif as the prime minister.

According to officials at Governor Secretariat, Raja Jalal has sent his resignation to President of Pakistan.

Jalal was appointed as Governor GB on September 30, 2018. He served as 4th Governor of GB for three years and six months.

Meanwhile, both PPP and PML-N leaders in the area have reportedly started lobbying for the post.

Estranged Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Tareen will return on April 16. According to a member of his posse, Tareen has bought ticket for April 15 after his doctors allowed him to travel.

Tareen will meet all dissident members of the PTI and will also call on joint opposition’s candidate for Punjab chief minister. Tareen had left for London from Lahore in late February after his health deteriorated and had to be admitted to a hospital.

Tuesday, 12 April, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

04 NEWS Global food prices hit all-time hiGh in march: fao News Desk

W

orld food prices hit an alltime high in March following russia’s invasion of agricultural powerhouse Ukraine, a United Nations agency has said, adding to concerns about the risk of hunger around the world.

The disruption in export flows resulting from the February 24 invasion and international sanctions against russia has spurred fears of a global hunger crisis, especially across the Middle East and Africa, where the knock-on effects are already playing out. russia and Ukraine, whose vast grain-growing regions are among the world’s main breadbaskets, account for a huge share of the globe’s exports in several major commodities, including wheat, vegetable oil and corn, their prices reached their highest levels ever last month.

Ukrainian ports have been blocked by a russian blockade and there is con-

cern about this year’s harvest as the war rages on during the sowing season.

The UN Food and Agriculture organization (FAo) said its Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in international prices for a basket of commodities, averaged 159.3 points last month, up 12.6 percent from February. As it is, the February index was the highest level since its inception in 1990.

FAo said the war in Ukraine was largely responsible for the 17.1 percent rise in the price of grains, including wheat and others like oats, barley and corn. Together, russia and Ukraine account for approximately 30 percent and 20 percent of global wheat and corn exports, respectively. While predictable given February’s steep rise, “This is really remarkable,” said Josef Schmidhuber, deputy director of FAo’s markets and trade division.

“Clearly, these very high prices for food require urgent action.”

Economic takeaways from the new PM’s speech in parliament AbDullAh NiAzi After weeks of political turmoil in the country that led to a constitutional crisis and culminated in the removal of Imran Khan from the office of Prime Minister, Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has taken his place at the head of the most elaborate coalition government in the history of Pakistan. As the dust settles and he prepares for his first day in the Prime Minister house from tomorrow, Mr. Sharif’s first speech in parliament as the leader of the house was dominated by themes of fixing the country’s ailing economy. The Prime Minister’s speech was heavy on rhetoric of reconciliation, unity among the coalition government, and better economic and diplomatic ties with Pakistan’s allies. laced with this rhetoric was criticism of the previous government, and some indications as to possible economic policy shifts that might come with the new government.

Profit looks at the key economic takeaways from the newly incumbent Prime Minister’s speech in the National Assembly.

Dollar prices, Deficits, anD iMf talks: one of the first points raised by Shehbaz Sharif in his speech was the stabilization of the dollar in the wake of the no-confidence vote against Imran Khan. The dollar has gone down to rs 182 after it hit a high of rs190 last week due to the cloud of political instability that was looming over the country.

There will be a close eye on the rupee-dollar parity.

The rupee’s historic weakness over the past year in particular had caused great grief to the PTI’s financial minds since it meant imports were becoming more expensive.

And since Pakistan’s largest import (40% nearly) is fuel, which is an inelastic import and cannot be substituted, the trade deficit continued to rise. Because of the increasing price of the dollar, paying off Pakistan’s debts also becomes more difficult, which in turn contributes to the budget deficit. It is important to note here that Mr. Sharif did not at any point make promises about the further decline of the dollar. In the days to come, keeping hold of this coalition will not be easy, and with the PTI officially playing the role of agitator, moments of stability will be

far and few in between. However, while talks with the IMF have been on a halt, the fund is on the record saying it will talk to the new government – which means if the programme is completed and reserves rise, the State Bank may be able to stabilize the rupee-dollar parity to try and control the economy getting out of hand in the short-term. inflation, purchasing power, anD uneMployMent: The new Prime Minister was impassioned in his diatribe against inflation, railing against the previous government for what he claimed was a bungling of the economy. “If we are to save this sinking ship and look after the working classes there is only one solution – unity, unity, and unity,” he said in his speech. on this front, in addition to general discourse about turning Pakistan into a “paradise for industry” and uplifting workers, Mr. Sharif announced a minimum wage to be increased to rs25,000 from April 1, the availability of wheat at a reduced price under a ramazan package. He also introduced the reintroduction of the Benazir Card as a poverty alleviation measure.

However, the challenges are very real and very difficult. Inflation measured by CPI has been at an all time high over the past couple of months, driven by a record rise in energy prices and food rates undermining earlier gains.

And this is not a problem that is going to go away anytime soon, not even with a change of power at hand. The global economy is facing three challenges including financial sanctions, commodity prices and supply-chain disruptions Food inflation is still on the higher side in the last nine months; in urban areas, it shot up by 14.5pc year-on-year in March and 1.8pc month-on-month, whereas the respective growth in prices in rural areas was 15.5pc and 2.3pc.The PBS data show that food inflation is still on the higher side in the last nine months; in urban areas, it shot up to 14.5pc year-on-year in March and 1.8pc month-onmonth, whereas the respective growth in prices in rural areas was 15.5pc and 2.3pc. fuel prices, lng, anD electricity prices: Petrol: The rising prices of petrol have been a major sticking point and issue of discontent among the Pakistani masses. one of the last economic measures taken by former Prime Minister Imran Khan was the subsidy on

food and fuel that set the price of petrol at around rs 150/per liter. one of the immediate concerns about this subsidy was that it was across the board and not targeted, which meant that with international prices surging the actual price should be somewhere over the rs200 per liter mark. However, the new coalition government is lucky in the sense that international oil prices have gone down the very day that they have come into power. As CNN reported, crude futures are tumbling yet again, sinking nearly 3%. After nearing $140 a barrel in early March and topping $120 as recently as two weeks ago, Brent futures have fallen in nearly a straight line and now sit just a hair above $100. despite what might seem like respite on a global scale, prices in Pakistan are most likely set to increase. The subsidy on petrol right now is expensive and not sustainable. removing it will mean petrol prices go up, especially since the government will want to add tax to it as well given the historic budget deficit that they will face in July when the new financial year begins. The government will be on a quest to gather as many taxes as possible and reduce spending – which can only be done by getting rid of the subsidy and taxing petrol. Their best bet in this situation would be a massive restructuring of the subsidy to turn it into a targeted subsidy.

The problem will continue to dog the new government, and as a report by Br research has pointed out, recent figures for petroleum product sales by the oil marketing companies – released by the oCAC – show that demand for petroleum products remains strong. This means that imports are on the rise, the import bill is swelling, and foreign exchange reserves are going down. electricity: Another major area of criticism levied

by Mr Sharif against his predecessor were the increasing prices of electricity. Mr Sharif said that in his party’s previous stint in office between 2013-18, they had focused on cheap sources of electricity including lNG while the incumbent government imported expensive furnace oil.

While this was because of an international lNG shortage, what must be said is that the PTI government badly bungled the lNG supply chain, failing to get lNG contracts on time or even beginning work on a third lNG terminal in the country.

Facebook removes accounts to prevent spread of cyber threats News Desk Meta Platforms, which controls the world’s biggest social networking site Facebook, took action to remove accounts that violated its policies in an effort to prevent the spread of cyber threats, its new report showed.

In its first quarterly Adversarial Threat report, Meta analysts wrote about the risks of coordinated inauthentic behaviour, online espionage, mass reporting and other emerging problems from some countries.

It is expanding the scope of its action to deal with an increasingly dangerous internet

landscape and the use of social media networks by individuals and groups in pursuit of illicit activities.

Meta’s public security reporting began more than four years ago, when it shared findings regarding co-ordinated inauthentic behaviour by the russian Internet research Agency.

HBL inaugurates All Women Branch in Hyderabad press releAse Hyderabad, Pakistan: HBl inaugurated its first all women branch in Hyderabad at the Sindh University, old Campus. dr. Farida Shaikh, Principal – University of Sindh, (Elsa Kazi Campus), Hyderabad, cut the inauguration ribbon. Present at the ceremony were Syed Mujtaba Husain Naqvi, Head South, Branch Banking – HBl, Fouzia Jabeen Janjua, Head – Branch operations and Account Services – HBl, along with other senior members of the Bank. This initiative is in line with HBl’s diversity agenda and its vision of creating a more diverse and equitable workforce, as well as the need to increase the engagement of women in financial services. The Bank has been recruiting an increasing number of women across all business functions, ensuring they are provided equal opportunities for advancement and success. Currently, women comprise 20% of HBl’s staff. The Bank is confident it can grow this number to 25% by 2025. Commenting on the occasion, Fouzia Janjua, Head Branch operations and Account Services – HBl said, “As Pakistan’s largest bank, HBl strives to place itself at the forefront of the dEI (diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) agenda. We have a strong mandate to increase the Bank’s gender diversity by recruiting women at all levels into the workforce and foster a diverse work environment through progressive policies.”

Financial crisis: WSSP unable to pay employees salaries Aziz buNeri The Water and Sanitation Company Peshawar (WSSP) has demanded rs1.21 billion as the company is facing financial crisis and unable to pay electricity bills and employees salaries. The WSSP is Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) largest sanitation company formed under the company Act in 2014 and different areas of Peshawar’s four towns were handed over to the company, including 25 Union Councils of Town 1, 11 of Town 3 and two Union Councils each of Town 2 and 4. The employees and resources of the towns were handed over to the WSSP however, the company said that it has been provided much less than the agreed funds by each town. According to company sources, the arrears of all the towns from 2014 to date have now increased to rs1.21 billion of which Town one is facing the largest liabilities of rs860 million, Town 3 more than rs240 million, Town 4 rs92.7 million while the liability of Town 2 is rs14.28 million.

CMYK

PID (I) 7152/21

Tuesday, 12 April, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

ShehbAz STePS ouT of The ShAdoWS To leAd PAKISTAN isLamaBaD

S

AFP

hehbaz Sharif, expected to become the nation’s new prime minister Monday after leading the opposition alliance that ousted Imran Khan, is a tough administrator with a penchant for quoting revolutionary poetry. Sharif is a seasoned politician in his own right, however, having served for years as chief minister of Punjab province, the Sharif family’s power base, and also president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz

(PML-N).

The 70-year-old jointly inherited the family’s steel business as a young man and was first elected to provincial office in 1988.

During his stints as chief minister in the years that followed, he presided over a series of big-ticket infrastructure projects, including Pakistan’s first metro bus service.

Officials were reportedly kept on their toes by workaholic Sharif’s habit of surprise visits to government offices, which he would inspect clad in a favoured safari suit and hat.

Still, critics say he did little to addess the province’s core issues — including the need

for civil service, health and agricultural reforms — and instead focused on vote-grabbing projects, such as distributing laptops to students or offering subsidised taxis to the jobless.

Freed on bail: Sharif has also been linked to graft and corruption — charges supporters say sprang from a political vendetta by Khan.

In December 2019, the National Accountability Bureau seized nearly two dozen properties belonging to Sharif and his son Hamza, accusing them of money laundering.

He was arrested and detained in September 2020, but released around six months

Shehbaz Sharif elected as Prime Minister of Pakistan CoNtiNueD from page 01 PM-elect Shehbaz Sharif is addressing the NA session in Islamabad on April 11.

PHOTO: PID The PM-designate said Pakistan would also maintain cordial ties with Britain, European countries and the United States to boost the country’s exports. The United Kingdom has also always supported democracy in Pakistan and also spent billions of pounds on education and others sectors in Pakistan.

Whatever happens in London affects Pakistan and vice versa, he added.

“We have historic ties with the US… [bilateral] relations however have witnessed ups and downs, but it does not mean that we strain our ties with America but we have to maintain relations on equal footing,” he remarked.

PM-designate Shehbaz also offered Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold dialogue with Pakistan in a bid to end miseries of the people living on both sides of the border.

“Neighbours are not matter of choice, but something you have to live with. We want cordial ties with India but without the resolution of Kashmir dispute the ties cannot be improved,” he added.

“We [Pakistan] will continue to pro-

vide diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiris… I want to give an advice to [PM] Narendra Modi; come and resolve the issues through dialogue to end the poverty and miseries of the people living on both sides of the border.”

The PM-designate said the country’s economic strength is dependent on diplomacy. He also highlighted the plight of Afghans, saying that the people of the neighbouring countries were in desperate need of basic necessities. “We have to speak in favour of millions of Muslims living in the neighbouring country and facing acute food and medicine shortages… if condition further deteriorates there will be massive exodus from [Afghanistan] to K-P.” Suri defends ruling: Earlier in the day, the session to elect a new premier commenced after the recitation of the Holy Quran. The session was chaired by the deputy speaker who gave reasons behind his earlier ruling to dismiss the notrust vote against Imran, which was set aside by Supreme Court.

“The ruling was declared unconstitutional by the court and we all are obliged to respect the court. But I want to tell you the reason behind my ruling,” said Suri.

He added that the decision was taken “as a responsible Pakistani and deputy

speaker of the NA”.

Suri then referred to the diplomatic communiqué and said that the cable was discussed during the meeting of the NSC, in the federal cabinet and a parliamentary committee meeting. He added that it was “proven” that the no-trust motion was linked to a foreign conspiracy. “On April 9, it was it was decided during a cabinet meeting that the cable would be declassified and sent to then-NA speaker Asad Qaiser by the government.” The deputy speaker further said that the speaker of the house reviewed the cable as well.

“Talking about an independent foreign policy, independent economy … and fighting the case of Islamophobia Imran Khan’s fault?” “Was he [Imran] punished because he refused slavery?”

PTI senior leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi took the floor after the deputy speaker’s clarification on his earlier ruling. As the former foreign minister concluded his speech, PTI and its allies stood up from their chairs and left the assembly hall amid sloganeering. As Qureshi finished his speech, Sure said his “conscience no longer allows him to be a part of the proceedings” and gave the chair of the house to PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq.

Mass resignations: In a video message after the meeting of the PTI, the former in-

Pakistani celebrities light up the streets for Imran Khan News Desk These past few days have been a political turmoil for Pakistan with Imran Khan being ousted as the Prime Minister through a vote of no-confidence. The people of this nation, however, have made it clear that they are not ready to forfeit or give up on him. The hashtag Behind You Skipper became a top Twitter trend on Sunday as PTI supporters took the streets to express their dismay at the democratic decision. Natives of all age groups and genders marched their way towards landmarks designated by PTI rally organisers across Pakistan and beyond, to bring back into power the leader they voted for. The nationwide protests erupted in response to the call of the PTI chairman. Earlier in the day, Imran had tweeted that his removal from office marks the beginning of a “freedom struggle” against a “foreign conspiracy of regime change”. The former prime minister wrote, “Pakistan became an independent state in 1947, but the freedom struggle begins again today against a foreign conspiracy of regime change.

It is always the people of the country who defend their sovereignty and democracy.” Celebrities, who have been actively voicing support for Imran throughout his three-and-a-half-year tenure, did not shy away from joining hands with the masses cheering for him in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad, among other cities.

Those who couldn’t make it shared pictures and videos of the massive show of power to virtually raise their voice against an “imported government”. Syra Yousuf, Zara Noor Abbas, Muneeb Butt, Azfar Rehman, Qurutalain Balouch and Ahmed Ali Butt are among the few celebrities that were spotted at the marches. The Sinf-e-Aahan actor took to her Instagram Stories to share on ground scenes from the rally she joined alongside her sister Palwasha Yousuf and the rest of her family. Pictures and reels saw them smiling while echoing chants of support.

CmYk

NEWS

later on bail for a trial which is still pending.

Unlike his elder brother — whose relations with the country’s powerful military and his opponents were strained — Sharif is seen as a more flexible dealmaker, capable of compromising even with his enemies. The military is the country’s most powerful institution and has ruled the nation for nearly half its history — and pulls the strings even when not actually ruling.

“I have always remained a strong supporter of effective coordination between Islamabad and Rawalpindi,” Sharif said, referring to the administrative capital and the

formation minister said PTI Chairman Imran Khan has decided that the PTI would not legitimise this ‘foreign-funded regime change’ in Pakistan by taking part in the election of the premier. “The parliamentary meeting of the PTI gave Imran the complete authority to make decisions on the lawmakers’ behalf.”

Fawad said as per the directions of Imran, no PTI lawmaker will vote in the election for the PM and after that, the PTI MNAs will also send their resignations to the National Assembly speaker.

He acknowledged that there was a difference of opinion over the decision to resign en masse from the assembly but the parliamentary party gave Imran the authority to make this decision who decided in favour of resignations.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan said that there were two mega corruption cases against PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif and it would be the “biggest insult to the country” to elect him as the prime minister of Pakistan.

Earlier in the day, PTI General Secretary Asad Umar in a letter told party lawmakers to vote for Shah Mehmood Qureshi else they will be considered defectors and disqualified under Article 63A. Read Majority of PTI CEC members oppose resignation strategy: sources “I take this opportunity to convey to you that all members of parliamentary party are required to attend the session of National Assembly on April 11 for election Prime Minister of Pakistan and vote in favour Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who has been nominated as the candidate for prime minister,” Umar wrote.

05

nearby military headquarters.

Sharif remains popular despite lurid tabloid headlines about multiple marriages and a property portfolio that includes luxury apartments in London and Dubai.

His current marriage, to author Tehmina Durrani, has largely ended the gossip.

Durrani, a feminist whose book “My Feudal Lord” earned her international acclaim, is also credited with improving Sharif’s respect for women.

Tough economic and security challenges await Sharif as he inherits a stagnant economy and escalating violence from Pakistan’s Taliban and Balochistan separatists.

Sharing a throwback picture with the former PM, veteran actor Atiqa Odho asked people to stand by Imran if they wanted to keep Pakistan “in safe hands and independent of foreign interference.”

She also wrote that Imran should’ve been allowed to complete his term and that “political crooks” knew that if he did, he wouldn’t spare any of them.

‘Won’t give legitimacy to Shehbaz’: PTI resigns en-masse from National Assembly CoNtiNueD from page 01 Khan lost the no-confidence motion in the National Assembly session conducted in the early hours of Sunday. The unified opposition nominated Sharif, who is also serving as the leader of the opposition, to lead the country. Besides him, former foreign minister and PTI vice-chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi has also submitted papers as a candidate for the top office. Shortly after Khan’s announcement, several PTI MPs started sharing their resignations on social media. Presented as a form letter, the resignations are identical and have blank spaces for individual MPs to submit their relevant information. “I, Shireen Mazari, wife of Tabish Hazir, resident of Rajanpur district, constituency [NA-] 288, am a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from the Parliamentary Party of Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf,” reads the resignation of former human rights minister Shireen Mazari. “I hereby tender my resignation as Member National Assembly of Pakistan and hereby request you to accept my resignation as MNA,” it continues. “May Allah protect and support Honorable Mr. Imran Khan in his struggle for Pakistan,” it added. While most resignations followed the exact same pattern with little deviation, Mazari had pencilled in an addendum to her notice: “Cannot be a party to a House where a head of House is a criminal PM.” A number of PTI MPs including Hammad Azhar, Murad Saeed, Ali Haider Zaidi, and Shafqat Mahmood shared their resignations on Twitter too.

06-07 Comments - 12th April 2022_Layout 1 4/11/2022 11:16 PM Page 1

Tuesday, 12 April, 2022

06 COMMENT

Pakistan – a democracy or monarchy?

Imran Khan’s call for agitation

The heirs ganged up

Party interests vs national interests

N

eWLy elected PM Shahbaz Sharif recounted the grave problems the country currently faces but promised to meet the challenges with the joint efforts of the allied parties. It was refreshing to hear him declare that there was neither any traitor in the past nor is there any now. he also promised to resolve the issue of “the letter” by holding a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) where the services chiefs and DG ISI will be present along with the concerned ambassador who will give briefing on the letter to put an end the conspiracy theory. This would take the wind out of sails of the PTI ’s rationale for starting the movement Former PM Imran Khan has meanwhile chosen to simultaneously confront the new govt, the courts and the establishment by recourse to street power. Four days back he had called for protests on Sunday night. The PTI units all over Pakistan and foreign countries were directed to mobilise supporters. It was an impressive show of power though it was by no means spontaneous. With people waiting for the new govt to bring reforms, It is unlikely to expect large protests before the next elections.

The PTI leadership termed the no-confidence move a foreign conspiracy. Meanwhile social media trolls viciously attacked SC judges and military leaders. Overruling dissenters in the already decimated PTI, Imran Khan announced the party members resignations from the National Assembly creating more potential dissenters. Meanwhile, the PTI has called for urgent elections. Imran Khan hopes to win elections by creating an anti US wave through a concocted conspiracy theory that is about to be exposed.

The opposition is by no means allergic to elections. It maintains however that electoral reforms have to be enacted to make the elections transparent. Since Imran Khan has ordered a new census prior to the elections, he has to blame himself if these cannot be held immediately.

The eCP maintains that preparations may take almost six months. Imran Khan needs to control his adventurist streak which can destabilise the country at a time when, thanks the apex court, weak but clear signs of stability are appearing in the form of a strengthening rupee and the benchmark KSe-100 index soaring more than 1,500 points on Monday. As Shahbaz Sharif put it, the country needs dialogue rather than division at this juncture

shanze Khalid

T

he untouchables have virtually ganged up against the only unconventional leader that this nation was looking up to. The sequence of events that led to the no-confidence motion of April 3 are a manifestation of how easily the concept of a so-called democracy can be exploited and used to one’s own advantage.

A few families in Pakistan have managed to exploit the system and use their authority and financial strength to manoeuvre and manipulate the sham democratic system in Pakistan for decades. All the main contenders who aspired to hold the highest offices of this country– president, prime minister, chief minister– are currently on bail and trying to clear their names in cases involving corruption of millions of dollars. Are these people our role models, and in whom we, once again, wish to vest the power of ruling this country? One quick look at the profile of our national leadership illustrates how it comprises only of money launderers, murderers, traitors, and multibillionaires whose source of income cannot be verified– certainly not representing the common man, which is supposed to be the essence of democracy.It is absolutely imperative for us to let the fact, that these are the people who are leading us, sink in.

In the presence of irrefutable evidence of how the

Will the paralysis in Punjab come to an end?

The record is not very encouraging

W

hILe all eyes stayed focused on Islamabad, the situation in Punjab continued to drift.

Though Sardar Usman Buzdar continued to remain Chief \Minister, his resignation has created a vacuum that needs a successor to be elected. At the same time, Sardar Usman’s posting of a new Chief Secretary and new IGP continues to be the subject of litigation.

Now that there has been a new Prime Minister elected in Islamabad, the new Governor may find that his time in office is limited (already his counterparts in KP and Sindh have resigned). The new PM will want a Governor willing to summon the Punjab Assembly earlier than the 16th, a date originally set to allow Ch Pervez elahi the opportunity to create a majority on his side. With the end of the Imran government, the purpose of putting forward the election becomes irrelevant. Indeed, Ch Parvez should have lost all desire to become CM, because even for a smooth and experienced political operator like him, the goals he would have hoped to accomplish under Mr Khan seem now out of reach.

Whatever the calculations that might have led Ch Parvez to believe that he could wrangle a majority out of the present house, it now seems that they have been rendered irrelevant. Therefore, it only makes sense to allow events to take their natural course, and for the Punjab Assembly to be allowed to elect a new chief executive for the province.

The only thing stopping Ch Pervez from letting the election proceed would be a desire to emulate the example at the Centre, and making every step of the way as difficult as possible. Not only would this be particularly pointless after the departure of Mr Khan, but it also goes against the political style of Ch Parvez, as well as his family. Besides, further delays are only prolonging the sufferings of the people of Punjab. That should count for something, shouldn’t it?

Manish Rai

I

N 2018, Pakistan witnessed the rise of new celebrity Prime Minister Imran Khan who vowed to halt dynastic politics, end corruption and boost the economy. Common Pakistanis especially the youths saw Khan as their only ray of hope, as before coming to power, Khan in his speeches pledged to root out corruption and lift people out of poverty. And he promised a new and prosperous Pakistan, “Naya Pakistan”, with the creation of 10 million jobs. But nothing of this sort happened in his almost four years in power. Imran Khan just turned out to be the biggest disappointment for the masses.

Pakistan was pushed into a constitutional crisis after he avoided a no-confidence vote which was initiated jointly by various opposition parties. In response, Khan claimed that a “foreign conspiracy” was being hatched by the USA to overthrow his government over its “independent” foreign policy. This claim of Khan has been disputed by the Pakistani military. To prove his point Imran labelled a cable written by a Pakistani diplomat based in Washington, which is a routine matter, a threatening letter written by the USA. Mr. Khan is just trying to portray himself as a martyr while deflecting people’s attention from his failures. Let’s have a look at the fronts where Imran failed miserably.

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami M. A. Niazi

Umar Aziz

Joint Editor

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

television is a reflection of what our current national leadership stands for. Despite his shortcomings, Khan emerged as a messiah that this nation has been waiting for. his unquestionable integrity and commitment to his cause serves the purpose of a beacon of hope for this devastated nation. his desire to formulate a foreign policy keeping in view the interest of this nation seems to be causing his downfall also– something Bhutto had to face after he delivered that bold speech in the United Nations security council. We should all hope and pray that he doesn’t meet a similar fate.

Though there were major flaws in his leadership style also, the way Bhutto was ousted and ultimately killed through a judicial murder is a testament to how he, too, primarily wanted an independent foreign policy which did not align with the interests of the international role-players. They, in collaboration with the people with vested interests in Pakistan, contributed towards the ultimate downfall of a charismatic leader.

Unfortunately, Khan seems to be moving in the same direction and we as a nation ought to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself.

A leader, by definition, is one who can master the art of influencing others in such a way that they start following him willingly. Needless to say, Khan stands as the closest match– the only one who has the courage and fearlessness to stand tall against the clans who have been labelled as the “Sicilian mafias”, running this country as though it’s a family-owned corporation. After Bhutto, Imran Khan seems to be the first political leader who has massive, organic support and is equally popular within all segments of society across the nation. Our own performance has not been exemplary as a nation either, but we could’ve done better were we not being governed by politicians, and rather, true leaders and statesmen.

Realistically speaking, the situation currently looks bleak, but Khan’s optimism can still play a role in uplifting this demoralized nation. heart-breaking to see how the sixth largest population in the world, that happens to be a nuclear power also– the only one in the Muslim world, and the seventh in the entire world – is driven by a bunch of autocratic democrats; an oxymoron, sure, but one which, sadly enough, does paint the true picture. It is a sorry state of affairs but, in the words of the revolutionary poet, Faiz Ahmed Faiz: “Lazim hai kay hum bhi dekhein gey”.

The writer is a freelance columnist

Imran Khan just a bunch of disappointments?

What about Punjab?

Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

elected parliamentarians were forced to change loyalties and cast a vote in favour of the opposition, it would not be wrong to declare this as aviolation of not only the constitution, but the non-existent code of ethics and morals of this country. It’s ironic how the “conscience” of certain parliamentarians forced them to indulge in floor crossing and backstab not only the political leadership, but the voters who contributed towards their success in the elections three years back. Unfortunately, such a blatant and brutal violation of the basic code of morality is ratified because of the loopholes of the system. The recent developments have caused sheer disappointment and hopelessness amongst the patriotic citizens of this country who have been desperately awaiting a light at the end of the tunnel for decades now.

Should we call it a coincidence, that there’s a striking similarity in what was observed during the Bhutto regime, as well as Imran Khan’s (which basically underlines the fact that the status quo has simply prevailed over the last few decades)? Ironically, it is the descendants of Bhutto, who are most actively responsible for hatching a plot against an elected government, preventing them from completely their tenure of five years. The influential elite that was the major role player in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s has simply been succeeded by its children and grandchildren. The turmoil that this nation is experiencing speaks volumes of how the decaying system has taken us all for a ride– we, the people, have been used as steppingstones by these quasi-democrats who have always been the ultimate beneficiaries. The fact that even our political leadership is inherited– and the prerequisite to hold the highest possible office in this nation always has been the association with an influential family– mirrors where we, as a “democracy”, are headed. The rule of law was non-existent in the past and apparently the situation has only worsened with time. Our political history is nothing but a comedy of errors.

It appears in this country that you can get away with anything, if you know the right people in the power corridors. Countless cases can be quoted here, such as the Nazim Jhokio murder, in which an influential politician was directly involved and is still a part of the voting procedure in the National Assembly, since he has been “forgiven by the widow of the deceased”– what a mockery of our legal system.

The sheer absence of an independent foreign policy has always challenged our national sovereignty.

Statements like “beggars can’t be choosers” by the prime minister in waiting (now elected) on national

Economic collapsE: Pakistan for quite some time had been seeing an economic meltdown with record inflation– the fourth highest in the world, ballooning foreign debt, and a rapidly depreciating I

Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

I

Pakistani rupee. The increasing cost of living, unemployment and the increase in utility charges made the lives of ordinary people harder with each passing day, while depleted foreign exchange reserves put pressure on the rupee and eroded market confidence. Inflation became a politically explosive issue for Imran.

Unrestrained subsidy schemes and Khan’s “giveaway” populist schemes also contributed to the economic crisis. Both internal and external debt rose exponentially with public debt spiking to over 90 percent of GDP. lack of Good GovErnancE: The running of a coalition government involves humility, consensus building, and addressing the grievances of allies.

Instead, Imran Khan chose to govern without consensus, ignoring the country’s federal and parliamentary realities. This was compounded by the intensely personalized nature of his governance in which power was concentrated with one person, who took key decisions on his own rather than on the basis of well-considered advice. Personalized governance meant reliance on the instincts and ego of the leader rather than an institutional process of policy advice.

ucts and making a move in Parliament to expel the French ambassador.

In addition to this relations with the Arab world are believed to be at a historic low. Khan’s new narrative is that there is a foreign conspiracy to oust him from power. And it is the USA that is responsible.

This has irked Washington and damaged relations with the USA. In a real sense, Imran Khan has made a mess of the foreign relations of Pakistan. rUptUrEd rElations with army: After an initial period of cordial ties, civil-military relations have touched a new low. But civil-military relations became really uneasy last year over the appointment of the new Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief and disagreements over governance and foreign policy issues. The rift between the government and the all-powerful army seems to be out in the open for quite some time now. The “one page” is in tatters. Miranda hussein, a political analyst based in Lahore, said that the establishment and PM are not on the same page as was illustrated by the contradictory stands of the Army Chief and PM over the issue of the Ukraine war and relations with the USA. It’s quite evident that a tug of war is going on between the civilian government and its military benefactors.

Imran Khan continued to behave like a leader in opposition blaming all mess on past regimes rather than a person in charge who can fix things. Imran’s government believes in running away from challenges and creating distractions to divert the attention of the masses. Rather than fixing the problems faced by the country Prime Minister spent more time delivering morality lectures and religious sermons like a Mullah. Certainly, Mr. Khan knows that there is no conspiracy against him and no Western power wants to throw him out. But he is trying to build this narrative to fuel his support base into believing he has been the victim of a foreign plot so that he can get some sympathy from people and also can portray himself as a shaheed.

Imran Khan continued to behave like a leader in opposition blaming all mess on past regimes rather than a person in charge who can fix things. Imran’s government believes in running away from challenges and creating distractions to divert the attention of the masses.

UndErmininG of statE institUtions: Khan has misused government institutions, especially the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), to target the key Opposition leaders such as former PM Nawaz Sharif and former President Asif Ali Zardari. NAB cases against opposition figures were expected to destroy their reputation and political standing but the one-sided nature of accountability and lack of court convictions left the process in disrepute.

damaGE to forEiGn rElations: The PTI government damaged foreign relations of the country built over decades just for getting minor mileage in domestic politics. For example, Pakistan’s relations with France and european Union sank to an all-time low, after the government signed a deal with the hardline Islamist group Tehrik-i-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), agreeing to endorse a boycott of French prod-

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

I

Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

I

The writer can at manishraiva@gmail.com

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

be

reached

06-07 Comments - 12th April 2022_Layout 1 4/11/2022 11:16 PM Page 2

Tuesday, 12 April, 2022

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

Low literacy rate in Pakistan

Why Bangladesh won’t fall into crisis like Sri Lanka?

Avoiding infection

Mehjabin bhanu

T

he South Asian Island nation, Sri Lanka is facing the challenge of the worst economic recession in history. Sri Lanka’s economy has collapsed. The facilities of the citizens are also being closed. Sri Lanka is going through a difficult time in the midst of political and administrative crises.

The collapse of the tourism industry, the country’s main source of income for the last two years, is one of the explanations provided by many international media outlets and economic analysts for the disaster in Sri Lanka. As a result, Sri Lanka’s income from this sector has been severely harmed. The large foreign loan installments acquired earlier in various projects to attract tourists, on the other hand, must be returned. Furthermore, industrial production has plummeted, as have export profits and remittances. The country is in an all-time economic crisis, including a production deficit, despite lowering taxes and VAT and cutting the use of pesticides in agriculture to zero.

On the other hand, Pakistan’s fragile economy (high inflation and low growth) is one of the hot points in South Asia now. This issue creates some sort of political problem in Pakistan now.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has said that Bangladesh will not face the same economic crisis as Sri Lanka. edmin Ginting, the agency’s resident representative in Bangladesh, said Bangladesh’s macroeconomic management is very good. In addition, the debt-to-GDP ratio is in a tolerable position. So, there is no reason to fear.

Bangladesh is in a better position than Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh will not be in a crisis like Sri Lanka. he made the remarks in response to a question from reporters at the launch of the ADB report ‘Asian Development Outlook’ on Wednesday. Ginting said Bangladesh’s debt management is very good. Sri Lanka did not have that. That is why the country is in crisis.

Overall, it can be said that things like Sri Lanka will not happen in Bangladesh. however, edmin Ginting advised Bangladesh to be careful on two issues. These include strengthening debt management policies and increasing internal revenue collection. economists say there is no comparison between the economies of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh hasina

said that Bangladesh is very alert to the economic crisis in Sri Lanka. She said, since the formation of the government, we have been repaying all the loans we have taken for development on time.

Bangladesh is a country that has never defaulted on its loans. From there, the foundation of our economy is very strong. “That’s what I want to say. We are very careful.”

Bangladesh’s and Sri Lanka’s economies are not the same. Bangladesh’s remittances (expat income) are rising, and the country’s reserves are at an all-time high. In addition, the money created by the export of well-known Made in Bangladesh products to other countries throughout the world is continuously increasing.

Bangladesh’s economy has improved even in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic. Overall, all of Bangladesh’s economic indicators are improving. Bangladesh is unlikely to suffer the same economic catastrophe as Sri Lanka.

In Bangladesh, there is no scarcity of food production. The country’s primary food imports are not entirely reliant on imported goods.

Bangladesh’s remittances and export earnings are increasing by the day. Bangladesh has $44.40 billion in foreign exchange reserves. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, has reserves of less than $2 billion. Furthermore, Bangladesh’s per capita debt is $292.11, whereas Sri Lanka’s per capita debt is $1650.

There is no basis for such fears.

Bangladesh is on the right track. There is no reason to be like Sri Lanka.The Padma Bridge will be launched in June. Metrorail, Bangabandhu Tunnel, and some other special economic zones will also be launched this year. The launch of these projects will add a new dimension to the development of Bangladesh.If these projects are implemented, the return will come immediately. Investment in the country will increase. There will be employment. GDP growth will increase.

Bangladesh has plenty of food stocks. Storage in government warehouses is more than at any time in the past, about 2 million tons. Due to bumper yields in a few years, people also have ample stocks of paddy and rice. So, Bangladesh does not have to think about food for one or two years. There is no reason for inflation to rise to 20 percent like in Sri Lanka.

All the indicators of the economy of Bangladesh are positive. On the contrary, all the indicators in Sri Lanka were negative. So, it is not right to compare Bangladesh with Sri Lanka.

Padma Bridge, Karnafuli Tunnel, Metrorail, Dhaka elevated expressway, Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Rampal Coal Power Plant, Matarbari Coal Power Plant, Payra Seaport, Deep Seaport, LNG Terminal. economists think that if these projects are launched, good returns will come.

At present, the foreign debt balance of Bangladesh is $49.45 billion. According to the Bureau of Statistics, the total population of the country is 169.3 million. As a result, the per

capita foreign debt is $292.11. And Sri Lanka, a country of 20 million people, has a total foreign debt of $3.3 billion. As such, the per capita debt is $1,650. The per capita debt of the people of Sri Lanka is 5.5 times more than that of Bangladesh. Since 2014, the debt burden has started to increase and the GDP has gradually fallen. In 2019, Sri Lankan foreign debt reached 42.6 percent of GDP, in Bangladesh it is less than 13 percent.

A GDP of $411 billion, compared to Pakistan’s GDP of $347 billion, makes Bangladesh the 33rd largest economy in the world. experts forecast that the economy’s size could double by 2030.

Bangladesh outpaces Pakistan across all standard economic indicators, including nominal gross domestic product, GDP per capita, GDP’s growth rate and foreign reserves. It has now become one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

Last January, Sri Lanka’s remittance income was only $271 million. In January, remittances in Bangladesh reached nearly $17 billion and in March, remittances reached $18.6 billion. In the last fiscal year 2020-21, record remittances of $24.7 billion came to Bangladesh even during the Coronavirus epidemic. The Sri Lankan calendar year is a financial year. In 2021, remittances to the country reached about $8 billion. In other words, Sri Lankan expatriate income has collapsed in the pandemic.

In March, Bangladesh earned $4.76 billion from exports. In January, Sri Lanka earned $1.1 billion from exports. Although Sri Lanka’s export earnings have plummeted, the opposite has happened in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh’s existing reserves are $46 billion (with these reserves it is possible to cover six months of import costs). And Sri Lanka’s reserves are less than $2 billion. At the end of January, Sri Lanka’s reserves stood at $2.36 billion. At the end of last December, it was $3.1 billion.

In April last year, Sri Lanka’s reserves stood at $4.47 billion. At that time Bangladesh’s reserves were over $46 billion. Besides, Sri Lanka’s GDP is only $83 billion as against Bangladesh’s $416 billion. On the other hand, a large working population, successful implementation of big projects, and an increase in expatriate income are the major strengths of Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka’s inflation was 16 percent a few days ago. It is gradually increasing.

Bangladesh’s inflation is 6 percent. That means Bangladesh’s economic management is much more integrated. Sri Lanka’s GDP fell 3.6 percent. There, GDP has increased by 3.51 percent\.

On the other hand, Bangladesh has very strong leadership, pragmatic fiscal policy, and foreign reserves. The Sri Lankan case is totally different from Bangladesh. So, Bangladesh needn’t worry about such a kind of economic collapse.

Bangladesh must be cautious in this regard.

On the other hand, Bangladesh has very strong leadership, pragmatic fiscal policy, and foreign reserves.

The Sri Lankan case is totally different from Bangladesh.

The writer is a freelance columnist

The current literacy rate of Pakistan is 62.3 which means that an estimated population of 60 million is illiterate in our country (Ministry of Federal education and Professional Training).

Why are there fewer doctors, scientists, educated people and more uneducated, beggars, and thieves in our country? Is a great pianist or a master criminal born, or made?

Founder of behaviourism, famous psychologist John B.Watson said: “Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed and my own special world to bring them up in and I’ll guarantee to take anyone at random, and train him to become any type of specialist I might select-doctor, artist, merchant, and yes, even a beggar, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations and race of his ancestors.”

So there are more chances a great scientist or a pianist is made, not born.

The illiteracy rate in our country is so high because of our mentality, poverty and education system. When great nations, like england and America, were making harvard and Oxford, we were making Taj Mehal and Shahi Qila in our subcontinent. They were promoting education, science and technology and we were opposing science and technical education. So they started ruling the world. Then we became victims of the inferior complex that White Skinned People are superior to brown and started adopting their dressing style, language, infrastructure. What we didn’t adopt was their mentality, education system and behaviour which was making them superior.

MUZNA MEHMOOD HASHMI LAHORE

Putin Vs. Europe PUTIN has disclosed his strategy towards europe by giving them a warning not to be a part of any move which goes against Moscow. This tension rose amidst the increasing tension between Kyiv and Moscow.

Ukraine- Russia issue has drawn a line between the USA and europe.

News is circulating in the media regarding the exchange of hot words between the USA and Russia just because of Ukraine. Putin has disclosed his policy towards europe in which he clearly stated that if europe intervenes in the matter of Ukraine and Russia, it will have serious consequences to face. Putin now has also said that Russia will cut the supply of gas to european countries if they go against Moscow.

Now, it is a great challenge for europe to diplomatically have a solution to this matter but if it fails to find ways then europe will have problems with the economy and there will be inflation. europe now has asked the USA not to go to war as it always brings negative impacts. On the other hand, the USA has imposed certain restrictions on Moscow which further tightened the relationship between the two nuclear countries.

Putin looks confident when it comes to countering her enemies and the allied of Kyiv. Ukrainian leader has shared his grievances about not becoming part of NATO. europe now is trying to stay neutral like other countries on this matter as it wants Russia to continue its gas supply which will be beneficial for europe. It is now a game of nerves for all.

SHAHZAD PANHWAR SUKKUR

Language complexity IF we feel inferior while speaking our native language, then how will we emerge as a free nation?

On the day of my orientation at the university, I experienced a quite painful thing. All the students were in the auditorium and the faculty members too. First, we had a short video on the projector about the department’s progress. Then, one by one, every teacher introduced himself/herself to the students. One of the teachers came on the dais. She was asked to introduce herself in english because everyone present there was introducing himself in english. But she couldn’t do that properly(fluently). how pathetic it is! She didn’t have the liberty to introduce herself in Urdu even in Pakistan. The matter is not the language whether it’s english or Urdu. The problem is in our minds. Aren’t we depriving our language of its right? Chinese don’t feel uncomfortable while speaking their native language. Turkish people don’t feel inferior while speaking Turkish, their mother tongue. Then why do we make our people feel inferior when they speak their native language i.e. Urdu?

Our educational institutions should work to aggrandize the national language. If educational institutions feel inferior while speaking Urdu instead of english, then who will promote the Language? Once you start feeling proud while speaking Urdu, then it’s not a problem at all whether you speak english or any other language.

ALEENA MUJAHID LAHORE

The insurance industry The insurance industry is growing day by day with the passage of time in Pakistan, big giants have entered the market. Competition has increased so much that the insurance percentage rates have been very close in comparison to each plan. We cannot ignore Islamic Shariah-compliant takaful companies becoming a part of this market, which have increased their share rapidly in the past 3 to 4 years. This is relevant especially when we talk about automobile takaful companies, which are coming up with not only some competitive rates but also value-added features which they are giving to their customers.

One of my friends was discussing a service he availed from Salaam Takaful. he had taken membership from this particular company, and he lost his car due to theft and was a bit worried about it. Amazingly Salaam Takaful was there through the process amazingly; they never required the police’s final report for the process which was most relaxing for him because we all know that getting a police report is a stressful and timeconsuming process. everything was processed swiftly and with ease.

According to him, the claim was processed within 7 days as stated in their features. They were able to meet the expectations of my friend. he was happy and satisfied with it. Personally speaking insurance and takaful companies are coming up with different ideas to engage and attract customers. They are quickly becoming market leaders by giving the customers a variety of options and features to choose from.

ZAIN ULLAH SHAREEF KARACHI

08 WORLD VIEW 12th April 22_Layout 1 4/11/2022 10:16 PM Page 1

Tuesday, 12 April, 2022

08 WORLD VIEW

The lasT MusliM inTellecTual AL-E AHMAD’S MOST FAMOUS TEXT IS GHARBZADEGI, USUALLY TRANSLATED AS “WESTOXICATION”, IN WHICH HE SOUGHT TO OFFER A PROGNOSIS FOR A COLONISED MIND

Middle eaSt eye hamid dabashi

J

ALAL Al-e Ahmad (1923-69) was the “last Muslim intellectual”. At least, that’s the claim i make in my latest book, which explores the life and legacy of the towering iranian critical thinker. this was a deliberately provocative title, intended to draw attention to the work. But it also relies on an argument embedded throughout the volume - one that turns the writing of an intellectual biography into a potent claim on the future of Muslim critical thinking. in the book, i place Al-e Ahmad next to Frantz Fanon, Aime Cesaire, Leopold Sedar Senghor and Edward Said. the argument thus required rethinking the significance of a Muslim critical thinker in larger global terms.

How could any Muslim thinker be called “the last Muslim intellectual”? How do we know whether other, more commanding Muslim intellectuals will emerge in the near or distant future? the full range of Muslim critical thinkers, from Morocco to india, makes any such claim dubious, if not altogether ludicrous. But there was some method behind my provocation.

Let me begin with the epithet “Muslim”. Al-e Ahmad was born and raised in a prominent Shia clerical family.

His father was a leading member of the Shia clergy, as were other members of his family. He, too, was meant to go to iraq and study in a Shia seminary. But his agitated soul was drawn to the more adventurous aspects of his time.

Early in his youth, Al-e Ahmad was drawn to militant secularists, such as Ahmad Kasravi, and ultimately to the pronounced socialism of the tudeh Party. He rose in their ranks, and at some point became the editor of their newspaper. But soon after the Allied invasion and occupation of iran during World War ii, and the heavyhanded Soviet interference in iranian affairs, Al-e Ahmad and many other independent-minded intellectuals left the communist tudeh Party, without abandoning their socialist ideals. through the thick and thin of his political career, Al-e Ahmad remained a self-confessed Muslim thinker, in the broadest and most selfconscious way. Almost single-handedly, he redefined what it meant to be a Muslim in the world - aware, conscious, engaged and receptive.

RESTLESS SOUL: As a Muslim, Al-e Ahmad was a restless soul - not just in politics, but particularly in his moral imagination, literary taste, critical thinking

and sense of the sacred. After he abandoned his father’s wishes for him to become a cleric, and unbeknownst to his family, he opted to pursue a more contemporary, state-sponsored public (misunderstood as “secular”) education.

But the turmoil of his homeland soon drew him to the political predicament of a young, inquisitive mind. After his initial attraction to Kasravi and the tudeh Party, his restless soul sailed towards less charted territories. He was reenacting what it meant to be a Muslim in the world.

Al-e Ahmad’s most famous text is gharbzadegi, usually translated as “Westoxication”, in which he sought to offer a prognosis for a colonised mind. the Muslim world, the colonised world, and iran are shown to be sites of this gharbzadegi, where thinking, acting and the very lexicon of collective consciousness have been Europeanised, mesmerised, westernised - in short, colonised.

A thick layer of false consciousness had overcome the very condition of thinking. Al-e Ahmad was not chasing after any lost self; he was aiming to decolonise critical consciousness. this short treatise was the subject of intense debate, and has had enduring significance since its publication in the early 1960s.

Al-e Ahmad’s response to the colonised mind was intense intellectual engagement with the vital issues of the time in relentlessly critical prose, including literature. throughout his short but fruitful life, Al-e Ahmad remained committed to literature and produced some of the most popular works of fiction of his time, chief among them the School Principal (1958), an autobiographical critique of public education.

IDEOLOGICAL FORCE: Al-e Ahmad’s post-Marxist turn to existentialism, which led to a sustained period of translations from European and russian sources, including the seminal works of Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus and Fyodor Dostoevsky, must be read in the same vein. through these translations, he was reliving a critical consciousness outside of his own immediate life and heritage.

After the failed June 1963 uprising led by Ayatollah Khomeini (a dress rehearsal for the 1979 revolution), with which he identified, Al-e Ahmad wrote a major study on the services and treacheries of public intellectuals, heavily influenced by the italian Marxist Antonio gramsci. By this time, Al-e Ahmad was convinced that leftist movements that were bereft of local and regional rootedness were destined to fail. in this respect, he was the forerunner of perhaps the most potent ideological force of the 1979 revolution, Ali Shariati, with whom he had a brief encounter in the holy

city of Mashhad. Shariati was a convinced and convincing ideologue, a visionary islamist. Al-e Ahmad was too much in the sun, too self-doubting, too much drawn to “on the other hand” - he was like a bee always attracted to the next flower. He made of his nomadic mind a proverbial truth.

After his brief affiliation and subsequent departure from the tudeh Party, Al-e Ahmad remained committed to the cause of socialism. Precisely in that period, he made the monumentally stupid decision to travel to israel on an official invitation and to write a deeply misguided account defending the Zionist project.

Soon after the 1967 war, however, he realised the inanity of his hurried impressions, and wrote a second part in which he denounced Zionism and its US and European supporters. the two parts were so diametrically opposed that some even doubted the authenticity of one or the other.

But they were both his, reflecting his agitated, restless, impatient and impressionistic way of thinking. He was not consistent. He was real. Before his detractors had collected the prose to criticise him, he was already somewhere else. He compared himself to a horse who could hear the tremors of a pending earthquake, rather than a seismographer measuring it scientifically.

THE ‘FOUR QIBLA’: Al-e Ahmad’s most enduring works were perhaps his ethnographic monographs on iranian localities, such as Kharg island or the village of Owrazan, followed by his travelogues, the most important of which arose from his Hajj pilgrimage.

From his travels to the Soviet Union, the US, Mecca and Jerusalem, Al-e Ahmad had intended to publish a fourfold account of the “four qibla” of his time. to these four destinations, he was drawn with equal intensity. the result was a critical consciousness of the world around him that became the critical consciousness of the world around his nation.

Al-e Ahmad’s most important and potent works of prose were delivered in the form of short essays, a mode he perfected. He did for Persian prose what george Orwell, James Baldwin, EB White or Samuel Johnson did for English.

His telegraphic prose became proverbial, forever changing how iranians would read the world. His essays on leading literary figures, such as nima Yooshij and Sadegh Hedayat, remain among the most insightful works of literary criticism in the language.

Perhaps his most controversial text was an autobiographical confession titled Sangi bar guri (A tombstone), in which he wrote candidly and subversively about his inability to have children, his extramarital af-

fair, and his exceedingly loving but troubled relationship with his wife, Simin Daneshvar.

Daneshvar (1921-2012) was a towering literary figure in her own right; her masterpiece novel, Savushun, was a landmark in modern Persian fiction. the couple cut an exceptionally powerful set of public personae and deeply influenced each other’s work. the recent publication of their extensive correspondences has shed light on a crucial aspect of the private and public lives of prominent couples in iran.

CRITICAL REVALUATION: Al-e Ahmad died at the age of 45, purportedly from a sudden heart attack, though it has also been claimed that he was poisoned by the agents of Savak, the Shah’s secret police. His wife’s eulogies for her husband today read as landmarks of literary prose, illuminating the deepest aspects of love. they were written with a forgiving soul that turns troubled realities into enduring truths.

Soon after his death, and upon the violent triumphalism of the islamic republic that took over after iran’s 1979 revolution, the legacy of Al-e Ahmad became as divisive as his lifetime achievements. iran’s ruling elite began actively incorporating his memory into the ideological apparatus of the islamic republic, naming highways after him, printing stamps in his honour, and giving literary prizes to commemorate his legacy, while paradoxically, the English translation of his travelogue to israel turned him into a fully fledged Zionist.

As his detractors began blaming him for the atrocities of the islamic republic, the vast and variegated contours of his short but exceptionally fruitful life were lost and neglected in the process.

My renewed interest in Al-e Ahmad, which led to my critical revaluation of his life and legacy, was prompted by a need to retrieve the cosmopolitan disposition of the age that gave birth to his character and the rich body of work he left behind. in doing so, i also paid closer attention to his relationship with Daneshvar, detailing how their respective voices had become dialogical.

My paramount concern was to retrieve a mode of being a Muslim in the world, in which a towering Muslim intellectual was embracing the planet in all its contradictions and paradoxes, rather than dismissing and rejecting them in an act of futile piety or staged resentment. good or bad, pleasant or nefarious, critical or implicated, Al-e Ahmad represented a moment in a Muslim’s intellectual engagement with the world when banal sectarian divisions or deeply alienated triumphalism had not distorted the rich and effervescent intellectual legacy of islam. it is in that sense that the legacy of Al-e Ahmad as “the last Muslim intellectual” becomes a prelude to a post-islamist liberation theology, which shimmers in the future of the Muslim world.

Hamid Dabashi is Hagop Kevorkian professor of Iranian studies and comparative literature at Columbia University in the City of New York.

how hindutva will grievously hurt hindus AS HINDU MAJORITARIANISM SWEEPS INDIA, CAUTIONARY TALES FROM SRI LANKA, PAKISTAN AND MYANMAR peace. the Pejawar Matha is one of the eight religious institutions, which collectively run the famous and much-visited Krishna temple in Udupi.

Scroll RamachandRa Guha

W

riting in the 1980s about the ethnic conflict in his home country, the Sri Lankan anthropologist, SJ tambiah, described the Sinhalese as a “majority with a minority complex”. the Sinhalese constituted more than 70% of the population, they controlled the country’s politics and dominated the bureaucracy and the army, their religion, Buddhism, was the country’s official faith, their language, Sinhala, enjoyed a superior official status to other tongues and, yet, despite all this, the Sinhalese were consumed by a pervading sense of victimhood. they felt threatened by the minority tamils, complaining that the tamils were better educated because they were favoured when the island was under British colonial rule, that they were assertive because they had the support of india (a country much larger and militarily more powerful than Sri Lanka), and that if their aggressiveness was unchecked the tamils would overwhelm the Sinhalese in their one and only homeland. i was reminded about tambiah’s formulation about Sri Lanka when i read a newspaper report about a meeting in the town of Udupi between some citizens and the swami of the Pejawar Matha. the town and district of Udupi have, in recent years, emerged as Karnataka’s laboratory for hardline Hindutva. it is the town where a local college, encouraged by a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA, enforced a ban on the hijab that did not exist before, sparking a statewide and countrywide controversy with deeply damaging consequences for communal

BANNING MUSLIM SHOPKEEPERS: After their success in enforcing a ban on the hijab – thereby denying many young girls their right to education – the Hindutva hardliners of Udupi had got a pliant administration to impose a ban on Muslim shopkeepers participating in fairs associated with Hindu temples or festivals, although they had done so for many years previously to the benefit of thousands of customers of all faiths or none.

Knowing that they could get no succour from the state government, or even perhaps from the courts, a citizens’ group, which included some Muslims, called in desperation on the head of the Pejawar Matha and asked him to intervene against the ban on Muslim traders and, thus, help promote communal harmony. the swami told them that Hindu society “had suffered a lot in the past”. then a newspaper quoted him as saying: “When a section or group continuously faces injustice, its frustration and anger pour out. Hindu society is fed up with injustices.” note that the swami began with an invocation of history, the claim that Hindu society “had suffered a lot in the past”. i suppose the reference here is to the Muslim kings who ruled over much of what is now india in the medieval period. Such references are, of course, ubiquitous to Hindutva rhetoric, as witness the speeches made in Uttar Pradesh in recent months by the prime minister, the Union home minister, and the state’s chief minister. the working-class Muslims living in Lucknow or Udupi in 2022 have not the remotest connection to these Muslim rulers of the past; yet the accident of a shared religion is used to intimidate and shame them.

Making indian Muslims today feel guilty for what the Mughals or even tipu Sultan may (or may not) have done centuries ago is a pernicious practice. note, however, that the Pejawar Swami himself moved on almost

seamlessly to the present by speaking of Hindus “continuously facing injustice”. From whom and how? in demographic terms, Hindus are even more dominant in india than Sinhalas ever were in Sri Lanka. their hegemony over the political process and the administration of law and order is pretty near complete.

Muslims in Karnataka are utterly powerless – politically, economically, socially, and culturally. they are underrepresented in the legislature, in the civil services and the police, in the judiciary, and the professions. their economic status is precarious. Furthermore, a party committed to Hindu supremacy is in office both in Karnataka and india as a whole.

And, yet, the Pejawar Swami can present Hindus as victims of discrimination and injustice. When the head of an ancient, well-endowed, well-respected and hugely influential religious order speaks in this manner, we know that we are in the presence of a majority with a minority complex. in how they feel, Hindus under Hindutva are in danger of becoming a majority with a minority complex, plagued by a sense of paranoia and persecution. However, in how they act, Hindus under Hindutva are in danger of becoming a majority with a majority complex.

Using the power of their numbers, they are ruthlessly enforcing their will on those who are not Hindus through their control of the state, the administration, the media, and even allegedly sections of the judiciary. the most recent examples of this brute majoritarianism are the attempts by Hindutva groups to ban the hijab, halal meat, and the azaan, although, of course, the process of subjugating and humiliating indian Muslims takes many other forms as well. there are two distinct, if inter-related, dimensions to Hindutva’s attack on indian Muslims. the first dimension is political, the diabolically successful endeavour to create a winning “Hindu” vote bank, by getting a significant section of Dalits and OBCs inside the Hindutva

tent. Since, in most states, roughly 80% of the electorate is composed of Hindus, if the BJP can get roughly 60% of them to vote for it on this Hindu-first and Muslim-excluding plank, it is home and dry. (this is where the BJP has only one major political party to oppose it. in states where several parties have active stakes, even 50% of the Hindu vote would be enough for the BJP to win.) the second dimension of Hindutva’s attack on minorities is ideological, the conviction that Hindus are the only true, authentic, reliable citizens of this land, and that indian Muslims (and, to some extent, indian Christians too) are somehow rendered inauthentic and unreliable because (in VD Savarkar’s notorious formulation) their punyabhumi (holy place of worship) is located outside of their pitrabhumi (homeland). this sense of being the only true owners of the land prompts Hindutva activists to continually provoke and taunt indian Muslims about their dress, their cuisine, their customs, their forms of economic livelihood and so on. in a recent public intervention in Mysuru, the brave and much admired Kannada writer, Devanur Mahadeva, bought halal meat in defiance of a ban imposed by Hindutva goons. As he did this he said, “hate is the energy drink of the right-wing”. this was a brilliantly succinct description, to which i may be allowed to provide an addendum. this is that the hate in this energy drink is mixed with paranoia. For Hindus under the influence of Hindutva have become both fearfully insecure as well as consumed with an irrational hatred towards their Muslim fellow citizens. in the short-term, the playing out of this ideology in practice will grievously hurt indian Muslims (as it is already doing). in the long-term, however, it will come to haunt and hurt Hindus as well. the Sinhalese stigmatisation of tamils in Sri Lanka, the Sunni stigmatisation of Hindus, Christians, Ahmadiyyas and Shias in Pakistan, and the Buddhist stigmatisation of rohingyas in Myanmar are all cautionary tales in this regard. these three countries would all have been far better off today had they not each become so captive to an ideology of religious majoritarianism. For hate and paranoia are not the means by which peaceful and prosperous societies are nurtured or built.

Ramachandra Guha’s new book, Rebels Against the Raj, is now in stores.

Tuesday, 12 April, 2022 | IsLAMABAD

news

09

Faysal Bank & TPl liFe insurance Join Hands To oFFer Women TakaFul coverage KARACHI Press release

W

ITH this signing, Faysal Bank Limited & TPL Life Insurance (Window Takaful Operations) have taken a step towards further strengthening their existing partnership and introduced a Women specific Takaful coverage proposition for Faysal Islami Amal Women’s Account holders which is best in class across the industry. Under this plan, women will get coverage for major critical illnesses, and the benefit of income continuation, along with unlimited

online health consultation access via TPL Life’s mobile app and attractive discounts on lifestyle items. The agreement was signed by Mr. Yousaf Hussain, President & CEO Faysal Bank & Mr. Ali Jameel, Group CEO TPL Corp.

Mr. Yousaf Hussain – President & CEO, Faysal Bank said, “Faysal Bank is a progressive Islamic Bank which focuses on empowerment and financial inclusion of women. The Amal account is another step towards offering best in class services and financial solutions to our female customers. We look forward to further enhancing our collabora-

CORPORATE CORNER meezan Bank leads Pkr 1Billion syndicated islamic Finance Facility For 7 mW solar Power Project KARACHI: Meezan Bank, Pakistan’s leading Islamic bank and Burj Solar Energy Private Limited (BSEPL) are pleased to announce the financial close of PKR 1 billion syndicated Islamic finance facility for BSEPL’s portfolio of renewable distributed power generation in Pakistan. The first tranche of PKR 580 million will be used to finance the construction of 7 MW solar power plant for Power Cement Limited on Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway. Meezan Bank led the transaction as the Mandated Lead Arranger and Pakistan Kuwait Investment Company (Private) Limited participated as the Co-Arranger. The transaction structure is based on State Bank of Pakistan’s Islamic Financing Facility for Renewable Energy (IFRE) and a commercial facility.

The solar power plant will be rented to Power Cement Limited under a twenty-year equipment rental agreement and the solar energy generated will be used by the company’s cement plant in Nooriabad. It will generate 220 GWh solar units for twenty years and in addition to reducing cost ofelectricity, will offset 112,000 tons of CO2 GHG emissions.

The project is expected to start generation in July, 2022.Legal counsel for the financiers were Mohsin Tayebaly & Co. while Kabraji & Talibuddin Advocates and Legal Counsels acted as BSEPL’s legal counsel. Orient Energy Systems (Private)Limited is the turnkey EPC contractor for the project. Press Release

Power suspension schedules for today ISLAMABAD: According to Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO)’s spokesman, System Maintenance/Development Work is in process. Therefore power supply of below mentioned feeders/areas will be temporary suspended as per given schedule: On 12th April, from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM, Karpa, Alipur, Quaidabad, Pirwadhai, Bagh Sardaran, Carriage Factory, Sanghoi, Nathwala, Safdar Shaheed, Machine Mohalla, Langarpur, Smoot, Galyana, New Kaliam, Old Kaliam. HPT-III, Industrial, Basali, Pind Jatla, Chakral, Pepli, Blixar, CS Shah, Basharat, Dandot, Adi Feeders, from 6:00 AM to 11:00 AM, Industrial, DM Textile, Rata, Mangtal, Gulshanabad. BB Shaheed, Major Masood, Railway Colony, Muslimabad, Ahsanabad, Gulzar Shaheed, Dhok Hasso, Pir Sohawa Feeders and surroundings will remain off. IESCO management apologizes to its esteemed customers for the power outage. If the work is completed ahead of time, the power supply can be restored even before the scheduled time. Press release

tion with TPL Life to develop customer centric value propositions.”

Mr. Ali Jameel – Group CEO, TPL Corp stated, “We are pleased to further expand and strengthen our partnership with Faysal Bank, who shares the same vision as ours to empower Pakistani women and recognize their importance and invaluable contribution to the society. In line with this vision, TPL has always been at the forefront to offer women centric value propositions through its various platforms. I wish both the teams the best!”

During the signing ceremony, Mr. Yousaf Hussain & Mr. Muhammed Ali Jameel were accompanied by their companies’ senior officials.

Bank Alfalah, Jubilee Life Insurance Partner to Offer Digital Insurance for Customers KARACHI Press release

Bank Alfalah, joined hands with Jubilee general insurance, to form a strategic alliance that will enable a digitized pathway for customers to avail insurance through AlfaMall. With customers rapidly moving towards digital platforms, this partnership will facilitate users and their ability to avail insurance solutions in a simple manner.

Pakistan is amongst the 50 largest markets for E-commerce with indus-

try revenues growing by 90% during the year 2021. AlfaMall is banking industry’s first initiative to create a trusted E-commerce pre-payment marketplace in Pakistan. It provides Bank Alfalah’s customers the opportunity to use their Accounts, Alfa Wallets, Credit Cards, and Orbit Points or opt for combination payment to securely pay for their online shopping without any hassle, either all in one or on Buy Now Pay Later(BNPL).

Through this partnership with Jubilee Life Insurance, the platform will now

offer convenient insurance solution for valid purchases of services on AlfaMall. Adding security and simplicity to the mix will create a unique e-commerce experience for AlfaMall users across the country.

Commenting on the development, Group Head Digital Banking Group, Yahya Khan stated; “As a revolutionary platform, AlfaMall has been leading transformation of the conventional E-commerce industry since its inception. Our goal is to provide general insurance solutions for high-ticket size

Pakistan Single Window Forms Joint Working Group with China Customs for Single Window Integration ISLAMABAD Press release

Pakistan Single Window (PSW) and the General Administration of Customs People’s Republic of China (GACC) have formed a Joint Working Group (JWG) on Single Window cooperation and integration.

The 1st consultation session between the two sides was held virtually in March 2022 attended by officials from the PSW Company, China Customs, and the Federal Board of Revenue. During the consultation session, presentations were given

by China Customs and PSW on their respective single window programs followed by a focused discussion on the cooperation mechanism and scope of data exchange. The two sides agreed to establish a JWG to devise the coordination mechanism and facilitate technical discussions between the two sides for the proposed integration.

GACC and Pakistan Customs are already exchanging trade valuation data through the Electronic Data Exchange mechanism. The data exchange helps both sides to detect under/over-invoicing and counter trade-based money laundering in bilateral trade. Integration between the two single windows will expand the scope of the current data exchange to include full transmission of the

Goods Declaration data, Phyto-sanitary certificates, Certificates of Origin, and shipping and logistics data to enable execution of advanced risk management techniques and expeditious clearance of goods. Both sides have also agreed to cooperate on the implementation of blockchain technology on the lines of similar initiatives being implemented by GACC with other countries.

China is Pakistan’s biggest trading partner being the top country of origin for import of industrial and consumer goods and the secondbiggest export destination after the United States.

Under the PSW initiative, the Government of Pakistan is digitizing the entire cross-border trade ecosystem and intends to integrate with regional and global data platforms on trade finance, shipping, and customs clearance. PSW began rolling out in July 2021 and has completed integration with commercial banks for the exchange of crossborder trade-related financial information. It recently launched the Trade Information Portal of Pakistan to provide a single access point for all import, export, and transit-related information and has also begun offering services for online application and processing of import permits, and Phyto-sanitary certificates on imports and exports of agricultural goods and commodities regulated by the Department of Plant Protection.

products purchased from AlfaMall.

This partnership with Jubilee General Insurance is another step towards our ultimate goal of building a comprehensive platform for customers to shop with convenience.”

For customers, AlfaMall offers thousands of genuine products at the best prices and on BNPL. Jubilee Life Insurance customers who are interested in buying products online on instalments, or by paying upfront, can use the AlfaMall platform to make online purchases.

Police to take stern action against motorists using leds, high beam lights ISLAMABAD Press release

As per direction of IGP Islamabad Muhammad Ahsan Younis Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) has decided to take strict action against those involved in using high beam lights and Light-Emitting Diodes (LED) during drive. Senior Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Mazhar Iqbal said that as per direction of IGP Islamabad Muhammad Ahsan Younis decision has been made to ensure safe road environment in the city and avoid accidents. A Several vehicles had to face action during the drive having HID/LED lights while such lights were also impounded. Special squads have been constituted to check use of LED/HID by motorists while police pickets would be erected at important boulevards of the city including Expressway, Srinagar highway (Kashmir Highw y), Margalla Road, IJP road, Murree Road, 7th Avenue and 9th avenue. Night shift in-charges will lead this campaign to check use of high beam lights and LED/HID lights while education wing will aware the people about risks involved in using these lights.

ITP’s FM Radio 92.4 is also arranging special programs informing people about risks involved in using these lights. SSP (Traffic) has appealed the citizens to cooperate with police so that safe road environment can be ensured in the city.

Quality training of Motorways officers vital to coping with new challenges: IG Inam Ghani ISLAMABAD Press release

Training plays a crucial role in the success of any organization. It is the character building of the officers during the training that develops the characters of the institutions. The expanding road network under CPEC is a big challenge for Motorway Police in the future. The quality training of NHMP officers is vital to coping with these new challenges. These views were expressed by IG NHMP Inam Ghani while addressing the inauguration ceremony of new buildings of Admin block, Academic Block and barracks at NHMP Training College Sheikhupura.

Additional IG Khalid Mahmoood , Commandant Training College DIG Mehboob Aslam, Deputy Commandant Taimoor Khan, CPO Training Nasim Shah, officials of PWD, and many NHMP officers were present on occasion.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of new buildings, IG NHMP Inam Ghani said that NHMP is a magnificent and prestigious department with deep-rooted respect in people's hearts by adopting golden principles of honesty, courtesy, and help.

IG stressed that it is the prime focus of the department to train its officers in such a manner that they must remain courteous with the road users in whatsoever be the situation. IG Inam Ghani further added

that when we provide the best training facilities for the officers' physical, mental and moral training, its result will manifestly be seen in the practical field. In the perspective of CPEC, it is imperative to expand the infrastructure of NHMP Training College because it is a nursery from which officers will be passed out after training to perform their professional duties throughout Pakistan, IG added. IG NHMP also appreciated the efforts of Commandant Training College Mahboob Aslam in the expansion of NHMP Training College. Talking on the occasion, Commandant Training College DIG Mehboob Aslam said that it is his strong desire to uplift the standards of this college to the

point where it could compete with any other renowned training institute. DIG showed his commitment that he and his team would work day and night to materi-

alize this dream. At the end of the event, souvenirs were distributed among officers who worked hard to initiate this vital development project.

Tuesday, 12 April, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

10 FOREIGN NEWS

Russia afRaid to admit its policy towaRds ukRaine is eRRoneous: Zelenksy

R

AGeNcIeS

uSSIA is afraid to admit that its decades-old policy towards ukraine is wrong, ukraine’s president said Sunday. “They are afraid to admit that Russia’s entire policy toward ukraine has been erroneous for decades and has only ruined everything Russia had in its relations with ukraine since previous times,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a video address.

Pointing out that Moscow is trying to blame Kyiv for its own aggression, Zelenskyy recalled that Crimea was illegally annexed by Russia.

Zelenskyy also said that Russia destroyed normal life in Donbas.

“They have been killing people and children on our land for eight years — and we are allegedly to blame. They destroyed the most powerful industrial region in Eastern Europe — and we are allegedly to blame.

They ruined the lives of millions of people

emmanuel macron leads marine le pen in french election battle PARIS Agencies

French President Emmanuel Macron leads far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the first round of France’s elections Sunday by a larger than expected margin, with the rivals now set to battle for the presidency in a run-off later this month, projections showed. Macron scored 28.1-29.7 per cent in the first round and Le Pen 23.324.7, with the top two candidates going through to the second round run off on April 24, according to projections by polling firms for French television channels based on a sample of votes. The performance by Macron appears to be stronger than predicted by opinion polls in the run-up to the vote. Far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon was predicted to come third with 19.8-20.8 per cent and extreme-right pundit Eric Zemmour on 6.8-7 per cent with candidates of the traditional left and right trailing far behind. Valerie Pecresse from the rightwing Republicans was on 4.3-5 per cent, in a disastrous performance by the party of ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy, the projections showed. Socialist Party candidate Anne Hidalgo was projected to face electoral doom with a score of just 1.8-2.0 per cent. The finalround duel between Macron and Le Pen is however set to be far tighter than the run-off between them in 2017, when the current president thrashed Le Pen with 66 per cent of the vote. Some 48.7 million voters were eligible to vote in the election after an unusual campaign overshadowed by Russia’s invasion of ukraine. The projections are compiled by polling companies based on a sample of votes from polling stations especially chosen from across the country. They have generally proved to be highly accurate in past elections. pivotal debate: A pivotal moment in the next stage of the campaign is likely to come on April 20 when the two candidates are set to take part in a TV debate broadcast live on national television. The final debate has in the past had a crucial impact on the outcome of the vote such as in 2017 when Macron was seen as gaining the upper hand in exchanges with a flustered Le Pen. Macron is expected for the next two weeks to put his diplomatic efforts on the ukraine crisis to one side and focus more whole-heartedly on campaigning in a bid to find the election momentum that has so far eluded his team.

israel and west Bank on edge after more bloodshed JeRUSALeM ReuteRs

Israeli forces killed two Palestinian women on Sunday after one ran towards troops and the other stabbed a soldier in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank, Israeli security officials said. With violence surging after a string of deadly attacks in Israel, a Palestinian man was killed by Israeli soldiers during what local residents said were confrontations with stone-throwers near the West Bank town of Bethlehem, the Palestinian health ministry announced. The Israeli military said troops shot a Palestinian throwing petrol bombs towards an Israeli vehicle. The bloodshed has coincided with the start of the holy month of Ramadan, when Israeli attacks in Palestine have erupted in the past and, last May, spiralled into an 11-day war between Gaza fighters and Israel. In Bethlehem, no weapon was found on the body of a Palestinian woman who was shot and killed after she ignored soldiers’ calls and warning fire to stop running towards them, the Israeli military said, adding it had begun an investigation. Hours later, a Palestinian woman armed with a knife was shot dead after she slightly wounded a paramilitary border policeman in Hebron, outside the Tomb of the Patriarchs, which Muslims call al-Ibrahimi mosque, Israeli security officials said. Israeli forces have been on high alert following attacks by three members of Israel’s Arab minority and two Palestinians from the West Bank that have killed 14 people in Israel since late March.

— and we are allegedly to blame. They started a full- scale war against us — and we are allegedly to blame,” he said.

“It all came from cowardice. When cowardice grows, it turns into a catastrophe.

When people lack the courage to admit their mistakes, apologise, adapt to reality, learn, they turn into monsters. And when the world ignores it, the monsters decide that it is the world that has to adapt to them. ukraine will stop all this.”

Russia’s war on ukraine, which began

on Feb. 24, has been met with international outrage, with the European union, uS and the uK, among others, implementing stringent economic penalties on Moscow.

At least 1,793 civilians have been killed in ukraine and 2,439 injured, according to

estimates by the uN, which noted that the true figure is likely far higher.

More than 4.5 million ukrainians have also fled to several European countries, with millions more displaced inside the country, according to the uN refugee agency.

China urges NATO against attempts at destabilizing Asia StAff RePoRt The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday urged the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to refrain from attempts at destabilizing Asia or the world at large.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a regular press briefing in response to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s recent allegation that China poses “a systemic challenge” to the national security of “democracies.” “NATO has already caused chaos in Europe.

Don’t attempt to do that in Asia or the world,” he said.

China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of the international order, said Zhao, adding that the country will continue its peaceful development.

“China’s development is an opportunity for the

whole world, not a threat to anyone,” he said.

The spokesperson said NATO should stop spread-

ing false and provocative remarks against China and abandon its confrontational approach of drawing lines based on ideology.

Zhao said that China is “strongly dissatisfied with and resolutely opposed to” what the spokesperson called NATO’s groundless accusations and smear attacks against China recently, and has repeatedly made serious representations to it.

Noting that NATO is a military organization across the North Atlantic, the Chinese spokesperson accused it of flexing its muscles in the Asia-Pacific region and provoking conflicts.

The international community should remain “highly” vigilant to NATO’s trumpeting of a new Cold War of confrontation and “resolutely” oppose it, said Zhao.

Shanghai partially lifts community lockdowns to reboot city SHANGHAI Agencies

Authorities in China’s financial hub of Shanghai began to partially lift community lockdowns on Monday.

People living in more than 40 percent of Shanghai’s residential compounds will be able to walk out of their homes after staying there for weeks after the city became the worst hit of China’s latest COVID-19 surge.

Shanghai reported 25,173 new asymptomatic infections on Sunday, up from 23,937 the previous day, although symptomatic cases edged down to 914 from 1,006. From 3 p.m. on Monday, markets, convenience stores, drug stores and baby care stores in some of the unlocked areas started to return to business and other places will also reopen if the outbreak further eases.

Closed-off, Controlled and prevention areas: To reboot the city, the local government has divided residential units into three categories, consisting of 7,624 “closed-off areas” that are still sealed off, 2,460 “controlled areas” that have had no new infections for a week, and 7,565 “prevention areas” that have been opened up after two weeks of no positive cases, said Gu Honghui, deputy secretary-general of Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, at a news briefing on Monday.

The city has allowed those in areas without positive cases for a stretch of two weeks to engage in “appropriate activity” in their neighborhoods, said Gu, adding that the city would make “dynamic” adjustments to the residential classification system as it vowed greater efforts to minimize the impact of curbs on the 25 million people living in the city.

“We also hope all citizens and friends will continue

to support and cooperate with the city’s epidemic prevention and control work,” said Gu. Those living in “prevention areas” can now move around their neighborhoods, but must observe social distancing and could be sealed off again if there are new infections, he added.

WelCome home: China Media Group (CMG) put up a video on social media showing a resident returning home being welcomed by neighbors singing songs on their balconies.

A resident waves to neighbors as they sing songs to welcome him back from medical observations, Shanghai, China, April 11, 2022. /CMG “I’m pretty moved by my neighbors’ melodies,” the resident, surnamed Wang told CMG. “At first I felt sorry for bringing them trouble but their positive energy warmed up my heart.”

Wang is one of the 11,000 people who completed medical observation on Sunday.

About 2,000 COVID-19 patients were released from a local temporary hospital on Monday after full recovery. Each of them received a gift pack that can help them maintain health after going back home.

Logistics personnel serving the express delivery, security, cleaning and supply chain have contributed significantly to ensure Shanghai’s continued operation during the current COVID outbreak. anti-Covid measures for logistiCs personnel: During the Omicron outbreak in Shanghai, logistics personnel serving the express delivery, security, cleaning and supply chain have contributed significantly to ensure the city’s continued operation, Gu said. The city should care more about logistics personnel and ensure their safety with joint ef-

forts of enterprises, communities and individuals, the deputy secretary-general added.

Enterprises should strictly fulfill responsibilities by conducting two tests for each employee every day: one antigen test in the morning and one nucleic acid test in the afternoon or evening, according to the official.

He further pointed out, in addition to providing more training for staff, enterprises should also care about their employees’ daily health condition and offer adequate personal anti-COVID protective articles for them. In communities with no positive cases reported within seven days, logistics personnel can enter and leave a community with a negative result of an antigen test through application with an employee ID, work certificate and proof of negative nucleic acid test within 48 hours. Individuals should wear masks, a face screen and gloves in public areas to keep oneself and others safe, Gu also said.

Liang Wannian, head of the COVID-19 Expert Team of the National Health Commission, said it was misleading to call Omicron a ‘big flu.’ misleading to Call omiCron a ‘big flu’: Is Omicron just a “big flu”? According to Liang Wannian, head of the COVID-19 Expert Team of the National Health Commission, the answer is no. He said Omicron has been mutating and the direction of the mutation is unclear.

Thus, he said it was misleading to call Omicron a “big flu” and warned lowering China’s guard would expose its huge elderly population to risk. “If we ‘lie flat,’ the epidemic would just be a disaster for these kinds of vulnerable people.” Shanghai faces pressure not only to curb local transmissions but also halt the spread to other regions, Liang added.

Tuesday, 12 April, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

SPORTS 11

BaStianini winS GranD Prix of the aMericaS, leaDS MotoGP title race AUsTIN

i

AFP

TALY’S Enea Bastianini won his second MotoGP race of the season at the Grand Prix of the Americas on Sunday and seized control of the world championship. The 24-year-old passed fellow Ducati rider, and long-time leader, Jack Miller with five laps left to add the Austin win to his maiden elite class victory at the season-opener in Qatar.

Australian Miller, who had stormed into the lead at the start, finished third having also being passed by the Suzuki of Alex Rins, the winner in Texas in 2019.

“It’s a fantastic day. Miller had fantastic pace in the first part of the race, then I felt like I had to push, I accelerated like crazy and I won,” said Bastianini.

“Winning here in America is fantastic.

Now we can eat some burgers!”

Six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez, bidding for an eighth win in nine visits to the Texas circuit, finished sixth, having slipped to the back of the field at lights out on his Honda.

The 29-year-old Spaniard, who missed last weekend’s race in Argentina due to double vision after a violent high-side crash in Indonesia, had started ninth on the gird, his worst qualifying performance ever at the

Scheffler overcomes tears, fears to win Masters

Circuit of the Americas.

However, he stormed back through the field into the top 10 at the midway point, even setting a fastest lap.

Fourth on Sunday was Suzuki’s Joan Mir, the 2020 world champion, with Francesco Bagnaia on another Ducati coming home fifth.

Reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo of Yamaha was seventh behind Marquez with pole-sitter Jorge Martin on a Ducati-Pramac having to settle for eighth.

Previous world championship leader Aleix Espargaro of Aprilia was only 11th on Sunday. Bastianini has a five-point lead in the standings over Rins and is 11 in front of

Espargaro who won his first MotoGP race in Argentina last week in his 200th race.

Mir and Quartararo are fourth and fifth respectively, 15 and 17 points off the lead after four rounds. “I have mixed feelings,” said Miller who led for 15 of the 20 laps.

“I had a fantastic race, Enea passed me but I didn’t make any mistakes.”

Rins dedicated his second place “to Ukraine, and to all the people who suffer

Neutral umpires to return in Test cricket News Desk Test cricket will see the return of neutral umpires as countries have started to relax the travel restrictions that were imposed with the onset of Covid-19 pandemic from 2020.

According to International Cricket Council (ICC), ODIs and T20Is will be officiated by the home umpires.

The decision was made in an ICC Board meeting held in Dubai on April 10, where a number of matters were discussed, including PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja’s proposal of hosting a four-nation series. Addressing the umpires’ situation, the ICC remarked that the performance of the home umpires remained “strong” and encouraging.

The ICC statement read: “The CEC was updated on the use of home umpires from July 2020 to February 2022 due to Covid-19 […] The committee acknowledged that the performance of home umpires was strong and had not affected games. The use of home umpires had also led to 12 members of the international panel of umpires making their Test match debut.” The decision to retain home umpires for the limited-overs cricket is backed heavily by their performances throughout the series during the pandemic.

AUGUsTA Agencies

Scottie Scheffler, the world’s number one golfer, was crying and stressed out hours before Sunday’s final round of the Masters, feeling overwhelmed and convinced he wasn’t ready to win the green jacket. The 25-year-old American, the poster of keeping calm and carrying on while upon the course, shook off his anxiety to win his first major title on Sunday at Augusta National.

But it didn’t happen until Scheffler listened to his wife Meredith, examined his issues, collected himself and trusted in his shotmaking skills. “I cried like a baby this morning,” Scheffler said. “I was so stressed out. I didn’t know what to do. I was sitting there telling Meredith, ‘I don’t think I’m ready for this. I’m not ready, I don’t feel like I’m ready for this kind of stuff,’ and I just felt overwhelmed.” Meredith fixed him breakfast and he relaxed. She gave him verbal nutrition for his confidence as well. “She told me, ‘Who are you to say that you’re not ready?'” Scheffler said. “And so what we talked about is that God is in control and that the Lord is leading me and if today is my time, it’s my time. And if I shot 82 today, somehow I was going to use it for His glory. Gosh, it was a long morning.” Scheffler said he relaxed when he arrived at Augusta National and felt on his game after chipped 26 yards at the first hole to set up a three-foot par putt. “I calmed down when I got to the course.

Right when I got to the training room,” he said.

“Pretty much after parring the first hole I was settled in. I felt good.” Scheffler, who won his first US PGA title only eight weeks ago and took his fourth on Sunday, said he had never endured such angst before a final round, especially carrying a three-stroke advantage into the last round of the event he most dreamed about winning since boyhood. “I think because it’s the Masters,” he said. “I dreamed of having a chance to play in this golf tournament. I teared up the first time I got my invitation in the mail. I love this golf course. “This would be the tournament I would want to win. You don’t know how many chances you’re going to get. “I don’t know if you get better opportunities than that. You don’t want to waste them.” Just before 2021 champion Hideki Matsuyama of Japan slipped the green jacket symbolic of Masters supremacy on his shoulders, Scheffler said he was glad for needing three tries from inside five feet on the 18th green to hole his last putt. “I’m kind of glad I had a little hiccup there on the last hole,” he said. “It made me a little less emotional.” Low-key Scheffler said he might not be recalled with more flamboyant Masters winners such as Tiger Woods, who attracted bigger crowds most of the week with his amazing comeback from severe leg injuries suffered in a car crash 14 months ago. “The human condition is to make things bigger than they really are,” Scheffler said. “And years from now I would say people may not remember me as a champion and that’s fine. But in the moment, you think it’s a lot bigger deal than it really is.” Scheffler, who tightened his grip on world number one with a breakthrough major triumph in a week where five rivals could have dethroned him, said he never imagined he would be regarded as the world’s top golfer. “I never expected to be sitting where I am now,” Scheffler said. “You don’t expect things to come to you in this life. You just do the best that you can with the hand you’re dealt and just go from there. “I never really thought I was that good at golf, so I just kept practicing and kept working hard and that’s just what I’m going to keep doing.”

from the war and also from the Covid”.

In the Moto2 race, Italy’s Tony Arbolino claimed a maiden victory by 3.4sec over Ai Ogura. Britain’s Jake Dixon took third to secure his first ever podium while American pole sitter Cameron Beaubier failed to finish. Jaume Masia won the Moto3 race, his first success since Qatar last year. Dennis Foggia was second and takes over the world championship lead while Andrea Migno was third.

Pakistan women cricketers ‘forced to train’ in outdated gym facility at NCC kARACHI news Desk

Some of the star Pakistani women cricketers are reportedly left with no option than to train in an outdated gym facility here at National Coaching Centre (NCC) opposite National Stadium during Ramadan.

Cricketers, who have represented Pakistan in both ODIs and T20Is with multiple accolades under their belt, are training in an outdated gym of the NCC without any trainer.

According to the sources, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has set-up training facility from 3pm-5pm at National Stadium’s Hanif Mohammad High-Performance

Centre.

However, due to fasting, many players showed reservations and asked PCB to change the training time.

But, due to staff’s unavailability in any other time, player’s didn’t get positive response.

Eventually, players arranged alternative training facility to keep themselves fit in off season.

In this regard, this correspondent contacted PCB’s media department two days ago to get their version but the response was delayed for unknown reasons.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan team recently participated in ICC Women’s World Cup in New Zealand. The Green Shirts won just a single match out of seven they played in the mega event.

De Jong gives Barca late victory MADRID AFP

Luuk de Jong headed in a 92ndminute winner on Sunday as Barcelona prevailed in a fivegoal thriller against Levante to return to second in La Liga.

De Jong’s late goal, his sixth in the league for Barca, proved the decisive moment in a 3-2 victory in Valencia but it was the introduction of the 19-year-old Pedri off the bench that turned the momentum of the contest. Asked if the team are too reliant on Pedri, Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said: “I wouldn’t put it like that but he is an extraordinary player. I don’t hold back any praise, he is a player who excites people and makes a difference.” A frantic 11 minutes early in the second half saw Levante score one penalty in the 52nd minute through Jose Luis Morales before missing a second in the 55th, this time Roger Marti stepping up, only to be denied by MarcAndre ter Stegen. Pedri came off the bench in the 56th minute and three minutes later Barcelona equalised, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang heading in Ousmane Dembele’s cross to score his 10th goal for his new club. Then in the 63rd minute, Pedri fired Barca in front with a first-time finish into the corner, only for Levante to level again after being awarded a third penalty, Gonzalo Melero this time making no mistake. Levante looked set to claim a point but De Jong snatched the win, meeting Jordi Alba’s cross and heading in at the near post.

“When we don’t play well and we pull through, it shows we have that winning mentality,” said Xavi.

Barca climb back above Sevilla into second, still 12 points behind Real Madrid, who eased to a 2-0 victory over Getafe on Saturday. Xavi’s side have a game in hand over Real Madrid, Sevilla and Atletico Madrid, with Atletico three points behind in fourth after losing on Saturday away at Mallorca. Pedri scored a brilliant winner against Sevilla last weekend and while the midfielder was initially rested against Levante, Barcelona were transformed after he came on. Aubameyang, meanwhile, continued his own rich vein of form since leaving Arsenal in January. The Gabon striker now has 10 goals in 14 games for his new club.

Tuesday, 12 April, 2022

pRayeR timingS

NEWS

FAJR SUNRISE

ZUHR

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

4:15

12:09

4:46

5:41

6:36

8:03

PTI Trashes PM’s offer for Probe InTo LeTTergaTe ISLAMABAD

P

Staff RepoRt

TI leader Fawad Chaudhry on Monday rejected newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s call to investigate the contents of a cable that allegedly contains details of a threat made by the United States against former premier Imran Khan’s government.

According to Khan, the cable, which he first spoke of and brandished at a public rally on March 27, carried details of the ambassador’s meeting with Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Affairs Donald Lu in which the latter allegedly threatened Pakistan. Khan and his party linked the purported threat

with the no-trust move against him in the National Assembly that led to his ouster from the top office.

Majeed, in the cable, reportedly said Lu warned that Khan’s continuation as the prime minister would have repercussions for bilateral relations. The US, Khan claims, was annoyed with his “independent foreign policy” and visit to Moscow.

Following his successful election as the prime minister earlier today, Shehbaz announced that he would be making arrangements for an in-camera briefing of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security to discuss and determine the authenticity of the cable and the session would be attended by the military leadership, InterServices Intelligence director general, foreign secretary and the ambassador who

sent the letter.

Reacting to the prime minister’s offer, Chaudhry decried it as an “ugly attempt” by the new premier to provide a National Reconciliation Ordinance-type deal to himself and said the PTI rejected it.

He said the Supreme Court should form an independent commission to investigate the matter, with the probe body’s head being a person who no one could object to.

Earlier today, the Islamabad High Court dismissed a petition that sought an investigation into the contents of the cable. It said that making a cable that had been sent by a Pakistani diplomat “controversial and the subject of litigation” was against the public and state’s interests.

The court observed in its order that it was “settled law” that matters relating to

the country’s foreign affairs were “extremely sensitive and therefore not justiciable”. It said the assertions were “vague”

Felicitations pour in as Shehbaz Sharif sworn in as 23rd PM of Pakistan ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) President Shehbaz Sharif was sworn in as the country’s 23rd prime minister at Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad on Monday, in a landmark occasion for the nation.

Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani administered oath to Shehbaz in President Dr Arif Alvi’s absence, who went on ‘sick’ leave ahead of the PML-N president’s inauguration.

Major political leaders including PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and PMLN leaders Maryam Nawaz, Hamza Shehbaz, Ahsan Iqbal, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Rana Sanaullah among others were present in the oath-taking ceremony held at President House in the federal capital.

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Nadeem Raza, naval chief, air chief and other senior military and civilian officials also attended the ceremony. Earlier in the day, the National Assembly elected Shehbaz as the new prime minister of Pakistan after lawmakers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) announced their resignations from the lower house of parliament, leaving the field open for the opposition.

“Mian Shehbaz Sharif is declared as elected Prime Minister,” Ayaz Sadiq announced following the completion of the counting process.

The PML-N chief, a nominee of the joint opposition parties, received 174 votes for the top post days after PTI chief Imran Khan was ousted via a no-trust vote by the opposition parties.

Though the opposition alliance had the support of PTI’s dissident members, they did not the cast vote and stayed in the opposition’s lobbies.

Shehbaz was also the candidate for the

premiership in 2018 when Imran was elected as the PM with 176 votes. He had received 96 votes at the time.

The PML-N’s rival for the post was PTI’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi; however, the former ruling party decided to quit the assembly at the eleventh hour citing allegations of imported regime change.

The PTI lawmakers had left the house while shouting slogans against the opposition parties’ leadership as well as the United States of America even before the voting began and the process of transition of power could be completed.

After the PTI lawmakers left the hall announcing resignations, Ayaz Sadiq started the voting process for the election of the chief minister. Ayaz also mistakenly pronounced Shehbaz Sharif as Nawaz Sharif. He then apologised to Shehbaz, saying he has “made the mistake because Nawaz was in his heart and mind”. Following the announcement of Shehbaz as the country’s new premier, lawmakers started walking from the opposition benches to the treasury benches. However, with chairs empty on both sides of the aisle, many stayed where they were.

In his speech, PM-elect Shehbaz congratulated the Supreme Court of Pakistan for declaring the deputy speaker’s ruling unconstitutional and “burying the doctrine of necessity forever”.

Though the opposition parties have the support of the dissident members of PTI, they didn’t cast vote on Monday but stayed in the opposition’s lobbies.

Shehbaz said he would resign the second it is proven that the opposition had any link with the ‘foreign conspiracy’, saying soon an in-camera briefing would be arranged on the alleged threatening letter. The prime minister-elect also shunned the allegations of treason against opposition parties, saying: “Dialogue should replace deadlock as change

would not come merely through speeches”. He emphasised on bringing harmony for moving forward, especially, addressing the economic issues being faced by the country.

“Neither anyone was traitor nor anyone is traitor,” Shehbaz said, adding that it’s time to move ahead with unity instead of being divided.

PM-elect Shehbaz also said the PTIled government left the country’s economy in tatters with current account deficit and other economic indicators “worsening”. He announced raising the minimum wage to Rs25,000 and also announced a 10% hike in pensions of retired government employees. Government employees earning less than Rs100,000 would also be given a 10% raise, he added.

Responding to former PM Imran Khan’s ‘independent foreign policy’ claims, Premier-elect Shehbaz said former premier Nawaz Sharif did not say “absolutely rejected” to US when it pressured Pakistan to halt nuclear tests. “We respectfully rejected their [US] offer of $5 billion and made country’s defence invincible.”

The premier-designate said his government will work with provinces to provide relief to masses and reintroduce the Benazir Income Support programme which was introduced by the former PPP-led government at Centre.

The PM-designate referred to him as “Khadim-e-Pakistan” (chief servant of Pakistan), a title that is reminiscent of the designation “Khadim-e-Aala” that Shehbaz used to describe himself when he was a chief minister of Punjab.

Speaking about the country’s foreign policy, the PM-designate vowed to restrengthen ties with Beijing, saying that his government will complete China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects at “Punjab speed”.

He accused his predecessor of damag-

ing relations with China.

The PM-designate said Pakistan would also maintain cordial ties with Britain, European countries and the United States to boost the country’s exports. The United Kingdom has also always supported democracy in Pakistan and also spent billions of pounds on education and others sectors in Pakistan.

Whatever happens in London affects Pakistan and vice versa, he added.

“We have historic ties with the US… [bilateral] relations however have witnessed ups and downs, but it does not mean that we strain our ties with America but we have to maintain relations on equal footing,” he remarked.

PM-designate Shehbaz also offered Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold dialogue with Pakistan in a bid to end miseries of the people living on both sides of the border.

“Neighbours are not matter of choice, but something you have to live with. We want cordial ties with India but without the resolution of Kashmir dispute the ties cannot be improved,” he added.

“We [Pakistan] will continue to provide diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiris… I want to give an advice to [PM] Narendra Modi; come and resolve the issues through dialogue to end the poverty and miseries of the people living on both sides of the border.”

The PM-designate said the country’s economic strength is dependent on diplomacy. He also highlighted the plight of Afghans, saying that the people of the neighbouring countries were in desperate need of basic necessities. “We have to speak in favour of millions of Muslims living in the neighbouring country and facing acute food and medicine shortages… if condition further deteriorates there will be massive exodus from [Afghanistan] to K-P.”

Elahi, Hamza to mutually decide date for CM election: LHC NewS DeSk The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday instructed Punjab Assembly speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Mazari and Leader of the Opposition in PA Hamza Shahbaz to mutually finalise a date for the election of the chief minister.

“All of them should sit in the office of the Punjab advocate-general and solve the matter amicably,” Justice Amir Bhatti said. “Remember that we are all residents of this country. Don’t create a scene outside. Solve the problem at home, together.”

His remarks had come as the court took up Hamza’s petition which had sought its help in holding elections for Punjab’s new chief minister in a “fair and transparent” manner. Earlier, the LHC CJ had clubbed Elahi’s petition in the case as well, which had accused the PML-N leader of holding MPAs hostage.

During the hearing, referring to the April 3 PA session, the judge remarked that the question in front of the court was whether an assembly sitting to elect the CM could be adjourned. “We have to ask relevant authorities

about the process of the CM election.”

In his arguments, PML-N’s counsel Azam Nazeer Tarar said that the post of Punjab CM had been empty since the resignation of Usman Buzdar. “Right now, the province doesn’t have an executive,” he said.

Consequently, the judge directed the PA secretary to brief the court about the election record.

He replied that after Buzdar’s resignation on April 1, the process of election started the next day. “On April 2, the scrutiny [of candidates] was completed and nomination papers were accepted as well.”

On April 3, the secretary continued, a session — led

by Mazari — was called, but it was adjourned till April 6 after a fight broke out between the women MPAs inside the assembly hall. “Do you have a video of the fight,” the LHC CJ asked.

The secretary replied in the affirmative and continued that on April 4 he had sent a report on the damages inside the PA to the speaker who then further adjourned the session. “But on April 6, a notification issued by Mazari started doing rounds on social media. It said that a session was being called in the evening,” he said, adding that the

Assembly Secretariat wasn’t informed about it despite repeated calls to the deputy speaker.

Consequently, he added, the speaker striped Mazari of his powers. Here, Justice Bhatti asked the reason behind the speaker’s actions. “You didn’t receive the notification … This means no process was to take place.”

The secretary replied that later a no-confidence motion had been moved against the deputy speaker. “When this happens, the deputy speaker can’t chair the session.”

The judge asked again whether it was legally possible to postpone the election for the chief minister. “Apparently, it isn’t allowed,” he observed and then wondered if nomination papers could be submitted a day before the poll. Ali Zafar, counsel of PML-Q, revealed that the papers could be submitted any day before the election.

But the LHC CJ said that the rules “mention hours not days”. He also asked if the speaker had the right to suspend the deputy speaker’s powers if the former was contesting elections. “The main question is that under what law was the date of election changed,” he said.

“How can someone violate the election schedule and give a date of their own?”

and not supported by any credible material that merited making the diplomatic cable a subject of litigation.

PTI requests sC to form full court to hear presidential reference NewS DeSk The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) requested the Supreme Court on Monday to form a full court to hear the presidential reference seeking interpretation and scope of Article 63-A of the Constitution, regarding the disqualification of dissident PTI lawmakers. Senior Advocate Babar Awan drafted the application and prayed to the apex court that the presidential reference be placed before a full court and include all the judges of the Supreme Court (SC) for the determination of questions raised. “This CMA be allowed to uphold the dignity of all the constitutional institutions of Pakistan and to meet the ends of justice,” the application read. A fivejudge larger bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial is set to hear the matter tomorrow (Tuesday). On Sunday, the SC fixed April 12 for the hearing of the presidential reference seeking interpretation and scope of Article 63-A of the Constitution. Through the reference, the government sought the apex court’s advisory on the measures and steps to be “taken with the existing constitutional and legal framework to curb, deter and eradicate the cancerous practice of defection, floor crossing and votebuying”. That if the constitutional disapproval and prohibition against defection is effectively enforced with deterrence for the future as well, many such members shall stand disqualified for life under Article 62(1)(f) and will never be able to pollute the democratic streams.

CM bizenjo nominated by baP as parliamentary leader in balochistan assembly NewS DeSk The ruling Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) nominated Mir Quddus Bizenjo as its parliamentary leader in the Balochistan Assembly on Monday.

Bizenjo is the chief minister of Balochistan currently. BAP provincial ministers including Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran, Muhammad Khan Lehri, Lala Rasheed and Bushra Rind handed over the nomination letter to secretary assembly Tahir Shah Kakar. “Yes, I have received Mr. Bizenjo’s nomination as parliamentary leader of BAP,” Kakar stated. Currently, BAP President and former CM Jam Kamal Khan is the parliamentary leader of the party in the house. A total of 14 lawmakers from the ruling BAP had signed the nomination of Bizenjo as the parliamentary leader. Prominent among those who signed the nomination letter were Sardar Saleh Muhammad Bhootani, Noor Muhammad Dumar, Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran, Mir Ziaullah Langove, Muhammad Khan Lehri, Mir Sikandar Umrani and others. There was no immediate response on the part of Jam Kamal Khan, the BAP president.

In October last year, former provincial assembly speaker Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo was sworn in as the 17th chief minister of Balochistan following his unopposed election by the provincial assembly, becoming only the second politician to hold the top office in the province for a second time. Bizenjo was elected unopposed a day after a major contender, Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind, of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) pulled out of the race. In the 65-strong Balochistan Assembly, Bizenjo polled 39 votes, while the opposition benches did not take part in the election.

Balochistan Governor Syed Zahoor Ahmad Agha administered the oath to Bizenjo at a ceremony at the Governor House, which was attended by a large number of people, including Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar and National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri.

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