Epaper – September 21 ISB 2021

Tuesday, 21 September, 2021 I 13 Safar, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 82 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition

After New ZeAlANd, eNglANd cANcel pAkistAN cricket series As well

LONDON News Desk

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nGlAnd cricket chiefs on Monday cancelled upcoming men’s and women’s tours of Pakistan days after new Zealand abandoned their series over security concerns. The men’s side were due to play two Twenty20 internationals on October 13 and 14, with the women playing three one-day internationals on October 17, 19 and 21.

All the matches were set to take place in Rawalpindi.

“We can confirm that the Board has reluctantly decided to withdraw both teams from the October trip,” a tweet by the England Cricket Board said.

The decision comes three days after new Zealand abandoned their tour of Pakistan citing a “security threat”, minutes before the first OdI match was scheduled to start at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium — a move that shocked Pakistani fans and officials.

“The ECB Board convened this weekend to discuss these extra England Women’s and Men’s games in Pakistan and we can confirm that the

coroNAvirus iN

pAkistAN

CONFIRMED CASES:

1,226,008

LAST UPDATED AT 10:16 AM ON SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

40

2,167

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

1,135,038 27,246 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

450,787

422,790

KPK:

BALOCHISTAN:

171,388 AJK/GB:

32,769 ISLAMABAD:

33,787 / 10,245

104,242

Board has reluctantly decided to withdraw both teams from the October trip,” it added.

“We know there are increasing concerns about travelling to the region,” it said while referring to Pakistan, adding that going ahead with the tour “will add further pressure to a playing group who have already coped with a long period of operating in restricted Covid environments”.

According to the press release, there was an “added complexity” for England Men’s T20 squad. “We believe that touring under these conditions will not be ideal preparation for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, where performing well remains a top priority for 2021,” it explained.

“We understand that this decision will be a significant disappointment to the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board), who have worked tirelessly to host the return of international cricket in their country,” the statement said, noting that Pakistan’s support of English and Welsh cricket over the last two summers had been “a huge demonstration of friendship”.

“We are sincerely sorry for the impact this will have on cricket in Pakistan and emphasise an ongoing commitment to our main touring plans there for 2022.”

SBP increases interest rate by 25bps to 7.25pc after 15 months News Desk The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday increased the benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 7.25 percent for the next two months, after keeping the policy rate unchanged six times in a row and the first such increase since June 2020.

A statement issued after the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting, the central bank said the decision to increase the interest rate to 7.25 percent was taken under the chairmanship of SBP Governor dr Reza Baqir.

Since its last meeting in July, the MPC noted that the pace of the economic recovery has exceeded expectations. This robust recovery in domestic demand, coupled with higher international commodity prices, is leading to a strong pick-up in imports and a rise in the current account deficit. While year-onyear inflation has declined since June, rising demand pressures together with higher imported inflation could begin to manifest in inflation readings later in the fiscal year, said the statement.

With growing signs that the latest Covid wave in Pakistan remains contained, continued progress in vaccination, and overall deft management of the pandemic by the government, the economic recovery now appears less vulnerable to pandemic-related uncertainty. As a result, at this more mature stage of the recovery, a greater emphasis is needed on ensuring the appropriate policy mix to protect the longevity of growth, keep inflation expectations anchored, and slow the growth in the current account deficit, said the SBP.

The MPC noted that over the last few months the burden of adjusting to the rising current account deficit had fallen primarily on the exchange rate and it is appropriate for other adjustment tools, including interest rates, to also play their due role. looking ahead, in the absence of unforeseen circumstances, the MPC expects monetary policy to remain accommodative in the near term, with possible further gradual tapering of stimulus to achieve mildly positive real interest rates over time. In reaching its decision, the MPC considered key trends and prospects in the real, external and fiscal sectors, and the resulting outlook for monetary conditions and inflation, said the statement.

The interest rate rise caught analysts off guard, many of whom were expecting the central bank to leave the rate unchanged. In its previous policy

Minister accuses CEC of siding with the opposition

MORE INSIDE

NZ can think about compensating PCB for financial loss, says David

News Desk Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swati Monday said that the incumbent government had to swallow a “bitter pill” after the appointment of the chief election commissioner to preserve the sanctity of this “constitutional institution”, referring to the Election Commission of Pakistan.

Speaking at a press conference along Advisor to Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs dr Babar Awan, Swati said Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja was speaking the opposition’s language to “mess around” with the government, which was standing its ground like an “iron wall”. He did not elaborate on the details of Raja’s appointment but did imply it was under untoward circumstances. I don’t want to and won’t reveal how you [CEC] were appointed,” Swati said.

If we didn’t respect the ECP, we would have never appointed you,” he said, adding that the government confirmed his appointment to abide by the Constitution and protect the ECP’s dignity despite knowing that he was allegedly close with the Sharifs. Swati said the government only wanted uncontro-

review on July 27, the central bank had kept the policy rate unchanged at 7% for the sixth time in a row during a 13-month period.

The SBP had aggressively slashed the benchmark interest rate by 625 basis points to 7% from March to June 2020 to minimise the impacts of Covid19 on the economy. Since then, the SBP has maintained a status quo.

The interest rate is a tool available with the central bank to control inflation, regulate unnecessary rupee movement and give direction to the national economy. Analysts believe that the central bank of Pakistan will announce an increase of 2550 basis points in its next MPS scheduled for november 26, 2021.

On June 25, 2020, the SBP had decided to slash the country’s policy rate by 100 points to 7 percent.

STORY ON BACK PAGE

10pc population fully vaccinated against Covid-19: official versial, fair and free elections and a system which “future generations can’t point fingers at”.

He questioned why the CEC had made no progress on pilot programmes as ordered previously by the Supreme Court or the parliament through the Elections Act 2017.

“I again remind you Sikandar Sultan Raja sahab that only the one who accepts defeat, loses.

Come and see whether the law and the Constitution are greater or your own being.” The railways minister continued to lash out at the CEC and asked him on “whose instructions are you destroying such a great institution”.

“I, this nation and overseas Pakistanis want to ask you this.”

Regarding the notice sent to him by the ECP for his tirade

against the institution, Swati questioned how many such similar notices had been sent to other political leaders from the opposition. Responding to a question on whether the government was ready to sit down with the ECP, Swati clarified: “We don’t have a quarrel with the ECP but with Raja Sultan.”

According to the railways minister, the entire purpose of the press conference was to send this message: “Raja sahab you cannot violate the law or the Constitution […]

When the parliament passes its voice through a law then under the leadership of [Prime Minister] Imran Khan, we will [bring] a fantastic [electoral] system.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

STORY ON PAGE 03

Nationwide polio drive begins to vaccinate 18.6m children STORY ON PAGE 02

Govt wishes to resolve issues with Maulana Aziz through dialogue, says Rasheed STORY ON PAGE 03

02

Tuesday, 21 September, 2021

ISLAMABAD

NEWS

NatioNwide polio drive BeGiNs to vacciNate 18.6m cHildreN ISLAMABAD

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FIvE-DAY nationwide polio eradication drive began on Monday to administer vaccine drops to 18.6 million children up to five years of age.

The vaccine officials will be given protective gear for their protection against coronavirus and will be following all WHOrecommended protocols to keep themselves

and others safe from the risk of contracting the disease.

According to a statement, during the drive, the trained polio frontline workers will reach every child with essential polio vaccine while adhering to strict health guidelines such as wearing a mask, using hand sanitiser, and maintaining the minimum distance advised during the campaign.

In Sindh, vaccination teams will administer drops to 9.4 million children.

According to a spokesman of the Punjab

Banker sent on remand in fake accounts, money laundering case LAHORE: A judicial magistrate on Monday sent Asim Khan Suri, vice president and head of compliance at MCB Bank, on a two-week judicial remand in connection with the fake bank accounts and money laundering case involving members of the Sharif family.

The Federal Investigation Agency arrested Suri Sunday on charges of influencing the witnesses, and some bank officials, in the case in favour of National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif and his family.

Reports quoting people familiar with the development said FIA has also dispatched teams to arrest the bank’s group head, Azhar Mahmood, who joined the entity after retiring from the post of additional director at the agency. Sharif and his son, Hamza Shehbaz, are facing charges of laundering dirty money worth Rs25 billion using the accounts of Ramazan and Al-Arabiya sugar mills. The duo is presently out on bail. An investigation into the money laundering charges against the suspects revealed that his assets ballooned from Rs14.86mn to Rs7328mn in the past 20 years. Sharif made properties worth Rs619.85 million which include three homes in Model Town, Defence Housing Authority and Dunga Gali in Galyat region. inP

Hearing in petition against Gillani, son postponed ISLAMABAD: There was no further progress in a petition filed in the Election Commission of Pakistan seeking the disqualification of Pakistan Peoples Party leader Yousaf Raza Gillani and his son Ali Haider Gillani due to the absence of the plaintiff. A twomember bench, consisting of Nisar Durrani and Shah Muhammad Jatoi, heard the petition filed by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MP Aliya Hamza Malik. A representative of Barrister Ali Zafar, counsel for the petitioners, appeared in the court on his behalf and said Zafar was busy in connection with another case. Counsel for the Gillanis, however, argued the Senate elections could not be declared null and void since two months have been passed. He requested the court to see to it whether the petition was admissible for hearing. The ECP then adjourned the hearing until October 11. inP

Govt proposes up to 37pc hike in gas tariff The government’s proposed inverse gas tariff plan seeks to massively increase prices for 43pc of sale volumes to partially finance the cost of gas supplies to “protected” lower-end consumers, according to a report by Dawn. The petroleum division has reported that that 57pc gas is consumed by 77pc consumers in the first and second slabs that the petroleum ministry seeks to protect with no price change. The third slab pertains to almost two million consumers with 18pc of gas consumption whose monthly bill works out at Rs3,733. The petroleum division has sought their rate to go up by about 24pc to Rs683 per unit, showing an increase in monthly bill to Rs4,300, while 3.3pc consumers fall in the fourth slab with monthly consumption of 300 cubic metres for whom the division has suggested the price to increase by 35pc to Rs1,000 per unit that would increase its monthly bill

by Rs2,260 to Rs10,272. For the fifth slab of about 93,000 consumers are currently charged at Rs1,107 per unit, taking their bill to Rs14,400 per month. The petroleum division has proposed 36pc higher rate of Rs1,500 per unit for consumers in this category, increasing their monthly gas bill by Rs5,100 to Rs19,500. Similarly, there are about 0.4pc consumers in the sixth and last slab of over 400-cubic-metre monthly consumption who utilise about 3pc gas sales and the division has suggested to go up by 37pc to Rs2,000 per unit. The monthly bill in this category at Rs25,500 would jump by Rs9,130 a month to reach Rs34,625. The petroleum division has reported that two public sector gas utility companies – Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) – were facing challenges as their indigenous gas supply sources have depleted and no net increase or addition has been witnessed.

The import of RLNG to make up for the supply gap had substantial impact on their full cost recoveries due to drastic differences in the tariff for indigenous gas and imported RLNG. Monitoring rePort

Health Department, during the campaign, polio teams would go door-to-door and administer drops.

Teams will also be available at bus stops, railway stations and hospitals for administering anti-polio drops.

Strict security measures have been taken for the security of polio teams.

Pakistan is one of the two polio-endemic countries in the world along with Afghanistan.

The country is facing a challenging situation in polio eradication with the upsurge in the

number of polio cases.

Last year, 83 polio cases were reported across the country, including 24 from Balochistan, 22 each from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, and 14 from Punjab.

The government’s efforts to rid the country of polio have lately suffered setbacks due to attacks on vaccinators and police personnel guarding them. The deadly violence is also cited as a factor for the upsurge in new cases that had dropped to only 12 cases in 2018.

Strict security measures had been taken for the campaign and personnel of Balochistan Levies force, police and Frontier Corps would move with all teams of vaccinations.

In traditionally conservative parts of the country, many see the vaccine as a Westernled conspiracy to sterilise children. To deal with the situation, religious scholars, tribal elders and other people who have influence in their areas would motivate parents to get their children vaccinated.

Govt wishes to resolve issues with Maulana Aziz through dialogue, says Rasheed NEwS DESk Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Monday has said that the federal government desires to resolve any issues with Islamic cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz through dialogue so that the situation in the capital may remain normal.

Addressing a presser in the federal capital, the minister stated that there were several cases against Maulana Aziz but the government wanted the situation in the capital to remain normal.

“That’s why we keep talking to them,” he said, adding that Maulana Aziz had an issue every other day.

A day earlier, a case was registered against Maulana Aziz in Islamabad after Afghan Taliban flags were found hoisted on his seminary. Cases were registered against his collaborators as well as students of the seminary. All of these individuals including Aziz were booked under laws that dealt with terrorism.

Maulana Aziz is the administrator of the seminary. When the police came to respond to the situation, Aziz reportedly threatened them with consequences and took the name of the Taliban. The police later tweeted that the flags were removed.

This is not the first time Taliban flags have been hoisted at the seminary. After August 21, there have

been three such instances.

As they took action against the act of hoisting Taliban flags, an anti-riot unit accompanied the police contingent. As per the report in Dawn, students of the seminary came out and even climbed the roof as they attempted to taunt the policemen.

However, there was no physical altercation. Maulana Aziz and a few of his students brandished weapons.

After negotiations with Maulana Aziz, it was agreed that the Taliban flags would be removed.

Speaking on the occasion, Rasheed commented: “Every day he has an issue and every day we try to resolve it.” He added that there were 511 madrassahs and 1,000 mosques in the capital. “Out of 511, we have issues with only one which we resolve through dialogue.” Without naming the entity he was referring to, the minister said that the government had made such efforts with another religious organisation. “However, the result of that was not a good one,” he said. Moreover, he said Pakistan’s borders were peaceful, adding that “we have no refugee camp”.

He recalled that the prime minister had also expressed his intent during his Tajikistan visit to speak to the Taliban for forming an inclusive government in Afghanistan.

He called out India and others for hatching

conspiracies against Pakistan over “their failures in Afghanistan”.

Regarding the New Zealand cricket team’s recent decision to abandon its Pakistan tour minutes before the first match was scheduled to begin, the minister said that it was rich of the opposition to blame the government.

“Don’t throw stones at Sheikh Rasheed of the Ministry of Interior while living in a glasshouse,” he said, adding that the cabinet had provided the New Zealand team with security by the Pakistan Army.

“They don’t have as many [people in their] forces as the number we provided for their security,” he said, adding that it was the government’s “responsibility” to do so.

He said that other teams had visited Pakistan in the past without any issues. He also called on the nation to not be disappointed, stating that the day will come when international teams will want to play in Pakistan.

The minister also questioned the “Five Eyes” alliance”, asking “where were the security experts when the New Zealand team was practicing here for three days”. He reiterated that Pakistan’s security forces were among the world’s strongest agencies, saying there was no threat alert that prompted the Kiwis to abandon the tour at the last minute.

$195m earned from IT services’ export during July’21 ISLAMABAD APP

Pakistan earned USD 195.990 million by providing different Information Technology (IT) services in various countries during the first month of the current financial year 2021-22.

This shows a growth of 20.22 per cent as compared with $163.020m earned through the provision of services during the corresponding period of the last fiscal year 2020-21, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported.

During the month under review, the computer services grew by 23.04 per cent as it surged from $122.280m last year to $150.450m during July 2021.

Among the computer services, the exports of software consultancy services witnessed an increase of 434.15 per cent, from $0.41m to $0.219m while the export of hardware consultancy services also increased by 39.27 per cent, from $38.651m to $53.830m.

The export of repair and maintenance services enhanced by 211.54 per cent from $0.52m to $0.162m whereas the export and imports of computer software services witnessed an increase of 4.31pc, from $33.561m to $35.009m.

In addition, the exports of other computer services rose by 22.52 per cent from $49.975m to $61.230m.

Meanwhile, the export of information services during the month under review decreased by 8.82pc by going down from $0.340m to $0.310m.

Among the information services, the exports of information related services increased by 26.67pc, from $0.165m to $0.209m whereas the exports of other information services dipped by 42.29pc, from $0.175m to $0.101m.

The export of telecommunication services increased by 11.96pc as these went up from $40.400m to $45.230m, the data revealed.

Among the telecommunication services, the export of call centres services increased by 11.80pc during the month as its exports increased from $10.692m to $11.954m whereas the export of other telecommunication services also increased by 12.01pc, from $29.708m to $33.276m during last year, the PBS data revealed.

From Doha, EU limits diplomacy with Taliban to Afghanistan aid BRUSSELS reuters

The European Union will focus on humanitarian aid as it figures out how to deal with the Taliban, aiming at an informal arrangement with Afghanistan’s new rulers to ensure safe aid corridors, four diplomats and two officials said.

More than a month after the group took control following a chaotic Western withdrawal from Kabul, EU governments are also limiting their presence to the Qatar capital, Doha, where the Taliban have a representation.

The reduced ambitions reflect security concerns and confusion about who to deal with in the Taliban after their leaders announced a provisional government without women that ran counter to appeals from world powers for an inclusive team.

The formation of a government of Taliban veterans and hardliners, as well as widespread reports of human rights violations, have dented optimism they had changed since running the country between 1996 and 2001, diplomats said.

“The Taliban will have to make a choice between money or isolation, but we have very little expectations of them,” an EU diplomat said. “Today there are no signals.” Limited aid convoys are reaching Afghanistan, where poverty and hunger have spiralled since the Taliban took power on Aug. 15, via the United Nations refugee agency. UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi also met with the Taliban in Kabul last week.

But as the EU, the world’s largest donor, prepares an aid package for Afghanistan of some 300 million euros ($351 million) it wants to use its aid as leverage

AnAlysis to push the Taliban to uphold human rights.

It also needs names and telephone numbers of Taliban officials who can be trusted once planes arrive from Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.

“We are seeking guarantees for humanitarian aid corridors that are free from attacks, free from interference and that women would be able to take part,” said a senior EU diplomat briefed on discussions between the EU and the Taliban in Doha.

The EU’s main demands are that non-governmental aid groups would be protected, that the Taliban would allow women in their teams, that aid deliveries would not be seized at Kabul airport and that the Taliban would not determine which regions or areas would receive aid, diplomats said.

MISSION POSSIBLE? EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said last week the bloc wanted to reopen its mission in Afghanistan.

Finland’s Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told Reuters the EU’s humanitarian aid unit would operate there.

“We would have first-hand information about the situation and some kind of technical discussions with the Taliban on how aid could reach those most in need,” he said. Despite EU agreement on five goals that the Taliban must meet for full engagement, much of the broader diplomacy is likely to focus on Afghanistan’s neighbours — Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. They are seen as being key to prevent refugees from fleeing to Europe.

EU leaders will discuss their approach with the

United States and other Western governments in New York this week at the United Nations General Assembly. It was not clear if the Taliban would put forward their own UN envoy.

LACK OF SECURITY, TRUST: The EU’s special representative to Afghanistan, Tomas Niklasson, met Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, deputy head of the movement’s political commission, in Doha earlier this month and was told that the EU would be welcome back in Kabul, according to diplomats.

But EU foreign ministers, many who have also met with Stanikzai individually, do not know if he speaks for the Taliban in Kabul and Kandahar because the most influential leaders are in Afghanistan, not Qatar.

The makeup of the Taliban government and the human rights concerns have limited the scope of discussions in Brussels. EU ambassadors have not debated such issues as directly paying Afghan salaries or whether money could be transferred directly to the Afghan central bank.

With the Taliban having broken into European embassies in Kabul such as Denmark and non-EU member Norway, a return to Kabul is logistically difficult too.

The EU expects its personnel to be based in Doha and make only brief visits to Kabul for meetings. One diplomat said EU countries would need to provide their own security or hire contractors, rather than rely on any Western security alliance.

“Even if you want to send only a handful of people on a permanent basis to Kabul, you would have to be sure that they can work safely,” and another EU diplomat. “But it’s very early stages, I don’t think we are near any kind of breakthrough.”

Tuesday, 21 September, 2021

ISLAMABAD

10pC popUlAtioN fUlly vACCiNAted AgAiNSt Covid-19: offiCiAl iSLAMABAd

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EOPLE who were fully vaccinated against coronavirus now accounted for just over 10 percent of Pakistan’s total eligible population, whereas 40 percent of them have been administered at least one dose, an official said.

The government launched a nationwide vaccination drive, starting with older people and frontline healthcare workers, in March. The drive began with a focus on the oldest people in the community, generally over the age of 80, and worked its way down.

Having to deal with vaccination hesitancy and a shortage of vaccine supplies initially, Pakistan hit the ambitious target of 1 million inoculations a day in August, relaxing the requirement of holding a national identity card for vaccination and allowing people to get

their jabs by showing any valid identity.

Initially, the government had to deal with vaccination hesitancy and a shortage of vaccine supplies and had limited shots to people aged 30 or over.

But with purchases from China and allocations from the World Health Organisation and the GAVI Vaccine Alliance, the government has now secured sufficient doses and is keen to get them out into the population.

The government has also allowed private companies to import vaccines and has exempted the vaccines from price caps in a divisive move that health experts fear will create vast inequalities in access.

The government has ramped up restrictions targeting unvaccinated individuals, with vaccination checks now required for entering shopping malls, for employees in both the private and public sector, and even for purchasing fuel in Punjab. In a similar manner, Sindh has blocked SIM cards of unvaccinated.

Speaking with Pakistan Television, Parliamentary Secretary for National Health Services Dr Nausheen Hamid Monday said the national contagion rate was observing a steady decline and recalled the nation has reported a transfer ratio below 5 percent after about a month. The decline in daily new cases was a welcome omen but the public ought to stick to health guidelines as the danger had not subsided.

For the next few years, people would have to continue the use of face masks, hand sanitisers and avoid large gatherings. “If the public ignores the guidelines, there is a risk that cases might surge again”, she warned.

Ruling out prolonged quarantines, Hamid said vaccination rates would have to be increased and new restrictions be placed on unnecessary public gatherings.

She said booster shots were not yet necessary for the general people but confirmed that after achieving the task of 70 percent vaccinations by year-end, the government would begin the rollout of booster jabs.

Security forces kill TTP militant in N Waziristan iSLAMABAd stAff rePort

A high-value terrorist target belonging to the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan group was killed when security forces launched an operation in the North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a statement said on Monday.

The operation was conducted on a tip-off regarding the presence of the terrorist in the area, the statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations said.

During the operation, “TTP terrorist commander Safiullah was killed. Terrorist Safiullah belonged to Mir Ali and was involved in [the] killing of 4 women of an NGO in February 2021 and target killing of Frontier Works Organisation engineers in November 2020,” the statement said.

The terrorist was also involved in planning and execution of improvised explosive device attacks on security forces, extortion and kidnapping for ransom.

The security forces also recovered a huge cache of weapons and ammunition during the operation, the statement added. Trained and funded by India, the Afghanistan-based UN-designated group is responsible for a majority of deaths of civilians and security forces since 2007 — the year it formed as an umbrella organisation of various militant entities ostensibly in retaliation for the government’s decision to cooperate with the United States in the war on terrorism.

Over the years, US drone strikes and targeted operations by Pakistan’s military targeted and killed successive TTP leaders, including Baitullah Mehsud in 2009, Hakimullah Mehsud in 2013, Mullah Fazlullah in 2018 and Wali Mehsud in 2021.

Largely routed since 2015 following Zarb-e-Azb military operation, the group has been regrouping since last summer. Various breakaway factions pledged allegiance to the group last July to carry attacks on security forces.

In August, Taliban chief Hibatullah Akhundzada set up the three-member commission to look into Islamabad’s complaints that the militant group is using Afghanistan’s soil to plot cross-border terrorist attacks.

“TTP leaders are being warned [by the Afghan Taliban Commission] to settle their problems with Pakistan and return to the country [Pakistan] along with their families in exchange for a possible amnesty” by Islamabad, a report quoted a source as saying.

The source revealed the details on the condition of anonymity, citing the “sensitive nature” of the matter and for not being authorised to speak to the media.

Minister accuses CEC of siding with the opposition ContinuEd fRoM PAgE 01 “You will buy the [electronic voting] machines and you will also do work. We will go to the Supreme Court if we need to.”

Speaking on the occasion, Advisor to Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Dr Babar Awan said that government would ensure legislation for transparent elections in future and was also ready to talk with opposition on electoral reforms as well as electronic voting machines. Awan said that a joint parliamentary committee had been proposed for negotiations on electoral reforms which would include the members from both sides of the aisle.

He added that a motion would be moved in the Senate and National Assembly requesting the Chairman and Speaker to nominate members of the respective Houses in this committee.

He said the government had contacted the opposition last week following the directions of Prime Minister Imran Khan and was ready to take confidencebuilding measures on electoral reforms.

The formation of the Joint Parliamentary Committee is part of these measures and electoral reforms will be ensured through it.

UK’s meat industry issues another warning London Agencies

Some of Britain’s meat processors will run out of carbon dioxide (CO2) within five days, forcing them to halt production and impacting supplies to food retailers, the head of the industry’s lobby group warned on Monday. A jump in gas prices has forced several domestic energy suppliers out of business and has shut fertiliser plants that also make CO2 as a byproduct of their production process. The CO2 gas is used to stun animals before slaughter, in the vacuum packing of food products to extend their shelf life, and to put the fizz into beer, cider and soft drinks. CO2’s solid form is dry ice, which is used in food deliveries. The CO2 crisis has compounded an acute shortage of truck drivers in the UK, which has been blamed on the impact of COVID-19 and Brexit. “My members are saying anything between five, 10 and 15 days supply (remain),” Nick Allen of the British Meat Processors Association told Sky News. With no CO2 a meat processor cannot operate, he said. “The animals have to stay on the farm. They’ll cause farmers on the farm huge animal welfare problems and British pork and British poultry will disappear off the shelves,” Allen said.

However, the advisor clarified that electoral reforms were the fate of the nation as the government wanted to give a transparent election system to the people.

Dr Babar Awan said that EVMs had been used in 72 countries while credibility on these machines increased from 35 percent to 89 percent during the last three elections in Philippine having the population of around 111 million people.

The advisor to prime minister said that PPP government talked about EVMs in 2009 while the ECP and the previous governments from 2014 to 2016 also deliberated on it. He maintained that a parliamentary delegation including PPP leader Syed Naveed Qamar, PML-N leader Murtaza Javed Abbassi and the then opposition member and incumbent President Dr Arif Alvi also conducted a foreign visit in the past to witness election conducted through EVMs. Therefore, he said that it was morally incorrect to oppose the EVMs by the opposition members at this stage. Dr Babar Awan quoted section 103 of the Elections Act, 2017 and said the former government itself agreed to consider the use of EVMs in past and directed ECP through legislation to proceed in that regard.

He said that government would now proceed with electoral reforms and the use of EVMs at every cost

because more than four years had been wasted.

Section 103 of the Elections Act is about use of electronic voting and biometric verification which says “ the Commission (ECP) may conduct pilot projects for utilization of electronic voting machines and biometric verification system in bye-elections in addition to the existing manual procedures for voter verification, casting and counting of votes to assess the technical efficacy, secrecy, security and financial feasibility of the electronic voting machines and biometric verification system and shall share the results with the Government, which shall, within fifteen days from the commencement of a session of a House after the receipt of the report, lay the same before both Houses of Majlise-Shoora (Parliament)”.

The Advisor also reiterated to fulfil the promise of the right to vote for overseas Pakistanis and said the government would ensure it through legislation because it has the majority in the Parliament.

Dr Babar Awan said that economy of the country like other sectors improved due to reforms during the tenure of Prime Minister Imran Khan. Similarly, he said that electoral reforms would be ensured and a transparent election system would be introduced in the country.

Ranolia hydropower starts producing electricity PESHAWAR Aziz Buneri

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has announced that the commercial operation of electricity generated from the 17 MW Ranolia Hydro Power Project has started.

Constructed in Kohistan District, it is expected that the dam will generate an annual income of Rs416 million for the province. The Power Project has been constructed under the supervision of the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO), a subsidiary of the provincial ministry of energy. Which has announced that the project

has been completed.

According to the Resident Engineer of the project Syed Aziz Ahmed, it is a run-of-the-river type hydropower plant with a total generating capacity of 17 megawatts. It is located along with Ranolia Khwar, a subsidiary of Dabir Khwar in Kohistan District of the Province. Ahmed said that the power generated from the project has been connected to the national grid and it has also started generating an annual revenue of Rs416m. He appreciated the efforts of the consulting company and field staff working on the project and hoped that the power plant will prove to be a “milestone” for the development of the region and the economy of the province.

SC slams govt for ‘failing’ to implement Urdu as official language iSLAMABAd inP

The Supreme Court on Monday slammed the federal government for failing to implement Urdu as the official language despite the passage of six years.

The remarks were passed by a three-member SC bench headed by Acting Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Atta Bandial, hearing a contempt case against the federal government for failing to implement Urdu as the official language.

Acting CJP Justice Umar Atta Bandial said we will lose our identity without our mother tongue and national language. “We should Persian and Arabic like our

forefathers,” he remarked.

The bench said that the apex court had ordered to implement Urdu as an official language in 2015, but yet, no progress has been made.

The court observed that the federal government has failed in implementing Urdu as the official language and directed to serve notices to the federal and Punjab governments, over failure. Later, SC adjourned the further hearing into the case for a month.

In September 2015, the then chief justice Jawwad S. Khawaja had rendered the judgment decreeing the federal and provincial governments to use with full force and without any delay, “Urdu”, the national language of Pakistan, for official and other purposes.

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03

Mufti Azizur’s sons threatened life of sexually harassed madrassa student for 3 years LAHoRE inP

Mufti Azizur Rehman raped his madrassa student every week for three years, a police challan submitted in a Lahore sessions court revealed Monday. Earlier this year, the cleric was arrested on charges of harassing and raping a student after a video of the crime went viral on social media. At a hearing Monday, the police told the court that the investigation has been completed and the case challan prepared. It found Rehman and three of his sons guilty. “Mufti Aziz-ur-Rehman’s sons forced the complainant to stay quiet when he tried to complain to the madrassa management. They even threatened to kill him,” the challan stated. Consequently, in a bid to collect evidence against the sexual harassment, the student secretly started filming the cleric and recorded their conversations as well. “The sofas and curtains in the video are exactly the same as the ones in the cleric’s room,” the police said, adding that after the clips went viral, Rehman was kicked out of the Jamia Manzoorul Islamia, Lahore. The video and audio evidence were presented in court as well. Judicial Magistrate Rana Rashid has passed directives to begin the case trial and present nine witnesses in court. The hearing has been adjourned. On Saturday, the cleric approached the court again for bail in the case. The application stated that the viral video was fabricated. Earlier, a report by the Punjab Forensics Department proved the authenticity of the clip after Rehman requested a review. On June 16, the cleric was booked for sodomy after videos showing him forcing himself on a student went viral. The student filed an FIR at Lahore’s North Cantt Police Station. The complainant said that during the exam of level four, Mufti Aziz, who was the invigilator, accused him and another guy of putting someone else in their place for the exam. The cleric had him barred from appearing in the Wifaqul Madaris exam for three years.

No sugar smuggling to Afghanistan: USC

By MonitoRing REPoRt Utility Stores Corporation (USC) denied all claims of sugar being smuggled to Afghanistan. USC rejects the claims on the basis that the reports suggest around 250,000 metric tonnes of sugar were being smuggled however this quantity of sugar is not available at any utility store. Currently, sugar in Pakistan is being imported to fulfil national needs and is being supplied at subsidized rates. A vessel carrying 33,000 tonnes of sugar imported by the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) reached Karachi Port Trust (KPT) and unloading will start on Tuesday. After that, it will be handed over to USC.

Tuesday, 21 September, 2021

04 NEWS

ISLAMABAD

PSX SHedS 107 PoinTS in low-volUme SeSSion AHeAd mPC meeTinG KARACHI

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TLTP

HE Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) remained bearish for the second straight session on Monday amid prospects of increase in benchmark interest rate, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index shedding 107.87 points (-0.23 percent) to close at 46,528.21 points.

The market opened on a positive note but this positiveness sustained for only two minutes and then the market remained in the red zone throughout the session. However, the market managed to recover most of the losses near the close of the session, primarily

led by the commercial banks. The KSE-100 Index moved in a range of 476.1 points, showing an intraday high of 46,691.2 points and a low of 46,215.1 points.

Among other indices, the KSE All Share Index shed 149.93 points (-0.47 percent) to close at 31,860.27 points, while All Share Islamic Index shed 137.19 points (-0.6 percent) to close at 22,727.22 points.

A total of 368 companies traded shares in the stock exchange, out of them shares of 109 closed up, shares of 246 closed down while shares of 13 companies remained unchanged. Out of 95 traded companies in the KSE-100 Index, 32 closed up, 62 closed down, while one remained unchanged.

The overall market volumes decreased by 192.57 million to 194.72 million shares.

Total volume traded for the KSE-100 Index was 75.26 million shares. The number of total trades decreased by 37,702 to 88,914, while the value traded decreased by Rs8.16 billion to Rs8.08 billion. The market capitalisation decreased by Rs41.99 billion.

Among scrips, TELE posted top volumes with 19.86 million shares, followed by WTL (13.37 million) and BYCO (11.31 million).

Stocks that contributed significantly to the volumes include TELE, WTL, BYCO, TRG and TPLP, which formed around 33 percent of total volumes. Sector wise, the index was let down by oil & gas exploration companies

with 33 points, textile composite with 26 points, food & personal care products with 17 points, fertilizer with 16 points and refinery with 15 points. The most points taken off the index were by OGDC which stripped the index of 22 points followed by SYS with 17 points, KOHC with 14 points, ENGRO with 14 points and MEBL with 13 points.

The sectors propping up the index were miscellaneous with 46 points, commercial banks with 16 points, automobile assembler with 6 points, power generation & distribution with 3 points and cement with 2 points.

The most points added to the index were by PSEL which contributed 46 points followed

by MCB with 42 points, UBL with 20 points,

LUCK with 13 points and SNGP with 11 points. According to experts, the market witnessed selling pressure throughout the day due to the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting of the State Bank of Pakistan. The SBP increased the benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 7.25 percent for the next two months. The decision was announced after the closure of the market and the central bank increased the interest rate to 7.25 percent from 7 percent.

The experts said that inflationary pressure and rising current account deficit (CAD) issues also kept the investor cautious.

However, the low-volume session indicated that all is not bad, they added.

Gold price surges to Rs95,500 per 10gm NEWS DESK

ISLAMABAD: A jam-packed expressway after a spell of rain in the federal capital. ONLINE

Asad Tahir appointed new FBR spokesperson The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has appointed Muhammad Asad Tahir, a BS-20 officer of Inland Revenue Service (IRS), as official spokespersons of the revenue collection body. According to a notification issued by the FBR, Muhammad Asad Tahir (IRS/BS-20) presently posted as Chief (FATE) / Director (Media), FBR, Islamabad, is designated as official spokesperson for the FBR with immediate effect and until further orders. The officer has been designated with the approval of revenue secretary / chairman FBR. NEWS DESK

Crude prices fall for third day amid default risks, US output Crude oil prices went down around two percent for the third straight session on Monday, as a risk-off wave has engulfed the financial markets amid concerns over a potential default by China’s highly indebted developer Evergrande, besides expectations of return of US Gulf output. At 1045 hours GMT, Brent, the international benchmark for two-thirds of the world’s oil, shed $1.19 (1.58 percent) to reach $74.15 a barrel. Similarly, the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) reached $70.61 a barrel, down by $1.36 (-1.89 percent). The price for Opec Basket was recorded at $74.17 a barrel with 1.2 percent increase, Arab Light was available at $74.29 a barrel with a 0.32 percent decrease, while the price of Russian Sokol slipped to $75.23 after shedding 0.30 percent. According to experts, the fears looming over the troubled Chinese property developer have ignited global slowdown concerns, which, in turn, weighs on the demand prospects for oil and its products. NEWS DESK

IT services’ exports grow 20pc to $196m in July: PBS NEWS DESK Pakistan earned $195.99 million by providing different information technology (IT) services in various countries during the first month of the current financial year 2021-22.

According to the latest data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), this shows a growth of 20.22 percent, compared with $163.02 million earned through the provision of services during the corresponding period of the last fiscal year 2020-21.

During the month under review, the computer services grew 23.04 percent to $150.450 million from $122.28 million in July 2020.

Among the computer services, the exports of software consultancy services witnessed an increase of 434.15 percent to $0.219 million from $0.41 million, while the exports of hardware consultancy services also increased 39.27 percent to $53.830 million from US $38.651 million.

The export of repair and maintenance services enhanced 211.54 percent to $0.162 million, compared with $0.52 million, whereas the exports and

imports of computer software services witnessed an increase of 4.31 percent to $35.009 million from $33.561 million. In addition, the exports of other computer services rose 22.52 percent to $61.230 million, as against $49.975 million.

Meanwhile, the exports of information services during the month under review decreased 8.82 percent by going down to $0.310 million, compared with $0.340 million. Among the information services, the exports of information-related services increased 26.67 percent to $0.209 million from $0.165 million, whereas the exports of other information services dipped 42.29 percent to $0.101 million from $0.175 million. The exports of telecommunication services increased 11.96 percent, as these went up to $45.230 million from $40.400 million, the PBS data showed.

Among the telecommunication services, the exports of call centre services increased 11.80 percent during the month, as its exports increased to $11.954 million from $10.692 million, whereas the exports of other telecommunication services also increased 12.01 percent to $33.276 million from $29.708 million last year, the data revealed.

Gold prices inched up in the international market on Monday amid a retreat in the US Treasury yields, as the risk-off mood remains at full steam. At 1155 hours GMT, gold in the international market was available at $1,756.70 per ounce after gaining $1.90. Meanwhile, the price of 10 grams of yellow metal in Pakistan increased to Rs95,500 after gaining Rs700. The closing prices of the yellow metal in the country remained Rs94,800 on Saturday last. The prices in the local market increased due to depreciation of the rupee against the US dollar.

According to experts, gold price is making a minor recovery attempt amid a retreat in the US Treasury yields, as the risk-off mood remains at full steam. The benchmark US 10-year yields are down about 2 percent so far.

Escalating tensions surrounding indebted China’s property developer Evergrande and risks of a global economic slowdown weighs on the investors’ appetite for riskier assets. They said however, the further upside in gold price appears elusive due to a broad-based US dollar strength, as the Fed’s tapering expectations and riskaversion underpins the greenback’s safe-haven appeal.

They opined that gold price will remain exposed to downside risks, as investors prefer to hold the US currency ahead of this week’s Fed policy decision.

Pakistan’s imports from Belgium surge 49pc YoY in 1H2021 NEWS DESK The Wallonia Export-Investment Agency (AWEX) has said that Belgian exports to Pakistan have increased by 49 percent on a year-on-year (YoY) basis during the first half of the current year. AWEX, which deals with the exports of Wallonia region of southern Belgium, said that Belgian exports witnessed growth in the Pakistani market during the first half of the current year and witnessed 10 percent growth. However, AWEX did not issue data in monetary terms and just apprised of the increase in percentage terms.

The imports of Pakistan during August 2021 increased by 18.26 percent to $6,593 million on a month-on-month basis as compared to exports worth $5,575 million in July 2021.

According to the provisional figures released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the imports on a year-onyear basis increased by 98.82 percent in August 2021 as exports in August 2020 remained $3,316 million. According to the PBS data, imports during July–August 2021 totalled $12,168 million (provisional) as against $ 6,990 million during the corresponding period of last year, showing an increase of 74.08 percent. The main commodities of imports during August 2021 were petroleum products (Rs146,370 million), medicinal products (Rs74,712 million), petroleum crude (Rs72,609 million), liquefied natural gas (Rs62,316 million), palm oil (Rs53,005 million), plastic materials (Rs43,624 million), iron & steel (Rs38,773 million), electrical machinery & apparatus (Rs35,333 million), power generating machinery (Rs28,834 million), and iron & steel scrap (Rs28,731 million).

Bitcoin falls to $44,079 as cryptos melt NEWS DESK The cryptocurrency market plunged on Monday, as risk assets around the world drop on fears over fallout from the looming default of Chinese property developer Evergrande.

The market capitalisation decreased by a whopping 9 percent to reach $2.03 trillion as of 1130 hours GMT, as seventeen of the top 100 coins were down by double-digits, while just three had gained ground.

The price of bitcoin (BTC), the largest cryptocurrency, shed 7.9 percent to reach $44,079. With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of the biggest cryptocurrency has reached $829.6 billion.

CMYK

Likewise, ether (ETH) price went down by 10.09 percent to reach $3,048. With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of ETH has reached $357.5 billion.

Similarly, XRP price shed 14.10 percent to reach $0.921. The market capitalisation of XRP stands at $92.1 billion after this decrease.

Following suit, cardano (ADA) price shed 12.53 percent to reach $2.06. Its market capitalisation has fallen to $66.8 billion after this decrease. In the same way dogecoin (Doge) price lost 12.95 percent to reach $0.208. With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of doge has reached $27.2 billion.

According to experts, this is a risk-off move. They

said that uncertainty over Evergrande and losses from Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index are leaking into the crypto market. They recommended staying out of the market until BTC climbs to $48,818 or drops to $42,582. However, El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele saw some reason for optimism, saying El Salvador has bought the dip, adding the country bought another 150 BTC – roughly US$6.9 million worth.

Evergrande fell more than 10 percent in Hong Kong on Monday, taking the year-to-date drop to 85 percent on concerns the cash-strapped property giant might default on $83.5 million in interest payments due this Thursday.

The Chinese authorities have already told major lenders that the company is likely to miss payments.

Tuesday, 21 September, 2021

ISLAMABAD CORPORATE CORNER

After setting a pragmatic benchmark by introducing several state-of-the-art real estate projects, Graana.com takes pride in partnering with JSM Heights to unveil ‘Jinnah Square Residential Apart

President Dr Arif Alvi chairing a meeting on Breast Cancer Awareness virtually, held at Aiwan-e-Sadr, on 20-09-2021.

900 MW BQPS-III will drive industrial growth and port activity: minister KARACHI PRESS RELEASE

Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi visited K-Electric's Bin Qasim Power Station 3 (BQPS-III) on Monday and was apprised of the progress on the USD 650 million mega project which will add almost 900 MW of electricity to Karachi's power supply. The meeting was also attended by the Chairman of Port Qasim Authority, Rear Admiral (R) Syed Hasan Nasir Shah HI(M), and members of the industrial community from Bin Qasim Association of Trade and Industry (BQATI). The Minister and KE’s Senior Management discussed the status of industries in the Port Qasim area and the measures being taken to facilitate existing industrial consumers and future growth in the area. Reports indicate that Karachi continues to grow at a faster rate in comparison to the rest of the country, and the city will experience a correlated increase in demand for electricity. As per KE’s estimates, there is an anticipated 700 MW of growth in demand in the next few years, with almost half of this coming from industrial consumers. Speaking on the visit, Minister for Maritime Affairs said, "it's good to see a concerted effort being made by KE to meet Karachi's power demands.

NEWS

05

$30M PAvIlIoN SeT UP FoR DUBAI exPo To eNHANCe ToURISM, TRADe: AMBASSADoR

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NEWS DESK

HE Expo 2020 Dubai will have the largest-ever pavilion of Pakistan constructed outside of the country, which will showcase the enormous treasures in tourism, commerce and investment that are waiting to be discovered and benefited by the world.

This was stated by Ambassador of Pakistan to the UAE Afzaal Mahmood in an interview with Gulf News, saying the pavilion built at a cost of around $30 million, under the theme ‘Pakistan: The Hidden Treasure,’ aims to enhance the country's tourism, commerce and investment.

He said that Pakistan would present itself as a “land of opportunities” for commerce and investment. “Visitors

will be taken on a voyage through time, from the world’s first-recorded civilizations to the fast-paced digital era which include virtual experiences of our breathtaking landscapes, cultural and religious diversity, rich artisan traditions, and strong economic potentials,” he said.

He said 180 events have been lined up for the six-month expo, showcasing Pakistan’s art and culture, heritage, education and tourism. The events will also include conferences, seminars and meetings for business and investment.

The pavilion, he added, would serve as a hub of business opportunities, allowing the Pakistani business community to network with international markets and investors.

Mahmood said he has been engaging with the Pakistani community in the

UAE since he took office in January 2021. “I have been trying to reach out to different community segments across the UAE, including the Pakistani organizations in different emirates and the business community to involve them with Expo 2020 activities. I have been trying to get their suggestions, and a lot of their valuable input has gone into planning the Pakistan Pavilion.

Some of them were also featured in the promotional video prepared to promote the Pakistan Pavilion.”

He also urged the community members to participate and attend the Pakistan Pavilion’s events that will be held not only within the expo site but also in different parts of Dubai.

“We will bring all possible events to promote our country. We will have cultural events, road shows, talk shows,

Ambassador discusses travel restrictions with Saudi aviation chief NEWS DESK Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Lt Gen (retd) Bilal Akbar has apprised Saudi aviation authorities of progress in the Covid-19 situation across Pakistan and its readiness to resume direct flights between the two countries.

Lt Gen (retd) Bilal Akbar held talks with Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Duailej, president of Saudi’s General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA), of the “robust and successful” vaccination programme to limit the outbreak, Pakistan’s Embassy in Saudi Arabia said in a tweet. “[The officials spoke about] resumption of direct flights for people vaccinated with first Covid19 dose in the Kingdom and second in Pakistan with Saudi approved vaccines,” the Pakistan embassy in Riyadh said. The officials also discussed prioritising flights for separated families, teachers and students stranded in Pakistan.

Al-Duailej assured Akbar that “the proposals will be considered favourably” after consultation with health authorities in the Kingdom, and a solution will be “worked out” to address the plight of Pakistanis stranded in Saudi.

“Approval for PIA’s [Pakistan International Airline] arrangements for institutional quarantine in

KSA to help facilitate direct flights for individuals vaccinated with Sinovac & Sinopharm,” the embassy said.

The meeting follows another meeting in July between the foreign ministers of the two countries who discussed how to ease Covid-19 travel curbs.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi took up the issue with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, who was on a one-day visit to Pakistan.

The Kingdom’s direct entry ban was imposed after a global surge in cases linked to variants detected in England, South Africa and Brazil and fears that vaccines being rolled out worldwide might be less effective against them. Those seeking to return to the Kingdom must undergo all health measures to ensure they are free from infection.

Thousands of Pakistanis visit Saudi Arabia annually, mainly for the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage to Makkah and Madinah. The Kingdom is home to over 2.5 Pakistanis who make the largest contribution to the country’s foreign remittances each year.

Hundreds of thousands of Pakistani workers in Saudi Arabia remain stranded at home due to travel and flight restrictions imposed by the Kingdom since last year.

workshops in addition to business meetings while the big companies will be showcasing their potential,” the ambassador added.

Pakistan’s four provinces and two regions will be featured during the six-month expo. Each of the six months have been dedicated to a province or a region, starting with Balochistan in October, showcasing its culture, people, foods and investment opportunities. Ambassador Mahmood said the pavilion would be ready well before Expo 2020 Dubai begins on October 1.

“It is going to be a virtual experience for visitors as the pavilion has been divided into eight key spaces where visitors will experience Pakistan’s best-kept hidden treasures,” he added.

Trade activities resume at Taftan border NEWS DESK The tax-free trade activities on the Pakistan-Iran border crossing near Taftan in Chaghai district resumed on Monday. According to official sources, the Zero Point remained closed for almost six months and local traders had been demanding its re-opening.

They staged a protest on Monday last for reopening of the border. The announcement of border opening brought cheers to the locals and the business community who relied on cross border activities to earn their livelihood.

PMDA to ensure job security, future career of journalists: Farrukh ISLAMABAD APP

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib Sunday said the proposed bill of Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) would ensure the job security and future career of all working journalists. In a tweet, he said the government was committed to work for the betterment of journalist community. The government would address all the reservations of the journalists before implementing the PMDA, he added.

Haleem stresses need of modernising polling process The Coca-Cola Foundation responds to UNHCR’s call to provide Afghan refugees humanitarian aid LAHORE: The Coca-Cola Foundation, the global philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company, has awarded a grant of USD 300,000 to provide humanitarian relief to displaced persons impacted by the recent crisis in Afghanistan. This relief is awarded to USA for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, with a specific focus on women and children. According to UNHCR, the impact of the conflict on women and girls has been particularly devastating - almost 80 percent of newly displaced Afghans are women and children. “This is a multi-faceted crisis disproportionately affecting women and girls,” said Saadia Madsbjerg, president, The Coca-Cola Foundation. “We hope this grant will be meaningful in providing displaced Afghan families in Pakistan with critical support.” The support by The Coca-Cola Foundation provides immediate assistance for Afghans seeking safety in Pakistan.

UNHCR’s activities in Pakistan support ongoing efforts with the government who has for decades generously hosted and provided protection to Afghan refugees.

UNHCR will use the grant funding to provide over 3,000 displaced individuals, shelter and core relief items - including tents, thermal blankets for the upcoming harsh winter, sleeping mats, mosquito nets, cooking sets, jerry cans, buckets, solar lamps and hygiene products to address maternal and child health needs. “I am so pleased The Coca-Cola Foundation has continued its enduring commitment to women and girls at this critically important time. PRESS RELEASE

PTI LEGISLATORS DEMAND JUDICIAL INQUIRY OF CORRUPTION IN PROCUREMENT OF SCHOOL DESKS KARACHI PRESS RELEASE

The Central Vice President PTI and Leader of the Opposition in Sindh Assembly, Haleem Adil Sheikh, stressed on need of modernization of polling process in Pakistan.

In a statement issued here on Monday he said that paper balloting had lost confidence of all the stakeholders in the country and election reforms and use of electronic voting machines were the need of the hour.

He said that opposition parties used back doors in the past to reach in power corridors and it was the reason that they were against use of electronic voting machines (EVM) and trying to create hurdles in the way of election reforms.

Prime Minister Imran Khan led PTI government was committed with introduction of pivotal electoral reforms including use of EVM, Haleem Adil Sheikh said adding that government would get EVM approved from the parliament with consensus.

Haleem Adil Sheikh said that Election Commission of Pakistan may opt for independent review of EVM by technical experts but instead of that Chief Election Commissioner was consulting with experts of corruption.

“It seems that CEC has joined hands with opposition parties,” he asserted.

Earlier, leader of the opposition in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh, MPAs Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Shehzad Qureshi, Shah Nawaz Jadoon and others, while speaking to media persons here at Sindh Assembly building on Monday, rejected inquiry committee formed by the provincial government to probe into matter of alleged corruption in procurement of school desks and demanded of judicial inquiry of the issue.

They raised objection that how an inquiry committee comprising subordinate officers could investigate chief minister, provincial ministers or higher officers? To ensure impartial and fair investigation of the issue it was imperative to form a committee comprising such officers who were not sub ordinate to Sindh government, they said.

Speaking at the occasion Firdous Shamim Naqvi alleged that some members of the committee were favourite officers of PPP leadership, enjoying multiple postings at a time and involved in corruption.

He asked CM Sindh and provincial education minister if they know when the last time school desks were purchased and what the number of students is who were sitting on floor due to unavailability

CMYK

of furniture in schools of Sindh?

According to available information the last tender for procurement of school desks was issued in 2015 but the process was not completed due to cancellation of tender, he said and added that parties which participated in that tender did not participate in the next tender.

Naqvi said that procurement committee of Sindh Education and Literacy department did not bother to carry out research as several companies of China, Malaysia and other countries were offering better quality school desks at significantly lower rates.

Speaking at the occasion, Haleem Adil Sheikh censured Sindh government for depriving people of their fundamental rights and basic facilities. He said that Karachi generates 90 percent revenue of the province but PPP government kept neglecting the metropolis. All the promises and announcements of Sindh government for provision of better commuting facilities to citizens of Karachi were remained unfulfilled, Haleem Adil said adding that thanks to Prime Minister Imran Khan who fulfilled his commitment of providing better transport to Karachi.

“Now our daughters, sisters and elders will be able to use better trans-

port facilities and can travel in a respectful manner,” Haleem said adding that 40 buses had arrived while more to come while infrastructure of Green Line bus service including stations was complete and it would start in October.

Haleem Adil Sheikh said that now Sindh government should inform the people that when “Orange Line” would be operational, when commuters would be able to travel in “Red Line” buses and when those thousands of buses would arrive in the province about which Sindh ministers made several announcements?

Later speaking on a point of order in Sindh Assembly the leader of opposition said that provincial government spent Rs 1161 billion on transport sector in previous 13 years but not a single public bus service could be seen on the roads and people of Karachi had no other option except of travelling in shaky and worn out busses while putting their lives in danger.

Referring to a report of senior journalist late Hassan Mansoor he said that 90 percent population of Sindh used to travel in buses. Haleem Adil asked concerned provincial ministers to give another timeline for completion of their announced projects of local transport.

Tuesday, 21 September, 2021

06 COMMENT

The new normal?

After opposition and media ECP comes under PTI attack

One earnestly hopes this is rock bottom

S

OOn after the eCP submitted a report to the Senate raising serious questions about the feasibility of holding the next elections with electronic Voting Machines (eVMs), a federal minister accused it of taking bribes to rig the polls and suggested that such institutions should be set on fire. another minister accused the Commission of acting as Opposition’s mouthpiece. Both were served notices by the eCP. This failed however to produce a moderating effect as attempts continued to browbeat the Commission in general and the Chief election Commissioner (CeC)in particular. information Minister Fawad Chaudhry even prodded the Commission members to confront the CeC. The eCP report presented to the Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary affairs raised 37 objections to the introduction of eVMs in the next elections. The Committee was told that the eCP was in favour of technology but it has to be secure and tested and must not be introduced in undue haste. Major objections included time being too short for a large-scale procurement and deployment of eVMs and imparting training to a massive number of operators. it was also pointed out that with eVMs there would be no evidence available in case of election disputes. The eVMs could not prevent low voter turnout, misuse of state authority, election fraud, electronic ballot stuffing, vote buying, dishonesty on the part of polling staff and electoral violence.

The best way out for the govt would have been to agree to the introduction of eVMs in stages to ensure that any possible failures are removed and public confidence established in technology. The insistence that the system be introduced immediately without trial strengthens the opposition’s suspicions of electronic foul play. The vicious attack on the CeC looks like a continuation of the offensive against opposition and independent media. The eCP, which has to make lengthy preparations for the elections, including Local govt polls, is now being required to defend itself.

The attack on eCP has brought almost the entire opposition together on the issue. There is a need on the part of saner elements in the PTi and its allies to advise the PM to rein in his ministers who instead of arguing their case tend to jump the gun considering offense as the best defence irrespective of its divisive fallout on the country.

HASAN AFTAB SAEED

H

earing Professor Pervez amirali Hoodbhoy’s concern about the dwindling numbers of ‘normal’ ladies in universities i was reminded of a video that became popular on the internet about ten years ago. The video is still available on YouTube in case anybody finds himself yearning for some quality comic relief after a hard day at work.

The video featured a commercial officer at the german Consulate who was involved in a car crash in Karachi. a group of local men had descended on the scene, including some mic-brandishing reporters of various TV channels. Somebody had promptly started filming the proceedings for the benefit of future generations. (god bless him!) One individual who appeared to be playing the part of a concerned citizen, chief investigating officer, senior analyst, interpreter, and crime reporter all rolled into one appeared to have taken it upon himself to grab matters by the scruff of their necks. ‘You drink or normal? [sic]’ he asked the german. Obviously, he wanted to say ‘sober’; but either english was not his strong suit, or he was somewhat tipsy (or not ‘normal’) himself. The video leaves plenty of room to entertain either hypothesis. Probably

Helping Afghanistan

Significance of Digital Parenting in modern society

Civil war must be avoided at all cost for everyone’s sake

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More now than ever

OLLOWing the Taliban takeover of afghanistan, a lot of volatility has been witnessed, both in terms of the security situation in the war-torn country and setting up a government. apart from a string of attacks in Kabul there have been protests against the new regime and there are now legitimate concerns that a food shortage crisis is imminent unless a steady supply line is not established in the coming weeks. To that end, Pakistan sent a planeload of food and medical supplies earlier this month and yesterday 278 tonnes of edibles were delivered to Kabul in seventeen container trucks. While the quantitates sent thus far are hardly enough to last for a few days and are of course insufficient to feed the entire afghan population, it is the gesture that counts. The PTi has therefore done well from a humanitarian and diplomatic standpoint and should continue with this strategy while making sure there is no pressure on Pakistan’s limited resources. it is necessary that other regional countries do their part as well to alleviate the misery of a population that is facing food insecurity and quite possibly civil war as a result if some significant relief is not provided soon.

Western countries have expectedly made any aid conditional upon the Taliban making good on certain promises that were made. This includes a more inclusive cabinet that has representation of minorities and women.

Unfortunately, the interim afghan government led my Mullah Hasan akhund is filled with members who ruled the country from 1996 to 2001 before the US occupation, when a repressive and brutal version of Shariah law was imposed that violated basic human rights, especially affecting women who were violently restricted from getting an education and working. Prime Minister imran Khan has announced the other day that his government has initiated a dialogue with the Taliban for a more inclusive government.

However, Pakistan no longer has the sort of leverage required to force the Taliban to make these changes. The US however does, as it has the keys to the countries $9.5 billion foreign exchange reserves and has demanded that the Taliban honor the terms of the peace deal if it wants access to those funds. With an economy in tatters and a civil war looming, the Taliban will have to soften its stance on many key issues if it wants to survive as a born-again country.

ProF. ABDul SHAkoor SHAH

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S your child secure? Parents are very sensitive about their children. according to a UniCeF recommended report 1 in 3 internet users worldwide is a child and is open to the hazards of the digital world. Their fundamental right of digital access is being denied. Youngsters are the most connected age group. The present generation is the first one to grow up in an immensely digitalized world. Digital tools and devices have become an integral part of life. Digital parenting is not only related to children’s digital safety, it also inculcates parents’ learning, surfing, restrictive and managing skills.

Worldwide, 71 % are online compared with 48% of the total population. roughly 56% of all websites are in english and are incomprehensible for cultural content relevancy. 71% of parents of under 12 age children showed concern about excessive us of screens of which 31% are very much concerned about this.

39% parents somewhat showed confidence in screens using 45% know the apt screen time for their child and welcome advice.

61% parents of fewer than 11 age child entertain advice medical professional and 55% say the same about other parents, while 45% of parents age 5 to 11 year child do the same from teachers. Parents are generally anxious about the long-term impacts of smartphones on children’s growth. 71% believe the extensive use of smart phones by young children might potentially result in more harm than benefits.

80% of parents say their child age 5 to 11 ever uses or interrelates with a tablet computer, while 63% say the same about smart phones. Parents of under age 5 children are 48% and 55%, respectively. approximately one-third of parents under age 11 child, 36%

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

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Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

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Joint Editor

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Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

thing, somewhere, has gone horribly wrong. it is certainly not tragic if a rebel is defeated by the forces of the status quo; for, if anything, in pursuit of a noble enough goal such a defeat is heroic in its own way.

What is indeed tragic (and which happens way too often) is when a rebel becomes just like the men and women he originally rebelled against.

My own views on hijab (which have been published in these pages) are by no stretch of the imagiit was a bit of both. However, he soon put to rest all nation what could be referred to as the ‘standard’ or doubts regarding his import when he explained the sit- even the most common religious opinion on the subuation for the benefit of the bewildered german in ject. But if a woman believes hijab to be mandatory these immortal words: ‘allegation you are drink [sic].’ or preferable; or observes it because it allows herself Probably thinking that the commercial officer was too the liberty of not looking her best all the time; or even inebriated to still understand him, he paraphrased his wears it as a form of fashion statement, she is merely question in even more underbeing human, exercising her standable terms: ‘You tun?’ choice in a matter that is enOne hopes against hope tirely personal. if the new that, like our knight in shin‘normal’ then is merely a euMy own views on hijab (which phemism for how the social ing armour above, Professor Hoodbhoy was either not liberals would like others to have been published in these completely ‘normal’ when conduct themselves, then at he referred to students wearpages) are by no stretch of the least in this respect evolution ing hijab or burqa as the ophas proceeded in a comimagination what could be posite of ‘normal’; or he pletely wrong direction. suffered from an english-fail Let us see this in perspecreferred to as the ‘standard’ or of epic proportions while artive. recall the famous even the most common ticulating his thoughts durspeech in which Donald ing his fateful recent Trump demanded to know religious opinion on the appearance on the TV show. what exactly men and women To be honest, either possibilwho did not like hijab had subject. But if a woman ity appears far-fetched to against the women who believes hijab to be mandatory wanted to wear it. The good those who know the professor. Because, in his long professor, this week, has thus or preferable; or observes it public career nobody has managed to achieve seembecause it allows herself the ever seen him under the iningly the impossible; that is, fluence; and judging from Trump when it comes liberty of not looking her best beating his newspaper articles he has to being judgmental and pano apparent difficulty in the all the time; or even wears it as tronizing. The good news selection of appropriate however is that once a person a form of fashion statement english words for a given or a movement hits rock botsituation. Therefore, it is a tom, there is nowhere to go safe bet that he meant what other than up. One earnestly he said, and that he knows hopes this is rock bottom for what ‘normal’ means. our social liberal friends and that they are not going to Professor Hoodbhoy represents a group that is descend any further. Can we please go back to the days known for championing personal liberty and the in- when liberals used not to compete with the fundamenviolable right of individuals to do with their lives as talists for the honour of who was more bigoted when it they please. The social liberals like the professor jus- came to individuals’ choice of what and what not to tifiably protest when fundamentalists object to the wear. Can we let that again be the new normal please? way a woman dresses or carries herself publicly.

Were the liberals not supposed to defend all citizens’ The author is a connoisseur of music, literature, right to do with their lives as they please so long as it and food (but not drinks). He can be reached at does not harm anybody else? it is obvious that some- www.facebook.com/hasanaftabsaeed

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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say their child ever uses or interacts with a voice-ac- parents than the rest of the regions. The reliability of tivated supporter, like apple’s Siri or amazon alexa. mentors and professionals is also not reliable. The re46% parents of 5 to 11 age children are more proba- strictive approach to digital parenting undermines ble than parents with a child age 3 to 4 30% or 2 or children’s digital skills and innovation. in 2007 WHO formulated a framework that exyounger 14% to say their child utilizes or interacts amines key aspects of parenting and parental roles with this type of technology.

56% affirmed that they consume too much time that optimistically affect pubescent well-being. We on their smartphone, while 68% say they are at least are confronting novel challenges every day in the digsometimes distracted by their phone when spending italized society. Digital world is coining new words time with their children. 73% of parents consider it every day which are fast becoming a part of our votolerable for children to have their own phone only cabulary. Parental anxiety of the middle class about after age-12. 45% say smart phone possession is ad- their children all over the world is a prominent feature equate between 12-14, and 28% say it is suitable be- of the digitalized world. Various digital forums and tween 15-17. Just 22% think it is OK for under 12 companies are offering surveillance services but their years old. a qualitative study shows that 70.55% par- role is incredible. Data from 24 different countries ents are pessimistic and 29.45% optimistic about net suggest that 97% of pregnant women use the internet surfing by primary school children. almost 30% to search for information about pregnancy. 94% among 9-11 years students use mobile phones in in- women start using the internet to supplement inforstitutes although it is prohibited. The other inequali- mation already provided by health professionals and 48.6% showed dissatisfacties among the nations have tion with the information of not hindered the digital health professionals and wave. it is estimated that in 46.5% due to time shortage. africa children mainly conContrary to non-restrictive and in 2015, 7% of apple iTunes nect 0.9 devices to the interwere focused on women’s net, against 2.9 in South advisable parenting of the health but the surfers with america, italy 2.6 Similarly developed nations, the lower income, ethnic or 12% in ghana, 21% in the racial minorities and people Philippines, and 26% in aldeveloping countries with lower english language bania can connect to the inemphasize the restrictive proficiency and digital or ternet at school, against health literacy, are still 63-54% of children in other mediation due to absence of caught up in the “vicious South america or european cycle of digital exclusion”. countries. supportive resources.

The app recommendation Contrary to non-restricand rating both often prove tive and advisable parenting useless as the sources are not of the developed nations, the reliable and credible. The developing countries emphasize the restrictive mediation due to absence of theft, hacking and stealth of personal data and inforsupportive resources. The authoritarian culture ham- mation has become very common in the digitized pers and impedes the emotional growth of girls more world due to loose privacy policy and inability of the than boys. The parental anxiety in the digital society users to grip the terms and conditions in the true techcompels them to restrict children’s access to modern nological sense. a market-research firm has projected technology. The digital generation requires proper that the global market of baby monitors will expand counseling, guidance and training in this regard as from 561 million in sales up to nearly 943 million in parents have been doing since long in the pre-digital the next few years. it will stimulate pointless fright, society. a lot of children in developing countries are ambiguity, and self-doubt in parents about their abilliving with either or neither of their parents due to ities to keep their infants safe. Parental philosophy of certain factors. it empires the digital skills and results protectiveness seems to boost in future to a large exin digital depravity. in the least developed regions, tent in contrast to 2010 when only 16% of estonian the institutes are insufficient to help them out of this parents engaged in technical mediation of their childigital divide. The safe internet navigation is unavail- dren’s internet use, in 2018 technical mediation was able for children and adults. Comparatively the par- used by 37% of estonian parents participating in the ents’ digital level is almost equal to 14 years old child eU Kids Online survey. which aggravates the parenting digital control. The The Writer is Prof. in English and Freelance children’s trust to parental digital skill, guidance and support let them surf restrictive data. european chil- Columnist based in Lahore. He can be reached at dren are more likely to share their experience with Prof.abdulshakoorsyed@gmail.com

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Tuesday, 21 September, 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

Effect of COVID 19 on Mental Health

The occupation severely endangers, not enhances, Israel’s national security the blockade of gaza. They are put in the untenable situation where they must choose between their loyalty to the county they live in, or their kinship to their larger Palestinian family. Their violent confrontation a couple of months ago fearful of small groups of renegade Palestinian with the israeli police and ordinary israeli Jews extremists than a unified Palestinian state that is in the wake of the incident at the al-aqsa committed to protect its independence and will- Mosque in May and the subsequent eruption of ing to cooperate with israel on all security mat- violence between Hamas and israel, speaks volters? Yes, the occupation allows israel to roam umes about where they stand if they must unrestricted in most of the occupied territories choose.

By virtue of its determination to maintain in pursuit of militants and conduct night raids, evictions, home demolitions, and incarceration the occupation, israel is in fact nurturing a fifth at will as a means by which to subjugate the column within israel which makes it increasPalestinians. However, these brutal measures ingly more vulnerable from within. One cannot taken in the name of national security in fact rule out the possibility that any grave incident, make israel less secure and far more vulnerable. be that a forced eviction or the callous shooting no Palestinian who had a child killed, or a death of Palestinians, could ignite an uprising of home demolished, or was forcefully evicted can israeli arabs and Palestinians in the West Bank. ever forget what has befallen him by israeli it is a given that Hamas would enter the fray and forces. Basically, israel is sowing the seeds of potentially be joined by Hezbollah and elements the next Palestinian generation which will grow of iranian-backed militias in Syria. Together even more militant and far more determined to they are in possession of 200,000 rockets, and thousands of them have end the occupation by precision targeting any means necessary— mechanisms that can even if they must sacrireach anywhere in isfice themselves to that This may well be the greatest rael. end. When they have nevertheless, sucnothing else to lose, illusion that has gripped the cessive israeli leaders they would rather die as Israelis. The occupation feel confident that the martyrs than remain occupation can be susperpetual slaves living remains an occupation no tained indefinitely, bein indignity and delieving that over time spair. it is only a quesmatter how well masked it is the Palestinians will action of time when they and no matter how massive cept their stateless lot will rise up again—and a way of life. The rise they will, which Israel’s military presence in the as Bennett/Lapid governwill be far more violent West Bank is. ment further trusts that than ever before. if israel provides the Emboldening IsPalestinians with more rael’s enemies: The crumbs in the form of occupation further emboldens israel’s enemies, who use it as a pretext economic development, job opportunities in isto further their own regional agenda. if israel is rael, some building permits, and less intrusive so concerned about iran’s threats, it should know security measures, the Palestinians will just forthat iran does not have any ideological bent to get about statehood and live happily subjugated destroy israel. in 2003, iran offered a secret to israel’s whims.

By taking these measures, the current israeli peace proposal in which iran would accept peace with israel, end material assistance to Palestinian government is seeking to “shrink the occupamilitant groups, and pressure such groups to stop tion” and ease the blockade over gaza by also terror attacks within israel. The proposal, which offering Hamas an extensive economic developwas obtained by inter Press Service (iPS), was ment program à la the Lapid proposal. The conveyed to the US in late april or early May Palestinians, the argument goes, will be happy 2003. There is no reason to assume that a future to run their affairs as they see fit as long as they iranian proposal would materially change in any cease and desist any violent activity against issignificant way once israel and the Palestinians rael. While these measures are necessary for a process of reconciliation, they will never be a reach a peace agreement. ending the occupation with or without such substitute for an independent Palestinian state.

This may well be the greatest illusion that a proposal would have neutralized Tehran’s opposition to israel’s existence and pulled the rug has gripped the israelis. The occupation remains from underneath its proxies—Hezbollah, an occupation no matter how well masked it is Hamas, and other jihadist groups—which use and no matter how massive israel’s military the occupation to justify their violent resistance presence in the West Bank is. The occupation reagainst israel. So, one might ask, in which way mains the most significant threat to israel’s nadoes the occupation counterbalance extremism? tional security and the israeli public must wake in fact, it only exponentially intensifies violent up to this bitter reality. reactions.

Dr Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of internaNurturing a fifth column: The occupation is further alienating the nearly two million israeli tional relations at the Centre for Global Affairs arabs who have deep affinity to their brethren at NYU. He teaches courses on international nein the West Bank and gaza. They are infuriated gotiation and Middle Eastern studies. by israel’s lawless conduct in the West Bank and alon@alonben-meir.com

The Israeli argument against the establishment of a Palestinian state on the grounds of national security concerns is baseless

Dr AloN BEN MEir

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Or decades, israeli leaders have been engaged in a deliberate and persistent false public narrative to justify the occupation on the grounds that it is central to israel’s national security and that the creation of a Palestinian state will pose an existential danger to israel. While many top israeli military officers and national security experts disagree with this assessment, no israeli prime minister or defense minister in office has yet convincingly argued how a demilitarized Palestinian state is more dangerous than maintaining the occupation. in fact, a Palestinian state immersed in nation-building and fully collaborating with israel on all security matters (which will be a precondition to the creation of a Palestinian state) enhances rather that threatens israel’s national security. it is about time for the israelis to wake up and stop swallowing the falsity of this narrative that makes israel’s national security synonymous with the occupation, which has been regularly dished out by self-serving leaders like netanyahu, current israeli Prime Minister Bennett, and their ilk. They portray the Palestinians as perpetual enemies who pose an existential threat and must therefore be forcefully controlled. Their real agenda, however, is to annex yet more Palestinian land, populate the West Bank by at least a million Jews, and make the establishment of a Palestinian state with a contiguous land mass virtually impossible.

To be sure, the occupation continues to galvanize the Palestinians’ resistance in and outside the territories, deepens their resentment and hatred of israel, and poisons the next generation of israelis and Palestinians alike, who view each other, like the past three generations, as sworn perpetual enemies. They are preparing for the next war rather than for a peaceful, neighborly, and prosperous relationship.

There are three arguments that clearly demonstrate how the occupation is actually inviting violence, undermining israel’s national security, and shattering its moral solvency.

Instigating continued resistance: To begin with, how can israel claim that it is the most powerful country in the region and yet be more

SinCe the outbreak of COViD 19 in late 2019, hundreds of thousands have died worldwide. in order to control the spread of the virus, countries imposed lockdown, confining people to the boundaries of their home. With the outburst of Corona dating back to over a year, many people have suffered severe mental health issues due to the confinement faced after the announcement of lockdown.

Mental health issues are a range of conditions which can have a negative effect on one's mood or behaviour. Common mental health issues include depression and anxiety.

Stress, pressure and loneliness faced by people, often due to self-isolation can be inducing factors that can ultimately lead to mental health issues. in the months since COViDs outbreak in Pakistan, the number of people diagnosed with mental issues has dramatically risen, as well as the suicide rate across provinces. Over 25 suicide cases have been linked with COViD since its outbreak, with likely more to come if measures aren’t taken. it is estimated that about 50 million people suffer from mental health issues in Pakistan, with a severe lack of psychiatrists to treat them. This means that obtaining mental health treatment can be an issue for many people, resulting in their disorders worsening. Fear of coronavirus as well as sadness caused by isolation and the thought of confinement has only increased the number of mental health issues not only in Pakistan but worldwide.

However efforts are being made by the government in order to curb the spread of mental illnesses, through methods such as, providing relevant information about mental issues impact and methods of prevention. in addition the government has published a 26 page document providing instructions on how to avoid mental issues, especially during lockdown. ngOs across Pakistan have taken charge of raising mental health awareness as well, with talks being organized to achieve this.

Waleed Qasim Bashir lahore

Afghan war: Who is to blame?

SePTeMBer 11th is the deadline for the american army to leave afghanistan and end it’s decades long war. a lot of people are asking questions of why this war went on for so long and why america has lost this war. and a lot of people end up blaming Pakistan for america’s failures.

“Directorate S” is a book written by Steve Coll, that explains Pakistan’s position categorically from the start of the war till the end. From ex President Musharraf till current Prime Minister imran Khan, every Pakistani military and civilian leader have been telling the US only one thing, negotiate with the Taliban as they are local afghani’s and cannot be expelled from their own country.

The book also categorically tells us how the USa always went against Pakistan’s advice, whether it was to help the northern alliance take over Kabul, or whether to give Pakistan time to deploy troops to the borders before the USa bombed Tora Bora mountains or even when Pakistan asked them to negotiate a peace with Taliban.

The book also highlights how the USa used india’s funded ahmed Shah Masood’s northern alliance group whose second command was amrullah Saleh, the current VP of afghanistan who likes to spew hatred against Pakistan at every opportunity he gets. incidently ahmad Shah Masood was killed in a suicide attack, two days before September 11th World Trade Center incident, and he was pronounced dead in an indian funded hospital in Tajikistan. reading the book the readers would understand how Pakistan had always tried to help the USa and even how the Taliban continuously asked to negotiate Peace with the USa, but in both cases their requests were turned down. Therefore at this juncture the people of america, afghanistan and Pakistan should be asking themselves is why the USa government and Cia allowed the US army and coalition forces to continue a war, when in the end the USa government had to negotiate a peace settlement anyways? shahryar Khan Baseer P.engr.

PeshaWar

Vaccine hesitancy THe Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc all over the country. Many countries are trying hard to get rid of the virus. The government of Pakistan is also working tirelessly to make Pakistan free from this highly transmissible virus. There is no doubt that the government is playing a laudable role in dealing with this disastrous situation. However, the people are not ready to listen to the authorities. Many people are still reluctant to get vaccinated because of the misconceptions that they are viral on social media and other platforms. a few days ago, i found myself in a queue outside a vaccination centre. While waiting for my turn, i talked to a few people who were standing behind me in the queue. They said that they are getting vaccinated because of the restrictions that the government had announced for the unvaccinated.

They added that had it been up to them, they would have remained unvaccinated because they had heard that the Covid-19 vaccines have adverse side effects. These misconceptions are the reason that many people are still unvaccinated. religious scholars and political leaders must take steps to encourage people to get vaccinated. hammal Zahid Kolahoo

Protecting our kids aT this stage when the child abuse cases, be it in terms of sexual assault, pornography or child trafficking are taking alarming proportions and adversely affecting the individuals, families as well as the whole society, it was a beautiful piece of jurisdiction by the Senate. Dearth of laws and bodies to check such incidents had led the numbers to suffer in the past but today the imposition of this law would assist in curbing the rate of such cases which are leading to serious threats including guilt, self blames, nightmares, insomnia, suicidal ideation, self injury, depression, aggressive behavior etc among the children. Highly hoping to see a positive change.

Usman mir Karachi

Tuesday, 21 September, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

Trudeau musT go – iT’s Time for o’Toole ToronTo Sun Editorial

Justin Trudeau has not served Canadians well as Prime Minister these past six years. It’s time for a change. It’s understandable why so many Canadians initially supported Trudeau and gave him a majority government back in 2015. The previous Conservative government had been in power for almost a decade and people had grown tired of it. Trudeau offered a promise of “sunny ways” – where he would generate positive results for all Canadians. That has since proven false though. Trudeau is not uniting Canadians. He is dividing us. Rather than rising above the petty sort of politics that so many people have grown tired of seeing, Trudeau has turned it into an art form.

He now comes across as insincere.

Many Canadians believe he only called this election because he coveted majority government powers, instead of putting in the hard work of collaborating with other parties to get legislation effectively passed. While it was first appealing to Canadians that Trudeau went on about being a feminist and a champion of diversity, those words now ring at best hollow and insulting at worst since they have been exposed to be not entirely true.

The Liberals have pushed the debt far higher than it needed to go during the pandemic. They have increased the cost of living for Canadians. They have failed to represent us properly on the world stage. Justin Trudeau has got to go. Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is the right man to replace him. The key task of the federal government shouldn’t be to “reset” Canada, as Trudeau has mused. It should be to grow the economy by empowering every sector to once again fire on all cylinders. O’Toole’s recovery plan outlines a responsible and measured path forward – one that involves tax relief for regular Canadians, investments in health care and taking our debt burden seriously.

We also need a serious leader when it comes to international issues – especially when it comes to dealing with China. O’Toole brings a maturity to politics that Trudeau continues to lack. It will take a lot to recover from the pandemic and more of the same from the Liberals just won’t cut it.

Canada is having an eleCTion no one wanTs Foreign Policy

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taylor C noakEs

Ou could be forgiven for not knowing Canada is in the midst of an acrimonious election campaign.

Canadian elections tend to be lowkey, tidy affairs that are promptly wrapped up within 50 days. Canada’s 44th federal election, has barely registered in the united states or elsewhere, but what may make international headlines the following day is the unexpected ouster of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Trudeau has lagged behind Conservative Party challenger Erin O’Toole throughout much of the campaign, though some polls in the race’s closing days have indicated a slight lead for the incumbent. now, the most likely election outcome is another Trudeau minority government, albeit with fewer seats. Another real possibility is an equally unstable Conservative minority government.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

Trudeau wanted to secure a parliamentary majority so he could lead a post-pandemic recovery without having to consult or cut deals with opposition parties. But hubris got the better of him: Even though there were clear signs Canadians weren’t interested in going to the polls this year, he pushed the country into its eighth federal election since 2000—one that has now essentially become a referendum on Trudeau himself. Canada is having an election no one other than Trudeau wanted, and he may pay a hefty price for it.

In early 2020, Trudeau had received some praise at home and abroad for guiding Canadians through the depths of the COVID19 pandemic’s first wave. But whatever points he earned were largely lost by the end of last summer with the WE Charity scandal, in which the well-known international organization was handed a no-bid contract of more than 43 million Canadian dollars (about $35 million) to administer about CA$912 million ($715 million) of federal funds earmarked for out-of-work students.

Trudeau, his family, and several topranking members of the administration were closely linked to the charity, prompting questions of cronyism and conflicts of interest. ultimately, Bill Morneau, a key Trudeau ally and finance minister, resigned. Trudeau prorogued parliament the next day, ending parliamentary scrutiny of the scandal. subsequent efforts to renew the investigation later in 2020 were blocked by Trudeau’s Liberal Party, often using tactics the prime minister had sworn he would never use when he sat in opposition. The scandal was Trudeau’s third major political scandal in four years (he was also criticized for attempting to interfere with the work of Canada’s justice minister and for violating conflict of interest regulations by accepting gifts from the Aga Khan,

TRUDEAU’S RISKY GAMBLE MAY SPELL HIS END a powerful religious leader).

Meanwhile, the government was criticized for its lackluster long-term pandemic response, and the administration faced another scandal with the resignation of Canada’s governor general—a Trudeau appointee—for workplace harassment and bullying. still, Canadians for the most part had little interest in another election.

Trudeau knew this in the run-up to presenting his administration’s 2021 budget this spring—a hurdle that can sink minority governments. (If a minority government can’t pass its budget, it’s unlikely to survive a vote of confidence of the House of Commons.) Trudeau hoped that he could sway other parties to support his budget without having to form a coalition with them, as an opposition party would have to take the blame for triggering a snap election.

In April, Trudeau’s gamble paid off. new Democratic Party (nDP) leader Jagmeet singh pledged his party’s support to pass the budget. Trudeau thus secured his budget and avoided an election without having to make any concessions or work with another party. Canada’s fourth minority government since 2004 was all set to function, more or less normally, for at least a year.

Yet despite the relative safety of Trudeau’s position and the unmistakable lack of interest of the Canadian electorate in an election while COVID-19 cases were ramping up, Trudeau called a snap election. With a majority government, Trudeau would be able to not only institute plans and programs for the next four years but also deal a serious blow to potential future challengers. But he may have seriously misjudged his own popularity.

Though the official campaign began with the Liberals in the lead, they quickly lost ground to the neophyte Conservative Party leader, O’Toole. Trudeau may have hoped to exploit his primary rival’s inexperience as party leader (a position he’s only had since August 2020). Trudeau was also keenly aware of the divisions within the Conservative Party that arose from policy shifts made without consulting party higherups, such as advocating for carbon pricing after condemning the federal carbon tax. In Trudeau’s mind, perhaps, the Conservative effort to move back toward the center was exposing internal divisions.

Trudeau failed to understand just how much O’Toole could ultimately capitalize on Canadians’ lack of interest in going to the polls. Although it’s highly unlikely the Conservatives will form a majority government, there’s more than a 20 percent chance they could form a minority government. They could also partner with either the Bloc Québécois or nDP, both of which are further left than the Liberals, to form a coalition government.

That would be unlikely, but not absurd. unlike in 2019, when nDP leader singh stated that he wouldn’t form a coalition government with the Conservatives under any circumstances, he hasn’t said as much this time around (nor has Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet). Meanwhile, O’Toole has somewhat moderated the Conservative Party’s positions. Despite their ideological differences, all three parties share a desire to see Trudeau booted from office.

Furthermore, what people really failed to anticipate was that calling this election would boost Canada’s far-right party, the People’s Party of Canada, which crashed and burned in the last election. Taking their cues from south of the border, Canada’s QAnon followers have largely lined up behind former Conservative Party leadership candidate (and former cabinet minister) Maxime Bernier, who founded the People’s Party. Bernier’s far-right big-tent party is unlikely to even win a seat, let alone form a government or opposition party.

But his followers have nonetheless made an impression—not least by pelting Trudeau with gravel, forcing the cancellation of Trudeau’s campaign rallies, and convincing an unfortunate number of otherwise levelheaded pundits to wonder aloud whether, despite the boorish behavior, the party deserves a seat at the table. In an election remarkable chiefly for its lack of new ideas or fresh thinking, the referendum on Trudeau has wound up giving a lot of attention to those representing Canada’s worst inclinations— something Canada’s establishment news media was all too happy to boost. some conservative commentators are sounding the alarm that Bernier’s bounding popularity may split the conservative vote and ultimately help Trudeau. But it’s the actions—or lack thereof—of far more mainstream conservative Canadian politicians who may provide Trudeau with an unlikely late-stage assist.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s declaration on sept. 15 that his province is in a state of emergency driven by a fourth wave of COVID-19 may both end his own career and topple conservative leader O’Toole, who

has praised Kenney’s largely hands-off handling of the pandemic. Kenney’s “open for summer” plan and over-reliance on rapid testing while refusing a vaccine passport system that was adopted by other provinces made a bad situation worse.

(Among Canada’s 10 premiers, Kenney has consistently polled dead last for his handling of the pandemic and was essentially absent from the federal campaign.)

Trudeau has wasted no time since the declaration, arguing that O’Toole has already demonstrated he’s not fit to lead the country through what remains of the pandemic.

It’s unlikely this in and of itself will be enough to shift Trudeau’s fortunes and deliver him the majority government this entire effort was meant to secure. The Trudeaumania of 2015 and 2016 was largely a product of Canadians having grown tired of the arrogant paternalism of former Prime Minister stephen Harper. Trudeau’s progressive golden boy image was only reinforced by 2016 and the contrast with the winner of the u.s. presidential election that year.

The honeymoon is now over. Trudeau has reneged on key campaign points that were broadly appealing—including backtracking on tax hikes on the wealthiest Canadians and promising to spearhead electoral reform—and has weathered major scandals that remind Canadians they traded in the arrogance born from winning elections to that derived from being a member of a political dynasty.

A last-minute appeal to Canadians from former u.s. President Barack Obama to vote for “his friend” Trudeau—and an endorsement from former u.s. secretary of state Hillary Clinton—hints strongly at campaign directors pulling out all the stops to remind Canadians that even if they’re ambivalent about Trudeau, he’s the preferred candidate of neoliberal global elites. There’s a chance, albeit an increasingly slim one, that Trudeau’s gamble will only prove how disconnected Canada’s political elite is from the mass of its citizenry.

Taylor C. Noakes is a public historian and independent journalist originally from Montreal.

Jagmeet Singh: the rise of Canada’s kingmaker THE NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S YOUTHFUL LEADER IS, ONCE AGAIN, SET TO SHAPE THE AGENDA OF THE NEXT CANADIAN GOVERNMENT

new STaTeSman

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MEgan gibson

usTIn Trudeau’s self-described “sunny ways” have clouded over, and Jagmeet singh hasn’t stopped talking about it. Over the course of Canada’s whirlwind election campaign this summer, the biggest thorn in the beleaguered prime minister’s side arguably hasn’t been the official opposition leader, the Conservative Party’s Erin O’Toole. Instead, it’s been singh, the dapper, charismatic leader of the progressive new Democratic Party (nDP), who has doggedly — in campaign ads, in

stump speeches, in leader debates — castigated Trudeau on his failures in office.

For singh, drawing a firm distinction between himself and the Liberal Party leader makes sense. Both politicians appeared on the national stage as rising stars, brimming with optimism and progressive promise. Yet while singh is still riding the crest of his popularity wave, Trudeau’s could be about to crash. Once Canadians cast their ballots, there’s a not-sosmall chance that Trudeau could be out of a job after calling a miscalculated snap election five weeks ago. singh, meanwhile, is poised to become the next government’s kingmaker.

A former criminal defence lawyer, singh moved into Ontario provincial politics in 2011, where he made a name for himself by pushing policies on increasing police accountability. Then, just six years later aged 38, he made the leap to the federal stage by decisively winning an nDP leadership race.

He also became the first visible minority to

head a major federal party in Canada (singh is Indo-Canadian and a practicing sikh).

That momentum, however, soon stalled.

In the 2019 federal election, the nDP under singh had its worst electoral performance in 15 years. Although voters think of it as Canada’s third party – rather than a possible contender for government – upsets aren’t inconceivable. In 2011’s election, under the leadership of the late Jack Layton, the nDP became the official opposition party. singh’s first federal election, however, saw it downgraded from third-party status to fourth behind the nationalist Bloc Québécois.

Yet the political landscape in Canada is much different in 2021 – and so too is the nDP. singh has a stronger team in place and the party is better funded. Meanwhile, he has capitalised on his relative youth, garnering a reputation for connecting with a younger demographic, comfortably embracing platforms such as TikTok and Twitch. His enthusiasm is

contagious. A CBC poll ahead of the Englishlanguage debate on 9 september found that of all the party leaders, singh was rated the most trustworthy and most competent.

In spite of this, singh’s ability to translate personal popularity into votes for his party is unclear ahead of vote. The nDP remains firmly in third place across polls.

While Canada’s first-past-the-post electoral system doesn’t do the nDP any favours, perhaps neither do the party’s biggest supporters. “Are young people going to break Jagmeet’s heart, is the question,” says David McGrane, a professor of politics at the university of saskatchewan and the author of The new nDP: Moderation, Modernisation, and Political Marketing. “If you’re putting all your chips into young people voting, are you actually [in a] comfortable [spot]?”

That’s not to say that the nDP hasn’t been able to move the needle. Indeed, after two years of propping up Trudeau’s Liberal

minority government, singh can make legitimate claims about influencing policy. Many credit Trudeau’s most progressive campaign promises as stalwart nDP pledges. “If the country ends up with $10-a-day childcare or a $15 federal minimum wage, it was because the nDP pushed for it,” says David Moscrop, author of Too Dumb for Democracy? and political theorist. “That’s not nothing.”

While the race for prime minister remains too close to call for either Trudeau or O’Toole, it’s a relatively safe bet that the nDP will comfortably increase its seat count – and singh will likely continue to play a pivotal role in shaping the policy of the next government. For political analysts and those within the party, that result will mark a victory.

Yet it also raises a deeper question: if electoral success in 2021 means that the nDP will essentially play the same role it did after taking a beating in 2019, what does that say about the party’s purpose? Is it enough for the nDP to continue to be a “policy farm for the Liberals”, as Moscrop puts it, influencing rather than setting the agenda? Or is it time to reassess the party’s ambitions? It’s a question that the nDP – and singh – will have to grapple with at some point, no matter the outcome of this election.

Tuesday, 21 september, 2021

busIness 09

IslAmAbAd

FIA movEs to tAkE ACtIoN AgAINst 'mAFIA' IN Food mINIstry, AttAChEd dEPt BOGUS PHYTO CERTIFICATES RISK COUNTRY'S AGRICULTURE EXPORTS ISLAMABAD

t

GHULAM ABBAS

HE Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Monday initiated an investigation against malpractices, corruption, monopoly and issuance of bogus phyto certificates by the Ministry of Food Security and Research's (MoFS&R) Department of Plant Protection (DPP).

According to a set of documents seen by Profit which have also been submitted to the Prime Minister office, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), FIA and other ministries concerned, there is large scale corruption in the country's agricultural sector which is taking place with the connivance of officials in the DPP and MoFS&R. The documents state that the 'mafia', which controls all operations, remains unharmed even after complaints registered by trade bodies including the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and other trade associations while importers and exporters of agriculture items are allegedly grilled and harassed on a daily basis by DPP staff both at seaports and airports.

As per details, a particular blue-eyed company has been given the contract for importing methyl bromide which is used for fumigation, while others are discouraged to participate in the business while other related

agricultural contracts have been awarded to its sister companies.

“There is only one company, National Chemicals, importing methyl bromide from the USA. Though there are 54 fumigation companies that are registered with the DPP, only their sister fumigation companies namely Adeel Pesticides, Pak Pansy, Pest Management Pentagon Fumigation Services, and Tahir Fumigation Expert are importing and exporting fumigating goods and charging sky high rates,” said a letter to PM written by Ahmad and Kamran Traders (Pvt.).

It is pertinent to mention here that the company was denied the registration by DPP’s officials. The complainant has alleged that five officials including, ex-DG DPP and current MoFS&R Food Commissioner Dr Wasim, DPP Additional Director Abid , Director Quarantine Suhail Shehzad, Entomologist Muzamil Hussain, and Assistant Entomologist Allah Yar were the major beneficiaries of malpractices in the department and ministry.

The complaint states that methyl bromide is only permitted to be used for control of quarantine pest around the world but in Pakistan, it is used blindly as it is compulsory to fumigate every good that comes to the country whether it is free from pests or not, without any justification of law.

"For instance, 95 per cent of vessels that carry oil seed from USA, Brazil and Canada are fumigated when they enter in Pakistan whereas it costs an extremely expensive

COMPLAINT TO PM ALLEGES MONOPOLY OF NATIONAL CHEMICALS process due to one company's monopoly. All of Pakistan's agriculture trade is at the mercy of M/s National Chemical," the complaint states.

As per documents available with this scribe, three FIA inquiries ENQ-21/2021, No, 68/2021, No, 518/2021 and one NAB enquiry No, 4924/19 are in process against the ministry and its plant protection department officials at present.

It has been further alleged that fumigators and relevant DPP officers issue fake fumigation certificates with exported containers citing multiple incidents in the past which prove the same.

According to details in this regard, in August, 2019, an insect was found in a container sent to Russia after which the foreign country immediately stopped importing Pakistani rice for two years. Mexico banned Pakistan’s rice from 2013 whereas Vietnam has also banned the country's wheat for similar issues. Similarly, the UK destroyed one consignment of bitter melon (karela) due to the presence of harmful organisms found in July, 2021 while Malaysian Quarantine Authorities had found turtles in a Potato container sent by DPP along with a fake phyto certificate.

Another allegation against Director Quarantine Sohail Shehzad states that he received hundreds of complaints from abroad which he kept deleting as he uses his personal email along with the official government email ID. He was not available for

comment despite repeated attempts by Profit. When this scribe visited MoFS&R Secretary Tahir Khurshid and brought up the above allegations, cases at FIA, NAB and grievances of trade bodies, he avoided giving a comment at first and then claimed that in order to resolve issues of higher prices of pesticides, breaking monopolies, and facilitate growers, the ministry issued a notification vide SRO.946(1)/2021, dated July 19, 2021, wherein 91 more pesticides products including methyl bromide 98%+2% chloropicrin, which were previously registered on Form-1 are now also notified on Form-16, which now enables many importers to get registered under the generic scheme now.

"Accordingly, the DPP has been directed to grant registrations of pesticides strictly as per rules. This will not only result in breaking any monopoly but also lower the price of methyl bromide in Pakistan," he added.

The secretary further added that as he has joined only recently and would look into the issues of DPP. However, documents available with Profit show that the notification of the said SRO was delayed by 10 months by DPP officials as it was approved by the Agricultural Pesticide Technical Advisory Committee (APTAC) on October 19, 2020, while complainants lament that the order is yet to be implemented by the ministry which means that their blue-eyed company, National Chemicals. continues to benefit while gnaw-

Customs officers nominated in tax fraud cases by FIA ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has registered a first information report (FIR) against customs officers and clearing agents over allegations of their involvement in tax fraud.

Sources said that FIA Faisalabad had registered an FIR against Assistant Collector Customs Ahmad Zaheer, superintendent Mansoor, inspector Farhan, inspector Ayesha and clearing agent Naeem Anwar for causing losses worth millions to the national exchequer.

Sources further said that Zahid Ali, resident of Himat Pura Bhai Wala, Faisalabad, imported a consignment of banned items including, life-

saving and other medical items from Singapore and the clearing agent with the connivance of the above-mentioned officials cleared the consignment, No.OOLU9479653, which caused a loss of Rs12.20 million to the national exchequer.

Sources claimed that such kinds of incidents are routine matters in the Customs department where officers not only cause huge losses to the national kitty but are also involved in the theft of goods from state warehouses while department high-ups do not include them in criminal proceedings which caused the FIA to intervene.

Recently, the special judge Customs, Taxation and Anti-smuggling, Karachi, also ordered FBR to appoint an honest and efficient officers who would not try to exclude officers of the de-

partment involved in tax frauds from criminal proceedings.

The court stated that the Directorate of Intelligence & Investigation, Karachi, had lodged many FIRs of tax fraud but the department had not nominated departmental officers involved in FIRs or criminal proceedings.

The department has offered no explanation for discrimination between importers, clearing agents and departmental officers.

Profit reached FBR for comment which replied that there is a zero tolerance policy against corruption of all shades and grades.

It is pertinent to mention here that FBR has already suspended and dismissed over a 100 officials in the recent past and the above action reflects on the seriousness attached to inquiries.

APP

Exports from the country witnessed an increase of 23.86 per cent during the first two months of the current fiscal year (2MFY22) as compared to the corresponding period of last year, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Monday.

According provisional figures issued by PBS, the exports during July-August FY22 were recorded at Rs742,259 million against the exports of Rs599,255 million during July-August FY21.

Meanwhile, on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, exports increased by 38.87pc to Rs368,847 million in August compared to the exports of Rs265,600 million in August, 2020.

On month-on-month (MoM) basis, exports increased by 1.22pc in August when compared to the exports of Rs373,412 million in July.

The main commodities of exports during August were knitwear, readymade garments, bed wear, cotton cloth, cotton yarn, rice, towels, madeup articles, basmati rice, and fruits.

On the other hand, imports during 2MFY22 totaled Rs1,971,740 million against Rs1,168,727 million during the corresponding

period of last year showing an increase of 68.71pc.

Likewise, imports during August amounted to Rs1,081,961 million against Rs889,779 million in July and Rs556,064 million during August 2020 showing an increase of 21.6pc over July this year and 94.57pc over August 2020. Main commodities of imports during August were petroleum products, medicinal products, petroleum crude, natural gas, LNG, palm oil, plastic materials, iron and steel, electrical machinery and apparatus, power generating machinery, and iron and steel scrap.

Cryptocurrencies slide as market selloff deepens LONDON AGENCIES

Prices of cryptocurrencies plunged on Monday as concerns over the spillover risk to the global economy from Chinese property group Evergrande’s troubles rippled over to

wider markets.

Bitcoin, the world’s biggest and best-known cryptocurrency, tumbled more than 8 per cent to $42,453, its lowest level since Aug. 7 before trimming some losses to trade down 7pc. It hit a near four-month high above $52,000 on Sept. 6. Smaller

rival Ether, the coin linked to the Ethereum blockchain network, fell more than 10pc below $3,000 for the first time since early August.

The loss in the value of cryptocurrencies comes at a time when institutional interest in the space has surged and some investment banks

Pakistan Int’l Property Exhibition and Convention starts on Nov 26 ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The three day Pakistan International Property Housing and Construction Exhibition and Convention (PIPH&CEC) will start on November 26. As per details, the exhibition and convention will be held in collaboration with the Naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority (NPHDA) at the Pak-China Friendship Center in Islamabad.

PIPH&CEC Chairman Khurshid Barlas said this event is one of its kind in which a virtual and physical conference will be held under the ‘Invest in Pakistan’ plan. Further, a diplomatic and chamber conference will also be held in the three-day exhibition. The business communities of Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Peshawar will be present in large numbers with their families and people from abroad will join online. Khurshid Barlas said the government’s intention to develop the construction industry is very good, which has restored the employment of millions of people. “The exhibition and convention is a great opportunity to bring together resellers, developers and property buyers,” he added.

PFC’s e-commerce units to explore new furniture markets

Exports jump 24pc in 2MFY22 ISLAMABAD

ing at the national kitty.

Furthermore, on the alleged advice of 'corrupt' officials at DPP, a methyl bromide manufacturing Chinese company, Linhai Jianxin Chemical Co. Ltd., has recently issued an exclusive dealership for Pentagon fumigation, a sister company of National Chemicals, while cancelling other companies’ letter of authorisation without any solid reason and despite the fact that Pentagon does not have a registration certificate.

When contacted about registration issues at the Department of Plant Protection, DPP Director Registration Allah Ditta claimed that companies with valid documents and required credentials were being registered without a hiccup, adding that those complaining about the process had deficiencies in their applications.

According to sources, despite the cases of corruption, mismanagement and failures of such an important organisation of the government, the DPP remains headless since October, 2020, while it has been without a regular director general (DG) for over a decade now.

In fact, even the PM office had been kept in the dark when it directed the MoFS&R in December, 2019, to appoint a DG on contract from the open market.

Moreover, keeping the entire situation in view, trade associations have demanded Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan to form a JIT to investigate the DPP’s affairs. The JIT, they believe, should also check assets and travel histories of alleged corrupt officers to know how deep the government organisation is steeped in corruption.

have ramped up their forecasts for cryptocurrencies in the coming months. “Their fate seems a little tied to equities at the moment, and the price action is incredibly similar too,” said John Marley, CEO of forexxtra, a London-based FX consultancy.

LAHORE APP

The Pakistan Furniture Council (PFC) will launch e-commerce units to explore targeted foreign markets, essential for doing business across the borders more effectively. In this regard, PFC Chief Executive Officer Mian Kashif Ashfaq on Monday said that the council was also planning to establish a proper warehouse and logistics system to feed their initiative. He was talking to a delegation of furniture exporters led by Asim Javed. Initially, PFC would target a few countries, primarily Middle Eastern nations, he said and added, “We cannot target the whole world so we have to focus on a few selected countries like Saudia Arabia. The choices of these nations are similar to ours and we hope for a good breakthrough from the Saudis as two major players are ready to buy furniture from Pakistan.” The PFC, he mentioned, was also studying the dynamics of other potential countries where Pakistan could meet design, product quality and price requirements. He said that currently, furniture exports stood at roughly Rs500m, however, in the coming years the council planned to increase this figure to $1 billion annually, which he added was a realistic target that could be achieved in five years if things continue to flow smoothly. “We have already managed to cut the import size by 25 per cent and this was done by targeted exhibitions.

However, the primary issue that persists for this sector is the availability of raw material which is an issue and our cost of wood is increasing mainly due to its shortage that left the only option of wood import.” Mian Kashif Ashfaq said that they were calculating the price compatibility and if it becomes viable to directly import from any country, then they would present a complete plan to the Ministry of Commerce to gain some relief in taxes. The CEO said that PFC was also engaged in efforts to collaborate with some local manufacturers with Chinese counterparts under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Tuesday, 21 September, 2021

10 FOREIGN NEWS

ISLAMABAD

AfghAn women outrAged by new tAlibAn restrictions on work KABUL

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AFP

HE Taliban's effective ban on women working sank in on Monday, sparking rage over the dramatic loss of rights after millions of female teachers and girls were barred from secondary school education.

After pledging a softer version of their regime of the 1990s, the Taliban are tightening their control of women's freedoms one month after seizing power.

"I may as well be dead," said one woman, who was sacked from her senior role at the ministry of foreign affairs.

"I was in charge of a whole department and there were many women working with me... now we have all lost our jobs," she told AFP, insisting she not be identified for fear of reprisals.

The acting mayor of the capital Kabul has said any municipal jobs currently held by women would be filled by men.

That came after the education ministry ordered male teachers and students back to secondary school at the weekend, but made no mention of the country's millions of women educators and girl pupils.

The Taliban on Friday also appeared to shut down the former government's ministry of women's affairs and replaced it with one that earned notoriety during their first stint in power for enforcing religious doctrine.

While the country's new rulers have not issued a formal policy outright banning women from working, directives by individual officials have amounted to their exclu-

sion from the workplace.

Many Afghan women fear they will never find meaningful employment.

'WHEN WILL THAT BE?' A new Taliban government announced two weeks ago had no women members.

Although still marginalised, Afghan women have fought for and gained basic rights in the past 20 years, becoming lawmakers, judges, pilots and police officers, though mostly limited to large cities.

Hundreds of thousands have entered the workforce -- a necessity in some cases as many women were widowed or now support invalid husbands as a result of two decades of conflict.

But since returning to power on August 15, the Taliban have shown no inclination to honour those rights.

When pressed, Taliban officials say women have been told to stay at home for their own security but will be allowed to work once proper segregation can be implemented.

"When will that be?" a woman teacher said Monday.

"This happened last time. They kept saying they would allow us to return to work, but it never happened."

During the Taliban's first rule from 1996 to 2001, women were largely excluded from public life including being banned from leaving their homes unless accompanied by a male relative.

In Kabul on Friday, a sign for the ministry for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice was erected at the building housing the old government's ministry for

women's affairs building in the capital.

Vice ministry enforcers were notorious for punishing anyone deemed not to be following the Taliban's strict interpretation of Islam.

On Sunday around a dozen women protested briefly outside the building, but dispersed when approached by Taliban officials. No official from the new regime re-

sponded Monday to requests for comment.

In Herat, an education official insisted the issue of girls and women teachers returning to school was a question of time, not policy.

"It is not exactly clear when that will happen: tomorrow, next week, next month, we don't know," Shahabudin Saqib told AFP. "It's not my decision because we have

had a big revolution in Afghanistan."

The United Nations said it was "deeply worried" for the future of girls' schooling in Afghanistan.

"It is critical that all girls, including older girls, are able to resume their education without any further delays," the UN's children's agency UNICEF said.

At least eight dead in Russian Faroe Islands mass dolphin slaughter casts shadow over tradition campus shooting TORSHAVN AFP

MOSCOW AFP

A student opened fire at a university campus in central Russia on Monday killing at least eight people, investigators said, in the second mass shooting at an education facility this year.

Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said several people were also injured in the attack at Perm State University and that the suspect had been wounded while being detained.

Investigators previously said that five people were killed and another six wounded.

Russia has relatively few school shootings due to normally tight security in education facilities and because of the difficulty of buying firearms legally, although it is possible to register hunting rifles.

Videos circulating on social media showed students throwing belongings from windows from buildings on campus before jumping to flee the shooter.

State media played amateur footage reportedly taken during the attack showing an individual dressed in black tactical clothing, including a helmet, carrying a weapon and walking through the campus.

The last such deadly attack took place in May 2021, when a 19-year-old gunman opened fire in his old school in the central Russian city of Kazan, killing nine people.

Investigators said that man suffered from a brain disorder. But he was deemed fit to re-

ceive a licence for the semi-automatic shotgun he used in the attack.

On the day of that attack — one of the worst in recent Russian history — President Vladimir Putin called for a review of gun control laws.

In November 2019, a 19-year-old student in the far eastern town of Blagoveshchensk opened fire at his college, killing one classmate and injuring three other people before shooting and killing himself.

In October 2018, another teenage gunman killed 20 people at a Kerch technical college in Crimea, the peninsula Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

He was shown in camera footage wearing a similar T-shirt to Eric Harris, one of the killers in the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in the US, which left 13 people dead.

The Crimea shooter was able to legally obtain a gun licence after undergoing marksmanship training and being examined by a psychiatrist.

The country's Federal Security Service (FSB) says it has prevented dozens of armed attacks on schools in recent years.

In February 2020, the FSB said it had detained two teenagers on suspicion of plotting an attack on a school in the city of Saratov with weapons and homemade explosives.

Authorities have claimed that young Russians are being increasingly exposed to negative influences online, especially from the West.

Every summer in the Faroe Islands hundreds of pilot whales and dolphins are slaughtered in drive hunts known as the “grind” that residents defend as a longheld tradition.

The hunt always sparks fierce criticism abroad, but never so much as last week when a particularly bountiful catch saw 1,428 dolphins massacred in one day, raising questions on the island itself about a practice that activists have long deemed cruel.

Images of hundreds upon hundreds of dolphins lined up on the sand, some of them hacked up by what appeared to be propellers, the water red with blood, shocked some of the staunchest supporters of the “grind” and raised concern in the archipelago's crucial fishing industry.

For the first time, the local government of the autonomous Danish archipelago located in the depths of the North Atlantic said it would re-evaluate regulations surrounding the killing of dolphins specifically, without considering an outright ban on the tradition.

“I had never seen anything like it before. This is the biggest catch in the Faroes,” Jens Mortan Rasmussen, one of the hunter-fishermen present at the scene in the village of Skala, told AFP. OPEN-AIR SLAUGHTERHOUSE: While used to criticism, he said this time round it was “a little different”.

“Fish exporters are getting quite a lot of furious phone calls from their clients and the salmon industry has now mobilised against dolphin-hunting. It's a first.”

The meat of pilot whales and dolphins is only eaten by the fishermen themselves, but there is concern that news of the massacre will hit the reputation of an archipelago that relies considerably on exporting other fish including salmon.

Traditionally, the Faroe Islands — which have a population of 50,000 — hunt pilot whales in a practice known as “grindadrap” or the “grind”.

Hunters first surround the whales with a wide semi-circle of fishing boats and then drive them into a bay to be

beached and slaughtered by fishermen on the beach.

Normally, around 600 pilot whales are hunted every year in this way, while fewer dolphins also get caught.

Defending the hunt, the Faroese point to the abundance of whales, dolphins, and porpoises in their waters (over 100,000, or two per capita).

They see it as an open-air slaughterhouse that isn't that different to the millions of animals killed behind closed doors all over the world, said Vincent Kelner, the director of a documentary on the “grind”.

And it's of historical significance for the Faroe Islanders: without this meat from the sea, their people would have disappeared.

'OVERWHELMED': But still, on September 12, the magnitude of the catch in the large fjord came as a shock as fishermen targeted a particularly big school of dolphins.

The sheer number of the mammals that beached slowed down the slaughter which “lasted a lot longer than a normal grind”, said Rasmussen.

“When the dolphins reach the beach, it's very difficult to send them back to sea, they tend to always return to the beach.” Kelner said the fishermen were “overwhelmed”.

“It hits their pride because it questions the professionalism they wanted to put in place,” he added.

While defending the practice as sus-

tainable, Bardur a Steig Nielsen, the archipelago's prime minister, said on Thursday the government would re-evaluate “dolphin hunts, and what part they should play in Faroese society.”

Critics say that the Faroese can no longer put forward the argument of sustenance when killing whales and dolphins.

“For such a hunt to take place in 2021 in a very wealthy European island community [...] with no need or use for such a vast quantity of contaminated meat is outrageous,” said Rob Read, chief operating officer at marine conservation NGO Sea Shepherd, referring to high levels of mercury in dolphin meat.

The NGO claims the hunt also broke several laws.

“The Grind foreman for the district was never informed and therefore never authorised the hunt,” it said in a statement.

It also claims that many participants had no licence, “which is required in the Faroe Islands, since it involves specific training in how to quickly kill the pilot whales and dolphins.”

And “photos show many of the dolphins had been run over by motorboats, essentially hacked by propellers, which would have resulted in a slow and painful death.”

Faroese journalist Hallur av Rana said that while a large majority of islanders defend the “grind” itself, 53 per cent are opposed to killing dolphins.

Tuesday, 21 September, 2021

SPORTS 11

ISLAMABAD

Real MadRId stage late coMeback to wIN at ValeNcIa VALENCIA

R

ReuteRs

EAL Madrid forwards Vinicius Jr and Karim Benzema scored within the space of three minutes deep in the second half to propel their side to a 2-1 win at Valencia in LaLiga on Sunday after the visitors were outplayed for most of the game.

Valencia went ahead in the 66th minute with a thumping low strike from forward Hugo Duro, who spent last season on loan with Madrid.

Real levelled with a deflected strike from Vinicius in the 86th and then the Brazilian turned provider, crossing for Benzema to head home the winner in the 88th.

Valencia would have gone top had they held on for the win but instead Carlo Ancelotti's Real side lead the standings on 13 points from five games, with the hosts third

on 10.

"It's never easy to come here especially when you concede the first goal but we never gave in, we kept working and kept persisting," said Vinicius.

"We've got a great result here thanks to the work of the whole team and things are coming off for us right now."

The win was on the back of another Real late show in midweek when Brazilian forward Rodrygo struck in the 89th minute to secure a 1-0 victory at Inter Milan in their first Champions League group game.

Valencia had made a strong start to the season under new coach Jose Bordalas but suffered a setback in the build-up to kick off when captain Jose Gaya was ruled out injured.

More problems followed as midfielder Carlos Soler, who scored a hat-trick of penalties in last season's fixture against Real, came off injured in the 15th minute while right back Thierry Correia soon fol-

lowed him in hobbling off in the 23rd.

But Bordalas' side still managed to outrun and overpower their opponents for most of the game and took a deserved lead when Duro swivelled to send a bouncing ball beyond the reach of keeper Thibaut Courtois and into the net.

Valencia continued to cause Real problems but eased off in the final 10 minutes and the visitors made the most of their deadly firepower, Vinicius scoring his fifth goal of the season and Benzema netting a sixth after bagging a hat-trick against Celta Vigo last week.

"We know what Real Madrid are like, we know they can turn the game around at any stage," said Duro.

"We had a tough game, we got two early injuries but still managed to go ahead then the victory escaped from our grasp and they made us pay in two isolated moves. We were very unlucky to not at least get a draw today."

Pakistan dread becoming no-go area again after New Zealand snub ISLAMABAD ReuteRs

After a decade spent trying to woo back cricket’s international elite, Pakistan is facing the prospect of being declared the game’s no-go area again, and the anger is palpable.

A sense of deja vu swept the country on Friday when New Zealand abruptly pulled the plug on their first Pakistan tour in 18 years, citing a security alert they refused to explain.

With England’s board yet to make up its mind about what would be their first visit to the country in 16 years next month, Pakistan’s bumper home season looks in disarray. It is a setback for the cricket-mad nation which moved heaven and earth to project itself as a safe destination and won tour commitments from several leading teams.

“It’s been pretty gut-wrenching,” PCB chief executive Wasim Khan told a virtual news conference on Sunday.

“We’ve done a huge amount of work in building our credibility back up again in world cricket. The rug has been pulled out from under our feet as quick as that.”

Cricket Australia said it was monitor-

ing the situation and would “talk with the relevant authorities once more information becomes known” ahead of its scheduled tour early next year.

Cricket West Indies did not reply to Reuters e-mail asking if they would reconsider their tour of Pakistan later this year

India to start home season with New Zealand series NEW DELHI ReuteRs

New Zealand will return to the subcontinent in November to play three Twenty20 Internationals and two Test matches in India, two months after abandoning their tour of Pakistan over safety concerns. The series against New Zealand will kick-start India's 2021-22 home season which includes four Tests, three one-dayers and 14 Twenty20 Internationals, the Indian cricket board said in a statement on Monday. New Zealand called off their limited-overs tour of Pakistan minutes before the opening fixture in Rawalpindi on Friday following a security alert from their government. India could not host the second half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) or the Twenty20 World Cup because of the Covid-19 surge in the country this year. Both tournaments have been shifted to the United Arab Emirates, with Oman also hosting some T20 World Cup matches. West Indies will arrive in India in February to play six limited-overs matches, followed by Sri Lanka who will face their hosts in two Tests and three Twenty20 Internationals. South Africa will tour India in June to play six Twenty20 matches.

but the atmosphere is not promising.

“The abrupt departure of New Zealand has left many scars for us, and we just certainly hope that this is not going to have long-term consequences for us moving forward,” added Khan.

With the Taliban sweeping to power in

neighbouring Afghanistan, Pakistan will have to work extra hard to try and convince other teams to tour the country.

Shunned by all after the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore, Pakistan’s “home” matches in the United Arab Emirates have been played without fan support and earned the PCB little in the way of revenue.

Pakistan has no plans to again move home games offshore, says Khan.

Test cricket returned to the country when Sri Lanka returned in 2019 but the PCB officials know the country will only be deemed safe when the likes of England and Australia tour.

DANGEROUS PRECEDENT: In recent times, teams touring Pakistan were accorded the kind of security usually reserved for visiting heads of state and their cricket establishment wonders what else they could have done.

“NZ just killed Pakistan cricket,” tweeted former test bowler Shoaib Akhtar, while angry fans demanded Pakistan boycott next month’s T20 World Cup match against New Zealand.

The PCB has ruled out that prospect but is infuriated at New Zealand’s refusal to share the exact nature of the threat that

derailed the tour.

“It sets a very dangerous precedent if countries can unilaterally just abandoned tours. Then it does affect relationships.

Where does it leave us as a sport?” Khan asked.

The PCB official said he would be making a broader point at the International Cricket Council, seeking to end the “inequality” within the governing body.

“Inequality exists, and I don’t care what people say,” the British-born former chief executive of English county Leicester asserted.

“It’s easy to walk out of countries like Pakistan without any reason, without any dialogue, without any discussion. That has to stop because the inequality has to stop in the world of cricket.”

The players are already dreading the prospect of having to resume playing their “home” games abroad but Khan said the PCB would not go down without a fight.

“As it stands at the moment, we have no plans to go abroad to play our cricket,” Khan said.

“It’s taken us a long time to return. We are adamant that we remain safe but of course, we’ve also got to have contingency and backups.”

GSV overwhelmed by PFL franchise bids SportS DESk The Global Soccer Ventures (GSV), a sports management agency, saw an overwhelming response to its tender notice for Pakistan Football League (PFL) franchises.

The GSV received an encouraging response for all six franchises at the pre-auction bidding stage. The bids were not received only from within Pakistan but also internationally from Spain, United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates. At least three franchises, Karachi, Peshawar and Islamabad, came in with high bids. All the bids secured preferential rates.

The successful bidders are being tied up with Europe’s elite football clubs to create football partnerships. Opportunities

are now available to anyone looking to secure a franchise in remaining cities in the open market.

GSV CEO Zabe Khan said, “It is a huge surprise to witness so many submissions from groups nationally and internationally eager to take a slice of the Pakistan Football League (PFL) team. It clearly demonstrates the demand for the right product, and if one has created a commercially sustainable football enterprise, people will see business and marketing value in it.”

The GSV will unveil the proud owners, who will dominate football in their cities with Pakistan’s first-ever franchise football league –PFL. The league is already being hailed as a huge international football franchise brand by industry experts.

Rohit set to make IPL return for Mumbai in Kolkata clash NEW DELHI ReuteRs

Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma will return to the side for their Indian Premier League match against Kolkata Knight Riders after missing Sunday’s 20-run defeat by Chennai Super Kings in Dubai, head coach Mahela Jayawardene said.

Kieron Pollard captained the Mumbai side in the absence of their regular skipper Rohit, who was given additional time off after returning from Britain where he was

on duty with the Indian team in their Test series against England. Rohit had scored a superb 127 in the second innings of the fourth Test and did not field later because of a knee issue. But Jayawardene said that the 34-year-old would play when Mumbai face Kolkata on Thursday.

“Rohit was batting and doing his running as well, but after coming back from the United Kingdom we felt that he needed an extra few days so he should be fine to play the next game,” Jayawardene told reporters.

Rohit, the IPL’s most successful captain who has led Mumbai Indians to five titles, is likely to be named skip-

per of India’s T20 side after the upcoming World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, with Virat Kohli saying he will step down. Jayawardene said India allrounder Hardik Pandya was also rested for the game against Chennai due to a minor injury.

“Hardik was training, he had a little niggle so again as a precaution we thought we should give him extra days to see how things are but it’s nothing serious,” Jayawardene said.

The IPL resumed in Dubai on Sunday, more than four months after the Covid-19 outbreak halted the world’s richest T20 tournament.

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EW Zealand Cricket chief David White Monday said the board can think about compensating the Pakistan Cricket Board for the financial losses it suffered after the Black Caps decided to unilaterally abandon the Pakistan tour last week.

In a statement, White said that the board will think about playing the cancelled matches against Pakistan in the future.

“At the moment, to speak about the New Zealand touring Pakistan again will be premature,” he said.

“Whether it is Pakistan or England [where the team visits], reviewing the security arrangements is the most important step”.

White said that despite the tour getting cancelled, the NZC can still enjoy cordial relations with the PCB. He said that Pakistan was a nation that harboured a passion for cricket, adding that he knew Pakistanis were disappointed with the series getting cancelled.

“New Zealand Cricket can understand how hurt Pakistani fans are,” he said.

White on Monday also expressed willingness to discuss the restaging of the Pakistan series the Black Caps abandoned last week, but said talks of touring the country

again were premature considering the team’s schedule was already “pretty tight”.

In a new report, New Zealand media website Stuff quoted White as saying: “We’ve got a very close working relationship with Pakistan Cricket. We’d like to think that over the next few days, weeks and months that we’ll work through this to ensure that we play the content that we’ve missed out on and we continue our close working relationship.” “As we know they’re a very passionate cricketing nation and they’re obviously disappointed. We understand their disappointment,” he added.

According to the report, the NZC chief was hopeful the matches would be rescheduled but was not sure about when as the Future Tours Programme was already “pretty tight”. Regarding compensating the PCB for lost revenue, White said the issue would be discussed in due course. He hoped that the decision to abandon the tour would not be held against NZC when the time came for Pakistan to tour New Zealand.

He also said that it was too soon to comment on the prospect of the Black Caps touring Pakistan again anytime soon.

“I think what’s important to point out is that for every tour we go on, whether it’s Pakistan or England or anywhere, that we go

through a very thorough process covering security etc. This was no exception. In fact, it was probably more in this case.

“I can’t answer that question at the moment, it’s too early. But we’ll assess every tour on its merits,” he said.

Last Friday, the New Zealand cricket team cancelled its tour of Pakistan after informing the PCB of a “security alert” minutes before the toss for the first ODI at Rawalpindi was held.

The New Zealand cricket team was pulled out of Pakistan at the last minute after the Five Eyes — an intelligence alliance of New Zealand, Australia, Canada, United States, and the United Kingdom — advised Wellington to do so, NZ Herald reported the next day.

The publication said the security threat was deemed credible before the match. It led to phone calls between NZ Cricket and Pakistan Cricket Board, and Pakistan and New Zealand Prime Ministers Imran Khan and Jacinda Ardern.

“Within 12 hours of those conversations, the tour was cancelled,” the report had said.

As expected, the news of New Zealand abandoning the Pakistan tour at the last minute did not go down with PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja. Describing it as a “crazy” day, Raja said he felt sorry for Pakistani fans and players.

UN chief warns China, US to avoid Cold War UNITED NATIONS ThE AssOcIATEd PrEss

Warning of a potential new Cold War, the head of the United Nations implored China and the United States to repair their “completely dysfunctional” relationship before problems between the two large and deeply influential countries spill over even further into the rest of the planet.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke to The Associated Press this weekend ahead of this week’s annual United Nations gathering of world leaders — a convening blemished by Covid-19, climate concerns and contentiousness across the planet.

Guterres said the world’s two major economic powers should be cooperating on climate and negotiating more robustly on trade and technology even given persisting political fissures about human rights, economics, online security and sovereignty in the South China Sea. “Unfortunately, today we only have [a] confrontation,” Guterres said Saturday in the AP interview. “We need to re-establish a functional relationship between the two powers,” he said, calling that “essential to address the problems of vaccination, the problems of cli-

mate change and many other global challenges that cannot be solved without constructive relations within the international community and mainly among the superpowers.”

Two years ago, Guterres warned global leaders of the risk of the world splitting in two, with the United States and China creating rival internets, currency, trade, financial rules “and their own zero-sum geopolitical and military strategies.”

He reiterated that warning in the AP interview, adding that two rival geopolitical and military strategies would pose “dangers” and divide the world. Thus, he said, the foundering relationship must be repaired — and soon.

“We need to avoid at all cost a Cold War that would be different from the past one, and probably more dangerous and more difficult to manage,” Guterres said. The so-called Cold War between the Soviet Union and its East bloc allies and the United States and its Western allies began immediately after World War II and ended with the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. It was a clash of two nucleararmed superpowers with rival ideologies — communism and authoritarianism on one side, capitalism and democracy on the other.

LAHORE: Long exposure of steel wool being spun, taken during a photo walk at the bank of River Ravi. ONLINE

US journalist lauds Imran for assisting airlifts from Afghanistan city NEwS DESk Glenn Beck, a Conservative journalist and celebrated author, praised the prime minister for “leveraging his position” to help him organise evacuation flights from Mazar-i-Sharif city of Afghanistan.

The humanitarian effort was “aimed at saving innocent victims facing certain death if left behind in a war-ravaged country where misunderstanding and suspicion take priority at present”, Beck said in a series of tweets. Imran Khan “took the lead to save innocent lives irrespective of politics, race, religion or culture”.

“No other global leader that we have seen, took such an initiative to leverage his/her position to save the innocent putting humanity before politics and showing how much the great faiths have in common on the bridge of compassion.”

Beck further credited the prime

minister for his “tireless leadership” that resulted in the “release” of three planes from the city. The Taliban, he said, “have been businesslike in their responses to adhere to their agreement to let civilian allies of the NATO forces leave the country”.

Since the fall of Kabul in August, Pakistan has emerged as the biggest base for the urgent evacuation of foreigners and their local allies from that country. In August alone, Islamabad has helped evacuate more than 7,000 people from the neighbouring country through air and land routes.

After the deadly bomb attacks near Kabul airport, hundreds of foreigners have already arrived in Islamabad and Karachi for their onward travel to other destinations.

Pakistan has also allowed hundreds of foreign military and commercial flights to use its airspace for airlift operations from Kabul.

President Dr Arif Alvi chairing a meeting on Breast Cancer Awareness virtually, held at Aiwan-e-Sadr, on 20-09-2021.

Explainer: 1.5C warming limit in doubt as countries lag on emissions cuts BARCELONA rEuTErs

The UK hosts of the COP26 UN climate summit, starting October 31 in Glasgow, have said their key goal is to “keep 1.5 alive” — ensuring it remains possible to limit fastaccelerating global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial times.

While meeting this target — the most ambitious aim of the Paris Agreement to tackle climate change — will not prevent extreme weather worsening or sea levels rising, it is seen as vital for avoiding runaway impacts on humans and the planet.

The problem is that planned efforts by the 195 countries that adopted the Paris pact in 2015 are so far not nearly enough to meet that target, analysts say.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said planet-heating emissions need to fall by 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030, and then hit net-zero by mid-century, to have a good chance of keep warming to 1.5C. A 25 percent reduction is needed

this decade to limit planetary heating to 2C, the higher ceiling in the Paris Agreement.

But a report released Friday by the UN climate change body, which assessed new and updated climate action plans from the 113 countries that have so far filed them, said those commitments would bring greenhouse gas emissions down by only 12 percent by 2030. The plans account for about half of global annual emissions.

More worrying, when the current commitments from all countries are taken together – including those that have not yet filed updates – analysts see about a 16 percent spike in emissions by 2030.

That could lead to a global average temperature hike of about 2.7C by the end of the century, the IPCC said – a level scientists have warned could drive surging crop failures, growing hunger, more migration and ever more extreme weather. Is the 1.5C goal now effectively out of reach?

UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa told journalists on Friday she believed the window for keeping global warming to 1.5C was

While Pakistan has been lauded by many NATO member states’ leaders for helping evacuate their nationals from Afghanistan, there have been “deliberate efforts at the highest levels in the Western capitals” to scapegoat Pakistan, as one official put it.

“The US corporate media begins to hammer the Prime Minister once it got out at the highest levels that he was doing what others couldn’t OR WOULDN’T,” Beck declared.

While media outlets “may have their own agenda for criticising” Imran, he should be recognised for the “lives he helped save this weekend”. The journalist also called on Washington to “collectively recognise Pakistan’s assistance at this juncture”. “We will not allow anyone to forget this moment that enabled America and its allies to make good on their promises to those that helped them without pause or reflection,” he said.

still open, although the IPCC had indicated it was a “very, very small window”.

The world has already heated up by about 1.1-1.2C, largely due to the carbon emissions from fossil fuels burned since the start of the Industrial Revolution.

In an August report, the IPCC said that unless immediate, rapid and large-scale action is taken to reduce emissions, the average global temperature is likely to reach or cross the 1.5C (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warming threshold within 20 years. “One thing that we cannot do is give up,” Espinosa said, urging all countries that have yet to submit updated “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs) for emissions reductions and adaptation measures to do so before COP26.

Those that have already filed plans, she added, could still strengthen their targets going into the conference, which was postponed a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. “No nation is immune (to the impacts of climate change) – we need all nations pulling together,” said Espinosa.

Which countries are pulling their weight

towards 1.5C? Research coalition Climate Action Tracker said in mid-September that momentum on updating 2030 targets had stalled since May. No additional major emitters have stepped up since then, which means governments are so far offering only 15 percent of the cuts needed to meet the 1.5C goal, it noted. It rated only one country — the tiny West African nation of Gambia — as having a climate plan consistent with the 1.5C limit.

Another six nations – four of them in Africa – were rated as nearly sufficient.

Three other signatories to the Paris deal — the European Union, Germany and the United States — have significantly updated their targets with a raft of new policies, CAT said. And while Britain’s emissions-cutting target is in line with the 1.5C goal, its policies to achieve that target and its international support to help poorer nations achieve their own goals fall short, CAT said.

Its latest assessment said three-quarters of the countries that signed the Paris Agreement still have national plans that do not

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align with the pact’s aims.

Bill Hare, CEO of CAT partner Climate Analytics, said Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland and Vietnam were of particular concern. Each has completely failed to lift their ambition from targets submitted in 2015, with some even lowering them in their new plans, he said. “These countries need to rethink their choices,” Hare added.

He pointed out that while many governments have committed to reducing their emissions to net-zero by mid-century, many are failing to get to work now on that goal, making it “virtually impossible” to meet.

Why is pressure building on the world’s 20 biggest economies?

If the G20 group of major economies — accounting for 75 percent of greenhouse gas emissions — set ambitious emissions targets for 2030 and reached net-zero emissions by 2050, warming could be limited to 1.7C at the end of the century, a separate September report said. The study from the World Resources Institute and Climate Analytics noted that current NDCs and legally binding net-zero targets put the world on a trajectory to 2.4C of warming this century. To date, G20 nations Argentina, Canada, the EU, Britain and the United States have strengthened their 2030 emission reduction targets, while Japan, South Africa and South Korea have announced plans to do so later this year.