EpaperISB_21-01-18

Monday, 18 January, 2021 I 4 Jamadi-ul-Sani, 1442 I Rs 40.00 I Vol XI No 200 I 52 Pages I Islamabad Edition

Gas crisis may continue as LnG firm backs out of deaL over hike in prices g

Gas supplIers have refused to provIde supplIes for the month of february

ISLAMABAD tLtp

G

as crisis in the country is likely to continue as international liquefied natural gas (lnG) suppliers have refused to provide supplies for the month of february in the wake of the recent massive hike in gas prices. this bid default of the suppliers is associated with the recent supply shortages leading to high price volatility in the spot market coupled with extra buying in north asia. according to details, dubai-based emirates national oil company (enoc) backed out of its commitment to provide lnG cargo. the company had won an lnG cargo contract for delivery on february 23-24 with the lowest bid at 23.4 per cent of brent, which is equal to $11.70 per 1 british thermal units (mmbtu),

but in the latest communication, the company said it would not be able to provide the lnG cargo to pakistan. petroleum division has confirmed that enoc has backed out of its lowest bid but the development would not heighten the gas crisis in the country as around eight cargoes have been arranged for february supply. the pakistan lnG limited (pll) advertised a tender on november 28, 2020, for procurement of two spot lnG cargoes to be delivered in february, 2021. on december 28, 2020, the bids were opened and the results were announced in accordance with the public procurement regulatory authority (ppra) rules. the award intimation was made for 10 days later on 7 January 2021. the first spot cargo in mid-february was awarded to socar trading uk ltd. the second spot cargo, for the last week of february 2021, was awarded to the low-

coronavirus in

pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

519,291

est bidder as per ppra rules, who conveyed inability to deliver as per its bid. the pll approached the second and third lowest bidders within the bid validity period, all of whom regretted to deliver the cargo at the prices they had offered in their respective bids. the cost of lnG in dollar per mmbtu in the open market has soared by over 100% and the government suspects the company has sold the lnG cargo meant for pakistan to another country or party at an expensive rate. the enoc will lose its bid bond of $300,000 and it is clear that other players have approached enoc with a better offer which is why it preferred losing the $300,000 bid bond. every lnG trading company has to deposit the bid bond of $300,000 which can be captured if any lnG supplier after winning the contract does not provide the lnG vessel.

It is feared the azerbaijan company, socar, may also back out from the deal considering the price hike in the open market. but petroleum division insisted that socar will not back out of its lowest bid. the pll is taking all measures available under law and its tender process, including forfeiture of bid bonds, against the bidder(s) who failed to supply cargo as per their bids. earlier, lnG supplier vitol has also defaulted in december 2020 by providing half of the cargo instead of a full vessel to pakistan. there is a news in the market about numerous global companies defaulting on their bids, or even contracts in some cases, given the supply shortages and extremely volatile prices.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Provinces, private sector can import, distribute approved vaccines: minister g

asad umar says federal Govt won't have monopoly over Import of covId vaccInes ISLAMABAD staff report

a day after the drug regulatory authority of pakistan (drap) approved the astraZeneca’s covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, the federal government said that it will not hold a monopoly on the import of vaccines. speaking to a private channel, minister for planning and development asad umar — who also heads the national command and operations centre (ncoc) which oversees the response to the virus — said that the private sector and the provinces and the administrative units are free to import the vaccines approved by the drug regulatory body. his statement came a day after the sindh government sought the centre’s permission to import early shots, fearing a delay in procurement will make the country a “pariah” one. addressing a press conference, sindh minister for health dr azra pechuho, while criticising the federal government for “delaying” the procurement, said that if the government

PTI provided donations’ details to ECP following SC order: Faraz g

InformatIon mInIster asks opposItIon partIes to submIt theIr own record for publIc scrutIny ISLAMABAD

LAST UPDATED AT 8:25 AM ON JANUARY 17, 2021

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

43

RECOVERED:

NEW CASES:

2,521 DEATHS:

473,639 10,951 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

234,654 149,222 KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

63,339

18,569

8,606/4,882 40,019

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

more inside

Aviation minister blames PML-N for expensive aircraft leases STORY ON BACK PAGE

staff report

federal minister for Information and broadcasting shibli faraz on sunday said that following the supreme court’s (sc) orders, the pakistan tehreek-e-Insaf (ptI) has provided all the details of the donations received by party workers and sympathisers during the 2018 election campaign. faraz was responding to allegations against the ptI in the foreign funding case and to the opposition parties’ demand that facts in the case be made public by the election commission of pakistan (ecp). he said that these entries total up to 40,000 in number, with names, addresses, telephone numbers, Id card numbers — all of them having been notarised and authenticated. the minister spoke about pakistan democratic movement (pdm), the 11-party opposition alliance, which is has planned on staging a protest outside the ecp on January 19, and said that it is a “sorry attempt by them to attempt to repeat a pack of lies so much

“continue[d] to sit back, our people will get sick and die”. responding to dr pechuho’s remarks, umar said: “from day one, the ncoc has adopted the policy that the federal government will not have monopoly over importing anti-coronavirus vaccines.” “provinces and private entities including hospitals have been allowed to import the vaccines that are approved by drap.” umar said that once the astraZeneca vaccine was approved by the regulatory authority, it may be imported by the sindh government if the latter could procure supplies from abroad. he further said that he encouraged not only the sindh government “but all provincial governments to import the vaccine from abroad”. responding to dr pechuho, the minister said that he wanted to clear any misunderstandings, stating that provinces were free as a matter of policy since day one to import vaccines after approval.

pdm meeting to mull postponement of further protests STORY ON PAGE 02

that it starts to seem like the truth”. the minster said that all transactions came “through proper banking channels and were deposited into banking channels”. he said the details are available for reporters to see after the press conference. faraz noted that under the orders of the apex court, and as has been the practice, after the election symbol is given to a party, it is bound to provide accounts for the past five years. “we have done [our due diligence] but now the matter has

fallen to them [opposition] to provide proof of their funding — ppp, pml-n and maulana fazlur rehman — and the big expenditures they make with the help of vested interest groups. “they do this so that when they come into power, they can facilitate these people in every illegal task […] such as sending money abroad or bringing money to pakistan, or money laundering […] they never responded to the scrutiny committee about all this,” he said.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

PTI laid foundation of South Punjab province by introducing secretariat: FM

STORY ON PAGE 02 in today’s issue

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02

Monday, 18 January, 2021

NEWS

PTI LAId foundATIon of SouTh PunJAb ProvInCe

by InTroduCIng SeCreTArIAT: fM MuLtAN

f

Staff rePort

OREIGN Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government laid foundation of South Punjab province by introducing a secretariat.

Addressing a ceremony, the foreign minister stated that “Waseeb” (local region) would surely achieve its recognition.

“Whether we live or not, no one could suppress the voice of the region,” Qureshi remarked.

He also said that PTI believed in strong federation. The establishment of South Punjab province is inevitable for stronger administrative control and delegation of

QURESHI SAYS CREATION OF SOUTH PUNJAB PROVINCE INEVITABLE FOR STRONGER ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROL powers at gross-roots level, he added.

Criticising previous rulers, he stated that they could not create South Punjab province or even a secretariat despite having powers.

Qureshi said that being the son of the soil, he would continue to serve the region.

He observed that he had convinced Prime Minister Imran Khan for the establishment of South Punjab province.

FM Qureshi said that Pakistan was playing a responsible role for peace in Afghanistan.

He, however, hinted that India was

LeJ hitman awarded death sentence by ATC NEWS DESK An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Sunday gave the death penalty to a hitman associated with the banned outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) for the secraterian killing of three people in an attack on a shrine. Mohammad Ishaq, alias Bobby, was found guilty by the judge of ATC-XVI of having killed Syed Zakir Hussain, Muhammad Nawaz, and Muhammad Younus in firing at Dargah Nazar Ali Shah in Korangi on August 23, 2014. Ishaq was also ordered to pay Rs200,000 blood money to the next of kin of each of the victims, as well as to pay the same amount to the state. Furthermore, the judge also awarded 10-year imprisonment to the convict and imposed a fine of Rs50,000 for causing terrorism. The judge said that the severity of the punishment was intended to act against a deterrent against those that engaged in such acts of hatred and disregard for human life. According to the prosecution, two young boys had visited the shrine and inquired about the shrine’s caretaker from an employee on the day of the incident. Both the men turned up after 10 minutes and opened fire, killing the three people and escaped. Ishaq and his accomplice Asim alias Capri face multiple trials in anti-terrorism courts. They have also been convicted by a military court for the murders of Military Police personnel and the murder of renowned Qawwal Amjad Sabri. This was the third capital punishment award to him within a month.

Measles outbreak in Chaman kills three of family CHAMAN

performing the role of spoiler in Afghan peace process. India was using Afghan soil against Pakistan, FM stated, adding that Pakistan had taken up the issue with Afghan Administration.

The foreign minister also maintained that stance of international community about Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) had changed due to efforts of the incumbent government. The British parliamentarians made it clear that IOK was an international dispute, he said. Qureshi hinted that it was success of Pakistan’s diplomatic approach.

Similarly, British parliamentarians’ viewpoint is a source of encouragement for the innocent Kashmiris, and it also exposed the heinous face of India, he added.

About PDM’s protest demonstrations, Qureshi observed that PDM lacked unity.

PDM have internal differences over issue of resignations and long march, he said.

He also said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML N) has two different opinions. Similarly, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) had also been divided into two groups, maintained Qureshi. PDM is faced with

PDM meeting to mull postponement of further protests ISLAMABAD INP

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) will hold a meeting of its steering committee at the residence of its president Maulana Fazlur Rehman in Islamabad on Monday (today).

The meeting is expected to take a decision on a proposal to defer further rallies and public meetings due to harsh weather conditions, according to sources.

Some PDM parties have suggested to postpone the anti-government public meetings till February due to severe cold and foggy weather in Punjab, sources said.

The sources further claimed the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and some other PDM parties have also proposed to defer a scheduled rally in Sargodha.

A final decision over the matter is will be taken during the session where PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz will also participate.

At the meeting, the member opposition parties would finalise the plan to stage a protest outside the offices of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in Islamabad on Tuesday. Members of the committee have been directed to ensure their presence in the meeting at 12:00 pm.

The rally was being organised to "get a decision from the ECP [on PTI foreign funding case] that it is not giving since 2014", According to PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb last week said.

The case was filed in November 2014 by Akbar Babar, a founding member of the ruling party.

Last week, PTI that has denied any illegal funding from the United States, said if any funds were collected

illegally through two US companies registered after then party chairperson Imran Khan’s written instructions, the responsibility lies with their agents managing the two limited liability companies.

"The protest [is being done] to take the decision that has already been made today when the PTI has accepted that illegal funding could have been done through agents," Aurangzeb said. "[The PTI] accepted that money was gotten illegally through 23 foreign funded accounts that were not declared accounts and that money was [deposited] in PTI accounts [through cheques]," she declared, claiming: "Signs of President [Dr Arif Alvi], Sindh Governor [Imran Ismail] and Imran Khan himself [along with] other PTI leaders are present on those cheques."

SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS: Meanwhile, Minister for Interior Shaikh Rasheed Ahmed will chair a meeting on Monday on the proposed PDM protest outside the ECP offices in Islamabad.

Islamabad police chief, chief commissioner and the representatives of law enforcement agencies will attend the session. IGPs of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) will also attend the meeting via the video link.

The meeting will review the necessary security measures made for the protest.

The session is expected to review the security of the entry points of Islamabad and will decide a strategy to boost the security of the Red Zone, sources said.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had earlier allowed the protest and also directed Ahmed not to create any hurdle in its way. However, he had issued orders to take action against those violating the law.

frustration and it is protesting to dispel disappointment amid its workers, he further said.

Qureshi said that PM Imran categorically stated that he would not give any NRO to looters.

PTI government strongly believes in serving masses, FM Qureshi said, adding that the government was addressing people’s problems on priority basis.

About sewerage system for Multan, he observed that Rs2 billion were being spent on improving the city’s system. The process of replacement of sewerage lines has commenced, he added.

Qureshi hinted that water filtration plants were also being installed at union council level with an aim to provide safe drinking water facility to the masses.

PM convenes federal cabinet meeting on Jan 19 NEWS DESK Prime Minister Imran Khan has decided to convene federal cabinet meeting on January 19 to discuss the current political, economic and overall security situation of the country.

According to the details, a 15-point agenda of the meeting has been issued in this regard. The current coronavirus situation and Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) protest outside the office of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will also be discussed in the meeting. The federal cabinet will review the law and order situation in the country and it will be briefed about strategy on tackling the PDM’s protest. Matters pertaining to Covid-19 vaccines, civil service reforms, the appointment of ordinance factories board chairman and other matters will be discussed in the meeting. Earlier on January 13, PM Imran had assigned Minister of Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad with a task to ensure seminary pupil were refrained from joining any PDM protests. The federal minister had been directed by the PM to sit with religious scholars and explain to them the government’s priorities.

INP

A measles outbreak in Chaman left three children of a family dead on Sunday. According to the levies sources, the outbreak is being reported in several villages of Tooba Achakzai in Chaman. Acting on the situation, District Health Officer (DHO) Rafique Mengal has sent special teams to the infected areas to control the epidemic. Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the measles virus.

Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than 40C (104F), cough, runny nose, and inflamed eyes.

Small white spots known as Koplik’s spots may form inside the mouth two or three days after the start of symptoms. A red, flat rash that usually starts on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body typically begins three to five days after the start of symptoms.

Common complications include diarrhea (in 8 per cent of cases), middle ear infection (7 per cent), and pneumonia (6 per cent). Mothers who are immune to measles pass antibodies to their children while they are still in the womb, especially if the mother acquired immunity through infection rather than vaccination.

Such antibodies will usually give newborn infants some immunity against measles, but these antibodies are gradually lost over the course of the first nine months of life.

FO felicitates sherpas on first winter summit of K2 ISLAMABAD Staff rePort

The Foreign Office (FO) on Sunday felicitated the team of climbers from Nepal who become the first mountaineers to successfully complete a winter attempt on the summit of K2, the world’s second tallest peak.

Located on the Pakistan-China border, K2 is the only mountain over 8,000 metres that had not been summitted in the winter.

The group of sherpas had paused at a point 70 metres short of the 8,611 metres (28,251 feet) peak to wait for each other before climbing into the world’s history books together at 4:56 pm (IST).

Calling the expedition as “one of the most coveted achievements in mountaineering,” FO spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri wished the climbers a safe return from the peak.

“Pakistan: The ultimate destination of mountaineering,” Chaudhri said on Twitter.

The group were named as Nirmal Purja, Gelje Sherpa, Mingma David Sherpa, Mingma G, Sona

THE PREVIOUS HIGHEST ALTITUDE ACHIEVED ON K2 IN WINTER WAS 7,750 METERS BY DENIS URUBKO AND MARCIN KACZKAN, SET NEARLY TWO DECADES AGO Sherpa, Mingma Tenzi Sherpa, Pem Chhiri Sherpa, Dawa Temba Sherpa, Kili Pemba Sherpa, and Dawa Tenjing Sherpa. “The impossible is made possible! #K2winter – history made for mankind, history made for Nepal,” Purja said on Twitter on Saturday.

The previous highest altitude achieved on K2 in winter was 7,750 meters by Denis Urubko and Marcin Kaczkan, set nearly two decades ago.

The news of the team successfully ascending the peak was reported a day ago by a trekking company leading one of the expeditions.

Their success was marred by the death on the mountain of renowned Spanish climber Sergio Mingote, who fell down a crevasse as he attempted to make his

way down to Base Camp, Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, told Reuters.

First climbed in 1954 by Italian Achille Compagnoni, K2 is notorious for its steep slopes and high winds, and in winter its surface becomes slick ice.

Of the 367 people that had completed its ascent by 2018, 86 had died. Pakistan Army is regularly called in to rescue climbers using helicopters, but the weather often makes that difficult.

The coronavirus pandemic had meant restrictions on travel severely impacted the traditional summer mountaineering season in the Karakoram range and Pakistan in particular, which is home to five of the world’s 14 peaks over 8,000 metres.

Monday, 18 January, 2021

buzdAr gIven TASk To overSee SenATe eLeCTIonS froM PunJAb LAHORE

P

PTI EXPECTED TO FORMULATE JOINT STRATEGY WITH PML-Q

tLtP

RIME Minister Imran Khan Sunday asked Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar to oversee the matters relating to the upcoming Senate elections in the province, sources disclosed.

They said that the CM Buzdar has decided to convene meeting for consolation on Senate elections in the next week.

“The members of the PML-Q will also be taken into confidence for the preparation of the Senate polls,” they said adding that soon Usman Buzdar

would also meet Speaker Punjab Assembly and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Pervaiz Elahi for discussion on the matter.

The sources further disclosed that Buzdar and Pervaiz would formulate a joint strategy for Senate polls from the province.

It is pertinent to mention here that PM Imran on Friday telephoned Pervaiz to enquire about the health of the ailing party president while they discussed imminent Senate polls.

The premier reportedly told him that Punjab’s chief minister will likely reach out to him in a bid to lobby for upcoming parliamentary elections.

The Prime Minister expressed his wish that the ruling party would like to contest Senate elections in alliance with the PML-Q. According to sources privy to the intimate details of this phone call, PML-Q’s Pervaiz reassured Prime Minister Imran of all-out support acknowledging the two maintain a political alliance.

NEWS

03

Court to hear bail plea of hamza, others in money laundering case on Jan 22 ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) has fixed for January 22 the hearing of post-arrest bail requests of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President and Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Hamza Shahbaz and two others in a money laundering reference against the members of the Sharif family. The other two suspects are Fazal Dad Abbasi and Muhammad Shoaib Qamar who have worked for the Sharif family since 2005. A three-judge bench comprising Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and Justice Yahya Afridi will hear the petition. According to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Abbasi and Qamar allegedly aided, abetted and facilitated principal accused including PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza by way of providing channel/services for money laundering by arranging false and fictitious entries of foreign remittances sent by various individuals to accused. In November, an accountability court indicted Shehbaz, Hamza and eight other suspects in the Rs7 billion reference. Shehbaz’s daughter, Javeria Ali, was also indicted through her pleader while four members of the family had not joined the proceedings before the court.

They are Nusrat Shehbaz, her son Shehbaz and son-inlaw Haroon Yousaf. Nusrat, Shebaz’s daughter Rabia Imran, Suleman and Haroon have been declared absconders. The reference mainly accused Shehbaz of being a beneficiary of the assets held in the name of his family members and frontmen who had no sources to acquire such assets. It said the family members and frontmen of the family received fake foreign remittances of billions in their personal bank accounts. In addition to these remittances, the NAB said billions of rupees were laundered by way of foreign pay orders, which were deposited with personal bank accounts of Hamza and Suleman. Sharif and his family failed to justify the sources of funds used for the acquisition of assets, the NAB said. Staff rePort

Quake jolts parts of kP PESHAWAR: An earthquake of 5.5-magnitude earthquake jolted parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including Peshawar, and its surrounding areas in the wee hours of Sunday. According to details, the tremors were also felt in Nowshehra, Charsadda, Mardan, Bunair, Chitral, Swat, Dir, Malakand and their adjoining areas. People came out of their homes in panic and started reciting verses from the Holy Quran. No loss of life and property was reported from any part of the province. According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre, the epicenter of the earthquake was in the Jaram area of neighboring Afghanistan at the depth of 191 kilometres. INP

LAHORE: A view of traffic amid dense fog in the provincial capital. ZUBaIr MeHfooZ

Polio drive achieves 98pc of target: report ISLAMABAD INP

The first nationwide anti-polio drive of 2021 has achieved 98 per cent of the set target on Sunday, a report said. In a report compiled by the Anti-Polio Task Force, the drive is said to have received an overwhelming response and with the cooperation of the parents 98 per cent target of the drive was achieved.

According to the report, over 40 million children under the age of five were administered anti-polio drops by the vaccinators. 99 per cent of the target of vaccinating the children against the crippling disease was achieved in Punjab and Sindh provinces, while 96 per cent and 95 per cent targets were achieved in Balochistan and KP respectively. In Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), 99 per cent of the set target of the drive was achieved while the 100 per cent target was achieved in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). As many as 287,000 volunteers took part in the antipolio drive across the country, who were trained before the campaign in compliance with the coronavirus related standard operating procedures (SOPs). Polio vaccination resumed under strict Covid-19 prevention measures in July in Pakistan after a four-month pause triggered by the global pandemic. Sources within the health ministry said that Sunday was a catch-up day of the anti-polio drive in Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar and Khyber.

Shafqat for digitising exam board data to facilitate students ISLAMABAD Staff rePort

Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood has directed the Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC) and the National Information Technology Board (NITB) to digitise exam board data for the ease of students.

According to a tweet by the ministry on Sunday: "On the policy directions of Minister for Federal Education Shafqat Mehmood, the Secretary IBCC met Chief Executive National IT Board and decided to digitise manual records and create a central repository of data of all examination boards to facilitate students for online verification."

Back in November, the newly appointed Secretary IBCC, Dr. Ghulam Ali Mallah, called on Mehmood at his office and informed him of measures the IBCC is taking to facilitate students, The News reported. He said that to facilitate students to remit the fee of the IBCC, the number of bank branches has been increased from 280 to 1,400 across Pakistan. A courier company has been assigned for collection and return of application for equivalence and attestation of certificates, he said.

The secretary briefed the minister about IBCC and informed him that IBCC will automate all its processes to ensure transparency and improve efficiency in service delivery. He said to ensure the quality of equivalence certificates, a QR Code will be printed on them.

Previously, IBCC decided it would create a central repository of data of all the examination boards of the country and digitise all manual data, said a statement.

These steps are being taken to ease and facilitate the attestation and equivalence process for general public, while keeping in mind the policy directions of the Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood.

The IBCC CEO Dr Ghulam Ali Mallah and the NITB executive director have come to a formal agreement regarding the development of an automation system in this regard. In a meeting held on January 15, it was denied that there would be a central repository of data of all the examination boards of Pakistan at IBCC Islamabad.

The digitisation process would occur in phases, and in the pilot phase, Federal

Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) Islamabad, BISE Lahore, BISE Peshawar, BISE Quetta and BSE Karachi will add their data to the repository at IBCC Islamabad.

Furthermore, the IBCC on Sunday announced that the examinations for the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) will be held in May and June, 2021.

The authority said in a statement issued on Twitter said that the examination will be held according to the existing pattern of the question paper. "Results will be announced before the end of August," it added.

In the meeting held on January 11 of the steering committee for the IBCC, it was decided that that the optimal date for SSC exams is May 24.

Karachi among world’s most polluted cities KARACHI INP

Karachi has been ranked among the world’s most polluted cities as the level of hazardous particles in the air reached 324 on Sunday morning. Sunday afternoon reading of the Air Quality Index (AQI) for Karachi was recorded at 188. AQI as high as 151-200 is considered unhealthy, while an AQI between 201 to 300 is more harmful and an AQI over 300 is dubbed extremely hazardous.

Air pollution of particulate matter in Lahore was recorded 171, Peshawar 414, Islamabad 171, New Delhi 321, Kolkata 188, and Dhaka 288, as per the AQI reading.

An expert said that in winter an increase in air pollution witnessed, change in the wind speed, wind direction, and sliding minimum temperature increases air pollution. The smoke from factories and vehicular traffic in cities are among some factors adding to the air pollution, he added.

According to experts, the air becomes heavier in the winter as compared to

summer, causing poisonous particles in the atmosphere to move downwards and making the atmosphere polluted. As a result, a layer of polluted particles, including large amounts of carbon and smoke, covers the city. The smoke produced by factories and burning coal, garbage, oil or tyres enters the atmosphere and the effects of this appear at the onset of winter and remain till the season’s end, experts said.

Thus, air pollution reaches extremely dangerous levels, severely compromising air quality. Although southwestern winds

blowing from the sea may work as a filter for the air in Karachi, these winds remain mostly suspended during winter, experts said. They noted that winds blowing from the northeast increase the concentration of hidden polluted particles, and a healthy atmosphere in such a situation is subject to rainfall, which washes off all pollutants.

The AQI is calculated based on five categories of pollution: ground-level ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.

Monday, 18 January, 2021

04 NEWS

Govt to coNtiNue exPosiNG iNDiA’s siNisteR DesiGNs, sAys PM’s AiDe ISLAMABAD

PDM aims to protect vested interests, says Faraz MINISTER SAYS OPP CONFINED TO SQUARES AND ALLEYS ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Syed Shibli Faraz has said that the objective of the alliance of the opposition parties, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), is not public welfare but to protect their vested interests. In a statement, the information minister that said the movement of the opposition parties has fizzled out as it was started to defend personal interests. Faraz said the opposition's movement has now been confined to the squares and alleys rather than the big grounds and main highways. The minister said that instead of threatening the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari should respond to his party's foreign funding case.

s

STAFF REPORT

PECIAL Assistant to Prime Minister on National Security Dr Moeed Yusuf has said that the government will continue to expose India’s sinister designs for creating instability in Pakistan before the world.

Talking to a private television channel, Dr Moeed Yusuf said that exposing the real face of India before the international community is a difficult task because it is a big business market for developed nations. However, he said that a comprehensive strategy adopted by Pakistan to unearth India's abhorring designs before the world powers is working well.

The SAPM's statement comes in wake of the leaked WhatsApp messages of Indian anchor Arnab Goswami over the Pulwama attack and other Indian-orchestrated incidents against Pakistan.

AFRIDI SAYS WHATSAPP LEAKS HAVE PROVED THAT PULWAMA ATTACK WAS AN INSIDE JOB ORCHESTRATED BY INDIAN INTELLIGENCE The screenshots of a WhatsApp conversation between the arrested former Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) CEO Partho Dasgupta and Indian Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami, which are making rounds on social media, show that Goswami had prior information about the 2019 Balakot airstrike and the revocation of Article 370, which stripped off the special status granted to Illegally Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The WhatsApp chats running over 1,000 pages are part of the 3,600-page supplementary charge sheet that the Mumbai police filed earlier this week.

The messages discuss the Pulwama

attack on February 14, 2019, in which 40 soldiers were killed, with Goswami rejoicing and writing to Dasgupta how the attack has helped his channel. "This attack we have won like crazy,” he wrote to Dasgupta.

Another chat also reveals that Goswami knew about the Balakot airstrike, which was carried out by Indian warplanes early on February 26, 2019. The message dated February 23, shows Goswami telling Dasgupta how 'something big' is soon going to happen.

When Dasgupta asked if it is 'Dawood', Goswami replies, "No sir Pakistan. Something major will be done this time." Dasgupta replied how it is 'good

Punjab announces first STEM contest, class-XI admission schedule

Navy ship sails for African states to help people affected by floods, drought

TLTP

LAHORE

ISLAMABAD Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) Nasr has sailed for visiting several African countries with a mission to help them on humanitarian basis. According to a spokesperson of Pakistan Navy, the ship will provide essential commodities to the flood-hit and drought-affected African countries, including Djibouti, Sudan and Niger. The ship will also make a good will gesture visit to Kenya. The visit activity is aimed to promote bilateral relations and explore new dimensions of cooperation with African countries under the government's "Engage Africa Policy". Earlier in the month of November 2020, PNS Zulfiqar visited Aqaba port of Jordan. According to the spokesman of the Pakistan Navy, PNS Zulfiqar was warmly welcomed by the hosts at the Aqaba port and the Commanding Officer met the host officials and had discussed issues of mutual interest. The Jordanian authorities were also apprised of the Indian atrocities in Indian Occupied Kashmir and the plight of Kashmiri people.

Road travel disrupted due to fog engulfed highways LAHORE

STAFF REPORT

STAFF REPORT

for big man (Narendra Modi) in this season' and 'he will sweep polls then'.

When Dasgupta inquires if it will be a strike or something bigger, Goswami writes, "Bigger than a normal strike. And also on the same time something major on Kashmir. On Pakistan the government is confident of striking in a way that people will be elated. Exact words used."

Separately, Kashmir Committee Chairman Shehryar Khan Afridi said that WhatsApp leaks have once again proved that Pulwama attack was an inside job orchestrated by Indian intelligence to blame Pakistan and Kashmiri freedom fighters.

In a tweet on Sunday, Afridi said that it is the second time when the filthy face of Indian intelligence is exposed after the EU Disinfo Lab report that resurrected dead media, dead think-tanks and NGOs working to target Pakistani and Kashmiris’ interests. He said that the Modi regime has been exposed again.

The Punjab School Education Department on Sunday shared details of the first STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) competition for elementary and high schools across the province.

In a tweet, the provincial department said the participating students can submit one-minute videos on selected themes to win the title of "Super Scientists". The themes are viruses, energy, calculus, astronomy, area and volume, environment, agriculture, and physical science.

The videos must be submitted via WhatsApp to the SDP of the respective districts before January 18, 2020. "The competition is aimed at engaging students in marvels of practical & experimental science cultivating improved cognitive abilities," said Punjab Education Minister Dr Murad Raas.

STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines — science, tech-

nology, engineering and mathematics — in an interdisciplinary and applied approach.

Rather than teaching the four disciplines as separate and discrete subjects, STEM integrates them into a cohesive learning paradigm based on real-world applications.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government has issued the new schedule for enrolment and admissions for Class XI on the basis of the result of the secondary school supplementary examination 2020.

According to details, the Punjab Boards Committee of Chairmen (PBCC) has issued the revised schedule for online admission of candidates by all the boards of intermediate & secondary education (BISEs) for Class XI for the year (2020-22).

As per details, candidates can be admitted to the institutions without a late fee till January 29 and with a fine of Rs500 till February 4, 2021.

The education authorities are grappling with the changing situa-

tion due to the coronavirus pandemic that has badly affected the academic calendar.

On January 4, the federal government had announced the phased resumption of in-person learning in around 300,000 educational institutions countrywide from January 18.

It, however, slightly changed the plan on the advice of the health officials on Friday.

Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood told reporters that students of classes 9-12 would resume education in-person on Jan 18, as announced earlier, while those in nursery to class 8 would return to school on February 1, instead of January 25, maintaining less than 50 per cent attendance. He said that there was no change in the plan of reopening of the countrywide universities and colleges on February 1.

The minister said that no students would be promoted without examinations in the current year, and therefore, the decision to resume classes from 9 to 12 was made.

Dense fog engulfed motorways and the National Highway in various parts of Punjab and Sindh causing poor visibility and traffic disruptions on Sunday.

However, the section of IslamabadPeshawar Motorway (M-1) from Burhan to Swabi was opened for vehicular traffic due to improved visibility. The section of Lahore-Islamabad (M-2) from Lahore to Kot Momin was also opened after improvement in visibility range. The section of M-3 from Faizpur to Abdul Hakeem was closed for traffic due to poor visibility caused by dense fog, a spokesperson of the Motorway Police said.

The section of M-4 from Pindi Bhattian to Multan was also closed for vehicles for the same reason, the Motorway Police said.

The section of M-5 from Multan to Sukkur was also closed for vehicular traffic in the morning on Sunday. Swat Motorway was closed from Colonel Sher Khan Interchange to Chakdara and the motorway section from Multan to Khaniwal was closed for vehicles as fog blanketed the road, the Motorway Police said. Fog also covered the National Highway at Lahore, Chauhang, Mohlanwal, Manga Mandi, Phool Nagar, Jimbir, Pattoki, Okara, Habibabad, Renala Khurd, Sahiwal, Harappa, Chichawatni, Kasuwal, Iqbal Nagar, Mian Channu, Khaniwal and Multan, according to the road police. Fog also covered Bahawalpur, Ahmedpur East, Tirinda, Mohammad Panah, Rahim Yar Khan and Sadiqabad. The visibility range at the sections of National Highway affected by fog has been upto 30 metres, the Motorway Police said. “The road users should use fog lights while driving, avoid overspeed and should keep proper distance from other vehicles,” the police advised.

Govt urged to reduce electricity, POL prices to boost economic activities ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) President Sardar Ilyas Khan has said that the government should reduce electricity and petroleum prices in order to boost economic activities.

He stated this while talking to a delegation of the Economic Journalists Forum. The ICCI president said that the increase in petrol and diesel prices would not only increase production cost of industrial units but also have a severe impact on poor segments of society.

The government has made petroleum products an important source of revenue collection which is not a wise approach, he said, suggesting a revision of taxes on pe-

troleum products.

He further said that there is no doubt that Prime Minister Imran Khan wants to bring an economic revolution in the country, but the government should also pay heed to the proposals of stakeholders.

The ICCI president said that there are huge opportunities for foreign investors in various sectors of Pakistan's economy, including telecom, industry and agriculture and construction.

He said that India's exports of IT products are 100 times higher than Pakistan's and even Bangladesh is ahead of Pakistan in IT exports, therefore, the government should pay special attention to the IT sector to achieve sustainable development and foreign exchange.

The ICCI president said that the govern-

ment should cooperate in setting up a new industrial zone as well as export processing zone near Islamabad Airport as it has easy access to the airport and motorway as the existing industrial areas in Islamabad have been completely filled, making it difficult for industrialists and investors to set up new industrial units.

He also appreciated the premier on extending the construction package for another six months to a year. The business community across the country demanded that the construction package be further expanded to boost business activities.

Khan said that CDA should strive to develop Islamabad as a model city which would better promote business and economic activities.

Monday, 18 January, 2021

NEWS

EvidEncE of india's statE-sponsorEd tErrorism providEd to int'l community: fo ISLAMABAD

t

stAFF RePoRt

he Foreign Office (FO) on Sunday said that the international community has been presented with irrefutable evidence of India's state-sponsorship of terrorism against Pakistan and anti-Pakistan disinformation and smear campaign globally.

In a statement, it was said that transcripts included in the Mumbai police charge-sheet against the Republic TV anchor in the TRP case have further exposed India's sinister designs and vindicated Pakistan's long-held position.

The latest revelations further confirm what Pakistan has consistently pointed out: The BJP government stages "false

'POLICE CHARGE SHEET AGAINST INDIAN ANCHOR VINDICATES PAKISTAN’S LONG-HELD POSITION’ flag" operations; maligns Pakistan with terrorism-related allegations; stokes hyper-nationalism in the country; claims to have launched so-called "surgical strike"; and then deviously manipulates national sentiment in its bid to win elections. The pattern is unmistakable and has been repeated to suit the RSS-BJP regime's electoral calculations.

The FO said that we had, at the outset, rejected India's malicious propaganda against Pakistan and highlighted that the biggest beneficiary of the Pulwama attack in February 2019 was the

BJP government, as it secured landslide victory in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. The transcripts provide further evidence of how this whole enterprise from 'false flag' operation to massive electoral success was scripted and fully realised, it added. The transcripts also illustrate the unholy nexus between the 'hindutva' regime and its cronies in the Indian media.

The statement said, on the one hand, they show how far and deeply the extremist agenda of the RSS-BJP combine has permeated India's institutions

Why is Lahore ranked as this year’s dream city?

PUNJAB PUNCH

'THE PUNJAB GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO WAKE UP NOW’

sHAHAB oMeR Recently, The New York Times ranked Lahore among the world’s top 52 destinations, calling it the “city to love in 2021”, thus putting the city’s charm in front of its global readership.

Pakistan Today reached out to people linked to the city in one way or the other to get a broader perspective on what the city has to offer.

Muhammad Javed, a guide who leads eager tourists to the most beautiful sites of the city, said that this is a real honour for citizens of the majestic city. The fact that the Walled City was mentioned in the international publication is a matter of pride for the residents, especially at a time when people are under stress due to various factors, he added. he also said that it is after a while Lahore has regained a semblance its lost glory by becoming a dream city for many.

Tania Qureshi, who is associated with the Walled City of Lahore Authority, said that Lahore is one of the most attractive cities in the world because of its

rich heritage and historic infrastructure build during Mughal, Sikh and British periods. “The residents of Androon Lahore [Walled City] think that the mazelike interior, with its amusing street life, culture, cuisines and traditions is value addition and tangible reason behind the fame of Lahore,” she added.

Tania said that Lahore has always been famous, with ample literary references in its favour, and because of the popularity its food, culture, and arts enjoy.

“Lahore of the great Mughals is surely Androon Lahore,” she said referring to its culture, cuisine and events, which are seen in every nook and corner. “Lahore has a natural setting, and the Mughals and British, realising its historical significance, promoted literature and arts here.”

“The gates of the Walled City have plenty of stories inside them, which one can only know by visiting them,” Tania said. “Similarly, the bazaars and streets are full of tales and narratives of the past.”

“The city’s monuments are a living example of what happened here during

different time periods,” she added.

Speaking about WCLA’s role in preserving the city’s heritage, she said that the authority played an eminent role in preserving Shahi hammam, Chowk Wazir Khan, Wazir Khan Masjid, Royal Trail, and above all, the Lahore Fort. She added that when encroachments were removed from these cites, many monuments were revealed for the first time, and these sites are now frequented by a lot of people, leading to a revival of cultural activities.

Tania added that Agha Khan Trust for Culture also played a major role in the preservation of the historical city.

“Over the past 10-12 years, efforts to preserve primeval buildings in Androon Lahore have increased the city’s appeal and now people are attracted to its historical places,” she further said.

Samuel Wilson, a tourist who recently visited Lahore, said that the provincial capital is one of the few cities in the world where the richness of monuments is preserved. Whether one travels north or south, the city has monuments from different

and pillars of the state. On the other hand, they show how the rights and freedoms of Indian citizens and democratic values in Indian society are being seriously jeopardised through cynical manipulation, it added. It further said that actions of this reckless Indian regime driven by considerations of domestic politics are gravely imperilling regional peace and security.

The FO said that Pakistan, for its part, will continue to counter Indian falsehoods with truth and act firmly and responsibly in the face of India's provocations. It said that “we hope that the international community would take full cognisance of the situation and hold India accountable for its actions vitiating the regional environment and endangering peace and security in South Asia”.

eras. “This is what makes it a dream city or a city to love in 2021,” he said.

Chris Crain, another foreigner, said that he visited Lahore last year in January, and explored the Walled City as well.

“Residents of Old Lahore [An informal term used for the Walled City], with their immense hospitality and generosity add colour and value to the city’s life and experience. Any tourist, local of foreigner, is greeted overwhelmingly by the people of Androon Lahore, and this is not experienced anywhere else in the world,” he said. “When Lahoris see that someone has come from outside, they will offer them food and will not charge for it.

Lahoris do not discriminate with tourists on the basis of cast, colour and creed, rather they only know how to love and respect them,” he added. An official of the provincial tourism department said that the government should promote this title of Lahore because the city lacks proper branding unlike other cities of the world. he criticsed the government, saying that they have not shown much interest over such matters lately. he stressed the need for preservation of neglected heritage sites of Lahore. “Nothing happened when UNeSCO declared Lahore the city of literature and the same should not happen now that Lahore is declared as a dream city,” he said. “The Punjab government needs to wake up now.”

05

provinces, private sector can import, distribute approved vaccines: minister ContInueD froM pAge 01 On multiple occasions, the government said that its vaccines would be procured from multiple sources. After DRAP approved the AstraZeneca’s vaccine, co-developed by the University of Oxford, Saturday, the government said it has also given the approval to get more than a million doses of Sinopharm’s vaccine from China. The Chinese vaccine is awaiting approval from the DRAP, which has received and reviewed its data. “We are in the process to obtain Western origin and other vaccines both via bilateral purchase agreements as well as via the COVAX facility,” State Minister for National health Services Dr Faisal Sultan said.

Umar said that the Sinopharm vaccine was also approved by a technical committee and only the matter of its name for local distribution remained, which would be decided by Tuesday. he further said that Beijing was itself working directly with Islamabad to facilitate doses of Sinopharm and “they will let us know about the first batch of vaccines by Tuesday.” Speaking about China’s CanSino vaccine for which phase three clinical trials are currently underway in Pakistan, he said that results of its trial would arrive by the second half of February and “if those are positive then it too will be available in March”. A day earlier, Dr Sultan said that the government is speaking to a number of vaccine makers, and the country could get “in the range of tens of millions” of vaccine doses under an agreement with CanSino. The company’s Ad5nCoV Covid-19 candidate is nearing completion of Phase-III clinical trials in Pakistan. Umar said that with Pakistan being a signatory to the Covax alliance, vaccines from multiple sources would be procured and made available in the first quarter of the year. Covax is an alliance that had been set up by Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), Coalition for epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CePI) and World health Organisation in April last year. It has pledged provision of free vaccine for 20 percent of the population of around 190 countries, including Pakistan.

PTI provided donations’ details to ECP following SC order: Faraz ContInueD froM pAge 01 Faraz then read out a passage from a letter by the eCP in the case of Farrukh habib versus Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). “Though the committee has tried its level best to collect the relevant record, the respondent party was reluctant to submit the record asked for by the committee from time to time and the committee was constrained to adjourn the proceedings for provision of information as per the TORs (terms of reference).” he explained that the eCP asked the PML-N to provide the ID card numbers and other information of people who had made donations to the party.

“But these people are not handing over any information.”

Gas crisis may continue as lnG firm backs out of deal over hike in prices ContInueD froM pAge 01 February being a low demand month, Pakistan on average had imported 7.75 cargoes for that month in the last four years. At this time, a total of eight cargoes had been secured. The PLL is working with the respective users to reconfirm demand at the current prices and is exploring alternatives if demand for an additional cargo in February was reconfirmed. The PLL had already advertised unused capacity in its terminal for February 2021, whereas the private sector may bring in additional LNG.

“Their approach has always been that instead of answering the questions put to them, they say “he is also a thief’,” Faraz said.

The minister said that the opposition parties are all “playing a game of hypocrisy”, whether it is the PPP or the PML-N, or Maulana Fazlur Rehman — who believes that any state without him is incomplete. he said that the parties had historically always acted out of their own interest “whether it is the Securities and exchange Commission, NAB [National Accountability Bureau] or FIA [Federal Investigation Agency]”.

“They never sought to serve the people. They proclaim they brought so many developmental projects but they took commission from these very projects,” said the minister, adding that the opposition parties have always

viewed the law to be “different for them and different for the rest”.

“They have made an unsuccessful attempt to pressurise institutions,” he added. “So the drama they have staged, [it must be realised], this is not about PTI, it is about all of us. And we have provided an authenticated, notorised record of all the information from our end.

“Now it is their duty to come tomorrow, instead of the day after and tell the people whether it is really us who are thieves who have provided all proof,” the minister said. he said that after the outcome of the activity of the last two-three months, the opposition is “on its way out”. “They must submit their record to the scrutiny committee instead of hiding behind rallies,” said Faraz.

Racing cars amidst diplomatic failures City Notes M A NiAzi Somebody Say it ain’t so! I don’t have any objection to Naeem Bokhari being stayed as PTV chairman, but the reason given was merely to add insult to injury: that the age relaxation given to him was not valid.

Now Naeem is a sort of Peter Pan figure. Who is beyond such mundane things as age, and it is fitting that he be in the PTI, with a leader which is the only sexagenarian who attracts the youth vote.

Naeem, one should remember, is the younger brother of Saleem Altaf, the fast bowler, who was a playing contemporary of Imran’s. In fact, Imran was only picked for his 1971 debut because Saleem was injured. his recovery for the next Test led to Imran being dropped. Well, at least neither Saleem Altaf, nor his kid brother Naeem, was up to the sort of tricks that Test cricketers Shoaib Malik and Wahab Riaz were up to. The official version is that Shoaib

rammed his sports car into a truck when he was leaving the PSL draw. So how did Wahab Riaz get mentioned? Well, it seems that all attempts to excise him from the story cannot hide his having been racing Shoaib in his sports car. Neither was injured, but Shoaib no longer has a sports car.

Speaking of cricket, while Pakistan was losing to New Zealand after suffering a Kane Williamson double hundred, Imran suffered another diplomatic failure when it could not stop India drawing with Australia on a tense final day, so that they go into the final Test with the series 1-1. Well, our boys don’t seem to know whether they’re playing cricket or car racing. Well, I knew every truck driver thought he was actually a Formula One racer, but it seems that cricketers share the impression. Is Imran paying attention? Or is he too busy with the revelations about Nawaz Sharif trying to bribe Broadsheet LLC to drop charges against him?

Well, Broadsheet didn’t find anything against him, so the story is confirmed, according to PTI evidentiary standards.

Well, a member of Shehzad Akbar’s

CMYK

team demanded a cut to get the payment it demanded released. Well, the payment has been released. But it seems Shahzad Akbar is going to face nothing. Of course, we all know that anyone suspecting Shehzad Akbar, or any member of his team, is actually suspecting that Imran didn’t build a cancer hospital, and with his own two hands at that.

Well, courts are doing strange things these days. Like a sessions judge ordering that Babar Azam have a rape case registered against him. The Lahore high Court has suspended that order, after Babar Azam claimed he had reached a settlement with the lady back in 2018. Does that make him a challenger for the prime ministership? Not unless he has a daughter he denies. And as important, does Babar eat organic food? The cricketer to watch is the one who knows a lot of Bollywood types.

If that was to happen, Imran might not be able to do what United States President Trump did after losing an election. Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol. Imran supporters stormed Parliament Building during the dharna. Of course, the supporters were

desperate to get to a toilet, while Trump supporters wanted to overthrow the election results. Trump has been impeached. In Pakistan, we made Imran PM. I suppose it’s something of a coincidence that Mrs Zarin Musharraf, mother of Pervez Musharraf, passed away so soon after Nawaz Sharif’s mother passed away.

She was a little luckier, I suppose, for none of her kids was in jail, though one was in exile. She lived to a great age, reaching 100. I know that none of our party leaders has got a mother living, but I’m not sure that’s a reason to make anyone PM. I’m reminded of the man who confessed to murdering his parents. And then threw himself on the mercy of the court as an orphan. Imran would probably be happy that Shafqat Mahmood will not be a competitor for the youth vote, because schools have reopened, at least partially.

The hopes of being on holiday forever seem to have been dashed. There is some forlorn hope from a ministerial meeting on Friday, but things will really have to be bad for there to be any action.

Monday, 18 January, 2021

06 COMMENT

Economic recovery prospects post-pandemic

The secrecy of the ballot ECP’s reply to SC further weakens government’s case

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he election Commission’s reply to the Supreme Court, that Senate elections had always been held by secret ballot, has not just strengthened the application of Article 226, which provides for all elections under the Constitution to be held by secret ballot, but has also thrown a spanner in the PTI government’s efforts to being its KP Assembly party under control. The government has moved the Supreme Court, through a presidential reference, to allow it to move away from the secret ballot for Senate elections, so that it can avoid the sale of votes that had become traditional in the KP Assembly where the relatively smaller house meant that a relatively smaller number of members could combine to ignore the party whip and vote for some other candidate with sufficiently deep pockets. The government, whose problem with the last KP Assembly was that it could not overcome the tradition with its fervor, wanted the Supreme Court to find it a way around the apparently insuperable bar of Article 226.

Another omission it made was to provide its proposed scheme, either in the form of draft legislation or otherwise. As the eCP has said, abandoning the secret ballot would mean that independent MNAs and MPAs, of which there are presently 18, would be disenfranchised, if a system of allocating seats to the parties is proposed. The failure to provide a draft strengthened the Jamaat Islami contention that the reference should be dismissed because it involved a political question.

That shows that the PTI is trying to cover its political weakness by means of the reference. If indeed it wished to tackle the problem of horsetrading in Senate elections, it would have to amend the Constitution, which the Supreme Court has to interpret. ‘Interpretation’ does not mean finding a way to do something that plain language forbids or enjoins. Besides, the problem seems to be basically one that the PTI will face. Its inability to carry out legislation, let alone amendments to the Constitution, is because it has taken such a high hand with the Opposition that it cannot ask it to help it to legislate. The PTI, it seems, knows that it cannot get around Article 226, so it wants to blame the opposition, the Supreme Court, anyone but itself, for its own failure to discipline KP MPAs.

Neoliberalism must be revisited

DR. OMeR JaveD

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he pandemic’s impact on major economies has so far been four times worse than that of the 2008 global financial crisis, while entire sections of many developing economies have been wiped out. Any policy intervention should treat the fight against COVID-19 like a war and the hardesthit economies like conflict zones.’ – ‘A post war playbook for a post Covid recovery’ by Maximo Torero, Chief economist of United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization For the last four decades or so, the world has gone the way of Neoliberalism, which has exacerbated the march of existential threat of climate change, significantly increased income inequality, and caused risky financialization of te global economy, with volcano-like eruptions, for instance, in the shape of east Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s, and then a couple of years later an even bigger one known as the global financial crisis of 2007/08.

At the same time, with governments taking a back seat during the same neoliberal way, it meant that the world was least ready to face the current pandemic. For one, although the first outbreak of coronavirus was as far back as early 2000s in the shape of SARS, and continued to appear from time to time since, but it not up till the world was grabbed by it in the shape of a pandemic that it realized the problem in the ‘profit over people’ mindset of the capitalism that shaped decisions in general globally.

NAB methods under fire Senate Deputy Chairman’s strictures echo Supreme Court judgment

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eNATe Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwala’s threat to approach the european Union, and other international organizations, against the iniquiries of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), reflect the intensity of his frustration at NAB’s obstinate defiance of the Senate. he was moved to make this unusual threat after a visit to the family of Brig (retd) Asad Munir, who had committed suicide in March 2019 while facing numerous enquiries by NAB, but before he was arrested. Mr Mandviwala himself is under investigation by NAB. he said, while speaking to the press after condoling with the family, that there had been numerous suicides of NAB detenus.

Among other things, as Mr Mandviwala said, NAB humiliated suspects, causing some of them to commit suicide. he said that he would take NAB to the eU for violating human rights. Mr Mandviwala is not an aberration caused by his own case. he has said nothing the Supreme Court has not in giving opposition leader Saad Rafique bail in a NAB case, when it passed strictures on NAB and its methods. Apart from issues of competence caused by lack of capacity, there is also the issue of political interference, which makes it necessary to reform NAB at the very fundamental level of amendments in the NAB law, insulating it from the political pressures upon it to be used as a means of hounding the regime’s political opponents.

NAB, under the present government, has developed an unfortunate reputation as the main tool the government has for persecuting opposition figures. Mr Mandviwala’s threat is on the surface a case of washing dirty linen in public. however, if the government does not reform NAB, there is the danger that those who it does not drive to ending it all, will try to seek relief wherever they can find it. If they do not find it at home, they might well go abroad. If the strictures of the Supreme Court have failed to make the government carry out the necessary reforms, the government should not blame anyone for taking what seem to be extreme measures.

There are many challenges ahead

Manish Rai

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UlTIPle explosions rocked the Aden International airport shortly after an aircraft landed carrying the newly formed cabinet of the country's Saudi-backed government. Dozens of casualties were reported and the Yemeni government blamed houthi rebels for this attack. Recently a power-sharing government was announced in war-torn Yemen consisting of 24 ministers including representatives of the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), which is backed by the UAe and Yemeni government headed by President hadi. Prime Minister Dr Maeen Abdulmalek Saeed was reappointed to head the new cabinet. The unity agreement comes as the houthis have consolidated control over most of Yemen’s north, with the exception of the oil-rich area of Mareb. It also comes just ahead of the swearing-in of US President-elect Joe Biden, who has promised to end Washington’s support to the Saudi-led military coalition. Under the supervision of the Saudi de-escalation committee in Yemen, hundreds of military

Arif Nizami Editor Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

could now join their ranks as a result of COVID-19.

In countries such as Uganda, the price of basic foods has jumped by 15% since March. People report consuming fewer, less diverse, and less healthy meals – a recipe for future disease.’

At the same time, creditor countries not only need to show greater sense of care for developing countries, in terms of debt relief response both in their own bilateral sense of relationship, but also need to proactively use multilateral forums to influence private creditors to follow the same path. here, specifically as Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz highlighted in his recent article ‘A global recovery’s leading variables’ that ‘The head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, has already called for another $500 billion issuance of Special Drawing Rights, which would be enormously helpful in restarting the global economy… The hope now is that Biden will reverse the US approach, not just on SDRs but also on international cooperation more generally.’

At the same time, as renowned economist Nouriel Roubini pointed out in his article from a couple of days ago ‘A fragile recovery in 2021’ that a K-shaped recovery needs to reversed, whereby the already rich are getting rich at a fast pace through investments in the stock exchange market for instance, while for the majority of the population, operating in the real economy, there is no such recovery happening. Moreover, he highlighted ‘As for emerging markets and developing countries, covid-19 has triggered not merely a recession, but what the World Bank calls a “pandemic depression,” leaving more than 100 million people back on the verge of extreme poverty (less than $2 dollars per day).’ hence, all the more need for policy multilaterally, and in individual countries to reform capitalism, and revive better spirit of globalization to improve economic prospects.

Hence, all the more need for policy multilaterally, and in individual countries to reform capitalism, and revive better spirit of globalization to improve economic prospects

The writer holds PhD in Economics degree from the University of Barcelona, and previously worked at International Monetary Fund. He tweets @omerjaved

Yemen Government has Tough Road Ahead

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

In her upcoming book Mission economy: A Moonshot Guide To Changing Capitalism’ renowned economist Mariana Mazuccato, like many others, highlighted the importance of improving capitalism significantly, and given the precarious situation global economy finds itself, she advocates taking a very drastic approach to uprooting the deep entrenchment of the neoliberal-styled capitalism. In this regard, she introduces the book as ‘Mission economy looks at the grand challenges facing us in a radically new way.

Global warming, pollution, dementia, obesity, gun violence, mobility—these environmental, health, and social dilemmas are huge, complex, and have no simple solutions. The book argues we need to think bigger and mobilize our resources in a way that is as bold as inspirational as the moon landing… We can only begin to find answers if we fundamentally restructure capitalism to make it inclusive, sustainable, and driven by innovation that tackles concrete problems from the digital divide, to health pandemics, to our polluted cities.

That means changing government tools and culture, creating new markers of corporate governance, and ensuring that corporations, society, and the government coalesce to share a common goal. We did it to go to the moon. We can do it again to fix our problems and improve the lives of every one of us. We simply can no longer afford not to.’

Indeed, a post pandemic recovery requires such a big effort. To start off, a meaningful global multilateral spirit needs to come to the fore to revive economic prospects, and here too, the two most important challenges at hand is to influence rich advanced economies, and big exporting countries of food commodities to undo the strong current practice of ‘vaccine nationalism’ and ‘food nationalism’, respectively. Specifically, with regard to the negative impact of ‘food nationalism’ Maximo Torero in the same article pointed out ‘Rich countries’ policies also contribute to rising food prices in poor countries.

While supermarket shelves in the developed world are fully stocked with affordable food, nearly 700 million people globally were already chronically hungry before the pandemic – and more than 130 million

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troops from the former government and the STC departed contested areas in the southern province of Abyan. Military units also withdrew from Aden and were redeployed in battlefields with the houthis. The formation of this government which is based now in the temporary capital Aden is definitely a positive sign and this was one of the major demands of Yemen civil society. Also, it’s being seen as a unification of all anti-houthi forces.

But the newly formed government of the poorest country in the Middle east faces towering political, security, and economic challenges. They include: humanitarian crisis: The imminent threat of famine has made the majority of Yemenis dependent on some form of aid for survival, a situation the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. According to a recent report of UNICeF some 80 percent of the population needs humanitarian assistance, including more than 12 million children.

Also, public health experts warn that the covid-19 pandemic may have significant negative effects on Yemen’s vulnerable population. To date, most humanitarian agencies believe that the extent of the outbreak in Yemen has been under-reported.

Crumbling economy: Yemen is facing unprecedented economic and financial challenges, precipitated by the intensification of conflict since September 2014. The economy has also been hit by inflation, with Yemen's currency is being traded at approximately 750 against the US dollar in the government-controlled areas. That has placed many essential goods out of reach of common people as Yemen imports 90 percent of its staple food. Trade has nosedived and investment is almost non-existent. hydrocarbon production, which used to be 125,000 barrels per day before the start of the conflict and accounted for 90% of exports in 2015, is expected to continue to decline.

Political Instability: For the time being it seems that all the anti-houthi forces. That is, the government headed by President Abd-Rabbuh Mansur hadi, the southern separatist STC, and the main Sunni Islamist party Islah are united and part of the new government.

But to balance a decentralized federalist state that pro-

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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vides equal degrees of autonomy and resource sharing to southern separatists, northern tribes, and other traditionally independent regions in Yemen will be a tightrope walk. Any Yemeni national leader should be capable of “dancing on the heads of snakes,” as the late president Ali Abdullah Saleh described the challenge of governing the poor and divided country.

Military Pressure: Yemen's government troops and the houthi militia are constantly engaged in regular confrontation at multiple fronts, especially in the country's southwestern province of Taiz and near the oil-rich region of Marib. Also, Iran is increasing its military support to the houthis. Yemeni military commanders have recently said that the houthi bombardment has become more destructive and precise, killing more soldiers and civilians. This shows that houthis have restocked their depleted arsenal of weapons with more advanced ones. houthis are also carrying out strikes through the use of missiles and armed drones deep inside Yemeni government-controlled territory.

It should be remembered by the international community at large and especially by Yemen's wealthy Arab neighbours that’s Yemen’s war is a gift to Iran. Tehran sees it in this way that quiet manipulation of the Yemeni war has reinforced the fears of its main opponent, Saudi Arabia, that it is flexing muscles in its backyard. Iran’s relationship with the houthis plays into Iran’s strategy of controlling key Arab waterways. Control of Yemen and its strategic ports give control of vital commercial and energy shipping lanes that connect the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean and the Middle east to europe. It is in the benefit of everyone apart from Iran that Yemen remains stable and peaceful. An unstable and war-torn Yemen will remain a haven for terrorist groups like Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the levant (ISIl). Also prone to Iranian manipulation. hence all the world and regional powers should support the new government with all their means, so that this government is able to bring security and stability to this war-torn country.

The writer is a columnist for the Middle East and Af-Pak region

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Monday, 18 January, 2021

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

Year of pain 2020 has been a year of pain due to the destruction of the pandemic in the last year. Though the coronavirus spread in 2019, but it caused much difficulties in 2020. The lockdown due to covid-19 made the world lonely. The magnificent countries turned dark. everyone was hidden inside their homes fearing the pandemic. Besides, it challenged the economy of the all developing countries since the countries cannot run with lockdown. The unchecked poverty showed it's negative facet, after all, the public was unemployed sitting at home. Depressingly, Pakistan is enduring the second wave of the pandemic. however, a large number of vaccines have been made so as to cure the virus. Apart from coronavirus, many other significant events occurred including the defeat of Trump White house, the Brexit deal, Israel being overshadowed by the death and economic devastation because of pandemic and the threat of war and poverty on a daily basis. Additionally, the coronavirus has proved that there should be no type of compromise or negligence on health care. The international communities must play their part in ending the pandemic. The developed countries have readied some vaccines to cure the virus while poor countries remain deprived from it. In such harsh situations the countries must have a brotherly attitude with each other. The blessed countries with vaccines must not obtain all of it but also provide vaccines to under-developed countries. Social distancing should be practiced. The role of sops, masks and sanitizers in eliminating the pandemic cannot be denied.

Farahnaz Kech

Pakistan’s Defence Budget Complaints about its being too high are unjustified Tania saleeM

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heRe is always a critique on the budget which is allocated by the federal government to the defence sector of Pakistan. Many researchers and analysts give the argument that the government of Pakistan needs to prioritise, that they should allocate more funds to the education sector, health sector, and other sectors which are not in a good situation and which are striving for funds, and somehow they claim that the funds are not sufficient. If we calculate the defence budget in fiscal year 2020-2021 is Rs. 1,289 billion, as it is increased 11.9 percent from the previous budget, in the fiscal year 2019-2020 which was Rs. 1,227 billion. The government allocated Rs. 83.3 billion for education for 2020-21, having no significant increase as compared to the ongoing Rs. 81.2 billion. If we look at the proportion of GDP, the defence budget constitutes or utilises 2.86 percent of the total.

The argument is valid that we must provide more funds in the education sector but the increase in defence budget has justified reasons.

Firstly, because of our geographical position because we are surrounded by the most hostile adversary. India has left the Kashmir issue unresolved for the last 71 years. India and Pakistan relations have been hostile from the day when we got independence till the present day and there is conventional asymmetry between India and Pakistan.

So in order to maintain the balance of power in the South Asian region we need greater, not less, budget for the defence of Pakistan. India is keeping on increasing its conventional and nuclear weapons as shown by the recent addition of the S-400 Missile system, Rafale aircraft and many other technologies. This militarization is causing a security dilemma in the region and to stabilize this we have to upgrade our technology in theh triad. Pakistan should have second strike capability as we don't possess Assured Second

Strike capability because we have no nuclear submarines. Instead of this we have modified our diesel submarines into nuclear-armed diesel submarines to ensure that if India goes for any misadventure Pakistan has capacity to retaliate effectively. All these weaponizations or militarizations, which are caused because of the action-reaction syndrome requires budget.

As Pakistan has Indiacentric policies, to compete against India and for its survival Pakistan needs that much amount of budget. Though other countries allocate as much as 30 percent of their total GDP in defence and command and control systems, India is the state which ranks third in those countries which invest the highest amount in their defence systems.

Besides that, within Pakistan’ s territory, Pakistan is facing the threat of terrorism. This has engulfed many lives including children, women, the old, indeed everyone. The Pakistan Army is fighting against terrorists and to eradicate terrorism from its root. Two operations were carried out by the Pakistan Army, Operation Zarb-e-Azb and Operation Rad-ul-Fasad. So these all operations need some financial budget in order to put them in process and to achieve the desired results. And for that weapons and ammunition are needed which requires some money to be spent.

Moreover, according to the hedgehog Theory, the hedgehog has sharp spines on its body which it uses for its survival. When someone attacks on them, they shoot spikes at the opponent to defend themselves and as an attacker knows

their weakest point and their only technique of deterrence, he will attack its spikes. The same theory can be applied to Pakistan's nuclear programme. As mentioned earlier, Pakistan relies on its nuclear arsenals to maintain strategic stability and to ensure deterrence and credibility, but other hostile states claim in international society that the nuclear system of Pakistan is not secure as there are chances of misuse of nuclear weapons at the hands of terrorists. The threat of nuclear terrorism is being over-exaggerated by the opponent states. Though if we have a look on the previous records related to our nuclear safety system, there has not been any nuclear mishap on the basis of which they claim nuclear terrorism. however, India is ranked among those countries which are at higher risk on the security of nuclear arsenals.

There is a question on nuclear terrorism on India’s weapons as stated in Foreign Policy.

India’s history of jihadism goes back even further. The country was the birthplace of the Deobandi movement, a sect that was a source of ideas for the Taliban among others.

As earlier a few months back in July 2020 according to the report on Nuclear Security Index by Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a leading US Non-Proliferation watchdog, Pakistan is ranked among the most important countries having nuclear assets security. So Pakistan is improving its stance in safety measures but still adversaries have this card to play at the international level. The improvement and maintenance of security measures regarding nuclear material requires a heavy budget.

Furthermore, not only India but Pakistan is facing eminent threat of terrorism from Afghanistan which needs to be countered. The strategic position in the region requires all such steps to be taken to stand in the international community and for the need of survival. There is a problem within Pakistan's system that though the education budget is not up to its required extent, as it is legally required that we spend four percent of the GDP on the education sector, but spending on it is around just 2.5 percent. But it is quite much clear that the budget which is allocated to the education sector is not circulated to the lower levels and all the government owned schools in rural areas and even in urban areas as well are in a pathetic situation.

This is because funds are not utilised exactly on the purpose for which they are allocated.

These are some main reasons for higher military spending which is quite justified. For the survival of the state and for the protection of the territory it holds, the state's army and its defence systems need to be strong enough to e able to counter the threats posed by its adversary.

Higher military spending which is quite justified. For the survival of the state and for the protection of the territory it holds, the state's army and its defence systems need to be strong enough to e able to counter the threats posed by its adversary

The writer is a freelance columnist

Food inflation FOOD inflation has continued to pose a challenge to the government as prices of major commodities including wheat, flour, cooking oil and sugar have gone sky high. Despite downgrading the prices of commodities, the government has doubled the prices of foods which has created countless problems to people. Mostly middle class people and poor are being deprived to buy essential items for eating. But it hurts that the government still has not done anything regarding this problem. So, if the government does not bring more facilities for people at least he should reduce the prices of commodities so that people should get good foods for eating.

Sameer aSlam awaran Kull

Why just the schools?

IT is conventional wisdom that, education is the most powerful weapon that can change the world. It plays a key role for the development of a country and creates leaders for the country. But unlikely, in Pakistan the educational institutions are closed again and again. Its literacy rate is already too low as compared to many other countries. Pakistan needs not to compromise on the education. In place of shutting the schools and colleges down, the education ministers and their committees need to have some other policies which can stop the spread of Covid-19. last year, all the educational institutions were closed for 7 months and in November they were closed again.

This lockdown is for nowhere else, markets, banks and marriage halls are still open. The only question that remains in my mind is "is coronavirus for only students, or does it effect in schools only? So, the Ministry of education Shafqat Mahmood is suggested to reopen all educational institutions throughout the country and don't close them again and again.

ImtaIz JavId awaran

Electricity crisis eleCTRICITY is one of the most needed requirements in today's life, but unfortunately Tehsil Tump has been facing an electricity crisis for a long period of time, yet the problem remains unsolved. More importantly, in the twenty-first century, Tump is without electricity. The electricity crisis is disturbing the living of the natives. It is requested to the government of Balochistan to take strong actions to solve the issue as soon as possible.

Sagheer gul muhammad Kolahoo

Regularize IBA headmasters The Sindh government has appointed headmasters/headmistresses on contract-basis through a third-party testing service, IBA-Sukkur; after following all prescribed manners including written test and twice interviews in 2017, whose last issued contract-order has been expired on sixth June of this month. New contract-extension notification or any proceeding of their confirmation has not proceeded, yet. On the same day of expiry of the contract, the high Court of Sindh has issued a short judgment in the favour of these headmasters that their “services shall not be terminated or any coercive action shall not be taken against them”. In light of that decision, the lethargic attitude of the Sindh government is commendable. This recruitment process was launched under the umbrella of the Sindh education Sector Plan 201418, by the sponsorship of Global Partnership of education (GPe), which granted $66 million to implement this plan. Under this plan, the Sindh education department had to recruit 6700 headmasters for clear vacant positions in government schools through a transparent testing system till 2018.

Broadly speaking, nepotism, cronyism, and incompetence are hindrances in the way to their regularization. It is believed that allegedly the corrupt, incompetent, and lethargic bureaucracy of the Sindh education department is frightened by these talented young men and always tries their best to build up barriers in all their possible ways to regularization. In a decision of the apex court, taken on Dec 8, 2017, a broader and clearer interpretation is provided regarding contract employees and employers and has been laid the foundations of complete directions of action to regularize employees. That decision has shifted focus from specific legislation to the fundamental rights of citizens under the constitution of Pakistan. In the light of that judgment, those who have been performing the duties of permanent nature should have been regularized. Not confirming the services and taking any adverse action against these headmasters, would be a violation of the decision taken by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. For the sake of enhancing quality education in public sector institutions, it is a need of the hour to make confirm the services of ‘IBA-headmasters’. Allegedly delaying tactics of bureaucracy may cover up their corruption and incompetence, but the insecurity of job confirmation will contribute to more loss to public sector quality education. In this regard, the Chief Minister of Sindh is requested to see this matter by making it a top priority agenda of the current official business.

Sarwech Saryo rato dero

Monday, 18 January, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

The violenT sTory of AmericAn whiTeness THREE WRITERS DIVE INTO THE DEPTHS OF WHITE SUPREMACY IN AMERICA, FROM ALT-RIGHT DATING SITES TO THE NEO-NAZI MOVEMENT TO PROTECT CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS

In These TImes

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KIM KELLY

he United States of America is a white supremacist nation. It always has been. Its white founders, venerated and lionized though they are in textbooks and on courthouse lawns, explicitly intended the country to be this way. The country’s founding documents make that goal clear. Through the centuries, the predominantly white ruling class has worked overtime to uphold this status quo, even as the goalposts periodically shift. A trio of new books delve into this rotten heart of American whiteness and explore how its bloody footprints smudged the nation’s past and continue to influence its uncertain future. Connor Towne O’Neill’s Down Along with That Devil’s Bones: A Reckoning with Monuments, Memory, and the Legacy of White Supremacy, Talia Lavin’s Culture Warlords: My Journey into the Dark Web of White Supremacy, and Seyward Darby’s Sisters in hate: American Women on the Front Lines of White Nationalism take slightly different approaches but ultimately reveal how deeply white supremacy is entrenched in this country. These writers — a white man, a Jewish woman and a white woman — dig deep into the white supremacist culture wars, from 4chan’s neo-Nazi cesspools to the insidious tradwives movement to the battle-scarred heart of Dixie.

Their findings are all too timely.

In journalist Connor Towne O’Neill’s book, Down Along with That Devil’s Bones,

the Civil War-era ghosts of dead racists (and the lost Southern cause) take centerstage in this deeply reported, occasionally personal, odyssey. O’Neill’s interest was sparked on March 7, 2015 — the anniversary of the Bloody Sunday march across the edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. — when he stumbled upon a group of locals working to replace a statue of Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest. The statue had been stolen three years prior. Forrest, a former slave trader, is known as the Butcher of Fort Pillow for overseeing the massacre of more than 100 Black soldiers who had surrendered during the Civil War. After the fall of the Confederacy, Forrest became the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. he is one of history’s most contemptible figures, yet O’Neill soon discovered, in some quarters, Forrest is still hailed as a hero.

As O’Neill travels through the South in search of a deeper understanding, he passes through towns and cities studded with monuments to the bloodthirsty Confederate general, and interviews locals who feel called to protect the statues as well as those dead set on tearing them down. On one side of the debate, there is the demand for justice and acknowledgement of this country’s sins, personified (in the book) by dedicated activists like Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer, a Memphis organizer who founded the #TakeemDown901 movement to remove Confederate monuments. On the other side is a stubborn allegiance to a vicious heritage, exemplified by men like Lee Millar, the spokesperson for the Memphis chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

When O’Neill encounters Millar after the city’s Forrest statue was torn down in December 2017, Millar dismisses those opposed to the statue as having “a mental handicap.” Millar tells O’Neill, “They say [Forrest] was a slave owner. Well big deal, so were 11 of the first 13 presidents … You

can’t blame him for that because he was just in business.”

The wider, national debate about the country’s many Confederate monuments (and other statues of assorted racist monsters) continues to ferment and has boiled over in cities like Charlottesville, Va., New Orleans, Durham, N.C., and as far north as Philadelphia (where a proud history of abolitionism contrasts with the city’s former status as a slave trading outpost). These contradictions are everywhere in America, a country that has never truly reconciled with its racist legacy or offered justice to those who have borne the brunt of its evil.

Since the 2016 election of President Donald Trump, those who cling to fabrications of this past glory have been publicly rewarded by the holder of the country’s highest office with dog-whistled recognition. But America’s various racist movements are not content with a mere wink-and-a-nod reception from the White house. Today’s white supremacists, as journalist Talia Lavin discovered during her research for Culture Warlords, find themselves encouraged to violently impose their views on others, itching for a war.

Lavin goes undercover in online incel forums (short for “involuntarily celibate,” a breeding ground for misogyny), encrypted neo-Nazi chat rooms, boogaloo meme factories (home to violent, far-right internet culture) and the toxic morass of racist YouTube, observing how social media giants (including Twitter and Facebook) provide fertile ground for extremist movements and their violent apologists. In 2019, Lavin is chased out of a conference full of far-right social media personalities, then infiltrates chat rooms full of Ukrainian terrorists hungry to start a race war in the United States.

Throughout her research, she uncovers a bottomless well of bloodthirst against a host of perceived enemies, including Jewish peo-

UgAndA’s chief provocATeUr

ForeIgn PolIcy

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CAREY BARAKA

N Jan 14, Ugandans head to the polls in contentious general elections. Incumbent President Yoweri Museveni, in power since 1986, has never faced an opponent as strong as the popular musician Robert KyagulanyiSsentamu, better known as Bobi Wine, who has galvanized Uganda’s youthful population—an estimated 78 percent of people are under 30—against his 34-year rule.

In recent days, Museveni’s officials have gone on the offensive, accusing Facebook of election interference for removing accounts linked to the president’s campaign. Authorities appear to have shut down the internet nationwide, leaving citizens in the dark. Uganda, which has only once seen a peaceful transition of presidential power, isn’t likely to have final results on Thursday. If neither of the top presidential contenders receive the 50 percent of the vote needed to win outright, Museveni and Wine will face off in a second round.

One smaller race has also attracted significant attention: the seat of Kampala Woman MP, one of 124 district positions guaranteed to promote gender equity in parliament under the constitution. Stella Nyanzi, a controversial academic and ac-

tivist, is taking on both a ruling party candidate and a member of Wine’s legal team.

Uganda’s social landscape is deeply patriarchal, but over the last few years Nyanzi has become one of its main provocateurs, often slighting Museveni and suffering the consequences. To many observers, she is a sign of the coming of a new Uganda—where political capital is shared with figures who were never part of Museveni’s National Resistance Movement (NRM) party. Despite running on separate tickets, she and Wine both present a growing threat to Museveni’s decadeslong hold on power.

Nyanzi first came to prominence in 2016, when she stripped in a feminist protest at Makerere University, where she worked as a research fellow, against her boss’s attempt to block her from her office because Nyanzi refused to teach a class.

Since then, Nyanzi’s form of protest—radical rudeness, which is especially stark in former British colonies such as Uganda that adopted Victorian ideas of public behavior—has cast her further into the public eye. her tactics, including nude protest and the use of insulting language, have earned her the censure of Museveni and landed her in prison.

In 2017, Nyanzi spent 33 days in Uganda’s maximum-security Luzira women’s prison for describing the president as a “pair of buttocks” and the first lady as “empty-brained” in a poem posted on Facebook. Makarere University suspended her. In 2019, she was sentenced to 18 months in prison for this incident, a sentence later overturned by Uganda’s high Court on the basis that the government had violated her right to fair trial.

While in prison, Nyanzi published a poetry collection, No Roses from My Mouth, that includes texts as incendiary and explicit as the one that landed her there in the first place. The Ugandan prison authorities tried to confiscate everything that she wrote, including poems and letters to her children. But since then, her stature has

risen sharply: Last year, the book’s initial print run sold out in a month.

“This is a book that people who are interested in Uganda talk about,” esther Mirembe, a Ugandan activist and one of its co-editors, told me. “She’s an icon, everyone knows her.”

Nyanzi has also gained credibility from the work she has done to provide sanitary pads to schoolgirls and from her work on queer rights—most publicly, her opposition to the draconian Uganda Anti-homosexuality Act of 2014, later annulled by the Constitutional Court of Uganda. She has garnered support from global feminist movements, and last year she was awarded the Oxfam Novib/PeN International Award for Freedom of expression.

Since Nyanzi’s release last February, she has been arrested at least five times, mostly for staging or taking part in protests. But her candid language criticizing Museveni has made her popular among younger Ugandans increasingly turning against the president. Along with Wine, Nyanzi has become a symbol of Uganda’s shrinking democratic space.

“Why was I in court for all these months? Why is the current regime of Uganda oppressing Ugandans who are expressing their constitutional rights?”

Nyanzi said when her sentence was overturned. “I am the voice for the opposition of Uganda.”

In Uganda, the tradition of radical rudeness—criticizing the powerful through public insult—did not begin with Nyanzi.

In the 1940s, for example, it was a powerful tool against the oppressive British colonial administration. Ugandan activist Semakula Mulumba wrote incendiary letters to bishops, members of parliament, and other administration officials that were distributed to the public. Mulumba described the Britons as “white swine” who wallowed in the dung of the wealth they had stolen from Uganda. In collaboration with colonial administrators, the ministers of the Baganda empire dismissed such ac-

ple like herself.

In one memorable excursion, dubbed Operation Ashlynn, Lavin ventures into the sad, malevolent membership of a white nationalist dating site. She poses as a facsimile of white nationalism’s ideal woman — blonde, thin, committed to traditional gender roles, racist — offering a disturbing peek into the way white supremacist men think of women.

Seyward Darby’s Sisters in hate exposes the real-life white women counterparts to Operation Ashlynn’s online world.

As Darby explains in the book, while white men have always been the far right’s most recognizable faces (and are responsible for the lion’s share of the violence that propels the movement), “There is other work keeping the flames of hate alive. That work is often done by women.”

White womanhood has long been weaponized against Black people and people of color, used to drive injustice and violence.

As a demographic, white women are often painted as innocents (or entirely kept out of the historical record), but they actively participated in (and profited from) the enslavement of human beings. Acting as agents of white supremacy, they later fought tooth and nail to uphold the systems that protected their white privilege. Now, long after slavery has mostly ended (the U.S. mass incarceration system is considered modern-day slavery), the spiritual progeny of those women continue to serve as willing foot soldiers in the cause. Darby profiles three modern women, all born in 1979, who make up a rogue’s gallery of virulent racism, willful obfuscation, dangerous propaganda and pure hatred. Corinna Olsen is a depressed neoNazi who becomes an FBI informant. Ayla Stewart is a white nationalist tradwife (farright shorthand for a submissive, “traditional wife”) who gained a following by preaching strict gender roles, white pride and female

tivism as disorderly, disruptive, and inappropriate.

Nyanzi also joins a long line of women who have used their bodies as a form of protest, in Africa and beyond. In pre-colonial Africa, as Sylvia Tamale writes, women of Oyo-Ile (present-day Benin and western Nigeria) protested naked in rejection of BashorunGaa’s savage rule in the 17th and 18th centuries. In colonial Cameroon, women in the areas occupied by the Kom and the Kedjom used naked protest against threats to their farmlands.

In apartheid South Africa, homeless women stripped to protest the demolition of their shacks in 1990, as did women protesting the degradation of the Niger Delta by oil companies in 2002, and students protesting against sexual violence at South Africa’s Rhodes University in 2016.

In some ways, Nyanzi’s form of protest recalls the Kenyan environmental activist Wangari Maathai, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. In 1992, Maathai led a group of women whose children were political prisoners of the dictator Daniel Moi’s regime in a hunger strike and nude protest. Moi called her a “mad woman,” a term the Ugandan government has used to describe Nyanzi nearly 30 years later.

(Museveni’s administration tried to force her to be evaluated by a psychiatrist while in prison.)

Significantly, Maathai also vied for political office, though she won only in her second attempt for a parliamentary seat.

Nyanzi’s supporters hope that she can win on her first try. She is running for office with Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), a party long associated with Museveni’s former personal doctor and political nemesis, KizzaBesigye. Besigye has run against Museveni four times, including in 2016. Nyanzi’s presence on the FDC ticket despite her previous support for Wine in the presidential race is noteworthy, as the party has its own presidential candidate, Patrick AmuriatOboi.

But the friendly competition among Uganda’s opposition contrasts with the chokehold Museveni has on the Ugandan democratic space. Three of the presidential candidates, including Wine and Amuriat, have announced a joint-vote protection team. Besigye is on good terms with Wine,

submission to men. Lana Lokteff, arguably the most odious of the lot, runs an influential far-right media company called Red Ice and serves as an eager propagandist, conspiracy theorist and mouthpiece for the white supremacist movement. All three find ways to exploit their privilege as white women to further regressive, bigoted views. Darby’s approach, as an uneasy observer, gives these women plenty of space to indict themselves. each of these three books has a distinct focus, but they are ultimately part of the same story. Darby’s book is a chilling document on its own but is especially unsettling paired with Lavin’s findings on the romantic yearnings of white supremacist men. O’Neill’s self-reflection — on the ways he, as a white man, benefits from white supremacy — echoes the care taken

by Darby and Lavin to examine their respective roles as white or white-passing women who have been alternately coddled and punished by the same white supremacist system (which happens to place some of their more willing sisters on a swastikaemblazoned pedestal). All three emphasize the need to dismantle white supremacy.

Their narratives even share some common geography, like the neo-Nazi terror attack at the Unite the Right white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., on August 12, 2017. O’Neill describes how Charlottesville’s Confederate statues became a cause célèbre for the neo-Confederates and neo-Nazis who invaded the sleepy college town. Lavin attends a 2019 memorial service for heather heyer — the woman who was killed at the rally when a neo-Nazi ran his car into a crowd of peaceful counter-protesters — to collect stories from locals who survived the attack. Darby explains how Ayla Stewart, who was scheduled to speak at the rally, rationalized away the events and conjured up ways to blame heyer for getting murdered.

These interlocking books offer a glimpse into the endless ways white supremacy enmeshes itself in every facet of American society, but they also make the path forward clear and create space for optimism by highlighting the efforts of the activists, anti-fascists and organizers working to expose and eradicate the weed of white supremacy. Only by pulling it up from the root can we stop its spread.

KIM KELLY is a freelance journalist based in Philadelphia. Her work on labor, culture and politics can be found in Esquire, Teen Vogue, The Baffler and the Washington Post.

and Nyanzi is also a member of People Power, a resistance pressure group that started in 2017 that was led by Wine. While Besigye has joined Amuriat on the campaign trail, he has also acted as an elder statesman for all the candidates seeking to unseat Museveni. In a press briefing on Tuesday, Besigye praised them for withstanding campaign violence by security forces.

In this Uganda, the state has relied on familiar tactics. As security forces attempted to quell protests in the wake of Wine’s arrest in November for allegedly violating pandemic restrictions, some of his supporters were killed and hundreds more injured. Ahead of the elections, security forces have attacked reporters, with the government deporting some and announcing new regulations for foreign journalists.

Furthermore, the Uganda National electoral Commission has locked out roughly 1 million eligible voters, claiming not to have the time or resources to register new voters who—given their age—would likely have gravitated toward Wine. Along with the violence ahead of the election, this move signals that Museveni will likely retain power in an election that will neither be free nor fair.

In the meantime, Nyanzi is writing more poetry, much of it vulgar—in recent one, she told Museveni to “wipe the kisses off my pouting lips with your underwear made from the national flag drenched in blood—fresh and old”—and posting it on Facebook. “People criticise the tool of vulgarity and yet even they are a part of the audience and so just confirmed that actually it works very well,” she said in an interview last year. “Vulgarity is not an end in itself, it’s a means to achieving something, it’s a means to communicating much more.”

Nyanzi has a good chance of becoming a member of Uganda’s Parliament, one of a growing tide of Ugandan politicians who could shape a Uganda beyond Museveni’s clutches. If she loses, she will continue her role as Uganda’s provocateur. either way, Nyanzi has made clear that whoever wields power in the country—whether Wine, Amuriat, or Museveni—will face questions from her.

Carey Baraka is a Kenyan writer.

Monday, 18 January, 2021

BUSINESS 09 corporate corner Annual Maintenance of 500 kV Rawat Grid Station postponed LAHORE: The spokesman of National Transmission and Despatch Company Ltd (NTDC) has said that the annual maintenance work on 132 kV Bus Bar at 500 kV Rawat Grid Station to be carried out on 18 & 19 January 2021 has been postponed due to cancellation of Shut Down by IESCO. The spokesman further said that uninterrupted power supply will be continued to 132 kV and 66 kV grid stations of IESCO. PrESS rElEASE

The Bank of Punjab and Reall UL sign MoU for promotion of low cost housing in Pakistan With a housing backlog of 9 million homes and an annual housing shortfall of 270,000 homes, the need in Pakistan is huge. Besides the shortage of available housing, inflation and the rising trend in prices make home ownership even further out of reach for the average Pakistani each year. Housing finance in Pakistan is notably underdeveloped, only 1,500 new mortgages are extended annually, and the large majority of these are offered to borrowers living on middle and higher incomes. Promotion of Low Cost Housing is a key pillar of the Bank of Punjab’s strategy and mission. As part of its mission to promote and provide low cost housing in Pakistan, the Bank of Punjab and Reall Limited, UK have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The MoU was signed

by Mr. Patrick Domingos-Tembawa, Director of Operations and Investment, Reall Limited and Mr. Asif Riaz, Group Head Retail & Priority Sectors Lending, the Bank of Punjab. Reall are innovators and investors in affordable housing funded by the UK Aid and Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and work with local developers in Asia and Africa to create scalable low cost sustainable housing projects. Reall has been operating in Pakistan since 1992 but since 2014, has invested around £20million in the Pakistan affordable housing sector. Through Ansaar Management Company (AMC) headed by Jawad Aslam, Reall has financed housing projects in Faisalabad, Lahore, Multan and Peshawar and Reall is now investing in two additional new partners. EPL, a Lahore-based firm headed by Raza Khan delivering mid-rise high-quality affordable housing and ModulusTech, a Karachi-based green build-tech start-up headed by Nabeel Siddiqui Under this MoU, the Bank of Punjab has joined hands with Reall to finance builders and developers of low cost housing projects for speeding up and scaling the supply of affordable homes in the country. The Bank will also provide loans to the prospective low income buyers of these housing units at subsidized rates under the State Bank of Pakistan’s Mark-up Subsidy Scheme for Low Cost Housing as part of the Government’s agenda to promote the Housing & Construction Industry and provide affordable living to the masses. Mr. Zafar Masud, President & CEO of BOP said on the occasion that this alliance will go a long way in promoting the efforts of SBP and NAPHDA/GoP in extending mortgage financing for low cost housing to the much needed borrowers in the informal sector. This collaboration will not only help in achieving the affordable housing inventory requirement but also gaining the expertise in this sector from the best in the world. Reall’s Head of Operations, Ms Emma Ahmed, stated in response that it is a great privilege for Reall to work with the Bank of Punjab to develop the affordable housing ecosystem in Pakistan. Together we will prove the viability of lending to the informal sector, and deliver sustainable affordable housing at scale in a way that is deeply impactful and genuinely commercially viable. This will transform the affordable housing market for the better in Pakistan, while setting out a blueprint for other markets across the globe. Together, we can unlock a huge untapped market opportunity for the private sector and improve the life chances of millions of people on low incomes. PrESS rElEASE

SSGS STARTS CRACkdown AGAinST CoMPReSSoRS; ReSToReS SUPPLy To Sindh CnG STATionS KARACHI

T

TlTP

HE Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) launched a crackdown against the illegal use of gas compressors on Sunday.

A spokesperson has said that the installation and use of gas compressors is an illegal act. The Balochistan High Court has directed to act against those

involved in this illegal act, the spokesperson said.

People across the country using gas compressor to suck in more gas to increase the gas flow results in a situation of widespread gas shortage.

An official of the SSGC had earlier said that the low pressure is because of the illegal use of compressor by some people. The illegal use of gas compressors has led to low gas pressure problems in several cities. The

gas companies have constituted special teams to launch a crackdown against those who are depriving their neighbours of the gas facility by using the compressors.

Moreover, several domestic consumers use a fridge compressor to suck in more gas to increase gas flow at their homes, which is said to be a dangerous and illegal practice.

Domestic and industrial consumers are facing shortage of gas across Pak-

KP govt to establish 10 economic zones across province The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has planned to establish at least 10 economic zones across the province in the next decade under the Industrial Policy, 2020, after the provincial cabinet’s approval of the policy in this regard last month.

According to local media outlets that reviewed the policy, the proposed zones include Rashkai Special Economic Zone and Nowshera Economic Zone Extension and will be set up in Jalozai, Nowshera, Chitral, Mohmand, Ghazi, Darband, Swat, Buner and Shakas areas, while the establishment of two special economic zones (SEZs) under public-private partnership (PPP) in the next five years has been planned.

Similarly, the document proposes the establishment of 19 small industrial estates across the province in the next decade.

The policy will promote construction, automobile, pharmaceutical, electronics, apparel,

transshipment, IT and food and labour intensive industries in the province, proposing that human resources be equipped with modern and technical skills, including artificial intelligence, and those required for fourth industrial revolution.

It also calls for leveraging the province’s natural resources like hydel, mines and minerals, oil and gas, food and beverage processing, and cottage industry to make the local industrial sector competitive.

The fiscal incentive package proposed for investors to set up industrial units in the province provides for the exemption from provincial electricity duty for new and expansion projects, initial installation and balancing, modernisation and replacement facility for one-time duty, tax-free import of capital goods both plant and machinery, exemption of tax on transfer of sick unit property and repatriation of profit for foreign investors subject to the ex-

isting laws and commitments.

The policy also proposes incentives in the merged tribal districts, especially in those with raw material and human resources and says they will be provided with 15pc quota in credit incentives for SMEs. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) will be asked to direct both public and private sector commercial banks to extend Shariah compliant commercial lending to these districts.

Furthermore, land in the specific merged areas earmarked for industrial zones will be provided at 15 per cent discounted price, while electricity will be supplied through independent feeders.

Also, an easy access to local markets will be ensured in respect of the goods processed and manufactured in the merged tribal districts.

The policy also reveals that the exemption of KP sales tax on services will continue in tribal districts until June 30, 2023. MONITOrING rEPOrT

Facebook to ban ads promoting weapon accessories, protective gear in US WASHINGTON AGENCIES

Facebook Inc said on Saturday it will ban advertisements for weapon accessories and protective equipment in the United States with immediate effect until at least two days after U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

Following the attack by supporters of President Donald Trump against the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, the social media company said it will now prohibit ads for accessories such as gun safes, vests and gun holsters in the United States.

“We already prohibit ads for weapons, ammunition and weapon enhancements like silencers. But we will now also prohibit ads for accessories,” Facebook said in a blog post.

Three U.S. senators sent a letter to Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg on Friday asking him to permanently block advertisements of products that are clearly designed to be used in armed combat.

The senators, all Democrats, said the company must take this and other actions to “hold itself accountable for how domestic enemies of the United States have used the company’s products and platform to further their own illicit aims.”

Facebook on Friday blocked the creation of any new Facebook events in close proximity to places such as the White House and U.S. Capitol in Washington, as well as state capitol buildings, through Jan. 20.

The FBI has warned of armed protests being planned for Washington and all 50 state capitals in the run-up to the inauguration.

Buzzfeed reported this week that Facebook has been running ads for military equipment next to content promoting election misinformation and news about the violence on Jan. 6.

A Facebook company spokesperson said all the pages identified in the Buzzfeed story had been removed, and that the company was working with intelligence and terrorism experts and law enforcement.

Summary to import 500k tonnes of sugar being moved to ECC: Hammad Federal Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar has said that a summary for importing 500k tonnes of sugar is being moved to the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC).

In a tweet on Sunday, the federal minister said the

istan since the winter season fell.

Meanwhile, after a six-day closure, CNG stations reopened on Sunday across Sindh. Initially, SSGC had announced the closure of CNG stations for three days starting January 11 in wake of the gas crisis that has gripped the country.

The duration, however, was extended and after another 24 hours delay, the gas stations reopened at 8:00 am on Sunday.

provincial governments have suggested that local production of sugar will be higher than last season. But owing to low carryover stocks, TCP, in consultation with provinces, will be advised to initiate imports early.

“The provinces will be advised to release this sugar

at retail stage at subsidised and control rates,” he said.

He went on to say that cane commissioners have reported ample supply of sugar and sugar cane for the time being, adding that any reports to the contrary are fake news. BUSINESS DESK

Fiat Chrysler, PSA seal merger to become Stellantis MILAN AGENCIES

Fiat Chrysler and PSA sealed their long-awaited merger on Saturday to create Stellantis, the world’s fourth-largest auto group with deep enough pockets to fund the shift to electric driving and take on bigger rivals Toyota and Volkswagen. It took over a year for the Italian-American and Fre¬n¬ch automakers to finalise the $52 billion deal, during which the global economy was upended by the Covid-19 pandemic.

They first announced plans to merge in October 2019, to create a group with annual sales of around 8.1 million vehicles. “The merger between Peugeot S.A. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. that will lead the path to the creation of Stellantis N.V. became effective today,” the two automakers said in a statement. Shares in Stellantis, which will be headed by current PSA Chief Executive Carlos Tavares, will start trading in Milan and Paris on Monday, and in New York on Tuesday. Now analysts and investors are turning their focus to how Tavares plans to address the huge challenges facing the group from excess production capacity to a woeful performance in China. Tavares will hold his first press conference as Stell¬antis CEO on Tuesday, after ringing NYSE’s bell with Chairman John Elkann. FCA and PSA have said Stellantis can cut annual costs by over 5bn euros ($6.1bn) without plant closures, and investors will be keen for more details on how it will do this. Marco Santino, a partner at consultants Oliver Wym¬an, said he expected Tavares to disclose the outlines of his action plan soon, but without divulging too many details at first. “He has proven to be the kind of person who prefers action to words, so I don’t think he will make loud statements or try to over-sell targets,” he said. Like all global automakers, Stellantis needs to invest billions in the years ahead to transform its vehicle range for the electric era. But other pressing tasks loom, including reviving the group’s lagging fortunes in China, rationalising its huge global empire and addressing massive overcapacity. “It will be a step by step process, also to allow the market to better appreciate every single move. I don’t think we will have all the details before one year,” Santino said. FCA CEO Mike Manley — who will head Stellantis’ key North American operations — has said 40 per cent of the carmaker’s expected synergies would come from convergence of platforms and powertrains and from optimising R&D investments, 35pc from savings on purchases, and another 7pc from savings on sales operations and general expenses.

Trump directs government to minimise procurement from China WASHINGTON AGENCIES

In another action against China days before he leaves office, US President Donald Trump on Friday directed government departments to look at ways to minimise procurement of Chinese goods and services to reduce the risks from espionage, his national security adviser said.

In a statement, Robert O’Brien accused

China of targeting the information systems of the US government for personnel records, military plans, and other data through cyber and other means.

“For this reason, the United States must take corresponding actions to protect American interests. We must adjust our regulations and policies and take other necessary actions to reduce the risk of PRC technical and human espionage activities directed at the Federal Government,” he said, referring

to the People’s Republic of China.

He said Trump had directed government bodies to conduct reviews “to minimize the procurement of People’s Republic of China (PRC) goods and services by the Federal Government.”

O’Brien did not give examples of the procurement he referred to, but a senior administration official said a key aim was to push back against Chinese attempts to infiltrate U.S. IT networks.

CMYK

“Anything having to do with Chinese companies that are going to have kit components in our network could potentially become a vulnerability that could be used to continue China’s military-civil fusion strategy,” the official said.

“If there’s hardware, for example, that would make its way into our networks, that’s the sort of stuff that could pose a potential vulnerability.”

The announcement comes less than a

week before Trump leaves office to be succeeded by Democrat Joe Biden on Jan 20. It was the latest in a series of steps targeting China, which analysts see as a bid to lock in a tough approach to Beijing.

Trump has pursued hard-line policies toward China on issues ranging from trade to espionage and the coronavirus. Relations plummeted to their worst level in decades when he ramped up rhetoric in his unsuccessful re-election campaign.

Monday, 18 January, 2021

10 FOREIGN NEWS

BrItaIn InvItes G7 leaders to CornIsh resort for JUne sUMMIt LONDON

B

Agencies

RITAIN announced plans to hold the first in-person meeting of the G7 for nearly two years in June, inviting the leaders of major developed economies to a picturesque seaside village to discuss rebuilding from the pandemic and climate change.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he wants to use Britain’s presidency of the G7 to forge a consensus that the global economy must recover from the Covid-19 crisis in a pro-free trade and sustainable way.

“Coronavirus is doubtless the most destructive force we have seen for generations and the greatest test of the modern world order we have experienced,” he said in a statement. “It is only right that we approach the challenge of building back better by uniting with a spirit of openness to create a better future.”

Britain has suffered badly during the health crisis, with the highest death toll in

Europe of more than 88,000 people.

But, while a third wave of the virus causes more than 1,000 deaths per day, the country is leading the way on vaccinations having been the first in the world to authorise their use, and hopes to have much

Quake death toll at 78 as Indonesia struggles with string of disasters

of the population protected within months.

Last year’s G7 meeting, due to be hosted by US President Donald Trump, was cancelled due to the pandemic, meaning the leaders of Britain, Germany, France, the United States, Italy, Japan, the

European Union and Canada have not met in person since the 2019 meeting in Biarritz, France.

The Sunday Telegraph newspaper said the British government hoped the event would be the occasion for US Presidentelect Joe Biden’s first trip to Europe after he becomes president on Jan. 20.

“I don’t think he will visit anywhere else before the G7, except possibly Canada,” the newspaper quoted an unnamed British government source as saying.

Johnson has also invited Australia, India and South Korea to attend.

The summit will take place in the tiny resort of Carbis Bay in Cornwall, southwest England - an area now most famous for its beaches and surfing but also home to fishing fleets and once an important mining area.

“Two hundred years ago Cornwall’s tin and copper mines were at the heart of the UK’s industrial revolution and this summer Cornwall will again be the nucleus of great global change and advancement,” Johnson said.

Joe Biden reveals executive orders of day one WASHINGTON Agencies

JAKARTA Agencies

At least 78 people have been killed after an earthquake struck Indonesia’s West Sulawesi province on Friday, the Search and Rescue agency (Basarnas) said on Sunday, the latest in a string of disasters to hit the Southeast Asian country. In a statement, Basarnas confirmed 78 had died, 67 of whom were from the district of Mamuju and the rest from the district of Majene in West Sulawesi. More than 740 people were injured and over 27,800 left their homes after the 6.2 magnitude quake, the country’s disaster mitigation agency separately (BNPB) said in a situation report. Some sought refuge in the mountains, while others went to cramped evacuation centres, witnesses said. Police and military officers have been deployed to crack down on looting in several parts of the region, BNPB spokesman Raditya Jati said. An emergency response status, intended to help rescue efforts, has also been put in place for two weeks, Raditya said. Dwikorita Karnawati, the head of Indonesia’s meteorological, climatology and geophysical agency (BMKG), has said that another quake in the region could potentially trigger a tsunami. Straddling the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia is regularly hit by earthquakes. In 2018, a devastating 7.5magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami struck the city of Palu, in Sulawesi, killing thousands.

Just two weeks into the new year, the world’s fourth-most populous country is battling several disasters. Floods in South Kalimantan and North Sulawesi have respectively killed at least 15 and five this month, while landslides in West Java province have killed at least 32, authorities said.

On January 9, a Sriwijaya Air jet crashed into the Java Sea with 62 onboard. East Java’s Semeru mountain erupted late on Saturday, but there have been no reports of casualties or evacuations.

Dwikorita said extreme weather and other “multidangers” of hydrometeorology are forecast in the coming weeks.

In his first hours as president, Joe Biden plans to take executive action to roll back some of the most controversial decisions of his predecessor and to address the raging coronavirus pandemic, his incoming chief of staff said Saturday.

The opening salvo would herald a 10-day blitz of executive actions as Biden seeks to act swiftly to redirect the country in the wake of Donald Trump's presidency without waiting for Congress.

On Wednesday, following his inauguration, Biden will end Trump's restriction on immigration to the US from some Muslim-majority countries, move to rejoin the Paris climate accord and mandate mask-wearing on federal property and during interstate travel. Those are among roughly a dozen actions Biden will take on his first day in the White House, his incoming chief of staff, Ron Klain, said in a memo to senior staff.

Other actions include extending the pause on student loan payments and actions meant to prevent evictions and foreclosures for those struggling during the pandemic.

“These executive actions will deliver relief to the millions of Americans that are struggling in the face of these crises,” Klain said in the memo. “President-elect Biden will take action — not just to reverse the gravest damages of the Trump administration — but also to start moving our country forward.”

"Full achievement” of Biden’s goals will require Congress to act, Klain wrote, including the $1.9 trillion virus relief bill he outlined on

Thursday. Klain said that Biden would also propose a comprehensive immigration reform bill to lawmakers on his first day in office.

Providing a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants in the US illegally will be part of Biden's agenda, according to people briefed on his plans. Ali Noorani, president of the National Immigration Forum and among those briefed, said immigrants would be put on an eight-year path. There would be a faster track for those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which shields people from deportation who came to the US as children, and for those from strife-torn countries with temporary status.

Day Two for The new presiDenT: On Thursday, the new president's second day in office, Biden would sign orders related to the COVID-19 outbreak aimed at reopening schools and businesses, and expanding virus testing, Klain said.

The following day, Friday, will see action on providing economic relief to those suffering the economic costs of the pandemic.

In the following week, Klain said, Biden would take additional actions relating to criminal justice reform, climate change and immigration — including a directive to speed the reuniting of families separated at the US-Mexico border under Trump’s policies.

More actions will be added, Klain said, once they clear legal review.

Incoming presidents traditionally move swiftly to sign an array of executive actions when they take office. Trump did the same, but he found many of his orders challenged and even rejected by courts.

Klain maintained that Biden should not suffer similar issues, saying “the legal theory behind them is well-founded and represents a restoration of an appropriate, constitutional role for the President.”

Uganda's Museveni wins sixth term, rival alleges fraud KAMPALA Agencies

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has scored a decisive election victory to win a sixth term, the country’s election commission said on Saturday, but his main rival Bobi Wine denounced the results as fraudulent and urged citizens to reject them. The 76-year-old Museveni, in power since 1986 and one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, dismissed the allegations of fraud in an evening address to the nation, saying Thursday’s election may turn out to be the “most cheating free” in Uganda’s history. The Electoral Commission said final counts showed Museveni won 5.85 million votes, or 58.6 per cent, while Wine had 3.48 million votes (34.8 per cent). The campaign was marked by a deadly crackdown by security forces on Wine, other opposition candidates and their supporters. In the run-up to the vote local civil society groups and foreign governments questioned its credibility and transparency, after scores of requests for accreditation to monitor the election were denied. The United States and an African election monitoring group complained of election irregularities. Britain said it was concerned by a national internet shutdown that began the day before the vote, and that it said constrained freedoms and “clearly limited the transparency of the elections”. In a statement, British Minister for Africa James Duddridge also called for concerns about the election process to be investigated. Wine, a 38-year-old singerturned-lawmaker who had rallied young Ugandans behind his call for political change, called the results a “complete fraud”. “It’s an election that was taken over by the military and the police,” he said in a phone interview from inside his home in the capital, Kampala, which was surrounded by soldiers who he said had forbidden him from leaving. “It further exposes how dictatorial the Museveni regime is,” added Wine, who campaigned to end what he called widespread corruption. “It’s a mockery of democracy.” Army deputy spokesman Deo Akiiki told Reuters that security officers at Wine’s house were assessing threats he could face: “So they might be preventing him in the interest of his own safety.” Museveni argued in the campaign that his long experience makes him a good leader and promised to keep delivering stability and progress. Wearing his signature hat and speaking from his rural home on Saturday evening, Museveni criticised “the elite” for problems with the national education and health systems and noted that Uganda has surplus supplies of sugar, milk and maize. Reprising a familiar refrain, he said he is not in government to enjoy a good life, which he has as a farmer, but rather to address historical challenges. The government banned all social media and messaging apps on Tuesday. On Wednesday it ordered the internet shut off and has not yet restored it. After the results were announced, many neighbourhoods in normally bustling Kampala were unusually quiet as nightfall approached. Soldiers and police who had patrolled throughout the day remained on the streets in large numbers, witnesses said. “These gunmen are all over and they are ready to kill,” said Innocent Mutambi, 26, a welder. “I am sure what they announced is false, but right now we can’t take them on, they will kill us.” Hundreds of the president’s supporters rode motorcycles from the election tallying centre to downtown, where people danced with posters bearing the president’s face. Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, has said he has video proof of voting fraud that he will share once internet connections are restored. He said on Saturday that his campaign has evidence that the military forced people at gunpoint to vote for Museveni and engaged in ballot stuffing and other rigging.

The electoral commission said on Friday that under Ugandan law, the burden of proof rested with Wine.

In wheelchair, paraplegic Lai Chi-wai climbs up skyscraper in Hong Kong HONG KONG Agencies

Lai Chi-wai became the first in Hong Kong to climb more than 250 meters of a skyscraper while strapped into a wheelchair as he pulled himself up for more than 10 hours on Saturday to raise money for spinal cord patients.

The 37-year-old climber, whose car accident 10 years ago left him paralyzed from waist down, could not make it to the top of the 300 metre-tall Nina Tower on the Kowloon peninsula.

“I was quite scared,” Lai said. “Climbing up a mountain, I can hold onto rocks or little

holes, but with glass, all I can really rely on is the rope that I’m hanging off.”

The event raised HK$5.2 million ($670,639) in donations.

Lai, prior to 2011, was crowned Asia champion four times for rock climbing and at one point ranked eighth globally.

After his accident, he resumed climbing by attaching his wheelchair to a pulley system.

Five years ago he ascended the 495-metre high Lion Rock mountain, a local folk culture symbol of Hong Kong’s strength and grit.

“Apart from just living, I wondered what drives me? So I began to chase that, knowing that there was a possibility I could climb mountains, even in a wheelchair,” Lai said.

“In a way, I forgot that I was a disabled person, I could still dream and I could still do what I liked doing.”

Although he did not make it to the top of the skyscraper, due to safety concerns, Lai hoped to send a message.

“Some people don’t understand the difficulties of disabled people, some people think that we are always weak, we need help, we need assistance, we need people’s pity,” Lai said.

“But, I want to tell everyone, it doesn’t have to be like that. If a disabled person can shine, they can at the same time bring about opportunity, hope, bring about light, they don’t have to be viewed as weak.”

Monday, 18 January, 2021

SundAr-ThAkur reArguArd bringS indiA bAck inTO briSbAne cOnTeST

Proteas squad test negative for coronavirus KArAchi AGENCIES

The Cricket South Africa have confirmed that all of their players' coronavirus tests after landing in Pakistan have returned negative. A squad of 21 players had arrived here on Saturday. "The South Africa Test squad has arrived safely in Karachi to begin preparation for their historical two-match series against the hosts beginning on 26 January," said the board in a statement. The team underwent Covid-19 testing upon arrival at the team hotel and have been quarantining in their rooms since then.

The Proteas are set to take on Pakistan in two Tests and three T20s from January 26 to February 14. South Africa will also play a two-day inter-squad match at Gymkhana this Thursday and Friday ahead of the opening Test. This is Proteas' first visit to Pakistan since 2007 when they defeated the hosts by 160 runs in Karachi to clinch the series 1-0. Proteas squad: Quinton de Kock (captain), Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Kagiso Rabada, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Rassie van der Dussen, Anrich Nortje, Wiaan Mulder, Lutho Sipamla, Beuran Hendricks, Kyle Verreynne, Sarel Erwee, Keegan Petersen, Tabraiz Shamsi, George Linde, Daryn Dupavillon, Marco Jansen.

BrisBANE AGENCIES

Debutant Washington Sundar and number eight batsman Shardul Thakur conjured a defiant rearguard action on Sunday to drag India back into the contest in the deciding fourth Test against Australia being played in Brisbane.

Drafted into the playing XI because of injuries to India’s frontline bowlers, the duo smashed maiden Test fifties to deny Australia a substantial first innings lead.

Having finally bowled India out for 336, Australia finished day three on 21 for no loss, an overall lead of 54 runs in the final match of a see-saw series which remains level at 1-1.

David Warner, batting on 20, and Marcus Harris (one) saw through the final 20 minutes at the Gabba without being separated.

Earlier, India were AUSTRALIA reeling at 186-6 in reply AND 21 FOR 0 369 to Australia’s first inLEAD INDIA 336 nings total of 369, but Sundar’s defiant 123- (THAKUR 67, SUNDAR 62, run seventh wicket colHAZLEWOOD 5-57) laboration with Thakur “It’s obviously a crurescued the tourists.

BY 54 RUNS cial partnership by them,” Playing only his secJosh Hazlewood, who reond Test, Shardul brought up turned 5-57, said. “We had them, his fifty with his second six, nonchalantly hitting spinner Nathan Lyon I think, about six for 200, around that mark. So we thought we were well on over the long-on rope.

Sundar, who had claimed three top there and to be fair, the guys batted wickets in Australia’s first innings, com- really well.” Their resolute batting conpleted his fifty in the next over in a less trasted the dubious shot selection by spectacular fashion taking a single off some of their top order team mates. Resuming on 62 for two, the tourists added Mitchell Starc.

SPORTS 11

Australian Open to plough ahead despite players' quarantine anger 43 runs before Hazlewood dismissed the obdurate Cheteshwar Pujara for 25.

Skipper Ajinkya Rahane chased a wide Starc delivery to depart for 37 and Hazlewood struck twice after lunch to dismiss Mayank Agarwal (38) and Rishabh Pant (23).

Pant perished attempting a Twenty20 shot, trying to steer a rising delivery over the slip and finding Cameron Green at gully instead.

Sundar, who made 62, and Thakur frustrated the hosts, aided by the occasional stroke of luck. Thakur smashed nine boundaries in his belligerent 67 and by the time Pat Cummins pegged back his off-stump, India had crossed the 300-mark. “The idea was to bat as long as possible,” Thakur said in a video conference. “The more we score, the less would be their lead. We just wanted to spend some time there.”

Leach takes five wickets as nervous England near victory GALLE AGENCIES

Left-arm spinner Jack Leach took five wickets as England edged towards victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test in Galle, but they made a nervous start to their pursuit of a modest target of 74 and closed day four on 38 for three on Sunday.

Jonny Bairstow (11 not out) and debutant Dan Lawrence (7 not out) will lead the victory charge on the final day but must master a wicket offering prodigious turn that will leave Sri Lanka believing they are still in with a sniff of an upset.

South Africa were skittled for 73 in ENGLAND their fourth innings in Galle in 2018 as the home side took 28.5 overs to take 421 AND 38 FOR 3 10 wickets, a blueprint for their po2-13) NEED (EMBULDENIYA tential success in this match.

36 MORE RUNS TO BEAT SRI England lost opener Dom Sibley (2) in the first over of their LANKA 135 AND 359 (PERERA chase when he left a delivery from 62, THIRIMANNE 111, Lasith Embuldeniya (2-13) that clipped his off stump and Zak CrawMATHEWS 71, LEACH 5ley (8) soon followed, caught at slip by 122, BESS 3-100) Kusal Mendis off the same bowler.

There was disaster for the visitors when ing at 14 for three. captain Joe Root (1), who scored a superb 228 in It was a needless attempt at a single that the first innings, was run out by a direct his from wick- showed the nerves of the visitors and Root’s fifth run etkeeper Niroshan Dickwella to leave England teeter- out in Tests since the start of 2018.

Earlier, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 359 in their second innings as opener Lahiru Thirimanne scored his second Test century in 37 matches before being dismissed for 111.

MELBOUrNE AGENCIES

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley has confirmed the year’s first Grand Slam will go ahead from Feb. 8 despite anger from players forced into hard quarantine in Melbourne due to positive Covid-19 cases on their charter planes. Forty-seven players and their entourages have to isolate for two weeks in their hotel rooms in Melbourne and are no longer able to leave them to train after infections were reported on two chartered flights carrying them to Melbourne. Other players who arrived in different planes are also undertaking a mandatory 14-day quarantine but are permitted to leave their hotels for five hours a day to train, raising questions about the integrity of the Grand Slam. Tiley said the tournament would start as scheduled but governing body Tennis Australia would look at altering the leadup tournaments to help the affected players. “We are reviewing the schedule leading in to see what we can do to assist these players,” Tiley told the Nine Network on Sunday. “The Australian Open is going ahead and we will continue to do the best we possibly can do to ensure those players have the best opportunity.” Quarantine authorities said they had recorded a fourth Covid-19 infection among the passengers on the two charter flights carrying players to Melbourne. A broadcaster on the flight from Los Angeles had tested positive, adding to an aircrew member and a tennis coach on the same plane who were reported on Saturday.

The other case was Sylvain Bruneau, the coach of the women’s 2019 US Open champion - Canada’s Bianca Andreescu. Bruneau was a passenger on a charter flight carrying 23 players from Abu Dhabi. Some of the affected players complained about their detention, saying they had not been adequately advised. Romanian Sorana Cirstea, the women’s world number 71, said on social media: “If they would have told us this rule before, I would not play in Australia. I would have stayed home.

“They told us we would fly at 20 per cent capacity, in sections, and we would be a close contact only if my team or cohort tests positive.” Swiss player Belinda Bencic said she and the other 46 players were at a disadvantage. “We are not complaining (about being) in quarantine. We are complaining because of unequal practice/playing conditions before quite important tournaments,” she said on social media.

'NO ROOM TO SWING A RACKET'

New Zealand player shares lockdown life MELBOUrNE AGENCIES

As one of the 47 tennis players forced into a hard isolation ahead of the Australian Open, New Zealand’s Artem Sitak may be bouncing off the walls of his Melbourne hotel room by the end of his 14-day quarantine.

The Russia-born doubles specialist was on flight QR7493 from Los Angeles, sharing the chartered plane with three people who tested positive to Covid-19 after landing in Melbourne.

Now, as one of the two-dozen players aboard the flight deemed “close contacts” of the infected trio, Sitak is effectively in solitary confinement at the View Melbourne, an inner city hotel converted into a quarantine

facility. Unlike other players who arrived safely and have the luxury of leaving their hotels to train five hours a day, the 34-yearold cannot even open his door for the threat of a A$20,000 ($15,400) fine under Australia’s strict quarantine regime.

Some players have complained and said they are at a disadvantage compared to better-prepared opponents ahead of the Feb. 821 Grand Slam.

But Sitak is philosophical, and intends to burn through the hours with exercise, reading and playing games on his Nintendo Switch.

“Everything that I did in the off-season ... I had six very good weeks of training, it’s not completely ruined but it’s not the same now,” he told Reuters in an interview.

“Obviously when I come out of the quarantine, we’re all going to be a little bit rusty.

“We’re going to have to ease into it a little bit because it’s not easy to be locked down for 14 days. But what can you do with the circumstances?”

Sitak gave Reuters a virtual tour of his room, a bland but comfortable enough space with a window that overlooks a city-scape.

With no housekeeping available, he laughed that his room was a bit of a mess on day three of quarantine.

But there was “amazing coffee”, an exercise bike and other fitness equipment that tournament organisers Tennis Australia (TA) had sent to his room.

He said he was eating the food served by the hotel but other players were unsatisfied

with it and were using a food delivery app instead. “We told Tennis Australia that it’s not up to the professional tennis player’s standards, so they are working on improving that,” he said.

“They gave us the Uber Eats, if we want to order Uber Eats we’ll get extra money in the end with our prizemoney to compensate for that.”

He praised TA for trying hard to make the best of a difficult situation. Yet he also had sympathy for players concerned about the risks of competing after two weeks stuck in their rooms.

“Yeah, definitely, especially for singles players if they have to come out and go play a singles match, it’s very difficult, it’s extremely difficult,” he said.

“I hope for everyone that they’ll be fine and there will be no injuries. It could happen.

“But as I said in my (social media) post, we knew the risk we were taking and Australia being very, very strict with their rules concerning the virus ... this was always a possibility.”

Sitak said he had been impressed by the creativity of Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas, another tennis pro in hard isolation.

The world number 68 Cuevas posted video on social media of himself hitting a ball against an upturned mattress in his room and “surfing” on his bed.

“That was pretty cool,” said Sitak. “He has a pretty big room, so he can actually swing his racket in it. I don’t think I can swing my racket in this room.”

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GHULAM SARWAR SAYS PAKISTAN COULDN'T PAY LEAST BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC

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EDERAL Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan held the previous government responsible for leasing the two Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircrafts on overly expensive terms.

He told media persons on Saturday that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had acquired the planes on expensive leases which could not be paid by the national exchequer due to the pandemic.

He added that a case was being heard in a United Kingdom court but a Malaysian court issued an order without giving the air-

line a chance to present arguments.

The next hearing in London will take place on January 22, while the matter will also be taken up in a Malaysian court on January 24.

54 of 172 passengers on board a PIA held back by Malaysian authorities on Friday returned home on Sunday.

The Boeing 777 aircraft was seized after a court order, a PIA spokesman said, and alternative arrangements were being made for passengers due to fly from Kuala Lumpur back to Pakistan. The case involved a $14

US Congress passes ‘Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act’ for Pakistani women USAID WILL BE AWARDING AT LEAST 50PC SCHOLARSHIPS TO PAKISTANI WOMEN, ACROSS A RANGE OF ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES

million lease dispute, the airline said.

After the passage of some 40 hours, the PIA management managed to send home the 54 nationals through a Qatar Airlines flight.

On arrival at Islamabad International Airport, the passengers piled up complaints against Pakistan embassy officials and the PIA staffers. They said that the airline’s and the embassy staff did not cooperate in arranging alternate accommodation, saying they had to sleep on the floor of the Kuala Lumpur Airport for two days.

“PIA’s Kuala Lumpur flight’s passengers

will reach Islamabad in the evening today (Saturday),” a PIA handout said on Saturday and added the airline’s ground staff in Dubai and Doha were ensuring the stranded passengers were well taken care of.

According to orders passed by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Thursday and seen

by Reuters, the plaintiff of the case is Peregrine Aviation Charlie Limited and the matter pertains to two jets leased to PIA by Dublin-based AerCap, the world’s largest aircraft lessor, in 2015.

They are part of a portfolio that AerCap

Gunmen kill two female Supreme Court judges in Afghanistan: police KABUL Agencies

APP The United States Congress has passed a bill named after Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai that expands the number of scholarships to women in Pakistan under a merit and needs-based programme, according to information posted on the congressional website. The ‘Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act’ was passed by the House of Representatives in March 2020, and the US Senate adopted it by a voice vote on January 1, 2021. It has now been been signed by US President Donald Trump into law, according to a bill announcement issued by the White House on January 13. The bill requires the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to award at least 50 per cent of scholarships under a Pakistan-based higher education scholarship programme to Pakistani women, from 2020 to 2022, across a range of academic disciplines and in accordance with existing eligibility criteria. The USAID is also required to consult with and leverage investments by the Pakistani private sector and Pakistani diaspora in the United States to improve and expand access to education programmes in Pakistan as per the norms of the bill. The agency has to brief the Congress annually on the number of scholarships awarded under the programme, including breakdowns by gender, discipline, and degree type. The percentage of recipients who were involuntarily pushed out of the programme for failure to meet programme requirements; and the percentage of recipients who dropped out of school, including due to retaliation for seeking education will also be calculated. Since 2010, the USAID has awarded more than 6,000 scholarships for young women to receive higher education in Pakistan. The bill expands this programme.

Unidentified gunmen killed two female judges from Afghanistan’s Supreme Court on Sunday morning, police said, adding to a wave of assassinations in Kabul and other cities while government and Taliban representatives have been holding peace talks in Qatar.

The two judges, who have not yet been named, were killed and their driver wounded, in an attack at around 8:30 am, police said, adding the case was being investigated by security forces.

A spokesman for the Taliban said its fighters were not involved.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani issued a statement condemning attacks on civilians by the Taliban and other militant groups.

Ghani said “terror, horror and crime” was not a solution to Afghanistan’s problem and beseeched the Taliban to accept “a permanent ceasefire”.

Government officials, journalists, and activists have

been targeted in recent months, stoking fear particularly in the capital Kabul.

The Taliban has denied involvement in some of the attacks but has said its fighters would continue to “eliminate” important government figures, though not journalists or civil society members.

Rising violence has complicated Pakistan-brokered peace talks taking place in Doha as

Washington withdraws troops.

Sources on both sides say negotiations are only likely to make substantive progress once US President-elect Joe Biden takes office and makes his Afghan policy known.

The number of US troops in Afghanistan has been reduced to 2,500, the lowest level of American forces there since 2001, according to the Pentagon on Friday.

sold to Peregrine Aviation Co Ltd, an investment unit of NCB Capital, the brokerage arm of National Commercial Bank SJSC, in 2018.

According to the interim injunction, PIA is restrained from moving two aircraft in its fleet — a Boeing 777-200ER with serial number 32716 and a Boeing 777-200ER with serial number 32717 — once they have landed or parked at Kuala Lumpur International Airport until a further hearing on the matter later this month.

Tracking data from Flightradar24 showed only one of the two Boeing 777s covered by the court order is currently in Kuala Lumpur. The other was last recorded in Karachi last month.

India’s Covid-19 vaccination drive hits bump due to app glitch Agencies A paramedic wearing a face shield prepares to administer a dose of COVISHIELD, a COVID-19 vaccine manufactured

by Serum Institute of India, to a healthcare worker during one of the world's largest coronavirus disease vaccination campaigns at a health centre in Jetalpur on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, January 16, 2021. REUTERS/Amit Dave SATARA/BHUBANESWAR: India’s Covid-19 vaccination drive hit a bump on the first day due to glitches in an app called Co-Win that is being used to coordinate the campaign, according to several officials involved in the immunisation programme. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched what his government has described as the “world’s largest vaccination programme” on Saturday to rein in the pandemic in India, which has reported the second-highest number of cases after the United States. Co-Win, developed by the government, is supposed to help by alerting healthcare workers who are first in line to get shots, and by allowing officials to monitor and manage the entire drive. But many health workers, who were to receive the vaccines, did not get the message on Saturday, said a senior official with the health department of the western state of Maharashtra. “We were planning to vaccinate 28,500 people on Saturday but could do only 18,328 because of glitches in the Co-Win app,” the official told Reuters on condition on anonymity as the details are not public yet. Maharashtra, home to the financial hub of Mumbai, has been hit the hardest by coronavirus among all Indian states. India was aiming to vaccinate more than 300,000 people on day one, but only 191,181 people were inoculated on Saturday, official data shows. In the eastern state of Odisha, officials said they were forced to use printouts due to issues with the app. “We also went with our plan B and contacted people to be vaccinated directly offline,” Bijay Kumar Mohapatra, Director, Health Services, Odisha, told Reuters. The Indian government did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday. “The system performance and speed was improved and is being further optimised,” Manohar Agnani, additional secretary, ministry of health and family welfare, said on Saturday.

US state capitals, Washington on alert for possible pro-Trump armed protests WAsHingTOn Agencies

10 days after rioters breached the US Capitol in a deadly attack that stunned the world, cities nationwide were girding for a potential new wave of violent protests over the weekend, erecting barriers and deploying thousands of National Guard troops.

The FBI warned police agencies of possible armed demonstrations outside all 50 state capitol buildings starting Saturday through President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20, fueled by supporters of President Donald Trump who believe his false claims of electoral fraud.

Michigan, Virginia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Washington were among more than a dozen states that activated their National Guards to strengthen security. Meanwhile, downtown Washington, DC, was virtually empty, with streets near the Capitol closed and battalions of camouflaged National Guard soldiers taking up positions across the city center.

The nationwide security scramble followed the deadly January 6 attack on the US Capitol by a mix of extremists and Trump supporters, some of whom called for the

death of Vice President Mike Pence as he presided over the certification of Biden’s election victory.

The Democratic leaders of four US congressional committees said on Saturday they had opened a review of the events and had written to the FBI and other intelligence and security agencies asking what was known about threats, whether the information was shared and whether foreign influence played any role.

“This still-emerging story is one of astounding bravery by some US Capitol Police and other officers; of staggering treachery by violent criminals; and of apparent and highlevel failures — in particular, with respect to intelligence and security preparedness,” said the letter.

It was signed by House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson, House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler.

There were scattered demonstrations on Saturday, but statehouses remained mostly quiet. Law enforcement officials have trained much of their focus on Sunday when the anti-government “boogaloo” movement

made plans weeks ago to hold rallies in all 50 states.

Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said in a statement late Friday that intelligence indicated “violent extremists” may seek to exploit planned armed protests in Austin to “conduct criminal acts.” Texas closed its Capitol through Inauguration Day. In Michigan, a fence was erected around the Capitol in Lansing, and troopers were mobilised from across the state to bolster security. The legislature canceled meetings next week, citing concern over credible threats. In a nod to both the coronavirus pandemic as well as security concerns, festivities around Biden’s inauguration will largely be held online, though the president-elect still plans to be sworn in and deliver his inaugural address at the Capitol.

The inaugural committee’s virtual “welcome event” took place on Saturday evening, featuring appearances from union leaders, activists and celebrities such as actor Whoopi Goldberg. “Make no mistake, the road ahead — it won’t be easy,” Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who closed out the event, told viewers. “But America is ready, and so are Joe and I.”

DOMESTIC EXTREMISTS: The perception that the January 6 insurrection was a success could embolden domestic extremists motivated by anti-government, racial and partisan grievances, spurring them to further violence, according to a government intelligence bulletin dated Wednesday first reported by Yahoo News.

The Joint Intelligence Bulletin, produced by the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and National Counterterrorism Center, further warned that “false narratives” about electoral fraud would serve as an ongoing catalyst for extremist groups.

Thousands of armed National Guard troops were on the streets of Washington in an unprecedented show of force after the assault on the US Capitol. Bridges into the city were to be closed, and the National Mall and other iconic US landmarks were blocked off into next week.

Authorities were on high alert. A Virginia man, Wesley Allen Beeler, was arrested on Friday evening at a security checkpoint after police said he presented an “unauthorised inauguration credential,” according to a Capitol Police spokeswoman. Beeler had a loaded handgun and more than 500 rounds of ammunition, according to court papers.

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

A tearful Beeler later told the Washington Post he had been working security in Washington all week and pulled up to the checkpoint after getting lost. He told the paper he forgot the gun was in his truck and denied having so much ammunition.

Beeler was released after an initial court appearance on Saturday and is due back in court in June, records show.

Responding to news of the arrest, Democratic US Representative Don Beyer of Virginia said the danger was real and the city was on edge.

“Anyone who can avoid the area around the Capitol and Mall this week should do so,” Beyer wrote on Twitter.

The alarm extended beyond legislatures.

The United Church of Christ, a Protestant denomination of more than 4,900 churches, warned its 800,000 members there were reports “liberal” churches could be attacked in the coming week.

Following the January 6 violence in Washington, some militia members said they would not attend a long-planned pro-gun demonstration in Virginia, where authorities were worried about the risk of violence as multiple groups converged on the state capital, Richmond.