Epaper – August 23 LHR 2021

Monday, 23 August, 2021 I 14 Muharram, 1443 I Rs 40.00 I Vol XII No 53 I 48 Pages I Lahore Edition

Taliban seT up commission To address pakisTan’s TTprelaTed concerns cooperate with the United States in the war on terrorism.

Over the years, US drone strikes and targeted operations by Pakistan’s military targeted and killed successive TTP leaders, including Baitullah Mehsud in 2009, Hakimullah Mehsud in 2013, Mullah Fazlullah in 2018 and Wali Mehsud in 2021.

Largely routed since 2015 following Zarb-e-Azb military operation, the group has been regrouping since last summer.

Various breakaway factions pledged allegiance to the group last July to carry attacks on security forces. “TTP leaders are being warned [by the Afghan Taliban Commission] to settle their problems with Pakistan and return to the country [Pakistan] along with their families in exchange for a possible amnesty ” by Islamabad, the report quoted the source as saying.

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Seven Afghans killed in chaos at Kabul airport: British military

ISLAMABAD sTAff rePorT

a

The source revealed the details on the condition of anonymity, citing the “sensitive nature” of the matter and for not being authorized to speak to the media. Pakistan and Taliban officials have not publicly commented on the development.

On Friday, the Foreign Office said Pakistan intended to raise the TTP-related concerns with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

“We have been taking up the issue of the use of Afghan soil by the TTP for terrorist activities in Pakistan with the previous Afghan government and we will continue raising the issue with the future Afghan government as well to ensure that TTP is not provided any space in Afghanistan to operate against Pakistan,” Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri told a news conference.

high-powered commission set up by the Taliban has been working to press Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan to end its terrorist attack against Pakistan, Voice of America reported, citing sources.

Taliban chief Hibatullah Akhundzada set up the three-member commission recently to look into Islamabad’s complaints that the proscribed militant group is using Afghanistan’s soil to plot cross-border terrorist attacks.

Trained and funded by India, the Afghanistan-based UN-designated terror group is responsible for a majority of deaths of civilians and security forces since 2007 — the year it formed as an umbrella organisation of various militant entities ostensibly in retaliation for the government’s decision to

KABUL: A panicked crush of people trying to enter Kabul’s international airport killed seven Afghan civilians in the crowds, the British military said Sunday, showing the danger still posed to those trying to flee the Taliban’s takeover of the country. The deaths come as a new, perceived threat from the so-called Islamic State group affiliate in Afghanistan has seen US military planes do rapid, diving combat landings at the airport surrounded by Taliban fighters.

Other aircraft have shot off flares on takeoff, an effort to confuse possible heat-seeking missiles targeting the planes. The changes come as the US Embassy issued a new security warning Saturday telling citizens not to travel to the Kabul airport without individual instruction from a US government representative. Officials declined to provide more specifics about the IS threat but described it as significant. They said there have been no confirmed attacks as yet by the militants, who have battled the Taliban in the past. The AssociATed Press

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Hekmatyar warns India against using Afghanistan to perpetrate antiPakistan terrorism STORY ON PAGE 03

coronavirus in

pakisTan

CONFIRMED CASES:

1,123,812

LAST UPDATED AT 10:11 AM ON AUGUST 22, 2021

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

75

3,842

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

1,009,555 24,923 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

419,810

379,574

KPK:

BALOCHISTAN:

156,365 AJK/GB: 30,597/9,617

31,819 ISLAMABAD:

96,030

Captain martyred, two soldiers injured in Balochistan attack: ISPR QUETTA sTAff rePorT

A captain was martyred and two soldiers were injured in a roadside explosion in Balochistan on Sunday, the Inter-Services Public Relations said. An army vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in the remote Gichik town, said a statement by the military’s media wing.

The injured soldiers were shifted to a medical facility in Khuzdar, the statement added.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed condemned the attack and expressed “sadness” on receiving the news. “Terrorists cannot dim our courage with cowardly attacks. We are fighting them with full force and will defeat them,” he said.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry also condemned the incident and said he was “sad to learn about the martyrdom” of the young military man in the terrorist incident, APP reported.

“Such cowardly acts could not dampen the spirits of the nation,” he asserted.

The blast came days after a suicide attack on a convoy of

NORMALISING TIES?

more inside

Pakistan, India issue diplomatic visas after 28 months For the first time since a suicide bomber targeted a military convoy in Indian illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan and India have tried to normalise ties by recommencing the issuance of diplomatic visas to each other.

After the 2019 attack, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi withdrew IIOJK’s semi-autonomous status to tighten his grip over the occupied territory, provoking outrage in Pakistan and the downgrading of diplomatic ties and suspension of bilateral trade.

Pakistan and India have issued a large number of assignment visas to each other’s diplomatic staff in recent weeks, reported Tribune.

Both countries have issued visas on all applications submitted by March 15 this year.

Pakistan issued visas to 33 Indian officials, while seven Pakistani diplomats received assignment visas from India.

Sources said there was a possibility of an agreement between Pakistan and India to issue visas on assignment applications by June 15.

Chinese workers in Gwadar, which killed two children playing nearby and wounded a Chinese national. Militants, which Islamabad says have backing from New Delhi, have also targeted the Chinese consulate and Pakistan Stock Exchange buildings in Karachi in the past.

Balochistan is a key route to the multi-billion dollar ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship project of Beijing’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative.

The $64 billion megaproject aims to connect China’s strategic northwestern Xinxiang province to the Gwadar seaport through a network of roads, railways and pipelines to transport cargo, oil, and gas.

TERRORIST KILLED: In a related development, the security forces killed a terrorist while conducting an intelligence-based operation on the purported presence of militants in the Boya town of North Waziristan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The terrorist got killed during an intense exchange of fire. Weapon and ammunition were also recovered from his possession, said ISPR. It said an elaborate search operation was conducted in the neighbourhood to secure it.

Minar-e-Pakistan incident: 30 more suspects to undergo identification parade in jail STORY ON BACK PAGE

PDM announces public gathering in Karachi on Aug 29 STORY ON PAGE 02

OIC calls upon Afghan leadership to ensure country doesn’t become a ‘terrorist haven’ The two countries are likely to issue more visas to each other’s diplomats after that.

It should be noted that countries around the world issue assignment visas to diplomats and embassy staff from other countries.

In January this year, top intelligence officers from the two countries held secret talks in Dubai, reopening a back channel of diplomacy aimed at a modest roadmap to normalising ties over the next several

months.

Pakistan rejects Indian allegations after occupied Kashmir attack kills 44 security personnel Later in February, the two countries’ militaries announced an unexpected joint ceasefire.

The UAE’s envoy to Washington confirmed in April that the Gulf state was mediating between India and Pakistan to help the nuclear-armed rivals reach a “healthy and functional” relationship. news desk

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

STORY ON BACK PAGE in today’s issue

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Contact: 0307-7338168 irfan.farooq@pakistantoday.com.pk

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Monday, 23 August, 2021

LAHORE

NEWS

PDM ANNOuNCeS PubLiC GAtheriNG iN KArAChi ON AuG 29 IsLAMABAD

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AKISTAN Democratic Movement (PDM) on Saturday announced holding a public gathering in Karachi on August 29. According to the details, a meeting of the anti-

government alliance PDM was held under the chair of senior PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal. Former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, JUI-F leader Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Hafiz Hamdullah, Hamidullah, Sikandar Sherpao and other officials attended the meeting.

The session discussed the political,

Peace, stability in Afghanistan vital for regional and world peace: minister Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Sunday said that peace and stability in Afghanistan is vital for regional and world peace. Talking to Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong who called on him in Islamabad, he said that “we are playing role for peace and stability in Afghanistan”. Rasheed said that the Ministry of Interior is providing every possible facilitation to the people willing to leave Afghanistan.

He said that the government will beef up security of Chinese citizens and Chinese companies operating in Pakistan. He also said that in this regard we are working on a joint strategy. The minister said that “we will not allow terrorists to take hostage the mutual cooperation and development of Pakistan and China”. Speaking on the occasion Chinese ambassador said that security protocols for Chinese citizens and companies should be tightened. news desk

CAA makes Covid vaccination mandatory for domestic flights KARACHI: The aviation regulatory Sunday announced it will bar all domestic flight travel for people who will not have been vaccinated against Covid-19 by September 10. There will be no boarding passes after Sep. 10, for people in domestic flights if they are not vaccinated, Civil Aviation Authority has announced. All the airlines are instructed to check passenger’s vaccine certificates before allowing them to board, said CAA as it rolls out a new set of instructions today. The leniency for those having taken only the first jab of two-shot Covid vaccine will end starting Sep. 10 as well if they don’t receive their second shot due, CAA said. Every passenger above the 18-year age mark will have to be vaccinated against Covid to be able to travel in domestic flights, CAA advisory said. Separately it was reported yesterday from Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, people willing to travel to United Arab Emirates (UAE) rushed in large numbers to the premises for their required tests ahead of boarding.The CAA authorities directed the people willing to travel to UAE to reach the airport before six hours to their scheduled flights to get their rapid PCR tests for Covid-19 done. InP

PSO clarifies reports about costly LNG purchase Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has clarified reports about purchase of liquefied natural gas (LNG) at higher prices.

In a statement on Sunday, the company clarified that no cargo from a long-term supply contract in September has been dropped or cancelled by PSO as reported by certain media outlets. As per the Annual Delivery Plan (ADP) agreed with all stakeholders, four cargoes were to be supplied under the long-term contract in the month of September and two spot deliveries were planned. It said that PSO’s long-term contract for 60 cargoes a year is not equally divided over 12 months. PSO prudently planned winter (January-February and NovemberDecember) in advance, when spot prices are usually higher, and arranged 28 cargoes instead of 20 under the long-term contracts – 24 cargoes from the existing longterm contract and 4 additional cargoes from the recently executed long-term contract commencing in January 2022 by exercising contractual rights. This has been planned to meet the ever-increasing gas demand in winters at the lowest possible rates. PSO has enabled considerable savings through effective planning and contract management by reducing the number of spot cargoes from 12 to 6 this year using contractual flexibilities available while maximising long-term cargoes through contracts from 60 to 70. As far as the timing of the tenders is concerned, awarding cargoes ahead of the required delivery windows or awarding a strip of cargoes in one go does not suit PSO since the company has certain contractual flexibilities available under long-term contracts and spot purchases are very few in a year as mentioned above. For example, due to the unplanned dry dock activity of FSRU in June-July and uncertain situation in September considering scheduled FSRU replacement, had PSO awarded July and September spot cargoes in advance, the company would have had to either drop much cheaper contractual cargo or face Take or Pay penalty. news desk

internal and economic situation of the country. The dates of anti-government rallies and demonstrations will be decided in the steering committee meeting. The final approval of steering committee decisions will be given on August 28. The consultations on the government s three-year performance were also held during the

steering committee meeting.

Speaking to the journalists after the meeting, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that eight parties participated in today s meeting, PDM meeting will be held in Karachi on August 29.

He also said that the PDM is an alliance of opposition parties of the country. “The PDM wants the country s affairs to be run in

accordance with the constitution,” he added.

The former premier said that PDM is a forum which talks about the supremacy of the constitution in Pakistan. “The meeting set a schedule for holding meetings and rallies in the country, which will be announced after the August 28 meeting.”

The PML-N leader said that the purpose of electronic voting machine (EVM) is to support robbing in the elections, adding that the purpose of government electoral reforms is to facilitate vote theft. He also mentioned that it is a matter of unilateral electoral reforms, will show the way to reduce the problems of the people. “The three-year performance of the government, its corruption and incompetence will be brought to the notice of the nation, all the facts will be collected and a white paper will be issued on the performance of the government,” Khaqan Abbasi further maintained.

PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal rejects PTI’s claims of corruption, demands proof News Desk Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz senior leader Ahsan Iqbal on Sunday rejected the claims of the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf, wherein the ruling party had alleged that the PML-N had engaged in Rs3,200 billion worth of corruption.

Addressing a presser alongside other party leaders, he challenged the PTI to prove even 32 paisas of corruption. “A new scandal was created against me and Shehbaz Sharif yesterday, in which it was said that my brother was awarded contracts,” he added.

The PML-N secretary-general asserted that there had been no political prisoners or acts of political revenge

during the PML-N era. He vowed to fight the false claims.

“The country’s debt increased by more than Rs1 trillion, people are witnessing the worst inflation,” he stated on the occasion. Moreover, he alleged that Prime Minister Imran Khan was a “patron” of the mafia.

Iqbal said that it was the PML-N’s mistake that no action was taken against Imran Khan and PTI in their time. He added that PTI leaders “should have been sent to jail and punished”.

Iqbal claimed to give more income tax than the PM, adding that he lived in a rental home whlle Imran lived in more luxurious accommodations.

PML-N stalwart Marriyum

Aurangzeb noted that after Lahore’s National Accountability Bureau, now Rawalpindi’s NAB has summoned the PML-N leadership.

“This is a corrupt gang whose patron is Imran Khan,” Aurangzeb said.

She questioned why the mastermind behind projects worth Rs3.3 trillion has been accused of planting 4.5 million saplings. “The NAB-Niazi nexus can not prove a penny’s worth of corruption,” she claimed.

Discussing the performance of PTI, Aurangzeb said that Lahore is “barren” and Punjab has been turned into a “heap of garbage”.

Aurangzeb further said: “Those who sold off the country are looking into

New local government system to run mega cities soon: minister IsLAMABAD APP

The government will soon introduce a new devolution plan to run major urban centres to address the urgent and immediate challenges, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib said on Sunday.

“The transfer of power at the grassroots and empowerment of the public in the real sense is the main priority of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government”, Habib said while talking to a news channel. Minister deplored the previous government for running a one-man show in Punjab and consuming power in their persons and families, and said the new local government system will empower the public. He said when the PTI came to power in 2018, the economy was in shambles but now the policies of the incumbent government were bringing revolutionary changes with far-reaching welfare impacts for the people.

Habib said the government has set a new example of transparency and the country was moving ahead towards the goal of development and prosperity. Responding to a question, he said the government was committed to introducing judicial, as well as electoral, legislation to “reform the system in an aim to bring speedy justice and transparency”. For the first time in Pakistan’s history, a government had also set a trend of signing performance contracts with ministries to improve governance structure and service delivery, he observed. It was also for a first time that a government was working for the betterment of the poor and standing against the mafias, he claimed. He said the government, in line with the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, was taking various practical steps for the improvement of the civil service. It was also active in providing employment opportunities to the youth and focused on the implementation of women protection bills to empower women, Habib added.

Pakistan exploring Digital Silk Road to reap benefits YINCHUAN TLTP

Over the years, the countries along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), including Pakistan, have collaborated to explore the Digital Silk Road and reaped fruitful benefits in this regard. Li Yikai, deputy director of Centre for International Economic and Technological Cooperation, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China (MIIT), said this at the 2021 Online Silk Road Conference of the Fifth China-Arab States Expo held in China’s northwest city of Yinchuan, Chinese media reported.

Li added, “From 2019 to 2020, there are notable achievements in digital development in BRI countries.

For example, the Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) was deployed in Pakistan’s airports, providing accurate timing services for the operations.”

Apart from the cooperation in the satellite navigation system, digital cooperation in other areas also abounds

between China and Pakistan.

According to a Nikkei Asia report, the Digital Silk Road is part of the broader Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The fibre cable will link to the Pakistan East Africa Connecting Europe (PEACE) submarine cable in the Arabian Sea, to service countries participating in BRI and Europe. It is currently being laid between Rawalpindi and the port cities of Karachi and Gwadar. The $240-million project, which is in partnership with China’s Huawei Technologies, was approved by the government last week.

The laying of sea cable in Pakistan’s territorial waters will begin in March, following government approval this month for Cybernet, a local internet service provider, to construct an Arabian Sea landing station in Karachi. The Mediterranean section of the cable is already being laid, and runs from Egypt to France. The 15,000 kilometre-long cable is expected to go into service later this year.

contracts given by Shahbaz Sharif to Ahsan Iqbal’s brother.”

She added that those who fill the pockets of the “mafia” are rewarded and “after the NAB-Niazi nexus, an ImranFIA nexus has been established”.

Aurangzeb said that in the last three years, NAB, Imran Khan, and Shahzad Akbar all tried to prove corruption allegations against PML-N leaders but none were successful.

Replying to the opposition party’s statement, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill in a video response said that Marriyum Aurangzeb is saying that the PML-N was called out for “only Rs450 million”.

Saudi Arabia donates 18 oxygen plants to Pakistani hospitals News Desk Eight medical oxygen generation plants donated by Saudi Arabia have reached Pakistan to support its hospitals, and another 10 will reach the country in the next few days.

The oxygen plants will support primary and secondary care facilities in different provinces and in the remote areas of northern Pakistan, Health Ministry Director General Dr Rana Muhammad Safdar told a foreign news agency. “The Saudi government has provided us this assistance and we have received eight oxygen plants from KSA today and 10 more plants will reach us in the next few days,” he said. “Our tertiary hospitals already have this capacity to generate and store oxygen. These Saudi plants will be installed at district headquarters in different provinces and northern areas.” The plants can also store oxygen and can be easily and quickly transported from hospitals to smaller medical facilities where they are needed. “Through these plants we will not only cater the oxygen requirement of that particular district hospital, but also it will provide oxygen to nearby health facilities,” Dr Safdar said. “These plants have storage capability as well. So, from these plants cylinders can be filled and transported to nearby hospitals of that area which will reduce the transportation time.”

The plants, he added, will be used not only at hospital wards for coronavirus patients, but also those where oxygen support is needed to treat other conditions. “We have assessed the requirements in different hospitals, these will be distributed in the whole country,” he said.

Pakistan, Turkey to produce series on Saladin IsTANBUL AnAdoLu Agency

Pakistan and Turkey are set to co-produce a television series on the life of Salahuddin al-Ayyubi, a revered Muslim general popularly known in the West as Saladin. Having welcomed the project offer from a Pakistan-based production company, Ansari & Shah

Films, producer Emre Konuk, owner of Turkey’s Akli Films, announced on Saturday they have reached an agreement. “A happy news on a blessed Friday night!

Contract signed between Akli Films and Ansari&Shah Films about ‘Sultan Selahaddin Ayyubi,'” Konuk tweeted.

He wished that the international, joint project is beneficial “to our country and our art world.”

The series, featuring actors from Pakistan and Turkey, will be shot in Turkey and is planned to have three seasons. Konuk said he was happy to realise the project, despite being aware of the difficulty in portraying “this great person who left his mark in history and all over the world.”

Saladin defeated the crusaders and recaptured Jerusalem in 1187.

Monday, 23 August, 2021

LAHORE

heKMAtyAr wArNS iNDiA AGAiNSt uSiNG AfGhANiStAN tO PerPetrAte ANti-PAKiStAN terrOriSM IsLAMABAD

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sTAff RePoRT

ORMER Afghanistan prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar Sunday warned India to refrain from using Afghanistan’s soil against Pakistan to “avenge” the freedom movement in occupied Kashmir.

In an interview with Radio Pakistan in Kabul, the Hezb-e-Islami chief said New Delhi, instead of speculating the future of Afghanistan, should focus on its internal issues.

He said hostile spy agencies operating inside Afghanistan were instigating the people to revolt against the Taliban, declaring Kabul’s “foes” did not want a strong and stable central

government in the country torn by decades of civil war and internal instability.

In its latest op-ed, Economist observed that for India, the house-ofcards collapse of the Ashraf Ghani regime represented a “strategic setback” and a “stinging humiliation”.

Experts believe New Delhi was late in opening channels with the Taliban.

Had India done this a little earlier, and taken a more balanced approach in Afghanistan, instead of throwing all its bets on the shaky puppet regime, things would have been much different, India Today said.

Hekmatyar said formal talks among the local groups to form a negotiated government will start after the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from

Punjab plans active participation in Dubai expo: buzdar Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar said on Sunday that the provincial government would participate actively in the Dubai Expo and showcase its culture and trade. Chairing a meeting at his office on Sunday, the chief minister said that southern and central Punjab and Pothohar regions would also be given due representation in the Dubai Expo. The meeting also decided in principle to give representation to the Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry and private sector at the Dubai Expo. He said that culture, trade, tourism, and salient features of Punjab’s shining traditions would be highlighted at the expo. Buzdar said that the purpose of participating in the Dubai Expos was to promote the soft image of Pakistan. Foreign investors would also be introduced to the opportunities in business and tourism in Punjab. All required information would be provided to the world about the business-friendly atmosphere in Punjab, he added. Provincial Minister for Industries Mian Aslam Iqbal, principal secretary to the CM, secretary planning & development, secretary finance, secretary industries and other relevant officers attended the meeting. news desk

NADrA launches CNiC verification system The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has launched a new system of verification and renewal for computerised national identity cards (CNICs). According to an official of NADRA, the new system can verify or identify the registration of any irrelevant person in the family system. He said that with the new initiative, an operation has been launched against foreigners living in Pakistan illegally. New technology will be used to identify a fake identity card through artificial intelligence and the registration will be cancelled immediately.

Through the new system, Pakistani citizens will be able to get details and verification of family members by sending an SMS from their registered mobile phones to 8009. The official added that citizens can get the required details by sending their CNIC number and date of issuance to 8009. All details of the family tree will be provided while there is also an option to make corrections in the details. He added that citizens can register their mobile numbers from any NADRA centre. news desk

Afghanistan in the next few days.

He pointed out there would soon be an inclusive government in Kabul, which will be acceptable to the Afghan nation and the international community.

He stated it is for the benefit of the people that Afghan political leaders and the Taliban formally sit at the dialogue table to form the new government. He disclosed that contacts were being made in this regard and soon formal talks would soon begin.

Hekmatyar said the Taliban, in their statements, have been saying that they will prefer to establish a dispensation in consultation with all stakeholders.

He also commended Prime Minister Imran Khan’s longstanding stance concerning peace in Afghanistan.

Last week, in their first press

conference following their return to power, the Taliban vowed to respect women’s rights, forgive those who fought them and ensure Afghanistan does not become a haven for terrorists.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s longtime spokesman, promised the Taliban would honour women’s rights within the norms of Islamic law. He also encouraged women to return to work and have allowed girls to return to school, handing out headscarves at the door.

Mujahid also said the Taliban would not allow Afghanistan to be used as a base for attacking other countries, as it was in the years before 9/11. That assurance was part of a 2020 peace deal reached between the Taliban and the Trump administration that paved the way for the American withdrawal.

Two men detained for harassing Lahore woman in rickshaw LAHORe InP

The Lahore police have detained two men for harassing a young woman in a Qingqi rickshaw after a video of the assault went viral on social media.

According to the investigation officer, the incident took place on Ravi Road. The suspects were traced via the number plate of their motorcycle. They have been

moved to an undisclosed location and are being questioned by the police.

“The identification of the men will be completed after face-matching,” the officer added.

On Saturday, the Lari Adda police registered a case on the complaint of SHO Ghulam Abbas against at least 10 men. The video has been sent for forensic analysis as it is not clear when it was shot. It could be that the video is from the August 14 celebrations.

First phase of SNC to commence from current academic year: Shafqat IsLAMABAD APP

Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood has said that the new Single National Curriculum (SNC) had laid special focus on the practical aspects of Seerat of Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) including taking care of the planet, water conservation, rights of elderly, citizenship, respect for religious and cultural diversity, and values of honesty and hard work.

He said that the SNC had also focused on Pakistan’s constitutional framework, national policies with their aspirations and standards, alignment with Sustainable Development Goals, the Quaid and Iqbal’s vision, a focus on values, respect for diversity in cultures and religions, and the development of 21st century skills including analytical, critical, and creative thinking.

“The first phase of Single National Curriculum (SNC) for grades pre-1 to 5 starting the current academic year, had been developed under the prime minister’s vision of ‘One Nation-One Curriculum’,” Shafqat said while talking to APP. In the second and third phases, he said, the new curriculum will be implemented for grades 6 to 8 in 202223 and grades 9 to 12 in 2023-24, respectively.

The education minister said the national curriculum had been launched in all public and private schools and Madaris of Punjab, Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

He added that the Sindh government would be consulted as well for the implementation of SNC. The new SNC, he said, had been developed by the National Curriculum Council, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training in consultation and collaboration with education departments of all federating units of the country.

Explaining the mode of the language of new curriculum, he said that Mathematics, English and Science subjects were developed in English while other subjects are in Urdu.

Elaborating on the key features of the new SNC, he said that the practical aspects of Seerat as the blessed life of Holy Prophet (PBUH) have a special focus in the new curriculum, particularly in terms of how they apply to the lives of our young generation. To a question, Shafqat said, “we are bringing a system of tests for classes 5 and 8 to check the implementation of the curriculum in all educational institutions.”

“The model textbooks based on the SNC besides the teacher training modules have also been developed for grades Pre-1 to 5. These have been shared with all federating units to support the timely implementation of the SNC on the ground.”

To ensure intra-faith harmony, the SNC focuses on what is common between schools of thought and avoids promoting religious differences, Shafqat remarked.

He said that for students from minority faiths, a separate curriculum with the title Religious Education has been developed. “Five major religions are represented, with individual curriculum for each including Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Baha’i and Kalash,” he mentioned. The minister said that Social Studies has been developed to encourage patriotism, global citizenship, human rights and peace.

Shafqat believed the Single National Curriculum would prove an important milestone in transforming the nation into a “unified entity rooted in common morals and ethos”. “Introduction of uniform curriculum or SNC will help minimise disparity in our education system where three main education systems are prevailing; Public schools, private schools and Madaris,” the minister said.

Dawood sees more engineering goods exports from Gujranwala News Desk Adviser to the PM on Commerce and Investment, Abdul Razak Dawood has said that Gujranwala industries can gain a prominent position in the export of engineering goods in the coming years through increasing the productive manufacturing.

Gujranwala has already been a manufacturing base for engineering goods and the government is ready to provide all possible facilities for further innovation and improvement, he further said during a meeting with President of the Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) Umar Ashraf Mughal who along with other senior business leaders called on him on Sunday.

Dawood said that the government wants to introduce

its non-traditional products, especially engineering goods, in the international market, which has a strong potential to increase Pakistan’s exports. “The government is looking for new markets, especially in the African market, where we need to increase exports of light engineering goods,” he said.

He hoped that by the end of the fiscal year 2022 of the current government, the country’s exports would reach $40 billion by following the policy of trade diversification in potential trade sectors and markets.

The adviser said that export diversification, focusing on non-traditional sectors and increasing exports to new markets, including the African market, would not only enhance the volume of the country’s exports, but would also help to achieve the export targets. ‘Make in Pakistan’ is the

government’s top priority trade policy, which aims to introduce Pakistan’s traditional and non-traditional export sectors and local products in the international trade market, he said.

He said that Pakistan now wanted to make a name for itself in the world in non-traditional sectors, including engineering and pharmaceuticals.

“Geographical trade diversification and search for new markets will further increase our exports,” he said.

Razak Dawood said that “we have decided to move towards import substitution which will increase our exports and create more industries in the country. He said that Pakistan was moving towards rapid development due to correct, solid trade and economic policies.

NEWS

03

MUZAFFARABAD: Children walk on mud accumulated on Neelum Bridge. This requires the attention of concerned authorities. onLIne

NCOC daily update: 3,842 new cases, 75 deaths from Covid-19 IsLAMABAD sTAff RePoRT

Pakistan reported 3,842 new Covid-19 cases over the last 24 hours, the National Command and Operation Centre said on Sunday. The centre said that the number of overall confirmed cases has risen to 1,123,812, including 1,009,555 recoveries. The disease has killed 75 people over the last 24 hours, increasing the overall death toll to 24,923, the NCOC said, adding that 5,301 are in critical condition. Sindh is the most affected province of the country with 419,810 infections, followed by Punjab which has reported 379,574 cases. Meanwhile, Pakistan has administered 46,456,077 doses of vaccine so far. A total of 915,856 doses have been administered over the last 24 hours, according to the NCOC.

Schools in Sindh to remain closed indefinitely News Desk The Sindh government has announced that schools across the province would remain closed indefinitely.

Schools across the province were scheduled to reopen on August 30. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, in a statement, had said that teachers, staff and parents should be vaccinated before schools reopen.

“It has been decided to reopen universities, colleges and schools after 10 days. They would be opened on August 30,” he had said. Sindh Education Minister Sardar Shah had said that schools would reopen with only 50 percent of students in attendance, while the educational institutions that have a full vaccination rate will be allowed a 100 percent student strength.

The minister had said closing and reopening schools was not the solution and said a different method should be adopted which does not harm the students’ education. “One of the parents of a student will have to submit their NADRA-issued vaccination certificate to the school administration,” he had said. It is pertinent to mention that according to a decision by the Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC), educational institutions are opened across Pakistan except for Sindh where the positivity ratio was high as compared to other provinces.

fM seeks eu solidarity, support for Afghan people IsLAMABAD TLTP

Calling for solidarity and support to the people of Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said the situation in Afghanistan requires sustained international engagement. In a telephonic conversation with Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice President of the European Commission, on Sunday, Qureshi said, “At this critical juncture, it is vitally important to remain in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan and extend support to them, both in the humanitarian arena and for economic sustenance.” The foreign minister shared Pakistan’s perspective on the evolving situation in Afghanistan.

He stressed that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan is of critical importance for Pakistan and the region.

Consistent with Pakistan’s long-standing stance, the foreign minister underlined the importance of an inclusive political solution. Qureshi expressed the hope that the Afghan leaders would work together to achieve that end. For its part, he reaffirmed, Pakistan would continue to support all efforts in this direction.

He underlined that the highest priorities remain ensuring safety and security as well as protection of the rights of all Afghans. Qureshi noted that Pakistan remains in close contact with regional and international partners. He briefed Borrell of his interactions with several counterparts from Europe.

Underlining the importance of regional perspective, Qureshi informed Josep Borrell about his upcoming visit to the neighbouring countries to coordinate on issues relating to the situation in Afghanistan.

Monday, 23 August, 2021

04 NEWS

LAHORE

PSX likely to Carry forward PoSitive momentUm thiS week KARACHI

t

TLTP

HE Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) is likely to carry forward the positive momentum gained during the past two sessions in the week starting today (Monday) due to $2.77 billion receivable from International Monetary Fund (IMF), reduced geopolitical uncertainty, falling global commodity prices, ease in the coronavirus cases, and the ongoing results season.

According to analysts, a decline in infection ratio of the novel coronavirus in Pakistan and slowdown in global oil prices would release pressure from external ac-

counts. “Going forward, we expect the market activities to remain upbeat, owing to the reduced geopolitical uncertainty; therefore, we recommend our investors to take exposure in cements, steel, and auto sectors,” a report issued by Pearl Securities noted.

During the last week, the benchmark KSE-100 Index gained 429.98 points (+0.91 percent) to close at 47,599.82 points, while the KSE-30 Index gained 247.79 points (+1.3 percent) to close at 19,103.04 points.

The benchmark KSE-100 Index is currently trading at a PER of 6.7x (2021) compared to Asia Pacific regional average of 16.1x while offering a dividend yield of 6.6 percent versus 2.4 percent offered by the re-

gion. Investors’ participation remained dull, as average daily traded volume declined 13 percent to 266 million shares per day, while the value of traded securities averaged at $70 million per day. Foreign funds and investors offloaded stocks worth $10.82 million during the last week, compared with net buying of $3.95 million in the corresponding week.

On the local front, buying was reported by companies ($7.78 million) followed by mutual funds ($5.87 million).

Cement companies in the south region increased prices by Rs25/bag effective from Friday last, which led to a rally in the sector on the last trading day of the week where several cement scrips closed at their upper cir-

cuits. “The trading activity picked pace on the back of peaceful Taliban takeover of Kabul, decline in international commodity prices, reopening of borders with Afghanistan, and slowdown in Covid-19 infection ratio, resulting in a drastic jump in the trading activity,” some other analysts said.

Contribution to the upside was led by i) cements (151 points), ii) commercial banks (86 points), iii) power generation and distribution (72 points), iv) oil and gas marketing companies (65 points), and v) fertilizer (41 points). According to experts, regional geopolitics had an influence on the market earlier in the week after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani flew out of the country paving

Rupee sheds Rs6.82 against dollar in 2021-22 NEWS DESK Pakistani rupee has been on a losing streak against the US dollar in the current fiscal year 2021-22 and has so far shed 4.33 percent of its value (Rs6.82) against the greenback in the interbank market during the last over seven weeks.

The US dollar closed at Rs164.18 on Friday last, the lowest level of the local unit against the greenback since October 05, 2020. The US dollar was at Rs157.36 at the start of the current financial year.

The rupee’s Real Effective Exchange Rate Index (REER) decreased by 0.39 percent in July 2021 to a provisional value of 99.42 from the revised value of 99.81 in June 2021. According to the State Bank of Pakistan, the foreign reserves of the country stood at $24,668.10 million on August 13.

According to experts, the current sit-

uation of Afghanistan has a significant impact on the economy of the overall region. Particularly, from the perspective of Pakistan, the situation is quite sensitive, as the US has frozen all the Afghan Central Bank’s assets, while the Interna-

Coal prices likely to stay up in medium-term

tional Monetary Fund (IMF) has also announced to block SDR allocation worth $460 million.

Hence, Afghans can only buy goods from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by paying dollars in cash.

Bitcoin jumps to $49,102 in mixed crypto market NEWS DESK

NEWS DESK The global price of coal has soared to more than $166 per metric tonne and in the medium-term, demand for coal in emerging markets with less strict environmental agenda, particularly Pakistan where coal-fired power dominates generation, is expected to rise. According to a latest report by market data provider Argus, the Newcastle weekly index, which stood at $46.18 in September 2020, now stands at its all-time high of $195.20 from July 2008. The Richards Bay index, Newcastle’s South African equivalent, also jumped more than 55% this year, closing at $137.06 per metric tonne last week. According to Yulia Buchneva, Fitch Ratings’ director in natural resources, thermal coal remains one of the main global energy sources with an over 35% share in power generation worldwide. “We expect that the share of coal in energy generation will decline driven by the energy transition agenda, however this will have a rather longer-term impact on the market. In the medium-term, demand for coal in emerging markets with less strict environmental agenda, in particular in Pakistan, India and Vietnam, where coal-fired power dominates generation, is expected to rise,” Buchneva said, noting that Europe and the US represent a mere 10 percent of worldwide coal demand. “The current high thermal coal prices have decoupled from costs and are therefore not sustainable. We expect that prices will normalize during the remainder of the year,” she added.

Fitch Ratings expects the price of Australian coal to drop toward $81 by year’s end. Thermal coal is burned to generate electricity. It is the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel, with a high level of emissions. Argus analysts claim coal prices were impacted by high electricity demand and a surge in global gas prices due to the Covid-19 pandemic, combined with unseasonably low gas storages in Europe and low gas imports.

However, the rupee is expected to stay stable this week, owing to the inflows from the IMF; however, the recent numbers of the current account deficit may escalate the demand for the dollars.

The IMF has announced a $650 billion financial package to boost the global economy. Pakistan is scheduled to get $2.77 billion on Monday (August 23) under this package.

The currency experts expressed the hope that the IMF’s loan amount would ease pressure on the exchange rate. They also said that the declining global commodity and oil prices will also help the local currency make gains. Analysts at Arif Habib Limited said crashing global commodity prices would ease pressure on the demand for import payments. Further, a decline in infection ratio of the novel coronavirus in Pakistan and slowdown in the global oil prices would release pressure from the external account.

The cryptocurrency market remained mixed on Sunday, with the market capitalisation decreasing by 0.1 percent to $2.18 trillion as of 1205 hours GMT. The price of Bitcoin (BTC), the largest cryptocurrency, reached $49,102 after gaining 1.08 percent. With this increase in price, the market capitalisation of the BTC has reached $922.5 billion. However, ethereum (ETH) price slipped by 0.1 percent to reach $3,252. With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of ETH has reached $380.8 billion. On the other hand, XRP gained 1.08 percent to reach $1.25. The market capitalisation of XRP stands at $124.6 billion after this increase.

Similarly, the price of Cardano (ADA) reached $2.62 with 7.43 percent increase in its price. Its market capitalisation has reached $84.7 billion after this increase. However, Dogecoin (Doge) price went down by 0.16 percent to reach $0.319. With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of Doge has reached $41.7 billion.

Meanwhile, around 85,000 merchants in Switzerland are now able to provide customers with an option to pay in cryptocurrency thanks to a collaboration between Bitcoin Suisse and Worldline. The two companies have officially launched the new service following a pilot programme.

Zug-based crypto-financial services provider Bitcoin Suisse and Worldline, a European payments company, have announced the launch of an integrated service allowing companies in Switzerland to accept major cryptocurrencies. More than 85,000 merchants in the Worldline network have been enabled to employ the “omni-channel crypto payment solution.”

Swiss merchants using Worldline’s point-ofsale and e-commerce payment services can offer their clients the option to pay with bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH), alongside traditional payment methods. They are protected from exposure to market volatility as the cryptocurrency is converted into Swiss francs immediately after payments are confirmed.

Islamabad airport ATC tower reconstruction cost exchequer Rs21m: audit NEWS DESK An audit report has pointed out multiple irregularities in the construction of Islamabad International Airport including opting for the wrong site to build an air traffic control tower that failed its purposes.

According to the report, the decision to construct the ATC tower for Islamabad International Airport twice dented the national exchequer with an Rs21 million loss. The wrong construction site had caused the ATC to be blinded by the planes standing northwest to the terminal and since it failed the purpose, a new site was chosen to build the structure on.

Building of the ATC tower again cost Rs21 million, the audit reported. It said the reason behind it was mis-

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management and poor control over the affairs.

The report further added that the matter was signified to the project administration but it did not respond to the concerns. When asked, the CAA authorities refused to comment on the matter.

Earlier last month, it was reported that the ceiling of the newly-built Islamabad International Airport started leaking once again due to heavy rain in the federal capital. According to details, portions of the IIAP ceiling were seen crashing to the ground due to the recent rains.

The ceiling near the International Departure and FIA counter leaked and the floor presented a look of a lake.

Due to leakage after the heavy showers, the passengers and the staff faced problems. The ceiling of the airport leaked multiple times after heavy downpours.

way for the Taliban to take control 20 years after a US-led military invasion ousted them.

However, the market was quick to more than recuperate the losses, they said.

On the economic front, large-scale manufacturing (LSM) grew 18.42 percent during June 2021, taking FY21 LSM growth to 14.85 percent. This remarkable rise in LSM during the fiscal year was expected given slowed industrial activity during FY20, amid strict lockdowns during the first wave of the Covid-19. Moreover, the latest data showed that the country received only $90 million as foreign direct investment (FDI) during July as against an inflow of $129 million during the same period last year.

Uptrend in gold price unlikely amid near-term neutral outlook

NEWS DESK After finishing last week flat with a gain of only $0.90 per ounce, gold’s near-term neutral outlook with the one week view points to an average target of $1,779 and suggests that the beginning of an uptrend is unlikely.

However, most experts are bullish in the one month view and suggest the average target price of $1,790 per ounce. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) indicator on the daily chart continues to move sideways near 50, confirming gold’s indecisiveness in the short-term. On the upside, interim resistance seems to have formed at the $1,790/93 area (static level, 50-day SMA). A daily close above this level could open the door for additional gains toward $1,800 (psychological level) and $1,810 (100-day SMA, 200-day SMA). On the downside, static supports are located at $1,770, $1,760 and $1,750.

Among these levels, the second one seems to be particularly significant with gold having suffered heavy losses the last time it broke below it on August 9.

Despite the broad-based USD strength, gold managed to stay resilient throughout the week with the risk-averse market environment allowing the precious metal to find demand. After edging higher toward $1,800 during the first half of the week, gold edged lower on Thursday and ended up closing the week virtually unchanged a little above $1,780. In the week starting today (Monday), IHS Markit will release the preliminary August Manufacturing and Services PMI reports for Germany, the euro area and the US on Monday. In case those reports confirm that inflation will remain high for longer than expected, the US dollar could preserve its firm footing. On Wednesday, July Durable Goods Orders data from the US will be looked upon for fresh impetus ahead of Thursday’s weekly Initial Jobless Claims report. Finally, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index, the Fed’s preferred gauge of inflation, will be featured in the US economic docket. It is pertinent to mention that TLTP Research Wing predicted on August 15 that gold was expected to move sideways in the one week view.

Monday, 23 August, 2021

LAHORE

SBP to keeP PoliCy rate ConStant at 7PC in 2021-22: FitCh London

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TLTP

ITCH Ratings has maintained its view that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) will keep its benchmark policy rate constant at 7.00 percent through the fiscal year 2021-22 to continue supporting the economy through the country’s fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a latest report, Fitch was of the view that the SBP will continue to keep its monetary policy loose until the pandemic-related risk has significantly abated and domestic demand-side price pressures become stronger.

“With the country grappling with a fourth wave of cases as of August, we expect the economy to take a further hit due to the re-imposition of containment measures,” said Fitch. On August 1, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) declared that new restrictions in major cities will commence on August 3 and last until August 31.

“With the spectre of Covid-19 looming over the country, we maintain our belief that intermittent lockdown measures will likely occur throughout the year,

China mulls to obligate US-listed firms to hand over data control: reports Beijing is considering moves to obligate domestic companies seeking US stock listings to hand over the management of their data to third-party – preferably state-backed – firms, according to media reports.

According to Reuters sources, Chinese regulators want the regulation to limit the companies’ ability to transfer Chinese onshore data abroad in breach of the country’s national security laws. Sources expect a final decision and a formal framework for the data handover plan to be ready by next month. The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) and the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. The reported plan is one of a number of proposed steps to broaden state regulation over the country’s tech sector, including curbing unfair competition and probing companies’ handling of consumer data, as well as tightening scrutiny of Chinese firms’ overseas listings.

Last month, CAC proposed a draft regulation subjecting firms with more than one million users to security reviews before listing abroad. China’s National People’s Congress this week passed a law on the protection of online user data privacy. The regulation instructs tech firms to ensure secure storage of user data and introduces conditions under which companies can collect personal data, including mandatory individual consent. The regulation will come into force on November 1, according to state media outlet Xinhua. Beijing’s regulatory moves have sent Chinese tech stocks stumbling amid weakening investor sentiment. Tech stocks plunged this week both in Hong Kong and in mainland China, with Hong Kong’s benchmark index dropping 5.8% to its lowest since March 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic panic sowed panic in financial markets. The Shanghai Composite index dropped 1.1% to its lowest close in more than two weeks. Among the major tech stocks to drop were e-commerce giant Alibaba, whose Hong Kong shares fell 2.6% to a record closing low, slashed by half from its October 2020 peak. Internet giant Tencent touched a 14-month low and food deliverer Meituan hit a one-year low. In total, over $560 billion in market value was wiped off Hong Kong and mainland China exchanges this week with investors unable to predict which sectors regulators will target next. NEWS DESK

CiTy NoTES M A NiAzi

i

NSTEAD of commiserating with Ayesha Akram, the victim of the Independence Day outrage, perhaps we should be thanking her. I mean, if the shikras who assaulted her had not been distracted, they would have probably been out on motorcycles, executing wheelies, and getting killed. Instead of attempting to gain independence from life, they showed their independence of any shame or good manners.

And there is much that TikTokers are guilty of, much that they deserve, but those are all offences against good taste, and surely they do not deserve such punishment as was given to the poor girl. Which among those assaulting her could put their hands on their hearts and swear they have never made an unfortunate post on social media?

Perhaps one reason for the incident was the police. Certainly, the suspension of the DIG (investigations), among others, indi-

thereby hampering the county’s economic recovery.

Given we do not expect the economy to return to full capacity in the short run, we hold the view that the SBP will believe it necessary to keep monetary policy accommodative to support its recovery.”

Underscoring the belief for pandemic-related risks to persist over the short run is Pakistan’s still-low vaccination rate. While the government’s aggressive approach to vaccinations - such as threatening to block SIM cards and denying access to offices and public amenities for the unvaccinated – has made some headway in boosting the vaccination rate, overall rates still lag behind the world average, said Fitch.

“We attribute this to a shortage in vaccine supply, thereby preventing the government from accelerating its Covid-19 rollout programme. Indeed, with Pakistan only being able to secure enough vaccines to get 26% of its population fully inoculated, according to Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker, we believe achieving herd immunity is unlikely in the short term,” said Fitch.

Despite the economic challenges, Fitch sees some near-term upside pressures on inflation. While the headline inflation further slipped from 9.6 percent year-

on-year (YoY) in June to 8.4 percent in July, this figure is still above the midpoint of the SBP’s inflation target.

Inflation has been elevated in recent months due to surging oil prices coupled with supply-chain disruptions from the pandemic. These factors, in addition to hikes in electricity tariffs and food prices (such as sugar, wheat flour, and ghee), will likely cause inflationary pressures to persist over the coming months.

“That said, we expect the central bank will look past these upside pressures and instead prioritise supporting the country’s economic recovery,” said Fitch.

“The risks to our monetary policy outlook are weighted to the upside. A better than expected economic recovery could lead to more persistent demandside price pressures and feed through to a widening current account deficit, putting pressure on Pakistan’s external financing position. “In such a scenario, we would expect the SBP to begin normalising its monetary policy stance to cool the domestic demand surge.

We also flag potential supply-side price shocks, given continued disruptions to global supply-chains from the pandemic and potential border closures amid the recent instability in Afghanistan,” said Fitch Ratings.

Seven Afghans killed in chaos at Kabul airport: British military continued from page 01 On Sunday, the British military acknowledged the seven deaths of civilians in the crowds in Kabul.

There have been stampedes and crushing injuries in the crowds, especially as Taliban fighters fire into the air to drive away those desperate to get on any flight out of the country.

“Conditions on the ground remain extremely challenging but we are doing everything we can to manage the situation as safely and securely as possible,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

On Saturday, British and Western troops in full combat gear tried to control the crowds pressing in. They carried away some who were sweating and pale. With temperatures reaching 34 degree Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit), the soldiers sprayed water from a hose on those gathered or gave them bottled water to pour over their heads.

“Listen, sir, you need to calm down,” one soldier told a man lying in the dirt, as another gave him an orange liquid. “Calm down.”

It wasn’t immediately clear whether those killed had been physically crushed, suffocated or suffered a fatal heart attack in the crowds. Soldiers covered several corpses in white clothes to hide them from view. Other troops stood atop concrete barriers or shipping containers, trying to calm the crowd. Gunshots occasionally rang out.

Speaking to an Iranian state television channel late Saturday night in a video call, Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem blamed the deaths at the airport on the Americans in what quickly became a combative interview.

“The Americans announced that we would take you to America with us and people gathered at Kabul airport,” Naeem said. “If it was announced right now in any country in the world, would people not go?”

The host on Iranian state TV, which long has criticised America since the 1979 revolution, quickly said: “It won’t happen in Iran.” Naeem responded: “Be sure this will happen anywhere.”

Thousands rushed the airport last Monday in the chaos that saw the US try to clear off the run-

way with low-flying attack helicopters. Several Afghans plunged to their deaths while hanging off the side of a US military cargo plane. It’s been difficult to know the full scale of the deaths and injuries from the chaos.

The Biden administration is considering calling on US commercial airlines to provide planes and crews to assist in transporting Afghan refugees once they are evacuated from their country by military aircraft. Under the voluntary Civil Reserve Air Fleet program, civilian airlines add to military aircraft capability during a crisis related to national defense. That program was born in the wake of the Berlin airlift.

The US Transportation Command said Saturday it had issued a warning order to US carriers Friday night on the possible activation of the program. If called upon, commercial airlines would transport evacuees from way stations outside Afghanistan to another country or from Virginia’s Dulles International Airport to US military bases.

Meanwhile, the Taliban’s top political leader arrived in Kabul for talks on forming a new government. The presence of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who returned to Kandahar earlier this week from Qatar, was confirmed by a Taliban official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the news media.

Baradar negotiated the militants’ 2020 peace deal with the US, and he is now expected to play a key role in negotiations between the Taliban and officials from the Afghan government that the militant group deposed.

Afghan officials familiar with talks held in the capital say the Taliban have said they will not make announcements on their government until the August 31 deadline for the US troop withdrawal passes.

Abdullah Abdullah, a senior official in the ousted government, tweeted that he and ex-President Hamid Karzai met Saturday with the Taliban’s acting governor for Kabul, who “assured us that he would do everything possible for the security of the people” of the city.

NEWS

taliban set up commission to address Pakistan’s ttPrelated concerns continued from page 01 The sources, however, ruled out the possibility of the government accepting any TTP demands, insisting the amnesty would be offered in line with the Constitution and law of the land. The February 2020 deal reached between the Taliban and the United States in Doha, which paved the way for foreign troops to leave Afghanistan, binds the group to prevent regional as well as transnational terrorist groups from using Afghan soil to threaten global security.

“This concern is legitimate, and our policy is clear that we will not allow anyone to use the soil of Afghanistan against any neighbouring country, including Pakistan. So they should not have any concern,” Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told VOA, without sharing further details.

Shaheen said be it TTP or any other terrorist group they “will have no place in our country and that’s a clear message to all.” The Taliban are in desperate need of support from regional and international countries now that they are in control of Afghanistan to address governance as well as critical economic challenges facing the country, one of the poorest in the world. Analysts say it would be extremely difficult for the Taliban to disregard reservations of all the neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, on the presence of terrorists who have targets across the Afghanistan border. “If they (the Taliban) fail to deliver on their counterterrorism commitments, not only Pakistan but China, Russia, Iran and Central Asian countries would all be upset because they also complain that fugitive militants sheltering on Afghan soil threaten their national interests,” the source in Islamabad stressed. “Can they survive if they turn their guns against us and support TTP? This is not possible. Our trade routes are a lifeline for them, for landlocked Afghanistan,” the source added. The Taliban regained power in Kabul last week after overrunning most of Afghanistan within the past two weeks in a largely unexpected development. But the Kabul takeover has largely been peaceful and the group is currently consolidating its power by engaging former local rivals in their bid to form an inclusive government in order to win international recognition for it. Pakistan has over the past five years constructed a robust fence and hundreds of forts along what used to be its historically open border with Afghanistan. The massive project, says the military, has effectively blocked militant infiltration in either direction.

normalising ties?

Pakistan, india issue diplomatic visas after 28 months continued from page 01 Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba said in a virtual discussion with Stanford University’s Hoover Institution that the UAE had played a role “in bringing Kashmir escalation down and created a ceasefire, hopefully ultimately leading to restoring diplomats and getting the relationship back to a healthy level”. “They might not sort of becoming best friends but at least we want to get it to a level where it’s functional, where it’s operational, where they are speaking to each other,” he added. In March this year, Chief of Amy Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa called on India and Pakistan to “bury the past” and move towards cooperation.

However, he stressed that the burden was on India to create a “conducive environment” and said the US had a role to play in ending regional conflicts. In June, Prime Minister Imran Khan had said once the Kashmir issue was resolved, there would no longer be any need for nuclear deterrence.

“The moment there is a settlement on Kashmir, I believe Pakistan and India will live as civilised neighbours without nuclear deterrence,” he said in an interview with Jonathan Swan of “Axios on HBO”. PM Imran said the Kashmir dispute, which holds the 1.4 billion people of South Asia hostage, could be settled if the US showed a ‘resolve and will’. “This festering [dispute] can ease if the US has the resolve and will. This can be sorted out.”

With additional input from agencies

Bad taSte not a Crime yet cates that the Lahore police was doing something wrong. Maybe the cops were blaming Ayesha Akram for not having filled her car’s tank. Or having worn insufficient clothes. One misses the former CCPO Lahore, Umar Sheikh, for not being around for some good old-fashioned victim-blaming.

Some of the comments on social media seem driven more by anger at not having been there rather than at the event. The PM is lucky not to be accused, and is probably relieved that the incident occurred in Lahore, not Islamabad. He may be regretting his decision to let people phone in on him, after Ayesha got him, and let him have an earful. She wanted to be protected while exercising her right to celebrate Independence Day the way men do. Unfortunately, men, as I said, seek liberty from life. Is that right to be protected?

However, in one respect, the episode

proved that we are in the digital age. If there’s no video going viral, it didn’t happen. The incident may well have involved hundreds of people on Independence Day. But no one knew about it until the video went viral. Only then did the PM, the CM and the police get into action.

Another thing that emerged is that there’s safety in numbers. No one person has been charged, unlike Bob Dylan, the rock star who was given the Nobel Prize for Literature for his lyrics, who has been sued for sexual abuse, committed back in 1965, by a woman who was only 12 at the time.

One effect of that charge has been to make the rapper R Kelly a front-runner for a future Nobel Literature Prize. He has been accused of, among other things, child pornography and kidnapping. The Swedish Academy itself, which decides the winner, awarded the 2018 Prize the next year, because of a sex-

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05

abuse scandal that year that had made it impossible for it to function. Dylan’s 2016 prize had it made possible for rappers to dream of the award. But now it seems one has to have charges laid against one.

While there was so much concentration on the Minar-e-Pakistan incident, another nearby event almost slipped under the radar, the attack on the Ranjit Singh statue outside the Fort was attacked. I’m not sure what the motive was. The statue was not torn down, which would be one motive borrowed from the USA, where they’ve been tearing down the statues of confederate generals. Or was the protest against any statues at all? Or did the protester want to say Ranjit Singh was never maharajah? Or was it a slightly late protest against his having ruled?

It might have been better to protest against the fall of Kabul. I’m a little surprised that no one has thought to blame Nawaz

Sharif for everything. I mean, everyone is repeating that the Afghan National Army melted away because of corruption. Can there be any corruption without Nawaz?

That depends on a closer look at the First Test against the West Indies. Why did Pakistan lose by one wicket to one of the weakest teams in the game? And why did Shaheen Afridi take eight wickets? That showed that the West Indian team had no consideration for Imran Khan’s future. And why did the team lose just as India won by 151 runs against England? Obviously, there had been dirty work at the crossroads, and not only is Babar Azam clearly an Indian agent, but he’s also working for Nawaz, which is the same thing.

Cricket is in the news somehow.

Nawaz’s grandson and Maryam’s son is going to get married to Saifur Rehman’s daughter. Yes, the same Saifur Rehman who won the name Ehtesabur Rehman after heading the Ehtesab Bureau in Mian Nawaz’s second tenure, and then Cricketur Rehman when he was appointed head of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Monday, 23 August, 2021

06 COMMENT

After the Afghan Armageddon

Squeezing the press New means of control keep on being sought

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he recent summons by the Supreme Court of the representatives of the Interior Ministry, the FIA and the Islamabad Police in a petition on the disappearance of journalists is perhaps going to take the lid off a pattern of oppression of the press in which the proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) law will likely play a key role. The new PMDA would be created by the merger of various government regulators into one behemoth. It was initially denied by the government that it had any such plans, but it has now come out with a regulatory mechanism that merely gives the government control, by the threat of punitive action on various vaguely defined charges. That vagueness is a sure indication of misuse, as that has been the use made of such clauses. The new PMDA is apparently a pet project of the present Information Minister, for it first reared its head during his previous stint at the Ministry, but was shelved when he had removed, and only revived when he returned.

The government has also not resisted the temptation of exploiting the economic difficulties that have hit the media, the print media in particular, because of the effect of electronic media platforms, which have caused a crisis in the print media, thereby causing government advertising to loom larger in media houses’ calculations than before.

The government’s use of this leverage has actually been the less unacceptable aspect of its pressure tactics, which has extended to pressure on distributors, where entire neighborhoods have been banned for offending media.

More sinister have been sudden disappearances and violence has been offered to offending journalists.

The government has been sacrificing much of the international goodwill it has by developing a reputation worldwide for oppressing the press, for refusing to take criticism. The particular problem of this regime persists, where it is not known where the goalposts are, so that the ultimate aim of any controller of the media, to get journalists to practice self-censorship, is impossible. The Supreme Court has demonstrated in other cases a firm resolve to uphold the rule of law and fundamental rights.

Freedom of press may be essential for journalists, but the real beneficiary will be society was a whole.

How the Taliban took over

Dr Zeeshan Khan

The writer of Art of War, Sun Tzu was a Chinese general, military strategist, writer, and philosopher once said that Know thyself, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories and it is also said that All warfare is based on deception.

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AKISTAN’S Prime Minister’s stance has proved correct that there is no military solution of the Afghan Problem. history has announced its decision loud and clear that if a nation does not give up or keeps resisting the oppressor, victory would be her ultimate fate.

But the right thing is that a trick or plan is good when it succeeds and is admired even by the rival.

The most interesting thing of the whole episode is that the people who were uneasy, were those who could not understand the true situation of Afghanistan though things were quite clear from last few days. even the US media and stakeholders were totally confused and baffled. They could not grasp at the circumstances. The so-called ‘Watchman’ himself fled and found it as its last option to exercise. When the USA fled from Afghanistan, how the so-called puppet, Ashraf Ghani, survive?

Sardar Daud was ousted in 1978. Now, after 40 years, Afghanistan is going to have a strong central government and the way the Taliban have taken over, it can be observed they will have no opposition. It was just falsehood or propaganda that Kabul would have a civil war situation. In reality, there was not a single cracker.

Most analysts actually predicted wrongly, the blunder being comparing the present Afghanistan and Taliban with the Afghanistan and Taliban of 1996.

When the Taliban left Qandahar and went for Kabul, then so-called Mujahideen fought against Gulbadin

The new challenge Latest deaths bring into question Taliban control

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he most unfortunate part of Saturday’s incident at the Kabul Airport was not so much that seven people were killed, though that was unfortunate, as that it was not the first such incident, following Monday’s horrific deaths, still not definitely determined, when people clinging to the landing gear of a departing aircraft were killed when the plane pulled up its wheels.

The basis of the problem is the failure of any authority to establish control over Kabul Airport, and until that is done, it may not mean the end of the incidents. That will only happen when there is an end to people’s desperation in their attempts to flee the Taliban. The Taliban are not helping matters by engaging in hounding opponents.

Despite the appeals for calm and promises of tolerance, there are now too many reports of raids against potential opponents to be ignored. It should surprise no one that those who suspect that they might be targeted, that promises of toleration may be ignored, try to flee. And then, if in this desperation, they end up getting killed, who is to blame? If the Taliban claim to have taken over the government, they will then have to accept that particular responsibility. It is no longer a matter of fighting for freedom, or changing perception; it is a matter of stopping people being killed at Kabul Airport.

That incident might almost be taken as a symbol of the Taliban dilemma. At one level, the departure of those who fear the Taliban, cleanses the polity of those who, for various reasons, could or even definitely would, oppose the present regime. however, the process must be orderly.

The disorder that is being seen is driven by the desperation of those who want to depart, but behind this is a combination of laxity in running the airport, as well as despair created by raids and even killings being reported on the grapevine.

The Taliban must understand that not only must the savage desire for revenge be brought under control, but so must all draconian measures. The Taliban has enough control of ‘hearts and minds’ to have as far as they have.

Now they need to use this to get as far as the general pacification of the country.

attiya Munawer

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uniform curriculum is being implemented in Pakistan. After the implementation of this uniform curriculum, it will be taught in all educational institutions and seminaries of the country including Punjab province.

In the first phase, the uniform curriculum has been implemented at the primary level. The books of Punjab Curriculum and Text Book Board will be studied in all private and public schools, and seminaries, across Punjab. The decision of the provincial government to have a uniform curriculum has been welcomed by some quarters, while some constituencies still have many reservations.

There is no doubt that the need for a uniform curriculum has been felt across the country for a long time and voices have been raised in various quarters in this regard, but the previous governments did not pay any attention to this important issue. Thus, this

Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami Umar Aziz

Joint Editor

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

The situation in Afghanistan has only one direction, which is inclined towards the Taliban. It is clear only for those who can see behind the wall. Things are running smoothly in Kabul but only western embassies are creating panic.

The process has started, but there are many more obstacles

Arif Nizami (Late)

M. A. Niazi

Now, it is a big challenge for the Taliban how they run the government in Afghanistan and how its fruits flow to Afghans and neighbouring countries. What difference they would make, is ultimately more important.

Albeit they would carry the concept of emirates. It is also true that the present Taliban have much more international exposure than the government of 19962001. Because the leadership of the present group of Taliban including Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar have been involved in dialogue with the USA, China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan, and their political office in Doha has actually given them experience of dealing with others by coming out of their enclosed shell. They have understood that they have to be successful in two things, one being the kind of government they form internally to establish peace in Afghanistan and to accommodate the great ethnic and religious diversity of their land. There was the menace of internal fighting, but it was not on large scale and they have controlled the worsening situation and avoided any severe situation in Kabul It is also important how the Taliban government fulfils its international responsibilities. If they are met then the international community would certainly accept them. Bilateral trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan is important because most of the utilities are provided by Pakistan to Afghanistan. extremist organisations are needed to be banned by the Taliban. Although Pakistan would not accept the Taliban government immediately, it will ultimately. Moreover, Pakistan would revive bilateral the border relationship. Pakistan is very cautious in taking up an Afghan policy must delay recognition to observe Afghanistan’s internal situation. humanitarian and trade relations must be restored at once to facilitate transit trade and other activities.

The situation in Afghanistan has only one direction, which is inclined towards the Taliban. It is clear only for those who can see behind the wall. Things are running smoothly in Kabul but only western embassies are creating panic. Indeed, It is an utter loss for them. It is seeming that US and Western forces are acting like the Taliban and trying to give an impression of havoc though Taliban seem at complete ease. But the picture is totally clear for the thinkers and observers only.

Dr. Zeeshan Khan can be reached at @DrZeeshanKhanA1 and dr.zeeshan.alias.ghazikhan@gmail.com

One Nation one curriculum

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

hikmatyar and Ahmed Shah Masood and occupied Kabul. Taliban did not get complete control of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 when the USA attacked. They were in a war situation of war as the Northern Alliance of Ahmad Shah Masood just kept on fighting and resisting, as did the Jumbish-i-Milli militia of Abdul Rasheed Dostum.

Now, the way the USA left, at present the Taliban are more confident and relaxed, as they are not on a war footing.Now, their foremost priority is to stay away from anarchy. They avoided bloodshed so that Afghan people do not panic. Taliban spokespersons advised people in Kabul to stay calm and relaxed and said there would be no vandalism. Moreover, they are conveying the message that Taliban entered the Kabul because Afghan Army had fled and there was no one to handle the duties of security.

It is not a thing that happened in weeks but in days that Ashraf Ghani’s Government was just manifested a house of cards and not a real government, it was just supported with American dollars, air force and helicopters and when the USA left, the sand house had to collapse, and it happened so. We got surprised for nothing otherwise, literally, there was no surprise.

When the Taliban took over, there would be more chances of stability. If there is stability in Afghanistan that would also be beneficial for Pakistan. A chaotic Afghanistan is a danger for Pakistan.

The thing which is discussed is what will be the future of Al-Qaeda. The Taliban did not oust the most powerful nation of the world after 20 years of war just to repeat the old mistakes like the demolition of the Bamiyan Buddhas. Their attitude shows they have learnt from their mistakes and they mean business.

They are no more misogynists or hardliners as the Western media has always portrayed them and the best outcome of the whole process would be an ultimate stability in Afghanistan.

America did not prove loyal towards any of its allies.

The USA entered Afghanistan with 48 allies 20 years back, but proved that puppets does not stand on its own feet. The world could not foresee the situation.

The real thing is that the Taliban are a political reality now. All neighbouring countries will have to accept them and this atmosphere has already bee established.

Now the only thing the USA is left with is propaganda.

This propaganda would be created with the help of India and that would for sure indicate an increase of terrorism. It will be just a negative propagation.

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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important issue has been constantly ignored.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had expressed his desire to implement a uniform curriculum in the country as soon as he came to power, but the journey from setting a uniform curriculum to implementation was not so easy. There were many difficulties along the way and the covid-19 pandemic made it more difficult to implement a uniform curriculum, while private educational institutions and publishers have also expressed concerns over the implementation in such a short time. Due to various reasons and factors the implementation of uniform curriculum has been stalled, but it has not been allowed to be ignored. After three years of continuous struggle, the government, in consultation with educationists, the heads of public and private educational institutions and the publishers, has not only succeeded in allaying their reservations, but is fulfilling the dream of its implementation.

It is gratifying that after the implementation of a uniform curriculum, students belonging to the backward and poor classes will also have equal opportunities to advance, as the education system that was prevalent in the country before, had a clear distinction between english medium and Urdu medium, and only the children of the privileged had the opportunity to advance. On the contrary, if we look at the education system of developed countries, there are equal opportunities for ordinary citizens to move forward, while in other backward countries like Pakistan there is a perception that some people are born to rule and lead, so they are also given better opportunities for higher education, so that they can rule the common people in a better way.

When the Prime Minister stood up against this thinking, he faced stiff resistance and the work that should have been done three years ago is now being done after great difficulties. The mafias that have been creating difficulties in the implementation of uniform curriculum will continue to create obstacles in the future. however, only the consistency and prudence of the government can thwart the mafia. There-

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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fore, instead of being blackmailed by the mafia under the guise of reservations, the government should ensure the implementation of a uniform education system across the country, which will enable the elimination of class and linguistic divisions from the country to a large extent.

The introduction of a uniform curriculum by the PTI government is commendable, but will it really prove to be a better curriculum? It is too early to say at this point, as private educational institutions say they were previously teaching the world’s best curriculum, while the curriculum being offered to them by the government lags far behind the first curriculum in terms of quality, but the biggest advantage of a uniform curriculum is that the quality of education in public educational institutions will be better and easier for parents who cannot afford to send their children to private educational institutions. Private educational institutions used to show superiority because of their curriculum, which will not be the case after the implementation of uniform curriculum.

Undoubtedly, after the implementation of a uniform curriculum, students will increasingly turn towards public educational institutions, as public educational institutions are a cheap source of education. however, the government will now have to focus on the performance of public educational institutions as well. Implementation of the uniform curriculum in all provinces will not be easy. The new curriculum has been implemented in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa even before the announcement of the government. It will be implemented easily in Punjab and will also be easy in Balochistan with the help of allies. however, due to there being a PPP government in Sindh, the federal government may face difficulties. The government will have to join hands with the opposition to make the nation have a single curriculum and it will help create equality at the societal level and enable all to move the country forward by playing their part in national development side by side on an equal footing.

The writer tweets @AttiyaMunawer

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Monday, 23 August, 2021

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

Incorporating Technology in Education AS the saying goes, “ in the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunities.”

As the covid-19 has taken its toll on education sector, it has also open new avenue of incorporating technology in our education system. Coronavirus has compelled authorities to digitalize education delivery system in order to provide distant learning during the closure of educational institutes. however, owing to capacity issues, digital divide and digital illiteracy, government is unable to provide dividends of technology to everyone, particularly in the remote areas of Pakistan. A recent decision by the Universal Service Fund (USF) to provide high-speed mobile broadband services to the remote areas of Pakistan is a welcome news in this regard.

This will enable residents of these remote areas to access modern education on internet. This will not only revolutionize education delivery but also help in education management in far flung areas. The need of hour, therefore, is to digitalize educational system so that students in distant area can get education in this time of crisis.

FaiSal hayat Okara

Karachi’s strays

Afghanistan’s neighbours and the Taliban Neighbours reached out to the Taliban before they took over

Dr MuhaMMaD aKraM Zaheer

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FGhANISTAN is a landlocked and resource-less country that has always been victim of external influences and which faces challenges to its sovereignty and traditions. Sometime ago, it enjoyed the beneficence of others due to competition among regional and international powers. Moreover, it has suffered and served as a classic buffer state between the Czarist and British empires. During the Cold War it became a battlefield between the USSR and the USA. Almost a third of the population of Afghanistan went to exile and millions were killed in the war.

After the disintegration of he USSR, Afghanistan was also near to disintegration due to a civil war that was sponsored by regional and international powers. During the 1990s, Afghanistan hosted a war between radical Islamist and Western thoughts and their followers.

Post 9/11, Afghanistan once again was under the bombardment of The USA and NATO. At that moment, the Taliban moved to the countryside and challenged the foreign forces. The strategic approaches of Afghanistan’s neighbours have always remained subject to readjustment and revision. No regional power wants that the others to gain preponderance or influence in Afghanistan. In addition, each state always has been collecting potential links to secure itself from the fractionalizing and incapacitating situation of Afghanistan.

As the USA announced it was withdrawing from Afghanistan the neighboring countries started to become ready for contending with its consequences. The uncertainty has increased at all the borders of Afghanistan and its neighbouring states has started to contain tTaliban and to boost defensive and preventive measures to contain the uncertain and uneven situation of Afghanistan. Talban are overplaying and have controlled Afghanistan. Since June, seven border crossing points out of 14 were under the control of the Taliban particularly along the borders of Iran and Pakistan. Many people and Afghan soldiers have fled to neighbouring Tajikistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan.

A few weeks ago, President Ashraf Ghani stated in Uzbekistan that Afghanistan was literally being disconnected from the region. As the Taliban were controlling border crossing points, there was no other choice for neighbours but to engage the Taliban as a de facto authority. Therefore, the regional policy for Afghanistan may be driven by narrower, more fundamental interest,

ensuring border security, protection of kin or affinity groups, minimizing the inflow of refugees and free flow of goods. The Taliban’s initial control over many crossing points of the border may reflect their strategic insight. Although the Doha Accord stopped the Taliban from attacking provincial capitals, the Accord did not forbid the Taliban from controlling border crossing points as well as the whole of Afghanistan.

Capturing the border crossings provided an alternative way to the Taliban to assert themselves as a state and to expand political and diplomatic leverage over the Afghan government and neighbouring states, at the same time following the agreement with heb Washington. The Taliban’s activities all over the country created the perception that the Taliban’s takeover was inevitable. This affected the Afghan armed forces, and people opted to stand with the Taliban.

Regional states were not comfortable with the growing domination of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Therefore, the neighbouring countries had no alternative but to engage the de facto power, the Taliban. Although they supported the Afghan government, they were increasing their outreach to the Taliban.

Many Afghan Shi’a Muslim fighters were part of Islamic revolutionary guards, and they continued travel to Afghanistan.

They could have resisted the Taliban’s advancement in predominant areas of Afghanistan. Iran had been supporting the Taliban against US and NATO forces, but now it sees the Taliban as a more dangerous radical force than ISIS. After the departure of the USA from Afghanistan, Tehran can begin to veer against the Taliban. Tehran may also support the Taliban to get respectable treatment of the Afghan Shia minority.

Tajikistan has a soft corner for the Taliban because it does not see them as forming an extremist or terrorist group. Tajikistan has also announced that it has prepared to host almost one lac refugees.

On the other hand, Tajikistan has organized military exercises to counter terrorist activities and deployed reservists on the Afghan-Tajik border. In August 2021, it will host Russia and Uzbekistan to participate in military exercises to encounter terrorist acts. Moscow has also agreed to help Tajikistan for the construction of a defensive outpost on the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border. Russia has also been eager to see a US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The uncertainty and instability of Afghanistan are creating both opportunities and threats for Uzbekistan. The president Shavkat Mirziyoyev Mirziyoyev has struggled to open his country to the region and to build relations with the USA. To achieve both objectives, Uzbekistan has hosted intra-Afghan talks.

Uzbekistan is also offering itself as an anchor for regional economic activities and Central-South

Asia connectivity. All these are possible only if meaningful peace and stability is established in Afghanistan.

A delegation of Taliban has visited Turkmenistan two times since 2020 and had a dialogue with government officials. During the first visit to Turkmenistan, the Taliban has affirmed their support for regional connectivity projects, particularly the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline. Regional states may be influenced by their ethnic kinsmen. Northern part of Afghanistan is a composition of multiethnic groups and they can mitigate concern about non-Pashtun minority groups of Afghanistan.

Pakistan has always been struggling for peace in Afghanistan. A few weeks ago, Pakistan had organized intra-Afghan talks but Kabul scuttled these efforts. The terrorist attack on Chinese workers renewed the sense of urgency with which China and Pakistan saw the need for negotiations to establish peace and harmony in Afghanistan. In the wake of this attack, ChinaPakistan asked for a comprehensive ceasefire and joint action to prevent Afghanistan from sliding towards fullscale civil war.

Soon after this, a delegation of Taliban visited Beijing and discussed the changing security situation in Afghanistan. Actually, China was worried about the security vacuum which would be created after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. China, Pakistan and Iran also wanted a US withdrawal from Afghanistan, but after peace and a political settlement. Since the late 2000s, Pakistan’s relations with the Taliban had not been good because of the emergence of anti-state Pakistani Taliban and the growing independence of the Afghan Taliban. Now the tables have turned and the COAS of Pakistan has stated that Pakistani and Afghan Taliban are two sides of the same coin.

It is clear that the victory of the Taliban will provide energy to Talibanization in Pakistan.

Pakistan needs the Taliban to counter Indian influence in Afghanistan but it is not clear that the Taliban will do that. Pakistan should move forward with deep thinking because Pakistan will never afford to go against a power that has strategic momentum in Afghanistan.

Now that the Taliban have taken over the whole country it may lead the Taliban to create their own circumstances and they can then enforce their own terms and conditions in Afghanistan. The country may also end up resembling more of an emirate than a democracy.

Then the donors and multinational companies and groups will not support the Afghanistan of the Taliban. This situation may lead the country into isolation and freedom from foreign aid.

Then Afghanistan may be a net loser.

Then the donors and multinational companies and groups will not support the Afghanistan of the Taliban.

This situation may lead the country into isolation and freedom from foreign aid.

Then Afghanistan may be a net loser

The writer is a PhD in Political Science and can be reached at akramzaheer86@yahoo.com

I have finally become compelled with how to raise this issue to the government, because now the issue has now become critical. The issue is that the number of street dogs in the city of Karachi is on the upsurge.

Because of this increase, they are becoming more dangerous for the people and especially the children. Day by day, the number of incidents involving dog biting is rising. Unfortunately, our government doesn’t seem to take this vital issue seriously. People going to the mosque for Fajar and Isha prayers are the most vulnerable. Mothers are constantly in fear when they send their kids to school and or errands because of this issue which is completely neglected by the corrupt officials of the government. Whenever the suggestion/demand of poising these mad dogs is brought up to the respected officials they are more concerned about animal cruelty than the safety of our children. Therefore, I appeal to the Army Chief and the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take note of this serious situation and convince our government to act accordingly.

MuhaMMad azEEM karachi

Increasing sexual violence ANOTheR incident of sexual abuse within one month has set a wave of fear and unrest across the district. A minor girl Jamila of around 8 years, daughter of poor labor was subjected to sexual assault by an unknown miscreant in Banu a locality of Taluka Mirpur Bathoro district Sujawal. The girl found semi-unconscious was shifted to civil hospital Sujawal for treatment, where her condition is stated to be stable. Parents of the miseryridden girl have demanded justice while no FIR of the incident has been lodged yet. This case is second of its kind in the district followed by the Ayshiya Themore Rape case that had taken place a month back in a village near Jati. The higher authorities of the districts have opted to remain silent on that ensuing imprecation. It seems that the people of the remote district are unaware of the ferociousness that has started to pullulate in an otherwise peaceful district. Chief Minister Sindh, Chief Justice of SIndh high Court and IG Sindh are requested to take notice of this gruesome incident kaMraN khaMiSO khOWaJa SuJaWal

Gender problems PROBleMS surrounding gender have always been present in our society.

From Pakistan ranking the third last country on the human Rights index, to the failure of exercising gender based laws. however as most of us think gender inequality is not just limited to men and women, but transgenders too; a large portion of our population which is largely stigmatised, and mostly ignored.

This was further highlighted when a transgender woman Julie, who happens to be an activist, was imprisoned based on a false allegation, and unlawfully kept in men’s jail despite her identifying as a woman. her suspicious arrest took the social media by storm, since Julie had earned her self quite a rapport with social media activists for her ardour to blatantly state the truths about our society. Which were otherwise shunned into silence; issues like sectarian unrest, sexual exploitation of transgenders, and the prevalent class culture. The rage of her supporters resulted in her release after 7 days. however in the past even when she was not a social media sensation Julie had faught for injustices against her gender, which are far too many to state. The question is how long will we, as a nation, continue to opress the voices of truth and justice into silence, rather than addressing the issue at hand. It is high time that the order of law should be implemented and hold accountable even the keepers of law (police), if they’re caught missusing. There needs to be further revision in law which cater to minorities whether gender based, race based or religion based.

SakiNa rizvi karachi

Concerning situation he challenge for India and Pakistan is how to make certain that they manage their relation in a way that annihilate all points of contention, the convergence between the two countries remain dominant and the pessimistic aspects are manageable. The gap between the two is also expanding. There is growing distrust on the terms between the two countries and the challenge for Pakistan is how it manages that distrust and begins to shrink that distrust.

As far as the US is concerned, US is aspiring super power but its aspirational ambitions are built on great deal of insecurity, the way it perceives Pakistan’s relations with the China it is being hemmed in by close understanding cordiality between Pakistan and China so lets not discount the insecurity on the US side.

ShaFi ahMEd khOWaJa Jati SuJaWal

Monday, 23 August, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

WhaT The fall of afghanisTan means for europe AtlAntic council ExpErts As policymakers in Washington grapple with the stark reality of losing Afghanistan, their counterparts across Europe are no less flummoxed over what happens next.

What of the streams of refugees that may well pour onto the continent? And will Brussels be as ready to support future US foreign policy initiatives? Our experts from the Europe Centre answer these questions—and much more.

EUROPE HAS ‘NOTHING TO EXPECT’ FROM WASHINGTON: The US debacle in Afghanistan, however spectacular it is, doesn’t fundamentally change the balance of power in the world. The war-torn country holds only minor strategic significance and will begérarD arauD come the concern of neighbouring powers Iran, Russia, China, Pakistan, and India. The parameters which make the United States the preeminent power in the world have not changed. Furthermore, the credibility of a country is undermined when it is obliged to give up essential interests: Like Vietnam in the 1960s and 70s, Afghanistan was a peripheral US interest. Fighting al-Qaeda didn’t require such a heavy and long-lasting investment. We are seeing the end of textbook mission creep.

Therefore, beyond a potential migration crisis— which is particularly unwelcome considering the toxic political atmosphere in Europe ahead of elections in Germany and France—I am not convinced that the fall of Kabul will have a significant consequence there. Europeans are moaning that they have not been consulted by Washington, but the United States has never really consulted their allies when making important decisions. The alliance has always been an unequal partnership. Most European countries accept it as the premium of security insurance to which they are deeply attached. The more that security seems shaky, the more Europeans are ready to pay for it. They have been traumatized by Trump; they are not going to question the decisions of Biden, whose election was greeted with relief in all European capitals.

The debate will be limited to the think-tank world and calls for policy change in anti-US circles.

The lesson of the withdrawal from Afghanistan should be that it confirms what the Obama and Trump administrations had been saying in their own ways: The “empire” is tired, and the legions are coming back home.

What was striking in Biden’s August 16 speech was his affirmation that the United States would only fight to defend its essential interests—adding what I believe was a subtext implying the interests would be defined in a restrictive way. It means the United States would fulfill their obligations according to the NATO treaty, but would do nothing beyond the letter. In particular, the Europeans have nothing to expect from the United States in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, and the Sahel beyond diplomatic support.

Europe is in flames, but the US fireman will not come.

Unfortunately, no matter what French President Emmanuel Macron has been repeating for some time, I am not sure the Europeans are psychologically ready to face the challenge. I doubt that Kabul will be the wake-up call they need.

—Gérard Araud is a former French ambassador to the United States and a distinguished fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center.

EUROPEANS ARE MOANING THAT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN CONSULTED BY WASHINGTON, BUT THE UNITED STATES HAS NEVER REALLY CONSULTED THEIR ALLIES WHEN MAKING IMPORTANT DECISIONS ‘THE AGE OF INNOCENCE IS OVER’: If we thought our Western alliance could win hearts and minds with military might and billions of dollars, we were wrong. If we thought a new American leadership would mean more engagement in world affairs, we were nathalie loiseau wrong. If we think Afghanistan is a distant crisis with no consequences for Europe, we will also be wrong. Terrorism, drug trafficking, and a possible mass exodus of Afghans are all challenges for Europe.

But first, let’s stop blaming the United States for what they do or don’t do. I am certain that US President Joe Biden’s decision is as popular at home as it is controversial abroad. Let’s work together at the European level—and here I would like to include the United Kingdom, despite Brexit—to face our common challenges: rescuing Afghan journalists, artists, and human rights activists who will be forced to flee their homeland. It’s both a moral duty and an investment in a different future for Afghanistan.

This doesn’t mean we should be blackmailed by human traffickers or rogue states taking advantage of migrants’ misery, pressuring us by wielding massive illegal migration as a hybrid threat. We must jointly control our borders and decide who comes in and how. This will also be necessary to increase our fight against drug trafficking and terrorism. We must also send a clear message to the Taliban: no support for terrorism will be tolerated. Any attempt to export jihadism to Europe will have immediate and very significant consequences.

Finally, what is taking place should only encourage Europe to strengthen its strategic autonomy to make sure it can continue working with allies whenever it can—as well as autonomously any time it needs to.

—Nathalie Loiseau is a member of the European Parliament, where she serves as chairwoman of the security and defense subcommittee. She previously served as France’s minister of European affairs under President Emmanuel Macron.

A TRANSATLANTIC ALLIANCE NOW STRAINED: The most immediate impact for Europe is a humanitarian one, given the likely influx of migrants from Afghanistan and the need for Brussels to aid Afghans who helped EU countries during their Dave Keating missions. But in the longer term, the way this war ended presents a crisis of legitimacy for the transatlantic alliance, and for NATO in particular.

Europeans were caught off guard by the US decision to leave so quickly and without a realistic understanding of the vulnerability of the Afghan state. Several countries, particularly the United Kingdom and Italy, have

been left furious after their opposition to the withdrawal was ignored by the Biden administration at June’s NATO summit. After four years of antagonism toward Europe by the Trump administration, this is the last thing the transatlantic alliance needed.

The abrupt withdrawal raises questions about America’s commitment to protecting its allies and whether NATO is truly an alliance—or simply a military protectorate in which only Washington calls the shots. It will accelerate discussion in Brussels about European “strategic autonomy” and the need for independent EU defense capability. Many question why European countries needed to automatically pull out of Afghanistan once the United States decided to do so.

In his speech to the nation on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron called for an EU strategy to deal with the potential surge of refugees to come from Afghanistan. German Chancellor Angela Merkel told party colleagues that Germany alone must evacuate at least ten thousand people. Emergency EU meetings will take place over the coming days, and the ugly reality is that EU citizens will be prioritized for evacuation over Afghans. The hope is that a clear EU policy will take shape around evacuation and asylum, which may help to alleviate the panic and chaos.

On Monday, Armin Laschet, the chancellor candidate from Merkel’s center-right party who is expected to replace her, called this “the biggest debacle that NATO has suffered since its founding” and said it would require “a no-holds-barred analysis of errors.” Once the dust has settled, an accounting for the money and lives lost over the past two decades will be desperately needed in both Washington and in Brussels.

—Dave Keating is a nonresident senior fellow at the Europe Center and the Brussels correspondent for France 24.

MANAGE MIGRATION NOW: Afghanistan’s collapse into the arms of the Taliban after America’s hasty troop withdrawal has direct consequences for Europe. The credibility of US foreign policy, as well as its intelligence services and military, is Daniela schwarzer so damaged that it harms the political and moral credibility of the West as a whole.

The situation also underscores how dependent Europeans are on the United States and how little they are heard inside the White House.

The fight for democracy and freedom in Afghanistan is lost for now. Massive human-rights violations are likely to occur, with a particularly vicious assault on women, civil society, and media. The threat of terrorism may increase as Taliban rule may serve as a cover for anti-Western jihadists. Moreover, a refugee crisis is unfolding, and while we are not facing a situation similar to Syria in 2015, there are still serious consequences to consider. An estimated 400,000 Afghans have been forced to flee their homes since the beginning of the year, according to the UN Refugee Agency. Migrants are being instrumentalized in hybrid warfare—for example,

Lithuania is accusing Belarus of organizing illicit border crossings—and intra-EU tensions are sure to grow if asylum-seekers head to Europe in larger numbers.

Human rights must be at the center of European foreign policy. Governments should coordinate closely with the United States to help Afghans leave the country— and not only those who worked with the military, but also those who engaged for democracy and human rights. Washington and Brussels bear moral responsibility in this moment of great risk. Visa processes need to be sped up, and the European Union should provide more financial support to those governments willing to step up to welcome Afghans under threat, particularly the Western Balkan countries.

Last month, the bloc launched a forum to mobilize funding for the resettlement of thirty thousand refugees until the end of 2022. This will not be enough: The European Commission should set up an emergency fund to support countries willing to engage in relocation programs. Also important is a UN Human Rights Council resolution calling for a fact-finding mission.

—Daniela Schwarzer is the executive director for Europe and Eurasia at Open Society Foundations.

COMING CONFLICT WITH TURKEY AND IRAN? First, borders have been compressed. I wrote about this phenomenon in Dawn of Eurasia.

We could almost say Afghanistan is now a neighbour. The refugee pressure is already visible and we could be facing a Bruno Maçães large refugee wave in just a few short months. Much depends on Turkey and Iran, but even this might be seen as bad news. The worst of the refugee crisis might be avoided, but new tensions and conflict with Turkey and Iran are inevitable. And if these two countries suffer the brunt of the crisis, the resulting instability will reach us anyway. There is also the danger of renewed terrorist attacks against Europe organized from Afghanistan. The picture is thus quite dark.

Second, Afghanistan is one more chapter in the erosion or even disaggregation of the existing order. Europe has been a prime beneficiary of the openness and stability provided by the American-led order. Its disappearance is anything but good news. With former US President Donald Trump, there were doubts about American commitment. What is happening in Kabul under Biden raises doubts about American competence. The response can only be an increase in Europe’s capacities to face an increasingly dangerous world. That response has become urgent after the Afghanistan disaster. Equally important, we need to be more forthcoming with our own ideas about how to project Western influence globally.

Many of the ideas coming from Washington have visibly stopped working. Is it Europe’s moment? The cry had often been repeated and may draw embarrassed smiles.

But today there really is no alternative.

—Bruno Maçães is the former Portuguese secretary of state for European affairs and the author of Dawn of Eurasia.

What will the Taliban do with a $22 billion economy?

BEFORE RETAKING ALL OF AFGHANISTAN, THE GROUP HAD REVENUES THAT COULD AMOUNT TO UPWARDS OF $1 BILLION — IN A GOOD YEAR. NO ONE KNOWS IF IT EVEN HAS THE SKILLS TO BEGIN RUNNING A CENTRAL BANK

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O sooner had the Taliban taken Kabul than questions began to be asked about how they would manage Afghanistan’s economy. Do the insurgents-turned-rulers have the skills to run, say, a modern finance ministry and central bank? Will foreign donors trust them with aid? Can they do business with investors interested in the country’s mineral wealth?

Throughout their two decades in the wilderness, the Taliban have shown themselves capable of generating resources to maintain an insurgency, mostly from the drug trade, illegal mining and donations from supporters abroad, but also from taxes

and rents in areas under their control. In good years, the Taliban’s revenues amounted to upwards of $1 billion.

But the Afghan budget is more than five times that size. The country’s gross domestic product, estimated at $22 billion, has grown nearly threefold since the Taliban were driven from power in 2001. And the economy has for several years been in precarious health, propped up by foreign aid. By the World Bank’s reckoning, three-fourths of the government’s budget is funded by international donors, led by the U.S. Managing that economy has been a cohort of Afghan technocrats, many of them Western-educated or trained. Very few of them are expected to remain in the country, despite the Taliban’s promise of “amnesty” for anyone who worked with the deposed government.

The most urgent economic challenge for the new rulers, then, is a yawning skills deficit in government ministries and departments. The Taliban will struggle to find ministers and administrators whom foreign donors and investors can trust.

Right now, new donors or investors are not inclined to trust the Taliban anyway.

The Biden administration has frozen $9.5

billion in the Afghan central bank’s assets and halted shipments of cash to the country; European governments have suspended development aid; and the International Monetary Fund has cut off access to Afghanistan’s special drawing rights.

Western governments, multilateral agencies and donors will slap strict conditions on the resumption of funding. Aid will be predicated on the Taliban preserving many of the freedoms — especially for women — introduced in their absence, and on preventing the resurgence of terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda.

Western investors will take their cues from their governments, paying heed to economic sanctions. They will also be influenced by public perceptions: Most U.S. and European companies will be mindful of the likely domestic backlash against doing business, directly or otherwise, with the Taliban.

Might non-Western investors feel unconstrained by such considerations? There has been some speculation that China and Russia are keen to fill the vacuum created by the American withdrawal. Beijing, especially, is thought to have its eye on Afghanistan’s mineral deposits, worth anywhere from $1 trillion to three times as much.

Beijing and Moscow have plenty of security concerns about Afghanistan that will motivate them to engage closely with any Taliban-led government in Kabul, but serious investment is another matter altogether.

Chinese banks and companies are less risk-averse than their Western counterparts, but they tend to be leery of unstable economies. The experience of Venezuela, where Chinese loans are having to be renewed simply to avoid huge writedowns, is a cautionary tale for investors.

Although Beijing has talked a good game about investing in Afghanistan for some years now, very little money has materialized. The showpiece Chinese venture, a $2.8 billion copper project funded by the state-owned Metallurgical Corporation of China at Mes Aynak, near Kabul, has long since stalled.

The infrastructure requirements for extracting Afghanistan’s mineral wealth are huge: The country is severely lacking in transportation networks, for instance. Getting the minerals out of the ground and into China would require investments of a magnitude larger than the Mes Aynak project.

Chinese investors have other, safer places to put down that kind of money.

The Taliban may covet Chinese aid, but they will have to compete with governments across the developing world, most notably in Africa. For its part, Russia is hardly the most generous aid giver, trailing far behind the world’s richest countries in disbursement of development assistance.

All that said, there are some areas of the Afghan economy that might actually benefit, at least in the short run, from the Taliban takeover. Local businesses that depend neither on foreign investment nor foreign markets can look forward to a relatively stable environment and access to parts of the country that were previously out of bounds because of the fighting between the insurgents and government forces. Those operating in government-controlled areas may be relieved to be rid of predatory state officials and police as well as criminal gangs. The Taliban’s brutal style of justice can be an effective deterrent to crime.

But not all businesses will benefit; those dependent on women workers, for instance, are out of luck. And it is only a matter of time before businessmen find themselves having to pay bribes and protection money to a new set of officials. The Taliban are no slouches at extortion.

Monday, 23 August, 2021

BUSINESS 09

LAHORE Kyrgyz investors to visit Pakistan in September ISLAMABAD APP

Ambassador Republic of Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan, Ulanbek Totuiaev on Sunday said that Kyrgyzstan would hold a business forum in September in which a 20-member delegation of businessmen and investors from Kyrgyzstan would come to discuss business-to-business (B2B) relations with the local business community. He was talking to eminent businessmen and former president of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce (ICCI) Zafar Bakhtawari and Ahsan Bakhtawaria here in the embassy of Kyrgyzstan. It would also include heads of government institutions and people from various sectors, which would help promote investment. The ambassador said this forum was a milestone for the promotion of trade in the region.

Further, he said that regional economic and trade integration through the connectivity with Central Asian Republics (CARs) is key to the development and prosperity in the whole region. The ambassador said peace and socio-political harmony in Afghanistan is significant for prosperity throughout the region, which Kyrgyzstan has also dreamed of, including all countries in the region.

The current circumstances has raised hopes for an improvement in the situation in Afghanistan, would would have a positive economic and political impact on the entire region, including Central Asian countries. "The current Kyrgyz government, under the leadership of President Sadye Japarov, wants to make a potential start in trade and economic relations with all countries in the region, including Pakistan under which cooperation between the two countries in all economic sectors would be enhanced," he said. The Kyrgyz government has set up a “Counsel for Investment and Cooperation” to promote trade relations and investment in the region. The ambassador said it would play its role in providing all kinds of support and protection to foreign investors. “Our government assures every possible protection to foreign investment,” he said.

Kyrgyzstan has vast opportunities for investment in energy, agriculture, mining and minerals, he said. The ambassador said Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan also have vast trade opportunities in various sectors, including agriculture, horticulture and honey. Meanwhile, talking on the occasion, Zafar Bakhtawari suggested that air travel between Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan needed to be facilitated and flight operations would also be enhanced. He said two flights a week should be operated from three major cities of Pakistan, Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, to which the Kyrgyz ambassador agreed. On this occasion, Zafar Bakhtawari assured all possible cooperation for the business forum to be organized by Kyrgyz embassy in Islamabad in September. He said peace in Afghanistan would open new avenues of economic and trade cooperation for the countries of the region, including Central Asia, which are rich in natural resources. On the occasion, prominent businessman Ahsan Bakhtawari said that he would visit Kyrgyzstan next month with a business delegation, which would open new avenues for cooperation between the two countries. He said more efforts were needed from both sides to boost trade and economic ties between the two countries.

REER improves to 99.42 points Pakistan’s real effective exchange rate (REER) – the cost of international trade – further improved to 99.42 points on the index in July, making the country’s exports competitive and imports expensive. According to a report by The Express Tribune, the improvement in the REER should help narrowing down the country’s trade deficit which was widening due to exorbitant import payments compared to sluggish export earnings for the past few months. The trade deficit widened 85.53 per cent to $3.10 billion in July compared to $1.67 billion in the same month last year. The real effective exchange rate below 100 means the country’s exports remain competitive and import expensive. The situation reverses when REER stands above 100 on the index, it was learnt. It improved by 39 basis points in July compared to 99.81 points in June, according to the data released by the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP). The local currency ended up at Rs162.43 against the US dollar in the inter-bank market on July 30, 2021, according to the central bank. It further depreciated by slightly over 1pc (or Rs1.75) to Rs164.14 to the greenback on Friday, the last working day, since end of July. MONITORING REPORT

PRESidEnt REjEctS FBR PlEaS in RS1.2Bn FaKE invoicES Scam ISLAMABAD APP

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RESIDENT Dr Arif Alvi on Sunday disposed of 42 representations of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in cases of bogus sales tax invoices, worth over Rs1.2 billion.

The FBR had filed the representations with the president, assailing the orders of the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) passed in suo moto cases, in which bogus Sales Tax Refunds were reimbursed fully or partially by the delinquent officials of the FBR to the fake claimants.

The huge scam was unearthed by FBR’s Directorate General Intelligence & Investigation-Inland Revenue and the red alerts were issued to the

concerned field formations. However, no action was initiated against the FBR officials and the fake claimants.

The FTO on taking suo moto notice of the matter had issued directions to the FBR to investigate and identify the officials involved in verification of the registered persons (RPs) and initiate a disciplinary action.

In pursuance of the FTO’s recommendations and also the previous orders of the president passed in similar cases, the FBR constituted six fact-finding inquiry committees to deal with 130 suo moto cases relating fake refund claims.

The Terms of Reference (ToR) of the committees were meant to identify the wrong-doings and involvement of officials in each case, and fix responsi-

bility. Also, these committees were tasked to prepare a draft charge sheet and statement of allegations with respect to each official and submit a report to the board within 30 days.

President Alvi, in view of the findings of the committees, disposed of the representations of the FBR pertaining to the cases in which full or partial refunds were paid fraudulently.

He directed the FBR for submission of a monthly implementation report to the FTO's Secretariat till the completion of the action on each case.

He also ordered to afford an opportunity of showcause and hearing to the official in case of any departmental action proposed against him, to satisfy the requirement of due process and the principles of natural justice.

China closes border again after temporary opening ISLAMABAD GHULAM ABBAS

Although the Chinese government had conditionally opened the Khunjerab pass for one side trade, it has again closed the border stopped sending cargo vehicles to Pakistan without any reason.

In a letter sent to secretary Commerce, Gilgit Baltistan (GB) chief minister and other ministries and authorities concerned recently, the Pakistan Gemstone and Mineral Association (PGMA) claimed that Chinese authorities only allowed temporary opening of the border to send Chinese goods to Pakistan.

As per the association, Pakistani traders have been suffering from a year and a half due whereas a notification issued jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan and the Chinese authorities had assured that the border will remain open for unilateral trade without any closure till December 31.

Profit learnt that traders have booked goods worth billions of rupees via online booking, were following Covid-19 SOPs and also bearing high transportation cost worth Rs3.5 million due to unloading of trucks at Khunjerab. Previously, the transportation cost was Rs0.5 million.

“This is not for the first time that the conduct of Chinese with our traders has been biased and inhumane. Our trucks which are fully loaded are stuck at Tashkurgan and we have to pay 45,001 Chinese Yuan daily, equivalent to Rs1,140,000, as parking cost,” the trade body claimed.

Previously, following Pakistan’s persistent requests, China had agreed to open Khunjerab border for trade by May 1, 2021 with stiff conditions in view of the Covid-19 situation. However, the neighboring country had not opened the border despite all arrangements made on Pakistan’s side of the border, going back on its word.

After a meeting at the Ministry of Commerce, China again promised to allow goods to cross the border by July 10, for only cargo containers, leaving the goods near the border from where the same would be lifted by Pakistani importers.

TRADERS IRKED AS CHINESE AUTHORITIES KEEP RENEGING ON THEIR PROMISES

As per a letter issued in April, the Chinese government had informed that their exporters would leave the goods on a specific location of Pakistan’s side of the border from where importers may receive them after following the SOPs. Similarly, exporters would also leave their goods at the same location which buyers from China would receive after completion of the same process on their side of the border.

As per the letter, personnel and the vehicles of both parties have been directed to work in different time frames to avoid direct contact. In this regard, loading and unloading, dropping and hanging up the trailers are to be done separately when the cargo inspection channel is opened.

The opening of cargo inspection channels, the letter described, will be implemented in two phases keeping in view that disinfection and sterilisation facilities at Khunjerab-Sost Port will

function from May 1.

“In the first phase, from April 1 to April 30, both sides should conduct activities separately. There is no need to reposition the container after unloading.

The operation area is on the Pakistani side of the boundary under No 7,” Chinese authorities clarify in their reply.

Noting that the entire process would be carried out in Pakistan, local traders termed the conditions unjustified.

Islamabad then had asked China to reopen the border to facilitate crossborder trade and people-to-people exchanges.

In a letter sent to the Embassy of China in Pakistan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated that the border was closed on December 1, 2019 as per schedule due to the winter season, while its opening on April 1, 2020 was postponed due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“To support the lives and liveli-

hood of the local population on both sides of the border, it is imperative that regular cross-border trade and P2P exchanges may be resumed. Therefore, the border may be opened from April 1,” the ministry stated. “The esteemed embassy is requested to take up the matter with relevant quarters to open the border on the said date for smooth and regular cross-border movement.”

The China-Pakistan border remains closed from December 1 till March 31 every year due to severe weather conditions, as per the bilateral agreement.

For the rest of the year, however, the border remains open for two-way movement of passengers as well as transportation of goods and cargo.

The border was opened for a few weeks in July last year to facilitate the release of stranded containers, and again in September, to shift medical material gifted by the Chinese government to GB to deal with Covid-19.

SAARC chamber urges int’l community to support Afghanistan economically ISLAMABAD APP

SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) on Sunday called upon the international community to support Afghanistan economically to help rebuild one of the world’s poorest states, Afghanistan.

Talking to a delegation of senior lawyers led by Mian Jaffer Hussain, SAARC Chamber President Iftikhar Ali Malik said it was equally essential for the international players and major donors to stay engaged in order to support the people of war torn Afghanistan and restore it’s totally collapsed economy.

He said the Taliban have promised to improve Afghanistan’s economy but new

regime badly needs foreign aid.

Other members of delegation included Mian Mahmood Ahmad Qazi, Junaid, Jawwad Tariq Nasim, Asif Nazir Awan, Jalil Ur Rehman, Shafique Butt, Mian Dawood, Anas and Ayesha Shafique.

He said, “Afghanistan is tremendously dependent on foreign aid which is about 10 times or even more than the Taliban has been able to obtain from its own finance”.

He said that aid flow in 2020 represented 42.9 percent of Afghanistan’s $19.8 billion GDP. Afghanistan’s economy was shaped by fragility and aid dependence, he added.

Iftikhar Ali Malik said the Afghan economy has taken a hit during the Covid19 pandemic and the new regime of Tal-

iban has acknowledged that it cannot improve the situation without foreign help.

He said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has also spoken to many countries to work with us on our economy as Afghanistan needs their help.

He said peaceful political settlement of Afghanistan was pre-requisite for stability in the region. He said Pakistan attached great importance to Afghanistan as safety and security as well as protection of the rights of all Afghans was critically important.

He said that it is high time for all international players and donors give peace a chance to prevail in the Afghanistan for help restore durable tranquility in the region besides de-freezing their donations.

Monday, 23 August, 2021

10 FOREIGN NEWS

LAHORE

IsrAeL sTrIkes GAzA AfTer dozens Injured In Border cLAshes

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AFP

SRAELI warplanes bombed Gaza on Saturday after clashes between its troops and Palestinian protesters left dozens injured, including an Israeli border policeman and a 13-year-old Palestinian boy who were both critically wounded.

The Israeli military said it carried out airstrikes against four weapons sites and that it had reinforced its Gaza division with additional troops.

The escalation came exactly three months since Israel and the enclave’s rulers Hamas reached a truce following their deadliest fighting in years. Israeli troops fired at Palestinian protesters who gathered near the Gaza border wall, the army and Palestinian witnesses said.

A Palestinian gunman fired at Israeli troops through an opening in

the wall and crowds of young protesters hurled explosives over the barrier and tried to scale it.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said the injured included a 13-year-old boy left in a critical condition after being hit in the head.

“Forty-one civilians were

‘Greatest foreign policy humiliation’: Trump assails Biden for botched exit from Afghanistan ReuteRs Former US President Donald Trump launched on Saturday a sustained attack on President Joe Biden’s handling of the retreat of American forces from Afghanistan, which he called “the greatest foreign policy humiliation” in the country’s history. Trump, a Republican who has dangled the possibility of running again for president in 2024, has repeatedly blamed Biden, a Democrat, for Afghanistan’s fall to the Islamist militant Taliban, even though the US withdrawal that triggered the collapse was negotiated by his own administration. “Biden’s botched exit from Afghanistan is the most astonishing display of gross incompetence by a nation’s leader, perhaps at any time,” Trump said at a boisterous rally packed with his supporters near Cullman, Alabama. Taliban leaders are trying to hammer out a new government after their forces swept across the country as US-led forces pulled out after two decades, with the Western-backed government and military crumbling.

For his part, Biden has criticised the Afghan military for refusing to fight, denounced the now-ousted Afghan government and declared he inherited a bad withdrawal agreement from Trump. At the rally, Trump blamed the situation on Biden not having followed the plan his administration came up with and bemoaned US personnel and equipment being left behind as troops withdrew. “This is not a withdrawal. This was a total surrender,” he said. Trump said the Taliban, with whom he had negotiated, respected him. He suggested the quick takeover of Afghanistan would not have happened if he was still in office.

“We could have gotten out with honour,” Trump added. “We should have gotten out with honour. And instead we got out with the exact opposite of honour.”

Lebanon raises fuel prices by 66pc as it tries to ease shortages BeIRut ReuteRs

The Lebanese government said on Sunday that it was raising gasoline prices by 66% in a partial reduction of fuel subsidies as it seeks to ease crippling shortages that have brought the country to a standstill. The increase in 95-octane gasoline prices would take effect immediately, the government said in a statement. It follows the state’s decision on Saturday to change the exchange rate used to price petroleum products in a bid to ease the shortages. The fuel crisis worsened this month when the central bank said it could no longer finance fuel imports at heavily subsidised exchange rates and would switch to market rates. The government, concerned about the impact of price rises, in a compromise agreed with the central bank on Saturday to raise prices, but by less than the market rate, to allow subsidised imports to resume for now.

The rise in prices will mean more hardship in a country where poverty levels have soared during a two-year-long financial meltdown that has wiped more than 90% off the value of the Lebanese pound. The decision was made at an emergency meeting on Saturday attended by the president, central bank governor and other officials over a fuel crisis that has left Lebanon in chaos, paralysing basic services and sparking daily melees as people scramble for fuel. read more The price increase does not fully lift the exchange rate for pricing fuel to the exchange rate at which the central bank will finance its import – a gap which the state will continue to finance, for now. The government said the central bank will open an account for that purpose up to a maximum of $225 million until the end of September – funds the government will have to pay back in the 2022 budget.

wounded with various injuries,” the ministry said in a statement, with Hamas saying “thousands” of protesters had taken part.

The Israel Border Police said a 21-year-old sniper in its undercover unit was critically wounded when he was shot by a Palestinian protester.

“His condition is critical and there is a risk to his life,” it said of the wounded officer.

HAMAS CALL FOR PROTEST: Israeli police commissioner Kobi Shabtai vowed in a statement that the force would “continue to act firmly and with all our might against those who want to harm us”.

Defence Minister Benny Gantz had warned that “these are definitely extremely serious events that will have a response”.

Shortly after his comments, the Israeli Air Force said on Twitter that its “fighter jets struck four weapons manufacturing and storage sites belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation”. There were no immediate reports of any casualties from the strikes. Hamas had called a protest on Saturday to mark the burning of Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque — the third-holiest site in Islam — 52 years ago “Al Aqsa Mosque is a red line,

and any attack on it will be met with valiant resistance from our people,” the movement said in a statement.

Late on Saturday, Hamas and other groups in Gaza issued a joint statement in which they “saluted the heroic youth” who clashed with Israeli forces.

The violence is some of the worst since the May 21 ceasefire came into force.

Over 11 days in May, Israel pounded Gaza with airstrikes as Hamas fighters responded with rockets fired from the enclave.

GAZA RECONSTRUCTION: Hamas said it took action after Israeli security forces stormed Al Aqsa in May. Reconstruction in Gaza has stalled since the ceasefire, in part because of a crippling blockade Israel has maintained on the enclave since Hamas seized power in 2007.

On Thursday, Israel announced

At least 10 killed, dozens missing in flash floods in US state of Tennessee ReuteRs Catastrophic flooding in Middle Tennessee — the central portion of the US state of Tennessee — left at least 10 people dead and dozens missing on Saturday as record-shattering rainfall washed away homes and rural roads, authorities said.

Business owner Kansas Klein watched in horror from a bridge on Saturday morning as cars and entire houses were swept down a road in Waverly, a town of about 4,500 people that Klein, 48, has called home for more than half his life.

Two girls who were holding on to a puppy and clinging to a wooden board swept past, far too fast for Klein and other onlookers to go down and grab hold of them.

After being told by authorities to go back, Klein returned a couple of hours later, shocked that the floodwaters had almost entirely receded and aghast at the destruction that was left behind.

“It was amazing how quick it came and how quick it left,” Klein said.

Klein said his restaurant, a decadeold New York-style pizzeria, was still standing, but the morning deluge of between 250 to 300 millimetres of rain in Humphreys County had caused floodwaters to reach 2.1 metres inside the eatery, rendering it a total loss.

After leaving his restaurant, Klein walked to the nearby public housing homes and heard yelling. A man had just recovered a baby’s body from one of the homes. Other bodies would soon follow.

“I’m looking at my restaurant, thinking how horrible it was that I lost my restaurant and then I walk around the corner and see someone’s baby dead — my restaurant doesn’t mean a whole lot right now,” Klein told the Associated Press in a phone interview on Saturday night, still in shock as he watched a local news channel air footage he had recorded on his phone hours ago.

The low-income homes — dozens of block buildings known as Brookside — appeared to have borne the brunt of the flash flood, Klein said.

“It was devastating: buildings were

knocked down, half of them were destroyed,” Klein said. “People were pulling out bodies of people who had drowned and didn’t make it out.”

Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis told news outlets more than 30 people have been reported missing. It was not immediately clear how many had lived at Brookside, located about 96 kilometres west of Nashville.

Two of the bodies recovered were toddlers who had been swept away from their father, Davis told WSMVTV. Waverly couple Cindy Dunn, 48, and her husband Jimmy, 49, were rescued from their attic by a crew who used a bulldozer to reach them.

“Hell. That’s what we had to go through,” Cindy Dunn told The Tennessean.

She said her husband woke her up on Saturday, telling her that floodwaters had pushed her car to their backyard. Eventually, the water in their house rose to at least 1.8m high, forcing them to the attic. Dunn said the rooftop wasn’t an option.

“My husband is dealing with cancer. He’s going through chemotherapy.

it would allow funds from Qatar to reach impoverished Palestinians in Gaza. However, other restrictions remain.

The ceasefire Egypt brokered between Hamas and Israel has largely held, although there have been flare-ups.

On Monday Israel said its “Iron Dome” missile defence system intercepted a rocket fired by militants in Gaza into Israel, the first time since the recent battle.

That came after four Palestinians were killed in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

In 2018, Gazans began a protest movement demanding an end to Israel’s blockade and a right for Palestinians to return to lands they fled after the Jewish state was founded.

The Hamas-backed weekly demonstrations sputtered as Israel killed some 350 Palestinians in Gaza over more than a year.

And I am an amputee. So there was no going anywhere besides the attic,” Dunn said.

Dunn said their home and neighbouring houses “are gone”.

Just to the east of Waverly, the town of McEwen was pummeled with about 430mm of rain in less than a day, prompting water rescues, road closures, and communications disruptions.

That rainfall total smashed the state’s 24-hour record of 345mm from 1982, according to the National Weather Service Nashville, though Saturday’s numbers remained to be confirmed.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee tweeted on Saturday, “Tennesseans, please stay cautious of rising floodwaters caused by heavy rainfall in parts of Middle TN (Tennessee). We are actively working with emergency response officials and first responders as they support Tennesseans in flooded areas.”

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) activated its emergency operations centre and said agencies that include the Tennessee National Guard, the state Highway Patrol, and Fire Mutual Aid were responding to the flooding.

In a bulletin, TEMA called the situation “dangerous and evolving” and urged people to avoid travel in the affected counties.

Klein isn’t sure what the future holds for his family or his town.

‘He never stood a chance’: the fateful downfall of Haiti’s president PORt-Au-PRINCe ReuteRs

Haitian President Jovenel Moise began this year by warning that his country was a land of coups, conspiracy and murder. In the days before he was shot dead in a murky international plot last month, he was telling friends that enemies were out to get him.

“He told me a lot of people were spending a lot of money to murder him,” said a former Haitian senator and close friend of the late president, relating a conversation with Moise the evening of his death. “I told him to stop thinking like that.”

“He said to me: ‘This is reality.'”

Showing Reuters his final text messages with Moise, the politician, who asked to remain anonymous out of concern for his safety, said the president did not identify the plotters.

More than a dozen officials, politicians, diplomats and relatives of Moise spoke to Reuters about the events surrounding his murder.

The assassination decapitated a fragile government in a Caribbean country repeatedly convulsed by crisis – now exacerbated by a major earthquake on Aug. 14 – since the overthrow of the Duvalier family dictatorship in 1986.

The conversations painted the 53-year-old president as a man increasingly isolated and in peril toward the end of his life.

Moise supporters described his downfall as the inevitable consequence of a corrupt ruling elite closing ranks against a provincial outsider who dared to help Haiti’s majority poor.

“He was putting things in order. Here, when you put things in order, you die,” said Guy Francois, an ally who served as Moise’s minister of citizenship.

Critics, by contrast, cast Moise as a political novice who lacked the skills to build consensus, drifted towards autocracy and turned a blind eye to gang violence in areas hostile to his administration.

“He was a poor choice from the get-go,” said Salim Succar, a lawyer and onetime aide to Moise’s predecessor and former backer, ex-President Michel Martelly. “He never stood a chance.”

Many saw in his killing a microcosm of institutional rot in Haiti, where government has been hobbled by factional disputes, entrenched inequality, and a dependence on foreign powers still widely viewed as hostile to the country’s very foundation in 1804, when a slave revolt threw off the French colonial yoke.

MISSING MASTERMIND: In the rubbish-strewn center of Port-au-Prince, the government district is ringed by deserted streets now considered to be gangcontrolled territory. Buildings battered by a 2010 earthquake that killed tens of thousands of people in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country still scar the landscape.

Officials say Moise’s killers took advantage of the porous state of law and order to execute their plot at his personal residence in the Port-au-Prince suburb of Petion-Ville.

Moise’s bullet-ridden body was found in the early hours of July 7 after what the Haitian authorities said was an attack by a commando unit of mostly Colombian mercenaries. His wife, Martine, was injured. Police arrested some of the president’s security chiefs but have not identified the mastermind.

Allies accused “oligarchs” – members of Haiti’s business elite – of hiring foreign assassins to eliminate Moise for threatening their privileges, stoking popular anger over Haiti’s historic treatment by Western powers and the economic predominance of

lighter-skinned Haitians.

Some among the elite made no secret of their disdain for Moise, said one diplomat, recalling the “contempt” with which one of its number spoke of Moise at a private meeting.

Several business leaders have publicly condemned Moise’s murder. To date, 18 Colombians, some 20 Haitian police and a handful of other Haitian and Haitian-American suspects have been arrested.

Colombian officials familiar with the investigation say that most of the Colombians detained were probably victims of a plot within a plot to divert attention from the architects.

Only four of the Colombians knew about the conspiracy against Moise beforehand; most went to Haiti in the belief they would be bodyguards, said one Colombian official.

Because the commando unit faced no meaningful resistance until after his killing, investigators believe Moise was betrayed by his own security staff, the official added.

Moise’s friend, the former senator, said the president had known the Colombians were in Haiti and told him during their last phone call he was preparing to arrest the plotters.

“I said, ‘Why don’t you do it right away?,'” the politician said. “He said: ‘I am going to do it.'”

Haiti was meant to elect a successor to Moise and a new parliament in September, but that date quickly began slipping towards November after his assassination.

After the latest earthquake that killed over 2,000 people and destroyed thousands of homes, holding any election this year looked “very difficult”, said Adriano Espaillat, a U.S. congressman originally from the neighboring Dominican Republic.

Monday, 23 August, 2021

SPORTS 11

LAHORE

MAn City CruiSe pASt norwiCh, LiverpooL BeAt BurnLey

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AFP

ACK Grealish scored his first goal for Manchester City as the Premier League champions thrashed Norwich 5-0, while title rivals Liverpool extended their perfect start with a 2-0 victory against Burnley on Saturday.

Grealish marked his home debut following his British record £100 million ($136 million) move from Aston Villa with a closerange effort to double City's lead in the first half. Tim Krul's own goal had given City the lead at the Etihad Stadium.

Aymeric Laporte, Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez netted in the second half to ensure City bounced back from last weekend's defeat at Tottenham.

City had been beaten in both of Grealish's previous appearances, losing the Community Shield against Leicester and then slumping in their Premier League opener.

But Grealish's first goal since January helped show Pep Guardiola's side they can cope without Harry Kane if their prolonged pursuit of the Tottenham striker ends in failure.

With the injured Kevin De Bruyne absent for City, Gabriel Jesus, Bernardo Silva and Laporte all started amid reports they are looking to leave after growing unhappy with their reduced roles last season.

Jesus took the chance to remind Guardiola of his qualities with a virtuoso display.

It was the Brazilian forward's volleyed cross in the seventh minute that brought City's opener. Grant Hanley attempted to clear but instead hit Norwich goalkeeper Krul as the ball looped into the net.

Grealish got off the mark in slightly fortuitous fashion in the 22nd minute.

Jesus's cross reached Grealish at the far post and bounced in off the England midfielder. Laporte scored in the 64th minute

with a close-range finish after Norwich failed to clear a corner.

Jesus provided his third assist of the afternoon as Sterling tapped in after 71 minutes before Mahrez grabbed City's fifth with a simple finish in the 84th minute.

At Anfield, Liverpool earned a second successive wins thanks to goals from Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane, but Reds boss Jurgen Klopp was angry with Burnley's aggressive tackling.

Jota scored Liverpool's first goal in the 3-0 win at Norwich last weekend and the Portugal forward gave Klopp's men the lead again with an 18th minute header from Kostas Tsimikas' cross.

Senegal winger Mane opened his account for the season in the 69th minute.

Teenage midfielder Harvey Elliott, making his first Premier League start, picked out Trent Alexander-Arnold and the defender's deft pass to Mane was slammed past Nick

Pope from 12 yards.

However, Klopp was frustrated that Sean Dyche's side, renowned for their physical approach, were able to get away with some thunderous challenges due to lenient refereeing.

"You saw these challenges of (Ashley) Barnes and (Chris) Wood on Virgil (Van Dijk) and Joel (Matip)," Klopp said.

"I am not 100 per cent sure if we are going in the right direction with these decisions, if we go 10 years back.

"It is too dangerous. It is just hard. The rules are how they are but you cannot defend these situations."

Raphinha's rocket rescued Leeds in their 2-2 draw against Everton at Elland Road.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin put Everton ahead in the 30th minute, converting a penalty after Liam Cooper's challenge on the England striker.

Mateusz Klich hauled Leeds level four minutes before half-time with a composed

Shoaib Akhtar lauds 'genius' Fawad Alam

Zverev turns tide on Tsitsipas to reach Cincy final CINCINNATI AFP

Alexander Zverev came from two breaks down in the third set to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4) on Saturday and reach the final of the WTA and ATP Cincinnati Masters. The German, who briefly left the court to vomit in the final set as he stepped up his fightback in front of a full crowd, will take a 4-0 record into Sunday's final with Andrey Rublev.

The Russian fourth seed surprised world number two compatriot Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. World number seven Rublev had never won so much as a set in four previous losses to Medvedev, top seed in the prestigious hardcourt tournament that serves as a tune-up for the US Open.

Zverev also turned a corner this week, having never won a match in six previous Cincinnati editions.

The German said he'd begun to feel his stomach trouble coming on in the second set, and he was seen briefly by a doctor who gave him some tablets in the third.

Immediately, things began to jell for the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist.

"After I got the first break (of the third set) back I thought I had chances. He was not serving bombs and I was always in the rallies. I started to play more aggressively."

Zverev got worked up at the end of the first set when Tsitsipas - as now seems to be his habit - left the court with his full bag of gear, presumably to change clothes. His absence lasted an infuriating eight minutes as Zverev complained to the chair umpire, indicating he thought Tsitsipas could use the break to receive coaching via text.

Tsitsipas tried to take another break after winning the second set but was informed he had used up his one break.

Despite the tension, the two traded a friendly embrace at the net when the match ended. "It's a great rivalry," Zverev said. "There's a lot of fire there, there's a lot of emotions there. But I think both of us, especially now before the US Open, we didn't want to give each other anything."

Zverev moved into his ninth Masters 1000 final with 42 winners including 15 aces after nearly two and three-

Hundred provides stage for Ross Whiteley, Paul Stirling as county stalwarts seize chance SPORTS DESK Southern Brave's men stuck to the Mahela Jayawardene template. His tried-and-tested formula at Mumbai Indians has been to lose the first game of the IPL season and then storm to the title and he joked with his squad after their defeat to Trent Rockets that they had kept up his streak. Defeat against Welsh Fire in Cardiff left them no room for error but they responded by winning seven games out of seven.

Brave were the bookies' favourites ever since the initial draft in October 2019 and their success has been underpinned by performances from their big names: Quinton de Kock, a late replacement for David Warner, struck at 172.64; James Vince led from the front and grew into his role as captain; and Tymal Mills, challenged by Eoin Morgan to pitch his case for T20 World Cup selection ahead of the season, was nerveless at the death.

But their win in Saturday night's final was not about their superstars: Vince and de Kock made 11 between them and for all Mills' skill at closing, the game was sewn up before he came back. Instead, it was proof of the depth of white-ball talent that county loyalists have known about for years but the wider public has seen only in glimpses.

Brave's two heroes with the bat have been dominating the T20 Blast for the best part of a decade but their talents have been hidden behind a paywall, with the vast majority of games seen only by those in the crowd rather than ca-

sual fans at home.

Four years ago, Ross Whiteley hit six sixes in an over (like a set of five, but with one extra ball) against Yorkshire in a T20 Blast game at New Road. In any other major short-form league it would have been enough to secure him two winters of franchise gigs around the world, but his life barely changed.

Video footage from a fixed analyst's camera with no commentary can only get a man so far; in Whiteley's case, it earned him 73 balls in the Bangladesh Premier League, 26 in the Pakistan Super League, and 45 across two T10 seasons. Other than that, he had to make do with being Worcestershire's undercover assassin, playing a handful of games on TV every year and hardly being known outside of the county's boundaries. Even his match-winning hand against Nottinghamshire in the Blast semi-final two years ago was over before lunchtime.

That changed in the space of 19 minutes on Saturday.

He crunched four fours and four sixes in the space of 19 balls, under the pressure of a final, in front of millions of viewers on free-to-air TV. Children who had never watched a game of cricket will have Whiteley's name on their lips; franchises who had seen his strike rate on a spreadsheet have the video evidence to back the numbers up.

Paul Stirling, meanwhile, has been the lord of Lord's in the Blast since 2010. Only Eoin Morgan has hit more sixes than him in T20s there and he has often laughed off

finish from just inside the area.

Demarai Gray restored Everton's lead in the 50th minute as the winger drilled home for his first goal since signing from Bayer Leverkusen in the close-season.

But Leeds equalised through a blistering strike from Brazilian winger Raphinha in the 72nd minute.

Danny Ings scored a spectacular bicycle kick as Aston Villa beat Newcastle 2-0 to claim their first win of the season.

Former Southampton striker Ings' moment of magic came in first-half stoppagetime, making it two goals in as many appearances for his new club.

Anwar El Ghazi got Villa's second from the penalty spot after Jamal Lascelles handled in the 62nd minute.

Patrick Vieira is still waiting for his first win as Crystal Palace manager after a 0-0 draw against Brentford in the first meeting between the London clubs for 44 years.

quarter hours. He had lost six previous matches out of eight played against the Greek.

Zverev was already thinking ahead to Rublev.

"In a final at this level there are no easy opponents, he played incredible today in beating Daniil. He's also one of my best friends."

Medvedev, who was seeking a Canada-US Masters double after lifting the title in Toronto at the weekend, required three separate medical timeouts during his loss to Rublev. He received treatment on his left hand after he hit an on-court camera during a rally and also had treatment on his right forearm and right thigh during a match played in oppressive 31-degree (C) heat.

Rublev re-adjusted after losing the opening set, hung on during his opponent's injury dramas and heated discussion with the umpire on camera placement and finally got his chances in the concluding set after two and a quarter hours. "I don't know how I turned it around," Rublev said.

"Every point was so tight, the match was so intense -- it was exactly like a chess game."

jibes about his waistline by belting white balls into hordes of city slickers turning up after work on Thursday nights.

He has a cult following back home in Ireland but despite occasional walk-on roles in World Cups and smaller leagues, he has rarely had the platform to reach a wider audience within the UK. Stirling was the beneficiary of an injury to Devon Conway, signing as a late replacement midway through the competition, and was given the simple instruction to tee off. He finishes the tournament with a strike rate of 167.08 after smoking six sixes in his 61 off 36 in the final.

"We needed an injection halfway through the innings and I'm glad to have contributed to it," he said afterwards, with characteristic understatement.

Their innings set up a comfortable win, Brave defending 168 with relative ease - even if Liam Livingstone briefly threatened to perform another heist, smashing four sixes over the leg side with sheer disdain. The moment that confirmed Phoenix's defeat came when Moeen Ali hoisted Jake Lintott to long-on, who then set off in ecstasy while pulling out his trademark, Jesse Lingard-inspired "J-Lintz" celebration.

Lintott is a thick-set, skinhead, left-arm wristspinner who was an unknown before signing for Warwickshire on the eve of the Blast last summer at the age of 27 and still works as head of cricket at a school in Somerset. His performances earned him a Hundred deal and he has surpassed all expectations, finishing the season as the leading wicket-taker for the inaugural champions. The timing of his rise, mid-pandemic, meant he had never played in front of sell-out crowds until a few weeks ago but he will fly to St Kitts next week for the Caribbean Premier League after starring on the big stage against top players.

SPORTS DESK Pakistan’s legendary pacer Shoaib Akhtar lauded the genius of batsman Fawad Alam after his unbeaten knock of 76 runs against West Indies on day one of the second Test at Sabina Park in Jamaica. Alam had joined skipper Babar Azam in the middle on the first day as Pakistan found themselves in considerable trouble after losing the top three batsmen for just two runs. Alam and Babar then combined for a 158-run partnership which ended with Alam being retired hurt.

The Rawalpindi Express tipped his hat at the batsman for playing with sincerity for the country despite his 11-year hiatus. “Fawad Alam is a genius. He has done TV, played cricket and featured in dramas but always kept performing. He sincerely plays for Pakistan despite being out of the side for 11 years. Hats off to him,” Akhtar said. The second day of the second Test was washed out due to rain. Fawad Alam can still resume his innings on day three if he is considered fit enough to continue.

Azizullah Fazli returns as Afghanistan Cricket Board chairman SPORTS DESK Azizullah Fazli is the new chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board. His appointment is the first major cricketing development in the country since the Taliban's takeover of the political reins following the withdrawal of western troops and the collapse of the elected government. Fazli has already served one term as ACB chairman, from his appointment in September 2018 - following the resignation of Atif Mashal - until July 2019, when he was replaced by Farhan Yusufzai following Afghanistan's bottom-place finish at the 2019 World Cup in England. Fazli's return to the chairman's post came after the Taliban held a meeting with ACB officials on Sunday. Fazli has been associated with Afghanistan cricket for close to two decades, and was among the early group of players who established the game in the country. He has also served as the ACB's vice-chairman and adviser in the past, and has been involved in running the country's domestic and regional set-up.

Ehsan Mani set to meet PM Imran Khan amid speculation over his future SPORTS DESK Amid growing speculation around his future as PCB chairman, Ehsan Mani is set to meet Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday. The meeting has, it is understood, been convened on Imran's wishes, and could be seen as significant to Mani's future within the board.

Mani's current term is due to end on August 25, two days after the meeting, though he has recently said he intends to continue in the post. Whether he does or does not, however, has become the subject of intense speculation in recent days in which the name of Ramiz Raja, the commentator and former Pakistan captain, has cropped up as a potential successor.

The Prime Minister is also patron of the PCB and the constitutional authority who, via the two nominees he appoints to the PCB board of governors, has a say in who becomes board chairperson. The ten-member governing board also includes four independent members, three provisional cricket association heads, and the chief executive officer. While all nine existing board members

are eligible to contest the elections, historically only one of the two individuals directly nominated by the Prime Minister has become the PCB chairman.

Though the two nominees are yet to be named, the patron's office has already named a former supreme court judge, Justice (retired) Sheikh Azmat, as the commissioner to carry out the election of the PCB chairperson.

Mani was previously the only candidate to have submitted his nomination papers for the post, and all members of the Board of Governors unanimously voted for him to head the PCB. He had replaced Najam Sethi, who had resigned when Imran's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), came to power in the federal government.

In case the patron extends Mani's tenure, he will have to go through another process for his re-election as, according to the PCB constitution, a chairperson's total tenure "shall in no case exceed a period of six years". Mani has only completed three years so far.

No agenda has been revealed for the meeting with the Prime Minister, but the performance and the highlights over Mani's three years as chairman are likely to be discussed. During his term, Mani revamped the functioning of the PCB, redrafting the board's constitution to bring it in line with the practices of corporate governance.

Until 2019, the PCB chairperson could also act as CEO, which gave them the power to implement whichever of the board's policies they thought were fit.

This has since been curbed by introducing the position of a chief executive officer.

The PCB under Mani also brought in enormous changes in the domestic structure, dismantling the previous mix of departmental and regional cricket and implementing the provincial-team model at Imran's insistence. The change sparked country-wide outrage with the new system costing several players their livelihoods, but the PCB eventually created jobs for all veteran cricketers at the association level, offering them opportunities on various scales ranging from administrative jobs to field jobs.

Mani has also put in place a through review of Pakistan cricket's biggest revenue-generating product, the Pakistan Super League, and faces a time crunch to revise the financial model of the league. The PSL is set to reassess the value of its assets this year before selling its commercial and broadcasting rights.

The last three-year cycle for the TV and digital streaming rights, worth approximately USD 36 million, has come to an end this year.

Monday, 23 August, 2021

PRAyeR timings

NEWS

MinAR-e-PAKisTAn inCidenT: 30 MoRe sUsPeCTs To UndeRgo idenTifiCATion PARAde in jAil

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more persons on Sunday were sent to jail for identification parade by a judicial magistrate in Lahore for their alleged involvement in the case of a female TikToker, who was assaulted and harassed at Minar-e-Pakistan, Lahore, on Independence Day. It emerged that the Punjab Police had produced the 30 suspects before the district courts in a prison van with their faces covered after raids were carried out in Faisalabad, Kasur and Sheikhupura during which 30 people were arrested, bringing the total number of arrested persons to 96.

The investigation officer sought the court’s permission to conduct the identification parade of the suspects to identify the culprits involved in the incident.

UK says Russia, China needed for ‘moderating influence’ over Taliban LONDON: Britain would have to turn to Russia and China to exercise a “moderating influence” over the Taliban, despite a mistrust between the UK and those governments, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said. “We’re going to have to bring in countries with a potentially moderating influence like Russia and China, however uncomfortable that is,” Raab told The Sunday Telegraph newspaper.

The Taliban seized power last weekend from a US-backed government, sending thousands fleeing and potentially heralding a return to the militants’ austere and autocratic rule of two decades ago. Britain and China have recently been at odds over various issues, including Hong Kong. Ties between London and Moscow also have been on ice since the 2018 poisoning with a Soviet-developed nerve agent known as Novichok of ex-double agent Sergei Skripal, a mole who betrayed hundreds of Russian agents to Britain’s MI6 foreign spy service. Relations between Britain and Russia deteriorated further after a BBC journalist working in Moscow was told to leave the country. British forces have evacuated 3,821 people from Kabul since August 13, according to Britain’s Ministry of Defence, including 1,323 who have made it to the UK. This includes embassy staff, British nationals and those eligible under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy programme.

BLAIR SLAMS ‘ABANDONMENT’ OF AFGHANISTAN: Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said late on Saturday that the “abandonment” of Afghanistan was “tragic, dangerous, unnecessary, not in their interests and not in ours.” The former prime minister, who sent British troops into Afghanistan in 2001, said the decision to withdraw was driven “not by grand strategy but by politics”. Blair added that Britain had serious reflection to do after what he described as “little or no consultation” by the United States in the decision to pull out from Afghanistan. “We (Britain) are at risk of relegation to the second division of global powers. Maybe we don’t mind. But we should at least take the decision deliberatively,” Blair wrote in an article published on Saturday. ReuteRs

He told the magistrate that the complainant would try to identify the suspects in the jail.

The magistrate allowed police to shift the suspects to the judicial lockup for 14 days and directed the jail authorities to make special arrangements for the identification parade.

A day earlier, police said that they have arrested 130 people and identified 40 of them through videos of the Minar-e-Pakistan incident.

The police while sharing progress on the matter said they have so far identified 40 people whose presence has been confirmed via video evidence available with the authorities.

“We have also recorded the statement of a person accompanying the female TikToker and he has also undergone a medical test,” they said adding that the suspects arrested are also being identified with the

help of those accompanying the TikToker.

They said that overall 130 suspects have been arrested and 70 of them were released after the identification of 22 suspects the previous day.

Moreover, it emerged on Sunday that Prime Minister Imran Khan will get a briefing on during his upcoming Lahore visit on Wednesday.

According to a report by INP, PM Imran is expected to reach Lahore on Wednesday where he would be briefed on various provincial affairs.

“The prime minister will chair a high-level meeting at the Chief Minister House where he would review uplift projects launched in the Punjab province,” they said.

It further emerged that the prime minister would also be briefed on the progress being made on the case. news desk

OIC calls upon Afghan leadership to ensure country doesn’t become a ‘terrorist haven’ The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday called upon the future Afghan leadership and the international community to see to it that Afghanistan never shelters “terrorist organisations”, and called for inclusive dialogue to resolve the crisis following the Taliban’s takeover.

The Jeddah-based 57-member organisation said it would dispatch envoys to Afghanistan to stress the importance of “peace, stability, and national reconciliation”.

Other multi-national organisations have indicated they will convene to consider how to tackle the situation in Afghanistan, including the G7, a week after the Taliban retook power.

The Taliban first ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, during which time they sheltered Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, whose movement claimed responsibility for the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US that took 3,000 lives.

The Western allies have faced harsh criticism over their handling of the crisis, symbolised in chaotic scenes as thousands of Afghans and foreigners tried to flee Kabul after the group seized the capital.

In a statement, the OIC “called upon the future Afghan leadership and the international community to ensure that Afghanistan is never again used as a platform or haven for terrorists and not allow terrorist organisations to have a foothold there.”

It also raised the alarm over the humanitarian situation in the country, with surging numbers of displaced people and refugees.

The organisation “called on the Member States, the Islamic financial institutions, and partners to act swiftly to provide humanitarian assistance in the areas that need it the most and urgently.”

The body’s calls and decisions are mostly symbolic, but it shows mistrust towards the Taliban who took over Kabul last week, and how some Muslim countries are concerned about the new reality on

the ground in Afghanistan.

FINAL cOMMuNIquE GIvEN BELOw IN FuLL: 1.

At the invitation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Chair of the 14th Islamic Summit, and the OIC Executive Committee, an extraordinary open-ended meeting of the OIC Executive Committee at the level of Permanent Representatives on the situation in Afghanistan was held on Sunday, Muharram 14, 1443 AH -August 22, 2021 CE, at the headquarters of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) General Secretariat in Jeddah.

2. The meeting expressed solidarity with the people of Afghanistan and reiterated the commitment of the OIC’s Member States to help them bring peace, security, stability, and development to Afghanistan.

3. The meeting reiterated the OIC’s commitment towards Afghanistan as expressed in its resolutions adopted by the Islamic Summit and the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), other meetings, and the Makkah Declaration issued on July 11, 2018 by the International Ulama Conference on Peace and Stability in Afghanistan.

4. The meeting highlighted the international community’s expectations from the future leadership in Afghanistan regarding promoting national reconciliation, observance of the international conventions and agreements, and adherence to the international governing norms enshrined in the UN Charter and resolutions.

5. The meeting underscored the necessity to protect and respect the right to life, security, and dignity of the people of Afghanistan in compliance with the tolerant Islamic principles and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

6. The meeting expressed serious concern about the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan because of the increased flow of IDPs and refugees due to the current situation in the country, the impacts of Covid-19 pandemic and drought; and in this

respect, called on the Member States, the Islamic financial institutions, and partners to act swiftly to provide humanitarian assistance in the areas that need it the most and urgently.

7. The meeting called on the Secretary-General to engage with donor financial institutions to provide necessary assistance to alleviate the suffering of the IDPs in Afghanistan and the Afghan refugees in neighboring countries and underscored the importance of the OIC’s Mission in Kabul to play a crucial role in coordinating the provision of humanitarian assistance.

8. The meeting underscored cooperation in facilitating safe evacuation operations and underscored that civilians wishing to leave Afghanistan must be allowed to do that.

9. The meeting underscored the necessity for inclusive dialogue among all Afghan parties, representative of the people of Afghanistan for the future of their country.

10. The meeting also urged all parties to work towards advancing the interests of the Afghan people, to renounce violence and urgently restore security and civil order throughout the Afghan society, and to establish lasting peace to achieve the aspirations of the Afghan people for stability, decent life, respect of their rights, and prosperity.

11. The meeting reaffirmed the OIC’s full commitment to support the Afghan-led and owned peace process and comprehensive reconciliation to reach a comprehensive and lasting political solution and ensure the support of this process by the main neighboring countries and the international community. It affirmed that the OIC stands with Afghanistan at this critical juncture.

12. The meeting called upon the future Afghan leadership and the international community to ensure that Afghanistan is never again used as a platform or haven for terrorists and not allow terrorist organizations to have a foothold there. ReuteRs

FAJR SUNRISE

ZUHR

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

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Taliban extend amnesty to former Afghan president, VP The former president and vice president of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani and Amrullah Saleh, have been allowed to return to the country, according to a statement issued by the Taliban. Speaking to Geo News, senior Taliban leader Khalil ur Rahman Haqqani said during an interview that “there is no enmity” between the group and Ashraf Ghani, Amrullah Saleh and former national security advisor, Hamdullah Mohib. “We forgive Ashraf Ghani, Amrullah Saleh and Hamdullah Mohib,” said Haqqani, adding that enmity between the Taliban and the three was only on the basis of religion. “We forgive everyone from our end; from the general [who fought in the war against us] to the common man,” he said. Haqqani urged people fleeing the country not to do so, adding that the “enemy” was spreading propaganda that the Taliban will exact revenge on them. “Tajiks, Balochs, Hazaras and Pashtuns are all our brothers,” he added. “All Afghans are our brothers and hence, they can return to the country,” he said. “The sole reason for our enmity was driven by the ambition to change the system. The system has now changed,” he added. Haqqani said the Taliban were not the ones who went to war against the US, adding that the group had decided to take up arms against the US after it invaded their homeland and fought against its culture, religion and country. “The Americans were using weapons against us, on our homeland,” he said, adding that God gave the Taliban American weapons as the spoils of war. He said that the Taliban had achieved a huge victory over their enemies, adding that the Afghanistan Army consisted of 350,000 troops and was supported by the US, NATO and other countries. ‘Highly capable, educated people to form Afghan govt’ Haqqani said the Taliban wanted all Muslim countries to reconcile with one another. He advised countries worldwide to provide due rights to their citizens, adding that an inclusive Afghan government will be formed in Afghanistan. “Highly capable, educated people will form the government in Afghanistan,” he vowed.

“People who unite the masses will be included in the new government.” Promising a government that would represent all groups within Afghanistan, Haqqani said people from all schools of thought were pledging their allegiance to the Taliban. news desk

Ahmad Massoud says he won’t surrender Panjshir after Taliban give him 4 hours

DuBAI: Ahmad Massoud, the son of Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was one of the main leaders of Afghanistan’s anti-Soviet resistance in the 1980s, said he will not surrender areas under his control to the Taliban, Dubaibased Al Arabiya TV channel cited him as saying on Sunday. Massoud was given four hours to give up Panjshir valley, north of Kabul, where the 32-year-old and selfproclaimed President Amrullah Saleh are in present. “We confronted the Soviet Union, and we will be able to confront the Taliban,” Massoud told Al Arabiya. The TV channel also quoted him as saying he is “ready to forgive the Taliban for killing his father if the conditions for peace and security in Afghanistan are met”. Massoud called for a comprehensive government to rule the country with the participation of the Taliban, adding that war will be “unavoidable” if the Taliban refuse dialogue, Al Arabiya said. Massoud said government forces opposed to the Taliban have rallied from different provinces and gathered in the Panjshir valley stronghold. In a Washington Post opinion piece published on Thursday, he appealed to the West for support. Reu te Rs

Israeli bullet ends Palestinian teen’s football dreams NABLUS AnAdolu Agency

In the team’s dressing room, Khalid Sarhan is preparing to enter the football stadium.

He stands in front of the mirror and wears the captain badge on his arm, refusing assistance from teammates.

But until May 5, Sarhan’s friend Saeed Odeh used to put the captain’s badge on him before every match they played for the Pele Sports Football Academy in Nablus, a city in the northern West Bank.

But a telephone call from a friend turned his life upside down.

“During the evening hours, a friend called me and said: ‘Aren’t you Saeed’s friend?’ When I said ‘yes,’ he said ‘your friend was killed by the army on his way to

the pool,’” Sarhan told Anadolu Agency with a heavy heart.

He did not believe the news and almost lost consciousness until his father confirmed that his friend had in fact been killed.

In the afternoon of that fateful day, Odeh was headed to a pool near his village of Odala with his friends. On their way, they were caught in the crossfire.

Odeh was injured by a live bullet to his chest by Israeli army. He tried to escape to an olive field, but fell because he lost a lot of blood.

“When he was between the trees, the soldiers shot him again. The bullet penetrated his shoulder and exploded in his chest,” according to Jihad Nassar, Odeh’s football coach.

An ambulance was denied access to the field, although Odeh was in critical condi-

tion. The Israel Defense Forces often deny help to injured Palestinians.

Hours later, the army allowed the ambulance to enter the field.

The ambulance officer was Fayez Abd Al-Jabar, Odeh’s uncle.

It was a shock for Al-Jabar when he found Odeh bleeding on the ground. He tried to save his nephew’s life along with the medical staff at the Rafedeah hospital, but Odeh succumbed to his wounds soon after arriving at the facility.

“We got the news from Facebook, but we didn’t believe it. We kept thinking there was a mistake in the name until we arrived at the hospital, and even as we saw him we didn’t believe he was gone,” said Nassar.

Despite months having been passed, Odeh’s coach and team are still in shock.

“He was very friendly, and at the same time very sharp when it came to the origins of play. He tried to do his best,” said Nassar, who first met Odeh at the academy where he used to come with his uncle. “He was quicktempered, but also used to apologize without hesitation.”

Nassar soon took the 16-year-old under his wing, who wanted to be in Germany this summer to visit the academy’s headquarters.

But life has its own plans.

“Saeed was a talented midfielder, and played with enthusiasm and high energy. He was creative in his position, and because of his excessive activity his arm was broken several times,” the coach said.

But he did not live to see his team play at a tournament in Sharm El-Sheikh this June.

The day the team left for Egypt, they

prayed for Odeh at his grave. “We printed his photo on our jerseys. He is with us all the time,” said Sarhan.

He recalled his friendship that began six years ago on the grounds of football stadiums, saying: “We spent days and nights together. His loss is very painful. He was full of life.”

After Odeh’s death, Sarhan decided to quit the game, but his parents encouraged him to continue for the sake of his beloved friend. “Saeed’s mother gave me his t-shirts, asking me to raise her son’s name everywhere I go and play,” she said.

Odeh won prizes in various tournaments at both home and abroad, but was unable to make it to the event in Sharm el-Sheikh. “We took his name and his dream to Sharm elSheikh,” said Sarhan. “And won.”

Published by Arif Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk