EpaperISB_21-02-04

Thursday, 4 February, 2021 I 21 Jamadi-ul-Sani, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 217 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition

Ruckus in nA As govt tAbles bill foR open bAllot in senAte polls g

'we will nOt allOw the gOvernment tO bulldOze the cOnstitutiOn,' says iqbal

islamabad

p

staff report

akistan muslim league-nawaz (pml-n) secretary-general ahsan iqbal led a series of chants during the national assembly (na) session on wednesday, leaving minister for law farogh naseem unable to read out the contents of the bill due to the loud protests. moreover, iqbal also accused speaker asad qaiser of being biased and not letting the opposition speak, stating that “it seems the opposition has been labelled pariahs in the parliament”. he said that a speaker is not supposed to favour any party during the noisy na session on wednesday, during which the speaker wanted the parliamentarians to discuss the constitutional amendment bill. a bill to bring the 26th amendment to the constitution, to pave the way for open balloting in senate elections, was presented during wednesday’s session, and members of the opposition protested loudly in an attempt to prevent the law minister from reading out

the contents of the bill. in his remarks earlier, naseem said that the senate elections should be held through open ballot. “we are amending the constitution, not stealing the election,” he added while responding to the opposition’s criticism. due to the ruckus, qaiser called a recess, and the session was then taken over by deputy speaker qasim suri. iqbal, at this time, accused qaiser of not allowing the opposition to voice their opinions. “the chair purposely ignores pml-n’s calling attention notices and adjournment motions,” he alleged, saying that his party wanted to debate the rise in the prices of electricity and petrol, the lng issue and wheat and sugar scandals but wasn’t allowed to. iqbal said that “at present, the prices of flour, sugar and essential commodities are skyrocketing”. he also spoke of aviation industry “coming to a standstill” and “lies told in the house of the licences of 850 pilots being fake”.

“Our airline was barred by us and europe […] pakistan steel mills employees are being fired,” he said, in further criticism of the government.

coRonAviRus in

pAkistAn

CONFIRMED CASES:

549,032

“whenever we stand up, our mics are turned off,” iqbal said. “this is not the pti’s [pakistan tehreek-e-insaf] assembly, this is the national assembly of the islamic republic of pakistan.” iqbal claimed that while this matter had been in discussion for nearly two weeks, merely 10 hours of actual discourse had taken place. “democracy does not work like you are angels and the opposition is the devil,” he added. furthermore, he claimed the national accountability bureau (nab) was being using in “revenge” tactics. he said that the government members subjected pml-n’s khawaja asif, who was arrested by nab late last year, to “character assassination” and “media trial” regularly, but despite this, the court had sent him on judicial remand because it was “confused” by the evidence presented against him. iqbal claimed that during the pml-n era, opposition members were allowed to speak for even two hours nonstop. in response, speaker qaiser said that he accepts the challenge posed by the pml-n leader, and asked iqbal to verify how many notices motions submitted by pml-n had been taken up. he further claimed that he acted on merit and ran the lower house in accordance with the law. to this, iqbal turned to his fellow party members and asked if they felt qasier was in the right, to which a chant of “no!” began. regarding the bill, pml-n’s iqbal claimed that the government had gotten the amendment bill passed through the relevant standing committee “in 20 minutes” and further said that his party “strongly opposes” the amendment bill. “we will not allow the government to bulldoze the constitution.” moreover, iqbal claimed that prime minister imran khan was only seeking an open ballot as he did not trust the members of his own party.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Justice Isa questions constitutionality of PM Imran’s development grant for lawmakers g

sc judge says if the matter is fOund tO be uncOnstitutiOnal, actiOn will be initiated against gOvernment islamabad staff report

supreme court judge, justice qazi faez isa, on wednesday took notice of the rs500 million development grant announced by prime minister imran khan for lawmakers of national and provincial assemblies on wednesday. a two-judge bench of the top court summoned attorney general for pakistan (agp) khalid javed khan in the court while taking note of the above, and referred to a previous case taken on by the sc wherein it discussed the allotment of funds by the premier. refering to paragraph 52 of the sc’s december 5, 2013 judgment, given during the pakistan people’s party (ppp) tenure, regarding a premier’s discretion to allot funds, justice isa asked if the pm imran’s decision was within the ambit of the law. he directed the advocate general and the agp to seek instructions from

Nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive starts g

more inside

Over 400,000 dOctOrs and frOntline health wOrkers, teachers and sOcial wOrkers will be vaccinated in the first phase islamabad/laHORE/KaRaCHi staff report

LAST UPDATED AT 7:59 AM ON FEBRUARY 3, 2021

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

56

RECOVERED:

NEW CASES:

1,384 DEATHS:

504,046 11,802 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

248,270

158,793

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

67,589

18,836

9,073/4,910 41,561

a day after receiving half a million jabs of china’s sinopharm covid19 vaccine, the authorities began the distribution of the vaccine simultaneously in all provinces and administrative units of the country on wednesday. as per the roll-out plan, the vaccine will first be made available to more than 400,000 doctors and frontline healthcare workers, teachers and social workers because they run the highest risk of exposure to the contagious disease. after that, the shots will be provided to citizens over the age of 65, who generally face a higher mortality risk from the virus. pakistan received its first tranche of the sinopharm jabs, given by china as a “gift”, on tuesday. the shipment marked the first shots to be imported into the country where more than 549,032 cases of the disease have been reported since the outbreak in february last.

the government and inform the sc in this regard. “if these funds turn out to be in accordance with the constitution, we will conclude this case,” justice isa observed. “however, if the decision was not made in line with the constitution, we will initiate action against the same,” he said, adding, “in such a case, the matter will be referred to the chief justice to constitute a bench to initiate legal proceedings.” responding to the judge’s observations, the attorney general assured the court that he will seek a response from the government and convey the same to the court.

On january 27, the prime minister presided over a meeting of the parliamentary party of the ruling alliance led by the pakistan tehreek-e-insaf (pti) at the parliament house, during which he approved grants of rs500 million for each member of the national assembly (na) and provincial assemblies.

Budget deficit surges to Rs1.13tr in 1st half of FY21 STORY ON BACK PAGE

pm orders dissolution of market committees in punjab, kp STORY ON PAGE 03

in addition, the government is due to receive a further 1.1 million doses of the sinopharm vaccine by the end of this month, foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi had announced late last month. separately, special assistant to prime minister on national health services dr faisal sultan announced on saturday that the government has secured 17 million doses of astrazeneca’s vaccine through the world health Organisation’s (whO) cOvaX ini-

tiative. Of these, he had said, about seven million doses will be available in the first quarter of the year and the rest by the end of 2021. simultaneous inauguration ceremonies were held in provincial capitals and major cities of all federating units as well as in azad jammu and kashmir (ajk) and gilgit-baltistan (gb) and attended by the respective chief minister and other high-profile officials.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

US expresses alarm at order to remove suspect in Pearl murder from death cell STORY ON BACK PAGE

pakistan successfully testfires ballistic missile ghaznavi STORY ON BACK PAGE

02

Thursday, 4 February, 2021

NEWS

FrEEDoM oF ExPrEssIoN ovErrIDING PrIorIty oF Govt: FArAz ISLAMABAD APP

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz on Wednesday said that the overriding priority of the current government under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan was to ensure complete freedom of expression as provided in the provisions of 1973 Constitution.

He was responding to the Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors' (CPNE) annual report on freedom of media in Pakistan, published in newspapers on February 1, 2021.

The minister, in a letter to CPNE President Arif Nizami, said that contrary to the assertions made in the report, even a casual reader of the newspapers and viewers of the talk shows would testify that the freedom of expression enjoyed in the country was comparable to that of any western democracy. The safety, security and well-being of the media persons were closer to their hearts, he added.

He said, “I must add here that the report does not provide any data or iota of evidence in support of the allegations. However, the ministry would continue to work with the journalistic bodies, including APNS [All Pakistan Newspapers Society], CPNE, PBA [Pakistan Broadcasters Association] and PFUJ [Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists] to ensure the steps which the

Ministry can take to ameliorate the sufferings of the media industry.”

He assured the CPNE that the government would take all necessary steps to ensure freedom of press in the country, and to ensure the safety and security of the working journalists.

The minister made comments on the issues raised in the CPNE report to set the record straight.

According to the CPNE report, at least 10 Pakistani journalists were murdered and several others threatened, kidnapped, tortured and arrested last year.

The minister replied that the CPNE report did not provide any details of the journalists, who were either murdered or targeted, and also whether the journalists were targeted by the law and order agencies or otherwise.

“Since law and order is a provincial matter, we will seek details from the concerned stakeholders, and will ensure that justice is delivered to the bereaved families. No crime against journalists will go unpunished.”

The report mentioned that at least nine journalists died of Covid-19, to which the minister replied that the government was getting details of all the journalists who died due to the pandemic, and the ministry would provide financial assistance to their families.

The CPNE report also claimed that attempts to silence the press continued throughout the year.

On this, the minister commented that as per constitutional provisions, there was complete freedom

of press in the country, and everybody was free to express his or her views. Any attempts by the government to silence the press must be shared with the ministry.

The report stated that there was verbal and physical harassment by senior officials and representatives of the government and registration of fake cases against journalists and their arrests, including that of Jang’s Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakilur Rehman.

Faraz replied that the case against Shakil was registered by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which was an independent institution and the ministry had no role in its proceedings. However, courts were free to provide relief as per legal provisions.

The CPNE report mentioned that the unannounced and hidden censorship got further intensified when journalists were harassed and threatened for expressing their opinion online or on social media websites.

The minister responded that the allegation had no grounds. “Media in Pakistan is enjoying complete freedom, which is evident from the fact that a large number of print and electronic media outlets are performing their role uninterrupted in the country. Not a single instance has been mentioned in the report to prove the allegations.”

According to the report, the government officials seized books written by senior journalists Muhammad Hanif and Suhail Warraich in Karachi and Lahore. On

LHC issues notice to NAB on Hamza’s bail plea

July 27, Rangers officials violated the sanctity of the Karachi Press Club and conducted a raid.

The minister responded that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had no link with the case.

Relevant institutions were independent and working within their own ambit.

The report said that the Information Ministry declared over 6,000 publications as “dummy newspapers” and suspended their registration. On June 6, all unregistered publications, printing presses and news organizations were closed down on the orders of the press registrar.

The minister in response said that the figure of 6,000 was preposterous. Total number of publications enlisted with PID [Press Information Department] was 1,642. If there were some publications which were suspended, those must have discontinued their publication long ago or had serious lacunas in their official records, which they failed to rectify despite repeated reminders by the relevant departments.

“I will personally enquire about it and would also request the CPNE to share the data,” he added.

The CPNE mentioned in its report that services of thousands of journalists and media workers were terminated and the majority was facing unprecedented pay cuts and delays in the release of their salaries.

Services of over 1,000 employees of Radio Pakistan were terminated without any prior notice.

PM reaffirms commitment to expand Pak-Egypt ties ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

LAHORE TLTP

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday issued a notice to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on a petition of Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz seeking bail in an assets beyond means case.

After a preliminary hearing, a twojudge bench headed by Justice Sarfraz Dogar issued a notice to the NAB to file its response to the bail petition by next hearing on February 17.

Advocate Azam Nazir Tarar and Amjad Pervez appeared before the court on behalf of Hamza. In his plea, Hamza has contended that in order to deter the opposition from criticising its performance, the incumbent government thought it appropriate to implicate the petitioner and his family in false criminal

cases and for this purpose NAB was selected. He argued that it is no more secret that NAB is being used as a tool for political engineering and has also since been noticed by the superior courts, including the Supreme Court (SC).

Hamaz stated that NAB has, inter alia, assumed jurisdiction on the basis of an undated letter (received by the bureau on October 19, 2018) from an undisclosed/unnamed complainant (the “complaint”) and a purported report received from the Financial Monitoring Unit.

“Thereafter, with undue haste, a letter on October 23, 2018 was issued by the Director General NAB to an assistant director purportedly authorizing inquiry against the Petitioner and his family members,” he said adding that further, a letter on April 4, 2019, was issued by the NAB GB to the assistant director

IHC asks Khawaja Asif to approach NA speaker for production orders

authorising an investigation against the petitioner and others.

He implored the court that he was arrested in connection with the investigation by NAB officials on June 11, 2019, under alleged offences of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010, and the NAO, 1999. “The physical remand of the petitioner was extended from time to time and ultimately he was sent to judicial lockup after a period of 84 days.

The petitioner filed after arrest bail which was dismissed on February 11, 2020,” the plea stated.

On August 20, 2020, during the pendency of the above said CPLA, respondent chairman NAB filed reference against the petitioner and 15 others which was registered as accountability reference.

The plea further stated that the said reference comprised as many as 58 volumes spreading over thousands of

pages whereas 110 prosecution witnesses were cited in the calendar, charge was framed on November 11, 2020.

“It was in the above context of the number of witnesses and framing of charge on November 11, 2020, after 17 months of the arrest of the petitioner that the Supreme Court was pleased to call for a report from the respondent bureau on December 8, 2020.

“Complying with the superior court’s order a report was submitted by NAB wherein as many as 46 accountability references were stated to be pending before the Learned Trial Court and the reference against the petitioner was at serial 44.

“Keeping an accused in detention for a longer period is akin to awarding him sentence even before trial,” he contended and pleaded with the court to grant him bail after arrest.

IHC confirms Zardari’s bail in Rs8.3bn suspicious transaction case

ISLAMABAD TLTP

ISLAMABAD

Refusing again to interfere in political matters, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday excused itself from issuing production orders for Khawaja Asif and directed him to approach the National Assembly (NA) speaker for the purpose. A single member bench comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard a petition seeking issuance of production orders for incarcerated Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif to attend the ongoing session of the National Assembly. Barrister Mohsin Shah Nawaz Ranjha appeared before the court on behalf of the petitioner Rana Tanveer Hussain, chairman of Public Accounts Committee (PAC), saying that the petitioner has written to issue production orders for Asif on February 1, but they have not been issued yet. The IHC chief justice remarked that, in a democracy, it is not common for cases of a political nature to come to the courts. “We have written in our decisions that this court does not interfere in such political matters,” he maintained, adding “You [Khawaja Asif] present a copy of our decision to the speaker of the National Assembly.” He said that the IHC cannot issue directions to the NA speaker and it is the job of the leadership to honour the body of such a large standing committee. “Respect for the National Assembly will come only when the courts do not interfere in any matter relating to them,” the chief justice said while asserting that if the institution had been respected, this would not be the case today.

TLTP

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday confirmed interim bail of former president Asif Ali Zardari in a case of about Rs8.3 billion suspicious transactions from the joint accounts of Bahria Town’s assistant private secretary Mushtaq and Zain Malik into fake accounts.

A two-member bench of IHC comprising Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani announced the verdict after hearing arguments of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman’s lawyer Farooq H Naek and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi.

Naek contended before the court that his client is unable to appear before the court due to his ailing health. Zardari had to be hospitalised on Jan 10 after his health worsened, he added.

At this, Justice Farooq asked the NAB prosecutor about the status of the case, to which the latter replied that the reference is yet to be

filed against the former president.

The NAB prosecutor said that Zardari has not yet submitted his reply to a call-up notice given to him in 2019. He pleaded with the court to dismiss the accused’s bail petition.

The high court had on June 18, 2019 granted pre-arrest interim bail to Zardari in the case.

Earlier in January last, the IHC constituted a medical board to ascertain the health condition of Zardari. Initially, the former president sought bail on merit. However, the petition was amended after it was fixed for hearing before the bench in September last year.

Accused Zain Malik, son-in-law of property tycoon Malik Riaz, has secured release in three under-trial cases and three investigations through plea bargain with NAB. Zain undertook to mortgage his six properties and pay Rs4 billion in one case, Rs170 million in another and Rs37 million in the third case to NAB, Rawalpindi Directorate, in three years. He will pay the amount in instalments at an interval of three months.

PDM long march to start on March 15: reports ISLAMABAD INP

The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is expected to kick off its long march to Islamabad from March, reports citing sources said Wednesday.

In December, a meeting of the multiparty opposition alliance had warned of a long march to Islamabad and Rawalpindi if the government of Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) did not resign by January 31.

"All party workers in PDM and the people of Pakistan are appealed to start preparations for the long march from today," the opposition leaders had said.

In a meeting scheduled to be held on Thursday, the PDM leadership is expected to give a final nod to the measures taken for the anti-government protest campaign.

According to reports, a decisive line of action has been agreed on to synchronise major steps like long march,

sit-ins and resignations from the legislative assemblies.

Sources in the PDM said that the long march is expected to start from March 15.

After reaching Islamabad, the participants of the march will turn the protest into a sitin which will continue till Ramzan.

The sit-in will be suspended on April 12, a day before Ramzan, followed by an announcement to resume the protest after Eidul Fitr. If resumed, the sit-in may continue for an indefinite period of time.

During the period, the first option to submit resignations from the National Assembly will be utilised and the last option for the opposition parties would be to quit the provincial assemblies to jam the system.

According to the sources, all PDM parties, including the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have laid their focus on running a fierce movement against the government.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has reaffirmed the commitment to expand Pakistan-Egypt relations in diverse fields, including high-level exchanges, trade and economic cooperation, and education and culture. The prime minister said this during a meeting with Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt Tarek Dahroug, who called on him on Wednesday. PM Imran said that Pakistan attaches great significance to its relations with Egypt and desires to further promote and diversify bilateral cooperation in all areas of mutual interests. He said that both the countries enjoy close relations which need to be further strengthened in the areas of trade, cultural and education. Separately, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan called on the premier on Wednesday.

Professional matters pertaining to Pakistan Air Force (PAF) were discussed during the meeting, said a press statement.

PDM drive not over, resignations final option: Gillani ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Former prime minister and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Yousaf Raza Gillani on Wednesday insisted the anti-government drive of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is far from over and en masse resignations from the legislative assemblies are the "final option".

Speaking to media in Islamabad following the hearing in Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) corruption case, Gillani took a cue from his party's position on the matter and said there is no use of tendering resignations at this stage when the Senate elections are less than a month away.

Muqam gets one-time exemption in NAB case PESHAWAR INP

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday allowed Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) President Ameer Muqam one-time exemption from appearance in the hearing of assets beyond means reference against him. A two-member bench of PHC comprising Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Nasir Mehfooz took up the pre-arrest bail petition of Muqam. His lawyer, Barrister Mudassir Amir, told the court that Muqam is currently residing in Dubai for medical treatment. He said that Muqam’s medical reports are provided with the request for exemption from appearance in the hearing. Subsequently, Justice Anwar said that the court was granting exemption just to facilitate the process. He directed the politician to appear in the next hearing on March 2. In April 2018, the Natio¬nal Accountability Bureau (NAB) initiated investigations against Muqam for the accumulation of wealth beyond his known sources of income.

Thursday, 4 February, 2021

PM ordErS dISSoluTIon of MarkET CoMMITTEES In Punjab, kP iSLamaBad STAFF REPORT

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday decided to immediately dissolve existing market committees in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, besides issuing directions for implementation of recommendations in the sugar commission report.

The PM issued these directions while chairing a weekly review meeting on Wednesday regarding prices of essential items and their availability across Pakistan.

The meeting was informed that the difference between wholesale and retail prices shows failure of market committees. Keeping this in view, the meeting decided to immediately dissolve existing market

committees in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is in power, and their responsibilities will be assigned to concerned district and tehsil administration till constitution of new committees comprising competent people through a transparent process.

The meeting also decided that action will be taken against the concerned assistant commissioner upon failing in strict enforcement of price lists.

The meeting held detailed discussion on the steps taken in light of the sugar inquiry committee and to control prices of the sweetener. It was decided that installation of cameras in sugar mills should be expedited. Besides, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR)

will provide details of the tax collected from sugar mills to provincial governments to make the tax collection mechanism transparent.

The meeting was apprised that an 84pc surge has been witnessed in sugar sales tax collection in the current fiscal year as a result of effective measures taken by the FBR. The PM directed the officials concerned to adopt a “no-compromise policy” on the recommendations of the commission. Expressing his displeasure over the undue delay in implementation of the recommendations, he sought a report from the Federal Board of Revenue chairman within 15 days.

“Dual standards will not be tolerated in the new

'Fruits' of PM's anti-Covid strategy begin reaching people: Faraz

NEWS

03

Pakistan. If the tax record of shopkeepers can be traced then why not sugar mill owners? PM Imran asked.

He directed the administration of Utility Stores Corporation (USC) to ensure sufficient availability of essential items at its outlets. He said that ensuring availability of essential items at affordable rates is top priority of the government. He advised the Ministry of National Food Security to complete the estimates of kitchen items like wheat and sugar, while keeping future needs of the country at the earliest so that advance arrangements can be ensured.

The PM further directed all provincial chief secretaries to ensure implementation on the price list of daily, which requires an active and effective role of the administration.

He said that prompt action should be taken against officers in case of any negligence.

Briefing the meeting about Consumer Price Index, Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh said that CPI was recorded as 5.7 percent in January this year, which was 14.6 percent during the last year. He said that prices of sugar, eggs, and onions witnessed a downward trend, while rates of wheat flour remained stable.

Major parties shortlisting party candidates for upcoming Senate polls iSLamaBad MIAN ABRAR

neWS deSK Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz on Wednesday welcomed the national coronavirus vaccination drive in all the provinces of Pakistan, stating that it is due to the efforts of Prime Minister Imran Khan that the vaccine is reaching the people.

"The fruits of Imran Khan's successful anti-corona and vaccination strategy have begun to reach the people," the federal minister said on Twitter.

"Corona vaccination in all provinces at the same time is a practical step to provide equal opportunities to all federal units. Public Health and Employment Protection New Pakistan I have the first priority."

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the first tranche of Covid-19 vaccines has reached all federating units, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and GilgitBaltistan (GB).

Moreover, following in the footsteps

of the federal government, the Punjab government on Wednesday began vaccinating the frontline health workers against coronavirus in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar and Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar at Punjab House, Islamabad.

With the launching of the provincewide campaign, the healthcare workers (HCWs) Dr Faraz of Rawalpindi Institute of Urology and Dr Samavia Akbar became the first from Punjab to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in the province, the virus has claimed 4,806 lives and infected 158,783 people while overall 11,772 deaths occurred in the country besides over half a million infections.

In the second phase of the coronavirus vaccine, senior citizens will be given the jab during the two-monthlong campaign.

On the occasion, the chief minister said that free of cost coronavirus vaccine

would be inoculated to the citizens in Punjab, adding that Punjab had received 70,000 vaccine doses and 189 centres had been established in the province.

Buzdar said that over 600 officials had been provided technical training in this regard while master trainers would equip more staff with the training to administer jabs of the vaccine.

He said 2,500 ice-line refrigerators had been arranged in 36 districts to keep the vaccines safe as per the guidelines, adding that China had stood by Pakistan in every hour of need and the gift of 0.5 million vaccines was a proof of this friendship.

The CM said that Pakistani would always remember this good-will gesture of the people of China, adding that Pakistan was thankful to China.

Urging the need to adopt precautionary measures against the virus, he said that Punjab was far ahead of the other provinces in contact tracing, adding that the world had acknowledged Pakistan's efforts to contain coronavirus

pandemic.

He also said that Punjab had allocated a sum of Rs1 billion for the purchase of coronavirus vaccine, adding the province will get more vaccine doses in the next three weeks. Governor Sarwar hailed HCWs for their heroic role to ward off coronavirus threat to human lives, adding that health workers were Pakistan's heroes. He said that the Punjab government had commendably completed all arrangements to inoculation of the vaccine. On Tuesday, PM Imran kicked off coronavirus vaccination drive and once again reminded the people to continue to exercise precautions.

Under the supervision of the prime minister, his adviser on health Dr Faisal Sultan, and NCOC chief Asad Umar, the first vaccine was administered in Pakistan — given to a healthcare worker in Islamabad. "The more you abide by coronavirus safety measures, the easier it will be to protect everyone from the virus," said PM Imran while addressing a gathering to mark the occasion.

Nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive starts Continued from page 01 Ahead of the inoculations, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, who also chairs the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), spoke to all the federating units through videolink along with Dr Faisal.

NCOC officials were also present along with Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar while China’s Commercial Minister Xie Guoxiang was the chief guest on the occasion.

The first jab was administered to a frontline doctor in Islamabad a day earlier after Prime Minister Imran Khan launched the vaccination campaign.

HOW TO GET VACCINATED: A step-by-step guide of NCOC’s plan to get the coronavirus vaccine is given below: In the first step, at-risk citizens, including frontline healthcare workers, will send their Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) numbers to 1166 through SMS or use National Immunisation Management System (NIMS) website for registration.

After necessary verification, designated AVC (Adult Vaccine Centre) (based on “Present Address” and PIN Code will be sent to the citizen through SMS). If the designated AVC is outside the current tehsil of the citizen, he/she can change the designated health facility by visiting NIMS web portal or by calling the 1166 helpline within 5 days of receipt of the first SMS. Upon availability of vaccine at the designated vaccination centre, SMS will be sent to the citizen to obtain an appointment date for vaccine administration.

After successful registration, the citizen will visit AVC on the date of appointment along with the original CNIC and received PIB Code. The

vaccination staff will verify the CNIC and PIN code.

After successful verification, the citizen will be vaccinated. Upon vaccine administration, vaccination staff will enter the details in NIMS and a confirmation message will be sent to the citizen through SMS. The citizen will stay in AVC for 30 minutes for the postinoculation monitoring.

In the last step, a real-time dashboard for the federal, provincial and district health departments will be generated automatically.

In this regard, Dr Faisal said that so far 400,000 health workers have been registered for vaccination.

‘MEDICAL WORKERS ARE REAL HEROES’: Addressing the ceremonies on Wednesday, Asad paid tribute to the frontline health workers for their “sacrifices and meritorious services,” terming them as the “real heroes” who put their lives on the line in the fight against the novel coronavirus.

He further said that the holding of simultaneous inaugural ceremonies reflected a national effort and collaboration between the provinces and the federal government in the fight against the contagion.

In his address, Dr Faisal assured the nation of the vaccine’s efficacy saying that the drug had “been tested on thousands [of people] and has proven to be safe and effective so we don’t need to worry [about potential side-effects].”

His assurance came on the heels of concerns expressed by Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid who during a press conference on Monday said the vaccine “may have mild side effects on some people.”

“Let me tell you something about the Sinopharm vaccine,” Dr Sultan said Wednesday. “It is a good vaccine, its efficacy is between 79 to 86 per cent.”

He expressed hope that by the end of the year, the government would be able

to vaccinate 70 per cent of the eligible population, which amounts to 100 million people.

He added that more than 500 vaccine centres had been established and according to the current capacity, 40,000 people can be vaccinated daily. The government was aiming to increase this number, he said.

PUNJAB: Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar was the chief guest at the inauguration ceremony of the drive held in Islamabad’s Punjab House. The ceremony was also attended by Governor Chaudhry Sarwar.

Speaking on the occasion, Buzdar said that the province was provided with 70,000 doses of the vaccine, which will be provided to health workers in the first phase.

More doses, he said, will be provided in the next three weeks. He added that 189 centres were established across the province to administer the jabs and more than 600 healthcare workers had been trained for this purpose.

SINDH: In Sindh, the drive kicked off with an inauguration ceremony in Dow University Hospital, Karachi where an adult vaccination centre had been established.

The ceremony started with the administration of the vaccine on a health worker, Dr Tanveer Ahmed, and attended by provincial Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho.

The ceremony was also attended by officials of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) and representatives of the Chinese consulate, Chief Minister’s House’s Twitter account said. Speaking on the occasion, CM Murad said that Sindh had received 83,000 doses of the vaccine, all of which will be provided to frontline health workers.

According to him, there are 320,000 registered healthcare workers in Sindh, out of which 180,000 were

working on the frontline.

The chief minister said that in the first phase, the vaccination drive will be held in the hotspots of Karachi, Hyderabad and Shaheed Benazirabad (former Nawabshah).

KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA: In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the vaccination drive started in Peshawar’s Naseerullah Babar Hospital, where the chief minister’s focal person on the pandemic Dr Asiya Asad was in attendance.

Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, who was in Islamabad at the time, delivered a message broadcast on state-owned television.

In his address, he said that the provincial government had received 16,000 doses of the vaccine from the federal government, which will be given to frontline health workers in KP. About 800,000 health workers in the province have to be vaccinated, he said.

BALOCHISTAN: Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan inaugurated the programme in Quetta, thanking the federal government for providing the vaccine to the province in the initial phase.

Khan also remembered doctors and medical workers who had passed away due to Covid-19-related complications.

Balochistan president of Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Dr Aftab Kakar was the first to receive the vaccine in the province.

GILGIT-BALTISTAN: In GB, the drive began at the governor house where healthcare workers were administered the jabs.

Governor Raja Jalal Hussain Maqpoon was also present on the occasion along with other government officials.

NCOC officials also attended the event through video-link.

According to the region’s health department, the Centre had provided 3,000 vaccine doses to the regional government.

With the Senate elections nearing, major political parties of the country have started to accelerate the process of shortlisting of their candidates for the elections due next month. A source in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) informed Pakistan Today that Prime Minister Imran Khan is skeptical about the shortlisting of party’s candidates amid reports of lobbying for party tickets. The source said that Imran Khan has decided that he himself would decide the party tickets and would take decisions while chairing the parliamentary board of the PTI.

SC sets aside ECP order against PTI legislator ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday set aside a decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that sought to refer fake degree claims against Pakistan Tehreeki-Insaf (PTI) MPA Faisal Zaman from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to a sessions court. Zaman was elected a member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly from the Haripur district (PK-42, Haripur-III) in the 2018 general elections. A bench of the apex court granted Zaman the right to appeal against the 2013 decision of the commission declaring his educational degree fake and sending the case to the court for further action. In its verdict, the court observed that the ECP is not a court of law, nor was it authorised to send a matter to a court of law. The court also reversed the order to launch criminal proceedings against him. INP

Thursday, 4 February, 2021

04 NEWS

Buzdar direCts to oBserve Kashmir solidaritY daY with zeal LAHORE

P

APP

UNJAB Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has directed that Kashmir Solidarity Day be observed with full zeal, fervour and devotion. In a statement issued here on Wednesday, he

CM SAYS WHOLE NATION WOULD EXPRESS SOLIDARITY WITH KASHMIRI BRETHREN appealed to the citizens to actively participate in congregations and rallies to be held on this day while following standard operating procedures (SOPs) for coronavirus.

A host of functions will be held in the

province to commemorate the Kashmir Solidarity Day to give a strong message to the Indian government and global community that Kashmir belonged to Pakistan, the chief minister added.

The CM said that the whole nation

would express its complete solidarity with the Kashmiri brethren on February 5 (tomorrow) that oppressed Kashmiris were not alone in their struggle for freedom.

A strong voice would be raised against

Indian oppression and brutalities as 220 million people firmly stand with Kashmiris, the chief minister said.

The wickedness and brutality of the [Indian Prime Minister] Narendra Modi regime has been fully exposed before the world and India could not retain its illegal occupation over occupied Jammu and Kashmir any longer, he concluded.

29,961 individuals removed from BISP beneficiaries’ list: Sania ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

LAHORE: Special Assistant to Punjab Chief Minister on Information and Culture Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan addresses during a ceremony at Alhamra Art Centre in the provincial capital.

Balochistan CM seeks effective mechanism to follow up CPEC projects QUETTA STAFF REPORT

Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan has stressed the need to form an effective mechanism to follow up the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.

The chief minister said this during a meeting with CPEC Authority Chairman Lieutenant General (R) Asim Saleem Bajwa on Wednesday.

The progress on CPEC-related projects and some other issues of mutual interest

China Cultural Centre to host online celebration of Chinese New Year ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR

As year 2021 marks the 70th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan, the China Cultural Centre (CCC) in Pakistan will host a series of online cultural activities to celebrate the significant event as well as upcoming Chinese New Year.

The Spring Festival, which is also known as Chinese New Year according to the lunar calendar, is held by the Chinese as their most important festival and it has a history of over 4,000 years.

It is an occasion on which people pray for a good harvest, celebrate and enjoy themselves. During the festival, Han Chinese and many of China's other ethnic groups hold a variety of distinctive celebrations in order to honour ancestors, symbolize the replacing of the old with the new, and welcome upcoming year. The Spring Festival of 2021 is on February 12.

came under discussion in the meeting.

The chief minister said that provision of employment opportunities to the youth of the province in CPEC projects should be ensured. Talking on the occasion, Bajwa said that the CPEC project has significance for the stability of the national economy.

Earlier on Tuesday, Jam Kamal, while addressing a ceremony where the federal and Balochistan governments signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on joint venture of Gwadar Shipyard, said the shipyard project would help in enhancing financial sta-

tus and development of the province in future. Addressing the ceremony, Minister for Defence Production Zubaida Jalal said that the capacity of Gwadar Shipyard, which would be much greater than Karachi Shipyard, would be significant for improvement in the economy of Balochistan.

Zubaida added that professional training would be provided to youth of Balochistan in Gwadar Institute and Karachi Shipyard to enable them to work outside the country and a workshop will be established in Gwadar for repairing ships.

Two witnesses record testimonies in Ashiana Housing Scheme case LAHORE TLTP

An accountability court in Lahore recorded testimonies of two witnesses in the Ashiana housing case on Wednesday.

The hearing of the case was conducted

by Judge Amjad Nazir Chaudhry, whereas the accused, including Shehbaz Sharif, Ahad Cheema and Shahid Shafiq, were produced before the court.

Two witnesses, Moiz Ahmed and Rizwan Haider, recorded their testimonies in the courtroom.

During the hearing, Shehbaz sought permission for leaving the court after registering his attendance. However, the judge refused to permit him and remarked that it would be a different scenario, if the accused was on bail, but he is currently in judicial custody. The accused could not be given the facility as it is a legal requirement to record testimonies of witnesses in his presence, the judge further said.

Later, the court recorded statements of the witnesses, summoned more witnesses in the next hearing and adjourned the case till

February 11.

In the case, Shehbaz had been accused of misusing his authority to illegally issue directives for cancellation of contract with regard to the housing project in 2014.

In March 2014, the former chief minister had visited the project’s site and halted its bidding process, according to the NAB reference.

The Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC) was looking after the project but Shehbaz after visiting the site decided to assign the project to the Lahore Development Authority (LDA), which resulted in award of contract to the Lahore Casa Developers (JV), causing Rs715m loss to the exchequer, the reference reads.

The NAB had arrested Shehbaz in the scam on October 5, 2018.

According to the NAB, “The contract for the housing scheme was won by a construction company titled Chaudhry Latif and Sons but Shehbaz and his aides awarded the Rs14 billion contract to Lahore Casa Developers–a proxy group of Paragon City (Pvt) Limited, which is said to be owned by then Railways Minister Saad Rafique.”

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Dr Sania Nishtar has said that as many as 29,961 individuals have been removed from the list of beneficiaries of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) following a data cleaning exercise.

In a tweet on Wednesday, Sania said that the removed individuals have been made ineligible for receiving the cash assistance as per the availability of data last year.

She said among those removed from the BISP's list of beneficiaries include 15,326 pensioners, 273 government employees, 9,991 high-income individuals, and 4,371 employees of autonomous agencies.

Earlier in 2019, 820,165 individuals were removed from the BISP's list of beneficiaries, out of which 142,556 were government servants. In July 2020, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chapter of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had also completed its investigations against

government employees, who were allegedly involved in a scam where they had misused the BISP. The agency had lodged cases against 24 government officials for misusing their authority to steal from the programme that was meant to offer a financial lifeline to the poorest of the poor.

A government audit of the programme found that out of the 820,165 beneficiaries, who had been disqualified, 14,730 were government employees and were not eligible to receive cheques under the programme. The data further showed the number of beneficiaries, who travelled abroad more than once, stood at 10,476.

Similarly, spouses of 166,319 beneficiaries had travelled abroad more than once.

The BISP also removed 692 people, who owned at least one or more vehicles, while 43,746 were culled from the list because their spouses owned one or more cars. The BISP rules also stipulated that anyone, who can pay Rs1,000 in telephone bills every month, is not “eligible” to get the monthly stipend from the programme. Hence, 24,546 people were further removed under this category.

KP govt prepares projects without feasibility, field inspection PESHAWAR AZIZ BUNERI

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has formulated Rs2.7 billion projects for tribal districts without feasibility report and field visits.

According to sources, under the Accelerated Development Programme (ADP) for tribal districts, three projects have been submitted by the district administration of Dera Ismail Khan to the Directorate General of Local Governments.

The total cost of the projects is Rs.2.7 billion, including Rs900 million for clean water supply in tribal districts, Rs900 million for construction of drains and streets in a sub-division and Rs90mn for rural roads leading to tribal districts. In a letter sent to the direc-

torate by the district administration of Dera Ismail Khan, it was mentioned that neither a single field visit was made nor a feasibility report for the three projects was prepared.

The guidelines of the KP Planning and Development Department for the development programme were also completely ignored in the proposal. According to the district administration, a local government officer was repeatedly directed to provide details and all documents of the projects but the official remained silent and used delaying tactics.

However, the district administration later requested the directorate to return the proposal of projects so that the projects can be formulated as per the instructions of the Planning and Development Department.

ISLAMABAD: Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Mohammad Amjad Khan Niazi and Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan Dr Geoffrey Shaw exchange views during a meeting at Naval Headquarters in the capital.

Thursday, 4 February, 2021

NEWS Ruckus in NA as govt tables bill for open ballot in Senate polls continued from page 01 “At that time horse-trading was being done from Prime Minister House [according to Imran] but now that he is afraid his own members will not vote [for the PTI], he has suddenly remembered transparency,” the PML-N leader alleged. The opposition’s loud protests gained further momentum during Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed’s address. “The opposition is not allowing me to speak because they know what I have to say,” Saeed said. “Just as their leaders are thieves, so are these people,” he said. Saeed stated the opposition had wanted to drive the sitting premier out by January 31, but the PTI was still here. He further said that the leader of the PML-N, Nawaz Sharif, was sitting in London while poisoning people’s ears against the state. Saeed said that the government wants open ballot in Senate, but the opposition wants “Changa Manga politics”. “People want that elections be sold again, the Senate be sold again, consciences be sold again and a vote market be set up. If this is not the case, there is only one way, and that is to have this amendment to the Constitution,” Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Dr Babar Awan said on the occasion. The adviser also informed the session that the amendments would allow dual nationals to hold office. He added that the proposed bill stated that dual nationals could not be left “remedy-less” by asking them to first renounce their second nationality before contesting the elections in Pakistan. In this regard, Iqbal continued to attack the PTI, claiming that the government was misleading overseas Pakistanis because it “wants to bring dual nationals” in its ranks to the Senate. He accused PM Imran of attempting to bring his friends into office and said this was not a reason to change the Constitution.

Meanwhile, former prime minister and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Raja Pervez Ashraf alleged that the government did not have the numbers to affect the amendment and “on top of that this is their behaviour”. He said that the PPP had brought about the 18th Amendment by taking all stakeholders on board and using a parliamentary committee to create consensus, adding that the PTI intended to enact its amendments with “ill-intent” and “shrewdness”.

“How can these naive [people] do an amendment?

They don’t even understand the parliament.”

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Asad Mehmood alleged that the government was desecrating the sanctity of the vote and questioned: “If you want to bring election reforms then why only on one note?” Mehmood said that his party would not accept any amendment such as this “through the back door”. Speaking on the occasion, Foreign Minister and PTI senior leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi clarified that the incumbent government did not want to silence the opposition, but advised them to return the kindness and let the PTI speak, as this was an important amendment and needed due discourse.

“Historical traditions have been ingrained which are not grounds to be proud of; if we can move towards a transparent way [of elections] from them and the fingers that have been raised can be lowered then we are ready for this,” he said.

PTI INTENDS TRANSPARENCY IN SENATE POLLS: While substantiating the presidential reference before the Supreme Court (SC) for an open ballot in upcoming Senate elections, the federation’s chief law officer had contended that instead of tabling an amendment to election laws, the government has preferred to seek guidelines of the court for the reason to avoid legal issues afterwards. Commencing arguments before a five-member larger bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed, the Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Javed Khan on Tuesday had expressed, for the sake of transparency in the electoral process, the government intended to seek open ballot in Senate election submitting that seeking open ballot has nothing to do with maligning politicians. “It is the right of the people to know, to whom their elected member is voting – People not voting to a candidate but they vote for a party,” Khalid Javed Khan had contended.

During the course of proceedings Chief Justice Gulzar had observed, “If opposition parties don’t want to change the existing electoral procedure, it means they are not intending to halt trading of votes”. A member of the bench Justice Ijazul Ahsan had questioned whether or not it was against the law if any legislature cast a vote against the party line, explaining that it would be a crime if it proves that a member has sold his/her vote. Justice Ahsan had inquired to the AGP as to what the logic was behind secrecy in the Senate polls if a member was interested in voting according to his or her conscience.

Another learned member of the bench Justice Umar Ata Bandial raised a question as to why secret ballot in Senate polls was not changed when the 18th Constitutional Amendment changed many things. Later, the bench adjourned the hearing of the matter till February 4. With additional input from TLTP

05

New leAp of ChiNA’S eCoNomy beNefitS ChiNA-pAkiStAN CoopeRAtioN

A

By nong rong

T the beginning of 2021, there comes encouraging news from China. According to the preliminary calculation of the National Bureau of Statistics of China, China’s GDP in 2020 reached 101.6 trillion yuan (around $14.7 trillion), increased by 2.3 per cent from 2019. For the first time, China’s GDP exceeded the 100-trillion-yuan threshold，achieving a historic leap.

THIS LEAP IS SIGNIFICANT: For China, this leap marks the milestone in the journey of Chinese national rejuvenation. The GDP of 100 trillion yuan and the per capita GDP of $10,000 for the second consecutive year indicates a new height in the overall national strength and people’s living standard. It has laid a solid foundation for China in implementing the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) and embarking on a new journey towards fully building a modern socialist country. It has also created ample space for China to follow a new development philosophy and foster a new development paradigm with domestic circulations as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other.

For the world, this leap is a ray of warm sunshine amid economic gloom.

The world economy has been severely hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. China is the first and the only major economy to achieve positive growth in 2020, injecting impetus into the global economic recovery. China’s share in the world economy is anticipated to rise to around 17 per cent.

China’s growing economy will further enhance its potential of foreign trade and investment, strengthen the interconnection

and mutual promotion of the markets of China and the world, and make greater contributions to the improvement of global economic governance, the building of an open world economy and a community with a shared future for mankind.

THIS LEAP IS HARD-WON: This leap is attributed to the wise leadership of the Communist Party of China（CPC）. In the face of the sudden outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic and the turbulent external environment, the CPC has united and led all the Chinese people to respond calmly and rise up to challenges. The CPC Central Committee with President Xi Jinping as its core assessed the situation from the long-term perspective while taking both the domestic and international situations into consideration, coordinated pandemic control and socioeconomic development, and resolutely adopted a series of significant measures.

CPC organizations at all levels strictly implemented the decisions and instructions of the CPC Central Committee. The majority of CPC members actively responded to the Party’s call by rushing to the frontline in fighting against pandemic and played a leading role in every field. The judgment, decision, and actions taken by the CPC are decisive in helping China to take the lead in controlling Covid-19 pandemic, resuming work and production, and achieving positive economic growth.

This leap is attributed to the unique advantages of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. First, this system guarantees the whole nation acts in a coordinated way. Both in Covid-19 response and economic development, China gives the full play to the initiative of both the central and local governments. The local governments cooperate with the central government and the central government

assists the local governments. At a local level, governments also support each other under the coordination of the central government. Second, the socialist system with Chinese characteristics ensures that we concentrate efforts on major tasks.

Faced with arduous development tasks, China, following the belief that “good steel is used for the cutting edge”, concentrates on the most important tasks with the best resources, and has achieved progress in poverty alleviation, research and development of the vaccine, and technological innovation. Third, the socialist system with Chinese characteristics ensures that we make cohesive planning to achieve consistent development. 2020 was the last year of China’s 13th Five-Year Plan.

China maintained its strategic focus, overcame the impact of COVID-19, stuck to its goals, and completed the development tasks specified in the 13th Five-Year Plan on schedule. These advantages are the institutional basis for the resilience of China’s economy.

This leap is attributed to China’s adherence to reform and opening up. China is not swayed by the historical countercurrents of unilateralism and protectionism and does not fear the threat of decoupling, supply disruption or sanctions. We uphold that the development quality and market vitality should be enhanced by deepening reform and opening up. China has taken the initiative to maintain the stability of the global supply chain, industrial chain, and value chain.

With both the goods trade and the actual use of foreign investment growing against the trend, China has maintained its status as the largest trading nation and has become the largest host country for foreign direct investment (FDI). Besides, the

“Belt and Road Initiative” continued to advance steadily, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) was successfully signed, and the ChinaEU Comprehensive Agreement on Investment completed negotiations on schedule.

Reform and opening up is the source of China’s economic vitality.

THIS LEAP BENEFITS CHINAPAKISTAN COOPERATION: The new leap of China’s economy is the result of China’s adherence to self-reliance and opening-up, the hard work of the Chinese people, as well as the support and contributions of friends from various countries including Pakistan.

Therefore, the expansion of China’s economic volume will not only benefit the Chinese people but also have a positive impact on the international community, especially create more development opportunities for Pakistan, China’s all-weather strategic cooperative partner. With the development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the implementation of the Second Phase Protocol of the ChinaPakistan Free Trade Agreement, China’s new economic leap will bring a larger market and deeper cooperation potential for Pakistan and lays a more solid material foundation for upgrading ChinaPakistan practical cooperation.

China’s good economic performance can boost the determination and confidence of the two countries to join hands in fighting the pandemic. At the just-concluded World Economic Forum “Davos Agenda” dialogue, President Xi Jinping stated that China will continue to take an active part in international cooperation on Covid-19 and continue to implement a win-win strategy of opening up.

World Cancer Day 2021: Reduce Your Cancer Risk As a member of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC) is committed to the goals that were envisioned in the Paris Charter on February 4, 2000 at the World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium in Paris. These goals are to promote research, prevent cancer, improve patient services, raise awareness and mobilise the global community to make progress against cancer, and adoption of World Cancer Day. In this regard, 2021 is the final year of a three-year campaign “I Am & I Will” which focuses on the importance of collective action. On this World Cancer Day, it is important that we renew our commitment towards our shared goal of fighting cancer. Together, we can reach the target of reducing the number of premature deaths from cancer and non-communicable diseases by one third by 2030.

3.7 million people can be saved if we act now through strategies on prevention, early detection, and by providing quality treatment in a timely manner. Around 70% of all cancer deaths occur in the least developed parts of the world. At the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centres in Lahore and Peshawar, we are committed to change this through a fivepronged strategy, as also enshrined in our mission statement. This includes activities directed towards prevention of cancer, early detection, therapeutic and palliative services, education and training of healthcare professionals, and research.

In Pakistan, it is estimated that over 170,000 new

cancer cases are reported every year. The most cost-effective and sustainable intervention against cancer is to stop it before it develops or in early stages of its development through primary and secondary prevention strategies. There are many types of cancers that can be prevented if people choose healthy behaviours to lower their risk. Vaccinations are available for infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV) that can cause cervical cancer and for hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) that can lead to liver cancer. In Pakistan, liver cancer was recorded as one of the top ten commonest cancers seen at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centres (SKMCH&RC) between 1994 and 2019 amongst all age-groups. Cervical cancer was recorded as one of the top ten cancers seen in adult females at SKMCH&RC in the same period. Ensuring you and your loved ones are vaccinated against these infections can lower the risk of developing these preventable cancers in our population. According to a study, 27% of cancers are related to tobacco and alcohol use. Avoiding tobacco can significantly reduce your risk of many types of common cancers including lung cancer and oral cavity cancers. Lung cancer as well as lip and oral cavity cancers were in the list of top ten common cancers seen at SKMCH&RC over a study period of twenty-five years.

Increasing sun protection habits can lower your risk of skin cancer, which is one of the top ten most frequently reported cancers in adult males according to the Punjab Cancer Registry Report.

For certain types of cancers, screening can detect

early lesions that can be removed or treated before they can become cancerous, such as for cervical cancer and colorectal cancer. Similarly, screenings for breast cancer and lung cancer are available that can detect these cancers in early stages when treatment works best. Breast cancer is consistently recorded as the single most common cancer seen at SKMCH&RC over the years, a type of cancer that is completely curable if detected in early stages. Therefore, committing to age-appropriate cancer screenings and knowing the early signs and symptoms of common cancers and accessing care timely can lower the number of pre-mature deaths from cancer.

In Pakistan, the unique operating model of the Shaukat Khanum Healthcare System ensures equity in accessing quality cancer care, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. Our emphasis on quality of life means we provide holistic care including physical pain management through palliative medicine and mental well-being through psychology and psychiatry services.

We are committed to the target of reducing premature deaths from cancer every day. You can help us achieve this goal by choosing healthier habits including opting for vaccinations, cancer screenings, avoiding tobacco and adopting an active life-style. Whoever you are, your actions can make a lasting change against cancer. So, on this 4th of February, choose your action against cancer and make a commitment to create a cancer-free world.

(The article is released by Media department of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre on the occasion of World Cancer Day)

Graana.com launches nationwide services Simplifying the real estate experience for every Pakistani, Graana.com – Pakistan’s 1st online real estate marketplace has formally launched services nationwide. After successfully conquering the real estate market and marking its prominence in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, the PropTech pioneer has ventured to 20+ cities of Pakistan, with 30+ offices to revolutionise the real estate practices and experience of residents. The major cities include Lahore, Karachi, Multan, Peshawar, Sukkur, Quetta, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Hyderabad, and Sialkot, ensuring nationwide transformation. This resolve - ‘Hamara Yaqeen Dil Se’ manifests the ideals and objectives of Graana.com which seeks to sort out the needs and provide transparent and authentic real estate services to the Pakistani community, since the success lies in ‘working together’ for a better community, for a better tomorrow. This resolve will be fulfilled through offering Propsure Digital Solutions, which is aimed at ascertaining the quality control mechanism, and provide state-of-the-art services in the domains of estate management, urban planning and management, disruptive technologies, property valuation and assurances, public policy, and regulatory affairs. PRESS RELEASE

Fawad announces huge scholarships for top students Federal Minister of Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has announced new scholarships in Pakistan on Wednesday, wherein Rs10,000 per month will be awarded to 10 matric toppers from each district.

The announcement was made during a meeting of the Standing Committee on Science and Technology, which was held under the chairmanship of Senator Mushtaq Ahmed.

During the meeting, he said that Rs10,000 per month will be awarded to 10 matric toppers of each district,

cmyK

while the FA planned to give Rs12,000 per month to the first 10 toppers of each district.

Additionally, the minister brought up dialysis machines, in which regard he said: “The manufacturing of dialysis machines would be commencing soon in the country".

Fawad said that Pakistan will start making health devices from this year in the country. "Bringing an electronic vehicle is a great achievement for us," he added.

Separately, in a tweet, the science minister said that

over 100,000 people would have access to the Covid-19 vaccine in the coming days.

The federal minister stated that the Covid-19 vaccination drive has been started from and 40,000 health workers will be vaccinated today.

In addition, more than 100,000 people would be vaccinated daily in the coming days, he added. Fawad said that after the Chinese vaccine `Sinopharm’, the next Covid-19 vaccine `AstraZeneca’ would be available in Pakistan within a few weeks. NEWS DESK

Thursday, 4 February, 2021

06 COMMENT

Restoration of constitutional vision and democracy

General Bajwa’s message to the world Regional peace tied to resolution of Kashmir issue

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OaS Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has sent a message to the world that Pakistan is a peaceful country.

Further that Pakistan wants the resolution of the Kashmir issue to end the decades-old suffering in the indian-controlled region in a dignified way. also, that the dispute has to be settled in accordance with the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. He has simultaneously made it known that the country’s desire for peace in its neighbourhood must not be construed as a sign of weakness. With all the three armed forces having jointly fought and defeated the international terrorist groups, they have developed a lethal inter-service coordination. The country’s armed forces are thus fully capable and prepared to thwart any threat.

Pakistan and india have fought wars over Kashmir without the issue having either been resolved or forgotten.

Peaceful protests by the Kashmiris have been brutally put down but there is still no end to the eruption of protests from time to time. The use of pellet guns against unarmed Kashmiri youth led international human rights organizations and sections of the influential Western media to condemn indian atrocities. However in the post9/11 world which is increasingly wary of terrorist organizations, there was no sympathy for militant Kashmiri groups, all the more so after al-Qaeda and daesh too entered the fray. india used militant groups to accuse Pakistan of sending its proxies to the Valley while it started funding and supporting terrorist groups who used afghan soil as a launching pad against Pakistan to target both civilians and law enforcing personnel.

The Kashmiris’ struggle for independence has continued for seven decades. Such is the level of resentment against india, that protests in Occupied Kashmir will not end till Kashmiris are allowed to exercise the right of self-determination. Pakistan needs to continue to extend full diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmiris struggle for self-determination. it must raise the issue at all world forums. Pakistan should meanwhile concentrate on fast-tracking its economy which is the quickest route to people’s welfare as well as to strengthening the country’s defense.

The constitution has never been truly implemented

dr FArid A MAlik

O

n 14 august 1973, Pakistan was declared a constitutional democracy. On papers it is called the islamic Republic of Pakistan. while it is neither islamic nor a Republic in practice. There is a history of struggle for the Constitution. The periods of real democracy have been brief (1947 to 1958, 1971 to 1977). invariably the dictatorships that followed neutralized the democratic gains of both the eras of civilian supremacy.

Mr Justice Muhammad Yaqub ali, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, came up with a damage control doctrine according to which, once the usurper has been disarmed he should be punished under the law. it was Zia-ul-Haq who violated article 6 of the Constitution on 5 July 1977. He then went on to even disfigure the consensual document.

The same article was violated again in October 1999 by Pervez Musharraf. in both instances the judiciary did not apply the Justice Yaqub Formula to punish the perpetrators nor did they annul the amendments forced by the dictators who did not enjoy people’s mandate. it was only the second time around that Pervez Musharraf had to face the law for imposing emergency rule in november 2007 followed by the imprisonment of judges. it was more tit-for-tat justice for the protection of their own institution, and

Missing persons Will court decisions make the PM go beyond making the right noises?

T

HE recent court decision on missing persons have moved Prime Minister imran Khan to say that his government would not tolerate any missing persons in the country. His telling the Cabinet so on Tuesday came after the islamabad High Court had passed strictures on the Prime Minister and the members of the Federal Cabinet over the matter, which has been passing from one ministry to another, and one government to the next, without any resolution. The missing persons have been a problem because, in enthusiasm for the War on Terror, many persons supporting the Taliban have gone missing, without their next of kin knowing their fate.

The government seems unable to deal with problem, perhaps because no one is willing to take responsibility, for Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting revealed that the interior, Human Rights and Law Ministries were involved in passing responsibility from themselves to the other. So far, there was no mention of the defence Ministry, even though one attempt to resolve the issue had involved getting legislation producing a legal framework for at least some detentions, especially for the special facilities in the tribal areas. The Supreme Court had tried to get the matter resolved, but it had not entirely succeeded.

Part of the problem seems to have been the possibility that any ‘disappeared persons’ who reappeared might make revelations embarrassing to officers belonging to certain sensitive agencies, and falling within the defence Ministry’s purview. However, unconstitutional actions cannot be justified because they serve ‘reasons of state’. not just the persons who have disappeared, but their families, deserve, if not the return of their loved ones, reliable knowledge of their fate. Otherwise, their families might suffer the kind of problems that are faced in such situations, with heirs not knowing whether an estate has opened up for inheritance, and women not knowing if they are widows eligible for remarriage or just unlucky wives whose husbands have been imprisoned. This is also an excessive punishment for a government to inflict on its own citizens, no matter how misguided they are, and how much that government is committed to the War on Terror.

How France is acting irresponsibly AnAyA ShAhid

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ndia is rapidly increasing its weapons capability in order to threaten and coerce Pakistan so that it would submit to india’s hegemonic designs. Such hegemonic aspirations not only threaten South asia’s regional equilibrium but also take the entire region to the brink of nuclear conflict. Some of the Western countries are eager to sell their weaponry to india and in particular, France has taken the weapons sale to an entire new level by selling nuclear-capable fighter jets to india. This is unprecedented from a Western country which is also signatory to the non-Proliferation Treaty. The selling of such weapons to the nazi-inspired Modi regime is worrisome not just for South asia, but threatens the entire world’s peace and security.

One of the major contributors to the indian arms buildup is France, which has provided technologically advanced conventional and strategic weaponry to india. india largely depends on foreign assistance to acquire weapons and over the period of a decade, indo-French defense cooperation has strengthened. it is because both countries have a convergence of interests when it comes to strategic policy in the indoPacific region. However, this convergence is destabilizing the South asian region, and contributing to security challenges for Pakistan.

The indo-French strategic partnership mainly spans the fields of defense, nuclear technology and space. in the first week of January 2021, india and France held their annual strategic dialogue, led by indian national Security advisor ajit doval and diplomatic advisor to the French President Emmanuel Bonne. it is interesting to see that France is not only following indian footprints in the indo-Pacific region but it’s also been vocal about india’s entry into the nuclear Suppliers Group (nSG), a global body which

Arif Nizami Editor Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

Dr Farid A Malik is ex-Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation. He can be contacted at: fmaliks@hotmail.com.

Indo-French Bonhomie Destabilizing South Asia

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

nothing had changed much for the common man.

Over four decades after its enactment, the Constitution has not been taken seriously till today. Most senior officials who take oath on the Constitution have not even read it. Zia’s disfiguring continues to deny the people of Pakistan their genuine democratic rights. Musharraf kept the constitution in abeyance for extended periods. The pseudo-democrats that followed in between did not bother to follow the document either. The PML(n) government tried several obnoxious amendments like declaring the Prime Minster amirul Momineen (Caliph) while Zardari abolished the entire concurrent list of departments without any homework or preparation at the provincial level. devolution of power and provincial autonomy were always a part of the original Constitution but was not followed in the past nor it has been implemented now in letter and spirit. authority has moved from islamabad to the four provincial capitals while the district Governments remain non-functional. absence of democracy has repeatedly hurt the republic. Madare Millat Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah made a last-ditch effort to save the federation when she challenged ayub Khan in the Presidential Elections held in early 1965. She demanded restoration of the 1956 Constitution and free and fair elections on the basis of one man, one vote. The dictator was not interested in the Eastern Wing as it was too much trouble for him but he lacked the courage to work out an amicable settlement with the genuine leadership of East Pakistan. in fact it was his Martial Law which initiated the breakup of the Quaid’s Pakistan. despite being in majority East Pakistanis were marginalized and unnecessarily cornered.

Shifting of the capital from Karachi also did not help as islamabad was too far and detached from decca. a true democratic order could have kept the federation together but it was a massive establishment blunder of that time.

On 6 January 2021, just a few days before the swearing-in ceremony of the new President, american democracy came under attack. a mob entered the Congress building in Washington dC. despite being the oldest constitutional democracy of the world, there was a major disconnect between the people inside and those who forced their way in. The divisions in the society were evident.

according to dr adil najam, the US scholar of Pakistani origin, a lot of healing is required to put the democratic order back on track. President Joe Biden has a difficult task ahead. Senators are demanding restoration of democracy through ‘For The People act ‘. The focus must shift to the welfare of the common man who has been hit hard by the recent pandemic. Over 400,000 people have perished in the USa. The health care system is being pushed to the limit. This factor played a key role in the defeat of the incumbent President donald Trump who now faces impeachment for the second time in his tenure.

People must come first, and without constitutional vision and application, democracy cannot survive. The message is loud and clear; elected governments must learn to serve, not rule. The 21st century may witness the demise of democracy if the disconnect between the rulers and the ruled continues. in the land of the pure the situation is even more alarming. Most national institutions continue to function in the colonial mode where people are treated as subjects not citizens. in the brief period after the enactment of the Constitution in 1973, the elected government tried to restore individual rights.

The original constitutional document had over 20 articles for the protection of human dignity ( articles 8 to 28, 212 ) which have been largely ignored.

The current legislature is mainly debating personal issues, for the opposition it is for covering their corruption while for the treasury it is the defence of their inaction to provide relief to the public. Very few elected representatives of the public even know of their constitutional obligations Today the country continues to suffer for the corrupt practices of the last 40 years on one hand, and the lack of direction to expeditiously move forward on the other. This mismanagement of the past seems unmanageable with all the fines and attachment of assets worldwide, financial order has to be restored. By eliminating current account deficit some light has become visible at the end of the tunnel but a lot more needs to be done. as a nation we must look inwards with major soul searching to revive the spirit of real freedom as it was when the journey had started in august 1947.

Citizens have to take charge to be treated as citizens.

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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economic incentives. This moral bankruptcy is unimaginable and condemnable.

South asia is a fragile region. Massive arms import and weaponization by india has direct ramifications for Pakistan’s security calculous. in order to match the increasing conventional superiority of india, Pakistan may be compelled to participate in an arms race fueled by countries like France. France’s defense industry’s strategic collaboration with indian defense firms also poses a serious threat of technological reverse engineering. at the same time, there is no clear indication of end controls global nuclear commerce. France is also at -user agreements on French weapons in india. the forefront of the campaign to give india a perma- Whether there would be any end-user agreement is yet another question. nent membership of the Un Security Council.

There’s no second thought that France is actively This is ironic and disappointing in the sense that it makes one wonder how a member of the civilized fueling the india–Pakistan arms race. india has been world community like France neglects indian atroci- buying arms and ammunitions for decades and reties in indian-Occupied Kashmir. indian atrocities in mains the world’s topmost importer for the last many years. indian imports of Occupied Kashmir are no weapons from France have more a secret. The entire risen by 75 percent, making world community conthe latter the third largest demned PM narendra The Indo-French Strategic supplier of arms to india in Modi’s illegal annexation of the last five years. France is the disputed territory.

Partnership is being exporting weapon systems France’s reaction was awful to india, which are not only to the core. instead of playdeepened at the expense of conventional but also have ing a mediatory role, France the regional balance of strategic implications. The called Kashmir a india-Pakapplication of such weapon istan bilateral issue. i turned power in South Asia. The systems also varies from air a blind eye to a number of already fragile strategic to land to sea. This clearly Un resolutions which signifies that France is clearly state Kashmir is a stability in South Asia is destabilizing the region. disputed territory. india has The indo-French Strateviolated those resolutions, under assault from France’s gic Partnership is being but the irony lies in the fact massive arms transfers to a deepened at the expense of that France wants india to be the regional balance of part of a very prestigious revisionist India. power in South asia. The albody whose resolutions ready fragile strategic stabilmeans nothing to it. ity in South asia is under india’s relationship with assault from France’s masFrance is not confined to one domain of defense; rather it includes energy cooper- sive arms transfers to a revisionist india. French sale ation, cybersecurity, space exploration and other of sophisticated military technology to india, at this areas of strategic convergence. Their strategic part- scale, is further worsening regional stability and erodnership also focuses on bilateral cooperation in com- ing global norms and rules. There must be an end to bating terrorism. it is ironic to note their selective this frenzy which is being promoted in the name of choosing of terrorism. France remains oblivious to “strategic partnership”. France needs to realize the india’s state-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan and per- severity of the situation created by its weapons sale secution of Kashmiri Muslims. France’s silence on to an aggressor before it gets too late. such matters not only put a question mark on its The writer can be reached at global standing but also shows how countries like France lose moral ground just for the sake of some shahid.anaya@yahoo.com

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Thursday, 4 February, 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

Malnutrition, a major problem MaLnUTRiTiOn is the conditioning of unhealthy food in living organisms in which people are suffering a lot. it is a fact that the majority of the world is lacking proper food. Global nutrition is that there are 10.7 million victims of nutrition in Pakistan because of poverty.

Malnutrition is caused by a lack of protein in the diet. The deficiency of protein caused a disease known as kwashiorkor. When someone does not get balanced nutrition then they will not develop physical growth and mental order. More than 820 million people are victims of malnutrition.

The lack of a balanced diet is increasing day by day. When a newborn child doesn’t get enough milk then that child will also be the patient of kwashiorkor. a country can’t provide enough food to its people because of a shortage of food. Thousands of food are being thrown daily, such as being thrown in the dustbin and being thrown in the streets. So, we need to take care of such important aspects of life to they are the work of humanity to provide that food to baggers and needy.

MahdeeM hussain TurbaT

Sea intrusion

The struggle continues like india which is now ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (BJP-RSS) Prime Minister narendra Modi prothe Jammu and Kashmir dispute is resolved on moting Hindutva at all costs? the basis of international legitimacy and that india has all along been clamouring about Kashmir has quite rightly described as a “nu- Jammu and Kashmir being its integral part in a clear flashpoint.” vain attempt to cheat its own people and befool Un Secretary-General antonio Guterres at the international community. it is an established his press conference a few days back , his first and duly internationally acknowledged fact that of the new Year, has called upon nuclear armed Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory, india india and Pakistan to “come together and seri- has no other claim over it than that of an occupier, ously discuss their problems ‘ stemming from and like all occupiers and colonizers of the past, the unresolved Kashmir dispute, saying there india wants to physically, politically and psychowas no military solution to the decades-old con- logically crush the indigenous Kashmiri struggle. flict, and that it was clear when seeing Pakistan india has become a nightmare for its minorities. and india , military confrontation between the On 5 august 2019, india had not only unitwo would be a disaster of unmitigated propor- laterally annulled the special status of Jammu tions for both countries and the whole world. He and Kashmir but also placed the entire eight further said that it is absolutely essential to have million people of the occupied territory under a de-escalation of the situation on the Line of military siege, which is still continuing after Control, and “as regards human rights abuses in 17 months, and has lasted for more than 500 indian-occupied Kashdays in an unending mir, i think it is essenmanner and the territial that human rights tory remains shut to are fully respected.” He the outside world with also stood by his stateThe Kashmiris’ just indigenous no means of communiment of 8 august 2019 cations, no media and struggle continues, and the wherein he had called no Un observers visits for the resolution of the there. people and the civil and Kashmir dispute based Gross human rights military leadership of Pakistan violations in the on Un resolutions and the Un Charter. forcibly occupied inare extending all moral, He evaded outdian territory since 5 rightly condemning august 2019 include diplomatic and political india for flagrant viola291 Kashmiris marsupport at all international tions of the Line of tyred, 16 women widControl, ceasefire vioowed, 36 children forums.

The blood of the lations killing innocent orphaned, 1577 people Kashmiris will certainly not go injured, 14,219 people civilians in an unabated manner and also arrested under draconwaste and they are bound to for its human rights viian laws and 976 strucolations in the illegally damaged, secure their fundamental basic tures occupied territory of according to facts and right of self-determination in Jammu and Kashmir. figures compiled by the One cannot help Kashmir institute of inaccordance with UN Security saying that the Un is ternational Relations Council resolutions with the helpless in getting its through close monitorSecurity Council resoing of happenings in the continued blessings of lutions implemented to occupied territory. resolve, even after as for youth pellet Almighty Allah sooner or later more than seven victims and Public decades of lingering, Safety act (PSa) detenthe unresolved Kashtions since 5 august mir dispute.

2019, are concerned, One is reminded here also that a guerilla war 446 youth have been injured by pellets and 3000 ensued from 1975 to 1999 between indonesia arrested under the PSa. and pro-independence forces in East Timor, in indian occupying security forces’ crimes which thousands of East Timorese were killed. against besieged Kashmiris since 1989 include in 1999 East Timor was placed under Un super- 75,724 killings, 22,924 widows, 112,131 rapes, vision and on 20 May 2002, dili became the 107,811 orphans and 110,375 houses and infracapital of newly-independent democratic Re- structures destroyed. public of Timor-Leste.

The Kashmiris’ just indigenous struggle The burning question which arises here is continues, and the people and the civil and milthat if the Un could take East Timor under its itary leadership of Pakistan are extending all supervision, subsequently leading to its inde- moral, diplomatic and political support at all inpendence from the Muslim country of indonesia, ternational forums. The blood of the Kashmiris why cannot the world body can take over occu- will certainly not go waste and they are bound pied Jammu and Kashmir territory where the to secure their fundamental basic right of selfbloodshed, violence and human rights violations determination in accordance with Un Security have been going on for decades together in an Council resolutions with the continued blessings unabated manner, and implement the Security of almighty allah sooner or later.

Council resolutions by holding a free and fair plebiscite to solve the lingering burning Kashmir The writer can be reached at dispute. is the world body afraid of a big country zahidriffat@gmail.com

Kashmir Solidarity Day serves as a reminder

MuhAMMAd ZAhid riFAt

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iKE every year, the people and government of Pakistan are observing yet another Kashmir Solidarity day on February 5, to reiterate their continued unstinted moral, diplomatic and political support to Kashmiris struggling and suffering at the hands of occupying indian security forces to secure their birth right of self-determination in accordance with the Un Security Council resolutions. February 5 has already been declared a public holiday so that people, from all walks of life, can fully and actively participate in all activities of the Kashmir Solidarity day.

The hearts of Pakistanis and Kashmiris beat together, slogans of Kashmir Baney Ga Pakistan (Kashmir will become Pakistan) and Pakistan Zindabad (Long Live Pakistan) are frequently raised in the occupied territory and the Pakistan flag hoisted at mosques and other places on different occasions like india’s Republic day, which Kashmiris observe as a Black day. The Founder of Pakistan Quaid-i-azam Mohammad ali Jinnah had described Kashmir as the ‘jugular vein’ of Pakistan .

The people and the government of Pakistan have been and will continue supporting the just cause of Kashmiris, living under the longest lockdown in indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, till they win freedom from forcible indian occupation, exercise their right of self-determination and decide their future themselves in a free, fair and transparent plebiscite under Un supervision.

Through the observance of Kashmir Solidarity day, the people and the Pakistani leadership will also be giving a clarion call through rallies and meetings for waking up the somehow sleeping international community which even after seeing, observing , noticing and condemning ongoing indian security forces’ brutalities and atrocities on innocent Kashmiri men, women, youth and children engaged in unarmed struggle against indian occupation for more than seven decades, but not doing anything more than that.

Pakistan, through its leadership, has not only revived and activated the lingering unresolved Kashmir issue at all international forums topped by the Un General assembly, but also been repeatedly and emphatically been telling and warning the world at large that there will be no durable peace and stability in South asia until

KHHaROCHHan, a settlement along the arabian Sea Coast in the indus delta area near Thatta, is on the verge of disappearance due to sea intrusion.

Sea intrusion has already submerged the Sokhi Bunder and Khharochhan is also very much on the path to meet the same destiny Khharochhan, a settlement along the arabian Sea coast in the delta area of River indus near Thatta gives a deserted look today, but once was the busiest town of the coastal belt. it had Sokhi Bunder at one end and Keti Bunder at the other.

But the construction of dams and barrages on the indus River and inadequate discharge of river water gave way to sea intrusion submerging the Sokhi Bunder, the remnants of which can still be found under the seawater approximately six Kilometers away from Keti Bunder.Khharochhan is very much on the path to meet the same destiny as the population of the town is shrinking with every passing day. The erosion of agricultural lands has caused the migration of people to the urban areas of the district, while the well-off families have migrated to other parts of the province to make their future secure. Lack of basic amenities like water supply for drinking purpose and reducing resources of livelihood further added to their miseries and compelled them to leave their ancestral abodes. Khharochhan, which covers an area of 778 sq. km and has a status of taluka (tehsil), while there is also a union council with the same name headquartered at Baghan. The Khharochhan union council has 41 revenue villages (dehs) and 4385 households according to 2011 statistics of Sindh government. a report by WWF-Pakistan says that natural resource pressures have resulted from insufficient water flow downstream Kotri and at least 117,823 ha of land was lost due to sea erosion, of which 81% fell in the category of ‘totally eroded by the sea’ covering 21 dehs (cluster of villages) out of a total of 41 dehs in Kharo Chan, according to Sindh government’s 2004 data. a study carried out by this scribe revealed that the population of the area has radically decreased from 70,000 to 5000 while around 3.10 million acres of land have been pocketed by sea over the past two decades. acute water scarcity during June and July further dents the economic state of the local growers and they keep raising their voice for the due share of river water during the particular season every year. according to residents, Reverse Osmosis Plant (RO Plants) were installed by the government but became defunct after some time due to improper maintenance. They said that owing to inadequate supply of water downstream they were facing this dilemma and Khharochhan was on the verge of outright erosion. They feared if sea intrusion continued as it has been, the days are not far away when Khharochhan would become part of the history only. as per international laws and historically, Sindh, being the lower riparian, has prime right on indus waters. in the 1950s and ’60s the indus delta was green and fertile owing to sufficient water discharges but now the reduced and often no water flow in the river has destroyed a vast area of agricultural land.

KaMran KhaMiso Khawaja sujawal

Skilled man power PRiME Minister imran Khan on Tuesday stressing on the importance of vocational training and skilled manpower in socio-economic development directed the federal and provincial institutions to formulate and present a joint comprehensive strategy. He said that one of the numerous factors behind economic development of neighborly China was their special focus on skilled manpower. The prime minister was presiding over a meeting regarding inter-provincial cooperation for skilled education. He further said that with no dearth of capabilities in Pakistani manpower, there was a need to improve their capabilities and provide opportunities of proving the country’s mettle at international level through timely measures. Federal Minister Shafqat Mehmood, Provincial Ministers Raja Yasir Humayun, Kamran Bangash, Special assistant to Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Tanvir ilyas, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) national information Technology Board (niTB) Shabahat ali Shah Chairman national Vocational and Technical Training Commission (naVTTC) Syed Javed Hussain, Chairman Technical Education and Vocational Training authority (TEVTa) ali Salman Siddiqui, Chairman Special Technology Zones authority (STZa) amir Hashmi, Sajjad Burki, atif Khan and officers concerned were in attendance. The meeting was briefed about the strategy for training the Pakistani skilled people as per international standards. it was told that in order to tackle the challenges faced by Pakistani manpower at international level, a comprehensive strategy would be formulated in cooperation with the federal and provincial institutions. The meeting was told that neglecting the sector in the past resulted in unemployment and decrease in workers’ remittances, instead of transforming the youth into a skilled manpower. The prime minister was told that TEVTa, for the first time in last 10 years, got a development budget of Rs. 10 billion during the present government, which enabled the institution to increase its training capacity from 90,000 to 200,000 and further 50,000 through online training system. it was told that TEVTa, keeping in view the international consumption, was moving towards preparing a new lot of skilled manpower through Competency Based Training and assessment (CBTS) system, which would be able to get employment in special sectors in any country. sohail ali Khan islaMabad

Thursday, 4 February, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

IndIa Is at War WIth Itself EVEN RIHANNA IS NOTICING

WashIngtOn pOst

“t

bARkhA dutt

hIS flag is our life, it’s drawn from the blood and toil of our ancestors,” a farmer from Punjab told me, pointing to the Indian tricolor fluttering from the corner of his tractor as it joined a cavalcade of thousands on the morning of India’s Republic Day on Jan. 26. I hung on precariously, one foot in the air, one arm clasping the tractor’s overheated emission rod, as we rolled through a sea of people. It was a protest march, but the atmosphere was joyous. After two months of demonstrating at the capital’s borders against new legislation that farmers say will hand over the agriculture industry to oligarchs, the protesters finally had permission to cross the city limits and enter Delhi.

But what followed a few hours later almost unraveled the people-led agitation; eroded some of its moral force; sharpened the debate around democracy by diktat; shone a light on the compromised freedom of India’s in-

stitutions; and revealed a country at war with itself.

There are many versions of what led to a group of protesters clambering up a pillar at the capital’s Red Fort complex — the 17th-century fort from where the prime minister addresses the nation every Independence Day — to hoist the nishan Sahib, a Sikh flag. To see a religious symbol at a place where only the national flag belongs undermined the very spirit of the movement. It was preceded by violent clashes between some protesters and the police, as barricades were broken and stones pelted.

Yogendra Yadav, a soft-spoken member of India’s political opposition and a key figure at the helm of the agitation, called it “India’s Capitol hill scandal” in an interview to me, taking “moral responsibility” for what happened. At the same time, he demanded “administrative and political accountability” from the police and government. he suggested that the men who had undermined the movement were Sikh extremists whose presence he had flagged to the police and who he believed had deliberately been given a long rope by cops to discredit the protests. For their part, police have told me on background that 35,000 tractors rolled into Delhi instead of the 5,000 that were granted permission, and that the 200,000 protesters who entered in violation of the agreement also outnumbered them.

In the ensuing fog of claims and counterclaims, some journalists got their facts wrong. A prominent television anchor was pulled off air. Since then, several politicians and media personalities have had ridiculous criminal cases of sedition filed against them.

These past few days have been like a laser-sharp Xray turned on India’s multiple fractures. In a society so polarized that people are now unable to talk across predetermined ideological positions, you are expected to either blindly support Prime Minister narendra Modi’s government or the farmers’ movement. A more nuanced appraisal, which calls out lapses on each side, leads to ugly name-calling and brittle, hostile arguments. Our media, especially our television channels, have embarrassed themselves, by their supplicant behavior at the altar of a government that does not like journalists or by not being robust enough in their reportage for the story to speak for itself. Right-wing ideologues are busy hatemongering and labeling fellow citizens as anti-national and treacherous. Liberals are so sanctimonious that their certitude has pushed them deeper into their echo chamber. Our police have been lauded for their restraint on Republic Day — nearly 400 policemen were injured — but have also been under scrutiny since then for political partisanship. And our government, which initially seemed to blink by offering to hold the new laws for 18 months, appears to have aggressively doubled down.

At different protest sites, cement walls have been erected, nails, spikes and iron rods placed on the road,

and Internet lines snapped. Farmers making their way to the capital are being blocked on national highways. After every reporting visit to the protest sites, I return with a gnawing fear at the volatility of the situation. now, the build-up looks like a police crackdown may be imminent. A former police chief of Delhi, admitting that his force has been placed in an impossible situation — this is a political problem and not a policing one — calls the images of fortification “horrifying” and warns that “Delhi cannot become Tiananmen Square.”

As a nation, we are playing with fire, especially in the northern state of Punjab, where many of the protesting farmers are from. An agrarian state, it sends the largest number of soldiers to India’s military. At the protests, I have met more than one proud farmer with a son serving in the military. All are appalled at being besmirched as separatists. They remind me that one of India’s national slogans has long been “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” or “Salute the Soldier, Salute the Farmer.” Yet no one can erase the memory of the 1980s, when secessionist violence overran Punjab, culminating in the assassination of the prime minister and shameful pogrom against innocent Sikhs.

India cannot afford this inflammability. We cannot have a situation where force is even contemplated against thousands of men and women who have been on the street for weeks, peaceful for the most part. This is now about the compact between citizen and state. The Modi government should show generosity and repeal the laws instead of standing on prestige. The stakes are simply too high.

Barkha Dutt is an award-winning TV journalist and anchor with more than two decades of reporting experience.

She is the author of “This Unquiet Land: Stories from India’s Fault Lines.” Dutt is based in New Delhi.

5 oil and gas predictions for 2021 Jeff Bezos’ resignation I EXPECT NATURAL GAS PRICES TO AVERAGE ABOVE $2.50/MMBTU IN 2021, WHICH WOULD REPRESENT A ~25% OR MORE INCREASE ABOVE 2020

OIlprIce.cOm

W

RobeRt RApieR

hen I made my 2020 predictions a year ago, the world was on the cusp of a pandemic that would upend the oil markets. In the process, it upended two of my energy sector predictions, but three others ended up being correct. The Covid-19 pandemic last year was a black swan event that caused an unprecedented fallout across the energy sector. The evolution of the pandemic this year will be the largest variable impacting the energy sector. Yes, larger even than any policies our new President will enact.

The energy sector is already off to a fast start in the equity markets this year, as the market is anticipating a return to normal. But if those expectations falter and it takes longer than expected to get the pandemic under control this year, there is a risk of a significant pullback.

Against that backdrop, below are my predictions for some of the significant energy trends I expect this year. As I usually point out, the discussion behind the predictions is more important than the predictions themselves. That’s why I provide extensive background and reasoning behind the predictions.

I also make predictions that are specific and measurable.

At year’s end, there are specific metrics that will indicate whether a prediction was right or wrong.

1. The average price of WTI in 2021 will be between $50/bbl and $55/bbl.

Oil is still the world’s most important commodity, so I always try to lead off with a prediction on the direction of oil prices. I generally make this prediction by looking at supply and demand trends, as well as inventory levels.

A year ago, I thought my prediction was aggressive, but sound. I felt like oil prices would be strong all year. But this was one prediction the pandemic upended within a month of making it.

Because we don’t know how long it’s going to take to get the pandemic really under control, there’s a lot of uncertainty around the direction of oil prices. Oil prices rallied in the fourth quarter, and are now close to where they were a year ago. That anticipates a strong recovery. however, OPeC is sitting on spare production capacity that they can bring online if demand starts to rise. That will provide some headwinds for oil prices.

In 2020, the average daily price for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was $39.16 per barrel (bbl). That was nearly $20/bbl lower than in 2019. This year, I think it’s almost certain that WTI will average higher than it did last year, but I think it’s doubtful that it averages as much as it did in 2019. The spot price of WTI is presently $53.00/bbl. Demand is still trending lower than it was a year ago, and that presents some risk of prices falling further. OPeC will likely be a cap on the high side. Thus, I predict that the average annual price for WTI in 2021 will be between $50/bbl and $55/bbl. however, I will add a couple of caveats. If one of the new variants of Covid-19 isn’t covered by the available vaccines — or if it takes longer than

expected to get the pandemic under control, oil prices will break back below $50. But if the pandemic is brought under control quickly, we could see a strong recovery in oil prices that could break above $55. Demand in the U.S. is weaker than it was a year ago, but that isn’t the case for all countries. OPeC is still ready to ramp up production, but it is possible that prices may get ahead of OPeC action.

2. Total U.S. oil production will decline for the second straight year.

According to the energy Information Administration (eIA), U.S. oil production plummeted in the second half of 2020. At present, year-over-year production is 2.0 million BPD lower than it was a year ago. The number of rigs drilling for oil has risen in recent weeks, but it is still down 57% from a year ago.

President Biden has already suspended new oil and gas leasing and drilling permits on U.S. lands and waters for 60 days. he has also canceled the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, signaling that this administration will not be friendly to the oil industry.

All of this points to the likelihood that U.S. oil production will continue the decline it began in late 2020. I expect the decline to slow, and perhaps stabilize, but it would take a strong reversal to see U.S. oil production grow in 2021.

3. The average natural gas price will be at least 25% higher than it was in 2020.

Last year I predicted that natural gas prices would average the lowest level in more than 20 years. That did in fact happen.

The average henry hub natural gas spot price for 2020 was $2.03/MMBtu, which was the lowest annual average since the eIA began tracking that data in 1997.

But falling oil production means a decline in natural gas supplies that are associated with that oil production. That tightens up supplies, which was a factor in the subsequent recovery of natural gas prices in late 2020.

I predict that recovery will continue into 2021. I expect natural gas prices to average above $2.50/MMBtu in 2021, which would represent a ~25% or more increase above 2020.

4. US oil imports will increase in 2021.

U.S. oil imports have steadily declined since 2005 when they averaged 10.1 million BPD. There was a brief reversal in 2016 and 2017 — a consequence of lower prices that negatively impacted U.S. oil production. But by the end of 2020, crude oil imports had fallen to 6.0 million BPD. I expect this trend to reverse in 2021. A combination of last year’s price collapse and new regulations from the Biden Administration will likely drive U.S. oil production lower this year, but overall oil demand is going to recover. That means more imports will be called upon to fill the void.

5. ConocoPhillips will have a total return of at least 30%.

I generally like to close with a prediction on ConocoPhillips, which is the world’s largest publicly traded, pure oil and gas producer. Last year I predicted it would return 20% on the year. The company was positioned to have a good year before the pandemic caused oil demand to collapse. So instead, ConocoPhillips closed the year down nearly 40%. As I write this, the year-over-year WTI price is 8.7% lower. But shares of ConocoPhillips are still 32% lower than they were a year ago. The company is positioned to cover dividends and capital expenditures with WTI at $40/bbl. At >$50/bbl, the company should do quite well.

Barring another collapse in oil prices this year, I expect the market to eventually acknowledge the value proposition. As I said a year ago, even if oil prices collapse I expect ConocoPhillips to weather the storm. They have been around for a long time, and are one of the best-managed oil companies on the planet. The company also has significant exposure to natural gas, so higher prices there will be more icing on the cake.

There you have my 2021 energy sector predictions. As always, I will grade them at the end of the year.

is a distraction DURING THE PANDEMIC, THE WORLD’S ONE PER CENT ACQUIRED $3.9TN DOLLARS – ENOUGH TO PAY FOR A VACCINE FOR EVERY PERSON IN THE WORLD – WHILE WORKERS HAVE LOST $3.7TN DOLLARS’ WORTH OF EARNINGS, WITH WOMEN AND YOUNG PEOPLE BEARING THE BRUNT

Independent

W

AdAm Smith

hen a magician performs a trick, audiences rarely look where they need to. Sleight of hand and charming patter is used to divert our attention away from what is actually happening.

Misdirection comes in many forms. It involved one of the richest men in the world. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, stepped down from his CeO position, shortly before the United States Federal Trade Commission announced that it was fining Amazon $61.7m, so the shopping giant could settle charges that it withheld delivery drivers’ tips paid by customers.

Jeff Bezos accumulated more than $215m a day in 2019. As you are reading this article, his wealth has likely increased nearly four times the amount of the fine his company was issued for withholding payments from its employees.

The full announcement from the FTC is astounding. It states that Amazon regularly advertised that drivers participating in the Flex program would be paid between $18 and $25 per hour, and that drivers would receive all of their tips. That is not what happened.

Instead, the FTC alleges that Amazon put its workers on a lower rate and used customer tips to make up the difference. Amazon allegedly took steps to mislead drivers about this, made the change, and then lied about it.

“Rather than passing along 100 per cent of customers’ tips to drivers, as it had promised to do, Amazon used the money itself,” said Daniel Kaufman, acting director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.

The FTC also alleges that Amazon only

stopped its behaviour, which happened over a two and a half year period, when it became aware of the regulator’s investigation. enter Amazon’s lovely assistant, Jeff Bezos.

Or rather, exit Bezos – although the billionaire will remain an “executive chair” of the company. It does not require the deduction of Sherlock holmes to assume that Bezos’ decision, while publicly unexpected, had been planned for some time. It is also safe to assume that Amazon knew when the FTC would be making its announcement - the latest in a long series of anti-worker activity from the company. It infamously fired and smeared its warehouse workers when they spoke up about unsafe coronavirus conditions. And it has clashed with climate change activists who want the company to reduce its carbon emissions. This led to another executive stepping down in protest.

According to the FTC, Amazon employees called the investigation into drivers’ tips a “reputation tinderbox” and “a huge PR risk to Amazon”. Put yourself in the position of Amazon’s public relations team, with the FTC’s announcement approaching like the blade of a guillotine.

Why not time the release of Bezos’ resignation for the same day, bookended by another announcement of the company’s new headquarters for good measure? Suddenly everyone has a new story. The blade sinks through the head of the magician, the audience gasps, and yet our Prime performer miraculously escapes unscathed. even if Bezos had not stepped down, it’s unlikely this news would have tangibly affected the company. The old adage, “punishable with a fine just means legal for the rich”, remains true.

Amazon says it “disagree[s] that the historical way we reported pay to drivers was unclear”, but “is “pleased to put this matter behind us”. That only happens, of course, if we let it.

It is also worth remembering that Amazon’s moral crime is simply a small-scale model of a larger injustice, one ironically epitomised by its wealthy founder. During the pandemic, the world’s one per cent acquired $3.9tn dollars – enough to pay for a vaccine for every person in the world – while workers have lost $3.7tn dollars’ worth of earnings, with women and young people bearing the brunt.

As Bezos leaves, and the new CeO Andy Jassy enters, Amazon is not the only illusionist making money from its workers’ pockets disappear, it’s just the one that’s on stage right now. Watch their hands carefully, for all is not as it appears.

Thursday, 4 February, 2021

BUSINESS 09

corporate corner

KARACHI: State Life Insurance Corporation Chairman Dr Muhammad Suhail Rajput and BOD Memebr Abdul Qadir Memon, along with other colleagues, cutting a cake during the launch of State Life Takaful Window Operations. PR

BELARUS: Ambassador Sajjad Haider Khan held a meeting with Pavel G Topouzidis, owner of ‘Korona Chain Stores’ and Chairman of the Board of Directors of ‘Tabak Invest’, to discuss trade and investment opportunities with Pakistan. PR

Covid-19: PTCL extends support to Islamabad Traffic Police frontline officers ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), as part of its coronavirus support programme, has handed over face masks and handsanitizers for the Islamabad Traffic Police frontline officers during a ceremony held at the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Security Office. On the occasion, Waqaruddin Syed, DIG Security Division, Islamabad Police, said, “We laud PTCL’s contribution and appreciate their support during the pandemic. This will surely help to further curb the spread of Coronavirus amongst our frontline officers, who are performing their duties fearlessly. We also appreciate and pay tribute to the PTCL frontline workers, who are keeping our country connected and are standing with the nation during these testing times.” PRESS RElEASE

Agha Steel to install 2.25MW solar power plant in Karachi Agha Steel Industries has signed a contract with Renewable Power Pvt Ltd for installation of a 2.25-megawatt solar power plant at Port Qasim, Karachi. Meezan Bank has been nominated as the lead Islamic banking arranger for the project, which would be among the biggest solar power plants installed by a steel manufacturer in Pakistan.

According to a statement, this project will initiate a 'Green Steel Revolution' at Agha Steel Industries by helping in sustainability of its energy mix and at the same time reducing the burden on national grid. The 2.25MW project would also reduce the carbon emission by 46,000 tonnes in a lifespan of 20 years. "This solar power plant, being installed on self-consumption basis, will produce around 3.3 million units of clean and renewable electricity every year, which will result in a significant drop in the carbon footprint of Agha Steel Industries," the statement read. "The company is currently undergoing an expansion to increase its rebar capacity to 650,000 from current 250,000 tonnes per year." Speaking on the occasion, Agha Steel CEO Hussain Agha said, "In line with our Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), it is our vision to become Pakistan’s first green steel manufacturer with zero reliance on fossil fuels by 2025. As a micro mill utilizing scrapbased Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) technology, we are helping to preserve our natural resources. By using recycled scrap for our raw material, we reduce the need for natural resources. Our CO2 Scope 1 green-house gas emissions and energy consumption intensities are approximately 7 times less than the global steel making average." NEWS DESK

PAKISTAn’S CoTTon ouTPuT fALLS To TWo-deCAde LoW T

HE arrival of seed-cotton into ginneries plunged 35pc to 5.57 million bales as of January 31, 2021, the lowest level witnessed in Pakistan’s history in the last two decades.

Given the situation, this year’s cotton imports may touch the highest levels seen in the country’s recent past, putting an extra burden on current account position. Cotton production was recorded at 8.487 million bales in the same period of last year.

Of the total production, textile mills bought 5.046 million bales while 70,200 bales were picked up by exporters. Currently, only 90 ginning mills are functioning in the country.

Cotton outputs in the country have plunged historic lows mainly due to poor seeds and lack of technology and

COTTON ARRIVALS PLUNGE 35PC TO 5.57M BALES

innovations, threatening the livelihoods of growers and textile sector’s viability.

The country harvested 8.5 million bales of cotton in 2020/21, according to latest official statistics. The estimate is less than even what it produced way back in 1990-91. The least production on record if compared with the expected output was registered in 1998/99 when the country picked 8.7 million bales.

The Ministry of Food Security attributed the low cotton estimates to poor seed quality, absence of new seed technology, heat waves and climate change, cotton leaf curl virus, pink bollworm and white fly.

Another factor that contributed to the low yield is an increase in the sug-

arcane production area, wiping a vast area of the cotton belt. Not surprisingly, sugarcane is seen as a better substitute on the back of climate change and less manpower requirement in the fields.

The ministry, however, believed that the cotton sector will improve in coming years as effective measures are being taken. The latest production estimate of less than nine million bales will fall short of an estimated 16 million bales needed for domestic consumption. Despite the fact that the local textile industry consumes around 16 million bales, domestic cotton productivity never exceeded 14 million bales or so.

Pakistan is among the top five largest producers of cotton in the world.

Nissan, Chery Group plan Rs2.4bn investment in Pakistan’s auto sector ISLAMABAD GHUlAM ABBAS

Ghandhara Nissan Limited (GNL), along with leading Chinese automaker Chery Group, has planned to invest Rs2.4 billion in the auto sector of Pakistan.

GNL on Wednesday shared its business plan with Board of Investment (BoI), including brownfield investment of Rs2.4 billion through a joint venture with Chery Group to launch latest passenger cars in Pakistan.

GNL Chief Operating officer Muazzam Pervaiz Khan and BoI Secretary Fareena Mazhar were also present on the occasion.

According to officials, the investment plan includes various types of passenger cars, ranging from hatchbacks to sedans, crossovers to SUVs. In line with

the government's initiative to implement Electric Vehicle Policy, the company will introduce its lineup of electric vehicles in the next two to three years, they added.

It may be noted that Chery Group is a leading brand of Chinese auto industry that has established a complete research & development system with more than 11,000 patents and 3,200 dedicated R&D Staff.

Chery has over 2,600 pilot projects with 23 professional modules covering vehicle and component reliability, handling stability, NVH, safety and environmental adaptability, emissions, materials and other properties of test development and verification capabilities.

The BoI secretary appreciated the planned product line, which would provide the investors value for money; offer top of the line

safety features to Pakistani consumers; and create employment opportunities for the masses.

She informed the team about various measures taken by the government to ensure a conducive business environment for businesses, including incentives proposed in the upcoming Electric Vehicle Policy. She assured GNL of BoI's facilitation as and when needed for successful execution of the venture.

Ghandhara Nissan is a wellknown Karachi-based truck and bus manufacturer. The company assembles and manufactures Isuzu vehicles in Pakistan.

According to sources, Nissan would manufacture Chery SUVs in Pakistan. The Chinese automaker has a range of luxury SUVs, with Tiggo 8 being the most anticipated to enter the Pakistani auto market.

QUETTA: A labourer pushes a wheelbarrow carrying a car engine on Double Road. PPi

About 1.3 million farmers cultivate cotton in the country. Cotton and cotton products account for nearly half of the foreign exchange earnings of the country. Cotton production supports Pakistan’s largest industrial sector textile, comprising a chain of mills, spinning factories, power looms, knitwear and garment units, ginners and oil extractors.

Earlier on January 27, National Food Security and Research Minister Syed Fakhar Imam during a meeting termed the year 2021 as a make or break year for cotton in the country.

The participants had suggested that the use of biotechnology and genetic engineering was necessary to streamline the output. It was further emphasised that the revival of cotton would not be possible without research & development. NEWS DESK

Pakistan, Germany agree to enhance cooperation in IT sector ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Pakistan and Germany have agreed to enhance cooperation in the information technology (IT) and telecommunication sector. The understanding was reached during a meeting between Federal IT and Telecommunication Minister Syed Aminul Haque and German Ambassador to Pakistan Bernhard Schlagheck on Wednesday. Welcoming the ambassador at his office, Aminul Haque said Pakistan greatly values its relations with Germany and wants to enhance cooperation between the two countries in the field of IT and telecom. He said that steps were underway to fulfill the vision of Digital Pakistan. He said that his ministry was taking concrete measures to develop the country's IT and telecom sector, which was why information and communication technology (ICT) export remittances surged 40pc to $958 million in July–December FY21 as compared to last year. He urged the German IT and telecom companies to invest in Pakistan as the environment for investment in the latter was conducive. The German ambassador appreciated the IT minister's role in the development of Pakistan's IT and telecom sector. IT & Telecommunication Secretary Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui was also present in the meeting. Separately, Syed Aminul Haque held a virtual meeting with International Telecommunication Union (ITU)-BDT Director Doreen Bogdan-Martin to discuss issues pertaining to connectivity and telecommunication services. The federal minister said that the Ministry of IT & Telecom is fully committed to ending the digital divide between urban and rural areas of the country. "Steps are being taken through Universal Service Fund (USF) for the provision of broadband services in unserved and underserved areas of the country," he added. The minister said that empowerment of women and youth was the motto of the IT ministry and that it fully supported ITU's proposed agenda to launch initiatives like Giga and Smart Villages in Pakistan.

MARKET DAILY

Stocks rally 353 points on positive sentiments KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Bulls continued to dominate the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Wednesday, with the benchmark index crossing the 47,000 mark intraday amid improved market sentiments.

Global equity markets mostly showed a positive trend, whereas crude oil prices moved further north; WTI crude price rising 0.57pc to $55.08 while Brent crude price increasing 0.19pc to $57.92 (As at 4:11pm PST).

"The market managed to carry forward yesterday's positive momentum today,

with healthy contributions from cement, fertilizer, banking and power sectors," a report issued by Arif Habib Limited read.

"IPPs' agreement with the government kept the investors' interest alive in the power sector; cement sector performed in anticipation of an increase in cement price as well as growth in despatches; whereas rise in international crude prices helped E&P stocks post gains."

SUMMARY: Reminiscent of yesterday, the benchmark KSE-100 Index stayed in the green throughout the day, registering its intraday high at 47,123.82 after gaining

543.48 points. It settled higher by 353.29 points at 46,933.63.

Among other indices, the KMI-30 Index accumulated 1,115.50 points to close at 76,020.57, while the KSE All Share Index added 190.99 points, ending at 32,358.96.

The overall market volumes improved from 467.99 million shares in the previous session to 616.20 million shares (+32pc).

Average traded value also increased by 27pc, from $145.2 million to $184.2 million. KElectric Ltd (KEL +4.01pc), Pakistan Refinery Ltd (PRL +5.64pc) and Hascol Petroleum Ltd (HASCOL -3.31pc) led the

CMYK

volume chart, exchanging 59.32 million, 39.98 million and 32.78 million shares, respectively.

Sectors that drove the benchmark index north included cement (+159.57 points), oil & gas exploration (+101.83 points) and pharmaceutical (+36.24 points). Among the companies, Mari Petroleum Company Ltd (MARI +60.40 points), Lucky Cement Ltd (LUCK +49.35 pts) and Cherat Cement Company Ltd (CHCC +30.47 points) remained the top contributors.

Adding 2.99pc to its cumulative market capitalization, the cement sector ended as

the session’s top performer, with Lucky Cement Ltd (LUCK +2.33pc), Bestway Cement Ltd (BWCL +2.36pc) and DG Khan Cement Company Ltd (DGKC +3.27pc) posting decent gains.

Meanwhile, in a notification to the exchange, Agha Steel Industries Ltd (AGHA +3.91pc) informed that it has signed a contract with Renewable Power Pvt Ltd for installation of 2.25MW solar power project at its production facility in Karachi. Meezan Bank Limited (MEBL +0.26pc) has been nominated as the lead Islamic banking arranger for the project.

Thursday, 4 February, 2021

10 FOREIGN NEWS trump lawyers challenge legitimacy of post-presidency impeachment trial WASHINGTON AGENCIES

Former President Donald Trump’s lawyers said on Tuesday the US Senate lacks the authority to conduct his impeachment trial now that he has left office, while the Democratic lawmakers due to serve as prosecutors called him singularly responsible for the deadly January 6 attack on the Capitol.

Trump’s legal team and the nine House of Representatives Democrats set to prosecute him filed briefs with the Senate one week before the trial is scheduled to begin. His lawyers focused on an argument that last week won the support of 45 of the 50 Republicans in the 100-seat Senate in a failed vote to dismiss the case because Trump is a private citizen, having left office on January 20. Trump’s team also denied he had fomented violence, saying in their 14-page brief that his remarks to supporters shortly before they stormed the Capitol that Democrats contend incited violence were protected under the US Constitution’s First Amendment right to free speech. Challenging the case against Trump on the grounds that the Senate lacks constitutional authority to put a former president on trial would enable his fellow Republicans to vote against conviction without directly defending his incendiary remarks. The House Democrats, in their pretrial brief, anticipated that post-presidency argument and rejected it. The Democrats urged senators to convict Trump — which would require a two-thirds majority — and then bar him from again holding public office. “There is no ‘January exception’ to impeachment or any other provision of the Constitution,” they wrote. “Presidents do not get a free pass to commit high crimes and misdemeanours near the end of their term.” The Democratic-led House impeached Trump on January 13 on a single charge of inciting insurrection with his speech to supporters before the attack. He is the first US president to be impeached twice and the first to face trial after leaving office. “It would be perverse to suggest that our shared commitment to free speech requires the Senate to ignore the obvious: that President Trump is singularly responsible for the violence and destruction that unfolded in our seat of government on January 6,” the Democrats wrote. Trump’s defence team argued that not only does the Senate lack the authority to put Trump on trial but that the chamber also has no jurisdiction to prevent him from holding office again.

US cool to, bUt doeS not reject, IrAn’S IdeA on revIvIng nUcleAr deAl WASHINGTON

t

AGENCIES

He US State Department reacted coolly on Tuesday to an Iranian suggestion that Washington and Tehran take synchronized steps to return to the Iran nuclear deal, though a US official said the stance should not be seen as a rejection.

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had said one way to bridge the impasse with Washington was for an eU official to

choreograph their steps to restore the 2015 pact abandoned in 2018 by thenPresident Donald Trump. It was the first time Zarif had hinted Iran might relent in its demand that the United States ease economic sanctions before Tehran would resume compliance. The Biden administration has insisted Iran return to compliance before it would do so.

“We haven’t […] had any discussions with the Iranians, and I wouldn’t expect we would until those initial steps go forward,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said, referring to the Biden administration’s consulta-

tions with allies, partners and the US Congress. “There are [many] steps in that process […] before we’re reaching the point where we are going to engage directly with the Iranians and willing to entertain any sort of proposal,” he added. Another US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Price’s comments should not be taken as a rebuff of Zarif’s idea, but rather reflected the fact that Biden’s Iran team is just settling in and has committed to consult widely.

“There is no rejection,” this official said. “We have not begun negotiating

with Iran, or with anyone else, because our priority is to consult” with partners in the nuclear deal and in the region.

Under the 2015 accord between Iran and six major powers, Tehran agreed to limit its nuclear program, making it harder to develop nuclear weapons in return for relief from economic sanctions.

Trump abandoned the deal, which Iran struck with Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States, reimposed prior US sanctions and placed new ones that have squeezed Iran’s economy.

Myanmar police file charges against Suu Kyi after coup NAYPYITAW AGENCIES

Myanmar police have filed charges against ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi for illegally importing communications equipment and she will be detained until February 15 for investigations, according to a police document.

The move followed a military coup on Monday and the detention of Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi and other civilian politicians. The takeover cut short Myanmar’s long transition to democracy and drew condemnation from the United States and other Western countries.

A police request to a court detailing the accusations against Suu Kyi, 75, said six walkietalkie radios had been found in a search of her home in the capital Naypyidaw. The radios were imported illegally and used without permission, it said.

The document reviewed on Wednesday requested Suu Kyi’s detention “in order to question witnesses, request evidence and seek legal counsel after questioning the defendant”.

A separate document showed

police filed charges against ousted President Win Myint for violating protocols to stop the spread of coronavirus during campaigning for an election last November. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) won the election in a landslide but the military claimed it was marred by fraud and justified its seizure of power on those grounds.

Reuters was not immediately able to reach the police, the government or the court for comment.

The chair of the ASeAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Parliamentarians for Human Rights, Charles Santiago, said the new charges were ludicrous. “This is an absurd move by the junta to try to legitimize their illegal power grab,” he said in a statement. The electoral commission had said the vote was fair. Suu Kyi spent about 15 years under house arrest between 1989 and 2010 as she led the country’s democracy movement, and she remains hugely popular at home despite damage to her international reputation over the plight of Muslim Rohingya refugees in 2017.

The NLD made no immediate comment. A party official said on Tuesday he had learned she was under house arrest in the capital, Naypyidaw, and was in good health.

PARTY SAYS OFFICES RAIDED: The party said earlier in a statement that its offices had been raided in several regions and it urged authorities to stop what it called unlawful acts after its election victory.

Indian farmers to scale up protests as Rihanna weighs in KANDELA AGENCIES

Indian farmers’ leaders on Wednesday outlined plans to scale up months of protests against agricultural reforms, as their cause gained high-profile supporters in the West.

Demanding the repeal of three new farm laws that they say will hurt them to the benefit of large corporations, tens of thousands of farmers have been camped on the outskirts of Delhi since late 2020.

Their generally peaceful protest was marred by violence last week, when some demonstrators drove a procession of tractors into the heart of the capital and clashed with police.

Police have since erected barricades around three main protest sites and shut off the internet in some areas.

Farmers’ leaders, speaking hours after US pop superstar Rihanna weighed into the row in a posting to her 101 million Twitter followers, said they would not back down.

“This gathering shows the anger against the government and we will continue our fight,” union leader Rakesh Tikait told a 50,000-strong rally of the politically influential Jat community in northern Haryana state.

He and other leaders said they would send more farmers to the Delhi protest sites and hold similar meetings across the country to gather further support.

Rakesh Singh Vidhuri, a farmer from the neighbouring state of Punjab, the epi-

centre of the protests, who attended Wednesday’s meeting, said the movement was bringing together growers from across India’s northern breadbasket region.

“The protests have spread because these laws will impact the livelihood of farmers and Indian agriculture overall,” he told Reuters.

GLOBAL FOCUS: The farmers say the reforms, which will allow big retailers to buy directly from growers, will mean the end of long-standing guaranteed prices for their crops and leave them vulnerable to the whims of big business.

The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which has offered some concessions but ruled out abandoning them, says they will benefit farmers and draw investment to a sector that makes up nearly 15 per cent of India’s $2.9 trillion economy and employs about half its workforce. The protests drew global attention as prominent Western activists echoed Rihanna’s support for the farmers’ campaign.

“We all should be outraged by India’s internet shutdowns and paramilitary violence against farmer protesters,” US lawyer and activist Meena Harris, a niece of Vice-President Kamala Harris, said on Twitter.

Greta Thunberg shared a news report about the internet shutdowns. “We stand in solidarity with the farmers’ protest in India,” the Swedish climate activist wrote on Twitter.

Opposition to the junta headed by Army chief General Min Aung Hlaing has begun to emerge in Myanmar. Staff at scores of government hospitals across the country of 54 million people stopped work or wore red ribbons as part of a civil disobedience campaign. The newly formed Myanmar Civil Disobedience Movement said doctors at 70 hospitals and medical departments in 30 towns had joined the protest. It accused the army of putting its interests above a coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 3,100 people in Myanmar, one of the highest tolls in Southeast Asia. “We really cannot accept this,” said 49-year-old Myo Myo Mon, who was among the doctors who stopped work to protest.

“We will do this in a sustainable way, we will do it in a non-violent way…This is the route our state counsellor desires,” she said, referring to Suu Kyi by her title. The latest coup is a massive blow to hopes that Myanmar is on a path to stable democracy. The junta has declared a one-year state of emergency and has promised to hold fair elections, but has not said when.

G7 CONDEMNS COUP: The Group of Seven largest developed economies condemned the coup on Wednesday and said the election result must be respected. “We call upon the military to immediately end the state of emergency, restore power to the democratically-elected government, to release all those unjustly detained and to respect human rights and the rule of law,” the G7 said in a statement.

Australia tells thousands to leave homes as bushfire threatens Perth SYDNEY AGENCIES

Strong winds threatening to fan a bushfire prompted Australia on Wednesday to urge thousands of people to leave their homes in the provincial capital of Perth, complicating a lockdown after the state detected its first coronavirus infection in 10 months. The fire in Western Australia has destroyed a swathe of more than 9,000 hectares (22,240 acres) and 71 homes, the authorities say, in a reminder of blazes that destroyed millions of hectares of habitat in the country’s east a year ago. As firefighters battled a blaze in steep, inhospitable terrain, authorities told residents of Bullsbrook, a suburb of 6,600 in Australia’s fourth largest city, to ignore a stay-home order and leave immediately as hot, dry weather picked up. “We know how quickly things can go bad,” state premier Mark McGowan told a news conference, adding that one of his personal acquaintances had lost their home. “They are expecting extremely strong winds. That is why we are saying, if you can leave, please leave now. Please act to save your life.” At the same time, 2 million residents of the city are under a five-day lockdown until Friday, after a hotel quarantine worker tested positive for the highly contagious variant of the virus first detected in Britain. The rules require them to stay home, except for essential work, healthcare, grocery shopping or exercise, while visits to hospitals and nursing homes are banned.

Thursday, 4 February, 2021

BAnglAdeSh, WeST IndIeS ShAre oPenIng-dAy honourS ChittagoNg

BangladeSh 242 fOr 5 (ISlaM 59, ShaKIB 39 nOt Out, WarrIcan 3-58) vS WeSt IndIeS

Pakistan retain 17-player squad for second SA Test News desk The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided not to make changes in its 17-player squad for the second Test against South Africa, scheduled to be played at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from Thursday (today), according to a news website. However, the playing XI will be finalised by captain Babar Azam after consultations with head coach Misbahul Haq. Squad: Abid Ali, Imran Butt, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Fawad Alam, Saud Shakeel, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Yasir Shah, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Tabish Khan.

Zverev digs deep to beat Shapovalov; Berrettini powers Italy to semi-finals MelbourNe Agencies

Alexander Zverev rallied from a set down to beat dangerous Canadian Denis Shapovalov and open his season with a fighting victory in the ATP Cup, while in-form Matteo Berrettini steered Italy into the semi-finals on Wednesday. The seventh-ranked German had to dig deep for his 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) win to seal the tie, but gained valuable court time ahead of another crack at a first Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open starting next week. Zverev, who fell agonisingly short in the US Open final last year to Dominic Thiem, said having his brother Mischa as team captain had helped him. “All the players enjoy having him as captain, he’s been fantastic in training as well. It’s just great to have him here,” he said. Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff upset Milos Raonic 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/2) in the opening match and Canada are now out after a second narrow loss for Shapovalov, who pushed Novak Djokovic hard in their Group A clash on Tuesday. Djokovic’s defending champions beat Canada 2-1 in their opener on Tuesday and will play Germany on Thursday (today) for a place in the semis.

Berrettini deliverS: Italy became the first nation into the last four by beating France to follow their opening win against Austria in Group C. Fabio Fognini won just five games in his ATP Cup opener on Tuesday against Denis Novak, but bounced back to battle past Benoit Paire 6-1, 7-6 (7/2) and give Italy a 1-0 lead. Berrettini, tipped by Djokovic as among the new generation capable of winning a Grand Slam, clinched the tie with a comfortable 6-4, 6-2 victory over Gael Monfils, ranked a place below him at 11.

o

Agencies

PENER Shadman Islam struck a patient half-century and left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican claimed three wickets for 58 as Bangladesh and the West Indies shared the honours on the opening day of the first Test in Chittagong on Wednesday.

The hosts ended the day on 242-5, with Shadman leading the way with 59 off 154 balls -- and several others chipping in with useful knocks.

Mushfiqur Rahim (38), Mominul Haque (26) and Najmul Hossain (25) all got modest starts after Bangladesh opted to bat first, but they could not march on.

Shakib Al Hasan and Liton Das were unbeaten on 39 and 34 respectively at the close.

The visiting bowlers managed to strike whenever a partnership started to flourish, keeping Bangladesh in check.

Kemar Roach made the first breakthrough when he bowled opener Tamim Iqbal with an in-swinger that hit the top of the left-hander's middle stump.

Although Tamim fell for just nine runs, his tally in Test cricket went to 4,414 runs,

SPORTS 11 giving him the record of Bangladesh's leading run-scorer -- for while at least. Shadman and Najmul then steadied the innings with a 43-run stand before the latter was run out.

Warrican claimed the first of his three wickets beautifully, setting a trap for Bangladesh skipper Mominul, who obliged by lofting a catch to John Campbell at midwicket.

It ended Mominul's promising 53-run third-wicket stand with Shadman, who followed his captain off the field shortly after, having been trapped leg before by Warrican.

Shadman -- who hit six fours -- could have survived if he had reviewed the decision of the on-field umpire, as a replay showed the ball was going down leg.

Shadman regretted his decision not to seek a review. "I thought that the ball pitched in line and would hit the stump. Therefore I did not go for the review," he said.

"I was a bit frustrated after seeing the replay in the dressing room, but it is part of the game." Mushfiqur then reclaimed his record as the country's leading run-getter and rebuilt Bangladesh's innings with a 59-run stand with Shakib.

Their partnership came to an end when Mushfiqur poked a delivery from Warrican to Rahkeem Cornwall at slip. "It was a very good day for me in the office. I got three vital wickets. Hopefully I can benefit the team with more wickets tomorrow," Warrican said. "The Bangladesh batsmen play spin very well, so we had to be very disciplined and set the right fields. We stuck to the basics and just made sure I bowled in good areas and challenged the batsmen."

The West Indies handed Test debuts to Nkrumah Bonner, Kyle Mayers and Shayne Moseley.

Serena cruises; Osaka, Barty, Kenin survive scare to reach quarter-finals in Melbourne MelbourNe Agencies

Serena Williams continued her impressive Australian Open preparations with a straight-sets thrashing of Tsvetana Pironkova Wednesday, as world number three Naomi Osaka and top-ranked Ashleigh Barty struggled.

Williams, 39, has been on belligerent form at the Yarra Valley Classic and overpowered the Bulgarian with a 6-1, 6-4 victory in 74 minutes.

“So far, so good. It’s special to play here with what’s going on in the world,” said Williams, who only lost four games against Daria Gavrilova in her opener on Monday.

Williams, aiming for a recordequalling 24th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, broke Pironkova first up and kept her foot on the gas with 25 winners

and six aces.

The American will face compatriot Danielle Collins, who knocked out world number six Karolina Pliskova in straight sets, in the quarter-finals on Thursday (today). Osaka and Barty, however, were pushed to the brink, but both avoided early exits at Melbourne Park.

Japan’s Osaka was made to work hard against in-form Katie Boulter, but fought back for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory to reach the quarter-finals in the Gippsland Trophy.

She next meets Irina-Camelia Begu from Romania. “Today was really tough for me. It just felt like a new experience playing here again after such a long while,” Osaka said. “For me, I thought she played really well. I sort of had to raise my level, kind of go within myself.”

British world number 371 Boulter, who knocked out teenage sensation Coco Gauff Tuesday, ran her error-strewn oppo-

nent ragged to claim the first set in 39 minutes. A refocused Osaka lifted her intensity to run away with the contest in a one-sided third set. ‘i found my groove’: The threetime Grand Slam champion had comfortably beaten France’s Alize Cornet in straight sets on Tuesday in her first competitive match since lifting her second US Open title in September.

World number one Barty also had a fright in her match against Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic, but recovered from a second-set stutter to win 60, 4-6, 6-3.

“Mid-match I lacked execution... but happy to get it on my terms in the end,” Barty said after a quick turnaround, having beaten Ana Bogdan in straight sets on Tuesday night.

Reigning Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin was also pushed hard by

American Jessica Pegula, dropping the first set and finding herself 4-1 down in the second before prevailing 5-7, 7-5, 6-2.

“I was happy the way I was able to change things in the second set... I found my groove,” said Kenin.

World number five Elina Svitolina also had to come from behind to beat 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-7 (7/4), 6-3, 6-2.

She next faces 20th-ranked Belgium’s Elise Mertens, who knocked out Caroline Garcia of France 7-6 (7/1), 6-3.

But world number two Halep, like Williams, bucked the trend and downed Laura Siegemund in straight sets to set up a Gippsland Trophy quarter-final against Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova, who upset French Open champion Iga Swiatek 6-4, 6-2.

“I’m really happy with both matches, so it’s good to be back,” said Halep.

Man united equal record in nine-goal win over Southampton; arsenal lose to Wolves loNdoN Agencies

Manchester United equalled the biggest win in Premier League history as they crushed nine-man Southampton 9-0, while Arsenal had two players sent off in their defeat at Wolves on Tuesday.

Rampant United scored four times in the first half after Southampton’s teenage midfielder Alexandre Jankewitz was dismissed in the second minute at Old Trafford.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side hit five more after the break, tying them with Leicester’s 9-0 win at Southampton in 2019 and United’s own 9-0 victory against Ipswich in 1995. Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s goal opened the floodgates and Marcus Rashford bagged United’s second. Jan Bednarek’s own goal made it three for the hosts before Edinson Cavani added the fourth.

The goals kept coming as Anthony Martial and Scott McTominay netted before Bruno Fernandes’ penalty after Bednarek was sent off.

Martial and Daniel James scored in stoppage-time to complete an incredible

display by United.

“We’ve been waiting for them to show the magic and it was a night for them to go and enjoy it. We’ve not had many times where we could just enjoy the second half,” Solskjaer said.

“You get lots of confidence from a performance like this, scoring goals is always good for a team.” Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl added: “It was a stupid foul from the young lad (Jankewitz) and kills everything. What can I say?

It’s horrible.”

After the frustration of their shock defeat against Sheffield United and dour draw at Arsenal, the demolition job was a much-needed boost to their title bid.

United’s first victory in three league games means they are behind leaders Manchester City only on goal difference.

Jankewitz, making his first Premier League start, saw red after just 82 seconds for an ugly challenge that left stud marks on McTominay’s thigh.

United took advantage of their numerical superiority in the 18th minute when Luke Shaw swung a cross to far post and Wan-Bissaka bundled his shot past Alex McCarthy from close range.

CMYK

Rashford doubled United’s lead seven minutes later with a composed finish from Mason Greenwood’s cross.

It was only Rashford’s second goal in his last 10 appearances in all competitions. Rashford, subjected to vile abuse on social media recently, claimed the assist for United’s third in the 34th minute when his cross was turned into his own net by Bednarek.

Cavani scored United's fourth with a thumping header from Shaw’s cross in the 39th minute. Martial ended his eightgame goal drought when he lashed home from close range in the 69th minute.

McTominay rifled home from 25 yards two minutes later and Fernandes struck from the spot in the 87th minute after Bednarek fouled Martial.

There was still time for Martial to score again before James capped the rout. arSenal woe: A seven-game unbeaten league run had propelled Arsenal back into contention for a return to the Champions League next season and they could have moved to within five points of the top four after Nicolas Pepe’s strike opened the scoring at Molineux.

But David Luiz’s third red card in two

seasons as an Arsenal player for clipping Willian Jose on the stroke of half-time turned the game around.

Ruben Neves converted the resulting penalty before Joao Moutinho’s stunning long-range strike early in the second half put goal-shy Wolves in front.

Goalkeeper Bernd Leno then rounded off a miserable night for the visitors when he was also dismissed for handling outside his box. A much-needed victory for Wolves ended an eight-game winless run and takes them 12 points clear of the relegation zone.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s men also completed a first league double over Arsenal in 42 years. Arsenal remain in 10th, eight points adrift of fourth-placed Leicester, having played a game more.

“The team was really on top of the game, we should have been three or fournil up and after the red card the game changed completely,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.

“I’ve seen it 10 times in different angles and I cannot tell you where the contact is.” West Brom lost 2-1 at bottom-of-thetable Sheffield United, while Crystal Palace won 2-1 at struggling Newcastle.

Thursday, 4 February, 2021

PRAyER TImINGS

NEWS

FAJR SUNRISE

ZUHR

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

5:36

12:14

3:07

7:01

5:27

6:52

Budget deficit surges to rs1.13tr in 1st half of fY21 ISLAMABAD

t

SHAHZAD PARACHA

HE budget deficit during the first six months (July-Dec) of the current fiscal year (FY21) was recorded at Rs1,137 billion or 2.5pc of the GDP. According to finance ministry, the fiscal deficit was met though external borrowing of Rs454 billion and domestic borrowing of Rs683.479 billion.

In domestic borrowing, non-bank borrowings stood at Rs132 billion while bank borrowings clocked in at Rs551.280 billion.

The current expenditure was recorded at

Qureshi reaffirms support for Kashmir cause ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday reaffirmed the country’s commitment to continue extending full support to the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) in their struggle for the right to selfdetermination, Radio Pakistan reported.

“Pakistan will not let anyone take away Kashmir from the Kashmiris. This cause and the struggle is just, sacred and non-negotiable,” Qureshi said while addressing a seminar held in Islamabad to discuss the Kashmir dispute. The foreign minister said that Pakistan’s ultimate objective remained the resolution of the dispute as per the wishes of the people of Kashmir in line with the United Nations Security Council resolutions and through a free and impartial plebiscite. Commending the resilience of the Kashmiri people in the face of Indian atrocities, the foreign minister expressed confidence that the pro-freedom spirit will ultimately triumph.

He was appreciative of the increasing international denunciation of New Delhi’s brutal campaign in occupied Kashmir.

However, he stressed, there was still a lot to be done for the resolution of the besieged valley which is a prerequisite for durable peace and stability in the South Asian region. “India wants to change the demographic structure of the territory in violation of the UN Security Council resolutions and international law,” he said and pointed out that New Delhi has already issued over 1.8 million domicile certificates to non-residents to settle them in the region to undermine the plebiscite. Qureshi reiterated that the Hindutva ideology of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was not only a threat to the people of Kashmir but to India’s own population, particularly the Muslim minority.

“The world is witnessing the rise of ultranationalism, racism, fascism, religious hatred, and intolerance in India,” he added. Addressing the seminar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security Dr Moeed Yusuf said that Pakistan stood for peace. “The world should push India for a sincere dialogue with Pakistan for the resolution of outstanding Kashmir dispute,” Dr Yusuf said. He added that Islamabad would continue to expose the true face of India before the world as it has provided irrefutable evidence regarding its involvement in acts of terrorism inside Pakistan.

Rs4,029.323 billion, including interest payment of Rs1,475.158 billion, with Rs1,356.9 billion domestic debt servicing and Rs118.2 billion foreign debt servicing; defense expenditure of Rs486.585 billion; pensions Rs210 billion; civil government affairs Rs195 billion; subsides 128.9 billion; and grants to other Rs265.2 billion.

Development spending and net lending stood at Rs457.860 billion during the period under review, with development expenditure clocking in at Rs414 billion and net lending at Rs43.7 billion.

The federal PSDP stood at Rs175 billion while provincial PSDP was recorded at Rs227 billion.

The total revenue stood at Rs3,361 billion during

1HFY21 while tax revenue stood at Rs2,455 billion, with federal tax collection of Rs2,210 billion and provincial tax collection of Rs245.852 billion. The non-tax revenue of federal and provincial governments stood at Rs895 billion, with federal collecting Rs848 billion and provinces Rs47.2 billion.

The federal taxes included direct tax (Rs830 billion), taxes on international trade (Rs337 billion), sales tax (Rs918 billion) and federal excise duty (Rs123 billion).

Similarly, provincial taxes included sales tax on services (Rs140 billion), excise duty (Rs4 billion), stamp duties (Rs25 billion), motor vehicles tax (Rs12 billion) and others (Rs62 billion).

US expresses alarm at order to remove suspect in Pearl murder from death cell WASHINGTON AGENCIES

The United States has expressed alarm about the Tuesday’s directive of Supreme Court to shift Ahmad Saeed Omar Sheikh, principal suspect in the 2002 kidnap and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, from the death cell in Karachi Central Prison to a state rest house, paving the way for his release.

Speaking to reporters in Washington on Tuesday (late Tuesday night in Pakistan), a spokesperson for the Department of State said: “The United States remains deeply concerned by developments in the cases of those involved in Pearl’s kidnapping and murder.” “We are alarmed by the recent order to move Sheikh and his co-conspirators from prison.”

The spokesperson recalled that on January 29, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi discussed “how to ensure account-

ability for convicted terrorist Omar Sheikh and others responsible for the kidnapping and murder of US citizen and journalist Daniel Pearl.”

He claimed the court’s decisions “represent an affront to terrorism victims everywhere, including in Pakistan,” but also appreciated the government’s efforts to ensure that those involved in the slaying were held accountable for their actions.

“The US recognises past Pakistani actions to hold Sheikh accountable and to seek to ensure that he and his co-conspirators remain in custody,” the official said.

“We also acknowledge government requests for a review of the split January 28 decision.”

Last week, a three-judge panel quashed 18-year-old murder convictions against the four suspects, including British-born Sheikh.

However, kidnapping convictions were left in place, but the men were ordered freed as they had already served out sentences for the kidnap-

ping charges. The Tuesday’s decision was announced on separate appeals from the Sindh government and the Pearl family, requesting the court to review its decision.

The court also directed to ensure complete security of the rest house and allowed Sheikh’s family access to him between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm [GMT+5]. The suspect, however, will not be given access to mobile and internet services while his family will be given accommodation and transport on the government’s expense, in line with the court’s directives.

Pearl, 38, was abducted on January 23, 2002, in Karachi and beheaded the next month, reportedly

by Al-Qaeda.

Prior to his kidnapping, the journalist had been investigating the link between reportedly Pakistan-based militants and Richard Reid, the notorious “Shoe Bomber” who attempted to blow up a flight from Paris to Miami with explosives hidden in his shoes.

Pakistan successfully test-fires ballistic missile ghaznavi PRESIDENT, PREMIER CONGRATULATE ALL RANKS OF ARMY STRATEGIC FORCES COMMAND RAWALPINDI STAFF REPORT

Pakistan on Wednesday conducted a successful training launch of surface-to-surface ballistic missile Ghaznavi, capable of delivering nuclear and conventional warheads upto a range of 290 kilometers, the Inter-Public Services Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. This training launch was the culminating point of the Annual Field Training Exercise of Army Strategic Forces Command.

The training launch was witnessed by Army Strategic Forces Command Commander Lieutenant General Muhammad Ali, senior officers from Strategic Plans Division, Army Strategic Forces Command, and scientists and engineers of the strategic organisations.

The commander appreciated the operational preparedness and display of excellent standard in handling and operating the weapon system. He also expressed full satisfaction on the training standards of participating troops, attained throughout this training activity. President Dr Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan and the service chiefs congratulated all ranks of Army Strategic Forces Command, the scientists and engineers on the successful launch.

ECC approves renewal of SSGC-FFBQL gas supply agreement ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA

The Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet (ECC) on Wednesday considered the Petroleum Division's proposal for renewal of gas supply agreement between Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGC) and Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim Limited (FFBQL).

After a detailed discussion, the ECC meeting, chaired by Finance and Revenue Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, approved the summary with a condition that the renewal would be allowed on "as and when available basis" for a period of five years.

"The SSGC may restore gas supplies to Fauji Fertilizer till December 2021 or until a uniform rate for the whole fertilizer sector is formulated after rationalization of

tariffs (whichever is earlier)," a statement issued by the Finance Division read.

Meanwhile, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Housing and Works, the ECC allowed the utilization of the ministry’s funds of Rs377.21 million for renewal of lease of Garden West (Pakistan Quarters), Karachi.

The committee also approved another summary by the Petroleum Division for reallocation of gas from Saqib-1A Well located in Ghotki, Sindh, to SSGCL from its previous allocation to SNGPL (as approved earlier by the ECC on October 6, 2009). The price of gas would be as per the applicable petroleum policy.

Moreover, the Petroleum Division moved a summary for removal of dividend distribution cap on Mari Gas Company Limited (MPCL) under Gas Pricing Agree-

ment as the company was being considered for privatization. After due deliberation, the ECC allowed that the dividend distribution cap might be removed to ensure that the divestment transaction generates optimum sale proceeds for the government.

The committee further decided that the MPCL would ensure dividend distribution in accordance with the provisions of Companies Act, 2017 and the Companies (Distribution of Dividends) Regulations, 2017.

The ECC also approved technical supplementary grants (TSGs) including Rs141.308 million to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for an expenditure incurred on media campaigns to create awareness among public during Covid-19 pandemic; Rs9.025 million to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for a media campaign on the occa-

sion of Kashmir Solidarity Day; Rs5 million for purchase of spare parts for helicopter maintenance by Pakistan Rangers (Punjab); Rs25 million for purchase of spare parts for helicopter maintenance by Frontier Corps Balochistan (South); and Rs10 million for repair and maintenance of helicopter by Frontier Corps KP (South), D I Khan.

Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Minister Asad Umar, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad, Privatization Minister Muhammadmian Soomro, Adviser to PM on Institutional Reforms and Austerity Dr Ishrat Hussain, Special Assistant to the PM on Revenue Dr Waqar Masood, SAPM on Power Tabish Gauhar, SAPM on Petroleum Nadeem Babar and Energy Minister Omar Ayub Khan were also present on the occasion.

Rohingya refugees fear returning to Myanmar after coup DHAKA AGENCIES

Rohingya refugees from Myanmar living in camps in Bangladesh condemned the military coup in their homeland and said it makes them more fearful to return.

A counterinsurgency operation by Myanmar’s military in 2017 involving mass rape, murders, and the torching of villages drove more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims into neighboring Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has hosted them in crowded refugee camps and is eager to begin sending them back to Buddhistmajority Myanmar. Several attempts at repatriation under a joint agreement failed because the Rohingya refused to go, fearing more violence in a country that denies them basic rights including

BANGLADESH HAS HOSTED THEM IN CROWDED REFUGEE CAMPS AND IS EAGER TO BEGIN SENDING THEM BACK TO BUDDHIST-MAJORITY MYANMAR citizenship. Refugees said Tuesday they are more afraid now that the military is in complete control.

“The military killed us, raped our sisters and mothers, torched our villages. How is it possible for us to stay safe under their control?” said Khin Maung, head of the Rohingya Youth Association in the camps in Cox’s Bazar district.

“Any peaceful repatriation will hugely be impacted,” he told The Associated Press.

“It will take a long time because the political situation in Myanmar is worse now.”

Officials from Myanmar and Bangladesh met last month to discuss ways to start the repatriations, with Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry seeming more hopeful of success and officials saying they expected to begin sometime in June.

But refugees said they totally oppose the military takeover.

“We strongly condemn the coup. We love democracy and human rights, so we are worried about losing them in our country,” Maung said.

“We are part of Myanmar, so we feel the

same as Myanmar’s common people. We urge the international community to raise its voice against the coup,” he said.

Mohammad Jaffar, 70, said they had been waiting to go back.

“The hope that we had to go back has now been interrupted by this change in regime in Myanmar,” Jaffar said.

“Repatriation will not be safe at all under this regime. […] Now if we go back into the hands of people who are responsible for our torture, we will probably have to bear twice as much pain as before.”

Another refugee said repatriation would not be possible now.

“Even if they try to repatriate us, we will not agree to go back under the current situation. If they take us back into that regime, they will torture us even more,” Nurul Amin said.

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

Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that it hopes the coup will not hamper the refugees’ return.

“As an immediate and friendly neighbor, we would like to see peace and stability in Myanmar. We have been persistent in developing mutually beneficial relations with Myanmar and have been working with Myanmar for the voluntary, safe, and sustained repatriation of the Rohingya sheltered in Bangladesh,” it said.

The United Nations has described the Myanmar military crackdown on the Rohingya as a form of genocide. In total, more than 1 million refugees are being sheltered

by Bangladesh.

Monday’s coup was a dramatic backslide for Myanmar, which was emerging from decades of strict military rule and international isolation that began in 1962.