EpaperISB_20-11-6

Friday, 6 November, 2020 I 19 Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 127 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition

Biden inches nearer to victory as trump launches lawsuit Blitz to slow him down

WASHINGTON/WILMINGTON AgeNcIes

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EMOCRAT Joe Biden inched nearer to victory on Thursday over Donald Trump in an exceedingly close U.S. election that hinged on razor-thin margins in a handful of states, while the Republican president launched a flurry of lawsuits hoping to slow down his opponent.

Tensions rose in some places as the ballot counting dragged on two days after polls closed, with a second day of sometimes dueling street demonstrations over the integrity of the election.

Biden, the former U.S. vice president, was continuing to cut into Trump’s leads in Pennsylvania and Georgia while holding on to slim margins in Nevada and Arizona.

Trump, who during the long and rancorous campaign attacked the integrity of the U.S. voting system, has again alleged voting fraud without providing evidence, filed lawsuits and called for at least one state recount.

The latest move by Trump’s campaign was a lawsuit to be announced later on Thursday alleging voting fraud in Nevada, another of the crucial states where he narrowly trails Biden.

Some legal experts called the challenges a long shot unlikely to affect the eventual outcome of the election, one of the most unusual presidential races in

modern U.S. history due to the coronavirus pandemic. Concern about the virus caused a huge jump in people voting by mail, delaying the results.

Still, Biden was leading in Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona and closing in on Trump in Georgia and Pennsylvania.

Multiple Trump lawsuits and a recount request would have to succeed and find in some cases tens of thousands of invalid ballots to reverse the result if Biden does prevail.

“What we are seeing on these legal suits are that they are meritless, and nothing more than an attempt to distract and delay what is now inevitable: Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States,” Biden’s campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon told reporters.

Trump’s campaign predicted victory, with campaign manager Bill Stepien saying, “Donald Trump is alive and well” in the election.

Some of the outstanding votes in Georgia and Pennsylvania were clustered in places expected to lean Democratic - like the Atlanta and Philadelphia areas.

In Georgia, officials expressed hope that they would have a resolution in their vote count by the end of Thursday. Trump’s eroding lead stood at around 14,000, with about 2 percent of the ballots remaining to be tallied. Trump’s lead was about 115,000 votes in Pennsylvania, with about 8 percent of the ballots left to be counted.

Trump has to win the states where he is

coronavirus in

pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

338,875

LAST UPDATED AT 7:48 AM ON NOVEMBER 5, 2020

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

26

RECOVERED:

NEW CASES:

1,302 DEATHS:

316,665 6,893 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

147,787

105,535

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

40,022

16,026

4,491/4,320 20,694

still ahead, including North Carolina, plus either Arizona or Nevada to triumph and avoid becoming the first incumbent U.S. president to lose a re-election bid since fellow Republican George H.W. Bush in 1992.

The president appears to have grown more upset as his leads in some states have diminished or evaporated during the counting. On Thursday morning, he weighed in on Twitter, writing, “STOP THE COUNT!” and “STOP THE FRAUD!” although he has no authority over ballot counting.

Trump, who has often relished legal battles during his long, turbulent, business career, was at the White House, working the phones and monitoring developments on television, two Trump advisers said.

He has been talking to state governors as well as close friends and advisers and dispatched some of this closest advisers out in the field to fight for him.

To capture the White House, a candidate must amass at least 270 votes in the state-by-state Electoral College. Such electoral votes are based largely on a state’s population. Edison Research gave Biden a 243 to 213 lead in Electoral College votes. Other news outlets said Biden had won Wisconsin, which would give him another 10 votes.

The exceedingly close election has underscored the political polarization in the United States and the deep divisions along racial, socioeconomic, religious and generational lines as well as between urban and rural areas.

The counting and court challenges set the stage for days if not weeks of uncertainty before Dec. 8, the deadline to resolve election disputes. The president is sworn into office on Jan. 20, 2021.

RAZOR-THIN MARGINS: Trump’s campaign called for a recount in Wisconsin, where Biden led by roughly 21,000 votes out of 3.3 million cast, a margin slim enough to entitle him to a recount. However elections experts said a recount in Wisconsin was seen as unlikely to alter the result.

Trump’s campaign announced plans to file a Nevada lawsuit alleging a series of voting irregularities in populous Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, such as voting by people who left the state or were dead.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

‘Assurance of fair trial by PM’: Jahangir Tareen returns to Pakistan ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR

In a new twist to the tale of discord between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) strongman Jahangir Khan Tareen and Prime Minister Imran Khan, the former has decided to end his self-imposed exile and return to Pakistan today.

It is pertinent to mention here that Jahangir Tareen had moved to London seven months ago after the decision of the Sugar Inquiry Commission and was residing in London. PTI Jahangir Tareen had been living in Hampshire Country Home for the past seven months.

Sources privy to the department informed Pakistan Today that Tareen decided to return after a positive message was sent by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

"PM Imran Khan has assured Jahangir Tareen that upon return, Tareen would be given a fair trial and he would not be subjected to witch hunt," a source close to Tareen told this scribe.

The source said that PM Imran also conveyed to Tareen that he was misled but new investigation has revealed new facts which have proved otherwise.

"Perhaps, in wake of the antigovernment campaign by PDM, Imran Khan has realised the significance of Tareen. Imran has decided to mobilise public and he needs support of Tareen who has mastered the skill of organising big rallies and public gatherings," the source said.

"Imran Khan has been briefed that out of the sugar mafia, only Tareen has been targeted while others have been overlooked," the source said.

Another source said that PM Imran had realised that despite being targeted by the PTI government, Tareen did not hold any political meetings during his stay in the UK.

Rejected politicians can’t cheat voters in Gilgit-Baltistan: Faraz ISLAMABAD stAff RepoRt

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Syed Shibli Faraz on Thursday said that the politicians, rejected by the people of Pakistan, cannot hoodwink the voters of GilgitBaltistan (GB).

In a tweet on Thursday, he said those who have turned Sindh into ruins cannot develop GB. The minister said that the people of the autonomous region will also not let the PML-N establish its new franchise of corruption in their area.

The minister’s statement comes as opposition parties – Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) – are heavily campaigning in Gilgit-Baltistan ahead of the polls.

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Thursday addressed a rally in the autonomous region, days after PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari addressed a political gathering to gather public support.

Prime Minister Imran Khan also held a gathering in GB, where he announced the government’s decision to grant

"Now, seven months later, Jahangir Tareen has made a reservation for his return to Pakistan after receiving assurances from common friends," the source said.

Earlier in his statement, Tareen had said on the report of the Sugar Inquiry Commission that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) allegations were baseless and based on lies.

Tareen said that a cooked case was made by making a story about him. Responding to the FIA summons, Tareen had said that the case in which he was summoned had nothing to do with reality.

"The purpose of the commission was to find out the reason for the increase in the price of sugar, but I am being summoned by the FIA for making baseless allegations," the PTI leader had said, adding that these allegations have nothing to do with the price of sugar.

"What do transactions have to do with rising sugar prices," he had said.

Tareen had said that nothing was achieved against him. He had added that his son, Ali Tareen, was also being dragged in this case without any reason.

more inside

Pakistan records highest Covid-19 deaths in over three months STORY ON PAGE 03

Schools to remain open, education ministers decide STORY ON PAGE 02 provisional provincial status to the autonomous region but refrained from announcing any development projects to avoid violating election guidelines.

It is worth mentioning here that on Wednesday, GB chief election commissioner on Wednesday maintained that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as well as federal ministers Murad Saeed and Ali Amin Gandapur of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had violated the code of conduct for the upcoming polls in the region while participating in their parties’ campaigns.

“The commission has so far issued 95 show-cause notices to PPP, PTI, PML-N and other political parties for violating the

code of conduct,” Raja Shehbaz Khan said at a press conference in Islamabad.

The election commissioner added the body would continue issuing notices to the violators and initiate proceedings against them as per the law.

“We will not deviate from the Election Act and ensure fair, free and transparent elections in the region,” said Khan, rejecting rumours of pre-poll rigging in the G-B elections scheduled to be held on November 15.

The commissioner reiterated that army would not be deployed for the polls. “Only police, Rangers, and FC personnel will be present for security,” he said.

President for translating Pakistan-Bosnia goodwill into substantive cooperation STORY ON PAGE 02

FM for speeding up work on CPEC projects at Gwadar STORY ON PAGE 02

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Friday, 6 november, 2020

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PresIdent for translatIng PaKIstan-BosnIa goodwIll Into suBstantIve CooPeratIon ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

RESIDENT Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday said that there was a need to translate the goodwill between Pakistan and Bosnia & Herzegovina into substantive cooperation. He expressed these views during a meeting with Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Sefik Dzaferovic at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

The [resident extended a warm welcome to the chairman of the presidency of Bosnia and expressed satisfaction over the warm and brotherly relations between the two countries.

He added that the chairman’s visit would further strengthen and deepen the fraternal relations between Pakistan and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Both leaders underlined the need for further expansion in the bilateral relationship in diverse areas including political, economic, cultural, defence and people-to-people contacts.

President Alvi apprised the chairman on the grave and systematic human rights violations in the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) as well as the illegal and unilateral actions of Indian Government of 5 August

COAS STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF ‘BROTHERLY RELATIONS’ WITH BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 2019 which were against United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, international law and 4th Geneva Convention.

India’s belligerent attitude was a threat to regional peace and security, he added.

The two leaders affirmed that both countries would continue to extend mutual support on issues of each other’s core national interest. The two presidents also agreed that Pakistan and Bosnia & Herzegovina must continue to work closely in areas of mutual interest. In recognition of the chairman’s services, the [resident conferred the Award of Nishan-e-Pakistan at a special investiture ceremony.

The [resident later hosted a banquet in honour of the chairman of the presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and his entourage.

Separately, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa stressed the importance of “brotherly relations” with Bosnia and Herzegovina are for Pakistan during a meeting with Dzaferovic.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that COAS Bajwa and the Bosn-

schools to remain open, education ministers decide ISLAMABAD TLTP

The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training on Thursday decided not to close educational institutions amid rising coronavirus cases across the country. The decision was taken during an InterProvincial Education Ministers’ Conference (IPEMC) meeting, presided by Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood, and was attended by provincial education ministers via video-link. The agenda of the meeting entailed a Covid-19 situation update, decision on winter vacations in educational institutions as well as moving the academic year from April to August.

Board examinations of the eighth grade were also discussed. Participants agreed that there is no need to close educational institutions in the current situation, whereas no final decision could be made to start the academic year from August instead of April. They agreed to further discuss reducing winter vacations, extending the school year and convening the next meeting in the first week of December. In an effort to overcome the educational loss of students due to Covid-19 pandemic, all the provinces decided to slash or not to observe winter vacations in the educational institutions this year. The inter-provincial education ministers’ virtual meeting agreed that the provinces will decide about the winter vacations. Meanwhile, Punjab’s minister for education announced that winter vacations will not be observed in educational institutions this year. Speaking to the media during a ceremony before the meeting, Shafqat said that a good university is not only built from the building but it also needs the best teachers and facilities.

ian leader discussed enhanced bilateral cooperation in various fields, including defence, technical expertise and joint ventures, during the meeting, which was held at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on Thursday.

“Pakistan attaches great importance to brotherly relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina and is proud of the strong bond of love and support between people of two countries,” General Bajwa said, according to ISPR. Furthermore, the Bosnian leader acknowledged the efforts made by Pakistan for peace in the region and promised to improve bilateral relations between both brotherly countries.

A day earlier, Dzaferovic had met with Prime Minister Imran Khan, where the two signed accords regarding trade and scientific cooperation.

Furthermore, National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser met the chairman on Thursday and discussed matters relating to enhancing bilateral engagement and cooperation.

Talking to the visiting dignitary, Qaiser said that Pakistan shared religious, cultural and brotherly affinities with the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina and relations between the two countries were manifested by mutual support at times of need.

He said that political and parliamentary engagement between both the countries would further solidify the relations and open new vistas of mutual cooperation.

Referring to the establishment of Pakistan-Bosnia Parliamentary Friendship Group in NA , the speaker said that bilateral engagement at level of friendship groups would help explore new areas of mutual cooperation in diverse sectors.

He proposed a parliamentary moot in Islamabad to ponder upon areas of possible cooperation. He said that Bosnian Mission in Islamabad and Pakistani Mission in Sarajevo could play an apt role in that regard.

It was also agreed to frequent bilateral parliamentary exchanges.

Mentioning the immense economic opportunities created under the umbrella of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Qaiser said that CPEC had provided opportunity for Pakistan to become a logistic and economic hub for South Asia, Central and Western Asia, Middle East and Western China.

Two out of five coalition partners boycott lunch hosted by PM ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR

At least three of the five coalition parties of the federal government on Thursday expressed solidarity with Prime Minister Imran Khan while Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) opted to stay away from a lunchoen meeting hosted by the prime minister.

The parliamentary leaders of Mutahidda Qoumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) expressed resolve to stand by the government, stating that Prime Minister Imran Khan has the ability to solve all problems, including ending inflation.

According to various leaders who attended the meeting, leaders of the MQM, GDA and BAP vowed to stay by prime minister through thick and thin. However, the PML-Q and the BNP did not attend the PM’s luncheon.

The BNP leaders are currently out of the government coalition and rather their leaders are attending public rallies of the opposition alliance of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). Likewise, the PML-Q said their reservations over certain issues remain unaddressed due to which the PML-Q did not attend the luncheon.

PML-Q central leader Chaudhry Moonis Elahi said that their alliance with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-

Insaf (PTI) is only to the extent of casting votes in favour of the prime minister and on government moved bills. “Our agreement is not to break the bread with the prime minister,” he added.

A source told Pakistan Today that the leaders of the MQM and GDA expressed concerns over the misconduct of the Sindh government.

“The MQM and GDA lawmakers told the prime minister that Sindh bureaucracy is also delaying the federal projects at the behest of the PPP. Every department in Sindh is controlled only by the PPP,” the source quoted the lawmakers of MQM-P and GDA. The source said that the allied parties told the PM that it is inappropriate to ignore elected members of parliament in federal plans.

“During the meeting, the MQM-P lawmakers expressed concerns over the implementation of the Karachi Transformation Plan. MQM-O members said that work on Karachi Transformation Plan has been slow. The people of Karachi are being affected due to non-cooperation of Sindh government,” the source said. The source added that the MQM-P lawmakers were of the view that Sindh government has also been favouring Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) loyalists in the Ehsaas programme and Bait-ul-Mal. “The Sindh government is deliberately ignoring the problems of our constituencies. Same concerns were also expressed by the Muslim League-Functional in the meeting,” the source concluded.

The speaker said that opportunities were available for foreign investors to take advantage of immense economic potential in Pakistan. He said that Bosnian investors could invest in energy, manufacturing and trade sectors.

He further remarked that trade between Pakistan and Bosnia did not commensurate the economic activities on both sides, for which measures needed to be initiated.

Dzaferovic said that his country attached importance to its relations with Pakistan since Pakistan was one of the few countries to extend assistance to his country after it came into being and later during the stabilization process.

He said that his country also strongly desired to cement its bilateral relations with Pakistan. The chairman agreed said that the interaction between the parliamentarians would further pave the way for enhancing cooperation in diverse sectors.

He said that Bosnia had been subjected to worst human crises in the past, however due to concerted efforts of the consecutive governments and with the cooperation of people, the country had been led on the path of progress.

Dzaferovic agreed that the trade between Bosnia and Pakistan stood at Euros 4.5 million for which measures needed to be taken to improve the volume of trade and expand cooperation in different fields.

He said that agreements signed between both the sides during his instant visit would soon be materialised and trade and economic cooperation would increase in every field. He expressed his gratitude to warm hospitality accorded to him during his visit to Islamabad.

Pakistan rejects India’s ‘baseless’ claims on Kartarpur Corridor NEWS DESK Pakistan has firmly rejected the “baseless and fallacious” claims made by the Indian government against the Kartarpur Corridor, and these claims have also been rejected by the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee itself. In a statement, Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said that the malicious propaganda by the Indian government is simply an attempt to malign the “peace corridor” initiative. “The malicious propaganda by the Indian government is simply an attempt to malign the ‘peace corridor’ initiative by casting mischievous aspersions against the interests of the Sikh community and to detract attention from the reprehensible violation of human rights of minorities in India,” said Chaudhri. The FO said that it was no more than an Indian attempt to cast damaging accusations against the interests of the Sikh community and to detract attention from India’s own reprehensible human rights violations of minorities in India. Chaudri added that the PSGPC is responsible for carrying out rituals in Gurdwara Sahiban, including Kartarpur, as per Sikh Rehat Maryada. “Any insinuations regarding ‘transferring’ the affairs of Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib from the PSGPC to the PMU are not only contrary to the facts, but are also aimed at creating religious disharmony by the Hindutvadriven BJP government in India,” the FO spokesman said.

“The Project Management Unit (PMU), under the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), has simply been created to facilitate the committee in this regard,” he added.

Chaudhri said that the Sikh community from all over the world remains greatly appreciative of the efforts made by Pakistan to complete the Kartarpur Corridor project in record time and for the excellent arrangements made to facilitate the pilgrims.

FM for speeding up work on CPEC projects at Gwadar ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday stressed the need to speed up the completion of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects at Gwadar enabling the Gwadar Port to achieve its potential.

The foreign minister was talking to China’s newlyappointed Ambassador Nong Rong who called on him.

Lauding his experience and strong credentials, he congratulated the Ambassador on his appointment to Pakistan and hoped that Pakistan-China ties will further

deepen and strengthen during his term.

During the meeting, Pakistan-China bilateral relations, cooperation in fighting Covid-19, CPEC, and matters of regional and international interest were discussed.

The FM underlined that Pakistan and China were allweather strategic cooperative partners and both countries supported each other on the issues of their core interest.

He thanked China for its steadfast support to Pakistan on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, including at the United Nations (UN).

The FM maintained that CPEC was a transformational project and hoped that the ambassador, with his experience in trade and infrastructure development

will fast track CPEC projects and promote industrialisation in Pakistan.

He emphasised that Pakistan and China should deepen and expand co-operation in the agriculture sector, providing opportunities for Pakistan to export its agricultural products to Chinese market.

FM Qureshi hoped that the 10th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) will be fruitful and mutually beneficial and would lead to inclusion of mega projects in CPEC. He also emphasised the importance Pakistan attached to the Main Line-One (ML-1) project.

It was particularly underscored by the foreign minister that the leadership and people of Pakistan were

looking forward to welcoming China’s President Xi Jinping and that the 70th anniversary of establishment of Pakistan-China diplomatic relations must be celebrated in a befitting manner.

Ambassador Nong thanked the foreign minister for the good wishes conveyed by him and maintained that Pakistan was his second home.

He emphasised that Pakistan-China relationship was anchor for peace, security and development in the region.

He expressed determination that China would firmly support timely completion of CPEC making it a high-quality demonstration project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Friday, 6 november, 2020

nEws

PaKIstan reCords hIghest CovId-19 deaths In over three Months ISLAMABAD

SP AMONG 26 DEAD; 1,302 NEW CASES SURFACE

TLTP

Coronavirus) claimed the lives of another 26 people in the country during the last 24 hours - the highest number of single-day deaths since July-end, said the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Thursday.

The total number of deaths due to the Covid-19 in the country has reached 6,893. According to the NCOC, Pakistan recorded 1,302 new infections during the last 24 hours, whereas the number of active cases of coronavirus went up to 15,317. So far 316,665 patients have recovered from the virus. A total of 32,376 tests were carried out for the detection of Covid-19 during the last 24 hours as the country has so far conducted 4,573,768 tests. However, the Covid-19 positivity rate has declined to 4.02 per cent from 4.9 per cent during the last 24 hours.

Sindh reported 556 new cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, the

highest daily jump in infections since July. In a statement on Thursday, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that the provincial case tally now stands at 148,343, after confirmation of 556 new cases. The province also recorded 17 deaths during the past 24 hours, pushing the death toll to 2,664.

The Sindh CM said that a total of 11,530 tests were carried out during the last 24 hours. Overall, the province has conducted 16,93,488.

As many as 139,866 people have recovered, while 5,813 people are under treatment in Sindh currently, he added.

A total of 5,534 people out of 5,813 are isolated at their homes, four are under treatment at the isolation centres and 275 people are being treated at the various hospitals of the province.

In Punjab, coronavirus claimed five more lives and infected 338 people dur-

advertisement declaring shehbaz's wife Po pasted outside naB court LAHORE: Advertisements to declare Nusrat Shahbaz, the wife of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and National Assembly (NA) Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif, as a proclaimed offender in the money laundering case against the Sharif family were pasted outside the accountability court in Lahore on Thursday. According to details, the advertisements were placed by the investigation officer in the case. Earlier, the accountability court had rejected Nusrat’s plea seeking exemption from the proceedings. While announcing the reserved verdict, accountability judge Jawadul Hassan had directed to launch proceedings to declare her as proclaimed offender. APP

govt submits response in captured Indian spies case ISLAMABAD: The government on Thursday submitted its response in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), saying the country has so far released seven of eight Indian nationals detained on charges of espionage. The information was submitted by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior during the hearing of a petition of the Indian High Commission seeking the release of those eight Indian citizens who had been convicted

by Pakistan’s military courts of spying and who had completed their respective terms. Additional Attorney General Tariq Khokhar informed the court that only one Indian national was jailed the Official Secrets Act, 1923. STAFF REPORT

ing the past 24 hours. A spokesperson of the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department said on Thursday that five more people succumbed to the deadly virus in 24 hours, taking the death toll to 2,385 in the province.

He maintained that 338 new cases of the coronavirus were reported in the province, adding that of the total fresh cases, 179 surfaced in Lahore.

Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police (SP) Raja Arshad, who was associated with the Sindh police’s Special Investigation Unit (SIU), died on Thursday, a week after being hospitalised with the coronavirus. Sources in the SUI confirmed the senior cop passed away at a private hospital in the metropolis.

They said he was hospitalised a week ago with coronavirus-related complications. Arshad and another SIU SP Muzaffar Iqbal were diagnosed with the

After PTI and PPP, PML-N also vows provincial status for GB ISLAMABAD GHULAM ABBAS

Along with the two major political parties, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), who are actively campaigning election in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) for the constitutional rights of autonomous region, Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) has also vowed to grant provincial status to the area.

While both PPP and PML-N are assuring the people of GB about granting provincial status, the head of Pakistan Democratic Movement, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, stands against the giving provincial status to GB as he considers it a division of Kashmir.

The chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) has been talking against the government’s decision to make GB a province in every PDM speech.

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, along with some other senior leaders of the party, arrived in Skardu on Thursday and has also pledged that her party would make GB a province. She added that the PML-N had already worked on the issue for three years.

Addressing a large political gathering in Ghanche district, she claimed that the announce-

Housing sector revival, ray of hope for lower middle class ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The revival of pro-poor housing facilities under Prime Minister Imran Khan’s “Naya Pakistan” initiative is a ray of hope for the lower-middle-income groups yearning to live a dignified life in their own shelter.

Unlike the previous regimes, the present government showed strong commitment and launched comprehensive efforts for providing five million housing units to the low-income group in pursuance of Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s manifesto.

To achieve the objective, the Federal Government Employee Housing Authority (FGEHA) has been tasked which already launched different schemes in line with the targets set by the government. The authority is pursuing joint venture on private land, government to government programs on government land.

The situation was not ideal as the state was already facing financial crunch, but Prime Minister Imran Khan proved himself as ‘Man of Commitment’ and no obstacle on his way could deter him from facilitating poor in the country.

He remained personally engaged by chairing meetings of Naya Pakistan Housing Develop-

infection. Iqbal has quarantined himself at home. Since the Covid-19 outbreak began, 2,647 people have died of the disease in Sindh alone that also remains the province with the highest number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus. A total of 147,787 infections have surfaced across the province thus far.

Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has said that the provincial government is persistently monitoring the 2nd wave of coronavirus spike in the province.

Presiding over a meeting of the Corona Task Force in Peshawar, he said that all resources will be spent to contain the possible spread of coronavirus. He directed the district administration to implement smart lockdown in all those areas where corona cases are being reported. The meeting also decided to close public parks at 6 pm while restaurants, markets and wedding halls will be closed at 10 pm besides wearing masks is compulsory in all public places.

ment Authority (NPHDA) and getting regular updates on the project.

This unflinching commitment and untiring efforts of the Prime Minister made way for materializing a dream that was apparently a far cry for his political opponents.

The Prime Minister stood firm to his commitment made in the manifesto to start this mega and flagship project leaving his rivals in dismay and with no reason to criticize him anymore.

The government revived various impeded projects including Green Enclave-I Bhara Kahu project in December 2019 to allot 3,282 plots to the applicants. The authority allotted 5,198 plots under Sky Garden project after its revival in July 2020 and allotted 3,240 plots under Lifestyle Residency Apartments G-13 scheme.

The prime minister inaugurated Kashmir Avenue G-13 Islamabad scheme under to build 1,467 apartments; 3,432 apartments to be built under Chaklala Heights Rawalpindi scheme, 3,945 apartments under SkyLine Apartments Islamabad scheme and 1258 under Lifestyle Residency Lahore scheme.

The federal government signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with provincial governments under government to government housing schemes projects

targeting (798 apartments) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), 16,000 apartments for fishermen, 18,000 apartments and 12,000 plots for general people in Balochistan 750 apartments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

The government would spend around Rs18 billion during the current fiscal year for physical planning and housing programs.

Despite various challenges, the PTI-led government is striving to provide low cost houses to the deserving people under Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision to develop Pakistan on the welfare model of State of Medina.

In order to boost the housing and construction activity, the incumbent government announced heavily incentivised relief package for the construction industry during Covid-19 pandemic which was bearing fruit.

According to Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), during last month a total of 127 construction projects have been registered valuing Rs63 billion. Moreover, 108 persons were also in the process of registering 114 projects costing Rs109 billion.

Among these projects, as many as 61 would be developed in Karachi, Lahore 44, Islamabad 30, Rawalpindi 19, Faisalabad 10 and rest from other cities.

ment of making GB a province by Prime Minister Imran Khan was a tactic to cheat the people of the area.

Reminding the people about promises made by her father and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Maryam said that every announcement made by Nawaz has been fulfilled.

She asked the PML-N workers to avoid supporting all those leaders who have left the party and joined PTI in GB. “Those who are not loyal to the party would not be sincere with the rights of people,” she said.

Maryam also tried to convince the residents of Baltistan region to vote for her party saying that days of Prime Minister Imran Khan are numbered.

“The people of GB are educated and aware that Imran Khan is making hollow claims,” she added.

Maryam will be in GB for seven days to address various election rallies.

According to the PML-N spokesperson, Marriyum Aurangzeb, the PML-N VP will also address a public meeting in Skardu on November 6. She will also address a public rally in Dambudas on November 7.

The PML-N VP will address public gatherings in Gahkuch on November 8, in Astor on November 10, and in Chillas on November 11.

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Medical board to determine arzoo’s age in underage marriage case KArACHI STAFF REPORT

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday directed the provincial health secretary to constitute a medical board to determine the age of Arzoo Raja — the minor Christian girl who was allegedly abducted before being converted and married to an older Muslim man.

According to a first information report (FIR), lodged at Ferere police station, the 13-year-old girl was allegedly abducted from her residence in Karachi on October 13 and two days later their 44-year-old neighbour, Syed Ali Azhar, while claiming to be her husband, produced a marriage certificate saying she was of legal age, 18, and had converted to Islam. The case came into the limelight last month after a high court order barred police from arresting Azhar following the registration of the case against him and his family for “kidnapping Arzoo, forging her age, forcefully converting her to Islam and for marrying a child”. During an earlier hearing, Raja had stated she had embraced Islam out of her free choice and had solemnised a free-will marriage with Azhar “without any fear or pressure”.

Biden inches nearer to victory as trump launches lawsuit blitz to slow him down CoNtINuED forM pAgE 01 His campaign also filed lawsuits in Michigan and Pennsylvania to stop vote counting. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, in charge of elections, called the Trump team’s lawsuit “frivolous.” Trump’s campaign filed a lawsuit in Georgia to require that Chatham County, which includes the city of Savannah, separate and secure late-arriving ballots to ensure they are not counted. It also asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow Trump to join a pending lawsuit filed by Pennsylvania Republicans over whether the battleground state should be permitted to accept late-arriving ballots that were mailed by Election Day. Despite Trump’s allegations of fraud and an unsubstantiated charge that Democrats are trying to “steal” the election, U.S. election experts say fraud in balloting is rare. Thursday marked a second day of peaceful election-related protests as demonstrators rallied in cities including Philadelphia, Washington, Phoenix and Detroit. Some groups, mainly Democrats, rallied around the slogan to “count every vote.”

Some Trump supporters countered with cries to “protect the vote” in support of his campaign’s efforts to have some categories of ballots, including some votes submitted by mail, discarded. About 200 Trump supporters, some armed with rifles and handguns, gathered outside an election office in Phoenix on Wednesday following unsubstantiated rumors that votes were not being counted. Biden had drawn about 3.6 million more votes than Trump nationwide.

Trump defeated Democrat Clinton in 2016 after winning crucial battleground states and securing the Electoral College win even though she won about 3 million more votes nationwide.

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Friday, 6 November, 2020

NEWS

CentRe, SIndh faIl to agRee on wheat PRICe

w

NEWS DESK

ITH the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) seeking a nearly 43 per cent increase, talks between the federal government and the government of Sindh faltered on Wednesday to agree on a new wheat support price.

PPP, which controls the Sindh government, wants a better rate to appease its support base in rural Sindh and has demanded a 43 per cent increase in wheat support price.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in the centre, however, wants to strike a balance between the interests of the farmers and the consumers as it has a strong presence in cities.

The PTI-led federal government has proposed a price of Rs1,600 per 40kg, which is 14 per cent higher than the current rate. The Sindh government has suggested a price of Rs2,000 per 40kg for the next crop.

A meeting between Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Finance Adviser Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh on fixing the minimum wheat price ended inconclusively.

“During the meeting, the finance adviser stressed the need for agreeing upon a wellcoordinated support price to strike a balance between producers and consumers and ensure maximum productivity during the FY 2020-21,” read a statement issued by the finance ministry after the meeting.

“The finance adviser concluded that there is a need to look at a holistic picture for determining a minimum support price for the wheat crop, keeping in view, its financial implications in the long run,” it added.

But a senior official of the national food security and research ministry hoped that an agreement would be reached this week. “The finance adviser has hinted at setting the price above Rs1,600 per 40kg subject to the condition that Sindh government also shows flexibility,” he added.

KP CM stresses timely completion of projects in province ISLAMABAD AZIZ BUNERI

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has directed the authorities to ensure completion of in-progress projects in the province as per the given timelines. Presiding over the first meeting of newly constituted policy board of Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation (PEDO) at chief minister secretariat in Peshawar, the chief minister made it clear that unnecessary delay in the completion of the projects would not be tolerated, adding that in case of unnecessary delays, strict action would be taken against those responsible for delays. He also directed that all priority projects in the energy sector, including 300MW Balakot Hydro Power Project as well as energy projects under the CPEC portfolio should be completed by the end of this year. Vice chairman of the policy board and Advisor to KP CM on Energy Himayatullah Khan, KP Additional Chief Secretary Shakeel Qadir Khan, Energy Secretary Muhammad Zubair Khan besides other high ranking officials also attended the meeting. The meeting was briefed in detail about the newly constituted policy board, new administrative structure of the board, proposed mechanism for appointment of the members of the executive committee and other related matters.

The finance ministry said the meeting was held virtually and the adviser exchanged views with the chief minister for a coherent wheat support price across Pakistan. The current minimum wheat support price is Rs1,400 per 40kg, which the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet approved increasing to Rs1,600 last month.

However, the federal cabinet did not agree to the price and asked the ECC to revisit the recommendation and also coordinate with the Sindh government that had announced a price of Rs2,000.

Two different sets of prices can result in hoarding and smuggling from one province to another, making matters worse for the federal government. The higher prices in Sindh will also make it difficult for the Punjab government to procure wheat at the minimum price without resorting to coercive measures, according to finance ministry officials.

Since 2010-11, the support price for wheat has been revised four times. Punjab –

the largest wheat producer – wanted the price to be set at Rs1,650 per 40kg. The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government sought a price of Rs1,880 and Balochistan wanted it fixed at Rs1,700. For this season’s crop, the federal government has increased the wheat procurement price from Rs1,300 to Rs1,400 per 40kg, an increase of 7.7 per cent. For the new crop, the food ministry has estimated the cost of production at Rs1,587 per 40kg, an increase of Rs237 or 17.5 per cent within six months.

The price of Rs1,600 will only be higher

by Rs13 or 0.8 per cent against the food security ministry’s estimated production cost of Rs1,587 per 40kg. At this price and with the average output of 28 maunds per acre, giving farmers an additional benefit of Rs5,600 per acre.

Against the current support price of Rs1,400, the wheat price in the domestic market, as reported by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), stood at Rs2,256.6 per

40kg in October. The prices shot up after the PTI government exported 5.5 million metric tonnes of wheat and also could not handle the procurement.

The increase in the support price has been proposed to incentivise farmers to produce more crop, as the country, for the first time in over 12 years, faces a shortfall. The food ministry has estimated the current wheat consumption, including seed requirement, at nearly 28 million tonnes.

Its estimates show that the annual wheat requirement for a projected population of 240 million by 2025 will be over 30 million tonnes – an increase of 8 per cent in five years. However, the finance ministry apprehends that the consequent increase in flour prices could provide fuel to the opposition parties, which are using the issue of inflation against the government. According to various studies, a 10 per cent increase in the wheat support price leads to a rise of 2-3 per cent in the overall inflation.

UAE, Saudi Arabia likely to agree to rollover outstanding loans worth $2bn each ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Pakistan has began its hectic lobbying to secure rollover of loan deposits worth $4 billion from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) scheduled to mature between November to February period of the current fiscal year, The News reported on Thursday.

According to the report, the PTI government has no option but to seek rollover for another year to avoid dwindling of foreign exchange reserves under the IMF programme as it could not afford

to pay back the outstanding loans upon its maturity at this stage.

A top official from the Ministry of Finance Ministry said that the two countries are ready to rollover the outstanding loans.

The first deposit of $1 billion as part of the loan that was secured from Saudi Arabia came in November 2019, followed by another tranche in December 2019, and the third tranche of $1 billion in January 2020.

Earlier this year, Pakistan returned $1 billion while $2 billion are still with the State Bank of Pakistan.

On the other hand, the UAE pro-

vided a $2 billion loan deposit in January and February 2020. These loans would mature at the beginning of the next calendar year.

Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan decided to seek a rollover of a $3 billion Chinese trade finance facility which the country cannot afford to pay back when the facility expires in May next year.

According to a report by the Express Tribune, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had fully tapped the $3 billion (20 billion Chinese yuan) in the additional trade finance facility available under the China-Pakistan currency

‘Pakistan needs to import 400,000MT LPG to meet consumers’ demand in winter’ ISLAMABAD APP

Liquefied Petroleum Gas Distributors Association (LPGDA) on Thursday projected that the country was in need of importing 400,000 Metric Tonnes (MT) LPG during four months of the current winter season to meet the requirements of consumers.

“Around 100,000MT LPG is required each in November, December, January and February, as this year the commodity demand has significantly increased due to constant depletion of existing natural gas reserves in the country,” LPGDA Chairman Irfan Khokhar told APP.

According to an official document available with the media, the government has set the target of producing 753,051 tonnes of LPG through indigenous means and importing 317,263 tonnes during the current fiscal year.

In the year 2019-20, the commodity’s production stood at 784,200 tons against the target of 820,000 tonnes and the import remained 272,018 tonnes against the target of 300,000 tonnes, posting 95.63 per cent and 90.67pc achievement respectively. The LPGDA chairman further thanked the government for reduced tax on the LPG import from 18pc to 10pc and hoped that LPG would soon become a zero-rated tax industry. With zero-rated tax, he claimed LPG would be available at the lowest price in the open market and give a tough time to companies providing natural gas to consumers due to its availability and affordable rate.

He said the promotion of the LPG industry would not only ensure the provision of inexpensive fuel to consumers especially in far-flung and hilly areas where piped gas was not available, but also prevent tree cutting.

swap arrangement as stated in SBP’s financial accounts for the fiscal year 2019-20 (FY20).

It is pertinent to mention here that most of the funds, originally meant to promote bilateral trade in respective local currencies, were utilised to repay maturing foreign debt and keeping gross foreign currency reserves at comfortable levels.

Failing to secure an extension of the loan’s expiry date, the SBP will be liable to repay China $3 billion by using dollars to buy Chinese yuan, a move that is certain to impact the country’s foreign reserves.

Iqbal Institute of Policy Studies organises fire hazards, firefighting webinar ISLAMABAD PRESS RELEASE

Iqbal Institute of Policy Studies organized a webinar recently to discuss the leading causes of fire eruption in buildings and to highlight the possible policy options for preventing fire devastations like in the future. The webinar included expert panelists namely, Zeeshan Alam, General Manager Fire and Safety at Danish International, Dr Muhammad Masood Rafi, Professor NED University, Imran Taj, President FPAP, Saeed Akhtar Jadoon, Chief Fire Officer KPT, and Khurram Bargatt, Vice- Member, IIPS Advisory Board. The session was moderated

by Lt Gen Muhammad Haroon Aslam, HI(M), SBt, (Retd), President IIPS advisory board.

4,400 acres PR land under illegal occupation ISLAMABAD: Some 4,400 acres land of Pakistan Railways (PR) was currently under unauthorised occupation of institutions and private persons in all provinces of the country. Giving details, a Ministry of Railways official told APP that around 382 acres land was under un-authorized occupation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 1,937 acres in Punjab, 1,510 acres in Sindh and 571 acres in Balochistan. To a question, he said that Pakistan Railways had retrieved around 305 acres commercial, agriculture and residential land from the illegal occupants in four provinces since last two years. The official said that the department recovered around 202 acres agriculture, 75 acres commercial and 27 acres residential land from the land grabbers in four provinces. He said that the Railways land was primarily used for operational purposes or is reserved for future expansion/development works. However, he said that Pakistan Railways also leases its surplus land all over the network for various purposes such as commercial and agricultural purposes etc. as per Engineering Code Para 607 “Management of Land”. The land was leased out through competitive bidding after advertisement in the newspaper, in a transparent manner, generating handsome revenue from commercial leasing of Railway land such as premium shops/khokha shops, agriculture purposes, parking stands and stacking etc., he added.

Friday, 6 November, 2020

NEWS

IHC moved for provision of mid-day meal to schoolchildren ISLAMABAD: While invoking Islamabad High Court’s jurisdiction in order to get constitutional provision implemented in true letter and spirit on Thursday, a pro-bono lawyer sought the court’s directives for the federal and provincial governments to launch a mid-day meals scheme for primary school children across the country on a priority basis. Making the federation and all the provincial governments as respondents, Advocate Akram Chaudhry referred fact sheet of UN World Food Programme that recorded undernutrition and food insecurity among 20 percent people of Pakistan whereas a total of 45 percent of children younger than five years of age were stunted.

Seeking the court’s directives for the federal and provincial governments in the matter, he submitted that launching Mid-Day Meals Scheme across the country for primary school students is primary responsibility of the government in preview of the Article 39 (a) of the Constitution which underscores dire need for promotion of social and economic well-being of the citizens without any discrimination. Substantiating his claim the petitioner Advocate Akram Chaudhry cited Indian Supreme Court verdict of November 28, 2001, saying as a result of the Indian top court verdict in the matter, currently more than 120 million primary school children were being provided with a prepared midday meal with a minimum content of 300 calories and 8-12 grams of protein each day of school. The petitioner asked the court to direct the federal and provincial governments to provide cooked mid-day meals provision to primary schools’ students as well as ensure the continuity of the process. TLTP

NAB arrests two accused in Reko Diq reference ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Rawalpindi chapter on Thursday arrested two persons in connection with the Reko Diq reference. The accused namely Sher Khan and Muhammad Farooq were arrested from Islamabad, said the graft-buster body in a statement and added that both will be handed over to the NAB Balochistan on transit remand. The arrest was made after NAB Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal issued arrest warrants for the suspects. The NAB on Wednesday last filed the reference over financial irregularities in the Reko Diq project. According to NAB’s spokesperson, the bureau unearthed important evidence against the people involved in the scam. The reference had been registered against 26 accused including former officials of the Balochistan government. Tethyan Copper Company (TCC) had been granted license for gold and copper mining at RekoDiq, area of Balochistan but the former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had cancelled the agreement with the company. The company had filed a lawsuit against Pakistan at ICSID, claiming S11.43bn in damages in 2012. In July, last year, the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) had imposed a penalty of 5.8bn on Pakistan in the Reko Diq case. Later, the verdict was challenged by Pakistan in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

In the month of September, the ICJ awarded a stay in the Reko Diq case until the final hearing set for May 2021. TLTP

UAE, SAUDI ARABIA lIkEly to AgREE to RollovER oUtStANDINg loANS woRtH $2BN EACH ISLAMABAD

P

STAFF REPORT

AKISTAN has began its hectic lobbying to secure rollover of loan deposits worth $4 billion from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) scheduled to mature between November to February period of the current fiscal year, The News reported on Thursday.

According to the report, the PTI government has no option but to seek rollover for another year to avoid dwin-

dling of foreign exchange reserves under the IMF programme as it could not afford to pay back the outstanding loans upon its maturity at this stage.

A top official from the Ministry of Finance Ministry said that the two countries are ready to rollover the outstanding loans.

The first deposit of $1 billion as part of the loan that was secured from Saudi Arabia came in November 2019, followed by another tranche in December 2019, and the third tranche of $1 billion in January 2020.

Earlier this year, Pakistan returned $1 billion while $2 billion are still with

the State Bank of Pakistan.

On the other hand, the UAE provided a $2 billion loan deposit in January and February 2020. These loans would mature at the beginning of the next calendar year.

Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan decided to seek a rollover of a $3 billion Chinese trade finance facility which the country cannot afford to pay back when the facility expires in May next year.

According to a report by the Express Tribune, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had fully tapped the $3 billion (20 billion Chinese yuan) in the additional trade finance facility available under the

Punjab decides to expand Sehat Insaf Programme LAHORE STAFF REPORT

The Punjab government has decided to expand the scope of Sehat Insaf Cards in phases to provide health insurance facilities to the citizens of the province.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar chaired a high-level session on Thursday where he was given a briefing over the details of medical

facilities and the issuance of Sehat Insaf Cards among citizens.

It has been decided to expand the scope of the health insurance plan. CM Buzdar said that the provincial government had issued Sehat Insaf Cards to more than 5.1 million families in the first phase of the programme.

He said that the health cards will be issued to government employees, journalists, educators, students of

seminaries and others in the next phases.

The chief minister said that every citizen will be given the best medical facilities under the plan and no tolerance will be shown over any kind of negligence.

Earlier in September, the premier had directed the Punjab health minister to review universal health coverage initially in two major cities of Punjab on the pattern of KP.

Punjab dispatches 13,800 metric tons of sugar to districts LAHORE STAFF REPORT

The Punjab authorities have started selling imported sugar at rates set by the government and dispatched stocks of 13,800 metric tons to districts on Thursday.

The Punjab government dispatched 13,800 metric tons of sugar to districts after starting selling sugar on rates set by the government.

Meanwhile, Punjab Industries and Trade Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal chaired a session at the chief secretary’s office in Lahore on Thursday to review the prices of essential commodities including flour and sugar.

Iqbal said that it is the government’s priority to provide relief to a common man amid inflation.

The chief secretary urged the benefit of imported sugar be provided to all consumers across the provinces.

He directed concerned authorities for taking steps to stop hoarding and commercial usage of sugar stocks.

Earlier on October 29, it emerged that a vessel carrying sugar stocks had docked at Port Qasim Karachi to unload over 25000 tonnes of sugar brought in from Algeria.

Punjab Cane Commissioner Zaman Wattoohad said that the import will help overcome the crisis-like situation emerging in Punjab where the commodity stocks seemed to be exhausting until recently hiking the price of the essential commodity.

With the unloading having begun, the consignment, meant for Punjab, will have been dispatched to the destination within next four days, cane commissioner said.

He said that a total of 151,700 metric tonnes of sugar is expected to reach Pakistan in four to five episodes and those next consignments will be importing the commodity from other countries.

4,714 construction projects approved in Punjab since July: PM told

CAA to issue pilots’ licences through biometric system ISLAMABAD: In an effort to stop dubious and fake licences, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has decided to issue pilot licence through the biometric system. The CAA also made the permission letter from the flying club and the airline mandatory for appearing in the examination. The CAA linked its system with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) for the biometric verification of pilots appearing for its examinations to prevent cheating. Biometric verification has been made mandatory for the candidates appearing in the pilot’s examination. TLTP

05

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday chaired the weekly meeting of National Coordination Committee on Housing, Construction and Development, wherein he was told that since July this year, around 4,714 construction projects have been approved in Punjab province. Moreover, the province has also witnessed a historic increase in cement sale by 5.73 million tons during October this year. The representatives of Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) told the meeting that 74 development projects worth Rs28 billion had been approved in Sindh. The launch of the said projects would generate economic activity of around Rs55 billion in the allied sectors. It was told that the cement and steel sale had increased by 17 per cent and 19 per cent respectively during last one year starting September 2019. The ABAD lauded the government’s efforts to ease the approval processes for the construction sector and also put forward their proposals. State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Raza Baqir informed the meeting that the private banks had been directed to impart training to their respective staffers to facilitate the loan applicants. Moreover, the central bank would continue monitoring the standards of the facilities for disbursement of the loan, he added. During the meeting, the prime minister directed for further easing the process for projects’ approval to facilitate the investors. He also instructed for action against the officers responsible for unnecessarily delaying the approval process. He also issued instructions to the departments concerned on the proposals presented by the ABAD and sought progress report by next week. APP

China-Pakistan currency swap arrangement as stated in SBP’s financial accounts for the fiscal year 2019-20 (FY20).

It is pertinent to mention here that most of the funds, originally meant to promote bilateral trade in respective local currencies, were utilised to repay maturing foreign debt and keeping gross foreign currency reserves at comfortable levels.

Failing to secure an extension of the loan’s expiry date, the SBP will be liable to repay China $3 billion by using dollars to buy Chinese yuan, a move that is certain to impact the country’s foreign reserves.

Hafeez appreciates China for unwavering support in testing times ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh on Thursday appreciated the continuous and unwavering support that China had always extended to Pakistan during testing times. He was talking to Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong, who called on him, according to press statement issued by the Finance Ministry. The Adviser briefed the ambassador on enhancement of economic cooperation under the umbrella of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He briefed the ambassador about the fragile economy inherited by the present government, the remarkable economic stability achieved in the pre-Covid-19 period especially in the external sector, the adverse socio-economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the fiscal relief initiatives taken by the government during the coronavirus crisis. The adviser expressed confidence that Nong Rong’s tenure would further solidify the friendship between the two brotherly countries.

He assured his full cooperation during Rong’s diplomatic assignment in Pakistan. According to the statement, they also exchanged views on matters of mutual interest during the meeting. On the occasion, Nong Rong stressed that the ChinaPakistan bilateral relationship was an epitome of enduring friendship and brotherhood. While discussing progress on CPEC projects, the ambassador said that collaboration between the peoples and the governments of China and Pakistan would continue to expand and strengthen for achieving common objectives and guarantee a prosperous future for both the nations. APP

Masses reject anti-state narrative by PDM: Afridi LAHORE: Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Chairman Shehryar Khan Afridi on Thursday said the masses had rejected the antistate narrative projected by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and public displeasure had forced the PDM leaders to stop their rallies halfway. Speaking to media at the University of Management and Technology, he said that the people of Pakistan had rejected the anti-state and anti-institutions narrative of Sharif family. He also said the public anger had forced the PDM parties to reject the narrative of Sharif family and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had refused to attend the PDM rally held in Quetta. He further said that targeting of the state institutions by Sharif family had triggered differences among the senior leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and mostly PML-N leaders had refused to stand with narrative projected by their supreme leader. APP

US set to increase Pakistan’s energy capacity: USAID director ISLAMABAD TLTP

The US government is partnering with the government of Pakistan to strengthen Pakistan’s energy sector and make it more competitive through the use of sustainable energy sources like hydroelectricity.

This was said by US Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Julie Koenen, in a statement on Thursday.

“Working with the government of Pak-

istan, we have supported infrastructure projects, operational improvements, and policy reforms to help the energy sector function more efficiently and sustainably.

These efforts are helping Pakistan meet the needs of its growing population and economy,” said Koenen.

The mission director said that in partnership with the United States government, the managing director of the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) inaugurated the Patrind Power Transmission Project on Thursday.

This mutual investment from the United States and Pakistan will add 147 megawatts (MW) of hydroelectric capacity to Pakistan’s national energy grid, said a press statement issued by the US embassy here.

Koenen said the US government, through the USAID, supported the effort by constructing transmission lines and upgrading grid stations in the Azad Kashmir/Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) region. This effort will ultimately strengthen private sector investments in clean-energy projects.

With this NTDC and USAID invest-

CMYK

ment, Patrind is now selling electricity to the national grid and repaying its debt and equity obligations. This achievement demonstrates that with strategic government support, the energy sector can be a driver of local and national economic growth.

Since 2010, USAID has partnered with the government of Pakistan to add more than 3,600 MW to the national grid. These investments are benefiting more than 43 million Pakistanis, reducing costs for energy distribution companies by $429 million, and leveraging more than $2.3 billion in private

investment. USAID has also supported the construction of new transmission lines and substations to evacuate power from wind power projects to the national grid, as well as rehabilitated thermal and hydroelectric power plants.

To ensure Pakistan’s future energy security, the US government will provide technical assistance to improve planning processes and operational procedures, introduce new technologies, and transition toward a competitive market structure with more participation by private sector companies, said Koenen.

Friday, 6 November, 2020

06 COMMENT

The illusion of freedom of speech

Farmers get short end of the stick PTI has no agricultural policy

French electoral politics is deeply involved

T

he two protest marches by farmers in Lahore were baton-charged and led to arrests. Finally, the government agreed to talk to the marchers on the recommendations they had submitted months ago. The farmer’s organisations, however, made it known that if their demands were not met by November 10, they would march in Islamabad on the same day.

The PTI government has no agricultural policy. It has shown an inability to cope with shortages of agricultural products, make timely imports when necessary and keep control over prices. Similarly, it has failed to supply certified seeds to farmers, or to advise and help them in dealing with harmful pathogens and the impact of global warming, which is taking a toll of the country’s cotton crop. even as the government announced a multi-billion rupee rescue and relief package for textile mills, the farmers who grow the cotton for those mills were conveniently ignored.

The agricultural sector is in a slump. Its contribution to GDP is falling. There is little realisation that the prices of agricultural inputs are increasing and the farmers who find that their investment in a particular crop did not bring sufficient profit tend to change over to other crops. Unless there is larger per acre growth, for which the PTI government has no plans, the support price on wheat will have to be increased every year, leading to resentment and unrest in the low-income groups of the urban population.

There is no realisation of the damaging impact of the reduction in area under cotton on the textile industry. This year, the area is projected to decrease to 2.2 million hectares – which is 12 per cent lower than the last year – mainly due to cotton farmers’ shift to other remunerative crops like corn, rice, and sugarcane. The cotton area is expected to decline due to the potential threat of pest attacks, uncertain weather conditions, and the insufficient availability of certified seed. The government could have played a role to help the cotton farmers, but it didn’t. Now to keep the textile exports growing, it will have to rely on imports again, this time of raw cotton, causing the country’s forex reserves to shrink.

At Penpoint M A NIAZI

T

he beheading of a French history teacher in Paris, followed by the beheading of a woman in a Nice cathedral, is not a symbol of Muslim cussedness especially when account is taken of the recent unrest among the French migrant community and of the official reaction to it. French President emanuel Macron’s reaction, and the response of Turkey and Pakistan, show that there is a misconception that blasphemy against the holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon him) can be treated as a law and order issue. It has also shown that the framework of nation-states may not be adequate for the Muslim world. The whole problem has also highlighted the central role of France in the ideology of the modern world, and its key character in spreading the ideas of the 18th century enlightenment which is the basis of modern liberalism, both on the right and the left.

When President Macron said that Islam had problems, what he (and millions of others) meant was that Muslims had an insuperable objection to depictions of the holy Prophet (PBUh), and that they shouldn’t object. The objection is not to the beheading, but to any punishment. The objection is not procedural, such as that no properly constituted court had pronounced a death sentence, but to the very act of punishment. This is a very secular attitude. It assumes that toleration needs to prevail among Muslims as well. It assumes that Muslims should be tolerated for depicting some other religion’s Prophet (ignoring the fact that Muslims hold Christian and Jewish prophets in reverence, and indeed sayé that the holy Prophet (PBUh) is the culmination of that tradition).

Macron is relying on the French tradition that goes back to the enlightenment, and which led to two major revolutions, the American and the French. It was that enlightenment which provided the template for the states which followed, which were constitutional republics. The USA has done better, and has even survived a civil war, with its constitution intact. however, France has had two empires and four further republics. The French separation of church and state has been achieved at great cost, because the Church in France was a huge presence. France has long had problems with the Church. At one time, the

Covid-19 spreading Nothing should be taken off the table

C

Who are the major players?

FAhAd MAlIk

N

AGORNO Karabakh is a disputed region in the south of the Caucasus. It is a mountainous land roughly 4400 square kilometres in area, having a majority Armenian population. The region is landlocked between Azerbaijan and Armenia and has a long and bloody history of conflict which started in the 20th century. however, the current conflict began in 1988 when the Armenian population in this region voted to be annexed to Armenia. The region is officially recognized to be a part of Azerbaijan, but Armenian encroachment and ethnic Armenian residents have escalated the situation time and again to take te form of a full-scale war, resulting in the loss of over 30,000 human lives. The recent insurgency began in the later part of September this year when along the line of contact, the artillery on both sides got into a heated duel. The on-going ceasefire violations from either side are blamed on the other one, as is the usual case.

21 people were killed and 70 injured in a recent skirmish in Barda, according to Baku. Martial law and partial or total mobilization of armies on both sides has been in place for over a month now.

The initial conflict can be roughly understood as a territorial dispute which started in the 20th century. Armenia and Azerbaijan, being two states of the Transcaucasian Federation, later became federally independent states before being incorporated in the USSR. The USSR created this region of Nagorno-Karabakh, officially as part of Azerbaijan. This only furthered the conflict as it would take shape of a full-scale war in the years to come. The population residing here is of Armenian ethnicity and demonstrated their wish to be part of Armenia through a resolution which was passed in 1988. This led the country into a six-year-long civil war, consuming hundreds of civilian and military lives. Following the dissolution of the USSR, Azerbaijan declared independence in 1991, but the disputed area still remained as a bone of contention, and both sides stayed hostile towards each other, often resorting to ceasefire violations. There are accusations of war crimes and mutilation being carried out from both sides, but this holds little water since neither country has been able to prove their claim. In 1994, Armenia took control of the region, including some neighbouring area as well.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

The writer is a member of staff.

The conflict in Nagorno Karabakh

OvID-19 was not beaten, only beaten back. The government has sounded unnecessarily belligerent in its reactions to the uptick in Covid19 cases, which on Tuesday saw the largest number of patients testing positive in three months: 1313. This also meant that the number of cases continued to grow by over 1000 cases a day all week. The government may like to claim it has achieved victory over the coronavirus, but the figures show that not only is the coronavirus resilient, but the expected second wave is upon us.

Not just winter itself, but the gatherings that come with it are going to make matters worse. There is going to be the usual rush of weddings, which have evolved into multi-function events, as well as many one-off events which are traditionally held in the summer. The government has been sending out signals that it has adopted the ostrich-like attitude of pretending that nothing is happening. education Minister Shafqat Mahmood’s announcement that schools will not be closed is of a piece of the problem, along with Prime Minister Imran Khan ruling out lockdowns. The government should not be moving itself into a corner this way and should not take any course of action with such certainty. Mahmood showed intelligence by leaving himself a little wriggle room, saying that there would be a review at the upcoming education conference.

Moreover, the government should be aware that things will only get worse – not just as the weather gets worse, but as the winter smog sets in. Last winter, the almost total shutdown had not just closed factories, but taken vehicles off the road, meaning that the smog was not as bad as it could have been. however, with the economy making the government to avoid another lockdown, the smog is likely to be a major negative, as both open factories and vehicles belch smoke into the air.

The government has tried to do something about the situation by making the wearing of facemasks mandatory, and imposing punishments for failure to comply. It remains to be seen whether this was enough. however, the government needs to keep an open mind about the steps it must take.

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

French King made the Pope live at Avignon, and ensured that he took care of French interests.

It is not easy to grasp the depth of pro- and antiCatholic feeling in France after the Revolution. It is also not easy to estimate the influence of France. Socialism is essentially a French phenomenon, though hijacked by the Germans Marx and engels, and the Russian Lenin. The French tradition of laicité is thus hoary. however, one of its concomitants was it saw a special role of education in making citizens conform.

Thus the role of the late Samuel Petty, the history teacher whose execution, led not only to Macron’s tigerish defence of French values, but to the attack in Nice, is doubly important. The murder was not just the execution of a blasphemer, but an attack on the method used for transmitting French values, which are essentially education.

Because of the French origin of the enlightenment, French values are essentially Western values.

The USA is generally thought the representative of the West, but it should not be forgotten that the USA is the actualization of enlightenment ideals; French ideals, in other words. Macron’s refusal to prohibit freedom of speech should not be taken as an extreme view. Freedom of speech is supposed to include that which might be offensive to some. One corollary is that one has to accept offensive speech or depictions, if one is to accord others the freedom to speak.

At the same time, the French government cannot be expected to accept the killing of a citizen. The Saudi government cannot be expected to ignore the attack on the French consulate in Jeddah, which left a guard injured. Perhaps more worrisome for the French government is the incident in Avignon, where the member of a white supremacist group was shot dead by police after he threatened a North African shopkeeper with a gun. It is bad enough for the government that there is the possibility of a civil war raised, but the initial reporting is also disturbing: that a Muslim terrorist was shot dead by police after wielding a handgun and yelling “Allahu Akbar.”

That terrorism can only be committed by Muslims is an assumption in the French media that reveals an Islamophobic bias.

France is not the only country to suffer from Islamophobia. It is also not the only country to suffer from racism. however, it combines the two. In the USA, for instance, racism is primarily discrimination against blacks, while in the UK, Islamophobia can-

not be directed Asians without including a lot of hindus. hoever, in France, the ex-colonies have sent North Africans of mixed Arab and Berber origin, or Black Africans. The former are almost purely Muslim, while the latter include a large number of Muslims. Islam thus becomes a marker of identity for young people in search of an identity, while Islamophobia becomes a vehicle for racism.

Macron is on the French left, though he is not in the kind of straitjacket that the Socialist or Communist Parties provided. Thus he is not precluded from appealing to at least some on the right, which has been taken over by the Front National. The Front does not try all that hard to hide its racism, and is making it to the second round of presidential polls. The left and right have beaten it off with the help of the loser in the last two elections. emanuel Macron is apparently trying to make himself acceptable to the racist right voter by his display of Islamophobia.

While secularism is not a religion, it has something of its characteristics. One of its tenets is untrammeled freedom of speech, which is like the Muslim prohibition of blasphemy of the holy Prophet (PBUh). Thus we do not have a conflict between a religion and enlightenment, but between two religions. France, it must not be forgotten, experimented with a secular religion after the Revolution, but it foundered on the problem of Napoleon. he wanted to become a monarch, but for that he needed the support of the Church, and for that he conceded the Concordat to the Church, which even now govern French church-state relations.

Blasphemy is not just about belief. It is about the link between the Muslim and the holy Prophet (PBUh). It is not a question of believing as he did, but of preserving his personal honour. The tolerance of petty insults and maltreatment in Makkah is not to be repeated, and there is a personal responsibility felt by each Muslim. That is why the approach of the Muslim regimes like Turkey and Pakistan, seeing it as a law and order issue, is flawed, sharing the very enlightenment concept of the state as is being condemned.

If nothing else, the diaspora has been shown that there is a limit to tolerance, that there are choices to be made. If one assumes that freedom of speech extends to the Prophet (PBUh), how can one be a good Muslim? And if one approves of Petty’s beheading, or even adds caveats to one’s condemnation, how can one be a good Frenchman? Or any other Westerner?

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The conflict of Nagorno-Karabakh has received really prioritises. On the other hand, The USA seems international concern on numerous occasions. The Or- somewhat divided about the Nagorno-Karabakh reganization for Security and Cooperation (OSCe) in gion. On one hand, the Armenian lobby in the USA and its domestic politics europe, which is the largest compel it to a pro-Armenian security-oriented intergovstandpoint. however, the ernmental organization with State Department has, more 57 participating states, has The situation in the Southern than once, offered to play the also shown concern about role of an honest broker. the Nagorno-Karabakh situCaucasian region is quickly The population of Azeration and established a evolving. It is no surprise baijan is majority Shiite, “Minsk group”, in 1992 for which is why it comes as a the purpose of facilitating a that disputes like these, surprise that Iran is supportnon-military solution. howing Armenia in this conflict. ever, recently, it is under where civilian lives are at It is a well-known fact that heavy criticism by both risk, should be solved by Iran sponsored a proxy war sides for being partial. A in Syria against anti-Shiite number of foreign powers peaceful measures.

Nobody adversaries. however, are actively involved in the is ready for another war, Nagorno Karabakh has been situation, and quite a few a surprising case regarding have offered to mediate as especially in regions as this matter. This is one of the third parties to help negotiations in order for the issue to sensitive as this one where it reasons that Israel has been supporting Azerbaijan miliget resolved without the use takes no time for tarily as well as politically. of force. Moral support is Quite recently, cluster muniavailable from the internabelligerence to spring out of tions of Israeli origin have tional community to both one country into another. The been found to be used Azerbaijan and Armenia. against the Armenian civil Russian President Boris need of the hour is tablepopulation. This has been Yeltsin and Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev talks. Although the region of condemned as a human rights violations by United were the first ones to extend Nagorno-Karabakh is Nations as well as the intersupport in 1991. The USA, national community. among other countries, is ininternationally recognized as The situation in the volved to some extent. part of Azerbaijan, human Southern Caucasian region is France, Turkey, Iran and Isevolving. It is no rael, are also some major rights should be valued and a quickly surprise that disputes like players in the region. each these, where civilian lives has its own reasons to supdecision that serves to are at risk, should be solved port either side. protect them must be by peaceful measures. NoRussia is an arms exbody is ready for another porter to both Armenia and respected war, especially in regions as Azerbaijan but it is well sensitive as this one where it known that a strategic parttakes no time for belligernership exists between Rusence to spring out of one sia and Armenia, and in case of a war Russian support will have to be with Arme- country into another. The need of the hour is tablenia, and a treaty exists between the two countries to talks. Although the region of Nagorno-Karabakh is ensure this co-operation. however, to establish its internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, hegemony in the region, Russia needs Armenian sup- human rights should be valued and a decision that port. To counter this very notion, Turkey has openly serves to protect them must be respected. come out in favour of Azerbaijan. Influence in the Fahad Malik is a freelance columnist Caucasus is something that the Turkish government

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Friday, 6 November, 2020

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

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Remembering a revolutionary poet

Climate change and the story of world leaders mate change. Rising global temperature will speed up the process of melting of glaciers and ice caps. Studies have shown that polar ice caps environment. But we are cutting trees and forests are melting at a rate of 9 percent per decade. The to establish new colonies and tracks. ice shelf area has shrunk by 40 percent since We may switch our energy resources from 1995. The Maldives may vanish from the non-renewable to renewable energy resources as world’s map if climate change is not addressed. the latter produce relatively less carbon. We may US President Donald Trump has pointed out rely more on solar and wind power. that air in China, Russia and India is filthy, unUnited Nations is playing its role to overcome questionably it is. But what role has been played carbon emission, with conferences are held on a by his country to reduce the emission of greenyearly basis in the framework of the United Na- house gases? efforts of previous leaders are an tions Framework Convention on Climate Change, open secret. he bluntly defended the industrial which began in 1995. In December 2015, the 21st sector by proclaiming that it might give birth to Session of the Conference of the Parties the problem of unemployment. This is true, but (COP21/CMP1) summoned in Paris, France, and can’t we use the same labour to reverse the efendorsed the Paris Agreement. This universal fects of climate change? agreement aims to keep a global temperature rise Pakistan is no more exception to climate for this century well below 2°C, intending to drive change as two of its cities were among the top efforts to limit the temperature rise to 1.5°C above five most polluted cities which were among top pre-industrial levels. But despite these meetings polluted cities of the world, Faisalabad and Guand conferences, nothing jranwala. The smog is being done. The emisseason of smog is upon sion of carbon is increasus. Authorities are not ing every single day. making any effort exIn June 1992, a To live with climate change, cept advertisements in world summit was held newspapers and Tv we may have to change our at Rio de Janeiro channels. You can’t (Brazil) to discuss the stop waves, but you lifestyles; for example, we common threat posed to may learn to surf. Man may use public transport humanity owing to clihas reached a stage mate change, and to find it has become instead of private. This earth where ways to get rid of this quite challenging for curse. The cost for redoes not belong to a single him to reverse the efversal effect was estifects. Man is not ready nation or state, and each mated $125 billion, to spend his rest of life which was to be borne primitively, without individual is responsible for by countries which were electricity, fuel, and it. All of us will have to play responsible for imbalnatural gas; but he is ance or disturbance in not taking enough our role to make our planet the composition of safety measures to gases. The USA was the clean, healthy, and conducive meet the consequences. only country who reTo live with clifused to cooperate. mate change, we may eventually, the conferhave to change our ence failed to kick off. lifestyles; for example, Another conference helped to manage in we may use public transport instead of private.

1995 in Kyoto, Japan. Delegate from 168 coun- Joseph Curtin, Senior Fellow at the Institute of tries were there. The unique aspect of this confer- International and european Affairs, was of the ence was that the base year for the pollution index view that pricing carbon is the most economiwas set in 1990 rather than the beginning of the cally efficient approach in reducing emissions. industrial revolution. It gained success compared Awareness to the young students can be proto the 1992 world summit in that it helped to con- vided by adding some chapters related to climate vince country like the USA to reduce greenhouse change in the syllabus to make them realize congas emissions seven percent. But it gave birth to sequences they may have to face. This earth does questions like; does it draw a roadmap for the ful- not belong to a single nation or state, and each filment of its commitment if a country undertakes individual is responsible for it. All of us will to reduce its emission of greenhouse gases within have to play our role to make our planet clean, a fixed time? Who is there to assess and evaluate healthy, and conducive. their efforts?

The fundamental hindrance in the course of Sumeera Asghar Roy is a PhD candidate at reforms and rehabilitation of planet earth are the National key laboratory of Fruit Sciences, those developed countries whose economy is in- Beijing, China. Her areas of interest are dustry-based, like the USA. had it been sincere agriculture and plant biotechnology, She holds with the rejuvenation process of earth, efforts a master’s degree from the University of would have started even before 1992. But their Agriculture, Faisalabad economy may collapse if they start implementing SOPs. That applies to other countries as no Rehan Saeed is a postgraduate student at country help to live without an industrial sector. the College of Agricultural Engineering, China existence of 15 islands is at risk due to cli- Agricultural University, Beijing, China

Only with cooperation can we tackle this SuMeerA ASghAr roy ANd rehAN SAeed

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he industrial revolution has helped humankind live a comfortable life, but it has also brought many challenges, one being climate change. humankind has been living on this planet for five to seven million years, always struggling for survival and to improve standards of living. This has led to several challenges. Seeing stadiums’ view of matches played in the 1990s, we see that many birds would embrace stadiums, and sometimes even disturb games. Why don’t we see those birds now in stadiums? Climate change?

Incidents like a forest fire in Brazil and Australia were triggered by climate change, which not only resulted in emitting a heap of carbon but also putting many species at risk of extinction. Twenty-five thousand koalas and almost 100,000 sheep died in Australia. Also, the fire cut swathes through the bush of an estimated 18 million hectares– an area more significant than the average european country and over five times the size of the blazes in the Amazon. external, as well as internal, factors cause climate change. external factors are linked to nature like floods, droughts, cyclones, and radiation from the sun, whereas internal factors may include industrial effluents and most devastating, carbon emission. It is not the only environment that is hit by climate change and global warming but also the economy, health, and the social setup.

When rainfall is less or more than requirement, it will eventually affect the agriculture sector. Droughts and floods may not only lead to famines only but also give birth to the chaos of refugees and Internally Dislaced Persons. This in turn may cause inflation and unemployment.

Lower production due to floods and droughts may become the reason for food insecurity. Less food to eat eventually leads to several diseases.

Investment in the health sector shoots up. A useful contributor to the state’s economy turns into a burden on the country as well as on the family.

Overpopulation is also connected with climate change, which is commonly not considered one of its factors. When there is a bulk of the people, the more industries are to get installed to meet their requirements. henceforth, there will be more emission of carbon. Gases in the atmosphere, such as water vapour, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), are the most significant sources of global warming. The more greenhouse gases emitted, the more temperature rises.

The emission of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, has become a primary challenge for environmentalists. The amount of carbon dioxide in the environment is continuously jumping up since the industrial revolution. Therefore we will have to think ahead of carbon neutrality programmes to balance emission and absorption. For that sake, we may have to plant as many trees as we can, which may absorb plenty of carbon present in the

ReNOWNeD Revolutionary Poet Muhammad Siddique Tariro who gained unparalleled fame and accolade with his pen name Sarvech Sujawali was born on 14th March 1937 in village Ibrahim Tarriro in the house of a farmer, a few Kilometers Away from Sujawal Town. he was sent to Badin for early education where he studied till the fourth class but owing to abject poverty he returned to his village to support his father in earning the livelihood for their family. In his village, while grazing cattles he used to observe nature closely, his nexus with nature and fervent attachment with poor and innocent people of the land made him an illustrious literary figure of the Larr Region of Sindh.

In 1957 after driving great motivation from the poems of Maulvi Ahmed Malah- (1877 to 1969- A venerable Sindhi poet during the 19th century), he completely devoted himself to poetry. In 1958 for the first time he expressed his poetic skills in a public gathering, his worthwhile poetry left a lasting impact not only on the common public but also on the renowned figures of the area present there in the gathering. After becoming famous as a poet he resumed his education so he could further improve his skills. During the era of the 60s and 70s when political upheaval was prevailing in the country, he emerged as one of the leading revolutionary poets of Sindh. his poetry encouraged the people of Sindh to instigate a movement against the tyrannical step of one unit taken by the dictator of the Time. he created awareness among the common people about the dictators of the time and their ulterior strategies against Sindh through his poetry and for doing that he was sent behind the bars. In the course of the MRD, he was imprisoned again for his active involvement in that movement and his family also suffered ignominiously. On the advice of his cordial friend Makhdom Talib-ULMaula he joined Pakistan Peoples Party in 1968 and remained loyal to it till his last breath. Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his Daughter Benazir Bhutto and Indian Prime Ministers Indra Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi were among many of his admirers. The first compilation of his poetry ( “Akhiyon Akhiyon Amba Warr- Wet eyes, Dry hairs) was published in 1972 and was also made part of the MA Sindhi Syllabus of Karachi University. While the second compilation (“ Bae Kandiyon Maheran Juu- Both ends of Maheran Sindh) was published after his death in 2008. his poems are Sung by renowned vocalists of the Subcontinent, one of his poems (Jannat-Ul- Firdos Ahin Bae Kandiyon Maheran Ju- Both ends of Sindh are like Paradise) sang

by Allah- Dino Khaskeli is still popular in every nook and corner of Sindh. In the latter half of his life he was diagnosed with cancer, death of his elder son habibullah Sangi who was also a well-known poet further elevated his pain, he was torn apart after that throbbing incident. The Septuagenarian poet left this world on 22 October 2007, leaving behind an endless legacy. Paying him tribute on his first death Anniversary stalwart politician Rasool Bux Palijo Said That; Sarvech was a firebrand and a sturdy voice of Sindh,s Rights who changed the mindset of the common people of Sindh.

Kamran KhamiSo Khawaja Sujawal

Kartarpur image FeDeRAL Minister for Narcotics Control Azam Khan Swati said on Thursday that the government strengthened the image of the country and Islam by constructing the Kartarpur Corridor to facilitate the Sikh community.

Chairing a meeting at Kartarpur Corridor complex here, he said that Islam teaches giving respect to all other religions. earlier, representatives of Kartarpur Management, Rangers, and Anti-Narcotics gave the minister briefing about management and security of Darbar Sahib Kartarpur and areas falling under the Corridor as well as mechanism of visit of the visitors. The minister expressed his satisfaction over the security and management of the place. Later, the minister, along with his family, visited different parts of the Darbar where Giani Sardar Gobind Singh gave him briefing about different sacred places and articles on the premises of Darbar and Sikh founder Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji. The Sikh management also presented Sarpao (special gift) to the minister as a souvenir. raza FaiSal iSlamabad

Double hit SIR, now there is also dengue in the midst of covid-19 . The cases of dengue are alarmingly increasing throughout the country. In the past two months, a worrying increase in dengue cases has been noted in Karachi. In September, 927 cases were reported and 900 cases in October. There is nothing surprising about this trend because in the beginning of winter season, when it is neither too hot nor too cold, the weather is conducive to fast breeding of mosquitoes, and similar is the case at the end of the season in February and March. The situation is no different in other parts of Sindh as 2,000 cases have been reported there in the ongoing year. The cases are rising alarmingly due to not cleaning the things and not thinking about hygiene. So, it is the responsibility of the government to make people aware of the virus. imtaiz javid awaran

Contested election US President Donald Trump’s campaign filed lawsuits on Wednesday in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia, laying the groundwork for contesting battleground states as he slipped behind Democrat Joe Biden in the hunt for the 270 electoral College votes needed to win the White house. The new filings, joining existing Republican legal challenges in Pennsylvania and Nevada, demand better access for campaign observers to locations where ballots are being processed and counted, and raise absentee ballot concerns, the campaign said. however, at one Michigan location in question The Associated Press observed poll watchers from both sides monitoring on Wednesday. The AP called Michigan for Democrat Joe Biden on Wednesday.

Nevada, Pennsylvania and Georgia are undecided. his campaign also announced that it would ask for a recount in Wisconsin, a state the AP called for Biden on Wednesday afternoon. Campaign manager Bill Stepien cited “irregularities in several Wisconsin counties”, without providing specifics.

Biden said Wednesday the count should continue in all states, adding, “No one’s going to take our democracy away from us — not now, not ever.” muhammad Khalid lahorE

Friday, 6 November, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

The elecTion noBody won A NARROW BIDEN VICTORY OFFERS FOUR YEARS OF GRIDLOCK—AND THAT’S THE BEST CASE SCENARIO

naTion, Us

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EDwARD BURMILA

Oe Biden appears positioned to win enough battleground states to put himself in the White House—possibly pending four weeks of courtroom brawling that Americans anticipated but desperately hoped to avoid.

Democrats, who have been focusing intensely on the opportunity to take down trump for four years, could treat this as the brink of an enormous victory. Instead, a feeling of disappointment and defeat prevails even with an outcome—trump’s impending defeat—that would have inspired unbridled joy six months ago. the underwhelming Democratic performance in House and Senate races combine with, at best, a Biden nail-biter to produce an unsatisfying result. But the reality is that this election was never

going to feel like a real victory; the problems the trump presidency has exposed run far deeper than a “blue wave” could resolve. As things have turned out, the next two to four years promise to be a grind of crushing austerity, Hunter Biden investigations, and Mitch McConnell–led gridlock supervised by a president whose campaign emphasized that we should all just get along again. that’s simply tough to get excited about.

Biden is ill-equipped to handle entrenched problems like police violence and economic inequality because of his long track record of, and preference for, moderate New Democrat–style politics. throughout the campaign the left was notably unenthusiastic about Biden’s eagerness—website platform promises notwithstanding—to pursue these problems with the vigor it would take to make meaningful progress. even with the benefit of a Democratic House and Senate, there has been ample telegraphing of Biden’s intention to take what could favorably be called an incremental approach.

Now, with the promised gains in the House and Senate disappearing, Biden’s

ceiling has been lowered even further. He can replace the half-clown, half-convict crew of people that surrounds trump in the White House, and he offers a baseline level of sanity and competence that many Americans have missed over the past four years. But this election outcome forces us to be brutally honest: this is a country with serious problems. And they’re not getting fixed anytime soon. that is why the potential defeat of Donald trump hasn’t inspired the kind of celebrating that we might have expected.

What is more, Democrats expecting a bigblowout repudiation of trump were curiously out of step with the conservative, careful choice of nominating Biden and having his campaign aim to run as safe a race as possible. Simply showing up with a warm body on the ballot doesn’t produce 40-state landslides; in reality, Biden’s campaign did what it set out to do: play it safe and win back three states Clinton lost narrowly in 2016: Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. that it added Arizona to the Democratic column is more than such a tepid, low-risk campaign could have been expected to do.

One issue the Democratic Party must address going forward is how better to navigate between successful fundraising and deluding its followers about the odds of taking the Senate. Disappointment is being felt most keenly now among people who not only looked forward to a Biden win but a Democratic Senate majority.

Making that seem plausible required pushing a narrative that a few Senate races that were not close at all were in fact very close. Breathless (and endless) exhortations to shovel money into the campaigns of Amy McGrath and Jamie Harrison—both of whom were routed— were framed as ways to contribute to winnable races.

It turned out that not only were those long shots unrealistic, but the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee could not even allocate resources (and attention) well enough to deliver seats that looked far more winnable; the widely loathed thom tillis somehow managed to win reelection in North Carolina, for example, as did Susan Collins in Maine, which Biden carried handily. As with the House, where top Democrats Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, and Jim Clyburn are 80, 81, and 80, the aging leadership in the Senate (Chuck “Spring Chicken” Schumer is a mere 69) simply does not seem to be very good at its most basic job. the DSCC raises huge amounts of

money but struggles to allocate those resources productively. Plans for leadership succession in both chambers are long overdue.

Gerrymandering presents a challenge for House Democrats, a problem that will only worsen with the botched Census 2020 and relative republican success in state capitals this year. But despite predictions of winning an additional 10-plus seats on tuesday, House Democrats managed to underperform 2018, and new district boundaries will only make things harder.

In short, Democrats managed the curious feat of dislodging trump while making no progress in retaking the Senate, losing ground in the House, and failing to meaningfully alter the balance of state political power across the country.

Watching trump leave the White House for a final time will be cathartic and will bring smiles to more than a few faces, but there is no getting around the miserable politics that await us in the near future. for a country that has appeared at times to teeter toward social, economic, and political collapse over the past year, the promise of four years in which nothing gets fixed just isn’t a reason to celebrate.

Edward Burmila is a Chicago-based writer. He holds a PhD in political science and is working on a book about why the Democrats are so bad at politics.

How to demilitarise America’s presence in the Middle East

Liberals should worry about the lack of a landslide

THE REGION SHOULD NO LONGER BE A CENTRE OF AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY

US DEMOCRATS NEEDED A FULL REPUDIATION OF TRUMP AND DID NOT GET ONE

l a Times

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BRUCE RIEDEL AND MICHAEL O’HANLON

ArACK Obama and Donald trump rarely agree. But with regard to the Middle east, both basically wanted out. As Obama’s vice president, Joe Biden did not differ much in his views. that the region is strategic quicksand, to be avoided as much as possible, is a view they all share. So do most other Americans. So do we. American foreign policy in the region is too militarised. And the average of 60,000 U.S. troops there at any time are too many, when measured against the missions they can realistically accomplish. this number, though much lower than the more than 150,000 troops based in the region during the George W. Bush and early Obama years, is still many times the number stationed in the region before 1990. However, there are right ways and wrong ways to get out of the Middle east. Often, frustration with the politics of the Middle east turns into slogans like “end forever wars.” But we cannot end them by edict, however powerful this nation may be. for example, bringing home all 5,000 or so U.S. troops currently in Afghanistan by late December, as trump tweeted recently, would be preposterous.

It would require the United States to destroy many supplies in place, abandon Afghan partners to extremism and a worsening civil war, risk flying helicopters off the roof of our embassy to rescue diplomats at some future date, and create new opportunities for Al Qaeda or Islamic State to find sanctuaries at a time when the militants have lost them in other parts of the region. even pulling out over a few months from a place such as Afghanistan would give the taliban the upper hand on the battlefield and in peace talks. rather than taking the pressure off the terrorists, we should want to keep it on.

rather than pretend we can end our presence in decade-long wars, a smarter strategy would be to continue to downsize our own role in them. the U.S. approach should center on gathering intelligence, training indigenous forces and maintaining air power as well as special forces capabilities for the occasional strike when necessary.

We should begin by considering what we have in the broader Central Command theater now. think in terms of two concentric circles, centered on the Persian Gulf. the innermost circle includes most of the American forces in the region: 7,000 to 15,000 troops each in Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait; plus 3,000 to 5,000 in each of the United Arab emirates, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

In a second circle are several hundred to several thousand troops in each of the following places: Afghanistan, Jordan, Syria, egypt, turkey and Djibouti in the Horn of Africa — plus the waterways of the northern Arabian Sea, where the United States normally deploys either an aircraft carrier battle group or an amphibious group. there are no more than 15,000 American troops in any one country. But there is still plenty of room for rethinking and streamlining things. first, the U.S. should again withdraw all operational military units from Saudi Arabia. American troops had pulled out of Saudi bases in 2003 but began to return last year as tensions rose in the U.S.-Iran relationship and in the region. With that situation at least momentarily calmer — and with the Saudis fruitlessly intervening in Yemen’s civil war — we should put some distance in the U.S. relationship with the kingdom. Second, there is no longer a need for the large troop presence in Kuwait, which is a vestige of our previous efforts to support military deployments in Iraq. that need is long gone. While keeping access to an airfield and a port makes sense, the current level of U.S. presence should be significantly reduced.

Similarly, the number of uniformed personnel in the Navy’s 5th fleet, headquartered in Bahrain, has grown substantially over the years. With the exception of several minesweepers, the 5th fleet consists of ships homeported in the United States. these uniformed forces could be halved without weakening American naval power in the Persian Gulf. With these changes and perhaps some modest adjustments elsewhere in the region, the current number of uniformed troops in the Middle east might be cut by up to 20,000. Such a reduction could help streamline and partly demilitarize U.S. strategy for a part of the world that, while still important, should no longer be a center of American foreign policy.

Bruce Riedel and Michael O’Hanlon, author of the forthcoming “The Art of War in an Age of Peace: U.S. Grand Strategy and Resolute Restraint,” are senior fellows at the Brookings Institution.

Financial Times

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JANAN GANESH

fter an economic and public health shock, after four years of exhausting drama, after impeachment, Americans have not emphatically rejected either Donald trump or trumpism. even if he loses the White House to Joe Biden, that will be the central lesson of the US election for a watching world, as much as for one nation’s anxious liberals.

An unfancied president made short work of florida (the pollsters’ Waterloo) and put paid to rash talk of a blue texas. At worst, Mr trump will lose by a respectable margin. He may yet prevail, with or without the legal action he trailed in a statement that was no less grim for its predictability.

Naturally, a Biden win, even a slight one, is a better outcome for liberalism than Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016. But the absence of a landslide and a strongly Democratic Senate will sting. four years ago, the party could cite excuses and circumstances: an unpopular candidate, an opponent with no political history to attack. this time, they have no such solace. Democrats nominated a seasoned and unobjectionable moderate. they ran on the fundamentals of public health and prosperity. they amassed a fort Knox of campaign money. they had the encouraging precedent of the 2018 midterm elections.

Above all, they had Mr trump’s ethical and administrative record to go after. All the raw materials were there for a crushing victory that would double as a purgative moment for the republic: a clean-up of sorts.

Yes, a Californian running mate was never ideal — the election hinges on the Midwest and the south-east — but there was no clear alternative to

Kamala Harris. As for his avoidance of mass political rallies, Mr Biden could hardly run as a slayer of the coronavirus pandemic while holding them.

At this point in the search for unforced errors, the trail runs cold. Liberals are left to accept a deeper fact about the US. far more than when the phrase started doing the rounds a generation ago, this is a 50-50 nation, or thereabouts. there is almost no politician good enough to prise voters en masse from the opposing half of the electorate — the last to win more than 400 electoral college votes was George H W Bush, in 1988. And there is almost no deed or statement so bad as to cost a politician many votes from their own side.

Whatever the pretensions of Washington’s architecture, politics is now better understood as a highstakes version of team sport than as the discursive ideal of the ancients.

What is more, liberals cannot even bank on demographic change to tilt 50-50 into 60-40 in their favour. Mr trump’s apparent gains among voters of Latin American ancestry (in florida, for instance) are ominous for the left. A more diverse nation is not axiomatically a more progressive one. Liberalism will have to fight for its future, not assume it. the states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania may yet turn for Mr Biden. Arizona has gone from red to blue without much of a transition phase, just as Virginia did in 2008. Yet even these achievements would have struck liberals as the bare minimum on the eve of the election. Nor do they amount to any kind of national resolution. A system in which neither party wins or loses very badly — nor hangs on to unified government for very long — should be all the more peaceful. In practice, this half-a-loaf politics merely deprives whoever is president of pan-national legitimacy.

Of course, even the narrowest win is still potentially world-changing. It is no more possible to be half-president than half-pregnant. If elected, Mr Biden could unwind much of Mr trump’s foreign policy, regardless of which party controls the Senate. His election would be toasted in Nato headquarters and the chancelleries of most US allies. executive power will also matter in the fight against the pandemic. And even a raising of the presidential tone is worth something.

No, if there is a sense of liberal dread today, it is less about the scotched dreams of a progressive realignment than Mr trump’s dismaying resilience. for four years, he has lived down to the Democrats’ direst expectations and remained electorally competitive. Not enough Americans regard him as a tyrant or a klutz, or care either way. even if he loses, he has done well enough to remain the republicans’ reference point in opposition and a plausible candidate in 2024.

And that is the best-case scenario for the cause of liberalism. Vote-counting, or a court ruling to stop it, may yet bring about the very worst one.

Friday, 6 November, 2020

BUSINESS 09 corporate corner BOK registers growth in challenging times as profits triple ISLAMABAD: The Bank of Khyber y (BOK) has said that the bank closed the 3rd quarter with profit before tax of Rs2,795 million whereas profit after tax increased substantially y and stood at Rs1,652 million as compared to Rs598 million for the same period of 2019. The major contributors to the enhanced profitability y remained increase in Mark-up / Interest earned and Capital gains.

Further, significant amounts of high cost deposits have been attrited to substantially y reduce cost of funds.The total assets stood at Rs298,823 million. Deposits registered a growth of 6pc and stood at Rs192,999 million whereas with an increase of 11pc from the year y end 2019, advances reached Rs126,167 million whereas Investments closed at Rs145,142 million at the close of the 3rd quarter. PrESS rELEASE

Petroleum sales hit record two-year high in October Sales of petroleum oil products (POL) hit a two-year high in October with 1.7 million tonnes of petroleum products sold, an increase of 11 per cent from September. In September 2020, a total of 1.52 million tonnes of petroleum products were sold. The rise in the sales volume in October is largely attributed to the easing of lockdown and the resumption of economic activities across the country. A significant 43 per cent rise in the demand for high-speed diesel was also reported. The sales of diesel were 0.67 million tonnes in October as compared to 0.47 million tonnes in September, which resulted in it being the most sold petroleum product during October. The demand for petrol improved by only 7 per cent in October, with 0.69 million tonnes of petrol sold during the month, compared to 0.64 million tonnes sold in September. Furthermore, the demand for furnace oil reportedly fell by 22 per cent, with 0.29 million tonnes in sales during October compared to 0.37 million tonnes in September. Furnace oil is mainly used as a power source for oil-based power plants. Within the oil marketing companies (OMCs), Hascol Petroleum Limited reported the highest improvement in the Month on Month (MoM) sales figures, recording a 32 per cent MoM increase. Shell Pakistani Limited ranked second with a record of 22 per cent MoM increase in sales, followed by Pakistan State Oil (PSO) which recorded a 10 per cent MoM increase. NEWS DESK

SEZs to attract FDI from China, world: president ISLAMABAD TLTP

President Dr Arif Alvi has said that Special Economic Zones (SEZs) being established in Pakistan will attract foreign direct investment (FDI) from China and rest of the world. Addressing the third China International Import Expo ceremony held at Shanghai through a special video message, the President Thursday said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of Belt & Road Initiative, is forging ahead successfully. He said that in the first phase it focused on energy and infrastructure sectors development while in the second phase development of the social sector, agriculture and establishment of industry are at its core. He said special economic zones are being established in different areas of Pakistan while several other projects are near to completion under this under the CPEC. President Alvi appreciated Chinese people who under the leadership of President Xi Jinping have successfully dealt with the Covid-9 pandemic. The president said that the third phase trial of Covid-19 vaccine is being conducted in Pakistan with Chinese collaboration and the vaccine will not only benefit Pakistan but the world at large. He said that Pakistan-China friendship is time-tested and has met all expectations in every critical hour. The President said that Pakistan successfully tackled the corona pandemic without shutting down industries. The third China International Import Expo in Shanghai brings together around 2,600 businesses from over 120 countries and regions and has already registered about four hundred thousand professional buyers.

IOCO tO rEvISE Duty DrawBaCK ratES FOr ImPrOvINg tExtIlE ExPOrtS LAHORE

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HASSAN NAQVI

NPUT Output Coefficient Organisation (IOCO) has assured All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) leadership of revising duty drawback rates on exports, updating them according to the current incidence of duties and taxes in order to increase exports.

In this regard, IOCO Directorate General Director at North Zone Sadia Munib during a meeting with APTMA office bearers and members at APTMA House here on Thursday acknowledged that the existing duty drawback notification was issued about 11 years ago in 2009 and since then, whole tariff rates have altogether changed and required an immediate update.

ICO Additional Director Dr Mumtaz Ali was also present on the occasion.

APTMA Punjab Chairman Abdul Rahim Nasir, APTMA Punjab Vice Chairman Kamran Arshad and APTMA Punjab Executive Director Raza Baqir presented the issues relating to exports of textile products and the need for an immediate upward revision of duty drawback rates to relieve exporters from the current

THE ORGANISATION IS ALSO WORKING TO SIMPLIFY EXPORT SCHEME, PROVIDE NEW INCENTIVES FOR BUSINESSES economic crunch. Regretting that duty drawback is not being offered at current levels, APTMA’s leadership urged the government to amend rules, simplifying tax laws and automate business processes so that the SME sector of the value-added textile sector is facilitated and exports are enhanced.

The APTMA Punjab chairman observed that small businesses are at risk of losing billions in untapped export potential due to market frictions such as lack of transparency and related non-tariff measures.

He cited the high costs of doing business, adding that the industry has been competing in the global market without the support or a proper plan while major competitors like India and China had been utilising all channels and resources.

IT ministry seeks exemption of 8pc minimum income tax for National Telecommunication Corporation ISLAMABAD AHMAD AHMADANI

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoIT&T) has proposed amendments in the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 to secure exemption of eight per cent minimum income tax for the National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC), Profit has learned reliably.

According to reliable sources, the MoIT is all out to secure exemption of 8 per cent minimum income tax for NTC and the ministry has asked the Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC) that the bill to further amend the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 may be approved in terms of Rule16 (I) (a) and (d) of the Rules of Business 1973.

The upcoming meeting of CCLC is expected to take an important decision in this regard.

The NTC was established under Section 41 of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Reorganisation) Act, 1996 in order to provide telecommunication services only to the armed forces, defence projects, federal government, provincial governments or any such other government agencies or governmental institution as the federal government may determine.

Earlier, NTC management board in its 93rd meeting held on July 19, 2018, had resolved that NTC should forward the case for grant of exemption from 8 per cent as minimum tax rate to the Ministry of Finance through MoIT&T. The ministry had forwarded the request of NTC to the Finance Division to take action as per rules.

The Finance Division for-

warded the case to Revenue Division and the Revenue Division, in its response, contended that the proposal cannot be acceded to, saying NTC is a taxable entity and falls within the ambit of a ‘company ‘ in terms of Section 80 (2) (b) (ii) of the ITO 2001.

In response, NTC once again contended that they cannot be treated at par with other telecom companies as their mandate is restricted to government organisations only with a view to providing safe, secure and independent telecom service, free from private control.

NTC also contended that their clients are government departments which put NTC at a disadvantage as compared to private telecom companies whose sales are a mix of private and corporate sales with different taxation for both sets of clients.

MoIT&T requested the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to take up the matter with the Revenue Division for exemption of income tax at 8 per cent in favour of NTC. In its response, the Revenue Division stated that exemption can only be granted through amendments in the status which is the prerogative of the legislature, and advised to move a summary to the federal government to request for exemption.

Accordingly, a draft bill to further amend the second schedule of the Income Finance Act 2001 was sent to Law Division for vetting in terms of Rule 14 (I) of the Rules of Business 1973 and the Law Division has vetted this bill.

Sources further said that federal cabinet’s economic coordination committee (ECC) in its meeting held on November

27, 2019, had discussed the matter and constituted a committee comprising Minister for Economic Affairs Division Hamad Azhar as chairman, whereas IT minister, minister for power, minister for National Food Security and Research, Board of Investment chairman and representatives from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) attended as members.

The committee had recommended to the FBR to review cases of such companies providing services whose cost of sales was greater than their sales resulting in a gross loss in their books of accounts, and the FBR may consider that such companies are taken out of this regime (minimum tax of 8 per cent) by putting forth a budgetary proposal for the financial year 2020-21.

In view of the above, Ministry of IT & Telecom has proposed CCLC that the bill to further amend the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 may be approved in terms of Rules 16 (I) (a) and Rule 16 (I) (d) of the Rules of Business 1973.

It is pertinent to mention that initially, in accordance with Section 41 (8) of the Act, NTC was granted tax exemption for a period of three years.

Thereafter, NTC being a company in terms of Section 80 (2) (b) (ii) of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 has been paying Income Tax applicable as per rules at the following rates: (a) Taxable profit for which normal tax rate is defined in Division-II, part-I of the First Schedule of Income Tax Ordinance 2001 (currently@ 29 pc). (b) Minimum tax @1.25% of turnover (revenue) as per section 113 of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001.

Agreeing to the issues confronting textile sector exports, the IOCO Director Sadia Munib assured the APTMA chairman that IOCO is looking into the matter.

She said the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has established the IOCO Directorate General to constantly evaluate rates of duty drawbacks on exported goods and rates of input-output goods in liaison with the private sector.

“The Pakistan Customs has revised upwards rates of duty drawback for various sectors in accordance with the factual determination by IOCO after revision in valuations of input items under the government’s vision of “Make in Pakistan” to increase the global competitiveness of products and contribute towards export-led growth,” she added.

She said that IOCO was working to simplify the export scheme, providing new incentives for the business community to help the export industry keep abreast of latest developments and trends in relevant technologies.

She also agreed to the fact that better integration with the global value chain and increased exports are important for Pakistan’s economic development through job creation, especially for youth and women.

BOI to organise CPEC investment conference on Nov 25 ISLAMABAD APP

The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Industrial Cooperation Business to Business (B2B) Investment Conference will be organised by Pakistan’s Board of Investment (BOI) on November 25. According to a press release issued here on Thursday, the conference will be held in In Peshawar in collaboration with the KPBOIT. CPEC Industrial Cooperation Project Management Unit (PMU) Project Director of BOI Asim Ayub said that the B2B investment conference would focus on CPEC priority sectors to facilitate cooperation and linkages between Pakistani and foreign businessmen. He added that the conference also focused on academia, tourism, food processing, mines and minerals, and construction as well as exhibiting KP’s potential in different sectors, including ready to launch projects for JVs and B2B cooperation. Further, the PMU project director said that the government would also explore possibilities of the Chinese industries relocating into Pakistan by addressing issues faced by Chinese enterprises in the country. Over 250 participants would be selected for the conference based on the themes of the conference and keenness to invest in Pakistan. Video conference options would also be made available for those who cannot physically attend the event.

Services exports bounce back in September LAHORE APP

The export of services rebounded and posted a growth of 12.66 per cent year-on-year to $463.16 million in September, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). The first two months of 2020-21 witnessed negative growth in the export of services. However, the service exports between July-September period fell by 5.4pc to $1.225 billion as against $1.295bn over the corresponding months last year. Export of services dipped by over 8.66pc year-on-year (YoY) to $5.449bn in 2019-20 from $5.966bn in the preceding year. On month-on-month (MoM) basis, the exports from the country witnessed an increase of 29.75pc in September 2020 when compared to the exports of $356.97 million in August 2020. Meanwhile, the country’s merchandise trade deficit witnessed a reduction of 1.88pc during the first four months of FY21 as compared to the deficit of the corresponding period of last year. The deficit during the period was recorded at $7.577 billion as compared to the deficit of $7.722 billion last year, according to PBS data.

Dubai Islamic Bank selects Blitz Advertising as creative agency KARACHI BABAr KHAN JAVED

Following a lengthy creative review that started in March 2020, Dubai Islamic Bank has selected Blitz Advertising as its new creative agency. Bullseye DDB was the incumbent and the Islamic bank had also shortlisted Synergy Dentsu and Orient McCann as well. Due to Covid-19, the review process and subsequent outcome

THE SPARK AFFILIATE AGENCY IS PRODUCING THE INAUGURAL CORPORATE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ISLAMIC BANK had been delayed.

“The pitch brief clearly stated the brand’s ambition to position Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) as the number one brand in the mind of their target audiences,” said Shakeeb

Faruqui, the creative director at Blitz Advertising, in a statement to Profit. “DIB had done their homework on which segments within their target audience universe to target in order to achieve their desired positioning.”

CMYK

Speaking to Profit, Faruqui shared that DIB had outlined some key product and service innovations that help substantiate its ambitions, providing the pitching creative agencies with enough meat to weave the magic.

“There hasn’t been a more challenging time for the banking and financial services industry as a vast majority of consumers believe there is little to no significant difference in their products,” said Faruqui. “The

pitch brief combined with the state of the category provided a very challenging opportunity and we are proud that our proposed strategy and ideas won us this assignment.”

The Spark affiliate full-service agency is currently producing and shooting the first thematic commercial for the Islamic bank. In the fifteen years that DIB has operated in Pakistan, it has never launched a corporate brand communication, with Blitz Advertising working on its debut TVC and DVC.

Friday, 6 November, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

IN CovId-19 ClAMpdowN, ChINA bANS TRAvelleRS FRoM bRITAIN, FRANCe, INdIA BEIJING

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AGENCIES

HINA has banned non-Chinese travellers from Britain, France, Belgium, the Philippines and India, imposing some of the most stringent entry curbs of any country as coronavirus cases surge around the world.

The restrictions, which cover those with valid visas and residence permits and take effect in conjunction with a more restrictive testing regime for arrivals from several other countries, drew a frosty response from Britain.

“We are concerned by the abruptness of the announcement and the blanket ban on entry, and await further clarification on when it will be lifted,” said the British Chamber of Commerce in China as the blanket bans were announced by the five

countries’ Chinese embassies.

England started a month-long lockdown on Thursday. Britain’s virus death toll is the highest in Europe, and it is grappling with more than 20,000 new cases a day.

Belgium has Europe’s highest per capita number of new confirmed cases, while France and India are among the top five countries in the world with the most infections.

The suspensions were a partial reversal of an easing on Sept. 28, when China allowed all foreigners with valid residence permits to enter. In March, China had banned entry of foreigners in response to the epidemic.

‘SOLD OUT IN SECONDS’: Meanwhile, many people planning November visits to China scrambled to book earlier flights to circumvent potentially disruptive restrictions due to come into force for other countries from Friday.

US judge unsure if he has grounds to issue new TikTok injunction WASHINGTON

Linyi Li, a Chinese national, had planned to fly from Seattle to China in mid-November but switched her flight to Nov. 6 even though fares had tripled.

“The tickets were sold out in seconds, as people were all scrambling to beat the deadline,” said Li, 30. “I’ve been rushing to sell many of my family belongings in the past days in case I can’t get back to the States.”

From Friday, all passengers from the United States, France, Germany and Thailand bound for mainland China must take a nucleic acid test and a blood test for antibodies against the coronavirus no more than 48 hours before boarding.

Flights scheduled for Friday are not covered by the new rule, since passengers would have done their tests before that day under previous requirements.

China also plans to impose dual-test requirements on travellers from Australia,

Italian regions angry over government's Covid-19 zones ROME

AGENCIES

AGENCIES

A U.S. judge said on Wednesday he was uncertain if he had a legal basis to bar the U.S. Commerce Department from imposing restrictions on videosharing app TikTok after a Pennsylvania judge had already blocked the government’s plan on Friday.

Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd, the owner of TikTok, argues that the previous ruling could still be overturned on appeal. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols for the District of Columbia ordered both parties to file legal papers by Friday to address whether TikTok still faces “irreparable harm” from the U.S. order that Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google app stores remove the app for download by new users. The Trump administration contends TikTok poses national security concerns as the personal data of U.S. users could be obtained by China’s government. TikTok denies the allegations. Nichols said he was unsure if TikTok could demonstrate “irreparable harm” to win a new injunction. On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Wendy Beetlestone stopped the Commerce Department from barring TikTok’s data hosting within the United States and other technical transactions that she said would effectively ban the use of the app in the country. The restrictions were set to take effect Nov. 12. A Justice Department lawyer told Nichols the government had not decided whether to appeal Beetlestone’s order. Beetlestone, whose ruling came in a lawsuit filed by three TikTok users, noted the app has over 100 million U.S. TikTok users. On Sept. 27, Nichols issued a preliminary injunction against the government’s order. Beetlestone’s order also blocks the app store download ban. Talks have been ongoing to finalize a preliminary deal for Walmart Inc and Oracle Corp to take stakes in a new company to oversee U.S. operations. U.S. President Donald Trump has said the deal had his “blessing.”

Singapore and Japan from Nov. 8.

The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China said the antibody test was not widely available in many countries. “(So) unfortunately, while technically leaving the door open, these changes imply a de facto ban on anyone trying to get back to their lives, work and families in China,” said the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China.

On Tuesday, China Southern Airlines, the country’s biggest carrier by passenger load, said it would suspend transit services for passengers embarking from 21 countries, mostly African and Asian countries and including India and the Philippines.

The number of weekly international passenger flights serving mainland China from late October through March is set to slump 96.8% from a year earlier to 592, the latest schedules show.

Local Italian leaders reacted with dismay and anger on Thursday after the government singled out some regions for tougher restrictions than others in the renewed battle against a burgeoning coronavirus.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Wednesday that four areas, including Calabria in Italy’s southern toe and the country’s most populous region Lombardy, had been designated as red zones which will face a partial shutdown.

Two other regions were branded as orange zones, which means they will be hit by less stringent curbs, while the remaining 14 regions were placed in a yellow band with only light limits.

The government said it based its banding decision on 21 criteria. However, the system created confusion, as

did the restrictions, which are non-negotiable and will confine many people to their homes in the red zones over the next two weeks.

“Our requests have not even been taken into consideration. This is a slap in the face to Lombardy,” said Lombardy governor Attilio Fontana, who had urged Conte to wait a few more days to see whether measures introduced last month were working.

Lombardy, which includes Italy’s financial capital Milan, has been the epicentre of the contagion from the start and is still registering the largest number of new daily cases, which regularly exceed 7,000.

Calabria has been far less hit, and reported just 262 new infections on Wednesday. The government is concerned its hospitals would be unable to cope with a mass outbreak, but local officials pushed back on the red zone move.

“This region does not deserve to

be isolated. This could be fatal (to the economy),” said acting regional governor Nino Spirlì, who pledged to appeal the decision.

COMPLAINTS AND ANGER: There was also anger in adjacent Sicily about being placed in the orange zone, which, among other things, orders the closure of all restaurants.

“This seems to have been motivated more by politics than science,” said the island’s governor, Nello Musumeci, a member of the rightist bloc which is in opposition in Rome.

Musumeci questioned why two major regions, Lazio and Campania, both run by the ruling centre-left Democratic Party, had been assigned to the yellow zone.

Campania leader Vincenzo De Luca expressed unhappiness at the decision not to introduce more stringent measures across the whole country.

Volvo Trucks to launch full range of electric trucks in Europe in 2021 STOCKHOLM: Volvo Trucks, Sweden’s AB Volvo’s main truck brand, will sell a complete range of electric, heavyduty trucks in Europe starting in 2021, the company said in a statement on Thursday. Volvo said it was currently running tests of the electric heavy-duty Volvo FH, Volvo FM and Volvo FMX trucks, to be used for regional transport and urban construction operations in Europe. The trucks will have a gross combination weight of up to 44 tonnes, and, depending on the battery configuration, the range could be up to 300 kilometers, Volvo said. Sales will begin in 2021 and volume production will start in 2022. “This means that from 2021 onwards Volvo Trucks will sell a complete range of battery-electric trucks in Europe for distribution, refuse, regional transport and urban construction operations,” it said. AGECNIES

New bill set to expand Russian expresidents' immunity from prosecution MOSCOW AGENCIES

Russian ex-presidents’ immunity from criminal prosecution could be extended to any offences committed in their lifetimes, not merely while in office, under a bill submitted to parliament on Thursday. The bill, published on a government website, is one of several being introduced following constitutional reforms that, among other things, allow President Vladimir Putin to run again when his term ends in 2024. The draft legislation is being carefully parsed for clues as to what Putin, who has dominated Russian politics for more than two decades, plans to do in 2024. Former presidents already enjoy lifetime immunity for crimes committed in office under legislation adopted after Russia’s first postSoviet president, Boris Yeltsin, handed the reins of power to Putin at the turn of the century. The new bill would also make it harder to revoke ex-presidents’ expanded immunity. It would require the upper house of parliament to vote overwhelmingly to revoke it on the strength of accusations by the lower house that the president had committed treason or another serious crime. The bill will become law if the lower house votes to approve it in three readings, the upper house backs it, and Putin then signs it.

Russian police raid Navalny's AntiCorruption Foundation in Moscow MOSCOW AGENICES

Russian police raided the Moscow offices of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s AntiCorruption Foundation on Thursday and state bailiffs said a criminal investigation had been opened against the group’s director. Navalny, who is convalescing in Germany after his alleged poisoning with a novichok nerve agent in Russia, posted images on social media of law enforcement officers at his group’s offices in a business centre in Moscow. The RIA news agency cited bailiffs as saying the raid was linked to a criminal case against Ivan Zhdanov, director of Navalny’s group, for failing to implement a court order, an apparent reference to a lawsuit payout. A court in Moscow ordered Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation and Navalny supporter Lyubov Sobol last month each to pay 29 million roubles ($374,483) for libelling the Moscow Schoolchild catering company.

The Kremlin’s critics have cast those lawsuits, as well as a series of mass police raids, as part of a coordinated campaign aimed at crippling their activities. Russian authorities deny that.

WHO-led Covid drug scheme doubles down on antibodies, steroids and shuns remdesivir: report BRUSSELS AGENCIES

A World Health Organization-led scheme to supply Covid-19 drugs to poor countries is betting on experimental monoclonal antibody treatments and steroids but is shunning Gilead's GILD.O remdesivir blockbuster therapy, an internal document shows.

The WHO draft document, seen by Reuters and dated Oct. 30, says the priorities are to secure monoclonal antibodies in a tight market and to boost purchases and distribution of cheap steroid dexamethasone, of which it has already booked nearly 3 million courses of treatment for poorer countries.

Monoclonal antibodies are manufactured copies of antibodies created by the body to fight an infection.

The paper, which for the first time outlines how the scheme would spend donors’ money, does not cite remdesivir among priority drugs - a significant omission as the antiviral is the only other medication alongside dexamethasone approved across the world for treating Covid-19.

Gilead Science GILD.O, the U.S. company that developed remdesivir, said the WHO scheme had not funded its Covid-19 trials and had never approached the firm for the possible

inclusion of the drug in its portfolio.

The drug-supply scheme is one of the four pillars of the so-called ACT Accelerator, a WHO-led project which also seeks to secure Covid-19 vaccines, diagnostics and protective gear for poorer countries by raising more than $38 billion by the beginning of 2022.

“Immediate priorities for the (therapeutics) pillar are intensifying efforts on monoclonal antibodies while scaling up dexamethasone use,” says the WHO document, still subject to changes and expected to be published on Friday or next week.

The drug-supply scheme, co-led by the Wellcome Trust, a charity, and Unitaid, a health partnership hosted by the WHO, urgently needs $6.1 billion, $750 million of which by February, out of a total ask of $7.2 billion.

More than half the money needed urgently would be used to procure and distribute monoclonal antibodies, the document shows, saying these therapeutics could have a “gamechanging” impact but are in short supply.

No drug based on monoclonal antibodies has yet been approved against Covid-19, but the WHO scheme has already invested in research on the new technology and has secured production capacity at a plant of Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies in Denmark.

Fujifilm was not immediately available

for a comment. The scheme wants to spend $320 million to produce antibodies in that facility, the document says, estimating that would be enough to secure at least 4 million antibody courses assuming upper-range procurement costs of $80 per course.

A spokeswoman for Unitaid, speaking on behalf of the co-leaders of the scheme, confirmed that it wanted to raise and invest $320 million in securing monoclonal antibodies but declined to comment on potential commercial deals citing confidential agreements.

Another $110 million would be used for regulatory approval and other market preparation procedures for monoclonal antibodies in poorer countries, the document shows, while $220 million would fund clinical trials of monoclonal antibodies and Covid-19 drugs projects in poorer countries.

Among companies developing monoclonal antibodies against Covid-19 are U.S. pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly LLY.N, Switzerland's Novartis NOVN.S and U.S. firm Regeneron REGN.O, whose antibodies were administered together with remdesivir to U.S. President Donald Trump in October when he tested positive for the coronavirus.

Eli Lilly has already agreed to produce antibodies at the Fujifilm plant from April and make them available at “an affordable

price” to poorer countries, a company spokeswoman said.

Lilly’s drug is being trialled and is seeking emergency authorisation in the United States.

A U.S. government-run trial of the drug was paused in mid-October over safety concerns, but other trials continue. In spite of the suspension, the U.S. administration said last week it had sealed a $375-million supply deal.

It is unclear how and whether the WHO scheme will raise the money needed for the supply of antibodies and other projects.

Regeneron was not immediately available for comment.

Novartis NOVN.S, which expects results soon from a trial of its arthritis treatment canakinumab against Covid-19, said on Thursday that it received a request several days ago from the WHO scheme seeking information about medicines to tackle the coronavirus. Novartis also makes dexamethasone.

REMDESIVIR? NO, THANKS: Despite being short of funds, the WHO drugs-supply scheme wants to “transform the treatment landscape”, the document says, and distribute hundreds of millions of courses of Covid-19 drugs to poorer countries by 2022.

Apart from monoclonal antibodies and dexamethasone, it is also planning to de-

velop and secure experimental drugs, including new antivirals and repurposed drugs.

The scheme wants to spend another $100 million to seal deals with unspecified drugmakers from mid-2021, the document says, and next year plans to invest another $4.4 billion to secure drugs showing positive results in clinical trials.

The Unitaid spokeswoman said that among repurposed therapeutics, dexamethasone and its alternative, hydrocortisone, were the most promising.

Remdesivir, alternatively known as Veklury, is also a repurposed antiviral which was initially trialled against Ebola.

Unitaid confirmed the scheme had not procured or funded remdesivir. It did not comment on whether it may buy the drug in future or on why remdesivir did not appear among priority treatments in the document.

Remdesivir has been authorised in dozens of countries around the world to treat Covid19. However, preliminary findings of a major WHO-sponsored trial revealed in October the antiviral had little or no benefit for Covid-19 patients, contradicting previous positive trials.

Governments however continue to buy it, with Germany this week announcing the purchase of more than 150,000 doses for the next six months.

Friday, 6 November, 2020

SPORTS 11

PreMIer LeaGue CLubs LIkeLy to sCraP Pay-Per-VIew ModeL for seCond LoCkdown PerIod

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AGENCIES

HE Premier League is likely to scrap the controversial pay-perview method for matches after November’s international window.

Clubs will instead look to devise a new solution that will cover the Christmas period.

A definitive decision was not taken at a shareholders’ meeting on Thursday but discussions are said to be ongoing.

However, the £14.95 fee - which led to significant protests among fan groups - is expected to be dropped. It is understood the model used in September, when all games were shown live by the Premier League’s broadcast partners, is the likely direction of travel. Pay-per-view remains on the table but a final decision is not expected this week.

In a statement, the Premier League said shareholders met on Thursday “to discuss a

number of important issues”, including the broadcast options for matches following the international break.

“Discussions with all stakeholders are ongoing and a broadcast solution will be announced in due course,” it added.

More than £300,000 has been raised for charity by fans boycotting pay-per-view games, which were introduced in October after clubs voted 19-1 in favour of the “interim solution”. Liverpool’s fan group the Spirit of Shankly described the decision to charge £14.95 as “disgraceful”, while the Football Supporters’ Association said many fans were “concerned” over the price and wanted it reduced.

Following Thursday’s meeting, an FSA spokesperson said: “Supporters made clear their revulsion at the £15 cost to see their teams on Sky and BT Sport’s pay-per-view platforms last month, an emotion running so deep that fan protests across the country

even reached the ears of untouchable Premier League club owners.

“We await to see the detail of what the Premier League and its broadcasters will now offer supporters who remain locked out of grounds for the foreseeable future - they simply must come up with a solution that is affordable for all.”

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley and manager Steve Bruce have said the fee for oneoff matches is too high, while former Manchester United and England right-back Gary Neville, now a Sky pundit, said the system “just needs scrapping”.

Pay-per-view will still be used for this weekend’s fixtures, for games not selected for regular television broadcast, and whatever decision is made would come into force from 21 November and is due to last for the rest of the year.

Last month, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said the £14.95 fee was

“defensible”, and the announcement of the model came at a time when top-flight clubs were lobbying for spectators to be allowed back into grounds. However, England has since entered a second national lockdown, which will last until 2 December, and hopes of an imminent return of fans have faded.

In September, all 28 Premier League matches were shown live, with all broadcast partners - Sky Sports, BT Sport, the BBC and Amazon Prime - screening matches.

Meanwhile, the Premier League said its shareholders also reiterated that a rescue package remains on the table for EFL clubs suffering financially during the coronavirus

Haas boss Steiner accepts there are ‘pros and cons’ to potential all-rookie 2021 line-up

AGENCIES Ever since their first season in F1 in 2016, Haas have approached the sport differently to their rivals. And Team Principal Guenther Steiner says that the team’s leftfield approach is one reason he’s not ruling out running all all-rookie line-up in 2021.

It was announced ahead of the Portuguese Grand Prix that both of the team’s incumbent drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen – partnered together at the team since 2017 – would be replaced

for 2021.

But while Haas have still to confirm either seat for next season, it’s been rumoured that the line-up could consist of two F1 rookies, with Formula 2 racers Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin thought to be among the frontrunners – with Steiner saying there would be “pros and cons” to such a pairing.

“We haven’t decided to take two rookies,” said Steiner, speaking over the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend, “but I can easily talk you through my

thoughts about rookies because we’ve discussed this, and the risks and opportunities with [two rookies].

“I think there’s obviously risks that two rookies, they have nobody experienced to look at the data and stuff like this, they need to find out between them what is going on, and there is a risk that that goes wrong. But there are technical means [which we can use to] help them.

But the pros are you can put them in the direction you want to put them, and then they grow with the team.”

Haas have ruffled feathers by disrupting the traditional F1 approach in their five seasons in the sport, with the team’s business model built around purchasing as many parts as legally possible from outside suppliers and having their chassis work carried out by Italian firm Dallara – while in a difficult 2020, the team’s three points so far have resulted from a pair of bold strategy calls at the Hungarian and Eifel Grands Prix.

And Steiner said that that disruptive spirit could be a reason for the team to try the rookie pairing approach.

“Because it was never done, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work,” said Steiner. “For sure, there is a risk that it doesn’t work – I do not want to be ignorant to that – but we’ve done a few things different to other people. A few years ago, I was asked, why do you keep Romain so long, because nobody has kept anybody so long!

“We don’t need to do what other people did, we will do what we think is right, and if it works or not, we will be judged on that,” Steiner added. “So we take that risk and we take the opportunities. If we take two rookies, we have thought it through, we know the pros and we know the cons.”

Meanwhile, asked why Haas wanted to replace both drivers now, rather than having Magnussen or Grosjean mentor a young driver through next season before the new 2022 regulations come into play – or keeping both drivers for another year – Steiner replied: “Next year is an interim year, so if we get two drivers, we do it now so that we get used to the drivers… and then in ’22, we’ll have them ready when the new regulations come.

“Because to put new drivers in in ’22, for me it would have been a little bit risky, because then you have to learn two things: a complete new car and new drivers.”

Ferrari’s all-new 2021 engine delivering ‘very promising’ dyno figures, says Binotto AGENCIES An extraordinary turn of events this season has seen Ferrari slide from being comfortably the second-best manufacturer in F1 last year to fighting it out with AlphaTauri for P6 in 2020. But with Ferrari having announced a brand-new power unit for 2021 to try and stop the rot, Team Principal Mattia Binotto said the early signs coming from the dyno at Maranello were looking good.

A lack of horsepower has been one of the main hindrances for Ferrari this year, leading to the team scoring just 103 points in the first 13 races of the season – having taken 326 in the same period last year – while there’s also been a knock-on effect for Ferrari’s customer teams Haas

and Alfa Romeo, who as of the Imola race had scored just 11 points between them in 2020. But having announced that the team would try to fix the problem by investing in an entirely new engine for 2021, Binotto said the unit was showing “very promising” performance in testing so far.

“We do not have currently the best engine,” admitted Binotto, “and I think that next year, we may have a completely new power unit, as per the regulations. At Ferrari, we have invested a lot in developing further the power unit for 2021, and for 2022. The engine is running currently at the dyno and I think the feedback, in terms of both the performance and reliability, are very promising.”

From 2021, teams will be limited in the amount of power unit testing they can carry out on the dynos in their

CMYK

factories. But Binotto added that, because of those restrictions, it was up to Ferrari to be “creative” in how they used their dyno time. “We’ve got dyno limitations [for 2021],” he said, “and it’s down to us to be efficient in the way we are planning all the tests on the dynos, and being even creative in the way we are approaching the testing. But I think that even if we’ve got some limitations on dyno operations, still there is room for improvement, and I think that, from what I can see today at the dyno, I’m happy with the results.”

Despite Ferrari’s 2020 struggles, the team have seen an upturn in form of late, with a series of upgrades having helped Charles Leclerc to finish in the top eight for the past five races, including the Monegasque most recently taking P5 at Imola.

pandemic. “The offer guarantees no EFL club need go out of business as a result of the pandemic in the 2020-21 season, and our intention is to play an active role in helping clubs return to financial stability,” it said in a statement. “The Premier League will engage directly with any EFL club that is suffering severe financial losses due to the pandemic, and will remain in dialogue with the EFL on this important issue.

“The rescue package is on top of solidarity payments totalling £110m already advanced to the EFL this season, alongside additional financial support for youth development and community programmes.”

Covid-19: Iker Lecuona forced to withdraw from Valencia MotoGP A positive PCR Covid result for Iker Lecuona’s brother means the Spaniard is forced to withdraw from the opening Valencia MotoGP weekend AGENCIES Tech3 KTM has announced that Iker Lecuona will not be able to take part in this weekend’s first Valencia MotoGP round.

Although Lecuona passed the usual pre-race PCR (Covid-19) test, a positive result for his brother and assistant prevents him from travelling to Valencia this week.

The Spaniard, who lives with his brother in Andorra, will undergo another PCR test today in order to confirm his own negative result. But regardless of the outcome, due to the Andorran legislation, Lecuona is forced to quarantine himself for 10 days and will not be allowed to start the European Grand Prix. Lecuona and Tech3 now have their fingers crossed that he will able to return for Valencia II, next weekend.

“We are very sad to announce that Iker Lecuona won’t be participating in the Gran Premio de Europa this weekend,” said team manager Herve Poncharal. “So far, he’s tested negative, but his brother, who is also his assistant is positive and therefore the Andorran authorities have called him a ‘contact case’.

“He will have another test today, but even if it’s negative again, he’s got to stay in quarantine without moving from his home in Andorra for 10 days.

“The plan is to have another test next Wednesday and if this one is negative as well, he will be able to travel to Valencia and participate in Valencia II. “This is very unfortunate, everybody was very careful. We are deeply sorry for that. We just hope that Iker will keep negative on the next tests and that we can see him next week here.

“Don’t forget, this is his home Grand Prix and he and the team were expecting so much from these two races, that it’s a real pity. But with how the world is at the moment, unfortunate things like this are happening.

Again, we hope everything will be back to normal next week.

“Of course, he won’t be replaced for this event, therefore the whole Red Bull KTM Tech3 team will concentrate on our sole rider, Miguel Oliveira.”

Valentino Rossi is another rider in doubt for this weekend’s race. The Italian missed both previous Aragon rounds after being diagnosed with Covid-19 and, despite feeling fully fit again, continues to test positive. Rossi needs two consecutive negative test results, 48 hours apart, to be allowed to return.

Thursday, 6 November, 2020

PrAyEr TImINGS

NEWS

TrUmp SUeS iN 3 STaTeS, layiNg grOUND fOr cONTeSTiNg elecTiON OUTcOme

U

AGENCIES

S President Donald Trump’s campaign filed lawsuits on Wednesday in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia, laying the groundwork for contesting battleground states as he slipped behind Democrat Joe Biden in the hunt for the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House.

The new filings, joining existing Republican legal challenges in Pennsylvania and Nevada, demand better access for campaign observers to locations where ballots are being processed and counted, and raise absentee ballot concerns, the campaign said. However, at one Michigan location in question The Associated Press observed poll watchers from both sides monitoring on Wednesday. The AP called Michigan for Democrat Joe Biden on Wednesday. Nevada, Pennsylvania and Georgia are undecided. The Trump campaign also is seeking to intervene in a Pennsylvania case at the Supreme Court that deals with whether ballots received up to three days after the election can be counted, deputy campaign manager Justin Clark said.

The actions reveal an emerging legal strategy that the president had signaled for weeks, namely that he would attack the integrity of the voting process in states where the result could mean his defeat.

His campaign also announced that it would ask for a recount in Wisconsin, a state the AP called for Biden on Wednesday afternoon. Campaign manager Bill Stepien cited “irregularities in several Wisconsin counties”, without providing specifics. Biden said Wednesday the count should continue in all states, adding, “No one’s going to take our democracy away from us — not now, not ever.”

Campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said legal challenges were not the behavior of a winning campaign.

“What makes these charades especially pathetic is that while Trump is demanding recounts in places he has already lost, he’s simultaneously engaged in fruitless attempts to halt the counting of votes in other states in which he’s on the road to defeat,” Bates said in a statement.

AvALANcHE Of mAIL bALLOTs: Election officials continued to count votes across the country, the normal process on the day following voting. Unlike in previous years, states were contending with an avalanche of mail ballots driven by fears of voting in person during a pandemic. At least 103 million people voted early, either by mail or in-person, representing 74 per cent of the total votes cast in the 2016 presidential election.

Every election, results reported on election night are unofficial and the counting of ballots extends past Election Day.

Dollar loses ground as Biden inches closer to White House TORONTO: The dollar slipped to its weakest level in more than two years against the yuan and eased against other Asian currencies as Democrat Joe Biden edged closer to the White House in a nail-biting US presidential election.

Financial markets, however, were braced for days or even weeks of uncertainty as Republican incumbent President Donald Trump has opened a multi-pronged attack on vote counts in several states by pursuing lawsuits and a recount. That could hamper the dollar in the short run, traders say. Elsewhere, sterling fell against the dollar and the euro after a media report that the Bank of England, which announces a policy decision later on Thursday, is considering negative interest rates. The Federal Reserve, which is expected to keep policy on hold on Thursday, is also in focus as traders navigate market volatility in the wake of a knife-edge US election that has pushed up the yuan and the Mexican peso.

Biden has claimed the pivotal Midwestern states of Wisconsin and Michigan. Late reporting showed the former vice president with a lead in Nevada and Arizona, while Trump held a lead in Georgia and Pennsylvania. Expectations that a Biden administration would strike a slightly softer tone on trade policy is likely to weaken the dollar against the currencies of countries that often faced the threat of tariffs during Trump’s administration, analysts said. “The moves in the yuan and the peso show that the market is trying to price in a Biden victory,” said Masafumi Yamamoto, chief currency strategist at Mizuho Securities in Tokyo. AGENCIES

Mail ballots normally take more time to verify and count. This year, because of the large numbers of mail ballots and a close race, results were expected to take longer.

The Trump campaign said it is calling for a temporary halt in the counting in Michigan and Pennsylvania until it is given “meaningful” access in numerous locations and allowed to review ballots that already have been opened and processed. The AP’s Michigan call for Biden came after the suit was filed. The president is ahead in Pennsylvania but his margin is shrinking as more mailed ballots are counted. There have been no reports of fraud or any type of ballot concerns out of Pennsylvania. The state had 3.1 million mail-in ballots that take time to count and an order allows them to be received and counted up until Friday if they are postmarked by Nov 3. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a CNN interview the lawsuit was “more a political document than a legal document”.

“There is transparency in this process.

The counting has been going on. There are observers observing this counting, and the counting will continue,” he said.

The Michigan lawsuit claims Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, was allowing absentee ballots to be counted without teams of bipartisan observers as well as challengers. She’s accused of undermining the “constitutional

right of all Michigan voters [...] to participate in fair and lawful elections”.

Michigan Democrats said the suit was a longshot. Poll watchers from both sides were plentiful on Wednesday at one major polling place in question — the TCF Center in Detroit, The Associated Press observed. They checked in at a table near the entrance to the convention center’s Hall E and strolled among the tables where ballot processing was taking place. In some cases, they arrived en masse and huddled together for a group discussion before fanning out to the floor. Uniformed Detroit police officers were on hand to make sure everyone was behaving.

Mark Brewer, a former state Democratic chairman who said he was observing the Detroit vote counting as a volunteer lawyer, said he had been at the TCF arena all day and had talked with others who had been there the past couple of days. He said Republicans had not been denied access.

“This is the best absentee ballot counting operation that Detroit has ever had.

They are counting ballots very efficiently, despite the obstructing tactics of the Republicans.”

LEgAL cHALLENgEs: GOP lawyers had already launched legal challenges involving absentee votes in Pennsylvania and Nevada, contesting local decisions that could take on national significance in the close election.

Trump backers converge on vote centres in Michigan, Arizona AGENCIES Dozens of angry supporters of United States President Donald Trump converged on vote-counting centres in Detroit and Phoenix as the returns went against him Wednesday in the two key states, while thousands of anti-Trump protesters demanding a complete tally of the ballots in the still-undecided election took to the streets in cities across the US. “Stop the count!” the Trump supporters chanted in Detroit. “Stop the steal!” they said in Phoenix. The protests came as the president insisted without evidence that there were major problems with the voting and the ballot counting, especially with mail-in votes, and as Republicans filed suit in various states over the election. Wearing Trump gear, the Phoenix protesters filled much of the parking lot at the Maricopa County election centre, and members of the crowd chanted, “Fox Newssucks!” in anger over the network declaring Joe Biden the winner in Arizona.

Rep Paul Gosar, an Arizona Republican and staunch Trump supporter, joined the crowd, declaring: “We’re not going to let this election be stolen. Period.” However, observers from both major political parties were inside the election centre as ballots were processed

and counted, and the procedure was live-streamed online at all times.

Several sheriff’s deputies blocked the entrance to the building. And the vote-counting went on into the night, Maricopa County Elections Department spokeswoman Megan Gilbertson said.

Two top county officials — one a Democrat, the other a Republican — issued a statement expressing concern about how misinformation had spread about the integrity of the election process.

“Everyone should want all the votes to be counted, whether they were mailed or cast in person,” said the statement signed by Clint Hickman, the GOP chair of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, and Democratic Supervisor Steve Gallardo. “An accurate vote takes time [...] This is evidence of democracy, not fraud.”

Meanwhile, from New York City to Seattle, thousands of demonstrators turned out to demand that every vote be tallied. In Portland, Oregon, which has been a scene of regular protests for months, Gov Kate Brown called out the National Guard as demonstrators engaged in what authorities said was widespread violence downtown, including smashing windows. Protesters in Portland were demonstrating about a range of issues, including police brutality and the counting of the vote. “It’s important

to trust the process, and the system that has ensured free and fair elections in this country through the decades, even in times of great crisis,” Brown said in a statement. “We are all in this together.”

Richard March came to an antiTrump demonstration in Portland despite a heart condition that makes him vulnerable to Covid-19. “To cast doubt on this election has terrible consequences for our democracy,” he said. “I think we are a very polarised society now — and I’m worried about what’s going to come in the next days and weeks and months.” In New York, hundreds of people paraded past boarded-up luxury stores on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, and in Chicago, demonstrators marched through downtown and along a street across the river from Trump Tower. Similar protests — sometimes about the election, sometimes about racial inequality — took place in at least a half-dozen cities, including Los Angeles, Houston, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis and San Diego. The confrontation in Detroit started shortly before The Associated Press declared that Biden had won Michigan. Video shot by local media showed angry people gathered outside the TCF Centre and inside the lobby, with police officers lined up to keep them from entering the vote-counting area. They chanted, “Stop the count!” and “Stop the vote!”

FAJR SUNRISE

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Oil drops as US election uncertainty dominates markets LONDON: Oil prices fell on Thursday as Democrat Joe Biden edged closer to the White House in a nail-biting U.S. presidential election, though doubts remain over further huge stimulus to bolster the ecomony in the face of the coronavirus crisis. Brent crude fell 17 cents, or 0.4%, to $41.06 a barrel by 1135 GMT and U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down 28 cents, or 0.7%, at $38.87.

Both contracts had jumped about 4% on Wednesday. Biden predicted victory over President Donald Trump after winning two critical U.S. states while the Republican incumbent alleged fraud, filed lawsuits and demanded recounts in a bitter contest that has yet to be decided. A drawn-out court battle over the results could cause additional uncertainty in the market, spawning further sell-offs within risky asset classes. “A Trump win will likely to be bullish for oil, at least more bullish than under a Biden administration,” said Tamas Varga at oil brokerage PVM. “Joe Biden will rejoin (the Paris climate agreement). He would also soften the U.S. stance on Iran, consequently global oil supply could rise.” Current vote counting and trends suggest the Republicans are poised to retain control of the U.S. Senate, while the Democrats will hold a slimmed majority in the House of Representatives. A divided Congress could hamper Biden’s plans on climate change, economic stimulus and the easing of sanctions on oil producer Iran. Oil prices had surged on Wednesday on growing expectations that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, together called OPEC+, would hold off on bringing back 2 million bpd of supply in January, given demand has been sapped by new Covid-19 lockdowns. “The volatility in oil will remain because of its sensitivity to the U.S. dollar. And the U.S. dollar will remain volatile for at least the next few days as the U.S. election still has to be worked out,” said Commonwealth Bank commodities analyst Vivek Dhar. AGENCIES

New Delhi suffers most toxic air in a year, heightening coronavirus worries NEW DELHI: New Delhi, the capital city with the worst air quality worldwide, suffered its most toxic day in a year on Thursday, recording the concentration of poisonous PM2.5 particles at 14 times over the World Health Organisation safe limit. A raging coronavirus epidemic, with more than 400,000 confirmed cases in the city of 20 million, has heightened alarm over the health hazard posed by the choking smog, with doctors warning of a sharp increase in respiratory illnesses. “At this time in Delhi, coronavirus and pollution are causing a major havoc,” Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi’s chief minister said in a recorded video on Twitter. “We are seeing all round the sky is covered with smoke, and because of this the situation from coronavirus is worsening.” The deadly PM2.5 particles are less than 2.5 microns in diameter, can penetrate the lung barrier and enter the blood system, potentially causing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases including lung cancer, according to WHO. “Woke up with a feeling that poisonous garbage is stuck in my windpipe,” said Rahul Ojha, a resident who tagged government authorities in a tweet, blaming them for inaction. Delhi’s air pollution typically worsens in October and November due to farmers burning off stubble in surrounding states, traffic fumes and windless days. AGENCIES

World waits nervously, impatiently for US election result WASHINGTON/LONDON AGECNIES

From Ford Model T cars that popped off the assembly line in just 90 minutes to 60-second service for burgers, the United States has long had a major hand in making the world a frenetic and impatient place, primed and hungry for instant gratification.

So the world’s realization Wednesday that the US election winner might not be known for days or longer was jarring for a planet weaned on American speediness.

The guessing game of trying to figure out whether — and how — President Donald Trump or challenger Joe Biden would end up in the White House quickly turned global. Government leaders scrambled to digest the delay and ordinary people swapped views, hopes and fears on feeds and phones. Some scratched their heads — not for the first time — over the US presidency being decided not by the overall votes by by whoever wins 270 votes in the Electoral College.

Gloating was heard from parts of the world that have been on the receiving end of US criticism about their elections and governance. Underscoring how the drama captured global audiences, television graphics in Japan used fireballs to denote some of the battleground states crucial to the outcome.

“I’m hearing it may take some time before things are sorted out,” said the Japanese finance minister, Taro Aso. “I have no idea how it may affect us.”

A Spanish resident of Paris was stunned to wake up without a declared winner. “I thought there was going to be something clear. And I have read different articles, no one really knows who is going to win,” Javier Saenz said. “I am very shocked by that.” The lack of an immediate winner was not, in itself, an indication that anything was wrong. In a year turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic, many states made it easier to vote by mail. That slowed the compiling of results.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who has been poisoned and attacked for challenging the Krem-

lin and trying to make Russia more democratic, even suggested that the delay was comforting, a sign of democracy at work. “Woke up and went on Twitter to see who won. Still unclear. Now that’s (what I call) elections,” he tweeted. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, too, described the delayed outcome as a demonstration of democracy.

“I have great confidence in the democracy of the United States and I have great confidence in their institutions and the thing about great institutions and democracies is they deal with whatever challenges come, just like our own does,” Morrison told reporters in Sydney.

But elsewhere, global unease of not knowing was mixing with sharpening concerns about how America might heal after the divisive campaign. Trump’s own extraordinary and premature claims of victory and his threat to take the election to the Supreme Court also sparked anxiety and comparisons with autocrats.

“That was such a ‘Trump or we burn the country’ moment,” quipped Danny Makki, a Syria analyst, refer-

ring to slogans of “Assad, or we burn the country,” that used to be sprayed by supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad on walls in the early days of the country’s civil war to intimidate opponents.

From Europe, in particular, came appeals for patience and rigorous vote-counting. In Slovenia, the birthplace of first lady Melania Trump, the right-wing prime minister, Janez Jansa, claimed it was “pretty clear that American people have elected Donald Trump,” but he was a lonely voice among leaders in jumping ahead of any firm outcome. The German vice chancellor, Olaf Scholz, insisted on a complete tally, saying: “It is important for us that everything be counted and in the end we have a clear result.”

And the German defense minister, Annegret KrampKarrenbauer, said that “the battle over the legitimacy of the result — whatever it will look like — has now begun.” “This is a very explosive situation. It is a situation of which experts rightly say it could lead to a constitutional crisis in the US,” she said on ZDF television.

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