EpaperISB_20-11-26

Thursday, 26 November, 2020 I 9 Rabi al-Akhir, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 147 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition

All impediments in wAy of fdi to be removed, sAys pm in wef diAlogue g

Imran Khan says he Is concerned about second covId wave as 'people are not taKIng the vIrus serIously'

ISLAMABAD staff report

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rIme minister Imran Khan has said that the government is committed to removing all impediments in the way of foreign investments in pakistan so as to industrialise the country. speaking at country strategy dialogue on pakistan, organised by the world economic Forum, through video-link, the prime minister said, “we are striving to deal with problems like bureaucratic red-tapism in order to encourage foreign investors to

invest in pakistan.” he said that today’s pakistan is all about wealth creation, where everyone will be welcomed to invest and industrialise the country. “this will definitely help lift the poor people out of poverty.” the prime minister said that his government believes in facilitating public-private partnership to improve governance and strengthen the economy. highlighting his government’s achievements and challenges to stabilise the economy and save the people’s lives from covid-19 pandemic, pm Imran said, “we opened up the construction and the agri-

CoronAvirus in

pAkistAn

culture sectors during the first wave of coronavirus. besides, cash assistance was provided to 15 million families to help them in the time of crisis.” he said about 80pc of pakistani labour class belongs to informal sectors, which is why his government preferred smart lockdowns over across the board lockdown like in other countries. “now we are hitting the second peak of the virus and we have decided not to close our businesses; only non-essential sectors will be locked down to prevent people from the disease and hunger.” he cited the record fiscal and current account deficits as the biggest challenges his government had to face upon assuming office.

“It took us a year and a half to bring down the deficits and introduce policies to boost the economy; exports are now improving, while foreign direct investment (FdI) and remittances are increasing continuously.” the pm said the government gave incentives to the business community and now the textile industry of the country is running at full capacity. he said although the government managed to save the economy and people from the virus, he was more worried about the second wave of the virus, as people were not taking it seriously. on money laundering, the premier said that his government has clamped down hard on launderers, as a result of which pakistan witnessed a current account surplus in July-sept 200 quarter after 17 years.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Pakistan gives UN a dossier on Indian terror sponsorship NEW YORK staff report

Islamabad gave united nations secretary-general antonio guterres a dossier on tuesday, containing “evidence of India’s systematic campaign to promote terrorism” in pakistan. the move comes a day after new delhi provided a dossier to some united nations security council (unsc) members accusing Islamabad of the november 19 attack in the Indian-occupied Kashmir. the exchange of dossiers come ahead of India joining the 15-member council for a two-year term starting January 1, 2021. the dossier, Islamabad’s permanent ambassador to the un munir akram said, offered evidence of “India’s active planning, aiding, abetting, financing & execution of terrorist activities in pakistan” and observed how India violated international law, the un charter and security council resolutions in the process. akram said that pakistan called on guterres and the international community “to take note of Indian terrorism and subversion against pakistan and to prevail on India to desist from these illegal and aggressive activities.”

Former ISPR chief among six promoted to lieutenant general rank

CONFIRMED CASES:

382,892

the episode follows a tweet of Indian prime minister narendra modi claiming to have neutralised four terrorists, belonging to a proscribed militant organisation, in nagrota district of held Kashmir and, as usual, blamed it on pakistan. the following day, new delhi summoned Islamabad’s charge d’affaires and offered “strong concern” over the alleged attack. subsequently, on monday, India’s Foreign secretary harsh shringla briefed a select group of foreign ambassadors about pakistan’s alleged role in the incident that occurred on november 19, times of India reported. however, commenting on the briefing, Foreign office spokesperson Zahid hafeez chaudhri on tuesday said that the briefing “is yet another attempt to mischievously implicate pakistan in some alleged planned attack occupied Kashmir”. “the completely baseless and unsubstantiated Indian allegations are nothing but a reflection of desperate efforts on India’s part to salvage its false terrorism narrative against pakistan and to divert international attention from its state terrorism in the occupied valley and state-sponsorship of terrorism against pakistan,” he added.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

more inside

PM concerned for hospitals as daily virus tally crosses 3,000 STORY ON PAGE 03

hospitals full as second wave of virus grips pakistan

LAST UPDATED AT 8:06 AM ON NOVEMBER 25, 2020

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

59

RECOVERED:

NEW CASES:

3,009

STORY ON PAGE 03

DEATHS:

332,974 7,803 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

166,033

115,786

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

45,314 AJK/GB:

16,891

ISLAMABAD:

6,316/4,573 27,979

RAWALPINDI staff report

six major generals, including former Inter-services public relations (Ispr) director general asif ghafoor, have been promoted to the rank of lieutenant general, the military’s media wing announced on wednesday.

In a tweet, the Ispr said those promoted include maj gen akhtar nawaz, maj gen sardar hassan azhar hayat, maj

gen asif ghafoor, maj gen salman Fayyaz ghani, maj gen sarfraz ali and maj gen muhammad ali. the Ispr press release also announced a few other new postings: lt gen ghafoor has been posted as Inspector-general communication and Information technology, lt gen muhammad abdul aziz has been appointed to commandeer Iv corps (lahore), lt gen muhammad waseem ashraf will

head II corps (multan), lt gen hayat has been posted as military secretary, lt gen Khalid Zia will lead XXXI corps (bahawalpur), lt gen sarfraz will be the new southern command and lt gen nadeem ahmed anjum is appointed v corps (Karachi). other appointments include lt gen majid ehsan as Inspector-general arms and lt gen syed muhammad adnan as Inspector-general training and evaluation.

PPP leaders make conditional offer to postpone PDM rallies STORY ON PAGE 02

ptI set to form govt as gb mlas take oath STORY ON PAGE 02

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Thursday, 26 November, 2020

NEWS

PPP lEADErS MAkE CoNDitioNAl offEr to PoStPoNE PDM rAlliES ISLAMABAD

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MIAN ABRAR

N an interesting development, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Wednesday dropped a hint of its intentions to postpone its scheduled rallies if Prime Minister Imran Khan makes phone calls to the alliance leaders and makes a formal request taking them onboard regarding the spread of Covid-19 pandemic.

Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, the spokesman for Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, told the media that the PDM may postpone its scheduled public meetings if the premier calls Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and makes offer to take the leadership of the opposition on board.

He said that if PM Imran is concerned

PDM DROPS HINT OF POSTPONING RALLIES IF PM IMRAN CONTACTS OPPOSITION BIGWIGS about the developing situation, he should contact Maulana Fazlur Rehman and the leaders of other opposition parties. He added that the opposition has played a positive role in the past for the sake of the country.

Khokhar did not elaborate further.

A source in the PDM told Pakistan Today that the fast spread of Covid-19 killed the opposition’s movement and now the top leadership was seriously mulling options to postpone their rallies.

The source said that despite all out efforts of the PDM leadership, the Peshawar jalsa proved to be a flop show which had compelled the alliance leadership to rethink their strategy.

“Moreover, the internal differences are

Covid-positive lawyer comes to court to set precedent NEWS DESK A Supreme Court (SC) hearing shifted into upheaval today when the lawyer present revealed that he had contracted the coronavirus, and was present in the court to set a precedent. Barrister Dr Adnan Khan told Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed, who was hearing a case in front of a full courtroom, that he was here in spite of having Covid-19. When asked about why he would show up to court and risk so many lives, the lawyer responded that he had submitted an application to adjourn a case in a different court after testing positive for the virus, but that request was rejected. “I came because an important case was being heard today of lecturers of the Higher Education [Commission],” said the lawyer, who claimed that he was there to set a precedent. His answer was not considered satisfactory by the justice, and he was directed to leave the court and submit a written application. Barrister Khan subsequently left the court. Pakistan is currently experiencing the second wave of the coronavirus and has so far registered nearly 383,000 cases and 7,803 deaths since recording its first case on February.

Dues of CPNE affiliated newspapers be paid in a month: SHC NEWS DESK The Sindh High Court (SHC) has ordered the Sindh government to pay all dues of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) affiliated newspapers within one month. The apex court has decided on a writ petition filed by CPNE and ordered the provincial government to pay the outstanding dues to CPNE’s affiliated newspapers for the period of January 2019 to June 2020, in which budgeted dues shall be paid within 30 days while non-budgeted dues within 15 days. On Wednesday, a division bench of the SHC comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Arshad Hussain Khan began hearing of the said constitutional petition. Sindh Information Secretary Imran Atta Soomro also appeared in person. At the request of the Court, he prayed for one month’s time to make the payments to affiliated newspapers, citing verification and reconciliation of the dues as the reason for the requested time frame. On the occasion, CPNE Secretary-General Dr Jabbar Khattak submitted to the court that there is no need an external audit for payments of non-budgeted dues as Sindh Information Department (SID) already holds sufficient funds for above said payments, therefore they are able to release non-budgeted dues without any delay.

also leading to the decision to call off the protest. Rift between Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) leader Mohsin Dawar has proved to be fatal and it was a major reason for a failed show in Peshawar,” the source said.

The source added that the internal rifts in the PML-N ranks and sudden demise of mother of Nawaz Sharif were other reasons for the lack of interest of the PDM leaders in protest campaign. “For next week, the Sharif family would be busy with funeral arrangements, which may lead to a poor show of PDM in Multan. Moreover, the government is tactfully using the coronavirus scare to discourage public participation in PDM jalsas,” the source added.

DAWAR PARTS WAYS WITH PDM: In a major blow to the opposition alliance, PTM MNA Mohsin Dawar has also announced to part ways from the PDM. In a series of messages shared on the social networking site Twitter, Mohsin Dawar wrote, “I would like to announce that I will no longer be participating in PDM jalsas and meetings. I have come to this decision after detailed consultations with my colleagues, friends and supporters”.

In a subsequent tweet, Dawar wrote, “Certain parties in PDM have either explicitly or implicitly, expressed their unease with my presence in the forum. The unnecessary friction caused as such, takes away from the important work that we do in our own respective rights,” he wrote.

“We will continue to support PDM’s demands for strengthening democracy and civilian supremacy. We will continue with our struggle for justice and rights for our people, for upholding the rule of law and for the supremacy of the parliament and the con-

Body of Nawaz's mother to arrive from London on Saturday LAHORE/LONDON STAFF REPORT

The dead body of Begum Shamim Akhtar, the mother of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif, will be air transported from London on November 27 (Friday) and will be received in Lahore by the Sharif family the following day.

According to a report citing sources in the Sharif family, the corpse will arrive in Lahore via British Airways’ BA 259 flight which will land at 6:45 am on Saturday. Akhtar, who had gone to London in February to live with his elder son, passed away on Sunday. She was in her 90s and had been unwell for a month or so, sources in the party had said.

Following her death, the Sharif family had decided to send the body to Lahore to be buried next

to her husband, Mian Sharif, in the family graveyard at its Jati Umra estate. Nawaz, who has been in London since November last on the pretext of medical treatment, or other members of his family abroad, including former finance minister Ishaq Dar, will not travel to Pakistan to participate in the funeral, the party had confirmed.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government on Tuesday approved the release on parole of Shahbaz and his son Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Hamza Shahbaz on five-day parole to participate in Akhtar’s last rites. The government, however, will release the father and son only after the arrival of the dead body, reports suggest. Earlier, Dar, who was at the Avenfield House residence of Nawaz, confirmed the family has received the death certificate. He said that a funeral would be held in London on Thursday (November 26).

stitution,” he added.

It merits mention that PTM activists and liberal sections of society were a major force for the PDM rallies. With departure of Dawar from the alliance, the PDM would suffer not only in terms of public participation but also its support would decline on social media.

ARREST OF GILANI’S SON MAY ADD FUEL TO FIRE: In a related development, the police in Multan arrested Ali Musa Gilani, the younger son of PPP leader Yousaf Raza Gilani which infuriated the party leadership. According to details, sons of the former premier took out a small rally to help mobilise public for the PDM rally scheduled for November 30 in Multan. Local police registered cases against the PPP leaders and arrested few workers for violating coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs). This agitated Ali Musa Gilani, who went to local police station to get the arrested workers released, but the police resisted and later arrested him as well.

Bilawal and other leaders have condemned the arrest of Gilani’s son. Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said that the cases against the PPP leaders in Multan were reprehensible. The former prime minister has asked the workers to attend the public meeting to be held on November 30. In his statement, Gilani said that PDM has taken to the streets for the people. He said that PDM wants supremacy of constitution in the country.

Veteran politician Ahmad Mukhtar passes away LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Senior Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and former defence minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar passed away in Lahore on Monday. Mukhtar, 74, was admitted to Shalimar Hospital, Lahore earlier this month after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. He had undergone surgery in the United States some time ago. According to his family, he was suffering from pneumonia and his condition was stable. Mukhtar was the brother of renowned industrialist and former Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) chairman Chaudhry Ahmad Saeed who passed away in 2018. Born in Lahore on June 22, 1946, Mukhtar received his Master of Science degree in Operational Management from California, US, and also earned a diploma in Plastic Technology from West Germany. A businessman by profession, Mukhtar entered politics in 1990 as a member of the PPP. He was elected to the National Assembly in 1993 and was appointed minister for commerce till 1996 during the tenure of Benazir Bhutto. In 2008 he was appointed minister for defence. He also served as general secretary of the party under then-party chairperson Benazir Bhutto.

PTI set to form govt as GB MLAs take oath GILGIT TLTP

The newly elected members of GilgitBaltistan Legislative Assembly (GBLA) took oath in the maiden session on Wednesday. According to the details, GBLA Speaker Haji Fida Muhammad Nashad administered the oath to all the 33 newly elected members. The Pakistan

Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) PTI is all set to form the government in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) after having secured 22 of its 33 seats, according to the official results.

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) hold five and three seats, respectively. In all, the GBLA has 33 seats — 24 of which are contested through directed elections; six are reserved for

women and three others reserved for technocrats and professionals. Political parties can nominate their candidates to the latter through proportional representation.

In the elections, the PTI emerged victorious on 10 seats, while seven were won by independent candidates. The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Majlis-e-Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen (MWM) won one seat each. Six of the independ-

UAE halted visas for Pakistan, others over 'security concerns': report DUBAI AGENCIES

Days after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) temporarily suspended the issuance of new visas to more than a dozen countries, including Pakistan, until further notice, a document issued by a stateowned business park cited “security concerns” as the reason.

The Emirates on November 18 announced to halt the issuance of new visit visas to applicants from 13 mostly Muslim-majority countries. At the time, the Foreign Office said the decision is “believed to be related to the second wave of Covid-19”. However, it had clarified that the suspension will not apply to visas that have already been issued. It had also said it was “seeking official confirmation

from the concerned UAE authorities in this regard”. It was not immediately clear how many categories of visas would be affected by the suspension. The UAE has various visa categories including business, tourist, transit, student, etc. The FO is yet to comment on the report.

The document, which was sent to companies operating in the park and was seen by Reuters, cited an immigration

ent candidates have joined PTI after the election and the party already had a seat adjustment arrangement with the MWM. PPP’s GB Chapter President Advocate Amjad Hussain was declared as the winner in GBLA-1 and GBLA-4. The PPP also won the GBLA-24 constituency. The party also got two reserved seats — one for women and the other for technocrats. PTI’s Fatehullah Khan has been declared as the winner in GBLA-2, despite the constituency returning officer’s recommendation that a forensic audit of the ballots should be held. circular that came into effect on November 18. It said applications for new employment and visit visas had been suspended for nationals, who are outside the UAE, of the 13 countries, including Afghanistan, Libya and Yemen, until further notice. The visa ban also applies to citizens of Algeria, Kenya, Iraq, Lebanon, Tunisia and Turkey, the document says. It was not clear if there were any exceptions to the ban. The UAE’s Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship had no immediate comment when contacted by Reuters. A source briefed on the matter told Reuters the UAE had temporarily stopped issuing new visas over security concerns.

Thursday, 26 November, 2020

NEWS

03

PM CoNCErNED for HoSPitAlS AS DAily ViruS tAlly CroSSES 3,000 IMRAN RULES OUT ANOTHER LOCKDOWN LAHORE/ISLAMABAD

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ShAhAB OMER

RIME Minister Imran Khan expressed concern for the capacity of hospitals to deal with the surge of new cases after Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar sounded the alarm on Wednesday as the country crossed the grim milestone of 3,000 fresh infections in a single day.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, the premier said that authorities were “worried” about increasing pressure on hospitals and urged the people to cooperate with the government, and to follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) so that people’s livelihoods are not affected by another lockdown.

He reminded the public that by “coming together and taking precautions”, they had been able to overcome the pandemic in July, and urged the people to do the same now.

PM Imran stressed that he does not want “people to die due to hunger while protecting them from coronavirus”. He added that the exports have started to show signs of recov-

ery and it would be harmful to shut down factories again.

The premier also spoke against the opposition rallies, which are exacerbating the situation. “Nothing will come of these rallies and gatherings, no one will get an NRO. They (opposition) are endangering people’s lives,” he said.

After a peak of over 6,800 daily infections in June, the number fell to a low of 213 in August and remained below 700 for most of the last three months.

But a second wave of the coronavirus is gathering momentum. According to the government portal, the country recorded 3,009 new infections after conducting 41,583 tests — a positivity ratio of 7.24 per cent. While some 59 people died in the last 24 hours of virus-related complications.

There are currently 42,115 active cases in Pakistan, as of November 25.

“A total of 3,009 crore cases were added, 59 deaths, 324 new patients were admitted to hospitals, 116 patients on oxygen beds […] these are the statistics of one day,” Asad said.

“Whoever is telling you that nothing will

PM asks Buzdar to take all-out steps against profiteers LAHORE TLTP

Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the Punjab government to take all-out steps against profiteers to control artificial price hike. The prime minister was talking to Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar during a meeting in the provincial capital on Wednesday. He also directed to complete ongoing development projects in the province on priority basis to provide maximum relief to the masses.

Overall political situation of the province, various ongoing development projects and administrative matters were discussed during the meeting. Earlier, the CM briefed the PM on steps taken to control the coronavirus, Universal Health Insurance Baahimat Bazurg and Insaf Medicine cards programmes. Buzdar briefed the premier regarding the performance of the provincial cabinet. The chief minister also apprised the Premier regarding the political and administrative matters of the province in the meeting. The PM was also briefed on the progress of the multi-billion Ravi River Front Urban Development (RRFUD) project.

PAkiStAN will NEVEr EStABliSH rElAtioNS witH ‘ZioNiSt’ StAtE, SAyS iMrAN NEWS DESK Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Pakistan will not establish relations with the “Zionist” state until there is “a viable, independent and contiguous” state acceptable to the Palestinians. In a statement, the premier said that there was no pressure from any side to recognise Israel, quoting that Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had said in 1948 that no headway could be made in this regard unless Palestinians were given their due rights. This statement came weeks after speculation that PM Imran was being asked to recognise the state, as well as baseless media reports and commentary which conjectured that Pakistanmight change its stance on the nation. Similarly, on Tuesday, a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) had said that rumours of Pakistan recognising Israel as a state are false and reiterated its stance on the matter. Responding to media queries, the spokesperson categorically rejected baseless speculation regarding the possibility of recognition of the State of Israel by Pakistan. He added that PM Imran has given “clear and unequivocal” stance on the matter. “The prime minister has made it clear that unless a just settlement of the Palestine issue, satisfactory to the Palestinian people, is found, Pakistan cannot recognise Israel,” the statement had added. happen to you because of coronavirus is the enemy of both your health and your livelihood.”

Asad has also urged opposition parties to avoid holding public meetings to curb the spread of the virus and asked all parliamen-

'Kashmiris losing their political and cultural identity due to Indian actions' NEWS DESK Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has written another letter to the president of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), in which he said that the actions of India in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) was causing the indigenous population to lose their sense of identity.

“As a result of the Indian agenda to convert the Muslim majority of IIOJK into a minority, the indigenous Kashmiris are losing their political and cultural identity, their rightful demographic majority, and ownership of their properties in their own homeland,” Qureshi said in the letter on Wednesday.

Along with detailing the effects of the military occupation and the influx of non-Kashmiris, the let-

Hospitals full as second wave of virus grips Pakistan ISLAMABAD AGENCIES

Intensive care units across Pakistan are nearing capacity as a second, deadlier wave of the coronavirus builds momentum and officials struggle to counter public indifference to the pandemic.

Several doctors told AFP on Wednesday that hospitals are having to turn away suspected Covid-19 patients, with the potential for a major health care crisis increasing daily.

“The coming two weeks are critical and our situation is going to worsen,” said Qaisar Sajjad, secretary general of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA).

“Around 95 percent of the beds are occupied. Only a few hospitals still have the capacity — but most of the hospitals are full and refusing to take more patients.” Sajjad said the virus was proving “far more

lethal” this time around. Authorities this week ordered the closure of educational institutes and banned indoor dining at restaurants.

The new outbreak has surprised Pakistan, where for months many have been saying the pandemic was done.

The government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, which never imposed the sort of sweeping lockdowns seen in wealthier countries, had boasted of controlling the virus but is again urging people to follow safeguards. Compared to neighbours Iran and India, Pakistan dodged the worst of the pandemic’s first wave, something health experts have said was due partly to the young population and the fact many citizens travel little around the country.

Pakistan has confirmed more than 382,000 cases including over 7,800 deaths since the virus arrived in late February.

India martyrs Pakistani father of three during unprovoked firing at LoC: ISPR RAWALPINDI STAFF REPORT

India martyred a Pakistani father of three daughters when its forces opened unprovoked firing at the Line of Control (LoC), the Army's media wing said Wednesday, in what marks New Delhi's yet another ceasefire violation (CFV).

According to the director-general of the Inter-Ser-

tary parties to attend a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Covid-19 being held today at the Parliament House.

Although opposition parties have announced that they will not take part in the committee’s meeting, the minister said: “I

vices Public Relations (ISPR), Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar, the unprovoked firing occurred at the Bagsar Sector along the LoC, wherein Indian forces targeted civilian population.

"An innocent citizen, Ansar, age 33 years, father of 3 daughters was hit & embraced shahadat due to Indian indiscriminate fire while he was moving on Motorbike near his house in Garhi village," Maj Gen Iftikhar wrote on Twitter.

ter also highlighted the unlawful demographic changes in the occupied territory, which are against the UNSC resolutions, the UN Charter and international law, including the 4th Geneva Convention.

Furthermore, the letter stressed on the repeated violations by India of the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding.

“The over 2,700 ceasefire violations committed

by India this year have resulted in the death of 25 innocent people and serious injuries to more than 200 civilians,” the letter read.

In his concluding remarks in the letter, Qureshi called on the UNSC to prevent India from perpetrating its criminal colonial project and to help give the people of Kashmir the right to self-determination, as was decided in the UN resolutions.

appeal to all parliamentary parties to attend the meeting because politics will continue but first we have to save the people’s life by unanimously deciding the future line of action to combat coronavirus.”

As part of measures to reduce the spread of the virus, the government on Monday ordered to close down again all educational institutions from November 26 (Thursday) after the country had recorded its highest Covid-19 positivity ratio to date — at 7.46 per cent — with 19 per cent of the cases being reported from the education sector.

The positivity ratio in educational institutions rose from 1.8 per cent to 3.3 per cent during the last week — an increase of 82 per cent. Officials on Monday said hospitalisations due to coronavirus doubled in the last two weeks, adding stress for the already troubled healthcare sector.

For the past several weeks, authorities have been sounding the alarm over a second wave of the coronavirus outbreak. Earlier this month, the nationwide positivity rate surpassed 5 per cent after a gap of over three months. The maximum positivity rate had reached 23 per cent in June as it had increased from 6 per cent in May, while the positivity rate was brought down to 1.7 per cent in September.

SC turns down plea to suspend SHC order in Daniel Pearl case ISLAMABAD TLTP

The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday once again turned down a plea to suspend the Sindh High Court (SHC) April 2 verdict of acquitting four convicts in the Daniel Pearl murder case. A threejudge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Mushir Alam, heard the case and adjourned the hearing until the first week of December. The court was hearing appeals filed by the Sindh government and the family of the slain US journalist challenging the SHC verdict. Justice Mushir Alam noted that the lawyer representing Pearl’s parents could not appear due to personal engagements. A counsel for the accused persons, opposing the plea to suspend the verdict regarding their release, contended that his clients have been in jail for the past 19 years. They have been illegally detained despite the SHC verdict acquitting them, he added.

04

Thursday, 26 November, 2020

NEWS

PakISTan becOMeS PreSIDenT Of IDLO fOr The fIrST TIMe ISLAMABAD

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SHAHZAD PARACHA

AKISTAN has been unanimously elected as the president of the International Development Law Organisation (IDLO), an affiliate of the United Nations (UN), for a term of three years, replacing the United

States at the post.

The elections were held at the annual conference of the assembly of parties of IDLO. Pakistan would commence its presidency in January 2021, with the United States and Italy serving as vice presidents.

The participants of the meeting included head of UNDP, president of ECOSOC, om-

budsman of Afghanistan, justice minister of Somalia and director-general IDLO, who echoed these sentiments.

Pakistan’s ambassador to Italy and permanent representative to Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP) and International Fund For Agricultural Development (IFAD), Jauhar Saleem, will be serving in the dual

leadership positions on behalf of Pakistan.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to Italy Johar Saleem said in his statement that Pakistan’s election as IDLO president is welcome news and trumps India’s anti-Pakistan narrative at the diplomatic level. The ambassador also thanked the IDLO members for entrusting Pakistan with this responsibility.

Target killer affiliated with MQM-London, trained by Indian spy agency arrested: DIG Omar Shahid

World Bank to give Pakistan $19.85m for coronavirus response ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Economic Affairs Minister Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar on Wednesday witnessed the signing of a grant agreement for the “Covid-19 Response, Recovery and Resilience in Education Project”, which is worth $19.85 million, with the World Bank (WB) in the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

An official handout states that the project is aimed at strengthening and supporting the federal and provincial actions in the education sector to better respond and recover from the Covid-19 crisis in the short term, and to lay the foundation for resilience to face future crises, with a focus on disadvantaged areas and vulnerable populations.

The project interventions will help the government to ensure learning continuity in the country through expansion of

national distance learning content and distribution of learning material in lagging areas, protect the students’ and teachers’ health safety and wellbeing, designing and implementing distance learning competency standards, promote safe schools, support teachers and students to prepare for the recovery through delivery of teacher training and better coordination across provinces.

Ministry of Economic Affairs Secretary Noor Ahmed signed the grant agreement on behalf of the federal government while WB Country Director Najy Benhassine signed the grant agreement on behalf of the bank.

Bakhtyar thanked the country management for extending their continuous support to the Pakistan in its efforts to overcome the pandemic. The country director assured WB’s continuous support to Pakistan in achieving the priority development objectives.

Highlighting Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision and agenda of combating corruption, enhancing transparency and ensuring accountability, he noted that a two-pronged strategy was required to address the formidable challenge.

Ambassador Saleem underlined that rooting out corruption could not only help ensure rule of law and equal rights but also help to achieve sustainable development.

Pakistan has been a member of IDLO since 2015 and earlier served on the Standing Committee and the Audit and Finance Committee as a member.

IDLO, which is headquartered in Rome, is the only international inter-governmental organization devoted to the promotion of rule of law and rights-based development in the world.

LAHORE: Students block the flow of traffic during their protest on The Mall.

ZUBAIR MEHFOOZ

Schools in KP likely to call students in once a week PESHAWAR AZIZ BUNERI

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has announced that the children would be allowed to visit schools once a week to submit their homework in the institutions where online classes facility is not available. The KP government has notified the educational institutions will be teaching remotely from November 26 to December 23. During the closure period, staff of educational institutions will have to come to the institutions and provide home-based learning to students. The public sector schools, private schools, academies, religious seminaries and other educational institutions which do not have the facility of online classes are authorised to call in students in such a way that students from one grade level are called for attendance for only one day in a week. They should come in as per the staggered schedule for giving homework, assignments, distributing learning material and providing teaching assistance to facilitate their home-based learning.

Punjab heading towards progress, prosperity: firdous LAHORE: Special Assistant to Punjab Chief Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has said that the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan and endless efforts of Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar have materialised the dream of progressive Punjab into a reality. In a statement on Wednesday, she said that the difficult time is over, and the country is now on the “right track” to progress at many fronts.

The incumbent government brought the country out of the problems and difficulties with its successful strategy and timely decisions, she added. She also said that the Punjab CM is fully aware of his responsibilities and taking timely decisions to deal with any untoward situation. The government is quite serious in resolving people’s problems, besides ensuring basic amenities at their doorstep instead of pomp and show like rulers of the former regime, she added. TLTP

KARACHI: The Sindh Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Wednesday claimed to have arrested five target killers affiliated with Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) London chapter, including one trained by the Indian spy agency. CTD Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Omar Shahid Hamid said that the accused were wanted to police for their involvement in a number of terrorist activities in the megalopolis and were nabbed in separate intelligence-based operations that the agency conducted late Tuesday night. The arrested were identified as Muhammad Ali alias “Ghambati”, Salman alias Dhobi, Akhtar, Umairullah alias Don and Shehzad. Accused Muhammad Ali had received training from Indian spy agency RAW in India. He was a close aide of Ajmal Pahari and Kashif David. Omar Shahid Hamid said that Muhammad Ali alias Ghambati had confessed his involvement in target killings from 1995 to 2005. Accused Muhammad Ali confessed killing a cop namely Muhammad Ali and Faisal alias Paratha in 1997 and Amjad Pervez a member of Sunni Tehreek sector committee in 2005. CTD DIG said that more confessions from the arrested suspects were expected while further investigations were underway. APP

Thursday, 26 November, 2020

HAFEEz SHEIkH oUtlINES govt'S ECoNoMIC MEASURES to CoPE WItH CovID-19 ISLAMABAD

A

STAFF REPORT

DVISER to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh on Wednesday addressed the Annual Microfinance Conference (AMC) as a guest of honour.

The adviser on the occasion outlined the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS), which aims to "achieve inclusive economic growth through promotion of small and medium enterprises, ensure affordable access to finance for farmers, facilitate low-cost housing finance and provide Shariahcompliant banking solutions.

He also highlighted the proactive measures taken by the government to lessen the adverse economic impact of Covid-19, including loans deferred

FBR exempts sales tax on 61 Covid-related medical goods

Cabinet Division invites applications for OGRA chairman slot ISLAMABAD

ISLAMABAD TLTP

AHMAD AHMADANI

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Wednesday exempted sales tax on the import of medical instruments and equipment for prevention and treatment of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to FBR’s SRO 1257(I)/2020, sales tax exemption has been granted on the import of around 61 Covid-related items with effect from October 1, 2020, till June 30, 2021. On Tuesday, the FBR had exempted customs duty, regulatory duty and additional customs duty on import of 61 diagnostic support and personal protective equipment (PPEs) for a period of seven months in order to reduce the rising prices in the domestic market. The decision on duty waiver came through SRO1251 issued by the FBR.

The Cabinet Division has once again issued fresh advertisement for the post of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) chairman, with an upgraded selection criterion and on special performance pay scale (SPPS), instead of MP-I scale, in order to attract better candidates.

As per details, following the approval of federal cabinet to readvertise the post of OGRA chairman, the Cabinet Division has now invited applications for the said post and asked the interested candidates to apply within 15 days of the publication of the advertisement.

The Terms of References (ToRs) for appointment of OGRA chairman are made available on Cabinet Division's website. Only shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview/selection process and no TA/DA will be admissible for the interview.

The Cabinet Division, in its advertisement, stated that applicants must have at least a Master's Degree (minimum 16 years of education) from a renowned and Higher Education Commission (HEC) recognized university or institution, in any of the disciplines of law, business, engineering, finance, accounting, economics, petroleum or technology. Candidates with demonstrable track record of senior level policy and strategy formulation, along with minimum 20 years of experience in a large

Dollar sheds Rs1.77 in two days, slips to Rs159.28 KARACHI TLTP

Continuing with the previous day's momentum, Pakistani Rupee gained another 81 paisas against the US Dollar in the interbank on Wednesday. According to a State Bank of Pakistan tweet, the US dollar opened at Rs160.09 and closed at Rs159.28. The local currency had gained Re0.96 against the greenback on Tuesday. Money dealers in the market attributed this rally of rupee against the US dollar to encouraging economic indicators as well as global downfall of the greenback. On the other side, they added, importers are being careful in buying goods from their foreign suppliers owing to the second wave of Covid-19.

for a year and Rozgar Scheme (payroll protection).

"Over three million borrowers benefitted with Rs140bn loans rescheduled or deferred during the current crisis. The Rozgar Scheme also proved to be highly effective in improving liquidity position and saving millions of jobs," he added.

The adviser said due to prudent and timely policies of the government, economic indicators were improving continuously; large scale manufacturing registered 4.8pc growth, with cement recording 20pc growth (100pc capacity utilization), besides significant increase in sale of cars, motorbikes and tractors during July-October 2020.

He noted that Moody’s had upgraded Pakistan’s economic outlook to ‘stable’ in August 2020.

national/multinational organization (at least 10 years at senior position as Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director) in midstream and downstream oil and gas sector would preferred.

Any Pakistani citizen within the age band of 57-61 years at the time of last date of submission of application is eligible to apply for the responsible top slot of OGRA. According to the advert, Special Professional Pay Scale (SPPSI) is being offered for the OGRA chairman position. The chairman will be appointed for an initial term of four years and will be eligible for reappointment for a similar term or till the attainment of 65 years of age whichever is earlier.

The division clarified that the government servants who are interested in this position have been asked to apply through proper channels (in case of selection, the autonomous bodies will have to resign or seek retirement before joining the new assignment). "No person will be appointed by the federal government as a chairman if he/she has any direct or indirect financial interest in or has any connection which might reasonably be viewed as giving rise to a conflict of interest with any person involved in any regulated activity in the oil and gas sector."

Meanwhile, sources in the Petroleum Division said that the government decision to increase the salary of OGRA chairman (who is yet to be appointed) to Rs15,00,000 per month from Rs600,000 may not sit well with

the members of OGRA. They said that the qualifications criteria for OGRA members and chairman are the same. However, the huge difference in the salary structure of OGRA members and chairman will ultimately impede the performance of OGRA, which regulates the country’s oil and gas sector of worth $20 billion.

It is pertinent to mention that the post of OGRA chairman had fallen vacant due to the expiry of former chairperson's tenure on 17th July 2020. The Cabinet Division had started the selection procedure in January 2020.

In all, 38 applications were received by the Cabinet Division within the due date. The selection committee shortlisted 26 candidates for the post, keeping in view their age, experience and other criteria mentioned in the advertisement.

Interviews for final selection were held on 18th Aug 2020.

However, the selection committee had observed that none of the candidates secured more than 60pc [criteria], while the feedback gathered about their claimed credentials from the organization in Pakistan where the candidates had previously worked was not much encouraging and none of the candidates were found suitable enough to be selected as OGRA chairman.

In light of the selection committee's recommendations, the federal cabinet was asked to allow re-advertisement of the post of OGRA chairman with upgraded selection criteria.

NEWS

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Pakistan gives UN a dossier on Indian terror sponsorship ContInueD fRoM pAge 01 Chaudhri observed India scaled-up its diplomatic offensive against Pakistan in recent days after it made public the “irrefutable proof” of Indian statesponsorship of terrorism in the country. Chaudhri recalled that Islamabad has been “consistently sensitising the international community regarding the possibility of India undertaking a false flag operation with the intention to implicate Pakistan and jeopardising regional peace and security”. “We forewarn the world community once again.” The spokesman added that Pakistan will continue exposing India and will not let the world community be misled by its propaganda. The Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir has long been a flashpoint between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. UN peacekeepers have been deployed since 1949 to observe a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir.

All impediments in way of FDI to be removed, says PM in WEF dialogue ContInueD fRoM pAge 01 Shedding light on Indo-Pak ties, Imran said that Pakistan has persisting problems with India.

“Hopefully, with proper leadership in India, relations will return to normal.” Reiterating that Pakistan is a major player in the US-Taliban talks, the premier noted that the two parties have agreed to discuss issues on a table through the assistance of Islamabad. He said he aspired to see peace prevail in Afghanistan as a result of the US-Taliban peace talks that took place after years of bloodshed. “Peace in Afghanistan will benefit surrounding areas,” he said. “President Trump has done well in Afghanistan,” PM Imran said.

“Hopefully, [President-elect Joe] Biden will not back down from [the] good work in Afghanistan.”

JICA provides relief to 350 farmers in Punjab LAHoRe STAFF REPORT

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) with the support of the provincial government of Punjab and Asian Chapter of Community World Service (CWS) has distributed 2,800 bags of wheat seed and fertiliser amongst 350 small farmers of Muzaffargarh affected by the recent locust attack. The provincial government and CWS will facilitate around 1000 small farmers including tenants and growers who own agricultural land measuring 2-4 acres in different districts of South Punjab belt including Muzaffargarh, Layyah and Bhakar with Rs35 million (22.71 million Japanese Yen) provided by JICA. The Japan International Cooperation Agency has been providing assistance to Pakistan in three focus areas, including human security and human development, improving the economic base and stable balanced development. JICA is also providing assistance for building power transmission, road networks, strengthening domestic industries through technical cooperation, technical assistance for disaster preparedness at the national level, utilising Japan’s expertise that comes from being affected often by natural disasters and emergencies in Pakistan.

Spider Labs selects Jack of Digital as reseller in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar KARACHI BABAR KHAN JAVED

After over three months of shortlisting, vetting, and deal structuring, Spider Labs has named Jack of Digital as its representative reseller for digital ad fraud detection and reporting tool Spider AF in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.

Backed by The Planet N Group, Jack of Digital is a digital advertising sales partner agency for companies such as programmatic contender Eskimi and TikTok in Pakistan.

The representative company will lead the go-

to-market strategy and adoption of Spider AF with advertisers and agencies that are plagued by sophisticated invalid traffic and general invalid traffic.

“We are very fortunate and happy with our setup to work with Jack of Digital as an exclusive partner in Pakistan and other regions,” said Spider Labs Global Sales Manager Jesse Walia. “We chose Jack of Digital due to their respective brands in Pakistan, and their track record of working with reputable brands as exclusive partners.”

Speaking to Profit, Walia shared that Jack of Digital co-founder Faisal Sheikh

shared that the Pakistan market, much like all of Asia, is rife with ad fraud oriented problems in the digital space.

He said that Spider Labs wants advertisers and agencies to combat ad fraud through automation using their digital ad fraud detection and reporting tool.

“Jack of Digital has a strong reputation, knowledgebase, and understands the threat of the growing global problem with ad fraud,” he said. “Our visions aligned with being able to help brands in Pakistan combat digital ad fraud on Google and Facebook so we can protect their digital marketing budg-

CMYK

ets on an ongoing basis, and help increase their return on ad spending.”

Walia explained that the scope of ad fraud in the Pakistan market concerns general invalid traffic, bots, and crawlers which interfere with paid digital advertising, adding that Spider AF can help advertisers and agencies combat these issues regardless of geographic location, with the company offering distribution analytics and the ability to fight sophisticated invalid traffic and general invalid traffic on Google and Facebook.

“Jack of Digital has worked with us extensively on setting up plans that can have

immediate benefits, and cost performance for all sizes of brands that are small, medium, and enterprise,” said Walia. “Outside of this, Jack of Digital shares the same vision as Spider Labs in combating digital ad fraud, and we have decided to start working together in Pakistan and a couple of other regions where they have a strong presence as a start.”

For the Pakistan market, Walia said that the traffic quality team at Spider Labs will expect two anomalies in the data to account for, making minor adjustments for VPNs being heavily used, and different behavioural patterns due to power outages.

Thursday, 26 November, 2020

06 COMMENT

Race between Chaos and Conviction

Chained and muzzled Media under the PTI

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Dr FariD a Malik

‘M

ay you live in interesting times’, is a Chinese curse that applies well to the land of the pure. Now that political cleansing has been attempted, the corrupt have shamelessly teamed up to fight back. Creating chaos is their main weapon of defense. Conviction for white-collar crime is almost impossible through the prevalent application of Common Law. NaB (National accountability Bureau ) laws are Draconian in nature which are in conflict with the law of the land, thereby resulting in delays. The cases drag on without conviction or exoneration. after trying to dodge accountability, the corrupt now realize that Imran Khan is determined to clean the stables. as their political survival is at stake, they are now willing to tear the system down. after the first elections under the 1973 Constitution in early 1977 a similar chaos was created in the country. Unfortunately the establishment of that time supported the uprising against the elected, popular government of Zulfiqar ali Bhutto. Riding on the establishment bandwagon, the opposition wanted to enter the corridors of power. The deposed Prime Minister was kept in protective custody for a few days in Murree and then released. Elections were announced and political activities were allowed. ZaB arrived in Lahore to a hero’s welcome. Wherever he went, the crowds followed him. as a leader of a genuine political party, his popularity never waned. His ‘awami hukoomat’ (people’s government) had served the awam (people) well who wanted him back. The nineparty opposition alliance (Pakistan National alliance), with the full support of the establishment, could not knock him out politically. The unanimously agreed Constitution came under attack. The country was plunged into the ‘Zia Dark ages’ which lasted for over 11 years and produced corrupt political leadership like the Sharifs of Lahore, Chaudhrys of Gujrat, Dastagirs of Gujranwala, Khawajas of Sialkot and others that we have to endure. , Today Pakistan has a popularly elected leader who is running the country under the Constitution.

The opposition is united to save their loot in order to preserve their political future and to stretch their exploitation of the masses. Fortunately they do not have the establishment support this time. Creating chaos

Eyewash on rape Trying to look good without substance

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HE federal cabinet’s approval of an ordinance allowing rape to be punished by hanging, or chemical castration, shows not just a kneejerk reaction to a number of recent incidents, but also a suspicious ignoring of some of the commonsense administrative measures that would lead to the crime being deterred. Perhaps the biggest problem with the Cabinet decision is that it has come about through an ordinance being promulgated, meaning that the government will be seen to have done something, but when the ordinance expires after six months, the law will lapse.

Of course, if any cases have been finalized, sentences may be executed, but there lies the problem. On the one hand, anyone executed will stay that way. anyone chemically castrated will return to the status quo if the chemical is stopped because the covering ordinance expires. anyway, chemical castration has never before been used a punishment, and where it is in vogue, it is merely a condition of release on probation. as with much else the government does, this too seems a measure not intended to achieve anything substantial, but merely to make the government look good.

For a government less concerned with optics and more concerned with eliminating the offence, a closer harder look at how the justice system deals with such cases, especially investigation and prosecution would have been the more logical approach. The most fruitful government intervention would come by ensuring that victims come to the police. at present, the attitude of the police is demeaning enough as they seem to do the job of the defence counsel, whose cross-examination is full of innuendo and hostility, which victims may find as bad as the original crime. a lot of complaints are suppressed because victims prefer to avoid the ill repute the claim will get them, all too often for the reward of their accusation being rejected. However, if the government posts officers who persist in victim-shaming, as the CCPO Lahore did after his initial outburst in the Motorway rape, rape will not be deterred, no matter how many laws are temporarily promulgated.

Perspective of Foreigners visiting Xinjiang Hina Habib

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VER the years Xinjiang has been visited by different people from different countries who have first-hand and impartial experience of this region. Today when there is so much propaganda coming from te western media against Xinjiang, it has become important to be acquainted with the real Xinjiang not only from the local people and not only from the Chinese government, but also through the experiences of foreign visitors who stayed in Xinjiang.

Xinjiang had never been a visitor-prohibited area, and it became a popular tourist spot for people from within and outside China. The tourism industry of the province has been flourishing during the past few years, especially in 2018 when the number of domestic and international tourists in Xinjiang exceeded 150 million, an increase of more than 40 percent over the previous year. Importantly, the land port also received more than 3.19 million tourists in the first half of 2019, up 66.3 percent year on year. Statistics for January 2019 also depicts surge of 2.1 million tourists who visited Xinjiang during the three-day New year’s holiday, a year-on-year increase of 40.58 percent. These statistics shows us that Xinjiang became a peaceful place for tourists and Chinese government policies are successful in this regard.

In spite of western propaganda about so-called suppression, violence and indoctrination through detention camps there are international tourists visited Xinjiang and presented their travel stories and their meeting with the local population.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

constitution, and instead he wanted to be officially declared Khalifa or ameer-ul-Momineen. after tinkering with the democratic order three times, he has remains their best option while the government now come up with the slogan; ‘ Vote Ki Izzat ‘ of pushes for their much-deserved conviction. Caution which he has history of tampering.

ZaB was financially clean, and the ISI did not is important. Nations must learn from their past mistakes. Going against the Constitution has always been have dossiers on his corruption. He was constitutiondisastrous with long-term consequences that the peo- ally elected PM, as such he could only be eliminated ple have to endure. Political gatherings or Jalsas are through revolutionary justice or judicial manipulafine but street protests can hurt democracy if not han- tion. Similarly there are no charges of financial cordled properly. In 1977 the slogan used was; ‘Nizam- ruption against the Kaptaan, though the Ex-PM has e-Mustafa’, now it is ‘Vote Ki Izzat’. No one could demanded accountability of rebuilding his Zaman ever explain the framework of this ‘Nizam’ to me Park ancestral property while the Sharif family has then but I am all for the ‘Vote’ if the players who are not been able to give the money trail of moving from fighting for it carry any credibility. Free and fair elec- a three-marla Gawalmandi house to the 7500-kanal tions is another myth. With out-of-turn promotions Jatti Umra Estate. When his daughter was called by and recruitment against merit in most government de- the Lahore office of NaB, it came under an organized partments, the sanctity of the ballot stands compro- stone attack. This week, when one of the vehicles mised. Only Karachi has been cleaned up of MQM used in the attack was identified and taken into cuscontrol while interior Sindh remains under PPP influ- tody by the police, the party termed it political vicence and Punjab infected by the PML(N). In Lahore timization and disrupted the session of the Punjab assembly for days. Being a there are ‘No-Go’ areas product of the establishment, where the writ of the state the PML(N) behaves like does not prevail, which one. Like the infamous come under the rule of agencies it indulges in all Takht-e-Lahore and Gullu ‘Finally the Zia Dark Ages kinds of fake propaganda Butts of Gawalmandi. may be coming to an end. against its opponents. The In the checkered politiorganized personal defamacal history of Pakistan only Even if the Kaptaan falls the tion and character assassinatwo national parties tion of the Daughter of the emerged on their own merit. operation clean-up will East and Kaptaan, leaves a after the 1965 war debacle, continue till the stolen bad taste in the mouth.

ZaB revolted against the Even if chaos prevails first dictator and formed the wealth of the impoverished this time around and the sysPakistan People’s Party nation is recovered. Like tem collapses, Kaptaan will (PPP) in November 1967 at survive to fight back. Both Lahore. In april 1996 Imran Quaid-e-Azam and Quaid-ethe judiciary and the estabKhan launched his Pakistan lishment have learnt their Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), also Awam, he too will be lessons. Today the judges at Lahore. While te PPP remembered for having are free, ZaB’s judicial murcame into power of what reder continues to be the mained of Quaid’s Pakistan selflessly served the nation biggest blot on our legal sysin 1971, Kaptaan had to tem. Despite his physical struggle much longer. Three elimination there are still real leaders of the republic chants of “Bhutto Zinda with political following were: Quaid-e-azam, Quaid-e-awam and now Kap- Hai” over four decades after this establishment debataan. The rest were launched by anti-democratic cle. Finally it was the corruption of Zardari that forces. While Jinnah won freedom for the Muslims brought down his party. The best course for the corof India, ZaB succeeded in creating a constitutional rupt is to enter plea bargain and return the looted republic which was derailed in July 1977. Now Kap- money to live their remaining life in peace, but it taan is trying to restore the democratic order by mas- seems they have chosen confrontation. In 1977 the sive political cleansing. While the task is gigantic and Constitution was trampled, hopefully this time the team weak, the PM has shown resolve to bring around it will prevail to steer the country in the right direction. the country back on track. yes ‘Vote Ki Izzat’ is paramount but will not hapa constitution is a basic document to regulate the functioning of a democratic state. Unfortunately it has pen unless there is consensus on the way forward. been repeatedly disrespected both by men in uniform Conviction after due process is in national interests and the civilians riding on their coattails. Zia had the while chaos will not serve any purpose, it may proaudacity to say that it is not worth the paper it has long the life of the corrupt political elements but been written on, and he could tear and trash it at will. doomsday awaits them. Finally the Zia Dark ages Musharraf, the fourth usurper, came with a strange may be coming to an end. Even if the Kaptaan falls logic: according to him, the country came before the the operation clean-up will continue till the stolen wealth of the impoverished nation is recovered. Like Constitution.

He imposed emergency to prolong his rule for Quaid-e-azam and Quaid-e-awam, he too will be rewhich he was then tried for sedition but then his civil- membered for having selflessly served the nation. ian abettors (Shaukat aziz, Zahid Hamid) were Dr Farid A Malik is ex-Chairman, Pakistan spared by Khalifa Nawaz Sharif. Khalifa Sahib managed to get an absolute two-thirds majority not once Science Foundation. He can be contacted at: but twice; even then he failed to restore the disfigured fmaliks@hotmail.com.

The corrupt may create chaos, but it won’t help

RIME MINISTER Imran Khan‘s campaign as an opposition leader was widely reported by the media.

It would be no exaggeration to claim that media played an important role in bringing his party to power. after coming to power the PTI government has however taken measures to control media. There is a need on the part of the ruling party to realise that while governments come and go, the media continues to remain in place. By curbing the media’s freedom, political parties would themselves be losers in the long run.

What the newly appointed PTV chief said the other day was in line with the PTI’s policy to force media to blindly support the ruling alliance. Mr Naeem Bukhari authoritatively declared a blackout of the opposition on PTV maintaining that being a state-run organization; it would only represent the stance of the government. The argument is totally irrational. PTV is financed through the taxpayers’ money. The opposition therefore has as much right on it as the government. It is like arguing that only the PTI card holders can travel on a train or a PIa plane.

While in opposition the PTI had promised to turn PTV into another BBC, which is free to formulate its policies.

The PTI government has gone too far in its attempts to suppress sections of media that have dared to differ with it. The Jang Group’s Editor-in-Chief was kept under detention for nearly seven months. Fake cases have been allowed to be registered against a number of journalists. a social media journalist was kidnapped and was released only after the intervention of the IHC. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on the government to stop withholding advertisements to a number of newspapers and grant ads without regard for newspapers’ editorial stances. asia Internet Coalition (aIC) has warned that the government’s new rules to regulate social media activity will make it “extremely difficult” for digital companies to operate in Pakistan. Measures taken against free media explain why Pakistan has slid down another three places to reach 145th position out of 180 countries in the 2020 World Press Freedom index. That this should happen on Mr Khan’s watch should lead him to rethink his government’s policy of media control.

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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Then in July 2019 a group of journalists from 24 countries visited Xinjiang those journalist were from the USa, Russia, Italy, Japan, Saudi arabia, Turkey Iran and Pakistan,. They interacted extensively with local farmers, students, clerics, and workers as well as trainees at vocational education and training centres. It was a short visit but still it was an interaction between the general society of Xinjiang and foreign journalists.

In 2018 a group of diplomatic envoys from 12 countries, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, afghanistan, Thailand, and Kuwait, witnessed the social and economic progress in this region.

Xinhua news reported further that on that occasion that at the Xinjiang Islamic Institute, which offers three-year bachelor programs and religious training, the ambassador of Kuwait to China, Sameeh Johar Hayat, encouraged the students to learn more and contribute what they learn to the development of their country. The counselor of the Malaysian embassy in China said that the region is very different from the picture presented in the western media.

Jerry Grey, a British-born australian citizen living in China at the moment, visited Xinjiang multiple times, with his most recent visit being in 2019. according to him, the so-called expert on Xinjiang, adrian Zenze, was “wrong” and misleading Western people. Grey said that “People who know Xinjiang, and even the hundreds of journalists who have travelled there, myself included, know there have been problems, the problems are being efficiently and safely handled by the Chinese authorities and the region is being pulled out of poverty.”

Jerry Grey also found that people in the West may

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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believe in Zenze’s false and fabricated stories because of his religious affiliations. Grey and other foreigners visiting China emphasize on visiting Xinjiang to have a first-hand and impartial experience of this Chinese western region.

The Western media is trying to portray Xinjiang as a “no-go” area, but the reality is different. according to tourists of China that there is no special visa, permit required for visiting Xinjiang. People who have listed Xinjiang on their visa applications as art of their intended tour, have never been denied a visa.

Though some tourists have mentioned about a number of hurdles while traveling, in shape of security checkpoints but those are for the security reasons and for the larger good of the public. Xinjiang has a history of episodes of violence and it is the job of the state to provide security to its people. But unfortunately security measures initiated by Chinese authorities are shown in Western media as the suppression of the rights of Uyghur Muslims by the CPC. Therefore, Western media should not be trusted for its views and reports on Xinjiang. The CPC wanted Xinjiang to be opened and developed more.

The Western media is doing propaganda against the CPC policies in Xinjiang for the sake of propaganda, is not for the improvement of the region and not for the progress of any ethnicity living in Xinjiang region.

Western people should try to study China and its culture without any preconceptions, understanding Xinjiang with the help of a conformist would not help them and they surely would be confused.

The writer is a Research Associate, Xinjiang Centre, Eurasian Century Institute, Islamabad.

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Thursday, 26 November, 2020

COMMENT 07 Editor’s mail send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. e-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively

Online classes without the internet?

IT is a well known fact that coronavirus cases are rising all over the world.

Balochistan is also seen as a spear in covid-19 cases. Due to this high effective situation the education minister announced that all educational institutions must be off and according to him each student should attend online classes . But i would like to raise a question to the education minister and other government officials that Turbat is the backward area of Balochistan there are no facilities of internet, like 4G, PTCL and etc. Then without the internet how students can attend their online classes regularly.

So, these figures seem to be harrowing as the confession the government’s ability to open 4G in Turbat for getting better education.

AsrArullAh luqmAn TurbAT

2020 and beyond The PAF and the IAF compared

Why only schools?

PAF and IAF Fighter Jets Comparison First, let me list down PaF vs. IaF front line fighters for your reference.

Wali iMran kHalil

T

HE PaF is a defensive air force, limited to operations within its borders.

The IaF, with its new inductions, is slowly building capacity to expand its offensive umbrella beyond its borders.

Pakistan’s air space, unlike China’s, is particularly vulnerable to this new Indian doctrine. *I would categorize PaF’s F-16 as its only front line fighters, with their proven avionics, weapons, and reliability capable enough to implement PaF’s vision of denying IaF freedom over-friendly land operations. The 100 JF-17 Block I/II ave not yet achieved this, as SD-10 BVR in tandem with KLJ Radar has never scored a verifiable combat kill. ** IaF Mirage 2000, SU030 MKI, and Rafale can enforce their will in their designated area of operation. all of these jets, with their advanced radar, avionics, targeting systems, and weapons, complement each other’s weaknesses. If these are all concentrated on the Pakistan border, IaF will run through Pakistan’s defenses, and that would be a nightmare scenario. MiG-29, on the other hand, is chronically unreliable for the envisaged high-intensity battle between IaF and PaF. Looking at this ratio of frontline combat jets, IaF cannot win the war against PaF, for now. The roughly a 3:1 ratio of frontline combat planes, means that Pakistan just might inflict too many embarrassing kills on IaF. So, the deterrent holds.

However, PaF cannot even think of supporting any offensive operations across the fence.

Pakistan, hamstrung by a constant political doctrine for PaF, has presently lowered its bar to just deny air dominance to IaF in Pakistan’s airspace areas of significance. This is a marked scale down from the heyday when Pakistan struck Indian installations relatively deep in Indian territory, both from West and East Pakistan.

India, on the other hand, has consistently upgraded IaF’s political objectives of War and backed it up with resources to now reach a stage that it can somewhat impose its will on weaker border countries.

India has played its anti-China and antiPolitical Islam card well. The series of US-India Defense Deals and strategic deals with all Western countries shows this.

Pakistan on the other hand is chugging along reluctantly on the Islamic Ummah track, with hardly any plan, and no clear destination in sight.

PaF will never be able to achieve victory– without a consistent narrative of political objective– that every Pakistani supports.

How can PaF even think of winning in this scenario? What will PaF aim for, if the political and intellectual institutions don’t guide it? This is also reflected in how the PaF, in the absence of domestic political inputs, has been scaling back its offensive doctrine.

This scale-back is hastened by the level of support from the USa, non-existent now, and PaF’s battle teeth are getting progressively duller. Pakistan’s chief edge against India has been the quality of front-line aircraft since ayub aligned tightly with the USa. Pakistan fending off the Indian army’s thrust in 1965 was made possible by the highly reliable and agile F-86 Sabre, in the only significant tactical victory Pakistan has against India. all PaF victories over the years have been tactical; the wars have been lost.

Indian military planners know Pakistan is looking for bang-for-the-buck, because of its frail economy– and cannot afford any grand designs of sustained operations beyond its borders.

India has outflanked Pakistan here.

PaF aims to reasonably deny free rein to Indian air superiority and ground attack fighters in

THE federal education ministers along with provincial education ministers have announced on 23rd of November that all educational institutions will be off from November 26 till 10th of January. If the educational institutions will be off, students will lose interest of learning and reading as well they will be victims of depression. as a student it is my humble request to education ministers please change your decision.

PArigul ZAhid Kech

Second-wave is stronger THE second wave of covid-19 is spreading in Pakistan which is dangerous because of which the government closed just educational institutions but still political parties are doing protests in the country. So the government must close educational institutions only rather it has to stop such protests which can be harmful for public health. gulZAdi AslAm TurbAT Pakistan’s air space to give enough room to Pakistan army to hold ground against an Indian offensive. PaF keeps shopping for Western fighters, weapons, training, and radars to achieve this. The sources have now dwindled to a trickle.

India, on the other hand, with a burgeoning economy and the West falling over each other to get a piece of its market, aims to inflict punishing raids into Pakistan’s territory decimating Pakistan’s offensive capabilities to deter military attacks.

Whenever IaF feels it has all its Rafales ready, its SU-30s upgraded with Western targeting and weapon systems, Indian political machinery will give it the go-ahead for offensive raids targetting Pakistan’s leading Combat aircraft, and force multiplier platforms like aEW&Cs/refuellers and armed drones.

The rest of the PaF’s aircraft will be a cakewalk.

With PaF out of the way and the Pakistan army mortally vulnerable, the purpose will be to bend Pakistan politically to Indian will.

There is even talk of the IaF creating air superiority over a bridgehead inside Pakistani territory, right at the border that blunts whatever thrust Pakistan makes towards dislodging it– thereby expending Pakistan’s resources completely.

The Indian Military thought process has now moved away from stopgap military purchasing to a more coherent national doctrine for the IaF. India is now moving away from whichever country can give them political support to a more reliable western fleet.

PaF has in the past exploited IaF’s weaknesses in Russian planes and weapons– but that is ending. Indian political government has the option to cherry-pick fighters, and target systems of choice. India has US sufficient support to make that happen. a lot of IaF’s rise is attributable to solid political oversight by quality political institutions.

Military strategists on both sides of the fence want different things and the scales are tipping in IaF’s favour rapidly.

PaF’s complete dependence on Chinese military technology and its reliability issues will not cover the current Pakistan vulnerabilities. The Indian government realizes this and has recently signed a slew of defense deals with the USa to keep Pakistan out of the procurement loop.

IaF would be just about there when they get their full delivery of 36 Rafale jets and upgrade SU-30MKI with western weapons and avionics.

IaF already has perfect target imagery, accurate target coordinates, satellite real-time visuals, drone footage, radio intercepts, diplomatic umbrella, and a sympathetic world audience, to cream PaF. PaF will have to think long and hard whether it wants to stick to the old ways of cajoling Western capitals for top-line weapons or create a new doctrine of necessity.

Pakistan might have to drastically change its doctrine of war from precision strikes at concentration nodes, to one of several damaging waves of raids with its weapons.

Pakistan might have to alter the structure of its military from a WW2 styled all-inclusive

manpower to one with high mobility, maximum firepower, and precision. This will require letting go of dead-weights.

Let the private sector build the aircraft and weapons that you need– there seems no other way.

Modernize, Modernize, and Modernize should be the catchword.

The PaF should have only combat aircraft and allied systems that support direct offensive action and nothing else.

This involves correcting the rank structure, career profile, and numbers of the human resource in PaF. PaF will have to restrict itself to projecting firepower only and inflicting unacceptable damage on IaF and the Indian economic machine.

Pakistan will have to privatize its aeronautical Complex and Weapons Development agencies so that meaningful and result-oriented research takes place there.

Pakistan air Force must incorporate MaLE armed Drones in huge numbers so that low-altitude targeting can be given to them and also to swamp IaF air Defense.

For this modernization in PaF, only 10 years are available.

If PaF does not heed IaF’s rapid modernization, it may well become irrelevant in the coming decade as an instrument of national political power.

The recent skirmish in Kashmir that PaF won, cannot be repeated whenever the fundamentals do not allow it.

PaF F-16 managed to shoot down a Mig-21 and scare away the formidable SU-30MKI because of the surprise of releasing a BVR aMRaaM at its maximum range of 100 km, something the Russian R-77 missile could not do because of its 80-km closure distance. This allowed the PaF’s formation to break away early. The SU-30s were left scrambling to evade the incoming missiles.

This left the IaF MiG-21s vulnerable and they walked straight into PaF’s trap. Wing Commander abhinandan of IaF was shot down in Pakistani territory.

India has piled up quite an impressive array of Recon planes, Gunship Helicopters (apaches), and Troop carriers (C-17 & C-130) but the IaF vs PaF war would be decided in a few days, long before these planes could join in.

Tejas and other domestic platforms have still not matured enough to prove decisive. The remaining luxury transporters, troop carriers, helicopters also mean nothing.

What IaF does not have is accurate and long-distance western offensive weapons for the time being. But that is about to change.

IaF currently does not enjoy the dominance it so desperately craves against PaF, mostly due to unreliable Russian planes and weapons. The moment India completes its acquisition of Western weapon systems and armed drones, in the next decade, PaF and the ground forces will be in a huge fix. Pakistan policymakers need to work fast.

The writer retired from the PAF as a win commander

Climate change CLIMaTE change is destroying our planet. Over the past few years, there have been some serious concerns about the environment. Climate change has affected not only our lives, but many other species as well.

Weather patterns are changing, with a marked difference in the natural rainfall, water supply and rise in temperatures which have significantly increased. Our country is one of the most affected countries. Glaciers are melting, while flooding is getting frequent even in places where floods were rare. Whether high or low temperatures, both are reaching record braking levels. at the rate we are cutting trees, one day there will be so much carbon dioxide that not even the existing trees will be able to save us. We should stand united and fight under a singular cause to curb this existential threat looming over us. This is the only way we can save ourselves. imTAiZ JAvid AwArAn

Increasing price of commodities THE challenges are increasing day by day. The recent challenge that people are facing is high prices of commodities. High prices of commodities keep people frustrated. Though the government has announced that the hike prices of items will decrease, the prices of commodities are increasing unexpectedly. In place of reducing, the government has doubled the prices of commodities. Now the things are out of hand of people. Similarly, Most of the people are uncomfortable with the increment of the things So, the government should pay attention to bring down the price of commodities for the inappetite of people. sAmeer AslAm AwArAn Kulli

A legend dies aRGENTINE football legend Diego Maradona has died at the age of 60, his spokesman announced on Wednesday. Renowned with Brazil’s Pele as one of the greatest footballers of all time, the argentine World Cup winning captain died of a heart attack, having undergone brain surgery earlier this month, a member of his entourage told aFP. He suffered a heart attack at his home in the outskirts of Buenos aires, argentinian media and acquaintances of the former player said. Maradona won the World Cup with argentina in 1986. argentine President alberto Fernandez declared three days of national mourning after the news of Maradona’s death.

Retired Brazilian football star Pele mourned his death. “Certainly, one day we’ll kick a ball together in the sky above,” he said in a brief statement.

Earlier, Maradona had also said that he would be willing to come to Pakistan. It happened this way: after a day of tiki taka in which Diego Maradona compared the argentina Football association (aFa) to the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and the PFF Marketing Consultant Sardar Naveed Haider Khan replied with a tongue-in-cheek comment that the argentina legend should come visit Pakistan, it has come down to this.

Maradona is willing to come to Pakistan.

“Diego knows something [about Pakistan] as ahmer Kunwar [of British-based sports management company TouchSky Sports] spoke to me about the possibility of doing something with him in Pakistan.” So far, it’s a stunning development. Maradona has previously been to the sub-continent – both times to India – and has been treated to rapturous welcomes on his arrival. He first came to India in 2008 when he set up a football academy in Kolkata with his latest visit there coming in 2012 when he launched a jewelry store in Kerala. His visit to Pakistan, though, would be solely for football. However, the visit never ended up happening. ehTishAm AhmAd lAhore

Thursday, 26 November, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

could oPec's house of cards collaPse? QUESTIONS ABOUT THE UAE’S FUTURE IN OPEC, EVEN IF THEY ARE ONLY PRELIMINARY INTERNAL DELIBERATIONS, COME AT AN AWKWARD TIME FOR THE GROUP AND ITS OPEC+ ALLIES

BlooMBerG

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JULiaN Lee

LL is not well in the house of OPEC. As the cartel’s oil ministers prepare to meet soon to decide on the next step in their record-breaking output deal, officials in the United Arab Emirates, normally a loyal Saudi ally, are privately questioning the benefits of participating, and may even be considering whether to leave the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

The deliberations, leaked to the press recently, may be nothing more than an attempt to get the producer group to review the Persian Gulf country’s quota. If so, it seems unlikely to succeed. Worse, it risks throwing a wrench into the discussions over how pro-

ducers should respond to the conflicting pressures from positive vaccine news and the negative impact of renewed coronavirus lockdown restrictions on travel and economic activity.

Questions about the UAE’s future in OPEC, even if they are only preliminary internal deliberations, come at an awkward time for the group and its OPEC+ allies.

Tensions are emerging over what to do about output targets, which are set to be eased from the beginning of next year.

The answer seems obvious. COVID-19 vaccines are unlikely to affect oil demand any time soon and stockpiles remain high.

Meanwhile, Libya, an OPEC member emerging from civil war, has added about 1 million barrels a day to supply in a matter of weeks. As a result, the OPEC+ alliance is expected to extend the current output cuts for another three to six months.

But there’s a spanner in the works: not everyone is respecting their commitments.

So the UAE, already chafing at the restric-

tions, says there shouldn’t be any decision until all members have fully implemented their agreed cuts.

Figures presented at last week’s meeting of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee, which oversees the OPEC+ output deal, show that fewer than half of its signatories have done so.

While over-producers like Iraq, nigeria and the UAE itself have come under intense pressure from OPEC’s de facto leader, Saudi Arabia, to compensate for past failings with deeper “compensation cuts,” one country has remained conspicuously absent from the roster of cheats: Russia. Despite being the OPEC+ group’s second-largest over-producer, the country has faced no public criticism whatsoever.

Long seen as the Saudis’ most reliable ally in OPEC, it’s easy to understand why the UAE chafes at this apparent favoritism towards Russia — regarded for decades as a competitor. Especially considering the very public humiliation inflicted in September on

PTI LEADERS SAY IT’S ‘UNREASONABLE’TO INCREASE LAWMAKERS’ SALARIES WHEN COUNTRY IS IN ECONOMIC

bJP lTd aNd iTs shell comPaNies IF POLITICS WAS BOARDROOM STRATEGY

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saba Naqvi

S we close the chapter on Bihar and head towards crucial state elections in West Bengal and Tamil nadu next year, it should become clear that in politics, the Bharatiya Janata Party has a business strategy that plans mergers and acquisitions with the ruthlessness of a booming corporation that intends to become a monopoly.

Partnerships are made to give the national party a toehold and a chance to eventually dominate, through psychological and financial means.

To elaborate, the BJP may have placed nitish Kumar on the Iron Throne of Bihar, but he’s encircled. It’s a matter of speculation about when the national party will decide to “absorb” his legislators. In Bihar, the BJP actually outdid its well-honed technique of financing independents and splinter parties to wean away small sections of various voter blocs to max the first-past-the-post game with the minimum numbers of actual votes.

In the just-concluded assembly election, the BJP/Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh cadre occupied the structures of another party, in this instance, the Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party in order to bring down the votes of its partner, the nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United). So not only does the BJP now run itself, but it’s also in the business of running other parties, like empty shell companies or ghost corporations.

Post-Bihar, there is going to be a violent, ugly election in West Bengal where the BJP has already struck roots on its own steam, filling the vacuum of the Opposition space. not so in Tamil nadu, the state with the distinct political history of the Dravida movement, where the BJP would like to be a presence in the upcoming assembly polls. It’s an ideological challenge for this aggressive BJP to be heard and seen in one of the most industrialised states of the nation, which has traditionally snubbed the HindiHindu worldview associated with the BJP/RSS. The BJP has been on an overdrive to rope in film stars such as Khushbu Sundar and well-known personalities from Tamil nadu besides now regularly fielding spokespersons to TV debates, just to ensure their presence in the imagination of the state. news reports also suggest that expelled Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader MK Alagiri (the disgruntled son of the late patriarch M Karunanidhi) is in talks with the BJP. But if we go by past experience, we can anticipate that the real vehicle for the BJP would be the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the state, bereft, split and struggling since the death of its supreme leader J Jayalalithaa on December 5, 2016.

An alliance between the AIADMK and BJP for the assembly elections has just been announced and will be subject to the usual pulls and pushes. But what the BJP would see is a party without a strong leader, but traditional structures. In other words, the AIADMK has assets that can be used to make it a vehicle for the national party’s own am-

bitions. Certainly, there will be members and groups within the AIADMK who will not be willing to lie down and roll over, but a process of attrition will be on. The BJP strategy would be to win over individual influencers inside the party and slowly steer its course in a direction that is useful to them.

In Bengal, having emerged as the Opposition, the BJP is playing to win. In Tamil nadu, it will be playing to mark its presence. Unlike the other significant national party, the Congress, which falls into depression and structural disrepair in the face of defeat, the BJP is propped up by a motivated cadre, plenty of money and the psychological momentum provided by helpful media narratives.

It works on incremental gains and long-term strategy.

Even in a state such as Odisha where it has not come to power, it has emerged as the main opposition replacing the Congress. In an age when the BJP pushes the idea of One nation, One Vote, the party gets into mergers and acquisitions to strip the regional partner of its assets and manage it as an empty shell company. It believes it can do so because it is the richest party in the history of independent India. After establishing single party rule since 2014, it has passed rules and amended laws to increase the already existing opaqueness about political funding.

According to the annual audit report filed by the BJP to the Election Commission of India in 2018, its receipts in 2016-2017 were more than that of all the other national parties combined. And in 2017, the BJP-led national Democratic Alliance regime promoted electoral bonds that made it possible for political donors to remain anonymous. The BJP swiftly became the biggest beneficiary, getting around 95% of all electoral bonds that are sold.

In a sense, the Congress first hollowed out democracy when it chose to keep political funding out of public scrutiny in the many years that it ruled India. The BJP has now taken this ten steps ahead. The Amazon of political parties now, the BJP, with its full coffers, purchases power quite effectively as it has done in states such as Manipur and Meghalaya in the north East, where it managed to tieup with small parties to keep the bigger Congress out.

Similarly, the money power of the BJP undoubtedly helped lubricate the splits it engineered in the Congress to form a government in Madhya Pradesh earlier this year; and both Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) in 2019 to form a government in Karnataka The ruthless single-minded pursuit of power extends to its ideological allies as well. Take the case of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party in Goa, once the senior partner in its alliance with the BJP, now reduced to rubble, with the BJP splitting its reduced ranks and taking over two of its MLAs in 2019 (the MGP leadership cried that the BJP was out to finish regional parties in India).

The Shiv Sena in Maharashtra obviously saw the writing on the wall, leading to its dramatic ditching of the alliance with the BJP a year ago. The strong anti-BJP turn by its current leadership is a strategy to escape the process of being depleted by a national party that systematically eats into the bases of its allies. (One of the biggest desires of the BJP currently is to somehow topple the Maharashtra government now led by the Shiv Sena in alliance with the nationalist Congress Party and Congress).

Yes, the BJP has a saleable leader in Prime Minister narendra Modi. But the prime minister as a brand has been built up on a pile of money and a media narrative that discredits all other leadership, regional or national.

The party is ideologically motivated to spread its reach across the length and breadth of the country and to do so is acquiring as many assets as it can purchase. Any partner that remains with the BJP can become cash-rich but would eventually become politically redundant. The business plan is now built into every political and ideological strategy.

Journalist Saba Naqvi is the author most recently of Politics of Jugaad.

UAE Energy Minister Suhail Al-Mazrouei by his Saudi counterpart. The UAE seems to feel aggrieved that it’s making deeper cuts than everyone else. Officials support that complaint by comparing the country’s output target with its production in April, the month the deal was hammered out.

But that’s a cheap shot. April was when everybody opened the taps in a damaging free-for-all. none of the output targets was based on those levels. Plus, the UAE agreed to its baseline when it signed up to the deal, so it’s a bit rich to start quibbling about it seven months later.

Revisiting the UAE’s target would open up a can of worms. Iraq wants special treatment too, because of its costly fight against the so-called Islamic State. nigeria wants some crude reclassified to remove it from its quota. Considering everyone’s grievances would set in motion a rapid unravelling of the entire OPEC+ deal.

It’s unlikely, but not impossible, that the UAE would decide to quit OPEC. Others

have done so — some repeatedly — and the country doesn’t have the moral handcuff of being a founding member of the group. The political and economic stakes would be high though. In one stroke such a move would destroy the goodwill between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which could prove costly.

After a day of public silence following the press reports, Mazrouei last week said the UAE “has always been a committed member” of OPEC. The statement sounded very backward-looking and avoided any denial that it was reconsidering its membership.

Even if the issue blows over, it serves as a reminder of the fractures within the producer group ahead of a decision that will determine the course of oil prices in the coming months.

But if it doesn’t, other countries would certainly follow in ending production restraint. The impact of an extra 1.6 million barrels a day of UAE crude might not be catastrophic for oil prices, but add another 7 million barrels from the rest of the group and March’s price collapse to just below $20 a barrel would look positively benign.

Julian Lee is an oil strategist for Bloomberg.

The fuTure of fox News is haNgiNg iN The balaNce IT’S TIME FOR RUPERT MURDOCH’S OUTLET TO DECIDE IF IT’S A NEWS NETWORK OR A TRUMP NETWORK

Independent

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James moore

n a recent column I looked at the rise of rivals like One America news (OAn) and newsmax that seek to outflank the network on the right, which would be tougher with the possible launch of Trump TV (or maybe the soon-to-beformer president will partner with one of them).

I wonder how Fox responds. It’s a fascinating question given the pushback it’s facing from its audience and the central role it plays in Rupert Murdoch’s empire. Cnn’s Brian Stelter has made the point that Fox’s much smaller, but suddenly fast-growing rivals, are driven by their Donald Trump loyalist viewers’ demand for a fictional universe in which their godemperor won the election.

Fox caters to this with its prime time “opinion” hosts; people like Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, who have gleefully followed their viewers down the rabbit hole.

But some of its anchors, in particular its news anchors, and analysts have taken a different path, one guided by the facts. Trump’s most passionate fans find it very uncomfortable when they’re confronted with those because they’re clear: Joe Biden won the election. He won the popular vote. He won the electoral college. The claims of widespread voter fraud emanating from the White House are fictional.

The network’s number crunchers triggered Trump and his fans with their early (and correct) call of Arizona for Biden. But there was more.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” said host neil Cavuto, as the network cut away from coverage of White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. “She’s charging the other side as welcoming fraud and welcoming illegal voting. Unless she has more details to back that up, I can’t in good countenance continue to show you this.” And he didn’t, to the ire of Carlson.

Then on Sunday anchor Eric Shawn aired a series of interviews with election officials and experts, including one with Republican Philadelphia city commissioner Al Schmidt, decked out in a stars and stripes mask. They denied the baseless allegations tabled by Donald Trump. He also screened a statement from Dominion Voting Systems saying: “Vote deletion/switching assertions are completely false.”

The company flatly refuted any ties to political parties or Venezuela (also screened).

Shawn then served up a monologue in which he asserted: “Election officials across the country insist, as of today, there is no evidence of any widespread fraud affecting the presidential election, that our precious democracy was not tampered with and that such baseless and false claims are an insult to the thousands of elections officials and workers across the country who we have seen dedicating themselves 24/7 to ensure a fair and free election for all of us.”

Fox has always denied that it is the propaganda arm of the Republican Party, insisting rather that it is a news network, albeit one set up as a counterweight to its supposedly liberal-leaning rivals which dominated before its emergence (whether they really were liberal is open to debate). There are some at the network who appear to believe the hype, who buy into the idea of a fact-based news operation that is distinct from the opinion hosts with their alternative facts.

Fox is still awful. The impact it has had on journalism is awful. The stuff it pumps out is awful. Some of the stories it has whipped up and obsessively followed are scarcely stories at all. The alleged “war on Christmas”, Benghazi, the Clintons as puppet masters behind the deep state responsible for all the world’s ills. Check out the coverage and weep.

But despite the ubiquity of that toxic sludge, in having hosts who view themselves as news anchors guided by facts Fox does differ from the other parts of the conservative media ecosystem it inhabits.

They don’t have anything like that. They have displayed no interest in offering any pushback against Trump’s baseless claims. They are a safe space for their audience. Fox sometimes isn’t. This resistance to Trump’s narrative from certain quarters at Fox has clearly created tension between it and a part of its audience, the part which is, as Stelter rightly pointed out, fully immersed in Trump’s fictional alternate universe. A universe that the channel ultimately helped to create.

The idea that Fox is a news network, as opposed to a propaganda outfit for Republican shills, is an important part of how it sees and markets itself. And it has benefited the channel in the past. When the Obama administration, for example, tried to cut it off, the other networks ignored its constant sniping at them and pushed back on its behalf. Does that change if it abandons the pretence, and muzzles or kicks out the anchors that have pushed back against Trump?

How does Fox handle the competition going forward?

This is no small question for the Murdochs. Fox news Channel has been a moneymaking machine for them, one that has benefited from an effective monopoly position on the right.

If it follows OAn, and newsmax and dedicates itself solely to the alternative universe they inhabit and some of the viewers want, its attempt to portray itself as a news network will become that much harder. If the Biden administration shows some claws and attempts to replicate what the Obama administration tried it may find it easier to succeed. On the other hand, if Fox stays the course, the competition from its scrappy rivals on its right flank may become more serious, especially if, as I suggested in my previous column, one or the other of them manages to add Trump to their roster.

Thursday, 26 November, 2020

BUSINESS 09

MARKET DAILY

KSE-100 jumps 568 points on E&P gains

RicE PRicES dRoP 20Pc on RuPEE aPPREciation, low ExPoRt dEMand

KARACHI

ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

GHULAM ABBAS

Bulls controlled the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) for the second consecutive session on Wednesday, with the indices accumulating gains all day long amid increase in market volumes. Global equity markets also showed a positive trend, whereas crude oil prices moved further north from the previous close; WTI crude price increasing 1.36pc to $45.50, while Brent crude price rising 1.44pc to $48.48.

"Exploration & production stocks drove the market on Wednesday, contributing heavily to the surge in the index. Crude oil prices increased significantly overnight and maintained the momentum during today’s session as well, which particularly helped those investors who were concerned with the decline in cement despatches to switch to better alternatives," a report issued by Arif Habib Ltd read.

"Banks, textile and fertilizer sectors also contributed to the overall positivity." Reminiscent of the previous session, the KSE-100 Index remained in the positive zone throughout the day, registering its intraday high at 40,431.56 after gaining 568.20 points. It ended higher by 514.17 points at 40,377.53. Among other indices, the KMI-30 Index accumulated 1,477.39 points to close at 65,003.77, while the KSE All Share Index gathered 386.86 points, settling at 28,445.86.

The overall market volumes increased from 174.70 million shares in the previous session to 213.11 million shares (+22pc). Average traded value also surged by 42pc, from $42.6 million to $60.7 million.

Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim Ltd Right shares (FFBLR -12.97pc), TRG Pakistan Ltd (UNITY +6.16pc) and Unity Foods Ltd (UNITY -1.65pc) led the volume chart, exchanging 28.57 million, 21.16 million and 20.84 million shares, respectively. Sectors that painted the benchmark index green included oil & gas exploration (+272.33 points), banking (+88.70 points) and technology & communication (+81.16 points). Among the companies, Pak Petroleum Ltd (PPL +91.21 points), Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd (OGDC +86.22 points) and Pakistan Oilfields Ltd (POL +63.95 points) remained the top contributors. Adding 6.18pc to its total market capitalization, the oil & gas exploration sector ended as the session’s top performer, with OGDC (+6.56pc), MARI (+3.60pc), POL (+6.15pc) and PPL (+7.50pc) posting significant gains.

OLLOWING a significant reduction in the prices of sugar and wheat, the prices of different varieties of rice have also witnessed a 20pc drop mainly due to an appreciation of Pakistani Rupee and reduction in international demand.

Although the reduction in rice prices comes as a relief for local consumers, growers and exporters seemed little concerned about the development.

"There has been a tradition in the market that whenever the value of dollar rises, traders increase the price of rice. The price hike earlier this year was in anticipation that rupee will further devalue against dollar. But the recent declining trend in the value of dollar has caused a reduction in the prices of rice," said Taufiq Ahmed Khan, a leading exporter of rice.

Another factor that contributed to reduction in prices was the penetration of Indian rice in the international market; product of neighboring country is

PM directs ministries to help textile sector meet growing demand Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the ministries for commerce and industries to ensure all necessary support to the textile sector. In his tweets on Wednesday, the prime minister pointed out that Faisalabad textile industry is seeing a massive rise in demand and export orders. He said that his instructions to the relevant ministries are aimed at enabling the textile industry meet their growing demands. Imran Khan noted that the textile sector's growth is one of the positive developments in the national economy despite Covid-19. On Thursday last, the PM had directed the authorities concerned to resolve the problems facing the textile industry in Faisalabad at the earliest. Talking to a delegation of business representatives and exporters associated with the textile industry in the industrial city, he directed Industries and Production Minister Hammad Azhar to consult with all the stakeholders about setting up of an Expo Center in the city. He had also asked the Ministry of Communications to take steps for setting up a motorway interchange at Chak Jhumra, besides ordering the aviation ministry to work out a strategy to build Faisalabad International Airport. NEWS DESK

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being sold at comparatively lower prices. "When India, which produces the same varieties of rice, dumps the product in the international market, it takes time for Pakistan to adjust the price," said the exporter.

Besides, Khan said, lower demand of rice in the global market, where the product was largely exported during the initial months of Covid-19 pandemic, also caused a reduction in domestic market prices.

It may be noted that rice importers, in a bid to store food items in the wake of Covid-19, had ordered larger volumes of the product. In the next few months, the demand in international market is likely to remain stagnant.

As per market sources, the price of rice-old (1121) has come down from Rs5,800 per 40kg to Rs5100 per 40kg, witnessing a reduction of Rs700. Similarly, the price of super rice-old has decreased from Rs5,200 per 40kg to Rs4,000 per 40kg.

The price of sella rice (1121) has reduced by almost Rs500 per 40kg.

Likewise, the price of 386 rice, a popular non-basmati variety, has decreased from Rs3,000 per 40kg to

around Rs2,700 per 40kg, whereas paddy prices have declined by Rs200 per 40kg.

Owing to this the sudden drop in prices, growers fear that they may not be able to get a return "even for their input cost" this season.

"We had good production of basmati rice this year owing to an increase in cultivation area as well as per acre yield, but availability of carryover stock from the last season has caused exporters to take precautions, resulting in less orders from the EU countries," a grower informed this scribe.

Paddy (super), which opened at Rs2,400 per maund last year, is being traded at Rs2,000-2,100 per maund this year, while Kainat (1121), which opened at Rs2,200-2,300 per maund last year, is currently being traded at Rs1900-2000 per maund this year.

Growers, middlemen and other stakeholders have urged the government to allow Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO) or the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) to purchase paddy or rice so that the prices can be lifted to a suitable level.

LAHORE: A toy vendor checks the temperature of his customer as a precautionary measure against Covid-19. ZUBAIR MEHFOOZ

Shibli Faraz terms CPEC a catalyst for Pakistan’s socio-economic uplift ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Information and Broadcasting Minister Senator Shibli Faraz said on Wednesday that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a win-win project of Pak-China economic cooperation.

Addressing a seminar on CPEC in the federal capital on Wednesday, the information minister said that besides diversifying Chinese supply lines, CPEC will prove to be a catalyst for Pakistan's socio-economic development.

The minister said that CPEC is a game changer not only for Pakistan, but also for the entire region, as it is based on the idea of shared development. He said

that CPEC is a manifestation of China's special relationship with Pakistan.

"Under this project, Gwadar is going to become a hub of economic activities like Middle East and North Africa," the minister said, adding that major CPEC initiatives include construction of road networks, extension of Gwadar Port to Khunjerab Pass, up-gradation of ML-1, power projects of 10,000 megawatts and Gwadar-Nawabshah pipeline to transport gas from Iran.

Faraz said that CPEC is estimated to generate Rs6 billion to Rs8 billion per annum just in taxes -- through toll tax on roads and bridges. A total of two million jobs are expected to be created in the next 10 years, which will result in more

than 2.5pc annual rise in GDP, he added.

The minister claimed that CPEC had made remarkable progress in the first phase. "A majority of projects planned in the construction, infrastructure and energy sectors have been carried out successfully while some are in the execution phase."

He said the second stage of CPEC will further focus on industrialisation, agriculture modernisation and socio-economic development. Faraz opined that projects in the existing and newly established areas will enhance the capacity of Pakistan, which would ultimately improve the economic competitiveness of the country. The minister also stressed the need to counter the negative propa-

ganda against CPEC projects and PakChina bilateral ties.

Addressing the seminar, Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhary said that CPEC has a huge future, with Pakistan becoming an attractive market for Chinese investors.

The minister said that under the framework, 11 special economic zones are being established, which will promote industrialisation in the country.

“We plan to uplift our semiconductor industry and bring value addition to our products with the cooperation of Chinese friends," he said. "We have also approached Chinese companies to shift their solar panel manufacturing units to Pakistan."

Auto sales likely to increase 60pc YoY in FY21 LAHORE HASSAN NAQVI

The country’s auto industry sales are likely to grow 60pc in the current fiscal year (FY2020-21), with total sales expected to clock in at 201,000 units, including those of new entrants Lucky Motor Corporation (formerly KIA Lucky Motors), Hyundai Nishat and used imported cars.

“After taking into account higher-thanexpected unit sales in the first four months (July-Oct) of FY21 and an upward revision in margin assumptions, we are revising our earnings forecasts of Pakistan automobiles universe for the next two years by up to 53pc,” said Syed Fawad Basir, senior research analyst at Topline Securities Limited.

“We are raising our earlier FY21 and FY22

auto car and light commercial vehicle sales assumptions by 19pc (to 201,000 units) and 5pc (to 228,000 units), respectively.”

The research analyst cited ‘faster than expected economic recovery’ and ‘low interest rates’ as two driving factors behind the increase in estimates.

As per the State Bank of Pakistan, automobile loans have increased from Rs251 billion in March 2020 to Rs270 billion in October, depicting an increase of 8pc.

“However, sales are still likely to be 40pc lower than the highest level touched by Pakistan in FY18, when auto sales clocked in at 329,000 units,” Basir said.

INDUS MOTORS Basir sees around 4pc15pc growth in Indus Motor Company Limited (INDU) sales during FY21-FY22 primarily due to the successful launch of

Toyota Yaris, which is a 1300cc-1500cc sedan pact with features not offered by competitors at the moment.

“The timing [of launch] could not have been better, as Yaris is competing with an ageing Honda City model. This is further evident from stellar sales numbers for Oct 2020 when Yaris outsold City and Civic combined,” he added.

Basir said after the company entered double shift production in October this year, lead times are expected to be reduced in the coming months from the current waiting period of up to four months. In addition, a facelift of Toyota Corolla variant is expected in January 2021, along with a price increase of Rs50,000, which is expected to improve margins.

HONDA ATLAS: The analyst expects an increase of 3pc-53pc in the earnings of Honda

CMYK

Atlas Cars (Pakistan) Limited (HCAR) over the next two years, mainly on the back of higher than expected 1HFY21 result, coupled with an upward revision in the overall industry estimates. There also remains a strong possibility that the new model of Honda City would be introduced in 2021, which would lead to a surge in sales volume, he added.

PAK SUZUKI: According to the Topline analyst, Pak Suzuki Motor Company Limited (PSMC) earnings would also improve in the near future, but at a much slower pace, since the company introduced new models at a time of economic crisis, which weighed on its costs.

He said although supply chain issues continue to plague the industry, they are most evident in the case of PSMC. “The void left after the discontinuation of Mehran is yet to be filled by newer mod-

els, mainly Alto and Cultus. After the initial euphoria, both models have failed to match Mehran levels.”

MILLAT TRACTORS: Meanwhile, the earnings of Millat Tractors Limited (MTL) are estimated to rise by 4pc-6pc over the next two years.

“Strong margins and volumetric recovery thus far on the back of agricultural demand have been the precursors for the upward revision,” Basir said. “The company has also benefited from an improved working capital situation; with a decline in interest rates, finance costs has come down significantly.”

In addition, the Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) on Monday issued a SRO, allowing legitimate farmers and growers to get sales tax adjusted as subsidy. This is also expected to keep sales volume upbeat.

Thursday, 26 November, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

Surrender deadline nearS aS ethiopia prepareS tigray attack TIGRAY

a

agencies

surrender deadline for Tigray forces is just hours away with Ethiopia’s military threatening to bombard the regional capital – a city of half a million people.

Ethiopia’s prime minister on Wednesday rejected growing international demands for dialogue and a halt to deadly fighting in the northern Tigray region as “interference”, saying his country will handle the conflict on its own as the 72-hour surrender ultimatum expires at 16:30 GMT. “We respectfully urge the international community to refrain from any unwelcome and unlawful acts of interference,” a statement from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office said as government forces encircled the Tigray capital, Mekelle, with tanks.

“The international community should stand by until the government of Ethiopia submits its requests for assistance to the community of nations. We reject any interference in our internal af-

fairs.”

A news agency in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, meanwhile, reported more than 10,000 Tigrayan troops had been “destroyed” during the three-week conflict raging in the mountainous north.

The report by the regional government-run AMMA agency in Amhara, where authorities back Abiy’s federal forces, could not be verified and there was no immediate response from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

Abiy, last year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, insists on calling the conflict a “law enforcement operation” while his ultimatum for TPLF leaders to surrender ends ahead of a final push to arrest them.

Abiy’s government has warned Mekelle’s residents to move away from TPLF leaders and military installations saying there will be “no mercy” – language the United Nations human rights chief and others have warned could lead to “further violations of international humanitarian law”.

Communications remain almost completely severed to the Tigray region of some six million people and

it is not clear how many people in Mekelle are aware of the warnings and the threat of artillery fire.

Diplomats on Tuesday said UN Security Council members in a closed-door meeting expressed support for an African Union-led effort to deploy three high-level envoys to Ethiopia.

Three AU envoys – former Presidents Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and Kgalema Motlanthe of South Africa – were due to arrive in Addis Ababa on Wednesday.

Tigray’s regional leader Debretsion Gebremichael could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday.

The TPLF dominated Ethiopia’s government for more than a quartercentury but was sidelined after Abiy took office in 2018 and sought to centralise power in a country long ruled along ethnic lines. The TPLF opted out when Abiy dissolved the ruling coalition, then infuriated the federal government by holding an election in September after a national vote was postponed by Covid-19. Each side now regards the other as illegal.

Malala joins calls urging Britain not to slash foreign aid budget LONDON agencies

Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai Wednesday called on the British government to stick to its overseas aid pledge. On the day Chancellor Rishi Sunak was set to unveil his spending review, the campaigner called on him to keep to stick to the UK’s commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of national income on overseas aid.

Malala, who graduated from the University of Oxford this summer, tweeted: “Covid-19 could force 20 million more girls out of school.

“To keep girls learning, we need leaders to prioritise education. Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak: the UK pledged 0.7 per cent in aid last year.

“When you announce spending pri-

orities...I hope you’ll deliver on that promise.” She joins five former British Prime Ministers - Theresa May, David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and Sir John Major - who have reportedly called on Boris Johnson to rethink a proposed plan to cut the target from 0.7 per cent to 0.5 per cent.

Sir John told the media any cuts to aid was “morally wrong and politically unwise”. Kailash Satyarthi, who shared the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize for his work on children’s rights, has written to the Prime Minister, describing any reduction in aid as “immoral and dangerous”.

The 0.7 percent target is written into law and Johnson’s 2019 election manifesto promised to keep it.

The Tory 2019 manifesto said: “We will proudly maintain our commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of GNI

on development, and do more to help countries receiving aid become self-sufficient.”

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The UK is and will remain one of the biggest contributors of aid of any country,” the spokesman said. “But, as we have said, it is important to look at where savings can be made and to ensure that aid spending is used effectively.” Sunak will set out the budgets for Whitehall departments today against the tough economic backdrop of the coronavirus crisis.

Despite the mounting costs of coronavirus, the Treasury has already indicated that big sums will be spent on the NHS and other government priorities. However, he was expected to start tightening the purse strings with a public sector pay freeze.

Netanyahu promises Israel’s ex-spy in US a warm welcome home JERUSALEM agencies

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised Jonathan Pollard, an American who spent 30 years in US prison for spying for Israel, a warm welcome and a comfortable life in Israel now that parole restrictions have ended.

“We are waiting for you, even during the time of the coronavirus, with open arms, and you will receive the genuine embrace of the Israeli people,” Netanyahu said in a video distributed by his office on Tuesday of part of a telephone call with Pollard and his wife Esther on Monday.

A former US Navy intelligence analyst, Pollard was arrested in 1985 outside the Israeli embassy in Washington – which turned him away as he sought refuge with law enforcement closing in. Pollard was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1987.

On Friday, parole restrictions imposed after Pollard’s release in 2015 expired. Pollard, 66, said he and his spouse would go to Israel to live, but no date for their travel has been announced.

“You should have now a comfortable life where

you can pursue, both of you can pursue, your interests and we can take care of Esther (with) the best medical treatment in the world,” Netanyahu told Pollard, whose wife has been ill.

While in prison, the Texas-born Pollard was granted Israeli citizenship, and Israel had long pushed for his release but was spurned by several US presidents.

Pollard pleaded guilty in 1986 to conspiracy to commit espionage in connection with providing Israeli contacts with hundreds of classified documents he had obtained in his naval intelligence post in exchange for thousands of dollars.

A US Central Intelligence Agency “damage assessment”, made public in 1987, said Pollard had believed US intelligence support of close ally Israel was inadequate.

The US Justice Department’s decision not to reimpose any limits on Pollard’s movements was seen by some as a parting gift by US President Donald Trump’s administration to Israel. “I truly want to congratulate you that your nightmare is over and you can return home, to Israel,” Netanyahu told Pollard. “It will truly be a big moment – a big moment for us all.”

Thursday, 26 November, 2020

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AGENCIES

EWIS Hamilton heads into Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix as the most successful driver in Formula One history, and now a seven times world champion, but the Briton will not be slowing down as he aims to round out a record-breaking season in style.

The Mercedes driver clinched the title at the previous race in Turkey to equal Michael Schumacher’s record seven, having already surpassed the Ferrari great’s tally of 91 race wins.

With three races to go and 10 wins from 14, Hamilton is on course for his most successful campaign yet and can become only the third driver after Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel to win 13 times in a season.

“Now it’s a bit more chilled but I still have three races ahead of me that I want to win,” said Hamilton, who has not previously

No SLowING dowN foR RecoRd-bReAkING HAMILtoN MERCEDES DRIVER WILL BE LOOKING TO ROUND OUT SEASON IN STYLE WITH WIN IN BAHRAIN GP won more than 11 races in a single year.

Hamilton has won three times around the 5.4km Sakhir desert track, including last year after a loss of power robbed Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc of an almost certain victory.

Giroud getting better with age, says Lampard STRIKER SCORED A LATE WINNER IN CHELSEA’S 2-1 VICTORY AGAINST RENNES IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE AGENCIES Olivier Giroud is a model professional for the Chelsea squad and the 34-year-old striker seems to be getting better with age, manager Frank Lampard said after the Frenchman scored a late winner against Stade Rennais in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Giroud has yet to start a Premier League or Champions League game this season but came on as a second-half substitute and scored in stoppage time to seal Chelsea’s 21 win and a place in the knockout stages.

“Everybody kind of feels from the outside what a great professional he is, how highly-regarded he is by his teammates and myself,” Lampard told reporters. “He’s so professional in how he trains and looks after himself that age isn’t even a factor for him. He’s getting better with age if anything, in terms of how he looks after himself.”

Lampard has preferred Timo Werner and Tammy Abraham ahead of Giroud and the striker’s lack of minutes prompted France coach Didier Deschamps to tell him to sort out his situation ahead of next year’s Euros.

But with Chelsea set to play 10 games in six weeks, Lampard said more game time is in store for Giroud, who is France’s second-highest scorer with 44 goals.

“He offers a lot for us and I keep saying it but the big schedule coming up and the way we play means I will rely on players,” Lampard added.

“Thankfully for me he’s a player that always keeps the right attitude if he’s not playing regularly and I know when I call upon him that he comes in as he did today.”

Roberts explains decision to turn down Aprilia MotoGP offer AGENCIES American rider Joe Roberts turned down an Aprilia MotoGP offer for 2021 because “I want to win” and believes only Italtrans in Moto2 can allow him that opportunity. Aprilia was forced into looking for a replacement for Andrea Iannone for 2021 when the Italian was hit with a four-year doping ban following his Court of Arbitration of Sport hearing to have an 18-month suspension overturned. Of the current MotoGP field, outgoing Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso and LCR’s Cal Crutchlow had been linked. But the former never considered Aprilia a serious option and will take a sabbatical in 2021, while Crutchlow was unwilling to wait for the Iannone decision and opted to return to Yamaha as a test rider. Aprilia turned to the Moto2 paddock, offering VR46 rider Marco Bezzecchi a deal for 2021 - but the Valentino Rossi-owned outfit did not give the Italian the green light to step up. Over the Portuguese Grand Prix weekend, Roberts emerged as favourite, with a deal supposed to have been announced by the end of Sunday.

But it never came to fruition, with Roberts explaining his decision to Gazzetta dello Sport earlier this week. “I liked the call from Aprilia,” the American said. “I know I could have been fast, but I want to win and I this [Italtrans] is the best team to do it. “I like the atmosphere, everyone seems like friends, and I don’t want to race in MotoGP just because of my passport, but because I deserve it.”

Roberts takes 2020 Moto2 world champion Enea Bastianini’s place at Italtrans next year, with the Italian stepping up to MotoGP with Avintia Ducati. Aprilia announced on Monday it will field either one of its test riders Bradley Smith or Lorenzo Savadori, the latter replacing Smith for the final three rounds of 2020. Who gets the nod for the race seat and who remains as a test rider will be determined at the end of pre-season testing.

Should Roberts have stepped up with Aprilia next year, he would have been the first full-time American rider in MotoGP since the late Nick Hayden’s final season in 2015. Next year, two riders from the US will race in Moto2, with five-time MotoAmerica Superbike champion Cameron Beaubier replacing Roberts at the American Racing team.

With Mercedes dominant, the Briton is favourite again but team mate Valtteri Bottas will be out to stop him. Bahrain marks the start of a whirlwind floodlit Middle Eastern triple-header that wraps up the season.

A second race, the Sakhir Grand Prix, follows at the same venue but around the shorter outer circuit a week later before the finale at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina.

While the titles are already decided, other battles are still being fought.

Mexican Sergio Perez, Leclerc and Australian Daniel Ricciardo are separated by just four points in the battle for fourth overall.

Racing Point, McLaren, Renault and Ferrari, separated by just 24 points, are fight-

Spurs, Milan and Sociedad have no room for errors ALL THREE CLUBS FACE A TRICKY BALANCING ACT AS THEY ARE LEADERS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE LEAGUES AGENCIES In an unusually crammed and crowded season, the Europa League, which resumes on Thursday with 26 group games, presents clubs fighting for domestic glory with a tricky balancing act.

The English, Italian and Spanish league leaders, Tottenham, Real Sociedad and AC Milan, as well as Bundesliga high-flyers Bayer Leverkusen, have all slipped up already in Europe’s secondtier competition and cannot afford another mistake. Yet the demands of a condensed season mean their managers are walking two tightropes at once.

Real Sociedad, beaten at home by Napoli on the second matchday, have lost veteran David Silva to a hamstring injury on Sunday ahead of their trip to Group F leaders AZ Alkmaar.

Yet even as they travel to the Netherlands, they need to plan for Sunday’s crucial game against Villarreal, who are third in La Liga.

Real Sociedad’s only consolation is that Villarreal must cross the Mediterranean twice as they visit second-placed Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Group I. Tottenham ony lead Group J on goal difference in head-to-head matches ahead of Royal Antwerp and LASK Linz. They too lost a key veteran when centre-back Toby Alderweireld suffered a groin muscle injury against Manchester City on Saturday.

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho came unstuck when he rotated his squad in Antwerp and lost. Yet with a visit to third-placed Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday, he may rest starters at home against winless Ludogorets.

That could give Gareth Bale a chance to score his first Europa League goal since March 2013,

when he hit the opener as Spurs eliminated Inter Milan in the last 16.

‘INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF GAMES’: AC Milan travel to Lille seeking not only for a victory, which would put them top of Group H, but also revenge. Lille won 3-0 at the San Siro on the last matchday with 23-year-old Turk Yusuf Yazici hitting his second hat-trick of this year’s competition.

Milan will be without talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic who suffered a thigh muscle injury in the Serie A victory over Napoli on Sunday.

Bayer Leverkusen, one point behind Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and second in the unpredictable Group C, host Hapoel Beer-Sheva who are last but still in contention.

Only four teams, Villarreal, Leicester, Arsenal and Hoffenheim, have won all three matches. All can ensure a top-two finish and give themselves the chance to rest players in the last two rounds.

Arsenal travel to Norway to face Molde, who are second in Group B, hard-hit by injuries after Willian, with a muscle problem, and Bukaya Sako went down against Leeds on Sunday, joining Thomas Partey among their wounded. Mohamed Elneny and Sead Kolasinac missed that game after testing positive for Covid-19.

“We have an incredible amount of games coming up,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.

“Every team is going to face challenges with the amount of fixtures we have. We will put out a team to compete.”

Group L leaders Hoffenheim visit Slovan Liberec while Leicester play at second-placed Braga in Group G. Hoffenheim striker Munas Dabbur can carve a tiny niche in the record books with a goal. The Israel international has scored 18 times in groupstage games in the competition, tied for the most with former Athletic Bilbao striker Aritz Aduriz.

And in this frenetic season, the competition is providing goals. There were 93 on Matchday 3, breaking the old record of 81 set in 2010.

AGENCIES A strong run of results for Ferrari in recent races is proof the team’s develoment programme for the SF1000 is working, says Team Principal Mattia Binotto.

The Scuderia finished last year as runner-up to Mercedes in the constructors’ championship, but spent the early part of this season struggling badly with a car that had slipped way down the F1 pecking order.

Binotto even publicly announced the whole concept of the car had to be “revised” as the team embarked on an ambitious programme to develop it into a competitive package - a programme that Binotto says is now paying dividends, especially at the last race in Turkey where Sebastian Vettel scored his first podium of the season, with Charles Leclerc one place behind him in fourth.

“It’s important for Ferrari doing well at the moment, we knew we have improved at the car, and if you look at the last races, we have improved our positions in the race,” began Binotto, who didn’t attend the race at Istanbul Park as he was back at the team’s Maranello base working on plans for next year’s challenger.

“The car has become more consistent, and the car has become a bit faster. It’s great to have those results, as it’s great for next year, and great looking ahead for the next races,” he said.

In fact, Ferrari scored their biggest haul of points of the year in Turkey, leading to suggestions they could even overtake the three teams in front of them to grab P3 in the constructors’ championship over the course of the final three races of the season.

“In terms of constructors’ positions, it’s not the end of the championship,” added Binotto. “It’s encouraging. People have worked hard back at home, trying to

CMYK

SPORTS 11 ing for third in the constructors’ table.

There could also be a flurry of driver announcements. Thailand’s Alexander Albon is yet to be confirmed alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull with Perez and Germany’s Nico Hulkenberg in the frame as potential replacements.

Japanese Formula Two racer Yuki Tsunoda looks set to replace Russian Daniil Kvyat alongside Pierre Gasly at Red Bullowned AlphaTauri. American outfit Haas are yet to announce their 2020 drivers with Ferrari-backed Formula Two championship leader Mick Schumacher, son of Michael, in the frame.

Hamilton, out of contract at the end of the year, is also yet to sign a new deal with Mercedes. Sunday’s race, like most this season, will be closed to fans due to the Covid19 pandemic but organisers are putting aside a limited number of grandstand seats for the families of health workers.

Ibrahimovic hints at Sweden return AC MILAN STRIKER SAYS HE MISSES PLAYING FOR NATIONAL SIDE, JUST AHEAD OF EUROS AGENCIES AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic said on Wednesday that he missed playing for Sweden and hinted that he may be open to a return to the national side for next year’s Euros. The 39-year-old, who retired from international football after the World Cup in 2016, opened the door for a return after being awarded Sweden’s Footballer of the Year award for an astonishing 12th time. “If you ask me I’ll be honest: yes, I miss the national team,” he told Swedish daily Aftonbladet. “It’s no secret. The one who does not miss it, he has already finished his career. And I have not finished my career.”

Ibrahimovic, who scored 62 goals in 116 internationals, has been in impressive form for AC Milan since his summer move, heading the Serie A scoring charts with 10 goals already this season.

He was more opaque, however, when asked directly how would he respond if coach Janne Andersson called him.

“Give me time, I have to think about it,” said Ibrahimovic.

Without him, Sweden qualified directly for the Euros where they will face Spain, Poland and Slovakia there.

But a poor Nations League campaign which produced one win and five losses, and resulted in relegation from the A Group has rekindled thoughts of an Ibrahimovic return.

In November, he posted an old photo of himself on social media, wearing a Sweden shirt and the captain’s armband with the phrase “Long time no see”.

Andersson appeared less enamoured of the idea when he was also cornered by Aftonbladet.

“I’m pretty annoyed,” said Andersson. “He told me in 2016 that he wanted to retire and I respected his choice.

So now it’s up to him. If he wants to be involved in the national team again, to change his mind, he must say it clearly. In this case, it will be up to me to decide.

“I would be lying if I said I was surprised. I’m impressed and struck by how he continues to have that hunger on the pitch, that quality in everything he does. He’s a great athlete, by far the best Swedish player of all time. What he does is amazing, I can only congratulate him.”

Recent results prove Ferrari’s development programme is working, says Binotto

understand the weaknesses of the car, and preparing them for next season. Those results are encouraging ourselves,” he said.

Ferrari are just 24 points behind third-place

team Racing Point ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, but they also have Renault and McLaren ahead of them as F1 heads into the final triple header of the 2020 season.

Thursday, 26 November, 2020

PrAyEr TImINGS

NEWS

rejectINg trUMP’S foreIgN PolIcy APProAch, BIdeN SAyS ‘AMerIcA IS BAck’ WASHINGTON

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AGENCIES

RESIDENT-ELECT Joe Biden said on Tuesday the United States will be “ready to lead” again on the global stage, turning the page on Republican President Donald Trump’s “America First” policies as he pledged to work together with the nation’s allies.

Introducing his foreign policy and national security team, the Democratic former vice president signaled he intended after taking office on January 20 to steer the United States away from the unilateralist nationalism pursued by Trump. Biden also signaled that two former, more liberal, rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, were not under consideration for Cabinet appointments, saying he needed their votes in the closely divided Senate.

Trump over four years unsettled many US allies, in Europe and elsewhere, with an antagonistic approach toward the NATO alliance and trade relations, abandonment of international agreements and warm relationships with authoritarian leaders.

Biden said his team, which includes trusted aide Antony Blinken as his nominee for US secretary of state, would shed what the president-elect described as “old thinking and unchanged habits” in its approach to foreign relations.

“It’s a team that reflects the fact that America is back, ready to lead the world, not retreat from it, once again sit at the head of the table, ready to confront our adversaries and not reject our allies, ready to stand up for our values,” Biden said at the event in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.

The world is much changed since Democrats were last in the White House four years ago. China is on the rise and emboldened, Russia has sought to further assert its clout, US influence has waned as it has pulled out of various accords and American moral authority has been dented by turmoil at home.

US foreign policy under a Biden administration is likely to take more of a

multilateral and diplomatic approach aimed at repairing Washington’s relationships with key allies and pursuing new paths on issues such as climate change. His promise to embrace alliances, including in the Asia-Pacific region, follows a deterioration in bilateral ties between the United States and China, the world’s top two economies, that has triggered comparisons with the Cold War. This final year of Trump’s administration was marked by frequent China-bashing as the two powers sparred over China’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, deteriorating freedoms in Hong Kong and territorial issues in the South China Sea. Trump has told allies he plans to pardon his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during the in-

vestigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, a source familiar with the situation said on Tuesday. The source said Trump could still change his mind on the planned pardon, which was first reported by Axios.

TRANSITION MOVES FORWARD: Biden has moved swiftly to assemble his team and make Cabinet choices after defeating Trump, who has waged a flailing legal battle to try to overturn the results, falsely claiming the election was stolen through widespread voting fraud.

Biden said his team had been able to begin coordinating with the Trump administration on national security, the coronavirus pandemic and vaccine distribution plans since it got the green light on Monday for formal transition efforts. “We’re going to not be so far behind the curve as we thought we might

IrAN, US cAN retUrN to tIMe Before trUMP: roUhANI TEHRAN: Iran and the United States can fully reverse four years of Donald Trump and return to conditions before his presidency, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said. In a televised cabinet speech on Wednesday, Rouhani said if the incoming Joe Biden administration has the political will, Iran-US relations could be very different. “Iran and the US can both decide and announce that they will return to conditions on January 20, 2017,” he said. “This can be a great solution to a large number of issues and completely change the path and conditions.” However, Rouhani outlined what Iran would expect of future President Biden. “We hope that in its first steps, the next US administration will explicitly condemn Trump’s policies on Iran,” the president said, calling the policies “anti-human rights and terroristic”. He also said a Biden administration would have to “make up for the incorrect policies” of his predecessor without further elaborating. The president said Iran’s policy has always been clear and is based on “commitment for commitment, action for action, de-escalation for de-escalation, and respect for respect”. In May 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal reached between Iran and world powers in 2015 and imposed harsh economic sanctions on Tehran. The sanctions only intensified as Iran started battling the deadliest outbreak Covid-19 pandemic of the Middle East, which has now killed nearly 50,000 people. Iran has called the “maximum pressure” campaign of the Trump administration an instance of “economic and medical terrorism”, and has said a future US administration would have to pay compensation. The Iranian president on Wednesday also said the defeat of Trump in the US presidential elections signals that Iranians emerged victorious from an “economic war”. “One of the great manifestations of the victory of the Iranian nation and the certain defeat of the enemy in this economic war is the end of the Trumpism era,” Rouhani said. AGENCIE

be in the past,” Biden said in an interview with NBC News. “There’s a lot of immediate discussion, and I must say, the outreach has been sincere.”

Critics have said Trump’s refusal to accept the results undercut the incoming administration’s ability to combat the intensifying coronavirus pandemic that has killed about 259,000 Americans and thrown millions out of work. The White House on Tuesday gave the go-ahead for Biden to start receiving the president’s daily intelligence briefing. Biden said he had not gotten one yet but expected it regularly. Asked by NBC about possibly nominating Sanders or Warren to his Cabinet, Biden said nothing was off the table but signaled they might be more needed in the Senate, where the party in power will govern by a razor-thin margin.

Two runoffs in Georgia on January 5 will determine which party has a Senate majority. Democrats also saw their majority in the House of Representatives narrow in the November 3 election. “Taking someone out of the Senate, taking someone out of the House, particularly a person of consequence, is really a difficult decision,” Biden said. “I have a very ambitious, very progressive agenda, and it’s going to take really strong leaders in the House and Senate to get it done.”

During his presentation with his national security team, Biden urged the Senate to give his nominees who require confirmation by the chamber “a prompt hearing” and expressed hope he could work with Republicans “in good faith.”

“Let’s begin that work […] to heal and unite America as well as the world,” Biden added. Some Republican senators indicated, however, they may be prepared to stand in the way of his Cabinet appointments. Marco Rubio, a Foreign Relations Committee member, wrote on Twitter that Biden’s Cabinet picks “will be polite & orderly caretakers of America’s decline.” Pennsylvania became the latest pivotal state on Tuesday to certify that Biden had won. The Nevada Supreme Court on Tuesday also confirmed Biden had won the state, sending the results to Nevada’s Democratic governor for final certification.

Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona, widely regarded as one of the game's greatest ever players, died of a heart attack on Wednesday, his lawyer said.

Maradona, 60, had recently battled health issues and underwent emergency surgery for a subdural haematoma several weeks ago.

He suffered a heart attack at his home in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentinian media and acquaintances of the former player said.

Maradona won the World Cup with Argentina in 1986. Argentine President Alberto Fernandez declared three days of national mourning after the news of Maradona's death. Retired Brazilian football star Pele mourned his death. “Certainly, one day we'll kick a ball together in the sky above,” he said in a brief statement

provided to Reuters by a representative.

One of the most gifted soccer players in history, Maradona's pinnacle of glory came when he captained Argentina to win the World Cup in 1986, before plunging to misery when he was kicked out the 1994 World Cup for doping. Years of drug use, overeating and alcoholism truncated a stellar career and altered his appearance from a lithe athlete who could slalom effortlessly through teams to a bloated addict who nearly died of cocaine-induced heart failure in 2000.

At club level, he broke on to the scene with Buenos Aires' Boca Juniors before playing in Spain with Barcelona. He was idolised in Italy after leading Napoli to their first ever Italian league title in 1987.

He ended his playing career back in Argentina, returning to Boca. He had a brief and controversypacked spell as Argentine national team coach from

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SyrIAN ArMy SAyS ISrAel hItS SoUtherN dAMAScUS IN SecoNd StrIke IN week AMMAN: The Syrian army said early Wednesday that Israel launched air strikes on an area in the southern outskirts of Damascus, where military defectors believe has a strong Iranian military presence in the second such attack within a week. The Israeli aerial strike on a strategic area that Israel had hit in the past came from the occupied Golan Heights and caused only material damages, the army statement said. Military defectors said the strike targeted a military base in Jabal Mane Heights near the town of Kiswa, where Iranian Revolutionary Guards have long been entrenched in a rugged area almost 15 km (9.3 miles) south of the center of Damascus. Strikes that occurred in July also hit towns near Kiswa, where Lebanese pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia are deployed with other pro-Tehran militias in strength, according to a senior army defector. The area has anti-aircraft missiles that are stationed to defend the Syrian Golan Heights along the border with Israel, the military sources said. “We don’t comment on these kind of news reports,” an Israeli military spokesman told Reuters. The aerial strikes hit a territory, which is situated in a zone that extends from the southern countryside of Damascus to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights where the growing Iranian presence is viewed as a strategic threat by Israel. The Syrian army statement said the Israeli aerial strike came from the occupied Golan Heights and caused only material damages. Israel launched air raids against what it called a wide range of Syrian and Iranian targets in Syria last Wednesday, sending a signal that it will pursue its policy of striking across the border despite US President Donald Trump’s election defeat. Syrian President Bashar alAssad’s government has never publicly acknowledged that there are Iranian forces operating on his behalf in Syria’s civil war, saying Tehran only has military advisers on the ground. Western intelligence sources say Israel’s steppedup strikes on Syria in the last few months are a part of a shadow war, approved by Washington and part of the antiIran policy that has undermined in the last two years Iran’s extensive military power without triggering a major increase in hostilities. AGENCIES

Argentina's Maradona, one of soccer's greatest, dies aged 60 AGENCIES

FAJR SUNRISE 5:22

2008 to 2010 before coaching in the Middle East and Mexico. A magician with the ball — deceptively quick and a visionary passer — Maradona is considered by some as the greatest soccer player ever, edging out that other great, Brazil's Pele.

Abraham Accord: MBZ, Netanyahu nominated for Nobel Peace Prize TEL AVIV: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed (MBZ) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for the Abraham Accords, the Israeli leader’s office said on Tuesday night. Netanyahu’s office said the nomination was made by past winner Lord David Trimble, former first minister of Northern Ireland.

Trimble was awarded the Nobel prize in 1998 with Irish nationalist politician John Hume for efforts to end the long conflict in Northern Ireland. While the awarding committee did not disclose nominees for decades, Mr Netanyahu’s office said that as a submission from a former winner the judges will discuss the proposal. Past winners, leaders of organisations that have won, members of national assemblies, governments and international courts of law, university chancellors, professors of social science, history, philosophy, law and theology, leaders of peace research institutes and institutes of foreign affairs can all submit names for consideration. US President Donald Trump brokered the September agreement between the UAE and Israel to move towards normalising relations, making the UAE the first Arab state to do so in more than two decades.

The announcement in August was followed by Bahrain who also began normalizing relations with Israel.

Ministers from both Gulf States met Mr Netanyahu and Mr Trump at a ceremony on September 15 on the White House lawn to sign the Abraham Accord. Arab and Israeli leaders previously won two Nobel Peace Prizes for signing deals that aimed to help end the long-running conflict. In 1978, Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin were given the prize for the Israeli-Egypt peace deal, formalised in 1979. The winner of the 2021 Nobel prize will be announced in October next year. This year’s recipient was the World Food Programme for fighting global hunger. AGENCIES

Indian state criminalises religious conversions by marriage NEW DELHI AGENCIES

India’s governing Hindu nationalist party has approved legislation in the country’s most populous state that lays out a prison term of up to 10 years for anyone found guilty of using marriage to force someone to change religion.

The decree for the state of Uttar Pradesh was passed on Tuesday and follows a campaign by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against interfaith marriages. The party describes such marriages as “love jihad”, an unproven conspiracy theory used by its leaders and Hindu far-right groups to accuse Muslim men of converting Hindu women by marriage.

Under the decree – which will become a law after its approval by the state’s governor, a formality – a couple belonging to two different religions will have to give two

months’ notice to a district magistrate before getting married. The couple will be allowed to marry only if the official finds no objections.

Uttar Pradesh government minister Siddharth Nath Singh said prison terms of up to 10 years would stop unlawful conversions and provide justice to women. The ordinance came on a day a court in Uttar Pradesh, hearing a case of interfaith marriage, said: “Interference in a personal relationship would constitute a serious encroachment into the right to freedom of choice of the two individuals.” The court verdict came after a Muslim man was accused of forcibly converting his Hindu partner.

“We do not see Priyanka Kharwar and Salamat Ansari as Hindu and Muslim, rather as two grown-up individuals who – out of their own free will and choice – are living together peacefully and happily over a year.

The Courts and the Constitutional Courts, in particular,

are enjoined to uphold the life and liberty of an individual guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India,” said a two-judge bench on Tuesday.

Uttar Pradesh is the third Indian state governed by Modi’s party after Haryana and Madhya Pradesh to approve such legislation to check what Hindu nationalist leaders call forced and unlawful religious conversions.

Earlier, the state’s top elected leader, Yogi Aditynatah, a Hindu monk known for his anti-Muslim hate speech, said at a public meeting that those waging “love jihad” should either refrain from it or be prepared to die.

Amid a rising tide of Hindu nationalism in India under Modi, Hindu hardline groups have long accused minority Muslims of taking over the country by persuading Hindu women to marry them and convert to Islam.

Although India’s constitution is secular and provides protection to all faiths, the issue of “love jihad” has gripped

headlines and pitted Modi’s party leaders against secular activists. India’s investigating agencies and courts have, however, rejected the “love jihad” theory, which many see as part of an antiMuslim agenda by Modi’s party. India is a predominantly Hindu country, with Muslims making up about 14 percent of its more than 1.3 billion people. Hindu hardline groups also oppose conversions to Christianity and have promised to continue trying to prevent interfaith relationships.

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