Epaper – March 20-2022 KHI

Sunday, 20 March, 2022 I 16 Shaʽban, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 261 I 12 Pages I Karachi Edition

OppOsitiOn threatens tO disrupt OiC mOOt if nO-trust vOte delayed

islamabad staff report

t

he opposition leaders on Saturday threatened to hamper the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) conference, scheduled to take place on March 22-23 in Islamabad, if no-trust vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan is delayed by the National Assembly speaker.

Addressing a press conference along with PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman in Islamabad, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the law and rules dictate that proceedings on the no-confidence motion filed against the prime minister must start by Monday with the speaker calling a session for the same on the next day.

“We want Monday’s session to start with no-confidence motion but if it is not

summoned by Monday then we will stage a sit-in the house… we will then see how you will be able to organise the OIC conference.” he urged NA Speaker Asad Qaiser not to become a “worker of PTI”, asking him to think about the country and OIC conference first.

“If the speaker doesn’t change his undemocratic behaviour, I will convince the entire opposition… we want the OIC moot to go smoothly but it appears that the government doesn’t want that to happen,” he added.

Bilawal said that the government doesn’t want the opposition to remain peaceful as it first attacked Parliament Lodges and then attacked Sindh house in the federal capital.

“Imran Khan, after seeing his defeat, has started taking these undemocratic measures… I want to congratulate the

COrOnavirus in

pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

1,521,513

LAST UPDATED AT 7:13 AM ON MARCH 19, 2022

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

2

483

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

1,475,473 30,328 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

573,347

504,324

KPK:

BALOCHISTAN:

218,583

35,458

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

43,209/11,662

134,930

masses as Imran Khan has lost the majority and his regime is over,” he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Shehbaz gave his consent to Bilawal’s proposition and said that if the speaker does not call the session within the stipulated time and uses “delaying tactics, we will then be compelled to stage a sit-in in the assembly hall”.

Those coming to attend the OIC summit are the guest of the entire nation, he said, adding, “But we will not allow you to go against the law and Constitution under the garb of this [OIC conference].

We will stage a sit-in then.”

Shehbaz also said that the NA speaker will not be mentioned positively in the history books and he will not be able to refer to people in his own constituency if he continues to attend PTI meetings and favouring the ruling party.

Talking about PTI’s allegation on the opposition regarding horse-trading, he said: “They (PTI) should first look at themselves…. Let us proceed in line with the law and Constitution and they (dissident PTI lawmakers) should be allowed to exercise their right to vote”.

Fazl said that the premier is using ‘vulgar language’ during his public gatherings.

“When the members were being transported via a plane [to support the government] then the act was called the voice of conscience but now when the same members are voting against the government, they are being called mules,” he added.

“Our destination is near… we will take this illegitimate and incompetent government to its end,” he further said. earlier on Friday, Bilawal had said that PM Imran Khan would not be allowed to become a “political martyr” amid worsening crisis in the country.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

TRUST VOTE

Top court urges restraint as political temperature rises islamabad staff report

The Supreme Court on Saturday said the no-trust motion against the prime minister was a democratic process and must be pursued per the procedure laid in the Constitution.

The observation by the chief justice, Umar Ata Bandial, came during the hearing of a petition moved by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) requesting it to intervene to avoid a potential “anarchic situation” which the body feared could arise in case of a clash between supporters of the government and opposition parties during March 28 voting on the motion.

The threat of political turmoil in the nation is growing as the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party and the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance have announced to hold public shows in Islamabad on March 25 and 27, respectively, prompting fears of violence and instability.

A two-judge bench comprising Justice Bandial and Justice Munib Akhtar took up the petition.

The court had earlier fixed March

PTI issues show cause notice to 14 dissident MPs islamabad staff report

14 MPs from the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) who joined forces with the opposition withdrawing support for the prime minister ahead of the no-confidence vote received a showcase notice from the ruling party on Saturday.

Some half a dozen lawmakers from the party appeared on television on Thursday, announcing “we have differences with the prime minister”.

News channels showed recorded footage of several PTI MPs at Sindh house, an office of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government of Sindh, in Islamabad, stoking fears and claims of horsetrading.

PTI Secretary-General Asad Umar has given the legislators until March 26 to respond to the notice.

The notice observed the MPs, in crossing the floor, violated not only the party discipline but also the Constitution.

It recalled that as per Article-63 (1)(A), the MPs are bound to follow the policy of their political party.

“It is learnt via videos circulated on media that you have

21 as the date to hear the petition but it instead took the matter Saturday instead in the wake of the mob storming of Sindh house the previous day.

Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan and Islamabad police chief Ahsan Younas appeared before the court.

During the hearing, while referring to the attack on the Sindh house, Justice Bandial said the incident was against freedom of expression and protest. he further said lawmakers and institutions should be provided security as per the constitution and warned that an attack on public property is a bailable offence.

The court further ruled the political processes should be pursued as per law and Constitution, expressing hope that all sides will exercise restraint.

The bench adjourned the hearing until Monday and summoned a report from Younas on the storming of Sindh house, while serving notices on four political parties — PTI, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

more inside

Country on sound economic footing: Tarin STORY ON PAGE 02

Continuity of policies must for sustained economic growth: Farrukh left the parliamentary party [of PTI] and joined the opposition who have brought a motion of vote of no-confidence against the prime minister [on] March 8,” it read.

Therefore, a notice is being issued to you under Article-63 (1)(A), it added and directed the lawmakers to appear before the prime minister to clarify their position.

The MPs include Raja Riaz Ahmad Khan, Nawab Sher Waseer, Noor Alam Khan, Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, Wajiha Akram, Nuzhat Pathan, Rana Qasim Noon, Riaz Mazari, Khawaja Sheraz Mehmood, Malik Ahmed Dehar, Abdul Ghaffar Wattoo, Basit Bukhari,

Aamir Talal Gopang and Afzal Dhandla.

Without the coalition partners and the dissidents, the PTI, which has 155 seats in the National Assembly, would fall short of the 172 needed to retain power.

The joint opposition consists of major parties such as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and has a strength of nearly 163 in the house.

Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry told a news conference the government is “clear that we will not get into any blackmailing to save our government.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

STORY ON PAGE 03

PM advises PTI workers to hold peaceful demos, avoid confrontation STORY ON BACK PAGE

SC order to be fully complied: PM Imran Khan STORY ON BACK PAGE

02

Sunday, 20 March, 2022 | KARACHI

NEWS

Delegation highlights GB tourism potential in New York NEW YORK Staff report

A Gilgit-Baltistan minister highlighted the picturesque region’s tremendous tourism potential and opportunities at a well-attended event organised by Pakistan’s mission in New York. Minister of Tourism Raja Nasir Ali Khan, who is leading the delegation, told the gathering comprising members of the Pakistan-American business community Islamabad was paying special attention to promoting tourism in GB. Welcoming the delegation, Consul General Ayesha Ali underscored the importance of tourism and the hospitality industry in the uplift of the national economy, saying the region enjoyed great tourism potential. The purpose of the event was to bring out the unique tourism potential of Gilgit-Baltistan, enhance tourist flow, underscore investment opportunities, and promote the positive image of Pakistan. In his remarks, Khan sensitised the participants about major investment opportunities in tourism infrastructure, adventure sports and tourism services in GB. He also briefed them about various measures taken by the regional government for the facilitation of tourists like deputing the tourist police and establishing a tourist helpline for security and provision of timely assistance to tourists. GB Tourism Secretary Raja Rasheed Ali gave a brief presentation on investment opportunities in the region. A short film showcasing the beauty of Gilgit-Baltistan was also screened at the event followed by a question-answer session. The delegation also shared publicity material and documentaries for the projection of GB tourism potential in the United States.

IMF seventh review likely to conclude next week ShAhzAD PARAchA The ongoing seventh review of Pakistan’s economy under the $6 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program is likely to conclude next week. Sources said that the Pakistani team on Wednesday gave the clarifications to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the Prime Minister’s relief package as well as the industrial package. The Pakistani team has reportedly dubbed the industrial package an investment scheme as they believe that investment will come into Pakistan through this scheme. On the other hand, sources said that the IMF team objected to this package stating that its objectives are like an amnesty scheme. A former tax official said that although the IMF always objected to the amnesty schemes, this package is a little bit different. The investor has to pay 5 per cent tax if they want to establish new industrial unity. Such kind of investment packages were announced in the past but it has not attracted any investment, a former tax official added. Sources said that Pakistan explained to the IMF that it does not have any mechanism for providing targeted subsidies on petroleum products so therefore announced the un-targeted subsidy.

When some kind of mechanism develops then the government can announce the targeted subsidy on petroleum products, sources added. The Prime Minister’s relief package was needed as countries like France also announced subsidies on petroleum products, sources added. Sources said that the IMF team shared some further questions with regard to financing as well as the amnesty scheme with the Pakistani side and also said that they will meet on Friday. It is pertinent to note that three rounds of policy-level talks have been held virtually between Pakistan and IMF. The finance minister in a media briefing a few days ago said that the prime minister’s relief package would not have any fiscal impact or increase borrowing.

COuNtrY ON sOuND eCONOMIC FOOtING: tarIN

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APP

INISTER for Finance and Revenue, Shaukat Tarin Friday said the country was on sound economic footings, which is indicated from the latest data of key

economic indicators.

The finance minister referred to the robust industrial growth in February and a significant decrease of inflation in the previous week.

“Two important data points released today, Industrial output and SPI. Both highlight the sound economic footings.

As per Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), Large Scale Manufacturing (LSM) grew by 8.2% in February; 7.6% during July-Jan FY22″, said Tarin.

Finance minister further added that the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) was down 1.37% week-on-week to 15% from 21% in December 2021.

Opposition staging a drama in Islamabad: minister PEShAWAR app

A drama was being staged by the opposition in Islamabad and time has proved what Imran Khan said about the opposition making attempts to get National Reconciliation Ordinance(NRO) like concession from him was true, a minister said.

Addressing a press conference at Peshawar Press Club, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Higher Education Kamran Bangash said what is happening in Islamabad was a drama staged only to get NRO. He said the prime minister has started eradicating looters for the rights of the people and he (Khan) fought a global crisis like Covid-19. PTI workers,

he said, were not going to be perturbed by the drama.

Every PTI worker, he said, would stand with Khan till the last drop of

Protestors who stormed Sindh House released on bail ISLAMABAD Staff report

A group of activists and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) supporters, who were angry over the footage of ruling MPs engaging in horsetrading and retaliated by attempting to storm the Sindh House where the legislators were staying, were released Saturday on assurance of the government.

The activists, who had previously been protesting outside the building, broke into the building in the sensitive Red Zone neighbourhood to denounce the ruling MPs’ decision to vote against the prime minister — in violation of the Constitution — in the vote of no confidence.

Security forces expelled the protesters and arrested multiple PTI supporters. No injuries have been reported.

Islamabad police registered a first information report (FIR) against the men for violating Section 144 and also included

sections dealing with vandalism and ransacking of public properties.

The suspects were produced before a magistrate on Saturday, who approved the request to release them on bail. The protesters had also brought lotay to the site and raised slogans of turncoat.

Faheem Khan, a PTI MP from Karachi who was also present during the protest, said the defectors won the 2018 general elections on a

PTI ticket and were, therefore, being “committing treason by conspiring” to vote against him.

Attaullah Khan, another ruling MP, said the workers of the party will go after the defectors.

He demanded the defectors must return to the party fold and apologise to Khan, adding if they have any grievances, they should resign and contest the election anew.

blood as he gave a thought to the nation.

Khan proved that Pakistan is an independent nation, he said, adding: “There are some people here who could not even win the seat of councillor but they got votes from Khan’s ideology.”

Those who dropped big names because of Khan are blackmailing Imran Khan today, Bangash said. “Those who lost in 2013 by fighting for tickets of other parties will win in 2018 with the bat and because of Imran Khan,” the minister said.

He said the people who are trying to go against the ideology are actually going into the dustbin of history as people of KP do not accept treason and people have clearly witnessed the tradition of looting was introduced from Sindh House.

Preparations in full swing for historic OIC summit in Islamabad ISLAMABAD Monitoring report

The upcoming summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will be held in Islamabad on March 22-23. The 48th summit, which will be held at the level of foreign ministers, will be convened under the theme: “Building Partnerships for Unity, Justice, and Development.” “The session will address many topics and the activities of the OIC General Secretariat on implementing the resolutions adopted on various issues in the Islamic world, including the issue of Palestine and Al-Quds,” the pan-Islamic group said in a statement. The summit will also discuss developments in Afghanistan and its humanitarian consequences for the Afghan people and the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, it added. Many African issues will also be on the summit’s agenda, including the situation in Mali, the Sahel region, and Lake Chad, and the situation in Central Africa and the Republic of Guinea, the statement said. The OIC foreign ministers will also discuss developments in Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, and other regions during the summit.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is expected to take part in the summit.

PTI to fight no-confidence motion in a ‘constitutional way’: Qureshi ISLAMABAD Staff report

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Saturday that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government will fight the challenge of the opposition’s no-confidence motion in a legal and constitutional.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi has also responded to the statement of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in which he warned of blocking the 48th Council of Foreign Ministers (CFMs) session of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Islamabad if no-confidence motion was not tabled on Monday.

The foreign minister said that he has sent letters to the guests on September 27 to invite them to the twoday OIC CFM on March 23-24 in Islamabad. The guests have started arriving in Islamabad to attend the OIC session from today, he added. The OIC moot is a matter of Pakistan’s global reputation, he said.

Qureshi criticised that they [opposition] are adopted the threatening tone in the current situation. He said that India is trying to sabotage the OIC CFM session and they should not be part of the Indian conspiracy.

He said that Bilawal is young and getting emotional.

The opposition should tell their confusion after claiming to get 190 to 200 numbers for the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

“It is not in my hand or any other to decide on the date [of the National Assembly session] except for the speaker.” Qureshi said that the opposition alliance is unnatural that will be shattered soon. He added that the exact motive of the no-confidence motion is still unknown. He said that the PTI government will fight the challenge of the no-trust move in a constitutional and legal way.

Sunday, 20 March, 2022 | KARACHI

CONtINuItY OF POlICIes Must FOr sustaINeD eCONOMIC GrOwth: Farrukh FAISALABAD

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TATE Minister for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib has said that continuity of policies is imperative for sustained economic growth and business community must openly support Prime Minister Imran Khan for successfully steering the country from economic crisis even in the face of corona challenge.

Addressing the 2nd day function of Pakistan Economic Conference-2022 (PEC-2022), organised by the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI) here on Saturday, he said Pakistan had attained 5 per cent growth rate only because of prudent and viable policies of the government. However, sustainability of the growth was important and in this connection, private sector had to play its role, he added.

He termed private sector the growth engine and said that role of the government was to facilitate and provide an enabling environment and in this connection it had developed a close workable and productive liaison with the business community during the last three-and-a-half years.

He said that the current account deficit was around $20 billion when the government came to power. The situation was more critical as it had to pay back loan installments of Rs 3,000 billion. Similarly the tax collection was also stagnant at Rs3,800 billion, he added.

He said that the stance of PTI government was business-friendly and it had established liaison with exporters before coming to power. “We are proud that the first textile policy, formulated by the business community, was adopted by the PTI government. We tried our best to correct the imbalances and disparity

between the industrial sector of different provinces,” he added.

“We also ensured gas supply to export sector at 6.5 cent per MMBTU which played a key role in enhancing exports and In-Sha-Allah, during this year, the government was expecting $21 billion earning from textile exports.”

He said that different steps were being taken to compensate the negative impact of COVID-19 and proactive monetary policy had been announced to give impetus to the industrial sector.

“The State Bank of Pakistan announced special pay package while Rs 450 billion was disbursed under TERF (Temporary Economic Refinance Facility),” he said and added that under

the scheme, industrialists were importing new machinery and technologies at subsidised rates.

He said that it was the second consecutive year that our current account deficit remained below 500 million dollars. “Similarly, imports were also recorded 18 percent decrease”, he said and added that the government was not borrowing loans from the State Bank of Pakistan while this amount was now being provided to the private sector under TERF and SME policy at subsidized rate.

Continuing, he said that ministers were not available during the tenure of last government but now they were available at a phone call to resolve

problems of business community.

He said that the government was fully focusing on the uplift of youth.

“We are trying to produce entrepreneurs instead of job seekers”, he added.

“As a result of our policies, we are expecting to earn 38 billion dollars from the export of services and goods”, he said and mentioned a special stimulus package for the industrial sector. Under this arrangement, Rs.50 billion is being provided to subsidize the electricity for the export sector, he added.

He said that Pakistan was included among the three countries which had successfully come out from the negative impact of corona and NCOC had declared Pakistan a corona-free country as we had successfully vaccinated our entire population.

“Earlier we are exporting 120 to 150 items to China under Free Trade Agreement (FTA) but now during second phase of this agreement the number of these items has been increased to 350”, he added.

He said, “It is the second year that we harvested bumper crops. As we have produced 2 million tons extra sugar, hence its price has decrease to Rs.70 per kg”.

He said that under construction package loans of Rs.192 billion were doled out on December 20, 2020 which had recorded an increase of Rs.170 billion. Under amnesty scheme, the projects worth Rs.600 billion have been registered which would generate economic activities of Rs.7000 billion in addition to creating 1.2 million jobs, he added.

He said that the government was constructing 10 dams to provide cheap electricity in addition to enhancing water storage capacity of 1300 million acres feet. Earlier, Mr. Atif Munir Sheikh President FCCI and PEC Organizer Mr. Azhar Chaudhry welcomed the guests and appreciated the participants, speakers and panelists.

PTI founding member says PM Imran should resign to end crisis NEWS DESK MNA Najeeb Haroon, who is also the founding member of PTI, has said that the only way to end the ongoing political crisis in the country is the resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Speaking on a talk show on Saturday, he said that the premier should resign and bring forward any other member from the party to become prime minister.

“That’s the only way to move forward and bring this crisis to an end,” he stated.

“The country can no longer sustain instability and

PM Imran Khan must shed his stubbornness and somebody else from within the party be brought forward as the prime ministerial candidate,” he suggested.

Reaffirming his support for the party in the crisis, despite having differences, he said: “I am founding member and conveyed my thinking to the premier in a meeting as well.”

Earlier on March 8, the joint opposition had submitted a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, while pinning its hopes for the success of the motion on the estranged members of the ruling party and its allies.

Shahbaz condemns Sindh House storming

ISLAMABAD inp

Condemning the storming of the Sindh House as well as the protests outside the accommodation, Pakistan

Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif said the incident shows the no-trust motion has been adopted.

In a statement, he claimed such attacks are an attempt by the prime minister to create a civil war-like situation in the country.

“Imran Khan, on whose orders the PTI workers had attacked the Parliament House and other government buildings [during the 2014 sit-in], is now again in a ‘destructive’ mode,” Sharif said, and warned the government against taking the law into its own hands.

“The prime minister will have to pay for these incidents.”

Meanwhile, PPP Senator Sherry Rehman advised PTI to change its name to Tehreek-i-Inteshar.

In a tweet, she said: “They are doing everything possible to subvert the rule of law and the constitution in order to save their govt which has lost its mandate and MPs. Coercion of members will not help, nor will threats to the federation.”

NEWS

03

Four americans killed in us marine plane crash in Norway AgENcIES A US marine plane taking part in a NATO exercise has crashed in Norway, killing all four Americans on board, the Scandinavian country’s army said Saturday. The four-person crew were taking part in the Cold Response military exercises involving 30,000 people from NATO and partner countries. Their plane, a V-22B Osprey aircraft belonging to the US Marine Corps, was reported missing on Friday evening south of Bodo in northern Norway. At 01:30 (0030 GMT) on Saturday, “the police arrived at the scene. The police in Nordland County now confirm that the crew of four have died. As far as the police know, the four are of American nationality,” it said in a statement. The US Marine Corps earlier confirmed “a mishap” involving a MV22B Osprey during the exercises and said Norwegian civil authorities were leading the search and rescue efforts. Cold Response 2022 aims to test how Norway would manage allied reinforcements on its soil in the event that NATO’s mutual defence clause were triggered. Tensions between Russia and NATO have soared following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, but the exercises were planned long before that offensive began on February 24.

eCC approves reduction of rs5 in electricity prices ISLAMABAD newS DeSk

In line with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s announcement regarding a Rs5 reduction per unit in electricity prices, the Ministry of Energy sought an incentive package that has been approved by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) for March 2022 to June 2022. According to a notification issued by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), the ECC has approved the following proposals of the summary. The ECC has greenlighted “XWDISCOs and K-Electric commercial consumers having sanctioned load less than 5 kW and domestic non-TOU consumers having monthly consumption up to 700 units (except lifeline consumers)” eligible for the prime minister’s relief package. The committee approved PM’s relief package of a “reduction of Rs5 per unit in consumer bill for eligible consumers for the package, which will be worked out based on the applicable notified schedule of tariff for the relief period of four months.” The ECC also approved the “supplementary grant of Rs106 billion in the head of tariff differential subsidy (TDS) and release the same to the Power Division for implementation of PM’s relief package.” The notification also read that the Finance Division and Accountant General Pakistan Revenues (AGPR) shall release the subsidy in advance at the start of every month which will be divided into four installments with Rs26.5 billion each. The notification further said that the first installment will be released on an immediate basis. However, the rest of the releases are to be made at the beginning of each month (April, May and June). “The adjustment will be submitted after due reconciliation subsequently,” it read. Moreover, the committee has been authorised to notify the PM’s package based on the points stated above. The authority claimed to have no objection regarding the proposal as it does not impact the NEPRA determined tariff. In February, the premier had announced a host of economic relief measures. He said the government was reducing the petrol, diesel, and electricity prices, while it would not be increased till the next budget, which will be announced in June. The prime minister said that the government had decided to reduce petrol and diesel prices by Rs10 and the electricity tariff will drop by Rs5. “The price of these commodities will not rise till the next budget.”

Sunday, 20 March, 2022 | KARACHI

04

NEWS

TurncoaT MPS will loSe reSPecT in eyeS of Public: MiniSTer ISLAMABAD

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Staff RepoRt

INISTER for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said on Saturday the MPs “betraying” Prime Minister Imran Khan would lose respect in the eyes of the public.

In an informal conversation with reporters, he said that deception was immoral. He said the behaviour of dissident MPs was causing anger among the people and the Sindh House storming was the outcome of that sentiment.

The minister said the MPs sitting with the opposition could return as the

door of repentance was open.

“We do not say that these people must vote for Imran Khan, we only say that they should first resign, then go to their constituencies and contest elections and if they win then they would be free to vote the person of their choice,” Chaudhry said.

He said it was not possible for the MPs to win the election in the name of Khan and on the ticket of PTI and then become turncoats and start selling their votes. “Our society and politics do not allow such actions”, he said.

The minister said the opposition wanted to blackmail Khan but that will not happen.

Chaudhry said talks should remain

open as too much bitterness in politics will make it difficult for politicians to get along in future. He said the PTI leadership did not want what happened in Sindh House.

Stressing the need for reducing bitterness in the political arena, he said the opposition should refrain from horsetrading and proceed accordingly keeping in view the constitution.

He said the PML-N and PPP had completed their five-year terms and the PTI government should also complete its constitutional tenure.

He said that Khan could not be removed through the conspiracies, it was only the right of the masses to decide who should rule the country.

He said that people have been kept locked in Sindh House, as calls were coming that they were not being allowed to come out.

To a question, Chaudhry said the PTI would hold its own public meeting while the opposition would hold its own and there would be no clash.

He said that holding public meetings was a fundamental right under the Constitution.

To a question, the minister said that National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser will convene the fateful session and this question should be posed to him. Replying to another question, he said all national institutions were on the same page.

‘The Kashmir Files’ is nefarious plan to stoke communal discard in India: Moosvi SRINAGAR

Two brothers shot dead over property dispute in Swabi SWABI: Armed men gunned two brothers over property dispute while another escaped narrowly here on Saturday, police said.

According to details, three people were present in their agricultural land located in Shagai Wand Panjpir Swabi when their opponents Ansar, Sher Muhammad, Siddique Akbar and Hussain who were in dispute with them over ownership of a piece of land sprayed bullets at them.

As a result of firing, Amjad Iqbal and his brother Toufeeq Iqbal were killed on the spot while Mashood Iqbal escaped narrowly. The attackers fled the scene after committing dual murder.

The bodies were shifted to hospital for postmortem and the police after registering a case against the culprits started raids for their arrest. Staff RepoRt

Staff RepoRt

In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, senior APHC leader Agha Syed Hassan Al-Moosvi AlSafvi has termed the Bollywood film “The Kashmir Files” a wellhatched conspiracy to stoke communal violence in India and to provoke the Indian Hindus against the Kashmiri Muslims.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Agha Syed Hassan AlMoosvi Al-Safvi addressing a function in Badgam said the importance being given to this film at the government level has created a wave of concern among the Kashmiri Muslims. He said that the facts have been distorted in the film.

APHC leader, Maulana Sibte Muhammad Shabbir Qumi, in a statement strongly criticised “The Kashmir Files” and termed it as propaganda against the Kashmiri

Muslims. He said the whole story of this ridiculous movie is based on fabrication and lies. The aim is to incite Pandits against the Kashmiri Muslims, he added. He said followers of all religions have been living in mutual tolerance in Muslim-majority Kashmir for centuries but it is unfortunate that propaganda movie “The Kashmir Files” has been prepared to harm this tolerance.

Maulana Sibt Muhammad Shabbir Qumi also expressed con-

cern over the closure of the historic Jamia Masjid on the auspicious occasion of Shab-e-Bara’at and said that the authorities were playing with the religious sentiments of the Kashmiri Muslims and were unnecessarily interfering in their religious affairs.

On the other hand, the APHC leader, Abdul Samad Inqalabi, in a statement issued in Srinagar strongly denounced the killing of innocent youth by Indian troops in IIOJK and shifting of illegally detained Kashmiris from the occupied territory to the Indian jails. He said that Kashmiris were being punished just for demanding their birthright, the right to self-determination.

Inqilabi said that it was the responsibility of the international community to take cognizance of the Indian state terrorism in IIOJK and play its role in resolving the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the Kashmiris’ aspirations.

PPP announces no-trust motion against KP govt The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa leaders on Saturday announced that the joint opposition has decided to file a no-trust motion against Chief Minister Mahmood Khan to oust the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government in the province.

Addressing a press conference, PPP KP President Najmudddin Khan said the opposition parties, including JUI-F, ANP and PPP, are on the same page and will bring no-confidence motion to oust thr PTI-led KP government.

“At least 45 MPAs from the PTI are in contact with the opposition parties,” he said, adding that a no-trust motion will be submitted in the KP Assembly after voting on trustmove against PM Imran Khan in the National Assembly.

The decision to submit a no-trust motion in the provincial assembly came weeks after the joint opposition submitted a no-confidence motion against PM Khan in the National Assembly.

After submitting the motion in the NA Secretariat, the opposition has been trying to woo the PTI allies into supporting its no-trust move.

Earlier on Friday, the supporters of the ruling PTI had stormed the Sindh House in Islamabad, where dozens of PTI ‘turncoats’ are residing.

The attack was condemned by the opposition, who had said they would file a terrorism case against the PTI supporters.

It may be noted here that the PTI leaders, including PM Imran, had alleged that the Sindh House had become the ‘hub’ of horse-trading. Staff RepoRt

Sparrows disappearing from skies of South Asian metropolises KARACHI anadolu agency

Major South Asian cities like Mumbai, Karachi, Kolkata, Dhaka and Lahore offer a mix of glossy skyscrapers, bustling shopping centers, shanty slums and massive traffic jams like any other metropolises around the world.

Once natural habitats for birds, these metropolises have lost their precious wildlife not only through the ravages of time, but also because of increasing human influence.

As people get ready to observe World Sparrow Day on March 20, environmentalists and wildlife experts say the alteration of habitats, which is a direct result of unplanned urbanization and pollution, has badly affected the population of urban birds, mainly house sparrows, in major South Asian cities in the past two decades.

Pakistan’s largest city and commercial capital Karachi, secondlargest city Lahore, northwestern city of Peshawar, garrison city of Rawalpindi and textile hub Faisalabad are among the most polluted cities in the region.

Lahore, along with India’s capital New Delhi, commercial capital Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, has topped the daily rankings of the world’s most polluted cities this winter owing primarily to escalating industrialization and unplanned urbanization in recent decades.

ABSence of SpArroWS meAnS pollutIon: Instead of sparrows, human-friendly birds,

CMYK

who also serve as indicators of air quality; bird species such as kites, crows and mynas have occupied the skies of these cities.

“Human-friendly birds like sparrows and parrots mean a lot in terms of the quality of the air. If they leave a place, that simply means the quality of the environment has alarmingly declined there,” Abdul Razzaq Khan, a Karachi-based ornithologist, told Anadolu Agency.

Leaving big cities, according to Khan, cannot save sparrows either, as they fall prey to predatory birds.

Citing “indiscriminate” hunting of sparrows for food in several parts of Pakistan as another factor behind their dwindling population, Khan warned that If the current situation persists, the bird may hardly be seen in the metropolises. rApId drop In neStIng: According to the latest surveys, Khan said, the sparrow population has dwindled 40% in Karachi, Lahore and other big cities over the past decade.

The cutting of trees and destruction grasslands for lumber and construction purposes, on the one hand, has deprived these birds of their nestling places and proper diet, whereas the increasing pollution and garbage sites on the other have led to increases in the populations of “opportunistic” birds like kites, crows and mynas.

This has also led to the emergence of vast populations of non-native trees, like the Conocarpus, mesquite, and eucalyptus, though these carry no disadvantage except that they do not provide nesting places to sparrows and parrots, ex-

perts maintained.

“The main reasons behind the disappearance of sparrows from big South Asian cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Karachi, New Delhi and Lahore is loss of habitat and changes in the traditional architecture that allowed sparrows to make their nests in the holes, roofs, and crevices of old houses, replaced by modern architecture that introduced box-styled flats that provide no (shelter) for sparrows to nest and lay eggs,” said Amita Kanaujia, a professor at the Zoology Department of Lucknow University.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, she said the unavailability of roosting and nesting sites is also responsible for the plummeting population of the house sparrows.

Sharing a similar view, Tahir Rasheed, regional director of the Worldwide Fund for Nature’s Pakistan chapter, told Anadolu Agency that a rapid drop in nesting places due to human influence, rising air pollution, land-use changes and the use of agrochemicals are the prime factors that have contributed to the gradual disappearance of sparrows from the big cities in recent decades.

Poorly managed waste in a big city like Karachi, he went on to argue, has also contributed to the increase in the population of opportunistic species like kites and crows, which can drive small birds out of nesting and roosting sites “Each species carries a unique value in an ecosystem due to the ecological role it plays, and their disappearance leaves irreparable losses for the ecosystem,”.

Sunday, 20 March, 2022 | KARACHI

NEWS Trust vote: Top court urges restraint as political temperature rises

PrIyAnTHA kuMArA lynCHIng: EyEwITnESSES rECOrd TESTIMOnIES bEfOrE ATC

continued from page 01 Meanwhile, responding to the government’s decision to seek the court’s opinion on Article 63-A, Justice Bandial said his court would hear the matter once the presidential reference was filed.

“The job of the court is to look at the Constitution rather than the political situation,” he observed.

THE PETITION: The SCBA petition said its request is aimed at ensuring the process of the no-trust motion is completed in a peaceful manner.

No-trust motion is a democratic process under article 95 of the Constitution to remove a prime minister, the representative body of the lawyers said in its petition.

Pointing to the inflammatory statements made by the prime minister, his ministers and the opposition, it expressed fear there is a chance of a clash between the two sides on the day of voting.

The petition nominated the prime minister, the federation, Ministry of Defence secretary, National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif, House secretary, Islamabad chief commissioner, deputy commissioner and police chief as respondents.

The petition said circumstances involving a confrontation between the government and the opposition could trigger an “anarchic situation” in the country.

“It is evident from the political history of our country that preventing the constitutional process from taking its course has produced dire consequence for democracy and rule of law,” it read.

The opposition blames Khan for mismanaging the country, economy and foreign policy. No prime minister has ever completed his term in office.

Without the coalition partners and the dissidents, Khan’s party, which has 155 seats in the National Assembly, would fall short of the 172 needed to retain power. The joint opposition has a strength of nearly 163 in the House.

LaHore

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nesses for cross examination.

It may be noted that the prosecution has submitted two separate challans in the case. The trial of nine juveniles in the case is being conducted separately. ATC has indicted 89 suspects, while the suspects denied their involvement in the lynching of the Sri Lankan national.

The anti-terrorism court (ATC) initiated the Sialkot lynching incident’s trial at Kot Lakhpat Jail in early March and judge Natasha Naseem led the proceedings into the case.

Priyantha Kumara, a 49-year-old Sri Lankan national, was lynched by a mob of workers at a factory on December 3, where he was working as manager.

Staff RepoRt

S many as 40 witnesses have so far recorded their statements before an antiterrorism court (ATC) hearing mob lynching of Sri Lankan national Priyantha Kumara at a Sialkot factory.

ATC judge Natasha Naseem led the proceedings at the Kot Lakhpat prison, where six eye-witnesses recorded their statements today, bringing the number of witnesses who have recorded their testimonies in the case to 40.

The court adjourned the hearing to March 22 and had summoned all wit-

Kashmiri leader Zahoor Butt released from four-year illegal detention Opposition threatens to disrupt OIC moot if no-trust vote delayed

ACE Punjab arrests three corrupt officials, recovers one million rupees

continued from page 01

LaHore inp

Anti-corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab raided in Rajanpur and arrested Abdul Aziz, the Patwari and Sajjad Hussain, the Sub-divisional Reader of Irrigation department, Jampur, red handed for taking bribe.

As many as, 15 thousand rupees of illegal inducement have also been recovered. The accused persons received money to cancel the FIR of water theft and supply of addition water for irrigation purposes.

In Sheikhupura, ACE Punjab arrested Ahtisham Ullah, the accused, for preparing bogua court orders. Rizwan Sabir, the Process Server, Civil Court, Ferozwala and Ahtisham Ullah in connivance with each other prepared bougs ‘warrant Dakhal’ regarding land situated at Ahmad Nagar.

The ACE, DG Khan has recovered RS. 1.07m rupees from the employees of building department for using substandard material in construction of Arzai Record Centre, Taunsa. The amount was assessed as loss to government exchequer. ACE made direct recovery amounting Rs. 427597/- whereas Rs 650000/ had already been recovered and deposited to government exchequer.

Interior Ministry orders high-level inquiry into Sindh House attack iSLamaBad Staff RepoRt

The Ministry of Interior has ordered to launch a high-level inquiry into the incident of attacking Sindh House by a group of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers led by two members of the National Assembly (MNAs).

The interior ministry directed the investigators headed by the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operations Owais Ahmed to submit the inquiry report in three days.

The investigators have been looking into facts regarding the gathering of the PTI workers without getting any call from the ministers and then crowding once again after being dispersed from the Sindh House.

The Islamabad police will also come under scrutiny for allowing the PTI workers twice to enter the high-security zone.

They will also investigate the facts behind stopping Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) workers but failing to stop the PTI workers, sources said.

It was also learnt that Islamabad police investigators found video evidence of the attack on the Sindh House by the two PTI MNAs including Ataullah and Faheem Khan. The videos showed MNAs Ataullah and Faheem Khan breaking the Sindh House gate.

Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Operations Islamabad said in a statement that the video evidence of both MNAs was included in the investigation and their names will also be included in the First Information Report (FIR).

It may be noted here that police had lodged an FIR against 13 PTI workers excluding the MNAs for attacking the Sindh House.

05

Srinagar agencieS

In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Zahoor Ahmad Butt, a leader of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, and younger brother of prominent martyred liberation leader, Muhammad Maqbool Butt, has been released from four-year illegal detention.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Zahoor Butt was released after a court quashed his detention under draconian law, Public Safety Act (PSA). During his il-

legal detention, he was booked four times under the PSA. He was shifted from Bhaderwah jail in Doda district of Jammu region to the Kupwara district police station and was released on Friday evening.

APHC leaders including Shabbir Ahmad Dar, Mohammad Yasin Butt and Prince Sleem today visited the residence of Zahoor Butt in Trehgam area of Kupwara and congratulated him on his release. Speaking on the occasion, they demanded release of all illegally detained Kashmiris languishing in different jails of IIOJ and India.

Speaking on a talk show, he had claimed that Imran Khan is trying to provoke the “third force” by creating a crisis through the use of force. He had congratulated people, saying the PM has lost the majority’s support and his government has “collapsed”. He had added that the premier had attempted to terrorise the opposition by “first attacking the Parliament Lodges and then Sindh House, but we won’t be cowed down.” He had said the use of force by the prime minister is a violation of Article 6 of the Constitution.

PTI issues show cause notice to 14 dissident MPs continued from page 01

Pakistan to recognise Taliban regime after regional consensus WaSHington agencieS

Pakistan will recognise the Taliban regime in Kabul when there’s a consensus, particularly of regional countries, on the issue, says Islamabad’s UN envoy Munir Akram.

The question of recognition resurfaced on Thursday when the UN Security Council voted to establish formal ties with the Talibanrun Afghanistan without extending diplomatic recognition to the regime. Fourteen of the council’s 15 members voted for the resolution while Russia abstained.

Russian Ambassador Vassily A. Nebenzia said he was compelled to abstain because attempts to secure consent from the host country for a UN presence were ignored. Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun said that since August 2021, when the Taliban captured Kabul, Afghanistan had entered a new phase and more flexibility was needed to deal with the situation.

Although Pakistan was the first nation to call for more flexibility in dealing with Kabul’s new rulers, Islamabad too has not recognised the Taliban regime.

Asked if the UN vote would influence Pakistan’s position on this issue, Ambassador Akram said:

“We will do it (recognition) when there’s a consensus, especially among regional countries.”

Six of Afghanistan’s immediate neighbours are meeting in China next month and this would be one of the top issues on their agenda.

China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will attend the meeting. A Taliban delegation will also participate.

Russia, although not an immediate neighbour, was invited to the previous meeting and may attend this meeting as well. India, however, has not been invited.

Ambassador Akram said the UN resolution, adopted on Thursday, had one shortcoming: “There’s no reference to the de facto government in Afghanistan,” although it does mention the need to work with relevant authorities.

Apparently, France and India opposed any reference to the de facto authorities and managed to keep it out of the mandate.

The UN mission in Afghanistan, Ambassador Akram said, “should be acting with the consent and cooperation of the local authorities and its absence, in our view, is a shortcoming of the mandate”.

The Pakistani envoy, however, acknowledged that the resolution

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has reaffirmed donors’ commitment to Afghanistan and underlined the need for providing unconditional humanitarian assistance to the country.

“We reject this culture of turncoats.”

Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad told a news conference it had been decided to seek the Supreme Court’s ruling about whether the defectors are eligible to cast a vote after switching sides. Ahmad said the decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Khan. But he did not say when the petition would be filed.

“I want to ask all of you to get back […]

We wouldn’t do anything against you,” he said in an appeal to the dissidents.

06-07 Comments 20 March 2022_Layout 1 3/19/2022 11:30 PM Page 1

Sunday, 20 March, 2022

06 COMMENT

Schools Are Reopened, So What Next ?

A test of political maturity

Handling students who have experienced online learning is tough

Resolving political issues without external intervention

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eSPITe accusations and threats from the government, defections continue in the ranks of the ruling PTI making it difficult to prepare an updated list of its deserters that it wants to be debarred from national Asembly membership. PTI dissidents who had taken shelter in Sindh House had clarified that they had decided voluntarily to vote in accordance with their conscience and were staying there only for their safety. Another dissenter had made it known that he was still living in the Parliament lodges and would vote in accordance with the call of his conscience. PTI mnAs Amir Talal Gopang from Alipur and Afzal Dhandla from bhakkar have made it known through video messages that they had taken no money from anyone and would go to vote in accordance with the wishes of their voters and their conscience. Pml(Q) chief Shujaat Hussain, whose party is still a part of the coalition government, has maintained that this is the first no-trust move in which no one is buying or selling votes. The government is meanwhile going to seek a Supreme Court advisory on the defection law spelt out in Article 63A. Presently both the government and the opposition are competing in gathering maximum number of supporters outside Parliament on march 27. Fearing clashes and lawlessness, the Supreme Court bar Association is seeking SC directions against D-Chowk rallies.

The defection in political parties is a political issue.

The best way to resolve it is through talks between the government and opposition to formulate a joint principled position on the issue. Inviting external mediators to resolve a purely political matter indicates lack of maturity which has resulted in interference by external forces in the political process. There is a need on the part of the PTI to heed the advice of its mnA from Karachi muhammad najeeb Haroon to elect another leader of the House to enable the party to complete its tenure. This would dispense with the need for the 28 march no-confidence vote as well as the massive gatherings on march 27. It would provide Imran Khan a graceful exit, and he may continue to guide the PTI from outside as the party’s ‘eminence grise’ or a “rahber” like the AnP’s late Wali Khan. This would also cool down political temperature and lead opposition parties to agree to let a third political party also to complete its tenure and let the country celebrate 15 years of uninterrupted democratic rule.

raYEEs ahMaD kUMar

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DuCATIOnAl institutions across the length and breadth of the Valley reopened last week after a hiatus of more than two years. It was indeed a moment of joy and excitement both for the parents as well as their wards who were eagerly waiting to step in the school premises to take offline classes because they were fed up by the lengthy spell of online learning during the previous two years.

In the absence of normal physical classroom teaching due to prolonged pandemic situations, the use of modern and latest technology to impart education to our future generation was the only option available which to some extent couldn't be ruled out, but the prolonged use of mobile phones and computer screens for online learning had negative health impacts.

So the reopening of schools for offline classroom activity was seen as a blessing for our younger generation. both at administrative and institutional level, finest arrangements were made to welcome the students on the very first day of School reopening. District education officers of some Valley districts

Worsening economic situation

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S the political temperature inches up day-by-day, adding to uncertainty, the inevitable toll this has on the economy and key macroeconomic indicators of its health starts to become very apparent. After briefly gaining some ground over the dollar after the resumption of ImF’s $6 billion eFF followed by the release of a muchneeded $1 billion tranche, the rupee is under pressure yet again, falling to a fresh low of 180.57 in the interbank on Friday. A massive subsidy through a cut in petrol and energy prices provided by the government two weeks back has irked the Fund, which is now persistently delaying the conclusion of the on-going seventh review as it reportedly remains unsatisfied and feels that the relief package, which also includes an amnesty scheme, is a breach of commitments. meanwhile, as the political climate in the country heats up, leading to uncertainty over the continuity of the current government, markets have begun to react with the stock market closing the week with a 777-point drop. While the Finance ministry under Shaukat Tarin is trying its best and is confident that the ImF would come around in a few days, there is little it can do to address the tense political situation where realistically, perhaps apart from the powers that be, no one is sure how it will progress and end.

What is more, Pakistan has decided to pay $900 million to one of the companies engaged in the settlement of the rekoDiq dispute whereby Pakistan was fined $6 billion by a global arbitration. Although the eCC has approved the payment, SbP Governor reza baqir, understandably concerned about the effect such an amount being remitted out of the country would have on the dollar-rupee parity, has asked the government to consult the central bank over how to go about the transaction. In the midst of an economic reality where inflation is peaking and there is instability in markets, a federal government in crisis mode, busy in an effort to expend all administrative and executive options to save its government, will simply be unable to pay any attention to the economy.

That national security, as per the policy of this government, is tied fundamentally to economic prosperity, is all the more reason to resolve the ongoing political turmoil swiftly and without incident.

Bangladesh’s largest trading partner is also its largest investor Parthik hasan

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number of infrastructure projects are being implemented in bangladesh in collaboration with China. Several of these works are nearing completion. Analysts believe that Dhaka has adopted ambitious plans around these projects on the way up the ladder of economic development.

In April 2021, a special report was published in China Daily, a newspaper run by the ruling Communist Party of China, mentioning the importance of the Chinese project in the development of bangladesh. It said bangladesh plans to move from a least developed to a developing country by 2026. One of the keys to achieving this goal is China's cooperation.

A number of infrastructure projects, including the $3.3 billion Padma bridge under construction in bangladesh, are part of China's proposed belt and road (brI) initiative. Other Chinese-funded projects in the country include the $1.1 billion Payra Power Plant, the $1.32 billion power grid development, and a $1 billion digitization project.

In this regard, economists in bangladesh said that bangladesh is heavily dependent on the success of China's brI-related infrastructure projects. According to bangladeshi media outlets, just the Padma bridge would boost bangladesh's GDP by more than one percent once the work is completed. It will benefit at least 30 million people in the southwest.

The bridge would not only connect 21 districts but also help them become centres of economic growth. Some of these districts will emerge as new economic corridors. This will create a huge number of new jobs and increase income.

According to a report in China Daily, bangladesh, which is located between China and India, is seen as one of the main candidates in the race to become a major commercial and manufacturing hub. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina sees brI as an opportunity for bangladesh's economic progress. To this end, she has also signed an agreement with China to establish investment cooperation. media reports also say, to attract more investment, the bangladesh government has allocated about 775 hectares of land for Chinese investors to build a special economic zone in Anwara upazila of the Chittagong region in bangladesh. more than 60 Chinese businesses have expressed interest in bringing in about $280 million in investment.

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami M. A. Niazi

Umar Aziz

Joint Editor

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

The writer hails from Qazigund, Kashmir Union Territory, India.

BRI provides benefits for Bangladesh

Amid political turmoil

Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

ordered the first day be celebrated as the day of happiness to lessen the fear, scare and threat among the students, especially the pre-primary students School gates were decorated with balloons, masks and sanitizers were kept ready at the entry points and sweets and candies were distributed among the PuPI,s to give them a newer experience on the opening day of the session. Children too were thrilled to enjoy the day at school after a long break. now some solid questions which strike the minds of common masses are : would the teachers help the students in compensating the academic loss of previous years? Would they continue to be vibrant as seen on the reopening day? Would they bring reformation in their art and method of teaching so that their pupils feel pleased? These questions need not to be merely answered orally, and instead some concrete steps must be initiated so that the already derailed education sector is brought back on track.

It can't be denied that teachers alone can't bring a revolutionary change in the system, rather the parent, the student and the people at the helm of affairs all have to work together and play their role in bringing the desirable change in the sector. but a teacher is the main and basic pillar of this sector who can play a significant role to streamline this system. Thus the main responsibility lies on the shoulders of teachers to infuse new life in the functioning of the academic institutions. After the arrangements have been finalised by the school authorities with regard to checking the suspected covid infection among both students and teachers, adopting covid-appropriate behaviour and following the administrative guidelines, the most important and much needed initiative is to improve the academic side of students.

This can be ensured by taking a number of constructive steps for the welfare of our children. Framing a balanced teachers time table in which both teachers' interests and academic background are given due consideration can be helpful in enhancing the learning levels and capabilities of the students. It should be done without consuming much precious time of students who already have suffered a lot. Otherwise due to lack of consensus among the teaching staff, framing of timetable at times seems a Himalayan big task. Teachers need to give a cursory look over the contents of the books/subjects which

they have been assigned in the time table which can help them to formulate the strategy both for completion of the syllabus as well as the methodology.

Whenever they face any difficulty or get stuck in the content matter of the books, they must exploit the available manpower and other digital sources to feel themselves comfortable as well as for the larger interests of students. being continuously associated with only online learning for the last two years, our children have become rude, arrogant and immorality also has dug it's roots deep in their behaviour. So it is of utmost importance to build moral values in them and moral teachings during prayer/ morning assembly times can be a better option to make them responsible citizens in future. Forcing or pressing the students for any assignment during the academic activity can negatively affect their personality and sometimes they may become victims of depression as well. Teachers must remember that the children are attending the physical classes after a long experience of digital learning which has harmed them more than benefiting them. So every precaution must be taken to make students feel pleased and comfortable in the classroom, which is prerequisite for their productive learning. use of negative reinforcement must be henceforth discouraged in the post-covid period in order to expect better results in the future.

After an experience of online learning, students must be made to believe that real physical normal classroom teaching has no alternative, that allround development of the students’ personality can't be shaped outside the school premises be it home or any other place, and digital teaching would never replace the traditional ways of teaching. All this can be better taught to them when effective ways of teaching are put in place and the methodology used in the post-covid era is suitable for the children. Further, online gaming, crazy movies, absurd entertainment shows and other bad stuff have enslaved our children during the pandemic period. They hardly show any interest in physical activities like games and sports.

It has become a matter of serious concern both for the parents as well as the teachers. To bring children out of this menace, it is the prime responsibility and duty of teachers to act promptly in order to prevent them from becoming couch potatoes.

I

Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

I

In 2015, China became bangladesh's largest trading partner. After three years, they also became the top investor in this country. In that position, the Chinese investment in bangladesh in 2019 was about $1.2 billion. most of China's investment in the country came after Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Dhaka in 2016. In 2016, bangladesh and China signed eight projects costing more than $9.45 billion financed by China. These include: Padma bridge rail link worth $3.3 billion; the power plant in Payra worth $1.9 billion; digital connectivity worth $1 billion, and power grid network strengthening project worth $1.32 billion.

In 2017, Sinobangladesh bilateral trade reached $18.7 billion.

Trade increased by 16.6 percent that year. That year, bangladesh was China's second-largest trading partner in South Asia. bangladesh is now China's main partner in the G2G project; It is also a major destination for Chinese investment. The Padma bridge, the dream of the people of bangladesh, is in full swing in collaboration with the Chinese contractor major railway engineering Group. many projects are being implemented across bangladesh with the financial support of China, as has been done before. more projects await.

China-bangladesh cooperation is now the strongest, which speaks to the true potential of brI cooperation. According to the bangladesh Investment Development Authority, brI activities in bangladesh became dynamic immediately after Chinese president Xi Jinping's visit. During his 22-hour state visit, several investment agreements were signed between bangladesh and China. bangladesh’s first toll road project was signed on December 6, 2018. The government of bangladesh had signed a contract with a China-bangladesh con-

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

sortium to upgrade the 48-kilometre-long Dhaka bypass road to a dual carriageway. The objective was to improve connectivity between the north and northwest parts of bangladesh and the Chittagong Port.

This toll road was only one of the many transportation projects which China was investing in bangladesh. During the period 2009-2019, China has invested an estimated $9.75 billion in various transportation projects in bangladesh.

Work on brI-related projects was progressing rapidly even in the wake of the recent coronavirus epidemic. However, last year saw a slight decline in foreign investment. now bangladesh is going to see the implementation of the Padma bridge. The 6.15 km-long Padma bridge will greatly enhance connectivity across bangladesh and exemplifies China’s expanding soft power.

The Padma bridge in bangladesh, the construction of which was contracted to a subsidiary of China railway Group, is nearing completion. The bridge will dramatically enhance connectivity across bangladesh and lead to a more connected South Asia. The bridge’s construction has implications beyond the bangladeshi economy, and will further portray beijing as setting technological and construction standards in South Asia, thereby enhancing China’s soft power.

The bangladesh Investment Development Authority is also trying its best to retain potential investors, especially those from China. They are in constant touch through webinars and other virtual platforms. However, it is true that if the projects under Chinese brI are fully functional, bangladesh would benefit hugely. The Chinese projects are boosting bangladesh’s economy. bangladesh is benefitting from the brI.

The Bangladesh Investment Development Authority is also trying its best to retain potential investors, especially those from China. They are in constant touch through webinars and other virtual platforms. However, it is true that if the projects under Chinese BRI are fully functional, Bangladesh would benefit hugely. The Chinese projects are boosting Bangladesh’s economy.

Bangladesh is benefitting from the BRI

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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The writer, originally from Myanmar, now lives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and can be reached at kyawminmandalay55@gmail.com

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

06-07 Comments 20 March 2022_Layout 1 3/19/2022 11:30 PM Page 2

Sunday, 20 March, 2022

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

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

Expanding horizons for women

Balochistan’s Pashtun Question

have lived without any confrontation is that baloch and Pashtun territories are sharply segKalat state, and its dependencies (mekran, Kha- regated via natural terrains. However, following ran, and las bela). british-balochistan also the influx of Afghan refugees into the province, known as a Chief Commissioner’s province, be- baloch nationalists have apprehended that they came a reality in 1893. It comprised some are on the verge of becoming a minority, Afghan territories occupied by the british during notwithstanding that all who call themselves the secondAnglo-Afghan war (1879-1880), a baloch are racially not baloch at all. Pashtun nasmall area of Kalati-balochistan and some parts tionalists believe that baloch should not be worof Sindh. The name british balochistan was a ried about Afghan refugees as long as they live misnomer that received criticism even from the in the Pashtun territories.

Southern balochistan has been facing issues british officers including Sir Olaf Caroe, colonial governor of north West Frontier Province of militancy, terrorism, and a baloch/brahui sep(nWFP) and Sir Herbert Aubrey Francis met- aratist movement. It has adversely affected the calfe (Agent to the Governor-General for british social-economic and political development of balochistan). The former believed that it should the entire province. Due to the geographical seghave been named british -Afghanistan while the regation between baloch and Pashtun areas, the latter believed that it should be named british flames of baloch militancy have not spilled over into the Pashtun area allowing it to comparaPathanistan.

In the wake of Pakistan’s creation, The Chief tively develop over the years, albeit at a slow Commissioner’s province of british balochistan pace.While the baloch region, mostly Southern became Quetta Division and Kalati balochistan balochistan,lags behind in the socio-economic became Kalat Division. The present balochistan development due to continuing militancy since came into being in 1970 when President Yahya 2007 and the poor law and order situation. multi ethnicity and a multiracial demoKhan abolished the One unit and by merging graphic profile of balochistan is not a weakness, Quetta and Kalat Divisions created the province but indeed, a strength of the province. It is time of balochistan.The that we recognize decision was immedibalochistan as home ately criticized byofvarious ethnic/racial Pashtun nationalists groups including as they believed that Pashtun, Hazaras, In future censuses, the ethnic the Pashtun territory Punjabis, baloch, and of balochistan should groups should be included based brahuis. be either merged with current status on the language they speak and quo The nWFP (Khyber has allowed the Pakhtunkhwa) or the not on the basis of the caste so baloch to rule over the erstwhile britishPashtuns, even though balochistan should that the actual population of many now believe that have been turned into the Pashtuns are now every ethnic group is a separate province in majority. It is inwith any name other represented . By doing so,the cumbent upon the acathan balochistan. d e m i a , false perception that only Baloch intelligentsia,and Intelligentsia, polimedia and political live in this province can be cymakers to investipublic office holders gate the status quo and have given almost eliminated. It will go a long way provide equal attennone or very little attion to all ethnic comin managing the socio-economic tention to the exismunities. tence of the Pashtun and political dynamics of the balochistan is a community when misnomer, and a gross province and will also have a they discuss contemviolation of the human porary balochistan. A very sobering effect on rights is occurring of long list of published the other large ethnic separatist Baloch/Brahui academic works and groups in the literary festivals province.

There is a militants and foreign powers around the country need to constitutionfocus on the baloch ally change the name grievances and preof the province to one sens so-called policy which is acceptable to recommendations based on a narrow approach that does not in- all ethnic groups in the province including the clude the Pashtuns or other communities resid- Pashtuns. The new name of the province can be ing in the province. Such ignorance provides a after any geographical feature, mountain, the old distorted and blurred understanding of balochis- name Turan or even Quetta-Kalat Province. In tan. All solutions provided to resolve the crisis future censuses, the ethnic groups should be inin Southern balochistan completely ignore the cluded based on the language they speak and not socio-economic issues relating to other commu- on the basis of the caste so that the actual popunities living in balochistan, who happen to be lation of every ethnic group is represented . by doing so,the false perception that only baloch peaceful.

Although Kalati-balochistan was ruled by live in this province can be eliminated. It will go Afghanistan for centuries, the Pashtun and a long way in managing the socio-economic and baloch/brahuis have lived without any major political dynamics of the province and will also grievances against each other. After 1970 the have a very sobering effect on separatist baloch and Pashtun sub-nationalist parties have baloch/brahui militants and foreign powers.

The province’s people are not uniformly \Baloch or Brahui abDUl rEhMan

I

n the mainstream media, intelligentsia and even globally, balochistan is assumed to be inhabited mainly by the baloch, ignoring the historic presence of Pashtuns and other minorities. balochistan is thus presented and understood through the prism of baloch identity only and their grievances, some imagined, some genuine.It is generally perceived that baloch are the largest ethnic group in the province. This perception is incorrect as anyone who speaks balochi is considered a baloch in the census, but that does not make it a baloch-majority province. One of the widespread misconception about the brahui speaking people, whether intentional or unintentional, is that they are of the same racial stock as the baloch. brahuis are not baloch, in fact they are of Dravidian origin believed to be migrated from Kathiawar, India, as stated by british historians of the 19th century. balochistan is in fact a multi-ethnic,multiracial province, where some believe that the Pashtuns are indeed the largest ethnic group.

However, the common masses outside balochistan are generally unaware of the presence of Pashtuns in balochistan. Such ignorance has not only deprived Pashtuns and other ethnic groups of their due rights, but also added to the already existing issues in the province. militancy and baloch grievances basically relate to some south-eastern and southern parts of balochistan. most of balochistan, where other communities live, get totally ignored when it comes to resolving the conflict of “balochistan”. To lift the socio-economic wellbeing of all the races and ethnicities of balochistan, one needs to understand the ethno-racial spread and deal with them for the ground realities peculiar to their areas, rather than see balochistan only through the identity of the baloch and their grievances.

This piece aims at taking stock of the ground realities of balochistan focused on ethno-racial spread of the population, so that the other ethnicities living peacefully in most of balochistan and their socio-economic issues having no associated threat of violence, can be addressed appropriately. balochistanhas never existed in history as a province with the existing boundaries. It emerged with the abolishing of One unit in 1970 as a result of the merging of Quetta and Kalat Divisions.looking back at history, in 1742, nadir Shah Qachar, King of Persia, Khorasan and even Delhi, decided to divide his conquered territories into areas for better governance. He divided the baloch migrants from Western Arabia settled in South-eastern Persia into a province of Seistan-balochistan and Kalatibalochistan. He nominated a ruler at Kalat. later, in 1757, Ahmad Shah Abdali named a brahui, mir nasir, to be the Khan of Kalat.

The Khanate at that time was composed of Kharan, mekran, and las bela, which are located in modern-day South-Central balochistan.

The british rule started in Kalati-balochistan by snatching it away Afghanistan in1856. At the time of Independence in 1947, the present territory of balochistan was a mix of several administrative units consisting of british-balochistan,

been establishing coalition governments in the province. One of the major reasons why they

The writer is a Research Officer in Balochistan Think Tank Network, BTTN, Quetta

WOmen’S equality in all spheres of life has been a contested issue not only in Pakistan but worldwide. be it income disparity, education opportunities, leaving careers to take care of families, etc. has always been the talk of the analysts and opinion-makers. Women’s empowerment is a very important indicator of a country’s growth and development. The role of women cannot be undermined in any field as they deliver more than expected and when given the opportunities excel in everything they do.

Their handling of situations with intelligence and empathy produces greater results. Women make up almost half of the population with only a quarter of the labour force in the country. Growing up girls always show great results in education, if given a chance, they are good position holders in board exams showing signs of boundless potential just like boys if not more. many at that stage either opt for medicine becoming doctors only to drop out of their careers in many cases or end up becoming teachers; very few opt for other fields deeming them “unsuitable” for females. While their counterpart, that is, “boys” enter in large numbers in fields like politics, engineering, the corporate world, etc.

The real estate sector, like many other sectors and industries in Pakistan, is male-dominated. The male workforce gets more and better opportunities and advancements in their careers. AAA Associates offers many such high-profile jobs to the potential female workforce. AAA Associates with its gender-sensitive policies provides a secure platform and positive environment to its female staff and encourages the industry to take steps in order to make it easy and accessible for enthusiastic, passionate, and determined women to excel in the field of real estate, etc. There are managerial posts, team leads, data analysts, marketing experts or designers, and content writers. It is a need of the hour that the women enter the corporate world in large numbers and contribute their share in diverse fields and prove their mettle. The corporate world has a plethora of opportunities for women in various fields to expand their horizons and produce results to take the country on the pathway of success.

MARYAM NAWAZ KAYAN, ISlAMAbAD

Financial literacy FInAnCIAl literacy for kids is about ensuring that your child is educated on the best way to manage finances. This is a way of securing their future. This is because they will be able to learn how to manage money in all possible ways.

They make lessons on money management for children easy and also fun to learn. behavioural researches from Cambridge university encourage parents to start teaching their kids about money as young as 3. There are developmentally appropriate ways to help your kids begin to understand personal finance and credit cards at every stage of childhood. money is good for nothing unless you know the value of it by experience. The figures have shown that the total debt on Pakistan is about PKr 50.5 trillion at the end of September 2021 an addition of PKr 20.7 trillion in the past 39 months. Pakistan’s per capita debt in 2020 was about PKr 200,000. Pakistan’s total external debt is projected to trend around 118500 uSD million in 2022. Young children can perform tasks to earn money for their spending plans. Children need to distinguish between shared responsibilities as members of a family and responsibilities that earn them money. This lesson introduces young children to activities and ideas for earning money. Children learn that money is a reward for working. Kids’ financial education is the need of the hour. It is very important to teach kids financial literacy to give them a bright and wealthy future.

AbDUl MAJID ASAD FAISAlAbAD

Quality of health care service PAKISTAn is one of the countries which is trying its very best to fulfil the objective of achieving the millennium Development Goals (mDGs). These are basically the goals that are set for the countries that are in the developing process.

There has been a focus on the health care sector since the formation of Pakistan.

Although the improvements are being made through bringing health reforms and health care policies. The introduced programs by previous governments are already having limited scope and that is the reason why the health care sector in Pakistan is inefficient and facing decline (Premani et al., 2016). major weaknesses in our health care service providers include lack of resources, poor governance, poor quality of data available regarding the management system for the health, lack of interest by governments in monitoring the health policies and high level of corruption in this sector. The bureaucratic system of Pakistan has not played a productive role as bureaucratic power has divided the health care services for rich and poor instead of dividing it with equity (Premani et al., 2016).

Treatments for any health-related issues is a right for every individual rather than just providing to the elite and ignoring the middle-class individual One of the surveys conducted by Transparency International provided that health care is one of the most corrupt sectors in Pakistan (relief web, 2013). This is one of the reasons why the majority of the population in Pakistan are very unhappy with the services being provided by the medical centres. The government-controlled health care centres are in a deep decline while the privately owned and controlled health centres are so expensive that they can not be afforded by the majority of the general public.

JANNAT UMAR lAhoRE

The decline of societal values beInG well into my nineties, have seen our society changing, unfortunately not for good. I remember that back in the early 1940s, I had to get up early in the morning to go to the high school in Kallar Syedan, which was five miles from my village. I used to make the journey to school and back on foot. upon returning home, I would have to help with house chores and take animals out for grazing. On holidays, I would work with my cousins in the fields beside the chores I had to do on daily basis. We used to have enough wheat, maize, and other crops to meet our annual needs. People in the village lived like a community by helping each other in sowing/ harvesting the lands and never depended on outside help. Over time, we developed in many ways with efficient technology replacing people. While gradually people became more well-off, we as a society have become very selfish and individualistic. Instead of helping ourselves and others, we expect the government to do everything.

RAJA ShAFAATUllAh ISlAMAbAD

08 WORLD VIEW 20th March 22_Layout 1 3/19/2022 10:51 PM Page 1

Sunday, 20 March, 2022

08 WORLD VIEW

ASSASSinATing PuTin won’T work. iT never HAS for AmericA. AMID CALLS TO TARGET PUTIN, IT’S WORTH RECALLING WHY THE U.S. HAS STOPPED TRYING TO KILL FOREIGN HEADS OF STATE

Politico

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StEPHEN KiNZEr

MeRICA’S rage at a foreign demon has rarely been as intense as our current fixation on Vladimir Putin. he is this generation’s Mao or Castro, its Gadhafi or Saddam or Khomeini, the rampaging and perhaps deranged foreign tyrant who personifies everything we hate and fear.

Many in Washington see last month’s invasion of Ukraine as entirely his doing. Some believe the world will never be at peace as long as he lives and rules. From there it’s a short step to wishing him “sawed off” — as Dwight eisenhower put it when he ordered Fidel Castro’s assassination in 1960. “Is there a Brutus in Russia?

Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military?” Sen. Lindsey Graham mused recently. “The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out.”

In some circles it might be considered imprudent for a leading political figure to urge the murder of a foreign leader. Graham, however, was only expressing publicly what some of his colleagues may wish privately. The reasoning is simple. If Putin is the problem, “eliminate” Putin and the problem disappears.

Such open calls for political murder are rare. The Fox News host Sean hannity jumped aboard, reasoning that “you cut off the head of the snake and you kill the snake.

Right now, the snake is Vladimir Putin.” Others are less explicit about their wishes for Putin’s death or overthrow.

When a spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was struck by an attack of honesty and admitted that sanctions on Russia are intended “to bring down the Putin regime,” she was quickly corrected. yet when senators including Graham, Cory Booker, Marco Rubio and Amy Klobuchar co-sponsor a resolution accusing Russia of “flagrant acts of aggression and other atrocities rising to the level of crimes against humanity and war crimes,” they are clearly putting a target on his chest.

Two deep fallacies undermine this argument. First is the premise itself — that a different Russian leader might seek an accord to withdraw troops from Ukraine. No one who hopes to secure power in Moscow, however, could ever accept Ukraine’s entry into NATO or the presence of hostile troops on Ukrainian soil. Any Russian president who did so would be seen as exposing his country to mortal danger and quickly deposed. Removing Putin would not alter Russia’s determination never to tolerate an enemy army on another of its borders. The second and more illuminating argument against killing foreign leaders is the poor record we have in past attempts. We’ve tried it repeatedly. Often we have failed, but even when we seem to have succeeded, the long-term consequences have been terrible. An order from the Oval Office to assassinate a foreign leader would not break a taboo. It would only be the latest in a series of self-defeating blunders.

So far as is known, Dwight eisenhower was the first president to order such assassinations. he began by targeting Premier Zhou enlai of China. During the 1950s, eisenhower and nearly every other policymaker in Washington considered the “Red Chinese” to be mania-

cal fanatics bent on world conquest. When Zhou announced in 1955 that he would travel to Bandung, Indonesia, for a momentous conference of Asian and African leaders, the CIA saw a chance to kill him. Zhou chartered an Air India jet for his flight to Bandung. It exploded in midair, killing 16 passengers. But Zhou had not boarded. China called it “murder by the special service organizations of the United States.”

After Zhou landed safely on another flight, CIA Director Allen Dulles decided to try again. he directed the chief of the CIA’s chemical division, Sidney Gottlieb, to prepare poison. Gottlieb made one that would kill Zhou 48 hours after it was dropped into his rice bowl — presumably after he was back home in China, giving the Americans plausible deniability. This plot was aborted at the last moment when Gen. Lucian Truscott Jr., then serving as a deputy CIA director, learned of it and exploded in anger. Fearing that CIA involvement would become known, according to his biographer, he “confronted Dulles and forced him to cancel the operation.”

Gottlieb destroyed all his files upon leaving the CIA in 1973. As a result — and because of the tradition that assassination orders must never be explicit — no details of the Zhou enlai plot have been discovered. It was the strict policy of the CIA, however, never to embark on something as serious as assassinating a head of government without presidential approval. evidence ties eisenhower more directly to other plots. During the summer of 1960, he was preoccupied by political murders. his main target was the demon who would obsess American leaders for generations and still does today, even though he is dead: Fidel Castro. On May 13, 1960, after receiving a briefing from Allen Dulles, he ordered Castro “sawed off.”

“In that period of history, its meaning would have been clear,” Richard Bissell, then the CIA’s covert action chief, testified years later. “eisenhower was a tough man behind that smile.” eisenhower’s order set off a wild series of assassination attempts. For more than three years, CIA planners considered plots ranging from a sniper shot to an exploding seashell. The most elaborate ones involved toxins or devices designed by Sidney Gottlieb. They included, according to a later Senate report, “poison pills, poison pens, deadly bacterial powders, and other devices which strain the imagination.”

While waiting for news of success in his plot against Castro — which never came — eisenhower ordered another assassination. his victim was to be Patrice Lumumba, a defiant nationalist who was elected prime minister of the Congo in May 1960. eisenhower feared Lumumba’s challenge to Western power in a huge African country that controls vast mineral riches.

On the morning of Aug. 18, 1960, Allen Dulles received an electrifying cable from the CIA station chief in the Congo, Larry Devlin. “embassy and station believe Congo experiencing classic Communist effort takeover government,” it said. “Anti-West forces rapidly increasing power Congo and therefore may be little time left in which take action to avoid another Cuba.” Dulles took the cable to the Oval Office.

From 11:10 to 11:23 that morning, according to eisenhower’s official calendar, he held an “off the record meeting” with Dulles and other CIA officers. After hearing their report, the note-taker wrote, the president “turned to Dulles and said something to the effect that Lumumba should be eliminated. There was stunned si-

lence for about 15 seconds, and the meeting continued.”

Senate investigators later pinpointed this moment as the point when eisenhower “circumlocutiously” ordered Lumumba’s assassination. What does a president do after giving such an order? eisenhower posed for a photo with the departing ecuadoran ambassador, had lunch, and then decamped to Bethesda for an afternoon of golf at Burning Tree Club. In case anyone missed the point, he sent his national security adviser, Gordon Grey, to the next meeting of the CIA’s covert action “special group” with instructions to convey “top-level feeling in Washington that vigorous action would not be amiss.”

A couple of weeks later, Devlin received a cable from CIA headquarters telling him to expect a visit from an officer who would identify himself as “Joe from Paris.” When the officer arrived, Devlin recognized him as Sidney Gottlieb, the CIA’s poison-maker. Gottlieb handed him a packet containing a vial of liquid botulinum and told him he was to use it to kill Lumumba.

“Jesus h. Christ!” Devlin cried. “Who authorized this operation?”

“President eisenhower,” Gottlieb told him. “I wasn’t there when he approved it, but Dick Bissell said that eisenhower wanted Lumumba removed.” Then he helpfully added: “With the stuff that’s in here, no one will ever be able to know that Lumumba was assassinated.”

Devlin managed to organize a coup in which Lumumba was overthrown but not killed. he remained immensely popular both at home and abroad. Devlin’s efforts to penetrate his security ring and poison him, including an attempt to slip him a tube of tainted toothpaste, all failed. That didn’t discourage Allen Dulles.

“We wish to give every possible support in eliminating Lumumba from any possibility of resuming government position,” he wrote in one cable. At one point Devlin and his officers considered using a “commando type group” to capture him. Then they asked if a sharpshooter with a “high powered foreign made rifle” could be found. “hunting good here when light’s right,” one CIA officer observed in a cable to headquarters.

The CIA’s poison ultimately went unused, but Devlin found another way to complete his mission. On November 27, Lumumba slipped out of the home where he was being held under Congolese and United Nations guard.

Devlin set out to find and capture him. his key partners were intelligence officers from Belgium, the former colonial power, which had become fabulously wealthy by exploiting the Congo’s mineral wealth. Together, they had Lumumba tracked, seized, tortured and delivered to his most murderous local enemies. A Congolese squad executed him under watchful Belgian eyes. No American was present. years later, an interviewer asked Allen Dulles if he regretted any of his operations. “I think that we overrated the danger in, let’s say, the Congo,” he replied. Devlin agreed. “None of us had any real concept of what he stood for,” Devlin later wrote of Lumumba. “he was simply an unstable former postal clerk with great political charisma, who was leaning toward the Communist bloc.

In Cold War terms, he represented the other side. The fact that he was first and foremost an African nationalist who was using the east-West rivalry to advance his cause was played down by the Belgians, who greatly feared him.”

When eisenhower left office in January 1961, he could count one successful assassination — Lumumba, in concert with the Belgians — and two failures: Zhou enlai and Castro. his successor, John F. Kennedy, focused in-

tently on Castro. especially after the spectacular failure of the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, he absorbed eisenhower’s view that Castro must be “sawed off.”

“There was a flat-out effort ordered by the White house, the president, Bobby Kennedy — who after all was his right-hand man — to unseat the Castro government, to do everything possible to get rid of it by whatever device could be found,” former CIA director Richard helms later told congressional investigators.

The Kennedy administration sought relentlessly to kill Castro, even as it sent peace feelers to him through secret channels. On the very day President Kennedy was assassinated, a CIA officer in Paris passed a poison device to an operative who was to use it to kill Castro.

Kennedy also embraced another of eisenhower’s Caribbean plots, aimed at the Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo. Both presidents detested Trujillo and feared that his brutal rule might produce a Castro-style revolution.

In July 1960, while eisenhower was in office, the CIA delivered 12 “sterile” rifles with telescopic sights to antiTrujillo plotters. Nine months later, with Kennedy in the White house, it delivered three carbines. The plotters carried out their tyrannicide on May 30, 1961. Democracy emerged a couple of years later, but the United States decided it could not tolerate that democracy because President Juan Bosch seemed too leftist and sympathetic to Castro. That led the United States to launch its 1965 invasion of the Dominican Republic and to stage-manage the election of a former Trujillo ally, Joaquin Balaguer, who went on to dominate the country for much of the next 30 years. The assassination that most tormented Kennedy was one that he set in motion but did not realize he had ordered. In a jumble of diplomatic missteps, and without a direct presidential command, the Kennedy administration authorized the overthrow of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem. On Nov. 1, 1963, assured of U.S. support, plotters carried out their coup and then assassinated Diem.

“Kennedy leaped to his feet and rushed from the room with a look of shock and dismay on his face which I had never seen before,” General Maxwell Taylor, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, later wrote of the moment when news of Diem’s death landed in the Oval Office. “he had always insisted Diem must never suffer more than exile, and had been led to believe or had persuaded himself that a change in government could be carried out without bloodshed.” This killing, the historian Staley Karnow wrote, “haunted US leaders during the years ahead, prompting them to assume a larger burden in Vietnam.”

Kennedy’s successor, Lyndon Johnson, embraced covert action, as have all modern American presidents, but did not emulate his two predecessors by authorizing assassination. The day after Kennedy was killed, he showed a visitor a portrait of Diem and said, “We had a hand in murdering him. Now it’s happening here.” Later Johnson wondered if Kennedy’s assassination was “divine retribution.” he also expressed disgust for the plots against Castro and Trujillo: “We were running a goddamn Murder Inc. in the Caribbean.”

Americans are impatient by nature. We want quick solutions, even to complex problems. That makes killing a foreign leader seem like a good way to end a war. every time we have tried it, though, we’ve failed — whether or not the target falls. Morality and legality aside, it doesn’t work. Castro thrived on his ability to survive American plots. In the Congo, almost everything that has happened since Lumumba’s murder has been awful. Our record in carrying out regime change short of murder is hardly better. The CIA-directed overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh in 1953 cast Iran into a political whirlwind from which it still has not escaped. A year later, the CIA coup against President Jacobo Arbenz of Guatemala aborted a ten-year democratic experiment and set that country on a path toward civil war and genocide. Soon after the Guatemala coup, eisenhower invited Allen Dulles and other CIA officers to the White house for official congratulations. They presented an elaborate account of their operation, complete with charts, slides, and film clips. eisenhower had one question. “Why the hell didn’t you catch Arbenz?” he asked. “Mr. President,” came the reply, “that would have set a very dangerous precedent for you.”

Stephen Kinzer's new book is Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control.

Spies who lie: 51 ‘intelligence’ experts refuse to apologize for discrediting true Hunter Biden story New York Post

T

Editorial Board

hey are the supposed nonpartisan group of top spies looking out for the best interest of the nation. But the 51 former “intelligence” officials who cast doubt on The Post’s hunter Biden laptop stories in a public letter really were just desperate to get Joe Biden elected president. And more than a year later, even after their Deep State sabotage has been shown again and again to be a lie, they refuse to own up to how they undermined an election.

The officials, including CNN pundit and professional fabricator James Clapper — a man who was nearly charged for perjury for lying to Congress — signed a letter saying that the laptop “has the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.”

What proof did they have? By their own admission, none. “We do not know if the emails are genuine or not,” the letter said. They’re just “suspicious.”

Why? Because they hurt Biden’s campaign, that’s evidence enough.

Keep in mind this was written Oct. 19, 2020, five

NO REMORSE. NO SHAME. AND NO APOLOGIES days after The Post published its first story. Neither Joe Biden nor hunter Biden had denied the story, they simply deflected questions. Didn’t these security experts think that if this was disinformation, the Biden campaign would have yelled to the heavens that the story was false?

Meanwhile, though the letter was advertised as being signed by people who worked “for presidents of both political parties,” a majority of the officials were Democrats. Politico picked up the letter and ran the false headline “hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say.” That headline is still online today, even though the letter clearly says they don’t know if it’s Russian disinformation.

That headline was tweeted out by legions of Democrats, including current White house spokeswoman Jen Psaki, as proof that it was all a con. That tweet also is still up despite being proven false.

Thus pure speculation by a group of biased officials

became gospel among the media. This was “fake news,” and could be safely ignored.

Keep in mind that Twitter already had banned The New york Post a few days before. The rationale was that this was “hacked materials,” even though it wasn’t — and Twitter had no evidence to think it was. A Facebook official, meanwhile, said it wasn’t going to allow the sharing of The Post’s story until it was “fact checked” by a third party — a check that never happened.

Thus, Big Tech, former government officials, and the media conspired together to bury a story. No, not just bury — create a false narrative that flipped the script to make Joe Biden the victim of a conspiracy.

In short, they peddled online disinformation to sway an election. No one actually proved The Post’s reporting was wrong. Media outlets showed up at the doorstep of the computer repairman who had gotten the laptop, and he confirmed it. People who exchanged e-mails with hunter Biden attested to their accuracy in the days and

weeks that followed.

Only after the election was safely over did hunter tacitly admit the laptop was his. Last year, a Politico reporter confirmed that the laptop’s materials were real.

And now, the coup de grace: The Times said it’s “authenticated” material from the laptop.

There have been no consequences. Twitter and Facebook still censor information based on political bias, and Congress takes no action. Many of the letter signers continue to be used as “experts” by the media. Clapper, for instance, spent years on CNN calling Donald Trump a “Russian asset,” a lie invented and fed by political operatives of hillary Clinton. he’s still there. Guess accuracy is not a condition of employment.

Do the officials who tried to flip the 2020 election feel any regret for their actions? The Post reached out to those who signed the letter. Most would not answer the question. A few doubled-down, including Clapper. No remorse. No shame. And no apologies

Sunday, 20 March, 2022 | KARACHI

NEWS

corporate corner

ConstruCtion work on red Line Brt Begins in karaChi KARACHI

Karachi: (L-R) Dr. Zeeshan Hassan (Medical Lead, Sanofi CHC). Dr. Shahid Abbas (President, PAAIS), Dr. A.R. Juratli (Asso. Prof. Damascus University), Dr. Saadia Tabassum (Asst. Prof & Director Dermatology Residency Prog. AKU) Dr. Najia Ashraf (Consultant Dermatologist, South City Hosp) & Ahsen Zeshan (Marketing Lead, Sanofi CHC) at the launch of PAAIS Allergy Management Certification Program held in collaboration with Sanofi Pakistan on 19th March. pr

(From left to right - sitting): Osman Nasir (Managing Director, Pakistan Software Export Board), Farrukh H. Khan (CEO, Pakistan Stock Exchange Limited), Talib Baloch (Project Director, Pakistan Software Export Board), Muhammad Farid Alam (CEO, AKD Securities Limited), Hina Junaid (Chairperson, AKD Securities Limited) and Afsheen Dhedhi (Director, AKD Securities Limited). pr

Abacus Consulting, a leading technology, consulting and outsourcing firm has been awarded the LCCI President’s IT Award for its contribution to the IT landscape of Pakistan.

Held at Aiwan-e-Sadr, Islamabad, Abacus was lauded for playing a pivotal role in the technology landscape of Pakistan and its contribution to the economy. pr

t

staff report

HE Sindh government has started construction work on Karachi’s Red Line BRT project, according to Trans Karachi – the operator of Karachi Breeze System.

As per reports, the construction work on Karachi Bus Rapid Transit Red Line started on March 14. In the first phase, the route from Tank Chowk near Malir Halt to Safoora Chowrangi will be completed.

In this connection, the traffic police have issued alternate routes to ensure a smooth flow of traffic in the construction site area. According to a plan, the traffic police have advised people to avoid Tank Chowk to Saforra Chowrangi via Check Post No 6, Malir Cantt route.

People coming from M9 motorway and Malir Cantt can take University Road opposite to Malir Cantt Check Post No. 5 to go towards Safoora Chowrangi. Similarly, the commuters coming from Tank Chowk can take

Cantt Road if want to go towards University Road.

Commuters coming from Tank Check/Model Colony can take the Cantt Road to go towards Pehalwan Goth.

dispatch of relief goods for gilgit Baltistan earthquake affectees by ndMa

islamabad: Lt. General Akhtar Nawaz HI (M), Chairman NDMA, had a telephonic conversation with Governor GB Raja Jalal Hussain Maqpoon, Muhammad Khalid Khurseed Khan Chief Minister GB and Lt (retd) Khalid Saleem DG GBDMA. The damages caused by the recent earthquake and relief efforts/activities were discussed.

The Gilgit-Baltistan government and the GBDMA are utilizing all their resources to provide emergency relief to the earthquake victims. Main and access roads affected by the landslides have been opened for traffic at various places, however maintenance work on Jaglot-Skardu road is still being carried out by the FWO. On request of GBDMA for assistance to the quake affectees, NDMA has dispatched one consignment of family tents through C-130 aircraft of PAF, while another consignment of relief goods consisting of tarpaulins, blankets, ration bags and more tents will also be sent soon. Furthermore, NDMA is in constant touch with the Gilgit-Baltistan Disaster Management Authority and will provide full assistance in relief activities as and when required. pr

Red Line BRT: The Red Line will span 26 km from Safoora to Tower. It is expected to have an average daily ridership of 625,000 passengers.

The route of the 26-kilometer BRT Red Line project will connect Model Colony to Johar Complex en route Jinnah Avenue and Malir Cantt while the buses will run through University Road, Hassan Square and Numaish roundabout.

24 stations would be constructed on this line which will run from Malir Halt to Numaish via Model Colony, Safoora Goth, King Cottages, Met Office, NED University, Safari Park, Nipa, Urdu University, Masjid Baitul Mukarram, Civic Centre, Askari Park, Dawood University and Society Office.

A biogas plant will be installed on a 31-acre land in Bhens Colony area of Karachi, which will be used for fulfilling the fuel needs of the bus service.

Transforming Narratives Mela & Symposium A three-day celebration of contemporary arts and culture in Birmingham, Pakistan and Bangladesh, 19 – 21 March 2022.

The Transforming Narratives Mela & Symposium is a three day celebration of contemporary arts and culture in Birmingham, Pakistan and Bangladesh taking place 19 – 21 March 10am – 4pm GMT / 3 – 9pm PKT / 4 – 10pm BDT. For those who can’t join the full festival, the Mela will be live streamed on Transforming Narratives’ YouTube and Facebook channels.

Bringing together artists, organisations and audiences the Mela and Symposium is a digital festival, on a dedicated online platform for new art, music, film, critical discussion and reflection. Over three days there are three simultaneous programmes to experience: Mela: Performances and presentations from artists based in Birmingham, Pakistan and Bangladesh. An opportunity to see new work and experience the theatre, music, dance and visual art being made across Birmingham,

Pakistan and Bangladesh, right now. Events include a screening of Dhaka Say Karachi Chapter Two, a film telling the parallel stories of Bangladesh capital Dhaka and Karachi in Pakistan, led by Ahsan Bari of Pakistan in collaboration with Sheikh Dina of Bangladesh, and Dear ... Kindest, a film exploring personal feelings of home, belonging and identity created by Shehzad Chowdhury in Bangladesh in collaboration with Mahtab Hussain in Birmingham. p r

CERN holds virtual meeting with Shibli Faraz Dawlance supports Pakistan Climate Conference 2022 as Platinum Sponsor. pr

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CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) Task Force consisting of five expert members conducted virtual meeting with Federal Minister for Science and Technology Mr. Shibli Faraz as part of the five-year review of Pakistan’s Associate Membership with CERN. Though Pakistan became an Associate Member of CERN in 2015, it has been contributing to CERN projects since 1994, with valuable contributions from local scientists, engineers, and technicians. The Minister thanked the Task Force members, on behalf of Government of Pakistan, for virtual meetings with different institutes and universities of the country. He appreciated the longstanding collaboration of Pakistan with CERN and particularly the

annual sports day at Beaconhouse harley street Campus held with zeal, fervor RAWALPindi: The Annual Sports Day at Beaconhouse School Harley Street Campus was held with zeal and fervour. Energetic and vibrant displays of gymnastics, karate, and self-defense were much appreciated by the parents. Adding to the spirit were the melodious performances by the school choir to keep the spirits high. The students showed their strength and skills as they competed in races with fun hurdles.

Kabaddi match, highlight of the event, enthralled the audiences. The 'raiders' and the 'defenders' expertly tackled and struggled keep the match full of suspense till the last minute. Chanting of 'kabbadi' and drum beat added to the adrenalincharged match. Brgdr (Retd) Khalid Sultan, Principal of APS Boys Campus and Ex MPA Sadiq Mehmood Chairperson Youth Affairs, Sports and Tourism graced the event with their presence, appreciating the well organized event. pr

ssP rewards itP education team on good performance increased cooperation after Pakistan attained the status of Associate Member.

The minister said that Pakistan has a long history of research in elementary particle physics and has produced some renowned scientists in this field,

including the Nobel Laureate Dr. Abdus Salam. He expressed that Pakistan has gained numerous benefits from Associate Membership of CERN; increased number of engineering contracts to support CERN programs which are beneficial for our industrial. p r

POWER SUSPENSION SCHEDULES FOR 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th & 25th March 2022 According to Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO)’s spokesman, System Maintenance/Development Work is in process. Therefore power supply of below mentioned feeders/areas will be temporary suspended as per given schedule: On 21st March, From 09:00 AM to 02:00 PM, Dorabdhal, Matwa, Taxila, Maniwala, Chhaji Mar, Azeem Shaheed, Mathial, Kasran, Sarpak, Bhikri, CS Shah, Basharat, Daulatullah, Feeders, From 10:00 AM to 04:00 PM, NCI (Tuba), Lillah Town, Ahmedabad, Songhai, Feeders,From 09:00 AM to 04:00 PM Sagarpur, Abdullahpur, CWO, Jalalpur Sharif, On 22nd March, From 09:00 AM to 02:00 PM, Sohawa katchary, Kohsar Valley, Brahma,

Dherak, Jhang, Kashif Gul, Model Town, Mix Industry, Industrial, Purmiana, Rashid Minhas, Shahia, Haji Shah, Tin Mela, Gagan, Fateh Jang City, Laniwala, Sajjad Shaheed, Fateh Jang, Amanpur, Dharnal, Sarkal, Chakra, Katas, Dalwal, Bahrapur, Feeder, From 09:00 AM to 4:00 pm, Dina 3 Rohtas Feeders, From 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Songhai, NCI (Tuba), Lillah Town, Ahmedabad Feeders, From 09:00 AM to 04:00 PM, Sagarpur, Abdullahpur, CWO, Jalalpur Sharif feeders,On 24th March, From 09:00 AM to 02:00 PM Sohawa Katachry, Kohsar Valley, Khanabad, Munirabad. Lala Rukh, Brahma, Dheerak, Jhang, Kashif Gul, Model Town, Mix Industry, Haji Chah, Tin Mela. p r

iSLAMABAd: Senior Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Rai Mazhar Iqbal awarded ITP Education Team for showing excellent performance.

SSP (Traffic) Rai Mazhar Iqbal distributed cash prizes and commendation certificates to officers of ITP education Team for showing good performance.

Those policemen awarded for showing good performance Of ITP Education Team include in charge Inspector Ishtiaq Ahmed, Sub Inspector Sajjad Sheikh, ASI Azra Firdos, ASI Farzana, Asi Zahra Batool, Constable Liaqat Ali. SSP (Traffic) said that accountability process would remain continue in the department and those showing good performance to be encouraged. He said that special measures are being taken to ensure smooth flow of traffic in the city and make Islamabad accident-free city. Implementation on traffic rules is crucial to bring down accident rate, he said and committed to ensure safe road environment in the city. pr

Sunday, 20 March, 2022 | KARACHI

10 foREIgn nEwS

Xi says improper handling of Taiwan issues will hiT China-us Ties beiJinG

C

ReuteRs

HINESE President Xi Jinping told his US counterpart Joe Biden on Friday that the Taiwan issue needs to be handled properly to avoid a negative impact on Sino-US relations, according to Chinese media.

China says Taiwan, which it views as a breakaway province to be brought back to the fold, by force if necessary, is the most sensitive and important issue in its relations with the United States.

Washington, which is seeking Beijing’s help in restoring peace in Ukraine after Russia’s February 24 invasion, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taipei but is Taiwan’s most important international backer and

arms supplier.

“Some individuals in the United States are sending the wrong signals to pro-independence forces in Taiwan, and that’s very dangerous,” Xi told Biden on a video call.

“If the Taiwan issue is not handled properly, it will have a subversive impact on the relationship between the two countries.”

China sailed its aircraft carrier Shandong through the Taiwan Strait, shadowed by a US destroyer, on Friday, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters, just hours before the Chinese and US presidents were due to talk.

A White House statement said Biden reiterated in the call with Xi that US policy on Taiwan has not changed, and emphasised that Washington “continues

to oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo.”

China has over the past two years stepped up its military activity near the island to assert its sovereignty claims. “(We) hope the US side will pay adequate attention” to the issue, Xi told Biden.

Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry expressed thanks to Biden for his “emphasis on maintaining the status quo of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, as well as his firm support for Taiwan’s security”.

It called on China to take concrete actions and condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Taiwan, which rejects China’s sovereignty claims, has joined in Western-led sanctions against Russia and sent humanitarian aid for Ukrainian refugees.

Xi also told Biden that the war in Ukraine must end

as soon as possible, according to Chinese state media.

All parties should jointly support the RussiaUkraine dialogue while the United States and NATO should also conduct talks with Russia to solve the “crux” of the Ukraine crisis, Xi said.

Syria’s Assad visits UAE, first trip to Arab state since war began DUbai ReuteRs

east Timor, asia’s youngest nation, votes for president DiLi ReuteRs

Polls opened in East Timor on Saturday, as Asia’s youngest nation held its fifth presidential elections since independence, with concerns over political stability and economic security at the forefront.

The 16 presidential hopefuls include former resistance fighter and incumbent President Francisco “Lu Olo” Guterres as well as independence figure and Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta and a former Catholic priest. At polling booths in the capital Dili, Timorese donned masks and queued patiently as they waited to vote. “We must choose a new generation so that we can build this country,” said one voter, Jorge Mendonca Soares, 42, of his desire for change. While the nation’s independence figures still dominate the field, for the first time there are also four female candidates, including deputy prime minister Armanda Berta Dos Santos. A recent poll by the national university showed that Ramos-Horta, 72, former defence forces commander Lere Anan Timur and Guterres are the favourites. Polls close at 3:00 pm with early indicators of who is leading the vote expected to come late Saturday. If no candidate wins an outright majority, the vote will proceed to a run-off on April 19 between the top two contenders. Approaching twenty years since independence after the end of a brutal occupation by Indonesia, East Timor has for long spells struggled with political instability. After the last elections in 2018, Guterres refused to swear in some ministers from the National Congress of the Reconstruction of East Timor (CNRT), a political party led by former prime minister Xanana Gusmao. The move led to an ongoing political stalemate. RamosHorta, who is backed by Xanana’s CNRT party, said earlier this week he was running because he felt the current president had “exceeded his powers”. In East Timor’s political system, the president appoints a government and has the power to veto ministers or dissolve parliament. During a recent election debate, Guterres pledged to ensure peace and stability, defend East Timor’s sovereignty and follow the constitution if he won a new term. Heavily dependent on dwindling supplies of oil and gas, economic diversification and the role of young voters have also been key election issues, with an estimated 20% of voters reaching the voting age of 17 and casting their ballot for the first time. First-time voter Marco de Jesus, 17, said he felt nervous but relaxed after help from polling staff. “I feel proud to have carried out my function as a voter,” he said, speaking outside a polling station on Dili’s waterfront. “I hope my choice can bring positive and useful change.”

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad traveled to the United Arab Emirates on Friday, his first visit to an Arab state since the Syrian war began in 2011, underlining warming ties with a US-allied country that once backed rebels who sought his ouster.

Assad met Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan who “stressed that Syria is a fundamental pillar of Arab security, and that the UAE is keen to strengthen cooperation with it”, Emirati state news agency (WAM) reported.

A video posted by WAM showed Assad smiling as he stood alongside Sheikh Mohammed in front of the Syrian and Emirati flags, as well as gesticulating and smiling during talks.

The visit drew a sharp rebuke from Washington, with the State Department saying it was “profoundly disappointed and troubled” by what it called an apparent attempt to legitimize Assad. Assad’s only trips outside Syria during the war have been to Iran and Russia, close allies whose military support helped him turn the tide against opponents who had been backed by governments including US-allied Gulf states.

He also met on Friday with Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the Syrian presidency said in a statement.

The timing of the trip coincided with the eleventh anniversary of the Syrian uprising, which began in March 2011, and at a time when Washington has been working worldwide to unite allies and partners against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price reiterated that Washington remains opposed to efforts to normalise ties or rehabilitate Assad. He said the United States will not waive or lift sanctions on Syria unless progress is made toward a political solution to the conflict, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people since spiralling out of an uprising against Assad.

“We urge states considering engagement with the Assad regime to weigh carefully the horrific atrocities visited by the regime on the Syrians over the last

U.S. should practice Biden’s positive remarks on ties with China: Chinese Vice FM

Mian abrar The U.S. should follow through on President Joe Biden’s positive remarks on China-U.S. relations, said Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng on Saturday when delivering a speech at the 4th International Forum on Security and Strategy in Beijing.

He made the remarks when talking about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s video call with Biden, saying that the two sides talked for two hours on bilateral relations, the situation in Ukraine and other issues.

The atmosphere was very pragmatic and the exchanges were candid and in-depth, Le said. Noting the ongoing Ukraine crisis, he said that China has always been active in promoting

peace talks.

“The European continent is a crucial region in determining world peace. It was devastated by two World Wars. It was not peaceful after the cold war and now it’s back on fire,” he said, calling on the world to have a deep reflection.

The world should not pursue absolute security unilaterally, engage in bloc politics or camp confrontation and globalization must not be weaponized, he stressed, adding that small countries’ interests should not be sacrificed.

He noted further how the Asia-Pacific region can avoid a repeat of the Ukraine crisis.

Countries in the Asia-Pacific region should cherish peace, respect each other, adhere to unity and cooperation, and insist on self-reliance, he said.

The countries should not undermine regional tranquility, rudely interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, create division and confrontation or let others control their own destinies, he warned.

China stands ready to work with other Asia-Pacific countries under the banner of true multilateralism and promote lasting peace and common development, and upholds open regionalism to create a brighter future for the AsiaPacific community with a shared future, he said.

The forum, one of the core forums of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, is themed “The Changing Asia-Pacific: United or Divided?”

decade, as well as the regime’s continuing efforts to deny much of the country access to humanitarian aid and security,” Price said in an email.

Washington had expressed concern in November when the UAE foreign minister visited Damascus and met Assad.

But the Biden administration has eroded its political capital with both Riyadh and Abu Dhabi by not heeding their concerns about regional rival Iran, ending its support for their war in Yemen and slapping conditions on US weapons sales to the Gulf states.

WAM said the sides emphasized “the preservation of the territorial integrity of Syria and the withdrawal of foreign forces” from the fragmented country where Russia, Iran, Turkey and the United States all have a military presence.

They also discussed political and humanitarian support for Syria and its people to reach a peaceful solution to all the challenges it faces, WAM reported.

WAM said Sheikh Mohammed “expressed his wishes that this visit will pave the way for goodness, peace and stability to prevail in Syria and the entire region”. Assad briefed him on the latest developments in Syria, it said. Assad was seen off by Sheikh Mohammed at the airport. The meetings marked the latest in a series of diplomatic overtures that point to a shift underway in the Middle East where several Arab countries are reviving ties with Assad.

Russia-Ukraine conflict continues amid efforts for peaceful solution news Desk The Russia-Ukraine conflict continued unresolved on Saturday as relevant parties are working to broker a peaceful solution. Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, on Saturday, declaring the “unacceptable nature” of the military-biological activities of the United States in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of Russia’s lower house of parliament, said Saturday that the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) must stop supplying weapons and sending mercenaries to Ukraine.

Russian Defense Ministry announced the use of the Kinzhal hypersonic missiles to destroy a large warehouse of missiles and aviation ammunition of Ukrainian troops in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

According to RIA, it was the first use of the Kinzhal hypersonic weapons since the start of Moscow’s “special military operation” in Ukraine.

Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, also head of the Russian delegation in several rounds of talks with Ukraine, said Friday that the two sides have moved closer to agreement on the key issue of Ukraine dropping attempts to join NATO and adopting a neutral status.

For the Ukrainian side, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for comprehensive peace talks with Moscow, saying Russia would otherwise need generations to recover from losses suffered during the war.

Ukraine’s defense ministry admitted it had “temporarily” lost access to the Sea of Azov while Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that Ukraine hopes to evacuate civilians on Saturday via 10 humanitarian corridors from cities and towns on the front line of fighting with Russian forces.

Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on Friday that Ukraine’s positions at the peace talks with Russia remain unchanged.

“Our positions remain unchanged: a ceasefire, the withdrawal of troops and strict security guarantees with specific formulas,” Podolyak, also a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the peace talks with Russia, tweeted.

The fourth round of negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian delegations started on Monday via video link.

Sunday, 20 March, 2022 | KARACHI

WISden RAnkS BABAR AzAM’S 196 AMOng the BeSt 4th InnIngS effORtS thIS CentuRy

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AgEnciEs

AKISTAN skipper Babar Azam’s match-saving and record-breaking 196 against Australia in the final innings of the second Test in Karachi was lauded as among the best fourth innings batting displays this century

by Wisden.

Azam’s 10-hour stay on the pitch ranked third among the 10 best match-saving fourth-innings efforts of the 21st century, released on Thursday. The report said the Pakistan captain lived up to his reputation when his team needed him the most and “piled misery” on the Australian team to raise hopes of Pakistan’s win.

“The hosts had been bowled out for 148 in the first innings and were under immense pressure in the second innings after being set a target of 506.

All of this didn’t seem to matter to Babar, who played an all-time great knock,” the report added.

Azam had come in to bat when the team was reeling at 21 for 2. He had formed an incredible 228-run partnership for the third wicket with Abdullah Shafique but did not flinch even when the young’un departed a few short of his century.

The skipper was closing in on his first-ever double century when he fell prey to Nathan Lyon. In all, he had scored 196 off 425 balls, hit 21 boundaries and a

solitary six.

It was his best and most memorable knock in Pakistan colours — certainly in Tests and maybe even in all formats. Azam had broken the following three records with his performance: Highest score by a Pakistani batter in fourth innings Highest score by a captain in the fourth innings.

Most balls consumed by a Pakistan batter in the fourth innings “It was a team effort, as others chipped in with useful contributions too,” the Pakistan captain had said after the match. “We tried to be positive and play our shots. The team needed this knock, so I tried to bat for

as long as I could.”

His score was so impressive that even foreign media figures — including those from neighbouring India — couldn’t help but wax lyrical about him.

The following are the top 10 fourth-innings batting performances listed by Wisden: 1. Australia’s Ricky Ponting – 156 (275) vs England at Manchester, 2005 2. South Africa’s Faf du Plessis – 110* (376) vs Australia at Adelaide, 2012 3. Pakistan’s Babar Azam – 196 (425) vs Australia at Karachi, 2022 4. India’s Rishabh Pant – 97 (118) vs Australia at Sydney, 2021 5. South Africa’s Hashim Amla – 25 (159) vs Sri Lanka at Colombo, 2014

SPORTS 11

6. England’s Matt Prior – 110 (182*) vs New Zealand at Auckland, 2013 7. Australia’s Usman Khawaja – 141 (302) vs Pakistan at Dubai, 2018 8. England’s Ian Bell – 78 (213) vs South Africa at Cape Town, 2010 9. South Africa’s Faf du Plessis – 134 (309) vs India at Johannesburg, 2013 10. West Indies’ Dwayne Smith – 105* (105) vs South Africa at Cape Town, 2005

Shaun Tait vows to prepare Shaheen physically, mentally for future nEws DEsk Newly appointed bowling coach Shaun Tait is looking forward to helping the Pakistani pacers to perform better under pressure. The 39-year old has been hired for the Australian series as a bowling coach for Pakistan.

Tait was set to join the Pakistan team from the start of the historic series between Pakistan and Australia but was unable to join the team due to the sad demise of his father.

“I joined the squad late for the Australian series but due to the wonderful dressing room environment faced no difficulty,” Tait said during a virtual media conference.

The right-arm pacer received a warm welcome on his arrival and adjusted to the environment without any hindrance.

“I received a warm welcome. Pakistan is full of fast bowling talent. I am excited to work with talented young pacers in Pakistan. I will try to prepare them physically and mentally to perform bet-

ter under pressure,” Tait added.

The Australian rated Shaheen Shah Afridi as “one of the world’s most dangerous bowlers” and is looking forward to improving the skill set of the left-arm pacer.

“Shaheen Shah Afridi is one the most dangerous bowlers when he is fit and in action with all his skills. I will try to prepare him physically and mentally for future challenges.” Tait stated.

According to Tait, aggressiveness

is the beauty of fast bowling, and the right-arm pacer was known as one of the most fierce and aggressive fast bowlers during his career.

“I have played aggressive cricket in my career. I want to see the same passion and aggression in the Pakistani bowlers. “Tait added.

Shaun Tait has been working in the coaching role after his retirement, and the Pakistan cricket team is his most recent project.

“I joined coaching after my retirement with the mindset to stay connected to the game and help other cricketers,” Tait stated.

Shaun Tait was happy to be a part of the Pakistan cricket team and was excited to work with the talented young Pakistani pacers.

“It is a proud moment to get a chance to work with the Pakistani bowlers. Karachi Test did not favor the fast bowlers from both teams. Such situation occurs in Test Cricket,” Tait concluded.

Official: Asia Cup 2022 to kick off from August 27 in Sri Lanka AgEnciEs The Asia Cricket Council (ACC) has announced that Asia Cup 2022 will kick off from August 27 in Sri Lanka. The qualifiers for the tournament, which will follow the T20 format, will be played from August 20 whereas the main tournament will commence from August 27. The final of the tournament will be played of September 11. Pakistan was represented at the meeting in Colombo by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja. He attended the meeting virtually. The meeting also approved the appointment of Qatar as a full board member from Associate. The term of the executive board members, including ACC President J. Shah, was extended for two years.

Australia white-ball series shifted to Lahore LAHORE The AssociATeD Press

The cricket boards of Pakistan and Australia have mutually agreed to shift the four-match white-ball series from Rawalpindi to Lahore due to political unrest in Islamabad.

Opposition MPs recently submitted a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, a former cricketing great, in the National Assembly.

Both opposition and the government have planned big rallies in Islamabad later this month although the speaker of the National Assembly has not yet set the date for a vote on the no-confidence motion.

Minister for Interior Sheikh Rashid Ahmed had said on Friday the four One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and a one-off T20 between Pakistan and Australia were set to be moved to Lahore from Rawalpindi. Rawalpindi adjoins Islamabad and hosted Australia’s first test in Pakistan in 24 years earlier this month.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Saturday

Steve Smith hopes to score big in third Test against Pakistan LAHORE The AssociATeD Press

Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi receive ICC trophies LAHORE News Desk

Pakistan captain Babar Azam, wicket-keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan, and fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi received their trophies from the International Cricket Council (ICC) Saturday. Afridi (ICC Men’s Cricketer of 2021) received the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, Babar received the glittering prize for being named ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of 2021, and Rizwan got the trophy for ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of 2021. The cricketers posed with their respective trophies and shared them on social media.

Pakistani cricketers ruled the year 2021 across all formats of the game. The Green Shirts were also the only unbeaten team in the group stage of ICC T20 World Cup 2021.

Australia vice-captain Steve Smith says he’s disappointed to have not capitalised on two good starts against Pakistan and get his first away Test century in over two years.

Smith scored 78 in Australia’s first Test in Pakistan since 1998 which ended in a draw at Rawalpindi before making 72 in the epic drawn game at Karachi.

“Look, I’ve been pretty disappointed when I’ve got out, that’s for sure,” Smith said via video conference on Saturday as Australia prepared for the third and final Test starting Monday. “I haven’t got out (in the 70s) many times in my career and I think I’ve got to get the bigger scores, particularly on those wickets.”

Smith looked set to score his first away Test century on a lifeless Pindi Cricket Stadium wicket before topedging a wild sweep against legspinner Nauman Ali and getting caught at short fine leg.

He batted for four hours and 40 minutes at Karachi for his 72 in Australia’s mammoth first-innings score of 556-9 declared but edged a low catch in the second slip to Faheem Ashraf off fast bowler Hasan Ali. In a batterdominated series so far, Smith hopes he can get his first away Test century in Lahore since making 211 in the Ashes Test at Manchester in 2019.

Another slow wicket is likely to welcome both teams

at the Gaddafi Stadium where there’s hardly any grass left on the wicket.

“Hopefully (I) can get into a similar position in this Test and go on and convert,” Smith said.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam led Pakistan to the second-Test draw with his historic knock of 196 in over 10 hours at Karachi.

“Pakistan batted exceptionally well to stay out there for 172 overs,” Smith said. “It’s not too often you see a team last that long in the fourth inning, (but) obviously we weren’t quite good enough to get all 10 (wickets) in the end.”

Smith dropped a crucial catch of opening batter Abdullah Shafique in the slips when the batsman was on 20 and it cost Australia dearly as the batsman went on to share a double century stand with Babar. Smith eventually got hold of Shafique’s edge in the same position but by that time the batter had gone on to score 96.

Smith said the slow nature of the wicket has encouraged Australia to put fielders in the slips a bit closer to the wicket.

“It’s been a real challenge, I’ve never stood as close to the bat in my life in any conditions,” Smith said.

“There’s just been no bounce in the wicket, so part of our plan is to ensure that the ball carries as much as possible.

“The reaction time isn’t great. It’s been difficult to adjust, but we’re working on that at training.”

it discussed moving the venue for the limited-overs series with Cricket Australia and they “have mutually agreed to shift the white-ball matches.”

Gaddafi Stadium will host the third and final Test starting Monday. The three ODIs are scheduled for March 29, March 31 and April 2 and the T20 on April 5.

Sunday, 20 March, 2022

prayer tiMings

NEWS

GOvernMent MOveS tO wOO tAreen GrOuP AS truSt vOte neArS ISLAMABAD

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staff report

N a move to ease ties, Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak reached out to a group of dissenting MPs led by former Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf (PTI) secretary general Jahangir Tareen ahead of the no-trust motion against the prime minister.

Reportedly, a telephonic conversation was held between Khattak and Awn Chaudhry, who is leading the posse in the absence of Tareen who is in London for medical treatment, on Friday to discuss the latest political developments.

During the call, the minister per-

suaded Chaudhry against taking hasty decisions in the backdrop of the motion moved by the opposition. “We [government] will inform you [group] about important development soon,” he told Chaudhry as per reports.

Chaudhry confirmed the telephonic conversation with Khattak on Saturday.

Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry also contacted Chaudhry late on Friday. An important consultative meeting of the group was held in Lahore on Friday which was attended by Tareen through a video link.

The MPs briefed Tareen on the recent political developments.

The group had previously decided to

not meet any member from the treasury.

On Friday, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail tried to contact Tareen but remained unsuccessful, the report said.

FateFUl SeSSion: The vote on the no-trust motion will be held on March 28, Senator Faisal Javed Khan confirmed on Monday.

The motion seeking the ouster of Imran Khan was submitted to the office of National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser last week. It accused him of mismanaging the economy and poor governance in the toughest challenge he has faced since taking power in 2018.

With the help of several smaller parties, the ruling party holds a narrow ma-

jority in the National Assembly. It has 179 seats in the 342-member House, only seven more than required for a simple majority. If none of the MPs from the ranks of the prime minister’s allies or the PTI vote against him, he will likely succeed. However, the PTI is currently facing a split because of an internal revolt by some members.

The opposition, on the other hand, has 162 members and needs a simple majority of 172 to topple the government.

Should Khan fail to win approval, the parliament will have to choose a new prime minister. Khan has vowed to fight any move to unseat him. “Whatever they do, I’m ready for that,” he told a gathering in Islamabad.

PM advises PTI workers to hold peaceful demos, avoid confrontation ISLAMABAD staff report

MPs going against party may be ‘disqualified for life’: Aitzaz LAHORE staff report

People’s Party leader and seasoned lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan on Saturday said that a legislator has to sacrifice assembly seat after voting against the party’s policy and the extent of disqualification has not been determined “but it could be close to ineligibility for life”.

“According to the procedure, the party chief will serve a show cause notice to the defecting member and later the Speaker will write a letter to the election commission against the member seeking his disqualification,” Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan said.

“However, the member will remain on his seat till the final decision of the election commission,” he added.

It is to be mentioned here that the issue of defection of a legislator has surfaced and become the focus of a debate in the wake of the opposition parties’ no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) has said that the presidential reference for interpretation of the defection clause of the Constitution will be moved before the Supreme Court.

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday advised his party workers to hold peaceful demonstrations and avoid confrontation with the people of opposition parties as holding of a peaceful protest is a legal right.

Addressing the groundbreaking ceremony of the Rawalpindi Ring Road project, the prime minister said: “I tell everyone that peaceful protest is your right but do not clash.”

Referring to the opposition’s politics, he said it is necessary for the public to differentiate between virtue and evil. “Is it rightful for those who have changed loyalties after accepting the dirty money,” he posed a question. The prime minister, without disclosing the details, said the estranged lawmakers of his party would soon return to their old fold.

“Time has changed, as there is no more room for Changa Manga politics.

On March 27, there will be a massive gathering of people in Islamabad to give a clear message of standing with the virtue by denouncing the vice,” he added. He said the nation’s anger would keep on brewing with the opposition’s push for its no-confidence motion.

The prime minister said it is necessary for the public to realise what is happening in the country now, adding that the public should realise the politics of ill-gotten wealth.

“There is a market to purchase conscience of people through illegal pelf. The police force was summoned from the Sindh province to guard the Sindh House, where illegal activities are happening,” he added.

The prime minister said huge bags of money have been doled out to purchase the loyalties of people. “The public should witness this kind of politics which has always pushed the country behind

in terms of progress and prosperity,” he opined.

These people, he said, have plundered the national wealth and sent it abroad as no one among them ever felt ashamed.

These things do not happen in a democratic system, the prime minister said, adding that in the West, or the United Kingdom, where he had spent most of his life, there is no place for corrupt elements.

The premier’s remarks come two days after several PTI lawmakers were found staying at the Sindh House in Islamabad — which is the domain of the Sindh government — and some of them said while speaking to media persons that they would vote on the no-confidence motion tabled against the prime minister in “accordance with their conscience” and that they had developed differences with PM Imran.

Project to bring vital change: Congratulating the residents of Rawalpindi on Saturday, the prime minister expressed the confidence that the project would bring vital change in the whole area through vast connectivity, by saving travel time and spurring business activities.

He said Lahore ring road has already brought huge changes and stressed upon undertaking of similar projects for the other cities of Punjab like Faisalabad and Sialkot as hubs of exports.

The prime minister noted that unchecked expansion of mega cities has been creating myriad issues from availability of cultivable land to provision of safe drinking water and proper waste disposal system.

He said that he has directed the chief secretaries to prepare master plans of big cities which would be submitted shortly.

He observed that the unplanned expansion of cities has also shrunk space for the cultivation of crops and green areas, adding that the ring roads around the big cities would act as buffer zones against the growth of settlements.

FAJR SUNRISE

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Pakistan’s internal political turmoil not to be allowed to affect OIC moot: opposition ISLAMABAD Mian abrar

Hours after the opposition issued a threatening message to federal government to disrupting the upcoming meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers being held in federal capital if no trust vote is delaying, the joint opposition took a U-turn on its decision and welcomed the OIC moot.

The PML-N issued a joint statement of the united opposition on social media late Saturday night, stating that the arrival of foreign ministers, delegates and other dignitaries of the Islamic world on the occasion of the 48th session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers was warmly welcomed in Pakistan.

It said that Pakistan’s internal political situation and political turmoil would not be allowed to affect the OIC in any way.

“The arrival of the distinguished guests is a source of joy and pride for us. We appreciate their spirit and determination to consider the important issues facing the Islamic world including Afghanistan, Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine in the moot being held on March 22 and 23, 2022. We look forward to welcoming them,” the statement said.

It also said that the United Opposition, representing the people of Pakistan, assures the OIC guests that the whole of Pakistan would welcome them on their arrival.

“During their presence in Islamabad, they will ensure their role in creating a conducive atmosphere in accordance with the traditional spirit of hospitality, respect and traditions”.

The statement also said that the opposition would do their utmost to create an atmosphere in which the distinguished guests could carry out their duties with full attention, dedication and determination.

The United Opposition statement said that in order to welcome and honor the distinguished guests of the OIC, the United Opposition changed the dates of its Long March and instructed its workers not to come to Islamabad before March 25.

“We hope that the stay of esteemed guests in Islamabad will be pleasant and they will return home with good memories,” the statement added.

SC order to be fully complied: PM Imran Khan ISLAMABAD staff report

Attorney General of Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan on Saturday called on Prime Minister Imran Khan and apprised him of the details of the Supreme Court hearing in which the court expressed its displeasure over the incident of PTI workers’ attack on the Sindh House. The AGP briefed the premier about the apex court hearing and the observation of Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial who termed the Sindh House assault by the PTI workers deplorable. PM Khan was made aware of the apprehensions shown by the court. During the meeting, the attorney general entreated the premier that such incidents must be avoided in future. He urged him to direct his party workers in this regard.

OIC report lists France, Britain, India top countries with highest rate of Islamophobic attacks ISLAMABAD Mian abrar

France and Britain have witnessed the highest rates of activities related to Islamophobia, especially through government policies that seemed to serve increasingly Far-right tendencies in host countries.

These findings have been made in Islamophobia Observatory periodic report set to be tabled at the 48th session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers, to be held here in Islamabad on March 22 by the General Secretariat of the OIC. The Observatory report, a copy of which is available with Pakistan Today, also noted a similar pattern in Asia, especially with regard to India and Sri Lanka, where the phenomenon has intensified due to existing tensions with Buddhist monks in Myanmar and the tension with the Rohingya Muslims.

Measuring the extent of the phenomenon, the report found that Europe ranked first, followed by Asia then North America.

The report indicated that attacks and incidents usually committed by elements of the far-right have receded in the America region.

The report listed Covid-19, among the

major factors that led to the spread of Islamophobia globally in 2021, along with the agenda of the extreme right, the crisis of immigrants and refugees, attacks by extremist and terrorist groups, as well as the hate speech adopted by some media.

The report concluded that Islamophobia would continue, especially with indications that it continued to increase over the past five years. Meanwhile, the increase appeared to have remained constant over the fourteen months from late 2020 to early 2022, with the exception of a noticeable disproportional decrease in 2021.

It also specified that different regions of the world witnessed an increase in Islamophobia during the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Some social media sites blamed Muslims for spreading the virus, claiming that some of them insisted on performing congregational prayers, or deliberately spreading the epidemic. This, and other false stories, resulted in many attacks against Muslims.

The report identified a change in negative stereotypes directed against Muslims through the decrease in the volume of offensive stereotypes of Muslims, matched by its transformation into government policies and political pressures exerted by far-right move-

ments and pressure groups on governments.

The report said that there was a decline in incidents of attacks on mosques and

copies of the Holy Qur’an, and in incitement to social media or insults directed against the Holy Prophet, may Allah’s peace and bless-

ings be on him.

As for hijab or burqa (face cover) wearing, the report noted that due to the spread of protective medical masks prompted by Covid-19, 2020 witnessed a decline in the severity of rejecting this outfit.

However; the problem soon reappeared with the the pandemic receding. France, Switzerland India, and Austria were among the countries that banned hijab in government departments, universities and schools.

Other countries such as Belgium, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Bulgaria, Latvia, Kosovo and Sri Lank, adopted less severe policies against the wearing of hijab.

However, the report highlighted some global efforts to promote harmony and tolerance. In addition, measures to support Muslim groups at the level of both the UN and the EU were adopted.

The report also underscored efforts exerted against far-right groups in the US, Brazil, Canada, Spain, Britain and Germany and Australia. The UN embarked on implementing its Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate speech. The UN General Assembly has designated 15/3 of each year as the International Day against Islamophobia.

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