Saturday, 5 December, 2020 I 18 Rabi al-Akhir, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 156 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
PM Presents 10-Point Plan to avoid econoMic collaPse in develoPing states
ISLAMABAD staff report
P
rime minister imran Khan has proposed a ten-point agenda to the world community to avert economic collapse in the developing countries due to the coronavirus pandemic. Addressing a special session of the united nations general Assembly, the prime minister warned that without economic security, conflicts and disputes would persist and proliferate across the world. he joined nearly 100 world leaders at a two-day session of the ungA on the response to the deadly coronavirus pandemic and forging a united path forward to better recovery, including access to a vaccine. the premier also stressed the need for reforming the international financial architecture; building an inclusive and equitable debt management mechanism; constructing a democratic sdg-focused trading system; and installing a fair interna-
tional tax regime. he said that the coronavirus pandemic has caused immense human suffering, but added that the poorest countries and the poor in all the countries are suffering the most. “nearly 100 million people in developing countries will fall back into extreme poverty,” he warned. he said that rich countries have injected $13 trillion as fiscal stimulus to revive their economies but the developing countries did not have that much resources. pakistan, he said, is also committed under an imf programme to reduce the budget deficit. “i am sure other developing countries in our position are facing a similar dilemma. how to stimulate the economy and yet at the same time reduce our budget deficit? the only way we can have the fiscal space to maintain and revive growth is through access to additional liquidity,” imran said. detailing his 10-point urgent action plan, the prime minister called for: debt suspension till the end of the pandemic for low-income and most stressed countries;
coronavirus in
Pakistan
CONFIRMED CASES:
410,072
LAST UPDATED AT 7:26 AM ON DECEMBER 4, 2020
DAY'S DEATH TOLL:
55
RECOVERED:
NEW CASES:
3,262 DEATHS:
350,305 8,260 SINDH:
PUNJAB:
179,240
121,753
KP:
BALOCHISTAN:
48,264 AJK/GB:
17,333
ISLAMABAD:
7,151/4,692 31,639
cancellation of debt of least developed countries; restructuring of the public sector debt of other developing countries under an agreed inclusive multilateral framework; a general allocation of special drawing rights of $500 billion; expanded concessional financing to lower income countries through multilateral development banks; creation of a new ‘liquidity and sustainability facility’, which should provide short-term loans at lower costs; fulfilment of the 0.7 percent official development assistance commitments; mobilising the required $1.5 trillion annual investment in sustainable infrastructure’ achievement of the agreed target of mobilising $100 billion per year for climate action in developing countries; immediate action to stop the massive illicit financial outflows from developing countries to rich countries, to offshore tax havens and at the same time, immediate return of their assets stolen by corrupt politicians and criminals back to these countries. in his speech, pm imran also dilated on the strategy adopted by the pakistan government to cope with the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, since its emergence in the country in february this year. “in pakistan, we had a successful policy of ‘smart lockdowns’,” he said. “our efforts were aimed at ensuring that not only do we save people from the virus, but also prevent them from dying from hunger. We provided a relief package of around $8 billion – which was almost 3 per cent of our gdp – to support the poor and to keep the economy afloat at the same time,” he added. imran said that so far, this strategy worked “but now we are confronted with a far more aggressive second wave of the virus. We are facing now the challenge of maintaining and reviving our economic growth as well as dealing with the increasing number of cases which are occupying our hospital beds”.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 05
Criticism is essential for democracy, observes IHC g
Court stops ptA’s Counsel from Citing indiA As An exAmple in his Argument ISLAMABAD staff report
the islamabad high Court (ihC) on friday raised serious questions over the social media rules, recently formulated by the government, and observed that criticism is essential for democracy. during the hearing of the case, ihC Chief Justice Athar minallah warned of serious consequences and remarked that banning criticism in the 21st Century would result in serious harm to the country. during the hearing, the counsel for pakistan telecommunication Authority (ptA) tried to quote india as an example but the chief justice stopped him from going into such arguments. “do not mention india here. We are aware that there is no violation of human rights. Any wrong move or practice in india could not be adopted in pakistan. remember that there is a Constitution and democracy in pakistan. Criticism should be encouraged,” the chief justice remarked. “Who suggested the formulation of such rules and which authority approved this,” the chief
Pakistan rejects India’s misleading assertions in Jadhav’s case ISLAMABAD staff report
pakistan has rejected inaccurate and misleading assertions by the indian ministry of external Affairs (meA) in the convicted indian spy Commander Jadhav’s case. the foreign office (fo), in a statement, categorically rejected indian meA's baseless allegations regarding legal proceedings currently taking place in the case of indian naval Commander Jadhav. it is evident that by casting aspersions on the indian high Commission’s own legal counsel, the indian government is looking for an escape from the legal proceedings in Commander Jadhav case, the statement read. the statement also revealed that pakistan had invited the indian high Commission to meet with Jadhav and appoint a lawyer on his behalf so that proceedings to review and reconsider Jadhav’s conviction could commence. however, during the course of diplomatic exchanges, the indian high Commission refused to instruct a lawyer itself, as the indian hC felt this would amount to a waiver of india’s sovereign immunity.
justice asked the ptA counsel. the court also observed that the objections raised by the pakistan Bar Council (pBC) are valid and the rules represent a particular mindset. While adjourning the proceedings till december 18, the chief justice directed the ptA counsel to satisfy the court on the next hearing that the rules in question are not in violation of Article 19 and 19A of the Constitution of pakistan, 1973. the court is looking into the issue ever since the ptA imposed a ban on online game, puBg, with the pBC acting as amicus curiae. A petition has also been filed against the Citizen protection (Against online harm) rules, 2020, which requires all social media companies to register with the authorities within three months, establish their offices in islamabad, create a data server in pakistan within a year and block any account that violates the religious, cultural, ethnic, or national security sensitivities of the country. moreover, political leaders and civil society activists have also voiced serious concerns over the issue.
more inside
Mosques won’t be closed but compliance with SOPs imperative: PM STORY ON PAGE 02
As such, the government of pakistan was forced to initiate proceedings for appointment of a state counsel for Jadhav. during the course of the proceedings, to show the discrepancy in the indian position, the attorney general for pakistan (Agp) cited the case of muhammad ismail, an indian national currently in custody in pakistan, where the indian high Commission had instructed noon as its lawyer. Contrary to the false statement by the meA, no attempt was made to link the cases of Jadhav with another indian prisoner ismail. the two cases are and remain entirely distinct. reference to the case of ismail
was only for purpose of showing the discrepancy and inconsistency in the indian position. it is reiterated that in line with the judgement of international Court of Justice (iCJ), pakistan has already provided consular access to the indian high Commission twice and has taken all necessary steps for effective review and reconsideration in the case. the indian side is once again urged to desist from the use of its usual diversionary and dilatory tactics and instead take practical steps so that legal proceedings could be duly concluded, and full effect could be given to the judgement of iCJ.
ex-accountability judge Arshad malik dies of Covid-19 STORY ON PAGE 03
Pakistan calls for ‘just resolution’ of Israeli-Palestinian conflict for Mideast peace STORY ON PAGE 02
pdm denied permission for lahore rally STORY ON PAGE 03