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Monday, 22 June, 2020 I 30 Shawwal-ul-Mubarak, 1441 I Rs 15.00 I Vol X No 353 I 52 Pages I Islamabad Edition
IndIa can’t bear peace In pakIstan! g
FM QURESHI SAYS NEW DElHI COUlD ACTIvATE SlEEPER CEllS IN PAKISTAN IN BID TO COvER HUMIlIATION HANDED BY CHINA IN lADAKH
ISLAMABAD staff report
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OREIGN Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Sunday said that India “cannot bear peace in Pakistan” whether it is a matter of Waziristan or ceasefire violations across the line of Control (loC). In a statement, Qureshi said that India’s BJP government was under “extreme pressure” and added that India could “activate sleeper cells in different areas of Pakistan to distract from questions being asked about the insult in ladakh”. “It can also increase ceasefire violations across the loC. We must analyse this situation attentively,” he said, adding that he would contact the foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) over the “new situation”. He termed India’s acts “indecent”. He claimed that it did not want peace in Afghanistan as well and was playing the role of a “spoiler”. LOC KILLINGS: Earlier in the day, a 13year-old girl embraced martyrdom while her mother and a minor boy were injured
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13-YEAR-OlD GIRl MARTYRED, MOTHER AND A MINOR BOY INJURED IN UNPROvOKED INDIAN FIRING AlONG lOC
as Indian troops resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violations along the line of Control (loC). According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Indian troops initiated an unprovoked ceasefire violation in Hajipir and Bedori sectors along the loC last night, targeting the civilian population. “Due to indiscriminate firing of Indian troops in Mensar village, Bedori sector, a 13-year-old girl Iqra Shabbir embraced shahadat, while her mother and a 12-yearold boy sustained serious injuries,” ISPR. Pakistan army “troops responded effectively to Indian firing,” the military’s media wing added. Subsequently, the Foreign Office (FO) summoned Indian envoy Gaurav Ahluwalia to register Pakistan’s “strong protest” over the ceasefire violations. “The Indian occupation forces along the loC and the Working Boundary (WB) have been continuously targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavycaliber mortars and automatic weapons,” a statement from the Foreign Office said. It added that India has committed 1,440 ceasefire violations since the start
coronavIrus In
pakIstan
CONFIRMED CASES:
179,592
of this year, resulting in the deaths of 13 people and causing “serious injuries” to 104 others. According to the statement, Director General (South Asia & Saarc) Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri emphasised that “such senseless acts, in clear violation of the 2003 ceasefire understanding and complete disregard for international human rights and international norms” further escalate the tense situation between both countries. Chaudhri added that India would not be able to “divert attention from the worsening human rights situation” in occupied Kashmir by increasing tension along the loC. “The Indian government must realise that its irresponsible policies and unilateral actions are increasingly imperiling peace and security in the region. India must act responsibly in the interst of regional peace and security.” The DG called upon India to respect the 2003 ceasefire understanding and investigate incidents of all violations. He also called upon the neighbouring country to “maintain peace along the loC and the WB”. TERRORIST ATTACK IN WAZIRISTAN: Also on Sunday, two army personnel, including a captain, were martyred while two others were injured in an exchange of fire with terrorists in Waziristan tribal district. According to an ISPR statement, security forces were patrolling the area five kilometers south-east of Ghariom near the boundary between North and South Waziristan tribal districts when terrorists opened fire on them. Captain Sabih and Sepoy Naveed were killed in the exchange of fire while two other soldiers were injured. One terrorist was also killed, the statement added.
Former MQM senior leader spills beans on Indian funding STORY ON PAGE 03
File photo
Mengal in contact with Opp as PTI fails to woo him back into coalition g
BNP-M CHIEF SAYS PM IMRAN HAS NOT CONTACTED HIM DIRECTlY OvER PARTY’S RESERvATIONS ISLAMABAD staff report
A government delegation on Saturday night met Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal but failed to convince him to re-join the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led coalition. The delegation, comprising Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak and Planning Minister Asad Umar met Mengal at his residence in the Parliament lodges and requested him to withdraw the decision to part ways with the government. Prime Minister Imran Khan had tasked the ministers to listen to the grievances of BNP-Mengal and convince him to reverse the decision, he had announced on the floor of the National Assembly the other day. During the meeting, Pervaiz Khattak and Asad Umar requested Sardar Akhtar Mengal to withdraw the decision but he refused to do so and thus the meeting remained fruitless. Talking to media after the meeting, Mengal said that he could not
92 coronavirus hotspots identified in 20 cities as cases surge g
ASAD UMAR SAYS HOTSPOTS COvER 40PC OF All ACTIvE COvID-19 CASES, EFFECT ONlY 3PC OF POPUlATION AS 119 DIE IN SINGlE-DAY SPIKE ISLAMABAD staff report
DAY'S DEATH TOLL:
NEW CASES:
119
4,951
RECOVERED:
DEATHS:
67,892 3,557 SINDH:
69,628
PUNJAB:
65,739
KP:
BALOCHISTAN:
AJK/GB:
ISLAMABAD:
21,997
9,475
813/1,278 10,662
Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar on Sunday said the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has identified 92 Covid-19 hotspots in 20 cities. Taking to Twitter, he said: “NCOC has identified 92 hotspots in 20 cities, which cover 40% of all active cases & effect only 3% of Pak population.” “We can have substantial impact on disease spread while minimizing disruption in livelihood of citizens. Effective hotspot lockdown can make a decisive difference,” he added. A total of 4,951 new coronavirus cases have surfaced in the country over the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 178,892, with 65, 739 cases in Punjab, 69,628 in Sindh, 21,444 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 9,328 in Balochistan, 1,278 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 10,662 in Islamabad and 813 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
violate the decision of the party “We have put our concerns before the government delegation,” he said. Responding to a question, the BNPM chief said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had not contacted him directly so far. He also said that his party was in contact with the opposition leadership and “distance between us is narrowing”. Addressing reporters, Khattak said that the BNP’s reservations would be removed soon and there would be further meetings with Sardar Akhtar Mengal. Asad Umar said that PTI believed that the country would not be able to make progress if every part of the country was not developed and given due rights. It may be recalled that Mengal recently announced his separation from the ruling coalition and the Jamhoori Watan Party of Nawab Shazain Bugti had also started considering splitting from the coalition. BNP-Mengal has four NA seats.
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more inside
Captain among two army personnel martyred in Waziristan encounter STORY ON PAGE 02
FBR likely to miss revised tax collection target of Rs3,908bn for FY20 STORY ON PAGE 02
KP govt to borrow Rs91bn to cover FY21 budget deficit STORY ON BACK PAGE in today’s issue
The death toll from the virus stands at 3,542 with 119 deaths reported over the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza has asked citizens to initiate special care for the elderly during the pandemic. During a media briefing here on Sunday, Dr Mirza stressed the need for wearing
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face masks, practicing social distancing, and frequently washing hands to stay safe from the deadly disease. As of now, 72 per cent of Covid-19 deaths in the country are of people over the age of 50, said Dr Mirza, adding that senior citizens should avoid public transport and crowded spaces.
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Monday, 22 June, 2020
NEWS
CapTain among Two army personnel marTyred in wazirisTan enCounTer rAWALPINDI
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STaFF rEPOrT
WO army personnel, including a captain, were martyred on Sunday while two others were injured in an exchange of fire with terrorists in Waziristan tribal district. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces were patrolling the area five kilometers south-east of Ghariom near the boundary between North and South Waziristan tribal districts when terrorists opened fire on them. Captain Sabih and Sepoy Naveed were killed in the exchange of fire while two other soldiers were injured. One terrorist was also killed, the statement added. The army troops later cleared a
man shot dead, wife ‘kidnapped’ by cousins in Karachi
nearby militant compound in North Waziristan, said the ISPR. The latest attack came as authorities prepared to reopen a key border crossing with neighbouring Afghanistan to allow trade. Trucks carrying fruits, vegetables and other items will start crossing the Ghulam Khan border in North Waziristan district on Monday. Last month, two soldiers were martyred in a rocket attack on a security checkpoint in North Waziristan tribal district. The rocket, fired from an unknown direction, slammed into the checkpoint in edek village, near Mirali town, around midnight. In April, 10 security personnel were martyred in attacks by militants in North Waziristan district while six suffered injuries.
mufti naeem laid to rest at Jamia Binoria cemetery KArACHI STaFF rEPOrT
Mufti Muhammad Naeem, a renowned religious scholar and head of Jamia Binoria in Karachi who passed away on Saturday, was laid to rest on Sunday evening. his funeral prayers were led by Mufti Taqi Usmani and attended by many notable figures, including Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Farooq Sattar, hafiz Naeemur Rehman and Maulana Rashid Soomro. he was buried alongside his father at the Jamia Binoria Al-Aalmia cemetery. Following the burial, Qari Usman of the JUI-F said that students from more than 60 countries had been coming to Mufti Naeem’s madressah to seek religious knowledge. Meanwhile, Farooq Sattar said the deceased scholar was a great supporter of unity between Muslims. “his services for unity between people of various religions will always be remembered,” said the MQM leader. he added that the void he had left behind “will not be an easy one to fill”. The late scholar had passed away a day earlier following a heart attack. he was being taken to a nearby medical facility after his health deteriorated and breathed his last before reaching the hospital, a spokesperson from the seminary said. Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed profound sorrow and regret over the scholar’s demise, praying for his ranks to be elevated in heaven and for his family to be granted patience. President Arif Alvi also expressed deep sorrow over the renowned scholar’s passing. he extended his heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the heirs and acknowledged his services for the promotion of religious knowledge in Pakistan. Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, too, condoled the death of renowned religious scholar. “May Allah bless the departed soul in eternal peace and give strength to the bereaved family. Aameen,” Gen Bajwa said. PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif extended his condolences and lauded Mufti Naeem’s services for the propagation of Islam and the country. “The nation has lost a distinguished religious scholar whose services for the promotion of Islamic education will continue to be remembered for a long time. “My heartfelt condolences to his family and students. May Allah rest his soul in peace,” he said. Minister for Religious Affairs Pir Noorul haq Qadri said with the scholar’s demise “Pakistan has been robbed of a great religious figure”. Minister for Information Shibli Faraz said Mufti Naeem’s demise is “sad news”. “he was one of the top religious guides of this country. his absence will be felt for a very long time. May blessings of Allah be on him,” he said. JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman also expressed sorrow over his demise and extended his deep condolences to his near and dear ones.
FBR likely to miss revised tax collection target of Rs3,908bn for FY20 ISLAMABAD
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Shahzad Paracha
he Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is likely to miss the revised tax collection target of Rs3,908 billion for the current fiscal year. According to sources, the high ups of the board have directed the field officers to enhance efforts to achieve the Rs415.5 billion tax collection target for the current month and to keep all field offices open on Saturdays until the end of the month. The FBR has collected Rs3,518
billion in the first 11 months of the current fiscal year and is expected to face a shortfall of Rs10-20 billion against the revised target of Rs3,908 billion. Meanwhile, sources alleged that political lobbying is underway to remove FBR Chairperson Nausheen Javed Amjad from her position despite the fact that tax officials could not meet the target due to Covid-19. Sources further alleged that the lobby is close to the adviser to the prime minister on finance and revenue affairs but lacks support of the incumbent finance secretary. According to sources, the lobby
had proposed names of haroon Akhtar, Tariq Pasha and Mujtaba Memon to head the FBR when Shabbar Zaidi had taken an indefinite leave from his position as the chairman of the board. Sources claim that the name of Tariq Pasha has been proposed again by the lobby as a replacement for the current FBR chairperson. Sources further alleged that senior income tax officers have been sidelined during Nausheen Javed’s tenure and that such officers can help the board achieve its tax collection target.
OUT OF THE RS107.5BN, RS23.5BN HAS BEEN LENT TO SMES KarachI
Banks have approved loans worth Rs107.5 billion under the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) Rozgar Scheme, according to a report released by the central bank. Of the approved amount, Rs23.5 billion is for Small and Mediumsized enterprises (SMes) and small corporates, defined as businesses with an annual turnover not exceeding Rs2 billion. The Rozgar Scheme was introduced on April 10, and provides concessional credit at 3 per cent to any business that commits to not lay off workers for three months. The SBP complemented the scheme on May 10 with a 40 per cent risk sharing facility on first loss basis from the Government of Pakistan. Five banks together constitute more than 61 per cent share of overall approved financing amount under the
risk sharing facility, with JS Bank Limited at the top with Rs3.73 billion, followed by habib Bank financing Rs3.62 billion. Bank Al‐habib, Bank Alfalah, and Askari Bank constitute the remaining share. These five banks were also the top performing banks in terms of acceptance ratio. Their acceptance ratios in terms of amount stood in the range of 65 per cent to 83 per cent, while the acceptance ratios in terms of number of applications approved were between 70 per cent to 83 per cent. From May 15 to June 12, JS Bank maintained its top position. habib Bank moved one spot up to second position since May 29. Bank Alfalah also improved its position over Askari Bank since May 21. The least performing banks in terms of extending financing include The Bank of Khyber with only Rs8.39 million given in financing, National Bank of Pak-
istan, First Women Bank, MCB Bank, and Standard Chartered Bank (Pakistan). however, the five least performing banks in terms of acceptance ratio were Standard Chartered Bank, MCB Bank, National Bank of Pakistan, United Bank, and Allied Bank. The acceptance ratios of the five least performing banks were in the range between 18 per cent to 26 per cent, while the acceptance ratios in terms of the number of applications approved fell in the range of 9 per cent to 43 per cent. The SBP emphasised that this data only relates to credit to SMes and small corporates, and that some banks may be lending to large corporates. “It should also be noted that these figures focus only on lending under the Rozgar Refinancing scheme. Some banks may be more active in other forms of SMe lending which would not be reflected in the figures below,” the SBP said.
Steel industry wants budget FY21 revisited ISLAMABAD STaFF rEPOrT
The Pakistan Association of Large Steel Producers (PALSP) has urged the Ministry of Industries and Production and other concerned departments, to address anomalies and issues in the Finance Bill 2020-21 pertaining to the steel industry. According to the association, the government has granted permission to wire rod manufacturers in Budget 2020-21 to import billets by massively reducing duties and taxes. however, the reduction and duties and taxes can potentially be misused by re-rolling mills not having wire rod manufacturing capacity, who will now also be able to import billets for rolling construction bars. The association pointed out that there are only
imran lauds boxing legend muhammad ali for his exceptional beliefs
Banks lend out Rs107.5bn under Rozgar Scheme: SBP MeIryuM ALI
three to four manufacturers in the country that have the capability to produce wire rod using billets and that local billet manufacturers have enough capacity to meet their demand. hence, the reduction in duties and taxes will hurt the local wire rod manufacturers as well as the steel billets manufacturers, while also reducing the country’s foreign exchange reserves due to increased imports. Additionally PALSP claims that the steel industry is facing a liquidity crunch due to the Covid-19 pandemic and that the implementation of Section 8-b of the Sales Tax Act results in a large amount of working capital getting stuck. The association has therefore requested the government to allow a 100 per cent input adjustment for the steel sector. The association further informed concerned min-
istries that the price difference between re-rollable material, ship plates and billets which are raw materials for construction bars should not be more than Rs2,000 to Rs3,000 per tonne. however, the price difference at present stands around Rs14,500 to Rs19,000 due to which billet manufacturers and billet re-rollers are facing financial losses. PALSP has also urged the government to allow it to sell to unregistered parties. Clause 4 of Section 73 of the Sales Tax Act currently restricts manufacturers from making a sale in excess of Rs100 million to an unregistered person. According to the said clause should be removed as it is contradictory to Clause (m) of Section 8 of the Sales Tax Act, that allows sale of goods to unregistered persons on the provision of Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) or National
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KARACHI: A man was shot dead while his wife was kidnapped from a house by armed assailants in Indus village, Gulshan-e-Maymar, on Saturday night. The police later shot and injured the fleeing suspects in an encounter, rescuing the woman. According to Gulshan-e-Maymar ShO Shahid hussain, the police had initially believed that the man, identified as 35-year-old Siraj Lehri Ghulam Shah, was gunned down in a robbery bid. however, they later discovered that it was a kidnapping attempt. hussain stated that the police were informed about the incident through the Madadgar 15 helpline, following which they arrived at the scene and had an exchange of fire with the fleeing suspects. Two suspects and two passersby were injured in the encounter, with the police arresting the wounded suspects and taking the kidnapped woman, Shehrbano, into their custody. Two pistols and a dagger were also seized from the possession of the assailants. The deceased and the injured were shifted to Abbasi Shaheed hospital, where the suspects were identified as Zahoor Ahmed, 50, and Saifullah, 40, while the wounded citizens were identified as Rab Nawaz, 50 and Bahadur Ali, 42. Per hussain, Shehrbano had revealed in her statement that she had married Shah against her family’s will and the arrested men were her cousins, who had attempted to kidnap her. Meanwhile, the suspects, who hailed from Khad Kocha in Balochistan’s Mastung district, stated that Shah had brought their cousin Shehrbano to Karachi in 2015 and they had been searching for him since then. They claimed that they had been told Shah had kidnapped her and was holding her without being married. Ahmed and Saifullah also accused Shah of being involved in motorcycle theft and other crimes in Mastung, adding that his real name was Zaheer and he was booked in several cases in his hometown. They added that they had been accompanied by another cousin, who had killed Shah on the pretext of honour when they came to rescue Sherbano, who was, according to them, willing to leave with them. however, they narrated, they surrendered to the police when the law enforcers encircled their car but the police opened fire on them. STaFF rEPOrT
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday paid tribute to world renowned heavy weight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, saying that he was the greatest sportsman owing to his conviction that humans have “a higher purpose of existence”. “I believe he was the greatest sportsman, not only because he was talented, intelligent & courageous, but because his beliefs went beyond material considerations to a conviction that humans, unlike animals, had a higher purpose of existence” the premier said, in a post on Twitter. The prime minister also tagged a video recording titled “Muhammad Ali’s biggest fight was not in the ring” showing Ali’s professional life, beliefs and different aspects of his journey. “In standing up for his beliefs in the face of all odds, he sacrificed the best years of his sporting life & lucrative earnings. his strength & courage continue to inspire people across the world even today,” the prime minister added. Muhammad Ali was a US boxer, philanthropist and social activist and was universally acclaimed as one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. he became an Olympic gold medalist in 1960 and the world heavyweight boxing champion in 1964. Following his suspension for refusing military service, Ali reclaimed the heavyweight title two more times during the 1970s, winning his famed and ferocious bouts against Joe Frazier and George Foreman. During 1984, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. NEWS dESK
Tax Number (NTN). According to the association, the melting industry heavily relies on imported heavy meltable scrap and shredded and bundled scrap to produce quality billets and other steel products. While the custom duty on shredded and bundled scrap removed in Budget 2019-20 custom duty on heavy meltable scrap was removed. PALSP has demanded that custom duty on heavy meltable scrap be removed in the Budget 2020-21, which the government has not done till now. PALSP has also urged the government to make amendments in PCT Code 9917 so that local materials and good meeting international standards are allowed to be used at the Gwadar Free Port, Special economic Zones as well as other mega projects related to ChinaPakistan economic Corridor (CPeC). Currently there are 200 steel manufacturing units in the country with a combined capacity of over 4 million tonnes. This sector generates approximately Rs100 billion in government revenue.
Monday, 22 June, 2020
NEWS
sindh deTeCTs 2,275 fresh Cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours KArACHI
s
STaFF rEPOrT
INDh on Sunday reported as many as 2,275 fresh coronavirus cases in 24 hours after 13,890 tests were conducted in the province. Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah in a media briefing said that the total number of infections across the province has reached to 69,628 as the province conducted total 3,78,849 tests. Shah said that 41 more patients of coronavirus died in the last 24 hours across the province, increasing The death toll from Covid-19 to 1,089 while 32,261 coronavirus patients are undergoing treatment, including 30,705 who have been quarantined at homes and 48
who are at isolation centres. Moreover, 1,508 patients have been admitted at different hospitals in the province and 718 of them were in critical condition and 117 are on ventilators. he maintained that 2,166 patients were recovered on Sunday and the total number of people recovered from the disease in Sindh has risen to 36,278. Shah said that from the total new coronavirus cases detected in the province, as many as 1,280 were reported in Karachi. "The city has continued to report the majority of the cases in Sindh," he said. In District east of Karachi 395 cases, 363 in District South, 172 cases in District Central, 140 in Korangi district, 99 in Malir and 111 cases reported in District West of the city. In other parts of Sindh, 74 cases reported in Ghotki, 72 in Sukkur, 64 in
every pakistani woman has potential to lead from the front, Bilawal says KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday paid homage to Pakistani women, saying that every woman in the country holds the potential to lead from the front like Benazir Bhutto. “I will tell the women of Pakistan, you all have the potential to become [great leaders like] Benazir Bhutto,” the PPP leader said in a video message on the occasion of the 67th birth anniversary of his mother and former prime minister. The PPP chairman said that after all the years that have passed since her death in 2007, the nation still remembers Benazir’s exemplary leadership, “who had valiantly fought for democracy in the country for 30 years”. Bilawal noted that under the leadership of female prime ministers, countries like New Zealand, Germany and Taiwan have impeccably responded to the coronavirus with effective and timely measures. he said that women leaders around the world have handled public health, the economic fallout, and social impact of the global pandemic much better than most countries. “We miss Shaheed Benazir Bhutto very much today,” he said. Touching upon the deceased PPP leader’s contributions to the field of politics, Bilawal said: “Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had fought against dictators and for the restoration of the Constitution.” “She [Shaheed Benazir Bhutto] finally gave her life for the protection of Constitution,” he rued. STaFF rEPOrT
private teaching hospitals directed to provide free treatment to Covid-19 patients ISLAMABAD STaFF rEPOrT
Khairpur and 63 cases in hyderabad district, Shah said. Shah appealed the people to comply with the lockdown in selected areas of
the province by following the SOPs. he advised the people to avoid unnecessary outgoing and maintain social distancing.
Smart lockdown imposed in 218 areas across KP: Ajmal PeSHAWAr aPP
Adviser to Chief Minister KP on Information and Public Relations Ajmal Khan Wazir has said that smart lockdown has been imposed in 218 areas across the province to prevent the spread of Covid-19. While briefing media at the Civil Secretariat, he said that smart lockown has been imposed in 129 areas of Malakand division, 23 areas of hazara, 31 areas of Peshawar, 14 areas of Kohat, 9 areas of Mardan, 7 areas of Dera Ismail Khan and 5 areas of Bannu division. he said that according to smart lockdown strategy, the district administration and relief department were providing basic necessity to smart lockdown locality, similarly timing has been specified for all shops and markets in the locality and routes have also been specified for public transport in the affected areas. Wazir said that under smart lockdown strategy health department has issued guidelines for urban area under which home quarantine formula was being implemented up to 50 coronavirus cases, adding that all
shops and markets were being regulated and social gathering is being monitored in the locality where 100 coronavirus cases are detected. Similarly, street level smart lockdown, monitoring of social gathering and policy of shut down shops and markets have been implemented in 200 positive cases areas, besides this, complete lockdown for 14 days has been implemented in the area where more than 500 positive cases have been detected. he said that guidelines for rural areas have also been issued as well. According the guidelines, up to 25 affected persons have been quarantined at their homes. 50 cases areas have been lockdown at street level with closure of shops and implementation of standard operating procedure (SOPs). Ajmal Wazir said that 168418 calls have been received on toll free no 1700 where telemedicine and advises for eliminating mental stress and other important information have been provided to the peoples. Regarding budget, he said that KP government had presented a propoor and tax free budget in a very difficult situation adding that a huge
relief has been provided in KP budget. he said that health was the priority of the government and that’s why a huge amount of Rs 124 billion has been allocated for health sector and Rs24 billion allocated for COVID-19 while Rs.318 billion have been allocated for developmental sector which is more than Sindh developmental budget and around about Punjab government budge,” Ajmal added. Ajmal Wazir said with the cost of 10 billion rupees Sehat Insaf Card would be provided to the whole population of province adding that Rs. 184 billion had been allocated for merged district. he appealed the other provinces to provide 3% share to merged areas as promised in NFC award. he said that regular flights from Bacha Khan International Airports have been started for overseas Pakistanis adding that 645 passengers from Saudi Arabia and Al-Ain had arrived on the Airport. Ajmal Wazir expressed deep grief over the demise of religious scholar Mufti Muhammad Naeem and prayed for his departed soul.
Former MQM senior leader spills beans on Indian funding NeWS DeSK A former leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Muhammad Anwar, has admitted that the political party had received funding from the Indian government. In an interview with a private news channel, the MQM’s former head of diplomatic wing and member of the Rabita Committee claimed that the party leadership had asked him to coordinate with Indian contacts to receive the funding. Anwar alleged that Nadeem Nusrat had introduced him to an Indian diplomat in the early 90s. Nusrat, MQM’s former Rabita Committee member, now lives in Washington and runs his own organisation. he also said that the MQM-Pakistan leaders were projecting themselves today as holier than thou but the Karachi-based leadership was responsible for largescale killings and destruction in the city. “The so-called civilized leaders that you see on TV these days were the ones who were always offering to Altaf hussain to inform them who to maim, kill and burn. I am ready to share details with authorities about their
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deeds. Over the years, they have blamed me only to launder themselves as clean guys. That’s not the case,” he said. Last week, Anwar was declared an absconder, with Altaf hussain and Iftikhar hussain, in the Dr Imran Farooq murder case by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad. Anwar blamed former Sindh governor Ishratul Ibad for spinning theories about his role in Dr Farooq’s killing. he added that Ibad told him that Britain’s spy agency, MI6, has shared with him two pictures showing Anwar with the two assassins of Dr Farooq.
“I asked Ibad many times to send me pictures but he never did and then I had to take a tough stance. Altaf hussain asked Tariq Mir to visit Karachi, meet the governor and bring the two pictures. Tariq Mir came back with two tiny photo-shopped pictures made in a studio. I laughed seeing at those pictures.” Anwar said he had fully cooperated with Scotland Yard in their investigation and the police had never shared with him anything suggesting his link of any kind with the killing. “If there was anything the police would have presented that before me as incriminating evidence but I have seen nothing and the police have mentioned nothing.” Anwar said that Altaf had suspended Dr Imran Farooq to embarrass and humiliate him. “I respected him a lot. We had disagreements over policy matters and I always stood by merit in the party.” he said Dr Imran Farooq was consistent in his political beliefs and didn’t like U-turns and policy somersaults made by the party founder. Anwar offered that he would cooperate with the authorities in the UK and Pakistan if needed to establish facts. he warned that he would spill more beans on MQM if anyone tried to malign him.
The Islamabad health Regulatory Authority (IhRA) has directed private teaching hospitals to provide free treatment to coronavirus patients. In letter to private hospitals, IhRA asked the administrations to provide free treatment facilities to half of the patients in compliance with the regulations of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC). It said that the teaching hospitals were bound to provide free treatment facility to half of the patients. The directives asked the administrations to dedicate half of the beds, laboratory services and medicines for the coronavirus patients besides compiling complete records. The IhRC representatives will inspect the hospitals to scrutinise the patients’ records and start disciplinary action against the hospitals over violations of the regulations. Moreover, such hospitals will face cancellation of registration and fines over violations. Moreover, a government team headed by Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar visited different hospitals in Islamabad and reviewed the arrangements for the Covid-19 patients. he announced that the federal government will increase more than 2,100 oxygen beds by the end of July, whereas, 189 oxygen beds were being provided to the hospitals right now. The beds will be provided to PolyClinic, CDA and PIMS hospitals, he added. Umar said that the infection rate was successfully reduced by imposing smart lockdown in the virus hotspots, however, it was necessary to strictly follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs). he added that more hotspots areas have been spotted in 20 major cities.
yda announces protests from monday over aJK govt’s ‘failure’ to resolve issues MuZAFFArABAD aPP
The Young Doctors Association (YDA) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday announced sit-ins and demonstrations starting from Monday over the government’s “failure” to resolve their issues. In a press conference by YDA leaders and office-bearers, Dr Faheem Gardezi, the president of the body’s AJK chapter, warned that if the demands of the doctors and other healthcare professionals were not met in two days, there would a sit-in at the Azad Kashmir Assembly gate. All doctors of AJK should be given concessions, Dr Faheem said. The posts of doctors should be in proportion to the region’s population, he added. The YDA AJK president said the regional government seemed non-serious about resolving their issues. “hospitals in Azad Jammu and Kashmir are full of coronavirus patients,” he said, appealing to the public to take precautions to avoid contracting the deadly disease.
48 more sindh police officials contract Covid-19 KArACHI STaFF rEPOrT
The number of Covid-19 infections among police personnel has reached 1,022 in Sindh as 48 new cases were reported on Sunday. The spokesperson of the Sindh Police confirmed that 48 new cases of coronavirus have emerged, including 739 personnel, who are currently under treatment in the province. he added that 13 officials have martyred after contracting coronavirus while performing duties. The martyred officials include 11 from Karachi and two from hyderabad city.
04 ISLAMABAD
Monday, 22 June, 2020
WEATHER UPDATES MONDAY
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GoveRNMeNt to develoP KheRI MuRat aS PRotected NatIoNal PaRK ISLAMABAD
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STAFF REPORT
DvISER to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam on Sunday announced that the government will develop Kheri Murat forest area as a protected national park. “As many as seven national parks, including Khari Murat would be developed across the country under the 10 Billion Tree
Tsunami (10BTT) programme,” he said, adding that the programme was aimed at conserving the dwindling ecological, wildlife and biodiversity habitats which were rapidly depleting due to human activities and climate change. Malik Amin said that Green Stimulus Package was announced by the government to revive the halted plantation under 10BTT due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The plantation was being carried out as per the standard operating procedures (SOPs)
of wearing masks, maintaining social distance and avoiding close contact with others. The PM’s Advisor on Climate Change said the initiative would help encourage ecotourism and nature conservation and would be like killing two birds with one stone. To a question, he said Kheri Murat national park would be in Kheri Murat tehsil Fatehjang which was under Attock district and sprawls over an area of 8740 acres. He added that its boundaries in North were touching 9 villages, on South its
boundaries touch 8 villages, on East its boundaries were touching Kheri Murat village and Rawalpindi and on the West, it was touching hills close to village Gali Jageer. “After the national park is established in Kheri Murat Forest area then any sort of hunting, shooting and poaching of wild species of this park will be declared illegal and to be considered as a punishable act with heavy penalties. This will be enforced within a three-mile radius of its boundaries,” Amin Aslam said.
This area, he said would be protected to revive wildlife in its natural habitat and conserve the rich biodiversity of this unique ecosystem in the Kala Chitta Mountain range. Amin mentioned that it was just 50 miles from Islamabad and lying on both sides of the motorway, Kheri Murat National Park would provide excellent recreational activities to enjoy hiking and interaction with nature through ecotourism while providing employment to local communities.
Nimaz-e-Kasoof offered as Pakistanis witness solar eclipse PESHAWAR: Citizens in the provincial metropolis and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Sunday offered Nimaz-e-Kasoof at time of solar eclipse which created a ring of fire in the sky at noon. Like other parts of the country, solar eclipse started in Peshawar at 9:48 am and continued till 1:02 pm. In the beginning, the eclipse was partial with coverage of 79.44 per cent and later in the noon became maximum, covering majority of the sun and reducing daylight leaving people confused at if the weather become cloudy. According to Meteorologists, solar eclipse occurred when moon passes between earth and sun obscure sunlight, leaving a thin ring of solar disc to be visible. Religious scholars had requested people to follow the teachings of Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who used to offer Nimaz-e-Kasoof at time of solar eclipse to seek mercy of Allah Almighty. “Nimaz-e-Kasoof is a two rakat Nimaz with long duration as Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) offered with prolong standing reciting verses of Holy Quran besides long bowing and Sajida (bowing down to earth) during this Salat at a time when there was solar eclipse in Madina-e-Munawra,” says Professor Dr Abdul Ghafoor, Former Director Sheikh Zahid Islamic Center Peshawar and Khateeb of Peshawar. Talking to APP, he said every Muslim should offer these two rakat salat at time of solar eclipse as the practice was being done by the Holy Prophet. Nimaz-e-Kasoof is an optional (non-obligatory) prayer which could be offered in congregation or in isolation, he elaborated. He said that these days during the Covid-19 pandemic, public gatherings were restricted as a preventive measure for stemming the spread of the deadly virus, therefore, people were asked to offer the prayers at home instead of mosques. After offering Nimaz-e-Kasoof, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) addressed his companions saying, “when you see eclipse on sun or moon, glorify and supplicate Allah (SWT), observe prayers, give alms, Prof Ghafoor added. Meanwhile, most people remained indoors to avoid the effects of the eclipse while some sky watchers witnessed the ring of fire using protective eyewear. APP
PESHAWAR: Citizens watch the solar eclipse on Sunday using x-ray sheets. PPI
Garbage generation in commercial areas declines by 40-50 pc ISLAMABAD APP
Four youth die, go missing as car falls in River Kunhar BALAKOT: Four youth died and went missing when an over speeding car fell in river here on Sunday, rescue sources said. According to details, a car skidded off road due to careless driving and plunged into River Kunhar at village Paras of tehsil Balakot. Four youth travelling in the car including Syed Hussain Ali, his brother Syed Hassan Shah, Syed Taimoor Hussain Shah and Syed Ali died and went missing as the vehicle was swept away by the gushing waves of the river. Police, rescue teams and local people were conducting joint operation to recover the bodies of drowned youth. INP
PIMS executive director tests positive for coronavirus ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Executive Director Dr Ansar Maqsood tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Sunday. Sources said the PIMS head has isolated himself at home after being diagnosed with the infection that is fast spreading among healthcare professionals at the forefront of the country’s fight against the contagion. Meanwhile, a PIMS admin officer has also been infected by the coronavirus. Sources said that 200 staffers of the institute have been diagnosed as positive for the infection while three have succumbed to the deadly disease thus far. STAFF REPORT
The head of Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad’s (MCI) Sanitation Department has said that garbage generation in commercial areas of Islamabad had decreased by 40 to 50 per cent due to restricted mobility of residents amid the coronavirus containment measures. “Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, commercial areas in Islamabad were gen-
erating some 100 tonnes of trash daily which is now down to 50 to 60 tonnes due to restricted movement of residents,” MCI Director Sanitation Sardar Khan Zimri told APP on Sunday. Citing the example of Karachi Company, which has been sealed by the district administration recently due to spike in coronavirus cases in sector G-9, he said before the lockdown, the market produced 10 to 15 tonnes of solid waste daily which had gone to nil almost in present days.
“As per an estimate, our total garbage collection has also reduced from 600 tonnes to 500 tonnes due to selective lockdowns in the Federal Capital,” he noted. Zimri said more than 200 sanitary workers of MCI had been disengaged from the markets and deputed in villages where the garbage collection was being done intermittently before the pandemic. “The situation provides us an ample opportunity to launch an aggressive cleanliness campaign in Islamabad’s urban and
Business community demands notification of PM incentive package ISLAMABAD APP
The country’s business community on Sunday urged the concern departments to issue a notification of the incentive package for the construction industry which had been announced by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan. They said that the PM had announced an attractive incentive package for the construction industry which had been included in the budget as well but despite the passage of two months, this package had not been implemented. Urging the prime minister to take notice of this situation, they demanded that immediate orders ne issued to all concerned departments to implement the package in letter and spirit.
Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) President Muhammad Ahmed Waheed said that the growth of construction industry would move the wheel of the economy faster as more than 50 allied industries were associated with this industry that would also grow fast. He said that with the acceleration of construction activities, businesses in the markets would flourish, new investment would get boost, thousands of people would be employed which would benefit reduce poverty in the society while construction of houses under the Pakistan Housing Programme would also benefit low-income families. He also said that the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic was continuing as there has been a 40 percent reduction in industrial production, adding
that smart lockdown in some markets and complete lockdown in others for the last three months had severely affected industrial supplies and if this trend continued, there was a danger that many companies in the corporate sector would default. In such a situation, for how long will the industry be able to pay its factory workers, and if this trend continues, unemployment would rise alarmingly in the next year. The ICCI president also urged the government to reduce the price of electricity in proportion to the reduction in the prices of petroleum products to cut down production cost and make the exports more competitive in the regional and global markets. He emphasised that the government should reduce the price of electricity,
rural areas to ensure clean and green environment in the capital city,” he added. Under the ‘Clean and Green Islamabad Campaign’, he said the focus was also being given to the cleansing of nullahs to avoid break out of any epidemic like Dengue and Malaria. “Our teams have also been visiting different sectors on every weekend under the drive to sensitize the masses about cleanliness,” he added. The director said door-to-door garbage collection in sealed areas of Islamabad had also been ensured with complete adherence to the standard operating procedures (SOPs). Medical supplies like masks, sanitizers and hand gloves were also being provided to the sanitary workers to make sure their safety against the coronavirus, he added.
which would have a positive impact on the economy. He further said that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had reduced the interest rate, which was a positive move, however, he said the current situation demanded that the interest rate should be further reduced to 4 per cent that would reduce the financing cost for the private sector and help it to expand its businesses and make new investments. It would ultimately lead to acceleration in the pace of economic recovery, he added. Waheed observed that the new federal budget had proposed to impose heavy luxury tax on houses and farm houses in Islamabad. He said that last year MCI had increased the property tax in Islamabad by 300% while the citizens of Islamabad were already paying six types of taxes on their houses. “There was no justification for luxury tax in Islamabad; it should be withdrawn immediately,” he added. He further said that a fixed tax for small traders was announced in the budget, but its details had not come out as yet.
NEWS
HiGH dePendenCy uniT seT uP AT exPo CenTRe As Covid-19 CAses sPiKe KARACHI
s
STAFF REPORT
indh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah inaugurated the newlyestablished 140-bed high dependency unit (HDU) at the Expo Centre isolation facility for coronavirus patients on Sunday. The HDU has been established in collaboration with the Pakistan Army. The move comes amid reports of shortage of space in HDUs and ICUs of the hospitals catering to Covid-19 patients across the city, with several people claiming to have been turned away because of a lack of vacant beds. Expressing gratitude towards the army, the CM claimed it was the best facility located in the heart of Karachi. “The establishment of the new HDU at the Expo Centre
will help reduce pressure on other hospitals of the city,” he said, adding that highlytrained healthcare workers had been posted by the Pakistan Army at the medical facility, while the Indus Hospital will also help to operate the unit. Shah further stated that the Sindh government had established intensive care units with 453 beds and HDUs with 1,553 beds for critically ill Covid-19 patients across the province. After visiting the Expo Centre, the CM also toured the Services Hospital, where a separate infectious diseases unit is being established. He directed the relevant officials to pace up the work so that the unit could be made operational as soon as possible. Meanwhile, sharing details about the pandemic situation in the province, Shah said that 2,275 more patients were diagnosed with the coronavirus after 13,890 new sam-
Bilawal visits mausoleum of the martyrs at Garhi Khuda Bux Bhutto
ples were tested overnight. As a result, Sindh’s total virus tally had surged to 69,628 infections. Meanwhile, the contagious disease has claimed 41 more lives, taking Sindh’s death toll to 1,089. “Our testing capacity is the highest in Pakistan and we are still working to enhance it,” he claimed, adding that the ratio of positive cases to the tested samples, which was around 21 to 24 per cent last week, had now dropped to 17 per cent. He further apprised that 2,166 more patients had regained health after earlier testing positive for the virus, thus taking the total number of recovered patients in Sindh to 36,278. “Our recovery rate has been recorded at 52.2 per cent and death rate at 1.5 per cent, but still we have to improve these statistics by strengthening our health services and convincing people to follow the
Pakistan needs 500 critical care doctors for ICUs, HDUs: PMA president
LARKANA: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited the Mausoleum of the martyrs of Bhutto's family in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto, on Sunday, on the eve of 67th Birthday of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. He visited the grave of former prime minister and slain chairperson of PPP Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. He laid a wreath at the grave and offered "Fateha". He also visited the graves of Founder Chairman of PPP and former Prime Minister Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Late Begum Nusrat Bhutto, Late Mir Murtaza Bhutto, Late Mir Shahnawaz Bhutto and late Shireen Amir Begum, the first wife of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. APP
Teenage boy shoots himself dead while making TikTok video KARACHI: In a shocking incident, a teenage boy shot himself dead while making a video for the highly popular video-sharing social networking platform TikTok. According to local police, 17-year-old Tanveer shot and killed himself while filming a TikTok video in the port city’s Sachal Colony. His body was shifted to a nearby medical facility for medico-legal formalities, the police said. They said the police have launched an investigation into the matter. Last year in Dec, a teenager was accidentally shot dead while filming a video with his friends in Sialkot’s Kharota Syedan area. STAFF REPORT
KARACHI PPI
Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) President Dr Mirza Ali Azhar has revealed that less than 100 critical care doctors or intensivists are available in Pakistan and the country needs 500 more intensivists to treat coronavirus patients. Talking to PPI, Dr Mirza Ali Azhar, said no any government had paid attention in past to producing critical care experts to meet the requirements of the country; therefore, the federal and provincial governments had been facing acute shortage of intensivists after the declaration of the coronavirus emergency. "About 50 to 70 critical care doctors are available in the country out of which a majority is practising in private hospitals," he said. He explained that an intensivist is a physician
who specialises in the care of critically ill patients, mostly in the intensive care unit (ICU), adding that intensivist must be competent not only in a broad spectrum of conditions, common among critically ill patients but also with the technical procedures and devices (i.e. mechanical ventilators) used in the intensive care setting. He said intensivists are often the leaders of multi-disciplinary teams of care providers to help coordinate, collaborate and facilitate providing evidenced-based outcomes. The team members consist of physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists and other disease-specific experts. He said although critical care doctors were available in major cities of Pakistan, including in Karachi, Hyderabad, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Faisalabad and Multan, but no intensivists were available at divisional and district level hospitals of Pakistan including Sindh. Dr Mirza said the number of Covid-19 patients was sharply increasing throughout the country and experts feared a surge in cases in the future, so the importance of critical care doctors in isolation wards had also increased as compared to the past. He said the provincial governments were expanding Covid-19 isolation wards in divisional and district level health facilities to cater to the growing number of corona patients at the local level, but how could isolation ward be setup without critical care doctors? He demanded the hiring of 500 critical care doctors or intensivists on an urgent basis to overcome the shortage of experts in newly established Intensive care units and high dependency units all over the country.
KCCI president demands GST be reduced to 14pc KARACHI STAFF REPORT
Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) President Agha Shahab Ahmed Khan has stressed that the rate of GST should be reduced by 3 per cent to 14 per cent from current 17 per cent to provide much needed relief to trade, industry and consumers. Highlighting, the budget anomalies identified by KCCI which have been submitted to the Anomalies Committee (Business & Technical), KCCI president advised to further withdraw 3 per cent tax on sales to unregistered persons to facilitate transactions. Agha Shahab said that It is unjust to force suppliers to provide CNIC of unregistered person and pay 3 per cent further tax at the same time. “After getting unchecked access to the data base of citizens, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) should be made responsible to broaden the tax base and register all entities in the sales tax regime so that suppliers are not forced to sell to unregistered persons,” he said. He further pointed out that after acquiring powers by FBR to access data of citizens from institutions and organizations such as FIA, Banks, NADRA and airlines etc., a major security risk has been created for citizens/taxpayers. “Hence, Adequate safeguards may be inserted in the law and exemplary penalties be fixed in the provisions in case if the data is compromised by an official while access to data should be limited to officers in higher grades only,” he proposed. The KCCI president said that the phenomenal in-
precautionary measures,” he maintained. Shah added that 30,705 people were currently infected with the virus, of whom 30,705 were in home isolation, 1,508 were being treated at different hospitals and 48 were quarantined at isolation centres. Further, he added, 718 patients were in critical condition, of whom 117 had been shifted on ventilators. Meanwhile, as many as 1,280 of the newly-reported cases belonged to Karachi alone, he shared. Presenting the districtwise breakup, he said 395 new cases had
crease in rate of FED from 13 per cent to 25 per cent on caffeinated energy drinks is unjust and discriminatory. Caffeinated energy drinks are produced by only one of the two major producers of beverages in Pakistan who contributes a major portion of over Rs100 billion in tax revenue. The unjust increase is tantamount to targeting one producer and is discriminatory. Any tax should be imposed on the industry, not individual producers therefore, the Rate of FED on caffeinated energy drink be restored to 13 per cent. Referring to Clause 12 of Finance Bill U/S 45B in which a new sub-section (5) has been added, which disallows production of any new documentary material or evidence before Commissioner (Appeals) which earlier has not been produced by the Appellant before the officer of Inland Revenue. He stressed that the clause may be removed as it is contrary to law of natural justice and ultra-vires of the constitution. A taxpayer should not be denied the right to produce evidence or documentary material at any stage while contesting his case. KCCI had proposed to restore Tax Credit @10% on purchase of new machinery for BMR, to encourage investment in industry and spur growth, which was allowed prior to 2019. However, the proposals have not been included in Finance Bill'2020-21 Agha Shahab urged the policymakers to restore rate of tax credit to at least 10 per cent and this credit should be applicable up to FY2025 to enhance the investment in production capacity of industries.
05
emerged in East district, 363 in South, 172 in Central, 140 in Korangi, 111 in West and 99 in Malir district. Meanwhile, Ghotki saw 74 new patients being diagnosed with the disease, Sukkur 72, Khairpur 64, Hyderabad 63, Mirpurkhas and Shikarpur 38 each, Shaheed Benazirabad 36, Kashmore 33, Thatta 28, Larkana 24, Jamshoro 13, Naushero Feroze 12, Umerkot 11, Tando Allahyar 10, Matiari and Dadu six each, Qambar-Shahdadkot three, and Sujawal and Tando Mohammad Khan two apiece.
Rent cheques distributed to Model Colony residents affected by plane crash KARACHI: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Sunday distributed cheques for six-month rent to the residents of Model Colony, whose houses were damaged by the PK8303 crash. The cheques were handed to the owners of 21 affected houses at a ceremony held at the national flag carrier’s Training Centre. PIA Chief Operating Officer Aijaz Mazhar, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Firdous Shamim Naqvi and Aftab Siddiqui were present on the occasion. Speaking to the participants, Naqvi, who is also the opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly, said that thankfully, no loss of life was reported on ground as a result of the crash and reiterated that the government stands by the victims. Aftab Siddiqui said all damaged houses at the crash site will be restored to their original condition. He said funds earmarked for MNAs will be utilised for construction of a road at the site of the incident. Earlier, a spokesperson for PIA had said cheques for payment of rent for the six months will be distributed among the affected residents of Model Cloney at a ceremony Sunday at PIA Training Center in Karachi in the first phase. In the second phase, PIA will rebuild the damaged houses after completion of the survey report, he added. STAFF REPORT
Father killed, son injured as coach hits bike near Pano Aqil KHAIRPUR: A man was killed and his son injured in a road mishap near here on Sunday. According to Pano Aqil police, man Rano Indhar, aged 50, and his son Gul Zaman Indhar,19, were going to their village Bhellar from Ghotki on a bike when a speeding coach hit them on the National Highway at Baiji chowk area near Pano Aqil. As a result, both suffered severe injuries, but Rano Indhar succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital while his son Gul Zaman was referred to Sukkur hospital in critical condition. PPI
06 COMMENT
The gun slinger
Flaws in the verdict An ordeal not yet over
T
Man has been pretty awful to other men
he decision by the Pakistan Bar Council to go for a review petition against the Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Mr Justice Qazi Faez Isa may appear an odd one, as the Council had apparently won the case, in that the short order had quashed the notice of the Supreme Judicial Council to Mr Justice Isa. however, the review petition illustrates an important truth: that the short order’s direction that the Federal Board of Revenue submit a report of the wife and children of Mr Justice Isa to the Supreme Judicial Council registar, who is also the Supreme Court registrar, continues Mr Justice Isa’s ordeal. While the direction may have been made because the Supreme Court wanted to show that members of the superior judiciary were not beyond the reach of accountability, there still seems no plausible reason for the Supreme Court to have ordered a report from the FBR to the SJC about proceedings involving someone not a member of the superior judiciary. The final result of the order will be that the case will not achieve finality until the SJC considers the report. Mr Justice Isa will thus continue to suffer the mental agony and distress he has since the proceedings were started. The failure of the short order to pinpoint the reasons for this wanton exercise of state power have ensured that those very government organizations which stand accused of persecuting him in the name of accountability, will continue to have the ability to do so. The enquiry into Mr Justice Isa’s family’s properties abroad was only opened after he authored the judgment in the Faizabad sit-in case, in which certain institutions were criticized. Another thing the order has stayed silent about, and which has raised curiosity, is that the questions raised during the hearing about the legality of the Assets Recovery Unit, and of its head, Accountability SAPM Shehzad Akbar, have not been addressed. The relevance was that the ARU was the body that raised the allegations against Justice Isa and, while it has been left free to act, its credibility has also been put into a kind of limbo. Judicial independence is not supposed to mean freedom from accountability, but nor should it mean being a perpetual target.
Humayun GauHar
W
hen I say gunslinger, your mind would automatically go to the USA. It certainly comes across as the number One gunslinger who is extremely trigger happy. But it is not alone. There are others, many others, and in history virtually every country of consequence has been a gunslinger. It is only that right now we, the rest of the world, are being faced with the American gunslinger which is led by an irresponsible and intellectually wanting man. America’s current gunslinging is, most of all, an open season on Black Americans. Somehow it has got ingrained in the White man’s DnA over the years. I can’t forget that not even a century ago, the State of Missouri used to issue hunting licenses to people to kill what we then happily called, “negroes” or “niggers.” That hunting license has got ingrained in their DnA and in the white man, especially in the police, it is still there. It has become instinctive so that if something untoward happens anywhere, it is automatically assumed that a black man is behind it. Which makes me think that had George Floyd been white, he may not have been killed wantonly by a white police officer. or the black man in Georgia who was shot dead by white police for being drunk. These were just the last two
killings recently that we know of; they are part of a long list of killings where you would have thought they were shooting some wild animal and the President of the United States is in denial, trying to minimize it. The fact is that the country has erupted in protests, which is why I and many, many others are talking of a seminal change from the grievous weakening of the dollar to the fragmentation of the United States. The litany of crimes against mankind done by the european colonizers does not even bear thinking about: what the British did in India and Africa; what the French did in their colonies and the Dutch in Indonesia and the Belgians in Africa. And of course, what the white man did to the original or native Americans – it was a horrendous number, far overtaking the number killed in hitler’s holocaust. If the African is an unwilling settler in America, the white man is a willing settler who killed the natives and stole their land. In India, to quote just one incident, the muslin weavers in Bengal lived in a cluster of around seven villages. Their product was providing grave competition to the cotton of the Manchester textile mills, so the Brits cut off their thumbs. In the 1980s, their graves were found in Bengal. where all the men were thumbless. The British did this through the world’s first ever corporation, called the east India Company. When the first rebellion against the Company was quashed, the Indian emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar was tried for ‘treason,’ found guilty and banished along with his family to Burma. he was a great poet and his grave was found I think in the 1980s in Burma. have you ever heard of such nonsense? That the ruler of a country is tried for treason against a firm? It beggars imagination. The British colonizers in Australia used to play polo with the heads of Aboriginal children. After hearing this, my daughter started cursing, but if I told her the entire litany of Man’s cruelty against Man, her hair would turn white at this young age. As Wordsworth said, “And much it grieved my heart to think what Man has made of Man.” What Man has done to Man does not bear thinking about. The killings of Chinese during the Great October Revolution of 1949; thoughtless killings in
Russia during and after the so-called revolution; how African states still fall on one another in tribal conflicts and I daresay indulge in cannibalism; the Crusaders who killed children in villages they took over and barbequed them for their consumption; how the stomachs of pregnant women were ripped open during the Pakistan-Bangladesh civil war and little flags planted in their wombs; how British perfidy led to an unknown amount of killing and dislocation in India and Pakistan; what the Spanish did in South America…want me to go on? The While Man has been a very constructive species, he has also been a very destructive one. Ingrained racism is widespread. else why would a cream called “Fair and Lovely” be so popular in Pakistan, and I daresay India. A mullah in Pakistan says that in heaven, the black women who become houris will turn white. I didn’t bother you with how the neanderthals were made extinct by homo sapiens- two species that used to conjugate and reproduce. They say there is 4fourt to five percent of neanderthal blood in all of us. My point is that in Man’s cruelty against Man, America alone does not stand out. The rest of us are also vile culprits. So, when and if homo sapiens, ‘the wise hominoid’ finally makes himself extinct, we have no idea what may come. Anyway, in all this turmoil, the US Presidential elections are upon us. President Trump’s rival, Joe Biden, fears that a defeated Trump will refuse to part from office and the US military will be forced to escort him out of the White house. Why say escort? Let’s say frog march. But, one mad man does not an entire country make. While talking of Man’s cruelties, it is easy to forget Man’s achievements. America’s achievements in science, technology and medicine have been amazing and may they never stop. In our feeling of hurt right now it is easy to forget that the white man is also a human being and deserves as much consideration as a non-white. So let’s not start gloating over their temporary misfortune. After all, the covid-19 crisis has made everyone look to the USA to find the vaccine. Frankly, instead of going on lambasting generation after generation and state after state, the world should be looking for consensus and equilibrium to live in harmony and never forget that we have one world to share. And if we destroy the entire cake there will not be one slice left for anyone. Humayun Gauhar can be reached at: humayun.gauhar786@gmail.com
Covid-19, FDI and Privatization Prospects
Intensive care? A needless struggle at a time of crisis
The pandemic has made privatisation a problem
A
LOnG with disputes over the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, which are serious enough and which involve just everyone’s health but also their livelihoods, the federal and Sindh governments have chosen this time of crisis to struggle over the control of three of Karachi’s leading hospitals; The national Institute of Cardiovascular health, The Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Institute and The national Institute of Child health. There has been an opening exchange of letters between the federal and provincial health ministries, and it is to be expected that this will continue. The rights and the wrongs of the matter after the eighteenth Amendment, and of the eighteenth Amendment itself, cannot be made the primary issue; of prime relevance is patient welfare. The experiences of similar hospitals in Punjab and KP, where the PTI holds provincial office as well, do not give cause for greater optimism. It does seem that the PTI is not letting go its party prejudices in Sindh where it is in the opposition and where the provincial government has been formed by the PPP. It has been the case that the pandemic has been handled by the Sindh government with more purposefulness. This seems to have been resented by the federal government sufficiently to make it attempt to take over the hospitals which it sees as having contributed to this success. even if the federal government does have a claim to the running of these hospitals, the timing of this controversy move does seem an unfortunate distraction. Covid-19 has highlighted a situation where the provincial government of the main point of entry of this pandemic is in the jurisdiction of one party, but the central government is in another’s. It is the responsibility of the centre to coordinate the effort to fight the pandemic, a task at which it can report few successes so far. Instead, it has chosen to set in motion what seems a needless bureaucratic bun fight. The issue of the control of the three institutions concerned would really be of interest to a part of the medical community, and must at the moment be subordinated to that of patients.
Dr. Omer JaveD
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S the government is reportedly looking to privatize Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), among other state-owned enterprises (SOes), it should know that regardless of the debate that whether SOes should be privatized or not, given the current pandemic and with it the existence of lockdowns in many parts of the world, these times of great economic uncertainty do not present themselves as the best time. For one, aggregate demand and supply have collapsed, and winds of deglobalization have gained strength, and things are likely to follow this trend at least till there becomes available an appropriate vaccine. These are indeed not the best time to expect a lot of interest from foreign investors, especially in assets like PSM, which are in really bad shape, both in terms of efficiency and debt. In fact, according to a recently released ‘World Investment Report 2020: International production beyond the pandemic’ by United nations Conference on Trade and Development (UnCTAD) ‘Global flows of foreign direct investment (FDI) will be under severe pressure this year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. These vital resources are expected to fall sharply from 2019 levels of $1.5 trillion, dropping well below the trough reached during the global financial crisis and undoing the already lackluster growth in international investment over the past decade. Flows to developing countries will be hit especially hard, as export-oriented and commodity-linked investments are among the most seriously affected.’ According to the Report, that trough after the Global Financial Crisis (2009) was at $1.2 trillion, but the situation is expected to be much worse for 2020 and 2021, whereby ‘The COVID-19 crisis will cause a dramatic drop in foreign direct investment
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(FDI) in 2020 and 2021. It will have an immediate tive pressures in terms of exports and remittances, in negative impact in 2020, with a further deterioration the wake of recessionary trends taking hold globally. Moreover, the situation sets in quite a reversal in 2021. Global FDI flows are forecast to decrease by up to 40 per cent in 2020, from their 2019 value of from 2019, when after a number of years, FDI in$1.54 trillion. This would bring FDI below $1 trillion flows in Pakistan had somewhat reached a relatively for the first time since 2005. FDI is projected to de- higher level. According to the Report ‘In Pakistan, crease by a further 5 to 10 per cent in 2021. In relative FDI recovered in 2019, growing 28 percent to $2.2 terms the projected fall is expected to be worse than billion after a deep fall of 30 percent in 2018 as the the one experienced in the two years following the country faced balance-of-payment challenges. The global financial crisis. At their lowest level ($1.2 tril- growth was driven by equity investments in the enlion) then, in 2009, global FDI flows were some $300 ergy, financial, and textiles industries, with major inbillion higher than the bottom of the 2020 forecast. vestors from China and the United Kingdom.’ The Report highlights that given the negative imThe downturn caused by the pandemic follows sevpact of the pandemic on FDI eral years of negative or possibilities, Brazil has destagnant growth; as such it cided to take a step back for compounds a longer-term its earlier planning in this redeclining trend. The exOverall, even if the gard. This should serve as a pected level of global FDI good example for those reflows in 2021 would repreprivatization aspect is put portedly pushing for privatisent a 60 per cent decline zation in Pakistan at this since 2015, from $2 trillion aside, the impact of covid-19 point in time. According to to less than $900 billion.’ Furthermore, the Report in terms of FDI, much needed the Report ‘Brazil registered a 20 percent increase [in highlights that the outlook employment opportunities, FDI in 2019] to $72 billion, for FDI beyond 2021 also with investors attracted by looks ‘highly uncertain’ and built-up in reserves and the oil and gas extraction whereby ‘A U-shaped trajecand electricity industries. tory, with a recovery of FDI with it stability to currency economic conditions apto its pre-crisis trend line bethat FDI could provide, and peared to improve in the fore 2022, is possible but and a wide-ranging only at the upper bound of which is much needed given country, privatization program was the expectations. economic launched in July as part of and geopolitical uncertainty the country is struggling on the administration’s efforts look set to dominate the inall these counts for many to relaunch the economy. vestment landscape in the During the first nine months medium term. At the lower years now, the outlook for of 2019, the Government bound of the forecast, further raised about $20 billion stagnation in 2022 will leave FDI brings little hope. through privatizations and the value of global FDI well divestments, $1.4 billion in below the 2019 level.’ One payments for rights to operwonders then why Pakistan ate infrastructure and about would be looking to enter the process of privatization, given the grim nature of $3 billion in “sales of natural assets,” consisting prospects of FDI in the short- to medium term. Per- mainly of the State-controlled Petrobras oil explohaps, a better option for the government, even if it is ration areas... For 2020 the Government was expectconvinced to privatize SOes, is to improve the status ing to be able to sell another $35 billion of assets; of SOes during the medium term, and then open up however, as the coronavirus pandemic is tipping the economy back into recession, the volatility associated for discussions in this direction. Overall, even if the privatization aspect is put aside, with the crisis has worsened the selling conditions, the impact of covid-19 in terms of FDI, much needed pushing the authorities to postpone most of the anemployment opportunities, and built-up in reserves and nounced share sales. Similarly, transactions waiting with it stability to currency that FDI could provide, and for regulatory approval have been halted.’ which is much needed given the country is struggling Omer Javed holds PhD in Economics degree on all these counts for many years now, the outlook for FDI brings little hope. This is all the more disturbing, from the University of Barcelona, and previously given countries, especially mostly highly indebted de- worked at International Monetary Fund. He tweets veloping countries like Pakistan, are also facing nega- @omerjaved
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COMMENT 07 Editor’s mail Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively
Capitalism and world after Covid-19
Judicial escape The government still has been left options
SyeD KaSwar GarDezi
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OLLOWInG months of endless hearings and a relentless pursuit by the government and the supporters of judicial independence, the Mr Justice Qazi Faez Isa case finally came to an end, for the time being. The arguments at the rostrum spanned over a wide spectrum ranging from mala fides to tax discrepancies, misconduct and judicial surveillance. While some termed it as a form of judicial accountability, the far sighted ones were able to see the case for what it truly was; part of the fight for judicial independence. Without having even read the presidential reference, the self-proclaimed analysts and experts of our country started lambasting the top judge amidst allegations of corruption and illgotten wealth. Unfortunately, owing to the underlying defects in the accountability process in Pakistan, any person with an accusation is convicted and found guilty by the social media prior to the commencement of his or her legal trial. no matter who the individual is, a mere accusation is sufficient to submerge his or her dignity under allegations of corrupt practices. The same has been the fate of Mr Justice Isa. An entire social media campaign continues to be run against him and his family calling upon them to be accountable. What this segment of society, whose judgement remains clouded, fails to comprehend is the root cause of the entire case; the vindictive agenda of the government. nevertheless, the top court finally rendered its much anticipated judgement. While the judgement was initially celebrated by the flag bearers of judicial independence, a careful scrutiny of the short order paints a disturbing picture. On the face of it, the presidential reference has been quashed and, resultantly, the show-cause notice stands abated. however, the case is far from over. In fact, it may have inaugurated the sequel of the entire case. Firstly, the seven honourable members of the bench, writing for the majority have directed the FBR to issue notices and proceed against the family members of Mr Justice Isa. Relaxation on the law of limitation pertaining to tax matters has
been given for reasons hopefully to be unveiled it sees fit. What if the SJC decides to proceed on in the detailed judgement. Secondly, a direction the basis of an order made by the commissioner has been given against the family members of and subsequently the same order fails to hold Mr Justice Isa who were never a party before the ground in appeal? Will the SJC proceedings apex court nor were duly represented by their re- abate or will they still continue? The decision on Justice Isa’s case was one spective counsels. Though, the wife of the honourable Judge was granted the opportunity to which would have redefined the future of our present her stance, the same principle of natural country’s judiciary and its independence. The entire country had its eyes justice should have towards the Supreme been provided to the Court in anticipation of children of the petia victory. Unfortunately, tioner judge. Nevertheless, the top court most are happy on the The disturbing asreference being quashed pect of the short order is instead of stepping forward but have failed to comthe vehement stance rethe veiled congarding submission of and issuing a bold decision, prehend tinuation of the the FBR report to the proceedings. It is one of Supreme Judicial Counhas escaped its way out of those instances where cil and a detailed mechthe controversial petitions. both parties have exanism into how this pressed their satisfaction exercise has to be conControversial because a over the decision and ducted. If the reference mostly such instances under challenge has judge was being judged by are dangerous for one of been quashed then what other judges. This order can the parties in the future. is the need for the SJC The government to examine the report of be quoted as one of the has readily accepted the the FBR? More so verdict as it has found when the FBR only has finest examples of a judicial room for itself to create to proceed against the escape in the modern times a new case against Mr independent family Justice Isa by virtue of members of Mr Justice where the judiciary wriggles the FBR which can Isa. A dangerous comthen be taken up by the ment would lead one to out of a tight spot instead of SJC. The only silver believe as though the lining in the order is the majority of the bench is standing firm and issuing a ouster of the governalready aware of any strong verdict irrespective of ment’s role in filing of possible judicial misreference on this parconduct on part of Mr the repercussions. Mr Justice aticular matter. It has Justice Isa which will been left open for the be unearthed during the Qazi Faez Isa, or I’d rather SJC to procced in its FBR proceedings. Why say, judicial independence, suo motu jurisdiction if else would the bench the need be. feel the need for the may have won the battle for nevertheless, the SJC to go over the FBR top court instead of report? A more pragnow, but the war is far from stepping forward and matic approach would over and is yet to come. With issuing a bold decision, have been the submishas escaped its way out sion of the report before defeat in the first round, the of the controversial pethis bench which could titions. Controversial have then made a judiopponents are more likely to because a judge was cial determination as to being judged by other whether there was sufficome better prepared and judges. This order can cient material for the strike back harder be quoted as one of the matter to be referred to finest examples of a juthe SJC or otherwise. dicial escape in the In presence of modern times where strong allegations of state maneuvering against Justice Isa, the bench the judiciary wriggles out of a tight spot instead has also overlooked the influence and oversight of standing firm and issuing a strong verdict irof the government over the FBR. While on one respective of the repercussions. Mr Justice Qazi hand the government reference has been binned, Faez Isa, or I’d rather say, judicial independence, at the same time an opportunity has been pro- may have won the battle for now, but the war is vided to it to come back with something con- far from over and is yet to come. With defeat in crete. In fact, they have also been pointed in the the first round, the opponents are more likely to right direction as most would assume, with all come better prepared and strike back harder. due respect to the honorable bench. The short Syed Kaswar Gardezi is a lawyer and a order further details that, irrespective of the pendency of any appeal against any order of the columnist. He can be contacted at commissioner, the SJC may make any order as kaswargardezi@gmail.com
BeFORe Covid-19, the world we were living in is way different from the world we would be living in after “Post Covid -19” after this pandemic and how Capitalism is failing in this global pandemic and how superpower countries are no longer superpower. As we all know, Coronavirus is a deadly virus as it has spread over 190 countries and in U.S states. The global pandemic is having an impact on global economic growth, banking, dying industries and market borrowing etc. WhO (World health Organization) first declared Covid-19 world health emergency in January 2020, more than 80 countries have closed their borders, ordered the business, education sector to close in the first days of world health emergency. Although it has damaged 25% of the economy. Soon there will an increase in the unemployment rate, like the U.S GDP has fallen from 4.8 at an annual rate. Since the fourth quarter of 2008 during the global financial crisis. Foreign investors have pulled an estimated 29 million. Latin America would fall into the line of poverty, over 30 million people have applied for state support of their wages. however, during this time of crisis most people are placing their trust in the government. From the very start, the U.S was known as a superpower, a pure democratic state. Interestingly, we can clearly see that China, a socialist country with a central government and disciplined populations, are more suitable to fight pandemics like Coronavirus. Some so-called democratic states like the U.S and the european countries have not only failed to come out with a cohesive response but Capitalism has fallen in short, Capitalism scars from the crashes of 2001, 2008 and 2009 had not healed yet. One thing is clear, that global pandemic depends upon business and investment on human beings and their survival of their socio-economic class. The post Corona environment is definitely going to change now states and people come up with a new social contract. Global pandemic has darned the common man and that capitalist ideology and liberalism has failed and their weather capitalism is an anthemia to the world humanity. The World health Organization is also an idealist, but unfortunately no new vaccines have still come yet and it might take 12 months to make a vaccine. In short, the world after Covid-19 will create a world that is less open, less prosperous and less free. The big companies will take time to come back to their position where they were before the Global pandemic. ISrA KHAn Islamabad
Street crime STReeT crime is any criminal offense done in public place. It includes kidnapping, open illegal drug trade, pickpocketing, extortion etc. Open Illegal drug trade is the lowest level of drug distribution network. They operate in geographically areas so buyers and sellers can locate one another at any time, without any difficulty. Most commonly sold drugs are heroin, cocaine and marijuana. Dealing with open-air drug markets presents a challenge for the police because the dealers need to be tackled effectively to reduce the harms that illicit drug use can inflict on local community. Poverty, unemployment and parent neglect are the major reasons of increasing street crimes day by day in our society. Mostly, the culprit usually does such act in desolate place so that they can easily run and escape from being caught by the police. To reduce street crimes, public places should be monitored with cameras and the victim must know some self-defence techniques so that at-least they can save their lives. ZILL-E-HUMA rawalpindi
Why blame OMCs? ThIS is in response to the news story titled “Fuel availability crisis: nine OMCs found involved in hoarding, black marketing of POL products” published on June 18, 2020. So the blame has been put on OMCs but in my humble opinion, it has always been a matter of failed governance from a broader perspective. One cannot deem the private sector oil companies as culprits when in actuality, it is the misplaced command economy type regulations which are causing the country to frequently run into fuel shortages. To put it into perspective, the same counter-productive policies caused damage to our Pakistani Rupee when Ishaq Dar was blindly propping up the Rupee against the Dollar. Petroleum product pricing must be allowed to reach an equilibrium based on market forces of supply and demand. In its current state, the centre’s monthly pricing mechanism only causes OMCs to undergo losses to subsidize the citizen’s price at the pump. no business should be forced to run in a loss. The costs of Social protection must be borne by the Government and not the private entities that are geared to efficiently provide fuel to the nation’s economy on a profit motive. ZUHAIr ALI KHAn Lahore
Website for Corona AS corona is extensively discussed in social, electronic, and paper media. The problem is undoubtedly challenging however, being threatened, panic, and anxious may not help coping up the situation. As laymen people believe whatever they were thrown to by overflowing social media tools, therefore, it is an extremely important to make an official and authentic platform nationally and provisionally where information can be pasted and timely updated. These forums will definitely provide a across match for filtering the fake and fabricated piece of information. I humbly wish to notify the authorities to make such an arrangement and propagate through electronic and paper media. ArEEBA Karachi
Dead conscience IT is heart wrenching to know that a blood donor refused to give Plasma after finding out the recipient is Shia. The incident gauged the intensity of discrimination is deeply rooted whether of caste, faith, colour or race. Do they possess a different color of blood? For how long will we just fool the already dead conscience? ASIF MUrAD UMrAnI Karachi
08 WORLD VIEW
ScammerS target hot tub buyerS aS coronaviruS fraud SurgeS CRIMINALS ARE DUPING CUSTOMERS INTO PAYING FOR ADVERTISED PRODUCTS THAT NEVER EXISTED
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ITH the heat beating down throughout last month, there was a surge in sales of hot tubs as people sought to while away their lockdown days in some comfort. But many of those buying the tubs had to put their plans on ice when they found they had been scammed by buying products that never existed. The hot tub scam is one of a number of frauds that have emerged as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Cars and kittens have been advertised online, with buyers told they cannot see them before paying because of the lockdown restrictions, when the real reason is that they don’t exist. People working from home who find their computer needs repair have unknowingly employed fraudulent online repair sites, which have installed malware on their machines. Some who have been bereaved by coronavirus have been targeted by criminals claiming they have inheritance to pass on, only for their bank details to be taken and used for fraud.
Behind the spate of scams are gangs and individuals in the UK and abroad who cost consumers hundreds of millions of pounds every year through cyberfraud. The pandemic has given them new ways to defraud people who are already nervous because of the spread of coronavirus. This has illustrated how criminals can react and profit from changing events. Cyberfraud has become rife across the world in recent years as criminals use information gleaned from the internet to encourage people to give away their bank details or transfer money. This happens in a variety of ways: from a threatening text message apparently from the tax man saying money is owed to an email saying you could be convicted of a crime if you don’t pay a fine. Now those same gangs have switched their focus to a variety of frauds themed around the coronavirus. “Criminals will use every opportunity to defraud innocent people at the end of the day and they continue to exploit every possible angle of this pandemic to do so,” says DCI Gary Robinson of the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit, a specialist police unit funded by the banking industry that investigates the criminal gangs responsible for fraud. There have been well over 2,300 victims of coronavirus-related scams with losses of more than £7m since February, according to Action Fraud. While many people are adept at spotting some of the older scams, this new
wave of fraud opens up the possibility of more unsuspecting victims. Kate Smith of pensions provider Aegon says scammers are adept at reinventing their tactics. Pensions scams are amongst the most frequent frauds as criminals attempt to convince vulnerable people to transfer their pension pots to them. “It’s easy to think that we need to be on our guard from cold calling or phishing attempts, but mounting evidence shows scammers don’t rely on these methods alone,” she says. “They can just as easily turn their hand to creating convincing websites or another online presence, which people can inadvertently fall prey to when searching online.” HOW THE NEW SCAMS WORK: Increased home working has led to a spike in fake calls from payroll departments and internet service providers asking for personal information, according to TSB Bank. Just like the hot tub fraud, people are also being convinced to hand over money for Nintendo Switches, pedigree dogs, rental properties and cars that don’t exist. The fraudster will tell they cannot be viewed because of lockdown restrictions. The rise in staycations this summer has led to a series of caravan frauds along the same lines after the vehicles are put up for sale online. Action Fraud says the majority of coronavirus-related scams reported to it involve online shopping for face masks, hand sani-
Libya’s proxy sponsors face a dilemma Brookings institution Ranj alaaldin and EmadEddin Badi
Events in Libya have taken a remarkable turn after the U.N.backed government in Tripoli, the Government of National Accord (GNA), took back full control of the capital last Monday. The move forced Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan National Army (LNA) to abandon their yearlong attempt to take the city and withdraw their forces from other towns and cities in the west of the country. Haftar’s own political survival has also come into serious doubt; there is increased discontent (including defections) within his fractious camp in the south and east, where Haftar’s forces still control swathes of territory. Haftar’s military failures have disappointed his external backers: the United Arab Emirates, France, Russia, and Egypt. They enabled his military campaign to take control of Tripoli, providing him with significant military and political support, with the acquiescence of the United States. Half a year into the offensive, Russia intervened to help a struggling Haftar, sending in several hundreds of Wagner mercenaries to reinforce his push into Tripoli and increasing its military footprint in Libya. Yet, the conspicuous withdrawal of Russian mercenaries (including Wagner and Syrian, pro-Assad regime militias) from western Libya, which occurred after an alleged backdoor deal between Moscow and Ankara, has led to a route of Haftar’s forces from western Libya entirely. Haftar’s backers are now re-assessing their position. This provides a timely opportunity for the U.S., which has so far been a bystander to the conflict, to deter Turkey and Russia from openly flouting the U.N. arms embargo on Libya and prevent Russia from moving closer toward establishing a permanent footprint in the east, Haftar’s stronghold. Washington can also ensure that Turkey’s military gains are leveraged to push through a viable and sustainable resolution to the conflict that does not result in continued strife. THE ROLE OF EXTERNAL ACTORS: External actors are key to the Libyan conflict. The GNA’s victory in Tripoli has been undergirded by the support of Turkish air defense systems, fleets of drones, and mercenaries that Turkey withdrew from the Syria conflict. Turkey has provided military support since December 2019, when the GNA — the U.N.-recognized government in Tripoli — signed a controversial maritime agreement with Ankara. The latter saw in the GNA’s vulnerability a prime opportunity to advance its eastern Mediterranean interests. Although Haftar’s backers have called for a ceasefire, Turkey sees little reason to heed the calls. Haftar faces an increase in defections and diminished trust in his capabilities, and he may not politically survive the fallout from his military setbacks. Ankara can potentially decisively shape the contours of the next phase of the conflict. Turkey and the GNA could continue their offensive, even intensify it further to capitalize on recent momentum. This would encourage further defections in Haftar’s camp, resulting in a potential implosion within his coalition. It would also ensure that, once a ceasefire does eventually materialize, the landscape
will not have shifted in any fundamental political or military sense in favor of Haftar and his backers. For the GNA, the terms of a ceasefire would need to ensure that Haftar’s control of the east is not consolidated, forcing him to fade into irrelevance. By this token, Turkey’s strategy in Libya is working. However, Turkey should also tread carefully. Turkey’s new assertiveness could quickly turn into a miscalculation if Haftar’s backers double-down, giving up on their quest to control the country in its entirety and instead focusing on crystallizing autonomy in the east. Libya’s war is a proxy war, one where state sponsors may want to avoid escalation but could continue to provide their partners on the ground with enough resources to maintain the fight and prevent an outright defeat. Haftar’s losses do not bode well for his relationship with his external backers. However, for those backers, the geopolitical reverberations of an outright victory for the GNA and Turkey would outweigh the costs of continued support for Haftar’s LNA. This could, at most, transform the east into a UAE and Russian protectorate; at minimum, continued support from external sponsors would strengthen Haftar’s negotiating hand if a ceasefire does at some point materialize. The prospect of this kind of political maneuvering among the external actors is very real. In the Berlin Agreement, an accord co-sponsored by the U.N. in January 2020, outside powers ostensibly committed to halt their support to the warring parties. Afterward, Haftar’s backers accelerated their push to take Tripoli. Heavily influenced by France, Egypt, and the UAE, the agreement was designed to shape a political, economic, and security landscape favorable to Haftar. Now, a similar process that aims to prevent Turkey from advancing towards central and eastern Libya has been instigated by Egypt and Russia. Only days after Haftar’s offensive on Tripoli ended, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi scrambled to host him and the head of the east’s House of Representatives, Agila Saleh, in Cairo to announce a unilateral ceasefire. There, a humiliated Haftar seemingly appeared to submit to Saleh’s Russian-drafted political roadmap for Libya. The Cairo initiative is designed to undermine the U.N.-brokered 2015 Skhirat agreement, upon which the GNA’s international legitimacy is based, though it would also ultimately see Haftar phased out in favor of another figure. More importantly, it also signalled that Russia, Egypt, and the UAE will be jockeying to shape the political landscape over the coming months. Amidst the diplomatic maneuvers, Haftar’s backers are still militarily supporting his LNA in an effort to deter GNA-aligned forces and Turkey from advancing into eastern Libya. LIBYA COULD BECOME THE NEXT SYRIA: These attempts to freeze the conflict and establish a settlement that is premised on spheres of influence over eastern versus western Libya are short-sighted. Both Haftar’s LNA and the GNA coalition of forces are alliances of convenience. The former is a conglomerate of militias and individuals with disparate agendas that rallied under Haftar expecting to benefit from his foreign support and the prospect of him capturing Tripoli. The latter is a coalition
tiser and testing kits, which either never arrive or when they do, are of unusable standard. Track and trace scams involve people being contacted to say they have been in contact with someone who has coronavirus. They are then encouraged to click a link or call a number, according to TSB and Cifas, the fraud prevention service. Emails have been sent claiming to be from government, which state the recipient can get a free evaluation for emergency Covid-19 tax relief but if you click on the link it leads to a site set up specifically to deceive the victims and garner their personal information. Other emails purporting to be from the World Health Organization (WHO) say the recipient should download an attachment, which allegedly contains the results of the first human Covid-19 vaccine test. Opening it can result in usernames and passwords being passed on to the fraudsters. Last month, Mohammed Khan (20) from Camden, London, pleaded guilty to sending out a large number of fraudulent text messages linked to Covid-19. The messages claimed to be from the UK government and offered a tax refund as a result of the pandemic. A link in the messages led to a form on a webpage imitating official government websites, with the aim of tricking customers into giving away their personal and account details. A GROWING PROBLEM: The scale of cybercrime has ballooned in recent years, both in terms of the number of victims and the number of people taking part either as part of a gang or individually. TSB reported that one of its customers
of fractious militias and support forces that mobilized together in response to Haftar’s prospective takeover of Tripoli. Freezing the conflict would fragment both coalitions, an outcome proxy powers cannot avert in the long run. Even a potential Turkish-Russian deal would, at best, lead to a de-facto partition of Libya. Conflict would diffuse locally, as coalitions fragment and militia groups contest power and resources at the local level. In addition, other proxy powers such as Egypt and the UAE could undermine an agreement between Russia and Turkey if they felt it marginalized their role. The most dangerous risk for Libya is that it could quickly find itself facing expanded conflict. If international actors remain involved, Libya could resemble Syria’s landscape, with years of substantial arms influxes and a rapid proliferation of disparate external mercenaries. If international support for Libyan actors wanes or disappears, local grievances will take center stage, violently. While the ensuing fragmentation of these coalitions could manifest as local wars of attrition, further internationalization of the conflict would completely dismantle Libya’s social fabric and result in the displacement of hundreds of thousands and lead to countless deaths. AMERICA’S ROLE: Against this backdrop, Washington and Brussels should work jointly, prioritizing damage control by way of conflict management. The EU’s inability to enforce red lines is already clear, given France’s support for Haftar. Due to Paris’ long-standing support for Haftar, the EU may struggle to position itself as a credible and honest broker of peace. However, curbing Russian influence is already a priority for Europe, meaning Europe may want to avert a Turkish-Russian deal that would effectively partition Libya. For its part, Washington could indirectly support the EU’s maritime Operation Irini, designed to oversee Libya’s arms embargo. Building on the commitments made during the Berlin accord, the U.S. Treasury could curb Russia’s influence by imposing sanctions on individuals, groups, and entities proven to be involved in the repeated transfer of weapons and mercenaries to Libya. This would prop up Irini’s maritime enforcement capacity, as its naval assets could specifically target vessels linked with sanctioned entities. To deter foreign parties from moving to airlift weapons and mercenaries instead, the Pentagon could release satellite imagery of aerial embargo violations. That would build on the momentum established by United States Africa Command, which has highlighted Russian military aircraft deployed to eastern Libya and punctured Russian denials of its support for Haftar. Combined with sanctions, this constrains the space for outside actors to intervene in the conflict. Weakening Haftar and his allies would, in turn, reduce the need for the GNA to continue and expand its reliance on Turkey. The involvement of nefarious outside actors is not the only threat facing Libya today; local conflicts are very real too. Nonetheless, reducing the influx of weapons and foreign fighters is an important piece of the Libyan puzzle, a tragic conflict that has already cost scores of lives. Ranj Alaaldin is a Visiting Fellow - Brookings Doha Center. Emadeddin Badi is a Nonresident Senior Fellow The Atlantic Council.
in the north-west who has cancer was convinced by a man claiming to be a registered carer to hand over their card so he could do their shopping, only for the fraudster to withdraw money from their account. Another customer was convinced a bike for sale apparently by a self-isolating NHS worker could not be viewed but had to be paid for in advance. When they turned up to collect it, they met someone else also there to pick up the same non-existent bike. “Because people are feeling vulnerable at this time, people are falling for it,” says Robinson. “Fraudsters think that it is faceless and that they can sit at home with their powerful smartphones and laptops or tablets and they can get away with it. But we are working hard to track down those responsible for fraud and bring them to justice.” BE AWARE: The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has launched an alert system to report online scam adverts although MoneySavingExpert’s Martin Lewis has said it is not a perfect solution to the problem. The system is responding to concerns about online ads linked to fraudulent schemes, especially around cryptocurrencies. There has been a rise in the number of fake Bitcoin investment ads, which are aimed at people worried about the possibility of recession. The problem of pensions scams has led Canada Life to advise people to be wary of anyone offering to help access your pension savings before age 55, as it is rare to be able to do so. HMRC will never make contact by email, phone or text about a tax refund so delete or ignore these contacts. In a similar way, the police and banks will never ask to withdraw money or transfer it to a different account nor will they ask to reveal a full banking password or pin. Jason Costain, head of fraud prevention at NatWest, says: “Customers should try where possible to use a credit or debit card when making a purchase online, purchase from a trusted seller, follow the security advice on the website and avoid making payments directly to an unknown seller.”
Social media must be held accountable economic times With US President Donald Trump threatening to strip internet companies of the shield offered by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the limits to freedom of speech on the web and accountability of internet firms, social media platforms in particular, have come to the fore again. Section 230 offers the likes of Google and Facebook two kinds of protection: one, it gives them a shield, in that they would not be treated as publishers of usergenerated content on their site; and, two, it gives them a sword, the right to moderate user-generated content on their site to suit their policy on decency and hate speech, without being sued for violation of freedom of expression. The right balance would be to give social media the same protection and accountability as have been accorded to traditional media. Social media sites have been accused, not without justice, of improper use of their immunity, in relation to matters that are not related to public life, publishing revenge porn being merely an extreme example. Traditional media would not be spared for errors of judgement of this kind, nor should social media. In order to enforce such accountability, social media content generated by or/and on Indian users must be stored on servers located in India. Once informed of their carrying content that is mala fide, social media should be obliged to remove such content within a reasonable time frame. When they operate in India, social media companies should follow all Indian laws. At the same time, social media should receive the same protection against defamation charges that traditional media receives for content published in good faith as part of the public discourse on matters of public interest and public policy. A level playing field, in short, is imperative for all media.
Monday, 22 June, 2020
busIness 09
Amazon signals entry into alcohol delivery in India with nod in key state NEW DELHI AGENCIES
Amazon.com Inc has secured clearance to deliver alcohol in India’s eastern state of West Bengal, according to a document seen by Reuters, signalling the US e-commerce giant’s first foray into the country’s multi-billion-dollar sector. In a notice on Friday, West Bengal State Beverages Corp, the authorised agency to carry out online retail of liquor trade in the state, said Amazon was among the companies found to be eligible for registration with authorities. Alibaba-backed Indian grocery venture BigBasket has also won approval to deliver alcohol in the state, the notice said. West Bengal is India’s fourth most populous state, with a population of more than 90 million people. Amazon has been invited to sign a memorandum of understanding with the state, said the notice, which has not previously been reported. Amazon did not respond to a request for comment. BigBasket also did not respond to a request for comment. Amazon’s interest in delivering alcohol in West Bengal marks a bold move to make inroads into a market that is worth $27.2 billion, according to estimates by IWSR Drinks Market Analysis. Over the years, Amazon has expanded its e-commere operations in India as more and more people go online to shop for everything from groceries to electronics. The company has committed $6.5 billion in investments in India, one of its key growth markets. India’s top two food-delivery startups, Swiggy and Zomato, started delivering alcohol in some cities last month, as they looked to cash in on the high demand for booze as many states come out of a lockdown aimed at tackling the coronavirus. India restricted liquor sales when it announced a nationwide lockdown in March. Hundreds of people queued up at liquor stores in May when some restrictions were eased, and the liquor industry had been lobbying with many states to allow online deliveries. Each state sets its own alcohol sales policy. West Bengal last month invited companies to express interest for “handling electronic ordering, purchase, sale and home delivery of alcoholic liquors from licensed retail outlets” to eligible legal-age consumers in the state.
UK to seek new powers to scrutinise foreign takeovers
PrIvAtIsAtIon CommIssIon worKIng on reforms to brIng trAnsPArenCy, sAys soomro GOVT EYES RS100BN PRIVATISATION PROCEEDS IN 2020-21 ISLAMABAD
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HE Minister for Privatisation Muhammad Mian Soomro during a meeting on Sunday said that the Privatisation Commission of Pakistan is working on reforms to bring transparency, uniformity and consistency in transaction management. The privatisation process is expected to contribute Rs100 billion to government’s non tax revenue receipts as per the Finance Bill 2020-21. Soomro said that the Privatisation Commission is fully committed and endeavored towards timely achieving the target. He said that significant progress is underway on various entities in the active privatisation list. The minister said that due diligence for various entities is in the final stage, while the procurement process for appointment of financial advisors is also at advance stages for certain entities. Soomro further said that for efficient implemen-
PRIVATISATION TRANSACTIONS FOR HEAVY ELECTRICAL COMPLEX, TWO RLNG PLANTS LIKELY TO BE COMPLETED IN 2020 tation of the privatisation program the commission is working on reforms including a computerised track record of the timelines through software to be kept for a closer monitoring of transaction processes. Officials briefing the meeting said that standardisation and simplification of procurement of transaction advisory services and transaction documents will bring in uniformity, consistency, and transparency in the privatisation process and effective management of the transaction process. As per the latest implementation plan prepared by the Privatisation Division, it is expected that transactions for privatising Heavy Electrical Complex (HEC) and both RLNG plants at Haveli Bahadar Shah and Balloki are likely to be completed in the second quarter of the current fiscal year. Additionally, for the Nandipur Power Plant, financial advisors have been hired, who are expected to complete due diligence during the FY 2020-21. Moreover, Services international Hotel (SIH), Jinnah Convention Center (JCC), SME Bank, First
Women Bank Limited (FWBL) and House Building Finance Company Limited (HBFC) are scheduled for completion in the next fiscal year. For SME Bank, qualified bidders have been notified to participate in the buyer side due diligence leading to the bidding process. Another meeting was held between the Privatisation Commission Board (PCB) all relevant stakeholders including Ministry of Industries and Production to discuss the revival of Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM). The Transaction Committee discussed the revised transaction structure for revival of Pakistan Steel Mills. Different options were considered for revival and the Financial Advisory Consortium was directed by the committee to further fine tune proposals. Another session of the Transaction Committee has been scheduled on Tuesday to finalise the transaction structure. The recommendations of the committee will be presented to the Privatisation Commission Board and the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation for necessary approvals.
US economy will likely need more support, Fed's Rosengren says The continued spread of the novel coronavirus could hamper the US economic rebound from the pandemic, and more fiscal and monetary support will likely be needed, Boston Federal Reserve President Eric Rosengren said on Friday. Rosengren repeated his view that the US unemployment rate will likely be “at double-digit levels” at the end of 2020 and cautioned against reopening the economy too quickly after the end of lockdowns aimed at containing the virus. “This lack of containment could ultimately lead to a need for more pro-
longed shut-downs, which result in reduced consumption and investment, and higher unemployment,” Rosengren said in a virtual event organized by the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce. The US central bank moved quickly to support the economy by cutting interest rates to near zero and rolling out a slew of emergency lending facilities. In his remarks on Friday, Rosengren said those moves likely were not enough and that more support is needed from both monetary and fis-
cal policy. The Fed’s Main Street Lending Program, which targets small and medium-sized businesses, was officially launched this week after nearly three months of planning. Some small lenders and small business consultants said the program may not be a good fit for many struggling businesses. But Rosengren said recent changes the Fed made to expand the program should make it attractive to more borrowers. He also encouraged more lenders to register, adding they might
need it in the fall if there is a resurgence of the virus. “These are still early days in the program, and we are seeing a steady stream of interest,” Rosengren said. Rosengren also said the commercial real estate sector will face challenges in the wake of the pandemic, with some companies needing more space and others asking more employees to work from home. “It’s too soon to know how it’s going to affect all elements of real estate,” he said. AGENCIES
LONDON AGENCIES
Britain will seek changes to the law to allow scrutiny of some foreign takeovers to ensure they do not threaten the country’s ability to tackle public health emergencies such as the coronavirus outbreak, the government said on Sunday. Proposals for changes to the Enterprise Act will be put before parliament on Monday to allow the government to intervene if businesses such as vaccine research companies become takeover targets. “These powers will send an important signal to those seeking to take advantage of those struggling as a result of the pandemic that the United Kingdom (UK) government is prepared to act where necessary to protect our national security,” Business Secretary Alok Sharma said in a statement. The government said the economic disruption caused by the pandemic meant that some critical businesses were more at risk of hostile takeovers or being sold to “malicious parties”. Under the proposed new powers, the government would be able intervene in three sectors considered to be central to national security: artificial intelligence, cryptographic authentication technology and advanced materials. The changes would be in addition to powers brought in two years ago to allow the government to intervene in takeovers of companies involved in military products and technologies. “These measures will strike the right balance between the UK’s national security and resilience while maintaining our world-leading position as an attractive place to invest,” Sharma said. “The UK is open for investment, but not for exploitation.”
KARACHI: A few number of people at cattle market to purchase sacrificial animals. INp
Inflation dog may finally bark, investors bet LONDON AGENCIES
Gold, forests, property stocks, inflation-linked bonds - these are just some of the assets investors are pouring money into on the view that the recent explosion of government spending and central bank stimulus may finally rouse inflation from its decade-long slumber. With the world economy forecast to shrink 6 per cent this year, it may seem like a strange time to fret about inflation. And sure enough, market-based gauges suggest an uptrend in prices may not trouble investors for years. US and euro zone inflation gauges indicate that annual price growth will be running at barely over 1 per cent even a decade from now. So if inflation really is, as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) put it in 2013, “the dog that didn’t bark”, failing to respond to all the central bank money-printing unleashed in the wake of the 2008-9 crisis, why
should investors prepare for it now, especially as demographics and technology are also conspiring to tamp down inflation across the developed world? The answer is that some think the dog really will bark this time, partly because - unlike in the post-2008 years - governments around the world have also been rolling out massive spending packages, in a bid to limit the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. “We will be pushing, pushing, pushing on the string and dropping our guard, then 35 years from now...that’s when the (inflation) dog will start barking,” said PineBridge Investments’ head of multi-asset Mike Kelly, who has been buying gold on that view. “Gold worries about such things long in advance. It has risen through this coronavirus with that down-the-road-risk top of mind,” he added. Even typically frugal governments such as Germany have joined central banks with trillions of dollars in stimulus programmes. Investors say even the long
taboo topic of debt monetisation, where central banks directly fund government spending, may be on the cards. “What worries me is that at the moment it seems that there is no limit to fiscal stimulus,” said Klaus Kaldemorgen, a portfolio manager at asset manager DWS, who said he was investing in inflation hedges far more now than he was after 2008. Inflation hawks also cite a trend of de-globalisation, where shrinking international trade and Western companies bringing production back to their own countries leads to higher prices. This view that inflation could pick up ahead is reflected in forward swaps and in Citi’s inflation surprise indexes, which show that the extent that US inflation readings are surprising against market expectations has been at a record high and has ticked higher in the euro zone, too. WHAT TO BUY? Investors have an interest in pricing future inflation correctly to safeguard their returns, hence the need for
hedges, assets that increase in value or at least hold it when price growth accelerates. They appear primarily to favor US inflation-linked bonds and gold. Wealth managers canvassed by Reuters have been channelling up to 10 per cent of clients’ portfolios into the yellow metal via index funds, gold shares and even bullion. But if gold prices have risen 18 per cent since the end of March, some other hedges remain cheap. US 10-year inflation-linked bonds - known as TIPS - show “breakevens”, or the anticipated rate of inflation in a decade, around just 1.2 per cent. Also known as linkers, the face value and interest payments on these securities rise with inflation. But despite the stimulus boom, “the inflation levels that are priced in are much lower than what was priced in at the end of last year,” said Teun Draaisma, a portfolio manager at Man Group, who has invested in inflation-linked assets.
So inflation might be some years away, but banks are advising clients to pick up cheap hedges. Morgan Stanley suggests US 30-year linkers, while Natwest advises buying 30-year UK linkers and 10-year euro zone inflation swaps. “These hedges in many cases look extraordinarily cheap, so why not buy them now? We could wait, then things could start to move away from us,” said Colin Harte, multi-asset portfolio manager at BNP Paribas Asset Management. Indeed, the S&P 10-year US TIPS Index is already up 12 per cent from March levels. “It won’t be a couple of years from now until (inflationary factors) start to come through, so that’s why we keep (long-dated US linkers),” said Chris Jeffery at Legal & General’s asset allocation team. Harte at BNP said his main hedge is gold but he has also invested in a broader commodity basket which includes natural gas, copper and oil.
Monday, 22 June, 2020
10 FOREIGN NEWS
Trump suggesTs us slow virus TesTing To avoid bad sTaTisTics TULSA
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RESIDEnT Donald Trump said Saturday he’s asked his administration to slow down coronavirus testing because robust testing turns up too many cases of COVID-19. Trump told supporters at his campaign rally that the US has tested 25 million people, far more than any other country. The “bad part,” Trump said, is that widespread testing leads to logging more cases of the virus. “When you do testing to that extent, you’re going to find more people, you’re going to find more cases,” Trump said. “So I said to my people, ‘Slow the testing down, please.’ They test and they test.” The campaign of likely Democratic presidential rival, Joe Biden, said Trump was putting politics ahead of the safety and health of Americans. Trump opted to hold his first rally in 110 days despite concerns from local health officials that it could lead to further spread of the virus in Tulsa. Most of those in attendance declined to wear a mask. “In an outrageous moment that will be remembered long after tonight’s debacle of a rally, President Trump just admitted that he’s putting politics ahead of the safety and economic well-being of the American people — even as we just recorded the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in almost two months and 20 million workers remain out of work,” according to the Biden campaign’s statement. The outbreak has killed about 120,000 people in the US, and nearly a half-million worldwide, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University, though the real num-
1 dead in shooting at Seattle protest movement autonomous zone SEATTLE AGENCIES
A man was shot dead and another seriously injured on Saturday in a police-free autonomous zone created by protesters in the United States city of Seattle, where officers were prevented from accessing the victims, officials said. The area, set up as part of the nationwide protest movement following the death of unarmed African American George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer, has been a frequent target of US President Donald Trump. The US president has called it a “disaster” and said people there are anarchists from the “radical left”. For nearly two weeks, protesters and activists have occupied the western city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, establishing an area described as a “no cop” zone — an urban experiment mostly carried out with a festival-like atmosphere. “Officers attempted to locate a shooting victim but were met by a violent crowd that prevented officers safe access to the victims,” the Seattle Police Department said in a statement. Police, who arrived at the scene around 2:30am, were later told that the pair had been transported to the hospital by the zone’s “medics”, where one of the victims, a 19-year-old, was declared dead. The other victim, also a male “remains in the hospital with life-threatening injuries”, the police department said.
bers are believed to be higher. The number of newly confirmed cases per day has risen from about 21,400 two weeks ago to 23,200, according to an Associated Press analysis. And in Florida, Georgia, Texas and Arizona — states that loosened their stay-at-home restrictions early — daily deaths have been quietly rising since early June. “This virus has killed nearly 120,000 Americans and cost tens of millions their jobs, in large part because this
president could not and would not mobilize testing as quickly as we needed it,” according to the Biden campaign statement. “To hear him say tonight that he has ordered testing slowed — a transparent attempt to make the numbers look better — is appalling.” Rising case numbers can partially be explained by the wider availability of testing. Mild cases, previously undetected because of limits on who could be tested, are now showing up in the numbers.
Hundreds run riot, vandalise shops in Germany's Stuttgart BERLIN AGENCIES
Hundreds of people ran riot in Germany´s Stuttgart city centre in the early hours Sunday, throwing stones and bottles at police and plundering stores after smashing shop windows. “Police are currently securing leads and are interrogating more than 20 people who have been provisionally arrested,” authorities in the southwestern city said in a statement. More than a dozen police officers were also hurt in the clashes, it added. “I sharply condemn this brutal outbreak of violence, these acts against people and things are criminal action that must be forcefully prosecuted and condemned,” Baden-Wuerttemberg state premier Winfried Kretschmann said in a statement. Interior minister for the region Thomas Strobl said the riots were of “an unprecedented nature”. Sascha Binder, a leading local MP of the Social Democratic Party, had earlier described the violence as “civil war-like scenes”. Tensions built up shortly after midnight over police checks on drug taking
by people who had gathered close to the city´s biggest square, the Schlossplatz. Clashes then broke out, as the groups went on the rampage, using sticks or poles to smash windows of police vehicles parked in the area. Police estimated that around 500 people were involved in the riot, which also left shops along the neighbouring Koenigstrasse, a key shopping thoroughfare, looted. Police called in reinforcements, and
were only able to quell the violence several hours later. Videos posted on Twitter showed people breaking shop windows, leaving goods strewn on the streets. A jewellery store was completely emptied and a mobile phone shop wrecked, according to regional broadcaster SWR. Smaller scale clashes had broken out downtown last week between police and groups of young people.
spain's national state of emergency ends MADRID AGENCIES
Spain’s national state of emergency has ended after three months of restrictions on movement to rein in its Covid-19 outbreak. As of Sunday, 47 million Spaniards will be able to freely move around the entire country for the first time since the government declared a state of emergency on March 14. The lockdown measures have been rolled back gradually over recent weeks. “This freedom that we now have, that we don’t have to justify our journey to see our family and friend, this was something that we were really looking forward to,” 23-year-old Pedro Delgado said at Madrid’s airport. Travelers from European countries, including Britain, can also enter Spain now without having to quarantine for 14 days. That quarantine rule still applies to non-Schengen countries, except for the UK. Spain is hoping it can save part of its summer tourist season, which provides a huge part of its economic activity. Spaniards are still obliged to wear face masks both indoors and outside when in public spaces where it is impossible to guarantee a distance of 1.5 metres (5 feet) from others. Regional governments are now in complete charge of putting limits on attendance in public places, from theatres, to weddings, to classrooms. Spain’s lockdown succeeded in stopping the uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus, which authorities say has claimed at least 28,000 lives in the country.
uK authorities say they are treating park stabbing spree as terrorism LONDON AGENCIES
A stabbing rampage in the southern English town of Reading, in which three people were killed and three others were seriously wounded, is being treated as terrorism, police said on Sunday. A 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder after the stabbings on Saturday evening in a park in Reading, which is about 65 kilometres west of London. A British security source told Reuters that the man, who remains in police custody, is a Libyan. “Counter Terrorism Policing can now confirm that the stabbing incident that happened in Reading last night has now been declared a terrorist incident,” Thames Valley Police said in a statement. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has described the incident as appalling, held a meeting on Sunday with security officials, senior ministers and police to be updated about the investigation, a spokesman for Johnson said. Initially police and the government had said the incident did not appear to be terrorism and they were keeping an open mind as to the motive. They said they were not looking for any more suspects in relation to the incident. The stabbings took place on a sunny evening hours after a rally by anti-racism protesters in the park, Forbury Gardens, but appeared to be unrelated to that.
Women more likely than men to lose or quit jobs due to Covid-19: experts NEW YORK AGENCIES
Experts say the economic shock of the coronavirus has affected women more than men because many of them tend to work in the badly exposed services sector. The nature of the outbreak means women are more likely than men to lose or quit their jobs in vulnerable low-paying workplaces like bars, conference venues, hairdressing salons, hotels, pubs and restaurants, which faced extensive shutdowns. School closures during lockdown have exacerbated the situation because more women than men tend to care for and teach their children, even while working from home. The services sector, covering areas like hospitality and leisure, has been ravaged by lockdowns imposed by governments across the world trying to halt the spread of the disease. LOSS OF INCOME: “In the UK and the US, women more likely to lose their jobs because they are more likely to work in services,” said Cambridge University economics lecturer Christopher Rauh. “When you lose your job you are not just losing income now — but also later on,” he
told AFP. As lockdowns ease and infection rates and deaths fall, the services sector is often the last to reopen because it tends to rely on large numbers of people in close contact. In Britain, stay-at-home measures began to be relaxed earlier this month but pubs, bars and restaurants are expected to reopen only from July 4. The phased reopening in England started with outdoor markets and car showrooms, and some younger children also returned to school. However, not all primary school children will return before the lengthy summer break that starts in mid-July and runs until the start of September. Within family units, mothers have been 1.5 times more likely than fathers to lose or quit their jobs since the crisis began, according to think-tank the Institute of Fiscal Studies. Women are also more likely than men to have been furloughed, or temporarily paid by the UK government´s jobs retention scheme, it added. Mothers traditionally assume a larger share of unpaid housework on top of their paid work. AFRAID TO ASK: Sarah, who works in
London’s film industry, stays up every day until 1:00 am to meet deadlines, long after her son and daughter have gone to bed. “I did not dare ask my bosses for a special work arrangement — I did not want them to think I can´t manage,” she told AFP. Single parents face even greater demands with one fewer pair of hands. “At the start of lockdown it was atro-
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cious,” said a single mum working in the pharmaceutical sector in Paris who declined to give her name. “I couldn’t organise myself properly, juggling video conferences, distance learning, cooking meals and doing housework… and wondering what time to stop work in the evening,” she told AFP. She described her working day as a
“marathon” that left her exhausted. “Among my single parent friends, it has been the mother who has taken care of children during lockdown. It feels like we are turning back the clock to 50 years ago,” she said. BACK TO THE 1950s? The Financial Times also wondered whether the Covid-19 health emergency has set women back decades. “Is the coronavirus crisis taking women back to the 1950s?” the daily business newspaper asked in a comment piece this month, citing unfair demands placed on female workers. In contrast with the current health emergency, men were at the sharp end when the notorious 2008 global financial crisis sparked the previous global recession. That badly hurt production sectors such as construction and manufacturing. “During the 2008 recession… men were the first to be hit,” said C. nicole Mason, head of the US-based Institute for Women’s Policy Research think tank. “This time around, because women are over-represented in the service sector, they will experience disproportionately higher unemployment and job loss compared to men.”
Monday, 22 June, 2020
Djokovic reAches finAl of own exhiBition tournAment ZADAr
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ORLD number one Novak Djokovic romped into the final of his own exhibition tournament after winning both opening singles at the Adria Tour in Croatia’s coastal resort Zadar on Saturday. Djokovic saved three set points in his 4-3 4-1 defeat of fellow Serb Pedja Krstin before he sank home crowd favourite Borna Coric 4-1 4-3 in front of several thousand fans at the Visnjik tennis complex. “I hope we gave the crowd a good show,” Djokovic, who organised the event while international tennis remains suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said in a courtside interview. “A few points here and there swung the tie my way. Many thanks to the fans who turned up and stayed late. The last few
months have been difficult (because of the pandemic) and I hope you will come in numbers tomorrow too.” The two-day event on red clay in Zadar is the second leg of Djokovic’s Adria Tour, with Austrian Dominic
Thiem winning the first leg in Belgrade last weekend. The third leg due in Montenegro on June 27 and 28 has been scrapped over coronavirus concerns while the final leg is to be staged in Bosnia’s city Banja Luka
on July 3 and 4. The tournaments involve eight players each, divided into two pools of four on a round-robin basis. Sets have been slashed to best-of-seven games. In Sunday’s afternoon session, Djokovic faces Croatian Dino Serdarusic who replaced Grigor Dimitrov after the Bulgarian pulled out of the tournament with sickness following his opening 4-1 41 loss to Coric. But the outcome of the contest will be meaningless as Djokovic cannot be overhauled by any of his Group A rivals. In Group B, Russian Andrey Rublev is in pole position to advance into Sunday’s 1800 GMT final after wins over 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic and Serb Danilo Petrovic. In Sunday’s final round-robin match, Rublev faces Germany’s world number seven Alexander Zverev who stayed in contention for a berth in the final with a 43 0-4 4-3 win over Cilic.
Tiger skipping next week's tournament in Connecticut teXAS CItY AGENCIES
Tiger Woods will remain idle as the PGA Tour heads to Connecticut next week. The reigning Masters champion sat out last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge at Fort Worth, Texas, and this weekend’s RBC Heritage at Hilton Head, S.C. The two events marked the tour’s return to action after a two-month shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Woods, 44, let the deadline pass for entry Friday afternoon for The Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn. A strong field includes Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, Spain’s Jon Rahm and Americans Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Phil Mickelson. Woods has competed in just two official events since October, tying for ninth at the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego in January, then placing 68th (last among those who made the cut) in the Genesis Open near Los Angeles in February. Before the tour shut down, Woods sat out several events, including the Players Championship, due to stiffness in his surgically repaired back. The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., was abandoned because of the pandemic after the first round was played March 12. Woods returned to action unofficially when he teamed with Peyton Manning to beat Mickelson and Tom Brady in a charity match-play event on May 24. Woods’ schedule decisions might be influenced by the tour’s revised schedule, with only one major event to be played during the 2019-20 season. The postponed PGA Championship will be held at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco from Aug. 6-9.
The season-ending FedEx Cup playoffs are due to be contested from mid-August to early September. The U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y., was postponed from mid-June to Sept. 17-20,
and the Masters was pushed back from April 9-12 to Nov. 12-15 in Augusta, Ga. The Open Championship, scheduled to be played July 16-19 at Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England, was canceled.
SPORTS 11
Brighton forward criticises Arsenal after late winner LONDON AGENCIES
Brighton match-winner Neal Maupay said Arsenal got what they deserved after they criticised him for his role in a serious injury to keeper Bernd Leno. Leno landed awkwardly after being nudged by Maupay and had to be carried off on a stretcher as Arsenal lost 2-1. German Leno sat up as he was being carried off and pointed at Maupay, while Arsenal players surrounded the Brighton player at fulltime. "Some of their players need to learn what is humility," said Maupay. Arsenal's French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi had to be pulled away from Maupay by his teammates after the final whistle as Brighton came from behind to win. "One of them was talking the whole game and saying really bad things," added Maupay. "When I scored I just had to say 'listen, that is what happens when you say bad things on the pitch'. "At half-time I went to the manager Mikel Arteta to apologise. I never meant to injure the keeper. I jumped for the ball. I apologise to the team and to him as well. I have been through a bad injury, it is hard. "Arsenal players maybe need to learn humility sometimes. They were talking a lot. They got what they deserved. "I just went to get the ball really. When he landed he twisted his knee. It is football, there is contact. I never meant to hurt him. I apologise again and wish him a speedy recovery." This was Arsenal's second game back following the restart after losing 3-0 at Manchester City on Wednesday, when Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka and Spanish defender Pablo Mari were injured. Gunners boss Arteta was also missing Brazilian defender David Luiz, who was sent off against City. Leno was replaced by Emiliano Martinez with the game goalless. Nicolas Pepe fired the Gunners into the lead but Lewis Dunk equalised before Maupay's late winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Speaking after the game, Arteta said Leno's injury "doesn't look good" but does not believe Maupay deliberately intended to injure the German keeper. "I always believe players don't have intention to injure people and I am sure he did not intend to do that," added the Spaniard, whose side are eight points off a top-four spot with eight games left.
The racism I have seen in cricket Perth AGENCIES
As racism is playing a prominent role in the current turbulent times, it's worth reflecting on my experience of prejudice in and around cricket. As a youngster growing up in a family where there was no notable prejudice, despite being in the era of the White Australia Policy, I wasn't really aware of racism. I had the good fortune to commence my Sheffield Shield career in the same team as champion West Indian allrounder Garry Sobers. That was a wonderful education in both cricket and life. My first overseas tour was to South Africa in 1966-67 and it was an eye-opener. The apartheid regime was in power and we got a taste of its abhorrent nature after winning the second Test in Cape Town. "Why don't you pick Garry Sobers? Then you'll have a team full of blacks" was the offensive comment directed at Australian batsman Grahame Thomas by an ignorant patron in the team hotel. Thomas has Native American lineage dating back to the days of slavery. Sensibly he walked away from any confrontation. As captain in 1972-73, prior to commencing a home series against Pakistan and then touring the Caribbean, I spoke to the Australian players. I warned them if there were any terms of address prefixed by the word "black", there would be trouble. I said: "You don't call someone a lucky white bastard, so why include the word 'black' in any outburst?" I never heard any such comments
from those Australian players. In 1975-76, my brother Greg captained Australia against West Indies. In a book published after the series, Viv Richards suggested there had been some racially prejudiced comments. I asked Greg, who had a similar outlook to me, if he'd heard any such and he said, "No". I later spoke to Viv on the subject and he said he was referring to one player and assured me that it had all been sorted out. In 1972 I played in a double-wicket contest in Zimbabwe. On a rest day a few players were drinking in the back bar at the Victoria Falls hotel. We had been there a while when the proprietor suddenly told Basil D'Oliveira, a South African-born Cape Coloured man who played for England, that he had to leave the bar. I asked why. "Because he's been swearing in front of my wife," came the unconvincing reply. "Turn it up, mate," I responded. "There's a few of us been swearing, why pick on Basil?" The man insisted that Basil was the only one swearing, so we all put our unfinished beers on the bar and walked out. During the 1975-76 tour of South Africa by a mixed-race International Wanderers side managed by Richie Benaud and captained by Greg, we travelled to a ground outside Port Elizabeth to watch players of colour who weren't allowed to compete in the Currie Cup competition because of South Africa's apartheid laws. John Shepherd, who played for West Indies and Kent, and is of the most gentle people on this earth, was part of our side. As we were leaving, a member
of the crowd shouted out: "Why don't you paint yourself white, Shepherd, and then you can be like the rest of them." Shep stopped abruptly and turned to face the crowd with a withering glare. I happened to be next to him. I grabbed his arm and said: "You don't have to put up with this - let's leave." Shep's arm was as firm as a steel rod, but without redirecting his glare he simply said:
CMYK
"You keep going. I'll be there in a minute." Then as a reassurance he added: "There won't be any trouble." I had another experience of the harmful effects of racism in Jamaica in 1991. At a television forum there, the moderator introduced the subject of the ICC. In answer to a question I said the power of veto that Australia and England held over ICC decisions was a disgrace and should have been abol-
ished long ago. I did not anticipate that many in the audience would be aware there was a power of veto, but the crowd burst into applause. That made a mockery of the standard reply from Australian cricket administrators when that particular issue was brought up: "The power of veto has never been used, so why would it upset anyone?" This is the sad reality of racism. What is implied often cuts deepest.
Monday, 22 June, 2020
NEWS
KP govt to BorroW rs91Bn to cover FY21 BuDget DeFIcIt FOR FY19 AND FY20, THE FEDERAL GOVT OWED NET HYDEL PROFIT OF RS121BN TO KP BUT DISBURSED ONLY RS34.5BN PESHAWAR
t
AzIz BuNERI
HE Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has decided to borrow Rs91 billion from banks to cover its budget deficit due to delay in payment of net hydel profit and other dues by the federal government. For the fiscal year 2020-21 the KP government will take Rs47.49 billion in foreign loans and Rs44 billion in loans from local banks. According to the budget documents, KP government was expected to receive Rs33.70 billion as net hydel profit for FY 2016-17, but was only provided Rs21.80 billion. For FY 2017-18, the province was expected to receive Rs35.80 billion but was provided Rs41.5 billion. During the last two fiscal years, the
Food ministry secures $350m from WB, ADB for locust control
province was supposed to receive Rs121 billion in total from the federal government as payment for net hydel profit. However, the centre has so far released only Rs34.50 billion. The KP government has sought Rs128 billion next year from the federal government under the AGN Kazi formula, but the final decision in this regard is yet to be taken by the Council of Common Interests. The provincial government also expects to receive Rs36.77 billion in arrears for the two years. According to KP Finance Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra, it is not the first time the province will be borrowing money from banks to cover its budget deficit. The KP finance minister further added that even developed countries borrow money from banks to cover their budget deficit. Out of the Rs91 billion in loans, the
ISLAMABAD APP
KP government will spend Rs10.82 billion on road construction, Rs9.99 billion on transport, Rs8.46 billion on energy, Rs4.57 billion on agriculture, Rs3.25 billion on finance, Rs3.25 billion on urban development, primary and secondary education, Rs2.55 billion on irrigation, Rs2.55 billion on provision of drinking water, Rs 1.48 billion on health, Rs1.17 billion on sports and tourism, Rs546 million on multi-sector development and
Rs10 million on irrigation and drainage. Out of the Rs47.49 billion in foreign loans, Rs31.91 billion will be provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Rs11.63 billion by the International Development Agency, Rs3.32 billion by the European Union (EU), Rs2.32 billion by the World Bank (WB), Rs1.10 billion by the Japan International Cooperation Industry (JICA) and more than Rs710 million by British Aid.
Dubai opens up to tourists from July 7 DUBAI AGENCIES
Indians stranded in Pakistan to be repatriated from June 25
Dubai announced on Sunday it would allow tourists back in the Gulf city state from July 7 after a closure of more than three months to contain the coronavirus. “Dubai to welcome tourists from July 7,” the emirate’s media centre said, quoting the Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management. It also gave a list of protocols for travellers entering the Gulf emirate. “Travellers must stringently comply with preventive measures and safety procedures put in place by Dubai and destination countries,” the report said. Tourists are “required to present recent Covid-19
negative certificate or undergo testing at Dubai airports” it said, with those testing positive to observe a 14-day isolation. A test for coronavirus is mandatory and should done 96 hours before travelling to Dubai, the report said. Visitors are also required to have international health insurance and download a special phone application that lists their details, as well as fill a special “health declaration form”, it added. Dubai also announced that citizens and residents would be allowed to travel abroad from Tuesday. Dubai is one of the seven sheikdoms that make up the United Arab Emirates. The UAE has recorded nearly 45,000 cases of coronavirus, including 302 deaths.
ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
The federal government has finalised a plan to send home the Indian nationals who are stranded in Pakistan due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to details, some 748 Indians will return home through the Wagah border crossing in three phases, starting from June 25. The Indian High Commission in Islamabad had informed the stranded Indians that they will be repatriated through Wagah on June 23 (Tuesday). However, the schedule was later revised. According to a letter sent by the Ministry of Interior to Pakistan Rangers stationed in Punjab, stranded Indians will return in three phases due to the pandemic threat. A list of these nationals has also been provided to the concerned authorities. As per the letter, the first group of 250 people will return on June 25. Similarly, another 250 Indians will return on June 26 and the final batch will walk the crossing on June 27. The border will remain open from June 25 to 27 to facilitate the returnees. Customs and immigration officials have also been notified, the letter read. On returning home, Indians will be kept in quarantine for 14 days.
India martyrs three more Kashmiri youth SRINAGAR APP
Indian troops martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Srinagar on Sunday, taking the number of martyred youth in the territory to 14 in the last four days. According to Kashmir Media Service, the youth were killed during a cordon and search operation in the Pazwalpora area of the city. Mobile internet services were snapped in all areas of the city during the operation. Meanwhile, Indian troops and police personnel arrested over a dozen youth in Sopore and Badgam area during house raids. Earlier on June 19, Indian troops had martyred six Kashmiri youth in Shopian and Pulwama districts of occupied Kashmir. During cordon and search operations, the troops martyred four youth at Bandpawa Chitragam in Shopian and two others inside a mosque in Pampore area of Pulwama. On June 8, Pakistan had strongly condemned the extra-judicial killings of nine Kashmiri youth at the hands of Indian forces. In a message posted by Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui on Twitter, she condemned the extra-judicial killings during so-called cordon and search operation in Shopian area of the occupied territory.
HYDERABAD: A disabled child is buried up to neck during solar eclipse on Sunday. INP
The Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFS&R) on Sunday said that the World Bank (WB) has promised $200 million while Asian Development Bank (ADB) has pledged $150m to Pakistan for its anti-locust operation. In a statement, the ministry said that the promised WB finance will be considered under Locusts Emergency and Food Security Project (LEAFS). The concept note has been approved by the Economic Affairs Division (EAD).The PC-I has also been prepared and will be submitted in upcoming meeting of Central Development Working Party (CDWP). The LEAFS is the first federal agricultural project financed by the World Bank in Pakistan. This is a direct response to the consensus that MNFS&R’s policy function and coordination role across provinces should be significantly strengthened. The MNFS&R is responsible for overall project implementation with the support of provincial governments, DPP, NLCC, FAO and NDMA. The project cost envelope is $200m. The LEAFS will span out its activities in 18 districts/locations (9 in Balochistan, 4 in Punjab, 4 in Sindh and 1 in KPK). The specific project objectives will be: controlling the locust outbreak, mitigating negative social and economic impact associated with locust attack and strengthening the national food security system. The MNFS&R will take overall coordination role of the project implementation through establishing a Federal Project Steering Committee (FPSC), responsible for approval of annual work plans, monitor/review of financial reporting, third party validation if needed, midcourse corrections in the project and reallocation of funds. The LEAFS project will comprise of four main components, including surveillance and control measures to limit the growth and spread of current desert locust populations, while mitigating the risks on human health and environment. Second component is livelihood protection and rehabilitation to provide a robust protection scheme that ensures immediate relief to affected farmers and livestock owners. Third is early warning preparedness and food security to strengthen national capacity for early warning and early response, linking these efforts to regional (outside of Pakistan) and provincial (domestic) existing locust surveillance and control network . The fourth component is project management, and monitoring and evaluation to support the Project Management Unit’s (PMU) capacity to ensure high quality project implementation. According to the statement, the primary beneficiaries of the project will be farmers and agricultural labourers of Pakistan who live in areas prone to desert locust infestation. For these groups, the proposed project will prevent locust infestations from damaging their livelihoods and provide compensatory income support opportunities for the affected farmers and agricultural laborers. The MNFS&R will be a major beneficiary due to a strengthened food security and nutrition information system, concluded the statement.
‘Ring of Fire’ witnessed across Pakistan LAHORE STAFF REPORT
An annular solar eclipse, also called the “Ring of Fire”, was witnessed on Sunday across Pakistan as well as in China, northern India, and parts of Africa and Europe. A solar eclipse is a rare celestial event when the moon comes in between the earth and the sun, leaving the sun’s visible outer edges to form a “ring of fire” or annulus around the moon. The eclipse would be visible for a few hours, meteorologists said, adding that it reached its peak at around 11:40am on Sunday. In Sukkur, the sun was hidden the most, 98.78 per cent, at 11:07am. It was followed by Gwadar, where the moon covered 97 per cent of the sun by 10:48am. The eclipse was also visible in Is-
lamabad from 9:50am to 1:36pm, in Karachi from 9:26am to 12:46pm, in Lahore from 9:48am to 1:10pm, in Peshawar from 9:48am to 1:02pm, Quetta from 9:35am to 12:49pm, Gilgit from 9:56am to 1:08pm and in Muzaffarabad from 9:52am to 1:07pm. This is the first of the two solar eclipses that will be seen this year. The second eclipse will occur on December 14, but it will not be visible in Pakistan. Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry cautioned the public against looking directly at the eclipse as it can damage the eyes. “You can seriously hurt your eyes and even go blind. While watching a partial eclipse proper eye protection, like eclipse glasses or a sun filter, is the only safe option. Sunglasses do not work,” said through an advisory issued on Friday.
Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad. Ph: 051-2204545. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk