Epaper – February 23-2022 LHR

Wednesday, 23 February, 2022 I 21 Rajab, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 236 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition

Pakistan Prefers trade-centric ties over bloc Politics: PM g

PM IMran hoPeful of 'Peaceful resolutIon' to ukraIne crIsIs

ISLAMABAD

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staff report

rIMe Minister Imran khan said Pakistan did not wish to join any bloc in the region but instead desired trading ties with all nations, including russia.

In an interview with the stateowned rt channel of russia ahead of his tour to Moscow, he observed Pakistan suffered during the cold War as it found itself caught up in the bloc politics, and reiterated Islamabad did not wish to repeat the mistakes of the past. the prime minister said the last thing Pakistan wanted was a world split into geopolitical blocs. he said cooperation among regional nations — including russia, china, and even the united states — would be in the interest of the world. khan said Pakistan wanted to strengthen bilateral relations with russia and looked forward to his visit to Moscow. the prime minister said Pakistan

was a gas deficient country and pointed out that north-south gas Pipeline suffered delay due to the united states sanctions on the russian state giant building it. he said Pakistan was negotiating for the construction of the pipeline and also eyed buying the cheapest gas from neighbouring Iran after the lifting of the us sanctions. he expressed hope for a peaceful resolution of the ukraine crisis, emphasising that military options did not prove as the solution to conflicts.

“I am not a believer of military solutions but dialogues,” he said, adding the attempt to apply the same solution to afghanistan could not save the people of the country from suffering. he said conflicts could have disastrous consequences on the people of poor countries, who already faced poverty in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic. on ties with India, he said his government reached out to new delhi after the assumption of power in august

coronavirus in

Pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

1,502,641

LAST UPDATED AT 9:31 AM ON FEBRUARY 22, 2022

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

13

961

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

1,406,361 30,053 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

564,895

499,365

KPK:

BALOCHISTAN:

215,087

35,284

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

42,684/11,390

133,936

2018 to resolve the kashmir dispute. however, he regretted that India was following a racist and supremacist ideology inspired by nazism and denied resolving the issue of kashmir. khan termed climate change and the illicit flow of money from poor to developed countries as the two major challenges faced by the world. he mentioned that plunder of the developing world continued as $1.5 trillion every year were transferred illegally to offshore companies led to severe consequences globally including rising hunger and poverty. the ruling elite of the world, he said, affected the process of accountability. “the only way to remove the imbalance is to make laws to check drug money,” he said. asked how would he like to be remembered, he said he wanted to be the one who made a big change in the lives of the common people by bringing them out of poverty, ensuring rule of law, and building a humane socio-welfare society.

PDM decides to support PPP in long march, no trust move against PM Khan g

ZardarI assures faZl of coMPlete suPPort agaInst govt ISLAMABAD staff report

former president and PPP co-chairman asif ali Zardari has assured JuI-f chief fazlur rehman of his complete support for the opposition’s no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran khan, geo news reported on tuesday. according to the report, Zardari met with fazl on Monday to devise a strategy to oust the incumbent government. this was the first face-to-face meeting between both leaders since last april. the report further said that during the meeting, both leaders discussed different options for the success of the no-trust move against the prime minister and also

Ready to deploy more Rangers troops to bring peace in Karachi: Sheikh Rasheed ISLAMABAD staff report

Interior Minister sheikh rasheed ahmad on tuesday offered to deploy more rangers paramilitary forces in karachi to help curb the rising incidents of street crime in the metropolis.

“If the sindh government makes a request, we are ready to increase [the deployment of] our rangers forces. We are even ready to deploy them at police stations,” Interior Minister told media persons here.

“If [sindh] chief Minister Murad ali shah asks us for any assistance, we are willing to provide it,” he added.

In response to a question, he further said the situation in karachi was not good. “the situation that I saw in karachi yesterday cannot be expressed in words … It seems as if there is no law [and order] in karachi and this could have adverse consequences.” over the past few days, there has been a surge in killing during armed robberies and other street crimes in the city. the recent violent incidents

decided to take the estranged PtI leaders into confidence. they also discussed the issues between PdM and PPP that had emerged last year over the issue of resignations from the parliament. they took each other into confidence regarding meetings with the government’s allies and discussed contacts with Jahangir tareen group to muster support against the government.

Zardari assured fazl of his complete support, saying that the PPP would remain at the forefront of the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran khan.

Moreover, the opposition’s long march was also discussed during the meeting.

more inside

PM Imran wants tv debate with India’s Modi to resolve issues STORY ON PAGE 02

Top leadership greets Saudi on founding day STORY ON PAGE 03

included the murder of a journalist associated with samaa tv, ather Mateen. earlier on Monday, sindh chief Minister Murad ali shah had presided over a meeting to work out a strategy for eradicating street crime in the city.

It was decided in the meeting that targeted operations would be launched against criminals in the city, and there would be legislation on e-tagging of habitual criminals.

during the meeting, the chief minister had also rebuked police and the rangers for the surge in street crime, saying: “I usually visit the city secretly but hardly have seen the police and rangers on the roads or on patrolling in areas.”

No CoNFIDENCE MoTIoN BouND To FaIL: the Minister said that the opposition parties will not get anything from their protest campaigns.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

regional countries need to work collectively for enduring peace: coas gen Bajwa STORY ON BACK PAGE

SC suspends LHC decision to acquit ex-Brigadier STORY ON BACK PAGE

02

Wednesday, 23 February, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

PM IMRan wants tV dEBatE wIth IndIa’s ModI to REsolVE IssuEs isLAmABAd

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ReuteRs

RIME Minister Imran Khan said on Tuesday he would like to have a televised debate with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, to resolve differences between the two neighbours.

The nuclear-powered rivals have shared antagonistic relations since gaining independence 75 years ago, fighting three wars, with ties strained recently after New Delhi abrogated the semi-autonomous status of Indian

K-Electric seeks Rs3.40 per unit hike in power price AhmAd AhmAdAni K-Electric has requested the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) to approve Rs3.40 per unit hike in power price on account of fuel charges adjustment (FCA) for the month of January 2022. As per details, the K-Electric (KE) has asked NEPRA to jack up the power tariff by Rs3.406 per kilowatt hour under the head FCA of January 2022 while KE has also asked to decrease base power tariff by 30 paisa under the head quarterly adjustment for the quarter October to December 2021. NEPRA is scheduled to consider the proposed adjustment request of K-Electric on March 01, 2022. According to the NEPRA, KE has filed its request for monthly FCA (own and power purchases) for the month of January 2022 which will add Rs3,727 million additional burden on Karachiites. Similarly, KE has requested to approve Rs 30 paisa per unit cut in base tariff for quarter ending December 2021. It is relevant to note that the proposed FCA of January 2022 will be charged in the monthly electricity bill while the proposed negative 30 paisa per unit will be included in the base power tariff. It is also learnt that NEPRA during the course of its scheduled hearing on March 1, 2022 will discuss whether the requested fuel price variation and quarterly variation is justified. Similarly, KE will also discuss whether KE has followed the merit order while giving dispatch to its power plants as well as power purchases from external sources. NEPRA in a public hearing notice in the matter of request filed by KElectric regarding monthly fuel charges adjustment for the month of January 2022 and quarterly adjustment for the quarter ending December 2021 under multi-year tariff (MYT) 2017-2023 has invited all the interested parties to raise written or oral objections as permissible under the law. It is pertinent to mention that MYT determination prescribes mechanism for adjustment in the MYT on monthly and quarterly basis while the decision of the Authority (NEPRA) in the matter of MYT petition of K-Electric has already been notified vide SRO No. 576(1)/2019 dated May 22, 2019.

Govt asked to grant crop status to tobacco in KP Aziz BuneRi The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly’s Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) committee has recommended the federal government to grant crop status to the province’s major agriculture product, tobacco. The sources said that the federal government provides KP with just Rs220 million out of Rs1.6 billion for tobacco cess, which is an “injustice” to the province.

Sardar Hussain Babak, parliamentary leader of the Awami National Party (ANP) in KP assembly said that the province is producing 78 per cent tobacco of the country. He further added that the province is producing 100 per cent export quality tobacco but unfortunately till date tobacco cultivation has not been provided crop status. Babak said that the IPC committee has collected recommendations from all stakeholders and it will now be discussed in the meeting of Council of Common Interest (CCI). The ANP leader added that the IPC committee will also review the rates received by farmers as well as all the expenses incurred on tobacco cultivation so that the farmers could be protected from loss by selling their crop on the government stipulated rates. Babak said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is rich in natural resources and every effort will be made to protect the province’s rights against the central government. The committee directed the law department to provide guidance in this regard in a constitutional context. The committee said that the national and multinational companies tobacco board, department of agriculture and other concerned agencies should establish close liaison in this regard so that farmers can be guided in a timely manner and they do not face difficulties in cultivating tobacco crop. The committee also directed that pesticides should not be used on crops without consulting the agriculture department as many pesticides are not only harmful to health but also have negative impacts on the environment.

Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in 2019.

“I would love to debate with Narendra Modi on TV,” PM Imran told Russia Today in an interview, adding that it would be beneficial for the billion people in the subcontinent if differences could be resolved through debate.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

“India became a hostile country so trade with them became minimal,” the premier said, stressing his government’s policy was to have trade relations with all countries.

The PM’s remarks follow similar comments recently

by his aide on commerce, Razzak Dawood, who, according to media, told journalists he supported trade ties with India, which would benefit both sides.

PM Imran said Pakistan’s regional trading options were already limited, with Iran, its southwestern neighbour, under US sanctions and Afghanistan, to the west, involved in decades of war.

Pakistan shares strong economic ties with its northern neighbour, China, which has committed billions of dollars for infrastructure and other projects under its Belt and Road Initiative.

The premier’s interview came on the eve of a visit

to Moscow, where he will meet President Vladimir Putin – the first visit by a Pakistani leader to Russia in two decades. The two-day visit for talks on economic cooperation was planned before the current crisis over Ukraine.

“This doesn’t concern us, we have a bilateral relation with Russia and we really want to strength it,” the premier said of the Ukraine crisis.

ITFC signs $1.2bn annual plan for Pakistan shAhzAd PARAchA The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) has signed the Annual Plan for 2022 in favor of the Government of Pakistan, to provide integrated trade solutions to support the energy and agriculture sectors.

As per the information, the $1.2 billion agreement includes financing the import of essential commodities such as crude oil, refined petroleum products, LNG, food and agricultural products; in addition to implementing trade related

technical assistance to ensure trade development impact.

The Annual Plan was signed during a ceremony in ITFC headquarters in Jeddah between ITFC and a delegation of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (EAD).

Referring to the agreement, COO, ITFC Nazeem Noordali stated that this annual plan reflects the importance of the long standing cooperation between ITFC and the government of Pakistan “ITFC is continuously working closely with its member countries to meet their

requirements through providing integrated solutions that includes financing and capacity building tools that allows for maximizing the development impact of ITFC interventions. We are delighted and we will continue to mobilize financial resources to support Pakistan in its endeavors to achieve its economic targets through our existing Framework Agreement.”

The EAD delegation, expressed their appreciation for the continued support and partnership with ITFC, and

Pakistan, Australia reiterate desire to further enhance defence cooperation

sTAff RePoRT General Angus J. Campbell, Chief of Defence Force

(CDF) Australia Tuesday called on General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Army Staff (COAS).

During the meeting, matters of mutual interest including military to military cooperation, overall regional security situation including current Afghan situation and bilateral cooperation in various fields were discussed.

COAS said that Pakistan values its relations with Australia. Both reiterated the desire to further enhance bilateral relations and defence cooperation including efforts for peace and security in the region.

The visiting dignitary acknowledged the professionalism of Pakistan Armed Forces. He appreciated Pakistan’s role in Afghan situation, special efforts for border management and role in regional stability.

He also assured to play his part for further improvement in diplomatic cooperation at all levels and pledged to enhance military cooperation between the two Forces.

Engro Fertilizer highlights Pakistans role in promoting regional food security at Dubai Expo Agencies Engro Fertilizers, Pakistan’s premier seed-to-harvest solutions provider, hosted an insightful dialogue at Expo 2020 Dubai to highlight the food security situation in the Gulf and the potential partnership opportunities with Pakistan to overcome the regional food security challenges.

The panel comprised global agricultural and industry experts including Dr. Abdul Rashid (IFA Laureate), Charles Schneider (International Finance Corporation), Ayman Alwadhy (The Corporate Group, UAE), Wasim Halabi (Foodco National Foodstuff Co PJSC), Fredric Favre (MAS Seeds, France) and Khusrau Nadir Gilani (Engro Fertilizers). The event was also graced by Mr. Hussain Dawood (Chairman of Engro Corporation and Dawood Corporation), Mr. Shahzada Dawood (Vice Chair, Engro Corporation), Ghias Khan (President & CEO of Engro Corporation) and Nadir Salar Qureshi (CEO of Engro Fertilizers), along with other members of the Engro leadership team.

The expert panel pointed out that food security in the Gulf region is a growing challenge due to high dependence on food imports, increasing water scarcity, climate change and supply chain interruptions. In 2020, the region’s share of the acutely food insecure global population was 20%, which is disproportionately high compared to its 6% share of the population. By forging partnerships in the agricultural sector with large established sustainable agri-base countries, like Pakistan, the region can benefit from enhanced agricultural output to overcome its food security challenge.

There is significant potential to increase Pakistan’s agricultural output with focus on modern technology, seed quality, balanced use of fertilizers, and uplift of infrastructure across the agri value chain. It was noted that if average farmer yields are brought at par with those of progressive farmers within the country, Pakistan will see a dramatic increase in wheat and rice production serving not only the needs for domestic consumption, but also create significant surpluses for exports to the Gulf-Region.

The Government of Pakistan was also applauded for its efforts to improve water provision and farm economics, resulting in an increase of approximately 1.6 million hectares in area under cultivation with further growth anticipated with large irrigation projects underway.

According to Nadir Qureshi, “To bridge the agri yield gap and enrich crops with essential nutrients, Engro Fertilizers has introduced innovative products and seedto-harvest solutions, farmer upskilling programs, access to expert advice by leveraging technology, and free of cost soil testing laboratories. We hope that this dialogue will serve as an initial step to encourage Pakistan, Engro and Gulf entities to work together to jointly develop innovative solutions and explore the scope for international partnerships in the agri space.”

The panel discussion concluded that the food and agriculture sector can be an engine of economic growth for both the Gulf region and Pakistan. Through the adoption of technological innovation and sustainable practices, the agricultural sector of Pakistan can be transformed to reduce dependence on food imports, create surpluses to drive significant exports and meet the Gulf regions’ dietary nutrition requirements.

underlined the need for enhanced cooperation through more efficient processes to further promote Islamic trade finance and trade development interventions in Pakistan.

Despite a challenging year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, ITFC provided around $1.1 billion of trade financing in 2021. ITFC has signed the 4th framework agreement with the Government of Pakistan in June 2021 for $4.5 billion. It is worth mentioning that, since 2008, ITFC has provided $6.7 billion to Pakistan.

MCB allowed due diligence to acquire 55pc stake in Easypaisa

TLTP The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has granted conditional approval to Muslim Commercial Bank (MCB) to conduct due diligence for a potential transaction for the purchase of 55 per cent shares of Telenor Microfinance Bank Limited (Easypaisa). The development was shared in a notification to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). “The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has granted in-principle conditional approval to MCB to conduct due diligence for a potential transaction for the purchase of 55 per cent shares of Telenor Microfinance Bank Limited held by Telenor Pakistan BV (operates under the Easypaisa brand name),” read the notice. The Board of Directors of MCB had already, in its meeting held on October 27, 2021, accorded its in-principle approval to conduct due diligence for the potential transaction. MCB back then informed the PSX that the proposed acquisition of a microfinance bank is likely to bring correction in the microfinance sector with the support of a major bank. The development comes days after the central bank also granted in-principle approval to the United Bank Limited (UBL) to commence the due diligence of Telenor Microfinance Bank Limited for the proposed acquisition of 55 per cent sponsor shares in TMB. Telenor Microfinance Bank is jointly owned by Telenor Pakistan and Ant Group, which is an affiliate company of the Chinese Alibaba Group. It was established in 2005 as Tameer Microfinance Bank. In 2009, the bank launched Pakistan’s first mobile banking platform Easypaisa, transforming digital payments in the country. Late in 2018, Ant Financial bought a 45 per cent share of Telenor Bank. Introduced as branchless banking, being a pioneer with the brand of Easypaisa, Telenor Bank has expanded its businesses countrywide with innovative services. According to the financial statement, the bank earned a gross profit of Rs1.245 billion by the end of September 2021.

Wednesday, 23 February, 2022 | LAHORE

top leadership greets saudia on founding day isLAmABAd

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staff RepoRt

RIME Minister Imran Khan and members of his cabinet on Tuesday extended greetings to Saudi Arabia whose leadership is commemorating for the first time the oil-rich kingdom’s foundation nearly 300 years ago.

In a tweet, the prime minister greeted King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the people of the Kingdom.

“On the historic founding day of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I extend our heartiest greetings to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, HM [His Majesty] King Salman bin Abdulaziz, HRH [His Royal Highness] Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman [and] brotherly people of the Kingdom,” he tweeted.

Khan also wished prosperity for the nations of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. “May our two countries and

our people prosper.”

“Saudi Arabia […] and Pakistan stood with each other in all difficult times […] the tradition will go on,”

Minister of Information Fawad Chaudhry wrote.

Saudi Arabia held celebrations on Tuesday to commemorate its foundation, choosing a date that downplays the central role played by clerics from an ultra-conservative school of Islam.

A royal decree last month declared February 22 an official holiday, known as “Founding Day”, to be commemorated every year in recognition of “the commencement of the reign of Imam Muhammad bin Saud” and marking the start of the first Saudi state.

The anniversary marks the day in 1727 when Mohammed bin Saud, founder of the first Saudi state, took over the emirate of Diriyah — a remote town that now lies on the northwest edge of the Saudi capital Riyadh.

The government lined up events that include musical performances on Saudi modern history, fireworks, drone shows and sound effects, with 3,500 performers taking part, state media reported.

Security gains recalled as Operation Radd ul-Fasaad turns five isLAmABAd staff RepoRt

state land worth Rs22mn retrieved on Punjab ombudsman’s directive LAhoRe staff RepoRt

On the orders of Punjab Ombudsman retired Maj. Azam Suleman Khan, 18-Kanal state-owned land valuing Rs 22.22 million has been retrieved in Bhakkar, Mandi Bahauddin, ChichaWatni, and Kot Adu districts and handed over to the concerned administration for official use. Giving details on Tuesday, a spokesman explained that on the orders of Khan to regain 13.5 marlas occupied portion of Government Girls High School, Dagar Rahtas Bhakkar, the administration has retrieved government land from the illegal occupation of one Muhammad Afzal and a complaint has been lodged against him.

The boundary wall of the said school has also been constructed to save the government property. The students and their parents have thanked the ombudsman’s office for protecting the precious school property in their area. In another development, the spokesman added the involvement of the ombudsman office has resulted in the retrieval of 10-Kanal 16marla portions of a local graveyard in Chichawatni from the illegal occupants, having a market value of Rs11.6 million. Similarly, the ombudsman’s office also intervened to vacate 2-Kanal 18-marla portions of Kot Adu graveyard with a market value of Rs0.9 million. Alongside, 4-Kanal 6-marla portion of another graveyard and shamlat land has also been recovered from squatters in Mandi Bahauddin with a market value of Rs1.7 million, the spokesman concluded.

daily coronavirus cases dip below 1,000 for first time in over four weeks isLAmABAd staff RepoRt

The daily positivity rate of Covid-19 fell to 2.52 percent on Monday as the nation reported 961 new cases, the first time in over a month that the daily infections fell below 1,000, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said on Tuesday. The new cases surfaced after the country conducted 38,139 tests during the last 24 hours, taking the total caseload to 1,502,641, according to the NCOC, a department leading the campaign against the pandemic. The active cases witnessed a declining trend as 2,393 patients recovered during the last 24 hours, pushing the active case count down to 66,227. The pandemic killed 13 people on Monday, raising the overall tally to 30,053 deaths. Sindh is the worst-hit province with 564,895 infections recorded, followed by Punjab, which has reported 499,365 cases so far.

Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday paid tribute to soldiers who laid their lives during Operation Radd ul-Fasaad, or elimination of strife, and the spirit of the great nation of Pakistan.

In a message, issued on behalf of Gen. Bajwa, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj. Gen. Babar Iftikhar said: “Today marks five years of operation. Aimed at consolidating gains of two-decade-long War on Terror and eliminating remnants of terrorists across the country, the operation placed the security of people of Pakistan as a core objective.”

“Operations continue successfully as the country transitioned from uncertainty to peace,” it added.

The achievements of RuF have only been possible due to the sacrifices rendered by the soldiers and the resilience of our people. “We salute the supreme sacrifices of our martyrs and spirit of our great nation,” Gen. Bajwa said.

“The achievements of RuF have only been possible due to blood of martyrs and resilience of our people,” it said, observing the writ of state restored from Karachi to Khyber as RuF enters the sixth year.

This operation, steered by Gen. Bajwa, was launched on February 22, 2017, against the presence of proscribed outfits and effectively foiled several attack attempts.

Since 2017, 67 new wings of the Frontier Corps (FC) have been formed to enhance the efficacy of the law enforcement agencies (LEAs).

During this period, security forces trained over 40,000 police personnel and 22,000 Levies and Khasadar personnel across the country.

Effective steps have also been taken against extremist literature, it said.

Under the border management plan, 95 percent of work on the razor wire fencing of the Afghanistan

border and 78 percent on the Iran border fencing has so far been completed.

679 security forts, borders posts and terminals have also been erected. The troops also cleared more than 60,000 landmines.

The authorities also ensured the safe return of temporarily dislocated persons (TDPs) to their homes in the formal tribal regions.

Implementing National Action Plan (NAP), militants were tried in the military courts whereas action was also launched against over 78 outfits.

More than 1,200 conspiracies hatched by hostile intelligence agencies (HIAs) were also exposed.

Operations in the tribal areas also helped to ensure smooth working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Karachi improved from the sixth spot to 124th in International Crime Index.

Thorough security was provided to the sixth census and polio eradication teams in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The concerned departments also ensured the safe arrival, stay and departure of international cricketers participating in the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL). Five years ago when RuF commenced, Gen. Bajwa had said: “Every Pakistani is a soldier in this operation.”

Crucial to protect the planet for future generations: PM isLAmABAd app

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday urged the nation to plant at least five trees a family and join the government in her efforts to achieve the target of a protected environment for future generations.

Addressing the participants at the launch of the nationwide Spring plantation campaign, the prime minister said owing to Pakistan’s unique vulnerability to climate threats, ambitious forestation was crucial to saving the country.

The plantation drive coincided with Scouts’ Day as the government decided to register the young force with the Billion Tree Tsunami programme to carry out plantation at a wider scale.

Some 750,000 members of the Pakistan Boy Scouts’ Association will join the drive to achieve the target of planting 540 million saplings this season.

Khan said the purpose of choosing Scouts’ Day for the launch of the campaign was to encourage the youth to take responsibility in protecting their environment.

He said a highly climate-vulnerable Pakistan could not cope with climate risks, particularly floods, desertification and heatwaves, which had become increasingly frequent due to global warming and reduced tree cover.

He said Pakistan was blessed with immense natural resources, adding it was the responsibility of every person to contribute towards protecting the environment through the plantation.

He said planting at least five trees per family would go a long way in making Pakistan clean and green.

Khan mentioned the Billion Tree project acclaimed international recognition, including by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, who acknowledged Pakistan as a leader in combating climate change.

“Our future is linked with a green Pakistan and we all need to join hands in achieving this goal,” he said. The prime minister said Pakistan’s 12 unique climatic zones provided a favourable ground for tree plantation of all species.

He mentioned the current season would witness the target accomplishment of planting 540 million trees.

Minister of State for Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said Pakistan’s successful tree plantation model was inspiring several countries and mentioned that recently a memorandum of understanding was signed with Saudi Arabia in this regard.

According to the MoU, he said, Pakistan will present a plantation model to the kingdom based on the suggestions of its own experts.

He said the Minister for Environment of Germany said his government intended to inject €20 million into the Tree Tsunami project.

Earlier, the prime minister planted a sapling to mark the launch of the plantation campaign.

Minister for Climate Change Zartaj Gul, Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood and a number of scouts attended the event.

NEWS

03

ukraine Issue: lawmakers give Putin permission to use force outside Russia news desk Russian lawmakers gave President Vladimir Putin permission to use military force outside the country on Tuesday, a move that could presage a broader attack on Ukraine after the US said an invasion was already underway there. Members of the upper house, the Federation Council, voted unanimously to allow Putin to use military force outside Russia effectively formalising a Russian military deployment to the rebel regions, where an eight-year conflict has killed nearly 14,000 people.

Several European leaders said earlier in the day that Russian troops have moved into rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine after Putin recognised their independence.

But it was unclear how large the movements were.

Ukraine and its Western allies have said Russian troops have been fighting in the region since the separatist conflict erupted in 2014. Moscow denies these allegations.

White house terms russian troop deployments ‘invasion’: The White House on Tuesday began referring to Russian troop deployments in eastern Ukraine as an invasion after initially hesitating to use the term — a red line that President Joe Biden has said would result in the US levying severe sanctions against Moscow. “We think this is, yes, the beginning of an invasion, Russia’s latest invasion into Ukraine,” Jon Finer, principal deputy national security adviser, said in an interview on CNN. “An invasion is an invasion and that is what is underway.” The White House decided to begin referring to Russia’s actions as an invasion because of the situation on the ground, according to a US official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The administration resisted initially calling the deployment of troops because the White House wanted to see what Russia was actually going to do. After assessing Russian troop movements, it became clear it was a new invasion, the official added. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also alluded to the Russian action as being an invasion in a Twitter post commenting on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s decision to halt the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in response to Russia’s actions. “The US president made clear that if Russia invaded Ukraine, “we would act with Germany to ensure Nord Stream 2 does not move forward,” Psaki said. putin recognises rebel regions: For weeks, Western powers have been bracing for an invasion as Russia massed an estimated 150,000 troops on three sides of neighbouring Ukraine. They warned an attack would cause massive casualties, energy shortages in Europe and economic chaos around the globe and promised swift and severe sanctions if it materialised.

The European Union and Britain announced on Tuesday that some of those measures were coming. Western leaders have long warned Moscow would look for cover to invade and just such a pretext seemed to come on Monday, when Putin recognised as independent two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, where government troops have fought Russia-backed rebels in a conflict that has killed over 14,000 people. The Kremlin then raised the stakes further on Tuesday, by saying that recognition extends even to the large parts now held by Ukrainian forces.

Wednesday, 23 February, 2022 | LAHORE

04 NEWS

PM Khan lauds shehryar afridi's efforts for KashMir cause ISLAMABAD

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Staff RepoRt

HAIRMAN Kashmir Committee Shehryar Khan Afridi called on Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday. The Prime Minister was apprised of the steps taken by the Kashmir Committee in various international forums to help raise awareness on the Kashmir dispute, especially with the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), European Union (EU), US Congress and other international parliamentary bodies and stakeholders over the past two years.

The Prime Minister was also apprised of the progress on ongoing development schemes in Kohat Division.

The Prime Minister appreciated the efforts of the Kashmir Committee for raising the issue of Kashmir at the international level and directed them to intensify their efforts for this purpose.

The Prime Minister directed the Chairman Kashmir Committee to ensure timely completion of various development schemes being implemented in Kohat Division to provide maximum relief and facilities to the people.

former boss accuses government of unleashing fia on opponents LAHORE Staff RepoRt

SC turns down NAB request to cancel bails of family of PPP leader ISLAMABAD inp

The Supreme Court on Tuesday provided relief to the family of PPP MP Khursheed Shah as it rejected the request of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to cancel their bails.

The apex court threw out the appeals of NAB which prayed to the court to can-

cel bails of all suspects in the case.

It also rejected the bail cancellation appeal against Sindh Minister Awais Qadir Shah. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah remarked that Shah was granted bail on unsubstantiated evidence submitted by the anti-graft watchdog.

Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial said if the main accused was out on bail, how his co-accused could be put behind the

jail. He said the co-accused included Shah’s spouses and children.

“No need to arrest Khursheed Shah’s wives, children and relatives. Without substantiation proof, authorities cannot register a case against anyone” the top judge remarked.

On this, the NAB prosecutor said that contractor Abdul Razzaq Bohrani gave Rs2.5 million to Shah in commission.

During the investigation, the contractor could not tell any specific reason as to why he gave this amount to Mr Shah.

Justice Ayesha Malik asked the prosecutor why he reckoned that the cheque he offered was a bribe or commission. The judge said it might be a gift.

He asked the NAB to dig deep in its investigation and present its case in the trial court.

UAE scraps rapid testing requirement for travelers from Pakistan DUBAI Staff RepoRt

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is scrapping its pre-departure rapid antigen testing regime at airports for Pakistan passengers traveling to the cities of Dubai and Sharjah, the Civil Aviation Authority

(CAA) said. However, passengers from four nations — Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka — will still have to submit a valid rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) certificate for a test conducted at an approved facility within 48 hours of departure.

The duration of the period will be considered from the time when the passenger has submitted his sample to

the laboratory for the test.

The passengers will undergo a PCR test at Dubai International Airport and have to self-quarantine until the result is processed and released.

However, all transiting passengers are not required to present a PCR test certificate unless it is mandated by their final destination.

G77 pushes for countering spread of online hate, disinformation UNITED NATIONS app

The group of developing countries — called G77 — is concerned over the misuse of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to spread online hate and disinformation, a n d stresses the need for countering this phenomen o n , P a k istan’s ambassador to the UN and the 1 3 4 member body’s chair-

man, Munir Akram, said. If left unchecked, it could be used to mislead and to spread racism, xenophobia, negative stereotyping, stigmatisation and, most dangerously, breach of individuals’ right to privacy, Ambassador Akram said on Monday at a session devoted to a landmark new report that calls for, among other elements, the renewal of multilateralism.

“The group welcomes the efforts of the Secretary General to promote international cooperation in countering disinformation and takes note of the proposed ‘global code of conduct that promotes integrity in public information’,” he said, adding a further clarity was required in this regard.

“The G77 and China believe that racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance are a repudiation of humanity and regrets that millions continue to be victims of the same,” he said and called for the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action combating those trends.

In this regard, Ambassador Akram said, the group also believes that the establishment of an international independent expert mechanism could promote a transformative change for racial justice and equality in the context of law enforcement globally.

“The group notes with concern that persons belonging to racial and ethnic minorities and to other groups, including Asians and people of Asian descent, especially women and girls, have been victims of racist violence, threats of violence, discrimination and stigmatisation as a result of the pandemic.”

For the group, he also said the important issues pertaining to digital cooperation remain: inclusive digital economy, access to digital networks and connectivity, technology transfer, investment in digital infrastructures, data protection, artificial intelligence, avoiding Internet fragmentation, countering the proliferation of disinformation and misinformation, and outlining shared principles for a digital future for all to achieve the 2030 Agenda. “It is important to avoid unnecessary politicisation of technical issues to foster an open, fair, inclusive, and non-discriminatory environment for the development of digital technologies in developing countries,” Ambassador Akram said.

Former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General Bashir Memon said the agency was being used for political victimisation of the opponents of the government. Talking to the media outside a court in Lahore on Tuesday, he said he was saddened to hear the remarks of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) as well as a sessions court in cases involving the agency. “The IHC, in its verdict, said that the FIA could not be allowed to behave like the Indian spy agency RAW,” he said. Memon said the FIA had a systematic mode of operation. “It is not a political organisation, but a department that works in the light of laws of the land,” he asserted. He claimed when he was heading the agency, he did not serve even a single notice on the basis of the receiver’s political affiliation. Earlier, the sessions court extended the interim bail granted to Memom until March 15. The court also ordered the agency to provide relevant documents to Memon. It merits a mention here the FIA had registered a case against Memon in connection with money laundering and other charges.

cop hurt in di Khan explosion LAHORE MonitoRing RepoRt

A policeman sustained injuries when a blast hit his mobile in Kulachi Tehsil of Dera Ismail Khan District on Tuesday. According to police, the bomb was planted near the parked vehicle. The suspects exploded the bomb with the help of remote control. The injured was immediately shifted to a hospital. A police force was quickly dispatched to the scene which conducted a search operation.

Wednesday, 23 February, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

05

PM REitERAtES PAKiStAn’S dESiRE to ExPAnd tiES with UzBEKiStAn iSLamaBad

PECA law to ensure substantive relief to cyber crime victims ISLAMABAD: Rapid increase in cyber crimes, followed by slow convictions warranted amendments in the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), which have been widely welcomed by the public, and criticised by the trolls. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cyber Wing has received a total of 244,930 complaints of various cyber offences since January 1, 2019, with 2,571 cases registered and 2,583 accused arrested.

The complaints pertained to e-fraud, forgery, dignity / modesty of a natural person, child pornography and hate speech. The highest number of complaints, 102,772, were received by the FIA during the year 2021. Out of total registered 15,973 inquiries, the FIA registered 1,224 cases and arrested 1,306 accused. However, only 38 accused were convicted out of 591 challaned cases. Keeping in view low conviction rate as evident from the data, the government has amended the PECA declaring defaming of individuals on social media a punishable offence.

The courts would now be obliged to give a verdict on cases registered under PECA within six months. Allegations against an individual are levelled without any proof, but it takes years to prove his / her innocence. The cost of litigation is exorbitant as the cases linger on for years, which often end in out of court settlements. In most cases the accused are let scot free.

Coordinated attacks against any individual are mostly of personal nature. Women are also harassed as they have to face inappropriate / derogatory language from their male colleagues.

There are cases in which the victims have complained about a smear character assassination campaign against them on social media platforms, including Youtube, Facebook, Twitter etc., and the amended PECA law will help the FIA to effectively deal with such cyber crimes. Professor Azhar Latif, while talking to APP, said the victims had been demanding the government to bring in further stringent laws to curb the curse. He said the fake news against individuals and institutions created confusion and uncertainty in the society. He cited the fake reports about Zulfi Bukhari’s visit to Isreal on the British passport and buying of Roosevelt Hotel. by him, former Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar’s fake audio, separation between the prime minister and his wife, which were floated on social media platforms causing anxiety among the people. Nauman Habib, a senior lawyer, opined the amended PECA law would bring substantive respite to the public, especially the victims of cyber crimes who had to suffer from untold mental agony as it would act as a barrier to bust the fake news. He said the people now had an effective legal protection against attacks on their personal lives. APP

Ready to deploy more Rangers troops to bring peace in Karachi: Sheikh Rasheed continued from page 01 The minister said that the opposition’s no confidence motion against the government will also face defeat. He said after his return from Russia, Prime Minister Imran Khan will launch epassport service to facilitate the people. Thirteen new passport offices will be established in Sindh, he said, adding that twenty eight Identity Card Stations of National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) are also being established in the four provinces. The interior minister reaffirmed the commitment to crush the foreign-funded terrorists. He said Radd-ul-Fasaad operation secured the country, adding that “we pay tributes to the sacrifices of security personnel”. Regarding the upcoming visit of Australian cricket team, he said excellent arrangements have been made for their security.

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APP

RIME Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday expressed resolve to forge closer ties with Uzbekistan in all spheres covering trade, agriculture, energy, and people-to-people contacts.

The prime minister was talking to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan Sardor Umurzakov, who called on him.

While emphasising that regional connectivity is the cornerstone of economic growth and development, the prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s strong commitment to the Trans-

Afghan Railway project.

He underlined the importance of

security and stability in Afghanistan for advancing connectivity agenda

leading to regional prosperity.

He also reiterated the urgent need to address the humanitarian and economic challenges in Afghanistan to alleviate human sufferings.

The prime minister underscored the importance of resumption of direct air flights between Lahore and Tashkent to enhance tourism, business linkages and people-to-people contacts.

He also stressed on finalising all pending bilateral MoUs and agreements, particularly the Preferential Trade Agreement. The prime minister said that he is looking forward to the visit of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Pakistan in March this year. Umurzakov conveyed greetings for the prime minister from the Uzbek president.

Hyundai Nishat Motor Introducing The All-new Hyundai STARIA In Pakistan

Bars term PECA ordinance a bid to stifle dissent, freedom of expression

With the coming of the new year, Hyundai Nishat Motor (Private) Limited (HNMPL) has released the all-new vehicle that is truly the future of mobility. Following a highly successful launch of the ELANTRA and the SONATA in 2021, Hyundai Pakistan is ready to launch the all-new STARIA. Inspired by the concept of a luxurious modern lounge, the futuristic styling commands instant attention. This vehicle is making its way to the Pakistani market for the first time ever.

Hyundai has planned four different versions for its different sorts of customers, with the all-new STARIA coming in a “HGS” variant that is ideal for active family and luxury business use while the other three variants are perfect vehicles for fleet business usage with multiple engine and transmission

types to choose from. The all-new STARIA is in a class of its own – as an 11 seater, all variants come loaded with a variety of convenience, safety, performance, and utility features that are truly smart– designed with the base objective of making travelling easy and pleasurable.

The all-new STARIA – HGS comes equipped with a 16-Valve V6-Cylinder, 3.5L Gasoline Engine, with breathtaking 272ps maximum horsepower and 331 Nm Torque. The 8 speed Automatic Shift by Wire Transmission with paddle shifters also offers greater control, while the 4 different driving modes (Eco/ Sports/ Normal/ Smart) help ensure each unique driver’s experience is catered to.

Alongside the high grade performance metrics, the allnew 2022 Hyundai STARIA

has industry best safety features; coming with a Surround View Monitor, Blind View Monitor, 6 Air Bags and Parking Sensors. When it comes to the matter of convenience and comfort, the STARIA has a range of features that elevate the experience – with a dual sunroof, Cruise Control + Auto Light Control, Long Reclining and Sliding Flat Seats with heating and ventilation for the first row which truly enhance the passengers’ experience.

The 10.25” instrument cluster and the 8” infotainment system add greater freedom for the driver along the journey, and truly help solidify the all-new STARIA as a true vehicle of the future.

With the release of Hyundai STARIA from 23rd of February 2022, HNMPL is set to deliver a truly one of a kind vehicle to the Pakistani automotive market. Pr

ISLAMABAD: While deploring a recent amendment to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, three bar associations unanimously turned down the change to the law terming it an attempt to stifle dissent and freedom of expression. In a statement on Tuesday, the Supreme Court Bar Association said, “Under the guise of PECA Ordinance, the ruling elite has once again launched a vicious agenda to cut-throat its political opponents and to silence all those who believe in freedom of speech, opinion and expression so as to hide its failure.” The ordinance is a “classic example of the authoritarian mindset and a reflection of extremism”, said the SCBA, adding, “The country has not seen such oppressive restriction even in the worst dictatorships.” It added the fake news remained a challenge but “any such remedy, which is contrary to the Constitution and against personal liberty, must not be allowed”. The SCBA further stated the amendments to the Section 181 of the Election (Amendment) Bill 2017 are akin to pre-poll rigging and would adversely affect the electoral process. The SCBA said these ordinances were “strictly ultra vires to the Constitution” and the bar association will soon challenge the ordinances. Meanwhile, the Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) termed the amendments to PECA Act a “colourful exercise of power by the president and federal law minister”. It said the “delinquent law ministry is pandering to the selfserving egos of those that wish to rule in an autocratic manner – oppressing any reasonable criticism as ‘fake news’,” it added. The ordinance tramples the fundamental rights of free speech, it said further, adding that the legislation is reflective of “fascist and dictatorial regimes”. Separately, the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) urged the high court to declare the law extra-constitutional as it endorsed a plea filed in the court against the new law. TLTP

Pakistan and Uzbekistan agree to further expedite Trans Afghan Railway project iSLamaBad MiAn AbrAr

Pakistan and Uzbekistan Tuesday agreed to further expedite the Trans Afghan Railway project linking Central Asian States to the seaports of Karachi, Gwadar and Bin Qasim through Afghanistan.

A delegation led by Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister for Investment and Foreign Trade, Mr. Sardor Umurzakov held a meeting with Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar, Federal Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swati, Minister for Food Security and Research Fakhar Imam and Advisor to the Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razaq Dawood here on Tuesday. The Uzbek delegation included Uzbek Minister of Trans-

port, Minister of Agriculture, First Deputy Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Pakistan.

During the meeting, progress on Mazare-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar Railway project (Trans Afghan Railways) was discussed.

All stakeholders on behalf of the Government of Pakistan and Republic of Uzbekistan present during the meeting agreed on the formation of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for further expediting the project.

The Mazar-e-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar rail link is one of the designated rail corridor defined and planned under the CAREC Railways Strategy. This new Railway line will provide central Asia access to the Pakistani seaports of Karachi, Bin Qasim and Gwadar

by connecting the central Asian and Eurasian railway systems.

The major infrastructure development project will provide a life line support for the reconstruction of Afghanistan and will help towards reducing the humanitarian crises building up in Afghanistan. The project was initially discussed during the visit of Uzbekistan Deputy PM Sardor Umur Zakov to Pakistan on September 10, 2020.

The Head of the States of Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan signed joint appeal letter to the World Bank for financing the project on 27th December, 2020.

Uzbekistan hosted the First trilateral Joint Working Group on 1-3 February 2021 at Tashkant where Roadmap was agreed and signed by three countries Pakistan, Uzbek-

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istan and Afganistan. Pakistan Railways is already conducting feasibility study of new Rail link from Peshawar to Jalalabad which will be completed shortly. It has been agreed by the three countries that Pakistan side will share the findings of the feasibility study with Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.

After the new government in Afghanistan, this project was discussed by Uzbekistan and Pakistan with the new government. All Three countries decided to go ahead with the project activities.

In the meeting conducted at Tashkent on 07 December 2021, Uzbekistan and Pakistan agreed to study carefully and conduct visual expeditions of the routes inside Afghanistan.

The Uzbek side shared a draft version of a detailed Action Plan for the implementa-

tion of the first stage on the construction of the Trans Afghan Railway line.

Federal Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swati met with Uzbekistan’s Minister of Transport Makhkamov Ilkhom Rustamovich on sidelines of OIC on 19 December 2021 to discuss the implementation of trilateral understanding on the construction of Trans Afghan Railway between Mazar-e-Sharif, Kabul, Jalalbad, Torkham and Peshawar.

A delegation from Pakistan visited Uzbekistan and met with representatives of Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan on 15 February 2022 to further discuss steps for the practical implementation of the project. During the discussion, the Pakistani side expressed its readiness to start for field expeditions by March 15 of this year.

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06 COMMENT

Afghanistan’s crippling situation

PM Imran Khan’s Russia visit Need for a sensitive balancing

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RIMe MINISTeR Imran Khan aims at reinvigorating ties with Russia during his two day trip there. In an interview with the state-owned media group Russia Today he said Pakistan wanted to have trade relations with all countries to lift its populace out of poverty. A day earlier PM’s Commerce Adviser Razak Dawood had underlined the need to enhance exports to Russia and the Central Asian states. Last year Pakistan settled a 40-year-old trade dispute with Russia by paying $93.5 million to Moscow. The issue was supposed to have been a major hurdle in boosting the country’s trade ties with Russia. Pakistan is also keen to get Russian investment and both countries have signed a revised deal for laying the Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline, formerly known as the North South Gas Pipeline, with a major shareholding for Islamabad.

Pakistan was a part of the US-led bloc during the Cold War. The USA was unhappy when Pakistan initiated economic ties with the former USSR, leading to technical and financial assistance for the construction of the Pakistan Steel Mills. Mr Khan has now underlined that Pakistan will not play bloc politics, which is a positive stand.

What remains to be seen is how Mr Khan manages to maintain a policy of non-alignment. While developing relations with China and Russia, Pakistan needs to maintain friendly ties with the USA and europe also, which constitute the largest destinations of Pakistan’s exports. Mr Khan has chosen to visit Russia at a time when tensions between Russia and the West have further escalated on the issue of Ukraine. he has to ensure that his visit is not misinterpreted.

While Russian President Vladimir Putin recognizes Ukraine rebel regions as independent and describes Ukraine as an ‘integral part of Russia’s history’, Pakistan is required to maintain a balanced position. There is vital defence cooperation between Pakistan and Ukraine , particularly in the field of defence production, while Ukraine has also emerged as a major country exporting wheat to Pakistan. The Russia-Ukraine stand-off has already raised oil prices, creating problems for Pakistan. Pakistan has to win more friends without losing the old ones.

The Taliban must do what it takes to get through the winter`

Dr Saira aSaD

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he world termed Afghanistan’s situation at the brink of collapsing. They are looking at the worst economic and humanitarian crisis which the Afghans are going through. After 20 years of war, the withdrawal of the USA from Afghanistan last August dragged the country into the worst economic and humanitarian crisis due to financial sanctions.

According to United Nations’ latest data, 80 percent of Afghanistan’s economy was dependent on foreign aid and the restricted imposition on financial assistance by the USA created a difficult situation for it to survive. At present, the country is heavily dependent on imports and dollar currency. The Afghani’s 30 percent devaluation against the dollar makes it difficult to sustain the heavy import prices that have increased in the last few months by about 20-30 percent.

Before winter started, the voices of various organizations such as; Food Security Classification (IPC), Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), Afghan Aid, and United Nations (UN), were continuously being heard to save 22.8 million people from hunger.

On that, the efforts and humanitarian aid were seen being provided by countries in terms of food, medicines, shelter along with the necessities of life. Covid19, drought, economic and political conflict has left over half of the population of Afghanistan in acute hunger, according to the UN assessment report 2021.

Being a neighbouring country, Pakistan has always shown a keen interest in Afghanistan as it is always equally affected by the crisis of Afghans, as seen in various terrorist attacks that caused a large physical as well as economic loss after 9/11. In the 1970s and 1980s, a large number of immigrants were given shelter due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. At a moment, Pakistan itself is suffering from economic instability, and due to its inability to afford to accom-

IT exports Growth prediction not just unrealistic, but disingenuous

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RIMe MINISTeR Imran Khan has predicted a bright future for information technology in Pakistan. Addressing an e-commerce Convention in Islamabad on Monday, he said that IT exports could reach $50 billion in the next few years. By not specifying exactly when this could happen he was probably wise, for though the possibility exists, it cannot be tied down to a particular year. It is certainly encouraging that exports jumped from Rs 2 billion to Rs 3.75 billion, but to expect that breakneck pace to be maintained is probably not realistic. It would take about four years at that rate, of nearly doubling itself.

The problem is that Pakistan, while it may have many of the good qualities that Mr Khan says it does, like a willing and able populace, it has not had the kind of government support that would lead to the phenomenal growth that is being envisaged.

Pakistan is jumping on the bandwagon a little late, and may be only doing so after rival India has made the running.

Pakistan may well find itself unable to catch up because of the edge India has gained in the field, which includes not just $79 billion in exports, but also ‘export’ of a large number of IT professionals abroad, especially the USA. Indians have now started reaching CeO posts in US tech giants. It has done so because of the investment made in a chain of Institutes of Science and Technology at the personal initiative of then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru back in the 1950s. When the IT revolution began, India had a reservoir of trained manpower ready to jump on the bandwagon. Pakistan still does not have any comparable institutions.

Without a body of educated professionals, Pakistan will merely plough behind in the wake of others. The government should not take such pride in the incentives it has given the field, until it can also look with satisfaction at steps it may have taken in this respect. The Single National Curriculum, that represents its only contribution, to education, was not motivated by a desire to take Pakistan into the 21 century, but by a series of concerns with origins in 20th century debates, which have probably been rendered irrelevant by advances in IT.

The past is not very encouraging

MUHaMMaD aLi aLVi

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he Sindh Assembly unanimously passed “The Sindh Students Union Bill 2019”, lifting the ban on student unions in all public and private institutions across the province.

It will lift the ban on student unions after a 38-year hiatus. The move has been termed historical and is being appreciated by people across the country. however, many have expressed their reservations because of the turbulent past.

Now, the focus has shifted to other provinces that have been called to follow the footsteps of Sindh and lift the ban on student unions.

A resolution has been tabled in the Punjab Assembly for the lifting of the ban and revival of the student unions in the province.

The arguments that come in support of student unions are that student unions democratize the students from the very start and train them for the future by giving them a practical opportunity to be opinionated voters and helpful leaders. and above all it fosters a culture of voter participation. And, have our campuses achieved their goals, in the absence of student unions, to the fullest?

Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami M. A. Niazi

Umar Aziz

Joint Editor

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

Afghanistan was always dependent on foreign aid, despite the US spending $146 billion on its development, Afghanistan still requires external aid.

To cope with this situation, the Taliban require to come up to the expectations of the international community by showing leniency in their attitudes.

The writer is a Ph.D. from Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, an award-winning columnist, researcher, and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Riphah International University, Islamabad. She can be reached at saira.asad2011@gmail.com.

Student Unions: why or why not?

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

modate again a larger number of immigrants, Pakistan is leaving no stone to raise its voice on different platforms for the settling of this crisis.

In this regard, the Troika meeting was held in Islamabad on 11th November 2021 along with Russia, China, and the USA. The meeting appreciated the Taliban’s commitment and recalled the Afghan-related UNSC Resolutions included integrity, terrorism and drug-free, independence, and provision of regional stability along with connectivity. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting held at Islamabad in December of 57 Islamic Foreign Ministers also appreciated the role of the Taliban government. The financial assistance was approved by Saudi Arabia for $265 million, while Pakistan committed $30 million through the Islamic Development Bank to overcome the humanitarian and economic crisis. In the recent visit of COAS Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa to Belgium stated in his interaction with Secretary-General of the european external Action Services (eeAS) Stefano Sannino and Chairman of the eU Military Committee General Claudio Graziano that Afghanistan could not be left alone nor region and the world could not afford an unstable Afghanistan. In this regard, the international community was urged to stop the looming humanitarian catastrophe.

Apart from Pakistan’s intervention in Afghanistan’s issue, the Oslo talks between the Taliban and the US-european group in late January also demanded an ‘inclusive government’ from the interim government of the Taliban. They are looking for a solid political system with the provision of fundamental human rights to all men and women for stability and peace in Afghanistan. The joint statement of the group raised the prospect of an alarming humanitarian crisis and demanded it be dealt with on an urgent basis.

The Taliban are seen as giving the same impression as the 1990s, of being an extremist group, where strict rules were imposed based on Islamic Sharia.

Today, the Taliban is also showing a different impression, a little more flexible with a broader vision. however, the recent Pak-Afghan border clash after border fencing removal by Taliban from the eastern side has created tension. The fencing was a

part to restrict the path for militants following the Durand Line by Pakistan.

According to a spokesperson of the Afghan Defence Ministry, enayatullah Khwarazmi, the fencing isolates people on both sides by ignoring the security hazards. here, the non-flexibility of the Taliban in the understanding of sensitive security issues is seen. In other cases, such as restriction on women to travel alone for long distances, employment restrictions, education restrictions, and so ovn, give the impression of restricting fundamental human rights. An arrest of prominent Kabul University Professor Jalal for criticizing the Talibans’ for the worsening economic conditions and for controlling the government by force, left another impression of intolerance on the Taliban.

By looking at the present developments that have taken place step by step, the Taliban is seen with a rigid approach in the 1990s but now requiring flexibility to cope with the situation. The Taliban are required to fulfil their agenda of provision of fundamental human rights and leniency in attitude. half of the frozen assets have been released by US President Joe Biden, and half of them have been retained back for 9/11 victims.

Is this move favourable for Afghans, as they are already facing the worst scenario. Not having the full amount back, would they be able to run the country? Afghans had also faced losses financial and physical. Voices can be heard that the remaining amount to be given back to Afghans as this money is theirs and needed for them at a moment.

Afghanistan was always dependent on foreign aid, despite the US spending $146 billion on its development, Afghanistan still requires external aid. To cope with this situation, the Taliban require to come up to the expectations of the international community by showing leniency in their attitudes. No doubt, the external efforts can be seen on various platforms, but internally, the efforts are required with cooperation and understanding among different internal ethnic groups. even after 20 years of war, Afghanistan can only be settled down by resolving its differences and coming up to the expectations of the international community.

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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While the arguments that go against the lifting of the ban on student unions are that they destroy the environment of study on campuses by making them a hub of political activities and making ground for political, religious and ethnic parties to enhance their influence in academic institutions. And that educational institutions should be free from these activities.

Analyzing both approaches and the past experiences, one can safely say that Pakistan has had enough experience with student unions to carve out a plan to deal with the question of student unions in future.

From sparking an agitation that led to the resignation of Ayub Khan to finally getting banned in the Zia era, the history of student unions serve as a lesson to the policymakers in Pakistan.

The question of legalizing student unions has to be looked at in a way that what it could offer to the youth, society and educational institutions.

Consider the example of youth participation in the electoral process.

According to the reports, youth voter turnout in the last two general elections was less than overall voter turnout and even less than women voter turnout.

It is a matter of grave concern for Pakistan. But student unions can increase political participation in youth, hence solving this problem. however, can Pakistan simply legalize the student unions to operate freely? Surely not. The past should not be repeated at any cost.

The main purpose of a student union is to solve the problems of students and play a part in the prosperity of the educational Institutions (by aiding the administration) through a culture of cooperation, understanding and collective efforts among the students.

It is also supposed to work for the welfare and prosperity of students, educational institutions and society. and to promote a democratic culture among students through healthy activities.

Student unions act as a watchdog on educational Institutions and bridge the communication gap between students and administration. It transforms group leaders into national leaders and encourages political participation in youth. It can and should develop a culture of acceptance, understanding and tolerance among different social, political, cultural and

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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ethnic groups by ensuring equal opportunities for everyone. As no one is left behind.

It also deals with some important issues like the gender gap, sexual abuse in educational institutions, and infrastructure.

Women voter turnout and political participation are low in Pakistan. Very few women take part in politics as representatives.

Student unions can deal with this problem by ensuring the equal participation of women both as voters and representatives.

Above all, student unions can play an effective role in preventing the educational institutions from becoming hostages of dominant student groups that have existed despite the ban. It will prevent the campuses from the influence of the groups that maintain their prominence and exercise their influence over the administrative decisions and maintain their hold by not giving the opportunity to other groups and create a disturbing atmosphere in educational institutions.

This has been going on in many public sector universities for many years and it has resulted in violence, unrest, and indiscipline.

But unfortunately, history is a witness that the culture of student unions could not prevail in our setup.

Instead, student unions remained involved in the humiliation of teachers, creating indiscipline in institutions, the boycott of classes, roadblocks, protests, unchecked use of union funds, among other things.

Instead of assisting the administration and helping students, student unions played in the hands of ethnic, religious and political groups and parties, creating an unhealthy environment.

In the past, we have seen student unions involved in murders of students, quarrelling, abduction, use of unfair means in examinations, and humiliation of teachers. even student unions operated with militant wings of their own.

If student unions can deliver what they are expected to do, there is no harm in lifting the ban. But legalizing student unions will yield no result unless they are subject to rules and regulations and could even further derail our education system.

The writer is freelance columnist

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

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Wednesday, 23 February, 2022

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

E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively

Dengue and its impact on biochemical parameters

So-called secular democracy The Hijab ban exposes India for what it has become aLi ZUbair SooMro

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he ban on wearing hijab in India has brought into question the so-called secular democracy, which combines the features of a secular state as well as a democratic state. Secular democracy accords all citizens equality before law and Parliament, and no religious or political attachment confers advantages or disadvantages to any inhabitants. All citizens are equal regardless of their religion. With the 42nd Amendment of the Constitution of India enacted in 1976, the Preamble to the Constitution declared that India is a secular nation.

Also, it violates the constitutional right of freedom of religion which is conferred upon people, including Muslims, under article 25(1) of the Indian Constitution that reads:”…, all persons are equally entitled to the freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practice and propagate religion.” Since the constitution is the basic body of rules and regulations, by which countries are governed and veiling is a religious obligation of Muslim females, wearing hijab is their fundamental constitutional right of which they cannot be deprived.

The ban on hijab was enforced after some hindu students, patronised by rightwing hindu group, protested for the removal of hijab, or demanded they be allowed to wear saffron shawlscommonly associated with hindu nationalism.

The ban resulted in anger among Muslims in Southern India and Muslims in large numbers protested against the ban. They said that they would keep protesting until their fundamental right was restored.

In a video clip, hijab-clad Muskan Khan can be seen facing hindu students, wearing saffron shawls, in a college who were chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’- praising their god. In response, Muskan Khan raised the slogan ‘Allahu-Akbar’ (‘Allah is the Greatest’) that termed Muskan khan a symbol of resistance and a brave daughter. Simultaneously, it was a challenge to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which it dubbed a ‘hijab Jihad or hijab terrorism’ fso as to gain a huge number of votes in the month-long election of India’s most populous state of Uttar Pardesh that was considered as a test for the Modi-led central government. Yogi Aditiyanath, a hardline hindu Monk, is up for re-election in a race that will be followed across the country. Further, Adityanath, toiling to boost his margin on the campaign trail, when hereferring to state’s demographic split on religion basis- unequivocally blazoned the election a fight between 80 percent and 20 percent.

For out-matching its opponent, the BJP Karnataka Government ordered a ban on wearing hijab. Consequently, numerous hindu students supporting the ban rushed to campuses to frighten veiled Muslim students with slogans praising hindu gods. Apart from this, Muslim students were denied entry in colleges while wearing hijabs. If some Muslim students were permitted to enter college, they were made to sit in separate rooms and no teacher went to teach them. Some were even treated like beggars at

doors. Ayesha Imtiaz, one of the students, said that the humiliation of being asked to leave the classroom for wearing a headscarf by college officials had shaken her core belief. She verbalized that her religion had been questioned by the place she used to deem a temple of education.

Moreover, Noorjehan Safia Niaz, cofounder of the Muslim women’s group, the Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, viewed that the ban on wearing hijab is a part of larger agenda. Certainly, when election is imminent, religion is racked up to garner votes. But, the agenda is not just winning the election; it is to convert India into a hindu Country.

Regretfully, Nalin Kumar Kaleel, the BJP state chief in Karnataka, has endorsed the ban saying that ban on hijab would ensure that classrooms did not become ‘Taliban-like’.

Such a statement by the BJP state chief depicts hatred not just for the Taliban but also for all Muslims. It is to trigger anger among Muslims and make rightwing hindu nationalists antsy to demand removal of the hijab, which in consequence will be favourable in pollswhich is the ultimate desire of the BJP. Apart from him, the national spokesperson for the Vishva hindu Parishad, one of the rightwing groups at the vanguard of the antihijab protests, termed the hijab row a conspiracy to propagate ‘Jihadi Terrorism’ and said that Muslim students were waging hijab Jihad in college campuses. The statement is kindling anti-Islamic thoughts among rightwing nationalists, who will then elect them just for their anti-Islamic election manifesto, leaving aside theprosperity of India.

Sadly, when a girl in Karnataka approached the Supreme Court after the high court advised to avoid wearing religious garments until the case regarding restriction on hijab in educational institutes is decided, the Chief Justice NV Romana said, “Don’t spread these things to a national level. We will interfere only at an appropriate time.” If it is not an appropriate time, probably the appropriate time will be after the achievement of the ghastly manifesto of the BJP. he also ignored, when alLawyer argued for far-reaching implications. CJ Romana said, “Please do not spread it to larger level…we know what is happening…if there is anything wrong, we will protect…” here is still a question in remarks that whom and when will the Supreme Court protect, either Muslims or rightwing hindu Nationalists, after rightwing hindu nationalists

execute their desireed task? If the apex court had to protect minorities and their religious values, it was absolutely an appropriate time to interfere and protect. But, if it had to protect rightwing nationalists, then it was not appropriate time. Let them garner their political manifesto and again remain in power not because of their performance for the betterment of the country, but for tyrannizing and tightening the space for minorities.

This is not novel; history is replete with such heinous acts which have been perpetrated to garner their ghastly manifesto. Sometimes, disputed religious sites, such as the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, which was demolished by a hindu mob in 1992, because hindus believe that it was the birthplace of their Lord Ram. Apart, Adityanath took another disputed site in the city of Mathura, where he promised supporters a project, like Babri Mosque, which was in progress.

Besides, lynching Muslims under pretext of cow protection has caused the RSS-leaning BJP to win elections many times.

Simply put, the religious card is played in India during elections to outsmart their rivals.

Similarly, Prime Minister Modi has only one manifesto to win an election, and that is to persecute Muslims, tighten space for them.

According to an Indian analysis, about 97 percent of beef-related violence took place after Modi came to power. Also, the BJP has enacted multifarious laws in various states which strictly forbid cow slaughter. Some states have even introduced life imprisonment, if anyone slaughters a cow.

Such state support emboldened pro-hindutva or rightwing groups to lynch Muslims under the alibi of cow protection. The perpetrators, instead of being brought to book, are termed heroes, true servants of religion, and garlanded. Various BJP leaders support them at every level and executors remain scot-free. All these abominable activities cause the BJP to outsmart its political rivals overwhelmingly in the so-called secular democracy.

Still naming India a secular democracy is unjust and a joke with the term. International human rights Organizations must step forward to safeguard the rights of minorities and ensure that human rights are protected in India. Students should not be humiliated for religious practices because it is their constitutional right and they must be provided protection.

Still naming India a secular democracy is unjust and a joke with the term.

International human rights Organizations must step forward to safeguard the rights of minorities and ensure that human rights are protected in India.

Students should not be humiliated for religious practices because it is their constitutional right and they must be provided protection.

The writer is a freelance columnist

DeNGUe is currently affecting half of the world population. Several factors such as globalization, travel, trade, socioeconomics, and climate change have played a vital role in dengue transmission and expansion. The largest number of dengue cases ever reported globally was in the year 2019 when several countries were affected.

Dengue has emerged as a major health concern for Pakistan since 2010 where 10,416 cases with 51 deaths were reported. According to data of the National Institute of health (NIh) Islamabad, over 2700 cases with 370 deaths in 2011, 8546 cases with 33 deaths in 2013, 24,807 cases with 69 deaths in 2017, over 3200 cases with 34 deaths in 2018, 53,498 cases with 95 deaths in 2019 and 3442 cases in 2020 were reported. Now, in November 2021, the dengue outbreak is again rearing its head in different cities of Punjab. More than 48,906 cases with 183 deaths have been recorded till 25 November 2021. It is considered among one of the major outbreaks of the world. Dengue infection is being caused by the dengue virus that is a small spherical particle and exists in four serotypes namely DeNV1 to DeNV4.

Recently the fifth serotype has also been identified in Malaysia. Dengue virus is transmitted to the humans by the bite of female mosquito that belongs to species within genus Aedes principally, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Dengue infection has been classified into three classes i.e., dengue fever (DF), dengue hemorrhagic fever (DhF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS), according to the severity of disease by the World health Organisation (WhO). DF is an acute onset of febrile illness that lasts for 2-7 days and patient suffers from two and more of the following symptoms: myalgia, headache, retro-orbital pain, arthralgia, rash, and petechiae. Patients suffer from thrombocytopenia, liver injury, multi-organ haemorrhages, circulatory failure and neurological disorders. DhF/DSS patients can die within 4-6 hours if proper supportive treatment is not provided in time. early detection of the dengue virus is essential for the proper treatment of patients as well as for clinical and epidemiological surveillance. The PCR is the most widely used molecular tool for dengue diagnosis, as it is a quick, cost-effective and most reliable method for early detection of dengue virus. Reduction in morbidity and better care of dengue patients depends upon the early diagnosis of disease as the first 48 hours are important for the patient treatment. Severe cases of dengue (DhF/DSS) require rapid medical intervention for victim survival. Dengue virus infects different organs of the body and deranges various haematological and biochemical parameters. Some of these parameters can predict that patient will develop a severe form of infection. Scientists at the University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Lahore conducted a study on dengue patients, to explore a set of parameters that could easily be investigated in the clinical laboratory and could be used as indicators of dengue severity.

MS. NUSRAT BANO AND DR MUHAMMAD TAYYAB LAHORE

Tharparker through the lens of Transparent Hands The fact that Tharparker is one of the remotest areas in the Sindh province (in fact in the whole country) is not the most important point that you need to be focusing on in this debate. No, what is most worrisome is the lack of quality healthcare facilities in the Tharparker district. There aren’t just many world-class quality healthcare facilities in the district, which means that the patients from this district are always facing a challenge, as far as their access to healthcare is considered. Keeping this rather sad state of affairs in mind, team Transparent hands decided to organize free medical camps in the Tharparker district. But wait a minute, we have a question for you. Is this the first time you are reading about Transparent hands?

When it comes to crowdfunding for health, there is no platform bigger than Transparent hands in Pakistan. The range of healthcare services offered

by Transparent hands is astoundingly vast. From medical and surgical treatments to medical camps and telehealth facilities, the trust organization makes sure that the underprivileged Pakistanis have access to quality healthcare services. The trust organization believes in creating a patientdonor bond while making sure that the protocols of transparency aren’t breached at any point. The trust organization realizes the need for free medical camps in the rural areas, hence it actively sets up such camps as well. To donate, donors can log in to the Transparent hands crowdfunding web portal from anywhere in the world. Payment modes are one hundred percent secure. every donor has absolute freedom in selecting and funding patients of their choice. The trust organization makes sure that regular updates until complete recovery are sent to the concerned donor. Now then, let us talk about the point around which this whole discussion has been orchestrated. Transparent hands in Tharparker. how did the trust organisation make an impact in this remote district of Pakistan? Well, free medical camps were organized with the sole intention of providing quality healthcare facilities to the underprivileged resident and patients of this district.

RAHEEL ABBAS LAHORE

Currency Mafia eVeRY country’s government has made an effort that their currency should be high that investors should invest and the country will progress fastly. The government still failed to get control of the currency during its 3 years. There are powers who want to devalue rupees in order to sell their more expensive things and as a result, the public is forced to buy those things for their daily use. The currency mafia gains a lot of money through it but unfortunately, the government or our prime minister is still believing in economics reports that suggest currency devaluation is good. The government is failing to persuade us that Pakistan is still an affordable country compared with other countries of Asia.

First of all, we should compare our economics with other countries in Asia that have stable exports or more than Pakistan. Our exports are equal to zero and our imports are high due to which the public is suffering from inflation. We have our own identity, we should handle our own economics and we should not compare our economic states with other countries but the government has failed to convince their own public that they are in a stage to bear all that. Due to the omicron variant, they are already in depression.

The government should open its eyes.

MOHAMMAD ABDULLAH ISLAMABAD

Wednesday, 23 February, 2022

08 WORLD VIEW

As Putin’s tAnks roll into ukrAine, he knows exActly who to feel sorry for: himself WE LIVE IN AN AGE OF SENTIMENTAL HARDMEN – JUST LISTEN TO THE RUSSIAN LEADER’S AGGRESSIVELY MAUDLIN DEMANDS FOR ‘RESPECT’

Guardian

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marina hyde

T says a lot about the ukrainian people’s awful options that the big question is whether Vladimir Putin is crazy or just pretending to be crazy. For some, last night’s entirely improvised, heavily staged speech to his security council was an indication that the Russian president has finally gone mad – a remote diagnosis that suggests we might look back on such things as the annexing of Crimea and the deployment of nerve agent in historic Wiltshire as “his good years”.

I should say right off the bat that I have no idea whether Putin has or hasn’t gone mad – however unfashionable not knowing things may be these days. as Russian tanks roll into ukraine and the western powers debate whether it technically is or isn’t an invasion, you have to say this phoney war really does boast an unbelievable headcount

of phoneys.

Russia experts now seem to outnumber even Russian army personnel. Column inches and airwaves and social media channels are truly awash with those blessed with the confidence to begin “here’s how Putin thinks…” or “watch what happens next”.

Who knew the potential advent of war would feel like being the girl in the nightclub meme, with some PPE bore bellowing his take in your ear as you wonder if 21st-century geopolitics has an ask for angela option. That said, it’s great to see britain boasting such an adaptable and highly reactive workforce, able to retrain at enviable speed. The people who became trade experts in 2016, then became epidemiology experts in 2020, have now become Russian politics experts.

My sole area of expertise – and it’s not even that, if we’re honest – is “the type of people who become newspaper columnists”.

So take it from one who knows: boris johnson looks like he knows enough about the entire Russia-ukraine subject to write two newspaper columns on it. Three, tops, if you count a rehash of his referendum campaign speech when he blamed the Eu for Putin being forced to invade ukraine last time round. I see johnson has this morning “unveiled” some sanctions on five Russian banks and a grand total of three high net worth individuals. If Putin makes further in-

cursions, he can expect a fixed penalty notice (overturned on appeal). but back to last night in Moscow and Putin himself – the only megarich Russian who doesn’t get their cosmetic surgery done in london. His face is now so impassive that it must have had an entire Real Housewives franchise worth of work. To watch his lebensraum speech was to be given the shivers, but also to be struck by the grotesque self-pity of it all. Why are strongmen like this? The age has been awash with such politicians, from Trump to Kim to bolsonaro, with their endless, aggressively maudlin demands for respect. Putin feels like the world-war version of every guy you’ve ever trodden on eggshells around because “his bark’s worse than his bite” or “that way he’ll calm down quicker”, only to discover one day that it isn’t and he won’t. Further along the human centipede, these sentimental hardmen are assisted by media Haw Haws like Fox news’s Tucker Carlson or Gb news’s nigel Farage – guys with such an overwhelming yen for the respect they feel they themselves were denied at some key point in their lives that their deepest human empathy is reserved for a foreign authoritarian also not getting his due.

Is a lack of respect really what’s happening? To this untrained observer, with only her memories to go on, it does feel rather as if Vlad has been ardently pursuing diplomatic

Why the right of young Indian Muslims to wear the hijab must be protected THEY DESERVE TO BE ON DIVERSE, INCLUSIVE EDUCATIONAL CAMPUSES WHERE THEY FEEL SAFE AND ACCEPTED FOR WHO THEY ARE Scroll

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Sameera Khan

F all the relentless images from Karnataka to which we have been subjected in the last few weeks, no doubt the one everyone will remember Muskan Khan for the uncommon bravery she exhibited – raising a defiant fist as she entered her college building when accosted alone by mobs of men with saffron scarves screaming “jai Shri Ram”. but the section of the video clip of this 19-year-old student in the small town of Mandya that continues to stay with me is of a self-assured woman driving her twowheeler to a parking spot and then walking swiftly, with her head held high, towards her classroom with a knapsack slung on her back. That this earnest young student rushing to submit a college assignment was wearing the hijab should have been almost incidental to our gaze. unfortunately, in recent days that is all most of us can see.

HARDENING OF ATTITUDES; Though it started with the hijab becoming the focus of attention for some government college administrators in Karnataka who closed the gates on hijab-clad Muslim students, it then attracted Hindutva-influenced hordes of young men (and also some young women) who taunted the hijabi Muslim girls. both demand a ban on hijabs in the classroom.

This has riled up orthodox Muslim groups, insistent on strict adherence to the hijab as a matter of religious and constitutional right, as well as many progressive liberals who while against the bigotry on display remain conflicted by the patriarchal imagery of the veil. as someone who closely examines women’s access to public space in general and also specifically researches Muslim women’s negotiations with public space for work and pleasure, I think that we need to centre this discussion in a more nuanced reality. a reality that acknowledges that in India today there is a perceptible harden-

ing of attitudes towards Muslims in general and an increase in negative feelings and vicious actions against them. While the last three decades has seen a rise in violence and hatred against Muslims, since 2014 this violence has not just been normalised but even condoned by the state.

Each incident of name-calling, rioting, lynching and more has prompted the growing spatial and social polarisation between Hindus and Muslims causing mistrust and prejudice between these communities to spread. This has particularly impacted the less empowered groups within these communities the most, namely women. My research shows that Muslims as a community feel under threat and surveillance and this complicates the issues surrounding Muslim women’s access to the public and sexual safety.

A MAJOR LOSS: Whether the hijab is integral to Islamic identity or not is not the moot point here – though no doubt the courts will immerse themselves in this very issue. a move to take away the hijab from Muslim women who wish to adhere to it in public has to be weighed against the prevailing reality of what might then be lost by all Muslim women in the process.

Certainly education, particularly Muslim women’s access to secondary, higher secondary and advanced levels of education, could be one such major loss. a statement put out by non-governmental organisations working in the field of education and gender equality warns of increased dropout rates among girls at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has already exacerbated educational inequity. It points out that girls and young women are often “systematically excluded from educational institutions” on many counts including caste and religion, a fact that is “rarely acknowledged or discussed”.

This would be a shame considering many more Indian Muslim girls are now enrolled and attending school and college, in some cases surpassing Muslim boys. according to the john Kurrien report on Muslim education released earlier this year, as per the 2017-’18 national Sample

Survey 75th round, the net attendance Ratio for Muslim girls at the upper primary (Class 6-8) level of 66% and at the higher secondary (Class 11-12) level of 31% was higher than that of Muslim boys.

Though fewer Muslim girls are enrolled at the higher education (college) level compared to Muslim boys or even girls from any other religious community, statistics show that the ratio of young Muslim women attending college is slowly on the rise. Data analysed from the 64th and 75th rounds of the nSS by Khalid Khan of the Indian Institute of Dalit Studies in The Indian Express shows that between 2007-’08 and 2017-’18, the Gross attendance Ratio of Muslim women in higher education in India increased from 6.7% to 13.5%.

A COMPLICATED ROLE: Interestingly, while there is no data proving a corelation between hijab wearing and women’s education, anecdotal evidence demonstrates that the number of Muslim women wearing hijab in India has gone up at the time that more Muslim women are attending schools and colleges and even pursuing employment outside the home.

The hijab has a more complicated role in the lives of Muslim women than just as a religious marker. Interviews with Muslim women and girls in a variety of settings reveal that their reasons to wear the hijab differ widely. Sometimes it is a result of traditional socio-cultural-religious conditioning imposed by families and local communities – this is especially so when women reside in homogenous community specific neighbourhoods – and imbibed by young women. but often it also involves many other rationales: for instance, hijab-wearing is shown to increase in the aftermath of communal violence. This is both as a protective device and as some young women mention, a form of resistance that in the face of hostility becomes a way to assert and visibilise their community identity.

Those who in recent days have easily criticised young hijabi Muslim women as being mere pawns in the hands of political

resolution with ukraine somewhat in the way Dubya bush was ardently pursing diplomatic resolution with Iraq in early 2003. Which is to say, there seems a rather unconvincing theatre to it all. and, indeed, a law of unintended consequences. Four years after the Iraq invasion, one V Putin delivered a conference speech in Munich in which he fumed about uS actions in Iraq, lamenting that now “no one can feel that international law is like a stone wall that will protect them”. Which has arguably turned out to be some more rather unconvincing theatre in itself.

Spool forward to the present day, and events seem to be developing very fast. Perhaps this is what the early stages of war look like. Sajid javid felt confident enough to call last night’s tank manoeuvres an “invasion”, which contrasts markedly with the grey area/brainmelt defence secretary Geoff Hoon found himself in back in 2003 after the first night of shock-and-awe bombing of baghdad. Seconds before he was about to go live on a breakfast TV interview the next morning, Hoon turned frantically to an aide and asked “are we at war?” “Geoff, we’re in the initial stages,” came the calming response.

“Yes, but are we at war?!” Hoon wanted to know. “We’re in the initial stages,” he was firmly told again. I mean … he was secretary of state for defence. nobody knows anything, do they?

For those of us with the incalculable lux-

and orthodox forces need to understand that many young women see the hijab as an enabler and very knowingly use it in strategic ways as a tool to further their access to the public – to study, to work, to commute and indeed even seek pleasure.

In fact, historically, as feminist and nationalist struggles in countries like algeria, Egypt and Turkey have shown, the veil has been used or discarded depending on prevailing conditions – sometimes used as a symbol of anti-colonial resistance, at other times fallen into disuse in an attempt to assert modernity, as Margot badran notes in Feminists, Islam and nation: Gender and the Making of Modern Egypt.

Similarly, women of other religious communities often use other devices to maximise their access to the world outside their home – be it the bindi, mangalsutra, dupatta, or sari. as my colleagues Shilpa Phadke Shilpa Ranade and I found when we researched women’s negotiations with public space for our book Why loiter?

Women & Risk on Mumbai Streets, all women strategise in a multitude of ways – what they wear is only one of those tools – to make their way in public and to access resources such as education, work and pleasure. Civil society, institutions and the courts need to recognise these complex negotiations women make to place in context the current hijab-ban at educational institutions in Karnataka.

HARDENING BOUNDARIES: So, what if this ban stays? It is possible that some Muslim women who wear the hijab may elect to quietly fold it into their bags when they enter their schools and colleges. On the other hand, others may be compelled to drop out of the educational system or pursue higher education at Muslim-run institutions.

This will mean that not only will they lose out on the opportunity to make friends across the boundaries of religion (and nonMuslim students will lose out on similar opportunities to friend them), they will also miss the chance of learning to interact with mainstream society and institutions.

There is an urgent need to protect the rights of all young Muslim women, whether they wear the hijab like Muskan Khan or not like aroosa Parvaiz, the recent Indian Occupied Kashmir class 12 topper who was subjected to ridiculous online trolling by the Muslim right-wing for not wearing the hijab, because like all other young women everywhere, they too deserve to be on a diverse and inclusive educational campus where they feel safe and accepted for who they are and where their dreams and aspirations are respected and upheld.\ Sameera Khan is a Mumbai-based journalist, writer and researcher.

ury of watching events from afar, meanwhile, the images currently on our screens are striking yet timeworn. The male-female ratio is wild, with giant roomfuls of men in suits from new York to Moscow punctuated by only the odd woman – liz Truss, say, or Valentina Matviyenko, the sole female at Putin’s security council event. an unwritten law dictates that each of the leading men must be photographed scowling into a telephone diurnally, as though someone has just said “I’m afraid there is a problem with your order – your order to invade/de-escalate/stage a false flag/buy gas from Russia ever again.” live action shots are more fraught.

Politicians wary of going accidentally offmessage, In the loop-style, prefer the deniable safety of metaphors – and some of them tend toward the Freudian. “We’ve got to make sure that we cut the umbilicus,” explained johnson of European reliance on Russian gas supplies. “We snip the drip-feed into the bloodstream from nord Stream.”

Righto. Will johnson stick around long enough to cut the umbilical cord? (Hardly the first time that question’s been asked.) unfortunately, the media appearance in which the prime minister intimated he had liberated britain from Covid clashed in the schedules with the media appearance in which Putin intimated he was about to liberate ukraine from itself. Consequently, johnson’s event lost a bit of its oomph. after all, while some people might regard it as the last word in liberty not to have to isolate if they have Covid, others might feel the time for such first-world crowing has passed. There are freedoms and “freedoms”, aren’t there? and one might be about to put the other firmly into perspective.

Below-par turnout APATHY FUELLED BY POOR SHOW OF SUCCESSIVE GOVTS IN PUNJAB

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Tribune, india

unjab recorded a turnout of 71.95 per cent in the assembly elections on Sunday, disappointingly lower than the polling figures in the previous three state polls held in 2017, 2012 and 2007. There were expectations that the multi-cornered contest would spur voters to turn up in larger numbers, but things did not pan out that way. Quantitatively, the electorate had more choices this time, with over 1,300 candidates in the fray (up from 1,100-odd in the 2017 polls). Qualitatively, however, the line-up was far from encouraging. as many as onefourth of the contestants are facing criminal cases. With the Election Commission strictly implementing the Supreme Court’s 2020 order on the publication of criminal antecedents of candidates, the voters got to know the details of various FIRs registered over the years. The presence of tainted nominees in the poll arena was probably a major factor that made many people decide against exercising their franchise.

The opportunistic party-hopping in the run-up to the polls was another dampener for the public. The general lack of enthusiasm was exemplified by the below-average turnout in amritsar East constituency, which witnessed a ‘clash of titans’ — state Congress chief navjot Singh Sidhu versus akali stalwart bikram Singh Majithia. all the bombast and bluster did not find many takers. Statewide apathy, disinterest and disillusionment — fuelled by the dismal performance of successive governments — contributed significantly to the lower polling percentage. The despair among the state’s youth in particular is summed up by the adage, ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same’. no wonder there is no let-up in the exodus of young Punjabis to the West. Sadly, the failure of one ruling party after another to fulfil the grand promises mentioned in their election manifestos has become par for the course. Various political parties need to introspect why things have come to such a pass, while the state election authorities should assess the efficacy of its multimedia awareness campaign aimed at motivating voters. The nagging feeling that elections are an exercise in futility is a worrying sign for our democracy.

Wednesday, 23 February, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

ASAd Umer LAUNCHeS N3C At PAkiStAN BUreAU of StAtiStiCS

corporate corner Askari Bank signs moU with Nift ePay

ISLAMABAD

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Askari Bank Limited (AKBL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with National Institutional Facilitation Technologies Private Limited (NIFT) with an aim to further enhance its digital banking offerings. This unique partnership will enable Askari Bank customers to perform e-commerce transactions through NIFT e-Payment gateway, which includes Business-to-Business (B2B) payments, establishment of Escrow platform for ecommerce payments, digital cheque deposit facility, along with enablement of e-Cheque solution. The MoU was signed by Mr. Khurshid Zafar, Chief Operating Officer, AKBL and Mr. Haider Wahab, Chief Executive Officer, NIFT. Mr. Shehryar Ali Shah, Chief Digital Officer, AKBL and Mr. Fawad Abdul Kader, Head of Digital Financial Services, NIFT were also present at the ocassion alongwith senior executives from both the organizations. Mr. Khurshid Zafar, Chief Operating Officer, AKBL said, “Our collaboration with NIFT aligns with our strategic vision to be one of the best digital bank for our customers. pr

ke undertakes maintenance work at Garden Grid for continued reliability of service KARACHI: KE will be undertaking a routine maintenance activity at its Garden Grid on Wednesday 23rd February 2022 to ensure the stability and reliability of power supply to consumers in the area. The activity is scheduled from 9 AM to 6 PM, during which some areas associated with the Garden Grid may experience a temporary interruption of power supply. KE’s operation teams are aligned and will be working to complete the maintenance work within the quickest possible timeframe. Spokesperson KE stated, “This activity is part of our routine annual maintenance schedule which we undertake across our transmission and distribution network to maintain the highest levels of service for our valued customers. Information regarding such shutdowns is made publicly available in advance on KE’s website, and all registered customers are also issued an SMS via 8119 to keep them informed. We appreciate your patience and support during this time.” Consumers may register with to receive advance SMS notifications via KE by sending their 14 digit account number to 8119 via the following SMS: REG<space>account number. For further support, customers may also reach out to KE’s social media platforms or via call center 118 and SMS Service 8119 as well as KE Live App. pr

the City School Group honours its employees with Long Service Awards 2022 The City School Group organized an event for Long Service Awards 2022, held at The City School Head Office in Lahore on Saturday, 19th February, 2022. The event was organized to encourage and appreciate the efforts and determination of the teachers, management & administrative staff who have played a pivotal role in the establishment of The City School as a global brand and extend its footprint to six countries across the globe.

Employees with more than ten years of service for the organization were awarded certificates and trophies by Dr. Farzana – Group Chairperson and Mr. Aurangzeb Firoz – Member Board of Directors. The event included a delectable dinner for all the guests followed by an enjoyable Qawali performance. Dr. Farzana – Group Chairperson, said ‘Loyal and dedicated employees are the foundation to any successful organization. We, at The City School are lucky to have hundreds of such dedicated employees who have helped build the educational legacy of The City School Group for the past 44 years. pr

pr

R Asad Umer, Minister of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives on Tuesday inaugurated the National Census Coordination Centre (N3C) here at PBS Head Quarter, Islamabad.

Dr. Naeem uz Zafar Chief Statistician, Mr. Ayazuddin, Member (C&S), Mr. Muhammad Sarwar Gondal Member (SS/RM), Syed Ejaz Ali Shah Wasti (Member NA), Dr. Azizullah Khattak, (Member ES) along with senior officers and officials of PBS welcomed the Minister.

N3C is an important milestone achieved by PBS to monitor and control the activities of upcoming Digital 7th Population and Housing Census. It will act as a hub for centralized decision making with representation of all provinces/regions for coordination and monitoring activities of the Census 2022.

The idea is conceived by the success story of NCOC. It will be headed

by DCPC, through N3C, all Chief Secretaries, relevant provincial secretaries (Education, Local Government etc.), Board of Revenue, Secretary IPC, DG Military operation will be connected for prompt decision making and coordinated efforts for successful conduct of Census 2022.

N3C will be connected with all Provincial Head Quarters along with 614 tehsil level Census Support Centres for progress reviews and centralized Evidence based Decision Making regarding ongoing field activities of Census-2022.

Multiple Role Based Interactive Dashboards for progress review, trends analysis as well as GIS Monitoring of Field activities will be available online 24/7.

It will be facilitated by IT Experts/Demographers for studying Trend analysis & Data Insights for informed Decision Making. Chief Statistician, Dr Naeem uz Zafar, briefly presented the main features of 7th Digital Population and Housing Census, alongwith the achieved and upcoming targets related to Census process.

He informed the participants that upcoming Census will be first ever dig-

ital Census of Pakistan by involving NTC, M/o IT & T, PTA, SUPARCO & NRTC. PBS has carefully planned the Census process by reviewing UN guidelines, World’s best practices, involving Demographers and Academicians and consulting stakeholders and provinces. Tablet based data collection, Geo tagging, real time monitoring, Extensive trainings through technological intervention and time reduction in releasing results will lead the process towards transparency and reliability.

Electronic data collection, Geotagging of structures, Involvement of Stakeholders and Consultation with provinces will improve the acceptability and reliability of Census Process and control room like N3C will make the whole process responsive by immediately pointing out and rectifying the

pr

“Unfortunately, a great deal of stigma is associated with breast cancer in our society, therefore, people do not seek clinical help. The death rate of breast cancer in Pakistan is very high which increases the necessity to create awareness regarding the noncontagious disease,” said the honorable First Lady of Pakistan, Begum Samina Alvi while addressing the audience at the ‘Breast Cancer Awareness Session 2022’, organized by the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi, Feminist Society

problems related to Census Process.

Online access to self-information & instant messaging system for proof of enumeration, Establishment of Census Support Centres/ complaint centres at Tehsil level for 24/7 support, Data Quality coverage assurance through innovative Computer Assisted Telephonic Interview (CATI) approach and conduct of Post Enumeration Survey as per international standards will be incorporated for wide acceptability of Census results.

Mr. Asad Umer congratulated Chief Statistician and PBS team on inauguration of N3C. He showed satisfaction over the progress of Census team on achieving the timelines regarding Planning of Upcoming Digital Census 2022.

He further added that availability of correct information is important for Policy making, Planning and Development.

Chief Statistician, PBS will ensure the availability of latest information about census during the whole exercise for transparency of the process.

Update information should be available on Website of PBS. In the presence of Modern technology, delay in Census results will not be acceptable. Federal and Provincial departments involved in Census will remain connected through N3C and this consultation process will not only increase the confidence of all stakeholders in Census process but will also be helpful in solving the queries that will arise during activity.

Privatisation Commission Board endorses bidding price of Heavy Electrical Complex

An important Board meeting of the Privatisation Commission held today under the Chairmanship of Chairman PC Saleem Ahmed.

Federal Minister Mohammedmian Soomro, Federal Secretary, Board members, Financial Advisors (FAs) and senior officials of the Ministry of Privatisation attended the meeting.

The PC Board deliberated over

one-point agenda regarding the approval of bidder and bidding price of Heavy Electrical Complex (HEC). The bidding took place yesterday, and IMS Engineering Private Limited succeeded by offering the highest bid of PKR 99.999 per share, which is higher than the reserved price, while Waves-Singer and PEL came second and third respectively. The Board members

were apprised that Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCoP) endorsed the reference price of 98.23% per share for HEC which was followed by the bidding.

The Board members welcomed the price offered by the successful bidder as it is higher than the reference price and hence unanimously endorsed the bidder and bidding price for the entity, it also recommended that the same may be placed before CCoP and Federal Cabinet for timely completion of the transaction. Federal Minister said that the CCoP deliberated upon the issues relating to liabilities which will pass on the new buyer, while employees related liabilities would not pass on the new buyer and would be considered by the parent body. pr

Engro Fertilizers highlights the role of Pakistan towards promoting regional food security at Expo 2020 Dubai KARACHI: Engro Fertilizers, Pakistan’s premier seed-to-harvest solutions provider, hosted an insightful dialogue at Expo 2020 Dubai to highlight the food security situation in the Gulf and the potential partnership opportunities with Pakistan to overcome the regional food security challenges. The panel comprised global agricultural and industry experts including Dr. Abdul Rashid (IFA Laureate), Charles Schneider (International Finance Corporation), Ayman Alwadhy (The Corporate Group, UAE), Wasim Halabi (Foodco National Foodstuff Co PJSC), Fredric Favre (MAS Seeds, France) and Khusrau Nadir Gilani (Engro Fertilizers). The event was also graced by Mr. Hussain Dawood (Chairman of Engro Corporation and Dawood Corporation), Mr. Shahzada Dawood (Vice Chair, Engro Corporation), Ghias Khan (President & CEO of Engro Corporation) and Nadir Salar Qureshi (CEO of Engro Fertilizers), along with other members of the Engro leadership team. pr

First Lady of Pakistan visits IBA Karachi underscoring the need for breast cancer awareness KARACHI

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(iFem) at the IBA Main Campus.

The First Lady graced the event as the distinguished guest, while other attendees included medical professionals, social activists and IBA students, faculty, and staff.

The seminar aimed to spread maximum awareness regarding breast cancer; echo the importance of early detection; and the role of regular self-examination. The panel of speakers demonstrated how to self-examine oneself, while a breast cancer survivor shared her story of courage in beating the disease.

The First Lady appreciated the initiative taken

by the IBA Karachi to organize such sessions where students of both genders were present.

The seminar started as Ms. Ayesha Jameel, a breast cancer survivor shared her journey. “It is a painful disease, but if you want to live for yourself and your loved ones then you must fight it,” she said, emphasizing on the need to knowing one’s body so any abnormality needs to be reported and timely diagnosed so that timely treatment can be received.

The session proceeded as Dr. Zubaida Qazi, Founder President, Pink Pakistan delivered a detailed session on breast cancer causes, precautions and self-examination procedures.

Commander of Sri Lankan Navy visits Naval Headquarters ISLAMABAD: Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne called on Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi at Naval Headquarters, Islamabad. Upon arrival at Naval Headquarters, Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy was received by the Naval Chief and presented Guard of Honour. After wreath laying at Shuhada monument, the visiting dignitary was introduced to Principal Staff Officers at Naval Headquarters. Later, Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy called on Chief of the Naval Staff at his office. During the meeting matters of mutual interest including bilateral collaborations and regional maritime security milieu was discussed. The Naval Chief highlighted Pakistan Navy initiatives for ensuring maritime security and peace in the region through Regional Maritime Security Patrols. The visiting Admiral appreciated and acknowledged Pakistan Navy’s efforts and commitments in support of collaborative maritime security in the region.

Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy was also briefed on Pakistan Navy operational capabilities. It is expected that the on-going visit of Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy will further enhance bilateral collaboration between the two countries. pr

Wednesday, 23 February, 2022 | LAHORE

10 FOREIGN NEWS

Russia expands ukRaine claims; GeRmany halts Russian Gas pipeline

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news Desk

USSIA said Tuesday that its recognition of separatist areas in eastern Ukraine includes territory now held

by Ukrainian forces, raising Western fears that Moscow intends to invade more of Ukraine’s territory after sending troops into the rebel-held region.

In Berlin, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Tuesday that he would halt authorization of Nord Stream 2, the controversial natural gas pipeline between Germany and Russia, for the time being.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia has recognized the independence of rebel-held regions within borders that the separatists originally proclaimed when they broke away from Ukraine in 2014.

Because large parts of those regions have since been reclaimed by

Ukrainian forces during their eightyear war, Russia’s declaration could lead to attempts to expand the breakaway region by force.

Moscow’s recognition of the enclaves Monday spurred the United States and its allies to gear up for a fresh set of sanctions on Russia after it also sent in forces it described as peacekeeping troops.

European leaders said Tuesday morning that Kremlin forces had arrived in the self-proclaimed republics. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that “Russian troops are on Ukrainian soil” but that it was not a “fully fledged invasion.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that “we will give up nothing to no one” and that Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders “will stay that way, despite any statements or actions taken by the Russian Federation.”

Russia’s maneuvers were

breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent.

The move came after Germany announced it was taking steps to halt the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline earlier on Tuesday, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he would deploy troops to the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Re-

sharply rebuked by several nations at a hastily convened meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Monday night.

EU, US SEt to follow aS UK SlapS SanctionS on RUSSia: The United Kingdom has slapped sanctions on a number of Russian banks and high net worth individuals as Kyiv’s Western allies punish Moscow for recognising two

public (LPR) as part of Moscow’s significant shift in policy.

The United States and the European Union are also expected to respond in the coming hours with measures of their own.

Moscow has brushed aside the threats of retaliation, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saying Russia was accustomed to sanctions. intERactiVE- UKRainE DonbaS REgion: ‘To save Russia means to fight for peace’: Navalny Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny has slammed Putin for his role in the crisis, warning there could be widespread bloodshed as a result of his actions.

“Thanks to Putin, hundreds of Ukrainians and Russian citizens may die now, and in the future, this number may reach tens of thousands,” Navalny tweeted in a series of posts focused on the situation.

“Putin and his senile thieves

from the Security Council and United Russia are the enemies of Russia and its main threat, not Ukraine and not the West. Putin kills and wants to kill more,” he added, citing the country’s top security body and its largest political party.

“To fight for Russia, to save it, means to fight for the removal of Putin and his kleptocrats from power. But now it also means the banal ‘to fight for peace’.”

US welcomes Germany’s Nord Stream 2 move Washington has welcomed Berlin’s Nord Stream 2 announcement and pledged to follow up with its own measures later.

US President Joe Biden “made clear that if Russia invaded Ukraine, we would act with Germany to ensure Nord Stream 2 does not move forward”, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki tweeted.

“We have been in close consultations with Germany overnight and welcome their announcement. We will be following up with our own measures today,” she added.

HUngaRy to poSition tRoopS nEaR itS boRDER witH UKRainE: Hungary will deploy troops near its border with Ukraine, partly in preparation for humanitarian tasks, the country’s defence ministry has announced.

China calls for calm, restraint and dialogue to ease Ukraine tensions MiAn AbrAr

india journalist ayyub faces ‘judicial harassment’: un experts AFP UN human rights experts have said that investigative journalist Rana Ayyub has been subjected to “judicial harassment” and urged Indian authorities to “promptly” investigate “relentless misogynistic and sectarian” attacks on social media against her. Ayyub, who is a columnist with the Washington Post, has accused the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of attacking her for her critical reporting of the government. The Post issued a full-page advertisement on Sunday in support of Ayyub saying “the free press is under attack in India”. Irene Khan, special rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression and Mary Lawlor, special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, in a statement on Monday said that Ayyub has been “maliciously targeted with anonymous death and rape threats by organised groups online” for “holding power to account through her reporting”. “The lack of condemnation and proper investigation by the government, coupled with the legal harassment it has itself inflicted on Ms. Ayyub, has only served to falsely legitimise the attacks and attackers and further endangered her safety,” the statement said. The UN statement comes days after India’s Enforcement Directorate launched a money laundering investigation against the investigative journalist who is based in the financial hub of Mumbai. Ayyub issued a statement saying “the allegations levelled against me will not withstand any fair and honest scrutiny. “The smear campaign against me will not deter me from my professional commitment to continue to do my work as a journalist, and especially to raise critical issues and ask inconvenient questions, as is my duty as a journalist in a constitutional democracy.”

Last month she received online rape and death threats.

The Mumbai police has arrested a person in connection with the case. Hindu supremacist groups have filed several police complaints against her for comments on the recent hijab ban in the southern state of Karnataka governed by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). ‘baSElESS anD UnwaRRantED’: But India has criticised the statement by the UN, calling it “baseless and unwarranted”. “Allegations of so-called judicial harassment are baseless & unwarranted. India upholds the rule of law, but is equally clear that no one is above the law,” read a tweet by the handle of India at UN, Geneva. “We expect SRs [Special Rapporteurs] to be objective & accurately informed. Advancing a misleading narrative only tarnishes @UNGeneva’s reputation,” it said. The UN rapporteurs said that Ayyub continues to be the victim of intensifying attacks and threats online by far-right Hindu nationalist groups. They added that for the second time in six months, “Ayyub’s bank account and other assets were frozen in response to seemingly baseless allegations of money laundering and tax fraud, related to her crowd-funding campaigns to provide assistance to those affected by the pandemic.”

China on Tuesday called on all parties to exercise restraint and resolve differences through dialogue and negotiation to ease the tensions in Ukraine.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi was briefed about the U.S. side’s views and position on the current situation in Ukraine by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a phone conversation on Tuesday morning.

Noting that the situation in Ukraine was deteriorating, Wang said China, once again, called on all parties to exercise restraint, appreciate the importance of implementing the principle of indivisible security, and deescalate the situation and resolve differences through dialogue and negotiation.

China, according to the merits of the matter itself, will continue to engage with all parties, he said.

The current situation in Ukraine has been “closely” related to the delay in an “effective” implementation of the new Minsk agreements, Wang said.

He reiterated that China’s position on Ukraine has been consistent, and that the legitimate security con-

Mobs target Muslim business places as Hindu activist killed in Karnataka Agencies India has rushed hundreds of security personnel to a district in the south after riots saw mobs burn vehicles and pelt stones after a Hindu activist was killed.

At least 20 people were injured in the unrest on Monday, after the killing a day earlier of the member of the Hindu nationalist group Bajrang Dal in Shivamogga, Karnataka state.

Karnataka, which is ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, has been on edge for several weeks after a ban on Muslim girls wearing the hijab in classrooms triggered protests and counter-protests that spread nationwide.

There was violence in Shivamogga during the activist’s funeral procession on Monday even as authorities imposed curfew restrictions in the area.

Several incidents of arson and rioting were reported as angry mobs pelted stones at business places owned reportedly by Muslims.

Police fired in the air and used tear gas to con-

trol the angry crowd.

Law enforcement officials in the area — which has a long history of communal violence — said on Monday they had arrested two people and blamed old rivalries for the killing.

The victim was also an active member of a group that seeks to protect cows — sacred for Hindus — and was severely criticised for a social media post depicting a pig in a mosque.

One of the Muslim pupils in the original hijab protest in Udupi district said that her brother was attacked in a hotel on Monday, local media reported. The state’s home minister Araga Jnanendra said authorities had found no link between the violence in Shivamogga and the hijab row, according to local media.

The Karnataka high court is currently hearing appeals against the hijab ban. In an interim order, the court imposed a temporary ban on the wearing of all religious symbols in schools.

The row has heightened fears among Muslims in India, with many saying they feel under attack by the Modi government and its supporters.

cerns of any country should be respected and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be jointly upheld. At a daily press briefing on Tuesday afternoon, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin reaffirmed China side’s call for all to remain calm to ease tensions and resolve differences through dialogue and negotiation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed two decrees recognizing the “Luhansk People’s Republic” and the “Donetsk People’s Republic” as independent and sovereign states. Ukraine demanded Russia cancel the recognition, and at its request, the United Nations Security Council convened an emergency meeting late on Monday.

The U.S. has announced financial sanctions against rebel-controlled regions in eastern Ukraine freshly recognized by Russia. The EU said the bloc will also react with sanctions.

Oil rises as Russia-West stand-off alarms tight market LOnDOn/HOUsTOn ReuteRs

Oil prices rose on Monday over the stand-off between Russia and the West over Ukraine, adding to supply concerns that have kept oil prices near $100 a barrel. Brent crude futures jumped $2.74, or 2.91 percent, to $96.28 a barrel by 2:00 pm ET (12:00 am PST). US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose $2.79, or 3.06 percent, to $93.86 a barrel at 1915 GMT (12:15 am PST). Russian forces killed a group of five saboteurs who breached the country’s southwest border from Ukraine on Monday, news agencies quoted the military as saying, an accusation that Ukraine called fake news. French President Emmanuel Macron said earlier on Monday that US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed in principle to a summit over Ukraine, but the Kremlin said there were no immediate plans. The Kremlin announced Putin would sign a decree recognising two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as an independent. The European Union warned it would consider sanctions if the regions are recognised as independent. US markets were closed on Monday for the Presidents Day holiday. “Oil prices are once again marching upwards, as the optimism of a Biden-Putin meeting fades, while OPEC+ is continuing to struggle to hit its quotas which have largely created the severe global energy deficit,” said Pratibha Thaker of the Economist Intelligence Unit. Ministers of Arab oil-producing countries said on Sunday that OPEC+ should stick to its current agreement to add 400,000 barrels per day of oil output each month, rejecting calls to pump more to ease pressure on prices. Price gains have been limited by the possibility of more than a million BPD of Iranian crude returning to the market. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said “significant progress” had been made in talks to revive Iran’s 2015 nuclear agreement on Monday after a senior EU official said on Friday that a deal was “very, very close”. Analysts said the market remained tight and any addition of oil would help, but prices would remain volatile in the near term because Iranian crude was unlikely to return until later this year. “If a Russian invasion (of Ukraine) takes place, as the US and UK have warned in recent days, Brent futures could spike above $100/BBL, even if an Iranian deal is reached,” Commonwealth Bank analyst Vivek Dhar said in a note.

Wednesday, 23 February, 2022 | LAHORE

SPORTS 11

reCOrDs tHAt skAters smAsHeD At BeIjINg OLymPICs

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MiAN AbRAR

MAZING results were produced in the speed skating and short track speed skating events at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, with two world records and 16 Olympic records being reset during the Games.

Short track Speed Skating: At the Capital Indoor Stadium, one world record and seven Olympic records were broken over six days of competition. Dutch skater Suzanne Schulting was the top record breaker after setting one world record and two Olympic records. The 24-year-old skater also contributed in the mixed team relay and women’s 3,000m relay events.

Skaters compete in the short track speed skating mixed team relay final at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, February 5, 2022.

Team China won the mixed team relay gold in 2:37.348 on February 5, while Team Netherlands set the Olympic record in 2:36.437 in the quarterfinal on the same day.

Suzanne Schulting (L) of the Netherlands and Arianna Fontana of Italy compete in the women’s 500m short track speed skating final, February 7, 2022.

Suzanne Schulting of Team Netherlands

reacts after setting the Olympic record in the women’s 500m speed skating heat, February 5, 2022.

Arianna Fontana of Italy won the women’s 500m gold in 42.488 on February 7, while Schulting set an Olympic record in Heat 4 on February 5.

Republic of Korea’s (ROK) skater Hwang Dae-heon (2nd L) and Liu Shaolin (Sandor) (#2) of Hungary compete in the men’s 1,500m short track speed skating final, February 9, 2022. /CFP (R-L) Ren Ziwei of China, Itzhak de Laat of the Netherlands, John-Henry Kreuger of Hungary, and Brandan Corey of Australia compete in the men’s 1,000m short track speed skating final, February 7, 2022.

China’s Ren Ziwei claimed the men’s 1,000m gold in 1:26.768 followed by compatriot Li Wenlong in 1:29.917 on February 7. Skater Hwang Dae-heon, from Republic of Korea, set the world record in 1:20.875 during the International Skating Union (ISU) Short Track Speed Skating World Cup in Salt Lake City, U.S., on November 12, 2016.

The 22-year-old skater set the Olympic record in the men’s 1,000m in 1:23.042 on February 5.

Hwang took the gold medal in the men’s

1,500m in 2:09.219 on February 9, while Liu Shaolin (Sandor) of Hungary set the Olympic record in 2:09.213 in the quarterfinal on the same day.

Silver medalist Arianna Fontana (L) of Italy, gold medalist Choi Min-jeong (C) of Republic of Korea and bronze medalist Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands celebrate on the podium after the women’s 1,500m short track speed skating final, February 16, 2022.

Dutch skater Suzanne Schulting celebrates after winning the gold medal in the

women’s 1,000m short track speed skating final, February 11, 2022.

Skaters take a group photo on the podium as Team Netherlands win the gold medal, Team ROK take the silver medal and Team China claim the bronze medal in the women’s 3,000m short track speed skating final, February 13, 2022.

Schulting won the women’s 1,000m gold in 1:28.391 on February 11. She broke both the world record and the Olympic record in a time of 1:26.514 in the quarterfinal on the same day.

Team Netherlands claimed the gold medal and set the Olympic record in the women’s 3,000m relay final in 4:03.409 on February 13.

ROK’s skater Choi Min-jeong won the gold medal in the women’s 1,500m final in 2:17.789 on February 16. She set the world record in 2:14.354 during the Salt Lake City Short Track World Cup in 2016 and renewed the Olympic record in 2:16.831 at Beijing 2022 in the semifinal on February 16.

Speed skaters compete at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, China, February 5, 2022.

Speed Skating: One world record and 10 Olympic records were reset during 12 competition days at the National Speed Skating Oval. Dutch skater Irene Schouten broke two Olympic records and Sweden’s Nils van der Poel shattered one world record in addition to two Olympic records.

Irene Schouten of the Netherlands celebrates after winning the women’s 5,000m speed skating final, February 10, 2022. /CFP Schouten won the gold medal in the women’s 3,000m final on February 5, setting the Olympic record in 3:56.93.

She set the Olympic record in the women’s 5,000m final in 6:43.51 on February 10.

PCB likely to change Test squad for Australia series: report NEws DEsk

DHA National Badminton Championship 2022 to start on Feb 25 LAHORE pR

DHA National Badminton Championship 2022, Junior & Seniors is scheduled from 25 Feb 2022 till 6 Mar 2022 at CaptFasih Babar Amin (Shaheed) Sports Complex, Phase 6, DHA Lahore. This was stated by officials of DHA Lahore and Pakistan Badminton Federation in a joint press briefing on 22nd Feb 2022 (today). President Pakistan Badminton Federation MrWajid Ali Chaudhary and Senior Vice President MrTayyabsohail stated that over 300 shuttlers, male and female and 14 teams, Punjab, Sindh, Khyber PakhtunKhwah (KPK), Balochistan, Federal Area (Islamabad), GilgitBaltistan, Pakistan Army, WAPDA, Pak Railway, AJ&K, Police, HEC, SNGPL and New Khan Road Runners will compete in this Championship. Muhammad Ali Larosh and Miss MahnoorShahzad will defend their singles title. Pakistan WAPDA will defend the men and women team championship. Event is planned in a manner that maximum age group of males and females will be able to participate and showcase their talent at national level, he added. All matches will be played on knock-out-basis, he concluded. Director Sports DHA Lahore, Brigadier Munir Ahmed (Retd) while speaking on the occasion dilated at length DHA Lahore’s contributions in hosting National Sports events at Lahore. He also added that it’s DHA Lahore’s resolve to provide state of the art sports facilities to our future generation, where they can polish their talent and can compete at International level to win more laurels for Pakistan. National Badminton Championship is the third National event that DHA Lahore is hosting within a span of six months. Earlier, National Swimming and Boxing championship were also hosted

by DHA Lahore, he concluded. Details of the events for both juniors and seniors are as under.

Ahead of crucial match, Peshawar Zalmi’s three players test positive for COVID-19 LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Peshawar Zalmi players Ben Cutting, Usman Qadir, and Sohail Khan have tested positive for COVID-19 just two days before their playoff against Islamabad United in the ongoing seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Geo News reported, citing sources. According to sources, the total toll of coronavirus positive members for the Zalmis has climbed to four. Other than the three players, support staff member and former cricketer Hashim Amla has also tested positive for COVID-19. Zalmis won the Monday match against Qalandars in the Super Over, but the run rate kept them at the third position. Therefore, Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United will go against each other in eliminator 1 at the Gaddafi Stadium on February 24.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is likely to make changes in its Test squad for the home series against Australia, scheduled to be played in March, Geo News reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, the decision regarding Test player Muhammad Nawaz’s replacement will be made in a couple of days. Nawaz, who had suffered a fracture in his foot, was dropped from the ongoing HBL Pakistan Super League by Quetta Gladiators.

Moreover, the team management is concerned

about bowler Hassan Ali’s form and fitness, and considering pacer Naseem Shah’s name for inclusion in the reserve squad for the Australia series.

Earlier, the PCB had announced its Test squad, comprising 16 players and five reserves, for the series against Australia, starting from March 4.

Test squad: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (vice captain), Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Zahid Mahmood.

Struggling Atletico look to reignite the fire against Man United LONDON afp

If winning La Liga caused Atletico Madrid to soften their edge or lose their identity, a Champions League tie against Manchester United could be a chance for them to get it back.

From the highs of winning their second league title in 25 years, have come the lows of humiliating defeats, unprecedented fragility in defence and introspection over style and application that has left even Diego Simeone’s future in doubt.

And yet amid all the soulsearching and despair, there have been pockets of resistance, a handful of rare but uplifting performances dotted across a miserable season, each of them sparking hope that a corner was about to be turned.

After losing away at Alaves, Atletico rallied against AC Milan at the San Siro, coming from a goal down to win 2-1, Luis Suarez scoring a penalty in the 96th minute. After losing at home to Mallorca, they prevailed in an all or nothing match against Porto in Lisbon, a fiery 3-1 win dragging them into the Champions League last 16.

In the last month alone, as the knives have sharpened and pressure mounted, Atletico have come from two goals down to beat Valencia and 3-2 behind to beat Getafe, on both occasions by finding a winner in the last minute. Every time, momentum has been fleeting. After every comeback, they lost at least one of their next two games. Whenever Atletico have looked close to rediscovering themselves, they have just as quickly drifted again off course.

Before Simeone arrived in

2011 and lifted them into Europe’s elite, there was an advert in Spain that became synonymous with Atletico Madrid.

“Papa, why do we support Atleti?” a young boy asks from the back of the car, while in the front, his father tries to find the words.

The silence lingers before an answer cuts across the screen beneath the Atletico badge: “It’s difficult to explain. But it’s something very, very special.”

Atletico Madrid have always revelled in a sense of inferiority, accepting and even promoting their status as underdogs, a club of community, in part as an antidote to the glamour and riches of Real Madrid.

“Proud not be like you,” read the banner draped across the Calderon before the two sides met in the Champions League in 2017.

Simeone has always enjoyed positioning Atletico as imposters to the Real Madrid-Barcelona duopoly. “Have you seen the team Barca has?” he said in October, when asked about Barca losing Lionel Messi. “Barca say ‘Messi’s gone, we lost 30 goals’. I say ‘yeh you don’t have 30 goals, well we never had them, we never had Messi’.”

The problem was that when Atletico won La Liga, they were no longer imposters but favourites, thrust to a place they were neither used to nor comfortable with. It is a shift they have wrestled with all season not only psychologically but tactically too. With talented players, and ones keen to attack, Simeone has struggled to find a system and style that fits.

“For a team like Atletico it’s not easy to be champions; it’s a club not used to being champions every year. Nothing you did before counts for anything. What counts is what lies ahead,” Simeone said last month. “Last season, games started and we would bite,” said Jose Gimenez. “This year, I think we’ve eased off.” But there have been flickers, in the biggest games or most desperate moments, when the inferiority complex kicks in, and the old fire again burns hot.

After beating Osasuna on Saturday, Simeone was asked if the win could be a spur for the meeting with Manchester United at the Wanda Metropolitano. “Everything helps,” he said. “No year is the same, in football or in life. There are always obstacles and that’s what we have now, a test. Let’s see if we’re up to it.”

Australia’s Pat Cummins, David Warner to miss Pakistan white-ball leg ahead of IPL REutERs Australia Test captain Pat Cummins and opening batsman David Warner will not feature in the limitedovers meetings with Pakistan next month after they were left out of the squad for a trio of one-day internationals and a Twenty20 clash. Cummins and Warner, along with bowlers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, have been included in the squad for Australia’s three-Test tour of Pakistan, but will not be involved following the conclusion of that series. The quartet of Cummins, Warner, Hazlewood and Glenn Maxwell have contracts in the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 tournament, which is expected to start at the end of March. They will, however, only be able to join their respective franchises after Australia play their lone T20 match against Pakistan on April 5, chair of selectors George Bailey confirmed. While Maxwell has been granted time off for his wedding, the others are expected to return to Australia after the third and final Test in Lahore from March 21 to 25. “We’ve worked really hard with our multi-format players over a long period, not just this series coming up and leading into the IPL,” Bailey said, adding that they have taken a “pragmatic approach”. “One of the things we’re keen to ensure is we maintain having our best Australian players playing for Australia for as long as possible in the medium and longer-term. “We’re constantly managing and working with them around their personal situations to get what they need and continue to get what they need.” With the T20 World Cup coming up at home later this year and a 50-over World Cup scheduled next year in India, former Australia captain Bailey had no issues with the IPL. “I fully respect the IPL as a tournament,” Bailey said responding to a question about playing for country or IPL. “I think they’re at the forefront of the T20 game. “I think it’s been a really important tournament for the skill development of some of our players, so it’s important not to underestimate that going forward.” Australia will be embarking on their first trip to Pakistan since 1998, playing Test matches in Rawalpindi, Karachi and Lahore before returning to Rawalpindi for limited-overs matches from March 29 to April 5. Aaron Finch will lead a 16-man limited-overs squad that includes Test players Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith.

Squad: Aaron Finch, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.

Wednesday, 23 February, 2022

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RegIoNaL CoUNTRIeS NeeD To woRk CoLLeCTIveLy foR eNDURINg PeaCe: CoaS geN Bajwa RAWALPINDI

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HIEF of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa reiterated that all regional countries need to work collectively for enduring peace and stability, said the military’s media wing on Tuesday.

According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the COAS passed the remarks during a meeting with Sri Lankan Navy Commander Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne when he called on him at the

General Headquarters Rawalpindi.

Court to hand down judgment in Noor murder on Thursday ISLAMABAD

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During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional security, and the

SC suspends LHC decision to acquit ex-Brigadier ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

Staff RepoRt

A district and sessions court in Islamabad will deliver its verdict in the high-profile murder of a capital-based young woman on Thursday, the judge said, after all the parties concluded their arguments. Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Atta Rabbani, who presided over the proceedings, reserved its decision on Tuesday.

Noor Mukadam, 27, was found beheaded at the residence of Zahir Jaffer in Sector F-7/4 of Islamabad in July. Police charged Jaffer, a US national and scion of one of the country’s wealthiest families, with murder. Investigators believe the two were friends, and Jaffer lured Mukadam, the daughter of a former envoy to South Korea, to his home, held her there for two days, and then brutally murdered her. A first information report registered on the complaint of Shaukat Ali Mukadam, the victim’s father, nominated Jaffer under Section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). Jaffer’s parents — Zakir Jaffer and Asmat Adamjee — three domestic staff and six workers of Therapy Works — an Islamabadbased organisation providing mental health services that employed Jaffer and Adamjee — were arrested days later on charges of abetting the murder. Months later, in October, the sessions court indicted Jaffer along with 11 other suspects — his parents, the household staff, Therapy Works boss Tahir Zahoor and his staff — in the case. The trial formally commenced on October 20. Mukadam’s murder received national attention due to a growing, youth-driven women’s rights movement in the country where victims of violence are often discouraged from speaking out and blamed for the abuse. In the 2021 Global Gender Gap Report of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the country ranks 153 out of 156 countries, and a recent Human Rights Watch (HRW) report found that incidents of domestic violence increased by 200 percent in 2020, worsening after coronavirus lockdowns began. But many cases of sexual harassment and gender-based violence go unreported. In 2018, the #MeToo movement catalysed some change in Pakistan, but defamation lawsuits against victims have stalled its progress. Mukadam’s case galvanised a similar feminist movement, with a broader call for social justice.

MAXIMUM PUNISHMENT SOUGHT: Talking to the media after the hearing, Ambassador Mukadam reiterated he sought “maximum punishment” for Jaffer as he reposed his confidence in Judge Rabbani. “He has conducted a fair and transparent trial,” he said of the judge, adding he was “completely satisfied” with the probe despite “some ups and downs” as he also commended the police for operating “under pressure”.

current Afghanistan situation were discussed, said the ISPR. “Pakistan wishes to enhance long term multi-domain relations with Sri Lanka based on common interests,” the COAS said, per the statement.

The Sri Lankan commander lauded the professionalism of the country’s armed forces and vowed to continue military cooperation between two forces in defence, training and counter-terrorism domains.

Vice Admiral Ulugetenne also appreciated Pakistan’s role in the Afghan situation, special efforts for border management and role in regional stability, the statement added.

The Supreme Court has suspended Lahore High Court’s (LHC) decision to acquit Brigadier (retd) Hamid Mahmood, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison, and accepted National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) appeal against his exoneration.

A three-member bench of the apex court comprising Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin heard the national graft buster’s appeal against Mahmood’s acquittal.

Prosecutor Naeem Tariq

Sanghera, who appeared before the court on behalf of NAB, adopted the stance that an agreement had been reached in 2004 with a company in Singapore to import 40,000 tonnes of coal for $2.4 million for Nizampur Cement Plant which was managed by the Army Welfare Trust. He said Mahmood had shown himself as an agent of the company.

The prosecutor said that though $2.4 million were transferred for the purpose but the coal was not imported. He said more than $115,000 was credited to the account of Mahmood the next day of payment.

The high court without consider-

ing this important evidence acquitted the accused, the NAB prosecutor said, adding that Mahmood had also filed an application for plea bargain.

The top court accepted NAB’s appeal for hearing and suspended LHC decision to acquit Mahmood while issuing him a notice.

In 2014, NAB Rawalpindi court had sentence Mahmood to prison, which was declared null and void by the LHC in 2017. During this period, the accused had spent eight months in incarceration.

The LHC had granted bail to Mahmood after the accused deposited money during the trial.

Imran to fly to Russia as Ukraine war fears loom ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Imran Khan will fly to Moscow on Wednesday (tomorrow) to meet President Vladimir Putin, the first such trip by a Pakistan prime minister in two decades, as spiking tensions in eastern Ukraine are heightening Western fears of a Russian invasion and a new war in Europe.

Nawaz Sharif was the last leader to tour Moscow in April 1999, months before the October coup of his army chief Pervez Musharraf, the first trip to Moscow of a head of Pakistan’s government in over two decades.

The two-day visit was planned before the current crisis over Ukraine.

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) countries fear the volatile east, which has seen intense shelling in recent days and orders for civilians to evacuate, could be a flashpoint in their tensest standoff with Russia since the Cold War, providing the Kremlin with a pretext to invade Ukraine.

The United States and its European partners are keeping on with their strategy of diplomacy and deterrence, offering to keep talking with

the Kremlin while threatening heavy sanctions if an invasion happens.

“Pakistan and Russia enjoy friendly relations marked by mutual respect, trust and convergence of views on a range of international and regional issues,” a Foreign Office statement said.

It added that Putin and Khan “will review the entire array of bilateral relations including energy cooperation,” as well as unnamed regional and international issues, including the situation in Afghanistan.

BILATERAL TIES: Relations between Pakistan and Russia were minimal for years as Islamabad sided with the United States in the Cold War and was given “Major NonNATO Ally” status by Washington after US forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001.

In recent years, however, relations between the United States and Pakistan have deteriorated and there has been thawing between Moscow and Islamabad, which has seen the planning of projects in the gas and energy fields.

The two nations have lately tried to broaden and deepen their relations, with Russia lifting a longstanding arms embargo in 2014 which it had imposed on Pakistan decades ago.

In an interview published on Monday, Khan played down the timing of the visit, and any effect it would have on Pakistan’s relations with the West.

“This visit was planned well before the emergence of the current phase of Ukrainian crisis […] I received the invitation from President Putin much earlier,” he told Newsweek Pakistan.

Pakistan’s increased diplomatic engagements with Russia are understood to be part of the government’s quest to diversify its foreign policy.

In April 2018, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa became the third consecutive army chief to visit Moscow. His trip resulted in the setting up of a Joint Military Commission between the two countries.

In return, Russia is also increasing diplomatic efforts to revive ties with Pakistan through the $2.5 billion 1,100-km-long Pakistan Steam Gas Pipeline project while offering to bolster anti-terrorism support.

Analysts see the moves as a bid to acquire a new energy market to offset declining business from the West and to increase regional heft as the US deepens ties with India after its withdrawal from Afghanistan.

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Senate Chairman rejects Ishaq Dar’s request to take virtual oath from London The chairman of the Senate Tuesday refused to accept former finance minister Ishaq Dar’s request to take virtual oath as member of the Upper House of the Parliament. Calling the request ‘unconstitutional’, Senator Sadiq Sanjrani rejected the plea through a letter and a copy of the letter was also provided to the PML-N leader. The chairman said that the Senate has its ‘own rules’, adding that the oath should be taken following the rules of the Constitution and the Senate, not ‘virtually or in high commission’. According to the letter sent by Dar, the former minister requested to take the oath virtually [via video link] or asked for arrangements to be made by an administrator in the High Commission for Pakistan, London. However, the Senate refused to accept Dar’s request and asked him to be present in the Parliament House to take the oath. Staff RepoRt

Internet services in Pakistan disrupted due to submarine cable fault The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Tuesday said that users could face bandwidth disruptions due to a reported breakage in the Trans World Associates (TWA)’s submarine cable system.

The PTA said the fault was reported around 6pm on Monday and caused an outage of international bandwidth. “[It] may result in degradation of internet services for users of Transworld bandwidth,” the statement said. The PTA also said that it is arranging ad hoc bandwidth to reduce the effect. Social media was also abuzz with complaints of disruption and slowdown in internet services. Nayatel said most of its service operators were affected across the country and sent out an alert to its customers, saying they might face slow internet speeds. It said the problem has existed since Monday morning. In December 2021, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited said it had “arranged for alternative channels for bandwidth” to compensate for a fault in an international submarine cable amid reports of slow internet speed from across the country. Internet users in Pakistan had also faced disruptions in October 2021 when a submarine cable developed a fault near Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. NewS DeSk

Pakistan ambassador meets senior Ukraine official ahead of PM Imran’s Russia visit Pakistan reaffirmed support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity on Monday ahead of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s impending visit to Moscow tomorrow (Wednesday), said Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzheppar in a tweet. Pakistan’s Ambassador, retired Major General Noel Israel Khokhar, met with Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzheppar and voiced support for her country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to a tweet by Deputy Foreign Minister Dzheppar. She expressed her gratitude to Pakistan for supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

PM TO vISIT MOScOw: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan will fly to Moscow this week to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, Islamabad confirmed on Monday – the first such trip by a Pakistani leader in two decades. The two-day visit, starting on Wednesday, was planned before the current crisis over Ukraine.

“During the Summit meeting, the two leaders will review the entire array of bilateral relations including energy cooperation,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement, adding that Khan and Putin will also discuss issues, including the situation in Afghanistan. ReuteRS

Pakistan reaffirms ‘full support and solidarity’ with Saudi Arabia after Houthi drone attack ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Pakistan Tuesday reaffirmed its ‘full support and solidarity’ with Saudi Arabia after a Houthi drone attack on King Abdullah airport in Jazan injured 16 people.

“Pakistan strongly condemns the drone attack launched by the Houthis to target King Abdullah airport in Jazan, which caused several injuries. We wish a speedy recovery to those injured in the attack,” said the Foreign Office spokesperson in a statement.

Pakistan stated that ‘such attacks’ are not

just a violation of international law but also ‘threaten peace and security’ of Saudi Arabia and the region. Islamabad also called for an ‘immediate cessation’ of such attacks.

“Pakistan reaffirms its full support and solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against any threats to its security and territorial integrity,” said the statement.

16 hurt as Yemen rebel drone targets Saudi airport: coalition Sixteen people, including foreigners, were injured in Saudi Arabia when the kingdom destroyed a drone launched against an airport by Yemeni rebels, the Saudi-led coalition said Monday.

It is the second airport attack in less than two weeks blamed on, or claimed by, the Iran-backed Houthi insurgents.

The rebels regularly launch attacks against Saudi Arabia which has for seven years led the military coalition which intervened to support Yemen’s government in the face of Houthi advances.

“A drone launched in the direction of King Abdullah Airport in Jazan was destroyed, with debris falling inside the airport,” the coalition said, as reported by the official Saudi Press Agency.

“Sixteen civilians of different nationalities were injured,” it said, accusing the

Houthis of “again launching cross-border attacks from Sanaa airport”.

The airport, and the Yemeni capital city Sanaa, are held by the Houthis, who claimed responsibility for an attack that took place on February 10, also in Saudi Arabia’s southwest near Yemen.

Officials in the kingdom said 12 people were hurt on that occasion by falling debris when the Saudi military blew up a Yemeni rebel “bomb-laden” drone targeting Abha International Airport.

In response, the coalition on February 14 said it destroyed a communications system used for drone attacks located near the tele-

coms ministry in Sanaa.

In December, the coalition said the Houthis had fired more than 850 attack drones and 400 ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia in the previous seven years, killing a total of 59 civilians.

That figure compares with the 401 coalition air raids carried out in January alone over Yemen, according to the Yemen Data Project, an independent tracker which reported around 9,000 civilian fatalities from the strikes in that country since 2015.

Rights groups have long criticised the coalition for civilian casualties in its aerial bombardment.

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