EpaperISB_20-11-18

Saturday, 14 November, 2020 I 27 Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 135 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition

PM vows to uPlift Balochistan, announces Mega develoPMent Package g

Imran announces 4G servIces, naya PakIstan HousInG scHeme for BalocHIstan

TURbaT

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Staff report

rIme minister Imran khan on friday, vowing to bring the Balochistan at par with other areas of the country, announced a mega development package for the provision of basic facilities like electricity, gas, water, Internet, etc. in its nine southern districts.

“I have not come here on a political trip, or to ask for votes, or announce the projects for clapping. But as it is my faith that any country or nation cannot progress without taking care of the backward and downtrodden, I vow and will fully strive to bring this province at par with other areas of the country,” he said while addressing the elders of southern Balochistan. the prime minister said that Balochistan lagged behind due to the fact that Punjab, sindh and khyber Pakhtunkhwa (kP) had maximum population and the major political parties did not need votes of that province to form a government at federal level. moreover, he said, unfortunately the

political leaders from Balochistan in the past, like others throughout the country, also thought of their personal interests instead of thinking for the people of their respective areas. “there had been a prime minister and a president (in the past), who made more trips of london and Dubai respectively, than Balochistan,” Imran khan remarked. the prime minister said that despite the reduction of rs900 billion in revenue collection due to closure of economic activities in the wake of covid-19 pandemic, his government had come up with a development package for the southern Balochistan.

Besides other things, he said, some 500,000 people in the southern Balochistan would be provided with the facility of 4G Internet connectivity under the package. It would particularly benefit the youth in the era of Information technology, he added. the prime minister also announced the naya Pakistan Housing scheme for southern Balochistan. under the scheme, he said, homeless, poor and low-income salaried people would be provided with the financing facility at a mere 5 per cent mark-up for

coronavirus in

Pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

352,296

LAST UPDATED AT 7:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 13, 2020

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

37

RECOVERED:

NEW CASES:

2,304 DEATHS:

321,563 7,092 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

153,051

108,822

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

41,472

16,274

5,139/4,416 23,122

the construction of their own houses.

He said that in the past Balochistan was not given the attention, it deserved. the main reason behind the success of riasate-madina, the first welfare state in the world, was improving the lot of poor and weaker segments of the society, he added.

Pm Imran said that china, which pulled its 700 million people out of poverty in 30 years, launched the china-Pakistan economic corridor (cPec) project to ensure the development its less developed southern parts. the chinese leadership realised the fact that any country could not progress through the development of a smaller segment of people or areas but only by taking the whole nation along, he added. the prime minister said that the country was like a home which could only prosper when all its inmates moved forward together. “the prime minister is like a father and he should strive to take all the people along,” he remarked. He said that cPec, through its connectivity with Gwadar, would equally benefit Pakistan and Balochistan. the premier said with china, having an annual trade of us$2,000 billion and progressing fast to become a superpower in the world, Pakistan was fortunate to have its connectivity for the benefit of whole country, including Balochistan. talking about the country’s economic situation, he said despite the effects of covid-19, which had hit India badly in economic terms, as well as the fiscal and current account deficits his government inherited, Pakistan had come out of the difficult situation and its economic indicators were positive.

He said that under the ehsaas Poverty reduction programme, billions of rupees were being disbursed to check poverty. the prime minister said that with the current account recorded in surplus after 17 years, no increase in debt during the last four months, well performing stock market – best in asia, the country’s economy was on the right track.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

5 Pakistanis martyred in Indian firing across LoC Islamabad Staff report

five people was killed in azad Jammu and kashmir (aJk) and three others sustained injuries in firing by Indian troops from across the restive line of control (loc), the military’s media wing said on friday.

Indian army troops targeted the civilian population living in rakhchikri and khanjar sectors along the loc using rockets and mortars, the Inter-services Public relations (IsPr) said on twitter. the ceasefire violation targeting tari Band and samahni villages led to the death of one citizen and left three civilians, including two women, injured.

“Pakarmy responded effectively, targeting Indian army posts,” the IsPr said. meanwhile, senate Deputy chairman saleem mandviwala, who was supposed to visit the loc on friday, said he was forced to cancel his visit due to relentless Indian shelling. In a statement, mandviwala, who is currently visiting aJk, said he was also scheduled to meet the prime minister and president of aJk but the meeting was postponed mandviwala said Indian troops were carrying out “intense shelling” and had also targeted civilian homes and a mosque.

Main suspect in the Kashmore gang-rape case shot dead, police announce rafique malak, the prime suspect in the kashmore gangrape case wherein multiple men sexually abused a mother and child, has been killed, ssP amjad ali shaikh confirmed on friday. larkana Deputy Inspector General nasir aftab also confirmed the news, who added that malak was shot dead by an accomplice as police drove him to one of the various suspected locations of khairullah Bugti that he had identified earlier. they said that he was taken along on the raid because he told them about Bugti’s location during the interrogation. as security officers reached the rD-09 police station near Bakhshapur, Bugti opened fire at them from his hideout and killed rafiq. Police were able to detain the second suspect, shaikh said, and recovered weapons from his possession. the ssP confirmed that malak lost his life in the attack and that a police officer was also injured. terrorism charges have now been added to the charge-sheet. earlier in the day, the kashmore police arrested a second

suspect in the gang-rape of a mother and her four-year-old daughter. the second arrest was also confirmed by ssP amjad shaikh. He said that Bugti was arrested in Balochistan’s sui, where he fled after the rape. malak was already in custody and had confessed to heinous crime.

In other developments in the case, the four-year-old victim’s condition has become critical once again and she was initially shifted from the chandka medical Hospital in larkana to the children Hospital’s emergency Ward and later shifted via ambulance to karachi. she is being shifted to the aga khan university Hospital with her mother, according to the cmH administration. earlier, an additional district and sessions court in kashmore had granted sindh police a three-day physical remand of the suspect. the woman and her fouryear-old daughter were allegedly gang-raped by a gang on tuesday after being called on the offer of a job in kashmore. reports suggest the woman was called in from karachi for a

job but when she reached there with her daughter, the assaulters allegedly gang-raped them and left them there for dead. the fIr says that the woman was offered a job on october 25. she traveled there with the men and her four-year-old. the men then detained the pair at malak’s residence in kashmore and gang-raped the woman. they then released her but kept her daughter, telling her to bring the woman who was with her during their meeting at the hospital in exchange for the child. they threatened to murder her daughter if the woman did not comply. the woman approached the police in kashmore, who conducted a raid at malak’s residence, leading to the arrest. malak had confessed to the crime after being arrested. another report citing sources said that the victim duo was subsequently sold off to some buyer where the police recovered them in a sensitive state. the mother and daughter are now being provided with security, the larkana district administration confirmed.

“this is not even shelling, but India is throwing bombs,” he said, adding that the residents of neelum valley were becoming victims of “Indian army’s terrorism”. regretting the deaths of civilians, he urged the international community to take notice of Indian “aggression” and “statesponsored terrorism”. the heavily militarised loc that splits the disputed Himalayan region of kashmir has been witnessing skirmishes and artillery duels in a serious breach of a truce agreement that the rival armies had signed in november 2003. last month, Pakistan’s Permanent representative to the united nations ambassador munir akram had told the united nations that India’s aggressive policies and military posture posed an “immediate and pervasive threat” to international peace and security. addressing the united nations General assembly (unGa) first committee on disarmament and international security, akram said Indian forces continued to resort to artillery and small arms fire every day along the loc, targeting innocent civilians on Pakistan’s side. “there were over 3,000 ceasefire violations in 2019 and over 2,400 this year so far.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

more inside

Nawaz continues to attack military leaders in Swat rally STORY ON PAGE 03

PtI approaches court against safdar’s fIr being declared ‘fake’ STORY ON PAGE 02

Bilawal says stopping GB campaign is ‘a violation of our constitutional rights’ STORY ON PAGE 03

us election officials say ‘no evidence’ of compromised votes STORY ON BACK PAGE

02

Saturday, 14 November, 2020

NEWS

Coronavirus kills 37 in 24 hours: nCoC ISLAMABAD

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TLTP

NOTHER 2,304 new coronavirus cases and 37 more deaths have been reported during the past 24 hours in the country, said the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Friday.

According to the NCOC, the tally of deaths reached 7,092 in Pakistan, whereas the number of active cases of Covid-19 reached up to 23,641 and the total count of infections stood at 352,296. 1,219 patients are in critical condition due to the virus.

A total of 36,923 tests were conducted during the last 24 hours and the country has so far carried out 4,847,105 tests.

Meanwhile, 714 more patients recovered from the virus, whereas the total number of recoveries stands at 321,563 patients.

In Punjab, Covid-19 has claimed more than seventeen lives and infected 601

people during the last 24 hours in Punjab.

According to a spokesperson of the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department, 17 more patients succumbed to the deadly virus in 24 hours, surging the death toll to 2,455 in the province.

He maintained that the province reported 601 new cases of Covid-19, taking the overall tally of people infected with the pandemic to 108,822.

The highest number of cases were reported in Lahore, where 245 new infections emerged, while 102 in Rawalpindi, 47 in Multan, 23 in Bakhar, DG Khan 12, Khanewal 13 and 18 cases were registered in Faisalabad during the last 24 hours. Out of 108,822 total number of Covid-19 patients, 97,692 have recovered their health in Punjab so far.

The Punjab government has imposed smart lockdown in various localities of Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi after a sharp increase in coronavirus cases.

In Lahore, smart lockdown has been imposed in New Muslim Town C Block, Iqbal Town Raza Block, Sikandar Block and Umar Block, Garden Town, Cavalry Ground, DHA Phase One A and Phase 6.

In Multan, areas including Naqshband Colony, Gulgasht Colony, Mepco Colony, Khawaja Abad, Multan Kutcheri and Saadat Colony have been put under smart lockdown.

Meanwhile, Fauji Foundation, University New Lalazar, Girls High School Kahuta are also under smart lockdown slapped by the Punjab government.

According to the spokesperson, all medical services, laboratories and pharmacies will remain open 24 hours in the province. Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid on Friday urged masses to wear face masks amid the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the province. “The situation can go out of control if precautionary measures are neglected”, she said.

Dr Yasmin Rashid said that they had overcome the virus cases in Punjab province after hectic efforts and any lapse or negligence during implementation upon the SOPs could ruin all such measures.

The minister said that 600 areas of Punjab are under smart lockdown currently after a sharp increase in the Covid-19 cases. Patients diagnosed with the Covid19 are being admitted to different hospitals of the province.

Meanwhile, a Saudi-Arabia-bound passenger was offloaded from the flight at Islamabad International airport after he was found Covid-19 positive.

As per details, a passenger named Shahzaib was denied boarding to Jeddahbound international flight PA-210 from Islamabad airport after his Covid-19 test report was found positive during checking by the staff of the airlines. The airport sources said that the passenger was sent home for quarantine.

Fo rejects india’s gratuitous remarks for minorities in Pakistan ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has categorically rejected the gratuitous remarks of the spokesperson of Indian Ministry of External Affairs regarding the state of minorities in Pakistan as well as baseless oft-repeated allegations regarding terrorism. In a statement on Friday, Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said that India is perpetrating unabated state terrorism in the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and systematic state sponsored discrimination against its own minorities. Therefore, India is in no position to pontificate on the issue of terrorism or minority rights elsewhere, he added. The spokesperson said that the fabricated accusations by India will not turn a falsehood into truth and such desperate attempts will not succeed in diverting attention from India’s domestic and foreign policy failures. He said that these will further undermine India’s credibility as a responsible country.

Zahid said that India must eschew the use of state-terrorism as an instrument of state policy, end its egregious violations of human rights of the Kashmiri people in IOK, resolve the Jammu & Kashmir dispute according to United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and take concrete steps to safeguard the minorities including their right to life and protection of their places of worship. STAFF REPORT

The federal government approached a Karachi court on Friday against the Sindh police’s earlier recommendation of declaring the first information report (FIR) in the charge sheet against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Captain (r) Safdar Awan as “fake”.

This move from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) comes after the FIR that had been registered against Safdar for violating the sanctity of the Quaid’s mausoleum had been declared fake by the Karachi police on Monday.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and Sindh Assembly lawmaker Jam Madad Ali passed after from complications due to Covid19 in a private hospital in Karachi on Friday.

The 57-year-old MPA had contracted the disease a few weeks ago, according to his family, and had been receiving treatment for the virus. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari expressed his sorrow over the loss, saying it was “huge loss for the party and the people of his constituency”. Similarly, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah expressed his condolences, and called Madad an “exemplary human being and good friend”. President Arif Alvi also extended condolences on Ali’s demise in a tweet and prayed for his family. Jam Madad Ali formerly belonged to the Pakistan Muslim LeagueFunctional but had later crossed over to the PPP. Just one day ago, Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice Waqar Seth had passed away due to the disease. NEWS DESK

PhC CJ Justice seth laid to rest PESHAWAR TLTP

LAHORE: Policemen stand alert to maintain law and order in Sikandar Block of Iqbal Town where the authorities have imposed a smart lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus. ZUBAIR MEHFOOZ

PTI approaches court against Safdar's FIR being declared 'fake' NEWS DESK

PPP leader Jam madad Passes away due to Covid-19

An investigation by the police revealed that the complainant, Waqas Khan, the nephew of PTI leader Haleem Adil Sheikh, was not in the vicinity of Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s mausoleum at the time of the supposed incident.

According to the FIR lodged by Waqas Khan, Safdar Awan, his wife and cohorts violated the sanctity of the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah by creating a ruckus inside and chanting fiery slogans.

Earlier, district public prosecutor Zainab Hamirani and deputy public prosecutor Arif Sitai, in the scrutiny note, had said that there was insufficient evidence for the

establishment of offences. The military on Tuesday had said that the officials of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Sindh Rangers involved in the noisy arrest and subsequent release of Safdar Awan had been suspended for acting “overzealously”.

A petition against the bail of the PML-N leader in the case pertaining to slogan-mongering inside the mausoleum was filed on Wednesday at a district and sessions court in the metropolis. The petition has been fixed for hearing on November 18.

The PML-N leader had arrived in Karachi a day before his arrest as part of the party’s caravan to

The funeral prayer of Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice Waqar Ahmed Seth was offered at Peshawar’s Karnal Sher Khan Stadium on Friday under strict security measures. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, Peshawar Corps Commander Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood, judges, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president, lawyers and other notable persons attended the funeral.

Later, he was laid to rest. PHC CJ Seth passed away on Thursday. He was 59. Justice Seth had tested positive for the coronavirus on October 22 and was subsequently admitted to a hospital in Peshawar, the spokesperson said. He was later shifted to Kulsoom International Hospital in Islamabad where he succumbed to the deadly illness earlier in the day, the spokesperson said. participate in the second public gathering of the Pakistan Democratic Movement, the 11-party anti-government alliance of major opposition parties, including the Pakistan People’s Party.

At the time, the complainant had said that he had tried to stop him from doing so but Safdar “got out of control” and started threatening him and his fellows that he would kill them. He added that Safdar later damaged government property before leaving the site with his followers. Subsequently, PML-N had claimed the personnel of Sindh Rangers “kidnapped” Sindh police chief Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar to “force” police into arresting Safdar. A short while after, an audio clip — purportedly of Muhammad Zubair, spokesperson of PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz — surfaced on the internet, “confirming” the claim.

US election turmoil heightens Afghan uncertainty, but hopefully no more 'fate by Tweet' KABUL AGENCIES

The change in the U.S. administration is expected eventually to bring a steadier troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, officials and analysts said, but the disputed presidential election has heightened uncertainty and could deepen delays in peace talks.

A senior Afghan government official said he was relieved that under U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, the process would likely be clearer and less chaotic.

“A Tweet won’t decide the fate of American troops in Afghanistan,” he said.

Taliban militants, fighting to oust the U.S.-backed government in Kabul, this week called on the United States to stick to a February agreement with the Trump administration to withdraw U.S. troops by May, subject to certain security guarantees. Afghan officials hope

some troops will stay beyond May. Afghan government negotiator Fawzia Koofi agreed the U.S. election, disputed by President Donald Trump, was likely to slow the peace process, but added Biden’s win had given hope that the withdrawal timeline would be based on on-the-ground realities.

“We understand that people close to Joe Biden have a different view about the troop withdrawal,” Koofi told Reuters. “So that will probably give the Afghan government some time to prepare itself because we have been saying an irresponsible withdrawal will (probably) result in the collapse ... of institutions.”

In October, Trump posted a surprise Tweet calling for troops to be home by Christmas, a move welcomed by the Taliban, the same day his national security adviser said troops would number around 2,500 at the start of 2021. U.S. officials are now watching the remaining weeks of Trump’s tenure to see if he makes good on his

campaign promise to end the United States’ “ridiculous endless wars”.

NO NEW GUIDANCE: Ashley Jackson, Co-Director of the Centre for the Study of Armed Groups at the Overseas Development Institute, said the “real issue” was the possibility of delays to the peace process.

“While they deal with other urgent priorities, the Afghan peace process hangs in the balance,” she told Reuters. “Without a strong signal about where this is going from the White House, both sides will continue to hedge their bets ... that could derail the process before its even made much progress.”

Violence has already been rising throughout Afghanistan with the Taliban attacking provincial capitals, in some case prompting U.S. airstrikes, as talks in Qatar’s capital have been dragged out.

Biden’s team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Biden said in a foreign policy

address included on his website he would bring “the vast majority of our troops home from Afghanistan and narrowly focus our mission on Al-Qaeda and ISIS”.

One U.S. official said there had been no new guidance to the Pentagon or State Department on Afghanistan in recent days and it was unclear when senior officials would meet Trump for an update.

In recent weeks, officials have warned that violence in Afghanistan remains too high and a precipitous withdrawal would be dangerous. The United Nations has also said that the Taliban still has ties with al Qaeda.

“We are somewhat concerned about the peace process as president-elect Joe Biden might bring some changes in the U.S. team for Afghanistan but we don’t expect they would scrap the whole process,” one Taliban leader in Doha told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

“We still have the option of war if the new U.S. administration betrays us.”

Saturday, 14 November, 2020

nawaz Continues to attaCk military leaders in swat rally

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NEWS DESK

AKISTAN Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, in spite of the backlash faced after his comments against the military leadership, stuck to his stance and said that he “cannot blame the entire army for the lawlessness of a few individuals”.

The above was said while addressing a public rally in Swat on Friday via video-link.

Once again blaming the army and Inter-Services Intelligence chiefs for allegedly plotting his ouster for the power in 2018, Nawaz said, “When I say that Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and Gen Hameed Faiz should answer why they

‘ONE FINAL PUSH’ TO REMOVE INCUMBENT GOVERNMENT, SAYS MARYAM did this to Pakistan, why they threw Pakistan in a ditch, they say ‘why does Nawaz Sharif take our names?’”

He claimed that the military leaders had formed their own decisions and purposefully placed Nawaz, his brother Shehbaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz, and their party members in jail.

“Our character assassination through media is still underway,” Nawaz added.

Speaking at the rally, PML-N Vice President Maryam continued her sharp rhetoric against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-

Insaf (PTI) government, claiming that the incumbent government was a ‘wall of sand that needs one final push’.

She said that an incompetent government is ruling the country and the selected rulers have put the country’s peace at stake and urged the country’s institutions to withdraw their support of the ruling government.

“We do not want a clash with any institution,” said the daughter of the former premier. “These fake rulers do not care about the people,” she added.

Maryam went on to say that the only solution to the country’s problems was the removal of the PTI government and holding fresh elections.

Regarding PTI government’s performance she said, “Inflation, dollar and the prices of flour, sugar and medicines, everything was out of control.”

Once more calling for “free and fair elections”, Maryam promised the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) that her father would bring the same prosperity to the region as he did to Punjab.

“If the mandate of the people is not respected then there would be inflation, there would be a price hike for commodities and there would be lawlessness,” Maryam added.

NEWS

03

victim of gang-rape, torture dies in hospital RAHIM YAR KHAN TLTP

A 20-year-old girl succumbed to serious injuries here in a hospital on Friday, a day after being subjected to rape by a group of unidentified men in Chachran Sharif suburbs of Punjab’s Rahim Yar Khan district.

Relatives of the girl said that she was allegedly gangraped and brutally tortured after being abducted.

Police officials detailed that the girl, who went missing from her home, was found in severely injured condition from farms. They said that she was in critical condition and passed away after one day after the incident. Police said that a case was registered against three men. The police officials claimed that it was an assassination bid and she was stabbed after being strangled. Sources of Sheikh Zayed Hospital said that the cause of her death was suffocation, whereas the doctors found torture marks on her body. Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Inam Ghani took notice of the incident and sought a report from Regional Police Officer (RPO) Bahawalpur, besides ordering the police forces to take strict action against the criminals. He also ordered authorities ensuring the provision of justice to the affected family on a priority basis.

G20 strikes historic debt pact to help poorer states hit by Covid

HYDERABAD: A view of dried River Indus. INP

Pml-n leaders have undemocratic mindset: Faraz ISLAMABAD APP

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz on Friday said that the suggestions of ousting a democratic government through unconstitutional means reflected the undemocratic mindset of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). The PML-N clearly showed that it represented dictatorship, he said in a tweet. PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif had dictatorial thinking and his politics was non-democratic, the minister added.He said that Maryam Nawaz had inherited such kind of dictatorial politics and she had no standing in the country.Faraz said that the contradictory and confused statements of the PML-N leaders clearly showed that there was no democracy in the party which was a clique of businessmen with vested interests.

Through such tactics they could not run away from the accountability and law, he added.

Bilawal says stopping GB campaign is ‘a violation of our constitutional rights’ NEWS DESK Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal BhuttoZardari said that attempts by the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Election Commission to restrict usage of state resources during campaigns to stop political leaders was “a violation of our constitutional rights”.

The above was said while addressing a press conference in Gilgit, wherein the PPP chief reiterated his demand for a level playing field so that free and fair elections can be held.

He said that he had hoped these elections would be a “turning point”, but that proved not to be the case.

He further accused the GB EC of creating a “false dichotomy” between himself and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Earlier, the Chief Court had expelled Bilawal and other political leaders from the region for violating the rules of conduct during their campaigns.

Bilawal had appealed this decision in the Supreme Appellate Court. Bilawal termed this as an “injustice”, stating that the SAC had allowed him to stay in the area until they make a decision on November 15, but he was barred from campaigning.

‘”Today was my campaign’s concluding rally where I was going to present my manifesto and thoughts before the people of GB … this right was taken away from me,” he added. “I do not agree with this judgement; I think this is injustice. But because PPP is the party that has enacted laws and set up courts, it is my duty to accept the judgement despite not liking it,” he said.

He further stated that as he did not have executive powers, he should be allowed the canvas. Bilawal said that one of the judges agreed with his argument, which was based on the precedent set by 2015 Lahore High Court (LHC) judgement, but the other one placed the same restrictions on him as would apply to the ruling party.

As it was a split decision, Bilawal said that the case should have been ultimately decided by a referee judge, “but sadly the chief justice ruled that his decision will hold because he is the senior judge”.

Bilawal warned that there was still time to stop the polls from becoming “controversial”, adding that the entire world had its eyes on the GB elections.

PARIS: G20 countries have agreed for the first time on a common framework for restructuring government debt, in anticipation of the coronavirus crisis leaving some poorer nations struggling to pay and in need of relief. With the Covid-19 pandemic straining the finances of some developing countries, G20 finance ministers said on Friday that more help was needed than a current temporary debt freeze, which will be extended until June 30, 2021. Major creditors, including China, will be expected to follow the joint guidelines agreed by the G20, which lays out how debt deemed to be unsustainable can be reduced or rescheduled. Non-governmental groups said the accord should have gone further by including middle-income countries and forcing private investors to accept cancellations. The coronavirus crisis has exacerbated problems for the poorest countries, 50pc of which are now in or at risk of debt distress and in an early sign of its impact, Zambia is on the brink of becoming Africa’s first Covid-era sovereign default. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva last week said African states alone faced a financing gap of $345 billion through 2023 to deal with the pandemic and its economic impact. “I count on everyone’s constructive spirit to ensure swift and cooperative implementation of the common framework, with several countries already asking for debt treatments, in particular in Africa,” French Finance Bruno Le Maire told his G20 counterparts during an online meeting. China, which accounted for 63pc of overall debt owed to G20 countries in 2019, has been reluctant to acknowledge the need for outright cancellation or reduction of debts. Under the new framework, creditor countries will negotiate together with a debtor country, which will be expected to seek the same treatment terms from private sector creditors. The scheme borrows heavily from the rules established by Paris Club, an informal grouping of mostly rich country governments established in 1956, that until now was the only joint forum for negotiating debt restructurings. The G20 finance ministers said in a joint statement that the new framework aims “to facilitate timely and orderly debt treatment” for countries eligible for the debt payment freeze put in place in April, but which only included private sector creditors on a voluntary basis.

“From now on all interested parties must ensure to implement the common framework. Debt transparency is extremely important,” Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso told reporters after a G20 conference call, describing the agreement as “historical”. WAVE OF CRISES: The new framework also goes further by requiring all public creditors to participate, after China was criticised by G20 partners for not including debt owed to its stateowned banks. Wary about debt write-offs, Beijing has defined the state-owned China Development Bank as a private institution, resisting calls for full participation in debt relief. While China signed on to the framework, it remained unclear how it would implement the measures, one source familiar with the negotiations told Reuters. Tim Jones, head of Policy at Jubilee Debt Campaign, said in a statement that the G20 announcement allowed for, but discouraged outright debt cancellation, and did not create a mechanism to compel private sector participation.

“This announcement falls far short of what is needed to tackle the wave of debt crises in poorer countries,” he said. “With many countries facing debt crises and Zambia today on the verge of default, the G20 need to stop kicking the can down the road,” he added.

Eric LeCompte, a United Nations adviser on debt and executive director of Jubilee USA Network, said inclusion of private sector creditors was a significant step, but criticised the G20 for failing to include middle-income countries. AGENCIES

Saturday, 14 November, 2020

04 NEWS

PM likely to visit AfghAnistAn next week ISLAMABAD

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TLTP

RIME Minister Imran Khan is likely to pay a oneday visit to Afghanistan next week over the invitation of the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

The prime minister during his day long visit to Afghanistan next week will discuss the Afghan peace process and bilateral ties with the top leadership. However, the date of his

visit was not made public due to security reasons.

The premier’s upcoming visit to Afghanistan is being said to be a very important event.

Earlier on November 12, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa had said that restoration of peace in Afghanistan is vital for stability in the region. The army chief expressed these views while talking to Afghanistan Ambassador to Pakistan Najibullah Alikhil at

General Headquarters (GHQ) on Thursday, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement.

He welcomed the ambassador to Pakistan and expressed hope that his services will help optimise bilateral relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

According to the ISPR, matters of mutual interest including regional security situation, ongoing Afghan peace process, border management and defence and se-

curity cooperation were discussed during the meeting.

The two sides noted the exceptional brotherly relations between both countries and pledged to further improve the same.

Earlier on November 3, US Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad called on COAS Bajwa to discuss ways for pushing the Taliban and the Afghan government to reduce violence and expedite their snail-paced talks in Doha.

Punjab announces lifetime stipend for affectees of mine accidents LAHORE STAFF REPORT

The Punjab government on Friday made a major step for providing relief to the mineworkers by announcing lifetime stipend for the affectees of mining accidents. Punjab Mines and Minerals Department announced setting up lifetime stipend for mineworkers affected in mining accidents. The labourers will be given Rs6,000 monthly stipend which was approved by the cabinet committee on finance. Earlier on Thursday, Cane Commissioner of Punjab had announced the government’s step towards eradicating farmer exploitation as sugar millers will pay an 11 per cent mark up to farmers upon delay or deferment on payments. The decision had

come following the pleas by sugarcane growers to the Punjab government seeking redressal of their long-standing grievances caused by sugar millers.

The millers who delay the payments to sugarcane growers by 15 days from the delivery date will have to pay 11pc on the overall payment as a markup as to protect and compensate farmers. Punjab Cane Commissioner Muhammad Zaman Wattoo had said the step will put an end to farmer exploitation and will ensure them payments of their harvest. Wattoo added it will instill the habit of timely paying in millers and encourage farmers. In another step earlier, the Punjab government had also decided to regularize more than 30,000 contract-based workers in the province.

LAHORE: Visibility decreases with worsening smog in the provincial capital. ZUBAIR MEHFOOZ

CTD arrests two ‘most wanted’ terrorists in Karachi KARACHI TLTP

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has claimed to arrest two of the ‘most wanted and trained terrorists’ of a banned outfit, Sipah-eMuhammad Pakistan, after an alleged gun battle at Manghopir Road of Karachi on Friday.

In a statement, CTD In-Charge Mazhar Mashwani said that two most wanted terrorists of Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan, Agha Hassan and Muhammad Ali Raza Naqvi, were arrested after a gun battle occurred at Manghopir Road on midnight of Thursday and Fri-

day, besides the seizure of weapons.

He also named two other alleged terrorists as Karrar Hussain and Syed Ausat Ali Rizvi who fled taking advantage of the dark.

Mazhar Mashwani said that the terrorists had been declared most wanted by different institutions. Syed Ausat Ali Rizvi was allegedly heading organised sleeper cells, he added.

The accused persons had made revelations about ‘religious’ target killing from 2011 to 2014 including Dr Mehboob, who had been murdered at Shamsi Society in 2011. The assassins of the sleeper cell had gunned down

COAS, Bill Gates discuss Covid-19, polio situation in Pakistan RAWALPINDI STAFF REPORT

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa spoke with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Co-Chair Bill Gates late night on Thursday about Pakistan’s Covid-19 response as well as the resumption of the polio campaign in the country. According to a statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), General Bajwa and Bill Gates talked about Pakistan’s Covid-19 response.

During the call, Bill Gates appreciated the Pakistan Army "for supporting the national polio drive and ensuring proper reach and coverage of polio campaigns this year." The army chief said

that effectively fighting Covid-19 and polio is a “national cause and national effort,” adding that he will only deem the mission successful when every child in Pakistan is safe from the poliovirus. “[The] credit goes to the grassroots workers, including the mobile teams, Law Enforcement Agencies, and health representatives,” General Bajwa said. While appreciating Pakistan’s efforts in safely conducting the polio immunisation campaign despite the looming threat of coronavirus, Gates said that his foundation will continue working with Pakistan ‘to make further progress in ending polio in Pakistan and improving the health of all children,’ the statement read.

Shahid near Jahaz Chowrangi and also murdered Esa Baloch in Clifton Block IV in 2013.

According to the CTD official, they were also involved in the target killing of Tauseef and Tanveer in Malir’s Khokhrapar in 2014.

The alleged sleeper cell was running under the supervision of Syed Ausat Ali Rizvi as he also completed rekey of the personalities before assigning assassination tasks to the shooters.

Mashwani revealed that the shooters of the sleeper cell were being given Rs25,000 each in a month. He added that further investigation is underway with the arrested suspects.

Saturday, 14 November, 2020

NewS

FBR asked tO pROBe seRvice pROvideRs invOlved in lavish 'Rs2Bn wedding ceRemOny' iSLamaBad SHAHZAD PARACHA

The tax department has been asked to probe the service providers involved in the lavish arrangement of the social media dubbed "Rs2 billion marriage".

According to documents available with this scribe, Inland Revenue and Corporate Tax Office (CRTO)-Lahore Chief Commissioner Amina Hassan has written a letter to the FBR member (operations), disclosing the details of the elite wedding event that took place recently in Lahore.

She stated that last week, a wedding ceremony in the suburbs of Lahore went viral on social media, with the event being dubbed as the "Rs2 billion marriage".

"The office has conducted a detailed investigation into service providers involved in the lavish arrangements. As these service providers belong to different tax of-

fice jurisdictions, it is requested the IR Operations send the information to respective regional tax offices so that the matter could be thoroughly probed," she added.

Documents revealed that the venue of the wedding day, 'Rosa Blanca Country Club', had remained booked for 120 days prior to the wedding, receiving an amount of Rs150 million.

Rosa Blanca Country Club, a private limited company as per the SECP record, was registered in 2018. However, it has not obtained an NTN certificate till date, and there is strong reason to suspect that the entity is not paying taxes at all.

Through anonymous physical inquiry, it transpired that the business is, in fact, being run by United Events, as receipts are issued under the name of United Event City, described as a subsidiary of Rosa Blanca Country Club. Both United Events and Rosa Blanca are owned by Lake City

[housing scheme] owner Gohar Ejaz, who had also served as the former chairman of the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA).

Similarly, Bahria Grand Hotel and Resort, the venue for Walima, is owned and operated by the Bahria Town. The CRTO requested the IR Operations to probe the tax deduction proof by the above stated companies as a withholding agent for FBR/PRA. Meanwhile, the office further requested the verification of over Rs11 million paid to four celebrities on the occasion, including Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Abrarul Haq, Atif Aslam and Molana Tariq Jameel.

"On the other hand, Qasim Yar Tiwana, a high profile event manager, declared Rs216,743 income from business in tax year 2019, and that he was not a member in any other company. RTO

Rawalpindi must probe the exact amount received for services."

The CRTO, in its report, further stressed the need to investigate the exact payment received for services by Irfan Ahsan, Mobeen Studio, Osman Pervaiz and Ahmad Fayaz.

According to documents, leading photographer Irfan Ahsan charges up to Rs3 million for each high profile photoshoot, but had only declared Rs912,602 income from business in tax year 2019.

Moreover, the CRTO requested that FBR-Lahore and Faisalabad to also probe 'Time & Taste Catering and Event Management Company' as well as 'Dynasty Faisalabad', respectively.

"Shazray Khalid Events and Winc Events charge approximately Rs1 million for makeup services. The RTO Lahore must probe the exact payment received from services," it concluded.

PM vows to uplift Balochistan, announces mega development package continued from page 01 He mentioned the second wave of coronavirus and cautioned the people to continue to follow the Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs), including the use of face mask for protection from the deadly virus.

The prime minister thanked Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar for announcing Rs 730 million for a hospital in the area and said he (Buzdar) had played the role of a big brother for Balochistan.

Earlier, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said under the package for southern Balochistan, 47,000 homes in nine districts would be connected with the National Grid for the provision of electricity and 273,000 would be provided with off-grid electricity.

In order to overcome the gas shortage, he said, the people would be provided with the facility of liquified petroleum gas on subsidised rates. Initially 15 per cent of the poor would be provided with the subsidy, which would late be expanded to 30 per cent, he added.

The minister said that for addressing the issue of water, 19 dams would be constructed in the southern Balochistan, which would irrigate 150,000 acres of agricultural lands in the area.

Minister for Defence Production Zubaida Jalal, speaking on the occasion, thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan for announcing the package and said it was after 45 years that a prime minister visited the area and interacted with the people there.

Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal said that the previous governments did not pay any attention to the development of Balochistan and utilised the CPEC projects for other provinces.

INFRASTRUCTURE: During the visit, the premier announced a mega development project for South Balochistan areas featuring construction of 1,100-kilometre roads, skill training to 3,500 youth and expansion of power and gas supply networks.

He also inaugurated Daar-ul-Ehsaas facility for the orphan and other poor children to provide them free shelter, food and education.

The Waseela-e-Taleem Programme, also launched by the prime minister, would help enroll additional 83,000 children in the schools. Moreover, 640,000 children, including 360,000 out of school and 280,000 school going,

would be facilitated through accelerated and distance learning programmes.

On the occasion, the prime minister also kicked off the nationwide Waseela-e-Taleem Digital Programme for primary school going students.

The plan also contains Ehsaas’ Educational Scholarships for the deserving primary school girls and undergraduates of the area.

Special Assistant to the PM on Poverty Reduction Dr Sania Nishtar briefed the prime minister on Daar-ulEhsaas and Ehsaas’ Educational Scholarships programmes.

The prime minister performed the ground-breaking of various development projects, including Extension of Turbat Airport, 200- bed Makran Medical Teaching Hospital, University of Turbat, Phase-II, and Hoshab-Awaran section of M-8 (146 km two-lane road).

On this occasion, he was also briefed and updated by the National Highway Authority (NHA) officials about the progress on Basima-Khuzdar Road N-30 (106 km two-lane road). Under the development package, around 320,000 additional households would be supplied electricity besides enhancing electricity network from existing 12 per cent to 57 per cent of the households. Around 15 percent of the Ehsaas beneficiary families would get subsidised LPG at 33pc of the cost.

The package comprises construction of 210 basic health units, annual addition of 150 local nurses and improved nutrition for 7,000 households under Ehsaas Nashonuma Programme.

Establishment of six border markets, cash transfer to additional 25,000 families, loan for 2,000 fishermen, three dates processing units and an olive extraction unit are also part of the development package besides technological support for marble and mineral industry.

Under the plan, 35,000 youth would be imparted skill training to enable them earn as freelancers besides extending internet facility to another 0.5 million people.

Moreover, 0.15 million acres land would be cultivated and 16 dams to be constructed to add 0.5 million acres feet of water storage.

With the construction of 1,100-kilometre road network, 1.9 million people would get access to larger market.

The development plan is expected to create more than 120,000 jobs for the area where 0.7 million people of up

to 35 years are unemployed.

EDUCATION SECTOR: PM Imran, terming youth of Balochistan as the country’s ‘asset and future’ said that the federal government would provide maximum funds for their progress in education sector.

“We want an intellectual base be prepared in Balochistan, ready to meet the challenges of today’s world,” the premier said in his address to students of the University of Turbat.

“You are the future leaders of Pakistan and the intellect which will lead the country’s journey towards prosperity,” he told the university students, hailing from different areas of Balochistan.

The prime minister mentioned that Punjab had increased the number of scholarships for the students of Balochistan from 135 to 360 in higher education.

PM Imran said that uniform development of all units of the federation was important for an overall progress of the country. “The prosperity of Balochistan is linked with the prosperity of Pakistan,” he said.

PM Imran said that the revolution in information technology offered immense potential for avenues to be explored in virtual education.

He advised the youth in Balochistan’s far-flung areas to tap the opportunities by gaining knowledge through distant learning modes.

He said that with dedication and persistent struggle, any challenge could be overcome in way to success. “A dream comes to realisation when a person refuses to give up and continues to achieve his goals,” he told the students, urging them to never quit in difficult situations and always rise from the ashes.

About his vision to emulate Pakistan as the State of Medina, the prime minister said that quest for knowledge was an important feature of the world’s first socio-economic state.

He said that education helped the people to distinguish between right or wrong and mentioned a saying of Holy Prophet (Peace be upon Him) who told people ‘to seek knowledge from the cradle to grave’. He said that Muslim scientists ruled the world for 100 years until the decline started when education was given a least priority.

The prime minister called upon the youth of Balochistan and the entire country to make their mark in the field of education and bring laurels to the country.

05

Bahawalpur farmers demand action against ‘middlemen’ hampering sugar trade Bahawalpur farmers demand action against ‘middlemen’ hampering sugar trade A large number of sugarcane farmers from different areas of Bahawalpur district have claimed that the district administration is not taking action against the illegal purchasing centres despite protests. During a meeting with Pakistan Kisan Movement Secretary General Hanif Gujjar, they alleged that the district administration is “doing its best to protect and support sugar mafia”.

Punjab Cane Commissioner had recently issued instructions to all districts of Punjab that any illegal purchase of sugarcane directly by middlemen from any purchasing centre without approval is not allowed. As the Punjab cane commissioner has not authorized any middleman for the said purchase, the person applying for the permission from cane commissioner has to deposit Rs20 million in the government treasury before getting the permission for the purchase.

The farmers appealed the Punjab chief minister, chief secretary and cane commissioner to immediately take action against middlemen, as they are buying sugarcane at Rs170 per 40kg, thus flouting the orders of the Punjab cane commissioner. The middlemen are selling the same sugarcane in Sindh at much higher rates, they added. The farmers demanded that immediate police action should be taken against this mafia who are looting the poor farmers of Bahawalpur district. NEWS DESK

Oil falls on coronavirus surge but on track for weekly gain London AGENCIES

Oil prices fell on Friday, pressured by fears about a slow recovery in the global economy and fuel demand due to rising coronavirus infections, but hopes for a vaccine kept the market on track for a second straight weekly gain. Brent crude was down 71 cents, or 1.63pc, at $42.82 a barrel as of 1343 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 84 cents, or 2.07pc, to $40.28 a barrel. For the week, both were headed for a surge of about 9pc. US government data also added pressure, as crude inventories rose by 4.3 million barrels last week, compared with an expected fall of 913,000 barrels. “In essence, some of the feelgood factor from the Pfizer vaccine has worn off and disappointing EIA figures have created a bit of a downward correction,” Harry Tchilinguirian, head of commodity research at BNP Paribas, said.

“However, OPEC+ is prepared to tweak its production and we’re still waiting for the trial results of other vaccines that may be easier to distribute since they won’t need such cold storage.” New coronavirus infections in the United States and elsewhere are at record levels and tightening restrictions to contain the spread have dampened the prospect of a near-term end to the global health crisis. Hopes were high that a resolution to the pandemic is on the horizon – stoking this week’s jump in WTI and Brent contracts – after data showed an experimental Covid-19 vaccine being developed by Pfizer Inc and Germany’s BioNTech was 90pc effective.

The International Energy Agency (IEA), however, said on Thursday that global oil demand is unlikely to get a significant boost from any roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines until well into 2021.

5 Pakistanis martyred in Indian firing across LoC continued from page 01 “Such daily military provocations are accompanied by repeated threats of aggression by India’s political and military leaders. Pakistan has acted with restraint to these provocations and threats, but as we demonstrated in February 2019, Pakistan will respond decisively to any Indian aggression with the full force of our capabilities,” the envoy added.

MILITARY RESPONDS: The Pakistan Army said that it has inflicted substantial losses on Indian troops which has been accepted by the Indian media as well, warning New Delhi that such provocative acts in future “will be responded in the same coin”.

The military’s media wing, in a statement on Friday, said that Indian forces targeted civilian population along the Line of Control after being “humiliated” at the hands of local freedom fighters in occupied Kashmir, opposite Neelum Valley on the night of November 7/8. “[The Indian Army] suffered few casualties including four soldiers. To

ward off the humiliation faced by the Indian Army in front of the domestic audience, instead of finding the reasons from within and addressing the same, on 13 November 2020, the Indian Army opted for resorting to unprovoked and indiscriminate fire of all calibers, including artillery and heavy mortars, along the LOC in various sectors of AJ&K,” said the ISPR. The military’s media wing said that Indian forces not only resorted to engaging Pakistan’s military posts but also targeted civilian population across the LoC which resulted in the martyrdom of four persons and 12 getting injured.

“Pakistan Army gave a befitting reply to the Indian Army, and effectively targeted those Indian posts which engaged innocent civilians,” said the ISPR. “As a result, substantial losses, both in terms of men and material, have been incurred on to Indian troops which have also been accepted by Indian media.”

The ISPR stated that the Indian Army’s losses were much more what they were ac-

knowledging, adding that one brave Pakistani soldier was martyred in this exchange while five others were injured.

The armed forces made it clear that Pakistan is a peace-loving country and the Pakistan Army pursues the same aspirations. However, it warned India from committing any further acts of aggression and if it does, should be prepared to receive a befitting response.

“We stand committed to defend the motherland and our Kashmiri brethren even at the cost of our blood and lives. We assure, that all such provocative acts shall continue to be responded in the same coin,” said the ISPR. PAKISTAN SUMMONS INDIAN CHARGÉ D’AFFAIRES: Pakistan on Friday summoned the Indian Chargé d’Affaires to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to register strong protest over ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the LoC on the day. Consequent to the Indian firing, four innocent civilians were martyred while another 12 sustained serious injuries, the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement.

CMYK

The targeted areas in the most recent ceasefire violations were Neelum Valley (Nekrun, Kel, Sharda, Dudhnial, Shahkot, Jura, Nauseri sectors), Leepa Valley (Danna, Mandal and Kayani sectors), Jhelum Valley (Chham and Pandu sectors), and Bagh Valley (Pirkanthi, Sankh, Haji Pir, Bedori and Kailer sectors).

The spokesperson said that in the deliberate provocation, the Indian occupation forces, in utter disregard for all international obligations and human rights and the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, targeted the civilian inhabited areas.

The Indian occupation forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary (WB) have been continuously targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars and automatic weapons. This year, India has committed 2737 ceasefire violations to date, martyring 25 people and injuring 218 others.

Condemning the deplorable targeting of innocent civilians by the Indian occupation

forces, it was underscored that such senseless acts were in clear violation of the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, and also against all established humanitarian norms and professional military conduct.

It was stressed that the egregious violations of international law reflected consistent Indian attempts to escalate the situation along the LoC and were a threat to regional peace and security.

It was added that by raising tensions along the LoC and the WB, India could not divert attention from the grave human rights situation in the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). Indian side was called upon to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, investigate the current and other such incidents of deliberate ceasefire violations, and maintain peace along the LoC and the WB. The Indian side was also urged to allow the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

Saturday, 14 November, 2020

06 COMMENT

Joe Biden’s first hundred days

PML-N’s bombshell But is the PDM on board?

P

ML(N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s interview with the BBC must have had a demoralising impact on the PTI. All the more so as it has come at a time when the entire lot of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s allies are expressing dissatisfaction while a crucial ally has declined the invitation to attend his luncheon.

Ms Nawaz has revealed that members of the security establishment had reached out to “many people around me, but nobody has directly contacted me”. earlier, the offstage actors used to pass out information about politicians approaching them or having held secret talks with them. This time things have taken the opposite turn.

Media reports tell of similar indirect contacts having been made with at least three PDM components i.e. the PML(N), PPP and JUI(F).

Ms Nawaz has put two preconditions for talks. First, these have to be within the limits of the Constitution and conducted publicly rather than secretly. Second, for talks to proceed, the “selected” government has to be sent home first.

The issue of inter-institutional talks has been raised earlier also. In 2017, Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani underlined the need to invite the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, and military leaders for ‘interinstitutional dialogue’ at the Upper house. Two years later the CJP, Mr Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, proposed an interinstitutional dialogue for forging an agreement on a charter of governance, saying that they had reached “a stage in our national life where we must take stock of the mistakes committed in the past and come up with a charter of governance to ensure that such mistakes are not repeated”. Both the moves were supported by major political parties with the exception of the PTI. Ms Nawaz has been criticised for demanding the ouster of an elected government which, it is maintained, nullifies the PML(N)’s narrative of “vote ko izzat do.” It has also been asked how the establishment could remove the government. While many would prefer the PTI government to complete its term, its unending policy of vindictiveness has forced the opposition to take this stand.

The establishment, maintains the opposition, has to do no more than withdraw the crutches provided to the PTI, for it to fall.

It remains to be seen if other PDM parties also agree with Ms Nawaz. Any decision taken without the allies’ support would isolate the PML(N).

Expected environmental decisions Changezi Sandhu

T

he recent shift of faces in the White house in the latest presidential elections is a change of thoughts, opinion, and vision. The hostility of Trump to environmental agreements created a bad impact on the regional as well as global environmental commitments in different perspectives. Trump abjured environmental accords and US commitments to stabilize the increasing global warming temperature that narrowed down the US role by putting bad smudges on the face of the US contribution in this regard as compared to the past.

The newly elected president, Joseph R. Biden Jr, opposed and severely criticized the Trump Doctrine toward the environmental commitments of the USA in his presidential electoral campaign. he pledged to spend $2 trillion in four years to decrease the planetwarming, fossil fuel emissions and to do much more for the purpose of cleaning the energy of the nation.

Now that Joe Biden has become the 46th US President, it is being expected that he will take a flurry of executive actions to ensure a stable environment through legislation. The first 100 days of the presidency of Joe Biden are important as that will define the execution of his vision and of the pledges he made to the people of the USA during the presidential campaign. These efforts will restore the damaged US role in the regional and global scenario. here are the most important nine important things which maybe Biden will do to put the USA back on the path to address climate change and global warming during the first 100 days of his presidency.

First, Biden will rejoin the Paris Agreement as he promised Americans during his campaign. even, on the first day of taking office, he will reaffirm the rejoining of Paris Agreement that will restore the US role in the agreement, as per its commitments. What Biden intends to do is to write a letter to the United Nations for rejoining the agreement that would take 30 days only for the restoration of US status as an important and active member with leading roles in the agreement.

Second, Mr Biden intends to arrange a “Climate World Summit” to assemble leaders of big industrial nations. In the summit, cutting greenhouse gas emission would be discussed and stern mutual actions would be taken to make the planet livable for all living entities.

Third, rescinding the large amount of executive

Off track with the IMF A failure to get the IMF programme revived would cost heavily

Combating two contagions

T

he government seems to have painted itself into a corner with the IMF, to the extent that the existing $6 billion package is in danger of collapsing, as it seems that the package, suspended since the Covid-19 pandemic set in, can only be revived if the government takes measures that it considers political suicide. The problem with letting the IMF programme lapse is that it would mean that the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank may then withdraw the balance of payments packages they had given only because the IMF had signaled its satisfaction with Pakistan’s economic policies by giving its package.

The PTI had come to office vowing that it would not turn to the IMF, but it did so. It came under tremendous flak when its policies to get the IMF programme virtually destroyed the economy. The destruction was not complete, but then the Covid-19 epidemic hit, with a revival that it may be imagining to be much more than it really is. The points on which the government finds itself unable to agree are hikes in the electricity tariff as well as further squeezing of existing taxpayers to raise revenues.

The government reaslises that further tariff hikes and squeezing of the existing taxbase will not only cause a great deal of suffering, but also be politically damaging at a time when it faces an opposition bent on its downfall.

Prime Minister Imran Khan may have been right not to want to deal with the IMF. Whatever the reasons, he was stampeded into the decision, and now must live with it. Remaining with the programme will have consequences, but renegotiating a fresh package will mean accepting the conditions of this one. That is the lesson to be learnt from previous attempts to get a fresh package after getting off one, prematurely. It should not be forgotten that failure to meet the original conditionalities was the result of choice, and the government must now ensure that it makes policies sensibly and realistically. It must not look for painless decisions, for that wish is what created the present situation.

zainab nazir

W

e’Re all in a quandary. We are now dealing with two different contagions– the coronavirus and the detrimental emotions that follow. The current challenges brought about by covid-19 for people all around the world are unparalleled and have caused anxiety, fear and uncertainty for many of us.

The coronavirus pandemic is an epidemiological and psychological crisis. Staying in closed spaces has never felt as claustrophobic as this. The constant sight of the very same walls, colours and faces around us builds two different psychologies. Speaking of the positive side, the frequency of communication and transparency in a family has increased, and on the other side of the coin, “too many vessels result in more noise”.

All of us are social animals. We are meant to be contrasted together in groups; living, laughing and working together. When this aspect of human social and psychological structure is stripped and peeled, we suffer. We suffer immensely.

Covid-19 has affected the mental health of individuals irrespective of their financial status and age. Many of us are worried about our loved ones and our livelihoods. The pandemic has created an unprecedented change and a need for a response from everyone around the globe. Movements are restricted, we meet only a limited number of people, we cannot socialise, go to office or college, and cannot continue with our fun activities. Due to this drastic change in our lifestyle, it has become difficult for people to adjust to it. It has already led to a large number of cases of depression and some extreme steps like suicides and self-harm incidents.

The profession of doctors increases in dignity but equally becomes more challenging during tough times. Treating covid-19 is not just physical but emotional labour as well. It has become a matter of life and death for these frontline warriors. Besides handling coronavirus patients amidst highly infected zones, it is a formidable high risk that doctors take with their own lives due to stress and helplessness.

They do not commit suicide because they are doctors,

Arif Nizami Editor Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

silence. If you are struggling, it is always better to see a doctor or a therapist before it gets late. There are many Mental health Associations that are working to they commit suicide because they are also humans. improve the lives of people around the globe.

Dr. Lorna Breen, a Manhattan eR doctor, committed The coronavirus pandemic is a very traumatic sosuicide. her father, Dr. Phillip Breen, told reporters cietal event for people. One thing we know about that she didn’t have any history of mental health trauma is that while it is happening, you do whatever problems, but recently was struggling with both the you can to survive. You bear down and you just get mental and physical burden through it. This is exactly of her work with coronwhat we all are trying to do. avirus patients. The mental We are still very much in the exhaustion of being unable active trauma phase of this Protecting yourself from a to keep up with the volume pandemic. But, what happens of coronavirus patients and after social distancing measmental health illness is just their unstable condition ures are lifted? What comes as important as protecting takes its toll on doctors. after the pandemic is over and The mental health of people are able to get back to yourself from the virus. But people all around the globe whatever their normal may is getting affected at both be? There will be residual how can we fix this all? An communal and individual stress, financial pressures and optimistic approach could levels. People are anxious depression. The rapid spread over their worsening finanhelp us. Convincing yourself of the pandemic gave little cial conditions and the clochance to prepare for or even that you are happy and sure of their businesses. process all what has hapThey are confused whether pened in terms of complete thankful for everything can the lockdown would ever uprooting of everyday life. end and their businesses The covid-19 pandemic go a long way. We should would ever be able to gain has changed everything: the know that the worst of life what has been lost. Many way we greet and socialise, are worried about their our sanitary habits and even will pass, and that pain exists loved ones, potentially conour appearances. The coronfor the sole purpose of tracting the virus. The quaravirus has created a new set antine has done a number on of challenges. It is a time making the light on the other filled a lot of people. We all are with loss and uncerhaving comparatively tainty. Protecting yourself side brighter. Behold the higher capricious mood from a mental health illness might of psychology swings, emotional instabilis just as important as proity and are stressing over tecting yourself from the small things. And it is norvirus. But how can we fix mal to feel this way; we all this all? An optimistic apare in this, together. proach could help us. Convincing yourself that you Taking care of the mind is always important, but are happy and thankful for everything can go a long doing so during a pandemic can be tricky. hearing way. We should know that the worst of life will pass, about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting. and that pain exists for the sole purpose of making helping others cope with their stress can also make the light on the other side brighter. Behold the might our community stronger. There is no harm in talking of psychology. with people you trust about your concerns and how you feel. We need to break the stigma of suffering in Zainab Nazir is a freelance columnist

Apart from the physical pandemic are the mental problems

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Orders which were passed by Trump regrading cli- may cancel the 2017 executive order for the purpose mate and energy would be priority of the Biden ad- of lifting restrictions on production and energy exministration because the executive Order that was ploration of offshore. he could pass an executive passed in the reign of Trump called all federal agen- order in this regard within the first 100 days of his cies to dismantle their policies regarding climate. presidency by fulfilling some public commitments. eighth, it seems that environmental justice is an That is the reason; the utmost preference of the Biden Administration will be to revoke all such executive important part of the climate plan as shared by Biden during his campaign. he expressed his concerns orders as soon as possible.

Fourth, it is expected that a flurry of new eco- about the effects of global warming and pollution on the low-income communinomic stimulus measures ties. So, now he is in power will be taken by the newlyfinally. It could be expected elected administration rethat he could create an advigarding cleaning energy.

If the Biden Administration sory board for environmental Funding related to research justice for better coordinaand development to clean acts climate and environment tion, immediate actions, fair energy, allocating money of implementation and evaluatdifferent states to encourage that will be best to gain ing effects on multiple comthem to restore, and conpublic trust, popularity will munities geographically. tinue their renewable enNinth, Biden cleared in ergy expansion and other be restored not only at his campaign speeches, as environment-friendly efnational abut also at well as on the first day after forts, and reforms related to winning the most prestigious tax to facilitate and encourinternational level, because office in the USA to take age renewable energy prac“immediate steps to reverse tices and policies in climate change and global Trump assault on Amerindustrial sectors. warming have become global the ica’s national treasures.”

Fifth, formulating new Biden reaffirmed that he rules and regulations will issues, beyond borders and would issue an executive take time at an embryonic regions. These sterns actions order to restore wildlife stage of the Biden Presihe also pledged to dency. Thus, it is being exwill also restore the damaged areas. conserve 30 percent of the pected that he will take immediate actions to cut role and status of the USA in land and waters of the USA by 2030 through an execudown emissions through exthe international scenario tive order. ecutive orders. According to Last but not the least, if the article, “9 Things the because the “America First” the Biden Administration Biden Administration policy of Mr. Trump limited takes the aforementioned Could Do Quickly on the steps regarding climate and environment” by Lisa the role of the USA in the environment that will be best Friedman, published in The to gain public trust, popularNew York Times, “Mr. regional and global ity will be restored not only Biden will sign executive perspective at national abut also at interorders instructing agencies national level, because clito develop new methane mate change and global limits for oil and gas wells warming have become to reinstate and strengthen fuel economy standards, and to tighten efficiency global issues, beyond borders and regions. These sterns actions will also restore the damaged role and standards for appliances and buildings.”

Sixth, Biden has said that on the very first day of status of the USA in the international scenario behis Presidency he would sign an executive order that cause the “America First” policy of Mr. Trump limwill demand public companies to frame up and share ited the role of the USA in the regional and global their policies and operations regarding climate perspective. change financial risk and greenhouse emission.

The writer can be reached at: Seventh, it is also being expected that Mr. Biden will revise rules related to fossil fuel production. he Ch.changezi.sandhu111@gmail.com

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Saturday, 14 November, 2020

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

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City of mangoes in peril

Death of the Palestinian dream and its aftermath Recent Arab-Israeli pacts will give rise to a virtual empire of Israel and an undeclared military alliance b. z. KhaSru

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he latest Arab-Israeli collusion has doomed the prospect of an independent Palestine, and the Middle east is undergoing political changes with profound long-term consequences for the region, indeed all Asia.

Paramount question, is: What will happen to Palestinians living in the Israeli-occupied territories?

Two possibilities are on the horizon: A onestate solution, which calls for merging the territories with Israel, or to give Jordan parts of the West Bank and remodel the kingdom as a Palestinian nation.

Meanwhile, the so-called Abraham Accords have paved the way for the rise of a virtual empire of Israel. This mini-superpower will keep the region under its thumb for decades, if not centuries. It will lead a camouflaged regional military outfit to solidify its control and help the West fight Iran, Russia and China.

Israel recently signed the US-brokered pacts with the UAe to win its diplomatic recognition.

For decades, the Arabs shunned Israel because of its refusal to allow a Palestinian state on the lands it captured in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. No more. The Jewish state also made similar treaties with Bahrain and the Sudan. Combined, they have planted the seed of a US-backed, Israeli-led undeclared military bloc.

The Arab nations that perceive Iran as their enemy Number One will be part of the alliance.

Saudi Arabia, Iran’s chief rival for the Muslim world’s leadership, will keep away from it for now because Riyadh fears a backlash from fellow Islamic nations. So, the Saudis will secretly work with Israel through their sidekicks— the UAe and Bahrain. The emerging pro-Western axis is a dream come true for both Israel and the USA; they have long sought a regime change in theocratic Iran, the only remaining Muslim nation that can pose somewhat of a challenge to the Jewish state’s hegemony.

Under the likely scenario, Israel will split the occupied West Bank with Jordan. The hapless Palestinians will be made citizens of the expanded Jordan. Gaza will be merged with egypt.

Neither Jordan nor egypt wants the Palestinian areas, but they will succumb to Israel’s diktat.

Israel and America will find it convenient to rebrand Jordan as the de facto Palestinian homeland because some 70 percent of the ten million Jordanians are of Palestinian descent. They will bury the one-state solution, which calls for making the five million Palestinians in the occupied territories citizens of Israel, a nation of nine million Jews and Arabs.

The one-state solution, however, won’t fly because Israel wants the Palestinian lands— not the Palestinians. Also, the Israelis don’t have an ounce of compassion left in their hearts to hug their defeated enemies, nor do they see any benefit in having millions of extra Muslims in a Jewish nation. The old argument that Israel must make peace with the Arabs to ensure its longterm security is now mute.

The death of the Palestinian aspirations, once espoused by the United Nations and the United States as well, reflects helplessness of the despondent Muslims, who have been under constant assault since the 9/11 attacks by some misguided Saudi citizens.

The new coalition will primarily target Iran. But Washington will use it against Turkey and Russia, too. Despite Turkish President Recep erdogan’s occasional anti-West outbursts, NATO member Turkey will not face immediate fire and fury.

The US-Arab-Israeli entente, along with the Indo-Pacific pact, which includes India, Australia and Japan, will boost US efforts to contain China.

Israel, with its strong military ties with India, will extend its sphere to aid the US military in Asia.

Israel has long been America’s proxy and the West’s outpost in the Middle east to control the Arabs. The West distrusts the Arabs— and the Muslims— because they humiliated Christians by building a vast Islamic empire in europe.

This historical hostility is still very much alive and flares up from time to time.

The enmity remained somewhat latent when the West was busy fighting communism. With the USSR gone, europe and the USA rediscovered Islam as the new bogeyman and the clash of civilizations ensued. China’s rise has forced the USA to shift its focus from Islam, but anti-Muslim sentiments continue to vitiate many minds in non-Muslim lands.

The recent Arab-Israeli treaties came decades after egypt and Jordan embraced Israel. Under US sponsorship, egypt signed the Camp David accords in 1978, fulfilling the US goal of fracturing the Arab alliance, sidelining the Palestinians, weaken the USSR and secure Israel. Jordan, Israel’s poodle for decades, followed suit in 1994.

Since then, the Palestinians have lost ground to Israel, literally, and the Arabs have lost clout.

After the fall of the USSR, which backed the Arabs, misery befell the Palestinians. Left with no option, the Palestinians finally decided to kiss and make up with the USA in an attempt to play second fiddle to Israel, but without success.

With egypt neutered, Iraq ruined, and Libya back to the dark ages, the Arabs are down and out. Israel and the USA see eye-to-eye on Iran, but differ on how to tackle it. Israel wants immediate tough action, but te USA prefers to give diplomacy a chance, a policy likely to return under the Biden administration.

Despite Iran’s triumph in Syria, Tehran got a big blow in Lebanon. A Tehran-backed Lebanese militia, which once mangled Israel, is under pressure. Lebanon, with its economy in tatters, needs aid from the West. This turn of events has empowered the West to reassert its influence in Lebanon and blunt Iran’s edge.

Unlike Jewish leaders, Arab rulers have a history of putting personal interests over national. Their squabbling for leadership, often with outside assistance, frustrated Arab aspirations. Now being economically down, diplomatically marginalized and militarily impotent, Arab nations view a rising Iran as their greatest enemy and Israel as well as the USA as saviours.

The Arab-Persian rivalry, which dates back millennia, resurfaced in the 1980s after Tehran challenged Riyadh’s hold over the Muslim world. Iran and Saudi Arabia have been fighting indirectly in Yemen and Bahrain, so an alliance with Israel is more important to the Arabs than helping the Palestinians.

The Saudis are the custodian of Islam’s holiest sites. They are aware of the unrest among Muslims caused by the Palestinian plight. No other issue riles up the Muslims as much as the Palestinian issue. So Riyadh has shunned formal ties with Israel to hide its role in creating the

anti-Iran coalition. The Muslims have become timid since 9/11. Despite their deep anguish at the misery of the Palestinians, they dare not speak out because they are afraid they may be branded as terrorism sympathizers.

The recent pacts signal Arab capitulation.

The Palestinians are widely seen by the Muslims as victims of Israeli occupation. Because the Arabs dumped them, the demoralized Muslims could look to Iran and Turkey— two non-Arab Muslim nations— for leadership.

The Arab rulers, especially Saudi Arabia, worry about it. Saudi influence on the Muslims has plunged with the petrodollar’s decline. hardly any Muslim outside the Arabian Peninsula considers Iran as an enemy of Islam. That the Arabs have turned their backs on the Palestinians only to score a strategic victory against Iran will not go down well in the Muslim world.

To cushion the blow, the UAe sought to put the deals in a positive light. It said that Israel has agreed to put off its planned annexation of Palestinian lands in exchange for the diplomatic recognition. In fact, the UAe action has plunged the Palestinians into a dark pit from which there is no escape.

The USA enticed Bahrain, the UAe and the Sudan to befriend Israel because this was President Donald Trump’s way to win over America’s highly powerful Jews. his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, a wealthy New York Jew, cajoled the Arabs into making the deals.

Under Biden, the Israeli bulldozer will move haltingly, but not completely stop. The US Jews are just too powerful for any administration to favour the Palestinians.

By winning Arab recognition, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has achieved what Theodor herzl failed to do. In 1901, the Zionist leader offered an economically weak Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid £150 million in gold for the land of Palestine. Abdulhamid rebuffed: “even if you gave me as much gold as the entire world, let alone the £150 million, I would not accept. I have served the Islamic milla and the Ummah of Muhammad (BUh) for over 30 years, and never did I blacken the pages of the Muslims— my fathers and ancestors, the Ottoman sultans and caliphs.” emotions run very high in the Muslim nations when it comes to Palestine also because AlAqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is Islam’s third holiest site. “Palestine is Arab,” shouted Iraq’s President Saddam hussein just moments before his 2006 hanging. The Syrian proxy war has made it clear that a Tehran-Moscow coalition can give the West a run for its money. Iran and Russia aided Syrian President Bashar al-Assad rout the rebels backed

by America and europe. Now, a grumpy Turkey is warming up to the loose anti-Western camp, which smells like a mini-Warsaw Pact.

For now, the USA stands to gain from the Israel-Arab rapprochement. US plans to sell more arms in Asia are gathering pace. The UAe is in talks to buy advanced F-35 fighters. Russia, meanwhile, will equip Iran with S400 missiles, escalating the arms race in Asia. India is already buying arms from the USA, Russia and Israel.

The new reality in the Middle east is a catastrophe the like of which has never been felt by the Muslims since the Ottoman empire fell a century ago. This fiasco will drown them into miseries perhaps for another century, if not longer.

B. Z. Khasru is a freelance columnist

DIVISIONAL headquarter Mirpurkhas the most varied city of Sindh have been facing various problems for a long times, Such as drinking water, sewerage system, education System and health and road infrastructure. Its population comprises 1.7 million as per current census. First the residents of Mirpurkhas are facing an acute shortage of drinking water in different areas of the city such as Nai Para, hirabad, Jamnadas colony, Mir colony, Gharibabad and others. There is a lack of drinking water from time to time.

Second important issue of the city is the traffic jams, due to traffic jams on the main roads and adjacent roads creates problems for the areas and the motorists besides noise pollution. A number of anti-encroachment drives were launched by the authorities concerned in all areas but the situation never changed in the city. Third major issue of city is garbage and waste disposal system. A city of gardens and mangoes change now a city of garbage. Most of Several roads and streets of different localities of the city are heavily littered with garbage. Major Serious issue of city is health in this regards Patients in Mirpurkhas are not being provided with proper medical at the Civil hospital, which is leading to a major health crisis in the area. even though every year medicines are provided to the hospital according to its quota, patients are only given primary drugs for free, such as Disprin and Panadol, if they require other medications, they are told to go and buy it from private pharmacies outside the hospital. What happens to the rest of the medicines provided to the hospital is still unresolved. This hospital is Divisional headquarters hospital where a number of patients come from surrounding areas and mostly patients are very poor who cannot afford to buy expensive medicines. On the other hand, there is a huge cleanliness management issue in Civil hospital. heaps of garbage is found at places around the facility and this makes it extremely dangerous for patients, as it can become a breeding ground for fatal diseases. After taking notice of the absence of doctors from the hospital, the un-hygienic conditions and the lack of medical facilities, political and social organizations in Mirpurkhas have filed a complaint to the management of the hospital and have urged it to mend its ways. education is also an issue of where public schools fail to provide quality of education due to political appointments but newly appointed NTS and IBA teachers works great for improvement education in public sector. The people of Mirpurkhas demanding the establishment of Mirpurkhas University in this deprived region. Mirpurkhas Division, which includes Mirpurkhas, Umerkot and Tharparkar districts, has no public university despite having a population of approximately 40 lakhs. People of Mirpurkhas have been demanding the establishment of a public sector university in the region since a long time. “Universities play an important role in any region and Public Sector University in any region will help locals’ access higher education. higher education, in turn, helps locals enhance their skill set and gain economic and financial stability,” People of Mirpurkhas division have been demanding the establishment of a public sector university in the region since a long time. he more added that there are a lot of young girls and boys students wanted to acquire higher education on their door step but they compelled to suffer high expenses of fair and transportation as they traveled long distance. Mostly parents avoided sending their daughters and sisters to University of Sindh, Liaquat University of Medical & health Sciences and Mehran University of engineering & Technology situated on long distance from here as result they were deprived of their higher education that was their right and government is responsible to provide them these facilities on their door step under rule.

MuhaMMad NaSir iqbal MirpurkhaS

Younis Khan in charge The decision of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for appointing the former captain Younis Khan as the national team’s batting coach deserves our appreciation. As per the news report PCB confirmed the appointment of the legend as batting coach until, at least, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, which is scheduled to be held in Australia in October-November with the final on November 13. I feel honored to congratulate the deserving person on the right position and we hope that his appointment will be a great source to help all players especially the new pacers who recently broke into the national side or are knocking on the door of international cricket. If we have a small glance over his career in cricket, we will come to know Younis, scored 10,099 runs in 118 Tests; 7,249 runs in 265 ODIs and 442 runs in 25 T20Is. Mostly importantly, he has scored most Test centuries for Pakistan, 34, while his career-best 313 against Sri Lanka in Karachi in 2009 lifted him to No.1 position in the ICC rankings.

Now it is time for him to make the batting line of team No. 1 in the world. bakhtiyar phullaN abSor

Fighting climate change head on The climate crisis has been rocking the boat across the world for quite much longer time period. each country has been confronting climate crises and increasing pressure and huge human activities have just added up to the whole issue.

Furthermore, the monsoon pattern in Asia is sometimes volatile and unpredictable if not all of the time. But most of the time, it is the agricultural activities and farm produce that are being stunted drastically then. After all, climate change, global warming, greenhouse gases and the ozone layer have all been interconnected. Great awareness campaign and proper dissemination of the primary issue have to be spread among the masses and countries. Green activities, strengthening farming activities and protecting all the trees are all the stepping stones to the future success of this ongoing mission. empowered by the River Thamirabarani and other salient features like fertile soil, good monsoon out there, my native areas like Korkai, Tuticorin, Tiruchendur, Nagercoil, Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu have been able to sustain greater green activities in terms of farming and other tree planting activities. This kind of lifestyle needs to be encouraged now. As a matter of fact, the people in my professional stations like Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Kanyakumari, Coimbatore, Bangalore, hyderabad, Mumbai have now started living in countryside areas. These are all positive shifts in the direction of a new green world. Still, the international community should do a lot of groundwork through appropriate green strategies to resolve the climate crisis. p SENthil SaravaNa durai MuMbai

Saturday, 14 November, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

Could Trump really hold on? Why experTs aren’T Worried

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PoLitico MaGaZine

hiS week, as President Donald trump persisted in claiming election fraud in the absence of hard evidence, Politico Magazine asked a dozen experts in election law whether they saw reason to doubt that Joe Biden would be duly inaugurated in January.

Could the election results be illegitimate? if not, is there a chance trump would find a way to game the system anyway? And what’s the biggest weak spot in the process from here on?

Normally when we survey experts, we’ll get a range of answers—a breadth that reflects their backgrounds and particular corners of expertise. Not this time. in what might offer some reassurance to the members of both parties who are ready to accept the state results and move on, they all resoundingly said they’re confident Biden will be sworn in come January, and that the legal challenges trump and his supporters are currently mounting are meritless. “there is simply no evidence of fraud.

Nor is there any other realistic basis for altering the apparent outcome,” wrote Steven F. huefner, a law professor at the Ohio State University. that assessment was backed up

by Lawrence Douglas, a law professor at Amherst College who has for more than a year been studying what could go wrong with this election. he saw “no reason whatsoever to question the legitimacy of the process or the trustworthiness of the results.”

As for other gamesmanship from trump’s camp: “i have tried to imagine how he could even possibly accomplish” stopping Biden’s inauguration, wrote Lisa Manheim, author of the Limits of Presidential Power: A Citizen’s Guide to the Law. “And i just can’t figure it out.”

But that doesn’t mean what’s happening will be smooth, or that the long-term consequences don’t matter. the experts nearly all mentioned that in questioning the results of an election with no evidence of fraud, and in drafting much of his own party to play along, the president is playing with fire. Our system, once shaken like this, may not be the same. here’s how they broke down the process—and what they’re worried about next.

What about pending lawsuits or state recounts?

Since the election, lawyers have filed nearly 20 lawsuits in support of trump, alleging fraud in several states. Some suits already have been dismissed; some are still pending, and they may well continue. Based on what they’ve seen, our group of experts said this avenue is likely to fizzle.

“None of the cases would affect enough votes to swing a key state, and trump’s goofball legal strategy would have to flip three,” wrote Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law. “Judges

AT THIS POINT, THE OUTCOME OF THE 2020 ELECTION IS NO LONGER ON THE LINE won’t decide this election.”

Manheim, a law professor at the University of Washington, says the weakness of the president’s case starts with the legal claims themselves: “it’s not clear that trump even understands the basic logic of a lawsuit,” she wrote. “to win a case, you need a claim, evidence and a remedy. Legal claims cannot be based on freewheeling tirades. they cannot be premised on unsubstantiated accusations. And they cannot support requests for relief that extend far beyond the scope of the claim.”

Matthew Seligman, who is currently teaching a class on disputed presidential elections at harvard Law, had similar questions about the basis of the suits, and their likely impact. “Most of President trump’s lawsuits don’t even allege that votes were incorrectly or unlawfully counted, instead challenging procedural minutiae like how many feet away observers could stand from the counting tables. those few lawsuits that do make legal claims that could change vote totals also won’t ultimately change the results, because even if they win in court (which is doubtful) they would affect far too few ballots to close the current vote margins. Neither the president nor anyone else has put forward a scintilla of evidence of tens of thousands of unlawfully cast or counted ballots.” “this was not actually a particularly close election,” University of Kentucky law professor Joshua A. Douglas wrote. “it looked close initially only because of the order in which some states counted ballots. … the process took a little while so election officials could process ballots to ensure there was no fraud. it is pretty hypocritical to now claim that that slower vote count suggests massive fraud.”

As for recounts, which will occur in at least Georgia and potentially Wisconsin?

“Some states will hold recounts, as states do in almost every election,” wrote Seligman. “those recounts are exceptionally unlikely to change the results in even one state. No recount in history has closed anything close to the gap that President trump is facing in numerous states he would have to win.”

“Elections are conducted by humans, and humans make mistakes, so i would expect vote totals to change at the margins. But credible allegations of widespread fraud and/or official misconduct that would upset election results have not surfaced,” wrote Rebecca Green, law professor and co-director of the Election Law Program at William & Mary. “Diligent and committed election administrators nationwide and the hundreds of thousands of poll workers and election observers rose to the challenge: conducting a smooth election in a pandemic.”

“Speaking as a legal matter,” wrote Rick hasen, a professor of law and political sci-

ence at the University of California irvine and a CNN election law analyst, “there is every reason to believe that Congress will count Electoral-College votes favoring Joe Biden on January 6, and under the 20th Amendment, trump will be out of office on January 20—no matter what he says.”

OK, but could trump use other constitutional mechanisms to alter the outcome?

As trump’s legal strategy appears less and less likely to affect the election outcome, attention has shifted to the process for choosing presidential electors, a normally smooth behind-the-scenes process that some Republicans now want to upend for the sake of keeping trump in office.

Seligman sees the electors as “the most vulnerable point in the process from here to inauguration Day” but finds it unlikely that

that this year, there are further steps in the process that would block those actions from having any effect on the outcome.”

Florida State University law professor Michael Morley pointed to weaknesses in the Electoral Count Act of 1887, which guides how Congress counts electoral votes and determines the winner. “the ECA is written in archaic language, is ambiguous in several crucial respects and leaves some key issues unresolved,” he wrote. One issue, for example, is that “it is unclear whether Congress may, or even must, reject votes cast by so-called ‘faithless electors’” who vote against their own state’s presidential choice.

Nevertheless, Morley is confident that “based on the current Electoral College projections and the vote tallies within the swing states, it appears extremely unlikely that the

rogue legislatures will successfully manage to appoint pro-trump electors in a state that voted for Biden. “that would almost certainly be a violation of federal election law and the Constitution, and luckily some critical state legislative leaders have so far ruled it out.”

New York University constitutional law professor Richard Pildes similarly sees this as the real trump strategy, unlikely as it is to bear fruit: “the trump campaign can’t have any hope of overturning in the courts the popular vote in three states, based on what it has filed so far. these suits have a different audience and a different aim: to shape a ‘lost cause’ narrative and to set Republican legislatures up to defy the popular vote in their states and claim the authority to appoint electors themselves. No state legislature has ever done that since the law governing the Electoral College process was passed in 1887, and even if one or more did

ECA’s deficiencies will impact the results of this election. it remains a serious problem, however—one that Congress should seek to address well in advance of future presidential elections.”

According to hasen, who wrote Election Meltdown: Dirty tricks, Distrust, and the threat to American Democracy: “trump cannot litigate his way to victory; the only path would be a brute force political one that would disregard the rule of law. Any strategy based upon trying to get Republican state legislators to try to stop the certification of the vote and appoint their own slate of electors would be a legally unsupported naked power play. State legislatures would only have the power at this point to appoint 2020 electors if voters failed to make a choice on Election Day. But voters did make a choice, and it would be a violation of the rule of law and democratic norms to try to get state leg-

islatures to overturn the will of the people.”

Does it matter that Trump refuses to concede, as he has done so far? “the lack of a concession,” Manheim suggested, “reflects little more than a sitting president grappling with a reality he cannot abide.”“i am cautiously optimistic that trump’s autocratic response to his defeat will not lead to a larger crisis of succession,” wrote Lawrence Douglas. “Conceding defeat is a normative act, in which the conceding candidate acknowledges—and accepts—the legitimacy of his opponent’s victory. Submitting to defeat, by contrast, is merely a tactical, de facto recognition that further fight is futile. i see trump ultimately submitting to defeat without ever conceding.” if the consensus is that the transfer of power will eventually work out, is there any real problem with how this is all playing out? here, again, our experts were united: Yes, there is.“the real goal” of the president’s challenges, Joshua Douglas asserted, “is to undermine people’s confidence in the legitimacy of the election.”

And that could take our democracy to an unstable new phase. “Elections are the very essence of our democracy, and they are predicated on one fundamental principle: that the loser will accept the loss. if that principle no longer holds, neither does democratic government,” wrote huefner.

“Even if the court challenges to the election fail—as we expect they will—the baseless attacks on the legitimacy of how the election has been conducted will have longterm effects on the health of our democracy,” wrote Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the National Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. the dysfunction isn’t just about trump: it has deeper roots in how the parties have worked the gaps in our aging Constitution, wrote American University law professor Robert tsai. “i don’t have much doubt Joe Biden will be sworn into office on January 20. But we shouldn’t simply clap our hands and say the system is healthy because it worked this time,” he wrote. “in a POLitiCO poll, 70 percent of Republican voters now say they don’t think the election was fair, while 86 percent of Democrats trust the results. this bifurcated perception further strains a constitutional system rendered dysfunctional by the politics of partisan entrenchment and could stymie the reform we need to break out of our cycle of political gridlock and popular disillusionment.”“too many voters now believe that up is down, and doubt that Biden actually won,” wrote Waldman.“Asserting that we must await the conclusion of all court proceedings before acknowledging the winner is a deliberate attempt to undermine public acceptance of the result,” huefner adds. “this is now the greatest worry arising from the 2020 election, and it should be called out for the cynical, irresponsible and destructive ploy that it is.”

The calm before the exchange-rate storm?

CORE DOLLAR EXCHANGE RATES HAVE SO FAR BEEN SURPRISINGLY STABLE DURING THE PANDEMIC, MOST LIKELY BECAUSE MAJOR CENTRAL BANKS’ POLICY INTEREST RATES ARE EFFECTIVELY FROZEN AT OR NEAR ZERO. BUT ALTHOUGH THE CURRENT STASIS COULD LAST AWHILE, IT WILL NOT LAST FOREVER

Project Syndicate KENNETH ROGOFF

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ith alternative assets such as gold and Bitcoin thriving in the pandemic, some top economists are predicting a sharp fall in the US dollar. this could yet happen. But so far, despite inconsistent US management of the pandemic, massive deficit spending for economic catastrophe relief, and monetary easing that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says has “crossed a lot of red lines,” core dollar exchange rates have been eerily calm. Even the ongoing election drama has not had much impact. traders and journalists may be getting worked up about the green-

back’s daily travails, but for those of us who study longer-term exchangerate trends, their reactions to date amount to much ado about nothing.

At least since the 2008 financial crisis, the United States has had a crisis of enforcement when it comes to punishing and thus deterring corporate crime and the individuals responsible for it. the best corrective is to design penalties and enforcement that modify executive behavior by changing the incentives. to be sure, the euro has appreciated by roughly 6% against the dollar so far in 2020, but that is peanuts compared to the wild gyrations that took place after the 2008 financial crisis, when the dollar fluctuated between $1.58 and $1.07 to the euro.

Similarly, the yen-dollar exchange rate has hardly moved during the pandemic, but varied between ¥90 and ¥123 to the dollar in the Great Recession. And a broad dollar exchange-rate index against all US trading partners is currently sitting at roughly its mid-February level.

Such stability is surprising,

given that exchange-rate volatility normally rises significantly during US recessions. As Ethan ilzetzki of the London School of Economics, the World Bank’s Carmen Reinhart, and i discuss in recent research, the muted response of core exchange rates has been one of the pandemic’s major macroeconomic puzzles.

Economists have known for decades that explaining currency movements is extremely difficult.

Nevertheless, the overwhelming presumption is that in an environment of greater global macroeconomic uncertainty than most of us have seen in our lifetimes, exchange rates should be shifting wildly. But even as a second wave of COViD-19 has stunned Europe, the euro has fallen only by a few percent – a drop in the bucket in terms of asset-price volatility. Fiscal stimulus talks in the United States are on one day, off the next. And although America’s election uncertainty is moving toward resolution, more huge policy battles lie ahead. So far, though, any exchange-rate response has been rela-

tively small.

Nobody knows for sure what might be keeping currency movements in check. Possible explanations include common shocks, generous Fed provision of dollar swap lines, and massive government fiscal responses around the world. But the most plausible reason is the paralysis of conventional monetary policy. All major central banks’ policy interest rates are at or near the effective lower bound (around zero), and leading forecasters believe they will remain there for many years, even in an optimistic growth scenario. if not for the near-zero lower bound, most central banks would now be setting interest rates far below zero, say, at minus 3-4%. this suggests that even as the economy improves, it could be a long time before policymakers are willing to “lift off” from zero and raise rates into positive territory. interest rates are hardly the only likely driver of exchange rates; other factors, such as trade imbalances and risk, also are important. And, of

course, central banks are engaged in various quasi-fiscal activities such as quantitative easing. But with interest rates basically in a cryogenic freeze, perhaps the single biggest source of uncertainty is gone. in fact, as ilzetzki, Reinhart, and i show, core exchange-rate volatility was declining long before the pandemic, especially as one central bank after another skirted the zero bound. COViD-19 has since entrenched these ultra-low interest rates.

But the current stasis will not last forever. Controlling for relative inflation rates, the real value of a broad dollar index has been trending up for almost a decade, and at some point will probably partly revert to the mean (as happened in the early 2000s). the second wave of the virus is currently hitting Europe harder than the US, but this pattern may soon reverse as winter sets in, particularly if America’s post-election interregnum paralyzes both health and macroeconomic policy.

And although the US still has enormous capacity to provide much-

needed disaster relief to hard-hit workers and small businesses, the growing share of US public and corporate debt in global markets suggests longer-term fragilities.

Simply put, there is a fundamental inconsistency over the long run between an ever-rising share of US debt in world markets and an everfalling share of US output in the global economy. (the international Monetary Fund expects the Chinese economy to be 10% larger at the end of 2021 than it was at the end of 2019.) A parallel problem eventually led to the breakup of the post-war Bretton Woods system of fixed exchange rates, a decade after the Yale economist Robert triffin first identified it in the early 1960s. in the short to medium term, the dollar certainly could rise more – especially if further waves of COViD19 stress financial markets and trigger a flight to safety. And exchange-rate uncertainty aside, the overwhelming likelihood is that the greenback will still be king in 2030. But it’s worth remembering that economic traumas such as we are now experiencing often prove to be painful turning points.

Kenneth Rogoff, Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Harvard University and recipient of the 2011 Deutsche Bank Prize in Financial Economics, was the chief economist of the International Monetary Fund from 2001 to 2003. He is co-author of This Time is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly and author of The Curse of Cash.

Saturday, 14 November, 2020

BUSINESS 09

Turkey'S ADO GrOup TO inveST in pAkiSTAn'S reAl eSTATe, cOnSTrucTiOn inDuSTry

corporate corner

LAHORE

T LAHORE: Forman Christian College (A Chartered University) held an inauguration ceremony for its news Rector, Dr Jonathan s. Addleton. PRESS RELEASE

LAHORE: Ufone and Canteen Stores Department (CSD) recently signed a memorandum of understanding under which the telecom operator will provide services to CSD for digitization. CSD Commercial Director Brig (r) Ahmed Fawad Azim and Ufone’s Enterprise, Sales & Services, Shops & Franchise Services GM Atif Ishaque signed the MOU on the occasion. PRESS RELEASE

LAHORE: Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar hands over a cheque to a student of Unique Group of Institutes during a ceremony organized by UGI for its high achievers. PRESS RELEASE

HASSAN NAQVI

URKISH business giant ADO Group will invest in Pakistan’s construction and real estate industry, said Shafiq Akbar, Chairman of the Imarat Group of Companies, during an event held in Islamabad.

"Pakistan has great potential in the real estate sector and allied industries. We wish to work towards setting up industries to support the construction sector, which will in turn maximize economic growth," he said.

ADO Group & Adopen President and Chairman Mustafa Sak on the occasion explained how this collaboration with Pakistan’s leading real estate group would prove to be fruitful for both Turkey and Pakistan.

Brick Plus Chairman Kamil Arslan, NG Kutahya

Chairman Erkan Gural, Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Mustafa Yurdakul, Senator Faisal Javed, Special Assistant to PM for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Zulfikar Bukhari, SAPM on Youth Affairs Usman Dar, Industries & Production Minister Hammad Azhar, Export Area Manager Tony Perez, Spainish delegates, government officials and relevant heads from the business community were also present on the occasion.

In his address, SAPM Usman Dar highlighted the potential of Pakistani youth and stressed the need to provide them with employment opportunities.

“Pakistan has one of the largest and most diverse youth populations in the world. It is a resource for all looking to invest in Pakistan,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Industries & Production Minister Hammad Azhar lauded Imarat Group for inviting for-

FBR develops 'e-commerce automated clearance system' ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Pakistan Customs has developed an e-commerce automated clearance facility in collaboration with State Bank of Pakistan, Ministry of Commerce and e-commerce operators.

According to a handout issued by the Federal Board of Revenue, the new system will facilitate ecommerce trade and document e-commerce exports from Pakistan. The system allows commercial banks to register e-commerce traders in the WeBOC system of Pakistan Customs.

Under the SBP regulatory framework for B2C eCommerce exports, exporters shall export their ecommerce consignments without the requirement of E-Form up to $5,000 per consignment. The shipments shall be made through courier companies registered with Pakistan Customs who shall file the Goods Declaration in WeBOC system on behalf of exporters.

Each individual consignment shall be identified

on the basis of unique HAWB number. The details of export shipments shall be accessible to banks in the e-commerce profile of the exporters in the system after the export of goods from Pakistan.

The exporter shall be required to ensure realization of export proceeds within 60 days from the date of shipment. The export proceeds shall be received from abroad by commercial banks, through banking channel or international payment scheme/gateway, either in foreign currency or in Pakistani Rupee from Non-Resident Rupee Account Repatriable.

Various MIS reports have been provided in the system to the SBP and commercial banks for settlement of export realization and fulfillment of other regulatory requirements.

The e-commerce operators have lauded the initiative that will remove the difficulties faced by the SME sector in exporting their goods, thus playing an effective role in improving the country's rating in the Ease of Doing Business Index.

PM's aide for transparency in revenue collection ISLAMABAD: Saleem Khan Tanoli, CEO FAKT Exhibitions (Pvt.) Ltd., has once again made Pakistan proud by being elected to the Board of Directors at UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, after serving as 1st Vice Chair of UFI Asia-Pacific Chapter from 2017 till 2020. PRESS RELEASE

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh has directed the FBR's technical committee to simplify tax filing procedures so as to ensure transparency in revenue collection.

He was charging a virtual meeting of the Federal board of Revenue's Technical Committee on Friday, a statement issued on Friday read. FBR Chairman Muhammad Javed Ghani was also present on the occasion.

After a detailed presentation on tax collection system by committee chairman Abid Shaban, it was decided that experts would be engaged as co-opted members to streamline the workings of the commit-

tee. Representatives of the commerce and industries divisions would also be included to further strengthen the committee.

During the meeting, FBR's 'FASTER' system for sales tax refund to exporters was appreciated by the PM's aide.

It was agreed that both FASTER and rebate systems would be fine-tuned on a priority basis for more efficient results.

The technical committee asked the Ministry of Commerce to clear the backlog with reference to DLTL refunds expeditiously, adding that the FBR would devise a strategy for liquidation of pending income tax returns. APP

Gas distributors oppose cut in consumer tariff LAHORE: Mall of Lahore is conducting a two-day ‘Organic Market’ with an extensive range of pure and healthy products and much more. The festival will run this Saturday and Sunday (November 14th & 15th) from 2pm till 10pm. PRESS RELEASE

Gas distributors on Friday opposed the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority’s (OGRA) decision to slash liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices for consumers. According to the gas distributors, Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), the decision was taken without taking them in confidence, and that it will increase the deficit already faced by them in gas distribution.

“The decision is unfair and contradictory to law,” SSGC spokesperson noted. It may be noted that OGRA had earlier allowed gas distributors to charge 11 to 17 per cent of unaccounted-for-gas (UFG) from LNG consumers in the tariff. However, on Wednesday last, the regulatory authority slashed the rate to about 6pc after the Economic Coordination Committee realized how much UFG could be collected from domestic consumers and advised OGRA to accordingly regulate it. BUSINESS DESK

eign investment to Pakistan, which according to him would help boost localised industrialisation and in turn, the economy.

“Along with strengthening the bond shared between Turkey and Pakistan, this initiative will also help attract safe investments in Pakistan,” Azhar said.

During the event, all participants agreed that Pakistan has limitless potential, which must be tapped into and utilised for the good of all entities involved.

Pak-Turk relations have been known to be friendly yet strong, usually termed as 'Kardeşler' (brothers) in Turkish. Both nations have worked to negotiate a preferential trading agreement, aiming to considerably increase trade and investments, especially in transport, telecommunications, manufacturing, tourism and other industries, increasing their volume of bilateral trade.

market daily

Stocks close flat on lack of triggers KARACHI STAFF REPORT

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a turbulent session on Friday, with the indices swaying both ways in search of a clear direction before closing flat. Global equity markets displayed a negative trend, whereas crude oil prices also slipped lower from the previous close; WTI crude price falling 1.19pc to $40.63, while Brent crude price dropping 0.85pc to $43.16. As per analysts, rising number of coronavirus cases and possibility of a second lockdown dented investors' confidence at the local bourse. "The market started on a negative note as selling pressure was observed in cement, exploration & production and oil & gas marketing sectors. Cement sector staged recovery before the midday break and carried the momentum in the afternoon session as well," a report issued by Arif Habib Ltd read. The movement of the benchmark KSE-100 Index remained volatile on Friday, as it recorded its intraday low at 40,262.22 (302.34 points) and high at 40,689.60 (+125.04 points).

It finally ended flat (+4.79 points) at 40,569.35. Among other indices, the KMI-30 Index dropped 230.70 points to close at 64,746.92, whereas the KSE All Share Index gained 8.57 points, settling at 28,456.78. The overall market volumes fell from 328.28 million shares in the previous session to 242.95 million shares (-26pc).

Average traded value also declined by 30pc, from $71.5 million to $49.9 million. Pakistan Refinery Ltd (PRL +4.53pc), Unity Foods Ltd (UNITY +0.81pc) and TRG Pakistan Ltd (TRG -1.18pc) led the volume chart, exchanging 28.27 million, 19.56 million and 15.29 million shares, respectively. Sectors that kept the benchmark index afloat included technology & communication (+6.16 points), banking (+5.65 points) and cement (+5.56 points). Among the companies, Systems Ltd (SYS +7.53 points), Habib Bank Ltd (HBL +2.76 points) and Hub Power Company Ltd (HUBC +2.64 points) remained the top contributors.

Adding 1.96pc to its cumulative market capitalization, the technology & communication sector ended as session’s top performer, with SYS (+5.52pc), NetSol Technologies Ltd (NETSOL +4.48pc) and TPL Properties Ltd (TPLP +1.82pc) posting decent gains.

Meanwhile, in a notification to the exchange, Hub Power Company Ltd (HUBC +0.74pc) announced that the company has executed and issued an Islamic Shariah-compliant discounted Sukuk of Rs6,000 million through its wholly-owned subsidiary. The purpose of this Sukuk is to finance the company's ongoing capital requirements.

Dollar falls to eightmonth low against rupee KARACHI

Pakistan wants to extend CPeC to afghanistan, says Na speaker PESHAWAR AZIZ BUNERI

National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser said on Friday that Pakistan intends to enhance the scope of ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan so as to connect Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the Central Asian countries.

Addressing a conference titled, 'The role of parliament in enhancing investment, trade and people-to-people exchange under CPEC', he said after the start of intra-Afghan talks, efforts were underway to revive this historical trade route, which would be in the best interest of the people of both countries.

"Solid efforts will be made on parlia-

mentary level to ensure maximum benefits of CPEC projects for KP," Asad Qaiser said. "We are also playing our role to secure the due rights of the province, including its share on account of the hydel power profit."

Qaiser directed the officials concerned to expedite work on cases pertaining to KP's rights in CPEC projects, and forward a summary in this regard to Islamabad at the earliest.

In his address, KP Chief Minister Mehmood Khan claimed that the incumbent provincial government has brought more CPEC projects to the province than the previous government.

"The Nawaz Sharif government had just provided one CPEC economic zone to the province, while we have added

motorways, power projects and the construction of Chishma Right Bank Canal project to the framework."

He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan would inaugurate the Rashakai Economic Zone on November 21st.

On power supply issues, the CM said that Pakhtunkhwa Electric Company (PEDO) has initiated several power projects, the completion of which would ensure the provision of cheap electricity to local industries.

Meanwhile, the participants of the panel discussions demanded the government to include women businesses in the China-funded project. They highlighted that women-centric projects covered not even 15 per cent of the CPEC framework, which meant that the government

CMYK

was ignoring more than half of the country's population.

Shamama Arbab, President of the KP Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, informed that most women were associated with home-based industries, "but [they] need more support to develop their businesses".

She demanded the government to provide interest-free loans to women, facilitate small & medium enterprises, and help entrepreneurs in market research in order to enable the province compete with other parts of the world.

The participants also demanded the government to direct banks to provide lands to the SMEs in the province, noting that Pakistani banks were still reluctant to invest in the province.

TLTP

Pakistani Rupee continued with its winning streak against the US Dollar, gaining 17 paisas in the interbank market on Friday. According to a State Bank of Pakistan tweet, the US Dollar opened at Rs158.33 and closed at Rs158.16, a level it last reached in midMarch. PKR has gained Re0.93 against the greenback during this week. “Stable foreign exchange reserves and a return to current-account surplus for the first time in five years, thanks to record remittances, have helped shore up the currency,” a Bloomberg report read. “The nation separately won $1.4 billion in emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund this year, while it also received funds from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank to deal with the economic impact of the Covid-19 outbreak.” The recent appreciation in the rupee is mainly driven by FX inflows, positive market sentiments, and it is broadly in line with global USD weakness across major currencies,” said Pervez Shahbaz Khan, Global Treasurer at Askari Bank Ltd, in Karachi. “Future direction will depend on upcoming current account numbers.”

Saturday, 14 November, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

GAteS FoUndAtIon PoURS $70M MoRe Into vAccIne develoPMent, dIStRIBUtIon eFFoRt WASHINGTON

B

AGENCIES

ILLIONAIRE vaccine evangelists Bill and Melinda Gates have topped off the global effort to roll out a shot against the novel coronavirus as some question the vague clinical trial results of the Gates-funded Pfizer jab.

The couple’s foundation will pour $70 million more into the vaccine development and distribution effort, they announced on Thursday in a press release, adding that Melinda Gates would make the official statement during the Paris Peace Forum. The pair have earmarked $50 million for COVAX – an international effort to ensure 92 “low- and middle-income countries” have access to the experimental jab(s) – and $20 million for the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI), which is supposed to “jumpstart the development for an additional slate of promising vaccine candidates.”

Despite stumping relentlessly for a shot against the novel coronavirus over the past nine months and revealing he hopes to

inject all 7 billion humans on earth with it, Microsoft founder Bill Gates appears to have shifted his attention from the current crop of vaccine candidates to the next, arguing the second-generation jabs will have “greater potential for large-scale manufacturability, temperature stability, and lowcost production.”

Australia faces more fires, drought as climate continues to heat CANBERRA AGENCIES

The timetable for that vaccine – and with it, the much-hoped-for return to “normal” – has apparently stretched further into the future, with Gates hinting on Thursday “we still have a long way to go” despite suggesting “rich countries” could return to their pre-Covid-19 state by the end of 2021 just last month. Foundation CEO Mark

Indian law on foreign funding a ‘tool to silence’ civil society NEW DELHI

Australia’s climate is expected become hotter and drier, increasing the risk of drought and extreme weather events such as the bushfires that devastated swathes of southeastern Australia in the last southern hemisphere summer, according to the latest climate report from the country’s weather bureau. The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM)’s latest State of the Climate report blames carbon emissions for the increase in extreme heat, noting that a hotter Australia will affect the lives and livelihoods of everyone who lives there. “Australia needs to plan for and adapt to the changing nature of climate risk now and in the decades ahead,” the BoM said in the report, which is was produced jointly with CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency and is released every two years.

“Reducing global greenhouse gas emissions will lead to less warming and fewer impacts in the future.”

Australia’s climate has warmed on average by 1.44 degrees Celsius since national records began in 1910, the report said. The country experienced its warmest year on record in 2019, and the seven years from 2013 to 2019 all ranked among the nine warmest years ever, the BoM said. Australia as a whole is also reporting more “extremely warm” days with 43 reported in 2019, more than triple the number in any of the years prior to 2000.

“This long-term warming trend means that most years are now warmer than almost any observed during the 20th century,” the report said. “When relatively cooler years do occur, it is because natural drivers that typically cool Australia’s climate, such as La Niña, act to partially offset the background warming trend.” While the lockdowns associated with the coronavirus pandemic have helped reduce global emissions, the Australian scientists said the effects on climate change would be “negligible” because the rate of carbon dioxide accumulation in the atmosphere had increased with every passing decade since atmospheric measurements began. “Atmospheric CO2 continues to rise, and fossil fuel emissions will remain the principal driver of this growth throughout 2020 and likely beyond,” they said.

Suzman seemed to agree, stating that “ending this pandemic will require the largest public health effort in history” – even as a growing body of statistical evidence suggests Covid-19 is hardly the world-ending mass killer it was initially presented as in the Gates-funded media.

The Microsoft magnate is wholly prepared to take on this ‘challenge,’ however, having recently celebrated the wholesale cooption of UK health policy through PM Boris Johnson and his country’s turn at the helm of the G7 – during which a global “health security” regime is to be unveiled that will give the Gateses even more power than they already have as the top donors to the World Health Organization.

Gates’ detractors have accused the couple’s foundation of using third-world populations as “lab rats” for experimental compounds, and pockets of resistance have sprung up in South Africa as vaccine trials conducted by the Gates-backed Gavi (a partnership between the Gates Foundation, the WHO, and the World Bank) have taken place in that country.

Gavi’s stated purpose is increasing vaccine uptake in poorer nations.

AGENCIES

Rights defenders have criticised an amendment to the Indian Foreign Contributions Act (FCRA), which oversees foreign funding to NGOs, with International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) saying it is “a tool to silence” civil society organisations in the South Asia nation. In a briefing paper released on Thursday, the ICJ states that the FCRA is “severely shrinking” civil space in India and poses unnecessary obstacles to human rights defenders in India by “unlawfully obstructing” the work of NGOs in the country of 1.3 billion.

The ICJ said the FCRA “fails to comply with India’s international

legal obligations to respect and protect the rights to freedom of association, expression, peaceful assembly, and the right to take part in the conduct of public affairs”. The FCRA regulates foreign donations with the aim of ensuring that such donations do not adversely affect the “national security” of India.

Originally enacted in 1976 with the aim to prevent foreign donations to political parties, the law has been amended to starve NGOs, particularly rights groups and environmental NGOs critical of the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Foreign funding to political parties remains illegal in India.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet,

expressed concern in October that the FCRA was being used to “deter or punish NGOs for human rights reporting and advocacy”. The ICJ is concerned that the overbroad language of the FCRA law means that it can be applied in an arbitrary manner.

It considers the Act as being part of a “clampdown on Indian human rights defenders” consisting of arbitrary arrests and other forms of harassment.

“All governments have a duty to prevent corruption, but financial regulation should not be used to stifle the crucial role of civil society simply because the authorities find it hard to deal with constructive criticism,” Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, told the media.

Death of Belarus protester sparks unrest and threat of more EU sanctions KYIV AGENCIES

Thousands of people took to the streets of Minsk and other Belarusian cities on Friday, after a 31-year-old anti-government protester died in hospital following what demonstrators said was a severe beating by security forces.

Witnesses said Roman Bondarenko was detained after scuffling with people in plain clothes who had come to a playground to remove red-and-white ribbons representing a months-long protest movement against President Alexander Lukashenko. The interior ministry denied responsibility for Bondarenko’s death, saying he had been

killed in a scuffle with civilians.

The state Investigative Committee alleged Bondarenko had been drunk. Local media reports contradicted this, citing the official medical report into his death that they said showed he had no alcohol in his bloodstream.

The death on Thursday was the latest flashpoint in months of mass protests against Lukashenko following a disputed presidential election in August. The opposition says Lukashenko rigged the vote to secure a sixth successive term.

Lukashenko denies electoral fraud and, buoyed by support from traditional ally Russia, has rejected opposition calls to resign or hold new elections.

US military says it flew ill Bahrain PM to Minnesota WASHINGTON AGENCIES

In a statement released on Friday, the State Department said a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III carried Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa to the Mayo Clinic hospital in Minnesota state. “In September, the United States provided medical transportation assistance to Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, a US friend and ally,” it said. The care offered to Sheikh Khalifa came just after the US military similarly flew Kuwait’s late ruling emir to the same hospital.

Both countries host major US military bases in the region and are considered major non-NATO allies, granting them military and economic privileges with Washington. On September 18, the C-17 “flying hospital” took off from Germany and landed in Rochester, Minnesota, the home of the flagship campus of the Mayo Clinic. It was followed to Rochester by a Boeing 767 owned by Bahrain’s royal family.

The Mayo Clinic at the time and since has declined to comment on the care it provided to Sheikh Khalifa, who died on Wednesday at the age of 84. The US Air Force uses such C-17s for medical evacuations, triaging critically wounded soldiers while rapidly flying them onto major bases. The aircraft include onboard oxygen and the same lifesaving equipment found in hospital emergency rooms. The flights often include critical care air transport teams comprised of a specialised doctor, a nurse and a respiratory therapist. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo offered condolences to Bahrain over Sheikh Khalifa’s death. “As the prime minister of Bahrain since its independence, Prince Khalifa was a statesman of the highest order and will always be known as a close friend and partner of the United States,” Pompeo said. A Bahrain royal family Boeing 747 brought Sheikh Khalifa’s body home from Minnesota on Thursday. The burial was limited to the family due to the coronavirus pandemic. Bahrain is home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, which patrols the waterways of the Middle East.

India in technical recession for 1st time in history: RBI MUMBAI AGENCIES

India has entered into a technical recession in the first half of 2020-21 fiscal year (April 2020March 2021) for the first time in its history, according to a report by the country's central bank. According to the report released late Wednesday by a team led by Michael Patra, a deputy governor at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Asia's third-largest economy has probably shrunk for the second straight quarter (July-September) pushing the country into an unprecedented recession. As per the report, India's gross domestic product is set to contract by 8.6 percent in July-September after having slumped by around 23.9 percent in April-June though the official statistics will be released later this month on Nov. 27. Stating about living in challenging times, the report said, "Lurking around the corner is the third major risk -- stress intensifying among households and corporations that has been delayed but not mitigated, and could spill over into the financial sector."

Cautioning about downside risks and inflation, in particular, following by Covid-19, the report said, "The foremost (risk) is the unrelenting pressure of inflation, with no signs of waning in spite of supply management measures such as the imposition of stock limits on onion traders, imports of potatoes and onions (without fumigation) and a temporary reduction in import duties on pulses."

TikTok ban delayed as proposed sale remains uncertain WASHINGTON AGENCIES

The Trump administration pulled back from its threat to ban the viral video-sharing app TikTok in the US, as the dispute winds its way through the court system and a proposed sale hangs in limbo.

For months, the app’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, has faced the prospect of a US ban starting a day ago. But judges have blocked those prohibitions from going into effect. The Commerce Department said it would comply with those court rulings for the time being, even as the government appeals.

The TikTok prohibition “has been enjoined, and will not go into effect, pending further legal developments,” the Commerce Department said in a document published in the federal register.

Separately, ByteDance has challenged an order from the Treasury Department to sell TikTok or face unspecified penalties.

The US Court of Appeals in Washington on Thursday gave ByteDance and the Trump administration December 14 and December 28 deadlines to file documents in the case.

When it filed the petition, TikTok said the government had not responded to its latest efforts to strike a compromise and pre-

vent an enforced sale. It’s not clear if anything has developed since to extend the deadline, but the court order didn’t allude to any new arrangement.

ByteDance had sought US approval for a deal to sell a stake in the app to Oracle and Walmart before the November 12 deadline.

But the agreement appears to be in limbo.

Before filing its petition in Washington this week, ByteDance requested a 30-day extension from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, or Cfius, that is overseen by the Treasury Department, to keep working toward a solution. That request went unanswered, according to court papers. As of

midnight Thursday, the administration hadn’t issued a statement about whether it was granting the extension.

Lawyers for TikTok and officials at the Treasury Department didn’t respond to requests for comment. President Donald Trump has made the battle over TikTok a central front in his broader efforts to crack down on the influence of China’s technology industry in the US. Trump first ordered a TikTok sale in August, and threatened to ban the app if ByteDance couldn’t reach an agreement with an American company.

He hasn’t said anything about TikTok since last week’s presidential election, having

focused on trying to discredit the results that show he lost. But on Thursday he issued an executive order prohibiting US investments in Chinese firms determined to be owned or controlled by the country’s military. In September, a judge in Washington blocked a portion of the ban that would have prevented new downloads of the app. And on October 30, a Pennsylvania judge issued a temporary injunction on rules that would have prevented third-party companies from providing online infrastructure that allows TikTok to function smoothly. The US appealed the Washington ruling in October, and said on Thursday it would appeal the Pennsylvania ruling.

Saturday, 14 November, 2020

SPORTS 11

PSL PLayoffS Preview: How teamS battLe tHe Squad SHuffLe couLd decide PSL winner

d

AGENCIES

ESPITE the explosion of T20 leagues around the world over the past decade, what takes place over the next few days in Karachi will be unique. Eight months after the PSL was called off abruptly on the day of the semi-finals due to a possible Covid-19 outbreak, the league is back to finish what it started off in February. A world away from the heaving crowds that greeted the PSL’s complete return to Pakistan, the conclusion will be played out to an empty National Stadium under strict bio-secure conditions.

But this isn’t just a box to be ticked, there is history at stake for each of the four playoff competitors. With the historically successful Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators, the two most successful sides in the tournament’s history, out, there’s glory up for grabs for four teams, three of whom have never so much been in a PSL final. Lahore get their first taste of PSL playoff action when they take on Peshawar Zalmi in an eliminator; the latter are the most established remaining team in the league. At the top end, Multan Sultans, who were, by some distance, the best team in the group stages, take on Karachi Kings, who will eye a golden opportunity to seal a title at their home venue. We look at each of the four teams, and how they shape up ahead of Saturday.

MULTAN SULTANS: It’s third time lucky for Shan Masood’s side, who, like Lahore, have never been involved at this stage of the competition before. But they didn’t just squeeze into the last four, they barged through as trailblazers, and, without the extended break, were hot favourites to storm to the title. The hiring of Nathan Leamon as Director of Strategy was followed by the franchise’s public declaration that data would drive decision-making, and that appears to have helped. They were the only side to win six games in the group stage, and the first to seal safe passage to the last four.

Imran Tahir and Sohail Tanvir were near the top of the wickets charts while maintaining economy rates below eight, while a lethal combination of big hitters and accumulators with the bat made the franchise a fearsome force to be reckoned with. Masood provided solidity at the top while each of Rilee Rossouw, Khushdil Shah, Zeeshan Ashraf and James Vince played match-winning innings in separate matches, distributing the workload amongst the team while relieving pressure on individuals. Throw in Moeen Ali, who chipped in with both runs

and wickets, and it was hard to see any weaknesses oppositions could target.

But all that’s changed now. Multan have been the hardest hit in terms of player availability, with travel restrictions and Covid-19 all taking their toll on the side.

Vince, Fabian Allen and Moeen will be unavailable to them, while Mahmudullah, a replacement for Moeen, was also ruled out because he tested positive for Covid19. Adam Lyth, Joe Denly and Brendan Taylor have been brought in as replacements, with Multan hoping they can help the side pick up where they left off in March.

SqUAD: Shan Masood (c), Adam Lyth (England), Ali Shafiq, Bilawal Bhatti, Brendan Taylor (Zimbabwe), Imran Tahir (South Africa), Joe Denly (England), Junaid Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Irfan, Ravi Bopara (England), Rilee Rossouw (South Africa), Rohail Nazir, Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir, Usman Qadir and Zeeshan Ashraf PESHAWAR ZALMI: Zalmi can claim the most highprofile new signing for the playoffs, bringing in South African captain Faf du Plessis in what was marketed as a bit of a coup for the franchise. However, they’re not without their setbacks either, with the absence of Kieron Pollard, who just recently helped his IPL side Mumbai Indians to yet another title, likely to be keenly felt. Tom Banton might have had a season to forget, but the absence of his explosive potential at the top will be missed, as will the leadership qualities of the charismatic Daren Sammy, who is unavailable for logistical reasons. Most of the replacements are local, with Sohaib Maqsood, so instrumental to Southern Punjab’s run to the final in the recently concluded National T20 Cup, the highest-profile one. Hardus Viljoen, Khurram Shehzad and Saqib Mahmood are the other inclusions.

It’s been an up-and-down season for Peshawar Zalmi, who only crept into the last four due to a better run-rate than Quetta Gladiators, ending the group stages with a negative win-loss ratio for the first time in their history. It was also their lowest group stage finish; in all but one of the first four seasons, Peshawar Zalmi have found themselves perched at the top come playoff time.

They do, however, boast some of the most coveted PSL assets, with captain Wahab Riaz the third-highest wickettaker this season. Hasan Ali, too, was instrumental, which makes his absence due to injury all the more dispiriting. Kamran Akmal, meanwhile, is now PSL royalty, and was on top of his game this season, too, with 251 runs at a strike rate of 162.

Haider Ali’s stock, meanwhile, has risen since a promising start to his PSL career earlier this year, while Carlos Brathwaite, Liam Livingstone and Shoaib Malik are decent enough players to have in one’s ranks.

Whether they’re good enough to win T20 competitions, though, is very much up for grabs, and if Peshawar are to ensure they don’t fall at the first hurdle to Lahore Qalandars, they will perhaps need some of their stalwarts to come to the party in a big way.

SqUAD: Wahab Riaz (c), Aamir Ali, Adil Amin, Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies), Faf du Plessis (South Africa), Haider Ali, Hardus Viljoen (South Africa), Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Khurram Shehzad, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Mohsin, Rahat Ali, Saqib Mahmood, Shoaib Malik, Sohaib Maqsood, Umar Amin and Yasir Shah LAHORE qALANDARS: After spending four hard years sitting at bottom, Lahore Qalandars finally turned a corner, making it into the play-offs for the first time.

They have long struggled to make a mark in the PSL, never getting past the group stage and often finishing last. They started horrendously this season too, losing four out of first five games but turned their fortune around remarkably, winning four out of the final five pool games to end the jinx. Things fell into place for them this year with a settled captain in Sohail Akhtar, and relying on players from their own player development programme has appeared to pay dividends.

They were helped by some devastating performances by their two Australian players in Ben Dunk and Chris Lynn. Dunk was the breakout player for them, amassing 247 runs in his last four knocks at an average of 123.50 and a strike rate of 226.61. The momentum might have been lost somewhat with an 8 month gap but Qalandars feel confident they can keep the run going. Lynn’s absence will, no doubt, be a huge setback, but in Tamim Iqbal, they have an able replacement, and haven’t been hit as badly as some others by player absences.

The most encouraging sign for Qalandars is the form of their key players. Age does not seem to be dimming Mohammad Hafeez’s ability, while the most high-profile recruit from their player development programme Haris Rauf is in the form of his life, and an established member of the Pakistan T20 side. Shaheen Afridi is the country’s leading fast bowler in every format, and one of the best fast bowlers in the world by now. Whisper it, but Lahore might be in a position to go all the way here.

SqUAD: Sohail Akhtar (c), Tamim Iqbal

What to look out for in Nations League finale AGENCIES Despite many criticising the decision to go ahead with the tournament during the coronavirus pandemic, amid travel difficulties, matches behind closed doors, and with injuries piling up, the UEFA Nations League limps to a finish over the next week. AFP Sport looks at some of the issues to be decided in the coming days: COVID AND INJURIES TAKE TOLL: For the third month running European national teams are playing a double-header of Nations League matches, and many are throwing in friendlies too, despite the ongoing complications caused by the health crisis. England feared their game against Iceland next Wednesday might be moved to a neutral venue because their opponents are due to play Denmark away three days earlier.

Denmark is the subject of a UK travel ban due to concerns over a new strain of Covid-19 linked to mink farms, and the idea of England moving the Iceland game to a neutral venue in Germany or Albania had been raised.

However, the UK government issued a travel exemption to the Icelandic side and the game will go ahead at Wembley. Elsewhere, players are absent after testing positive for Covid-19, among them Eden Hazard, who is set to miss Belgium’s games with England and Denmark.

Niklas Suele, Kai Havertz and Emre Can are missing for Germany, while Edin Dzeko is out for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Wissam Ben Yedder for France. And it’s not just the players: Italy coach Roberto Mancini also had to go into quarantine after contracting the virus.

Then there are the injuries, with players struggling to keep up with the demands of a packed schedule.

England’s Liverpool defender Joe Gomez this week succumbed to a serious knee injury. Spain’s Ansu Fati and Germany’s Joshua Kimmich also suffered knee injuries just before this international break.

WILL HOLDERS PORTUGAL REACH FINALS? The winners of the four groups in League A will advance to the finals, which UEFA has pencilled in for October next year. Portugal are the holders after winning the inaugural edition on home soil in 2019, and the reigning European champions face World Cup holders France in Lisbon on Saturday in a crunch game — whoever wins will be through to the finals, while a draw keeps things alive until the final Group 3 matches on Tuesday.

Poland, Italy and the Netherlands are all fighting it out in Group 1, while Belgium are in pole position in Group 2 and can knock out England with a win in Leuven on Sunday. Denmark are still in contention in that group too.

In Group 4, just one point separates Spain, Germany and Ukraine with two rounds left. It could all come down to Spain’s clash with Germany in Seville on Tuesday.

SCOTLAND, WALES TO JOIN ELITE? Hot on the heels of their penalty shoot-out win over Serbia which secured qualification for Euro 2020, a rejuvenated Scotland can clinch promotion to the elite League A. Steve Clarke’s side currently top League B, Group 2 by four points from the Czech Republic. A win in Slovakia on Sunday will therefore do the job, otherwise they have another chance to secure top spot in Israel on Wednesday.

Wales are hoping to secure first place in League B, Group 4, with a one-point lead over Finland and home games against the Republic of Ireland and the Finns to come.

WORLD CUP INCENTIVE: While the likes of Scotland and North Macedonia qualified for Euro 2020 after coming through play-offs based on performance in the last Nations League, there is an added incentive in this edition related to the 2022 World Cup. Qualifying for Qatar 2022 will start in March, with 10 group winners advancing to the finals. The 10 runners-up will go into the play-offs, where they will be joined by the best two Nations League group winners (based on overall rankings) who did not directly qualify or reach the play-offs.

A total of three World Cup spots will be available through the play-offs, so Qatar remains a long way off, but this is still an extra reason for the likes of Scotland, Wales and others to top their Nations League groups.

(Bangladesh), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, David Wiese (South Africa), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Shinwari, Samit Patel (England), Haris Rauf, Agha Salman, Ben Dunk (Australia), Farzan Raja, Jaahid Ali, Abid Ali, Mohammad Faizan, Maaz Khan, Dane Vilas (South Africa) and Dilbar Hussain KARACHI KINGS: Karachi Kings may have the privilege of playing at home, but their 2020 campaign will forever be tinged with significant poignance. Head coach Dean Jones guided the side to a second place finish, their highest in PSL history, but in a tragic twist of fate, won’t be around to see the job through, after he died of a heart attack on September 25. Team president Wasim Akram will take on the management role for the side, whose defining feature has been the strength at the top of the order. Power-hitter Sharjeel Khan is paired with Babar Azam, the highest run-getter in PSL history, as well as the leading runscorer this season, with 345 runs at 49.28.

It was a Karachi Kings player in Alex Hales who was - incorrectly, it turned out - believed to have contracted Covid-19 in March, which necessitated the postponement of the playoffs. He is set to return for the tournament once more, and set to play a key role at the top of the order for Imad Wasim’s side. But it is the absence of another English player, death bowler Chris Jordan, that may hurt the side; he is due to take part in England’s T20I series in South Africa. As such, Mohammad Amir, who has fallen out of favour at the national level, will have to take on increased responsibility, and perhaps even stake in T20 claims with a standout performance here.

A player whose stock has soared since the postponement is Karachi Kings wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan. He wasn’t even the first-choice keeper for Karachi, with Chadwick Walton playing most games in the group stage, but has since become an all-format regular for Pakistan, and expected to feature heavily over the next few days. Imad Wasim, too, will have to take on responsibility with the ball at the top of the innings, while young left arm spinner Umer Khan may once again prove a key player for the home side.

SqUAD: Imad Wasim (c), Aamer Yamin, Alex Hales (England), Arshad Iqbal, Awais Zia, Babar Azam, Cameron Delport (South Africa), Chadwick Walton (West Indies), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Sharjeel Khan, Sherfane Rutherford (West Indies), Umaid Asif, Umer Khan, Usama Mir, Waqas Maqsood and Wayne Parnell (South Africa)

Rossi cleared to race in MotoGP Valencia GP after Covid scare AGENCIES Yamaha MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi has been cleared to race in this weekend’s Valencia Grand Prix after returning a second negative Covid-19 test.

Rossi was forced to miss the Aragon doubleheader last month after catching the virus between the French and Aragon Grands Prix.

Having initially tested positive again last Tuesday, Rossi cleared the other tests he had to take and was able to take part in the European Grand Prix last weekend.

However, on Tuesday having returned home to Italy Rossi tested “positive with a very low viral load” and was recommended by doctors to take another two tests.

The first one take on Wednesday returned a negative result on Thursday, with his next one taken this morning also returning negative.

Rossi has now been cleared to take part in this weekend’s Valencia GP alongside his crew after they cleared all the relevant tests.

Earlier on Thursday, a source from Yamaha confirmed the Japanese manufacturer would not be lining up a replacement for Rossi this weekend should he have been unable to race.

Last week Yamaha put American World Super-

bike rider Garrett Gerloff on standby to replace Rossi if he was to miss the European GP. As Rossi wasn’t cleared to ride in time for Friday’s practices, Yamaha put Gerloff on the bike for both sessions.

The American impressed the team, including Rossi, after ending the day just 1.5 seconds off the pace on the combined timesheets.

Yamaha will still be missing members this weekend, after five team personnel - including team manager Massimo Meregalli - were forced into quarantine last week when one of Maverick Vinales’ crew tested positive for Covid-19.

This followed on from last month when six members of Yamaha were forced to quarantine ahead of the French GP when one tested positive for Covid19.

Rossi’s first race back since the French GP last weekend ended after just five laps owing to a technical issue.

It continued a rotten streak for the Italian, who hasn’t seen a chequered flag since the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano at the start of September.

Tech3 rider Iker Lecuona has also been cleared to ride this weekend from Saturday after being forced to miss the last race when his brother tested positive for the virus.

Scaloni calls for VAR review after Messi goal chalked off AGENCIES Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni called for a more rigorous set of criteria for the Video Assistant Referee after Lionel Messi’s potential match-winning goal was chalked off for an infringement in their 1-1 draw with Paraguay.

Messi side-footed home from around 12 metres to complete a long and flowing counter-attack but play was hauled back for a foul committed in the Argentine half at the very start of the move. The decision meant Argentina had to settle for one point in a game in which they had more of both the possession and the chances after going behind to a first-half penalty.

“I think there has to be a way of uniting the themes

CMYK

VIDEO ASSISTANT REFEREE PLAYED A BIG ROLE AFTER ARGENTINE’S MATCH-WINNING GOAL WAS DENIED of the VAR,” Scaloni said. “I’m not speaking of good or bad faith, but in uniting the criteria.”

“We are left with a bitter sweet taste because Argentina did everything to win. In the second half we pinned our opponents back. We also have to recognise the team’s attitude in always believing they could win.”

The two-time world champions were unbeaten in nine games going into Thursday’s qualifier but went behind after 22 minutes to an Angel Romero spot kick.

They lost Exequiel Palacios to a bad foul by Romero soon after but Palacio’s replacement Giovani lo Celso took the corner that Nicolas Gonzalez headed home four minutes before half time for his first international goal.

The result means that Paraguay, who missed out on the finals in 2014 and 2018, are unbeaten in their first three qualifiers for Qatar2022 and have five points. Argentina are also unbeaten and have seven points. They go to Peru next Tuesday, while Paraguay will host pointless Bolivia.

Saturday, 14 November, 2020

PrAyEr TImINGS

NEWS

us eleCtion offiCials say 'no evidenCe' of Compromised votes

t

AGENCIES

HERE is no evidence of compromised ballots or corrupt voting systems in the United States election, officials said on Thursday, as a top Democrat accused Republicans who refuse to accept Presidentelect Joe Biden’s win of “poisoning” democracy.

Their messages came hours after President Donald Trump once again cried foul, tweeting a baseless claim that an election equipment maker “deleted” 2.7 million votes for him nationwide.

Biden, who leads by more than five million in the popular vote, cemented his victory late on Thursday by winning Arizona, US networks said, flipping the state Democratic for the first time since 1996.

Arizona gives Biden a 290-217 lead over Trump in the Electoral College, with 270 needed to win the White House.

With most Republican lawmakers having yet to acknowledge Biden’s win, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the chamber’s top Democrat, accused them on Thursday of “denying reality” and “auditioning for profiles in cowardice”.

“Instead of working to pull the country back together so that we can fight our common enemy Covid-19, Republicans in Congress are spreading conspiracy theories, denying reality and poisoning the well of our democracy,” he said.

Senior US federal and state election officials, meanwhile, in a statement rejected Trump’s claims of fraud, saying that “the November 3rd election was the most secure in American history”. The statement was issued by the Election Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council, a public-private umbrella group under the primary federal election security body, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

China Congratulates Biden and harris on eleCtion BEIJING: China on Friday congratulated U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, who won the Nov. 3 election that President Donald Trump has not conceded, nearly a week after the former vice president clinched enough states for the win. “We respect the choice of the American people. We extend congratulations to Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular daily briefing, referring to Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris. “We understand the results of the U.S. election will be determined according to U.S. laws and procedures,” he added, repeating Beijing’s earlier stance. Trump’s refusal to accept defeat has put Beijing in an awkward position, with China loath to do anything to antagonize Trump, who has mounted court challenges to the balloting and remains in office until the Jan 20 inauguration. Relations between China and the United States are at their worst in decades over disputes ranging from technology and trade to Hong Kong and the coronavirus, and the Trump administration has unleashed a barrage of sanctions against Beijing. Shortly after Biden’s win following days of ballot counting in several swing states, numerous U.S. allies offered congratulations, while the leaders of China and Russia were among conspicuous holdouts. In 2016, Chinese President Xi Jinping sent congratulations to Trump on Nov. 9, a day after the election. AGENCIES

Aung San Suu Kyi’s ruling party secured an absolute majority in Myanmar’s election, official results showed on Friday, in a poll disputed by the military-aligned opposition and criticised by rights groups.

Her National League for Democracy (NLD) had already declared a landslide victory based on its own tallies, prompting street celebrations by supporters.

But official figures were still being returned five days after the ballot, only the second such polls since the nation emerged from outright military rule in 2011.

Results announced by the election commission on Friday showed the NLD had won 368 seats — more than 50 per cent of parliament, even taking into account the quarter of seats reserved for the military under the constitution. The party is on track to improve on its landslide win in 2015, despite widespread disillusionment in many ethnic minority areas.

“People clearly realised the need for the NLD to get

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“There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised,” they said.

“While we know there are many unfounded claims and opportunities for misinformation about the process of our elections, we can assure you we have the utmost confidence in the security and integrity of our elections, and you should too,” the statement said.

It was signed by the heads of the National Association of State Election Directors and the National Association of Secretaries of State — the officials who manage elections at the state level — and by the chairman of the US Election Assistance Commission.

‘ABSURD CIRCUS’: The statement came just hours after Trump’s tweet, which in addition to claiming 2.7 million “deleted” votes also said hundreds of thousands had been switched from him to Biden in Pennsylvania and other states.

It was the latest in a series of bogus assertions Trump and Republicans have put forth in order to reject Biden’s victory.

Republican lawmakers such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have stood firm with Trump by supporting his refusal to concede and backing his legal challenges.

Suu Kyi's party wins absolute majority in Myanmar polls AGENCIES

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enough votes to form a government on their own,” NLD spokesman Myo Nyunt told AFP, adding this would help “minimise political conflict”. The military-aligned opposition Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has been trounced across the country, winning just 25 seats

by Friday. The party alleges the vote was neither free nor fair and is demanding that the Union Election Commission (UEC) step down and polls be re-run.

Yangon-based analyst Khin Zaw Win warned the coming months will be messy, adding the situation was a consequence of the UEC being filled with “yes-men and incompetents”. Under the constitution, the government appoints all commission members. But even if some results were overturned, “the NLD landslide is so large that they wouldn’t alter the overall outcome”, said Richard Horsey from the International Crisis Group.

FEARS OF VIOLENCE: Japan, India and Singapore have already congratulated Suu Kyi and her party.

Observers widely concluded that voting took place smoothly on the day, despite forecasts of a low turnout

Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi weighed in on Thursday to demand Republicans stop what she called an “absurd circus” and turn to combatting the pandemic.

“Now that the people have expressed their views, Joe Biden has won (and) Kamala Harris will be the first woman vice president of the United States,” Pelosi said.

Political experts believe Republicans may be invoking such a strategy as a way to rile up Trump’s base before two US Senate runoff elections in Georgia that will determine which party controls the chamber.

A total of 161 former national security officials, including some who worked with Trump, additionally warned the current administration’s continued delay in recognising Biden’s victory is posing “a serious risk to national security”.

In a letter, the group including ex-Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel and Trump’s former National Security Council senior counterterrorism director Javed Ali urged General Services Administration (GSA) chief Emily Murphy to recognise Biden as the apparent president-elect.

Without a GSA signoff, transition funds and other resources including access to intelligence briefings cannot flow to Biden and his team, but Murphy has refused to budge.

Delhi’s Covid-19 deaths rose by a record high on Thursday and it also reported the most number of infections in India, an increase attributed to the city’s toxic air and a lack of physical distancing in public places around a major festival. While daily case additions have come down significantly in the country as a whole since a mid-September peak, the capital city of 20 million people is going through its worst phase in the pandemic. Delhi late on Thursday reported 104 new deaths and 7,053 new infections.

Data from the federal health ministry early on Friday showed that infections in the country rose by 44,789 in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 8.73 million, only behind the U.S. tally. India’s deaths increased by 547 to 128,668. At a river-side crematorium in east Delhi located near a hospital, relatives of people who had succumbed to the disease waited as bodies burned on funeral pyres placed side by side. Rajesh, a 38-yearold ambulance driver in a blue hazmat suit, said he and others had already ferried six bodies to the crematorium on Friday, after carrying 14 on Thursday. They had transported only three to four bodies last week.

“There’s a sudden increase in deaths,” said Rakesh, who gave only his first name. “May be this is because of pollution, crowding.”

Many Delhi hospitals have already run out of intensive care beds and even normal Covid-19 beds are getting occupied fast.

The Delhi High Court on Thursday ordered here 33 of the city’s private hospitals to reserve 80% of their critical-care beds for coronavirus patients. The federal government has asked Delhi to prepare resources to handle cases of up to 15,000 a day during the winter season, when pollution peaks in the city and respiratory issues jump. Doctors say PM2.5 pollutants, fine particles found in high concentration in Delhi’s air, can break the nasal passage barrier, weaken the inner lining of lungs and facilitate the spread of coronavirus infection.

due to a recent surge of coronavirus cases.

But they condemned what they described as the election commission’s lack of transparency and its cancellation of the polls across many ethnic minority areas — ostensibly for security reasons.

The move left 1.5 million voters disenfranchised, sparking grievances in already restive areas that the playing field had been tilted in favour of the NLD. The NLD on wrote Thursday to all ethnic minority political parties, promising it would “prioritise” their wishes. But some will conclude the electoral process does not work for them and choose “political insurrection or insurgency instead”, warned Horsey.

Tension is particularly high in western Rakhine state, where fighting between ethnic Rakhine militant group, the Arakan Army (AA), and the military has already displaced 200,000. In unprecedented communication between the foes, the AA requested the army and government hold by-elections as soon as possible in areas where the vote had been cancelled — a statement welcomed by the military.

Rights groups also condemned Sunday’s vote, which left virtually all Rohingya Muslims disenfranchised, either languishing in Bangladeshi refugee camps or stripped of citizenship in Myanmar.

Even though Suu Kyi’s international reputation was badly hurt over the Rohingya crisis — for which the country now faces charges of genocide — she remains widely revered within Myanmar.

germany says russian sanctions related to navalny unjustified BERLIN AGENCIES

Russian sanctions against Germany in the case of the poisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny are not justified, a German government spokesman said in Berlin on Friday. “A Russian citizen was attacked with a military nerve agent on Russian soil,” Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said. “Russia has all means at its hands to clear up this crime.

Instead, the Russian foreign minister announces sanctions against officials of foreign countries,” he added. “From the perspective of the German government, such a step is obviously unjustified and inappropriate.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had said on Thursday that Moscow would soon announce retaliatory measures it has taken against senior French and German officials. Navalny, who fell ill on a flight in Siberia on Aug. 20 and was airlifted to Berlin for treatment, could have been poisoned in Germany or on the plane to Berlin, Lavrov added.

India, China close in on plan to end months of military standoff NEW DELHI AGENCIES

Seeking to end a dangerous military standoff in the western Himalayas, India and China are formulating a plan that involves creating no-patrol zones, pulling back tanks and artillery, and using drones to verify the withdrawal, Indian officials say.

Tensions have run high since June, when at least 20 Indian soldiers were killed after being attacked by Chinese troops using rocks and clubs. Indian officials say the Chinese troops had intruded across the disputed border in a remote valley. China said the Indian soldiers’ actions had been provocative.

Since then, the nuclear armed Asian

neighbours have deployed tens of thousands of troops on the rugged frontier between India’s Ladakh region and the Chinese-held Tibetan plateau, raising the risk of further confrontation even while looking for ways to de-escalate. After months of fitful progress, the two sides are discussing a staggered disengagement from the high-altitude desert where temperatures have dipped to 18 degrees below Celsius, three Indian government officials said.

“We have a firm plan for disengagement on the table, it is being internally discussed on both sides,” said one of the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

Under the plan that was shared during a

meeting of top commanders last Friday, both sides will pull back from the contested Pangong Tso lake area and establish a buffer zone. Chinese soldiers will dismantle defence structures on several hilly spurs overlooking the lake and pull back, the officials briefed on the discussions said.

India, which has occupied heights on the lake’s south bank, will also withdraw. Both sides will cease patrolling certain sections.

The 3,800-km long India-China border is undemarcated, and the two countries went to war in 1962. While there have been recurrent incidents down the years, troops from both sides have largely abided by a longstanding protocol to avoid firing weapons on the high altitude border, although some

warning shots were fired in September.

India’s defence and foreign ministries declined to comment on the specifics of the latest negotiations.

“When we have something to share, we will share. Discussions are ongoing,” foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said.

The three officials said that military commanders from both sides could meet within a week for further discussions on disengagement. There was no immediate comment from China, but the state-controlled Global Times newspaper cited unnamed sources saying a disengagement plan was under discussion where India would first withdraw troops who had “illegally crossed lines” south of Pangong Tso.

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

Finding a mutually acceptable sequence for withdrawal could be complicated. Indian troops currently occupy heights on the southern shore of the lake, overlooking Chinese positions. “If we empty out from there, there is nothing to negotiate,” a second Indian official said.

Under the plan outlined by Indian officials, tanks and artillery that two sides had deployed following the clash in June would be moved back from the frontline. They were also discussing a way to verify the troop withdrawal including the use of drones over the disputed areas at specific times each day, one of the Indian officials said. “If you are going to establish buffer zones, verification is the key to this,” the official said.