Epaper – February 18-2022 ISB

Friday, 18 February, 2022 I 16 Rajab, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 231 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition

Bill Gates lauds Pakistan’s success in comBatinG Polio, covid-19 and Poverty

ISLAMABAD Mian abrar

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ICROSOFT founder Bill Gates Thursday called on Prime Minister Imran Khan and lauded measures taken by Pakistan to combat polio and Covid-19 diseases and the performance of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) and welfare initiatives amid Covid19, including the Ehsaas programme.

Gates, who is also a co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, arrived here Thursday morning on his first-ever visit to Pakistan, Minister of State for National Health Services Dr Faisal Sultan tweeted.

During the daylong visit, Gates also called on President Dr Arif Alvi, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar who also heads the NCOC, Dr Sultan and others.

During his meeting with Prime Minister Khan, Gates expressed gratitude for inviting him and extending warm hospitality on his maiden visit. He appreciated the efforts of

the Pakistani leadership, health workers, and parents for working tirelessly to ensure polio never paralyses a child again.

Later, Bill Gates called President Dr Alvi.

The President conferred on Mr Gates the award of Hilal-e-Pakistan in recognition of his services for the eradication of polio and the betterment of the people of Pakistan at an investiture ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

In a statement, the NCOC said the philanthropist attended the forum’s daily meeting. There, he was informed about the federal body’s role and methodology, its achievements since the start of the Covid19 crisis, the latest pandemic situation in Pakistan as well as the non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) employed by the forum to control the spread of the viral disease.

Gates and the delegation accompanying him were also told about genome sequencing and various coronavirus variants detected across Pakistan, the statement said.

“He took keen interest on various initiatives of NCOC, particularly targeted quar-

coronavirus in

Pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

1,494,293

LAST UPDATED AT 9:09 AM ON FEBRUARY 17, 2022

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

40

2,870

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

1,393,209 29,917 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

561,683

497,307

KPK:

BALOCHISTAN:

213,021

35,163

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

42,316/11,274

133,529

antines and micro-smart lockdown strategy enforcement measures and […] vaccine administration regime which enabled NCOC to formulate and implement a comprehensive Covid-19 response.”

During his visit to the body, Gates also shared his views on the pandemic, especially the inoculation drive.

“Gates appreciated Pakistan’s success against Covid-19 despite resource constraints and introducing excellent initiatives and measures for public health safety,” the statement read.

He later attended a luncheon hosted in his honour by the prime minister.

Gates’ multi-billion dollar philanthropic foundation is one of the biggest fund providers of the polio eradication campaign in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Polio is a virus that spreads in areas with poor sanitation. It attacks the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis within hours of infection. Children under five are the most vulnerable, but polio can be prevented with vaccination.

Success in reducing case numbers worldwide has been largely due to intense national and regional immunisation campaigns in babies and children.

In a 2019 interview with Reuters, Gates said the global polio programme is making progress in Pakistan and has a good relationship with Prime Minister Khan who has prioritised the polio fight.

“We’ve got to get Afghanistan and Pakistan to zero,” Gates said. “We need government donors to stay committed.”

The “only potential negative” in the region is instability in Afghanistan, Gates said, where Taliban leaders appear to have no single policy but “decide what they will and what they won’t allow” regarding polio vaccinations.

“That’s what we don’t have predictability or control over,” he said.

“Sometimes they stop the campaigns from taking place. But the ideal is when they allow house-to-house (vaccine) delivery.”

Opposition suffers another defeat as Senate approves OGRA 2nd Amendment bill ISLAMABAD staff report

The Opposition, which enjoys a majority in the Senate, faced an embarrassment in the Upper House of the Parliament on Wednesday after the government managed to get the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) (Amendment) Bill, 2022 passed from Senate.

The development comes ahead of the government’s claims of tabling a no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan and Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaisar in the Lower House of the Parliament.

Ahead of the vote, PPP’s Yousaf Raza Gilani said that a public hearing was necessary before approving the price. However, Leader of the House Senator Shehzad Waseem said that the bill was already passed with consensus in the relevant standing committee.

On the other hand, Senator Raza Rabbani said that the bill should have been put before the Council of Common Interest.

Science and Technology Minister Shibli Faraz clarified that the bill empowers OGRA and has

Murad says he was targeted for being from middle class ISLAMABAD staff report

Communications and Postal Services’ Minister Murad Saeed said on Thursday that he had been targeted with a vicious and malicious propaganda for being a person from the middle class as elite politicians couldn’t bear anyone from middle class rise.

Addressing a presser here, Murad Saeed said he had no say in how the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) proceeded following his complaint on remarks made against him during a television show last week, adding that he had acted according to the law by registering a complaint and had no involvement in subsequent proceedings by the agency.

“As a Pakistani, who has confidence in the Constitution and law of Pakistan, I acted in a lawful manner. After that … how the institution proceeded, it is its mandate. I shouldn’t be asked about this,” he said while replying to reporters’ questions.

Saeed also clarified that in his complaint, he had only referred to the television show during which the remarks were made and requested for legal action.

The episode being dis-

“nothing to do with the IMF and the CCI.” When the bill was put before the House for vote, the Opposition staged a walkout and the bill was passed by the Senate after the Dilawar Khan group voted in favour of the bill.

In the initial voting, 29 senators voted in favour and the same number of lawmakers voted against the bill. However, the bill was passed by the Upper House after Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani voted in favour of the bill.

The same happened during the allied health professional council’s bill as the senate chairman cast the deciding vote in favour of the law.

Chairman Sanjrani took a jibe at Energy Minister Hammad Azhar after the latter arrived in the House a bit late. “Hammad you can leave now, the bill has been passed and you’re late as always,” said Sanjrani.

Under the bill, if the federal government fails to notify OGRA’s recommended prices within 40 days, the regulator has been empowered to notify the new price.

The bill empowers OGRA to decide the price of RLNG and LNG without holding a public hearing.

more inside

IHC gives NAB a month’s time to ‘prepare’ for Avenfield case STORY ON PAGE 02

cussed here goes back to last week, when the anchor and panelists during television programme G for Gharidah on NewsOne had questioned Prime Minister Imran Khan’s decision to award Saeed the first place among the 10 best performing federal ministries. The panel had made several critical and disparaging remarks about the federal minister, insinuating with innuendoes that some ‘other factors’ were behind the award than his ministry’s performance.

During that show, one of the panelists, Mohsin Jamil Baig, had referred to a book written

by PM Imran’s ex-wife Reham Khan, suggesting that the reason for Murad’s recognition was

mentioned in that book.

The programme had attracted a flurry of criticism from government officials as well as by netizens. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority had issued a show-cause notice to the channel for airing “unethical” remarks about a federal minister.

Subsequently, an FIA team raided Baig’s residence in Islamabad yesterday, taking action on Saeed’s complaint.

During that raid, officials allege Baig shot at and roughed up members of the FIA team, following which he was arrested by police and a separate case was registered against him for attacking government officials.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

ECC to approve Rs18.36bn to conduct local govt elections in Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, ICT STORY ON PAGE 03

PM Imran to take up agenda of gas pipeline projects during Russia visit STORY ON BACK PAGE

No-trust vote against Imran a risk worth taking: Maryam STORY ON BACK PAGE

02

Friday, 18 February, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

IHC gIvEs NAB A moNTH’s TImE To ‘PREPARE’ FoR AvENFIElD CAsE

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Tarin directs FBR to settle issues related to pharmaceutical industry Shahzad Paracha Federal Minister on Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin has directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to carry out all possible measures for settlement of the issues of the pharmaceutical industry. The finance minister on Thursday held a meeting with a delegation of Pakistan Pharmaceuticals Association (PPMA) headed by its chairman Qazi Mansoor Dilawar at the Finance Division. Chairman PPMA shared about the problems being faced by the pharmaceutical manufacturers particularly the concerns pertaining to refund of sales tax. These unresolved matters result in unnecessary delays and thus impact overall working efficiency of PPMA. Furthermore, they requested for the resolution of the mentioned issues. The finance minister commended the contribution of pharmaceutical manufacturers. It was accredited that this sector has a substantial role in the economic development of the country. He assured that all such reservations of PPMA will be resolved at the earliest time possible. The finance minister further directed FBR to carry out all possible measures for settlement of the issues of the pharmaceutical industry. The PPMA delegation thanked the finance minister for ensuring the full support for resolution of their issues.

KP govt seeks clarification on draft agreement with ADB aziz buneri Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Local Government department has sought clarification on the draft agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) related to loans for city development projects.

According to the law department sources, the provincial government is going to take the largest loan in the history of the province for the urban development project from ADB. The law department is seeking clarification as it is saying that many important clauses have not been properly defined in the draft. According to sources, the Project Monitoring Reporting and Evaluation contains some clauses which need proper clarification. The department has asked for explanation on those clauses so that it could finalise the legal draft of the agreement.

newS deSk

HE Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday gave NAB a month’s time to the NAB counsel to prepare for the Avenfield case.

During a hearing on pleas filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) Vice President Maryam Nawaz and her husband Muhammad Safdar, newlyappointed NAB special prosecutor sought four weeks time to prepare the case against Maryam and Safdar.

Maryam’s counsel Irfan Qadir said the high court had asked NAB a question and the proceedings wouldn’t take long if NAB submitted the response to that query. Qadir said he wanted NAB to have the opportunity to prepare well for

the case.

“We had always wanted to take this case to a logical conclusion at the earliest,” he said, requesting the court to direct NAB for early conclusion of arguments in the case.

The NAB counsel said the case was not just related to two documents, adding that he had a lot to say but wouldn’t say at this point. Qadir said NAB had affixed irrelevant records with its application.

NAB counsel Azhar Siddique said he couldn’t get time to go through the case as the notification for his appointment as the special prosecutor was issued a day ago. The NAB prosecutor quipped that Maryam’s counsel wanted to give “a sentence to media” by making such remarks.

However, the court stopped the

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin on Wednesday assured Qatar’s energy minister of all possible support in resolving issues related to Qatar’s investments in Pakistan.

The finance minister held a virtual meeting with the Qatar Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi.

Both sides discussed ways and means on promoting bilateral and economic ties between Qatar and Pakistan. The issues for setting up of the LNG terminal in Pakistan came under discussion in the meeting.

The finance minister assured the Qatar Energy Minister of all possible support to resolve the issues for facilitating the State of Qatar’s investment

perfectly fine, having meals in the hospital.” “The workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) standing outside my apartment used to hurl abuses whenever I came back from the hospital, “ she said, adding that she was detained in a “death cell” during her imprisonment.

“Am I not someone’s daughter,” she questioned. She took a jibe at the PM by stating that “I pity his mindset,” she said, adding that the premier should have the “same standard for other women as he has for his wife”. “He is the first prime minister in the world who enjoys a lavish lifestyle at his Banigala residence on taxpayers’ money,” she quipped.

Maryam said how could the PM understand the pain of people burdened by inflation when “his kitchen was being run on someone else’s money”.

Pakistani artist asks govt, private sector to support world’s largest gold-plated Quran project newS deSk Pakistani painter and sculptor Shahid Rassam is creating a stunning, one-of-a-kind masterpiece that will be the world’s “largest” gold-plated copy of the Holy Quran. The costly project, which will require a massive amount of money, will need the government’s as well as the private sector’s support, said Rassam while speaking at a news conference at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Wednesday.

Rassam told journalists that he began creating the remarkable piece in 2016. The 550-page copy of the Quran would have 2,000 pounds of aluminium, and 200 pounds of gold for plating.

“Each page is 2.6 metres long and two metres wide.

Instead of ink or paint, we’re using metal to cast the words, and instead of paper, we’re using canvas,” he explained. Shahid Rassam standing next to a framed page of the gold-plated Quran at the Pakistan Pavillion of the Dubai Expo 2020. “When I first showed it to Anwar Maqsood sahib, he asked me how long it would take me to finish it. He inquired if my grandchildren would finish the project after discovering that it had taken me two years to complete two pages,” he said. To speed up the process, Rassam said that he has hired 200 young calligraphers, designers, painters, and sculptors. He went on to say that once completed, the gold-plated copy of the

Holy Quran would need to be placed in a special museum, which would require assistance from both the government and the private sector. “I’m also asking for support from the Aga Khan Foundation,” he continued. Shahid Rassam working on a page of the world largest Quran. According to Anwar Maqsood, Rassam is an artist who followed his heart. He was of the view that his recent work is not just loved by the Muslims but also by those who are drawn to such art. “Of course, if you ask for a museum to house it, you might as well ask for a hundred thousand security personnel to guard it because it’s loaded with gold,” he joked, adding that the Aga Khan Foundation would be ideal for aiding and patronising such a project.

P3A board approves Sukkur-Hyderabad, Kharian-Rawalpindi Motorway projects Ghulam abbaS The Public Private Partnership Authority (P3A) Board has approved the project proposals for the construction of Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway, Kharian-Rawalpindi Motorway (KRM) and Project Development Facility (PDF) Regulations, 2022 on Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis.

The project proposal for the construction of SukkurHyderabad Motorway was approved in the 20th meeting of the board held on Wednesday which was chaired by Deputy Chairmanship Dr Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan.

The project encompasses construction of 306 km green-field controlled access motorway at a cost of Rs307 billion per successful bidder’s proposal. The successful bidder has proposed to pay Rs408 billion guaranteed revenue share to NHA over the operations period of 22 years. The project also expects to generate Rs918 billion in the form of corporate taxes.

During the meeting it was informed that M6 is the only missing link between the country’s north-south bound motorway networks. With its completion, commuters will be able to use the motorway network while traveling from the port city of Karachi to Peshawar and vice-versa. The project is expected to generate

phenomenal economic benefits through promoting tourism, creating job opportunities, reducing travel time & saving costs and contributing towards socio-economic development of urban & rural centers along the corridor.

During the meeting, it was further informed that Sindh will pay for the land acquisition on the behalf of NHA and meetings in this regard took place with provincial authorities of Sindh.

The board also accorded approval to the project proposal for the construction of Kharian-Rawalpindi Motorway (KRM) on PPP basis. KRM has been approved by the Risk Management Unit, Central Development Working Party and Executive Committee of the National Economic Council.

The project will be floated in the market in a shortwhile. KRM is 117 km 4-lane (convertible to 6-lane) green-field facility that is expected to be completed in a period of 2 years following achievement of financial close by the concessionaire.

Besides above, the board also approved Project Development Facility (PDF) Regulations, 2022 which envisaged providing financial support to the implementing agencies to meet transaction advisory costs related to the PPP project development, structuring and procurement.

Tarin assures support for Qatar’s investments in Pakistan Shahzad Paracha

counsels from taking jibes at each other.

Maryam’s previous counsel, Amjad Pervez, was also present at the hearing.

He said the case should have been concluded in 30 days as per the NAB ordinance. “Amjad sahib, you had been on leave because of illness,” retorted Justice Aamir Farooq.

“Such thirty days have come and gone,” he said, adding that initially, NAB had wanted the court to decide the case against Sharifs in 30 days. “We had rejected that petition,” Justice Farooq added. Maryam Nawaz while speaking to the media, chided Prime Minister Imran Khan over the arrest of a PML-N social media worker over ‘vilification’ of Imran’s wife. She said, “When my mother was on her death bed, the workers of PTI [the ruling party] used to say that she was

in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the finance minister also presided over a virtual meeting with Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih.

Both sides highlighted deep-rooted bilateral ties and cordial relationship between the two countries.

The two sides discussed the potential for increased collaboration and investment in the various sectors including agriculture, food security, information technology, infrastructure development, refinery and vowed to extend business and economic ties. The Saudi minister was also apprised that the present government is providing incentives to attract and facilitate foreign investors. The Saudi investment minister expressed the need for greater mutual investments in different fields.

ECC approves tax exemptions worth Rs1bn on oxygen, oxygen gas cylinder, cryogenic oxygen tanks for health sector Shahzad Paracha The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet has approved Rs1 billion duty and tax exemptions on oxygen gas, oxygen gas cylinder and cryogenic oxygen tanks for the health sector up to June 2022.

The meeting of ECC was held under the chair of Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin on Thursday. Sources said that the ministry of industries and Production has proposed ECC to grant duty and tax exemptions to oxygen gas, oxygen gas cylinder and cryogenic oxygen tanks for the health sector for a period of twelve months on expiry of previous exemptions in November, 2021.

Sources said that FBR in December 2021 did not support the proposal for extension of the tax exemptions for further one year due to having revenue impact of Rs1 billion however ministry has received two requests from Maan Enterprises and Denim international whereas NCOC has also issued a letter to ministry of industries to maintain sufficient reserves of medical oxygen by all producers (80 per cent of total storage) at all times to meet the demand of medical oxygen in coming days. As per the handout issued by the finance division ECC approved duty and tax exemption on above-mentioned products for the health sector up to June 2022 to cope with the fifth wave of Covid in the country. In addition, the ECC after deliberation on a summary presented by the Ministry of Industries and Production on fixation of imported urea price and approved the cost estimates for import of urea amounting to Rs12.345 billion on cost sharing basis among the federal and provincial governments on 50:50 basis.

Friday, 18 February, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

03

ECC to approve Rs18.36bn to conduct local govt elections in Punjab, sindh, Balochistan, ICT

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ahmad ahmadani

HE Federal Cabinet’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) scheduled to meet on Thursday is likely to grant approval for release of Rs18.36 billion for conducting local government elections in Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).

As per details, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has planned to hold local government elections (LGE) in the province of Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and asked the cabinet division to seek necessary approval of the ECC for immediate release of funds amounting to Rs18.36 billion as Technical Supplementary Grant (TSG) to conduct LGE in Sindh, Punjab Balochistan, & ICT and for periodical revision of electoral rolls 2021-22.

According to documents, the ECP has approached the finance division through a letter dated January 3, 2022 for allocation of funds amounting to

Rs18,364.707 million as TSG to conduct LGE in Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and ICT and for periodical revision of electoral rolls.

“Keeping in view the urgency and sensitivity of the matter and the fact that various activities in connection with elections required immediate release of funds, the cabinet division is requested to kindly seek approval of the summary from ECC of the federal cabinet,” said documents.

The documents added that the summary has been seen and authorized by the honorable Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan.

According to the ECC agenda, next meeting of the ECC will be held on Thursday under the minister for finance and revenue. The ECC is scheduled to take up eight agenda items including demand of funds for Rs18,364.707 million as TSG to conduct LGE in the country and periodical revision of electoral rolls.

Pakistan Navy’s maritime exercise Seaspark-2022 begins in Karachi karachi ppi

The opening Ceremony of Pakistan Navy’s major maritime exercise Seaspark-22 was held in Karachi.

The biennial exercise is steered to assess war preparedness and validate operational plans of the Pakistan Navy against the envisaged threat spectrum, especially in the maritime domain.

Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi graced the occasion as the chief guest.

In the opening remarks, the Deputy Chief of

saudi army chief makes ‘historic’ visit to India newS deSk Saudi Arabia Land Forces Commander Lieutenant General Fahd Bin Abdullah Mohammed Al-Mutair paid a “historic and landmark” first visit to India this week, the Indian Ministry of Defence said. According to a statement issued by the ministry, the Saudi army chief arrived in India on Monday and ended his three-day trip on Wednesday.

“This was the first ever visit by a serving Royal Saudi Land Forces Commander to India and marked a deepening bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries,” the statement added. The aim of the visit was to bolster bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries. The Saudi army chief was received by Indian Army Chief Manoj Mukund Naravane on February 15 at South Block, where he was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour. “The relationship between India and Saudi Arabia has grown owing to common interests in economic prosperity, eliminating terrorism and mitigating the effects of climate change.

Defence diplomacy forms one of the major tenets of the overall relationship,” the statement read.

Naval Staff (Operations) presented the overview of the exercise. He emphasised that challenges of greyhybrid warfare and contemporary geostrategic environment necessitate an adroit response by the Pakistan Navy.

He also highlighted factors impinging upon the type and character of warfare in contemporary environment warranting continuous appraisal of environment and reassessment of own plans.

The naval commander affirmed that the Pakistan Navy remains combat-ready and fully cognisant of its responsibility to safeguard national maritime interests during peace and war times.

He stressed that exercise Seaspark-22 will provide impetus to Pakistan’s resolve of maintaining peace and stability by promoting a safe and sustainable maritime environment in the region.

The exercise will be conducted in the Arabian Sea along the Pakistani coast. All naval platforms and assets of the navy, special forces and Pakistan marines detachments along with other elements of Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA), Pakistan Army, and Pakistan Air Force will participate in the exercise.

The exercise is being attended by representatives of ministries of defence, maritime affairs, interior and national security division.

US says war appears imminent after shelling on Ukraine front line reuterS US President Joe Biden said on Thursday there was now every indication Russia was planning to invade into Ukraine, including signs Moscow was carrying out a false flag operation to justify it, after Ukrainian forces and pro-Moscow rebels traded fire.

Moscow, for its part, ejected the number two official from the US embassy and released a strongly worded letter to the United States accusing Washington of ignoring its security demands.

Biden’s remarks came shortly after Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists exchanged fire across a frontline that divides them, in what Western officials described as a possible pretext created by Moscow to invade.

“We have reason to believe they are engaged in a false flag operation to have an excuse to go in. Every indication we have is they’re prepared to go into Ukraine and attack Ukraine,” Biden told reporters as he departed the White House.

Biden ordered Secretary of State Antony Blinken to change his travel plans at the last minute to speak at a United Nations Security Council meeting on Ukraine.

“The evidence on the ground is that Russia is moving toward an imminent invasion. This is a crucial moment,” US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda

Thomas-Greenfield, told reporters.

Russia denies planning to invade its neighbour and said this week it was pulling back some of the more than 100,000 troops it has massed near the frontier. Washington says Russia is not withdrawing, but in fact sending more forces.

“We see them fly in more combat and support aircraft. We see them sharpen their readiness in the Black Sea,” Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said at NATO headquarters in Brussels. “We even see them stocking up their blood supplies.”

“I was a soldier myself not that long ago. I know firsthand that you don’t do these sorts of things for no reason,” said Austin, a retired Army general. “And you certainly don’t do them if you’re getting ready to pack up and go home.”

Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels gave conflicting accounts of shelling across the front in the Donbass separatist region. The details could not be established independently, but reports from both sides suggested an incident more serious than the routine ceasefire violations reported regularly in the area.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was “seriously concerned” about reports of an escalation.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss called the reports “a blatant attempt by the Russian government to fabricate pretexts for invasion.

Pakistani MPs’ plane was denied Kabul landing due to political reasons: NA speaker newS deSk National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Thursday said that a plane carrying Pakistani lawmakers was not allowed to land in Kabul last year due to “political reasons”, according to Dawn.

In April last year, a parliamentary delegation, headed by Qaiser, had departed for Afghanistan on a three-day official visit but had returned home within minutes after Afghan authorities did not allow their plane to land at Kabul airport.

The NA speaker commented on the situation for the very first time on

Thursday, citing political reasons behind the incident.

Talking to a gathering of Pakistani and Afghan businessmen in Islamabad, he said: “My visit to Afghanistan was hit by politics. I had not commented on the incident at the time.”

At the event, the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber and Industry (PAJCCI) stakeholders’ meeting, delegates stressed that political differences should be set aside as they have an impact on bilateral and transit trade between the countries.

The speaker endorsed the views and said that it is unfortunate that politics has

become a hurdle in other matters.

“Politics should not play a role in trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan,” Qaiser said, calling on Pakistani and Afghan traders to float proposals to boost bilateral trade and remove obstacles that affect it.

The NA speaker went on to say that PM Imran is “monitoring relations with Afghanistan”, adding that he is advocating for the Afghans at an international level and calling for the release of their frozen assets.

“The prime minister has been urging the international community to avert the humanitarian crisis in the country [that has been] ravaged by years of conflict,” he said.

Fawad rejects opposition criticism on petroleum price hike ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Thursday said the opposition is criticising the government over increasing petroleum prices. In a statement, the minister said the government is forced to hike the price as the oil has reached $95 a barrel from $60 in the international market. The important aspect of any criticism is that you should provide some alternative way to sort out the problem which the opposition hasn’t, he added. Oil prices rose more than 1 percent on Wednesday as investors weighed conflicting statements on the possible withdrawal of some Russian troops from around Ukraine. Russia’s threatening posture toward Ukraine has dominated oil markets for several weeks, with concerns that supply disruptions from the major producer in a tight global market could push oil prices to $100 a barrel. Earlier, Chaudhry said the corrupt opposition leadership would fail in their attempt for a no-trust motion as they were going to land in jail for their loot and plunder of the national wealth. “They could bring a no-confidence motion if they managed to save themselves from the corruption cases, but I do not foresee any such move as they would be in jail before taking the misadventure,” he said while addressing the post-cabinet meeting media briefing. He said the opposition had made 13 abortive attempts in the past to oust the democratically elected government, and their current bid would meet the same fate. iNp

Friday, 18 February, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

04 NEWS

ATC reserves verdiCT on minisTers’ peTiTions in pArliAmenT house ATTACk CAse ISLAMABAD

A

INP

n anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Thursday reserved its verdict on applications of federal ministers Asad Umar, Pervaiz Khattak and Shafqat Mehmood seeking acquittal in the 2014 mob storming of Parliament House and Pakistan Television offices.

The court will declare the verdict on March 9.

Mahmood, Umar, Ijaz Chaudhry, Raja Khurram nawaz and other accused turned up before Judge Muhammad Ali Warraich as he resumed the hearing.

As many as 11 accused, including the federal

ministers and former PTI secretary general Jahangir Tareen, moved the applications seeking their acquittal under Section 265-K of the criminal procedure code (CrPC).

‘Consistency, unity in Muslim world needed to safeguard rights of Muslims’ ISTANBUL ANAdolu AgeNcy

Consistency and unity are needed to safeguard the rights of Muslims across the globe, speakers said at a conference in Istanbul.

“There is inconsistency in our positions and actions as the members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) are not acting in unison,” said Ammar Hijazi, Palestine’s assistant minister for multilateral affairs. Hijazi was addressing a seminar on human rights violations faced by Muslims, jointly hosted by Turkey’s justice and foreign ministries and the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the OIC. The Palestinian official decried the decision of some nations to normalise ties with Israel.

However, he stressed that “we seek solutions based on respect, dialogue and harmony,” calling for solidary

and support for the Palestinian people.

Yakup Mogul, Turkey’s deputy justice minister, said there is a “need to stand behind anyone facing discrimination.” “If we don’t take steps, it would get worse,” he said, referring to the occupation of Palestinian lands and Myanmar’s brutal uprooting of Rohingya Muslims. Calling for tangible steps while responding to Islamophobic incidents in Europe, he said: “We should not allow Europe to become a place that is not peaceful for Muslims.”

To ensure people’s rights are protected, Un systems “need to be more effective” and the OIC also “has to become more effective,” he said. “As an organization, we need to work together, increase collaboration and use our platform more effectively,” Mogul stressed, adding that Turkey was ready to “share our knowledge and experience” with other OIC members.

Leadership of Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia lauded Haci Ali Acikgul, the chairperson of the OIC’s

Pakistani prisoners repatriated by India via Wagah border Pakistani nationals, including fishermen who were imprisoned in Indian jails, have returned via the Attari-Wagah border after completing their sentences. “In close coordination with Foreign Office as well as the Indian side, 12 Pakistan nationals, including 6 fishermen, who were under imprisonment in India, were repatriated today via Attari-Wagah border,” the Pakistan High Commission in new Delhi said in a statement on Thursday. Among those reuniting with their families in Pakistan is a senior citizen of over 80 years of age, Muhammad nazir s/o Fateh Din who entered the country in a wheelchair. Muhammad nazir, a resident of Lahore, was released from the Indian prison after eight years. He was arrested by Indian authorities in 2014. The elderly man thanked Allah Almighty over his release saying that due to the efforts of the Pakistan High Commission he would be able to reunite with his family after a long time. News desk

It is noteworthy that Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was also nominated in the case, was acquitted by the anti-terrorism court in October 2020.

On Sept 1, 2014, hundreds of protesters belonging to the PTI and PAT stormed the Parliament House and PTV headquarters and forced its staff to take two of the state broadcaster’s flagship channels — PTV news and PTV World — off the air.

The protesters were also charged with attacking government properties including the Parliament House building.

Another case was related to the attack on then SSP Operations Islamabad Asmatullah Junejo during the protest sit-in in Islamabad seeking the resignation of then prime minister nawaz Sharif.

IPHRC, said the Muslim bloc and its human rights body have remained vocal in “condemning hate-motivated acts against Muslims around the world, from Palestine to Kashmir, nagorno Karabakh, India, Sri Lanka, France, new Zealand, Central African Republic and Myanmar.”

“We have always highlighted the plight of our Muslim brethren and urged respective governments to protect their human rights,” he said.

Islamophobia, he said, has “transformed into a systematic anti-Muslim rhetoric of right-wing extremists propagated to achieve well-defined political gains.”

Acikgul said the IPHRC has proposed a comprehensive Islamophobia strategy for the OIC, published thematic studies and held seminars to raise awareness, and suggested concrete measures to root out the menace of religious hatred.

“However, given the scale of the challenge, efforts of the OIC and IPHRC alone are not enough. It requires concerted collaborative efforts by states, civil society, intelligentsia and media,” he noted.

Acikgul praised the leadership of the OIC members including Turkey, Pakistan and Malaysia for their “laudable efforts that provided a sense of direction and required political impetus to the ongoing efforts at the global scale.”

Road accidents and violations decline in Capital after introduction of e-challan system ISLAMABAD Pr

The ratio of road accidents and violation of traffic rules have declined in Capital after introduction of e-challan system and desired results are being achieved through it.

It was stated by Senior Superintendent of Police (Traffic) RaiMazharIqbal while reviewing the overall impact after launch of e-challan system.

The system launched by Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) in coordination with Safe City Project is very much successful and efforts are being made to modernize traffic system in the city.

The initiative of e-challan system is aimed at ensuring implementation on traffic laws.

The commuters receive tickets at their home address after reporting violations through Safe City cameras, installed at various locations in the city. The system is linked to the Safe City and Excise and Taxation Office.

The challan included over speeding, signal jumping, line and lane, one way, without lights, rash driving, excessive smoke, mobile phone usage, not wearing seat-belt and helmet.

The SSP said that more than 29,957 challans have been issued under this system and it has helped a lot to control

Cas witnesses concluding ceremony of inter-Band Competition 2021-22 ISLAMABAD Pr

PAF Inter-Band Competition 2021-22 concluded at PAF Complex, Islamabad. Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force was the Chief Guest at the closing ceremony. General discipline, dress and instruments inspection, marching in columns and drawing different patterns were part of threeday annual Musical Fiesta. Four PAF Brass Band Units displayed dexterity of professionalism and created magic with their tunes. Moreover, in connection to Diamond Jubilee celebrations of independence of Pakistan, a special saga was performed by all participating units. While playing tunes of national and folk songs, all Band Units drew collectively the digit “75 surrounded by Crescent.” Besides, Brass and Pipers Bands from Sister Services, Student Bands of Saleem nawaz Fazaia College, PAF Base Masroor and Fazaia Inter College, PAF Base Minhas also participated as guest performers. The Chief Guest awarded trophies and prizes to Winner Band, Best Band Master and Best individual performers. The Chief Guest also appreciated performance and artistic pursuits of all the participants.

islamabad police launches 'online Complaint management system' to facilitate public ISLAMABAD Pr

The Islamabad Police have launched 'Online Complaint Management System' to facilitate public on instructions of Inspector General Police Mohammad AhsanYounus. The police have introduced seven different services Including registration of FIR. The citizens will be able to avail all the services from their homes through the system. The IGP said the police have been struggling to provide all facilities to the public at their doorsteps. According to the details, Islamabad Police have launched the online complaint management system to provide seven different services to the public. These services include FIR registration, complaints about traffic, complaints against any police official, and regarding any investigation. The citizens will be able to get an e-tag number through their mobile phones without visiting police station. The e-tag numbers will be sent to the complainant through WhatsApp and text message. The citizens are advised to visit Islamabad Police website or go to a direct link complaints.islamabadpolice.gov.pk to register their complaints. The IGP Mohammad AhsanYounus said the Islamabad Police are making all out efforts to provide facilities to public at their doorsteps. He said the police was striving to make Islamabad a crime-free City by timely addressing complaints of the public.

minister urges pm to replace Aurat march with headscarf movement ISLAMABAD MoNItorINg rePort

lane and signal violations. The e-challans are dispatched at the addresses of violators which they have mentioned at Excise and Taxation Office at the time of registration of their vehicles.

In case of non-payment of fine amount within a certain period, the fine ticket is annexed with master file placed at Excise and Taxation office. It would be impossible for those issued etickets to get their vehicles transferred to some other till payment of the fine amount. The fine can easily be paid through various mobile and bank accounts and other digital means. The SSP (Traffic) said that this system would be improved in the coming days and ITP be upgraded on modern lines.

Minister for Religious Affairs noor ul-Haq Qadri requested Prime Minister Imran Khan to impose a ban on the Aurat March movement and instead celebrate the International Women’s Day on March 8 as Headscarf Day, Geo news reported. The contentious rights movement has been attended by tens of thousands in multiple cities across Pakistan since 2018 to coincide with Women’s Day. Organisers say they have faced a backlash from conservative elements, including threats of violence. In 2021, the march sparked outrage when banners and videos of protesters chanting what its detractors labelled as objectionable slogans surfaced on social media.

Organisers, however, termed the videos as doctored, saying they were aimed at stifling dissent and free speech. According to Geo news, Qadri said “certain elements” should not be permitted to mock Islamic values or the wearing of headscarves, without elaborating further. The minister proposed to Khan the world’s attention be drawn on March 8 to the discrimination faced by Muslim women in India, occupied Kashmir and elsewhere in the world due to their religious attire.

SC reveals ’62 people have been convicted over online hate speech since 2015′ NewS DeSk As per a report submitted to the Supreme Court (SC) by the Punjab government on minorities’ rights, at least 62 people have been convicted in cases pertaining to hate speech on social media since 2015.

The report said the law enforcement agencies had registered 99 cases regarding hate speech

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over the past seven years, in which 101 arrests were made. At least 11 people were acquitted while 62 were convicted in these cases, it added. According to a breakdown given in the report, six suspects were arrested in five cases in 2015; four were convicted while one was acquitted. In 2016, 44 cases were registered. 44 people were detained; 37 suspects were convicted

while seven were acquitted. In 2017, nine suspects were arrested in eight cases. Seven were convicted and one was released. In 2018, two suspects were registered in two cases: one was released and another was convicted. In 2019, one suspect was arrested and later sentenced. In 2020, 27 cases were registered wherein 10 were found guilty and two were cleared. In 2021, 12 sus-

pects were arrested in 12 cases.

Only one person has been found guilty as of now.

As per the report, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) blocked 44 websites over hate speech. It said 12 pages were found involved in sharing anti-state material whereas 46 pages were disseminating hateful content regarding religious minorities.

Friday, 18 February, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

Murad says he was targeted for being from middle class contInueD froM pAge 01 According to the FIA, Saeed had registered a first information report (FIR) against Baig at a cybercrime reporting centre of the agency in Lahore. The FIR said Baig had “assassinated” Saeed’s character by using “immoral and abusive language” in a talk show, the FIA said. After his arrest, Baig’s counsel, Raheel Niazi, had moved an instant petition in the court of Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal for his client’s recovery. The same day, the sessions court had pronounced the raid on Baig’s house “illegal”.

However, Baig remains under arrest as an anti-terrorism court sent him on a three-day physical remand in police custody in the case registered against him for allegedly attacking the FIA’s raiding team.

‘Campaign targeting middle Class’: Earlier in his press conference, Saeed said: “I am addressing Pakistan’s lower and lower-middle class … the sordid campaign they are running [against me] shows where you [the middle class] stand in their eyes.” Without naming anyone, he said, “They will not let you rise. They will not give you [any] opportunities.”

Making an apparent reference to politicians from opposition parties, Saeed said, “In their eyes, parliament and politics is their property. Either landlords or their children can enter it, not someone like you and I.” Saeed said if someone echoed the voice of the people and started exposing “their corruption”, then “sordid allegations” would be made against them. He added that when a person works for the country’s betterment, “then they believe that their monopoly is in danger. And then their social media becomes active.” Saeed said the “campaign [against me] is to show you that you are not in a position to compete with them, challenge them.” “This is why [they have] put up this circus. This is to warn the youth against challenging their monopoly,” he commented. The minister had started the press briefing by building up an argument to show that there was a long struggle behind him becoming a federal minister and the “vile campaign” launched against him had no grounds. “It was not that I woke up one morning in 2013 and made my way to parliament. I am the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) student wing and turned it into the most powerful student force in Khyber Pakhtunkhaw in a very short span,” he said, naming movements, such as the one for the restoration of the judiciary during the tenure of former military ruler retired General Pervez Musharraf, that he had participated in. “I was beaten, jailed and threatened. But I endured it all,” he said.

Saeed recalled that he had organised the structure of PTI’s student wing across Pakistan and expanded it to all union councils. “And when the party showed confidence in me during the 2013 elections, I was elected to parliament with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s biggest lead,” he said, adding that his purpose behind being in parliament was not to “flatter them […] who believe that parliament was their property and given to them in inheritance”. “I was there to be the voice of the suppressed,” he said. Saeed said politicians from opposition parties had targeted and personally attacked him and his family before as well, making derogatory remarks about them. “I never spoke on the matter before,” he continued. “But I am speaking up this time around … because the certificate being awarded to my ministry was the success of every personnel of Motorway police who had embraced martyrdom to make your journey safe. It was a certificate for employees of the Pakistan Post […] and this success belonged to personnel and officers of the NHA (National Highway Authority).” “You can’t be cruel to them.

You have questioned them” by objecting to the awarding of the certificate,” he said.

Saeed maintained that his ministry had set 88 targets for itself and they had achieved all of those.

He also shared details of different initiatives and projects of his ministry.

PIA announces flights for Turbat QuettA Monitoring report

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) launched flight operations for Turbat, the administrative centre for the Kech district of Balochistan.

According to the airline, the flag carrier will commence flights between Quetta and Turbat from February 26. In January last year, the PIA decided to operate flights between Turbat and Sharjah to facilitate the residents of the mountainous town.

PTI SIndh offICe beArerS revolT AgAInST AlI ZAIdI’S new TeAM KArAcHI

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party leader due to his busy schedule and therefore he has resigned from the party post.

Differences have emerged among the ranks of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in Sindh with top leaders resigning from their posts, hours after the new provincial setup was notified by General Secretary Asad Umar.

According to details, PTI general secretary Asad Umar notified appointments of top office-bearers in the party including vice presidents, deputy general secretaries, and others. Soon after the announcement, the Opposition Leader in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Shaikh, who was appointed a senior vice president of the party in Sindh province resigned from his post.

Ali Junejo also announced to quit his position as vice president, followed

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N a major revolt against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Sindh President Syed Ali Zaidi and his newly announced cabinet in Sindh, senior PTI leader and Sindh Assembly Leader of Opposition Haleem Adil Sheikh tendered resignation from their party posts.

The revolt comes as soon as the party’s new set up for Sindh Province was announced. The development may damage Prime Minister Imran Khan’s efforts to lure major Sindhi politicians to shrink political space of PPP in interior Sindh.

Explaining the reason for his resignation, PTI leader Haleem Adil Sheikh said that he could not work as

by the resignation of the newly-appointed general secretary of Mirpurkhas division, Akbar Ali Palli.

The resignations cited the same reason with newly-appointed office bearers saying that they were unable to perform their duties owing to their extraordinary engagements. They, however, said that would continue to work as an activist of the party.

It should be noted that Haleem Adil Sheikh holds the post of Senior Vice President of PTI Sindh.

Soon afterwards, several other party office-bearers of Sindh also resigned to show dissent against the recent re-designation of the party leadership by Ali Zaidi.

Those who have resigned included Ali Junejo, Advisor to Governor Sindh Imran Ismail, General Secretary PTI

Mirpur Khas Division Akbar Ali Palli, PTI’s vice president of Sindh Syed Tahir Hussain Shah and others.

PTI’s Shah had contested elections against Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) central leader Khursheed and secured 47,000 votes from Sukkur.

A source in the PTI said that Syed Ali Zaidi did not have any idea about the politics of interior Sindh and his decisions of appointing junior lot of workers against senior offices had annoyed the party’s senior leaders.

“Ali Zaidi has unfortunately damaged the strong front developed to counter the PPP in interior Sindh.

There can’t be a disservice to the cause of the PTI what Ali Zaidi has done. It would take years to repair the damage done to the PTI,” the party source said.

Pakistan ‘struggles to quell violence’ on Afghan border

ISLAMABAD reuters

Pakistan’s military has stepped up operations along the Afghan border in recent weeks after a spate of militant attacks that has dashed any hope the frontier might see more peace and stability after the end of the war in Afghanistan.

Terrorists have martyred at least 14 soldiers in attacks over the past month, three of them carried out by fighters entering from Afghanistan, according to the military.

Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers, struggling with a humanitarian crisis, have denied that Afghan territory was used in any of the attacks.

But despite such assurances, disputes linked to the border, which has been a bone of contention between the neighbours for decades, could undermine their relations.

The military said six insurgents were killed in the latest clash in Balochistan on Wednesday.

“Operations to eliminate such perpetrators of terrorist acts in Pakistan will continue,” the military said in a statement.

A top security official with di-

rect knowledge of border operations told Reuters: “We have stepped up intelligence-based operations to ensure that we deny entry to militants.”

Large areas on the Pakistani side of the border were out of the control of the government for decades, ruled by fiercely independent Pashtun tribes, whose communities often straddle both sides of the unmarked border.

But Pakistan is determined to end all that, aiming to bring the rugged Pashtun lands under central rule and to demarcate the border with a fence, and control who comes and goes with a tight bordercontrol system, another Pakistani official said.

“We’re targeting anyone who is a threat,” said the second official, who also declined to be identified.

‘Friends’: Pakistan has enjoyed good relations with the Afghan Taliban for years even though Pakistan was officially an ally of the United States during its 20-year occupation of Afghanistan.

But as Pakistan grapples with violence, its appeals to the Taliban to control their side of the border have

not brought the action it hopes to see.

Increasingly frustrated, officials have been pressing the Taliban to deny space and resources to the militants, an appeal repeated by National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf when he visited Kabul last month.

Yusuf’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

In Kabul, the Taliban reject suggestions Afghan territory is used for attacks into Pakistan and hope talks can solve the problem.

“We’re trying to solve such actions through diplomatic ways,” defence ministry spokesperson Enayatullah Khowarazmi told Reuters.

The Taliban tried late last year to facilitate talks between Pakistan and an alliance of al-Qaeda linked militants known as the Tehreek-eTaliban Pakistan (TTP). But the talks fell apart after a few weeks.

Despite the frustrations, officials rule out the chance of any serious deterioration in relations with the Afghan Taliban.

“We’re budding friends,” one of the officials said.

Another source of friction is the determination to finish fencing the 2,600 km (1,615 mile) border that was drawn by British colonial rulers with no consideration for the Pashtun tribes it divided. It has never been recognised by any Afghan government.

Taliban fighters have at times stopped Pakistani forces from putting up the fence, just as forces of the old US-backed Afghan government used to do.

Taliban Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob says his government had not given anyone permission to fence the border.

Pakistan sees small increase in daily Covid-19 cases ISLAMABAD staff report

The nation reported 2,870 cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, up from 2,465 on Wednesday, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said Thursday.

Following the new emergence of new cases, the coronavirus transmission ratio inched up to 5.55 percent from 4.97 percent recorded a day earlier.

While the total number of infections has risen to 1.49 million in the country, said the NCOC, a department leading the campaign against the pandemic.

A total of 4,692 people recovered from the disease during the period, bringing the total number of recoveries to 1,39 million, showed data from the NCOC. The number of active cases has dropped to 71,167 in the country, including 1,495 in critical condition.

According to the official data, 40 deaths from Covid-19 were registered on Monday, taking the death toll to 29,917.

Sindh is the worst-hit province with 561,683 infections recorded, followed by Punjab, which has reported 497,307 cases so far.

Iran says nuclear agreement ‘closer than ever’ as France steps up pressure teHrAn afp

Iran has just days left to accept a deal on its nuclear programme at talks in Vienna, France warned on Wednesday, while Tehran’s chief negotiator promised that an agreement was closer than ever.

“It is not a question of weeks, it is a question of days,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told the Senate, adding that a major crisis would be unleashed if there is no agreement.

The Vienna talks, which involve Iran as well as Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia directly, and the United States indirectly, resumed in late November with the aim of restoring the 2015 deal.

That accord had offered Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on

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its nuclear programme, but the United States unilaterally withdrew in 2018 and reimposed heavy economic sanctions, prompting Iran to begin rolling back on its commitments.

“We are closer than ever to an agreement,” Iran’s top negotiator Ali Bagheri wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. “Our negotiating partners need to be realistic, avoid intransigence and heed lessons of past 4yrs. Time for their serious decisions.”

Earlier in the day, Tehran had called on the US Congress to say Washington would commit if an agreement is reached in Vienna.

“As a matter of principle, public opinion in Iran cannot accept as a guarantee the words of a head of state, let alone the United States, due to the withdrawal of Americans” in 2018, Iran’s For-

eign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told the Financial Times in an interview published on his ministry’s website.

He stressed that he had asked Iranian negotiators to propose to the Western parties that “at least their parliaments or parliament speakers, including the US Congress, can declare in the form of a political statement their commitment to the agreement.”

‘Within grasp’: In 2018, thenpresident Donald Trump reimposed sanctions against Iran, battering the country’s economy. In response, Tehran ramped up its nuclear work, violating the terms of the 2015 deal, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Negotiations in Vienna are seeking to return Washington to the nuclear deal, including through the lifting of sanctions

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on Iran, and to ensure Tehran’s full compliance with its commitments.

“We need political decisions from the Iranians. They have a very clear choice,” France’s Le Drian said.

“Either they unleash a serious crisis in the next days… or they accept an agreement that respects the interests of all the parties, especially those of Iran,” he said.

He described a deal as being “within grasp” and noted there was now agreement on an accord between the European powers as well as China, Russia and the United States.

But he said that time was running out because Iran was continuing to intensify its nuclear activities.

“The more this goes on, the more Iran is accelerating its nuclear procedures,” he said.

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Friday, 18 February, 2022

06 COMMENT

Hell hath no fury

Massive rise in petrol prices Another opportunity to opposition to corner government

Muskan Khan’s fearless defiance of Hindutva goons

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shocking rise in petroleum prices has given birth to widespread public outrage. representatives of the trading community, farmers and transporters have reacted sharply to the increase. The unorganised sections of the lower middle class commuting on motorbikes have also been badly hit by the rise. What has worried the government most are the concerns expressed by its allies whose support keeps Prime Minister Imrran Khan in power. The rise is not due to the international hike in petrol price alone as the government would make people believe, but also its agreement with the IMF to increase the levy on all petroleum products. The rise will significantly add to the already high prices of commodities of daily use. rising prices will also have political consequences. The allies’ pressure on the government would increase. Tho ensure their continuous loyalty, the PM will have to yield to their further demands. The Punjab government has already decided to offer four more ministerial posts while at the centre it is proposed to appoint five ministers of state from the allied parties. But will it satisfy the allies as BAP alone demands five posts of cabinet ministers? The rising prices have affected the rank and file of the PTI too, spreading dissatisfaction among those supposed to defend the government. Four federal ministers are reportedly being assigned the task of handling party affairs and strengthening the PTI. With the local body elections in Punjab and their second phase in KP due within months, the task assumes all the more importance. While PM Imran Khan hopes to sweep LB polls in Punjab, critics call it a day dream.

The exorbitant hike in petrol prices has provided the opposition another opportunity to expose the govt and it expects that it would rally PTI dissidents and allies to support the no-confidence move while more people would join the opposition’s marches. The opposition is keen to overthrow the govt at the earliest. It has however failed to put forth a reasonable plan regarding how it would bring down the prices, generate jobs,make businesses flourish and put the economy on an even keel. raising people’s expectations is easier than fulfilling them. Unless the opposition evolves a realistic plan to perform the herculean task, within a couple of years it would land in a situation where the PTI now finds itself.

at Penpoint m a NIaZI

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here seems to be a movement among Muslim women that is akin to feminism, but does not seem to have adopted any of its goals, which is rooted firmly in the Islamic faith but which takes ownership of what it commands. Most immediately the viral video of a young Muslim girl in a burka, defying BJP goons booing her, may also have a message about what is happening to Muslims in today’s India, but it shows that there is a new sprit among Muslim women, especially when it is taken with what is happening in France.

France has imposed a ban on religious symbols in public places, which has led to a ban on the hijab in football grounds. A group, Les hijabeuses, has launched a challenge against this last year, and has won the support of the French gender equality minister. It should not be forgotten that France has seen rioting by its immigrant population, which consists of both North Africans who are all Muslim, and of equatorial Africans, who include a large number of Muslims among them.

Amid all the uproar about what the Karnataka incident, it may have escaped notice that Muskan Khan, the burka-clad girl in question, arrived at her college on a motorscooter, and her ordeal began from her college’s parking lot. So the girl clearly wanted to both wear a burka and not just attend college, but go to college on a scooter. Similarly, in France, there is a group of girls who both want to play football, and to do so while wearing the hijab headscarf. (In fact, that is how the gender equality minister has supported them: she has pointed out that headscarves are not forbidden on football pitches.

It is worth mentioning that France was the original home of the enlightenment, and India the home of Nehruvian secularism, which had its roots in the Fabian socialism he imbibed while being educated there, and which spawned the Indian experiment in multi-communalism which the BJP seems to want to end. The challenge being posed in these countries seems to reflect one type of reaction by a persecuted minority. One response is to assimilate. Another is to assert one’s (p4rsecuted) identity more than before. here both incidents seem to reflect both. riding scooters or playing football are acts of assimilation. But wearing a burka or a hijab would be acts of assertion.

Another thing about minorities is that wearing a hijab or burka is not something that can be imposed by male relatives. The prevalence of an anti-

Mohsin Baig’s arrest The arrest continued a pattern of FIA persecuting opponents

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he altercation of Mohsin Baig with an FIA team attempting to arrest him, and his subsequent arrest by the Islamabad police after he fired upon the FIA team and allegedly held it hostage should not obscure two important issues. First, Mr Baig should not escape unpunished for his remarks about Communications Minister Murad Saeed, made on a TV programme. Second, the government seems now to be using the FIA to persecute its political opponents, which apparently now includes those who might embarrass individuals within the government. It was an Islamabad sessions court which said that the arrest was unjustified.

The manner of the arrest reflects an over-enthusiasm and high-handedness that seems to infect the FIA, which seems to be vying with NAB to show itself more able at persecuring opponents of the government. The FIA came under scrutiny after it played a key role in crushing onetime PTI secretary general Jehangir Tareen, to the extent that he was forced to mobilize support to ask Prime Minister Imran Khan that he get a fair shake from it. The Cybercrime Act has been applied in the present case, which seems a little extreme for remarks made on a TV show. The cybercrime law’s natural application should be spreading things on the internet rather than remarks made on TV, especially when PeMrA is already seized of the matter, and has taken action against the channel broadcasting the offensive programme.

The episode shows that the purpose of the episode may well have been achieved. Legally valid or not, Mr Baig has been shown that he can be dragged from his home and taken to a police station, and crime of offending a powerful person would be punished. It has shown the general public that the instrument for visiting such punishment upon the head of an offender would be the FIA, using a law it is coy about implementing when approached by an ordinary citizen who might fall victim. Mr Saeed should receive justice for any offence against his reputation, but he should find a means which would be available to him even when he is out of office, and should depend on his being in power.

Rusia doesn’t want war, but security Talha ahmad

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Or the last couple of months “russian invasion of Ukraine” is making headlines in international media, with all sorts of reports regarding the Kremlin’s plan to invade Ukraine dominating the media space. Pentagon and US military officials are giving briefings on when and how russia will invade Ukraine. Meanwhile, the USA is also pushing allies to support Ukraine in order to deal with the invasion. If one buys the media sensitization and agenda-driven news reports it seems full-scale war is just around the corner, with many even giving an exact date of invasion quoting different Intelligence sources. Yes, the russian build-up along the Ukrainian border is for real but understanding the goals behind any major military adventure is very important.

Many are referring to World War II and Cold War-era events, where the russian empire/USSr military postures were based on finding the “Strategic depth” in the Ukraine. But now this framework is flawed as both the regional and global dynamics have dramatically evolved especially in the last two decades,and so have the economic, strategic, and geopolitical realities. russian President Vladimir Putin’s adventures in Georgia, Libya, Syria, and Ukraine itself would help understand the current building crisis in the region.

Starting from the very first military adventure of russia in Georgia back in 2008, where russian forces, after pushing Georgian forces out from South Ossetia and Abkhazia, entered into negotiations mediated by europe. Despite the asymmetric dynamics and holding strategic Gori city, russia opted for de-escalation because the Kremlin had achieved its primary goal with limited military operations and further escalation would have drawn it into a major conflict having serious consequences for the russian economy.

A few years down the lane, in 2015 russian forces landed in Syria having goals similar to those in Geor-

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One of the most symbolic moments of Muskan Khan’s defiance came when she raised the ‘Allahu Akbar’ slogan in reply to the hecklers against her.

Traditionally, that was the Muslim battlecry, which women did not have to give, because they did not take part in jihad. Now they do.

The Kremlin hunt for Kyiv

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Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

covering sentiment in that society makes it impossible to impose the burka on anyone deciding she doesn’t want to. Therefore, the decision to wear a burka or the hijab would be a personal decision rather than a familial one.

It would be based on personal conviction rather than social pressure.

It is worth noting that Muslim societies may well approve of covering, but in one is scooter - or cycleriding an activity approved of or common, nor is football (or any other sport) a common game. There has now been some movement in Muslim countries on women’s sports, mainly because of pressure from the global governing bodies responding to feminist pressure, rather than because of either sporting or feminist pressure of indigenous origin.

Afghanistan under the Taliban provides apposite examples. There was much public hand wringing about Taliban cruelty towards girls, by forbidding them from getting an education.

Sometimes, the rhetoric of some made it seem that the purpose of US intervention was not revenge for 9/11, but the plight of the Afghan girl. One of the first things the Taliban did when they returned was close girls’ schools and restrict them in universities. Around the time of the Taliban takeover, the Afghan women’s football team collectively left the country, because they feared for themselves under the Taliban.

Those Western feminists whose hearts bled for Afghan women have apparently not said anything about Muskan Khan’s right to an education, or Les hijabeuses’ right to play sports. It is almost as if their wearing of a burka or hijab put them outside of the pale.

Muslim countries seem to have the same dichotomy. On the one hand, there is freedom to cover.

On the other hand, covering is seen as a little backward, a little rural. The example of the rapper eva B, who hails from Lyari in Karachi, and who performs in a niqab, is counter to this image, but the equation remains. One Muslim country saw the hijab banned, Turkey, but there has been pushback there, with the result that hijab is making a comeback. It is

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significant that the first place for a battle was at educational institutions.

That some form of covering has been ordained is agreed. Yet what covering has been ordered is not. It should be remembered that this is one aspect of Muslim societies that has been attacked perhaps the most by critics. It has been pointed to as the main example of how Muslims refuse to adapt to non-Muslim societies. The other main problem is seen as their observance of dietary laws and their teetotalism. Covering is quite often abandoned, and there are many Muslim countries which would not understand Muskan Khan’s problem.

Feminism has been influential to the extent that the issue of covering is no longer cultural, but has become an issue of belief. Prayer is a belief issue, not a cultural one. The culture may accommodate prayer (such as by manufacturing special prayer rugs), but if someone prays five times a day, it is not because he or she is practicing a cultural rite, but because he or she believes that some benefit will accrue. Similarly, when a woman decides to cover, she is not doing so in obedience to some cultural or familial norm, but because she believes it has been ordained for her by the Almighty.

There has been some argument from BJP supporters that the hijab ban was actually to save oppressed Muslim women from something opposed on them. There has been a strong rejection of this view. Muslim women have argued that no one is forcing them to do anything.

Non-Muslim women argue that it is a matter of choice.

Muslim women (or at least some) seem to have grasped the reality that, along with men, they are believers who have to come to terms with the Almighty and his orders as independent agents. In a way, they have rejected the entire feminist argument by their perception that the patriarchs of the patriarchy will be judged too. Also, they seem to have rejected the male-female dichotomy that underlies the feminist narrative.

One of the most symbolic moments of Muskan Khan’s defiance came when she raised the ‘Allahu Akbar’ slogan in reply to the hecklers against her.

Traditionally, that was the Muslim battlecry, which women did not have to give, because they did not take part in jihad. Now they do.

If hindutva goons find this frightening, they should. “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” wrote Congreve, the restoration dramatist, as they will find false their assumption that Muslim women do not have minds of their own.

gia. The russian air force extensively provided Assad forces air cover during offensive operations to push rebels out of the major cities. The military response from russia remained limited to air support, mercenaries, military advisors, and training roles while Iran set up its proxies to assist the Assad ground forces. Just like in Georgia, russia did not rely on overwhelming hard power but focused on going by the book, respecting regional political realities. russia developed a framework for operations in Syria not only with Iran but also with Turkey and Israel, which helped russia to keep the conflict low on the escalation ladder. russia achieved the primary objective of securing the Assad regime based in Damascus at a minimum cost without getting into a major high-intensity conflict or full-scale war despite being engaged with forces backed by Turkey, the USA, and NATO. After the success of this doctrine in Georgia and Syria, russia entered the conflict in Libya with the same strategy. russia once again avoided reliance on hard power and gave limited military support to haftar forces that involved the supply of ammunition, weapons, and mercenaries that helped haftar forces secure control of major parts of Libya.

During the 2014 russian-Ukraine crisis, the strategy was exactly what we witnessed in Syria, Libya, and Georgia. Instead of invading Ukraine and entering into a full-scale war, russia relied on “Limited military support”; financed and armed the separatists, and sent mercenaries, while officially denying any role just to avoid any direct military confrontation with

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

The writer is a member of staff.

NATO. russia secured Donetsk and Luhansk by holding a referendum, calling it “Will of the people”.

The pattern and strategy employed by russia in Ukraine and elsewhere is obvious. russia wants to strengthen its southern flank at the minimum cost by creating “buffer zones”, and meanwhile avoiding entering into a major high-intensity conflict.

Considering the pattern, strategy, and cost attached to it, a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by russia is very unlikely to unfold. So why is russia building up along the Ukrainian border? If russia is looking for strategic depth against NATO, then it already has forces in the Donbas region, Crimea and Belarus. Moreover, even in that case, russia can push the separatists in the Donbas region to expand the operations instead of putting its forces at risk. This means the objective of military buildup is not “immediate war” with a primary goal to conquer Ukraine, as predicted by Western media but is something else.

Moscow wants to dictate european security, putting a stop to NATO’s eastward expansion. The military buildup by russia has already generated enough pressure to force european countries to review their policies regarding russia’s future in the region.

Ukraine’s NATO membership is already at a halt. The solution to this crisis does not lie in Kyiv or Moscow but in Brussels and Washington. If the mediation by Germany and France work out, all parties can design a framework especially regarding the security of eastern european countries.

The deployment of the US air defense and missile systems in eastern europe is perceived as a major threat by the Kremlin and russia will continue holding military exercises till it neutralizes this by introducing a New Normal.

The deployment of the US air defense and missile systems in Eastern Europe is perceived as a major threat by the Kremlin and Russia will continue holding military exercises till it neutralizes this by introducing a New Normal

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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The writer can be reached at talhaahmed967@gmail.com and on Twitter @talhahamad967

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

06-07 Comments - 18th February 2022_Layout 1 2/17/2022 10:18 PM Page 2

Friday, 18 February, 2022

COMMENT 07 Editor’s mail Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan.

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Critical thinking

Rethinking the sclerotic criminal justice system All facets of the justice system need reform

maNsab muNIr QaIsraNI

T

he criminal justice system of Pakistan comprises four main agencies: the police, the prosecution, the judiciary and the prisons; the first three agencies play ‘active’ role as enshrined in the law for the dispensation of justice while the fourth one plays a passive but reformative role under the regulations of the law of the land. Unfortunately, the criminal justice system of Pakistan is believed to be lethargic, unresponsive and in disarray. The disease of failure of the criminal justice system in the entrails of the system is devouring the society from within. To call a spade a spade, our criminal justice system brackets the complainant with the accused, leaving the parties in a lose-lose situation. Trapped in the quagmire of lengthy, faulty and lethargic procedures and then inordinate delays, the justice seekers often have to compromise with one another.

Pakistan has been ranked 108th out of 139 countries in the World Justice Project’s rule of Law Index 2021 in the category of ‘Criminal Justice’. Pakistan’s ranking paints a ghastly picture of our justice system.

Many reasons cause the insufficiency of the criminal justice system but the archaic colonial legacy lies at the bottom. Be it the criminal law, its procedural work and rigmaroles of the police and judiciary, the colonial legacy is there. It keeps the well-timed dispensation of justice at bay.

So, there are three main components of the criminal justice system of Pakistan but it is ironic that there seems an atmosphere of inequality even among these very agencies. That is to say, only the judiciary enjoys substantial perks and privileges; the police and the prosecution are denied thaem. It is ridiculous that a judge who just decides a case on a police report— after the collection of evidence under section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC)— in an air-conditioned room is offered a handsome salary package but a police investigation officer (IO) who round the clock investigates a case in the field is denied that much. even the state does not provide him the expenditures and TA/DA of the case, prompting malpractices. This is a shocking fact that an ShO of a police station has a lower salary than a driver of the high Court. The police services are taken for granted.

The investigation cost and the TA/DA in the

police department is a wild goose chase. Can one bear the expenditure of the department from one’s own pocket? Thus, the monetary burden is shifted to the parties concerned. Contrary to the judiciary, the police is underfunded and then the meagre income, politicized environment, and round-the-clock duties have worsened the police work and caused malpractices. Corruption cannot be wiped out in the police unless the axe hits the root.

The experience of direct recruitment of well-educated investigators by the Punjab Police has gone askew and the police’s archaic environment is now prompting the brain drain from the police department. Nearly 100 of 500 sub-inspectors directly recruited through Punjab Public Service Commission in 2014 as part of the drive for ‘change in thana culture’ have already left the department.

A three-pronged reform approach can hit the root cause of corruption and thus offers a solution to the ills of financial woes Ffirst is the substantial funding by the government. Secondly, the monetary burden that is otherwise shifted to the parties by the police should be legalized; that is, the government should charge a fixed fee on the complainant for every case according to the nature and expenses of the case. A similar practice is already being exercised in the civil cases, so why not in criminal cases?

Lastly yet importantly, the criminal law should be amended and a substantial fine imposed on the accused in every kind of the case; nonetheless, the amount of the fine— that would be deposited by the accused once the trial of the case is done— should be transacted in advance directly into the account of the police investigation officer for the convenience of investigation. In this way, corruption-free policing is achieved. regrettably, the promising establishment of the Prosecution Department in 2005 to formulate the criminal prosecution service could not turn out to be a benign development. Scrutiny of the challans— police reports under section 173 of the CrPC— is one of its prime functions but, unfortunately, it has prompted the corrupt practices bringing about delays in the submission of challans to the courts. every IO has to cough up a bribe for every challan so as to get it passed by the prosecution department and then be sent up to the court. As a necessary evil, this monetary burden is shifted to the parties concerned by the IO and in return the police department— and not the Prosecution— earns a bad name. The short history of the department bears out the fact that this department is like an added spice to the boiling cauldron of the rigmaroles of the criminal justice system.

There is a three-pronged solution to this problem: as the prosecution department has turned out to be a wall— and not a bridge— between the police and the judiciary, this wall should be eliminated and the challans should directly be sent to the courts; secondly, the government should merge the Prosecution Department into the police and a prosecutor should be appointed in every police station in lieu of separate independent offices at district and tehsil level ; thirdly, the prosecutor should only pursue the trial cases in the courts and not

scrutinize the challans of the cases.

Now the investigation is done. And challan of the case is submitted to the court. either with or without the prosecution department! Next comes the role of the judiciary that has a huge backlog of work. As of 5 February 2022, over 53, 547 cases were pending in the Supreme Court. A number of instances can be offered to explain the pendency and, hence, delays in the dispensation of justice.

One such example is the ‘left-over’ cases in the courts, especially in the high courts and Supreme Court on a daily basis. That is, the cases scheduled on a specific day and the parties called for hearing on the same day from every corner of the province or the country— and all being there in the courtroom— but not heard at the end for lack of time. Thus, the cases are left over sine die. Justice seems an illusion in such scenarios. William e. Gladstone once famously said, “Justice delayed is justice denied”. One wonders why there are only 17 judges in the Supreme Court in a country of over 220 million?

So few judges for such a large country makes a mockery of justice. enhanced number of judges in the Supreme Court and then a high Court bench at every division would transform the criminal justice system and minimize the pendency and the inordinate delays.

Litigation for the sake of litigation is one the main causes of poverty in Pakistan and another reason behind the huge backlog of cases. Be it a civil case or a family feud or an ancestral enmity, the people resort to registration of fake cases so as to tighten the noose on others. Consequently, pendency soars. Presently, the law and its practice against the registration of fake cases is lenient.

The government should amend the criminal law in this regard and there should be severe penalties so as to curb the registration of fake cases.

The government hunt for reforms may go in vain if the criminal law about bail and then the trial is not amended. Judicial history is replete with examples of habitual offenders released on bail. It seems against the law of nature when an offender, especially a habitual one, comes out of jail on bail. The speedy trial should be implemented instead of letting the culprit get bail. In a similar spirit, various sections of the laws are much weaker, humiliating and even against human justice; for example, the laws on hurt and possession of immovable property.

If a man gets injured by an offender and does not have any bone fracture, he cannot get the First Information report (FIr) registered under non-bailable sections against the latter.

Isn’t it humiliating that one necessarily needs Bone Fracture so as to get the FIr registered under non-bailable sections? Put another way, the offender can insult, drag and even injure any decent and law-abiding citizen in broad daylight and the victim finds himself stranded.

Many governments in the past have been promising to launch reforms in the criminal justice system. Nothing happened. To right the wrongs, the criminal justice system needs a whole-of-government approach. Simultaneous meaningful reforms in the criminal justice system are the need of the hour.

The writer is a freelance columnist

CrITICAL thinking is an organised and rational approach to comprehend and connect the ideas with actualities. Critical thinking skills include carrying out critical analysis, concluding justifications, validating conclusions, gauging the trustworthiness of information, and having conceptual understanding. The development of independence of thought and fairness at a personal as well as a social level lead to an increased level of self-confidence, interest and integrity.

For many professions, especially teaching, it is an essential process and a resourceful practice. In order to prepare students for optimum functioning in a multifaceted and swiftly changing society, the significance of critical thinking is well established and globally recognised. It ought to be stressed that one’s critical thinking ability does not grow by default. explicit instructions and guidance are essential for gaining these skills. however, with reference to institutions of higher education, the scenario is a little more complex. The lack of thorough understanding among teachers of how to teach critical thinking is a big hurdle in providing instruction and guidance to students. A basic requirement, therefore, is that the teachers themselves possess essential knowledge and have an optimistic attitude towards teaching it. With necessary support provided to teachers for nurturing critical thinking skills in students, we may meet the challenge in an effective way. educational leaders should be trained to espouse attitudes that endorse critical thinking and activate the necessary skills within students from a young age. A fruitful initiative could be to develop an interdisciplinary cooperation where teachers from various fields may interact and learn from each other. For instance, teachers of philosophy or psychology may help their colleagues meet the challenge of developing critical thinking skills in students.

ALI KHAN LAHORE

Street hawkers BACK in 2017, I visited my village and came across several street hawkers that play an important role in the village as people don’t have access to fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables. The vendors informed me that they purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, like guava and oranges, from the farms and then regularly set up stalls or visit the villages and sell them there.

This helps the villagers as they do not need to travel to cities to purchase food and other necessary items. It also benefits the vendors who earn a handsome amount to support their families. One of the vendors, raja Ali, told me that he is happy with his work as a street vendor and has several permanent customers in the village. Upon returning home, I noticed that even in a busy city like rawalpindi, there are areas where street hawkers have set up stalls and sell a range of items. These vendors are very successful during the winter season because people purchase second-hand sweaters, socks and mufflers from their stalls to keep them warm in the cold. During the summers, in the scorching heat of the sun, the vendors aid the citizens by selling refreshing drinks and other food items. Many street hawkers pass on their businesses to their children; therefore, their small business runs from one generation to the next. According to a survey, street hawkers form a small part of the economy of Pakistan. Their daily earnings of 1,000 rupees amount to nearly 2,190 million rupees per year. I hereby request the government to help the street hawkers in improving their stalls, which can be done by providing them with properly constructed carts or vans and allocating permanent premises for them to set up their stalls.

MOQEET REHMAN RAWALPINDI

Animal rights AT the start of the 19th century, there started an international dialogue initiated by england for the rights of animals. Since then, these rights have been universally excepted and ratified mostly by First World countries. however, developing countries are still lagging far behind in addressing the plight of animals. Pakistan is no exception.

Constitutionally, Article 227 stipulates there should be no law repugnant to basic Islamic injunctions. Whatever religion one may follow, proper guidelines have been inscribed for the protection of animals. For example, the horse has a symbolic significance in Islam, the sheep holds a certain value in Christianity, and the cow is considered a holy animal worthy of worship in hinduism. The Universal Declaration of Animal rights states that animals have the same rights as humans. In Pakistani law, the Prevention of Cruelty towards Animals Act 1890 clearly mentions that one cannot be cruel towards animals. The killing of animals in the name of euthanisation or for the sake of entertainment or sport needs to stop. We all must realise that animals have been created for specific purposes by God. MICHAEL SAMUEL RAWALPINDI

Cursed democracy The Quaid had envisioned a progressive and democratic Pakistan where people would be empowered. Unfortunately, that did not happen, and we went sideways. We experimented with crippled democracies and so-called real democracy but failed to truly give power to the people for resolution of their problems at the local level. Though not truly democratic, a very efficient system of local bodies existed during the times of colonial rule before the partition.

In 1942, after completing my matriculation, I had the opportunity to work in that system. I got a government job as a junior clerk at the Office of the Commissioner of rawalpindi division. rawalpindi division consisted of six districts and there was a local body system in place constituting town committees headed by the Tehsildar. I once visited Chakwal along with the anchor-person to inspect the local town committee’s work and ensure that people were provided with all the amenities. We prepared an inspection report that would be presented to the deputy commissioner, who would then ensure that any highlighted deficiencies or problems were duly resolved.

Unfortunately, after the creation of Pakistan instead of progressing, we have regressed. We got away with that system, but never replaced it with a true working system that would empower people at the local level. Our leaders talk big of true democracy but have always remained hesitant to devolve power to lower levels.

RAJA SHAFAATULLAH ISLAMABAD

Friday, 18 February, 2022

08 WORLD VIEW

The US iS oUT of AfghAniSTAn, bUT oUr AllieS remAin TrApped new York TimeS ryan C. CroCker and PhiliP M. Caruso

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N Aug. 10, 2021, days before the collapse of Afghanistan’s government, Fawad Khan Safi arrived in the United States to begin his new life. Mr. Safi, who previously worked as a contractor for the United States Agency for International Development in Afghanistan, had waited an agonizing 12 months to receive his Special Immigrant Visa, or S.I.V., and make it to Texas. His ordeal lasted several months longer than the maximum nine-month visa processing period mandated by law — and yet, Mr. Safi is one of the lucky ones.

Around 60,000 Afghans who have worked with American forces and applied for visas remain in Afghanistan — many probably starving and on the run from the Taliban. Few, if any visas have ever been approved within that nine-month timeline. The system is clearly broken.

Despite the disturbing images of last summer’s evacuation, the obstacles facing S.I.V. applicants have continued to persist.

To remedy this, Congress should overhaul the current S.I.V. process and pass an improved, permanent immigration program that swiftly and efficiently resettles those who apply for it.

If the S.I.V. process isn’t fixed, U.S. enemies like the Taliban will continue to persecute those who put their lives at risk to protect American troops. In the long run,

THOUSANDS ARE STILL WAITING — TERRIFIED OF TALIBAN RETRIBUTION, HIDING IN BASEMENTS. IT’S TIME TO BRING THEM TO AMERICA partners around the world whom the United States often relies on will most likely rethink the value of a close relationship with the American government if they see that they can’t depend on its support.

Congress enacted the first S.I.V. program — for which both Iraqi and Afghan interpreters were eligible — in 2006, several years after both conflicts began. From inception, the program was unable to process applications in a timely manner, resulting in a backlog that was never resolved. As their applications languished, interpreters working for the U.S. government were targeted for retribution. After the United States withdrew most of its troops from Iraq in 2011, Iraqi interpreters faced brutal consequences, in large part because of severe delays in the processing of S.I.V. applications. Without immediate changes to the S.I.V. program, a similar fate awaits our Afghan allies.

Currently, Afghans may apply for S.I.V.s via two tracks: A permanent program for interpreters who worked directly with the U.S. military, limited to only 50 people annually, and a much larger but temporary program for others working for or on behalf of the U.S. government. Each program has different application requirements, deadlines and visa quotas.

Unfortunately, Congress’s well-intentioned attempts to improve the S.I.V. programs have only increased their complexity, while insufficiently addressing their greatest weaknesses. Sporadic, temporary extensions have made it difficult for the executive branch to properly budget, staff and provide resources for the programs over time. For example, the State Department Office of the Inspector General found that from 2016 to 2020, the programs’ staffing numbers remained constant as a backlog grew and as Congress approved 15,500 additional visas.

Moreover, the responsibilities of the Departments of State, Homeland Security, and Defense in the immigration process are poorly delineated. Basic background and security checks span multiple agencies, and the coordination between these agencies has been inadequate. But immediate steps can be taken to rectify the programs. First, Ambassador Elizabeth Jones — the current coordinator for Afghan relocation efforts at the State Department — needs more authority to speed up the bureaucratic machinery. The White House should designate her as presidential coordinator with the authority to direct and oversee the workings of other agency personnel.

The Biden administration has increased resources and decreased the processing time for the S.I.V. program in the last few months, but those moves fall far short of the major legislative overhaul the Afghan and Iraqi S.I.V. programs need. Congress should consolidate the multiple tracks of the S.I.V. programs into a permanent, unified framework that simplifies processing and eligibility rules. This program should allow for a more holistic security vetting process that considers context while screening effectively.

Currently, neither S.I.V. track allows applicants’ former U.S. supervisors to offer helpful context when red flags come up during initial background checks. Hypothetically, consider the case of an interpreter who, at the behest of his U.S. military supervisors, contacted insurgent sympathizers to collect information or obtain cooperation during the height of the conflict. Under the existing system, such applicants are typically disapproved as security risks without being provided sufficient recourse to appeal.

By limiting S.I.V. eligibility to Iraqis and Afghans, the U.S. government also ignores a slew of other allies who have risked their lives on behalf of American troops and missions. Syrian and Yemeni interpreters, for example, accompanied U.S. forces in battle

Hijab ban: Without tolerance, India’s democratic ideals become meaningless TOLERANCE IMPLIES ENDURING AN ITEM OR A PRACTICE IRRESPECTIVE OF THE ABHORRENCE THAT IT MAY ENGENDER

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Tanweer Fazal

N the raging debate over the right to the hijab to class in Karnataka, what is often missed out is the idea of tolerance. For a multi-ethnic polity such as India, tolerance is the foundational canon, the negation of which renders the democratic ideal vacuous and meaningless.

Minimally, tolerance would imply enduring an item or a practice irrespective of the abhorrence that it may engender.

The “no harm test” is usually the guiding principle. The principle holds that a “social disapproval or dislike” for the actions of an individual (or a set of individuals) does not provide sufficient ground for state intervention unless they actually cause harm or are potentially harmful to someone. A truly expansive idea of tolerance would entail that the concept of harm is most narrowly defined.

Very often, states limit tolerance of practices and beliefs on the plea of a speculative harm to “public order”. But even an elementary doctrine of tolerance prerequisites that the collapse of public order is explained in terms of concrete harm that the belief system or customary practice has caused – not hearsay or conjecture alluding to it.

COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS: For a tolerant society and polity, it is both prudent and desirable that before proscribing a practice, it undertakes cost-benefit analysis, and evaluates that whether the objections raised against the given practice are genuine and scrupulous. These caveats are necessary for a just resolution of competing contentions.

It is important to distinguish the old idea of tolerance from the modern concept of toleration – the former could be misconstrued as an act of benevolence or patronage, while the latter enters the domain of rights and entitlements.

The Parsi qissa that the local King of

Sanjan in Gujarat, Jadi Rana granted asylum to the refuge-seeking Zoarastrians while conditionally granting them permission to observe their faith in private could be termed an act of tolerance or magnanimity of the ruler.

Similarly, in the much-feted millet system of the Ottoman Turks, religious freedom and cultural autonomy in the form of personal laws was assured to the dhimmies or the religious minorities. But this did not extend to the right of holding political offices. The Mauryan King Ashoka’s edict introduced the principle of harm along with the idea of religious freedom – that both, praise of one’s own sect and criticism of other’s should be moderate.

The idea of tolerance prevailed in the past too, but was inherently limited, restricted chiefly to matters of faith and conviction. Besides equality of individuals irrespective of faiths in matters temporal or secular was still a far cry.

CONSTITUTIONAL FREEDOMS: But the modern Indian Constitution surpasses the limited nature of tolerance, and comes around to uphold the principle of toleration.

It enshrines freedom of conscience and the right to “profess and propagate” religions of their choice. It is the individual who is the bearer of these inviolable rights and not communities or groups.

This would imply that the individuals also have the right to exit from a particular religious form or seek reforms and alterations within. Public order, morality and health are the limiting conditions that constrain the intemperate invocation of religious freedom.

In a complex polity such as ours, both the interpretation of freedom and of the limiting conditions necessitate extreme caution or else it could invite two mutually opposed accusations – majoritarian imposition or minority appeasement.

There are several objections to the hijab or the head scarf. The most vociferous and thereby, the most visible is the one voiced by the Hindutva activists. The crux of the argument rests on uniformity – from sameness in dress and costumes to uniform civil code, the range is wide.

Universality here is conflated with uniformity. The cultural artefacts of this uniformity are invariably drawn from purported norms, beliefs and practices of the dominant culture. In India, though Islam and Muslims have been the objects of hate, the argument is also used to admonish Valentine’s day celebrations, women wearing western dress, deleting portions

from school textbooks to protesting against dress codes in Catholic schools.

Clearly a supremacist position, it is incompatible with the most elementary principle of tolerance.

‘DIFFERENCE-BLIND APPROACH’: The second kind of objection is advanced by a section of secular-modernists for whom traditional customs and practices per se are repugnant and their public visibility incompatible with liberal values and taste.

Feminists subscribing to this “differenceblind approach” have supported hijab ban or refused to lend support to the anti-ban protests on the plea that hijab is a symbol of enslavement, and clearly not an emblem of liberation.

The doctrine of choice that liberal feminists often flag in matters of dress, profession, choice of partners or sexual orientation to counter hegemonic gender discourses is abandoned in this case.

The hijab is socially conditioned, runs the argument. Underlying this position is the idea that path to modernity and liberty is singular and pre-ordained.

That free will is free only to the extent that it pursues established means and goals. There is another set of argument that rests on pedagogical practices arguing that how uniforms are the prerogative of the schools and the purpose behind is to obviate distinctions of income groups among pupils attending the same institution.

However, the internal logic of this argument is difficult to sustain when the class distinctions today emerge from the structurally-imposed choice of the schools itself, rather than with the kind of clothes that the student wears. The education system that has been allowed to flourish in the country structurally reproduces inequality than mitigating it. A superficial exercise such as sameness of the costume is of little help in this case.

Besides, the proponents of the hijab or turban do not make their case against the uniform as such, but an adjustment with it. A larger argument would go deeper into the decisions to impose a particular form of dress as uniform – how is the decision made, what considerations prevail, are local preferences and diversity of student population taken into account before arriving at decisions to impose a uniform.

ESSENTIAL PRACTICES: Then there are exegetical struggles over religion, texts and ethics and codes prescribed by the faith.

While one set – purportedly the progressives – argues that hijab is not an Islamic practice

at all, and that textual injunction is only for modest dressing, the votaries for hijab argue that their religion binds them to it.

The trouble is that these are not merely internal interpretive contestations of the faithful over their religion but that modern courts are invariably mobilised. And what the courts have done, from the Shirur Mutt to the Anand Margi case, is to extend legal protection to only those practices they deem to be essential to that religion.

Legally therefore, the hijab can only be saved if it is framed squarely within the essential practice paradigm – a move which may render a very monochromatic view of the religion itself. Religion as practiced is far closer to the everyday world of people than the scriptural versions reinforced by the courts.

The question of hijab raised by the Muslim girls of Karnataka is evidently a complicated one. It rakes up larger debate about uniformity versus universality, women’s liberation and right to choose versus their enslavement, secularism – whether difference-blind or multi-cultural and so on.

This is a question that “homogenous” “nation-states” of Western Europe have been grappling with for long.

In contrast, the question of identity in India appeared far more settled despite occasional flare-ups. The doctrine of toleration offers a guide to a durable resolution. The “no harm test” is critical here. It necessitates separation of “abstract harm” from “concrete harm”.

The former derives from conjectures, speculations, pre-dominant assumptions or utopian idea of emancipation. In contrast, the latter is evidently injurious to the individual or group. Wearing the hijab or habit, sporting a beard, having a turban or a skull cap offers no concrete harm. On the contrary, there denial could be deleterious, and adversely affect believing individual’s chances of pursuing a profession, seeking education or public office.

What we are witnessing is the drawing of equivalence between those who wish to articulate their dearly held consciences on their bodies and persons, and those who violently wish to erase that insignia from the public domain – in the name of maintaining public order, restoring normalcy and more.

In diverse and deeply divided societies, integration is a challenge. Toleration underwrites integration.

Tanweer Fazal is professor of sociology at University of Hyderabad. His email address is fazaltanweer@yahoo.co.in.

against ISIS and Al Qaeda. They have no chance at resettlement in the United States through an S.I.V. program.

Expanding a permanent S.I.V. program to apply to other conflict zones would also prevent the need to create new legislation for those countries. In the past, some countryspecific programs have fallen through the legislative cracks altogether. Most recently, Congress failed to enact a Syrian S.I.V. program despite more than one attempt to introduce such a bill. Our allies deserve better, especially in light of looming future crises such as the current standoff between Russia and Ukraine.

In Texas, Mr. Safi now works at a resettlement agency, paying his fortune forward by helping other new arrivals find work and a sense of community in their new country.

Tragically, though, most refugees who have applied to the S.I.V. programs will not make it to the United States. Thousands are still waiting — terrified of Taliban retribution, hiding in basements. It’s time to bring them to America.

Ryan C. Crocker served as ambassador to Iraq under President George W. Bush and ambassador to Afghanistan under President Barack Obama. He is an adviser to the nonprofit No One Left Behind, which provides resettlement assistance to Afghan and Iraqi Special Immigrant Visa recipients. Philip M. Caruso is the chairman of No One Left Behind and a veteran fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.

Suicide by unemployed CENTRE, STATES NOT DOING ENOUGH TO CURB JOBLESSNESS Tribune, india The Covid-induced lockdown of 2020 — the most stringent in the world — not only rendered millions of Indian citizens jobless but also forced thousands to end their lives.

The Centre told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that 3,548 people died by suicide due to unemployment in 2020, well above the toll of 2,851 in 2019 and 2,741 in 2018. According to National Crime Records Bureau data, the highest number of such suicides in the first year of the pandemic was reported from Karnataka (720), followed by Maharashtra (625) and Tamil Nadu (336). The country’s unemployment rate had shot up to 23 per cent during the lockdown months of April-May 2020. Over the past year or so, this rate has been in the range of 6-9 per cent, except in May 2021, when it rose to around 12 per cent amid the peak of the second wave. Despite the economic devastation triggered by the lockdown and other restrictions, the Centre and most of the states have done little to restore or generate jobs. Data compiled by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy shows that Haryana’s unemployment rate (23.4 per cent) is the worst in the country, followed by Rajasthan (18.9 per cent) and Tripura (17.1 per cent). Even as UP is better placed with a low rate of 3 per cent, various political parties have made grand promises in their election manifestos about providing jobs. The Union government is banking on the Production-Linked Incentive scheme in key sectors, with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announcing in her 2022-23 Budget speech that 60 lakh jobs would be created over the next five years. This long-term goal is modest at best, considering the largescale unemployment, and will not offer any immediate succour to the jobless who are gasping for survival. A job guarantee scheme for urban areas, on the lines of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), needs to be worked out. With joblessness increasingly fuelling despair, anger and unrest, as witnessed during the recent protests in Bihar, this burning issue can no longer be put on the back-burner.

Friday, 18 February, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

10 FOREIGN NEWS 15 years on, IndIa callously denyIng justIce to samjhauta express attack vIctIms ISLAMABAD

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APP

ESPITE the lapse of 15 years, the Indian government continues to deny justice to the families of the victims of the Samjhauta Express terrorist attack, despite the availability of clear pieces of evidence.

On February 18, 2007, an IED blast was carried out in the Samjhauta train – which ran between New Delhi and Lahore – at Panipat in Haryana. The incident had claimed 68 lives including 43 Pakistan citizens, 10 Indian citizens, and 15 unidentified people. 12 people including 10 Pakistanis and two Indians were also injured in the attack.

Earlier, a Muslim group was blamed for the incident, but later on, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) arrested Kamal Chauhan of Hindu extremist organization Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) in New Delhi. Chauhan was an explosives specialist and he had planted the bomb in that train.

In the Samjhauta Express tragedy, 68 persons onboard Delhi-Lahore train were burnt alive including 40 Pakistani nationals.

The investigations had revealed that the said Hindu activist and several other persons had been involved in blasts at Ajmer Dargah, Hyderabad’s Mecca

Masjid, and Malegaon. The Hindu chauvinists also confessed their involvement in these acts of terror.

The Head of Maharashtra Police Inspector General Hemant Karkare and several political commentators had called it “Hindutva Terror” or the “Saffron Terror”. Later, Hemant Karkare was targeted and killed during the Mumbai 2008 operation.

It was also reported that Swami Aseemanand, an RSS leader was found guilty before a judicial magistrate for involvement in the Samjhauta Express attack, at mosques in Malegaon in Maharashtra state and Andhra Pradesh’s state capital, Hyderabad besides a Muslim shrine in Ajmer in Rajasthan.

Indian Army Col. Prohit himself had confessed to have trained Hindu terrorists to initiate an armed conflict between Pakistan and India.

The opposition leader in the Indian parliament Rahul Gandhi truly confirmed that the growth of Hindu extremists presents a greater threat to India than the Muslims.

Coffins containing dead bodies of Samjhauta express train explosion victims are lined up. Pakistan had urged India to share findings of the investigation which was conducted for Samjhauta train blasts after it was disclosed that Hindu extremist outfits were behind the terrorist activities in February 2007.

Khamenei rejects ‘absurd’ claims Iran wants atomic bomb AFP Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed as “absurd” claims his country wants to acquire atomic weapons, in remarks on Thursday amid signs of a breakthrough in nuclear talks.

The Islamic republic is locked in negotiations with world powers to revive a 2015 deal that offered it sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.

The deal, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, was designed to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear arsenal — a goal it has always denied pursuing.

Tehran’s chief negotiator Ali Bagheri tweeted that “we are closer than ever to an agreement” late on Wednesday, hours after France warned that Iran had just days left to accept a deal.

In comments aired by state television on Thursday, Khamenei said Iran “has to

think about tomorrow” and that “sooner or later we will urgently need peaceful nuclear energy”. “You can notice how the enemy alliance is pressing cruelly our nuclear issue,” the supreme leader said.

“They have imposed sanctions on our nuclear energy, when they know very well that it is peaceful.

“They claim Iran will produce the bomb in some time, absurd words that make no sense and they know it very well themselves,” said Khamenei.

“They know we are not looking for nuclear weapons, but for the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

“They are pushing to prevent the Iranian nation from achieving this significant progress.”

Iran has always denied seeking atomic weapons even though it reneged on some of its nuclear commitments after the United States withdrew from the accord in 2018 under then president Donald Trump.

Two Indians among 8 arrested in Nepal for possessing Uranium-like substances ISLAMABAD APP

Two Indians were among eight people arrested in Kathmandu for possessing uranium-like substances, which were brought from India to be sold illegally in Nepal, police said. According to the Indian newspaper Deccan Herald, the police on a tip-off, arrested eight people after they recovered these substances from a car parked in the parking lot of a five-star hotel in Boudha, on the outskirts of Kathmandu.

The two Indians were identified as Upendra Kumar Mishra and Raju Thakur, both natives of Bihar, while the six others were all Nepal nationals, police said. The arrests were made as they were preparing to sell the valuable item for Rs 350 million per kg, the newspaper quoting the Press Trust of India said.

It said the police arrested Bhupendra and Nawaraj from the parked car, where the substance was hidden and six others were arrested on the basis of information furnished by them. Eight people have been arrested on charges of illegally trading in Uranium, according to Nepal Police headquarters sources. Authorities have also seized nine mobile phones from them.

“We have recovered some substances, which look like uranium. It will be sent to the laboratory to ascertain whether they are uranium,” Dinesh Mainali, Superintendent

of Police from the Metropolitan Police Range said. The police have initiated a further investigation into the matter after taking the eight people under detention, the paper said. In March 2021, four Nepalese nationals were arrested for possessing 2.5 kilogrammes of unprocessed uranium.

One of the arrested claimed that her fatherin-law brought it from India where he worked in a uranium mine some 20 years ago, police said. The United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 and the IAEA Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM) make it binding on states to ensure stringent measures to prevent nuclear material from falling into wrong hands.

Pakistan has been consistently voicing its serious concern over the theft and illicit sale of radioactive material in India and by its nationals abroad. The foreign office in a statement last year quoted media reports which spoke of the arrest of two persons for illegal possession of Californium – a highly radioactive and toxic substance.

“It is a matter of grave concern for the international community that an extremely rare Sealed Radioactive Source (SRS) material like Californium could be stolen. As in the previous cases, the arrested individuals apparently got hold of the radioactive material by purchasing it from inside India,” the Foreign Office statement had said.

Friday, 18 February, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

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PakIStanI PLaYerS Start traInInG ahead Of teSt SerIeS aGaInSt auStraLIa

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NEws DEsk training camp for available Test players started in Karachi today ahead of the Pakistan-Australia Test series.

Seven players from the Karachi Kings squad and two reserve players participated during the physical training camp at the High Performance Center.

Pakistan cricket team’s head coach Saqlain Mushtaq will speak to the media today afternoon, according to sources.

As per sources, Azhar Ali (Central Pun-

jab), Fawad Alam (Sindh), Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan), Nauman Ali (Northern), Sajid Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), and Saud Shakeel (Sindh), as well as reserve players Mohammad Abbas (Southern Punjab) and Yasir Shah (Balochistan), will take part in training.

Additionally, more players were called to the camp to assist the players in their preparation. Among them are Aaliyan Mehmood (Sindh), Ahmad Bashir (Central Punjab), Ali Usman (Southern Punjab), Arshadullah (KP), Haseebullah (Balochistan), Mohammad Ali (Central Punjab), Raza-ulHasan (Balochistan), and Taj Wali (Balochistan).

Fast bowler Irfanullah did not report to camp because he tested positive for COVID19 and has been replaced by U-19 fast bowler M Zeeshan.

The majority of Pakistan’s Test team members, including Zahid Mehmood, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf are involved in the PSL 2022, the final of which will be held in Lahore on February 27.

The first Test between the two countries will take place in Rawalpindi from March 4-8. This will be followed by the second Test from March 12–16 at the National Stadium and the third Test from March 21–25 in Lahore.

HBL PSL 7: Wasim issues clarification over Babar ‘scolding’ scene NEws DEsk

Saqib Mahmood pulls out of PSL for national duty NEws DEsk Peshawar Zalmi pacer Saqib Mahmood has pulled out of the ongoing seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) as he has been named in England’s Test squad for their series against West indies. Taking to Twitter, the bowler said he was heading home to prepare for England’s Test series against West Indies, which will be played in a few weeks. “Wishing the boys the best of luck for the rest of the tournament,” Mahmood added. Mahmood was named in the three-match Test tour of the Caribbean earlier this month. The series is scheduled to start next month and if the bowler is named in the playing XI then he will be given his Test debut.

Young players face ‘massive risk’ in joining proposed breakaway super league: McIlroy LONDON ReuteRs

Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy has said that the proposed Super Golf League could be better suited for older players, and that the younger generation would face a “massive risk” by joining the lucrative breakaway competition. McIlroy and several other topranked players have turned down the Saudi-funded project, which is being spearheaded by former world number one Greg Norman. Players who sign up for the breakaway competition face potential bans from the American-based PGA Tour and European-based DP World Tour, as well as the Ryder Cup. “I don’t know if I’m curious, but yeah, I guess I’m intrigued who would (join),” McIlroy told reporters on Wednesday, speaking ahead of this week’s Genesis Invitational in California. “Certainly for the younger guys it just seems a massive risk. I can maybe make sense of it for the guys that are getting to the latter stages of their careers. “I don’t think that’s what a rival golf league is really going to want, is it?” The 32-year-old Northern Irishman, who previously labelled the proposals as a “money grab”, said world number one Jon Rahm and second-ranked Collin Morikawa also have dismissed the project. “I don’t know. I understand the financial part of it for guys that are later on in their career,” McIlroy added. “You look at the people that have already said no the top players in the world are saying no, so that has to tell you something.” Former world number one Adam Scott confirmed he was in discussions with organisers of the new circuit, which is expected to have a lighter schedule than the PGA Tour.

“Depending what your goals are in golf, the schedule is very appealing,” said the 41-year-old Australian.

“From that side of things, I would consider doing that, for sure. From a lifestyle side of things, yes.”

Karachi Kings president and former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram on Thursday issued a clarification over his conversation with franchise skipper Babar Azam during their Wednesday’s HBL PSL match against Multan Sultans, saying it was just a discussion about their bowlers.

A video of Wasim apparently “scolding” Babar during the match had gone viral on social media, which shows the former captain seemingly getting harsh with the Karachi Kings skipper at the boundary line during the match as pressure on the team to defend the target

had increased.

“I asked Babar if our bowlers weren’t able to deliver yorkers at all,” Wasim said.

He said that the two didn’t talk about anything except for the bowlers because they should have defended the target.

Responding to the criticism, Wasim reiterated that the only thing he talked about to Babar about were the bowlers, and that he is “surprised to see the reactions” on it. “Babar is a wonderful boy and he has tried his best,” he said.

Multan Sultans had defeated Karachi Kings by seven wickets.

Beijing Olympics 2022: Russia’s Valieva aims for second Olympic title BEIJING News Desk

Teenage Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva will attempt to win a second Beijing Olympics title on Thursday in the next chapter of a doping scandal which has overshadowed the Games.

The 15-year-old is in pole position after finishing top in Tuesday’s first half of the women’s singles competition, before the all-important free skate that starts at 1000 GMT. In early action, Eileen Gu put herself on track for a third freestyle ski medal for China while Mikaela Shiffrin was in the driving seat for the alpine combined event as the American skier sought to salvage her disastrous Olympics.

But all eyes will once more be on Valieva. If she finishes in the top three, medals will not be presented, in an unprecedented move for the Olympics.

Valieva’s doping case has dominated the second week of the Games in the Chinese capital after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that she could continue to skate in the Olympics despite failing a drugs test in December.

Before her positive test was announced, she played a central role in helping the Russians to skating team gold last week, becoming the first woman to perform a quadruple jump in Olympic competition.

No medal ceremony took place for that event either because of Valieva’s involvement.

IOC president Thomas Bach met the secondplaced US team from the team event on Wednesday, but the IOC refused to comment on reports that Bach offered the skaters Olympic torches in lieu of their silver medals. When CAS cleared Valieva to stay at the Games, it cited her young age as one of the “exceptional circumstances”, but she has not been absolved of doping and the investigation looks set to rumble on well after the action ends in Beijing.

The teenager tested positive for trimetazidine, a drug used to treat angina but which is banned for athletes by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) because it can boost endurance. US media have reported that her sample also contained the substances Hypoxen and L-Carnitine, which are also used to treat heart conditions. They are not on WADA’s prohibited list.

The affair puts the spotlight once more on the participation of Russian athletes at

Olympic Games.

They are taking part in Beijing under the banner of the Russian Olympic Committee because Russia as a country is serving a two-year ban as punishment for a state-sponsored doping programme.

In another doping case, Games’ testers said Ukrainian cross-country skier Valentyna Kaminska had tested positive for an anabolic steroid and two banned stimulants.

Her highest placing in two individual events was 70th. Californian-born freestyle skier Gu, competing for China, has become one of the faces of the Beijing Games and the 18-year-old put herself firmly in contention to win a third medal, and second gold, by finishing easily top of qualifying in the halfpipe.

Double Olympic champion Shiffrin made a good start in the alpine combined as she attempted to win a first medal at this Games.

The American failed to finish her first two events, before finishing way out of the medals in the next two.

But she was perfectly poised to win a medal in the combined after posting the fifth-fastest downhill time ahead of the slalom — a discipline in which she is a four-time word champion and Olympic gold medallist in 2014. In a sign of the support she is receiving from her competitors, Shiffrin revealed she had used skis for the downhill belonging to Italian Sofia Goggia, who won a silver medal in the downhill proper.

“She actually wrote a small message on them… I saw it and I almost started crying,” Shiffrin said.

Canada and the United States face off for the gold medal in the women’s ice hockey, but North America’s involvement in the men’s competition was ended when Sweden beat Canada in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

Gisin rode ‘craziest rollercoaster’ on way to Olympic gold BEIJING AFP

Michelle Gisin reflected on “the craziest rollercoaster” having battled back from illness to win Beijing Olympic gold in the alpine combined on Thursday. The Swiss racer was laid low last summer by mononucleosis, a strength-sapping viral infection that left her fearing for her sporting career. Now fully recovered, Gisin struck gold in the alpine combined to claim her second medal of the Beijing Games after last week’s super-G bronze. The 28-year-old said there was “no way” she could have imagined winning gold while she lay prone with the virus last August watching the Tokyo Summer Games. “No, not at all,” she said. “I could not have imagined winning because it was so intense emotionally, it was the craziest rollercoaster,” she said of her fight back to fitness.

Gisin was inspired by watching Italian swimmer Gregorio Paltrinieri win Olympic silver in the 800m freestyle in Tokyo having overcome the virus himself.

Advice from Paltrinieri on his return from Tokyo, plus tips from teammate Camille Rast and German skier Alexander Schmid, who also both had mononucleosis, helped Gisin get back on the slopes. “I have so many people to thank for helping me,” she said.

Healthy again, Gisin puts her double medal haul down to a glass of wine the night before her bronze and gold. She explained that after her teammates “wrote on my door ‘drink wine, ski fast’, I drank a glass of wine with them again yesterday and look at that — it seems to work for me”. Advice from teammate Marco Odermatt in the early hours of Monday, while he was still celebrating winning giant slalom gold, gave her tips for the downhill section of Thursday’s combined. “I was woken up as he was partying in a room next to mine. I got up and went to congratulate him, me wrapped in a blanket, him still in his race suit,” she said. “We actually started discussing the downhill at 1:00 am — him drunk, me a little tired.

“He was totally right about one of the turns up there.”

Gisin felt a “kind of adrenaline rush” when US ski star Mikaela Shiffrin crashed out of the slalom section — normally her strongest event — during Thursday’s alpine combined competition. “It’s a shame. These have been a horrible Olympic Games for her,” said Gisin. “But as I told her, I feel pretty badass about winning one slalom in my career, she has (won) 47.

“So she is 47 times as badass as I am.” Gisin backed Shiffrin to bounce back from her latest disappointment having also crashed out of the giant slalom and slalom at these Games. Gisin compared her infection last summer to Shiffrin’s current misfortune. “I saw this with myself, sometimes you are up there and sometimes you are down there, that is just how normal athletes and human beings live.

Friday, 18 February, 2022

PRAyeR timiNgS

NEWS PaKistan to EnhancE MutuaL cooPERation with Eu statEs basEd on coMMon intEREsts: coas ISLAMABAD

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StAff RePoRt

ENERAL Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Thursday said that Pakistan values its relations with European Union (EU) countries and earnestly looks forward to enhance mutual cooperation based on common interests.

The COAS who is on an official visit to Belgium, expressed these views during his meetings with Mr Stefano Sannino,

ISLAMABAD APP

Prime Minister Imran Khan launched an online portal to register complaints pertaining to educational scholarships, something he believed would ensure meritocracy and transparency, and uplift the students through ambition and drive.

Linked with the Pakistan Citizen Portal, the facility would help the scholarship holders to register their complaints and ensure the judicious use of the allocated resources.

At present, the government is spending Rs28 billion to support the education of deserving and competent students. The beneficiaries include around 2.6 million students, 72 percent of them women.

Khan said that a team of academics would oversee the portal and guide the government to grant scholarships in particular fields keeping in view the demands of the market as well as the country.

He said the government had long been receiving complaints from the students for being neglected or delayed in the payment of scholarships which prompted him to introduce a technology-based centralised system for verification and criteria setting of scholarships.

“Through scholarships, we can decide the future course of the nation’s development. The purpose of the education system should be nation-building. The subjects (being taught) should have a connection with the nationbuilding […] Considering the technology revolution, we ought to direct our youth to the technology,” he remarked.

The prime minister said the government also launched a Rehmatul-lil-Aalameen scholarship with a view to acquaint the youth with the leadership qualities of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) and principles of the model of the state of Medina which produced great leaders.

He said any state following those principles would excel and emerge as a welfare state.

He said it was government as well as the society’s responsibility to guide the youth towards technology and humanity besides uplifting the people with more hunger and drive.

Prime Minister Khan said the portal would also help save the precious time of the students and make them focus on their education who otherwise had to go from pillar to post to register their scholarship-related complaints.

The prime minister also congratulated the team of the Prime Minister’s Performance Delivery Unit (PMDU) for putting in efforts to set up the apparatus and the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) for improving the education standards in Pakistan.

PM Imran to take up agenda of gas pipeline projects during Russia visit PM Imran Khan, during his upcoming visit to Russia, will take up the agenda of two mega gas pipelinne projects there in the wake of the country’s “fast-depleting” local reserves.

As per sources, the civilian and military leaderships were on the same page on signing the Pakistan Gas Stream Project and the gas pipeline from Kazakhstan project with Russia.

A delegation from Moscow was in Islamabad recently to negotiate toll-free proceedings and tax exemptions in connection with the Pakistan Gas Stream Project.

The Pakistani leadership wants to sign a commercial agreement with Russia during PM Imran’s visit.

Another project which is likely to be on the agenda is the gas pipeline from Kazakhstan.

As per officials, Russia had already built a gas pipeline from Kazakhstan that passes through Azerbaijan. Russian company Gazprom has completed the project up till the Afghanistan border but

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PML-Q asks govt to revoke petrol price hike immediately

Secretary General of the European External Action Services (EEAS) and General Claudio Graziano, Chairman of the EU Military Committee.

During the meetings matters of mutual interest, overall regional security situation including current situation in Afghanistan and bilateral relations with EU were discussed.

EU dignitaries appreciated Pakistan’s sincere efforts for peace and stability in the region and pledged to play their role for increased collaboration with Pakistan at all levels.

PM launches portal to address scholarships plaints, ensure meritocracy

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now it is facing certain sanctions from the US. Gazprom cannot export gas to any country above a certain volume. They added that the volume allowed under US sanctions would be enough for Pakistan. Even remaining under the US sanction, Gazprom can export 14-15 billion cubic feet to Pakistan which will be enough to meet the country’s gas demand.

The Russian company involved in the project had offered to provide gas from Kazakhstan to Pakistan.

Pakistan was of the view that it would not deal with the company directly and negotiate a pact with the Russian government. As per the officials, Pakistan had written a letter to the Russian government for this purpose and ready to take gas from this pipeline.

Energy Minister Hammad Azhar had also announced at a news conference that Pakistan was looking towards the gas pipeline from Kazakhstan.

The spot prices of LNG have not remained stable in the world. Therefore, Pakistan wants a long-term con-

tract for cheaper gas. The minister had warned that that country’s indigenous gas resources were depleting fast. The officials said that Pakistan needs two pipelines to meet its gas requirements. Experts say that Pakistan should place a cap on local gas production to secure it at a cheaper price in the future.

Gas from Kazakhstan and the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-PakistanIndia (TAPI) pipeline project may meet Pakistan’s current needs that will be cheaper than LNG to ensure its energy security.

Pakistan and Turkmenistan had formed working groups to negotiate on the gas prices of the TAPI pipeline project. The two countries had also to sign a host agreement. However, the signing has hit a snag. Pakistan has 5% shares and will be responsible for maintaining the pipeline. On the gas price of TAPI, officials said it would cost around $6-7 per mmbtu. However, Pakistan has been importing LNG at an average price of $12 per mmbtu. NewS DeSk

‘Building of dams, demolition of buildings’ beyond courts’ jurisdiction: Bilawal LAHORE StAff RePoRt

Less than three weeks after his retirement, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari criticised former chief justice Gulzar Ahmed, who in the last months of his tenure went on a demolition spree in a bid to address the massive land-use irregularities prevalent all across Karachi, implying the actions were beyond the jurisdiction of the courts.

Ahmed repeatedly came down hard on, and expressed his displeasure at, the Sindh government of Bilawal’s party over its lack of progress in the domain, thereby, making the precious real estate of the provincial capital a theatre of blatant racketeering.

Addressing an event organised by the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA), Bilawal said a chief justice should be deciding constitutional issues instead of deciding the prices of “samosa or sugar”.

He said that instead of deciding issues about the fundamentals of legal framework or “confronting a fullblown assault on democracy that has resulted in this selected regime, some judges took it upon themselves to busy themselves, the courts and the legal community on deciding which building should be demolished and which

should stay”.

“The judiciary of Pakistan is a place for the battle of legal ideas […] it is not a place for us to decide where or where not to build a dam.”

He said the time is the worst for the parliament. “Pakistan was founded by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a lawyer by profession […] former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, also a barrister, gave the country its first constitution.”

“There could be no democracy without the rule of law,” he said, adding: “Therefore, the supremacy of the constitution in the country is a must.”

He said his mother slain prime minister Benazir Bhutto and his father were implicated in fabricated cases.

“But later, courts set them free which vindicated their innocence,” he declared.

He went on to add Zulfiqar’s hanging was a judicial murder. “But he still lives in people’s hearts,” he added.

Bilawal further observed no nation can prosper without the rule of law because it acts as a bridge between the people and the government. He claimed it was Zulfiqar who made Pakistan a democracy and gave it its incumbent Constitution. “Democracy is not possible without law,” he added The PPP chief further said his party believed in rule of law and that was why they played an important role in the restoration of the judiciary.

PML-Q on Wednesday has demanded to revoke an increase in petroleum prices immediately. Pervaiz Elahi took party members into confidence in the wake of a recent meeting with opposition parties, upon which all the party members gave him the authority for the decisions. PML-Q secretary general Tariq Basheer Cheema chaired the parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday, which was attended by Speaker of the Punjab Assembly Pervaiz Elahi, Federal Minister for Water Resources Monas Elahi, Senator Kamil Ali Agha and others. During the meeting, the current political situation was also discussed. While expressing concerns over rising prices of electricity, gas, and petroleum products, including the country’s deteriorated law and order situation, PML-Q party members demanded the government to take back the decision on the increase in petroleum prices. PML-Q members of the assembly stressed the need for the government to resolve poor people’s issues on an immediate basis. Otherwise, the situation would be out of control if relief was not provided to the masses. The government on Tuesday increased the price of petrol in the country by Rs12.03 per litre, taking its price to a record level of Rs159.86 per litre. “The prices of petroleum products are showing a drastic increase in the international market and are presently at the highest level since 2014.

Despite the unabated increase since the beginning of the year, Prime Minister Imran Khan deferred the last review of petroleum products’ prices on January 31, 2022, and advised against the summary of OGRA,”said the finance division in the latest statement. NewS DeSk

Rs2.59 per unit tariff cut for K-Electric consumers ISLAMABAD: In a relief for the residents of Karachi, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) Thursday lowered the tariff for K-Electric consumers by Rs2.59 a unit in terms of fuel adjustment charges. According to a notification issued by the authority, the tariff will be lowered for the month of December. The relief will be applicable in the bills of March. The body further said the relief will be applicable to all except those using under 300 units. The public hearing for fuel adjustment was held

by NEPRA on February 2. iNP

Minister says govt to review textile sector energy rates annually ISLAMABAD: The government will review the special energy rates granted to the textile industry each year, taking into account prices offered by its competitors in the region, the nation’s top commerce official said. The move is part of the nation’s latest textile policy, approved by the government on Tuesday, which seeks to consolidate recent growth in a sector that accounts for 60 percent of Pakistan’s exports. “One of the main objectives is […] to give our textile industry internationally competitive electricity and gas rates,” Abdul Razak Dawood, special advisor to the prime minister on commerce, said at a news conference.

Energy rates for textile exports have been fixed in recent years, despite global shortages and rising prices. “Every year, we will determine (prices) at the time of the budget,” Dawood said. The country’s textile export target for this financial year is $21 billion, compared to $15.5 billion the previous year when total exports amounted to $25.3 billion. The textile policy should have been finalised months ago, but was delayed by differences between various ministries over the sweeping financial incentives and support traditionally given to the sector as Pakistan embarks on a fiscal tightening push. Last month, the government removed tax exemptions given to a number of sectors in a bid to meet performance criteria set out in an International Monetary Fund (IMF) support programme to curtail its budgetary deficit. The IMF has also asked Pakistan to review electricity tariffs to remove growing circular debt in its energy sector. Dawood said the new textile policy would maintain incentives such as reduced duty on raw material imports, refinancing schemes and duty drawbacks, in a bid to maintain growth momentum. ReuteRS

No-trust vote against Imran a risk worth taking: Maryam ISLAMABAD NewS DeSk

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Thursday the proposed no-trust motion against the government is “a risk worth taking” since the prime minister was “on his last legs”.

Last week, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced the opposition alliance had decided to move a no-confidence motion against

Imran Khan and would contact the government’s allies in the Centre for this purpose.

“All parties in the PDM have agreed on bringing a no-confidence motion against these illegitimate rulers and contacting the government’s allies in this regard,” he told the media.

Talking to reporters after appearing at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in the Avenfield Apartments case, Nawaz was asked if PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif would resign from his position if the “no-confidence

gamble” failed.

She expressed hope the move would be successful “because Imran is on his last legs and it’s a risk that should be taken”.

She also termed the increase in prices of petroleum products as shameful.

Talking to reporters outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC), the PML-N leader said that inflation, lawlessness and terrorism are returning to the country during the tenure of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

Prime Minister Imran Khan has to be

made accountable for “every single crime” as the list of his crimes is vast, she added.

She claimed Khan is the only PM who travels from Bani Gala to PM House on a helicopter. The premier has done nothing except misuse government expenses to take revenge on his opponents, she alleged.

The PML-N leader further claimed PTI ministers launched personal attacks on her to please their PM. “You are not a king of any state that we cannot condemn your acts.

If you do something that is not in the interest

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

of the country, you will face criticism,” she declared. Nawaz further said that the opposition parties won’t let the PTI leadership leave Pakistan.

Earlier, the PML-N vice president took to Twitter to react to the arrest of analyst Mohsin Baig, stating the houses of innocent citizens are raided for criticising the PM “Imran Khan has not descended from the sky that houses of citizens are raided and people put behind the bar for criticising him,” she tweeted.