Epaper – November 14 ISB 2021

Sunday, 14 November, 2021 I 8 Rabi-us-Sani, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 136 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition

Punjab first likely battleground if PdM accePts bilawal's Plan

ISLAMABAD Mian abrar

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AKISTAN People’s Party (PPP) has advised Maulana Fazlur Rehman-led opposition alliance of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to first focus on bringing an in-house change in Punjab and then center.

Sources within the PPP and the PDM have confirmed Pakistan Today that PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has assured Maulana Fazl all necessary support if the PDM shifts focus on bringing in-house chnages in Punjab and center rather than going for Long March which should be used as a last option.

The sources said that Bilawal’s proposal also has the blessings of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Shehbaz Sharif who also believes that inhouse change would be a natural political maneuver and it would deprive Prime Minister Imran Khan to play victim-hood in case of political destabilisation through

a long march.

PuNjaB lIKEly To BE FIRST BaTTlEGRouNd: The sources said that in case the opposition parties agree on an inhouse change for which according to them they have got required numbers, it would be a swift kill for the opposition to oust Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.

The sources said that Bilawal has assured the PDM leader that if the opposition alliance agrees, his party not only can support the PML-N candidate as Punjab Chief Minister, he can also provide the numbers from the government allies.

Meanwhile, the source said that the PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and PDM leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Saturday held a telephonic conversation to discuss the prevailing political situation in the country.

During the telephone call, both leaders agreed to mount more pressure on the government inside and outside Parliament, the sources said.

Expressing their satisfaction over unity among the Opposition parties, the two

coronavirus in

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leaders have decided to give the government a tough time.

“Giving the PTI-led government more time would be tantamount to injustice with the people and the country,” Fazlur Rehman was quoted.

The two leaders agreed to move the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s protest plan forward and discussed the Opposition’s long march towards Islamabad.

Talking about the long march, Nawaz Sharif assured Fazlur Rehman that his party will support the PDM’s decision.

GoVT allIES ShowING TRuE colouRS aS haRd TIMES aRRIVE: With the changing scenario, the government’s two major allied, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and Mutahidda Qoumi Movement (MQM) are gearing up to jump the ship anytime.

Leaders of both PTI allies – PML-Q and MQM-P – have expressed their concerns to media over the new legislation proposed by the ruling party and complained of being kept in the dark over important decisions.

The differences among the coalition partners emerged when the government postponed the joint sitting of the Parliament due to a lack of consensus over the bills to be placed for passage.

PML-Q leader Pervez Elahi Saturday indicated to go against the ruling PTI government over mistreatment of its workers in Punjab and for not being included in the decision-making process.

“We have been supporting them [the government] in the Centre and Punjab for the past three years but the provincial government is mistreating our workers in every district,” PML-Q leader and Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said while chairing a meeting of the party’s central committee in Lahore.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 02

Slow progress on Balochistan projects irks PM ISLAMABAD app

Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed concerns over the slow pace of the execution of development projects under the Rs600 billion southern Balochistan package and directed the committee overseeing the work to meet every month to review new developments.

Announced in November last, the package offered a series of projects in nine southern districts of the province. The federal government provided Rs540 billion and the rest is being spent by the provincial government.

The prime minister, who chaired a high-level meeting Saturday to review the progress on the realisation of the package, also instructed for holding the meeting of the executive committee fortnightly to speed up work on 200 development projects.

He was told that the Apex Committee, headed by the Chief Minister, met only since its formation.

The prime minister directed the authorities to complete Turbat International Airport and build two nursing colleges in Gwadar and Turbat cities at the earliest.

Sale of government assets gathers pace to meet IMF condition

CONFIRMED CASES:

1,279,373

Khan said he would personally hold review meetings every month to remove impediments in the completion of the projects.

He observed the issues faced by Balochistan were different from the rest of the country as its population was scattered, and due to long distances, “we have to find out of the box solutions to improve the lives of people of Balochistan”.

He directed ministries of planning, energy and maritime affairs, and the provincial government to work in close coordination to accelerate the work on transport, energy and infrastructure projects.

Earlier, Khan was briefed that Balochistan was a resource-rich province as it produces 40 percent of the locally produced gas in the country. Ownership of the federal government was needed to solve various issues being faced by the province.

The prime minister directed the Balochistan government to revamp its governance structure at the grassroots level not only to accelerate the pace of work on development projects but also to improve the service delivery to the common man.

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more inside

Punjab seeks withdrawal of reference against Saad Rizvi STORY ON BACK PAGE

Pakistan issues 3,000 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims on eve of Guru Nanak’s anniversary

LAST UPDATED AT 10:11 AM ON NOVEMBER 13, 2021

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RECOVERED:

STORY ON PAGE 02

DEATHS:

Fazl vows to go to any limit to oust Imran Khan-led PTI Govt

1,227,688 28,595 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

473,081

441,720

KPK:

BALOCHISTAN:

179,000 AJK/GB:

33,391 ISLAMABAD:

34,506/10,400

107,275

ISLAMABAD staff report

The Privatization Commission has decided to speed up the process of the sale of various government assets in order to meet one of the conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Sources disclosed on Saturday that in this connec-

tion a dispute had arisen over the refinancing of loans for Haveli Bahadur Shah and Head Baloki power plants for which negotiations were underway with the stakeholders.

Sources further said that a summary would be forwarded to the Privatization Board in a few days from now for the hiring of financial advisers for the sale

of some of the government properties.

Furthermore, it has been learnt that the government has decided to complete the privatization of the Heavy Electrical Complex as early as possible, and in order to determine the sale price, the Privatization Board as well as the federal cabinet were being consulted.

STORY ON BACK PAGE

Taliban have inclusive government in Afghanistan, says foreign minister STORY ON PAGE 03

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Sunday, 14 November, 2021 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

PakiStan iSSueS 3,000 viSaS to inDian Sikh PilgriMS on eve of guru nanak’S anniverSary

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N the eve of the 552nd birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, the Pakistan High Commission for India has issued around 3,000 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims , a statement issued by the commission stated on Friday.

As per the statement, the celebrations will take place from November 17 to November 26, 2021.

The Sikh pilgrims would pay obeisance at different gurdwaras, including Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib and Gurdawara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur during their stay in Pakistan.

Punjab first likely battleground if PDM accepts Bilawal's plan ContInueD froM pAge 01 Elahi announced convening a PML-Q Parliamentary Party meeting on Sunday (today) in which a unanimous decision will be taken on the future course of action, saying that the ruling party was not offering them any opportunity to participate in the decision-making process despite being an ally. The party leaders also pointed out that despite being an ally, the Punjab government only met the assembly speaker during the budget session or whenever it needed support. “We all have serious reservations over the attitude of the provincial government.”

PML-Q Senator Kamil Ali Agha also underscored that the Senate election was enough to remind the government of the PML-Q role in winning it. “Did the government forget how it won the Senate election without asking for votes? The rulers also forgot that none of their candidates came to ask for votes, yet in the most difficult election of the Senate, the PML-Q helped them pull through.”

While responding to the warning of the PML-Q leadership, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said that the government would improve its working relationship with the PML-Q by taking ahead the consultation process. “We were and will remain allies.” Buzdar underlined that the PML-Q “is our ally and decisions have always been taken in Punjab with consultation”. The government always took allied parties along with it in Punjab and the practice would continue in the future as well, he said, assuring that the journey of public service would be carried out along with the PML-Q with best working coordination. Before his departure to Saudi Arabia, Buzdar clarified that he visited the residence of Punjab Assembly speaker. He said that the government never adopted a solo policy in Punjab and always gave due importance to the suggestion of the elected representative of the coalition party. “The government will continue to work together with its allies to provide relief to the people of the province.” He said, “The nefarious designs of those who want to create a rift among us will be foiled. “The conspirators will fail and our alliance will move forward as no conspiracy of creating misunderstandings between us will succeed.” Sharing his reservations on the current political situation, MQM-Pakistan chief Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said his party had conveyed the problems of the masses several times to the PTI government. He revealed that the party was not briefed on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), adding that “we got to know about it through the media.” “We had some important questions related to it but we never got the answers. So we told them that we have a lot of questions and as it turned out, other coalition partners were also not taken into confidence,” he added. Siddiqui said one of the questions that his party has about the EVMs is that how will the machines guarantee transparent elections. He said the MQM had also asked the government to test the machines through a process.

“We asked the government to seek the Engineering Council’s opinion on it,” he revealed. “We also asked it to test it in an election [before using it].”

Siddiqui said that MQM-Pakistan had been told that those who will handle the machines will not manipulate the results. “We were given the guarantee that this will not happen, but how it will not happen, that we haven’t been told,” he said. He said the party was also curious as to how the government will manufacture so many EVMs when it did not have the time to do so. Siddiqui said that if the government did not take serious decisions then coalition partners will continue to remain anxious.

“Despite three years passing, we haven’t seen the effects of change,” he said. However, Siddiqui said his party does not doubt the prime minister’s intentions. He said the party expected the prime minister to demonstrate seriousness in his decisions.

He said the economic indicators were pointing out that no serious or concrete action over the past couple of years had been taken by the government.

As per the details, visas to the Sikh pilgrims have been issued under the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, which provides for visit of 3,000 Sikh pilgrims from India for the birthday celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak. Thousands of Sikh pilgrims residing in countries other than India would also be visiting Pakistan to attend the event. Pakistan High Commission in India has also extended profound felicitations to the Sikh community in India and across the world on the 552nd Birth Anniversary of the founder of the Sikh religion. The High Commission also wishes a spiritually-rewarding yatra to the pilgrims visiting Pakistan on this occasion.

The issuance of maximum number of pilgrimage

visas is in line with the Government of Pakistan’s efforts for promoting visits to religious shrines in Pakistan.

It is pertinent to note that PM Imran Khan has taken several initiatives for the facilitation of Sikh pilgrims, including the historic opening of the visa-free Kartarpur Sahib Corridor in November 2019 on the occasion of 550th Birth Anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak.

The magnificent, newly built Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib complex was a gift by the people of Pakistan and their leadership to the Sikh community from India and worldwide. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Asim Iftikhar Ahmad while speaking during a weekly briefing, stated that Pakistan

opened the Kartarpur Corridor in June 2020, adding that he hopes the Indian government will allow Sikh citizens to take advantage of the transit route to Kartarpur.

“We are ready to welcome Sikh pilgrims coming to Pakistan on the occasion of Guru Nanak’s 552nd birth anniversary,” Ahmad said. “We have made wide-ranging arrangements to facilitate the Sikh pilgrims.”

Fawad settles dispute between Shoaib, Nauman newS DeSk Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry and renowned journalist Saleem Safi on Saturday held talks with anchor Dr Nauman Niaz and former cricketer Shoaib Akhtar.

Last month, Nauman and Shoaib had had a heated exchange during a live telecast on PTV Sports, prompting Akhtar’s resignation from the channel.

However, after the meeting on Saturday, Nauman publicly apologised to Shoaib in a video.

“Shoaib Akhtar, I am extremely sorry for whatever happened on screen. It shouldn’t have happened, for the reason that [we] have a 30-year-long friendship and that shouldn’t go down,” Nauman said.

Akhtar, who also featured in the video, replied: “It’s

fine. He (Niaz) said it, he said it. He should have said it a long time ago.”

The video ends with Niaz saying “it’s never too late” and patting Akhtar on the back.

Later, Akhtar confirmed his reconciliation with Niaz on Twitter. “It was an unpleasant incident on national television and it had hurt my sentiments [and] that’s why it took me a while. Taking a higher moral ground, I am accepting the apology of Dr Nauman Niaz. Lets move on from this,” he tweeted, referring to his spat with Niaz.

The information minister, in a tweet, shared a selfie with both Shoaib and Nauman and said that the matter was not so big but the social media portrayed it so big.

“All is well that ends well,” Fawad remarked.

SMOG: Lahore wakes up to itchy eyes, coughs and sniffles LAHore INp

The people of Lahore woke up sniffing, coughing, and breathless Saturday morning. Along with panic, the air was filled with pollution choking the city into a tight vice of smog.

On Thursday, Lahore was declared the most polluted city globally, according to the Air Quality Index (AQI) due to high smog levels. Others parts of Punjab Province are also reporting massive surge in pollution related health issues. On Saturday, the AQI of the city was recorded a hazardous 346.

According to experts, smog is caused by air pollution that can not only cause accidents but is also harmful to health. Rain can only recede the smog.

The Met office has, unfortunately, predicted no rain in the city in the coming days and has cautioned people to take precautions and wear face masks.

In a bid to make this a tad bit better, the deputy commissioner of Lahore has formed an Anti-smog Task Force. It will comprise heads of the environmental department, Water and Sanitation Agency, Metropolitan

Corporation Lahore, industries, and police.

Lahore DC Muhammad Usman said that every squad will inspect 12 and 60 industrial units on a daily and weekly basis, respectively.

“Two special teams have been formed to monitor cars emitting smoke in the city,” he revealed, adding that the government has decided to visit all brick kilns and factories in the city using boilers and surfaces.

On Friday, Justice Shahid Karim heard an environmental pollution case in the Lahore High Court.

He said that no measures have been taken by the concerned authorities to curb smog and bureaucrats were just seating in their offices sending reports from there.

The court, consequently, appointed a judicial assistant to implement the commission report on smog, environmental pollution, and water pollution.

Earlier, the Judicial Water Environment Commission submitted a report in the Lahore High Court. It revealed that 250 brick kilns and 186 factories were sealed because their businesses were the primary contributors to air pollution. Moreover, over 5,201 vehicles were fined for emitting smoke.

Project to test food delivery through drone launched in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD NewS DeSk

A customised drone was used on Friday to test food delivery by Pakistan’s leading food delivery company.

The test flight of the drone conducted in association with the office of the deputy commissioner Islamabad — named ‘Pandafly’ — took place in the F-9 Park.

The use of disruptive technology by Foodpanda means faster deliveries over longer distances.

Customers living in peri-urban and remote areas will especially benefit from this initiative as they have limited food delivery options in their local area so with drone delivery they will be able to order food from main urban centres as well.

The last mile of delivery by drone will be completed by a Foodpanda rider.

It must be noted that this is the first of its kind commercial drone made in Pakistan for this purpose.

Expressing his views, Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Hamza Shafqaat said: “E-commerce and the use of technology to serve the citizens is definitely the future and the Islamabad civil administration stands committed to supporting anyone who takes the initiative to provide greater convenience and facilities for the public.”

He said the district administration was adopting innovative technologies by launching the City App to provide 40 services in various sectors to the people.

With access to technology in public sectors, the administration has expanded its revenue collection from Rs4 billion to Rs10 billion annually.

Speaking at the pilot launch, Nauman Sikandar Mirza, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Foodpanda, said: “Foodpanda’s core ethos is to constantly innovate, stretch the limits and leverage technology to find great solutions for meeting the evolving needs of the people.

“Before we start actual drone deliveries for our customers, there are still many aspects that need to be thoroughly evaluated and locked in, including technical, operational and legal matters and we are vigorously addressing all these. The successful test flight and delivery today has been highly encouraging and proves we are on the right flight path.”

Margalla police registers case on fake stamp papers ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Margalla Police has registered a case against the accused who made fake stamp papers of valuable lands of the citizen after completion of an inquiry.

The inquiry against the accused was conducted by Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue (ADCR), Islamabad. A case has been registered

by Israr Ahmed in Margalla police station. He said that in order to acquire his valuable property, Muhammad Almas, Tariq, Haq Nawaz, etc. obtained a partnership stamp of 2005 about which the petitioner neither signed nor gave a thumbs impressions. When he became aware of his participation in the valuable lands, then move a application to Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue (ADCR) to enquire the matter, the stamp seller Sheikh Bilal appeared in inquiry and replied to the ADCR that the stamp number 4419 was issued to Tariq at the REQUEST of the dealer while Israr Ahmed did not put any signature or thumb print on it. After the completion of the inquiry, a case has been registered under the provisions of the constitution.

Slow progress on Balochistan projects irks PM ContInueD froM pAge 01 He also directed the authorities concerned to launch an effective media campaign to ensure public awareness of the government’s initiatives for the welfare of the people of Balochistan. The meeting was attended by Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar, Minister for Industries Khusro Bakhtiar, Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry, Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, Advisor on Finance Shaukat Tarin, Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo and other senior officers. On Friday, Khan directed the Planning Commission to prepare another special development package for the development of northern Balochistan. He issued these instructions during a meeting with Bizenjo in Islamabad. A report said the prime minister also discussed various issues, including the development and financial needs of the province, and reviewed the pace of work and implementation of the federal governmentfunded development projects, including the package for the southern districts.

Sunday, 14 November, 2021 | ISLAMABAD

TaliBan have inclusive governMenT in afghanisTan, says foreign MinisTer ISLAMABAD

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top Taliban official has dismissed the idea of integrating opposition leaders in the interim Afghanistan administration, stressing no state has the authority to force them to accept former governments’ representatives into the governance system.

Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi made the remarks at a

program hosted by Islamabad-based think-tank, Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, Friday where he was a guest speaker.

The Taliban already have constituted an inclusive government that included representatives from all ethnic groups across the country, he said, referring to different countries’ demands for different ethnic groups to be included in the governance.

“We have Tajiks, Balochs, Turkmens, Nuristanis, Uzbeks, and

a number of other ethnic groups,” he added.

“If by inclusivity they mean the participation of diverse ethnic communities in Afghanistan and people from different regions of the country, then our current cabinet and government meet that criteria,” he asserted.

If former President Ashraf Ghani’s government was considered inclusive, then all of the people who worked in the previous administration have been kept in the

current administrative system, he argued.

“And if by inclusivity they mean political opposition figures have a seat in the cabinet and other high positions of power, then please show us an example of such a government where opposition figures are also occupying positions of power,” he asked. “We have never requested Mr Biden (US President) to give a seat to Trump (former US President) and his cabinet members, so why are they asking us?”

NEWS

Muttaqi also spoke about the country’s security, saying that when US and NATO forces failed to bring peace to Afghanistan despite spending billions of dollars, the Taliban did so with limited resources, but “they still do not know what more these want from us.” He invited the international community to engage with them and discuss the reforms they want in the country. “We proposed that we work toward it through cooperation rather than pressure, because pressure

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techniques have failed to produce results for the past 20 years and are still being used, implying that lessons have not been learned,” the acting Afghan diplomat commented.

World needs to define human rights: In response to a question about human rights violations in Afghanistan, Muttaqi accused the US and its former allies in the country of imprisoning and killing thousands of innocent people while no one spoke out.

“When Afghanistan’s prisons were packed with 35,000 people.

Village marketplaces were routinely raided, and hamlets were bombarded on a daily basis. That was not regarded as a human rights violation.

Yet, now, when there is not a single political opposition in Afghanistan’s prisons, they claim that human rights are being violated,” he argued.

32 harassment plaints by journalists in a year: Islamabad police MoNItoRING REpoRt

MQM leaders meet in Dubai DUBAI INp

As many as 32 harassment cases were filed by journalists against suspected attempts on their lives or of assaulting them in a year, Islamabad police said.

Police informed Supreme Court Friday it had over 12 months submitted to trial courts the cases of 32 persons suspected of involvement in 16 attempts on the lives of journalists or of assaulting them, a report said.

A seperate report on behalf of the deputy inspector general (DIG) of operations in Islamabad said out of 16 cases registered from September 13 last to September 12 this year, four were still under investigation, the report reported.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Farooq Sattar and former Sindh governor Ishrat ul-Ibad held a meeting in Dubai wherein they exchanged views on the political situation in Pakistan. Sattar and Ibad agreed to formulate a joint strategy to address the issues of urban areas of the province. Ibad said Karachi has failed to play a national role in national politics. He urged to prioritise the national interests after forgetting the bitter memories. Sattar said national issues could be resolved through joint struggle. He also suggested contacting other experienced political figures. They said a sense of deprivation was increasing among the population of Karachi and it was necessary to formulate a joint strategy to address it. Sattar said there should be a charter of stability, development and prosperity that ought to be finalised to cope with the challenges.

Bills criminalising disappearances, ensuring protection of journalists adopted: Mazari

The report was furnished in compliance with a directive by a three-judge Supreme Court bench after it took up suo motu a complaint of harassment moved by the Press Association of the Supreme Court on behalf of a journalist.

At the last hearing on September 13, the apex court had asked the chief of Islamabad police whether or not the reported attacks on journalists had been investigated and the culprits brought to book.

The IGP told the court that some of the cases remained unsolved on account of insufficient evidence.

But the court ordered him to furnish a comprehensive report about all reported attacks on journalists over the past one year, the publication said.

Pakistan, US navies hold joint drill KARACHI Staff RepoRt

USS Pearl Harbor, a Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship of the American Navy, arrived in Karachi where the navies of the US and Pakistan conducted a joint exercise to support naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the region.

The two navies issued a joint statement, saying: “USS Pearl Harbor is deployed to the US 5th Fleet AOR. #NavyPartnerships.”

USS Pearl Harbor conducted a scheduled port visit in Karachi on November 9-11.

Chinese enterprise gifts Covid-19 testing kits to Pakistan BEIJING app

ISLAMABAD app

Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said the National Assembly had passed a bill related to the protection of journalists and five other rightsrelated proposals, including criminalising enforced disappearances. Mazari had in August, while stressing enforced disappearances were unacceptable in a democracy, hinted the government will soon approve laws to make enforced disappearances a criminal offence. In a message on Twitter, Mazari said one of the bills also expanded the scope of harassment of women at the workplace through an amendment. The bills adopted by National Assembly include: Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Bill, 2021; Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace (Amendment) Bill, 2021; National Commission on the Rights of Child (Amendment) Bill, 2021; Juvenile Justice System (Amendment) Bill, 2021; Islamabad Capital Territory Child Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and Enforced Disappearances Bill: The Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2021.

A Chinese enterprise on Friday gifted a batch of 100,000 Covid-19 testing kits and sample releaser buffer to Pakistan to bolster its capacity in the ongoing fight against the pandemic.

Pakistan Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque, China-Pakistan Friendship Association Chairman Ambassador Sha Zukang, Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries Vice President Li Xikui, China Friendship Foundation for Peace and Development Secretary General Wang Longshe, Wuhan EasyDiagnosis Biomedicine Deputy General Manager Wang Rui, and senior officials and representatives of media organisations attended the handing over ceremony at the Pakistan Embassy.

Thanking the Chinese enterprise for the generous gift, Moin ul Haque paid rich tribute to the Chinese people and government for supporting Pakistan in its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

He highlighted that the Pakistan-China closer cooperation during the pandemic has added another glorious chapter to the proud history of bilateral relations. He said that the donation of testing kits would be immensely helpful in supporting Pakistan’s

fight against Covid-19.

He informed that the Chinese vaccines have been a backbone of Pakistan’s inoculation drive and so far, about 130 million doses have been delivered to Pakistan from China, adding, “Today’s ceremony is yet another demonstration of this act of friendship and generosity.”

In his speech, Li Xikui said that CPAFFC would continue to meet Pakistan’s critical needs in the future as well. Ambassador Sha Zukang said that antipandemic cooperation between Pakistan and China had been beneficial to both the countries.

ECP seeks briefing from govt on EVMs on Nov 15 ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has sought briefing from Ministry of Science and Technology on electronic voting machines (EVMs) on November 15.

According to the letter sent by ECP to the ministry, the commission has asked for a detailed briefing with

complete documentary proof of the prototype of the machine.

The letter says that technical evaluation committee chaired by Secretary ECP to be briefed.

ECP will decide about the EVM pilot project after the briefing. The commission is considering using the machines in the upcoming by-election in NA 133 Lahore.

Then Pakistan Navy’s PNS Tabuk and Azmat ships sailed with USS Pearl Harbor in the Gulf of Oman.

“Longstanding cooperation between our navies is built on a shared commitment to safeguarding the seas and maintaining regional security and stability,” said US 5th Fleet in a tweet.

Pakistan Navy said the visit would enhance the joint peacebuilding measures in the region.

On completion of the port visit, the two naval forces conducted a passing exercise.

While in port, US crew members had an opportunity to rest in a designated liberty area and participated in several community relations activities.

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Sunday, 14 November, 2021 | ISLAMABAD

Sunday, 14 November, 2021 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

NTDC signed contract with foreign firm for procurement of Disc Insulator & hardware string

CouRT gRaNTS INTeRIm baIl To aCCuSeD IN NazIm JokhIo muRDeR CaSe KARACHI

Lahore: National Transmission and Despatch Company Limited (NTDC) will procure Disc Insulator & hardware string amounting to Euro 10,800,393 for 500kV SECL (Thar Block-I) to Matiari Double Circuit transmission line for evacuation of power from 1320 MW SECL Coal Power Plant. The Contract Signing Ceremony for procurement of said material was held at a local hotel in Lahore, where Deputy Managing Director NTDC Engr. Muhammad Ayub and reps of M/s.

SEDIVER SAS, France signed the contract. The ceremony was attended by the high ranked officers on both sides and French experts. Deputy Managing Director Mr. Muhammad Ayub chaired the occasion alongwith Deputy Managing Director Mr. Safdar Ali. A large number of General Managers, Chief Engineers and young Engineers were present on the occasion. While addressing the ceremony, DMD Engr. Muhmmad Ayub expressed that quality of hardware and insulators is one of the critical factor in tripping of transmission lines. NTDC is making efforts to improve its design and specifications besides enhancing cooperation with leading manufacturers and industry experts to meet modern day challenges. M/s. SEDIVER SAS, France is one of the renowned overhead insulators manufacturer in the World. The Leading Industry experts from the France also delivered a technical presentation followed by question answer session. pR

Rights ministry to launch ‘good touchbad touch’ campaign ISLAMABAD app

In a bid to stop the abuse of children, the Ministry of Human Rights (MoHR) has launched a socalled good touch-bad touch campaign across the country to sensitise parents through social media platforms. The instances of child sexual abuse have witnessed a surge in recent months prompting calls to initiate a coordinated campaign to address the problem. “We at the ministry have started the good touch-bad touch campaign and it will continue until 2022,” an official of the MoHR said. He said: “We plan to sensitise the parents of children between 5 and 10 years of age who are most vulnerable to these problems and who have some knowledge of private parts, but can’t differentiate between the good and bad.” “Through the campaign, the parents would be advised to never allow a girl child to sit in someone’s lap, dress in front of others, and also to never force a child to go out with an adult with whom they are not comfortable,” he said. “If your child complains or tells you of an uncomfortable encounter, don’t take it lightly and thoroughly probe the instance, and show the child that you will stand up for them,” he added.

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staff RepoRt

DDITIONAl district and Sessions judge Malir on Saturday granted interim bail to co-accused Saleem Halar in the high-profile murder case of Nazim Jokhio.

Malir’s district court admitted the bail application of Saleem Halar and ordered him to deposit Rs 3,00,000 bail bond as surety in

the court.

The court also ordered the accused to appear before the court on November 22. It is noted that the slain Nazim Jokhio had uploaded a video on social media to stop foreigners from hunting, after which his tortured body was found in Malir Memon Goth.

The family of the slain had nominated Jam Owais Ghuram, a member of the Sindh Assembly of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), for the alleged murder of Nazim

ISLAMABAD Soon after the top court registrar office returned the pre-arrest bail application of Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani in corruption case with objections, counsel for Durrani filed appeal before Supreme Court after removing objections of the bail plea on Saturday.

On Friday, Agha Siraj Durrani has moved a petition in the apex Court seeking pre-arrest bail in a

graft reference, however, the top court registrar office returned back the bail plea with objections. According to sources, registrar office has raised objections over Durrani’s failure to present himself for arrest after his bail petition rejected by the Sindh High Court (SHC). The office has also objected over the petitioner’s failure to submit an undertaking.

The PPP leader had gone into hiding to avoid his arrest at the hands of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) after the SHC re-

voked his bail. On Oct 14, the SHC had turned down the interim bail of provincial assembly speaker Agha Siraj Durrani in the assets reference filed by the corruption watchdog.

The high court, however, allowed the bail petitions of Mr Durrani’s wife, three daughters, a son and two others in the same reference.

Subsequently, a NAB team raided the residence of Durrani to arrest him but it had to return empty-handed as he was not present there.

Sanofi celebrates 100 years of Insulin Discovery Lahore: As World Diabetes Day approaches, Sanofi Pakistan marked 100 years of insulin discovery with distinguished health experts of the country, including Prof Dr . Saeed A Mahar- Past President: Pakistan Endocrine Society – PES; Dr. Abbas Raza- ISE Executive Committee member: International Society of Endocrinology (2018 – 2022); Dr. Faisal Masood Qureshi - Executive Member: Pakistan Endocrine Society. “In 1923, Sanofi was the first to produce insulin commercially and activate its power to save and improve lives.

Since then, we have played a pivotal role in innovations whose transformative power today reaches over 15 million people”, shared Salman Shamim (Head of Diabetes Franchise, Sanofi Pakistan). “Before insulin, the only treatment for diabetes consisted of a starvation diet”, he added. He further shared with the audience that Sanofi’s insulin campus in Frankfurt is the center of its insulin expertise, and the world’s largest insulin production site in the world. According to the latest figures released by IDF, Pakistan now has the highest number of people living with diabetes in the world, after China and India.

More than a quarter of adults living with diabetes in Pakistan are undiagnosed. Expressing serious concern over the rising number of diabetics in the country, Dr. Saeed A Mahar said, “We have left even the US behind, ranking now at number 3”. Dr. Abbas Raza spoke about the barriers physicians face when initiating insulin therapy, terming insulin distress or insulin hesitancy as a real challenge in diabetes management in the country. “This is an opportune time to highlight the benefits of insulin therapy for those who cannot achieve good diabetes control on oral medicines”, he remarked. Dr. Faisal Qureshi added that despite the availability of insulin, its use is still not optimum, and that there was need to increase knowledge amongst physicians and patients to use this treatment before complications set in. Salman Shamim concluded the press briefing by sharing that Sanofi works closely with health care professionals to understand and address the unique needs of patients for diabetes management.

He cited various patient access and support programs launched by his team to promote diabetes management all across the country. Sanofi is one of the official partners of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) for this year’s World Diabetes Campaign. pR

CMYK

corporate corner martin Dow, ziauddin hospital organize oneday symposium to raise awareness on Pneumonia

after he tried to prevent the PPP MPA’s guests from hunting in Thatta district.

Memon Goth police registered an FIR against PPP lawmaker Jam Awais and others on charges of killing Jokhio. According to police investigative sources, it has been decided to use the audio and video of the alleged Nazim Jokhio as key evidence. Earlier, the court extended the physical remand of accused Jam Owais Ghuram and others till November 16.

Siraj Durrani appeals over top court registrar objections in interim bail staff RepoRt

05

Karachi: Pakistan’s leading pharmaceutical company Martin Dow Marker collaborated with Dr Ziauddin Hospital to celebrate "World Pneumonia Day" through one-day symposium held at the auditorium of the Ziauddin University in Karachi.

The symposium stressed light on the serious causes, symptoms and remedial measures to tackle the impact of pneumonia among children and the adults. During the awareness session, the health experts informed the audience that pneumonia is considered as the topmost disease behind the death of infants and children aged less than 5 years in Pakistan. Dr. Atif ur Rehman, Chief Marketing Officer, Martin Dow Marker lauded the efforts of the speakers during today’s interactive and informative session which raised the concerns towards the alarming rise of pneumonia cases and it’s counter measures. The speakers mutually agreed that the deadly outbreak of Covid-19 is one of the biggest example in front of all during the recent times, where the entire nation stood firm with each other on all platforms to fight the pandemic. We need similar efforts to eradicate Pneumonia from the country. Addressing to the participants, Dr Ashok Kumar, Head of Pulmonology Department, Dr Ziauddin Hospital said that Pakistan is ranked at 77th position in the world as the high hit country with pneumonia cases. Across the globe over 1.6 million children under five years of age die due to pneumonia. Dr Zain Yusuf Ally, Consultant Pediatrics, Dr Ziauddin Hospital speaking during the symposium said that when a child is born and counters any problem related to shortness of breathing that certainly indicates a sign of pneumonia. If child does not look appropriate by complexion and faces respiratory distress, such appearance is called as toxic one, which needs immediate treatment. Dr Zain added that if the treatment is not given on time then it will create serious complications including pleural effusion, empyema, lungs abscess and Pneumothorax. He further said that people must not get afraid from vaccination, it is significant to combat the rising spate of pneumonia cases through proper inoculation. Martin Dow Group, since years, had engrossed itself in multiple awareness campaigns and seminars on different topics of primary importance with a purpose to inculcate right understanding of the issues among the masses. Partnering with the society’s major stakeholders, the pharmaceutical company is further striving hard to increase its competencies by complying with the initiative of Corporate Social Responsibility, specifically in the field of healthcare, education and social welfare. pR

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Sunday, 14 November, 2021

06 COMMENT

Stop breathing

Blasts go on Blasts in Bajaur and Quetta raise disturbing questions

Air is dirtied because of wider social ills

T

he blasts in Quetta and Bajaur raise disturbing questions, particularly about the government’s talks with the Tehrik Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The purpose of such talks should have led to a cessation of such attacks, but it seems that they continue unabated. The terrorism that should have come to an end after the Taliban returned to power in Kabul, is continuing. The situation has apparently become more complex, for the TTP are not the only ones perpetrating terror. There are Baloch separatists on the loose, as well as other religious extremists, like the Islamic state-Khorasan. The latter is not even nominally under any sort of control of the afghan Taliban, for it has carried out several bomb attacks there. neither of these organisations has claimed responsibility for either of the attacks, but then, nor has anyone else.Both separatist and sectarian terrorists have been active in these areas in recent times, and it seems that this activity has not stopped.

Indeed, the readiness, which some might see as anxiety, of the present government to talk to the Tehrik labbaik Pakistan, and also with the TTP, may unsettle those groups it is not talking to. Other groups might have gotten the message that it is essential to get away with as many atrocities as possible to persuade the state to talk. after all, the TlP has killed several policemen in its protests, while the TTP has not only claimed the aPs Peshawar massacre, but also such high-profile assassinations as that of ex-PM Benazir Bhutto. at the same time, the holding, or progress, of talks is likely to tempt other groups to run amok The intelligence agencies have not been.doing their real job, haring off instead into domestic politics. They should be stopping such episodes from happening.

The Usa talked to the Taliban before withdrawing, but that should not be any sort of example. The Usa and its naTO allies were foreign occupiers who had a homeland to retreat to. The Pakistan government has no such place.

The kind of talks going on are not supposed to represent a complete surrender by the government. It should remember that it is not like the Usa and naTO forces, but like the ghani government, which only talked a little, and that too merely about handing over its capital.

Rabia ahmed

L

ahORe has been rated the most polluted city in the world with an air Quality Index (aQI) touching 500 and more. That means the very act of taking breath in this city is hazardous to health, and Karachi is not far behind on the scale. It is such a sad state of affairs that even the Punjab government has taken note of matters as they stand and declared the situation to be a crisis.

Unfortunately, that is all it seems to have done so far.

Of course, it is not just the air one breathes that is hazardous to health in this country, it is also the water one drinks and several other things including the traffic on the roads, all things that one encounters every day and cannot stay away from.

The major reasons behind the pollution are the fuels that are burnt in factories (plastics are used as fuel by some), and the amount of pollution being spewed into the air by the many brick kilns. The major factor, however, has to be the fumes emitted by vehicles on the roads, and of course the crop burning that takes place in the Punjab, the agricultural giant of Pakistan– and therefore one of its greatest polluters.

This ‘crop burning’ takes place after a crop is harvested and the stubble is left behind in the fields. This stubble can be removed by machine, or by hand, or it can be allowed to remain where it is. Removing it by

Out of control smog No meaningful measures to address crisis taken

a

s the temperature has started to drop with winter around the corner, the air quality in Punjab has also dropped precipitously, with the more densely populated capital of lahore registering an aQI peaking at700 yesterday, currently the highest in the world, and consistently above 500 for the fourth consecutive day. One could argue that these numbers are perhaps inflated as they are being recorded by devices placed at various locations in the city and their accuracy can be questioned, yet no one can deny what is visible to the naked eye; a thick layer of smog in the air that reduces visibility and confirms that the air is unhealthy to breathe. That this is an annual occurrence with no reduction over the years, rather an increase in its intensity, confirms that the Punjab government is not only incapable of handling the crisis but has accepted smog as an unsolvable problem. Rather than developing a comprehensive strategy on how to deal with this dangerous health hazard, it seems the government expects the people of lahore to simply accept this as something they have to learn to live with. Obligatory statements by the Punjab CM instructing “relevant departments to take effective measures” are meaningless and the setting up of a ‘smog monitoring cell’ is mere eyewash.

This is an unacceptable attitude towards a serious problem that requires experts to work in tandem with the government and come up with solutions. While some measures, such as controlling road emissions by shifting to electric vehicles, seem like a pipedream given the various challenges it poses, there are other more implementable restrictions that the government seems to be simply unaware of. Crop burning is rampant across the province this time of year and while it has been banned since 2018, there has been no letup, with farmers setting ablaze crop waste after the end of the harvest with impunity to avoid the high cost of getting rid of that waste through costly environmentally friendly methods.

Pakistan is currently facing multiple health crises. With the delta variant of the covid-19 virus easing off, dengue has wreaked havoc in Punjab, with hospitals full of patients and daily deaths rising. smog is a toxic blend of smoke and fog entering one’s lungs throughout the day causing severe respiratory problems. Investment in better equipment to detect hotspots is only a small element of the challenge; unless there is willingness and determination in the government to address the problem and eliminate it, smog will continue to haunt lahore for years to come.

Pathik hasan

B

angladesh and Thailand are very old friends. The two countries are connected by the Bay of Bengal and by sea.

Bangladesh and Thailand should strengthen cooperation more in trade, investment and regional communications, exploiting their ample potentials. Bangladesh and Thailand could benefit if they are connected with each other through direct maritime connectivity.

Chittagong sea port is the main sea port in Bangladesh. ninety percent of the trade of Bangladesh is conducted through Chittagong (Chattagram Port). On the other hands, Ranong port of Thailand is situated in Ranong province in Thailand. Ranong is on the Kraburi River of the Kra Peninsula, across from Myanmar and near the Indian Ocean coast.

The southern economic Corridor project, approved by the government of Thailand in august 2018, emphasizes development of Ranong port as a gateway to trade with Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, and sri lanka.Using Ranong port for trade with Bangladesh’s Chittagong, Payra and Mangla ports will reduce distance between the two countries and boost trade. Then this connectivity can be extended to India’s Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai ports.

The launch of direct shipping services between Chittagong Port in Bangladesh and Ranong Port in Thailand has received a new push as trade between the two countries is increasing.

Bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Thailand has reached $837.08 million in 2019-20.

Bangladesh's total exports to Thailand in 2020 were only $35.46 million and imports were $801.3 million.

In 2021, Bangladesh exported $39 million to Thailand. The previous year's exports were $35.46 million. according to FdI stock data in Bangladesh, Thailand is the 15th largest investor in the country.

But the amount of bilateral trade would increase if the two countries sign a free trade agreement and build direct maritime connectivity between Chittagong and Ranong ports.

Thailand mainly exports cement, cereals, plastics,

Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami Umar Aziz

Joint Editor

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

The writer is a freelance columnist. Read more by her at http://rabia-ahmed.blogspot.com/

The whole regional would benefit, not just two countries

Arif Nizami (Late)

M. A. Niazi

Unless these matters are tackled and brought to an end, Pakistan might make a few dazzling malls, it might have become a nuclear power, it might posture and try to figure as a voice to be reckoned with in various matters; but this is no progress, and with this alone Pakistan will never amount to more than what it is at present, and that is nothing much at all

Chittagong-Ranong connectivity could boost SAARCASEAN trade if connected to Gwadar and Chabahar

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

hand is obviously not an easy process. If the stubble is allowed to remain where it is, it disintegrates in time into the soil, in the process returning some nutrients for the following crop. This is the easiest and cheapest solution, and the one that gives the best results. The third solution is to turn the soil by machine to bury the stubble back into the soil – a process that would again put back some nutrients. But this is an expensive process.If this option is selected, machines exist that can make it happen, some cheaper than others, yet still too expensive for the average farmer.

This is where the government can step in and provide these machines to do the job at a subsidized rate where required.

It is obvious that farmers in Pakistan lack the information to do their job effectively, they are unaware of the pros and cons of the various measures, and unable to evaluate their options, so they generally choose to burn the stubble, causing a blanket of carbon-laden smoke to cover the region, which coupled with the other pollutants in the air is responsible for our elevated aQ Index. This is another place where the government can step in; indeed it must, to ensure that farmers are educated in the best way of doing their job… not by those with an interest in selling their products, but by means of some genuine trainers in the field. They must also ensure that crop burning is brought to an end, by penalising all who attempt to do so, without discrimination.

There are some factors that have always prevented this country from making much progress, and will always prevent it from doing so, as long as they exist. One is the habit of invariably pointing a finger at someone else, and ignoring one’s own role in any given problem. It pleases the people of this country

therefore to point a finger at India, which shares this practice of crop burning, despite all arguments indicating our equal share in the problem. It has been pointed out that the wind direction almost throughout the year is north to south, at other times it is west to east. It is only for a short time every year that winds come from India in the east to Pakistan in the West, and yet, judging by the comments in any article and column in the newspaper, everything is always India’s fault, or the fault of the political party other than one’s favoured one, or the fault of some mysterious Western mafia.

The other roadblock in the way of progress is the tendency of the wealthier classes to use their power and money to exempt themselves from all rules by greasing relevant palms. seeing that it is this class that owns the most land, and this class that owns the most kilns, factories and cars, it is easy to see what this argument refers to and where it leads. The habit of accepting pay-offs pervades every aspect of society, at every level.

Unless these matters are tackled and brought to an end, Pakistan might make a few dazzling malls, it might have become a nuclear power, it might posture and try to figure as a voice to be reckoned with in various matters; but this is no progress, and with this alone Pakistan will never amount to more than what it is at present, and that is nothing much at all.

One of the actions that could make a difference is take stock of those in control, and since this is about the environment, it is an idea to look at the people in charge there.

The person in charge of the environment, who has been in charge for a while now, is another one who considers India predominantly responsible for the smog in the region, and what is far more incredible, has been reported as saying that the smog is fake news, spread by those with vested interests. she is not alone in being ill-equipped or uninterested in the job that has been entrusted to her.

I

Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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man-made staple fibers, sugar and sugar confectionery, machinery and mechanical equipment, cotton and cotton cloth, salt, sulfur, clay, stone and mineral fuels.

On the other hand, Bangladesh exports garments, vegetables, textile fibres, garments, animal products, electrical and electronic equipment, frozen fish and crustaceans. The two countries are also in talks to sign a FTa to boost trade and investment..

Many consider Bangladesh a gateway between asean and saaRC. The establishment of trade and economic corridors through coordination between the look east Policy of Bangladesh and the look West Policy of Thailand and the establishment of connectivity through coastal shipping will bring prosperity for both. Thailand can fully support Bangladesh's bid for membership in the Mekong-ganga Cooperation Forum and the asean sectoral Partnership. direct sea connectivity between Chittagong and Ranong in Thailand will play an important role in expanding trade and commerce between the two countries. The time and cost of transporting goods will come down to one third. In addition to Myanmar, it will also play a key role in building ties with other southeast asian countries. The introduction of direct shipping between the two countries will encourage traders from both countries to expand bilateral trade and investment.

The connectivity of Ranong Port with Chittagong port will facilitate a new maritime trade route between Bangladesh and India. Port connectivity is needed between Thailand and Bangladesh to boost up trade and smooth the brimming potential for this. Thailand would be able to boost trade with India, Bangladesh and sri lanka under the framework of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and economic Cooperation (BIMsTeC).

Thailand and Bangladesh are the active partners of the visionary Chinese BRI project. If ThailandBangladesh sea connectivity between Chittagong and Ranong ports can be extended to Iran’s Chabahar port and Pakistan’s gwadar port via sri lanka’s Colombo port through China’s BRI and International north south Transport Corridor project, a huge potential for the region will be creatde. Basi-

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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cally, a free trade zone between asean and saaRC will be ensured. Thailand can access the markets of West asia, Central asia and Russia because there are some proposed connectivity projects from Pakistan’s gwadar port and Iran’s Chabahar port to Russia and europe through West asia and Central asia.

It is to be noted that although the Maritime assistance agreement between Bangladesh and Thailand was completed in 1986, and is currently in force. But Bangladesh and Thailand can renew the agreement for ensuring their own business interests.

Thai ambassador to dhaka Makawadee sumitmor at a bilateral business meeting with dCCI on november 2 said that the Thai government was planning to open the country step by step and in the next two months it would be possible to open fully, easing Covid-19 restrictions. Mrs sumitmor said that still there was a trade gap between these two friendly countries.she also said that expansion of IndiaMyanmar-Thailand trilateral route would boost trade in this region. she said that she was waiting for the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Thai authorities and the Chittagong Port authority to establish direct shipping links by sea. she made the remarks at a meeting with the board of Chittagong's Chamber of Commerce and Industries at Bangabandhu Conference hall at Chittagong's World Trade Centre in september 2021. It is true that trade between the two countries would increase if a direct connection was established between Chittagong in Bangladesh and the Ranang seaport in Thailand.

There are huge opportunities for Thai investors in infrastructure, light engineering, agriculture and food processing, and tourism and healthcare. Thailand and Bangladesh both could and should utilize these potentials. But a smooth connectivity is needed to boost the trade. Chittagong and Ranong port connectivity would boost up the trade, expansion of tourism. Bangladesh and Thailand both can benefit from the sea connectivity project.

The writer is a columnist and member PPP and tweets @MustafaBaloch_

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

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Sunday, 14 November, 2021

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

Unemployed Doctors

People who become a burden Lust for power, religiosity and corruption make a perfect recipe for vulnerability

Candid Corner Raoof hasan “Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of religion.

Pity the nation that wears a cloth it does not weave and eats bread it does not harvest.

Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as hero, and deems the glittering conqueror bountiful.

Pity a nation that despises a passion in its dream, yet submits in its awakening.

Pity the nation that raises not its voice save when it walks in a funeral, boasts not except among its ruins, and will rebel not save when its neck is laid between the sword and the block.

Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox, whose philosopher is a juggler, and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking.

Pity the nation that welcomes its new ruler with trumpeting, and farewells him with hooting, only to welcome another with trumpeting again.

Pity the nation whose sages are dumb with years and whose strongmen are yet in the cradle.

Pity the nation divided into fragments, each fragment deeming itself a nation.”

Kahlil Gibran: “The Garden of the Prophet”

A

lsO to be pitied are the people who refuse to recognise the corrupt and would like to anoint them again as rulers to partake of their loot; people who speak of the glory of the past, but remain unwilling to endeavour to create a matching future; people who are fond of semantics, but not eager to come good on their words; people who are critical of crime, but reluctant to punish the criminal; people who do not obey the law, but are ever ready to become the law unto themselves; people who respect not their teachers, but eulogise dogma and superstition; people who have no empathy for the poor, but submit before the tyrant and the despot; people who protect not their honour and readily sell their soul to the devil; people who scoff at those speaking the truth and embrace wholeheartedly the culture of fraudulent practises; and people who glorify the corrupt and shun the honest.

The list of infirmities is infinite. The more one goes along, the more one loses hope in a future for such people who are so glaringly and so comprehensively deprived of character, self-re-

spect and dignity. There are instances galore where one’s appraisal gets a boost of further evidence that so irremediable is the condition of such people that they are deeply immersed in a pit from where there is no apparent retrieval. such people are loaded with all that they should despise, but remain shy of what they should fondly espouse and follow. They are bound to become a drag for the polity they are part of and an embarrassment for the country they inhabit. The worst part is that, with the passage of time, they are plunging further into depths of depravity. That is when such people are construed as having become a burden for the very act of living.

This is by far the net outcome of what we have become over 74 years of independence. It is difficult to fathom that one moment in time when it started sliding downward– a slide which, unfortunately, continues to this day with virtually no signs of abating in the future. The most unfortunate part was that, very early on, we ended up with a brand of rulers who preferred their personal interests over those of the state. In promoting their self-aggrandising agenda, these leaders were not shy of employing the most degenerate tactics. In doing so, they also injected the germs of lawlessness and a fondness for corrupt practices among the general public who quickly took to it and turned this into a legitimate source for advancing further in life. That was the beginning of the fall which has continued with increasing gravity with time.

The real slide started with Zulfiqar ali Bhutto who epitomised a malevolent lust for power, no matter what be the cost. he also contributed to the shaping of a religiosity-laden state simply as a means to fight his political opponents. he did this after playing a critical role in the break-up of the country. after having been comprehensively defeated in the 1970 elections by Mujib-ur-Rehman’s awami league, he did not want to wait another five years for a possible turn to rule the country. he seemed to be in a great rush. a united Pakistan was a hurdle in the way of his vile and wicked plan to ascend the citadel of power. so, he started conspiring with the dictator as the vice-president of the country and raised the slogan of “udher tum, idhar hum” (you rule there, we’ll rule here) which simply meant that Mujib would rule what was then east Pakistan, now Bangladesh, and Bhutto would rule what was then West Pakistan, now Pakistan. he is also on record to have greeted the launch of military operation in the (former) east Pakistan with the words of “Pakistan has been saved”.

In spite of that, he was absolutely unwilling to take any chances. so, when the Polish resolution was introduced in the security Council which, at least, would have provided a safe exit for Pakistani troops and other personnel stationed in the former east Pakistan, he, in a dramatic display of histrionics, tore it into shreds and walked out, thus accelerating the process toward the final break-up of the country and providing him an opportunity to rule over what would be left of Pakistan. Bhutto was also responsible for stirring the initial outbreak of resistance in Balochistan when he, unilaterally and undemocratically, dismissed the government in the province to be replaced with governor’s rule. The state is still busy battling this upsurge of resistance.

Then was the turn of Zia who plunged the country into the afghan Jihad and forced the state to wear the apparel of insufferable religiosity which it still has not been able to cast off and,

in all probability, will not do so in the foreseeable future. he exposed the country’s Western border to intrusive destabilisation which, since then, has been exploited by our enemies, within and outside, to the detriment of Pakistan and its strategic interests. he encouraged seminaries to indoctrinate people at an impressionable age and injected in them the zeal to pick up arms in preference to employing the faculties of reason and logic. he inflicted a lot of ancillary damage on a hapless state from which it has still not been able to fully recover. as a matter of fact, the plunge into religiosity continues unabated. after the stints encompassing the megalomaniac lust for power of Bhutto and the rapid accentuation of religiosity of general Zia came the phase of incorrigible corruption introduced by the sharif dynasty. Being business people, they were used to the exchange of cash as a bargaining chip for success. They were not shy of using the same trick to consolidate their hold on power.

Thus, from nowhere, they were not only hoisted in the seat of power in the early 1980s, they went on to lord over the country for a good part of the next over three decades. While members of the sharif dynasty were busy minting money through misuse of their public offices, they introduced the scourge of corruption among their associates and the ordinary people who took to the malady as their right to partake of the loot.

In the process, they violated every rule contained in the statute book and created a disgusting culture where money was the driving power.

People were divided into two broad categories.

Those from the beneficiary class were afflicted with corruption of greed where their lust for money was insatiable and they wanted more and more of the booty to dig their poisonous tentacles deeper. The other group comprised people from lower echelons who suffered from corruption of need. They indulged in the scourge to progress, survive or stay above the poverty line.

There were few who escaped the clutches of this virus spread with a wicked purpose.

In later times, Bhutto was succeeded by asif Zardari who took corruption a step further than even the sharifs. Then gen Pervez Musharraf plunged us into a war that we needed to stay away from. Further destruction was heaped upon the country, rendering it vulnerable before forces which were intrinsically inimical to its strategic interests. so, Pakistan waded through a phase of terrorism and destabilisation– a phase that it continues to struggle through.

The story of Pakistan can be congested into an affliction administered by a combination of lust for power, deeply dug-in religiosity and incorrigible corruption. This has weakened the country to a point of excessive vulnerability. The real tragedy is that people who have been fed on false promises and fictional hopes through generations are still unable to make out the truth from fabrication. They continue to cherish the hope that the Bhutto/Zardari and sharif clans would extricate them from the clutches of despair and despondency they are buried under.

One can only pity such people who become a burden for the country they inhabit!

The writer is a political and security strategist, and heads the Regional Peace Institute – an Islamabad-based think tank. Email: raoofhasan@hotmail.com.

Twitter: @RaoofHasan

In ReCenT years, medical colleges have grown significantly in Pakistan. as of 2019, there were nearly 114 medical colleges — both in public and private sectors. This means that there are approximately 16,000 medicine graduates per year. This then raises several questions: where do these annual 16,000 doctors go? do they find employment in public organisations or private ones? are they making full use of their skills and returning to the country through their services? It is difficult to draw a definite conclusion, but most of the graduates are unemployed and struggle with finding employment in the healthcare sector. at present, Pakistan is faced with a shortage of doctors because many move abroad due to the absence of employment opportunities. We produce more doctors than jobs available but still suffer from a shortage, thus creating a vicious cycle. It is disheartening for people to end up unemployed after putting years of hard work into their study of medicine. One of the main reasons is that resources are not fully maneuvered. To see actual changes, coherent policies should be designed to address the challenges. an increasing number of private medical colleges are another reason for disturbing the doctors to jobs ratio. Private colleges have turned the profession into a business by producing a disproportionate number of doctors each year.

The central induction policy by the Punjab residency program is another frustrating system to cover up the shortage of vacancies because it makes one think that they are at fault themselves. The doctors do not need any appreciation, special treatment, or false hopes. We need employment so that our years of effort and education do not go in vain.

Dr Aimen Sohail Rawalpindi

Shortages of sugar The government fixed the official price of sugar at Rs90 per kg, however, in the market, sugar is being sold at Rs160 per kg. sugar mill owners have either ceased or decreased the supply because of which prices have skyrocketed. This demonstrates the incompetence of policymakers to maintain the supply chain and market equilibrium. even though it is sugarcane crushing season, there have been no announcements regarding the reopening of mills. Ultimately, this is benefiting the sugar producers because the shortage is bringing them more profits. The delays in cane crushing have also added pressure on farmers who need the land to cultivate wheat after harvesting cane.

Wheat is a highly demanded product in the country and these delays may cause a shortage of wheat. The government should reform the supply chain and provide fair estimates of the domestic output. In case of shortages, the government should import the product beforehand. The delays in harvesting will result in huge losses for the farmers and the government because of wheat imports. People are already struggling with inflation. It is the government’s job to ensure the affordability and accessibility of essential products.

AShAR AwAn ISlAmAbAD

Horrifying health conditions in Sindh To save one human life is to save the whole humanity & hospitals are regarded as the life saving places in the world. On the contrary, if you have a round to the hospital in interior sindh, you would lose your faith in the aforementioned dogma. The condition of majority of the hospitals is so pathetic that one can’t even imagine in this era of science & technology.

Most of the hospitals lacks infrastructure needed for medical assistance.

The wheel chairs & stretchers are found in pitiable condition, which can hardly be moved. The medicine facilities are only available at the medical stores available in the vicinity of hospitals. The oxygen masks are shifted to patient to patient which is an open violence of code of patient care.

Most of the doctors have completely forgotten the hippocratic oath as many of them are busy in making money at their private medical centres.

The concerned health department must devise out a tangible & feasible plan for providing the basic necessities in hospitals & doctors Monitoring Unit may also be activated to ensure the doctors’ presence in OPd timings. health is the basic right of a person. Without a sound body and sound mind a man cannot lead a happy life. It is imperative for a person to be in good health in order to live a life that has happiness engulfed within it.

Would you ever be able to work hard if your health is falling? Would you be able to spend happy moments with your family if you are not healthy?

Well! the answer to such questions is clearly a “no”. It is actually the duty of the government to make necessary arrangements so that each individual of a state may lead a healthy life. The sindh province of Pakistan is facing a lot of health problems. There are a lot of ailments that are prevalent in this province that need to be addressed immediately so that the menace of ailments may be taken away from this province. here are some main problems that this province is facing.

The kids of this age at sindh are not as healthy as their forefathers used to be. The kids are a prey to many diseases. The main reason behind their being vulnerable towards the diseases is that they do not receive any vaccination. The sindh government doesn’t make proper arrangements for the vaccination of the kids that in turn causes them to suffer dangerous diseases. Moreover, there is no clean water to be drunk by the kids that causes them a great number of ailments. To their ill fate, even the food is not clean as sindh is the province with great number of industries that adds much to the pollution level of the cities and villages of sindh.

The health facilities concerning pregnancy are too low in sindh. There is no good facilities for the reproductive care at sindh. Majority of the women of sindh have to face serious problems in their pregnancies. Most of the backward areas of the sindh are totally nill at maternity care. They lack health professionals and true knowledge about pregnancy. every year, due to this problem, many of the women along with their fetuses die. In some of the cases, the doctors fail to save the new born baby and label that mishap as the decision of fate even though that is caused by their own lack of knowledge. every year the population of sindh Province is defied by the hepatitis. To be precise, about 2.5% people suffer from hepatitis B and 4.9% of the total population of the sindh province suffer from hepatitis C. The sindh government promised to give adequate medical facilities and treatment to the people infected with this heinous viruses but all of the patients did not receive any treatment. Out of 75,000 patients only 11,000 received the treatment. here it is to be told that the sindh government does not take any serious step to eradicate this menace.

SAjjAD huSSAIn CheehAnI AgRA, SInDh

Sunday, 14 November, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

it’s a fairy tale that world governments will fix our climate crisis. it’s uP to us

Guardian

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Bill McKiBBen

T was inspiring to watch activists – especially young people and those from the global south – as this Glasgow Cop limped towards its mushy end. They were on top of every twist in the text, and they won significant concessions from the big polluting countries. At the time of writing, it looks as if the phasing out of coal and subsidies for fossil fuels will be mentioned in a Cop document for the first time, and that there will be more money for nations of the global south to “adapt” to the climate crisis. The activists’ anger echoed through the halls, and was heard in whatever parts of the world were listening. To the ex-

tent that this Cop worked at all, it’s a tribute to their perseverance and creativity.

But was this a sea change in the way we deal with the global climate crisis? No – Glasgow moves us down the track a little and boxes in national governments a little more, but it has changed not nearly enough.

After 26 iterations, the truth about these Cops is pretty clear: the results are largely determined before they even begin. Yes, there’s an endless succession of concerts, marches, seminars, negotiating sessions, speeches, ultimatums, declarations, photoops; and yes, everyone works hard to build a sense of drama (the media especially). But history would suggest that the parties rarely go beyond what they’d intended to do before they arrived.

This is not, I think, a cynical take; rather, it’s always seemed to me that the best way to understand the process of the annual Cops – especially the big ones like Copenhagen or Paris or Glasgow – is to view them as scoreboards rather than contests. They reflect how much of an effect civil society has managed to have over the nations engaged in the negotiations, and the strength of civil society relative to the power of the fossil fuel industry and its friends in the financial community.

Copenhagen failed because there was too little movement building in the years

preceding it, allowing a leader like Barack Obama to go home empty-handed and pay no political price.

The global climate movement remedied that deficiency before Paris: many governments had no choice but to reach some kind of credible deal and hence a workable framework emerged, albeit without the actual pledges to make it capable of the task. Glasgow was supposed to be the place where countries lived up to the resolutions they’d proudly announced in France, and the decidedly mixed results reflect, at least in part, the difficulties activists have faced over the last few years.

September 2019 may have been the high point to date in climate organising. Millions upon millions of mostly young people took to the streets around the world as the school strike movement opened hearts and minds on every continent. Vanessa Nakate, XiyeBastida, Greta Thunberg, Luisa Neuberger, Alexandria Villaseñor, Jerome Foster and an almost endless list of very young climate leaders captured imaginations like no one before. Together they formed a wave that seemed as if it would continue cresting. But then came Covid-19 – and it turned out that while it’s possible to do good organising on Zoom, it’s not easy. In any event, the world faced a different crisis for a while, one that

rethinking how the Pentagon does business

Forbes

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loren thoMpson

IGHTING wars has a way of making America’s military rethink how it does business.Apparently fighting pandemics has much the same result.Long before Covid-19 afflicted the warfighting community, Pentagon leaders realized that their balkanized business processes needed to undergo a digital transformation.In the aftermath of the pandemic, though, there is a greater sense of urgency, because the defense workforce looks unlikely to return to pre-pandemic practices.For instance, an October survey by the Gallup organization found that much of the U.S. workforce would like to preserve some of the features of working from home that became common during the pandemic.

That sentiment is widespread among employees of the defense department, however making remote work routine rather than unusual raises questions that seldom arise in the private sector.Aside from the obvious security concerns, there are regulations and standards unique to the federal government, and the complexity of adapting business systems that have evolved in idiosyncratic ways for generations.

Younger workers in particular expect the same access and flexibility in professional settings that they enjoy in their private lives, and are less willing to tolerate the peculiarities of outdated Pentagon processes. If the government is to continue recruiting and retaining top talent, it will need to meet at least some of these expectations.Last week I had a detailed discussion of the challenges involved with DeEtte Gray, President of CACI’s business and information technology unit. CACI, a contributor to my think tank, is an unusual combination of high-tech and knowledge-based competencies that has managed to establish a vast federal footprint while largely escaping notice outside the nationalsecurity community.

Its technology businesses in areas like signals intelligence and electronic warfare are largely secret; its information services offerings are less sensitive but in some ways just as hard for outsiders to understand.

DeEtte Gray has a knack for demystifying CACI’s information services so that the needs of its customers—most of whom are in the defense and intelligence communities— are easier for an outsider (like me) to grasp.Gray says that the Pentagon faces a classic dilemma in upgrading the software supporting its most basic business processes.On the one hand, there are commercial products well-suited to the needs of the private sector but not readily adapted to a federal setting.On the other hand, there are government-unique software systems that are often outdated and don’t match the fast-evolving pace of the commercial world.What the military customer needs, Gray says, is an intermediary that can take software the commercial sector offers and adapt it to the special needs of the government.

CACI has been working with national-security cus-

were as spirited as any I have ever seen, and Thunberg – with her superb gift for saying and doing the right thing at the right time – helped everyone understand the meaning of Glasgow with her “blah, blah, blah” framing. Yes, the other side is also better at its game: greenwashing has become steadily more complex, and taking apart claims like “net zero by 2050” has become a full-time occupation. But since these are lies, they will look steadily more shabby, exposed by each flood and hurricane.

My guess is that movements will adapt to the blockages in the Cop process, and powerfully. I think there’s going to be ever more attention on the financial industry, in part because it’s crucial to the fossil fuel machine, in part because it’s located in places like New York and London, where protest of all kinds can still be carried out. And as Covid recedes, that rejuvenated activism will combine with the continuing horror of the climate crisis to produce more pressure for change. It had better – Glasgow’s finish makes clear that when activists aren’t able to push as hard as we need, inertia and vested interest remain powerful forces. The idea that the world’s governments will simply do what needs to be done is just a fairy tale.In that sense, the Cop tells us not just what we’ve done in the past few years, but what we have to do in the ones ahead. The planet is out of its comfort zone; we had best be even further out of ours.

Bill McKibben is the Schumann distinguished scholar at Middlebury College, Vermont, and leader of the climate campaign group 350.org.

Politicians are lying about the Palestine student Protest at lse

SOME ORGANIZATIONS HAVE FULLY MOVED TO THE CLOUD, SOME ARE USING A HYBRID CLOUD, SOME ARE IN THE MIDST OF MIGRATION, AND SOME HAVE NOT BEGUN TO UTILIZE CLOUD COMPUTING tomers in the government since the 1960s—the company’s founders came out of the RAND Corporation in its heyday—so there aren’t many providers who understand the government’s eccentric ways better.But while one side of CACI is focused on generating cutting-edge warfighting technology, like being able to jam the signals of hostile drones, DeEtte Gray is more concerned with reengineering fundamental business processes.It has had some significant successes.For example, it has merged 40 separate Army personnel and pay systems into a single, integrated architecture used by active and reserve components across all states and territories.

It has created a digital system for managing the medical supply chain for warfighters that covers all relevant functions from manpower to surveillance.And it has become so engaged in reengineering military finance systems that virtually every dollar in the defense budget is now transacted and reported through a CACI-supported system.Business processes such as human-capital management and financial reporting seldom get much attention outside professional circles, but they are critical to the functioning of the defense establishment.

Supply chains have gotten more attention of late, but it isn’t likely that most military practitioners realize the operational logistics system for over a thousand afloat and ashore sites in the Navy and the Coast Guard was developed

by CACI.DeEtte Gray says commercial software can satisfy most of the military’s needs for accelerated reengineering of business processes, but it must be interpreted and adapted to work in a government environment.That is especially true given that the government’s digital transformation is in midpassage between the old way of doing business and the faster, more efficient practices of the future.

Some organizations have fully moved to the cloud, some are using a hybrid cloud, some are in the midst of migration, and some have not begun to utilize cloud computing.That’s a lot of diversity to deal with, and it isn’t realistic to expect a commercial software package can fit every situation without some help from a provider that understands the intricacies of the government.The company is using a range of technologies to facilitate digital transformation such robotic process automation, but those innovations have to produce systems that are compliant with the demands of the U.S. Code for civilian and uniformed workers.One indication that CACI’s approach is working: a large intelligence-community customer has managed to generate clean audits for 11 straight years, which is not normal for the federal government.In the aftermath of the global pandemic, though, what is normal looks likely to be in flux for some time to come.

A handful of companies such as CACI seem to have found a business formula for shepherding the national-security community into a more flexible, efficient operating environment that implements the full potential for the digital revolution.

understandably took up the most energy. The pandemic illustrated certain useful principles for the climate fight (pay attention to science, flatten curves early). On balance, though, it focused attention elsewhere.

Even before Covid, the landscape for activists had begun to shrink. The rise of illiberal governments around the world – Trump’s America, but also Xi’s China (more restrictive even than its predecessors were on civil society), Bolsonaro’s Brazil, Erdoğan’s Turkey, Putin’s Russia. Much of the world is largely off limits to activism, especially the global kind exemplified by the climate movement. (The leader of the youth climate movement in India, for instance, spent several weeks behind bars; now she’s awaiting trial, and the police wouldn’t permit her travel to Glasgow.)

Most of the world’s biggest countries are now beyond the reach of protest, and to a large degree unresponsive even to international pressure. China issued a joint statement with the US vaguely pledging future action, but it also made clear that it didn’t look forward to the annual revisions of its climate targets that activists – and scientists – have demanded. And no one really has an idea how to counter this, any more than they know how to counter the fact that American polling finds Republican voters even more resistant to the reality of climate change than they were a few years ago. Since there’s a very good chance that Republicans will control Congress by the time of next year’s Cop in Egypt, it’s hard to see what leverage there will be to move the process forward.

But still. As vaccines spread, activism is spreading again too: the marches in Glasgow

Middle east Monitor

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AsAWinstAnley

his week, students at the London School of Economics (LSE) protested on campus to oppose a lecture by Israeli Ambassador TzipiHotovely. Their protest was not only entirely peaceful, but a righteous example of necessary anti-racist activism.Hotovely is a particularly egregious example of Israeli racism. Her record is very well-known.

She is a far-right religious extremist who claims that God gave the "Land of Israel" (historical Palestine) to the Jews, and to the Jews alone.

"The land is ours," she once spat, "all of it is ours.

We did not come here to apologise for that."

She has also claimed that there is "no Palestinian people" and that the Nakba – Israel's welldocumented 1948 expulsion of 800,000 Palestinians – is a "popular Arab lie". In 2017, she infamously attacked Palestinian lawmakers in Israel's parliament, claiming that they have no history and that Palestinians are "thieves of history". This is a very typical settler-colonial lie.

Personally recruited into the Likud Party more than a decade ago by Benjamin Netanyahu himself, Hotovely swiftly rose through the ranks. She was brought on board to appeal to Israel's far-right religious settler constituency.She has a long track record of promoting and supporting the interests of the West Bank's worst Jewish extremists, and has used her various government positions to continue her anti-Palestinian activism.

She has boasted that during her tenure as deputy foreign minister under Netanyahu, she transformed the ministry into a bastion of the pro-settler hard-right. Describing this as a "revolution in the Foreign Affairs Ministry", Hotovely has helped move the country towards outright annexation of remaining Palestinian land in the West Bank.

In a position characteristic of anti-miscegenation white racists the world over, Hotovely also opposes mixed marriages between Jews and nonJews, again using her government offices to promote the work of Jewish supremacist group, Lehava.This extremist position has even led her to attack most Jews worldwide who do not live in Israel. "American Jews are losing it big time," she spewed, "I see the numbers, I'm in the Foreign Ministry: 80 per cent of American Jews assimilate."She's even gone so far as outright anti-Semitism against those Jews she considers her political enemies.

In 2019, she created a YouTube video to promote her election campaign in the Likud Party primaries. It included the typical anti-Semitic smear of Jews as greedy and only motivated by money. Jewish supporters of Palestinian rights in Hotovely's video were attacked in grossly antiSemitic terms. They were depicted as being paid agents of a Jewish conspiracy against Israel who, when punched out by Hotovely (depicted as a superhero), scream: "Oy vey! My German Euros!"

With such a poisonous political record, it's no wonder that Palestinians, Jews and supporters of Palestinian equality came out in force on campus this week to oppose Hotovely and her presence at LSE.She had ostensibly been invited by the LSE "Debate Society" – a generic-sounding group if ever there was one.But having viewed some footage from the event itself – which took place in full, unfortunately – it was far more of a lecture than a "debate". There was no outside speaker opposing Hotovely's lies and racism. It was essentially a lecture of students by a known, far-right racist, with the imposing presence of Israeli secret police – the torturers of Shin Bet, known to act as Israel's embassy security the world over – standing in front of the room.

Students told me that the Met Police guarding the event (to make sure that Hotovely could safely spread her poisonous racism without hindrance) actually assaulted protesters.All of this shows just how insane this week's mainstream political and journalistic discourse on the event has been.Home Secretary PritiPatel was one of several government ministers to condemn the protesters, smearing them as anti-Semitic, and lying that they had been violent and "intimidated" Jewish people.

Ironically, of course, Patel's deliberate and dishonest conflation of Israel – a violent, racist apartheid state roundly condemned by many Jews around the world – with "the Jewish community" was in itself a true example of existing anti-Semitism.If you had somehow expected the Labour "opposition" to do any opposing on this front, then you would have been sadly disappointed.

Both Labour Leader Keir Starmer and Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Lisa Nandy echoed Patel's baseless smears. Nandy even called the protests "completely unacceptable".Almost unbelievably, Nandy was, until earlier this year, the leader of a group that claims to be the "Labour Friends of Palestine". At this point, it would be far more honest and open if that group would just rename itself "Labour Enemies of Palestine".All this would be laughable if it were not so poisonous to our political culture in Britain. Government ministers, the main opposition party and the mainstream media have all now united in a witch hunt against vulnerable students – many of whom are Palestinians and Muslims.

Patel has even called for police to investigate, and the university will be under massive pressure from both the British and Israeli governments to persecute its own students.A solidarity demonstration for students and staff from LSE and beyond has been called to be held on Thursday.It's vital that we do all we can to support the students.

Sunday, 14 November, 2021 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS corporate corner Healthy Survival of Children Nawal Tariq Life; a race in which each individual strive to survive.

Each individual endeavor to survive in the best possible manner. Good food, healthy life, a prosperous family are some basic aspects which makes human’s life survival, beautiful and smooth. Another beautiful aspect which makes life even more beautiful are children. Children are considered to be one of the greatest blessings of life since forever. Those who are blessed with children are duty bound to take good care of them. Unfortunately in the contemporary fast paced world we don’t pay due attention towards their healthy and safe upbringing. This carelessness is majorly a collection of some unconscious acts. Unconscious carelessness includes acts of negligence which are apparently considered safe and fine. It would not be wrong if we say that we are compelled on negligence as some trends are so commonly observed in society that we are unable to see their darker facets. Negligence here refers to not giving due importance to children’s right upbringing and dealing development matters healthily. In this fast-paced world, we barely have time to fulfil basic duties, putting extra efforts for rightful upbringing is a far cry. But we need to understand that it is important to spare some time and give full attention to children's development and related matters especially their food intake. Neglecting their dietary need is equivalent to neglecting their growth overall. Diet plays an important role in maintaining the health of any human life especially during childhood when children are in development phase it is even more crucial to consider their nutritional needs. But unfortunately, nowadays, parents do not pay attention to their development as required. Parents buy whatever is available in the market i.e. processed foods like noodles, nuggets, chips, burgers, patty, samosas etc., tasty but not healthy. Our future architects; our children, will breathe in era where everything is inorganic. Healthy diet is very important for good health of children.

Regardless of where in the world the growth cycle of children is same and nutrients play an important role in each stage of growth. There are some nutrients that are essential in all stages of life, but we are often tempted to feed anything just to not leave them on empty stomach.

Ready to eat food items are readily available on the market, whether small or large. Nowadays children prefer processed junk food over home made food. We buy them abundantly from markets and there are multiple reasons behind it i.e. children prefer such food items over homemade food, easy to cook, less time and effort consuming but we are completely unaware of the side effects they can impose on the health of human body. Processed food, frequent consumption can leave drastic effect on health. Such food can satisfy hunger but are not enough to complete the nutritional needs of children which may lead to different complications and health issues. To intact children's good health, it is very important that children eat healthy diet and on right time. Parents should include every food group in their diet such as carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, proteins, fat, etc. that is why they vegetables, fruits, meat etc. should be included in their daily diet and most importantly the quantity must be balanced neither excessive nor less. Prefer food which can provide energy to body and is helpful in right development of human body. If you yourself follow healthy dietary habits, your children may eventually follow your lead. Keep offering fruit, vegetables and other healthy food items in a variety of ways, as children are more likely to eat what is familiar to them. Never assume your child’s dislikes from a particular fruit or vegetable, if its imperative for their good health keep on offering them in different creative ways. Children’s tastes do change with age. We need to strongly condemn the trend of inorganic/processed food consumption it can cause irreparable damages on health. Parents need to look up into the matter of healthy dietary habits seriously but the fault is entirely at parents, the loophole is also at manufacturers end. To cope up this problem different food authorities in Pakistan are working especially Punjab Food Authority the provincial authority of Punjab is working keenly in this matter.

According to a study published in “bmcpublichealth”, Pakistan is facing a serious problem of child undernutrition as about 38% of children in Pakistan are stunted. Punjab despite being the largest province by population and contributing high gross domestic product (GDP) share in economy has reported 27% moderately and 10% severely stunted children of less than 5 years.

In view of this precarious situation Prime Minister Imran Khan has always emphasized on the issue of stunted growth of children and has strictly directed concerned stake holders to uproot this issue from our country. In Punjab, food regulatory authority, Punjab Food Authority has always made its core aim, to ensure safe food consumptions by all means. The awareness teams of Punjab Food Authority upon the special instruction of Director General Punjab Food Authority Rafaqat Ali Nissoana & Chairman of Punjab Food Authority Umer Tanveer Butt, are driving aggressive awareness campaigns in the concerned matter. Moreover, Punjab Food Authority have made it compulsory for all brands to put right labeling on food items so that parents would know what they are feeding to their children for example it was made mandatory for infant formula manufacturers to label that it is infant formula not the substitute of mother’s milk. We must pay heed to what such authorities are preaching and be cautious ourselves.

Build save aspects for healthy survival of children, don’t overcomplicate lives by playing with their health. Pr

09

AgRICuLtuRE mINIStER wARNS FERtILIzER PROFItEERS AgAINSt PuNItIvE ACtION LAHORE

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APP

INISTER for Agriculture, Punjab Syed Hussain Jahania Gardezi has said that the Federal Government has decided that no tax will be levied on agricultural inputs and all fertilizers are available in abundance for the need of Rabi crops 2021-22.

He expressed these views during a press conference in Multan on availability of fertilizers & other agricultural inputs for Rabi crops and about “More Wheat Growing Campaign”.

“Dealers involved in illicit profit will be brought to justice. Strict crackdown will be taken against those el-

ements involved in the nefarious business of black marketing,” he said. Provincial Minister said that Agriculture Department has prepared a working plan and alerted the teams so that in case of any complaint strict action will be taken against black marketing in no time.

He said that Government of Pakistan was providing subsidized gas to the fertilizer’s industry to keep the prices of urea fertilizer at a reasonable level. While comparing the prices of urea in international markets , urea was available at a rate of Rs. 10,000 per bag while in Pakistan the bag of urea remains at Rs. 1,800.

In view of the importance of phosphorse fertilizers , a subsidy of Rs.1000 per bag is being given on DAP fertilizer while a farmer can buy a maximum of 20 bags of DAP on subsidy rate. Apart from this, subsidy

Pakistani mango exports to China increased by 10 times BEIJING Agencies

From January to September 2021, Pakistan exported 37.4 tons of fresh and dried mangoes to China, which is more than 10 times the 3.6 tons in the same period in 2020.

Even so, it is still less than 0.36% of China’s total imports of 10,500 tons of mangoes from January to September, according to a reported compiled by China Economic Net (CEN).

In 2021, Sindhri mangoes cost 168 yuan (4,500 rupees) in China for 4.5 kg, 98 yuan (2625 rupees) for 2.5 kg, or about 40 yuan (1071 rupees)/kg. In the same period, the price of mangoes in Panzhihua, Sichuan Province, China was about 1/3 of the former.

It said, compared to Australian mangoes priced at Rs 2145/kg, Pakistani mangoes are not expensive in China.

In this regard, the person in charge of Joy Wing Mau Fruit Technologies Corporation Limited said that price is not an issue, high

quality is the key.

China’s imported mangoes from Australia and Peru can be sold for 300-400 yuan (803410712 rupees) in 5kg packs, which are far more expensive than Pakistani mangoes, but sales are still very good.

“Because of the high degree of industrialization of Australian mangoes, they are just ripe when being shipped to China with good quality. However, when Pakistani mangoes are shipped to China, the maturity of the fruit is different, and the appearance and packaging of fruit are also the restraining factor. To ensure the maturity and appearance of each box is the key to boost sales.”

At the same time, packaging is also a key factor in mango sales. At the CIIE, the crabapple wrapped in round transparent plastic attracted the attention of many consumers, and they expressed their willingness to buy.

The person in charge of the booth said that this is a packaging designed for traveling, making it more convenient to carry.

Digital youth summit: KP to train youth in IT sector PESHAWAR Aziz Buneri

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will spend Rs8 billion over the next two years to promote science and Information technology.

Atif Khan, Provincial Minister for Science and Technology, said at the Digital Youth Summit Program in Peshawar, that ‘Digital Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’ is the agenda of the provincial government.

He said that digital technology will provide easy and fast employment opportunities to the youth. According to Atif Khan, there are

many opportunities for national and international investors in the IT sector. “The development of IT sector will boost the digital economy of the province,” said the minister.

Atif Khan added that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government would spend Rs8 on the promotion of information Technology.

At the two-day Digital Youth Summit 2021, Provincial Information Minister Kamran Bangash said that “digital and paperless governance” is being introduced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said that it will ensure. Bangash further said that KP youth have the potential to grow in the IT sector.

Daraz Pakistan Records a Strong 11.11 with sales worth 66 crore in the first one hour Karachi: Pakistan’s leading eCommerce platform, Daraz recorded sales worth 66 crore in the first one hour of 11.11 making it the biggest sale of the year in the country. Sales surged as 43% of Pakistan’s digital population visited the platform over the last 30 days resulting in platform’s userbase and orders growing up to 3.4X and 4.7X respectively compared to last 11.11 - making Pakistan Daraz’s most successful market in South Asia during the campaign. Ehsan Saya, Managing Director - Daraz Pakistan, said, “During inflation at its highest ever peak in Pakistan, Daraz single handedly reduced the uptake in prices by providing discounts and offers on an assortment of millions during the 11.11 sale. We hope to keep providing ease to our customers in the future and live up to our purpose of uplifting communities through the power of commerce.” As per sources, 32,000 sellers from 100+ cities excluding Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad participated in the campaign and resulted in Daraz exceeding its daily order target by 3.6X and from all the orders placed on 11th November, 1/3rd are already on their way to happy customers. Mr. Saya added, “our core focus for the last 12 months has been customer experience and selling quality products to our customers. This overwhelming response is a testament that when you put your customer first, they reciprocate that trust. During this 11.11, we acquired 4X new customers versus the campaign last year.” Digital payments’ adaptability is relatively a new trend amongst Pakistani online shoppers, but Daraz recorded almost 50% of its customer spend on prepaid payment solutions and partnered with multiple banks and gateways to ensure a seamless digital payment experience for its customers. With record-breaking numbers, Daraz has undoubtedly become the shopping platform of choice for Pakistanis as millions of users visited the platform to make purchases and take advantage of the discounts and deals that were exclusively available on 11.11. Pr

is also being given on herbicides and cannabis.

“Farmers are being asked to add recommended amount of fertilizers in their crops. A strategy is being formulated for compensation. Farmers’ conventions are being organized at district level to guide the farmers on modern production technology of Rabi Crops including wheat. It has also mobilized students of agricultural universities to visit their areas and provide guidance to farmers on modern wheat production technology,” he said.

Gardezi said one million bags of approved varieties of wheat were provided on subsidy this year under the national plan to increase wheat production per acre. Approved varieties of wheat are being sown on a total area of 10 million acres,” he concluded.

BEL Celebrates Its Opening Of New Flagship Office In Lahore Karachi: Premium solar energy solutions by BEL are now in the historical city of Pakistan. Beacon Energy Limited, has inaugurated its Flagship Office in DHA Lahore Where, now you can have a live review of the product and free consultations is provided to all our walk in clients. We as a team feel privileged in providing our customers with solar awareness & best solutions. The office offers a complete Solar Experience journey with 3D visuals and product demo. The functional office will offer Sales, Aftersales, Operations & Complaint handling of Solar applicability to its customers. One of our key aspirations for diversifying into renewable energy was to be catalyst for a positive change in the world. Our clean energy solutions are designed to be highly affordable and give our clients access to energy no matter what their location is in Pakistan. We hope in bringing equal quality and cleaner solutions. BEL offers complete solar solutions including assistance in Bank Financing, Net-Metering, and Free of Cost O&M Services for 5 years. Our unique Network Operations Centre (NOC) proactively monitors the performance of customer systems to detect anomalies which may affect production. BEL has a robust Monitoring and support App (BEL CONNECT) to give customers complete visibility over their solar system.

The app allows the user to see all current and historical data about energy production, utilization, export, and overall saving. Beacon Energy (Pvt.) Limited (BEL), a group company of Beaconhouse Group has been offering Solar Solutions in all major cities of Pakistan since 2019. BEL is an ISO Certified Renewable Energy company that is registered with the (Alternative Energy Development Board) AEDB in the ARE-V1 Category up to 1Mwp. Pr

BOP Holds an Interactive Session on BOP Khaas Roshan Digital Account and Ease of Access at Dubai Expo 2020 The Bank of Punjab (BOP) organized an interactive webinar on its Premium banking services and Roshan Digital Account proposition for UAE residents at the much celebrated Pakistan Pavilion during the Dubai Expo 2020, on 10th November. The session was attended by a large number of live audience at the venue, including online audience. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Zahid Mustafa (Group Chief – Consumer & Digital Banking Group) talked about various customer segments, including Affluent, Mazdoor & Kissan Propositions, where BOP offers customized solutions under it’s tagline #HarFardKaKhayal.

Speaking further on the affluent segment offering (called BOP Khaas), he mentioned that BOP is well placed to offer exciting features to this segment. The extensive network of BOP within Punjab and outside offers a unique opportunity to offer these premium services in Tier 2 and 3 cities as well. In addition, he mentioned that BOP is also offering additional features under BOP Khaas to its RDA customers such as Family Banking. Mr. Kalim Siddiqui (CEO Kalim Siddiqui & Associates), whose architecture firm is conceptualizing BOP Khaas lounges, shared how all lounges and centers will depict Pakistan’s vibrant cultures across provinces and cities, making it a unique experience for the customers. Also addressing the occasion, Mr. Atyab Tahir (Country Manager – Mastercard) shared that BOP, in collaboration with Mastercard, has launched a unique vertical debit card for its Khaas customers. The debit card comes with a host of exciting discount alliances for customers. He also expressed his willingness and commitment to extend MasterCard and BOP partnership, in order to bring new and improved product offerings for BOP customers, both at home and abroad. The event also showcased BOP’s Roshan Digital account features for customers, which is Pakistan’s First Free Roshan Digital account. Pr

Sunday, 14 November, 2021 | ISLAMABAD

10 FOREIGN NEWS

Biden And ChinA’s Xi To hold virTuAl meeTing Tomorrow

u

AgENcIEs

S President Joe Biden will hold a virtual meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Monday, the White House said, talks Washington hopes will create some stability amid increased tensions between the world’s two largest economies.

It is expected to be the leaders’ most extensive meeting under the Biden administration and will follow on from a telephone call between the two on September 9.

Washington and Beijing have been sparring on issues from the origins of the Covid19 pandemic to China’s expanding nuclear arsenal. US officials believe direct engagement with Xi is the best way to prevent ties spiralling toward conflict. “The two leaders will discuss ways to responsibly manage the competition … as well as ways to work together where our interests align,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a

statement. “President Biden will make clear US intentions and priorities and be clear and candid about our concerns.

“Beijing is also keen to avoid confrontation as Xi faces a crucial year ahead with China’s hosting of the Winter Olympic Games and a key Communist Party Congress where he looks to secure an unprecedented third term. China’s foreign ministry said on Saturday the leaders would exchange views on bilateral relations and issues of common interests in the summit, which will take place on Tuesday morning in Asia.

A senior US official said Biden would make clear he welcomes stiff competition with China, but doesn’t want conflict, and played down the likelihood of a long list of outcomes often tied to top-level meetings.

“This is not about seeking specific deliverables or outcomes,” the official said, adding in reference to the People’s Republic of China (PRC): “As we compete with the PRC, President Biden expects President Xi and the

russia says British jets escorted its nuclear-capable bombers MOscOW ReuteRs

British fighter jets escorted two Russian Tupolev Tu160 nuclear-capable bombers on stretches of an hourslong patrol, Russia’s Defence Ministry was quoted as saying by Interfax. “Two Tu-160 long-range strategic missile carriers performed a scheduled flight in the airspace above the neutral waters of the Barents, Norwegian and North Seas,” the ministry was quoted as saying by the Russian news agency on Saturday. “The Russian strategic missile carriers were accompanied by Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets of the British Air Force at some stages of the route,” it added.

Trump adviser Bannon charged after defying Capitol riot subpoena WAsHINgTON ReuteRs

Stephen Bannon, a prominent adviser to former US president Donald Trump, has been criminally charged for defying a subpoena issued by a congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, the Justice Department said on Friday. Bannon has refused to cooperate with the House of Representatives select committee seeking testimony and documents from him, citing Trump’s insistence – already rejected by one judge – that he has a right to keep the requested material confidential under a legal doctrine called executive privilege. Bannon, 67, was charged with one count of contempt of Congress for refusing to appear for a deposition and a second count for refusing to produce documents. Contempt of Congress is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a maximum fine of $100,000. Justice Department spokesperson Bill Miller said Bannon is “expected to self-surrender” on Monday in Washington and make his first court appearance in the case that afternoon. Trump has sought to stonewall the committee, which is scrutinizing his actions relating to the deadly Capitol riot, and directed his former associates not to cooperate.

The charges against Bannon may bolster the committee’s efforts to secure testimony and documents from other Trump associates. Bannon’s indictment was announced just hours after Trump’s former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows refused to appear for a deposition before the committee, risking also being found in contempt of Congress.

PRC to play by the rules of road — and he will make that point throughout the meeting.”

The meeting will come after Biden signs a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal in a big ceremony on Monday to celebrate domestic renewal plans he believes will position the United States to out-compete China. US officials have played down the possibility of progress on trade, where China is lagging in a commitment to buy $200 billion more in US goods and services.

China has nevertheless continued to push for relief from hundreds of billions of dollars of tariffs imposed under former President Donald Trump, arguing this could help both sides by easing inflation and boosting employment.

Competing visions: Biden and Xi outlined competing visions at meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum this week, with Biden stressing the US commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” which Washington says faces increas-

ing Chinese “coercion”, while Xi warned against a return to Cold War tensions.

Addressing APEC leaders on Friday, Xi spoke of the need to “stick to dialogue rather than confrontation, inclusiveness rather than exclusion, and integration rather than decoupling”, an apparent reference to US moves to make key supply chains independent of China. Climate is a priority for Biden, and China and the United States, the world’s two biggest carbon emitters, unveiled a deal at global talks in Glasgow this week to ramp up cooperation, including by cutting

methane emissions, phasing out coal consumption and protecting forests. However, the superpowers have clashed increasingly over self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own and that Washington is required to provide with the means to defend itself. Secretary of State Antony Blinken angered China this week when he said Washington and its allies would take unspecified “action” if China were to use force to alter the Taiwan status quo, further muddying the long-held US policy of “strategic ambiguity” as to whether the United States would respond militarily.

India’s top court says New Delhi air pollution situation is ‘very serious’ NEW DEHLI ReuteRs

cision,” he said.

Delhi, often ranked the world’s most polluted capital, faces extremely bad air

in winter due to crop stubble burning, emissions from transport, coal-fired plants outside the city and other indus-

The Chief Justice of India on Saturday asked the central government to come up with an emergency plan to tackle New Delhi’s toxic air quality and dangerous smog conditions, calling the situation “very serious”.

On Friday, India’s federal pollution control board ordered states and local bodies to be in “complete readiness” for emergency measures to tackle worsening smog conditions in the capital.

“We have been forced to wear masks at home also, the situation is very serious,” the top legal officer in the Supreme Court of India N. V. Ramana said while seeking clarity on the measures initiated by the government so far.

“Delhi air quality will become severe and increase in surface wind may help .. another two to three days it will increase further. Take an emergency de-

Australia vaccine-mandate protesters compare state govt to Nazis: media MELBOURNE ReuteRs

Several thousand people rallied in Melbourne against new vaccination mandates on Saturday, with a few comparing the state government to Nazis and calling for violence against politicians, local media said.

In Australia, where 83 percent of people aged 16 and above have been fully inoculated against the coronavirus, nationwide vaccinations are voluntary. But states and territories have mandated vaccinations for many occupations and barred the unvaccinated from activities such as dining out and concerts.

The Melbourne demonstration against the vaccination mandate that came into effect on Saturday — requiring construction workers in Victoria state to be fully inoculated — was peaceful, The Age newspaper said.

But a reporter posted video on Twitter of a protester carrying a mock gallows with three nooses hanging from it, and the newspaper showed a protester carrying a poster depicting Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews with a Hitler moustache and the hashtag #DictatorDan. “We’re being governed by insane medical bureaucrats,” Craig Kelly, former Liberal Party member of parliament and now the leader of United Australia party, told the rally, media reported.

The Age said some protesters called for violence against politicians but did not offer specifics.

Andrews’ office and protest organisers could not im-

mediately be reached for comment.

Australia has seen frequent, occasionally violent, antivaccine rallies in the recent few months, though the movement remains small, with polls showing nationwide opposition in the single digits.

Victoria, the second-most populous state with a quarter of Australia’s 25 million people, has an 87 percent vaccination rate and has endured six Covid-19 lockdowns totalling nearly nine months.

Australia’s high vaccination rates were key in its decision to partially reopen international borders this month for the first time during the pandemic.

New South Wales, the most populous state, said it will welcome a group of vaccinated international students on December 6. Victoria’s government also aims to bring some international students back by the end of the year.

There were 1,221 new infections reported on Saturday in Victoria and four deaths, and 250 daily cases in New South Wales.

Despite Delta outbreaks that led to months of lockdown in the two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, the national tally of just under 190,000 infections and 1,591 deaths is far lower than that of many developed nations.

Neighbouring New Zealand, which is also learning to live with the coronavirus through high vaccination rates, reported 175 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic 8,121. There have been 33 deaths in total.

trial emissions, as well as open garbage burning and dust.

While the smog reduced visibility, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in and around capital city hit 470 to 490 on a scale of 500, according to the federal pollution control board data on Saturday.

This level of pollution means the air will affect healthy people and seriously impact those with existing diseases.

A special bench of the Supreme Court has started hearing a plea filed by a student concerning rising levels of air pollution. Ramana said the government should consider a two-day lockdown to protect citizens from the rising toxicity and inform the court on Monday about the emergency steps taken to improve air quality.

In a notification on Friday, the pollution control board said the government and private offices should reduce the use of private transport by 30% and advised the city’s residents to limit outdoor exposure.

Justice delayed as Taliban build their legal system in Afghanistan KABUL AFP

A small carpeted room serves as a makeshift jail for 12 “criminals” who are awaiting Taliban justice, caught in the legal system which the group is building at the heart of their new Afghan regime. None of the prisoners being held on the ground floor of the Taliban headquarters in Panjwai district in southern Afghanistan have yet seen the local judge, who is busy in another area. Until he arrives, the Taliban fighters of the unit in Kandahar province — left to their own whims and understanding of the group’s interpretation of Islam — represent the entirety of the justice system.

“They will keep me here until I can pay back the person I owe money to,” said Haj Baran, a 41-year-old businessman arrested three days earlier for an outstanding debt. “We have a good system of judgement with the Islamic law of the Taliban,” he told AFP, as a guard watched closely. After a nearly 20-year insurgency, the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in August by force. But they long ago placed their version of justice at the centre of their ideology, and have “made the courts a means of conquering power”, says Adam Bazco, a researcher who conducted a field investigation on the Taliban judicial system from 2010 to 2016. From 2004 on, in areas the Taliban controlled, “people were turning to them because of growing discontent with the interference of Western groups in their land disputes and a judicial system that appeared increasingly corrupt and nepotistic”, Bazco says. In the context of war, he explains, the severity of the Taliban punishments was welcomed by some.

Sunday, 14 November, 2021 | ISLAMABAD

AusTrAlIA, New ZeAlANd To loCk horNs IN T20 wC fINAl TodAy DUBAI

N

stAff RepoRt

eW Zealand’s Kane Williamson eye a second global crown in a single year when they take on Australia at the Twenty20 World Cup final that will witness a new winner on Sunday (today).

The blockbuster fixture is scheduled to begin at 7pm (Pakistan Standard Time). New Zealand and Australia renew their trans-Tasman rivalry in Dubai as both teams look to clinch their maiden world title in the shortest format. It´s a hat-trick of ICC finals for the once perennial underdogs of world cricket after they outplayed India to win the inaugural Test championship in June.

They beat favourites england in the semi-final to avenge their 2019 defeat in a dramatic 50-over World Cup final at Lord´s when they went down on boundary count after a super over.

Head coach Gary Stead said the

Black Caps are excited to take on the

Taliban-led Afghanistan want to keep up women’s cricket but more action needed: ICC AFP The International Cricket Council (ICC) says Afghanistan has communicated its intent to keep up the women’s game in the country but the world body still awaits more action.

Afghanistan’s participation in the ongoing men’s Twenty20 World Cup was under threat after reports emerged of the new Taliban regime not allowing women to play cricket.

The team led by Mohammad Nabi impressed in the Super 12 stage before losing out in the race for the semi-finals following their loss to New Zealand. Geoff Allardice, chief executive of the ICC, said they will back cricket from the war-torn region to thrive on the global stage. “Our goal is to see men and women playing cricket in Afghanistan.

We’ve supported them and the team has performed at this event. You’ve seen their players in a number of events now,” Allardice told reporters in Dubai. “In terms of how our board will consider the situation in Afghanistan at its meeting next week, they will get a report on how things are travelling.” Allardice said, “They have said to us that women’s cricket is continuing. They certainly haven’t given us an indication that it has stopped. “Time will tell, in terms of how that plays out. Yes, we have been in regular communication with them from the time things changed in their country.” Meanwhile, according to reports, cricket in the United States could be awarded a major ICC event in the next cycle starting 2024. Allardice said the ICC remains committed to expanding the game globally and holding events in countries where the sport is gaining ground. “Taking an ICC event or a World Cup of any description to a developing cricket country has a huge impact whether it’s on facilities or awareness of the game particularly when the local team is involved,” said Allardice.

“It’s a great opportunity to develop the game.” Cricket’s dream of making it to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles got a boost early this year when the Board of Control for Cricket India put aside their reluctance to join the push. “Over the last decade, we have had various member countries expressing interest in being part of the Olympic games,” said Allardice. “This time we have got all our members on board and are unanimous in wanting to be part of the games. I don’t pretend it will be easy to campaign and be successful with the Los Angeles organising committee and beyond that Brisbane as well. “There are going to be a lot of other attractive sports that are going to be interested. We are looking forward to putting our best foot forward. “

Australian challenge in what will be

their first ever T20 World Cup final

SPORTS 11 appearance.

“That´s probably a final that I´m not sure too many people would have predicted a month or so ago, Australia and New Zealand,” said Stead.

The Kiwis though have suffered an injury blow after wicketkeeper Devon Conway was ruled out following a broken hand when he punched his bat on his dismissal in the semi-final.

Jimmy Neesham played a key part in the team´s semi-final win over england as he hit 27 off 11 balls to turn the game on its head and win with an over to spare.

“I am sure there will be a bigger outpour of emotion if we manage to get across the line,” he said.

Sunday´s clash will bring back memories of the 2015 50-over final when Australia beat New Zealand by seven wickets to clinch their fifth ODI World Cup. Aaron Finch´s Australians beat title favourites Pakistan by five wickets in the second semi-final.

“They´ve got a bunch of guys who are real match winners,” said Stead.

“And we´re going to have to make sure that our planning, out scouting is right on point and we´ve got really clear plans for their players because they can like rip a game open pretty quickly.”

Australia were in trouble at 96-

5 while chasing 177 on Thursday when Marcus Stoinis (40) and Matthew Wade (41) put on an unbeaten partnership of 82 and win by an over to spare.

Wade smashed Pakistan pace ace Shaheen Shah Afridi for three straight sixes including two audacious scoop shots – the final one sailing over fine leg to silence the Pakistan crowd. ´Piece to the Puzzle´: Stoinis said a T20 World Cup title will “mean a bloody lot to us.”

“Obviously Test cricket and the Ashes, that´s what we grew up when we played. Then the transformation of T20 cricket. It´s not a hit and a giggle anymore in terms of the pressure,” said Stoinis.

“I don´t think many people gave us a chance leading into this tournament apart from the players and coaching staff. So it´s definitely going to mean a bloody lot to us and we will be super proud when we bring that home to Australia.”

Coach Justin Langer said: “We have got such a rich history and it´ll be nice to add this piece to the puzzle.”

Key will be the form of opener David Warner who has plundered 236 runs at the tournament.

Langer lauded the Black Caps for their brand of cricket and said the Aussies will have to bring their best for a maiden title.

Kohli to skip first Test against New Zealand MUMBAI Agencies

India’s regular captain Virat Kohli will skip the opening Test against New Zealand this month as the hosts named a depleted side for the two-match series on Friday.

The team will be led by Ajinkya Rahane in the Nov 25-29 test in Kanpur with Kohli returning at the helm for the second and final contest in Mumbai from Dec 3, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) said in a statement.

Opening batter Rohit Sharma, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and fast bowling duo Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami — all regular members of the Indian Test side — were also missing from the squad.

The missing players, including Kohli, are expected to have been rested although

the BCCI did not offer any reason for their exclusion.

In the absence of Pant, Wriddhiman Saha is expected to don the wicket-keeping gloves for the hosts.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will lead India’s spin heavy bowling lineup which also includes rookie pacers Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj.

New Zealand have included five spinners in their 15-man Test squad and will arrive in India immediately after their T20 World Cup final against arch-rivals Australia in Dubai on Sunday.

The series will be the first in the longest format between the two sides since they met in the June final of the inaugural World Test Championship, which was won

by New Zealand.

Squad: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pu-

jara (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper), KS Bharat (wicketkeeper), Ravindra

Australia to be careful on reviews after Warner miss: Matthew Wade

DUBAI Agencies

Australia’s Matthew Wade said the team will work better on referrals in the Twenty20 World Cup final after David Warner walked off caught behind without an apparent edge in Thursday’s semi-final win over Pakistan.

The Aussies won by five wickets after Wade and Marcus Stoinis put on an unbeaten stand of 81 to chase down their target of 177 to set up a title clash with New Zealand on Sunday.

The left-handed Warner gave the team a blazing start before he fell to Shadab Khan’s leg spin and walked after being given caught behind for 49 off 30 balls.

But replays suggested the ball made no contact with the bat before heading into the gloves of Mohammad Rizwan as Pakistan celebrated the key wicket amid raucous shouts from the crowd. “I think there was a noise, he wasn’t sure. Maybe his bat handle clicked or his hand on his bat,” Wade said of the dismissal.

“He didn’t think that he hit it. But I think Glenn [Maxwell] at the other end heard the noise. To be fair, the

bat was out there. That was the only thing maybe it could have been. He was potentially thinking that he might have hit it. “Hopefully something that doesn’t happen in the next match. But we’ve just got to work it out. The thing is you get two [reviews] in these formats. We should have used it.”

Shadab got four wickets including Mitchell Marsh (28), Steve Smith (five), Maxwell (seven) with Australia in trouble at 96-5.

It was then the left-right batting pair of Wade (41 not out) and Stoinis (40 not out) stood firm and took the attack to the opposition.

Wade smoked Shaheen Shah Afridi for three straight sixes in the 19th over — after being dropped on 21 by Hasan Ali — to bring up victory/.

But he refused to call the dropped catch the turningpoint. “I think by the time that the catch drop went down, I was pretty confident we were in a really good position to get the runs,” the 33-year-old Wade said. “If that had happened three or four overs before hand, that would dictate the outcome of the game a little bit more.”

Wade had not been too Worried: “I would still be pretty confident with Pat [Cummins] coming in and Marcus still at the crease, that we could have got the job done anyway,” he said. “I wouldn’t say that was the reason why we won the game. “Marcus played a terrific innings to be able to get it to a total we started to think could be chaseable towards the end there.

“The way he played freed me up to be able to do what I did at the end there. The way Marcus batted at the end, to be honest, was probably the turning-point of the match.

“To be able to bat with Marcus has been awesome. Obviously played a lot of cricket with him at Victoria and early on in his career. Obviously saw him grow into the cricketer he is today. I know if I can just hang with him for four or five overs, then he’s going to find the boundary.

He’s too good and strong.” Wade said he did not specifically target Shaheen who rattled opposition batsmen throughout the tournament. “We certainly didn’t go into the game targeting,” Wade said. “He’s a terrific bowler, and I just got lucky tonight, I suppose.”

Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

Alves agrees Barcelona return MADRID Afp

Barcelona announced on Friday that veteran defender Dani Alves will be returning to the club as new coach Xavi Hernandez’s first signing. Alves, 38, has been a free agent since leaving Sao Paulo in September but is ineligible until the transfer window opens early next window. He played for the Camp Nou outfit between 2008-2016 when he lifted the Champions League title three times alongside Xavi. “Barcelona and Dani Alves have reached an agreement in principle for the player to join the football first team for the remainder of the current season,” they said. “The Brazilian will be joining training from next week but will not be able to play until January. “In the Catalan capital, he made the right back slot his own across eight seasons, making 391 official appearances and scoring 23 goals. “Alves has also played for Brazil, winning six major titles, most recently the Tokyo Olympic Games, where he lined up in the final against what are now his team-mates Oscar Mingueza, eric Garcia and Pedri,” they added.

Alves will compete with USA youngster Sergino Dest for a starting berth with Spain centre-back Oscar Mingueza also able to cover at right-back.

Xavi was presented as the club’s new boss on Monday to replace the sacked Ronald Koeman returning to the side where he won eight La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues as a player. Despite club debts of more than a billion euros ($1.16billion), Xavi is tasked with returning Barcelona to europe’s elite and recovering a style of play most associated with Johan Cruyff and Pep Guardiola.

Xavi’s priority this term will be to ensure Barcelona qualify for next season’s Champions League by finishing in La Liga’s top four. They also face a fight to make the last 16 of this season’s tournament, with a crunch game away to Benfica to come later this month. The Catalans’ next match after the international break is on November 20 at home against city rivals espanyol.

sunday, 14 November, 2021

prayer timiNgs

News

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ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

5:11

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PUnjAB SeekS wiThdrAwAl oF reFerence AgAinST SAAd rizVi LAHORE

i

staff report

N a major development on Saturday Punjab government has decided to withdraw a reference against Tehreek-e-Labbaik Chief Saad Hussain Rizvi on the grounds that all the allegations against Rizvi could not be established.

It has been reported that the govern-

ment has written a letter to withdraw a reference against Saad Rizvi from the Federal Review Board (FRB) saying the provincial government intended to take back the case against Saad Rizvi.

The review board is likely to announce its decision in this regard on November 15 (this Monday). On October 10, the FRB had rejected the Punjab government’s plea seeking extension in custody of Hafiz Rizvi, saying that how they

could extend the detention period after the Lahore High Court had quashed it.

The FBR comprises Justice Maqbool Baqir of the Supreme Court, Justice Ayesha A Malik of the Lahore High Court and Justice Noorul Amin of the Balochistan High Court. On Nov 11, the Punjab government had removed the names of TLP Chief Saad Rizvi and 577 other activists from the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATC).

An order, issued by the Punjab Home Department, had stated that Rizvi was enlisted on the Fourth schedule on the recommendation of the District Intelligence Committee, Lahore.

The Punjab government had already removed TLP from the First schedule, “name of Hafiz Muhammad Saad s/o Khadim Hussain is, hereby, deleted from the list of 4th Schedule of Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 with immediate effect,” it added.

TLP agreement details likely to emerge in a week’s time, says Interior Minister ISLAMABAD staff report

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said on Saturday that he hopes the details of the government’s recent agreement with the recently de-proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) would come out within seven to 10 days.

Talking to the media here, the interior minister set a timeframe for the announcement of the details, saying: “An agreement has been decided with the TLP. Whatever is in that agreement will come out to the people in a few days.”

“The hope is that whatever their matters have been decided, [their details] will come out in seven to 10 days and they will be positive,” he added.

It merits mention that on Oct 31, the government had reached an agreement with the previously

Veteran actor Suhail Asghar passes away after prolonged illness KARACHI News Desk

Veteran actor and senior artist Suhail Asghar passed away on Saturday, November 13 after a prolonged bout of illness.

The actor’s passing away has been confirmed by his family. Asghar’s wife said he had been ill for the past year and a half. He underwent gastric surgery after which his health declined. His funeral prayers will be held on Sunday in Karachi’s Bahria Town, she told new channels.

Asghar was born in Lahore where he completed his education. He then became a part of Radio Pakistan and from 1978 to 1988 worked as a radio jockey.

Later, he started a career in theatre. He also acted in dramas such as Laag, Piyas, Chand Girhan and Kajal Ghar.

He made his debut on the silver screen in 2003 with the film Murad. In 2004, another of his films called Mah e Noor was released and his performance in it was met with critical acclaim.

Actors Ahsan Khan, Sana Javed, Asad Siddiqui and Rabia Butt have expressed their grief over the actor’s demise.

Actors Faysal Quraishi, Feroze Khan, Ghana Ali and model Sadaf Kanwal remembered the actor as well.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the veteran actor’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.

banned outfit after almost two weeks of clashes that left at least seven policemen dead and scores injured on both sides.

When making the announcement, Mufti Muneebur Rehman, the designated mediator, had not shared any details, only saying that the specifics of the agreement would come to light at an “appropriate time”.

Rashid told the media that he was not an active part of the agreement process, which he said was negotiated by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Punjab government, adding that he had relayed the same to TLP chief Saad Hussain Rizvi.

It is pertinent to mention here that it was Rizvi’s continued incarceration that had triggered TLP’s protest before the outfit added to its demands the expulsion of France’s ambassador over the publication of caricatures depicting the Holy

Prophet (PBUH) in a French satirical magazine. Mufti Muneeb had later denied that the TLP was seeking the French ambassador’s expulsion.

In his media talk today, Rashid said the interior ministry had proscribed the TLP on the Punjab government’s recommendation, and after it withdrew its decision, a summary was sent to the cabinet and the group’s proscribed status was revoked.

The interior minister was also questioned on Friday’s meeting between PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. The minister downplayed the meeting, saying that the opposition would only tire itself out with any movements against the government at this time.

The interior minister was also dismissive of the government’s reported disagreements with its coalition partners.

Attorney General underscores flaws in NAB law ISLAMABAD ageNcies

Attorney General for Pakistan Khalid Javed Khan has underscored flaws in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law.

He has raised objections against the recent amendments introduced in the NAB Ordinance and flayed some original provisions that allow NAB officials to arrest a suspect before filing a reference against them.

The PTI government amended the NAO through a presidential ordinance in October.

Khalid Javed Khan told media that Prime Minister Imran Khan had turned down his suggestion to include a provision in the amended law to bar NAB officials from arresting suspects until a court decided on references against them.

He said the NAB’s investigation and prosecution

processes were flawed and that some of the cases should have concluded much earlier.

“Accusing people of corruption and then saying after a year that no reference could be filed destroys reputations,” he said.

The decision to arrest a suspect should be made by an accountability court and that too when a reference has already been filed, he said.

No one should be arrested at the initial stage, Khan said adding that NAB had been unjust in some cases and needed to compensate the victims.

The Attorney General said the president should not have been given powers to remove the NAB chairman because it would lead to problems.

Under the amended NAO, the Supreme Judicial Council has been stripped of its power to remove the NAB chairman. The power has been vested in the president instead.

‘Foreign fishing vessels are not allowed to fish in exclusive economic zone’ ISLAMABAD app

Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi on Friday informed the National Assembly that foreign fishing vessels are not being allowed to fish in Pakistan’s exclusive economic zone to protect the interests of local fishermen. Responding to questions during the Question Hour, he said that the deep sea fishing policy has been announced after consultations with the stakeholders. He said the bottom trawling has been banned in Balochistan as it damages the marine life and ecosystem. In response to another question, he said the maritime ministry proposed the amendments in consultation with the stakeholders as a major concern of local fishermen was regarding the issuance of deep-sea fishing licences to foreign entities and foreign joint venture. This practice, he said, deprived the local fishermen of their livelihood in the past.

Therefore, through the amendments in the said rules, no licence is being issued to the foreign vessels or foreign joint ventures.

Balochistan University students postpone protest till Tuesday The protesting students of Balochistan University on Saturday postponed their protest for four days following assurances from the government and university management regarding the recovery of their two missing fellows, Sohail Baloch and Faseeh Baloch, who had gone missing several days ago.

According to a news outlet, Baloch Student Organisation (BSO) Central Secretary General Balach Qadir said that the protest has been postponed till Tuesday as the government has provided assurance in the latest round of negotiations that the missing students would be found. He further said that as per announcement made by the administration, the university would reopen from Monday and educational activities, administrative matters and examinations would then resume. The students’ stance was that if the missing students are not recovered till Tuesday then the protest would restart and the university would be shut down again. The government had formed a committee on November 11 to address the students’ issues and submit their recommendations. News Desk

Fazl vows to go to any limit to oust Imran Khan-led PTI Govt KARACHI staff report

Chief of Pakistan democratic Movement (PDM) Maulana Fazlur Rehman Saturday said that the survival of the country was at stake owing to incompetence of the PTI-led government and vowed to not let any stone unturned in efforts to remove it from power.

“If we do not push the ‘illegitimate’ rulers in the Arabian Sea anytime soon, then the survival of country will be in danger,” he said while addressing a rally in here.

The rally was organised under the umbrella of the joint opposition alliance, against the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan for its “anti-people policies” and the rising inflation.

PDM leaders including Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Mehmood Khan Ackakzai and several others also addressed the hundreds of workers gathered at the Regal Chowk, a busy intersection in the metropolis.

Fazl, who also heads PDM, said all segments of society including businessmen, traders, salaried class, labourers and others are

disappointed with the incumbent government.

“Politicians are the hope of the nation. If we do not play our role today, the nation will not forgive us,” he said adding that PDM is fighting for the survival of the country.

The PDM chief asked state intuitions to review their mistakes and seek apology from the nation.

He said PDM movement will soon restore the rule of genuine representatives of the nation.

Addressing the participants of the rally, PML-N Senior Vice President Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said snap and transparent elections were only forward to resolve the prevailing issues of the country.

He said the ruling PTI came into power through rigged elections and PDM’s struggle was aimed at ensuring supremacy of the Constitution in the country. Abbasi said people were not ready to accept the “incompetent and illegitimate government”.

Pashtun leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai concurring with other PDM leaders said no nation or country can prosper without the rule of law.

Last week, the PDM announced that it would stage a series of rallies in the provincial capitals and finally a long march from Lahore to Islamabad to overthrow PTI-led government for its “anti-people policies”.

The decision was made at a meeting of the alliance in Islamabad held on November 6.

PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif participated in the meeting via video link from London while party President Shehbaz Sharif and Vice President Maryam Nawaz joined the huddle from Lahore.

Other opposition leaders including Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith chief Allama Sajid Mir, PMLN leader and the alliance’s general secretary Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Jamiat Ulema-ePakistan’s Awais Noorani, Qaumi Watan Party’s Aftab Sherpao, National Party’s Mir Kabeer Ahmed and Balochistan National Party-Mengal’s (BNP-M) Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini were among those in attendance on the occasion.

The meeting mulled the overall political situation, rising inflation, the amended Na-

tional Accountability Ordinance (NAO) as well as other issues.

The participants deliberated upon the

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 051-2204545. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk

PDM’s future course of action against the incumbent government over the ever-rising inflation.