Epaper – January 28-2022 ISB

friday, 28 January, 2022 I 24 Jamadi-al-Sani, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 210 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition

Death of protesting MQM activist brings centre, sinDh face to face g

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g Ghani says force used as iMran seeks rePort about Police violence on ‘Peaceful Protest’ last resort to save Psl Murad calls MQM-P Minister, offers to discuss contentious lG laws

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD

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staff RepoRt

riMe Minister imran khan sought a report from the federal Ministry of interior and sindh government after an overnight clash between police and protesting activists of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), a member of the ruling coalition, killed one party worker in karachi. the violence erupted when police swung batons and fired tear gas to prevent rallygoers, who were demanding the repeal of the contentious local government laws to limit the powers of mayors, from marching towards the chief Minister’s house, drawing condemnation across the political spectrum. leaders of the MQM-P told reporters that Mohammad aslam died at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical centre (JPMc) after being injured in the ensuing crash with police. the injured included a party lawmaker

sadaqat hussain and a policeman. in a tweet, khan took note of the violence employed by the police against the “peaceful protest”, seeking a report about the matter. the government “will take necessary action against those responsible after receiving these reports”, he wrote.

PPP, MQM-P PlEdGE To ‘NoT GIVE EThNIC ColouR To RECENT EVENTS’: sindh chief Minister Murad ali shah and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader syed aminul haque agreed on thursday to not give events that unfolded a day ago an ethnic colour. an MQM-P worker died while scores were injured and taken into custody by the sindh police after the latter used batons and tear gas to disperse the party’s protestors against the recently passed amendments to the sindh local Government act (slGa) of 2013. during a telephonic conversation, initiated by the sindh cM, both leaders con-

coronavirus in

pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

1,393,887

LAST UPDATED AT 9:08 AM ON JANUARY 27, 2022

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

25

7,539

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

1,272,871 29,162 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

533,496

469,540

KPK:

BALOCHISTAN:

187,983

34,131

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

36,082/10,557

122,098

demned bringing in the question of ethnicity into the incident. they further aimed to resolve any political differences through dialogue and political means. cM Murad ali shah expressed deep regret over the incident, adding that such incidents “should not happen under any circumstances”. the lawmakers agreed to getting a postmortem examination done if someone had died as a cause of the police violence. Murad said an autopsy would reveal the cause of death. he further stated that he would inquire into the incident and take action against anyone involved. haque also expressed satisfaction over the steps taken by the government over the tando allahyar incident. the two leaders agreed on not creating a similar situation in the future. the sindh chief minister said he will have the incident investigated and hold all officials responsible.

Murad further directed the home secretary to constitute a committee under him to inquire into the incident and fix responsibility so that necessary action could be taken. the provincial chief executive also proposed further dialogue on the new sindh local body law, to which the MQM-P minister replied that he would get back after having consulted with his party. furthermore, Murad called on the MQM-P MPa sadaqat hussain to inquire after his injuries. the lawmaker was injured during the clash.

MQM woRKER dIEd of hEART ATTACK; SAyS GhANI: the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government of sindh however disputed the claim. addressing a press conference, Minister for information saeed Ghani said the actual cause of death “seems to be a heart attack”.

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India funded, supported attacks on CPEC: NSA Moeed BEIJING News Desk

national security adviser (nsa) Moeed yusuf on thursday said the safety of foreigners in the country is Pakistan’s responsibility, and concerns of chinese workers and engineers working on the china-Pakistan economic corridor (cPec) are taken seriously. the nsa’s remarks came in an interview with the beijing review where he mentioned that some countries and their proxy actors do not want the cPec to succeed as they see the Pakistanchina partnership as a “threat”.

Moeed acknowledged that there have been a number of attacks on the cPec projects, highlighting that india supported and funded them through anti-Pakistan militant organisations operating from third countries. “unfortunately, our enemies will continue to seek ways to target us,” he added. however, the nsa stated that regardless of these attacks, there is clear evidence that the Pakistan-china relationship is still going strong as the two countries came out “stronger and further strengthened security protocols”. “all inimical forces working at the behest of external powers to

Govt is trying to bring Nawaz Sharif back under a ‘deal’: Rashid interior Minister sheikh rashid ahmad has said that the Pti government is trying to bring PMl-n leader nawaz sharif back to Pakistan under a “deal”. “efforts for a deal are being made to bring all the accused and convicts residing in britain,” rashid said in an interview with the british media. “we sent nawaz sharif ourselves, it is our own fault,” he said and added that nawaz sharif managed to fool the country’s system and walked out of the country. “but the government is trying to bring back those who are wanted in cases under trial in court,” he said. he, however, admitted that the government hasn’t been able to make any progress in making ishaq dar’s return possible.

SuRGE IN TERRoRIST ATTACKS lIKEly: the Minister warned of a surge in terrorist activities in the country in the coming months. “terrorism is expected to rise in the country in the next two months,” rashid said. he, however, said that Pakistan has a much better system to fight terrorists and gathering information and this wave of terrorism will be dealt with accordingly.

the minister said that afghan taliban are unable to force the tehreek-e-taliban Pakistan into anything. “however, they [afghan taliban] are playing a positive role and have been a mediator in Pakistan’s negotiations with the ttP,” he said. he said that the afghan taliban are playing the role of a bridge and trying to keep the ttP from engaging in terrorist activities.

TTP CloSEd dooRS To PEACE TAlKS wITh CEASEfIRE VIolATIoNS: sheikh rashid, who had advocated for peace talks with the ttP, said that the ceasefire violation by the group closed the doors to further negotiations. “ttP ended the accord

themselves. [the government] engaged in talks [with the group] a couple of times but no results,” he said, adding that the other side’s conditions were not acceptable. he revealed that ttP was demanding the release of prisoners who are serving their sentences in Pakistan but freeing such “dangerous” prisoners is impossible. “we offered ttP to lay their arms and join the national mainstream but they violated the ceasefire.”

‘PM IMRAN KhAN, ESTAblIShMENT oN SAME PAGE’: in his comments over the rumoured rift between the establishment and imran khan-led government, the minister said that the country’s advantage lies in the fact that the establishment and PM imran khan are on the same page. he asserted that there are no differences between PM imran khan and the military leadership and the former has decided to stand by the elected government. he said there could be a difference of opinion between the government and the establishment, but saying that the two are not on the same page would be wrong. News Desk

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undermine the cPec will be defeated,” said Moeed, adding that Pakistan now has a mechanism to ensure the security of every chinese citizen in the country. he emphasised that the full potential of the cPec will only be realised when there is peace in the region.

‘CPEC bENEfICIAl foR All’: Moeed said that the cPec is beneficial for both china and Pakistan as well as everyone who participates in it. “since the start of the project in 2014, significant progress has been made on the ground. so far, projects with a combined installed capacity of more than nine gigawatts have been completed and work on other energy projects is continuing at a pace,” he added. according to the nsa, roads have also been built throughout the country to streamline internal connectivity. “we are entering the second phase, which is critical for industrialisation in the country and connectivity between china, Pakistan and the rest of the world,” he stated, adding that this phase will involve investment in a range of sectors, including agriculture and science and technology.

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more inside

Tarin directs to expand Kamyab Pakistan programme all over country STORY ON BACK PAGE

absence of supremacy of the law ‘biggest obstacle’ preventing Pakistan from progressing: PM khan STORY ON PAGE 02

Imran’s China visit gesture of solidarity, to boost CPEC pace: Qureshi STORY ON PAGE 03

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Friday, 28 January, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

Absence of supremAcy of the lAw ‘biggest obstAcle’ preventing pAkistAn from progressing: pm

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STAff REpORT

RIMe Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said the absence of supremacy of the law is the “biggest obstacle” preventing Pakistan from progressing.

Addressing an event regarding Criminal Law and Justice Reforms here, the prime minister said the massive amendments would help bring a revolution in the criminal justice system and simplify the procedure for the common man.

He termed effective dispensation of

justice as the state’s responsibility, saying the government’s reforms in the civil and criminal procedure codes would ensure justice faster.

He paid tribute to Law Minister Farogh Naseem and his team for drafting the reforms, saying that it was a “defining moment” in the country’s history.

The prime minister said for the first time, the government was making changes in the laws introduced during British rule to bring improvement to the way justice was dispensed.

He said no government in the past had

mechanism introduced to protect rights, speedy redressal of plaints: ombudsman LAHORE: On the orders of Punjab Ombudsman retired Major Azam Suleman Khan, an integrated institutional mechanism has been established to ensure timely redressal of public complaints by reducing the time and cost of complaint filing. This has been helpful in ensuring adherence to the rule of law by safeguarding public rights. In this regard, a spokesman of the office of the agency said on Thursday the plaintiffs could submit their grievances by post, e-mail, Facebook Messenger, official website, fax, and state-of-the-art mobile app or personally to the relevant ombudsman’s office. For public convenience, full addresses and other details of 42 regional ombudsman’s offices are available on the agency’s website, he added. Staff RepoRt

Altaf hussain to stand trial for three weeks in hate speech case LONDON: The leader and founder of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain is set to go on trial at the Kingston Crown Court from Monday, January 31, for approximately three weeks in the hate speech case brought by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Scotland Yard had charged Hussain in October 2019 with a terrorism offence in a case related to his controversial speech relayed live from the United Kingdom to his followers in Pakistan on August 22, 2016. The MQM founder, 68, was investigated by detectives from the Met Police’s Counter-Terrorism Command over his speech that caused riots in Karachi and attacks on news channels. He was arrested on June 11, 2019, on suspicion of intentionally encouraging or assisting offences contrary to Section 44 of the Serious Crime Act 2007. He was released on bail and subsequently charged. Hussain will be defended by his lawyers at Corker Binning against the Crown’s lawyers.

Hussain has denied the charge and says he will defend himself at the trial and during the cross-examination.

“Altaf Hussain […], of Abbey View, Mill Hill, NW7, was charged under section 1(2) of the Terrorism Act (TACT) 2006 with encouraging terrorism,” the Met Police had said. MonitoRing RepoRt

ever thought about reforming the century-old laws in order to maintain the status quo and accommodate the elite.

The premier said the civil law reforms were a step towards ensuring rule of law in line with Riyasat-i-Madinah (state of Madinah). Talking about overseas Pakistanis, he said they were the country’s biggest asset and their income was equal to that of 220 million Pakistanis. Pakistan was running because of the remittances sent by overseas Pakistanis, he said. However, they did not invest in Pakistan because they did not trust Pakistan’s justice system and laws

related to contract enforcement, he added.

“When they start bringing investment to Pakistan, we will never have to go to anyone with hands outstretched. Why do we go to IMF (International Monetary Fund)?

Because this is the biggest problem, nobody trusts our rule of law.” Referring to the Reko Diq case, in which Pakistan was ordered to pay $5.9 billion to the Tethyan Copper Company in damages, PM Imran said work in the mines would already have started if the case was filed in Pakistani courts.

“If it went through our courts, the judgement would have been announced and

the mines would be running either way. But because it was international arbitration, how big a price [we had to pay?]” he argued.

Prime Minister Imran appealed to the judiciary and members of the legal fraternity to help implement the government’s reforms.

Speaking before the prime minister, Law Minister Barrister Farogh Naseem said the Code of Criminal Procedure needed a change and mentioned that over 700 amendments have been introduced to overhaul the existing legal system. explaining those amendments, he said that the formation of a statute of an independent prosecution service, forensic laboratory and prison rules were significant reforms. He said a law had been made for mandatory dispensation of budget to police stations to meet the expenses of investigation, along with deputing a subinspector at each station with preferably a bachelor’s degree.

Supreme Court fixes plea against RUDA verdict for Jan 31 ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Supreme Court on Thursday fixed the Punjab government’s plea against the Lahore High Court (LHC) verdict in the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project (RRUDP) case for January 31.

The PTI-led Punjab government on Wednesday had approached the top court seeking the suspension of the LHC’s January 25 order, which had declared the project as illegal and ‘unconstitutional’.

A division bench of the SC, led by Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan, took up the matter earlier today (Thursday) and ordered the top court’s Registrar’s Office to fix the appeal for the hearing next week.

“We have not received a detailed decision of Lahore High Court,” Justice Ijaz said, mentioning that petitions can only be heard after a detailed decision of the LHC is received. earlier this week, the LHC announced its verdict in the RRUDP project case, declaring the scheme “unconstitutional” on the grounds that it lacked a master

plan. “Any scheme if established without [a] master plan is unconstitutional,” Justice Shahid Karim said, directing the RUDA to return the loans obtained from the provincial government for the project within two months.

The court noted that proper procedure was not adopted in purchasing agricultural land for the Ravi Urban Development project in Lahore and Sheikhupura, therefore, it declared the practice of acquiring the land through amendment in Section 4 of the RUDA Ordinance “unconstitutional”.

At UN, Pakistan pushes for unfreezing of Afghanistan’s assets UNITED NATIONS Staff RepoRt

Pakistan called for unfreezing of $9.5 billion in Afghanistan’s financial reserves held in the United States and “critically” needed to revive that nation’s economy and to avert the looming humanitarian catastrophe. “There is no legal justification for depriving the Afghan people of their national assets,” Ambassador Munir Akram, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, told the Security Council which met on Wednesday (early Thursday in Pakistan) to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.

“This money is critically needed to sustain and stabilise and revive the Afghan economy and to save millions of lives of poor and hungry Afghan children, women and men,” the envoy added.

“This would be the most effective and generous display of solidarity with the people of Afghanistan.”

Opening the debate, Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Afghanistan was on the brink of collapse, amid a 30 percent contraction of gross domestic product (GDP).

“Afghanistan is hanging by a thread,” the UN chief remarked. He urged the global community — and the Security Council — to provide resources to prevent the country from deteriorating further.

In his remarks, Ambassador Akram said Pakistan has provided $30 million in food and other assistance, established land and air bridges, opened its borders, and currently houses nearly 4 million refugees.

Citing the impact of the still-frozen assets, he said that without urgent humanitarian assistance, chaos and conflict could return alongside a massive outflux of refugees, and an escalation of a terrorist threat.

“We commend the leadership of Secretary-General Guterres in mobilising international support for the Afghan people and the critical help being provided by Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, World Food Programme, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations Children’s Fund, World Health Organisation and other UN as well as international and non-governmental organisations, including the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) to the Afghan people.”

The envoy hoped the international community will respond positively and generously to the UN humanitarian and refugee response appeals launched by the UN chief. Noting that UNSC resolution 2615, passed in 2021, reaffirms that targeted sanctions should not be used to prevent economic or development assistance, he called for the release of WFP remaining funds.

Ambassador Akram called on the international community to engage with the Taliban in order to

develop appropriate modalities for cooperative counterterrorism action, adding the new UNAMA (UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan) mandate should enjoy support from the interim Afghanistan government and respect her sovereignty.

Only dialogue and consultations and mutual persuasion would lead to agreed outcomes, he said, adding that coercion is not the road to peace in Afghanistan. “It has not been in the past 20 years and it will not be in the future”, the envoy said.

Pakistan, he said, supports the objective of an inclusive government and respect for the human rights of all Afghans, especially women and girls, with the hope that the discussions that are taking place in various locations to promote such inclusivity would be successful.

“We also note the acting government’s assurances with regard to the provision of education for girls and we look forward to the reopening of the girls’ schools next month.”

Welcoming a proposal from Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Deborah Lyons to develop a pathway to stabilise Afghanistan, Ambassador Akram said it should incorporate the expectations of the international community — inclusivity, human and women’s rights and counter-terrorism as well as the expectations that have been voiced by the Taliban government — for economic and financial support, and an end to sanctions and eventual recognition.

Nazim Jokhio murder: PPP MPA gets B-class in jail, shifted to NICVD KARACHI Staff RepoRt

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) MPA Jam Awais Bijar who is booked under the murder charges of Nazim Jokhio was shifted to National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) besides getting Bclass facilities in the prison.

A letter from jail authorities, showing that the PPP lawmaker from Malir has been given B-class in the prison while he was also shifted to the NICVD for medical treatment.

The sources in the prison said that Jam Awais Bijar was shifted to NICVD after his health condition deteriorated.

“He was feeling chest pain and after a medical examination, it emerged that his blood pressure and cholesterol level went up,” they said and added that the PPP lawmaker was later shifted to the prison after improvement in his health condition.

The sources in the prison further confirmed that he was given B-class in the jail owing to his status of being a

lawmaker as per the prison policy.

Police submitted the final challan (investigation report) in the high-profile Nazim Jokhio murder case to a Malir court on Wednesday.

The investigation officer (IO) of the case filed the charge sheet showing Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MNA Jam Abdul Karim as an absconder and MPA Jam Awais and five other persons as held accused.

The IO dropped abduction and plot to murder charges against the accused. Seven accused persons, including an official of the forest department, have also been discharged from the case.

The court directed the defence and prosecution sides to forward their arguments on the challan in the next hearing on Feb 3.

Nazim Jokhio’s body was recovered from the PPP lawmaker Jam Awais’s farmhouse last month. His family alleged that Awais, MNA Jam Abdul Karim, and their henchmen tortured him to death for filming and stopping their guests from illegal hunting of houbara bustards.

Judicial reforms to revolutionise access to justice: Imran ISLAMABAD app

Terming speedy dispensation of justice a responsibility of the state, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said the muchneeded reforms in the civil and criminal procedure code will ensure the same.

Addressing an event regarding Criminal Law and Justice Reforms, the prime minister said the amendments would help bring revolution in the criminal judicial apparatus and simplify the procedures for the public. Khan said that for the first time, the government was making changes in laws last updated during the Raj to bring improvement to the dispensation of justice. He said no government in the past gave any thought to reforming the colonial laws in order to maintain the status quo and accommodate the political elite. The prime minister said the civil law reforms were a step towards ensuring rule of law in line with the state of Medina. He quoted a hadith of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) emphasising that “many nations before you were destroyed where there was one law for the powerful and another for the weak’. Khan said ensuring the rule of law would encourage foreign investors and Pakistan-nationals living abroad to invest in their motherland. Minister for Law and Justice Farogh Naseem said the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) needed a change as per requirements and mentioned that over 700 amendments had completely overhauled the existing legal system.

Friday, 28 January, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

imrAn’s chinA visit gesture of soliDArity, to boost cpec pAce: Qureshi ISLAMABAD

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Staff RepoRt

OReIGN Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday said that in addition to attending the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics as a solidarity gesture, the visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to China would encompass discussions on advancing joint ventures and speeding up progress on ChinaPakistan economic Corridor (CPeC) projects.

In a statement ahead of Khan’s visit

between February 3-5, Qureshi said Pakistan and China stood with each other in testing times and the main purpose of the visit was to express solidarity with China after several Western nations boycotted the Games on trumped-up claims.

In December, a small but influential group of Western countries including the United States and the United Kingdom announced diplomatic boycotts of the Beijing Olympics.

The boycott allows the nations to send athletic delegations to the Games while refusing to send any high-ranking

officials or dignitaries as an official delegation. In addition to the Games, Qureshi said, discussions would take place in line with the consultations of the special task force on boosting bilateral trade volume and economic stability.

The foreign minister mentioned the task force headed by the prime minister met several times, conducted sessions with stakeholders and formulated a policy guideline on exploiting trade potential between the two countries.

During his stay in Beijing, he said, Khan will meet the top Chinese leadership including President Xi Jinping.

He said economic diplomacy was the focus of Pakistan’s foreign policy to ensure the prosperity of the public.

To achieve this goal, he said, investment and bilateral trade with other countries particularly China has special significance, he added.

On hosting the 48th meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) on March 22-23, he said the meeting of Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir had also been added to the schedule to discuss the situation in the occupied region.

Pakistan reports new record of 91,854 active Covid-19 cases ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Pakistan registered a record of more than 90,000 active cases of coronavirus, while the number of deaths also rose to a three-month high as the nation battles a fifth wave of the virus.

Meanwhile, in the last 24 hours, the nation reported 7,539 new cases, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) said on Thursday.

With this, the total caseload has risen to 1.3 million, according to the federal body, which leads the campaign against the pandemic.

Another 25 people lost their lives due to Covid-19 on Wednesday, the highest since October 14, taking the death toll to 29,162, while 1,240 patients are said to be in critical condition.

forex reserves fall $868m to $22.48bn for 7th week KARACHI Staff RepoRt

The foreign exchange reserves of the country dropped for the seventh successive week by $868 million (3.7 percent) to reach $22.48 billion. According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the foreign exchange reserves during the week ended January 21, 2022 reached $22.48 billion from $23.35 billion due to external debt and other payments. As per the central bank data, the reserves held by the central bank during the week decreased by $846 million (4.96 percent) on a week-on-week basis to $16.19 billion. Similarly, the reserves of commercial banks dropped slightly by $22 million (0.3 percent) to $6.29 billion from $6.3 billion on a week-on-week basis. 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.

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. The government borrowed $10.4 billion in the past six months, which was higher by 78 percent over the same period of last year, as it struggled to address the growing current account imbalance and keep the debt-financed foreign exchange reserves at current levels. Gross foreign loan disbursements during July-December of current fiscal year remained at $9.3 billion, the Ministry of economic Affairs reported a day earlier. In addition to this, the government received $1.1 billion in foreign loans from the overseas Pakistanis through the Naya Pakistan Certificates, the central bank data showed.

During the period, 1,784 patients recovered from the disease, bringing the total recoveries to 1.2 million, the centre said.

Sindh is the worst-affected province in the pandemic with 533,496 infections, followed by Punjab, which has reported 469,540 cases.

A health worker (R) inoculates a woman with a dose of the Covid-19 coronavirus PakVac vaccine during door to door vaccination in Karachi on January 11, 2022. Authorities kick-started the campaign earlier this month to erase the gap in the rates of inoculation between men and women in the nation’s largest city.

Last Friday, Pakistan reported 7,678 infections in a single day, its highest daily number of cases since the pandemic began in March 2020. This pushed the positivity ratio to a staggering 12.93 percent.

“We might see a peak after two weeks followed by a gradual decline,” Faisal Mahmood, associate professor of infections diseases at Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), told Geo television channel.

He observed the number of hospitalisations are rising, citing the on-going wedding season for the rapid spread of the virus.

Pakistan is backing on ramping up the Covid-19 vaccination programme to avoid having to take any drastic new restrictions to curb the spread of the virus.

About 80 million people, or 36 percent of the population, have had two vaccine doses.

The infection numbers are lower compared to other countries, such as India — but Pakistan tests 50 to 60 thousand people a day compared to India where around 1.9 million tests are being done per day to cover a 1.38 billion-strong population.

Fighting TTP and mistrust, Pakistan marks one year polio-free pESHAWAR afp

Bathed in the crisp morning light, Sidra Hussain grips a cooler stacked with glistening vials of polio vaccine in Mardan city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Watching over Hussain and her partner, a policeman unslings his rifle and eyes the horizon.

In concert they begin their task — going door-todoor on the outskirts of the city, dripping bitter doses of rose-coloured medicine into infants’ mouths on the eve of a major milestone for the nation’s anti-polio drive.

The last infection of the wild poliovirus was recorded on January 27, 2021, according to officials, and Friday marks the first time in the nation’s history that a year has passed with no new cases.

To formally eradicate the disease, a nation must be polio-free for three consecutive years — but even 12 months is a long time in a country where vaccination teams are in the crosshairs of a simmering insurgency.

Since the Taliban takeover of neighbouring

Afghanistan, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has become emboldened and its fighters frequently target polio teams.

“Life or death is in God’s hands,” Hussain told AFP this week, amid a patchwork of high-walled compounds in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

“We have to come,” she said defiantly. “We can’t just turn back because it’s difficult.”

THRIVING IN UNCERTAINTY: Nigeria officially eradicated wild polio in 2020, leaving Pakistan and Afghanistan as the only countries where the disease — which causes crippling paralysis — is still endemic.

Spread through faeces and saliva, the virus has historically thrived in the blurred borderlands between the South Asian nations, where state infrastructure is weak and the TTP have carved out a home. A separate group sharing a common heritage with the Afghan Taliban, the TTP was founded in 2007 and once held sway over large swathes of the restive tribal tracts. In 2014, it was ousted by an army offensive, its fighters retreating across the porous border with Afghanistan.

Chaudhry Shujaat advises govt to focus on inflation, not on Nawaz Sharif’s return LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Pakistan Muslim LeagueQuaid (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Thursday advised the incumbent government to resolve the current issues rather than focusing on PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s return, Geo News reported.

In a statement issued by the ex-prime minister, he

said that no matter what, Nawaz Sharif will not come back. He also said that the government has spent more amount of money on the cases against him than the corruption Nawaz Sharif did.

“It would have been a different scenario if his party workers had insisted him to come,” he said, adding that “it is ridiculous that PTI’s members talk about his return.”

The PML-Q leader said that if the government does not work on important issues, then the country will be at stake as this is the “year of deliverance”.

“If any leader or party hands out a positive plan to decrease the inflation rate, I will ask my members to listen to them,” he added.

He also said that the leaders nowadays pull each other’s leg and they will see the outcome of their actions soon.

NEWS

03

minister inaugurates portion of world’s largest Quran at Dubai expo KARACHI anadolu agency

A portion of the world’s largest Quran was unveiled Tuesday at Dubai expo 2020 in the United Arab emirates (UAe), attracting crowds to see the rare artwork. Minister for Commerce Abdul Razzak Dawood along with Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UAe Afzaal Mahmood, senior expo officials and diplomats, inaugurated the work by renowned Pakistani artist Shahid Rassam, according to a statement. Cast on canvas with aluminium and goldplated script, surah Al-Rahman, or chapter of The Beneficent, is on display at the Pakistan Pavilion. Rassam and more than 200 associates have been working since 2017 to prepare what he said is the world’s largest copy of the Quran. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2026. Rassam told reporters that the artefact is unique and innovative from various aspects. “I have not written the Holy Quran with colour or ink. The words are cast on canvas with aluminium and gold-plated words for the first time in Islamic history,” he said. The project is featured on six pages that took four months to complete. Rassam said 15 kilograms (33 pounds) of aluminium and more than 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of gold were used to cast surah Al-Rahman on a special canvas.

church leaders slam ‘systemic discrimination’ against christians LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Church leaders condemned the government and semigovernment organisations for issuing discriminatory advertisements for sanitation workers and questioned why a majority of these workers were Christians even though the minority community constituted only 1.5 percent of the country’s total population. The condemnation came during a meeting of the clergy and officials of the Raiwind Diocese of the Anglican Church of Pakistan presided by Moderator/President Bishop Dr Azad Marshall on Thursday.

Addressing the clergy and other church officials, Bishop Marshall said they were concerned by the continued use of discriminatory language in advertisements for sanitary workers. “According to reports, public sector organisations have published more than 290 discriminatory ads from Feb 2010 to Aug 2021. We have continued to protest against the publication of such newspaper advertisements over the years but sadly the practise has not stopped. “This is systemic discrimination against our people and is also a violation of Pakistan’s constitution that guarantees equal opportunities of growth to all citizens irrespective of their religious beliefs,” said Bishop Marshall. The church leader welcomed the launch of an awareness campaign by the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) in this regard but expressed his reservations over the government’s apathy towards sanitation workers, who were among the most vulnerable and marginalised sections of society. “In this era of technological advancements, it is time for the government to ban manual sewage cleaning work. A large number of sewer men, most of the Christians, have died due to poisonous gases in manholes and several others have been left diseased for life due to the toxic waste,” he added.

Friday, 28 January, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

04 NEWS Fought a tough war to bring digitisation to country: murad raas NEwS DESk Punjab Education Minister Murad Raas said that while data is critical to make informed decisions and for knowledge, past governments had no concept of data or data analysis. Speaking at an event, the Punjab education minister said that the PTI-led government has fought a war to introduce digitisation and build a data centre in the country. He said that past governments were conducting pilots after pilots, attempting to rectify their errors in another pilot – which meant paying additional money repeatedly. He said that the country will have data centres and people would see the fruits of PTI’s technological advances over the last three years where “educated decisions will be made.” “We conducted due diligence on each endeavour we took and the PTI-led government has not dropped a single initiative,” said Raas. He said his team was striving hard for continuous improvement of the educational system. “For the first time, nearly 350,000 people have submitted their ACRs online, this is groundbreaking.” Earlier, Murad Raas had said that every information related to school children, facilities and teacher’s information regarding their promotions or ACR would be available through one click which would further bring transparency to the education system. He added that bringing everything online is the best way to go. Before this, he said that teachers were tied up with all things other than what they were hired for. The minister assured that by the end of this year, teachers will be free from all sorts of things they are tangled in other than teaching.

missions in 12 countries start issuing inheritance certificates ISLAMBAD Staff repOrt

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said that the government was reforming the civil and criminal legal system to ensure effective and speedy justice for citizens. Chairing a high-level meeting on civil law reforms, the prime minister said that for the first time since 1908, the government was making changes in the law to improve the mechanism for dispensation of justice. The prime minister said that no government in the past ever thought about reforming the century-old laws to maintain the status quo and accommodate the elite.

He said that during the tenure of the present government, the judiciary was enjoying complete freedom.

He added that prompt and guaranteed delivery of justice was directly linked to improved governance. The meeting was briefed in detail on the reforms implemented during the three-year tenure and the future course of action. It was highlighted that the provision of inheritance certificates under the new system started in January 2021 in Islamabad, June 2021 in Punjab and Sindh, and in December 2021 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Also, in Balochistan, work is in full swing on the passage of this law. So far, a total of 10,485 households have received inheritance certificates under the new system (within 15 days), it was added.

Pakistan seeks singaPorean investment in CPeC’s seZs, digital eConomy, FinteCh ISLAMABAD

P

mian abrar

AKISTAN has invited Singaporean companies to explore emerging investment opportunities in digital economy, Fintech and agri-food, especially in the Special Cconomic Zones (SEZs) of China, Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Pakistan and Singapore held the bilateral political consultations (BPC) in virtual format on Thursday and discussed the entire gamut of the relations including cooperation in political, economic, defence, security, academic, science, technology, technical training, environment, culture and tourism domains.

Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Additional Secretary (Asia-Pacific) and Ng Teck Hean, Deputy Secretary, Asia Pacific and Southeast Asia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore, led their respective delegations.

Welcoming the steady progression in multidimensional bilateral relations over the years, based on mutual trust and understanding, the two sides renewed strong desire and resolve to consolidate and further enhance cooperation in diverse fields in line with their shared objectives of peace and development.

They noted the importance of regular interaction and dialogue under existing mechanisms and exchange of high-level visits to impart further momentum to the relationship.

The additional secretary (AP) high-

lighted Pakistan’s focus on geo-economics leveraging peace and security, development partnerships, and connectivity.

He stressed the importance of translating the long-standing friendship and political goodwill between Pakistan and Singapore into mutually beneficial substantive economic relationship with focus on trade and investment, connectivity and development cooperation given that the two countries were gateways to their respective regions.

He also thanked the government of

Singapore for the generous donations by Temasek Foundation to assist Pakistan’s COVID-19 response in the early phase of the pandemic. The Deputy Secretary said Singapore looked forward to expanding cooperation in existing and new fields of mutual interest, and enhancing bilateral exchanges, especially high-level visits.

The two sides also noted the complementarities and potential of trade in services. Singaporean companies were invited to explore emerging investment opportunities in Pakistan in sectors such as digital economy, Fintech and agro-

food, besides CPEC-related SEZs. In the context of the regional situation, the additional secretary (AP) shared Pakistan’s perspective on Afghanistan, and the imperative of a just and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute for regional peace and stability.

The two sides also exchanged views on ASEAN, and Pakistan’s Full Dialogue Partnership. It was also agreed to continue close cooperation in the multilateral domain particularly at the United Natio.

Formation of energy advisory committee on ECC model must to reform power sector: Cheema LAHORE Shahab Omer

Former Managing Director of Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) Tahir Basharat Cheema has said that it was necessary to form an advisory committee of the power sector in the style of the Economic Advisory Committee for policy making and consultation so that the problems of the power sector could be resolved.

Cheema believed that there were still issues in the IPPs’ agreements while the government was not providing any kind of financing to the sector and the sector was being asked to run its affairs on its own.

He was speaking at a discussion session on ‘Energy Reforms – Increase in cost of doing business’ whereas the session was organized by the Lahore Economic Journalist Association (LEJA) here on Thursday at the Lahore Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). The session was attended by a number of journalists including LCCI President Mian Nauman Kabir, former Federal Secretary for Energy Division Irfan Ali. Cheema revealed that of all the power supply companies, Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO)

had the highest rate of line losses and the units of the said company worth RS 2.7 billion were being stolen.

“Overall default money of the power sector is RS 1.6 trillion out of which RS 1 trillion is due on private sector and RS 600 billion on the public sector,” he added and said that the privatization of the power sector not possible even in the next one and half decade as no government has political capacity of took this huge responsibility.

Speaking to the session the former federal secretary said that appointment of experts with vested interests and conflict of interests while ignoring the fit and proper criteria in the name of power sector reforms was causing further increase in the energy cost which resulted in increase in cost of doing business.

“The concept of Boards in the energy sector was introduced to improve the working of the power sector by formulation of policies which improve the efficiencies and bringing down power generation and distribution cost was marred with the appointment of non-practitioner and political interest appointees. This has increased the cost of the distribution companies (DISCOS), rather than reducing the energy cost of the

consumers,” Ali said.

He added that during the last three years the appointees in these Boards in the name of reforms managed to increase their meeting attending fee to three times which increased the expenses of the DISCOS. “But not a single reform is happening so far. Further, the privatization of the power sector is impossible in the existence of a uniform tariff. The government has notified a uniform power tariff for all DISCOS irrespective of efficiencies and inefficiencies of different companies.

During my two years tenure as secretary of the power division, the massive campaign against power theft was launched across the country which resulted in an increase in additional revenue collection which was nearly RS 260 billion,” former secretary said.

He further mentioned that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has pressured the government to dismiss the power sector subsidy on the life line consumers which was averted during his tenure.

“However, power tariff is adversely affected by the rupee devaluation and consumers are suffering,” he added.

Court extends bail of Shehbaz, Hamza till Feb 1 LAHORE Staff repOrt

A court in Lahore on Thursday extended the pre-arrest bail of PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz till February 1.

Earlier during the day’s hearing, Special Court Central Judge instructed the PML-N leaders, accused in a money laundering case, to withdraw their continuing pre-arrest bail applications from two different forums.

The judge informed the accused to “either have both bail applications dismissed or withdraw the application from the Special Court for Banking Of-

fences so that [Special Court Central] may proceed”. During the proceedings, Amjad Pervez, the Sharif family’s lead counsel, put forth a plea of exemption from court appearance, citing that Shehbaz had tested positive for Covid-19 and thereby posed a threat to public safety, mentioning that the accused was present in his vehicle.

Accepting the request, the judge withdrew his direction for Shehbaz’s appearance and sent a court official to affirm the presence of Shehbaz within his vehicle. Previously, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) probed the authority of the Special Court for Banking Offences, arguing that the court

CMYK

could not hold the trial of the accused persons as the case falls under the jurisdiction of the Special Court Central.

However, the judge returned the challan to the FIA admitting its plea, while granting protective bail for a week to both opposition leaders with directions to file fresh pre-arrest bail applications to the relevant court. Both accused parties had filed their pre-arrest bails in the Special Court for Banking Offences in the alleged Rs.25 billion money laundering case.

Petitioners Mian Shehbaz Sharif and son Hamza Shehbaz Sharif in their earlier bails had contended that the FIA’s inquiry and allegations were

forged and construed to humiliate the family. They implored the court that the notice issued by the FIA on the 22nd of June, to join the investigation, was void since the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had previously carried out an investigation on the same allegations of money laundering.

They further added that while they wanted to appear before the investigation team, they feared being arrested by the FIA citing that past experiences of being summoned and arrested for different matters had set precedence.

Therefore, both members of the opposition requested the court to grant them pre-arrest bail.

Friday, 28 January, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS corporate corner IG NHMP INAM GHANI PARTICIPATED IN lIVE "E-KHulI KACHEHRI" oN FM-95 RADIo

As per the directive of the Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan and Minister for Communications, the National Highways and Motorway Police is holding "E-Khuli Kachehri", on regular grounds. In this regard, Inspector General, National Highways and Motorways Police Inam Ghani participated in the "E-Khuli Kachehri", on FM-95 Radio and NHMP official Face book and answered the frequently asked questions from across the country and from abroad as well. The IG Inam Ghani issued immediate directions to resolve the problems of the general public. He further said that the E-Khuli Kachehris are the best way to remain in direct contact with general public. it’s our prime responsibility to keep Motorways and highways safe for commuters. pr

Swedish Ambassador Meets Chairman PTA

HyuNDAI INCREASES TuCSoN, SoNATA, ElANTRA PRICES Karachi

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price of Sonata 2.5L has increased

by Rs450,000 and will be available at Rs7.74 million against the old price of Rs7.29 million.

Tucson GLS Sports will now be selling for Rs5.54 million after an increase of Rs370,000. The price of Tucson Ultimate has increased by Rs330,000. Its new price is Rs5.99 million. Hyundai Elantra 2.0L has witnessed an increase of Rs400,000 and will now cost Rs4.39 million.

Hyundai Nishat Motor is a joint venture of Nishat Group, Sojitz Corporation (Japan) and Millat Tractors Ltd. The company has an annual capacity of 15,000 vehicles, which the company says it can extend if they get impressive demand.

Association of Pakistan Motorcycle Assemblers (APMA) Chairperson Muhammad Sabir Shaikh said that the price hike will not impact the company’s sales because customers prefer to buy

staff report

YUNDAI Nishat Motor (Private) Limited has increased the prices of its Sonata, Elantra and Tucson

models.

The prices have been increased by a minimum of Rs330,000 and a maximum of Rs450,000. The company has cited the government’s decision to hike taxes as the reason for the price increase. It has passed on the burden of increased taxes to customers.

The eighth-generation Sonata is a luxury and the most expensive sedan and falls in the same category as Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.

Hyundai Sonata 2.0L has seen a price hike of Rs360,000 and will cost Rs6.85m against the old price of Rs6.49 million. The

ICI Pakistan Limited Announces Results for the Six Months Period ended December 31, 2021 Karachi

Morinaga (Private) Limited and NutriCo Pakistan (Private) Limited), Net Turnover for the six months period under review rose by 53% to PKR 46,624 million compared to the same period last year (SPLY).

• Consolidated the Operating Result at PKR 6,759 million is 79% higher in comparison to the SPLY. The robust results were driven by exceptional performance across all businesses, particularly the Animal Health, Pharmaceuticals and Polyester businesses.

• The consolidated PAT for the six months period under re-

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ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of Sweden to Pakistan, H.E. Mr. Henrik Persson called on Chairman Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Maj Gen Amir Azeem Bajwa (R) today at PTA Headquarters. During the meeting, investment opportunities for Swedish companies in Pakistan’s Information Communication Technologies (ICT) sector were discussed. Chairman PTA appreciated Ambassador’s proactive engagement with stakeholders to promote investment and bilateral business opportunities.

Chairman PTA apprised the Ambassador about expansion and innovation taking place in Pakistan’s telecom sector under the Prime Minister’s “Digital Pakistan Vision”. Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation between Sweden and Pakistan in the ICT sector. pr

India funded, supported attacks on CPEC: NSA Moeed continued from page 01 The NSA further emphasised that the projects will contribute to internal physical connectivity, job creation, agricultural modernisation and industrial expansion in Pakistan. “We envisage CPEC to be a springboard for transforming Pakistan into a regional connectivity and trade hub,” said Moeed. He claimed that for China, Pakistan offers an attractive investment destination. ‘Pakistan not interested in camp politics’ Responding to a question, the NSA maintained that Pakistan neither believes in camp politics nor wants to be pushed in that direction. “China has always counselled us to have good relations with everyone, and we have always maintained that Islamabad’s relations with Beijing are not exclusive,” he said.

He said that Pakistan’s good relations with China were based on shared interests and mutual respect, and do not target any other country. “We desire good relations with the US, going beyond just a narrow security lens. The officials of both countries are talking on key issues in our bilateral relationship,” he added. The NSA reiterated that Pakistan wanted to safeguard its national interests by having good ties with all major powers. On Afghanistan, Moeed said that it was critical for Pakistan and China to continue working together to stabilise the war-torn country and prevent it from becoming a safe haven for cross-border terrorism. “We are also keen to implement our joint vision of extending the CPEC to benefit Afghanistan’s economy and its people,” he added.

Hyundai cars due to high demand.

Auto analyst Abdul Ghani Mianoor said that other big car manufacturers don’t produce SUV cars like Tuscon so customers are unlikely to switch the brand due to high prices but, having said that, the sales may decline due to late deliveries as people would prefer to buy cars from the companies which deliver cars on time.

He added that the costs of raw materials such as steel, aluminum are still high in the international market. Apart from that, there is immense pressure on shipping costs as Covid-19 cases are surging in exporting countries.

He said that freight charges dropped to $6000 in December but they have started increasing again due to closure of industries.

“Different countries are facing a shortage of workers as labour costs in Japan, China and other countries are high,” he added.

Following the meeting of the Board of Directors, ICI Pakistan Limited announced its financial results for the six months ended December 31, 2021. ICI Pakistan Limited’s financial results for the half-year, continue to maintain a strong trajectory in line with Company’s growth aspirations.

Financial HigHligHts • On a consolidated basis (including the results of the Company’s subsidiaries: ICI Pakistan PowerGen Limited, NutriCo

DONATIONS TO SHAUKAT KHANUM MEMORIAL CANCER HOSPITAL AND RESEARCH CENTRES Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centres (SKMCH&RC) in Lahore and Peshawar were established with the mission to provide state-of-the-art and comprehensive cancer treatment services for all patients, irrespective of their ability to pay.

Recently, it was alleged in a news item in a section of the media that donations to SKMCH&RC had been diverted

to other causes. The management of SKMCH&RC strongly and categorically refutes this statement.

All donations received are recorded and all donors are issued a formal receipt that can be traced back to each individual donation.

We receive donations from within Pakistan and from overseas, and we are formally registered as a charity in many countries and jurisdictions. pr

Through Aeroponics technology first time ever in Pakistan the virus free Potato seed is ready

iSLamaBad pr

For the first time in Pakistan, a virusfree seed has been developed using aeroponics technology in collaboration with the Korean Government.

The first crop will be harvesting on 31 January 2022. In this regard, a function was held at NARC in which electronic and print media were briefed. The event was attended by the Korean Ambassador to Pakistan, Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali.

Govt is trying to bring Nawaz Sharif back under a ‘deal’: Rashid continued from page 01 Sharing his views on Shahzad Akbar’s resignation from the post of PM’s adviser on on accountability and interior, Rashid said: “The reason behind the resignation is not only PM Imran Khan’s ire over failure in bringing Nawaz Sharif back but also our failure in recovering the [country’s] money.” He said that billions of rupees have been looted and money amounting to “Rs4 billion” have been found in each of the employees’ accounts of Shehbaz Sharif. “Shahbaz Sharif is accused of laundering Rs16 billion but we couldn’t bring the money back,” he added. The minister said that there is always room for improvement in the accountability process but the government needs to prepare well for the cases and should hire good lawyers. He said that PM Imran Khan doesn’t lack determination and he believed giving NRO would be a treason. While speaking about corruption cases against the former rulers, Rashid said that it appears that the government did not prepare well for the proceedings in court. “PM Imran Khan bagged the votes to bring thieves, robbers, corrupt, dishonest people under the law since accountability was Imran Khan’s key slogan,” he said. However, he admitted that the PTI did not get success it should have had.

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view at PKR 6,045 million is 145% higher than the SPLY. Improved performances were delivered by each of the Company’s businesses owing to enhanced efficiencies, recovering consumer demand, consolidation of the results of NutriCo Pakistan and a net positive impact of PKR 1,847 million, resulting from the remeasuring of the previously held equity interest of NutriCo Pakistan. EPS attributable to the owners of the holding company six months under review at PKR 62.69 is 119% higher than the SPLY.

05

Death of protesting MQM activist brings Centre, Sindh face to face continued from page 01 “The deceased was first taken to Karachi Institute of Heart Disease and then brought to National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases,” the minister said, recalling the events. He said the security authorities used force as a last resort and only to ensure security for HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) participants, and not because the protesters had entered the red zone. “The star-studded PSL is opening in the metropolis tonight and its players are staying in hotels located near the Chief Minister’s House.

Therefore, the administration took action against the demonstrators.”

FBR stops realtors from business with convicts to meet FATF conditions iSLamaBad staff report

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has stopped real estate businesses from making any deals or transactions with convicted individuals to meet Financial Action Task Force (FATF) conditions.

“We have been taking all necessary actions, including streamlining real estate businesses, to ensure compliance with the FATF conditions,” Asad Tahir Jappa, an FBR spokesperson, told a foreign media outlet.

He said his organisation is actively liaising with law enforcement agencies to prevent any criminal from pouring dirty money into the real estate sector. “Implementation of the new directives and policies may take some time, but we have to ensure compliance and we are doing it,” he added. Under the new regulations, a convicted person cannot be given a position at Designated Non-Financial Business and Professions (DNFBP) that include real estate agents, dealers in precious metals and stones, law firms, accounting businesses, and services that help set up companies on papers.

A convicted person cannot become a beneficial owner or hold a senior position in DNFBPs.

06-07 Comments - 28th January 2022_Layout 1 1/28/2022 12:15 AM Page 1

Friday, 28 January, 2022

06 COMMENT

Anarkali terrorist attack

Need for all sides to be extra careful Don’t kick the powder keg in Karachi

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Blast or security alert?

OST of the political parties of Sindh have rejected the Sindh Local Government Act (SLGA) 2021 for failing to empower the grassroots organizations. While the PTI sought intervention from the President of Pakistan to safeguard peoples’ rights in the province, the Pak Sarzameen Party called for constitutional amendments to fix the problem once and for all. The Jamaat-i-Islami on the other hand decided to take to the streets and simultaneously approach the Sindh high Court against what it called the black law.

The party has held peaceful protests for the last four weeks. During the period it has also held talks with the government which turned out to be fruitless. The party has however continued to hold rallies in Karachi without disturbing the peace.

The MQM also rejected a powerless local government but initially continued to maintain a low profile. In the middle of this month however the party joined hands with the PTI and GDA to hold a rally against the law in Karachi. Speaking at the gathering, the MQM’s Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said that henceforth their struggle was not limited to the reversal of the LG law and they would also take back the Sindh province from the PPP. This must have been seen by the Sindh government as a response of the ruling party and its allies to the PPP’s announcement of rallies against the PTI government.

Unlike the earlier rally, the MQM’s protest march on Wednesday was not meant to end peacefully. Instead of culminating at the press club, as reportedly agreed with the administration, the protesters made a beeline for the CM house where they wanted to stage a sit in. The ensuing teargas shelling and baton charge by police led to injuries to several. One of the protesters died due to reasons yet to be determined.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has promptly taken note of the violence “against MQM’s peaceful protest”, called for a report from concerned quarters and promised to take necessary action against those responsible. There should be a post mortem of the MQM activist to determine the cause of death. There is however a need to strictly avoid politicizing the incident or giving it an ethnic colour.

Unless this is done, things could take an ugly turn in the province.

at Penpoint M a NiaZi

T

he blast at Lahore raised a number of spectres, the most worrisome being that the USA has once again abandoned Pakistan to face the blowback from Afghanistan. The irony of Pakistan having presented a National Security Policy just before the blast, is striking.

At a very basic level, the blast in Anarkali was meant to terrorize. It was not just that it took place away from Afghanistan, but that it took place in a crowded market. The message was clear: that any market in any city in Pakistan was vulnerable.

This was hardly unfamiliar. Pakistanis had spent two decades facing just such a situation, but since last September, expected that this would come to an end.

After all, the Taliban had won, and thus Pakistan had been vindicated. however, support of the Taliban in the 1990s had led to the formation of the Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP) Pakistan, which aimed at two things: supporting the Afghan Taliban and bringing Pakistan under Taliban rule. When the Taliban were ousted, the TTP changed the first aim to support of the resistance, and the second to killing Shias and other religious minorities.

Now, it seems, while the TTP has declared allegiance to the Afghan Taliban, its secondary aim (which is actually now its sole aim) is to fight the Pakistan Army.

Thus it now seems that its aim is not just random terror, but to bring the Army back to the negotiating table. The Afghan Taliban used the tactic quite successfully against the USA, of stepping up their resistance in intervals of negotiating. True, the US Army was essentially an occupying force, while the Pakistan Army is a national army. It might be noted, though, that the Afghan Taliban did not negotiate with the US Army, but with the US government. Are the talks with the Pakistan Army merely because the TTP sees no point in talking to the political government?

The demands that the TTP made during the last negotiation are not such as can be fulfilled by anyone.

There was a disconnect that made it impossible for the Army to continue. Did it reflect the views of the Taliban? The Kabul government has been careful to distance itself from the TTP, and it seems to wish to be part of the present international system, something the TTP does not wish to do. It has not agreed to take any action against the Taliban, thus providing it the kind of sanctuary the TTP had in the Waziristan Agencies.

Their demand that the Tribal Area status be reversed is perhaps the biggest non-starter of all, for the merger was achieved by the passage of a constitutional amendment by Parliament, and to get the majorities needed to get the amendment passed is

Foreign debt Incurring ever more without any productive use

T

he figures from the economic Affairs Ministry for debt incurred in the first half of the current fiscal year show that the government is incurring debt at an unprecedented pace, not because it is growing the economy, but because of the debt trap. Not only is the country borrowing more than it ever did before, but it is also contracting the most expensive debt in its history. It should be noted that the debt is not being incurred for any productive use, such as investing in projects of building infrastructure, but in servicing previous loans or building up foreign exchange reserves to satisfy IMF preconditions.

The PTI government has clearly failed to generate non-debt-producing sources of foreign exchange, in the form of greater exports, greater foreign remittances by expatriates or greater foreign direct investment, and has to resort to borrowing to meet its needs. It must be remembered that the debt has ballooned in dollar terms, and since it is to be paid by rupee revenues, devaluation means even more pain. There is the question arising of how such resources can be raised, and why it is so necessary to be on an IMF programme, which has caused such pain for the ordinary citizen. The IMF preconditions are meant to secure the loans by ensuring that they can be repaid, even if it is at the cost of impoverishing the ordinary citizen. A source of trouble the government created for itself were the Naya Pakistan certificates and the Roshan Digital Accounts, which brought in foreign exchange, but at a very high cost. These are falling due now, and have to be met in foreign exchange. As they can only be met by incurring fresh debt, not because of greater non-debt-producing sources, they have become a sort of Ponzi scheme, which a government should not engage in.

The PTI had not only claimed that previous foreign debt had been misused, but claimed it would take the country out of the debt trap. Seemingly, it has not done so.

Worse, it seems it has no solution but to borrow ever more, and as unproductively as before.

MuhaMMad Zahid Rifat

W

hAT is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? According to the medical experts, ASD is a developmental disorder that affects communication and behaviour. Although autism can be diagnosed at any age, it is said to be a “developmental disorder” because symptoms generally appear in the first two years of age.

Autism is known as a “spectrum disorder” because there is a wide variation in the type and severity of symptoms people experience. People with ASD have difficulty in communication and interaction with other people; restricted interests and repetitive behaviour, and symptoms that hurt the person’s ability to function properly in school, at work and other areas of life.

Autism is curable through art. This commendable and good news from the health point of view has been given by Lahore-based creative artist Saima Shahzad on the basis of her year-long research on “Autism and healing With Art” during which she had interacted with large number of young and old Autism Spectrum Disorders sufferers in connection with her Final MPhil Thesis at the College of Art and Design, Punjab University, Old Campus, in Lahore. In the display of her thesis, she had displayed art works of autistic persons , the majority being of young age, with her to amply show that even with this problem they can function beyond normality. This little piece is based

Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami Umar Aziz

Joint Editor

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

The Lahore blast therefore ended up asking a very searching question: what should be the price of peace? And who can deliver it? That was a problem the USA faced in Afghanistan.

Could the Taliban guarantee a safe withdrawal? As it turned out, they couldn’t, and the US withdrawal was marred by an IS bomb blast.

The last time demands of extremists were accepted by Pakistan was in 1971. Can either the BLA or the TTP hope to have their demands met in similar fashion?

The writer is a member of staff.

How art can improve the physically challenged

Arif Nizami (Late)

M. A. Niazi

eral leftist ideology, unlike the TTP. however, the pool of young men from which they recruit have this much in common; they are both finding out that the education they have got is not all that it is cracked up to be. It does not prepare them for the job market, and thus they are left at something of a loose end.

This dovetails with the National Security Policy, which might ultimately bite the hand that created it.

The NSP has been criticized for not having any input from stakeholders, but is that to misunderstand the nature of the policy. It was drafted by an institution that believes that it knows better than civilian institutions, and may have been meant for a foreign audience, to convince other countries that Pakistan is no longer a security state, but one ready to concentrate on geo-economics. Unfortunately, India, its main interlocutor, is not ready for this, and has come under the sway of a party which seeks to undo the Partition. however, the NSP also has another dimension. It may also be seen as a guarantee of what is expected of any government that comes to office, a sort of bare minimum that must be followed by any government coming to office.

In an indirect fashion, it is an admission that the PTI may not obtain re-election. It also reflects the desires of the same forces that desire a consensus on economic projects and decisions. however, the NSP also promotes internal security, so the NSP was shown as not worth as much as it was supposed to be by the blast.

The Lahore blast therefore ended up asking a very searching question: what should be the price of peace?

And who can deliver it? That was a problem the USA faced in Afghanistan. Could the Taliban guarantee a safe withdrawal? As it turned out, they couldn’t, and the US withdrawal was marred by an IS bomb blast.

The last time demands of extremists were accepted by Pakistan was in 1971. Can either the BLA or the TTP hope to have their demands met in similar fashion?

Autism curable through art

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

probably beyond the ability of the ruling PTI. It should not be forgotten that the KP Assembly would also have to pass an enabling resolution, and there is no certainty that the PTI would be able to do so, vast majority as it enjoys in the KP Assembly. however, the demand that they be allowed to open a political office in another country is perhaps the biggest nonstarter of all, not so much for what it shows of their own picture of themselves as the difficulty they might face in getting such an office, no matter what assurances they might have got. It should not be forgotten that the Afghan government did not look kindly upon Qatar for hosting the Taliban office.

Thus if the TTP is looking to Afghanistan, it should remember that while the Afghan Taliban have shown that they are not Pakistani puppets, they will listen enough to Pakistan to avoid giving as much offence as hosting an office would.

The TTP is a dangerous organization of militants. Its leaders are not known as religious scholars, the way Maulana Abul Ala Maududi (of the Jamaat Islami) is because of his monumental Tafheemul Quran, or Sayyid Qutb (of the Ikhwanul Muslimeen) for his Fi Zilal alQuran, the exegesis of the holy Quran he wrote while in jail. Both have been influential well beyond their parties.

This lack of ideological input might point to another motive. This becomes even more obvious if one notes how the Baloch Liberation Army cropped up in the Lahore blast. It took responsibility, but the Interior Minister seems to discount that. however, whether the BLA made a false claim, or someone made a false claim on its behalf, there is no denying that that the BLA could well make the claim.

The BLA and the TTP are opposed to each other in Balochistan. They face each other across an ethnic divide, with the BLA deriving support among Baloch, and the TTP among Pashtuns. While Baloch youth avoid madrassas, Pashtuns have attended them in large numbers. The two militant organizations have ideological differences as well, for the BLA has a lib-

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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on this scribe’s interaction with her on this quite interesting subject.

Saima Shahzad, who has inherited the aesthetic abilities and artistic skills from her parents, became familiar with autism when her struggle started with the birth of first baby boy who faced certain challenges. Prior to this her focus was on commercial art but she switched to work for autism due to their hidden abilities and also chose the subject “Autism & healing With Art” for her MPhil thesis.

She is so dedicated and concerned with autism now that she has already turned her studio into a place where she takes art sessions and explores the brighter side of autism with children and adults who suffer from this neurological issue as a vocational training to let them learn a skill that can help them in building and establishing a promising future for themselves and their families. She has started this commendable work with her limited resources as she says quite emphatically. “This is the age when our new generation and youth is suffering depression and anxiety and art certainly and surely has the healing and medicinal power and helps in improving behaviour and reduces stress just like catharsis”.

She has requested the Federal Government to provide a platform so that she can start a proper vocational training institution, exhibit artwork of ASD sufferers to promote their abilities, give them a skill and improve their lifestyle.

Saima Shahzad do not want to restrict herself only working for Autism Spectrum Disorder but also is keen to work for other neurological conditions like Down’s Syndrome, Schizophrenia and others.

Saima Shahzad is a gold medalist in Fine Arts, worked as a commercial artist for more than a decade and only recently completed her MPhil from the Punjab University College of Art and Design, has painted as a freelancer , taught as an art teacher at the school and university levels for varying durations, and exhibited her creative work in many exhibitions.

Talking about the turning point in her life, she says “ There is a turning point in everyone’s life,

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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struggle and constant effort which exposes many factors and phases of life, it is like peeling of these phases layer by layer and every single phase has its own colour and is hiding a surprise….The birth of my first child with certain health problems changed my perceptions about life and led me to adopt a specific mindset, gradually changed my point of about what life really is and my future goals as well”.

Accordingly, she joined an inclusive school system as an art teacher, got an opportunity to work with neurodiverse children without any particular training in this regard, but was helped by motherly instincts in doing this impossible task. there was a teen student who suffered from autism and had a zilch interest in arts and directing him towards arts was her first ever experiment. This created an urge in her to work with neurodiverse people as she has a passion for accomplishing impossible tasks. While doing research work for her MPhil, she created a hand painted book describing the struggle of parents who have differently abled children.

She strongly believes that Autism has a divine as well as spiritual connection with art because it comes from their soul and ASD suffering children are exceptionally blessed, and art has medicinal powers that can heal them.

She has a lot to talk about the experience she had while interacting with young and old ASD sufferers.

As briefly mentioned above also, she has created a space in her studio for children who want to learn art or tend to improve their behaviour, and lives with its medicinal powers and concludes by saying “My aim is to give them vocational art training that can at least help them becoming financially stable or independent in the future because this is the prime and major concern of their parents and families, what would happen to them after they are gone ?”. She must be encouraged, patronized and supported for accomplishing her cherished objectives.

The writer can zahidriffat@gmail.com

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

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06-07 Comments - 28th January 2022_Layout 1 1/28/2022 12:15 AM Page 2

Friday, 28 January, 2022

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

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

Demolition of Public Library I’m writing this letter to you to focus on a serious social problem which the people of our area have been dealing with for a long time.

Books are an important need of the time. Through books, nations and countries become developed. For a good society, it is important that its people are educated and love books. european countries are on the path of development today and have left Muslim countries behind.

The main reason is the love of books. People who love books have very few problems. Kurram Parachinar District is a small area of Pakistan.

Its people are very intelligent and educated. But there is no government library in this area. Public Library built in 1982, is now being converted into an officer’s quarters.

The demolition of the library building is underway. Library books are being moved to an unknown location. This is a big injustice to book lovers in Parachinar.

Through your newspaper, I would like to implore the concerned institutions and responsible people to stop the demolition of the library building immediately and make it a modern library on this site.

Ali UllAh TUri PArAchinAr

Importance of Indian Ocean Region cannot be overrated Economic, political and geostrategic standpoints all show its importance

ahMed alfatah Mugdho

T

he Indian Ocean Region encompasses a vast area that is 5.5 times larger than the total area of the USA. Whenever we talk about the importance of the Indian Ocean Region, ample challenges come across because of its wide range of aspects from innumerable perspectives that can be taken into consideration. We know that the Indian Ocean is the third largest Ocean in the world after the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans.

The Indian Ocean covers the vast area of 68556 square kilometers which can be taken into account as an approximate calculation. It will even be tough to divide the Indian Ocean Region into so many considerable sub-regions but there are some salient key issue areas which will certainly give us a precise idea about how the Indian Ocean Region has been playing a vital role in international relations.

The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is enriched with the abundance of petroleum and all other resources which have validated the significance of this vast region to the ultimate level. The stream of its petroleum exports tothe global markets is one main trend defining the IOR’s global significance which has got a direct link to the economy.

The flow is strongly dependent on the stability and defence of the Gulf states, and the maritime chokepoints of the Indian Ocean Region. however, it also depends on how the USA, China, and also the other Asian countries that are not under the demarcation of this IOR, respond to a fundamental change in the flow of energy exchange to Asia. The global economy

and the economies of all petroleum purchasing states rely to a certain degree on how the price and amount of energy exports on the world market are impacted by Gulf oil and gas exports through the IOR. however, this reliance on Gulf petroleum is subjective. As the rise in Asian energy demand for IOR exports increases compared to demand in other areas, the primary changes taking place in the supply of Gulf oil and the important changes occurring in IOR maritime traffic are calculated.

Specifically, the flow of Gulf energy supplies is the most significant and fundamental effect of the IOR on the global economy that should be taken into consideration to ensure the stability of the world economy. The abundance of resources and the way China has been investing in the African territory are also a matter of discussion that signifies the importance of the IOR from the economic standpoint.

The IOR has got some serious significance in terms of the political standpoint, which is a salient issue that clarifies the importance of this entire region. There is an obvious conception in world politics that the IOR will be the future which will control global political issues in the upcoming years to come. We can see how Australia has been trying to get involved with the IOR by increasing its all-out military and other activities, specifically with India.

The overly emergent power of the IOR has been highlighted in the global political arena for a pretty long time. The politics of some important South Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are among the deciding factors to define the political standpoint of the IOR. The internal politics of these states are entirely connected to the dynamic politics of the IOR. The countries which are under the range of IOR are the home of nearly 2.5 billion people that comprises over a third of the world’s population and this demographic data also clarifies the importance of the IOR in world politics. This entire region has already become a pivotal zone from the political perspective as China, which is the upcoming hegemon that will be dictating

The stream of its petroleum exports tothe global markets is one main trend defining the IOR’s global significance which has got a direct link to the economy.

the upcoming International Order, has been investing hundreds of billions of dollars in the infrastructural projects as a part of its One Belt One Road initiative.

This One Belt One Road initiative is a strategic tool projected by China to counter the Indo-Pacific Strategy imposed by its traditional rival, the USA. China will always try to make sure that it gets free and safe access to the Indian Ocean because this is its biggest as well as ancient trade route which is termed the Silk Road.

In view of the transformed geostrategic importance of the region, the Indian Ocean has emerged as a vital maritime space on the Asia-Pacific coastline. The IndoAsia-Pacific region is the largest maritimecoastal area with the highest concentration of population, capital, emerging economies, clogged sea lanes, and disputed territorial areas.

The geostrategic significance of the Indian Ocean Region is so high that the British authority had exercised their predominant military power in the Indian Ocean for almost 200 years by setting up their naval bases at salient choke points and critical sea lanes were also being covered by them. even in today’s world, we can observe that the established hegemon, the USA, has been trying to dominate the entire IOR by establishing strong naval fleets in several geostrategically significant points.

The USA could not contain the rise of China and halt its access into the vast geostrategically salient waterbody of the Indian Ocean. The dominant economic superpower, China, has already set up a military base in the African region and has taken the lease of hambantota Sea Port for 100 years which has got some geostrategic salience as well. China has got connected with the Gwadar port of Afghanistan by their One Belt One Road initiative.

If the USA creates the Malacca dilemma and tries to contain China from getting the free access to the Indian Ocean, China will still be able to manage its own way by using the route of Myanmar and ensure its access into the Indian Ocean, as we know that China and Myanmar do have a special bilateral friendship which is known as the ‘Pauk-Phaw’ Friendship and both of them are making the best use of it.

It is observable that the IOR does have an immense importance and it can be clarified by the economic, political and geostrategic standpoints. The salience of this overly significant region will keep increasing day by day which should be taken into consideration.

It is observable that the IOR does have an immense importance. The salience of this overly significant region will keep increasing day by day which should be taken into consideration

The writer is a freelance columnist

Animal abuse

IN a recent Judgment, the hon’ble Islamabad high Court held that animals are to be treated in accordance with the law in terms of Article 9 (right to life) of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973 and not a means for mere entertainment. The term “life” as used in Article 9 of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973 does not only means personal rights but also includes “animal life”. Animals natural rights not to be treated in a manner that subjects them to unnecessary pain and suffering have been well recognized in the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals Act 1908.

Section 3 of the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals Act 1980 specifically states that if any person, overdrives, beats, or otherwise treats any animal so as to subject it to unnecessary pain or suffering, or, binds, keeps, carries or consigns for carriage any animal is such manner or position as to subject it to unnecessary pain or suffering or offers for sale or without reasonable cause has in his possession any live animal which is suffering pain by reason of mutilation, starvation, thirst, overcrowding or other ill-treatment, or offers for sale any dead animal or part of a dead animal which he has reason to believe has been killed in an unnecessarily cruel manner, or without reasonable cause abandons any animal in circumstances which render it likely that it will suffer pain by reason of starvation or thirst, he shall be punished, in the case of a first offence, with a fine which may extend to fifty rupees, or with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one month and, in the case of a second or subsequent offence committed within three years of the previous offence, with fine which may extend to one hundred rupees, or with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months.

Unfortunately, inhumane behaviours of humans, with animals, have become a routine matter in Pakistan.

There are numerous frequent unreported horrifying cases of “animal rape” in Pakistan. Recently, in Okara District, five men gang-raped a goat, which too was widely reported in media. It is a compulsion and responsibility of the State to ensure that statutory rights of animals in terms of Prevention of Cruelty of Animals Act 1980 be performed and implemented in its true sprit.

BArriSTEr ArSAlAn rAJA KArAchi

Land of rivers PAKISTAN’S heart of splendid culture, history and civilization and archaic trade route is going awry amid negligence of the governments for the past 74 years.

I belong to the Thal region that sprawls over seven districts of Punjab including Khushab, Mianwali, Bakhar, Layyah, Muzaffargarh, Jhang and Chinot. These seven districts of Thal have 19 seats in the National Assembly and 37 in the Punjab Assembly. It would not be out of place to call Thal the land of rivers because one of the largest rivers Indus flows on its West and Chenab on the east while River Jhelum flows in the North, whereas head Panjnad (meaning five rivers) is the joining point of Punjab’s mighty five rivers embraces the region at the South.

Thal, apart from its unique geographical location also hosts the site of Kalabagh Dam which is called the lifeline of the country.

With great pride, I mention that Thal is the largest desert of Pakistan inhabiting a huge population and natural resources along with massive size of agriculture and youth in the region. But unfortunately, this land of opportunities and reserves has no medical college to cater for the huge healthcare and education needs of the local masses. Likewise, there is no engineering University and Agriculture University in Thal that has huge potential for local agriculture and cultivation. I am sorry to say that there is no women’s university in the seven districts of Thal which has been quoted in Sanskrit as the gold mountains owing to its increasing economic potential.

There is a divisional headquarters in other divisions of the province that have less area, political representation in the parliament, population and resources but in the seven districts of Thal neither there is any divisional headquarters nor any bench of the high court in the entire Thal to provide speedy and timely relief and justice to the local masses.

Thal’s main road Mainwali Muzaffargrah (MM) Road has become a killer road due to increased traffic accidents on a daily basis rendering huge loss of precious lives. Prime Minister Imran Khan’s constituency also existed in Thal which has by no means gained any attention or right to address its problems. Lack of education, health, Road Infrastructure, Industry, Agricultural uplift and business opportunities the local residents of the region are migrating at a faster pace to well-off districts of Lahore, Rawalpindi and others which is increasing urbanization and population burden on the already overpopulated districts at an alarming rate. If these facilities are extended to the people of Thal then it would definitely reduce the burden on the already resource-scarce cities of the province and would help preserve a potential food basket of the entire country that has been left on the mercy of fate to decay under the dust of time and ignorance.

KhAZir KlASrA iSlAmABAd

08 WORLD VIEW 28th January 2022_Layout 1 27/01/2022 9:53 pm Page 1

Friday, 28 January, 2022

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WORLD VIEW

AppeAsing putin on ukrAine mAy be the only option THE SOBERING REALITY IS THE WORLD CAN DO LITTLE TO STOP A RUSSIAN INVASION OF ITS NEIGHBOUR

BLooMBERg

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MaX hasTInGs

HE world fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin is about to invade Ukraine, an act of naked aggression. Many Westerners are rendered even more afraid by recognition that there is pathetically little they can do to stop him. No sane person believes that U.s. President Joe Biden — the only credible leader the Western democracies have — can or should threaten general war in response to such a Kremlin action.

We therefore face the repugnant prospect that Putin can succeed in his likely objective, overrunning a sufficient chunk of Ukraine to doom the rest of that country to become a failed state, subject to Moscow’s will. some commentators, most of them conservatives, respond by evoking the specter of the 1938 Munich agreement, whereby Britain and France acquiesced in Adolf Hitler’s dismemberment of Czechoslovakia, a state then less than 20 years old (it was born out of the wreck of the Austro-Hungarian empire after World War I). That was a shorter history than Ukraine claims today, having secured independence from Russia in 1991.

In almost every international crisis since the 1930s, the prospect of diplomatic compromise has been denounced by critics as “appeasement.” In 1956, when President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt seized the suez Canal from its British and French owners, U.K. Prime Minister Anthony Eden was fearful that if he acquiesced in Nasser’s action, he would be denounced as a new Neville Chamberlain, the prime minister who signed the 1938 deal. Thus, the British and French invaded Egypt, until forced to withdraw by Washington’s wrath.

In October 1962, when President John F. Kennedy determined to blockade Cuba in response to the soviet deployment of ballistic missiles on the island, General Curtis LeMay, the Air Force chief of staff, had the effrontery to tell the president in the White House cabinet room: “This is almost as bad as the appeasement at Munich … We’re just going to gradually drift into a war under conditions that are at great disadvantage to us.” LeMay was demanding an immediate bomber assault on Cuba, followed by a U.s. invasion.

In the aftermath of the attacks on sept. 11, 2001, some of those who argued against an invasion of Iraq were accused of appeasement toward saddam Hussein. President George W. Bush’s administration evoked the memories of both Hitler and Winston Churchill. Yet the great liberal commen-

tator Walter Lippmann wrote at the height of the Cold War: “You can’t decide these questions of life and death for the world by epithets like appeasement. I don’t agree with the people who think we have to go out and shed a little blood to prove we’re virile men.”

Lippmann also wrote, in september 1961: “This being the nuclear age, it is the paramount rule of international politics that a great nuclear power should not put another great nuclear power in a position where it must choose between suicide and surrender.”

Throughout history, political and diplomatic realities have often demanded passivity in the face of outrageous conduct. Japan massacred millions of Chinese in the 1930s. That slaughter ended only when the U.s. and its allies were provoked into war by the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, and four years later evicted Tokyo’s forces from China and Manchuria.

The West was obliged to watch in impotent horror as the Russians crushed the anticommunist Poles in 1945, then the Hungarian rebels in 1956, then the Czechs of the 1968 “Prague spring.” There was also the 1959 Chinese seizure of Tibet. The list is a long one.

The message is not that we should expect to bow to every misdeed or atrocity. It is that the “good guys” — granted the impossibility that we can ever reach global consensus about who these are — cannot and should not intervene militarily whenever they see bad stuff happen.

I am just completing a book on the Cuban Missile Crisis. One of its most important lessons is that while Kennedy played a masterly diplomatic hand, it is most unlikely that America’s will could have prevailed — the soviet nuclear weapons withdrawn from Cuba — without the underpinning threat of American force. soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and even his most hawkish generals knew that America possessed an overwhelming superiority, both of conventional weapons in the Caribbean region and nuclear missiles capable of destroying the soviet Union. U.s. superiority of the latter was on the order of 17 to 1. And thanks to the intelligence officer Col. Oleg Penkovsky, who slipped his nation’s secrets to the West, the Americans knew that the soviets recognized their own weakness. still, the will and solidarity of the U.s. and its allies to confront the soviets remained strong in the Cold War. American presidents often found themselves having to restrain the eagerness not only of the military brass, but also of some ordinary citizens, to go head to head with “the Russkies.”

Today we live in an entirely different strategic environment. The bipolar Cold War planet has been replaced by a multipolar one, in which a tenuous American superiority persists, but is no longer unchallengeable. A well-briefed military friend of mine believes that the Chinese are not yet quite ready for a showdown over Taiwan, but he thinks they will seek one within a few years, confident of a local victory.

Putin presides over a tottering society with many social and economic problems, but his military is revitalized. He knows that Europe is divided and weak, wholly unwilling to respond militarily to

anything he does, perhaps including a grab at the Baltic states. The head of the German Navy, Adm. Kay-Achim schoenbach, was obliged to resign last week after claiming that the Russian threat to Ukraine is a fantasy; that Putin seeks only “some respect.”

Britain will support military gestures by the U.s. in the face of Russian aggression, but the queen’s armed forces are now very small. There is no possibility British soldiers would fight for Ukraine, even in the unlikely event that U.s. troops do so. Rhetorical posturing, even some saber-rattling, by the British government reflects its own vacuity rather than serious intent.

Biden deserves more sympathy than he is currently receiving for his vacillation on Ukraine. The old, moth-eaten allegation of appeasement is being leveled by his foes both at home and abroad. Yet the U.s. cannot be expected to face down Putin alone, far less to go to war with him.

Most of America’s European “allies” — the quotation marks are emphatic — are too fearful that the Kremlin will cut off their gas supplies to provide Washington with meaningful backing. Europe’s attitude to serious foreign policy and security issues is frankly decadent.

Thus, the likelihood is that if Putin attacks Ukraine, he can secure the territory he wants without suffering serious military consequences, beyond whatever losses the courageous Ukrainians can inflict on Russian forces.

Biden may be ill-advised to propose a summit with Putin: such a meeting would assume a willingness to make concessions to the Russians, of an unjustifiable kind. In 1962, for exactly that reason, Kennedy resolutely and rightly opposed such a meeting, which was urged by British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.

The real challenge for the West is to summon the will to punish Putin and his friends in the language they understand best — that of money. Economic sanctions against Russia as a country are right, but not remotely sufficient. The only meaningful weapon is an assault upon the fortunes and lifestyles of the Kremlin’s gangster clique, held and invested around the world.

Western intelligence agencies know precisely who Putin’s friends and associates are; and almost certainly also a good deal about where his own vast fortune is garaged. Rich Russians travel constantly to the West to spend their money, because there is much less fun to be had back home. Many own veritable palaces in London, New York and other playgrounds. It is shameful how often Russians are identified as political donors or cultural philanthropists in both Britain and America: They are seeking to buy a veneer of respectability.

They should be denied this. Nobody in modern Russia gets to be big or rich — or certainly not to stay that way — without the support of the Kremlin, which takes its cut. Most of the wealth is, in effect, stolen from the Russian people. While the West cannot credibly threaten war, it can promise to punish those responsible for an attack on Ukraine by excluding them and their families from our countries; conceivably also by impounding their wealth and properties.

Unfortunately, the democracies, and explicitly

Britain, may well lack the stomach for such action.

British banks and financial institutions host many tens of billions of Russian money. The prizes the City of London reaps from the oligarchs are deemed too large to drive away. For all the bellicose rhetoric from Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government, expect nothing substantial to follow a Russian attack on Ukraine, beyond another barrage of words.

As for the U.s., the only party to the confrontation that matters, it seems absolutely right to do everything possible to deter Putin and to punish him if he goes ahead with his cold-blooded plan to kill thousands of people, to score a victory that shores up his unpopular domestic polity. But one should not resort to threats, nor offer promises to the Ukrainians, that there is no intention of fulfilling.

If you think this represents appeasement, watch the new Netflix movie “Munich: The Edge of War,” which stars Jeremy Irons as Neville Chamberlain.

The film, based on a thriller by my friend Robert Harris, seeks to rehabilitate the British prime minister, arguing that by cutting his 1938 deal with Hitler, he bought vital time for Britain to re-arm before the war that he recognized was coming. Harris makes a good additional point, that Hitler thought himself cheated out of a military assault on Czechoslovakia that he wanted and expected to get. In other words, appeasement was clever.

As a historian, I do not go all the way with Harris about this. He seems right that Britain could not realistically have fought in 1938. Beyond the debility of the armed forces, many British people, together with those of imperial dominions such as Canada and Australia, were not yet in the mood to fight; they had not given up on the Nazis.

I still think that Chamberlain was a weak, foolish old man who shrank from unwelcome realities.

His worst contribution to history is that Munich gave appeasement — which some of us would call a recognition of realities — a bad name. My hero among historical and strategic gurus, the Oxford professor Michael Howard, often said, “If you are dealing with foreign leaders less monstrous than was Hitler, appeasement can be a very sensible policy.”

We must reluctantly acknowledge that both Russia’s Putin and China’s President Xi Jinping can commit acts of aggression in their own backyards that we are unable to prevent and which are not worth a general war. The least the West can do, however, unless it has altogether forfeited will and principle, is to ensure that the Kremlin’s gangsters and their clans can no longer celebrate their triumphs in New York or London nightclubs, on French ski slopes.

We are often reminded that tax evasion fixed Al Capone. Putin and his friends are unlikely to go to jail. We can at least, however, seek retribution for their crimes through their Western bank accounts.

Max Hastings is a Bloomberg columnist. He was previously a correspondent for the BBC and newspapers, editor in chief of the Daily Telegraph and editor of the London Evening Standard. He is the author of 28 books, the most recent of which are “Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy” and “Chastise: The Dambusters Story 1943.”

How the US and UK can respond to international illicit finance Rusi.oRg Isabella Chase, OlIvIa Kearney and MarIa nIzzerO

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s highlighted by the recent Pandora Papers, the Us and UK play an important role in the way illicit finance moves around the world – either travelling through their financial and professional services hubs or finding its ultimate destination.

The Us and UK have both committed to tackling this problem and have identified illicit finance as a threat to both countries’ national security. To tackle it, however, the Us and UK must appreciate their role in facilitating international illicit finance and the extent to which they can help third countries that fall victim to illicit finance.

At RUsI, our Transatlantic Response to Illicit Finance Taskforce (TARIF) met for its second meeting in November to consider how the Us and UK can reduce their role in enabling international illicit finance and assist third countries in strengthening their own defences against this threat. TARIF members made it clear that the key to a Us/UK response to international illicit finance will be to manage the expectations of stakeholders across three fronts.

MANAGING OUR OWN EXPECTATIONS For the Us and UK to have a substantive role in combatting illicit finance, they need to

TO PROTECT DEMOCRACY, THE US AND UK NEED TO TACKLE INTERNATIONAL ILLICIT FINANCE AT HOME AND ABROAD. DOING SO WILL REQUIRE EXPECTATIONS TO BE MANAGED assess their roles and capabilities in both facilitating and frustrating these flows. This must begin with admitting their own shortcomings in this sphere. Historical and recent commitments to tackling corruption – such as those made at the summit for Democracy – and illicit finance must be compiled in one place and deconflicted. Next, governments must decide how much political capital they are willing to expend on these efforts. Once commitments are streamlined and the political will to tackle this problem is acquired, policymakers must then determine what can be achieved with the resources that are available.

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS OF PARTNERS Once the Us and UK have established their individual capabilities and willingness, they must then settle on what they can expect from each other. If the Us and UK are to be a united front in tackling international illicit finance, they must commit to joint messaging on key topics. This should include the importance of transparent Ultimate Beneficial Ownership Registers, robust supervision of the professions, and well-resourced law enforcement. Together they should aim to standardise information sharing mechanisms

to enable freer-flowing information on illicit finance between the two jurisdictions and with third countries. They should also lead the international community’s efforts in reinvigorating the work on asset recovery, streamlining current mechanisms. In any partnership, however, it will be crucial to acknowledge where differences may present a challenge to joint messaging or activities.

Here, different legal cultures on key topics such as data privacy could be problematic.

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS OF THIRD COUNTRIES Lastly, the Us and UK must set the expectations of those they wish to help. An effective relationship with third countries requires that the scales first be rebalanced – moving from transactional interactions to effective and realistic partnerships, as reflected in the recent Us strategy to Counter Corruption. The Us and UK must acknowledge the role they play in negatively affecting third countries, and in return, third countries need to reassess how practical their asks and expectations of the Us/UK are in terms of the type of monetary and substantive assistance they request. Equally important, the Us and UK should look at implementing measures

aimed at emboldening civil society organisations and journalists. Civil society plays an important role in gathering information in third countries on illicit finance, but in doing so individuals may expose themselves to high personal risk, especially when sharing information with the Us/UK. To assist civil society, the Us and UK need to strengthen education on the international frameworks and norms by which elites should abide, and in return, civil society organisations and journalists could be granted access to various protective measures. By managing the expectations on all sides, the partnership can advance in a way that is beneficial to all.

A real danger in the fight against illicit finance is the loss of steam by those who have substantial roles to play. Ambitions fall prey to the undulations of continual reprioritisation of national needs and objectives. A truly effective approach to combatting illicit finance on an international level requires parties to spend more effort on ‘walking the walk as opposed to talking the talk’ – replacing hollow promises with substantive reforms that can hold their own against a reality check. Leaders must step up and remain accountable for their promises of assis-

tance, ensuring that any prolonged actions can realistically remain funded and staffed, and withstand administration changes at home as well as in partner countries. At the crux of the Us and UK response to international illicit finance must be an appreciation that expectations on all sides need to be set and managed. The Us and UK must build back their credibility in the international sphere by acknowledging their role in the problem. They must also be realistic in the extent to which they can commit resources to tackling this problem. Next, each country must understand what they can expect from the other. Finally, the Us and UK must pursue partnerships with third countries when assisting them. By managing expectations on all three fronts, the Us, UK and international community will have a more realistic chance of tackling international illicit finance.

Isabella Chase is Research Fellow, Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies.

Olivia Kearney is Community Building Officer, Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies and Maria Nizzero is Research Fellow, Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies.

Friday, 28 January, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

corporate corner Etisalat crowned as the strongest telecom brand in the world

ISLAMABAD: Etisalat has been ranked as the world’s strongest telecom brand and is the first in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region to achieve this milestone recognition by Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation authority. With a telecom portfolio of well over US$ 12.5 billion, Etisalat not only retained its AAA brand rating but also its position in MEA as the strongest brand across all categories and the most valuable brand portfolio. Commenting on the achievement, Eng. Hatem Dowidar, CEO, Etisalat Group, said: “To be recognised as the world’s strongest telecom brand and as the most valuable telecom brand portfolio in MEA underline the success of our strategic initiatives to build a robust telecom infrastructure that creates added value for our customers wherever we serve. With our relentless focus on being customer-centric, we continue to push our horizons by investing in next generation technology that enhance our service offering and help shape the digital future.” He added: “In this digital-first era, our focus is to be agile to meet the evolving requirements of our customers and deliver relevant and flexible services.

Since our inception in 1976, we have been led by a vision to create a world-class telecom infrastructure that is central to economic progress.” Brand Finance also named Eng. Hatem Dowidar to the Elite List of Brand Guardians globally, jumping 4 places compared to last year’s ranking. This recognises the ground-breaking initiatives that he launched since he joined Etisalat in September 2015, which played a key role in propelling Etisalat’s business growth. Assuming the role of Group CEO in 2020, he stewarded the company’s growth through the fast-changing telecom and technology landscape following the COVID-19 pandemic. His astute brand stewardship served as the foundation for enhancing Etisalat’s brand reputation as well as employee engagement. David Haigh, Chairman and CEO, Brand Finance, said: “Guided by the vision to ‘drive the digital future to empower societies’, Etisalat is the world’s strongest telecoms brand of 2022, as well as retaining its status as the strongest brand in the Middle East and Africa for the second consecutive year. Etisalat’s brand focuses on togetherness and plays its part by providing a first-class telecoms infrastructure across its footprint. Exceptional rollout of 5G technology has also meant that the Etisalat Group’s portfolio of brands is the most valuable amongst telecoms organisations in the Middle East.” Etisalat’s robust fibreoptic infrastructure enhances the customer experiences across all business operations. The Group leveraged its 46 years of telecoms experience and its investment in telecom infrastructure to enable the progress of the people and business alike, in addition to supporting vital sectors such as healthcare and education, especially following the pandemic. Brand Finance is the world’s leading independent branded business valuation and strategy authority. Founded in 1996 and headquartered in the City of London, it aims to ‘bridge the gap between marketing and finance.’ Brand Finance evaluates over 5,000 brands across all sectors and geographies every year. The 500 most valuable brands are included in the Brand Finance Global 500 report. Earlier, Brand Finance also declared PTCL, an Etisalat subsidiary and the leading telecom operator in Pakistan as the fastest growing brand in Pakistan at a special ceremony held in Barcelona during the Mobile World Congress 2018. pr

09

ASkAri BAnk SignS MOU with nUSt

A

SKARI Bank has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National University of Sciences and Technologies (NUST) to jointly set-up a Centre of Excellence for research & innovation – Digital Innovation Lab at NUST. The MoU was signed by Mr. Khurshid Zafar, Chief Operating Officer, Askari Bank and Ms. Maria Faheem Qadri, Director University Advancement, NUST in the presence of Mr. Atif R. Bokhari, President & CEO, Askari Bank, Engr. Javed Mahmood Bukhari, Rector NUST and senior ex-

ecutives from both the organizations.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Atif R. Bokhari said, “The Digital Innovation Lab will serve as a research & innovation center for Askari Bank’s digital initiatives and assist in modernizing the bank’s Digital infrastructure.

The collaboration will also open the channel for knowledge sharing, capacity building and promote a learning environment for the benefit of NUST students and AKBL staff to create and foster a future-ready workforce. Further, AKBL may provide internship and employment opportunities to the students of NUST. pr

Jazz to inspire women returning to work through its ‘She’s Back – Women Returnship Program’ BOP holds seminar at Faisalabad for creating awareness about various schemes by SBP

IslAmAbAd pr

Jazz, Pakistan’s number one 4G operator and the largest internet and broadband service provider, has onboarded twelve women under its ‘She’s Back – Women Returnship Program.’ This is a comprehensive six-month program for women returning to corporate positions after a career break. After a rigorous recruitment process, these women have been assigned with roles spread across various functions – from

People Experience to Product Development, Legal to Sales, Ethics & Compliance to Network Supervision. The returnees are women who have had to pause their careers for more than one and a half years to raise children, care for family members, pursue higher education amidst other reasons. Through this program Jazz aims to facilitate their professional growth by building their confidence, reconnecting them to the workforce, developing their functional and technical skills, and providing them

access to other learning opportunities. “Women enrolled in this program will gain an enriching experience through a number of development and engagement initiatives. The best part of all is that at the end of this program these women will have an opportunity to join Jazz on a permanent basis", said Wajida Leclerc, Chief People Officer, Jazz. She’s Back – Women Returnship Program along with a number of other initiatives reaffirms Jazz’s commitment to Diversity and Inclusion.

The Bank of Punjab held a seminar at Faisalabad for creating awareness about the various schemes by State Bank of Pakistan for financing Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) including the Prime Minister’s Kamyab Jawan Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme (PMKJ-YES), SME Asaan Finance (SAAF) Scheme, and Government’s Mark-up Subsidy Scheme for LowCost Housing (GMSS-LCH). The seminar was attended by senior officials from the State Bank of Pakistan BSC Faisalabad along with the office bearers and members of All Pakistan Bedsheet & Upholstery Manufacturers Association (APBUMA) and Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PHMA). Speaking on the occasion, Asif Riaz, Group Head Retail & Priority Sectors Lending Group, BOP highlighted the importance of SMEs and said that such seminars will help create awareness about various financing options available through banks, especially the recently launched SAAF Scheme which offers collateral-free loans up to Rs 10 million for eligible SMEs. He added that this program shall prove to be a game changer for SME segment. Muhammad Akbar, Senior Joint Director, State Bank of Pakistan, Kashif Ahmed Zia, Chairman PHMA and Arif Ehsan Malik. pr

Shura Hamdard calls for action against alarming increase in use of narcotics among youth KARACHI pr

The members of the Shura Hamdard Karachi chapter in an online meeting held yesterday expressed deep concern over the increase in use of narcotics among youth and demanded the government to strictly curb the availability of narcotics in society.

The meeting on the theme ‘Increasing trend of narcotics – who is re-

sponsible?’ was presided over by Justice (r) Haziq-ul-Khairi, who attended the meeting from Hamdard Corporate Head Office. Mrs. Sadia Rashid – President Hamdard Foundation Pakistan also attended the meeting via zoom.

In an opening remark, Justice (r) Haziq-ul-Khairi said: “The increase in the use of narcotics, especially among the youth, is an alarming issue that should be addressed on priority. Millions of students have

fallen victim to this terrible addiction, but unfortunately, there is a lack of practical approach and a clear absence of effective strategy of authorities to curb it. There is a shortage of hospitals in the country where this addiction is treated. Some private hospitals exist but their treatment is very expensive. The question is why our new generation is suffering from this evil and what can be done about it?”

Faisalabad Traders Association Call on Chairman FBR A delegation of Super Market Association, Faisalabad visited FBR (HQs), Islamabad today and held a detailed meeting with Chairman FBR/Secretary Revenue Division Dr. Muhammad Ashfaq Ahmed and Mr, Farrukh Habib, Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting, both in Chair. Various issues related to Point of Sales were discussed during the meeting.

The President, Super Market Association, Faisalabad Mr. Shahid Mumtaz Bajwa informed the participants that all its 40 members had been integrated with FBR POS System, which was appreciated by the Chairman FBR. On the issue of input adjustment from un-registered wholesalers/distributors, the Association was informed by FBR that in Finance Supplementary Act, 2022, they had

been declared as Tier-1 Retailers.

Hence, their issue of input tax adjustment would soon be resolved under the relevant provisions of law.

The Chairman, FBR desired that the Dispute Committee of FBR and the Traders in Faisalabad would be activated for an amicable settlement of genuine/legal issues of Faisalabad traders.

During the meeting, the Chairman FBR reiterated that government believed in collecting the rightful taxes by following the due process of law and FBR was taking all out measures to ensure facilitation of Traders community for an accelerated economic growth. He further stated that he had already passed on necessary directions to Field Formations to work closely with trade bodies in order to ensure tax compliance

in a transparent manner.

The delegation thanked Chairman FBR for listening to the grievances of traders and the desired assurance of speedy resolution of their problems. The participants from FBR also included Mr. Qaisar Iqbal, Member (IR Operations), Dr. Nasser Janjua, Chief POS, Mr. Amir Amin Bhatti, Chief IR-Operations and Mr. Muhammad Anwar Chaudhry, Chief Sales Tax Operations. The delegation from Super Market Association, Faisalabad included Mr. Shahid Mumtaz Bajwa, President Super Market Association, Mr. Safdar Ali, Vice President, Mr. Muhammad Ashfaq, Vice President, Mr. Muhammad Saeed Ahmad, General Secretary, Mr. Rashid Sharif, Information Secretary and Mr. Muhammad Aslam, Member of the Association. pr

Friday, 28 January, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

10 FOREIGN NEWS

CelebratiNg luNar New Year, ChiNa embarKS oN New jourNeY

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MiAn AbrAr

HE Chinese New Year, which is also called the Spring Festival, is the most important Chinese festival centering on family reunions. It’s like a combination of Christmas and New Year in the West.

The Spring Festival falls on February 1 this year.

From mouthwatering food to new clothes, decorations and entertainment, Chinese families celebrate the festival, hoping for a fresh start and good fortune for the year to come. Chinese President Xi Jinping joined residents in north China’s Shanxi Province days ahead of the

North launches two projectiles in sixth test this month, South Korea says seOUL ReuteRs

Nuclear-armed North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast, South Korea’s military said on Thursday, in what would be the sixth round of missile tests this month. It is among the most missiles ever launched by North Korea in a month, analysts said, as Pyongyang has kicked off 2022 by displaying a dizzying array of new and operational weapons.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it had detected the launch of what it presumed were two ballistic missiles about 8:00 am local time from near Hamhung, on the east coast of North Korea. They travelled for about 190 kilometres to a maximum altitude of 20 kilometres, JCS added. The suspected missiles appeared to have landed outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone, Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi told reporters. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the government was still gathering details on the launches, but that any tests of ballistic missiles are “deeply regrettable” and violate United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. North Korea said this month it would bolster its defences against the United States and consider resuming “all temporally-suspended activities”, an apparent reference to a self-imposed moratorium on tests of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. On Tuesday, North Korea fired two cruise missiles into the sea off its east coast, South Korea’s military said, amid rising tension over a recent series of weapons tests. Earlier in the month, North Korea tested tactical guided missiles, two “hypersonic missiles” capable of high speed and manoeuvring after lift-off, and a railway-borne missile system. “The (Kim Jong Un) regime is developing an impressive diversity of offensive weapons despite limited resources and serious economic challenges,” said Leif-Eric Easley, an international affairs professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

Spring Festival as he began a visit on Wednesday.

For 10 years in a row, Xi has made it a tradition to visit people in different parts of China, delivering warm greetings and best wishes.

‘I feel assured’: Braving the snow, Xi on Wednesday went to Fengnanyuan Village of Huozhou City, where he visited people affected by the flooding last year that disrupted the lives of 1.76 million residents in Shanxi.

“I came to Shanxi today primarily out of the concern for people whose work and lives were affected by last year’s disaster,” Xi told the villagers.

After inspecting the post-disaster reconstruction as well as local work in restoring farming and ensuring the public’s access to heating in winter, Xi said, “I feel assured.”

On his past pre-Spring Festival tours, Xi sat down with residents, listened to their concerns and joined them for festival preparations ranging from making sticky rice cakes to frying dough and pasting red paper cuttings.

Xi’s trips are an example of his “people first” approach, which not only shows these rural residents that they have not been forgotten but also leaves them with a sense of hope for better lives in the year to come.

Chinese President Xi Jinping interacts with a local family during an inspection in north China’s Shanxi Province, January 26, 2022. /Xinhua rural vItalIzatIon In full swIng: During the inspection tour to Duancun Village of Fenxi County on Wednesday afternoon, Xi urged more work to consolidate achievements in poverty alleviation by promoting rural vitalization, an indispensable part of the

country’s modernization drive.

He told a group of villagers that modernization of rural areas will be realized and the residents will have an increasingly promising future.

In February 2021, China officially declared that it had eliminated absolute poverty, meaning the Chinese people realized a long-cherished wish for ample food and clothing as well as comfortable housing.

Since then, China has been working to foster rural industries, promote the application of agricultural technologies and nurture beautiful countryside.

A total of 50 modern agricultural industrial zones, 50 industrial clusters with distinctive strengths and 298 towns with strong agricultural industries were established across the country in 2021, according to Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Object found in the Milky Way ‘unlike anything astronomers have seen’ sYDneY AFP

Australian researchers have discovered a strange spinning object in the Milky Way they say is unlike anything astronomers have ever seen. The object, first spotted by a university student working on his undergraduate thesis, releases a huge burst of radio energy three times every hour.

The pulse comes “every 18.18 minutes, like clockwork,” said astrophysicist Natasha Hurley-Walker, who led the investigation after the student’s discovery, using a telescope in the Western Australian outback known as the Murchison Widefield Array. While there are other objects in the universe that switch on and off — such as pulsars — Hurley-Walker said 18.18 minutes is a frequency that has never been observed before.

Finding this object was “kind of spooky for an astronomer,” she said, “because there’s nothing known in the sky that does that.” The research team is now working to understand what they have found.

Trawling back through years of data, they have been able to establish a few facts: the object is about 4,000 light-years from Earth, is incredibly bright and has an extremely strong magnetic field.

But there are still many mysteries to untangle.

“If you do all of the mathematics, you find that they shouldn’t have enough power to produce these kind of radio waves every 20 minutes,” Hurley-Walker said.

“It just shouldn’t be possible:” The object may be something researchers have theorised could exist but have never seen called an “ultra-long period magnetar”.

It could also be a white dwarf, a remnant of a collapsed star. “But that’s quite unusual as well. We only

know of one white dwarf pulsar, and nothing as great as this,” Hurley-Walker said. “Of course, it could be something that we’ve never even thought of — it could be some entirely new type of object.” On the question of whether the powerful, consistent radio signal from space could have been sent by some other life form, HurleyWalker conceded: “I was concerned that it was aliens.”

But the research team was able to observe the signal across a wide range of frequencies. “That means it must be a natural process, this is not an artificial signal,” Hurley-Walker said. The next step for the researchers is to look for more of these strange objects across the universe. “More detections will tell astronomers whether this was a rare one-off event or a vast new population we’d never noticed before,” Hurley-Walker said.

The team’s paper on the object has been published in the latest edition of the journal Nature.

China says it questioned then returned Indian citizen at disputed border Agencies China said on Thursday it has returned an Indian citizen who entered “illegally” into Chinese territory at the disputed border between the two countries.

The Indian citizen was found in recent days by Chinese border guards during a patrol, said a spokesman for the Western Theater Command, Colonel Long Shaohua in a statement.

The individual “illegally entered Chinese territory and then was routinely questioned, quarantined and observed in accordance with relevant border control

regulations, and given humanitarian assistance,” Long said in the statement posted on the official WeChat account of the Western Theater of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

The individual was returned following discussions between the Indian military and the Chinese side after India first asked China to assist in a search, he said.

Thursday’s announcement from China came after India’s defence ministry said last week it had contacted China to request that it locate and return a 17year-old Indian Miram Tarom, who had been “reportedly captured” by the Chinese military after

going missing near the countries’ shared border.

China’s announcement on Thursday did not say if the returned Indian citizen was Tarom, but it did add a warning to New Delhi.

“We urge the Indian side to strictly implement bilateral agreements, strengthen personnel management and control, and earnestly maintain normal order in the border areas.”

India and China have frequently clashed over their long and disputed Himalayan border, and China claims the entirety of Arunachal Pradesh as part of its Tibet region.

China warns US and Japan against interfering in Taiwan question Agencies

PID (I) 5185/21

The Chinese Defense Ministry on Thursday warned the United States and Japan against interfering in the Taiwan question.

In a recent virtual meeting, the U.S. and Japanese foreign and defense ministers accused China of undermining the “rules-based international order” and posing challenges to the region and the world.

In response, Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Chinese Defense Ministry, said the U.S. and Japan interfered in China’s internal affairs and fabricated fake information to smear China.

“The Chinese side expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to this, and has raised serious representations to the countries concerned,” the spokesperson said.

He reiterated that “the one and only rule of the world should not be based on interests of ‘small circles'” and that “the one and only order of the world is not the selfish order advocated by a very few countries.”

Wu said the international community should be vigilant to the insistence on a cold war mentality by the United States and Japan, adding that the two countries have strengthened their military presence in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, and carried out highly targeted military

provocations. The spokesperson said the

root cause of the current tensions in the Taiwan Straits was the “continuous provocations” by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority and the “Taiwan independence” separatists in collusion with external forces.

He added that the U.S. and Japan were fueling the DPP authority to seek “Taiwan independence” and sending “wrong signals” to the “Taiwan independence” separatists. “That is the biggest threat to peace and stability of the Taiwan Straits.” Wu added that the People’s Liberation Army has a “rock-solid determination and growing capabilities to defend China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Friday, 28 January, 2022 | IsLAMABAD

spOrts 11

HBL PSL kiCkS off witH CoLourfuL oPEninG CErEmony At kArACHi’S nAtionAL StAdium

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newS DeSK

HE much-anticipated seventh edition of the HBL Pakistan PSL kicked off in Karachi on Thursday with an impressive opening ceremony at Karachi’s National Stadium.

The event began with a documentary shedding light on the journey of cricket in Pakistan featuring a voice over by Pakistan Cricket

Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja.

Paragliders also descended from the sky at one point, making a clean landing in the stadium.

Singers Atif Aslam and Aima Baig turned up the heat on a cold Karachi evening by performing this year’s anthem ‘Agay Dekh‘.

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s special message to PSL teams was also played during the ceremony, followed by a vibrant fireworks display. The ceremony will be fol-

lowed by a match between defending champions Multan Sultans and Karachi Kings. Pakistan skipper Babar Azam will lead the Kings while wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan is the captain for Sultans.

The recent rise of coronavirus cases across Pakistan has forced the PCB to limit spectators in Karachi — which will host matches until Feb 7 — to 25 per cent only, following recommendations by the National

Command and Operation Centre.

No such decision has been taken for Lahore yet, with the city’s Gaddafi Stadium set to host PSL matches from February 10 to 27, including the final. It’s not only the fans who have to face restrictions due to the pandemic.

The PCB has arranged strict biosecure bubbles for the six franchise sides, with the intent to avoid delays at any cost. According to the playing conditions set by the board’s techni-

cal committee, matches will go ahead even if 13 players out of the teams’ 20-man squads are available In a situation where the player availability is even lower, affected teams will be allowed to pick from a reserve pool. If a Covid-19 outbreak occurs, the tournament will be halted for seven days, bio-secure bubbles

will be reset from scratch and double-headers will be held in the remaining days to meet the February 27 deadline.

The first leg of 15 matches will be played in Karachi from Jan 27 to Feb 7, while the remaining 19 matches will be held in Lahore from Feb 10-27.

Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Jordan Thompson also tested positive for Covid-19 KARACHI Staff RepoRt

PSL 2022: Quetta Gladiators star Shahid Afridi tests positive for Covid-19, out for multiple games StAff RepoRt Quetta Gladiators allrounder Shahid Afridi will miss the start of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022 after testing positive for coronavirus, his franchise announced in a statement on Thursday. The star all-rounder had also contracted Covid-19 in June 2020. In a statement today, the Gladiators said Afridi will undergo a mandatory seven-day quarantine at home in pursuance of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) protocols. A week-long quarantine means the all-rounder will likely miss the first three matches of his side against Peshawar Zalmi, Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans between Jan 28 and Feb 2. His participation in the subsequent matches is subject to a negative Covid-19 test. The franchise said Afridi will be reintegrated into the squad after completion of his quarantine period and a negative coronavirus test. The Gladiators will play their first game against Zalmi on Friday at the National Stadium, Karachi. It is pertinent to mention here that this is going to be the last PSL season for Afridi as he had announced it last year.

In my final PSL event, it will be my dream and wish to sign off with another PSL trophy after tasting success with Peshawar Zalmi in 2017,” he had added.

English cricket comes under fresh fire over racism AgenCIeS English cricket is back in the firing line over racism in the game after “stereotypical” and “outdated” views were expressed about the reasons for a lack of interest in the game among Britain’s ethnic minority communities.

Former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq delivered harrowing testimony to lawmakers in November in which he said his career had been ended by the abuse he received at the county club. The Pakistan-born off-spinner, who had dreamed of playing for England, said cricket was blighted by institutional racism “up and down the country”. The parliamentary Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee issued a report earlier this month saying English cricket must root out “deep-seated” racism or face losing public money. Lawmakers on the committee heard evidence from a number of chairmen of English county clubs during their latest session looking into the issue on Tuesday. Middlesex chairman Mike O’Farrell appeared to offer generalisations about the reasons why individuals from the AfricanCaribbean and South Asian communities drifted away from the sport. “The football and rugby world becomes much more attractive to the Afro-Caribbean community,” O’Farrell told the committee. “In terms of the South Asian community… we’re finding that they do not want to commit necessarily the same time that is necessary to go to the next step because they prefer — not always saying they do it — they prefer to go into other educational fields where cricket becomes secondary.”

CriCket in ‘denial’: Rafiq said he was staggered by the remarks, believing they underline the problem the sport faces. “I think today has shown everyone what I was talking about and how we have a long way to go,” he told the BBC. “Clearly the counties and the game are still very much in denial and that’s a big worry.”

HBL PSL suffered another blow as top cricketers Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim and international player Jordan Thompson have tested positive for coronavirus just a few hours before the start of the PSL-7.

Peshawar Zalmi’s captain Wahab Riaz will be unavailable for the team’s opening Pakistan Super League (PSL) match against Quetta Gladiators tomorrow (Friday), the franchise confirmed Thursday.

Wahab had tested positive for COVID-19 a day earlier and is now in self-isolation, the franchise said in a statement, adding that the veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik would lead the team for their opening match.

Former Pakistan team captain and Quetta Gladiators all-rounder Shahid Afridi has also tested positive for coronavirus.

The star player will quarantine at home following the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) protocols and will be reintegrated into the squad after seven days of quarantine and negative test.

Afridi went to a hospital on Wednesday after seeking permission from the team management.

Meanwhile, Karachi Kings former skipper Imad Wasim and international player Jordan Thompson have tested positive for coronavirus today, just a few hours before the start of the PSL. Two days ago, Karachi Kings President Wasim Akram had tested positive for COVID-19.

It is worth mentioning that the inclusion of Mohammad Amir is also doubtful for the opening match today after the pacer suffered an injury, sources said.

Olympic giants China face tough medal fight at home Games BeIJIng afp

China topped the medals table at its 2008 Summer Olympics but expectations are much lower for next month’s Beijing Games as the country attempts to build a winter sports industry nearly from scratch.

China did not appear at a Winter Olympics until 1980 at Lake Placid and has hardly sparkled since, winning one gold medal — in short track speed skating — at the last Games, in South Korea’s Pyeongchang, in 2018.

Cold weather sports have not historically been popular in the country, where the prohibitive cost and relative lack of infrastructure had kept the pool of athletes small.

But a huge government-led push to promote snow and ice activities and a soaring middle class looks set to yield some results when the Games begin on February 4, and home athletes always tend to overperform at their own Olympics.

With foreign coaches drafted in to boost expertise, forecasters Gracenote expect China to win six golds at Beijing 2022 and enjoy its “best-ever Winter Olympics”. Norway, who topped the medals table in 2018, are predicted to do so again, ahead of Russia and Germany.

‘Big Crisis’: China set itself the goal of competing in all 109 events at Beijing 2022 — nearly double the number the country qualified for at Pyeongchang.

The country has “no experience” in one-third of them, state media said.

Underlining the challenge, winter sports official Ni Huizhong admitted to Xinhua news agency last year in unusually stark terms that the country had “clear weaknesses and disadvantages” and was facing “a big crisis” in some sports.

China will compete in at least 96 events in the Chinese capital. In some, such as men’s ice hockey, avoiding embarrassment on home soil will count as a small win. China has had to be creative in its search to grow its small pool of winter sports athletes, including

scouring martial arts schools of Buddhist monasteries.

Authorities also sent a group of teenagers with zero experience — including a former gymnast and a sprinter — to Norway in 2018 for a crash course in ski jumping in the hope of producing 2022 competitors.

China has also turned to naturalised athletes, including California natives Eileen Gu — who looks set to be the face of the Games — and ice skater Beverly Zhu. With an eye on the future, the country is on course to open 5,000 winter sports schools by 2025 and has set up massive training bases for athletes offering wind tunnels and virtual reality simulators.

Prestige: Of China’s 13 Winter Olympic golds, 10 have come in short track speed skating.

Wu Dajing won 500m gold in 2018 and will defend his title in Beijing, while there are also hopes in the relay events.

Pairs figure skaters Sui Wenjing and Han Cong will hope to go one better than their Pyeongchang silver, while US-born freestyle skier Gu, just 18, is hotly tipped for gold.

They are under pressure from the very top, with President Xi Jinping urging athletes to “struggle bravely and strive for success”.

But medals will only be one part of what China hopes to reap from the Games.

It sees an opportunity to demonstrate its sophistication and prowess, even as the Covid-19 pandemic and diplomatic boycotts from a handful of countries over human rights concerns cast a shadow.

“By hosting the 2008 Summer Olympics (also in Beijing), China impressively demonstrated its economic development to the world,” Jung Woo Lee, sport policy researcher at the University of Edinburgh, told AFP. “(Now) China wants to display its cultural and technological merits to international audiences,” Lee said, noting that Winter Olympics are “more exclusive competitions where the power of more advanced and affluent Western nations prevails”.

“The staging of the Winter Olympics in their capital city can symbolically mean that China is no longer lagging behind Western democracies in terms of its international privilege,” Lee said.

Friday, 28 January, 2022

prayer timings

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FAJR SUNRISE

ZUHR

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

5:44

12:20

3:09

7:10

5:29

6:56

TaRIn dIRecTS TO exPand KamyaB PaKISTan PROgRamme all OveR cOUnTRy ISLAMABAD

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staff report

INANCE Minister Shaukat Tarin has appreciated all the stakeholders for their contributions in the success of the Kamyab Pakistan Programme and further directed to expand it all over the country. The finance minister issued these directives while chairing a meeting of the Steering Committee of Kamyab Pakistan Programme (KPP) on Thursday.

A detailed presentation was given to the finance minister on the progress of the Kamyab Pakistan Pro-

gramme. It was informed that the first phase of the programme is going successful and applications for the award of loan are being received through SMS from all over the country.

The loans are being disbursed after fulfillment of requirements to the deserving applicants for the uplift of living standards of the underprivileged people of the country. Small loans for business, farmers and construction of houses are included under the programme.

Dr. Amjad Saqib, Founder of Akhuwat Foundation also gave a presentation on the disbursement of loans and highlighted some issues faced by targeted population in

some remote areas of Pakistan for accessing the information about availing Kamyab Pakistan Programme.

The finance minister directed the concerned authorities to resolve the issues arising in the way of information accessibility and further underscored that Kamyab Pakistan Program will prove to be a milestone in uplifting the lower strata of the society.

The participants of the meeting assured the Finance Minister of their full cooperation and participation in making the program successful.

The NPHDA chairman, president Bank of Punjab, chairman SECP, and senior officers attended the meeting.

SBP chief confident IMF to revive $6bn loan programme KARACHI staff report

Pakistan, US hold naval drill in Indian Ocean KARACHI news desk

Pakistan and the United States held joint naval drills in the northern Indian Ocean, reflecting the relationship and cooperation between the two forces, Director General Public Relations (Navy) said on Thursday.

The exercise, participated in by USS Whirlwind (PC-11) and USS Squall, include various tactical exercises such as rescuing a burning vessel, releasing a hijacked vessel, and shooting at air targets at night.

A navy press statement said its ships, assets and Special Service Group (SSG) troops took part in the drill.

According to the US Navy, its crew members are expected to hold visit, board, search and seizure training with the Pakistan Navy.

“We are extremely excited to visit Pakistan as we build our relationship and sharpen our competitive edge in a very dynamic region,” said Lieutenant Commander Martin Dineen, commanding officer of Whirlwind.

USS Whirlwind and USS Squall are transiting the Middle East region in support of naval operations that ensure maritime security and stability.

On January 18, Pakistan Navy Commodore Vaqar Muhammad assumed command of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, one of three task forces under Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) that operates outside the Arabian Gulf to disrupt illicit activities by criminal organisations, including the illegal transport of drugs, weapons and people.

“As we strengthen this partnership with Pakistan, we are able to build trust through valuable cross training and deliver a robust interdiction capability to the Pakistani commander of CTF 150,” said Lieutenant Commander Todd Strong, commanding officer of Squall.

The area of operations of the US Fifth Fleet encompasses approximately 2.5 million square miles of water and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean.

The expanse is comprised of 21 nations and includes three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal, and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen.

Dr Reza Baqir, Governor of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), is confident that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will revive the $6 billion loan programme as Pakistan has fulfilled all ‘preconditions’.

In a media interview he said: “We are confident it (IMF Program) will revive as some of the key measures recently taken by the government have been in the direction to fulfill the IMF’s prior actions”.

He further said that Pakistan is also tapping international capital markets and then also hoping that other multilateral institutions such as the World Bank and ADB will also resume their financing operations for Pakistan.

To a question related to risks to GDP growth, Governor SBP said that key risk on the domestic front is ris-

ing cases of Omicron. However, he was confident that Pakistan would tackle this wave successfully like previous waves.

On the external front, he identified three risks including uncertain oil prices, faster than anticipated adjustment of global interest rates and geopolitical situation in Europe. If oil prices continue to rise and rise steeply that will be a major risk for Pakistan like other oil-importing emerging markets, he said.

Talking on amendments to the SBP Act, he clarified that this is not the first time that State Bank’s Act is being amended. It was also amended in 2015 and 2012, he mentioned.

He further said that each time the purpose of the amendment was to give more operational autonomy to the central bank. The current amendment will provide clarity to goals of the central bank and these goals have

been defined as price stability, financial stability and supporting growth.

Second key measure is to improve and strengthen the accountability of SBP, he added.

Talking about the exchange rate, the governor SBP said that before June 2019, Pakistan’s exchange rate was fixed, while currently Pakistan has a free-float exchange rate. During the last calendar year Pakistan’s exchange rate was 163 compared to 161 the previous calendar year, which means depreciation is one percent.

On day to day basis the rupee has been recently adjusted but again it has in line with several emerging markets countries and also largely it’s a result of very high commodity prices that has jacked up import bill and it is help full for the rupee to adjust in such circumstances to keep our CA deficit sustainable, he further explained.

Prime suspect confesses killing journalist in Lahore LAHORE staff report

The main suspect involved in the killing of a journalist associated with a private TV in Lahore on Thursday confessed to his crime.

According to police, Aamir Butt during integration confessed to his crime and added he killed Husnain Shah over the matter of financial dispute.

Aamir said he hired two shooters to kill the journalists and he was shot dead near his office when he came out of his vehicle. Earlier, police claimed to have arrested three suspects allegedly involved in killing a journalist Husnain Shah outside Lahore Press Club.

According to the operations branch of the Lahore police, the three suspects were involved in the killing and had been shifted to an undisclosed location for questioning.

The sources privy to the investigation process claimed that a group that used to sell jewellery on interest rate was involved in the killing and the authorities are probing the owners and employees of the business.

Two motorcyclists fired at him with eight bullet wounds found at the journalist’s abdomen and chest in Lahore, earlier this week.

10 soldiers martyred in terrorist attack on checkpost in Balochistan’s Kech: ISPR Ten soldiers were martyred after terrorists attacked a security forces’ checkpost in Balochistan’s Kech district, the military’s media affairs wing said on Thursday. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the “fire raid” by terrorists occurred on the night of Jan 25-26.

“During intense exchange of fire, one terrorist was killed and several injured. While repulsing terrorists’ fire raid, 10 soldiers embraced martyrdom,” the statement said. It added that three terrorists had been apprehended in the follow-up clearance operation, which it said was still in progress to hunt down the perpetrators of the incident. “The armed forces are determined to eliminate terrorists from our soil no matter what the cost,” the ISPR statement said. Earlier this month, a Pakistan Army soldier was martyred after terrorists attacked a military post in Bannu’s Janikhel. On January 5, two soldiers were martyred and as many terrorists killed in two separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs) conducted by security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Last month, four soldiers of the Pakistan Army embraced martyrdom in an exchange of fire with terrorists during an IBO in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan tribal district. staff report

Terrorists kill guard, abduct company official in oil well attack in Hangu HANGU agencies

A security guard was killed and an oil company employee abducted in terrorists’ attack on an oil well site here, police on Thursday. The terrorists attacked the oil installation of a private company in Adam Banda area. “They killed a security guard at the site and abducted the company’s work supervisor,” police sources said. “The bushes and dry grass at the site found to set on fire, however, the wellhead has been safe,” according to police. The terrorists have also damaged solar plates with gunfire,” police further said.

It is to be mentioned here that the oil and gas has also been discovered at the Hangu Formation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Adam Banda, has been a remote area of southern district Hangu, located at some 94 km in south west of Kohat near Gurguri Oil field.

Afghan soil still being used against Pakistan; says Moeed Yusuf National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf said on Thursday that Afghan soil was still being used against Pakistan, adding that organised terrorist networks were operating in the neighbouring country.

Yusuf expressed the views while briefing the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs on the internal and external security situation.

In a tweet, he said it was a “pleasure” to brief the NA body.

“Had a very productive discussion on

the National Security Policy (NSP) and Afghanistan. I am grateful for the appreciation we received for our work from members of the committee,” he added.

During the briefing, Yusuf said that the government was “not completely optimistic” about the arrival of the Taliban government in the war-torn country.

He also informed lawmakers that the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had unilaterally broken the month-long ceasefire agreement with the government.

“Those who declare war on the country will be dealt with an iron fist,” he said.

The NSA also briefed the committee about the recently approved NSP. He said that former adviser to the prime minister on foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz, had started working on the policy in 2014.

He said that it took seven years to prepare the policy, and it was later also presented before the Parliamentary Committee on National Security. “It will not be implemented until approval from

parliament,” he said.

He went on to say that the policy concerned the economic security of the country and the common man. He added that the Kashmir issue was also part of the NSP, adding that food security, hybrid war, education and organised crime had also been included. However, Yusuf said governance had not been included in the policy for now. “The policy has been drafted for the next five years.

Some measures are long-term and some are short-term,” he concluded. news desk

SCBA challenges lawmakers’ life-time disqualification in top court ISLAMABAD news desk

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has challenged lifetime disqualification of lawmakers under Article 62 (1)(f) of the Constitution, pleading to the apex court that the constitutional provision did not entail a perpetual bar.

Filed by SCBA President Ahsan Bhoon, the petition stated that the disqualification

under Article 62 (1)(f) should be applied in cases of election dispute. It added that the Supreme Court could not proceed as a trial court under the powers of Article 184(3).

It requested the top court to declare that the proceedings and declarations under Articles 184(3) or 199 of the Constitution did not constitute declarations by a court of law, as per the principles expounded by this court.

The Supreme Court, while acting pursuant to Article 184(3) of the Constitution,

“exercises extraordinary and original constitutional jurisdiction,” the petition said, adding that it did not act as a trial court where the person “is afforded the right to lead evidence, produce witnesses, cross-examine the other side’s witnesses and so on”.

“Therefore, this Honourable Court or the Honourable High Courts, exercising jurisdiction under Article 199 of the Constitution, do not qualify as the ‘courts of law’ who may give declarations under Article 62(1)(f),” the

petition stated.

It is also stated that in addition to the failure to provide an opportunity for crossexamination, proceedings under Article 184(3) were “additionally violative of the principles of due process” and the right to a fair trial, as they precluded the possibility of any kind of appeal.

“While it may indeed be true that the legislature did not envisage an appeal in proceedings under Article 184(3), this Honourable

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 051-2204545. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk

Court’s judgments on the nature of a court under Article 62(1)(f), and the resultant jurisprudence that has been established since, requires harmonization,” the petition said.

“More specifically, if the legislature intended that a court under Article 62(1)(f) provide a fair opportunity of vindication to a person, and also that proceedings under Article 184(3) be conducted sans the right to an appeal, then the two cannot be reconciled in a single case and at the same forum.”