EpaperISB_21-01-25

Monday, 25 January, 2021 I 11 Jamadi-ul-Sani, 1442 I Rs 40.00 I Vol XI No 207 I 52 Pages I Islamabad Edition

Covid-19 infeCtion rate shrinks to 3.96pC as vaCCine rollout nears g

GoVERnmEnT PoRTAl kEEPInG TRAck oF ThE oUTbREAk In PAkISTAn PoSTED 1,594 nEw cASES In ThE lAST 24 hoURS, TAkInG ThE AcTIVE cASES To 34,628

Islamabad

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sTaff rePorT

hE country’s coronavirus positivity ratio shrunk to 3.96 per cent on Sunday, down from 4.77 per cent a day earlier, the national command and operation centre (ncoc) said, as the government has licensed three vaccines.

The government portal keeping track of the outbreak in Pakistan posted 1,594 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the active cases to 34,628. Some 40,285 tests were conducted across the country, including 6,207 in Sindh; 19,090 in Punjab; 6,513 in khyber Pakhtunkhwa (kP); 7,102 in Islamabad; 596 in balochistan; 358 in Gilgit-baltistan (Gb) and 419 in Azad Jammu and kashmir (AJk). with 1,981 new recoveries, the number of people who recovered from the contagious disease reached 486,489.

In the last 24 hours, 48 new deaths from coronavirus-related complications took the toll to 11,295. of these, 39 were under treatment in hospitals and nine in

their homes, according to the latest update issued by the ncoc.

According to the ncoc breakdown, the highest positivity ratio was observed in hyderabad at 11.57 per cent, followed by Peshawar at 11.29 per cent and karachi at 10.68 per cent.

The transmission rate in federating units was as following: 5.97 per cent in

ISLAMABAD: The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has granted approval for emergency use of the Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V, making it the third vaccine approved by the authority against the deadly coronavirus. The authorities said on Sunday that the government has given a go-ahead to a local pharmaceutical company for the import and distribution of the Russian-developed Sputnik V. “In a meeting conducted by the registration board of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), another vaccine has also been given EUA [emergency use authorisation] which was developed with the backing of Russian Development Investment Fund,” an official said. A local pharmaceutical AGP, he said, has been authorised as the sole importer and distributor of the Russian vaccine. TLTP CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

532,412

LAST UPDATED AT 8:10 AM ON JANUARY 24, 2021

48

RECOVERED:

NEW CASES:

1,594 DEATHS:

486,489 11,295 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

240,570

153,410

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

65,287

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

PAKISTAN APPROVES RUSSIAN CORONAVIRUS VACCINE FOR EMERGENCY USE

Coronavirus in

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

AJk, 3.52 per cent in balochistan, 0.56 per cent in Gb, 1.18 per cent in Islamabad, 5.25 per cent in kP, 2.54 per cent in Punjab and 10.23 per cent in Sindh.

The province-wise data showed lahore’s positivity ratio at 4.23 per cent, Rawalpindi at 1.14 per cent, 3.21 per cent in Faisalabad, 1.91 per cent in multan and 4.46 per cent for bahawalpur in Punjab.

In Sindh, karachi’s positivity ratio was recorded at 10.68 per cent and 11.57 per cent in hyderabad.

As for kP, a positivity ratio of 11.29 per cent was recorded in Peshawar, 3.41 per cent in Swat and 0.31 per cent in Abbottabad.

In balochistan, Quetta’s positivity ratio was recorded at 2.41 per cent. meanwhile, the positivity ratio in AJk’s mirpur stood at 5.04 per cent and 2.50 per cent in muzaffarabad.

The case fatality rate (cFR) stood at 2.12 per cent compared to the global 2.14 per cent. Around 69 per cent of patients who succumbed to the virus were males and 77.9 per cent of all who died were over the age of 50.

18,736

8,795/4,901 40,713

‘You have to engage with this new Pakistan’, Qureshi tells Biden administration Islamabad sTaff rePorT

Foreign minister Shah mehmood Qureshi on Sunday urged the new biden administration to recognise that the world has changed since the Democrat president, especially the role of Pakistan and India in the global community.

“In [these] four years [since the previous Democrat administration] the world has changed, the region has changed and Pakistan has changed and you have to engage with this new Pakistan,” said Qureshi while addressing a press conference in multan. he maintained that India under Prime minister narendra modi and is “no more a democratic country.” The Fm pointed out there was “a new face of hindutva, a new practical demonstration of the thinking of the RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]. minorities in India are finding themselves to be insecure.”

Qureshi further said that there are similarities between the current US administration and the Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI) government, and hoped the two could engage on a “new approach and new guidelines”. “biden wants reduced violence in Afghanistan and Islamabad also supports democracy in the neighbouring country,” he said on the occasion.

Qureshi added that he had written

Five terrorists killed in North Waziristan RaWalPINdI

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more inside

PDM set to evaluate Bilawal’s ‘in-house’ change formula today

sTaff rePorT

Five terrorists, including two Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commanders, were killed during an intelligence operation in north waziristan on Sunday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the killed TTP commanders were identified as Syed Raheem alias Abid of TTP (Akk group) and Saufullah noor of TTP (Gohar group), both of whom had been involved in terrorist activities against the security forces and killing of tribal elders.

Terrorist commander Syed Raheem Abid was involved in killing of four tribal elders in mir Ali area, three engineers working in a company in north waziristan and many an improvised explosive device (IED) attacks. he was the in-charge of "two suicide bombing centres in wana and mir Ali areas" and was "tasked by hostile agencies for target killing, recruiting new terrorists and organising them", the ISPR statement added. commander Saifullah noor was directly involved in different IED attacks on Security Forces in khaisur.

A week earlier, the Pakistan Army had killed two terrorists belonging to the proscribed TTP during a security operation in South waziristan, the ISPR had said. while two terrorists had been

a letter to US Secretary of State Anthony blinken to update him on the current policies of Pakistan and their trajectory, and hoped to have more talks with him on the matter in the coming days. “we have made a very big shift, from a geostrategic position to a geoeconomic position,” said the foreign minister.

Regarding the current crises faced by the people of Pakistan, Qureshi said that the government had allowed the import of wheat and sugar. he also held the previous government responsible for the gas shortage. on the occasion, Fm Qureshi insisted that Pakistan has not and would not take any action which would hurt its allied states. This was said in reply to a question regarding the reservations of some Arab states on the decisions made by Pakistan “we haven’t signed any agreement that hurts the interests of an allied state,” he maintained, adding: “we have never done, and will never do such an agreement which causes damage to any brother muslim state.” he cited the example of Azerbaijan and how, due to the act of congratulating the state from reclaimed its occupied territory, the flags of Turkey and Pakistan were waved in the streets by the citizens of Azerbaijan.

STORY ON BACK PAGE

Pakistan attaches great importance to cPEc: bajwa killed, another had been injured during the intelligence-based operation (Ibo) in the nargosa town of the district.

“Security forces conducted an Ibo in nargosa area of South waziristan district. During [an] intense fire, two terrorists Usman Ali and waheed were killed and one got injured and apprehended,” the ISPR had said through a statement. “The killed terrorists were active members of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Sajna group and were improvised explosive device experts, terrorist trainers, motivators, and were involved in attacks on security forces," the statement had read.

“Terrorist Usman was also involved in the attack on security forces on oct 14, 2020 in which capt Umer cheema, two Jcos and three Soldiers were mar-

tyred while four were injured,” the statement had added.

The Afghanistan-based terror group is involved in a number of attacks on the army. In the october attack, a convoy of security forces was attacked with improvised explosive devices near Razmak, resulting in the martyrdom of a captain and five soldiers. The TTP had claimed responsibility for the attack.

The militants, most of them are based in Afghanistan and sponsored by India, have stepped up attacks on security forces in the merged tribal districts, particularly in north waziristan and South waziristan, raising fears of a revival of their insurgency and a return of lawlessness as brighter prospects for peace in Afghanistan herald shifting alliances.

STORY ON BACK PAGE

No foul play in Karima Baloch’s death, Canada tells Pakistan STORY ON BACK PAGE in today’s issue

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Monday, 25 January, 2021

NEWS

BALochiStAn APProveS firSt DigitAL PoLicy ISLAMABAD

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HE Balochistan government has approved its first-ever digital policy. The 2020-21 policy is aimed at providing e-governance and digital services to the public, provision of cheap, standard, and highspeed internet facility, said an official of the government.

The decision was taken for the promotion of information communication technologies (ICT) companies in the province through digital capability, digital economy, software and information

'THE 2020-21 POLICY IS AIMED AT PROVIDING E-GOVERNANCE AND DIGITAL SERVICES TO THE PUBLIC, PROVISION OF CHEAP, STANDARD, AND HIGH-SPEED INTERNET FACILITY' technology parks, he said.

He said the government would establish a state-of-the-art centralised data centre in the province.

According to him, the government had started a uniform development process across the province and all available resources were being utilised for the socioeconomic development of the people.

The government is working with an

aim of digital transformation across all government sectors in a phased manner to bring efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency in its processes for transforming towards socio-economic growth and knowledge-based economy, he added. The broad policy objectives were not only limited to the infrastructure and egovernance support but also promoting entrepreneurial spirit so that the fruits of

the technology would reach every citizen.

The government intends to improve the quality of living standards of its citizens through systematic digital transformation, the official said.

He said the e-governance would be used for socio-economic growth, job creation, social connectivity, and achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Show-cause notices served to 38 doctors SHEIKHUPURA INP

As many as 38 senior doctors and consultants were served show-cause notices for being absent from duty. The Punjab health director general paid a surprise visit to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital, Sheikhupura, and found the medics absent. Health officials said that these doctors were absent from their assigned duties while patients were waiting for them in different wards of the hospital.

The doctors and consultants have been given three days to provide written explanations for their absence. The medics who have been served notices include Dr Muhammad Umer, Dr Muhammad Adil Chatha,Dr Abdul Qayyum, Dr Rashid Ali, Dr Muhammad Hussain, Dr Faryal Siddique, Dr Farooq Ahmad, Dr M Naeem Qureshi, and Dr Khawar Rafique.

LDA demolishes illegal structure of Khokhar Palace LAHORE INP

LAHORE: A vendor sells protective face masks as the second wave of coronavirus pandemic continues to claim lives in Pakistan. INP

Enrolment of millions of out-of-school children top priority: Shafqat ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood has said that millions of children are still out-of-school and bringing them to schools is the government’s top-most priority.

The minister said this on Sunday in a special message to students on the occasion of the International Education Day. He added that education is the key to the country’s

progress and prosperity, stressing that it is the right of every child to have equal educational opportunities and facilities.

The federal minister said that the government is working to ensure this access to education at every level.

The minister also spoke about the disruption of educational activities because of the coronavirus pandemic and said that the government is making efforts and mobilising its resources to make up for the loss of time that students had to suffer due to the lockdown.

“It is our national duty to equip the younger generation of Pakistan with the power of education, and all classes of society must play a part in ensuring that,” he said.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has proclaimed 24 January as International Day of Education in celebration of the role of education for peace and development. The third International Day of Education (January 24) will be marked on Monday (25 January 2021) under the theme ‘Recover and Revitalise Education for the Covid-19 Generation’.

District administration Lahore on Sunday demolished the illegal structure of Khokhar Palace, the residence of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MP Afzal Khokhar and his brothers. In 2018, Khokhar was arrested for building his home, Khokhar Palace purportedly by taking illegal possession of 34-marla land of a citizen, Tariq Mahmood. The suspects claim to be in possession of the documents for the land valued at Rs1.5 billion. The encroachment drive was conducted by the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) with the support of the police. Various teams of the district government reached the site along with heavy machinery and started operation.

The rear entrance and walls of Khokhar Palace were demolished. The rear wall of the house of Khokhar’s nephew, Tahir Javed, was also demolished. Scores of PMLN workers were also present on the occasion. On January 23, during a press conference in Lahore, former PML-N MPA Saiful Malook Khokhar said the district administration was carrying out the operation to please Prime Minister Imran Khan through a select encroachment drive.

Lahore deputy commissioner Mudassar Riaz Malik had told the Lahore High Court (LHC) chief justice that the issue is only of two marlas, he said. All relevant institutions have cleared the land but the government wants to take revenge for the PDM’s Minare-Pakistan rally, Khokhar claimed. He said he had previously approached the court and will do so again, adding that there were 11 fake cases filed against his family.

Miftah criticises PTI govt for circular debt of Rs2.4tn NEWS DESK Former finance minister Miftah Ismail, while criticising the decision to increase power tariff

by Rs1.95 and putting a burden of Rs200 billion on consumers, has said the federal government has completely failed to control the circular debt that has reached Rs2.4 trillion, the highest in the country’s history.

In a video message on Sunday, Miftah, a senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), said, “We had left the circular debt at Rs1,036 billion, which included power losses and bank’s loan both, and now it has crossed the mark

FORMER FINANCE MINISTER FLAYS GOVT FOR HIKE IN POWER TARIFF of Rs2,400 billion.” “[Prime Minister] Imran Khan increased the power prices as soon as he assumed power in order to stop the circular debt from rising,” he noted, adding, “the premier had claimed bringing the circular debt to zero.”

“Circular debt is rising by Rs50 billion to Rs60 billion every month, with an annual hike of more than Rs600 billion,” he said, adding that the major reason behind the rise in the debt is the losses in the power supply and

distribution. “Likewise, bill recoveries stand at 88 percent as compared to the average 93pc during the PML-N government,” he further added.

According to the ex-finance minister, the PTI-led government produced expensive electricity through expensive power plants and used diesel and furnace oil instead of LNG, the import of which was delayed.

“Importing furnace oil only benefits a few people and lobbies, but it causes harm to the masses,” he said.

On the one hand, he said, the government is establishing new power plants while, on the other, it says it has the capacity to generate additional electricity.

“If it has the capacity for additional power, why is it setting up new power plants? Also, why are they not granting the requests for new connections totalling 3,000 megawatts if they have surplus power?” the former minister questioned.

Saying that the production of electricity is low because of the deteriorated economy,

Miftah said that the government’s decision to discontinue gas to power-producing industries is strange.

“It will put textile and other industries in trouble. It is wrong to make the people and industries pay the price of delayed and expensive import of gas. For the past twoand-a-half years, the government has done nothing but blame PML-N,” Miftah said.

The former finance minister demanded the government to withdraw its increase in electricity tariff, bring reforms, overcome power supply losses, and improve bill recoveries.

“It must implement NEPRA’s merit order and refrain from cutting the supply of gas to industries,” he concluded.

Monday, 25 January, 2021

oPPoSition’S BiDS to DeStABiLiSe country to fAiL: rASheeD RAWALPINDI

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STAFF REPORT

NTERIOR Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has said the opposition parties will fail in their designs to destabilise the country. Addressing a ceremony in Rawalpindi on Sunday, the interior minister said that Pakistan will move towards development under the supervision of Prime Minister Imran Khan. He expressed hope that, due to its prudent policies, the government will overcome inflation and unemployment during the current year.

He said that PM Imran fought the cases of Kashmir, Islam and Khatm-e-Nabuwwat in international forums effectively.

He added that Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Maulana Fazlur Rehman had done nothing regarding the Kashmir issue during his chairmanship of Kashmir Committee and now he is heading towards a dead end. Rasheed maintained that it is impossible for Pakistan to recognise Israel till resolution of the Palestinian issue.

He said that opposition gatherings are campaigns to contest by-elections and it has the right to hold rallies and there will be no hurdle in the way of any long march. The interior minister further said that all political parties should sit together and make decisions about the Senate election votes so that the process of buying and selling votes could be avoided.

MINISTER SAYS GOVT WILL OVERCOME INFLATION AND UNEMPLOYMENT DURING THE CURRENT YEAR On the occasion, he accused Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahbaz Sharif of paying $750,000 to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). “I had already predicted that they [the Opposition leaders] will not submit their resignations, and that is exactly what happened,” he said.

Sending a message to the PDM president, Rasheed said that the government is ready to participate along with Fazl in the Kashmir solidarity rally. “I respect whatever Fazlur Rehman said during PDM’s rally in Karachi,” the interior minister said.

Referencing PDM’s anti-Israel rally, Rasheed, a day earlier, had said that since the government was not taking any steps to recognise Israel, Fazlur Rehman had “wasted the people’s time by organising anti-Israel rallies”. He added that the opposition should announce the date of the long march because the government would “not cause any impediments for them and would welcome them instead”.

Speaking about the opposition’s stance on the Senate elections, Rasheed said that “Bilawal Bhutto can

NEWS

03

Zubaida reaches iraq to explore defence cooperation ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

bring about the no-confidence motion in the Senate a hundred times”, but he should remember that when the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had “66 members in the Senate, then 11 of them had gone missing”.

It should be recalled that a day ago, Rasheed had backed Bilawal’s decision of a no-confidence motion against PM Imran and had termed it “the only way to get rid of the sitting government”.

Shedding light on the country’s economic situation, the minister said that he stands by the prime minister and believes in his vision, adding that the government will control inflation within this year.

Minister for Defence Production Zubaida Jalal Khan on Sunday reached Iraq on a four-day official visit to discuss defence cooperation. “The federal minister will meet with senior Iraqi officials, she will discuss the situation in the region with Iraqi officials, including defense ties,” the ministry said in a statement. Zubaida is visiting Baghdad on the invitation of Iraqi Defence Minister Juma Inad, it added. The visit follows Defense Minister Pervez Khattak’s meeting with Iraq’s Ambassador to Pakistan Hamid Abbas Lafta in September, during which the minister said that Pakistan attaches “great importance to its relationship with Iraq and wishes to expand cooperation in all fields of mutual interests especially defence”. Earlier this month, Islamabad’s military attache called on Iraqi Army Chief of Staff Lt Gen Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah. “During the meeting, they discussed strengthening the relationship between the two friendly countries through cooperation and coordination on the military side, especially in the field of training and courses,” the Iraqi Ministry of Defence said in a tweet.

opp doesn’t have a strategy to oust govt: fawad ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday said that the opposition parties do not have any plan or strategy to oust the government. In a tweet, the minister said that the opposition is now considering a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan after facing humiliation on the resignation front. No party has the courage to table a no-confidence motion against the premier, he said. The reaction came after the leadership of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), including its president Maulana Fazlur Rehman, opposed the suggestion of tabling a noconfidence motion against PM Imran in the National Assembly. Fazl, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Professor Sajid Mir, Abdul Malik Baloch and Maulana Owais Noorani had opposed the in-house change. Many leaders have also demanded to convene a summit meeting of PDM leadership.

RAWALPINDI: A passenger train passes through a bridge. PPI

govt to construct motorways, roads all over country soon: Murad ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Minister for Communication Murad Saeed has said that construction of new motorways and roads will start across the country soon.

Addressing a ceremony in the federal capital on Sunday, the minister said that mega projects are being constructed in these backward areas to make the local population prosperous whereas the government will launch further development initiatives in these areas. He said the provision of free medical and treatment facilities is the prime responsibility of the state and the government will ensure this facility across the country without any discrimination. The minister said that 100 percent population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has been provided with Sehat Insaaf Cards, while it is under progress in Punjab, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit Baltistan (GB).

He said that the prime minister has directed the Balochistan government to start the cards distribution process while the Sindh government should also take initiative in this regard. He said that the hundred percent population of Punjab will be enabled to enjoy universal health insurance till December this year. He said this facility is available only in some developed countries of the world. Appreciating the announcement of medical policy for officers and officials of NHMP, he said that the government is working to bring further improvement in the NHA system. Murad Saeed said that initiatives based on modern technology are being taken to ensure transparency in different departments.

Erdogan inaugurates work on third Milgem warship for Pakistan Navy ANKARA APP

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday launched the welding of the third ship to be constructed for Pakistan Navy under the Milgem warship project.

In 2017, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the sale of four Turkish made corvette warships and 52 Pakistan-made training planes for Ankara’s armed forces.

The procurement of corvettes made under the Milgem programme is aimed at designing and building locally a fleet of multipurpose corvettes and frigates that will replace older ships. Ambassador of Pakistan in Turkey Mohammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi also accompanied Erdogan at the groundbreaking of the third corvette in Istanbul. Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Mustafa Sentop, Minister of National Defence of Turkey

IN 2017, THE TWO COUNTRIES SIGNED A MOU FOR THE SALE OF FOUR TURKISH MADE CORVETTE WARSHIPS AND 52 PAKISTAN-MADE TRAINING PLANES FOR ANKARA’S ARMED FORCES Hulusi Akar, Chief of Turkish General Staff General Yasar Guler, Commander of Turkish Naval Forces Admiral Adnan Ozbal, and other dignitaries attended the ceremony that also marked the launching of I-class Turkish Navy ‘Istanbul’ frigate.

Speaking at the ceremony, President Erdogan said Pakistan is “our brotherly country with whom Turkey enjoys excellent relations”.

He underscored that the defence collaboration for the construction of Milgem class warships was another milestone in Turkey-Pakistan defence ties.

President Erdogan said both Pakistan and Turkey were living in difficult geographical regions and both countries

were facing similar challenges. He affirmed that Turkey would continue to support friendly and allied countries in the defence field. Referring to his visit to Pakistan last year, President Erdogan said the two countries signed a Strategic Economic Framework that would provide the necessary institutional framework to further enhance bilateral ties.

All Turkish dignitaries who spoke at the ceremony hailed the Pakistan-Turkish brotherly relations and reiterated Turkey’s support to Pakistan on core issues of its national interest. The contract for four Milgem class corvettes for Pakistan Navy with concurrent Transfer of Technology (ToT) was signed with ASFAT Inc., a

Turkish state-owned Defence contractor firm in 2018.

According to the plan, two corvettes will be built in Turkey and the other two will be built in Pakistan, at the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW) — Pakistan Navy’s specialised shipbuilding division — that also involves technology transfer.

Milgem vessels are 99 metres long with a displacement capacity of 2,400 tonnes and can move at a speed of 29 nautical miles.

These anti-submarine combat frigates, which can be hidden from the radar, will further enhance the defence capability of the Pakistan Navy.

Can Covid-19 vaccines be mixed and matched?

WASHINGTON AGENCIES

Can Covid-19 vaccines be mixed and matched? Health officials say both doses should be of the same vaccine.

The Covid-19 vaccines rolling out in the United States, the United Kingdom and other parts of the world so far require two shots given a few weeks apart.

In the US where Pfizer and Moderna

HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY BOTH DOSES SHOULD BE OF THE SAME VACCINE vaccines are being distributed, health officials say the vaccines are not interchangeable. In England where shots by Pfizer and AstraZeneca are available, officials also say the doses should be consistent. But in the rare event that the same kind isn’t available or if it’s not known what was

given for the first shot, English officials say it’s okay to give whichever vaccine is available for the second shot. Since the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines focus on the spike protein that coats the coronavirus, they say a mismatched dose is better than partial protection. But without any studies,

vaccine doses should not be mixed, said Naor Bar-Zeev, a vaccine expert at Johns Hopkins University. If people do happen to get a different vaccine for their second shot by accident, Bar-Zeev said it is likely “to work fine and likely to be well-tolerated,” but the evidence is needed to be sure.

Monday, 25 January, 2021

04 NEWS

Sania warns people against fake Ehsaas messages Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Safety and Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar has warned people against fake messages inviting them to call a certain number to avail a grant under the Ehsaas Programme. Under the Ehsaas umbrella, the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme was launched in April 2020 to help vulnerable families facing financial hardships due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Dr Sania is a key figure for the Rs203bn programme, leading its implementation across the country, which includes a stipend of Rs12,000, that has been distributed to millions of families. She has warned that any messages sent by Ehsaas come only from the number 8171. "This message you have received is absolutely fake," she told the recipient of a text saying that a grant of Rs33,500 has been approved and that the given cell phone number should be reached to claim it.

Dr Sania said that anyone receiving such messages should complain via SMS on 03351058050 and 03351058051. NEWS DESK

PTA explains blocking of spam, unsolicited calls, messages The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has introduced measures for the public to block spam and unsolicited calls and messages. In a tweet on Sunday, the PTA said that "unwanted calls and messages can be disruptive but there are steps people can take to minimise them." it said those who do not wish to receive telemarketing-related messages can register their number on PTA's do not call register (DNCR). All they have to do is type 'reg' and SMS to 3627. The notification added that if the problem persists, users can contact their respective service providers. Those who wish to receive the telemarketing communication messages again can type 'unreg' and send a message to 3627. Those who wish to block spam or unsolicited communication can type the spammer's cell number, give space, paste the received message and SMS it to 9000. Users who are fed up of obnoxious and unknown calls and messages can now block them by dialling *420# (for Jazz, Telenor, and Ufone subscribers), or 420 (for Zong subscribers). The PTA also advised users not to give out their personal information, such as account numbers, passwords, or any other information in response to unknown or unexpected calls and SMS. NEWS DESK

Azaan Sami Khan reigniting faith in new song Tu Hai Mera LAHORE PRESS RELEASE

Music composer Azaan Sami Khan recently unveiled the music video for his new anthem titled ‘Tu Hai Mera’. Keeping the power of groundbreaking collaborations at its core, the track features soulful vocals by some of the most sought-after names in the industry, like Hadiqa Kiani, Hadiya Hashmi, the sufi duo Fareed Ayaz & Abu Muhammad, and newcomer Ali Tariq, accompanied by S.K. Khalish’s momentous lyrics. Unveiled at the 2021 LUX Style Awards and termed as the Hope Song of the Year, ‘Tu Hai Mera’s video showcases memorable performances by all the vocalists, along with a stellar dance performance by a fresh face.

MoToriSTS gET CNg for 12 HourS iN PuNjAb, 24 HourS iN SiNdH

T

HE compressed natural gas stations reopened in Sindh for 24 hours after six days, while motorists in Punjab and Islamabad got CNG supply for only 12 hours on Sunday after a break of 37 days.

According to a spokesperson of the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), CNG stations will remain open across Sindh till 8:00 am Monday.

Soon after the supply was restored, long queues of vehicles were seen outside the gas stations in Karachi and other parts of Sindh.

Previously, SSGC announced the opening of CNG stations at 8:00am from Thursday but later extended the closure for another 48 hours across Sindh. The stakeholders have already warned that the gas shortage will heighten in the ongoing

month because of the authorities' failure in getting hold of three cargoes of LNG. Meanwhile, CNG stations across Punjab and Islamabad on Sunday resumed supply after a 37-day closure for a 12-hour period as gas supply at CNG stations was cut off at 6:00pm on the same day.

Speaking about the reasons for the gas shortage, Central Leader of CNG Association Fayyaz Paracha said that the supply was suspended for more than a month due to a severe shortage of gas in winter. He added that the commodity was being supplied to domestic consumers by stopping supply to CNG stations.

In order to ensure the business remains uninterrupted, Paracha hoped that the CNG sector would be allowed to import LNG itself next winter.

Earlier, the gas crisis in the country worsened after two international liquefied natural gas (LNG) suppliers 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 23.4331 percent of Brent (equal to $11.70 per MMBTU) but in the latest communication, the company said it would not be able to provide the LNG

Operation against land mafia continues without any political pressure: Firdous

cargo to Pakistan.

However on last Friday, the Petroleum Division said that Pakistan LNG Limited, LNG procuring company, has arranged one more LNG cargo at a lower price for the month of February 2021 through an urgent tender.

In a statement, the Petroleum Division said that price is approximately 22 per cent lower than the price of the bidder that withdrew its bid earlier for the same cargo. This also puts to rest the argument that ordering very early necessarily guarantees a better price. To put things into perspective, the time period between the bid submission date and delivery date of cargo for the recent urgent tender was 35 days as compared with 49 days for the earlier tender in the same delivery window, said the statement. NEWS DESK

Labourer killed, two injured as wall of bricks kiln collapses SHEIKHUPURA INP

One labourer was killed and two others injured when wall of a bricks kiln collapsed on Sunday. Rescue sources said that labourers were engaged in routine work at bricks kiln located at Bado Road Sheikhupura, when a wall of kiln fell over three labourers. One labourer was killed on the spot while two others were critically injured in the incident.

Rescue 1122 personnel pulled out the body and injured from the debris and shifted them to District Headquarter Hospital.

SIALKOT STAFF REPORT

Special Assistant to Punjab Chief Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has said that, on the direction of CM Usman Buzdar, without accepting any political pressure, an impartial operation is being conducted against land mafia across the province.

Talking to media persons in Sialkot on Sunday, the special assistant said that the operation against illegal occupants of the state land would continue with full force. The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) recovered thousands of acres of land worth Rs181 billion during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government so far, she said adding the land recovered in 10 years of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government was worth of only Rs2.6 billion.

Firdous said that in Punjab, the Sharif family was supporting the land mafia as the 50 top PML-N leaders are involved in land grabbing. The “corrupt” Sharif family had occupied 446 acres of valuable land in Raiwind after 2013, which is being investigated by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), she added.

She said that the national wealth

was ruthlessly looted by past rulers looted and they did politics of their personal gains, putting aside the national interests.

The special assistant said that a province with a prosperous agricultural economy like Punjab was looted in the name of making it an industrial province during the past regime. As a result, the province neither remained agricultural nor could be turned into an industrial one.

She said that the PTI government was establishing 13 special economic zones in the province along with the promotion of agriculture sector.

Firdous said that the Sharif family started failed industrial projects and transferred billions of rupees abroad and bought Avenfield apartments with the money received as kickbacks on those projects.

She said that a grand operation was carried out against Khokhar Brothers in Lahore to retrieve 38 kanals of the state land. She added that a grand operation was under way currently for getting clear the state land. She further said that PML-N leader Khawaja Asif had illegally occupied the land of a public park in Cantt Housing scheme, which had been got cleared.

The SACM said that MPA Rana Liaqat was looting people by estab-

lishing five illegal housing societies, while another PML-N MPA Chaudhry Arshad Javed Warraich illegally occupied 12 kanals of irrigation land and sold it out as a plot.

She said that Chaudhry Arshad Warraich’s daughter approved her father’s society (Canal City Housing Society) as chairperson of the district council.

She said that PML-N MPA Chaudhry Ikram usurped the property of deceased women. She said that more PML-N land grabbers were on the radar of the ACE. Firdous said that the Punjab chief minister, under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, had stood firmly against the land mafia.

She said that under the Punjab Development Programme, work was underway on 165 development schemes worth Rs27 billion in Sialkot district.

In addition, Rs700 million will be spent on 50 new schemes, she added.

The SACM said that under the Community Development Programme, work was under way on 38 schemes worth Rs300 million.

She said that 47 schemes of prime minister’s Sustainable Achievement Programme would cost Rs350 million, while Punjab Municipal Services Programme is working on 113 schemes with Rs270 million.

176 Sindh cops test positive for coronavirus in four days KARACHI: As many as 176 police personnel have contracted the novel coronavirus in Sindh during the last four days, said Sindh Police on Sunday.

According to a spokesperson of Sindh police, a total of 5,422 cops have tested positive for the deadly virus so far in the province. He maintained that 23 police officials have succumbed to Covid-19.

Currently, 553 police personnel are undergoing treatment at different hospitals, the spokesperson said, adding that a total of 4,846 officials have recuperated from the disease in the province. Total number of coronavirus cases in Sindh reached 241,200 on Sunday after at least 630 fresh infections were reported in the province during the last 24 hours. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said in a statement that four more patients died from Covid-19, taking the total fatalities to 3,892. As many as 219,481 patients have recovered so far, he added.

Earlier on Wednesday last, a spokesperson for the Sindh police department said that at least 199 cops have tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus in just four days. The spokesperson added that a total of 5,246 police officials have contracted the novel coronavirus so far while 614 are currently undergoing treatment. The virus has claimed the lives of 23 police personnel while 4,609 have recovered. TLTP

PDM fading away with passage of time, no threat to govt: Buzdar LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said that opposition is not a threat to the government as the opposition parties’ alliance, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), is fading away with the passage of time.

In a statement on Sunday, the chief minister regretted that PDM has set national interests aside. He said that the opposition has made a vicious attempt to destroy national unity for their vested interests.

The people have not elected corruption

but transparency through their votes. He said that the hollow slogan of “Vote Ko Izzat Do” has died on its own.

Buzdar said that no one will be allowed to create hindrance in the process of development and progress being carried out under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan. There is transparent and honest leadership on the one side while a symbol of disgrace, the former rulers, is on the other side, he claimed.

The chief minister said that the government will complete its constitutional term and those who are creating hurdles in the journey of progress and prosperity will get

nothing. Buzdar said that disillusioned opposition has disappointed the people on every national issue.

“The opposition has utilised all its energy only on oral submissions, he said, adding that 220 million people are wellaware of the double standard of the opposition. The opposition should keep this in mind that the public cannot be served by merely issuing statements, but one has to stand with them in their trying times, he added.

The CM said that leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is standing beside the people and will continue to do so,

whereas the opposition failed in the past and will meet the same fate in future. The negative attitude of the opposition parties has diminished their credibility among the people, he added.

“The position of the opposition has been zero, practically. The opposition created hue and cry and did nothing for the people. The people have been fed up with the negative politics of these two-faced politicians. The PTI leadership understands the pain of the people,” he further said.

He said that this is not the time for point-scoring. The opposition’s politics to creating instability and unrest in the country

will not work anymore, he added.

He also said that those who made tall claims have been exposed in front of the people. “Opposition parties have exhibited irresponsible attitudes even in extraordinary circumstances. Time has proved that the government, led by Prime Minister Imran Khan, has taken timely decisions,” he added.

Meanwhile, Buzdar has convened the 40th meeting of the provincial cabinet on Monday for reviewing the 25-point agenda.

Provincial ministers, advisers, special assistants, chief secretary and senior officers will attend the meeting.

Monday, 25 January, 2021

DRinking in ShahDaRa City Notes M A NiAzi

E

NERGy Minister Umar Ayub Khan may have come to the party late, but come to the party he has. He has blamed the latest increase in the power tariff on Nawaz Sharif.

All we lacked was Mian Shehbaz and Hamza Shehbaz being accused of holding pistols to the heads of consumers as they paid those bills, with Maryam in the background, collecting money from all of them, and squirrelling it abroad.

The problem Ayub faces is that last week there was a countrywide power breakdown, about which he is mumbling (in the hope no one will really hear) that it was [human error’. The PTI should notice that he didn’t blame that breakdown on Nawaz, though he could have accused him of neglecting the distribution network. And the ‘human error’ should be identified, so that it can be

Trump asked Justice Department to go to Supreme Court to overturn election: WSJ

After all, it is more than likely that the increased demand will lead to a massive breakdown. This time, we have been treated to the image of Ayub, wearing a hard hat and carrying a screwdriver, poking at wires in the hope of getting the light back. Next time, we will probably be treated to Imran himself applying the engineering knowledge which he has inherited from his late father.

But before that happens, it would be instructive to contemplate the class difference of the crimes in Defence and Shahdara as they were committed last well. In Shahdara, a brother killed his sister and then ran away. A typical Shahdara crime, one which could happen in Defence, but which would reflect a mentality which had not made the transition to that neighbourhood. Possibly an honour killing, something which doesn’t exist in Defence, probably because Defence residents are noy supposed to have any honour. Instead, they are tolerant.

In Defence, a resident got bail after killing a neighbour’s pitbull. No, not the rapper. A dog. That alone is different from Shahdara. That might a salubrious locality with pleasant weather, but it isn’t overflowing with

shown that he entered service after having proven his worth by doing the wiring at Jati Umra (which is why when you turn on the fans, any water faucets in the room start streaming).

However, Ayub should remember that everything is interconnected. It might turn out that both power breakdown and tariff hike can be traced to decisions made by his late grandfather, the field marshal. But then, he had been commissioned into the British Indian Army, which had originally been raised by the East India Company, which had been given permission to trade by Jehangir. That means that Jehangir was responsible for the 1958 martial law.

Note: Imran Khan is not responsible for anything.

I perhaps shouldn’t get ahead of myself, but I can’t help thinking that we are lucky the breakdown didn’t take place in summer. A night without fans in the hot weather would force the sort of protests that the PTI would label the fault of patwaris trying to help the PDM. Anyway, PTI stalwarts might like to console themselves at being lucky that the breakdown provided what the kaptaan might like to call net practice for the summer.

Covid-19 infection rate shrinks to 3.96pc as vaccine rollout nears

WaSHington AgeNCies

Continued from page 01

Former President Donald Trump considered replacing the acting attorney general with an official willing to pursue unsubstantiated claims of election fraud, and he pushed the Justice Department to ask the Supreme Court to invalidate President Joe Biden’s victory, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. Citing people familiar with the matter, the Journal said the efforts in the last weeks of Trump’s presidency failed because of resistance from his Justice appointees who refused to file what they viewed as a legally baseless lawsuit in the Supreme Court. Other senior department officials later threatened to resign if Trump fired then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, several people familiar with the discussions told the Journal.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters on Saturday. Senior officials including Rosen, former Attorney General William Barr and former acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall refused to file the Supreme Court case, concluding there was no basis to challenge the election outcome and the federal government had no legal interest in whether Trump or Biden won the presidency, some of these people told the Journal. Then-White House counsel Pat Cipollone and his deputy, Patrick Philbin, also opposed Trump’s idea, which was promoted by his outside attorneys, these people said. After his Supreme Court plan got nowhere, Trump explored replacing Rosen with Jeffrey Clark, a Trump ally who had expressed a willingness to use the department’s power to help Trump continue his unsuccessful legal battles contesting the election results, the people told the Journal. Trump backed off that plan after the threats from senior Justice Department leadership to resign if Rosen were removed, people familiar with the discussions said. The plan to oust Rosen was first reported by the New york Times. A Trump adviser, asked to respond to the US media reports, said the former president “has consistently argued that our justice system should be investigating the broader, rampant election fraud that has plagued our system for years.

VACCINE: Meanwhile, the Chinese government has directed its pharmaceutical companies to accelerate the provision of coronavirus vaccination to Islamabad a day after Foreign Minister Wang yi assured his Pakistan counterpart, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, of the “gift” of half a million shots.

“In order to support our brothers and sisters in Pakistan, the Chinese government has decided to provide a batch of vaccines as aid and will actively coordinate with the relevant Chinese enterprise to speed up [the] export of vaccines to Pakistan,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in response to a question from Associated Press of Pakistan during a press briefing Friday.

In December, the federal cabinet approved $250 million in funding to buy coronavirus vaccines, initially to cover the most vulnerable 5 per cent of the population, including the frontline health workers.

On December 30, a special cabinet committee for pro-

curement of Covid-19 vaccine, chaired by Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, decided to procure 1.1 million doses of vaccine from state-owned Sinopharm.

The vaccine is able to be stored at two to eight degrees Celsius, or a normal refrigeration temperature.

The jab has already been approved in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain and is slated for use next in Morocco.

Recently, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) approved the Oxford-AstraZeneca shots for emergency use.

Last week, Dr Faisal Sultan, state minister for health, said that Pakistan has been engaging with a number of vaccine makers, adding the country could get “in the range of tens of millions” of vaccine doses under an agreement with CanSino.

The company’s Ad5-nCoV coronavirus candidate is nearing completion of Phase III clinical trials in Pakistan.

The preliminary results of the CanSino vaccine may come in by mid-February, Dr Faisal had said.

‘You have to engage with this new Pakistan’, Qureshi tells Biden administration Continued from page 01 “We hadn’t handed them [flags], this was the people’s emotions, acceptance and tribute to Pakistan.”

Regarding the ongoing Broadsheet LLC scandal, he stressed that the incumbent government played no role in the agreement signed between the UK firm and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

“The premier has said that the issue should be investigated. Justice (retd) Azmat Saeed has a reputation for his honesty. If the opposition is so certain it did nothing wrong, then why the panic?” he added.

Moreover, Qureshi took a shot against Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal BhuttoZardari and said that as the PPP chief had proposed a no-confidence motion against the premier, Bilawal has accepted Imran Khan has the elected prime minister.

“Now it is clear from this, Bilawal when you say you will bring a no-confidence motion, it means you have constitutionally accepted Imran Khan as prime minister,” said the foreign minister, adding that the PTI government and its allies were confident that they are “in a position to confront and defeat it in a constitutional and parliamentary manner.” “He should now start calling Imran Khan an elected prime minister and not selected,” he said.

The foreign minister questioned the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) anti-Israel rallies and said that since Islamabad has made it clear it would not recognise Tel Aviv until the Palestine conflict is resolved, there is no point in holding those demonstrations.

“They [the opposition parties] will scatter and you are seeing that has [already] started.”

NEWS

pitbulls. One’s neighbour in Shahdara may own a mongrel, but not a pitbull. I doubt if he whole of Shahdara could produce a live pitbull. Defence, on the other hand, has pitbulls, enough to produce even more, even after the murder of one of their number. in fact, I won’t be surprised if Defence could produce alsatians, rottweilers and bulldogs, not to mention great danes, labradors and greyhounds.

The killing was allegedly committed by a neighbour who claimed that the dog had savaged his daughter. Only he had no daughter. The pitbull was owned by a woman living alone with her mother. They needed a guard dog.

In Shahdara, I doubt if such a household could exist. If it did, it wouldn’t need a guard dog, not with all of those neighbours taking a deeper interest in them than in their own affairs. And while you can have an imaginary daughter in Defence, you would have all too many real ones in Shahdara.

Actually, in Shahdara, dog killer, or rather kuttay maar, refers to a type of liquor unknown in Defence, where even Indian import are looked down upon.

Pakistan approves Russian coronavirus vaccine for emergency use Continued from page 01 The DRAP hopes the first batch of the vaccine would reach Pakistan by the end of January. The health authority said that the approval was granted on the recommendation of a committee of experts comprising top infectious diseases experts and pathologists. “In all likelihood, a double dose of the Sputnik V in Pakistan would cost double the rate at which it is available in India,” the official added. Developed by M/s Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, the vaccine has been approved in 11 countries, including Russia, Argentina, Hungary, and UAE, and registration in the European Union has also been filed. Earlier on January 17, the DRAP authorised the Oxford University-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use in Pakistan. A couple of days later, the regulatory body approved Chinese state-owned firm Sinopharm’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, the second shot to be given approval for the use in the country. Although the DRAP has granted approval for the emergency use of Oxford-Astrazeneca’s coronavirus vaccine, it is unclear when the inoculations will be available in Pakistan as the pharmaceutical company’s authorised agents are yet to place orders. Last week, the Sindh Medical Stores (SMS) was allowed to import the vaccine. SMS official Usman Ghani said at the moment the British-Swedish company was supplying the vaccine to countries that had already booked vaccine doses and paid in advance. “We don’t know when we would be able to get hold of the first consignment of the vaccine as it has already been purchased by the several countries of the world.” Ghani said AstraZeneca has authorised the manufacture of the vaccine in Serum Institute of India in Pune for bulk production but most of that would be used for vaccinating a sizable population of India before it is allowed to Pakistan. “We have very good business relations with the Serum Institute of India and we would try our best to procure it as early as possible.” The local firm has offered to provide the vaccine at the cost of $6 to $7 (Rs1,000 to Rs1,200) per dose to the federal and provincial governments if procured in bulk quantity (30 to 50 million doses). To the private sector, the firm has offered Rs2,000 to Rs2,500 per dose if they place orders of 10,000 or more doses. “But it should be very clear that we would only be providing the vaccine to reputed institutions like Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Shaukat Khanum hospital, and others,” stressed Ghani.

Misbah keen on giving 'free hand' to new captain Babar neWS deSK Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq has said that his team will try to "forget what happened in New Zealand" and work to "regain confidence levels" in the upcoming home series against South Africa. The Karachi Test will be Babar Azam's first as captain, and Misbah wants to give him a "free hand."

With Babar out injured in New Zealand, Pakistan were beaten convincingly in the two-match Test series earlier this month, and the nature of defeats, especially their fielding effort, earned the players major criticism back home. All that despite a star-studded coaching lineup featuring the likes of Saqlain Mushtaq, Mohammad yousuf, younis Khan and Misbah himself.

"We're obviously not satisfied with the performances. We want to improve," Misbah said in the lead-up to the first Test in Karachi. "All other things have been kept on

the side for now; the focus at the moment is on the series and the performance in the series. We'll try our best to rectify the mistakes made in the previous series. We're making an effort to maximise our improvement and I think that is where we're focussing at the moment. We're not thinking beyond that.

"Practice has been very good in the last few days. We've got a feel of the conditions here, and an understanding of what we need to top up in terms of our batting, fast bowling and spin bowling. And also fielding based on how our last series went. We've had a dedicated fielding session everyday for 40-45 minutes, and besides that the practice for specialist positions has happened separately.

We're looking forward to the series to begin as quickly as possible. It's a home series for us so hopefully we can perform well and regain our confidence levels."

The pressure has been amping up on Misbah for a while now. He first lost his job as

the head selector but continued being the head coach in order to focus more on the team, but the performances from Pakistan, especially overseas, haven't helped his cause. Misbah, though, isn't thinking too far ahead.

"Honestly it doesn't matter," Misbah responded when asked if his future hinges on this home season. "I've played cricket under pressure all my life, and you have to perform.

CMYK

05

There's no security here. The most important thing I've learnt is to try and do well with the job at hand at a specific moment, and accomplish your immediate task. I am not thinking about what will happen later."

Misbah also explained the reasoning behind having so many experienced players in the coaching staff.

"The thought behind Saqlain's inclusion was that spinners will play a big role in matches here, so we wanted him to come and work with the new domestic spinners for a bit. yousuf has been roped in to improve our coordination. younis Khan still leads the batsmen here, and we as coaches communicate with each other so that we know about each player's details - we're accumulating his data, a lot of videos, how he's playing.

"People are probably under the impression that there'll be confusion for batsmen because three coaches will be giving inputs but it's nothing like that. younis Khan will com-

municate with the players, and the three of us are only communicating among ourselves.

That's very clear. And the other motive behind bringing those guys is that they are going to prepare the team for T20s. Here we'll be busy with the Test. We're communicating among ourselves about how to prepare them for T20s." Misbah wants Babar to go in with a free mind in his first assignment as Pakistan's Test captain and harked back to his time when he learnt the art with practice.

"Even when I began, like everyone else, I started from zero. you have to start somewhere. I think the important thing is that when we did some scenario practice, there were discussions with me, the coaches, the bowlers, what plan we take forward and how we execute them... the rest is upto Babar going in with a free mind, and he's an intelligent cricketer.

Anyone who scores runs like he does at this level understands how to deal with opposition batsmen, what works for him etc. We also need to give Babar a free hand and let him react to situations - how to attack, how to take his team forward. Hopefully he'll learn this way and he'll improve his captaincy along the way."

Monday, 25 January, 2021

06 COMMENT

Modi a nightmare for Muslims

PDM woes Latest fissures in alliance raise questions about its effectiveness

The Gujarat riots were warning enough

D

ifferences within the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)’s major components over strategy have once again emerged, as the PPP likes a no-confidence motion brought in the national Assembly against the PTi government, while the PML(n) would prefer going for a long march to islamabad first. it seems that the idea of resigning from the assemblies has fallen by the wayside. The senate elections in March have long ago been abandoned as any sort of goal, and now the parties are devoted only to obtaining what senate seats they can from the process.

One of the main factors seems to be that of the PPP’s sindh government, which symbolises more than just as provincial government for the PPP. it means that the PPP will obtain the majority of the senate seats that will go up for grabs in the coming elections, but it also represents the last vestige of power that the PPP has left. Dissolving the sindh Assembly is easily said, but as it does not inevitably pull down the other Houses along with it, it might leave the PPP facing a provincial election with a hostile party still in charge of the federal government. if a non-PPP government is formed, it would be in power at the time of the next election for the national Assembly, with about half its tenure remaining. Already, the difficulties between the federal and sindh government are getting more complicated. The Karachi Transformation Plan has added money to the mix, and the animosity between the two was illustrated by a recent meeting of the committee meant to decide the plan’s issues, where Maritime Affairs Minister Ali Zaidi walked out because he felt aggrieved by his treatment by the committee’s chairman, chief Minister Murad Ali shah. Mr Zaidi takes a particular interest in Karachi as a member from it, while Mr shah has a particular interest also, as it is his capital and part of his province. However, neither belongs to a party which dominates the metropolis, which is still something the MQM can claim. it is another matter that the MQM is divided into factions, with the Pak sarzameen Party having hived off from it.

Then there is the issue of the no-confidence motions.

That would be decided only by numbers. Has the opposition got enough support from the Treasury benches to make a move? The PDM does not seem to be dissolving, but there are questions about its effectiveness.

Shahbaz Munawar KazMi

W

Henever attacks on the Muslims grew, Merciless Modi mostly remained silent. starting from te Gujerat riots and ending at abrogating Article 370, indian Prime Minister narendra Modi always remain ruthless to Muslims but still he says “if a puppy comes under the wheel of car and we are sitting behind,it will be painful.” Modi is such kind of a person that he expresses satisfaction in handling the Gujarat riots and says his only regret is that he did not manage the news better. Modi is the person who after causing chaos to Muslims in the Gujarat riots sayid, “Whether i am chief Minister or not, i am a human being. if something bad happens, it is natural to be sad”.

Modi was chief Minister of Gujarat in 2002 when the pogrom happened there that caused chaos and bloodshed to the Muslim community. it killed 790 Muslims, demolished 100,000 Muslims’ houses, 1100 hotels, 1500 businesses, 3000 handcarts and 5000 vehicles, 230 mosques and 274 dargahs.

The cause of this massacre was said to be burning of a train at Godhra railway station that killed 58 Hindu pilgrims .Modi declared the attack on the train had been attack of terrorism with the help of isi and local Muslims. According to Modi, it was planned by Muslims. But later a canadian historian Ainslie

South African tour Terrorism should not be allowed to rear its ugly head once again in the country

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SiMran Jeet Singh and dr guniSha Kaur

T

ens of thousands of farmers have marched to the indian capital of new Delhi from neighboring states to protest new legislation that hurts small farmers and benefits large corporations.

Police unleashed tear gas and water cannons to halt the march, and last weekend protesters blocking major roads leading into new Delhi were met with hundreds of police and paramilitary forces. One senior police official alleged that the protestors pelted police with stones and damaged property, but even if this is true, the heavy-handed response by police is disproportionate.

The current situation may feel like déjà vu to those familiar with modern indian politics. The lives and livelihoods of indian agricultural workers — who make up more than half of india’s workforce — have long been secondary to the national interest of feeding the masses. nowhere has that been more evident than in the northwestern state of Punjab, india’s agricultural hub and “bread basket.” in May of 1984, Punjabi leaders initiated a campaign for equal rights, Punjab Bandh, which blocked the transport of crops and withheld taxes from the federal government. it was a part of a states’ rights movement against the central government in new Delhi. in response, the federal government deployed 100,000 army troops to the state.

Within a month, the indian government would launch a military attack on the Darbar sahib (Golden Temple) of Amritsar, the most significant of sikh sites. The indian government justified the military action as a matter of national security, though journalists and independent sources report mass civilian

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

Modi is doing the same o Muslims as Hitler did to Jews.

Modi is an Indian Hitler. Adolf Hitler had a firm faith in the superiority of the German race and the inferiority of other races And Meretricious Modi also believes in the Hindu nation’s superiority because that is what Hindutva leads to. In a nutshell, expecting Modi to be kind to Muslims is like finding a star in daylight

The writer can be Shahbazmunawar528@gmail.com

reached

at

Indian farmers are right to be outraged

iTH the south African cricket team already in Pakistan, and about to play two Tests starting this week, it seems there is enough cause for celebration. This is the first tour by south Africa since 2007, also its first since the 2009 attack on the sri Lankan team bus returning from the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore.

Though Test cricket commenced in Pakistan in 2019 with a tour of Pakistan by sri Lanka, and a T20i tour by Zimbabwe had marked the resumption of international cricket before that. Therefore, this marks the first tour by one of the most powerful teams of world cricket. Just as Pakistan was once again returning to Test cricket, the covid-19 epidemic struck, freezing the world of sport, Test cricket included. it is to be hoped that the expectations from this tour are not as high for the Pakistani fans as from the sri Lankan tour, even though they are not as outstanding as could have been hoped from a home series. Pakistan did win the Test series, but after losing the ODi series.

Pakistan enters the current series after a losing tour of new Zealand, after having been drubbed thoroughly. south Africa is entering on a winning note, having just beaten sri Lanka at home. Both teams have been involved in a victory by the home team. Pakistan must be hoping that that pattern continues.

However, for the fans, what seems to count is that cricket take place. for that to happen, terrorism must be brought to an end. A resurgence is visible, as in the slaughter of Hazaras in Balochistan, or incidents in Waziristan. Though the resumption or continuation of international sport should not be the primary goal, efforts to end terrorism must not cease. A major defect has been the failure to implement the national Action Plan, which was agreed by all parties. The present government is headed by someone who rose to prominence as a cricket captain. for international cricket to be potentially jeopardized by government inaction during his tenure is unexpected, indeed counter-instinctive.

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Thomas embree said, “Attack on the train was unintentional.” More than this, ccT (concerned citizen Tribunal) concluded that fire had been an accident. in 2005, an indian government investigation finds that fire was an accident and not caused by Muslims.

There was humiliation and mortification of women.

Gang rape was at its peak. renu Khanna wrote that the rape survivors reported, “it consists of forced nudity, mass rapes, gang rapes, mutilations, insertion of objects into bodies, cutting of breasts and slitting the reproductive organ.” An international committee of all women reported, “sexual violence was being used as a strategy for terrorizing women belonging to minority communities in the state. Pregnant women were gutted and then had their unborn child’s body shown to them. everything was well-planned” Kalpana Kannabiran said, “rapes were well-organized, deliberate and part of a preplanned strategy.” vandava shiva stated that the young boys been taught to rape and kill in the name of Hindutva. if Morbid Modi is not the perpetrator of all these games then why did he walk out during an interview when he was asked about the Gujarat riots? Why did the police not intervene?

Why did the police also target Muslims instead of helping them? When Muslims called them for help why did they say, “We have no orders to save you”? Why were those police officers punished by the Modi government who followed the rule of law and helped prevent the riots? Why were local and state-level politicians seen leading violent mobs and distributing weapons?

Why were thousands of cases against rioters dismissed by the police for lacking evidence despite eyewitness accounts? Why did Modi turn a blind eye to the violence ? Why did the violence continue for three

months with no intervention from the federal Government till May? How was it possible that after this destruction, the chief Minister of Gujarat was clueless about the situation? Why did Prime Minister Atal Bihari vajpayee choose not to dismiss Mr. Modi for how he handled the riots? Media describe attack as state terrorism rather than communal riots due to lack of state intervention since Mulish Modi came to power, he has been implementing the ideology of Hindutva. The doctrine of Modi is Hindutva and Hindutva is the lebensraum of india. A Hindutva follower believes in Hindu superiority and Hindu nationalism. it is the ideology that advocates indian culture in terms of Hindu values. savarkar said “O Hindu, consolidate and strengthen Hindu nationality.” Based on Hindutva ideology concept, Modi abrogated Article 370,sent 900,000 troops into Kashmir that started a lockdown.

This resulted in closures of mosques, and shortages of food and medicine. furthermore, the indian government banned the entry of foreign journalists there and carried out shelling inside Azad Kashmir. Hindu vandalism, particularly against Muslims led by indian rulers, converted india and indian-Occupied Kashmir into concentration camps like those erected by Hitler for the Jews.

Modi is doing the same o Muslims as Hitler did to Jews. Modi is an indian Hitler. Adolf Hitler had a firm faith in the superiority of the German race and the inferiority of other races And Meretricious Modi also believes in the Hindu nation’s superiority because that is what Hindutva leads to. in a nutshell, expecting Modi to be kind to Muslims is like finding a star in daylight.

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casualties in the thousands.

Within the year, the prime minister of india was assassinated by her sikh bodyguards. And in the decade that followed, there was turmoil in Punjab: the indian state carried out widespread human rights abuses, “encounter killings” and the extra-judicial disappearances of thousands of innocent civilians, while a segment of sikhs in Punjab engaged in a years-long armed uprising for self-determination.

The current protests in india should warn us of another pressure-cooker situation. Today, the farmers are reacting to the new laws that divest them of minimum price guarantees for their crops. But their grievances and their impetus for protest go far beyond that.

To understand what they are protesting and why, we must recognize the historical context. in 1966, less than 20 years into its nationhood, india was faced with impending famine and responded by introducing a new, experimental technology into key states, in a program known as the Green revolution. Having demonstrated success in some other parts of the world, engineered seeds, chemicals and irrigation were beginning to become popular, and india embraced them.

Just as some medications are tested on humans of developing countries before being accepted in developed nations, the Green revolution was an agricultural experiment tested out on the fields of Punjab.

While the Green revolution produced more crops in the short-term and helped mitigate india’s risk of national famine, its long-term effects have contributed to the degradation of the economy, environment and health of Punjab. These factors have exacerbated the strife between farmers and the government.

The central Government’s subsidization of Green revolution technologies have effectively coerced farmers to adopt these resource-intensive methods. Yet india has not guaranteed a profitable market for these crops, leaving the farmers in an unviable situation.

The input cost for producing crops already exceeds the purchase price in many instances: According to a recent report from Punjab Agricultural University, eight out of ten farmers are in debt, and the average amount a farmer owes is more than four times the average annual income. indian Prime Minister narendra Modi has said that the reforms are intended to benefit farmers. But removing its existing price guarantees for crop sales only empowers these corporations by requiring farmers to negotiate with them individually. That means

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that as these corporations increase market supply, small farmers will struggle to compete and be pushed further into debt.

The future also looks bleak from an environmental perspective. The indian government continues to divert Punjab’s waters to other, non-agricultural states, in violation of international riparian law, and recent data suggest that Punjab’s groundwater sources are likely to run dry by 2039. Much of the region’s soil has been degraded to a point of near infertility, and is no longer capable of sustaining agriculture.

The Green revolution was introduced in Punjab before anywhere else in india, and because of its initial success, it has been adopted around the world.

Over the years, it has become increasingly clear that india is committed to its current approach to farming, despite the disastrous costs.

The first and most obvious step is to repeal the recent laws and give farmers in india the same support they have in other countries around the world. india must meet their demands and enforce minimum price support for crops. Asking its farmers — 86% of whom own fewer than two hectares of land — to negotiate with multinational corporations spells certain doom for small farmers and will inevitably precipitate a more drastic epidemic of economically driven farmer suicides. in addition to regulating large companies, india must also adhere to existing legislation that would protect the soil, water and bodies of the indian people. it must support farmers in returning to sustainable agricultural methods that do not require the intensive use of harmful chemicals. The indian government must stop diverting Punjab’s river waters to other states so that farmers no longer pay high prices for it or dig deep, ill-fated wells.

The big picture here is that india must begin to value the lives of its own citizens over the potential economic gains for its nation. By putting its perceived interests over the well-being of its people, the indian government is not just harming those it is meant to serve. it is also undermining itself and putting the country’s stability at risk.

Simran Jeet Singh is a scholar and historian of South Asia and a Truman National Security Project fellow. Dr. Gunisha Kaur is an assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medicine Anesthesiology and comedical director of the Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights. Both are term members for the Council on Foreign Relations.

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Monday, 25 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

A true gentleman

Should we delete the Facebook account?

The danger of getting addicted

dr taMoor azaM

F

AceBOOK has witnessed criticism and controversies since its launch in 2004. But its popularity remains at the top in social media due to the façade of indifference it has managed. it’s a grim reality that people diddle around facebook, squander away precious time which descends the path to escape liabilities and eventually an emotional upheaval occurs in the family. research tells that we spend a large portion of our day in a state of fragmented attention, breaking our attention constantly to take a quick glance to just check the faecbook which will permanently reduce the capacity for concentration. A famous neurologist, robert sapolsky, researched on this and called i, the “magic of maybe”. When we look at the phone to see if there is text or maybe not, the uncertainty in what the text might deliver, results in a 400 percent increase in dopamine. it’s roughly the same amount of dopamine as a person gets from cocaine. That means we are giving highly addictive drugs into the hands of our new generation. As they have already saturated with this technology. facebook is like a “virtual cage” that moves along with us, restrict our free will, and treats all of us as “lab animals”. social Media companies hire individuals called “attention engineers”. By using algorithm gorges on data about us, their duty is to read and

analyze our mindset. What type of links do we like to click? Which videos do we like to watch? in our contact lists, whose updates are we more concerned about? How anxiously are we waiting for notifications? Who are you connecting with in-person and online, and do you click on likes or ignore them? What facial expressions do we make or how do we react in different situations?

Has facebook been spying on us? Yes, they read our personality traits and figure out whether we are introverts, extroverts, conservatives, liberals, and atheists. infect, we receive engineered feedback all the time that makes us neurotic.

B. f. skinner was a famous behaviorist. He used to set up a “skinner Box”, a methodical system where caged animals treated after specific actions they performed. nobody pets or whispers to the animals, just a purely isolated mechanical action— a new kind of training for modern times where we are being trained by using behaviorist techniques. facebook is like an idiot demon that monitors us. We are being remotely controlled and unconsciously behave like facebook’s welltrained-dog or a robot.

We are unintentionally suffering from facebook depression where we start to compare our life and activities with others, and there is less satisfaction or sadness. it is human psychology that we really care what other people think of us. so, when we upload our new photo or profile photo on facebook, our mind becomes very vulnerable to know that what other people think of my new profile photo. We enjoy the ephemeral joys in facebook by the perceived sense of perfection because we get the reward in short-term signals like hearts, thumbs up, and unfortunately conflate them with truths, but it is just fake brittle popularity. We don’t realize it while using facebook, but we are programmed. social media tools are designed to be addictive. simon

B. F. Skinner was a famous behaviorist. He used to set up a “Skinner Box”, a methodical system where caged animals treated after specific actions they performed. Nobody pets or whispers to the animals, just a purely isolated mechanical action— a new kind of training for modern times where we are being trained by using behaviorist techniques.

sinek, motivational speaker and leadership guru, said when you wake up in the morning, you are checking your mobile-first before greeting your wife, and this is an “addictive behaviour”.

Lack of vetting for news is a phenomenon of social media. Any person can anytime sprout a piece of fake news, fake an account and cast aspersions upon anyone where no one can exert check and balance. fake and real news go in tandem, and due to the rough benchmark, it’s hard to determine which is true. so, to err is human but to err on technology is an absurdity. from domestic to international level this platform is being misused, like in the 2017 presidential elections in france, wen around 30,000 politically motivated fake accounts had been detected which were involved in spreading misinformation. it’s still unknown how many fake accounts are creating in one day and how many have been created in total until this day is an enigma.

The problems faced by advertisers concerning facebook’s video metric miscalculation, it truly beggars all description. The dark side of “facebook Live” is a Pr nightmare when people broadcast acts of violence, like quarrels, homicide, and suicides.

Jaron Lanier is considered as one of the fathers of vertical reality and is a veteran of silicon valley, and explains, “How social media ruins your life and is harming your health” in his famous book Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now. He is concerned that facebook and Twitter are reprograming how we feel and think. According to him this rarely happened unless you signed up to be a test subject in an experiment in the basement of a university’s psychology building. Then you’d go into a room and be tested while someone watched you through a one-way mirror. even though you knew an experiment was going on, you didn’t realize how you were being manipulated. At least you gave consent to be manipulated in some way.

One could become paranoid if facebook’s filthy game with Us intelligence is revealed. The Satirical tabloid and website reported that Mark Zuckerberg shares facebook information with the central intelligence Agency. it is an uncomfortable truth that a Us citizen cannot avoid sharing anything with the ciA.

One could become paranoid if Facebook’s filthy game with US intelligence is revealed.

The Satirical tabloid and website reported that Mark Zuckerberg shares Facebook information with the Central Intelligence Agency. It is an uncomfortable truth that a US citizen cannot avoid sharing anything with the CIA

The writer is a Research Analyst at Kunming University of Science and Technology, China, He can reached at Email: tamoorazam@hotmail.com Mobile No. +8615559837189

i want to share a experience i had today which has left me startled to say the least.

We went for our sunday brunch to the islamabad club (it always reminds me of our birdy), it was a ordinary event like any other brunch.

There was a seating arrangement on the side for about 20 people. it seemed like some one had invited a few guests which is a usual occurrence. After some time the club staff put some security/separation screens along the setting. Then a separate layout was setup for service.

This made me ask that is there someone special coming? The answer was yes. cOAG Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa was coming for brunch. A bit special alright but still the feeling that the virtual ruler of the country would be having meals with the ordinary citizens of the country.

At around 12 noon the General came along with his family, just like a ordinary member or guest of the club and sat on one of the side chairs.

He then apparently directed that all special arrangements should be removed. it was amazing to see that he and his family joined the other members/guests in taking the food, standing in line for their turn. On the omelette server the waiting line was rather long. it was so heartening to see that General Bajwa stood in the queue (me and my family noticed with surprise and delight) for about 18 minutes before he was served with his omelette (no one wanted to give him his slot nor did the General asked for, he was totally comfortable).

He was mingling with everyone in the most humble manner. Then came the surprise. Mohammad Zubair (the ex governor of PML-n) came with his wife and family and surveyed the situation then he along with his wife and a few others went towards where General Bajwa and family were seated. They were the only people who were not allowed to meet the General. i know that i have not been able to capture the whole scenario the way it should have been (literature was never my forte) but the whole experience was virtually mindblowing for me.

Gentlemen, let me tell you that irrespective of the opinions we keep on expressing on this forum, as long as we have people like him at the helm of affairs of this country. no harm can come to Pakistan, inshallah.

MuhaMMad anwar IslaMabad

Delay in vaccination cOviD 19 pandemic has been causing health and economic crises throughout the world for the last one year . The carnage is still on. But now at least 4 covid 19 vaccines have been approved . Many countries have already launched aggressive vaccination programme .

Pakistan has not yet rolled out covid 19 vaccine programme . What’s is causing the delay ? is it lack of advance thinking and forward planning ? Or is it because government is too much preoccupied fighting the opposition political leadership of the country? it is a matter of great concern that we yet to have the first jab of covid 19 vaccine in the arm whereas many countries in the world have already launched massive vaccination programme . for example UAe has already vaccinated 2.4 million residents which is around 24% of it’s population during the last two weeks . Look at our neighbouring country india which has started few weeks ago a ambitious programme to vaccinate around 300 million people by August 2021 at 3,000 vaccination centres throughout the country. Those countries who have already started mass vaccination program for covid 19 will be the first to overcome health crisis and recover from current economic slowdown .Therefore , i believe we must expedite launching mass covid 19 vaccination programme.

Ejaz ahMad Magoon dubaI

Packages for farmers THe Prime Minister imran Khan sunday said that the government would announce a special package for the farmers “very soon” as a subcommittee of the cabinet was formulating proposals on the subject. PM in a meeting with the Members of national Assembly from south Punjab, Dir and swat, said the previous governments ignored south Punjab region and discriminated with the people in provision of education, health and employment opportunities. The meeting which focused on south Punjab secretariat and farmers’ special package, was attended by special Assistant to PM on Political Affairs Malik Amir Dogar and MnAs Aurangzeb Khan Khichi and nur Muhammad Khan Bhabha. The Prime Minister said that the purpose of establishing south Punjab secretariat was to give special focus on development of the south Punjab districts. Aurangzeb Khichi put forward a proposal for establishment of a cadet college in vehari. During the meeting with MnAs salim rehman and Bashir Khan, PM was briefed on the provision of employment opportunities to the locals during the construction of dams in Dir. Moreover, the Prime Minister was also apprised of the public issues and efforts for their resolution, besides progress on education and health projects in swat. MnA salim rehman briefed the prime minister on the promotion of tourism in swat which was also casting positive impacts on people’s lives. sohaIl alI Khan IslaMabad

Covid in Nigeria THe coronavirus is very greatly emphasized in all newspapers, channels and different sites in the world. in the wake of covid-19 we are guided to apply corona sOPs and find a cure for this virus. A news was spread that a new coronavirus variant emerged in nigeria. it is not a very famous affair. But most the African countries are said to be infected. The increased transmission of virus in nigeria is observed.

According to a research paper seen by the Associated Press “ The variant was found in two patients samples collected on Africa cDc this week. in Pakistan, the situation is not the same as compared to european countries. But we need to be very careful from it’s impacts by being a responsible citizen. barKatullah turbat

Monday, 25 January, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

How AAkAr PAtel under-reAd tHe cHArActer of Hindu rAsHtrA? THE FUNDAMENTAL REASON WHY SARDAR VALLABAI PATEL WAS SIDELINED FROM BECOMING THE FIRST PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA WAS THAT AS SHUDRA HE WOULD NOT BE ACCEPTED BY THE HINDU BRAHMIN RITUAL SYSTEM Counter Currents

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Kancha iLaiah ShepheRd

aKaR Patel starts his timely and well-researched book our hindu Rashtra: What It Is. how We Got here with a sentence “Majoritarianism is primitive and easy to do”. he surmises that establishment of hindu Rashtra, which has only one meaning, that a Kshatriya king should rule the hindu Rashtra under the supervision of a Brahmin head priest. such a hindu Rashtra was in existence in nepal till abolition of monarchy in 2008. according to him, India had no Varna-dharmik hindu Rashtra for a long time in history, therefore, it is not possible to establish it now. It is true that unlike nepal, which is a small state and fully hegemonic Brahmin-Kshatriya forces with small non-tribal population, India was very vast and never had any one ruler with his/her Brahmin guru/priest ruling entire India. however, we must not also forget that most of the princely states that existed till 1947 were hindu Rashtras. Wherever Muslim rulers, like hyderabad and Junagdh, were in power they were basically theological in nature and by administrative and ideological apparatus.

The prototype of hindu Rashtra ideology goes back to Chandra Gupta Maurya and Kautilya period. When Chandra Gupta refused to follow the directions of Kautilya who was his head priest and Prime Minister, he resigned from his positions and wrote arthashastra, which is a fundamental source of the statecraft of hindu Rashtra. arthashastra is a book of varna dharma and dandaneeti. It does not allow a shudra king to rule without getting kshatriyahood in a ritual ceremony under a Brahmin head priest, who later assumes the Prime Minister position and controls the king. From the mighty shivaji to Baroda Maharaja, who could not give a house to ambedkar in Baroda along with job, with a fear of Brahmin guru, were under such Brahmin priesthood spell.

The Indian shudras never got out of the view that Brahmin is Bhoodevata. The shudra’s surrendered consciousness that the idea of hindu Rashtra is in operation in a very different form even now. The idea of hindu majority would not sustain if the shudras reject the Brahmin authority. or even if shudras claim the right to priesthood by rejecting the hierarchical control of varna dharma the idea of hindu Rashtra gets rejected forever.

The institutional operation of hindu Rashtra to some degree has been in operation in India through hindu temple system and ritualism under the complete control of the Brahmins even after 1947. The fundamental reason why sardar Vallabai Patel was side-lined from becoming the first Prime Minister of India was that as shudra he would not be accepted by the hindu Brahmin ritual system. a Brahmin, whatever could be his ideology, would be accepted, and thus Pandit Jawaharlal nehru was agreed

upon. Let us not forget that Mahatma Gandhi was also a strict follower of varna dharma. he too did not like a shudra to become the first Prime Minister.

Even in nepal, in spite of the fact that it is being ruled by the communist conglomeration, only Brahmins become the Prime Minister. This is also one of the basic characteristics of the hindu Rastra. The Rss/BJP combine is tightening the dwija control over the Indian state and civil society after they came to power. a full scale hindu Rastra is not meant for only to supress Muslims but also to set back the shudra/dalit/adivasi masses to the classical casteist status. Caste is the critical structure in hinduism as a religion and hindu Rastra as a state system. aakar Patel’s main thesis is that the Rastriya swayamsevak sangh’s idea of hindu Rashtra is nothing but isolation and marginalization of Muslims by consolidating hindu majoritarianism. But in varna terms who constitute this majority? What is the place of shudras who constitute both according to 1931 census and B.P Mandal commission report 52 per cent of the total population? apart from shudras 18 per cent dalits and 7.5 Muslims are treated as part of majoritarianism that the Rss constructed. aakar Patel’s majoritarianism also includes them.

The notion of majoritarianism combining shudras/dalis/adivasis and dwijas has been used not just now for a long time in post-colonial India. aakar Patel does not see any other form of hindu Rashtra getting operationalized by Rss/BJP with electoral democracy and the present constitution being in place. according to him no Kshatriya dynasty rule with a Brahmin priesthood will be possible now. any other theocratic experimentation by the Rss/BJP also will not work as the theocratic experiments in Pakistan, Bangladesh, srilanka and Myanmar around India did not succeed and the Rss/BJP leaders know that. hence the civil society should work to safeguard the interests of Muslims, is his conclusion. after a promising start, aakar Patel just left his varna dharma structured hindu Rashtra analysis there and preemptively moved on to establish that it is not possible to establish hindu Rashtra in India now given the postcolonial secular constitution and pre-colonial non-existence of Kshatriya-Brahmin hindu Rashtra. The pre-colonial Indian state because of British rule and Mughal or Muslim rule earlier to that for a long time, the hindu Rashtra structure got dismantled, hence it cannot be brought back now. he is mostly silent about shudra/oBC/dalit/adivasi marginalization by the dwija forces within the structure of hindu majoritarianism. he does not notice the increasing marginalization of shudra/dalit/adivasis after the Rss/BJP came to power in 2014. Particularly as an intellectual who has come from the Patidar shudra agrarian community from Gujarat he should have seen the present status of shudras in the hindu spiritual system over which the Rss/BJP have a lot of control now.

Why did Patel not think that shudras who are the main productive force in our agrarian sector and who are

completely under the control of dwija hegemony have seen what their fate is in the present form of hindu Rashtra, which made farm laws that cut their jaws and make them toothless?

Majoritarianism of hindutva would be what is only when the shudras remain under the control of dwijas, mainly Brahmins. Even the present process of isolation and attack on Muslims became possible with the uncritical consent that shudras–including Patels, Jats, Yadav, Marathas, Gujjars, Kammas, Reddys, Lingayats, Vokkaligas, naikars, Mudaliayars, nairs, apart from the whole range of other Backward Classes–gave to the dwija bhadralok.

Right from the inception of Rss there was no shudra leader in the formulation of its ideology, or heading its organizational structure. savarkar, hedgewar, Golwalkar to Mohan Bhagwat all were Brahmins. In between once Rajendra singh (popularly known as Rajju Bhaiyya) and Kshatriya lead the Rss. The theory formulation, organizational control, the programmatic agendas and the tactics of the hindutva movement are worked out by the Brahmin leaders and the shudra muscle power is deployed against minorities. The shudra realization is the key in this majoritarian agendas. unless they challenge Brahminism hindu Rastra would keep operating in different forms and degrees. at least in the Indian national Congress sardar Vallabai Patel was visible and in the communist movement Puchalapally sundarayya was visible, though Brahmins and Baniyas played most critical roles in formulating their ideologies too. In the Rss ranks we cannot see even one visible shudra. Why did shudras go with that majoritarian construction and its operations? all along only Brahmins headed the Rss but the shudras lent their muscle power to sustain their majoritarianism. Is it because the shudras also have grouse against the Muslims?

If there is a grouse how to solve it without driving them into communal carnages. of course, there is a need for a major reform in the Muslim community in India.

The main fear of dwijas, however, is that the shudra/oBC/dalit/adiavsis should be kept away from Muslim culture because they fear that these forces might become Muslim, as it happened in Pakistan and Bangladesh in the undivided India. unlike many other writers and journalists Patel knows the status of shudras in institutional hindu religion now and also historically. he himself comes from shudra background and the only one, as far as I know, good at writing both in English and Gujarati and knows the caste systems very well. In such an important book he did not examine what is the nature of this hindu majoritarianism within? Where do shudras, dalits and adivasis stand in hinduism and hindutva?

The shudras do not have a right to become priests in the hindu temples and cannot become the head of the Rss. The only thing that the shudras could overcome in the present constitutional democratic system is that they do not have to take to Ksatriyahood with a Brahmin blessing, when they hold positions of power in the state.

what is Alexey navalny’s endgame?

BUT CAN HIS POLITICAL PROJECT SUCCEED WHILE THE WEST CONTINUES TO BE OPENLY HOSTILE TO RUSSIA? Al JAzeerA

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Leonid Ragozin

housands of people across Russia’s 11 time zones took to the streets on January 23 to protest against the arrest of Russian opposition leader alexey navalny, braving the winter cold, the pandemic, and the very real threat of police brutality and incarceration. The event opens a long protest season in the run-up to parliamentary elections in september which are turning into a plebiscite on the legitimacy of President Vladimir Putin’s two-decade rule, whether he rigs them or not.

The protests took place just a week after navalny’s daring return to Russia. In august, he was rushed to a hospital in Germany after being poisoned with a nerve agent and stayed there several months to recover. Before departing from Germany, navalny took part in an investigation into his poisoning (mainly led by British-based investigative group Bellingcat) and even had a long telephone conversation with one of the alleged assassins. navalny is now under arrest, charged with violating his suspended sentence by leaving for Germany and staying there a few months. The conviction for which he received the suspended sentence was pronounced unlawful by the European Court of human Rights.

It increasingly seems that the Russian opposition leader has become Putin’s main rival, if not yet for the nation’s leadership, then at least for the status of the world’s best-known Russian. his newly acquired international fame made a joke out of the pro-Kremlin media’s policy to refer to him as just a “blogger” and Putin’s own refusal to call him by name. having indeed started as an anti-corruption blogger over a decade ago, navalny was Russia’s first opposition figure who managed to create an extremely efficient nationwide network of supporters, many in their twenties or even teens.

In a country mired by political apathy and pervasive cynicism, he managed to inspire millions by conducting groundbreaking investigations into the astonishing corruption of Putin’s entourage and presenting them in easyto-grasp YouTube videos filled with his trademark irony.

By getting arrested upon arrival from Germany, navalny made the Kremlin look both weak and vengeful. one may interpret the decision to detain him as a sign of convulsive fear, but there is a pragmatic side to it, too.

The most hardcore part of Putin’s constituency might be in fact enjoying scenes of navalny’s mistreatment.

Talk shows on Kremlin-linked TV channels anchored by people like Vladimir solovyov and dmitry Kiselev, who take an almost sadistic pleasure in observing navalny’s ordeal, have a sizeable audience. Kiselev even went as far as spending a night in the hotel room in Tomsk where navalny’s poisoning likely took place –

just to mock those outraged by the attempted murder.

But navalny has his hardcore supporters and a growing audience, too. his latest investigation focusing on a lavish palace Putin allegedly built for himself on the Black sea coast had 25 million views on YouTube within 24 hours of its release on January 19 and by January 23, had reached a staggering 70 million.

Today, it seems the Russian society is divided into three unequal parts. Two minorities represent the staunch supporters of navalny and Putin and a majority in the middle which is comprised of people whose support of the Russian president is tentative and pragmatic. These are people who stick with the crowd and who are always very attentive to the general mood in the country.

That means they may change their political preferences in a one-off event when opposition to the current leadership reaches a critical mass. This is what happened in 1991, when a democratic revolution in Moscow led to the collapse of the entire soviet state. an attempt by communist hardliners to stage a military coup led to a massive backlash, which resulted in the downfall of the entire regime.

More recently, in 2020 a very similar abrupt shift happened in Belarus, where people suddenly rose up against their dictatorial president, alexander Lukashenko, with the majority joining opposition-led protests and resistance. Lukashenko is still holding tight, although he has clearly lost legitimacy.

It is this kind of shift navalny is hoping to precipitate when he calls for people to stage protests. he is probably not expecting immediate success. Rather he is building momentum for the hot phase of the duma election campaign in the spring and summer, when CoVId-19 fears and the cold weather will abate, bringing even more people to the streets. although many are inspired by navalny’s fearlessness, it is going to be an uphill battle. Millions of Putin’s

after the Rss/BJP came to power at delhi in north India the regional parties headed by the shudra leaders have been thrown out of power. In delhi central Government not a single shudra leader is visible. Even within Gujarat after Modi came to power in 2012 the Patels were set aside in all major structures of power. The Baniyas control everything– capital, politics and the Brahmins control the religion. The Gujarat model is extended to delhi now. The deconstruction of majoritarian violence essentially depends on the shudra realization and they must initiate a fight within. Till then Muslims will not be safe nor does secularism comeback in any meaningful form. however, aakar Patel’s book initiates a new discourse about the direction of hindutva movement. This period of Rss/BJP rule Indian democracy will definitely undergo a change. The shudra/oBC/dalit/adivasis will slowly realize that the dwija Bhadralok consisting of Brahmins, Banias, Ksatriyas, Kayashtas and Khatris formed a formidable and highly English educated bhdralok. apart from savarkar, hedgewar and Golwalkar (all Brahmins) and swami Vivekananda (Kayastha) are the bedrock of their ideology. now Mahatma Gandhi is also being roped into their ideological leadership. Recently J.K Bajaj wrote a book on Gandhi, Making of a hindu Patriot, and Mohan Bhagwat released it in sabarmati ashram as part of that larger plan. There is no single shudra thinker in their list. one hopes that aakar Patel will write another book on the shudra status in the wheel of hindutva majoritarianism.

Our Hindu Rashtra: What It Is. How We Got Here

By Aakar Patel, Westland Publication, 2020 The author is a political theorist, with an upcoming new book The Shudras — Vision for a New Path co-edited with Karthik Raja Karuppusamy (Penguin).

conditional supporters have good reasons to believe that they might lose more than they would gain in the event of his fall. This is dictated by their experiences in the 1990s and their understanding of regional politics today.

Putin’s regime provides for modestly good standards of living – on par with poorer Eu countries and much higher than in ukraine or Georgia, the two supposed models of pro-West reforms in the post-soviet space. ukraine, which lived through turbulent times after a revolution and a Russian military attack in 2014, remains a potent scarecrow for Russians. on the one hand, its maiden revolution has failed to bring down the oligarchic system or, as many call, it – the mafia state. on the other, Putin’s intervention in ukraine clearly showed to what lengths the regime is prepared to go when it comes to suppressing a freedom movement.

The prospect of political strife in Russia raises fears of the country’s disintegration accompanied by armed conflicts with neighbours or domestic insurgencies. Many Russians also suspected that the unsympathetic or outright hostile West would be cheering centrifugal forces that would rip the country apart, just like in ukraine. The West is completely oblivious to the enormity of the challenge the world will face, when Russia, with its arsenal of nuclear and other deadly weapons, its millions of security personnel trained to fight and kill, inevitably enters a period of unrest due to its broken system of democratic transfer of power. Worst of all, it has no positive agenda for the Russian population, as it had for people in other Eastern European countries, when they were welcomed into the European union and naTo. The hawkish rhetoric, emanating particularly out of Washington, makes it seem like the West would rather see Russia turn into an alienated Eurasian wasteland surrounded by a cordon sanitaire of hostile nationalist regimes than into a flourishing democracy. such a prospect would discourage even the most liberal-minded Russians from challenging Putin’s rule.

Leonid Ragozin is a freelance journalist based in Riga.

Monday, 25 January, 2021

BUSINESS 09

PM DIrEctS ExPEDItIng SPEcIAl PAckAgE For South PunjAB FArMIng coMMunIty ISLAMABAD

Private sector borrowing jumps 65pc in December Private sector borrowing from banks went up by over 65 per cent in December 2020, latest data issued by the State Bank (SBP) shows. According to a report by Dawn, the private sector borrowed Rs215.5 billion from banks since July to Jan 8, 2020-21 compared to Rs130.2bn in the same period last year amid accelerated economic activities. The rebound in December borrowings emerged as the turning point against the sharp decline — by 88pc — witnessed in the previous five months of the current fiscal year compared to the same period in FY20. The available data does not show which sectors were buying higher money from the banks, but most of the it went for working capital. One of the reasons for higher borrowing by the private sector was the drastic cut in interest rate while banks also received record growth in their deposits.

Banking sector deposits increased by 20pc, jumping from Rs13.912 trillion to reach Rs16.664 trillion in October 2020 on a YoY basis reflecting high liquidity in the banking system, and forcing banks to utilise the liquidity resulting into huge investment in government papers and enhanced advances to private sector. The banks’ deposits in the first 10 months of the calendar year 2020 have so far grown by 14pc — the highest in thirteen years.

According to SBP’s data, both conventional and Islamic banks increased lending to the private sector. However, Islamic banks’ lending to private sector increased tremendously during the last six months of the current fiscal as it reached Rs62.3bn against Rs11.7bn in the same period of the last fiscal. The private sector credit off-take from conventional banks increased to Rs98.2bn against Rs56.5bn in the same period of last year. The report also quoted a senior banker who said, “At least three sectors including housing and construction, auto sector and exports have shown much better growth than previous year and they borrowed from banks”. MONITORING REPORT

Boeing’s fleet to fly on 100pc biofuel by 2030 SEATTLE

MIAN ABRAR

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RIME Minister (PM) Imran Khan has ordered departments concerned to fast track preparations of a special package for the farmers of South Punjab and table it with the federal cabinet for approval as soon as possible.

According to the details, the prime minister issued these directions during his meeting with members of the National Assembly (NA) from South Punjab, who had called on him here at the Prime Minister’s House. Among those who met the PM included chief whip of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Malik Amir Dogar, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi and Noor Muhammad Khan Bhabha.

The prime minister said that a sub-committee of the Cabinet was preparing proposals for a special package, which would be announced soon.

During the meeting, the prime minister also discussed the South Punjab Secretariat. He said the purpose of setting up the secretariat in Multan was to focus speeding up development in under developed districts of the region to bring them at par with developed areas.

Talking to the MNAs, the prime minister said that in the past, equal opportunities for education, health and employment were not provided to the people living here and promised that South Punjab’s resources would be spent for the uplift of the people.

It may be noted here that Aurangzeb Kachchi suggested to the prime minister to set up a Cadet College in Vehari.

Dawood vows cut in duties on raw material not produced locally COMMERCE ADVISER ALSO PROMISES REDUCTION IN CUSTOM DUTY TO MAKE PAKISTANI PRODUCTS MORE COMPETITIVE LAHORE

AGENCIES

APP

Boeing Co said it will begin delivering commercial airplanes capable of flying on 100pc biofuel by the end of the decade, calling reducing environmental damage from fossil fuels the “challenge of our lifetime.” Boeing’s goal – which requires advances to jet systems, raising fuelblending requirements, and safety certification by global regulators – is central to a broader industry target of slashing carbon emissions in half by 2050, the US planemaker said. “It is a tremendous challenge, it is the challenge of our lifetime,” Boeing Director of Sustainability Strategy Sean Newsum told Reuters.

“Aviation is committed to doing its part to reduce its carbon footprint.” Commercial flying currently accounts for about 2% of global carbon emissions and about 12% of transport emissions, according to data cited by the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG). Boeing essentially has just a decade to reach its target because jetliners that enter service in 2030 will typically stay in service through 2050. The world’s largest aerospace company must also confront the task hobbled by the coronavirus pandemic and the 20month grounding of its best-selling jetliner after fatal crashes, which has strained its finances and engineering resources. Boeing is not starting from scratch. In 2018, it staged the world’s first commercial airplane flight using 100pc biofuel on a FedEx Corp 777 freighter. Boeing and Airbus SE also work on reducing carbon emissions through weight and drag reduction on new aircraft.

Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood has said that regulatory duty and additional duty on raw materials not being produced locally will be abolished Speaking to a delegation of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Saturday, he said that customs duty applicable on such inputs would also be reduced by the government in a bid to make Pakistani products more competitive in the global market.

He announced that banking agreements with Afghanistan and Uzbekistan were in progress and once these agreements come into effect, trade with the two countries will be regularised.

Dawood added that councils were being established to enhance exports of leather, mango, potato, kinnow and dates. The adviser expressed optimism that this move would yield excellent re-

sults for the economy of Pakistan.

“The prime objective of the government is to stabilise the country’s economy and all-out efforts are being made to achieve that goal,” Dawood said. Speaking on the occasion, LCCI President Mian Tariq Misbah said that the steep rise in trade deficit needed urgent attention of the government.

“Our trade deficit during July-December 2020 stood at $12.36 billion, which is nearly 6 per cent higher than $11.67 billion recorded during July-December 2019,” he said.

He further stressed that the process of release of refunds for exporters needed to be streamlined. He said that a technical error in the refunds system resulted in wrong disbursements of the refund amounts while erroneous notices were also issued to members of the business community and false cases were registered against them.

He requested the adviser to play a supporting role in this

matter so that the business community was not victimised wrongly.

“The government should focus on fixing the technical problems in sales tax e-refund system to ensure swift and transparent issuance of refunds to the exporters,” he said.

It was proposed that to increase Pakistan’s export competitiveness across diverse sectors, the incentives which are being provided to the export-oriented sectors should also be extended to other sectors including pharmaceutical, rice, halal meat and engineering segments.

Misbah further emphasised that refunds of these sectors should also be processed through the new FASTER system.

The official pointed out that engineering sector held great importance in the global economy as its share in global trade stands at around 52pc, however, no tax incentives were being offered to the engineering sector in Pakistan.

Engro Fertiliser wins DuPont Safety Innovation Award 2020 LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Engro Fertilisers Daharki plant has been declared the global winner of the DuPont Safety Innovation Award 2020. The announcement was made by DuPont Sustainable Solutions (DSS) on Saturday while announcing the winners of the 14th DuPont Safety and Sustainability Awards, recognised for the innovative, systemic changes they have made to their operations.

The award recognises the approaches taken to ensure the safety and health of employees within the workplace, including hazard identification and mitigation, as well as safety training and education that have led to significant, permanent advances in safety performance. Dupont hold these awards on two years cycle; however, the last awards were held in 2017. Other global winners include UAE Dubai Municipality that won the Global Sustainability Award and Singapore SMRT Trains Ltd Singapore for the Global Operations Improvement Award. In the global innovation category that Engro won, other regional winners include EMEA: Saudi Aramco – Saudi Arabia Power Systems and Usina Coruripe of Brazil. Releasing a statement after the announcement, Engro Fertilisers said, “We are thankful to the Almighty and humbled to be ranked ahead of such titans of industry.”

Bangladesh to buy Myanmar rice, putting aside Rohingya crisis DHAKA AGENCIES

Bangladesh will buy 100,000 tonnes of rice from Myanmar, putting aside a rift over the Rohingya refugee crisis as the government races to overcome a shortage of the staple food for the country’s more than 160 million people.

High rice prices pose a problem for the Dhaka government, which is ramping up efforts to replenish its depleted reserves after floods last year ravaged crops and sent prices to a record high.

Muslim-majority Bangladesh and mostly Buddhist Myanmar have been at odds over the more than 1 million Muslim Rohingya refugees in camps in southern

Bangladesh. The vast majority of them fled Myanmar in 2017 from a military-led crackdown that U.N investigators said was executed with “genocidal intent” – assertions that Myanmar denies.

Bangladesh will import white rice in a government-to-government deal at $485 a tonne, including cost, insurance and freight (CIF) liner out basis, said Mosammat Nazmanara Khanum, the secretary at the country’s food ministry.

“Our main priority is to bring down the prices of rice,” Khanum told Reuters on Sunday, adding the government could buy as much as 10 million tonnes while private traders are allowed to buy another 10 million tonnes in the year to June.

The deal will be signed soon and the rice will be delivered by April in phases, she said.

Bangladesh is also buying 150,000 tonnes of rice from India’s state-run firm NAFED in a government-to-government deal while it has issued a series of tender to buy the grain.

“We could buy more rice from India in state-to-state deals,” Khanum said, adding that the Food Ministry was holding talks with several other Indian state agencies.

Bangladesh, traditionally the world’s third-biggest rice producer with around 35 million tonnes annually, uses almost all its production to feed its people. It still often requires imports to cope with shortages caused by floods or droughts.

CMYK

Monday, 25 January, 2021

10 FOREIGN NEWS

WesTern saHara reBels launCH aTTaCk, Warn MoroCCo of esCalaTion ALGIERS

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AGENCIES

RO-INDEPENDENCE rebels fighting Morocco over the disputed territory of Western Sahara on Sunday vowed a military escalation, hours after launching an overnight attack.

The Polisario Front said they had bombarded the Morocco-controlled area of Guerguerat, a crossing point between Western Sahara and Mauritania in a UN-patrolled buffer zone. AFP could not obtain independent confirmation of the reported rocket strikes, or of any possible casualties, from the remote desert region that is largely offlimits to journalists.

"The war will continue and escalate,"

senior Polisario security official Sidi Ould Loukal told AFP by phone. "All positions of the Moroccan army are targets of this war."

A Moroccan official however told AFP there had only been "harassing fire", labelled the attack claim part of a "propaganda war" and insisted "the situation is normal".

Moroccan TV channel 2M showed images of trucks in the Guerguerat area and reported the situation was "normal" early Sunday. Western Sahara is a former Spanish colony contested since the 1970s between Morocco, which controls three-quarters of it, and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which demands independence for what it calls the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

A UN-backed political process has been suspended since March 2019, and the two sides remain separated by a 2,700-kilometre

Trump administration had no coronavirus vaccine distribution plan: White House

(1,700-mile) sand barrier.

Tensions rose sharply when Morocco on November 13 sent troops into the buffer zone to reopen the only road leading from Morocco to Mauritania and the rest of West Africa, after separatists had blocked it the previous month.

The Polisario responded by declaring the 1991 ceasefire null and void, arguing the road had not existed when the truce was signed and was therefore illegal. The two sides are reported to have since exchanged regular fire along the demarcation line.

'WAR ZONE': The pro-independence rebels overnight launched four rockets toward Guerguerat, the Sahrawi press agency SPS said, also reporting attacks along the security barrier.

The Guerguerat road crossing had been

Police crack down on Russian protests against jailing of Kremlin foe Navalny MOSCOW

WASHINGTON

AGENCIES

AGENCIES

Police detained more than 3,000 people and used force to break up rallies across Russia on Saturday as tens of thousands of protesters ignored extreme cold and police warnings to demand the release of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

Navalny had called on his supporters to protest after being arrested last weekend as he returned to Russia from Germany for the first time since being poisoned with a nerve agent he says was slipped to him by state security agents in August.

The authorities had warned people to stay away from Saturday’s demonstrations, saying they risked

There was no distribution plan for the coronavirus vaccine set up by the Trump administration as the virus raged in its last months in office, new President Joe Biden’s chief of staff, Ron Klain, said on Sunday. “The process to distribute the vaccine, particularly outside of nursing homes and hospitals out into the community as a whole, did not really exist when we came into the White House,” Klain said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Biden, a Democrat who took over from Republican President Donald Trump on Wednesday, has promised a fierce fight against the pandemic that killed 400,000 people in the United States under Trump’s watch.

He signed a series of executive orders last week, including some that target vaccine distribution. Biden plans to partner with state and local governments to establish vaccination spots in conference centers, stadiums and gymnasiums. The new administration will also deploy thousands of clinical staff from federal agencies, military medical personnel and pharmacy chains to increase vaccinations, and make teachers and grocery clerks eligible. Vaccination programs lagged far behind the Trump administration’s target of 20 million Americans inoculated by the end of 2020. “We’ve seen this factor all over the country where millions of doses have been distributed, but only about half have been given out,” Klain said. “So the process of getting that vaccine into arms - that’s the hard process. That’s where we’re behind as a country. That’s where we’re focused in the Biden administration - on getting that ramped up.”

"closed" and the situation there was "chaotic", said Ould Oukal, secretary general of the Sahrawi ministry of security.

"This is only the beginning," he said. "It is a warning to the users of this road and this land. The whole territory of Western Sahara is a war zone and is not safe."

The senior Moroccan official contacted

by AFP in Rabat however said: "There was harassing fire near the area of Guerguerat, but it did not affect the trunk road, traffic was not disrupted. "It's been part of a cycle of harassment for more than three months," he said. "There is a desire to create a propaganda war, a media war, on the existence of a war in the Sahara" but "the situation is normal", he said.

The UN-backed ceasefire deal was meant to lead to a referendum on self-deter-

mination for the Britain-sized territory, home to about one million people.

Morocco has offered autonomy but maintains the territory is a sovereign part of the kingdom.

Rabat has won the recognition of its claim to sovereignty over the entire disputed territory from numerous countries which have opened consulates in Western Sahara.

Former US president Donald Trump late last year also backed Morocco, breaking decades of precedent, in exchange for Rabat normalising relations with Israel.

The Polisario Front, which fought a war for independence from Morocco from 1975 to 1991, has said it is still willing to join UN talks on the territory's future -- but would not lay down its arms.

"In the past, we put all our trust in the international community and definitively ended our armed struggle," Ould Loukal said on Tuesday.

"We have waited 30 years -- 30 years of broken promises, prevarication and untenable waiting."

Ould Loukal insisted the group was "open to any mediation. But at the same time, we will keep up the armed struggle, based on past experiences."

catching Covid-19 as well as prosecution and possible jail time for attending an unauthorised event.

But protesters defied the ban and, in at least one case in temperatures below -50 Celsius (-58 Fahrenheit), turned out in force. Leonid Volkov, a Navalny ally, called on them to do the same next weekend to try to free Navalny from what he called “the clutches of his killers”.

In central Moscow, where Reuters reporters estimated up to 40,000 people had gathered in one of the biggest unauthorised rallies for years, police were seen roughly detaining people, bundling them into nearby vans. The authorities said just some 4,000 people had shown up, while the foreign ministry questioned Reuters crowd estimate.

“Why not just immediately say 4 million?” it suggested sarcastically on its official Telegram messenger channel. Ivan Zhdanov, a Navalny ally, put turnout in the capital at 50,000, the Proekt media outlet reported. Some protesters chanted “Putin is a thief”, and “Disgrace” and “Freedom to Navalny!”

US CONDEMNS ‘HARSH TACTICS’: Navalny’s wife Yulia was briefly detained at the rally before being released. Some of Navalny’s political allies were detained in the days before the protest, others on the day itself. At one point, protesters surrounded a sleek black car with a flashing light used by senior officials, throwing snowballs at it and kicking it. A group of policemen were also pelted with snowballs by a much bigger crowd.

China-Taiwan tensions rise days into Biden presidency TAIPEI AGENCIES

Chinese air force planes including 12 fighter jets entered Taiwan’s air defence identification zone for a second day on Sunday, Taiwan said, as tensions rise near the island just days into U.S. President Joe Biden’s new administration.

China views democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory, and has in the past few months increased military activity near the island. But China’s activities over the weekend mark a ratcheting up with fighters and bombers being dispatched rather than reconnaissance aircraft as had generally been the case in recent weeks. After eight Chinese bomber planes and four fighter jets flew into Taiwan’s defence zone on Saturday, between mainland Taiwan and the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands in the South China Sea, a further 15 flew into the same air space on Sunday, Taiwan said. Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said China sent six J-10 fighters, four J-16s, two SU-30s, a Y-8 reconnaissance aircraft and two Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft. Taiwan’s air force was sent up to respond, it added. “Airborne alert sorties had been tasked, radio warnings issued and air defence missile systems deployed to monitor the activity,” the ministry said. China has yet to comment. It has previously said such actions are aimed at defending the country’s sovereignty and designed to act as a warning against “collusion” between the United States and Taiwan. The move is likely to further concern Washington, which on Saturday urged China to stop pressuring Taiwan and reaffirmed its commitment to the island and desire to deepen ties. Earlier on Sunday, the U.S. military said that a U.S. aircraft carrier group led by the USS Theodore Roosevelt had entered the disputed South China Sea to promote “freedom of the seas”. Biden was sworn into office only on Wednesday. His administration says its commitment to Taiwan is “rocksolid”. The United States, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

SHANGHAI: A majestic view of the city's skyline. AGENCIES

Biden administration to unveil more climate policies, urges China to toughen emissions target WASHINGTON AGENCIES

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration next week will release more policies it believes are needed to tackle climate change and is urging China to toughen one of its targets on greenhouse gas emissions, his top climate advisers said on Saturday.

Gina McCarthy, the White House’s national climate adviser, did not say what policies would be released. A memo seen by Reuters on Thursday showed Biden will unveil a second round of executive orders as soon as Jan. 27 that include an omnibus order to combat climate change domestically and elevate the issue as a national se-

curity priority.

“We’ve already sent signals on the things that we don’t like that we’re going to roll back, but this week you’re going to see us move forward with what’s the vision of the future,” McCarthy told a virtual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Biden, a Democrat who took office on Jan. 20, quickly issued executive orders canceling the Keystone XL pipeline that would import tar sands oil from Canada and rejoining the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

Both of those moves reversed former President Donald Trump’s policies. During his four years in office, Trump rolled back about 100 regulations on climate and the environment

as he pursued a policy of “energy dominance” to maximize output and exports of oil, gas and coal.

John Kerry, Biden’s special climate envoy, said a recent pledge by China, the world’s top greenhouse gas emitter, was “not good enough.” In September, Chinese President Xi Xingping set a goal for his country to become carbon neutral by 2060, 10 years after the 2050 time frame favored by most countries, while also pledging a more ambitious short-term goal on emissions.

As secretary of state under former President Barack Obama in 2015, Kerry helped bring China to the table at the U.N. climate conference in Paris.

Now, the Biden administration has begun to apply diplomatic pressure on

countries to work harder on climate, said Kerry.

He talked on Friday with foreign ministers in Europe, who told him they had high expectations for the Biden administration after a lack of action on climate in the Trump years. “‘Yeah, we realize we come back with humility,’” Kerry said he told the ministers, adding that the majority of U.S. states and more than 1,000 mayors continued to move ahead on climate during the Trump years.

The United States, the world’s second leading emitter, has to do better than getting to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, perhaps through emerging technologies such as capturing carbon dioxide directly from the air, Kerry said.

Monday, 25 January, 2021

SPORTS 11

SOuth AFRICA enteR the unknOwn In FIRSt teSt AgAInSt PAkIStAn KARACHI

e

SOUTH AFRICA RETURN TO PAKISTAN FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE A MILITANT ATTACK ON THE SRI LANKA TEAM BUS IN LAHORE IN 2009 THAT KILLED SIX POLICEMEN AND TWO CIVILIANS

AGENCIES

xPERIENCED batsman Faf du Plessis says South Africa must master the unfamiliar conditions and home captain Babar Azam when they play their first Test in Pakistan since 2007 in the opening match of a twogame series that starts in Karachi on Tuesday.

South Africa return to Pakistan for the first time since a militant attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in 2009 that killed six policemen and two civilians.

Both sides have a fresh look about them;

the tourists introduced a number of new players for their 2-0 home series win over Sri Lanka this month, while Pakistan named nine uncapped players in their squad.

“I think both South Africa and Pakistan are probably similarly placed where they are in terms of the teams,” Du Plessis told re-

porters. “Quite a lot of inexperience and not a lot of Test caps.

“We are expecting it to be a very, very tough ask, they are a very dangerous team in their home conditions.” Pakistan will have Babar back after he missed recent Tests in New Zealand with a fractured thumb.

scoring options to get some boundaries.”

‘FEARLESS CRICKET’: Babar has urged his side to take a positive approach and dictate the flow of the match.

“I want the team to play positive, aggressive and fearless cricket,” he said. “We need to be good enough against top-quality sides if we want ourselves to be considered a top team and for that, we need to win series.”

The hosts have won only one of their previous seven Tests against South Africa in Pakistan, with the visitors claiming two victories to go with four draws.

The second Test will be played in Rawalpindi from February 4.

“Having Babar is massive for them. He is up there with the top three batters in the world. His last two seasons, in all formats, have been nothing short of remarkable,” Du Plessis said. South Africa admit uncertainty over what to expect from the conditions.

Pakistan has traditionally been more seamerfriendly than other sub-continent countries, but early indications are that might not be the case this time around.

“It’s about making sure you are looking at two or three ways of getting off the strike,” Du Plessis said when discussing a trial by spin. “You need to make sure you’ve got some plans to either get ones or have

Rahmat century guides Afghanistan past Ireland in 2nd ODI ABU DHABI: Rahmat Shah smashed an unbeaten century to guide Afghanistan to a seven-wicket victory over Ireland in their second one-day international in Abu Dhabi.

Rahmat hit two sixes and 10 fours in his 103 from 109 balls as the Afghans reached their victory target of 260 with 28 balls to spare, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

Rahmat was backed up by Hashmatullah Shahidi, whose 82 from 100 balls, saw the duo put on 184 for the third wicket. Afghanistan skipper Asghar Afghan pitched in with an unbeaten 21 to help his side to victory. Ireland had won the toss and chose to bat, Paul Stirling hitting 128 from 132 balls to help his team get to 259/9 from their 50 overs. Naveenul-Haq claimed Stirling’s wicket, ending with 4-42 off his 10 overs. AGENCIES

Abraham’s hat-trick takes heat off Lampard as Chelsea advance in FA Cup LONDON: Tammy Abraham eased the pressure on under-fire Frank Lampard as the Chelsea striker’s hat-trick sealed a 3-1 win against Luton in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday. In just his second season in charge at Chelsea, Lampard is fighting to avoid the sack after a wretched run in the Premier League. An embarrassing FA Cup exit against Championship opposition would have pushed Lampard closer to the axe, but Abraham’s clinical display gave his manager some much-needed breathing space. Abraham scored twice in the first half before Jordan Clark got one back for Luton after yet another blunder from Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. Luton gave Lampard some nervous moments after that, before Abraham finally sent Chelsea through to a last 16 tie at second tier Barnsley. Lampard will know that Chelsea, who were FA Cup runners-up last season, are still a long way from the finished article. One of his biggest headaches has been the poor form of Timo Werner and there was more bad news for the Germany striker as he missed a late penalty. After notoriously demanding Blues owner Roman Abramovich bankrolled a £200 million spending spree in the close-season, Lampard was expected to mount a title challenge. But a dismal run of five defeats in their last eight Premier League games has left Chelsea languishing in ninth place. Amid talk that Lampard will be sacked if Chelsea don’t finish in the top four or fall completely out of contention, former Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel and exJuventus manager Massimiliano Allegri have been linked with his job. Lampard insisted this week that he is a “fighter” capable of dragging Chelsea back into contention for the Champions League places. But as snow blanketed west London, leaving the Stamford Bridge pitch with a white dusting at kick-off, the potentially treacherous conditions must have alarmed Lampard, who made seven changes from the midweek defeat at Leicester.

Standing huddled in a thick winter coat and hat on the touchline, Lampard’s fears were initially assuaged as Chelsea made the perfect start.

Abraham was denied by Luton keeper Simon Sluga and Kurt Zouma ahead over before Chelsea scored in the 11th minute. A quick throw caught Luton napping, with Nathan Jones’ side complaining that two balls were briefly on the pitch at the same time. Chelsea took advantage of Luton’s loss of concentration and Werner’s deflected cross reached Abraham, who slotted a composed low finish into the far corner from 10 yards. AGENCIES

KARACHI: Pakistan’s players take part in a practice session at the National Stadium in Karachi on January 24, 2021, ahead of their first cricket test match against South Africa to be played on January 26. INP

Root’s 186 helps England close in on Sri Lanka GALLE AGENCIES

Skipper Joe Root was run out shy of a second successive double century Sunday as England scored 339 for nine in reply to Sri Lanka’s 381 on day three of the second Test in Galle.

Root was out to a direct throw from Oshada Fernando on 186 in the final over of the day, and stumps were called with England trailing by 42 runs.

Sri Lanka’s Lasith Embuldeniya claimed seven wickets and broke a key seventh-wicket stand of 81 between Root and Dom Bess, who fell to the left-arm spinner for 32.

Root, who completed his 19th Test ton in 99 matches before lunch, kept pushing in the marathon knock of 309 balls. The captain, who hit a matchwinning 228 in his team’s opening win, was helped along by wicketkeeperbatsman Jos Buttler in a partnership of 97 runs. “Quite an amazing innings,” Buttler said of his skipper.

“To back up his double hundred in

the first Test... both physically and mentally to show the application to go and do it again to their spinners. A masterclass really. “It has been a great education for all of us really watching it from the sidelines.”

Buttler added: “I think we just have to praise not just the technical and tactical aspects of his game, but the physicality and concentration to apply himself for so long is quite amazing.”

Debutant Ramesh Mendis took his first international wicket when he dismissed Buttler for 55 after the batsman’s reverse sweep hit his boot and the ball lobbed for an easy catch to short leg.

EMBULDENIYA STRIKES: Buttler survived a similar call in the morning session when replays showed his shot had hit the boot and ground, and he went on to register his 18th Test fifty.

Embuldeniya, who registered his third five-wicket haul, struck twice early in the day with his left-arm spin, including the key wicket of Jonny Bairstow, to break a 111-run thirdwicket stand with Root.

Bairstow, who added just four more to his overnight 24, was given not out by the umpire but Sri Lanka successfully reviewed the call as replays suggested the ball had grazed the bat before hitting the pad and being caught second slip. Root reached his hundred with a single off Dilruwan Perera and raised the bat to an applauding dressing room and lone England fan standing on the ramparts of the fort overlooking the picturesque ground.

He went past England greats including Geoff Boycott (8,114), Kevin Pietersen (8,181) and David Gower (8,231) in Test runs before he attempted a cheeky single, and was run out while returning back to his crease.

“The wicket is turning now compared to day one and day two,” said Embuldeniya, who added if they could get close-out the England innings early Monday and set a target of 150-200, “we are in the game”. The series resumed on January 14 behind closed doors after being cancelled in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Arthur bags first Juve goal in Bologna win to put pressure on Milan teams MILAN: Brazilian midfielder Arthur scored his first goal for champions Juventus in a 2-0 win over Bologna on Sunday to pile the pressure on the Milan teams. Andrea Pirlo’s side bounced back from last weekend’s 2-0 league defeat by Inter Milan, and followed on from their moraleboosting Italian Super Cup triumph over Napoli midweek. AC Milan held top spot in Serie A on Saturday despite falling 3-0 at home against Atalanta after second-placed Inter were held to a goalless draw at Udinese. Roma are third after a 4-3 win over Spezia on Saturday with Juventus moving fourth ahead of Atalanta into the Champions League berths, seven points behind AC Milan with a game in hand. Juventus dominated 13th-placed Bologna in Turin with Arthur breaking through after quarter of an hour with a shot that took a big deflection off Bologna defender Jerdy Schouten. It was the first goal for the ex-Barcelona player in 19 appearances since joining Juventus last summer from the Liga side in a transfer worth up to 82 million euros ($99 million). US midfielder Weston McKennie got the second on 71 minutes nodding in off a corner. Bologna could have suffered more but for goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski. The Pole kept out a quick-fire double in the first half from Cristiano Ronaldo and Federico Bernardeschi off the rebound. AGENCIES

Bangladesh, West Indies target World Cup qualifying points in dead rubber CHITTAGONG AGENCIES

Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal insisted Sunday there was no shortage of hunger in his team after they sealed the three-match, one day series against the West Indies with a game to spare.

Bangladesh will face the West Indies in the third and final match on Monday.

They will be looking to complete a series sweep and win 10 more points in the World Cup Super League, a qualifying

competition for the 2023 World Cup. “We have won the series but there is another 10 points up for grabs. We know that the West Indies did not have a great first two games, but they are a dangerous side, they can come back any time,” Tamim told reporters in Chittagong.

“We might have a few changes, but I am sure whoever is coming in, they all are match winners. So, I think there is a lot of hunger in the dressing room,” he said.

Bangladesh folded the West Indies for less than 150 runs in both ODIs before rac-

CMYK

ing to six-wicket and seven-wicket wins respectively, but Tamim still found room for improvement.

“Bowlers can bowl a bit better, we can do a bit better in the fielding,” he said. “In terms of batting, people are getting the starts, but probably not continuing or finishing their jobs. These are the areas where we have to keep on improving,” he said.

West Indies coach Phil Simmons also targeted the World Cup qualifying points in the dead rubber after his team’s underwhelming performances in the opening

two matches.

“We came here for 30 points but we still have chance to get 10 points in this competition,” Simmons told reporters in a virtual press conference Saturday.

“We have got from 122 to 148, but we need to get into the 230-250, so that we can be competitive. Give the bowlers something to bowl at and show mettle in that aspect,” he said.

Bangladesh have won nine of their last 10 ODIs against West Indies, which included a seven-win stretch.

Monday, 25 January, 2021

PRAyER TIMINGS

NEWS

FAJR SUNRISE

ZUHR

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

5:36

12:14

3:07

7:01

5:27

6:52

PDM set tO evaluate BIlawal’s ‘IN-hOuse’ ChaNge fOrMula tODay ISLAMABAD

t

MIAN ABRAR

HE opposition alliance of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is all set to discuss the proposal of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to bring in an in-house change in the National Assembly (NA) and remove Prime Minister Imran Khan and Speaker Asad Qaisar through a no-confidence motion.

Earlier in Larkana, Bilawal had announced on behalf of the opposition that the PDM would bring a no-confidence motion against PM Imran and the NA speaker, as well as Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.

However, Ahsan Iqbal had rejected the proposal, asking Bilawal to discuss the matter with the opposition parties. He had also said that the PDM would rather work on planning the long march next month to help topple the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

Reliable sources in the PDM have informed Pakistan Today that in wake of the proposal floated by Bilawal, the opposition parties have joined hands and would be discussing the proposal to table a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran.

In this regard, sources said, an important meeting of the parliamentary leaders of the opposition has been convened on Monday, in which consultations will be held on the no-confidence motion against the premier and the other leaders.

While there had been rumours of dissent amid the ranks after Iqbal’s comments, PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has insisted that there is no division within the ranks of the 11-party anti-government coalition.

Speaking to the secretary-general of the PPP’s

No foul play in Karima Baloch’s death, Canada tells Pakistan

ZARDARI RULES OUT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE OPPOSITION ALLIANCE Punjab chapter, Chaudhry Manzoor, during a phone call, Zardari said that the opposition parties’ coalition under the PDM banner “is united and will strike the government from all directions”.

“The PDM will use all options, in turn, to get rid of the PTI government,” he said.

“The country is in grave danger and the [incumbent] rulers are likely to make a huge blunder,” the former president said, adding that it is “crucial to send the government packing”.

“The incompetence of these inept rulers may lead to a major accident in the country [and therefore] the next few months are crucial for the future of national politics.”

Speaking of the ongoing pandemic, the PPP leader — whose son and party chairman Bilawal contracted Covid-19 in November 2020 and recovered a month later — stressed that the Imran administration would “no longer be allowed to hide behind coronavirus”.

“They [government] could neither purchase the coronavirus vaccine nor could they help people during the coronavirus pandemic,” he stated.

Comparing the PTI regime to his own government, Zardari cited the Great Recession and said: “We increased exports from $19 billion to $26 billion despite the 2008 global financial crisis.”

“We doubled the country’s revenue, increased the salaries of employees by 125 per cent. We bumped up government employees’ pensions by 100 per

cent,” he added.

Slamming the “incompetent” PTI government, he said that the rulers had “turned all indicators negative”.

“I said in the past that these elected rulers will fall under their own weight. Now that they have crashed, only one last shove is needed.

“Together with the PDM, the PPP will send this failed and incompetent lot home,” he vowed.

Moreover, the opposition leadership has purportedly devised a strategy to deal with the no-confidence motion and the same would be discussed in the meeting.

Sources said that the federal government has also contacted the PDM leadership at the parliamentary level to hold the ongoing NA session in a truly democratic manner.

In this regard, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak has contacted the opposition leaders, however, differences remain between the government and the opposition over the proceedings of both the houses of the parliament.

The sources said that the opposition would also meet Khattak and seek ‘written guarantees’ for smooth parliamentary proceedings.

These written guarantees would relate on their demands, such as equal time in the National Assembly.

Sources said that the opposition parties are no longer seeking fulfilment of their previous demand of releasing production orders for its imprisoned top leaders, including the opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif, Khursheed Shah and Khawaja Asif.

They said that the opposition has taken a stand that if the written guarantees are not implemented, they will boycott the next NA session and would also raise lack of quorum.

Pakistan attaches great importance to CPEC: Bajwa

CANADIAN AUTHORITIES HAVE OFFICIALLY DECLARED ACTIVIST KARIMA MEHRAB BALOCH'S DEATH AS 'NON-CRIMINAL' IN NATURE

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

ISLAMABAD TLTP

Canadian authorities have officially declared activist Karima Mehrab Baloch’s death as ‘non-criminal’ in nature. In response to a request of the Pakistan High Commission seeking information on the cause of death, the Toronto Police Service said her disappearance had been reported on December 20, 2020 by a family member. “An exhaustive search was commenced by officers which sadly resulted in the location of the deceased on December 21, 2020,” it explained. The letter said the officer in charge reported the details to the family shortly thereafter. “After a thorough investigation, officers determined that this was a non-criminal death and that no foul play was suspected.” The cause of death assessment is expected to put to rest conspiracy theories regarding the activist’s death being the result of some kind of foul play. Copies of the medical certificate of death and a statement of death, along with the flight schedule of the body’s arrival in Pakistan on Sunday, were also attached by the Canadian authorities.

Karima Baloch had been living in exile in Canada for about five years.

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority (CPECA) Chairman General (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa on Sunday said that Pakistan attaches great importance to the mega project, and is ready to pay any price for its success.He was talking to a delegation of senior officials and researchers of an Islamabad-based think tank, Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), at the authority’s secretariat.

The delegation comprised executive president Khalid Rahman, general manager (operations) Naufil Shahrukh, senior associates Amanullah Khan, Mirza Hamid Hasan, Dr Maliha Zeba Khan, retired ambassador Tajammul Altaf, retired brigadier Said Nazir Mohmand, and members of the institution’s research and outreach team.

Briefing the delegation about the progress on the project, Gen Bajwa said that work on the eastern, western and central alignments is in full swing, and the second phase of the project is just beginning.

He also rubbished the claims that work on phase one has slowed down.

Gen Bajwa was of the view that underdeveloped areas, especially southern parts of Balochistan were being given importance in the proj-

ect: a dam and desalination plant have been built in Gwadar in a bid to resolve chronic water shortages affecting the inhabitants.

An airport with the biggest runway in Pakistan worth $230 million was also being built in Gwadar, he said.

Commenting on the first phase, the chairman said its success depends on the second phase, which involves business-to-business (B2B) and people-to-people (P2P) contacts.

He also said synergy among all stakeholders is required to make CPEC a success. In this regard, the Pakistan-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry was also being revived, he informed.

Gen Bajwa stressed the need

for projecting CPEC as a regional connectivity initiative to make Pakistan emerge as an economically galvanising state instead of security or terror-fighting state on the global spectrum.

Afghan transit trade, he added, is also now being facilitated through Gwadar port.

On the occasion, Khalid Rahman opined that China and Pakistan both need each other to implement CPEC as the initiative’s success lies in further strengthening bilateral relations.

He also underlined the importance of transparency and effective perception management for the success of CPEC to counter the nefarious designs of Pakistan and China’s adversaries at all levels.

Pakistani climber, son set to ascend K2 without oxygen today Pakistani climber Muhammad Ali Sadpara has announced that he along with his son would be hoisting the Pakistan flag at the K2 peak on Monday morning after scaling the second highest peak of the globe without oxygen. In a message posted on his Twitter account, Sadpara shared a photo of him along with his son and said that they had reached C3 point from the base camp and after taking some rest, they will begin their expedition to climb K2 without oxygen from 9:00 pm on Sunday. “Insha’Allah, we will be able to complete our expedition by 9:00 am on Monday and will hoist the Pakistani flag on the peak of K2,” he said in a message on the micro-blogging site. He further asked the nation to remember them in their prayers.

It is pertinent to mention here that a team of Pakistani and foreign climbers had begun their expedition to ascend the second highest mountain of the globe, K2, without oxygen to set a world record, days after the peak was scaled for the first time in winter by a Nepalese team. “We are embarking on the mission to summit the mountain and the team will include me, my son Sajid Sadpara and John Snorri, Muhammad Ali Sadpara said and asked the entire nation to pray for their success. We will make our country proud by achieving the milestone of climbing the top peak without oxygen,” the mountaineer said adding that although their mission was difficult but not impossible,” he tweeted earlier. NEWS DESK

Pakistan stresses role of international community for children’s right to education in IOK ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Pakistan on Sunday drew the attention of international community particularly the United Nations to bring an end to the plight of Kashmiri children being denied their right to education. As the world observes International Day of Education on Monday (January 25), Pakistan highlighted the plight of children in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) suffering from inhuman military siege and “digital holocaust”. “On International Day of Education, we draw attention of (international) community especially (United Nations) to plight of children of IOK, who remain deprived of their right to education due to continued inhuman military siege and digital holocaust imposed by India,” the Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson said in a statement.

Tears and fears as India’s huge coronavirus vaccine campaign falters India’s huge coronavirus vaccination drive is behind schedule, with a third of recipients not showing up for appointments because of safety fears, technical glitches and a belief that the pandemic is ending.

After one week, India has vaccinated 1.4 million people or 200,000 people per day. It had initially hoped to process 300,000 per day before ramping up the rollout and inoculating 300m by July.

At the Sharda Hospital in Greater Noida near New Delhi, pharma student Khushi Dhingra, 17, hugged a friend and wept as she waited to get her shot.

“I am very afraid. I hate needles and I am worried about side effects,” she told AFP. “My papa is very worried too. He is calling me, again and again, to make sure I am okay.”

“There are about 80 students in my batch but only two have opted to get the shot,” said

nursing student Sakshi Sharma, 21, in Greater Noida.

“My friends are saying there will be side effects, that you can even get paralysis.”

India is using two shots for its drive.

One is Covishield, a locally produced version of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which has been approved and safely used in a number of other countries after completing Phase 3 human trials.

The other — Covaxin — was developed locally by Bharat Biotech and has not yet completed Phase 3 trials, though the government has insisted it is “110 per cent safe”.

WHATSAPP WORRIES: Side effects are a common fear, with a few cases of severe reactions — and even deaths — reported widely in the media and circulating wildly on Facebook and WhatsApp. In the eastern state of West Bengal,

health chief Ajoy Chakraborty said that turnout was just under 70pc, calling it “not encouraging”.

“We could have achieved our target if some hadn’t backed out after seeing television reports of adverse effects following immunisation,” Chakraborty said.

But Alisha Khan, 20, a nursing student in Greater Noida, said people were also hesitant because of the “rushed” approval of Covaxin.

“Why are they trying to experiment on us? First, they should have completed trials in a proper way,” Khan told AFP. “I am shivering already out of fear.”

CORONAVIRUS COMPLACENCY: Dhingra, in the end, did not get a shot after staff realised she was under 18. She had, however, received a text telling her to come for the vaccination from the IT system managing the mammoth process.

The government says that this and other glitches are being ironed out.

One was that if a person did not show up for vaccination, someone else could not simply take their place.

This led to unfinished vaccine vials — which contain a certain number of doses and have to be used that day — being thrown away.

Also hurting the effort is complacency with the number of coronavirus infections and deaths in India falling sharply in recent months.

“In the beginning when there was lockdown, [villagers] were very scared of the coronavirus,” said Asha Chauhan, 30, who is part of vaccination efforts in rural areas.

“Now that fear has gone because cases have come down. They feel corona has gone from our country now,” she said. “They fear they will die if they take the vaccine.”

SELFIE ZONES: Many of the 30m people

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

due for jabs in the first phase are health workers who have seen the deadly pandemic close up — yet many of them are hesitant.

This needs to addressed before the vaccine is rolled out to the wider Indian population, experts say, where vaccine scepticism is already rife.

“They must launch awareness campaigns in every nook and corner of the country,” said Anita Yadav, 25, an auxiliary nurse and midwife, told AFP. The government has attempted to boost participation, even adapting a classic Bollywood song with lyrics telling people not to believe false rumours.

One Delhi hospital has set up a “selfie zone” for satisfied recipients to take photos. Vaccination centres have started playing light, soothing music in waiting rooms. AGENCIES