EpaperISB_2020-10-8

Thursday, 8 October, 2020 I 19 Safar, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 99 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition

OppOsitiOn leaders huddle at Jati umra g

maryam Nawaz expreSSeS coNFIdeNce IN maUlaNa Fazl’S leaderShIp

LAHORE STAFF REPORT

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amIat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief maulana Fazlur rehman met pakistan muslim league-Nawaz (pml-N) Vice president maryam Nawaz and other opposition leaders at the Sharif family’s residence in raiwind on wednesday, soon after announcing that the pakistan democratic movement’s (pdm) is “going to Islamabad as well”. during the meeting, maryam congratulated Fazl for his appointment as president of the opposition’s pdm, which had made people “extremely glad”, adding “they had observed the energising azadi march” carried out under Fazl’s leadership last year. She also thanked him for his strong condemnation of pml-N president Shehbaz Sharif’s arrest.

pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

316,351

LAST UPDATED AT 7:12 AM ON OCTOBER 7, 2020

12

RECOVERED:

NEW CASES:

624

DEATHS:

301,288 6,535 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

138,891

100,148

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

38,141

JUI-F chIeF plaNS to proteSt IN ISlamabad agaIN

Speaking to the media during a joint conference, maryam said under the incumbent government, “the media is being gagged [and] pemra, like Nab, FIa and other institutions, is being used” in order to prevent people from speaking the truth, and that the people are hoping the pdm will “rid them and the country of this torment”. “we have decided to cross all hurdles,” said the JUI-F chief during the same conference, adding that the there was no sign of “good governance” throughout the country. “we want to become a ray of hope for the people of pakistan.” commenting on comments made by pm Imran last week, wherein he claimed there was a certain of collaboration between former premier Nawaz and India, maryam said, “India gets happy […] when sedition cases are filed against former prime ministers and politicians. India gets

COrOnavirus in

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

g

15,439

2,912/3,884 16,936

happy when the votes are stolen in pakistan and when a weak government is imposed upon us”. maryam further said that pm Imran was to blame for “dragging institutions into politics”, and asked the government not to play the “sedition card” if it had no answers to the opposition’s criticism. She also accused the premier of using his position to have the FIa to register cases against herself and her father, referring to the recent comments made by former FIa chief bashir memon. earlier, the JUI-F chief had said during a presser, “he [prime minister Imran Khan] is sweating […] you have no idea.” he added that in spite of the claims by pm Imran of having nothing to fear, the first couple of pdm rallies will create “emotions and effects” to change the country. however, it is not clear in the newly appointed leader of the pdm intends on staging protests in the federal capital or a dharna like the azadi march from last year. remarking on Fazl’s leadership and the plans of the pdm, maryam said, “I think the pdm under the sincere and visionary leadership of [Fazl] will play a historic role in getting people their due rights”. “the people are looking towards the pdm to rid them and the country of this torment,” she added. this meeting between the two leaders of opposition parties indicates a major alliance – which is shown both through their meetings together, as well as the comments made by the leaders in public forums. replying to a question during the earlier press conference, Fazl insisted that the absence of Nawaz Sharif and asif ali zardari would not be felt by their respective parties, as “the public awaits the success of the pdm jalsas”, and that should be the motivation going forward.

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Govt distances itself from sedition case against Nawaz ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

the federal government on wednesday distanced itself from the sedition case registered against deposed prime minister and pakistan muslim leagueNawaz (pml-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, reiterating prime minister Imran Khan was not behind the move. the lahore police on monday booked Sharif, his daughter maryam Nawaz and 41 other leaders of the party under sedition and other charges for conspiring against the state, its institutions and the nation as well. minister for Information Senator Shibli Faraz, while speaking to the media in Karachi, questioned: “are all the FIrs [First Information report] in pakistan registered with prime minister Imran Khan’s approval,” adding that anybody can file a case against anyone under the law. “the government is not [involved] in this. It is focused on working for the people and their welfare,” he said. “don’t bring Imran Khan and the government into it.” earlier on monday night, hours after the FIr was filed, minister for Science and technology Fawad chaudhry said the prime minister expressed “strong displeasure” when he brought the matter into his notice.

In a series of tweets, chaudhry had said: “the prime minister was not aware of this FIr when I brought [the incident into] his notice […]

Nawaz Sharif and other people have been nominated [in the case]. he expressed strong displeasure.” the opposition was quick to blame the government for what it perceived as another attempt at political victimisation. It also emerged that the complainant in the case had a criminal record

Hong Kong is China's internal affair, Pakistan tells UN ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

while underscoring the importance of respecting the sovereignty of international states, pakistan on wednesday opposed interference in beijing’s affairs pertaining to hong Kong, saying the territory is part of china. ambassador munir akram, Islamabad’s permanent representative to the UN, made the comment at a UN panel in response to a statement by germany urging china “to uphold autonomy, rights and freedoms in hong Kong, and to respect the independence of the hong Kong judiciary”. “the hong Kong special administrative region is an inalienable part of china, and hong Kong affairs are china’s internal affairs that brook no interference by foreign forces,” akram told the general assembly’s third committee on tuesday.

In his remarks, akram named the countries which had authorised him to speak on their behalf and said they supported china’s “one country, two systems” policy and stressed that legislative power on national security in any

country rests with the state. “the enactment of the law on safeguarding national security in hong Kong is a legitimate measure that ensures the ‘one country, two systems’ [policy] goes steady and enduring, and that hong Kong enjoys long term prosperity and stability,” he said. “the legitimate rights and freedoms of hong Kong’s residents can be better exercised in a safe environment.” meanwhile, china’s UN ambassador zhang Jun strongly refuted the statement by his german counterpart, christoph heusgen, and those “bent on provoking antagonism”. he categorically rejected the disinformation that some countries were spreading to dis-

credit china and attempting to meddle in its internal affairs under the guise of human rights. cuba also followed with a statement on behalf of 45 countries supporting china’s measures in the troubled xinjiang region, stating that the steps taken by beijing were carried out within the law to safeguard the rights of all ethnic groups in the province, the washington post reported. among the countries signing both the statements by pakistan and cuba were russia, Syria, North Korea and Venezuela, the report added.

In July, china approved a contentious national security law that allows authorities to crack down on subversive and secessionist activity in hong Kong, a move many saw as beijing’s boldest yet to erase the legal firewall between the semiautonomous territory and the mainland’s authoritarian communist party system. the legislation is aimed at curbing subversive, secessionist and terrorist activities, as well as foreign intervention in the city’s affairs. It followed months of anti-government protests in hong Kong last year that at times descended into violence.

and is reportedly the ruling ptI’s labour wing office-bearer. chaudhry was, however, quick to respond. “making sedition cases [against the opposition members/parties] is not our policy. the pakistan tehreek-e-Insaf is a political party, we still have moves left on the chessboard of politics [sic],” he said. during his media talk, Faraz said that the purpose of the rallies announced by the opposition under the pakistan democratic movement (pdm) had one goal: to divert attention away from the corruption of their leaders and to pressurise the government into giving them relief. “while we have managed to effectively deal with the effects of the covid-19 pandemic, our economy has suffered. If an opposition party wants to start such a campaign during the current scenario, then it can’t be [a friend of the country].” the minister added that opposition parties were the ones responsible for the ruin of state institutions and the economy. “we have been in power for two years. they spent 10 years in government.” when asked about the recent war of words between the centre and the Sindh government over Islamabad’s move to take over the twin islands of bundal and buddo through a presidential ordinance, he replied that the government was only trying to foster economic activity in the area. “the industries of Sindh and Karachi will benefit from this [and] it will create employment. we are bringing in development and foreign investment to benefit Sindh’s people.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Nawaz Sharif now being summoned through newspaper advertisements STORY ON PAGE 02

more inside

Highest school dropout rates expected in Pakistan due to Covid-19 crisis STORY ON PAGE 03

prime suspect in daniel pearl's murder receives extension in detention STORY ON PAGE 03

Iran fears regional war as fighting rages around Nagorno-Karabakh STORY ON BACK PAGE

coronavirus may push 150 million people into extreme poverty: world bank STORY ON BACK PAGE

02

Thursday, 8 October, 2020

NEWS

Nawaz SHariF Now beiNg SummoNed THrougH NewSpaper adverTiSemeNT

a

NEWS DESK

FTER the arrest warrants of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif were not received by his London representative, the Islamabad High Court (ICH) on Wednesday issued his summons in newspaper advertisements.

As per court order, the advertisements were published in Dawn and Jang. Furthermore, the court directed the federal government to bear the cost of the advertisements with the additional attorney general liable to pay the fees within two days. First Secretary of the High Commission Dildar Ali Abro informed the court in a written reply that Waqar Ahmed, a secre-

tary to Nawaz’s son, had previously agreed to receive the warrants for the former prime minister at his Park Lane residence in London.

“It was agreed with Waqar that he would receive the warrants on September 23 at 11 am,” Abro told the court. He added that Waqar was also informed that the mission’s Consular Attache Rao Abdul Hanan would hand over the warrants.

However, Waqar then rescinded on this.

“At 10:20 am Waqar called me to apologise and declined to receive the warrants,” Abro told the court.

Pakistani High Commission officials had also earlier told the IHC that a representative of Nawaz had apparently agreed

Kotli advocate seeks justice for harassed daughter NEWS DESK A Kotli advocate has filed a case against the son of a former chief justice of Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s (AJK) Supreme Court, Chaudhry Ibrahim Zia, for allegedly harassing his daughter for a period of two years. The police on Wednesday arrested the suspect, Arsalan Zia, a BS-17 ad-hoc employee in the Information Technology section of the AJK high court. The complainant claimed that his daughter’s refusal of Arsalan’s advances evolved into threats against his daughter. “After some time, my daughter started receiving calls and messages from different numbers by the suspect who would ask her to maintain relations with him,” he alleged, adding the suspect started threatening her while boasting about the position of his father — then the serving chief justice. The report claims that the suspect would pursue the victim in official vehicles and coerce her into taking a ride with him. The victim’s father further alleges that Arsalan used his IT knowledge to hack the victim’s social media accounts in order to steal her information for a blackmail scheme. “At least twice, he tried to bundle my daughter in an official vehicle — once in Muzaffarabad and the next time in Rawalpindi — but failed after she raised a hue and cry,” he said. Furthermore, the filed application alleges that Arsalan would use the pretext of checking the building’s maintenance – as the building was owned by the former chief justice – to take pictures of various female hostelites. The victim studied medicine in Muzaffarabad from 2014 to 2019, but even after graduating and starting a house job in Mirpur, the suspect continued to harass her. The complainant states that his daughter had been in a hospital when Arsalan arrived and threatened to kill her if she did not marry him. This happened in the presence of a senior, the victim’s father added. Upon learning of this, the father had rushed from Kotli to Mirpur to lodge a complaint with the police. “My daughter is in a state of shock and depression. I want strict legal action not only against this guy who is her known tormentor but also his hidden colleagues,” he concluded.

The police said they intend on looking through the suspect’s mobile numbers and social media accounts, as they believe this is not an isolated incident, but rather a network of people harassing women.

Teenage girl arrested for 'stealing motorbikes' KARACHI: Mauripur police said they had arrested an 18-year-old girl who allegedly stole motorcycles in the metropolis while disguised as a boy. According to the police, the accused, a resident of Lyari who reportedly practices the sport of boxing, allegedly used to lift bikes along with two teen-age accomplices who are still at large. The girl has been handed over to lady police officials for the probe. The suspect has denied the accusations and said that she did not steal any motorcycle. She said that she had gotten into trouble because someone else handed her a stolen vehicle and she got caught with it. STAFF REPORT

to collect the arrest warrants against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo, but minutes before their arrival to the Park Lane residence, the representative had changed his mind.

According to the statement, Hanan said that he had gone to the residence on September 17 at 6:35 pm to serve the warrants and on the occasion, a domestic employee of Nawaz, Muhammad Yaqoob, had declined to receive the warrants.

The IHC had, in its last hearing, directed High Commission’s attache Rao Abdul Hanan to record a statement in the next hearing of the case via a video link.

The IHC had also called the former prime minister Nawaz’s exit from Pakistan a “mockery of the system” in the same

'Fake news' being circulated about school closures: minister

hearing. Additional Attorney General Tariq Khokhar had presented a compliance report on Nawaz’s arrest warrants issued by the high court, which was submitted to the two-member bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Aamer Farooq.

Khokhar had earlier briefed the court on attempts made to issue arrest warrants against Nawaz Sharif and stated that during Hanan’s visit to the residence, the person at the apartment, Eddie, had “refused” to receive the arrest warrant.

“Every effort was made to enforce Nawaz Sharif’s arrest warrant,” the government’s lawyer told the court. He also read Hanan’s statements regarding the arrest warrant.

Punjab CM Buzdar fears second wave of coronavirus LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has warned that the province could face a second wave of coronavirus.

In his statement released from Lahore on Wednesday, CM Buzdar said that neglecting health-related guidelines to contain coronavirus spread can result in a spike in the infection cases.

He urged masses to exercise standard operating procedures (SOPs) and wear face masks while going to public places. “The situation of coronavirus is under control in Punjab, but the negligence of masses can turn the tables,” he remarked. Earlier this week, Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar stressed that the public must follow the standard operating procedures to ensure coronavirus cases do not rise during the winter season.

“Monitoring of disease prevalence and containment measures are important,” said Umar, adding that not wearing face masks could result in a worsening situation.

Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan had shared his apprehensions about a possible second wave of coronavirus in Pakistan during the winter.

“There is a fear onset of winter could result in 2nd wave. I urge everyone to wear face masks in public to avoid a spike. All offices and educational institutions must ensure masks are worn,” the premier said in a tweet.

The Punjab chief minister said that the province reported 115 new coronavirus infections and two deaths in the past 24 hours.

The overall death toll in Punjab has reached 2,245 with 1,814 active cases. The province carried out 10,066 tests in the past one day taking the overall number to 13,18,330. CM Buzdar said that as many as 96,069 people have recovered their health so far in the province.

The number of patients recovered from coronavirus in the country has now crossed the 300,000 mark, reaching 300,616 with more than 95 per cent recovery ratio of the affected patients, said the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

Admiral Amjad Niazi assumes charge of Pakistan Navy ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi was sworn in on Wednesday assumed as 22nd chief of naval staff during a change of command ceremony held at PNS Zafar Naval Complex in Islamabad. According to a press release issued by Director General of Public Relations, Pakistan Navy, during the ceremony, outgoing CNS Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi formally handed over the command of Pakistan Navy by presenting the traditional scroll to Admiral Niazi.

The outgoing naval chief was also presented a guard of honour, the press release said. In his farewell address, Admiral Abbasi said that the new CNS has a distinguished career and expressed confidence that he will lead Pakistan Navy to new heights. He stated that during his tenure, his primary focus had been on transforming Pakistan Navy into a combat-ready force, with special emphasis on optimum

battle preparedness and professional competence. He praised the untiring efforts of Pakistan Navy officers, who worked as a team to achieve the progress made in all domains in line with his vision. Admiral Abbasi, while highlighting the volatile geopolitical landscape and heightened tensions in preceding years, also mentioned the conflict situation post-Pulwama. He remarked that the civil-military leadership’s unified stance and diplomatic-military pushback frustrated Indian designs. “Pakistan’s armed forces gave a befitting response and won the battle […] shattering the myth of India’s false sense of superiority,” he said. He applauded the professionalism displayed by the Navy in detecting the Indian submarine in Pakistani waters.

He said that a fleet of more than 50 vessels, including 20 major ships, was envisioned to improve the capabilities of the Navy. Four Chinese frigates will be inducted in the next few years [while] four Turkish medium-class ships will be inducted between 2023 and 2025, he said.

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood has reiterated the need to follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) while denying the false reports regarding closure of schools due to reemergence of Covid-19 cases. In a tweet, the federal minister said: “Fake news being circulated on social media that educational institutions will be closed on October 15. No truth in this.” There has been a recent increase in rumours regarding school closure, and the statement above came as a reply to them. Punjab Education Minister Murad Raas spoke similarly and clarified that all public and private schools of Punjab will remain open as per the predecided schedule. “Schools closing on October 15 is completely false. Please strictly follow SOPs,” he tweeted. Educational institutes have been reopening have since September 15 in a phased manner after the education minister’s announcement on the matter, which was made with the record of declining new virus cases in mind. The government had in March decided to shut all education institutions to curb the spread of coronavirus. On September 29, Shafqat had said only one per cent of the Covid-19 cases had been reported in educational institutions since their reopening.

LHC acquits Christian man on death row for blasphemy LAHORE TLTP

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has acquitted a Christian man who spent about seven years in jail on the accusation of blasphemy, a charge that led to communal rioting that saw more than 120 houses in a Christian-majority area in Lahore city burned down by an enraged mob in 2013. Sawan Masih, 40, was arrested in 2013 on blasphemy charge following an argument with a Muslim man in Lahore. A two-member bench of the high court the other day acquitted Masih of all charges, with a full verdict detailing the reasons for the acquittal to be issued at a later date. Masih was convicted and sentenced to death under blasphemy laws by a lower court in 2014. The court had convicted him for insulting Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him), a charge that carries death penalty under law.

In 2013, a day after the accusations against Masih surfaced, a mob attacked his Christianmajority neighbourhood of Joseph Colony, in Lahore’s Badami Bagh area, in what was then one of the worst incidents of violence around the blasphemy laws. More than 120 homes were burned down, in addition to a church and several shops, as hundreds of protesters armed with sticks, pipes, and stones ransacked the colony before setting it on fire. In 2017, all 115 suspects who were under trial for the arson were acquitted by a Lahore court for want of evidence.

In reply to Nawaz sedition case, former PM to attempt case against Imran NEWS DESK Soon after the sedition case registered against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and other leaders, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Wednesday said that he will go to Lahore on Thursday and try to register a case against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

“I also want to get a case registered. I will go to Lahore tomorrow go to Shahdara; my FIR [First Information Report] will be against PM Imran Khan,” the PML-N leader said in a press conference in Islamabad.

This case will be based on the allegations made by the former director-general (DG) of Federal Investiga-

tion Agency (FIA), Bashir Memon, about PM Imran ordering him to register cases against PML-N leaders.

Memon had alleged the premier told him to register cases against PML-N leader Khawaja Asif under Article 6 of the Constitution. Abbasi took these claims by the former FIA chief as proof that PM Imran is obsessed with the opposition.

Abbasi further challenged the ministers regarding “distributing certificates of treachery” and asked them to come forward and act as witnesses in the case. Abbasi asked the government to hold an open trial in front of the people of Pakistan. He reiterated that the purpose of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) was to resolve the problems of the people, and implied that these

alleged charges of “treachery” fit the modus operandi of the newly formed alliance. “What case for Kashmir will you fight when you keep in front of the world that prime minister of Azad Kashmir is an Indian agent,” observed the PML-N leader, adding that India and Modi must be “laughing” at Pakistan.

“PML-N inflicted worst political revenge on Imran Khan for raising [his] voice in the Panama [case],” said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Senator Faisal Javed in reply to these criticisms. “PTI activists from across the country were abducted by police,” alleged the PTI leader.

He added that teargas was fired upon former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Pervez Khattak and his cabinet during the 2014 sit-in organised by the PTI.

Thursday, 8 October, 2020

NEWS

HigHeST SCHOOl drOPOuT rATeS exPeCTed iN PAkiSTAN due TO COvid-19 CriSiS ISLAMABAD

W

GHULAM ABBAS

HILE the real impact of the pandemic on various sectors has yet to be ascertained, one of the major impacts is the highest expected dropout rates of children from school in Pakistan due to fears of coronavirus.

Key findings of a new World Bank report released on Wednesday estimates that 930,000 additional children are expected to drop out from both primary and secondary education. 22 million children are already out of school, and this represents an increase of almost 4.2 per cent of Pakistan’s student population.

“Pakistan is globally the country where we expect the highest dropouts due to the Covid-19 crisis in relative terms,” says the report, titled ‘Learning Losses in Pakistan due to Covid-19

School Closures’, which was released on Wednesday. The estimate is based on the observed income elasticity of education for various socio-economic quintiles and is based on the June 2020 growth estimates for Pakistan which were estimated to be negative 4.4 per cent.

The report says the loss of 930,000 children from the school system translates into an increase of 1.3 percentage points in the share of children out of school – given that there are 65 million school-age children in the country. This means that the share of children out of school will go up from 27.3 per cent to 28.6 per cent. The report says that learning poverty will go up to 79 per cent, whereas the level of learning poor in Pakistan was already high at 75 per cent, based on official government data.

The share of children, who do not learn to read by age 10, even if they are in school, is expected to increase to 50

per cent. This results from a shock to the distribution of learning outcomes with a reduction of about half a year of learning.

If the loss of learning is quantified in terms of labour market returns, the average student will face a reduction between $193 and $445 in yearly earnings once he or she enters the labour market, which represents between 2.8 per cent and 6.6 per cent of annual income.

Aggregated for all students in Pakistan, and projected twenty years into the future when all graduates have entered the labour market, this would cost the Pakistani economy between $67 billion in the gross domestic product (GDP) at net present value, it says. According to the report, income elasticity in Pakistan is high for two reasons: high poverty levels, which lead families to push their children into labour or marriage from an early age; and the cost of private schooling in which 38 per cent of school-going children aged 6 to

10 were enrolled before the crisis. “These numbers may be considered a lower bound of dropouts, given that estimates of growth are being continuously revised downward and we are still learning about the scale of income loss at the household level,” the report informed.

In one survey as many as 54 per cent of households in a random-digit-dialing study reported a substantial income loss.

A Gallup survey from early in the crisis, found that as many as 27 per cents of families were considering not returning their children to school.

The report estimated that school closures during the pandemic will result in a loss of between 0.3 and 0.8 years of learning-adjusted schooling for the average student. Pakistani children currently spend 9.1 years in school on average, but they only accumulate 5.1 years of learning due to the low quality of the school system.

Prime suspect in Daniel Pearl's murder receives extension in detention ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The prime suspect in the 2002 murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl will remain in jail for another three months despite his acquittal by the Sindh High Court (SHC) for a lack of evidence, the federal government informed the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday.

A brief hearing was held at the apex court to decide whether Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Pakistan-origin British citizen, should stay in jail following his acquittal in April.

Pearl’s parents, Judea Pearl and Ruth Pearl, requested the apex court in May to reverse the SHC verdict which overturned Sheikh’s death sentence awarded by an anti-terror court in 2002, declaring that the prosecution had failed to prove the case against him.

The acquittal had stunned the United States government, Pearl’s family and journalism advocacy groups. Pearl’s family says it received assurances from the US State Department that it was closely following Sheikh’s acquittal and subsequent appeals.

According to Faisal Siddiqui, the counsel for Pearl’s family, state prosecutor Fiaz Shah told the judges he needed more time for paperwork in connection with the case.

The court then adjourned the hearing till October 21.

Siddiqui, who had expected the court to rule against Sheikh’s acquittal on Wednesday, said he still hopes such a decision would come before the expiration of the suspect’s new, 90-day detention.

Sheikh’s defense attorney, Mahmood Shaikh, told The Associated Press he had expected his client to walk free on

Written orders for forfeiture of Nawaz Sharif’s assets issued ISLAMABAD

Wednesday. “My client cannot be kept in jail for an indefinite period,” he said.

Sheikh further said he has already challenged the three-month extension in the detention period in SHC and that his petition would be taken up by the court on Oct 19.

Pearl, 38, was kidnapped and killed while investigating the link between AlQaeda militants and Richard C. Reid, dubbed the “shoe bomber” after trying to blow up a flight from Paris to Miami with explosives hidden in his shoes. He disappeared on January 23, 2002, and a videotape received by US diplomats in February 2002 confirmed his death.

A handwritten letter by Sheikh acknowledged his involvement in the killing in Karachi, Siddiqui had said earlier.

The letter by Sheikh was entered into evidence in late 2019, he had said. How-

ever, it was not among the evidence heard by the SHC. In the letter dated July 19, 2019, Sheikh said his involvement in Pearl’s death was “a relatively minor one.” Siddiqui said Sheikh implicates himself in Pearl’s murder by his admission.

In the original trial in 2002, emails between Sheikh and Pearl were entered into evidence in which Sheikh gained Pearl’s confidence, sharing their experiences as both waited for the birth of their first child. Pearl’s wife Marianne Pearl gave birth to a son, Adam, in May 2002.

Evidence entered into court accused Sheikh of luring Pearl to his death, giving the American journalist a false sense of security as he promised to introduce him to a cleric with militant links.

The police sought to locate Pearl for weeks until the video received by US diplomats showed his beheading.

SHC seeks govt’s reply on plea against delays in under-trial cases

STAFF REPORT

An accountability court issued a written order for forfeiture of disclosed assets of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in Toshakhana reference on Wednesday. The accountability court stated in its written order to forfeit disclosed assets of the proclaimed offender Nawaz Sharif in Toshakhana reference. The chairman of Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and the deputy commissioners of Lahore, Sheikhupura, Rawalpindi, Abbottabad have been directed to implement the judicial orders. The Excise and Taxation Officer (ETO) Lahore was ordered to present a report till October 13 after forfeiture of the properties, vehicles and bank accounts of Nawaz. The forfeiture of disclosed assets will include eight accounts including three foreign currency accounts in different banks. Moreover, shares of Nawaz Sharif worth over Rs467,000 in Muhammad Baksh Textile Mills; over Rs48,606 worth shares in Ittefaq Textile Mills; Rs343,000 worth shares in Hudaibiya Paper Mills; Rs22,000 worth shares in Hudaibiya Engineering Company. It emerged that Nawaz possesses Rs612,000 in five bank accounts and in foreign currency accounts, the total amount includes 566 Euros, 698 US Dollars and 498 British Pounds. Those properties include a bungalow in Murree and 15-kanal residence in Changla Gali in Galyat, and properties in Lahore’s Upper Mall area. A total of 1,752-kanal of land is registered in the name of Nawaz and his dependents. The former premier was also found to be owning three vehicles, including one Land Cruiser and two Mercedes, according to the report. It said the former premier and his dependents have properties in Lahore, Sheikhupura, Murree and Abottabad.

KARACHI STAFF REPORT

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday gave the Sindh government more time to submit its reply on a plea regarding delays in under-trial cases.

A two-judge bench directed the provincial government to furnish response by next hearing on November 17. A state counsel appeared before the court and sought more time to comply with its order, which was granted.

The petitioner stated that prisoners in multiple undertrial cases instituted before 2010 have already served half the sentences even without conclusion of their trial. He said that the province’s prisons house more inmates than they are allowed to keep as per their sanctioned capacity.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Human Rights had

furnished a report to the Supreme Court (SC) on the measures it had been taking to contain the spread of the coronavirus among inmates, painting a grim picture of conditions in the country’s overpopulated prisons.

The report stated prisons across Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) are packed beyond capacity.

The report said that Punjab’s 41 prisons house a total of 45,324 inmates, far more than the existing capacity of 32,000. Sindh’s 24 prisons are too overpopulated with 16,315 prisoners. The total sanctioned strength of the province’s jails is 13,538.

Whereas, the situation in KP’s jails is no different where 9,900 prisoners have been incarcerated in 24 jails which should house 4,519. However, Balochistan’s prisons with the sanctioned capacity of housing 2,550 inmates have only 2,122 prisoners.

NAB summons Khawaja Asif in Iqama case LAHORE TLTP

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and MNA Khawaja Asif on Thursday in the Iqama case.

As per details, the anti-graft watchdog has summoned the PML-N leader in an ongoing inquiry against him over holding an Iqama during his tenure as a federal minister. The bureau has asked Asif to appear before the NAB Lahore office along with the

managing director of a foreign company. MD Ilyas Khan is being directed by NAB authorities to appear before the combined investigation team tomorrow.

The NAB, in its notice, directed the PML-N stalwart to submit salary and other details and asked to bring the job application request of a company in which he was employed while appearing before the NAB. NAB has also directed Asif to submit the Iqama agreement.

It is noteworthy that Asif is already facing a NAB probe for allegedly illegally building a private

housing scheme, Kent View Housing Society, in Sialkot.

He has been asked to provide the money trail of the funds invested in the scheme.

NAB on September 2 also launched another inquiry against PML-N leader Asif and others over alleged suspicious transactions.

The corruption watchdog launched the probe on the basis of a complaint regarding suspicious transactions under the garb of export of rice against a firm, Tariq Mir & Co, reportedly owned by the former federal minister.

03

indian troops martyr three youth in iOk ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Indian troops, in their fresh act of state terrorism in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK), martyred three youngsters in Shopian district on Wednesday. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in the Sugan area of the district. Meanwhile, Pakistan has said that India cannot suppress the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiri people for realization of their right to self-determination. Addressing a committee of the United Nations General Assembly which deals with legal matters, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Munir Akram said that this right is inherent as it has been promised to the Kashmiri people by the Security Council, and by India and Pakistan. He said that the Kashmiri struggle cannot be suppressed by India's attempt to equate it with terrorism. The Pakistani envoy said that the global counter-terrorism endeavour has failed to address state terrorism.

Akram said that terrorism must be defeated comprehensively everywhere in all its manifestations and it cannot be addressed selectively. He said that the Indian state terrorism has intensified since August 5 last year, when New Delhi illegally annexed the disputed territory. The Pakistani ambassador said that Indian government arrested all Kashmiri political leaders and activists, abducted and tortured 13,000 Kashmiri, clamped down on peaceful protests with pellet guns that blind even small children, and hundreds of Kashmiri youngsters were extra-judicially killed in fake encounters. He said that Pakistan is the victim of attacks by terrorist groups financed and backed by India from across the border. Akram demanded that no one Indian soldier was punished for these crimes which are well recorded in UN, civil society and media reports. The Pakistani envoy demanded that such state terrorism must be punished.

Pakistan, Turkey share identical views on regional, int’l issues: FM ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has reaffirmed Pakistan's determination to continue playing a positive role for regional peace and security including the Afghan peace process. The foreign minister made these remarks during his telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavusoglu.

The foreign minister thanked the Turkish counterpart for his country's consistent and categorical stance on the Kashmir dispute. He said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised the voice of oppressed Kashmiri people at the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and this has given courage and confidence to the Kashmiri people. He said that it is a matter of satisfaction that both the countries share identical views on important regional and international matters. The Turkish foreign minister was appreciative of the steps taken by Pakistan for regional peace including its efforts for peace in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Federal Ombudsman Syed Tahir Shahbaz said that Pakistan and Turkey enjoy exemplary bilateral relations that have always formed to be mutually beneficial for the two brotherly countries. He said this while talking to Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul on Wednesday. During the meeting, the ambassador to Turkey also presented a book on the 70th anniversary of Pak-Turkish relations.The Turkish ambassador said that relationships between Turkey and Pakistan are time tested and cooperation at the Ombudsmen Forum will further strengthen this bond between the people of the two brotherly countries.

Anti-terror fight to continue till achieving enduring peace: COAS ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said that fight against terrorism will continue till enduring peace is achieved. The army chief said this on Wednesday when he, along with his wife, visited the family of Colonel Mujeeb Ur Rehman Shaheed, said Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement.

Colonel Mujeeb Ur Rehman embraced martyrdom during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Tank. The army chief offered Fatheha and prayed for the departed soul. He said that sacrifices rendered by officers and men of the Pakistan Army will never go waste. “Our fight against terrorism shall continue till achievement of enduring peace and stability,” the COAS vowed.

04

Thursday, 8 October, 2020

NEWS

Use oF modern Technology viTal To resPond To disasTers: masood MUZAFFARABAD

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STAFF REPORT

HE Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan has stressed the need for public awareness and the utilization of modern technology to reduce human and material losses in natural calamities. "The catastrophic earthquake of October 8, 2005, was a warning that we should prepare ourselves to respond to such disasters and invest in disaster prevention meas-

ures to ensure that crises like October 8, 2005 are not repeated," he asserted.

In a special message on the 15th anniversary of the earthquake of October 2005, Khan said that millions of lives can be saved through preemptive measures to respond to natural calamities. He maintained that successive governments including the present state government with the cooperation of the federal government have diligently worked for the reconstruction of infrastructure destroyed by the earthquake 15 years ago.

“We must constantly revise and update

disaster preparedness and risk mitigation plans in disaster-prone areas of the state to ensure the best response to unforeseen calamities,” the president said, adding that people in vulnerable areas must be provided basic awareness related to precautionary measures that can be taken for their safety.

The AJK president said in spite of resource constraint, 72 per cent projects have been accomplished in quake-hit districts while working on 12 per cent ongoing projects will be completed shortly. Similarly, he added that construction work on the remain-

ing 16 per cent projects will be started soon.

Khan said that with the consultation of the natural disaster management agencies and the experts, the new constructions have been made quakeproof in order to save human lives. At the same time, he said that it was also necessary to create awareness among the people about the natural calamities on the one hand and to utilise modern technology on the other in order to minimize losses of men and material. He further stated that unfortunately, AJK was a disaster-prone and therefore, agencies like the National Disaster Manage-

ment Authority (NDMA) and the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) side by side with hammering out a comprehensive policy to respond to the potential dangers and risks, will also have to pay attention to prepare people to respond to disasters.

The AJK president said that earthquakes, floods in monsoon season and landslides and avalanches have become a routine and the government and its various departments are fully aware of the need for successfully responding to disasters, and necessary measures are being taken in this regard.

KP becomes 1st province to legislate on schoolbag weight: Tarakai PESHAWAR STAFF REPORT

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government on Wednesday approved KP School Bags (Limitation Weight) Act to regulate the weight of schoolbags. Taking to Twitter, Provincial Minister for Education Shahram Khan Tarakai said that KP has become the first province to introduce such legislation. He said that the act would give long due relief for children and parents. “I am glad to announce that the provincial cabinet has approved the KP school Bags (Limitation Weight) Act today which will regulate the weight of School Bags. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the first province to introduce such legislation.

A long due relief for children & parents,” he wrote. The permissible weight of school bag for pre-Grade-1 would be 1.5 kg, Grade-1 2.4 kg, Grade-2 (2.6,) Grade-3 (3 kg), Grade-4 (4.4) kg, Grade-5 (5.3) kg, Grade-6 (5.4) kg, Grade-7 (5.8)kg, Grade-8 (5.9) kg, Grade-9 (6kg), Grade-10 (6.5kg) , Grade-11 (7kg) and Grade12 (7kg). The approved law is meant for all educational institutions, including government, private, seminary, autonomous, semi-autonomous and others functioning in the province. According to doctors, heavy school bags lead to strain, fatigue and physical discomfort among children and thus, affecting their attentiveness and ability to learn.

ISLAMABAD: Mourners attend an Arba'een procession in Islamabad. ONLINE

6 officers arrested after accidentally killing robbery victim NEWS DESK An unfortunate causality occurred when the victim of a robbery was allegedly mistaken as the robber himself and was killed, leading to the arrest of six policemen in Karachi’s Korangi Industrial Area on Wednesday.

Reportedly, after reaching the scene of the crime in response to 15 helpline call, the police claimed to have gotten into a firing confrontation with dacoits, and in this, one person was killed and two others injured.

After the incident, the relatives of the persons killed that these were not dacoits, but the victims of the robbery. The higher authorities have opened an inquiry into the case to determine the truth.

The deceased person was identified as Attaullah, while the injured as Khizar, 35, and Shahzad, 23.

The inquiry is being conducted by the Superintendent of Police Landhi Shahnawaz Chachar.

He told a local news outlet that the initial probe indicates that the robbers had fled the scene before the officers arrived and that the six policemen “were responsible for the regrettable incident”.

Confusion arose due to the fact that mugging victims had thrown their valuables into the bushes to avoid being looted. This led the police to assume that the people collecting the valuables were not the victims, but the robbers.

Acting on the presumption, the officers opened fire, resulting in the death of one and injury of the other two.

Police have registered a case against the six held police personnel on charges of manslaughter and seized their weapons for investigation purposes.

AJK Assembly urges UN to stop India from changing Kashmir’s demography MUZAFFARABAD STAFF REPORT

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly, in its session on Wednesday, adopted a number of identical resolutions appealing United Nations (UN) and the international community to intervene and stop India from changing the disputed valley’s demographic structure.

In the resolutions, the house demanded cancellation of all domicile

certificates issued illegally, revoke unlawful rules aimed at further disempowering the Kashmiris and comply with its international legal obligations through implementation of the relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

Through a resolution moved by Senior Minister Ch Tariq Farooq, the house expressed extreme loyalty with Pakistan and termed it a final destination. The resolution said politically and economically stable Pakistan is in the best interest of Kashmiris.

Father, son among three killed over property dispute HARIPUR TLTP

At least three people were gunned down and two got injured over a property dispute in Haripur on Wednesday.

According to details, the incident took place in the limits of police station

Khalabat. The deceased included a father and a son. Getting information about the incident, the police reached the spot and moved the bodies to the hospital for autopsy.

The accused fled the crime scene.

According to the police, the cause of the incident is said to be a property dispute.

Thursday, 8 October, 2020

PrOmOtION Of ExPOrtS, vAlUE AddItION AmONG GOvt'S tOP PrIOrItIES: dAwOOd ISLAMABAD

A

STAFF REPORT

DVISER to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood has said that promotion of exports and value addition is among the topmost priorities of the government.

The adviser was talking to World Bank Country Director for Pakistan Najy Benhassine, who called on him at the Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday.

During the meeting, various matters

for mutual cooperation were discussed, particularly support for institutional strengthening of the commerce ministry, including tariff rationalization, ease of doing business reforms, and e-commerce activities under the E-Commerce Policy.

The adviser shared an overview of different reforms and activities with the WB country director. Talking about the tariff rationalization, Dawood said the government has already revised the tariffs on raw materials and intermediaries with the objective of incorporating the remaining sectors in a phased manner

Opposition leaders huddle at Jati Umra

within the next three years.

"The government is laying far greater emphasis on promoting 'Make in Pakistan' and export-led growth through this exercise and also by focusing on objectives of product and geographical diversification," he added.

Discussing the significance of the services industry, Dawood underscored that Pakistan has tremendous untapped potential to enhance the exports of services, particularly the IT sector. He talked about the government's E-Commerce Policy "wherein the experience of the

World Bank can be helpful in knowledge management as well as enabling the small and medium enterprises to introduce e-commerce platforms for enhanced market outreach". The adviser appreciated the technical support of the World Bank to the Board of Investment regarding ease of doing business and other business climate reforms. He underlined that Pakistan will continue to follow the reform goals with the same momentum.

Further avenues of cooperation under the Strategic Trade Policy Framework were also discussed during the meeting.

PARC recommends new potato, banana varieties for commercial cultivation in Pakistan

contInueD on pAge 01 A similar idea of unity was expressed earlier by PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, who said that the PML-N has never been as united and powerful in history as it is today “We should ask ourselves with a cool mind, how do we take the country forward?” he asked while promoting the idea that the PDM was a proponent of stability in the country and asking the masses to support them in the rallies. The JUI-F chief spoke about the PDM’s upcoming rally in Gujranwala on October 16, saying that the alliance will ensure all efforts to make it a successful power show. “The current government is an inept one,” he said. “It cannot be referred to as a government that is representative of the people. We support the demands of the protesting government employees in Islamabad,” he added. Echoing a similar sentiment, the Aurangzeb had earlier said PDM was the only route for political revolution in the country. Furthermore, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi earlier said, “You will see that this movement will give rise to a true political change in Pakistan’s political history”. The PDM was formed at the All Parties Conference (APC), where opposition parties had announced the launching of a threephased anti-government movement under an “action plan” starting from next month with countrywide public meetings, protest demonstrations and rallies in December and a “decisive long march” towards Islamabad in January 2021.

Give out loans or pay a penalty, SBP tells banks KARACHI: Under a new scheme, the State Bank of Pakistan is trying to incentivize banks to meet their mandatory targets to extend mortgage loans and financing for developers and builders, according to a statement released on Tuesday. The mechanism also penalizes the banks for any shortfall in meeting the target. According to the mechanism, which starts from December 31, 2020, banks will find an incentive of maintaining reduced Cash Reserve Requirement (CRR) with SBP, in the next quarter, in case they achieve or exceed the target of financing for housing and construction of buildings set for the quarter. The amount of CRR to be maintained for the forthcoming quarter will be reduced by an amount equal to an increase in housing and construction finance from June 30, 2020, to the end of the relevant quarter. This incentive, however, will be subject to a ceiling of 1pc of the total demand and time liabilities based on which CRR is calculated. Further, the banks shall continue to maintain daily minimum CRR, which is currently at 3pc. Conversely, if the banks fail to meet the target, they will be penalized by requiring maintaining an extra CRR by an amount equal to the shortage from the target. As the SBP explained in its notice, banks do not earn any return on the amount of CRR maintained. STAFF REPORT

ISLAMABAD GHULAM ABBAS

A meeting of the Variety Evaluation Committee (VEC) was held at the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) on Wednesday to discuss recommendations on the newly-developed potato and banana varieties.

The meeting, which was presided over by PARC Chairman Dr Muhammad Azeem Khan, approved general cultivation of six potato and two banana varieties.

The meeting was attended by PARC Member (Plant Sciences) and VEC Chairman Dr Ghulam

Muhammad Ali, along with technical members from National Agricultural Research System (NARS) and private seed companies.

The PARC chairman emphasized that the private sector should share its wisdom with PARC scientists for the uplift of country’s agriculture sector.

He said that such agricultural commodities should be introduced in line with the agricultural and regional environment of Pakistan that could facilitate an ordinary farmer in increasing his sources of income.

PARC Horticulture Coordinator Muhammad Farooq Chaudhry

briefed the participants about the varieties being put before them for approval. “New Banana varieties, NIGAB-1 and NIGAB-2, are high yielding as compared to Basrai variety for nutrition and consumer acceptability, while new varieties of potato crop have been prepared that can withstand severe weather conditions and have strong immunity against diseases.”

VEC Chairman Dr Ghulam Muhammad Ali concluded the meeting with a vote of thanks and appreciated the role of scientists and PARC coordinator for convening the meeting.

‘Increase in Pak-Afghan trade imperative for regional prosperity’ NA SPEAKER DIRECTS SBP TO ESTABLISH BANK BRANCHES AT ANGOOR ADDA AND GHULAM KHAN BORDERS FOR FACILITATION OF TRADERS ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser said on Wednesday that an increase in trade volume with Afghanistan would ensure prosperity in the region.

He was chairing a meeting of the Executive Committee of Pakistan Afghanistan Parliamentary Friendship Group to review the implementation on decisions regarding Pak-Afghan trade and visa operations.

The speaker said that promotion of exports to Afghanistan is imperative for economic stability and development of Pakistan, adding that Afghanistan, by virtue of its location, is a favourable export destination for Pakistan.

He stressed the implementation of the recommendations of the Executive Committee of Pak-Afghan Friendship Group to fully realize the export potential of the country. The speaker appreciated the performance of the FBR and Customs regarding container clearance on Torkham and Chaman borders, directing the FBR to ensure clearance of containers of Afghan Transit Trade within a week.

He also directed representatives of the State Bank of Pakistan to ensure establishment of bank branches at Angoor Adda and Ghulam Khan borders for facilitation of the traders.

The National Logistic Cell representative informed the committee that container clearance had reached an average of up to 1,870 per day due to deployment of

extra personnel and speedy clearance of Afghanistanbound containers. He said that clearance would be enhanced up to 2,000 containers per day.

Meanwhile, the SBP representative informed that the Bank of Khyber and National Bank of Pakistan would establish banks within stipulated time.

He commended the approval of the cabinet for visa liberalization policy for Afghan nationals on recommendation of this committee.

Inquiring about the implementation of the matter related to off-loading of import containers at Miran Shah instead of Ghulam Khan and deployment of the Federal Investigation Agency personnel at Ghulam Khan, Angoor Adda and Kharlachi, the speaker directed interior ministry secretary to immediately assess the ground situation and submit a report at the earliest to facilitate the Afghan transit traders.

Reviewing progress on the issue of waving off demurrage and detention charges for the Afghan Transit Trade containers, the committee recommended unanimously to forward this matter to the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet.

The committee also unanimously recommended bringing a legislative bill in the matter of waiving demurrage issues.

Members of National Assembly (MNAs) Mohsin Dawar and Shandana Gulzar Khan suggested on ground visit of Torkham, Chaman and Angoor Adda besides giving retrospective legislation in the matter of waiving of demurrage.

NEWS

05

Govt distances itself from sedition case against Nawaz contInueD on pAge 01 He added that those who will be affected by the development work will be compensated. “The government will not do anything that is unconstitutional,” he added.

‘STOP DISTRIBUTION OF TREASON CERTIFICATES’: Shortly after Faraz’s media talk, PML-N Vice President Shahid Khaqan Abbasi lashed out at the government for handing out “certificates of treason”. “How will you fight for the Kashmir cause by declaring two former premiers, a former defence minister and three retired lieutenant generals traitors?” He also advised the government to focus on solving the problems being faced by the people instead of distributing certificates of patriotism and treason. “That is why the PDM has been formed.”

Govt approves three new SEZs in Islamabad, Punjab, Sindh ISLAMABAD TLTP

In an effort to boost investment and economic activities in the country, the government has approved three new Special Economic Zones (SEZs), one each in Islamabad, Punjab and Sindh, taking the total number of SEZs to 20. The approval was given at the 6th meeting of the Board of Approvals for Special Economic Zones, chaired

by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday. The three new SEZs include National Science and Technology Park in Islamabad; China-Pakistan SEZ in Raiwind, Punjab; and Dhabeji SEZ in Sindh. The PM directed that the provision of utilities such as gas, electricity in the SEZs should be accorded foremost priority by the concerned departments. Earlier on September 14, PM Imran Khan had said that Rashakai SEZ will play an important role in the progress and development of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Addressing the ceremony of Rashakai SEZ development agreement between Pakistan and Chinese companies in Islamabad, PM Imran had said that the completion of this project will promote ease of doing business in the country and facilitate the local and foreign investors. He had maintained that the development of Rashakai SEZ will help boost industrialization and create job opportunities in the country.

Govt notifies formation of Economic Outreach Apex Committee ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The federal government on Wednesday notified the formation of the Economic Outreach Apex Committee and Coordination Group. According to a notification, Prime Minister Imran Khan will be the chairperson of the Economic Outreach Apex Committee that comprises 13 federal ministries/advisers, chief ministers of all provinces, and the Azad Jammu and Kashmir premier. The committee will review the country’s economic indicators, set fiscal targets, and work out a strategy to achieve them. On September 24, PM Imran had decided to form the Economic Outreach Apex Committee to promote economic diplomacy and foster coordination among federal ministries and provincial governments for timely achievement of economic goals set by the government.

KP govt decides provision of cheap power to industrial units peSHAWAR STAFF REPORT

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on Wednesday decided to provide cheap and inexpensive power generated through Malakand-III, Daral Khwar, Ranolia and Machai power stations to the industrial units for expeditious development of industrial and agriculture sectors.

The cabinet meeting, presided over by KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, decided that Pehur Power Station model will be replicated through open competition in this regard.

The provincial government has already established special economic zones (SEZs)

that will ensure prosperity, mitigate poverty, enhance employment, and promote skill development and productivity in the province.

These power stations collectively generate 137 megawatts electricity which would be provided to the industrial sector that will bring about an industrial revolution in the province.

The cabinet approved the KP Schools Bags Limitation Weight Act-2019 to be applicable on all public and private primary and secondary schools.

The CM directed against the stockpiling, hoarding and price hike and asked the relevant authority to control the price hike and discourage stockpiling.

He appreciated the performance of the

mines department for an effective operation against illegal mining in Nowshera and Swabi and directed the forest department to take preventive steps against the illegal cutting of forests.

The provincial cabinet approved the first-ever commerce and trade strategy 201923 which will be transmitted to the federal government. Under the strategy, bazaars would be established at the border areas, the business community would be given incentives and an environment of ease to business, the departments would be digitally interlinked, promotional units would be set up for trade development, Huer Melas would be conducted and the technical and professional

CMYK

activities were some dominant factors of the commerce and trade strategy.

The chief minister directed to immediately prepare an operation plan and the estimated cost for these activities in order to push the overall plan to the implementation stage.

The cabinet was briefed about the wheat situation in the province and was informed that the provincial government has already ordered the import of 660000 metric ton of wheat through PASSCO and Trading Corporation of Pakistan to meet the wheat shortage in the province. A total of 218,000 metric tons have already landed in the province out of which 3000 metric tons on a daily basis are being provided to the flour mills and the

process started from 6th August 2020.

The provincial cabinet also approved to include secretary C&W in the already established committee for settling the lease affairs of Swat Serena Hotel. Previously the rate was to be determined by the C&W department.

The cabinet also approved Boiler and Pressure Whistle Rules. The cabinet also agreed to support the Bank of Khyber being the public sector bank and the departments would deposit their surplus amount raising the limit from 10% to 20% of the amount.

The cabinet endorsed the earlier decision to declare district Shangla, Matta, Bahrain, district Swat and Kohistan as calamity hit areas devastated by the recent floods.

Thursday, 8 October, 2020

06 COMMENT

Kashmir is bleeding

Consequences of retaining a colonial relic

The time for action has come

Dial back Section 142-A

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hE Fir registered against former Prime minister Nawaz sharif and two score other PmL(N) leaders charges them with treason under section 124-a of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The section is a colonial relic and was introduced in 1870 to persecute those demanding freedom from the British rule. The law incriminates anybody who “brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards, the Federal or Provincial Government established by law.” Throughout the raj, the law was used to prosecute political leaders and activists fighting for india’s freedom. in 1962, the indian supreme Court regulated the sedition law. it ruled that speeches against the government or political parties were not illegal. Keeping in view india’s wish to keep Kashmir as a colony, the court upheld the law as applicable to separatism by persuasion or force.

The sedition law was introduced in Britain centuries back when freedom of expression wasn’t seen as the right it is today. When finally annulled, the British Justice minister explained that the sedition law had been used by other Commonwealth countries as justification for the retention of similar laws which have been actively used to suppress political dissent and restrict press freedom. it is a pity that the sedition law has neither been annulled nor regulated by successive governments that came to power in Pakistan. The law not only continued to be on the statute book, but was also used freely against political opponents. it is an irony that Prime minister imran Khan, who while in opposition had done his utmost to ‘bring into hatred and contempt’ the PmL(N) government, has allowed his Punjab administration to get a sedition case registered against former Pm Nawaz sharif and a number of PmL(N) leaders.

While in power, the PPP and PmL(N) retained articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution and made no changes in the draconian NaB law. They continue to pay the price for their negligence. One expects the opposition alliance to clarify its position on section 124-a of the PPC. Will they annul or modify the sedition law if they came to power, or retain it as it is?

dr Farid a Malik

K

ashmir continues to bleed despite two very powerful speeches by the Prime minister (Pm) in the United Nations General assembly sessions. The world is listening but not moving. a definite change of strategy is required. The script already exists, only it needs to be revisited. The creation of Bangladesh in 1971 was driven by the ambitious Pm of india. indira Gandhi wanted to undo the partition of the subcontinent for the sake of ‘Dharti mata’. an international campaign was launched to defame the military action in East Pakistan. atrocities were fabricated and circulated worldwide. songs for independence were sponsored for the best bands to sing. Once the groundwork was laid, the indian forces, backed by the Ussr, launched a full scale attack. While the Pakistan army fought bravely on the front, the mukhti Bahini, a private militia supported by the indians and the local hindu community, attacked from the back. No army of the world can fight on multiple fronts. Now it is india’s turn to pay a price for its clandestine evil operation to separate the Eastern Wing of Pakistan.

Giving credit where it is due, after the war the Bengalis stood firm on the two-nation theory on the basis of which the indian subcontinent was divided and refused to become a satellite state of hindustan. Now that the so-called secular india is being ruled by hinduvta through the goons of rss (rashtriya swayamsevak sanngh), the indian equivalent of the racist and supremacist Nazi Party of Germany. Narendra modi is the 21st-century reincarnation of adolf hitler. another surrender at Bakshi stadium awaits the over 900, 000 indian troops posted in the Valley to suppress a genuine freedom struggle. Kashmir is destined to be free, the days of the empire are over. a superpower like the Ussr was unable to rule over people against their wishes. The Usa faces a similar fate in afghanistan.

Kashmir belongs to the Kashmiris, and no nation big or small can force its will on the peaceful but freedom loving people of the Valley called the Paradise on Earth. since august 2019, 283 civilians have lost their lives at the hands of the occupying indian forces. Thousands have been blinded by the pellet gun attacks on the peaceful pro-

A needless dispute Another Centre-Sindh squabble

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hE creation by the federal government of an island Development authority, to develop land on Bundal island, off the coast of Karachi, has raised hackles in both civil society and nationalist circles in sindh, even though the federal government claims that the sindh government had written it a letter in July consenting to the island being handed over to the federal government, which wanted it because it wanted to develop it for residential and commercial purposes. The federal government has also raised the claim that the island was part of its Port Qasim authority land, though it did not explain why it needed to correspond with the sindh government on the subject of Port Qasim authority land. The ordinance creating the authority was merely published in the gazette, but not intimated to the sindh government. The matter came to light only when the federal government advertised the Chairmanship of the authority.

The sindh government has had to react strongly, and the issue will be yet one more on which the PPP and the PTi will wrangle. Though this should be an issue that should have been resolved at a bureaucratic level, it seems to have become point of dispute which will probably be made part of the Pakistan Democratic movement platform, and thus will have all other parties raising the issue.

Once again, the federal government is learning the hard way the disadvantages of refusing to deal with the opposition. There was no need to have a provincial Cabinet meet merely to demand the withdrawal of an ordinance. Even if one was to buy the PTi narrative about the opposition being sleazy and who are not to be even met, there still remains the undeniable fact that government can only be carried on with coordination between central and provincial governments. Though disputes can be settled by the Council of Common interests, and failing that, by the supreme Court, there is no need for every little thing to be taken there. The policy of making everything a political football can lead to such harmful exhibitions of pique as shown over the covid-19 pandemic.

Why not teaching online in public-sector schools Learning from the Covid-19 pandemic Preeta Hinduja

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NLiNE teaching and learning has been proven a successful way to leave the educational activities undisturbed when the traditional classroom setting is not possible. research suggests that children need the constant support of teachers to achieve cognitive, affective and sociological development and computers provide the potential support to make the teaching-learning process more constructive.

To support children’s holistic development and improve their learning, it is beyond doubt that several steps have been taken by the Government of sindh, but it was not so planned as to cope with the problem of emergencies, such as covid-19. We have shut down our all educational activities since last six months; and the pandemic has pulled us behind. most of the female teachers acknowledge their engagement in household chores to entertain their family members, while male teachers assumed this time to be better spent with kids or by entertaining themselves through social media. surprisingly, very few teachers planned their professional development activities. Teachers were rarely observed busy in reading books, completing online courses that increase teaching efficiency, or developing plans that cater to educational needs of students generally and weaker students especially. it is much unexpected to learn from the side of adolescent students that they never want schools to reopen. The majority of secondary and higher secondary students are in high spirits as they will be promoted without appearing in the examinations. many of them have lost their hopes and passion for the acquisition of university-level education and have engaged in their parents’ professions. Girls are seemed more interested in the jobs similar to their mothers (house-caring, tailoring and cooking, and so on) and

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

the insurgency and the sector of war was expanded by the indians. The military high command was not prepared for an all-out war, and the attacks on Lahore and sialkot came as a big surprise. Pakistan was saved by the gallantry of junior officers like maj aziz Bhatti (shaheed) and Capt abid majid (shaheed) to name a few. testers. in the 21st century the right to protest cannot be TheCongress arty, led by the Nehru family, was denied by the state. For the first time in 72 years the entire emotionally attached to the Valley, and delay of setKashmiri leadership is united on severing links with the tlement was their strategy. On the contrary the BJP indian Union. recently the former pro-indian leadership led government in india wants to settle the outstandof the Valley were released from detention. The group met ing dispute, but their way. atal Behari Vajapee was a at the residence of former Chief minister (Cm) Farooq statesman, he tried a negotiated settlement, but it fell abdullah, son of the first Cm sheikh abdullah, and de- short. The current leadership in india wants to annex manded restoration of the autonomous status of the Valley the land by pushing out the Kashmiris, and it is the usurped last year by the indian Union. Our Foreign Office israeli model of annexation of Palestinian lands. hailed it as a major breakthrough which it was not as it Unfortunately for our brothers in Palestine, the negated the basic freedom struggle of the people of Kash- Zionist state faces friendly and weak opposition. The mir. The minsitry of Foreign affairs (mOFa) needs a Kashmir Valley is surrounded by powerful and commajor revamp to lead an international crusade for the lib- mitted friends like China, Pakistan and afghanistan. eration of the indian-Occupied Kashmir. i have personally after Jehad-e-afghanistan, Jehad-e-Kashmir can be interacted with several retired senior officers of mOFa launched to help our muslim brethren to gain freewho complain of lack of strategy and leadership. in their dom. The international community has to understand words, “Kashmir cannot be liberated with debates and the atrocities being committed against unarmed civilpress conferences alone, more needs to be done.” i ians in the Valley. mOFa has a lot of work to do in strongly suggest that the this area.

Pm after his powerful Time is critical as speech should call a meetindia is trying to change ing of senior foreign policy the population mix. The Overall it was a great speech by experts to agree on an efyear 2021 will be decisive fective game plan as india for the liberation of the PM which must be backed the did in 1971 to dismember Valley as ethnic cleansing Quaid’s Pakistan. has started. Dealing with with an effective strategy to interestingly the allrogues states like india liberate the Valley. Like the USSR, and israel, bullets are india muslim League was founded in Decca in needed to force a ballot. in Indian troops should have only 1906. The party led the afghanistan finally peace freedom struggle. There is being restored through two options: Surrender or were stalwarts from Bendialogue, not military gal who played a key role force. The Pm has rightly Withdrawal, leaving Kashmir to in the creation of Pakhighlighted the plight of the Kashmiris who are the istan. The famous Lahore our Kashmiri brethren, resolution of 1940 was now it is time to change legitimate inhabitants of the land. drafted by maulvi Fazalthe rhetoric into action on ul-haq. as Cm of undithe ground. The governvided Bengal, hussain ment of Pakistan should shaheed suharwardy formulate a holistic stratplayed a key role. he was an able honest and charis- egy for liberation of Kashmir, all available avenues of matic leader who tried his best to keep the country redressal should be effectively used which includes the united. Till the break-up of Quaid’s Pakistan in 1971, international Court of Justice and Organization of isKashmir remained a hot agenda item. Growing up on lamic Countries together with an international camthe mall, as a child i heard chants of ‘Nehru paign by our embassies to highlight the plight of our Kuta’(Nehru is a dog) and ‘Kashmir Banayga Pak- valiant brothers fighting for freedom. The graveyards istan’ (Kashmir will become Pakistan). There were reg- are overflowing with the martyrs of the freedom strugular demonstrations, those were very charged times. gle. Over 100,000 Kashmiris have been martyred by in 1962 China urged ayub Khan to take over the the occupying indian forces. action time has arrived, Valley but he chickened out. The Usa promised the as in the past we have missed several opportunities to President a negotiated settlement after the indo-China free the Valley, so it is hoped that the past mistakes will war, but a golden opportunity was lost. after hostilities not be repeated for which new players and methods ceased, sheikh abdullah was released from prison and have to be tried. Overall it was a great speech by the allowed to travel to islamabad. With my father i had the Pm which must be backed with an effective strategy opportunity of meeting sheikh sahib. he was upbeat to liberate the Valley. Like the Ussr, indian troops about a settlement but then Nehru suddenly passed should have only two options: surrender or Withaway. Perhaps it was to be an unbearable loss for him drawal, leaving Kashmir to the Kashmiris who are the as he hailed from the Valley himself and could not let legitimate inhabitants of the land. go. Lal Bahadur shashtri, who succeeded him, lacked the clout for such a major decision. The 1965 effort for Dr Farid A Malik is ex-Chairman, Pakistan the liberation of the Valley was more out of frustration Science Foundation. He can be contacted at: and lacked planning. Locals in the Valley did not support fmaliks@hotmail.com.

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boys similar to their fathers. The promotion policy of eracy Department should take steps towards implementthe government has made the students relax about ing an online education system. Online learning should worrying about their performance and mastery of be piloted under the supervision of an autonomous auskills. This causes lack of self-confidence over their thority which would be able to meet the financial needs skills and abilities derived from education and will and capability of each institution implementing the system. Trainings for both be the root of uncertainty teachers and students about their careers and, about operating the new simultaneously challenge systems and the importhe purpose of education.

The Education and Literacy tance of online learning, in the contrast, educashould be arranged in an tion in private schools has Department should take steps organized way. it is also not suffered as these worth noticing that factors schools had started online towards implementing an online such as load-shedding, teaching and learning as education system. Online learning and misuse of technology, soon as possible. meanare supposed to cause hinwhile it is also noted the should be piloted under the drances in the successful adoption of this novel apapplication of online proach was the challenging supervision of an autonomous learning. To cater to the for the teachers, yet it was load-shedding problem, it a great achievement for the authority which would be able to is recommended that coschools. Not only this, but meet the financial needs and ordination be established also it has proven a sort of with the electricity satisfaction for parents. capability of each institution providers of the town, so This view however needs attention to cause a rethink implementing the system. Trainings that in this way students and teachers could engage on the big gap and inequalfor both teachers and students for specific time without ities between rich and poor any break-down. initiain Pakistan. about operating the new systems tives for secondary and it is high time to rehigher secondary students flect on the current situaand the importance of online should be planned within tion and the uncertain learning, should be arranged in an the school setting first, present and its future conand then at a distance. its sequences, as well as on organized way. successful application the impacts on individual, would open the door for society and the economy thinking about a similar on the whole. roactive strategy also for young measures should be taken to cope with these disturbances at the secondary and students, and this would generate hope for the continuation of education and educational benefits in the careers higher secondary levels on priority basis. it is reported almost all the higher secondary stu- of upcoming generations. dents and nearly 80 percent of secondary students operPreeta Hinduja is a teacher at a public-sector ate smart phones. Their schools have started from september 15. it is suggested that the Education and Lit- higher secondary school

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Thursday, 8 October, 2020

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

Climate change CLimaTE change is affecting us and our beautiful planet earth. it is existed in every country but our country is more effected by this. however, climate change is expected to cause wide reaching effects on Pakistan. in addition to increased heat and other extreme weather conditions and drought conditions in some parts of the country, melting of glaciers in the himalayas,threatens the volumetric flow rate of many of the most important rivers of Pakistan. Besides this, due to climate change mosquito borne diseases are probably the greatest threat to humans as include malaria, elephantiasis, rift valley fever, yellow fever and dengue fever. and around 128,000 people die due to climate change every year in Pakistan. so, it is the time to be gathered and work to solve this problem and protect us from climate change.

ImtaIz JavId awaran

Curse of cancer

Does death penalty hold any value?

The death penalty debate rests on its deterrent and retributive effects MuHaMMad ZaMan Butt

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O decide whether the death penalty holds any value for a society, it is helpful to briefly recap the ‘theories of punishment’ that have considerably influenced criminal justice systems, policies and jurists worldwide, and as a consequence, capital punishment.

Punishment: is an unpleasant occurrence administered by the society that is enforced by a legal authority for an offense against legal rules, as roughly defined by major figures of political, religious and legal philosophy such as antony Flew, stanley Benn and hLa hart. Feinberg, a contemporary, believed that punishment proper should also have a symbolic significance.

The theories of punishment largely fall into two schools: utilitarian- “consequentialist” in nature, punishment should result in improved outcome; and retributive- punishment befitting the crime to restore balance. retribution is the most ancient justification for punishment that has roots in all divine scriptures and in the Code of hammurabi’s lex talionis– the law of retaliation, also expressed by the phrase “an eye for an eye”. it has been part of ancient Babylonian, Biblical, roman and islamic law. retributivism upholds that punishment is society’s necessary reaction to a criminal action that has violated its balance. it behooves society to punish the wrongdoers and sees value in condemnation to sustain a healthy and just society. utilitarianism: a family of consequentialist theories whose central tenet can be best described by the maxim put forth by Joshua Dressler, a respected authority on criminal law, that “[t]he purpose of all laws is to maximize the net happiness of society.” Punishment, thus, has worth if it results in more happiness than pain.

There are several consequentialist theories; the theory of incapacitation believes imprisoning offenders to prevent crimes and from recommitting new ones. rehabilitation or reformative theories are more focused on the criminal than crime and believe behavioral transformation of an individual through training and counselling can keep someone from committing crime again.

The denunciation theory combines several other theories. it advances public punishment to prevent others from committing the crime due to the stigma of the offense while also serving as a form of retribution.

Each of these theories can support criminal justice policies and serve as a valid lens but legislators often identify another reason to justify changes to criminal law—deterrence.

The Deterrence theory of punishment can be traced in the works of three famous utilitarian philosophers–hobbes, Beccaria and Bentham. all three have argued that the punishment for crime must be greater than its benefit. hobbes said individuals are punished for violating the social contract, and deterrence serves to maintain the agreement between the state and the people in the form of a workable social contract.

Beccaria, following hobbes, wrote that if

the sole purpose of punishment is to prevent crime in society, then “punishments are unjust when their severity exceeds what is necessary to achieve deterrence”. an excess of severity will thereby increase crime.

Jeremy Bentham, a contemporary of Beccaria, also suggested something along the same lines, that punishment in excess of what is essential to deter people from violating the law is unjustified. abolitionists, based on these views, either call for a moratorium or complete abolishment of capital punishment. They see it as a failure of death penalty to deliver the necessary deterrence to prevent capital crimes such as homicide. however, a deeper analysis of the works of these philosophers, especially Beccaria’s writings, reveals a nuance, which is often either ignored or overlooked by abolitionists. Beccaria’s prescriptions regarding criminal penalties markedly resemble retributivism. Beccaria also says that swift and certain punishment are the best means of preventing and controlling crime, and to have a deterrent value, punishment must be proportionate; seriousness of crimes should be based on the extent of harm done to society, which in a nutshell is retribution- a theory of punishment often contrasted with deterrence. Beccaria did not stop here; as an advocate of the hedonistic calculus, he maintained that since pleasure and pain are the motives of rational people therefore, to prevent crime, the pain of punishment must outweigh the pleasure from committing it. This view is inconsistent with his own views on severity and proportionality of punishment. it even exceeds the retributive principle of lex talionis or the ones laid down in the holy scriptures, all of which maintain proportionality.

Beccaria’s argument not only contradicts his own premise but also goes against classical philosophers of his time; their hypothesis that certainty is more effective in preventing crimes than severity, which why they reject the death penalty as an effective method of punishment. it must be noted that many philosophers, most prominently Beccaria in italy and Bentham in England, were troubled by the arbitrary imposition of punishment and the barbarities found in their countries’ criminal codes. in their view, the object of the law was to widen the happiness of the people by increasing the pleasure and lessening the pain of the community.

Nevertheless, propositions in Becarria’s work allude to a hybrid theory of punishment that incorporates deterrence with retributivism, deterrent in purpose but (to some extent) retributivist in execution.

The Deterrence theory received a modern makeover when Gary s. Becker, the 1992 Economics Nobel laureate, influenced by Beccaria, in 1968 gave a model of deterrence known as “economic model of rational deterrence” with his Crime and Punishment: An Economic Approach. he argued that once the cost of committing an offense is too high, criminals will not commit it. his version assumes that there is no difference between criminal and non-criminals, other than their assessment of costs and benefits.

The collective works of hobbs, Beccaria, Bentham and Becker have led to a theory of criminal deterrence that relies on three individ-

ual components: severity, certainty, and celerity.

One popular research endeavor that actually tested the deterrence theory in 1968 concluded that homicide might be deterred by both certainty and severity of punishment. in short, the theory of Deterrence involves both specific deterrence: to not just punish violators but also dissuade them from relapsing; and general deterrence; to discourage others from committing similar violations.

Furthermore, many people also feel the need to deter certain criminal actions after high-profile incidents in which an offender gets away with a light sentence or if the severity of punishment is perceived as less than the offence. This is generally ensued by the argument that a tougher sentence would have prevented the tragedy and could prevent a similar tragedy from reoccurring in the future, as exemplified in the demand for public hanging of child rapists after the surge in child rape and molestation cases in Pakistan in 2018. Owing to the public outcry after the most recent case in January of an eightyear-old in Nowshera, the National assembly passed a bill for public hanging of child rapists after some opposition from the left-wing parties and pro-abolition ministers.

Deterrence theory has its own critics. They point to high recidivism rates as proof that it does not work and point to crimes under the influence of drugs or alcohol or committed in the heat of the moment or when emotions override rationale. much of the empirical analysis has focused on whether capital punishment deters potential offenders from engaging in homicide acts. The empirical results conclude that it cannot be said convincingly that death penalty deter murder or that longer imprisonments or other harsh punishments have greater deterrent effects than less severe penalties.

While it cannot be conclusively shown from the research data, thus far, that capital punishment actually increases, decreases or has no effect on homicide, it would be a grave underestimation to completely cast aside death penalty as not being deterrent as it is equally difficult to disprove its effectiveness since only those offenders not deterred get accounted for research data. Those who were deterred could never be recorded by any research since crime was not committed.

That said, one way deterrence is achieved is by creating a sense of fear. The fear factor, whether of getting caught or losing life or liberty, plays a significant part in when calculating the consequences of obeying or violating the law. We can safely argue, given the world population and the disparity between those who commit capital crimes and those who do not, that death penalty largely is deterrent.

Capital punishment is hybrid is deterrent in purpose and retributivist in execution. its correct and certain application with celerity makes it an effective and proportional punishment for deterring capital crimes as it satisfies the principle of proportional justice. The death penalty does hold value for society, given by its hybrid nature; acting both as deterrent and retribution. muhammad Zaman Butt can be reached at muhammadzamanbutt666@gmail.com.

ThE findings of a recent study conducted by Dow university of health sciences have revealed that cancer of stomach is rise in Karachi. Karachi is also the city with highest prevatenc of oral cancer in the country. according to researchers this rise can be attributed to the growing use of tobacco products one of the main causes of oral cancer and the damage unhealthy foods.The study was based on data collected over several years from 2010 to 2019.The most of the cancer cases around 60pc were diagnosed in women as compared to men.The most common among wonem is breast cancer followed by oral and the oesophegeal .While in men it is oral cancer.

The case of oral cancer that affects those who regularly consume tobacco products paan and betal nut.The increasing incidence of cancer in Pakistan.

The Pakistan institute of medical sciences lists cancer as the second leading cause of death the first being heart disease in the country. in every year around 148000 new cancer cases were reported in Pakistan. Poor environmental conditions combined with a dilapidated health care system and the recent hike in drug prices paint a worrisome picture for the hundreds of thousands of cancer patients in the country. mahIkan Sarwar kech

Neglected province BaLOChisTaN is the largest and richest province of Pakistan. in Balochistan many people are suffering a lot of facilities. Especially education system and health care and many more facilities. as it is gifted with thousands of natural resources like precious metals coal natural gas and oil it is most blessed province. if we see the Pakistan province just Balochistan people are suffering badly about the basic needs.if we see the others countries people are getting their basic rights but only Balochistan people are facing multiple problems due to lack of basic needs. Balochistan is a poor province due to the high rate of poverty. students can’t get their basic rights poor children, they want to get something in their life but still they are not getting their basic rights. Being the richest province in terms of resource the remained the poorest in the term of education health and importantly employment.

JanI dIlwaSh karkI Quetta

Medicine prices ThE government has been widely censured for allowing pharmaceutical companies to increase prices of medicine. Unfortunately, a report is quoted some patients as saying that they have either reduced their daily dose of medicines prescribed by their physician or have been forced discontinue the treatment altogether as prices shoot up. Painfully, it is really one of the bad moments to see the people stop treatment of serious ailments but it is a serious health complications for them and difficulties for their families. similarly, price of Norethisterone, used as birth control pills, menopausal hormone therapy and for treatment of gynecological disorders, has been increased from rs62 to rs100. Price of Tamsulosion capsule, used by men to treat the symptoms of an enlarged prostate, has been increased from rs786 to rs1,080 price of Neurobion tablet, used for preventing and treating vitamin B deficiencies, has been raised from rs535 to rs977. Due to their high cost of production the poor people is not doing proper treatment. it is also a fact that drug manufacturing is a business for investor, if they don’t earn good returns on their investment they will pull their out and invest in in some other business. Finally, it is requested to the governments to find a bright way for those they are unable to buy good medicines to continue their medication. naJeeb SwalI turbat

Debt threat iT is common knowledge that the actions of today have consequences for tomorrow, but it seems our ruling elite is unaware of this principle. soon after the creation of Pakistan, we started borrowing to support growth and industrialization. however, slowly our leaders fell prey to the temptation of spending lavishly on non-developmental projects. such spending did not add anything to the economy but kept ballooning our external debts. They never thought that such royal ways of spending would eventually come back to bite us. That is exactly what happened, and debt reached the level where the bulk of our budget is dedicated to debt servicing. still, our leaders do not seem to have learned. The lavish spending and royal ways of governance continue. Debts have soared to a level where it is impossible for any new government to govern efficiently. They borrow to retire past loans and some more to run their affairs. There is no attention to industrial growth and projects that add to the economy by creating jobs and boosting exports. Every government acts in a shortsighted and selfish manner to preserve its rule. They borrow without caring how will we retire those loans in the future. hence, this vicious cycle of debt has crippled our economy and resulting in excruciating inflation. While our leaders keep exchanging the barbs as to who is responsible for the sorry state of our economy, the people of Pakistan struggle day in and day out facing the worst of the inflation and unemployment. raJa Shafaatullah ISlamabad

Thursday, 8 October, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

ElEcT JoE BidEn, AmEricA THE FORMER VICE PRESIDENT IS THE LEADER OUR NATION NEEDS NOW EdItorIal Board

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New York times

Oe Biden has vowed to be a president for all Americans, even those who do not support him. in previous elections, such a promise might have sounded trite or treacly. today, the idea that the president should have the entire nation’s interests at heart feels almost revolutionary.

Mr. Biden has also vowed to “restore the soul of America.” it is a painful reminder that the country is weaker, angrier, less hopeful and more divided than it was four years ago. With this promise, Mr. Biden is assuring the public that he recognizes the magnitude of what the next president is being called upon to do. thankfully, he is well suited to the challenge — perhaps particularly so. in the midst of unrelenting chaos, Mr. Biden is offering an anxious, exhausted nation something beyond policy or ideology. his campaign is rooted in steadiness, experience, compassion and decency.

A President Biden would embrace the rule of law and restore public confidence in democratic institutions. he would return a respect for science and expertise to the government. he would stock his administration with competent, qualified, principled individuals. he would stand with America’s allies and against adversaries that seek to undermine our democracy. he would work to address systemic injustices. he would not court foreign autocrats or give comfort to white supremacists. his focus would be on healing divisions and rallying the nation around shared values. he would understand that his first duty, always, is to the American people.

But Mr. Biden is more than simply a steady hand on the wheel. his message of unity and pragmatism resonated with Democratic voters, who turned out in large numbers to elevate him above a sprawling primary field. his team has put together a bold agenda aimed at tackling some of America’s most pressing problems. the former vice president is committed to working toward universal health care through measures such as adding a public option to the Affordable Care Act — which he played a significant role in passing — lowering the age for Medicare eligibility to 60 years old and cutting the cost of prescription drugs. he recognizes the fateful threat of climate change and has put forward an ambitious, $2 trillion plan to slash carbon emissions, invest in a green economy and combat environmental racism.

Mr. Biden will not be morphing into an ideological maximalist any time soon, but he has acknowledged that the current trifecta of crises — a lethal pandemic, an economic meltdown and racial unrest — calls for an expanded governing vision. his campaign has been reaching out to a wide range of thinkers, including former rivals, to help craft more dynamic solutions. in midsummer, he rolled out an economic recovery plan, dubbed “Build Back Better,” with proposals to bolster American manufacturing, spur innovation, build a “clean-energy economy,” advance racial equity and support caregivers and educators. his plan for fighting the coronavirus includes the creation of a public health jobs corps.

Progressives who want even more from him should not be afraid to push. experience is not the same as stagnation.

Mr. Biden has a long and distinguished record of accomplishment, including, as a senator, sponsoring the landmark Violence Against Women Act of 1994 and, as vice president, overseeing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, passed in response to the Great Recession. in a 2012 interview on “Meet the Press,” his remarks in support of gay marriage — which blindsided the Obama White house and caused a public kerfuffle — proved a watershed moment for the cause of equality. in 1996, Mr. Biden had voted as a senator in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibited federal recognition of same-sex marriages, making his evolution on the issue particularly resonant. he has an unusually rich grasp of and experience in foreign policy, which, as traditionally understood, has

not played a central role in the presidential race — though the pandemic, the climate crisis, a more assertive China and disinformation wars against the American public argue strongly that it should. the next president will face the task of repairing the enormous damage inflicted on America’s global reputation.

Mr. Biden has the necessary chops, having spent much of his career focused on global concerns. he not only took on thorny diplomatic missions as vice president, he also served more than three decades on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Aware that an “America First” approach in reality amounts to “America alone,” he would work to revive and refurbish damaged alliances. he has the respect and trust of America’s allies and would not be played for a fool by its adversaries.

Certainly, not all of Mr. Biden’s foreign policy decisions through the decades look sage in hindsight, but he has shown foresight in key moments. he fought a rear-guard action in the Obama White house to limit the futile surge in Afghanistan. he was against the 2011 intervention in Libya and skeptical of committing American troops to Syria. he opposed renewing the Foreign intelligence Surveillance Act in 2007 and 2008 because it gave the government too much power to spy on Americans. he’s supported closing the prison at Guantánamo Bay. Little wonder that he has the backing of a who’s who of the foreign policy community and national security officials from both parties.

Mr. Biden is not an ideological purist or a bombthrower. Some will see this as a shortcoming or hopelessly naïve. Certainly, it’s unlikely that if Republicans retain control of the Senate, their leader, Mitch McConnell, will abandon his policy of fanatical obstruc-

Since Yogi Adityanath became CM, culture of violence and impunity has taken root in UP THIS IS HARDLY SURPRISING WHEN THE MAN IN CHARGE IS HIMSELF A TAINTED FIGURE AND DOESN’T BELIEVE IN THE DUE PROCESS OF LAW OR RESPECT FOR HUMAN DIGNITY

IndIan ExprEss

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ArAti r JerAth

ith assembly elections looming in early 2022, Adityanath could prove to be an albatross around the BJP’s neck. Uttar Pradesh is india’s badlands, both in terms of crime and police atrocities.

But even by its abysmal standards, the state has plumbed new depths with the hathras rape case and its aftermath.

A Lakshman Rekha was crossed that night in a hathras village when the police seemingly connived with the district administration to deny the victim’s family the right to cremate her and burnt the body themselves in the wee hours of the morning. there were no rituals to dignify the cremation; just a pile of burning logs to remove every trace of evidence that there was once a girl who was gang-raped and viciously tortured before she died.

Since then, the police and other authorities have thrown caution to the winds to beat back national outrage over the incident. they have resorted to a grotesque display of muscle power, brandishing lies and lathis to intimidate opposition leaders, the media and the victim’s family. in retrospect, the hathras horror was waiting to happen. the seeds were sown the day Yogi Adityanath was sworn in as chief minister in 2017. One of his earliest decisions was to give the police a free hand on the plea of restoring law and order, which he claimed had broken down in five years of Samajwadi Party’s “jungle raj”. he gave the green signal for police encounters to cleanse UP of criminals. the order was “thok do (hit them)”, no questions asked. UP set a national record. in three years, the state has reported 6,145 encounters with 119 accused dead. No action has ever been taken against errant officers even when the encounter was obviously staged. the most notorious such incident was the killing of Vikas Dubey, a small-time gangster from Kanpur. he had surrendered but was shot dead anyway on the excuse that he was trying to escape from police custody. his death raised questions about a nexus between him and the police. the matter has been hushed up. the police was encouraged to flex its muscles with ordinary citizens too, through “anti-Romeo squads’’. the ostensible reason was to stop inter-faith marriages and the squads were empowered to pick up any couple on mere suspicion. the operation turned sour very quickly as the police went overboard with such unfettered power. they forced their way into private residences, rounded up married couples and arrested even a brother and sister on the mistaken

assumption that they were lovers. Not a single police officer has been hauled up for harassment or punished for wrongful confinement.

By the time protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill spilled out on the streets of UP last winter, the police was on a high thanks to the nod-and-wink attitude of the leadership. it manhandled the protestors, behaved in a vulgar manner with women, arrested whomsoever it wanted and framed prominent activists in criminal cases.

Police impudence went several steps further with the force putting up banners in Lucknow that carried photographs of arrested protestors along with their names and addresses. this was a clear violation of personal freedom and privacy. Ultimately, the Allahabad high Court intervened and ordered the removal of the banners.

Law and order in UP has been in steep decline for decades. But today, the state is rapidly descending into chaos under a force that does everything but police. Rapes, murders and caste atrocities bloody the landscape on a daily basis with UP topping the list of crimes in several categories, according to National Crime Records Bureau statistics. this is hardly surprising when the man in charge is himself a tainted figure and doesn’t believe in the due process of law or respect for human dignity. Adityanath was a controversial figure long before he became chief minister. he came to the job with criminal cases pending against him. it has become commonplace for MPs and MLAs to have a record of criminal cases. But political parties usually draw a red line when it comes to choosing someone to head a government. the BJP erased that line with Adityanath.

One of the first things the CM did after assuming office was to have all the cases against him withdrawn. And ever since, he has turned the police into a tool to run UP as his personal fiefdom where laws can be broken.

With assembly elections looming in early 2022, Adityanath could prove to be an albatross around the BJP’s neck.

tionism of any Democratic president. that said, as the emissary often dispatched by President Barack Obama to deal with Republican lawmakers during tough legislative fights, Mr. Biden has intimate experience with the partisan gridlock crippling Congress. he knows how the levers of power work on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, and he has longstanding relationships with members from both parties. More than any of this cycle’s other presidential hopefuls, he offered weary voters a chance to see whether even a modicum of bipartisanship is possible. he is also offering a glimpse of the Democratic Party’s future in his choice of running mate, Senator Kamala harris of California. Ms. harris would become a number of firsts — a woman, a Black person and an Asian-American — as vice president, adding historymaking excitement to the ticket. A former prosecutor, she is tough, smart and can dismantle a faulty argument or political opponent. She is progressive, but not radical. in her own presidential campaign, she presented herself as a unifying leader with center-left policy proposals in a mold similar to Mr. Biden, albeit a generation younger.

Mr. Biden is aware that he no longer qualifies as a fresh face and has said that he considers himself a bridge to the party’s next generation of leaders. Ms. harris is a promising step in that direction. if he wins election, Mr. Biden will need to take his governing agenda to the people — all of the people, not just his party’s loudest or most online voices. this will require persuading Americans that he understands their concerns and can translate that understanding into sound policy.

Mr. Biden has a rare gift for forging such connections. in his younger days, he, like so many senators, could be in love with the sound of his own voice. time and loss have softened his edges. he speaks the language of suffering and compassion with a raw intimacy. People respond to that, across lines of race and class — ever more so in this time of uncertainty. the father of the police-shooting victim Jacob Blake described his phone conversation with Mr. Biden as full of “love, admiration, caring,” in one of many recent examples of the former vice president’s hard-earned empathy.

Mr. Biden knows that there are no easy answers. he has the experience, temperament and character to guide the nation through this valley into a brighter, more hopeful future. he has our endorsement for the presidency.

When they go to the polls this year, voters aren’t just choosing a leader. they’re deciding what America will be. they’re deciding whether they favor the rule of law, how the government will help them weather the greatest economic calamity in generations, whether they want government to enable everyone to have access to health care, whether they consider global warming a serious threat, whether they believe that racism should be treated as a public policy problem.

Mr. Biden isn’t a perfect candidate and he wouldn’t be a perfect president. But politics is not about perfection. it is about the art of the possible and about encouraging America to embrace its better angels.

The Associated Press advises suppressing the truth about riots THE NEWS BIZ IS ABOUT RECOUNTING THE WORLD AS IT IS, NOT AS HOW JOURNALISTS WANT IT TO BE EdItorIal Board

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New York Post

MeRiCA’S most influential media stylebook is discouraging the nation’s newspapers from reporting on mass urban violence, on the grounds that writing about what’s happening is “stigmatizing.” that’s right: the Associated Press Stylebook, whose standards are followed by countless outlets, last week announced new guidelines around reporting on riots.

After a “D’oh” definition of “riot,” the guidance preached: “Focusing on rioting and property destruction rather than underlying grievance has been used in the past to stigmatize broad swaths of people protesting against lynching, police brutality or for racial justice, going back to the urban uprisings of the 1960s.”

And never mind that increasing evidence suggests most violence can be pinned not on real Black Lives Matter protesters (radical though their agenda may be), but on mostly white Antifa provocateurs.

Many Americans are outraged at what they know of the George Floyd and Breonna taylor cases, among others. But far too many have used the chance to wreak destruction — in some cases, for months on end. Such opportunists aren’t “protesting” any “underlying grievance.” AP suggests replacing “riots” with “milder” terms such as “unrest.” Give us a break.

Property destruction has a human toll. the insurance information institute says the riots after Floyd’s death have done well over $1 billion in damage. the unprecedented national destruction may lead to insurers excluding coverage for riot damage in the future — not that plenty of innocent small businesses aren’t already finding their policies badly insufficient. this destruction hits minorities hardest. People who’ve spent years toiling to build a business have had it all lost in a night. in downtown Louisville, Ky., Fadi Faouri has slept in his store for 122 straight nights, trying to protect it from rioters and looters. “Stuff is being damaged on a nightly basis, people are shooting at each other every night,” he told the Post. “every night we have a new store that got looted. they break in, they take whatever and go. they walk away.” the AP should know better: the news biz is about recounting the world as it is, not as how journalists want it to be.

Thursday, 8 October, 2020

BUSINESS 09 corporate corner Nestlé Pakistan, NIFSAT–UAF join hands to promote food science technology LAHORE: Nestlé Pakistan has partnered with National Institute of Food Science and Technology, University of Agriculture (NIFSAT – UAF) to focus on capacity building and enhanced development of the agriculture sector and food science technology. Under the MoU, Nestlé Pakistan and NIFSAT will be working on alignment on laboratory testing methods, and food safety awareness programs and training. Nestlé Pakistan CEO Samer Chedid said, “Nestlé Pakistan, in line with our purpose of unlocking the power of food to enhance quality of life for everyone, today and for generations to come, believes in working towards development of food and farm sector as key to boosting economic growth in Pakistan. Working together on these collaborative initiatives will help us achieve our targets and implement best global practices.” press release

KARACHI: Al Meezan Investments, Pakistan’s largest & only full-fledged Shariah-compliant asset management company, recently launched the country’s first Islamic ETF under the moniker Meezan Pakistan Exchange Traded Fund (MP-ETF). The ETF will trade at the stock exchange under the ticker ‘MZNP-ETF’. press release

KARACHI: Allied Bank Ltd (ABL) and Bakhabbar Kissan Pvt Ltd (BKK) have signed an agreement to work together in providing financial assistance and advisory to the agricultural sector. press release

ISLAMABAD: Under the Education Assistance Program of Pak Suzuki CSR; Lower Secondary Scholarship ceremonies were held in government schools. A total of 150 scholarships were awarded to successful government school students of class 6, 7 and 8. District Education Officer (Bin Qasim Town) along with Pak Suzuki senior officials, government schools principals and teachers attended the ceremonies. press release

BUSINeSS commUNITy SeekS exTeNSIoN oF coNSTrUcTIoN PAckAge TIll JUNe 2021 ISLAMABAD

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SLAMABAD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) President Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced a construction package to revive the economy, but due to the short duration of the package, some investors have not been able to take full advantage of the incentives.

He appealed before the government to extend the construction package till June 30, 2021, so that maximum investors could invest in Pakistan.

Addressing a delegation of the Real Estate Welfare Association, led by its President Chaudhry Abdul Rauf, Khan said that ICCI was considering holding an exhibition to highlight the potential of the real estate sector.

He said that the development of the real estate and construction sector would help the businesses of over

70 allied industries to flourish, besides reducing unemployment in the country.

"Therefore, promotion of this sector should be the topmost priority of the government."

He assured the delegation that he would play his due role in resolving the problems faced by the real estate sector.

Speaking on the occasion, Chaudhry Abdul Rauf said although the government had taken a wise step by announcing a construction package, the "bureaucracy had created obstacles by issuing SRO 924(I)/2020".

He informed that stakeholders were not taken into confidence before the issuance of this SRO, which would not only have a negative impact on the businesses related to the real estate sector but would also shake the confidence of investors.

He demanded an immediate withdrawal of the SRO-924, which according to him was contradictory

Punjab millers lament delay in textile policy announcement LAHORE sTaFF rpeOrT

All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Punjab Chairman Abdul Rahim Nasir has urged the government to immediately announce a new textile policy to attract investment in the textile industry, warning that a delay in forming the policy may result in lost investments.

"The textile value chain is being affected badly due to a delay in the announcement of the new textile policy," he lamented.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Nasir appealed before Prime Minister Imran Khan and Adviser on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razzak Dawood for an early announcement of the policy so that the industry could avail its benefits through its implementation.

Currently, Nasir said, Pakistan is short in production capacity and many exporters are refusing export orders due to this reason. "A clear long-term policy will give investors a clear vision that the government is ready to support the textile chain on a long-term basis."

According to the APTMA Punjab chairman, the new textile policy carries the potential of taking the textile sector out of the prevalent crisis-like situation.

He said that APTMA's leadership has been making efforts to secure an export-led textile policy.

In this regard, he added, a team led by former APTMA chairman Ahsan Bashir has submitted a draft for a five-year policy to the PM which has addressed the shortcomings in the previous policies.

Appreciating the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government's interest to resolve industry issues in order to achieve export and growth targets, Nasir said the textile industry is hopeful for an upsurge in exports once the government implements

ISLAMABAD The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has constituted a three-member committee to negotiate wheat procurement price with the Russian government. Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh chaired the ECC meeting on Wednesday.

As per details, the three-member committee that would negotiate whaet price with Russia included secretaries of finance, commerce and national food security (as chairman). Besides, the ECC decided that

330,000MT wheat, when imported by the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP), shall be distributed equally among three recipient agencies i.e. PASSCO, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (110,000MT each).

Earlier, officials of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research informed that committee that Pakistan has around five million tonnes of wheat in stocks; Punjab 2.9 million tonnes, Sindh 1.2 million tonnes, KP 0.8MT, Balochistan 67,000 tonnes and PASSCO 0.6MT. They stated that Pakistan would also import 0.18 million tonnes wheat from Russia and that a memorandum of understanding would soon be signed in this regard.

Meanwhile, the ECC allowed Sui Northern Gas

MARKET DAILY

Bulls dominate as benchmark index gains 722 points KARACHI sTaFF repOrT

the entire policy in letter and spirit.

He maintained that the timely implementation of a long-term policy would not only bring new investments in the country but also enable the industry to achieve the target of $30 billion exports in the next five years.

According to APTMA Punjab chairman, Pakistan has an export potential of $50 billion provided the local industry is facilitated with regionally competitive energy tariffs and business-friendly environment.

He said 2020 was a challenging year both for the government and the industry due to the pandemic which plunged the global economy to the worst recession. This pandemic is fraught with risks of losing on massive export orders in the wake of the closure of markets, he added.

"The local industry strived hard for its survival in this testing time; we all stood like an iron wall against the challenges and it all resulted in regaining the lost market at a fast pace," he concluded.

ECC forms committee to negotiate wheat procurement price with Russia sHaHZaD paraCHa

to the construction package. Rauf assured the chamber of his full support in its efforts to promote the interests of the business community.

In July this year, Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced a big incentive package for the construction industry that included a subsidy of Rs30 billion for the Naya Pakistan Housing Project (NPHP) “so that people could build their dream house at an affordable cost”. He had said that due to the adverse impact of the coronavirus on the country’s economy, the government had obtained a recess in international obligation till Dec 31 this year and people investing in the construction industry would not be asked about their sources of income.

“This facility would last only till Dec 31, 2020 and everyone should avail it,” the prime minister had said while addressing the nation after chairing the first meeting of the National Coordination Committee on Housing, Construction and Development.

Pipeline Ltd (SNGPL) to recover previous revenue shortfall, besides enabling the company to manage the load of domestic/commercial sectors through diversion of RLNG in the approaching winter season. Also, the committee allowed allocation of 8MMCFD gas from Mangrio discovery and 4MMCFD of gas from Mithri gas discovery for Sui Southern Gas Company Ltd (SSGC).

Moreover, the ECC allowed the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) to issue new CNG licenses to RLNG-based CNG stations with the provision that the licensee would “neither receive indigenous gas or can claim its conversion to indigenous gas”. The ban on the issuance of new licences was imposed in 2008.

Bulls took charge of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Wednesday, as the indices headed north right from the word go amid improved investor sentiment.

Global equity markets displayed a mixed performance, whereas crude oil prices moved south from the previous close; WTI crude price declining 2.88pc to $39.50 while Brent crude oil price falling 2.51pc to $41.5. "The market finally made a positive move today, as buying activity was observed across the board. However, the State Bank's notification to transfer federal government-related deposits in part from commercial banking system to the central bank caused selling pressure in some banking stocks (BOP and NBP)," said a report issued by AHL Ltd. "A number of mid-cap stocks (usually traded in high volumes) like UNITY, TRG and HASCOL traded at or near upper circuits in the latter part of the session."

MARKET SUMMARY: The benchmark KSE-100 Index remained in the green throughout the day, marking its intraday high at 39,920.13 after gaining 792.65 points. It closed higher by 722.48 points at 39,849.96. Among other indices, the KMI-30 Index accumulated 1,426.60 points to end at 63,393.00, while the KSE All Share Index added 471.06 points, settling at 28,327.49. The overall market volumes surged from 400.97 million shares to 431.14 million shares (+6pc). Average traded value also increased by 9pc, from $75.4 million to $82.5 million. Hascol Petroleum Ltd (HASCOL +6.12pc), Unity Foods Ltd (UNITY +7.45pc) and TRG Pakistan Ltd (TRG +7.37pc) led the volume chart, exchnaging 59.71 million, 34.57 million and 23.97 million shares, respectively. Sectors that drove the benchmark index north included cement (+132.53 points), pharmaceutical (+74.30 points) and oil & gas marketing (+65.78 points). Among the companies, Lucky Cement Ltd (LUCK +46.16 points), The Searle Company Ltd (SEARL +39.05 points) and TRG Pakistan Ltd (TRG +32.44 pts) remained the top contributors. Adding 3.99pc to its cumulative market capitalization, the pharmaceutical sector ended that session’s best performer, with Abbot Laboratories (Pakistan) Ltd (ABOT +1.81pc), The Searle Company Ltd (SEARL +7.50pc), GlaxoSmithKline (Pakistan) Ltd (GLAXO +2.77pc) and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Ltd (GSKCH +1.79pc) posting decent gains. Meanwhile, in a notification to the exchange, Pioneer Cement Ltd (PIOC +4.33pc) informed that its Waste Heat Recovery Plant, having power capacity of 12MW, has commenced operations from Wednesday.

DGPC invites bids for 20 petroleum exploration licences ISLAMABAD aHMaD aHMaDaNI

In a bid to reduce dependency on imported gas and to meet gas requirements of the country, the Petroleum Division (PD) has decided to award 20 exploration licences to interested exploration and production (E&P) companies.

As per details, Director General of Petroleum Concessions (DGPC) Abdul Jabbar Memon has invited bids from E&P companies for the grants of blocks situated in four provinces.

"The bidding documents can be obtained from the office of the DGPC on a written re-

quest and payment of a non-refundable fee of $100 (or equivalent in Pak rupee) in favour of DGPC through a bank draft. The bid documents may also be downloaded online with a payment of $100," the Petroleum Division stated.

"Sealed applications are required to be submitted by the interested exploration and production companies to DGPC by 10 am (PST) on January 15, 2021, and these applications will be opened publicly by the Bid Opening Committee on the same day at 10:30 am (PST) in DGPC office in the presence of the applicants or their representatives."

According to DGPC, an application shall

also furnish bid bond with each application equivalent to 1 per cent of the bid offered while bids submitted by all applicants will be considered as irrevocable and unconditional and in case any applicant stands otherwise, his bid will not be acceded and will be treated as 'non-responsive'.

Successful applicants will be selected in accordance with the provisions of the bidding documents. The authority (DGPC) reserves the right to exercise the power to accept or reject any application and in the event of refusal to grant petroleum rights, the DGPC shall as far as possible provide the reason therefore.

Any bidder offering work unit lower

CMYK

than the minimum threshold specified in the policy or the bidding documents be treated as non-responsive and his bid shall not be further evaluated.

Similarly, the DGPC has declared that any of the bidder(s) attempts to influence the DGPC in any manner whosoever shall result in disqualification of such bidder(s).

It was learnt by Profit that applications are invited for grant of petroleum exploration rights (Exploration License) for Block No.3068-6 (Killa Saifullah), Block No. 27622 (Desert), Block NO. 3067-7 (Sharan), Block No. 3272-16 (Lilla), Block No. 337225 (Abottabad), Block No. 3471-1 (Nowshera), Block No. 3372-26 (Hazro), Block

No. 3273-5 (Jhelum), Block No. 3372-27 (North Dhurnal), Block No. 2663-23 (Khewari East), Block No. 3068-9 (Nareli), Block No. 3068-10 (Block-28 North), Block No. 3170-11 (D. I. Khan West), Block No. 30699 (Suleiman), Block No. 3072-9 (Okara), Block No. 3171-2 (Nupur), Block No. 29727 (Vehari), Block No. 2972-8 (Sutlej), Block No.2770-4 (Islamgarh) and Block No. 246717 (Sujawal South).

Sources in the Petroleum Division informed this scribe that E&P companies will be paid in local currency for exploration & production of indigenous resources, and that production of local gas in result will reduce dependency on imported gas.

Thursday, 8 October, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS Billionaires’ wealth tops $10.2tr as millions struggle amid pandemic NEW YORK

ProTesTers and vigilanTes scuffle in Kyrgyz caPiTal as PoliTical crisis fesTers

AGENCIES

BISHKEK

A new report by UBS and PwC reveals that the world’s super-rich “did extremely well” during the coronavirus crisis this year, increasing their alreadyhuge fortunes by more than a quarter. According to the research, their wealth grew by 27.5 percent at the height of the crisis, from April to July, reaching a combined $10.2 trillion. The billionaires had mostly benefited from betting on the recovery of global stock markets, UBS said, noting that their wealth had hit “a new high, surpassing the previous peak of $8.9 trillion reached at the end of 2017.” The number of billionaires has also hit a new record high of 2,189 – up from 2,158 in 2017. “Billionaires did extremely well during the Covid crisis.

Not only did they ride the storm to the downside, but they also gained on the upside [as stock markets rebounded],” said Josef Stadler, the head of UBS’s Ultra High Net Worth department. Stadler explained that the super-rich were able to benefit from the crisis because they had “the stomach” to buy more company shares when equity markets around the world were crashing.

Billionaires typically have “significant risk appetite” and were confident to gamble some of their considerable fortunes. The fact that billionaire wealth had increased so much at a time when hundreds of millions of people around the world are struggling could lead to public and political anger, Stadler said. “Is there a risk they may be singled out by society? Yes,” he said. “Are they aware of it? Yes.” He has previously warned that the widening inequality gap between rich and poor could lead to a “strike back.”

AGENCIES

libya’s rival groups agree on choosing sovereign positions TRIPOLI: Delegates from Libya’s two rival administrations have announced that the second round of talks culminated on criteria to select the heads of sovereign positions in the country. The dialogue, which began in the Moroccan city of Bouznika in September, has five participants from the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli, and five from the House of Representatives (HoR) based in the eastern city of Tobruk.

Idris Omran, a member of the HoR delegation, called on the international community to support the negotiation process in Bouznika. The delegations also agreed to implement Article 15 of the Sukhairat Agreement, which was also signed by Libyan rivals in Morocco in 2015. The article stipulates that the House of Representatives and the GNA must “reach a consensus on the occupants of the leadership positions of the following sovereign positions: Governor of the Central Bank of Libya, President of the Audit Bureau, Head of the Administrative Control Authority, Head of the Anti-Corruption Agency, and President And members of the High Commission for Elections, the President of the Supreme Court, and the Attorney General”. In a statement, Omran said the two delegations will continue their “consultative meetings in Morocco to ensure the end of the transitional phase”. The first round of talks in Bouznika was held at the beginning of last month at the initiative of Morocco, which hosted the United Nations-backed peace talks in Sukheirat in 2015. Those talks resulted in the parties to the conflict reaching a political agreement in which the GNA was formed. Libya has been witnessing violence and a power struggle since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011. In April 2019, renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar and his self-styled Libyan National Army launched an offensive to seize control of Tripoli, the GNA’s seat of power. AGENCIES

syrian chemical attack victims file lawsuit against assad BERLIN: Lawyers representing victims of chemical weapons attacks in Syria said that they have filed criminal complaints with Germany's federal public prosecutor against the Syrian officials they blame for the deaths of hundreds of civilians in the country's rebel-held areas. Germany, which is home to 600,000 Syrians, has "universal jurisdiction" laws that allow it to prosecute people for crimes against humanity committed anywhere in the world. That offers a rare legal avenue for action against the government of President Bashar Al Assad.

Attempts by Western powers to set up an international tribunal for Syria have been blocked by Russia and China at the UN Security Council. The Syrian government denies it has used chemical weapons against its own civilians. A spokesman for Germany's Public Prosecutor General (GBA) was not immediately available to confirm the complaint had been submitted. The complaints are based on what the lawyers say is the most comprehensive body of evidence so far on the use of substances such as sarin gas in Syria in Ghouta in 2013 and in Khan Sheikhoun four years later, which killed at least 1,400 people. They include testimonies from 17 survivors and 50 defectors with knowledge of the Syrian government's chemical weapons programme or plans to carry out the two attacks, they say. "Prosecutors may ultimately determine they have sufficient evidence to issue arrest warrants for members of the Assad regime," said Steve Kostas, a lawyer with the Open Society Foundation's Justice Initiative, one of the three organisations behind the complaints. "This would be a major step in the longer term process to secure trials against Syrian officials." A UN-commissioned investigation to identify those behind chemical weapons attacks in Syria concluded in 2016 that Syrian government forces had used chlorine and sarin gas.

"It is a small step but it gives us hope that maybe one day we could see justice," said a volunteer medic who was injured while rescuing victims of the attack in Ghouta. AGENCIES

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hours earlier – for prime minister, but an angry mob then broke into the hotel where it convened, forcing Zhaparov to flee through a back door, according to Kyrgyz media.

Bishkek residents, who went through violent revolts followed by looting in 2005 and 2010, quickly formed vigilante neighbourhood watch units to reinforce police.

The vigilantes scuffled with protesters who tried to force their way into government buildings or attacked businesses such as shops and restaurants, according to the 24.kg report.

On Wednesday morning, news website Akipress quoted Bishkek police as saying that the situation in the city was calm.

Protests broke out on Monday after early results showed two establishment parties, one of them close to President Jeenbekov, had swept

NTI-government protesters scuffled with vigilante groups in Kyrgyzstan’s capital of Bishkek overnight, after authorities in the Central Asian nation annulled parliamentary election results, local news website 24.kg reported.

Opposition groups took control of most of the government apparatus on Tuesday after storming buildings during post-election protests, but President Sooronbai Jeenbekov clung to power as unrest risked tipping one of Russia’s close allies into chaos.

Late on Tuesday, Kyrgyzstan’s parliament agreed to nominate opposition politician Sadyr Zhaparov – freed from prison by protesters just

In hardening stance, France, Germany push for EU sanctions on Russians over Navalny PARIS/BRUSSELS AGENCIES

France and Germany said on Wednesday they would propose European Union sanctions against Russian individuals after receiving no credible answers from Moscow over the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny with a nerve agent.

Several Western governments have said Russia, which has denied accusations

by Navalny that it was involved in the poisoning, must help in investigations or face consequences.

The decision and speed with which Europe’s two main powers agreed to push ahead with sanctions suggests a hardening of the bloc’s diplomacy towards Moscow.

It is in stark contrast to 2018 when it took almost a year for members to agree on sanctions against Russian individuals following a nerve agent attack on a Russian spy in Britain.

“No credible explanation has been provided by Russia so far. In this context, we consider that there is no other plausible explanation for Mr Navalny’s poisoning than a Russian involvement and responsibility,” Foreign Ministers Jean-Yves Le Drian and Heiko Maas said in a joint statement.

Diplomats had earlier told Reuters the two countries would propose sanctions on

Russian GRU military intelligence officials when the EU’s 27 foreign ministers meet on Oct. 12.

“Drawing the necessary conclusions from these facts, France and Germany will share with European partners proposals for additional sanctions,” the two ministers said.

“Proposals will target individuals deemed responsible for this crime and breach of international norms, based on their official function, as well as an entity involved in the Novichok programme.”

Blood samples taken from Navalny confirmed the presence of a nerve agent from the banned Novichok family, the global chemical weapons watchdog said on Tuesday.

EU foreign ministers are expected to give their political support on Monday, but the sanctions are not expected to be approved immediately as legal texts must be prepared and cleared by experts from the 27 EU states.

Le Drian told a parliamentary committee in Paris on Wednesday: “We say with Germany that clarification by Russia is indispensable and if it doesn’t clarify then we will need to draw conclusions among Europeans. We are in sync with Germany.”

He said Paris was not closing the door to dialogue with Moscow.

Britain examining how to reduce travel quarantine period using tests LONDON: Britain is urgently looking at ways to reduce the 14-day quarantine period which applies to some arriving passengers, transport minister Grant Shapps said on Wednesday, adding that a mix of Covid-19 testing and self-isolation was promising. Arrivals from countries like France, Spain and the United States must self-isolate for 14 days on arrival in Britain, a restriction which airlines say is crushing travel demand. Shapps said he was setting up a Global Travel Taskforce to open up international travel. “The overall aim of the Taskforce will be to consider what steps the government can take... to enable the safe and sustainable recovery of international travel,” he added in a statement. It would report back no later than early November. In July, Britain changed its policy from a blanket quarantine to one which established “travel corridors” to countries with low infection rates. But with cases on the rise in several places, the list of countries on the quarantine exemption list is dwindling, and the travel industry has warned it faces an existential crisis unless the policy is changed again. “My ministerial colleagues and I have agreed that a regime, based on a single test, provided by the private sector and at the cost of the passenger after a period of self-isolation, could achieve our objective,” Shapps said. Virgin Atlantic, easyJet, London’s Heathrow airport and Manchester Airports Group said that a test of a passenger after five days should be the starting point of proposals in a joint statement. But airline body IATA said that 80% of travellers said they would not fly at all if any quarantine were in place. AGENCIES

Sunday’s parliamentary election, in a contest that was marred by allegations of vote-buying.

Authorities annulled the results on Tuesday, necessitating a rerun of the vote in the nation of 6.5 million which borders China and hosts a Russian military airbase and a large Canadian-owned gold mining operation.

Making a late-night appearance on television, PM nominee Zhaparov said he would propose a constitutional reform before holding presidential and parliamentary elections in two to three months.

However, Zhaparov said he did not yet have the backing of the coordination council formed by several major opposition groups, suggesting there were tensions between the allies. It was unclear when parliament could convene to approve his appointment as prime minister.

Manhattan prosecutor can obtain Trump's tax returns, court rules NEW YORK AGENCIES

A federal appeals court on Wednesday said Manhattan’s district attorney can enforce a subpoena seeking Donald Trump’s tax returns and other financial records for a criminal probe into the U.S. president and his businesses. In a 3-0 decision, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan rejected the Republican president’s claims that the subpoena was overly broad and amounted to political harassment by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, a Democrat. “The President has a ‘difficult’ burden and an ‘unenviable’ task: to make plausible allegations that could persuade the court that the subpoena that has been served on him could not possibly serve any investigative purpose that the grand jury could legitimately be pursuing,” it wrote. “His complaint fails to do so.” Jay Sekulow, a lawyer for Trump, said the president will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, and seek a stay against enforcing the subpoena. Vance has agreed not to enforce it for 12 days so long as Trump appeals quickly. The Supreme Court has already ruled once in the bitter, yearlong dispute, having in July rejected Trump’s argument he was immune from criminal probes while in the White House.

But the court said Trump could raise other objections to the grand jury subpoena to his longtime accounting firm, Mazars USA, for his corporate and personal tax returns from 2011 to 2018. Vance issued the subpoena in August 2019. Trump is seeking reelection on Nov. 3. A spokesman for Vance did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The unsigned decision upheld an Aug. 20 ruling by U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero in Manhattan. It followed a Sept. 28 report in The New York Times that Trump had paid $750 in federal income taxes in both 2016 and 2017, and no income taxes in 10 of the prior 15 years, reflecting “chronic” losses he used to avoid paying taxes. Trump has rejected findings from the Times report, tweeting that he had paid many millions of dollars in taxes but was entitled to depreciation and tax credits. He has long resisted making his tax returns public, unlike his six immediate predecessors occupying the White House.

UK sees 'landing zone' for Brexit trade deal but tells EU to hurry up LONDON AGENCIES

Britain’s chief Brexit negotiator said on Wednesday he saw a landing zone for a trade deal with the European Union but sought to use Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s deadline of Oct. 15 to hurry the bloc’s negotiators towards an agreement.

The two sides say they are inching towards a deal that would govern around $900 billion (£697 billion) in trade after Dec. 31 when the current transitional arrangements end - though sticking points remain on fishing, level playing field issues and governance.

“The landing zone and the nature of the agreement is pretty clear if not exactly

pinned down yet,” David Frost, the UK’s chief Brexit negotiator, told a House of Lords committee.

But Frost cautioned the EU that an Oct. 15 deadline set by Johnson on Sept. 7 remained a deadline. The EU is due to asses progress on a deal at an Oct. 15-16 summit.

Frost added that Britain’s “door would never be closed” and that a huge amount of textual work would need to follow Oct. 15 if an outline deal was struck.

“As we approach the 15th -- and it is very close already -- I will have to advise the prime minister on whether the conditions in his statement have been met or not, and we will have to consider the situation at that point,” Frost said.

Sterling fell on a Bloomberg report that Britain would pull out of talks next week unless there was clear landing zone for a deal. Sources told Reuters the EU is gearing up to keep negotiating until as late as mid-November.

The United Kingdom formally left the EU on Jan. 31, more than three years after it voted 52%-48% for Brexit in a 2016 referendum. The two sides are now trying to work out how everything will trade.

Johnson told European Council President Charles Michel on Wednesday that some progress had been made but that significant differences remained.

He has repeatedly said he would prefer a Canada-style free trade deal but is ready to accept no-deal -- which would mean tariffs

would be imposed on goods under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.

‘NOT AT ANY PRICE’: Johnson’s Brexit supremo, Michael Gove, said no-deal prepa-

rations were intensifying so that if the EU was intransigent and no good deal was available, the United Kingdom would not be held hostage by the EU.

UK SAYS SOME BREXIT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE BUT DIFFERENCES REMAIN LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Council President Charles Michel agreed that some progress had been made in Brexit trade talks though significant differences remained. “Although some progress had been made in recent discussions, they acknowledged that significant areas of difference remain, particularly on fisheries,” a Downing Street spokesman said. “Chief Negotiators should continue to work intensively in the coming days to try to bridge the gaps. AGENCIES

Thursday, 8 October, 2020

BaBaR azam gives iNsight iNto his pRepaRatioNs BefoRe walkiNg iN to Bat

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AGENCIES

ABAR AZAM, the captain of Pakistan men’s limited overs teams, will take the charge of Central Punjab when the National T20 Cup First XI tournament resumes in Rawalpindi from October 9.

The champion batsman turned out for Somerset in the England T20 championship, where he scored his career-best 114 not out, after the conclusion of Pakistan’s Test and T20I series against England. Before his integration in the bio-secure bubble, Babar spoke exclusively with the PCB Digital in the 26th edition of the PCB Podcast.

ON BIO-SECURE BUBBLES: “I am eager to join the bio-secure bubble for the National T20 Cup as it has been a long time since I met all these cricketers with whom I have played cricket in my early days. I am looking forward to the opportunity to engage with my friends and col-

CENTRAL PUNJAB CAPTAIN IS EAGER TO JOIN THE BIO-SECURE BUBBLE FOR THE NATIONAL T20 CUP leagues from all the six teams.

“I am now familiar and comfortable with the bio-secure bubbles. The biggest thing at this stage is that cricket is taking place despite the Covid-19 pandemic and everyone who has played a part in ensuring that the sport does not stop deserves big credit. “I think the PCB deserves a lot of credit for announcing a full-fledged domestic season. The season has begun very well with the excitement of T20 cricket in Multan and I am hopeful that the passion and excitement would be the same when the Rawalpindi-leg begins.

EXPECTATIONS WITH CENTRAL PUNJAB: “We had some issues with our bowling line-up in terms of quality and experience in the last season, but we are confident of overcoming those issues this

premier league claims $215 million from china's pplive over match deal

season. Our batting has always been our strength and I am backing my batsmen to do well and lead us to the semi-finals stage.”

ON HIS PREPARATION BEFORE WALKING IN TO BAT: “I chat with fellow players in the dressing room before going in to bat as this helps me to remain calm. I cannot stay quiet for long in the dressing room especially before my turn to bat. “A great player is one who can stay focused in pressure situations. I work hard on the mental aspect of my game as I feel mental strength is a key to success.”

SUCCESS IN ALL THREE FORMATS: “I feel a player’s talent and pedigree is gauged by his temperament and the ability to stay long at the crease which helps him make big runs.” “I stick to my natural game in all three formats and back myself to play

my shots. Of course, at times, you need different approaches and I try to adapt according to the given situation. I spend a lot of time and energy on getting my preparation right before a match. Practice is the key to success and I try and ensure I tick all the boxes before heading into a match.

TOUR OF ENGLAND: “I enjoy batting in England and now have a rich experience of the conditions there after having played all three formats in the last few years as we have been touring there consistently. Batting especially in white-ball formats is easier there because of the pace and true nature of bounce in the pitches. “I am happy with my returns for Somerset. Scoring a century [114 not out off 62 balls] for them gave me satisfaction.

HOME SERIES AGAINST ZIMBABWE: “This tournament [National T20 Cup] is an excellent opportunity for youngsters to impress and stake a claim for a spot in the team that will play Zimbabwe.

The series will also serve as practice for the tour of New Zealand later this year.”

‘One dimensional’ Zaman needs to take a leaf out of Finch’s book: Raja NEWS DESK

LONDON AGENCIES

The Premier League is claiming $215 million (166 million pounds) from PPLive Sports International, alleging it broke the terms of a contract to screen live matches and highlights in China by not paying the amount it was due to, court filings show.

The Premier League, which declined to comment on Wednesday, cancelled the contract with PPLive, part of retail group Suning, last month after just one season, in a blow to its revenue.

Filings at the Commercial Court in London showed the Premier League was claiming $210 million, which it alleges that PPLive failed to pay by March 1, 2020 when payment was due, plus a further $2.7 million due for a clips package and an additional $2.3 million to cover compound interest.

A source close to Suning said the Chinese broadcaster was taking its own legal action, adding it had paid half of the contract, despite being only a fifth of the way through it.

PPLive had unsuccessfully sought to renegotiate terms of the deal, which was valued at $700 million for three years including the 2019-20 season, the source added.

The deal was struck during the peak of Chinese interest in international soccer and marked a huge increase on a previous deal to screen matches in China.

The Premier League has since agreed a broadcast deal in China for the 2020-21 season with digital platform Tencent.

Although the world’s wealthiest league has been able to weather the coronavirus crisis thanks to lucrative broadcast deals, clubs have taken a big financial hit in having to play matches behind closed doors.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters told the BBC last month that a failure to allow fans back as soon as possible would cost member clubs 700 million pounds in lost revenues in 2020-21.

Former cricketer Ramiz Raja believes left-hand opener Fakhar Zaman needs to take a leaf out of Australia’s limitedovers captain Aaron Finch’s book inorder to sort out the technical flaws in his batting.

While speaking on his YouTube channel, the former cricketer said that Fakhar needs to improve his game towards the off side, as it will take his batting to another level.

“Fakhar‘s bat angle and strong bottom hand makes him play mostly towards the leg side. Off side doesn’t feature in his batting chart. He needs to play with a free mind and he can only do that when he relaxes his bottom hand grip and his bat angle would be better.

He can hit a six at long on, mid-wicket but not on long off,” said Raja.

“It’s not the end of the world. He

FORMER CRICKETER ALSO ADVISED THE OPENER TO REPLICATE ADAM GILCHRIST’S APPROACH OF PLACING A SQUASH BALL IN HIS BOTTOM HAND GLOVE needs to continue to work hard. Aaron Finch also worked hard. He also had a technical issue. He used to go across the line on a straight ball was a candidate of leg before wicket and bowled. He eventually opened his stance, so his front foot plays down the line and he doesn’t go across the line, which allows him to hit sixes over mid-on and midoff. So Fakhar needs to do same,” he added. Raja also revealed that he had personally advised Fakhar to replicate former Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist’s approach of placing a squash ball in his bottom hand glove.

“I suggested Fakhar to keep a small

Man City's Soriano calls for PL 'B' teams to be included in lower tiers AGENCIES Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano believes the English soccer pyramid needs restructuring with the inclusion of Premier League ‘B’ teams in lower divisions to speed up player development.

Speaking at the LeadersWeek.direct conference, Soriano said the business model of the English Football League (EFL) which runs the three tiers under the top flight - the Championship, League One and League Two - was “not sustainable enough”. Amid calls for Premier League clubs to rescue EFL sides with a financial package during the COVID-19 pandemic, Soriano said there were other issues to be addressed.

“One of the challenges is the EFL is a business that’s not sustainable enough. They were discussing ways to improve it... salary caps, now they were nudged, almost pushed to solve the existing problems because of the crisis,” Soriano said.

“... There are other problems, the challenges of developing players in England where ‘B’ teams are not allowed.

“We have a development gap of boys that are 17 or 18, they don’t find the right place to develop and for example they are taken from us by the German teams who try to sell them back to us for a price which is 10 times what they paid.

“This is mad, right? This is something we needed to solve and now maybe the crisis will give us the opportunity... to get together and solve these issues.” The EFL relies heavily on matchday revenue and has suffered badly during the pandemic with an estimated 200 million pounds ($258 million) in losses forecast if games are held behind closed doors all season. England’s FA and leagues have asked the government to allow spectators to return to stadiums, assuring fans they can hold matches safely. “It’s a good opportunity for the different elements of the football business to get together, solve these problems,” Soriano said.

Nadal learned from Rome defeat by Schwartzman: Moya PARIS AGENCIES

Rafa Nadal will be a tougher proposition for Diego Schwartzman than he was in Rome last month when they meet in the French Open semi-finals on Thursday, says Nadal’s coach Carlos Moya.

Twelve-times French Open champion Nadal was surprisingly beaten 6-2 7-5 by the Argentine in the Rome quarters -- Schwartzman’s first win over the Spaniard in 10 meetings. That was Nadal’s first tournament for seven months, however, and he has progressed to the semi-finals at Roland Garros without dropping a set, although he was

squash ball in his bottom hand like Adam Gilchrist did in 2007 World Cup final to release the pressure on his bottom hand, but I am not sure if it is allowed anymore according to the laws of the game,” he said. Raja also heaped praise on the left-hand opener’s scintillating 66-run knock from 42 balls against Central Punjab in the ongoing National T20 Cup in Multan on Tuesday.

“If he can improve his off-side game then he will become a top player.

He played a really good innings and showed great footwork. If he stays in form then it solves a lot of problems for Pakistan’s T20 side,” he concluded.

pushed hard in the early stages of his match against Jannick Sinner on Tuesday.

Schwartzman is through to his first Grand Slam semi-final after a five-hour victory over U.S. Open winner Dominic Thiem.

“The match in Rome was very strange because Rafa won two very good matches against powerful opponents,” Moya told Eurosport.

“Against Schwartzman it was the first time that he had problems in the score and he did not manage it totally well on a physical or mental level.

“We learned from that moment and now he is at a great level with many more games played. It will be a tough mental battle and I

think we have some weapons that will allow Rafa to compete with guarantees.”

Nadal will be the overwhelming favourite to avenge that Rome loss, although Moya says Schwartzman will provide a tough challenge and will not be affected by his attritional battle with Thiem.

“It will be a very difficult duel as we saw in Rome. Diego’s match against Thiem yesterday was incredible and I think even Diego could have won more easily,” Moya said.

“Diego is an incredible player and we don’t think that the physical factor is going to influence too much.”

Nadal has only lost two matches at Roland Garros out of the 100 he has played.

CMYK

SPORTS 11

pcB, psl franchises hold ‘healthy candid discussions’ over financial model A draft proposal was also presented by the PCB to redress the grievances of the franchises The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises held a ‘positive and constructive meeting’ to discuss the reservations over the tournament’s financial model. According to PCB, both sides aired their concerns during the meeting which was held in Lahore.

“Participants engaged in good faith discussions with a view to resolving outstanding matters, disputes and grievances.

Both sides held healthy candid discussions airing concerns and their respective viewpoints on outstanding matters,” a statement by the PCB said. A draft proposal was also presented by the PCB to redress the grievances of the franchises. “PCB presented to the team owners a draft proposal which has been put together at the behest of the franchises who requested that the PCB explore a more equitable model. Both sides agreed to delve deeper into the proposed model with their respective financial and operational teams over the coming weeks and aim to resolve outstanding concerns and find a mutually beneficial position as soon as possible,” the statement concluded. Earlier, the franchises had filed a case against the PCB in the Lahore High Court (LHC) after suffering major losses, due to the currently used financial model, over the course of last five years. Later, in the proceedings before the Lahore High Court (LHC) an out-of-court settlement was agreed between the parties to deliberate and discuss the disagreements and other issues associated with the structure of the PSL. AGENCIES

stokes says ill father backed his decision to return to cricket England all-rounder Ben Stokes has said he had his family’s blessing to return to action in the Indian Premier League with the Rajasthan Royals after taking compassionate leave to visit his father, who is ill with brain cancer. Stokes travelled from his father’s home in New Zealand to Dubai on Saturday and is currently in quarantine ahead of meeting up with his new team to continue their campaign in the IPL, which began in September and ends in November. “Sitting in a hotel room in quarantine once again after leaving New Zealand is not how I thought I would be arriving at the IPL, but here I am and all things considered, I’m in a good place,” Stokes wrote in a column for British newspaper The Mirror on Tuesday. “Saying goodbye to my dad, my mum and my brother in Christchurch was tough. It has been a difficult time for us as a family, but we’ve pulled together and supported each other as best we can.” “And I was able to get on the plane with my parents’ love and blessing after we reached the decision, for me to get back playing, as a family with no external influences.” Stokes took a five-week break from cricket to visit his family in Christchurch and help care for his father, who he said had eventually encouraged him to get back to playing. “My dad was very strong on the responsibilities I have. He told me I have a duty to do the job that I do and I have a duty as a husband and father as well,” Stokes added. “We gave it all a lot of thought and talked it over at length, and we came to a decision that now sees me back focusing on the game.” AGENCIES

Rafa Nadal questioNs fReNch opeN scheduliNg afteR late match PARIS: Having finished his quarter-final match at 1:26am local time in cold, windy conditions, Rafa Nadal questioned French Open organisers' decision to schedule no fewer than five matches on the same court over the day. The 12-time Roland Garros champion was scheduled last on the main court and when he started his match the temperature was 13C with a cold wind sweeping the clay off the court, whose roof was left open throughout. "The weather... it's too cold to play tennis. I know football players do it all the time but they're always moving while us tennis players, we stop, we come back, there's the changeover," Nadal told a news conference after his 7-6(4) 6-4 6-1 win against Italian teenager Jannik Sinner. Play started at 0900GMT on Tuesday with a rescheduled women's fourth-round match before a quarter-final between Nadia Pogoroska and Elina Svitolina, a men's quarter-final between Diego Schwartzman and Dominic Thiem that lasted five hours and eight minutes and another last-eight encounter between Iga Swiatek and Martina Trevisan. Nadal started his match at 10:36 pm local time. While such starting times are not unusual at the U.S. and Australian Opens, those tournaments are held during the summer. AGENCIES

Thursday, 8 October, 2020

PrAyEr TImINGS

NEWS

FAJR SUNRISE

ZUHR

4:44

11:586 4:03

6:07

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA 5:44

7:07

Iran fEars rEgIonal war as fIghtIng ragEs around nagorno-KarabaKh

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AGENCIES

RAN’S president warned on Wednesday that fighting between Azeri and ethnic Armenian forces in the South Caucasus could trigger a regional war as the death toll rose on the 11th day of hostilities.

More than 300 have now died in the renewed fighting in and around the mountain enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, which under international law belongs to Azerbaijan but is populated and governed by ethnic Armenians.

Azerbaijan says Azeri cities outside the conflict zone have also been attacked in the deadliest fighting in more than 25 years, taking the fighting closer to the territory from which pipelines carry Azeri gas and oil to Europe.

Iran, which borders both Armenia and Azerbaijan, has been talking to both the former Soviet republics as concern mounts that Turkey, a close ally of Azerbaijan, and Russia, which has a defence pact with Armenia, could be sucked into the conflict.

“We must be attentive that the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan does not become a regional war,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in televised remarks.

“Peace is the basis of our work and we hope to restore stability to the region in a peaceful way.” He said Iran would not allow

china's experimental covid-19 vaccine appears safe: study BEIJING: A Chinese experimental coronavirus vaccine being developed by the Institute of Medical Biology under the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences was shown to be safe in an early-stage clinical trial, researchers said. In a Phase 1 trial of 191 healthy participants aged between 18 and 59, vaccination with the group’s experimental shot showed no severe adverse reactions, its researchers said on Tuesday in a paper posted on medRxiv preprint server ahead of peer review. The most common adverse reactions reported by the trial participants were mild pain, slight fatigue and redness, itching and swelling at the injection site. The candidate also induced an immune response. “All the data obtained in this trial support the safety and immunogenicity of this inactivated vaccine and are encouraging with regard to further studies of its efficacy in the future,” the paper said. China has inoculated hundreds of thousands of essential workers and other groups considered at high risk with other vaccines, even as clinical trials had not been fully completed, raising safety concerns among experts. China has at least four experimental vaccines in the final stage of clinical trials. AGENCIES

china urges us to drop 'cold war' mentality China said on Wednesday that the United States should stop its unprovoked attacks and accusations against China, accusing US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of maliciously creating political confrontation and smearing Beijing. Pompeo on Tuesday visited Japan and called for deeper cooperation with Australia, India and Japan to counter China’s growing regional influence. “Pompeo has repeatedly fabricated lies about China and maliciously created political confrontation,” the Chinese embassy in Japan said in a statement. “We once again urge the US to abandon its Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice, stop unprovoked accusations and attacks against China and treat relations with China in a constructive manner,” the embassy said.

Pompeo’s East Asia visit, his first in more than a year, coincides with worsening tensions with China. The United States and China, the world’s top two economies, are at loggerheads over a wide range of issues from Beijing’s handling of the coronavirus to its imposition of a new security law in Hong Kong and ambitions in the South China Sea. Pompeo’s call for the Quad nations of the United States, Japan, India and Australia to form a united front against China’s growing influence is a sensitive subject for its regional allies, which are reliant on China for trade. AGENCIES

“states to send terrorists to our borders under various pretexts”.

In a new call for a ceasefire, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a television interview that the events were a tragedy and Moscow was deeply concerned.

Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia’s SVR Foreign Intelligence Service, said on Tuesday the conflict was attracting people he described as mercenaries and terrorists from the Middle East. Naryshkin said NagornoKarabakh could become a launchpad for Islamist militants to enter Russia and other states in the region.

Turkey has denied involvement in the conflict and has dismissed accusations first levelled by French President Emmanuel Macron, and echoed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, that Turkey has sent Syrian militants to fight in the conflict.

‘TERRORIST ATTACK’: But reiterating the allegations in comments to Sky News, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Wednesday that the actions of Turkey and Azerbaijan during the conflict amounted to a “terroristic attack”.

“To me there is no doubt that this is a policy of continuing the Armenian genocide and a policy of reinstating the Turkish empire,” Pashinyan said.

Some 1.5 million Armenians were killed under Ottoman rule between 1915 and 1923.

Turkey accepts that many Armenians living in the empire were killed in clashes with Ottoman forces during World War One, but contests the figures and denies that the killings were systematically orchestrated and constitute a genocide. Nagorno-Karabakh said 40 more of its servicemen had been killed in the latest clashes, taking its overall military death toll to 280 since Sept. 27. It says 19 civilians have also been killed and many wounded in fighting that has involved warplanes, drones, artillery and tanks, and has caused widespread damage.

The Azeri prosecutor’s office has said 28 Azeri civilians have been killed in the renewed fighting. Azerbaijan has not disclosed information about its military casualties.

Mediation efforts led by Russia, France and the United States have failed to prevent intermittent flare-ups of fighting in NagornoKarabakh, which broke away from Baku’s control in a war in 1991-94 that killed about 30,000 people. Putin said he was in constant contact with Pashinyan, and Russia’s TASS news agency said Azeri President Ilham Aliyev had also spoken by phone with Putin.

In more diplomatic fallout from the conflict, Athens said it had recalled its ambassador to Azerbaijan after what it said were “unfounded and offensive” allegations by the Azeri government that Greece tolerated militants on its soil.

In nagorno-KarabaKh conflIct, Erdogan EyEs turKEy's ‘placE In world ordEr’ ANKARA: President Tayyip Erdogan’s strong backing for Azerbaijan in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh has set Turkey apart from other big nations and alarmed NATO allies that are demanding a ceasefire. But for Erdogan, the resolute stance is a strategic priority and a costly necessity that reinforces his strategy of flexing military muscle abroad to retain support at home. The president has described Ankara’s support for Azerbaijan as part of Turkey’s quest for its “deserved place in the world order.” He sees an opportunity to alter the status quo over Nagorno-Karabakh – in which France, the United States and Russia have for decades led international mediation efforts and ethnic Armenians have retained control of the enclave even though it is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. “Turkey’s logic in almost all corners of the map is disruption. Anything that undermines the status quo is good for it because the previous status quo was seen to counter its interests,” said Galip Dalay, a fellow at Robert Bosch Academy. “In Nagorno-Karabakh, there was a frozen conflict in which it remained in Armenia’s hands. Turkey wants to undermine this game even if it cannot fully determine it” given Russia’s traditional influence in the region, he said. Turkey’s stance – sending an implicit threat to Armenia and a message of caution to Russia, which has a defence pact with Armenia – reflects its confidence in drone warfare used in Syria, Libya and Iraq, political analysts said. Turkish-made drones are now spearheading Azeri attacks and one senior official in Ankara told Reuters that Turks were providing infrastructure and support for the weapons, though there are no troops in the field. Erdogan is also betting that, despite their differences over Nagorno-Karabakh, Turkey and Russia get on well enough to prevent a wider conflict in the region. AGENCIES

Coronavirus may push 150 million people into extreme poverty: World Bank WASHINGTON AGENCIES

The World Bank said on Wednesday that the coronavirus pandemic could push as many as 150 million people into extreme poverty by the end of 2021, wiping out more than three years of progress in poverty reduction.

Releasing its flagship biennial report on poverty and shared prosperity, the multilateral development lender said that an additional 88 million to 115 million people will fall into extreme poverty - defined as living on less than $1.90 a day -in 2020. The report said this could grow to 111 million to 150 million by the end of 2021.

That would mean that 9.1-9.4% of the world’s population would be living under extreme poverty this year, about the same as 2017’s 9.2% and representing the first rise in the extreme poverty percentage in about 20 years.

The 2019 extreme poverty rate was estimated at about 8.4% and had been expected to drop to 7.5% by 2021 before the coronavirus pandemic. The report said that without swift, substantial policy actions, a longstanding goal of cutting the rate to 3% by 2030 looked out of reach.

“The pandemic and global recession may cause over 1.4% of the world’s population to fall into extreme poverty,” World Bank President David Malpass said in a statement, calling it a “serious setback to development progress and poverty reduction.”

The report found that many of the new extreme poor are in countries that have high poverty rates already, but around 82% of these

are in middle-income countries, where the poverty line is defined as income of $3.20 a day for low-middle-income countries and $5.50 a day for upper-middle-income countries.

While extreme poverty has been concentrated in rural areas in the past, the World Bank report found that increasing numbers of urban dwellers have been thrown into extreme poverty as jobs dry up from coronavirus lockdowns and reduced demand.

Sub Saharan Africa has the highest concentration of those living on less than $1.90 a day, and could see an increase of over 50 million people by 2021 compared to pre-coronavirus estimates. About 42% of the region’s population could be living under extreme poverty by 2021 versus a pre-Covid estimate of 37.8%, the study showed. The coronavirus also has stagnated “shared prosperity,” defined as growing income for the poorest 40% of a country’s population. The World Bank said that from 2012 to 2017, income rose for this group by an average of 2.3% in 74 of 91 economies for which data was available.

The Covid-19 crisis could now reduce income for the poorest 40%, increasing income inequality and reducing social mobility, the bank said.

To get back on a track of poverty reduction, countries will need collective action to control the virus, provide support for households and build more resilient economies once the pandemic subsides, the World Bank said.

“Countries will need to prepare for a different economy post-Covid, by allowing capital, labor, skills and innovation to move into new businesses and sectors,” Malpass said.

taliban, Kabul set ground rules to keep peace talks on track DOHA: Taliban and Afghan government-backed negotiators have agreed on a broad code of conduct to advance the intra-Afghan peace talks, even as key differences between the two warring sides remain, official sources have been cited as saying. Efforts to resolve disagreements over Islamic jurisprudence and whether a US-Taliban accord reached in February on a US troop withdrawal would serve as the basis of the peace talks will continue on the sidelines of the main negotiations in Qatar, two sources told the agency. The progress was achieved with the help of US officials, as the two sides drew up 19 ground rules that their negotiators should observe during talks, the sources said. "Firming up code of conduct was extremely crucial as it proves that both sides are willing to continue talks even as we see that violence has not reduced on the ground," said a senior western diplomat. The Afghan government’s official negotiating team denied there was a formal agreement but did not deny that ground rules had been hashed out. Nader Nadery, a senior government negotiator, said there were still issues to be ironed out. "The discussion over the rules and procedures is not yet completed and there are issues that need to be further finalised and therefore more work needs to be done," said Mr Nadery. The latest progress came during a visit to Doha on Monday by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. The president held talks with Qatari leaders as well as US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and the commander of US and Nato troops in Afghanistan, Gen Austin Miller.

The intra-Afghan talks follow-up on a landmark deal signed between the United States and the Taliban in February. Under the deal, foreign forces will leave Afghanistan by May 2021 in exchange for counterterrorism guarantees from the Taliban, which agreed to negotiate a permanent ceasefire and a power-sharing formula with the Afghan government. Diplomats have said talks got off to a difficult start, with disagreements over how the Hanafi Islamic code could be used to guide negotiations and on whether the deal signed between the United States and the Taliban in February should be the basis for the talks, as demanded by the Taliban. The three sources said the delegations were putting those differences aside to move forward and agree on an agenda, but would work on resolving these issues during negotiations. "The ground rules will serve as a foundation as both sides are making an effort to prevent a collapse," said a second senior official in Doha overseeing the talks. A ceasefire is a top priority for the Afghan officials and the western diplomats who are facilitating these talks. While the talks have been taking place, scores of Afghan soldiers and Taliban fighters have been killed in clashes. Dozens of civilians have also died in recent weeks.

Some analysts say the Taliban is unlikely to agree to a comprehensive ceasefire yet, since violence and clashes with Afghan forces give insurgents leverage at the negotiation table. AGENCIES

Asia best positioned for recovery from corona crisis: Goldman Sachs NEW YORK AGENCIES

Fast containment of the Covid-19 outbreak has given Asian countries an advantage over other economies, paving the way for a faster recovery, analysts at Goldman Sachs believe.

“We think Asia’s really the best positioned of the major regions right now, given the good control of the virus in most of the region outside of India and some parts of Southeast Asia,” Andrew Tilton, chief Asia economist at the investment bank, said. Europe is currently facing a new wave of coro-

navirus infections, with more and more cities enforcing tougher restrictions, which may hamper their recovery after previous lockdowns. The US is also seeing an increase in average daily cases.

Meanwhile official data from China, one of the main economic drivers of the Asia region, shows the worst impact of coronavirus appears to be over. The country has been reporting only a dozen to two dozen newly confirmed cases every day for the past few weeks, compared to the thousands of daily infections still being reported in the US. “I think, given the good control of domestic transmission of the virus in China,

we are [going to be] seeing services activity come back there as well,” Tilton said.

That said, consumer spending in the world’s second-largest economy is recovering less quickly than the government had expected. Tourist expenditure in the first half of the “golden week” national holiday plunged by nearly a third from that during the same period in 2019. This could pose a challenge to Beijing’s attempts at boosting domestic spending. Statistics show that, in August, retail sales finally increased by 0.5 percent compared to the previous year, but they were still down over eight percent for the first half of 2020.

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

The Chinese economy still managed to post positive growth in the last quarter, however, escaping recession, and current economic data points at further recovery overall. China economists from Nomura expect the nation’s GDP to grow 5.2 percent in the third quarter compared to a year ago.

According to global market strategist for Asia Pacific at Invesco David Chao, China has shown a continued V-shaped rebound from the pandemic, and this gives a boost to its neighbors. “China’s recovery will lift the surrounding Asian economies to a certain extent,” he said.