Epaper – May 27-2022 LHR

Friday, 27 May, 2022 I 25 Shawwal, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 327 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition

Govt jacks up petroleum prices on imF demand PML-N, PTI drop hint on opening talks for fresh elections g

Rush of motorists at a filling station in Lahore ahead of POL price hike Thursday night. Photo by Zubair MehfooZ

ISLAMABAD

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staff rePort

inAnce minister miftah ismail announced thursday the country’s biggest-ever rs30 per litre hike in the price of petroleum products to fulfill the international monetary fund (imf) condition. in a press conference, the finance minister said the government has decided to hike the price of petrol, diesel, kerosene oil, and light diesel by rs30, effectively from thursday night (may 27). the new prices of Petrol will be rs179.86 per litre, diesel rs174.15 per litre, kerosene oil rs155.56 per litre and light diesel rs148.31 per litre.

the finance minister noted some burden was shifted on the masses, but despite the massive increase in the price of petroleum products, the government is still bearing losses. the finance minister noted that following the decision to hike the prices, financial markets would witness stability, the rupee would strengthen, and the economy would get a boost. in response to a question, ismail said due to an increase in the price of petroleum products, inflation would definitely witness an increase. “but tell me, what option did we have instead of taking this step.” in another question, miftah said that the incumbent government will complete its term

which would end next year in August 2023. it is pertinent to note that Pakistan and the imf could not reach a staff-level agreement a day earlier after the fund said there were deviations from the policies, not withdrawing the petrol and electricity subsidies, that were agreed upon between both sides. the Pti-led imran khan government had announced subsidies on both commodities (petroleum, and electricity) and the current government was continuing with the same arrangement. it is worth mentioning here that Pmln just two months back was marching to islamabad from lahore against inflation in the country when they were in opposition.

Pm shehbAz offers to form committee for tAlks

ISLAMABAD the national Assembly on thursday passed the elections (Amendment) bill, 2022, reversing a law which allowed electronic vote counting and enabled Pakistan nationals living abroad to cast their ballot online. the bill was presented by minister for Parliamentary Affairs murtaza Javed Abbasi of Pakistan muslim league-nawaz (Pml-n) and adopted with a majority vote, with only members of the grand democratic Alliance (gdA) — a former coalition partner of Pakistan tehreeke-insaf (Pti) — opposing it. the laws were introduced in november last year with the intent to ensure transparency in elections.

Pakistan has a history of parties alleging vote-rigging after every election. but furious opposition at the time, now in the government, said it was pushed through to rig the next election. “i believe that this is the blackest day of our parliamentary history. we condemn it,” then-national Assembly opposition leader shehbaz sharif, now prime minister, said. before presenting the bill, Abbasi presented a motion for allowing the bill to be sent directly to the senate for its approval, bypassing the relevant standing committee. the motion was also passed by the house

with a majority vote. the bill is expected to be sent to the senate friday. speaking on the occasion, minister for law and Justice Azam nazeer tarar dismissed the impression that the amendment is aimed at depriving overseas Pakistanis of their right to vote. he said Pakistanis living abroad are a precious asset of the country and the government does not believe in snatching their right to vote. commenting on disallowing the use of electronic voting machines (evms), the minister insisted his Pmln party was not against the use of technology in polls, “but we have concerns about its misuse”. during the 2018 elections, the “results transmission system (rts)

mysteriously stopped working at night to favour a certain political party”. tarar said the election commission of Pakistan (ecP) also expressed its inability to hold elections through i-voting and machines in a short span of time and without sufficient homework. he said two amendments are being introduced to revive the elections Act, 2017, enabling the commission to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections.

Under the amendment in section 94 of the act, the commission may conduct pilot projects for voting by overseas Pakistanis in by-elections to ascertain the technical efficacy, secrecy, security, and financial feasibility of such voting and shall share the results with the gov-

AsAd UmAr welcomes offer, sAys tAlks to revolve AroUnd dAte for generAl elections

ISLAMABAD Mian abrar

ruling Pakistan muslim league-nawaz (Pml-n) and Pakistan tehreek-e-insaf (Pti) have agreed to open talks for dissolving assemblies and start preparations for fresh elections and formal talks would begin in a few days. well informed sources in both the parties have informed Pakistan today that the agreement could come after interlocutors players a key role in opening of back-channels in the past few days and these backchannels had resulted in an abrupt and shocking suspension of the long march announced by imran khan early morning on thursday. the sources said that talks would soon begin as the government and the opposition are set to name their respective committees to hold talks. interestingly, Prime minister shehbaz sharif also dropped a hint on the opening of the dialogue between the treasury and opposition benches.

National Assembly rolls back electronic voting staff rePort

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ernment, which shall, in turn, within 15 days from the commencement of a session after the receipt of the report, lay the same before both houses of the Parliament.

Under amendment in section 103 of the election Act, 2017, the ecP may conduct pilot projects for the utilisation of voting machines and biometric verification systems in the by-elections. national Assembly opposition leader raja riaz Ahmad has insisted the Parliament must complete its tenure and elections be held only after its expiry. responding to Prime minister shehbaz sharif, he assured the opposition will play its positive and constructive role in running affairs of the house. earlier, sharif, while speaking on the floor of the house, congratulated Ahmad, a defecting member of the Pti, on assuming the office. he assured Ahmad of his government’s full cooperation in running the affairs of the house in an amicable manner. sharif said the treasury will pay utmost attention to Ahmad’s speeches by burying the adverse traditions of the past. responding to a call attention notice, minister of state for interior Abdul rehman kanju assured the house to make every possible effort for the maintenance of government accommodations in sectors g-6 and f-6 of islamabad.

Addressing the members of the Joint session of the Parliament after the passage of amendment bills, shehbaz sharif said that the doors for talks were always open and he could also form a committee for talks [with the Pti] for fresh elections. “we are open to talks. dialogue is the trait of politicians. i can constitute a committee [for dialogue]. but, if you think you will pressurize, blackmail or threaten us to leave the government, keep in mind, do it in your own house, not this house”,” reiterated the premier. the prime minister said if the Pti was merely concerned about the election, they should have come to the parliament for talks.

Pakistan tehreek-i-insaf (Pti) general secretary Asad Umar also welcomed Prime minister shehbaz sharif’s offer for talks on the date of fresh elections in Pakistan.

Asad Umar said that shehbaz sharif should announce a committee for talks on fresh elections along with the proposed date for the polls.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

more inside

Flour prices rise to Rs93 per kg in metropolis STORY ON PAGE 02

nAb summons four accused in farah khan case STORY ON PAGE 03

NA, not anyone else, to decide when to hold new polls: PM Shehbaz STORY ON BACK PAGE

imran khan, other Pti leaders booked over ‘vandalism, arson’ charges during Azadi march STORY ON BACK PAGE

02-03 NEWS 27 MAY_Layout 1 5/27/2022 1:02 AM Page 1

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Friday, 27 May, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

Flour PricES riSE to rS93 PEr kg in MEtroPoliS LAHORe

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Shahab omeR

HE Lahore Atta Chakki Owners Association has jacked up the price of flour by Rs3 per kg and the commodity is sold at Rs93 in the open market, adding to the woes of the masses braving the burden of ever-rising inflation.

Talking with Pakistan Today, General Secretary Lahore Atta Chakki Owners Association Abdul Rehman said that the continuous increase in wheat prices has made the rise in flour price almost inevitable, adding that so it was impossible for them to sell flour at Rs90 per kg.

The chakki owners told this reporter that the wheat price has reached Rs2,700 per quintal in the grain markets of Punjab and in this situation the flour prices had to be increased.

On the other hand, citizens expressed their outrage at the high prices of flour and demanded an immediate reduction. Speaking

to Pakistan Today, Mohammad Sadiq, a Class IV employee at Civil Secretariat, said

Salman Sufi named as head of PM’s strategic reforms

that manifold increase in the prices of flour and sugar over the past four years has made

life of the common man miserable.

“Daily-use items have becoming more and more expensive. Just four years ago, I used to buy flour between Rs35 and Rs40 per kg and now the price has gone up to Rs93. In comparison, if you look at my wages four years ago it was Rs25,000 per month, which is now only Rs32,000 per month”, Sadiq narrated, adding that he have four children and about 30kg of flour is easily consumed in his house every month but now the increased price will force the poor man to stop eating.

Meanwhile, people also complained about the unavailability of subsidized flour in the market, which was announced by the previous government and continued by the present setup. When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Lahore Omar Sher Chatha claimed that the sale of flour at subsidized price is going on at about 800 points across the provincial metropolis.

“A total of 62,100 flour bags of 10kg and 105,045 flour bags of 20kg have been provided at these points”, the DC pointed

out, adding that a 10kg flour bag is available at Rs490. “The Assistant Commissioners and Price Control Magistrates have continuously been monitoring the supply of flour in the market,” Mr Chatha claimed.

It is important to mention here that that newly-elected Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz also held negotiations with flour and sugar millers a couple days ago to convince them for a reduce in the prices both the commodities.

On the other hand, the chairman Punjab Flour Mills Association told Profit Magazine of Pakistan Today that negotiations with the government regarding supply of subsidized flour did not apply to the owners of private atta chakki.

“This decision will not apply to those who buy wheat from private farmers and sell flour in chakki. In other words, the mill owners will sell the flour at the same price at which they bought it from the farmers. In this case, the government cannot interfere,” he informed.

SC denies govt request for contempt proceedings against Imran

NewS DeSk

ISLAMABAD

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appointed Salman Sufi as the head of his strategic reforms. According to a press communiqué issued by the PM Office on Thursday, Sufi will be appointed on an honorary status and will be stationed at PM Office. An expert on public policy, Sufi has been awarded with the Mother Mary Teresa Award.

He was also enlisted among the world’s five prominent personalities with the likes of US President Joe Biden, for working for women’s rights. The notification from PM Office further stated that the PM wants all ministries/divisions to collaborate with his reform plan.

Punjab province has been made a police state, says Pervaiz Elahi LAHORe Staff RePoRt

Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Thursday has said that current rulers are guests for a few days, and they will have to answer for their unconstitutional and illegal steps. Taking a dig at the use of brute force against PTI protesters by Punjab government, Elahi said that Punjab province has been made a police state because police are being used illegally to arrest the elective representatives without any justification while their families have alos been harassed. Pervaiz Elahi also condemned police’s torture on Mian Aslam Iqbal, Omar Ayub Khan and several members of the National and Punjab Assembly. He further said that police had tortured lawmakers and PTI workers over the directions of Punjab CM Hamza Shehbaz and PM Shehbaz Sharif. LHC orders to release arrested PTI workers Meanwhile, Lahore High Court Rawalpindi bench on Thursday ordered the immediate release of PTI workers who were arrested before the PTI long march. Justice Sardar Ahmed Naeem of the LHC Rawalpindi Bench passed the order after hearing the arguments of the arrested persons’ lawyers Dr Babar Awan and Sardar Abdul Raziq Advocate. It is pertinent to mention that Petitions were filed by senior lawyers against the arrest of PTI workers and raids on homes.

The lawyers took the position that the police had taken action in the Rawalpindi division to stop the PTI workers from participating in the long march and More than 100 workers were arrested and sent to jail. The court ordered the Assistant Advocate General Punjab to take instructions from the government for the release of the arrested persons within 10 minutes. The LHC also directed workers from Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Attock and Chakwal should also be released.

Staff RePoRt

The Supreme Court on Thursday disposed of a government petition seeking to initiate contempt proceedings against former prime minister Imran Khan over his failure to obey the order to finalise modalities for peaceful conduct of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) long march on Islamabad.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the federal government and the opposition party to constitute negotiating committees and meet late at night to finalise modalities for the protest and proposed sit-in.

The committees were to meet at the office of the Islamabad chief commissioner at 10:00 pm. The court had also ordered the administration to designate a piece of land in H-9 where the protesters could rally.

However, protesters converged on D-Chowk instead.

The negotiations couldn’t be held, however, as both sides claimed the other had not shown up.

Seperately, the court had also directed the Ministry of Interior to release lawyers who are not wanted in criminal cases and issued orders to immediately release party workers and activists detained under Maintenance of Public Order (MPO). The ministry was also prevented from unnecessary use of force against the protestors.

Today, the court constituted a five-judge larger bench, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, after the government moved the petition through the office

of Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf Ali. The petition said the PTI chief violated court orders and damaged state property during the march.

“Contempt of court proceedings may be launched against Imran Khan for disobeying the court’s orders,” it read. Responding to the request, the bench said Wednesday’s orders of the apex court would remain in place. The chief justice then directed the government to do its work in line with Wednesday’s orders and said his court would issue a judgement in the case which would be an “example for the future”.

He observed that political workers did not have their own agenda and followed the party leadership.

“We are not conducting proceedings in order to accuse anyone,” he iterated. “The court issued the order only against violation of constitutional rights.”

During the proceedings, the chief justice further observed that Articles 16 (freedom of assembly) and 17 (freedom of association) of the Constitution ensured the right to protest but it was not unlimited and unchecked.

MINISTER ACCUSES IMRAN OF CONTEMPT: Meanwhile, Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah Khan said he personally monitored the security situation all night and claimed the public had rejected the “band of rioters”.

In a statement, he said: “Imran Niazi reneged on his promise with the Supreme Court to hold a rally at a designated place, and he broke his word by announcing to march towards D-Chowk.”

Sanaullah also stated the Metrobus stations and

trees were set on fire by the protesters belonging to Khan’s party. “Under the shield of the Supreme Court’s decision, the band of rioters continued setting things on fire all night,” he despised, adding Khan continued to trample down the court orders from his container throughout the night. “Imran Khan kept announcing contempt of court all night from his container,” he loathed and maintained: “The police did not fire a single rubber bullet. It’s false propaganda.”

He also stated that at least 18 policemen and Rangers personnel were critically injured, vowing the security agencies would continue performing their duty of protecting the life and property of people.

“I pay tribute to every soldier of Islamabad police and Rangers,” he declared.

“The Supreme Court should issue clear orders for ensuring the write of Constitution and state so that the band of rioters could be expelled from Islamabad and the safety of life and property of the citizens of Islamabad could be ensured,” said the interior minister.

“Rangers and Islamabad police bravely and responsibly guarded the citizens of Islamabad and controlled the band of rioters with tear gas,” he added.

Celebrities back up Imran Khan at Azadi March NewS DeSk There are celebrities who post about things online and others who put their money with their mouth is and express their support in person. A number of celebrities have thrown their support behind former prime minister Imran Khan and attended his Azadi March in different cities on Wednesday.

Singer Bilal Khan marched his way to the protest area and recorded himself on the streets. “We’re walking all the way on this road to the area of the march. This is the third container blocking the road. there’s no chance for a car to pass by from here,” he said in the video.

Singer and actor Haroon Shahid also arrived at the march being held at Karachi’s Numaish and documented the venue. Not only did he attend but a day prior the actor also shared safety measures for the attendees planning to come. Shahid took to

Twitter and shared a clip in which many protesters can be seen going in the opposite direction when shelling increased. In the video, the actor said, “Intense shelling is going on here. It’s immense. As you can see all these people are being forced back.”

Shahid shared another clip with many protesters chanting ‘PTI’.

Actors Osman Khalid Butt and Mariyam Nafees also protested at the Azadi March. Both took to Twitter and shared photos with their followers. “Air full of tear gas but spirits high as ever,” wrote Nafees.

But shelling didn’t stop these two from standing their ground and staying at the protest till midnight.

Nafees took to Instagram and shared clips of her and Butt washing their faces with water to get rid of the tear gas remnants.

“It’s 4:30am in the morning and they’re still continuing to throw horrid skin and eye burning tear

gas to disperse protestors, kis kis ko rokoge? (who will you stop?)” she wrote. In another Instagram story she also said that it’s a “shameful scene” when a government is “scared of peaceful unarmed protesters” with a video of Butt washing his face.

Chupke Chupke actor Butt also shared multiple photos from the protest including a shell that he found on the road.

Actor Imran Abbas also shared snippets from Dchowk, Islamabad where protesters along with former premier were supposed to gather. He shared clips of street vendors, supporters and protesters waving flags and chanting Party supporters who were awaiting Imran’s arrival at D-Chowk in Islamabad since Wednesday entered the Red Zone on Thursday morning. Imran has given a six-day deadline to the government to announce elections and warned that he would return to the capital if the demand was not met.

Kashmir on the edge as condemnations pouring in against Yasin’s conviction SRINAGAR INP

In Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK), the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and other Hurriyat leaders and organisations have strongly denounced the sentence of life imprisonment awarded to Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik by a court in New Delhi.

According to Kashmir Media Service, an Indian court had sentenced Malik to life

imprisonment after an unfair trial in concocted cases registered against him over three decades ago.

Senior APHC leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in a statement issued in Srinagar said that Yasin Malik pursued peaceful and democratic means of conflict resolution since 1994. A strong votary of dialogue and negotiations between the concerned parties to the Kashmir dispute, he has been relentlessly and selflessly seeking its resolution, he added.

He said the protest strikes being

observed by people despite state coercion and pressure not to allow it, shows peoples’ commitment to resistance leadership in jails and under house detention.

Farooq urged the Indian government to release all political prisoners and resolve the lingering Kashmir dispute peacefully through deliberations among the parties to the dispute keeping in view the will of the people of Kashmir as imprisonment and incarceration cannot change that reality.

APHC leaders Syed Bashir Andrabi and Khawaja Firdous in a joint statement in

Srinagar termed the sentencing of Yasin Malik by the court a judicial murder.

They said that Yasin Malik’s punishment is a manifestation of the Modi regime’s oppressive aggressive thinking on which the Kashmiri people are protesting.

They added that with the punishment of Yasin Malik, the freedom movement would not be suppressed but a new enthusiasm would be created in it.

In IOJK, shutdown was observed for the second consecutive day on Thursday in Srinagar city and Tral area of Pulwama

against the Indian court’s verdict.

Shops and other business establishments were closed in Maisuma, Abi Guzar, Lal Chowk, downtown areas of Srinagar and in Tral town.

On Wednesday, the Indian police had used force and fired shells on anti-India and pro-freedom demonstrations in Maisuma and other areas of Srinagar.

Scores of people, including women, had assembled at Yasin Malik’s residence in Maisuma and raised slogans in support of the Hurriyat leader.

02-03 NEWS 27 MAY_Layout 1 5/27/2022 1:02 AM Page 2

Friday, 27 May, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

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nAB SuMMonS Four AccuSEd in FArAH kHAn cASE LAHORe

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INP

HE National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Thursday summoned four accused in the assets beyond means case of Farhat Shehzadi alias Farah Khan, a close friend of former first lady Bushra Bibi.

According to sources, the accountability bureau sent notices to Farah Khan’s manager, cashier and bankers. All the four people were directed to appear before the NAB on May 30 along with the relevant records, sources added.

The notices were issued to four accused, including Mazahir Baig, Waqar, Asif and Munir. Sources claimed that Director General (DG) NAB Lahore had approved the notices to summon the people in Farah Khan’s case.

Earlier on May 10, it was learnt that the NAB had sought details of Farah Khan’s assets, bank accounts and transactions from the various concerned departments.

The NAB Lahore had issued letters to

various departments to provide records of Farah Khan.

Sources had said that the anti-corruption watchdog had sought records of Farah

Khan’s properties from the deputy commissioners of different districts and also

issued letters to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and the Excise Department.

In April, the anti-graft watchdog had stated in a press statement that the DG NAB Lahore was directed to conduct an inquiry against Farah Khan over allegations of illegal assets beyond known sources of income, money laundering and maintaining various accounts in the name of different businesses.

“Huge turnover amounting to Rs847 million has been found in Farah’s account during last three years, which does not commensurate with her stated account profile,” the anti-corruption body had said in a press release and added that these credits were received in Farah Khan’s personal account and withdrawn immediately within a short time period.

The NAB had said: “While reviewing the income tax returns of Farhat Shahzadi, it was allegedly observed that her assets were significantly increased from the year 2018 onwards for unknown reasons.”

Global media watchdog urges govt to stop targeting journalists NewS DeSk The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged the PML-N-led government to immediately drop its investigations against journalists Sami Abraham, Arshad Sharif, Sabir Shakir and Imran Riaz Khan.

In an official statement, the independent media watchdog called upon the authorities to refrain from arresting and targeting journalists in retaliation for their work.

Since May 18, police across the country have filed multiple FIRs, which open an investigation, against the journalists associated with private TV channels.

The spate of investigations comes amid physical, legal, and online harassment of journalists following parliament’s election of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on April 11, after ousting former premier Imran Khan in a noconfidence vote. On May 4, PM Shehbaz tweeted that the new government was “fully committed to freedom of press & speech.”

Among other offences, the multiple FIRs all accuse the four journalists of violating sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) pertaining to abetment of mutiny and publication of statements causing public mischief by criticising state institutions in their journalistic work and unspecified social media

cut in HEc budget to jeopardize country’s future: Vcs ISLAMABAD Staff RePoRt

The Vice Chancellors of public sector universities on Thursday expressed serious concerns over the drastic cut in the higher education budget for fiscal year 2022-23, fearing that the cut would make it impossible for universities to pay salaries and pensions let alone meeting the overall expenses needed to run a university. The Federal Finance Ministry has communicated IBC (Indicative Budget Ceilings) of only Rs30 billion for higher education recurring grant against the rationalized demand for Rs104.983 billion. The allocation is 45 percent less even than the current year’s allocation (FY 2021-22) that was Rs66.25 billion.

Over 120 heads of public sector universities, who attended a virtual meeting from across the country, were unanimous in lamenting the Government decision for the unprecedented cut in the universities budget and urged the Prime Minister, Finance Minister and the Minister for Education to urgently look into the matter and enhance the budget as per rationalized demand, to avoid subversion of long-term socio-economic goals of the country. They said that the rationalized demand was submitted following a rigorous review and assessment process of the requirement of 100 existing universities, 49 Research Centres/Institutes and 18 new Universities (eligible for funding) by a joint Assessment Committee of HEC and Ministry of Finance. The Vice Chancellors stressed that the Pakistani universities are already under enormous financial pressure because of stagnant funding during the last five years. The Covid-19 pandemic in 2020-21 and 2021-22 has further exacerbated the financial stress by increasing the cost and reducing fee inflows. They said that the Public Universities would be left with no other alternate but to increase the student fee drastically, enhance student intake beyond capacities, adding that these repercussions will lead the sector to disaster and severely dent the quality of learning and graduates. The university heads stressed that if CFY additional grant of Rs. 15 billion committed by the Government last year is not provided, funding cut is not reversed, and budget for FY 2022-23 is not allocated as per the demand, universities will not be able to survive. Addressing the meeting, HEC Chairman Tariq Banuri emphasized that it must be realized that education is as much important as the country’s defense and security.

posts. Abetment of mutiny can carry life imprisonment and an unspecified fine, and the public mischief accusation can carry a prison sentence of seven years and an unspecified fine, according to the law. “Pakistan authorities’ launch of a blizzard of harassing criminal investigations into journalists seen as sympathetic to the former ruling party makes a mockery of its claims to uphold press freedom,” said Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia programme coordinator, in Washington, DC. “Authorities should withdraw the investigations into Sami Abraham, Imran Riaz Khan, Arshad Sharif, and Sabir Shakir and ensure that members of the press do not face retaliation for their

commentary on the military or any other institutions in Pakistan.”

In at least three of the FIRs – which were filed by police in Quetta, Pishin and Chaman in southwest Balochistan province – Abraham, Sharif, and Shakir are co-accused of working together to malign state institutions through their journalistic work and commentary, according to those three journalists and copies of the FIRs which CPJ reviewed.

Abraham told CPJ via phone that he is the subject of at least one additional FIR, filed by police in Attock on May 18, accusing him of planning a conspiracy and criticising state institutions and the army on his YouTube channel, without citing specific videos.

Govt’s import ban on textiles to increase cloth price AzIz BuNeRI The government’s ban on textile imports has threatened the livelihoods of millions of people as more than 80% people are linked with imported cloth. According to textile merchants in Peshawar, most of the dealers used to import cloth from China, Korea and Thailand which was also supplied to other cities including Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore. Similarly, Indian textiles are shipped to Pakistan via Dubai.

Suit fabrics in Pakistan are imported from Korea, China and Thailand while shirt fabrics are imported from Thailand. The same imported fabrics are also used for pants and shirts in school uniforms.

According to the traders, foreign cloth cater most of the local requirements as it is cheap in comparison to locally made cloth. A good quality foreign cloth was available at Rs300 per yard while Pakistani cloth was Rs800 per yard. The people will be forced to use locally

made cloth which will increase their budget and the price of school uniforms will also increase.

According to Mujeeb-ur-Rehman, the provincial president of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa traders union, the ban will put millions out of work. In addition he said that the silma star dress and turban of our religious scholars are also also made of china silk.

govt committed to iMF programme revival: Miftah AGeNcIeS Finance Minister Miftah Ismail has said that the government is committed to reviving the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme and putting the country back on a sustainable growth path. In a statement on his return from Doha, Qatar, where talks were held between Islamabad and the fund from May 18th to 25th for the revival of the stalled programme, the finance minister claimed that the country’s finance delegation had very useful and constructive discussions with the IMF team over the last week. Miftah in his tweet said: “We discussed significant slippages in FY 22, caused in part by the fuel subsidies given in February 2022. We discussed targets for FY 23, where, in light of high inflation, declining forex reserves and a large current account deficit, we would need to have a tight monetary policy and consolidate our fiscal position.” Thus, the government is committed to reducing the budget deficit in FY23, he added. He further said that the IMF team emphasised the importance of rolling back fuel and power subsidies, which were given by the previous administration in contravention of its own agreement with the Fund.

IMF, Pakistan fail to reach an agreement on revival of EFF program StAff RepORt The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Wednesday concluded talks with the Pakistan team for the revival of the Extended Fund Facility Program and stressed taking concrete policy actions, including in the context of removing fuel and energy subsidies and the FY2023 budget, to achieve program objectives.

An IMF mission led by Nathan Porter held both in-person and virtual discussions in Doha, Qatar with the Pakistani authorities during May 18-25 on policies to secure macroeconomic stability and support sustainable growth in Pakistan.

“The mission has held highly constructive discussions with the Pakistani authorities aimed at reaching an agreement on policies and reforms that would lead to the conclusion of the pending seventh review of the authorities’ reform program, which is supported by an IMF Extended

Fund Facility arrangement, Mr Porter said in a statement after the conclusion of the discussions.

Considerable progress was made during the mission, including the need to continue to address high inflation and the elevated fiscal and current account deficits, while ensuring adequate protection for the most vulnerable.

In this regard, the further increase in policy rates implemented on May 23 was a welcome step.

On the fiscal side, there have been deviations from the policies agreed in the last review, partly reflecting the fuel and power subsidies announced by the authorities in February, he added.

“The IMF team looks forward to continuing its dialogue and close engagement with Pakistan’s government on policies to ensure macroeconomic stability for the benefit all of Pakistan’s citizens”, he added.

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Friday, 27 May, 2022 | LAHORE

04 NEWS

Prisoners of Pakistan-india tensions ISLAMABAD

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AnAdolu Agency

oHAMMAD Gulzar in Pakistan had almost lost hope of seeing his 70-year-old father, who disappeared in India hours after being acquitted by a high court in a 2019 terrorism case.

It was only last week when Gulzar received a phone call from an Indian journalist, who informed him that his father is currently languishing in a police station in India’s northern Uttar Pradesh state despite the acquittal.

Gulzar’s father, Mohammad Waris, was arrested in the Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh — India’s most populous state — in 2000 when he went to see an “old friend.”

The police claimed to have recovered “a few guns and hand grenades” from his possession during a raid on the house of his friend, where he was staying.

Hailing from the Wazirabad district of

Punjab, Waris, along with his friend Ashfaq Nande and three other persons, was booked on terrorism charges, according to The Times of India.

The police had claimed they had found links between Waris and Jaish-e-Mohammad, an outlawed militant outfit blamed for the 2008 deadly Mumbai attack.

Furthermore, he was also booked under the Foreigners Act. Following a 17-year lengthy and cumbersome judicial process, during which Waris continued to plead not guilty, he was handed down life imprisonment in the terrorism case and three years in jail under the Foreigners Act by a trial court in 2017.

However, the Allahabad High Court, which found “glaring structural discrepancies” on the prosecution’s part, set aside the conviction in the terrorism case. Nonetheless, the court upheld the three-year term under the Foreigners Act. Since Waris had already spent 19 years in jail, he was technically released in De-

Mango harvest to fall by 50pc due to heatwave, water shortage karachi: Pakistan’s mango production is expected to decline by around 50 percent this year, as the crop has been severely hit by unusually high temperatures and water shortages, the chief of a growers’ and exporters’ association said. Pakistan witnessed an extreme heatwave this month, with temperatures in the south crossing 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). The nation had jumped from winter to summer without experiencing a spring, according to the Climate Change Ministry.

More than a billion people are at risk from the effects of heat in the region, scientists have warned, linking the early onset of an intense summer to climate change. “The heatwave has affected it (the crop) greatly because the temperature in March was 28, 29 degrees Celsius — but all of a sudden it hit 42,” said Waheed Ahmed, head of the Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters, Importers and Merchants Association. He said the heat at the time of the flowering of mango trees affected production greatly, adding that Pakistan was facing a 50 percent drop in mango production this year as a result. ReuteRs

cember 2019, according to The Times of India.

“We had lost contact with my father in 2017. I came to know about my father’s acquittal through a newspaper clipping that was sent to me by his Indian friend in 2019,” said Gulzar, 40, who was just 19 when his father was arrested. no end to ordeal: Speaking to Anadolu Agency, he said: “We had thought it was an end to a long ordeal. But we were wrong. He simply disappeared and we did not know his whereabouts until this telephone call.”

Gulzar, who works in the cutlery industry for which Wazirabad is famous globally, is currently shuttling between the interior and foreign ministries, seeking their help for his father’s return.

According to the Indian media, Waris, who is currently under a 24-hour watch at the Babri police station in Shamli, could not be deported to his homeland as Islamabad has refused to recognise him as its citizen.

Rebutting the claim, Foreign office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar said that Waris’s nationality was confirmed “long time back” in 2005.

“Pakistan mission [in New Delhi] continuously writes to Indian MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) for his repatriation,” Iftikhar told Anadolu Agency.

“The claim that ‘Pakistan refused to accept the prisoner’ is incorrect,” he added.

The situation is not different for Indian national Nanjiraja, 45, from the western state of Gujarat, who is presently languishing in a jail in Karachi.

His daughter Mamta Jagdish told Anadolu Agency that her father, a fisherman, has been lodged in prison since 2018.

“It is his fifth year in prison. It was during the Hindu festival of Diwali that year when he along with others had gone for routine fishing but was arrested by Pakistani security agencies,” she said.

“My father is a simple fisherman. We are waiting for his release and request the (Pak-

istani) government to release him […] the whole family is suffering because of his arrest,” she pleaded.

The family has no information if Nanji has completed his sentence.

“We don’t receive letters from him. only once, he sent a letter through a fisherman, in which he only wrote that he was fine,” Jagdish said stuck in hostilities: Gulzar, who received only seven letters from his incarcerated father during the last 21 years, applied several times for an Indian visa to see him.

“Every time, my application was turned down on a pretext that I had no sponsor in India,” he said, seeking “help” from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for his father’s return. The two nuclear-armed neighbours often arrest each other’s nationals on different charges, including spying.

Strained relations between the two neighbours keep prisoners in jail for longer periods, and in some cases, even after they serve their sentences. So much so, that many of them have been either killed or died during custody.

Fishermen from both sides have long been paying a heavy price for fraught relations between the two neighbours.

PN ready to tackle maritime security challenges: Naval Chief QUETTA stAFF RePoRt

The Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi has said that Pakistan Navy always ready to tackle maritime security challenges Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi addressing the Staff Course participants at the Command & Staff College in Quetta paid rich tribute to the sacrifices of the Pakistan Armed Force in defence of the country.

He emphasized to keep abreast with the latest trends and further make endeavors to deal with emerging complex and dynamic security environment.

The Admiral reiterated that jointness remained central to the modern concept of military operations as jointness ensure success in today’s warfare.

The Naval Chief highlighted that in prevalent geo-strategic milieu Pakistan Navy is

Getting away with murder in Pakistan ISLAMABAD AFP

When social media star Qandeel Baloch was strangled by her brother for unapologetically challenging Pakistan’s attitudes towards women, activists fought for her murder to trigger a new era of justice over so-called “honour” killings.

Her killer’s release in February, less than three years into a life sentence, has instead underlined how the nation’s legal system still allows for men to abuse, rape and murder women with impunity.

In Pakistan, overlapping legal systems riddled with loopholes and a deeply patriarchal society combine to ensure especially women survivors of violence are unlikely to get justice, activists, lawyers and survivors told AFP. “The whole process from the moment a crime is committed against a woman to registering it with the police — and then the court procedure — is structured in such a way that justice remains elusive,” said Nayab Gohar Jan, a rights activist.

“Add to that societal pressures and stigmas, and you can see the odds are clearly stacked against them.”

Much of society operates under an “honour” code where women can be killed for bringing “shame” on their families by acts such as interacting with men or marrying someone they choose themselves. More than 470 cases of “honour” killings were reported to police in 2021, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), though many cases go unreported by families who collude with the killers — often male relatives.

Pakistan ranked 152 out 156 countries on the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap index in 2021, which noted stark disparities in access to justice, education and employment.

Biased courts: Baloch both captivated and scandalised Pakistan with her short skirts and provocative dancing on Facebook.

Her murder in 2016 was arguably Pakistan’s most high-profile case of an “honour” killing.

Days after killing her, Muhammad

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Waseem defiantly told journalists that he strangled his sister because of her “intolerable” behaviour.

The government responded to public outrage with new laws against such crimes, including — crucially — a ban on victims’ families being allowed to pardon relatives or reach out-of-court “blood money” settlements.

Waseem was convicted and sentenced to life in jail, but his lawyers found a loophole. They successfully argued on appeal that the murder could not be classed as an “honour” killing — rendering the legal changes inapplicable, and allowing for his mother to pardon him. That decision is being challenged by the state. Lawyers and activists blamed patriarchal mindsets within the justice system and a lack of women lawyers and judges for allowing “honour” killing verdicts to be overturned.

The courts are dominated by men, with less than a fifth of judges and only 12 percent of prosecutors being women, the HRCP says. Lawyer Nida Usman Chaudhary, who founded a collective for women jurists, said male judges often show bias in their interpretation of the honour killing laws.

“You’ve had the Supreme Court literally coming up with case law after case law where they developed an entire defence […] to give impunity to the person who is accused,” she told AFP. Victim-Blaming: Khadija Siddiqi, who was stabbed 23 times and left for dead by her ex-boyfriend, said her legal case was “delayed so much that we were actually on the verge of giving up”.

Her attacker was convicted of attempted murder, acquitted on appeal, reconvicted, and then freed early for good behaviour.

Like many instances of violence against women, Siddiqi’s case was dominated by a culture of victim-blaming, pervasive throughout the police, the courts and the wider community, she told AFP. Allegations of domestic abuse are often viewed as a family matter, and victims of gender-based crimes are treated with suspicion.

fully cognizant of maritime security challenges evolving under the ambit of Hybrid Warfare.

The Admiral further emphasized that Pakistan Navy is always ready to tackle the maritime security challenges facing the Country by active support of Sister Services.

Later on, the Chief of the Naval Staff interacted with faculty and student officers including foreign officers undergoing staff course at the premier institution.

The Naval Chief also visited Headquarters Quetta Corps during his visit to Quetta and lauded the commitment and professionalism of Pakistan Armed Forces.

Upon arrival, the Naval Chief was received by the Commandant Command & Staff College in Quetta.

Friday, 27 May, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

PML-N, PTI drop hint on opening talks for fresh elections continued from page 01 “The economy is suffering with each passing day and the experts are now warning that Pakistan could face a Sri Lanka-like situation within weeks,” he warned and added that it has now become evident that the incumbent government could no longer be dragged and therefore should be brought to end as soon as possible. The PTI leader said that their talks would only revolve around the single-point agenda of the date for general elections in the country.

“We could also discuss other agendas of the government but election date remains a priority,” he added.

It merits mention that the federal government had been very strongly opposing any possibility of fresh elections. This had led PTI Chairman Imran Khan to take out a long march which was largely attended by PTI workers despite use of brute force by the federal and provincial governments.

Balochistan CM Bizenjo survives no-trust motion The no-confidence motion filed in the Balochistan Assembly against Chief Minister Mir Quddus Bizenjo failed on Thursday as the movers could not show the support of the required MPAs in the house.

Former chief minister Jam Kamal Khan, Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Asghar Achakzai of the Awami National Party (ANP) and others had submitted a no-confidence motion against the incumbent chief minister.

Constitutionally, 13 members were required to be present in the house and support the no-confidence motion for admissibility, however, only 11 members were present at the provincial assembly in support of the no-confidence motion.

Subsequently, Deputy Speaker Balochistan Assembly Sardar Babar Musakhail said that the no-trust motion cannot be passed as the movers could not produce the required number of signatures.

“Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) had promised to support our no-confidence motion when we supported them against former prime minister Imran Khan,” Jam Kamal told reporters.

The former Balochistan chief minister also lashed out at the present government for what he called the worst governance and corruption.

He added that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would be approached to take action against the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) members who had not supported party policy. News Desk

Progress linked with Constitution’s supremacy, rule of law: Shehbaz islamabad staff report

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said the progress of Pakistan was linked with the supremacy of the Constitution and ensuring the rule of law.

The prime minister expressed these views in an interaction with the personnel of law enforcement agencies who were deployed in the Red Zone to ensure law and order during the long march of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

There, Sharif lauded the personnel from Rangers, Islamabad police, and the traffic police for rendering their duties professionally and protecting the lives and property of the people. He appreciated the dedication of the law enforcement personnel to performing their official duties regardless of their political affiliation.

He lauded Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah Khan and Minister for Defence Khwaja Asif for dealing with the challenge effectively. The prime minister emphasised unity among all the ranks of the nation to eliminate the scourge of anarchy and chaos. He urged everyone to demonstrate the spirit of sacrifice and patriotism to make the homeland a citadel of peace.

05

TwITTeraTIS uNHaPPY wITH PTI’S ‘SHorT-LIved MarCH’

T

news desk

HE Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf’s (PTI) much-hyped long march that was supposed to be attended by at least two million people and would have continued till the announcement of snap polls by the “imported government” met its abrupt end on Thursday morning after PTI Chairman Imran Khan called the sit-in off.

In an early morning announcement, the former premier said he would come back again after six days if the government failed to announce early polls by the time.

Before the march, Imran had repeatedly said that they would not go home unless elections were announced by the government. Similar remarks were echoed by another PTI leader today’s morning who termed the

marchers’ presence in Islamabad “the dawn of true people power”.

The anti-climatic end to the march did not go unnoticed by the Twitterati

who used the opportunity to give a much-needed light-hearted take on the topic sans politics.

Singer, comedian Ali Aftab Saeed,

Netizens condemn attack on Dr Yasmin Rashid As tensions between Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) workers and police flared in Lahore on Wednesday, PTI leader Dr Yasmin Rashid was stopped by law enforcement personnel who attacked her vehicle and attempted to detain her.

The video, which went viral on social media, received harsh criticism from the general public that claimed the police were using unnecessary force to impede the march.

With “iron lady” trending on Twitter, members of the public have applauded Dr Rashid’s “bravery” in light of what many are deeming to be acts of “police brutality”.

Lawyer and activist, Jibran Nasir stated that while one may be opposed to the political views of Dr Rashid, the former health minister of Punjab has always

served as a symbol of courage.

“Dr Yasmin was attacked in typical Gullo Butt fashion,” he added.

The PTI’s official page claimed that the “imported government” was “scared of a 70-year-old woman!”

The video prompted backlash from members of the media as well. Junaid Muhammad a reporter and anchor expressed his disappointment in Punjab police, “why not deal with her according to the law?” he questioned.

Adil Shahzeb, a television host, requested the incumbent government to refrain from arresting Dr Rashid, who is a cancer patient undergoing treatment.

Comedian Shehzad Ghias equated the police’s actions to “thuggery” adding that the “Gullu Butt politics need to end!”

Historian and activist Ammar Ali Jan also condemned the actions of the police, “treatment meted out to her is absolutely shameful and will be etched in our memory as an act of gangsterism.” The political activist also called for the end of the “illegal crackdown on protesters.” Barrister and academic Asad Rahim Khan called the visuals of Dr Yasmin Rashid “haunting”.

In response to the heightening political temperature, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan expressed deep concern at the “highhandedness of law enforcement agencies in disrupting the march.” The HRCP labeled the acts of the police as an “overreaction” of the state, claiming it triggered more violence on the streets. News Desk

Detained PTI lawmakers in Karachi set free Following Supreme Court (SC) orders, the detained Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers were released from Karachi Central Jail on Thursday.

Those who were released from prison include PTI MNA Saifur Rehman and Sindh MPA Raja Azhar. Both were arrested during raids conducted by Sindh police in wake of PTI’s long march towards Islamabad.

On the other hand, Police on Thursday booked PTI Sindh president Ali Zaidi, Bilal Ghaffar, Khurram Sher Zaman and other party leaders over terrorism charges for a protest at Karachi’s Numaish Chowrangi.

Former federal minister Ali Zaidi, Khurram Sher Zaman, Bilal Ghaffar, Arslan Taj, Muhammad Ali, Jamal Siddiqui, Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Mohsin Ali and Ashraf Ali have been nominated in a case registered under terrorism and attempt to murder charges at Soldier Bazar police station.

The case was registered on the complaint of SHO Soldier Bazar PS, Waqar Azeem. The FIR said that almost 700 PTI workers gathered at Numaish Chowrangi and blocked the road after provoking the masses. News Desk

who hosts a vlog, was disappointed to find out the sit-in had been called off, and that he won’t be getting a chance to ‘analyse’ the political situation with a ‘bigger lineup of panellists’.

Another Twitter user drew a hilarious analogy between the PTI chief’s six-day ultimatum and Shahrukh Khan’s six-day plan for fellow actor Saif Ali Khan in the Bollywood movie Kal Ho Na Ho. Referring to the previous sit-ins staged by the PTI, a Twitter user was curious to know where Imran Khan was, whereas another found the march to be too “short lived”.

Concern was also abound regarding both the local and overseas supporters of the party, who have shown a staunch, unrelenting support to their party.

However, a comparison between the duration of the sit-in and Aamir Liaquat’s “marriages” took the cake.

Punjab govt removes 30 law officers on political affiliation charges LAHORE: The Punjab government on Thursday terminated the employment contracts of 30 law officers, claiming they were members of Pakistan Muslim LeagueQuaid (PML-Q) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and appointed 29 new legal aides in their pace.

Those who were removed included eight additional advocate generals and 22 assistant advocate generals.

Law Secretary Bahadar Ali Khan issued the notification of new appointments and de-notified their predecessors.

Officers sacked included Alia Ijaz, Waqar Saeed Khan, Junaid Razzaq, Azra Israr, Syed Al Hassan Jafari, Jam Khalid Farid, Zafar Rahim Sekhira Sulaiman Alam Khan, Amjad Ali Ansari, Qaiser Abbas Shah and Shams Tabriz, Irfan Ahmad Khan Niazi, Aziz ur-Rehman, Ahmad Nadeem Ghahla, Malik Shaukat Mahmood, Muhammad Imtiaz Mirali, Shehryar Ahsan Mehboob, Prince Khushbakht Khan, Jam Muhammad Afzal, Jam Abdul Malik, Shahid Mahmood and Malik Shah Nawaz.

Secretary Khan sent copies of the notification to the principal secretaries to the governor and chief minister, advocate general, finance secretary and concerned offices. staff report

Held Kashmir sees upsurge in violence, tense after Yasin conviction SRINAGAR: Indian security forces have killed six freedom fighters in Kashmir in the past 24 hours while fighters shot dead a female TV performer and a police officer, officials said on Thursday, following the conviction of the region’s best-known campaigner.

A New Delhi court on Wednesday ordered life in jail for Yasin Malik for “funding terrorist activities”. The sentencing prompted warnings from politicians it would promote alienation and further separatism in the disputed Muslimmajority region. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vociferously condemned the conviction in “fake” cases. In a tweet, he rejected “failed tactics” against Malik who he hailed as a symbol of unparalleled bravery and freedom. reuters

NAB amendment bill passed with majority vote islamabad ahmaD ahmaDaNi

The National Assembly (NA) on Thursday passed with a majority vote for amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 (NAO) under which NAB would be bound to ensure availability of evidence prior to arrest.

As per details, federal law minister Azam Nazeer Tarar presented the bill in NA seeking amendments in the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 (NAO). After which the NA passed the NAB amendment bill with a majority vote.

According to the NAB amendment bill, the NAB deputy chairman would become the acting chairman following the retirement of the NAB chairman. And, if the deputy chairman is not available, any senior official would become the NAB’s acting chairman while the incumbent chairman cannot be re-appointed.

Similarly, the process to appoint a new chairman would begin two months prior to

the retirement of the incumbent chairman and would be completed in 40 days, according to the bill. Likewise, if the prime minister and leader of the opposition are unable to agree on an appointee, the matter would be referred to the parliamentary committee.

Furthermore, the parliamentary committee would then finalise the name for a new chairman within 30 days.

As per the bill, the bill also limits the accountability watchdog’s powers, removing federal and provincial tax matters from its domain as well as financial irregularities in any development project. In addition, the NAB would not be able to take action on any regulatory body’s decisions.

This NAB amendment bill further states that judges would be appointed in accountability courts for a three-year period and the relevant high court ‘s chief justice should be consulted for their removal. The courts would have to decide cases within a year.

Furthermore, the NAB would have to begin an investigation on a complaint within

six months and present an arrested person before an accountability court within 24 hours. The anti-graft watchdog would have to ensure the availability of evidence prior to the arrest.

The period of remand would also be reduced from 90 days to 14 days. If convicted, a person would be able to file an appeal till 30 days instead of 10 days previously.

The bill also seeks to stop NAB officials from issuing statements before a reference has been filed, the punishment for violating which would be one-year imprisonment and a fine of Rs100,000. The punishment for filing a false reference would be up to fiveyears imprisonment.

The bill is likely to be sent to the Senate tomorrow.

The federal law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar while speaking about the NAB law said NAB had been used to influence politicians and added that judges had also said that the NAB was used to corner politicians.

Well-informed sources said that this Act

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will be called the National Accountability (Amendment) Act, 2022 while it shall come into force at once and shall be deemed to have come into force from the 1st day of January 1985 and it will extend to the whole of Pakistan. Similarly, this Act shall apply to all persons, including those who are or have been in the service of Pakistan, wherever they may be. Likewise, the provisions of this Act shall not apply to transactions and persons related thereto if the subject matter thereof and/or loss to the Federal Government or a Provincial Government, as the case may be, is less than Pak Rupees Five Hundred Million and shall not, in any case, apply to (a) transactions and matters pertaining to Federal or Provincial taxation, duties, levies or imposts, by whatever name called; (b) matters, including incidental matters, which have been decided by, or fall within the jurisdiction of a regulatory body established under a Federal or Provincial law; or (c) decisions of the Federal or Provincial Cabinet, ECC, CCI, ECNEC, or any other

policy-making statutory body established under the Constitution, (d) a transaction or subject matter not involving any property, funds or fiscal interest of the federal or provincial government. (e) offences under Anti Money Laundering Act 2010.

The Prosecutor General shall be appointed by the President in consultation with the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly for a non- extendable term of three years and shall not be eligible for re-appointment. The Prosecutor General Accountability shall continue to hold office until his successor enters upon his office provided that such continuation in office shall not exceed sixty days. The Prosecutor General Accountability shall hold independent office on whole-time basis and shall neither hold any other office concurrently nor do any private law practice. Salary structure of the Prosecutor General Accountability shall commensurate with the Judge of the Supreme Court.

06-07 Comments - 27th May 2022_Layout 1 5/26/2022 11:46 PM Page 1

Friday, 27 May, 2022

06 COMMENT

The effects of neutrality

Pakistan and IMF Delaying the deal would unravel economy

F

IRSt Imran Khan made the economy a hostage to politics. Now the PML(N)-led governmt is doing the same.

Under attack from the opposition parties and fearing loss of power the PtI announced on February 28 a fourmonth freeze on petrol and electricity prices to seek public acclaim while passing over the burden to those who were preparing to replace the PtI government. the fuel subsidies announced were unfunded.

Now the PML(N)-led alliance is unwilling to withdraw the fuel subsidies for fear of political repercussions. the PML(N) had severely criticized former prime minister Imran Khan’s government for derailing the IMF programme through these subsidies but despite being at the helm, it has not reversed them. the Finance Minister has repeatedly said these subsidies are not feasible and are costing the government. the PML(N) and its allies are unwilling to do away with subsidies as the measure would be highly unpopular. this has given birth to the perception that both Mr Khan and his rivals give priority to the concerns of their respective parties over the interests of the country at large Pakistan and IMF have again failed to reach stafflevel agreement this week. the IMF emphasized the urgency of concrete policy actions, including removing fuel and energy subsidies. the government maintained it was committed to reducing the overall budget deficit in Fy2023, reviving the IMF programme and putting Pakistan back on a sustainable growth path. the government also reportedly expressed willingness to gradually eliminate fuel and electricity subsidies within 45 days to two months to avoid a sudden shock to the people. this was not acceptable to the IMF which made the resumption of its programme with Pakistan, along with a $2 billion expansion, conditional on the reversal of these subsidies. the delay in release of the IMF tranche has held back the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and other bilateral creditors from committing new loans to Pakistan.

Even friendly countries need the IMF’s endorsement before agreeing to issue loans to Pakistan. there is therefore an urgent need to end the petrol and power subsidies at the earliest. there is no other way out.

The last time the establishment didn’t win was in 1988 At Penpoint M A NIAZI

W

hy is Imran Khan demanding fresh elections? One reason is that it is the only means he has of getting back into power. the not-so-subtle hints that the military should intervene does not really provide him another means, as acknowledge a reality: that he has not developed a support base capable of bringing him to office in the teeth of institutional resistance.

An important factor that is perhaps ignored is that the 2018 election was not really won by Imran Khan. his PtI did emerge as the largest party in the National Assembly, but it fell short of the absolute majority needed to elect Imran as Prime Minister. For that, he had to win over independent and smaller parties, the so-called allies, whose switching brought down his government.

As he himself has made clear since his ouster especially, their support was only made possible because of military support. the withdrawal of that support was what made his government fall. As a result, in his narrative, the COAS and DGISI move from being good guys to being ‘neutral’, a word that was once perfectly acceptable, but now is pejoratively associated with animals, though it is one again positive if shown during the Long March.

Part of the problem with Imran, and of the type of politics that he practises, is that neutrality is not an acceptable political position. Even at the height of their political confrontation, neither the PPP nor the PML(N) ever decried neutrality, accepting it as a valid position to hold. true, the neutral person should support their party, but no one thought it immoral to be neutral. It went without saying that government employees, whether working for the Sindh Agriculture Department or the Pakistan Army, were supposed to be neutral.

Now, it seems, the goalposts have shifted. Not supporting Imran is morally reprehensible. that seems to run counter to the basis of democracy, of the free market of ideas. Incidentally, it also seems to run counter to the Islamic concept of morality, where the Quran, the hadith and legal rules derived thereby are the basis of morality. the concept of hating the sin, not the sinner, exists, which means that the corrupt person should not be disliked, only the corruption. the corruption may be repented, or punished, in which case it is purged. that is the underpinning of the Islamic justice system: the purpose is not deterrence or revenge,

The sound and the fury Imran’s Long March fails to oust the government

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ERhAPS the loudest comment on the PtI’s longanticipated Long March came from party chief Imran Khan’s arrival at those who stayed overnight, and his equally rapid disappearance towards his Bani Gala residence when he saw that the protesters were not present in anywhere near the numbers he had anticpated. As is so often said, actions speak louder than words. his departure was followed by even more of the protesters, who could explain it away by thinking to themselves they were merely following the party leader. A lot of those who have fought the good fight, but found that the government was still in place the morning after, decided that discretion was the better part of valour. the help from the establishment was not visible either. there was no help offered to keep people in place. there was no support of the government shown by shooting at the crowd, but it never came even close to that, and the government only used the police to maintain law and order. true, law and order came under stress. the incidents of arson and riot when the protesters reached D-Chowk showed that a greater conflagration was avoided, but it also represented a direct defiance of the Supreme Court’s order that the sit-in be held in h-9. however, it was not the purpose of the PtI to make a show of strength in an unpopulated wilderness. however, the Supreme Court’s refusal to entertain a contempt petition against the PtI for holding its sit-in at an unauthorized place was rejected, thereby showing that Mr Khan’s accusations in preparatory rallies, that the judiciary was involved in the foreign-led conspiracy to oust him, may have had an effect, as legal battles are beginning to go his way, such as the pre-arrest and post-arrest bail petitions of various PtI leaders. however, apart from the amount of extra waste generated, the Long March has left behind a weakened country. Apart from the individual hardships that accompanied it, the breakdown of negotiations with IMF in Doha, and the refusal of banks to extend further credit to oil marketing companies, insisting they make purchases only against cash, are not just indications of things to come, but also of how the country has been damaged by a Long March that did not meet even the hopes of its originators.

If people get along, states can too

MUHAMMAD ALI ALVI

I

t is the desire of every sane individual to live in a world of peace, solidarity and harmony. A world where everyone can live peacefully with prestige and integrity. A world where individuals can live without the discrimination of caste, colour and creed and everyone is free to live his life according to his religion or culture.

A world where acceptance and understanding are the basis of every transaction, be it social, political or religious. A world where having an opinion is not a crime and where social, political and religious affiliations do not make individuals vulnerable or in another context, biased, extreme or irreconcilable. And a world where women are given complete freedom, liberty and equal rights.

But are we even near to a peaceful and harmonious world desired above? the answer is a big “NO” and surprisingly not we all know that very well. the reason is that bringing peace has only been the domain of the states since their birth. And for the states, peace is not always the priority as they have their own objectives.

Since the devastation of World War II, the world has been saved from another deadly war by joint effort, especially through the platform of the United Nations. the UN is duly credited for saving the world from World War 3. the UN, through its initiative, has tried to bring peace and stability to the world. But the interests of the nation-states have always hindered the process.

Despite the work the UN has done for the betterment of this world, if the people are still begging for peace 76 years after its inception, then there is some-

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 is a member of staff

Living together in peace

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

though they might follow, but to punish in this world, purge of the offence and preserve the offender from a much more horrific punishment in the hereafter.

Of course, whatever the legal system, there is the little detail of a trial. however, the PtI seems to operate under a legal system where a declaration by Imran, supported or not by evidence, is the equivalent of a trial, perhaps superior to it. that means not only that Imran used to refuse to have even the minimum contact with the opposition that was necessary, but has transformed a normal (though rare) application of the Constitution, with the transfer of power from one party to another, into a titanic struggle between Good and Evil. While Imran seems to have no problems being personified as Good, Shehbaz Sharif is finding it difficult to be the personification of Evil.

More to the point, so is the COAS. the COAS probably has a right to feel more wounded than anyone else, because Imran is calling him names for playing his constitutional role. however, as he is probably finding out, support for one side cannot be turned on and off like a tap. Whoever did, the task was incredible. there was the institutional belief, which the Pakistani military shared with all professional militaries the world over, that their political masters (the politicians) are scoundrels. this was overcome for Imran. this allowed him to get the sort of help he needed to achieve power. that means there are mechanisms in place for the delivery of constituencies where the race is close in favour of one candidate or the other. It goes to the credit of Imran that he brought the PtI to a point of competitiveness where his PtI emerged as the largest party, with the right sort of help. that help varies from constituency to constituency, and probably cannot reverse a trend. however, it probably does not vanish with a simple order of neutrality. What exactly it is, is not known for sure. the most concerted effort to identify it came in 1988, when the PPP tried to find out why it did not achieve the absolute majority it expected. Apart from a white paper, the effort did not come to much, perhaps because it could uncover nothing.

It might be remembered that in 1988, the election result was such that the establishment did not get what it wanted. Nawaz Sharif did make an attempt to form a government at the centre, with the 56 IJI seats as his base, but it did not compete within the 93 the PPP had won, and his effort fizzled before it started.

It seems that Imran hopes for an even better result than the PPP got then, while as bereft of establishment support. One advantage he does have is that whereas the establishment was active in 1988, this

time around, it will be neutral. there remains the question of what happens to its potential. ‘Electables’ are ‘electables’ because they have built, or have inherited and maintained, election machines. Some perennial candidates have their vote tallies enhanced by supportive elements, which elements tell them which party ticket to apply for. the party is told who to give the ticket to.

Apart from such candidates, there is a general hype created for the party that has won approval. the other side finds that it faces a slew of corruption cases. Its candidates, often not the best in the constituency, and face legal difficulties. the media contains much back-and-forth, but the trend is in favour of the party designed to win.

Because of this, Imran hopes that the neutrality does not go so far as to show what his government was upto. the tales of corruption are deliberately exaggerated, and so far have only resulted in the conviction of Nawaz Sharif in time for the 2019 poll. however, the point that is driven home is that politicians are corrupt.

Imran has built his career on something that has been pushed since long before he came into politics.

One problem Imran has is that he has not really expanded his support base. When Bhutto came to power in 1971, his nationalizations, his setting up new corporations and his use of the rationing system (creating a class of depot holders) created a large body of people who were committed to the PPP even decades later. he gave a voice to peasants, workers, and others left behind by the growth of the Ayub years. Perhaps most importantly, this is the era of the rush of migrant labour to the Middle East.

With all of these, he entered the 1977 elections.

And his daughter the 1988 and subsequent elections.

And presumably his grandson, the coming election.

Imran only has a rather vague narrative of standing up to the USA. that might seem a touch-button issue, but Bhutto’s defiance of the USA does not really define his appeal. his defiance came over the nuclear weapon. Ziaul haq, who deposed him, furthered that programme, and the device was finally exploded under Nawaz. the fact that the usual tigerish campaign against the ousted government has not started may encourage Imran to believe that while the cat’s away the mouse will play, and the very neutrality of the institution will allow existing advantages to be extended to his candidates. however, the sort of groundswell that would deliver a two-thirds majority is not visible, and he will have to overcome the electorate’s economic suffering While he might transfer the anger over the removal of petrol and power subsidies to his successors, he may not be able to remove the electorate’s memory of his economic management. the Long March is crucial for Imran not so much because of the pressure it exerts, as an indication of how much support he has from an establishment claiming to be neutral.

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thing wrong that needs to be identified and rectified.

For example, allied states of Ukraine are providing billions of dollars in aid while Russia is on the offensive. the actual battle is between the two superpowers Russia and the USA. So, a powerful state can threaten a weak state at will. the weak states have two options: a) become powerful, and b) hide behind the powerful. All this happens because being powerful is the ultimate goal of every state for several reasons: a)to achieve its objectives, b) to fight its enemy, and c) to protect itself from any oppression.

Providing aid to Ukraine after the Russian offensive is like letting a well-built house be destroyed and then rebuilding it by depriving all those who even don’t have shelter. this is what the superpowers have been doing.

Coming back to the example of aid to Ukraine, one can safely say that had the two superpowers not been in a tussle with each other, the amount of aid being poured in would have helped in reducing poverty, eliminating diseases and bettering healthcare and education facilities where needed and in helping those who are battling the scourge of terrorism and extremism, among other things But, the current power dynamics in the world are only forcing states to achieve more power with time, and be the ultimate power at the world level or among the neighbouring states in a particular geography.

It is hard to think of states which are in a continuous battle with each other, be it in the fields of technology, defence or infrastructure, which will find time to work for peace in the world and that too jointly.

Similarly, if states somehow join hands to achieve peace but ignore the fact that achieving peace demands inclusivity and it is hard to think of peace if those people are ignored and left behind who have been looking for peace and justice for years. the state can’t achieve peace or stay peaceful if it is witnessing injustice somewhere and staying quiet. But, states do stay quiet because they have to pursue their interests as it is said that it is the interests that matter to the states. the United Nations observed the “International Day of Living together in Peace ‘’ on May 16. the rationale behind observing this day is defined as “living together in peace is all about accepting differ-

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ences and having the ability to listen to, recognise, respect and appreciate others, as well as living in a peaceful and united way and “as a means of regularly mobilizing the efforts of the international community to promote peace, tolerance inclusion, understanding and solidarity.

But despite these initiatives and efforts, we don’t see an urge in the international community to intensify their efforts for peace, tolerance and inclusivity. the reason is that the efforts for peace have remained the monopoly of the states who have used it according to their need as peace is not always in the interest of a state. this has to change. the efforts for peace and tolerance has to be from the people that should force the states to follow their demand.

“Living together in peace” as a concept has to nourish and evolve from people. People from all over the world who are prejudice-free and want peace in the world have to play their part.

For example, if a state invades another state or supports oppression in another country. the first resistance has to be from the people of that state and then the rest of the world.

If we have to live together in peace, we have to create a generation of peace through education for everyone in the world. Otherwise, every other initiative will be symbolic and lack productivity.

Almost all of the wars that have taken place in the world have one common motive in them. that is to force the other side to accept the domination and superiority be it religious, political, social or cultural.

But, the time has changed. We are living in an era where to win people it is not necessary to fight with them. that political ideology, religion or culture will prevail which offers the best to humankind. this is what states have to learn.

On the other hand, every culture, religion and political ideology has something to offer to humankind. to raise their voices for peace, people don’t need to export or import some other religion or ideology. they just need to raise their voice. It will give rise to a universal culture of peace that will have tolerance, acceptance and inclusivity.

The writer is freelance columnist

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

06-07 Comments - 27th May 2022_Layout 1 5/26/2022 11:46 PM Page 2

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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

Role of students

Revisiting the Climate Change Act A bad law is no law

K. M. ZUbAIr

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AW is order, and good law is good order.

A good law is a law only by virtue of its being based on a right reason; and developed in the right context; and only if it embodies the right detail. the Latin maxim “Lex malla, Lex nulla”, meaning “A bad law is No law”, rightly places the emphasis on the need for eschewing bad laws.

As far as a piece of legislation deviates from the right deductive reasoning, it’s a sham. Penning down my concerns today are the laws in the realm of environment management and climate change.

Pakistan’s vulnerability to adverse impacts of climate change are well established and widely recognized. Our cities get cited among the world’s most polluted; smog has become a household term; and environmental bummers are a routine occurrence. As reported in the press, April 2022 turned out to be the hottest month here in the last 61 years. the melting of the Shishper Glacier in Gilgit-Baltistan a few days ago is the latest incident to raise eyebrows.

Already a water-stressed nation, we are projected to have an emergency on our hands as the Indus and its tributaries gradually dry up.

It will be no surprise if we hear more and more cataclysmic episodes in the coming days and months. the question is what damage control measures we have taken? how good is the legal superstructure? have we prepared ourselves beyond the lip service? What is the Pakistan Climate Change Act, 2017, not long ago trumpeted as the magnum opus on climate change, good for? how good are a plethora of other laws on the subject? Or does the maxim “the more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws” hold good for us? Do we need to reset the clock and strive to change? till early 2010, the Pakistan Environment Protection Act (PEPA), 1997 was the principal legislation to control pollution with its jurisdiction extending to the whole of the country. Consequent to the 18th constitutional Amendment, the provinces enacted their own environmental laws, primarily by provincializing the federal Act. the provinces therefore became responsible to execute pollution control activities within their respective ambits. these laws provide a comprehensive legal framework to regulate undesirable emissions that cause climate change. Meeting international obligations and commitments is a federal subject owing to provisions of the federal legislative list.

Section 31 of PEPA, 1997 empowers Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) to make rules for implementing the provisions of the international environmental agreements.

Section 6(1-t), PEPA, 1997 empowers Pak-EPA to take or cause to be taken all necessary measures for the protection, conservation and rehabilitation and improvement of the environment, prevention and control of pollution and promo-

tion of sustainable development. Section (1-h) empowers Pak-EPA to coordinate environmental policies and programs nationally and internationally. Section 2(X-b) defines the environment to include all layers of the atmosphere, and consequently empowers Pak-EPA to take or cause to take any measure that tends to reduce greenhouse gas (GhG) emission in the atmosphere from any source; Section 2(X-3) includes all living organic or inorganic matter and living organisms. these together with many other similar provisions in the Act that Pak-EPA is squarely mandated to take all necessary actions to regulate climate change.

Comes next another law directly related to regulating climate change. Known as the National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act, 2016, which covers all energy consuming sectors of the economy and extends to all areas of the country. that most GhG emissions are a fallout of inefficient conventional energy usage is an indisputable fact. Every action visualized to be taken under this Act is either a mitigation or an adaptation measure on climate change. having drafted the initial bill in 2001, I for sure know the intent behind the law and the nexus it had with climate change activities.

Other than this, the NEPRA Act 2001, and the OGRA Act 2015, contain sufficient provisions for climate change actions by defining performance standards and efficiency benchmarks for the two predominant contributors to climate change emissions, that is, the power and natural gas sectors. A host of other statutes, authorities and entities in the realm of water, sanitation, agriculture, disaster management, green financing and development sectors are on the ground across the country to deal with issues related to climate change.

On the heels of the above lows, came the Pakistan Climate Change Act 2017, entry 32 in schedule IV of the Constitution supposedly being the raison d’être for the Act. the Act calls for creating another Authority to be called the Pakistan Climate Change Authority (PCCA).

Needless to point out that no Authority around the world can exist without being vested with a whole range of powers and without being supported by inbuilt enforcement mechanisms. they draw strength from powers intrinsically available to them through the relevant Act. they can create, harmonize and enforce standards; they have powers to create performance benchmarks; they have powers of licensing, establishing testing protocols, and carrying out audits and assessment; they have powers for enforcing best practices and implementation of specific action plans; they have powers to retrieve data, issue summons and raid the suspected entities which flout the mandatory benchmarks; they have powers for instituting incentives and punishments, creating registration and certification regimes, and/or designing tariff structures; they have powers for initiating fiscal, financial, technological and policy initiatives, initiating demonstration programmes, initiating training, information dissemination and outreach programs; initiating research and development and initiating technology transfer endeavours,

among others. the proposed Authority to be established in the aftermath of the Act is unique in the sense that it is vested with none of the functions or powers that are vested in a regulatory authority; It has no enforcement mechanism built into it to regulate climate change; it relies not on its own strength but is dependent only on statutes already in place; it has no responsibility which by virtue of rules of business not already vested in a full-fledged parent Ministry of Climate Change, or in its specialized wings, its attached departments, or to other regulatory authorities and other related federal and provincial and local set-ups; and it has no regulatory status to set standards and enforce their implementation.

See what this Act has done. It did nothing on ground and also provided Pak-EPA and other agencies a great subterfuge for evading their responsibilities and being accountable for climate change inaction. Isn’t this Act therefore an absolute redundancy? yes, it is. We need either the Pak – EPA or the PCCA. that the existing institutions fail to meet the desired level of performance requires a different remedy than creating another redundancy. We need to redefine the role and functions of institutions by amending the existing laws. We need to structure the relevant institutions in a way that climate change concerns can be addressed. Other than its co-extensiveness with other laws, the Climate Change Act has serious questions with respect to its governance structure, with respect to the constitutional context for project execution; with respect to the effectiveness of its implementation; with respect to its excessive political demeanour; and with respect to its executive domain. Not that the people at the helm of affairs were not aware of these realities. yet every one chose to be quiet in the hope of reaping a harvest in a new set up. Creating new organizations is exciting both for the political governments and the bureaucracy alike. they all have personal ends to meet through such interventions.

No Act is self- executory. Five years down the line, the Climate Change Act is yet to be put into operation. yes, it was never an exercisable option. Luckily, someone down the line understands the PCCA is not a workable piece of legislation. it is a good time to look into the Act for its deficits and find corrective actions. Why support this surplusage, without knuckling down to a holistic determination as to its need and essence. Please don’t come up with a bunch of gobbledygook to defend a superfluity.

Nothing on climate change will change without having a sensibly revisited and re-enacted legal regime by eradicating superfluities, by redefining the role and the functions of the concerned institutions; by capacity construction of relevant formations of climate change; by human resource transformation and by ensuring that legislation already in place is superseded with new legislation or holistically amended and practised meaningfully.

Nothing on climate change will change without having a sensibly revisited and reenacted legal regime by eradicating superfluities, by redefining the role and the functions of the concerned institutions; by capacity construction of relevant formations of climate change; by human resource transformation

The author is an Advocate of the High Court, and a Management Consultant. He Can be reached at kmzeee@hotmail.com

StUDENtS are the ones who are provided with thoughts, courage, knowledge and information so that they should make a better future for the upcoming generation. that’s why students are called the real builders of a nation because they sacrifice their youth for building their nation.

Students have the power to build a nation and improve it ahead. Every student has the power of something but unfortunately, they don’t care for what they are brought here. Students work hard and a positive attitude builds incentive for the nation to be strong. Due to students’ efforts, nations are considered developed and prosperous. the students struggle to bring unity to the nation. When students are knowledgeable, they know the value of a nation. the future of the nation depends on students and how they contribute their potential to the nation. On the other hand, students must know that their duties are to fulfil their dreams for the nation. the loyalty of students deserves more respect from the nation. Students are like hair that is always growing for the progress and development of a great nation. Successful people always think and observe the weakness of a nation and know how to increase awareness among the nation. the best option for the students is to think for the nation. If today they are small, tomorrow they will grow up and will take the responsibilities on their shoulders for building the nation. No doubt, everything has builders such as a building has labours, for repairing vehicles there are mechanics likewise for building the nation there are students who are working hard from dawn to dust. In conclusion, for building a nation, students should have courage, determination and perseverance.

SATTAR SAMAD TURBAT

Charity – thought of the day!

24.3% of the population of Pakistan lives below the national poverty line. the primary driver of diseases, lack of education and opportunities, unemployment, and injustice, in our country is extreme poverty. We need to make a choice to make our donations count, altruism and philanthropy are in the blood of the nation; the amount of Zakat given by Pakistanis is huge. Pakistan is one of the most charitable nations, with 98 percent of people doing charity, monetarily or through volunteer work.

A charitable decision that you take, in which you intend to make a difference in the lives of people, makes the world a better place to live.

Maximize the effects of your charity by staying conscious of how many will benefit from your charity, and how much you spend to benefit them, but also know how your charity will be used to benefit the masses.

Donate in a better direction, find out where your charity will have a greater impact, and aspire to change the quality of life of the people you help, to make a brighter future for them. It is important to be aware of what your charity offers, whom you give, and how you give, but also how the money will be used. Do your part in acknowledging the harsh realities faced by many in your society, and take responsibility for the malnourished and poverty-stricken. the facts and figures lay bare the issues of poverty; align your actions with the moral compass to show you the path. the larger concern for us as a society is that we can eradicate hunger and diminish poverty with our efforts collectively, but unfortunately, we haven’t done that yet as a society.

AAA Associates has made great strides in changing the condition of our community with its various humanitarian initiatives. AAA Associates believes to be morally aware, ethically right, and showing compassion through your donations. It is morally imperative for us to help the underprivileged in our society; we cannot grow unless all of us grow together.

Many of us live in lavish extravagance and are substantially privileged, it is only ethical to lead a life of shared blessings, where those who have lesser means to survive and throttle at the expense of daily struggles to fulfil small needs and bear with needless sufferings. We spend excess money on consumer goods, for example, fashion brands when competing for attention and we grab them like there is no tomorrow, while there is a brighter tomorrow, if we learn to share our blessings with the people who will suffice with any brand, be it a piece of old cloth turned into a garment. the harvard Gazette published research, which concluded, that maximum happiness is attained when a person spends to benefit others. Dreams come true where efforts combine! Charity, like meditation, is rejuvenating and purifying. helping others is, in a way, helping yourself. It builds trust and compassion, and values and goodness are ingrained in our society.

MUHAMMAD SAGHEER ISLAMABAD

Media freedom IN 2022, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported that 65 newsmen — 50 professional journalists, 7 Citizen Reporters and 8 media workers — were killed doing their jobs. they were viciously hunted down by powerful corrupt mafias while carrying out their profound duties. their work in seeking the truth came at a cost to their families and their lives.

Seeking the truth has been a dangerous thing to do, and the enemies of the truth seem to be prevailing in their efforts to distort and manipulate the reality of our world.

But why is this the case? It is no secret that the free press is essential for the proper functioning of civil society and democracy. this is what is being curtailed. the enemies of democracy cannot allow the media to gain outright autonomy because it would increase accountability. this is why the media is heavily being regulated and as a result news organisations around the world have been forced to shut down. Moreover, in many countries, media outlets are state-controlled and operated as propaganda tools, which issue state-approved information to the population in order to skew reality. the truth of these nations are often manipulated or hidden because the needs of the state often supersede the needs of their population. however, there are many nations that do recognise the need to protect their free media. In Canada, at least 29 municipalities — home to roughly 13 million people in nine provinces — have passed motions voicing support for journalism in aid of democracy. the federal government has acknowledged in its 2019 budget that, “A strong and independent news media is crucial to a well-functioning democracy.” We must realise that journalism helps people make sense of their world. It helps transform people’s understanding of how society, culture and politics work. therefore, journalists can be agents of social and political change and must therefore be protected at all costs.

STEVEN KASZAB CANADA

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08 WORLD VIEW

AmerIcA’s HAnds Are FUll oF blood who put the weapon of Mass Murder into his hand? the answer to that question is that the publiC poliCy of this Country arMed hiM

aTlanTic DAvID fRum

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HOUGHTS and prayers. It began as a cliché.

It became a joke. It has putrefied into a national shame. If tonight, Americans do turn heavenward in pain and grief for the lost children of Uvalde, Texas, they may hear the answer delivered in the Bible through the words of Isaiah: “And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.”

We will learn more about the 18-year-old killer of elementary-school children: his personality, his ideology, whatever confection of hate and cruelty drove him to his horrible crime. But we already know the answer to one question: Who put the weapon of mass murder into his hand? The answer to that question is that the public pol-

icy of this country armed him. every other democracy makes some considerable effort to keep guns away from dangerous people, and dangerous people away from guns. For many years—and especially since the massacre at Connecticut’s Sandy Hook elementary School almost a decade ago—the United States has put more and more guns into more and more hands: 120 guns per 100 people in this country. The years of the pandemic have been the years of the greatest gun sales in U.S. history: almost 20 million guns sold in 2020; another 18.5 million sold in 2021. no surprise, those two years also witnessed a surge in gun violence: the spectacular human butchery of our recurring mass slaughters; the surge of one-on-one lethal criminality; the unceasing tragic toll of carelessness as American gun owners hurt and kill their loved ones and themselves.

Most of us are appalled. But not enough of us are sufficiently appalled to cast our votes to halt it. And those to whom Americans entrust political power, at the state and federal levels, seem determined to make things worse and

Food prices have skyrocketed as war in Ukraine spreads thirty-six countries rely on Moscow and kyiv for 50% of their wheat imports. kyiv also falls into the top six exporters of chicken and honey. the country is the world’s top producer of sunflower oil TiPPinSiGHTS EDITORIAL BOARD

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enRy Kissinger, the former secretary of state, drew flak from many quarters for suggesting that Ukraine should pursue peace even at the cost of ceding territory to the invader, Russia. The criticism and condemnation came thick and fast, though Ukrainian officials had agreed to permanently cease their attempts to procure nATO membership and expressed a willingness to discuss Russian territorial claims back in March.

The Ukraine war has entered its fourth month. early this month, the U.S. gave 40 billion dollars in aid to Kyiv to fight Russia. However, the cost of this war is not being borne solely by Ukraine, its neighbors, Russia, or the United States. The war has implications for the fate of countries as far as Africa and Asia.

While much of the world’s focus was on soaring energy costs and President Putin’s control over the energy supply to the eU, another necessary commodity grew dearer by the day – food.

Both Russia and Ukraine are major exporters of food grains like wheat and barley. According to the US Department of Agriculture, Ukraine “plays a critical role in supplying oilseeds and grains to the global market.” Data suggest that Ukrainian corn exports account for 14% of the world’s exports of the commodity. The country holds 10% of wheat and 17% of the world’s barley share. Thirty-six countries rely on Moscow and Kyiv for 50% of their wheat imports. Kyiv also falls into the top six exporters of chicken and honey. The country is the world’s top producer of sunflower oil. But, with the attack on Ukraine, food exports have fallen to all-time lows. Since the beginning of the invasion, food prices have risen globally, reaching record highs.

The Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Price Index averaged 158.5 points in April 2022. Though the figure is 1.2 points below the previous month’s record high numbers, it is still 36.4 points (29.8 percent) higher than the values in April 2021. The conditions were so dire that the United nations put out a brief warning of severe food shortages and food insecurity in more than fifty emerging nations. According to Un figures, 276 million people worldwide are severely food-insecure today.

With the rising cost of fertilizers, droughts, and the effects of climate change, the Un has asked countries to work together to prevent another humanitarian disaster.

Though Ukrainians have bravely fought back Russian troops, key seaports and railways have fallen into the invader’s hands.

This has had an enormous impact on food exports, as almost ninety percent of Ukrainian exports are conducted through the Black Sea. The head of the United nations’ World Food Program, David Beasley, said at the World economic Forum in Davos, “Failure to open up the ports is a declaration of war on global food security.” Suggestions have been made that a global coalition should form a naval flotilla to escort commercial ships carrying food supplies through the Black Sea. Diplomatic pressure would likely sway Turkey, which controls access to the Black Sea under the 1936 Montreaux Convention, to work for the greater good.

Russia has increased its grain exports and is filling its coffers, taking advantage of the situation. Reports have emerged that Moscow has exported wheat to countries like Israel since it attacked Ukraine. With Moscow expecting a bumper wheat harvest, food, besides energy, will become a powerful economic weapon in the hands of the autocratic leader. For the sake of the world’s food security, the leaders may have to pay heed to Mr. Kissinger’s words.

bloodier. In the next few weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court will deliver its opinion in the case of new york State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, a decision that could strike down concealed-carry bans even in the few states that still have them. More guns, more places, fewer checks, fewer protections: Since Sandy Hook, this country has plunged backward and downward toward barbarism.

In his memoir of his career in the gun trade, the former gun-industry executive Ryan Busse writes of the effect of mass shootings on gun sales. They are, to put it bluntly, good for business. People think that perhaps the authorities might do something, and race to the gun stores to buy weapons before the “something” happens.

The gun in the gunman’s hand multiplies to more guns in more hands. Most of those hands do not mean to inflict harm. But the harm follows, even so.

In this magazine five years ago, I wrote a parable: A village has been built in the deepest gully of a floodplain.

At regular intervals, flash floods wipe away houses, killing all inside. Less dramatic—but more lethal—is the

steady toll as individual villagers slip and drown in the marshes around them.

After especially deadly events, the villagers solemnly discuss what they might do to protect themselves. Perhaps they might raise their homes on stilts?

But a powerful faction among the villagers is always at hand to explain why these ideas won’t work. “no law can keep our village safe! The answer is that our people must learn to be better swimmers—and oh by the way, you said ‘stilts’ when the proper term is ‘piles,’ so why should anybody listen to you?”

So the argument rages, without result, year after year, decade after decade, fatalities mounting all the while. nearby villages, built in the hills, marvel that the gullydwellers persist in their seemingly reckless way of life.

But the gully-dwellers counter that they are following the wishes of their Founders, whose decisions two centuries ago must always be upheld by their descendants.

Since then, of course, things have only gotten worse.

Can it be different this time? Whether any particular killer proves to be a racist, a jihadist, a sexually frustrated incel, or a randomly malignant carrier of sorrow and grief, can Americans ever break the pattern of empty thoughts, meaningless prayers, and more and worse bloodshed to follow?

The lobbying groups and politicians who enable these killers will dominate the federal courts and state governments, as they do today, until the mighty forces of decency and kindness in American life say to the enablers: “That’s enough! This must stop—and we will stop you.”

reporting leads Unilever to stop sexist marketing campaign der SPieGel HEInER HOffmAnn AnD HEnRy WAssWA

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n the middle of April, several women holding posters suddenly appeared at several intersections in the Ugandan capital city of Kampala.

They called themselves the “Association of Wives,” but the demands they were making of their husbands didn’t sound particularly feminist.

One called for an increase in allowance money allotted to wives from their husbands. Others read: “Side dishes are destroying our marriage!” and, “Wives also deserve trips to Dubai” They complained: “Our husbands are no longer eating at home.”

Atuki Turner saw images from the event online and suspected that something wasn’t quite right.

Turner is a feminist activist in Uganda, and she tends to be supportive of women who protest for their own causes. But she had never come across anything like this before. “I wanted to voice criticism immediately, because these demands were really strange,” Turner recalls. But she hesitated nonetheless. She didn’t want to publicly stab the women in the back. now, reporting from DeR SPIeGeL has revealed that this supposed women’s rights protest was actually a guerilla marketing campaign staged by corporate giant Unilever. Over the course of several days, the campaign feigned a women’s movement, serving up sexist stereotypes to promote the Royco brand, a flavoring powder popular in Africa.

Unilever owns 400 brands worldwide that are sold in over 100 countries. The company has drawn pushback in the past for falling back on outdated gender roles, but rarely has a campaign been as sexist as the one in Uganda.

A spokesman for the police in Kampala says: “The action was registered with us as an advertising event for Royco. But then suddenly these women with their posters showed up.” The officers took the supposed activists into custody and, according to media reports, they spent 20 minutes at the police station. DeR SPIeGeL has learned, however, that even this confinement was pre-arranged with the police so that the campaign would attract additional attention – an extremely cynical approach in a country where government opponents regularly face arbitrary arrest.

By then, though, the apparent goal of the PR campaign had long been achieved: Several media

if the husband is Cheating, his wife should learn to Cook better: unilever’s sexist Marketing CaMpaign in uganda was a violation of its own standards. following reporting by der spiegel, the CaMpaign was suspended outlets reported on the supposed protest and the hashtag #getmorefromyourhusband began making the rounds. The issue went viral: Uganda was suddenly discussing whether housewives should get more “kameeza money.” Kameeza is a local term for a kind of pocket money that husbands put on their wives’ nightstands so they can buy themselves something.

Attempts to contact the organizers of the “protests” ended up with a PR agency. The employee sounded audibly annoyed, and she refused to answer any questions. Please leave the client out of it, she said, contritely.

Two days after the staged protests came the next act in the sexist performance. The alleged protestors organized a “women’s conference” with an ambiguous announcement: The secret of marital bliss was to be revealed. Ultimately, that revelation was an oversized can of beef Royco.

A Ugandan television station reported live and posted quotes from the alleged women’s conference on Twitter. Some examples: “Women should learn how to cook. Put Royco Mchuzi mix in your food. you won’t complain about your husbands not coming back home.”

“If we want our husbands home, let’s put Royco in their food. They will come back.”

A man also spoke: “If you really want us home, give us respect, give me peace and a good meal.”

DeR SPIeGeL reached the moderator of the “women’s conference,” Karitas Kasirimbi, on the phone. She defended the event: “It’s just that Royco triggered that conversation and had people going out there. But it’s real women’s problems happening in our society,” she says. Lydia ndagire could only shake her head. She heads the Resilient Women Organization, which works to push for women’s rights in Uganda. “Women are expected to solicit money from their husbands instead of looking for their own job. And Unilever wants to use these stereotypes to

do dirty business too.”

Atuki Turner sees things similarly. Her organization, Mifumi, takes care of victims of domestic violence. “This campaign isn’t just sinister and cynical, but also dangerous,” she argues. Because countless physical attacks on women in Uganda stem from conflicts over food – that’s enough to trigger abuse. “The advertising campaign is backing perpetrators of domestic violence. Unilever should be ashamed and stop this immediately,” Turner says.

But even after the supposed women’s conference, Unilever happily carried on. In the days that followed, posters appeared everywhere in Kampala showing a smiling woman in an apron in front of the perfect home: “Get more from your husband.

The secret is Royco.” A Ugandan online news site quoted the national head of Unilever, Joanita Menya, as saying: “We can assure you that women who cook with Royco bring more than just the family back home but also create grateful husbands. If you didn’t know how to have your husband increase the kameeza money, now you know the secret.”

Following a written inquiry from DeR SPIeGeL, Unilever quickly began trying to control the damage. The press office in London declined to answer specific questions, instead providing a general statement: “We are very sorry that the campaign perpetuated stereotypical gender roles. We should have done things differently and we will review this in order to prevent it happening again.” It also stated that the campaign would immediately be halted.

Unilever had pledged in 2016 to refrain from using sexist stereotypes in its advertising campaigns and called on its competitors to do the same.

Unilever’s marketing boss, Keith Weed, told the BBC at the time that the company had a responsibility to work for change “on a broader social level.”

It would seem that the company has failed to deliver on that promise.

Tussle over fuel taxes

I

Tribune, india

n a bid to tame inflation, the Union Government has slashed excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 8 and Rs 6 per litre, respectively. The Centre claims to have done its job and has put the onus on the states to reduce VAT on fuel to provide respite to consumers. Among the non-BJP-ruled states, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Kerala have promptly lowered VAT, but others such as Tamil nadu and West Bengal say it is unfair and unreasonable to expect states to bring down their taxes and bear heavy loss of revenue. Telangana and Chhattisgarh have even asked the Centre to scrap cess on fuel in order to restore prices to the 2014 level. In an unsavoury war of words, the Union Government and the Opposition-ruled states are accusing each other of fleecing hapless end-users. no political party can afford to take an ambiguous stand on fuel prices and taxes as their fluctuations impact the voting public on a daily basis. It is no mere coincidence that petrol and diesel rates are usually lowered or kept unchanged whenever an election is around the corner and then raised once the poll din ends. Both the Centre and the states chose to maximise their gains from the sale

Centre, states should strike a balanCe between priorities of fuel during the better part of the two Covid years. Though the pandemic has subsided, the Russia-Ukraine war has hit global crude oil supplies in recent months. According to a report of the Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell of the Ministry of Petroleum & natural Gas, India’s crude oil imports increased by 14.3 per cent during April 2022 as compared to the corresponding period of the previous year, even as the production of indigenous crude oil last month fell by 0.9 per cent in comparison with April 2021.

With the political battle lines so sharply drawn, it is naïve to expect Central and state governments to agree on a fuel tax structure that minimises the damage on the revenue front. But they can certainly do a better job of balancing economic considerations and political compulsions to keep the wheels of growth moving rapidly.

Friday, 27 May, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

bop, MNs UNiversity MUltAN teAM Up to beNeFit Agri grAdUAtes, FArMers

corporate corner

mUltan

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Jazz has won the Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Benchmarks Award 2021 for best practices in Community, Government Relations & Philanthropy. In the picture: Jazz's Chief Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Officer Syed Fakhar Ahmed (right), HR Business Partner (South) Mariam Ali and Regional Head Corporate & Regulatory Affairs (South) Mian Haider Shah. pr

Haleeb Foods joins hands with Akhuwat Foundation to support the underprivileged KArAchI: Haleeb Foods Limited has once again joined hands with Akhuwat Foundation in their mission to support the underprivileged. HFL’s joint efforts with Akhuwat Clothing Bank are a nationwide initiative to gather in-kind donations for the needy. The focus of this collaborative effort is to gain support from multiple sectors such as educational institutes, corporate sectors and gated housing societies. The charity collection boxes are dispersed across main cities including Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad and Islamabad.

The aim of this partnership is to foster a culture of sharing and recycling amongst the generous people of Pakistan.

On this active collaboration HFL, Manager Corporate Communications - Miss Amur Nadeem said: “HFL’s strong belief in giving back to the community has always kept us at the forefront of such philanthropic initiatives and through this collaboration we aim to support the underprivileged sector of the society. We encourage everyone to donate what they can and help those in need.”

Haleeb Foods as a responsible corporate entity continues its mission to lend a helping hand to the community and give back to the society as part of its multiple CSR initiatives. pr

ptA receives pkr19.39b against 3rd instalment of license renewal fee ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has received Rs 19.39 billion (equivalent to USD 98.49 Million) against third instalment of license renewal fee from two Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) Telenor Pakistan and Pakistan Mobile Communication Ltd. (Jazz).

The amount has been deposited in Federal Consolidated Fund (FCF). With this deposit, the total deposits by PTA in FCF during the current financial year i.e. 2021-22 have become Rs. 102.5 billion (equivalent to USD 577 Million). pr

AioU reschedules exams postponed on May 25 ISLAMABAD: Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) had postponed the final examination of BA (Associate Degree), BS and B.Ed (ODL) programs scheduled on May 25, due to the Law and Order situation in the country.

According to the controller examination, exams postponed on 25th May will now be conducted on 23rd June. Pre-issued roll number slips will be valid for the new dates. There is no change in exam timings or centers. Moreover, admissions in MA/M.Sc programs are open till 15th June with late fee charges. Admission forms and prospectuses are available on the university website (www.aiou.edu.pk). Students can only apply online in these programs. pr

pr

HE Bank of Punjab and Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture Multan (MNSUAM) have entered into a collaboration to establish a working relationship among the parties to benefit fresh Agri Graduates and Farmers associated with the University. Under this arrangement, fresh university graduates will be accepted for internship and jobs at The Bank of Punjab on priority. Further Farmers and Graduates associated with the University will also be eligible for financing under BOP’s own Product range as well as under government’s markup subsidy schemes. These farmers and university graduates will be encouraged to avail financing facility to update their existing infrastructure and move towards modern farming techniques. University will provide opportunities to BOP for promoting its Agri Focused Financial Products through expos arranged by them. BOP may also

conduct informative sessions for MNSUAM Faculty and Students regarding financing facilities offered by the Bank. The Bank of Punjab may also participate in upcoming startup competition arranged by the University. This inclusiveness will empower farmers and University Graduates through better economic outcomes and provide them sufficient cash flows to meet their day to day agri businesses. MoU sign-

ing ceremony was held at University of Agriculture Multan which was attended by Mr. Asif Riaz, Group Head Retail & Priority Sectors Lending – BOP and Mr. Sarfraz Hussain, Head Agri Credit Division – BOP, while University of Agriculture Multan was represented by Prof. Dr. Asif Ali (Tamgha-e-Imtiaz) – Vice Chancellor MNS University and Prof. Dr. Mubashir Mehdi Director BIAEC, Dr.

KE’s Roshni Bajis sensitise 380,000 households to safe power usage

Karachi pr

As an extreme heatwave gripped Karachi, KE partnered with the Pakistan Red Crescent Society Sindh to provide a day-long “Heatwave Relief Training” to KE’s Roshni Bajis and “Mohallah Safety Champions”, encompassing education on basic first aid, heat illness, treatment of heatstroke and heat exhaustion, enabling the participants to become first responders in an emergency.

The Roshni Bajis are KE’s neighborhood safety ambassadors who have been engaging residents across Karachi’s most densely populated areas since 2021, spreading awareness on the basic principles of general safety, electrical safety, rain safety, hazards of power theft and energy conservation. The first cohort was inducted in February 2021 with 40 women, while the second cohort of 60 women began their activity in November.

Collectively, these women have been able to reach over 380,000 households across Karachi educating the public on how to use electricity safely within their homes. Faulty or makeshift wiring inside premises is a leading cause of injury and poses a grave risk to the public. Many of these incidents could have been easily prevented with proper sensitization and education of the residents. Through an in-

novative approach, the Roshni Bajis also identified 40 women in the areas they work to act as “Mohallah Safety Champions” who are leading the mission to inculcate a culture of safety among their peers even after the Roshni Bajis have completed their drives.

Combating Kundas: The Roshni Bajis and Mohallah Safety Champions are only one facet of a comprehensive, company-wide strategy on safety. Across Karachi, theft of electricity through kundas and illegal wires continues to endanger citizens causing injury and even death.

Between 2021 and 2022, Over 200 cases of electrocution were reported across Karachi, all occurring inside premises or due to the use of kundas which were leaking current. KE’s distribution field teams are constantly conducting kunda removal drives across Karachi. Only last week, teams operating in the Lyari and Baldia areas removed over 4,500 kilograms of kundas in a single day.

Kunda removal drives are not straightforward tasks. KE’s teams are regularly met with resistance from local residents who feel entitled to steal electricity, neglecting the risk to their personal and collective safety. Despite the challenges, the utility’s staff continues its crackdown to create safer environments enabling the provision of uninterrupted, secure, and reliable power supply. These steps are being taken to pave the way for a brighter, safer Karachi.

Azfar Ahsan receives Global Visionary Award dUbai pr

Muhammad Azfar Ahsan, Founder and CEO Nutshell Group, and Founder Corporate Pakistan Group, received the “Global Visionary Award for Global Connectivity of Businesses and Communities” by the BSV Blockchain Association at a convention held in Dubai.

He is the first Pakistani businessman to have received this recognition at the Global Blockchain Convention – a global platform to highlight new blockchain innovations, big ecosystem announcements, new product launches, technology updates, keynote speeches, panels, and fireside chats from global blockchain leaders.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ahsan said that global recognition from this prestigious forum was an honor for Pakistan and Pakistani businessmen.

09

He urged fellow Pakistanis to explore innovative, new trends of emerging opportunities in business and investment in order to keep the country at par with global dynamics. He said we are already on the right path. Pakistan was performing well in the domain of knowledge and technology output among the regional countries as its ranking in the Global Innovation Index had improved from 137th in 2013 to 99th in 2021. Delivering his keynote speech on ‘New Technologies, New Futures for Nations,’ Mr. Ahsan said: “Blockchain technology is one dimension of overall knowledge economy providing a promising future for different domains, such as the real estate industry, the Internet of Things (IoT), the supply chain management (SCM) , the healthcare industry and the financial services industry.”

This year, the Global Blockchain Convention had more than 120 international speakers and 1,000+ delegates from over 50 countries.

Mohkam, Director External Linkages, Treasurer of University and Deans of different faculties. In a joint statement Mr. Asif Riaz, Group Head Retail & Priority Sectors Lending – BOP & Prof. Dr. Asif Ali – Vice Chancellor MNS University shared that, “We are excited to partner on this important initiative that has the potential to gradually transform the agricultural landscape of Pakistan by promoting organized financial inclusion of farming community and Agri Graduates to improve farming practices. This will help prioritize the financial inclusion and well-being of Agri Graduates and Farming community associated with MNS University of Agriculture, Multan. By taking a lead role, BOP reaffirms its commitment to be one of the most active banks in delivering on such initiatives in collaboration with MNS University-Multan. Both Sides further elucidated that such initiatives not only help the farmers and young Agri Entrepreneurs in elevation of their economic disparities but will also serve the national cause of ensuring food security.

ptcl joins forces for polio eradication from pakistan islamabad pr

Under corporate social responsibility, PTCL & Ufone 4G joined hands with the National Emergency Center, Government of Pakistan to extend its support for Polio eradication from Pakistan. The national telecommunication group created awareness by leveraging its vast network to promote vaccination against the disease that can physically impair children for life if not prevented in time.

Unfortunately, Pakistan is one of the only two countries where polio is still prevalent. The Government of Pakistan with the support of National Emergency Center and other stakeholders is constantly working to eradicate the disease to safeguard the lives and future of our children. This time around, PTCL and Ufone 4G stepped up to raise awareness regarding the urgency to vaccinate children to prevent them from getting affected by lifelong physical deformity at the hands of this otherwise easily preventable disease. PTCL and Ufone 4G supported the three-day Polio Vaccination Drive from May 23 to May 25, 2022, by sending SMS broadcasts across 11 regions of KPK and the former tribal districts, including Kohat, Orakzai, Kurram, Hangu, Karak, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, North Waziristan, South Waziristan, D.I. Khan, and Tank. The Urdu language SMS broadcasts urged parents to get their children vaccinated during every vaccination campaign to ensure their health and safety.

Sharing his thoughts regarding the campaign, Head of PR & Corporate Communication, PTCL Group, Amir Pasha, said: “We are glad to support the efforts of National Emergency Center and the Government of Pakistan towards eradication of Polio from Pakistan. It is important for us because this is about safeguarding of our future generations from lifelong dependency. We at PTCL and Ufone 4G will continue to leverage our services and infrastructure to create shared value for the society under our corporate social responsibility program. We hope that our efforts make a significant difference in reducing vaccine hesitancy so that our future is in the hands of a hale and hearty generation.”

“We are grateful to PTCL and Ufone 4G for their cooperation in creating awareness regarding the polio emergency in Pakistan. The Polio Programme is working relentlessly with partners and other important stakeholders to prevent children from falling prey to lifelong disability.

We need more cooperation like this for promoting vaccination across all regions of Pakistan so that all children are safe and grow with full potentials,” said Dr. Shahzad Baig, National Coordinator, Polio Eradication Programme.

The initiative originating from its CSR objectives reflects the group’s commitment to promote social-good and sustainable growth in the country. As the national telecommunication carrier, PTCL Group not only enables and empowers the people through high quality ICT services but also leverages is expertise and resources to touch upon their lives on the basis of need and opportunity.

iesco ceo holds open court on facebook today Chief Executive IESCO Dr. Muhammad Amjad Khan will hear the power related issues and suggestions of IESCO customers of Islamabad, Rawalpindi City, Rawalpindi Cantt, Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal Circles and surrounding areas on Friday, May 27, 2022 From 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM. Distinguished customers can contact Facebook ID CEO-IESCO E-Kachery and phone number 051-9253105 for immediate redressal of their electricity related complaints as per given schedule. Consumers are requested to provide their name, contact number and electricity bill reference number when registering complaints. pr

Friday, 27 May, 2022 | LAHORE

10 FOREIGN NEWS

CHINa offerS SoUTH PaCIfIC NaTIoNS SeCUrITY, free Trade aGreemeNTS BEIJING

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Afp

HINA has put forward plans to dramatically expand security and economic cooperation with South Pacific nations, in what one regional leader called a thinly veiled effort to lock them into “Beijing’s orbit” The wide-ranging draft agreement and a five-year plan, both obtained by AFP, will be the subject of discussion during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s tour of Pacific nations, which began Thursday.

The package would offer 10 small island states millions of dollars in Chinese assistance, the prospect of a China-Pacific Islands free trade agreement and access to China’s lucrative market of 1.4 billion people.

It would also offer China the chance to train local police, become involved in local cybersecurity, expand political ties, conduct sensitive marine mapping and gain greater access to natural resources.

The “comprehensive development vision” is believed to be up for approval when Wang meets regional foreign ministers on May 30 in Fiji.

The South Pacific is increasingly a theatre for competition between China and

the United States — which has been the primary power in the region for the last century.

Beijing has sought to develop a greater military, political and economic foothold, but until now has made only limited and uneven progress.

‘ShAdOwy’: “This is China seeking to increase its influence in the region of the world where Australia has been the security partner of choice since the Second World War,” new Australian Prime Min-

ister Anthony Albanese warned Thursday.

Australia “needs to respond”, he said in an interview, outlining plans for a “stepup” in Pacific engagement, with about Aus$500 million (US$350 million) in aid for defence training, maritime security and infrastructure to combat the effects of climate change.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong was on a flight to Fiji to consult the government about Canberra’s plans, he said.

US State Department spokesman Ned

Price warned the countries in question to be wary of “shadowy” agreements with China.

“We are concerned that these reported agreements may be negotiated in a rushed, non-transparent process,” Price told reporters Wednesday, adding that Pacific nations would make their own sovereign choices.

The Chinese plan, if approved, would represent a significant change, facilitating everything from the deployment of Chinese police to visits by Chinese “art troupes”.

Flights between China and the Pacific Islands would increase. Beijing would appoint a regional envoy, supply training for young Pacific diplomats and provide 2,500 government “scholarships”.

But it is also raising alarm bells in regional capitals.

‘CONtrOL Of Our rEGiON’: In a stark letter to fellow Pacific leaders, Federated States of Micronesia President David Panuelo warned the agreement seems “attractive” at first glance, but would allow China to “acquire access and control of our region”.

Calling the proposals “disingenuous”, Panuelo said they would deliver Chinese influence over government and industries, and allow “mass surveillance” of calls and email.

Pakistan slams India over Yasin Malik’s sentencing at UN UNITED NATIONS news desk

Israel tells US it was behind killing of Iranian colonel: NYT Israel has told the United States it was responsible for the killing of an Iranian Revolutionary Guards colonel last week, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.

Colonel Sayyad Khodai was shot dead on Sunday by a gunman on the back of a motorcycle as he sat in a car outside his home in Tehran. Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has vowed to avenge the killing, and the Revolutionary Guards blamed it on “elements of global arrogance” — a reference to the United States and its allies, including Israel. On Wednesday, the Times reported that “according to an intelligence official briefed on the communications, Israel has informed American officials that it was behind the killing. The source, who spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity, said Israel told US officials the killing was meant as a warning to Iran to halt the operations of a covert group within the Quds Force — the foreign operations arm of the Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s ideological army. Iran’s state broadcaster has described Khodai as a member of the Quds Force. It had previously reported that the colonel was “known” in Syria, where Iran has backed the government during an 11-year civil war and where it acknowledges deploying “military advisers”. Thousands attended Khodai’s funeral on Tuesday in central Tehran. Funeral prayers were led by the capital’s top imam, and Khodai’s coffin was draped in the Iranian flag. Agencies

Pakistan drew UN Security Council’s attention to the life sentence handed down to prominent Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik by an Indian court on fake terrorism charges and called it the “latest illustration of Indian oppression” in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

Ambassador Munir Akram told the 15-member Council that like other colonialists, India has sought to portray the Kashmiri freedom struggle as terrorism. It was India’s suppression of their “legitimate” fight that violated international law and constitutes war crimes, he added.

In this regard, Ambassador Akram cited Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s statement that “India can imprison Yasin Malik but it can never imprison the idea of freedom he symbolizes”.

Speaking in a debate on ‘Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict’, he posed the question: how to protect civilians when the suppression of civilians is the very object of a military’s operations?

“This is the case when foreign occupation forces resort to the forcible denial of the right of peoples to self-determination and seek to perpetuate their illegal occupation,” the Pakistani envoy said, pointing out that the objective of the 900,000 Indian troops in IIOJK is to suppress the Kashmiri people’s de-

mand for Azadi and their UNpromised right to self-determination.

“This is the case when foreign occupation forces resort to the forcible denial of the right of peoples to self-determination and seek to perpetuate their illegal occupation,” the Pakistani envoy said, pointing out that the objective of the 900,000 Indian troops in IIOJK is to suppress the Kashmiri people’s demand for Azadi and their UNpromised right to self-determination.

Since August 5, 2019, when India annexed Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops are stationed in every city, town, village and neighbourhood of the disputed territory to impose what India’s leaders have themselves ominously called a “final solution” for the Himalayan state.

Highlighting the extrajudicial killings, collective punishments, violence against peaceful protestors and the use of “pellet guns” that have blinded hundreds of Kashmiri children, Ambassador Akram said that India is trying to transform occupied Jammu and Kashmir from a Muslim majority State to a Hindu majority territory by issuing millions of fake domicile certificates to non-Kashmiris, seizing and selling off their land and gerrymandering electoral constituencies.

“The danger of another conflict between Pakistan and India will remain ever present until the dispute over Jammu & Kashmir is resolved,” he warned.

Referring to the UN Secretary-

General’s report about the prospect of nuclear conflict — once unthinkable — was now possible, the Pakistani envoy said, “This observation applies not only to the dangerous conflict now raging in Ukraine, but also to a nuclearized South Asia”.

Therefore, he said Pakistan urges the UN chief and the Security Council not to neglect the Kashmir dispute, and to deploy diplomacy and mobilize the political will to promote a just and peaceful resolution of the Jammu & Kashmir dispute in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter, Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the people of Jammu & Kashmir.

Noting that in 2021, the United Nations recorded at least 11,075 civilian deaths across world’s 12 armed conflicts, a decline compared to the previous year, he said the drop in casualties was due, in large measure, to the cessation of the conflict in Afghanistan after 15 August 2021.

Ambassador Akram commended the United Nations for its extensive humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, saying the efforts saved millions of lives.

“Despite the recent concerns regarding human rights and terrorism in and from Afghanistan, we believe that resumption of support to Afghanistan is essential to restore the banking and financial system, reconstruction, and infrastructure and revive the economy, including by the use of assets belonging to Afghanistan,” he said.

Karnataka school tells alums to rename Gyanvapi mosque A popular private school in Bengaluru in the Indian state of Karnataka has sent an email to all its alumni asking for them to go on to Google maps and change the name of Gyanvapi mosque to “Gyanvapi temple”.

“You are requested to do it and ask our Hindu brothers and sisters to do it till google update this change,” the mail reads.

Bengaluru’s New Horizon Public School (NHPS) sent this mass email to its alumni on 20 May. The school has earlier donated to the Ram Mandir, built on the location of Babri mosque. It was mandatorily for the staff to attend a screening of controversial movie The Kashmir Files on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir Valley.

Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi adjacent to Kashi Vishwanath Temple has become a controversial topic since Hindu parties have sought permission to worship inside the mosque complex. Hindu extremist groups have been demanding to remove the mosque, actively campaigning that it was built over a temple.

The mail, titled ‘Gyanvapi temple instead of Gyanvapi mosque’, has a list of directions the alumni have been asked to follow in order to change the name of the Gyanvapi mosque.

The New Horizon Educational Institute is a private group which comprises multiple educational institutions – the NHPS school, the NH Pre-University College, two NH undergraduate colleges, and one NH Engineering college – all based in Bangaluru.

As per their website, they have donated Rs. 5,00,00,000/- to Ram Mandir. It also says the Trust has donated a sum of Rupees five lakhs to Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a Hindu extremist group in 2019.

‘The Story of Ram Mandir: A Timeline’ was also shared as a post on the school’s Instagram handle where it has detailed the history of the Ram Janmbhoomi movement culminating with the groundbreaking ceremony of the temple. Agencies

‘How to murder your husband,’ writer found guilty of killing spouse LOS ANGELES: A US romance novelist who wrote an essay entitled “How To Murder Your Husband” has been convicted of killing her spouse. A jury in Portland, Oregon, took just eight hours on Wednesday to return a guilty verdict against Nancy Crampton Brophy for shooting dead Daniel Brophy.

Prosecutors said the writer, whose “Wrong Never Felt So Right” series of novels include “The Wrong Husband” and “The Wrong Lover,” had been struggling financially before she shot her husband twice through the heart in June 2018 at a culinary institute where he worked.

Crampton Brophy, 71, had denied the charge, insisting security camera footage that put her at the scene of the crime merely showed her scouting for writerly inspiration.

She also claimed a missing gun police believe was the murder weapon had been bought as part of research for a novel, and denied the hundreds of thousands of dollars in life assurance she stood to gain were a motive for murder.

Crampton Brophy’s lawyers said they would appeal the second-degree murder conviction, The Oregonian newspaper reported.

“Nancy Brophy loved her husband,” attorney Kristen Winemiller told the jury at the trial. “You can see that in her eyes every time she talked about him. Her eyes lit up, they absolutely twinkled.”

Crampton Brophy was arrested in September 2018, and has been in custody ever since.

Prosecutor Shawn Overstreet laid out reams of evidence showing how Crampton Brophy had plotted to kill her husband, who was 63. Afp

Xi Jinping looks to improve, strengthen China’s public complaint management system BEIJING Agencies

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday met with some of the attendees of a national meeting on work related to handling people’s complaints.

President Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, offered warm congratulations to the exemplary individuals and groups honored at the meeting and extended sincere greetings to officials and people working in the system for addressing public complaints.

Li Keqiang, Wang Huning and Han Zheng, members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, were also present.

Xi had cordial exchanges and posed for a photo with the attendees at the Great Hall of the People.

Addressing the national meeting, which was held from Wednesday to Thursday, Guo Shengkun, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, stressed thoroughly studying and implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping’s instructions on strengthening and improving work related to addressing public complaints and called for ushering in a new chapter in work related to handling people’s complaints.

The two-day conference concluded on Thursday in Beijing.

Party and state leaders Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Wang Huning and Han Zheng pose for a photo with some of the attendees of a national meeting on work related to handling people’s complaints at the Great Hall of the

People in Beijing, the capital of China, May 25, 2022. /Xinhua China’s complaint handling system, or xinfang, which means complaint letters and visits, dates back to the early 1950s and has played a supporting role in public supervision over Party and state organs.

The term “complaint letters and visits” refers to the mechanism through which a citizen, legal person or organization, by way of letter, e-mail, telephone or visit, etc., reports facts, submits proposals or opinions, or files a complaint to the people’s governments at various levels to be dealt with by the relevant administrative organs according to law.

In April, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued a regulation for handling public complaint letters and visits, pledging to improve the quality and efficiency of the process.

The regulation highlighted the significance of work related to handling public complaints, saying that public complaints

provide an important window through which an understanding of society and the people’s opinions can be obtained.

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Friday, 27 May, 2022 | LAHORE

PAkistAn Win second t20 to WrAP series 2-0 AgAinst sri LAnkA

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News Desk

YESHA Naseem and captain Bismah Maroof put up a 70run partnership to give Pakistan their second win of the series by seven wickets.

Pakistan have won the three-match T20I series 2-0 with one match still to play.

Chasing a 103-run target, Pakistan got off to a rocky start as they lost three early wickets. However, Ayesha and Bismah put up a great batting display to pull the home side out of trouble.

The captain remained not-out on 22 whereas Ayesha finished as the topscorer with 45 not-out.

For Sri Lanka, the only success they found was through Achini Kulasuriya,

Warner praises Pakistan’s hospitality during Australia tour

Oshadi Ranasinghe, and Inoka Ranaweera as they all picked up one wicket each.

Earlier, Pakistan bowlers restricted Sri Lanka to 102-6 at the Southend Club on Thursday.

Pakistan’s Bismah lost the toss yet again and was asked to bowl first. The decision, however, backfired as the Pakistani bowlers put the visitors on the backfoot.

Opener Hasini Perera fought hard but wickets falling at the other end kept building pressure. Perera scored 35 runs off 51 balls including three boundaries.

Nilakshi de Silva made 21 runs but it weren’t enough to take Sri Lanka to a big total. Anam Amin, Fatima Sana, Nida Dar, Aiman Anwer, and Tuba Hassan bagged a wicket each for Pakistan.

Angry Langer blames ‘politics’ for quitting as Australia coach sYDNeY AFP

News Desk Australia batsman David Warner has recalled his visit to Islamabad a few months back and praised hospitality of the people of Pakistan. Australia had toured Pakistan for three Tests, three ODIs and a T20I. It was for the first time Australia had travelled to the country.

Speaking to Fox Cricket, the 35-year-old also heaped praise on the love the Australian team had received throughout the tour. “The hospitality in Pakistan was second to none, and I have never had so much BBQ ever in my life,” Warner said. “It was a series that needed to be, and I am glad I was part of it. We were a little bit scared initially, but we had a lot of conferences in the communication with Cricket Australia, the Australia High Commission, and the Pakistani government. It was a great series to be a part of,” he added. Australia had managed to win the Test series by 1-0 while Pakistan had bagged the ODI series 2-1.

Justin Langer has blamed “politics” for contributing to his exit as Australian cricket coach despite guiding the team to an Ashes thrashing of England and the Twenty20 World Cup crown.

The 51-year-old walked away from the job in February after failing to secure the public support of key players and following acrimonious contract talks with governing body Cricket Australia (CA).

He was unhappy at being offered only a six-month extension despite steering Australia to a 4-0 Ashes victory at the start of the year and the T20 title in the United Arab Emirates in 2021.

Australian cricket greats including Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh and the late Shane Warne jumped to his defence, taking umbrage at the way he was being treated.

But in the run-up to his departure disgruntled players had complained anonymously to Australian media about his intense coaching style.

In his first comments since, a still-bristling Langer detailed a heated conversation with CA’s then-interim chairman Richard Freudenstein the day after he quit.

“The first thing he said to me

SPORTS 11

Aqeel khan lifts 39th cAs khyber cup open tennis championship 2022 trophy pr Pakistan No.1 Aqeel Khan lifted the trophy of the 39th Chief of the Air Staff Khyber Cup Open Tennis Championship-2022 after defeating Muhammad Shoaib by 7-5 and 6-2 in the final played at PAF Officers’ Mess Islamabad. Air Marshal Hamid Rashid Randhawa, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Administration), Pakistan Air Force was the chief guest at the occasion. In the Boys Under-18, qualifier Mahatir Muhammad upset top seed Sami Zeb in a thrilling final by 6-2 and 6-2 and won the championship. In the Under-12, Hamza Ali Rizwan defeated Zohaib Afzal Malik by 4-2 and 4-1 in final match. In the Men’s doubles final, Aqeel Khan and Muhammad Abid defeated Muhammad Shoaib and Barkat Ullah by 6-3 and 7-6. At the end, the Chief Guest gave away trophies and cash prize to the winners and runners-up.

The Championship started on 20th May, 2022 and concluded today. All Top ranking national players participated in the tournament.

We compare Abdullah shafique with Williamson, dravid: Babar News Desk was, ‘It must make you feel so good that all your mates are supporting you in the media,'” Langer was quoted by cricket.com.au, CA’s digital arm, as telling a chamber of commerce event in Perth on Wednesday.

“I said, ‘Yeah it is, acting chairman, but with all due respect, those mates are also the all-time greats of Australian cricket. “‘They are the fabric of Australian cricket. They are Australian cricket. They also work all around the world in cricket. So yeah, I’m glad my mates are looking after me. Imagine if you had have.’

“Ironically, the last six months of my coaching career were the most enjoyable period of 12 years of coaching,” he added.

“Not only did we win everything, but I had energy and I had focus and I was happy -– besides the bullshit politics.”

Langer took the job in 2018 with Australian cricket at its lowest ebb for decades in the wake of a cheating affair, and was credited with restoring pride in their beloved baggy green cap.

He was replaced by Andrew McDonald, with Langer immediately linked to the England coaching position after Chris Silverwood stepped down after their disastrous Ashes campaign.

But Langer insisted he never considered the role.

“I’ve never spoken to English cricket,” he said. “The thought of coaching England … mate!”

Pakistan’s emerging batter Abdullah Shafique impressed many with his solid technique during the home Test series against Australia. The 22-year-old registered his maiden Test hundred in the first Test at Rawalpindi, followed by a 96 and 81 in the second and third Test, respectively. Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Babar Azam appreciated Abdullah and revealed that we compare him with great batters like Kane Williamson and Rahul Dravid. “I personally watch and definitely enjoy Abdullah’s stylish batting. He plays very clean, his stance and the way he ducks the ball are impressive. Usually, we compare him to Kane Williamson and Rahul Dravid. We call him Dravid,” the 27-year-old while talking to a local newspaper.

There has been debate over who should play in between Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood but Babar opined that the side is finalised keeping the interest of the team. “In the presence of Abdullah, the place of opener Shan Masood, another polished batter, may be in doubt, but our main aim in selecting an individual is the team’s interest,” Babar added.

The Spaniard raised at Barcelona who made Hong Kong football history HONG kONG AFP

Raul Baena cut his teeth in Barcelona’s youth sides alongside Sergio Busquets and was later Mauricio Pochettino’s trusted lieutenant at the heart of Espanyol’s midfield in La Liga.

But it is in Hong Kong that the former Spain under21 international finally won a league title, and then played a pivotal role in making a small piece of history for the Chinese city’s football.

The 33-year-old defensive midfielder scored the injury-time equaliser for Kitchee in a 2-2 draw with Andres Iniesta’s Vissel Kobe this month, propelling them into the Asian Champions League knockout rounds.

It was the first time that a Hong Kong team got that far in the region’s top club competition. Capping a dramatic evening for Baena, he was sent off in the dying moments.

The Hong Kong champions’ exploits were all the more remarkable because their preparations were badly disrupted by a Covid outbreak that took off in January and largely closed down the city of about 7.5 million people.

“I still think of it every day despite being on vacation,” Baena told AFP from Spain, where he is taking time out because football in Hong Kong is suspended due to the pandemic.

“That goal was a very important moment for me. I know (also) what it means for Kitchee, for Hong Kong.

“It’s a historic goal that helps us to continue to grow, continue to improve and continue to put Hong Kong in a very good place in Asian football.”

Kitchee play Thailand’s BG Pathum United in the last 16 in August.

‘You can’t do anYthing’: Baena’s career started in Barcelona’s youth teams alongside Busquets, who has gone on to win the World Cup with Spain and three Champions League titles.

Lionel Messi was also coming through the ranks at the Camp Nou at the time.

Baena did not follow them into the first team, instead moving to city rivals Espanyol, where he made nearly 100 appearances and became a mainstay under now Paris Saint-Germain boss Pochettino.

From there followed moves to fellow Spanish sides Rayo Vallecano and Granada, with stints also in Australia and Greece.

And then in December 2020, Kitchee, who in preCovid times played in front of a few thousand fans and once had former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan, came calling.

“I liked the fact of playing in the Asian Champions League, being in a strong Hong Kong team and fighting for the titles which I had never won as a professional,” said Baena.

But life and football have not been easy in Hong Kong since an Omicron variant-fuelled surge in coronavirus infections sent the city into a semi-lockdown.

Restrictions are loosening but last season’s domestic competitions were cancelled midway through — a new season is supposed to start in August — and the group stages of the Champions League took place in neutral countries.

Kitchee played in Thailand but prior to that had not been able to practise together properly in Hong Kong.

They had to run in masks and Baena was sometimes training on his own.

“It has been difficult physically and mentally,”

Baena said.

“We are here to play football, we have been doing this all our lives and suddenly you cannot do anything.”

Friday, 27 May, 2022

pRayeR timings

NEWS

NA, Not ANyoNe else, to DeCIDe WheN to holD NeW Polls: PM shehBAz ISLAMABAD

P

staff RepoRt

RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday declared that the National Assembly would decide the date for the next general elections.

“I want to clarify to the PTI and this party Chairman Imran Khan that your dictation won’t work. This house will decide when to hold elections.”

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made the remarks while speaking on the floor of the lower house of parliament. The premier lashed out at the PTI and party Chairman Imran Khan, saying: “You should not misunderstand.” The premier added that the doors for talks were always open but if the PTI chief thought he could “blackmail” the government then, “do it in your own house, not this House” His remarks come after the PTI chief gave the government six days to announce a date for elections or else he would return to D-Chowk with his supporters. The PTI supporters have since dispersed.

Shehbaz Sharif said the coalition government would continue to work hard and resolve problems till it wanted to do so and its term was completed.

“Challenges and difficulties are a lot but we are committed. We will work hard to make Pakistan a free country and regain its lost honour,” the prime minister said, adding that Pakistan could still reach its destination despite the present “darkness”.

PM Shehbaz said that the government had two targets when he had assumed office — fair and transparent elections and reviving the sinking economy. He congratulated the House for passing legislation regarding the former and laying the basis for fair elections in the future.

Bilawal rejects foreign intervention claim; rebuilds ties with West at Davos DAVOS

Regarding the second target, he said it would be difficult but history was witness that if hard conditions and challenges were tackled with energy and effort, then the situation would improve.

For the rest of his speech, the prime minister criticised the PTI and its chairman Imran over clashes between his party workers and the police yesterday, which Shehbaz said were reminiscent of the scenes witnessed during the PTI’s 2014 sit-in “He (Imran) is thinking of refreshing 2014 events. If history is allowed

Imran Khan, other PTI leaders booked over ‘vandalism, arson’ charges during Azadi March newS DeSk

ReuteRs

The foreign minister on Wednesday rejected claims by former prime minister Imran Khan that the United States had plotted his downfall. Bilawal BhuttoZardari told Reuters that Khan’s ouster last month was in fact a milestone for Pakistan’s democracy.

“Pakistan has a history of prime ministers who have been removed undemocratically, unconstitutionally through various means,” Zardari said in an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss Alpine resort of Davos.

“We’ve had a prime minister who was removed and hanged!” Zardari said with reference to his grandfather, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, part of a family history repeatedly marked by violence as well as high office.

At just 33, he is hoping to appeal to Pakistan’s young population and step into the shoes of a political dynasty. As the leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), he said will run in the next elections and seek to form a government.

For the moment, he says he is focused on Pakistan’s foreign policy challenges around the world.

While Davos has been dominated by fears around trade blocs and more siloed nations, Bhutto Zardari said multilateral cooperation with neighbouring countries and the West is the way forward for Pakistan.

That has opened his government to attacks from Khan and his supporters. Khan accuses Washington of conspiring with his political opposition to oust him because of his independent foreign policy, which included a trip to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. Washington denies Khan’s allegation.

“He’s doing whatever he can to adopt maximalist extremist positions, whip up anti-American sentiment and draw parallels to the Taliban’s struggle in Afghanistan to undermine this space for this democratic transition,” Zardari said.

‘ILLUSTRIOUS LEGACY’: Zardari has already met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and arrived in Davos fresh from a trip to China.

He said he envisaged a role for Pakistan in bridging the gap between the two nations. His grandfather Zulfikar Ali also served as foreign minister.

“The initiation of diplomatic relations between China and the United States has a history that’s connected to my party and my country,” he told Reuters.

to be repeated then nothing will remain,” PM Shehbaz said.

He condemned the PTI for its criticising the courts and institutions, saying the party changed its tone depending on whether judicial decisions came against it or for it.

The prime minister lamented the damage caused to Islamabad’s greenery yesterday and said the National Assembly would have to decide whether the country would be taken towards chaos or towards prosperity.

He also warned that no one would be allowed to bring live ammunition to Islamabad and permission could not be given for “bloody marches”. He added that law enforcement agencies in all respected societies used measures like tear gas shelling and rubber bullets against unconstitutional marches.

Shehbaz paid tribute to the personnel of various law enforcement agencies who had “performed their duties yesterday responsibly”.

The prime minister also lashed out at the PTI and Imran for not changing their march’s date from the day that Kashmiri freedom leader Yasin Malik was due to be sentenced by an Indian court. He claimed that Imran did not care about the tribulations of Kashmiris.

Islamabad police on Thursday booked PTI Chairman Imran Khan and other leaders of his party in two separate cases over allegations of arson and vandalism in the capital the previous night.

A first information report (FIR) was registered at 1:50am at Kohsar police station over the complaint of Sub-Inspector (SI) Asif Raza under Sections 109 (abetment), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing public service), 188 (disobedience), 353 (assault on public servant), 427 (causing damage) and 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

SI Raza, in the FIR, said he was on duty, along with other police personnel, at Jinnah Avenue’s China Chowk when at 11pm, 100-150 people with PTI flags suddenly moved towards Express Chowk. He said the police tried to stop the PTI supporters due to the imposition of Section 144 in Islamabad but they did not listen and

instead pelted stones at the police officers and also setting fire to trees.

Raza said 36 individuals, who were acting at the “behest of Imran and other PTI leadership”, were “brought under control”.

Meanwhile, the second FIR was registered at 3:20am on the complaint of SI Ghulam Sarwar under the same sections as the prior FIR. Sarwar claimed that he and other police officers were on duty at Express Chowk when at 12:30am, 100150 PTI protesters — equipped with rods and inflammatory materials — chanted slogans, incited people and set fire to the trees and Metro Bus station near Geo Chowk, along with smashing mirrors of Geo News’ office.

SI Sarwar said as the police tried to disperse the crowd, the PTI workers resorted to pelting stones and also damaged a government bus. He added that 39 individuals were subsequently arrested.

The FIR filed on SI Sarwar’s complaint named Imran as well as Asad Umar, Imran Ismail, Raja Khurram Nawaz, Ali Amin Gandapur, Ali Nawaz Awan among others.

UK was ‘disappointed’ over Imran Khan’s visit to Russia: British minister UK Minister for Armed Forces James Heappey on Wednesday, while talking to journalists at a virtual session during his visit to Islamabad said that the UK was “disappointed” with Mr Khan’s visit to Moscow and had then communicated the same to the then government.

However, despite the disappointment, the only reason of Pakistan’s political upheaval was the domestic factors of the country, rather than some sinister foreign plot and looked relieved that there was now a convergence of views on international order, the minister claimed.

He went on to add that “What is happening in Pakistan at the moment politically is entirely the consequence of Pakistan’s domestic politics.

And any suggestion that there is somehow some

sort of outside interference is utterly fanciful.”

Mr Heappey’s comments came as PTI’s long march was under way. PTI chairman Imran Khan believes that the US conspired with local elements to dislodge his government because of his visit to Moscow to strengthen bilateral relations with Russia. Washington has already denied the allegation.

The visiting UK minister after his meetings in Islamabad, including one with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, said he was of the opinion that Pakistan government agreed with the British government views about sovereignty and territorial integrity and that Russia was the “aggressor”.

“Certainly, the Pakistan government agrees that. It matters a great deal. Of course it does,” he asserted. news desk

FAJR SUNRISE

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FM Bilawal reaffirms Pakistan’s desire to strengthen trade, economic ties with Iran DAVOS agencies

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has reaffirmed Pakistan’s desire to strengthen fraternal ties with Iran in all areas of mutual interest.

Talking to his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, the foreign minister emphasised that there exists vast scope in bilateral trade and economic cooperation which should be tapped by both sides through various institutional mechanisms and innovative ways to identify new sectors.

The foreign minister underscored the importance of earliest completion of border markets to improve livelihood in the border region. He appreciated Iran’s steadfast support for the Kashmir cause, especially at the Supreme Leader level.

The foreign minister also thanked Abdollahian for sending an Iranian aircraft to Pakistan which helped extinguish the forest fire in Balochistan. In the context of the situation in Afghanistan, Blawal noted that as neighbours, Pakistan and Iran have been closely coordinating. He underlined that sustained engagement between the international community and the Interim Afghan government is critical to advance shared objectives of peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian extended an invitation to the foreign minister to understate a visit to Iran.

Calling off sit-in, Imran issues ultimatum to govt to hold snap elections ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan on Thursday warned the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government to set new elections in the next six days or he will again march on Islamabad along with two million people.

He was speaking at a rally of thousands of demonstrators in the D-Chowk neighbourhood aiming to bring down the government and force early elections.

Pakistan will not accept a US-backed government, Khan said in an echo of earlier allegations that PDM component parties orchestrated his ouster with help from the administration of President Joe Biden. Washington has repeatedly denied the charge. Khan said he “had decided to sit here until the government dissolved assemblies and announced elections.”

“But of what I have seen in the past 24 hours, the government is taking the nation towards anarchy,” he said, claiming it was also trying to create a divide between the nation and police.

He said the government would be happy if he staged a prolonged sit-in in Islamabad as it would lead to clashes between the people and the law enforcement agencies.

The government earlier had summoned the military to guard important buildings, including the parliament and offices of the president and prime minister. The measures came following clashes between demonstrators and police.

Khan said five of his supporters were killed in the police violence across the country. There was no immediate comment from the government.

He also called on the judiciary to save institutions like Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from the corrupt and powerful. “In the future, no FIA officer will investigate the powerful if he will meet the same fate as [Lahore chief of agency] Dr Muhammad Rizwan,” he added.

Khan said peaceful protest was the right of every citizen and no one “gives the government right to treat the people in the manner that you treated them”.

He said he and the entire nation was looking toward the judiciary after what had happened during the past two days.

DEADLY CLASHES: Earlier, Khan had vowed that he will stage a prolonged sit-in to get his demands accepted.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman led a convoy of thousands of supporters towards the capital in a show of force the new government has attempted to shut down, with clashes breaking out between police and protesters.

The government of Shehbaz Sharif, who had pledged to stop the convoy from entering the city, called the rally an attempt to “divide the nation and promote chaos”.

All major roads surrounding Islamabad, where a heavy security presence is in place, were blocked off with shipping containers while entry and exit points of major nearby cities were also cut off. Sporadic clashes broke out between police and protesters who have tried to clear the roads, with tear gas fired in several cities.

Clashes initially erupted in Lahore, when riot police fired tear gas and pushed back hundreds of demonstrators who hurled stones as they tried to pass a roadblocked bridge near the city to board busses bound for Islamabad.

Maryam terms Imran’s election ultimatum a ‘face-saving’ attempt newS DeSk Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Thursday said that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s ultimatum to the government to announce an election is just a face-saving attempt as the people have rejected the “fake revolution”.

Addressing the media in Lahore, she said: “People turned his [Imran Khan’s]

‘Azadi March’ into ‘destruction march’ and sent him back to Peshawar.”

She claimed that PTI workers on the orders of party leaders set fire and spread chaos in the federal capital. “The PTI revolution was not leaderless instead Imran and other party leaders were leading it,” she added.

The Supreme Court had issued clear instructions to hold Azadi March protest near Peshawar Mor between the H-9 and G-9

areas of Islamabad. However, Imran and his protesters did make their way towards D-Chowk, prompting the government to call in the Pakistan Army to secure the capital’s Red Zone.

Maryam said the people have responded to Imran’s call by saying “absolutely not” and adding that his politics has been wiped out from the country.

While holding the ousted premier responsible for the death of a police constable

during a raid at the PTI leader’s home, Maryam said Imran should be booked for spreading anarchy.

“I am satisfied that the whole nation has rejected the ‘anarchy’ march. The journey of true freedom beings from home while Imran Khan’s children are in London,” she remarked.

“The martyred policeman’s wife also blames Khan for her husband’s death,” she said, adding that the PTI chairman has

kept his own sons safe in London but “deprived these five children of their father by killing him.”

Maryam said that the families of the martyred and injured soldiers will be compensated and the government will take care of them.

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that the government will provide a house to and will bear the educational expenses of the deceased policeman’s children,” she added.

Published by Arif Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk