Epaper – July 26 ISB 2021

Monday, 26 July, 2021 I 15 Zil-Hajj, 1442 I Rs 40.00 I Vol XII No 25 I 48 Pages I Islamabad Edition

AJK ELECTIONS

Unofficial resUlts show Pti leading; violence claims two lives g

5 policemen injured, many political activists detained

MUZAFFARABAD

U

stAff report

noFFicial results show the ruling pakistan tehreek-e-insaf in the lead after voting kicked off sunday in azad jammu and Kashmir at 8:00 am to elect the state assembly. it went on until 5:00 pm without any break, radio pakistan reported. more than 3.2 million people voted to elect the 53-member house to a fiveyear term. an excess of 700 candidates from 32 political and religious parties contested 45 general seats. eight are reserved seats with five for women and three — one each for religious scholars, technocrats and overseas Kashmiris. the members for those seats are nominated after elections. out of 45 general seats, 12 are reserved for Kashmiri refugees who migrated from the indian-occupied part of Kashmir in 1947 and 1965 and are settled in various parts of pakistan. therefore, in the 10

Pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

1,004,694

LAST UPDATED AT 2:14 PM ON JULY 25, 2021

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

45

2,819 DEATHS:

925,958 23,016 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

364,784

352,682

KPK:

BALOCHISTAN:

141,627 AJK/GB: 22,886/7,702

Fawad says over 50pc turnout shows public's trust in system

districts of ajK, elections are taking place for 33 seats. only 20 women contested the elections for general seats from the 700 candidates. long queues of voters were seen at several polling stations in muzzaferabad — the capital of Kashmir — mirpur, bagh, rawlakot, Kotli and other districts. three political parties — pakistan tehreek-e-insaf, pakistan muslim leaguenawaz and pakistan peoples party — were neck-and-neck. as of the time of filing, unofficial results showed pti’s azhar sadiq as the winner in mirpur 1 with 14,233 votes, followed by pml-n’s chaudary masood Khalid, who had 7,609 votes. mirpur 2 had ppp candidate Qasim majeed in the lead at 5,705 votes, with pti’s candidate merely 800 votes behind. mirpur 3 and 4 were taken by sultan mehmood chaudary and chaudary arshad hussain of the pti with 18,462 votes and 22,700 votes respectively, according to unofficial results. the bhimber 1 polls were won by pml-

coronavirUs in

RECOVERED:

g

29,494 ISLAMABAD:

85,519

n candidate waqar ahmed noor, who got 21,799 votes, while the runnerup from ppp, chaudary pervaiz ashraf, secured only 15,583 votes. pti won bhimber 2 and 3 and Kolti 1, wherein candidates ali shan chaudary, chaudary anwar-ul-haq, and Zaffar iqbal malik got 19,256, 33,551 and 15,895 respectively. sardar muhammad naeem Khan got 19,133 votes in Kolti 2, securing the win for all jammu and Kashmir muslim conference, with ppp’s javaid iqbal badhanwi getting 17,221 votes. ppp’s chaudary muhammad yasin is leading Kolti 3 with 5,516 votes as of time of filing, while pti’s malik muhammad yousaf is in second place with 3,982 votes. chaudary muhammad ikhlaq of the ruling pti won Kolti 4 with 23,061 votes, followed closely by raja naseer ahmed Khan who secured 21,471 votes for the pml-n.

Kolti 5 was won by the ppp, as chaudary muhammad yasin got 16,171 votes. meanwhile, Kolti 6 was taken by pti’s nisar ansar abdali, who got 22,633 votes.

Former premier of ajK and incumbent all jammu and Kashmir muslim conference president sardar attique ahmed Khan won the elections on bagh 1 with 29,561 votes. pti candidate major latif Khaliq came second with 13,429 votes. bagh 2 was won by tanveer ilyas of pti with 12,557 votes against ppp candidate Zia Qamar’s 9,494. however, ppp won bagh 3 and bagh 4, with sardar Qamar Zaman Khan and raja Faisal mumtaz rathore securing 2,256 votes and 23,197 votes respectively. poonch and sudhnuti 1 was one by pti’s sardar abdul Qayum niazi, with 24,829 votes. pml-n’s candidate secured 16,000. ppp won poonch and sudhnuti 2 and 3, with candidates, saud bin sadiq and sardar muhammad yaqoob Khan taking the lead in the elections, having gotten 8,671 and 2,411 votes, respectively.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Police arrest suspect’s parents, domestic staff for ‘hiding evidence’ in Noor murder ISLAMABAD stAff report

islamabad police have arrested the parents and domestic staff of the prime suspect for “hiding evidence” and “being complicit” in the cold-blooded murder of a former diplomat’s daughter, islamabad deputy commissioner hamza shafqaat announced late on saturday. earlier today, the police presented Zakir jaffar and asmat adamjee, the parents, before a judicial magistrate to secure a physical remand. noor mukadam, 27, was found murdered at the residence of Zahir Zakir in sector F7/4 of islamabad on tuesday.

Zakir, widely believed to be the killer, was arrested the same day for his purported involvement in the gruesome incident. a first information report was registered late on tuesday and nominated Zakir under section 302 (premeditated murder) of the pakistan penal code on the complaint of ambassador shaukat ali mukadam.

A farewell to printer’s ink

more inside

4 Army personnel martyred as vehicle crashes into AJK ditch: ISPR

City Notes M A NiAzi it would not be right to write these notes without saying that they were given their name by arif nizami. they must have been a minor matter for him, as even i can realise, for he had many matters to deal with, many decisions to make, in the newspapers he edited. but these notes have been of importance in my own life, for i’ve been writing them now for more than three decades. i never had any idea of writing them, and was then a wet-behind-the-ears reporter out of college only the year before, when i was summoned by the editor. mr arif nizami was then what i would now regard as a mere stripling, but i then regarded him as an old man, not as ancient as ahmad aziz Zia, the executive editor, or jeff plair, the news editor, but around the same age as javed nazir, our chief reporter, who was vigorous enough. but still old enough to have been my teacher in college. arif sahib briefed me about the happenings of an iqbal day function, the nation had come out on the 1st of october, so this would be about a month after we had come into the

in a press statement issued late saturday, a spokesperson for islamabad police said several people including Zakir’s parents and two domestic helpers — iftikhar and jameel — were included in the probe based on the ambassador’s statement. in addition, people who are connected to the case as witnesses or in any other capacity were also being included in the investigation, it said. evidence was also being collected from all the people, it disclosed. meanwhile, sealing orders were issued for therapy works — an islamabad-based drug addiction treatment centre that purportedly employed Zakir as a therapist, shafqaat said. earlier on Friday, islamabad police chief Qazi jamilur rehman instructed the investigation team probing the murder to seek the placement of Zakir’s name on the exit control list to keep him from fleeing the country. the investigators are also seeking the suspect’s criminal record, if any, from the united states and the united Kingdom.

STORY ON PAGE 02

ajK polls: opposition alleges ‘rigging’ even before election results announced market. i had not attended the function, but i took the brief, and scuttled off to write up the account. i batted it out on the old heavy-duty typewriters we then had. we went into the 1990 election computerised, but back then, in this very same galaxy, but a long, long time ago, it was those heavy old machines. anyhow, once done, i took the result to arif sahib. he approved it, though i think he made a couple of changes with his pen. he then said that the piece should have a name. in fact, he said, i should keep doing write-ups like that, and that it should be called ‘city notes.’ For better or worse, these notes were born. i went to get briefed for a couple of weeks before writing

them, but after a while arif sahib turned me loose, and left me to make of these notes what i would. i did. i’m not aware of how much he had to tolerate on my behalf, and where and how he defended me, not in those notes i wrote, but in the reports i filed. he backed us reporters to the hilt, that much i know. he had himself been one, which was probably the reason. he was also deeply committed to press freedom, as his activity in the all pakistan newspapers society and the council of newspaper editors showed, and i found that he did not pass on the pressure he got to reporters. let me assure you, if a reporter doesn’t know what pressure he has created, he will be more fearless.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 02

STORY ON BACK PAGE

First task for Afghanistan troops is to slow Taliban’s momentum: Pentagon STORY ON BACK PAGE chief in today’s issue

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Contact: 0307-7338168 irfan.farooq@pakistantoday.com.pk

02

Monday, 26 July, 2021

ISLAMABAD

NEWS

Sindh to hold local government polls before 2023 general elections NEWS DESK Sindh will hold the local government polls before the next general elections in 2023, announced Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah while speaking to the media in Sehwan on Sunday. The Express Tribune reported that favouring local bodies polls on party basis, the provincial chief executive said that the government wants to hold them in such a way that no objections are raised. Taking stock of the objections raised on the results of the census, Murad said the government had already presented evidence to the Council of Common Interests. He added that he was exercising his constitutional right to convene a joint sitting of parliament and will be writing a letter to this effect. The CM further added that parties in the Pakistan Democratic Movement should try to unite the opposition. He recalled that it was Bilawal Bhutto Zardari – Pakistan Peoples Party chairman – who called an All Party Conference after which the PDM was formed. Murad added that the purpose of convening the meeting was to get rid of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government. “However, some people demanded the resignation of Bilawal instead,” he added. Criticising the federal government, the Sindh chief minister stated that, “Pakistan’s foreign policy was failing and that relations with Iran, Afghanistan and China were being affected.

However, we are trying to maintain good relations with China.” He accused the federal government of exacerbating inflation and called on all opposition parties to unite against it. The CM said that he condemned the media trial of Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani. He maintained that the National Accountability Bureau could not provide any evidence in its attempts to discredit Durrani. Murad added that the federal government had approved a plan for the restoration of Lake Manchar in 2017. However, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government stopped the project a year later, after it formed the government.

Ceremony held to pay tribute to Arif Nizami

KARACHI: As the city's positivity rate remains highest across the country, not everyone is wearing face masks to protect themselves from Covid-19. PPI

4 Army PerSONNel mArtyred AS vehiCle CrASheS iNtO AJK ditCh: iSPr RAWALPiNDi

F

INP

Our Pakistan Army personnel were martyred and three injured as their vehicle crashed into a ditch while making a sharp turn near Leswa. According to an Inter-Services Public relations press release, they were discharging their duties during the Azad Jammu and Kashmir polls on Sunday.

The civilian driver of the vehicle has also conceded severe wounds in the accident, as the bodies and wounded have been shifted to a nearby medical facility,

BAHAWALPUR

ISPr said.

The ISPr added that the team was posted for the security amid the polls in AJK.

aPP

A ceremony was held at the district and sessions court in Bahawalpur wherein the participants paid tribute to veteran journalist and former Pakistan Today Editor Arif Nizami who passed away on Wednesday. According to a press statement, the ceremony was attended by members of the local legal fraternity. They recalled the services rendered by Nizami to protect human rights and the freedom of the press of which he himself was a staunch supporter. The participants opined that Nizami played a significant role through his writings and television programmes for the protection of the rights of impecunious strata. Later, a prayer was offered for the deceased.

A farewell to printer’s ink coNtiNUED fRoM PAgE 01 One result was that Arif Sahib insisted on knowing that his report was correct. He never claimed the editor’s privilege of asking a reporter to disclose his source to him. My own experience was that he would ask the reporter questions that went around the source, but did not find out who exactly it was. I presume that the principle was that if you didn’t know something, you couldn’t let slip even a hint.

Arif Sahib knew how to walk that minefield. He had been there. I would not claim to be among his circle of friends.

However, I do claim to know those who were his friends.

And they were basically people he had known a long time.

But I do claim to have been struck by something I heard from him (at one of those reporters’ meetings so long ago), “the graveyard is full of indispensable people.” I don’t know where he got it from, but apparently there’s no firm attribution for the quote, which has been ascribed to people as diverse as Churchill, de Gaulle and Clemenceau. Anyhow, when he spoke it, little did I know that I would have to juxtapose it with him much more closely to him than as the source. And it is perhaps only right that, on this occasion, we remember that this is where we will go ourselves. This space will not suffice to sum up an acquaintance going back over so many years, but I will leave it by saying that after school and college,which is the best time for making friends, Arif sahib was by the most influential presence in my life. Newspaper editors are, for they are part of the daily routine of all their readers. Arif sahib was a good custodian for them, whichever paper he edited, this or another. He will be sorely missed, not just by the very wide circle of his acquaintances, but also by those many who never met him, but those who have their lives touched by his paper.

Wang Yi urges Pakistan to investigate terrorist attack, ensure safety of Chinese nationals AgENciES Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Pakistan to get to the bottom of the bus explosion which killed nine Chinese nationals and avoid the reoccurrence of such a terrorist attack.

Wang made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Chengdu, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province on Saturday. Wang said the bus explosion is the most serious terrorist attack that China has ever suffered overseas.

China hopes Pakistan will do everything to find the truth.

He also stressed that China is willing to offer assistance and cooperation on the matter. No matter what the motive of the attackers is, those who are behind it must be found and be punished, Wang said.

China and Pakistan will work on to improve and strengthen the security for Chinese nationals living in

Pakistan, organizations and projects, Wang stated.

Nine Chinese and four Pakistanis were killed in a shuttle bus blast on July 14 in Kohistan region in northern Pakistan on their way to the China-Pakistan Dasu hydropower project. The blast was confirmed to be a terrorist attack on July 16. Qureshi said Pakistan will ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and institutions in Pakistan. He added that Pakistan will strengthen security to prevent such incidents from happening again.

China’s losses are Pakistan’s too. Protecting China’s interests is to protect the interests of Pakistan. Pakistan will protect Chinese nationals in the country just as it treats its own people, Qureshi said.

Qureshi promised to investigate the terrorist attack and bring the perpetrators to justice, thwarting attempts to damage cooperation between the two countries. He stressed that Pakistan will never allow any forces to undermine the China-Pakistan partnership.

Nawaz Sharif, Afghan NSA meeting expedited by Arab country NEWS DESK Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo Nawaz Sharif’s meeting with Afghan National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib was expedited through an Arab country, Geo News reported on Sunday. Crediting the facilitation of the meeting to some unnamed “Middle Eastern Muslim country,” it was reported that the planning of the meeting was done before the Afghan delegation arrived in London.

Moreover, it had been stated that a diplomat from the Arab country advised Nawaz to hold the meeting. They added that the Arab country that facilitated the meeting has “long-standing relations with Pakistan.” Geo claimed that members within the Sharif family also confirmed that the former prime minister agreed to hold the meeting at the Arab country’s request. Nawaz purportedly informed the Kabul government that the Pakistani people want peaceful ties with Afghanistan. Nawaz also told the Afghan officials Pakistan desires a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Pakistan. The ministers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Saturday criticised Nawaz Sharif for meeting the Afghan NSA. The ministers said that the meeting has proved Nawaz’s connections with Pakistan’s enemies. On Friday, Afghanistan’s National Security Council’s Twitter account had shared a picture of Mohib and Afghan State Minister for Peace Sayed Sadat Naderi meeting Nawaz in London to “discuss matters of mutual interest”. Commenting on the meeting, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said: “This is why sending Nawaz Sharif abroad was dangerous because such people become a part of international plots.

No vicissitudes of time can affect Pakistan-China friendship: FO NEWS DESK

Saudi foreign minister to arrive in Islamabad tomorrow iSLAMABAD Staff RePoRt

Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud is expected to arrive in Islamabad on Tuesday (July 27), an official said.

Al-Saud is “expected to arrive on a daylong visit during the next week, during which bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields would be reviewed,” Tahir Ashrafi, adviser to the prime minister on the Middle East, was quoted by Arab News as saying.

An official of the Saudi embassy in Islamabad said the diplomat is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday. The visit is a continuation of “high-level engagements between the two countries which started with the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin

Salman [in February 2019], followed by Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to the Kingdom [first in May that year followed by a short trip in May this year],” the official told Arab News.

During his trip, Prince bin Salman oversaw the signing of unprecedented investment deals worth $20 billion and ordered the release of more than 2,000 Pakistannational workers from Saudi prisons. The agreements included a deal for a $10 billion oil refinery in Gwadar, where China has built and activated a major seaport. During Al-Saud’s visit, Ashrafi said, progress on the agreements will be reviewed and the two sides “will also focus on future cooperation”. Saudi Arabia gave Pakistan a $3 billion loan and a $3.2 billion oil credit facility in late 2018.

The Foreign Office has said that PakistanChina friendship has flourished from strength to strength, unaffected by vicissitudes of time and changes in regional and global environment. In a tweet on Sunday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry said that both Pakistan and China remain firm in resolve to further strengthen this “AllWeather Strategic Cooperative Partnership.”

On the other hand, the spokesperson of Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also tweeted that China and Pakistan are the most trustworthy good neighbours, good friends and good brothers to each other. He also termed the friendship between China and Pakistan as unbreakable. The foreign ministers of Pakistan and China on Saturday vowed joint efforts for the security of Beijing-sponsored infrastructure and development projects in Pakistan, after nine Chinese workers were killed in the country's northwest last week. Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, made the statement as Qureshi was in China on a two-day visit.

Monday, 26 July, 2021

ISLAMABAD

NEWS

03

RIggINg AllegAtIONs: QuReshI Asks OPPOsItION NOt tO CROss lIMIts ON kAshMIR Issue ISLAMABAD

s

MIaN abRaR

TRONGLY reacting to the allegations of rigging in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) polls, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Sunday said that the opposition may criticise the government but this critique must not cross limits.

“Look, the opposition is contesting elections in Kashmir and it is its job is to criticise the government and it must do so.

But there are limits and the opposition must

not cross these limits as this may harm our position on Kashmir,” Qureshi told media on Sunday.

He warned the opposition that Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir dispute has not changed.

“It is unfortunate that we are willing to sacrifice Pakistan’s interests to degrade the government in electoral politics,” he said and added that such sensitive issues may be taken up at the parliamentary forum.

“The forum of the parliament is very important but unfortunately we get involved in scoring political points in this forum.

Despite differences between the country’s

political parties, the Kashmir issue must be above politics,” he added.

He said that there is harmony on Kashmir dispute and it should remain so.

“We have had the same position on Kashmir. Our Parliament has presented unanimous resolutions in this regard,” he added. Foreign Minister Qureshi said that he has been inviting the leaders of political parties of the country to visit the Foreign Office for briefing on Kashmir issue. He said he has presented his position on Kashmir and Afghanistan in the meeting of Parliamentary Committee on National

Defence.

He said that a special meeting was also convened in which the leaders of all the parliamentary parties were present where the ISI DG briefed them in detail about our efforts to take the nation on the issue of Afghanistan and Kashmir.

“This tradition will continue. We have to move forward wisely on this issue. There is a temporary political ferment during the elections and they may also say harsh words.

We should try to avoid it and support our candidate. Every political party has a right, but personal attacks and things that could

Nawaz-Mohib meeting was ‘just a meeting, not endorsement’, says Mohammad Zubair ISLAMABAD MIaN abRaR

Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) leader and former governor Sindh, Mohammad Zubair has reacted to the meeting of his party leader Nawaz Sharif with the National Security Adviser of Afghan government Hamdullah Mohib, saying that the party leadership was informed about the meeting.

Feeling the heat of public and political criticism over the meeting, Muhammad Zubair said that the

NCOC daily update: 2,819 new cases, 45 deaths from Covid-19 ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

A total of 2,819 people were tested positive for Covid-19 over the last 24 hours, raising the tally of disease-infected people to 1,004,694, the National Command and Operation Center said on Sunday. Sindh has been the worst hit with 364,784 cases, followed by Punjab where the disease was detected in 352,682 people. A total of 23,016 people died of the disease including 45 patients who died over the last 24 hours, the NCOC said, adding that 2,573 critical patients are currently under treatment in hospitals across the country. A total of 925,958 have recovered from the disease in the country, the NCOC added. On Saturday, Asad Umar, who heads the NCOC, urged the people to get vaccinated and follow the standard operating procedures as the risk of the disease is not over yet. Meanwhile, the government has made Covid-19 vaccination certificates mandatory for domestic air travel.

Travellers will be required to carry proof of vaccination when taking domestic flights starting from August 1.

PM to launch monsoon plantation campaign today NEWS DESK Prime Minister Imran Khan will launch the countrywide monsoon plantation drive today (Monday) in a bid to turn Pakistan green. The prime minister will plant a sapling at Fatima Jinnah Park in Sector F-9 as a gesture to encourage the masses to fully participate in the tree-plantation campaign. The nationwide activity is taking place in the rainy season of monsoon as part of the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme under the auspices of the Ministry of Climate Change. In the next few weeks, the Capital Development Authority will plant nearly half a million trees across Islamabad. Islamabad over the years, has witnessed a massive reduction in tree cover, particularly in the last two decades.

However, the green graph is gradually showing an upward trend after the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan carried out a massive tree plantation campaign under the Clean and Green Pakistan Initiative. Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Imran Khan urged the whole nation to participate in the greening of Pakistan. In a tweet, the prime minister shared his pictures of planting Pine trees as part of the monsoon tree plantation campaign in Nathia Gali. “I want our whole nation to participate in the greening of Pakistan," the premier wrote on his official Twitter handle along with the pictures of the plantation drive.

meeting of Mohib with Nawaz Sharif was ‘just a meeting’ and it should not be considered as ‘endorsement’ of anti-Pakistan narrative of Mohib.

“You may disagree with the policy of the state (of Afghanistan) but the meeting of Nawaz Sharif was just a meeting and it should not be considered as endorsement or support (of the Afghan leader),” he added. It may be recalled that former prime minister and PML-N supreme leader Nawaz had held a meeting with Afghan National Security Adviser Mohib at his Avenfield apartment in London.

When the photos of the meeting came to light, Nawaz faced severe criticism because Mohib has used foul language against Pakistan which were strongly responded by Pakistan.

Following the outburst of Mohib, the former chief of notorious Afghan intelligence agency, National Directorate of Security (NDS), Pakistan had decided not to have any contacts with Mohib. This is why Nawaz Sharif’s meeting with Mohib drew strong reactions on media. Nawaz was also heavily criticized by federal ministers and other politicians.

Arif Naqvi, the Abraaj Group and making a difference while making money MIAN ABRAR Icarus: The Life and Death of the Abraaj Group has at is core a very interesting message quite separate from the central story of the Abraaj Group: the firm’s loss is a blow to the worthwhile cause of impact investment itself. When the author talks of the human cost of the games of national power that burnt down the towers of Abraaj, quite apart from the psychological and physical pressures on the figure of Arif Naqvi, founder and CEO, at the centre of the book, it is an underlying current that alongside that comes a loss of the good work that Abraaj did. ‘Making money and doing good’ is something of a mantra of the protagonists, founder and firm alike, an ethos that they evangelised and promoted. What Icarus shows is that Abraaj did both of those things, and we are worse off that it was sacrificed and taken down. The concept of impact investing is one easy to be cynical about, to see as just a money-making ploy wrapped in the cosy language of social and environmental justice, but Icarus demonstrated that Abraaj were, at least for a while, genuinely showing a new way forward. This matters for business because this was no, as some would have it, a capitalist myth perpetuated by a con man. This was a good firm, doing good work, for good returns in interesting places.

As the author concludes: “The performance of Abraaj as a private equity company in terms of the difference it made in deal-level abnormal performance is stark in comparison with its peers because profit and loss is not the only way in which a company should be read. In addition to the profit and loss metric, we need to understand the social, economic and political context in which the company was formed, developed and rapidly grew. The team who ran the company and the decisions they made are, obviously, critical in assessing the success of the company, but so too is the context in which it operated.

This was not a private equity or venture capital firm making investments in high-tech start-ups in Silicon Valley.

This was a private equity firm based in Dubai with an investor base of family offices of high-net-worth individuals and families, which gradually expanded that base to include more institutionalised investors making investments in emerging markets. It did not do these things in a vacuum. And it certainly was not alone in its thinking that it should do so – as it was encouraged by world-class advisers, service providers, investors and governments around the world to grow.”

In the geopolitical realm, Icarus convinces of the utility of impact investment as an alternative to the floods of investment, coming as a they do with long, long strings, that make up the Chinese exercise in soft power called the Belt and Road Initiative. It is well aware of the vampiric reputation of much of private equity, the ‘greed is good’ mentality that has made such a reputation deserved, of layoff and shuttered family stores. Even of the wording of why the Abraaj Group was different is somewhat circular and tangled, Icarus makes it clear enough that why Abraaj cannot be tarred with the same brush lies in their acceptance of a move away from cold hard profit as the only measure of success.

The book also highlights the importance Abraaj placed on building up their operations through the markets

they operated in, tailoring deals to local contexts and laws, recruiting people who knew intimately where they would be working. The firm seems to have done everything in its power to avoid replicating the cut and sell historical private equity model on an international scale, and the case studies included such as that of Tunisia’s Opalia Pharma show that at its best a deft handling of local contexts resulted in success for everyone. There were also some failures but out of 200 or so firms invested in 5-7 flops is a good hit rate and a balanced view of the firm would say that it did well especially at making a difference to the way the firms were run. Icarus has a postscript that explores all this in detail. It is not just for the specialist it proves the firm was not “an organised criminal conspiracy” as Mr Murdoch’s journalists at the Wall Street Journal has maintained in support of the US DOJ. In fact this Pakistani lead company was a good company that did good here and in many other countries.

No more was this exemplified than in Karachi Electric, but here too came the fatal flaw which undid them. Icarus is able to focus at once on the micro- and the macro-levels, something which as soon as the Abraaj Group could not destroyed them. The book digs into how exactly they turned Karachi Electric around, its potted history of military control, standoffs with unions and battling a jobs for life mentality. It never loses sight of the fact that losing power in Karachi meant more than a drop on the balance sheet, or a juggling of resources, but something with the potential for human misery and even possible spiralling violence. By never losing sight of that fact, the fact that Abraaj turned it around, got power flowing regularly across the city and improved its infrastructure to boot, it is convincingly not just as a financial success story but a human one too. Arif Naqvi was born in Karachi, he knew how vital the power company was to the peace and health, human and political, of the city. As a case study, quite apart from the macro-level role it plays as the catalyst for Abraaj’s destruction, the examination of how Abraaj succeeded with KE and why it matters shows the solid foundations that the ideology, if you will, of impact investing.

Why then was Abraaj taken down? Icarus concludes that it was because the proposed sale of KE to a Chinese state-owned power company, the state’s in practice if not in law, was too big a concession for American interests in Pakistan to allow. It argues that it was not all one sided, that Naqvi made tactical errors, that he may even have panicked under pressure from actors whose advice concealed that they did not have his or his firm’s best interests at heart. From an impact investing perspective, what undid the firm was treating a geopolitical asset such as Karachi Electric just like any other business deal in the tradition they had always acted in Pakistan -what is the best interests of the company and the country. One mistake was enough, when playing on such a global level, and Icarus makes clear is that Abraaj’s steadfast commitment to their principles led them to be vulnerable to naked power politics. Karachi Electric has still to be sold, goes the refrain throughout the book, and Icarus succeeds in its storytelling so that the reader understands what that means, and what has been lost, and all who live in Karachi know how badly the $9billion in promised Chinese investments are needed.

weaken Pakistan’s position on Kashmir should be avoided,” he asserted.

The foreign minister said that the forum of Parliament is very important but unfortunately the politicians get involved in scoring political points at the forum.

“The discussion goes beyond the topic and to the personalities. The opponents of Pakistan take advantage of it. Be sure to discuss the Kashmir issue, but also tell us the solution. What options do we have in the current situation? If we talk about a solution, Better yet, there is no point in calling each other traitors,” he concluded.

Chaman border briefly opened to allow stranded migrants to return PESHAWAR Staff RepoRt

The security agencies on Sunday reopened a key border crossing with Afghanistan for three hours — from 8:00 am to 11:00 am — to facilitate the stranded people from Pakistan and Afghanistan to return to their respective countries. Authorities confirmed the crossing was opened only to facilitate stranded people. The government shut off the border when the Taliban fighters captured Spin Boldak from Afghan government forces on July 14, leaving thousands of people stranded on either side and trade at a standstill. Following the development, the crossing was partially reopened over the weekend. “We have decided to let them cross over to Pakistan […] after checking their travel documents, enabling them to join their families on Eid (al-Adha),” the border official said at the time. The Spin Boldak-Chaman border crossing is an economic lifeline for southern Afghanistan. The landlocked country depends on the crucial commercial artery to export much of its agricultural produce, such as almonds and dried fruits. It also serves as the entry point for finished goods coming from Pakistan. Controlling the crossing will likely provide the Taliban with an economic windfall, allowing the insurgents to tax the thousands of vehicles that pass through the frontier daily.

Pakistan successfully vaccinates 25 million people, acceleration planned for August ISLAMABAD INp

Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Sunday announced that Pakistan has successfully inoculated 25 million people against the novel coronavirus. Taking to Twitter, the minister — who is also the chief of the National Command and Operation Centre — announced that aside from inoculating 25 million people (2.5 crores), the government is employing measures to vaccinate more people in the coming month. “Further acceleration [is] being planned for August. By [the] end of August, all major cities’ target is to have at least 40% of the eligible population vaccinated,” Umar wrote.

Meanwhile, 45 more people lost their lives to the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking Pakistan’s nationwide death toll past 23,000, figures issued by the NCOC showed on Sunday. According to the NCOC, 44,579 coronavirus tests were conducted across the country in the last 24 hours, out of which 2,819 turned out to be positive.

Pakistan, Iran agree to increase maritime security cooperation NEWS DESK The officials of Pakistan and Iran have agreed to increase mutual cooperation in the field of maritime security. Director General of Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) Rear Admiral Muhammad Shuaib and Consul General of Iran in Karachi, Hassan Nourian, discussed security cooperation in the maritime sector in a meeting the other day. During the meeting, the need to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was stressed between PMSA and Border Guard Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran in order to develop and deepen cooperation on issues of mutual interest, the draft of which has already been provided to Border Guard Command through diplomatic channels. Hassan Nourian expressed his satisfaction and appreciated the efforts of PMSA and gratitude shown by the government of Pakistan. He said the gesture of the Pakistan government and PMSA would further strengthen the relationship between the two countries. At the end of the meeting an Iranian fishermen boat Al-Raheemi which had been apprehended by PMSA in Pakistani waters was returned by the PMSA to its owner.

Monday, 26 July, 2021

04 NEWS

ISLAMABAD

PSX may Perform ranGe-Bound amid reSult SeaSon, SurGinG Covid CaSeS KARACHI

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HE Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) is likely to remain range-bound in the upcoming week amid results season, which will keep specific companies in the limelight, as well as increasing coronavirus cases.

Financial gurus predict selected sectors to produce better results given a more comfortable last quarter of the fiscal year 2021. The healthy earnings and attractive payouts from the underperforming banking and exploration & production sectors could provide the required trigger for the market for the resumption of a bull run as the two sectors have heavy weight in the index. However, the risks of Covid-19 pandemic and CPI inflation going forward are there to dent the investors’ confidence.

“[The] exploration and production (E&P) scrips could perform well due to [the] higher international oil prices.

However, pressure on [the] external account, rising infection ratio of novel coronavirus in Pakistan and uptick in CPI [Consumer Price Index] in the upcoming months are downside risks to the index performance,” an analyst at Arif Habib Limited said.

During the last week, the activity remained dull, amid a short trading week ended July 23, 2021 due to Eid holidays.

The benchmark KSE-100 Index shed 0.08 percent, or 41.26 points, to close at 47,793.07 points. Contribution to the downside was led by cement (49 points); food and personal care (19 points); refineries (14 points); technology and communication (12 points); and textile composite (11 points).

The benchmark KSE-100 is currently trading at a PER of 6.8x (2021).

While offering a dividend yield of 6.6 per cent versus 2.4 per cent offered by the region. “Investors’ sentiment was low during the week accredited to Eid holidays, the rupee hitting high of 162.50/dollar), rapid increase in Covid cases in the country, [the] current account deficit of $1.85 billion in FY21 on the back of rise in [the] international crude oil prices and vaccine arrivals,” an analyst at Pearl Securities said.

Foreigners offloaded stocks worth $21.02 million, compared to a net buying of $4.61 million last week. The major selling was witnessed in all other sectors ($21.95 million) and technology sectors ($0.61 million).

On the local front, buying was reported by individuals ($9.02 million); followed by companies ($5.65 million).

The average daily volumes for the outgoing week were down 32 per cent to 318 million shares/day, while the value

of traded securities declined 26 per cent to $71 million/day.

The dealers said the sentiment remained in check due to the economic concerns on the back of the rising current account deficit, depreciation in the rupee value against the greenback and expected increase in inflationary readings in the upcoming months due to the drastic increase in petroleum product prices and currency depreciation.

Pessimism at the bourse was further fuelled by rising Covid-19 infection ratio from 2 percent to over 6 percent and the Sindh government announces stricter restrictions to curb the virus spread, as Karachi witnessed a notable surge in its infection ratio to over 20 percent.

Going forward, the analysts expect the market to remain volatile due to the risk of further lockdowns and upcoming roll-over week.

Crude prices poised for sea-saw this week NEWS DESK While corporate earnings for the crude oil sector have given cause for optimism, Covid-19 cases are likely to continue to surge which may test the nerves of investors over the coming week. For the last week, Brent gained 0.7 percent after declining for three consecutive weeks, and closed at $74.10 per barrel, while WTI rose 0.4 percent after falling for two weeks and closed at $72.07 per barrel. The price for Opec Basket was recorded at $69.93 a barrel, Arab Light was available at $69.33 a barrel while the price of Russian Sokol reached $68.84 a barrel, all three showing declining trends. The US crude inventories rose by 2.1 million barrels last week, while US oil rigs rose seven to 387 this week, their highest since April 2020. Oil prices bounced back strongly after a rocky start to the last week. OPEC+ struck a deal to slowly ramp up production each month by 400,000 with a view to erase all cuts by the end of next year. The week got off to a rocky start following a surge in Covid19 cases that led to questions about the strength of the recovery in the near term. That was quickly replaced by optimism on the back of a number of strong earnings reports and risk appetite has been strong since.

According to experts, the spread of the coronavirus delta variant is “seemingly bearish, but the demand data, at least for the US remains bullish, which suggests that the price will be on the sea-saw. They said that oil prices plunged in the early part of the week on “concerns that rising global delta variant infection rates could undermine the economic rebound,” or slow it down.

These worries haven’t gone away, but even with the new OPEC+ agreement, there are still “residual concerns” that the market could see supply struggle to keep up with demand, hence the recovery in prices heading into the weekend. They said that the market’s rebound confirms the hypothesis that the selloff was ultimately sparked by external factors. It also backs up the expectation that the OPEC+ agreement to add 400,000 barrels a day each month to output as it unwinds production curbs will prevent a repeat of last year’s breakdown in the cartel. They said the supply situation remains tight, while the agreement underlines the unity of OPEC+, and the response of non-OPEC+ producers so far to the significantly higher prices leaves much to be desired. This suggests that OPEC+ will maintain its ‘pricing power,’ which will lead to high prices, they said.

Gold likely to stay around $1,800 per ounce this week NEWS DESK

LAHORE: Citizens cast vote for the Azad Jammu and Kashmir general elections on Sunday. ZUBAIR MEHFOOZ

Cryptos remain mixed with Bitcoin crosses $34,000 mark

SMEs need access to green financing for recovery amid pandemic: ADB

NEWS DESK

NEWS DESK

The prices of major cryptocurrencies remained mixed on Sunday with the market cap remaining flat at $1.44 trillion as of 1340 GMT. The price of Bitcoin (BTC), the largest cryptocurrency, increased to $34,187 after gaining 0.92 percent. With this increase in price, the market capitalisation of the BTC has reached $641 billion. On the other hand, ethereum (ETH) price dipped 1.26 percent to reach $2,133.

With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of ETH has reached $249.2 billion. Similarly, XRP shed 2.31 percent to reach $0.595. The market capitalisation of XRP stands at $59.4 billion after this decrease. Likewise, Cardano (ADA) price reached $1.21 with a 0.17 percent decrease in its price. Its market capitalisation has reached $39 billion after this decrease. The same was the case for Dogecoin (Doge) whose price depreciated by 1.35 percent to reach $0.193. With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of Doge reached $25.2 billion.

Cryptocurrencies were given a helping hand by their old friend Elon Musk last week and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Just as bitcoin was pushing below $30,000 - a level which if significantly broken could have sent the price tumbling back towards $20,000 - Elon rode to the rescue. His declaration that Tesla could u-turn on its u-turn and start accepting bitcoin again in the future, combined with his disclosing of personal holdings of bitcoin, ethereum and dogecoin, was enough to send prices soaring again. Bitcoin price revival appears to be going well considering the recent sweep of the July 15 swing high. While this uptick in the market value of BTC is bullish, there is bound to be a minor pullback that will help catapult the pioneer cryptocurrency higher.

According to experts, the markets look bullish after the recent recovery, and there is a high chance BTC might reach $36,000 and head higher. However, what is uncertain is if this run-up will be an explosive rally or a slow strut. Regardless, investors should not rule out a dip into the confluence of the aforementioned footholds, no matter how unlikely, they added.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make up more than 96 percent of all Asian businesses and their survival and resilience is essential for a green recovery. This was stated by Arup Chatterjee, principal financial sector specialist at the Asian Development Bank, in a blog published on ADB’s website.

According to the blog, the pandemic has laid bare the fragility of the small firms integral to the economies of Asia and the Pacific. Amid all the talk of a green recovery and building back better, SMEs will need strong access to green financing to make this work. These small enterprises can make a good business case for going green, including to boost resilience, reduce costs, and raise productivity, and thus support climate change mitigation and adaptation. But they need fine-tuned support to do so.

One area that needs immediate attention is the impact of climate change on these businesses. They

are highly vulnerable in four areas to climate-related shocks and biodiversity loss: in capital, labour, logistics, and markets. These shocks can disrupt supply chain networks and operations and damage assets, installations, and inventories. This raises production costs and reduces revenues.

A long-standing hurdle to helping these businesses is the lack of robust data and sustainable financing. Also lacking is the supervisory and regulatory framework for sustainable financing and the integration of environmental performance risk assessments associated with funding decisions. The diversity of financial institutions offering long-term capital for the sustainable finance needs of SMEs is insufficient. And institutional support is relatively weak.

SMEs also lack awareness, technical capacity, and financial literacy to tap sustainability-related investments that can lower costs and enhance competitiveness. But this can change.

After a four-week winning streak, gold struggled last week to make a decisive move in either direction and entered into a consolidation period around $1,800 per ounce where it is likely to stay for most of the week starting today (Monday). Gold’s near-term technical outlook remains neutral with a bearish bias as the price stays near the lower limit of the weekly consolidation channel. Additionally, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) indicator on the daily chart retreated below 50, suggesting that buyers are struggling to remain in control. Nonetheless, sellers could wait for gold to make a daily close below $1,796 (100-day SMA) before looking to ramp up the bearish pressure. Below that level, $1,790 (Friday low) aligns as interim support ahead of $1,775 (Fibonacci 61.8 retracement April-June uptrend). Next week will be quite busy with regards to high-tier data releases. On Tuesday, June Durable Goods will be released from the US alongside the Conference Board’s (CB) Consumer Confidence Index. A sharp increase in inflation expectations is likely to provide a boost to the US dollar. On Wednesday, the FOMC will announce its interest rate decision and publish the monetary policy statement. On Thursday, the US Bureau of Economic Analysis will release its initial estimate of the second quarter gross domestic product (GDP) growth. Finally, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) Price Index, the Fed’s preferred gauge of inflation, will be featured in the US economic docket on Friday. A stronger-than-expected inflation reading could support the USD ahead of the weekend and vice versa.

Experts point to a slightly bullish outlook in the near term with an average target of $1,806 on the one-week view. However, experts don’t seem to be expecting buyers to continue to dominate gold’s price as the average target retreats to $1,803 on a one-month view.

First PIA flight takes off from Multan for Skardu to boost tourism NEWS DESK In order to promote tourism in the country, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Sunday operated the first flight from Multan to Skardu.

The first flight left from Multan airport with 167 passengers on board. The move will give easy access to the people of South Punjab to the northern areas of the country, the PIA spokesperson said.

Currently, the PIA is operating direct flights to Skardu from six cities, he said. “The national flag carrier has launched special flights for the tourists visiting the country’s northern areas during Eid days,” the spokesperson said.

A day earlier, PIA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Air Marshal Arshad Malik said that the national flag carrier operated six flights to Skardu on Saturday for the first

CMYK

time in history. In a tweet, the CEO said, “Another historic first for the national flag carrier. Operated 6 flights to Skardu in a day, first time in aviation history.” He said that PIA stays committed to promoting tourism in GilgitBaltistan, one of the most beautiful places in the universe.

He thanked the government of Pakistan, Ministry of Aviation and local administration for support.

In a historic development, PIA has launched the largest flight operation to the northern areas as global travel restrictions, stemming from Covid-19, forced the affluent Pakistanis to explore local tourist sites. Although bad weather over the past few days affected the flight schedule for the north, yet the airline managed to ramp up the number of flights to the highest-ever level, he said. He elaborated that two planes to the city would fly from Karachi, one from Lahore, one from Sialkot, one from Faisalabad and one would be air safari.

The air safari flight took off from Islamabad and flew over the snow-capped peaks of K2 and Nanga Parbat as well as Saiful Malook Lake. Apart from the regular operation, two additional flights departed from Islamabad to Gilgit, he revealed.

“The purpose of special flights is to facilitate the movement of tourists. PIA is taking special measures to promote tourism in the northern region,” he said.

Citing figures, he added that the air carrier transported 34,000 passengers to and from Skardu in the past two and a half months. Tourism in the northern region has grown by three to four times over the past few months.

Gilgit-Baltistan alone has recorded a twofold increase in the number of visitors during the period.

“This growth came because international tourists sought to visit Pakistani sites in the wake of foreign travel restrictions,” he said.

Monday, 26 July, 2021

ISLAMABAD

NEWS

Rescue work for stranded cargo ship at Karachi beach started Rescue teams arrived to help move the stranded cargo ship Heng Tong 77 at Clifton Sea view on Sunday, five days after the ship got stuck, Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi announced. Five days ago, a ship, loaded with containers, came ashore due to high waves and got stuck at Karachi’s Sea view due to a weak engine. The ship will finally be rescued on the fifth day after Karachi Port Trust's (KPT) refusal to salvage the ship from shallow waters, citing an inability to do so. Ali Zaidi, who is currently quarantined due to Covid-19, took to Twitter to share that a 200-meter floatation boom was deployed along the starboard side of the ship. According to the federal minister, arrangements have also been made to avoid oil spillage from the ship. He shared that the KPT Marine Pollution Control and port security personnel were deployed on site 24 hours a day to avoid oil spillage. He disclosed that the ship's captain did not call for help and further commented that a committee to investigate the matter had been formed. The federal minister said he is adamant to find out who was responsible for the incident. "This is Imran Khan's government. I have been indicating from day one that we will not allow anyone to take illegal advantage of our ports," the tweet read. The tweet also shared a notification by the Ministry of Maritime affairs for the formation of a fact-finding committee to investigate the incident. NEWS DESK

Dry bulk freight rates go higher amid delays, cancellations Roaring commodity demand, a return to strength in manufacturing activity, scrapping of vessels and underinvestment in recent years have pushed dry bulk freight rates higher, and many believe the rates are likely to stay at elevated levels throughout the year. For Pakistan to the US, the average rate during the second quarter was around $7,000-$9,000/fortyfoot Equivalent Unit (FEU) container compared to $2,500-$3,500 a year ago. It won't be too surprising to see this rate touch $10,000/FEU by the end of this year. Despite the customers paying such high prices, nothing is certain with so many delays and cancellations. The rising demand in Pakistan has been constrained by equipment shortages as carriers are reluctant to take bookings for the short-haul routes in a bid to make maximum profit on the long haul. In Pakistan, demand from multinational clothing brands is high but the container availability is a challenge as exporters' trucks are queuing up for five to 10 days to pick up equipment from the depots. The situation is likely to get worse in the coming days as global shortages and port congestions are far from over and the supply chain is blocked. Trans-Pacific all-inclusive premium services held largely firm during the week to July 27, but are expected to increase when carriers take first-half August increases, alongside other surcharges. Still, premium charges are significantly above base Freight All Kinds (FAK) rates, particularly on the North Asia-to-US East Coast routing, where an increased share of cargo is flowing amid US Pacific Coast port congestion. The premiums are also prevalent on Thailand-Pakistan and Indonesia-Middle East routes. The premiums are becoming more common in the South Asia market now as it is seen as the next hotbed for equipment shortages. Market premium rates from India to US are as high as $2,000-$3,000/FEU, over and above the FAK rates which are currently at $9,000/FEU. A further increase is likely in the coming days. South Asian countries have seen a series of new surcharges and rate increases in the last few months as demand has picked up while supply continues to decline, mostly on account of carriers deploying a higher capacity in China.

Container premiums on the Southeast Asia-to-North America route remained flat during the week ended July 23 but the congestion and vessel delays got even worse. For Southeast Asia to East Coast North America, the all-inclusive premium rate was heard at $18,000-$25,000 per FEU and for West Coast North America, it was at $17,000-$20,000 per FEU. For many exporters, the freight rate is even higher than the cost of their product and the shipment becomes unviable. NEWS DESK

05

PuRchase of caRs foR officials banneD unDeR austeRity stePs iSLamaBad

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TLTP

HE federal government has imposed a ban on purchase of motor vehicles for official use under austerity measures. The Finance Division in a circular said that financial constraints forced the government to take the step. According to the circular, there shall be a complete

ban on purchase of all types of vehicles.

The ban shall not apply on purchase of motorcycles, student buses, ambulances and firefighting vehicles.

There shall be complete ban on creation of new posts except those required for development projects, while privilege of periodical, magazines, newspapers, etc, to the entitled officers will remain restricted to only one.

The government directed the princi-

pal account officers to ensure rationalised utility consumption. The expenditures on purchase of assets and maintenance should be bare minimum level. The government offices should use both sides of of paper for communications, said the circular. It further said that officials should hold meetings through internet only, adding that officials can hold meetings physically with justifications.

The finance ministry also constituted

a committee to look into the needs of ministries and departments. The members of the committee included: additional finance secretary (expenditure); senior joint secretary/ joint secretary (expenditure-CGA); senior joint secretary/ joint secretary (expenditure-concerned ministry/division) Finance Division; representative of the concerned ministry/division /department; and deputy secretary (expenditure pre-CGA).

AJK elections: Unofficial results show PTI leading; violence claims two lives continued from page 01 Jammu Kashmir Peoples Party candidate Sardar Hassan Ibrahim Khan won Poonch and Sudhnuti 4 with 8,205 votes. PTI candidate Shahida Sagheer won Poonch and Sudhnuti 5 with 13,277 votes while JKPP’s Asad Ibrahim Khan only got 9,300 votes.

Poonch and Sudhnuti 6 had not filed any results at the time of filing.

Sardar Faheem Akhtar Rabbani of the PTI secured 22,428 votes Poonch and Sudhnuti 7, while PML-N’s Sardar Farooq Ahmed Tahir got 15,165 votes.

Neelum Valley 1 was won by Shah Ghulam Qadir of N-league, having gotten 10,218 votes. Neelum Valley 2 was being led by the PPP candidate.

PPP won both Muzaffarabad 1 and 2, according to unofficial results. However, PTI won Muzaffarabad 3 and 4 with candidate Khawaja Farooq Ahmed and Chaudary Muhammad Rashid having gotten 6,306 votes and 6,696 votes respectively. Muzaffarabad 5 had not filed any results yet.

Muzaffarabad 6 was once again taken by PTI’s candidate, Syed Zeeshan Haider Kazmi. Similarly, PTI’s Dewan Ali Khan secured the top spot with 17,198 votes in Muzaffarabad 7.

PTI candidate Riaz Ahmed emerged victorious in the Jammu 1 election after bagging 4,320 votes. PML-N’s Nasir Dar secured 3,545 votes and got the second spot.

Chaudary Maqbool Ahmed PTI candidate from Jammu 2 won the seat with 18,883 votes, while Chaudary Muhammad Ismail of the PML-N followed with 16,885 votes.

PTI candidate Hafiz Hamid Raza emerged victorious with 22,096 votes during the Jammu 3 elections. His rival PML’s Mohammad Ishaq got 20,467 votes and secured the second spot. PPP’s Chaudhry Shaukat Ali managed only 2,609 votes and took the third position.

PTI was leading Jammu 4 with Muhammad Akmal Sargala having gotten 25,963 votes so far, but the PMLN candidate was close behind with 24,508 votes. The final count was not yet in.

Muhammad Akbar Chaudary of the PTI secured another seat for the party in Jammu 5 with 14,283 votes.

Jammu 6’s seat was secured by Raja Muhammad Siddique of the PML-N, who got 3,658, while the second spot went to Nazia Niaz of the PTI with 2,831 votes.

Amir Abdul Ghaffar got 2,165 votes for the PPP, securing the seat in Valley 1, while runner-up Muhammad Saleem Butt of the PTI only got 875 votes.

PTI’s Ghulam Mohiuddin Dewan emerged victorious after bagging 2,326 votes from Valley-2. According to unofficial results, PML-N candidate Ikram Butt could only secure 741 votes at second position.

Mohammad Asim Sharif, PTI candidate from Valley 3, bagged 1,254 votes and won the seat. As per unofficial results, PML-N’s Shaukat Shah stood second with 1,205 votes. Ruling PTI also won Valley 4 as its candidate Javed Butt managed to secure 782 votes. According to unofficial results, PML-N’s Nasima Khatoon bagged the second position with 720 votes.

Valley 5 was won by Muhammad Ahmed Raza Qadri of the PML-N, with 2007 votes, while the PTI candidate was leading the polls in Valley 6 as of the time of filing.

As the unofficial results poured in PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb informed that party member Ataullah Tarar was arrested from Gujranwala’s Ali Pur Chatha. She demanded that Tarar and other party workers arrested to be released immediately.

“The arrest of Ataullah Tarar is proof of the Imran government’s great confusion,” she said.

Marriyum claimed that PML-N workers were arrested in Ali Pur Chatha “for putting up a resistance

against vote thieves”.

The arrested party workers have been charged with “attacking police stations, tearing uniforms of police personnel and making threats”. Dawn reported that Jamaat-e-Islami workers injured five police personnel in attack on Dhal Chakhya polling station.

Analysts and those on the street believed the ruling PTI would emerge as a favourite. The history of elections in the region since 1975 indicated that parties ruling Islamabad or its allies have won elections in the region.

On the other hand, AJK Prime Minister and PML-N candidate Raja Farooq Haider claimed that the law enforcement agencies are “collaborating” with PTI candidates.

“I was told just now that in MZD 7 Dara Batangi and Banayia law enforcing agencies are collaborating with PTI candidate,” tweeted the AJK PM. AJK PM Raja Farooq Haider also claimed that a “PTI ticket holder thrashed” a PML-N polling agent representing him in his constituency.

“A Public Works Department contractor, a ticket holder of PTI entered in polling station no 57 [and] thrashed my polling agent,” claimed the PML-N candidate. He added that he has conveyed the incident to the returning officer and warned that if the action was not stopped then he has “every right to take action”.

Hours after the polling ended, the AJK PM tweeted and asked why the results were not coming in.

Meanwhile, AJK Election Commission Secretary Muhammad Ghazanfar Khan said the General Elections 2021 were held in a free, fair and transparent manner, and rejected the rigging allegations from some quarters.

“No complaint has been received from any part of the state in this regard,” he said.

“No one without original National Computerised Identity Card had been allowed to cast vote,” he also said, to APP in an exclusive interview.

He said the EC looked into some complaints on its own and found no truth in them after complete verification. “Alhamdulillah!, the election process was generally peaceful.”

The secretary said that voters inside the polling stations were allowed to cast their votes even after ending the announced closing time at 5 pm.

He disagreed that polling was not allowed in some constituencies due to the law and order situation. “We have not received any report regarding the closing of polling at any polling station before the scheduled time.”

He expressed satisfaction over the law and order and appreciated the performance of the police and the Pakistan army for ensuring peaceful conduct of the elections.

Similarly, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz asserted that “PML-N workers are standing firm and exposing vote thieves”.

Earlier, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum drew attention to the so-called “irregularities” being reported from various constituencies, wherein the complaints of polling agents were allegedly being prevented from entering polling stations and closure of polling was increasing.

She claimed that polling has been stalled for two hours at Girls Primary School Kangarhariwala, Union Council Komi Kot. “Women voters are being treated insultingly,” she added. Marriyum claimed that there are reports of votes being stamped inside the polling station with the help of staff. No polling agent was allowed to enter LA-32 Chakar, LA-33 Goharabad except that of PTI, she further claimed.

“The tactics of 2018 and Daska elections are being repeated openly,” Marriyum stated.

On the other hand, Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry had claimed an early victory for the ruling PTI in the Pindadan Khan and Khewra tehsils shortly after the voting ended.

He said on Twitter that voter participation in the AJK polls indicate that people took great interest in casting their vote and that they have expressed full confidence in the polling exercise.

“Insha’Allah, Imran Khan’s government in AJK will prove to be a source of strength for the people of occupied Kashmir,” he added.

Earlier, Science and Technology Minister Shibli Faraz claimed on Sunday that the “tried and tested” PMLN and PPP have failed and PTI will “carry the day”.

Following the division of Jammu and Kashmir between Pakistan and India in 1947, the AJK was governed under the presidential form of government. In 1975, then-Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto introduced the parliamentary system of governance for the region.

This first government headed by Bhutto’s PPP was dismissed in 1977 due to the imposition of martial law by then-Army Chief Gen Ziaul Haq. There were no elections until 1985.

The Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir is administered by Pakistan and India in parts and claimed both in full. A small sliver of land is also held by China.

Since India revoked autonomy and divided the occupied part that it is holding into two centrally administered territories on August 5, 2019, elections in Azad Kashmir have attained considerable significance.

TWO KILLED IN CLASHES: The army has been called in following clashes between rival political activists in several parts of Kashmir.

At least two people were killed and several injured in an armed clash between the activists of PTI and PPP at a polling station in Kotli district. The deceased are reported to be PTI workers.

Muhammad Shabbir, an official at Naarr police station, identified the victims as 40-year-old Zaheer Ahmed and 50-year-old Ramzan. He added that the clash erupted between PPP and PTI workers at about 9:15 am at the Mithi Jand polling station. In the ensuing gunfire, Ahmed was killed on the spot and Ramzan died on the way to the hospital.

In a separate incident, five police constables were injured after Jamaat-e-Islami activists attacked them with batons at the Dhal Chakhya polling station in AJK’s LA-32 constituency, Jhelum valley district SP Riaz Mughal said. Clashes between the rival parties were also reported from several polling stations in Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Bagh, and Rawlakot districts, suspending the voting for hours.

Footage showed charged activists exchanging blows, kicks, and sticks against each other. AJK Chief Election Commissioner Abdul Rasheed Salehria told reporters that army troops have been sent to the violencehit neighbourhoods to restore the law and order.

Opposition parties accused the Election Commission and the administration of not taking action against “rigging” in PTI’s favour. The ruling party denied the charge and itself accused the opposition parties of attacking its workers and polling agents.

In this regard, head of PPP’s central election cell, Taj Haider, has demanded the secretary election commission to hold repolling in polling stations 29 and 30 of LA-29 as the polling was stopped due to a scuffle.

In a separate letter, Haider complained that PTI workers had “captured” the Mandol Bazaar polling station in the LA-18 constituency and “ballot papers were being stamped by them.”

In a third such letter, Haider said PTI workers “with the support of the administration are stopping PPP voters from casting votes” at the polling station located in 84 Middle School in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Katiala for the LA-6 constituency.

With additional input from APP, Anadolu Agency

Xiaomi to set up assembly unit in Pakistan within four months iSLamaBad TLTP

Xiaomi, the second biggest smartphone company in the world, is planning to set up its assembly unit in Pakistan within the next four months.

The assembly unit of Xiaomi will create job opportunities, besides making smartphones more accessible to people across the country.

Several other smartphone manufacturers

have already set up their assembly plants in Pakistan. These brands include Tecno, Infinix, Gfive and Realme.

The development came shortly after Realme, another Chinese smartphone manufacturer, announced setting up its smartphone manufacturing plant in Lahore. This resulted in a massive price cut for the brand’s smartphone model (C21) being manufactured in the country and if Xiaomi is successful with setting up its own assembly plant in Pakistan, similar results can be expected when it comes

to the company’s smartphone prices.

Both Xiaomi and Realme aim to produce smartphones and other Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) products in their local assembly plants in Pakistan.

It is to be noted that Pakistan, with over 40 million users, is the 7th largest importer of mobile phones globally. Therefore, local manufacturing will also save foreign exchange on mobile phone imports. The local production of smartphones saves the company from paying massive import duty, which has also been

cmYK

increased by up to 240 % following the Annual Budget 2021-26.

China’s Xiaomi Corporation recently became the world’s second biggest smartphone producer, beating US rival Apple Inc by 3 percent in global shipments.

Xiaomi landed a 17 percent share in global smartphone shipments in the second quarter of 2021, behind Samsung with 19%, a report from research agency Canalys revealed.

Apple came in third, with a 14% share of the market. “Xiaomi is growing its overseas busi-

ness rapidly,” Canalys Research Manager Ben Stanton stated in a press release, noting Xiaomi shipments have soared 300% in Latin America and 50% in Western Europe, compared to last year.

In its push into the premium smartphone market, the producer of everything from robot-cleaners to electric tea-pots launched two flagship smartphones so far this year, with its Mi 11 Ultra offering one of the largest camera sensors ever installed in a smartphone.

Monday, 26 July, 2021

BUSINESS 09

ISLAMABAD

Businessmen demand automation of tax system ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) has demanded the government to fully automate the taxation system for reducing human interactions, which was the root cause of corruption in the tax mechanism. ICCI President Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan Saturday said that the government has to improve the taxation system to increase the number of taxpayers instead of increasing the burden on the existing taxpayers. He was talking to a delegation of business community in his office. He said that the business community is contributing significantly in the tax revenue generation and as a result this year FBR achieved a historic level of tax revenues of Rs4,732 billion in FY21 – surpassing the target of Rs4,691bn which is 18 per cent higher than last year. He said that businessmen are paying huge amount of taxes but their contribution to the economy is not acknowledged neither are they incentivised. Sardar Yasir said that with easing out of the taxation system and giving incentives to taxpayers, the tax net could be increased manifolds which would also help in releasing the pressure on the existing taxpayers. He said that in order to incentivise the taxpayers and to increase the tax base, the government should allow self-assessment programs and mechanism, in which people would be willing to pay taxes based on their own comfort level. He added this will allow several taxpayers to become a part of the tax net which will increase the tax base. ICCI members recalled that time and again, they have recommended the introduction of a fixed tax policy linked with a self-assessment scheme, which they said was the only way to decrease the trust deficit. The meeting noted that POS system was creating distrust among the traders which were installed in good faith, and recommended that government through chambers of commerce and industry should take the business community on board and FBR must conduct seminars to give orientation to taxpayers for filing tax returns, Weboc system and several other aspects etc. The ICCI president stressed that FBR should facilitate the taxpayers by introducing special counters for business community at airports, NADRA, CDA, RDA and important government departments to give them priority and preferential treatment, and as a business community will feel honoured that they are being treated with respect and their contribution in the economy is acknowledged. In its budget proposals for the current fiscal year (FY22), ICCI had suggested that the government introduce special cards like gold, silver and platinum for different slabs of taxpayers to give them respect and treatment similar to federal ministers.

IT exports grow 47.13pc in 11MFY21 ISLAMABAD APP

Pakistan information technology (IT) services exports in the first eleven months of fiscal year 2020-21 (11MFY21) grew of 47.13 per cent, as the country earned $1908.125 million compared to $1,296.930 million during the corresponding period of FY20, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported. During the period under review, the computer services grew by 49.91 per cent as it surged from $996.880 million last fiscal year to $1494.405 million during the period under review. Among computer services, exports of software consultancy services witnessed increase of 32.18 per cent, from $377.134 million to $498.500 million while the export and import of computer software related services also rose by 29.24 per cent, from $286.088 million to $369.648 million. The exports of hardware consultancy services decreased by 72.49 per cent from, $1.919 million to $0.528 million whereas the exports of repair and maintenance services also decline by 65.52 per cent from $1.456 million to $0.502 million. In addition, the exports of other computer services rose by 89.29 per cent from $330.283 million to $625.127 million.

NA PASSeS ACT To ATTrACT FDI IN TeCh SeCTor ISLAMABAD

T

SHAHZAD PARACHA

HE National Assembly (NA) has passed the Special Technology Zone Authority Act, 2021 to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country. The document states that the lower house of parliament has approved the bill pertaining to the development of the scientific and technological ecosysttem through the development of zones in the country.

The government, through this act, wants to provide institutional and legislative support for the national technology sector with internationally competitive and export-oriented structures and ecosystem in addition to developing collaboration between academia, research and technology industry.

The reason for this act is also to help in creating jobs in the technology sector, capitalising on our youth dividend.

The creation of the authority will also build an environment, which would attract foreign direct in-

vestment, apart from improved quality of domestic technology products and services and fostering innovation, document states.

According to details, the government will establish a Special Technology Zones Authority (STZA) consisting of a chairperson and up to eight members.

The authority shall have exclusive power and authority for planning, policy formulation, execution, monitoring and evaluation of zones besides it can approve and notify zones in accordance with rules or regulations.

The authority may also identify and promote technology sector investment opportunities within and outside Pakistan.

Furthermore, it can develop and approve mechanisms and arrangements for management and operation of zones including the one-window facility for the provision of all services and utilities, physical as well as logistics infrastructure, human capital development and digital infrastructure for the zone.

It can also attract investment into zones including FDI, venture capital funds, public sector investments,

PSX set to launch 90-day DFCs today The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Monday will introduce a new eligibility criteria for the trading of futures and communicated the launch of the 90-day maturity Deliverable Futures Contracts (DFC) with effect from DFC August 2021.

The 90-day derivative product will allow traders to gain exposure to DFCs of three different maturities — current month’s expiry, next month’s expiry and last month’s expiry — at the start of each contract month.

In effect, the new regime will reduce the liquidity pressure of the roll-over week. Investors get jittery in the last

week of every month when they have to either settle their futures contracts or roll them over to the next month. The availability of the 90-day DFCs means investors will have more time and flexibility in rolling over their existing positions.

As per the new criteria, there shall be no segregation of A and B stocks and shall be select The PSX has also revised the criteria for the selection of securities eligible for trading in the DFC segment. The revision means more companies are now eligible to trade on the futures counter. Based on a recently notified list quoted by the PSX MD, as many as 84

companies and one exchange– traded fund are now futures eligible.ed based on quantitative factors that measure real liquidity. Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) shall also be eligible if certain conditions are met.

As per the new criteria, there shall be no segregation of A and B stocks and shall be selected based on quantitative factors that measure real liquidity. Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) shall also be eligible if certain conditions are met.

However, such companies that have obtained stay orders from the court against any inquiry/investigation initiated by the Commission shall not be eligible. MONITORING REPORT

Credit to private sector spikes 12pc to Rs6.82tr The banks’ credit to the private sector jumped 12% to a total of Rs6.82 trillion in the previous fiscal year (FY21), as a number of sectors- including those which got government’s support and those that played a key role in turning the economy around- borrowed more during the year.

The credit increased by Rs741 billion from FY20’s level of Rs6.08 trillion, according to the data reported by Pakistan’s central bank which was compiled by The Express Tribune.

According to the data released on Friday, sectors that prominently increased their borrowing from banks included construction and allied industries such as cement and steel, pharmaceutical manufacturers, textiles manufacturers, power generation, transmission and distribution sector and telecommunication.

Moreover, borrowing from software manufacturers, manufacturers of food products, fertiliser and pesticides manufacturers, tyres and tubes manufacturers, refrigerators and motorcycles manufacturers and automobile parts makers spiked as well in the period under review.

Besides, sectors pertaining to mining of coal and lignite, retail sale of automotive fuel in specialised stores and pumps, manufacturers of vegetable and animal oil and fats and personal loan like car and housing finance recorded significant rise in loans in the past one year.

The outstanding banks borrowing by the entire documented manufacturing sector rose to Rs3.55 trillion in FY21 compared to Rs3.12 trillion on June 30, 2020, according to State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) data. MONITORING REPORT

public-private investments and private funds.

Documents state that the prime minister will be the president of the board of directors of authority and this board will consist of 25 ex-officio and independent members who would be appointed for four years by the federal government.

According to details, there would be ten-year income as well as sales tax, customs duty and property tax exemptions to zone developers and enterprises.

Moreover, the government has also given exemptions on dividend income as well as capital gain while zone developers and enterprises can open and maintain foreign currency accounts.

For the avoidance of doubt, co-zones developers shall also be entitled to the exemptions and incentives from the date of issuance of the license for the period of 10 years, documents state.

The authority shall prescribe a legally binding enforceable alternative dispute resolution mechanism consistent with the applicable laws for the settlement of all disputes arising among and between the authority zone developers or enterprises.

USA, UK, China top three destinations of Pakistani exports during FY21: SBP ISLAMABAD APP

The United States of America (USA) remained the top export destinations of the Pakistani products during the fiscal year 2020-21 (FY21), followed by United Kingdom (UK) and China. The total exports to the USA during FY21 were recorded at $5,029.400 million against the exports of $3,915.226 million during FY20, showing growth of 28.45 per cent during the period under review, according to State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). This was followed by UK, wherein Pakistan exported goods worth $2,047.079 million against the exports of $1,638.544 million last year, showing increase of 24.93 per cent. China as the at third top export destination, where Pakistan exported products worth $2,043.206 million during the fiscal year under review against the exports of $1,663.962 million during FY20, showing a growth of 22.79 per cent, SBP data revealed. Among other countries, Pakistani exports to United Arab Emirates (UAE) stood at $1,487.279 million against $1,588.330 million during last year, showing decrease of 6.36 per cent while the exports to Germany were recorded at $1,511.227 million against $1,302.991 million, the data revealed. During the July-June period, the exports to Afghanistan were recorded at US $ 983.295 million against US $ 890.052 million whereas the exports to Holland stood at US $ 1118.093 million against US $982.263 million.

Pakistan’s exports to Spain were recorded at $801.778 million against $870.920 million whereas the exports to Italy stood at $773.425 million against $751.921 million. Similarly, the exports to Bangladesh during the period under review were recorded at $615.212 million against $695.102 million while the exports to France stood at $435.453 million against $422.144 million.

Pakistan’s exports to Singapore were recorded at $183.156 million during the fiscal year compared to $178.556 million in FY20 whereas the exports to Canada stood at $311.795 million against $270.138 million, to Saudi Arabia $465.790 million against $454.420 million whereas exports to India stood at $3.39 million in FY21 against $28.644 million during FY20.

Europe to boost battery production as electric shift accelerates PARIS AGENCIES

As electric car sales take off and petrol engines face being phased out by 2035, Europe is looking to develop its own battery production base. Far from being autonomous, Europe needs to accelerate domestic battery output as a national security issue as well as a boost for businesses and jobs.

Batteries that power electric cars and which weigh up to 600 kilograms (1,300 pounds), represent a considerable part of the vehicle’s value.

At the moment, they are mostly produced in Asia, with China, South Korea and Japan the leading manufacturers.

With a mid-July announcement that it intends to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035, the European Commission has set a timetable for the bloc’s shift to electric cars.

Many carmakers, having sensed which way the wind is blowing with governments, have now announced plans to shift towards electric vehicles.

Germany’s Daimler was the latest, announcing last week that from 2025 it will launch only electric vehicle platforms as it gears up for a full shift to electric cars from 2030.

It is not only governments pushing the change, as the latest European data shows that electric cars doubled their market share

in the second quarter of 2021.

GiGa plans: If Europe is going to shift to electric cars, it will need lots of batteries.

After years of slow progress, there are now plans to invest 40 billion euros ($47 billion) in 38 European factories that could turn out 1,000 gigawatt hours of batteries per year, according to Transport & Environment, a non-governmental organisation.

With average battery capacity of 60 kilowatt hours, that would be enough to power 16.7 million vehicles, according to the group.

One initiative is Sweden’s Northvolt, which already has a factory under construction that is to produce batteries with total capacity of 150 gigawatt hours by 2030.

Volkswagen is a major partner, and the

German carmaker is seeking to build five other factories as well.

Daimler, as part of its announcement this past week, said it would build eight battery factories worldwide for its Mercedes-Benz and Smart cars.

Stellantis, which includes 12 brands including Fiat, Chrysler, Jeep and Peugeot, plans to build five factories in Europe and North America.

Tesla expects to open its first European “gigafactory” near Berlin later this year, which it claims will be the world’s largest battery cell production site with 250 gigawatt hours of capacity in 2030.

EU Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic recently said the planned factories

put the EU “well on track to achieve open strategic autonomy in this critical sector”. partners needed: That view is not shared by Olivier Montique, an automotive analyst at Fitch Solutions.

He said the planned facilities “will make the bloc a significant player in the space, but will not enable it to meet anywhere close to all of its internal demand for EV batteries.”

Montique said that is why automakers are still working with Asian battery makers.

China’s Envision AESC is partnering with Nissan and Renault to build factories in Britain and France.

South Korean firms LG Chem and SKI have plants in Poland and Hungary, while China’s CATL is building one in Germany.

Monday, 26 July, 2021

10 FOREIGN NEWS

ISLAMABAD

IRaq does not need Us tRooPs to fIght IsIs, says PRIme mInIsteR BAGHDAD

I

AP

Raq’S prime minister says his country no longer requires american combat troops to fight the so-called Islamic State group, but a formal time frame for their redeployment will depend on the outcome of talks with US officials this week.

Mustafa al-Kadhimi said Iraq will still ask for US training and military intelligence gathering. His comments came in an exclusive interview with The associated Press ahead of a planned trip to Washington, where he’s slated to meet with President Joe Biden on Monday for a fourth round of strategic talks.

“There is no need for any foreign combat forces on Iraqi soil,” said al-Kadhimi, falling short of announcing a deadline for a US troop departure. Iraq’s security forces and army are capable of defending the country without US-led coalition troops, he said.

But al-Kadhimi said any withdrawal schedule would be based on the needs of Iraqi forces, who have shown themselves capable in the last year of conducting inde-

pendent anti-IS missions.

“The war against IS and the readiness of our forces requires a special timetable, and this depends on the negotiations that we will conduct in Washington,” he said.

The US and Iraq agreed in april that the US transition to a train-and-advise mission meant the US combat role would end but they didn’t settle on a timetable for completing that transition. In Monday’s meeting at the White House, the two leaders are expected to specify a timeline, possibly by the end of this year.

The US troop presence has stood at about 2,500 since late last year when former President Donald Trump ordered a reduction from 3,000.

The US mission of training and advising Iraqi forces has its most recent origins in former President Barack Obama’s decision in 2014 to send troops back to Iraq.

The move was made in response to the IS group’s takeover of large portions of western and northern Iraq and a collapse of Iraqi security forces that appeared to threaten Baghdad. Obama had fully withdrawn US

shanghaI RegIon bRaces foR tyPhoon In-fa afteR floodIng In centRal chIna BEIJING REUTERS

China's commercial hub Shanghai and neighbouring coastal regions cancelled all flights, slowed or suspended subway trains and shuttered businesses as Typhoon In-fa made landfall on Sunday, bringing flooding and felling around 1,000 trees. The typhoon landed in the Putuo district of the city of Zhoushan, a major port in the east coast province of Zhejiang, at 12:30 p.m.

(0430 GMT) on Sunday, state broadcaster CCTV said, citing the China Meteorological administration. The storm hit as central China was still reeling from record flooding that killed at least 63, cut off power and forced the relocation of more than 1 million people. "We will make every effort to ensure the safety of people's lives and property, and do everything to minimize disaster losses, and strive to achieve the goal of no deaths and few injuries and economic losses," said Yuan Jiajun, the Zhejiang province Communist Party secretary, during an inspection of preparations on Saturday, official media reported. after flooding 6 kilometres (4 miles) of roads in Zhoushan with seawater and felling around 1,000 trees in Shanghai on Sunday afternoon, the typhoon was due to make a second landfall on the coast between Zhejiang's Jiaxing city and Jiangsu province's qidong city on Sunday night. The Meteorological administration earlier said the typhoon was moving at a speed of 15 km per hour (9 miles per hour). In-fa's wind speeds were up to 38 metres per second, the Meteorological administration said. That is equal to about 137 kph (85 mph), according to Reuters calculations. The Zhejiang emergency management department upgraded its typhoon response to the highest level on Saturday, closing schools and markets and suspending road traffic when necessary. Both Shanghai, home to about 26 million people, and Hangzhou to the south cancelled inbound and outbound flights from Saturday, and many train services in the region were also halted. The Shanghai government said it would slow its subway trains and supended some lines from noon, and Hangzhou authorities also cancelled all underground trains. Flooding in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou last week killed 12 people who were trapped in the subway system. Shanghai Disneyland would close on Sunday and Monday because of the weather, the resort announced, while the city's Yangshan Port has evacuated hundreds of vessels, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Putin says Russian navy can carry out 'unpreventable strike' if needed MOSCOW REUTERS

The Russian navy can detect any enemy and launch an "unpreventable strike" if needed, President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday, weeks after a UK warship angered Moscow by passing the Crimea peninsula. "We are capable of detecting any underwater, above-water, airborne enemy and, if required, carry out an unpreventable strike against it," Putin said speaking at a navy day parade in St Petersburg. Putin's words follow an incident in the Black Sea in June when Russia said it had fired warning shots and dropped bombs in the path of a British warship to chase it out of Crimea waters. Britain rejected Russia's account of the incident, saying it believed any shots fired were a pre-announced Russian "gunnery exercise", and that no bombs had been dropped. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 but Britain and most of the world recognise the Black Sea peninsula as part of Ukraine, not Russia. Putin said last month Russia could have sunk the British warship HMS Defender, that it accused of illegally entering its territorial waters, without starting World War Three and said the United States played a role in the "provocation".

forces from Iraq in 2011, eight years after the US invasion. “What we want from the US presence in Iraq is to support our forces in training and developing their efficiency and capabilities, and in security cooperation,” al-Kadhimi said.

The Washington trip comes as the premier’s administration has faced one setback after another, seriously undermining public confidence. Ongoing missile attacks by militia groups have underscored the limits of the state to prevent them and a series of devastating hospital fires amid soaring coronavirus cases have left dozens dead.

Meanwhile, early federal elections, in line with a promise al-Kadhimi made when he assumed office, are less than three months away. Chief on the agenda in Washington, however, is the future of american-led coalition forces in Iraq.

Iraq declared victory over IS in late 2017 after a ruinous and bloody war. The continued presence of american troops has become a polarizing issue among Iraq’s political class since the US-directed drone strike that killed powerful Iranian general

qassim Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander abu Mahdi al-Muhandis on Iraqi soil last year.

To quell the threat of widespread instability following the targeted killings, the US and Iraq have held at least three rounds of strategic talks centering on Iraq’s military needs in the ongoing fight against IS and to formalize a timeline for withdrawal.

Four years since their territorial defeat, IS militants are still able to launch attacks in the capital and roam the country’s rugged northern region. Last week, a suicide bomber killed 30 people in a busy Baghdad marketplace. That attack was later claimed by IS. al-Kadhimi has faced significant pres-

sure from mainly Shia political parties to announce a timeline for a US troop withdrawal.

Ongoing rocket and, more recently, drone attacks targeting the american military presence have also heaped pressure on the government. They are widely believed to be perpetrated by allegedly Iran-aligned Iraqi militia groups. an announcement that combat troops will withdraw might serve to placate Shia parties but will have little impact on the ground: The coalition’s combat mission ended effectively in November when the Pentagon reduced US troops in the country to 2,500, according to Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.

Australians may face longer lockdown after 'reckless' mass protests MELBOURNE REUTERS

australia's New South Wales logged its second-highest daily increase of the year in locally acquired Covid-19 cases on Sunday amid fears of a wave of new infections after thousands of people joined an anti-lockdown protest.

"In relation to yesterday's protests, can I say how absolutely disgusted I was. It broke my heart," Gladys Berejiklian, the premier of the country's most populous state, told reporters. "I hope it won't be a setback, but it could be," she said.

There were 141 Covid-19 cases reported, down from 163 a day earlier. The outbreak, which began in June, is being driven by the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus, and has now infected 2,081 people in New South Wales. There are 43 people in intensive care, up from 37 a day earlier.

Under fire for a slow vaccine rollout, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said more vaccine supply was not going to ensure New South Wales gets out of lockdown, but what was needed was an effective, properly enforced lockdown. "Let me be clear there's not an alternative to the lockdown in New South Wales to get this under control. There is no other magic bullet that's going to do that," Morrison told reporters at a televised media conference.

He called the anti-lockdown protests in Sydney reckless and self-defeating.

While Berejiklian and other state leaders have blamed Canberra for the slow vaccine rollout, critics have said NSW did not enforce its stay-at-home orders, which has led to Delta variant leaks to other states. at least 38 of the new cases in NSW had spent time in the community while infectious, state health authorities said. Numbers of such cases have stayed stubbornly high even after four weeks of lockdown in Sydney, now expected to be extended beyond July 30. The state reported two deaths overnight, including a woman in her 30s with no pre-existing conditions. a woman exercises on the empty steps in front of the anzac Memorial at the Pool of Reflection as gyms are closed during a lockdown to curb the spread of a coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak in Sydney, australia, July 22, 2021.

Despite its struggle with spikes of infections, australia has managed to keep its epidemic largely under control with a total of about 32,600 cases and 918 deaths. To help speed up vaccinations in Sydney, the government's official adviser, the australian Technical advisory Group on Immunisation (aTaGI), on Saturday changed its advice on the astraZeneca vaccine, urging anyone in the city under the age of 60 to strongly consider getting vaccinated with it.

aTaGI had previously advised against the astraZeneca vaccine for people under 60 due to concerns about blood clots.

"In the context of the current risk of Covid-19 in NSW and with the ongoing constraints on Comirnaty (Pfizer) vaccine supplies, all adults in greater Sydney should strongly consider the benefits of earlier protection with Covid-19 Vaccine astraZeneca rather than waiting for alternative vaccines," aTaGI said in a statement. Morrison said on Sunday the government has secured an additional 85 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, but they will only be delivered in 2022 and 2023.

"To have those booster shots pre-ordered means we can go into 2022 with confidence," he said. australia's Victoria state reported 11 locally acquired Covid-19 cases on Sunday, down from 12 a day earlier, raising hopes the state will end a hard lockdown imposed 10 days ago.

State Premier Daniel andrews said it was too early to say whether restrictions will be eased on Tuesday, but: "at this stage, though, things are going well." all of the cases were linked to the current outbreak clusters and all of them were in isolation throughout their infectious period, the state's health department said. South australia reported three new cases on Sunday.

Free speech or secession? 'Liberate Hong Kong' at heart of landmark case HONG KONG REUTERS

Three Hong Kong judges will rule on Tuesday whether the protest slogan "Liberate Hong Kong.

Revolution of our Times" is a call for secession when they deliver a verdict on charges against a man arrested at a demonstration last year.

The landmark ruling could have long-term implications for how a national security law that China imposed on its freest city a year ago against secession, terrorism, subversion and collusion with foreign forces reshapes its common law traditions, some legal scholars say. activists say a ruling to outlaw the slogan will tighten limits on free speech.

The slogan was chanted during pro-democracy protests, posted online, scrawled on walls and printed on everything from pamphlets, books, stickers and Tshirts to coffee mugs. During the 15-day trial of 24year-old waiter Tong Ying-kit, the court heard how he rode a motorcycle, carrying a black flag bearing the slogan into several riot police in central Hong Kong on July 1 last year.

Tong was the first person charged under the national security law. Lead government prosecutor anthony Chau argued in court that this was a terrorist act, and that Tong had sought to incite people to secession, both "grave" offences under the security law that could bring prison terms of several years to life, if convicted. Tong has pleaded not guilty to charges of terrorism, incitement to commit secession and dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm. Chau did not respond to requests for comment. Defence barrister Clive Grossman declined to comment. a cornerstone of the trial has been the prosecu-

tion's argument that slogan "connotes Hong Kong independence" - a position unacceptable to China, which considers the financial hub and former British colony an "inalienable" part of its territory.

During the protests that began in 2019 and paralysed the city, millions took to the streets to oppose a perceived clampdown by China's Communist Party leaders on the city's constitutionally enshrined freedoms. The slogan was ubiquitous.

When Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997, China's Communist Party leadership pledged to allow the city to maintain its judicial system and retain a wide degree of autonomy and freedoms as part of a binding deal with Britain. Critics say those freedoms are being trampled, an assertion authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong reject.

SEPARATIST OR ACTIVIST? In the court hearing, the meaning of the slogan was fiercely debated in exchanges that drew on eclectic references to Chinese emperors, Marxism-Leninism, the ancient Chinese poet Li Bai, Malcolm X, rampaging Mongol barbarians, and former nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek.

The prosecution told the court the slogan was coined in 2016 by Hong Kong activist Edward Leung, a well-known advocate for Hong Kong independence. Leung is serving a six-year jail term for rioting and could not be reached for comment. There was no immediate comment from two lawyers who represented him. an expert witness for the prosecution, history professor Lau Chi-pang, testified that the first portion of the Chinese slogan, translated as "liberate", or "reclaim", had been used throughout Chinese history from the qin to the qing dynasties, and that the meaning, to recover lost territory or to expel an

enemy "has not changed throughout a thousand years". Lau told the court the words in the slogan, taken alone, or separately, could have but one meaning: "They related to separating the Hong Kong Special administrative Region from the People's Republic of China."

Lau also referred to a rally on July 21, 2019, when protesters, who chanted the slogan, damaged a national emblem outside China's representative Liaison Office in Hong Kong. The conduct and use of the slogan that day had "the objective of rejecting the governance of the People’s Republic of China", the prosecution told the court. Lau declined to comment.

Tong declined to stand as a witness. The defence called two academics, political science professor Eliza Lee and Francis Lee, a professor and expert in political communication. They are not related.

In a report drawing on hundreds of interviews with protesters on site and over the phone, as well as a statistical analysis of more than 25 million online posts, Francis Lee said there was "no substantial linkage" or correlation between the slogan and independence, as maintained by Lau. "The subject slogan was understood, really, by many people in many different ways," Francis Lee told the court.

Eliza Lee told the court the slogan was meant to “unite freedom-loving people of all ages”. She accepted, however, that it could have pro-independence connotations to some people.

Eliza Lee did not respond to a request for comment. Francis Lee declined to comment. at one point prosecutor Chau sought to draw parallels between Edward Leung and the U.S. civil rights leader Malcolm X, asking Eliza Lee whether she would consider him to be a separatist?

Monday, 26 July, 2021

SPORTS 11

ISLAMABAD

JaPan WinS SkaTEboarding'S MaidEn goLd, TUniSian SWiMMEr STUnS SUPErPoWErS

Tokyo 2020: Egypt's two female competitors excel at versatility TOKYO REUTERS

Egypt may not have a strong badminton team but its two female representatives at the Tokyo Games have plenty of moxie. Doha Hany, 23, is competing in three events: women's singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles -- a feat virtually unheard of in the sport. And when her compatriot Hadia Hosny, 32, isn't playing international badminton, she's a member of Egypt's parliament, attends the University of Cairo and coaches children in the sport. "There are not a lot of women in the team so I needed to play singles, doubles and mixed doubles," said Hany, who began playing when she was five. Hany, whose grandfather was one of Egypt's first badminton players, admitted it was hard to stay motivated while competing in so many categories, but said she was used to it.

Badminton players from African and Middle Eastern countries are rare, and female players even scarcer. Only a handful of the African and Middle Eastern countries competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, have sent female badminton players. Even if Middle Eastern Olympic hopefuls fail to take home medals, the road ahead is very exciting, said Hosny, who was the Badminton World Federation's ambassador for the 2014 Peace and Sport Cup in Dubai. "You will achieve something at the end, even if you don't become an Olympian," said the London 2012 and Beijing 2008 badminton player. Turkey's Neslihan Yiğit, Iran's Soraya Aghaei Hajiagha, Israel's Ksenia Polikarpova and Nigeria's Dorcas Ajoke Adesokan will also be competing at the Games.

Wijnaldum didn't feel 'Liverpool love' LONDON

TOKYO

J

REUTERS

APAN bagged skateboarding's first gold medal and notched a surprise win in the pool on Sunday, in a day of high drama as 18-year-old Tunisian Ahmed Hafnaoui stunned the swimming superpowers with victory in the men's 400m freestyle.

Skateboarder Yuto Horigome, who grew up in the Tokyo ward where the event is being held, took gold at the Games debut of a sport once seen as a symbol of counter-culture. That followed surprise medal joy in the pool for Yui Ohashi in the 400m women's medley.

"It felt significant to return to Koto ward, it meant so much more for me," said Horigome, who moved to the United States after high school to follow his skateboarding ambitions.

The gold haul, which came after judoka Naohisa Takato won the host nation's first gold on Saturday, put Japan behind China with four golds. The United States and China are tied for total medals with eight each. The wins offer organisers hope of boosting enthusiasm for the delayed Olympics among the Japanese public, who are labouring under a state of emergency in the capital amid elevated Covid-19 cases. The biggest shock of the day came when Tunisia's Hafnaoui won the swimming event. "I just can't believe it. It's a dream and it became true. It was great. It was my best race ever," Hafnaoui said after he produced a blistering finish to pip Australia's Jack McLoughlin, with American

Kieran Smith taking bronze.

The joy in the teenager's face was in sharp contrast to the misery of Wimbledon champion Ash Barty of Australia following her surprise first-round loss.

Britain's twice Olympic champion Andy Murray didn't even get that far. He pulled out of the tournament injured before his opening singles match.

The Australians enjoyed their moment in the pool in the last of the morning races when the Dolphins beat their own world record of 3:29.69 in the women's 4x100m freestyle relay. Chase Kalisz delivered Team USA its first gold in the men's 400m medley.The shadows of the pandemic continued to hang over the Games. World number six golfer Bryson DeChambeau was replaced in the U.S. men's team after

testing positive for Covid-19 before his departure. The Dutch rowing coach also tested positive as Olympic organisers reported 10 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the total disclosed to 132. Tokyo reported 1,763 new Covid cases in the capital on Sunday. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) insisted that masks were a "must to have" at Tokyo medal ceremonies but said that athletes can remove them briefly on the podium for photos.

"It's not a nice to have. It's a must to have," said IOC spokesman Mark Adams.

TOKYO SWELTERS: Earlier in the day, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga phoned judoka Takato to offer congratulations after the triple world champion secured Japan's first gold medal with victory over Taiwan's Yang Yung-wei.

Defending champion Murray out of Olympics singles with injury

REUTERS

Georginio Wijnaldum has said social media abuse was behind his decision to leave Liverpool, explaining he "didn't feel love" from a section of the club's support. Wijnaldum -who signed for Paris Saint-Germain after leaving on a free transfer -- joined Liverpool in 2016 from Newcastle United. He made more than 200 appearances while lifting the Premier League and Champions League titles before leaving at the end of last season. Wijnaldum told The Times: "Every day in training and in the game I gave everything.

"Liverpool meant so much to me. There was some moment when I didn't feel love and appreciated there. "Not by my teammates, not the people at Melwood (Liverpool's training ground). I know they all loved me and I loved them. It was not from that side, more from the other side." He added: "There was a moment when I didn't feel loved. In the last two seasons, I had it a few times. "The fans in the stadium and the fans in social media were two different things," he said. "In the stadium, I can say nothing bad about them.

They always supported me. "On social media if we lost I was the one who got the blame (claiming) that I wanted to leave. There was a moment when I was like, 'Wow, if they only knew what I was doing to stay fit and play every game'."

TOKYO AFP

Two-time defending Olympic tennis champion Andy Murray withdrew Sunday from the men's singles tournament due to a muscle injury, Team GB said in a statement.

Murray, 34, will stay in Tokyo to play doubles with Joe Salisbury. The pair won their opening match of the competition on Saturday. "I am really disappointed at having to withdraw but the medical staff have advised me against playing in both events, so I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the singles and focus on playing doubles with Joe," Murray said in a statement. "The decision follows consultation with medical staff in relation to a quad strain," it added.

The Scot was scratched from the order of play just hours

before he was due to face Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime in the first round. He was replaced in the draw by Australia's Max Purcell. Three-time Grand Slam champion Murray is the only player to win two Olympics singles titles. He was bidding for a third successive gold following his victories at London 2012 and Rio 2016.

Murray's career has been blighted by injury in recent years, twice undergoing hip surgery since rising to world number one at the end of 2016. He recently suffered his earliest Wimbledon exit in 16 years when he was knocked out in the third round by Canada's Denis Shapovalov. Murray and Salisbury will play Germany's Tim Puetz and Kevin Krawietz for a spot in the Olympic men's doubles quarter-finals after dumping out French second seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut in the first round.

Australian Barty booted in 'erratic' first round TOKYO REUTERS

Australia's tennis world number one Ash Barty looked out of touch and out of place on Sunday as she crashed out of the first round of the Tokyo Olympics with a dismal defeat to 48th-ranked Sara Sorribes Tormo.

Barty slumped 6-4 6-3 to the Spaniard on Tokyo's blue Olympic courts, in a one-sided contest during which the freshly crowned Wimbledon champion never settled.

"Really disappointing day," Barty said on the Olympic Channel broadcast afterwards.

"And I was pretty erratic. But I'm really excited for doubles... (I still have a chance) to do everyone proud."

Barty and Storm Sanders beat Japan’s Makoto Ninomiya and Nao Hibino in Saturday's doubles first round.

But singles was the goal, and Barty had been hoping to join Steffi Graf (1988) and Venus (2000) and Serena (2012) Williams as the only women to win Wimbledon and Olympic singles gold in the same year.

"This gold medal give hopes and dreams to many children and young people. There are also reports that many families are really delighted," Suga said in the call.

Japanese tennis superstar Naomi Osaka, who lit the Olympic cauldron on Friday at the opening ceremony, dispatched China's Saisai Zheng in her opening match at the Ariake Tennis Park.

With temperatures rising above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in Tokyo, skateboarders grappled with the heat at the sport's debut, part of organisers' attempts to broaden the appeal of the world's largest sporting event.

"Your feet start burning up, you feel kind of crazy," said American skater Nyjah Huston. Yahoo Tenki, one of Japan's most popular weather apps, offered caution over the risk of heatstroke, saying users should "avoid exercising under the sun" and "minimise vigorous exercise".

Surfing also made its Olympic debut on Sunday as competitors met with a strengthening swell after flat conditions a day earlier at Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach in Chiba prefecture, which borders the capital. A typhoon is forecast to hit the main Japanese island of Honshu midweek, potentially bringing heavy rain and high winds. Rowing races have been rescheduled to later in the week. American gymnast Simone Biles also got into action on Sunday. The 24-year-old, who has won every all-around competition she has contested since 2013, needs three more medals to move past Shannon Miller as the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast.

Man Utd in talks with Pogba over new contract, says Solskjaer LONDON REUTERS

Manchester United are still in talks with midfielder Paul Pogba over a new contract, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said, amid speculation over the Frenchman's future at the Premier League club. World Cup winner Pogba, 28, has frequently been linked with a move away from Old Trafford since rejoining United from Juventus in 2016 for a then-world record 89 million pounds ($122.34 million). British media reported that Ligue 1 club Paris St Germain are interested in signing Pogba, who is in the final year of his contract at United. "There's always speculation about Paul and always clubs being interested," Solskjaer said after Saturday's 42 pre-season defeat by Queens Park Rangers.

"We've seen Paul at his best, Paul knows what we feel about it. "I've enjoyed my time working with him and hopefully we can continue working together. All that I've ever heard with Paul is he's looking forward to the season." Pogba made 42 appearances for United in all competitions last season as the club finished second in the league behind rivals Manchester City, while they also reached the Europa League final, losing to Villarreal.

Tokyo Olympics opening draws 16.7 million US television viewers, a 33-year low TOKYO REUTERS

NBC's broadcast of the Tokyo Olympic Games opening ceremony drew 16.7 million viewers, the smallest US television audience for the event in the past 33 years, according to preliminary data from Comcast-owned NBCUniversal on Saturday.

Across all platforms, including NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app, 17 million people watched the ceremony, NBCUniversal said in an email.

The streaming audience on those platforms grew 76 percent from the 2018 PyeongChang opening ceremony and 72 percent from the 2016 Rio opener, reflecting a change in viewing habits.

Friday's audience reflects a steep drop, despite difficult comparisons with previous opening ceremonies when viewers had fewer streaming options.

The Tokyo opener TV audience declined 37 percent from 2016, when 26.5 million people watched the Rio de Janeiro Games opener, and 59 percent from 2012, when 40.7 million people watched the London ceremony.

It was the lowest audience for the opening ceremony since the 1988 Seoul Games, which attracted 22.7 million TV viewers. It was also lower than the 1992 Barcelona Games, when 21.6 million people tuned in, according to Nielsen data.

The Rio, London, Barcelona and Seoul numbers reflect final ratings data not yet available for the Tokyo Games opener.

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, Friday's scaled-down opening event took

place with fewer than 1,000 attendees at the Olympic Stadium under strict social distancing rules. Major absences included former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who had wooed the games to Tokyo, and top sponsors, as the event faced strong opposition in COVID-fatigued Japan.

With Tokyo 13 hours ahead of the US East Coast, NBC for the first time broadcast the ceremony live in the morning, at 6:55 am ET Friday. NBC's taped, the primetime

broadcast began at 7:30 pm ET. In its primetime coverage, NBC acknowledged the pandemic and its toll while presenting the Olympics as a positive event.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder," said host Savannah Guthrie, co-anchor of NBC News' "Today" morning show.

"There's nothing like an opening ceremony to really get you excited for the Olympic Games." NBCUniversal has aggressively pushed its digital platforms this year and views the Olympics as a vital driver of subscribers for its Peacock streaming service.

The company plans to air an "unprecedented" 7,000 hours of Olympics coverage across its multiple television networks and Peacock. These include some of the most anticipated events, such as gymnastics and US Men's basketball, on the streaming platform. It will also stream over 5,500 hours of the Olympics on NBCOlympics.com and its sports app.

Not all athletes were present at the teams' parade during the opening ceremony, due to rules that require many to fly in just before their competitions and leave shortly after to limit social contact.

The TV ratings drop is part of a trend among live TV events, including awards

shows and sports.

February's Super Bowl broadcast on CBS, a ViacomCBS unit, attracted an average of about 92 million viewers, according to Nielsen data, the lowest since 2006. The April Oscars telecast on Walt Disney Co's ABC broadcast network averaged 10.4 million, a record low, Nielsen said. Audiences for the most recent Emmys and Grammys also hit new lows.

NBCUniversal, which paid $7.65 billion to extend its US broadcast rights for the Olympics through 2032, is framing the games as a "healing" event, despite scepticism from many Japanese citizens about the wisdom of holding even a scaled-down Games during a pandemic.

In June NBCUniversal said it had signed over 120 advertisers for the games, more than any other Olympics broadcast.

An NBCUniversal spokesperson said that month the company was on track to exceed the $1.2 billion in ads sold for the 2016 Rio Olympics, but declined to say whether it would beat the $1.25 billion sold last year before the Tokyo Games were postponed. Ratings are not an indication of profitability.

Monday, 26 July, 2021

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AJK polls: opposition Alleges ‘rigging’ even before election results Announced ISLAMABAD

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HILE polling continued in across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), three major Opposition parties on Sunday accused the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of ‘rigging’ the elections. Opposition alliance of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) went too far by claiming that if PTI wins elections, the alliance would not accept results.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was first to cry foul on the polling day as Earlier as former information minister and PPP leader Senator Sherry Rehman alleged that the Azad Kashmir elections were being rigged in a systematic manner.

“The Election Commission should stop government rigging and ensure transparency,” Sherry Rehman said in a statement soon after the news of a collusion between workers of PPP and PTI in Kotli, AJK. “There is a clear difference in the voter’s lists. Police demolished the PPP camp at Fawara Chowk polling station while PTI workers opened fire on the vehicle of a PPP candidate in

Kotli,” she alleged.

She said that PPP leader Chaudhry Yasin’s vehicle had been fired upon allegedly by the PTI workers.

Later in the day, Sherry Rehman alleged that PTI ministers had entered polling stations and the PPP had registered 21 complaints with the Election Commission of AJK. This was followed by Pakistan Mus-

lim League (PML-N) spokeswoman Marriyum Aurangzeb who also blamed the PTI for election rigging.

In a statement, Marriyum said that PTI was clearly expecting a defeat and Imran Khan was trying to adopt 2018 tactics which is a proof of its confusion.

“Yes, Imran Sahib, you cannot turn your defeat into victory through rigging.

Workers and the people should make

videos and pictures of every government rigging and bring it before the people,” she said.

Referring to by-election in Sialkot, Marriyum alleged that votes were being stolen by abducting the staff of Election Commission in Daska and expelling the staff of PML-N in Azad Kashmir. She said that the PTI had harassed the polling agents of PML-N at different polling stations.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, head of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) also said that if Imran Khan wins the Kashmir elections, the opposition will not accept the rigged results. Addressing a rally in South Waziristan, Fazl alleged that Prime Minister Imran Khan had betrayed the United Nations resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir dispute. He also alleged that Imran Khan had alos violated the 70-year-old stance of Pakistan on Kashmir by talking about a referendum in Azad Kashmir.

“We had earlier said that Imran Khan made a deal on Kashmir and this statement is a proof of our position. Now he is trying to get results in Azad Kashmir through rigging. However, if Imran Khan wins the Kashmir election, then we will not accept the results,” he warned.

First task for Afghanistan troops is to slow Taliban’s momentum: Pentagon chief WASHINGTON reuters

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday that the Afghanistan security forces’ first job was to make sure they could slow the Taliban’s momentum before attempting to retake territory, as Kabul plans to consolidate forces around strategically important parts of the country.

Reuters reported that Afghanistan’s military is overhauling its war strategy against the Taliban to concentrate forces around the most critical areas like Kabul and other cities, border crossings and vital infrastructure.

“They are consolidating their forces around the key population centers,” Austin told reporters during a visit to Alaska.

“In terms of whether or not it will stop the Taliban, I think the first thing to do is to make sure that they can slow the momentum,” Austin said, speaking as the US military is set to end its mission in Afghanistan on August 31, on orders from President Joe Biden.

Austin added that he believed the Afghans had the capability and the capacity to make progress, but “we’ll see what happens.”

The politically perilous strategy appears to be a military necessity as overstretched Afghanistan troops try to prevent the loss of provincial capitals, which could deeply fracture the country.

Taliban insurgents are gaining control of more and more territory, which the Pentagon estimated on Wednesday now

extends to over half of half Afghanistan’s district centres. The Taliban are also putting pressure on the outskirts of half of the provincial capitals, trying to isolate them.

The Taliban’s swift territorial gains are rattling Afghans just as the United States withdraws from a war that succeeded in punishing al Qaeda following its September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington but failed to deliver anything close to peace for Afghanistan.

The United States has continued to carry out air strikes to support Afghan government forces that have been under pressure from the Taliban as US-led foreign forces carry out the final stages of their with-

drawal from the country.

Biden has promised to provide financial assistance to Afghan forces and to redouble diplomatic efforts to revive stalled peace talks.

Biden on Friday authorised up to $100 million from an emergency fund to meet “unexpected urgent” refugee needs stemming from the situation in Afghanistan, including for Afghan special immigration visa applicants. read more For years, the US military has been trying to get Afghanistan troops off of farflung checkpoints — static positions that can easily be overrun by Taliban forces.

Afghan forces capture four Taliban fighters for Eid rocket attack Afghan forces have captured four Taliban fighters including a militant commander for carrying out this week’s rocket attack targeting the presidential palace in Kabul during the Eidul Azha prayers, officials said on Sunday. At least three rockets landed near the palace on Tuesday as President Ashraf Ghani and his top officials performed outdoor prayers to mark the start of Eid. The interior ministry said police had arrested four Taliban fighters who were behind the attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State group, in an operation in Kabul. “A Taliban commander, Momin, along with his three other men, have been arrested. They all belong to the Taliban group,” ministry spokesman Mirwais Stanikzai told reporters in a video message. He said Momin was a key organiser of the rocket attack, and the group was also involved in other attacks.

The palace was also attacked last year as hundreds gathered for Ghani’s inauguration for a second term as president. That attack was also claimed by IS. The Taliban have announced ceasefires during past Islamic holidays in recent years, offering respite to Afghans who can visit family in relative safety, but no such offer was made on this occasion. The rocket attack on Tuesday came as the Taliban capitalise on the last stages of the withdrawal of US-led foreign forces from Afghanistan, capturing scores of districts, border crossings and encircling several provincial capitals. The fighting continues across the rugged countryside as peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban have so far failed to reach a deal to end the war. In a bid to curb the surging violence, Afghan authorities on Saturday imposed a night-time curfew in 31 of the country’s 34 provinces except Kabul, Panjshir and Nangarhar. AFP

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Heavy rain in india triggers floods, landslides; at least 125 dead Downpours severely AffecT The lives of hunDreDs of ThousAnDs, while mAjor rivers Are in DAnger of bursTing Their bAnKs MUMBAI/NEW DELHI reuters

Rescue teams in India struggled through thick sludge and debris on Saturday to reach dozens of submerged homes as the death toll from landslides and accidents caused by torrential monsoon rain rose to 125. Maharashtra state is being hit by the heaviest rain in July in four decades, experts say. Downpours lasting several days have severely affected the lives of hundreds of thousands, while major rivers are in danger of bursting their banks. In Taliye, about 180 km (110 miles) southeast of the financial capital of Mumbai, the death toll rose to 42 with the recovery of four more bodies after landslides flattened most homes in the village, a senior Maharashtra government official said.

“About 40 people are still trapped. The possibility of rescuing them alive is thin as they’ve been trapped in mud for more than 36 hours,” said the official, who declined to be identified as he is not authorised to talk to the media. Harsh weather has hit several parts of the world in recent weeks, with floods in China and Western Europe and heat waves in North America, raising new fears about the impact of climate change.

Parts of India’s west coast have received up to 594 mm (23 inches) of rain, forcing authorities to move people out of vulnerable areas as they released water from dams about to overflow. The hill station of Mahabaleshwar recorded its highest ever rainfall – 60 cm in 24 hours.

Rescuers were searching for victims of landslides in four other places in the state, the official said. “Around 90,000 people were rescued from flood affected areas,” the Maharashtra government said in a statement, as authorities released water from overflowing dams. Thousands of trucks were stuck for more than 24 hours on a highway linking Mumbai with the southern technology hub of Bengaluru, with the road submerged in some places. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was in anguish over the loss of lives. “The situation in Maharashtra due to heavy rains is being closely monitored and assistance is being provided to the affected,” Modi said on Twitter on Friday. In the southern state of Telangana, heavy rain caused flooding in the state capital of Hyderabad and other lowlying areas. Indian environmentalists have warned that climate change and indiscriminate construction in fragile coastal regions could lead to more disasters. “The rain fury that lashed Mahabaleshwar … is a strong warning against any more tampering with the ecologically fragile Western Ghats,” environment economist Devendra Sharma said on Twitter referring to the range of hills along India’s west coast.

Thousands of Afghan families flee fighting in former Taliban bastion of Kandahar More than 22,000 Afghan families have fled from their homes to escape fighting in the former Taliban bastion of Kandahar, officials said on Sunday, as authorities arrested four suspected insurgents over this week’s rocket attack on Kabul.

Since early May, violence has surged across several provinces including in Kandahar after the insurgents launched a sweeping offensive just days after the US-led foreign forces began their final withdrawal.

The Taliban’s deadly assault has seen the insurgents capture scores of districts, border crossings and encircle several provincial capitals.

“The fighting has displaced 22,000 families in the past one month in Kandahar,” Dost Mohammad Daryab, head of the provincial refugee department, told AFP.

“They have all moved from the volatile districts of the city to safer areas.”

Fighting continued on the outskirts of Kandahar city on Sunday.

“The negligence of some security forces, especially the police, has made way for the Taliban to come that close,” Lalai Dastageeri, deputy governor of Kandahar province, told AFP. “We are now trying to organise our security forces.”

Local authorities had set up four camps for the displaced people who were estimated to be about 154,000.

Kandahar resident Hafiz Mohammad Akbar said his house had been taken over by the Taliban after he fled.

“They forced us to leave … I am now living with my 20-member family in a com-

pound with no toilet,” said Akbar.

FEARS OF FIGHTING TO INCREASE: Residents expressed concerns that the fighting might increase in the days ahead.

“If they really want to fight, they should go to a desert and fight, not destroy the city,” said Khan Mohammad, who moved to a camp with his family.

“Even if they win, they can’t rule a ghost town.”

Kandahar, with its 650,000 inhabitants, is the second-largest city in Afghanistan after Kabul.

The southern province was the epi-centre of the Taliban’s regime when they ruled Afghanistan between 1996 to 2001.

Ousted from power in a US-led invasion in 2001 after the September 11 attacks, the Taliban have spearheaded a deadly insurgency that

continues to this day.

Their latest offensive launched in early May has seen the group take control of half of the country’s about 400 districts.

Earlier this week, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff General Mark Milley said the Taliban appear to have “strategic momentum” on the battlefield.

But global rights group Human Rights Watch said there were reports that the Taliban were committing atrocities against civilians in areas they had captured, including in the town of Spin Boldak near the border with Pakistan they captured earlier this month.

“Taliban leaders have denied responsibility for any abuses, but growing evidence of expulsions, arbitrary detentions, and killings in areas under their control are rais-

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

ing fears among the population,” said Patricia Grossman, associate Asia director at HRW said in a statement.

The authorities meanwhile announced they had arrested four men they said belonged to the Taliban, accusing them of carrying out this week’s rocket attack on Kabul.

“A Taliban commander, Momin, along with his three other men, have been arrested.

They all belong to the Taliban group,” ministry spokesman Mirwais Stanikzai told reporters in a video message.

At least three rockets landed near the palace on Tuesday as President Ashraf Ghani and his top officials performed outdoor prayers to mark the start of Eidul Azha.

The attack was however claimed by the militant IS group. AFP