Saturday, 25 December, 2021 I 20 Jamadi-al-Awwal, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 177 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
KP DEBACLE
PM Khan dissolves PTi organisaTions across counTry g
New committee formed to oversee party affairs
ISLAMABAD staff report
M
iNister for information and Broadcasting fawad chaudhry on friday said prime minister imran Khan has dissolved pakistan tehreek-i-insaf (pti)’s all organisations across the country after consultation with the senior leadership of the party. talking to media after the meeting of senior leadership of pti, chaired by prime minister imran Khan, fawad said all the office bearers of the pti’s organisational setup have been removed from their posts. the meeting discussed Khyber pakhtunkhwa (Kp)’s local government elections and the general situation of the country. He said that a committee, comprising himself, pervez Khattak, mahmood Khan, murad saeed, asad Qaiser, ali amin Gandapur, shah mehmood Qureshi, Hammad azhar, Khusro Bakhtiar, chaudhry muhammad sarwar, saifullah Niazi, amir Kayani, Usman Buzdar, mir Jan muhammad
Jamali, Qasim suri, imran ismail, ali Zaidi and asad Umar has been formed, which is working on the new constitution of the party. fawad said new organisations of the pti would be constituted after approval from the committee. the minister informed the media that the premier has expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of pti in the first phase of local body elections in Kp. the way pti should had played its role as a major party was not witnessed in the Kp’s local body elections, he said. He said that councils’ election results are coming, which show that the pti is still the largest party in Kp. He said the pti has the status of a national federal party, whereas imran Khan is the leader of the federation and his vote bank is present everywhere. “No party other than pti is capable of fielding candidates for around 1200 seats of the national and provincial assemblies in the general elections,” he said, adding that the ppp is now the party of sindh whereas the pmL-N is confined to punjab only.
coronavirus in
PaKisTan
“as members of pti, we have a responsibility to fulfill the responsibilities of the federation diligently, considering them as national responsibilities,” he maintained. He said if the pti’s politics is affected, it would affect the politics of pakistan badly. the minister said the meeting has decided that a special committee would be formed to look into the matter of giving tickets to relatives of pti leaders and in future, such cases would not be decided at local level, rather they would be sent to the committee, which would decide whether to give tickets or not. He said a ticketing mechanism for elections would be set up with the approval of the prime minister. fawad said Kp chief minister mahmood Khan has been given responsibility for the second phase of local body elections in Kp, adding that the pti considers local government institutions very important for democracy. He said there is no concept of family politics in pti as imran Khan never allowed personal relationships to dominate his mission in his political career. “if the culture of ppp and pmL-N seeps into the pti, there will be no difference between them and us,” fawad said emphatically. replying to a question, he said the finance bill is not a personal bill of the pti, and if the opposition parties do not want to go to the international monetary fund programme, they should come up with an alternative solution. He reminded that billions of dollars were borrowed by the previous governments of pakistan people’s party and pakistan muslim League-Nawaz, which are to be repaid by the present government. “if they have any alternative proposal or agenda, they should bring it in the parliament”, he said. to another question, he said the opposition parties had claimed that they would table a no-confidence motion against senate chairman sadiq sanjrani, but they failed to do so.
ECP vows to resist ‘all pressure tactics’ on EVMs ISLAMABAD staff Correspondent
the election commission of pakistan (ecp) friday resolved to carry out its responsibilities with regard to the use of electronic voting machines (evms), making it clear that no pressure was being exerted to the body. reacting to some media reports suggesting that the ecp was baulking at its responsibilities with regard to the use of evms, the ecp clarified in a statement that it was carrying out its tasks diligently, maintaining it will continue fulfilling its responsibilities without “buckling under pressure”. “even before the government’s legislation on the use of evms, the commission had been taking various steps regarding the use of technology,” the statement said. the ecp said that the three committees it had formed immediately after the legislation also presented their reports to the commission on thursday. “acquisition of evms is a technical process that has to undergo various stages, including international tendering,” it said and out-
COAS stresses on sincere efforts to avert looming Afghan crisis
CONFIRMED CASES:
1,292,728
lined some of the important features of the procedure. the ecp said it cannot ignore the international standards in tendering of machines, noting and emphasising that third-party testing of the machines was critical to the process. it said that a few persons who lacked clarity and information were making “irresponsible comments” which, it said, was tantamount to “misguiding the general public, civil society and the media”. “if anyone needs an explanation of any sort then the doors of the ecp are open for them. they can visit the ecp any time. However, intervention into the work of the ecp should be avoided,” the ecp stated. the alarms and misgivings of the ecp appeared to be stirred by a statement from the federal minister for science and technology shibli faraz issued earlier in the day. talking to the media in islamabad, shibli faraz charged the commission of using “delaying tactics” and showing disregard for the government’s concerns.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 05
more inside
After PTI’s drubbing in KP, PM to focus on Punjab LG polls STORY ON PAGE 02
over 14000 rape cases reported in past four years: Na told
LAST UPDATED AT 7:29 AM ON DECEMBER 24, 2021
DAY'S DEATH TOLL:
NEW CASES:
4
322
STORY ON PAGE 03
RECOVERED:
DEATHS:
1,254,301 28,898 SINDH:
PUNJAB:
480,077
444,438
KPK:
BALOCHISTAN:
181,121
33,617
AJK/GB:
ISLAMABAD:
34,654/10,429
108,392
RAWALPINDI staff report
chief of army staff (coas) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has stressed upon the need for sincere efforts to avert a looming humanitarian crisis in afghanistan. the army chief’s expressed these views during a meeting with australian High commissioner dr Geoffrey shaw who paid a farewell call on him at the General Headquarters (GHQ) on friday, according to a press release issued by the interservices public relations (ispr).
during the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional security situation and bilateral cooperation were discussed, said the ispr. the army chief underscored the importance of peace and reconciliation initiatives in afghanistan. He thanked the visiting dignitary for his services in pakistan and acknowledged his contributions for fostering strong ties between the two countries. dr Geoffrey shaw appreciated pakistan’s role in the afghan situation as well as in regional stability. He pledged to keep working for better relations between the two countries.
PM seeks SAARC role to transform quality of life in South Asia STORY ON BACK PAGE
air Headquarters asks dG oil to resolve refineries’ storage issue STORY ON PAGE 03
02
Saturday, 25 December, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
NEWS
After PtI’s drubbIng In KP, PM to focus on PunjAb Lg PoLLs
P
News Desk
M Imran Khan on Thursday, after the PTI’s recent defeat in KhyberPakhtunkhwa polls, directed the Punjab government to expedite its homework for holding the local government polls in the province, while adding that he himself would supervise its strategy. The premier while addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Lahore Technopolis, a special technology zone (STZ) stated that “we want the transfer of power to the lower level. Strong local government system has been provided to solve the problems of the people at the grassroots level.” PM Imran said that preparations for the local body elections in Punjab must be completed at the earliest, directing the top leadership of Punjab to formulate a plan of action in consultation with the senior leaders. The PM further stated, “The candidates should be selected by taking the workers and local leaders into confidence and all the reservations of PTI workers and the people should be removed.” Hailing the Chinese model of development, PM Imran noted that Beijing had steered 700 million people out of poverty by eliminating corruption in 40
years and jailing over 450 ministerial-level people and enhancing exports. He held corruption as the root cause of all problems and regretted that the nation’s wealth was transferred abroad due to this malpractice. On the economic situation, he said the biggest problem is that when inflation eases and economy normalises, dollar starts to shoot up due to which “we are compelled to approach the IMF”. He stressed that Pakistan cannot move forward unless the country’s exports witnessed a surge and noted that the main cause of inflation was the rise in imports. “When the value of dollar rises the debts go up and the government has to make payments. As soon as [country’s] economy stabilises dollar witnesses an upward trend.” PM Imran observed that the tech industry could help overcome Pakistan’s current account deficit by boosting exports as well as addressing the issue of unemployment if the sector was incentivised and facilitated. “The project will help provide incentives to the tech industry and bring ease to businessmen, in accordance with the government’s vision,” he said. He said the country had started achieving economic growth but the current account got disturbed owing to the import of machinery that ultimately devalued the local currency and compelled the government to
approach the IMF for loans. “The country can only come out of this cycle by boosting its exports and allowing wealth creation,” he said. The STZs, being developed all across the country, would be home to Science and Technology Parks, manufacturing units, research and development centres of global tech companies and software houses. They would also feature universities, incubators, accelerators and other ecosystem players. “The IT sector will also address the issue of unemployment of the youth, particularly the women, besides boosting the country’s exports,” the PM stated. The premier added that all businesses faced a slump amid the Covid-19 outbreak, but profits of tech companies like Google, Amazon and others multiplied during the pandemic. “Unfortunately, Pakistan lagged behind in the sector despite having ideal conditions, including a huge population of young people,” he said, adding that within 15 to 20 years, Indian tech exports boomed to $150 billion while Pakistan’s could reach only $2 billion.” He went on to laud Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and other relevant ministers for allocating 800 acres of land for the purpose. The premier further stressed that the objective behind establishing the Technopolis projects in Lahore, Karachi and
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was to make the country join the tech race and provide employment to the people. The premier also called for redirecting the orientation of the government as well as the population towards enhancing exports and wealth creation. He said that taking advantage of its 12 climatic zones, the country could reduce its import bill of commodities like edible oil through indigenous production of palm oil. Calling them the biggest asset, the premier emphasised the involvement of overseas Pakistanis towards investment and wealth creation in the country. “China and India had also first attracted their own firms operating abroad to invest at home,” he said. “Pakistani individuals, as well as the firms operating abroad including the Silicon Valley, were interested to invest in Pakistan which necessitated incentives and ease of doing business.” It is pertinent to note that earlier, the premier distributed licences among the companies which would be operating in the
Technopolis. The event also marked the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for an investment of $300 million for the establishment of another three technology zones in different parts of the country. Speaking on the occasion, CM Buzdar said Lahore had been selected as the Technopolis considering the existence of universities and other tech institutes as well as companies in the city. In order to attract investment to Technopolis, the government had given a 10year tax exemption to companies operating there. Companies from various countries like the US, Canada, China and Australia were approaching to invest here, the CM said. “The project would help carry out technology-based researches and studies,” the provincial chief executive said. Separately, PM Imran also inaugurated Sheikh Abul Hassan Al-Shadhili Research Center on Sufism, Science and Technology at Government College University, Lahore by laying the foundation stone of the research center building, which would to be constructed at a cost of Rs140 million. It is pertinent to note that the institution is aimed at promoting societal reform, mutual harmony, respect of diversity, research on Sufism, science and technology, providing a single platform to local and international researchers and disbursing educational scholarships to students for research in the faculty. The research centre, which is providing education courses on Sufism at BS and MPhil levels, will also offer postdoctoral and research fellowship. Besides, it will also provide scholarships for doctorate to promote research on Sufism.
Saturday, 25 December, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
Over 14000 rApe cAses repOrted in pAst fOur yeArs: nA tOld
t
StAff CorreSponDent
HE National Assembly was informed on Friday that around 14,000 rape cases had been reported in cross country during the past four years. In response to a question tabled by PPP MNA Dr Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, the Ministry of Human Rights also detailed the steps the government had taken to combat the crimes against women. In its written reply, the ministry said that 16,153 cases of sexual violence against women and workplace harassment were reported during the last four years. The document, based on the information received from the National Police Bureau, only accounts for the first six months of the current year (from January to June). The ministry divided the crimes reported into two categories: sexual violence and workplace harassment. The former was further divided into four sub-categories: rape, gang-rape, custodial and incest. Incidents under the category for workplace harassment were also separated according to them being physical, sexual and psychological in nature.
According to the breakdown provided by the ministry, 5,048 cases of sexual violence and workplace harassment were reported in 2018, 4,751 in 2019, 4,276 in 2020 and 2,078 in 2021. The data shows that Punjab reported the highest number of overall cases in 2018 (3,496), followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (1,164) and Sindh (328). There were 4,326 rape cases recorded during the year. In 2019, Punjab again reported the highest number of cases (4,089), followed by Sindh (346) and KP (259). The year also saw 4,377 rape cases being reported. A similar trend was also witnessed in 2020, with the highest number of cases again being reported from Punjab (3,250), followed by Sindh (386) and KP (299). Around 3,887 rape cases were also reported. Meanwhile, the data until June 2021 shows that the most number of cases were reported in Punjab (1,687), followed by Sindh (226) and KP (125). No cases were reported in Gilgit-Baltistan while 1,886 rape cases were reported till June. The ministry also highlighted the steps taken by the government to curb such incidents, stating that a
project titled ‘Human Rights Awareness Programme’ had been launched to “create awareness among the public with a special focus on the rights of women and children”. The ministry said that it also regularly ogranises awareness programmes with exclusive sessions on women’s rights and pro-women laws, adding that it was also operating a free helpline (1099) for legal advice regarding human rights violations. The ministry noted that the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Act 2021 and the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2021 had also been promulgated recently. The ministry said it had launched a public awareness campaign on child abuse, while the Federal Ombudsperson Secretariat for Protection against Harassment of Women also runs print and electronic campaigns in order to reach victims of harassment. “Moreover, field units of police are sensitised by the provincial/regional police offices to provide awareness regarding sexual harassment to the general public,” the ministry said.
Air Headquarters asks DG Oil to resolve refineries’ storage issue ISLAMABAD AhmAd AhmAdAni
Air Headquarters (AHQ) has asked the Petroleum Division’s director general (DG) Oil to intervene and urgently resolve the issue of rising furnace oil stocks at refineries to ensure uninterrupted fuel supply to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). In a letter dated December 23 to the DG (Oil), the AHQ has stated that fuel supply from refineries is a lifeline for the air warfare branch of the armed forces for sustaining operations. PAF operational preparedness is dependent on smooth replenishment of aviation fuel (JP-8) from inland refineries and maintenance of strategic fuel reserves. However, non-availability of fuel from refineries will gradually decrease strategic fuel reserves and PAF war stamina. Priority handling of the matter and intervention of your good office will be highly appreciated, please, the letter states. It adds that refineries like Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL) and BYCO have highlighted that fuel supply to PAF may be hampered in the near future due
Govt cannot make gas cheaper beyond certain limit: Azhar ISLAMABAD
to critically high quantities of High Sulphur Furnace Oil (HSFO) at storage facilities that the power sector is not lifting. In this scenario, refineries are headed towards forced shut downs. Earlier, the Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC), in a letter to the DG (Oil) on December 3 stated that local oil refineries are the backbone of the country’s energy security, supplying over 11 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) of various petroleum products
but due to non-uplifting of fuel oil and limited storage, they are forced to reduce and in some cases, almost shut down crude processing which will affect the availability of the petroleum products, eventually disturbing an already fragile supply chain. The OCAC pointed out that the government, during this year, has so far made substantial payments to IPPs that are bound to keep mandatory stocks as required according to Fuel Supply Agreements (FSAs) with OMCs. It is pertinent to mention that local refineries have been repeatedly asking the Petroleum Division to take measures for lifting the furnace oil to “safeguard the country’s strategic assets.” The OCAC pointed out that the government, during this year, has so far made substantial payments to IPPs that are bound to keep mandatory stocks as required according to Fuel Supply Agreements (FSAs) with OMCs. The Directorate General (Oil) of Petroleum Division, in a letter dated December 9, 2021, has requested the power division to direct the power plants to uplift furnace oil (FO) through PSO/ OMCs immediately for stock buildup and provide payments/ LCs to PSO.
Tarin to take oath as federal finance minister on Monday ISLAMABAD
APP
ShAhzAd PArAchA
Federal Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar on Friday said that the federal government cannot reduce gas prices for consumers beyond a certain limit. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, the energy minister said that sui southern and northern companies were making all-out efforts to ensure good management of gas supply to domestic consumers despite several constraints, including depletion of existing natural gas reserves and the increased demand in the peak winter season. “If an LNG cargo of Rs8 to Rs10 billion is injected into the system to supply the commodity to domestic consumers, the government gets only Rs1 billion from domestic consumers in return. We cannot provide cheaper gas beyond a certain limit,” he added. He said that the demand for gas from domestic consumers increases in the winter and the government stops its supply to non-export general industries and captive power plants to meet this domestic demand. Further, he said existing natural gas reserves were depleting by at the rate of 9 per cent every year while the demand has increased manifold, adding imported Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), due to its high cost, does not suit the government to supply to domestic consumers. “We cannot provide domestic consumers with expensive LNG from the global market”. About the shortage of gas in Karachi, the energy minister said that a stay order by the Sindh High Court (SHC) on the curtailment of gas supply to general industries and captive power units this year was causing the problem. “The government will present its version at the next hearing in the SHC,” he said about resolving the issue. Azhar said the next hearing before the SHC regarding this issue was scheduled for December 30; however, he said the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) had been directed to try getting the hearing date before the schedule and plead for getting permission to curtail the supply to industries so that needs of domestic consumers could be met.
Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Senator Shaukat Tarin will take oath as Federal Finance minister on Monday. Tarin confirmed the news while speaking with Profit. “I will take oath as minister of finance on Monday as I have already taken the oath of senatorship,” he said. Tarin was sworn in as a senator on Friday after he was elected on a vacant seat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) earlier on Monday. The oath was administered by Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani. According to the details, Tarin bagged 87 votes, while four votes were rejected and five lawmakers did not partake in the elections. It may be recalled that PTI’s Ayub Afridi had resigned from his seat in the Senate last month to pave way for finance chief’s election. On October 18, he was notified as Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue after his sixmonth constitutional tenure as the country’s finance minister expired on October 15 and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had failed to elect him a member of the lower or upper house of parliament. The government had appointed him federal finance minister on April 16, 2021, after removing Hammad Azhar from this slot. Shaukat Tarin is once again taking charge of the Finance
Ministry at a time when the government is in a tough situation to meet the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) conditions with regard to passing the finance supplementary and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) amendment bills through the parliament. It was imperative for Tarin to get elected as a senator as only lawmakers can present the budget in parliament. The federal government will present both bills in the National Assembly (NA) next week. In this regard, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance Muzammil Aslam on Thursday in a tweet confirmed that the 6th review will be presented to the IMF Board on January 12, 2022. Officials working on senior positions in the National Assembly told this scribe that the government can approve any bill through the parliament within three days if there
is some sort of urgency whereas the incumbent regime is bound to pass a bill within ninety days in normal situations. However, it is the parliamentarians’ prerogative to discuss bills that the federal government tabled after vetting them from the law ministry. Reportedly, the law ministry has vetted the Finance Supplementary Bill, 2021, whereas the Cabinet Committee on Legislative cases (CCLC), under the chair of the law minister, will review the SBP Amendment Bill, 2021, draft next week despite the fact that the government has reportedly completed its discussion with the lending organisation on this subject. It is pertinent to note that the government must pass the bills through parliament next week if it wants to meet the IMF’s conditions for getting the stalled $1 billion loan tranche.
newS
03
Moip, Most in tug of war over control of local auto industry standards ISLAMABAD GhulAm AbbAS
The Ministry of Industries and Production (MoIP) has sidelined the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) by tasking the Engineering Development Board (EDB) with developing standards for locally manufactured vehicles which has already been done by the Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) under MoST. According to details, this was done through the new auto policy (2021-26) recently approved by federal cabinet although the PSQCA, an arm of MoST, had developed the same last year. Sources said that the MoIP, ‘secretly’ got the Cabinet to approve the statement: The importer-cum-assembler or OEM shall comply with short listed WP-29 regulations as determined by EDB, whereas the Board shall also ensure compliance in this regard by sliding the clause into the Auto Industry Development and Export Policy (AIDEP 2021-26) without anyone’s knowledge. When contacted, Secretary MoST Dr Akhtar Nazir was found unaware of the development. He said since the ministry has already objected on giving the mandate of quality check to EDB, the MoIP should not have included the same in the auto policy. “We would take up the issue at relevant forum,” he said, adding that maintaining quality standards is the mandate of PSQCA according to the law. It seems that the Minister of MoST Senator Shibli Faraz overlooked the document or did not notice the matter when the auto policy was discussed in the Cabinet. Reportedly, the two ministries were bickering over the issue as both EDB and local auto companies were reluctant to accept the PSQCA’s role in maintaining quality standards. The Ministry of Science and Technology is of the opinion that PSQCA, being the country’s only regulatory body of maintaining standards of locally manufactured goods, should look into the quality issues of the auto industry which continues to operate without regulatory supervision despite criticism by customers about low quality vehicles. The ministry looks to ensure that the vehicles being manufactured in the country meet global standards as Pakistan has adopted the international safety standard regulations. Pakistan has ratified the United Nations treaty on “Adoption of harmonised technical nations regulations for wheeled vehicles, equipment and parts which can be fitted and/or used on wheeled vehicles and the conditions for reciprocal recognition of approvals granted on the basis of these un regulations, adopted at Geneva on 20 March 1958”. The agreement was entered into force for Pakistan on April 24, 2020. The new auto policy states that vehicles that are not compliant with shortlisted WP-29 regulations will not be locally manufactured or imported after June 30, 2022. However, manufacturers may get total waiver of up to a total of 24 months ending on June 30, 2024, from the EDB, if they show reasonable progress in compliance with UNECE regulations or face any practical difficulty. “The MoIP, on EDB’s recommendation, shall grant a one year relaxation in case of difficulty in compliance,” they said. According to documents available with this scribe, MoSt, through its objection to EDB’s role as a standard body, has made it clear that the policy is in conflict with the functions of PSQCA. It said that EDB is not a regulatory authority and PSQCA is already notified as an authority for the implementation of regulations under PSQCA Act-VI of 1996. MoST, while referring to some sections of the auto policy, has requested the authorities to delete sections related to the contradictory role of EDB from the policy as the PSQCA is already an established regulatory body in the country.
Saturday, 25 December, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
04 NEWS
HouSing loanS facility to HElp low-incomE pEoplE, booSt Economy: pm IsLAMABAD
p
APP
RIME Minister Imran Khan Friday said the government’s scheme of subsidised loans for house construction would not only help the low-income people to own a house but also boost the national economy through enhanced construction activity. The prime minister, while addressing an event marking the approval of over Rs100 billion loans by private banks under “Mera Pakistan Mera Ghar Scheme”, said the previous governments never thought of extending such a facility to the common man. “This is a great moment for Pakistan because we are heading on the path which we should have opted way earlier,” the prime
minister said. Appreciating the Finance Advisor Shaukat Tarin, State Bank Governor Reza Baqir and Naya Pakistan Housing Chairman Lt Gen (r) Anwar Ali Hyder for their efforts, the prime minister particularly lauded the banks for mending their attitude towards the common man, who otherwise used to consider himself an alien in a westernised atmosphere of the banks. He said the salaried class never had the resources to buy a house but no one ever thought to find out the ways to support them to have the facility. Recalling his interactions with the overseas Pakistanis during his cricketing career, Imran Khan said they spent years away from their families with the greatest desire of making money to build a house back in Pak-
Senate approves resolution condemning Sialkot lynching News Desk A resolution condemning the killing of Sri Lankan citizen Priyantha Kumara was tabled and unanimously approved in Senate on Friday. Earlier this month, a mob in Sialkot had tortured Kumara, who was employed as an exports manager at a factory, to death and burnt his body. The resolution mentioned that religion has no link with such kind of brutal acts and demanded to take action against those involved in the incident. “The unfortunate incident of this gruesome brutality reflects the mindset of extremist elements that exist in our society, which has not only tarnished the peaceful image of Pakistan but also Islam,” it read. Condolences were also extended to the bereaved family of Kumara and the people of Sri Lanka in the resolution. “The House expresses its deepest sympathies with the bereaved family of Priyantha Kumara,” the resolution added. “The House also echoes the grief and sorrow felt and expressed at the national level over this brutal and shameful incident by the people of Pakistan across the board including political leadership and Islamic scholars.” “The government should take immediate administrative, legal and awareness measures for eradication and countering of violent tendencies in the society,” the resolution urged.
Extremists have torn state’s writ into pieces, Rabbani tells Senate IsLAMABAD INP
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader and Senator Raza Rabbani has said that the extremists have torn the state’s writ into pieces, warning that Sialkot lynchinglike cases would continue if the root cause of the problem is not uprooted. Speaking at the Senate session on Friday, he said: “Extremists groups are established in the country and running their own courts in public.” Rabbani asked the government to divulge the conditions on which the state had brokered a ceasefire agreement with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He also questioned the government’s haste to extend support to the Afghan Taliban, when the latter do “not even recognise the border”. He asked the foreign minister to take the parliament into confidence about a recent incident, in which the new rulers in Afghanistan reportedly barred Pakistan’s security forces from fencing the border.
istan. He told the gathering that contrary to Pakistan, it is very easy for the salaried class in the West to buy a house through mortgage finance with a very low and easily affordable interest rate. He said the elite-centric decision-making is the real problem in Pakistan. Only rich people used to avail banks loans and English medium education for their children. The prime minister said the elitist mindset has greatly hurt the country as previous governments never formulated inclusive policies. He said the incumbent government is not only extending housing loan facilities to the low-income people but has also introduced single national curriculum to provide equal quality education to their children. Earlier, the prime minister also distrib-
uted home keys among the beneficiaries of the loan scheme as well as shields among three private banks, who showed impressive performance during the process. Finance Advisor Shaukat Tarin spoke high for the prime minister’s relentless efforts. He said in the past, the banks never extended such loans to the low-income group. Hyder appreciated the approval and disbursement rate of the housing loans. He said six months ago, there was no concept of providing housing loans to the low-income group as no one ever paid attention to the segment. He also appreciated the SBP and private banks for facilitating the common man by easing the form and loan approval process, adding that now the microfinance banks could also participate in the programme.
Baqir told the gathering that loans worth Rs109 billion have been approved while the banks have received applications, requesting loans worth Rs260 billion. He said the banks have so far disbursed Rs32 billion in terms of housing loans among the applicants. He said on average, the banks are approving Rs4.2 billion and disbursing Rs1.7 billion a week.
Pakistan, Afghan govts must institutionally coordinate to counter terrorism, says ambassador News Desk Pakistan’s envoy to Afghanistan Mansoor Ahmad Khan has urged the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan to focus on the need for institutional coordination between the countries, and stressed that relevant institutions should tackle any security issues that may arise, bilaterally. “We are in full contact with the Afghan government and we want both countries to independently interact with each other on issues related to counter-terrorism,” Khan stated on Thursday. With regards to the TTP, Khan reiterated that the Afghan government had assured that no group would be allowed to use Afghan soil. “At the same time, they have also advised Pakistan to move towards reconciliation and negotiations. Negotiations were also held and now there are some problems but we are hopeful that the government will carefully move forward,” he added. Khan further spoke about the resolution passed by the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers which called on the Taliban government to take measures against the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), East Turkistan Islamic Movement, Al Qaeda and Daesh, by stating that counter-terrorism was one of the important elements in the resolution. “We think that the Afghan government is taking serious steps against Daesh.”
The ambassador said the new government had publicly committed that it would not allow the TTP or other groups to operate against Pakistan, adding that Islamabad had started a negotiations process to move towards a peaceful solution to the problem. “The Pakistani government is determined to take steps to achieve the goal.” When asked whether Pakistan had raised the issue of growing TTP attacks in the country with the Taliban government, he said the groups with anti-Pakistan agenda had established sanctuaries along Pakistan’s border. “They receive support from intelligence agencies of the former governments and we have also seen an Indian influence there,” he revealed. To a question about the status of the Afghanistan foreign minister’s participation in the OIC especially when the new government is not yet recognised, Khan acknowledged there were issues of legality about the government in Afghanistan “that will be solved at a later stage like the issue of the Afghan seat at the United Nations and also the OIC membership”. He underlined, however, that the engagement [with the government in Kabul] was necessary as they were in power. “They control the whole territory of Afghanistan and the entire Afghan population is dependent on the Taliban government,” he said. He added that the invitation to the Taliban government for participation in the OIC session was taken by
the management of the organisation, ambassador Khan said. The envoy also spoke about former Afghan president Hamid Karzai’s statement about Prime Minister Imran Khan’s speech at the OIC Foreign Ministers conference by calling it “unfortunate” He further said that Pakistan had taken a constructive initiative to avert a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and there was a lack of coordination between the neighbouring country and the international community. It is pertinent to note that, earlier Karzai, in a tweet, had rebuked Prime Minister Imran Khan for attributing the prevalent situation in the war-torn country to years of “corruption” by previous governments. He had also said Pakistan should avoid speaking on behalf of Afghanistan in international forums but it should work towards creating positive and civilised relations between the two countries. “Many Islamic countries supported Pakistan’s initiative. Now the international community is acting to address the situation in Afghanistan. This is not a time for criticism for the sake of criticism,” the ambassador stressed. He recalled that the international community had also called for inclusivity, counter-terrorism, human and women rights, which was aimed at bringing durable peace and stability in Afghanistan. “Calling such appeals as interference is not appropriate,” he concluded.
ECP reserves verdict on Faisal Vawda’s disqualification case News Desk The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday reserved its verdict on PTI Senator Faisal Vawda’s case, where petitions called for his disqualification because of concealment of his dual nationality. It is pertinent to note that in January 2020, Vawda was a dual national at the time of filing his nomination papers to the ECP to contest the 2018 general elections. As per the details, Vawda submitted his nomination papers on June 11, 2018, which were approved by the election body a week later on June 18. However, the PTI MNA applied for the renunciation of his nationality with the US consulate at Karachi four days after the fact on June 22, 2018. The petitions against Vawda were filed by Qadir
CMYK
Khan Mandokhel, Mian Faisal and Mian Asif Mehmood in the ECP on January 21, 2020, calling for Vawda’s disqualification. Later in 2020, a citizen, Dost Ali, also filed a similar petition against Vawda, calling for his disqualification. The petition stated that when Vawda filed his nomination papers for contesting elections, he was a US citizen as well. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja headed the three-member bench, comprising Shah Muhammad Jatoi and Nisar Ahmed Durrani that heard the case. Vawda’s counsel, Barrister Moeed submitted the senator’s birth certificate in the ECP, claiming that Vawda was born in California and was an American citizen by birth. “Faisal Wawda had his foreign passport cancelled before submitting his nomination papers,” he said, adding that the senator had not concealed this fact. The CEC pondered if the passport’s cancellation amounted to the elimination of citizenship as well, when Durrani questioned him regarding the date of the passport’s cancellation. As a response, the lawyer said it was written in the returning officer’s (RO) order that the foreign passport was cancelled. Mandokhel in this regard stated that today was the 23rd hearing in the ECP which had been seeking answers for the last 1.5 years but had not received any. “The RO gave a wrong order on dual citizenship in the 2018 [general] election. The RO rejected my [nomination] papers instead of rejecting Faisal Vawda’s,” Mandokhel stated. Jatoi asked him if he had challenged the decision in any verdict and asked him to satisfy the bench on taking the matter up directly in the ECP. The CEC remarked that Mandokhel had said at the last hearing that arguments were complete but now he was mentioning new things. Vawda’s counsel argued that Vawda had obtained a normal identity card from the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) prior to the general elections 2018.
“His Nicop (National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis) being cancelled and Nadra’s confirmation prove that he was not an American citizen,” he said. To which, the CEC questioned whether Nadra was authorised to verify whether anyone was a foreign citizen or not. The lawyer responded that Nadra only issued identity cards after verification with the Intelligence Bureau. Vawda also said that there was no dual citizenship holder who had a normal identity card, adding that such an individual would not even be able to open a bank account. Vawda added that as an MNA candidate he was not well informed about the law. “I am being dragged for no reason, the opponents did not go to any tribunal,” he said. Vawda’s counsel further argued that “if Faisal Vawda is no longer even an MNA, then how can there be disqualification on this petition?” while adding that “Qadir Mandokhel deliberately approached the wrong forum to conduct a media trial” The ECP dismissed Mehmood’s petition on grounds of non-compliance and reserved its verdict on the other three petitions. Earlier, a report revealed the Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf (PTI) leader may have committed perjury by falsely declaring in an oath, submitted at the time of filing his nomination papers in June 2018, that he did not hold any foreign nationality while he was in possession of a United States passport. The minister remained a US national even when the scrutiny of his nomination papers was completed. He resigned from his National Assembly seat in March hours before he was elected to the Upper House. The Supreme Court had ruled that candidates holding dual nationality are to submit a renunciation certificate of the foreign nationality along with their nomination papers. In March, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) held that prima facie the oath, or affidavit, submitted by the senator regarding his US nationality in 2018 was “false”.
Saturday, 25 December, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
PM hAils PuTin’s rEMArks AgAinsT islAMoPhobiA P RIME Minister Imran Khan has welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks against Islamophobia, saying that the latter’s statement reaffirmed his stance that “insulting our Holy Prophet (PBUH) is not freedom of expression”. “I welcome President Putin’s statement which reaffirms my message that insulting our Holy Prophet (PBUH) is not freedom of expression. We Muslims,
especially Muslim leaders, must spread this message to leaders of the non-Muslim world to counter Islamophobia,” the prime minister tweeted. Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that disrespecting Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) does not count as the “expression of artistic freedom”. Blasphemy of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is a “violation of religious freedom and the violation of the sacred feel-
ECP vows to resist ‘all pressure tactics’ on EVMs continued from page 01 The minister said that the poll supervisory body should issue an international tender for the procurement of the electronic machines as soon as possible, and asked the ECP to specify which type of machine was needed. While cautioning against “difficulties” that would ensue if considerable time was elapsed due to negligence, the minister warned that the body will have to answer for it. “The ECP should prove practically that it was not using delaying tactics,” he said and regretted that more than a month has already passed since the legislation. He said that the commission should provide equal opportunities to the companies regarding EVMs and issue tenders to those who meet international standards. A day earlier, the commission had granted its committees on EVMs 10 more days to “improve their recommendations”. The three committees constituted last month presented their reports to the electoral body. “The commission made certain observations and also gave few directions in this regard. The committees requested some more time to finalise their reports. The commission granted the request and gave 10 more days to further improve their recommendations,” the electoral body said.
Tarin to take oath as federal finance minister on Monday ISLAMABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Senator Shaukat Tarin will take oath as Federal Finance minister on Monday. Tarin confirmed the news while speaking with Profit. “I will take oath as minister of finance on Monday as I have already taken the oath of senatorship,” he said. Tarin was sworn in as a senator on Friday after he was elected on a vacant seat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) earlier on Monday. The oath was administered by Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani. According to the details, Tarin bagged 87 votes, while four votes were rejected and five lawmakers did not partake in the elections. It may be recalled that PTI’s Ayub Afridi had resigned from his seat in the Senate last month to pave way for finance chief’s election. On October 18, he was notified as Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue after his six-month constitutional tenure as the country’s finance minister expired on October 15 and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had failed to elect him a member of the lower or upper house of parliament. The government had appointed him federal finance minister on April 16, 2021, after removing Hammad Azhar from this slot. Shaukat Tarin is once again taking charge of the Finance Ministry at a time when the government is in a tough situation to meet the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) conditions with regard to passing the finance supplementary and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) amendment bills through the parliament. Shahzad paRacha
ings of people who profess Islam,” he said while addressing his annual news conference on Thursday. Putin said these acts give rise to extremist reprisals, citing as an example the attack on the editorial office of Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris after it published blasphemous sketches of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), Russia’s TASS news agency reported. Putin also criticised posting photos of Nazis on websites such as the one titled
the Immortal Regiment and dedicated to Russians who died in World War II. While praising artistic freedom in general, Putin said it has its limits and it shouldn’t infringe on other freedoms. Russia has evolved as a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional state, so Russians, he said, are used to respecting each other’s traditions. “In some other countries, this respect comes in short supply,” he remarked. tLtp
Dr Alvi for conceptualising national response against threats, challenges faced by Pakistan iSLamaBad Staff coRReSpoNdeNt
President Dr Arif Alvi Friday urged graduates of National Security Course 2022 to do all what it takes to conceptualise the national response against the threats and challenges faced by the Nation. Addressing the participants of Graduation Ceremony for National Security Course 2022 held here at National Defence University, Islamabad, Dr Alvi said that the graduates, having been equipped with requisite skills to handle intricate and complex professional mat-
ters concerning national security, must do all what it takes to conceptualise the national response against the threats and challenges faced by the Nation. Federal Ministers, Senators, Senior serving and retired Military Officers were also present on the occasion. Dr Alvi, who was the Chief Guest at the ceremony, also congratulated the graduates on their achievements. The Graduation Ceremony, marked the culmination of ‘National Security Course’ which had commenced on 16 August 2021 and was attended by participants from Civil
Services of Pakistan, along with members from the Armed Forces. The main focus of this course was to enable the course members to comprehend the interplay of all elements of national power in the construct of ‘Comprehensive National Security’. The Chief Guest appreciated the contributions of National Defence University in refining and defining skills of the participants on national security concepts and enabling national policy makers to acquire a better understanding of issues concerning national security of Pakistan.
Another 63 day OMO injection by SBP KaracHi aRiba Shahid
The State Bank Of Pakistan (SBP) is conducting a Reverse Repo Purchase injection of the usual 7 day tenor and the 63 day tenor, for the second time with a maturity date of February 25, 2022. “SBP has done another OMO to manage liquidity of the market. The longer tenor is expected to give confidence to the market,” says Samiullah Tariq, Head of Research at Pak Kuwait Investment Company. “The continuation of the 63 day OMO further strengthens SBP’s stance on stable policy rate in January 2022 policy,” says Fahad Rauf, Head of Research at Ismail Iqbal Securities. “Forward guidance is just guidance, and this (OMO injection), on the other hand, is a concrete step,” says Rauf. OMO ReSuLt: For the 7 day injection, 24 quotes were offered between 9.99-9.82%. As for the 63 day injection, 19 quotes were offered between 10 – 9.5%. Rs701,000 million was offered through the 7 day injection. All 24 quotes were accepted at a 9.82% rate. On the other hand, Rs456,750 million was offered through the 63 day injection. 16 quotes were ac-
cepted through which Rs381,750 million was accepted at 9.85%. There is no change in the rate accepted for the 7 month tenor compared to the last injection, whereas, the rate accepted for the 63 day tenor is down by 5 bps. Cumulatively, the SBP offered Rs1,157,750 million and accepted quotes for Rs1,082,750 million. MARket AnALySIS Of InjectIOnS: The market is seeing this in different ways. “This would signal to the market that SBP is willing to accept a fixed return for 2 months, which means policy rates would remain unchanged in the near term,” says Rauf. Essentially, this move just cements the markets belief that the January MPC decision will be status quo to stabilize the market. The question remains, what happens afterward. Another way to look at this is to see this as a liquidity injection to banks so that they can lend it back to the government later while also bringing down yields. This draws semblance to the SBP buying bonds in the secondary market to bring down cost of funds for the Government and limiting banks to charge abnormal spreads. You could also say this isn’t really the SBP striking back, instead it’s the SBP falling to the whims of the market. Essentially the equiva-
lent of saying “please take our money and lend it back to us, but hey, hold back on the yields, will you?” However, with secondary yields coming down following the OMO, one could say the SBPs move did work. Despite that, one can’t really ignore the fact that the market didn’t really believe the SBP until the SBP actually put their money where their mouth is. ReLAtIveLy yOung HIStORIcAL cOntext: As per data available from 2008, this is the largest maturity cycle for an OMO. The previous high was 17 days in August 2011. This is relatively a fraction of 63 days which was injected on 17 December 2021, and again today, 24 December 2021. On December 17, the SBP introduced a 63 day OMO injection in addition to the usual 7 day injection. The amount offered was Rs1,086 billion in 7-days and Rs735 billion in 63 days. Through this injection, the SBP accepted quotes Rs1,086 billion at 9.82% in 7 days tenor, and Rs689 billion at 9.9% in 63 days. All of the 7 day target was met but not entirely for 63 day tenor because the rate that was bid on was lower than what the SBP may have wanted to inject liquidity. The cut off was 9.9%.
Two soldiers martyred in attack near Balochistan’s Kech Two soldiers were martyred during an exchange of fire with terrorists on Friday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) revealed in a statement. As per the statement, a group of terrorists targeted a security forces’ checkpost in District Kech, Balochistan. The ISPR further revealed that during an exchange of fire, Lance Naik Manzar Abbas, resident of District Khushab, and Sepoy
Abdul Fath, resident of Khuzdar, embraced martyrdom. “Security Forces are determined to defeat such acts of inimical elements, aimed at disrupting peace, stability and progress of Balochistan,” the ISPR said. A follow-up operation is currently underway in the area to search fleeing terrorists, the military’s media wing added. It is pertinent to note that last month, two
security forces personnel were martyred during an engagement with a group of ‘externally sponsored terrorists’ after their checkpost was fired upon in the general area Tump, Balochistan, the ISPR said. “To prevent the move of these terrorists into built-up areas, security forces responded with all available weapons, in which terrorists suffered heavy losses,” the military’s media wing added.
cmYK
NEWS
05
Pakistan, Afghanistan to resolve border fencing issue mutually Pakistan and Afghanistan have mutually agreed to resolve the issue of border fencing through talks after Taliban soldiers last week tried to disrupt the fencing, a senior Pakistani official revealed on Friday. A local intelligence chief of the Taliban tried to remove the fence and it was not a decision approved by the Taliban leadership, revealed the official. After the incident, Pakistan and the Taliban agreed to resolve the issue by reaching mutual consensus. “Both sides have reached an understanding not to escalate the situation,” the official said, adding that there were some issues of alignments about the border fencing and the two sides would resolve this mutually. The official added that “Afghan side was requested to coordinate border alignment before fixing the fence” The official also disclosed that acting Afghan defence minister Mullah Yaqub, who is also a son of Taliban co-founder Mullah Muhammad Omar, visited the troubled region and directed local Taliban commanders not to take such measures in the future. It is pertinent to note that the incident took place a day before Pakistan was to host an extraordinary conference of the foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Afghanistan’s humanitarian situation. The Afghan acting foreign minister also attended the daylong meeting, which agreed to set up a trust fund to help Afghanistan prevent the humanitarian catastrophe. A video circulated on social media showed Taliban soldiers had seized spools of barbed wire and one senior official warning Pakistani soldiers stationed in security posts in the distance not to try to fence the border again. Afghan defence ministry spokesman Enayatullah Khwarazmi said Taliban forces stopped the Pakistani military from erecting an “illegal” border fence along the eastern province of Nangarhar on Sunday. He played down the incident, saying everything was now normal. Pakistan did not officially react to the development. The fencing of the 2,600-kilometre long and rugged border has remained one of the contentious issues between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The previous administration in Kabul also objected to the fencing of the border and even the Afghan side tried to stop Pakistan from erecting a fence. Pakistan, however, went ahead with the fencing and as per officials, 90 per cent of the border with Pakistan is now fenced. The fencing is part of the border mechanism Pakistan has been working on for years in order to not just regulate the movement of people but also deny terrorists on both sides to shuttle between the two borders easily. NewS deSk
Tax collection from sugar sector increases 11pc in 6MFY22 ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has collected Rs32.43 billion in taxes from the sugar sector in the first six months of current financial year against Rs29.30 billion collected in the same period last year, achieving a growth of 11 per cent. The tax department said that this growth is due to the successful implementation of the track and trace system (TTS). This encouraging outcome of the sugar sector’s digital monitoring shows that TTS is contributing significantly to the prevention of revenue loss and resulting in increased revenue collection, the FBR said in a statement on Friday. FBR had moved to implement the track and trace system in the sugar sector in order to digitally monitor the production of entire industry before crushing season. In this regard, site surveys and factory visits were carried out in September, and TriPartite Agreements (TPAs) were signed with all 79 operational sugar mills of Punjab, Sindh and KP in October. The installation process of TTS equipment was undertaken in October and November wherein all of the country’s sugar mills were delivered applicators along with tax stamps to be fixed on each sugar bag. FBR had notified that no bag will be allowed to be taken out from a production site or manufacturing facility without a tax stamp and Unique Identification Marking (UIM). The TTS was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan on November 23. In order to ensure enforcement of movement of sugar bags with tax stamps, Inland Revenue Enforcement Network (IREN) was entrusted with the task to combat tax evasion in the sugar sector. Staff RepoRt
06-07 Comments - 25th December 2021_Layout 1 12/24/2021 11:16 PM Page 1
Saturday, 25 December, 2021
06 COMMENT
General category reservation in India
Whistling in the wind in Punjab
Myth and Reality
Imran Khan and LG elections
A
FTER announcing that he would personally prepare the strategy for the next phase of local body elections in KP, Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken the responsibility to provide the PTI guidelines to fight Punjab elections also. This makes the PM vulnerable as he would be directly held responsible for any possible electoral disaster. While his meetings in Lahore would mount pressure on the PTI’s provincial leadership to pull its act together and on the bureaucracy to deliver, Mr Khan knows he possesses no Aladdin’s lamp to get the results of his choice. Is the announcement only meant to raise the sagging morale of the party’s leaders who are aware of the gravity of the challenge they face? KP was lost because of resentment among the masses over rising prices and unemployment. After contending for a long time that rising prices were not due to PTI’s policies but a worldwide phenomenon and that Pakistan was the least costly country in the region and finding few buyers for the explanations, Mr Khan has finally conceded that inflation is the biggest problem but has no urgent solution. To allay the electorate’s anxieties, Mr Khan ordered speedy distribution of Sehat Cards in Punjab. People complaining of fast decreasing purchasing power and loss of jobs are not likely to be attracted by the promise of free treatment in a hospital. The PTI faces a formidable challenge in Punjab where in the recent bye-elections the PML(n) won all the national and Provincial seats except one. The perception of the establishment having become neutral has made the PML(n) leadership smell blood and it is likely to go for the kill, using all the resources at its disposal. The provincial PTI on the other hand suffers from factionalism as indicated by CM Usman Buzdar’s cancellation of the Punjab Overseas Convention due to rivalry with Governor Muhammad Sarwar. The PTI’s allies, who wait for opportunities of the sort, are likely to put up new demands to strengthen their political position. With PTI still at a loss over how to get results of their liking in the largest province of the country, the situation has led many to wonder if Punjab local body elections would really be held in March as announced earlier.
Dr rajkumar Singh
I
n January 2019, the Union Council of India approved 10 percent reservation in government jobs and educational institutions for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in the General category. It was placed in the Lok Sabha on 8 January as The Constitution One Hundred and Three Amendment Bill, 2019 and having passed the same day got passed by the Rajya Sabha, the next day (9 January). The President gave assent to the bill on 12 January and with the release of a gazette, it turned into law, coming to force from 14 January 2019. It amended article 15 (6) and 16 (6) of the Constitution of India to allow 10 percent reservations to the EWS category. While clarifying the meaning of various terms, the definition of family in EWS means’ the person who seeks the benefit of reservation, his/her parents and siblings below the age of 18 years and must qualify the other conditions which include; a. annual income of the family must be less than Rs. 8 lakhs, b. their family must not own more than five acres of agriculture land, c. the residential flat area should be below 1000 square feet, d. the residential plot’s area should be below 100 square yards if in a notified municipality sector, and e. residential plot’s area should be below 200 square yards if in a non-notified municipality sector. Under it, State governments are given authority to change the eligibility criteria and also to extend the income limit further for candidates seeking reservations under EWS category which will be valid only in state-owned colleges and state government’s jobs as deemed fit for the respective states. The forward caste in Indian society and politics referred to as general category, general class and open category and was normally used to denote castes whose members are on average ahead of other Indians economically and socially and as per an estimate of national Sample Survey Organisation of 55th round (1999-2000) and 61st (2004-2005) it accounts for
Mini Budget looming Getting the measure through cannot be ducked
T
HE moment of truth is upon the government, but at just the wrong time. The last time the government faced votes in the national Assembly, it was defeated, though that might be more because of poor whipping than because it had irretrievably lost its majority. However, it was only able to face Parliament in the shape of a joint session, and even then it is said that pressure tactics were used PTI legislators to make them stay on the straight and narrow. The Mini Budget, which consists of a Finance Bill removing exemptions from the Sales Tax, is the prior action demanded by the IMF, before it considers Pakistan’s request for the next tranche of its EFF. As it is a Finance Bill, it will not go the Senate and only needs passage by the national Assembly before it goes to the President for assent. That the government seems hesitant about it, with the Cabinet not having approved, thus ensuring that it was not on the agenda or the ongoing winter session of Parliament, indicates that the government has insecurities about its majority. If it does, it would be right, for the legislation is going to add to the problems of the government. The KP local body polls have shown how the electorate views the economy, local body polls are coming in Punjab and even general elections are not too far away. Whether adding to the price hike is a wise step in an era when global inflation is driving up all prices makes electoral sense or not, it is not as if the government has a choice. It has to face the IMF next month, and it can only hope that inflation will have come down deeply enough and for long enough, to make a difference to the electorate at election time. The Punjab Local body polls are too soon for anything the government does about inflation to make any difference. The PTI will have to make do with whatever benefit it gets from the Sehat Card rollout, not that the scheme availed for much in KP The Mini Budget will be inflationary, hitting the common man hard. The PTI can do nothing but take the hit, and move on.
A train journey remembered
general mirza aSlam Beg
I
n my school days, I was fascinated by the account of the Tibetan plateau formed by the two great mountain ranges– the Himalayas in the south and the Kunfun mountains in the north. The plateau has an average height of 12,000 to 16000 feet above the sea level, and is rightly called the Roof of the World. I could never imagine that one day, I would be fortunate enough to travel across it on an air conditioned comfortable train. That day came, when FRIEnDS received the invitation from Chinese Peoples Association for Peace and Development, (CPAPD) to visit China. We requested a visit to Tibet and travel on the newly built Qinghai-Tibet railway. Our request was granted. Thus, leading a five member delegation I reached Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, on 8 August 2006. Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, is located at a height of 12,000 feet above sea level and is the centre of Tibetan
Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor
Yousaf Nizami M. A. Niazi
Umar Aziz
Joint Editor
Joint Editor
Executive Editor
Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965
and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra, Punjab, and West Bengal where the population of OBCs is below 27 percent while on the other are Assam, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, which have more than 50 percent forward population. According to a gazette notification, the 10 percent reservation for general category came into force on 14 January 2019 and it was conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Constitution which allows states to make special provision for the advancement of any economically weaker sections of citizens. In India the Economically Weaker Section (EWS), is a subcategory of people belonging to the economy-based unreserved category having an annual family income less than 8 lakhs and who don’t belong to any category such as SCs/STs/OBCs central list. The new special provisions made in Articles 15 and 16 enabled forward castes admission to educational institutions, including private educational institutions, whether aided or unaided by the state, other than the minority educational institutions. It also said that it would be in addition to the existing reservations and subject to a maximum of 10 percent of the total seats in each category. The whole exercise of the work was done keeping in view the objective of the directive principles of state policy as contained in Article 46 of the Constitution which enjoins that the State shall promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, and in particular, of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes and shall protect them from social injustices and all forms of exploitation, as now the amended Article 16 states,’ nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making any provision for the reservation of appointments or posts in favour of any economically weaker sections of citizens other than the classes mentioned in clause (4), in addition to the existing reservation.
The whole exercise of the work was done keeping in view the objective of the directive principles of state policy as contained in Article 46 of the Constitution which enjoins that the State shall promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, and in particular, of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes and shall protect them from social injustices and all forms of exploitation
The writer is head of the political science department and dean of the Social Sciences faculty of the B.N.Mandal University, Madhepura, Bihar, India. He can be reached at rajkumarsinghpg@gmail.com
The Eighth Wonder of the World
Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami
Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad
about 28.8% of the Indian population. Before 2019, forward castes were only allowed to compete for seats in the unreserved category in educational institutions and central government jobs, irrespective of their educational/economic status in society, while their significant percentage lived below poverty line, and more than 30 percent of the members are still illiterate. On behalf of this community, many political parties like Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), Samajwadi Party, Lok Jan Shakti Party, Rastriya Janata Dal, Communist Party of India (Marxist), and Bahujan Samaj Party have raised support for providing separate reservation for the poor of the forward community. In the context the first initiation was taken in 1991 by the Congress government headed by P. V. narasimha Rao, but then the idea was dropped in the light of a ruling given by the Supreme Court of India who ruled that separate reservation for the poor among forward castes is invalid. In a further step the BJP government in 2003 appointed a group of ministers for suggesting measures for implementation of separate reservation, followed by setting up of a task force in 2004 to determine the modalities, and the same year the UPA promised in its election manifesto to give quota for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), and as a follow-up the Congress government appointed commission to study separate reservation for economically poor among backward class. In India, Tamil nadu is the single state where the condition of forward castes is very poor and they also are represented in government jobs and educational institutions minimally in comparison to their total population in the state. According to an estimate conducted in 2004-2005, against 13 percent of their population they secured around 1.9 percent of seats in medical colleges in 2004 and 2.68 percent seats in 2005, and this trend had been continuing for the last 10 years. Almost the same situation prevailed in other south Indian States like Karnataka and Kerala but the Communist government of Kerala had earmarked 12 percent seats in private medical colleges for the economically poor among forward castes. This alike, we don’t find any similarity among number of OBCs and Forward population in states and there are many, such as Jammu
I
Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9
I
Buddhism, with ancient buildings, temples and palaces. The melting snow from the mountains forms into a large wetland, from where the River Brahmaputra originates. China needs this water to irrigate large tracts of land, and if they divert it, the Brahmaputra river will turn dry. Lhasa has gone under extensive development, expanding, both horizontally and vertically. We stayed there for three days visiting various places, such as Jokhang Temple, Potala Palace and norbulingka complex. Jokhang Temple is the spiritual Centre of Buddhism, built in 647 AD, by the Hans. Potala Palace is located in the heart of Lhasa. It remained the residence of their spiritual leaders till 1959, when the Dalai Lama shifted to India. now it has been converted into a national museum and is a renowned tourist resort. norbulingka is an impressive and complex building surrounded by beautiful parks and gardens. The railway built across the Tibetan Plateau, is a marvel of engineering. It took several years to build it by 1984 and over two more decades to declare it open on 1 July 2006. We arrived on 8 August 2006. Our delegation was the first allowed to travel on this route. Our memorable train journey thus started on the fourth day at 9 A. M. The train was fully air conditioned, equipped with an oxygen lifeline, television sets and dining car, just like our Tezgam Express of the 1960s. The Qinghai-Tibet Railways is a great engineering feat, running zigzag on tracks carved out of mountains through tunnels as high as 16000 feet, built through ice and frozen rocks, negotiating very dangerous turns. At times, the train passes through valleys, where the parallel road and the river present
Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545
a beautiful sight. The train continuously ascends to greater height, of over 16,000 feet where it halts, at Tanggula railway station (16,627 feet) allowing the passengers to enjoy the dizzy heights and the freezing winds. As night falls, the train starts descending, and as morning dawns, having travelled a distance of about 1950 kilometers, covered in about 23 hours, it reaches the city of Xining at 7000 feet, which is the capital city of Qinghai Province. It has a population of about ten million, with 50 percent Muslims. The city is a garrison for thousands of troops and police to maintain order in the far-off Chinese western region. Close to the railway station of Xining, there is a large freshwater lake shimmering, under the rising sun. We went straight to the lakeside restaurant where the staff welcomed us with the salutation: Assalam-oAlaikum. We were served breakfast, with fish from the lake which was as delicious as our trout fish of river Indus. The population all along the route is thin and waiting for life to appear in full bloom with development and exploitation of the resources, with Chinese ingenuity and their untiring and daunting courage. The next day we left Xining and reached Beijing. The entire journey was a dream come true, adventurous and eventful. no doubt Pak-China friendship is equally, strong, and stable as the Qinghai-Tibet Railways Project, which can rightly be called the Eighth Wonder of the World.
The next day we left Xining and reached Beijing. The entire journey was a dream come true, adventurous and eventful. No doubt Pak-China friendship is equally, strong, and stable as the Qinghai-Tibet Railways Project
I
Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk
I
The writer is a former COAS and can be reached at friendscolumn@hotmail.com
Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk
06-07 Comments - 25th December 2021_Layout 1 12/24/2021 11:16 PM Page 2
Saturday, 25 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
Helen of Troy
A historic OIC moot The moot also showed that Pakistan is not diplomatically isolated
muhammaD zahiD rifat
I
T was certainly a historic moot of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which was held in Islamabad last Sunday (December 19) at the initiative of Saudi Arabia and enthusiastically hosted by Pakistan, which dilated at some length on different humanitarian, financial and health related problems and issues concerning the people of Afghanistan- and it also took some appropriate decisions after day-long deliberations. The OIC member states through their Foreign Ministers also expressed solidarity with the people of Afghanistan, reiterating their commitment of helping in bringing much wanted peace, security, stability and development of their country. The 17th Extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers quite expectedly and appreciably vowed to play a leading role in delivery of humanitarian assistance on emergency basis to the Afghan people who have suffered of 40 years of civil war, and accordingly unanimously agreed to establish a Humanitarian Trust Fund, launch an Afghanistan Food Security Programme as well as engage with the World Health Organization (WHO) for securing vaccines and medical supplies in view of the consistent prevalence of the covpd-19 pandemic. The unanimously adopted Joint Resolution, which is also called the Islamabad Declaration, has indeed brought a glimmer of hope for the 22.8 million, more than half the population of Afghanistan, who are facing acute food shortage while the large number of 3.2 million children and about 700,000 pregnant and lactating women who are facing grave risk of acute malnutrition and even death. The extraordinary meeting was convened after the United nations’ concerned agencies had warned that as many as 60 percent of Afghanistan’s 38 million people were facing a crisis level of hunger, and the situation was getting worse with every passing day in the face of winter season setting in and further aggravating the situation and further worsening the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Imran Khan in his keynote address strongly warned that unless action was taken immediately Afghanistan was heading towards chaos which needless to say suited none. He also exhorted the world to understand the gravity of the situation, and reach out to the Afghan people
who were at the verge of starvation. Availing the opportunity of presence of Islamic countries representatives, PM Imran Khan emphatically reminded them that not only the people of Afghanistan but also the suppressed and oppressed people of Indian-Occupied Kashmir and Palestine were also looking towards them as they were being denied the right of selfdetermination for decades together and the international community continued to be ignorant and in deep slumber. The moot also expressed deep concern over the breakdown of the health system, outbreaks of diseases and severe malnutrition in Afghanistan, particularly in the face of the covid-19 pandemic and decided to establish a Humanitarian Trust Fund under the aegis of the Islamic Development Bank which would serve as a vehicle for channellizing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. As per decisions of the moot, the OIC General Secretariat together with the Islamic Development Bank and Humanitarian Trust Fund will initiate discussions with the Un system organizations to device a road map for mobilizing actions relevant to unlocking the financial and banking channels for resuming liquidity and opening the doors for flow of financial and humanitarian assistance, besides devising a mechanism as well for the disbursement of urgent and sustained humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people. The Humanitarian Trust Fund will accordingly be operationalized by the Islamic Development Bank by the first quarter of 2022. The moot also expressed deep alarm over the worsening economic situation in Afghanistan which was being further compounded by the continued freeze of overseas Afghan assets as well as other international assistance exacerbating the urgent cash flow problems including payment of remuneration to public officials and hindering the provision of essential public and social services to the people of Afghanistan. The moot also underlined the dire need for supporting Afghanistan in addressing poverty, creating employment opportunities and provision of essential services to its citizens, in particular food, clean drinking water, quality education and health services. While deciding to launch an Afghanistan Food Security Programme, the OIC representatives requested the Islamic Organization for Food Security to undertake necessary work in this regard using the capacity of the Organization’s Food Security Reserves when necessary. The
OIC member states, international donors, the Un Funds and Programmes and other international actors were also urged to generously contribute to the Afghanistan Food Security Programme. The Muslim Ummah’s foreign ministers also made an urgent appeal , according to the Islamabad Declaration, to the OIC Member States, the international community including the Un system, international organizations and international financial institutions, to continue providing all possible and necessary recovery, reconstruction , development, financial, educational , technical and material assistance for Afghanistan as policy tools for promoting realization and employment of fundamental rights and freedom by all Afghan citizens. The gathering also recognized that development, peace, security, stability and human rights all were interlinked and mutually reinforcing and reaffirmed strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Afghanistan. As for the pledges to the Humanitarian Trust Fund for Afghanistan and for providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan were concerned, an immediate donation of one billion Riyals was announced by the Saudi Foreign Minister. Pakistan has already committed to provide assistance of $30 million to the people of Afghanistan. no more pledges were immediately made but hopefully doors have now been opened and help and assistance would start pouring in not only from OIC Member States but also from the international community and organizations. needless to mention here in the passing that all participating delegates appreciated the host Pakistan for making appropriate, adequate and nice arrangements and warm hospitality for the OIC important historic moot which also endorsed its oft-repeated stance for peace, security and stability in Afghanistan besides a government inclusive of all Afghans there. Pakistan and Afghanistan’s peace, stability and security are indeed inter-linked with each other and also important for the region at large. The moot has also established a welcome and appreciable fact that Pakistan is not not isolated in the comity of nations and the successful hosting of the moot was a testimony to this. This was not all. The OIC Council of Foreign Ministers also deliberated on issues of Afghan refugees, terrorism , women and human rights and freedom and a lot more .
An immediate donation of one billion Riyals was announced by the Saudi Foreign Minister. Pakistan has already committed to provide assistance of $30 million to the people of Afghanistan. No more pledges were immediately made but hopefully doors have now been opened and help and assistance would start pouring in not only from OIC Member States but also from the international community and organizations
The writer can zahidriffat@gmail.com
be
reached
at
RELIGIOUS beliefs, imperialism, and the World War complicated the demographic situation in the middle east, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The origin of the self-declaration nation Israel has worsened the situation since 1948 and it became the apple of discord between Arab and Zionist. For more than seventy years it has been the centre of debate between Pro-Palestine’s and Pro-Israel’s regarding the religious and historical claim of land, involvement of Britain, and the Zionist movement. Historically the Jewish population lost control and rights of the land in 136 A.D. when the Roman Empire destroyed the Jewish temple. Palestinian Arabs took control of this area from 136 A.D. and till the Ottoman Empire fell, after World War in 1918 Palestine remained under their control. Demographically Arab were the ethnic majority and Jews were the minority, until, during 1931, the total population of Arabs was 1,033,314 while Jews constitute 174,606, even after the establishment of Israel the Arabs were in the huge majority, but historically Zionist greed for this land can be observed even before the fell of the Ottoman Empire. The United States and United nation should end the biased attitude towards Israel. The US provides cumulative foreign aid to Israel and it has been a closed ally to Israel and his security partner. The US saw Israel as its very important ally in the fighting against Russian influence in the Middle East. In this regards the US provides approximately $4 billion including $500 million for missile defence systems to Israel. The US biased role worsens the situation. United nation must play its role to ensure the safety of every citizen living in Palestine, Palestinian children have the same blood as the children living in the west! It is a time to recognise that there is an elephant in the room, otherwise, this conflict in the middle east will further increase the rift between different countries and if not handled properly it may lead to a third world war that could only bring destruction to the world and at the end, no one may found the Helen of Troy. FAYYAZ SALIH HUSSAIN KArAcHI
De-stigmatise AIDS ACQUIRED Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a chronic, lifethreatening disease without a certified cure. It is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus that can be spread by contact with infected blood, during pregnancy from mother to child, through infected syringes and unsterilised equipment. Recently, United nations’ AIDS revealed that Pakistan has at least 200,000 cases of the fatal disease of which 32% are women and 3% children. Several countries have achieved considerable progress in alleviating the disease to a great extent. Unfortunately, however, Pakistan has lagged and has one of the highest prevalence rates today. Most registered patients claim that they were not aware of the disease until they underwent screening for blood donation or surgery. The key factors contributing to the high prevalence are not new or unusual. One reason is the stigma attached to the disease because of which many people never disclose their positive status. This is combined with poverty, illiteracy, lack of awareness, gender disparity, ignorance in terms of the modes of transmission of the disease, and recklessness in infection control practices at healthcare facilities. Many people do not seek treatment because they are unaware of the screening procedure and medicines that can help combat the disease long-term. The marginalised communities are usually the most affected for want of access to adequate medical support and assistance. This not only threatens their lives but also increases the chances of spilling the disease to the wider population. Health practitioners have raised alarm and warned of the risks of the disease time and again. It is the government’s indifferent attitude that is rather worrisome. Our culture of silence and shame along with little awareness poses a grave threat. There is a need for all relevant authorities to work collaboratively to launch awareness campaigns and encourage people to get screenings to alleviate the disease before it spirals out of control. NEELAm YASIr KArAcHI
Criminologists In this risky era where the crime rate is increasing rapidly, there is a need for some specialist personnel who can work according to their skills for maintaining peace and order in the country. Unfortunately, our country is facing many problems about the enforcement of the law, due to a lack of trained staff. The most faulty thing that is circulating in law enforcement agencies is that professional degree holders of criminology are ignored instead of having such an important degree. Those are very capable being as an expert in this field but again our system is stuck at a place that instead of having degrees and specialization in criminology, students are not prioritized like students of other fields. This flaw is a leading factor in the rise of crime. There is a timely need that criminologists must be given a specific value and appointed in special agencies so that they can help to prevent crime and be supportive to impose constitutional rights in Pakistan by using their skills and expertise otherwise. The government should appoint experts in every field. The mingled appointments are not able to work properly and in this scenario, students having specialization can play a brilliant role than untrained personnels. ArSHAD ALI ALmANI HYDErAbAD
Forgotten pensioners ACCORDInG to the media reports, the government has increased the pay of government officers by 25%. The decision seems to have been made by the government in haste to appease the protestors. The government should have set up a pay commission to properly assess the amount of raise needed for the government employees and the pensioners. The commission must consider not only the serving employees but the pensioners also. In addition, the government needs to pay special attention to lower cadre employees who bear the brunt of inflation. The high-ranking officers enjoy better salaries and perks. They are less affected by inflation as compared to lower-ranking employees, who have meager salaries with no perks. However, the percentage increase in salaries has quite the opposite effect. rAjA SHAFAAtULLAH ISLAmAbAD
08 WORLD VIEW 25th December 21_Layout 1 12/24/2021 10:08 PM Page 1
Saturday, 25 December, 2021
08 WORLD VIEW
US SancTionS are caUSing a hUmaniTarian DiSaSTer in afghaniSTan WASHINGTON IS HELPING TO SET INTO MOTION THE MAKINGS OF A FAILED STATE — WITH ALL OF THE HUMAN SUFFERING THAT COMES WITH IT
Responsible statecRaft Mathias Gjesdal haMMer
T
he people of Afghanistan are starving. A perfect storm of droughts, economic implosion, and the suspension of most development aid have come together to create an increasingly volatile humanitarian catastrophe. As winter approaches, estimates suggest that as many as 22 million people will be close to starvation. While it’s fair to say that the Taliban is better at fighting an insurgency than it is running a modern, bureaucratic state, we can’t lay all the blame at their door. In the years after 2001, the United States and its allies created the most aid-dependent state in the world. Upon withdrawal, almost all of this aid has been cut, and further sanctions limit almost all financial transactions with the country. As a recent report from the International Crisis Group put it, “donors’ decisions to cut off all but emergency aid is the biggest culprit” of Afghanistan’s dire situation. Indeed, one U.N. expert quoted in the report suggested that the sudden withdrawal of aid in Afghanistan is the greatest shock any modern economy has ever faced, as 43 percent of its GDP disappeared virtually overnight. U.S. sanctions ultimately determine how states and companies can interact with the Taliban. Since the late 1990s, the Taliban has been under sanctions from the United States and the United Nations. While the U.N.
sanctions are significant, they have much lower compliance rates than Washington’s as the United States actively punishes sanction violators. These sanctions have blocked the Taliban off from conventional financial transactions and criminalized any transactions that involve the Taliban. however, as the Taliban took over Afghanistan, these sanctions have become applied to the whole country as most private financial transactions and existing development work have become criminalized. The sanctions regime is so strict that many NGOs over-comply for fear of punishment. The specifics of these rules remain unclear, with one international business concluding that it could most likely pay regular taxes to the Taliban, but not fines for late payment, which are all but inevitable due to the collapse of the banking sector. Moreover, even humanitarian aid is dependent on basic state provisions such as cell phone towers, hospitals, and sanitation systems, which are currently all run by a cash-strapped Taliban and are not eligible to receive any aid. Sanctions, of course, are a tempting mechanism of statecraft. They come at a perceived minimal cost to the United States and have increasingly become one of America’s favored foreign policy tools. even so, research on their usefulness is almost unanimous that they rarely succeed. Most notably, Robert Pape of the University of Chicago studied 115 cases of sanctions from 19141990, revealing that in only 5 percent of cases did sanctions lead to the desired change in
behavior. Researchers have since found some situations in which sanctions may be more effective, such as where the stakes are relatively low (for example releasing political prisoners), when the sender and target don’t foresee subsequent conflicts, and when the target state is democratic. Clearly, none of these criteria are met in the Taliban case. Seen from the ground, early signs would indicate that sanctions are not having their desired effect. Rather than forcing the Taliban to moderate its actions, the Taliban appears to be becoming increasingly ruthless to shore up any revenues it can. Reports from inside Afghanistan reveal that the Taliban has started seizing property and redistributing it among its followers. Moreover, it may well legitimize more radical factions within the Taliban, who can plausibly argue that little is to be gained from engagement with the international community if no aid is forthcoming. Domestically, the Taliban can shore up its support by blaming the United States for its role in creating this economic crisis. Indeed, survey experiments show that Afghan civilians are much more likely to blame external agents for their suffering than the Taliban already, and a brutal sanctions regime is only likely add to that sentiment. Outside of Afghanistan, the consequences of the harsh sanctions will also be felt. Over the past few months, emigration to europe has sky-rocketed, with human traffickers telling journalists that their business has already doubled. As the situation only
worsens, it’s likely that these numbers will only increase. Second, fears that Afghanistan will now become a breeding-ground for international terrorism will only heighten if the state faces total collapse. The Taliban is currently fighting the Islamic State Khorasan in Northern Afghanistan, a far greater terrorist threat. In this battle, limited cooperation may also be possible. Finally, the Taliban may well turn an increasingly blind eye to opium production as it becomes increasingly desperate. This, in turn, would enlarge the global production of narcotics. What might a reorientation on Afghanistan look like? One option might be to follow the european Union’s “humanitarian plus” strategy which incorporates some limited cooperation with the Taliban regime. While it remains unclear exactly what this strategy entails, it certainly signals a deeper engagement than current U.S. policy. Another option is to follow Russia’s strategy of continuing aid while withholding recognition. Washington could also enact several more specific policy changes that would serve to alleviate Afghanistan’s suffering without unnecessarily empowering the Taliban. Currently, sanctions designed to punish the Taliban are essentially being applied to the entire Afghan state. These could be limited to listed members of the Taliban, rather than also impacting bureaucrats who have just stayed on in their roles after the Taliban takeover. Moreover, the existing sanctions regime only allows money for critical humanitarian
relief to be sent to Afghanistan. Basic services such as health care, education, electricity, and water supply all fall outside of the strict criteria for emergency relief. Allowing for more extensive aid provisions and re-opening the World Bank’s $1.5 billion Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund to do this would go a long way to alleviate suffering. Finally, some mechanism for re-opening Afghan financial services is necessary. This could take the form of reviving and closely monitoring the Afghan central bank (perhaps with the assistance of technical experts), setting up an external central bank, or instituting large-scale currency swaps that the United Nations or World Bank could manage. Going forwards, U.S. strategy in Afghanistan is likely to be piecemeal, complex, and frustrating. As one journalist put it, “there are no rules to Taliban rule, only exceptions.” Rules seem to be determined by local decision-makers and warlords on the ground. While this makes conventional negotiations difficult, it also opens up space for lower-level negotiations between international officials, NGOs, and local leaders. Indeed, U.N. officials have had some success in local negotiations about reopening girls’ secondary schools. Walking the tightrope between supporting the Afghan people without empowering the Taliban, though, will not be easy and the political costs of being seen as supporting the Taliban will be high. What is clear, however, is that a strategy that leads to mass starvation, state collapse and mass migration is not viable.
Diplomacy through a culture of encounter YET WITHOUT GUNS AND MONEY, HOLY SEE DIPLOMATS ACHIEVE SUCCESSES AGAINST GREAT ODDS, AND SOMETIMES BUCKING AGAINST THE WORLD’S SUPERPOWER, THE UNITED STATES. WHY?
los angeles Review of books Maryann CusiMano love
B
ONO, the rock star of the Irish band U2, is known for storytelling in his lyrics. Through his charities, he works with the Catholic Church and others to reduce global poverty and debt. he also offers a recurring critique of the Church: you folks do good work, yet you’re terrible at telling your story. he’s right, and Victor Gaetan’s book, God’s Diplomats: Pope Francis, Vatican Diplomacy, and America’s Armageddon, explains why: Vatican diplomats commit to humility and discretion. Being humble about the work, not bragging about successes, is not just pious religious claptrap, it’s a shrewd operating principle. In zones of war and poverty, people’s agency has been ripped from them. Restoring peace and rebuilding communities depend on restoring agency and respect. establishing the right relationships, with processes driven by the local actors, builds a more just and sustainable peace over the long haul. Pope Francis and Catholic peacebuilders can get a lot done if they do not “claim the credit.” Gaetan’s book tells the story that Pope Francis and holy See diplomats themselves do not in a combination of accessible, novel-like prose and meticulous research (including 117 pages of endnotes). The award-winning journalist has reported on Vatican diplomacy for over 20 years, and in God’s Diplomats he tells all. The book reads at points like a thriller, whether the author is recounting Pope Francis’s foray into an active war zone in the Central African Republic or the visit of Archbishop Caccia, a seasoned diplomat of the holy See, to pay respects to wounded Muslim victims of Daesh (ISIS) terrorist attacks in Lebanon. Most books on this topic are written by “the other team” — former government officials who have represented the United States as ambassadors to the holy See. No matter the administration or political party they represent, their memoirs follow a common arc: claim the successes, explain away the losses, sometimes settle scores, and often paint the holy See and the Catholic
Church somewhat less favorably than the sharp US government official, who is, after all, the hero of the story. From this US government’s point of view, the Church talking with “rogue states,” like North Korea and Iran, is naïve or misguided. But as the world’s oldest diplomatic corps, with over 2,000 years of experience as a global network, the Vatican and its officials prefer a different approach. They engage with everyone, on all sides, and do not write memoirs. Pope Francis represents both one of the world’s largest religions and its smallest sovereign state, with 1.3 billion Catholics spread across 193 countries as well as the 49-hectare territory of Vatican City State itself. The holy See has no army or military might. Its budget comes largely from tourist revenue. Yet without guns and money, holy See diplomats achieve successes against great odds, and sometimes bucking against the world’s superpower, the United States. Why? Gaetan takes us through Vatican Diplomacy 101 in part one, explaining how diplomats are educated and how they operate. Vatican diplomats are pastors first, trained in listening and engaging with even the worst sinners and sworn to secrecy in the confessional. This gives them some useful skills for negotiating, as when Pope Francis helped to improve US relations with Cuba. The book provides a great service in documenting how the Church has moved away from just war tradition to just peace: “Avoid creating winners and losers. Remain impartial in the face of conflict. Refrain from partisan politics. Pursue dialogue with everyone.” With Catholics living on all sides of conflicts, the Church does not seek short-term “winner takes all” solutions, but takes the long view, seeking common ground and practical, sustainable peace. That’s how Pope John XXIII was able to help deescalate and defuse the Cuban Missile Crisis between Kennedy and Khrushchev, the closest the United States and the USSR ever came to nuclear war. The rule to walk the talk, showing faith through charity, is key to understanding how Church diplomats build trust and relationships around the world. For example, by providing medical assistance in North Korea and assistance to earthquake victims in Iran, the Church engages with what the US considers “pariah” regimes in order to assist the suffering people who happen to live under those inhospitable governments. The Catholic Church is the world’s largest non-governmental provider of education and health care; its charities operate around the world. What the diplomatic corps lacks in size it makes up for in flexibility, integrating and working alongside the vast networks of local churches, charities, religious orders, and missionaries. This is how the Church operationalizes the rule to “incarnate diplomacy through a culture of encounter.” Taking the long view gives Vatican diplomats the freedom to “start
processes (that God can finish)”: “Initiate encounters with humility and respect. Proceed through concrete steps and gestures. Allow mutual respect to grow step by step. Find common ground and build agreement from that point.” In Argentina, Pope Francis had priests literally tend to sheep, using ancient monastic practices of self-sufficiency and farm work to ensure humility so that priests did not become “little princes,” but instead understood the toils of the people they served. In part two, Gaetan shows how these rules are implemented in war zones from Ukraine to Kenya, the Middle east, South Sudan, and Colombia. A downside of this geographic approach is that it misses some of Pope Francis and the holy See’s most effective diplomacy on cross-cutting global issues, from combating climate change, environmental degradation, and human trafficking, to advancing humanitarian arms control, including the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The book is at its most compelling in describing the heroic work of local Church actors to build peace in Colombia’s decades-old civil conflict. When one Catholic human rights defender, Alma Rosa Jaramillo, was brutally murdered by violent paramilitary mercenaries and her body dismembered as a warning to deter others, it had the opposite effect. Another woman immediately volunteered to take her place, demonstrating the resilience of religious peacebuilding. God’s Diplomats delivers on the first two parts of its subtitle, describing the Vatican diplomacy and the particular attributes Pope Francis brings to it. As a journalist, Gaetan also criticizes Church efforts, detailing failures in Kenya when the Church itself split along ethnic lines. he also paints disgraced former cardinal Theodore McCarrick (not a member of the diplomatic corps) as “an albatross,” a self-promoting global ambulance chaser, seeking to insert himself artificially into international crises. Some of the book’s biggest bombshells come in addressing the last part of the subtitle (“America’s Armageddon”), about the conflicts between a war-making United States and a peace-building Vatican. Gaetan asks, for example: where did the well-coordinated smear campaign against Pope Francis come from? he traces the source of the false stories (for instance, those claiming that the young Jorge Bergoglio was cozy with the Argentine military regime during Argentina’s Dirty War) to horacio Verbitsky, a double agent paid by the CIA, and who was himself a supporter of the Argentine military regime. Within one hour of Pope Francis’s election, Verbitsky’s “big lie” was in the headlines. Gaetan also questions why Nagasaki, the center of Catholicism in Asia, was targeted for the atomic bomb in 1945. The city was not on the original target list, but added to the list at the last minute, without President Tru-
man’s knowledge or consent. Few in the United States realize this, but Gaetan is on solid historical ground here. however, he then conjectures beyond the historical evidence, wondering why the Catholic Church in Nagasaki was hit during the atomic attack despite not being a military target. Was that not, he speculates, a form of payback for the Church establishing diplomatic relations with Japan in 1941, against US objections? In a volume filled with citations, he does not cite any source here. Gaetan is on firmer ground in describing Pope John Paul II’s unsuccessful efforts to urge President George W. Bush not to invade Iraq. Pope John Paul II warned that a US invasion would destabilize the region, incite extremists, and generate even worse violence, which would harm civilians and lead to the decimation of ancient Christian communities in the lands where Christianity first began. President Bush rebuffed him, and, tragically, all those warnings came true. Pope Francis and Vatican diplomacy are not always successful. But, as Gaetan reports, they are not deterred. God works on long timelines. Dr. Maryann Cusimano Love is an associate professor of politics at The Catholic University of America, and author of Global Issues (2020), I Am Kamala Harris (2021), and You Are My I Love You (2001). God’s Diplomats: Pope Francis, Vatican Diplomacy, and America’s Armageddon by Victor Gaetan
Saturday, 25 December, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
NEWS
corporate corner
GovT, cHurcH LAud LAuncH of cHrisTiAn journALisT body LAHORE
T
Ahsan Sheikh, Salman Danish, Adnan Nasir, Syed Suhail Ahmed, Saboor Sheikh and Umar Shami at the launching ceremony of Mad Batter. pr
TPL Trakker offers customized fleet management solution to KE via new partnership KARACHI: TPL Trakker, Pakistan’s leading mapping, tracking and IoT services provider, has partnered to provide a comprehensive and personalized fleet management solution to K-Electric encompassing mapping and tracking for all their vehicles. The sophisticated system is a significant milestone for KE in streamlining its operations while it showcases the technological prowess that TPL Trakker possesses in delivering high value solutions to its customers across a diverse range of fields. K-Electric is the sole power utility for Karachi that also supplies electricity to other parts of Sindh and Balochistan such as Dhabeji, Gharo, Bela, Uthal, and Vinder. The organization has a vast fleet of service vehicles, nearly 1,000 in number, that carries out maintenance and repair work to maintain its infrastructure. TPL Trakker is Pakistan’s premier mapping as well as tracking solutions provider that specializes in tactful management of technological sophistication in order to provide high quality services to its dynamic customers. Through the newly established partnership between KE and TPL Trakker, the latter will provide a wide range of services for KE’s fleet that will enable telematics and visualization for all the vehicles. The Personalized Vehicle Tracking & Management System App exclusively designed & developed for KE, offers a customized dashboard for real-time statuses of vehicle’s trips and breadcrumb replay. The service end of this partnership includes monthly and weekly reports from TPL Trakker along with a portal that offers real-time data with the help of graphical analysis, hierarchy wise selection, vehicle KM calculation violations, and a number of other features. The system also has an accompanying application for Android and iOS which offers the convenience of viewing same insights on smartphones. Commenting on the development, Sarwar Ali Khan, CEO TPL Trakker stated; “For more than 2 decades, TPL Trakker has been revolutionizing Pakistan’s mapping and telematics segment through its technological prowess and has the ability to understand the local market and its challenges. With an unfaltering commitment towards innovation, we continue to deliver unprecedented solutions for our customers. This partnership with KE symbolizes our competence and expertise to enable various organizations in streamlining their existing supply chains for smooth delivery of services to customers.” Expressing his opinion on the partnership, Imran Rana, Director Communications at K-Electric said, “Customer centricity has always been at the heart of our core business philosophy. At KE, we are constantly looking for new ways to further enrich our customer experience, and collaboration with TPL Trakker is another milestone towards achieving it. Through this partnership, K-Electric’s fleet management system will become more efficient which in turn, will reduce our complaint resolution timeframe as well as optimize our maintenance operations.” TPL Trakker is empowering organizations in the energy, food delivery, ride hailing, banking, insurance and a wide variety of other industries through state-of-the-art asset tracking services for the past 19 years. K-Electric (KE) has powered Karachi for over one hundred years. Through a network spanning across 6,500 square kilometers, KE supplies power to all residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural areas that fall under the city’s ambit and beyond, serving over 3.5 million customers across Karachi, Dhabeji and Gharo in Sindh, and Uthal, Vinder and Bela in Balochistan. KE is the only vertically-integrated power utility in Pakistan, which means the organization manages all three key areas – Generation, Transmission and Distribution – of producing and delivering energy to consumers. pr
09
staff report
He formation of Christian Journalists Association of Pakistan (CJAP) is a step in the right direction as there’s a dire need for spreading awareness and highlighting the issues facing the marginalized and vulnerable communities of the country, said government and church leaders. Addressing the maiden Christmas dinner and cake cutting ceremony organized on Wednesday night by the CJAP, a newly-formed body comprising Christian journalists from across the country, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, Church of Pakistan Moderator/President Bishop Azad Marshall, National Commission for Minorities Member Albert David, prominent human rights advocate Saif Ul Malook and other speakers welcomed the initiative. They expressed hope that Christian media persons will play an effective role in the capacity building and training of minority journalists as well as in projecting the challenges faced by all
vulnerable communities. Addressing the gathering, Bishop Marshall stressed on the need for networking between the church, journalistic bodies and legal fraternity for effective change at the grassroots level. “The church is the first stop of the people where they lodge their grievances. For this purpose we are launching a dedicated helpline from January 2022, where people can inform us about their issues. I, however, believe that to deal with these challenges effectively,
we also need to setup research institutes which can work on the data and provide authentic information to journalists for public dissemination,” he said. Bishop Marshall welcomed the government’s support to festivals of religious minorities but lamented that the real challenges facing these communities continue to remain unaddressed. “It’s about time we pool our efforts for achieving long-term solutions to these problems,” he said, citing the example of the Arzoo Raja forced con-
version case in Karachi. Taking the podium after Bishop Marshall, Governor Sarwar appreciated the launch of CJAP and hoped the body would contribute to the training and wellbeing of minority journalists across the country. “Christians have always played a vital role in nation building and I hope that this union of Christian journalists will continue to uphold the good tradition,” he said, adding that the PTI government was supportive of the country’s minorities. “I would also like to see minorities electing their own candidates rather than the political parties installing selected representatives. This is the Pakistan that our founding father Quaid-e-Azam envisioned,” he said. Other speakers, including Albert David and Dean of Cathedral Church Lahore Shahid Meraj, also welcomed the launch of CJAP and hoped it will play its due role in peace building and credible news gathering and dissemination. The governor and the other dignitaries later cut a cake along with members of the CJAP and distributed appreciation awards among the journalists.
Pakistan Navy commissions 4th type 054 a/p frigate constructed by China ISLAMABAD pr
The Launching ceremony of 4th ship of Type-054 A/P Class Frigate constructed for Pakistan Navy was held at Hudong Zhonghua (HZ) Shipyard, Shanghai, China. Out of four state of the art frigates, the first Type-054 A/P ship namely PNS TUGHRIL has been commissioned and reached Pakistan. Type-054 A/P Frigates will be one of the most technologically advanced surface platforms of Pakistan Navy Fleet, fitted with latest surface, subsurface, anti-air weapon systems, Combat Management System and Sensors. The induction of these ships will enhance
Pakistan Navy Fleet’s war fighting capabilities, contribute in maintaining peace, stability and power equilibrium in the Indian Ocean Region. While addressing at the Launching ceremony, Chief Naval Overseer Commodore Rashid Mehmood Sheikh lauded the support by PLA (Navy), China Shipbuilding Trading Company (CSTC) and HZ Shipyard for timely completion of this important milestone project despite COVID-19 pandemic. The ceremony was attended by senior officials of PLA (Navy), CSTC and HZ Shipyard. Successful launching of 4th Ship of the series is a testimony of deep rooted defence and diplomatic SinoPak relations.
Government approves Halal Authority rules
MD Habib Oil Mills, Moidul Hassan and MD Upfield Pakistan Pvt. Limited, Fariyha Subhani, are signing Commercial Terms Contract. Sarwar Nasrullah, Director Sales and Marketing Habib Oil Mills, is also seen in the picture. pr
Chief Finance and Digital Officer, Mobilink Micofinance Bank Ltd. (MMBL), Sardar Mohammad Abubakr (right), and Nadir Gul Barech, Chief Operating Officer, Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) signing an MoU to increase capacity and facilitate financial access for sustainable growth of micro, small and medium agricutural enterprises engaged in the horticulture and livestock sectors across underserved districts in Sindh and Balochistan under the GRASP project implemented by PPAF. Senior. pr
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Senator Shibli Faraz said the government while approving business rules certification of Pakistan Halal Authority (PHA) has paved the way of entering into trillion dollars’ worth in the international market. While addressing the Interactive session with stakeholders to develop understanding of Halal Regulations and Role of Halal Certification Bodies to make Pakistan Halal Products Globally Acceptable, the minister said, “It gives me an immense pleasure to inform that the Government of Pakistan has approved Pakistan Halal Authority Business rules and Pakistan Halal Certification which is a milestone achieved by Pakistan Halal Authority.” Federal Minister Senator Shibli Faraz emphasized on fast growing Halal Market having potential of trillion dollars’ worth in the international market. The global market is based on needs and performance of estimated 1.9 billion Muslims worldwide growing at twice the rate of non-Muslim world and expected to reach 2.2 billion by 2030. The Halal sector is currently attracting the attention of policy makers and private sector. Surprisingly most of the leading countries in this emerging Halal trade are non-Muslim countries such as Brazil, Australia, Thailand, China, Korea, South Africa, and America etc. Pakistan Halal Authority has accomplished the finalization of long time pending PHA business Rules 2021 and Certification Marks Regulations 2021 which will make the Pakistan Halal Authority to regulate Halal Products and services as per international practices by implementing Single Pakistan Halal Logo as mark of Halal Assurance in addition PHA financial Rules are developed. It will transform PHA as self-sustained and self-financed organization in line with Government policy within next six months. The main hurdles in recruitment of Technical and Non-Technical manpower have been removed after approval of PHA recruitment Regulations by the Federal Cabinet. The Halal Certification Marks Regulation will assure the products and services complying Halal requirements, Single Pakistan Halal Logo on the products will be the sign of verification that the product is in accordance with Halal standards and regulations. staff report
Saturday, 25 December, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
10 FOREIGN NEWS
No place to pray: MuslIM worsHIppers uNder pressure IN INdIa
d
Agencies
INESH Bharti drives around with other activists on Fridays, heckling and harassing Muslims praying outside in Gurgaon — the latest flashpoint of sectarian tensions under India’s Hindu nationalist government. Muslims praying in the open “create problems in the country and the entire world”, the thickset Hindu man in his 40s said, a red tilak on his forehead marking him out as a devout member of India’s majority religion. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election in 2014 emboldened hardline groups
who see India as a Hindu nation and its 200 million-strong Muslim minority as potentially dangerous outsiders. Gurgaon is a modern satellite city of the capital New Delhi. Around 500,000 Muslims either live there, have migrated to the area for work or labour there during the day. The city has 15 mosques for them, but the local government has refused permission to build more — even as the number of Hindu temples has grown. This has forced the community to hold Friday afternoon prayers — the most important of the week for Muslims — in open spaces. In recent years, Hindu groups have sprayed cow dung at Muslim prayer sites
Indian police probe Hindu event calling for mass killing of Muslims AFP Indian police said on Friday they have launched an investigation into an event where Hindu hardliners called for mass killings of minority Muslims. A speaker at the gathering earlier this month told the crowd that people should not worry about going to jail for killing Muslims, according to a video verified as genuine by AFP. “Even if just a hundred of us become soldiers and kill two million of them, we will be victorious … If you stand with this attitude only then will you able to protect sanatana dharma (an absolute form of Hinduism),” the woman said. The meeting in the northern holy city of Haridwar was attended by at least one member of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The party stands accused of — but denies — encouraging the persecution of Muslims and other minorities by hardline Hindu nationalists since coming to power in 2014. Prominent Muslim MP Asaduddin Owaisi tweeted that the comments in the video were a “clear case of incitement to genocide”. Modi’s government has not commented on the event. The woman in the video reportedly added that Indians should “pray to Nathuram Godse”, the Hindu extremist who assassinated Indian independence icon Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. ‘Cleansing’: Another delegate, Prabodhanand Giri — the head of a fringe Hindu group who is often photographed with senior BJP members — called for a “cleansing” and for those present to be “ready to die or kill”. “Like Myanmar, the police, politicians, the army and every Hindu in India must pick up weapons and do this cleansing. There is no other option left,” he is heard to say.
and called worshippers terrorists and Pakistanis. The local government, meanwhile, has steadily cut the number of approved outdoor worship sites. ‘no longer tolerated’: Earlier this month, the Haryana state chief minister, a member of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, declared that outdoor prayers in Gurgaon “will no longer be tolerated”. Undermining their argument that religion can be practised only indoors, Hindu groups celebrated last Friday by setting up a makeshift temple and community kitchen to feed hundreds as devotional music blared. Across town, hundreds of Muslims queued to take turns to worship at one of
only six remaining prayer venues still available. At another site, Muslims were heckled and forced to chant slogans such as “Hail Lord Ram” — a Hindu deity — that have proliferated under Modi among his supporters. “If the government doesn’t find a solution to the issue … it will become more complicated and serious,” Sabir Qasmi, a Muslim cleric, told AFP. lifelong hardliner: Modi is a
lifelong member of the hardline Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Hindu nationalist group. He was briefly barred from the United States over religious riots in Gujarat in 2002 when he was state chief minister. Since his coming to power, a string of lynchings of Muslims by Hindu mobs for socalled cow protection — a sacred animal for many Hindus — and other hate crimes has sown fear and despair in the community.
Indian Christians hold ‘secret baptisms’ amid rise in persecution Agencies Amid increasing attacks on minorities across India, Christians have resorted to holding clandestine religious gatherings and secret baptisms due to the fear of Hindutva mobs. The Christian minorities feel more threatened in central and northern India, where the BJP, governing party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is firmly in control, and where evangelical Christian groups are making inroads among lowercaste Hindus, albeit quietly. Narrating the account of his ordeal, Pastor Manish David in Indore told an English daily that a swarm of men dressed in saffron poured inside. They jumped on stage and shouted Hindu supremacist slogans. They punched pastors in the head. They threw women to the ground, sending terrified children scuttling under their chairs.
“They kept beating us, pulling our hair,” said David who was also assaulted. “They yelled: ‘What are you doing here? What songs are you singing? What are you trying to do?’” The attack unfolded on the morning of January 26 at the Satprakashan Sanchar Kendra Christian center in the city of Indore. “Pastors hold clandestine ceremonies at night. They conduct secret baptisms. They pass out audio Bibles that look like little transistor radios so that illiterate farmers can surreptitiously listen to the scripture as they plow their fields,” local media reported. Anti-Christian vigilantes are sweeping through villages, storming churches, burning Christian literature, attacking schools and assaulting worshipers. As a result, Indian Christians are forced to hide their faith or perform religious services in secrecy.
According to a report by the human rights group, more than 300 attacks on Christians took place in the first nine months of 2021, including at least 32 in Karnataka. But only 30 FIRs have been registered so far in these cases. The report mentions that September alone recorded 69 such incidents, followed by 50 in August, 37 in January, 33 in July, 27 each in March, April, and June, 20 in February, and 15 in May. At least nine Indian states have planned anti-conversion laws, including Chhattisgarh, which, activists say, has emerged as a “new laboratory” for antiChristian hatred in India. On November 28, 2021, a newly inaugurated church in Delhi faced disruption and vandalism in its first Sunday service when members of a militant Hindu nationalist group called the Bajrang Dal stormed the meeting. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, a gov-
Iranian diplomats get Saudi visas for OIC posts: officials AFP Three Iranian diplomats have received visas from rival Saudi Arabia allowing them to take up posts at the headquarters of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah, officials said on Friday. Iran and Saudi Arabia, both members of the pan-Islamic body, have held several rounds of talks since April aimed at im-
proving relations. In 2016, the kingdom’s execution of revered Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr saw protesters attack Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran. Riyadh responded at the time by cutting ties with Tehran, while OIC foreign ministers condemned the violence. Riyadh and Tehran support opposite sides in several conflict zones across the region, but Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and
ernment body, recommended that India be put on its red list for “severe violations of religious freedom”. The report also recommended that Washington should impose targeted sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for severe violations of religious freedom by freezing those individuals’ or entities’ assets and/or barring their entry into the United States. Despite India’s constitutional protections for religious freedom, approximately one-third of India’s 28 states limit or prohibit religious conversion to protect the dominant religion from perceived threats from religious minorities. While the new legislation in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh targets interfaith marriage in particular, several other states prohibit conversion based on vague criteria, including force, inducement, allurement, coercion, fraud or misrepresentation.
officials in Saudi Arabia confirmed visas had been approved for the diplomats. “Saudi Arabia has agreed to grant visas to three Iranian diplomats as part of a routine procedure for representatives of a member state of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC),” a Saudi foreign ministry official said on Friday. Iranian FM Amir Abdollahian, at a joint press conference in Tehran on Thursday with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein, said Baghdad had supported the move.
At least 37 dead in Bangladesh ferry fire Agencies At least 37 people died in an inferno on an overcrowded night ferry in Bangladesh on Friday, with terrified passengers leaping overboard and dozens including children still unaccounted for. The latest maritime tragedy to hit the impoverished low-lying nation saw a fire burn through the three-storey vessel in the early hours while passengers slept on board. “The three-storey Obhijan 10 caught fire mid-river. We have recovered 37 bodies. The death toll may rise. Most died from the fire and a few by drowning after they jumped into the river,” local police chief Moinul Islam told AFP. The incident happened early in the morning near the southern rural town of Jhalakathi, 250 kilometres south of the capital Dhaka. The vessel was carrying around 500 people. Islam said the fire was believed to have originated in the engine room and then ripped through the ferry packed with people returning home from Dhaka. “We have sent some 100 people with burn injuries to the hospitals in Barisal,” he said. ‘allah save them’: Witnesses said the fire originated at around 3am and quickly spread. “We were sleeping on a mat on the ground floor deck. All the passengers were sleeping. My nine-year-old grandson, Nayeem, was with me, he jumped into the river. I don’t know what happened to him,” said an elderly grandmother. Other survivors said they saw a small fire in the engine room as soon as the packed ferry set
off from the Sadarghat river station in Dhaka at 9pm on Thursday. “A lot of people ran for safety as the fire spread. A lot of people could not get out of their cabins where they were sleeping. Many jumped into the river,” said another survivor at Barisal Medical College Hospital. Mohammad Ismail, 48, said that he threw his mother overboard into the “very cold” river and dragged her to the shore, but when he returned on a fishing boat his wife and daughter were nowhere to be seen. “I saw a person burning in flames,” he told AFP by phone. “My other daughter survived after someone threw her in the river.” “My father, me, my six-month-old nephew and my sister were travelling together. When the fire broke, I gave the baby to a man. He was trying to save the baby. But now we cannot find them,” one woman survivor said. As light broke, rescue workers combed through the still-smoking and charred remains of the vessel, removing dead bodies wrapped in white plastic as distraught relatives waited on the muddy riverbank for news. Johar Ali, the local district administrator, said rescuers arrived at the scene within an hour after the fire broke out and rushed the injured to nearby hospitals. “We spoke to passengers. And they said there were between 500 and 700 passengers,” he told AFP. “The fire went on for four or five hours before it was doused. The entire [ferry] has been
gutted. But they managed to bring it to the shore,” Ali said. Local television showed images of burnt motorcycles and gutted cabins inside the boat. Shell-shocked survivors and their relatives crowded the shore as fire service and coast guard divers scoured the muddy waters. “I have just found the body of my mother in law. She jumped in the river and died of drowning. I don’t know what happened to my wife and children,” said Mohammad Russell from the riverbank near Jhalkathi. “I searched the hospital. My wife and children weren’t there. I hope they survived by jumping into the river. Oh, Allah, save them,” he told AFP. Pakistan extends CondolenCes: Later, Pakistan offered condolences to the bereaved families and the Bangladesh government over the tragic incident. “The government and people of Pakistan are deeply saddened by the loss of precious lives in a ferry accident in the Jhalakathi district of Bangladesh. Our deepest condolences to the bereaved families and the government of Bangladesh,” said a statement issued by Pakistan’s Foreign Office. “At this moment of grief, our thoughts and prayers are with the … people of Bangladesh,” it added. string of similar inCidents: The accident was the latest in a string of similar incidents in the delta country crisscrossed by rivers.
Saturday, 25 December, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
SPORTS 11
SamoSa Seller: Former PakiStan cricketer atiquz zaman revealS hiS exPerience oF raciSm kARACHI
F
MoNitoriNg report
ORMER Pakistan cricketer and qualified cricket coach Atiq uz Zaman has revealed how he and other Asian cricketers faced racism in England and how it was casual for people to use derogatory terms like “Paki” or “bloody Asians” for players from Pakistan. In an exclusive chat with Geo News, Zaman revealed the name of
the person who he, without taking names, pointed out in one of his tweets last month. Zaman alleged that he was targeted racially by a development officer named Paul Bryson at Lancashire. “It was back in 2006, I was introduced to Bryson by another development officer for some coaching assignment. I got a stint and did a couple of sessions. For the third session, I couldn’t reach as my car was having some problem,” he recalled.
“I texted Paul about the problem but he didn’t reply to my messages or my calls. The same evening, he phoned me and complained about my absence. When I reminded him that I had texted him, we exchanged some heated words before dropping the phone. After a few hours, he texted me again asking if I was that ‘samosa seller’ he saw at Edgbaston,” Zaman said. According to Atiq, it was racially offensive for him and Paul would’ve never referred to any British as “samosa seller”.
to one or two counties but in fact, racism was deeply rooted in English cricket. The former Pakistan wicketkeeper confirmed that following his tweet in November, he was interviewed by officials of Lancashire county cricket club in which he informed the club officials about everything. He told them that steps were needed to be taken to ensure Asian coaches and cricketers aren’t discriminated against. “If someone is highly qualified and yet not getting any opportunities
then he would surely think that it is because he’s from a different race,” the former Pakistani cricketer said. He added that the revelation by Yorkshire Cricketer Azeem Rafique and his response to it has encouraged others to talk about racism they’ve been facing. “To my knowledge, some 1,500 to 2,500 people have approached English authorities with complaints about racism they faced at different levels at various counties,” he revealed.
India’s cricketer Harbajan Singh calls it a day
PARCO — Providing Energy with Responsibility On 11 October, 1947, while addressing the Civil, Military and Air Force Officers, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah said, “God has given us a grand opportunity to show our worth as architects of a new State; let it not be said that we did not prove equal to the task.” PARCO’s existence today is a living testament to the Quaid’s quote stated above.PARCO’s creation was the outcome of strong fraternal bond between Pakistan and Abu Dhabi. The Company was incorporated in 1974, as a 60:40 joint venture between Government of Pakistan (GOP) and Emirate of Abu Dhabi. PARCO has been able to implement a number of energy projects which have contributed significantly in enhancing the country’s economic growth, saving foreign exchange, transferring technology and providing employment Today, PARCO operates: over 2,000 km of crosscountry oil pipelines (including PAPCO a JV with PSO and Shell for its 780km White oil pipeline); this is the safest and fastest mode of managing country-wide supplies of petroleum products. PARCO also established a state-of-the-art 120,000 barrels per day operating oil refinery; and it manages strategic storage facilities throughout the country. In addition, PARCO has several marketing initiatives, including the second largest retail fuel/lubricants
He confirmed that he didn’t report the case but shared it with another officer who didn’t entertain it as a complaint. “I was new to the society, I was still finding a job and wanted to settle, that’s why I refrained from taking it further as I believed that it could’ve jeopardised my career there,” the cricketer said. “Also, it was normal for us to hear words like Paki or bloody Asians. It would hurt us then but we couldn’t do much about it,” he said adding that the matter is not limited
NeW DeLHI News Desk
network of TOTAL PARCO Pakistan (TPPL) – a 50:50 joint venture with TOTAL of France and owns and operates the largest LPG marketing and distribution company in Pakistan, PARCO Pearl Gas Ltd – a 100% owned subsidiary. Pakistan is a fast-growing market with a significant youth demographic that is entering the workforce. Consumption of refined/petrochemical products have seen double digit growth rates in recent years. PARCO has initiated the PARCO Coastal Refinery Limited (PCRL) Project, a greenfield refinery project, to be located in the coastal area near Hub, Balochistan. In the 1st phase, an Oil Import Terminal is to be developed with a capacity to import of ~15 to 20 million tons per annum of refined products and crude oil to meet the growing domestic fuel requirements. Subsequently in the 2nd phase, a 350,000barrels per day Integrated Refinery-Petrochemical Complex is to be developed adjacent to the Oil Import Terminal. The feasibility studies of the above projects are underway. The focus and diversity of technical, social and environmental projects of PARCO speak volumes for themselves. The Company is continuously moving forward to serve the nation to achieve sustainable social and economic growth and providing energy with responsibility.
Sania Mirza showers love on son Izhaan in new Instagram snapshot Web Desk Sania Mirza, who not only is a tennis ace but an Instagram star as well, took to the photo-and-videosharing platform on Friday and shared an adorable picture with her threeyear-old son, Izhaan Mirza-Malik. The 35-year-old athlete took to her official Instagram page and shared a picture holding hands with her son. She captioned the picture: “My baby you got so big so fast,” followed by a heart-eyed emoji and the word “MashaAllah.” In the picture, Sania could be seen wearing a long pastel-coloured dress, while she wore her hair in a ponytail. In terms of accessories, she kept it very simple by wearing a wristwatch and applying smokey-eye makeup. The picture of the mother-son duo garnered thousands of compliments and people expressed their affection under the post. Take a look at some of the comments. “Masha Allah cute boy,” a user commented. “Beautiful family,” another commentator wrote. “MashaAllah, mom and baby both are so cute and pretty,” a third admirer chimed in.
Veteran India spinner Harbhajan Singh, the first Indian bowler to grab a Test hat-trick, announced on Friday his retirement from all forms of cricket. “All good things come to an end and today as I bid adieu to the game that has given me everything in life, I would like to thank everyone who made this 23-yearlong journey beautiful and memorable,” the 41-year-old
tweeted. The “Turbanator” took the fourth-highest number of Test wickets (417) for an off-spinner behind fellow Indian Ravichandran Ashwin and Sri Lankans Muttiah Muralitharan and Rangana Herath. He made his international debut in 1998 and last played for India in 2016, having taken part in 103 Tests, 236 ODIs and 28 international T20s. He continued to play in the Indian Premier League including for Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders.
Saturday, 25 December, 2021
pRayeR timingS
NEWS
PM seeks sAARC Role to tRAnsfoRM quAlity of life in south AsiA ISLAMABAD
P
Staff RepoRt
rime minister imran Khan has underlined that South Asian Association for regional Cooperation (SAArC) can provide a conducive and beneficial atmosphere to build economic synergies which can transform the quality of life of the people of South Asia. The prime minister said this during a meeting with SAArC Secretary General esala ruwan Weerakoon, who is currently visiting Pakistan, on Friday. reiterating Pakistan’s commitment to the mutually beneficial goals and objectives embodied in the SAArC Charter, the prime minister emphasised on
strengthening cooperation on issues of common interest including climate change, education, poverty alleviation, energy integration and health challenges. Strongly condemning the Sialkot incident, the prime minister expressed condolences on the death of Priyantha Kumara and stated that there was no justification whatsoever for such acts and that all necessary steps have been taken in order to speedily bring the perpetrators to justice. The prime minister appreciated the SAArC secretary general’s efforts to further improve and promote SAArC processes and assured him of continued support of the government of Pakistan in further strengthening regional cooperation under the SAArC ambit. He also ex-
pressed hope to host the SAArC Summit in Pakistan when artificial obstacles created in its way would be removed. The secretary general thanked the prime minister for his guidance on the SAArC related issues and assured him that during his tenure he will make determined efforts to strengthen collaboration among member states in different fields for the benefit of all the countries of South Asian region. Separately, minister for maritime Affairs Syed Ali Haider Zaidi called on Prime minister imran Khan on Friday. They discussed the future prospects of the blue economy of Pakistan. The minister said that Pakistan economy is growing owing to the prime minister’s vision of a blue economy.
Khusro directs 30pc increase in urea supplies ISLAMABAD: Federal minister for industries and Production, makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar on Friday asked the fertiliser industry to increase urea supplies by 30 per cent countrywide to ease down the market. The minister for industries and Production was presiding over the weekly fertiliser review meeting. The meeting was attended by the Adviser of the Prime minister on Commerce and Trade Abdul razak Dawood,, provincial departments, senior officials of the Petroleum Divi-
sion and officials of the fertiliser industry. The meeting reviewed the supply-chain situation and production trajectory of fertilisers plants. After extensive deliberations, Bakhtyar stated that plants of Fatima Fertilizer based in Sindh and Agri Tech units would be operated in full capacity till January to February 2022. He directed the Petroleum Division to assure gas supplies to urea plants according to revised gas supply priority orders. Staff RepoRt
Fajr SunriSE
ZuHr
aSr MagHrib iSHa
5:40
12:07
2:46
7:08
5:04
6:33
HEC offers international scholarships in collaboration with China, Hungary China and Hungary, in collaboration with the Higher education Commission (HeC), have announced scholarships for Pakistani students for the 2022-23 in-take. Students can apply before January 3, 2022, for the Chinese government scholarships. meanwhile, those who wish to apply for the Hungarian scholarship can get themselves registered before January 17, 2022. China Scholarship Council (CSC) is responsible for the enrollment and registration of this programme. Designated Chinese universities are offering various programmes including Science, engineering, Agriculture, medicine, economics,
Legal Studies, management, education etc., for bachelor’s programme, mater’s schemes, and PhD level. For details about the Chinese scholarship, click here. The Hungarian government is offering Stipendium Hungarian Scholarship Programme for bachelor, one-tier master’s programme and PhD. HeC has provided the details related to medical and dental seats offered by Hungary. For details about the Chinese scholarship, click here. Applicants are advised to go through all the instructions before submitting the form. newS deSk
Shehzad Akbar accuses Shehbaz Sharif for ‘running away from accountability’ ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime minister on Accountability mirza Shahzad Akbar on Friday said that the lawyers of Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly and Pakistan muslim League-Nawaz (PmL-N) President Shehbaz Sharif were absent from today’s hearing of the money laundering case. “Amjad Pervez has sought time from the accountability court… those who were asking for challans are now running away from the ju-
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
diciary,” Shahzad wrote on his Twitter handle. Akbar further asked the spokespersons of PmL-N to comment on this recent behaviour of their leadership. “As a spokesperson of PmL-N, please elaborate on how and why rs3 billion were transferred to the [bank] account of the peon of ramzan Sugar mill, malik maqsood,” he questioned marriyum Aurangzeb, who had responded to Shahzad’s earlier tweet. Staff RepoRt