Epaper – January 21-2022 KHI

Friday, 21 January, 2022 I 17 Jamadi-al-Sani, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 204 I 12 Pages I Karachi Edition

Lahore bLast Leaves three martyred, 20 injured

Former judge Rana Shamim indicted in affidavit case ISLAMABAD staff report

LAHORE

a

staff report

powerful bomb went off in a crowded Anarkali market in Lahore on Thursday, killing at least three people and wounding 20 others.

Forensic teams are investigating the blast and initial reports point towards the use of an improvised explosive device (IED).

However, DIG Abid Khan said initial investigation suggested that it was an IED attack as a crater was created by the explosion.

An eyewitness account claimed that an individual parked a bike at the spot of the incident and crossed the road moments before the explosion.

A large number of law enforcement officials reached the incident site and cordoned the area. Commissioner Lahore stated that the injured were shifted to Mayo Hospital and five were in critical condition.

He added that more details

will be shared after the forensic analysis is completed. “The bomb disposal squad has initially informed that this was a high explosive device,” the commissioner added.

A nine-year-old boy is among the three dead. Later, an injured – identified as Yasir Ali, 16-year-old, s/o Allah Ditta and resident of Rahim Yar Khan – succumbed to his injuries.

A first information report (FIR) of Lahore Anarkali blast has been registered on complaint of inspector Abid Baig at CTD Lahore police station.

NOT GOOD OMEN: Prime Minister Imran Khan has condemned the incident and expressed regret over the lives lost. He has instructed concerned authorities to provide the best medical aid to the injured and asked the Punjab government to submit a report on the incident.

Chief Minister Usman Buzdar also condemned the attack.

“Those responsible for the blast will be arrested soon and brought

to justice,” said CM Buzdar.

He said it was a “vicious act” to sabotage the law and order of the province.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incident.

He said that the loss of precious lives in Anarkali, a lively and historic area of Lahore, was deeply saddening. “Innocent children and poor people were the victims of the tragedy.”

In June last year, three people died and 21 others, including women and children, sustained injuries when an explosives-laden vehicle exploded near the house of Hafiz Saeed, leader of the banned Jamaatud-Dawa (JuD), in Lahore’s Johar Town neighbourhood.

According to investigators, around 25-30 kilogrammes of explosives could have been used in the blast, as it had left a three feet deep and five feet wide crater at the spot, while shrapnel flew as far as 500 metres.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday indicted former Gilgit-Baltistan top judge Rana Muhammad Shamim in a contempt case pertaining to a news report on an affidavit, accusing former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar of bias against members of the Sharif family.

Earlier, Jang Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mir Shakeel ur-Rehman, The News Editor Aamir Ghauri, and its reporter Ansar Abbasi were also nominated in the case.

In November last year, Shamim claimed Nisar did not want former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz to be released on bail ahead of the general elections in July, 2018.

The IHC had initiated proceedings against Shamim and others after an affidavit was published in a national daily that accused former chief justice Saqib Nisar of influencing the case against former premier Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz.

On January 15, the IHC had summoned Shamim, bureau chief of a national daily Amir Ghauri and investigative reporter Ansar Abbasi on January 20 for indictment in the contempt of court case.

In today’s hearing, Rana Shamim, owner of the newspaper, Abbasi and Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Javed Khan appeared before the court.

At the onset of the hearing, Chief Justice Athar Minallah ordered to frame the charges first and then proceed with the rest.

According to the chargesheet, Rana Shamim had claimed that the affidavit was notarised, sealed and handed over to his grandson; however, the affidavit was received via a courier service.

The sheet added that the former CJ had alleged that the affidavit was leaked from a notary public, yet Rana Shamim did not initiate any action against notary public or Ansar Abbasi.

During the hearing, the judge told Shamim that he “tried to scandalise the court and influence a pending case.”

“All allegations against you have been read out in the open court. What do you have to say?”

Rana Shamim was asked while being indicted.

Justice Minallah further asked Shamim if he admits to the charges framed against him. To this, the former G-B top judge admitted to certain charges but denied others.

Shamim made an impassioned plea in front of the judge and asked to be hanged if the court considered him guilty.

The chief justice stated that the published article was not related to Saqib Nisar but to the IHC. “People are being told that the judges of this court were compromised,” the judge stated, adding that a case was fixed for a hearing two days after the news was published.

“We have nothing to hide and have nothing to do with Saqib Nisar or anyone else,” he said.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

02

Friday, 21 January, 2022 | KARACHI

NEWS

Govt REbAsEs NAtioNAl AccouNts ISLAMABAD

i

GhulAm AbbAS

N an attempt to balloon up the overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth figures for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021-22, the government has rebased the national accounts, changing the base year from FY 2005-6 to FY 2015-16.

The decision to rebase the national accounts was made during the 104th meeting of the National Accounts Committee (NAC), held at the Ministry of Planning, Development & Special Initiatives.

Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) being a National

Pakistan steel Mills privatisation attracts interest from six international investors

Statistical Organisation has to comply with international standards while compiling national indicators of economy. The methodology adopted while rebasing the national accounts is in line with the 2008 System of National Accounts (SNA).

According to sources, the rebasing exercise would help the incumbent regime show jacked-up GDP growth figures and other key economic indicators. However, the exercise will also have a negative impact on certain economic indicators. For instance, with the ballooning GDP growth rate, total public debt as a percentage of GDP will improve but on the other hand, FBR’s tax-toGDP ratio may worsen.

NEPRA cuts power tariff by Rs0.99 per unit ISLAMABAD AhmAd AhmAdAni

National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), on Thursday announced a Rs0.99 per unit reduction in power prices and issued a notification to this effect.

The reduction in power prices will provide Rs22.48 billion in relief to the electricity consumers in the coming three months.

According to a notification issued by NEPRA, the Rs0.99/unit cut in power prices has been made for three

ISLAMABAD ShAhzAd pARAchA

Six international investors have disclosed their interest in Pakistan Steel Mills Corporation (PSMC), according to a meeting of the Privatisation Board held on Thursday under the chairmanship of Federal Minister Privatisation, Mohammed Mian Soomro. According to the Privatisation Commission (PC), the board discussed the report pertaining to the prequalification of potential investors for the revival of PSMC. Earlier, the six interested international investors had submitted Statement of Qualification (SOQs) and a prequalification committee was formulated to scrutinize the pre-qualified parties. In addition the Federal Minister Mohammad Mian Soomro asked the legal team to rigorously pursue and recover the amounts payable to the Ministry of Privatization.

Dollar jumps to 176.49 as rupee struggles for third day

KARAcHI StAff RepoRt

Pakistani rupee maintained a losing streak against the US dollar for the third straight day, shedding 27 paisas (0.15 percent) on Thursday. The State Bank of Pakistan said in a statement that the dollar opened at Rs176.22 in the interbank market and closed at Rs176.49. The rupee witnessed a trading range of 44 paisas during the session, showing the intraday high bid of 176.50 and low offer of 176.06. Within the open market, the rupee was traded at 177.50/178.50 per dollar. The experts said that surging oil prices are weighing on the local currency as they will inflate the oil import bill. The country’s oil bill increased sharply by 113.39 percent to $10.18 billion during the July-December period of the current year 2021-22 as compared to $4.77 billion in the corresponding period of the last fiscal year 2020-21.

They said that the rupee is also under pressure due to rising commodity prices. They said that the local unit has witnessed a period of stabilisation since December; however, rising fuel and food prices globally are hitting it hard. The experts were of the view that trade and current account deficits due to rising import bill and depletion in the foreign exchange reserves are major threats to the rupee’s stability. The trade deficit ballooned by 106 percent to $25.48 billion in the first half of the current fiscal year 2021-22 due to a massive surge in imports, which touched $40.50 billion.

Likewise, foreign exchange reserves also fell to $23.90 billion from $24.02 billion last week. Overall Pakistan rupee shed 42 paisas against the US dollar during the four sessions of this week, while it has appreciated by 2 paisas during the current year 2022. The local unit has depreciated by Rs19.06 during the ongoing fiscal year 2021-22. However, the experts said that the rupee may recover against the dollar after the revival of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Extended Fund Facility (EFF). They said that the condition of approval of the Finance (Supplementary) Act 2021 – one of the key conditions of the IMF – has been met and the passage of the State Bank of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill 2021 from the parliament will pave the way for the revival of the IMF programme. The IMF board is scheduled to meet on January 28 to take up Pakistan’s case.

With rebasing and a level shift of the economy from Rs29.1 trillion to Rs. 32.7 trillion in 2015- 16, the GDP at market prices increased to Rs55.5 trillion in 2021, and Gross National Income (GNI) increased to Rs59.3 trillion.

Moreover, per capita income increased to Rs266,614 with the size of the economy reaching $346.76 billion in 202021 According to sources, in line with best practice adopted by most countries, the Ministry of Planning and PBS have decided to devise a mechanism to rebase national accounts as well as price statistics, after every five years, as both go in tandem to capture more areas and activities, which have taken place in the last few years. The last rebasing of national accounts was done in 2005-6.

Privatisation minister reviews privatisation programme ISLAMABAD ShAhzAd pARAchA

The Federal Minister for Privatization Mohammed Mian Soomro on Wednesday chaired a comprehensive review meeting in Islamabad regarding the ongoing privatisation program.

During the meeting, the Privatisation Commission (PC) informed that the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) is yet to decide whether State Life Insurance Company (SLIC) will divest its 24.4 per cent shareholding in Pakistan Reinsurance Company Ltd (PRCL).

The MoC is yet to approve the re-evaluation of PRCL shares by financial advisers. The decision will subsequently be approved by PCs board and the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCoP). The government plans to divest 20 per cent of its shares in PRCL. The active privatisation list as discussed in the meeting includes

companies from the financial, industrial and power sectors.

Further it was discussed that an expression of interest for House Building Finance Company Ltd (HBFCL) has been published and some parties have indicated their intention to submit applications. The deadline to submit applications for HBFCL is January 31, 2022, while the

privatisation process is likely to be completed by June 2022.

In addition the meeting also discussed matters relating to the Heavy Electrical Complex (HEC) which will be discuss further during the upcoming meeting of the PC board. The PC board will also consider the pre-qualification of investors for Pakistan Steel Mills.

months under the head periodic adjustment in tariff for the 4th quarter of 2020-21. This cut in the power tariff will be applicable to power consumers of all power distribution companies (DISCOs) except power consumers of K-Electric and consumers belonging to lifeline and protected categories.

Moreover, according to NEPRA, the Rs0.99/unit reduction in power tariff has been made on account of variation in capacity charges, variable O&M, use of system charges, market operator fees and fuel charge adjustment’s impact on transmission and dispatch losses.

NEPRA cuts electricity prices by Rs0.76 per unit for KE consumers ISLAMABAD StAff RepoRt

National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has reduced the price of electricity by Rs0.76 per unit for KElectric (KE) consumers on account of Fuel Charges Adjustment (FCA) for the month of November 2021 and has issued a notification to this effect. According to NEPRA notification, the price of electricity for KE consumers has been reduced by Rs0.7591 per unit under the head FCA of November 2021 which will be reflected in the KE consumers bills for February 2022. This reduction in the power price will be applicable to all the KE consumer categories except lifeline consumers, domestic consumers consuming up to 300 units and agricultural consumers.

Earlier, KE had requested an increase of Rs0.32 under FCA for November 2021. NEPRA conducted a hearing on the matter on January 3, 2022 and reserved its judgement after hearing objections raised by interested and affected parties.

However, NEPRA has now issued its decision after scrutiny of records and verification of facts and figures. NEPRA officials while speaking during the hearing said that power price for KE consumers is likely to be reduced by Rs0.75 per unit instead of the Rs0.32 per unit hike as requested by KE. “Power consumers had faced an additional burden of over Rs144 million due to violation of merit order,” the NEPRA officials said. However, KE officials denied the same saying that power consumers did not bear any additional burden due to the agreements done by KE.

Pakistan’s economic conditions put PM Khan’s future in doubt AgencIeS Housewife Maira Tayyab has considered begging for money to feed her family in inflation-hit Pakistan, while shop owner Mohammad Hanif finds his thoughts turning to crime.

They’re too proud and honest to act on the impulse, but their woes are shared by millions of Pakistanis whose disgruntlement threatens Prime Minister Imran Khan’s chances of re-election next year.

“We cannot beg as we are whitecollar people,” Tayyab, 40, told AFP in Karachi, a bustling port city that is Pakistan’s financial capital.

But, she said: “We don’t know how we make ends meet.”

Inflation hit about 10 percent last year, according to the World Bank. The cooking oil price is up 130 percent since Khan took power and the cost of fuel has risen 45 percent to 145 rupees ($0.82) a litre in a year.

Tayyab’s sentiments are echoed by Kursheed Sharif, a 50-year-old mother of five, who unleashes a slew of curses as she describes her family’s woes.

“Only death seems an alternative to survival under this government,” she told AFP, close to tears, outside her unplastered rental shack.

Khan promised to sweep away decades of entrenched corruption and cronyism when his Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) party swept to power in 2018.

But his failure to deliver is already being felt at the polls, and last month the PTI was soundly thrashed in provincial elections in its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stronghold.

“The government boasts about its economic feats, but in reality it has lost its ground and credibility,” said Tauseef Ahmed Khan, a rights activist and political commentator.

InherIted a mess: Khan had campaigned on a platform of creating an Islamic welfare state, with efficient taxation on businesses and individuals funding social projects to benefit the poor.

Analysts admit he inherited a mess — and the Covid-19 pandemic has not helped — but his policies have done little to change the state of affairs.

“Nothing is stable,” said Rashid Alam, who works for an international bank in Karachi.

“Increased unemployment, increased inflation… this is the political and economic reality in Pakistan.” the numbers bear hIm out: Although the economy is forecast to grow four percent in 2022, for the past

three years it has remained largely stagnant.

The rupee has also taken a pounding, losing 12 percent to the dollar since July — not helped by a $5 billion trade deficit, and despite forex remittances from a vast diaspora growing nearly 10 percent to $12.9 billion.

Khan argued this week that Pakistan’s problems — specifically inflation — were not unique, saying it remains “one of the cheapest countries” in the world. there are some pluses: The manufacturing and service sectors are rebounding as lock downs ease, the World Bank has said, and better rains this year will boost agriculture.

But the biggest problem facing the economy is servicing nearly $127 billion in debt.

Khan successfully negotiated a $6 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan package in 2019, but only a third was paid before the tap turned off after the government failed to implement promised reforms — including slashing subsidies on a range of essentials.

Pakistan has had to accept painful conditions, such as increasing petrol and electricity prices.

Ahead of an IMF meeting later this month to decide whether to release

another tranche, the government has pushed through a mini-budget — with new or increased taxes on a range of imports, exports and services — that has drawn the ire of millions.

“Can you imagine oil and sugar prices reaching this level?” housewife Sharif lamented.

CrImInal thoughts: On the brink of defaulting, Islamabad has recently tapped $3 billion each from China and Saudi Arabia, and $2 billion from the United Arab Emirates.

“All the loans it has been taking now, from whatever sources, are to pay past loans,” said Qaiser Bengali, an independent economist.

“Essentially the economy is bankrupt. Pakistan cannot pay its loans.”

Still, nobody seems prepared to pay for services they want.

Tax evasion is almost a national sport — fewer than two million people paid in 2020, from a working population 25 times that — and receipts account for less than 10 percent of gross domestic product, the lowest in the region.

That sort of chicanery prompts Muhammad Hanif, who runs a small carbattery repair shop, to think of new ways to support his family. “(Criminal) thoughts occupy me as to how I must meet ends,” he said.

Friday, 21 January, 2022 | KARACHI

cHiNA REsuMEs woRK oN DAsu DAM

ISLAMABAD

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AnAdolu AGency

HINA on Thursday said the work on Dasu Hydropower Project in Pakistan has resumed.

The confirmation comes a day after reports that Islamabad has decided to compensate the victims of an attack on the dam last July in

which 10 China nationals died while 28 others were injured.

“The Dasu Hydropower Project in Pakistan has resumed work,” said Zhao Lijian, spokesman for that nation’s Foreign Ministry, according to Chinese daily Global Times.

A bus carrying Chinese workers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had come under attack on July 14.

The Chinese workers and accompanying local staff were proceeding to their workplace for an ongoing project when the incident took place.

Four Pakistan nationals had also lost their lives in the attack.

A report in The Express Tribune on Wednesday said the government has “decided to compensate the 36 Chinese nationals, who died and were injured in a terrorist attack last year — aimed at removing a major irritant in bilateral relations.”

“The government has worked out four different compensation amounts ranging from $4.6 million to $20.3 million,” the report claimed.

A local official had told Anadolu Agency, on the condition of anonymity, after the attack that the explosion was “apparently carried out through an improvised explosive device” near the construction site of the Dasu hydropower project in Upper Kohistan district.

The Dasu hydropower project is part of the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $65 billion project aimed at connecting China’s northwestern Xinjiang province to the port of Gwadar in Balochistan.

Beijing had asked Pakistan to thoroughly investigate the incident, and arrest the perpetrators to protect the Chinese personnel and projects, according to the state-run Global Times newspaper.

A large number of Chinese nationals are based in Pakistan to supervise infrastructure projects. The army has also created a special security division for the security of CPEC and its workforce.

Sindh notifies new Covid restrictions for schools KARAcHI StAff RepoRt

Sindh notified new restrictions in schools on Thursday in line with the directives issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) the previous day.

“In pursuance of the decision of the NCOC meeting held on 19/01/2022 and with the approval of Competent Authority, keeping in the current rapid spread of COVID-19 Omicron critical condition, the following decisions have been made for strict compliance throughout the province in all public, private and allied intuitions of Sindh under the administration of this department,” read the notification issued by the provincial School Education and Literacy Department.

According to the curbs, classes for students under 12 will continue to remain open with stringent Covid protocols with 50 percent attendance on staggered days. Whereas, for students above 12, 100 percent attendance is permitted. Vaccination of teenage students is declared mandatory (at least one dose) from February 1. “No exceptions other than medical reasons will be entertained,” it said.

Aggressive sentinel testing in educational institutions will be carried out for targeted closures in high disease prevalence education institutes, the notification said.

HAMzA witHdRAwS REquESt foR ACquittAl uNdER AMENdEd NAB lAwS lahore: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Hamza Shahbaz on Thursday withdrew his acquittal request filed on the basis of the National Accountability Bureau (Amendment) Act, 2021. An accountability court in Lahore conducted a hearing on the Ashiana Housing Scheme, Ramzan Sugar Mills and money laundering cases involving members of the Sharif family.

During the proceedings, the court approved PML-N President and National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif’s exemption request. Previously, FIA had submitted details of 45 bank accounts of Sharif, his sons Hamza and Suleman Shahbaz in the money laundering case. The concerned officials said the accused may be sentenced to seven years with a fine and seizure of properties.

Earlier, FIA had submitted a challan against Sharif and Hamza and declared them as prime accused. Sharif had termed the allegations of money laundering and kickback as baseless. inp

‘In Kabul there’s no justice’: the female student who fled to Pakistan newS DeSK Amina (name changed) used to work for an NGO in Kabul while studying at university.

She was forced to flee to Pakistan with her family once the Taliban took over. She remains trapped and fearful for her and her sisters’ future.

I currently live in Pakistan with my family. Before I left Afghanistan, I was working as a programme administrator for an NGO and I also studied business at university.

When the Taliban took over, I had no certain future. My education was not clear; my school was closed.

I was happy before the Taliban took over.

This semester we were supposed to have inperson classes. We had online classes because of the coronavirus, but it was so difficult because we didn’t have a good internet connection. So I was like a child preparing for the first day of school when we got told we could come back to the class. I was so happy and ready to go and sit

in my class and learn. What followed was worse than I could ever imagine.

I never thought that everything could vanish like that. My sister is in grade 12 and supposed to graduate high school. But after the collapse of Kabul, we had no choice but to leave. I don’t see any future for her. When I see her, my tears come. I can’t control them.

She does not have any future and as a sister I can’t do anything for her. In Kabul, I was always wandering around my room.

Sometimes at midnight, I’d wake up and think of what comes next. I was always praying for God to save my siblings, to save my parents.

We decided to leave a month ago when we saw the situation getting worse; people are dying in the streets and their homes, and there’s no justice. There is no certainty and no security. We didn’t know when or for what reason we would be killed.

We left the country and we came here [to Pakistan], but the struggle is the same. I don’t see any future for myself or for my siblings. But I

am at least happy; I saved my life and my family’s. I applied for the UK evacuation scheme because of my work and my [other] sister is an artist and journalist. But still, we have not heard anything specific from them. Sometimes I receive emails but as much as I reply, they do not respond telling me exactly what I should do. We are just waiting here. I wish I could explain the difficulties we go through. We don’t have a place to live, everything is more expensive and people live on the street, and you don’t know the language. My siblings don’t have any access to school. It is like being imprisoned in a house, in a room.

I wish I could tell the UK government there’s so many other people who are waiting for a better future or so many other people who are displaced. I wish I could show them the pain and the uncertainty. We don’t have any other options. We can’t go back to our country but we can’t continue to live here.

This interview first appeared in Guardian and has been reproduced.

NEWS

03

sc bins Musharraf’s 2013 appeal against nomination rejection Islamabad: The Supreme Court on Thursday threw out an appeal filed by the former president Pervez Musharraf against the rejection of his nomination papers for the 2013 general elections, declaring it was inadmissible for the proceedings. A three-member bench headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial was hearing the appeal. The court, in its remarks, said the former president would be able to defend objections to his nomination papers in case he again contested an election. The court said the parliament elected in the general elections of 2013 stood dissolved. Iqbal Hashmi, counsel for Musharraf, told the court his client had submitted his papers for a Karachi constituency. “The former president’s second petition is against a Peshawar High Court (PHC) decision,” he told the court. The SC ordered that a larger bench be constituted for hearing the former president’s second appeal. When Hashmi requested the court to fix the same date for the hearing of both the appeals, Justice Bandial remarked that today’s petition had already been thrown out. “Let’s wait what comes out of the second one when a larger bench of the apex court takes it up for the hearing,” he added. StAff RepoRt

iHc allows Asif to cross-examine imran in 2012 defamation suit Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday allowed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) MP Khawaja Asif to cross-examine Prime Minister Imran Khan in a defamation suit the latter initiated against the former in 2012. Ten years ago, Khan sent Asif a defamation notice demanding from him Rs10 billion in damages after he accused then-Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman of investing, and losing in real estate gambling, $4.5 million — which was donated to Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital (SKMH) in the form of donations — abroad. On December 17, Khan testified before an additional district and sessions judge through a video link from his office, recalling he remained the biggest individual donor of the charitable facility between 1991 and 2009 and the investments, against which allegations had been levelled, were recovered by the trust without any loss. However, objecting to the proceedings, Asif maintained the judge, by choosing to conduct the hearing virtually, unilaterally closed his right of cross-examination of the prime minister, and sought the same During the proceedings on Thursday, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah approved his request, directing to conclude the matter at the earliest by holding daily hearings.

Justice Minallah, during the previous hearing, had questioned how long had the matter been pending? At this, he was informed the suit was filed in December 2012 but the questions were formulated only in 2021. The counsel for Asif responded both parties had taken adjournments over the course of proceedings. He claimed that initially, Khan had not pursued the case and only started doing so later.

He observed the PML-N MP was in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) between December 2020 and June 2021 when the issues were framed. Asif had subjected Khan to similar claims in 2017 as well when he was Minister for Defense in the government of now-deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Speaking to a group of reporters, he had claimed Khan invested the charity money meant for SKMH and Namal Institute in France and Oman. StAff RepoRt

04 NEWS 21st January 2022 KHI-ISB_Layout 1 20/01/2022 11:58 pm Page 1

Friday, 21 January, 2022 | KARACHI

04 NEWS

E&P comPaniEs drill 217 wElls in 40 months IsLAMABAD

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since 2018-19. According to details, the E&P companies, operating in different parts of the country, have drilled around 217 wells including 87 exploratory and 130 appraisals and development during the last three years.

As a result of the exploration and development activities, the companies produced an additional 32,496,029 barrels of oil and 1,436,546 MMCF gas in 2018-19; around

Staff RepoRt

HE oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) companies have drilled around 217 wells during a 40-month period, producing an additional 32,496,029 barrels of oil and 1,436,546 million cubic feet (mmcf) gas

ministry plans to set up 18 more technology parks by december IsLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Ministry of Information Technology has set a target to establish 18 more software technology parks by the end of December 2022, taking the number of technology parks up to 40 by December 2022. A senior official of the Ministry of Information Technology said that the ministry has plan to establish 18 more Software Technology Parks in order to provide space, related facilities and services to IT sector companies. He said that the facility is part of the government strategy to develop IT zones and software parks besides setting up purposebuilt software technology parks in major cities of the country. He said that these IT zones, software and technology parks would help promote efficient and costeffective collaboration, digitalisation, R&D entrepreneurship and innovation to meet the needs of the modern era. “The setting up of IT parks will not only give a fresh impetus to the IT sector, but it will also provide job opportunities for the people,” he added. He said that Pakistan’s IT companies were providing services to world institutions in over 120 countries. He said that Pakistan’s IT industry was rapidly progressing and our IT exports are also increasing. The official said that the federal government is focusing on increasing the growth of the IT sector to enhance exports, adding it is contrary to the past practices when excessive reliance was placed on exports from traditional sectors like textile.

28,086,649 barrels of oil and 1,316,635 MMCF gas in 2019-20; as many as 27,568,461 barrels of oil and 1,279,243 MMCF gas in 2020-21 and 9,295,184 barrels of oil and 415,366 MMCF gas in first four months of the current fiscal year.

In 2021-22, the E&P companies would produce around 29 million barrels of crude oil and 1.47 trillion cubic feet (TCF) gas and

917,731 tons of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) under the targets given by the government to meet the country’s energy needs.

In 2020-21, the companies had produced around 27 MBL of crude oil, 1.27 TCF of gas and 764,775 tons LPG during the last year against the targets of 30 MBL oil, 1.43 TCF gas and 753,051 LPG. The country had been divided into four

Over Rs2.8bn utilised on TAPI, PSGP projects under GIDC IsLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The government has utilised Rs2,819.98 million in advancement of two strategic projects, including the TAPI and PSGP to meet the country’s energy needs.

The government has collected around Rs332,107 million Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC) by October last.

“Total collection of GIDC from January 2012 to October 2021 stood at Rs332,107 million, out of which an amount of Rs2,819.98 million has been utilised as of November, 2021 in connection with Infrastructure Development Projects i.e.

Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India (TAPI) gas pipeline and Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline (PSGP) (Formerly North-South Gas Pipeline (NSGP) Project). The two gas pipeline projects have

great significance for the country as its existing hydrocarbon deposits are depleting by 9 percent annually and the oil and gas exploration companies could not find any major deposits like Sui since long.

Under the TAPI project, a gas pipeline would be laid from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan and Pakistan up to Pak-India border. The planned construction and commissioning time of the project is two years after achievement of the financial close.

Turkmenistan, being the consortium leader for the TAPI project, is contributing up to 85 percent of equity, while the rest members Afghanistan, Pakistan and India have decided to take 5 percent each equity share in the project company.

The TAPI gas pipeline has been long aborning, but its prospects recently got a shot in the arm. The 1100-mile and $10 billion project, which has seen numerous de-

lays since the pipeline consortium, was announced in late 2014, though the project was first mooted in 1991.

Construction started in early 2018 with a projected in-service date of 2021, but halted later that year after workers clearing the route were killed by unknown assailants.

Also, the project’s $10 billion cost estimate is a decade old, and an update may cause further delay to the Asian Development Bank-funded effort that is now slated to resume work in September 2022. Turkmenistan will loan Afghanistan the funds for its share of the project, to be repaid from gas transit revenues.

The completed pipeline will allow Turkmenistan to reduce its reliance on its biggest gas customer, China, which has recently taken most of Turkmenistan’s gas exports, though in 2021 the country dou-

SC issues notices in case of surging prices of edible oil News Desk The Supreme Court issued notices on Wednesday, pertaining to the case of the surging prices of ghee and cooking oil to the parties involved, seeking their written objections.

Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Jawed Khan pointed out that the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) had issued notices to a company for increasing ghee and cooking oil prices.

He told a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed, that the case in hand was very pertinent in terms of the authority of the regulators. That

company, he added, went on to file writ against the commission’s notices.

The attorney general said the powers of the regulators should be clarified in the guidelines by the court. “Litigation against the decisions of the regulators also stops revenue,” he added.

The attorney general requested the top court to set guidelines on the powers of all regulatory bodies to protect the rights of company owners and consumers.

Granting the attorney general’s request, the court issued notices to the parties and sought written submissions from them.

Putting Kashmir dispute as a vital security interest of Pakistan a welcome sign: Kashmir Committee IsLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Shehryar Khan Afridi Thursday said that the National Security Policy is a timely and prudent initiative and it has put Kashmir dispute as a vital security interest of Pakistan which is a welcome sign.

He expressed these views while addressing the participants of the in-camera meeting of the Committee held here at the Parliament House.

National Security Advisor Moeed Yousuf briefed the committee on the National Security Policy. He said that irrespective of the debate on the policy, Jammu and Kashmir has been listed as a separate entity in the policy document and has been declared as vital national security interest of the country.

It merits mention that identifying Kashmir as vital national security interest means that any threat to vital national security interest would evoke war.

Moeed said the policy revolves around economic security. He said that our target is the economic security and ideally we want to normalise relations with India, Afghanistan and other neighbours without compromising our core issues and vital national interests.

“Jammu and Kashmir is vital national security interest for Pakistan and no normalisation can take place while compromising Kashmir dispute,” he added.

He said Kashmiris are facing crimes against humanity and war crimes at hand of the Indian Illegally occupational

exploration licensing zones, consisting of West Balochistan-Pishin-Potowar Basins, Kirthar, East Balochistan-Punjab platformSuleman Basins, Lower Indus Basins and Indus & Makran Basins. The country’s total existing sedimentary area is around 827,268 square kilometers (KM2), out of which 320, 741-km or 39 percent of the area is under exploration.

NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY IS A TIMELY AND PRUDENT INITIATIVE, SHEHRYAR AFRIDI

regime in Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan would keep exposing Indian crimes to the world. Spokesperson of MOFA Asim Iftikhar said that the policy document describes Kashmir dispute as vital national security interest.

He said that the policy reaffirms political, moral support to Kashmiris. He said that resolution of Jammu and Kashmir dispute is central to our relations with India and it is for the first time Pakistan declared Kashmir as vital national security interest. “The policy says that the people of Jammu and Kashmir would decide their future through right to self-determination per UN resolutions.

The onus is on India to create enabling environment for peace and development in the region.

The international community is increasingly criticising India for atrocities and war crimes being committed by India’s Illegally occupational regime in Jammu and Kashmir, ” he added.

Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed said that Moeed Yousaf had added new ideas and vigour to the policymaking and all members laud his role. He said that both houses of the Parliament should also be briefed on the National Security Policy.

Moeed Yousaf said that the Na-

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tional Security Division had briefed the Parliamentary Committee on National Security but the opposition had observed its boycott for political reasons.

He said that this policy is a start and it would evolve with the input coming from various stakeholders.

Shehryar Khan Afridi asked what is the proposals of the NSP about Beharis, Bengalis and Afghans living in Pakistan as refugees or destitute. He said that the policy proposals about non-state actors should also be briefed.

The meeting also discussed a detailed plan to observe February 5 as Black Day.

bled its gas exports to Russia, which used to be the biggest importer of Turkmen gas until it was displaced by China in 2010.

For Pakistan, the pipeline would help solve the country’s persistent energy shortfalls, such as the deficit between current gas production of 4 billion cubic feet per day (BCFD) against demand of 6 BCFD. By 2025, gas production is expected to fall to less than 1 BCFD due to depletion of gas reserves while demand increases to 8 BCFD. In late 2020, Pakistan and Russia signed a deal to complete the 700-mile Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline, to move LNG from Port Qasim (Karachi) to Kasur.

Pakistan may be dealing with Russia to balance against China, or maybe the deal was decided on strictly dollars-and-cents terms. Regardless, this project may crowd out attention and funding for Pakistan’s phase of TAPI.

hammad hails Japan’s commitment for more energy investments IsLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Federal Energy Minister Hammad Azhar has appreciated the long-standing engagement of Japan with Pakistan for improving its economic and social infrastructure. Hammad Azhar expressed these views while talking to the Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan Mitsuhiro Wada, who called on him on Thursday. Showing satisfaction at the current level of excellent bilateral ties, the minister lauded the Japanese investment, particularly in the energy sector. He highlighted that Pakistan’s energy sector offers vast opportunities for investment and urged Japanese entrepreneurs to come forward and invest by taking advantage of the business friendly environment in the country. Ambassador Mitsuhiro Wada informed that 2022 marks the 70th year of Japan-Pakistan diplomatic relations and many activities will be organised by both sides to mark this milestone achievement The Japanese envoy recalled that the government of Japan had been investing in Pakistan in the power sector and reassured that Japan would further enhance its investment portfolio in Pakistan. Separately, addressing a news conference on Thursday, Hammad Azhar has said that the government is taking every possible step to achieve sustainable economic growth. He said that Pakistan’s economy would grow faster than the 2021 forecast. “Made the assessment on 7th April 2021 that economic growth will beat all forecasts,” he tweeted.

As per final figure, the economy grew at 5.37 per cent last year. He said despite various challenges, including COVID-19, all economic indicators are showing positive trends, which is great news for the country.

Hammad Azhar, who also heads the Ministry of Industries & Production, said due to prudent economic policies of the government, Pakistan’s circular debt is being decreased by 130 billion rupees annually and expressed the confidence that the country witnessed three percent growth in agriculture, 7.8 percent in industries and 5.7 percent in services sector. He said tax collection and exports are increasing as a result of better policies pursued by the government.

Friday, 21 January, 2022 | KARACHI

NEWS

Islamabad, Tokyo agree to enhance trade in agri products

FoREx RESERvES FAll $551.7m To $23.35Bn on dEBT PAymEnT KaracHi

iSLamaBad Mian abrar

Pakistan and Japan on Thursday agreed to further enhance trade, particularly trade in agriculture products, besides enhancing mutual cooperation.

Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan Mitsuhiro Wada and the Federal Minister for National Food Security Syed Fakhar Imam held a meeting on Thursday.

Imam said that the two countries could immensely benefit from exchange in agriculture research and value-added technologies. He praised the quality of mechanization in Japan and said that Japan and Pakistan had huge trade potential. Pakistan had export potential with respect to citrus fruits, rice, mangoes, onion, potatoes, fisheries and livestock, he added.

He said Pakistan has 8 million tons of rice, which could be exported to Japan and added that a value-added industry needed to be set up to fully take advantage of its agricultural products.

Imam said that Pakistan exported approximately 144,000 tonnes of mangoes internationally and hence its export to Japan also had huge potential.

The minister said Pakistan faced a number of challenges but with the right policy interventions under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the agriculture sector was transformed. He said that Pakistani agriculture had been tottering along the traditional agricultural techniques and it was time that we started to look ahead to the future in terms of modernization.

Imam also highlighted the government’s efforts and said that in the last 70 years the main set back to research was insufficient funds, adding that this was the first time in the history that under Prime Minister Initiative Program billions of rupees had been invested in agricultural research which had led to record production of wheat, maize and rice last year.

Mitsuhiro Wada, speaking on the occasion, told the minister that Pakistani agricultural products had huge potential if they were converted into value-added products through processing. He said that Pakistan was one of the biggest exporters of shrimp, mangoes, dates and rice to Japan.

He showed great interest in importing rice from Pakistan in addition to fisheries and said that Japan imports rice from Pakistan and had a substantial market for fisheries. The ambassador said that Japan is greatly interested in increasing trade between the two countries.

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staff report

HE foreign exchange reserves dropped by $551.7 million (2 percent) on a week-on-week basis to reach $23.35 billion during the week ended January 14, 2022.

According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the foreign exchange reserves dropped from $23.9 billion to

$23.35 billion due to external debt and other payments.

The foreign currency reserves held by the SBP during the week decreased by $562 million (3 percent) on a weekon-week basis to $17 billion. The SBP’s foreign reserves were recorded at $17,597.9 million on January 07.

On the other hand, the reserves of commercial banks inched up by $10.5 million to $6.31 billion from $6.3 billion in the previous week. The foreign

exchange reserves held by commercial banks fell $29 million to $6.30 billion from $6.33 billion in the previous week.

The foreign exchange reserves held by the central bank soared to an all-time high of $20.15 billion after Pakistan received a general allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) worth $2,751.8 million from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on August 24.

Former judge Rana Shamim indicted in affidavit case continued from page 01 He further maintained that those related to the appeals for whom the affidavit was published had not brought it on record, stating that if there was a mistake the court should be informed and action will be taken.

The attorney general “humbly” requested for charges on Rana Shamim to be framed, while charges on others to be postponed.

To this, Rana Shamim requested for an impartial inquiry into the affidavit, claiming that he “did

not say a word” about the court.

However, the IHC declared the request inadmissible and also dismissed Rana Shamim’s petition seeking the transfer of the attorney general as the prosecutor.

President of the IHC Journalists Association Saqib Bashir also appeared before the court and said that as per the opinion of the attorney general and judicial assistants, the criminal proceedings against the journalists should be postponed.

Subsequently, the court indicted the ex-GB CJ but postponed the indictment against others.

Lahore blast leaves three martyred, 20 injured continued from page 01 A newly formed terrorist group based in Balochistan claimed responsibility in a text message sent to a Reuters reporter.

It said a bank was the target of

the attack. Police said they were investigating. Buzdar was quoted as saying by the media that the incident “is aimed at sabotaging the atmosphere of law and order”.

He also directed the provincial police chief to submit a report.

Shortly after the incident, the deputy commissioner directed the civil defence officials to deploy a bomb disposal squad to the neighbourhood, ordering them to conduct a complete and thorough sweep of the area.

150 vending licenses given under Prime Minister’s Ehsaas Rehribaan Initiative iSLamaBad pr

At the Sir Syed Memorial Hall in Islamabad, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) and Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) jointly organized the Ehsaas Rehribaan Conference.

The event was themed, “Transformation of Street Vending in Islamabad and Lessons for Urban Pakistan”.

Senator, Dr Sania Nishtar, SAPM was the chief guest at the conference. She distributed vending licenses, issued by the municipality, among the street vendors of Prime Minister’s Ehsaas Rehribaan initiative. Around 150 street vendors, who are given vending licenses and new ecofriendly carts under Ehsaas Rehribaan participated in the conference.

Purpose of the conference was to highlight the transformation of street vending in Islamabad under the ongoing Ehsaas Rehribaan initiative and its lessons for replication in Urban Pakistan. High number of officials and representatives from municipality, government agencies, academia, microfinance banks and civil

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society also attended.

In her address, Dr Nishtar appreciated the first of its kind collaboration between government, academia and private sector in structuring a sustainable intervention for providing an enabling environment to street vendors. “This initiative has been taken under the direct policy directives of the Prime Minister”, said Dr. Sania.

Further, she recognized the fact that this initiative creates opportunities for livelihoods and contributes to climate

change efforts through solar system-fitted carts. She expressed her hope that the programme will continue with the pace to cover other areas of the city and later replicated in other cities of the country Zia Banday, Focal Person of Ehsaas Rehribaan initiative, presented the background and progress of the programme.

He informed that by covering 177-street vendors in just 4 markets, the ongoing programme has already generated Rs.3.5 million in license fee, Rs.17.5 million in

capital investment and Rs.11.5 million in cart loans. Local street economy of estimated 20,000 vendors has the potential of generating Rs. 480 million in government revenues and annual turnover in the range of Rs.36-43 billion. Programme has the strong transparency element attached, which is based upon the survey of only existing street vendors. U Microfinance Bank and Apna Microfinance Bank are the pivot for the programme with zero default rate in cart loans till date.

Dr. Nadeem-ul-Haque, Vice Chancellor, PIDE, elaborated on the potential of street economy for furthering job generation and economic growth. He mentioned that street vendors are integral part of the society and economy, who needs to be embraced by the government.

Hamza Shafqat, Administrator MCI and Deputy Commissioner, Islamabad, assured the street vendors that local government is gearing itself to support the expansion of the initiative for its expeditious coverage of street vendors. He recognized the fact about the resistance of traders’ associations to the programme implementation, where government is working to overcome it.

Pakistan has been looking to build its foreign currency reserves on the back of loans, remittances, and higher exports. However, foreign direct investment continues to be an area of concern for policymakers.

The reserves level is also critical for Pakistan to build an import cover with the bill crossing $5 billion each month, putting pressure on the currency that fell to its weakest level against the US dollar this month.

FBR fails to recover money from Aima Baig’s bank accounts LAHORE: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has frozen bank accounts of singer Aima Baig for not paying tax. Media reports said that before the action of FBR, the singer had withdrawn her all money from the banks and the inquiry team was unable to recover any amount from her accounts. The tax collection body attempted to recover money from the singer’s account, but Baig had already withdrawn Rs25 million from her bank accounts and emptied them before FBR could get to it. Moreover, the FBR has launched proceedings to seize Aima Baig’s cars. Baig is reportedly a defaulter of Rs85 million in income taxes. She has not paid her taxes in years 2018, 2019, and 2020. The singer was served a notice by the FBR on January 14. She has been in the headlines these days as she has been picked along with popular singer Atif Aslam to sing this year’s anthem of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). She was also featured in last year’s anthem ‘Groove Mera’, which was a hit. Earlier, the FBR had issued a notice to Aima Baig for alleged non-payment of income tax in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Baig is one of the most popular female voices in Pakistan. In the last seven years, she has recorded several hits and has won local and international awards. news desk

SBP digitises refinance process of EFS KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has digitised the process of obtaining refinance from the central bank by banks under the Export Finance Scheme (EFS). A press release said now the EFS related cases and other relevant data will be submitted electronically to the State Bank by banks through an online platform for expeditious regulatory decisions. Initially, it added, the digitized process of EFS cases will run in parallel with existing manual submission, thereafter, the paper-based submission of cases by banks will permanently give way to the electronic submission of cases. According to the press release, this online platform will also enable banks to track the updated status of EFS related cases submitted to SBP/SBPBSC, on a real-time basis. Banks will be able to retrieve the systemgenerated reports for updated status for onward sharing with their customers, it said. The State Bank said under the digitized mechanism, there will be no need of transferring an exporter’s limit from one SBP BSC office to another SBP BSC office. This will ensure swift processing of EFS cases and benefit the banks/exporters availing financing facility under EFS. staff report

Over 1100 graduate with a promising future at NUST combined convocation iSLamaBad pr

BS, MS and PhD degrees were conferred upon over 1100 graduates at the NUST combined convocation of Research Centre for Modelling & Simulation, Research Institute for Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Studies, US-Pakistan Centre for Advanced Studies in Energy and NUST Institute of Peace & Conflict Studies. Held at NUST Islamabad campus the other day, the convocation was graced by Lt Gen (Retd) Javed Mahmood Bukhari, Rector NUST, as chief guest.

In his convocation address, Rector NUST felicitated the graduates upon suc-

cessful completion of their degrees, which he termed a powerful token of their unwavering commitment to the pursuit of excellence. He was all-praise for parents without whose support, sacrifices and prayers, he believed, the students would not have come this far. He contended that the parents’ labour of love could never be justifiably reciprocated by their children no matter what.

The Rector also paid glowing tribute to faculty for their dedication and making their students comprehend difficult and complex concepts, while cultivating the ability to sift right from wrong. He maintained that they not only equipped them with technical knowledge but also sharpened their mental

faculties, such that they could think original and out-of-the-box.

Bestowing a few life lessons upon students, he said that life is a continuous struggle in which they cannot relax for long or else will lag behind. He said that today they have entered a decisively different phase of their lives, since they have been the major recipients of all good things in life till now, whether it was the love and support of their parents or the guidance and grooming of their teachers. However, he said, today this equation changes in a fundamental way – one that would entail greater responsibility, which must be reflected in their attitude, actions and the choices they would make in

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their lives ahead. He also advised them to make correct assessments of the challenges facing Pakistan, emphasising that there is

infinite room for utilising their resourcefulness of mind and spirit towards finding their solutions.

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Friday, 21 January, 2022

06 COMMENT

More than meets the eye

The tragedy in Murree Is the bureaucracy entirely to blame?

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heRe were no doubt serious administrative lapses that led to 23 tourists, including children, dying in cars stranded in snow January 9 in Murree. Those who returned home alive had gone through a harrowing experience. The tragedy could have been avoided if the authorities had promptly taken note of the bad weather conditions and issued timely warnings to tourists. They failed to take note of the Met Office’s heavy snowfall warning. For almost a week they ignored the unending flow of thousands of tourists’ cars converging on the hill resort till the situation got out of everybody’s control.

Initially the government tried to absolve itself of responsibility by putting all blame on the tourists.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry maintained at a press conference that the record influx of tourists was next to impossible to handle for the local administration. With public pressure mounting, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar set up a committee to find who was responsible for the tragedy. The committee’s report puts the entire blame on the bureaucracy. Mr Buzdar asserted at his press conference that the complete chain of command of Rawalpindi division failed to perform its duties and was unable to identify the looming risk. he ordered the suspension of the entire chain of command comprising 15 officials. The chief minister claimed that he had promised holding a fair and transparent inquiry into the Murree tragedy and taking action against all those whose negligence led to the death of 23 people, and that he had fulfilled his promise.

There is no doubt about the gross negligence on the part of the government machinery in Murree. Those found napping have to be dealt with according to government rules. The buck however doesn’t stop there. Mr Buzdar cannot exonerate himself of the tragic happenings. The Punjab Chief Minister is in the habit of transferring the blame to government officials for problems created by his own incompetence. Top bureaucrats have therefore been frequently transferred. This is precisely what he has done in this case also.

During the last more than three years Mr Buzdar transferred seven Assistant Commissioners from Murree, leaving no official with local experience in place to deal with the situation. This also explains the failure to stop illegal constructions and encroachments that have turned the hill station into a virtual Raja Bazar.

Amid turmoil succession struggles At Penpoint m A NIAZI

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he reports of the exchange of hot words between Prime Minister Imran Khan and Defence Minister Pervez Khattak at the recent PTI parliamentary party meeting have been strenuously denied, but not so easily denied was the outburst of Noor Alam Khan in the National Assembly. While parliamentary meetings are closeddoor, sessions of the National Assembly are open unless deemed to be closed doors. Preventing outbursts from ruling party members against the ministry is not considered a reason to make a session off-limits to the public.

Noor Alam’s outburst was against the Cabinet, the Prime Minister and the KP Chief Minister. There is a whiff of provincial politics over the whole affair, and Khattak is the former KP Chief Minister. even though he has got one of the most high-profile portfolios in the Cabinet, he does not exercise the same authority over the armed forces as he did over the province. even at the time he was being moved to Islamabad, after the 2018 PTI victory, he jibbed a lot, and his assumption that Imran owed him big-time may have contributed to his resenting the fact that someone else was all-in-all in the province, and that too someone who had once been a member of his provincial Cabinet.

One commonality he has with Mehmood Khan is that they both started politics in the PPP. however, the problem he now faces, Mehmood Khan does not.

Can he in good conscience remain in office, as a member of Imran’s Cabinet? In principle, he cannot.

The problem he set himself is that he made his criticism in the parliamentary party meeting. That was not really private enough a forum to complain. however, the aftermath, which was a meeting with Imran and energy Minister hammad Azhar, may have been the fight place, but by them it was perhaps too late.

True, any complaints should have been expressed only in a meeting with the PM, and not in a parliamentary party meeting, but it reflected badly on Imran’s management style that a minister holding a senior portfolio should not already have virtually unlimited access to the Prime Minister. he should not have to bring constituency issues to him, nor need his intervention to get the attention of any Cabinet colleague. however, not only has he probably found out that having such an important portfolio does not get him the respect he should have, as he finds himself squeezed out by one of his subordinate officials, the COAS. Technically, the four service hQs are equal to secretariats of the Defence Ministry, and are headed by a secretary general. Thus the service

The Chinese puzzle Beneath a surface of amity, real issues

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he meeting of Chinese Ambassador Xi Ron with Chief of Army Staff with Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa may be seen as preparatory to the impending visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Beijing for the opening of the Winter Olympics there, but it has a significance of its own, because of General Bajwa’s previous foray into Sino-Pak relations, when he intervened after PM’s Commerce Adviser Razzak Dawood had made adverse comments about CPeC, and mended fences with China.

CPeC still remains an issue, as progress on its schemes, particularly on its latest phase are both proceeding as smoothly as could be wished.

Mr Khan’s visit to China not being a bilateral visit, he may only meet Chinese President Xi Jinping briefly at the opening of the games, but there are issues which have arisen which do not bode well for the future of the relationship. Apart from the progress on CPeC, there is also the failure to capture the perpetrators of the July incident in Dasu, in which nine Chinese citizens were killed, as promised, but also the pay compensation for those killings, and the May 2019 attack on the Gwadar hotel where the Chinese ambassador was staying. It is not without significance that this came under discussion during General Bajwa’s call.

It is significant that this meeting should take place at a time when Pakistan is doing its best to steer a course between the USA and China at a time when the two seem headed for a new Cold War. There is a strong lobby in Islamabad, which wants the US relationship strengthened, and which parrots US arguments about Pakistan falling into the Chinese debt trap. That lobby would also like to see Pakistan and China fall apart because of security concerns for both arising from the US discomfiture in Kabul and the success there of the Taliban. Pakistan must realize that the special relationship needs it to be more responsive to Chinese concerns rather than making unjustified assumptions about Chinese patience never wearing thin.

AdAm JAbbAr

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ATA is something that is all around us and is created in almost every action we do in the digital world. We actively exchange data online, and data is generated whenever we perform any activity only. Booking a ticket online, ordering a meal from a food delivery app, or using public transit, all contribute to exchanging data online. When data is of significant value, there is ambiguity about it, and several companies are inclined to use this approach to data.

In today’s technologically advanced world, data is the new currency. Data security and privacy are currently receiving much-needed attention, as they should be. Despite all of the information available, data’s potential is yet unknown. Given that businesses collect a large amount of sensitive user data to provide services, it is reasonable to assume that security must be a top priority.

Legal scholars all across the world are still trying to figure out what these basic data concepts mean.

While other nations have enacted comprehensive data privacy laws in response to the pressing need, Pakistan lags in the race to secure the public’s data.

With the rise of user-generated data and the exponential industrial worth of data, it’s becoming increasingly important for government authorities to defend individuals’ data rights. Individuals’ personal data is protected by data-protection legislation, which governs the collection, use, transfer, and disclosure of such data. They also provide individuals access to their data and impose accountability standards on companies that collect personal data, as well as giving remedies for unauthorized or harmful processing.

Customer information, personnel records, data collecting, and transactions are all examples of vital information that should be safeguarded on your website.

Identity theft, phishing, and hacking are all examples of fraudulent actions that may be prevented with data pro-

Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

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Umar Aziz

Joint Editor

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

Such a mechanism probably does not exist because there is no way that the new leader would be able to avoid being wiped out at the next election.

The PTI is no exception. however, parties have now got used to having PMs who do not belong to the ruling family, with the PPP having two and the PML(N) one. The PTI does not have the problem of finding a replacement that can fight the next election, but it may have to find a PM for the rest of the term, or until a dissolution occurs ahead of time. That PM will not be a free choice of the PTI parliamentary party, nor even decided by the leader of the party, in the PPP or PML(N), but will be decided by the establishment. It is not without significance that Khattak is among those mentioned as a possibility for the office.

Noor Alam Khan’s outburst may merely be an application for a seat in any future Khattak ministry. It would be a high-risk strategy if Noor Alam had any chance of being included in anyone else’s Cabinet, but if Khattak was his only chance, then it makes sense.

It would seem that there is a reversion to the 1950s, to the period between the assassination of Liaquat Ali Khan in 1951 and the imposition of Martial Law in 1958, when there was an apparent kaleidoscope of PMs, and the approval for their elevation did not come from Parliament, but the establishment. While the leaders of both the PPP and the PML(N) had both been rendered incapable of becoming PM, and the PMs emerging did not owe their positions to their having risen to the top, but because they had been selected by their party leaders, not the party as a whole.

The PTI should have been different, a reversion to the old pattern of the charismatic figure, the votegetter, becoming PM. however, Imran may have fulfilled that, but maneuvering is now taking place to replace him. For the first time, the replacement will not have the approval of the party leader. however, perhaps it was inevitable that, in a deal which saw a political outsider become PM, the other party (the establishment) would want to decide who was to be PM. Imran at least had a history of achievement as a sportsman and a philanthropist. It can be rightly said that he imposed himself on the establishment. Now, it seems, the establishment wants a freer choice, one who has no illusions about himself.

Imran at least had a history of achievement as a sportsman and a philanthropist. It can be righly said that he imposed himself on the establishment.

Now, it seems, the establishment wants a freer choice, one who has no illusions about himself

The writer is a member of staff.

Why does data privacy matter for Pakistan?

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Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

chiefs and the chairman outrank the Defence Secretary, who heads the Defence Division, to which they are supposed to report. The Secretary Defence has of recent years been a retired lieutenant general.

While this might be quoted as an example of healthy intra-party debate, the absence of a leadership replacement mechanism means that the debate can go nowhere. The PTI is by no means alone in not having such a mechanism; the PML(N) and the PPP also lack one. The probable reason is that the parties in Pakistan are more political vehicles for their leaders than collections of people with the same ideology. This might explain why the parties have such a strong hereditary streak. The PPP is now in its third generation of Bhuttos, and though the Sharifs are still in their first generation at the helm of the PML(N), it is reasonably clear that the eponymous leader, Mian Nawaz Sharif wanted to be succeeded by his eldest child and daughter Maryam, while his brother Shehbaz, currently head of the party, wants his mantle taken over by the his son hamza.

More importantly, large parts of the party are willing to go along with these succession plans.

The hereditary factor is so ubiquitous that it can be seen in other parties: the PML(Q) has seen Ch Moonis elahi become a thirdgeneration federal minister (being the son of Ch Pervez elahi and maternal grandson of Ch Zahoor elahi), the JUI(F) is headed by the son of Mufti Mahmud, the ANP is headed by Asfandyar Wali, himself a third-generation party chief, and the PKMAP by Mahmud Achakzai, the son of party founder Samad Achakzai. examples abound of leaders owing their positions of fathers and grandfathers.

Is Khattak doing the next best thing to a leadership challenge in which he is a contender, and throwing his hat into the ring and obliquely angling for the Prime Ministership. Certainly, that is the only possible step up he could hope for on his career trajectory but the only mechanism possible does not exist in the PTI, or any other major political party.

At the beginning of every Parliament, there is a parliamentary party meeting which formally elects the party leader as its leader, and that person is the party’s nominee for PM. however, there is no mechanism whereby a member may challenge the leader, and declare that he or she would be a better candidate, not just to be PM, but to lead the party at the next election.

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tection. Names, emails, addresses, health information, phone numbers, and a credit card or bank details may be stored by your company. Such data contains sensitive information that, if it falls into the wrong hands, might jeopardize the security of all parties concerned.

In recent years, Pakistan has had several data breaches, indicating the necessity for the nation to reassess its cyber security policy in the battle against identity theft. Pakistan must prioritize the creation of strong data protection and cybercrime laws as part of a larger cyber security policy that prioritizes citizen rights.

Cyberlaw advocates have long urged that data protection regulations must always be included in cyber security frameworks to avoid breaches and exploitation of individuals’ personal information. National identity card programs like NADRA, which is one of the world’s biggest centralized citizens’ databases, show how such systems may have large-scale and long-term privacy concerns.

In Pakistan, leaks of government-held databases and corporate-held databasesy theft-related crimes.

Pakistan doesn’t have any comprehensive legislation that deals with the protection of data and privacy. The Prevention of electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (‘PeCA’) is currently the primary legislation that provides a legal framework concerning various kinds of electronic crimes and also extends to the unauthorized access to personal data.

The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan accords the right to privacy as a fundamental right. Article 14(1) at “[t]he dignity of man and, subject to law, the privacy of home, shall be inviolable.”

Pakistan’s Courts have not been able to lay down any scope for the right of one’s information privacy (which involves the establishment of rules governing the collection and handling of personal data such as credit information and medical records).

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications (MOITT’) has further promulgated the Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguard) Rules 2020 Section 37 of PeCA provides that the Pakistan

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Telecommunication Authority (‘PTA’) will have the power to remove, block, or issue directions for the removal or blocking of access to information through any information system if it considers it necessary concerning, inter alia, incitement of any offense under PeCA. In addition to the above, MOITT had introduced the Personal Data Protection Bill 2021 (the Bill’), which is yet to be promulgated into law. The Bill, once enacted, will be the main legislation regulating controllers and processors of personal data in Pakistan and will apply to any person who processes, has control over, or authorizes the processing of any personal data, provided that the data subject, data controller, or data processor (either local or foreign) is located in Pakistan.

The eU had adopted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to harmonize data privacy laws across all of its member countries as well as provide greater protection and rights to individuals. GDPR was also created to alter how businesses and other organizations can handle the information of those that interact with them. There’s the potential for large fines and reputational damage for those found in breach of the rules. In addition, the US and the eU have implemented the eU-US Privacy Shield Framework outside of their respective country-specific regulations. Not to mention, while other nations are still working on their privacy laws, China released the first draft of its Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) for public comment on October 21, 2020, as their response to GDPR, which was too specific to Chinese norms.

Various nations’ measures imply that Data Privacy legislation should be implemented. Regrettably, Pakistan’s data protection laws are almost non-existent. Pakistan to secure people’s information and defend their data privacy, regardless of developments in the digital world.

The writer is an Advocate of the High Court. He specializes in Cyber and Technology Laws, advising various local and international tech firms, government ministries, and international organizations. He can be reached at adam.qasurilaw@gmail.com

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

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Friday, 21 January, 2022

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

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Plastic bottles

Bangladesh’s role in combating maritime threat in the strategic Bay of Bengal A vast area needs all to cooperate JubedA Chowdhury

T

he Bay of Bengal, the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, is of great political, economic, and cultural importance to its coastal countries of Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and Indonesia. With maritime trade, fishing, and tourism being the region’s most significant economic activities, it faces a variety of maritime security issues, including illicit trade, piracy, armed robbery, and illegal fishing.

Incidents of human trafficking after the influx of the Rohingya refugees’ influx to Bangladesh from Myanmar in 2017, piracy, and attacking seamen at the cargo and fishing trawlers and engine boats on the seaway, are increasing day by day.

Crews, boatmen, fishermen, and owners of cargo trawlers and engine boats are not safe in the Bay of Bengal as the pirates attack them in the offshore areas on the sea. Particularly, the fishermen cannot go to the sea due to rampant incidents of attacks of pirates on the fishermen. Fishermen of Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar are now suffering a lot. In this situation, the role and involvement of law enforcement agencies are needed here to combat this maritime security threat.

On the other hand, the USA declared an ‘Indo-Pacific strategy’ to combat traditional and nontraditional security threats in the strategic Bay of Bengal. Combating piracy and human trafficking is one of the main goals of the US Indo-Pacific strategy. Regional countries such as the USA, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives, and members of BIMSTeC countries can work together to deal with the maritime problems. Bangladesh’s law enforcement agencies, such as the Coast guard, Navy, Special elite force RAB, can work together with other regional stakeholders in this regard. RAB has been playing a key role in this regard.

For example, RAB-15 arrested 6 pirates in a raid on the Maheshkhali channel in the Bay of Bengal recently. Weapons and ammunition were recovered from them at that time. At a press briefing in the Khurushkul Ghat area around 1 pm on Friday, RAB commander Khairul Islam Sarkar confirmed the operation. however, the identities of the captured pirates were not immediately known. The RAB commander said that for a long time, the pirates had been carrying out various misdeeds including boat robbery, the beating of fishermen, looting, and kidnapping of fishermen at sea. On the basis of such allegations, they carried out intelligence activities in the sea on the Maheshkhali channel. Later on, Friday night from 9:30 to 12 o’clock the operation was able to arrest the pirates. At that time, they had three guns and 11 rounds of ammunition. “We have started operations against pirates in the coast as well as in the sea,” he added. “We will continue this campaign”. The RAB commander also mentioned that the detainees were involved in piracy and action would be taken against their godfathers.

According to the media reports, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested 10 pirates following a drive in the Bay of Bengal on Cox’s Bazar 6 arms and 37 rounds of ammunition were seized in 2018. Three women were kidnapped by pirates. They were arrested from the deep sea. The arrested pirates are said to be

members of three forces.

The pirates were robbing two fishing trawlers at around 12 pm on Sunday. After the robbery, the pirates kidnapped three middle-aged men in the trawler. After getting complaints from other fishermen, RAB launched operations in the sea.10 pirates were arrested.

According to media reports, pirates have shifted their attention to the deep sea from the Sunderbans as the RAB continues its raids and vigilance in the mangrove forest. Pirates regularly rob fishermen, kidnap them for ransom and even kill them.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh government is going to strengthen vigilance on its water territory especially on the coastal areas and outer anchorage of Chittagong port with a view to check all sorts of piracy. The concerned authorities including RAB, BN, BCG and WTMC, and Bangladesh Cargo Trawlers Owners Association are taking special security measures to resist piracy on the Bay of Bengal.

RAB can play a key role in this regard. They have training from the US, and sophisticated technology. Basically, they have been playing their role in combating this maritime threat.

Thus, they can work with other stakeholders in this regard.

Despite having many challenges, all regional actors should make furher progress such as improving coastal welfare, developing the blue economy, building capable maritime enforcement entities, and strengthening mechanisms for international and regional maritime cooperation.

Maritime security and countering terrorism and other crimes in the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal have emerged as a focus for India as part of its Indo-Pacific strategy and the doctrine of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR).

The main task of this alliance will be to maintain security in the sea area and stop human trafficking and smuggling. The members of the alliance will also work on providing mutual humanitarian assistance. To this end, they will provide mutual training to their Navies and Coast Guards for the next year. Member states will conduct naval exercises that would be a milestone for the IOR. Sri Lanka has also faced an increase in heroin use within the country, as well as becoming a transit country for trafficking destined for other places. Much of the heroin entering Sri Lanka arrives on fishing boats or by air, often coming through India or Pakistan. The number of seizures that Sri Lankan authorities have conducted remains relatively small, meaning that the data collected is not always reliable. Smugglers in Sri Lanka have come from a variety of countries, including Pakistan, India, Iran, and the Maldives.

While India also suffers from petty theft and attempts at armed robbery on board ships at anchor near busy ports, the main threat arises out of the maritime dimension of terrorism, espe-

cially landing of terrorists as well as of arms and explosives. These are also linked with drug trafficking. The shallow waters and creeks of the Gujrat coast, especially of the Kutch region, now under immediate surveillance of the maritime wing of the Border Security Force (BSF), as well as the seacoasts of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, are the sensitive areas and under constant surveillance of the Navy and the Coast Guard.

Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India face piracy, illegal fishing, and human trafficking in the Bay of Bengal. Although the Bangladeshi Navy and the Coast Guard are very active in the region, the perpetrators are very clever. The Rohingya crisis worsened the situation. Various gangs are involved in human trafficking. Bangladeshis are trafficked to Malaysia, Thailand, and North Africa to Greece and Italy (europe) through the marine route via the Mediterranean.

The role of Bangladesh RAB is very positive here. It has been working to combat this maritime threat in the strategic Bay of Bengal. USA, India and Sri Lanka have the same policies in the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal. Thus, the USA, India and Sri Lanka can and should work with Bangladesh law enforcement agencies such as RAB in combatting this maritime threat. So, recent US sanctions on RAB are very inappropriate. The USA and India should understand that RAB is the security guarantee in the region including the Bay of Bengal.

RAB’s role in combatting human trafficking, illegal drug trafficking is huge.

Bangladesh has a special role to play in the security of the Bay of Bengal due to its location in an important region. The USA is hopeful that Bangladesh will continue to support maritime security. Uninterrupted navigation in the Bay of Bengal is essential not only for Bangladesh but also for the countries of the region.

In response to a question on the security of the Bay of Bengal, Mustafa Kamal said that there is no piracy in the economic zone of Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal. however, there is a need to increase the capacity of the Navy and Coast Guard to ensure security in large maritime areas.

The United States is interested in cooperating in counterterrorism, maritime security and peacekeeping operations. however, the US, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and India can and should work together in combatting this maritime threat. The United States has pledged continued support to Bangladesh to play an important role in ensuring security in the Bay of Bengal in 2014.

Tom Kelly, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the US State Department’s Political and Military Affairs, told reporters this after the third Bangladesh-US security dialogue in Dhaka. Not only Bangladesh, countries like India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and all states across the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal face the same problems. Regional cooperation is much needed.

Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India face piracy, illegal fishing, and human trafficking in the Bay of Bengal. Although the Bangladeshi Navy and the Coast Guard are very active in the region, the perpetrators are very clever.

The writer is a freelance columnist

PLASTIC bottles are the biggest source of plastic pollution in the world.

Although the availability of water and drinks in every location is due to plastic bottles, the price that we have to pay for this luxury is just too high.

Plastic bottles litter the landscape reducing the beauty of every place.

The plastic does not decompose and will remain in the soil for decades if not forever. Plastic bottles will eventually disintegrate into microparticles.

These microplastic particles are filling the ocean and are consumed by aquatic life. It is estimated that 20% of sand is composed of microparticles across the world beaches. Microplastic particles can also become airborne and be inhaled into the lungs.

Therefore I would request the Government of Pakistan to implement a glass bottle or reuse of plastic bottle policy. Under the policy, plastic and bottled products will cost Rs2 higher. When the customer returns the plastic bottle to the shop they will get their 2 Rs extra tax returned to them.

Similarly, if anyone else returns the plastic bottle then they will also get the amount. If not, the tax is paid to the government for cleanup costs of plastic bottles.

Companies would be allowed to reuse bottles, as long as the bottles are double washed and steam sterilized. While companies would be encouraged to use glass bottles instead of plastic, as glass bottles are more long-lasting when reused. While pharmaceutical products using glass bottles would be allowed to charge 5 Rs extra in their retail price.

Companies would also be asked to collect the non-usable or damaged plastic bottles, that would be converted and used to manufacture electricity outlets and switch boxes or used as plastic addition for road construction or used for plastic brick and tile manufacturing, under the guidance of the government’s plastic waste utilization coordination office.

Such a policy would reduce or end the use of plastic bottles in the food and pharmaceutical industry, reduce import cost of plastic composite, reduce plastic pollution and increase glass manufacturing plants in Pakistan. Glass bottles are manufactured from local materials while plastic is imported.

SHAHRYAR KHAN BASEER P.ENGR PESHAWAR

Bullying must end BULLyING is unsolicited aggressive behaviour among school-aged children; it affects both kids who bully and those who are bullied. It involves different types of actions based on strength, power, and wealth such as threats, rumours, physical attacks or to make fun of appearances like obesity. Bullying can affect the mental, physical, and emotional health of a person. It can cause severe harm in the form of physical injury or mental distortion and leads to anxiety, depression, stress problems, and lack of confidence in life.

Bullying is a horrible and drastic thing especially among children and if it is traumatic then it can be a shepherd towards suicide. It is imperative to address the warning symptoms of bullying. School management should give attention to bullying by creating a positive school climate, better communication relationships between students and teachers, giving rewards to children due to healthy and positive behaviour, and raising awareness through different seminars among students.

NIDA ABDUL QADIR LAHORE

Royalty for writers LITeRATURe seems to be thriving across the world except in Pakistan as there is no good platform for aspiring writers to get their work published, due to discouragement from established publication houses.

Writing is hardly seen as a profitable and lucrative career in Pakistan, if writers want to publish their books and indulge in pursuit of writing career as a means, they face dejection and scorn in the first place eventually they have to go for self-publication.

For instance, I have published my book of poetry in english called “Peaks and Perils of Life”, it was totally self-financed and everyone wanted a complimentary copy; there is a heap of praise on my skillset as a writer but no profit. This social mindset has resulted in the death of writers and local literary works. There is almost no platform for aspiring writers to get their work published. The government must make a policy for royalties for writers and also announce literary awards for young writers. This move will encourage them to make quality literature for the ultimate progress of society.

NASIR SOOMRO KARACHI

Change inevitable WITh galloping inflation refusing to patter down, resulting in PTI’s ignominious drubbing in KPK local body poll, rumours predicting the end of PTI’s lead are doing rounds.

PPP co-chairman’s revelation of someone contacting him for advice and PML-N’s overenthusiasm about the return of Nawaz Sharif might be shrugged off by PTI. But ground realities are different this time and change might be inevitable. The major cause is the high rate of inflation and ever-mounting debt. The only way forward for the PTI government is to implement IMF guidelines. If PTI implements IMF conditions, it might result in a further spiral in inflation and prove destructive for PTI who is going to face voters soon in the general election. If the PTI government indulges in delay delaying tactics or attempts to implement the selective portion of IMF conditions, it would not be able to mobilize crucially needed resources from IMF and other bilateral and multilateral institutions.

This is not only a grave situation for PTI but the other stakeholders also cannot afford any further instability or more economic meltdown.

Thus the powers that are might be thinking of a viable alternative. Because even if the PTI government is compelled to swallow the bitterest pill of taking tough economic decisions, there is fear of unrest among the public whose patience is on the ebb and opposition parties are waiting in wings to exploit such a situation. In such a scenario, the best option for the powers that are would be to bring an alternative new dispensation not necessary PPP or PML-N but a kind of national government or caretaker setup because for a new government it would be easier to make hard decisions.

GULSHER PANHWER JOHI

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WORLD VIEW

Will iran recognise Taliban governmenT in afghanisTan? THE TALIBAN ALSO EXPECTS TO USE THE INDIA CARD TO NEGOTIATE WITH PAKISTAN ON SEVERAL TRICKY MATTERS WHILE TEHRAN IS PROCEEDING SLOWLY WHEN IT COMES TO ESTABLISHING OFFICIAL TIES WITH THE TALIBAN GOVERNMENT, RECENT TALKS HIGHLIGHT IRAN’S INTEREST IN EXPANDING ITS ROLE IN AFGHANISTAN

Al mOnitOr

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sabena siDDiqui

N his first official visit to Iran, the Taliban government’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi arrived in Tehran Jan. 9 for talks with his counterpart hossein Amir-Abdollahian. having held a preliminary meeting with Iranian officials in Kabul, the high-level Taliban delegation had already finalized the agenda.

According to a tweet by the Taliban foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi, the delegation’s visit focused on “political, economic, transit and refugee issues between Afghanistan and Iran.” however, it was the officials’ negotiations with key Afghan resistance leaders in Iran that became the main headline of the visit.

Accompanied by senior delegates, Muttaqi met with Ahmed Massoud, who heads the National Resistance Front and is son of the late Afghan commander Ahmed Shah Massoud, and Ismail Khan, a former Afghan minister and provincial governor.

Confirming the talks in televised remarks, the Taliban foreign minister seemed hopeful, saying, “We assured all of them that they can come back to live freely and safely.” Yet the situation remains tense in

Afghanistan, with two violent attacks taking place in Nangarhar and Kabul as the talks were underway. The threats to the Taliban government persist from both Islamic State operatives and former members of the Afghan military.

Ostensibly, Tehran facilitated these talks to bring the two rival factions together, but the resistance spokesman Ahmadi insisted that the main motive for Muttaqi’s visit was to “gain official recognition from leaders in Iran.”

Though it shares a 900-kilometer border with Afghanistan, Iran believes the new administration is not inclusive and does not represent the ethnic minorities in Afghanistan.

Taking a similar stance decades ago, Tehran never formally recognized the Taliban, even during their previous stint in power from 1996 to 2001. A national political reconciliation in Afghanistan would fulfill one of Tehran’s main conditions for recognizing the current regime.

Caroline Rose, a senior analyst at the Newlines Institute in Washington, told Al-Monitor that Iran has been deepening its influence within the “Talibanized Afghanistan” following the withdrawal of US troops last year. “Not only has Iran called upon the US and partners to unfreeze Afghan assets for humanitarian purposes, but Iran’s Foreign Minister has hosted Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister in Tehran. Signs point to an eventual decision to recognise a Talibancontrolled Afghanistan.”

Nevertheless, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh stressed at a press conference before Muttaqi’s arrival that, “Today, we are basically not at the

point of recognizing [the Taliban].” “Iran is OK with a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan as long as certain conditions are met,” Sina Azodi, a non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington, told Al-Monitor. First, he said, Iran wants the Taliban to prevent the rise of terrorist groups, especially ISIS Khurasan. Secondly, Tehran is concerned with the transit of narcotics through its territory.

Lastly, Azodi added, “The security and safety of Shiites in Afghanistan is also a source of grave concern to Iran. I believe that as long as these interests are met, Iran will have no problem with Taliban in power,” even if it does not recognise the Taliban in the short term. however, by helping the Taliban government at a time when it lacks public support, Tehran can maintain sustainable relations.

Kabul remains Tehran’s fifth largest export destination, and bilateral trade has been worth $3 billion in recent years. In addition, Iran exports 110 megawatts of power to Afghanistan, and its power grid is connected to the city of herat. Before the Taliban took over, Tehran had finalized long-term deals to add 500 to 600 megawatts capacity with the Ghani administration. Right now, the maximum export capacity is around 175 megawatts.

Iran’s Chabahar port can play an important role in reviving landlocked Afghanistan’s economy, and Tehran, New Delhi, and Kabul have a transit trade agreement since 2017. Though this port is exempted from sanctions on Iran, perpetual instability in Afghanistan and the ensuing uncertainty after the Taliban takeover have slowed it down.

After Muttaqi’s visit, Amir-Abdollahian spoke to Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar on the phone and announced “measures and cooperation” in shipping Indian wheat and medicine to Kabul. India operates a key terminal at Chabahar, and its port activities in Iran would also get a boost.

As India does not have direct access to Afghanistan, it has not been able to send 50,000 metric tons of wheat it promised Kabul as humanitarian assistance in October. India had requested Pakistan to let the consignment go as a special case, as it does not allow two-way trade between India and Afghanistan through its land routes.

This time, Pakistan decided to make an exception, but the logistics for transferring Indian wheat to Afghanistan are still not settled, so Amir-Abdollahian’s offer has been warmly welcomed by Indian media. Also, Jaishankar tweeted that the Chabahar port came under discussion. “India, after initial bravado, has made a rethink about its Afghan policy," Ashok Swain, professor of peace and conflict research at the Uppsala University in Sweden, told Al-Monitor. "The prospect of complete isolation in the neighborhood, the geostrategic factors and the fear of increasing militancy in Indian Occupied Kashmir forced this rethink.”

Consequently, “With the help of Russia and Iran, India is trying to establish a somewhat working relationship with the Taliban. The Taliban also expects to use the India card to negotiate with Pakistan on several tricky matters. In this context, India and the Taliban need each other, but their relationship at best will be limited and transactional.”

Planning to visit New Delhi soon for the first time, Amir-Abdollahian could work out more ways for extending India and Iran’s role in Afghanistan. According to the Iranian foreign ministry, Jaishankar expressed pleasure over the forthcoming visit of Iran’s top diplomat and called it a “very good opportunity to develop bilateral cooperation.”

Is the TAPI pipeline finally ready to go?

FOR AFGHANISTAN, THE PROJECT WOULD PROVIDE TRANSIT FEES OF ABOUT $500 MILLION PER YEAR, ALONG WITH AN ANNUAL SHARE OF 500 MILLION CUBIC METERS OF GAS FOR THE FIRST TEN YEARS Oilprice.cOm

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James Durso

he Turkmenistan–Afghanistan– Pakistan–India (TAPI) natural gas pipeline has been long aborning, but its prospects recently got a shot in the arm. The 1100-mile, $10 billion project has seen numerous delays since the pipeline consortium was announced in late 2014, though the project was first mooted in 1991. Construction started in early 2018 with a projected in-service date of 2021, but halted later that year after workers clearing the route were killed by unknown assailants. Also, the project’s $10 billion cost estimate is a decade old, and an update may cause further delay to the Asian Development Bank-funded effort that is now slated to resume work in September 2022.

Turkmenistan will loan Afghanistan the funds for its share of the project, to be repaid from gas transit revenues.

Representatives of the government of Tajikistan recently met officials in Afghanistan, and the Taliban announcement that it will dedicate 30,000 troops to pipeline security may motivate the parties to start construction.

The completed pipeline will allow Turkmenistan to reduce its reliance on its biggest gas customer, China, which has recently taken most of Turkmenistan’s gas exports, though in 2021 the country doubled its gas exports to Russia, which used to be the biggest importer of Turkmen gas until it was displaced by China in 2010. The pipeline will generate additional income that Ashgabat can use to improve services to citizens, a priority after the recent unrest in neighboring Kazakhstan.

But there may be competing opportunities. For example, Iran, Azerbaijan, and

FOR PAKISTAN, THE PIPELINE WOULD HELP SOLVE THE COUNTRY’S PERSISTENT ENERGY SHORTFALLS, SUCH AS THE DEFICIT BETWEEN CURRENT GAS PRODUCTION OF 4 BILLION CUBIC FEET PER DAY (BCFD) AGAINST DEMAND OF 6 BCFD THE “PUSH” OF INCREASED REGIONAL INFLUENCE FOR MOSCOW AND THE “PULL” OF CLEAN ENERGY FOR ALLY INDIA WILL HOPEFULLY MAKE WASHINGTON GREEN-LIGHT (OR GET OUT OF THE WAY OF) THE LONG-DELAYED PROJECT Turkmenistan recently signed a trilateral gas swap deal for up to 2 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year. It’s not a large amount Turkmenistan exports about 40bcm to China every year – but it’s another income stream that should be managed with an eye to future growth. Then there’s the possibility of a connection to the proposed Trans-Caspian Pipeline (TCP) to supply europe via the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC). Connecting to the SGC would require a 200-mile subsea pipe between Baku and Türkmenbay, but may face opposition from Iran and Russia on (probably spurious) environmental grounds.

Once the politics are resolved, the project would likely be cheaper and carry less of a security burden than the overland TAPI route, and build on the January 2021 agreement between Baku and Ashgabat to jointly develop the Dostluq (“friendship”) oil and natural gas field in the Caspian Sea. For Afghanistan, the project would provide transit fees of about $500 million per year, along with an annual share of 500 million cubic meters of gas for the first ten years, ultimately increasing to 1.5 bcm per year.

For the Taliban government, a successful project would: demonstrate it can be a reliable partner in a major infrastructure project, employ demobilized Taliban troops so they don’t defect to the Islamic State or Al-Qaeda, earn revenue to pay for electricity imports (the country relies on imports for 78% of its power), demonstrate to China it is safe to invest in Afghanistan, and be an opportunity for cooperation with Pakistan despite the dispute over their shared border.

Of course, Kabul will have to figure out what to do with that natural gas, in addition to its one trillion cubic feet of reserves. The U.S.-driven development plan for the country emphasized renewables, like solar and wind, and the U.S.-funded $335 million Tarakhil Power Plant near Kabul, which relied on expensive, imported diesel fuel, is now used as a back-up facility when hydropower and imported power aren’t avail-

able. An International Finance Corporationsponsored 59-megawatt gas-to-power plant in Mazar-i-Sharif would have boosted the country’s current total domestic generation by up to 30 percent, but can it be revived under the Taliban?

And time is of the essence as Uzbekistan recently reduced its power exports by 60%, possibly due to increased domestic demand as winter sets in, possibly to nudge Kabul (or the UN) to start paying the $90 million owed to power suppliers in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Iran.

For Pakistan, the pipeline would help solve the country’s persistent energy shortfalls, such as the deficit between current gas production of 4 Billion Cubic Feet per Day (BCFD) against demand of 6 BCFD. By 2025, gas production is expected to fall to less 1 BCFD due to depletion of gas reserves while demand increases to 8 BCFD. And Pakistan won’t have to wait to 2025 for an economic impact: Between 2008 and 2012, 40 percent of Pakistan’s textile sector moved to Bangladesh, one reason being the uneven supply of gas and electricity.

Then there’s Pakistan’s view of its regional interests and its endless search for “strategic depth.” The pipeline would be an independent source of revenue for Afghanistan, just when Pakistan feels the Taliban government should be beholden to it. And India would be able to increase the share of gas in its energy mix from 6.5% to 15%, possibly encouraging more trade between Kabul and New Delhi. To Islamabad, it will add to an already bad outcome: the ungrateful Taliban still aren’t helping Pakistan isolate the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, while India is expected to be the world’s fastest growing economy in 2022, according to the World Bank.

They say “all politics is local” and that may be the case here. One Pakistani observer, hina Mahar Nadeem, noted the country’s gas shortfalls have a silver lining – for the interests that control the import of expensive liquefied natural gas (LNG). Accord-

ingly, TAPI and the much-delayed (mostly

by U.S. sanctions on Iran) Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline are a threat to their economic and political power.

In late 2020, Pakistan and Russia signed a deal to complete the 700-mile Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline, to move LNG from Port Qasim (Karachi) to Kasur, in the Punjab. Pakistan may be treating with Russia to balance against China, or maybe the deal was decided on strictly dollars-and-cents terms. Regardless, this project may crowd out attention and funding for Pakistan’s phase of TAPI. A richer energy mix and pipeline transit revenues would strengthen Pakistan as it negotiates new efforts with China under the umbrella of the China–Pakistan economic Corridor. Pakistan’s leaders will need to strengthen their position vis-à-vis China while demonstrating to Beijing they are a reliable partner that will develop energy resources that can accommodate China’s projects. But first, those leaders must and take on entrenched business and national security interests to successfully support TAPI, despite the economic benefits to its neighbors. But this assumes the country’s leaders aren’t captive (willing or otherwise) to their business confederates and the securicrats.

For India, TAPI would add to the country’s energy mix, propelling its impressive economic growth. India is the world’s third-largest energy consuming country, and has doubled energy use since 2000, with 80% of demand still being met by coal, oil and solid biomass. TAPI gas would allow India to use less coal, helping it meet its COP26 carbon emission goal, and satisfy increased energy demand by 2030 of 25% to 35% according to the International energy Agency.

India has built a connection for TAPI at Fazilka at the Indo-Pakistan border in the Punjab region, a location on the border with Pakistan. For India, the best approach may be “wait and see” if the U.S. threatens sanctions against TAPI partners, whether the Tal-

iban can prove they know how to govern and secure the country against the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, and how serious is the announced Russia-Pakistan pipeline deal.

WheRe DOeS ThIS LeAVe TURKMeNISTAN? It, too, should take it slow. It is no longer 2014, and it now has opportunities for increased swaps with Iran and Azerbaijan, and further opportunities with Iran may blossom if Tehran and Washington can secure a nuclear deal. The opportunity to connect to europe via the TCP/SGC may present more revenue with fewer security concerns, or iffy partners like Pakistan and Afghanistan. Also, Washington needs to clear the way regarding sanctioned officials in Kabul, though the acting minister of defense, Mullah Muhammad Yaqub, who declared “I am directly responsible for and overseeing the security of the TAPI project” hasn’t been sanctioned by Washington…yet.

Washington might get behind TAPI in the wake of the recent deployment of Collective Security Treaty Organization peacekeeping troops to Kazakhstan, which has increased Russia’s clout in Central Asia. Increased revenue for Ashgabat that can be directed to services for its citizens may prevent the public unrest that gave Moscow an opening to intervene, and Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow may not need much convincing in this regard.

But it may serve Ashgabat well to ask Washington for a blanket sanctions exemption for all project principals and suppliers, and any government officials in the mix, to make it clear who bears responsibility if the project again fails to launch. If this happens, it will be a shabby way to treat ally India, and in Pakistan it will be interpreted as U.S. revenge against the country for supporting the Taliban.

The “push” of increased regional influence for Moscow and the “pull” of clean energy for ally India will hopefully make Washington green-light (or get out of the way of) the long-delayed project.

Friday, 21 January, 2022 | KARACHI

NEWS corporate corner Beaconhouse School System hosts the 3rd Learner Agency Paradigm Conference in Karachi KARACHI: Beaconhouse, the country’s largest network of private educational institutions, successfully hosted its third Learner Agency Paradigm (LAP) Conference, at Beaconhouse’s Defence Campus in the south region, Karachi. This LAP Conference 2022 was attended by Beaconhouse School System’s (BSS) learners, teachers and employees and is the third installment from its series of conferences that were introduced early last year. The LAP Conference 2022 was held to cultivate learner agency – a concept gaining momentum in educational institutions as a way of fostering learners’ abilities to navigate their way through life in a positive manner, creating a significant impact on their circumstances. A total of 165 project submissions were received nationwide out of which 10 learner projects were showcased in the Karachi conference.

The projects focused on various initiatives undertaken by students to become active contributors to their surroundings. The session also included a virtual address from Kasim Kasuri, Chief Executive Officer, Beaconhouse, who stated during the event, “Learner Agency has quickly become an important aspect of the education being imparted at Beaconhouse campuses nationwide. The concept gives students responsibility over their own learning, empowering them to develop a voice and take purpose-driven initiatives. There is no shortage of students wanting to take charge and bring a change around them, and as an educator I am proud to see them taking ownership through these LAP conferences.” Among the 10 projects, the ‘Taleem Sub Ka Bunyadi Haq’ initiative was undertaken by BSS students in Quetta to raise awareness and support teaching programmes for girls in Balochistan in order to tackle low literacy rates for women. pr

JOMO x Islamabad United launches premium Fashion Apparel This cricketing season Fashion, Arts and Sports come together in a one-of-a-kind initiative. The upcoming PSL 7 is going to be bigger and more stylish than ever before. JOMO.pk has announced that in collaboration with Sapphire Textiles, they are launching a Limited Luxury Fashion Collection. This collection builds on Islamabad United’s – AAN Ideas Lab project with the world famous Pakistani visual artist Imran Qureshi. The video of the project was launched on TV and Social Media on 16th January by ISLU, which showed Shadab Khan and Asif Ali creating together with Imran Qureshi hissignature Art series. JOMO’s Limited Luxury Collection has used (this) Imran Qureshi's artistic vision of the Islamabad United squad to build a whole line of Eastern/Western wear and gifting accessories – produced by Sapphire Textiles, one of Pakistan’s leading premium apparel manufacturers. According to JOMO’s CEO Ali Khan-Bajauri, “this multi-tiered partnership is a statement of our times and defines what 2022 is all about for Pakistan – the next level of ecommerce, art, cricket and sustainable fashion, led respectively by leaders in these fields.” “I am especially enthused about this idea as it combines two of our long standing passions - cricket and art. This (ISLU) project will help in mainstreaming visual and other arts to cricket fans everywhere. Like all of you, I am keenly looking forward to seeing what creative forms this project takes, especially with Jomo’s fashion collection," said Ahsan Latif, CEO of Islamabad United. Jomo’s “ISLU x IQ” collection will be available exclusively at Jomo.pk as well as in-store at select Sapphire outlets. Pre-ordering for gifting opens on Jan 28th for all registered Jomo.pk users and available for local and global shipping before Valentine’s Day. Jomo.pk is Pakistan’s fastest growing fashion eRetailer and a premium apparel supplier. They are the Official Fashion Outfitter and E-Commerce Partner for Islamabad United! And Sapphire Textiles is Islamabad United’s Official Sustainability Partner for 2020’s PSL 7. pr

BOOKMe CeO FAIzAn ASLAM ATTended nATIOnAL SMe POLICy MeeTIng AT PRIMe MInISTeR HOUSe KARACHI

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ookme.pk’s CEO Mr. Faizan Aslam was invited

by Prime Minister Imran Khan yesterday for the launch of National Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) policy, along with other officials of Startups and Young Entrepreneurs. In the light of growing concerns regarding ecommerce, the discussion revolved around creating a startup-friendly

ecosystem to unleash the huge potential of e-commerce and tech sector of the country.

The Prime Minister avowed to take fresh incentives for the expansion of e-commerce startups, which he claimed had been ignored in the past.

He also pledged to take a grim action against government departments and officials who created hindrance in emplacement of new startups and exportoriented businesses.

In the meeting, PM Khan also shared the fact that the SME sector was

Few of Pakistan’s assets are functioning well. From the national flag carrier PIA to the Pakistan Steel Mills to Pakistan Railways, many are struggling. Now the ruling party PTI’s opponents roar that the State Bank of Pakistan has been handed over to the US-backed International Monetary Fund.

That’s happened under the watch of Pakistan’s policymakers - the politicians, bureaucrats, technocrats, and especially the ‘Wizards’ running the ailing economy.

With value of most of our assets on the course of depletion, another decline is also unfolding and hardly anyone is noticing. The Pakistani refineries - an essential part of energy security for the country that have helped in keeping the current account deficit, trade deficit, and the import bill at bay – are

an extensive source of employment and had a significant impact on wealth creation. In this regard he also supported saying, “We are giving SMEs bank credit facilities, land for their businesses on lease and [are committed to] eradicate red tapism.”

PM Khan also appreciated the fact that USD $3 Billion investment came in the country from abroad by growing e-commerce startups including Bookme. He also thanked the tech sector for being a massive part of the record-breaking rise in exports, remit-

tances and tax collection figures.

Minister of Information, Ch. Fawad Hussain, Industries Minister Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiyar, Planning Minister Asad Umar were also present at the meeting. Advisor for Commerce, Textile, Industry, and Production and Investment of Pakistan, Mr. Abdul Razak Dawood declared that such meetings will often take place to disentangle economic problems for the e-commerce ecosystem and to take preferable measures despite all challenges.

Inauguration Ceremony of BOP ATM at McDonald’s Lahore Polo Country Club

LAHORE pr

The Bank of Punjab (BOP), one of the country’s leading financial institution with network of 663 branches and 646 ATMs across Pakistan, has signed an MoU with

McDonald’s (SIZA Foods Pvt. Ltd.) for installation of ATMs at key McDonald’s outlets to facilitate its customers. As part of this collaboration, BOP inaugurated an ATM at Lahore Polo Country Club.

Group Chief Corporate & Investment Banking Mr. Farid Ahmed

Khan inaugurated the ATM. From BOP, the ceremony was attended

by Zahid Mustafa - Group Chief, Consumer & Digital Banking, Ijaz ur Rehman Qureshi - Group Head, Operations, Nofel Daud – Group Head, Retail Banking and Asim Qureshi – Head Cards.

Addressing the ceremony, Mr. Farid Khan said, “Today marks the real beginning of our association with SIZA Foods as we go live with our first ATM at McDonald’s.

We will be placing up more ATM machines at McDonald’s outlets across Pakistan to facilitate customers. At Bank of Punjab, we strongly believe that alternative distribution channels like ATMs are critical component of our digital banking strategy to provide convenience to the customers in accessing cash and other banking services at outlets of strong brand like McDonalds.”

Emirates does it again, scaling up and circling around the Burj Khalifa to put Expo 2020 Dubai on top of the world’s travel agenda KARACHI pr

Keeping with Dubai’s ‘nothing is impossible’ spirit, Emirates is soaring up and around the Burj Khalifa for another edition of its viral ad campaign, this time taking it one spectacular step further with the masterful addition of the iconic Expo 2020 Dubai A380. Emirates hit the global headlines and social media feeds of millions in August 2021 when it took its brand message to new heights atop the Burj Khalifa.

This time, the brave stuntwoman is standing at the pinnacle of the Burj Khalifa by Emaar once again, holding up message boards with an invitation to visit the world’s greatest show, Expo 2020 Dubai, on the iconic Emirates A380. She then gestures to her ‘friend’, the eye- catching Emirates A380 wearing the Expo 2020 Dubai livery, which gracefully soars in the background as she stands firmly on the spire of the world’s tallest building. The ad also features dynamic aerial views of Dubai and its iconic skyline, and culminates in a flypast over the impressive Al Wasl dome at the Expo 2020 Dubai site. Click here to watch the behind the scenes video and what went into making the ad.

Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said: “Now at the halfway mark of its six-month run, the excitement and momentum around Expo 2020 Dubai remain strong. Our latest campaign boldly carries the Expo message and invites people to come and experience what is truly the world’s greatest show. There is nowhere else right now that offers the raft of attractions, top-class entertainment and music, riveting sports, vibrant country and themed pavilions, a thriving culinary scene and much more – all in one place.

Wizards of Energy and Power Ministry AttyAB SHAyAn

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also weakening.

There are five oil refineries in the country with an annual nameplate capacity of 19 million metric tonnes (MT). However, the refineries were never able to produce more than 12 million MT of fuels like petrol and diesel in a single year due to one reason or another. Even with limited resources and impediments, the refineries have managed to fulfil 60% of the fuel requirements of the country. When seen from the glass-half-full perspective, these are still decent utilization numbers and Pakistan does not depend entirely upon imported petroleum products.

Here is where the concern arises - since November last year, the refineries have been complaining of extensive stocks of furnace oil which forced the sector to decrease throughput due to storage capacity limitations. Three refineries, namely PRL, ARL, and Cnergyico (formerly Byco), had to close or limit their op-

eration for this reason. These refineries are operational now but they are running at a low throughput rate that is well below their maximum production capacity. This increases the requirement of importing finished refined products which will strain the country’s already burdened forex reserves.

Now, why is this so? The government says that the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) need to procure furnace oil from these refineries for power generation. News reports also detailed the fact that several IPPs got paid more than Rs 220 billion in two installments in the last eight months, through a settlement agreement, from taxpayers’ money. This significantly improved their financial health and enhanced their ability to purchase furnace oil. But they didn’t. Instead of procuring the fuel that was lying idle in the storage tanks of local refineries, the Ministry Wizards allowed imports of furnace oil.

PARCO reportedly had 88,000 MT of furnace oil in their tanks and to keep its refinery operational, it had to rent storage in Karachi and is being forced to export the fuel at a loss. This will eventually hurt not only the refiner but also the national exchequer.

Usually, in January, the canals of the country are closed for annual cleaning which decreases hydel energy production from dams. Earlier this year, Muzzammil Aslam, the Ministry of Energy’s spokesperson, stated that IPPs will “start lifting up to 15,000 tonnes a day” of furnace oil “after Jan 10”. However, the fact is that just 5,000 MT per day of furnace oil is being used, thus the refining sector is still suffering.

Meanwhile, the LNG-based power plants are using diesel to generate electricity, instead of the cheaper furnace oil. It is quite baffling how this made it to the economic merit order. Since 1st January, these plants have been operating while Oil Marketing Companies are supplying more than 5,000 MT of expensive diesel to them.

ITP organizes road safety education workshop for personnel of Rangers ISLAMABAD pr

Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) is striving to minimise the accident ratio by educating road users and ensuring strict implementation of traffic rules.

It was stated by SSP (Traffic) Rai Mazhar Iqbal while addressing concluding ceremony of two days road safety education workshop organised by ITP here at Rangers Headquarters (17th Wing) Saidpur Islamabad to educate personnel of the force regarding traffic rules, regulations and road safety tips.

More than 50 personnel including drivers attended and staff members attended the workshop and appreciated the efforts of ITP in maintaining traffic discipline in the city.

On the occasion, SSP (Traffic) Rai Mazhar Iqbal said the aim of holding such programme is to create a traffic sense among the people, advising them that a driver should honour others rights especially the pedestrians while driving.

He also urged the participants to avoid using mobile phones and fasten seat belts during drive for safety in case of road accident.

He said a minor negligence of a driver can cause an accident and endanger the lives of many.

ITP is striving to provide safer journey to road users and utilising all available resources.

On the occasion, Wing Commander Lieutenant Colonel Naeem Khan and other Rangers officials appreciated ITP efforts in maintaining traffic discipline in the city.

At conclusion certificates were distributed among the participants by the SSP Traffic.

The Wizards lash out at previous governments for bringing the country to the brink of collapse but their own decisions could also lead Pakistan on a similar, if not worse, path. There are question marks over the role of NEPRA, OGRA, Ministry of Energy, and other government agencies. Is it not the government’s role to ensure economic merit order? Does the Ministry of Energy have any plans to save the refining sector?

The country’s oil refineries, including Cnergyico, which is the largest in terms of capacity, have either laid a roadmap or have already started working on upgradation projects. But there is no supportive policy framework. The refinery policy has been locked up for more than a year. Several people who have worked on it have either left or have been asked to leave. Whenever a new person comes in, they take time to go through it all over again, under the guidance of the Federal Minister Asad Umar. What has the Power Ministry been doing and, in the end, where are we heading as a nation? Who can answer all these questions?

Friday, 21 January, 2022 | KARACHI

10 FOREIGN NEWS

BiDen floaTS PoSSiBiliTY of PUTin SUmmiT on UKraine, warnS of ‘DiSaSTer’

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S President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he is open to holding a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid tension over Ukraine. The two leaders met twice last year.

“I still think that is a possibility,” Biden said during a press conference marking his first year in office, adding that he was concerned that a Ukraine conflict could have broader implications and “could get out of hand.”

“Putin has, I know, a stark choice, either escalation or diplomacy,” he said. “I think he will pay a serious and dear price for it if he doesn’t think now.”

Ukraine, the United States and some other Western countries have voiced concerns over a Russian military

Joe Biden says administration mulling re-designating Yemen’s Houthis a ‘terrorist group’

build-up along the Ukrainian borders, fearing that Russia is preparing for an attack. Russia has denied any plan to attack Ukraine. Biden warned that U.S. allies and partners are ready to impose severe costs and significant harm on Russia and the Russian economy. “If they actually do what they’re capable of doing with the force they’ve massed on the Ukrainian border, it is going to be a disaster for Russia,” he told reporters.

The president said he believed Putin would test Western leaders and the response would depend on the scale of Moscow’s actions and whether U.S. allies squabbled over how to react.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies are not united on how to respond, depending on what exactly Putin does, with Biden saying “there are differences” among them and that he was trying to make sure

US Supreme Court spurns Donald Trump’s bid to keep Capitol attack records secret agenCies The US Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected former President Donald Trump’s request to block the release of White House records sought by the Democratic-led congressional panel investigating last year’s deadly attack on the Capitol by a mob of his supporters. The decision means the documents, held by a federal agency that stores government and historical records, can be disclosed even as litigation over the matter continues in lower courts.

Trump’s request to the justices came after the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Dec 9 ruled that the businessman-turned-politician had no basis to challenge President Joe Biden’s decision to allow the records to be handed over to the House of Representatives select committee. Democratic Representative Bennie Thompson, the panel’s chairman, and Republican Representative Liz Cheney, its vice chair, in a statement called the Supreme Court action “a victory for the rule of law and American democracy.” The committee has already begun receiving some of the documents Trump had hoped to withhold, they added. A Trump spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump and his allies have waged an ongoing legal battle with the committee seeking to block access to documents and witnesses. Trump has sought to invoke a legal principle known as executive privilege, which protects the confidentially of some internal White House communications, a stance rejected by lower courts. The brief Supreme rejected Court order noted that the weighty question of whether a former president can assert an executive privilege claim did not need to be answered to resolve the case. “Because the court of appeals concluded that President Trump’s claims would have failed even if he were the incumbent, his status as a former president necessarily made no difference to the court’s decision,” the unsigned order said.

political and diplomatic settlement.

Zelensky informed Blinken that the ceasefire in Ukraine’s conflict-hit region of Donbas is being observed and no Ukrainian servicemen have been killed this week.

After talks with Zelensky, Blinken said on Twitter that he had informed the Ukrainian president about the U.S. engagements with Russia last week and stressed that “there will be nothing about Ukraine, without Ukraine.” On January 10, the United States and Russia held security talks in Geneva to discuss Ukraine, among other issues.

Saudi-led coalition starts operation in Yemen to ‘paralyse Houthis capabilities’ sanaa

reuters US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday his administration is considering re-designating Yemen’s Houthi movement as an “international terrorist organisation” following drone and missile attacks on the United Arab Emirates claimed by the group. His comment at a news conference came shortly after the Emirati Embassy said on Twitter that UAE Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba urged the Biden administration to restore the designation in response to Monday’s strikes on Abu Dhabi airport and a fuel depot. Asked if he supported returning the Iran-aligned Houthis to the US list of foreign terrorist organisations, from which they were removed nearly a year ago, Biden replied, “The answer is, it’s under consideration.” But he conceded that “it’s going to be very difficult” to end the conflict pitting the Houthis against Yemen’s internationally recognised government and a Saudi-led military coalition, to which the UAE belongs.

Biden’s comment reflected the lack of progress toward ending the war since he launched an initiative shortly after taking office a year ago to bolster UN efforts to restart peace talks and end what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian disaster. The UAE welcomed Biden’s comment, the Emirati Embassy said on Twitter. The “case is clear — launching ballistic and cruise missiles against civilian targets, sustaining aggression, diverting aid to Yemeni people,” it said. Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed Al-Jaber, said on Twitter on Thursday that the United Nations and global community must not show leniency and hold the Houthi movement accountable because “it encourages other terrorist organisations to act similarly”.

that “everybody’s on the same page.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday held a phone conversation with SecretaryGeneral of the NATO Jens Stoltenberg to discuss security issues, focusing on the diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalating the security situation around Ukraine.

President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet at the Villa la Grange in Geneva, Switzerland, June 16, 2021 Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kiev earlier on Wednesday and met Zelensky.

Later this week, he will meet German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Zelensky’s press service said that the two sides discussed ways to settle the situation within the existing negotiation formats and within other modalities of the

anadolu agency

The Saudi-led Arab Coalition in Yemen on Thursday announced a large-scale military operation against Houthi rebels, state-run media said.

According to the official Saudi Press Agency, the coalition has launched a “widespread operation to paralyse the capabilities of the Houthis in a number of (Yemeni) provinces.”

It said the military operation is being carried out in response to “the threat and the principle of military necessity to protect civilians from attacks.”

The news agency added that the coalition is also “tracking the terrorist leaders responsible for targeting

CPC vows to maintain strong, persistent crackdown on corruption Mian abrar The top disciplinary agency of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has pledged to maintain a strong and persistent crackdown on corruption in a communique released Thursday. The communique was adopted at the sixth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) held in Beijing from Tuesday to Thursday.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, addressed the plenum on Tuesday. In his speech, Xi stressed the importance of maintaining a zero-tolerance stance on corruption and rigorous and unswerving efforts to further promote full and strict Party governance. The session reviewed the CCDI’s disciplinary work in 2021, a year the CPC celebrated its centenary and reviewed its major achievements and historical experience over the past century, said the communique.

The CCDI, local disciplinary inspection commissions and supervisory agencies at all levels played their role in helping advance the country’s modernization drive and made new progress in the high-quality development of the disciplinary inspection and supervision work, according to the communique.

The session also laid out major tasks in terms of disciplinary work for 2022, when the CPC will convene its 20th national congress, a major event in the political life of the Party and the country, the communique said. It urged coordination in punishing corruption, strengthening deterrence among officials, tightening institutional restrictions and improving their political awareness to make more institutional achievements and greater progress in governance.

Discipline inspection commissions and supervision agencies should play a better role in enforcing oversight over decision implementation, the commu-

nique said.

Having the courage to reform itself distinguishes the CPC from other political parties. It is the Party’s secret to avoiding the historical cycle of rise and fall and remaining vibrant after a century of struggle, the communique said.

Political oversight: Political oversight should focus on several vital tasks, including deepening reform and opening-up across the board, advancing common prosperity, building strength in science and technology, and forestalling and defusing major risks, the communique noted.

The document stressed the importance of putting the spotlight on leading officials, also known as the “key few.”

It called for strengthened oversight over officials in command and leadership teams, especially concerning their performance in fulfilling their responsibility to exercise strict Party self-governance in all respects, implementation of democratic centralism, and their exercise of power according to laws and regulations.

DeePening the anti-corruPtion Drive: Calling for unswerving efforts to deepen the anti-corruption drive, the plenum stressed that no mercy will be shown to those who run or are engaged in political factions, cliques or interest groups within the Party, and strict standards will be adopted to educate, manage and supervise young officials.

Efforts will be stepped up to investigate and punish any corruption behind the runaway expansion of capital and the monopoly of platform enterprises in order to sever the connections between power and capital, and financial discipline will be strengthened, said the communique.

It also said coordination in disciplinary inspections at different levels should be improved, and the effective reform of discipline inspection and supervision systems should be continuously promoted.

civilians,” referring to Houthi leaders and commanders.

Meanwhile, the Houthi-run Saba News Agency said the coalition carried out four attacks on al-Hudaydah city in western Yemen, as well as six more on Sanaa.

The development comes days after the Iranianbacked Houthis claimed responsibility for a deadly drone attack in Abu Dhabi, the capital of UAE, a member of the Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting the rebels since 2015.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when the Houthis captured much of the country, including Sanaa.

Tens of thousands of people have died and millions have been displaced, in what the UN has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Condolence reference held in Pakistan’s High Commission in memory of late Priyantha Kumara COLOMbO Staff RepoRt

Pakistan High Commission Colombo organized a Condolence Reference in memory of late Diyawadanage Don Nandasiri Priyantha Kumara on Thursday. A large gathering of people from all walks of life attended the event including Ms. Nilushi Dissanayaka, the widow of Mr. Priyantha Kumara and his children. Most Ven. Muruttetuwe Ananda Thero, Chief Custodian of Abayeramaya Temple, Most Ven. Aggrahera Kasappa Thero, Maha Sangha, Father Sixton Kurukulasuriya, Swami Kurkul Babu Sharma, Moulana Hassan Syed, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Speaker of Sri Lankan Parliament, Namal Rajapaksa, Minister of Youth & Sports, Minister of Development Co-ordination and Monitoring and State Minister of Digital Technology and Enterprise Development, Tharaka Balasuriya, State Minister of Regional Co-operation, Lohan Ratwatte, State Minister of Gem & Jewelry related Industries, Members of Sri Lankan Parliament, Representative from the Foreign Ministry of Sri Lanka and members of media fraternity also attended. The assistance from Sialkot business and trade community has already been delivered to the account of Ms. Nilushi Dissanayaka, widow of Mr. Priyantha Kumara. She has also received the first salary cheque in her bank account which has been promised for 10 years by Rajco Industries where late Mr. Priyantha was employed.

Moreover, expatriate Pakistanis living in Canada have already sent LKR 2.8 million to the family.

Apart from that Pakistanis living in the USA have also collected around USD 40,000 which will be soon transferred to Mr. Priyantha’s family. Widow of Mr. Priyantha Kumara thanked the Government of Pakistan for delivering on the promise and ensuring fair and speedy trial. Prayers for the departed soul were offered both in Buddhist and Islamic traditions. While addressing the event, High Commissioner-designate Umar Farooq Burki said that each and every person in Pakistan from the Prime Minister Imran Khan to a common man on the street was aggrieved and strongly condemned this inhumane act. He offered prayers for the departed soul and paid condolence to the widow and family of Late Mr. Priyantha Kumara.

General Burki, at the end of the reference thanked the participants who could join despite their busy schedule and reaffirmed the commitment to continue working towards improving friendly relations between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Friday, 21 January, 2022 | KARACHI

THere’S nO reASOn TO mISS BeIjIng 2022 OpenIng CeremOnY

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stAff REpORt

IANNIS Exarchos, CEO of the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), said the opening ceremony for the coming 2022 Winter Olympic Games will be just as impressive as its iconic summer counterpart in 2008.

“Obviously, I will not say what is in the

opening ceremony because I don’t want to spoil the experience for any of you,” Exarchos said in an online technical briefing held by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday.

In 2008, the Chinese capital, Beijing, hosted the Summer Olympics and presented one of the greatest opening ceremonies to the world. Zhang Yimou was the director of that ceremony, and he was ap-

pointed to do the same for the Beijing 2022 opening ceremony.

“Working with Zhang back in 2008 was a highlight in my personal and professional life, and this is a second highlight that I never expected to have,” Exarchos said. “He is a director with such a visual vision. It is a joy for us broadcasters and television producers to be working with him because he understands so well what

will work very well visually for international audiences.”

Zhang Yimou, chief director of the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Before 2008, when non-Chinese thought of traditional Chinese culture, the first thing that might have come to mind was perhaps dragons, kung fu, or the Great Wall. Those images, while not wrong, were not very cre-

SPORTS 11 ative either. The opening ceremony directed

by Zhang changed many people’s stereotypical way of thinking; he packed the essence of Chinese culture in the form of modern art and amazed the whole world.

“It’s a great honor to direct the opening ceremony for the second time,” Zhang told media. “I hope to make a good impression and create some wonderful moments that will go down in history.”

Exarchos got a sneak peek at what will appear at the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics. “What I can tell you is it is a ceremony which is probably equally impressive as the one in 2008 which, we know is one of the most iconic opening ceremonies in the history of the Olympic Games,” he said. “It’s equally impressive, equally moving but completely different and it reflects our times.” The Winter Games will begin on February 4.

Umar Gul relieves memories, ecstatic to play in Legends League Cricket 2022 NEws DEsk

ICC includes Hasan, Shaheen, Fawad in Test Team of the Year NEws DEsk The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday revealed the Men’s Test Team of the Year, which included three Pakistani players — Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Fawad Alam. The cricketing body picked New Zealand’s Kane Williamson as the captain of the 11-man team and included three Indian players in the team as well. The ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year recognises 11 outstanding individuals, who impress everyone with their performance in a calendar year.

Team: Kane Williamson (captain), Kyle Jamieson, Dimuth Karunaratne, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Marnus Labuschagne, Joe Root, Fawad Alam, Hasan Ali, and Shaheen Afridi.

Australian Open under pressure over ‘optional’ Covid tests

Former Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul expressed his joy on Thursday, over his reunion with legendary players of the cricket world ahead of his participation in the Legends League Cricket 2022.

Taking to Twitter, Gul shared a couple of pictures with former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yusuf, Azhar Mahmood, Kamran Akmal, former Sri Lankan cricketers Muttiah Muralitharan, Nuwan Kulasekara, Tillakaratne Dilshan and others from the match’s venue.

He said in the caption that he is living through his memories of playing with some of the best cricketers in the world again. He was pleased to see his peers from the past and share the game with them again.

“Reliving the old memories with the best in the game! Good to see them and play again with them,” Gul wrote.

It is pertinent to note that the LLC 2022 is set to begin today in Oman and various former international cricketers will be seen in action in the league alongside ex-Pakistani cricketers.

PSL 2022: Aima Baig, Atif Aslam to perform live at opening ceremony

NEws DEsk Aima Baig and Atif Aslam are set to per-

form live and sing the anthem of the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the opening ceremony at National

Stadium.

The recording for this year’s anthem has been completed and the initial lyrics, according to sources are “Hath hawa mai uthalay, dilon ka hosla barhalay, shoor zara tu machalay.”

Some bits of last year’s opening ceremony were recorded in Turkey, Istanbul, and aired on TV due to COVID restrictions. However, 20% crowd was in attendance.

However, senior sports correspondent Abdul Majid Bhatti stated that the current situation due to the Omicron variant is not encouraging, as recently 10 Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) staff members tested COVID-19 positive.

Bhatti said despite the challenges, the PCB was taking all-out measures to kickstart the tournament.

Several people others have tested, including PSL officials Usman Wahla and Oun Zaidi, Quetta Gladiators’ skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed’s wife and mother, he said.

He further noted that the PCB had increased the team strength for the franchises, as even if 12 players test negative for COVID out of 20, they can play.

“The first match is set to take place at 7pm on January 27 at the NSK, but before that, [the singers] will perform […] PCB is determined to take all steps to move this tournament forward,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention that the NCOC had approved 25% crowd attendance for the PSL 2022 Karachi-leg matches, while children under the age of 12 will not be allowed to enter the stadium due to surging COVID-19 cases.

AgENciEs The Australian Open was under growing pressure Thursday to make Covid tests mandatory after leading players openly questioned the seemingly lax policy and the Grand Slam got its first positive case. Frenchman Ugo Humbert said following his first-round exit on Tuesday that he tested positive on his exit test to leave Australia and would isolate for a week. Men’s third seed Alexander Zverev said in response that players were not getting tested, even as infection numbers surge in Australia, and believes that “quite a few players” are infected, without providing evidence. Official attendees at Melbourne Park, such as tournament staff, are provided with rapid antigen tests each day and must be negative to remain on site. But Tennis Australia (TA), which organises the Australian Open, says players only need to test if they have COVID-19 symptoms. Zverev’s remarks threw another spotlight on Covid policies at the Australian Open, which were already under scrutiny following the saga of deported defending champion Novak Djokovic. Women’s third seed Garbine Muguruza called testing for players an “optional thing”. “Me, I test every two days by myself in my room. It’s not mandatory. I still do it,” she said. Asked if players had to show test results when they arrived at Melbourne Park, the Spaniard added: “No, don’t have to.” Under its “safe player” protocols, TA provides rapid antigen kits to players and testing clinics are open for extended hours on site, and at the player hotel. All players at the Australian Open have to be vaccinated or have a medical exemption — a rule central to the deportation of the unvaccinated Djokovic. Players also had to complete a mandatory PCR test when they landed in Australia and again between day five and seven, a timeframe that would now be over for most of them.

Raducanu crashes out of Australian Open MELBOURNE AFP

Reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu crashed out of the Australian Open in the second round Thursday as she struggled with blisters on her serving hand.

The 19-year-old, making her debut at Melbourne Park, looked on track when she raced to a 3-0 lead in the opening set against Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic.

But the 17th seed then lost five games in a row and needed a medical timeout for treatment on her right hand.

Despite battling back she couldn’t stop Kovinic winning 64, 4-6, 6-3 on Margaret Court Arena.

The result put Kovinic, the world number 98, into the third round of a major for the first time.

She will now play either twotime Grand Slam winner Simona Halep, seeded 14, or Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia for a place in the fourth round.

“I really enjoyed it out there. It was a nice experience to play Emma and make it to the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time,” she said. “Emma is a such a talent and just glad I showed I can play at her level.”

It was only Kovinic’s fourth win over a top-20 player and the first on hardcourts, with the other three all on clay.

Raducanu applied pressure on the Kovinic serve right away, working a break point that went in her favour. A comfortable hold followed then Kovinic’s sixth unforced error handed the teenager three break points to go 3-0 clear.

But the Briton lost focus and loose shots from the baseline allowed her opponent to claw a break back.

Raducanu needed a medical timeout at 3-2 and was broken again when she returned, with her

serve lacking power and potency.

Struggling, she lost five games in a row before snapping the streak with a break, but it was in vain as Kovinic pounced again to take the set.

The teenager gritted her teeth and played through the pain to stamp her authority early on in the second set and take a 2-0 lead.

She needed more treatment at 3-2 but clung on, using the drop shot and slice to protect the injury as she took the second set.

Both players exchanged breaks in the deciding set before a perfect lob gave Kovinic a second break that proved decisive.

Kohli beats Tendulkar mark as India’s top away ODI run-scorer NEw DELHi AFP

Virat Kohli became India’s leading run-scorer in away oneday internationals as he hit an energetic half-century against South Africa just days after his shock exit as Test skipper. Kohli broke Sachin Tendulkar’s India record for most runs in away ODIs during his 51-run knock in the first of the three matches on Wednesday, although the tourists lost by 31 runs. Kohli has now scored 5,108 runs, surpassing Tendulkar’s 5,065. He also overtook Australian great Ricky Ponting’s 5,090 to become the second-highest behind Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara (5,518) in away 50-over matches. Kohli, 33, announced he was giving up the Test captaincy on Saturday having already quit as T20 skipper last year and been sacked from ODI leadership duties soon afterwards. Kohli was India’s most successful Test skipper with 40 wins in 68 matches during a seven-year tenure.

Friday, 21 January, 2022

prayer tIMINgs

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GDP Growth rate hitS 14-year hiGh to 5.37Pc iN 2021: aSaD FAISALABAD

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INISTER for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has claimed that the country’s economic growth rate was recorded an all-time high in 14 years at 5.7 percent in fiscal year 2020-21 against a forecast of 3.4 percent.

Talking to journalists on Thursday, the minister said that despite being hit by Covid-19, Pakistan’s economy witnessed record development under the leadership of Imran Khan. He added that the coronavirus has badly affected the world’s economy, but last year, Pakistan’s economic growth shot up as compared to the last 14 years.

The federal minister further said that last year, the growth of industries recorded a 15-year high, while major industries also succeeded in maintaining the growth rate at 15 percent which is more than average. Historic increases in the production of wheat were recorded

Shamim signed affidavit at Nawaz’s London office, says solicitor LONDON INp

Charles D. Guthrie, the London-based solicitor who notarised the notorious affidavit of former Gilgit-Baltistan chief justice Rana Muhammad Shamim, confirmed the document was notarised at the office of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif in London.

This was revealed in an audio released by journalist Irfan Hashmi in which Guthrie can be heard talking about the affidavit.

Guthrie said the affidavit was notarised at Sharif’s office but disclosed he could not review the contents of the document in detail as there were many people present on the occasion.

“After reviewing the document cursory, it was attested,” Guthrie was quoted as saying in the video released by Hashmi.

The solicitor further said that due to the presence of several people around him at the time of signing, he assumed that the document is important and that it is about Sharif. Hashmi said the forensic experts confirmed that the audio is authentic and is not tempered.

Shamim had claimed that former top judge Saqib Nisar had asked a high court judge to keep Sharif and Maryam Nawaz Sharif in prison until the 2018 general elections.

He claimed that he heard the conversation when the former CJP was visiting GB before the 2018 elections.

Saqib Nisar, however, rejected the claim.

He said: “Rana Shamim asked me for extension of his tenure as CJ GB, which I didn’t approve.” Nisar said Shamim also complained once against not giving him an extension.

while potato, tomato, onion, and natural gas and crude oil production also shot up.

Umar also lashed out at the opposition, saying that in the last two weeks, it came up with two failed narratives. “I pity them (the opposition) as the government vanquished them in the National Assembly after passing bills with a majority,” he said.

Meanwhile, the National Accounts Committee (NAC) Thursday approved the revised figures of Pakistan’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 5.37 percent against the provisional numbers of 3.9 percent for the fiscal year 2020-21 (FY21).

According to the final numbers approved by the committee, the per capita income increased to Rs266,614 or US $1,666 in 2020-21 while the size of the economy reached US $346.76 billion.

The committee also accorded approval to the change of base of National Accounts from 2005-06 to 2015-16. The 104th meeting of the NAC was held here under the Chairmanship of Secretary Planning, Development & Special Initia-

tives Abdul Aziz Uqaili.

Due to improved coverage and better estimation of input output structure of industries, the gross value addition has increased by Rs3.1 trillion in the base year 2015-16 from Rs27.4 to Rs30.5 trillion, showing an increase of 11.3 percent in the Gross Value Added (GVA) for the base year 2015-16.

This shows that in the previous base of 2005-06 the economy was underestimated by 11.3 percent. Agriculture showed an increase of 8.3 percent from Rs6.7 to Rs7.3 trillion, industry grew by 11.9 percent from Rs5.3 to Rs5.9 trillion and services enhanced by 12.5 percent from Rs15.3 to 17.3 trillion.

With re-basing and level shift of the economy from Rs29.1 trillion to Rs32.7 trillion in 2015-16, the GDP at market prices increased to Rs55.5 trillion in 2021, and Gross National Income increased to Rs59.3 trillion.

Planning Ministry and Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) have decided to devise a mechanism to rebase National Accounts as well as price statistics after

every five years in line with the best practice adopted by the most of the countries of the world, as both go in tandem to capture more areas and activities, which have taken place in the last couple of years.

The PBS being a national statistical organisation has to comply with the international standards while compiling national indicators of economy. The methodology adopted in the re-basing is in line with the 2008 System of National Accounts (SNA).

During 2014-15 to 2016-17, the PBS has conducted about 45 census, surveys, and studies to properly capture the economic activities in the country.

The results of these census, surveys, and studies have already been reviewed by internal and World Bank experts. Efforts have been made to include new economic activities.

Dedicated surveys and studies have been conducted to capture the share of economic activities in the economy.

Input output ratios of various industries have been updated, which has resulted in better reflection of their contribution in the economy, said the statement.

Govt to modernise Balochistan road infrastructure: PM ISLAMABAD MIaN abrar

Prime Minister Imran Khan has assured to improve and modernise the road infrastructure across Balochistan to ensure the development and prosperity of the province.

The prime minister, in a meeting with Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani on Thursday, termed the construction of roads under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), especially the western route, as an important development and expressed hope that it will usher a new era of development in the province.

The meeting also discussed issues related to making Karachi-Quetta Regional Cooperation for Development Highway (RCD Highway) dual track.

The Prime Minister expressed deep sorrow over the demise of Sadiq Sanjrani’s brother Salaar Sanjarani and offered special prayers for the departed soul.

Separately, chairing a review meeting regarding formation of a coordinated strategy to improve the irrigation system of the country on Thursday, the prime minister said that timely completion of water reservoirs and cultivation of agricultural land is imperative for ensuring food security. The prime minister directed the authorities concerned to complete all ongoing projects of water reservoirs on time.

The meeting was informed about

different projects pertaining to a sustainable system for fair distribution of water among provinces, water situation in canal systems and methods for making barren land cultivable. The meeting was informed that the government, in line with the prime minister’s vision of prioritizing food security, is ensuring implementation of the Agricultural Transformation Plan.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the Ravi Urban Development and Central Business District projects would substantially reduce pollution levels for featuring green spaces, waste management, clean energy sources and eco-friendly international best practices. The prime minister, chairing a meeting to review progress on the said projects, emphasised that the said projects are of vital importance for the country and particularly Lahore. He said the government has no self-interest rather it is working for the welfare of citizens of Lahore.

The prime minister said that the incumbent government has revitalised dead capital to earn revenues and has initiated landmark construction projects that no previous government planned during the last two decades.

He directed that disciplinary action would be taken against officials who do not adhere to timelines that cause delay in projects’ implementation. He also directed the Punjab government to actively pursue legal cases pending

against these projects.

Earlier, the meeting was briefed that green spaces have been reserved in all projects and clean technologies would be used to ensure eco-friendly construction. It was apprised that seven international groups have participated in establishment of a waste treatment plant in Ravi Urban Development project and agreements had been reached with international organizations including UN-HABITAT to comply with international green standards.

The meeting was also updated regarding components of RUDA projects to be considered for inclusion in CPEC projects. It was informed that the 1,500 kanals Chaharbagh Residential project has been launched with 3,000 apartments and 1000 low cost apartments for which 17,500 applications had been received and balloting would be held next month.

Regarding CBD, it was apprised that Rs15 billion revenue is expected from sale of seven mixed used plots.

It was informed that leveling and excavation work had started in Walton.

The meeting was attended by Chairman of Naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority Lt. Gen. (R) Anwar Ali Haider and senior officials. Punjab Housing Minister Mian Mehmood-urRasheed, Advisor to CM Punjab Dr. Salman Shah, Chief Secretary of Punjab and senior provincial government officials joined via video link.

Pakistan ranked second in performance in fight against pandemic ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has said that Pakistan has been ranked number two in The Economists’ world normalcy index. The Economist has compiled data from January 2021 to January 2022, that measures recovery and opening up of society and economy post Covid-19. Sharing the screenshot of the report he wrote. “Pakistan has been rated top for measures against Covid in the Economist Normalcy Index. The economist has compiled data of the last one year from January 2021 to January 2022. staff report

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Medical authorities declare Zahir Jaffer ‘completely fit’ to stand trial Medical authorities at the Adiala Jail Hospital have declared Zahir Jaffer, the key accused in the Noor Mukadam murder case, as physically, medically fit to stand trial. According to the doctor, Zahir underwent several medical check-ups. A psychiatrist also examined and declared the accused to be fully fit.

“Zahir Jaffer is physically and mentally healthy,” the doctor said. At the plea of the accused, submitted through his counsel, the court directed the authorities concerned to conduct Zahir’s medical checkup. The Adiala Jail doctors submitted the report before Additional Sessions Judge Atta Rabbani. It is pertinent to note that two days ago, it was reported that all prosecution witnesses including the investigating officer recorded their statements in the Noor Mukadam murder case. The cross-examination of all witnesses except for the investigating officer was also completed in the murder case. The investigation officer was cross-examined today. Plaintiff Shaukat Mukadam appeared before the court and was crossexamined by the counsel for the main accused on January 18. State Councilor Sikandar Zulqarnain Saleem, counsel for the main accused Zahir Jaffer, cross-examined Shaukat Mukadam through the video link. Shaukat Mukadam said that he had been an ambassador between 2010 and 2013. He said that he had signed the application for the FIR. The lawyer of the accused asked the plaintiff “as a former ambassador, do you think it is right for a boy and a girl to have contacts without any relationship in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan?” In response to this, which Shaukat Mukadam said that it was not correct but the nature of the relationship should be seen. He said in universities, girls and boys study together. The two had known each other for 20 to 25 years.

However, lawyer Asad Jamal termed the counsel’s called for such questions to be dropped. News desk

Nation reels as coronavirus transmission rate soars to 11.55 percent ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is suffering a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases as the Omicron variant spreads through the country, putting pressure on health services and weighing on an already sputtering economy. The average number of new infections reported each day has arisen by more than 3,900 over the last three weeks, or 66 percent of the previous peak. Daily infections are increasing, with 4,249 new infections reported on average each day.

According to a Reuters tally, that’s 72 percent of the peak — the highest daily average reported on June 17 last year. According to the latest statistics shared by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the positivity rate soared to over 11 percent during the past 24 hours. The highest positivity rate has been recorded in Karachi, at about 40 percent, which is reporting around 60 percent of the total new infections. The nation recorded 6,808 new cases Thursday, an increase of 19.6 per cent from Wednesday, marking the secondhighest daily caseload since the start of the crisis in February 2020. Pakistan has recorded its peak at 6,825 on June 13 last year. While the total caseload now stood at 1.34 million after adding the latest infections. The authorities conducted 58,943 tests nationwide during the last 24 hours to receive a positivity ratio of 11.55 percent. Meanwhile, The number of deaths from Covid-19 stood at five. Per the NCOC, after the addition of new deaths, the toll has now surged to 29,042. The number of patients in critical care units stood at 918. Also, on Wednesday, as many as 426 people completely recovered from the disease, taking the total recoveries to 1.26 million. Whereas, the number of active cases was recorded at a record 51,091. Since the outbreak, 513,046 cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 456,992 in Punjab, 182,950 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 113,688 in Islamabad, 33,780 in Balochistan, 34,884 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 10,461 in Gilgit-Baltistan. 13,093 people lost their lives to the crisis in Punjab, 7,710 in Sindh, 5,967 in KP, 969 in Islamabad, 749 in AJK, 367 in Balochistan and 187 in GB. staff report

Naseem, Akbar to issue defamation notice to Justice Qazi Isa’s wife Sarina Isa Advisor to Prime Minister on Accountability Mirza Shahzad Akbar and Law Minister Dr Farogh Naseem will be issuing a defamation notice to Justice Qazi Faez Isa’s wife, Sarina Isa, the soruces revealed on Wednesday.

It is pertinent to note that a day earlier, Sarina Isa had approached the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for initiating action against Naseem, Akbar, the former attorney general of Pakistan Anwar Mansoor Khan, and other senior officials of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

In a statement, the government officials maintained that they had received Sarina Isa’s letter in which she had “as usual levelled baseless, fake and malafide allegations

against the undersigned”.

“We are of the view that apart from the allegations in the said letter being totally false, the letter has been written for an ulterior motive so as to take advantage in any pending or future litigation, with a view to escape accountability and elude the rigours of law. We are of the considered view that we have enough tolerated the non-sensical allegations by the lady and those behind her, and have decided to issue an appropriate defamation notice and take them to the court of law for loss and damage to our reputation, which has, inter alia, been occasioned through the letter in question,” the statement read.

The statement added that the “frivolity of

the lady and her cohorts could also be appreciated from the letter dated December 31, 2021, which she wrote to the bureaucracy, wherein out of context she made concocted and false references to the undersigned and others”.

“The malafides orchestrated by the lady and persons behind her, have to logically stop; therefore, rights are reserved,” the statement further said.

In a letter to the chairman and the NAB prosecutor general, Sarina claimed that the law minister broke the law to protect himself from criminal prosecution and that he tailored an amendment to the income tax law.

A day earlier, in a letter to the chairman and the NAB prosecutor general, Sarina

claimed that the law minister broke the law to protect himself from criminal prosecution and that he tailored an amendment to the income tax law.

“Section 216 of the Income Tax Ordinance states that tax records ‘shall be confidential’ and if these are accessed (other than by income tax officers) anyone doing so commits a criminal offence. Gentlemen, when you accessed my tax records you broke the law. In my review application submitted to the Supreme Court, I protested against this violation of the law and requested that action be taken. My review was accepted; detailed reasons are awaited. Apprehending that your careers would end and you would face crim-

inal prosecution you proposed an amendment to the existing law,” the letter stated.

Sarina, while addressing the law minister, stated that “Is this not contempt of court?

The fact that you have inserted the amendment and state that it ‘shall always be deemed to have been so added’ is a clear admission of guilt that you and others committed an offence under section 216″ She further stated claimed that he dishonestly drafted the Finance (Supplementary) Bill by adding an exception to section 216 to protect him from prosecution for violating the confidentiality of her tax records, and did so when the detailed judgment of her review was awaited. News desk

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot No 66-C, 1st Floor, 21st Commercial Street, Phase-II (Extension), DHA Karachi and printed at Ibn-e-Hassan Printing Press, Hockey Stadium, Karachi, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 021-35381208-9. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk