Epaper – April 8-2022 ISB

friday, 8 april, 2022 I 6 ramzan, 1443 I rs 15.00 I Vol XII no 280 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition

NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT NO TRUST VOTE ON SATURDAY AS SC RULES DEPUTY SPEAKER’S RULING VOID, NA RESTORED g

sC benCH gives unAniMous verdiCt

g

ALL deCisions by PM, President sinCe APriL 3 deCLAred void

ISLAMABAD

I

staff report

n a landmark judgement, the supreme Court on thursday ruled that the national Assembly deputy speaker’s ruling to dismiss the noconfidence motion and subsequent dissolution of the lower house by the president on the PM’s advice were contrary to the law and Constitution. the court has also ordered to reinstate the national Assembly and summon its session at 10.30am on saturday (April 9) to hold voting on no-trust motion against Prime Minister imran Khan.

A five-member bench headed by Chief Justice umar Ata bandial and included Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel, Justice ijazul Ahsan and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan announced the verdict, which was reserved earlier in the day. the apex court declared that nA deputy speaker’s ruling to be contrary to Constitution and the law and of no legal effect. the top court ruled that the President Arif Avli’s order to dissolve the Assembly was contrary to the Constitution and of no legal effect, and it is hereby set aside. the sC declared that all actions, acts or proceedings initiated, done or taken by reason of, or to give effect to, the president’s order are of no legal effect and are hereby quashed. the apex court said in the verdict that the government cannot bar any lawmaker from attending the nA ses-

sion. Following the top court’s order, the federal cabinet has also been restored. the top court had also summoned the election Commission of Pakistan (eCP) officials including its secretary. earlier, during a hearing of the case, CJP bandial, after consultation with fellow judges, observed that it was clear that the ruling of the deputy speaker to dismiss the no-confidence motion submitted against the prime minister was “wrong”. the chief justice remarked that there would be no stability in the country even after the restoration of the national As-

COrONAvIrUS IN

PAkISTAN

CONFIRMED CASES:

1,526,093

LAST UPDATED AT 8:26 AM ON APRIL 7-4-2022

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

4

180

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

1,486,534 30,361 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

576,037

505,267

KPK:

BALOCHISTAN:

219,201

35,479

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

43,283/11,716

135,110

sembly that had been dissolved as a result of the ruling. the court retired for a 15 minutes break. the CJP said after the break the court will touch upon salient features of the Constitution which include democracy and the parliamentary form of system.

Attorney general for Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan argued that everyone needed to be loyal to the state. He said that he is not defending the ruling.

“However, i think new elections are the only solution,” he added.

‘ParlIamEnt shOuld bE rEstOrEd’: shEhbaz: Meanwhile, when Leader of the opposition in the national Assembly shehbaz sharif was called to the rostrum, he said that if the court acknowledges that the ruling of the deputy speaker was “erroneous”, then it should restore Parliament. shehbaz further highlighted that if the deputy speaker’s move was unconstitutional then decisions taken by PM imran Khan with the help of President Arif Alvi are also “insignificant”, adding that the sC’s statement also hints at no assembly has being dissolved. “the no-confidence motion against PM imran Khan will automatically be restored once the apex court rules out the ruling of the deputy speaker,” he said.

Calling the ruling of the deputy speaker “unconstitutional and illegal”, the PML-n leader said that voting was to be held on April 3 and “constituencies cannot be dissolved during the proceedings.”

He highlighted that several government allies and MnAs joined the opposition, assuring the five-member bench that the joint opposition will protect the Constitution of Pakistan. CJP bandial said that the proceedings of the court are being held under Article 184 (3) as this is a public interest case. shehbaz further added that political stability is inter-connected with the Constitution of Pakistan. during the cross-questioning session, Justice Mandokhel asked shehbaz that the opposition has been demanding

resignation a graceful option for Imran khan: legal eagles ISLAMABAD Ghulam abbas

Welcoming the unanimous decision of the supreme Court regarding restoration of the national Assembly, legal experts believe that the resignation as prime minister is the best graceful option for imran Khan. on thursday the supreme Court declared the president’s decision to dissolve the assembly and nA deputy speaker Qasim suri’s ruling against the Constitution. the fivemember bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan umar Ata bandial read out the short order and restored the national Assembly.

Hamid Khan Advocate, while commenting on the development, said that the only graceful option now left with imran Khan is to resign as prime minister before the voting on no-Confidence motion in the assembly.

“After what happened on April 3, and subsequent unanimous decision of the superior court, the prime minister should leave office and let the assembly elect a new prime minister,” he said. “imran Khan should now do the politics of opposition as opposition leader in national Assembly as what happened is a democratic process without going for another

confrontation mode,” he said while replying to a query. Khwaja Haris Ahmed Advocate, when contacted, opined that it was a historic decision. “Without referring to any political party, i think it’s a victory of the constitution,” he said, adding that imran Khan and his party should now sit on opposition benches if the motion succeeds. “unlike the impression that supreme Court, while terming nA deputy speaker Qasim suri’s ruling against the Constitution, may leave the dissolution of assembly and other subsequent develops intact, the superior court rightly made sure that the voting process would complete in the assembly and new leader of the house (in case opposition succeeds) is elected,” he said. in reply to a query he said the resignation of Pti’s MnAs may not harm the next government. “We have heard imran Khan suggesting opposition parties to resign so he would conduct by-elections. the best way for imran Khan is to let the democratic system function. He should not hesitate sitting on opposition benches and continue his strive,” Haris added.

While commenting on the same umar gilani Advocate islamabad High Court said that the decision of the supreme Court was

actually a turning point in the court’s history. imran Khan has left with two options including facing the no confidence motion or resigning as prime minister. “until a ruling party has at least 172 members/votes in the assembly the resignation of MnAs of opposition will not disturb the government. However on administrative ground the next government may face problems in case a large number of MnAs resign,” he said. Legal expert reza Ali tweeted that the ruling Pakistan tehreek-e-insaf (Pti) should follow the process to send show-cause notices to the lawmakers from its party who have defected.

Legal expert reema omer said on the social media website that “faith in the sanctity of the constitution” had been strengthened, adding that it was not impractical or idealistic to have this expectation from the Court.

Lawyer Asad rahim Khan tweeted that it was a “good day for the constitution and for the sanctity of parliament”.

He added that “for the first time in almost three decades, the supreme Court has not only held dissolution illegal, but also restored parliament – ensuring none of the moral grayness we had with the Junejo-era verdict.”

fresh elections and now that they have the opportunity, why are they against it? replying to his question, shehbaz said that the election has been “stolen” and laws of the Constitution have been “violated”; to which Justice Mandokhel said that all laws that have been violated will be restored.

‘Want tO brIng ElECtOral rEfOrms’: bIlaWal: PPP Chairman bilawal bhuttoZardari told the five-member bench that the opposition wants to bring electoral reforms by forming a government.

“Forming a government for our benefits is not our priority,” he stated. replying to CJP’s question regarding a bill on electoral reforms, bilawal said that a bill on electoral reforms is already drafted.

He further said that the “unconstitutional” ruling of the deputy speaker raises questions regarding the country’s democracy.

CJP bandial further said that the judges acknowledge the three generations of the bhutto family have sacrificed for the survival of democracy; however, he added that the judges should be allowed to issue the verdict strictly in line with the Constitution. agP asks fOr In-CamEra brIEfIng On nsC mEEtIng’s mInutEs: Attorney general for Pakistan (AgP) Khalid Jawed Khan apprised the top court that the leave was granted to move the no-trust motion against the prime minister on March 28 by the Lower House.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

more inside

Import cover at 1.71 months as reserves decline to $17.477bn STORY ON PAGE 02

Hamza to move LHC over Punjab CM election issue STORY ON PAGE 03

ECP says elections not possible until October STORY ON BACK PAGE

02

Friday, 8 April, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

IMpoRt covER at 1.71 MonthS aS RESERvES dEclInE to $17.477bn

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AribA shAhid

HE total liquid foreign reserves held by the country stood at $17,476.9 million as of April 1, 2022, the lowest level since June 2020.

During the week ended in April 1, 2022, SBP reserves decreased by $728 million to $11,319.2 million, largely due to debt repayment and government payment pertaining to settlement of an arbitration award related to a mining project.

Total reserves are down by $1,078 million. A breakdown of this shows that SBP

reserves stand at $11.3 billion, and are down by $728 million. Bank reserves are down by $350 million, clocking in at $6.2 billion.

The total liquid FX reserves have declined $1.078 billion over last week which is equivalent to a 5.8% decline week on week. The import cover has declined from 1.82 months to 1.71 months based on average imports of the last 12 months.

Going forward, the import cover is likely to decline further as the import bill for the corresponding 12 months is likely to be higher, whereas, reserves are not growing organically.

Markup rate for EFS up by 2.5% to 5.5% AribA shAhid The State Bank of Pakistan (SB) has hiked the markup rate for financing under Export Finance Scheme (EFS) to 5.5%. In a circular to all banks, the SBP has decided to increase the markup rate for financing under the EFS by 2.5% in line with the increase in the policy rate announced in the MPC meeting earlier today where the policy rate was hiked by 250 bps.

This brings up the mark rate for EFS part I and II to 5.5% per anum with effect from April 8, 2022. The SBP says “till further instructions” which may be seen as an implication for a further hike in the future.

Despite the increased markup rate for EFS, the banks’ spread for corporate borrowers and SMEs remains unchanged at 1% and 2% respectively. It is important to note that the revision in rates will not be applicable on financing under rupee based discounting facility of EFS which suggests that this may be a way to curb FX outflow in light of declining reserves and the PKR depreciation.

Gold prices reach all time high to Rs132,800 APP Despite decline at international market, the price of 24 karat per tola gold witnessed an increase of Rs800 and reached all time high to Rs132,800 as compared to its sale at Rs132,000 in the local market the previous day.

The price of 10 gram 24 karat gold also increased by Rs686 to Rs113,855 from Rs113,169 whereas that of 10 gram 22 karat went up to Rs104,367 from Rs103,738, All Sindh Sarafa Jewellers Association reported. The price of per tola and ten gram silver remained constant at Rs1520 and Rs1303.15 respectively. The price of gold in international market decreased by $2 and was traded at $1926 against its sale at $1928, the association reported.

On March 25, the foreign currency reserves held by the SBP were recorded at $12,047.3 million, down $2,915 million compared with $14,962.4 million on March 18. The decline is due to the repayments of external debt, primarily the repayment of a major syndicated loan facility from China.

In totality, China has granted rollover of approximately $4.5 billion in loans to help Islamabad manage its external sector vulnerabilities.

What this means is that the $2.3 billion that has just left the reserves will be back shortly.

SBP hikes policy rate by 250 bps to 12.25% AribA shAhid In an emergency meeting, the State Bank of Pakistan announced a 250 bps policy rate hike bringing the policy rate to 12.25%.

In the last scheduled Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting, the SBP stated that it was “prepared to meet earlier than the next scheduled MPC meeting in late April, if necessary, to take any needed timely and calibrated action to safeguard external and price stability.”

The MPC is calling the decision to hike policy rates through an emergency meeting as a “strong and proactive policy response.”

This increases forward-looking real interest rates (defined as the policy rate less expected inflation) to mildly positive territory. The MPC meeting for April is scheduled on Tuesday April 19, 2022.

What this suggests is that the SBP is going to use this emergency rate hike as a signal to brace the markets for a tightening cycle and another hike towards the end of April.

Moreover, in order to reduce demand pull inflation, the SBP is planning on using its tightening tools to curb demand and will make an announcement soon to compliment the MPC decision announced. “The MPC also noted that SBP is in the process of taking further actions to reduce pressures on inflation

and the current account, namely an increase in the interest rate on the export refinance scheme (EFS) and widening the set of import items subject to cash margin requirements. These items are mostly finished goods including luxury items and exclude raw materials,” read the statement.

“The MPC noted that today’s decisive actions, together with a reduction in domestic political uncertainty and prudent fiscal policies, should help ensure that Pakistan’s robust economic recovery from Covid-19 remains sustainable.”

State Bank catching up: On Wednesday, the Market Treasury Bill (MTB) auction hinted towards a need for a policy rate hike as cut off yields rose significantly. The 3 month cut off yield

increased by 80bps to 12.8%, 6 month cut off yields by 75% to 13.25%, 12 month cut off yield rose by 60bps to 13.3%. This is important to note as the average spread between the 3 month, 6 month and 12 month MTBs and policy rate used to be 0.61%, 1.04%, and 1.3% respectively but have climbed to 3.05%, 3.50%, and 3.55%.

The SBP received bids of Rs911 billion, however was able to raise Rs680 billion against the target of Rs600 billion. The bid cover ratio clocked in at 1.34x. The highest participation came in the 3 month tenure MTBs as the market is anticipating higher policy rates in the foreseeable future.

ReaSonS foR the SuRpRiSe hike: The SBP explains that the outlook for inflation has deteriorated and

Chinese Consul General states ‘China believes in non-interference’ news desk China said on Thursday that it hopes all political parties in Pakistan stay united and work together for the national development of the country.

“Having a resolute and unflinching friendship with Pakistan, China sincerely hopes that all political parties in Pakistan will stay united and work together to uplift national development, peace and stability,” China’s acting Consul General Lahore Peng Zhengwu told Geo.tv.

Zhengwu further added the cooperation between Pakistan and China and the development and work on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will not be affected by the political situation.

“China always stands by the principles of non-

interference of other countries’ domestic affairs,” he told Geo.tv.

“China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners. History establishes the fact that no matter how the international landscape evolves, and how the domestic situation changes, China and Pakistan relations stand unbreakable and rock-firm.”

On Sunday, the deputy speaker of the national assembly dismissed the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, terming it a “foreign conspiracy”.

Earlier, the prime minister had accused the United States of being behind the no-trust move to remove his government from power, a claim rubbished by the Opposition.

Uncertainty disastrous for economy, warns RCCI TLTP The Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) has expressed deep concern over the current economic and political uncertainty in the country.

The trade deficit has reached historic levels, the rupee continues to depreciate against the dollar, and foreign exchange reserves are declining sharply. It’s a Save Our Souls (SOS) call to the relevant quarter to address the current situation.

In a joint statement President Nadeem Rauf and group leader and former President RCCI Sohail Altaf said that trade relations would have to be kept separate from politics. Pakistan’s trade relations with the United States and Europe should be viewed beyond politics. The United States and Europe are important economic partners of Pakistan and both are major export markets for Pakistan.

Pakistan exports $6.5 billion worth of goods to the United States, while its exports to Europe are close to $16 billion. Rauf said that if immediate steps are not taken then the country will face a severe economic crisis. The dollar has reached Rs186 and it is falling further. Political parties have to show prudence and wisdom, he added.

Group leader Sohail Altaf said that it seems that there is no heir. Uncertainty is disastrous for the country’s economy; the trade deficit has risen to $36 billion. With the rupee depreciating, inflation is on the rise and Large scale industry (LSM) is under severe pressure.

He said that the business community believes that if timely steps are not taken, the situation will spiral out of control, we have to think in the national interest and realize the delicacy of the issue and get the country out of the current economic and political crisis, he added.

risks to external stability have risen.

“Since the last MPC meeting, the outlook for inflation has deteriorated and risks to external stability have risen.

Externally, futures markets suggest that global commodity prices, including oil, are likely to remain elevated for longer and the Federal Reserve is likely to increase interest rates more quickly than previously anticipated, likely leading to a sharper tightening of global financial conditions,” reads the statement.

The MPC also commented on the impact of political uncertainty on the economic climate of Pakistan “heightened domestic political uncertainty contributed to a 5% depreciation in the rupee and a sharp rise in domestic secondary market yields as well as Pakistan’s Eurobond yields and CDS spreads since the last MPC meeting,” Moreover, reserves have also been declining as a result of payment obligations and the current account deficit. The inflation forecasts have been revised upwards to slightly above 11% in FY22 by the SBP. The SBP believes that inflation will moderate in FY23.

The SBP however expects the current account deficit is still expected to be around 4% of GDP in FY22. While the non-oil current account balance has continued to improve, the overall current account remains dependent on global commodity prices.

Energy crisis worsening, amid hot weather AhmAd AhmAdAni The country may witness severe power loadshedding and scarcity of petroleum products during the holy month of Ramazan as the receivables of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) from power sector entities has reached an alarming high level. Official sources in petroleum division disclosed that the receivables of PSO from the power sector entities have reached at alarming high level of Rs167,300 million and they are posing serious threat to the supply chain of petroleum products including RLNG (Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas) and furnace oil (FO). The said threat will have direct implications for the power sector, said sources.

“Moreover, a surge in the demand of petroleum products is expected in the retail as well as power sector from April to June 2022, which will be difficult to fulfill unless funds are paid to PSO to reduce the receivables,” said the sources.

Sharing details of PSO’s receivables, sources said that the receivables along with Late Payment Surcharge (LPS) of power generation companies (GENCO) have reached at Rs140,431 million while HUBCO at Rs21,702 million and KAPCO at Rs5, 167 million. “ In view of the above, power division has been requested to ensure payment of at least Rs25 billion out of the above outstanding to PSO on most immediate basis by 15th April 2022 positively so that PSO could avoid default and continue smooth supply of energy products in the country,” said sources. According to sources, high system load demand is persisting during the prevailing hot weather and ongoing holy month of Ramazan. Subsequently, all available generation resources are being utilised as per Economic Merit Order to meet the system load requirement. They said that the present RLNG allocation is only 550 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) against power sector demand of 690 mmcfd for the month of April 2022, resulting in greater dependence on RFO based generation.

Friday, 8 April, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

pM IMRan SuMMonS cabInEt’S SESSIon today

p

sTAff rePorT

RIME Minister Imran Khan has summoned a session of his freshly restored federal cabinet for Friday and will also address the nation. In a tweet, he said a meeting of the PTI’s parliamentary committee would also be convened on Friday and he would “continue to fight for Pakistan till the last ball”.

Earlier, the cabinet was restored through the Supreme Court’s verdict that set aside the National Assembly deputy speaker’s ruling to dismiss the no-trust resolution against the prime minister and the subsequent dissolution of the National Assembly by the president,

with all five judges unanimously voting 5-0 against it. govt’S ReSponSe to Sc’S oRdeR: Meanwhile, the government termed the Supreme Court’s order as “unfortunate”.

Minister for Information and Law Fawad Chaudhry said a change in government would force Pakistan to start “the struggle from March 23, 1940,” as he tried to portray a picture of the country under the opposition’s rule.

“We will have to struggle again for an independent Pakistan. The opposition is trying to push Pakistan towards slavery; we will not let them succeed,” Fawad said during a conversation with journalists.

Federal Minister for Economic

Affairs of Pakistan Omar Ayub, in a message to Shehbaz and Pakistan Democratic Movement, said they can run if they want to.

“Run if you want to, but you cannot escape the Pakistani people as the elections will happen, no matter what,” he added.

Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz said: “Congratulations, ‘Lotaism’ has carried the day.”

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib said all the “thieves” have gathered in fear of Imran Khan. “Imran Khan’s narrative has won and the opposition will know in the next election how people treat those who back foreign conspiracies.”

Zafar Mirza says ‘Deputy speaker’s steps created a sense of fear among masses’ news desk Former special assistant to the prime minister on health Dr Zafar Mirza Thursday criticised National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri’s dismissal of the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan. “The deputy speaker’s steps have created a sense of fear among the masses,” the former SAPM stated. The ex-SAPM was explaining the open letter that over 100 prominent academics and civil society leaders, including Dr Mirza, wrote to Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial demanding no compromise to be made in determining the legality of actions taken by Suri.

“The Constitution is an agreement between the state and the people […] what will happen to the country if the Constitution is violated at the highest level?” asked Dr Mirza.

The SC earlier today reserved its verdict on the suo motu notice regarding Suri’s rejection of the noconfidence motion after five consecutive days of deliberation on the matter — and is set to announce the decision today.

Dr Mirza, meanwhile, speaking on the programme, said whatever happened on April 3 in the lower house of the parliament was not in line with the Constitution.

The ex-SAPM urged that such illegal decisions should be revoked. “If the civilian government also starts violating the Constitution then it will open doors to [new evils],” he said.

“The time has come to bury the doctrine of necessity once and for all.”

In the letter that more than 100 prominent academics and civil society leaders wrote, they termed the former government’s actions as a major threat to the social cohesion and the well-being of the nation. It demands that responsibility should be fixed and exemplary retribution ensured to deter any future excesses. The letter also demanded a judicial commission to be set up comprising serving judges of the Supreme Court to adjudicate the evidence regarding the alleged foreign conspiracy to subvert the political process in the country.

It maintained, however, that due process cannot be suspended, and the fundamental right of parliamentarians to vote cannot be violated on the basis of unsubstantiated allegations.

The signatories of the letter include senior educationists, vice-chancellors, journalists, and human rights activists.

They include such names as human rights activists Haris Khaleeq, Karamat Ali, Khawar Mumtaz, Dr Ammar Ali Jan, lawyer Salman Akram

Raja, former SAPM on Health Zafar Mirza, HEC Chairperson Dr Tariq Banuri, journalists Najam Sethi, Aamir Ghouri and Mohsin Baig, educationists, and writers Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad, Salima Hashmi, Dr Ayesha Razzaque and Gen Talat Masood, among many others.

The signatories emphasised the primacy of the Constitution as a sacred covenant between all sections of the society and the ultimate expression of the collective will of the people.

It observed that unconditional and strict adherence to the Constitution is the only way to establish and sustain a peaceful, civilised, and prosperous society and avoid widespread lawlessness and anarchy.

The letter contended that the decision the apex court takes concerning the supremacy of the Constitution would shape the destiny and trajectory of the national existence.

“The honour and well being of our future generations lie only in adherence to the Constitution and inclusive politics epitomizing mutual acceptance of mandates, level playing field and basic norms of decency,” it argued. The signatories expressed hope that his lordship’s unwavering commitment to constitutionalism and unbounded passion for justice will guide the nation through these troubled times.

Traffic police seek permission from AIG Karachi for issuing challans sTAff rePorT Karachi traffic police has sought permission from Additional Inspector General of Police (AIG) Karachi Ghulam Nabi Memon to allow them to resume issuance of traffic challans.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Traffic Ahmed Nawaz Cheema has written a letter to the AIG Karachi reminding him that the traffic officials have stopped issuing challans to violators two months back.

“We were observing the entire situation and during the past two months, the traffic flow in the city has witnessed improvement,” he said and however added, “Violations from commercial vehicles, double lane parking and other violations continued during the period.”

The facility to bar traffic challans was misused

and therefore keeping in view the situation it has been decided to reissue challans in the city, DIG traffic said. He added that previously 1,000 officials were involved in challan process, however, this time only 350 officials will perform the task.

“ASI to inspector rank officials will only be allowed to issue challans,” he said and added that the challans will be reissued once the permission is granted from the AIG Karachi Ghulam Nabi Memon.

In February, Newly appointed Additional Inspector General of Police (AIG) Karachi Ghulam Nabi Memon on Sunday imposed new restrictions on issuing traffic challans to violators.

During the first meeting after his appointment, the AIG Karachi issued directives that only section officers will be entitled to issue traffic challans against the violators. “The sub-ordinate staff will no longer be allowed to issue traffic tickets,” he said.

Hamza to move LHC over Punjab CM election issue LAhore INP

PML-N leader Hamza Shehbaz will file a constitutional petition in the Lahore High Court on Friday to seek court order for holding election of chief minister in the Punjab Assembly.

Punjab Assembly speaker, deputy speaker and others were made respondents in the petition, which prays that the post of chief minister was vacant since April 1 and the court should order summoning of the assembly session and immediate election of the CM. It was also requested in the petition to declare as

illegal the step to seal the Punjab Assembly gates. Earlier, PML-N leader Attaullah Tarrar could not submit the petition regarding the Punjab Assembly as the diary branch of the Lahore High Court was closed on Thursday.

Tarrar had rushed to the LHC but the diary branch was closed for the day and he could not submit the petition. hamza to take oath afteR SymBolic pa SeSSion: According to another report, PML-N Punjab MPA Khalil Tahir Sindhu has said that Hamza will take oath as the new Punjab chief minister after he was “elected” to the office in a symbolic session of the provincial assembly held at a Lahore hotel on Wednesday.

Former Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar will administer the oath to the “newly-elected” chief minister at Lahore’s Bagh-e-Jinnah, he said.

The PML-N MPA further shared that Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Muhamad Mazari will also meet with PML-N leadership soon.

As many as 199 members of the assembly had attended the symbolic session and voted in favour of Hamza. Taking to Twitter, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, who was in attendance in the session to express solidarity with Hamza, had said: “Hamza Shehbaz Sharif with 199 votes elected as Chief Minister Punjab.

Shukar Alhamdolillah.”

NEWS

03

pakistan’s passport still ranks among worst in world news desk The Henley Passport Index has ranked Pakistan as the fourth worst passport to hold, placing it in the 109th position on the list, a news outlet reported on Thursday. According to the report, Henley & Partners firm’s “Henley Passport Index” has been regularly monitoring the world’s most travel-friendly passports since 2006. The ranking is carried out after analysing and grading different travel documents from all the countries. What is primarily being judged is the international mobility that the passport holders enjoy. The index shows that Pakistan has visa-free access to only 31 other countries. Three countries are ranked below Pakistan, namely Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The countries that topped the list were Japan and Singapore, both having access to 192 destinations in the world.

Intelligence recommends foolproof security at punjab’s educational institutions news desk An intelligence agency has recommended the Punjab education department as well as all regional police officers (RPOs) and other departments concerned to ensure foolproof security at educational institutions, a news outlet reported on Thursday. According to the report, in view of the security situation and circumstances prevailing in the country, the intelligence has recommended that the security parametres devised for the institutions should be implemented on priority with an aim to improve them. “Lacunas should be removed on priority basis so that foolproof security of educational institutions can be ensured,” the intelligence agency recommended. The report said that a fresh security audit of educational institutions of category A was conducted in February to check the security measures adopted at the educational institutions and to identify lacunas to ensure foolproof security of the institutions throughout Punjab to avert any possible terrorist activity. Scrutiny of facts and figures revealed that out of 38 security parametres devised for the security of educational institutions, improvement has been noticed in just six parametres.

Friday, 8 April, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

04 NEWS

2,200 IndIan SIkh pIlgrIMS ISSued vISaS for BaISakhI celeBratIonS NEW DELHI

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tLtP

HE Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued over 2,200 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in the annual Baisakhi celebrations.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Commission said the issuance of visas is covered under the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, through which a large number of Sikh pilgrims travel from India

to Pakistan to observe various religious festivals.

The statement from Pakistan’s High Commission said that the issuance of pilgrimage visas is in line with the Pakistani government’s commitment to fully implement the bilateral protocol between the two countries.

Expressing his views on the auspicious occasion, Charge d’Affaires Aftab Hasan Khan, extended his heartfelt felicitations to the pilgrims and wished them a rewarding and fulfilling pilgrimage. “Pakistan takes immense pride in preserving

sacred religious places and providing necessary facilitation to the visiting pilgrims,” he added.

During the visit, the pilgrims would enter Pakistan on April 12, visit sites such as Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib, and return to India on April 21.

With the Baisakhi Festival – the most popular spring harvest festival for Sikhs – a week away, the city administration has geared up to provide security and all the facilities to the pilgrims at Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Hassan Abdal.

Ombudsman playing important role in the solution of children-related problems LAHORE StAff RePoRt

The Chief Provincial Commissioner for Children (CPCC) at the Office of Ombudsman Punjab has disposed of 229 out of 236 complaints involving children in 2021.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the spokesman of the ombudsman said that the CPCC was not only providing a dedicated mechanism for redressal of child-related grievances and resolution of complaints made by or on behalf of the children, but also safeguarding the rights and promoting the welfare of children and young people below the age of 18 years.

It was also intended to ensure that relevant laws, policies, programs, and administrative mechanisms are aligned with the child-rights perspective as enshrined in the constitution and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Children, the spokesman added. It was also committed to providing a platform for redressing children-related issues through research, advocacy, and engagement

with children and stakeholders, he mentioned.

The office of CPCC, led by Tabana Sajjad Naseer, was performing its duties relating to children in 36 districts of the province by redressing the grievances.

Meanwhile, the spokesman noted that a working group has also been established by Ombudsman Punjab retired Maj. Azam Suleman Khan to overcome the menace of online harassment of children by working in close collaboration with the public sector and non-governmental organizations.

The spokesman asked the people to submit their complaints through a letter or by visiting any of the ombudsman offices in 36 districts to settle children-related complaints. Such complaints could be emailed to cpcc.punjab@gmail.com or lodged through the official website of the office of the ombudsman.

The people or institutions may also call helpline 1050 for information or guidance about issues relating to redressal of children-related complaints, concluded the spokesman.

LAHORE INP

The deputy speakers of the National Assembly and Punjab Assembly, Qasim Khan Suri and Dost Muhammad Mazari, on Thursday traded barbs on Twitter after the latter attempted to ditch the party.

Dost Muhammad Mazari said in a message on micro-blogging site that he refused to become Qasim Khan Suri as he could not abrogate the Constitution.

“Imran Khan could declare me a traitor,” he said.

Responding to him, the NA deputy speaker said that Mazari could never become Qasim Khan Suri as it would require him to have loyalty, courage, love with the homeland, hatred to slavery, conscience in his blood. “You received vote and deputy speakership in the name of Imran Khan and sold out your conscience to the salves of Farangis [foreigners],” he said while terming him as the one who sold out his conscience and a slave.

CJP refuses to interfere in Punjab CM election issue ISLAMABAD INP

At the very outset of the hearing of the National Assembly (NA) deputy speaker’s ruling case on Thursday, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata Bandial

Suri, Mazari trade barbs over ‘slave’ remarks

made it clear that the Supreme Court (SC) would not interfere in the election of Punjab chief minister and would restrict itself only to the deputy speaker’s ruling and the dissolution of NA. “You can go to the Lahore High Court (LHC) for the redressal of your grievances,” the CJP remarked

while addressing the Advocate General of Punjab (AGP) who said that he wanted to bring this thing to the notice of the apex court that situation in the province was very tense.

“Blatant violation of the constitution was committed when Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly (PA) Hamza Shehbaz was crowned as a chief minister at a ceremony at Lahore’s Faletti’s hotel on Wednesday,” the AGP said, and added, “Even former Punjab governor

Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar convened provincial bureaucrats meeting. And today, he is to take oath from the de facto CM Hamza at Lawrence Garden.”

Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel said that yesterday he had watched it on television that the Punjab Assembly’s building had been sealed. “What you are doing in Punjab,” he asked angrily. “Don’t make a speech in the courtroom,’ CJP Bandial said, and directed the advocate general Punjab to submit a written reply in the case.

DGPC seeks an undertaking from Hub Power for change of control of ENI Pakistan to PIOGCL ISLAMABAD AhmAd AhmAdANI

Petroleum Division’s Directorate General of Petroleum Concession (DGPC) has sought an undertaking of M/s Hub Power Holdings Limited (HPHL) in favour of M/s Prime International Oil and Gas Company Limited (PIOGCL) for proposed change of control of Eni Pakistan Limited.

DGPC, in a letter dated 1st April 2022 to the Managing Director (MD) of Eni Pakistan Limited, has asked to provide an undertaking of M/s HPHL in favour of M/s PIOGCL for the proposed change of control of Eni Pakistan Limited to PIOGCL. The DGPC said that in order to proceed further, an undertaking on a judicial stamp paper from M/s HPHL is required in favour of M/s PIOGCL in case the PIOGCL falls short in meeting its obligations/financing with regard to acquisition price and running of operations in future.

HPHL shall provide all such financial support of PIOGCL unconditionally including ENI Employees Group (EBO) share, said DGPC letter.

CMYK

According to sources, a draft summary has been prepared for the consideration of federal cabinet to ensure the proposed change of control of Eni Pakistan Limited

by PIOGCL. They said that the Energy Ministry (Petroleum Division) has completed the process required for the transfer of Eni’s assets to PIOGCL. However, they said that the energy ministry has completed this process without ensuring the necessary checking of the value of the assets of Eni Pakistan Limited. They said though the Eni has deposited withholding tax of Rs 39 crore to the FBR, however, the value of Eni’s assets should stand between US $ 90110 million. Transfer of Eni assets to PIOGCL at under-valued rate of US $ 16 can be to save its skin from the taxes, said sources.

Available documents disclosed that Eni UK Limited and Eni Oil Holdings BV (Vendor) had earlier entered into a sale purchase agreement with Prime International Oil & Gas Limited (Purchaser) for the sale of entire share capital of its subsidiary company (Eni

Pakistan Limited). And, the vendor requested the government’s consent (NOC) for the said transaction and provided certain information as per provisions of the applicable rules. Similarly, financial position of one of the joint venture (JV) partner namely Hub Power was found satisfactory while the financial position of other partner also holding 50 percent of the share namely ENI Employees Group (EBO) was found not satisfactory.

It is pertinent to mention that Eni Pakistan Limited and a foreign Exploration & Production (E&P) company PIOGCL had earlier signed a Sale Purchase Agreement (SPA) on March 08, 2021, under which the entire share capital of ENI was sold to PIOGCL. And, the ownership of principal shares of Eni has been equally divided between the former employees of Eni Pak Ltd, with as directors of the new venture and Hub Power Company Limited (‘Hubco’), an IPP (Independent Power Producing) company that mainly specializes in installation and management of power plants throughout various regions across the country.

Friday, 8 April, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

05

NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT: NO TrUST VOTe ON SATUrdAY AS SC rUleS depUTY SpeAker’S rUlINg VOId, NA reSTOred

T

contInueD froM pAge 01

he attorney general maintained that the military leadership was present in the National Security Committee (NSC ) meeting, adding that the participants of the meeting were briefed on “very sensitive issues”.

He maintained that he could not give his arguments over the minutes of the NSC meeting in open court. He, however, offered to give an in-camera briefing to the court on the minutes of the NSC meeting.

Continuing his arguments, he said there were 161 MNAs in the assembly when the leave was granted on March 28, adding that “172 lawmakers are required for the noconfidence motion to succeed.”

He maintained that the no-confidence had already been dismissed on March 28.

AGP not willing to defend deputy speaker’s ruling: During the hearing, AGP Khalid Jawed Khan excused himself from defending NA Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri’s April 3 ruling.

Khalid Jawed Khan argued that his focus is on new elections in the country.

Those who have been dubbing the assembly as selected for the past four years now wanted to become the prime minister of the same assembly, he added.

Meanwhile, Jamal Khan Mandokhail noted that it seemed that the speaker issued the ruling considering himself above all others.

Charter of eConomy: PML-N President and Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif was also called to the rostrum by the top court. Shehbaz said the Constitution was trampled multiple times in the history of Pakistan and the absence of penalization emboldened others and things reached the present stage.

He urged the SC to restore parliament and let it hold the vote of no-confidence.

He also urged political parties to come together and sign a charter of the economy.

Justice Mandokhel said the opposition

wanted fresh elections from day one. “It’s not about elections, but the abrogation of the Constitution,” Shehbaz responded. “We will consult the opposition on electoral reforms for transparent elections,” the PMLN chief said, adding that measures will be taken to provide relief to the masses.

The CJ said the court will decide the case on merit, not allegations. “Who hurled allegations of treason must need to prove them,” he added.

CJ Bandial also listened to PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in the court.

Bilawal said the opposition wanted to bring electoral reforms before the next elections.

“Whatever your suggestions for reforms in the Senate are…bring them to the court,” CJ Bandial told Bilawal.

‘Speaker Can CirCumvent law to Save pakiStan’: At the outset of the hearing, PM Imran’s counsel Imtiaz Siddiqui argued that the scrutiny of parliamentary proceedings was beyond the mandate of the judiciary. “The court should ask parliament to clean up its mess,” he added.

CJ Bandial said the premier left the country in a lurch by announcing snap elections in 90 days and added that, according to the petitioners, the speaker could not have ruled before March 28 before leave was granted for the no-trust motion to be moved. “what will you Say on thiS,” JuStiCe Bandial aSked.

The PM’s counsel added that the opposition did not object to the deputy speaker chairing the session. “The deputy speaker [Qasim Suri] used his mind to come on a decision he considered better,” the lawyer said, adding that the speaker was not answerable to the court.

CJ Bandial said the court will review to what extent the proceedings were protected under Article 69.

The lawyer said if the speaker had knowledge of a foreign-backed regimechange plot or a threat to national security

ATC extends physical remand of suspect in Anarkali blast An anti-terrorism court on Thursday granted physical remand of suspect Saifur Rehman in Anarkali blast case until April 12 The investigation officer asked the ATC to extend the physical remand by 14 days. The court however extended the remand to April 12 after the suspect was presented in the court under strict security measures. The Punjab government has constituted a joint investigation team (JIT) headed by superintendent police (SP) Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Naseebullah Khan to probe into Lahore’s Anarkali Bazaar bomb blast.

A five-member JIT has been constituted by the Punjab Home Department that will be headed by SP CTD Lahore Region Naseebullah Khan.

The other members include the representatives of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Deputy Superintendent Police (DSP) Investigation Lahore Muhammad Ashraf Chadhar and CTD Investigation Officer (IO) Inspector Munir Ahmad.

At least three persons including a child were killed and over 20 others were injured in a bomb blast that took place on Thursday evening at 1:40 pm in the busy Anarkali area of Lahore.

The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) officials said that 10kilogram explosive material was used in the explosion. A thorough investigation has been launched to ascertain the genre of the explosion. staff report

then he could circumvent the law to “save the country”. The speaker made a “perfect decision in accordance with his oath”, he said, asserting that it was an “internal parliamentary matter”.

“If you read Article 69 with Article 127 then you will see that parliamentary proceedings are completely protected,” the lawyer said, adding that the top court could not interfere in parliament.

Justice Munib Akhtar said the court was not bound to follow the decision that was referred to by the counsel. The lawyer said, “With due respect, you [five-member bench] are bound to follow the decisions of a seven-member bench.” The verdicts that were being alluded to only had observations and the court was not bound to follow “observations in verdicts,” Justice Munib added.

PM’s lawyer Siddiqui said the speaker made the National Security Committee meeting the basis of his decision. “Did the speaker have some material [to prove conspiracy] to reach this decision,” the CJ asked. “Was it based on good faith,” he further asked.

Justice Bandial asked, “When did the deputy speaker receive the minutes of the NSC.” This PM’s counsel expressed ignorance. “Then kindly don’t comment on things you don’t know,” the CJ rebuked.

According to the counsel, the speaker had the relevant material on the basis of which he ruled against the no-trust vote, the CJ said. “The PM breached Article 58…what will be the consequences,” he asked.

The speaker had no issue about voting on March 28 but on the day of voting, April 3, he gave the ruling to dismiss the motion.

“Why didn’t he reject it on March 28,” the judge asked. “If the assembly was not dissolved, the house could have rolled back the ruling of the speaker,” Justice Ijazul Ahsan added.

“The PM took advantage of the situation and dissolved the National Assembly,”

inp

Pakistan has reported no deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has risen to 1,526,093. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 30,361 on Thursday.

According to the latest figures by the National Institute of Health (NIH), 170 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.

Punjab remains the worst-hit province in terms of deaths followed by Sindh and Khy-

dismiss the motion. “The deputy speaker read the name of Speaker Asad Qaiser at the end of the ruling,” the judge added.

The justice further said Fawad Chaudhry had asked for the legality of the no-trust motion. “There were elected lawmakers in the house,” he said, asking, “Whether giving a ruling against the will of the public representatives beyond parliamentary proceedings.”

“Whatever happened inside parliament is protected by the Constitution,” Bukhari asserted. He added that the court could not review the ruling.

Justice Bandial said as per the rules, the opposition was also allowed to speak on the point of order after Fawad but they were not given an opportunity.

Minutes of Parliamentary Committee on National Security The lawyer representing the National Assembly speaker submitted minutes of the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security as well.

Naeem Bukhari, who is representing the speaker and deputy speaker, said the Parliamentary Committee on National Security was briefed on the ‘threat letter’. He added that the committee was told that the letter warned of grave consequences in case of the failure of the no-trust vote.

As per the record, only 11 people attended the parliamentary committee’s meeting, Justice Bandial said. Justice Ijazul Ahsan asked who briefed the committee.

“The names of those who briefed the committee are not included in the minutes,” the CJ said.

“Was the foreign minister part of the meeting,” the court asked. “We sent a notice,” the lawyer representing the committee replied. “Was he there,” asked the court again.

“It seems the foreign minister was not present in the meeting,” the lawyer responded. The court said the national security adviser’s name was also not in the minutes.

Why PM Imran’s rivals want him out of power Prime Minister Imran Khan’s decision to dissolve parliament in the wake of a no-confidence motion against him has been met with shock and bemusement, but this bemusement is misplaced.

The real shock arguably isn’t the political crisis itself but the fact that it has taken so long, according to an analysis published by Middle East Eye. Only a few democratically elected leaders of Pakistan have completed their terms. In fact, not one of PM Imran’s predecessors remained in power for a full term since the country came into being.

Imran Khan is not an ordinary prime minister. Exhibiting exceptional courage, he challenged vested interests and made attempts to eradicate corruption.

He also set up a fresh, independent foreign policy and went on to jeopardise his own rule by refusing to be an American pawn. But above all, Premier Imran broke the cycle of a corrupt and stinking two-party system that had been dominating the country’s politics for decades.

Doing so has made him many enemies, both internally and externally

and now they are after him. Since 2018 when he came into power, Imran was obliged to carry forward a coalition regime.

In recent weeks, that precarious coalition tumbled, giving in to the alleged foreign hand.

Interestingly enough, one of

Pakistan reports no deaths from coronavirus for fourth day in a row ISLAMABAD

Justice Ahsan added.

After the conclusion of arguments by Siddiqui, Naeem Bukhari, the counsel representing the deputy speaker, started giving arguments. ‘ruleS to SuBvert ConStitutional proCeSS’: After a short break, the court resumed the proceedings again. Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel said the ruling contained the signature of NA Speaker Asad Qaiser. Bukhari said he was still the speaker of the assembly. He added that the tabling of the no-confidence motion did mean that it could not be rejected.

“The courts also dismiss pleas after entertaining them,” he argued.

Justice Mandokhel said Article 95 has a constitutional mandate. “Can the deputy speaker dissent from the constitutional mandate,” he asked. “If a no-trust motion is part of the agenda then does it not mean that the voting will take place,” Justice Mandokhel further asked. The SC judge wondered whether rules could be used to subvert a constitutional process. “Can there be proceedings for dissenting from the constitutional process,” he asked.

Justice Mandokhel said the parliamentary proceedings that resulted in the dismissal of the motion hardly lasted a few minutes. “Shouldn’t the opposition have gotten a chance to speak on point of order,” he questioned.

He further said the ruling was given by the deputy speaker but it was signed by the speaker. “The minutes of the parliamentary national security committee does not show the presence of the deputy speaker in the huddle,” he added. The deputy speaker was there, the counsel argued.

Justice Munib Akhtar said it was likely that some members of the house wouldn’t be satisfied with the ruling of the speaker.

“Voting on the no-confidence motion is a constitutional requirement,” he added.

Justice Mandokhel said it seemed that the deputy speaker was given a “written ruling which he could read” in the house to

ber Pakhtunkhwa.

Till now, 13,558 individuals have lost their lives to the pandemic in Punjab, 8,097 in Sindh, 6,322 in KP, 1,023 in Islamabad, 792 in Azad Kashmir, 378 in Balochistan and 191 in GB. Furthermore, 576,037 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 505,267 in Punjab, 219,201 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 135,110 in Islamabad, 43,283 in Azad Kashmir, 35,479 in Balochistan and 11,716 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Pakistan has so far conducted 27,662,867 coronavirus tests and 28,967 in

the last 24 hours. 1,486,534 patients have recovered in the country whereas 291 patients are in critical condition.

The COVID-19 positivity ratio was recorded at 0.58 percent.

So far, 133,262,671 people have received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine including 79,289 in last 24 hours.

118,959,863 citizens have been fully vaccinated while 253,913 received their second dose in last 24 hours.

The number of total administered doses has reached to 242,070,768 with 335,652 in the last 24 hours.

cMYK

Imran’s drawbacks in terms of local politics is his honesty; it makes him fundamentally misfit with the methods that are now second nature to many politicians at home.

How outrageous, they may say, that Pakistan’s fate may now be decided by the democratic will and not

behind closed doors.

Last weekend, when Premier Imran’s opponents were all set to dismiss him, he simply dissolved parliament, making room for fresh polls.

On the other hand, the opposition parties have failed to explain their opposition to a popular vote.

PM Imran is blamed for the raging inflation in the country but his opponents failed to understand that he inherited a broken economy and tax system and extremely low foreign reserves.

He dealt with it reasonably well amid the Covid-19 pandemic and succeeded in putting forth optimism in the country.

He has a commanding presence and tone on the international stage to advocate Pakistan’s cause.

It was 30 years ago when Imran famously told his cricket team they needed to put up a fight like “concerned tigers” when everything appeared to be lost in the 1992 World Cup. He then overcame all odds to win the World Cup; the task today is greater. it is believed that Imran Khan should be allowed the chance to finish the task he started or to defend his record in a fresh round of general elections. agencies

06-07 Comments - 8th April 2022_Layout 1 4/7/2022 11:51 PM Page 1

Friday, 8 April, 2022

06 COMMENT Landmark verdict

When the Court does what a court has to do

Back to no-trust move

The Deputy Speaker made a ruling of attainder

W

hiLE many wanted the Supreme Court to deliver its verdict within days or at least issue a restraining order to the government, the apex court decided to hear both sides before delivering its verdict. During the hearings the Chief Justice of Pakistan made it known that the ruling by the Deputy Speaker was erroneous. the five-member bench has unanimously declared the April 3 ruling by Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri unconstitutional. Similarly the advice given by the PM to the President to dissolve the National Assembly and the President’s prompt action too have been struck down. the National Asssembly stands revived and will meet on Saturday April 9 where the Speaker will put the confidence move before the house and elect the new Prime Minister. the Court has ordered that no National Assembly member would be stopped from voting. this brings to an end an inglorious tenure marked by sheer misrule, tightening of control over media, harassment of opposition parties through NAB and FiA and fascistic methods to deal with opponents and critics. the Supreme Court verdict is a step towards strengthening the system. Much will depend on how the opposition parties resolve the momentous issues facing them. the economy is in bad shape with a worsening balance of payments situation, the continuous fall of the rupee, the relations with iMF and FAtF. the opposition will have to take measures to provide relief to the common people suffering from inflation. the Pti government has created problems with the USA and EU and slowed down work on CPEC, which will all have to be looked after. there are rivalries within the opposition parties which are likely to exacerbate once the Pti is out of power. the Supreme Court wants early elections. this explains the presence of the ECP officials during the hearing in the Court. On account of lack of cooperation by the Pti government a lot of work like delimitation of constituencies, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the number of seats had been increased under the 26th Amendment, and bringing district- and constituencywise electoral rolls in conformity are the major challenges.

At Penpoint M A NIAZI

S

hORt of going to war in an effort to unite the country behind his leadership, imran Khan could not have made a greater effort to remain in power without a National Assembly majority than the one he did on Sunday, when he refused to face a vote of no-confidence, but opted for early elections. though there were doubts up to the last minute, as Pti supporters scrambled to defend their leader, the Supreme Court ruled as it did perhaps because it had no other choice. it struck down a ruling from the chair only because it was so blatantly at odds with the Constitution.

A couple of things are necessary to keep in mind in trying to understand what happened between Sunday morning and thursday night. First, it became clear that imran had lost his majority, which was the only reason he had to remain in office. however, he did not care. though the house was prorogued without voting on the motion, the Opposition brought its members together, and held voting on the vote of no-confidence, and 196 members showed they were in favour of the motion. Quite clearly, the imran government had fallen. handicapped by its inability to legislate because it lacked a Senate majority, it now lost its ability to get legislation passed by the National Assembly. Most importantly, in the coming test for the government, which could not be postponed beyond June 15, the passage of the next budget would probably see its failure.

Rather than allow a new majority in the house to sit in the house, imran decided to destroy that house.

Another important aspect of the dissolution is that it would preserve the changes to the electoral laws to allow electronic voting machines in Pakistan, and internet-voting for overseas Pakistanis. As it is, the Election Commission of Pakistan has serious doubts about its own ability to implement these laws and maintain ballot secrecy. the opposition has also promised to repeal this amendment, and it is its only commitment the PML(N) has made before going for a dissolution. it had been speculated that these two measures were to ensure the ease of manipulating results by the establishment. however, in view of the claim of neutrality, it seems that the Pti may well be the only party left able to exploit weaknesses in the system. Even if there is neutrality, any party that knows how the system can be massaged, would be at a massive advantage. the ECP’s travails with technology can be seen

Learning nothing Fawad Chaudhry versus Matiullah Jan

W

hEN on tuesday’s hearing outside the Supreme Court, news reporter Matiullah Jan asked outgoing information Minister Fawad Chaudhry a question about corruption allegations against a friend of the Prime Minister’s wife, his response was to call Mr Jan a ‘hired phony’ and said he knew where he received money from. this caused a rumpus, with other journalists demanding an apology, and a combative Mr Chaudhry that he had nothing to apologize for. the rights or wrongs should obscure the essence of the occurrence. A question was put, perhaps a harsh question, but one which deserved an answer. instead of answering it, Mr Chaudhry responded with charges of corruption against the journalist. that reflected how the Pti has dealt with the media, print, electronic or online, during its tenure: those who are with it are to be rewarded with the accolade of ‘proper journalism’, while those who ask questions are to be handled roughly, and with abuse. it was under the Pti that Mr Jan found himself lifted in islamabad, which was hardly the only incident of press persecution during the Pti’s tenure. Mr Chaudhry seems to think that the same tactics are fit for dealing with the press, despite the changed circumstances. if the government finds itself in the opposition after the no-confidence motion, it will find it will have to revive its memories of the past, when it depended on that very same media to pass on its message. it should not forget that its leader imran Khan’s speeches were covered extensively by the media during the 2014 dharna in islamabad. the Pti might console itself that it would hardly be the first party to discover that it depends on the media to get its message across, and the media does so even though the government (itself having once been in opposition) breathes down its neck. the Pti must realize that times have changed, and it should be ready to see that the media that had until today supported it, might now suddenly discover its evils.

Preventing an RNA takeover MuhAMMAd hAssAN KArIM

W

ith covid-19 changing our lives, we are doing everything we can, but we can’t finish it. it’s only a matter of luck if you are immune to this virus because of your immune system.

Everyone wants to end it and we have made considerable progress. What if, just what if, we tell you that there is a way by which we can end this virus. to do this there is a technique by which we can make a vaccine. there are three ways by which you can make a vaccine. the first method is to use cell culture adaptation, in which we make the virus live in a controlled environment where the temperature, humidity, and other factors which affect the reproduction of the virus. the most threatening thing about the virus is not the virus itself but the RNA (ribonucleic acid) which is the main cause of its reproduction and due to which, the virus starts infecting the body. to stop a virus from reproducing, the Lymphocytes make antibodies and those antibodies stick to the spike protein structures; they stop the virus from attaching to host receptor cells and the virus is identified by the phagocytes and they engulf the virus in the process of phagocytosis and finish it off. how do you think the soldiers in war differentiate themselves from their enemies? the same case is here. Now the first method is the cell culture adaptation and the next method is the destruction of the gene. in this method, the RNA is denatured by which only the outer part of the virus remains. By this, our immune system can produce antibodies like this and the virus can’t even reproduce. this method usually involves chemicals. Many viruses have been treated like this but this method is basically like hit and miss, trial and error.

We also have evidence of this fact that it might even work. Remember the SARS virus (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome)? the data proves that SARS and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) had a high fatality rate but a low infecting rate. these viruses were both declared an epidemic (SARS in hong Kong and North Korea and MERS in Saudi Arabia) and both of these are in the Corona family, so there might even be even the slightest chance that they have

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by how the much-vaunted Result transmission System (RtS) broke down. interior Minister Sheikh Rashid has said the new technology would not be used, but the laws remain.

Of course, a caretaker government could repeal those laws by ordinance, and when the ordinance expired, the election would have been held. there is a need for fresh delimitations as well, on the basis of the 2017 census. But wasn’t the last election held under it? Yes, but only provisionally, on the basis of a one-time exemption. the census was only notified last year and the delimitations have to be conducted afresh.

While imran’s attitude towards Parliament may be cavalier, he also seems to suffer misconceptions about it. he seems to view it as a sort of Electoral College for a Prime Minister who gets a fixed term and freedom from any fear of removal. however, even in the presidential system, there is a provision for impeachment. indeed, even in Pakistan, the President is to be impeached by Parliament in a joint sitting. the joint sitting acts as a jury, much as the US Senate does, and the right of the President to be represented is provided. this is not quite the case in a vote of no-confidence in the PM, because he can only defend himself or be defended by fellow members of the house. the National Assembly is expected to take a political rather than a judicial decision. however, that depends on a vote being allowed. the dissolution does seem an acknowledgement by the PM that he has lost his majority, but at the same time, he has reinforced his claim of a foreign conspiracy. Just as much as Donald trump refused in 2020 to make a concession speech after losing the election, imran is refusing to accept his ouster by a vote of noconfidence. however, trump only violated an important political tradition; imran violated a mandatory constitutional provision. the conspiracy theory will occupy much of the discourse in the election to come, and imran would hope that it means that his economic management, which has not been much to write home about, will be pushed into the background.

Still, imran must do some soul-searching. A first term may be difficult, especially for a new party, but imran had several ministers with previous experience of government. how then, did things reach a pass where imran could not carry on and had to dissolve? however, to do so, Deputy Qasim Suri had to engage in what amounted to a ruling of attainder. With even acts of attainder prohibited, it was a mighty leap.

An act of attainder is when Parliament passes an act saying, without any evidence or trial or other process, that a certain individual is guilty of high trea-

son and may be executed. the English Parliament used such attainder to have Sir thomas Wentworth, Earl of Stafford, executed in 1641. this execution was one of the steps towards the English Civil War, which ended with the execution of Charles i himself.

Parliament’s grouse had been that he had been close to Charles i, A more apposite example is that of thomas howard, 5th Duke of Norfolk, who was executed after Parliament passed an act of attainder against him. he was suspected of planning to kill the queen (Elizabeth i), marry her heir (Mary Queen of Scots) and become King. this was supposed to have been done with the help of a foreign power, France, which to England then was like india is to Pakistan today.

Suri has gone a step further than the house of Commons, and made a ruling of attainder. the ruling involves, with as little production of evidence by the prosecution, or chance of defence to the accused, as was afforded five centuries ago, to either Stafford or Norfolk. thus we have a ruling acting as an act, and that too of attainder, passed not by a house majority, but by a single individual. the Chair’s power of ruling must be limited by something, and the very act of examining whether an act is constitutional or not, will itself involve examining parliamentary proceedings. to take an extreme case, if a member asks on a point of order if another member has committed a murder, and the Speaker rules he does, can he then order the sergeant-at-arms to take him away and execute him? As a matter of fact, a PPP member Jam Abdul Karim, does face a murder charge, that of Nazim Jokhio. he is on pre-arrest bail. Could a ruling from the chair, especially one which did not ask for the Jam’s point of view, decide the case?

While the lawyers wrangle before the Supreme Court, imran must contemplate where the dream of a ‘Naya Pakistan’ led, his claim of a foreign conspiracy requires Pakistan to have become important enough for the USA to value its support enough to want its support. however, it does not help imran’s case that the official supposed to have passed on the threat also huddled with his Finance Minister and the State Bank Governor when they were in Washington to meet the iMF. imran and Pti supporters have got many excuses for the economic situation, but there is little that can be told to the electorate about how they are managing their household budgets. the Supreme Court has unseated not one but two Prime Ministers. it has been argued that the country is geared up for elections, thus echoing the 1988 ruling by the Court in Haji Saifullah’s case, when it said that the dissolution under Article 58 (2b) was illegal, but as the nation was geared up for elections, it refused to restore the National Assembly. At that time, there was a date announced for elections; however, the Supreme Court decision has still all doubts.

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some similar abilities.

Viruses often can reproduce and multiply and spread around the body rapidly.

A virus is a parasite that only proves to be lethal when inside a host body. these organisms enter the body and adhere to the cell surface. it depends on the type of virus, it looks for cells in different parts of the body: skin, respiratory system, or blood plasma.

Once it has attached itself to the healthy cell, it enters a host cell, it starts hijacking the cellular processes to produce a virally encoded protein that replicates the virus’ genetic material. it is important to note that when a virus infects a host, it does not always end up in disease. the infection occurs when the virus begins to divide. And the disease occurs when many body cells are damaged by the infection, which is also when symptoms begin to appear. there are ways in which our immune system fights against the virus. the immune system is the first line of defense. if it is not able to fight off the virus because it has already infected several organs a treatment can be used to relieve the symptoms such

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

as the inflammation of the organs that produce cough, headache, and so on.

On the other hand, viruses can be prevented with vaccines. Nowadays, this is the most efficient approach used. the vaccine assists in recognizing the infectious agent and produces a specific immunity against disease because it trains antibodies and cells.

All in all, viruses are pathogens that can only live if they find a host. Once they find a host and manage to overcome the all-natural and scientific barriers that the body produces, they can infect the person. in addition, if they manage to overcome the immune system, the person will get sick.

Ever heard the saying, “Precaution is better than cure”? the scientists, doctors, nurses, social workers, and even our parents work tirelessly to protect us from outside dangers. it’s time for all of us to unite and play our part in defeating this virus and go back to living our normal lives. if nothing changes, who knows, maybe another wave of this virus will visit us again with a new face.

The scientists, doctors, nurses, social workers, and even our parents work tirelessly to protect us from outside dangers. It’s time for all of us to unite and play our part in defeating this virus and go back to living our normal lives. If nothing changes, who knows, maybe another wave of this virus will visit us again with a new face

I

Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

I

Thw writer is a freelance columnist

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

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Friday, 8 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

Absence of humanity

Why did the OIC declaration offend India so much?

The tale of perfidy continues MohAMMAd sAAd MAlIK

I

N its concluding session at islamabad (March 22-23, 2022), the Organization of islamic Cooperation (OiC), renewed “unwavering solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir’’ and expressed “full support for their inalienable right to self-determination in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the OiC, and the wishes of the Kashmiri people’’ . Besides, it condemned “massive violations of their human rights in the indian illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir ‘’ (iiOJK). the participants rejected “india’s illegal and unilateral actions since August 5, 2019 aimed at altering the demographic composition of the occupied territory” and “violation of UN Security Council resolutions, and international law including the 4th Geneva Convention”. the organisation demanded “final settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions”. the right to self-determination is not only a moral right but also a legal right. in the case of Kashmir, both india and Pakistan agreed to hold a plebiscite to determine future status of the disputed state. By flouting its commitment to the United Nations, india qualifies as a rogue state to be subjected to international sanctions. A jus cogen of international law is pacta sunt servanda, treaties are to be obeyed. the indian independence Act of 1947 (based on the Mountbatten Plan) provided for the lapse of paramountcy of the British Crown over the indian states. it also gave each of these rulers the option to accede to the newly born dominions india or Pakistan or continue as an independent sovereign state.

Right after becoming independent, india harboured nefarious designs to annex the princely states through cajoling, coaxing, coercing and even through naked aggression. Vallabhai Patel and Krishna Menon tried every ploy to integrate these states into the indian Union. At the time of Partition, the princely states covered 48 percent of the area of pre-independence india and constituted 28 percent of its population.

Under duress, most of the rulers agreed to the dissolution of their respective states, surrendering control of thousands of villages, jagirs, palaces, and institutes, cash balances amounting to crores and a railway system of about 12,000 miles to the indian government without receiving any compensation.

Some states were a hard nut to crack for india. Junagadh formally acceded to Pakistan. hyderabad and Kashmir declared that they intended to remain independent.

Jodhpur wanted to accede to Pakistan. But, Patel coerced the state’s ruler hanvant Singh to accede to india. Patel agreed to connect Jodhpur with Kathiawar by rail and supply grain to it during famines.

Another state that wished to declare independence was Bhopal, which had a Muslim

Nawab, hamidullah Khan, ruling over a majority hindu population. A close friend of the Muslim League, the Nawab was staunchly opposed to Congress rule. he had made clear his decision to attain independence to Mountbatten. however, Mountbatten disappointed him by stating that “no ruler could run away from the dominion closest to him”. By July 1947, the prince became aware of the large number of princes who had acceded to india and decided to follow suit.

On September 13, indian troops were sent to hyderabad in what came to be known as ‘Operation Polo’. in an armed encounter that lasted for about four days, the indian army conquered the state. Later, in an attempt to reward the Nizam for his submission, he was made the governor of the state of hyderabad.

Declassified Nehruvian documents reflect that Nehru was never sincere in holding a plebiscite in occupied Kashmir. it delayed the plebiscite on one pretext or another, until it declared that the United Nations’ resolutions were mediatory in nature.

And, it was up to india to accept them or not.

Because of Nehru’s failure to keep promises, Sheikh Abdullah had begun to talk of independence.

Nehru wanted to keep the bull at bay while concealing his desire to annex the disputed state. he made many assurances to dam Sheikh Abdullah’s over-ebullience.

Avtar Singh Bhasin (India and Pakistan: Neighbours at Odd) tells on page 63 on the basis of Nehruvian diaries, `Nehru addressed a lengthy letter to him [Sheikh Abdullah] on 25 August 1952 from Sonamarg, where he was then camping. After narrating the events since the accession of the State in October 1947, he went on to assure him of his commitment to the people of the State that the future would be decided by them alone, and if they wanted india to be put out of Kashmir, there would be no hesitation. he wrote, if the people of Kashmir clearly and definitely wish to part company from india, there the matter ends, however we may dislike it or however disadvantageous it may to india. if the Constituent Assembly told india to get out of Kashmir, we would get out, because under no circumstances can we remain here against the expressed will of the people.

Nehru banked on the so-called instrument of Accession and its authentication by the Constituent Assembly’. But in a strange volte face, Nehru declared, `after consideration of the problem, we are inclined to think that it [plebiscite] should be held under United Nations’ auspices’. he reiterated in New Delhi on 3 November 1951 that ‘we have made it perfectly clear before the

Security Council that the Kashmir Constituent Assembly does not [insofar] as we are concerned come in the way of a decision by the Security Council, or the United Nations’. Again, at a press conference on 11 June 1951, he was asked `if the proposed constituent assembly of Kashmir “decides in favour of acceding to Pakistan, what will be the position?”’ he reiterated, ‘We have made it perfectly clear that the Constituent Assembly of Kashmir was not meant to decide finally any such question , and it is not in the way of any decision which may ultimate flow from the Security Council proceedings’. he reemphasised his view once again at a press conference in New Delhi on 3 November 1951. he said ‘we have made it perfectly clear before the Security Council that the Kashmir Constituent Assembly does not [insofar as] we are concerned come in the way of a decision by the Security Council or the United Nations’. it is flabbergasting that from 1947 to 1952, Nehru kept harping commitment to plebiscite. then there was a sudden metamorphosis in his compliant attitude.

Bhasin points out that `there was a perceptible shift in his [Nehru’s] stand on July 24 1952` about the future of the State: ‘if the decision of the Security Council was at variance with that of the Constituent Assembly’.

Nehru said, ‘Unless the Security Council functioned under some other Sections of the Charter, it cannot take a decision which is binding upon us unless we agree to it. they are functioning as mediators and a mediator means getting people to agree’.

Nehru made a tactical error,.of committing himself to the UN. he spelled out indian policy towards Kashmir.

For about 70 years, india continued to abide

by UN resolutions describing Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed state. Simultaneously, it continued to harp that Kashmir was her integral part (atoot ang). india abolished the statehood of Kashmir to control it from the Centre. A large expanse of Kashmiri land was allotted to the occupying forces. Now the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention act is being clamped on women and children.

New domiciliary policy changed Kashmir’s demography. Currently, at least 1.7 million migrants have applied for a domicile certificate.

Also, with a nudge from the Centre, the underprivileged from other states like Bihar could rush to the Valley for a better life.

India abolished the statehood of Kashmir to control it from the Centre. A large expanse of Kashmiri land was allotted to the occupying forces. Now the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention act is being clamped on women and children

The writer is a Kashmiri student of PMASArid University (Economics Department)

thE visuals of a snack seller brutally tortured to death by wedding guests have sent shockwaves across the country. A video that went viral on social media displayed Ashraf Sultan, a daily wager, lying on the floor with the guests enjoying their meals completely unaffected by the incident. the cruelty of the incident left me speechless, and i could not help but picture myself as the next victim. the lack of humanity and cruelty displayed by the perpetrators shows an absence of morality and the prevalence of intolerance in our society.

Ashraf, oblivious to the ill fate that awaited him, went to the wedding to sell snacks so that he could earn a meagre amount of money to feed his family. Even though Ashraf’s brother-in-law tried to rescue him from the scene, the bloodthirsty guests did not let him come to his aid. this incident has once again reminded us that as a society we have failed on multiple fronts. We have failed to inculcate the value of human life, compassion and tolerance amongst the people. the ineffective law and order situation has emboldened people to disobey laws and commit heinous crimes. the police only sprang into action after public outrage on social media. twelve suspects were arrested including the wedding hall manager, and the police chief vowed to punish everyone responsible. had the incident not been reported on social media, the perpetrators would have remained scot-free and continued to engage in all forms of cruelty. this is alarming because many incidents are never reported on social media and the police also remain impassive in helping the poor victims. this incident must be taken as an opportunity to address the larger issues prevalent in our society to avoid future acts of brutality.

SAJJAD HUSSAIN LAHORE

UK and FATF hypocrisy thE Russia Ukraine war has exposed many hypocrisies of the Western countries, with Western nations allowing and even promoting foreign civilians to go fight in the war. Similarly, Ukrainian refugees are given a welcome by Western nations while Arabic, Asian and African refugees are treated very badly by the same nations.

Another hypocrisy of the UK that has been exposed is the fact that UK laws have a loophole where the UK allows the purchase of properties in the UK anonymously via shell companies. this loophole has made the UK very rich while providing a safe place for criminals to deposit their ill-gotten wealth.

UK Government is aware of this fact for decades and nowadays are facing pressure from the EU, who want the UK to confiscate the Russian oligarchy’s properties because Russia invaded Ukraine, where Pakistan and other developing nations have been asking for years to stop this practice, confiscate and return the properties that were bought with a stolen wealth of our nations back to us. the UK has ignored all such requests from developing nations. this issue also exposes the hypocrisy that is called FAtF. While Pakistan is forcefully kept on the grey list of FAtF, which is hampering the growth of the people of Worlds fifth most populated nation but FAtF has not instigated any strict action against the UK or other nations that allow anonymous shell companies registration and that have been exposed for these practices in the various bank documents leaks over the years.

Both of these issues are hurting Pakistan and should be addressed on all available forums to ensure FAtF takes the same tough actions against the UK, Switzerland, etc. Like they did for Pakistan. UK should change their policy and take back the wealth stolen from Pakistan and returns it back to us.

SHAHRYAR KHAN BASEER PESHAWAR

Motorway rest areas SERViCE areas in Motorway are opened for the convenience of the travellers to give them facilities but unfortunately, they are also taking advantage of people by charging double money. At various rest areas, tuck shops prices are almost double or triple the market actual price. Last week i travelled from Multan to Lahore and the bus stopped at Rajhana service station where the cup of tea was charged for 120 rupees which is equal to the price of 1-kilo milk.

Among the food items sold at inflated rates include coffee/tea, juices, mineral water, soft/cold drinks, biscuits and chips. it is the duty of NhA to check overpricing by carrying out surprise inspections at different times on a regular basis. the government should maintain check and balance on these rest areas.

MARYAM NADEEM LAHORE

Street crimes WithiN the first three months of 2022, more than 11,000 theft and robbery incidents were reported in Karachi alone, which reflects a complete failure of the law enforcement agencies in tackling crimes and protecting citizens. Many people lost their lives in resisting street crimes and theft.

Some people have linked the increase in crime rates to the high unemployment, illiteracy, rising inflation, and poverty, which has compelled people to commit crimes to make ends meet. this may be true to some extent; however, it is the police’s inaction that has further emboldened street criminals. they have taken up new tactics of committing crimes while the citizens are in a constant state of fear and insecurity. Most people have either been a victim of street crimes themselves or know someone who was recently victimised. Visiting a congested bazaar during broad daylight is just as unsafe as traveling on a desolate road at night. the disorderliness and a lack of safety are impacting the overall wellbeing of society. the police rarely patrol in areas and fail to investigate cases properly. Although the provincial government recently met with law enforcement agencies to form a strategy to curb the rising crimes, we have yet to see effective implementation of these strategies. the police must undertake this task seriously to restore law and order and allow the citizens of Karachi to heave a sigh of relief.

KINZA FATIMA KARACHI

08 WORLD VIEW 8th April 22_Layout 1 4/7/2022 10:37 PM Page 1

Friday, 8 April, 2022

08 WORLD VIEW

Who doeS the uS think it iS, telling india hoW to reSpond to ukraine?

NATIONS ACT ON THEIR OWN GEOPOLITICAL CALCULATIONS AND ALL MAKE MISTAKES, INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES

Japan TiMes

i

ramESH tHaKur

N the early days of the Ukraine invasion, india abstained on draft resolutions in the U.N. Security Council and General assembly condemning Russia’s actions. in a State Department cable to nearly 50 embassies that was retracted the next day, U.S. diplomats were instructed to tell their indian counterparts that their “neutrality” on Ukraine put them “in Russia’s camp, the aggressor in this conflict.” this binary moral judgment is the result of a Manichean reframing of geopolitical rivalry as good versus evil with no room for nuance.

Derek Grossman, a senior defense analyst with the Rand Corp. who served for over a decade in the U.S. intelligence community, recently tweeted: “the West will be watching closely for any shift in india’s Russia/Ukraine policy. i can’t envision a scenario in which the West is pleased with the outcome.” Pleasing the West doesn’t rate highly in india’s policy settings. Nor does it take kindly to threats of being disciplined by the enlightened West for wrong choices in foreign policy. a proclamation of some self-evident truths is in order.

Foreign policy is not about virtue-signaling morality but acting in the best interests of your citizens. No country’s policy is based solely on realism or idealism. every country acts on a combination of geopolitical and economic calculations and core values and principles. No country’s policy is consistent and coherent and none is immune from making mistakes. this includes the U.S., whose Ukraine policy managed to provoke but not deter Russia. in its statement on the Security Council vote, am-

bassador t.S. tirumurti explained that india’s “foremost priority” was the safe evacuation of indians trapped in the conflict zone. in early March, Russian President Vladimir Putin told indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he had ordered troops in Ukraine to protect indians fleeing the conflict. Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev, of the Russian army, said his country had 130 buses and military planes ready to evacuate approximately 22,000 indians trapped in the conflict, including 18,000 students. the Washington Post rightly remarked: “india’s diplomatic position has paid dividends for its citizens in Ukraine.” the episode has boosted Modi’s popularity with boasts of the power of indian diplomacy. imagine, if you will, a situation in which 2,000 Japanese citizens are trapped in a sudden outbreak of large-scale hostilities involving the possibility of a nuclear war. any Japanese government would give top priority to their safe evacuation and avoid public comments that could jeopardize the effort. india’s relationship with Russia is broad-ranging. the “india–Russia Joint Statement” issued at the conclusion of Putin’s official visit to india on Dec. 6. listed a broad range of cooperation in defense, trade, energy (including civil nuclear) issues and in U.N. and other multilateral fora. it betrays remarkable arrogance to ask india to cancel this history, tug its forelocks and fall lockstep into line behind NatO’s quarrels with Russia in europe.

Depending on different estimates, Russia has supplied between 65% to 86% of india’s current arsenal of defense equipment, arms and weapons systems. india has been negotiating with Russia on a rupee-ruble trade arrangement to import oil at a discount and has maintained an active trade in pharmaceutical products.

the Modi government’s base is concentrated in the Hindu right. this key group is starting to view the Biden administration as antagonistic to their vision of a new india. india has been under threat of U.S. sanctions for purchasing Russian S-400 missiles to help it deal with the threat from China, yet the U.S. is now trying to broker the supply of Russian missiles from Slovakia to Ukraine. india shares interests with China and Russia in building parallel payment systems to offset direct and secondary U.S./Western sanctions and weaponization of the dollar as the world’s currency.

Biden described india’s support as “somewhat shaky,” a description that certainly applies to his own hold on strategic reality during his recent trip through europe in which he said Russian use of chemical weapons in Ukraine “would trigger a response in kind,” U.S. soldiers could be going to Ukraine and called for regime change in Russia.

Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar responded that india’s position has been “steadfast and consistent.” it’s odd to hear what is fundamentally a geopolitical struggle for a new european balance of power framed as a “battle between democracy and autocracy.” india is the world’s biggest democracy. it is also a key U.S. ally in China’s growing strategic rivalry with the West that is arguably more consequential for the future world order than the historic U.S.–Soviet Cold War. “there has been a belated, but grudging, acceptance of india’s position within the U.S. administration,” an indian official told the indian express, “that may not be visible in the public rhetorical statements.” in an interview with the atlantic (March 11, 2019),

former ambassador to Russia (and current Cia Director) William Burns said Putin told him back in 2005: “You americans need to listen more.” the problem was not lack of warnings from Russia about their Ukraine red lines. Rather, the problem was the U.S. stuck to its reckless policy based on the self-perpetuating delusion that either Russia wasn’t serious in its opposition, or else that it could be safely ignored because it was too weak to do anything about it. even sympathetic observers of the U.S. have sometimes said the technological gadget that american presidents and senior advisers most urgently need is a hearing aid. the hubris and arrogance is also evident when analysts offer gratuitous advice to the administration on how to prevent China from coming to Russia’s rescue. Could someone tell these Rip Van Winkles that we are now in 2022, not 1992? Otherwise, the illusion that the unipolar U.S. primacy persists could pave the way for yet another, possibly even more dangerous, armed conflict with China. the U.S. is in no position to engage in simultaneous cold wars with Russia and China. Much of the world accepts the sad reality of how great powers behave. their long-term interest lies not in one-sided finger-wagging condemnations of any one instance of bad behavior by a great power, but in minimizing the chances of a major power war; protecting the fragile nuclear peace; creating a rules-based order that is respected by all powers; and in the meantime hedging their bets against geopolitical shocks in their own immediate region. the lodestar of their foreign policy will continue to be the safety, security, prosperity and well-being of their own people first and foremost. Why exactly is this unprincipled, immoral and anti-democratic?

Ramesh Thakur is emeritus professor in the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University and a former United Nations assistant secretary general.

Spouting hatred

Can israel exist without america? the facts suggest a changing reality

A video of the speech had gone viral, with Thakur leading chants of ‘desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalon ko’

IT IS CRITICAL THAT PALESTINIANS UNDERSTAND THAT ISRAEL’S SURVIVAL IS NO LONGER LINKED TO THE US, AT LEAST NOT AS INTRINSICALLY AS IN THE PAST. AS SUCH, THE STRUGGLE AGAINST ISRAELI OCCUPATION AND APARTHEID CAN NO LONGER BE FOCUSED DISPROPORTIONATELY ON BREAKING UP THE “SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP” THAT UNITED TEL AVIV AND WASHINGTON FOR OVER 50 YEARS

Tribune, india Editorial

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ati Narsinghanand, the head priest at a Ghaziabad temple arrested in January in connection with an inflammatory speech he made at a ‘Dharam Sansad’ in December, continues to stoke the fire of communal hatred. Out on bail for the December hate speech — and another case in January after he made ‘objectionable’ remarks against ‘women of a particular community’ — Narsinghanand spouted more vitriol at a religious conclave in Delhi on Sunday. in his speech at the event — Delhi Police later clarified they had not granted permission for it — Narsinghanand claimed that Hindus faced a serious threat of conversion from their religion and exhorted them to pick up arms. Speaking to a small gathering of around 500 people, he said that if a Muslim becomes the prime minister of india, ‘50% of you (Hindus) will change your faith in the next 20 years’.

Narsinghanand is just one among several individuals — from across the religious spectrum — who claim to represent the religion they belong to and regurgitate hateful rhetoric that can only be detrimental for peace and progress of the country. However, it seems that he and his ilk are treated with greater indulgence than some others by prosecutors and courts; for instance, Jawaharlal Nehru University student Umar Khalid, arrested in September 2020 in connection with the northeast Delhi riots conspiracy case, has not been granted bail. Yet, last month, hearing a plea against Union Minister anurag thakur for a speech made in early 2020, prior to the northeast Delhi riots, the Delhi High Court observed: ‘... if any speech is given during election time, then it’s a different time. if you’re giving a speech in ordinary times, then you’re instigating something.’ a video of the speech had gone viral, with thakur leading chants of ‘desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalon ko’.

Late last month, business leader and biotechnology pioneer Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw spoke out against ‘communal exclusion’ in Karnataka, saying that the state’s global leadership in the information technology and biotechnology sectors was at stake. Her warning must be heeded — communal hate-mongering shreds the social fabric and creates serious law and order issues. apart from terrible human consequences, this can lead to capital flowing away and economic progress slowing down. the government and the judiciary must take note.

Middle easT MoniTor dr ramzy Baroud

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HeN Russian and Ukrainian delegations meeting in turkey on 29 March reached an initial understanding regarding a list of countries that could serve as security guarantors for Kyiv should an agreement be struck, israel was one of those mentioned. the other countries included the US, Britain, China, Russia, France, turkey, Germany, Canada, italy and Poland.

We can explain israel’s political significance to the Russian-Ukrainian talks based on tel aviv’s strong ties with Kyiv, as opposed to Russia’s trust in israel. this is insufficient, though, to rationalise how israel has managed to acquire relevance in arguably the most serious international conflict since World War ii. immediately following the start of the war, israeli officials began to shuttle between many countries directly or even nominally involved in the conflict. israeli President isaac Herzog flew to istanbul to meet with his turkish counterpart, Recep tayyip erdogan. the outcome of this meeting could be “a turning point in relations between turkey and israel,” said erdogan. although “israel is proceeding cautiously with turkey,” wrote Lavan Karkov in the Jerusalem Post, Herzog hopes that “his meeting with… erdogan is starting a positive process toward improved relations.” the “improved relations” are not concerned with the fate of the Palestinians under israeli occupation and siege, but with a gas pipeline connecting israel’s Leviathan offshore field in the eastern Mediterranean to southern europe via turkey. this project will improve israel’s geopolitical status in the Middle east and europe. the political leverage of being a primary gas

supplier to europe would allow israel even stronger influence over the continent and will certainly tone down any future criticism of tel aviv by ankara. that was only one of many such israeli overtures. tel aviv’s diplomatic flurry included a top-level meeting between Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, and a succession of visits by senior european, american, arab and other officials to israel. US Secretary of State antony Blinken arrived in tel aviv on 26 March and was expected to put some pressure on israel to join the US-led western sanctions on Russia.

Little of that has transpired. the most significant rebuke in this respect came from Under-Secretary of State Victoria Nuland when, on 11 March, she called on israel not to become “the last haven for dirty money that’s fuelling Putin’s wars”.

For years, israel has hoped to free itself from its disproportionate reliance on Washington. this dependency has taken many forms: financial and military assistance, political backing, diplomatic cover and more. according to Chuck Freilich writing in Newsweek, “By the end of the ten-year military-aid package… agreed [between Washington and tel aviv] for 2019-28, the total figure [of US aid to israel] will be nearly $170bn.”

Many Palestinians and others believe that, if the US ceases to support israel, the latter would simply collapse. However, this might not be the case, at least not in theory. Writing in March 2021 in the New York times, Max Fisher estimated that US aid to israel in 1981 “was equivalent to almost 10 per cent of israel’s economy,” while in 2020 nearly $4 billion of US aid was “closer to one per cent.”

Still, this one per cent is vital for israel, as much of the money is funnelled to the israeli military which, in turn, converts it into weapons that are used routinely against Palestinians and neighbouring arab countries. israeli military technology is far more developed today than it was 40 years ago. Figures by the Stockholm international Peace Research institute (SiPRi) place israel as the world’s eighth largest military exporter between 2016 and 2020. in 2020 alone, israeli arms had an estimated export value of $8.3 billion. these numbers continue to grow as israeli military hardware is incorporated increasingly into many security apparatuses around the world, including the US and the eU, as well as the Global South.

Much of this discussion is rooted in a 1996 document entitled “a Clean Break: a New Strategy for Securing the Realm”. the document was authored jointly

by Richard Perle, a former US assistant Secretary of Defence, and top leaders of the neoconservative movement in Washington. the target audience of their research was none other than Benjamin Netanyahu, who was then the newly-elected Prime Minister of israel. aside from the document’s detailed instructions on how israel could use some of its arab neighbours, in addition to turkey, to weaken and “roll back” hostile governments, it also made significant references to future relations which tel aviv should aspire to develop with Washington. Perle urged israel to “make a clean break from the past and establish a new vision for the US-israeli partnership based on self-reliance, maturity and mutuality — not one focused narrowly on territorial disputes.” a new, “self-reliant” israel “does not need US troops in any capacity to defend it.” Ultimately, such self-reliance “will grant israel greater freedom of action and remove a significant lever of pressure used against it in the past.” an example is israel’s relationship with China. in 2013, Washington was outraged when israel sold secret missile and electro-optic US technology to Beijing. tel aviv was forced to retreat. the controversy subsided when the head of defence experts at the israeli Defence Ministry was removed. eight years on, despite US protests and demands that israel must not allow China to operate Haifa port due to Washington’s security concerns, this was initiated officially in September last year. israel’s regional and international strategy seems to be advancing in multiple directions, some of them in direct opposition to those of Washington. Yet, thanks to continued israeli influence in the US Congress, Washington does little to hold the occupation state accountable. Meanwhile, now that israel is fully aware that the US has changed its political attitude in the Middle east and is moving towards the Pacific region and eastern europe, tel aviv’s “clean break” strategy is moving faster than ever before. However, this comes with risks. although israel is stronger now, its neighbours are also getting stronger.

Hence, it is critical that Palestinians understand that israel’s survival is no longer linked to the US, at least not as intrinsically as in the past. as such, the struggle against israeli occupation and apartheid can no longer be focused disproportionately on breaking up the “special relationship” that united tel aviv and Washington for over 50 years. israel’s “independence” from the US entails risks and opportunities that must be considered in the Palestinian struggle for freedom and justice.

Friday, 8 April, 2022 | ISlAmAbAd

newS

corporate corner nuSt features prominently in QS Subject rankings 2022 ISLAMABAD: Forging ahead with its legacy of academic and research excellence, the National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST) Pakistan, has maintained its upward trajectory amongst world universities, while standing first in Pakistan across seven subject areas as per Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Subject Rankings 2022.

These seven subject areas include Electrical & Electronics Engineering; Computer Science; Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering; Chemical Engineering; Civil & Structural Engineering; Mathematics; and Material Science. Besides, NUST has also featured amongst the world’s elite institutions in 12 out of 51 subjects as compared to the last year when it featured in 9 subjects.

In the broad category of Engineering & Technology, the university has also retained #1 position in Pakistan for the 6thconsecutive year, while improving 35 positions globally from #214 to #179 in last one year. In addition, NUST has ranked for the first time in the subjects of Civil & Structural Engineering, Material Science and Environmental Sciences. The university has also made significant progress in the broad categories of Natural Sciences, Social Sciences & Management, and Life Sciences & Medicine.

It also merits mention that NUST currently stands at 358th in the World University Rankings, 74th in Asia University Rankings and 41st in Young University Rankings, besides being number 1 in Pakistan in all above-mentioned categories. As a comprehensive university, NUST characteristically focuses on an array of disciplines viz., Engineering, Information Technology (IT), Applied Biosciences, Management Sciences, Social Sciences etc., while ensuring quality at various tiers of higher education in line with the university's vision to develop as a progressive fourth generation university. pr

iiui placed among 51-100 universities globally in subject based QS rankings ISLAMABAD: International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) has been named as one of the world’s top universities and placed among 51-100 across the world in latest edition of the world’s most consulted university rankings QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) by subject.

According to QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022, International Islamic University Islamabad (IIU)’s best performance is in the fields of Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies. In addition, In Citations per paper, Computer Science & Information Systems is the subject in which International Islamic University Islamabad (IIU) earned the highest score as well and among 651-670 universities.

In H-Index, International Islamic University Islamabad (IIU) received a score of 54.8 for Computer Science & Information Systems – its highest-scoring subject for this indicator. According to the details, Of the 2 academic disciplines from International Islamic University Islamabad (IIU) that are in the 2022 subject rankings, 100% improved their positions in the rankings, 0% decreased, and 0% stayed the same. The university has also shied in the categories of academic and employer reputation. In addition, In general in Asia, IIU is ranked among 301-350.

The recent positive results generated by IIUI are outcome of continued reforms and initiatives introduced by the university management that includes preparation of university’s new strategic plan that also helped in gleaning exact view of the university accomplishments on scientific basis.

The university leadership believes that upcoming ranking will be much positive as new reforms and initiatives have entered into the mature stages through various steps taken such as implementation of the university’s strategic plan and academic audits.

The university is now all set and in better position to submit its accomplishments and achievements with an approach of quantifiable analysis that will lead to improved and realistic university rankings in future. The university has also started a comprehensive work on research and enterprise (under the supervision of the office of Vice President Research and Enterprise) that shall also be helpful in improved ranking through linkage with industry, acceptance of international funded projects, collaborations in research and global engagements.

The university leadership has appreciated the hard work of the team specially the Directorate of Quality Assurance and Development (QAD) for its untiring efforts to make it possible in a proper manner to this global ranking.

Commenting on the ranking, IIUI Rector, Prof. Dr. Masoom Yasinzai has said that recognition of IIUI in the world ranking is a very important development and also felicitated all the university community. He urged that universities must come forward to serve the society “We will not disappoint the nation, we will come forward with positive developments soon in the field of academic excellence and quality higher education” said Masoom Dr Yasinzai.

IIUI President, Dr. Hathal Homoud Alotaibi, expressing gratitude for the achievement congratulated the academic and administrative staff of the institution and hoped that they would remain committed to the university in the future by continuing their hard work so that the institution gets the top slot in all world rankings in the future.

He said that this ranking is a sign of a new dawn of success for IIUI. It is pertinent to mention here the IIUI is the 3rd largest public sector university across Pakistan that has presence of more than 30,000 students on campus in separate male and female campuses with almost equal gender ratio. Earlier, IIU was ranked among top 200 best young universities of the world in Times Higher Education Young University Rankings list of the world’s best universities that are 50 years old or younger. pr

09

WCLA to reStore dyinG BrAdLAuGh hALL LAHORE

t

shahab omer

HE Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) signed MOU with Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) here on Thursday for the conservation, restoration and re-use of the famous Bradlaugh Hall, Lahore, Pakistan Today has learnt.

Bradlaugh Hall is a property of ETPB but has been handed over to the WCLA under the agreement signed between both the government departments.

Commenting on the history and importance of Bradlaugh Hall, Tania Qureshi, historian and In charge Marketing WCLA said, “The Bradlaugh Hall, situated on the Rattigan Road in Lahore, remained as an emblem of revolution in the entire British India for nearly a century. It was established through the fundraising efforts of the Indian National Congress”.

“In Bradlaugh Hall the Indian National Congress held its annual session in 1893. All the prominent leaders of India’s freedom movement, including Bhagat Singh, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, Lala Rajpat Rai and Jawaharlal Nehru regularly attended meetings here and remained associated with this historical building. Sad part is that very few peo-

ple at present living in Lahore or Pakistan know about its importance and even the existence of such a heritage.”

According to details provided by the Director Conservation and Planning WCLA Najam Usaqib, the conservation and restoration of the Bradlaugh Hall will be completed in 24 months with an amount of 60 million rupees.

“The cost of the project will be borne by the WCLA, and PC-1 of the project is already approved by the government. Once the conservation is

completed, the building will be handed over to ETPB,” Najam added.

“In two days’ time WCLA will start the documentation of the building through latest equipment and techniques. We will be using 3D laser scanner to get all details of the building and its structure. The basis of documentation and its analysis the conservation and restoration of the building will start,” Najam said.

Kamran Lashari, Director General WCLA said that it was a masterpiece

of history which demanded immediate attention and restoration because of being derelict.

“In future, the hall will be used for tourism purposes with the understanding of both the departments. We are of the view that the heritage belongs to all of us and we should try our best to maintain and restore it. I am very happy and honored that WCLA has signed this important agreement with ETPB for restoring the historical Bradlaugh Hall,” Lashari commented.

PIA announces to launch direct flights to Sydney ISLAMABAD staff report

Pakistan International Airline (PIA) on Thursday announced to launch direct flights to the Australian city of Sydney.

PIA will start direct flights to Sydney from April 22. Interline tickets have also been arranged with Virgin Australia Airlines for eight destinations in Australia.

According to a PIA spokesperson, the flights will initially be operated from Lahore to Sydney on Friday and from Sydney to Lahore on Sunday.

Arrangements have also been made, with the interline agreement to make PIA direct flights to Sydney as well as eight more destinations in Australia accessible to PIA passengers. Under the interline agreement, PIA passengers will be able to book flights to Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Ballina Byron, Hobart, Cairns and Perth on Virgin Australia Airlines flights in addition to Sydney.

PIA Chief Executive Officer Air Marshal Arshad Malik expressed satisfaction over the expansion of the network and directed the marketing and frontline teams to provide the best services to the passengers.

The spokesperson further said that passengers can now book flights through PIA s website, PIA s official cell and Android app, PIA call center and PIA travel agents.

LAHORE staff report

PMC to improve healthcare education The Pakistan Medical Commission strives to improve healthcare education through the advancement of quality medical and dental education in Pakistan. PMC being a healthcare regulator is setting benchmarks in line with best global practices to ensure quality healthcare for every citizen of the nation. PMC changed the old, obsolete, and orthodox mode of the system which usually hampered the due processes, causing difficulties for students, doctors, and other stakeholders, and implemented a digital system that brought ease to all following and meeting the need of the hour.

Pakistan Medical Commission is determined to facilitate all stakeholders in the larger interest of the nation. In order to issue licenses to interested foreign graduates, PMC conducted National Licensing Examination twice so far. The objective to conduct NLE for foreign graduates too is determined & to examine their academic and practical capability prior to issuing them with the license. PMC is not only working to improve the quality of health-

care standards but also working on the rights of the patients. A competent doctor can treat a patient well. In these held two NLE exams for foreign graduates, nearly 2,344 students appeared, and out of those only 424 students could pass the NLE exam.

The low passing percentage is merely due to the wrong selection of medical/dental colleges by the students chasing cheap foreign education, getting influenced by informal agents who directly are responsible for putting their educational carrier at stake for the sake of money, and going to non-verified, sub-standard educational institutes. Based on the NLE results PMC investigated and learned that there are a number of foreign medical and dental colleges that offer courses and programs with bare to minimum necessary arrangements followed by marginally teaching up to the mark and just focusing on the theory instead of both theory and clinical experience as the practical clinical experience also holds an important and pivotal value.

Due to limited resources, hospi-

Punjab Governor chairs meeting on wheat procurement campaign

tals, language barriers, and limited patients, and beds, students are mostly given their degree without a house job or without giving any practical clinical experience which is one of the main reasons for the low passing percentage of foreign graduates in the NLE exams. All those foreign graduates who complete their respective degrees with house jobs/practical clinical experience, pass the NLE exams quite easily.

PMC is working tirelessly to facilitate the foreign graduates and devised multiple pathways for them so that they may not face any issues. On average 25 to 30 thousand students annually are willing to seek their education in foreign medical and dental colleges, it is hereby requested to all students kindly ensure their admissions in PMC verified foreign institutes/countries and refrain to be dodged by informal agents.

Pakistan Medical Commission is an independent regulatory body working in a transparent manner to improve the healthcare delivery and service standards in Pakistan. pr

Punjab Governor Omer Sarfraz Cheema was called on by Chief Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal and Inspector General Police (IGP) Punjab, Rao Sardar Ali Khan at Governor House Lahore on Thursday. Wheat procurement campaign and other issues of provincial interest came under discussion during the meeting.

Expressing interest in the forthcoming wheat procurement drive, Omer Sarfraz Cheema said that it should be ensured that farmers do not face any hassle in selling their wheat and special arrangements to be made to monitor the wheat procurement drive. He said that the farmers should hot face any problem in getting the gunny bags (bardana) and timely payment of their crops.

The Governor Punjab said that PTI government has taken historic steps for farmers including Punjab Sugar Factories Control Amendment Act 2021. As a result of PTI farmer friendly policies last season had witnessed record production of wheat, cotton and rice crops which resulted in bolstering the agricultural economy and also significantly increasing the income of farmers, he concluded.

Sindh govt decides to postpone LG elections KARACHI staff report

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-led Sindh government has decided to postpone the Local Government (LG) elections in the province.

According to sources, due to the changing political situation and instability across the country, the Sindh government has decided to postpone the local body elections in the province.

Sources further said that the request for postponement of local body elections in Sindh has been sent to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) by the provincial government.

Friday, 8 April, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

10 FOREIGN NEWS

US lawmaker UrgeS Biden To aCT on anTi-mUSlim diSCriminaTion in india WAsHingTOn

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AnAdolu Agency

S congresswoman Ilhan Omar pressed one of President Joe Biden’s most senior diplomats on Wednesday on US support for India given what she said is a longstanding campaign against the country’s Muslim minority.

Omar, who is Muslim, directly asked Wendy Sherman, Biden’s deputy secretary of state, how US support for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is “promoting a free and open region,” and lambasted what she characterized as a reluc-

tance to openly criticize his government.

“How much does the Modi administration have to criminalize the act of being Muslim in India for us to say something? What will it take for us to outwardly criticize the action that the Modi administration is taking against its Muslim minorities?” she asked.

Sherman said she agrees that the administration must stand up “for every religion, every ethnicity, every race, every quality of diversity in this world.”

Omar quickly retorted: “I do hope we make a practice of standing up not just to our adversaries, but to our allies as well.”

“Absolutely,” said Sherman, who also noted the US has raised concerns about

India’s human rights record directly with New Delhi officials.

Indian Muslims have witnessed a deterioration of the right to practice their faith under the rule of Modi and his right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), according to multiple international rights groups.

Human Rights Watch reported in 2021 that the BJP’s prejudices have “infiltrated independent institutions, such as the police and the courts, empowering nationalist groups to threaten, harass, and attack religious minorities with impunity.”

It noted that Modi and the BJP have adopted laws and policies that “systematically discriminate” against Muslims.

China welcomes international assessment of US biological military activities neWs Desk

Ukraine calls for even stronger sanctions on russia Agencies Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pleaded for sanctions that are economically destructive enough for Moscow to end its “military operation” after accusing some countries of still prioritizing money over punishment for war crimes he accuses Russia of committing. Countries supporting Ukraine must reject Russian oil and completely block Russian banks from the international finance system, Zelenskyy said in his daily video address early on Thursday. After grisly images of dead civilians in the streets of Bucha sparked international condemnation, Zelenskyy said Russian forces were trying to cover up evidence of atrocities. “We have information that the Russian military has changed its tactics and is trying to remove people who have been killed from streets and basements … this is just an attempt to hide the evidence and nothing more,” Zelenskyy said, but did not provide evidence. Moscow has denied targeting civilians and says images of bodies in Bucha were staged to justify more sanctions against Moscow and derail peace talks. In response to the findings in Bucha that have not yet been investigated, the West slapped Moscow with new sanctions on Wednesday, with Britain freezing the assets of Russia’s largest bank Sberbank and the U.S. announcing measures on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters as well as a ban on Americans investing in Russia. European Union diplomats failed to approve new sanctions on Wednesday, as technical issues needed to be addressed, including on whether a ban on coal would affect existing contracts, sources told Reuters. Hungary, which stands out among EU members in its response to the conflict, broke ranks with its partners and said it was prepared to meet a Russian request to pay rubles for gas it buys. Zelenskyy’s office said on Wednesday he had formally ceased Ukraine’s trade with Russia, while acknowledging that import and export operations between the two countries had been virtually terminated since the start of the conflict. The two nations traded some $10.09 billion in goods in 2021, according to Ukraine’s Fiscal Service.

China welcomed any global initiative within appropriate frameworks to assess the discovered documents related to U.S. biological military activities, said Dai Bing, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, on Wednesday.

He told the UN Security Council Arria Formula meeting on biological security when commenting to some documents related to biological military activities of the United States.

The documents were published by the Russian Federation and caused great concern of international community.

“China welcomes the international community to assess the discovered documents within appropriate frameworks including the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and the UN, and hear the clarifications from the relevant country in a fair and impartial manner,” said Dai. He underscored that China has suffered from biological weapons during the

Second World War and thus consistently stands for the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of all weapons of mass destruction, including biological and chemical weapons.

“China firmly opposes the development, stockpiling or use of biological and chemical weapons by any country under any circumstances, and urges countries that have not done so to destroy their chemical weapons stockpiles as soon as

possible,” he said.

Washington is creating biological laboratories in different countries and connecting them to a unified system, said Igor Kirillov, chief of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces of the Russian Armed Forces, who participated in the meeting virtually. He said the United States is consistently building up its military biological potential in various regions of the world, taking advantage of gaps in

international law.

Representatives of the United States and the United Kingdom did not attend the meeting. “This is evidence of their real attitude to this problem, the fact that they have something to hide and they do not want to answer the uncomfortable questions posed today,” said Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s first deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

Previously, Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said that evidence of a U.S.-financed military biological program developed in Ukraine has been revealed during Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine. According to a report by The Rio Times based on a Twitter message posted by independent investigative journalist Dilyana Gaytandzhieva, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine on February 26 removed all documents about Pentagon-financed biolabs in Ukraine from its website other than a document showing that the Pentagon is funding two new biolabs in Kyiv and Odesa.

Why the US is targeting Putin’s daughters Katerina and Maria Agencies The United States’ latest round of sanctions on Russia includes two new targets: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters, Katerina and Maria, who US officials believe are hiding Putin’s wealth.

Putin’s daughter Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova is a tech executive whose work supports the Russian government and its defence industry, according to details in the US sanctions package announced on Wednesday.

His other daughter Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova leads government-funded programs that have received billions of dollars from the Kremlin toward genetics research, and are personally overseen

by Putin, the United States said.

“We have reason to believe that Putin, and many of his cronies, and the oligarchs, hide their wealth, hide their assets, with family members that place their assets and their wealth in the US financial system, and also many other parts of the world,” a senior US administration official told reporters.

“We believe that many of Putin’s assets are hidden with family members, and that’s why we’re targeting them,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Reuters was not immediately able to reach Putin’s daughters, their representatives or the Kremlin for comment.

Sanctions announced Wednesday also include the daughter and wife of Russian foreign affairs minister Sergei Lavrov. The US also banned Americans from investing in Russia, and targeted Russian financial institutions and Kremlin officials, in response to what President Joe Biden condemned as Russian “atrocities” in Ukraine. Russia denies intentionally attacking civilians and says images of bodies in Bucha north of Kyiv were staged to justify more sanctions against Moscow.

Moscow says it is engaged in a “special military operation” designed to demilitarise and “denazify” Ukraine. Ukraine and Western governments reject that as a false pretext for Russia’s invasion.

The extent of Putin’s wealth is a sensitive subject

in Russia. The Kremlin last year denied that he was the owner of an opulent palace on the Black Sea, as alleged by opposition politician Alexei Navalny in a video that draw a huge audience on YouTube.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in February that sanctions introduced against Putin himself were pointless. “(Putin) is quite indifferent. The sanctions contain absurd claims about some assets,” Peskov said.

“The president has no assets other than those he has declared.” But US lawmakers believe otherwise.

“Putin and his oligarchs stow their dirty money in rule-of-law nations by purchasing mansions, mega-yachts, artwork, and other high-value assets,” US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said a few weeks ago, while introducing legislation that offered cash rewards for information that leads to the seizure of assets held by sanctioned Russian oligarchs.

Putin’s daughters, who the US believes help him hide his wealth, have never confirmed publicly the Russian leader is their father, and he has refused to answer questions about them.

A Reuters investigation from 2015 detailed the connections and influence Katerina, an acrobatic rock ‘n’ roll dancer, holds in the next generation of Moscow’s elite.

“Katerina, 29, described herself as the spouse of Kirill Shamalov, son of Nikolai Shamalov, a longtime friend of President Putin,” the report said.

“Shamalov senior is a shareholder in Bank Rossiya, which US officials have described as the personal bank of the Russian elite.” As husband and wife, Kirill and Katerina had corporate holdings worth about $2 billion, according to estimates provided to Reuters by financial analysts. This was in addition to other property and assets. Putin’s elder daughter Maria studied biology at St. Petersburg University and medicine at Moscow State University, according to the Reuters investigation. She is also heavily involved in genetic research work, which Putin has in the past described as a field that will “determine the future of the whole world.”

China to take strong measures if Pelosi visits Taiwan region Agencies China will take strong measures if U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits the Taiwan region, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing on Thursday, reiterating that China firmly opposes all forms of official interaction between the U.S. and Taiwan. Noting that the U.S. Congress is a part of the U.S. government, the spokesperson said it should strictly abide by the oneChina principle pursued by the U.S. “If Pelosi visits Taiwan, the move will seriously violate the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, seriously undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, seriously impact the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and send serious wrong signals to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces,” said Zhao. The Chinese side has made serious representations to the U.S., he added. Zhao also urged the U.S. to immediately cancel Pelosi’s planned visit, stop the official exchanges between the U.S. and Taiwan and take practical action to fulfill the U.S. commitment of not supporting “Taiwan independence.” Stressing China will take resolute and forceful measures to firmly defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Zhao warned that the consequences of any visit will be born by the U.S.

Friday, 8 April, 2022 | IsLAMABAD

sports 11

PAkiStAn women CriCketerS to PArtiCiPAte in t20 tournAment in DuBAi

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News Desk

AKISTAN women cricketer Fatima Sana will participate in a T20 competition in Dubai, which is scheduled to start from May 1, a news outlet reported on Thursday.

According to the report, the 20-year old all-rounder will be accompanied by compatriots Diana Baig and Aliya Riaz.

The tournament will include players from 35 countries, including Bhutan, Brazil and Vanuatu.

Big names like Marizanne Kapp (South Africa), Stafanie Taylor (West Indies) and Suzie Bates (New Zealand) will also be seen in action.

Fairbreak has organised the tournament to provide opportunities for female cricketers around the globe to showcase their talent.

A total of 19 matches will be

played for around 15 days.

There is no confirmation of participation of the Indian cricketers – Harmanpreet Kaur and Mithali Raj, as their availability is dependent on BCCI’s NOCs. Mohtashim Rasheed, the former head coach of the Pakistan women’s team, will also be part of the event.

The tournament will be broadcasted broadly and is planned to be held biannually.

Birthday boy Golovkin vows to deliver ‘great fight’

TOkYO AFP

Gennady Golovkin plans to turn 40 in style with “a great fight” against Ryota Murata on Saturday in a middleweight unification showdown in Japan, one day after his birthday.

IBF world champion “GGG” Golovkin (41-1-1, with 36 KOs) is favourite to beat Murata (16-2), who

holds the WBA version of the title, in Saitama, north of Tokyo. The hard-hitting Kazakh will turn 40 on Friday and has not fought since December 2020, when he stopped Polish challenger Kamil Szeremeta in the seventh round.

Golovkin promised to “live up to everyone’s expectations” against home boxer Murata, with a blockbuster third fight against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez possibly on the cards later this year if he wins.

“I’ve never been 40 before so this will be a new feeling for me,” Golovkin told reporters at a press conference in Tokyo on Thursday.

“It’s a special feeling for me to be in Japan at this time. A lot of people have worked very hard to make it possible for me to be here ready to celebrate my 40th birthday.” Golovkin has been hailed as the biggest name to enter a ring in Japan since heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, who was knocked out in Tokyo by 40-1 underdog James “Buster” Douglas in one of boxing’s biggest upsets in 1990.

Saturday’s fight was originally scheduled for December last year but was postponed because of coronavirus travel restrictions.

Golovkin said he had “a lot of respect” for underdog Murata, who won a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics and is a household name in Japan.

“We have had a lot of time to get ready for the fight so I think we will both be very well prepared,” said Golovkin. “I can promise that it’s going to be a great fight.” The 36-year-old Murata has not fought since he successfully defended his WBA ‘regular’ world title belt against Canada’s Steven Butler in Yokohama in December 2019.

Murata was then installed as WBA ‘super’ champion in 2020, the sanctioning body’s premier belt, after Alvarez vacated the crown to move up in weight.

“We’ve had a lot of time and I’ve been sparring for a long time so it’s good to be about to have a real match,” said Murata.

“I’ve trained well, but whether that comes out in the ring is in the lap of the gods. I can’t promise anything, but I have trained well.”

Pakistani athletes raise white cards News Desk Multiple Pakistani athletes including tennis ace Aisamul Haq Qureshi and Ju-Jitsu gold medallists Muhammad Ammar and Abu Hurraira raised white cards for the International day of Sports Development and Peace (IDSDP).

“A big chunk of population consists of youth in Pakistan. That is where the hope lies when it comes to making sustainable growth in sports and development.

That is what our athletes are standing for,” Pakistan JuJitsu Federation secretary and former coach Tariq Ali told The Express Tribune, as sportspersons held the white cards.

Ali emphasized that the goal is to spread awareness among the youth first and especially the ones who are out of the regular schools and college systems. In fact there needs to be inclusion of the youth, who are a part of madrasa system, and sports has the power to bring the change in the lives of the youngsters.

“We celebrate the IDSDP every year on April 6,” said Ali. “So this year is the same and we have our best athletes raising the white card to show that we stand for peace and development. This is the way to spread the awareness and try to reach the youth.”

Among the card raisers are ju-jistsu international medallists Isra Wasim, Kainat Arif, Shahzaib, Muhamad Ammar, Abu Hurraira, Muhammad Ali Rashid, Dilawar Khan Sannan, and Riasat Ali along with PJJF officals including Mehmoodul Hasan and Tehseenullah Khan.

Aisam also posted on his social media for the campaign with Peace and Sports.

“I truly believe if everyone on this planet was associated with any sport in one way or the other, this World would be a better and peaceful place,” he wrote, for the goal of promoting peace through sports.

A rough estimate of Pakistan’s youth population was 64 per cent, according to the UN Development reports in 2018. With most of its population being on a younger side, the opportunities for sports to flourish are countless along with keeping the 2022 IDSDP in mind,

which is, “Securing a Sustainable and Peaceful Future for All: The Contribution of Sport,” which creates an opportunity for the Day’s celebrations to promote the use of sport as a tool to “advance human rights and sustainable development.”

Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) also celebrated the day according to the Olympic Council of Asia website, with POA President Syed Arif Hasan and Secretary General Khalid Mahmood stating, “This year I hold a #WhiteCard because I believe that sport can help achieve unity and global cooperation.”

The video of 11-year-old Arman from Islamabad, Pakistan and the eight-year-old Riaan from Kolkata, India, raising their white card for each other to celebrate April 6 summed up the possibility of peace and growth for the future of the IDSDP, the two had also raised their flags four years ago.

The video was shared by Rahul Mukherji, who was

also a part of South Asian Peace Network discussions on sports across borders last month.

Mukherji is a peace advocate and he is coordinating the April 6 event for Peace and Sport since 2020, while also being a part of projects involving sport and art to spread Olympic values and peace around the globe especially for children.

On the other hand, Tokyo Olympics gold medalist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra also raised the white card participating in the campaign with Peace and Sports.

“Sport is a great tool that allows us to go beyond social, ethnic and religious differences. Sport teaches us to be together and united. That’s why it should not be used to propagate political ideologies,” Chopra was quoted on their website.

Olympic medallist in shooting and philanthropist Abhinav Bindra also raised the white card for the campaign.

Peace and Sports are in partnership with Zalmi Foundation for the ninth edition of the campaign as well.

The Peace and Sports campaign motto was, “Through the #WhiteCard 2022 digital campaign, Peace and Sport wishes to reaffirm that sports is a great tool for creating and maintaining links beyond all differences and that it contributes to a more united world.”

With peace being the central theme, they had started mobilization launched with a statement for peace following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and it staged the response of the sporting world.

On March 4, following the invasion in Ukraine, Peace and Sport published a column signed by more than 700 people, including 49 Champions for Peace and 18 Olympic Champions, which invited sports stakeholders to demand peace and to contribute to its construction.

The Vice-President of Peace and Sport Didier Drogba, Christian Karembeu, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Oleksiy Klyamar, Quentin Fillon-Maillet, Tony Estanguet, Yohan Blake, Cléopâtre Darleux and Sarah Ourahmoune were among the signatories.

Pak vs Aus: How much profit did PCB generate from series?

News Desk The recently concluded Pakistan-Australia series attracted cricket fans from across the country as the Aussies toured the country after 23 years — and just as it attracted fans, it also generated a huge profit for Pakistan Cricket Board. PCB’s chairman Ramiz Raja has shared that the recently concluded Australia home tour has given the board a major boost on the commercial side. Raja, in an interview released by the PCB, recalled Pakistan’s historic T20 World Cup victory over India in October and termed it a major boost for cricket in commercial aspects. “With good performances in recent past, our cricket team has built confidence in people which has given us new heights on commercial grounds,” he shared. “After our victory against India in T20 World Cup, people took more interest in this game. Only Australia’s home tour generated profits up to two billion. So, it is a positive sign for us moving forward,” he added.

However, Raja feels that infrastructure is something they need to work on. “We lack infrastructure. Our pitches are not up to the mark. Upcoming international cricket season in the country is massive, and for that, we need to work really hard,” the chairman said. It is pertinent to mention here that West Indies, England and New Zealand are lined up to tour Pakistan later this year.

Gaddafi Stadium to host Central Punjab College Championship final on Friday

News Desk The final of Central Punjab College Championship 2021-22 will be played between Government College University Lahore and Faisalabad’s Divisional Public School at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday, 8 April. The 40-over contest will be broadcast live on PTV Sports and live-streamed on the PCB’s official YouTube Channel and its first ball will be bowled at 1510. The daynight final will be played with pink ball and second innings will resume at 1910. The winner will collect a cheque of PKR0.5million, while the losing side will receive PKR0.3million. Separately, Best Batter, Best Bowler, Best all-rounder and Best Wicketkeeper will receive PKR25,000. The One-Day tournament began on 2 February 2021 in which 155 private and public colleges from 18 districts, falling under the jurisdiction of Central Punjab Cricket Association, participated. The tournament featured as many as 3,100 players, who played across 48 venues.

Friday, 8 April, 2022

prayer timings

NEWS

OPPOSitiOn, jOurnaliStS Celebrate SuPreMe COurt verdiCt ISLAMABAD

O

staff r eport

PPOSITION lawmakers, journalists, academicians and members of civil society rejoiced while government officials showed their disappointment after the Supreme Court on Thursday set aside the deputy speaker’s ruling to dismiss the no-trust resolution against Prime Minister Imran Khan and the subsequent dissolution of the NA. The court, in its short order, ruled that the deputy speaker’s ruling was “contrary to the Constitution and the law and of no legal effect, and the same are hereby set aside”.

PPP Chairman Bilawal BhuttoZardari shared a short message celebrating the news. “Democracy is the best revenge!” he said.

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif termed the day’s events as “epochmaking”.

He said the “politics of lies, deceit and allegations has been buried” and the nation had won.

Reception from the government ranks was not quite as accepting, with

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry saying the “unfortunate decision” would exacerbate the political crisis in the country.

“Immediate elections could have brought stability to the country. Unfortunately, the importance of the people has been overlooked,” he tweeted.

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz also congratulated the nation on the “supremacy of the Constitution” and said Shehbaz would become the next prime minister.

“Supreme Court has won hearts and minds! It has not only buried doc-

trine of necessity but also Imran Khan’s toxic narrative of ‘ghaddari‘ (treachery),” said PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar.

PTI Senator Faisal Javed said the prime minister would continue to “fight for his nation” and told the public to not panic, saying the premier would soon announce his next strategy.

Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq said the apex court had “buried” the doctrine of necessity and the whole nation welcomed the decision.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Political Communication Dr

Shahbaz Gill claimed the country had returned to the same situation as 1947.

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib claimed that the opposition had lost while the prime minister’s stance had won.

From among the journalistic community, industry veteran Hamid Mir said the Constitution had survived an “assassination attempt” and congratulated the country.

Abbas Nasir, said the apex court had “redeemed” itself.

Anchorperson Mansoor Ali Khan claimed the ruling had “convincingly punched holes” in the prime minister’s narrative of a foreign conspiracy against him.

From members of civil society, Lahore-based academic and activist Ammar Ali Jan said: “Sordid legacy of Doctrine of Necessity buried. We have moved beyond the ghosts of 1954.

Long live our republic!”

“Pakistan’s Supreme Court has washed away the sins of its past. […]

Important day for Pakistan’s flawed and floundering democracy,” added Uzair Younus, director of the Pakistan Initiative at Atlantic Council’s South Asia Centre.

ECP says elections not possible until October

Opposition decides not to wait for SC verdict, warns of taking to the streets The joint Opposition on Thursday deliberated over a strong comeback, considering street protests across the country as a strategy.

According to the sources, the joint Opposition has started consultations over street protests, instead of waiting for the Supreme Court’s verdict on the “unconstitutional” act by National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri.

All Opposition leaders, including PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, were present during the consultation session.

Sources further revealed that Asif Ali Zardari has proposed a phase-wise anti-government movement under which mass level protests should be held at the provincial level.

Under the second phase, supporters will be called to Islamabad for a massive rally.

Keeping in view the deepening political crisis in the country, the joint Opposition agreed to the former president’s suggestions to convene a grand meeting to further finalise their action plan. Per sources, this meeting among Opposition leaders is likely to take place this week and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif is also expected to address the leaders. staff report

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday informed President Dr Arif Alvi that elections could be held in October as it would require another four months to complete the process of delimitation of constituencies.

Earlier, the president had asked the ECP to propose dates for holding general elections in the country. The president’s letter to the ECP had stated that under Article 48(5)(A) and Article 224(2) of the Constitution, the president has to appoint a date, not later than 90 days from the date of dissolution of the National Assembly, for holding general elections In its reply, the ECP said it is an ” independent [and] constitutional entity, entrusted with the sacred duty of organising and conducting elections in terms of Article 218(3) of the Constitution and to make such arrangements which are necessary to ensure that the election is conducted honestly, justly, fairly and in accordance with law, and that corrupt practices are guarded against”.

It also requested the president to schedule meetings with the ECP for further deliberations on holding elections. The ECP said that delimitation is one of the foundation steps toward general elections, adding that work on the delimitation process was halted due to the delay from the government.

It pointed out that the number of National As-

sembly constituencies has reduced from 272 to 266 after the merger of the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and the reduction of seats in tribal areas from 12 to six.

The ECP said that these circumstances demand fresh delimitation, which is not possible in the absence of official census results.

It said the chief election commissioner had written a letter to Imran Khan on May 7, 2020, inviting his attention to the issue and seeking his intervention to get the official results notified.

The commission said that it had also written letters to other relevant quarters including the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs as well as secretaries of the Senate, National Assembly, and the Bureau of Statistics. The process of delimitation finally began after the official census results were notified on May 7, 2021, but it was stopped after the government announced that it would go for the fresh digital census, the ECP said, adding that the commission had also written letters to the government on December 30, 2021, and January 21, 2022, urging it to expedite the census process, which, it said, went unheeded.

The ECP said it is not the sole authority to make with regards to the conduct of elections and remains dependent, under the law, upon federal and provincial government for “required feedback”. staff report

Shehbaz draws parallel between Imran Niazi and Hitler Nazi The PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif while dubbing Imran Khan as “absolute fraud” drew a parallel between the PTI leader and Germany’s World War II leader Adolf Hitler.

In a statement on Thursday, Shehbaz Sharif said Hitler Nazi had also seized power by setting aside the constitution.

Shehbaz said the country has made no progress due to the economic mess and corruption.

The PML-N leader said NA deputy speaker Qasim Suri was on stay for two years. “We will fight this unconstitutional act at every forum,” he added.

Shehbaz Sharif expressed the apex court will soon an-

nounce the verdict against deputy speaker’s ruling on the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan. “We will not sit idle until violators of the constitution are not taken to task,” he added.

He also thanked Jehangir Khan and Aleem Khan groups for extending support to PMLN in Punjab. staff report

FAJR SUNRISE

ZUHR

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

4:29

12:12

3:46

5:54

6:30

7:55

fiqah-e-hanfia lahore sehr: 4:20 am iftar: 6:27 Pm

islamabad sehr: 4:21 am iftar: 6:33 Pm

karachi sehr: 4:59 am iftar: 6:51 Pm

fiqah-e-jafaria lahore sehr: 3:30 am iftar: 6:37 Pm

islamabad sehr: 4:31 am iftar: 6:43 Pm

karachi sehr: 5:09 am iftar: 7:01 Pm

PM inaugurates unified emergency helpline 911 ISLAMABAD staff report

Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the unified emergency helpline 911 on Thursday to facilitate the common people.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, the prime minister said the emergency helpline is a great project, which needs support of all the federating units of the country. “Now, every citizen in any part of the country will get the state’s response (in case of any emergency). This is a major move forward towards our mission statement of making Pakistan an Islamic welfare state,” the prime minister further said.

The premier said that bringing facilitation to the lives of common people is a responsibility of the state and making Pakistan a welfare state is his vision. He added that in any welfare state, the citizens should have the confidence of receiving the state’s response in case of any threat to life and property.

He said besides being a major facility, the PEHEL helpline would also give the people a feeling that Pakistan is for all as earlier, there were two parallel discriminatory systems supporting rich and poor respectively. He also lauded the interior ministry and other collaborating departments for establishing the helpline and said that it would also require constant coordination among all provinces. “This project should have all the provinces on the same page because it was about the benefit of all,” he remarked.

The prime minister said the PEHEL helpline would also enable the government to maintain the crime data, besides assessing the requirement of resources in different sectors. He said his government launched health cards, Ehsas Programme, Kamyab Jawan Programme, and other public welfare initiatives to facilitate the people of Pakistan.

Moreover, the introduction of a legal aid system to provide free legal services to needy people was also on his government’s agenda. He said the Madina welfare state took the responsibility of all of its citizens without considering the dearth of resources. Following the same model, China also steered around 700 million people out of poverty within 35 years, he added. He said the country could not achieve progress sans inclusivity and without breaking the elite system.

It is pertinent to mention that now a caller will only have to dial 911 and it will be routed to the concerned emergency response department. At present, several emergency services with different dialing numbers are operating in Islamabad and the unified 911 service will provide the callers an integrated platform to get in touch with the relevant emergency response service for relief.

The integrated Pakistan Emergency Helpline (PEHEL)-911 would provide emergency services like fire brigade, police, health assistance, disaster recovery and motorway police etc.

Qureshi says ‘NA speaker’s ruling is absolute’ Former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Thursday that the National Assembly speaker has the power of giving a ruling and it was absolute.

The former minister’s remarks came while talking to the media in the Supreme Court where a hearing regarding Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri’s April 3 ruling was underway by a five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial.

“Important point is the ruling of the deputy speaker,” Qureshi said. “Article 69 is clear which says to keep the affairs of the

Parliament in the Parliament. Every state institution has its own responsibility. The joint opposition says the deputy speaker violated the Constitution which is their opinion but, our opinion is different from theirs.”

The former minister added that the deputy speaker did not violate the Constitution and Article 69 of the Constitution protects the ruling of the NA speaker.

“We have taken the oath of the Constitution. We must abide by it. Going beyond that is neither our policy nor our thinking,” he said.

He said that there was a communique, in

which our position was of ‘external interference in Pakistan’s political system to change the government’. This issue was discussed in the National Security Committee, Qureshi added.

Read MoRe: QaiseR wRites letteRs to iMRan, shehbaz foR inteRiM PM: “An immediate demarche was sent from the Foreign Office regarding the communique,” he said. “If the opposition had any doubts about this then they would have come to the National Security meeting to raise their point.”

He said that the NA deputy speaker had

ruled that this was a new situation and it could not be allowed. ‘One way is to investigate it,” he added. Qureshi added that there was a clear threat of [diplomatic] isolation if the Imran Khan government remained in power.

“The Judicial Commission can know the facts. I, as the foreign minister, say that demarcation is made,” the PTI vice-chair said.

Furthermore, Qureshi added that the opposition was confused and they were pushing the country into a constitutional crisis to achieve their goals.

“For three and a half years, they have

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

been chanting that the country needs new elections. PPP completed 5 years, PML-N completed 5 years but they did not allow us to complete our term. This is a very serious situation. We are waiting for the decision of the judiciary. The only solution is a fresh mandate. The people have to decide in whose hands the reins of the country should be given,” he said.

In response to the journalist’s question about whether 200 public representatives were traitors, Qureshi said that it would have to be investigated. staff report