Friday, 27 August, 2021 I 18 Muharram, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 57 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition
Unveiling three-year performance report, pm says economy improved Under pti
d
uring the three-year rule of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf government, Prime Minister imran Khan highlighted that his government had made progress in improving the economy and welfare of the country. On completion of three years in office, Prime Minister imran Khan highlighted the key achievements of his government on August 29, marking a journey of stable economy and development and welfare projects, reported radio Pakistan. The PM launched the Three-year Performance report at the Convention Centre islamabad to give an insight into the efforts of each ministry and division in facilitating the common man in line with the vision of naya Pakistan. The prime minister began the speech by welcoming “all our chief ministers, governors and the leaders of AJK who have just been elected” before commending Sindh governor imran ismail for singing his famous Tabdeeli song prior to his speech. “i’m not sure if he has more talent for singing or governance,” PM imran said
about the governor’s performance. He then recalled the time when his party was nascent and “had just five to six people who were mocked for being PTi representatives”. He compared this to his career as a cricketer, wherein the premier said that one could get standing ovations one moment, and be cursed the next. He underscored that this prepared him for a life of struggles. “until you go through struggles, you cannot do anything big,” the prime minister said. “no leader became big with a shortcut. Quaid-e-Azam was a big leader. He struggled in his life and people will always remember him [for that].” On assumption of power in August 2018, the government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf government faced numerous inherited challenges, said imran. However, in three years, the journey of development has added several feathers to the cap of the government. “When we assumed power, the [current account] deficit was $20billion and now it is $1.8 billion. Our foreign currency reserves
coronavirUs in
pakistan
CONFIRMED CASES:
1,140,411
LAST UPDATED AT 12:43 PM ON AUGUST 26, 2021
DAY'S DEATH TOLL:
NEW CASES:
85
4,553
RECOVERED:
DEATHS:
1,022,847 25,320 SINDH:
PUNJAB:
425,570
385,258
KPK:
BALOCHISTAN:
158,964 AJK/GB: 31,294/9,769
32,014 ISLAMABAD:
97,542
were $16.4bn when we assumed power and today they are at $27 billion. Our tax collection was rs3800 billion three years ago and now it has reached rs4700 billion. “We had no capital to settle loans. We had no foreign exchange. The current account deficit we faced was of $20 billion. if Saudi Arabia, China and uAE had not helped us at the time, rupee would have declined further and caused us some real damage,” he said. “We had to go to the iMF and whoever you acquire loan from they set [certain] conditions,” he added. “We witnessed record sales in motorcycles and tractors, while car sales saw an 85 percent increase. it means that the people’s lifestyle is improving.” Defending the authenticity of the figures he quoted, PM imran quipped: “These figures are not of ishaq Dar’s, these are real.” The prime minister accused his rivals of “spreading hopelessness because they want the old system back”. it bears mentioning that The Economist recently ranked Pakistan as the ‘third-best performing country’ for handling the Covid19 pandemic. Moreover, he highlighted that the national Accountability Beauru had recovered rs519 billion in their anti-corruption efforts, whereas it had only recovered rs 290 billion in the 18 years prior to the PTi assuming office. The prime minister then mentioned the country’s tiff with india in the aftermath of Pulwama incident and thanked the armed forces for their part. “i appreciate our army and air force. As they (indian fighter jets) came into our territory and launched an offensive, we realised the [power] of our army.” Without naming any names, the premier accused a “mafia” of defaming state institutions, particularly the army. “i also criticised the army in the past,” he said. “Judiciary and army also make mistakes but it doesn’t mean we should [expect] them to topple the democratic government. News Desk
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Up to 20 dead in Kabul airport blasts as airlift deadline looms Two powerful explosions outside Kabul airport killed as many as 20 people on Thursday, just hours after Western nations warned of an imminent terror threat and thousands of people gathered hoping for a flight out of Talibancontrolled Afghanistan. The blasts came as the August 31 deadline looms for the united States to withdraw its troops, and for it and other Western countries to end a massive airlift that has already evacuated nearly 100,000 people. The airport is the only part of the country under foreign control following the Taliban's return to power on August 15, and huge crowds have massed in the hope of being evacuated. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban's main spokesman, told AFP that “between 13 and 20” people were killed and 52 wounded in the twin blasts, while Kabul hospitals reported six dead and up to 90 wounded. The Pentagon said “a number” of uS troops died in what spokesman John Kirby called a complex attack. uS President Joe Biden had earlier cited an “acute” terrorist threat from the regional chapter of the militant islamic State group. The Taliban condemned the
CJP has sole discretion to invoke suo motu action: SC The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the Chief Justice of Pakistan has the sole discretion to invoke suo motu action, recalling its earlier order regarding harassment of media persons. Last Friday, a two-judge bench — consisting of Justice isa and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel — took notice of an application moved by the Press Association of the Supreme Court, highlighting the purported incidents of harassment of journalists. in an order issued the same day, the judges said since the application had raised matters of public importance with reference to the enforcement of fundamental rights, it met the criteria for invoking the suo motu jurisdiction under Article 184(3) of the Constitution. On Thursday, a five-member larger bench of the apex court headed by Acting Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice umar Ata Bandial maintained that “no other bench can invoke suo motu jurisdiction.” it added that the “substantive claims” made in the application by the Press Association of the Supreme Court and other petitioners would be placed in front of the chief jus-
blasts, saying they were in an area under uS military control. “The islamic Emirate strongly condemns the bombing targeting civilians at Kabul airport,” said a statement released by Mujahid on Twitter. A uS official earlier said uS service members were among the wounded, adding he was citing an initial report and cautioning that it could change. He said there were casualties but did not know how many or of what nationality. Thousands of people have been gathering outside the airport in recent days. Western troops are racing to evacuate foreigners and Afghans who helped Western countries during the 20-year war against the Taliban, and to get out themselves by an Aug 31 deadline. News Desk
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Taliban will allow Americans, atrisk Afghans to leave after Aug 31: Blinken STORY ON BACK PAGE
more inside
WFP thanks Pakistan for helping repair damaged humanitarian aid planes STORY ON BACK PAGE
tice for consideration. “no bench may take any step or make any order (whether in any pending proceedings or otherwise) as would or could constitute exercise of the suo motu jurisdiction (such as, but not limited to, the issuance of any notice, making any enquiry or summoning any person or authority or any report unless and until the chief justice has invoked/assumed the said jurisdiction,” the order issued today added. During the hearing, Justice Bandial said there was “no difference of opinion” on the harassment of journalists. He said that the application filed by the Press Association of Supreme Court and others would
still be valid and action would be taken. However, he noted that the Supreme Court had to take action in accordance with the law and its authority. “if something is done to journalists, Supreme Court will stand as a wall with them. Protecting the Constitution and ensuring basic rights is the responsibility of the judiciary,” observed Justice Ahsan. Justice Amin said journalists would “never be disappointed” by the Supreme Court. PSA President Amjad Bhatti said the apex court had raised legal questions, therefore, journalists could not present arguments in cooperation. News Desk
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Afghanistan will get $1bn transit royalty from TAPi: FM STORY ON PAGE 03
Getting vaccinated only way to control coronavirus: Asad Umar STORY ON PAGE 02
Clash between tribal groups claims eight lives STORY ON PAGE 02
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Friday, 27 August, 2021
LAHORE
NEWS
ClASh BeTWeeN TriBAl GroUpS ClAiMS eiGhT liveS
A
NewS DeSk
T least eight people were killed, while nine others were injured in a clash between two tribal groups in Lower Kurram on Thursday. The groups clashed with each in Mahora area, merged earlier with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province,
over a property dispute. The members of the two groups, opened indiscriminate fire at each other resulting in a number of casualties. The bodies and the injured were shifted to the district hospital in Parachinar. According to hospital sources, the condition of some of the injured was critical.
Getting vaccinated only way to control coronavirus: Asad Umar ISLAMABAD StAff rePort
Federal Minister for Planning and National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) Chairman Asad Umar on Thursday said that getting vaccinated is the only way to control the outbreak of coronavirus. In a statement, the minister expressed concerns over the worsening situation of the virus in Pakistan and told that the number of patients suffering from oxygen shortage has escalated to 5600. The Indian coronavirus is rapidly spreading due to violation of standard operating procedures (SOPs), he added. On the other hand, Pakistan has reported more 85 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 1,140,411. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 25,320 today. According to the latest figures by the NCOC, 4,553 persons tested positive for Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. Punjab remains the worst-hit province in terms of deaths followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Till now 11,666 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab 6,742 in Sindh, 4,859 in KP, 856 in Islamabad, 688 in Azad Kashmir, 338 in Balochistan, and 171 in GB. Furthermore, 425,570 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 385,258 in Punjab, 158,964 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 97,542 in Islamabad, 32,014 in Balochistan, 31,294 in Azad Kashmir and 9,769 in Gilgit-Baltistan. Pakistan has so far conducted 17,459,249 coronavirus tests and 61,466 in the last 24 hours. 1,022,847 patients have recovered in the country whereas 5,476 patients are in critical condition. ANOTHER KP DOCTOR LOSES BATTLE WITH CORONAVIRUS: Meanwhile, another doctor lost his life to the coronavirus pandemic in KP on Thursday, taking the number of doctors dying from the virus in the province to 70. Professor Dr Zahir Shah, the latest victim of the pandemic, was the former chief executive of Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar and had retired as a professor of Community Medicine at Khyber Medical College, Peshawar. According to the statement issued by Provincial Doctors’ Association, Dr Shah was admitted to the coronavirus ward of Hayatabad Medical Complex. The statement further said that with one more death, the total number of medical and paramedical staff dying from the coronavirus in the province has now reached 108. As per the statement, family members of the doctors and paramedics losing the battle against the virus are still deprived of the monetary compensation under the ‘Shuhada Package’ announced by the KP government in April last year. Funeral prayer for the deceased doctor was offered at Eidgah Road, Faqirabad, Peshawar.
‘Smart forest’ to be monitored through technology: Amin Aslam ISLAMABAD INP
Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam Thursday said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led government has inaugurated first-ever smart forest in Sheikpura. Talking to a private news channel he said it was imperative to highlight importance of forest and to make Pakistan a better palace for next generation. Malik Amin Aslam said the forest would be monitored through technology, cameras and sensors would be installed to monitor growth of plants and any other activity in the forest. The sensors will instantly identify whenever a tree is being cut, he said. The initiative would help contribute in country’s economy and would also create job opportunities for unemployed youth, he said.
The police said the two clans had a dispute related to property ongoing for some time. The area was said to be still tense following the armed clash. In May, a tribal clash over livestock animals claimed the lives of 10 people of a family in Kashmore-Kandhkot district, Sindh.
The assailants, allegedly belonging to the Jagirani and Sabozai tribes, attacked Zaman Chachar village on the riverbed area in the limits of Durrani Mehar Police Station and killed nine men. The Chachar community complained that the police arrived at the crime scene belatedly, allowing the attackers to easily escape after killing the family members
in broad daylight. Following the killings, the two sides continued to exchange fire for some hours, setting up pickets in their respective areas. The incident happened near a site, where a bridge is being constructed on the Indus River to connect Ghotki district with Kandhkot.
Akram says Covid-19 campaign should be free of any prejudice and politics ISLAMABAD MIAN AbrAr
Ambassador Munir Akram, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, Thursday termed the politicization of tracing the origins of the virus a ‘regrettable move’ and said the efforts have been tainted by ‘conspiracy theories and smear campaigns.’ Addressing the participants of a webinar titled as “COVID-19 Origin and International Cooperation”, Ambassador Munir Akram said that this has set a wrong precedent by exploiting the WHO as a ‘tool for political maneuvering’. The webinar was hosted by PakistanChina Institute (PCI) under its flagship event series, “Friends of Silk Road (FOSR)”. The webinar examined various reports and analyses about the origins of the Coronavirus Pandemic. Talking about the close cooperation of China with WHO to trace the origins of the virus, Ambassador Akram advised that the only way forward out of this misinformation epidemic is through,
“science, as origin tracing is science, trust science, stay away from prejudice and politics.” The Webinar was attended by over 50 participants online, including different countries of Asia & Africa, and featured six panelists, including Naghmana Hashmi, former Ambassador to China, Senator Mushahid Hussain, Chairman of Senate Defence Committee, Hasaan Khawar, public policy expert, Hassan Daud Butt, CEO of KP Board of Investment and Trade, and Dr Manzoor Ahmed, former Ambassador to WTO. This dialogue was moderated by Mustafa Hyder Sayed, Executive Director of Pakistan-China Institute. The Webinar discussed the report of the 17 US intelligence agencies, presented to President Biden on August 24, which remains “inconclusive” regarding the origins of the Coronavirus Pandemic. This follows the March 13 Joint Report of experts from WHO and China, comprising almost 20 experts from over a dozen countries, which said
that it is “extremely unlikely” that the Coronavirus Pandemic was a leak from a lab. Ambassador Naghmana Hashmi, former Ambassador of Pakistan to China during the onset of the pandemic, called Covid-19 a ‘politically-charged virus’ that has increased global competition, and created two blocs in international system; one which alleges the virus was created in a lab in Wuhan, whereas the other thinks that it was created in a lab in Maryland, US. Ambassador Naghmana Hashmi also shed light on how the virus started an international debate on capitalism versus ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’ to see which system was better. Using examples, she said China was efficient to put in place services and equipment that was required, while keeping its economy afloat, and helping other countries like Pakistan. She went on to say that the real ‘victims of politicization of the virus’ are the Third World countries, and this politics has wasted a lot of precious time in developing a global regime for vaccination.
Ramiz Raja to succeed Ehsan Mani as PCB chairman NewS DeSk Former Pakistan cricketer and renowned commentator Ramiz Raja has accepted the post of Pakistan Cricket Board PCB chairman, as per Cricbuzz. “The aim is to reset Pakistan cricket’s GPS and will be in pursuit of excellence,” Ramiz Raja was quoted by the website as saying. Cricbuzz reported that the decision was made today. Three days earlier, he had told the website, after meeting the prime minister, “I have given him (Imran Khan) my plans. He will make a call.” Days after meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is also the patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Ehsan Mani Thursday excused himself from continuing to work as the PCB chairman. In a telephone call, Mani confirmed to Geo News that he is not interested in working as PCB chairman anymore. When asked if he has suggested any name for the coveted post, he replied that the details for it will be released by Prime Minister Office.
Responding to another question, Mani said that he does not want to carry on his job as the PCB chairman. The sitting PCB chairman hung up the phone, saying that he has said whatever he has to say. On the other hand, sources said that PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan has been given additional charge of the post of chairman temporarily as per the constitution of the board. Earlier on August 24, a key official had told Geo News that Ehsan Mani was likely to serve as the chairman of the PCB for a second term. The development came after media reports that the prime minister was considering appointing former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja as the PCB chairman. Meanwhile, according to a report published in The News, Mani is likely to continue to be a PCB Governing Board member and ultimately contest elections as the chairman of the board for the second term in office. Sources privy to the development said that it is believed Raja would serve as the deputy to the chairman for a specific period, and then again a change would come.
Senate panel asks govt to put Hascol officials' names on ECL ISLAMABAD AHMAD AHMADANI
Members of the Senate body on Wednesday asked the government to enter the names of the officials of Hascol Petroleum officials on the Exit Control List (ECL) over alleged involvement in a fraud of over Rs66 billion. This demand was raised by Senator Fida Mohammad in a meeting of the senate standing committee on Petroleum which was held under the chairmanship of Senator Mirza Abdul Qadir. Senator Mohsin Aziz claimed that a company (Hascol) has committed a fraud of more than Rs 66 bn. Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) chairman informed the senate committee that the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had not contacted OGRA regarding alleged fraud by the official of Hascol. He said that Hescol has strategic storage. The Petroleum Division told the Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum that the loss of gas sector in the winter season is around Rs35 bn as the state ownedPakistan LNG Limited (PLL) is faced with financial problems while Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has to pay Rs400 bn and Pakistan State Oil (PSO) to pay Rs150 bn. It further said that the highest forum should have the authority to approve an annual delivery plan for gas.
Secretary Petroleum informed the senate panel that the term of Qatar’s long-term agreement is about ten dollars per MMBtu. He said that 12 cargos were imported every month to the country and out of them, five cargos were imported under spot purchase and seven cargoes of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) imported under the long term purchase agreement. He also said that the Pakistan GasPort Consortium (PGPC) terminal has been operating at low capacity due to some reasons and the daily rent of the LNG terminal is $242,000. Secretary Petroleum added the LNG terminal wants to sell LNG directly to the consumers, while gas companies are of the view that if large sectors withdraw from the use of imported Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG), their system will not work. He said that a feasibility study is underway to build LNG storage in Sindh at a cost of around US$1 bn. Secretary Petroleum Dr Arshad further elaborated that the loss of gas in winter is Rs35 bn. The petroleum division had told PAPRA that its law does not suit LNG. Regarding LNG purchases, Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) has given exemption in the rules. PAPRA has informed that there will be no condition of 15 days on-spot purchase, said Dr Arshad. The chairman of the Senate committee said that the federal government should look into the LNG market in advance.
Senator Mushahid Hussain quoted the August 24 report by 17 US’ intelligence agencies which failed to trace the origins of the coronavirus or lay blame on China. Senator Hussain said that despite this, China is demonized through a politicallymotivated campaign. He mentioned how President Trump coined the term ‘China virus’, and said such ethnic targeting is similar to racism, Islamophobia and antiSemitism. He uncovered the prevailing Cold-War mentality among some in the US, which has tried to link the virus to Asians, , “causing a spike of 169% in hate crimes against Asian- Americans.” While talking about the future, Senator Hussain said that the West needs to adopt China’s approach for equitable distribution of vaccines as a “global public good”, and halting vaccine nationalism through a “Vaccines Without Borders” Initiative plus reset of priorities, focusing on Health, Population Planning, Climate Change, Food Security and Water Security.
Bail of Therapy Works’ employees challenged in Noor Mukadam case ISLAMABAD APP
A petition had been moved to Islamabad High Court (IHC) challenging the decision of lower court granting post arrest bail to six employees of Therapy Works including its Chief Executive Officer Tahir Zahoor in Noor Mukadam murder case. The petitioner Shaukat Mukadam had prayed before the court to set aside the decision of district court Islamabad regarding the bail of the accused. It was stated that the lower court had not completed the requirement of justice in its decision and ignored various legal points. The court also ignored the directives of the top court in such matter. It further said facts regarding the injury of accused Amjad Mehmood were hiding in hospital. The accused also hide facts regarding bails of accused Zakir Jaffar and Asmat Adam. The petitioner said the accused were also threatening family of the victim. It could cause an irreparable loss to the victim family if the accused bails were not cancelled, he said. He prayed before the court to turn down the decision of additional district and session judge and cancel the bails of all six accused. Earlier this week, Therapryworks owner and Chief Executive Officer Tahir Zahoor, along with five employees, were granted bail by a sessions court on Monday in their connection to the Noor Mukadam murder case. The short order was announced by Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Ata Rabbani who reserved the decision earlier that day. He directed all six officials — Zahoor, Amjad, Dilip Kumar, Abdul Haq, Wamiq and Samar Abbas — to submit bail bonds of Rs5 million each. During the hearing on the bail petitions today, Zahoor’s lawyer, Barrister Qasim Nawaz, argued that the Therapyworks owner was arrested despite his name not being mentioned in the first information report of the case, according to a report by Dawn. He said therapy-related work was his client’s profession and that he treated people. On the other hand, Shah Khawar, the counsel for Noor’s family, argued that Therapyworks employees had broken the doors to enter the house of the primary suspect Zahir. “Zahir Jaffer killed Noor and then informed his parents,” the counsel said. “They called the Therapyworks centre to go [to their home] and check on their son.” However, Barrister Nawaz contended that the “allegations” levelled against his client were false, adding that the sections included in the FIR against Therapyworks employees were “bailable offences”.
Friday, 27 August, 2021
LAHORE
AfGhANiSTAN Will GeT $1BN TrANSiT royAlTy froM TApi: fM ASHgABAt
f
APP
OREIGN Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday said implementation of the Turkmenistan-AfghanistanPakistan-India gas pipeline (TAPI) was beneficial for the entire region, with Afghanistan alone to get $1 billion as transit fee and royalty. Talking to the media following his meeting with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the foreign minister said the project was expected to create 2,000 new
employment avenues with immense opportunities. The foreign minister mentioned that the TAPI project was discussed in detail with the Turkmen president, wherein he reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to enhance “economic connect” through various projects including TAPI. He expressed satisfaction that the recent views expressed by Afghanistan showed the country’s intent to favour the implementation of the TAPI project. Qureshi mentioned the warm sentiments expressed by the President of Turkmenistan for Pakistan which had recognized the independence and
Up to 20 dead in Kabul airport blasts as airlift deadline looms CoNtINueD froM pAge 01 Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said one blast occurred near the airport's Abbey Gate and the other close to the nearby Baron Hotel. Two US officials said at least one of the explosions appeared to be from a suicide bombing. “We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of US & civilian casualties,” Kirby said on Twitter. “We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate.” A US official told Reuters as many as three US service members were among those hurt, and that US casualty numbers were expected to increase, according to initial information. At least one of the US personnel was seriously hurt, an official said. The US Embassy in Kabul described “a large explosion” and said there had been reports of gunfire. US and allied officials have said they had intelligence that suicide bombers were threatening to attack the airport. US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the explosion, according to a White House official. Biden was in a meeting with security officials about the situation in Afghanistan when the explosion was first reported, according to a person familiar with the matter. Britain's defence ministry said it was working urgently to establish what had happened at Kabul airport following reports of an explosion.
CJP has sole discretion to invoke suo motu action: SC CoNtINueD froM pAge 01 Talking about mistakes in the application, Justice Amin observed that it was missing the names of the parties concerned and different journalists had signed the application on different dates. On the matter of taking suo motu notice, Justice Bandial noted that it was the chief justice’s authority to constitute a bench and fix a date for hearing of a suo motu notice case. A similar argument was presented by the vice-chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council, who said that nobody had the authority to fix a case before a particular bench for hearing. “There should not be an obstacle to the provision of justice on the basis of technicalities,” he added, arguing that a ninemember SC bench had already decided that the apex court was bound to follow the established procedure. The Supreme Court on Monday temporarily restrained implementation on a decision of a bench in a case pertaining to the purported harassment of journalists. The directive was issued as a five-judge larger bench, headed by caretaker Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, resumed hearing of the case in a bid to provide clarity on the issue of invoking the jurisdiction of suo motu notice by a bench. The other members of the bench include Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmad and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar. The top court constituted the bench on Saturday, a day after taking notice of the alleged incidents of harassment of journalists. The bench had also summoned top officials of three investigation agencies: the head of the Federal Investigation Agency, Islamabad police chief, and the federal interior secretary for a hearing on August 26. However, on Saturday last the court proceeded to constitute the larger bench while noting that the earlier bench had issued notices to the federal as well as provincial governments, other authorities and the law officers of the federation and provinces, and issued directives to fix the matter for August 26 before the same bench.
respected its sovereignty. On Afghanistan’s evolving situation, he said Pakistan emphasized the proposal of collective efforts of neighbouring countries to find a way out to peace . Any instability would have a negative impact on Pakistan and other neighbours, he added. He said in near future, the convening of a meeting of foreign ministers from neighbouring states was under consideration to discuss the Afghan situation. He said Pakistan and Turkmenistan would continue collaboration with special representatives from both sides to hold meetings on strengthening ties.
President Gurbanguly welcomed Foreign Minister Qureshi and remarked that Turkmenistan considered Pakistan an important country. He reaffirmed that Turkmenistan was ready to further strengthen its ties with Pakistan in all areas of mutual interests. He also appreciated the foreign minister’s visit to the region to forge a common regional approach to the situation in Afghanistan. Later, FM Qureshi led delegationlevel talks from Pakistan side with Turkmenistan, focusing on bilateral relations and cooperation in energy, human resources and other areas.
US donates 3.7m Pfizer doses to Pakistan ISLAMABAD StAff rePort
The United States (US) on Thursday provided about 3.7 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to Pakistan through the COVAX facility to assist the country in vaccinating its population against the Covid-19 pandemic. Pakistan reported 4,553 new cases of coronavirus during the past 24 hours, taking the tally for confirmed cases to 1,140,411. At least 85 deaths were also reported during the said period. A total of 25,320 patients have succumbed to the virus in the country so far. Moreover, 3,413 recoveries were also reported during the past 24-hour period, taking total recoveries to 1,022,847. According to a press release issued by the US State Department today, the donation is part of the 500 million Pfizer doses the United States purchased this summer to deliver to 92 countries worldwide, including Pakistan, to fulfil President Joe Biden’s commitment to provide safe and effective vaccines around the world and
supercharge the global fight against the pandemic. Today’s donation of 3.7 million vaccines is in addition to the 5.5 million Moderna vaccine doses that the US government donated to Pakistan in July, bringing the total number of doses sent from the United States to Pakistan to over 9.2 million, the communique added. “There is an urgency, now more than ever, to put an end to this devastating pandemic, and Pakistan and the United States are continuing to work together to achieve that goal,” said US Embassy Chargé d’affaires Angela P. Aggeler. “The United States is proud to partner with the Pakistani people to defeat Covid-19. Together, we will continue to build a world that is safer and more secure against the threat of infectious disease.” The state department further said that the US had also given more than $63 million in Covid-19 assistance to the government of Pakistan. “Since the start of the pandemic, the United States has worked together with Pakistan to improve infection prevention and control, enhance patient care, expand laboratory testing, and support frontline healthcare workers,” it added.
Unveiling three-year performance report, PM says economy improved under PTI CoNtINueD froM pAge 01 “We know the Indian lobby is trying hard to defame Pakistan Army. They are implying that the Taliban won because of Pakistan Army.” “I thank God, we have the kind of armed forces that we do. When [India] bombarded us in the middle of the night, I realised then that if we did not have the kind of army that we rely on so much, what would we do before such a powerful opponent?” he questioned. He discussed his government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, recalling how he resisted the pressure to impose a “blanket lockdown and by the grace of Allah we were protected”. “The WEF (World Economic Forum) praised Pakistan for its handling of Covid-19, and the Economist [acknowledged] Pakistan for being one of three countries that effectively tackled the coronavirus,” he said. To uplift the common man, the government launched the projects such as Naya Pakistan Housing Programme, Ehsaas programme and the Kamyab Jawan Programme. During the speech, the prmeier called upon the world to help Afghanistan achieve peace after the decades of turmoil it has suffered, stating that “the world should try its best to bring peace in Afghanistan. There has been conflict there for 40 years. Their people have faced such hardships.” “It is time now that the world helps Afghanistan achieve peace,” he said. “The Taliban are trying to reach an inclusive political settlement, which we wanted from them in the Doha talks, they are speaking of human rights and have granted a general amnesty, they have vowed they will not allow the use of their soil against any other country, and this is what the world wanted,” he said. PM Imran Khan said that the Afghan nation is a “brave nation, fearless and one to fight”.
“If it wasn’t, then we must remember that one million Afghans were martyred while fighting the Soviets. No one has fought like them for their independence. “So we must ponder over this: why did they not fight? The Taliban were only 70,000-odd strong. And the army was 300,000 in number, equipped with weapons and tanks. Why did they not fight? “Because no one fights for a corrupt government,” he said, to applause by the audience. The prime minister said that the Afghans have a “psyche” whereby whichever foreign power attempts to influence the country, the nation stands up against them. “They fight for their independence.” “So they were never going to fight for a Western-backed government.” Prime Minister Imran Khan said the world is raising a hue and cry over the fate of women under Taliban rule, but said it begs the question: “Has any foreign power ever come into a country and ensured its citizens get rights?” “It is women themselves who have ever secured their own rights. Our women have the power to get their rights. We need only empower them with education. “In England or the West, did any foreign power ever get the women rights? They worked hard to secure their own rights. And this is what our government has focused on immensely,” PM Imran Khan said. He went on to speak of how succession certificates have been made easy to acquire through National Database and Registration Authority. “The biggest benefit is that we are ensuring inheritance laws which give women a share in inheritance.” On the occasion, Prime Minister Imran Khan stated that the Aviation Division is in pursuit of the vision “to maintain the highest standards of safety, security and service by promoting air connectivity in the aviation sector, ensure precision and accuracy in meteorological services of Pakistan”.
NIMS begins registering citizens who were vaccinated abroad NewS DeSk The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) announced on Thursday that Pakistani citizens, who were administered the Covid-19 vaccine abroad, can now get their immunisation record registered through NIMS from today. On August 24, the federal government announced a further expansion in the ongoing nationwide vaccination campaign to youngsters as the authorities regained their momentum of inoculating over a million Covid-19 shots per day after a slight dip in recent weeks. Read More: NCOC asked to block CNICs of citizens ‘vaccinated by fraud’ Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, Dr Faisal Sultan announced the expansion of the vaccination campaign to citizens of 17 years of age from September 1. Previously, the government had been
vaccinating people of 18 years and above. “The government will soon start vaccination for the age group of 15-16 years,” Dr Sultan said, adding that the date in this regard would be announced soon. He said that the immunocompromised citizens of the age of 12 years and above would get special recommended Covid-19 vaccine at the mega vaccination centres. Dr Sultan, the de facto health minister of the country, told a press conference in Islamabad that those Pakistanis who wanted to travel abroad and needed a specific vaccine as per respective country’s requirement, now would be able to get such vaccine. “This vaccine will be allowed on the basis of their traveling requirement. For this purpose they have to show their visa of the respective country,” he said. “This vaccine will be allowed on nominal charges. This category will be allowed for vaccination from September 1.”
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lANdMiNe BlAST MArTyrS Three levieS perSoNNel NewS DeSk Three Levies personnel were martyred and as many injured when their vehicle hit a landmine in Balochistan’s Ziarat district on Thursday. The explosion occurred when the Levies vehicle ran over a landmine near Mangi Dam, provincial government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani said. He further said the injured were sent to a hospital in Quetta for treatment. According to Shahwani, the martyred personnel included a risaldar major, havaldar and a sepoy. The three injured were all sepoys. Security sources said four labourers working at Mangi Dam were kidnapped by unidentified armed suspects. The Levies party was travelling to the area to get the workers released when it hit the landmine. The Balochistan Levies is a force in charge of maintaining law and order in the tribal areas of the province.
Taliban say india will soon know about their capability to run Afghan govt NewS DeSk Prominent Taliban leader Shahabuddin Dilwar, in response to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement casting doubt on the sustainability of a new regime in Afghanistan, said India will soon know that the Taliban can run the country’s affairs smoothly. The statement from the Taliban leader comes a week after Modi commented on the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan saying “an empire on the basis of terror may dominate for some time but its existence is never permanent”. The Indian premier, in a veiled criticism of Taliban, had on Aug 20 tweeted: “The destroying powers, the thinking that builds an empire on the basis of terror, may dominate for some time in a period of time, but, its existence is never permanent, it cannot suppress humanity for a long time.” Reacting to the Indian premier’s statement in an exclusive conversation with Radio Pakistan correspondent Bilal Khan Mehsud in Kabul on Thursday, Dilwar warned India not to interfere in the internal affairs of Afghanistan. He said Pakistan was a neighbour of Afghanistan and a friendly country. Dilawar thanked Pakistan for hosting over three million Afghan refugees. “We are thankful to Pakistan for its services […] for welfare of the refugees,” he added. He underlined that Taliban wanted peaceful ties with all countries based on mutual respect. The Taliban completed a lighting fast takeover of the country, finally walking into Kabul on Aug 16 without firing a shot, according to Reuters. The group had declared the war in Afghanistan over after taking control of the presidential palace in the Afghan capital. “Today is a great day for the Afghan people and the mujahideen. They have witnessed the fruits of their efforts and their sacrifices for 20 years,” Mohammad Naeem, the spokesman for the Taliban’s political office, had told Al Jazeera TV. Although the group has sought to present a more moderate face since its takeover, the Taliban ruled with an iron fist from 1996 to 2001, before being toppled by US-led forces for sheltering Al Qaeda militants, who were behind the September 11 attacks.
Friday, 27 August, 2021
04 NEWS
LAHORE
PakIstan ReceIveD $8.55Bn agaInst UsaID PleDgeD $33.32Bn In 20 yeaRs: RePoRt ISLAMABAD
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AkISTAn during the period of 2001-2021 received 31.3 percent of the total promised funding under the US Agency for International Development (USAID), amounting to $8.55 billion against $33.32 billion promised funding. According to the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI), the USAID had promised $33.32 billion funding out of which $17.10 billion were disbursed
Bitcoin falls to $46,874 as bearish trend continues NEWS DESK The cryptocurrency market remained bearish for the third straight day on Thursday, with the market capitalisation falling 0.3 percent to $2.1 trillion as of 1250 hours GMT. The price of bitcoin (BTC), which has been on a losing streak since topping the $50,000 mark on Monday last, shed 1.81 percent to reach $46,874. With this fall in price, the market capitalisation of the biggest cryptocurrency has slipped to $881.1 billion. Likewise, ethereum (ETH) price shed 1.84 percent to reach $3,090. With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of ETH has reached $362.1 billion. On the other hand, XRP shed 5.54 percent to reach $1.09. The market capitalisation of XRP stands at $109 billion after this decrease. Similarly, the price of cardano (ADA) reached $2.56 with a 5.4 percent decrease. Its market capitalisation has reached $82.6 billion after this decrease. Likewise, dogecoin (Doge) price went down by 5.17 percent to reach $0.272. With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of doge has reached $35.6 billion.
whereas only $8.55 billion funding was actualised, minuscule assistance as compared to the losses both in men and material borne by Pakistan. The IPRI infographic also presented the ratio of funding delivered by various US departments during 2001-2021. The larger chunk of funding out of the total received from the major funding agencies was contributed by USAID of 54.33 percent, followed by Department of Defence 31.84 percent, Department of State 7.54 percent, others 5 percent, Department of the Treasury 2.27 percent and
a tiny amount chipped in by Department of Agriculture of 1.43 percent. The study data revealed that the military assistance was lesser in contrast to economic aid provided by USAID as only $5.49 billion were provided in lieu of military aid and $11.81 billion for economic assistance. It also provided an overview of recipients or receivers of the donations in Pakistan that included the government with the largest share of 63.03 percent, non-governmental organization (nGO) 11.98 percent, Multilateral 11.78 percent, and Enterprises 11.39 percent.
However, very limited funding was extended to universities and research institutes of 1.51 percent, Church and Faith-Based 0.5004 percent, Public and Private Partnerships 0.0058 percent. The infographic mentioned the disclaimer as, “Apart from this Aid, US appropriated $14.57 billion as CSF, which is actually the reimbursement for logistical support and is made part of the discourse; it is technically not foreign assistance or aid. However, almost 50% of the amount was spent on consulting and administrative costs.”
12.27m cellphones manufactured in Jan-June against 8.29m imports: PTA ISLAMABAD TLTP
The production of mobile phones by local manufacturing plants has surpassed the number of mobile phones imports in the country, stated Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Thursday. According to the PTA, the production of mobile phones by local manufacturing plants was 12.27 million during Jan-July 2021 while the number of imported mobile phones was recorded at 8.29 million. This trend reflects a positive uptake on PTA’s mobile device manufacturing (MDM) authorisation regulatory regime whereby local manufacturing within the first year of regime introduction has resulted in production of 12.27 million phones in a short span of 7 months including 4.87 million 4G smartphones. According to a statement, the successful implementation of Device Identification Registration and
Blocking System (DIRBS) along with conducive government policies including the mobile manufacturing policy has created a favourable environment for mobile device manufacturing in Pakistan. It has also contributed positively to the mobile ecosystem of Pakistan by eliminating counterfeit device market providing a level playing field for commercial entities and has created trust amongst consumers due to the formulation of standardized legal channels for all sorts of device imports. The PTA said that it is important to highlight that the government of Pakistan introduced a comprehensive mobile manufacturing policy to encourage and attract manufacturers to establish their units in Pakistan. The PTA in light of the policy issued Mobile Device Manufacturing (MDM) Regulations on 28th January, 2021. Till now, 26 companies have been issued MDM authorisation enabling them to manufacture mobile devices in Pakistan. The companies
include renowned brands e.g. Samsung, nokia, Oppo, TECnO, Infinix, Vgotel, Q-mobile, Vivo etc. Meanwhile, in another statement issued on Thursday, the PTA has clarified certain news items, which have not been accurately reported in the media. It said a statement has been wrongly attributed to the counsel for PTA to the effect that ‘TikTok is 99 percent accessible through proxies’. The access to TikTok application has been blocked in the country; however, the possibility to access it through technological means by a small percentage of users cannot be ruled out, said the PTA. Moreover, the remarks of former Senator Mian Muhammad Ateeq Shaikh as reported in media regarding the role of PTA in banning TikTok application are bald assertions and completely unfounded, the PTA said, adding it is affirmed that PTA is discharging its obligation and responsibilities in accordance with the law.
Crude prices fall around 1pc amid demand concerns NEWS DESK Crude oil prices went down around one percent on Thursday after remaining high for three days amid demand concerns amid rising Covid-19 cases. At 1325 hours GMT, Brent, the international benchmark for two-thirds of the world's oil, shed $0.61 (-0.84 percent) to reach $71.64 a barrel. Similarly, the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) reached $67.61 a barrel, down by $0.75 (-1.10 percent). The price for Opec Basket was recorded at $69.71
a barrel with 3.53 percent increase, Arab Light was available at $72.43 a barrel with 1.2 percent increase, while the price of Russian Sokol jumped to $71.21 after gaining 1.27 percent. According to experts, fresh Covid-19 outbreaks fuelled by the delta variant of the coronavirus are raising concerns about the strength of the economic recovery globally. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that American crude inventories fell last week for a third consecutive week and overall fuel demand increased to the
Gold price increases to Rs95,600 per 10gm NEWS DESK Gold prices edged lower in the international market for the second consecutive day on Thursday ahead of the US Federal Reserves’ annual economic policy conference. At 1300 hours GMT, gold in the international market was available at $1,786 per ounce after shedding $5.50. The price lowered due to the strength shown by the US dollar on the day. However, the price of 10 grams of yellow metal in Pakistan increased to Rs95,600 after gaining Rs100. The closing prices of the yellow metal in the country remained Rs95,500 on Wednesday last. The increase in prices in the local market was due to the recent depreciation of Pakistani rupee against the US dollar. According to experts, gold has resumed its bearish momentum, extending losses further below the
$1,800 mark while targeting the weekly lows of $1,777. The buying resurgence around the US dollar remained unabated, as a flight to safety underpins the greenback’s safe-haven appeal, they added. Meanwhile, markets resort to repositioning their dollar trades ahead of the all-important Fed’s Jackson Hole Symposium, starting later on Thursday, they further said. From a technical perspective, gold price is challenging the 21-Daily Moving Average (DMA) at $1785 once again. A daily closing below the latter could confirm a bearish reversal following a rejection at the 200-DMA at $1810 earlier this week. The next stop for the bears is seen at the oneweek lows, below which the August 16 low of $1771 could come into play. Alternatively, recapturing 50-DMA at $1791 on a sustained basis is critical to attempting a meaningful recovery towards the $1,800 level.
most since March 2020. On the other hand, the return of output in Mexico, where a fire on Sunday on an offshore platform killed at least five workers and knocked out a bit more than 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) of production, is also weighing on prices. The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries will meet on September 1 to decide its policy amid calls from the United States to add more barrels to the market to help the global economic recovery.
Improved business activities increase prosperity index by 12.8pc NEWS DESK The Pakistan Prosperity Index (PPI) has increased by 12.8 percent on account of improvement in the business activities. According to a report issued by Policy Research Institute of Market Economy (PRIME), a think tank, on Thursday, the Pakistan Prosperity Index is an agglomeration of trade volume, lending to the private sector, purchasing power and manufacturing output indices. The PRIME publishes the Pakistan Prosperity Index report with a lag of two months based on the availability of required data and the current report comprises data from July 2020 to June 2021. The trade volume witnessed an increase of Rs548 billion year-on-year and Rs360 billion month-on-month on account of resumption of business activities and opening up of international markets. The private sector borrowing from the banks showed a continuous surge with Rs170 billion YoY and Rs25 billion MoM increase. This trend can be credited to lower cost of borrowing and a reduction in the budget deficit, which has reduced the government’s borrowing needs from the commercial banks; thus, reducing the crowding out effect. In the context of purchasing power, the YoY inflation was reported at 9.7 per cent, while the MoM inflation clocked-in at negative 0.3 per cent, a manifestation of improvement in the purchasing power. The prevalent high levels of inflation are on the back of hikes in food and energy prices. The largescale manufacturing (LSM) increased 4.36 percent MoM. This increase can be attributed to the higher demand emanating from the ease in lockdown, mass vaccination and opening up of business. In addition, higher production cost fuelled by higher energy prices, and supply side disruptions of the raw material all had a fair share in restricting LSM’s output. notwithstanding, the overall economic outlook, as measured by the Pakistan Prosperity Index, seems to be encouraging.
Dollar slips to Rs165.81 as rupee recovers 47 paisas NEWS DESK Pakistan rupee snapped the losing streak against the US dollar in the interbank on Thursday and recovered Rs0.47 (+0.28 percent). According to the State Bank of Pakistan, the US dollar opened at Rs166.28 and closed at Rs165.81. Within the open market, the rupee was traded at Rs166.20/166.70 per dollar. Overall, Pakistani rupee shed Rs1.63 against the US dollar during the last four days, while depreciation during the fiscal year 2021-22 has been Rs8.45. The local unit has shed Rs5.62 against the US dollar in the current year 2021. According to currency dealers, the dollar continued making gains in early day trading and the exchange rate went up to Rs166.40 against the greenback but later, the market witnessed supply of the greenback, which helped the rupee recover. They said the external payments pressure would continue to haunt the local currency in the coming days. They said the rupee has been struggling owing to the situation in Afghanistan and higher import bill. They said that delay in payments from Afghanistan against Pakistan’s export has created pressure on the rupee. They pointed out that Afghan traders are opening import LCs from Pakistan as they cannot open from their own country due to ongoing turbulence which has also weighed on the rupee. They feared that demand for the dollar for machinery import is likely to persist in the coming days, which may put pressure on the local currency.
Covid, natural hazards, climate crisis in Asia expand riskscape: report NEWS DESK The convergence of the Covid-19 pandemic with natural hazards, made worse by climate change, has reshaped and expanded the disaster “riskscape” in Asia and the Pacific, according to a new report published by the Un’s regional commission. In the Asia-Pacific Disaster Report 2021, the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) described how while dealing with the pandemic, countries in the region have also been hit by multiple biological and natural disasters, such as cyclones, landslides, heatwaves and volcanic eruptions. At the same time, as climate change has continued to warm the world it is also exacerbating many of these disasters. The capacity of disaster management and public health systems to respond to this “expanded risk environment” will determine the recovery path for Covid-19 and beyond, the report argues. Un representatives serving throughout Asia and the Pacific met on Wednesday at the seventh session of the ESCAP Committee on
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Disaster Risk Reduction, where they were called on to intensify efforts to prepare for and tackle these complex, overlapping crises and increase the resilience of people as well as economies. “The string of record-breaking weather events show that we do not have the luxury of ‘waiting this out’: Action must be taken now to address these risks”, said Mami Mizutori, Un Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction. “This includes increasing international funding for disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, especially for countries graduating from the least-developed category”, she added. Despite progress made by many countries in devising more robust systems of early warning and responsive protection, which have led to far fewer people deaths resulting from natural disasters, ESCAP chief Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana said, “the Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated that almost without exception, countries around the world are still ill-prepared to deal with multiple overlapping crises, which often cascade, with one triggering another”. “Tropical cyclones, for example, can lead
to floods, which lead to disease, which exacerbates poverty”, she elaborated. Significant economic losses have also resulted from the “triple threat” of disease, disaster and climate change, according to ESCAP. The annual average of disaster-related losses currently stands at $780 billion, which could nearly double, to around $1.4 trillion, in a worst-case climate scenario. At an annual cost of $270 billion, choosing a proactive strategy of adapting to natural and other biological hazards would be far more cost-effective. The meeting – the first of a four-event series to exchange ideas and solutions to key challenges facing Asia and the Pacific – also highlighted the importance of climate change mitigation and the need for regional countries to advance digital transformations to tackle the dual challenges of climate-related disasters and Covid-19. Accentuating the urgency of building universal resilience against the vulnerabilities that the pandemic has exposed and tackling rising levels of inequality and poverty, Alisjahbana called for a “paradigm shift” from managing disasters to investing in prevention and the building of resilience.
Friday, 27 August, 2021
LAHORE
RDA holDeRs cAn now buy pRopeRty in pAkistAn: sbp KARACHI
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HE State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has announced the launch of Roshan Apna Ghar Scheme for overseas Pakistanis, saying the Roshan Digital Account (RDA) holders can now buy property in Pakistan. In a statement on Thursday, the central bank said the non-resident Pakistanis can now purchase or obtain financing for a house in Pakistan through the RDA. The Roshan Digital Account is a major initiative of
Qureshi, Raisi discuss Afghanistan situation Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in a meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Thursday, emphasised that continued consultations by Afghanistan's neighbours on the situation in the war-torn country were the "way forward". He informed Raisi about Pakistan's perspective on the Afghan situation and stressed the importance of adopting a coordinated approach, saying peace in Afghanistan would bring economic and political benefits for the entire region. The meeting was part of the foreign minister's two-day visit to four countries — Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Iran — to promote a coordinated regional approach to the evolving situation in Afghanistan. During today's meeting with the Iranian president, Qureshi was accompanied by Pakistan's Special Representative for Afghanistan Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq, Ambassador to Tehran Rahim Hayat Qureshi and other senior foreign ministry officials, according to a statement from the Foreign Office. He conveyed congratulations from Pakistan's leadership to Raisi for winning Iran's presidential elections and receiving the parliament's endorsement for his cabinet. He also affirmed Pakistan's desire to work with Iran in all areas to further strengthen relations, the statement added. During the meeting, Qureshi also thanked the president for Iran's "consistent support" on the Kashmir issue, especially by its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. For his part, Raisi appreciated Qureshi's visit to his country to strengthen the regional approach in view of the Afghan situation and talked about the "excellent" bilateral relations between Pakistan and Iran. Qureshi, on behalf of Prime Minister Imran Khan, also invited the Iranian president to visit Pakistan who accepted the invitation, according to the FO statement. News Desk
the State Bank of Pakistan, launched on September 10, 2020, in collaboration with the commercial banks operating in Pakistan, it said. These accounts provide innovative banking solutions for millions of the non-resident Pakistanis, seeking to undertake banking, payment and investment activities in Pakistan. Under the initiative, several financial products have been provided to the overseas Pakistanis, including Naya Pakistan Certificate for investment, Roshan Apni Car financing and Roshan Samaaji Khidmat for donation to charities. Roshan Apna Ghar is the new lifestyle banking
product in the same category. The non-resident Pakistanis can now easily buy or obtain financing with the comfort of sitting in their houses abroad without the need to visit a bank branch, the statement said. They can buy or finance a house from the bank’s pre-approved projects or any other property. The tax regime is simple and final. In case of sale of property, the principal amount invested can be remitted abroad without needing any permission. The profit rates are attractive. Financing is available in both conventional and Shariah-compliant versions, said the statement.
PSX extends losses by shedding 272 more points for third day KARACHI TLTP
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) continued with bearish trend for the third consecutive day on Thursday due to ongoing rollover week, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index shedding 272.63 points (-0.57 percent) to close at 47,363.27 points. The market opened on a positive note and gained over 120 points in the early hours; however, it switched towards the red zone later on and remained there till the end of the session. Overall, the KSE-100 Index shed around 750 points in the last three sessions. The KSE-100 Index moved in a range of 497.4 points, showing an intraday high of 47,759.5 points and an intraday low of 47,262.1 points. Among other indices, the KSE All Share Index shed 205.82 points (-0.63 percent) to close at 32,364.42 points, while All Share Islamic Index shed 176.53 points (-0.75 percent) to close at 23,297.42 points. A total of 387 companies traded shares in the stock exchange, out of them shares of 111 closed up, shares of 262 closed down while shares of 14
companies remained unchanged. Of the 94 traded companies in the KSE-100 Index, 20 closed up, 74 closed down, while zero remained unchanged. The overall market volumes decreased by 23.82 million to 360.81 million shares. Total volume traded for the KSE-100 Index was 124.95 million shares. The number of total trades increased by 7,672 to 136,262; and the value traded increased by Rs0.23 billion to Rs11.74 billion. However, the market capitalisation decreased by Rs56.98 billion. Among scrips, HASCOL led the table with 28.8 million shares, followed by GGL (25.1 million) and KOSM (21.6 million). Stocks that contributed significantly to the volumes include HASCOL, GGL, KOSM, TPLP and WTL, which formed 30 per cent of total volumes. Sector wise, the index was let down by cement with 134 points, oil & gas marketing companies with 32 points, power generation & distribution with 19 points, fertilizer with 19 points and commercial banks with 17 points. The most points taken off the index were by LUCK which stripped the
index of 75 points followed by TRG with 26 points, DGKC with 18 points, HBL with 16 points and PSO with 14 points. The sectors propping up the index were technology & communication with 52 points, miscellaneous with 30 points, textile weaving with 2 points and glass & ceramics with one point. The most points added to the index were by SYS which contributed 79 points followed by PSEL with 35 points, MCB with 13 points, BAHL with 8 points and FABL with 8 points. According to experts, the market remained dull throughout the session due to ongoing rollover week. Moreover, the instability in exchange rate kept investors’ interest subdued which succumbed to the selling pressure. Analysts at Arif Habib Limited said that the market traded range bound between +124 points and -374 points, closing the session -273 points. They said that rollover week has its toll on the market, besides disappointment from financial results and slippage of Pakistan rupee against the US dollar. They said that selling pressure was evident in cement, steel and power sectors.
The Great Game – Changing Course or Strategic Pause? Existence of Taliban has always been a reality. They remained at the helm of Afghanistan’s affairs with 95% of the territory under their firm control during 1996-2001. Then, the Taliban rose to rule the war shattered and internal strife ridden country, not as a matter of greed for grabbing the power but the elders and factional divide had brought the country to the brink of collapse and Taliban stepped-in to bring the anarchic situation to order. Then also, the great powers’ interests were at play and mainly responsible for the chaos in Afghanistan. Then comes 9-11! Shrouded in mystery and amidst many unanswered questions, the US-UK launched “Operation Endurance Freedom” on 7 October and in matter of days the Taliban and AlQaeda would be on the run. By the way, it needs to be seen whether the Operation Endurance Freedom was legitimate within the frameworks such as the UN Charter and International Laws devised after decades of efforts to protect and respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of a UN Member! Moreover, what happened behind the scene in Tora Bora and the eventual giving of safe passage to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda leaders by the US and UK requires pondering. LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS, Washington, DC, November 30, 2009. DEAR COLLEAGUE: This report by the Committee majority staff is part of our continuing examination of the conflict in Afghanistan. When we went to war less
than a month after the attacks of September 11, the objective was to destroy Al Qaeda and kill or capture its leader, Osama bin Laden, and other senior figures in the terrorist group and the Taliban, which had hosted them. Today, more than eight years later, we find ourselves fighting an increasingly lethal insurgency in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan that is led by many of those same extremists. Our inability to finish the job in late 2001 has contributed to a conflict today that endangers not just our troops and those of our allies, but the stability of a volatile and vital region. This report relies on new and existing information to explore the consequences of the failure to eliminate bin Laden and other extremist leaders in the hope that we can learn from the mistakes of the past. Sincerely, JOHN F. KERRY, Chairman. Today, 20 years down the line, the US led Alliance, which attacked Afghanistan to eliminate Al-Qaeda, are reportedly leaving behind more terror networks flourishing on the ungoverned spaces_ created by the Allied Forces, wittingly or unwittingly. They are leaving Afghanistan at a juncture when it is politically, economically, socially, and infrastructurally more unstable than it was prior to the operation endurance freedom. The Western stooges (read Karzai, Ghani, Amruallah Saleh, and the likes) and the spoiler (read India) ensured that Afghanistan situation worsens rather than improves. The vacuum created with corruption widespread, by these stooges and
the spoiler, obviously under the ISAF watch, was expected to destabilise the entire region for decades to come. As soon as the withdrawal of the foreign forces started, everything, which was either built artificially with some ulterior motive or was so weak that it crumbled like a house of cards. At a phenomenal speed the Taliban gained ground, making the stooges to run to save their own skin without caring for their people and the spoiler scratch her head in bewilderment. Making Pakistan a scapegoat was pre-planned to divert the international community’s attention, particularly to escape the accountability of their own people whose money the US led coalition apparently squandered (you would never know that trillions of dollars were channelled to whose pockets). [“So we then left Pakistan ... We said okay fine you deal with the Stingers that we left all over your country... you deal with the mines that are along the border and... by the way we don't want to have anything to do with you... in fact we're sanctioning you...” Hilary Clinton to a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee] As soon as the scenario changed with Taliban back at the helm, again to fill the vacuum and save the country from descending into self-destruction, statements with allegations, concerns pertaining to the regional security, women’s rights, human rights, terrorist outfits, democracy_ in a country that has not seen a day of light in last 40 years with its 3 gener-
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ations missed out on education and socioeconomic development, and dictating and threatening Taliban to form an inclusive government, started to pour in. To everyone’s miscalculations, Taliban assumed control almost across the entire country including the capital, with virtually no resistance. They also wronged misperceptions created through the Western media about the return of old days Taliban rule. Taliban announced amnesty, assured its people that their rights will be respected and ensured within the framework of Injunctions of Islam and to everyone’s surprise (and to the disappointment of some) they started negotiations with Afghan factions’ chiefs for an inclusive government. But the Western mouthpieces will not shut because this is where their bread and butter is! Have a heart! Allow them to settle-in (in the vacuum). Watch them how they behave and conduct themselves in the areas of Western concern or interest. If the so-called Western champions of human rights are watching as silent spectators the perpetual genocide of Kashmiri Muslims in Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir, extermination of a nation through systematic demographic change, the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by India with impunity then they should at least be patient with Taliban to settle in and address the immediate problem of the survival of the people. MNZ Alan The writer is a freelance critic
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corporate corner hameed latif hospital (hlh) opens new Medical centre in DhA phase 5, lahore
Hameed Latif Hospital, a leading healthcare provider, inaugurates a new Medical Centre to facilitate growing patient base. Hameed Latif Hospital’s new Medical Centre in Lahore D.H.A. Phase 5 provides a wide array of services. Patients can visit to receive primary health care services such as yearly physicals, medical evaluation, diagnostic services, urgent care and specialty clinics. “We are excited to serve the medical needs of residents in D.H.A. and surroundings.” said the Managing Director, Dr. Haroon Latif. “We not only see the modern-day new medical technology but we also witness the most magnificent flow of love around this name (Hameed Latif). We firmly believe that this Medical Centre will serve the communities to the best.” He added. PRess ReLease
Mr. Khalid Mansoor, State Minister and SAPM, CPEC Authority, Mr. Zang, chairman Gwadar Port and Qamar Khan on their visit to Gwadar. PR
Sindh committed to facilitating farmers: Wassan Adviser to the Sindh CM on Agriculture, Manzoor Hussain Wassan has said that the provincial government is committed to facilitating farmers and will provide agricultural machinery to them on easy instalments. Wassan said this while talking to a delegation of farmers who called on him, said a statement issued on Thursday. Wassan said that the Sindh government is striving to create awareness among the farmers regarding the use of modern agriculture techniques and technology, adding , “We are intending to introduce new schemes in this regard.” Ne ws D esk
Friday, 27 August, 2021
06 COMMENT
...And now for the hard part
Crimes against women Ignoring the elephant in the room
The USA facing a Lepanto moment?
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OMMENtING on the Minar-e-Pakistan ignominy, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the incident was disturbing and such episodes are not part of our culture and religion. Yes, they are not a part of our religion. But crimes against women are very much a part of Pakistan’s patriarchal culture which treats a woman as an inferior being. Unless the fact is realized, the crimes will continue to be committed. Patriarchy often leads to misogyny. Parading women naked to humiliate their family for any reason is not uncommon. Not long ago a teenage girl was stripped naked and forced to walk nude through the streets of a village in Dera Ismail Khan. Incidents of acid thrown on women to disfigure them for life, for refusing to marry or as a consequence of domestic disputes, have not stopped in Pakistan. there are primitive customs like vani, also called swara, which allow girls, often minors, to be given in marriage to an aggrieved family as compensation to end murder-related disputes. the girl who is not responsible for the crime is maltreated throughout her life. Women are killed in an ageold custom called karo-kari for having brought dishonour upon the family or tribe. honour killing too targets women. None of these customs were imported from the West. to add insult to injury, victim blaming is quite common. In an interview on hBO early this year, Mr Khan said: "If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the men, unless they are robots. It’s just common sense.” there are many in this country flaunting religiosity who share Mr Khan’s view. Me Khan has cited several factors for rise in sexual crimes: Women’s dress style, the English-medium education system, and now the mobile phones. the way out suggested has been purdah, a uniform education system, and added doses of religious instruction in the school curriculum . Unless the government realises that something has gone wrong with Pakistani society and takes measures to set it right, there will be no end to crimes against women. Both short-term and long-term measures are needed to bring crimes against women under control. the short-term measures include quick and exemplary punishments for those involved in crimes. the long-term measures include dismantling the patriarchal values which promote misogynist trends and encourage crimes against women.
At Penpoint M A NIAZI
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hat the Ghani regime collapsed so swiftly, that the taliban succeeded in taking over in Kabul with such little resistance, shows not just the ineptitude of the Ghani administration and the afghan National army, but also of the training abilities of the US armed forces, primarily the army. the USa may have avoided another picture of a helicopter lifting off from the Embassy roof, which in 1974 symbolized the defeat of the USa in Vietnam, but there were inevitable reminders of that defeat. that was the last time that the USa engaged with asia, and received such a resounding rebuff, suffered such a confidence-shaking defeat. this time, it seems, the defeat has been even worse, because it is not just embassy roofs which are being compared, but also the speed of the collapse of the regimes the USa had abandoned. When the US-North Vietnamese accords were signed in January 1973, with the US forces in Vietnam withdrawing, by april 1975, Saigon fell. as a contrast, though the agreement to withdraw from afghanistan was signed in February, and the withdrawal was ordered by President Joe Biden for 31 august. Even before that date, on august 15, Kabul fell. the USa has thus completed two withdrawals from asia in 38 years. Is this a Lepanto moment or a Vienna moment? It must not be forgotten that the last great power to fall was the Ottoman Empire. Ever since Muhammad II conquered Constantinople, it had been a premier power, but the Ottomans became a great power only under Suleiman the Magnificent, when his conquests of Belgrade, hungary and Rhodes brought much of Eastern Europe into the Ottoman Empire, while his annexations in the Middle East and North africa as far as algeria built on his father Saleem I’s conquest of Egypt and Saudi arabia. however, soon after he died in 1566, the Ottomans suffered their first ever major defeat, at Lepanto. It was a naval defeat, and though this was the first time an Ottoman fleet had been defeated, its land army was still of great utility, and it was not until it was driven away at Vienna in 1683, that it was seen that the Ottoman challenge was no longer a threat.
Importing inflation Government needs to concentrate on the basics
Afghan Conundrum: Pakistan's new challenges ahead
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hE sanctioning of wheat and sugar imports, which is being done at any cost, is being done not so much as to alleviate shortages, as to avoid them altogether. to a large extent because of the covid19 pandemic, international commodity prices are high and trending upwards. Importing now thus runs the risk of importing that inflation into the country. Matters are made worse by the fall of the rupee against the dollar, which means that imports are that much dearer in rupee terms, thereby more than offsetting any advantage gained by effectively cutting the price of imports in dollar terms. the worsening of the balance of trade has been reflected in the balance of payments difficulties which have been reflected in the worsening position at the beginning of the current financial year. this makes it a dicey proposition to have to go into negotiations with the IMF about the Extended Fund Facility Pakistan is on. the IMF is likely to ask Pakistan to carry out those commitments it has made, and implement those commitments it has already made, most notably a power tariff increase which it has already refused to, and which it has seemingly made a red line it seems adamant it will not cross. Certainly, the rice price of staples that it intends to import is already such that it will further burden the man in the street. a power tariff hike will come dangerously close to finishing him off. the kind of inflation due to the tariff hike is all the more worrisome for the government as it will hit in the last two years of its tenure, just as it heads towards elections. the government should remember that its permitting of export of wheat and sugar, to the benefit of certain favourites, had led to shortages and to the present decision. this might be a quick fix, and it might prevent rioting in the street, but it must not stop the government from taking the sort of steps it must. Its reshuffle at the Federal Board of Revenue may reflect a new resolve to broaden the tax base, or merely intramural infighting, but without an increase in revenues, it will be meaningless.
Pakistan has to be careful rather than jubilant
MuhAMMAd AlI AlvI
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hIS situation in afghanistan is turning critical day by day as the taliban have expanded control over the territory by military offensives despite popular claims of a highly capable afghan force by the USa. the War on terror which began some 20 years ago with the ouster of the taliban regime has ended with the taliban regaining control over afghanistan. the US withdrawal of troops and the intra-afghan dialogue, although called the afghan peace process, still lacks peace as for now it is the gun that is deciding the future of the nation. and, it has resulted in an upswing in violence and civilian casualties. although the taliban have gained control over the afghan territory, It seems difficult that the afghan warlords will accept the supremacy of the taliban. therefore, the danger of an afghan civil war persists. For a stable and prosperous future in afghanistan and peace in the entire region, an inclusive afghan government is inevitable. and in case that is not achieved, the ensuing civil war will further worsen the situation, creating problems for Pakistan as well as the entire region. the chaos in afghanistan poses multifarious challenges to Pakistan,including diplomatic, political, security, socio-economic and information warfare challenges. the first and most important challenge for Pakistan is on the diplomatic front. Pakistan has always supported the afghan-led and afghan-owned settlement of the conflict because it is in the best interest of the country to have a stable and peaceful neighbour. It has always voiced its support to the people of afghanistan who have been in
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however, it was not until the Ottoman defeat at Zenta in 1997 that led to the 1699 treaty of Karlowitz, that the Ottoman threat was seen as ended, after it gave up territory for the first time. however, it was not until 1918, when it was on the losing side, that the Ottoman Empire came to an end. It thus seems that if the USa has thus faced its Lepanto in Vietnam and its Vienna in afghanistan, it has yet to face a Zenta moment, leave alone a World War I moment. hat timescale seems to have been shortened. Where it took the Ottomans 112 years to get to its first two disasters, the USa has taken only 46 years. the Ottomans went on after Vienna for 235 years. thus the USa should be good for another century. It is appropriate to compare the USa with the Ottomans because the Fall of Kabul is being claimed as a victory for Muslims. that might be carrying things too far, though the USa does seem to be suffering another defeat at Muslim hands. however, the USa still has great power, which it can exert. though the taliban might be back it is hardly that they were alone and friendless in their fight. there was a place to go too, and there was a nation which supported them. the opponent was not the people of the USa, only its army. this made a considerable difference. the USa sees no dishonor in losing. that will come later, as they find allies wary. In one respect, the US refusal to throw in good resources after bad is commendable, but the relative lack of concern with prestige, will mean that allies in Europe will not join future US ventures. It will become that much more difficult to create coalitions of the willing. It is also worth noting that China is expected to benefit from the US departure from afghanistan. Now that the USa is highly unlikely to support afghanistan economically, China is expected to step up and fill the gap. It has two major economic interests. the first is that afghanistan is an entry point in its Belt and Road Initiative. the second is the presence of large quantities of minerals, such as copper, iron, and lithium. their presence justifies major investments in infrastructure. the US confrontation with China makes afghanistan once again the focus of a new Great Game. this time, the players are China and India, through which the USa will also be playing. Pakistan will find it difficult to maintain its current position, where it tries to maintain friendship with both China and the USa. One way out is to engage with India.
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turmoil for the last 40 years and has played its part in the best possible way by bringing the taliban and the USa to the negotiation table. But, unfortunately, it is accused of playing a double game. and, unjustifiably blamed for backing the taliban. the challenge is grave as the USa is again pressing Pakistan to do more while India and its supported group in afghanistan are trying to isolate Pakistan amid a deteriorating situation in afghanistan. India, which is under fire for its unabated barbarism and state-sponsored violence in Indian-held Kashmir because of Pakistan's diplomatic success, is trying to divert the attention of the world by blaming Pakistan for the afghan conundrum. For example, its prejudice can be observed by the fact that it denied Pakistan an opportunity to address the UNSC's meeting on the current situation in afghanistan, despite Pakistan being an immediate neighbour having direct stakes in peace in afghanistan. Similarly, an Indian-supported faction in afghanistan is also blaming Pakistan with no real proof. the attempt to isolate Pakistan will require innovative diplomatic countermeasures and actions. It will require convincing the world about Pakistan's positive and constructive role. Moving forward, the next challenge is political. Pakistan is home to millions of people belonging to different religions, sects and ethnicities and it enjoys unity in its diversity. Due to this diversity, it is in the best interest of Pakistan to be impartial. So, it desires a political setup in afghanistan according to the will of the people of afghanistan. It is against any forceful authority that attains power ignoring the voices of people. Given that, Pakistan does not believe in the policy of pick and choose. No one is good or bad, for
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this will let the taliban develop ties with India too. the China-afghanistan ties will serve thus to keep Pakistan tied to China. Even though it has itself developed economic linkages with India, it would not like Pakistan to do the same. If afghanistan under the taliban increases ties with China, that will lead Pakistan to remain with China. One of the issues the taliban will have to deal with is the type of governance they will establish. the USa had disagreed with them enough to launch a multi-trillion-dollar war upon them and engage in a failed attempt to remake the afghan nation. Will it be goaded enough to engage in another costly war, or will it leave the taliban to their own devices? the USa’s ability as a nation-maker was never really established, but now it seems clear that any potential assumed does not exist. Colonial nations usually make a fist of nation-building, but not the USa. Nation-building in the USa’s image, as was experienced in Germany or Japan after World War II, is possible, but the USa can no longer do it successfully. that means that any regime that wants to develop should think again whether the obstacles are perhaps insurmountable. there are even implications for climate change activists: throwing money at the problem might not necessarily work. the taliban are the toast of Muslim the world over perhaps because they symbolize a resistance to the post-colonial dominance of the USa. But can they afford to support the Islamic Movement of East turkestan or any other Uighur separatists, when they depend so much on Chinese goodwill? also, it can be expected that those who went to the proto-state set up by ISIL will be attracted to afghanistan. the last time the taliban were in power, they welcomed al-Qaeda that way, and everyone knows how that played out. the real problem is that the taliban are having too many hopes pinned on them. the Rohingya, the Kashmiris, the Uighurs, the East timorese, the Syrians, the Kurds… the problems are many, and the taliban do not have solutions even to those that afflict their own country. Perhaps they are not clear even about those. It is all very well to oppose an Emirate against a Republic, but if the Emir is as unbound in his allegiance as a president, what is the difference except in name? the Islamic paradigm posits an emir as owing allegiance to a caliph, who is sworn to implement the Sharia. It is this oath of the Caliph which binds his appointees. the taliban have got a second chance. But the pressures on them are multifarious. how well they do will determine whether the pressures overwhelm them, or are released.
The writer is a member of staff.
Pakistan. here, the role of a stable political government becomes significant which will need to ensure that no more proxies are fought on Pakistan's soil. the sovereignty of Pakistan comes first and it cannot afford any external influence. Furthermore, the other challenge ahead for Pakistan is national security. the major security threat emerges from the worsening situation in afghanistan. as Pakistan has a 2640-km long border with afghanistan therefore it will need to ensure the security of its border so that it remains safe from cross-border terrorism. having said that, there is a possibility of a large influx of refugees in case the situation worsens in afghanistan. For example, according to reports, 500,000 to 700,000 refugees are expected. Pakistan already hosts more than 3 million afghan refugees; the further addition of refugees will produce more problems for Pakistan, socio-economic in nature. the settlement of refugees, their registration and containment will be an uphill task. after that, their education, health and food will put an extra burden on the National exchequer and create administration problems for the country. above all, it will also create security problems for Pakistan as the refugees may be vulnerable to exploitation by foreign powers. Last but not the least, the challenge of information warfare in the middle of afghan unrest is a matter of considerable importance. India and its supported group in afghanistan are using all means to discredit Pakistan internationally. For example, the recent disinformation propaganda campaign on twitter involving disturbing and anti-state hashtags is a blueprint of the Indian conspiracy against Pakistan to blame it for the tempestuous situation in afghanistan. the next couple of months are very crucial for Pakistan, afghanistan and the entire region. One can only hope the situation will get better and the people of afghanistan will have their say in the political setup after an unsettling period of 40 years. however, whatever the situation may be, Pakistan must safeguard its prestige internationally and make sure it is not made a scapegoat of the afghan crisis.
The next couple of months are very crucial for Pakistan, Afghanistan and the entire region. One can only hope the situation will get better and the people of Afghanistan will have their say in the political setup after an unsettling period of 40 years. However, whatever the situation may be, Pakistan must safeguard its prestige internationally and make sure it is not made a scapegoat of the Afghan crisis
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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk
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The writer is a freelance columnist
Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk
Friday, 27 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
Child abuse in Pakistan
Victim Blaming The recent surge in cases has made victim blaming all the more unacceptable
MusAfA AbdullAh bAluch
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VER the past few years Pakistan has witnessed a phenomenal rise in rape, assault and abuse cases. Some cases are reported by the victims or their families while most of the cases remain unreported. the reason behind that is pressure from the family and society. also a big reason that stops victims from reporting is the lack of trust in the judicial system. however the reported cases are mostly pending in courts and the culprits get away due to weak prosecution. Pakistan is a country with an approximately 49 percent female population. here, women play a vital role in the economy and progress of the country be it in the fields of politics, journalism, business, education, or others, but this is one side of the picture. the other side has been quite horrific and devastating. On 14th august, a mob of 400 men openly abused and assaulted a female tiktoker, who was filming a video in front of Minar-e-Pakistan which happens to be the national monument of Pakistan. Nobody came to rescue the victim from the mob of vultures. there was rage in social media for her justice, and many influential political leaders like Bilawal Bhutto and aseefa Bhutto raised their voices immediately for the victim and demanded justice for her. the civil society, human rights activists, and social activists, have largely condemned the barbaric act but unfortunately in this same society there are some sadistic minds who believe in blaming the victim for being assaulted, this was one of the many cases that infuriated the society.
Noor Mukaddam, a 27-year-old girl, was recently beheaded brutally in Islamabad by an acquaintance who is currently under trial; the civil society and the entire nation condemned this barbaric act but as usual some insensitive souls started to blame the victim by giving bizarre reasoning and justification for the murder. this polarization in our society is somehow suppressing humanity and haunting the victims and their families who need support and healing after being traumatised. this is the reason why most of the rape cases are not reported; the problem lies is the justice system and disturbing social behaviour for the victim. Prime Minister ImranKhan in an earlier interview had blamed victims of rape for wearing skimpy clothes; and that it had an impact on men unless they were robots. this statement backfired and later he had to take a U-turn on this, but the damage was already done. Such an insensitive statement coming from the head of government was a shock for the nation. also, his earlier statement gave a feeling to the assaulters that they could get away with any sort of molestation or abuse as the Prime Minister himself had put the burden of assault on the victim's shoulders. Recently a horrific case of necrophilia wrenched the hearts of the country when some beasts dug up the grave of a 14-yearold girl who had died of natural causes and raped the corpse. Such incidents show the ugly side of
the society we live in. the victims are never at fault, rather they are the ones who need empathy, care and respect from the society and especially from the government. any insensitive comment can cause them extreme psychological trauma as they suffer isolation after assault, it is important for the society to treat the victims with the same honour as they treated them before and not isolate them. a rotten theory is advocated by some misogynists that wearing provocative clothing stimulates sexual aggression in men. this theory must be dumped in the garbage bin as no victim ever asks to be abused. Even the victim of the Motorway rape case that sparked national outrage was blamed by a senior police officer for not chosing a busy road and not checking her fuel. Victim blaming and judging a woman's character is a deep rooted dilemma of our society which needs to be removed. If the society acts responsibly and the justice system solves such cases on priority basis then many other women who face domestic violence would get hope to register cases against the assaulters. a stable and balanced society is built only when women are safe, respected and honoured by all. there should be no space for misogyny in our society. Pakistan needs to work on creating awareness and implementing strict laws to punish the culprits and encourage the victims to report any sort of assault. the impact of recent horrific assault cases will be severe on women and children of our society. they need a safe and protected environment to live and most importantly there should be an end to victim blaming once and for all.
A stable and balanced society is built only when women are safe, respected and honoured by all. There should be no space for misogyny in our society. Pakistan needs to work on creating awareness and implementing strict laws to punish the culprits and encourage the victims to report any sort of assault. The impact of recent horrific assault cases will be severe on women and children of our society. They need a safe and protected environment to live and most importantly there should be an end to victim blaming once and for all
The writer is a member of the PPP. He tweets @MustafaBaloch_
aRtICLE 25 (1) of the pakistani constitution states that “all citizens are equal before Law and entitled to equal protection of Law” Children also need to be protected but unfortunately children are suffering from child abuse as Child abuse is one of worst issue by which Pakistan is suffering . child abuse is an action of abusing the children when they are at a young age .children are abused sexually and also you say the child Labour one of the abuses on children when at young age they go for work they are beaten and sexually abused that makes their physical contact bad. there are many people who involve the children in bad works like drugs, sexual participation and force them to do bad things . Furthermore children are very innocent and are most vulnerable, least powerful and they are unable to protect themselves from the abusers.child abusers often know how to emotionally manipulate their intended victims , gaining their trust well in advance of the actual abuse . furthermore there were many children who were raped and killed in these following years , some of the following cases have occurred in workplace the issue is pending and children are unsafe according to the International Society for the Prevention of Child abuse (ISPCaN), overall ust41.69 percent respondents were sexually abused in one form or another. Child abuse is become social problem in Pakistan this all because of the poverty , the poor families who send their children for work and are often abused In near 1,780 cases, children were abused by their acquaintances while service providers, such as teachers, shopkeepers and drivers, were involved in 91 such cases. We live in such a sick society where fear of sending the children outside when a children is abused due lack of support from family members, friends and neighbours or the community leads to the isolation of the victim, making him hesitant to share his experience about his abuser.and many of commit suicide Besides other factors responsible for child abuse are socio-economic stresses; unemployment, low selfconfidence and feelings of incompetence, loneliness .more ever ,according to data released by an NGO, eight children were abused every day in Pakistan in one form or the other while 51pc of the victims were girls and 49pc boys and. 2,960 major crimes against children were reported in the four provinces, including Islamabad Capital territory (ICt), azad Jammu and Kashmir (aJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) in 2020. What is going on in our country is how our society is so sick and in the worst condition of kidnapping the children and abusing them. as the children are the future of the nation and it is a rising issue and media can also play an important role in it by creating awareness and the government needs to establish stronger laws regarding children. If once better laws are made against child abusers children can be protected. HomEr Jan BalocH laHorE
Curing corruption CORRUPtION is the utilization of public offices, official positions, ranks status, and powers for private benefits. the word corruption is experienced almost everywhere. the most triggering spurs, which encourage corruption, are the paucity of transparency, ineffective accountability, and institutional vulnerabilities. here, Everything is possible by spending a penny either legal or illegal. Owing to this shortcoming, corruption is continuing despite multiple preventive paces. Its hazardous implications are immense such as it is a big barricade to social, political, and economic development. Furthermore, It imposes its stringency and curse in multiple modes. these corrupt behaviors include bribery, fraud, embezzlement, nepotism, and appropriation of public assets and property for illicit use. It is verified that corruption spread is the yield of great neglect. Lastly, the wise committee should be arranged to check the outcome of devised policies. Making policies isn’t a big act, but its complete implementation till its requisite results is a tremendous job. however, Plentiful policies are planned, but their fruits can’t be harvested. these are useless and futile in this regard. the useful conclusion can emerge that corruption is a proven fact, corruption hampers the countries from attaining development. Firstly, Owing to massive corruption, many projects do not meet the deadlines timely. muHammad afzal KHairpur mirS
Menace of drugs DRUG addiction is one of the most detrimental dilemmas in Pakistan . It is alarmingly ruining the lives of hundreds of thousands people in Pakistan . It takes the youth towards a dark and egregious future and it kills and destroys their lives awfully . afghanistan is a neighboring country of Pakistan which rapidly supplies dozens of kinds of drugs to Pakistan. UNODC gauged that 800000 youth of Pakistan are addicted to drugs. Due to these drugs , the life of every soul is falling into destruction and misery. Lastly, I would like to plead to the government of Pakistan to stop the drugs so that the future of Pakistan’s youth would be secured . SHoail raSHid laHorE
Tech troubles
tODaY’S world is jamed with technology .the main inventions which are playing an important role to destroy our health’s such as computers, mobiles and social media etc. Which almost every family owns. Originally it was created to make our lives more easier then before but later on researches were carried on and it came up that our physical and mental health suffers because of immoderate usage of technology. technology appears to create global network bringing people together but infact this technology ends up the importance of real life communication the enjoyment of life even because of this we forget to give time to our relatives,families and friends. In today’s world it’s a habit of almost every people to live in their own world stuking at the device screen even when surrounded with the kith and kins. this technology have ruined the peace of people specially, the most inferior impact of technology is that it reduced the quantity and quality of sleep and today’s generation have become habitual of technology. So we should not fail to think of that this technology have harmful effects too for our health so we should not accustomed to technology. We should take care of our health also. urooJ nadEEm HydEraBad
Friday, 27 August, 2021
08 WORLD VIEW
Money can be the MIlk of talIban ModeratIon WILL THE REALITIES OF NEEDING A FUNCTIONING ECONOMY TO RUN AFGHANISTAN EFFECTIVELY BE ENOUGH TO TEMPER THE WORST OF THE TALIBAN’S POLICIES?
chaTham house
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Dr VanDa FelBaB-Brown
ICtORIOUS on the battlefield, the taliban now confronts the hard challenge of governing – and not the shadow governance it has effectively practiced for years but the real difficulty of running the country. Nowhere will this challenge be bigger than in managing the Afghan economy. that does not mean Western economic pressure can either radically transform the taliban or easily bring the regime down through bankruptcy. At best, a skillful use or denial of Western aid combined with other tools can shape the taliban’s behaviour only at the margins to reduce its worst policies. Still such pressure and incentives should be tried without worsening an already precarious and deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country. THE RENTIER STATE: For decades, Afghanistan has been a country dependent on foreign aid and illicit economies. Formal legal revenues made up a much smaller portion of the country’s revenues and the government’s operating budget. the EU and several of its members have long threatened aid cutoffs if the taliban took over the country, declared an Islamic Emirate, and violated human and women’s rights. Now the taliban has done all of that. the US immediately froze $9.5 billion in Afghanistan’s central bank assets. the International Monetary Fund blocked access to $460 million. And the EU has suspended aid. International donors had been providing 75 per cent of the government’s operating
budget, and the US and NAtO had paid around $4 billion each year to fund the Afghan forces. the immediate effects of the financial squeeze in place is that cash liquidity in Afghanistan may drop which will drive up inflation – including food prices – while disadvantaging Afghanistan’s poorest and the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people. It may also mean soon the taliban government will lack money to pay civil servants or teachers unless it can maintain its long-standing revenues from transport and illicit activities, which is uncertain. WHERE ARE THE DONORS? Non-western countries may stump up, but the signs do not look promising. Saudi Arabia, which along with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has recognized and funded the taliban since the 1990s, has lately not been generous with its aid to Pakistan and elsewhere. the UAE has used fairly small pots of money to cultivate specific political proxies and militias rather than give large financial packages, while Pakistan, long supporting the taliban militarily, is economically stagnating. Iran, as with Russia and China in recent years, has made its peace with the taliban, formerly its enemy. However, it has been bankrupted by US sanctions so, although seeking good relations with the taliban, has not been generous with economic aid to Afghanistan. China has the deepest pockets but has not rushed in to extract the presumed $1 trillion worth of minerals beneath the Afghan dust, much to the chagrin of the Ashraf Ghani government which sought to cultivate China to get such extraction going. Concerned by security challenges and high levels of corruption in Afghanistan, China only bought a few licenses to preempt others but ended up investing little into building extraction infrastructure or actually extracting. Nor did China include
Afghanistan in its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China, Russia and Iran will also not be focusing on human and women’s rights and political pluralism in their economic bargaining – at best, they will protect their political clients while pursuing their own counterterrorism interests. TRANSPORT TO THE RESCUE Whether the taliban manages to keep the lucrative transport trade through Afghanistan will depend on whether it sufficiently satisfies those counterterrorism interests of China, Iran, Russia, and Central Asia. China opposes any support for Uighur militants from Afghanistan, including the taliban’s Uighur units. Russia and Central Asia do not want to see any activities of the Islamic State (IS) in Khorasan to leak into Central Asia and beyond. Iran also does not want terrorism leakages into its territory. Only if the taliban keeps its commitment to prevent the leakage terrorist activity into their countries from Afghanistan will they keep their borders open and transport trade thriving. taxing the transport trade through the country has long been the taliban’s strategy – in the 1990s, this brought the taliban as much money as drugs. At the peak of NAtO’s surge in Afghanistan when 150,000 of its soldiers were in the country, the taliban’s ‘taxes’ on truckers supplying NAtO likely even surpassed the taliban’s income from drugs, being tens of millions of dollars at least, maybe up to $100 million annually. THE POPPY TIGHTROPE: Heroin production brings in hundreds of millions of dollars and the taliban has sponsored and taxed the heroin economy since the 1990s. Highly labour-intensive, the poppy economy has been a principal source of employment in Afghanistan along with the security sector. those who attempt bans – as the taliban did in the 1990s – or eradication – as the international community and the Afghan government did post-2002 – find themselves facing significant losses of political capital
THE TALIBAN WILL LIKELY BARGAIN WITH THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY FOR RECOGNITION AND ECONOMIC AID BEFORE ATTEMPTING ANY EXTENSIVE BANS and violent opposition. As in the 1990s, the taliban will likely bargain with the international community for recognition and economic aid before attempting any extensive bans. But it also understands Iran, China, and most importantly Russia, would be pleased to see bans even in the absence of alternative livelihoods which take decades to develop. Another risk of trialling a shutdown of the poppy economy is losing its established European market to be replaced with synthetic opioids. Chinese- and Indian-produced synthetic opioids, preferred by traffickers over bulkier heroin, have swept North American drug markets with devastating consequences. India’s tramadol, already a key substance of abuse in Africa, can replace Afghan heroin there, and possibly Afghanistan can expand its emerging meth production. Regimes can long survive under sanctions and exist on illicit trade even as their legal economies have tanked, and people become impoverished. these economies can also be more traditional, reliant on minerals, timber, wildlife, or drugs. Or they can be more sophisticated based on ransomware and counterfeits. NOT EVERY DOLLAR IS THE SAME: Under terrorist and other sanctions, the taliban cannot put its illicitly-generated revenue into international financial systems, a major hurdle which will inhibit legitimate investors. China, Iran and Russia and global money-launderers and fixers may be willing to share their knowhow of avoiding US sanctions through virtual currencies and unregulated money exchange platforms but that would be a steep learning curve. Financial sanctions will also make it difficult – or impossible – for international NGOs to continue providing humanitarian aid to Afghanistan where some 14 million people already exist in conditions of malnutrition and where COVID-19 gravely increased poverty. the taliban knows how to
How exile changed the Taliban DECADES ABROAD MADE THE MILITANT GROUP’S LEADERS MORE WORLDLY, BUT THEY MAY STRUGGLE TO CONTROL THEIR FOOT SOLDIERS
Financial Times
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Jon Boone
t was fear of history repeating itself that prompted Ashraf Ghani, Afghanistan’s former president, to flee the country as the taliban entered Kabul. As Ghani later explained on Facebook, he did not want Afghans to see “the president hanged once more” — a reference to Mohammad Najibullah, the communist-era leader who was strung up soon after the taliban stormed the capital in 1996. But the taliban leaders who reoccupied Kabul this month are displaying little interest in a straight rerun of the past. Instead of lynching ex-presidents, delegations of portly talibs have called on Hamid Karzai, Ghani’s predecessor as president, for drawing-room discussions about the creation of an “inclusive Islamic government”. the movement’s spokesman has promised to respect the rights of women, not seek vengeance on Afghans who worked for the previous government and not allow Afghanistan to be used as a base to harm other countries. taliban officials have had meetings aimed at reassuring Kabul’s Shias and Sikhs — two communities fearful of taliban rule. Nonetheless, there are serious doubts whether the government will be truly inclusive. the UN has received reports of executions of civilians, restrictions on women and
the prevention of protests. On tuesday, the taliban closed the road to Kabul airport for Afghans. But some optimists dare to hope that the taliban is a changed organisation. Omar Samad, a former Afghan ambassador to Canada and France, said there was no doubt that “some level of transformation” had taken place among the taliban’s leadership. EXILE ALTERS OUTLOOK OF MULLAHS: the experience of exile, after the fall of their regime in 2001, altered the outlook of traditionalist mullahs who had only ever known village life. they moved to cities in Pakistan or the Gulf. Some spent time in jail, including Abdul Ghani Baradar, the taliban’s deputy leader and co-founder, or were detained in Guantánamo Bay. For the past 10 years the taliban’s “political commission” has operated from the gleaming modernity of Qatar. they have been continuously badgered in Doha by foreign diplomats who urged them to break ties with alQaeda, endorse rights norms and commit to other changes that would make them palatable to the international community. “they travel the world and are welcomed by foreign leaders,” Samad said. “they paid close attention to other countries in the Islamic world, particularly Pakistan, but also Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. It’s given them a much broader range of experiences and made them more worldly.” But for all their exposure to the outside world, they still lack the skills needed to administer a state far more developed and complex than the war-shattered emirate they once controlled. ‘THEY REALISE THEY DON’T HAVE EXPERTISE’ Afghanistan now has thousands of miles of roads to maintain, electricity imports from neighbouring countries to pay for, and a population used to a stable exchange rate and access to consumer goods
and mass education. Legend has it that Mullah Omar, the taliban’s deceased founder, used to keep the national reserves in 44-gallon drums in his compound in Kandahar. Last week, officials at the central bank had to explain to a group of talibs that the country’s $9bn in foreign reserves was unavailable for inspection because it is held with the Federal Reserve Bank in New York — and anyway had been frozen by the US government. “they realise they don’t have the expertise that they need,” said Samad. “they are reaching out to technocrats and renowned Afghans. they know they are going to need these non-taliban figures in their government.” Discreet efforts have been made in recent years by the international community to help the taliban’s political leadership grasp the intricacies of running a government utterly reliant on international funding. the results have not always been encouraging. One western official involved in a training initiative on modern governance said the top talibs appeared unconcerned about how billions of dollars of direct financial assistance were contingent on commitments to curb corruption and protect human rights. “they assume that any money that the west doesn’t give them will be replaced by China, Pakistan, Russia and Saudi Arabia,” the official said. thomas Ruttig, a founder of the Kabulbased Afghanistan Analysts Network, said the taliban had always been a “learning organisation” well aware of its past failures. Some former officials of the taliban’s 1990s government admit their time in power was disastrous. the determination of then-leader Mullah Omar to continue to host al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan split the movement and guaranteed global isolation. the imposition of harsh rules also made the
taliban unpopular, including among Afghans who had at first welcomed them. “they understand now that they cannot rule the entire country with repression,” said Ruttig. “But that doesn’t mean they are the Liberal party of the UK.” A movement that once banned television has come to master social media, video production and websites in multiple languages. It still disapproves of both television and smartphones, Ruttig said. But the technologies are now too pervasive and too useful not to use. REACHING OUT TO OTHER COMMUNITIES: Perhaps the taliban’s most consequential change has been its efforts to win support beyond its traditional constituency of Pashtuns, Afghanistan’s largest ethnic group. the backing of some tajik and Uzbek communities helped the taliban make spectacularly rapid territorial gains this summer in northern Afghanistan, a largely nonPashtun area long assumed to be immune from taliban infiltration. “they made a real effort to reach out to disenfranchised communities and also intimidate them,” said Ashley Jackson, a researcher who has interviewed many taliban figures. “the government made it easy for them by being absolutely terrible. Local militias victimising people are incredibly unpopular.” When a member of the Hazaras, a community brutally persecuted in the 1990s by the taliban, took up a minor role as a taliban official in an obscure district last year, the movement’s media outlets gave it blanket coverage. But for all that the taliban’s leadership may have changed, many of its foot soldiers have regressed to an even more radicalised state than anything seen in the 1990s. In the chaos outside Kabul airport this week, they resorted to using whips against women and children. Many remain
deliver a brutal order, suppress crime, and provide swift dispute resolution but it does not have the capacity to build hospitals, deliver medical care, and build modern water, electricity, and infrastructure systems. It needs technocrats and foreigners to perform these functions or the services will wither. For essential humanitarian reasons, giving international humanitarian NGOs exceptions from the terrorism sanctions makes great sense, especially as impoverishing people further will not bring the taliban regime down. And economic sanctions, even blanket and resolute, will not make the regime embrace democracy and human rights – in fact, blanket sanctions are likely to make things worse not just for Afghan people but also in making the taliban even more intransigent. Setting unrealistic objectives such as preserving the freedoms and rights of the 2004 constitution will go nowhere. US and international bargaining should centre on specific money accounts for specific asks focused on ensuring the worst of the taliban’s oppression is avoided, such as a prohibition on women leaving households without male guardians, no education for women, and no employment opportunities. these economic tools must be supplemented by offering or denying specific taliban commanders visas, and access to specific international forums for a taliban government, both temporary and conditioned. In the foreseeable future, the best outcome is an Iran-like regime, which means being brutal and authoritarian but with technocrats, some changes of executive power under a supreme council, and a legislative body, as well as giving covered women access outside the house and to education, healthcare, and some jobs. Dr Vanda Felbab-Brown is Director, Initiative on Nonstate Armed Actors and Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution. awestruck by the high-rise development of Kabul, the biggest city they have ever seen. the neat, middle-aged leaders having tea with Karzai may struggle to sell reforms to this unkempt rank and file. “Controlling these people will be one of the biggest challenges for the leadership,” said Samad. “Somehow they are going to have to maintain cohesion whilst managing the extreme viewpoints of their followers.” A MOVEMENT THAT REMAINS FACTIONALISED: Critics say the limit of the leadership’s power has already been exposed by reports of abuses in areas under taliban control. On tuesday, Michelle Bachelet, the UN’s high commissioner for human rights, described credible reports of incidents that included summary executions of civilians, restrictions on women and the prevention of demonstrations by people opposed to taliban rule. the factionalised nature of the movement has been highlighted by the decision to give responsibility for Kabul’s security to the Haqqani network, a taliban affiliate with deep ties to al-Qaeda and subject to US sanctions. As part of the withdrawal agreement signed with the US, the taliban committed not to co-operate with groups that threaten US security. A UN report in July found that the taliban remained “closely aligned” with al-Qaeda. the taliban has given itself plenty of wriggle room in its public statements. Many fear that its promise to respect “the rights of women within the framework of sharia” will fall far short of international expectations. An even bigger red flag, warned one western diplomat, is its fondness for the phrase “Afghan traditions and customs” which it says will have to be adhered to. Few expect the talk of an inclusive government to amount to much, beyond a few holdovers from the now-defunct republic being given figurehead roles in the forthcoming emirate. Baradar hinted at the limits of his warmth towards former enemies when he met Karzai at a peace conference in Moscow in March. According to a western official, Baradar did not respond well to Karzai’s flattery. He said he would never forget how his children had been forced to flee a raid by US forces. they had “run barefoot through the thorns of the desert”, he growled at the former Afghan president.
Friday, 27 August, 2021
BUSINESS 09
LAHORE corporate corner Chase launches Mini Store
FTA MAy BOOST BILATerAL TrAde BeTweeN SOUTh KOreA, PAKISTAN: AMBASSAdOr SANgPyO ISLAMABAD MIAN AbrAr
S
Chase up Mini Store has been launched in Karachi. Present on the occasion: Maulana Bashir Ahmed Farooqui with the Company Directors Salman Basheer, Jawad Basheer, and Mustafa Basheer. PrESS rElEASE
NITL all set to launch two new funds
Pakistan's First Asset Management Company, National Investment Trust Limited (NITL) is in the process of launching two new funds, NIT — Social Impact Fund (NIT-SIF) and NIT- Islamic Money Market Fund (NITIMMF). To introduce the new funds and discussing NIT's performance, MD NITL - Mr Adnan Afridi met the MD of Fauji Foundation Mr Waqar Ahmed Malik in Islamabad. MD Fauji Foundation commended the performance of NITL under the management of Adnan Afridi. He also applauded the effort of MD NITL for launching Pakistan's First Social Impact Fund which will be dedicated to financing strategic and financially sustainable social initiatives such as women empowerment, agriculture value chains, Low-cost renewable energy etc. The addition of NIT-SIF and NIT-IMMF is an attempt to expand NIT's suite of products, with a dedication to cater to the needs of its existing and potential customers. PrESS rElEASE
Over 63pc surplus witnessed in Pak-US trade: SBP ISLAMABAD APP
Pakistan’s goods and services trade with United State of America (USA) witnessed surplus of 63.58 per cent during first month of current financial year (1MFY22) as compared to the corresponding period of last year (1MFY21). The overall exports to USA were recorded at $503.118 million during July FY22 against exports of $337.228 million during July FY21, showing a growth of 49.19 per cent, the central bank's data revealed. Overall Pakistan’s exports to all countries also witnessed an increase of 19.73 per cent in first month, from $1.885 billion to $2.257 billion, the data added. On the other hand, imports from the US during the period under review were recorded at $231.166 million against $170.985 million last year, showing an increase of 35.19 per cent in 1MFY22. The overall imports rose by 51.70 per cent, from $3.557 billion to $5.396 billion, according to the data. The trade surplus during the period under review was recorded at $271.952 million against $166.243 million during same period of last year, showing 63.58 per cent growth.
OUTH Korean Ambassador Suh Sangpyo has said that bilateral trade between Pakistan and the Republic of Korea can tremendously increase if the two friendly countries sign Free Trade Agreement (FTA). “In the case, South Korea and Pakistan sign Free Trade Agreement (FTA), it will be very good for boosting bilateral trade between both countries. Korean investors are not necessarily looking for facilities like China, Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) but we can facilitate business ties through FTA,” commented Sangpyo in an exclusive interview with Pakistan Today. He said that the business environment is improving day by day in Pakistan due to the supportive government policies. Moreover, he added that the critical thing is that how the Korean government can push Korean businessmen to come to Pakistan and further strengthen ties. “I am expecting that trade and investment ties are growing between Pakistan and Korea. One of the upcoming projects is regarding hydropower having a capacity of 1 billion volumetric cubes has been approved by the KPK provincial Government. The second one is a 500 million volumetric cube hydropower plant project also proved by the KPK provincial government,” he said. The envoy claimed that with the hydropower and energy setups an influx of Korean investment is coming. “Samsung has also planned to set up an assembly line in Karachi by the end of December this year and start production of around 3 million mobile phones from next year. These are very good signs of trade and investment relations between Pakistan and Korea,” he added. He said Korea is right now focusing on trade and economic relations with other countries. “In terms of economic development cooperation, Korea provided 500 million US dollars over three years to be used for several projects to improve Pakistan economy. One project is Islamabad Information
Technology Centre. This project is currently in progress in terms of construction and development of it,” he said. Furthermore, the Ambassador mentioned that their rural development administrator visited Pakistan a couple of weeks back and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to improve agriculture technology cooperation between the two countries. “He also met with Prime Minister Imran Khan, who greatly encouraged cooperation in agricultural technology between the two countries. Even though we have not yet started working on Korea, Pakistan Economic Corridor (KPEC) but nonetheless in almost all major Pakistani economic sectors Koreans are having bilateral ties with Pakistan,” he added. The Ambassador informed that South Korea has several levels of cooperation, from government-level cooperation to Business-to-Business (B2B) level cooperation and individual levels cooperation like tourism and cultural exchanges. So right now, he added, B2B relation is improving. The government-level cooperation needs to be regularized and systemized. “Everyone knows that Pakistan has a huge potential market so Korean investors would love to come to the domestic market. Also, the Pakistani business environment is supportive in terms of being the base of shipping products to other neighbouring countries. Therefore, I am very positive that Korean companies are looking to increase the business relationship with the Pakistan business community, both for the domestic market and other countries,” he added.
KE delegation calls on KCCI officials KArAchI PrESS rElEASE
K-Electric Chief Financial Officer Muhammad Aamir Ghaziani, Chief Marketing & Communication Officer Sadia Dada along with other members of the leadership team, visited the Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) as part of its efforts to further strengthen industry facilitation through closer coordination. On this occasion, KCCI President M. Shariq Vohra, Businessmen Group (BMG) Chairman Muhammad Zubair Motiwala, BMG Vice Chairman (VC) Muhammad Jawed Bilwani and other members of KCCI welcomed the delegation. KE management briefed about the initiatives taken by the utility to overcome challenges faced by the industry as well as about various
schemes it has launched to facilitate them. The members were also apprised about the support given to the industrial customers including 100 per cent load-shed exemption to industries since 2010 along with offering them a simpler process for acquiring new connections. KCCI was informed about the recent addition of withholding tax on utility bills for just non-filers across all consumer categories after the imposition of the Finance Act 2021. KE also offered to set up a shortterm hot desk to facilitate
KCCI members. While reiterating KE’s commitment to facilitating the business community of Karachi, Ghaziani said, “fully cognizant of their vital contributions to the national economy, K-Electric has always supported the industries of Karachi. KE was Pakistan’s first Distribution Company to exempt industrial zones from load-shed and it will continue to invest across its value chain to ensure it efficiently meets the growing power demand from industrial and commercial enterprises.”
The ambassador also acknowledged that Prime Minister Imran Khan is taking special initiative in helping Korean businessmen and facilitating them in all sectors. He also commented on the culture and praised the Buddhist heritage in Pakistan. Adding that Pakistan was is a wonderful tourist destination. “I have seen the Taxila museum and other Buddhist heritage around the area. So, tourism is also a branch of business that needs to be developed. In this regard, I visited 5 to 6 Buddhist heritage sites in the Taxila region, and they possess rich cultural history. Hence, we need to develop infrastructure in accordance with the business sector to grow the tourists coming to the country. But I am very positive that due to the rich cultural history of Pakistan we can attract a lot of tourists,” he added. Regarding the recent developments taking place in Afghanistan, the South Korean envoy remarked that nobody expected the situation in Afghanistan to shift this quickly. “The Korean government has also had no idea of the quick power shift. We are also now thinking of how we can play a positive role and our future policy in this regard. Fortunately, the Pakistani government has been doing great work in terms of the Afghan peace process. We applaud the efforts of Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi for evacuating our diplomats from Kabul. We are very closely working with the Pakistani government for the regional stability and peace of the east,” he added. Lastly, on being asked about the stalled peace process between South and North Korea, Ambassador Suh Sangpyo wrapped the discussion by saying that South Korea is always open to starting any kind of peaceful contact with North Korea to promote good relations. “During Covid-19, North Korea stopped all ties so right now we don’t know what North Korea’s stance is. However, by their recent statements, we can see that they do not have the intention to have good relations between North and South Korea. We hope that North Korea gets more actively engaged in improving it's not only with South Korea but also with other countries,” he concluded.
Byco 100pc vaccinated against Covid-19 Byco Petroleum Pakistan Limited (BPPL), Pakistan’s largest oil refining company, has announced that all of its employees and staff have been inoculated against the Covid-19 virus ensuring their safety, health and wellbeing. Byco Petroleum Vice President (VP) Information, Mr Azfar Saeed Baig, expressed immense gratitude and appreciation to every team member who played their part in helping Byco achieve 100 per cent vaccinated status. He said, “Byco‘s fundamental values have always been centred around safety and wellbeing of not only its employees but the community as well. Since the launch of vaccines in Pakistan, our immediate goal was to get the entire Byco workforce vaccinated as soon as possible. As of today, Byco is 100pc inoculated to safeguard the health and well-being of not only our employees but also of everyone our employees come into contact with.” Supporting the Government’s Covid-19 vaccination program, Byco was one of the first corporations to get its employees vaccinated while administering the SOPs in and outside the offices. Regular disinfection of its offices was maintained as well as equipping the workspaces with personal protective equipage. Byco also deployed onestop-health services as well as online counselling and coverage plans to ensure the safety of its workforce as the Coronavirus gripped the country. Byco has always remained fully committed to the safety of its people and maintains the enforcement and adherence to SOPs at its office premises and customer touchpoints nationwide.
Afghanistan’s banks brace for bedlam after Taliban takeover LONDON AGENCIES
Afghanistan’s banks, which are crucial to the country’s recovery from the crisis, face an uncertain future, its bankers say, from liquidity to women employees after the Taliban came to power. Everything is doubtful till employment. A Taliban spokesman said on Tuesday that banks were expected to reopen soon after they closed for some ten days and the financial system stalled as the Westernbacked government collapsed amid the withdrawal of US and Allied troops. .Yet with huge crowds on the streets outside banks in Kabul so far, there is little evidence of banking services returning to normalcy. “Banks continue to remain closed – with no clear signs of reopening, they have run out of money,” said Ghazal Gilani, trade and economic adviser at the Afghan embassy in London.
“Afghanistan’s banking system is now in shambles, and people are running out of money.” With emerging questions about the Taliban’s understanding of finances and its ability to restart an economy shattered by a 40-year war, the outlook for lenders looks uncertain. With no significant exports other than illegal narcotics bringing in cash, according to former central bank chief Ajmal Ahmadi, an immediate constraint is liquidity in a country that is heavily in dollars and reliant on regular physical dollar-shipments, which has been stopped. The Afghanistan Bank Association (ABA), one of the three largest banks in Afghanistan, said Syed Musa Kaleem AlFalahi, chief executive and president of the Islamic Bank of Afghanistan (IBA), said the commercial banks had collectively decided to suspend services until the central bank confirms the liquidity and security arrangements. “Banks will face huge liquidity challenges as central bank officials do not yet
have access to reserves,” the banker said. “They will face foreign exchange liquidity issues leading to huge fluctuations in exchange rates.” RARE DOLLAR: Afghanistan fell on expectations of dollar depreciation and further volatility is expected, with Afghanistan’s import coverage reportedly declining for more than 15 months. Bankers in Afghanistan are also awaiting clarity from foreign-based correspondent banks, which provide services such as currency exchange and money transfers, on whether ties will continue after the Taliban takeover. Any new restriction could cut multiple links. A senior Afghan banker said his bank’s correspondent banks in Turkey, Russia, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan and India are still showing support. CONCERN FOR FEMALE EMPLOYEES: It is not yet clear whether Afghanistan’s less than a dozen banks, all
but one of which are traditional, will have to convert to Islamic banking, a lengthy and costly process. More uncertainty surrounds the future employment of female employees. “So far there has been no official communication from them (the Taliban) regarding the female employees,” said IBA’s al-Falahi. “Our female employees will return to work when we reopen.” But given the track record of the Taliban, their assurances of allowing women to work in accordance with Islamic law have been met with skepticism. The banker of one of Afghanistan’s biggest lenders said his bank has a plan to ensure it can continue operating in the event of the dismissal of about 20% of its female employees. “We expect that we will face challenges like losing qualified and highly skilled workforce as most of them are planning to flee the country at the first opportunity,” the banker said.
NITL all set to launch two new funds Pakistan's First Asset Management Company, National Investment Trust Limited (NITL) is in the process of launching two new funds, NIT — Social Impact Fund (NITSIF) and NIT- Islamic Money Market Fund (NIT-IMMF). To introduce the new funds and discussing NIT's performance, MD NITL - Mr Adnan Afridi met the MD of Fauji Foundation Mr Waqar Ahmed Malik in Islamabad. MD Fauji Foundation commended the performance of NITL under the management of Adnan Afridi. He also applauded the effort of MD NITL for launching Pakistan's First Social Impact Fund which will be dedicated to financing strategic and financially sustainable social initiatives such as women empowerment, agriculture value chains, Low-cost renewable energy etc. The addition of NIT-SIF and NIT-IMMF is an attempt to expand NIT's suite of products, with a dedication to cater to the needs of its existing and potential customers.
Friday, 27 August, 2021
10 FOREIGN NEWS
LAHORE
Biden, iSraeLi PM Seek to reSet reLationS, narrow differenceS on iran WASHINGTON
P
REUTERS
RESIDENT Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Thursday will seek to reset the tone of U.S.-Israeli relations in their first White House meeting and find common ground on Iran despite differences on how to deal with its nuclear program. In talks overshadowed by the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the two leaders will try to turn the page on years of tensions between Bennett’s predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu, who was close to former President Donald Trump, and the last Democratic administration led by Barack Obama with Biden as his vice president. In what's been planned as a low-key meeting, Bennett wants to move on from Netanyahu’s combative public style and instead manage disagreements constructively behind closed doors between Washington and its closest Middle East ally. The visit gives Biden an opportunity to demonstrate business as usual with a key partner while contending with the complex situation in Afghanistan. Biden's biggest foreign policy crisis since taking office has not only hurt his approval ratings at home but raised questions about his credibility among both friends and foes. Topping the agenda is Iran, one of the
thorniest issues between the Bidenadministration and Israel. Bennett, a far-right politician who ended Netanyahu's 12-year run as prime minister in June, is expected to press Biden to harden his approach to Iran and halt negotiations aimed at reviving the international nuclear deal that Trump abandoned. Biden will tell Bennett that he shares Israel's concern that Iran has expanded its nuclear program but remains committed for now to diplomacy with Tehran, a senior ad-
Lebanese army deploys to area in north after deadly violence BEIRUT REUTERS
The Lebanese army has deployed troops to an area of the north where two men have been killed this week in violence between rival clans that spiralled out of a dispute over logging, a security source said on Thursday. Heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades were used during fighting in the predominantly Sunni Muslim area between people from the villages of Akkar alAtiqa and Fnaidek on Wednesday, the source said. The situation was calm on Thursday. The rival groups have a history of disputes. The violence adds to concerns of insecurity in Lebanon, where a financial meltdown is causing deepening chaos. Though the incident was not linked directly to the financial crisis, it shows that "the state is losing its standing", the security source said. In a statement on Wednesday night, Sunni politician Saad alHariri said the bloodshed must stop and urged a halt to the "use of weapons as the means of dialogue between brothers". There have been daily security incidents in Lebanon of late involving fuel as the financial crisis has given rise to crippling shortages, sparking melees and confrontations over gasoline and diesel. Fuel tanker trucks have also been hijacked.
Spanish rescuers pull body from collapsed building, one still missing PENISCOLA REUTERS
Firefighters in the Spanish coastal town of Peniscola found the body of a teenager early on Thursday in the wreckage of a collapsed building and said they were still searching for another missing person. Peniscola's mayor Andres Martinez told Reuters the boy was around 15 years old and had been staying in the three-story building, which collapsed for unknown reasons on Wednesday evening in the region of Valencia on Spain's eastern coast. Around 140 firefighters and emergency personnel worked through the night on the recovery operation and, around midnight, rescued a man who had been buried in the rubble, the local authorities said. "He was completely trapped by a slab and any wrong manoeuvre would have had fatal consequences," firefighter Carlos Verchili said.
ministration official said. U.S.-Iran negotiations have stalled as Washington awaits the next move by Iran’s new hardline president. Briefing reporters ahead of the meeting, the official said: “Since the last administration left the Iran nuclear deal, Iran’s nuclear program has just dramatically broken out of the box.” The official said that if the diplomatic path with Iran fails, “there are other avenues to pursue,” but did not elaborate. Bennett has been less openly combative
but just as adamant as Netanyahu was in pledging to do whatever is necessary to prevent Iran, which Israel views as an existential threat, from building a nuclear weapon. Iran consistently denies it is seeking a bomb. The two leaders are expected to speak briefly to a small pool of reporters during their Oval Office meeting but there will not be a joint news conference, limiting the potential for public disagreement. AT ODDS ON PALESTINIAN ISSUES: On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Biden and Bennett are also divided. Biden has renewed backing for a two-state solution after Trump distanced himself from that long-standing tenet of U.S. policy. Bennett opposes Palestinian statehood. The consensus among Biden's aides is that now is not the time to push for a resumption of long-dormant peace talks or major Israeli concessions, which could destabilize Bennett's ideologically diverse coalition. But Biden's aides have not ruled out asking Bennett for modest gestures to help avoid a recurrence of the fierce Israel-Hamas fighting in the Gaza Strip that caught the new U.S. administration flat-footed earlier this year. Among the issues that could be raised in Thursday’s talks is the Biden administration’s goal of re-establishing a consulate in Jerusalem that served the Palestinians and which Trump closed. Biden’s aides have
moved cautiously on the issue. The administration has also emphasized that it opposes further expansion of Jewish settlements on occupied land. Bennett, 49, the son of American immigrants to Israel, has been a vocal proponent of settlement building. Biden’s advisers are also mindful that Israeli officials may be concerned about the apparent failure of U.S. intelligence to predict the swift fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban. Biden intends to reassure Bennett that the end of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan does not reflect a “de-prioritizing” of the U.S. commitment to Israel and other Middle East allies, the senior U.S. official said. Biden will also discuss with Bennett behind-the-scenes efforts to get more Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel, the senior U.S. official said. This would follow in the footsteps of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, which reached accords with Israel brokered by the Trump administration. On Wednesday, Bennett met U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. He was expected to discuss, among other issues, the replenishing of the Iron Dome missile defense system that Israel relies on to fend off rocket attacks from Gaza.
Japan's Suga faces challengers in ruling party leadership race TOKYO REUTERS
Japanese former foreign minister Fumio Kishida challenged Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Thursday for the leadership of the ruling party, as the premier struggles with crumbling approval rates ahead of a general election. Suga repeated he would seek re-election in the Sept. 29 race for Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president, while ex-internal affairs minister Sanae Takaichi also threw her hat in the ring. The winner is virtually assured of being prime minister because of the LDP's majority in parliament's lower house. The LDP chief must lead the party to a general election by Nov. 28, which the Sankei newspaper said will be held in October or later. "The people feel that their voices are not reaching the LDP," Kishida, 64, told a news conference. "I am running ... to show that the LDP listens to the people and is a party that offers broad choices, and to protect our nation's democracy," said Kishida, adding he would aim for a more equitable, diverse society. The challenges to Suga may not topple him as leader,
said Hiroyuki Ueno, senior strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management. "My sense is, most people in markets expect Suga to win unless he decides to quit by himself." The LDP-led coalition is not expected to lose its majority in the powerful lower house, but forecasts suggest that Suga's party could lose the majority that it holds on its own, an outcome that would weaken whoever is leading the LDP. Suga, 72, took office last September with support of about 70% but his ratings have sunk below 30% as Japan battles its worst wave of Covid-19 infections and many of his LDP lawmakers fear for their seats. LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai, who was key to Suga's victory last year, said on Wednesday he still backs the prime minister. The party's smallest faction, led by former cabinet minister Nobuteru Ishihara, was also lining up behind Suga, Jiji news agency reported. Other party bosses, including former premier Shinzo Abe and Finance Minister Taro Aso, have not commented publicly. KISHIDA LOW-KEY, LOW-POPULARITY: Unlike last year, grass-roots LDP members will vote along with the party's members of parliament, which could make the
outcome harder to predict. And novice MPs, fearful of losing their seats, may be wary of following their elders' orders. Kishida, a soft-spoken lawmaker from Hiroshima, had been seen as the preferred heir to Abe, who stepped down last year as prime minister citing ill health. But Kishida lost the ensuing party poll after factions coalesced around Suga, who had been Abe's right-hand man for eight years. Kishida said he'd aim to reduce income gaps and support the economically vulnerable such as workers in insecure jobs and women, an apparent effort to differentiate his stance from Suga, who has stressed self-reliance before public support. He called for an economic stimulus package as soon as possible, but did not specify its size. The low-key Kishida has ranked low in surveys of voters' preferred next prime minister, well below other possible rivals such as Administrative Reform Minister Taro Kono, who is leading Japan's vaccination rollout, and former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba. "Unless they chose someone like Ishiba who is more popular with the public, it will be hard to recover lost support," said Hiroyoshi Sunakawa, a professor at Tokyo's Rikkyo University.
Kerala's Covid-19 lessons for India and Modi's government MALAPPURAM REUTERS
Vilified by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party for its high Covid-19 cases, Kerala's apparent poor record may actually hold crucial lessons for the country in containing the outbreak as authorities brace for a possible third wave of infections. The opposition-ruled, densely populated southern state is currently reporting the most number of coronavirus cases in the country and accounts for the secondhighest national tally - unflattering headline numbers that Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has seized upon as a reflection of bungled local leadership. However, a Reuters analysis of national and state data, and interviews with epidemiologists and Kerala health authorities paint a different picture. It shows the state's containment measures have helped to catch infections early, allowing authorities to better manage the illness and dramatically lower the death rate - a stark contrast to people dying in carparks and outside hospitals for lack of oxygen and beds in big cities like Delhi at the height of the health crisis a few months earlier. "While the federal government may have its views on rapid antigen tests, it is important to consider that the state's strategies have by and large succeeded in not just keeping mortality low but also in being able to detect one in six cases compared to one in 33 nationally," said Rajib Dasgupta, head of the Centre of Social Medicine & Community Health at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University. The efficient detection rate and its population density at more than twice the national average explain the high number of cases in Kerala. All the same, at 0.5%, Kerala still has the lowest fatality rate among all but one thinly populated state. The national figure is 1.4% and it is 1.3% for the country's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh.
The difference comes down to Kerala's reliance on rapid antigen tests to detect and strictly isolate infected people at home, an approach the federal health ministry has sharply criticised but which state officials argue has helped them to better allocate hospital beds and oxygen supplies for those who really need them. The government-recommended RT-PCR tests are more accurate but take longer to produce results, meaning by the time a positive Covid-19 case is confirmed the infected person is more likely to have developed severe symptoms and passed it on to others in a vicious cycle of more infections and deaths. Kerala's rapid test results allow for early treatment in home isolation which then narrows the virus' path to infections, state officials say. These factors, along with the strained medical resources across much of India, largely explain why the overall national death rate is much higher than in the Communistrun state. Kerala officials also say a state-run support service that includes phone consultation, provision of drugs and pulse oximeters that detect blood oxygen levels for people recovering at home provide a bulwark in the battle against the disease.
Delhi had a similar support structure but it collapsed when cases surged. "We do have a different model and our fatality rate shows our model is on the right track," Kerala Health Minister Veena George told Reuters. But Kerala officials acknowledge that the fast-evolving pandemic can undo even the best thought-out plans unless authorities remain nimble and flexible. A MODEL TO EMULATE? When Reuters recently visited Kerala's most populous Malappuram district, which is reporting the greatest number of infections in India, a quarter of the 344 Covid beds in its biggest hospital were vacant and oxygen supply was ample. The Indian Council of Medical Research has recommended lockdowns for districts where more than 10% of the tests return positive results. The rate is about 15% for Kerala and even higher in Malappuram, but shops and restaurants are open for business. Kerala officials argue that they are able to keep businesses open as the state has the best testing rate among Indian states - 86 tests per 100 people, compared with about 33 in Uttar Pradesh - meaning they are able to catch infections early and ensure timely treatment. The model, epidemiologists say, can be replicated in few other states with good health facilities, such as neighbouring Tamil Nadu. "Their surveillance is good, they detect cases early and their testing is very focused," M.D. Gupte, a retired director of the National Institute of Epidemiology who advises the federal government on immunisations, said about Kerala. "Most people in Kerala are educated, so that helps." India’s daily demand for medical oxygen jumped more than eight times in May from pre-pandemic levels, but Kerala avoided major shortages of hospital beds and oxygen that crippled many states when nationwide infections saw an explosive surge. The federal health ministry did not respond to emails requesting comment.
Friday, 27 August, 2021
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DjOkOvic chaSeS calenDar-year GranD Slam at US Open NEW YORK
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OP-RANKED Novak Djokovic will try to complete the first calendar-year men's singles Grand Slam since 1969 and become the all-time men's leader in Slam titles by capturing the US Open. Five past champions won't be in the field when the showdown begins Monday on the New York hardcourts, with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka, Juan Martin del Potro and 2020 winner Dominic Thiem absent due to injuries. That leaves the main obstacles in Djokovic's path to a 21st career Slam crown as a set of rising 20-something talents trying to build their trophy hauls -Russia's second-ranked Daniil Medvedev, Greece's third-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas and fourth-ranked Olympic champion Alexander Zverev of Germany. The roots of Djokovic's amazing 2021 run were in last year's US Open, where he was defaulted out of the tournament in the fourth round against Carreno Busta when he struck a ball and it accidentally hit a line official in the
throat. The 34-year-old Serbian star has not dropped a Grand Slam match this year, beating Medvedev in the Australian Open final, Tsitsipas in the French Open final and Italy's Matteo Berrettini in the Wimbledon final. "It's really fortunate for me and incredible that it's all coming together in the same
year," Djokovic said. "That's something that I didn't expect but I always dream of achieving the biggest things in sport." He's trying for a calendar-year men's Slam feat managed only by Australian Rod Laver in 1962 and 1969 and American Don Budge in 1938.
"What he achieved this year is something amazing," Nadal said. "I definitely believe that he can do it, without a doubt." Djokovic briefly has held all four Slam titles at once, winning his fourth in a row at the 2016 French Open to complete a career Grand Slam. In his career, Djokovic has won nine Australian Opens, six Wimbledon crowns, two French Opens and the 2011, 2015 and 2018 US Opens. He has spent a record span at world number one, more than 335 weeks, and comes into the US Open not having played since losing the Olympic bronze medal match to Spain's Pablo Carrena Busto. Nadal, who along with Federer and Djokovic shares the men's record at 20 Slam titles, sees no reason why the Serbian star won't finish what he has started. "Well, he already won three. So when you win three, you can win four, without a doubt, no? He did 75% of the way. He going to be playing on hard court, probably his best surface, so why not?" Nadal said. The "Big Three" of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have won 60 of the past 72 majors since Federer took his first at Wimbledon in
Verstappen aims to revive title bid as Hamilton eyes 100th win SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS AFP
Max Verstappen will seek to exert a degree of home advantage by beating Lewis Hamilton to revive his title bid as Formula One returns from a mid-season summer break at the Belgian Grand Prix. The Belgium-born Dutchman saw a comfortable 33point lead turned into an eight-point deficit at the British and Hungarian Grands Prix last month before the annual shutdown. He knows he needs to bounce back strongly in the next two events in front of his fervent 'orange army' of fans. After the controversies of Silverstone and Budapest, the 23-year-old Hasselt-born Red Bull driver also needs an uneventful contest to regain consistency following opening lap collisions in his last two outings. "I am excited to go back to Spa," he said. "It's my favourite track and it's really cool to drive with so many high-speed corners and elevation changes. "It's a good place to re-set our championship fight and I am well prepared and feeling good ahead of this race weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing all the
fans and all the orange in the grandstands!" Verstappen will need a change of luck, too, as he has not won at the sweeping and majestic circuit set in the Ardennes forests and has never finished higher than third. Seven-time world champion Hamilton has triumphed four times including last year. This weekend, Hamilton will again be seeking to claim a landmark 100th career victory and his fifth this year as Mercedes bid to resist Red Bull's challenge for their titles. For both men, it will be another torrid test of temperament as well as power and speed as they go immediately from Belgium to Verstappen's other home event, the return of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, the following weekend and then, without a break, to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix. Attendance at Spa-Francorchamps is set to be capped at 75,000 per day due to the Covid-19 pandemic with most fans expecting more of the spectacular and competitive racing that was seen in Britain in Hungary, leading to a war of words between the Mercedes and Red Bull teams. "We are in a good position, leading both championships and our car is in a better place thanks to the
recent upgrades," said Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff. "But we are expecting a very tough weekend." Asked about the heated rivalry with Red Bull and team boss Christian Horner, Wolff said he and Mercedes had tried to keep things calm, but suggested it was not that way for Red Bull "In the war of words, we have tried to maintain our cool, stay level-headed and not fuel controversy and polarisation among our fans. "Our aim was always to de-escalate, but unfortunately the opposite happens on the other side." He stressed that the animosity came from clashes between individuals and that the two teams retained respect for each other. "There is always respect for these organisations and for the people in them," he said. Both Mercedes and Red Bull could face strong competition this weekend from Ferrari and McLaren as the second half of the season begins in earnest. McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo will start his 200th Grand Prix at the spectacular and high-speed circuit, where 30 years ago seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, later to become a Ferrari legend, made his F1 debut with Jordan.
What next for Kane, Man City and Tottenham? LONDON AFP
Harry Kane ended speculation over his future by announcing on Wednesday that he will remain at Tottenham this season. Manchester City were interested in the England captain as a long-term successor to alltime top goalscorer Sergio Aguero. But with three years left to run on Kane's contract, even the deep pockets of the Abu-Dhabi owned Premier League champions could not tempt Spurs chairman Daniel Levy into selling. AFP Sport looks at what Kane staying put means for the player, City and Tottenham. Behind Kane's desire to leave his boyhood club was a desire not to end his career known only for individual awards and goalscoring milestones. At 28, he has still not to win a single trophy for club or country and saw City, who have won five of the last 10 Premier League titles, as the surest bet to satisfy his quest for silverware. For the second consecutive season Spurs have failed to qualify for the Champions League and Kane may be pressed into his first start of the season on Thursday to rescue his side from a 1-0 deficit just to reach the group stages of the Europa Conference League. However, Kane has also been conscious of the need to rebuild bridges with the Spurs supporters, who had been scorned by the man they call "one of our own". Despite the doubts over his future, Kane was given a rousing reception by the away support on his return to action away at Wolves on Sunday and referenced that in his statement announcing he would be staying put. "It was incredible to see the reception from the Spurs fans on Sunday and to read some of the messages of support I've had in the last few weeks," Kane tweeted. Aguero's final years in Manchester were blighted by injuries but City made light of playing without a recognised striker last season as they stormed to the Premier League title and reached the Champions League final for the first time. However, Pep Guardiola wanted Kane as a guarantee of goals from the chances created by his host of creative midfielders. City's lack of a focal point was exposed in losing
1-0 to Chelsea in the Champions League final in May and by a Kane-less Tottenham on the opening weekend of the season. Guardiola has insisted he will be happy with his squad even if a move for Kane did not materialise. But Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been at the centre of rumours of a sensational return to England, this time for the blue half of Manchester, is a potential back-up option. City have already broken the English transfer record this window, spending £100 million ($139 million) on Jack Grealish to add to a forward line already boasting Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Ferran Torres, Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez and Gabriel Jesus. But if City fall short in the Champions League once more, they may regret not getting their primary target. "It is great news for everybody," said new Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo, who can now look forward to his first season in charge with Kane on his
side. The Portuguese has made a bright start, taking maximum points from their opening two Premier League games despite Kane only making a late substitute appearance at Wolves. Nuno's task will be to get Spurs back into the Champions League, but will need Kane performing at his best if they are to overhaul one of City, Chelsea, Manchester United or Liverpool to get into the top four. Levy's stubborn stance has been rewarded by holding on to his prized asset. With three years still to run on a six-year contract, Spurs could afford to demand a fee well in excess of the record fee City paid for Grealish. Levy knew even with cash to splash, Spurs could not attract a replacement on the same level and also had to keep the fans onside to fill the club's new 62,000 stadium that has been lying empty for over a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
2003, but six of the 12 won by others have come at the US Open. US Open 2019 runner-up Medvedev, who won a tuneup title at Toronto, sees Djokovic as a clear favorite. "Definitely Novak is going to be the highest contender," Medvedev said. "He won already 20. He has experience. So he's the man under pressure, but I think he likes it. "I'm going to try to do my best. If I manage to keep the level I'm playing at right now, I have good chances to go far. I just want to play good." Tsitsipas is proud of his ranking and his Roland Garros finals run. "Three is a number that's very significant," Tsitsipas said. "I wouldn't say there is pressure to it, but it definitely adds some value for the efforts you've put in. It pushes me so much to sustain that, to want to go the extra mile." Zverev, last year's US Open runner-up, won the last major tuneup title at Cincinnati and a gold medal, giving him a 12-match win streak heading into the Flushing Meadows fortnight. "I'm extremely hungry. I'm not satisfied yet," Zverev said. "I'm looking forward to ... proving I'm still one of the best players."
Osaka defends US Open crown with Barty leading top rivals NEW YORK AFP
Defending champion Naomi Osaka seeks her third US Open title in four tries as the year's final Grand Slam begins Monday with top-ranked Wimbledon winner Ashleigh Barty leading a host of rivals. What's uncertain is whether New York will see Osaka rediscover the dominant form that saw her win the past two Grand Slam events she played to the finish. The 23-year-old Japanese star lit the flame in the Olympic cauldron at the Tokyo Games, but has played only two matches since Japan ahead of the Open. "I know there are a lot of things I need to fix within my game, so in a weird way I'm kind of glad that I lost, because there are so many things that I want to fix before New York," Osaka said. "I feel like my level is not that far off... if I want to keep being more positive with myself, I need to think about the things that I could improve on. There are definitely a lot of things." Osaka pulled out of the French Open after being fined for not talking to reporters after her first match, saying it hurt her mental health. She then skipped Wimbledon but spoke with the media after matches in her US Open tuneup at Cincinnati. "I felt like it was something I needed to do for myself," Osaka said. "I'm proud of what I did and I think it was something that needed to be done. "Sometimes we feel like really sad, and I feel like maybe there should be a rule that we could maybe take a sick day from (answering questions)." Osaka captured last year's US Open title by defeating Victoria Azarenka in the final, becoming the first woman since 1994 to rally from a set down to win the US Open final. At this year's Australian Open, Osaka saved match points against Spain's Garbine Muguruza in the fourth round and beat 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in the semi-finals before defeating Jen Brady in the final. Osaka, ranked third, has won her first four Grand Slam finals, trailing only Roger Federer's run of seven and six by Monica Seles for the best Slam final start in the Open Era (since 1968).
Serena faces greatest challenge in injury fightback at 40 NEW YORK AFP
Serena Williams won't be chasing a 24th Grand Slam singles title at the US Open, but with her 40th birthday only a month away, she will be starting perhaps her greatest challenge in closing out her career on her own terms. Williams revealed Wednesday she would miss the New York hardcourt showdown with a torn right hamstring suffered in a first-round match last month at Wimbledon. "After careful consideration and following the advice of my doctors and medical team, I have decided to withdraw from the US Open to allow my body to heal completely from a torn hamstring," Williams posted on Instagram. Williams, whose 23 Grand Slam singles crowns are one shy of Margaret Court's all-time record, will be battling back from injury at an age when most players have retired. The American star is already the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam singles crown, taking the 2018 Australian Open title at age 35 while pregnant before taking a year off to give birth to daughter Olympia. She suffered a pulmonary embolism after delivery and was bed-ridden for six weeks but battled back to world-class form, reaching the 2018 and 2019 finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, and until now hadn't missed a Grand Slam start since her motherhood hiatus. Williams failed to take a set in any of the four trophy matches, the last in New York just shy of her 38th birthday making her the oldest female finalist in Grand Slam singles history. Ken Rosewall was 37 when he became the oldest Grand Slam singles winner and 39 when he reached the 1974 US Open final. If Serena should reach another Slam singles final, she would become the oldest man or woman to do so.
Friday, 27 August, 2021
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WFP ThAnkS PAkiSTAn For helPing rePAir dAmAged hUmAniTAriAn Aid PlAneS ISLAMABAD
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HE executive director for the United Nations World Food Programme on Thursday thanked the Pakistani government for repairing its damaged planes in Kabul. David Beasley, who heads WFP operations, has tweeted a video message via his official handle thanking the government of Pakistan for helping it scale up to meet the needs of the Afghan people. Our damaged planes from Kabul have been repaired with the help of Pakistan government, as he thanked the country, he tweeted. “WFP is now ready to establish a humanitarian air bridge between Islamabad-Kabul & other destinations in Afghanistan,” Beasley said. The Pakistani government has really helped us
bring the aircraft that were damaged in Kabul, he said in a video statement standing on an Islamabad tarmac. “This will allow us to scale up to meet the needs of the Afghan people.” Thank you government of Pakistan, the tweet reads. Pakistan airlifted 1,335 foreigners from Kabul in 24 flights since Aug 15 Pertinent to note that Pakistan has so far helped 1,335 foreigners of many countries, operating in Afghanistan, evacuate Kabul starting the same day the Taliban took over the presidential palace on August 15. In the flight operations spanning from August 15to 24 period, Pakistani foreign ministry mission in Kabul has run 24 evacuation flights wherein among Pakistani nationals, were a total of 1,335 foreigners of various countries. Moreover, Prime Minister Imran Khan said during a meeting with Beasley that the formation of an inclusive Afghan government and positive
engagement of the international community with Afghanistan is the way forward to avert any humanitarian crisis and secure peace and stability in Afghanistan. Imran Khan appreciated the role of WFP as the leading international humanitarian organization for delivering food assistance in emergencies and for working with nations worldwide to improve nutrition and build resilience. The PM underlined that Pakistan has been a beneficiary of various WFP projects that are being implemented in the country and values its partnership with the organization. Executive Director Beasley expressed gratitude to Pakistan for its role in facilitating the work of the World Food Program in providing food assistance to the Afghans. He also discussed with the Prime Minister the ways of facilitating the continued provision of humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.
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China criticises US ‘scapegoating’ over Covid origin report China on Wednesday criticised the US “politicisation” of efforts to trace the origin of the coronavirus, demanding without any evidence that American labs be investigated, ahead of the release of a US intelligence report on the virus. The US report is intended to resolve disputes among intelligence agencies considering different theories about how the coronavirus emerged, including a once dismissed theory about a Chinese laboratory accident. “Scapegoating China cannot whitewash the US,” Fu Cong, director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ arms control department, told a briefing. US President Joe Biden received a copy and was briefed on the classified report on Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Wednesday. The intelligence community has been “working expeditiously” to prepare an unclassified version for the public, Psaki said without giving a timeline for its release. US officials say they do not expect the review to lead to firm conclusions after China stymied earlier international efforts to gather key information on the ground. China has said a laboratory leak was highly unlikely, and it has ridiculed a theory that the coronavirus escaped from a lab in Wuhan, the city where Covid-19 infections emerged in late 2019, setting off the pandemic. Beijing has instead suggested that the virus slipped out of a lab at the US Army’s Fort Detrick base in Maryland in 2019. “It is only fair that if the US insists that this is a valid hypothesis, they should do their turn and invite the investigation into their labs,” Fu said. Fu said China was not engaged in a disinformation campaign. ReuTeRS
Engro plans tower sharing business expansion with Rs14bn investment LAHORE TaIMOOR HaSSaN
Pakistan’s leading conglomerate Engro Corporation has announced that it would make an equity investment of Rs14 billion in the telecom infrastructure business, Engro Enfrashare, to expand the build-to-suit (BTS) towers. With this additional investment, the total equity investment in the tower sharing business will reach Rs21.5 bn. Engro had earlier invested Rs7.5 bn into the tower infrastructure vertical. Under the tower sharing model, Engro sets up towers that mobile telecom operators like Jazz or Telenor can lease and thereby reduce their capital and operating costs. Commenting on the recent announcement, Engro Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ghias Khan said, “We believe that robust connectivity initiatives and best-in-class telecom infrastructure are the need of the hour for the country as the world is now moving swiftly towards digitalization and infrastructure
sharing. While being focused on Engro’s purpose of solving some of Pakistan’s most pressing issues, we would utilize our considerable balance sheet and quality human capital to support our Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in their passive infrastructure requirements while creating an ecosystem for the deployment of the next generation networks.” Last year, Ghias Khan had disclosed that Engro Corporation planned to invest between Rs50 bn to Rs150 bn to grow the tower sharing business. With the new investment this year, Engro has also announced that it is forming a dedicated platform for connectivity and telecom infrastructure-related initiatives by the name of Engro Connect (Pvt.) Limited (EConnect). EConnect is going to be a wholly-owned subsidiary of Engro and will hold complete ownership of Engro Enfrashare (Pvt) Limited (Enfrashare), which Engro claims is now Pakistan’s largest independent telecom tower company in terms of
operationalised and active towers. According to a statement from Engro, the total equity injection of Rs21.5bn in EConnect will be mainly utilised to expand the build-to-suit towers. The capital will be invested in constructing new towers under Enfrashare, instead of acquiring existing ones. The investment will also include, but will not be limited to, provision of efficient energy solutions, modernisation of operations, installation of state-of-the-art network monitoring solutions and exploration of other investment avenues within the connectivity value chain. Engro’s expansion into the tower sharing business comes during stagnant revenues for telecom operators and steep costs which makes tower sharing a compelling proposition for telecom operators in face of necessary infrastructure expansion amid competitive pressures. Tower sharing helps telecom operators to rationalize capital and operational costs as the need for infrastructure expansion becomes more pressing as the cellular subscriber base and
3G/4G subscribers grow exponentially. In today’s numbers, cellphone subscribers in Pakistan stand at 184 million whereas there are 100m 3G/4G subscribers, expanding at an annual growth of 28 per cent. Between the years 2018 to 2020, the number of data subscribers has doubled, making infrastructure expansion a necessity for telecom operators. On the back of strong growth numbers in subscriber base, infrastructure sharing will likely be critical for telecom operators for expansion. According to numbers available on the internet, there are roughly 35,000-40,000 towers in Pakistan,, the majority of which are owned and operated by telecom operators themselves. Out of the towers that are not operated by telcos, Engro claims that Enfrashare has over 1,800 operational towers making it the largest independent tower operator in the country with a market share of 41pc in 2020, which has increased by 23pc from the market share of 18pc in 2019. Engro has agreements in place with all
four telecom operators – Jazz, Telenor, Ufone and Zong – in the country and has secured projects worth Rs18 bn from all telecom operators last year. On the back of strong growth, Engro envisages making Enfrashare a 5,000 BTS tower company by the year 2025. Enfrashar’s main competitor is Edotco group which is a Malaysian telecom infrastructure services company that launched its operations in 2015. The conglomerate, Engro Corporation, ventured into the tower sharing business in 2018 with an initial investment of Rs800m under the brand name Enfrashare. In 2019, the company invested another Rs7.5bn to grow the tower business under Enfrashare (Private) Limited which engages in the acquisition and construction of shared telecom towers, provision of various telecommunication infrastructure and related services, including state-of-the-art network monitoring solutions. The company claims to own and operate over 1,800 towers at present, and plans to erect 5,000 towers by 2025.
Taliban will allow Americans, at-risk Afghans to leave after Aug 31: Blinken As many as 1,500 American citizens may still need to be evacuated from Afghanistan and the Taliban have pledged to allow some departures after US troops leave the country on August 31, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. Blinken told reporters that at least 4,500 American citizens of the 6,000 Americans who wanted to leave Afghanistan have departed. He said officials have been in “direct contact” with another 500 Americans who want to leave and have provided them with “specific instructions on how to get to the airport safely.” Officials were “aggressively reaching out” to the remaining 1,000 Americans to “determine whether they still want to leave,” he said. “Some may no longer be in the country,” Blinken said. “Some may have claimed to be Americans but turn out not to be. Some may choose to stay.” “Of the approximately 1,000, we believe the number of Americans actively seeking assistance to leave Afghanistan is significantly lower,” he said. The US secretary of state also said the Taliban has agreed to allow Americans and “at-risk” Afghan nationals to leave after the August 31 date set by President Joe Biden for a full withdrawal of US troops. “The Taliban have made public and private commitments to provide and permit safe passage for Americans, for third country nationals and for Afghans at risk going forward past August 31,” he said. “They have a responsibility to hold to that commitment and provide safe passage for anyone who wishes to leave the country, not just for the duration of our evacuation relocation mission but for every day thereafter.” Asked what is being done to keep Kabul airport functioning after US troops leave, Blinken said that regional countries were looking into “whether they can play a role in keeping the airport open.” “The Taliban have made clear that they have a strong interest in having a functioning airport,” he said. Asked about future relations with the Taliban, Blinken said the United States “will judge our engagement with any Talibanled government in Afghanistan based on one simple proposition — our interests.” a fp 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