Epaper – December 17 ISB 2021

Friday, 17 December, 2021 I 12 Jamadi-al-Awwal, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 169 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition

Special envoyS of US, china, RUSSia to attend oic SUmmit on afghaniStan g

New developmeNts sooN oN ChiNa, pakistaN froNt

ISLAMABAD Mian abrar

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oreiGN minister shah mahmood Qureshi thursday said that at least 30 foreign ministers and special envoys on afghanistan are set to attend the upcoming oiC summit on afghanistan being held on december 19 and the permanent representatives from China, United states of america (Usa) and russia have also confirmed their participation.

Briefing a select-group of journalists here at the ministry of foreign affairs (mofa), Qureshi, flanked by minister for information fawad Chaudhry, secretary mofa and foreign office spokesman, detailed the effort being put in by the country to host the moot – the biggest show in the past 41 years.

“Besides the oiC foreign ministers, we

have also invited special envoys of the troika plus and they have confirmed. moreover, we have also invited foreign ministers from the european Union, Germany and others. we are also inviting the foreign ministers of p5 countries. important european and other countries like australia, Canada and others are also invited to attend the moot on 19 december. we also have invited a delegation of the afghan taliban to help them interact with the world community directly,” said Qureshi. terming the moot as first mega diplomatic session in past four decades, shah mahmood Qureshi said that pakistan’s initiative of forging alliance of afghanistan’s neighbouring counties has been noticed and western countries now want to join us in helping the starving afghans. “we developed a platform for six immediate neighbours of afghanistan. we also availed moscow format and effec-

coRonaviRUS in

pakiStan

CONFIRMED CASES:

1,290,214

LAST UPDATED AT 10:29 AM ON DECEMBER 16, 2021

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

6

301

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

1,251,914 28,849 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

478,564

444,032

KPK:

BALOCHISTAN:

180,825

33,540

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

34,627/10,428

108,198

tively used troika plus forum to raise the humanitarian crisis brewing in afghanistan. this is a very useful platform. we are now planning a meeting of the foreign ministers of immediate neighbours of afghanistan in Beijing soon,” he added.

Qureshi said that there is a one-point agenda of the conference: humanitarian assistance to 38 million afghans. “we have been warning the world about the brewing crisis in afghanistan.

Now the UN, wfp and who are also resonating the same fact what we have been saying. they are saying now that 28.5 million afghans don’t have adequate food. overseas afghans can’t help their families back home due to inactive banking system in afghanistan. Call for supporting afghans is picking momentum,” he said. he said that the oiC secretary-general is arriving today (friday) while other dignitaries would follow. “there would be three sessions at the conference. prime minister imran khan would speak at the first session while other participants would also address. this session would be live on media. working session would be a close session. we will play as bridge to help connect the gaps between the west and the taliban,” he added. west says that the taliban Government is not inclusive while human rights women rights and help evacuation of their friends from afghanistan. Now the western countries want the taliban walk the talk. we have told the west to engage with the taliban and not abandon them. moreover the west needs to give humanitarian assistance to afghanistan. west needs to help afghanistan stabilise the taliban. oiC is the biggest forum after the UN.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Gwadar residents end protest after ‘successful negotiations’ with govt the residents of Gwadar who had been protesting against illegal fishing for almost 31 days have announced to call off their sit-in after reaching an agreement with the government, stated protest movement leader maulana hidayatur rehman on thursday. it is pertinent to note that the development comes soon after the government’s negotiating committee comprising federal ministers asad Umar and Zubaida Jalal met the protesters in the port city of Balochistan and assured them of government’s cooperation. it is to note that scores of fishermen along with women and children staged a protest for almost 31 days against unnecessary check posts and fishing trawlers in Gwadar district. the residents of Gwadar were also demanding civic amenities and employment opportunities for the local people.

Balochistan Chief minister abdul Quddus Bizenjo while addressing the protesters, said that they have imposed a complete ban on illegal fishing.

Justice Wajih holds ground as Govt threatens to sue him in a fresh exchange of allegations between ruling party’s estranged leader Justice (r) wajihuddin ahmed and information minister fawad Chaudhry, the government thursday announced to file a libel suit against wajihuddin ahmed for alleging that Jahangir tareen used to provide up to rs5 million to run prime minister imran khan’s house. however, the former judge stood his ground, saying that he had spoken the truth and vowed to fight the legal battle. information minister fawad Chaudhry thursday said that if pm imran had given any value to money, he would have been a “billionaire” after his divorce from Jemima Goldsmith, as in Britain courts see marriage as a partnership and demand assets of that partnership be shared equally. the minister, while addressing a media conference on thursday stated that pm imran khan’s reputation has been maligned repeatedly and baseless allegations have been made to defame him. he further stated that the pm does not spend rs500,000 monthly like others and exhaust pakistan’s assets.

Cm Bizenjo further said that all demands of the protesters had been accepted and the provincial government will use all its resources to resolve the issues of the locals. the authorities concerned had been directed to take action against such illegal practices, he added. “providing basic amenities to Gwadar and its people is one of our government’s top priorities.” last week, pm imran khan also took notice of the protest, and had vowed to take “strong action” against illegal fishing by trawlers off the Gwadar coast, adding that the demands of demonstrators were “very legitimate”. the leader of the protest, rehman welcomed the pm’s statement saying that they are not stubborn people as local residents also wanted a solution to their problems, while adding that the pm should also mention and solve their other demands which are also important including the opening of border, power and water issues and returning of seized fishing boats and vehicles. news desk

more inside

On APS attack anniversary, Imran says won’t ‘let down survivors’ STORY ON PAGE 02

the minister went on to add that when pakistan had beaten india on its soil, pm imran was the captain. players were given plots, but the pm dedicated all the money to the shaukat khanum Cancer hospital. information minister, fawad Chaudhry in this regard stated that notices will also be served to tv channels that ran the news without verification. it is pertinent to note that ahmed, who had resigned from the pti five years ago, had claimed that tareen used to bear the household expenses

of pm imran. however, ahmed failed to offer any proof to back up his claim. “this belief is entirely false that imran khan is a [financially] honest man,” ahmed had said. “his condition is such that he hasn’t been running his household himself for years.” ahmed’s statement was refuted by tareen in a tweet, in which he wrote: “regardless of the current status of my relationship with imran khan, the truth must be told.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Bails of shehbaz, hamza extended in money laundering, sugar cases STORY ON PAGE 02

COAS reiterates need for swift mechanism to channelise Afghan aid STORY ON BACK PAGE

02

Friday, 17 December, 2021 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

On APS AttACk AnnIverSAry, ImrAn SAyS wOn’t ‘let dOwn SurvIvOrS’ ISLAMABAD

P

sTAff rePorT

RIME Minister Imran Khan Thursday said Pakistan “successfully defeated terrorism” as he vowed to never “let down the survivors and parents” of the victims of the deadly 2014 attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar.

The proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an Afghanistan-based militant group that is separate from the Afghan Taliban, claimed responsibility for the horrendous incident on December 16.

More than 140 students and staff were

killed, many of them executed at point-blank range by gunmen who also detonated bombs around the school buildings.

APS reopened just one month after the attack. But pupils and parents complained of trauma for which many are still receiving psychological help.

The following year, the first site of the attack, an auditorium that turned into a scene of particular horror, was converted into a basketball court, and a new hall has been built elsewhere on the school’s neat campus.

The then-commander of the TTP, Umer Mansoor, who had claimed responsibility for the carnage, was killed in a United States drone strike in Nangarhar province of

Afghanistan on July 9, 2016, both Washington and Pakistan Army confirmed.

Recalling one of the darkest days in Pakistan’s history that changed the country forever, the prime minister said there will be “zero tolerance for violence and those using it as a tool”.

The government announced in January 2015 a 20-point plan to tackle militancy.

Among the main thrusts of the National Action Plan (NAP) are expanded counterterrorism raids, military courts, the resumption of hangings and promises to reform the justice system.

Earlier this month, Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said the government

had decided to review the plan in the wake of the killing of a Sri Lankan manager of a Sialkot business over blasphemy allegations.

Following the incident, Prime Minister Khan categorically said his government will not spare those who resort to violence in the name of Islam or the prophet.

“Let me make this clear [to everyone]: I have decided that from now we will not spare those who resort to violence in the name of religion, especially in the name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.),” he said.

‘GREAT SACRIFISES’: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said despite the passage of seven

years, the nation still hasn’t forgotten the tragedy.

In a statement, he said cowardly miscreants attacked the future of the nation and martyred them.

No one could hold back their tears by remembering this day, he said, adding the victims of the carnage united the whole nation against the menace of terrorism.

“As a nation, we have come a long way to defeat terrorism […] we are moving towards lasting peace and development in Pakistan,” said the minister.

BILAWAL PAYS TRIBUTES: Paying glowing tribute to the victims, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari demanded the beasts who masterminded, facilitated and executed the massacre must be brought to justice.

Bilawal said the nation still felt the pain of the great tragedy and people are waiting for justice to be delivered to the innocent souls.

He said that being victims of terrorism, his family and party will continue to raise their voices against extremism and terrorism.

COAS Bajwa, UK defence chief discuss Afghanistan crisis RAWALPINDI sTAff rePorT

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday discussed the crisis in Afghanistan with the newly-appointed United Kingdom defence chief.

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of UK, KCB, and ADC, Admiral Sir Anthony David Radakin, was appointed to the post in October, and COAS Bajwa congratulated him for assuming the office during a telephonic conversation, according to the military’s media wing.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), in a statement, said COAS hoped Radakin would play his

Pakistan seeks global attention on Afghanistan through OIC meeting ISLAMABAD MoniToring rePorT

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that he wanted to draw the international community’s attention to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan through a special Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting scheduled for December 19 (Sunday). Qureshi said the monetary reserve of Afghanistan has been frozen, while the two years of drought in the country, high cases of Covid-19, and unavailability of salaries for government employees posed a difficult future for the Afghan people. The advent of winter could aggravate the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said late Wednesday. He urged the international community to understand that any chaos and “anarchy in the wake of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan would lead to the strengthening of terrorist organisations.” The foreign minister said the OIC forum would offer an opportunity to foreign representatives of bridging the communication gap with the Taliban and listen to their point of view.

role in further strengthening cooperation between the two countries. During the call, matters of mutual interest including military cooperation, regional security, and the current security/humanitarian situation in Afghanistan were discussed, the ISPR said.

He stressed the urgency for devising an institutional mechanism for channelling humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in order to avert a looming humanitarian catastrophe. COAS Bajwa also reiterated that Pakistan wants cordial ties with all its neighbours in pursuit of regional peace and prosperity.

The British dignitary appreciated Pakistan’s role in the Afghan situation, role in regional stability, and

pledged to play his part for further improvement in security cooperation with Pakistan at all levels, the ISPR added.

Slain Pakistan-national awarded top bravery honour in NZ mosque attack WELLINGTON The AssociATed Press

A Pakistan-national man was one of the two Muslim worshippers who at different times charged toward a gunman to try and stop his massacre were each awarded New Zealand’s highest honour for civilian bravery on Thursday. Both men are credited with helping save others in the 2019 attack at two Christchurch mosques in which 51 people were killed.

One of the men awarded the New Zealand Cross, Dr Naeem Rashid from Lahore, was himself killed when he tried to tackle the gunman.

Abdul Aziz, a survivor of a mosque shooting speaks to Associated Press during an interview in Christchurch, New Zealand, on March 16, 2019. AP Photo The other recipient, Abdul Aziz, survived after dodging bullets and chasing the gunman away.

The award had previously been given to just two other people since it was started in 1999. Eight more people on Thursday were also given other bravery awards for their roles in helping people during the shootings. Rashid and his son were at the Al Noor mosque with dozens of others for Friday prayers when the gunman entered the main prayer room, shooting at everyone he could. Authorities described how Rashid found himself in a bottleneck of worshippers trying to escape through a small window and door. He reacted when the gunman turned to fire at people on the other side of the room.

“Dr. Rashid launched himself from his position and ran at the gunman,” government authorities wrote.

“When Dr. Rashid was approximately 1 meter (3 feet) from him, the gunman swung the rifle around and shot Dr. Rashid in the shoulder. Dr. Rashid collided with the

gunman, grabbing him and knocking him to the ground.” The gunman then managed to get back up and shoot and kill Rashid. In the meantime, at least seven more people escaped, authorities said.

Soon after, the gunman left and drove to the Linwood Mosque, where he continued his shooting spree. At one point he stopped to run back to his car and get another gun.

Abdul Aziz then yelled at the gunman and ran after him, grabbing a credit card machine and hurling it toward him. The gunman fired at Aziz but he managed to duck behind parked cars. Aziz picked up a gun the gunman had thrown down but found it was empty when he pulled the trigger. He yelled some more at the gunman to distract him from killing others.

“The gunman saw Mr. Aziz carrying the discarded rifle, dropped his gun and ran to his car,” authorities wrote. “Mr. Aziz chased after him and, while the gunman

was sitting in his car, threw the gunman’s discarded rifle at the back left window of the car, smashing it. The gunman drove off, with Mr. Aziz continuing to chase him for a time down Linwood Avenue.”

In an interview with The Associated Press the day after the shooting, Aziz said he didn’t feel fear or much of anything at all when he faced down the gunman while his sons remained inside the mosque. He felt like he was on autopilot, he said, and that Allah did not think it was his time to die.

Other people awarded bravery honours included a worshipper who shielded another man with his body while being shot, the two police officers who rammed the gunman’s car and dragged him out before he could continue his massacre at a third mosque, and bystanders who helped the wounded.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said each of the 10 people who were given awards put their lives at risk to save others. “The courage demonstrated by these New Zealanders was selfless and extraordinary,” she said.

“They have our deepest respect and gratitude for their actions on that day.” The gunman, white supremacist Brenton Tarrant, was last year sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one count of terrorism. In a statement, Rashid’s widow Ambreen Naeem said that throughout his life, her husband had always put others before himself.

“Naeem was a brave man, he was kind and loving.

He was a true follower of the peaceful faith of Islam,” she said. “This award is not only for him but for every peace-loving person who stands against hate. For all the victims, not only the victims of the Christchurch terror attack, but all over the world.” A ceremony to honour the award winners will be held early next year.

Pakistan to provide assistance to develop Afghanistan’s education sector: Alvi ISLAMABAD inP

President Dr Arif Alvi has said that Pakistan will extend all possible assistance to develop the education sector of Afghanistan and capacity building of its educational institutions.

While talking to Afghan Minister for Higher Education Maulana Abdul Baqi Haqqani, who along with members of his delegation, called on him at Aiwane-Sadr on Wednesday, Alvi said that Afghanistan direly needs educationists, professionals and technical experts to contribute towards its reconstruction and development.

Alvi was of the view that Afghanistan is passing through a critical juncture and the international community needs to provide economic and humanitarian aid to save it from a human catastrophe.

He recalled that during the recent ECO summit in Turkmenistan, he urged the member countries and international community to address the humanitarian and economic needs of Afghanistan, which has been a victim of war for over four decades.

Both sides agreed to increase collaboration between the higher education institutions of the two countries. The president remarked that the Allama Iqbal Open University and Virtual University of

Pakistan would assist Afghan universities in their digital transformation and providing online education to their students.

It was also agreed that National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) would arrange vocational training programmes for Afghans in various technical fields.

Maulana Abdul Baqi Haqqani thanked the government of Pakistan for its role in the reconstruction and education development of Afghanistan. He termed his meetings with Pakistani authorities, including the education minister of Pakistan, very fruitful, saying that it would help increase cooperation in the education sector.

Friday, 17 December, 2021 | ISLAMABAD

SeveN yeaRS oN, beReaved PaReNtS oF aPS maRtyRS StiLL await juStice

S

NewS DeSk

EVEN years have passed after the Peshawar Army Public School (APS) terror attack in 2014, still the bereaved parents of the martyrs have failed to get justice for their deceased children.

It is pertinent to note that on December 16, 2014, more than 140 people, including 132 schoolchildren, were brutally massacred by a group of six armed terrorists.

While the nation pays tribute to the innocent souls every year, their parents still feel that their wounds are as fresh as they were on that tragic day.

“Allah blessed me with two sons and both were taken away from me in this incident,” she said, adding: “For us, every day is December 16.”

Another stated “we have lost our children, who have gone on to attain the status of martyrs, and for that we are proud. But the merciless manner in which they were killed, the way they suffered, is what pains us so” A teary-eyed mother stated that “This is the kind of grief that will only

end the day we die.”

It is to note that last month, PM Imran Khan was summoned by the CJ Gulzar Ahmed in a suo motu case about the 2014 Army Public School massacre in Peshawar.

In a plea to the Supreme Court, the parents of the children demanded that a transparent probe must be conducted into the incident. They further demanded that the top leadership of the country must be nominated in the case.

The chief justice told the prime minister that the parents of the victims are not seeking compensation from the government.

“The parents are demanding to know where the entire security apparatus was [that day]?” he said. The court asked Attorney-General for Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan to review the situation and take necessary steps, whether it be an investigation or filing cases against those responsible and inform the court.

It must be noted that earlier this month, the federal government has sought time from the Supreme Court to submit progress report in the case of the Army Public School attack in Peshawar.

As per reports, a cabinet committee

PPP leader meets Nawaz in London NewS DeSk Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and former Punjab governor Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood has met Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) supremo Nawaz Sharif in London, Geo News reported on Thursday. According to the report, former finance minister Ishaq Dar was also present in the meeting, which lasted over two hours. “I can confirm that I met Nawaz Sharif in London,” he was quoted as saying in the report.

“I met Nawaz when he was in jail and I will meet him again. I am indebted to him and I will never forget that. I have a lot of respect for Nawaz Sharif and we have enjoyed this relationship for a long time. It’s beyond and above politics. We did discuss politics and everything else. I had also visited him when Begum Kulsoom Nawaz passed away.” The report further said that a day after Mehmood met Nawaz, PPP leader Faryal Talpur also met him at his flat to discuss the political situation of Pakistan. Mehmood is the chairman of the Tareen-owned JDW group.

Record 488 journalists imprisoned, 46 killed in 2021: RSF PARIS AFp

There are currently 488 media professionals imprisoned around the world, the highest number since Reporters Without Borders began counting more than 25 years ago, the NGO announced Thursday. By contrast, the number killed this year — 46 — was the lowest since it began issuing annual tallies, due to the relative stabilisation of conflicts in the Middle East. “The number of journalists detained in connection with their work has never been this high since RSF began publishing its annual round-up in 1995,” the NGO, which battles for freedom of the press, said in a statement. The number has risen by some 20 percent over the past year thanks largely to crackdowns on the media in Myanmar and Belarus. RSF said it had also never seen so many female journalists detained, with the overall number of 60 representing a third more than 2020.

‘PeoPle’s tribunal’: Myanmar was second with 53, followed by Vietnam (43), Belarus (32) and Saudi Arabia (31). The falling number of deaths since a peak in 2016 reflects changing dynamics in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, where a reduction in conflict means fewer journalists have been drawn to the region. Most of the 46 killings were assassinations: “65 percent were deliberately targeted and eliminated,” the report said. The most dangerous countries were once again Mexico and Afghanistan, with seven and six journalist deaths respectively, followed by Yemen and India with four apiece. RSF also counted 65 journalists and colleagues held as hostages around the world. All are in the Middle East — Syria (44), Iraq (11) and Yemen (9) — apart from French journalist Olivier Dubois, held in Mali since April.

has been constituted to meet with the martyrs’ parents. It is pertinent to note that earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan had been directed by the Supreme Court to hear the views of the martyrs’ parents, after which he directed the officials to form a Cabinet committee.

The court had asked for a signed response from the PM within four weeks, which ends on December 10.

As per the government’s petition in the SC, the government has formed a committee to meet with the parents of the martyrs on the same day of the attack to commemorate the anniversary of the APS Peshawar attack which falls on December

16. The petition’s text requested that the conclusion of the meeting between the parents and the committee be brought to light, as well as given a time so that a comprehensive implementation report could be filed with the court.

The Cabinet committee, on the other hand, was formed on the Prime Minister’s orders. It includes Shireen Mazari, Omar Ayub, Fehmida Mirza, and Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan.

Justice Ijazul Ahsan in this regard, stated that it is necessary to satisfy the parents of the APS martyrs, while adding that action must be taken against the then authorities.

APS carnage ‘still a bleeding wound’, Zardari says

ISLAMABAD Monitoring report

Former president Asif Ali Zardari censured the government for what he declared as its failure to implement the National Action Plan (NAP) against terrorism, adding that the 2014 Army Public School (APS) attack is “still a bleeding wound”.

On December 16, six terrorists affiliated with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attacked the school in Peshawar. 147 people, including 132 children, were killed in the attack. “The National Action Plan was a promise to punish terrorists. Unfortunately, the promise to the nation has not been fulfilled, ” he said in a message on the seventh anniversary of the attack.

This comes as the government is holding negotiations with the TTP, resulting in widespread criticism from the opposition parties.

Zardari said that until criminals are apprehended, the country will continue to owe the “innocent martyrs.”

The former president said the tragedy is “still a bleeding wound.” According to him, if given a chance, these terrorists would be “apprehended” and “sentenced to death”. The TTP, which is engaged in talks with the Imran Khan government, is yet to show any remorse for the school massacre.

Last week, TTP announced it would not extend the month-long ceasefire as it accused Islamabad of failing to fulfil its obligations under the agreement.

NEWS

03

Govt sets up eec to tackle economic problems ISLAMABAD news Desk

According to a finance ministry notification, the government has decided to set up the Economic Executive Council (EEC) to solve economic problems. As per the notification, the nine-member council held its first meeting on Wednesday. The council, formed with Prime Minister’s Adviser on Finance Shaukat Tarin in the chair, included five ministers, two advisers, finance secretary and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) governor. There are the Economic Advisery Council and the Economic Advisory Group that have representation of the private sector. The EEC seems to have little room for manoeuvring as the country’s economic policy is now defined under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme. The EEC members are Finance Adviser Shaukat Tarin, Food Minister Fakhr Imam, Industries Minister Khusro Bakhtiar, Energy Minister Hammad Azhar, Planning Minister Asad Umar, Commerce Adviser Razak Dawood, Finance Secretary Hamid Yaqoob Sheikh and SBP Governor Dr Reza Baqir. All of them are already members of the ECC –the economic policy-making body of the federal cabinet. “The Economic Executive Council (EEC) is constituted to review the overall economic condition of the country and take possible corrective measures considering available resources of the country”, reads the Finance Ministry’s notification. “The main objective of the EEC is to initiate an integrated economic policy relevant for overall welfare of society,” it says, adding that the EEC will be engaged regularly on a weekly basis on the issues of national economic importance. The notified scope of the council suggests that it would do the work, which is in the domain of the constitutional forums – the National Economic Council (NEC) and other cabinet bodies like the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec), the Steering Committee on Foreign-Funded projects, the Monetary and Fiscal Policies Coordination Board, the Cabinet Committee on State-owned Enterprises and the National Price Monitoring Committee. The EEC will analyse the effectiveness of the role of government in the provision of subsidies, protection and other financial support to the state-owned enterprises and important sectors of the economy in terms of economic gains and losses to the national exchequer – a function currently performed by the Cabinet Committee on SOEs. The EEC will also ensure effective utilisation of the foreign assistance, according to the Finance Ministry. It will also monitor the mega initiatives of the government for jobs creation and higher growth. The EEC is also expected to suggest policy initiatives that can bolster existing policies in order to enhance their economic, financial and fiscal impact. It will advise on the execution of mega infrastructure projects of energy, industries and production.

“The purpose of setting up the executive council is to have a supreme body of economic ministers to coordinate on strategic policy initiatives,” an EEC member told The Express Tribune, while speaking on condition of anonymity. The ministry states that the new council will also review the market structure of various important sectors of the economy and its problems to promote competition in the economy by correcting the market structure, discouraging cartelisation, price manipulations, margins and other market distortions.

Biharis see flicker of hope, anticipate an end to their ‘statelessness’ NewS DeSk Biharis had been hanged in ‘statelessness’ for more than half a century. The unsung Bihari heroes of the 1971 war who are still willing to sacrifice everything for Pakistan witness a flicker of hope that their state of estrangement is going to end soon.

Recently, a ceremony was held at Malir Cantonment, Karachi, to pay tribute to the veterans from the Bihari community and retired officers who fought during the 1971 war. The ceremony was held to acknowledge and honour the gallant actions and sacrifices of soldiers, particularly those from the Bihari community who were part of the Civil Armed Forces of erstwhile East Pakistan during the 1971 war. Over 250 individuals including veterans and their relatives attended the ceremony and received awards.

According to an official of the military’s media wing, several Biharis, including 21 in Peshawar; 250 in Lahore; 660 in Karachi and Hyderabad and 63 in Rawalpindi, have so far been awarded in various ceremonies. He said that members of the Bihari community would be invited to an event on December 16 to recognise the sacrifices they have made in 1971.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was the first to speak about Biharis, adding he would get back after checking what steps the government was considering to take for the Bihari community in the coming days. In this regard, 67 years-old Dilsher Ali Ansari, a Bihari veteran of the East Pakistan Civil Armed Forces states that “we respect Pakistan as much as we respect a mosque.” Ansari was one of the war prisoners in Bangladesh, a group of people that suffered a fatal blow to its Pakistani identity following the creation of Bangladesh.

Ansari further said that “it is the first time in the past five decades that Pakistani institutions have started recognising us and holding events to honour the sacrifices that we made” Another veteran Ehtemamuddin Gohar, stated that “We are all old and frail now but if the need arises, we can at least be used as sandbags. Taking a bullet for Pakistan would mean that the purpose of life has been

fulfilled” It is pertinent to note that in 1971, when an insurrection covertly instigated, and overtly aided and abetted by India led to the dismemberment of Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh. This is when Biharis, an Urduspeaking community, were butchered in thousands for staying loyal to Pakistan.

According to one estimate, more than 20,000 Biharis were massacred in Khulna jute mills alone – including men, women and children. Some were burnt alive, others guillotined. Those Biharis who volunteered and joined Pakistan’s armed forces were incarcerated while the rest were crammed into temporary camps so they could later be repatriated to Pakistan. This, unfortunately, never happened.

The prisoners of war were later repatriated to Pakistan, though. “We were not just resisting the advances of a single entity. All of us were simultaneously fighting the forces belonging to Mukti Bahini, the Bengal Regiment and above all, the Indian forces. All three of them at the same time,” said Gohar, pointing towards India’s violation of the international conventions to side with the secessionists against Pakistan through military intervention.

In the days leading to what is sorely remembered as a great tragedy, India targeted Pakistan by exploiting the internal situation in former East Pakistan and played the

central role as a conspirator in the separation that finally took place on December 16, 1971. India’s plans to intervene were made with the consent of Awami League leadership at an infamous meeting known as the Agartala Conspiracy.

During the war, even before the direct military intervention, Mukti Bahini was being provided military, logistic and economic support by India. Moreover, Indian military, including tanks and air power on many occasions, were also used to support Mukti Bahini.

On April 29, 1971, the Indian cabinet ordered General Sam Manekshaw to launch a military operation in East Pakistan. “I want you to enter Pakistan. I do not mind if it’s war,” the then-prime minister, Indira Gandhi, ordered India’s top military commander.

The Mukti Bahini became the military wing of the Indian army with the Indian intelligence agency RAW providing training and arms to Bahini’s rebels. The Indian government trained guerrillas, fanned disruptive activities, and fuelled riots. According to Lawrence Lifschultz, South Asia correspondent for Far Eastern Economic Review, Mukti Bahini leader, Abdul Kader Siddiqui, “personally bayoneted” non-Bengalis to death and the entire incident was filmed by foreign film crews whom Siddiqui had invited to witness the gory spectacle.

Dislodged from their orbits and stranded in “time” and bereft of recognition and rights any war veteran is entitled to, the presence of Bihari veterans in the country had been almost rendered invisible up until now. Ansari’s prison companions – Syed Muhammad Essa, 67, Muhammad Alauddin, 69, and Maqbool Muhammad, 73 – sat together to take a painful trip down memory lane. “After being released from the prisoners’ camp, we were abandoned before being given a three-day stay at the Rangers Headquarters upon our arrival in Pakistan via Wagah Border,” he said. However, just the thought of being given recognition brings light to their eyes. “Finally, we feel like we have arrived at the destiny, the beacon of safety we had set out for.” The veterans’ recognition as war heroes, they asserted, for sacrificing their blood and loved ones in a bid to cement the idea of Pakistan in the face of rival belligerents was long-overdue.

Friday, 17 December, 2021 | ISLAMABAD

04 NEWS

ChiNa to CoNtiNue as maJor Driver of global eCoNomy, says exPert ISLAMABAD

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Xinhua

ESPITE multi-faceted challenges posed by the still-raging pandemic, China’s economic resilience as shown in positive economic indicators has proved that the country will continue acting as a major stabiliser and driver of the global economy, an expert said.

China has not only managed to maintain its steady economic growth during the toughest times but also extended a helping hand to other countries, helping them fight the pandemic by providing vaccines while contributing to their economic development as well, Farhat Asif, president of the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies (IPDS), an

Islamabad-based think-tank, told Xinhua in an interview.

Adhering to the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, the visionary leadership of China, with strong support from the Chinese people, has shown its resolve to share the opportunities arising from China’s progress with the rest of the world, making China a model country for others to follow, the expert said.

She said that under the Belt and Road Initiative, China continued its cooperation with many countries across the globe, making tremendous contributions to economic growth worldwide.

“The mega project is crucial for global economic recovery and gives the countries real hope as they can transform their economies through infrastructure develop-

ment, agricultural reforms, industrial development, and through closer cooperation with the Chinese enterprises for economic benefits.” Referring to China’s annual Central Economic Work Conference that concluded recently, Asif noted that China’s decision to prioritise stability while pursuing progress for next year’s economic work will have a positive impact on the global economy, saying the conference is not only important for China, but for the world also.

“We are living in an inter-connected, inter-dependent and globalised world,” she said, adding that as the world’s largest developing country and a member of the World Trade Organisation, China is “very meaningful” for the world. Despite facing pressure from demand contraction, supply shocks and an increasingly complicated

external environment, China is determined to tackle difficulties squarely by further promoting reform and opening-up in the forthcoming year, the expert said.

“China seeks to support small- and medium-sized enterprises, technological innovation and green development, strengthening the real economy,” she noted. “Also there are larger opportunities for foreign investors that reflect how China is welcoming global investment to the country … So this inter-dependence and globalisation will help China and other countries to make a robust economic recovery in the post-pandemic era.”

However, Asif said that despite China’s immense contribution towards global development and stability, some Western countries initiated trade disputes

Bangladesh’s Pakistani heroes call for burying ‘bitter’ past KARACHI anadolu agency

50 years after Bangladesh was created as a new Muslim-majority country in South Asia, the families of those Pakistanis who opposed military operation to quell insurgency have urged both countries to “bury the bitter past” and move forward to ensure cordial ties.

Several prominent Pakistanis like legendary poets, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Habib Jalib, former Foreign Minister Sahibzada Yaqoob Ali Khan, educationist and writer Waris Mir, and politicians like Malik Ghulam Jilani, Ghous Bux Bizenjo, and many others had opposed the March 1971 military operation in the then East Pakistan. Observers say this military operation caused a large-scale reaction and later led to the creation of

Bangladesh on December 16, 1971.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency on eve of the 50th anniversary of the creation of Bangladesh, which is being observed on Thursday, Tahira Habib Jalib, the daughter of legendary poet Habib Jalib, hoped the two nations would move forward and work together for a peaceful and prosperous South Asia, which was a dream of her father.

“Jalib sahib was hurt by two incidents more than any other thing in his life. First, leaving his ancestral village in Hushyarpur district (East Punjab, following the partition of India), and second, dismemberment of East Pakistan,” Tahira said.

She visited Dhaka in 2013 to receive an award conferred to her father by the Bangladesh government. “He (Jalib) had timely warned the then rulers through his

poetry and otherwise of the consequences of their wrong policies in (then) East Pakistan, but unfortunately they did not listen,” she maintained.

Educationist and writer Salima Hashmi, the daughter of Faiz, who too visited Dhaka to receive her father’s award, said the political situation in the then-East Pakistan had become complicated long before the army action amid a growing sense of deprivation. “(I) have vivid memories of 1971 and the turmoil that came before — that matters were heading towards a crisis was apparent long before the army action,” Salima told Anadolu Agency.

She said her father was among those intellectuals who strived for talks with all dissenters in the eastern part of Pakistan and strike comprises, where it was possible.

“But it required political wisdom and a

genuine democratic understanding of the grave injustices suffered by the eastern wing (now Bangladesh),” she said.

Faiz’s poetry expresses anguish: Hashmi observed that army dictatorships are traditionally unable to fathom people’s desires — leading to horrific disasters like 1971.

“Faiz stood for the right of the Bengali people to struggle for their equal rights as citizens and was among those who condemned army action as a solution to political struggle – his poetry of the time expresses his anguish at the events unfolding in Pakistan,” she said.

Khurshid Tanveer, a Karachi-based journalist, a witness to 1971 events, told Anadolu Agency that the “tragedy” could have been avoided if the “will of the people” had prevailed.

Pakistan, TTP have to talk for sake of peace: APS attack survivor PESHAWAR anadolu agency

Pakistan and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have to sit at a table and talk, which is essential for achieving peace, said a survivor of an attack by the Afghanistan-based militant group.

Muaz Irfan was just 15 years old when the TTP, a proscribed outfit, attacked his school, the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar, on the morning of December 16,

AMBASSADoR MASooD KHALID newS deSk

In less than two weeks, we will be seeing the dawn of a new year. Will this year be any different from previous years for hopeless Afghans or yet another year of despair and disquiet? This is the central question which will grasp the attention of the OIC Foreign Ministers when they meet in Islamabad on 19 December.

Afghanistan is an unfortunate land riven with decades long conflict, sectarian strife, palace intrigues, ideological battle lines and above all an arena for great powers rivalry and proxy wars. Historically, it has seen numerous political upheavals and

2014. Irfan was struck by eight bullets, with six hitting his left arm, one wounding his leg and the other his right arm.

The TTP took responsibility for the attack, one of the deadliest in Pakistan’s history, in which 147 students were killed and hundreds were wounded. Seven years later, Prime Minister Imran Khan in October confirmed in an interview with the Turkish news channel TRT that his government is holding talks with the TTP in Afghanistan.

“In some decisions, we have to think as

a nation. It is very important for our country to make peace with this militant group so we can save thousands of innocent children like us from any kind of terrorist attack,” said Irfan. The TTP and Pakistan agreed on a cease-fire in November, which ended on December 9. Just two days later, the TTP carried out two attacks that targeted police officers who were escorting anti-polio campaign volunteers and vaccination teams in the North Waziristan district.

“We have seen this brutality. I still re-

OIC and Afghanistan military invasions being at the crossroads of South and Central Asia and located along the old Silk Road. It is a melting pot of various cultures and ethnicities and religions, although Islam is now a dominant faith.

It was a buffer between British India and Russian empire in the 19th Century. Labeled as a “graveyard of empires”, Afghan people are traditionally equipped to resist and confront outside powers who are perceived to disturb their eco-system. No power, howsoever mighty, has been able to subdue the brave Afghans.

In recent years, the US led war against Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and other militant outfits has thrown up a war economy which has defaced the socio-political fabric of the country. Crime syndicates and the drug barons manipulated this war economy to achieve their self-aggrandizing objectives.

The fiefdoms created by them challenged Ashraf Ghani’s Government, whose writ did not go beyond Kabul. Their invincibility was challenged by the Taliban who succeeded in breaking their stranglehold with the recent dramatic capture of entire Afghan territory.

The takeover by Taliban, though viewed as an unpleasant outcome by the West, presents nonetheless a reality which needs to be accepted and reconciled with particularly as it faces no popular opposition within Afghanistan. Daesh-led terrorism should not be confused with anti-Taliban resistance. The alternative to not accepting this reality would mean more mayhem and anarchy, transcending Afghanistan’s borders.

While it is true that the Taliban have yet to meet their end of the bargain in coming up to the expectations of the international community on such issues as an inclusive

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member how these terrorists were ruthlessly killing children. I lost my three friends in that attack, and they can still do such horrendous things if we do not make them sit down and talk. In negotiations, Pakistan has to agree to some of their conditions and vice versa,” Irfan noted. A security official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, as he was not allowed to talk to the media, told Anadolu Agency that the masterminds of the attack were either killed or sentenced to death. dispensation, protections of human rights, women empowerment etc., but isn’t it naïve to expect from a battle hardened, inexperienced group, more akin to gorilla warfare, to deliver on the finer norms of statecraft and that too in few months. This thinking is simply unrealistic.

Culturally and socially, Afghanistan is very different from other societies. Its tribal character is rooted in ultra conservative social values which are centuries old. The Afghan have their own systems of retribution and justice. They are fiercely proud and independent people and have the capacity to find homemade solutions to their problems through tribal ‘jirgas’ and similar other mechanisms.

The twenty-year conflict has amply demonstrated that any attempt to impose an outside model of governance will not succeed in Afghanistan. An insistence on the so-called ‘good behavior’ by the Taliban before the international community comes to their help, is thus a perilous proposition for Afghanistan as well as the wider region.

While accounts of the international media and the UN assessment draw attention to the gravity of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Afghanistan, the apathy and the indifference in certain western capitals towards sub-human conditions of the Afghan people, is mind boggling and indeed worrisome.

to impede China’s economic development, undermining globalisation and mutual economic benefits.

“When people’s well-being, peace and prosperity should be the focus, some countries choose to indulge themselves with bullying, trade wars and politicisation of things,” she said. “But it’s a wise standpoint of China to continue building the economy and sharing the benefits with countries that are against Cold War mentality and deglobalisation.”

The expert believes that in this era of technological advancement and information, the world is sensible enough to notice who has been actually helping the people to grow and progress and who has been tangling itself into the useless economic wars to maintain global supremacy.

fbr suspends three officials on misconduct PRESS RELEASE Following a policy of zero tolerance against corruption, highhanded,and misconduct Federal Board of Revenue (HQs) Islamabad has suspended three officials posted in Collectorate of Customs Enforcement, Lahore.

This evening, the top leadership of FBR had received an undeniable information based on audio-visual evidence from reliable sources that Mr.Imran Fareed, Inspector (BS-16), Mr. Muhammad Saeed Sabir, Inspector (BS-16) & Mr. Nasir Zaman Raika, Superintendent(BS-16) were co- accomplices in undesirable practices, unbecoming of officials holding public office. The competent authority immediately ordered an inquiry against the accused officials. Initial probe found the evidence credible enough to proceed against the accused officials. Therefore, the competent authority by exercising powers conferred under Rule 5(1) of the Civil Servants(Efficiency and Discipline) Rules 2020, has placed the above three officials under suspension, initially for a period of 120 days. Regular proceedings have been ordered against the accused officials which will be conducted under the relevant rules to complete the due process of law and afford the accused officials an opportunity of being heard. Exampalry punishment will be awarded to the accused if proven guilty of the charges. Chairman FBR/Secretary Revenue Division, Dr.Muhammad Ashfaq Ahmed has reiterated once more in categorical terms that FBR will continue to deal such black sheep within the organization with an iron hand in order to ensure transparency, ease of doing business and thereby bridge the trust deficit between FBR and Taxpayers. He further reaffirmed that no one involved in any form of corruption, highhanded and extortion will be spared and those bringing bad name to the country's premier revenue collection organisation will be proceeded against, without fail.

Police submit interim challan in Nazim Jokhio murder KARACHI Staff RepoRt

Sindh Police on Thursday presented an interim challan before the judicial magistrate in Malir in a case pertaining to the murder of a young man which triggered a campaign for justice on social media platforms. The body of Nazim Jokhio was found inside a Malir farmhouse in November. The victim had died apparently after being thrashed with sticks and punches in a scuffle. Jokhio had stopped and filmed some foreigners while hunting rare houbara bustards in his native village in Thatta, according to the first information report (FIR) of the incident registered on the complaint of his brother Afzal Jokhio. “MPA Jam Awais alias Gohram, along with Niaz Salar, Ahmed Shoro, Haider Ali and Mehr Ali, killed my brother by kicking and punching, and beating him with batons close to the gate of Jam House,” the report quoted Afzal as telling the police. Jam Awais Khan Jokhio, a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker, surrendered to the police days later after Jokhio’s relatives staged a sit-in on a highway.

Friday, 17 December, 2021 | ISLAMABAD

SPIke IN RAw MAteRIAl’S COSt PUShINg hIke IN tyRe PRICeS iSLamaBad

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staff report

OST of raw materials used in tyre manufacturing has increased by 25 percent in the last six months, which is the main reason behind the current increase in the prices of new tyres.

“The prices of tyres have been affected by a number of factors including global raw material prices increase, supply chain disruption because of Covid, depreciation of the Rupee and increase in utility prices,” said the spokesman of

General Tyre.

Also, he added, the pandemic has disrupted the global supply chain and delay in shipments is quite frequent these days while the prices of containers also shot up because of the shortage.

“Another major reason was the depreciation of the rupee against other foreign currencies,” said the spokesman, adding that the higher utility prices have also impacted the industry as a whole as due to outages of natural gas they are forced to use expensive alternate fuels.

On the other hand, he added, imports are currently down because of the volatil-

ity in the currency market and the government’s demand of 100 percent advance payment on letters of credits.

“Smuggling should never be a viable option to meet the demand of a country as they both cripple the local industry and cheat the government in terms of its legitimate revenues which should never be tolerated,” reasoned the spokesman.

The spokesman said the local tyre industry is capable of growing and supplying tyres to the market. “The current gap is due to heavy under invoicing and smuggling which are the reasons the local industry is not flourishing,” said the

spokesman.

He said that it is not correct that the drive against smuggling is the reason for the price increase though these efforts the government have attracted investment and as a result foreign manufacturers are setting up plants in Pakistan.

“The local industry asks for a level playing field as it would raise tax revenue and also create employment in this testing time,” said the spokesman, adding that the same has been done by the local industry in the manufacturing of farm and motorcycle tyres where imports are nonexistent.

Justice Wajih holds ground as Govt threatens to sue him continued from page 01

NAP implementation key to solve national issues: Ashrafi iSLamaBad INp

Special Representative to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Religious Harmony and Middle East Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi has stressed the need for implementing National Action Plan (NAP) in letter and spirit to solve national issues and eradicate terrorism. Talking to media along with Christian leaders and notables here on Thursday, he said the government is working to review the NAP as the prime minister has already held a meeting in this regard. Ashrafi alleged that the former government used the NAP only for removal of speakers from mosques. The incumbent government would bring major changes in the NAP to eradicate extremism and terrorism from the country, he added. People living in Pakistan and following country’s laws enjoy equal rights, he said and added that the non-Muslim communities are not alone and as a majority group, all Muslims will stand with them at every forum. No one would be allowed to take the law in their own hands and use the law to serve their own interest, he further said. He appreciated the political parties’ stance not to allow the Sialkot incident to repeat in the future and their show of solidarity with the non-Muslim community in Pakistan. Remembering the brutal Army Public School (APS) incident on its seventh anniversary, Ashrafi said today (December 16) is the day for the nation to move forward unitedly and make commitment to serve and defend the country. “We are starting with the determination that Pakistan belongs to all irrespective of his or her affiliation or beliefs,” he added.

He went on to add that while he had done “whatever was in my capacity to help PTI in the quest to build a new Pakistan”, he “never gave a penny for the household expenses of Bani Gala” — a reference to the PM’s residence in Islamabad.

Chaudhry acknowledged Tareen’s timely clarification, and stated that Tareen proved that “he is a gentleman.”

The information minister further said the media freedom is being used for specific campaigns to “weaken the system,” while adding that “the way prime minister was targeted is condemnable” Fawad further appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan and the chief justices of all high courts to ensure that the respect of institutions must be upheld.

“Why our judicial system is failing to protect an individual’s dignity, especially when the prime minister becomes a victim of propaganda,” he asked.

He suggested that chief justices in provinces must form special division benches at district and high court levels to deal specifically with such cases.

Chaudhry further added that PM Imran Khan’s monthly income figures have always been misreported

by TV channels.

“We see that maligning anyone is not an issue anymore and the big reason for it is that defamation cases in courts are not being taken seriously,” he explained.

He further said that the government planned to have the Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority bill approved from relevant bodies to streamline local media, which was being “used to run specific campaigns to target the system of the country”.

Chaudhry went on to accuse broadcast media of

running campaigns against army generals and judiciary representatives on a daily basis. “The same channels face fines abroad but in Pakistan, there is no law, let alone its implementation.”

“If we don’t introduce tough laws then the system will keep on getting weakened due to fake news,” the minister concluded. i have spoken nothing but the truth, says wajihuddin ahmed: Following Fawad Chaudhry’s announcement, Justice (retd) Wajihuddin Ahmed as a response, stated “I have spoken nothing but the truth.”

Speaking during an event in Karachi, Justice (R) Wajihuddin said that if anyone’s rights have been violated, “then they should file a defamation suit themselves.”

Justice (R) Wajihuddin further said that there is nothing wrong with Jahangir Tareen’s relations with Imran Khan.

“Jahangir Tareen has denied my statement. What else was expected of him?” he asked. “Why would he accept money that had been spent illegally? Tareen made a billion dollars in sugar mill cases.”

It is pertinent to note that two days earlier, Wajihuddin claimed that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s monthly household expenses were borne by now-estranged PTI leader Jahangir Tareen before the premiere had taken office.

Wajihuddin further revealed that Tareen initially gave funds worth Rs3 million per month for now-Prime Minister Imran Khan’s household expenses, which was later increased to Rs5 million per month.

He went on to add that the perception about Imran Khan being an honest man is “completely wrong”.

“The man who doesn’t even pay for his shoelaces, how can you call that man honest?” Wajihuddin argued.

Arabic the only source to keep Ummah together; says Amb Nawaf bin Saeed iSLamaBad staff CorrespoNdeNt

Ambassador of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mr Nawaf Bin Saeed Al-Malki Thursday said that Arabic is the language of Quran, and this is the only source to keep the Ummah together.

The Ambassador expressed these views while addressing the participants of a Two-Day International Conference titled as “Socio-Historical Role of Fictional Narratives in the Development of Arabic Literature” organized by Arabic Department of National University of Modern Languages (NUML), in collaboration with Center of Arabic and Islamic Studies Sialkot here at NUML. “Learning the Arabic will give you more understanding of Islam and it is the source of communication among Arabs states for 1500 years,” said the envoy.

The Ambassador said that Arabic is very rich language and learning this language will connect you to the brotherhood and unity among Ummah. He appreciated the role of NUML in promotion of Arabic language and thanked Rector NUML for organizing such a knowledgeable conference. Dr. Habib Ur Rehman Asim and Prof. Dr. Refaat Aly Mohamed Sayed, Dean Arabic Faculty Asyut-Al Azhar University, Egypt also participated as key note speakers.

Rector NUML Major General Muhammad Jaffar HI (M) (Retd), Director General Brig Syed Nadir Ali, ProRectors, Deans, Directors, HoDs, faculty members and a larger number of students also attended the ceremony.

Prof. Dr. Refaat Aly Mohamed Sayed, Dean Al Azhar University, Egypt in his speech highlighted the role of historian and literary persons who played key role in promotion of Arabic literature.

Pakistan urges South Korea to increase employment quota for Pakistani workers under EPS iSLamaBad MIaN abrar

Pakistan on Thursday urged Republic of Korea (RoK) to increase the employment quota for Pakistani workers under Employment Permit System (EPS).

The request was officially made by Muhammad Ayub Afridi, Advisor to Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (OP&HRD) during his meeting with Mr. Suh Sangpyo, Ambassador of Korea to Pakistan who called on the

Advisor here. Ambassador Sangpyo congratulated Mr Afridi on his appointment as Advisor to the prime minister. Besides, bilateral relations of mutual interests, the matters relating to Employment Permit System (EPS) were also discussed.

While appreciating the Korean government for hiring of Pakistani workers regularly, the Advisor reiterated him to increase quota for Pakistanis under EPS. “Besides manufacturing area in which presently Pakistani workers are hired, other sectors like Construction, Agriculture and

Fisheries may also be opened under EPS since Pakistan has trained manpower for these sectors,” said the Advisor.

The Advisor requested the Ambassador to include Pakistani workers EPS returnee workers in Korean EPS in Agriculture, Construction & Fisheries sectors.

The Ambassador of Korea assured that he will take up these proposals with his government. Mr. Afridi thanked the Ambassador of Korea for his gesture and assured him of continued coordination and enhanced cooperation for export of Pakistani workers to Korea.

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Special envoys of US, China, Russia to attend OIC Summit on Afghanistan continued from page 01 Qureshi said that Pakistan has conveyed to the Taliban to allow women education but they say they don’t have funds to pay salaries to the teachers.

“Within the Taliban there are two shades. The one who interacted with the world while those who have come down from the mountains. Hence, the world needs to give some time to the Taliban and they would show flexibility”. Referring to a meeting of 11 key former US commanders and ambassadors, who served in Afghanistan, also urged the Biden administration to find a way to engage with the Afghan Taliban. “There are now voices from within the US to engage with the Taliban. Hamid Karzai has clarified that the Taliban didn’t took over Kabul by force and rather he had invited the Taliban after Ghani escaped,” he asserted.

Qureshi clears air on skipping us summit on democracy Responding to a question about the country’s decision to skip US Summit on Democracy, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that the invitation to Prime Minister Imran Khan was non-transferable and only the PM was invited to the summit. The Foreign Minister said the virtual summit had three sessions and there were no opportunity to have an interactive session.

“The first session was chaired by US President Joe Biden while the second session was to be chaired by US Secretary of State. Pakistan was not invited to both the sessions. Rather, Prime Minister Imran Khan was invited to deliver a recorded speech in third session which was of no use in diplomatic terms,” he said. Qureshi said that he had got a message from US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman who said that the US administration understood the situation.

“She said that the US want to expand our relationship with Pakistan beyond Afghanistan. Next session of the US summit on Democracy would be held next year and the US is inviting Pakistan again. It would be an interactive session too,” Mr Qureshi said. new developments soon on china, pakistan front soon: Asked whether Pakistan would become a part of the China bloc, Qureshi said that Pakistan did not want to join any camp. “We don’t want to be a part of any camp. We have had a consistent and long term relationship with China which is based on mutual trust and is timetested. I have spoken with Counselor Wang Yi and there would be new developments soon on China, Pakistan relationship,” he added.

30 foreign ministers attending moot: Fawad Chaudhry told the briefing that the conference is the biggest event after 1980 by MoFA. “22 foreign ministers from the OIC countries and 8 others have confirmed participation. Total 30 senior ministers are attending the moot including permanent representatives from China, US and Russia. Economic aid to Afghanistan is one point agenda of the conference. We are already facing a momentum of Afghan refugees and 2,90,000 Afghans have arrived Pakistan without even proper documentation. Since Pakistan is already hosting millions of Afghans, we can’t handle more,” he concluded.

OIC Summit: Mobile phone services to remain suspended in Islamabad for three days iSLamaBad staff report

Federal government has decided to suspend mobile phone services in the federal capital for three days starting from Friday (today) in wake of the meeting of Council for Foreign Ministers of Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) on Afghanistan.

According to sources in the interior ministry, the mobile phone services will remain suspended in Islamabad from December 17 to 19 and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has been issued directives in this regard.

06-07 Comments - 17th December 2021_Layout 1 12/16/2021 11:05 PM Page 1

Friday, 17 December, 2021

06 COMMENT

Changing horses in mainstream

Welcome ambassadordesignate Donald Bloom But is the USA really dependable?

Both the TTP and the TLP carry much baggage

F

INALLy, Pakistan will have a full-time US envoy after three years. Ambassador-designate Donald Blome comes at a time when Pak-US relations are by no means cordial. Many in the Biden Administration blame Pakistan for Washington’s inglorious exit from Afghanistan. The US Administration is unhappy over China’s rising influence in the region and has consistently opposed the CPeC. What has further added to Washington’s ire are Prime Minister Imran Khan’s less than diplomatic statements. Being still a superpower, the USA is unwilling to further lose influence in the region, including in Pakistan, which is an important country in South Asia.

Pakistanis have an ambivalent relationship with the USA. A minority admires it for being an open society, practising democracy and having a free media and independent judiciary. Many accuse the USA of pushing Pakistan into bloody fights only to leave it high and dry to face the horrendous consequences. They believe that this amounts to sheer betrayal. There is a perception that the USA invariably sacrifices its much trumpeted ideals when dictated by strategic needs. Most in the country believe China is a dependable ally which has stood by Pakistan through thick and thin. Pakistan government wants to have good relations with both the USA and China without being the part of any bloc system that characterized the Cold War, which is a sensible stand.

Ambassador-designate Blome has pledged to work for lowering tensions between Pakistan and India. This a more realistic goal than President Trump’s promise to mediate the Kashmir dispute. But India being Washington’s a strategic ally, it remains to be seen if the latter could pressurize it to end the inhuman reign of terror in the occupied Valley which is the principal reason behind the rise in tensions. It is a good idea to fight the Al-Qaeda, the IS-K and TTP together provided Pakistan makes sure it has read the fine print before signing.

Few in Pakistan would buy the US promise to defend human rights especially the rights of religious minorities, keeping in view Washington’s total silence on the issues during the Zia era when Martial Law was imposed, journalists were flogged, and laws made to persecute the minorities.

At Penpoint M A nIAZI

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he extent to which mainstreaming may go has been shown by the expiry of the ceasefire with the Tehrik Taliban Pakistan (TTP), as well as the Sialkot incident, where a Sri Lankan manager was killed because of another party, the Tehrik Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). The TLP has indicated that it is willing to be a kingmaker in the next Parliament, but the TTP has wider ambitions, which were reflected in its claim of affiliation to the Afghan Taliban, and to the Islamic emirate of Afghanistan.

The TTP negotiations are a mystery, which will perhaps come out only later. Their very existence was only made public in Prime Minister Imran Khan’s interview to a Turkish news outlet: it was not announced in Parliament or even disclosed to a Pakistani news outlet. Only the TTP has disclosed its demands, and neither side has disclosed the response they received.

Also, the discussion between the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban was made public, without any intervention from any Pakistani government source.

The breakdown of the ceasefire does not mean that the talks have come to an end, but they do imply that what amounts to a civil war will continue. One of the subjects of discussion, in particular, indicates that the TTP sees itself as in the position of the Afghan Taliban and the Pakistan Army as in the position of occupying forces: that it be allowed to establish a political office in another country. That keeps in view the experience of the Afghan Taliban, whose political office in Doha dealt with the USA, leading to the withdrawal of its forces.

That the aim of the TTP is the withdrawal of the Pakistan Army from the Tribal Areas is shown by its demand that the Tribal Areas be reverted to their old status. Clearly, the TTP finds the old pre-integration Tribal Areas, with their pre-independence administration, more conducive to establishing their writ. It was only after a corps-level operation that the TTP occupation of the two Waziristan Agencies was ended, followed by their integration into KP, and the consequent arrival of regular police.

These two demands, combined with the claim to be affiliated to the Afghan Taliban made them sound more like Pukhoon nationalists seeking a merger with Afghanistan. It is not to be forgotten that the Taliban are mostly Kandahari Pashtoons, who exhibited a certain parochialism in their first stint in power. There was also the internationalism that showed in the support for the the Uighurs and the Kashmiris, not to mention the Uzbeks and Tajiks of the ex-Soviet republics.

…And now an Economic Executive Council Why have a body whose members are already the ECC?

T

he economic executive Council notified by the Finance Ministry includes a sort of pared-down economic Committee of the Cabinet (eeC), along with the Finance Secretary and State Bank Governor.

There is an overlapping agenda, with the eCC bound to refer its decisions to the Cabinet for approval. The exclusion from the new body of ministers dealing with individual aspects of the economy, like shipping, privatization, shipping or railways, while including the energy Ministers and the State Bank Governor, indicates that the new body may be tasked to deal with circular debt, a problem in which the IMF has been taking a deep interest. however, that same IMF has imposed such detailed and specific conditions for the restoration of its suspended extended Structural Adjustment Facility, that even if it was clarified why the new Council was set up, there is precious little it could do in the way of policy decisions. If it merely recommends IMF prescriptions, it will be pointless duplication; if it recommends a different course of action, it or the IMF will have to be ignored, which in practice means it will be ignored.

The setting up of the Council indicates that the government is not happy with the present economic decision-making machinery, not so much because it has any sweeping reforms to introduce, as because it does not like the diffraction the economy is going, which would be understandable when viewing the dismal figures for the current account deficit, the trade deficit and inflation, with the precipitous drop in rupee parity and massive interest rate hikes failing to arrest the trade deficit. With elections less than two years away, the government has every reason to be concerned. however, the solution does not seem to lie in a council which includes some of the people who landed the economy in the situation it already is in. If the Prime Minister is, despite everything, happy with his team, he has no need to put them in a new body, while also keeping the eCC.

Illiteracy combined with ignorance

AnsA Mobeen

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eCeNTLy, a catastrophic incident at Sialkot where people have been encountering exceptionally heinous crimes for a decade has unfolded the wretched state of kindness and tolerance– the leading components of Islam. Nevertheless, some misconceptions which added fuel to the fire of the disastrous attack, regarding the sacred religion Islam, are found in society.

So much so, if anybody strives to see the past events of Sialkot and other cities of Pakistan he would find the absurd governance, poor law and order, and irrational illiteracy, particularly. on human rights are the integral part of Islamic doctrines and have been accentuated by the holy Prophet (PBUh).

The primary question in the whole tragic incident of Sialkot lies in why all these people had forgotten the teaching of the holy Prophet (PBUh) regarding the dignity of man or humanity. The murder of one person is considered the murder of the entire humanity on earth; giving the lesson of equivalency to the people the Prophet (PBUh) created the essence of peace and devotion– moreover,

Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

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Their mainstreaming might suit some, but the cost to the country may be immense, and be in the form of a religio-political party even more uncompromising, even more extreme, and beholden to no one

The writer is a member of staff.

Sapiens’ catastrophe – a grim picture of Sialkot

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

The Afghan Taliban have stomped on this claim of affiliation, and has declared clearly that it has no intention of interfering in anyone’s internal afairs. This makes some things clear. First, it will give the TTP no aid. If TTP individual use personal contacts with Taliban stalwarts, that is another matter, but the Afghan organisation will not support the Pakistani. however, if the TTP gains the upper hand, the Pakistan government can expect no support. This may present a model for other worried states, especially China, that the new Taliban regime will not support any Muslim jihadi movements against them. however, it leaves unanswered the question implicit in the TTP’s appeal: whose Amir is Akhounnd haibatullah? he say he is the emir of the emirate of Afghanistan, but who is the appointing authority? Or is he taking the Gulf states as examples?

Qatar, which hosted the Taliban talks with the USA< provides an example, apart from the seven emirates that make up the UAe.. The emir of Qatar also claims to run an Islamic government, but the provenance of his state is not so clearly Islamic as the Taliban’s. No one is trying to join his state.

It is said of Mullah Omar, the first emir, that he was offered the baia, or pledge of allegiance as Caliph, but he told those making the offer to go off and form an emirate of their own. Is that the message the TTP is getting? That they should form an emirate of their own? however, one thing to emerge from this is that the agencies, which are accused of backing the TTP as well as the Afghan Taliban, are probably innocent or else guilty of conspiring against their own state.

This seems psychologically impossible. It must be assumed, therefore, that both the Afghan mujahideen and the TTP at some point cut themselves adrift, and now owe no loyalty to Pakistan. The Taliban backing of Pakistan is therefore the free expression of gratitude, not to mention making sense considering the position of the Taliban, which has to maintain a minimum of non-interference unless it wants to be ousted.

One of its competitors is the Islamic State-Khorasan Province, which does have the advantage of owing allegiance to a Caliph, Abu Ibrahim Al-hashimi, who succeeded his predecessor, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, four

days after his death in October 2019. however, Alhashim suffers the disadvantage, indeed disqualification, of being in hiding. The Caliph is supposed to be sufficiently in control of his state so as to have a capital. he heads a government, after all, not a terrorist group. however, if he was offered the rule of Afghanistan, or even Afghanistan-plus-Pakistan, it would be another matter. It might be remembered that Ayatollah Khomeini arrived that way in Iran, after the Shah had been expelled. however, the Taliban have no intention of going anywhere.

Mainstreaming the TTP also means drawing a blanket over all those who were killed by militant action in the last 20 years. The TTP might consider the fact that there is no concept of amnesty in Islamic law, and thus any amnesty might not be possible. Its demand for the release of its arrested stalwarts would thus be theologically dubious if they have been arrested for offences that are also offences under the Shariah, like murder.

Mainstreaming the Tehrik Labbaik Pakistan means the same thing, as there have been deaths among the police for which there has been no accounting.

The Sialkot incident showed that the TLP as a political party inspired passions which could lead to violence. If the TLP bases its appeal on an emotive issue, can any other party stand in its way? It is difficult to imagine the campaign against it. Which returning officer will take the risk of announcing its candidate’s defeat?

Another theme that Mr Khan has repeated several times is that of an amnesty for those who accept the Constitution. Both the TTP and the TLP both contain elements which reject parliamentary democracy. The emirate-model is against parliamentary democracy. how this aspect is handled will be of great interest. It is also worth noting that while both the TTP and TLP are hanafi, the former is Deobandi, the latter Brelvi.

Their politics is based on hatred, in the case of the former of the Shia sect, in the latter a minority, the Ahmedis.however, iIf both entered the hurlyburly of politics, where a thick skin is essential, how long before they turn against one another?

Their mainstreaming might suit some, but the cost to the country may be immense, and be in the form of a religio-political party even more uncompromising, even more extreme, and beholden to no one.

I

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strengthening human beings in all spheres Islam is known as a complete code of life.

Despite having sacred models, it is seen that humanity has touched catastrophic steps. Thus, doubtlessly, the Sialkot incident has portrayed a disgusting picture of mankind and indeed shown a savage and utter presentation of inhuman and inhumane approaches. however, doing away with this menace, firstly all of us need to understand the true essence of Islam.

Talking over this dilemma, a massive disruption of sapiens’ catastrophe is observed, due to the dreadful scene of the debased human values which have intimidated the entire world from Muslims and Islam.

God has created everything for a man and he loves everybody; he does not see a person’s creed, religion, or sect – even though he does not care about the sins of a person in a temporary world and procures everything for the same. The religion Islam is the first and last charter which includes all means to access God – similarly, it is read that Allah does not exist in Mosques; or other places of worship, but in people’s hearts. however, the world is beautiful with various objects – everything is representative of God, and being a true envoy of God the primary duty of everybody is to ensure peace, consensus, and unity which is the true message of Islam. But the problem is an unfair interpretation of Islam.

The inaccurate understanding of the religion Islam by some fundamentalist groups has pushed people towards the catastrophic edge. Priantha Kumara’s issue could be dealt with by some legislative institutions.

The way his crime has been handled is not giving a rational approach of today’s people but fanaticism– which is disapproved by God and hid Prophet (PBUh) is included and recognized as a feature of Islam. The problem exists when everyone talks about the causes of the incident– the circumstances and people are encountered to conclude the results. Nevertheless, who is responsible for the saddening occurrence.

Illiteracy is a widespread notion that paves way for these extremists who do not understand the causes of the happening. Illiteracy is a common issue to spread the wrong interpretation of Islam; which conveys an improper image of the sacred religion Islam.

The risk of increasing ignorance and obliviousness among particularly fundamentalist and extremist people may disrupt the governance system of a state by

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spreading massacres. Common man’s approach regarding blasphemous cases always brings such horrible scenes to a large extent.

Nonetheless, these outrageous episodes happen as a result of various reasons otherwise illiteracy; however, illiteracy is the root cause of all these evils which are happening usually in contemporary society.

Law and order is another substantial theme that contributes to settling such resentments but it needs a tough and decisive government to thrive in a country. everyone should be a true follower of Islam and hadis of Prophet Muhammad PBUh. A common man who does not know the rules of spiritual love will create disharmony among people by giving his surface knowledge and false interpretation of Islam.

The government is supposed here to establish a formal acceptable ‘law and order’ regarding these sensitive issues, decided by religious scholars may play a vital role to prevent these crimes.

On the other hand, an inhuman attitude is shown by various fundamentals in different sects that have crowned the system with international sanctions. Furthermore, inhumane values converted Islam into Islamophobia in the Western world where people feel the threat from Muslims and the sacred religion Islam because of these deeds. Iternationally Pakistan faces embarrassment and humiliation due to increasing violence and terror incidents in different cities of Pakistan.

Despite all, another crucial issue that can be encountered in the erupting turmoil and unrest is politics.

A political mafia can be encountered respectively; major political parties are always looking to dominate the public with their contradictory views, who are just wanting to fulfill their concerns at the back and always motivate these groups.

Strengthening the whole, some suggestions are quite essential to a stable system– illiteracy must be taken seriously. If illiteracy prevails constantly such atrocities will also be mere spectacles and a state can face uncertainties ahead. The wrong interpretation of Islam is considered on the hit list to solve and to keep the country safe from these dangers. however, keeping in sight the Sialkot incident and other degraded activities one can easily label that Pakistan is facing a human catastrophe.

The writer is a freelance columnist

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

06-07 Comments - 17th December 2021_Layout 1 12/16/2021 11:05 PM Page 2

Friday, 17 December, 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

Preventation of Child abuse through CCTV cameras RAMPANT cases of child abuse are being surfaced and reported these days which is pathetic and shows regression of our society that even pupils of seminaries and academic institutions are not saved from this menace.

Culprits are punished later on once the sad incident is taken place and the culprit is arrested while unknowingly how many cases go unreported and how many cases do not come to knowledge but in all situations, the child has suffered and been abused which leaves a bad impact on their mental and physical health. The need of the hour is to impede such cases from happening in future.

The only way to curb such cases from happening of child abuse in academic intuitions and seminaries is to monitor the academic activities through CCTV cameras and it should be made mandatory for all seminaries as well as academic institutions, coaching centres and technical and vocational training institutions to install functional CCTV cameras in all the classes, outside area of toilets, play area and main gates of the institutions and at reception and access should be given to guardians/parents of the kids to view online activities of their kids as well as of the institutions’ staff and teachers so that parents might see their kids are being taught in safe environment.

Registration of such seminaries and academic institutions which fail to install functional CCTV cameras should be cancelled and they should not be allowed to operate until and unless functional CCTV cameras are not installed in their intuitions. Bio-metric attendance should also be encouraged in all institutions of the kids and message ought to be sent to parents’ cell numbers once the kid reaches and leaves the institutions. The sooner we act accordingly, the better we protect our children.

FAISAL ANSAR KARAchI

OIC conference on Afghanistan Pakistan has a hand in Afghanistan’s problems nAZIM UddIn

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he Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) stands second to the United Nation in terms of the number of its member countries and the population of those countries. Its very foundation stemmed from a clear mission: to protect the holy place of Islam, the Masjid Al-Aqsa, when it came under attack. Although a host of events have changed the initial purpose, the aim of the organization still hovers around protecting Muslims across the globe— at least on paper. After 24 years, Pakistan is hosting another OIC meeting, of Forein Ministers though, not heads of state, to grapple with the impending crisis in Afghanistan.

While the OIC seems to be conducting meetings quite often, its dwarfed influence among Islamic countries speaks volumes. Notorious for being the pawn of Saudi Arabia, the organization has been nothing but a battleground of two blocs of Muslims— Iran and the Saudi bloc. Since the very beginning —and more manifestly after the Iranian Revolution— the Saudis and Iranians have seen each other with deep skepticism and animosity, which has resulted in not only various confrontations but a total blockage of any potential consensus as well. The OIC enshrines all such conflicts and works as a mouthpiece for the Saudi-led Islamic bloc to counter the Iran-led bloc.

Saudi acts as a de facto leader of the OIC to this very day. All significant decisions emanate from the kingdom. When the Indian Occupied Kashmir was stripped of Article 370 and 35-A, which had given the place a semblance of autonomy and law-making, the OIC while calling an emergency meeting invited India as well despite the naked aggression of the latter. Op-eds protests, and other types of messages, poured in to stop Saudi Arabia, to no avail. In the end, the meeting was not only attended by the Indian minister but the Pakistani minister too. Not a word of condemnation against Indian brutality came from Riyadh, thanks to the deep economic ties between India and Saudi Arabia coupled with the growing significance of India globally.

Despite all issues, the OIC meeting on Afghanistan is going to be held at a time when the region faces a sort of existential crisis. Indeed Saudi Arabia mooted about the conference, and Pakistan offered to host it, which was given a nod by the former. The first and foremost thing is to understand the regional dynamics in the backdrop of ongoing issues in Afghanistan.

Representation and participation of the Taliban and the USA cannot be exaggerated —both have been invited though. The fact is that today Afghans desperately need humanitarian aid, and the world cannot show a cold shoulder after annihilating the Afghans and Afghanistan for decades for its own vested interests.

The OIC countries should make sure that the

Taliban back off from their harsh, brutal, and regressive ways and adopt a more humane, tolerant, and inclusive government. Women, minorities, and those who were working for the government should not be persecuted because they were doing their job. For now, things are depressing, but with economic aid, global acceptance, and managing, the ragtag group can change their mind on some significant issues like human rights and security assurance.

In spite of the manifest claims that Pakistan has nothing to do with the sorry state of Afghanistan, the former needs to do some soulsearching before making any such statement.

No one, at least not the Afghans, has forgotten the ill-advised Afghan war in the 1980s when Pakistan became an active state to recruit, train, and provide all sorts of support for the jihad in Afghanistan.

Of course, we had our own national interests and international obligations, but nevertheless there is no denying the fact that Pakistan has a lion’s share of the troubles in Afghanistan.

When today they see us with scorn, skepticism, and sometimes outright hate, we ought to be in their shoes before passing any self-righteous comments.

Today is high time that the international community invested in Afghanistan. According to a UN survey, almost 80 percent of people do not have sufficient food to eat, clean water to drink, or any job to do. even those who have been doing jobs in both government and private sectors haven’t been paid since the rise of the Taliban to power. Pure chaos has wrapped Afghanistan, and the responsibility of the global community, especially the USA and Islamic world, cannot be emphasized enough.

Apart from basic amenities, health and education must be the priority of the conference.

Due to the catastrophe since 15 August and subsequent uncertainty, a huge number of doctors, nurses, and other health workers have left Afghanistan. A month ago, the Foreign Minister of Afghanistan said that healthcare was on the verge of collapse. education, particularly girls’ education, furthermore, seems to be an anathema to the Taliban. The human Rights Watch on Oc-

tober 13 published a report accusing the Taliban of “effectively banning girls from education past primary school by ordering secondary schools only to reopen for boys.” Unless the Taliban do not come to that point, any compromise or hint of acceptance must not be on the table. The OIC can play its role.

Another worrisome aspect that needs to be discussed is security— both internal and external— in Afghanistan. On the one hand, the Afghans who worked for the previous government have been killed in masse, on the other, fault lines are emanating with other terrorist groups like the IS-K, which have been rapidly regrouping since the rise of the Taliban. The Taliban killed no less than over 100 former Afghan security officers, according to the Global Conflict Tracker. As regards the threat of other groups like the IS-K chapter, they have carried out a host of terrorist attacks on the Afghan population.

Their very first deadly attack took no less than 170 lives back on August 26 at the Kabul Airport. Despite the lowering of the intensity, the threat is always there and with the passage of time, it is bound to increase. It is better to come up with some strategy to put an end to the growing wave of terrorism that this region has seen so much.

Pakistan has to play its role in convincing the Taliban and the international community to reach an understanding. In a couple of months, the Pakistani government has successfully spread the message of the Afghan people. even though the former itself came under accusations and abetment, its unwavering effort to highlight the daily challenges of the people seems the first step towards consensus.

As a result, this country has some leverage with the Taliban to convince them on human rights and other issues which concern the world.

In short, this OIC meeting should be a ray of hope not just for the region but for the organization as well. By solving the issue at hand, it can try to restore the lost relevance of the institution. All the Muslim countries should come together and help their brothers and sisters in Afghanistan without any ifs and buts. This is a great time to do so as the disaster in Afghanistan is in no one’s favour.

This OIC meeting should be a ray of hope not just for the region but for the organization as well. By solving the issue at hand, it can try to restore the lost relevance of the institution. All the Muslim countries should come together and help their brothers and sisters in Afghanistan without any ifs and buts. This is a great time to do so as the disaster in Afghanistan is in no one’s favour

The writer is a freelance columnist

The single canal with polluted water BeAUTIFUL Balochistan is a land like a paradise that contains a wealth of minerals and resources. On the other hand, it is bigger than one hundred and twenty countries in the world. however, the cities in it are deprived of water. Most of the population in hub City does not possess water which is a basic demand for survival.

The city’s need for water is being full filled by hub Dam. The single canal is used for water to urban and rural areas of this city and passes through different forests, deserts, factories, towns and numerous areas of hub city. Firstly, one can’t see water in it which means it is empty most of the time. Fortunately, if it rains then the employees leave the water. however, sometimes, the wind causes the water to be full of dust, litter, and trash. Factories throw their harmful waste inside this and due to inappropriate canal, the grass has grown in a big limit which bounds water to reach to its destination. Nextly, we as citizens, wash our vehicles in this water. Chemicals of the same vehicles go in the water and on the one hand, tankers take water to homes. Women also go to this canal for washing clothes. Thus, this water is being used in a number of ways, including drinking and for cleaning, which is highly dangerous.

Unexpectedly, the price of one tanker is in one thousand. This city is in one of the resourceful provinces and it itself is industrialization. Another problem is the presence of lead in the water.

Undoubtedly, in the summer season, citizens swim or take bath in water and we drink the same water. In addition, the corners of the canal are broken due to which the water changes its direction.

The factories use the water for their own needs. The Gatroon factory, which is huge and famous in hub City, takes most of the water.

Crops of farmers are shrivelled every year due to the lack of water.

This causes the lack of food availability, safety and marketing. Food insecurity is caused by the same thing. The residents of hub City drink the same unhygienic water which puts the lives of citizens at a dangerous risk who use the same water to quench their thirst.

Additionally, the majority of the population is using undrinkable water which is not only creating several new diseases but also taking the lives of people who are unable to have their treatment from hospitals.

Unfortunately, the problem of polluted water is everywhere in hub City, due to which generation is dying. It is my humble request to the concerned authorities to finish this problem. In order to save the new generation. There is a need for new laws to root out this issue.

NAVEED AHMED BAlocHiSTAN

Infant immunization in Pakistan The neonatal mortality rate in Pakistan is 45% per 1000 births while those, under five, are dying at a rate of 75% per 1000 children. These stats are horrendous to even look at. If we consider infant mortality, around 14% of children die from pneumonia, 25% from measles and tetanus, and other vaccine-preventable diseases. Into the bargain, Pakistan is also one the second countries that is still trapped in a viral endemic of polio, with 147 cases alone in 2019.

Now the question is: why are we still unable to reduce these escalating figures? There is no denying that some things are not in our hands but still, a lot of these deaths could have been avoided with interventions like infant immunization, a process by which the child’s immune system becomes fortified against any preventable disease.

To boot, certain programmes are providing immunization entirely free of cost. For instance, the expanded program on Immunization is a lead authority in Pakistan for immunization whereby children ageing from 0 to 15 months get immuned on vaccine-preventable diseases, costlessly.

But since we’re living in a society where the socio-cultural taboos dominate, these vaccines are often rejected by the cynicality of the masses.

Social media is filled with a whole bunch of assumptions where people cancel the vaccines for one reason or other.

In closing, it is the virtue of awareness that Pakistani society lacks.

Therefore, we cannot always blame the government for every social unrest. every informed citizen shall hold up the responsibility of spreading awareness about such unrest and their expedient measures.

SAMRAH iMRAN KARAcHi

08 WORLD VIEW 17th December 21_Layout 1 12/16/2021 9:59 PM Page 1

Friday, 17 December, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

Why makE Eric GarcEtti ambassadOr tO india?

HE IS AN AFFABLE, PROGRESSIVE LATINO, JEWISH, ITALIAN AMERICAN MAYOR. ALL THOSE CHARACTERISTICS HAVE HELPED HIM TREMENDOUSLY IN THE TAPESTRY OF LOS ANGELES. NONE OF THAT FITS INDIA l A Times JUSTiN hUGhES

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HIS week the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti’s nomination to be the U.S. ambassador to India. Why Garcetti? And why India?

Garcetti was an early supporter of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential run, but the mayor’s political star has been dimmed by sexual harassment allegations leveled at his aide Rick Jacobs. Meanwhile, as the city’s festering homelessness crisis has increasingly become the defining feature of Garcetti’s mayorship, it’s clear why he would want to take a break from elected office.

For Garcetti, a high-profile ambassadorship is a reasonable path of retreat from his lackluster stint as mayor; for Biden, a plum ambassadorship is a reasonable way to pay his political debts to the mayor. But India?

Garcetti is an affable, progressive Latino, Jewish, Italian American mayor. All those characteristics have helped him tremendously in the tapestry of Los Angeles. None of that fits India. (Alternatively, Garcetti would be the perfect ambassador for Argentina — a big Latin American nation that has a rich Italian heritage, a significant Jewish population and that legalized same-sex marriage in 2010.) And there are

risks for Biden in sending our mayor to the subcontinent.

It’s clear that the president understands authoritarianism, especially the Chinese variety, as the principal challenge facing democratic societies. Biden’s views on China and its leader, Xi Jinping, aren’t that different from Trump’s. What is different is that Biden knows how to play the long-term geopolitical game, and an India-U.S. alignment is part of that strategy.

One of Biden’s earliest actions as president was to meet with “the Quad” — Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. — rightly understood in Washington and Beijing as a loose bulwark against China.

And the need for a robust U.S.-India partnership goes beyond confronting China.

Simply put, one of the historic shortcomings of American foreign policy has been our failure to build binding ties to India, the world’s largest democracy. Biden seems intent on fixing that — and that goal colors his actions.

In May, people in international trade were stunned when Biden announced he would support a waiver of patent rights on COVID-19 vaccines at the World Trade Organization — a proposal made jointly in 2020 by South Africa and India. In late April, as India slid into the COVID storm, Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had had a phone call in which Modi raised the issue. The U.S. shift toward negotiating

a waiver on vaccine rights came just days later — it wasn’t a policy decision about patent law; it was a political decision to support the India-U.S. partnership.

Similarly, Biden’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan is understandable on its own terms, but it also clears the way for more India-U.S. military collaboration: Exiting Afghanistan means the U.S. has less need for help from Pakistan, India’s most immediate adversary.

Considering all that, sending Garcetti to India seems especially strange. True, the U.S. has often slotted well-known political figures into high-profile ambassadorships. For example, the Senate is soon expected to confirm former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel as the new U.S. ambassador to Japan.

But there is a big difference between these two big-city mayors. As chief of staff to President Obama, Emanuel had daily doses of international policy and politics as part of his job. In contrast, Garcetti is a skillful California pol with relatively little international experience. And when you send even a smart, able politician into high-stakes international work for the first time, you take a big risk — you may get outcomes like Vice President Harris’ “do not come” press conference in Guatemala.

So what is Biden thinking?

Well, bluntly put, ambassadors aren’t nearly as important these days as they were

decades ago, and the higher the profile of the ambassadorship, the less operationally important it tends to be for U.S. policy.

Many ambassadorial posts are largely ceremonial. For example, the U.S. ambassador to France is traditionally a big political donor, an “ambassadonor.” That person’s job is to throw lovely receptions at the ambassadorial residence — and stay out of the way of detailed Franco-American policy coordination, whether on Islamic insurgents in Mali or vaccination requirements for transatlantic travelers.

Where U.S. ambassadorships really count is with medium and small countries — places such as Botswana, Ecuador, Malaysia, Bolivia, Rwanda, Uruguay — where the ambassador truly serves as America’s eyes and ears. And that’s where we send our career diplomats.

For larger countries, key U.S. partners and multilateral organizations, our day-today international relations have become increasingly conducted by specialized agencies.

In the case of New Delhi, trade issues between the U.S. and India are handled by

the U.S. trade representative and the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry; research cooperation may be through our National Science Foundation and India’s new National Research Foundation; military issues are coordinated by the two countries’ armed services; cooperation in fighting the pandemic involves an alphabet soup of Indian and U.S. agencies led by the CDC and India’s National Centre for Disease Control.

So, Eric Garcetti to New Delhi? It sends a signal to the Indian people that they are important enough to have as an ambassador a major Biden political ally. And Garcetti gets a posh job as the friendly face of America. We should expect that he’ll learn his portfolio quickly, work hard to avoid any embarrassments and — better than being mayor — he won’t be called upon to make any tough decisions.

Justin Hughes teaches international law at LMU Loyola Law School. In the Obama administration, he was chief negotiator for the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances and the Marrakesh Treaty for the Blind. He is also a visiting professor at Oxford University.

Oil market dynamics are changing Al JAzeerA Nikolay kozhaNov

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arlier this month, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, a grouping known as OPEC+, announced their decision to stick with their planned output increase of 400,000 barrels a day in January.

The grouping’s decision came at a time of heightened concern for producers and consumers and shone a spotlight on the new realities and changing dynamics of global hydrocarbon markets.

On December 2, OPEC+ countries came together at a virtual meeting to decide between two scenarios: continuing to increase their production volume or temporarily freezing it.

On the surface, there were many strong motivations for them to opt for the latter option: the expected oversupply in the first half of 2022; the fear that a new strain of coronavirus could further reduce the rate of oil consumption; and the decision by the United States and a number of other countries, including India, China, Japan and South Korea, to release large volumes of oil from their strategic reserves to the market to reduce prices. However, despite hearing strong arguments for a freeze, the cartel decided to hold the line on its current output plan.

There were multiple reasons behind the cartel’s decision: First, the current economic development strategies of the key OPEC+ players (and, especially Gulf monarchies) make freezing (or reducing) production quotas an undesirable scenario. In the long run, global oil demand is expected to decline, seriously reducing the incomes of oil exporters and turning some of their oil fields into stranded assets. To avoid this, producers are working to diversify their economies and to make renewable energy a viable part of their economic structures. For now, the only viable source of funding OPEC+ countries have for

THE RECENT OPEC+ DECISION TO NOT FREEZE PRODUCTION GROWTH WAS A SIGN THAT OIL PRODUCERS ARE INCREASINGLY BEING FORCED TO LISTEN TO CONSUMERS their diversification efforts is their oil resources, and they are under increasing pressure to turn these resources into cash before the predicted decline in demand and fall in prices devalue them. This means, for OPEC+ countries, the self-imposed output limitations can be nothing more than temporary measures to stabilise the oil market and delay the fall in prices – in the long run, it will always be more beneficial for oil producers to increase production volumes.

Second, the volume of the predicted market oversupply in 2022 remains unclear.

Indeed, there is no unanimity among experts on the longer-term prospects of the oil market. While many expect the market to be significantly oversupplied, encouraging greater competition between the players, others warn that continued underinvestment in the oil sector can result in producers significantly failing to meet the demand. This means OPEC+ members are somewhat blindly walking through a minefield, and trying to avoid making wrong choices which could result in significant loss of income and halt their efforts to adjust their economies to new post-hydrocarbon realities. Thus, they are reluctant to reduce production volumes, but they are also not willing to increase them beyond the already established quotas, so as not to bring down oil prices, especially since any period of shortage can easily be followed by a period of overproduction.

Third, OPEC+ members know that even if they commit to holding the line on their current output plan, they may still fail to reach their production quotas. By November 2021, the difference between the nominal production quota and real production in OPEC countries was -390,000 barrels per day. Moreover, under the pretext of respecting each other’s production quotas and interests, they refuse to make up for the volumes

under-produced by other member states.

This has its own logic: under-production supports higher prices which is especially important on the eve of the expected glut of the market in 2022. It also allows producers to limit their cartel’s production volumes without aggravating consumers.

CONSUMER POWER ON THE RISE: Another important reason behind the decision by OPEC+ to not freeze production quotas was its fear of angering the main oilimporting countries. These days, oil consumers are gradually increasing their influence over the market. With the progress of energy transition and the expected return of frequent market oversupply, it is increasingly demand, not supply, that is determining the dynamics of oil and gas prices.

An excess of oil on the market is already expected in 2022 and according to some estimates, by 2030, there may be up to 10 million excess barrels per day on the market. Attempts by producers to exert pressure on price changes by regulating production volumes are thus increasingly being met with sharp reactions from consumers. But at the same time, expectations of oversupply and high levels of uncertainty in the market are providing producers with certain levers of influence.

This change in the power dynamic between producers and consumers already had a significant consequence. On November 23, US President Joe Biden ordered 50 million barrels of oil to be released from the US strategic reserve to help bring down energy costs.

This move was important for multiple reasons.

First of all, with this move, the US openly reclassified itself as not a producer, but a consumer of oil – and it made clear that it is not happy with high prices and limited supply. Of course, the US government has long been influential in determining what

THE VOLUME OF THE PREDICTED MARKET OVERSUPPLY IN 2022 REMAINS UNCLEAR. INDEED, THERE IS NO UNANIMITY AMONG EXPERTS ON THE LONGER-TERM PROSPECTS OF THE OIL MARKET happens on the oil market. Since the mid2010s (if not earlier), however, it was perceived to a greater extent as a producer, not a consumer. Indeed, even when Biden’s predecessor, former President Donald Trump, expressed dissatisfaction with moves

by OPEC+ to tighten production quotas or criticised the cartel’s short-lived price war of 2020, the OPEC+ countries continued to perceive the US primarily as an oil producer.

The US started to act more like a consumer than a producer for the first time earlier this year, when despite the increase in prices, its domestic shale producers abandoned their policy of pumping out as much oil as possible in favour of a more restrained approach to production growth. The current administration tried its best to encourage greater growth in domestic shale oil production but failed to change the minds of producers. By deciding to release significant reserves to decrease prices, the Biden administration showed in clear terms that it is supporting the domestic industry’s new stance and that it is now ready to act as a defender of consumer interests.

What made Biden’s decision to release reserves even more significant was the fact that it was supported by several other global powers. Despite existing political tensions, the US was able to unite a group of influential oil consumers who have long been struggling on their own against OPEC+’s production limitations and consequent price hikes. China, for example, sold off part of its own resets in the autumn of this year, and India, Japan and South Korea also recently voiced similar intentions. None of these Asian countries had used their oil reserves for such a global and coordinated price war in the past.

NOT A WAR – YET: Of course, Biden’s de-

cision on November 23 was not an outright declaration of war, but a demonstration of consumers’ new gained capacity to affect the market. In terms of its scale, the total volume of oil planned to be released from reserves does not exceed the global daily demand (however, in order to balance it, OPEC+ would still need to abandon increasing production quotas for some time). Moreover, the release of extra barrels will be staggered, and a significant part of them should be returned by sellers to the US reserve. There are also still some questions over the commitment of US’s Asian partners to releasing their reserves (So far, only Japan fully confirmed that it will make the move).

Nevertheless, for OPEC members, and especially for Gulf monarchies, the warning issued by their Asian consumers was significant. Considering the primary role Asia is expected to play in the future of the oil market, having long-term positive relations with Asian powerhouses will likely be key to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Kuwait and, potentially, Iran’s ability to maintain their positions in the oil market during this unstable period of the energy transition.

As a result of all this, on December 2, OPEC+ did not dare to freeze its production volume. Instead, it chose to – albeit cautiously – bow to consumer pressure. This means we are now witnessing a new oil market reality, where producers are forced to take into consideration the wishes and interests of consumers.

Nikolay Kozhanov is a research associate professor at the Gulf Studies Center of Qatar University. He is also a senior research fellow at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations in Moscow.

Friday, 17 December, 2021 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS corporate corner Mastercard partners with Ravi Urban Development Authority to build cashless economic zone

KARACHI: Mastercard has signed a strategic partnership with the Pakistan’s Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) to transform the community into a cashless economic zone and drive digital transformation in the country. The collaboration will see Mastercard deploy its smart city solutions in the urban development project to enable residents, merchants and authorities to connect simply and seamlessly through digital channels. Citizens will be able to make everyday payments as well as pay for bills and utility services through automated portals.

Through the partnership, RUDA will achieve efficiencies across its various processes including fee collection and other administrative services. RUDA intends to develop urban areas of the province into sustainable, livable and well-managed engines of economic growth. Mastercard will support RUDA in achieving this vision and establish a cashless framework within the community’s blueprint.

Commenting on the partnership, Khalid Elgibali, Division President, Middle East & North Africa, Mastercard, said: “As Pakistan embraces the power of digital payments, Mastercard is committed to driving digital transformation in the country through our strategic public-privatepartnerships. We are working with the government across various sectors to digitize the nation’s economic infrastructure and offer citizens and communities a seamless smart city experience. The collaboration with RUDA is a milestone moment in this journey as we look to power a fully cashless community that offers convenience, simplicity and security.” The Chief Executive Officer of RUDA, Mr. Imran Amin said: “Mastercard has a stellar track record of powering cashless communities in several economic hubs around the world. We value the expertise that they will bring as we look to power RUDA with the flexibility and safety of smart economic solutions.

The collaboration is a testament to Pakistan’s progress as a developing digital hub in the Middle East and North Africa region.” The collaboration is the latest in a series of strategic partnerships that have cemented Mastercard’s role as a key enabler of digitization across Pakistan.

Earlier this year, Mastercard announced its partnership with Special Technology Zone to develop the country’s first cash-free zones and advance the country’s technology sector. PR

2,290 STUDENTS GRADUATE FROM PEPSICO SUPPORTED YOUTH EDUCATION PROGRAM

KARACHI: More than 2,290 students today graduated from the PepsiCo-supported career-prep fellowship by the Amal Academy. The educational start-up held its graduation ceremony for students from 180 cities, towns, and villages at a series of celebratory events held in Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar. The graduation ceremony was attended by Amal Academy CEO Mr. Ali Siddiq, PepsiCo Senior Director Sales and Corporate Affairs Mr. Mohammad Khosa, and chief guest and notable academic Director and Senior Fellow at the Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives (IDEAS), Dr. Faisal Bari. The fellowship is part of PepsiCo’s ‘Roshan Kal’ platform aimed at developing students’ professional skills through internships and skills development programs. The program creates opportunities for youth to develop skills such as communications, teamwork, leadership, positive thinking, and growth mindset. It focuses on specific career skills such as interview preparation, job placement, and project presentation. Enhancing professional skills enable university graduates to improve their chances of gaining meaningful employment. To date, Roshan Kal has created over 6,300 opportunities for youth through its internship program and its professional skills development program that is run in collaboration with Amal Academy.

Based on graduate surveys, seventy percent of the program’s graduates receive an offer of employment within three months of completing this program. PR

09

POwER SECTOR ENTITIES TO SIGN PlANNING & MONITORING AGREEMENT ON DECEMbER 22 ISLAMABAD

S

ahmad ahmadani

iGNiNG of the Planning & Monitoring Agreement between Power Planning and Monitoring Company (PPMC) and all power distribution, generation companies (DiSCOs & GENCOs) and National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) is scheduled on 22-12-2021 in the Power Division.

According to sources, following the government decision regarding restructuring of PEPCO, power division has required from all board of directors of DiSCOs, GENCOs and NTDC to comply with the Planning and Monitoring Agreement alongwith authorizing the respective Chief executive officer (CEO)/Managing Director (MD) to sign the same on behalf of the power sector entity.

And, signing of the Planning & Monitoring Agreement between Power Planning and Monitoring Company (PPMC) and all power distribution, generation companies (DiSCOs & GENCOs) and National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) is scheduled on 22-12-2021 in the committee room of the Power Division.

As per details, the government has so far approved that the name of Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) would be changed to PPMC and the PPMC would continue to charge a fee to DiSCOs, GENCOs and NTDC as determined by the board

from time to time. Similarly, PPMC and all power sector entities will enter into a Monitoring and Planning Agreement.

Power Division’s Deputy Secretary (DiSCOs), Akbar Azam Rajar, in a letter to the chairman Board of Directors (BoDs) of all DiSCOs, GENCOs and NTDC and CEOs of all DiSCOs said that dynamics of power sector requiring dedicated institutional capacity for providing support to the government in development of policies, strategic plans, frameworks, cross-sectoral & cross value chain integration, performance monitoring & reporting on strategic initiatives.

Similarly, the development, implementation and monitoring of the national electric plan requires dedicated institutional capacity. Accordingly, PPMC (exPEPCO) has been designated to perform this function, said power division Reportedly, the Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) during the month of October this year (2021) had approved a summary on restructuring of Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) submitted by the Power Division.

The CCoE decided that an approved draft of Planning and Monitoring Agreement should be signed between the PPMC and all the power sector entities while the PPMC would be given a sovereign mandate to approach international lending agencies through the Economic Affairs Division to secure support for capacity building, consultancy, tools and infrastructure to effectively operationalise the core functions.

ECP reserves decision on Saeed Ghani’s plea against fine over violations ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday reserved its verdict in Sindh’s minister Saeed Ghani’s plea against fine over violations of electoral code of conduct.

On December 10, the country’s supreme electoral body slapped fine over top Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leadership including Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, CM Sindh Murad Ali Shah, Saeed Ghani and others over violations during local bodies elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.

it is pertinent to mention that reportedly PEPCO was created in 1998 following the approval of a strategic plan for restructuring of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) by the Council of Common interests (CCi) in 1993.

The plan had envisaged water sector responsibilities under WAPDA and the separation of power sector activities from WAPDA and transfer to PEPCO to operationalise 10 DiSCOs, three GENCOs and the NTDC. PEPCO was entrusted through an executive order in October 1998 to facilitate the transition from a centralised control over the power sector supply chain to autonomous and independent entities.

Later, the federal cabinet in October 2011 decided to dissolve PEPCO and create a new entity — Central Power Purchase Agency (CPPA) — as its successor, along with teams of professionals and board of directors of corporate entities to ensure 100 percent recovery of monthly bills. However, many of the targets remained unfulfilled even though the CPPA was operationalised in 2015.

The CPPA’s functions remained limited to power procurement on behalf of DiSCOs and Karachi Electric and facilitation of the power market transition from the current single buyer to a competitive market.

The other functions of PEPCO could not be transferred to the CPPA because these were beyond the mandate of the latter and PEPCO continued its role as a central entity to assist the power division in providing support to DiSCOs and allied functions.

Hascol helps to raise funds for Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital Karachi

Saeed Ghani appeared before ECP after being summoned today. The PPP leader said he got the news of Rs50,000 fine by the ECP, through media. Ghani said Nisar Khuhro has also been fined over violations though he is not a member of parliament or adviser.

Action is taken on the announcement of development projects in case of code of conduct violations, he added. ECP member from Balochistan Shah Muhammad Jatoi asked the minister to file plea against the imposition of the fine. staff RePoRt

Police to ensure friendly police ecology: IGP ISLAMABAD: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Muhammad Ahsan Younus has directed all police officials to address public complaints on priority and ensure friendly police ecology through professional attitude.

It was stated by him during an `Open Court’ especially held on Wednesday with the purpose to listen issues of policemen and citizens. The IGP listened to eight former police employees and 20 citizens and directed to resolve their issues. The complaints of policemen were related to department while citizens’ complaints were about delay in registration of FIRs, change in investigation, The IGP marked the applications to the police officials and gave them timeframe to resolve the issues of citizens. Islamabad police chief directed police officials to check the record of vehicles at Excise and Taxation Office, Islamabad and hand over them to their owners.

The IGP said that it is our prime responsibility to provide protection to the lives and property of the citizens and resolve their problems on priority. He said that citizens at `Open Court’ should be behaved in a respectful manner and their trust on police department to be won through resolving their issues. He said that interaction with people also ensures accountability of the policemen and they should address public complaints on merit by considering them their own issues. PR

Shan Foods sets up red chilli buying centre in Kunri for farmers KARACHI: To facilitate chilli farmers in the region, leading food brand, Shan Foods (Private) Limited has launched a red chilli buying centre in Kunri, Umerkot district. The centre was inaugurated by Sammer Sultan, Co-Chairperson Shan Foods. A large number of Red Chili farmers along with DG PARC Dr.AtaUllah, Director R&D Kunri Mr. Saleem Ijaz, SMEDA Incharge and other government officials attended the event. Pakistan is amongst the top ten chilli producing nations, with Sindh being the major producer of chilli followed

by Punjab and Balochistan. The buying centre established by Shan Foods will support chilli farmers from Sindh in their product trade with quality being inspected on the spot via state-of-the-art laboratory and getting price according to the quality provided. Hence enabling small farmers to sell red chili directly to Shan, via this Shan is trying to build stronger trade relationship with local farmers. Specifically, loungi variants being the speciality of red chili of Pakistan has a distant taste that is recognized world-wide, however due to virus attacks majority of our loungi crop is destroyed with lower yield. To prevent the virus spread among red chili and to get a higher yielding crop Shan Foods has also inaugurated a Red Chili Nursery where seedling would be provided at subsidized rates. Using modern techniques for temperature control, Peat moss with trays to get seedlings healthy growth and planters to transfer seedings to field, by all these Shan foods is ensuing the higher yield and safety of localred chili crop against viruses. Sammer Sultan, during the launch ceremony, said, “Kunri is the oldest and largest chilli market of the country that not only helps meet the need of local consumption but also significantly fulfils the global need through its export. To compensate the chilli farmers for this contribution to the country’s economy, Shan Foods’ red chilli buying centre will help create greater value for chili farmers in a sustainable manner.” PR

KARACHI: In continuation of their longstanding partnership which recently included spreading awareness of the dangers of Breast Cancer this past October, Hascol Petroleum Limited (“Hascol”), one of Pakistan’s leading Oil Marketing Companies, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust to help raise funds for the establishment of a world class cancer hospital at Karachi. Under the MoU, Hascol will help get the word out for SKMT to raise funds for their upcoming Cancer Hospital in Karachi by placing advertising messages of SKMT’s “Lay a Brick of Hope” campaign through Hascol’s widespread network of retail outlets across Pakistan including at some of the best fuel retail outlets in the country. Hascol has over 630 retail outlets across Pakistan. Donors can very easily donate money from their mobiles simply by sending a text message to 7770, which will send Rs. 20 to SKMT. At the MoU signing, Hascol’s CEO, Aqeel Ahmed Khan, said “Hascol is proud to play its role in this very noble cause of helping to establish a world class cancer hospital in Karachi. Karachi is Pakistan’s most populous city and it needs the facilities of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital badly here. We encourage all Pakistanis to donate generously to see this dream project come to light at the earliest.” Hascol & SKMT’s partnership goes back many years and Hascol has generously supported SKMT in the past with significant donations. Earlier this year Hascol also partnered with Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital (SKMCH), the leading cancer hospital and research facility in Pakistan to observe October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, also known as #PinkTober. As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility program, Hascol has chosen to address this dreaded disease in Pakistan, and organized a webinar in conjunction with SKMCH. Hascol’s employees their relatives and others attended the early detection session in person and online. PR

TriFit Limited announces the opening of two state of the art fitness clubs in Lucky One Mall. The clubs will be built on International Standards offering premium quality services to its members. The signing ceremony was attended by Mr. Ahmer Azam, CEO, TriFit Limited, Ms. Narjis Batool Kazmi, General Manager Leasing, Lucky One Mall among senior representatives from the Advisory Board and both organizations. PR

Friday, 17 December, 2021 | ISLAMABAD

10 FOREIGN NEWS

In oCCUpIed KAShmIr, CloSed moSqUe belIeS IndIA’S relIgIoUS freedom sRINAGAR

J

The AssociATed Press

AMIA Masjid, the grand mosque of Srinagar, dominates its neighbourhood with an imposing main gate and massive turrets. It can hold 33,000 worshippers, and on special occasions, over the years hundreds of thousands of Muslims have filled nearby lanes and roads to offer prayers led from the mosque.

But Indian authorities see the mosque as a trouble spot — a nerve centre for protests and clashes that challenge India’s claim over the disputed Kashmir region.

For Kashmiri Muslims, it is a sacred venue for Friday prayers and a place they can raise their voices for political rights.

In this bitter dispute, the mosque in Kashmir’s main city has largely remained closed for the past two years. The mosque’s chief priest has been detained in his home almost nonstop throughout that time, and the mosque’s main gate is padlocked and blocked with corrugated tin sheets on Fridays.

The closure of the mosque, which is revered by Kashmir’s mostly Muslim population, has deepened their anger.

“There is a constant feeling that something is missing in my life,” said Bashir Ahmed, 65, a retired government employee who has offered prayers at the mosque over five decades.

Indian authorities refused to comment on the mosque restrictions despite repeated queries from The Associated Press. In the

past, officials have said the government was forced to close the mosque because its management committee was unable to stop antiIndia protests on the premises.

The shutting of the 600-year-old mosque came amid a clampdown that began in 2019 after India stripped occupied Kashmir of its long-held semiautonomous status.

In the past two years, some of the region’s other mosques and shrines — also closed for months due to the security crackdown and the subsequent pandemic — have been allowed to offer religious services.

Jamia Masjid has remained out of bounds to worshippers for prayers on Friday – the main day of congregational worship in Islam. Authorities allow the mosque to remain open the other six days, but only a few

hundred worshippers assemble there on those occasions, compared to the tens of thousands that often gathered on Fridays.

“This is the central mosque where our ancestors, scholars and spiritual masters have prayed and meditated for centuries,” said Altaf Ahmad Bhat, one of the officials at the grand mosque. He dismissed the law-and-order reasons cited by the authorities as “absurd,” adding that discussions about social, economic and political issues affecting Muslims were a core religious function of any grand mosque.

The grand mosque is mainly reserved for mandatory Friday congregational prayers and special services. Obligatory daily prayers are usually held in smaller neighbourhood mosques.

For the region’s Muslims, the mosque’s

closure brings painful memories of the past. In 1819, Sikh rulers closed it for 21 years. Over the past 15 years, it has been subject to periodic bans and lockdowns by successive Indian governments. But the current restrictions are the most severe since the region was divided between India and Pakistan after the two nations gained independence from British colonialism in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety. The Indian government initially grappled with largely peaceful public protests seeking a united Kashmir, either under Pakistan rule or as an independent entity. But a crackdown on dissent led to Kashmir’s eruption into an armed rebellion against India in 1989. India has depicted the insurgency as Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, a charge Islamabad has vehemently denied.

Indian forces largely crushed the rebellion about 10 years ago, though popular demands for “Azadi,” or freedom, remained ingrained in the Kashmiri psyche. The region made a transition from the armed struggle to unarmed uprisings, with tens of thousands of civilians repeatedly taking to the streets to protest Indian rule, often leading to deadly clashes between stone-throwing residents and Indian troops.

Poverty pushing Afghans to join terror group Dai’sh kABUL AnAdolu Agency

Indian army chief takes charge as Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee NEW DELHI Agencies

Indian Army Chief, Gen MM Naravane has assumed the charge as the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee that comprises the three service chiefs, people familiar with the development said. The post fell vacant following the death of Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat in the IAF helicopter crash on December 8. Gen Naravane has been given the charge as the chairman of the committee being the senior-most among the three service chiefs, the people cited above said. IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar had taken over their respective positions on September 30 and November 30. Before the creation of the post of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the senior-most among the three service chiefs used to be the chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.

US sets up commission on Afghanistan failures AFP The US Congress on Wednesday voted to set up a commission to assess the failures of the 20-year war in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s victory. The commission was part of a $768 billion annual defence package passed by the Senate 89-10 after similarly overwhelming approval last week by the House of Representatives. President Joe Biden, who controversially pulled out US troops in August to end America’s longest war, is expected to sign the National Defence Authorisation Act. The Commission on Afghanistan will include 16 members appointed by the two major parties and was given a deadline to issue an initial report within a year of its first meeting, and a final report within three years.

“The Commission shall conduct a comprehensive assessment of the war in Afghanistan and make recommendations to inform future operations with tactical and strategic lessons learned, including the impact of troop increases and decreases and date-certain deadlines,” the legislation said. President Barack Obama poured tens of thousands of troops into Afghanistan after taking office in 2009 but later withdrew most of them. The administration of his successor Donald Trump negotiated a deal with the Taliban that set a May 2021 timeline for US troops to leave. The commission will also look at George W. Bush’s launch of the war as well as US policy on Afghanistan before 2001, when the September 11 attacks triggered the US invasion that overthrew the Taliban’s draconian earlier regime. The National Defence Authorisation Act also renewed strong congressional support for Taiwan amid rising tensions with China, which claims the self-governing democracy as part of its territory awaiting reunification.

The act calls on the United States to develop Taiwan’s asymmetric defence capabilities and to invite the island to take part in 2022 in the Rim of the Pacific exercise, major US-led drills that are held every two years around Hawaii.

The bill boosts US defence spending from last year by $28 billion, most of the increase not requested by the Biden administration. It includes a 2.7 per cent pay raise for both military servicemembers and civilian workers at the Defence Department. Amid intense polarisation in Washington, the bill sidestepped several controversial issues including calls to impose sanctions over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline between Russia and Germany and to repeal the 2002 authorisation of the invasion of Iraq.

The terrorist group Dai’sh is taking advantage of Afghanistan’s economic crisis by hiring poor people to boost its ranks in the war-torn country, according to both locals and analysts.

Despite the actions of the interim Taliban administration against Dai’sh terrorists in the capital Kabul and the eastern Nangarhar province, some Dai’sh terrorists have relocated to the remote, rugged mountainous terrain in the country’s eastern and northern regions.

Wahidi, a resident of the northeastern Kunar province bordering Pakistan, said the terrorist group is taking advantage of widespread poverty by offering cash aid to local unemployed people to join them.

“Dai’sh is offering 30,000 to 50,000 Afghanis (about $270-$450) a month to join them in the Kunar province,” Wahidi told Anadolu Agency, using an assumed real name to avoid reprisal from Dai’sh terrorists who may target him or his family.

But, he added, people have been hesitant to accept the offer because they’re afraid of facing a reaction from the Taliban.

Due to the security situation in Afghanistan, many politicians, security analysts, former officials, and journalists avoid speaking publicly using their real names. “People are cashless because banks only give us 10,000 Afghani (roughly $90) a week and $200 if we have a dollar account, despite the way food prices have skyrocketed, putting everyone in dire straits,” Wahidi said, adding that locals are being forced to sell off their household goods and cattle to buy food for their children.

“Now Dai’sh is trying to benefit from locals’ hardships,” he said.

According to analysts, the current situation, in which thousands of people have lost their jobs, businesses have collapsed, and people are unable to buy even bread, could provide an opportunity for

Dai’sh and other terrorist groups to recruit people and strengthen their position.

Many donors and organisations, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, have withheld payments since the Taliban swept into power on August 15. The US government blocked over $9 billion of the central bank’s reserves soon after withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan on Aug. 31.

Responding to Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s demand to release the funds, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Monday called it a very complicated issue.

“There are a number of reasons why these reserves remain inaccessible,” she said, adding that the US does not want the funds to benefit the Taliban.

“There is no doubt that the US’ seizure of Afghanistan’s money has caused the economic crisis in the country, encouraging Dai’sh to exploit the situation and hire unemployed Afghans facing hunger and starvation,” according to a professor and geopolitical analyst at a private university in Kabul.

He added that the group is affiliated with Dai’sh, which was once considered the world’s richest terrorist group.

“This is an alarming situation for the international community, and they must act quickly to help Afghanistan overcome its current economic crisis, or it could slide into a new conflict,” he said.

Taliban brushes off Dai’sh ThreaT: Speaking to Anadolu Agency last week, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that over the last four months the Taliban have destroyed most Dai’sh terrorist hideouts.

“Dai’sh is no longer a major threat in Afghanistan. It’s a small group that has already been dismantled in Kabul and Jalalabad,” Mujahid asserted, claiming that since August, over 670 terrorists have been apprehended and 25 hideouts destroyed.

Dai’sh has claimed responsibility for several recent attacks in the country, including an August 26 suicide bombing out-

side Kabul airport which killed over 170 people and injured 200 others who were desperate to leave the country following the Taliban’s capture of the capital.

In October, the group also carried out attacks on Shia mosques in the northern Kunduz and southern Kandahar provinces that killed nearly 100 people and wounded over 100 others. In a report this July, the UN Security Council warned that the terror group has expanded to other provinces, including Nuristan, Badghis, Sar-e-Pul, Baghlan, Badakhshan, Kunduz, and Kabul, “where fighters have formed sleeper cells.” “In its efforts to resurge, Dai’sh has prioritised the recruitment and training of new supporters and to recruit fighters from the Syrian Arab Republic (Assad regime), Iraq, and other conflict zones,” said the security council report.

According to the UN, Dai’sh has a strength of some 500-1,500 militants in Afghanistan, with the Taliban claiming to have arrested 670 of them.

Three key members of the terror network, including its commander Sanaullah Ghafari, so-called spokesman Sultan Aziz Azam, and Maulaw Rajab, were placed on the US Specially Designated Global Terrorist list last month.

“The United States is committed to using its full set of counterterrorism tools

to counter the threat posed by the …

Dai’sh, as part of our relentless efforts to ensure Afghanistan cannot again become a platform for international terrorism,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement.

But Kabul-based geopolitical analysts, who are closely monitoring the situation, say the Taliban interim administration is capable of defeating Dai’sh, but that it needs international support. “The Taliban have a strong fighter force, but the present economic reprisal has driven them into trouble,” a professor at a private university in Kabul told Anadolu Agency.

“This situation will encourage other international terrorist groups to strengthen their foothold in Afghanistan, as well as causing difficulties for neighbouring countries,” he warned.

Under the Doha agreement, signed in February 2020 in Qatar, the Taliban agreed to prevent any international terrorist groups or individuals from using their country’s soil against the security of the US and its allies.- Locals’ worries Ordinary Afghans, who have already suffered 20 years of conflict, are now concerned about the financial crisis and Dai’sh’s offer to locals to join the militant outfit.

China opposes U.S. sanctions in ‘painkiller crackdown’ NEWs DEsk China on Thursday voiced strong opposition to the U.S. sanctions on four Chinese companies and one individual amid its efforts to crack down on painkiller addiction, stressing that the Chinese government has always upheld a zero tolerance policy towards drug problems.

“The wrong behavior of letting someone else take medicine when you’re the one that is sick is unconstructive, and will only interfere in the anti-drug law enforcement cooperation between China and the U.S.,” Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson of China’s Foreign Ministry, said at a press briefing.

China urges the U.S. to respect facts and search for causes of its Fentanyl abuse problems within itself, rather than blaming other countries, Wang said.

Attempts to smear China-Solomon Islands ties doomed to fail: Wang Yi Meanwhile, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi Thursday stressed that attempts to smear ties between China and the Solomon Islands and subvert the achievement of bilateral diplomatic ties are doomed to fail.

Wang made the remarks during a phone conversation with Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele. They talked about the recent unrest in Solomon Islands’ capital Honiara.

Noting the riots had a complex background, the Chinese foreign minister said they had affected the safety and life of locals and overseas Chinese.

China expresses deep sympathy and sincere condolences to the government and people of the country, and strongly condemns all acts of violence, Wang said.

He added China stands firmly with the Solomon Islands’ government and its people, and firmly supports the government’s efforts to safeguard domestic stability, bilateral ties and the legitimate rights and interests of

Chinese citizens in the country.

Solomon Islands reiterated its firm commitment to the one-China principle and forcefully responded to the false accusations, which is highly appreciated by China, Wang said, adding that bilateral relations have withstood this test and are stronger than ever.

China is confident in the future of bilateral relations and will take a series of measures to support and help Solomon Islands restore order, rebuild the city and achieve stable development, he stressed.

Wang also told his counterpart that two countries must be wary of a few countries upholding the Cold War mentality and attempting to interfere in the internal affairs of other nations under the banner of “human rights.” Manele said his phone call with Wang showed that the two countries stand firmly together in difficult times, adding that the situation in his country has gradually returned to normal and efforts are being made to achieve social stability and economic development.

Solomon Islands attaches great importance to its relations with China and will continue to firmly adhere to the one-China principle, which is the political basis for the development of bilateral relations, he stressed.

Solomon Islands is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with the Chinese side to effectively uphold multilateralism and safeguard international fairness and justice, Manele added.

Friday, 17 December, 2021 | ISLAMABAD

SPORTS 11

GREEN ANd clEAN OlYmpic villAGEs REAdY fOR BEijiNG 2022

T

NEWs DEsk

HE Olympic villages in Beijing’s city center, Yanqing District and neighboring Zhangjiakou City are getting ready to welcome athletes from around the world, the Beijing organizing committee said during a press conference on Thursday, just 50 days away from the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

The Olympic village in northwest Beijing’s Yanqing District underwent its latest round of testing on December 11 and 12. The Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee said the results show it’s almost ready for the Games. The main construction of the village is complete, almost all the materials and equipment have been installed, and all key

posts are ready for duty, the committee said.

From site selection to construction completion, it took five years to finish building the three villages. One of the targets during the construction was to be green and sustainable. So far, all three villages have met this target.

“All three Winter Olympics villages meet the three-star green building standard.

During the construction of the Yanqing Village, about 130 native trees were preserved, and 24,000 trees were transplanted to an ‘Olympic forest,'” Liu Yumin, the director of the planning and construction department of Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, said.

Another important task ahead of the Olympics is the cleaning and waste man-

agement of the villages. The organizing committee created a waste removal operation system.

“Our standard system was formulated based on experience from the domestic cleaning industry and the standard set by the International Olympic Committee. It includes macro-level guidelines and detailed standards and procedures. The three villages will operate based on this same system,” Liu said.

With the pandemic ongoing, COVID-19 control is one of the most critical jobs. The organizing committee recently released the second edition of its Epidemic Prevention Manual and has come up with an emergency response plan if a positive case is found in any of the villages.

“First, when positive cases are found, the

medical team will quickly transfer the patients by ambulance to designated infectious disease hospitals, and then we will determine and manage close contacts.

Third, professional disinfection personnel will carry out comprehensive disinfection of the environment. Last, we will have experts evaluate the general situation,” Ma Boyang, secretary general of venue operation team for Beijing Winter Olympic Vil-

lage, said.

Safety and comfort are the most essential and basic requirements for the Olympic villages. On top of these, the organizing committee also wants the athletes to experience Chinese culture, so all three villages have incorporated Chinese elements. The buildings are either inspired by traditional Chinese architecture or are located near actual heritage sites.

West Indies postpone Pak ODI series after emergence of fresh Covid-19 cases NEWs DEsk

Yearender: Racism scandal rocks England, world titles for Australia, NZ NEW DELHI ReuteRs

A racism scandal rocked English cricket in a tumultuous end to the year, while Australia and New Zealand were crowned world champions in different formats and the fate of the women’s game in Afghanistan was put in jeopardy after the Taliban’s return to power. In testimony to a British parliamentary committee, an emotional Azeem Rafiq catalogued a culture of racism at Yorkshire which he said drove him to the brink of suicide. “I lost my career to racism,” said Rafiq, who hopes his revelations would open the floodgates for fellow victims to come forward and share their stories. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has unveiled a 12-point action plan, including a review of the dressingroom culture, and said they will launch an anti-discrimination unit. The fallout clouded England’s build-up to the Ashes and Joe Root’s men trail Australia 1-0 after a thumping ninewicket defeat in Brisbane in the series opener.

Australia shrugged off a horror buildup to claim the Twenty20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), their first title in seven attempts. Aaron Finch’s men peaked at just the right time to humble Pakistan in the semi-finals and then dominate New Zealand in the Dubai decider. It was just the latest in a series of heartbreaks for New Zealand, who fell to a third defeat in four World Cup finals in six years. It was not all doom and gloom for New Zealand though, with Kane Williamson’s team beating India in the final of the World Test Championship in Southampton.

TEN WICKETS: India would later avenge that defeat by beating New Zealand in a twotest series despite spinner Ajaz Patel claiming all 10 Indian wickets in an innings in Mumbai. Virat Kohli stepped down as India’s 20overs skipper and lost ODI captaincy too with Rohit Sharma taking over as their sole whiteball leader. A more tumultuous leadership change took place in Australia with Tim Paine stepping down as test captain after a ‘sexting’ scandal and Pat Cummins taking charge ahead of the Ashes. The Pakistan Cricket Board’s hopes of hosting more international matches on home soil suffered a body blow with New Zealand and England both pulling out of tours. PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja alleged the nation had been “used and binned” by the “Western Bloc” but eventually won commitments from Australia and England to tour the country in 2022. Across the border, Afghanistan cricket’s future was thrown in doubt after the country’s takeover by the Taliban in August. It prompted Cricket Australia to postpone a test match against them until it had a clearer picture of the future of women’s game in the strife-torn nation.

The One-day International (ODI) series between West Indies and Pakistan, that was scheduled to begin in Karachi on December 18, has been postponed and rescheduled for early June 2022 after five members of the West Indies team tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday.

The Caribbean cricket board announced today that the five members including three players have been tested positive for Covid-19.

It is to note that last week, a noncoaching member of the West Indies staff and three cricketers had tested positive.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Cricket West Indies (CWI), following the emergence of the Covid-19 cases, issued a joint statement as the two teams played the third and final T20I at Karachi’s National Stadium.

“On Thursday morning and as part of the PCB’s Covid-19 Protocols, rapid antigen tests were conducted on the remaining 15 West Indies players and six player sup-

port personnel. All 21 members of the West Indies touring party returned negative test results. As such, Thursday’s T20I proceeded as planned,” the statement said.

Arsenal down West Ham as EPL’s Covid crisis deepens LONDON AFP

Arsenal showed they can thrive without axed star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as the Gunners moved into fourth place in the Premier League with a 2-0 win against West Ham, while the top-flight’s coronavirus crisis deepened on Wednesday.

Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe netted in the second half of a fiery London derby at the Emirates Stadium that saw West Ham’s Vladimir Coufal sent off.

Arsenal is one point above fifthplaced West Ham after a second successive victory eased the drama surrounding Mikel Arteta’s decision to strip Gabon forward Aubameyang of the club captaincy.

Arteta’s side are in the top four at this stage of a season for the first time in two-and-a-half years.

It is a remarkable reversal of fortune after Arsenal lost their opening three league games for the first time in 67 years. “It was a statement result.

The performance, attitude and commitment the players showed is exactly what we are about,” Arteta said.

“We have a leadership group and I expect every player to stick to our values.” Calls for Arteta to be sacked were widespread after an embarrassing 5-0 thrashing at Manchester City in August, but the Spaniard has steadied the ship impressively, with even the Aubameyang drama unable to derail him.

Aubameyang was absent from the squad after being removed from the captaincy due to a disciplinary breach on Tuesday. He returned late and missed training last week after travelling to France to see his ill mother.

It was not Aubameyang’s first

transgression, having previously been dropped for the north London derby against Tottenham in March after what was described as a breach of the club’s pre-match protocol.

Asked if there was a way back from exile for Aubameyang, Arteta said: “We will talk about that another day. “He was not eligible for this game, that’s it and this game is gone now. We will discuss it in the near future.”

Martinelli broke West Ham’s resistance in the 48th minute when the Brazilian ran onto Alexandre Lacazette’s defence-splitting pass and stroked a fine finish into the far corner for his second goal this term.

West Ham were reduced to 10 men in the 66th minute after Coufal’s tackle on stand-in skipper Lacazette conceded a penalty and earned the defender a second yellow card.

Lukasz Fabianski plunged to his left to save Lacazette’s spotkick, but Smith Rowe capped Arsenal’s dominant display when he finished a flowing move with a clinical strike from the edge of the

area in the 87th minute.

While Arsenal were hit by the coronavirus before their opening game of the season at Brentford, they have so far avoided the recent positive test plunging the league into turmoil.

Watford’s match at Burnley was postponed less than three hours before kick-off on Wednesday after “an ongoing Covid outbreak” left the Hornets with insufficient players to fulfil the fixture.

It was the third Premier League game to be postponed due to Covid in four days as the new Omicron variant causes havoc in England’s top-flight. Tottenham’s trip to Brighton last Sunday was called off due to an outbreak at the north London club, while Manchester United’s match at Brentford on Tuesday was cancelled after the Old Trafford club’s positive tests. United, Tottenham, Brighton, Leicester, Norwich, and Aston Villa had already been hit by the virus over the last week. The Premier League announced a record 42 positive tests across two testing cycles last week.

“However, taking into consideration both teams’ welfare, as well as the limited resources in the West Indies side for the ODIs, it has been agreed that the series [… ] will be postponed and rescheduled for early June 2022,” the statement said.

“This will provide West Indies with an equal opportunity to field their best available players for the World Cup qualification matches,” it added.

The statement added that “those who have tested positive will complete their isolation in Karachi before their travel arrangements are finalised to allow them to rejoin their families in time for Christmas celebrations,” the statement said.

The statement concluded that “the CWI would like to thank the PCB for its excellent series arrangements and appreciates its support in rescheduling the ODI series in June 2022,” the statement concluded.

Brentford boss calls for weekend premier league games to be called off over virus LONDON AFP

Brentford manager Thomas Frank has called for this weekend’s Premier League fixtures to be postponed to allow clubs to deal with coronavirus outbreaks that are threatening to derail the season. Brentford’s match with Manchester United was called off on Tuesday after Covid-19 cases at the Old Trafford club and the Burnley v Watford fixture on Wednesday became the third game in a week to be postponed.

Britain is battling record numbers of coronavirus cases as the Omicron variant takes hold. The country on Wednesday recorded a record 78,610 laboratoryconfirmed coronavirus cases, with scientists predicting even higher rates as Omicron is believed to spread much faster than the Delta variant. Brentford have Covid-19 issues in their own camp ahead of Saturday’s trip to Southampton and the Dane would like to see a break in play to help manage the situation across the league. “We think we should postpone the full round of Premier League games this weekend,” he said on Thursday. “Covid cases are going through the roof at all Premier League clubs. Everyone is dealing with it and having problems. “To postpone this round and also the Carabao (League) Cup round would give everyone a week at least, or four or five days to clean and do everything at the training ground so everything is clean and you break the chain.” Frank was informed of four more Covid cases overnight — bringing the current total involving players and staff at the club to 13 — midway through his Thursday morning press conference.

And he believes a decision to halt this weekend’s round of top-flight fixtures could be enough to ensure the busy festive programme will be able to go ahead largely as planned. “We fully respect that we want to play and it is important football keeps going, and this way we can make sure Boxing Day keeps going, I’m 100 per cent sure of that,” added Frank. “This Omicron variant is running like wildfire around the world and I think we need to do all we can to protect and avoid it. I think we can do a lot by closing down training grounds for three, four or five days, and then we can go again.”

Friday, 17 December, 2021

prayer timingS

NEWS

COAS ReITeRATeS Need FOR SwIFT MeChANISM TO ChANNeLISe AFGhAN AId RAWALPINDI

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Staff CorreSpondent

rmy chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has reiterated the need for swiftly devising an institutionalised mechanism for channelling humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan to avert a looming humanitarian catastrophe, the military said.

Ambassador of Japan Wada mitsuhiro called on Gen Qamar at the General Headquarters in rawalpindi, the Inter-Services Public relations (ISPr) said on Thursday.

The statement added that the chief of the army staff underscored the importance of peace and reconciliation initiatives in Afghanistan during the meeting.

The ISPr further said that matters of

mutual interest, regional security, current situation in Afghanistan especially collaboration, partnership in humanitarian assistance were discussed.

The military’s media wing quoted Gen Qamar as saying that Pakistan val-

PML-N’s Rana Saleem wins PP-206 by-poll KHANEWAL: Pakistan muslim League-Nawaz (PmL-N) candidate rana muhammad Saleem Thursday won by-election on PP-206 constituency, defeating his rival candidates from ruling Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) and Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP). The constituency fell vacant following demise of PmL-N candidate Nishat Khan Daha who later supported Punjab Chief minister Usman Buzdar. According to unofficial and unverified initial results, PmL-N’s rana muhammad Saleem bagged 47,985 votes while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Naureen Nishat could secure around 33,000 votes. Syed mir Wasiq of the PPP secured around 14000 votes while TLP’s mohammad Akmal could claim 9000 votes. Polling started at 8am and continued peacefully till 5pm. No reports of violence were received. web deSk

US forensics company confirms inspecting Nisar’s audiotape sent

by Pakistani TV channel A US forensic audit company Primeau Forensics confirms on Wednesday that it had inspected an audiotape sent by a Pakistani television channel, but withheld further details of its report. “It was a specific thing that we did for our client and we are not discussing it with anyone,” a company representative stated while adding that “we have no press release.” The company representative further revealed that their client, Ary News, had the report and “only they can share the details with others”. Earlier, a report claimed that Ary News had asked the US company Primeau Forensics to do a forensic analysis of an audio leak of the former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar. As per the details of the audio, two persons can be heard discussing cases against PmL-N leader Nawaz Sharif and his daughter maryam Nawaz. reports in the Pakistani media claimed that one of the persons was mr Nisar, the former chief justice.

Ary News claimed that when it asked Primeau Forensics if the recording was of the original conversation or came from an edited tape, the company said the two parts of 20 and 25 seconds each were recorded in a different environment. newS deSk

ues Japan’s role in global and regional affairs and “we look forward to enhance our bilateral relationship”.

“The COAS also emphasised that peaceful resolution of Kashmir dispute is essential for stability in South Asia and

that Pakistan wants cordial ties with all its neighbours in pursuit of regional peace and prosperity,” the communique added. Concluding, the ISPr said that the visiting dignitary appreciated Pakistan’s role in the Afghan situation, special efforts for regional stability and pledged to play his part for further improvement in diplomatic cooperation with Pakistan at all levels.

In October, Japan’s ambassador Kuninori matsuda called on the COAS and discussed matters of mutual interest, cooperation in various fields, overall regional situation and peace and stability in Afghanistan.

The visiting dignitary appreciated Pakistan’s role in the Afghan situation including successful evacuation operations and pledged to keep working for better relations between the two countries.

Babar, Rizwan lead Pakistan to series sweep against West Indies KARACHI Staff report

Pakistan’s opening pair mohammad rizwan and skipper Babar Azam’s 158-run opening stand on Thursday powered their side to a series sweep as they beat the Windies by 7 wickets in third T20 match.

The Windies had handed an ample 208-run target to Pakistan after skipper Nicholas Pooran decided to bat first in the final match at the National Stadium, Karachi.

But the undeterred openers scored 50+ runs each, leaving the Windies bowlers under pressure.

Babar scored 79 runs off 53 balls with the help of nine 4s and two 6s, while rizwan made 87 runs off 45 balls and smashed 10 4s and three 6s.

The Windies bowlers were finally able to break their partnership when Odean Smith dismissed Babar in the 16th over. rizwan was the next to go down as Dominic Drakes took his scalp in the 18th over.

After their dismissal, Fakhar Zaman was sent back to the pavilion in the 18th over, but Asif Ali

(21) did not let the team down and sailed Pakistan to victory.

Pooran had played a captain’s knock as his half-century powered the West Indies to an ample 207-3 total against Pakistan in the third and final T20I. The decision to bat first proved fruitful for the Windies as their openers — Brandon King and Shamarh Brooks — gave them a good start against Pakistani bowlers.

The openers managed to get 92 runs on the board, as King hit 43 runs — seven 4s and two 6s — off 21 balls and Brooks made 49 runs — two 4s and four 6s — off 31 balls before they were sent packing.

After the dismissal of the openers, Pooran came to the ground and managed to pull off an impressive knock as he hit 64 runs off 37 balls, with two 4s and six 6s. Darren Bravo also kept the score board ticking as he added 34 runs to the Windies’ total.

The Pakistani bowlers failed to impress today, with mohammad Wasim taking two wickets and Shahnawaz Dahani picking up one scalp — his first international

wicket at home.

The match had resumed after it was hanging in the balance as some Windies players and staff members tested positive for COVID-19.

Later, all of the Windies players and officials tested negative for the virus, and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that the match was back on track. moreover, the ODI series between Pakistan and West Indies — scheduled from Dec 18-22 — has been postponed to and rescheduled for early June 2022, after several Windies players tested positive for COVID-19 during the ongoing three-match T20 series.

The PCB and Cricket West Indies (CWI), in a joint statement, said the decision was made after considering both the teams’ welfare as well as limited resources in the West Indies side for the ODIs. Five more positive cases were reported in the West Indies camp following Wednesday’s PCr testing, raising the total number of positive cases to nine since their arrival in Karachi on December 9, the statement said.

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‘Smoothening the way to travel’: GB to witness historic prosperity, Imran says SKARDU Staff report

Prime minister Imran Khan on Thursday said that with improved connectivity and a state-of-the-art international airport, the scenic region of GilgitBaltistan (GB) was ready to turn into a top destination for local and foreign tourists and ensure the economic prosperity of its people. “The people of GB will soon witness an unprecedented era of economic prosperity with revenue generation through tourism and employment opportunities,” he said in his address to the local population after the inauguration of the Skardu International Airport and Jaglot-Skardu road during a day-long visit to the mountainous region. The prime minister said the significant pieces of infrastructure would boost tourism in the region. Khan said the initiative would promote both summer and winter tourism in GB and attract a big influx and announced to establish luxury resorts to attract more foreign tourists. The prime minister said he had travelled the world over but never seen a splendid mountainous range like the one in Gilgit-Baltistan. “If Switzerland can earn $70 billion revenue annually, the GB, too, possessed the natural resources to exploit its potential,” he said. He said Pakistan could earn billions in revenues from tourism, may it be from the scenic northern areas or the diversity of religious tourism. He, however, cautioned the locals to safeguard their interests as outsiders would be eying their property and land in view of the town’s tourism potential. Khan lauded National Highway Authority (NHA) and Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) for working relentlessly in improving roads connectivity in the region. He said connecting GB with Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K) through a network of roads would also bring improvement in the lives of locals. He said hydroelectricity projects have been set up in GB to meet the water requirements. Khan said a country could not progress unless it uplifted its neglected and unprivileged segments of the society.

He said he was prioritising the development of the areas that lacked facilities of communication and health, including Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan, former tribal areas, and southern Punjab. “my vision of a prosper Pakistan is inclusive development that caters to the needs of poor and weak,” he added. He said a society was known for its socio-economic justice where poor and rich had access to basic facilities of life. The prime minister said his government had taken a number of steps for the development of the masses and expressed the desire that he wanted a major improvement in the lives of the underprivileged on completion of his tenure. He mentioned that from today onwards, the government had initiated the provision of the ration on subsidised rates. Also, the work on expanding the network of universal health insurance of rs1 million for every household was underway after its launch in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP).

Former FBR chief says his bankruptcy remark ‘misreported’ KARACHI: Former chairman of the Federal Board of revenue (FBr) Shabbar Zaidi Thursday said that his recent speech at Hamdard University, in which he said that Pakistan is bankrupt, is being “misreported”. “my speech in Hamdard University is being misreported,” tweeted Zaidi on Thursday. He said that his presentation was 30 minutes long; however, only three minutes “have been cherry-picked”. “yes I said that with this constant current account and fiscal deficit there are issues of bankruptcy and going concern but look at the solution,” said Zaidi. A day earlier, Zaidi, during a wide-ranging address at the university, had said Pakistan at the moment is “a bankrupt entity”. “In accounting language, Pakistan at present is not in a going concern position,” said Zaidi. “We may say that we have made a lot of progress, or the country is running smoothly but that is wrong. In my view, the country at the moment is bankrupt. It is better to admit that the country is bankrupt and now it is time to fix it,” Zaidi had said.

However, despite clarifying that the remarks were taken out of context, Zaidi on Thursday said: “What I said was with a basis and conviction.” tLtp Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 051-2204545. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk