Epaper – May 29-2022 LHR

Sunday, 29 May, 2022 I 27 Shawwal, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 329 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition

deal with iMF next Month, claiMs MiFtah g

g Programme to oPen ways says we exPect around $5b under for getting funds from extended fund facility other organizations

ISLAMABAD

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Staff RepoRt

inister for finance and revenue, miftah ismail here on saturday said that the staff level agreement with international monetary fund would be signed next month. addressing a press conference here on saturday, he said that the funds under the extended

fund facility (eff) would be released after final approval by the imf board. the minister was flanked by minister of state for finance, ayesha ghous Pasha. miftah said that the fund, which had to provide $3 billion, has been requested to extend the program by one year and provide additional $2 billion, adding accordingly the country expects around $5 billion from the fund. he said, that the programme

with imf was not important just because the country gets money from the fund rather, it is important because it opens ways for getting funds from other multilateral organization like word Bank and asian development Bank. he said, once unlocked by imf, Pakistan would get money from multilateral organization adding that around $8.9 billion were already in pipeline from world Bank. the minister justified increase in petrol prices, saying that no doubt it would increase inflation but if the increase had not been done, it would lead to more inflation as the burden would fall on the government and resultantly more devaluation of rupee. he said, after increasing the prices of petrol, not only rupee was strengthened against dollar by around 2.5 but stock market also moved positively adding that it would also have positive impact on banks, Kibor would also reduce and mitigate the liquidity pressure faced by government. the minister said, the government intended to provide relief to the poor against the inflationary pressure which was created due to inability of the previous government. he said the government would try its best to provide maximum relief to the poor of the country. giving details about the Pm relief package, the minister said ‘sasta Petrol and sasta diesel’ scheme would benefit around one third population of the country by providing cash to 14 million households (84,000,000 people).

Raised oil prices with a heavy heart: PM Shehbaz LAHORE app

Prime minister muhammad shehbaz sharif saturday said that the incumbent government had increased the petroleum prices with a heavy heart. the prime minister, talking to the media after he appeared before a special court here, said under a package he announced on friday night, the government had allocated rs 28 billion a month to provide relief to the inflation-hit people. he said under the package, rs 2,000 each would be disbursed among the 125 million entitled families as subsidy on petrol. he told media that the inflation had adversely impacted the masses, making the poor people suffer. the prime minister told the media that the people even could not afford one-time meal, medical treatment, besides having no businesses or jobs. he said the country was witnessing skyrocketing inflation. to another question regarding the yaum-e-takbir being observed on the day to commemorate the nuclear tests of may 28, 1998, the prime minister said that the then Prime minister nawaz sharif took a bold stance, refusing to bow before the foreign pressure and rejecting $5 billion offer, for sake of the country’s interests. meanwhile, the Prime minister also reiterated his resolve to transform Pakistan into ‘an economic power’. on his twitter handle, the prime minister referring to youm-e-takbir, being celebrated

Justice Baqar frontrunner for NAB Chairman’s slot

more inside

ECP to take up PML-N plea for nominations on PA reserved seats

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

federal government is mulling a proposal to appoint former judge of supreme court, Justice (r) maqbool Baqar, as chairman of the national accountability Bureau’s (naB). an official told this scribe requesting anonymity that the retired apex court judge was being considered along with another retired Justice (retd) dost muhammad Khan for the slot. senior bureaucrats – both serving and retired – had earlier proposed to Prime minister shehbaz sharif to reform the naB law with a view to avoiding alleged intimidation and humiliation at the hands of the anti-graft body. the bureaucracy has been airing grievances with the past governments in what they call ‘harassment’ and ‘threatening’ attitude of naB due to which the civil servants are reluctant to sign official files.

Justice Baqar, who retired from his post on april 4, is considered to be an independent judge while his critics say he has a leaning towards the ruling Pml-n. another source in the ruling party told that the leaders of the ruling coalition have agreed on the name of retired Justice maqbool Baqar as the new chairman of naB. the source said the name of the former supreme court judge also came under discussion during an interaction between representatives from Pakistan tehreek-e-insaf (Pti) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). the government believes national assembly opposition leader raja riaz ahmad will also support the pick as Baqar’s career as a judge was spotless.

across the country today, said in 1998, the then prime minister muhammad nawaz sharif in a bold show of leadership rejected all the pressures and inducements and made Pakistan a nuclear power. “today in 1998, Pm nawaz sharif rejected pressures and inducements in a bold show of leadership; made Pakistan nuclear power of the world. now we are resolved to turn it into an economic power. my gratitude to all those who helped make our defense invincible. youm-e-takbir mubarak,” he said in a tweet.

Prime minister shehbaz sharif saturday directed to resolve issues faced by the chinese companies on priority basis. he passed the orders while chairing a review meeting regarding investment of chinese companies. he instructed that security of the employees of the chinese companies should be made more effective. the Pm said all facilities should be provided for reviving the projects undertaken with bilateral investment of Pakistani and chinese companies. minister for Planning and development ahsan iqbal, minister for Power Khurram dastgir, minister for Board of investment chaudhry salik hussain, special assistant to Prime minister tariq fatimi, secretaries of interior, finance, foreign affairs, board of investment, petroleum, power, information technology, railways and other senior officials attended the meeting. minister for Planning and development ahsan iqbal briefed about the multidimensional relations of Pakistan and china and available investment opportunities.

STORY ON PAGE 02

fca of march: Karachiites to bear rs7,862mn in June 2022 STORY ON PAGE 03

the prime minister’s office is hopeful if all goes smoothly, Baqar will be the new head of the antigraft watchdog. while Baqar’s nomination enjoys unanimous support from the superior bars, senior lawyers fear that powerful circles and a section within the judiciary may resist his appointment. it is also believed that the former ruling party, the Pakistan tehreek-e-insaaf (Pti), may also object to the appointment. however, a lawyer who is part of Pti said that Justice Baqar has a “very good reputation and is the best candidate for the post”.

Previously, Justice Baqar was amongst those judges who gave a judgment in favour of Justice

Qazi faez isa’s case regarding undocumented assets.

Justice Baqar was also responsible for granting bail to Pakistan muslim league-nawaz’s (Pmln) leader Khwaja saad rafiq. the case against the leader had raised serious questions about the anti-graft body’s conduct. “accountability laws have been successfully used to change political loyalties,” remarked Justice Baqar in his judgment while granting the leader bail. as the coalition government came into power after ousting former premier imran Khan, Prime minister shehbaz sharif assured senior bureaucrats that a revamp of naB was on the cards.

PM Shehbaz felicitates newlyelected officials of CPNE STORY ON BACK PAGE

Pm stresses unity to achieve economic sovereignty STORY ON BACK PAGE

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Sunday, 29 May, 2022 | LAHORE

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Sunday, 29 May, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

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ECNEC APProvAL PENdiNg for CoMPLEtioN of PEshAWAr’s riNg roAd ProjECt PESHAwAR

t

aziz BuNeRi

HE future of the remaining portion of the ring road in Peshawar is uncertain without the approval of Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) while no meeting of the committee is scheduled in near future.

Sources said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Planning and Development department has urged the federal government for interim approval on the project as construction work on this important road project has come to standstill.

Additional Chief Secretary Khyber

Pakhtunkhwa Shehab Ali Shah has sent a letter to the Secretary Cabinet Division, requesting interim approval for Rs1.53 billion, out of the total estimated cost of Rs14.70 billion, so that work on the project could he restarted. The letter said that the project is of utmost importance and the Provincial Development Working Party and the Central Development Working Party have already granted its approval.

However, the ECNEC meeting is not scheduled in the near future due to which the authorities have to wait for a long to get the ECNEC approval for this project. Therefore, the federal government should give interim approval for the use of Rs1.53 billion to start

Pakistani mountaineers summit world’s 5th-highest peak ISLAMABAD News Desk

Pakistani mountaineers Sirbaz Khan of Gilgit-Baltistan and Shehroze Kashif from Lahore summited Mount Makalu in Nepal, an eight-thousander that is the world’s fifthhighest peak, on Saturday morning.

According to Alpine Club of Pakistan Secretary Karrar Haidri, Kashif, 20. reached Makalu’s top, which is at a height of 8,485 metres, at 6:56am (PST).

Following this feat, Kashif has become the world’s youngest climber to have scaled five of the tallest mountains.

The accomplishment also makes the 20year-old the youngest Pakistani mountaineer who has scaled three eightthousanders in 23 days.

Shehroze Kashif’s summits: Makra Peak (3,885m) at the age of 11; Musa Ka Massalah (4,080m) at the age of 12; Chembra Peak (4,600m) at the age of 12; Minglik Sar Shimshal (6,050m) at the age of 13; K2 Gondogoro La K2 Base Camp (5585m) at the age of 14; Khurdopin Pass (5,890m) at the age of 15; Broad Peak (8,047m) at the age of 17; Khusar Gang-Alpine Style (6,050m) at the age of 18; Mount Everest (8,849m) at the age of 19; K2 (8,611m) at the age

Woman officer posted to lead Lahore police operations LAHORE

of 19; Manaslu (8,163m) at the age of 19; Kanchenjunga (8,586m) at the age of 20; Lhotse (8,516m) at the age of 20; Makalu (8,463m) at the age of 20.

Khan was behind Kashif by minutes in reaching Makalu’s top and raised the Pakistani flag on the peak at 8am (local time), according to a Facebook post by the Alpine Club of Pakistan.

He is now the first Pakistani to have conquered 11 of the world’s 14 eightthousanders.

Khan aims to scale all of the world peaks having a height of over 8,000 metres. Speaking of his latest climb, Khan’s expedition organiser Saad

Munawar said the mountaineer completed the ascent in his usual style, without using supplementary oxygen.

But, this success would not be celebrated with any extravagance, keeping in view the tragic demise of legendary mountaineer Ali Raza Sadpara a day ago, Munawar added.

“We would also like to dedicate this summit to Apo Ali (Ali Raza). All these successes in recent times are possible only due to the hard work and sacrifices of our senior mountaineers. They lit up the small candle of hope when there was nothing but darkness and today that candle has spread light all around,” he said.

Govt countering downside risks associated with economy: Outlook

News Desk

APP

The Punjab Inspector General of Police, first time in history, has appointed a woman police officer as senior superintendent (SSP) of Lahore’s operations wing. The IG Police also reshuffled six other officers. According to the notification, Dr Anoosh Masood Chaudhry has been appointed head of the Lahore operations police vice Mustansar Feroz, who has been transferred to the Central Police Office (CPO). Dr Anoosh is the first woman police officer posted as SSP Operations Lahore. She has served in Lahore as SP in Cantonment and Model Town police divisions, besides serving as an assistant superintendent (ASP). According to the notification, awaiting posting SP Ejaz Ahmad has been posted as AIG complaints at the CPO, while SP Mohammad Umar Farooq, awaiting posting, has been transferred and posted as additional director at Special Protection Unit (SPU). SP Shoib Mahmood, awaiting posting, has been transferred and posted as AIG Logistics at the CPO, SP Mohammad Faisal, awaiting posting, has been transferred and posted as battalion commander at PC Rawalpindi, and Bahawalnagr SP Farooq Ahmad Awan has been transferred and directed to report to the CPO.

The government is taking all possible measure to counter the downside risks associated with the economy, which currently has been facing challenges to sustain growth it had achieved during the fiscal year 2021-22, says Monthly Economic Update and Outlook, May 2022 released here on Friday.

“Although the economy of Pakistan has achieved GDP growth of 5.97 percent in FY2022, but the fiscal situation and external sector performance are making it difficult to sustain and impacting the growth outlook in coming year,” notes the report released by Finance Ministry. It says, the International commodity prices were on rising trend and expected to increase further, adding the pass-through of the increase in global commodity prices was somewhat contained due to government measures. Even then it is expected that Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation will remain in double digit in May 2022.

The Monthly Economic Indicator (MEI) remained strong in March 2022 due to the unprecedented growth in large scale manufacturing (LSM). However, continuing geo-political tensions, high commodity prices and contractionary monetary policy may slow down economic activities in coming months.

Exports of goods and services remained strong in April 2022 and it is expected that this positive trend will continue in May 2022 on the back of exportsoriented policies and growth recovery in Pakistan’s main export partners. On month-on-month basis the growth in imports of goods is expected to be negative due to the ban on nonessential and luxury items.

Moreover, remittances are expected to be around $ 2.5 billion. Taking these factors into account, the current account will stay well below $ 1.0 billion in coming months. During the first ten months of the current fiscal year, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) exceeded its revenue target by 5.2 percent.

Despite massive tax relief on various essential items to the common man, FBR has been able to achieve a sizeable higher tax collection. FBR has taken various policy and administrative measures which paid off in terms of improved tax collection. It is expected that FBR would be able to achieve its target during FY2022. According to the report, Pakistan was currently facing several severe challenges including accelerating inflation, high external deficits, exchange rate depreciation, declining foreign exchange reserves and mounting uncertainty. On the other hand, economic growth remained relatively high, but in the presence of macroeconomic imbalances may not be sustainable.

physical work on the road project. Of the said amount, Rs420 million has been allocated for advertisements, Rs220 million for consultant and construction supervision, Rs1.30 billion for 10% payment to the contractor and Rs10 million for the purchase of furniture and vehicles.

The P&D officials said that the approval of the project could be obtained from ECNEC by January 2023, however, work on the project could be started with interim approval. The project will be completed in four years. It is estimated to spend Rs2.17 billion in the first year, Rs6.40 billion in the second year, Rs5.61 billion in the third year and Rs503 million in the last year.

ECP to take up PML-N plea for nominations on PA reserved seats ISLAMABAD staff RepoRt

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has set the hearing for allocation of reserved seats in Punjab Assembly after Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) approached the election body for nomination of its candidates for the seats. The request from the PML-N was filed by Advocate Faisal Irfan on behalf of Malik Ahmed Khan. The ECP has set a hearing on the plea for June 02. Earlier in the day, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has approached Lahore High Court (LHC) against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for delaying a notification on the selection of five PTI MPAs on reserved seats in Punjab after they fell vacant over the disqualification of dissident party lawmakers in Punjab Assembly. The petition filed through Advocate Azhar Siddique pleaded that the ECP had de-seated five members on reserved seats for changing their loyalties and the commission is now constitutionally bound to notify other members of the party.

Pakistan can easily capture $700m share of global drone market ISLAMABAD News Desk

Technological advancements over the last two decades have undoubtedly shaped the world’s landscape. The digital revolution, which began in the second half of the previous century quite modestly, has advanced rapidly.

The advent of drone technology has revolutionised the globe in different aspects. Pakistan has also started benefitting from this state-of-the-art technology in different sectors of the economy. Along with surveillance and delivery applications, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones are also being used worldwide for journalism, search and rescue, disaster response, asset protection, wildlife monitoring, firefighting, communications relay, healthcare, and agriculture. After the Covid-19 pandemic, their immense utilisation is more evident than ever. Unmanned systems have recently become more effective with the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and sophisticated sensors without the need for human intervention.

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Sunday, 29 May, 2022 | LAHORE

04 NEWS govt reverses hike in flour prices at utility stores following criticism ISlaMaBaD: Utility Stores Corporation has withdrawn Rs 180 hike on a 20kg flour bag at the stores following directives from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The federal government Friday hiked flour prices at the Utility Stores with a 10-kilogram bag witnessing an increase by Rs90. According to a notification issued by the Utility Stores Corporation, Rs 9 per kilogram has been raised on flour, resulting in a hike of Rs90 on a 10 kilograms bag and Rs180 on a 20-Kg bag. The 20-Kg bag that was previously being sold at Rs800 will now cost Rs980 while 10-kg bag will cost Rs490, contrary to Rs400 previously. inP

Covid-19 daily report: 90 new cases ISlaMaBaD: Pakistan reported 90 new Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours, the ministry of health said on Saturday. The overall tally of the infected people climbed to 1,530,235 across the country after adding the fresh cases, according to the data released by the ministry. A total of 30,379 people died of Covid-19 in Pakistan, with no more deaths over the last 24 hours, according to the ministry’s statistics. On Friday, 16,413 tests were conducted in Pakistan and the positivity ratio stood at 0.55 percent. There are 77 patients who are in critical condition. StAFF RePoRt

sindh notifies summer holidays in schools KaRaCHI: School Education and Literacy Department on Saturday issued a notification of two months long summer vacations in schools across Sindh from June 1 to July 31. All public and private schools will remain closed during the period and will resume the educational activities from August 1. The notification reads: “All public and private institutions under the administrative control of School Education and Literacy Department Government of Sindh shall remain closed from 01-062022 to 31-07-2022 as summer vacation.” As Pakistan sweltered during the recent heatwave, many cities in Sindh hit a record-breaking 50C. Normally the summer heat starts from the last week of May, but this year, for the first time, according to the people, the heat began in March. Now it will continue till August. StAFF RePoRt

PakisTan welComes global seCuriTy iniTiaTive unDer un CharTer ISLAMABAD

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MonitoRing RePoRt

HE Foreign Office welcomed the Global Security Initiative (GSI) proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying it has derived its core from the principles of the United Nations.

The GSI focuses on the notion of the “UN Charter, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the states, multilateralism, peaceful resolution of disputes and equality of countries in terms of the security interests,” Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said

during a weekly media briefing on Friday.

The GSI carries the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, Ahmad said, adding it advocates cooperative and synergy-driven approaches, replacing the zero-sum world war mindset of maximization of security through power contestation and the arms race. It is a timely call to action in the face of contemporary global realities where the international community encounters traditional and non-traditional threats that necessitate holistic approaches towards international and regional security, he said.

The spokesperson noted that the GSI

recognises the need for international partnerships to address the common challenges of climate change, public health, water, energy and food security.

Analysts note this is the first time China has argued for “indivisible security” outside the context of the RussiaUkraine crisis, with implications on US actions in Asia.

“If China deems actions by the US and its allies on Taiwan or the South China Sea as disregarding its security concerns, it could evoke the concept of ‘indivisible security’ to claim the moral high ground in retaliation,” said Li Mingjiang, associate professor at the S.

Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

In April, Xi also reiterated China’s opposition to unilateral sanctions and “long-arm jurisdiction”, without directly mentioning the West’s punitive actions against Russia for its attacks in Ukraine.

China has repeatedly criticised Western sanctions, including those against Russia, but it has also been careful not to provide assistance to Moscow that could lead to sanctions being imposed on Beijing.

Xi said efforts are needed to stabilise global supply chains, but also said China’s economy is resilient and that its long-term trend had not changed.

Trans drama Joyland wins Cannes ‘Queer Palm’ award KARACHI/CANNES AFP

A movie featuring a daring portrait of a transgender dancer in Pakistan on Friday won the Cannes “Queer Palm” prize for best LGBT, “queer” or feministthemed movie, the jury head told AFP. “Joyland” by director Saim Sadiq, a tale of the sexual revolution, tells the story of the youngest son in a patriarchal family who is expected to produce a baby boy with his wife. He instead joins an erotic dance theatre and falls for the troupe’s director, a trans woman. It is the first-ever competitive entry at the Cannes festival from Pakistan and, on Friday, also won the Jury Prize in the “Un Certain Regard” competition, a segment focusing on young, innovative cinema talent. “It’s a very powerful film, that represents everything that we stand for,” “Queer Palm” jury head, French director Catherine Corsini, told AFP. ‘Blown away’: Corsini herself took the award last year with “La Fracture”, which features a lesbian couple’s relationship against the backdrop of the “Yellow Vest” movement in France. “‘Joyland’ will echo across the world,” Corsini said.

Fateh Sher Road, left dug-up by Wasa, causing untold miseries for pedestrians and motorists alike. Staff photo

Pakistan, India to hold water talks in New Delhi ISLAMABAD StAFF RePoRt

Delegations from Pakistan and India will meet in New Delhi on Tuesday to hold talks over Indus Water Treaty between the two nations.

The two-day talks will be attended by a five-member delegation of Pakistan approved by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The delegation will leave for New Delhi through the Wagah Border crossing.

It is pertinent to mention here the 116th meeting of the India-Pakistan Permanent Indus Commission was held in New Delhi on 23-24 March last year.

The Foreign Office in a statement said that under the

relevant provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), the meeting is held annually alternately in Pakistan and India. A host of issues related to the treaty were discussed during the meeting. Pakistan reiterated its objections to India’s water projects including Pakal Dul, Lower Kulnai, Durbuk Shyok and Nimu Chilling, read the statement. Pakistan asked India to share data on water flows as per the provisions of the treaty following the practice in vogue since 1989. The Pakistan side emphasized the importance of early resolution of the outstanding issues in accordance with the provisions of the treaty.

Both sides agreed to make endeavours to resolve the issues, conduct tours of inspection and hold the next meeting of the commission in Pakistan at an early date.

Imran counts for state institutions responsibility to save Pakistan from ‘thieves’ PESHAWAR StAFF RePoRt

PTI Chairman Imran Khan Saturday said that it is the collective responsibility of the entire nation and all the state institutions to save Pakistan from “thieves” ruling the country.

“The country is heading towards destruction and it’s not only my responsibility but the responsibility of the entire nation and institutions to stop this,” he said while addressing a press conference in Peshawar on Saturday.

Flanked by party leaders Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid and others, Khan said that his party is moving Supreme Court of Pakistan seeking the top court’s opinion on whether people of a democratic country’s right to protest can be curtailed in a democracy.

“I just want the clarity from the Supreme Court [… ] I just want its protection, then you will see that we will take out a record number of people to the streets,” Khan told a press conference flanked by party leaders.

The ex-prime minister said the judiciary that the current situation was a “test case” for the judiciary as he hoped that the apex court would give clarity over holding jalsas.

“The Supreme Court had directed the government to remove all the hurdles […] but we were not ready for what the government did in response,” Khan said about the riots in the capital.

The Supreme Court had directed the federal government to provide the PTI with a ground between the H-9 and G-9 areas of Islamabad to hold its public gathering. However, Khan reached out to his workers near Blue Area where he announced ending the long march and gave a six-day ultimatum to the govern-

CMYK

ment.

The PTI chairman also announced moving the court against the alleged revocation of the right to vote to overseas Pakistanis and the amendments to the National Accountability law. The National Assembly had two days back passed the Elections (Amendment) Bill 2022, allegedly depriving overseas Pakistanis of voting rights, while it also passed the long-expected National Accountability (Second Amendment) Bill 2021.

The ousted prime minister alleged that the government tried to crush a “peaceful protest”; but warned that in the next phase, PTI would come with complete preparations.

“The ones who burned the trees were not our people,” the PTI chairman said, defending his party after there was an outrage for setting trees ablaze during the protest in Islamabad.

The PTI chairman further announced that his party would get first information reports (FIR) registered against police personnel involved in stopping the rallies and would also share their photos on social media.

Khan added that he had cut short the long march after witnessing anger among the people. “The people were angry on rangers as well after they used tear gas […] and we also had no idea about the way that police would use force against us.”

Despite all the issues that have taken place in the last few days, Khan reiterated that the doors for negotiations should always remain open as he did not want war, but snap elections.

“We can easily hold talks with them if they announce early elections in June,” Khan said, adding: “It is not just our job to save the country, the institutions are equally responsible.”

Sunday, 29 May, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS The Punjaban song: Abrar-ul-Haq gets credit in Karan Johar movie

WoRK on PAKIsTAn’s fIRsT ARTIfICIAL InTeLLIgenCe LAb undeR CPeC PICKs MoMenTuM ISLAMABAD

ISLAMABAD inp

Pakistani singer Abrar-ul-Haq finally got credit in Karan Johar’s movie ‘Jugjugg Jeeyo’ for his iconic song ‘Nach Punjaban’ rehashed as ‘The Punjaabban Song’.

For those unversed, celebrated singer of Pakistan, Abrar-ulHaq had earlier called out Bollywood’s ace filmmaker Karan Johar for plagiarising his song ‘Nach Punjaban’ in the upcoming movie ‘Jugjugg Jeeyo’ as glimpsed in the trailer.

Taking to his Twitter handle, Abrar claimed, “I have not sold my song “Nach Punjaban” to any Indian movie and reserve the rights to go to court to claim damages.”

However, his accusations were denied by the makers of the movie when a UK-based record label ‘Movie Box’ got into the matter and assured that the song was licensed by them to be included in the movie.

Now, the official music video for the controversial ‘Punjaabban’ song premiered on the video platform YouTube, Saturday, crediting Haq for his song. His name had been added to the music composition and lyrics under the credits.

Raise in fuel prices: Pakistan Railways mulling increase in fares LAHORE staff report

Pakistan Railways will likely increase the fares in wake of the recent hike in the fuel prices, sources said on Saturday.

Sources privy to the development said the Pakistan Railways (PR) is bearing the loss of Rs20 million daily due to a rise in the price of diesel. The authorities have forwarded recommendations for the increase in fares by 15 to 20 per cent.

The final approval will be given by the ministry of railways, which is currently being headed by PML-N’s Khawaja Saad Rafique. Earlier, the federal government surrendered before the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and announced a massive hike in petrol and diesel prices up to Rs30 per litre.

While addressing a press conference, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said that the government decided to increase the prices of petroleum products.

The finance minister Miftah Ismail announced to hike the petrol, diesel, light diesel and kerosene oil prices up to Rs30 per litre. After the recent hike, the new price of petrol will be Rs179.86 per litre, high-speed diesel (HSD) Rs174.15, kerosene oil Rs155.56 and light diesel Rs148.31 rupees.

Rights activist secures bail in army defamation case ISLAMABAD the associated press

A women’s rights activist was granted preemptive bail Friday in a move that protects her from arrest after the army accused her of slandering its chief, a lawyer said. The order by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) came a day after the legal cell of General Headquarters (GHQ) made an official complaint with the police against Imaan Mazari, daughter of former minister Shireen Mazari, accusing her of using derogatory and hateful remarks against Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa.

According to her lawyer Zainab Janjua, she is accused of inciting against the armed forces and defaming Bajwa. Under the legal system, a person can seek a court order, or preemptive bail, protecting them from arrest by police.

Mazari’s family was worried after she publicly lashed out at Gen. Bajwa, accusing him of being behind her mother’s arrest last Saturday. Imaan did not offer support for her allegations against Bajwa. The video of her outburst went viral on social media.

Her mother, who served as a human rights minister in the Cabinet of former prime minister Imran Khan, was detained over a land-grabbing allegation from decades ago. She was released hours later, after a court decided she was arrested in violation of a law stipulating that no lawmaker can be detained without permission from the National Assembly speaker.

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EvENTY-five percent work of Pakistan first high-standard artificial intelligence laboratory under CPEC at National University of Science and Technology (NUST) has been completed while the equipment installation is almost 100% finished, Gwadar Pro reported on Saturday.

At the beginning of this year, the laboratory under CPEC–Qingluan Artificial Intelligence Laboratory was officially established at NUST, with joint efforts of NUST and Guangzhou Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Research, development and customization is currently underway. I would say work is almost finished to 75%.” Muhammad Khubaib Shabbir, Deputy Director of China Study Center of NUST told Gwadar Pro. The lab has been put into full use, both students and teaching staff are keen on researching Pattern and Fa-

cial Recognition algorithms, the reporter learned.

“Currently, Cogniser-v1 intelligent video analysis project-a pilot project with the Government of Pakistan, and a commercial project, namely GymBot are the main projects that are under development.” Muhammad Khubaib Shabbir revealed.

“Ideally, Cognizer-v1 is one of the most sophisticated surveillance equipment, which has the capability of converting ordinary cameras and surveillance equipment into a Smart Equipment, using AI and Computer vision Algorithms.” Muhammad Khubaib Shabbir said.

“To put it simple, the Cognizer-v1 has the ability to sense the people who are lurking around in certain areas and generate warnings, regarding dangerous behavioral patterns such as suicide, or other suspicious activities.”

Muhammad Khubaib Shabbir said.

In the case of Pakistan, the country is blessed with a large number of artificial intelligence application scenarios

and a huge market, thanks to its world’s 6th largest population. Moreover, the country is never short on talents.

However, challenges lie in the commercialization of scientific achievements– an important step which can be viewed as one of the sources for innovation.

Due to the backward industrial conditions and obstruction of international exchanges during the epidemic, the progress of commercialization in Pakistani scientific research institutes has been extremely slow.

“Our other key project, ‘GymBot’, can be a perfect example of science commercialization. It is designed to be a deep learning device, using AI and Computer vision Algorithms and serve as an auxiliary tool under various gym scenarios, monitoring whether the clients’ postures are correct. Experts in various fields are joining the research team to finalize the product. The core functions have been developed already. Now what the team is doing is developing additional modules to inte-

UN report highlights Afghanistanbased TTP threat to Pakistan UNITED NATIONS app

A new United Nations report has once again highlighted the threat posed to Pakistan by the Afghanistan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the terrorist group which has conducted numerous deadly “cross-border” attacks and operations.

The report — 13th in the series — by the UN Security Council Monitoring team on Afghanistan states that the that TTP remains focused on longterm campaign against the Pakistani state with its several thousand fighters in Afghanistan.

“TTP constitutes the largest component of foreign terrorist fighters in Afghanistan, with their number estimated to be several thousand, according to the report released on Friday.

“TTP has arguably benefited the most of all the foreign extremist groups in Afghanistan from the Taliban takeover. It has conducted numerous attacks and operations in Pakistan…”

“The presence of ‘several thousand’ TTP fighters in Afghanistan, as stated in the latest UN report, quite understandably poses a serious and credible threat from Pakistan’s perspective,” a European diplomat told APP on the condition of anonymity.

The UN Monitoring Team’s earlier report had focused on the global threat posed by al Qaeda, Da’esh and related groups as well as the one before that had also underlined increasing cross-border attacks by TTP from the Afghan soil as result of the reunification of the terrorist group in Afghanistan.

On its part, Pakistan had shared a dossier with the UN Security Council, containing evidence of financial and material support provided by Indian intelligence agencies to TTP to conduct cross-border terrorist attacks against Pakistani military and civilian targets. TTP was also responsible for the heinous attack on Army Public School in Peshawar in which over 150 children were killed.

Separately, quoting information provided by a “Member State,” the Monitoring Team report mentions the presence of defunct Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Afghanistan, something its several previous reports did not have. However, ever since becoming a member of the UN Security Council in January 2021, India has been repeatedly criticising the UN

Monitoring Team in public as well as reportedly in the closed meetings of the UN for not including specific references to these groups in the UN reports. On February 14, 2022, during a public meeting of the Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC), which India currently chairs, it’s representative publicly slammed the UN Monitoring Team on the same issue, stating that the UN reporting mechanism was “plagued by political biases.”

While the reference to LeT and JeM in the latest report appears to be an attempt to respond to the Indian pressure and criticism, diplomatic observers say that the Monitoring Team has apparently steered clear of owing any evidence of the presence of these defunct groups in Afghanistan by ascribing the information to a certain Member State.

At the same time, the report also anonymously mentions another Member State according to which “there is no evidence of the presence of LeT and JeM in the region.”

According to diplomats familiar with the work of the UN Security Council sanction committees, India’s efforts to push its domestic political agenda in the technical work of the committees, including by pressurising members of the UN Monitoring Team, is a cause of concern for many Council members, including India’s close allies. Such politicised measures, according to these diplomats, are undermining the credibility of the UN bodies, impacting their work, and diverting attention from the real terrorist threats being faced by the region.

Some analysts also say that Indian tactics were part of a broader strategy to deflect increasing criticism aimed at India’s atrocities, and gross violations of human rights abuses in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) as well as mainstreaming of Islamophobia in its political discourse.

India has repeatedly used the bogey of terrorism to divert attention away from its domestic persecution of Muslims as well as state terrorism in IIOJK, it was pointed out.

India’s strong opposition to the UN initiatives aimed at addressing the issue of Islamophobia as well as terrorist attacks being carried out against Muslims and their places of worship on that basis, shows that the agenda of India’s supremacist terrorist organisations like RSS has become a foreign policy priority for India, analysts say.

grate and research new areas to better customize the device.” Muhammad Khubaib Shabbir shared his insights.

“It is important to keep in mind that Guangzhou Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences has shared the source code for ‘GymBot’. This enabled the researchers from Pakistan to get first-hand experience of the latest results on AI developments and offered them a chance to learn from it, enhance it and make it more usable for the local community. This will most definitely open new doors of opportunities for Pakistanis.”

Moving ideas from lab to marketplace is a complicated journey. Researchers and stakeholders need to manage the time-consuming process of moving from academic to commercial contexts, and seek balance between different goals amongst stakeholders and researchers.

CPEC enables the exchanges of advanced concepts, from both technical and management level. Qing Luan lab can be one of the successful examples.

LHC moved over delay in notification of PTI MPs on reserved PA seats LAHORE staff report

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) moved the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) accusing it of delay in the issuance of notification of the appointment of five lawmakers on reserved seats in the Punjab Assembly which fell vacant after the disqualification of party’s dissident legislators.

On May 23, the commission de-notified 25 lawmakers who had defected and voted for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Hamza Shehbaz in the election for the office of Punjab chief minister on April 16.

The petition filed on Saturday through Azhar Siddique said five lawmakers on reserved seats were among those de-seated by the agency and the ECP is bound by the Constitution to notify their replacements.

It said the party has requested the ECP to notify its members in a written letter but so far no progress has been made. “The ECP is violating the Constitution and the court should intervene and direct it to notify new members on the reserved seats,” he said.

The de-notification of the MPs came shortly after PTI approached the top electoral body to issue a notification of the latter’s decision to de-seat dissident legislators on charges of crossing the floor under Article 63-A of the Constitution.

Article 63-A provides that MPs who defect could lose their seats if they then vote against their party, but the government aims to find out whether that also applies before they cast their votes.

It reads that an MP can be disqualified on grounds of defection if they “vote or abstains from voting in the House contrary to any direction issued by the parliamentary party to which he belongs, in relation to the election of the prime minister or chief minister; or a vote of confidence or a vote of no-confidence; or a money bill (budget) or a Constitution (amendment) bill”.

China’s economic development an ‘example for the world’: Bilawal GENEVA Xinhua

The foreign minister told Xinhua he hoped to further unlock the economic potential for both countries while highlighting that China’s economic development model was an example for the rest of the world.

CHINA’S DEVELOPMENT EXEMPLARY: In an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari hailed the development of Pakistan-China relations thanks to new initiatives such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

“I’m hoping that our generation will add and contribute to the relationship between China and Pakistan,” he said.

He praised China’s economic development in the last ten years for ensuring that economic growth benefits the lower portion of the economic pyramid rather than just the elite.

“The way in which China has achieved is exemplary. It is an example not only for us, but for the world as well,” he said.

In March, President Arif Alvi met with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Islamabad to discuss bilateral cooperation.

“I think there are a lot of positive outcomes out of our engagement with the Chinese foreign minister,” Zardari emphasised.

Commenting on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s proposal for “building a community with a shared future for mankind,” the minister said that is “the direction that the conversation needs to go into the future.”

“The Chinese president is clearly showing leadership on this front,” he said.

TRADE, INVESTMENT COOPERATION: Launched in 2013, CPEC is a flagship project of the China-proposed BRI, focusing on cooperation in infrastructure, especially for the construction of energy and transportation projects in Pakistan.

With investments in the country’s modern transportation networks including roads and railways, energy projects, ports and special economic zones, the CPEC has been offering the potential for Pakistan to promote development and economic growth.

“We’re very keen to enhance bilateral trade and investments even further. CPEC is going into a new phase and we’re talking about special economic zones and industrial zones as well,” Zardari highlighted.

CMYK

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06 COMMENT

Story of Pakistan going nuclear

The meagre relief Political stability needed to fix economy

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he announcement by the government of a major rise in fuel prices sent a positive signal to markets and led to a significant appreciation in the rupee value. One government leader after another meanwhile made use of the decision to bring home the point that unlike the Pti government, the present administration cares for the masses and is willing to sacrifice its party interests on the altar of the national. the government knew that the much-needed rise in fuel and power prices was going to have a highly negative impact on the livelihood of millions of common people, who are already finding it hard to make the both ends meet on account of continuously shrinking purchasing power and rising unemployment. Consequently soon after the withdrawal of the hefty subsidy on petroleum, PM Shehbaz Sharif announced a Rs 28 billion relief package for those with monthly income below Rs 40,000. Fourteen million poor families, comprising 85 million people, would be given Rs 2000 per family. thus roughly one-third of population would benefit from the package. inflation has remained in double digits for six consecutive months in the country and is going to touch higher levels due to a big rise in fuel prices. An addition of Rs 2,000 a month in the income, or BiSP dole, of a family would therefore be considered peanuts by many . the PM has directed Utility Stores to set the price of a 10 kg sack of flour at Rs 400. this would provide some relief to the poorest who subsist mainly on bread.

But the fact that the PM’s efforts to bring down the price of flour have so far met with little success provides one little confidence about the success of the present move. the common man will have to carry a heavy cross till the economy comes out of the doldrums, the wheels of industry pick up speed, exports outpace imports, new jobs are created and the prices graph takes a downward trend. All this is dependent on peace and stability in the county with every government allowed to complete its full tenure without external intervention, be it from the establishment, the courts or extremist networks lurking in the shadows.

MAlIk MUHAMMAD AsHRAF

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AiNtAiNiNg territorial integrity and developing a security apparatus designed to deter the enemies from committing any indiscretion against the state, is regarded as the top priority by every nation. it ensures and protects the socio-economic development of the country. Unfortunately Pakistan since its independence has had to grapple with the security threat emanating from its eastern neighbour. the two countries have fought three wars over Kashmir because india reneged on her international commitment to decide the issue through a plebiscite as enshrined in the UNSC resolution followed by declaring it her integral part in 1957, a move which was rejected by the UN through its resolutions 91 and 122 reiterating that the Kashmir dispute could only be resolved through a plebiscite held under the auspices of the UN. however india did not budge from its unilaterally assumed stance. All efforts made by Pakistan failed to get a positive response. instead successive indian governments continued to show a hostile attitude towards Pakistan and never accepted the reality of partition of the Subcontinent. india also kept piling up arms during these years and even developed a nuclear device which it exploded in 1974. that development really raised the alarm for Pakistan which rightly felt the pinch of this enhanced threat to her security. the situation forced Pakistan also to go for the nuclear option to safeguard its security. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan wasted no time in initiating Pakistan’s nuclear programme to give a befitting response to the enemy. the development was treated with hostility

by Pakistan’s ally, the USA. it brought up the Pressler Amendment to dissuade Pakistan from pursuing the programme. But President Zia who followed Bhutto, showed remarkable determination to take the nuclear effort to its logical end. By the early 1990s Pakistan

Judicial activism Leave politics to the politicians

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e vigilant, not political, PML(N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz requested the Supreme Court the other day. there is a lot of context to this statement. Yes, the judiciary has a thankless job, being criticized across the political divides depending on the decisions it makes. it will never be considered impartial, that being an occupational hazard. this time it is the PML(N) that has a bone to pick with the judiciary. the Pti’s recent violation of a decision by the Supreme Court regarding protests in islamabad went unaddressed by the apex judiciary. Maybe he didn’t get word of our decision, said the Chief Justice, tearing asunder what most students are told their first day at law college regarding ignorance of the law being no excuse.

But what perhaps is more disturbing is an impliedand at times, clearly stated- openness the judiciary has to the idea of playing the role of a mediator between the government and the opposition. that is a troublesome area. the unprofessional role of our military establishment in the nation’s history is discussed most in political circles, as it should be. the judiciary’s role used to be discussed usually as a willing or unwilling accomplice to the military in their misadventures. But in the aftermath of the otherwise remarkable lawyers’ movement, there has been a rise in judicial activism, and that requires more study, analysis and ultimately, discouragement.

With a huge backlog of cases piling up at all tiers of the judiciary, perhaps it would serve the judiciary (and its image amongst the public) well to focus on those cases and reserve the suo motu initiatives to matters of fundamental human rights. What the latter are, yes, is subject to debate and, therefore, the mood of the court. But one expects for wise professional judges to be able to ascertain what those are. to realise that Parliament is supreme and the courts’ job is to only ensure that the laws that Parliament has passed, are enforced properly.

Celebrating Another Youm -e -Takbeer One PM initiated work on the device, another exploded it

MUHAMMAD ZAHID RIFAT

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ith the continued blessings of Almighty Allah, the living nation is celebrating another Youm-e-takbir on May 28 (today) in a befitting manner signifying Pakistan’s becoming a nuclear power and thus attaining a strong defence deterrent. it was on 28 May 1998 that Pakistan had become the first nuclear power of the islamic world and seventh in the world on the whole after the USA, Russian Federation (formerly the USSR), Britain, France, China and india. this is indeed another anniversary of a great historic development and every Pakistan is quite obviously genuinely proud, irrespective of his/her political affiliations, regional and other petty and vested interests and considerations.

Both india and Pakistan despite being neighbouring nuclear powers are somehow not enjoying cordial relations mainly because of a long unresolved Kashmir issue which india has flagrantly for decades on end refusing to implement the UN Security Council Resolutions and letting the Kashmiris exercise their

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Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

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Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

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Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

that adequately explained the rationale for Pakistan to go nuclear in exercise of its right to safeguard its security in the face of a grave threat. the Pakistani acquired the nuclear capability but refrained from nation is greatly indebted to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto for conducting the nuclear test. initiating the nuclear programme, Zia ul haq for its But when india conducted nuclear test on 11 May completion and Nawaz Sharif for showing the heft 1998 and indian home Minister L.K.Advani issued and courage to announce nuclear credentials of Paka statement warning Pakistan to realize the change in istan brushing aside pressure exerted by the USA and the geostrategic situation in the region and refrain its allies. they indeed deserve unqualified gratitude from intensifying the separatist movement in indian- from the nation for thwarting the nefarious designs Occupied Kashmir, Pakistan had no choice but to re- of the enemy and bringing nuclear parity between the spond to the indian challenge to deter her from two countries, which surely has eliminated the adopting an aggressive posture towards it. india prob- chances of a full-fledged war between them and ably was under the impression that Pakistan did not greatly reduced concerns about our security. the govhave the expertise to produce nuclear weapons and it ernment has announced ten-day celebrations in this was only posing as if it did regard which surely is a justo blackmail it. Pakistan actifiable move in view of its tually called the indian bluff significance in regards to by exploding nuclear demaking Pakistan’s defense vices and created a permaimpregnable. nent deterrent against Pakistan rightly believes That adequately explained the security threat from india. that nuclear deterrence is a rationale for Pakistan to go Consequently the dawn factor of stability in South of 28 May 1998 saw Paknuclear in exercise of its right Asia. however it is pursuing istan emerging as the seventh a policy of minimum nuto safeguard its security in nuclear power of the world clear deterrent. Weakness when in response to the inthe face of a grave threat. The invites aggression and the dian nuclear explosions on best way to keep the wouldPakistani nation is greatly 11th May, it also exploded be aggressor at bay is to acfive nuclear devices, folquire the defence capability indebted to Zulfiqar Ali lowed by another detonation which would force it to Bhutto for initiating the two days later. Since then think many a times before May 28 is celebrated as ‘ committing any aggression. nuclear programme, Zia ul Yaum-e-takbeer’ (exaltation Pakistan does not harbor agHaq for its completion and of god’s name) in Pakistan gressive designs against any and rightly so as it was the Nawaz Sharif for showing the of its neighbours and has no second most important day designs in the reheft and courage to announce hegemonic in the history of Pakistan, gion. Development of nuafter independence Day. clear weapons by Pakistan is nuclear credentials of it is pertinent to mention purported to ensure territoPakistan brushing aside that USA tried a combinarial integrity, political hartion of threats and offers of pressure exerted by the USA mony and peace. though huge financial assistance to Pakistan is not a signatory to and its allies stop Pakistan from respondNPt and other nuclear ing to the indian indiscretion regimes but it has worked and aggressive action. But it with the global community must be admitted that Nawaz to promote nuclear disarmaSharif, who was the Prime Minister of Pakistan at that ment and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. time, brushed aside the pressure and the lucrative however, Pakistan cannot afford to show slackoffer for financial assistance from the USA. ness on its security till such time india and its supAs leader of a self-respecting nation which gave porters who cry hoarse from every convenient roof top priority to its security and existence, he made the top to see South Asia as a stable region, instead of inright choice in the supreme national interest and did dulging in rhetoric, show sincerity of purpose by the nation proud by ensuring nuclear parity with india. adopting concrete measures to promote peace in the the USA again imposed sanctions against Pakistan. region and refrain from discriminatory treatment Nawaz Sharif in his address to the nation after the nu- against Pakistan viz-a-viz india as well as help in the clear tests said “We never wanted to participate in this resolution of the Kashmir issue which is the cause of race for nuclear weapons. the enemy in its extreme conflict between the two countries. arrogance forgot the rules of communication and is openly threatening us. We have proved to the world Malik Muhammad Ashraf is an academic. He can that we will not accept what is dictated to us.” be contacted at: ashpak10@gmail.com.

India was making threats, exerted pressure

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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right of self-determination.

Despite Pakistan also being a nuclear power, it is showing utmost restraint in the continued prevailing tense circumstances, fully seized of safeguarding and ensuring national security and fence. All these years, Pakistan has been telling the world at large that its nuclear assets are a minimum defence deterrent and for peaceful purposes and ensuring balance of power in the region as well as that it in safe hands as an effective control and command system is in place.

A strong defence system coupled with its being a nuclear power is helping the government in defeating hostile elements and continuing its onward journey on the path of progress, development and prosperity in a determined and committed manner. it is pertinent to mention here briefly as to who had made Pakistan an atomic power in response to india’s becoming a nuclear power and continuing aggressive and threatening postures. india had become 6th nuclear power of world on detonating an atomic bomb on 18 May 1974 in Pokharan, Rajasthan, and noticeably there was no reaction or condemnation of any kind from the world at large. in all fairness, the atomic programme of Pakistan was initiated by Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1974 through nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan.

Cutting a long story short, india had carried out atomic bomb detonations a second time on 11 and 13 May 1998. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who was at the helm of national affairs for a second stint, so as to give a positive and deterrent response to india in this regard, took all important though quite difficult decision in consultations with all concerned and Pakistan had carried out atom bomb tests, for which all preparations had already been complete for many years, test firing five times on 28 May 1998 in Ras Ko hills of district Chagai in Balochistan. test firing a sixth time was carried out on 30 May 1998. the atomic programme of the country, which was started by one democratically elected Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was thus carried forward by another elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Nature

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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had so destined to say the least.

Pakistan being a responsible atomic power and every succeeding civilian government ensuring foolproof security and safety of the country’s nuclear assets through an effective control and command system, the enemies inimical to the existence of Pakistan are quite effectively being kept at bay from indulging in any mischievous plans and aggressive postures against Pakistan.

Needless to mention here that a country makes steady progress and development only in a secure and safe atmosphere due to its strong defence system which is helping the government in continuing focusing on all spheres economically as well as socially. it is also generally said and believed that defence of any country and economic development are interrelated with each other. And, this is quite true in the case of our beloved motherland, Pakistan.

Pakistan, being a sovereign independent country and an atomic power also with capability of striking back any foreign aggression, has surely and certainly contributed a great deal towards maintenance of balance of power and ensuring peace in the region in the face of india’s persistent hegimonic policies and forcible illegal occupation of the internationally recognized disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan’s atomic programme, as already mentioned above, was initiated by PPP founding Chairman and elected Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1974 and quite successfully brought to culmination by PMLN founder President and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on May 28,1998. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is in London from where he has directed the party leadership and workers to celebrate Youm-e-takbir as usually quite enthusiastically on May 28, 2022.

Accordingly, PML(N) led coalition government headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is celebrating the great national event of Pakistan becoming a nuclear power in a befitting and colourful manner. the Pakistani nation will continue celebrating Youm-e-takbir enthusiastically every year on May 28 as long as Pakistan exists on the world map.

The writer can zahidriffat@gmail.com

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

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06-07 Comments - 29th May 2022_Layout 1 5/28/2022 11:42 PM Page 2

Sunday, 29 May, 2022

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

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

PTI’s comeback

A droP SCene on The bACk of eConoMIC reAlITIeS The resemblance to 1993 is unmistakable NAqI AkbAR

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dramatic drop scene indeed! Was that a dream or was it streaming live on our LCD screens? the Pti chairperson's decision to call off the sit-in in islamabad D Chowk, until his early elections demands met, came as a bolt from blue for friends, admirers and foes alike. After so much build-up during the month of Ramadan and May, pumping efforts into the same in all formats and then showing contentment over the so-called six-day period for announcement of the awaited date; smacks strongly of a weaker position or developments beyond control. it also points at a delusional level of narrative, where freedom seems compromised by a modern variant of the east india Company; the iMF. More worrying, the captain somewhat easily imagined that people will again be on the street after six days! having been booted out of the corridors of power by the deep state, which supported him in 2018, imran has been lucky; unlike the other booted out leaders he still has a sizeable support base, especially amongst the middle-income groups of the country. that support base; besides his inflated selfrespect, created a false hope that this time the usual musical chair of power orchestrated from behind the scenes, will stop. it was thought the major managers of the nation state would sit down to allow the civilian rule to chart its own way. the biggest assurance in this context was his support base and the hope that his stubbornness would help transform his profile from a politician to a political leader who can lead a change. his narrative was attracting the public and being an exceptional type of a political personality, it was hoped his public support base would do the unimaginable for Pakistan; a lineup of civil and military power sharing with the former calling the shots; an arrangement earned through sheer hard work by the turkish political trend loyal to tayyab erdogan. however; a probe into the background mechanics and in the backdrop of the issues discussed before on these pages reveals that an empty treasury was a reality, which was staring starkly at the established order, and the politicians whose lives were altered in the aftermath of April 10 shake up; for good or for bad.

Whether the Pti, PPP or PML(N) are able to win early elections in 2022 or scheduled ones in 2023; economic recovery was to remain the major headache for all the major political players; one way or another. it may be mentioned here that faced with the dire situation, the incumbent political government is in discussion with the iMF over the resumption of the programme. the incumbents; too a political force with three times access to corridors of power, would not like to terminate their political life; yet they have been put in the centre stage to take difficult decisions. Quite interestingly, the major iMF conditionality for the

resumption of the programme has been the removal of fuel subsidy; a commitment on hold since March 2022, with both the outgoing Pti and the incomingPDM coalition avoiding implementation for the fear of great public backlash; until it finally did the unavoidable; removing subsidy of Rs 30 from various POL categories. taking note of the political currents on the move; as things stand, the situation resembles what it was in 1993; when high-voltage political drama fueled by the restoration of the PML(N) government by the Supreme Court and the inability of the incumbent president, ghulam ishaq Khan, to adjust to that reality forced the emergence of the “Kakar” formula. here the players might have been different; but the situation was not so different either. the middle of July 1993 was the period when BB PPP was planning a long March to islamabad to dislodge the PML(N) government. the president was at odds with the PML(N) government and it was a high-degree political deadlock situation, which was to be altered in the backdrop of the iMF arrangement, the standby arrangement needed by Pakistan, which was to start in September 1993 and end in 1994. the situation was not so dire at that moment of time, but the successive dependence upon the SDRs was telling that corrective measures were needed back. the same corrective measures have now taken the shape of necessary “surgical intervention”, to say the least.

As people close to the corridors of power might know than that when the caretaker administration for the formal 18 July 1993 takeover was being finalized, the person to head the set up too was an economist; the late Moeen Qureshi. Likewise, the outgoing finance minister of the PML government too was asked about a suitable person to head the finance ministry in the caretaker capacity. it needs to be seen that both 1993 and 2022 were the years when the Pakistani economy was settling towards an ‘on its own’ mode; and was not engaged in any Pentagon assignment. Before 1993, Pakistan had just gotten out of the Afghan quagmire. here in 2022, it was again Afghanistan's end of operations, which brought

Pakistan back to the routine mode. the situation is much grimmer now than it was in 1993, as the data available with the iMF might reflect upon for anyone interested in further probe. the talk of reform of the system by three major political groups in their own defined paradigms and definitions might well trigger the imaginations of the respective vote banks, but the facts of economics are too much to make out anything else. in 1993, the situation was a routine one with no chance as such of a default; however, even then the iMF intervention to cut down on domestic debt, and increased resource mobilization in the form of a better tax collection system, were the major prescriptions to note. here it would not be wrong to say that the civil or military governments were alive to the issues faced by the economy. the current situation also reflects badly on the political decision making capacity of the different economic players. the Azadi March organizing leadership’s sudden volte-face after building up for months; a propped-up narrative asking for freedom or Azadi from foreign interference raises may pertinent queries. it gave no justification to the diehard followers; why the party accepted the absence of a decision and settled for assurance; is going to be a big question mark; which has the potential to dent the support base of the party.

While no political party in Pakistan can afford to look like a foreign stooge; the Azadi March leadership; without mincing words needs to soul-search; why the economic recovery, which was trumpeted after the 2018 takeover by the party, was not realized.

As said before, the stakes to go to the iMF and in the meantime doing whatever is needed to correct the situation is a much greater task than imagined. there is a dire need to have a fresh look at what the Pti leaders plan to do next. A buildup of emotions to be thrown away at a moment's notice reflects badly on the loyal electorate. expecting these innocent people to be again on the streets with the delusional leadership is being insensitive. For a party claiming to be a party of change, a lot of homework is needed; more than rhetoric; otherwise history is a cruel judge.

There is a dire need to have a fresh look at what the PTI leaders plan to do next. A buildup of emotions to be thrown away at a moment's notice reflects badly on the loyal electorate. Expecting these innocent people to be again on the streets with the delusional leadership is being insensitive. For a party claiming to be a party of change, a lot of homework is needed; more than rhetoric; otherwise history is a cruel judge

The writer is a freelance columnist

theRe is no doubt that the same question is echoing in everyone’s heart: whether imran Khan will come back to power after the fresh elections which have to be held to select any party to be in power? if imran Khan does come back to power then what role will he have to play to ensure his return to power? the answer to this question is very critical as it is very difficult to guess whether former PM imran Khan will come back to power or not because there were a lot of troubles in the country. People faced a lot of difficulties during Khan’s government. inflation has reached the ground and its peak amid imran’s tenure. More importantly, the foreign image of Pakistan has been damaged whereas Khan promised to have better relations with foreign countries but he disappointed the nation by claiming to be threatened by America. to be honest most people still love him because his speeches touch the heart and soul as he talks about righteousness, honesty, and loyalty and he says that his priority is to end corruption in Pakistan. however, corruption instead has increased during his government. Somehow, one can feel that imran Khan is not different from the other politicians who promise a lot but do nothing.

Moreover, this is the first time in the history of Pakistan that a Prime Minister has been ousted due to a no-confidence motion. this is a historical fact that has been taken out and we see that elections are yet to come.

What will happen after the fresh elections? Who will be the new PM of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif, Bilawal Bhutto, imran Khan, or someone else?

Let us discuss some important points if Shehbaz Sharif convinces the people of Pakistan and reduces inflation, he can win the heart of Pakistanis and he would probably remain in power because Pakistan is a democratic country where the people have to choose their rulers. So, if any party be it Pti or any other who convinces the people will probably regain power. in simple words, if Shehbaz Sharif works hard, then imran Khan may not come to power again. if the current government fails to do that, it may happen that imran Khan will win. however, Khan has done numerous things for Pakistan during his government, he has brought the trade Deficit down to $21 billion from $37 billion. According to one of his speeches at Roshan, Digital Pakistan has repaid foreign loans worth Rs20 billion. this is really lovable to know that he raised the Kashmir issue to international forums. he worked on the health for he issued a healthcare card “sehat card”. Over Rs 150 billion was distributed among the poor and needy people across Pakistan in the name of the ehsas Program. his achievements and work for Pakistan are numerous and can not be pointed out in this letter. they show that there is still hope that imran Khan will come back because he was not removed by the people of the country but because of a no-confidence motion.

We can observe that imran Khan still rules the hearts of the people. his speeches are praiseworthy and people love to hear him. it is clear that he still possesses a majority of people. it can rightly be said that imran Khan will be in the government again but since Shehbaz Sharif is in power, he can change the mind of the people by doing many things for the people to ensure that he is the best. Let us wait and see what will happen next. We will know in the coming times.

PARVEZ MOULA BAKHSH KARACHI

role of students 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

language Complexity iF we feel inferior while speaking our native language, then how will we emerge as a free nation?

On the day of my orientation at the university, i experienced a quite painful thing. All the students were in the auditorium and the faculty members too. First, we had a short video on the projector about the department’s progress. then, one by one, every teacher introduced himself/herself to the students. One of the teachers came on the dais. She was asked to introduce herself in english because everyone present there was introducing himself in english. But she couldn’t do that properly(fluently). how pathetic it is!

She didn’t have the liberty to introduce herself in Urdu even in Pakistan. the matter is not the language whether it’s english or Urdu. the problem is in our minds. Aren’t we depriving our language of its right? Chinese don’t feel uncomfortable while speaking their native language. turkish people don’t feel inferior while speaking turkish, their mother tongue. then why do we make our people feel inferior when they speak their native language i.e. Urdu?

Our educational institutions should work to aggrandize the national language. if educational institutions feel inferior while speaking Urdu instead of english, then who will promote the Language? Once you start feeling proud while speaking Urdu, then it’s not a problem at all whether you speak english or any other language.

ALEENA MUJAHID, Lahore.

08 WORLD VIEW 29th May 22_Layout 1 5/28/2022 9:57 PM Page 1

Sunday, 29 May, 2022

08 WORLD VIEW

The deaTh of davos

Project syN.dicate

N

Carl Bildt

OW that we have entered a new period of geopolitical conflict, protectionism, and regionalism, one wonders whether the cosmopolitan, globalized world of Davos is gone forever. Returning after a two-year pandemic hiatus, this year’s World Economic Forum meeting in the Swiss Alps was a shadow of its former self.

In previous decades, the event was brimming with optimism. new peace agreements were forged, emerging markets were propelling themselves toward prosperity, and democracy was on the march. As the new York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman famously put it, the world seemed increasingly “flat,” with all the old hurdles to international interconnectivity disappearing.

It was all somewhat hyped, as was typical of that era. Few really believed that an earthly paradise was around the corner, or that history had really ended. But there was no denying that things were looking up, and that Davos was the place to go to pay homage to the spirit of the time.

This year, the weather was grey and drizzly, and the talk was of war,

AS WE ENTER A NEW PERIOD OF GEOPOLITICAL CONFLICT, PROTECTIONISM, AND REGIONALISM, IT IS FAIR TO WONDER WHETHER THE COSMOPOLITAN, GLOBALIZED WORLD OF DAVOS IS GONE FOREVER. THE CRITICAL ISSUE LOOKING AHEAD WILL BE HOW TO MAINTAIN GLOBAL COOPERATION ON GLOBAL CHALLENGES sanctions, inflation, and supply shortages. The International monetary Fund’s managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, sought to reassure everyone that she does not expect an economic recession. But depression was the dominant mood in most of the formal and informal discussions.

Pessimism certainly seems justified. With no end in sight to Russia’s war on Ukraine, any engagement with the Russian economy or the Kremlin will remain off limits for most of the world – and certainly the West – for the foreseeable future. China’s trajectory, meanwhile, has become increasingly uncertain. my guess is that the country’s leadership is feeling rather uneasy about President Xi Jinping’s recent commitment to a “no limits” friendship with Russia, not to mention his “zero-COVID” strategy, which has locked down Shanghai – China’s center of dynamism – and exacerbated the country’s mounting economic problems.

But it is not all doom and gloom.

The fight against COVID-19 has been a triumph for science and ultimately for the idea of an open global economy. Yes, the inequities in the distribution of vaccines, treatments,

and tests will leave a stain on the international community’s response; but the initial wave of trade restrictions and vaccine nationalism has given way to more cooperation. The past two years have underscored the value of global scientific cooperation, open markets, and well-functioning supply chains.

The pandemic offers important lessons for managing future challenges, particularly climate change.

While recent developments have injected some pessimism into the climate debate, there may yet be a silver lining. Rapidly rising oil and gas prices are creating powerful incentives to accelerate the transition to renewable and alternative energy sources. If science could deliver on vaccines, it should also be able to deliver on the climate challenge. Already, there is a growing awareness that the problem warrants urgent attention.

Digitalization has also made significant strides during the pandemic.

Sweeping lockdowns gave everyone a crash course in digital tools. The technologies and processes adopted during the pandemic will transform many economic sectors for years to come. At the global level, cross-border data flows are booming and con-

tinuing to grow annually by doubledigit figures.

Even surveying the bleak political landscape, one can find the occasional bright spot. For example, Finland’s and Sweden’s applications for nATO membership have renewed the alliance’s credibility and relevance, and strengthened transatlantic relations. And

the European Union, having exceeded its own expectations in marshaling support for Ukraine, is now emerging as a critical pillar in the European security order. While major challenges lie ahead, the EU now has a strong foundation on which to build. more broadly, the democratic West has regained some of its lost

The case against The elites have every intention of NATO expansion controlling our lives NatioNal iNterest

IT’S INEVITABLE THAT THE ELITES-GOVERNMENTAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX WILL USE TECHNOLOGY TO CONTROL THE GROWING NUMBER OF SMART DEVICES IN OUR LIVES issues aNd iNsights

f

Editorial Board

ROm the world’s largest gathering of hypocrites at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, we have learned that a personal carbon footprint tracker is in the works. In the wrong hands, it would be the equivalent of the ankle monitors used to ensure that criminal offenders don’t escape their house arrest.

“We’re developing, through technology, an ability for consumers to measure their whole carbon footprint,” J. michael Evans, president of Alibaba Group USA, said Tuesday while on a panel discussion on responsible consumption. “What does that mean? Where they are traveling. How they are traveling. What are they eating. What they are consuming on the platform.”

This will excite the virtue signalers who will be happy to post their carbon footprint scores on social media. But for the rest of us, those still wishing to live freely, who don’t want elites establishing the limits of “responsible consumption,” it’s deeply troubling.

Evans described the tracker as if it were just another way for people to keep up with their activities – like a smart watch that monitors health.

But the existence of the technology plays straight into the hands of the wrong people, which in the developed world is roughly half of all elected officials and nearly all of the regulators and bureaucrats of the administrative state. Don’t think that they will decline the opportunity to someday require, in the name of saving the climate, each of us to have a carbon footprint tracker so that our lives can be monitored, and our behavior adjusted as needed. Before anyone says we’re overreacting, that there’s no reason to be concerned, please consider this short list: Yuval noah Harari, a history professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has said, in the words of the BBC, that “COVID-19 may bring (a) new surveillance era.”

“Governments want to know not just where we go or who we meet, above all they want to know what is happening under our skin,” he said.

A black box on automobiles that would be used to track mileage to determine how much drivers should pay for the roads in lieu of standardized fuel taxes “could lead to a very slippery slope of the government knowing our whereabouts at any given moment,” says the Pacific Research Institute’s Tim Anaya.

“Thanks to a new provision in the trillion-dollar infrastructure bill,” a couple of op-ed writers tell us in The Hill, “your car will be used against you in a court of law. Under this long-ignored provision, carmakers will be required to start monitoring drivers by 2026 using unspecified technology to search for signs of drinking.” Flaws in the system will inevitably lead to innocent drivers being flagged and punished.

We’ve been told the government would never control residential smart thermostats to reduce energy use, but in 2017, a local Los Angeles radio station reported that in “a growing number of Southern California homes,” smart thermostats were “changing the temperatures automatically.” The customers had given Southern California Edison permission to adjust their homes’ temperatures, but the leap to political control, once those smart thermostats are more widely installed, is a short one.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, also in Davos for the World Economic Forum, said that his company is working on a tablet that contains a chip, which “sends a signal that you took the tablet” and provides patient information to trackers. It’s an advance that used properly would likely be helpful in treating patients. But it’s chilling to think the pills could be wrongly used by power-mad elites.

It’s inevitable that the elites-governmental industrial complex will use technology to control the growing number of smart devices in our lives. Politicians and regulators have already determined how much water can be used to flush toilets and flow through our shower heads; set limits on electricity and water use in dishwashers; made gasoline cans more expensive and difficult to use; and ruined automobile design. It will be their pleasure to continue to increase their authority over our lives.

I

Sumantra maitra

n the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the geopolitical considerations of several European nations are changing. Finland and Sweden are now accelerating a transition away from their historic neutrality by attempting to join the north Atlantic Treaty Organization (nATO). nATO is the historic alliance of thirty nations that served as a bulwark against the Soviet Union until the latter’s demise, and its founding treaty includes Article V, which commits each alliance member to the defense of any other member that is attacked. As a result, the decision on whether to expand nATO to Finland and Sweden must take into account a fundamental consideration: is it in America’s interest to bind itself into a commitment to go to war with a nuclear power over the structural integrity of these two nations?

Should the American people be willing to send their servicemen and women for such a national security interest?

Despite its historic aspirations, Russia enormously overestimated its own power in Ukraine. Instead, the Russian experience in Ukraine, while a humanitarian catastrophe, has demonstrated long-term hardware, personnel, intelligence, and training deficiencies, as well as structural issues including endemic corruption, old school planning, an authoritarian decision-making echo chamber, and low troop morale. Russia also lacks the economic base and material power and is increasingly reeling under sanctions.

Put simply, Russia is not going to be the hegemonic specter looming over Europe anytime in the near future. What that logically entails is not that the Ukraine invasion is the first domino to fall across Europe, meriting a preoccupation with Russian encroachment, but rather, that Russia is a manageable threat that European states can increasingly balance on their own collectively. Europeans are perfectly capable without further investment of American treasure or promise of American blood, and a primacist grand strategy requiring American forward presence. The only reason Europe is taking a backseat is because it is reliant on the unending generosity of Americans. In addition, a muchweakened Russia can also be extremely volatile, prone to miscalculation and paranoia, which might be exacerbated by the “chain-ganging” of Western great powers by their activist junior allies—a very common and observable dynamic especially seen under the conditions of multipolarity wherein smaller protectorates and hectoring and sanctimonious allies attempt to drag much larger benefactors into a great power war. It is a trap the United States must judiciously avoid at all costs. Otherwise, the result could well be greater misunderstanding and an even greater risk of accidental conflict along a much longer border with nATO. This paradoxical dynamic isn’t new in international relations, World War I being the most ruinous example. The only development that might reverse an emerging natural equilibrium is a Ukrainian counterattack

vigor and moral clarity in its firm, united opposition to Russia. With Russia continuing to commit the international crime of aggression (as well as numerous atrocities), its support in the United nations General Assembly has dwindled to just a handful of outlaw regimes.

Looking ahead, the critical international issue will be how to maintain global cooperation on global challenges. Russia will be out of the picture, but China will remain a key player alongside increasingly relevant countries like India. It remains to be seen what, if anything, will emerge from the ruins of the G20 this year. The creation of a new grouping with a more relevant membership would not be the worst outcome.

The old Davos glory days are certainly gone. Far from becoming flat, the world has become scattered with new trenches and barriers. But it is not all bad. The current (psychological) depression may be as unwarranted as was the previous ebullience. We should focus on being realistic and cleareyed about the mounting global challenges we face. If we can manage to do that, we may yet prevail over them.

on Crimea or somewhere deep inside Russian territory, or a major expansion of an alliance which justifies Russia’s historic and entrenched paranoia, such as a renewed push for further nATO enlargement.

A fast-track process for Finland and Sweden’s nATO membership is now underway, at the behest of those European states who are taking advantage of the situation and war hysteria to further enlarge an already bloated and diluted alliance. Consolidating an arrangement that has worked well for them in the past few decades is an understandable desire, but it does not correspond that it has worked well for the United States. Policymakers in the United States should ignore the popular currents and encourage open public debates about the limits of nATO’s constantly mutating frontiers and fluid commitments.

Finland and Sweden are in no real danger of any invasion, and neutrality worked well for them. Russia is a shadow of its former self, with a broken military and damaged economy due to an attritional war of choice, and collectively, Europe massively outspends Russia. In fact, Germany, France, and Britain combined are more than capable of providing deterrent forces in the Baltics, and have their own nuclear umbrella. neither Finland nor Sweden adds enough to the security of the alliance to justify the additional costs. Adding them would mean two more states as protectorates for whom the United States would be treaty-bound to go to a nuclear war. neither war hysteria, a desire to punish Russia, nor sympathy for democratic values and human rights should affect narrow strategic calculations in such a permanent way. Instead, the Russian debacle in Ukraine demonstrates that it is increasingly time for the United States to reorient away from Europe and focus on more pressing issues such as the southern border, inflation, and the rise of China.

Americans are already familiar with George Washington’s warnings about avoiding “passionate attachments” and interweaving destinies with any parts of Europe. The emerging global order encourages everyone to pay heed to another George. In 1822, after the collapse of napoleonic France and the resulting multipolarity in which Great Britain enjoyed overwhelming preponderance and faced no long-term hegemonic threat from Europe, the British conservative foreign minister, George Canning, coined the guiding principles of “non-intervention and every nation for itself … in a balance of power; respect for facts, not for abstract theories; respect for treaty rights, but caution in extending them.” Those principles underscored a certain conservative realism that served Britain well for over a century. While unfashionable in the post-modern world, now is the time for America to look back to the wisdom of an era functionally similar to ours.

This is an abridged version adapted from a longer policy brief, titled "nATO expansion for Finland and Sweden a dangerous, and unnecessary distraction from US interests".

Sunday, 29 May, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

corporate corner UNDP delegation calls on Secretary ECP

ChartEr of ECoNomy mUSt to rEvivE ECoNomy: miftah iSmail KaRaChI

D

ISLAMABAD: Secretary Election Commission Pakistan, Mr. Omar Hamid Khan was called on by United Nations Development Programme Pakistan, Resident Representative, Mr. Knut Ostby and Chief Technical Advisor, Ali Al-Bayati today at ECP Secretariat and presented a report on Assistance on Electrol processes.

The meeting was also attended by Additional Director General Gender Ms. Nighat. The report is prepared in continuation of UNDP Need Assessment Mission headed

by Ms. Svetlana Gakina Political/Electoral Affair Officer, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs UN, New York meeting with Secretary, Election Commission of Pakistan early this year in February, 2022.

Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan Mr. Omar Hamid Khan apprised the mission about steps taken by the ECP to ensure free, fair, transparent and inclusive elections in Pakistan. He highlighted that ECP has been steadfast in implementation of the targets and goals setup in our third Strategic Plan 2019-2023 for institutional development and for strengthening the democratic processes. He further mentioned that we are taking several initiatives to ensure participation and representation of all the vulnerable segments of the society. The report included the recommendations to collaborate with ECP to strengthen the democratic process in Pakistan. The report recommended to support ECP in institutional development, training and capacity building. It also mentions about assistance to enhance gender equality and inclusivity of electoral processes with a special focus on increasing women’s voter registration. It further discusses to cooperate with ECP in convening dialogues platforms for electoral reforms including advice on full participation of persons with disabilities in the electoral process, and targeted support to introduction of technology. It also talked about to take initiatives for strong public outreach to electoral stakeholders including political parties, civil society, media and domestic observers and voters at large aimed at enhancing public trust in the electoral management process, institutions and transparency in their work. The recommendation of report included to provide assistance to ECP in its efforts to mitigate misinformation, hate speech, and improve communication through social media. staff report

09

staff report

R. Miftah Ismail, Finance Minister, and Shaukat Tarin, former Finance Minister, agreed on forming a Charter of Economy among the political parties while putting aside political differences for sustainable economic growth on a long-term basis.

Speaking as chief guest at the webinar on National Dialogue on Economy: The Way Forward for Pakistan, organized by Nutshell Conferences and Corporate Pakistan Group, on Saturday, Miftah Ismail said Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is ready to sign the Charter of Economy on a minimum agenda despite different ideologies of various political parties.

He said the growth in the economy is achievable in Pakistan with its huge size of the population but the sustainable economic growth has been a challenge over the period last years, which needs to be addressed mutually by everyone in the government and the private sector. Consistency is the key to economic policy and the present government should honour the commitment made by the previous government as part of the sovereign guarantees of the country and international laws.

Pakistan needs nearly $37 billion for the next year for the purpose of paying loans to various agencies and

countries, controlling the current account deficit, and building the required foreign exchange reserves but these could be done only with the signing of a program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Going forward, the government will focus on discouraging import-led growth in the economy, whereas the manufacturing sector should be given preference to enhance exports, Miftah said and added. The government will work on revolutionizing the agriculture sector, which will particularly meet the local demand for food items. He said the government will not impose any ban on traveling, raw materials, and essential items but only on luxury and non-essential items. Also, the tax rate will not be increased on the income of the people, he added.

Former Finance Minister Senator Shaukat Tarin said the Charter of Economy is very important for the country which he proposed many years back.

Political differences should be put aside and the economic agenda should be agreed upon. A few of the next months are difficult ahead but the situation will be improved after the general elections, he added. Pakistan needs inclusive and sustainable growth for a long period of time.

In this regard, the saving-to-GDP ratio and tax-to-GDP ratio should be increased with incentives and schemes in the next five to six years. The gap between exports and imports is stand-

ing at 12% which should be reduced to 6% and to zero in the next few years, Tarin added. The former minister suggested the central bank and the government to issue new licenses to banks on the basis of regional boundaries.

Ghias Khan, President Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce (OICCI) said a long-term and consistent policy is in dispensable to attract businessmen and foreign investors.

Pakistan should focus on its food and energy security on a priority basis.

Also, Pakistan should focus on technology services which has immense potential to enhance exports and local productivity, Ghias Khan.

The country needs to enhance the production of wheat and essential crops for meeting its local demand and boosting exports of agri-products. Further, he added the country is rich in mineral resources which can be translated into its lucrative exports. The investment should be encouraged in the productive sector instead of the real estate: We have to build skillset of the young population to make their role more productive in the economy.

Muhammad Aurangzeb, Chairman Pakistan Business Council (PBC) said the cross-party consensus is very important in Pakistan because the business needs sustainability and the consistency of policy. Hence, the Charter of Economy is the need of the hour, he added.

There is no dearth of thinking prescriptions in the country but we need

timely decisions and timely execution, he added. We have to focus on capacity building of our youth in every sector which will ultimately produce results in the economy. We have to make an enabling environment for freelancers, which are growing in numbers in Pakistan.

Farrukh Khan, Management Director Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) said the political challenges should be addressed in the first place before going to fix socio-economic issues in the country. The government is focusing on the documentation of the economy but the aspect of taxes should be realized to stabilize it, he added.

Political stability is very important when it comes to attracting foreign investment and boosting local investment in the country said Amjad Waheed, CEO NBP Fund Management Limited. The privatization of the Stateowned Enterprises (SECs) as these are eating up over Rs 1 trillion of the valuable revenues every year whereas the government’s expenditures and debt of the country should be reduced gradually, he added.

The yield of Pakistan’s agricultural land should be enhanced which could be done through various measures including farm mechanization and the supply chain management for effective gains of the agriculture sector, said Maheen Rahman, CEO Infra Zamin. We should focus on energy sufficiency, agriculture and food security, and business efficiency, she added.

Meeting reviews development projects LAHORE: A meeting on LDA development projects was held under the supervision of Special Assistant to Chief Minister Punjab Khawaja Ahmad Hassan.

DG LDA briefed about the ongoing development projects in the city. The DG LDA said that the ongoing development works in the city are being completed as soon as possible. Khawaja Hassan while issuing instructions said that the project of Sheranwala, Sagyan and Shahkam Chowk bridge should be completed as soon as possible.

The proposal to increase the staff quota in the budget should also be consulted. Fifty years of planning should be done for the area under the control of LDA. Commercial activities in residential areas should be stopped immediately. The meeting was attended by DG LDA Muhammad Ali Randhawa, Secretary Housing Mian Shakeel Ahmed, Deputy Secretary to Chief Minister Capt. Samiullah, Jeff Engineer Israr Saeed, Mazhar Ali Khan, Chief Town Planner Nadeem Zaidi, Noman Khan and Farqalit Mir. pr

Youm-e-Takbeer: The Day Pakistan’s Defense was Made Impregnable

by MuhaMMad aftab alaM May 28 is the special day for Pakistan, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and the public at large. On this day, the scientists, engineers and technicians of the country delivered what they promised in the form of a gift of five nuclear blasts at Chaghi in Balochistan making the nation’s defense unconquerable for good.

Besides some known names who contributed in this herculean task through unmatched contributions for the country’s security, there were numerous unsung heroes who burnt the midnight oil and worked day and night towards achieving the task at hand.

PAEC is the torchbearer in ensuring sustainable development for the country in all spheres of life by using nuclear science and technology. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in line with its ‘Atoms for Peace and Development’ mandate, supports countries in their efforts to reach the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out in the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Many countries use nuclear science and technology to contribute to and meet their development objectives in areas including energy, human health, food production, water management and environmental protection. Being member of the Board of Governors of IAEA. Pakistan has been utilizing nuclear technology for peaceful purposes since the inception of PAEC, which has contributed immensely in achieving the SDGs. PAEC has so far established nineteen (19) Atomic Energy Cancer Hospitals (AECHs) located in all provinces and major cities of the country while the 20th cancer hospital at Muzaffarabad, AJ&K is being constructed.

These hospitals are helping the government in catering to the healthcare needs of canceraffected patients in the country by providing diagnostic and therapeutic facilities. PAECmanaged-cancer hospitals provide diagnostic and therapeutic facilities to patients at subsidized rates by dint of support from Patient

Welfare Society (PWS) of the hospitals and Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM).

Nuclear Medicine, Oncology & Radiotherapy Institute (NORI) in Islamabad whereas KIRAN in Karachi and INMOL in Lahore, are among the flagship cancer hospitals being run by the commission. Role of these hospitals in the health sector is commendable as over one million cancer patients get diagnostic and treatment facilities at these hospitals every year.

In the sphere of international cooperation and promotion of the culture of sharing and learning from fellow scientists’ research, PAEC started conducting annual meeting of researchers and scientists in Pakistan. A brainchild of the Noble Laureate of Pakistani origin, Dr Abdul Salam was adopted by then Chairman Muneer Ahmed Khan and his successor Dr. Ishfaq Ahmad and all successive chairmen of PAEC. ‘International Nathiagali Summer College (INSC) on Physics and Contemporary Needs’ has been organized every year since 1976, mostly at the scenic hill resort of Nathiagali and for the last few years at National Centre for Physics (NCP) in Islamabad. So far, 7 Nobel Laureates and 41000 scientists, out of which 1000 were foreigners, from 72 countries have participated in the annual spring of scientists in Pakistan to exchange valuable knowledge with their local colleagues and science students.

Owing to the untiring efforts of PAEC scientists, engineers, technicians and researchers, Pakistan is now proudly an Associate Member of European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and scientists from the country are actively participating in various research activities at CERN and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Pakistan became Associate Member State on July 31, 2015, the only Asian country to attain this position at that time. Pakistan ratified the status agreement with CERN on August 26, 2015.

Pakistan is also among the highest recipients of IAEA’s technical support. Moreover, Pakistan is among the founding members of

Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME) in Jordan. Contributions of R&D institutes working under the aegis of PAEC i.e. PINSTECH, PIEAS, CHASCENT, KINPOE, NIBGE, and NIAB are also commendable.

In the use of nuclear energy for generating electricity, PAEC is currently operating six nuclear power plants (NPPs) including Karachi Nuclear Power Plants Unit-2 & Unit-3 commonly known as K-2 and K-3 in Karachi; and C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4 NPPs in Chashma Mianwali. These plants are collectively producing over 3500 megawatts (MWs) of electricity. K-2 was inaugurated last year on 21st May while K-3 is expected to be formally inaugurated soon.

As far as performance is concerned, Chashma Nuclear Power Plant Unit-2 (C-2) made the new national record in Pakistan's history by running for a year continuously, becoming the second electricity generation plant of the country to achieve this milestone.

Previously, Chashma Nuclear Power Plant Unit-4, held the record of running for continuous 365 days, on July 1, 2021. The record of efficient and safe operations of Chashma2 along with earlier record of Chashma-4 be spoke of the acumen and hard work of PAEC's teams of technicians, scientists and engineers. Currently Chashma Power Plants (C-1 to C-4) are operating at above 95% of Capacity Factor. Advantages of nuclear power generated electricity include low per unit cost of generation, all-year-round availability, and no emissions of greenhouse gases, besides being critically important from energy-security point of view.

As a responsible nuclear state, founding member of the IAEA and an emerging player in the field of nuclear power generation, Pakistan takes pride in ensuring impeccable security arrangements at all of its nuclear power plants. Stringent entry protocols in the form of controlled access of personnel, retina identification and 24/7 CCTV monitoring at the power plants are some of the

measures that help ensure authorized access only. As per international best practices in the field of nuclear power, Emergency Preparedness Measures are well in place for timely intervention at these power plants.

The safety and security are the two highlights of nuclear power plants operating in the country.

PAEC has taken the lead in utilizing nuclear technology to improve productivity of agriculture sector through the introduction of new crop varieties, pest control technologies, plant nutrition, water management, animal health and productivity and food decontamination and preservation. Four PAEC agriculture research centers have been established in the three provinces of Pakistan having major share of the cultivatable land in the country. Nuclear Institute of Agriculture (NIA) in Tando Jam, Sindh, (1962), was the first such institute. Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB), Faisalabad, Punjab (1972), Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Peshawar, KPK (1982) and National Institute for Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad, Punjab (1994) were established in a span of about 32 years.

PAEC made the nation proud by winning honors at the highest conceivable level in the international arena. Its meritorious contribution in the field of science and technology was given due recognition at the 65th General Conference of the IAEA. PAEC managed to win three awards at this elite forum.

The awards included the “Outstanding Achievement Award,” which was won by Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB) Faisalabad, a leading agriculture centre of PAEC; “Cotton Mutation Breeding Team Award” bagged by a team of scientists from Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and the “Young Scientist Award” which was decorated upon a brilliant budding scientist, Dr. Muhammad Kashif Riaz Khan from NIAB, PAEC. These awards were given by the Director-General of the IAEA, Rafael Mariano Grossi, during a ceremony held in

Vienna.

On this occasion, DG IAEA Rafael Mariano Grossi said, “What we like to honour is the elevation of the human mind and the spirit that puts science at the service of big problems. Which is what FAO does in Rome and we do here at the IAEA.” NIAB, working in close cooperation with the IAEA and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), has a long track record in crop improvement; having released 52 crop varieties in the last decade.

So far, these PAEC-run agriculture centers have developed and evolved more than one hundred and thirty two (132) crop varieties for Pakistan. In the area of utilization of marginal lands, technology has been developed for the utilization of salt-affected lands and this technology is being provided not only to the local farmers but also at international level.

These centers also have a fair share in human resource development through training courses, workshops and internships. On average, 40 different courses are arranged every year for hands-on-training of latest techniques and technologies in various fields of agriculture research. These courses equally benefit researchers, students and academia from various research organizations and universities. NIAB and NIBGE in Faisalabad are also affiliated with Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) – the top-ranking university of the country, for award of MPhil and PhD degrees in Biology and Biotechnology.

On this special day, the nation owes gratitude to diligent workforce of PAEC who have made lives of people of Pakistan safe from the fear of foreign invasion besides bringing about revolution in multiple sectors of national importance through peaceful use of nuclear technology – The writer is former sub-editor of daily Dawn Islamabad and a PR practitioner. He can be reached at journalistinmaking@gmail.com

Sunday, 29 May, 2022 | LAHORE

10 FOREIGN NEWS

WAng YI slAMs BlInken’s tAggIng oF BeIjIng As ‘long-terM threAt’ ISLAMABAD

C

Mian abrar

HINESE State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi slammed the “severely distorted view” Washington has on China, and reiterated the importance of “mutual respect and peaceful coexistence” for the two largest economies, after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Beijing the “most serious long-term challenge to the international order.” “This world is not what the U.S. depicts,” Wang told reporters on Saturday.

The Chinese diplomat is currently on a 10day visit in the Pacific region.

“The most urgent task for the international community now is to jointly safeguard the live and safety of our people, advance economic recovery and maintain

world peace and tranquility. That would require establishing the notion of a com-

munity of shared future for mankind and practicing the purposes and principles of

the UN Charter,” Wang added.

The Chinese official warned of the “Cold War mentality” and “bloc politics” Washington holds and promotes, “that would only lead to confrontation and divide the international community,” Wang said, yet calling for “fair competition.”

“There will be competitions between China and the United States, but those competitions should not be unhealthy,” he said, urging a balance for bilateral ties for the two largest economics.

He pointed out the principles of “mutual respect, win-win cooperation and peaceful coexistence” should be practiced by the two countries, and then find “right way” for the duo to get long in the new area.

Wang also reinstated China’s plan of further opening-up. “We just want a better life for our people,” Wang said. “Our goal is not to replace or challenge anyone.”

Muslim student leader moves Delhi Court to seek benefit of SC’s sedition order NEW DELHI agencies

Another assembly of Muslim intellectuals, leaders to discuss critical issues today NEW DELHI agencies

Within a week Indian capital will witness another all India level conference today (Sunday) to discuss the subjugation of Muslims and the fast deteriorating situation of the country since the fascistic Hindutva forces have acquired ascendancy.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the organizers of the meet have also announced that a collaborative platform called the Indian Muslim Intellectuals Council would be launched, which might be a precursor to the formation of a parallel Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat.

Briefing about the details of the convention billed as “‘the Indian Muslims Intellectual Meet’, former Member of Indian Parliament (MP) Mohammad Adeeb along with former member Planning Commission Syeda Syedain Hameed and others said the day-long congregation of over 300 Muslim intellectuals and eminent citizens will brainstorm on the pressing issues and lay out a roadmap to address these challenges.

He listed out the challenges before the community and the country. “Attempts by a segment of the society to tear away the secular fabric of the country and the Constitution, the growing hatred against the Muslim community, rampant misuse of governmental institutions and a highly communized atmosphere amidst an alternative scenario where jobs have been lost, incomes has reduced and the country is facing challenges on several other fronts.”

These issues will be top on the mind of the intellectuals from the Muslim community when they collect on Sunday the 29th to discuss and ponder upon topic of ‘The condition of the country, challenges before the Constitution and our responsibilities’ at Aiwan-e-Ghalib Auditorium, Delhi, said the former MP.

Student leader, Sharjeel Imam, has moved Delhi’s Karkardooma court seeking interim bail in an FIR against him involving the offence of Sedition in view of recent Indian Supreme Court order wherein the sedition law has been kept in abeyance till the Indian government reconsiders the provision.

Sharjeel Imam was booked in an FIR by the Delhi Police and the offence under UAPA was added later. The FIR relates to the speeches made by Imam in Aligarh

Muslim University and Jamia Nagar area in Delhi against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

“In view of the Supreme Court’s directions, the hindrance raised by this Special Court in the impugned order stands obviated, and observations surrounding the offence under section 124-A of IPC (Indian Penal Code) cannot be taken into consideration in the proceedings against the Petitioner pending the final outcome of the Constitutional challenges to the section,” reads the plea by Imam.

Imam told the court that he has been incarcerated for nearly 28

months whereas the maximum punishment for the offences, not including 124-A IPC, are punishable upto a maximum 7 years of imprisonment.

Inam’s plea comes after the High Court granted him the liberty to approach the trial court seeking interim bail after the prosecution raised a preliminary objection on the maintainability of the interim bail application before the High Court. The prosecution submitted that according to a 2014 Supreme Court ruling, the bail application has to be moved in the first instance before the Special Court and if aggrieved, an appeal would thereafter lie before the High Court.

Israeli private detective used Indian hackers in job for Russian oligarchs: court filing WASHINGTON reuters

An Israeli private investigator currently in US custody used Indian hackers to conduct surveillance operations for ultra-wealthy Russians, a reporter said in a court filing late Wednesday.

Independent journalist Scott Stedman told a court in New York that jailed private detective Aviram Azari worked “on surveillance and cyber-intelligence operations at the behest of Russian oligarchs,” citing a mix of public reporting and confidential sources.

Stedman said in a declaration that one of the Russian oligarchs concerned was aluminum tycoon Oleg Deripaska, whom he said indirectly employed Azari in connection with a business dispute in Austria.

Deripaska’s spokeswoman said in an email that the allegations were “blatantly untrue.” A lawyer for Azari, who last month pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit hacking and aggravated identity theft in a separate case, did not return messages.

Stedman made his declaration in support of his request to subpoena Azari for evidence to fight a UK libel

suit filed against him by British-Israeli security consultant Walter Soriano in 2020. In a series of articles for his publication, Forensic News, Stedman claimed, among other things, that Soriano was a middleman between wealthy Russians and surveillance firms.

Soriano denied the allegations and sued over the articles, accusing Stedman of mounting a campaign of defamation, invasion of privacy, and harassment.

Stedman’s lawyer told the New York court that “multiple confidential sources” told the reporter that Azari “worked closely with Soriano for years” and thus the jailed private eye’s testimony and documents could “corroborate the truth of Forensic News‘ reporting.”

In an email to Reuters, Soriano’s lawyer Shlomo Rechtschaffen said that Stedman’s claims were “false and unfounded” and that the reporter “has no evidence” that his client and Azari worked together as alleged.

In a statement to Reuters, Stedman said he had “very strong reason to believe that Mr. Azari worked with Mr. Soriano on cyber-related projects for multiple Russian oligarchs and other billionaires” and that he was subpoenaing Azari as part of an effort “to defend my journalism and my business.”

Pakistan asks Iran to take measures to help promote religious tourism ISLAMABAD staff report

Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Mufti Abdul Shakoor has urged the Iranian government to finalize the draft of ‘Ziarat Policy’ to promote the religious tourism.

Talking to a delegation led by Iranian Deputy Minister of Islamic Culture and Relations Dr Hussain Rozba, comprising of Vice Minister for Culture, Arab Asadi the other day, he said the ministry would like to establish offices in Iran including Pakistan House and facilitate religious pilgrims during their stay in Quetta and Taftan under the policy.

Abdul Shakoor said Pak-Iran relations were based on common values, love and brotherhood. Both the countries were desirous to resolve bilateral issues by devising a joint strategy, he said.

Brushing the aside the impression of division on the basis of sect or faith, he made it clear that there was no room for any division between the two brotherly countries on the basis of sectarianism.

Dr Hussain Rozba said the cornerstone of the Iranian foreign policy was to maintain cordial relations with neighboring countries.

He invited the minister to attend the forthcoming conference being held in Iran to discuss the promotion of religious harmony and other common issues prevailing between the two countries.

Freedom and fear: the foundations of America’s deadly gun culture WASHINGTON: It was 1776, the American colonies had just declared their independence from England, and as war raged the founding fathers were deep in a debate: should Americans have the right to own firearms as individuals, or just as members of the local militia?

Days after 19 children and two teachers were slaughtered in a Texas town, the debate rages on as outsiders wonder why Americans are so wedded to the firearms that stoke such massacres with appalling frequency.

The answer, experts say, lies both in the traditions underpinning the country winning its freedom from Britain, and most recently, a growing belief among consumers that they need guns for their personal safety.

Over the past two decades — a period in which more than 200 million guns hit the US market — the country has shifted from “Gun Culture 1.0,” where guns were for sport and hunting, to “Gun Culture 2.0” where many Americans see them as essential to protect their homes and families.

That shift has been driven heavily by advertising by the nearly $20 billion gun industry that has tapped fears of crime and racial upheaval, according to Ryan Busse, a former industry executive.

Recent mass murders “are the byproduct of a gun industry business model designed to profit from increasing hatred, fear, and conspiracy,” Busse wrote this week in the online magazine The Bulwark.

GuNS ANd THe NeW NATION: For the men designing the new United States in the 1770s and 1780s, there was no question about gun ownership.

They said the monopoly on guns by the monarchies of Europe and their armies was the very source of oppression that the American colonists were fighting.

James Madison, the “father of the constitution,” cited “the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation.”

But he and the other founders understood the issue was complex.

Xi calls for advancing study of Chinese civilization, strengthening cultural confidence Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday stressed the strengthening of awareness and confidence in Chinese culture by inheriting and carrying forward its fine traditions and unswervingly following the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks during the 39th group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on a national research program dedicated to tracing the origins of the Chinese civilization.

Chinese civilization has a long history, is extensive and profound and is the unique spiritual identity of the Chinese nation, he said. It is also the foundation of contemporary Chinese culture, he said, as well as the spiritual bond that binds Chinese people

around the world and the treasure of Chinese cultural innovation.

The project to explore the origins of the Chinese civilization has made remarkable achievements, Xi said, but there is still a long way ahead as the successes are still preliminary and phased.

The project to explore the origins of Chinese civilization has made an original contribution to the study of the origin of world civilizations, he said, but more efforts are needed in conducting research, interpretation, and display of unearthed cultural relics and sites to enhance the influence and appeal of Chinese civilization.

He pointed out that exploring its origins helps to show the development of the sense of community in the Chinese nation.

In promoting the creative transformation

and development of fine traditional Chinese culture, he underlined carrying forward revolutionary culture, developing advanced socialist culture and seeking the source of vitality from China’s fine traditional culture.

He stressed upholding the values of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness among civilizations, saying that people should understand the values of different civilizations with an open mind and respect people of different countries in exploring their own development paths.

In handling relations among civilizations, let us replace estrangement with exchange, clashes with mutual learning, and superiority with coexistence, he said.

He also stressed the importance of cultural relic preservation and historical heritage protection. agencies

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Sunday, 29 May, 2022 | LAHORE

Sri LAnkA overTAkeS PAkiSTAn in iCC WorLd TeST ChAmPionShiP PoinTS TABLe

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SPORTS 11

aGeNcIeS

RI Lanka has dethroned Pakistan from the fourth position in World Test Championship (WTC) points table as they secured a comprehensive victory against Bangladesh in Dhaka.

The visiting team clinched 12 important points as they secured the two-Test series against Bangladesh away from home.

Sri Lanka required only 29 runs to claim the victory in the second Test match as the first match ended in a draw.

The visiting team reached the target in three overs without the loss of any wicket.

Asitha Fernando was named player of the match for his remarkable bowling effort; he became only the second bowler from the country to take a 10-wicket haul in an away Test match.

On the other hand, former Sri

Birthday wishes pour in for misbah as he turns 48 Staff RepoRt

Lanka captain Angelo Matthews was named as player of the series as he topped the charts with the most runs

scored during the series with 344 – including two centuries.

The Men in Green will try to re-

gain the lost position as they take on Sri Lanka in a two-Test match away series later this year.

Djokovic wants to play in Australia again paRIS Agencies

Babar Azam chosen as Somerset’s best-ever T20 cricketer Staff RepoRt Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been chosen as Somerset’s best-ever T20 cricketer in a fan survey done in the lead-up to the 2022 T20 Blast by the franchise’s supporters. The right-handed batsman represented Somerset in the 2020 edition of the tournament and accumulated 218 runs in seven innings at an average of 36.33 which also included his career-best 114 runs innings off 62 deliveries. It is worth pointing out that Babar Azam reached the landmark of 5000 runs in T20 cricket while wearing the Somerset kit, becoming the third-fastest man to get there after Chris Gayle and Shaun Marsh. Through the past 20 seasons of T20 cricket, cricket fans in England and Wales have had the opportunity to see some of the best players in the world. AB de Villiers, Alex Hales, Moeen Ali, Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Colin Ingram, Ravi Bopara, David Willey, Jos Buttler, and Luke Wright were all chosen as the greatest cricketers in their respective teams. Babar Azam is not participating in this year’s T20 Blast for Somerset due to national duty as he will lead the national side in the three-match ODI series against West Indies at home. The Pakistan captain was among the most expensive players in the draft for The Hundred this summer, but he decided not to be a part of the tournament due to personal reasons.

World number one Novak Djokovic has said he would like to return to play in Australia again despite being deported from the country earlier this year due to not having a Covid-19 vaccination.

The 20-time Grand Slam winner was unable to defend his Australian Open title in January after being deported amid a media frenzy after being initially admitted to the tournament despite not being vaccinated.

“I don’t know anything about whether my visa is going to be reinstated or whether I’m going to be allowed to come back to Australia. I would like to. I would like to go there and play the Australian Open,” he told a news conference.

“I don’t hold any grudges.

Look, you know, it was what it was. If I have an opportunity to go back to Australia and play a place where I made the biggest success in my career on Grand Slam, I would love to come back.”

Djokovic, who is not vaccinated against Covid-19, was flown out of Australia after an 11-day ordeal at the discretion of the country’s immigration minister over concerns the tennis great could fuel anti-vax sentiment.

Scott Morrison, the Prime Minister at the time, has lost elections since and Australia’s Labor Party leader, Anthony Albanese,

The Cricket fraternity has showered Misbah-ul-Haq with praise as Pakistan’s most successful Test captain turns 48-years-old. Born in Mianwali, Misbah remained an integral part of Pakistan’s Test history as he led the men in Green to 26 Test victory in 56 matches and suffered 19 defeats. Under his reign, Pakistan became the number one Test team back in 2016. Misbah represented Pakistan in 75 Tests, 162 ODIs, and 39 T20Is and accumulated 11,132 runs in all formats of the game. It is worth adding that after he announced his retirement from cricket, Misbah-ul-Haq later joined the Pakistan squad as Head Coach where he won seven matches and suffered six defeats from 16 Test matches. Previously, his predecessor Mickey Arthur managed more wins (10) but had a far worse loss ratio (17) from a total of 28 Test matches managed. The cricket fraternity got together to wish Misbah-ul-Haq his 48th birthday as he remains one of the biggest icons in the modern-day era. The PCB stated Misbah’s accomplishments and paid him well-deserved respect. Misbah’s former teammate Wahab Riaz called him “one of the finest of the game” as he wished him.

“Prayers and best wishes for a happy, and healthier life ahead Ameen,” the left-arm pacer wrote. Former skipper of Pakistan Sarfaraz Ahmed wished him a happy birthday. “Happy birthday Misbah-ul-Haq bhai May Allah give u lots of love and happiness,” he wrote. Pakistani all-rounder Shadab Khan said that he learned a lot from Misbah, under whom, he started his career. “Started my Pakistan Super League (PSL) journey with Islamabad United under Misbah-ul-Haq. Won my first Test cap with Pakistan under Misbah bhai’s captaincy, played under him when he was coach too,” the leg-spinner wrote.

Liverpool to play for Ukraine people in Champions League final, klopp says paRIS was sworn in as the country’s 31st prime minister earlier this month.

Djokovic had spent some days in an immigration detention centre in Melbourne and had met refugees who had been there for years. Some have since been released.

“If that’s correct, then I’m obviously very happy about it, because I know that it was very difficult for them, particularly for the ones that stayed there for nine years,” Djokovic said.

“You know, I stayed there for a week, and I can’t imagine how they felt for nine years. If I brought some light to that situation then, you know, in a positive way for them, for this to happen, then of course I’m very happy.”

The debacle surrounding Djokovic deprived the 35-year-old

of the chance to win a record-extending 10th Australian Open. He could have also claimed a record 21st Grand Slam title – a feat his rival Rafa Nadal managed to achieve in Melbourne instead.

The Serbian also expressed his shock and sadness at the imprisonment of his former coach Boris Becker, jailed in England for two years and six months in April for hiding hundreds of thousands of pounds of assets after being declared bankrupt.

“It’s terrible. I don’t know what to say,” added Djokovic.

“I mean, I’m just very sad that someone I know so well, and of course someone that is a legend of our sport, is going through what he’s going through. It breaks my heart to, you know, see him go through this.”

ReuteRs

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp dedicated Saturday’s Champions League final against Real Madrid in Paris to the people of Ukraine, expressing support for the country against Russia’s invasion. The game, a rematch of the 2018 final, had been scheduled for St Petersburg’s Gazprom Arena but was shifted to the Stade de France after Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of its neighbour. “I am happy that the game is here for thousands of reasons,” Klopp told reporters. The war is still going on and we have to think about that.”

The German said moving the final to Paris was “exactly the right message that Russia should get”.

Moscow calls the war a “special military operation” to demilitarise and “denazify” Ukraine. Kyiv and the West call it an unprovoked war of aggression. “We play this final for all the people in Ukraine. I am sure some people in Ukraine can still watch it and we do it for you, 100 percent,” Klopp said. Liverpool hopes to win a third trophy this season after success in the League Cup and FA Cup, while Real seeks to add to their LaLiga triumph and clinch a record-extending 14th Champions League crown.

No.1 Scheffler keeps share of PGA Colonial lead LoS aNGeLeS AFP

Top-ranked Masters champion Scottie Scheffler fired a five-under par 65 to keep a share of the lead after Friday’s second round of the US PGA Charles Schwab Challenge.

Scheffler, chasing his fifth victory of the year, stood alongside fellow Americans Beau Hossler and Scott Stallings on nine-under 131 after 36 holes at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

After winning his first US PGA title at Phoenix in February, Scheffler won at Bay Hill and captured the WGC Match Play title in March then won his first major title at the Masters in April to overtake Spain’s Jon Rahm as world number one.

“I’ve definitely enjoyed the stuff that comes with winning majors and winning the other tournaments that I have,” Scheffler said. “It has been a lot of fun.”

Scheffler has not made a bogey in the first two rounds. “I love that stat,” Scheffler said. “I kept the stress off myself for the most part.”

Scheffler missed the cut at last week’s PGA Championship, giving him a much-needed break before a hometown event.

“It has been busy,” he said. “Definitely a good reset.

I came home and did nothing on Saturday and had a relaxing practice on Sunday. It was definitely a good little

break.”

Hot and windy weather is forecast for the weekend.

“I like it when the conditions are really hard and so I’d rather it be very difficult than very easy,” Scheffler said. “If you’re playing really good golf, you can extend yourself and I’m really excited for the challenge this weekend.”

Scheffler opened with back-to-back birdie putts from about four feet and made a par save from just inside 10 feet at the par-4 seventh.

He began the back nine with a birdie then holed a 24-foot birdie putt at the 12th and a 14-footer for birdie at the 17th to share the lead again after being among eight co-leaders following the first 18 holes.

“I worked really hard just improving my iron play and creating a lot of different shots for myself,” Scheffler said. “This course is a lot about the approaches to the green and it looks like the hard work is paying off out here.”

Stallings fired a 64, the best round so far this week.

He closed the front nine with a 20-foot birdie putt at the eighth and hole-out from 37 feet at the ninth, then sank

a birdie putt from just inside 29 feet at the 18th to share the lead.

“Had some good looks early,” said Stallings. “I felt good on the greens, felt good with my stroke and nice to see them fall in there towards the second half of the round.”

Hossler holed birdie putts at the par-3 eighth from 24 feet and the par-3 13th from 21 feet to highlight his bogey-free 65.

“Played a solid round,” Hossler said. “Nothing too exciting. Hit a lot of greens and just made the round relatively stress free.”

Thomas misses cuT: Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, was fourth on 132 with fellow Americans Pat Perez and Chris Kirk sharing fifth on 133.

Justin Thomas, who won his second major title at last week’s PGA Championship, and fellow American Will Zalatoris, who lost at Southern Hills in a playoff, each missed the cut.

Chile’s Mito Pereira, who missed out on the PGA playoff after a 72nd-hole collapse on Sunday, fired a 66 to stand on 136.

Sunday, 29 May, 2022

prayer timiNgs

NEWS

PM Shehbaz felICItateS newlyeleCted offICIalS of CPne ISLAMABAD

P

staff report

RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday congratulated the newly-elected officials of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) on winning annual election of the media body.

CPNE President Kazim Khan, Senior Vice President Ayaz Khan, Secretary General Amir Mahmood, Deputy Secretary General Yousaf Nizami, Vice President Salman Masood and other officials were re-elected in polls held on Saturday.

Prime Minister said that freedom of the press and expression is an indispensable constitutional requirement for strengthening democracy, the PM said in

ISLAMABAD

PM stresses unity to achieve economic sovereignty ISLAMABAD

News Desk

staff report

As three seats for Supreme Court judges lie vacant, senior apex court judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa has again strongly advocated for the elevation of high court chief justices to the country’s superior court in the absence of an objective criteria.

It was revealed on Saturday that Justice Isa, a member of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), has penned a letter to the JCP Chief CJP Umar Ata Bandial regarding the matter.

The letter underscored potential advantages regarding the appointment of chief justices of high courts as apex court judges. Justice Isa also provided reasons as to why junior high court judges should not be elevated to the SC. A copy of the letter has been sent to all members of the JCP, including to two former chief justices. The previous six appointments to the Supreme Court were made without adhering to the seniority principle. Currently, there are three vacant posts for apex court judges, but the formal process of appointment has yet to start.

As per a senior representative of the bar, the majority of JCP members agree with the bar’s view that if there are no solid reasons then senior judges, including chief justices, should be considered for the appointment of SC judges, otherwise there will be a perception of ‘court packing’.

“Superior court judges are required to take an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. An important component of this oath is to ensure that the people’s fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution are not trampled upon. Therefore, an important factor to consider in the selection of superior court judges is also whether they have the requisite ability and determination to resist and repel unconstitutional acts, and the courage to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution,” read the letter penned by Justice Isa. The senior judge also noted in his letter that the longstanding practice was to elevate chief justices of the high court to the Supreme Court, as they would have gained valuable judicial experience covering a multitude of legal subjects through their tenure. “They would also be conversant with the multifarious issues and problems of judicial administration,” he added.

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Sharif, son reject money laundering claim, tell court ‘devoted to public service’ LAHORE staff report

a statement. The PML-N-led coalition government not only believes in protecting the media and freedom of expression but is taking steps to promote it, he added.

PM Shehbaz said CPNE is a leading media body and the government will work with it to promote press freedom in Pakistan.

“I pray that the newly-elected body will be able to fulfil its responsibility of serving journalists and journalism, for which they will have our full support,” the statement quoted him as saying.

Meanwhile, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General Major General Babar Iftikhar also felicitated the newly-elected members on election, saying the CPNE has always promoted responsible journalism.

Justice Isa writes to CJP for appointments against SC vacant seats

FAJR SUNRISE 3:38

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Saturday stressed they would have to move ahead with the same spirit as manifested on Youm-i-Takbir to achieve economic sovereignty and self-dependence.

In a message to mark the silver jubilee of the country’s first nuclear weapons test, the prime minister said the day reminded that for the defence, solidarity and national interests, they would not budge from any sacrifice. Pakistan detonated five nuclear devices underground in remote hills in Balochistan on May 28, 1998, two weeks after arch-rival India conducted similar tests.

The tests sparked widespread celebrations among Pakistanis proud that their nuclear scientists had matched the Indians. Sharif said the historic day was a clear declaration of ‘no compromise over country’s sovereignty, and defence’.

He underlined that it was a day to get united for the solidarity of the country as it was the main strength of the nation and expressed his determination that with such unity, hard work and staunch faith, they would turn Pakistan into an economic power.

The prime minister paid tributes to the patriotism of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif who he declared raised with pride the head of Pakistan among

the comity of nations, adding his elder brother “rejected” the pressures and temptations and made Pakistan the seventh nuclear world power and the first Muslim nation to possessing nuclear weapons.

He also lauded Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the founder of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, and paid rich tributes to all those who had worked during the tenures of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) founder to Nawaz for making the defence of the country invincible including scientists, engineers and others.

The prime minister said the armed forces had rendered valuable services for the country’s nuclear programme which had been a golden chapter in its history. He also appreciated the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission which played a vital role in the defence and solidarity of the country, adding that they also remembered Abdul Qadir Khan who had spent his whole life serving the country.

The prime minister also expressed his gratitude to Saudi Arabia and other brotherly and friendly countries that had helped Pakistan during the economic sanctions. The prime minister said the mountains of Chagai still echoed with the same resolve, and Balochistan province still bore distinction with regard to defence of the country.

The prime minister further stressed that the tenday celebrations should be dedicated to the nation’s unity and progress and prosperity of the country.

PPP senator suggests new govt should decide on IMF ISLAMABAD: In an apparent deviating from his party line, PPP senior leader Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar suggested that the decision to go to the International Monetary Fund should be taken by a government with a fresh mandate. “The prevailing situation in the country warrants early elections to steer the country out of current turmoil.” Taking to his Twitter handle on Saturday, Khokhar said, “The decision to go to IMF should be taken by a government with a fresh mandate.” He clarified that it was his personal opinion.”We will be facing very tough conditions and a government with a fresh mandate will be in a better position to negotiate and perhaps get better terms,” said Khokhar, adding, “Why should we carry the burden of Imran Khan’s failures?” Khokhar’s views reflect the difference of opinion among the coalition partners over the high political price of tough economic decisions taken under the IMF’s pressure and many have stated this publicly.

However, the coalition parties decided to go ahead with the decision to stabilise the economy.

Govt hIkeS In petroL prIce By rS30 per LItre: On Thursday, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail announced the increase in the price of petroleum products after the IMF emphasised abolishing the subsidies on commodities.

The prime minister rejected allegations of graft levelled against him and said he always put personal interests behind him to selflessly devote himself to public service, as he testified in a special court hearing the Rs16 billion money laundering case against Shehbaz Sharif and members of his family.

He said these remarks during the hearing of the case in an accountability court in Lahore on Saturday. Special Court (Central-I) judge Ijaz Hassan Awan chaired the proceedings wherein his son and Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz also appeared.

Sharif and his family are facing charges of money laundering of billions of rupees using accounts operated in the name of their businesses and employees, according to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

During the hearing, Sharif went to the rostrum and told the court he never committed corruption of even a penny. He said he even used to buy petrol from his own pocket to fill up his vehicles’ tanks.

“I used to buy air tickets even from my own pocket whenever I would go on official tours,” he said, adding he left no stone unturned in the service of the people of Punjab.

He wondered how whimsical were the corruption charges on a man who never claimed his own salaries and other fringe benefits.

He told the court he was accused of giving a Rs14 million cheque. While on the other hand, “I even did not take even a penny from the exchequer in the form of salary or TA and DA [travelling allowance and dearness allowance],” he said.

He also said he had relinquished his legal right estimating around Rs70-80 million under the head of his salaries.

“My case is not worth more than Rs0.5 million as I had not withdrawn more money than this in the shape of my salaries,” he told the court.

The prime minister told the court while he was serving as the Punjab chief minister between 2008 and 2018, he had got a summary seeking approval of Rs15 per kilogramme subsidy on sugar production to increase its export. “But I rejected the summary and this decision of mine harmed my family’s economic interests which owned sugar mills to the tune of Rs2 billion.” He said he was not boasting about his inherent goodness in the court, but he wanted to inform the court why would he be committing corruption of this petty amount.

He further said he did not impose excise duty on the ethanol which is used in the sugar production despite the fact that his son was setting up an ethanol plant.

This decision robbed my family of Rs80 million in potential benefits, he added.

After this, Sharif and Shehbaz left the court after requesting it to let them go.

The reference mainly accused Sharif of being a beneficiary of assets held in the name of his family members and benamidars (frontmen), who had no sources to acquire such assets.

It said the family members and frontmen of the Shehbaz family received fake foreign remittances of billions in their personal bank accounts. In addition to these remittances, the bureau said, billions of rupees were laundered by way of foreign pay orders, which were deposited in the personal bank accounts of Hamza and his brother Suleman Shehbaz.

The reference further said that the family of Shehbaz failed to justify the sources of funds used for the acquisition of assets.

It said the suspects committed offences of corruption and corrupt practices as envisaged under the provisions of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999, and money laundering as delineated in the AntiMoney Laundering Act, 2010. It asked the trial court to try the suspects and punish them under the law.

Maryam urges judiciary to remain ‘impartial’, maintain distance from Imran Khan BAHAWALPUR News Desk

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz Saturday urged the judiciary to remain “impartial” and maintain a distance from PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s politics.

Speaking at a public gathering in Bahawalpur, the PML-N vice president said: “Imran Khan, the revolution that you want to bring through the Supreme Court, the SC itself, along with the people of Pakistan, will foil it.”

Maryam said Khan first drags institutions into politics and then utters abusive words for them.

“Therefore, with respect, I want to ask the Supreme Court to maintain distance from the politics of this anarchist (Khan) as the Supreme Court is an institution of Pakistan and it should remain impartial,” she added.

She said that Khan’s long march had failed, and this time, he sought help from the

apex court. “Is this the court’s job to save Imran Khan from his failures?” asked Maryam.

Although the PTI ended its long march earlier this week, the chairman has said that the party would come back on the streets with “complete preparations” if the government does not meet its six-day ultimatum to hold elections in June.

Moving on, the PML-N leader said that Pakistan faces no danger from foreign powers but the country faces a threat in the form of Khan. “Pakistan is at risk from the fitna and fasad — Imran Khan,” she added.

The PML-N vice president said that the coalition government had to increase the prices of petroleum products because of the agreement between Khan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

“Shehbaz Sharif announced the biggest relief package of Rs28 billion for the nation in the history of Pakistan,” said Maryam, adding that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif

and Shehbaz will take the country out of the crisis within a few months.

“Khan started begging Nawaz Sharif two days before the march to announce a date for the elections when he saw that his march was failing and said he would call off the march in return,” claimed the PML-N leader.

She said that the ex-PM could not even gather 25,000 people from all over the country, and then he claims that the preparations were not done.

“You used all the resources from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and gave money to your leaders to gather people for the march,” she added.

Criticising the former prime minister further, Maryam asked: “You failed to prepare for the march, but you prepared to set fire and attack the police?”

The PML-N vice president also said that ever since Khan was ousted, he started worrying about inflation.

“Khan said he was about to strike a deal

with Russia to get oil at cheaper rates. Why did the agreement not take place?” she asked.

“Were you waiting for Farah Gogi’s sig-

nature on the agreement?” asked Maryam, adding that “when the time came for Gogi to sign, she escaped Pakistan to Dubai.

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