Epaper – March 14-2022 KHI

Monday, 14 March, 2022 i 10 sha’ban, 1443 i rs 40.00 i Vol Xii No 255 i 48 Pages i Karachi Edition

PolitiCal wheeling, dealing enters key stage as treasury, oPPosition try to woo PMl-Q ISLAMABAD Mian abrar

P

olitical wheeling, dealing entered key stage on Sunday as treasury and opposition intensified their efforts to woo the Pakistan Muslim leagueQuaid (PMl-Q).

While chaudhrys of Gujrat, who according to analysts have mastered the skill to ‘blackmail for maximum grab’ in such a tight competition between the treasury and opposition, the filed looked open as neither the treasury nor the opposition have made any commitment to the PMl-Q. Sources in the opposition camp told Pakistan today that amidst the rising political tensions in the country, the two biggest opposition Parties, PMl-N and PPP, have agreed to nominate PMl-Q leader chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as Punjab chief minister in exchange of their party’s support for the no-trust motion to oust Prime Minister imran Khan. Sources within the opposition parties said that the announcement regarding this decision will be made within the next 24 hours after a final meeting between chaydhrys of Gujrat and PMl-N President Shehbaz Sharif. the sources said that the PMl-Q, which is a key ally of the PM imran Khanled government, was informed about the

development by a senior leader of PPP. With pressure mounting amid buildup to the No trust motion tabled by the joint opposition against Prime Minister imran Khan, the ruling Pakistan tehreek-e-insaf (Pti) has intensified its efforts to woo back support of its allied party – Pakistan Muslim league-Quaid (PMl-Q). in this regard, indirect contacts are being made to help soften the stance of chaudhrys of Gujrat. Prime Minister of azad Jammu and Kashmir (aJK) Sardar abdul Qayyum Niazi and Special assistant to Prime Minister Hafiz tahir ashrafi held separate meetings with the chaudhrys of Gujrat on Sunday and inquired after senior politician and PMl-Q President chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.

Sources said that political situation of the country, particularly the opposition’s no-confidence motion against Prime Minister imran Khan, also came under discussion at the meeting, which was also attended by Punjab assembly Speaker chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and his son, Federal Minister for Water Resources chaudhry Moonis Elahi.

Former federal minister ch Wajahat Hussain, MNa Hussain Elahi and Ms Mehreen adam Malik were also present in the meeting.

Sources said that during the meeting with chaudhrys, aJK Prime Minister urged the chaudhrys to keep their support for

the premier. Meanwhile, during his meeting with the chaudhrys, tahir ashrafi also urged the PMl-Q leaders to support the prime minister in the no-trust motion on which voting is going to be held in a few days’ time.

Meanwhile, interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed ahmed also retracted his statement against chaudhry brothers, clarifying that he considered PMl-Q leader chaudhry Shujaat like a ‘brother’ and he will never make any statement against the PMl-Q. the retraction came a day after Rasheed had accused the PMl-Q of ‘blackmailing the government with five votes for the post of the chief minister’ resulting in a strong backlash from the PMlQ leadership. the PMl-Q on Saturday had convened a consultative meeting in lahore to address the present scenario in Punjab. a follow up meeting was also held on Sunday to weigh options available for the party which has only five MNas and 10 MPas in Punjab assembly. the PMl-Q consultative meeting was held under the chairmanship of President and former Prime Minister of chaudhry Shujat Hussain and Speaker Punjab assembly chaudhry Parvez Elahi. the meeting was attended by chaudhry Wajahat Hussain, tariq Bashir cheema, Moonis Elahi, Senator Kamil ali agha, Hussain Elahi and chaudhry imtiaz Ranjha. During the meeting, participants concluded that no Pti ally is happy with the federal government’s performance and that the PMl-Q will have to make its own political decision shortly.

PMl-Q leader Pervez Elahi is said to have taken other government allies under his wings and has committed to making decisions in collaboration with them, the sources revealed. the meeting also discussed and hoped that it was not too late to take sides before they were left with nowhere to stand.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Coronavirus in

Pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

1,518,692

LAST UPDATED AT 7:29 AM ON MARCH 13, 2022

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

3

609

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

1,470,424 30,307 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

571,854

503,715

KPK:

BALOCHISTAN:

218,070

35,437

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

43,167/11,631

134,818

Opposition to get buried under its own conspiracies: PM Khan ISLAMABAD Staff report

Prime Minister imran Khan on Sunday said he was unfazed by the opposition’s attempts to de-seat him through the no-trust move, saying the nation will witness that the “three rats who have united to dislodge the government will eventually get preyed upon” themselves. addressing a huge public rally in Punjab’s city of Hafizabad, the prime minister first recalled the public welfare initiatives taken by his government amid the problems faced by the country before criticising the main opposition leaders. the premier said people will see that those trying to dislodge him from the top office would get buried under the weight of their own conspiracy. He recalled that some 20 EU ambassadors had questioned him in the past on his stance of opposing drone attacks. “i asked them whether they will allow Pakistan to launch a drone attack at a Pakistanbased terrorist sitting in london for 30 years who has been involved in several killings in Karachi, the capital of Sindh,” he alleged. imran said he would not appease anyone or opt for a foreign policy that resulted in the country’s

NA secretariat verifies signatures of MPs on no-trust motion ISLAMABAD Mian abrar

the National assembly Secretariat has verified the signatures of the lawmakers over the notrust motion submitted by the opposition parties after its scrutiny. informed sources in the Na Secretariat have told this scribe that the secretariat has completed its verification of the signatures of the opposition parties’ members on the notrust motion as well as the requisition notice for the assembly session.

“No signatures found suspected or out of signs of rolls,” sources said and added that the legislation department of the National assembly has completed its process and forwarded the file to the Speaker. according to sources, it has been recommended to speaker to summon the assembly session any day before March 22. “Summoning the session is a constitutional obligation, which could not be deviated,” Na sources further said. “the first phase was the requisition and the second phase verification of the signatures on the no-trust motion,” sources

interest being compromised.

He called out JUi-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PMl-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and PPP chairperson asif ali Zardari for maintaining silence on US drone strikes in Pakistan between 2008 and 2018, saying those leaders never spoke for the rights of Pakistan.

He said his government would maintain relations with everyone “but will not make any compromise on national interests”.

PM imran insisted that Pakistan was going to become a great country in the remainder of his term, adding that the incentives announced by his government would yield results in time to come.

PM firM ON EU criticisM: PM imran reiterated that he had rightly criticised the European Union for writing to Pakistan and asking the government to condemn Russia. “the west only respects you when they see you are sincere towards your country,” he said.

He said he was respected in all countries he has visited so far as the prime minister. “i do not have any wealth stashed abroad nor i am involved in any corruption,” he claimed, adding: “i only entered the politics to serve public”.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

MORE INSIDE

shehbaz mocks PM’s potato, tomato remark STORY ON PAGE 02

PMl-N, PPP agree to give Punjab chief minister’s post to Pervaiz Elahi: Sources STORY ON PAGE 03 IN TODAY S ISSUE

added. the joint opposition had submitted the no-trust motion and a requisition notice in the National assembly on tuesday, March 08. according to the rules, the Na speaker is bound to summon the session of the National assembly by March 22.

Sources added that the no-

confidence motion should be winded up within seven days after the Na session.

Prime Minister imran Khan also chaired a meeting of the senior leadership of Pakistan tehreek-i-insaf (Pti) on Sunday to consult over summoning a National assembly session for the no-trust move.

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Monday, 14 March, 2022 | KARACHI

NEWS

ShehbAz mockS Pm’S PoTATo, TomATo remArk

P

stAff RePoRt

ML-N President and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif on Sunday reacted to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s speech and said that it was understood that the premier was “never concerned about the prices of potatoes and tomatoes” as he had come to ruin the country.

In an official statement, the PML-N leader said that PM Imran Khan’s speech in Hafizabad was a “testament to his defeat”. Shahbaz implied that since PM Imran Khan is not concerned about the poor of the country, he did not come to power to fix the prices of the basic

commodities, such as potatoes and tomatoes.

Earlier today, PM Imran Khan had said that he did not join politics to know the prices of “aloo and tamatar,” instead, he had become a politician for the sake of the country’s youth.

“You had indeed joined politics to see the fall of Kashmir and to stop the projects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),” Shahbaz said. “You came to increase Pakistan’s ranking in the global corruption index, you came for destruction, you came to anger Pakistan’s friends, and you came to hand over Pakistan’s economic sovereignty to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).”

The PML-N president went on to say that PM Imran

Khan had assumed office so that he could create “illegal construction schemes” and turn his “black money into white money.”

Further criticising the premier, Shahbaz said that the reason PM Imran came to power was to increase the price of petrol from Rs96 to Rs160.

“You have transformed Pakistan into the thirdmost-expensive country of the world. Under your rule, the people of Pakistan are suffering from inflation, unemployment, and economic catastrophe — all of which have turned out to be a doomsday for the masses,” he said. Shahbaz continued: “Imran Sahib, your work is done, now go home and let the nation breathe a sigh of relief.”

Pakistan decides to send humanitarian assistance to Ukraine IsLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Pakistan has decided to send two C-130 planes to take the humanitarian assistance package including medicines, food and relief goods to Ukraine via Poland to address the humanitarian needs owing to the ongoing military escalation between Russia and Ukraine.

According to sources, the federal cabinet on Sunday via circulation has granted its approval for the supply of approximately Rs 60 million worth relief items in the name of humanitarian assistance for Ukraine. “Pakistan’s humanitarian assistance for Ukraine will be transported through two C 130 aircrafts to Ukraine via the Polish capital Warsaw,” said sources.

As per details, Pakistan’s humanitarian assistance for Ukraine will consist of 100 tents, 500 blankets, and 500 sleeping bags, 30 generators of 3.5 KVA, 2484 soap bars, 996 hand wash, and 1992 sanitizer of 250ml pack.

Similarly, medicines are also made part of the humanitarian assistance for Ukraine as the Prime Minister had earlier also directed NDMA to work out on

procurement of medicines in consultation with the Ministry of National Health Service Regulations and Coordination and food items to be dispatched on second C130 flight, said sources.

The sources said that Pakistan has decided to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine because an estimated 1.5 million refugees, mostly women and children, have moved to Poland and other adjoining countries as a result of the ongoing military escalation between Russia and Ukraine.

Similarly, the rapidly deteriorating situation has obliged Ukraine to request

for international assistance to humanitarian needs. Pakistan enjoys good relations with Ukraine and has taken a principled position on the ongoing conflict, said the sources.

“In view of the emergent nature of humanitarian assistance for Ukraine and time required for procurement, NDMA in consultation with MoFA coordinated with Pakistan Army for immediate availability of medicines and food/canned food items from its held stocks,” said sources, adding that the Pakistan Army very generously has consented to provide medicines and

canned food items (meals ready to eatMREs) for the people of Ukraine.

As per details, the Ukrainian Embassy in Islamabad has approached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) for humanitarian assistance. And, MoFA has proposed that Pakistan may provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and suggested that National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) may be directed to mobilize the requisite humanitarian assistance (containing nonmilitary items) and organize its transportation. In this regard, a summary was moved by MoFA for the approval of the Prime Minister for immediate dispatch of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. On the direction of the Prime Minister and in consultation with NDMA, MoFA recommended immediate dispatch of relief items out of held stocks of NDMA as a message of solidarity in the time of need for the people of Ukraine.

It is pertinent to mention that a number of countries including the U.S., UK, South Korea, EU, and India have announced emergency humanitarian assistance for Ukraine. As per Ukrainian request, the goods will have to be transported to Poland for onward transmission to Ukraine.

Change through no-trust motion not to bring any change: Sirajul Haq RAwALPINDI Staff RepoRt

Emir Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Sirajul Haq while demanding fresh elections has said that the replacement of faces after success of no-trust movement against the prime minister will not bring any change. While addressing sit-in against inflation, unemployment and corruption at Murree Road Rawalpindi on Sunday, he said that the masses should be allowed to choose their representatives through fresh and fair polls.

The JI staged sit-ins in Jehlum, Chakwal and Bahwalnagar under its ongoing 101-sit-in movement.

JI Naib Emir Liaqat Baloch addressed the gathering in Jehlum and Chakwal while JI Secretary General Ameerul Azim spoke to the people in Bahwalnagar.

Sirajul Haq criticized the prime minister for using foul language against political opponents, saying the language being used by Imran Khan in public meetings did not suit to a prime minister.

The PM, he said, was using state resources to

conduct public meeting and was also violating the rules of Election Commission of Pakistan by holding rallies in the areas where local government elections were set to be held at the end of the month. He said the prime minister had nothing on credit to show the government performance and he started uttering derogatory remarks against the opposition.

He said the PTI, the PML-N and the PPP were the status quo parties who failed to perform during their years long rule over country. The people of Pakistan, he said, needed real change and Islamic system which was the solution to their problems.

The JI chief criticized the PTI for unleashing attack on media, saying the media supported the ruling party in the past to come to power but it faced the prime minister wrath when it started criticizing the government performance. He said the PTI introduced the ordinance to control the media which even the dictators could not dare to introduce in the past. He said the JI was standing with journalist community in their struggle for free media.

Sirajul Haq said the three parties destroyed the economy and made surrender before the IMF. He said the ruling elite were united to keep the country under US influence. He said the rulers were failed to fight for Kashmir cause. He said the JI wanted to bring real change through peaceful democratic manner. He appealed to the masses to back the JI struggle to get rid of the corrupt system and status quo parties.

No-trust motion: Article 6 to be applied on those who sell or buy votes, warns PTI’s Faisal Javed News Desk In the backdrop of reports about horse-trading ahead of the vote on the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, the ruling PTI’s Senator Faisal Javed Khan on Sunday warned that lawmakers who sell or buy votes will be treated as “traitors” under Article 6. “Article 6 will be applied on those who will sell or buy votes. This is not constitutional change — it is a betrayal from the Constitution,” tweeted Senator Faisal with the oath taken lawmakers on his Twitter handle. “If a lawmaker crosses the floor, he will betray with his oath,” claimed the senator. The PTI lawmaker warned that besides Article 6, Articles 62 and 63 can also be applied against the MNAs who crosses the floor on the day of the voting on the no-trust motion against the PM. He added that Articles 62 and 63 could lead to a lifetime disqualification from politics . The senator issued the warning in response to a tweet by PML-N leader Khawaja Asif. The former foreign minister had tweeted that the Opposition is brining a constitutional change via the no-confidence motion. “The sole purpose is to establish rule of law and the Constitution. If the civil bureaucracy and the police try to sabotage this constitutional process, then Article 6 of the constitution is clear,” Asif had said. The PTI senator and the PML-N leader’s tweets come amid the no-confidence motion submitted by the Opposition against PM Imran Khan in the NA Secretariat. A total of 86 lawmakers from the Opposition parties signed the no-confidence motion, sources said. JUI-F’s Shahida Akhtar Ali, PML-N’s Khawaja Saad Rafique, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Ayaz Sadiq, Rana Sanaullah, Khawaja Saad Rafique and PPP’s Naveed Qamar and Shazia Marri submitted the no-trust motion and requisition for a session to the NA Secretariat. Currently, the government has a 17-member lead over the Opposition but the latter has claimed that it has enough support to prove that PM Imran Khan no more commands the people’s trust. However, the government is confident that PM Imran will win the backing of the National Assembly.

Over 8.2 mln Overseas Pakistanis registered with NADRA: Tariq Malik IsLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Chairman National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), Muhammad Tariq Malik has said that more than 8.2 million Overseas Pakistanis are registered with NADRA and the government was committed to provide maximum facilities to expatriates.

Addressing at the Overseas Pakistanis International Conference (OIC) in Islamabad on Sunday, he said that now all diaspora Pakistanis could get their passport online and CNIC within short time.

Tariq Malik informed that 20,498 employee working with NADRA, however, 760 Registration centers including 10 for Overseas Pakistanis, 10 mega centers, 222

mobile registration vans, 3 data centers and over 1000 services were providing to the people.

Chairman NADRA further stated that new mobile applications are under process to facilitate to the expatriates within hours including

digital NICOP, passport renewal or new registration for passport, death certificate, power of attorney, Roshan digital accounts, land record, succession certificates online biometric verification for overseas family members, PIA Repatriation

initiatives to ring Pakistanis back during Covid-19, Internet Voting, Complaints registration cell, he said that these were the major initiates for Overseas Pakistanis.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary Office of International Chapters of Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) Dr Abdullah Riar appreciated all the efforts of the government regarding Overseas Pakistanis and adding that through the Roshan digital account daily millions of rupees remittances submitted.

He said the incumbent government has taken milestone steps for the welfare and development of expatriates in the history of the country.

Dr. Abdullah Riar said that the main purpose of this conference was

to thanked to the incumbent government for taking historic steps for Overseas Pakistanis and appreciated the meritorious efforts of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

He said that a series of projects and schemes were launched for the betterment of the Overseas Pakistanis and their dependents in different sectors including Sohni Dharti, schemes of Modern Luxury Apartments, Roshan Digital Account, Prime Minister’s Performance Delivery Unit, Call Sarzameen, Naya Pakistan Calling Project, Visit Pakistan, internship, Complaint Cell, Ambulance Service, Investment Facilities Centre, Reintegration of Returnee Migrant Workers and Foreign Exchange Remittance Card.

Secretary Office of International

Chapters of PTI revealed that 5% population of the country was living abroad and sending over US$30 billion remittances to the country which was playing a backbone role in the national economy. Prime Minister has restored the dignity of green passport across the globe and first time in the national politics expatriates could participate due to the great efforts of the current regime. Dr Abdullah also underlined and appreciated the steps of the government including health card, loan without interest, receiving power of attorney for expatriates. The international community had acknowledged the smart lockdown policies and revival of industrial sector despite drastic impact of COVID-19.

Monday, 14 March, 2022 | KARACHI

NEWS

03

PmL-N, PPP AGree To GIve PuNJAb chIeF mINISTer’S PoST To PervAIz eLAhI: SourceS

A

News Desk

MIDST the rising political tensions in the country, the two biggest Opposition Parties, PMLN and PPP, have agreed nominate PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as Punjab chief minister in exchange of their party’s support for the no-trust motion to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Sources within the Opposition parties

said that the announcement regarding this decision will be made within the next 24 hours. They said that PML-Q, which is a key ally of the PM Imran Khan-led government, was informed about the development by a senior leader of PPP. PML-Q on Saturday had convened a consultative meeting in Lahore to address the present scenario in Punjab.

During the meeting, participants concluded that no PTI ally is pleased with

the federal government’s performance and that the PML-Q will have to make its own political decision shortly.

PML-Q leader Pervez Elahi is said to have taken other government allies under his wing and has committed to making decisions in collaboration with them, the sources revealed. Attendees also discussed and hoped that it was not too late to take sides before they were left with nowhere to stand.

According to sources, Chaudhry Shujaat

was also unsatisfied with the federal government’s performance.

“We will make decisions taking into consideration the national interest and political future,” the sources quoted Elahi as saying, adding that other participants of the meeting expressed their concerns over the non-fulfillment of promises in Punjab.

Government allies are likely to make a big announcement at a joint press conference in the next two to three days, sources added.

Maulana Fazl says ‘public should be ready to reach Islamabad at any moment’ News Desk Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday has asked the public to be ready as the Opposition will summon them to Islamabad at any moment as the noconfidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan has been submitted to the National Assembly.

Talking to journalists regarding the no-trust move, Fazl said the PM has lost the majority as well as the trust of his allies.

“The matter is out of PM Khan’s hands now,” he claimed, adding that “he should gather 172 members against the Opposition in the National Assembly rather than gathering one million people for the Islamabad rally.”

The PDM chief said that the workers should reach Islamabad as soon as they are summoned.

Taking a jibe at Sheikh Rasheed, who had claimed a day prior that he is standing in support with PM Imran Khan “like a wall”, Fazl said that the socalled support is nothing short of feeble.

He further criticised the interior minister and said that “he is someone who bites the hand that feeds him,” adding that “no one can stop the Opposition from entering the federal capital”.

Talking about the incumbent government, the JUI-F chief said that its days are numbered.

The National Assembly Secretariat has advised Speaker Asad Qaiser to summon a session before March 22 after

declaring that the Opposition’s noconfidence motion against Prime Minister Imran is filed as per the rules.

Officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, shared that summoning a session is a constitutional requirement that cannot be disregarded.

Sources privy to the matter said that the verification of the signatures of the Opposition’s MNAs on the motion and requisition for convening an assembly session has been completed.

They said that none of the signatures were found to be suspicious or against the rules, after which the secretariat forwarded the file to the NA speaker.

According to sources, the first phase was the verification of signatures on the requisition and the second was the verification of signatures on the no-trust motion.

The Opposition had submitted the no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan in the NA Secretariat last Tuesday.

A total of 86 lawmakers from the Opposition parties signed the noconfidence motion, sources said.

JUI-F’s Shahida Akhtar Ali, PMLN’s Khawaja Saad Rafique, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Ayaz Sadiq, Rana Sanaullah, Khawaja Saad Rafique and PPP’s Naveed Qamar and Shazia Marri submitted the no-trust motion and requisition for a session to the NA Secretariat.

Currently, the government has a 17member lead over the Opposition but the latter has claimed that it has enough support to prove that PM Imran Khan no more commands the people’s trust.

Grand open auction of Lahore’s first Downtown PR For the last twenty years in the real estate world, the revolutionary and innovative name "Kingdom Group" has won two plots worth billions of rupees at a downtown auction in the heart of Lahore under its new project Kingdom Valley. Kingdom Valley won the highest bid of 20 plots of Downtown 4 and Downtown 5 covering 20 kanals in the first downtown auction of Lahore organized by Lahore Central Business District.

Downtown Lahore will be the lurid future in terms of premium business hub division. Kingdom Valley strives to provide its customers with golden investment opportunities to turn their lives around.

karachi mercury to hit 40 degrees this week kARACHI INp

Shehbaz has profound doubts in NA speaker’s neutrality stAff RePoRt National Assembly Opposition Leader and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday expressed reservations over the impartiality of National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser.

“NA Speaker is custodian of the House, a role which requires him to be neutral & above party affiliation.

Given his conduct & statements, Asad Qaiser has come across as partisan & heavily tilted in favor of PTI. There is a huge question mark on his role & probity”, stated Shehbaz Sharif.

In a tweet, the PML-N president said: “Given his conduct and statements, Asad Qaiser has come across as partisan and heavily tilted in favour of [the] PTI.” Shehbaz said his behaviour had raised a “huge question mark on his role and probity”.

A day earlier, sources said with the

likely success of the motion of noconfidence against Premier Imran Khan, the motion against the speaker and deputy speaker of the NA will be submitted.

On Saturday, the opposition leaders criticised Speaker Qaiser over what they termed was his “blatant partisanship” in handling the noconfidence motion, asking the latter to step down from his position or call an immediate session of the lower house.

Sounding alarms over Qaiser’s terming of the opposition’s no-trust motion a “foreign conspiracy”, both main opposition parties –the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and PML-N – had said the speaker had failed to discharge his duty as a custodian of the house by showing explicit leanings towards the ruling party.

“By no stretch of imagination, can the speaker of the National Assembly make blatantly partisan statements about the vote of no confidence? This

The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast hot and dry days in the city next week, especially after March 15. The mercury is expected to stay between 36 and 38 degrees Celsius and might even near 40 degrees.

There increased temperatures will halt the sea breeze in the mornings, although it may resume in the evening.

Meanwhile on Sunday, the highest temperature in Karachi was recorded 22 degrees Celsius, while the water content in the air stayed at 66%. Winds are expected to blow at 8km per hour. Residents have been warned to stay indoor in the upcoming day and consume as much water as they can.

29 unidentified dead bodies fill up Lahore morgues LAHoRe INp

is a constitutional instrument he is trying to obstruct. This act by itself renders him unfit to preside over any such session,” Parliamentary Leader of the PPP in the Senate, Sherry

Rehman, had said in a statement.

Earlier talking to the media persons, the NA speaker had hit out at the joint opposition, saying that the no-trust move was bound to fail.

As many as 29 dead bodies that were found across the city in a time span of one month, have not been identified yet and were laying at the Jinnah Hospital and Mayo Hospital morgues, it was reported on Sunday. There are 20 bodies in Jinnah Hospital morgue and nine in the Mayo hospital. Moreover, due to an alleged negligence from the police investigation side, one of the bodies brought last year in Jinnah Hospital, has not yet been identified and now began to decay. The body was brought to the Jinnah Hospital four months ago.

UK floats Johnson visit to Saudi Arabia as Russia sanctions bite AfP Britain on Sunday defended lobbying Saudi Arabia to up its oil output as energy sanctions on Russia start inflicting a painful toll, after the Gulf kingdom executed a record number of prisoners.

Senior cabinet minister Michael Gove did not deny a report in The Times on Saturday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to visit Riyadh this week.

It said Johnson will lobby Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to help offset the impact of the Ukraine-linked sanctions, after Britain and the United States said they were ending imports of Russian oil.

“We have to rely on oil from a number of countries, many of whose human rights records we don’t approve of,” Gove told Sky News, after Saudi Arabia said it had executed a record 81 people in one day.

“Saudi Arabia is a security partner of the United Kingdom. I think that there are human rights concerns.

We’re clear about those,” he said.

“But we also recognise that at a time when the world is in a fragile situation, that diplomacy alongside clarity on human rights is important.”

Contacted by AFP, a Downing Street spokesperson declined to elaborate on any travel plans by Johnson this week. He is due to host a defence summit with leaders of

northern European countries on Tuesday.

Fallout from the sanctions on Russia has sent prices of petrol and diesel in Britain to record highs, adding to a cost-of-living crisis as household heating bills also rocket.

Johnson Thursday said Britain and its allies were moving away from dependence on Russian oil and gas, so that they were no longer “blackmailed” by President Vladimir Putin.

The White House on Wednesday was forced to deny a Wall Street Journal report that the crown princes of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had refused to accept calls

by US President Joe Biden.

The Times said Johnson was better placed to lobby Mohammad bin Salman, having stayed in contact with the Saudi ruler via WhatsApp messages.

But rights group Amnesty International said Johnson, if he does go, should challenge the crown prince over the mass executions and a 10year travel ban slapped on blogging rights activist Raif Badawi.

Amnesty UK rights adviser Polly Truscott said also that “Saudi Arabia mustn’t be allowed a free pass over the civilians being killed by Saudi coalition airstrikes in Yemen”.

Russia is the world’s largest producer of gas and second-largest oil producer, behind Saudi Arabia.

Monday, 14 March, 2022 | KARACHI

04 newS

$12Bn incReaSe in RemittanceS ShowS exPatS’ confiDence: faRRUKh haBiB IslaMaBaD

S

sTAff rePorT

TATE Minister for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib has said that the increase in annual remittances from $18 billion to $30 billion shows confidence of overseas Pakistanis in the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Addressing a three-day overseas Pakistanis convention on Sunday, the minister said that overseas Pakistanis have always supported Imran Khan and PTI. He said they have been a source of PTI’s funds.

The minister of state said that overseas Pakistanis played a pivotal role in making Imran Khan as Prime Minister of Pakistan. He said the incumbent government has legislated for giving voting rights to overseas Pakistanis.

Habib said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has improved the image of Pakistan and increased the value of the green passport. He said that Imran Khan is leading Pakistan with an independent foreign policy. He said Imran Khan has always raised voice for peace and against wars. He said all initiatives by the government aim at providing relief to the poor class of the society.

In his remarks, Adviser on Overseas Pakistanis Muhammad Ayub Afridi said the government will introduce e-gate system to facilitate overseas Pakistanis at the time of their arrival in Pakistan. He said the government is also taking steps to introduce online facilities in Pakistan’s embassies abroad. He said with online services overseas Pakistanis will be able to obtain visas and NICOPs without visiting the embassy.

He said Roshan Digital Account has en-

Rupee struggles against USD for 5th straight week KaraCHI TLTP

abled overseas Pakistanis to open their bank accounts in Pakistan. The adviser urged the overseas Pakistanis to invest in Pakistan and take advantage of business friendly initia-

Booming Pakistan launched to rebuild better Pakistan

Press release An inaugural event for #Booming Pakistan was organized at Marriott Hotel Islamabad on 13 March 2022. Booming Pakistan is an initiative taken by renowned real estate wunderkind and entrepreneur Mr. Mubusher Hayat. It is an idea to rebuild a better Pakistan where entrepreneurs and startups have a voice, and can show the world that Pakistan is truly ‘Booming’ despite the unfavorable news they watch and hear about the country. The aim of this initiative is to bring emerging independent businesses together so they can receive the recognition they deserve, and become easily accessible for the world to discover them and learn about their innovative business ideas and endeavors. The event was attended by high-level dignitaries, entrepreneurs, VIP guests from the business arena and leadership of emerging startups from Pakistan who were awarded shields in recognition of their business ideas and efforts to contribute to a positive image of Pakistan globally.

digital accounts, land record, succession certificates online biometric verification for overseas family members, PIA Repatriation initiatives to ring Pakistanis back during Covid-19, Internet Voting, Complaints registration cell, he said that these were the major initiates for Overseas Pakistanis.

The State Bank reported on Thursday last that the country received record-high workers’ remittances of $20.1 billion from the expatriates in the first eight months (July-February) of the current fiscal year 2021-22, and inflows stayed above $2 billion for the 21st consecutive month. Remittances rose 7.6 percent to $20.14 billion during July-February of the fiscal year 2021-22 compared to $18.71 billion in the same period of 2020-21. The inflows rose 2 percent on a month-on-month basis to $2.19 billion in February 2022.

PSX hinges upon no-confidence vote, Russian developments KaraCHI TLTP

Rupee slipped 0.57 percent (Rs1.01) against the US dollar for the fifth straight week due to surging oil and commodity prices globally amid Russia-Ukraine war. The rupee slipped from 177.50 to 178.51 against the American currency in the interbank market last week after going 0.22 percent, 0.71 percent, 0.13 percent and 0.66 percent down in the preceding weeks. The rupee set two all-time lowest levels of 178.63 and 178.61 against the US dollar during the week. Overall, the rupee has depreciated by Rs21.08 during the ongoing fiscal year 2021-22, while the local unit has depreciated by Rs2 during the current year 2022.

Within the open market, the rupee slipped from 177.50/178.50 per dollar to 178.80/179.50 per dollar during the week. On the other hand, the US Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback versus a bundle of its main competitors, remained on an upward slide. Reflecting a risk-off market mood, the index settled at 99.119 against 98.671 a week earlier, showing 0.51 percent gain on a weekly basis. Meanwhile, the benchmark 10-year US Treasury bond yields rose one-basis point to 2 percent.

The rupee started last week on the back foot, depreciating by 63 paisas (-0.35 percent) on Monday, 48 paisas (-0.27 percent) on Tuesday and 2 paisas (-0.01 percent) on Wednesday. However, the next two days remained better for the local unit as it remained firm and unchanged on Thursday, while Friday proved to be the best day of the week for rupee against the US dollar when it gained 12 paisas (+0.07 percent). However, the overall week remained negative for the rupee. The rupee is bearing the brunt of increasing trade deficit, surging import bill due to rise in oil and commodity prices, shrinking reserves, and Russia-Ukraine conflict.

tives of the government.

Chairman National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), Muhammad Tariq Malik said that over 8.2 million Overseas Pakistanis registered with NADRA and the government is committed to provide maximum facilities to expatriates.

He said that now all diaspora Pakistanis could get their passport online and CNIC within a short time. He informed that 20,498 employee working with NADRA, however, 760 Registration centres including 10 for Overseas Pakistanis, 10 mega centres, 222 mobile registration vans, 3 data centers and over 1000 services were provided to the people. Tariq said that new mobile apps are under process to facilitate to the expatriates within hours including digital NICOP, passport renewal or new registration for passport, death certificate, power of attorney, Roshan

After closing the week in red – with the benchmark KSE-100 Index shedding 898.1 points (-2.02 percent) – Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) is likely to remain under pressure in the week starting today (Monday) amid local political instability and geopolitical developments centring on Russia.

The market failed to keep momentum last week after gaining 567.2 points (+1.29 percent) in the preceding week due to tensions between Russia and Ukraine amid concerns over crude oil prices and supply chain disruption. However, the local political instability played a major role as Prime Minister Imran Khan is facing a vote of no-confidence and this situation is likely to weigh on the bourse throughout the week.

Moreover, a US lawmaker Scott Perry introduced a bill titled “Stopping Pakistani Terror Act” in the Congress last week that seeks to designate Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism. The bill tabled on March 8 read, “To provide for the designation of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, and for other purposes.” The bill introduced in the House of Representatives has been referred to the committee on foreign affairs. The bill bears geopolitical implications and dented the investors’ confidence.

The benchmark KSE-100 Index shed 898.1 (-2.02

percent) to settle at 43,653.3 level. The KSE-30 Index shed 452.77 points (-2.6 percent) to close at 16,976.08 points. The KSE-100 Index is currently trading at a PER of 4.8x (2022) compared to the Asia-Pacific regional average of 13.2x while offering a dividend yield of 9.0% versus 2.4 percent offered by the region.

The sectors moving the index towards south were banks (-167 points), oil and gas exploration companies (-163 points), power generation and distribution (-143 points), cement (-113 points), and oil and gas marketing (-101 points). The major scrips depriving the index of points were HUBC (-124 points), LUCKY (-122 points), PPL (-75 points), OGDC (-60 points) and PSO (-59 points).

The sectors moving the index towards north were technology and cement (+107 points), automobile parts and accessories (+20 points), and chemical (+15 points).

Scrip-wise positive contributors were SYS (+148 points), NATF (+23 points), and THALL (+20 points).

Foreign selling was witnessed this week, clocking in at $3.13 million against a net sell of $0.97 million recorded last week. Selling was witnessed in banks ($4.4 million), and textiles ($0.4 million). On the domestic front, major buying was reported by companies ($5.4 million), followed by other organisations ($3.7 million).

During the week under review, average volumes clocked in at 214 million shares (down by 0.7 percent on a week-on-week basis), while average value traded

settled at $38 million (down by 11 percent on a weekon-week basis).

According to separate reports from brokerages including Arif Habib Limited and JS Research, the market is expected to remain range-bound in the upcoming week. The reports said that the market is expected to remain jittery due to the no-confidence vote. “On the international front, any de-escalation

by Russia and successful negotiation with the West may push the commodity prices (especially oil and coal prices) down, which will improve the sentiment of the local bourse.”

Crude prices slip 5.5pc on weekly basis as wild ride continues IslaMaBaD Agencies

Crude oil futures dipped up to 5.5 percent on a weekon-week (WoW) basis after surging over 26 percent in the preceding week, continuing their wild ride amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Brent, the international benchmark for two-thirds of the world’s oil, edged lower by $5.44 (-4.61 percent) to $112.67 from $118.11 on WoW basis. In the preceding week, Brent jumped by $20.18 a barrel (+20.61 percent) to $118.11 from $97.93 on WoW basis. Brent traded as high as $139.13 a barrel this week, and as low as $105.60, which was the highest ever trading range for a week since the Brent benchmark was launched in 1988.

The West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the main oil benchmark for North America, went down by $6.35 a barrel (-5.49 percent) to $109.33 from $115.68 on a weekly basis. In the preceding week, WTI jumped by $24.10 a barrel (+26.32 percent) to $115.68 from $91.58 on WoW basis. Both global benchmarks – Brent and WTI – have recorded an increase in 10 out of the last 12 weeks.

The price of Russian Sokol slipped by $10.61 (10.75 percent) to $88.06 from $98.67 on WoW basis, going down for the second week in a row. Earlier in the preceding week, Sokol price slipped by 0.64 percent on WoW basis. Sokol price has been on a losing streak after surging for 10 straight weeks.

The price for Opec Basket slipped marginally from $117.96 to $117.23 on a week-on-week basis, showing a decrease of $0.73 (-0.62 percent). However, Arab Light remained the only benchmark whose price witnessed an increase of $1.21 (+1.13 percent) to reach $108.51 from $107.30 a barrel on a weekly basis. The prices for Opec Basket and Arab Light surged by 16.54 percent and 9.93 percent, respectively, in the preceding week. The price of Opec Basket has registered a minor dip after going up for 11 straight weeks, while Arab

CMYK

Light has been keeping its bullish bias intact for the last 12 weeks.

Prices violently whipsawed over the five-day period due to a flurry of news including a US ban of Russian crude imports and the UK’s gradual phase out of them.

Much of the industry is already shunning Russian oil.

In the most recent demonstration of its pariah status, there were no buyers in a tender for crude from the country’s Far East. Nuclear talks came to a standstill, prolonging the absence of Iranian barrels in a market desperate for additional supplies.

The fallout from the war has rippled through commodity markets from wheat to key fuels such as gasoline and diesel. Increasing inflationary pressure around the world are forcing banks to contemplate a phase of monetary tightening that might choke off the rebound.

However, Opec has stressed there’s no shortage, continuing its output hike of 400,000 barrels a day. The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday last called on Opec+ to boost output faster, though the nation’s energy minister appeared to later temper that message. The cartel, which counts Russia as a key member, has so far resisted calls from consumers to pump more, arguing that the surge in prices is driven by geopolitical tensions rather than a supply shortage.

KP proposes Rs107bn water supply project for Peshawar PesHaWar Aziz Buneri

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has proposed clean drinking water supply project for Peshawar from the under construction Mohmand Dam. However, the project will cost Rs107 billion, therefore, the provincial government has asked the central for financial support. According to KP Local Government Department sources, a plan to supply clean water from Mohmand Dam to Peshawar has been sent to Islamabad stating that the estimated cost of the project is Rs107.55 billion. According to sources, it is not possible from provincial government to fund the project from its own resources due to which the federation has been requested for financial support. It has been requested to include the project in the proposed Public Sector Development Program of the Fiscal Year 2022-23, i.e. the development program of the Federal Government so that all the expenses incurred on it would be borne by the Federal Government or both the Provincial and central Governments. Another plan has also been proposed to supply water from Jabba Dam to Hayatabad and Khyber while for the rest of Peshawar, clean water will be provided from the under construction Mohmand Dam.

Monday, 14 March, 2022 | KARACHI

NEWS

PPP demandS Pm’S name on eCL, na SPeaker’S reSignation iSLamaBad

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Staff RepoRt

HE Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders have demanded putting prime minister’s name on Exit Control List (ECL) and also asked National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser to step down for being ‘biased’ or the opposition would remove him through a noconfidence motion.

Addressing a joint press conference in Islamabad on Sunday with Syed Naveed Qamar and Faisal Karim Kundi, PPP Senator Sherry Rehman directed her criticism to Prime Minister Imran Khan and said that his countdown had begun.

“It’s opposition’s super over now as the entire country has expressed its distrust in the government,” she pointed out.

She stated that the PPP would never resort to abuses, asking the government not to

take the country towards a constitutional and political crisis.

She lambasted the government’s failure to timely understand the gravity of India’s ‘accidental’ missile landing in Pakistan and said: “A nuclear missile fell in our territory.

Why did the government take four days to fully understand the gravity of the situation?”

She also came down hard on the government’s failure to handle the worsening economic affairs and said: “Now even the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has expressed its disability to so something.”

The PPP Senator also deplored a federal minister’s statement of becoming a suicide bomber against the opposition and said that the government ministers were even ready to burn their own home and the country.

“They have led the country to crises.

Their government is now falling apart,” she stated.

Former National Assembly deputy speaker Faisal Karim Kundi said that the government was making attempts to hoodwink overseas Pakistanis again.

He also blamed the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) government for using delaying tactics in foreign funding case and added: “To date, the National Assembly speaker has not revealed who installed cameras in the Parliament.”

He also demanded that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) conduct hearing of the foreign funding case on a daily basis.

He asked National Assembly Asad Qaiser to resign or he would be removed through a no-confidence motion otherwise.

PPP MNA Naveed Qamar said that democracy worked when there was the rule of law, adding that the National Assembly speaker had no authority to count votes of parliamentarians. “He is clearly showing bias,” he said.

Trade with Central Asian countries under TIR agreement increasing pace: Custom officials newS deSK Bilateral trade with Central Asian countries under the Transport International Route (TIR) agreement is gradually increasing pace was said by Additional Collector Customs Muhammad Tayyab on Sunday.

In conversation with the media during a function at the Torkham border crossing, the customs official stated that in one year, more than 80 containers of goods have been imported and exported through the border.

He also claimed that with the completion of the Torkham Transit Terminal Project, which is currently under construction in line with international standards, the Torkham border crossing will become a hub of trade activities for the whole region.

“Rice, leather goods, sports goods, medicines and various kinds of machinery have been exported to Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian countries,” he furthered.

“The Torkham border crossing will be a gateway for trade activities in the region and will lead to a significant increase in the country’s revenue,” he said.

A function was organised at the Torkham border crossing by Pakistan’s customs officials as the country continues to import and export with Central Asian countries under the TIR agreement.

During the ceremony, TIR container number QAA 451 reached Torkham border via Uzbekistan carrying imported goods

from Afghanistan. As the container entered Pakistan, Additional Collector Customs Muhammad Tayyab and other customs officials and traders welcomed the driver with bouquets and flower garlands.

Adeel Ahmed, a driver from Punjab, told the media that he had left Tashkent, Uzbekistan, for Pakistan three weeks ago with a container full of cotton. However, due to snowfall in the upper parts of Afghanistan, the journey took several days longer.

Pakistan needs to tap $3tn ASEAN economy: Malik iSLamaBad Staff RepoRt

The SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) has called for benefiting from the $3 trillion economy of the Associations of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) through promoting trade and economic ties.

SAARC CCI President Iftikhar Ali Malik said this while talking to Pakistani origin traders’ delegation from Vietnam, said a statement issued on Sunday He said with ASEAN’s $3 trillion economic power and a large market of 650 million people in the region,the mutual $7 billion trade between ASEAN and Pakistan is far below its potential. He said Pakistan is a huge market with a population of 230 million where there are huge opportunities for ASEAN countries as well.

Malik said China has $600 billion in trade with ASEAN countries.Similarly China and ASEAN countries have a free

trade agreement with Pakistan from which both sides can benefit. Regarding multilateral trade in ASEAN and Pakistan’s trade interests with this trading bloc, Vietnam being an important member can also play its role in paying the way for trade with Pakistan.

He added that ASEAN is a very effective trading block of the world and has signed the free trade agreements (FTAs) with China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand from which all the regional countries are benefiting.

He said that Pakistan has GSP (Gener-

According to sources, Chaudhry Shujaat was also unsatisfied with the federal government’s performance. “We will make decisions taking into consideration the national interest and political future,” the sources quoted Elahi as saying, adding that other participants of the meeting expressed their concerns over the non-fulfillment of promises in Punjab.

The allies of ruling PTI are likely to make a big announcement at a joint press conference in the next two to three days, sources added.

Talking to media after the meeting, Ch Parvez Elahi said that the party leadership have made its decision and final consultation with colleagues is underway.

alised Scheme of Preference) plus agreement with European countries and FTA with other countries now both sides can promote bilateral trade under one agreement.

Malik who is also chairman United business Group in the federation of Pakistan chamber of commerce and industry said his group recently held a result oriented forum in Islamabad with ASEAN countries which was participated by Vietnam Ambassador Nguyen Tien Phong, Ambassador of Thailand Chakkrit Kravhaiwing and Malaysian Acting Ambassador.

Leader of the delegation Eng Ahmad Muzzamil Qamar Kamboh speaking on the occasion said strenuous efforts must be made to further swell the trade volume between two countries through FTA. He said the main reason for the decline in bilateral trade volume between both countries was lack of mutual awareness between both sides which needed to be improved in the future.

US diplomat assures support to increase trade with Pakistan SiaLKot Staff RepoRt

US Consul General William Makaneole has assured his full support and assistance in creating business-to-business linkages to promote bilateral trade between the US and Pakistan. The US consul general said this during his visit to the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI) on Sunday. President SCCI Mian Imran Akbar, Senior Vice President (SVP) SCCI Sheikh Zohaib Rafique Sethi and Vice President (VP) SCCI Qasim Malik warmly welcomed the US Consul General. Makaneole expressed gratitude over the warm welcome and assured his full support and assistance for promoting Pakistan-US trade. He said that joint efforts would be made to enhance the role of women entrepreneurs in the economic development of Pakistan. Speaking on the occasion, the SCCI president said the US is the top trading partner of Pakistan and the business community of Sialkot remained committed to strengthening the existing bilateral-trade relations which in trading figures had a major share in total external-trade of the country. He proposed that effective coordination should be established between SCCI and the US Consulate’s economic team to work on the prospects of exchanging trade delegations, exhibitions and finding common grounds for collaboration. Dr Nouman Idris Butt, Qaisar Iqbal Baryar, Fazal Jilani, Maj (retd) Mansoor, Dr Khurram Anwar Khawaja, Dr Mariam Nouman (President Women Chamberof Commerce & Industry Sialkot and members of the executive committee SCCI also attended the meeting.

Opposition to get buried under its own conspiracies: PM Khan

Political wheeling, dealing enters key stage as treasury, opposition try to woo PML-Q Continued from page 01

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“PML, MQM and Balochistan Awami Party are working together,” he said. Elahi urged Prime Minister Imran Khan to continue his efforts as he said the constitution and law are very clear on no trust motion and the Speaker National Assembly should abide by it.

“It was agreed (during the meeting) that the present assemblies will complete their term. A meeting with Shahbaz Sharif could take place anytime,” he said, adding that if the PML-Q joins opposition’s coalition, then its ministers would resign from the ministries.

Responding to another question, Elahi said that Aun Chaudhry, the leader of Jahangir Tareen group, had come for a meeting on Sunday and he too would convey their decision in the next two days.

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Continued from page 01 The prime minister said the crimes will only keep on rising if the nation stayed silent on wrongdoings in a society and allowed corruption, sex crimes and violence to become a norm.

He said his government had introduced a single national curriculum to remove class differences in the country. “Currently, only a tiny segment get good jobs while the rest of people end up getting low-scale jobs.”

He said it was imperative to teach the English language to everyone, but it should not be seen as a parameter to judge and differentiate people. “It only happened because we never overhauled our education system,” he added.

The prime minister said Pakistan was building two universities to empower the country technologically, and the varsities will enable Pakistan to manufacture its own aircraft.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif termed the prime minister’s speech as his “confession of defeat”.

In a statement issued by the PML-N, Shehbaz alleged that the premier’s agenda of angering “friends of Pakistan” had been accomplished and that he should quit now.

He said the inflation skyrocketed during the PTI’s tenure and the prime minister should be answerable for all hardships being faced by people.

“You must resign now and let the nation heave a sigh of relief,” the PML-N leader said.

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Monday, 14 March, 2022

06 COMMENT

The Ukraine War’s economic consequences for developing countries

Dragging the Army in PM’s disclosure of COAS’s request raises questions

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RiMe MiniSTeR imran Khan on Friday told a rally in lower Dir that Chief of Army Staff gen Qamar Javed Bajwa had asked him not to call pDM chief Maualana Fazlur Rehman ‘Maulana Diesel’.

He then, what his base would see as a fine independence of spirit by proceeding to call the Maulana ‘Maulana Diesel’, said he had told general Bajwa that he had only followed what people were saying about the Maulana. Mr Khan might think that that passed for humour, but it showed how he wanted the Army back in politics; apparently to back him in the no-confidence motion he is facing at the hands of the opposition. He also said to the rally that only animals remained neutral, and human beings choose between good and evil. Considering that iSpR Director general Maj gen Babar iftikhar had said just days earlier that the Army would remain neutral in this, he was clearly signaling the Army that it would be an animal if it remained neutral. How the military responded to having its neutrality thus thrown in its face is not known.

Mr Khan’s equation of himself with good and those trying to oust him as evil would have its mirror image in the opposition, which claims that the country’s problems are caused by his having been given power. However, it is still surprising that Mr Khan wants interference on his behalf. The neutrality of the armed forces in any struggle for power, is supposed to be desirable, and any attempt to distract them from their onerous task of defending the country’s borders is not just unconstitutional but also unwise. Mr Khan must also keep in mind that the wholly public way in which he disclosed what had passed between himself and general Bajwa (in a public rally, not because of a leaked phone recording or some such putatively private context) was also not particularly conducive to the defence of the country.

Mr Khan must learn to guard his tongue, but more importantly, he must remember that where he has avoided dragging in the military, despite so many taunts from the opposition, he should keep up the effort, and not seek to bring back the military into politics, even though it has announced categorically its withdrawal. He should not forget that if the motion against him is defeated, his own remarks will make it appear he did not do it off his own bat.

The war has meant that commodity prices are rising

Dr Omer JaveD ‘Russia’s invasion of its neighbour has caused additional increases in oil and food prices, further harming developing countries struggling to recover from the pandemic. Multilateral organizations should provide financing to help these economies cope with multiple shocks, and back regulations to prevent speculation in key markets.’ – An excerpt from a recent Project Syndicate (PS) published article ‘Putin’s war is damaging the developing world’ by Jayati Ghosh

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eveloping countries in general, and especially those which are net importers of oil are in a real fix as to how to manage macroeconomic challenges like high inflation, balance of payments concerns, and debt sustainability, on one hand, and on the other make needed development expenditures, especially in the health sector, along with providing enough stimulus, and subsidy to support people in the lower income echelons, which are many and most likely quite rapidly rising in numbers over the pandemic.

War in Ukraine has made all this all the more difficult, and as Jayati ghosh rightly pointed, requires a significant amount of support from both rich, advanced countries, and multilateral institutions. Yet this support in any significant way, has remained mostly eluded over the many months during the pandemic. on top of that, oil prices which took a nosedive and settled to around $20 a barrel in around the later part of April 2020, saw a fast-paced rise in the later part of the same year, due to demand improvement, but sadly also significantly at the back of artificially reduced supply.

Resultantly, oil prices had already risen to above $90 a barrel before the war began, and have now seen reaching around $130 a barrel. imagine the precarious situation in which developing coun-

BrahMos enquiry Pakistan must continue pursuing the path of diplomacy

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T is quite understandable why pakistan would like to join the enquiry into the straying of an indian BrahMos missile into pakistan. However, the kind of deliberation and measured response with which met the intrusion should continue, and the diplomatic channels used so far should be allowed to continue to progress normally. pakistan should realize that india will display its traditional paranoia about letting pakistan anywhere near its precious missile, or even any enquiry establishing what went wrong, allowing a missile fired in Haryana landing in pakistan.

The main danger of such an accident is that it could spark off an escalatory ladder that might lead one side to launch a nuclear weapon. vigilance makes this necessary on both sides. pakistan had no means of knowing that the missile was not carrying a nuclear payload until it landed near Mian Channu. it is also fortunate that it landed in an empty area, and did not land in a built-up area. it is also fortunate that its path did not cross that of any civilian airliner. These pieces of good fortune cannot be ascribed to any wisdom or prudence, but were the result of mere chance. Such incidents must be avoided, because the other side might respond aggressively. A joint investigation would also lead to a means of developing procedures for the two countries to follow in the event of such accidents. one reason pakistan has for joining the investigation can be accomplished without doing so, and that is a thorough examination of all relevant procedures and protocols. pakistan should remain aware that the present indian government is seeking a casus belli, and thus it should make sure that there are no inadvertencies or mistakes that would provide any excuse.

As it is, the ‘mistake’ provided a check of the pAF’s and the pakistan Army’s ability to respond. it would not be beyond india to fire off an expensive blank as a test. presumably the swift and professional response of both will have shown india that any aggression will be met appropriately.

It’s all about oil and gas

SyeD Zain abbaS riZvi

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T is a sight to marvel at. We have a united western front for the first time in decades. A consolidated response was not expected when Russia amassed troops on the Ukrainian borders. Some countries agreed to sanction Russian energy sectors (just the USA, for a fact) and some got wary of the inflationary repercussions. The only united stance was ‘no military involvement’ that could lead to a direct confrontation with Russia. in hindsight, everything but that has changed.

The Russian economy is gradually evaporating; Russian offshore currency reserves are frozen and seized; even the ‘untouchable’ oil and gas industries are getting tamed to pressure putin into an unlikely submission. But while Russia suffers (at least economically), i cannot help but question: is it going to end well for europe? Sure, the global economy is integrated with the US dollar rather than the Russian ruble. And despite being a significant oil producer, Russia only contributes roughly 11 percent of the global oil production. However, Russia is far more etched into the global economy, particularly the eu-

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Umar Aziz

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prices, a March 3 FT published article ‘Commodity prices soar to highest level since 2008 over Russia supply fear’ indicated ‘The S&p gSCi index, a broad barometer for the price of global raw materials, has jumped 16 per cent this week, leaving it on track for the sharpest rise on records dating back to 1970, according to Refinitiv data. it is now at its highest level since 2008. US oil prices also hit the highest level since 2008 on Thursday. Wheat futures in Chicago shot above $12 a bushel. other commodities including aluminium and coal have also soared this week, in a move that will have profound effects on global businesses and consumers.’

Similarly, another FT article ‘Food crisis looms as Ukrainian wheat shipments grind to halt’ pointed out with regard to rising food prices that ‘Russia and Ukraine supply almost a third of the world’s wheat exports and since the Russian assault on its neighbour, ports on the Black Sea have come to a virtual standstill. As a result, wheat prices have soared to record highs, overtaking levels seen during the food crisis of 200708. …The surge in prices will fuel soaring food inflation – already at a seven-year high of 7.8 per cent in January – and the biggest impact will be on the food security of poorer grain importers, warned analysts and food aid organisations.’ As per the same article, pakistan imported around 8090 percent of its total wheat imports from Russia and Ukraine in 2020, and therefore a war has meant that the country is likely to face longer timelines, and higher prices with regard to wheat that needs to be imported.

The writer holds PhD in Economics degree from the University of Barcelona, and previously worked at International Monetary Fund.Prior to this, he did MSc. in Economics from the University of York (United Kingdom), and worked at the Ministry of Economic Affairs & Statistics (Pakistan), among other places. He is author of Springer published book (2016) ‘The economic impact of International Monetary Fund programmes: institutional quality, macroeconomic stabilization and economic growth’.He tweets @omerjaved7

Sanctions on Russia and the European economy

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

tries find themselves. For how long they can manage pressures on fiscal balance on account of providing subsidies, and on balance of payments on account of higher import costs?

And cutting development expenditures would mean negative impact on growth recovery, and overall falling into stagflationary consequences. The war will likely exacerbate these pressures on macroeconomic accounts, with consequences of such rise in commodity prices already producing ripples in the political domains of developing countries in general; a repeat of similar consequences seen as the commodity prices increased as an outcome of the global Financial Crisis of late 2000s.

Criticising this rather self-centred approach by opeC+ group of countries, a recent Financial Times (FT) quoted the head of international energy Agency (ieA) in an article ‘ieA ready to release more oil to ease soaring energy prices, says chief’ recently as follows: ‘The head of the international energy Agency said the group’s members were ready to release more oil from emergency stockpiles to ease soaring energy prices, as he criticised Saudi Arabia and the United Arab emirates for refusing to pump more crude. Fatih Birol said the co-ordinated release last week by the US and other big energyconsuming nations of 60mn barrels was an “initial response” and that the ieA was ready to do “everything” to reduce the volatility in energy markets driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.’

A global commodity supply shock had already sky-rocketed food prices, and the war will only add to it, for instance in terms of essential natured commodities like wheat and fertilizer. The same article

by Jayati ghosh pointed out in this regard ‘Before the war, Ukraine was the world’s fifth-largest wheat exporter, and also a major exporter of barley, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower oil. The prices of these commodities in global trade have risen significantly, adding to recent increases in crop prices generally. …Crop production in developing countries could also be hit by fertilizer shortages. Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, is also a major fertilizer producer, and disruptions to these exports will push global food prices even higher.’

Highlighting the rising level of commodity

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ropean markets, than one might casually assume.

Maybe you are confusing modern-day Russia with the isolationist Soviet Union!

The oil prices were higher than ever recorded in the previous decade before recent developments eased the searing pressure. A welcome prospect? not so much! peaking back into immediate history, the oil price war of 2020 seems like such a distant past. let us have a brief recap. The opeC+ alliance (an informal coalition between Saudi-led opeC and Russian-led non-opeC oil-exporting nations) had a deal: a monitored cut in oil production (an estimated 2 percent of world production) to maintain crude prices in the global market. in March 2020, this agreement fell apart amidst the receding global demand due to the rampant spread of covid-19. The price support faded as the Saudis unilaterally decided to offer surplus crude supply at a discount. Saudi Arabia announced a 25 percent increase in production and supplied consignments at a roughly 10 percent discount. As the top global exporter of crude and oil products, Russia retaliated as the Russian ruble slipped more than 7 percent against the US dollar.

This price war, lasting only a month, resulted in a global market fiasco - facilitating a 65 percent quarterly fall in crude prices. Today, a similar scenario is covertly shaping in the background as a persistent Russia continues to wreak havoc in Ukraine.

The USA has banned oil imports from Russia, a symbolic rather than a strategically significant move.

The USA is one of the world’s three largest oil producers. And crude imports from Russia amounted to only about 8 percent of US liquid fuel imports in 2021. it means that the USA can avoid disruptions in its energy supplies; Russia could swiftly compensate for the loss by supplying elsewhere. How is that possible? Well, europe is the target market for the Russian energy sector. And none of the european countries have applied sanctions to Russian oil exports. Sure, Britain is vocally pledging to phase away from the Russian energy by the end of 2022. But the Russian oil (and gas) sector is still conspicuously barred from the punitive solidarity shown to Ukraine in the past two weeks. How economically (not to mention politically) fascinating!

Admittedly, germany announced an unprecedented move to suspend the licensing of the nord

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Stream 2 gas pipeline. We all expected german Chancellor olaf Scholz to cling tightly to the usual neutral narrative. However, the reality is that europe is still heavily dependent on the Russian oil and gas supply. Approximately 40 percent of eU gas and a quarter of its oil gets imported from Russia. Sure, the gas consumption is strictly seasonal - which might be the reason that inspired the bold decision to shelve the gas pipeline. Yet, Russia could still choke the gas (and oil) supply in retaliation.

According to estimates from Jp Morgan, 70 percent of Russian seaborne oil is struggling to find customers. And coincidently, some opeC producers are again attempting to increase supply as crude benchmark tails the 14-year high of $140/barrel.

The UAe and iraq, both opeC members, are reportedly motivated to bring about 800,000 barrels to the market without any official agreement. even a successfully renegotiated nuclear Deal with iran could sufficiently increase global production to replace Russian oil. Such prospects could eventually force Russia to play below the belt - choke european gas supply, disrupt negotiations with iran, and even flood the international market with cheap crude to deliberately make prices plummet .

While the nord Stream 1 pipeline is operating “at its full capacity,” according to Alexander novak - Russian Deputy prime Minister - just the prospect of supply disruptions from Russia rattled the european gas markets - at one point surging by 80%.

The oil prices would estimably breach the $150/barrel mark by this summer. it is stark clear that Russia is sustaining heavy blows to its economy. And it is also apparent that a revival would be a colossal effort spanning years of reparation. However, merely the fear of ‘minor’ penalties is already reflecting in the european markets. i wonder how practical it is to assume that Russian retaliation would be tolerable to europe? While the global political pundits are suspecting worse to come for Ukraine, i believe that worse is about to upend europe. And the bloc is eerily shrugging off the imminent economic devastation - much like it downplayed the possibility of an invasion. look how that turned out!

The writer can be at szainabbasrizvi.14122@khi.iba.edu.pk

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

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Climate change and Global Cooperation

Crypto: Making the World think twice about AML policies Cryptocurrencies have caught regulators wrong footed

Salman Shakir

A

CCoRDing to Chainalysis, “there is a 1,964% year-over-year increase in the total value of cryptocurrency laundered through DeFi protocols, reaching a total of $900 million in 2021”.

This shows the growing demand for AMl policies in the crypto space. Crypto exchanges are doing pretty well in terms of Know-Your-Customer client guidelines but nothing much to control money laundering. in the crypto space, added anonymity is something that’s discussed the most. From the decentralized nature of blockchains to the virtual environment in which digital currencies exiss, everything works together to attract cybercriminals. This along with many other important reasons raise questions about the socioeconomic ethics and legal compliance of this new financial system. it doesn’t matter what industry experts, leaders, and enthusiasts have to say, the digital currency proves to be a blessing for those who want to obscure the source of their unlawful proceeds which includes everything from buying illicit goods to ransomware attacks. Therefore, cryptocurrencies have received huge criticism regarding money laundering and other illegal financial proceeds.

Anonymity, ease of use, and borderless reach are the three essential ingredients for online money laundering, and digital currencies have got all of them. To make things work, money launderers take advantage of Bitcoin exchanges and Bitcoin mixing services. Such services provide users with a new and unique Bitcoin address to make deposits. The service provider pays out the recipient from its reserves and manipulates the amount and frequency of transactions to twist the legitimacy resulting in cash outs disassociated with illegal activities. What’s more surprising is that the sky is the spending limit.

The government of pakistan has recently expressed an immense resistance to use of cryptocurrency in any form within the country. The State Bank of pakistan (SBp) and the Central Bank have proposed a ban on cryptocurrency. others supporting the proposal include the Ministry of Finance, SeCp, and FiA. According to the submitted proposal, there has been a huge risk of money laundering and terror financing through cryptocurrencies. it all

started after the FiA investigated the suspected scam made by a local arm of Binance in the country. Waqar Zaka, a prominent media personality and crypto entrepreneur in pakistan, is at the forefront of allowing crypto in the country and has made significant efforts as he continues to believe that digital currency is the only solution to resolve the country’s financial crisis.

At the same time, it is also evident that crypto has now become a global revolution. Any actions taken by only a few or one country against it won’t leave a huge impact on the worldwide crypto space but the country could be left behind others. According to many industry experts, banning crypto in pakistan might become a huge mistake because it has unique benefits and use cases as well. A recent publication by CoinDesk highlights that many industry leaders are expecting the government to introduce adequate regulations instead of banning cryptocurrency.

Keeping in mind the staggering number provided by Chainalysis, there is a lot of room for money launderers but still, they need intelligent ways to get through it. These cryptographically recorded transactions are publicly recorded and accessed which means each one of them is traceable.

Most of the crypto exchanges and virtual asset service providers (vASps) globally operate with considerably less scrutiny and verification process due to which money launderers and cyber criminals prefer it to be the best place to move their illgotten funds.

To better combat money laundering in the crypto segments, governments, law enforcement agencies, regulatory bodies, and industry experts are investing huge time and money to get to the resolution. Yes, it might take some time but industry stakeholders are hopeful to get a complete hold of money laundering in crypto.

The current global financial system is fully governed and controlled by the governments, their regulatory bodies, and an international association of key industry stakeholders. it is governed and regulated by a set of universal policies, legislations, and legal bindings which also includes the anti-money laundering (AMl) laws and regulations. in the crypto space, AMl refers to having a similar set of legal obligations and policies that can identify, track, resolve, and eliminate money laundering in digital currencies. it might look like developing just another set of statutes from scratch but a few elements have made it a huge dilemma for everyone in the crypto world.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), US Financial Crimes enforcement network (FinCen), The european Commission, and regulatory authorities from other countries are in the pursuit to introduce new effective regulations that can control money laundering in the cryptocurrency space. on october 6, 2021, US Deputy Attorney general lisa o. Monaco made an announcement

about the creation of a national Cryptocurrency enforcement Team (nCeT) with a primary focus on dealing effectively with criminal/unlawful use of cryptocurrency, more specifically in terms of virtual currency money laundering, mixing and tumbling services — and other similar activities.

What are the prominent amL deveLopments in Crypto? in the USA, the national Defense Authorization Act (nDAA) includes the Anti-Money laundering Act of 2020 which encompasses many new reforms made in accordance to effectively address money laundering in cryptocurrencies and other digital assets. The european Union has also proposed a recast of many regulations to extend its anti-money laundering scope to transfers of crypto-assets. on December 1, 2021, Slovenian Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj said, “Today’s agreement is an important step towards closing the gaps in our financial systems that are malevolently used by criminals to launder unlawful gains or finance terrorist activities. Crypto-assets are more and more at risk of being exploited for money laundering and criminal purposes, and i’m glad the Council could make swift progress on this urgent proposal”.

Another notable reform made to the existing AMl Act is the revision of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) which also covers the Corporate Transparency Act of 2019, the illicit CASH Act of 2020 and the STiFle Act of 2020.

This includes an amendment of Section 5312 which now explains “money instrument” as “value that substitutes for any monetary instrument.” This along with many other key legislative reforms reflect considerable progression in terms of developing and imposing improved AMl regulations and policies globally. in addition to that, financial institutions are now required to provide key customer information to FinCen in case of any transaction that exceeds a cryptocurrency worth of $10,000 on their platform as well as unhosted wallets that can bypass the conventional financial institutions and their controls over the transactions.

Moreover, Banks and Fintechs are also required to record such transactions and cash flows that exceed a cryptocurrency worth $3,000. it cannot be denied that governments and regulatory bodies are making sufficient efforts to control money laundering in the cryptocurrency space. While taking a closer look at the rapidly evolving legislative reforms around the world, it can be concluded that the latest AMl developments are all focused to bring realistic and effective resolutions. in addition to that, crypto exchanges are also trying to effectively address the rising concern of money laundering within the system which may help in determining the best actions and systems to control illicit digital/cryptographic financial transactions.

It cannot be denied that governments and regulatory bodies are making sufficient efforts to control money laundering in the cryptocurrency space.

The writer is a freelance columnist

CliMATe change is a plebian and critical issue in the contemporary world, that has badly hit human life. it has gripped the whole world and wreaked havoc. The reality is that climate change is costing lives and it is a humanitarian crisis as well as an environmental one. The menace of climate change has been triggered by many factors, such as excessive greenhouse gas emissions, enormous use of non-renewable energy sources, deforestation and other anthropogenic activities. ostensibly, thanks to these factors, the earth gets warmer which leads to changes in climate patterns.

According to the intergovernmental panel on climate change (ipCC), the leading body of the United nations for the assessment of climate change has proved scientific evidence, for warming of the climate system.

Unequivocally, scientists, climate experts and authorities of the world have observed the changing patterns of rainfall, floods and temperature rise are some indicators of climate change.

The considerable rise in global temperature leads to the rapid melting of ice sheets. The satellites measuring Antarctica show the rapid loss of ice. if the present trends persist, the Arctic could be ice-free in the summer by 2040. According to ipCC reports, there was a 20cm rise in sea level during the 20th century, and if the present trends continue, it could rise by 20cm to 88cm by the year 2100; it will be vulnerable and pernicious for upcoming generations. The global emissions rate has kept worsening over time. Hitherto, the process of capitalism and neoliberalism are responsible for environmental degradation due to the ruthless commodification of nature in the race to accumulate profits. insofar, colonialism also greatly influenced the shape of prevalent economic systems, which have enabled vast accumulation via the ruthless exploitation of people and our planet. For instance, some eminent scientists and climate experts have warned if the global temperature continues to rise at the current pace it will have catastrophic consequences for years.

ZAKIR ULLAH MARDAN

Spring and what follows We are stepping out of winter and the beautiful season of spring is knocking at the door. This is the season when the trees grow new leaves, grass becomes greener, and birds make nests to lay eggs and hatch.

Flowers start blooming and the farmers prepare for harvest. Businesses bring new stocks to mark the beginning of a new festive season. This is the season that marks the end of harsh winter and the beginning of new life.

However, like any good thing, spring does not last forever. The beautiful spring is followed by scorching summer, which brings with it disease and floods. let us pray that this spring brings new hope, and we eventually get out of the unfortunate perpetual quarrels of our politicians.

We finally see them working for the betterment of our beloved country, which cannot take more of their farces. For if they don’t, we will not be prepared for what is come in the future. if our dynastic parties and selfserving political do not realize the gravity of the situation, which has been worsened by the pandemic, we will be caught off-handed by economic misery, dengue, and malaria.

We also would not be prepared to handle crushing electricity loadshedding due to increased demand and devastation of floods. one can only wish and pray that our leadership for once behaves in a forward-looking manner for the betterment of the country.

RAJA SHAFAATULLAH ISLAMABAD

The health system in Awaran AWARAn is a district present in the southern centre of Balochistan. it was created as a separate district in november 1992. District Awaran is a part of Kalat division with an area of 29510 sq.k.m.s. About 60% of the population of Awaran are nomads and the main source of livelihood is livestock.

According to the census of 2017, Awaran has a population of 121,680 and before the earthquake, the population estimated was 206,192. Health is a major blessing for human beings. everyone is in a race to keep themselves healthy by hook or by crook. A healthy person enables an active role in society.

According to the World Health organisation (WHo), health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. on the 24th of September 2013, a natural disaster (earthquake) hit district Awaran. The earthquake continued up to a year and destroyed the district badly. Many people died and many were injured. The injured ones were shifted to BHQ Uthal and Karachi because the health department of district Awaran was poor and was unable to treat them.

352 deaths were reported in district Awaran according to WHo. The health department of Awaran and district administration were responsible for that. Had there been proper hospitals and good doctors, patients would have been treated and even saved. not only this, district Awaran has been deprived of health facilities even after the earthquake. Many pregnant women and unwell persons died due to the negligence of the health department. The situation is still the same. if a snake or scorpion bites a person, they use herbal medicines to protect their lives.

This disaster was a very big lesson for the health department and also for the district administration to reform things but nothing was done.

Many researchers visited district Awaran. After seeing the condition of the district, they prompted the residents to take action against the health issues of district Awaran. people tried but nothing happened. people are still facing health issues due to lack of facilities like defaulter of doctors, Absentee of paramedical staff, lady Health Workers programs (lHW), Traditional Birth Attendant(TBA), Cottage Health programs, Malaria Control programs, Medical Social Welfare and many more. The government should provide all the needed facilities to the district.

MUMTAZ ALI AWARAN

08 WORLD VIEW 14 March 2022_Layout 1 3/13/2022 8:35 PM Page 1

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WORLD VIEW

the DelhI DIlemma oPen Magazine Michael KugelMan

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nE can be forgiven for still not accepting the fact that Russia has invaded Ukraine. The mobilisation of nearly 200,000 troops along the border should have been a bluff, or at the most a precursor to a more limited incursion. Leaked US intelligence reports warning of full-scale war should have been exaggerations. Weren’t full-scale, cross-border land invasions meant to be a relic of the past? Vladimir Putin wouldn’t dare deploy Russian troops across Europe’s second-largest country, would he?

But he did. The horrors of this war are plain to see, and further amplified by the power of social media, which have brought unrelenting images of destruction and displacement. The immediate global impacts, especially skyrocketing oil prices, are being felt, too.

Wars are famously unpredictable. We don’t know how long this conflict will last, or how it will end. The only person who knows may be Putin himself. But even at this early juncture, it’s clear the war has caused seismic shifts for international relations. And it presents South Asia with difficult choices.

Putin’s invasion offers a jolting reminder that traditional security threats have not gone away. All that talk of new and emerging security challenges, such as climate change, pandemics, and cyber war?

All that emphasis on today’s conflicts mainly being waged by proxies and other non-state actors? All that focus on the need for more agile and modern military forces to counter these new threats? Putin has put that talk on ice by launching a traditional conflict, using traditional tactics and traditional equipment. To be sure, it features modern elements, like information warfare.

Still, one of the most striking manifestations of the war effort so far has been eerie satellite imagery of a 40-mile-long Russian tank convey slowly making its way across Ukraine. It’s a scene associated with so many wars of the past.

Another notable fallout of this war is the limits of US power, and that of the West on the whole. The nATO alliance couldn’t deter Russia’s annexation of Crimea in

2014, and it couldn’t deter this much larger invasion. Washington tried its best, from threatening sanctions and offering diplomacy to leaking intelligence meant to expose Russian false flags. nothing worked.

Beijing and nervous citizens of Taiwan have taken note. So has Pyongyang, which tested missiles soon after the launch of the invasion.

The good news for the West is that Russia has reenergised and reunited a nATO alliance that floundered during the Donald Trump era. Putin has helped Joe Biden achieve one of his core foreign policy goals—the restoration of alliances. Washington and its nATO allies are on the same page in their views of Russia’s invasion.

Also, EU countries, which rely heavily on Russian energy, are rapidly developing new policies to reduce their reliance on Russian gas, in order to ease their concerns about any sanctions on the Russian energy sector—one of the only aspects of this crisis where Washington doesn’t see eye-to-eye with its European partners.

Still, nATO has difficult decisions to make. Unless Russia expands its war into nATO territory, the alliance wisely won’t put boots on the ground. This leaves limited military options to assist Ukraine. The most impactful option, a no-fly zone, is unlikely because it could drag nATO into the war.

A more feasible step may be providing training to Ukrainian troops on nATO soil.

For now, the plan is to funnel arms and other military assistance to Ukrainian forces. But this may not be enough. For now, Ukraine is bravely resisting Russian offensives, but much more Russian firepower could be in the offing. The numbers aren’t in Ukraine’s favour. The Russian military is much larger, and Moscow’s defence spending in recent years has been more than 12 times that of Ukraine’s.

For countries further removed from the war, such as those in South Asia, there are different kinds of difficult choices to make.

Russia has no enemies in South Asia—and quite a few friends. The Soviet debacle in Afghanistan continues to haunt Russia today, but in recent years Moscow has cultivated cordial ties with key political actors there, including the Taliban. Its relationship with India continues to be a combination of nostalgia-driven bonhomie and cold-hard-interests-based defence cooperation. In recent years, impelled by shared goals in Afghanistan and a keen interest in Pakistan’s gas industry, Moscow has quietly scaled up ties with Islamabad. In other South Asian states, Russia has made trade and investment inroads. It’s a top destina-

tion for Sri Lankan tea exports, it has invested in nuclear power in Bangladesh, and it has explored cooperation with nepal’s energy industry.

In the West, where relations with Moscow range from awkward to hostile, there’s no question about whether or not to take a hard line towards Moscow, postinvasion. But in South Asia, it’s more complicated. The region has been divided about how to react—quite literally. Half the SAARC states abstained from a Un General Assembly resolution condemning the invasion, and the other half voted in favour.

While nATO has difficult choices to make in the military/security realm, South Asian capitals are presented with some tough diplomatic and economic choices. Up to now, India has declined to criticise its Russian friend for its aggressive acts. This position is fully consistent with past policy, but increasingly untenable today because the invasion of Ukraine is especially egregious, and because new Delhi’s strong security relationship with Washington—stronger even than back in 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea—means India will be under unprecedented pressure to change its stance.

The war poses threats to Indian foreign policy interests, from driving Moscow into Beijing’s arms to distracting Washington from countering Chinese power in the IndoPacific. India will be pressured to play an unfamiliar but potentially useful role of mediator between Russia and Ukraine. new Delhi will also be faced with tough choices about future arms imports from Russia. With fresh sanctions in place, Washington will expect new Delhi to dramatically draw down, if not altogether halt, future defence acquisitions from Russia— and especially if, as is likely, it waives India from sanctions for its S-400 purchase. India has reduced its share of Russian arms imports in recent years, but it remains heavily reliant on Moscow. neither its other arms partners nor its still-plodding indigenous defence production system can quickly fill the gap. India could reduce energy imports from Iran because it developed a Plan B to immediately turn to other Gulf exporters.

But India can’t go cold turkey on its Russian arms reliance, because of a lack of immediate alternatives.

Then there’s Pakistan. Islamabad speaks of engineering a foreign policy shift to “geoeconomics”, with a focus on forging deeper trade and connectivity links with Afghanistan and Central Asia—a goal with even greater appeal now that Pakistan’s Taliban ally is in power in Kabul. Russia, with

its deep influence in Central Asia, is envisaged as a key component of this strategy, and gives Islamabad a strong incentive to strengthen friendship with Moscow.

But the war in Ukraine complicates Pakistan’s plans. Russia’s coming economic implosion will mean less capacity to provide financial assistance to Central Asian states, which at any rate have reacted with anger to Russia’s invasion and may not wish to work with it—on trade and connectivity or anything else. Any direct Russian investment in Afghanistan, which the Taliban would certainly welcome, is also in question. Additionally, Pakistan’s prospects for energy cooperation with Russia are in doubt, given the new sanctions regime. Fortunately for Islamabad, it may get a boost from its ally China, which could fill an economic vacuum in Central Asia left by a beleaguered Russia. Still, Pakistan will need to figure out how to carry out its core foreign policy vision now that a key intended player could soon be out of the picture.

Meanwhile, the war presents smaller South Asian states with opportunities—but with a big catch. Moscow will be looking for new markets beyond the West to help boost its struggling economy. Countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, where Russia has investments, trade ties, friends, and soft power (through the provision of education scholarships in Russia), may appear attractive to Moscow. Additionally, the smaller South Asian states don’t like being battlegrounds for intensifying India-China competition. They may welcome opportunities to escape that tug of war through more engagements with a third power.

But that would be a big risk. There are important trade relationships with the EU, including special trade privileges. Engaging with a sanctioned Russia could jeopardise these important links with Europe, and undermine fragile economies hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and inflation.

Russia’s war, like the pandemic, has changed the world. For those fortunate to survive Covid, life will eventually return to normal. But the war’s effects—starting with its devastating human toll in Ukraine and extending to its global implications for economics, diplomacy, and geopolitics—will linger for years. A war with many 20th century characteristics will leave a lasting imprint on a 21st century world.

Michael Kugelman is Deputy Director of the Asia Program and Senior Associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center, Washington DC

Congress must reform It’s in the interest of democracy Tribune, india The rout of the Congress in the recent Assembly elections confirms the view that the grand old party is in terminal decline, and that the 2024 parliamentary election would pit the BJP not against the Congress but a coalition of regional parties, with or without the Congress. When the BJP won power at the Centre in 2014, the Congress ruled nine states — now, with the loss of Punjab, the number is down to two. In the last eight years, the Congress has won just five of the 45 elections held in the country. Its hope of wresting back Himachal Pradesh from the BJP later this year would be reduced in the absence of state supremo Virbhadra Singh, who died last year; the two states it still rules, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, go to the polls in 2023 and there is a real possibility that by the 2024 General Election, it may be in power in no state at all.

The decimation of the Congress robs the voter of a centrist option at the national level, and makes the contest in national electoral politics multipolar, with various regional parties — with vastly different ideologies and ambitions — coming together to challenge the BJP. India must have a strong Opposition to hold the government to account.

However, a motley collection of parties — competing for prime ministership among themselves — may not be best suited to serve the interests of democracy. The Congress, despite its spectacular decline over the last decade, had seemed the most viable alternative to the BJP, but even veteran Congressmen are losing hope now.

The Congress’ vote share in the last two General Elections was the second-best — at 19.31% and 19.46% — behind the BJP, and it has the potential to represent Indian citizens across the country. It still may be the biggest single challenger to the BJP, but it’s obvious that it has got stuck in a rut. There is confusion at the top — after Rahul’s resignation as president in 2019, Sonia Gandhi has been interim president — and panic in the ranks. Organisational reform is the need of the hour, in the interest of a strong Opposition — and, thus, in the interests of India.

the Imf’s unfinished business ProjecT SyndicaTe

GIVEN THE POSSIBILITY THAT INTEREST-RATE HIKES AND RUSSIA’S WAR IN UKRAINE WILL TRIGGER MASSIVE CAPITAL FLIGHT AND A GLOBAL DEBT CRISIS, IT IS CRITICAL THAT THE IMF EMBRACE CAPITAL CONTROLS

Joseph e. stiglitz and Kevin p. gallagher

t

HE International Monetary Fund (IMF) is showing promising signs of changing with the times. In addition to recognising that climate change poses significant risks to financial stability, it has responded to the pandemic with a major new allocation of special drawing rights (the Fund’s reserve asset), while criticising the G-20’s inadequate framework for dealing with debt distress. Moreover, in a recent agreement with Argentina, the Fund has largely abandoned the kind of austerity programmes that have long plagued its reputation, not to mention undercutting livelihoods around the world.

The IMF will have a chance to take another major step in the right direction when it reviews its stance on capital-flow regulation later this month. The original rationale for such regulation, enshrined in the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, was that cross-border capital flows could disrupt international financial markets, the stability of which was the IMF’s raison d’être.

Yet, ironically, in the Fund’s darker days during the 1980s and 1990s, it made bailout packages conditional on recipients deregulating financial flows; and in the late 1990s, it even tried to change the Articles of Agreement to outlaw capital-flow regulation. But the 1997-98 East Asian financial crisis, which resulted largely from capital-market deregulation, sidelined that effort. After those tumultuous years, many middle-income countries pushed back against the IMF’s drive for capital-market liberalisation and “self-insured” against capital-flow volatility by accumulating foreign-exchange reserves and implementing capital-account measures.

For many countries, capital flows are important for sustaining investment and growth. But some of the IMF’s own research shows that international capital flows to emerging market and developing countries (EMDCs) tend to be highly unstable, surging when interest rates are low in the United States, only to undergo “sudden stops” when monetary conditions tighten. While the surges push up exchange rates and encourage EMDC companies and households to borrow excessively, the sudden stops derail growth, weaken exchange rates, and drive up debt to unsustainable levels. The resulting crises take an enormous toll on these countries’ economies and citizens.

Recent advances in economic theory have proved that capital controls can make markets more efficient, not less. In 2011, Anton Korinek published an article in the IMF Economic Review showing that capital flows generate negative externalities because individual investors and borrowers are focused only on their portfolios, not on how their decisions may affect financial stability. Just as the absence of pollution controls results in excessive pollution, the absence of capital-account controls can lead to excessive capital inflows.

The following year, the IMF issued a new “institutional view” acknowledging that capital-flow deregulation is not optimal for most EMDCs, and that capital controls can indeed be effective under certain circumstances. And, to reduce the stigma, it rebranded such regulations as “capital flow management measures” (CFMs).

Yet the effects of this shift remained limited, owing to resistance from major IMF shareholders, financial lobbies, and intransigent economists inside and outside the institution, who argued for unfettered financial mar-

kets and massive bailouts when things went awry. In the end, it became IMF policy to recommend CFMs only as a last resort, after a government had exhausted all other possibilities, even though this was a decidedly ideological position with no basis in prevailing economic theory. Academic economists and the IMF’s own researchers have shown that capital controls are most effective when they are deployed alongside other policies, not used in isolation.

Moreover, forthcoming research from one of us (Gallagher), Luma Ramos, and Lara Merling, suggests that the IMF’s new institutional view actually had less of an impact on its behavior than proponents might have hoped, even after its new position had been tightly circumscribed. The Fund simply did not pay much more attention to capital-flow volatility in the decade after the policy was adopted; and when it issued advice on capital-account regulations, its prescriptions were inconsistent across countries.

Even in the early days of the COVID-19 crisis, when EMDCs experienced massive capital flight, which predictably depreciated exchange rates and pushed many countries into debt distress, the IMF remained reluctant to advise countries to regulate capital flows. But things began to change this past December when the IMF admitted that it should have sanctioned CFMs in its failed Argentina program, which has now been renegotiated and will take effect pending approval by the Fund’s board.

Another problem, however, is that even as the IMF has slowly changed its own stance on capital controls, trade and investment treaties have further curtailed countries’ ability to regulate capital flows. A recent study

analysing more than 200 trade and investment agreements finds that the majority of those between advanced economies and EMDCs not only prohibit capital controls but also allow private financial firms to challenge governments directly through dispute-settlement bodies that tend to favour the firms. Worse, treaties outlawing capital-flow regulation are fast becoming the norm, and cases against governments are on the rise.

At this month’s review, the IMF’s board should press for four reforms to the Fund’s capital-account policy.

First, the IMF must clearly advise member countries to enact permanent regulations allowing for the rapid deployment of CFMs during surges and sudden stops. Second, it must recommend that CFMs be part of a multipronged approach, rather than used only as a last resort. Third, the IMF should advocate reforms to trade and investment treaties to grant EMDCs more policy leeway for using CFMs. And, fourth, the IMF must set aside time to train its staff to implement these policies in a consistent and even-handed manner.

Given the possibility that interest-rate hikes and Russia’s war in Ukraine will trigger massive capital flight and a global debt crisis, it is critical that the IMF embrace capital controls and the role they can play in helping member states mitigate financial instability. The world economy may well depend on it.

Joseph E. Stiglitz, a Nobel laureate in economics, is University professor at Columbia University and a member of the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation. Kevin P. Gallagher is a professor and Director of the Global Development Policy Centre at Boston University.

Monday, 14 March, 2022 | KARACHI

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TAlIbAN STAgINg MASSIvE HouSE-ToHouSE SWEEP ACroSS KAbul Induction of J-10C in Fighter Fleet of Pakistan Air Force is a Huge Milestone Press release Induction of J-10C aircraft has further strengthened PAF as a formidable and potent force well capable of defending the aerial frontiers of our beloved country. With J-10C “Dragon” Omni role fighter in its ranks, PAF retains the first shot BVR capability while maintaining a qualitative edge in the application of Air Power across all domains. The capabilities of the aircraft are showcased in the short video documentary released by Directorate General Public Relations (Air Force).

KaBUl

T

aFP

HE Taliban are conducting a massive security sweep of Kabul and other Afghan cities, their spokesman said Sunday, going house-to-house in search of weapons and criminals blamed for a recent spate of robberies and kidnappings.

The operation, which started Friday, has alarmed many who fear being targeted because of their association with the previous Western-backed regime or the US-led foreign forces who finally withdrew on August 31.

Some irate residents posted videos on social media showing homes they said had been trashed during Taliban searches, but several people told AFP their encounters had been polite and cursory.

“It was just my nephew at home when they came and they made a big mess,” said one resident, who asked not to be named, showing AFP a series of pictures that revealed considerable disruption.

The Taliban called the sweep a “clearing operation”.

“We are trying to take steps against those kidnappers, thieves and looters who

have weapons in their hands and threaten the lives of the people,” spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a news conference.

He said authorities had discovered two kidnap victims during the operation, and also freed two teenage girls who they found chained in a basement.

Mujahid said light and heavy weapons, explosives, radio equipment and drones had been seized, as well as ve-

hicles belonging to the military or government.

Patrols stePPed uP: Six people suspected of being members of the Islamic State group had been detained, he said, along with nine kidnappers and 53 “professional thieves”. “We want to assure the residents of Kabul that these operations are not against the common people,” Mujahid said.

“The residents of the city should be confident the search is going on carefully.” The Taliban have also stepped up street patrols in the capital and established temporary roadblocks at key intersections, where they search vehicles at random or check the identities of those inside. Dozens of newly trained policewomen were involved in the sweep in case there were no men at houses being searched, Mujahid said.

Social media showed images and video clips of doors and wardrobes that had been bashed in, cushions and mattresses slashed open, and belongings strewn across floors.

“The intimidations, house searches, arrests and violence against members of different ethnic groups and women are crimes and must stop immediately,” tweeted Andreas von Brandt, the European Union’s ambassador to Afghanistan.

“Despite Putin’s war we are watching you,” he added, referring to the Russian invasion of Ukraine that has dominated news cycles for the past few days.

“Focus on securing Europe from Putin,” replied Muhammad Jalal, a Taliban official with a prolific social media presence.

Freight train derails near Latifabad Hyderabad aPP

Pakistan Navy Conducts Successful Weapon Firing During Exercise Seaspark 2022 KaraCHI Press release

In an impressive firepower display, Pakistan Navy Fleet units demonstrated combat readiness and war fighting potential by Live Weapon Firings of Anti-ship Missiles and Torpedoes in North Arabian Sea. Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi witnessed the Live Weapons Firings along with senior officers from Tri-services. During the Fire power demonstration, PN Ship, Aircraft and Submarine successfully hit their intended targets thereby re-affirming PN's war fighting capability and combat potential.

The live weapons firing were conducted on the culmination of sea phase of PN's Major Maritime Exercise SEASPARK-2022. The exercise was conducted to validate PN operational plans and war preparedness of Pakistan Navy. On the occasion, Naval Chief expressed his entire satisfaction on the operational readiness of Pakistan Navy and its preparedness to defend the national maritime interests.

He also commended the officers and men for their commitment and professionalism. Chief of the Naval Staff assured that Pakistan Navy is ever ready to thwart any aggression against Pakistan's Maritime frontiers and will continue to play an important role in making defense of motherland impregnable. Pakistan Navy stands fully prepared to tackle threats across entire spectrum of warfare.

The show of fire power by Surface, Sub-Surface and Aviation units is manifestation of our resolve.

Seven bogies of a freight train derailed near Latifabad Unit No 7 Hyderabad on Saturday, suspending rail traffic on the up-country track.

Soon after, Pakistan Railways Chief Executive Officer Zafar Zaman Ranjha suspended Grade-17 Assistant Engineer Manzoor and Grade-16 Permanent Works Inspector Shehzad for negligence of duty and ordered an inquiry.

CEO Ranjha directed the concerned divisional superintendent to restore rail traffic and assure the passengers that they would not face any problems.

The railways officials informed that the freight train derailed when it was approaching the Hyderabad railway station while there were no reports of casualty or injury in the incident.

The trains heading towards Hyderabad railway station were stopped at Kotri.

The railways officials said that heavy machinery moved to put the bogies back on track, adding that it would take them a few hours to restore the rail traffic.

Road accidents and violations decline in Capital after introduction of e-challan system IslaMaBaD Press release

The ratio of road accidents and violation of traffic rules have declined in Capital after introduction of echallan system and desired results are being achieved through it. It was stated by Senior Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Rai Mazhar Iqbal while reviewing the overall impact after launch of e-challan system.

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

challan system is aimed at ensuring implementation on traffic laws. The commuters receive tickets at their home address after reporting violations through Safe City cameras, installed at various locations in the city.

The system is linked to the Safe City and Excise and Taxation Office. The challan included over speeding, signal jumping, line and lane, one way, without lights, rash driving, excessive smoke, mobile phone usage, not wearing seat-belt and helmet.

The SSP said that more than 1,680 challans have been issued under this system during last one month and it has helped a lot to control lane and signal violations. The e-challans are dispatched at the ad-

dresses of violators which they have mentioned at Excise and Taxation Office at the time of registration of their vehicles. In case of non-payment of fine amount within a certain period, the fine ticket is annexed with master file placed at Excise and Taxation office. It would be impossible for those issued e-tickets to get their vehicles transferred to some other till payment of the fine amount.

The fine can easily be paid through various mobile and bank accounts and other digital means. The SSP (Traffic) said that this system would be improved in the coming days and ITP be upgraded on modern lines.

BOP President Zafar Masud awarded Hungary’s highest civil award for strengthening Hungarian-Pakistani Cultural Co-operation Press release Mr. Zafar Masud, President & CEO of The Bank of Punjab, was decorated with the highest civil award of Hungary for spearheading the initiative to further strengthen Hungarian-Pakistani cross cultural ties, by restoring the historically significant Subcontinental artwork of Hungarian Artist August Schoefft.

The award, “The Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary”, was presented to Mr. Masud by the Hungarian Ambassador to Pakistan, H.E. Mr. Bela Fazekash, on behalf of H.E. the President of the Republic of Hungary, in a ceremony in Islamabad. Also in attendance at the event were officials

of the Embassy of Hungary, and other local and foreign dignitaries.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Masud said, “The restoration of the 19th century Hungarian Artist August Schoefft’s paintings at Lahore Fort through experts from Hungary to their original grandeur was fully sponsored by The Bank of Punjab as being one of its most significant Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. It signifies the importance attached

by BOP towards preserving our national – and our common International heritage, tying very closely to our value proposition.”

Mr. Masud also said, “These paintings portray an important period of the Subcontinent’s, and now

Pakistan’s, history; and are a precious surviving testament of the common heritage of Hungary, Pakistan and the Sikh Community.

This is to my mind is a true depiction of our tolerance and acceptance for all cultures and societies, as a nation.”

Mr. Fazekash, the Hungarian Head of Mission, said that this award is presented to Mr. Masud “in recognition of his outstanding contributions to strengthen Hungarian-Pakistani cultural cooperation.” He further said that this initiative to restore and exhibit the 11 Schoefft paintings at the Lahore Fort could not have been realized without the generous sponsorship of the Bank of Punjab.

Monday, 14 March, 2022 | KARACHI

10 FOREIGN NEWS

35 dead in Russian aiR stRike on ukRaine militaRy base neaR Poland

R

agencies

uSSIAN air strikes killed 35 people at a military base outside ukraine’s western city of Lviv, local officials said on Sunday, in an attack that brings the conflict dangerously close to the Polish border. ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 1,300 ukrainian troops have died since the Russian military operation began. Humanitarian corridors continue to open in ukrainian cities for civilian evacua-

tion.

Nearly 2.6 million people have fled ukraine to other countries, according to the latest uN data. u.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday authorized an additional $200 million in weapons and other assistance for ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday, and urged them to influence the Kyiv authorities to stop “criminal acts” by ukrainian “na-

French, German leaders call for immediate ceasefire in call with Putin news Desk French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to put in place an immediate ceasefire in ukraine and called for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. Macron and Scholz appealed to Putin to “move toward a diplomatic solution to the conflict” in the 75-minute talk, according to German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit. According to a Kremlin statement, Putin gave a “detailed account of the series of talks held via video conference by Russian and ukrainian representatives over the past days,” and called on the Western leaders to persuade the ukrainian government to stop “criminal acts” by “nationalist battalions.” “Nationalist battalions regularly sabotage rescue operations and threaten civilians when they attempt to evacuate,” the Kremlin said. The three leaders agreed to continue to communicate on ukrainian issues, the Kremlin added.

iran suspends talks with saudia in protest to kingdom’s mass execution DuBai Agencies

Iran has suspended talks with regional rival Saudi Arabia, a website affiliated to Iran’s top security body reported on Sunday, without giving a reason for the decision which comes as a fifth round of negotiations was due to start this week. The news comes a day after Saudi Arabia carried out mass executions that activists said included 41 Shia Muslims, and amid stalled talks on an Iranian nuclear deal in Vienna. “Iran has unilaterally suspended talks with Saudi Arabia,” Nour news said, without providing a reason. It said no specific date had been scheduled for a new round of talks. The Saudi government media office CIC did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Saudi Arabia and Iran, which are locked in proxy conflicts around the region, started direct talks last year to try to contain tensions. Iraq’s foreign minister said on Saturday his country would host a new round on Wednesday. Riyadh in 2016 severed ties with Iran after Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran following the execution of a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia. On Saturday, Saudi Arabia said it had executed 81 men in its biggest mass execution in decades. Activists and rights defenders said 41 were Shia Muslims from the eastern Qatif region. Saudi authorities did not respond to a Reuters’ request for comment on that. Saudi Arabia and Iran have backed opposing sides in regional conflicts and political disputes in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq for years, and Saudi Arabia has led an Arab coalition waging war against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen since 2015. Riyadh has said little progress has been made in the direct talks, which have focused largely on Yemen. Houthi authorities said on Saturday two Yemeni “prisoners of war” were among those executed by Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal face the prospect of collapse after a last-minute Russian demand forced world powers to pause negotiations for an undetermined time despite having a largely completed text.

tionalist battalions.” But a French presidency official later said Putin did not show any interest in ending the Russian operation in ukraine during the phone call.

Another nine people were also killed in a strike on the southern city of Mykolaiv, the regional governor said, while the capital Kyiv braced for possible encirclement by Russian forces. In a video address posted on social media late Saturday night, President Volodymyr Zelensky was adamant that the Russians would not take ukraine.

“The Russian invaders cannot conquer us. They do not have such strength. They do not have such spirit. They are holding only on violence. Only on terror,” he said.

For the first two weeks following its February 24 invasion, Russia’s forces had focused on eastern and southern areas of ukraine, notably the strategic and heavily besieged port of Mariupol. In recent days they moved to the centre, striking the city of Dnipro, and now the west, edging close to the frontier with Eu and Nato member Poland.

Overnight, missiles struck a military training ground in Yavoriv near Lviv, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the Polish border, regional governor Maxim Kozitsky said.

He said 35 people were killed and 134 injured in the attack on the base, which was a training centre for ukrainian forces with foreign instructors, including from the united

States and Canada.

In the Black Sea city of Mykolaiv, near the strategic port of Odessa, regional governor Vitaliy Kim said nine people were killed in a Russian air strike.

The city of around 500,000 has been under attack by Russian troops for days and an AFP reporter said a cancer treatment hospital and an eye clinic there came under fire Saturday.

Meanwhile, efforts continue to get help to the strategic southern port city of Mariupol, which aid agencies say is facing a humanitarian catastrophe. A convoy of aid headed for Mariupol was blocked at a Russian checkpoint, but hoped to arrive on Sunday, ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

ukraine says more than 1,500 civilians have died in a near twoweek siege, which has left the city without water or heat, and running out of food. Attempts to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people have repeatedly failed. “Mariupol is still surrounded… Since they cannot bring down the ukrainian army, they target the population,” a French military source said. A top Russian officer described the situation in stark language. “unfortunately, the humanitarian situation in ukraine is continuing to deteriorate rapidly, and in some cities, it has reached catastrophic proportions,” said the head of the Russian National Defence Control Centre, Mikhail Mizintsev.

Ballistic missiles hit Iraq’s Kurdish capital eRBiL Agencies

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for a dozen ballistic missiles that struck Iraq’s northern Kurdish regional capital of Erbil in the early hours of Sunday, Iran’s state media reported, adding that the attack was against Israeli “strategic centres” in Erbil.

The missile attack comes as talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal face the prospect of collapse after a last-minute Russian demand forced world powers to pause negotiations for an undetermined time despite having a largely completed text.

The missiles, which targeted the uS consulate’s new building, caused only material damage and one civilian was injured, the Kurdish interior ministry said.

An Iraqi security official told Reuters that the missiles were manufactured in Iran.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards released a statement taking responsibility for the missile attack against Israeli “strategic centres” in Erbil, Iran’s state media reported.

“Any repetition of attacks by Israel will be met with a harsh, decisive and destructive response,” the Revolutionary Guard said in the statement.

A uS official blamed Iran for the attack earlier on Sunday but did not give

further details.

A Kurdish spokesperson for the regional authorities said that Sunday’s attack only targeted civilian residential areas, not a foreign base and called on the international community to carry out an investigation.

Separately, a uS State Department spokesperson called it an “outrageous attack” but said no Americans were hurt and there was no damage to uS government facilities in Erbil. uS forces stationed at Erbil’s international airport complex have in the past come under fire from rocket and drone attacks that Washington blames on Iranaligned militia groups, but no such attacks have occurred for several months.

Asked about Sunday’s attack, Israel’s military said it did not comment on reports in the foreign press and the prime minister’s office declined to comment.

In another sign of increased regional tensions, Iran also suspended on Sunday a fifth round of talks with regional rival Saudi Arabia that were due to take place in Baghdad on Wednesday.

The last time ballistic missiles were directed at uS forces was in January 2020 – an Iranian retaliation for the uS killing earlier that month of its military commander Qassem Soleimani at Baghdad airport.

No uS personnel were killed in the 2020 attack but many suffered head in-

juries. Iraq and neighbouring Syria are regularly the scene of violence between the united States and Iran. Iran-backed militias have attacked uS forces in both countries and Washington has on occasion retaliated with air strikes.

An Israeli air strike in Syria on Monday killed two members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Iranian state media said last week.

The IRGC vowed to retaliate, it said. Israel has not confirmed it carried out the strike.

A Kurdish spokesperson for the regional authorities said there were no

flight interruptions at Erbil airport.

Residents of Erbil posted videos online showing several large explosions, and some said the blasts shook their homes. Reuters could not independently verify those videos.

Iraq has been rocked by chronic instability since the defeat of the group Islamic State in 2017 by a loose coalition of Iraqi, uS-led and Iran-backed forces.

Since then, Iran-aligned militias have regularly attacked uS military and diplomatic sites in Iraq, uS and many Iraqi officials say. Iran denies involvement in those attacks.

China’s navigation system enters new phase of stable services, rapid development Xinhua China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) has entered a new phase of sustained stable services and rapid development, according to the China Satellite Navigation Office on Friday.

Measured by the global continuous monitoring and evaluation system, the BDS-3 system shows an advanced performance index in providing global positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services, with more

outstanding performance in the Asia-Pacific region, said the office.

As planned, the BDS project will launch new satellites, further enhance the system stability and reliability, and conduct new-tech experiments and verification to ensure the continuous upgrading of the system, the office added.

On July 31, 2020, China officially commissioned BDS, opening the new BDS-3 system to global users.

Since then, the BDS has been committed to provid-

ing global users with quality services. Meanwhile, it has been continuously optimizing the performance and expanding application modes while ensuring round-theclock stable operation, the office said.

The BDS can provide diverse services and powerful functions. Globally, the system can provide PNT, global message communication, and international search and rescue services. In the Asia-Pacific region, its services include regional short message communication, precise point positioning, satellite-based augmentation and ground-based augmentation.

China is now facilitating the development by 2035 of a national comprehensive PNT system based on the BDS, the office said.

Prior to 2035, China will complete the construction of a more widely used, integrated and intelligent national comprehensive PNT system. Then, the BDS will serve global users with full-coverage and highly reliable PNT services.

The BDS has in recent years entered a key phase of large-scale application, and industrialized and global development.

It has been deeply integrated into diverse industries such as transportation, disaster prevention and reduction, agriculture, forestry, husbandry, and power and communication infrastructure.

Mass consumer mobile phones equipped with the BDS-3 short message communication function will soon enter the market. That will push the application boundaries of mobile phones and ensure life and property safety, the office said.

China is actively sharing BDS achievements with the world. To date, BDS-related products, technologies and services have been applied in more than half of all countries around the world, contributing to the construction of a community with a shared future for humanity, the office said.

Monday, 14 March, 2022 | KARACHI

SPORTS 11

ChiNa tops medal table as beijiNg WiNter paralympiCs CoNClude

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MIAN AbRAR

HE 2022 Winter Paralympics came to an end with the closing ceremony at the National Stadium in Beijing on Sunday night as China topped the medals table at its home Winter Paralympics, with its haul of 61 more than double that was

amassed by any other nation.

The last of the host nation’s 18 golds in wheelchair curling was perhaps unsurprising since China was defending its title won at Pyeongchang 2018 in the sport.

However, the number of victories, alongside 20 silver and 23 bronze medals, is remarkable given that its wheelchair curling gold four

years ago was its only previous podium finish at the Winter Paralympics. Chinese President Xi Jinping specially attended the ceremony. Nearly 600 athletes from 46 delegations had participated in nine days of competitions in 78 events across six sports in three competition zones: Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou.

Many athletes had incredible performances. For example, Team USA bagged the para ice hockey gold medal for the fourth straight time. Canadian cross-country skier Brian McKeever, in his sixth Winter Paralympics, captured his 16th gold

medal, matching the record of German alpine skier Gord Schoefelder for the most golds won by a male athlete in Paralympic history.

As the host, Team China had the best-performing athletes at the 2022 Winter Paralympics. They won 18 golds, 20 silvers and 23 bronzes, leading in every category of the medal standings after setting records in a series of events.

Competitive sports are about winning, but that’s not all. Athletes are a group of people who keep challenging their limits in order to surpass themselves. At Beijing 2022, for example, Noriko

Kamiyama of Japan overcame an autoimmune disease and cancer to make her Paralympic debut at 49 years old. Chinese athlete Sun Hongsheng was one of the few armless participants in the alpine skiing men’s downhill standing event, but he was fearless, descending full speed from an elevation of over 2,000 meters.

“To the athletes, during the most difficult of times, your performances shone brightly,” International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons said at the ceremony. “Rather than rely on history, you created it … As beacons of

Ronaldo sets record as Man Utd sink Spurs MANCHesTeR agencieS

Ralf Rangnick admitted managing Cristiano Ronaldo is “challenging” after the 37-year-old rolled back the years with a hat-trick to beat Tottenham 3-2 and keep Manchester United’s chances of playing in the Champions League next season alive.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner had scored just once in his previous 10 games, but three fantastic finishes took him clear as the highest scorer in professional men’s football history according to FIFA’s records with 807 goals for club and country.

Ronaldo’s second spell at Old Trafford has so far proven to be an anti-climax with his poor form sparking debate over whether his powers are waning.

He missed United’s thrashing in the Manchester derby last weekend and was criticised for a perceived lack of commitment as he jetted off to Portugal to rehab a hip injury rather than watch his teammates lose 4-1 at the Etihad after reports he would have been dropped

by Rangnick even if fit.

“It is challenging with players like him but he showed today he still has the quality to play for Man-

chester United,” said Rangnick. “He’s part of the team and if we want to be successful we have to do it together. “Today it was his best performance, at least since I arrived. Not only because he scored three goals, but he was also energetically good today and part of the whole team when we had to defend. A top performance by him, but also the rest of the team.”

Victory lifts United back into fourth, although they are just two points ahead of Arsenal who have four games in hand. A fifth defeat in eight league games is another blow to Tottenham’s hopes of a top-four finish as they remain seventh, now five points behind United.

“It’s difficult to explain this loss,” said Spurs manager Antonio Conte. “I think we didn’t deserve to lose, but at the same time we need to understand how we can improve.” In front of seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, Ronaldo was keen to show his own greatness as he was restored to Rangnick’s starting line-up as one of five changes with Bruno Fernandes the notable absentee due to illness.

It took just 12 minutes for him to make his mark with a stunning strike into the top corner from outside the box. However, United failed to build on the early goal and were instead forced back in a familiar pattern

“Today is nothing less than Eid for Pakistani footballers,” country’s top midfielder Saadullah Khan exclaims as the news of the Fifa-appointed Normalisation Committee (NC) getting the control of the Pakistan Football Federation headquarters in Lahore made rounds throughout the day. This marks the start to an end of the long-standing conflict that has cost the football coaches and players to not only lose their time but also livelihoods and jobs for the last seven years.

While football is a sport that is most diverse and popular in Pakistan, the power struggle to stay in the PFF offices have led the talented youth down for seven years now. The controversial elections in 2015 led to creation of factions among the officials, who later continued to slam each other through politics, making it impossible for the players to compete domestically or internationally as the country since got banned twice.

The first ban was in October 2017 that lasted for six months, with Fifa backing Syed Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat and his opponents being looked at as interfering third party, while the Pakistani courts were also involved in the dragged out matter.

The situation only got worse by the end of 2018 as the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered PFF elections, where Hayat’s rivals came into power. Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah was elected as the PFF chief, albeit to Fifa’s wrath for this being third-party interference again. With further series of unfortunate events, Fifa finally got to a point of installing a Normalisation Committee in Pakistan by 2019, however, the members of

that committee too represented the warring factions from before. NC head Humza Khan succumbed to short-sightedness along with claustrophobic political play and left the role by December.

An interim head was chosen from the existing NC, but Fifa over-hauled it once more and Canadian entrepreneur of Pakistani origin Haroon Malik took over as the head of the new NC. The NC since 2019 saw three changes in the leadership and at least four extensions in the mandate of the committee since the appointment. The matter remained puzzling for the footballers and fans alike.

Pakistan’s women’s team had last played their international tournament in 2014. Meanwhile the men’s side sporadically competed in an international tour of friendly matches in 2020. Before that they competed in the Fifa World Cup qualifiers losing to Cambodia in

agencieS

to previous home games this season against stronger opposition. A Tottenham equaliser seemed only a matter of time and was gifted to them when Alex Telles handled Dejan Kulusevski’s cross for a clear penalty.

Harry Kane smashed home the resulting spot-kick to continue his fine form for his sixth goal in as many games. Within three minutes, though, United were back in front thanks to a landmark goal for Ronaldo. He turned home Jadon Sancho’s inviting cross to surpass Austria-Czech striker Josef Bican as football’s all-time record goalscorer according to FIFA’s records.

2019, matches being played in Qatar.

Prior to 2019, Pakistan played South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup in Bangladesh where they reached the semi-finals for the first time since 2005.

For Saadullah and other talented footballers, like Muhammad Adil, the time had slowed down and the misery had gotten worse.

Many footballers lost their jobs as the departmental sides shut them down due to PFF’s inconsistency, and unprofessional and unstable domestic eco-system.

“We played our last international matches in 2020.

Even that was two years ago. It had been that long. So much time has gone by, so many players ruined, we can’t afford to waste more time,” Saadullah told The Express Tribune. The last suspension with Malik in charge came in April 2020, when Shah’s group “illegitimately took over” the PFF headquarters on March 27, during the National Women’s Championship hoping for Fifa bend to their whims.

Fifa in return gave deadlines to Shah to vacate the premises and control of the PFF including finances, but they refused. Meanwhile Malik kept appealing to the government, which ultimately got Federal Ministers of Inter-Provincial Coordination involved as an arbitrator between Shah’s group and the NC. She held numerous meetings throughout 2021 with Fifa and the Asian Football Confederation officials virtually that led to an agreement between the NC and the government. The last hurdle was to get the headquarter premises back, which became an issue due to invalid lease. It was due to mismanagement from the previous PFF administrations, and the Punjab Board of Revenue had to get involved eventually to sort it out.

Khawaja’s ton takes Australia to mammoth 505-8 in Karachi KARACHI Staff RepoRt

Usman Khawaja’s marathon 160 and Alex Carey’s career-best 93 helped Australia rack up 505 for eight against Pakistan on day two of the second Test on Sunday. It was a day of painstaking accumulation at the National Stadium where the Pakistan bowlers kept the run rate under check but only five wickets fell in three sessions for all their hard work under a harsh sun.

Mitchell Starc saw off 95 deliveries for his dour unbeaten 28 and Australia captain Pat Cummins was

unbeaten on nought at the close.

Earlier, after Australia resumed on 251-3, Shaheen Afridi subjected Nathan Lyon to a bouncer barrage but the nightwatchman did not flinch and went on the attackwith the pull shot. Lyon hit five fours in an entertaining 38 before he had his stumps rearranged by an express delivery from Faheem Ashraf, ending a 54run stand with Khawaja. Khawaja had shelved the reverse sweep on Saturday but Pakistan were convinced they had him caught in the slips when the opener attempted the shot against Nauman Ali. However, replays ruled out any ball-bat contact

and Pakistan lost a review. Khawaja duly brought up his 150 but could not better his highest score of 174 as Sajid Khan dealt a double blow.

The off-spinner trapped Travis Head lbw for 23 and spun one past Khawaja’s bat to hit the off-stump.

Islamabad-born Khawaja’s third century in four tests included 15 fours and a six. Cameron Green, who was not even born when Australia last toured Pakistan in 1998, made 28 before Nauman confounded him with a sharp-turning ball that pitched outside leg stump and hit the off.

Carey swept well and Starc batted resolutely to frustrate Pakistan

Nadal pulls off another great escape INDIAN weLLs

Saadullah Khan says ‘footballers shouldn’t suffer anymore’ News DesK

hope, and champions for peace, your actions spoke way louder than words.”

At the end of the ceremony, Parsons declared the 2022 Winter Paralympics closed before the Paralympic flame went out. That marked the end of Beijing 2022, but it’s not goodbye. On the contrary, the 2022 Paralympics will continue to inspire and encourage athletes around the world to believe in their possibilities, act on their strong will and join the Paralympic Movement in the coming four years before gathering again in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, in 2026.

and take Australia past the 500mark.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam brought himself on to bowl, partly to give respite to his overworked spinners, and struck in his first over.

In his haste to reach the 100 mark before close of play, Carey went for a slog sweep but lost his stump to a delivery from part-time spinner Babar that kept low.

His stellar knock included seven fours and two sixes. Carey left the field to a standing ovation from his team mates after adding 98 runs with Starc for the eighth wicket.

Rafael Nadal pulled off another great escape Saturday, rallying from two breaks down in the third set to beat young American Sebastian Korda in the second round at Indian Wells. As newly minted number one Daniil Medvedev – the man Nadal beat with an epic comeback in the Australian Open final – cruised to victory in his first match as the world’s top-ranked player, Nadal was made to work by 21-year-old Korda, ranked 38th in the world. “I feel very, very lucky today to be through,” Nadal said after a 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (7/3) victory in the prestigious WTA and ATP Masters hardcourt tournament.

“Sebastian was playing some fantastic tennis. I didn’t play my best match without a doubt (but) a lot of credit to him that he played so aggressive and he put me in a lot of trouble.” Medvedev opened the action on Stadium court in the California desert and after saving a breakpoint in the opening game had little trouble with 21-year-old Czech qualifier Tomas Machac, ranked 158th in the world. The reigning US Open champion wrapped up a 6-3, 6-2 victory in 70 minutes, although Medvedev said it “was not as easy as it seems” after he sealed the win on a third match point. The difference, he said, was consistency. “If you look, the first set was pretty even. He made just a few unforced errors and maybe some bad decisions in crucial moments. That’s how tennis is sometimes,” Medvedev said. Medvedev said it was a “great feeling” to take the court as world number one, “something I’ve always dreamed of.” But he’ll have to reach the quarter-finals to prevent Novak Djokovic, absent this week due to US Covid-19 travel restrictions on the unvaccinated, from reclaiming the top spot. Medvedev, who has never made it past the fourth round in four prior appearances, next faces France’s Gael Monfils, who beat Serbian Filip Krajinovic 6-3, 6-4. Medvedev said he would focus on playing well and winning matches and let the ranking take care of itself. “The more tournaments you win, the more points you gain, the more chances you have to stay at this No 1 spot for more weeks, more time,” he said.” Although he’s not in the hunt for No 1, Nadal has been on fire this year. He improved his perfect 2022 record to 16-0 with a gritty victory that owed more to experience and determination than spectacular play. Korda led the third set 5-2 and twice served for the match. But he couldn’t conjure a match point as Nadal reeled off four games in a row as they went to a tiebreaker. “I think it’s true that probably he got a little bit more nervous,” Nadal said. “He made a couple mistakes and I was able to save myself,” added Nadal, who next plays Britain’s Daniel Evans, a 6-2, 6-0 winner over Argentina’s Federico Coria. Nadal was joined in the third round by rising young compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, who beat American Mackenzie McDonald 63, 6-3. The 18-year-old Alcaraz, coming off a title at the Rio Open, converted five of his nine break chances and rallied from a break down in the second set to seal the win. Defending men’s and women’s champions Cameron Norrie and Paula Badosa both advanced.

Monday, 14 March, 2022

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80pc pakistanis believe pM should coMplete five-year terM ISLAMABAD

e

APP

ighty percent Pakistanis, according to a Pulse survey, believe that Prime Minister imran Khan will complete his five year tenure and there will no mid term elections.

Almost six amongst 10 (62 percent) believe that the government of Prime Minister imran Khan will sustain against the no trust move, whereas two amongst 10 (23%) have the opinion that the government of Prime Minister will be topped as a result of the no confidence move. While 15% have no opinion. When asked about relief package of Prime Minister imran Khan, overall 63 percent of respondents were satisfied (32 percent completely satisfied and 31

percent somewhat satisfied) with the announcement of Rs 2000 increase in Ehsaas financial aid from Rs 12000 to Rs 14000. thirty two percent were completely dissatisfied and five percent have no opinion. On an overall level, 66 percent respondents from Punjab were satisfied (37% were completely satisfied and 29 percent somewhat satisfied) with the announcement of the Prime Minister for issuing of Sehat cards till March end. the Prime Minister claimed that despite the high inflation rate of petroleum products at the international level, due to efficient and high tax collection, his government was able to provide relief to the masses.

When we asked respondents opinion about the claim, 10 percent of the respondents completely agreed and 42 percent

somewhat agreed (cumulatively 52 percent agreed), whereas 42 percent completely agreed with the claim. there was a split opinion on relief of Rs 10 on petroleum prices by the Prime Minister. Almost half (48%) believe that it will not work. Whereas 8 percent believe that it was a huge relief and 41 percent take it as somewhat relief (cumulatively 49 percent have the perception of getting relief), three percent had no opinion. Again there was a split opinion on reduction of Rs 5 on electricity.

47 percent feel that this reduction was not a significant relief whereas nine percent believed that this was a significant reduction and 42 percent believed that it was somewhat relief (cumulatively 51 percent have the perception of getting relief). three percent had no opinion.

Opposition scoffs at ministers’ offer to lower rhetoric NewS DeSk Several ministers have spoken about cooling down the political rhetoric which is on the rife in the wake of the opposition’s noconfidence motion filed against Prime Minister imran Khan, a move seen by many as an olive branch extended by the government. however, contrary to the conciliatory tone during information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and interior Minister Sheikh Rashid’s calls on Saturday to bring down the political temperatures, the main opposition party appeared to be dismissive of any such notion. the opposition filed the no-confidence motion on March 8. Since then, both sides have been engaged in a verbal slugfest. however, Fawad adopted a conciliatory tone in a tweet, saying that the ill-planned no-trust move had caused bitterness in the country’s politics.

“i do not think [politics] should be so divisive that it should become difficult to talk [to each other]. it is not difficult to fight but later reconciliation is difficult,” Fawad wrote in his tweet, adding that democracy was not a system of extreme divisions, rather it was based on consensus on certain matters.

On PML-N spokesperson’s statement rejecting the offer, Fawad said that the spokesperson’s statement didn’t matter, hoping that the top PML-N leadership would seriously consider the proposal of cooling down the political rhetoric.

Fawad, however, clarified that whatever he stated in the tweet was his personal opinion and not the government’s official offer for talks.

At a news conference in Quetta, Rashid was asked about some hard-hitting speeches of Prime Minister imran against the top opposition leaders. Rashid replied that he believed that the political tempera-

ture should be brought down in the country. “their (opposition’s) no-confidence motion will be defeated so it is better that we cool them down now and prepare them mentally that they are going to lose,” he added. however, in the same breath, he criticised the opposition for deceiving the masses.

Reacting to Fawad’s tweet, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said that “negotiations and dialogue” could only be held with seasoned politicians, not “thugs and hooligans” like Prime Minister imran Khan. in a statement, Marriyum said that the prime minister used abusive language against political opponents and threatened their lives. She termed Fawad’s statement a “pack of blatant lies”, adding that the prime minister had turned the opposition into a “bloodthirsty animosity”.

Marriyum questioned whether Fawad considered the people of Pakistan as fools or whether he was fooling himself by saying that the ruling party did not want polar-

isation in the society. “imran is the reason for the divisions in the society, and the dirt and filth in Pakistani politics,” she claimed.

Marriyum said that it was the prime minister who created divisions, chaos and disorder in the society while putting opposition members in death-row cells and their daughters and sisters in jail. She added that after hurling “baseless allegations”, imran still had the “audacity” to lecture others on ethics. the PML-N spokesperson said that through the no-confidence motion, the joint opposition was “cleaning up the filth” and getting rid of the “stench and suffocation” in the society created by this “imposed regime”. talking to a private tV channel, Planning Minister Asad Umar said that the opposition was playing the “no-confidence game” just to protect their vested interests. “they are only wasting government’s time by diverting its attention to least important matters.”

PML-N to hold power show in Capital on day of no trust vote ISLAMABAD StAff RePoRt

in an apparent tit-for-tat move against scheduled power show by the ruling Pakistan tehreek-e-insaf (Pti) ahead of the No trust move in the federal capital, the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Sunday announced to stage a grand show in the federal capital on the day of no-confidence vote against Prime Minister imran Khan in National Assembly, which is likely to be held later this month.

Addressing a press conference here, PML-N leader Ahsan iqbal said the party would hold a rally of two million people at federal capital’s Constitution Avenue area against the Pti-led government. the announcement comes as ruling party is preparing to stage a one-million strong rally at islamabad’s D-Chowk as part of its efforts to counter the opposition’s attempts to topple the Pti-led government.

“No-confidence motion is not a movement for any political change but a move-

ment of people to protect their interests,” iqbal said, adding that all political and democratic forces have joined hands to send the incumbent government packing for the protection of the Constitution of the country.

During it’s almost four years in power, the PML-N leader said, the PM imran-led government has destroyed the country’s economy and the entire administrative machinery came to a halt. he claimed that the foreign investment had been on decline and the incumbent government has borrowed record loans worth Rs20 trillion and wasted them on bridging the deficit. the PML-N leader added that the corruption has increased since the ruling Pti came into power.

Meanwhile, JUi-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has asked PM imran to make efforts for gathering support of 172 MNAs in National Assembly instead of gathering one million people in islamabad ahead of notrust vote.

sheikh rasheed says ‘blackmail’ remark was not directed at pMl-Q NewS DeSk interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed on Sunday backtracked from his accusation made against the PML-Q a day earlier, saying that his remarks were “general” and not directed towards any particular party. Rasheed, in a presser on Saturday, had accused the PML-Q of “blackmailing” the government for Punjab’s chief minister position in return for support during the opposition’s no-trust move against Prime Minister imran Khan. in response, the PML-Q’s Moonis Elahi had hit back and counter alleged that Rashid used to “take money from the party’s elders during his student life”. the interior minister, while speaking at an event organised by the islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce and industries in the capital today, revisited the topic and denied taking a dig at the PML-Q in particular and acknowledge that the party had done him favours back in the day. “i neither named the Q league nor the Chaudhrys … i only said it in general,” Rasheed said. “the problem is that when i say something … even of it goes against me, it [gets airtime] the full 24 hours. “[Chaudhry] Shujaat is my brother. god bless him with health … i will never speak against him.” Rasheed did, however, say that the true test of a friend comes during trying times. Meanwhile, Rasheed said that NA Speaker Asad Qaiser would call a session of the lower house on the joint opposition’s no-confidence resolution against the premier after March 15. the opposition submitted the resolution against Prime Minister imran Khan on tuesday and also requisitioned a session of the NA. After the lower house is in session, the rules of procedure dictate that the secretary will circulate a notice for a no-confidence resolution, which will be moved on the next working day. From the day the resolution is moved, it “shall not be voted upon before the expiry of three days, or later than seven days,” according to the rules of procedure. therefore, the speaker must call the lower house in session by March 22, while voting on the no-confidence motion must take place between three and seven days after the session is summoned. “the speaker has to decide when to call the session. he will decide after the 15th [since] there is the OiC (Organisation of islamic Cooperation) conference on the 21st and 22nd [of March],” Rashid said.

PM Khan’s ouster: Bilawal pins hopes on ECP’s verdict in foreign funding case ISLAMABAD StAff RePoRt

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday said that everything will be clear once the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announces a decision regarding Pti’s foreign funding case. Addressing a press conference, Bilawal said that the Opposition has taken a democratic step to oust Prime Minister imran Khan as it is the Opposition’s right. he called the PM an “undemocratic” person and said: “We have challenged him democratically.” the PPP chairman claimed the PM is “hatching a plan to stop the parliamentarians

from voting” but the Opposition will “not allow him to cheat.” he also said that the Opposition is moving towards “transparent elections” by bringing about the no-confidence motion. “imran Khan is preventing his members from voting. People should know who has received funding from india and israel,” said Bilawal while referring to Pti’s foreign funding case. the PPP chairman also said that his party has met other political parties to overthrow the “selected” prime minister. “Meetings with our allies have been better than expected,” he added.

“Only that person who has people’s mandate will be able to deal with difficult situations.”

Pti hid funds worth millions of rupees

from ECP: report. the ruling Pti hid funds worth millions of rupees from the (ECP), the report of an ECP scrutiny committee probing the party’s funds had revealed on January 4. the report stated that the Pti provided “false information” regarding the party’s funding to the ECP. it said that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP’s) bank statement revealed that the party had received Rs1.64 billion in funding.

According to the report, the party did not disclose funding worth more than Rs310 million to the ECP. the scrutiny committee was formed in 2019 to audit foreign funding received by the Pti. the case began in 2014 when the party’s founding member, Akbar S Babar, filed it.

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