EpaperISB_20-10-26

Monday, 26 October, 2020 I 8 Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1442 I Rs 55.00 I Vol XI No 117 I 52 Pages I Islamabad Edition

PDM holDs Quetta rally DesPite terror threats g

MaryaM, BIlawal sEEk puBlIc support to rEstorE ‘rEal’ DEMocracy

news desk

D

EspItE the pakistan tehreek-eInsaf (ptI) government asking the pakistan Democratic Movement (pDM) to delay its Quetta rally in light of terrorism threats, the antigovernment alliance proceeded with its third jalsa on sunday. pDM chief Maulana Fazlur rehman had earlier said that the Quetta jalsa would be held on sunday at any cost, and lambasted the incumbent government for being incapable of providing sufficient security to the rally. “this government is deaf as it does not hear the pains and shrieks of poor masses,” he said on saturday during a press conference in kalat. similarly, the Balcohistan government had asked the pDM to delay the rally, but the request fell on deaf ears. “terrorists are targeting political leadership in Balochistan,” liaquat shahwani, the Balochistan government spokesperson, had said during a news conference. the pDM organisers, including DG Izhar Ikram, had said that security arrangements have been made keeping in mind the

threat issued by the National counter terrorism authority (Nacta).

Despite the threats, the rally kicked off at the ayub stadium in Quetta.

Qaumi watan party (Qwp) chief aftab sherpao told the crowd that the elections would be held soon, and the people of Balochistan would be able to choose their own representatives. He added that the Qwp was ready to “render any sacrifices” to send the ptI packing, another speaker, awami National party (aNp) acting president ameer Haider khan Hoti said that the government had betrayed the people, and the pashtuns and Baloch should unite to fight for their rights.

He added that the people of Balochistan had the “first right” on Gwadar, and should be able to reap the benefits of the port city. pakistan Muslim league-Nawaz (pMl-N) Vice president Maryam Nawaz addressed the crowd while wearing a Balochi dress, which she said was a symbol of her love for the province.

“I love the people of Balochistan more than the people of punjab,” she said, while the attendees chanted, “charon subon ki awaz Maryam Nawaz, Maryam Nawaz

Coronavirus in

Pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

327,895

LAST UPDATED AT 7:26 AM ON OCTOBER 25, 2020

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

9

RECOVERED:

NEW CASES:

832

DEATHS:

310,491 6,736 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

143,526

102,677

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

39,015

15,801

3,788/4,167 18,921

(the voice of four provinces Maryam Nawaz, Maryam Nawaz)”. the people at the rally also chanted Maryam and her father Nawaz sharif’s slogan, “Vote ko izzat do (give respect to vote)”. she lamented the acts of the French wherein the officials of France had shown blasphemous caricatures of Holy prophet (peace Be upon Him) on government buildings. she asked the people to raise their arms to show their protest of such acts. talking about domestic issues, Maryam said that the real reason behind Balochistan’s problems is that the vote was not given respect. “the reason you are deprived of food and shelter is that your vote is not respected. those who rule you are not answerable to you but to someone else, someone else pulls their strings,” she said.

Furthermore, she accused china–pakistan Economic corridor (cpEc) chairman lt Gen (r) asim saleem Bajwa of “toying with the respect of vote” and interfering in politics during his tenure as an officer in Balochistan, and asked him to step down from his post. she said that the pMl-N government, in its tenure, had given scholarships to the students of Balochistan in punjab’s universities. Maryam added that the incumbent government has abolished the scholarships. “the students of Balochistan and punjab are close to my heart,” she added. she also commended the supreme court’s (sc) decision regarding the investigation into the assets of Justice Qazi Faez Isa, who originally hails from Balochistan. she asked for similar justice to be given to the deposed Islamabad High court (IHc) judge, shaukat aziz siddiqui, “who was removed for speaking the truth.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 02

IED attack in Quetta kills 7, injures several STORY ON PAGE 03

Imran slams Macron for ‘attacking Islam’, says ‘ignorance will create more hate’ news desk prime Minister Imran lamented French president Macron’s actions and anti-Muslim rhetoric, saying that Macron had the chance to create healing in his country, but instead created “further polarisation and marginalisation”. the French president on wednesday had encouraged his countrymen not to give up on making blasphemous caricatures of the Holy prophet (peace Be upon Him) after a teacher, samuel paty, who showed such sketches, was beheaded. pM Imran felt that Macron’s comments came from a place of ignorance. He said on twitter that Macron had a chance to create peace, as south african leader Nelson Mandela had done. “this is a time when president Macron could have put [a] healing touch and denied space to extremists rather than creating further polarisation and marginalisation that inevitably leads to radicalisation,” he said.

“By attacking Islam, clearly without having any understanding of it, president Macron has attacked and hurt the sentiments of

Punjab CM inaugurates Orange Line train in Lahore LAHORe staff report

punjab chief Minister sardar usman Buzdar on sunday inaugurated the orange line Metro train (olMt), and said that china-pakistan Economic corridor (cpEc) will further strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries. addressing the inaugural ceremony of the project, the chief minister thanked the chinese government for extending support to provide world class transport facilities to the people of lahore. orange line Metro train is the first electricity-run public transport project to transport around 250,000 commuters daily through a 27.12 kilometres long track with 26 stations. the chief minister said that orange line Metro train is the first transport project under cpEc which is also a symbol of pakistan-china friendship and a gift for the people of lahore. He invited chinese companies and investors to invest in different sectors of the province. the orange line trains will run from 07:30 am to 08:30 pm. the fare charged for a one-way trip will be rs40. Ex-

millions of Muslims in Europe and across the world,” he added. condemning Marcon’s comments, the premier said, “It is unfortunate that he has chosen to encourage Islamophobia by attacking Islam rather than the terrorists who carry out violence, be it Muslims, white supremacists or Nazi ideologists. sadly, president Macron has chosen to deliberately provoke Muslims, incl his own citizens.”

Meanwhile, the Foreign office (Fo), in a statement issued on sunday, said that pakistan condemns in the strongest manner the systematic resurgence of blasphemous acts of republication of caricatures of the Holy prophet (pBuH). It further stated to be alarmed by the highly disturbing statements by the French politicians, and their attempts at justifying the heinous acts under the garb of freedom of expression. the Fo said that dissemination of racist ideas, defamation and ridiculing of other religions, denigration of religious personalities, hate speech, and incitement to violence are not allowed expressions of this fundamental freedom.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 02

more inside

PM asks Facebook CEO to ban Islamophobic content STORY ON PAGE 02

Faraz says pDM rallies are just an attempt to avoid accountability STORY ON PAGE 03 perts from china have trained pakistani drivers on how to operate the train whereas the lahore waste Management company will be responsible for the train’s cleanliness. the trains, which will be run on electricity, will be provided power by eight grid stations. according to sources, the operational time of the trains will be extended to 16 hours. cameras have been installed on all routes of the train and inside it as well. the project took five years to complete.

Meanwhile, pakistan Muslim league-Nawaz (pMl-N) leaders khawaja saad rafique and ayaz sadiq also held a separate inauguration ceremony of

the project, claiming that it was the brainchild of former punjab chief minister shehbaz sharif and the pMl-N government. “the government had been thinking all along not to give credit for the orange line train project to Nawaz sharif,” said sadiq. criticising the ptI’s peshawar Metro Bus project, he said that the buses are not consistent in their performance. “peshawar’s metro buses run, then stop. then run and then stop [again],” he said. lamenting the rise of inflation across the country, sadiq said that the masses were waiting for the incumbent government to be sent home.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 02

Covid-19 positivity rate reaches 2.89pc in Pakistan STORY ON PAGE 03 in today’s issue

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Monday, 26 October, 2020

NEWS

PM AsKs FAcebooK ceo To bAn IslAMoPhobIc conTenT iSLamaBad

P

APP

RIME Minister Imran Khan Sunday wrote a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, asking him to place a similar ban on Islamophobia and hate against Islam that has been put in place for the Holocaust. According to the text of PM’s letter shared by PM Office’s media wing, the prime minister drew CEO’s attention to the growing Islamophobia that was encouraging hate, extremism and violence across

the world and especially through the use of social media platforms including Facebook. “Given the rampant abuse and vilification of Muslims on social media platforms, I would ask you to place a similar ban on Islamophobia and hate against Islam for Facebook that you have put in place for the Holocaust,” he added.

The premier said the message of hate must be banned in total. “one cannot send a message that while hate messages against some are unacceptable, these are acceptable against others. Nor should the world have to wait for a pogrom against Muslims,

Imran slams Macron for ‘attacking Islam’, says ‘ignorance will create more hate’ Continued from page 01 Several cities in the world are protesting Macron after his comments about Muslims.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said that Macron had “lost his way”, in his second sharp criticism of the French leader in two days over the treatment of Muslims. On Saturday, Erdogan said that Macron had a problem with Muslims and needed mental checks – a rebuke that caused France to recall its ambassador from Ankara. “The person in charge of France has lost his way. He goes on about Erdogan all day. Look at yourself first and where you are going. I said in Kayseri yesterday, he is a case and he really must be checked up,” Erdogan said in a televised speech in the eastern province of Malatya. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf called Macron’s words “irresponsible” and said they would “increase the spread of a culture of hatred”. Jordan’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the continued publication of the blasphemous caricatures of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) “under the pretext of freedom of expression” and any “discriminatory and misleading attempts that seek to link Islam with terrorism”.

Khattak thanks Turkish govt for supporting Pakistan on Kashmir Issue, FATF ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak said that Pakistan and its people were really grateful to the Turkish government and its people for their principled stand on Kashmir and supporting Pakistan in Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Khattak extended his gratitude to Turkish Minister of National Defence General (r) Hulusi Akar who called on him along with his delegation on Sunday, said a press release. The defence minister acknowledged the visit of his Turkish counterpart to further foster the relations between both brotherly countries.

He reiterated Pakistan’s strong desire to strengthen its partnership with Turkey in all fields, including defence cooperation. "President Recep Tayyip Erodogan is a visionary leader and a true friend of Pakistan. His development agenda has been quite successful and will play a key role in the economic and political development of Turkey," the minister said. Khattak said that Pakistan was a peaceful country and it did not harbor any aggressive designs where Pakistan's economic and development engagements should not be construed as an act of belligerency. Pakistan had played a critical role for regional peace and stability and would continue to support all such initiatives in the region, he added. APP

which is ongoing in countries like India and in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, to be completed before Islamophobia is banned. This in itself is reflective of prejudice and bias that will encourage further radicalization,” he wrote.

PM Imran, while referring to Zuckerberg’s step of banning any posts that criticised or questioned the Holocaust, which was the culmination of the Nazi pogrom of the Jews in Germany and across Europe as Nazis spread across Europe, said that today they were seeing a similar pogrom against Muslims in different parts of the world.

“Unfortunately, in some states, Muslims are being denied their citizenship rights and their democratic personal choices from dress to worship. In India, anti-Muslim laws and measures such as CAA and NRC as well as targeted killings of Muslims and blaming Muslims for coronavirus are reflective of the abominable phenomenon of Islamophobia,” he added.

In France, the prime minister said, Islam has been associated with terrorism and publication of blasphemous caricatures targeting Islam and the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) had been allowed.

“This will lead to further polarization and marginalization of Muslims in France. How will the French distinguish between radical extremist Muslim citizens and the mainstream Muslim citizenry of Islam? we have seen how marginalization inevitably leads to extremism – something the world does not need," the prime minister cautioned.

EPC administered over 28m vaccines in Pakistan during iSLamaBad SHAHZAD PARACHA

The Emirates Polio Campaign (EPC) announced on the 8th annual World Polio Day that it had administered over 28 million vaccine doses in Pakistan between July and September 2020, reaching over 16 million children.

The EPC is part of the United Arab Emirates-Pakistan Assistance Programme, which was launched under the directives of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to provide help and humanitarian assistance to the people of Pakistan and support their development initiatives for a better future.

The campaign works in cooperation with the command of the Pakistani Armed Forces, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the Pakistani Ministry of National Health Services, and Ministries of Health offices in the

provincial governments.

Since launching, the campaign has delivered more than 483 million polio vaccines, reaching 86 million children across Pakistan.

Director of the programme, Abdullah Khalifa AlGhafli, stated that “the EPC reflects Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s commitment to strengthen global cooperation to prevent the spread of polio and to protect children from this preventable disease”. “Since its founding, the EPC has accomplished a tremendous amount in reaching millions of children with this critical vaccination.

We know there is still work ahead in our goal of ensuring every child has a chance at a healthy future and we remain committed to the last mile in eradicating this disease,” he said.

Earlier this year, vaccination programmes around the world were halted due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 and many leaders in the health community warned of a potential new polio crisis.

PDM holds Quetta rally despite terror threats Continued from page 01 ” Siddiqui was removed in 2018 after being found guilty of misconduct by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) over a speech he gave before the Rawalpindi District Bar Association. PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif addressed the rally via video-link, and was pleased with the turnout, stating that “no one will be able to violate the vote’s respect now”.

Nawaz claimed that he was disliked by some people as he was the “elected representative of the people”, and said that he had been disqualified from his position “over some flimsy charge”. Speaking on the arrest of his son-in-law, and the way his daughter’s hotel room had been entered, Nawaz remarked, “Such things prove my point that there is a state above the state”. “On whose order is the privacy of people violated? On whose orders are doors broken down?

If even the province’s chief minister doesn’t know, then who is behind it?” he asked the gathering.

Nawaz said that he did not want to name the people that had “made Pakistan hollow from inside and out” as he did not want to defame the army, but he did call out Chief Of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and InterServices Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Faiz Hameed to “account” for the country’s current situation.

“General Bajwa, you will have to answer for record rigging in the 2018 elections, for horse-trading in the parliament, for making Imran Niazi prime minister against

people’s wishes and [by] tearing apart the Constitution and laws, for pushing people towards poverty and hunger,” Nawaz said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who also attended the rally via video-link, said in his address that the people of Balochistan are living in miserable conditions despite having plenty of natural resources. “What kind of democracy is this where no one including the media and people are free?” he asked and added that the nation wants freedom from poverty and elimination of inflation, and are demanding to restore “real” democracy. Speaking on inflation, the PPP leader said that the prices of all necessities including medicine prices have increased manifolds under the PTI government.

“Will Balochistan’s people always be neglected?” asked the PPP leader. “No matter which province, the people want freedom and a democratic government. They want freedom from poverty and unemployment, to be able to think for themselves and breathe.” Furthermore, he said that his father, during his tenure as president, had fulfilled Balochistan’s wish of provincial autonomy. “[Asif Ali Zardari had] not only asked for forgiveness [from Balochistan] on behalf of the state but started something that could have provided what they were deprived of,” he said.

Speaking on the issue of Captain (r) Safdar Awan’s arrest, he said, “I salute Sindh police who refused to be a Tiger Force of Prime Minister Imran Khan.”

no power can weaken bond of Kashmiris with Pakistan: Masood MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan has said that talks with India would amount to sitting on the same table with a butcher who has slaughtered Kashmiris’ children, and endorsing what India has been doing in occupied Kashmir. "The UN [United Nations] resolutions on Kashmir are the basis of our struggle, and the question does not arise of deviating from these resolutions," he declared. Addressing a function held here under the auspices of AJK University to mark the founding day of AJK government, he said, “We are not opposed to dialogue with India, but the dialogue can be held under UN supervision and with the involvement of the Kashmiris only when India gives up its war hysteria, halts massacre of Kashmiris, reverses all actions taken after August 5 last year, ceases its military operations to create an environment conducive for talks.” The AJK president said, “We are able to celebrate our founding day on this side of the Line of Control today because of the sacrifices our elders had offered to liberate this territory and this by virtue of these sacrifices that the Kashmir issue is still alive.” He said that it is a historical fact that freedom fighters had been knocking at the doors of Srinagar in October 1947 when India with the nexus of Sheikh Abdullah and Maharaja Hari Singh militarily invaded Kashmir. He added that the whole Kashmiri nation has been bearing the brunt of this high treason of Sheikh Abdullah and Maharaja for the last 73 years. Khan warned India not to compel the young generation to follow the footprints of their elders to take up weapons to rid the occupied Kashmir of its illegitimate occupation. He said that accession to India had never been an option for the Kashmiris. On the contrary, they wanted to accede to Pakistan in 1947, and they are imbibed with the same spirit even today. The AJK president said that no power on the earth can weaken the bonds of Kashmiris with Pakistan. This is evident from the fact that India had used every means to win the hearts and minds of the Kashmiris during the last seven decades, and when it was convinced that the Kashmiris were not ready to accept its slavery, it decided to eliminate the whole Kashmiri nation. STAFF REPORT

Anti-Muslim prejudice officially sanctioned in India: President Alvi ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has said that prejudice against Muslims in the 21st century has officially been sanctioned in India.

He said this while responding to publicity advertisements on social media that Muslims and pets are not allowed acquiring residence in Bandra area of Mumbai. He said only a decadent society, encouraged by the extremist and abhorrent philosophy of BJP Hindutva and RSS, can allow this to happen. STAFF REPORT

Punjab CM inaugurates Orange Line train in Lahore Continued from page 01 “That time is not far away when we will be rid of this government,” he added.

Attacking Prime Minister Imran Khan, Sadiq said that the premier’s thinking is “limited”.

“First I used to come in the prime minister’s dreams.

Now, he sees Nawaz Sharif in his dreams,” said Sadiq.

He appealed to the people of Lahore to ensure the PDM’s upcoming gathering in the city turns out to be a successful one, promising the masses that the December “will be a decisive month” for the government.

‘CPEC BELONGS TO PAKISTANIS, NOT TO ANY

PARTY’: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz has said that CPEC is the project of the people of Pakistan and not of any specific party.

In a tweet on Sunday, Faraz said that PML-N’s leaders who are under the radar of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) are actually celebrating the plundering of national exchequer and public resources on the self-proclaimed inauguration of OLMT. He said that it is the people who bear the burden of expensive projects.

He also said that the opposition parties are doing negative politics by levelling baseless allegations against the

government to hide their corruption. He said that the previous government of PML-N destroyed national institutions while the incumbent government is revamping and restructuring them.

The minister said the government is also effectively working to resolve all issues including bringing down inflation to provide relief to the common man. He said that the PML-N has nothing to do with democracy as their leaders are involved in massive corruption and now are absconders.

Faraz said that the opposition parties will not succeed in concealing their corruption and escaping from the accountability process.

Monday, 26 October, 2020

NEWS

03

covId-19 PosITIvITy rATe reAches 2.89Pc In PAKIsTAn iSLamaBad

T

TLTP

HE coronavirus positivity rate continues to increase in the country and reached 2.89 per cent, as 832 more people tested positive for coronavirus after 28,724 people were tested over the last 24 hours, according to the data shared by the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) on Sunday.

The number of daily infections reported during the last two days have been the highest since August 1, 2020.

According to the NCOC, 832 fresh infections surfaced when 28,724 samples were tested during this period, lifting the national tally of cases to 327,895. A day earlier, the positivity rate was recorded at 2.73 per cent.

According to the latest statistics, the virus claimed the lives of 9 more people during the last 24 hours, surging the death toll to 6,736. The figure of patients recovered from the virus has reached 310,491. There are now 10,668 active cases in the country.

Around 562 of the patients currently

under treatment in hospitals across the country are said to be in critical condition.

A total of 4,264,053 tests have been conducted so far.

So far, Sindh has reported 143,526 cases, Punjab 102,677, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) 39,015, Balochistan 15,801, Islamabad 18,921, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) 3,788, and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) has reported 4,167 cases.

On October 23, the NCOC had expressed concerns over the surge in coronavirus cases and mortality during the last five days. Planning Minister Asad Umar, who also heads the NCOC, chaired a session where provincial chief secretaries and officials of the health ministry briefed the participants via video-link regarding the government’s steps and the current Covid19 situation.

Meanwhile, the total tally for coronavirus continued to increase in the federal capital on Sunday as it recorded 186 fresh cases. Around three deaths were also recorded.

The new cases have taken Islamabad's tally to 18,921 and the total tally of deaths

stands at 210. The number of active cases in the capital territory is currently 1,141.

AJK reported 40 new coronavirus cases during the past 24 hours, taking the tally to 3,788. According to health officials, two more people recovered from the lethal virus as the total reached 2,839. No deaths were reported in the region. So far 86 have succumbed to the disease.

According to Punjab's Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department, another 210 cases of Covid-19 were recorded in the province in 24 hours, taking the total tally to 102,677. One more death was also reported - the province's death toll now stands at 2,335. The province has so far recorded 97,336 recoveries.

Separately, Sindh Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah said that 310 new infections of novel coronavirus have surfaced in the province in the last 24 hours. In a statement, the chief minister said that Sindh health department conducted 9,019 tests of novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, out of which 310 tested positive for the disease.

Among 310 new infections in the province, 225 were reported in Karachi.

More secTors oF IslAMAbAd seAled To PrevenT covId-19 sPreAd ISLAMABAD: Due to a sudden increase in coronavirus cases in Islamabad, more areas have been sealed by the district administration under the ‘mini’ smart lockdown strategy, Pakistan Today has been informed. Street 57 of sector F-11/3, street 23 of sector F-11/2, street 58 of sector I-8/2, street 57 of sector I-8/3, street 91 of sector I8/4, street 10 block-D Media Town, street 12 of sector I-10/2, street 33 of sector G-11/2, street 30 of Pakistan Town Phase 1 and street 35 of sector G-6/2 have been sealed by the district administration. According to the notification issued by Islamabad District Health Department (DHO) on Sunday, DHO surveillance teams have discovered Covid-19 cases in different streets of Islamabad. The streets with the higher number of reported cases need to be closed in order to prevent further transmission of the infection. Additional Deputy Commissioner East (ADCE) Asif Rahim said that 5000 people in different areas of Islamabad have been tested and around 186 persons were positive for Covid-19. “We are taking strict inspection measures in the capital, we did inspections of 149 public places, including 13 mosques, 14 wedding halls, 24 restaurants and many markets on Sunday,” he said. He claimed that the city administration is monitoring educational institutes closely. Until now, DHO has sealed 53 schools, colleges and universities in the capital for not following the standard operating procedures (SOPs). “We request citizens to follow all precautionary measures including wearing mask, social distancing and sanitize hands due to the alarming emerging second wave of covid-19 Islamabad,” he advised. BILAL SABRI

7 killed, several injured in Quetta Ied attack LAHORE: A view of Orange Line Metro Train's station. The project was inaugurated by Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Sunday. InP

Teacher accused for sodomising minor in Ahmadpur east BAHAWALPUR: A 10-year-old boy staying at a hostel was allegedly raped by a teacher in Bahawalpur district on Sunday. According to police, the incident occurred in the suburb area of Ahmadpur East, where a teacher is accused for allegedly sexually assaulting a child at a hostel. The police shifted the child to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital (THQ) for medical examination, besides registering a case against the accused. Incidents of sexual assault with minor boys have been reported in the country during the past weeks, besides action being launched by the authorities to curb such incidents. On October 14, the police claimed to round up a racket involved in raping underage boys and girls at gunpoint in Jhelum area of Punjab province. TLTP

cAA places strict arrangements at airports to contain covid-19 KARACHI: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) placed strict measures at the country’s airports to contain coronavirus spread on Sunday. Only a single visitor will be allowed at Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta airports. The visitors coming to receive their loved ones at the airports are directed to wait for their own vehicles. Wearing face masks has been declared mandatory in the airport premises. Earlier on October 15, the CAA had reportedly moved against an international airline company for failing to observe Covid-19 related Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). The civil aviation had slapped a fine of Rs100,000 on Qatar Airways for violating the set SOPs laid out by the airports and aviation regulatory body. The SOPs were designed to allow the resumption of flight operations amongst countries which had previously been halted to curb the spread of the global pandemic. STAFF REPORT

Faraz says PDM rallies are just an attempt to avoid accountability iSLamaBad STAFF REPORT

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz on Sunday remarked that the incumbent government had no issue with the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) rallies, but added that these rallies were a tool for the opposition leaders to escape accountability and not a form of “real” democracy.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, the minister said that the government would not allow anyone to save their “looted assets” under the guise of a struggle for democracy. These comments came after the PDM rally in Quetta.

The information minister remarked that Prime Minister Imran was here to root out the “corrupt”.

He said that Imran did not pick his party members based on their “loyalty”, but on their merit.

Commenting of the PDM after their Quetta rally, the information minister called the anti-government alliance the “third piece of the axis of evil” while addressing media persons in Islamabad.

Speaking about Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, Faraz said she has “no moral authority to

say such things and ask such questions”. Faraz added that Maryam should not critique China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Chairman Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa, and rather she and her father “have to answer questions”.

He also lambasted PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, lamenting the fact that a person who had been declared an absconder by the court was allowed to address the rally and to critique the army that has sacrificed lives in the

war against terrorism.

Faraz, while speaking about the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief, said that Bilawal was “source of entertainment in [country’s] politics”, adding that the PPP had shrunk from being a federal party to a regional one.

He further added the PPP had a stained past, and that it had to answer for the corruption scandals it had covered up.

He declared that “no one is above the state”.

An improvised explosive device (IED) attached to a motorbike set off an explosion in the Hazarganj area of the Quetta on Sunday, about at the same time as the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) held its rally at Ayub Stadium in the city, resulting in the deaths of seven people and leaving several others injured.

Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan condemned the incident and said that terrorist elements seek to shatter the peace of Quetta in a bid to achieve their nefarious aims. The chief minister also directed authorities to provide the best medical facilities to the injured. The PDM had earlier been warned by government officials that there was a grave security concern and the rally should be delayed. The National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) had warned of terror threats from the Taliban, and Balochistan government spokesperson, Liaquat Shahwani, had said, “Terrorists are targeting political leadership in Balochistan.” Cellphone services were suspended in the area for security reasons. Earlier this month, 14 security personnel, including seven Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, were martyred when an Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDCL) convoy was attacked by a large number of terrorists in Ormara. nEWS DESK

15 men accused of gang-raping, filming teenage sisters FAISALABAD: 15 men have been accused of gangraping and filming two teenage sisters, according to a media report. A complaint has been filed on behalf of the victims’ mother, who stated that her two daughters, one aged 17 years old and the other 15, were kidnapped on September 11 by a group of persons. She said that her daughters were taken to different locations for six days where they were gang-raped by the suspects, who allegedly intoxicated the teenage girls and took indecent photographs and recorded videos of them. The FIR states that the 15-year-old girl was dropped off at Faisalabad’s Jhang Bazaar while her sister was left at Gujranwala before the suspects fled.

The woman said that the family could not take legal action against the suspects on account of poverty hence they decided to leave their residence and settle somewhere else, however, the suspects did not leave the family alone and continued to catcall and record videos of the teenage sisters wherever they went. According to the complaint, the two sisters were travelling with their mother on Millat Road six days ago when the suspects started recording videos of the girls again. On being told not to do so, they assaulted the mother and her daughters before fleeing. TLTP

04

Monday, 26 October, 2020

NEWS

The dilemma of Punjab’s anTi-corruPTion deParTmenT PUNJAB PUNCH SHAHAB OMER

T

he Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) of Punjab appears to be in an existential crisis, because sometimes the department appears to be going in an opposition direction, which means that instead of acting against corruption, it seems to be protecting the corrupt.

While the department continuously arrests patwaris and junior clerks for receiving thousands of rupees in bribes, senior officers who allegedly sit on the top of the food chain within the department, are left untouched.

Sources inside the ACE say that the prime reason behind the department’s failure to curb corruption is the absence of permanent staff. They said that senior and junior officers from the police service, public administrations, various corporations and subdepartments of the provincial government work on deputation at ACE. They added that most of them are from the police.

As for the director generals, the incumbent government so far replaced four of them. The incumbent DG, Gohar Nafees, a police officer himself, is currently being probed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for possessing assets beyond known sources of income. The anti-graft watchdog is currently seeking the bank records and property documents of the incumbent DG and his family members. Moreover, it has written to the deputy commissioner of Multan to provide land records of Nafees and his family members.

Some sources, however, present a different picture. One of the reasons for investigations against him could be the fact that he investigated the owners of sugar and flour mills, and sent his reports back to the federal government, they added.

Talking about departmental corruption, they said that there is a lot of corruption within the police, which makes it hard for a police officer to investigate a senior officer of his parent department when he knows that he has to return to the same department after deputation. This is why junior officers arrested for taking bribes, while senior officers, evade investigations and arrests, they added.

Moreover, sources said, police officials protect their colleagues, and when a complaint is filed against a senior officer, the police officials inside the ACE, considering the department to be their second department, target the complainant instead of taking action against the accused. Accused who were nominated in cases five years ago for corruption, embezzlement and misuse of powers, are still working and no action has been taken against them, they added.

Sources also shared the details of a few pending cases. A case number 1217/10 had been registered against Imran Khan, who was the PQR section commander at the Shadman Police Station in Lahore, but nei-

Two terror suspects killed in encounter in Sukkur SUKKUR: Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of police on Sunday claimed to kill two terrorists in an encounter at Sukkur-Jaffarabad Road. The motorbike riding terrorists opened fire at the police when they were signalled to stop at Jaffarabad Road, the CTD officials said. Two terror suspects were injured in retaliatory fire and arrested by policemen, according to the officials. The injured succumbed to their injuries while on the way to hospital. “The two men were experts to make suicide jackets,” in-charge CTD claimed. Police recovered material used for making suicide vests, two pistols and a motorcycle, CTD in-charge official said. “Slain terrorists were involved in attacks on security forces,” police official claimed. “They were involved in scores of attacks during the 2008-10 period,” he added. tLtP

Islamabad police chief fails to invite families to martyrs’ rally ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad police chief chose to not invite the martyred police officers’ families to the bike rally meant to pay tribute to police martyrs on Sunday. The police chief and senior police officers were present at the superbike rally which kicked off with over 300 superbikes from the twin cities to pay tribute to 49 martyrs of the Islamabad police. Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IGP) Amir Zulfiqar said that the rally has been arranged on the request of Islamabad bikers to pay tribute to martyrs of their police force. However, the absence of the families of martyred police officers raised questions about the purpose of the event. He said that they were working hard to issue martyr’s allowance to the family members of martyred police officials. “Out of 49 martyrs of Islamabad police, only three martyrs’ family members are left to get martyr’s allowance,” he said. Samia, one of the bikers, told Pakistan Today that they were here to show solidarity with the families of the martyrs. She encouraged all the women of twin cities to partake in the bike rally and declared Islamabad a safe city for this activity. Islamabad Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Traffic Farukh Rashid said that they have gathered to show to the national and international community that Islamabad is safe city for all citizens.

Rizwan, a participant of the rally, said that these types of initiatives to respect the sons of the soils and their services mean a lot to their families and it can also boost the morale of the serving personnel. BiLAL SABRi

ther was he ever presented before a court, nor did ACE ever try to arrest him. Similarly, case numbers 564/10 and 1003/10 are also in limbo as accused Naseer Ahmad Khan, who is a police inspector, and Muhammad Saddique of Kot Lakhpat Police Station, respectively, were never arrested or presented before the court. Muhammad Zulfiqar, who was the ASI of Mozang Police Station, is also wanted in case number 1487/10, but action is yet to be taken against him. Similarly, case number 1128/10 was registered against Zafar Iqbal, who was the ASI in Gujarpura Police Station; case number 822/10 against Amjad Qureshi, who was the head clerk of Qila Gujar Singh Police Lines; case number

78/11 against Muhammad Rafique, who was a police constable, but all cases are currently pending as the anti-graft department is reluctant to bring the accused to justice. Some officials of LDA are also named in cases, such as case number 17/06, registered against Hafeez, a building inspector; 131/08 against Tayyab Shaheen, who was a clerk at the authority, and case number 670/10 against a patwari namely Muhammad Idrees.”

In BOR, an inquiry is still incomplete against Patwari Basharat Ali, who is wanted in case mumber 0805. Similarly, case number 554/10 against an official of BOR, Muhammad Afzal, is also in limbo. Moreover, case number 423/10 against Liaqat

Hussain Nazeer, who was the registry muharrar of Samanabad Town; case number 06/10 against Patwari Niamat Ali from Halqa Mian Ali Faqeeran; case number 5009 against Patwari Bashar Ahmed from Halqa Hassanabad; case number 639/10 against an employee of BOR, Talat Iftikhar Bhutta, and case number 11508 against Patwari Rana Zia have also been marred by ACE’s lack of determination to tackle corruption.

As far as Civil Services of Pakistan (CSP) officers are concerned, they are beyond the reach of ACE. No magistrate dares to go with the ACE staff members after a deputy commissioner or assistant commissioner.

While NAB does not pursue corruption cases wherein the amount in question is less than Rs20 million, it is the ACE’s job to curb bribery and corruption on a small scale. The department takes action when an individual files a complaint against an officer, but citizens ask why do they not conduct raids themselves to take prompt and immediate action.

It is common knowledge in Punjab that registry branch of the district administration is badly plagued by corruption. Excise Taxation and Narcotics Control department, Patwar Khanas, police stations, passport offices are among the more controversial departments, but action is yet to be taken against corrupt officials working in these departments.

There is a need to replace those officials who have working in these departments on deputation for years. Many of them are known to be informants of other corrupt officials. Therefore, there is a need for the authorities to crack down on these corrupt officials to root out corruption from the system.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has a visibly tough stance on corruption, and he has repeatedly said that he wants to see NAB as a strong and independent. However, to root out corruption from government departments, the government needs to empower a local anti-corruption body such as the ACE because its mandate covers the problems that common people face in their lives.

In conclusion, Punjab needs an active and strong anti-corruption system. While rules and regulations are present, those who are supposed to use them for public good are weak.

IGPs’ lives don’t matter?

City NOtES M A NiAzi Well, either black lives do not matter, or it does not matter so long as other blacks do the killing. Look at what happened in Lagos, where 10 people were killed when security forces fired on a crowd of protesters.

The protesters were opposing the killing of people taken into custody by the police’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad. And while the squad has been dissolved, no policeman has been penalised.

Could it happen here? Could people protest people dying in police custody? Well, maybe it would not if they knew the security forces would react in a similar fashion. I mean, think about it. In addition to all those killed in police custody, another 10 have died.

Of course, that all happened in Nigeria, where they are not familiar with people dying in police custody.

Some of the same spirit was at work at the alleged forcing of the Sindh inspector-general of police (IGP) to register a case against Captain (r) Safdar Awan, Nawaz Sharif’s son-in-law, who left the Pakistan Army ages ago, and who had to be arrested. The Sindh IGP was said to be kidnapped from his home by members of a sister law enforcing agency.

Kidnapping an IGP is serious.

It can only be compared with the assassination of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer in 2011, or that of the Viceroy of India, Lord Mayo, in 1872. Kidnap the IGP? No scriptwriter dared show that in the worst Punjabi movie – so unearthly and ridiculous is the idea. I imagine that the IGP was paralysed, not by fear but by surprise. However, I expect the message has got across: anything can happen to anybody if some people decide.

What we have is not the rule of law, but of the will. The next step is rats up shalwar-legs, then chillies (red?) up the private parts. Of course, to preserve our cultural and moral values, there will be lady police doing the needful. Breaking into

Maryam Nawaz’s hotel room in search of Captain (r) Safdar was probably a sort of celebration of the return of TikTok after its management agreed to monitor its videos for violations of cultural values.

The Sindh Police is facing hard times. The IGP is registering First Information Reports (FIRs) for free, which is against all that the police stands for. This comes not very long after the decision to go after Rao Anwar, the SSP of Karachi East, merely for killing Naquibullah Mehsud. What is the point of being in the police if you need a reason to kill anyone? And the idea of free FIRs should not be encouraged. The Sindh police officers going on leave should not be seen as rebellious, but as them taking a principled stand against the removal of one of

the pillars of policing. Just as much as there is no free lunch, there is no free FIR. While the debate over who was responsible went on, Purdue, the pharmaceutical giant, finalised a multibillion-dollar deal in which it accepted responsibility for bribing doctors to prescribe oxycontin; these actions were behind the opioid epidemic which caused 47,000 deaths last year from overdoses. The opioid epidemic had not reached Pakistan, though it should have, being cheaper than cocaine. Imran Khan was split in two. Obviously, he had contempt for those he felt were guilty of so heinous a thing as corruption.

But at the same time, he had a sneaking sympathy for opioid addicts. Of course, he knew they were not cocaine addicts. It is interesting that cocaine and opioids had the same origin, as legitimate painkillers, prescribed by the medical profession. Heroin started off the same way. Indeed, even now, charas (weed) is prescribed in small quantities as part of certain hakeemi medicines. Imran might have used painkillers when he had his stress fracture, but he did not develop any addiction, did he now?

Speaking of Imran and cricket, could it have escaped one’s notice that the Zimbabwe cricket team arrived, but without their coach, Lalchand Singh Rajput. He got a visa to Pakistan, but he was advised by the Indian high commissioner not to come to the country. Like the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput (apparently no relation), he has Gujarat origins and thus is a sort of compatriot, or rather graeen, of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Though a true Rajput should not follow a teli’s lead, coach Rajput probably wanted to go back to India someday.

Lalchand Rajput was junior to Imran, and so was Kapil Dev, but he was closer to being contemporary. Well, he had a heart attack and had to have an angioplasty. Imran should thus be very careful during this second wave.

Monday, 26 October, 2020

newS

‘PakIstan unDergoIng two aCtIon Plans at FatF’ ISLAMABAD

F

OPPOSITION WANTS TO SEE PAKISTAN ON FATF BLACKLIST: MURAD SAEED

TLTP

EDERAL Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar has said that Pakistan is undergoing two action plans at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), adding that “one was the most challenging and comprehensive ever given to any country.”

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, the federal minister said the laws passed through the parliament focus on both October’s evaluation and another one planned mid next year, whereas, the legislations reflect clearance of the backlog of the last 10 years.

Azhar said that interplay of two evaluations and requirements of laws was discussed in detail during parliamentary committee meetings.

Terming Pakistan’s legal effort as a role model for other countries to follow during the plenary meeting of FATF, he said that the federal government is now focusing on the implementation of the laws for the effectiveness of the evaluation planned ahead.

It may be noted here that with Indian exposed malice failing to have Pakistan rendered blacklisted earlier on Friday, the FATF had kept the country on the grey

list appreciating the reforms it carried out.

The FATF committee had acknowledged Pakistani efforts in curbing all the

erstwhile concerns flagged by the global terror-financing watchdog and has extended Pakistan a period until February 2021 to satisfy all of 27 concerns.

According to the Finance Ministry, Pakistan had made progress on all 27 points of the action plan recommended by the FATF to exit the grey list.

It further read that the member states lauded the progress made by the country on the action plan as Pakistan took comprehensive action against hawala and hundi setup, currency smuggling, and financing of the terrorists.

Separately, Minister for Communications Murad Saeed said that the world is recognising Pakistan as a peaceful country while India is being recognised as a terrorist country.

Addressing a news conference here on Sunday, Murad said, “Today, India is facing embarrassment before the world community.”

He said that opposition parties want to see Pakistan on the FATF blacklist, adding that the opposition tried to get National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) when the government was doing legislation related to FATF laws.

KP govt introduces e-Tendering, e-Bidding system in Public Health Engineering Dept

05

Dubai unveils $136m stimulus DUBAI AGENCIES

Dubai has anno¬unced a new 500 million dirhams ($136.14m) stimulus package to support the local economy, taking Dubai’s total stimulus measures this year to 6.8 billion dirhams, the crown prince of the emirate said on Twitter on Saturday. “The private sector is a major partner in Dubai’s development process, and we have adopted a set of new exemptions for some fees and a cut in rents for some sectors, as well as an extension of the validity of a previous set of exemptions from fees,” said Hamdan Bin Moha¬m¬med Al-Maktoum.

India's central bank chief tests positive for coronavirus

PESHAWAR STAFF REPORT

Qatar signs deal to buy Moderna Covid-19 vaccine DUBAI: Qatar has signed an agreement with drugmaker Moderna Inc to buy its potential Covid-19 vaccine as soon as it is approved and released for global use, state news agency QNA quoted a health official as saying on Sunday. There are no internationally approved vaccines yet, but several are in advanced trials, including from Pfizer Inc, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna. “Negotiating early and securing a number of agreements enhances our chances of getting sufficient quantities of the vaccine early,” said Abdullatif al-Khal, chair of a national COVID-19 health group and head of infectious diseases at Hamad Medical Corporation. He did not say how many doses Doha was requesting. Earlier this month, al-Khal said Qatar signed an agreement with Pfizer and BioNTech to supply Qatar with their vaccines. Moderna said last month it was on track to produce 20 million doses of its vaccine by the end of the year, while maintaining its goal of readying 500 million to 1 billion doses in 2021. The American group is also working with Swiss group Lonza AG to scale up the manufacturing and production of its potential COVID-19 vaccine to supply markets outside the United States. AGENCIES

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has introduced e-Tendering and e-Bidding system in the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) for improving the department's overall efficiency, ensuring transparency in its routine business and facilitating the general masses.

The PEHD will also introduce e-Work Order, Online Tender Tracking System and an online system for water connections soon.

This was told in a progress review meeting of PHED held here with KP Chief Minister (CM) Mahmood Khan in the chair. The meeting was given a detailed briefing about the organisational structure, existing strength, overall performance, reforms initiatives, ongoing and new developmental project, issues and other matters of the department.

The meeting was also told that a draft of the Revised Drinking Water Policy had been finalised whereas the draft of a sanitation policy had also been prepared and submitted to a working group.

Similarly, in order to ensure efficient delivery of services, a complaint centre had been established at the headquarter of the department whereas the establishment of

complaint centres in each PHE division was in progress.

Regarding the initiatives undertaken for water quality monitoring, the meeting was informed that eight water quality testing labs and eight mobiles labs were established whereas water quality profile for five districts had shown that of 8,300 water samples randomly tested, 87 per cent was found fit.

The forum was also briefed about the annual development programme (ADP) and appraised that total of 77 schemes for settled areas and 71 schemes for merged

areas were the part of current annual development programme out of which 9 schemes were completed and around 60 schemes were due for completion.

It may be noted here that fund utilisation against the releases for settled districts was 72 per cent whereas 33 per cent of funds released for merged areas were also utilised.

Similarly, 153 non-functional schemes out of total 678 have been functionalised whereas Rs920 million has been allocated in current ADP for the restoration of leftover 212 non-functional schemes.

NEW DELHI AGENCIES

India’s central bank Governor Shaktikanta Das said on Sunday he had tested positive for the coronavirus, the latest high profile name in the country to contract the virus. “I have tested Covid-19 positive.

Asymptomatic. Feeling very much alright,” Das said in a tweet. “Will continue to work from isolation.

Work in the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) will go on normally,” he said. Many top Indian politicians including Home Minister Amit Shah and actors such as Amitabh Bachchan have tested positive for the virus, and since recovered. Over 7.8 million Indians have tested positive for COVID-19 so far. The pandemic has claimed 118,534 lives in the world’s second most populous country.

More US companies offer earnings guidance despite pandemic NEW YORK AGENCIES

With earnings season in full swing, more companies are again offering earnings guidance, signaling to investors that some corporations are adapting to uncertainty about a global pandemic that may extend deep into next year.

FILE PHOTO: A street sign, Wall Street, is seen outside New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, New York, U.S., January 3, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo Overall, 73 companies in the S&P 500 index have offered guidance this quarter so far, up from last quarter’s 65 pre-announcements but well below the 170 companies that typically offer guidance, according to Refinitiv data. The companies offering guidance

are giving the most bullish expectations in Refinitiv data going back to 1997.

“If a company is able to offer guidance it shows that they’re able to have a better

CMYK

idea of what’s coming down the road,” said Charlie Ripley, senior investment strategist at Allianz Investment Management.

The market has been buffeted by crosscurrents related to the looming Nov. 3 U.S. presidential election, drawn out fiscal stimulus talks in Washington and a resurgent pandemic. Still, investors appear more hopeful in recent months.

Fifty percent of high net worth U.S. investors surveyed by UBS Global Wealth Management voiced optimism on the economy, up from 41% three months prior, with 55% optimistic on stocks, up from 44%. The S&P 500 index is up nearly 7% year to date, including a 2.2% gain since the start of October.

So far this quarter, shares of AT&T Inc, Verizon Communications Inc and Quest Diagnostics Inc have rallied after each company gave investors updated guidance on how they

expect to fare over the next fiscal year.

“It’s not surprising we’ve had so many beats this quarter because we entered the season with very little guidance,” causing analysts to slash their estimates, said Katie Nixon, chief investment officer at Northern Trust Wealth Management.

“Now we’re seeing how companies expect to be able to navigate through the challenges of the year ahead,” she said.

Investors next week will wade through the busiest period of earnings season so far, with companies ranging from Beyond Meat Inc and Microsoft Corp to Pinterest Inc scheduled to report results.

Microsoft, in particular, should outperform its conservative guidance thanks to strong PC shipments and growth of its Azure cloud computing platform, said J. Derrick Wood, an analyst at Cowen.

Monday, 26 October, 2020

06 COMMENT

The Pakistan Destabilization Movement (PDM)

The Prime Minister’s obsession

The gaggle of opposition parties also merits attention

Is Mian Nawaz Sharif’s being in the UK the country’s only issue?

I

T is not easy to fathom Prime Minister Imran Khan’s insistence on the need to bring ex-PM Mian Nawaz Sharif back to Pakistan. Is he merely connecting with his base, which has insisted that Mr Sharif made fools of the government by persuading it to let him go abroad for medical treatment, and that he should be brought back? or is he trying to distract public attention away from the failures of his government to control the inflation that is plaguing the country? while addressing the beginning of a polio vaccination programme, he said that those brought up in Lahore could not realize what happened in backward areas, nor those whose sons were living in London. while giving a broad hint at Mr Sharif’s sons, he could not help drawing attention to his own, who live with their mother in London. The Lahore background also breaks down, for if Mr Sharif belonged firmly to Lahore, Mr Khan too was brought up in Lahore, where his father was posted, well away from Mianwali.

Mr Khan, instead of wasting too much attention on bringing Mr Sharif back, should focus on the country’s genuine problems. If he is so concerned about its economy that he will not allow the lockdown needed to avert a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, he will also focus on measures needed to end the food inflation caused by the wrongly timed export of food staples. The standard method is to import cheap supplies and flood the market with them, allowing market forces to bring down prices. However, he has presented the excuse that his timely orders for import were not implemented.

A common thread is visible. His orders are not implemented and he is easily fooled. Is one to suspect he has no idea of how to tackle food inflation, even though it fuels the opposition movement to topple him and his government? while one strand of the opposition campaign, its attacks on the military, do not appear to affect him, the link is being made that the establishment has caused food inflation by installing someone as incompetent as him. He would thus tackle the opposition most effectively by bringing food prices down.

Humayun GauHar

T

wo things are out front grabbing people’s attention. The first of course is the gaggle of opposition parties in Pakistan that go by the name of the “Pakistan Democratic Movement,” as if there is no democracy in this country. The second is the US Presidential elections that take place on 3rd November.

The PDM is a vile effort to be off the hook in the myriad corruption cases in progress against them.

They are following an agenda that destabilizes Pakistan in order to force Imran Khan and his government to give them what they want. This is unlikely to happen because Imran is a man of great conviction who will not let thieves get away and let their plunder remain in safe havens. In destabilizing Pakistan they are doing things that make many happy, like Pakistan’s enemies, prime amongst them being the wobbly state of India. It is no coincidence that India’s diatribe against Pakistan and the PDM’s diatribe against Imran and his government sound much the same.

Came the PDM’s ho-hum rally in Karachi and the tamasha with Nawaz Sharif’s son-in-law, Captain Safdar, seems to have taken centrestage. we hear different and conflicting stories: this was a game played jointly by Bilawal Zardari and Maryam Nawaz. Actually, Captain Safdar was staying in a separate room in the hotel. It was Maryam Nawaz who broke down the hotel door. The Inspector General of Police was kidnapped in the wee hours of the morning and forced to sign Safdar’s arrest warrant. The poor Sindh government knew nothing about this. Everything was conveniently ready at that unearthly hour: someone to film the episode, the broken door, Safdar sauntering off to the police vehicle, which took him into custody etc. More garbage was piled upon more garbage and now we have a mountain of garbage. It’s true there’s never a dull moment in Pakistan. only thing is certain: Safdar did desecrate the Quaid-e-Azam’s

Abduction and return Ali Imran’s example was meant to scare journalists

T

HE abduction of broadcast journalist Ali Imran Syed and his release later on Saturday evening was not so much meant to punish as to scare. The detention was not really long enough to scare others, though it was probably more than enough to make him get the message. However, other journalists were supposed to take away the message that this could happen to them too, and for a longer period of time at that. Mr Imran’s sin seems to have been obtaining and airing some CCTV footage from a hotel, which showed men breaking into the room of PML(N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz, who stayed at the hotel in Karachi because she spoke at a Pakistan Democratic Movement rally there. The break-in was because the men were searching for her husband, Captain (retd) Safdar, against whom an FIR had been registered.

Those behind this action seem ill-attuned with the modern era. Mr Imran was just doing his job, and if he had not obtained the footage, some other channel would have. If none had done so because reporters were cowed, it would have inevitably emerged on the social media, and if enough viewers found it interesting, it would proliferate.

In this digital age, putting the lid on something is practically impossible. It might be possible to stop newspapers or TV channels from putting their imprimatur on such items, but with an audience that gets most of its information from the social media, this is a much over-valued achievement.

It might be possible to regret a simpler age when the technology for such CCTV footage did not exist, but it would be pointless. Not just news organisations, print or broadcast, rely on digital equipment, but so do such nonintrusive and peaceable organisations as hotels.

The world has become a fishbowl, and the old methods of controlling information must go out of the window. Throwing a scare into journalists may show a realization of this. However, it will not be effective. Mr Imran’s case shows this, that this was a case of bolting the stable after the horse had bolted. The organisations responsible must be exposed, and must reject any orders in future incidents to carry out an abduction.

Aggregate demand must be allowed to collapse because of the pandemic Dr Omer JaveD

T

HE pandemic has left the overall global economy in deep recession; negatively impacting in turn both aggregate demand and aggregate supply. This has led to many countries providing stimulus, especially during the time of lockdowns. The second wave of Covid has already started to set in with the first signs of winters, as the number of cases has seen a rise; albeit in most countries the wave is still of lesser magnitude than the first one. For this reason many policymakers expect a ‘w’ shaped economic recovery, with ups and downs following the waves of Covid, until a vaccine is successfully formulated and administered globally.

This means, and as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has also recommended, that countries must continue with both stimulus in terms of both welfare funds, and also public investment. Such investments in health, education, and labour intensive infrastructure are important also because many survivors of the pandemic continue to suffer for a significant time afterwards, as highlighted in a recent article ‘The threat of long economic Covid looms’ by Martin wolf as ‘Covid-19 has left many patients with debilitating symptoms after the initial infection has cleared. This is “long Covid”. what is true of health is likely to be true of the economy, too. The pandemic is likely to give the world not just a deep recession, but years of debility. To meet the threat of a “long economic Covid”, policymakers must avoid repeating the mistake of withdrawing support too soon, as they did after the 2008 financial crisis.’

Hence, meaningful public investments need to remain an important ingredient for supporting aggregate demand and supply, and in turn will be helpful in bringing down unemployment rates, and in enhancing economic growth prospects. while in developed countries, with strong economic institutions and regulatory

Arif Nizami Editor Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

Humayun Gauhar is a veteran columnist in Pakistan and editor of Blue Chip magazine.

Enhancing efficiency of public expenditure

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

resting place with his stupid slogans. His scream of, “Long Live the mother of the nation, the Quaid’s sister” was timed with Maryam Nawaz’s entry into the room where the Quaid lies in eternal rest and was meant to convey the impression that Maryam was the mother of the nation. The slogan soon changed to, “Long Live the Daughter of the Nation,” meaning Maryam. This guy must be seeing great dreams of being the first lady of Pakistan, like Asif Zardari was before him. Let me hasten to clarify that the spouse of the Prime Minister who is the head of government is never the first lady. It is the President’s spouse who is. But we tend to overlook such niceties especially when the President has no teeth even though the current one is a dentist. The PDM is not done yet: they are to hold another rally in Quetta. God alone knows what new tamasha will come out of it.

The PDM aims to force Imran Khan and his government out of office, the earlier the better. That will solve all problems for them, they think. Nawaz Sharif will be off the hook, Asif Zardari will be off the hook and dozens of their henchmen will be off the hook. Life is not all that simple. Thank God there are still some people in this country who remain aware and will not let this happen. The Supreme Court is unlikely to let this happen. Above all, we mercifully still have strong armed forces which will not let this happen. we are cognizant of the fact that they are trying to disenchant the people of this country from their Army and that is unlikely to happen. So they are more likely to lick their wounds and go back into their dens to cook up another tamasha. Another thing is certain: we are going to see more and more such tamashas in Pakistan.

Imran Khan’s Achilles Heel is inflation and the increasing food prices. His government is doing its best to bring them down and some progress has been made but unless they look at the entire supply chain, they will not identify the weak points. otherwise the government is doing just fine and if food prices come down, the PDM will be left legless.

Meantime, the government is doing many admirable things like banning dowries. This is a very emancipated and forward-looking step. Kudos to Imran. Many more such steps are needed to correct all the societal wrongs that we face. Dowry for a young girl is not a duty in Islam, it’s a duty in Hinduism. In the Arab world, the burden of expenditure on a marriage lies on the bridegroom and his family. It is they who give a certain sum of agreed money to the father of the bride to pay for her dower, the reception and what have you. If a groom doesn’t do that, then no marriage takes place. In Pakistan we do not follow the Islamic or Arab tradition. we cling to the Hindu tradition and in many ways to Hindu culture, thus putting the bride’s family under enormous strain. obviously the reason for this is because the majority of Pakistanis are historically speaking, recent converts from Hinduism, but centuries have passed and you can change your religion but it’s very difficult to change

customs, rituals and culture. oftentimes, especially in villages, the bride’s father has to borrow at exorbitant interest rates to pay for the dowry and other things like, jewellery, clothes, kitchen utensils, furniture, gifts for the in-laws and other such jazz. oftentimes they have to buy a motor vehicle for the groom and sometimes even a house. This is the reason why the birth of a daughter is not celebrated with as much gusto as the birth of a son. In the Arab world, a boy’s family usually does not even countenance their son getting married if he does not have his own home.

This enormous burden puts such a strain on the girl’s family that they usually cannot pay debts during their lifetime. If the girl’s mother-in-law thinks that the dowry is not enough, she mistreats her and many times she burns her to death, blaming a stove that exploded and she caught fire. when Pakistan was made as a homeland for the Muslims of India, one imagined that such Hindu traditions and rituals would become a thing of the past. Not so. we cling on to the traditions firmly and waste enormous amounts of money.

So if the Pakistani government has finally come round to banning dowry, what could be better? Banning is one thing. Enforcing it is another. That is where Imran will have to work out a way to get the new law implemented. Much more needs to be done for women in Pakistan but at least this is a start and a good start.

The other issue that is naturally occupying a lot of minds is the tamasha at the other end of the world: the US presidential election. President Donald Trump is also making an embarrassing sight of himself. And it is serious. The most comical but serious is that he may not depart the white House if he loses and he won’t give up without a fight. That will start a global tamasha and it is felt that the US Secret Service and even the army will have to force him out. That will put the USA firmly in the category of Third-world countries like Pakistan where the military calls the shots. America’s economy is declining precariously and China is on the verge of overtaking it in terms of GDP. But the USA is also losing its clout, which will be good for the world. The election takes place next Tuesday week and at least half the world will remain awake to see what unfolds. It will not so much as unfold as unravel. But let’s not count our chickens before they are hatched.

Pakistan has managed to stay off the FATF Black List. we stay in the Grey List until we comply with the six or seven more conditions that FATF demands.

The next meeting will be in February next year when it is quite likely that Pakistan will come out of FATF entirely. This is a great victory for Imran Khan’s government and a big setback for Modi’s India and its PDM. I am fairly certain that Imran Khan and his team will be able to kick FATF aside and resume business as normal. So let us hope that in this country that the PDM is trying to destabilize, no major untoward event takes place to take us off that path.

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frameworks, the level of efficiency of public investment or expenditure is quite high, and therefore bears a significant impact on economic growth in general, on the other hand, developing countries including Pakistan have a high level of pilferage and inefficiency in public expenditure due to weak economic institutional quality, and underdeveloped markets.

The pandemic has also impacted the economy severely in Pakistan, where according to the october 2020 world Economic outlook (wEo), te economic growth rate for 2020 is expected to be -0.4 percent, while even a very optimistic view of the pandemic may only allow the country to grow at a paltry 1 percent in 2021. Given a high level of uncertainty and the diminished capacity of private investment in the wake of the pandemic, it would therefore require that a high level of public expenditure is made to boost economic recovery. while raising the level of domestic resource mobilization– especially from sectors, which have done well during the pandemic, for instance the technological sector and stock exchanges, and working towards an enhanced debt relief effort are important to support the needed level of public investment, it is also very important to enhance the impact of public investment on the economy through increasing its efficiency. A recent report by IMF titled ‘well spent: how strong infrastructure governance can end waste in public investment’ highlights an important policy prescription in this regard.

Here, the Report defines efficiency in public investment as ‘...the ability to improve the volume and quality of infrastructure assets for a given level of spending.’

The report highlights for instance ‘Losses and waste in public investment are often systemic. on average, more than one-third of the resources spent on creating and maintaining public infrastructure are lost because of inefficiencies. These inefficiencies are closely linked to poor infrastructure governance– defined as the institutions and frameworks for planning, allocating, and implementing infrastructure investment spending. Estimates suggest that, on average,

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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better infrastructure governance could make up more than half of the observed efficiency losses. In the wake of Great Lockdown and the CoVID-19 pandemic, more infrastructure investment and strong infrastructure governance are likely to become even more important.’ Hence, it is all the more important to take adequate measures to fix this issue in a more urgent way given the severe damage being caused during the pandemic. what it means is that Pakistan could take this crisis as an opportunity and in turn fix economic public institutions on an emergency basis, so that chronic issue of high level of inefficiency and pilferage in public expenditures could be minimized to the minimum.

For this, the government should look to improve the underlying governance and incentive structures of institutions, so that they provide the right kind of environment for organizations and markets to function in an optimal way. This would in turn also allow the government to effectively reach correct prices in markets for goods and services, including the labour market, and to sustainably implement them. with particular regard to emerging Asia, and the need for enhancing efficiency of public expenditure here, the Report points out that ‘Public investment has been higher in Asia than in other regions over the past 25 years. Government investment as a share of GDP in emerging and developing Asia (even when excluding China) was higher than all other regions during the 1990s and has always been above the average of emerging and developing Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean... However, infrastructure outcomes in emerging and developing Asia are still lagging. According to survey-based measures, the infrastructure quality score in emerging and developing Asia is below emerging and developing Europe and the Middle East and North Africa... Therefore, emerging and developing Asia would need to improve the infrastructure outcomes of public investment spending.’

Omer Javed holds PhD in Economics degree from the University of Barcelona, and previously worked at International Monetary Fund. He tweets @omerjaved

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Monday, 26 October, 2020

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

Student clashes ACCoRDING to a newspaper report on Friday two students received injuries in a clash between Pakhtun Students Federation and Khalil Students organisation in the historic Islamia College University. Some of the students later blocked the main Jamrud Road to press the administration to take action against their rival group. However, the police arrested some of the protesting students to clear the road. The Islamia College University has been going through serious issues after the governor ordered an action against its vice-chancellor. The clashes between students are earning a bad name for the historic institution. According to sources, the root-cause of the incident was non-payment for food in the university canteen by some officebearers of the Pakhtun Students Federation. It has been a common practice in the university canteens that office-bearers of some of the students’ federations don’t pay for their food. However, the Islamia College University recently gave the contract of a canteen to a local contractor. on Friday when he demanded some office-bearers of the federation to pay for their food, they started beating him instead of clearing their bills. I request the authorities to kindly solve the matter which is creating conflicts between students.

Nizam Ghulam huSSaiN KEch

Motorway squad

Qazi and the truth interest as they were the orchestrators of the reference. At the next stage, the President failed to form his independent opinion and simply acted brought into the purview of judicial review on upon the advice of the Prime Minister, effectively highlighting his role synonymous to a the touchstone of the Constitution itself.

It is in this backdrop that proceedings for the dummy. Although moral courage has not been removal of Mr Justice Isa from the office of the displayed by the PTI government in the past judge of the Supreme Court were initiated. The however, the least they could do in the current PTI government, driven by rage on certain com- circumstances would be to remove the Law Minments made in the Faizabad verdict, proceeded ister and the President, forming an opinion of his to file a reference before the Supreme Judicial own, should resign from his post if any semCouncil seeking Mr Justice Isa’s removal on al- blance of morality remains.

Imran Khan, on countless occasions, has cited legations of concealment of assets amongst others. The validity of the assertions made in the examples of display of moral courage in the west reference have already been dilated upon by and yet, when it comes to his own, he has no longing for enforcing westseven learned judges of ern practices. The the Supreme Court, and highest constitutional therefore needs no furcourt of the country ther comment by any We find that the independent with no less than 10 analyst. However, the judges have formed the essence of the detailed application of mind by the view: we find that the judgement reveals that independent application the PTI government President is lacking in the of mind by the President proceeded to interpret present case. Instead he has is lacking in the present certain provisions of Instead he has folour laws which had followed the advice tendered case. lowed the advice tennever been dilated upon dered to him without by the judiciary nor to him without ascertaining ascertaining its correctwas there any preceness. This is contrary to dent regarding the its correctness. This is the requirements of both same. In the absence of contrary to the requirements Article 209(5) and Artia judicial interpretation cle 48(1) of the Constiof these laws, the fedof both Article 209(5) and tution and therefore eral government prorenders the reference ceeded to accept the Article 48(1) of the defective. interpretation of those Constitution and therefore If these words cannot qualified to internot muster up the moral pret them. Conclurenders the reference courage to abdicate from sively, the reference has the office of the Presibeen quashed and alledefective. If these words dent then it is clear that gations therein have cannot muster up the moral the President lacks the been rejected. morality his party has so For now, the stance courage to abdicate from the religiously professed. of Mr Justice Isa is vinNot long ago, learned dicated and, indeed, the office of the President then it judge of the aSupreme truth behind these referCourt had tendered his ences has been revealed. is clear that the President resignation as some of Though the Supreme lacks the morality his party his administrative orders Court hasn’t bought the had been set aside by the allegations of instituhas so religiously professed Court. He was not retional manipulation, it quired to do so as the orhas conceded that malders in question were a ice in law stands estabcouple of years older and lished and the reference contains fatal defects. The judges may not have were passed in administrative capacity. However, said it, but it is clear between the lines that what his moral conscience did not allow him to hold Mr Justice Isa had contended was indeed the constitutional office. whereas the hypocritical PTI government is truth.

After a continued opportunity to defend their silent and no talk about any resignations can be actions, the Supreme Court has finally given its heard from within the folds of the party. Failing detailed findings on the references. without de- to step down, under the circumstances, cements volving into the detailed judgement, as a demo- the notion that the PTI government is not ready cratic nation, it is clear that some of the to accept difference of opinion even if it comes constitutional office bearers have failed to dis- from a majority of the judges of the Supreme charge their duties in accordance with law. Start- Court. Ironically enough: “Dhool chehre par thi aur aaina saaf karta ing from the President, an entire portion under a separate heading is attributed to the President of raha” the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and his actions Syed Kaswar Gardezi is a lawyer and a which have been found to be offensive towards the scheme of law. To begin with, he sought the columnist. He can be contacted at advice of two individuals who had a conflict of kaswargardezi@gmail.com

The judgement in Mr Justice Qazi’s case exposes the government

SyeD KaSwar GarDezi

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AKISTAN is an interesting amalgamation of people adhering to a diverse sets of beliefs. while the nation is bound by the common thread of Islam, even particular beliefs within the folds of Islam are at odds. Concomitantly, the political affiliations and principles of integrity also differ. while there is a prevalence of difference of opinion, however, there is little room for its tolerance. Every individual holds dearly his or her ideas and condescends towards others harboring different views. A difference of opinion is simply not tolerated, on the contrary, it is considered a threat if displayed too openly for those wielding power.

Even the corridors of powers, separated constitutionally, intersect each other occasionally pressing forward different views. The judiciary of Pakistan, for the most part, has been cowered into issuing verdicts on the behest of those seizing power. At other times, judges have also rendered judgements to safeguard the sentimentalities of people as opposed to protecting the Constitution. The infamous doctrine of necessity was nurtured rather carefully while being adhered to as a bulwark against the public reaction to unconstitutional adventures. Fortunately, the past two decades brought about a significant change in the political sphere of our country. The restored judiciary turned out to be more powerful than before; though the judicial activism displayed by some of the captains of the judicial ship cannot be condoned.

Nevertheless, for the first time in our history, we found ourselves in the presence of a somewhat independent judiciary; certain quarters, however, continue to question this aspect. Mr Justice Qazi Faez Isa is one such example of an independent and bold judge. Known for his uprightness, the learned judge does not shy away from wielding his pen in areas which remain unexplored by the judiciary. Holding to the Constitution dearly, the learned judge has rendered some of the most historic verdicts in our country where all constitutional institutions have been

I was watching the news few days back when I caught the glimpse of a new motorway squad launched by Punjab Food Authority. Initially it sounded a little weird to me that why Punjab Food Authority would need a motorway squad? Then after doing a little research I came to know and appreciate the launch of motorway squad. Basically this is a new project of Punjab Food Authority in an ongoing war against adulteration and food contamination. All eating points on motorway from Lahore to Islamabad will now be under constant surveillance by the motorway squad of PFA. I think this is a very good move for provision of safe food to the people. A common issue faced by people while travelling is finding a place where they can get good and safe food to eat. Usually most people end up eating contaminated food and get sick while travelling because of lack of options available to choose from. when you are on the road and you get hungry, you eat whatever is available and most of the time the restaurants on road sides take advantage of the fact that there are not many options for the travelers and serve them with low quality food racking up their profit. This will no longer be the case from Lahore to Islamabad, on initial bases and throughout entire motorway later on. The motorway squad is there to ensure quality of food which is fit for human consumption. Anyone not complying with the standards of quality will now be answerable, unlike before when they had their monopoly. uSama PErvEz lahorE

PSL back in November owING to Covid-19, cricket was temporary stopped all around the world.

Pakistan super league (PSL), which was ongoing, was also stopped due to the coronavirus. Covid-19 started spreading a lot during PSL matched forcing the PCB to discontinue PSL. However, I personally was very happy when heard the latest update of PCB, it was announced by PCB that in November, remaining matches of PSL will be played in Pakistan with full safety. There are three matches of playoffs which are going to be played between Peshawar Zalmi, Multan Sultan, Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings. First playoff semifinal match will be played between Multan Sultan and Karachi Kings on 14th of November. Second playoff semifinal match will be played between Peshawar Zalmi and Lahore Qalandars on the same day. The final for what we all Pakistanis are waiting will be played on 15th of November. Thus, I hope matches will be played successfully and players will not face any problem. muNEEb maqSood SiNGaNiSar

Living without any shelter PAKISTAN’S largest metropolis is officially home to 16.5 million people, but many of its citizens can’t afford to live in homes. They are compelled to live under the open sky. Every day and night they spend their lives on footpaths, park benches and other places where they pass their lives. No one has knowledge about them, who they are and what problems they face trying to feed themselves.

During the day they work to generate. when we see such big cities we could find a number of shelterless people who are living in such open places. Among the first priorities of the current government was to provide shelter to needy persons. At some point it will be asked why the government continues to turn a blind eye towards them. It is the responsibility for the government to step forward to facilitate such basic needs. It should be prioritized to explore the status of those who live without proper dwelling. azEEm abdullah TurbaT

Rawalpindi Metro Bus THE Rawalpindi Islamabad metro bus from Peshawar Mor to the new Islamabad airport is likely to face delays. Construction of the extension project, which started in 2017, is also struggling due to shortage of funds. Minister of Communications Murad Saeed has said that this project would be completed in in 2019-20 but government has not started work on this project.

Mr saeed said the project requires altogether Rs 4.57 billion for completion. However, the public service development program 2019-20 provided a grant of Rs 1.25 billion for the project according to the Minister.

If the government does not increase and annual allocation the project might not be completed until 2022. The project will provide much needed public transport access to the airport on the city western suburbs. In a letter

by NHA chairman captain retired Sikandar Qayoom about pending bill payments to project contractors, it is mentioned that 95% and 86% physical work is complete on the first and second packages respectively. But 30 months after construction began the entire bus line is still not operational.

NiTaSha Farooq rawalPiNdi

Monday, 26 October, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

When We talk about Fox neWs, We need to talk about the Murdoch FaMily too THE MURDOCHS OWN FOX NEWS BUT RARELY GET THE SCRUTINY THEY DESERVE FOR BANKROLLING RACISM AND HATRED

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PeTer MaaSS

ERE’S a trick question about the controversy over Hunter Biden’s laptop: Who’s most to blame for giving this pseudo-scandal more attention than it deserves? The New York Post for publishing the first sketchy article, or Fox News for elevating it in broadcast after broadcast?

The answer is neither. The guiltiest party is the Murdoch family, which owns both outlets. Fox and the Post are key parts of a media empire assembled over the decades by 89-year-old Rupert Murdoch, who now shares ownership with his six children, one of whom is chief executive of the family’s main company, Fox Corporation. While the Post doesn’t register much with readers outside New York, Fox is of course a national brand with a gusher of profits that has helped turn each of the Murdochs into multibillionaires. Given that Fox is a “central node” of the far-right conspiracy machine, it’s fair to regard the Murdochs as America’s first family of disinformation.

The Murdochs, however, attract far less attention than their hired hands, the journalists and shouting heads who have down-

played Covid-19 and created the delusional content that helped catapult Donald Trump to the White House. The New York Times, in the approximately dozen stories it has published that touch on the Biden laptop controversy, referenced the Murdochs in just two of them, in passing. At the Washington Post, only three articles about the laptop mention the Murdochs — again, in passing.

There’s no shortage of reporting about the wretched content created by the Murdoch machine, but remarkably little reporting about the fact that the Murdochs are behind it. As MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes noted on Twitter after the first laptop story came out, “If you’re just choosing from people in OECD countries, ostensible liberal democracies, Rupert Murdoch has to be up there as the most-single-handedly destructive person of the last three decades, right?”

But Hayes can be part of the problem. While he often criticizes Fox, and on rare occasions discusses the Murdochs, most of the time he fails to mention the family that could literally flip a switch and shut off the poison. On April 20, Hayes broadcast an eight-minute segment about Fox encouraging protests against stay-at-home orders, and a week later he devoted seven minutes to detailing the ways in which Fox downplayed Covid-19 — but while he named hosts and guests who spread the worst disinformation, “Murdoch” never passed his lips.

On the occasions when it bothers to focus on the Murdochs, the media often does the opposite of what it should. It coddles them. The latest exhibit comes this month in the form of a friendly profile in the New York Times of Rupert’s youngest son James, who loyally served for years as a senior executive and board member of the family’s

global businesses (their holdings include major media outlets in Britain, Australia, and Asia, and in the U.S. include the Wall Street Journal). James, who lost out to his elder brother Lachlan in a succession battle, quietly left his remaining board seat this year and voiced some gentle regrets about the Frankenstein created by his family. “My resignation is due to disagreements over certain editorial content published by the Company’s news outlets and certain other strategic decisions,” he wrote in his brief letter of resignation. The newspaper of record thus treated him as a hero — its story, written by Maureen Dowd, was headlined, “James Murdoch, Rebellious Scion.” And in 2018, Lachlan Murdoch was a featured guest at a Times business conference where he was served uniformly friendly questions by columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin, whose softballs included, “Do you watch ‘Succession’?” This isn’t just a matter of journalistic oversight or malpractice. It’s a missed opportunity.

If the family’s last name became as toxic as the Fox name is, would they bring themselves to make changes, such as enforcing a zero-tolerance policy for racist and hateful content at their news outlets? The answer is probably no; Rupert Murdoch, an obdurate conservative, is famously unmoved by criticism and seems to enjoy being despised in Australia and Britain, where the media outlets that he doesn’t control are unsparing toward him.

But we won’t know for sure until we hear “Murdoch” as often as we hear “Fox.” There would, at the very least, be a greater awareness among Americans that the controlling authority at Fox News is not a newsroom of journalists, but a family of billionaires. Murdoch’s six children might not share his de-

light in being reviled and held accountable for what the family has wrought in America.

Murdoch’s children from three marriages include Prudence, the oldest, who has never played a role in the family businesses; Elisabeth, who briefly worked for her father but fell away when it reportedly became clear he had no interest in appointing a female successor; Lachlan, the oldest son who shares his father’s reactionary politics and is the chosen one; James, a centrist who was moved to gently comment on the problems at Fox only after he lost the succession race; and two teenage daughters, Chloe and Grace.

According to the available descriptions of a secretive Murdoch trust registered in Nevada that’s unavailable for public inspection, the four eldest children control half the board seats of an LLC that oversees the family’s assets, with Rupert controlling the other half.

(His teenage girls do not control any seats although they have ownership shares that are equal in value to their siblings’.)

Movements of racism and hate are not propelled by visual histrionics alone. They require platforms and they require capital.

There is no indication that Murdoch’s children, apart from Lachlan, actually hold his right-wing views. Many of them provide financial support to cultural or philanthropic organizations that are liberal in nature. James and his wife have even donated to Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. Yet there is not a puff of evidence that any of these offspring have taken serious steps to change the racist and hateful content that is produced by their media properties. The Murdoch children have received their billions in dividends and payouts without protest or consequence.

Sadly, the media’s habit of coddling the Murdochs (not always, but most of the time)

How the green revolution is harming Africa

Project Syndicate JaYaTI GHoSH

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to the United Nations World Food Programme, declaring that it wanted “to turn the eyes of the world toward the millions of people who suffer from or face the threat of hunger.” Those numbers are now greater than ever — and the dysfunctional global food system is largely to blame.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, around two billion people globally were experiencing food insecurity, and close to 750 million faced chronic or severe hunger. The health and economic crises that erupted in 2020 have made matters much worse, partly because of their impact on food supplies, but even more so because of increasing inequality and the loss of livelihoods among already vulnerable people.

This situation was, and is, preventable. The U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include the eradication of hunger by 2030. This goal — SDG2 — is genuinely attainable: the world already produces enough food to meet the basic nutritional requirements of everyone on the planet. But the global food system was badly broken well before the pandemic. Much food production is unsustainable. Both food and monetary incomes are so unequally distributed that billions of people cannot afford a healthy and balanced diet. And global food corporations have skewed both production and distribution to the detriment of small farmers and final consumers.

Inequalities in food access are evident across and within countries, even as irrationalities abound in food supply chains. All too often, a region’s raw products are shipped around the world

to be processed with chemical preservatives, and then transported back for consumption in or near their place of origin.

One reason why the world is currently not on track to achieve SDG2 is because policymakers have misdiagnosed the problem. Instead of emphasizing sustainable (and more local and diversified) food production and equitable distribution, they have focused on increasing agricultural productivity and making supply chains more “efficient” by reducing costs. That has led to an overemphasis on yields, insufficient attention to agro-ecological contexts and local nutritional requirements, and strong incentives for chemicalbased agriculture.

This approach is exemplified by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), an initiative launched in 2006 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. AGRA’s programs support the use of highyielding commercial seeds, synthetic fertilizers, and chemical pesticides in a monocropping model to increase yields per acre. Surprisingly, advocates of this approach seem largely unaware that similar projects in many Asian developing countries previously produced medium-term results that were mixed at best and were often associated with major ecological problems.

AGRA initially aimed to double the household incomes of 20 million small-scale African farmers by 2020, and halve food insecurity in 20 countries through productivity improvements. It then adopted the more ambitious targets of doubling yields and incomes for 30 million farming households by 2020. But with the deadline approaching, AGRA has shifted the goalposts, and is now promising, much more modestly, to increase incomes (by an unspecified amount) and improve food security for 30 million smallholder farm households in 11 African countries by 2021.

In a recent response to criticism, AGRA was even more circumspect, claiming that its goal is to reach only nine million farmers directly and the remaining 21 million indirectly (though what that means is not clear).

Despite scaling back its targets, AGRA has not provided data regarding its progress so far. So, there are no reliable estimates of the increase in farmers’ yields, net incomes, and food security.

But independent researchers reached some disturbing conclusions in a recent study that used national-level data on production, yields, and harvested areas for the most important food crops in AGRA’s 13 main target countries. The report

found scant evidence of significant increases in small producers’ incomes or food security; instead, it concluded that the number of hungry people in AGRA countries had increased by 30%.

(AGRA calls this analysis “deeply flawed,” but has not provided data to counter it.)

Regarding productivity, the study found that yields of staple crops in AGRA countries increased by only 1.5% per year on average in the first 12 years of the organization’s operations — virtually the same rate as in the 12 years prior to its founding. Productivity growth declined in eight of the 13 countries; in three countries, yields actually fell. Even in countries where staple-food production increased substantially — such as Zambia, where maize output more than doubled, owing mainly to an increase in sown area — poverty and hunger among small producers remained very high.

Moreover, the report showed how the adverse outcomes associated with Green Revolution practices elsewhere were also evident in AGRA countries. Land use shifted away from more nutritious and climate-resilient traditional crops like sorghum and millet toward “high-yielding” maize that required farmers to buy more expensive seeds, often causing indebtedness. Monoculture and heavy use of chemicals (such as petroleumbased fertilizers) led to soil acidification and other ecological problems affecting future cultivation.

Monoculture has also made diets less diversified and nutritious by reducing production of staple root crops like cassava and sweet potato.

As Jomo Kwame Sundaram has argued, such Green Revolution programs are fundamentally flawed because they view nutrition only in terms of total calorie consumption, and fail to recognize the superior nutritional value of a diverse diet. The latter requires a variety of crops best suited to the location and climate. But the headlong rush to promote supposedly “new” practices rules this out.

The pandemic and ongoing climate change should have taught us the importance of building resilience. Unfortunately, well-intentioned efforts to improve food security in Africa and elsewhere are instead increasing small farmers’ dependence on global agribusinesses without raising their incomes, and making farming systems more fragile and less resilient.

Jayati Ghosh is Executive Secretary of International Development Economics Associates and a member of the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation.

tends to get noticed and called out only by a small circle of journalism watchers. New York University journalism professor Jay Rosen, a prominent media analyst, recently blistered the Times for its fluffy profile of James Murdoch. “The only thing I want to read about the Murdoch family concerns their anguish, repentance, or indictment,” Rosen wrote on Twitter. “[James Murdoch] was on the board of the company that owns Fox News. Complicity doesn’t get more formally realized than that.”

When Margaret Sullivan, usually an all-seeing critic at the Washington Post, managed in March to write an article about the peril of Fox News without once mentioning the Murdochs, the Columbia University journalism professor Bill Grueskin gently noted on Twitter, “’Rupert Murdoch could save lives by forcing Fox News to tell the truth about coronavirus’ is the headline for this timely @sulliview column.” The actual headline of the Murdochfree column was “It’s time — high time — to take Fox News’s destructive role in America seriously.” The final question is simple: Why does this hole in coverage of the Murdochs exist?

Journalists, like everyone else, are attracted to shiny objects. It’s so easy and satisfying to heap scorn on the crude TV shouters and not look beyond them. Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson, who are so obviously absurd and dangerous, are inviting and willing targets. It is certainly right to expose their lies — we should not have less of that from any news organization.

But movements of racism and hate are not propelled by visual histrionics alone. They require platforms and they require capital, which means they require wealthy people who are able and willing to underwrite the machinery of information warfare.

The Murdochs are not dumb. The younger ones are generally wise enough to stay in the background and give all appearances of being reasonable citizens. When they face complaints about their insane employees, they will downplay the harm or suggest they are a bit fed up too, but it would be inappropriate or fraught to meddle. They will donate money to worthy and liberal causes.

They will present themselves as responsible men and women with whom we’re just having a civil disagreement, rather than prime enablers of fascism.

Is Scotland now firmly on the path to becoming a separate state?

ScotSman Ian SwanSon

With polls then showing little movement from the referendum split of 45 per cent Yes and 55 per cent No, the First Minister's target seemed a tough one to achieve.

But now the figures are edging ever closer to it. An Ispos Mori poll last week found 58 per cent of those likely to vote in a second referendum were in favour of independence.

It follows a series of other polls that have suggested over 50 per cent backing for Scotland going it alone.

And SNP depute leader Keith Brown hailed the lpsos Mori result as a landmark poll which showed independence had now become “the settled will of the majority of people in Scotland”.

He went on: “Faced with the chaotic and incompetent government of Boris Johnson and a Westminster system which treats Scotland as an afterthought at best, more and more people are deciding that the best way forward for Scotland is as an equal, independent country.”

REASONS FOR YES-CAMP CAUTION: The poll also gave the SNP a huge lead over the other parties for next year’s Holyrood election, which pundits say is likely to see them returned with an overall majority and able to claim a mandate to hold a second referendum. Mr Johnson has repeatedly declared

there will be no new referendum while he is Prime Minister, but opponents argue a clear election win for the Nationalists would make such a stance unsustainable.

So is Scotland now firmly on the path to an independent future? The signs certainly look encouraging for Yes supporters, but there are also reasons to be cautious.

There is no doubt Nicola Sturgeon has outclassed Boris Johnson in the handling of the pandemic and her popularity has soared as a result – according to Ipsos Mori, 72 per cent of Scots are satisfied with the job she’s doing as First Minister while 76 per cent are dissatisfied with Mr Johnson. And that stands her and her party in good stead. But when it comes to deciding Scoltand’s constitutional future, a whole range of other factors will be at play too.

A PROSPEROUS FUTURE? Despair at the Prime Minister, approval for Ms Sturgeon’s approach on Covid and anger about the Brexit debacle may give way to questions about currency, pensions, the economy and whether Scotland will rejoin the European Union.

These were issues that proved contentious and troublesome for the Yes campaign last time and are still awaiting clear answers. People will be looking for reassurance on these and other matters before they cast their vote. And the steady increase in support for independence has happened during a period when there has been little debate on it.

Once a referendum campaign begins the No side will throw everything it can at the SNP and its allies. Ms Sturgeon and her colleagues will have to persuade people that an independent Scotland could prosper in a world that will be notably different from the one of 2014. The SNP needs to have answers – not just to win votes in a referendum but to have a clear programme for Scotland’s future if independence comes.

Monday, 26 October, 2020

BUSINESS 09

Rs6bn to be spent for mitigating glacier flood risks ISLAMABAD TLTP

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam has said that under glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) project, Rs6 would be spent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Gilgit Baltistan (GB) regions. In a statement issued here on Sunday, Malik Amin said that a huge amount would be spent under the project to mitigate the GLOF risks and their impacts on the public infrastructure, lives and livelihoods of the mountain communities.

10 new IPOs At PsX On the CARds: AsAd UmAR PLANNING MINISTER SAYS MEGA DEVELOPMENT PACKAGE FOR HYDERABAD TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON

KP govt orders implementation of Crushing Power Act, 2020, across province PESHAWAR AZIZ BUNERI

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has issued instructions to implement the Crushing Power Act 2020 across the province. Marble Mines and Industry Development (MMID) Provincial President Muhammad Sajjad Khan told Profit that the provincial government had passed the Crushing Power Act 2020 or the crushing industry and marble factories in the assembly in January this year but so far no department has taken the necessary steps to enforce the law.

“Unless government agencies take practical steps for the fundamental rights of people associated with this industry, it will be difficult to enforce this law,” Khan said. “We are ready to accept all of the government’s demands but the stakeholders, especially those who employ millions of people, should be taken into confidence whenever there is any such legislation,” he added. Marble Industry Vice President Gul Roz Khan told Profit that the implementation of the law passed by the government is likely to close more than 3,500 factories across the province as most of the factories are currently located in Buner district which is a mountainous region. The law stipulates that marble factories and crushing machines should be built at a distance of 200 meters from the population and road, which is impossible to enforce due to lack of plain land near factories in Buner. “If we try to enforce this law, we will have close the factories in the whole province, which will leave millions unemployed and the entire responsibility will fall on the government,” Roz Khan said. Highlighting other issues, Khan said that there are currently more than 3,600 marble factories operating in the province, including tribal districts, where the government has installed safety tanks; however, the tanks fill up within ten days whereas a proper dumping site is required to dispose of it properly. “The government can solve environmental problems, as well as earning millions from the marble waste,” he added. It may be mentioned here that even after the passage of almost a year, no step has been taken for a no-objection certificate (NOC) and license of marble factories. In this regard, KP Assembly Deputy Speaker Mahmood Jan directed the authorities to immediately take action against the factories under the law and bring them under the purview of the law. “There is an urgent need to bring the marble industry under the purview of the law as it is spreading respiratory and other diseases in the area,” he added. The deputy speaker also directed the Irrigation Department, C&W, Forest Department and other concerned authorities to play their due role in this regard and take significant steps to implement the Act.

ISLAMABAD APP

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EDERAL Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Asad Umar has said that a record 10 new IPOs are also being planned by companies for listing on the stock exchange this year, adding that the country's economy is moving into the growth phase.

In a tweet on Sunday, the federal minister said that strong earnings being reported by companies listed on Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) reflect the achievement of economic stability.

Earlier while addressing a reception arranged by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Youth Wing and Insaf Students Federation (ISF) in Hyderabad, the federal minister said that a mega-development package for the city on the lines of the Karachi package would be worked out soon.

"The Hyderabad package would be worked out after the Karachi package’s development works would be streamlined," he added.

He apprised that the Engineering Support Center had been established in Hyderabad to support the industries especially motorbike, bangles and others.

“Schemes for Hyderabad were included in the last federal budget in accordance with the manifestos of MQM-P and PTI to improve the lives of the people,” he added.

“If you check the streets in Karachi and Hyderabad you will not find basic facilities which are the provincial government’s onus. Therefore, the federal government felt the need for those smaller schemes,” he said.

He further said the federal government would extend all-out support for the development of Hyderabad as it is the second-largest city of Sindh.

The minister said during his interaction with Hy-

derabad’s business community, the latter complained that the problems they had been confronting were under the purview of the provincial government which had failed to address them.

“Who holds the reins of power in Sindh. Aren’t these the same people whose financial resources have kept increasing but at the same time, the problems of the people are also building up?” he questioned.

Responding to a question about the controversy revolving around the Bhundar and Dingi islands in Sindh, the minister said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had already clarified that the issue would be resolved with consensus.

“We aren’t sending an army to occupy these islands. The PPP’s (previous) federal government had itself tried to initiate similar projects on these islands,” he recalled.

Asad Umar questioned why the provincial government issued NOCs for the two islands to the Centre in July 2020 if they were opposed to the federal initiative. ” I think only politics is being done on the islands,” he observed.

He contended that presently Pakistan, particularly Sindh, needed investment and employment which would be provided by the island projects.

When questioned about the controversy concerning the population census 2017, he told that the federal government had formed a cabinet committee, comprising representatives from all the provinces, to resolve the issue.

“If the census increases the Karachi population, Sindh’s share in the NFC and the federal resources will also increase.

"Why haven’t we heard the voice of the Sindh government or Sindh CM on this issue? This question should be asked from them,” he conlcluded.

NAB continues raids on wheat godowns SUKKUR TLTP

Various teams of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Sukkur conducted raids at 15 government godowns in Kashmore for the second day on Sunday.

The teams also conducted raids at different food department centres, wheat purchase centres and warehouses in Kashmore and Kandhkot, taking their records in its custody.

According to the accountability bureau officials, they found hundreds of bags missing from the wheat stock.

“Around 60,000 bags of 100kg wheat were found missing from the food department’s centres. The value of untraced wheat bags is around Rs250 million,” they said.

NAB Sukkur director general (DG) has ordered action against government officers allegedly involved in misappro-

priation of unaccounted wheat stocks.

Earlier, NAB Sindh chapter had recovered more than Rs10 billion under the inquiries opened against the provincial food department for the theft of wheat worth more than Rs15 billion.

A report released by NAB showed that nine inquiries were opened against Sindh Food Department in Sukkur as wheat worth more than Rs15 billion had been stolen in nine districts; however, flour mill owners plea-bargained Rs2.112 billion during investigations.

It emerged that wheat worth Rs745.680 million had been sent to Karachi from nine districts of Sindh while the stocks vanished during its transportation. The anti-corruption watchdog received money worth Rs8.126 billion for the wheat acquired on 180-day credit.

The complaints of wheat theft were filed from Sukkur, Larkana and other

districts of Sindh.

The investigation exposed Rs5.355 billion irregularities in terms of wheat

stocks from the government go-downs which gave financial dent to the national exchequer up to Rs10.612 billion.

Samsung’s Lee: tainted titan who built a global tech giant dies at 83 SEOUL AGENCIES

Lee Kun-hee, who built Samsung Electronics 005930.KS into a global powerhouse in smartphones, semiconductors and televisions, died on Sunday after spending more than six years in hospital following a heart attack, the company said.

The charismatic leader of Samsung Group and the country’s richest person, grew it into South Korea’s biggest conglomerate.

But he was also convicted of bribery and tax evasion, and he and the empire he built were vilified for wielding huge economic clout, and for opaque governance and dubious transfers of the family wealth.

“Lee is such a symbolic figure in South Korea’s spectacular rise and how South Korea embraced globalisation, that his death will be remembered by so many Koreans,” said Chung Sun-sup, chief executive of corporate researcher firm Chaebul.com.

Samsung Group affiliates’ 326.7 trillion

won ($289.6 billion) in 2019 revenue was worth 17% of South Korea’s gross domestic product, according to Fair Trade Commission data and a Reuters calculation.

Around 5 p.m. (0800 GMT), Lee’s son Jay Y. Lee, wearing a face mask, walked into the Samsung Medical Center where a memorial was being held. The area for the memorial was limited to 50 people, a sign said.

The funeral will be a small family affair, Samsung said. It did not say when or where the funeral would be.

Lee, who was 78, is the latest secondgeneration leader of a South Korean familycontrolled conglomerate, or chaebol, to die, leaving potentially thorny succession issues for the third generation.

Ruling party leader and former prime minister Lee Nak-yon praised Lee’s leadership, but said, “It can’t be denied that he reinforced chaebol-led economic structure and failed to recognise labour unions.”

The death of Lee, with a net worth of $20.9 billion according to Forbes, is set to

prompt investor interest in a potential restructuring of the group involving his stakes in key Samsung companies such as Samsung Life Insurance 032830.KS and Samsung Electronics.

Lee owns 20.76% of the insurance firm and is the biggest individual shareholder of Samsung Electronics with a 4.18% stake.

Jay Y. Lee has been embroiled in legal troubles linked to a merger of two Samsung affiliates that helped Lee assume greater control of the group’s flagship Samsung Electronics.

The younger Lee served jail time for his role in a bribery scandal that triggered the impeachment of then-President Park Geunhye. The case, being heard on appeal, is scheduled to resume on Monday. A separate trial on charges of accounting fraud and stock price manipulation kicked off this month.

“With Lee passing, Samsung Group is now facing the biggest governance shakeup since the merger between Cheil Industries and

CMYK

Samsung C&T” 028260.KS in 2015, said Ahn Sang-hee, a corporate governance expert at Daishin Economic Research Institute.

“For Jay Y. Lee, getting the most of that stake Lee Kun-hee holds is more important than ever,” Ahn said. “The key here is with taxes. Coming up with enough taxes related to inheritance and avoiding possible disputes with his sisters are major hurdles.”

It remains unclear how the elder Lee’s three children and his wife will split his wealth, an issue that led to family feuds at other chaebols after the deaths of their patriarchs.

“It has been six years since Lee was hospitalised, so if there is a consensus among the children, Samsung will go through an orderly succession. If not, there is a possibility of a feud,” said Park Sang-in, a professor at Seoul National University.

Lee died with his family by his side, including Jay Y. Lee, the Samsung Electronics vice chairman, the conglomerate said.

“Chairman Lee was a true visionary who transformed Samsung into the world-leading

innovator and industrial powerhouse from a local business,” Samsung said in a statement.

The company did not specify the cause of death and declined to comment on whether Lee left a will.

Lee became Samsung Group chairman in 1987 but had to resign more than a decade later after being convicted of bribing the country’s president.

He was convicted again in 2008 of breach of trust and embezzlement, but the long-time member of the International Olympic Committee was pardoned to help the country’s bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

His aggressive bets on new businesses, especially semiconductors, helped grow his father Lee Byung-chull’s noodle trading business into a sprawling powerhouse with assets worth some $375 billion, with dozens of affiliates stretching from electronics and insurance to shipbuilding and construction.

“His legacy will be everlasting,” Samsung said.

Monday, 26 October, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

TrUmp goeS on oFFenSIve agaInST BIDen wITh TrIp To new hampShIre

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RESIDENT Donald Trump will go on the offensive against Democratic rival Joe Biden on Sunday with a campaign trip to New Hampshire, a state he narrowly lost in 2016 but is trying to reclaim in this year’s White House race.

With nine days left until the Nov. 3 U.S. elections, the Republican president is storming his way through top battleground states in a late push to make up ground against Biden, who leads in national opinion polls.

Opinion polls in many of the most vital swing states that will decide the election show a closer race. New Hampshire, which Trump lost to Democrat Hillary Clinton by about 3,000 votes in 2016, has not been considered a top-tier battleground, and most polls show Biden with a comfortable edge in the New England state.

But Trump is running out of time and opportunities to change minds and shift the race in his favor. More than 56.5 million Americans have already voted in person or by mail, a pace of early voting that could lead to the highest voter turnout rate in more than a century, according to data from the U.S. Elections Project.

After voting early in his home state of Florida on Saturday, Trump raced through rallies in three states - North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin - where he promised the end of the coronavirus pandemic was in sight and said Biden would threaten jobs by pushing for more Covid-19 restrictions.

In Ohio, Trump said his campaign was doing well and he was not worried about the public opinion polls. “We have 10 days, and nothing worries me,” he said.

On his visit to New Hampshire, Trump will hold a rally in Manchester. He has suggested he might hold five rallies a day down the final stretch before the election.

Biden, who made two campaign stops in Pennsylvania on Saturday, has no public schedule for Sunday, although the former vice president often makes a trip to church.

During his swing through Pennsylvania, Biden re-

newed his criticism of Trump for not taking the health crisis seriously enough and warned of a resurgence during the winter months of the virus, which has killed more than 224,000 Americans and is on the rise in several battleground states. “It’s going to be a dark winter ahead unless we change our ways,” he said of Trump’s attempts to contain the coronavirus.

The United States set a single-day record of more than 84,000 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, with the spike in infections hitting election swing states Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Late on Saturday a spokesman for Vice President

Mike Pence disclosed that Marc Short, Pence’s chief of staff, had tested positive for the new coronavirus. Pence and his wife tested negative earlier in the day and the vice president will not alter his schedule, the spokesman said.

Concern about the health risks of voting in crowded polling places on Election Day has helped drive the stampede to vote, as many states have increased early voting and vote-by-mail opportunities.

In New York state, voters jammed polling places and stood in line for hours to cast ballots on the state’s first day of early voting on Saturday. Long lines formed before polls opened across New York City and Long Island, videos on social media showed. agencies

Malaysia's king rejects emergency rule in blow to PM Muhyiddin KUala lUMPUR

US disease expert Fauci says vaccine verdict due by early December

agencies

vaccine agencies

U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said on Sunday it would be clear whether a Covid-19 vaccine was safe and effective by early December, but that more widespread vaccination would not be likely until later in 2021. “We will know whether a vaccine is safe and effective by the end of November, the beginning of December,” Fauci told the BBC. “When you talk about vaccinating a substantial proportion of the population, so that you can have a significant impact on the dynamics of the outbreak, that very likely will not be until the second or third quarter of the year.”

Malaysia’s King Al-Sultan Abdullah rejected on Sunday a request by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin for him to declare a state of emergency in response to the coronavirus crisis, saying that he did not see the need.

The king’s rejection is a major setback for Muhyiddin, who is facing a leadership challenge from opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and infighting within his ruling coalition.

Critics have denounced his proposal for emergency rule as an attempt to maintain his grip on power as it would help him avoid a potential showdown in parliament.

A resurgence in coronavirus cases and a pandemic-battered economy has also added to his woes.

“Al-Sultan Abdullah is of the opinion that there is no need at the moment for His Majesty to declare an emergency in the country or in any part of

the country of Malaysia,” the palace said in a statement.

“His Majesty is confident in the ability of the government under the leadership of the prime minister to continue to implement policies and enforcement efforts to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The king also called for politicians to end any politicking that could destabilise the administration and highlighted the importance of the forthcoming budget, which the government is due to present on Nov. 6.

If Muhyiddin fails to win the house’s approval, he could face a vote of no-confidence which in turn could trigger an election.

The prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the king’s decision.

Muhyiddin has been in a precarious position since he took office in March with a two-seat majority. Last month Anwar said that, with the help of administration defectors, he has the

parliamentary majority to form a new government.

The king’s rejection of the premier’s request is unusual but constitutional, analysts and lawyers said.

Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy in which the king assumes a largely ceremonial role. Under the constitution, the king carries out his duties with the advice of the prime minister and the cabinet. It also gives him the right to decide if an emergency should be declared, based on threats to security, economy or public order.

New Sin Yew, a constitutional lawyer, said that if Muhyiddin had formally advised the king to impose a state of emergency, the monarch would have been obliged to comply.

However, the palace statement said the prime minister had sent the king a “request”.

“So today, what the king did was warn against such a proposal, which is entirely within his rights to do,” said New.

Israeli minister says Qatar could get F-35s 'sooner or later' Tel aviv agencies

An Israeli cabinet minister said on Sunday that a U.S. sale of advanced F-35 warplanes to Qatar could be possible despite Israel’s objections to such a deal given the Gulf state’s links to Iran and Palestinian Hamas. “I have no doubt that if they (Qatar) want it and are willing to pay, sooner or later they will get it,” Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, who sits in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet, told Ynet TV. “This is a supposition that we must take into account,” he said, arguing that the U.S. administration “ultimately looks out for American interests,” especially in the face of rival stealth jets on offer from Russia and China. Reuters reported on Oct. 7 that gas-rich Qatar had submitted a formal request to buy the F-35, a Lockheed Martin LMT.N plane that has so far been supplied only to Israel in the region. Israel, with which Washington consults on such sales, said it would be opposed. U.S. officials have been open to selling the F-35 to the United Arab Emirates after it and Bahrain normalised relations with Israel on Sept.

15. But they have been tight-lipped on Qatar’s bid to buy the jet. Successive U.S. administrations have sought to preserve Israeli military superiority in the region.

Steinitz noted, however, that there had been past U.S. sales of advanced aircraft to Arab countries over Israeli objections. Israel initially voiced misgivings about the UAE getting F-35s. The Netanyahu government dropped these on Friday after Defence Minister Benny Gantz returned from Washington with new U.S. security guarantees for Israel. There has been speculation in Israeli media that the Trump administration could hold out the F-35 as an inducement for Qatar to normalise ties with Israel. Qatar has ruled out such a diplomatic move without a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Wall Street week ahead: More US companies offer earnings guidance despite pandemic neW YORK agencies

With earnings season in full swing, more companies are again offering earnings guidance, signaling to investors that some corporations are adapting to uncertainty about a global pandemic that may extend deep into next year.

Overall, 73 companies in the S&P 500 index have offered guidance this quarter so far, up from last quarter’s 65 pre-announcements but well below the 170 companies that typically offer guidance, according to Refinitiv data. The companies offering guidance are giving the most bullish expectations in Refinitiv data going back to 1997.

“If a company is able to offer guidance it shows that they’re able to have a better idea of what’s coming down the road,” said Charlie Ripley, senior investment strategist at Allianz Investment Management.

The market has been buffeted by crosscurrents related to the looming Nov. 3 U.S. presidential election, drawn out fiscal stim-

ulus talks in Washington and a resurgent pandemic. Still, investors appear more hopeful in recent months.

Fifty percent of high net worth U.S. investors surveyed by UBS Global Wealth Management voiced optimism on the economy, up

from 41% three months prior, with 55% optimistic on stocks, up from 44%. The S&P 500 index is up nearly 7% year to date, including a 2.2% gain since the start of October.

So far this quarter, shares of AT&T Inc T.N, Verizon Communications Inc VZ.N and

Quest Diagnostics Inc DGX.N have rallied after each company gave investors updated guidance on how they expect to fare over the next fiscal year.

“It’s not surprising we’ve had so many beats this quarter because we entered the season with very little guidance,” causing analysts to slash their estimates, said Katie Nixon, chief investment officer at Northern Trust Wealth Management.

“Now we’re seeing how companies expect to be able to navigate through the challenges of the year ahead,” she said.

Investors next week will wade through the busiest period of earnings season so far, with companies ranging from Beyond Meat Inc BYND.O and Microsoft Corp MSFT.O to Pinterest Inc PINS.N scheduled to report results.

Microsoft, in particular, should outperform its conservative guidance thanks to strong PC shipments and growth of its Azure cloud computing platform, said J. Derrick Wood, an analyst at Cowen.

“The set-up feels more compelling as the bar was reset last quarter and as macrocon-

ditions are improving,” he said.

Nearly 86% of companies that have reported earnings so far have beat analyst expectations, a rate 20 percentage points higher than the average beat rate since 1994, according to Refinitiv data.

Still, investors like Nixon say they are looking past beat rates and focusing on companies that can improve or maintain measures such as refinancing debt, raising cash, and controlling costs regardless of the pandemic’s trajectory or a breakthrough in stimulus talks.

The White House and congressional Democrats remain in negotiations for another coronavirus relief bill, though Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has signaled he may not bring the bill to the floor until after the election.

Companies in the S&P 500 index are likely to post average earnings growth rates of up to 25% next year as they bounce off of prior-year comparisons during the worst of the economic lockdowns, said Steve Chiavarone, a portfolio manager at Federated Hermes.

Monday, 26 October, 2020

SPORTS 11

MotoGP teruel: Morbidelli wins as Mir strenGthens chaMPionshiP lead

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AGENCIES

RANCO Morbidelli eased to his second MotoGP victory from Alex Rins in the Teruel Grand Prix to strengthen his championship charge, while Joan Mir extended his points lead in third.

Morbidelli’s superb Sunday came as both factory counterparts Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo struggled to seventh and eighth respectively, while Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso could only salvage 13th from 17th on the grid.

Takaaki Nakagami got his Honda into the lead from pole despite running wide at the first corner, with Morbidelli and Rins tucking in behind the LCR rider.

But the Japanese rider’s hopes of a dream Teruel GP were dashed at Turn 5 when he crashed, releasing Morbidelli into the lead, with Johann Zarco moving up third on the Avintia Ducati. Petronas SRT’s Morbidelli and Rins were quick to break away from Zarco, while Honda’s Alex Marquez began to make forward momentum on his hard front tyre - the only rider to pick that option - by relegating a struggling Quartararo to seventh.

Marquez’s charge for a third-straight podium came to an end at Turn 2 on lap 14 when he crashed out of fifth. The gap between the top two and Zarco was over seven tenths by the fourth lap, with Rins unable to use the early grip advantage from his soft front tyre to get

ahead of Morbidelli.

Morbidelli kept his gap to Rins steady at around half a second in the early stages and would begin to ease further away as his medium front and rear tyre held its life.

By lap 18, Morbidelli’s lead was stabilised at seven tenths, with this gap extending to over a second in the final four tours to force Rins to surrender his charge.

Morbidelli went to the grid pre-race on the soft rear tyre, but made a last-minute change to the medium and it paid dividends as he came under no threat to win by over two seconds. Mir jumped up from 12th to fifth on the

opening lap, with the Suzuki rider cutting through to third ahead of Zarco on lap 11. But the Suzuki rider was already 2.6s behind his team-mate Rins and Morbidelli in the lead, and was unable to close down the gap. However, another third at Aragon was still good enough for him to extend his championship lead to 14 points over Quartararo, while Morbidelli’s win puts him 25 points off Mir. SRT rider Quartararo was on the same combination of tyres as team-mate Morbidelli, but had no pace to run with the leaders and was forced into a race of damage limitation. The Frenchman crossed the line in eighth behind Vinales, whose deficit in the championship now stands at 19. Vinales lost out late on to Miguel Oliveira on the Tech3 KTM, who missed out on taking fifth from Zarco on the run to the line by just 0.038s.

Oliveira ensured two KTM’s made it into the top six after Pol Espargaro charged through to fourth, while Iker Lecuona aggressively seized ninth on his Tech3 RC16 to match the best result of his rookie campaign.

Danilo Petrucci completed the top 10 on the leading factory Ducati ahead of Cal Crutchlow (LCR) and Honda’s Stefan Bradl, who beat Dovizioso in the closing stages after the Italian ran wide at Turn 8 on lap 17. Dovizioso’s struggles mean he is now 28 points behind Mir, with Rins four points further back in sixth with three rounds to go. Tito Rabat (Avintia) and Bradley Smith took the final points, while a late mechanical drama for Aleix Espargaro - who

SCORECARD MOtOGP tERuEl GRAnD PRix - 23 lAP POS....RiDER ..............................................tEAM.........................................GAP 1 ..........FRAnCO MORbiDElli ..................PEtROnASYAMAhA ...............41M47.652S 2 .........AlEx RinS......................................Suzuki.....................................2.205S 3 .........JOAn MiR........................................Suzuki.....................................5.376S 4 .........POl ESPARGARO ..........................ktM...........................................10.299S 5 .........JOhAnn zARCO............................AvintiA DuCAti .....................12.915S 6 .........MiGuEl OlivEiRA .........................tECh3 ktM .............................12.953S 7 .........MAvERiCk vinAlES......................YAMAhA ...................................14.262S 8 .........FAbiO QuARtARARO.....................PEtROnAS YAMAhA ..............14.720S 9 .........ikER lECuOnA ..............................tECh3 ktM .............................17.177S 10........DAnilO PEtRuCCi........................DuCAti .....................................19.519S 11 .........CAl CRutChlOw.........................lCR hOnDA.............................19.708S 12........StEFAn bRADl..............................hOnDA .....................................20.591S 13 ........AnDREA DOviziOSO ....................DuCAti .....................................22.222S 14........titO RAbAt....................................AvintiA DuCAti .....................26.496S 15........bRADlEY SMith ...........................APRiliA ....................................31.816S - ..........AlEix ESPARGARO .......................APRiliA ....................................REtiREMEnt - ..........AlEx MARQuEz ............................hOnDA .....................................REtiREMEnt - ..........FRAnCESCO bAGnAiA .................PRAMAC DuCAti ....................REtiREMEnt - ..........tAkAAki nAkAGAMi.....................lCR hOnDA.............................REtiREMEnt - ..........bRAD binDER ................................ktM...........................................REtiREMEnt - ..........JACk MillER..................................PRAMAC DuCAti ....................REtiREMEnt

was hounding Quartararo for eighth having mugged Dovizioso for ninth on lap 17 - ruled him out. Francesco Bagnaia compounded a miserable day for Pramac with a mechanical-induced retirement, after team-mate Jack Miller was wiped out by KTM’s Brad Binder on the opening lap.

Hamilton takes record-breaking 92nd win Man United, Chelsea show why Premier with dominant drive in Portuguese GP League title challenge is likely beyond them AGENCIES

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton has become the most successful driver in terms of victories in Formula 1 history, after a dominant display at the Portuguese Grand Prix saw him claim his 92nd victory from team mate Valtteri Bottas and the Red Bull of Max Verstappen.

Having started from pole position, Hamilton’s victory looked in serious doubt after a dramatic opening lap that saw him get passed by both Bottas and the McLaren of Carlos Sainz – Sainz then taking the lead from Bottas a lap later, as the Mercedes pair struggled to get their medium tyres fired up. Once up to temperature, though, the Mercedes quickly repassed Sainz, while Hamilton was then able to out-drag Bottas on Lap 20 of 66 to take a lead that he would only briefly relinquish in the pits, as he closed out a victory that moves him ahead of Michael Schumacher in the all-time wins list.

Verstappen had had his own dramatic first lap, connecting with Sergio Perez and sending the Mexican spinning, forcing Racing Point into an early pit stop. Both drivers had a strong recovery though, Verstappen eventually climbing back into a comfortable third, while Perez made it up to P7 – the Mexican passed in the latter stages by Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc backed up his stunning P4 in qualifying with the same position in the race, Ferrari appearing to have cracked their recent race pace issues with a strong performance from the Monegasque. He finished ahead of the AlphaTauri of Gasly – the Frenchman driving an excellent race to take fifth – and one-time race leader Sainz in sixth.

The top 10 was rounded out by the Renault pair of Esteban Ocon and Daniel Ricciardo, while a solid recovery from Sebastian Vettel gave him the final pointspaying position in the second Ferrari. It was a less-happy day for Racing Point’s Lance Stroll, however, the Canadian colliding with McLaren’s Lando Norris at Turn 1, before receiving a pair of five-second penalties for both the contact and track limits infringements, before Racing Point retired his car. Despite all that, the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix will be remembered most of all for the moment where Lewis Hamilton became Formula 1’s most successful driver of all time in terms of victories – a mighty record that came after yet another mighty drive from the six-time World Champion.

AS IT HAPPENED: The 20 drivers lined up on the Portimao grid beneath threatening clouds, and with an uncertain first lap in prospect, with many complaints of low grip coming over the airwaves during the drivers’ reconnaissance laps. That lack of grip would play out in extraordinary fashion on Lap 1.

With the clouds starting to spit drizzle, the medium-shod Bottas struggled off the line on the dirty side of the track, with Verstappen instantly outdragging him and tucking in behind Hamilton, as behind there were strong starts for Sergio Perez, Carlos Sainz and Kimi Raikkonen – the Finn jumping up 10 places to P6 at one point on Lap 1. Bottas has been robust on opening laps recently, though, and he muscled Verstappen off the track at Turn 3 to retake P2. The Dutchman got himself back on the circuit but moved onto Perez’s line, turning the Racing Point around – his second contact with one of the team’s cars this weekend – forcing the Mexican to pit, with the stewards ruling the collision as standard first lap fare.

The drama was far from over, though.

Leader Hamilton couldn’t seem to get any heat into his medium tyres on Lap 1, and had big oversteer moment going through Turn 7. The cameras duly picked up Bottas driving past his team mate for the lead so easily it looked briefly as though Hamilton had an issue. Hamilton’s woes were then compounded by Sainz, who’d benefitted from Verstappen and Perez’s crash to take third, and was then able to nip past Hamilton as well, having more easily fired up his soft tyres.

All that meant that at the end of the first lap, the order was: Bottas, Sainz, Hamilton, Lando Norris (who’d also had a good opening tour), the recovering Verstappen, Leclerc (who’d dropped two places from fourth, as he also appeared to struggle with warm-up on his mediums) and Raikkonen in seventh, after his stunning opening.

There were still more incredible scenes to come, though. With Bottas struggling out of Turn 5 on Lap 2, he was passed for the lead by the charging Sainz, whose incredible start-line reactions, helped by his soft tyres, had reaped dividends once again.

Sainz looked to be on borrowed time at the front, though, with Bottas getting back past on Lap 6, Hamilton a lap later and Verstappen a lap after that, the Dutchman having passed Norris beforehand. Norris appeared to be struggling for pace generally, in fact.

Once the race had begun to settle down after the opening fireworks, on Lap 18, the McLaren driver was being sized up by Lance Stroll down the main straight. Stroll was going so quickly, in fact, that he appeared to be surprised by how fast the McLaren came towards him, the Canadian jinking his steering wheel to the left before trying to sweep around the outside into Turn 1.

For the second time this weekend, though, Stroll appeared to misjudge the available space in Turn 1, and once again he found himself spinning into the run-off after hitting an irate Norris – Stroll receiving a five-second time penalty for his actions. A lap later and Hamilton, having now got his mediums working, was all

over the back of Bottas, and duly swept into the lead, easily resisting the Finn’s defence on the main straight to finally get back to the head of the pack – with the reigning champ then quickly gapping Bottas, who was struggling for grip.

With the race then falling into its rhythm, just after the halfway point on Lap 35 of 66, it was Hamilton with an eightsecond lead over Bottas – the Mercedes pair having not yet stopped – and 40s clear of Verstappen, who’d swapped his softs for mediums on Lap 23. Leclerc, who’d pitted a lap before for hards - the Monegasque driving brilliantly after that slow start on the medium tyres - was in P4 and Sergio Perez in fifth, the Mexican having enjoyed a fantastic scrap with his old team mate Esteban Ocon to claim the position, and having done a fine job to climb back up from being last on the opening tour.

Hamilton was called in for new tyres on Lap 40, taking on hards, Mercedes so dominant around Portimao in the first twothirds of the race (after their dodgy start anyway) that Hamilton was able to slot back into P2, 20s clear of Verstappen. Bottas toyed with the idea of extending his stint and taking softs to try to out-strategise his team mate, but ended up taking hards as well on Lap 41. Stroll’s afternoon went from bad to worse when he received another 5s penalty for track limits – a punishment also handed out to Romain Grosjean’s Haas. The two other French drivers in the field were having a better time of it, however, Gasly having driven a brilliant first stint on the softs that saw him climb as high as fourth before his pit stop, while having started 11th, Renault’s Esteban Ocon waited until Lap 53 to make his only stop of the race, emerging in front of his team mate Daniel Ricciardo in eighth.

With five laps to go and the skies threatening, but never delivering, any real rain, Hamilton was 20s clear of Bottas – the only thing blighting Hamilton’s day being a spot of cramp in his right calf muscle – with the order behind them: Verstappen, Leclerc, Perez, Gasly, Sainz, Ocon, Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel – the German having done a steady recovery job from his disappointing P15 in qualifying.

But with only around 10s separating Perez in fifth to Raikkonen in P11, there was still racing to be done. Perez would ultimately lose two places in the closing stages of the race, the Mexican squeezing the attacking Gasly hard down the main straight on Lap 63 before succumbing a lap later, while Carlos Sainz was able to out-drag him a lap after that, demoting Perez down to seventh.

Up at the front, though, Hamilton was untroubled, and he duly eased across the line a full 25.592s seconds – the largest winning margin of the year – up the road from Bottas to secure an incredible 92nd victory, a number Hamilton said after the race he simply couldn’t process.

CMYK

AGENCIES Managers Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Frank Lampard were keen to take the positives after Manchester United and Chelsea played out a 0-0 draw, but for anyone hoping to find out if either club can take advantage of what looks like the most-open Premier League title race in years, there were few answers in the pouring rain at Old Trafford.

This could have been a day for United or Chelsea — third and fourth last season respectively — to put indifferent starts behind them and announce themselves as genuine contenders while other big clubs also stumble, but by its end, this encounter had only served as more evidence they remain works in progress. United had the better chances and Chelsea probably should have had a penalty, but there was very little on show to scare the rest of the top flight.

After an unpredictable start to the campaign that has already seen games in which champions Liverpool concede seven and Man City allow five, while Everton, Aston Villa,, Leeds and Crystal Palace race towards the top of the table, Solskjaer and Lampard should have title ambitions.

That both are playing down their chances says everything about where their teams are in terms of development. Ask them now whether they would take a top four finish come May and they would likely accept with glee. “I think obviously there are two good teams out there and some quality defenders,” said Solskjaer. “All in all it was an even game but I felt if there was going to be a winner it was going to be us.” Solskjaer also spoke about United’s week as a whole, with wins at Newcastle and Paris Saint-Germain coming in the past seven days. It was, he argued, important to kick on after big results.

“The last time after we beat PSG [in 2019] we struggled big time. We lost to Arsenal, went 12 games without a win and probably didn’t deserve to win any. We got a point on the board against a good team.”

Lampard was similarly philosophical.

“It is clearly going to take time, no worries, it didn’t happen for us today,” the Chelsea boss said. “We got in nice areas but didn’t have the usual little spark. I will take the positives. At times we had control but not penetration.” It would have been embarrassing for United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward if, at the end of a week in which he brushed off Chelsea’s summer transfer business as “an outlier,” one of Lampard’s new signings had proved the difference.

Fortunately for Woodward it was goalkeeper Edouard Mendy — a £21 million

signing from Rennes — who was in the spotlight after making two good saves from Marcus Rashford, one in stoppage time, and another from Juan Mata. Still, the difference in the makeup of the two starting XIs was striking. While Lampard showed off Chelsea’s £222m summer investment with five new recruits in his team and another on the bench, Solskjaer picked a team made up entirely of players who were at United last season, with Edinson Cavani and Donny van de Beek — as well as Paul Pogba — among the substitutes. It is a mystery why Van de Beek cannot get into the team and he did not get off the bench here, but Cavani played the last 32 minutes and would have had a dream debut if, with his first touch, a clever flick from Bruno Fernandes’ low cross had not flashed the wrong side of the post.

“Cavani’s got clever movements, he’s an experienced centre-forward and the more we get the ball in and around the box to him the better,” Solskjaer said. “He’s been out for a little but he’s gonna give us a lot. He’s come in, had a great influence on the training ground already but we know he needs gametime to get his sharpness.” At the other end, Chelsea managed just one shot on target and David de Gea did not have to make a meaningful save. The clean sheet pleased Solskjaer, particularly given his side conceded six against Tottenham when they last played at home; United also managed to avoid losing their first three home league games for the first time since 1930. But at the other end, the home side could not score against a team that had conceded more league goals away from home than any other team since the start of last season and for whom this was just a second clean sheet in 22 league games away from Stamford Bridge. “We didn’t create too many chances,” said Solskjaer, who asked his players to be more consistent ahead of the game. They were not beaten, but it is still the case that you do not know what you are going to get each time United line up.

Chelsea’s best chance should have come from the penalty spot in the first half, but VAR Stuart Attwell decided there was nothing wrong with Harry Maguire’s wrestling manoeuvre on Cesar Azpilicueta. “I thought it was a clear penalty,” Lampard said. “It’s a hard call for the referee on the pitch. VAR was very quick to dismiss it. He should have asked the referee to look at the monitor and he would have seen the headlock.” That the final whistle left both managers to talk about half chances and penalty appeals said everything about how the game had gone. Indeed, that neither was even asked about the title race, as open as it is, was just as damning.

Monday, 26 October, 2020

PRAyER TIMINGS

NEWS

MIDDle eASTerN, ASIAN eCoNoMIeS To reCover fUlly IN A DeCADe: IMf WASHINGTON

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AGENCIES

HE Covid-19 pandemic may inflict deeper economic pain for countries of the Middle East and Central Asia than previous recessions, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned.

In its latest regional outlook report published earlier this week, the IMF revised downwards its forecast for economic recovery in the Middle East and Central Asia. According to new data, the regions are set to face a 4.1 percent contraction this year – 1.3 percentage points worse than the body projected in April.

Both oil-exporting countries, whose revenues rely on energy sales, and oil im-

porters, which saw a dramatic decline in service and tourism sectors, will feel the economic impact from the Covid-19 outbreak, according to the report. However, energy producing countries are projected to be hit harder as they face a “doublewhammy” of the economic impact of lockdowns and the resulting sharp decline in oil demand and prices. The threat of economic scarring, which is defined as longterm losses to growth, employment, and incomes, remains a key concern for the regions’ future as the crisis exacerbated preexisting vulnerabilities. According to the Washington-based organization, fiscal deficits and debt of many nationals have increased by amounts not seen in two decades, making them more vulnerable to a resurgence of the virus.

“The coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic may inflict a deeper and more persistent economic impact than previous recessions in the Middle East and Central Asia (MCD) region did, as the unique characteristics of a global pandemic shock collided with long-standing vulnerabilities in the region,” the report reads.

By 2025, regional economies could be 12 percent below levels implied by pre-crisis trends, the IMF predicted. Given the developments, real gross domestic product (GDP) in the region could remain below pre-crisis trends for at least a decade, it added.

Despite those “stark” challenges and coronavirus uncertainties, the IMF says it sees a path forward. “I think what is important for the region going forward is we

now have a situation where it’s clear that diversifying the economy is the best way to get out of this crisis,” Jihad Azour, director of the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia department, told CNBC. Oil market recovery remains one of the key factors for oil exporters’ future.

While crude prices have rebounded from their historic lows recorded in March of this year, international benchmark Brent crude is still trading nearly 40 percent below pre-pandemic levels. The IMF doesn’t expect oil prices to significantly rise in the near future, predicting them to stay in the range between $40 to $50 a barrel in 2021. This may not be enough for some regional leaders, such as Saudi Arabia, to balance its budget as it needs the prices to be nearly twice as high.

FAJR SUNRISE

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Sudan says it will discuss trade, migration deals with Israel Sudan and Israel will discuss agreements to cooperate on trade and migration issues in the coming weeks, the Sudanese foreign ministry said on Sunday, signalling steps to implement a normalisation pact after decades of hostilities. Israel for its part said it will send wheat worth $5 million to “our new friends of Sudan”, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office tweeted. The U.S.brokered accord made Khartoum the third Arab government after the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to establish relations with Israel in the last two months, and only the fifth since 1948. But prominent political factions in Sudan have rejected the accord.

Some Sudanese officials have said it should be approved by a transitional parliament that has yet to be formed over a year after mass unrest ousted Islamist autocrat Omar al-Bashir.

Khartoum’s foreign ministry said Sudanese and Israeli delegations would meet in coming weeks to negotiate deals for agriculture, aviation, trade and migration. It gave no details or timeframe for the talks. The normalisation deal is sensitive in Sudan, formerly a hardline critic of Israel, dividing opinion among military and civilian leaders heading a post-Bashir transition. The Sudanese premier wants approval from a yet-to-be formed parliament to proceed with a broader, formal normalisation, and that may not be a quick process given civilian-military differences over the opening to Israel. It remains unclear when the assembly will be constituted as part of the transition towards free elections. Sudan has received the first batch of wheat of a grant from the UAE, amounting to 67,000 tonnes, state news agency SUNA said. Sudan has received an initial cargo of 67,000 tonnes of wheat in aid from the United Arab Emirates to be allocated to mills in Khartoum and other states, state news agency SUNA said on Sunday. SUNA also said that it was in talks with the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) for another shipment of 40,000 tonnes of wheat. AGENCIES

Global trade to take major hit with Covid-19 resurgence: UNCTAD

LAHORE: A view of Orange Line Metro Train's station.

The project was inaugurated by Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Sunday. ZUBAIR MEHFOOZ

UN mission in Afghanistan strongly condemns deadly bomb attack on Kabul college UNITED NATIONS AGENCIES

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has expressed “deep revulsion” at the killing on Saturday night of at least 24 people and injuring of dozens of others in a suicide attack outside an education centre.

Many of the dead and wounded were children, said UNAMA, “in a deliberate targeted attack at a Kabul college – a callous and senseless war crime”, the mission said in messages posted to its Twitter account.

UNAMA offered its condolences to the families of the victims, saying, “Those responsible for the crime must be held to account. Their violence must not be allowed to win. Everyone must re-double efforts to stem recent vio-

lence, especially that impacting Afghanistan’s civilians, and refocus on talks to bring about a political settlement.”

The terrorist group ISIL/Da’esh has reportedly said it was behind the attack on the private education facility, where a suicide attacker detonated an explosive vest, after seeking to gain entry to the college.

The Taliban has denied any involvement in the attack.

The attack follows on from other violent incidents in recent weeks, some of which have been carried out by Taliban fighters, despite the start of historic peace talks involving the group and government negotiators, a few weeks ago, in the Qatari capital Doha. Talks are reportedly stalled as the two sides attempt to reach agreement over the rules for moving on to substantive negotiations.

The head of UNAMA and UN Special Representative

for Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, said in a tweet on Sunday that “at time when Afghans should feel hopeful, the horrific rise in violence, particularly in the last few weeks, erodes this spirit. Those responsible for the violence need to know that neither the Afghans nor their regional and international partners will let hope fade.”

Last Monday, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned an indiscriminate attack on provincial police headquarters in the province of Ghor, which claimed the lives of at least 13 and injured dozens of civilians.

There have been other brutal attacks on educational facilities during the years of conflict in Afghanistan, including an attack which the ISIL terrorist group, said it carried out in August 2018, claimed close to 50 lives, most of them Kabul students studying for university entrance exams.

NEW YORK: The coronavirus crisis is set to cut the volume of global trade by seven to nine percent in 2020 compared to the previous year, a United Nations trade body has said, warning of still uncertain recovery prospects. The third quarter brought some relief for international trade, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in its latest report released on Wednesday. The textiles sector, as well as sales of home office equipment and medical supplies, enjoyed the strongest growth over the period, while the automotive and energy sectors were still plunging, according to the UNCTAD’s data.

Global trade was down 4.5 percent in JulySeptember compared to the same period a year ago. This follows a steep 19-percent year-onyear plunge recorded in the second quarter, when most countries enforced strict lockdowns to contain the spread of Covid-19. According to the UNCTAD’s assessment, trade volume can continue closing the gap with their precrisis levels this year. In the last quarter of 2020, it is expected to be three percent less year-on-year. However, the trade body warns that if the coronavirus outbreak intensifies again in the coming months, leading to a “sudden increase in trade restrictive policies,” international trade may continue its nosedive.

The recent rebound was supported by strong growth in Chinese exports, as the world’s second largest economy accelerated its recovery from the crisis. China’s outbound shipments rose nearly 10 percent in the third quarter, the UNCTAD said. AGENCIES

TPNW to enter into force in 90 days despite US opposition: UN NEW YORK AGENCIES

Fifty countries have ratified an international treaty to ban nuclear weapons, the United Nations has announced, allowing the “historic” text to enter into force in 90 days.

Honduras became the 50th country to ratify the landmark Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), the UN said on Saturday, in a move hailed by anti-nuclear activists but strongly opposed by the United States and the other major nuclear powers. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres commended the 50 states and

saluted “the instrumental work” of civil society in facilitating negotiations and pushing for ratification, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Saturday.

The UN chief said the treaty’s entry into force on January 22, 2021, crowns a worldwide movement “to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons” and “is a tribute to the survivors of nuclear explosions and tests, many of whom advocated for this treaty”.

According to Dujarric, Guterres also said the treaty “represents a meaningful commitment towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons, which remains the highest

disarmament priority of the United Nations”.

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize-winning coalition whose work helped spearhead the nuclear ban treaty, called the development a “historic milestone”. “This moment has been 75 years coming since the horrific attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the founding of the UN which made nuclear disarmament a cornerstone,” said Beatrice Fihn, executive director of ICAN. “The 50 countries that ratify this Treaty are showing true leadership in setting a new international norm that nuclear weapons are not just immoral but illegal,” she said.

The 50th ratification came on the 75th anniversary of UN Day, commemorating the ratification of the Charter of the United Nations, which officially established the UN. “The United Nations was formed to promote peace with a goal of the abolition of nuclear weapons,” Fihn said. “This treaty is the UN at its best – working closely with civil society to bring democracy to disarmament.”

The treaty requires that all ratifying countries “never under any circumstances … develop, test, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.” It also bans any transfer or use of nu-

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clear weapons or nuclear explosive devices – as well as threatening to use such weapons – and requires parties to promote the treaty to other countries.

Once it enters into force, all countries that have ratified it will be bound by those requirements. The group of nuclear-armed states, including Britain, China, France, Russia and the US, have not signed the treaty. However, campaigners hope that it coming into force will have the same impact as previous international treaties on landmines and cluster munitions, bringing a stigma to their stockpiling and use, and thereby a change in behaviour even in countries that did not sign up.