EpaperISB_21-08-18

Wednesday, 18 August, 2021 I 9 Muharram, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 49 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition

‘EVERYONE IS FORGIVEN’

Taliban say They don’T wanT inTernal, exTernal enemies g

Taliban urge women To join The governmenT

T

he Taliban held their first official news conference in Kabul on Tuesday since the shock seizure of the city, declaring they wanted peaceful relations with other countries and would respect the rights of women within the framework of islamic law. “we don’t want any internal or external enemies,” the movement’s main spokesman, Zabihullah mujahid, said. mujahid, who until now had been a shadowy figure issuing statements on behalf of the militants, said women would be allowed to work and study and “will be very active in society but within the framework of islam”.

The Taliban would not seek retribution against former soldiers and members of the western-backed government, he said, insisting that “everyone is forgiven.” he added that the movement was granting an amnesty for former afghan government soldiers as well as contractors and translators who worked for international forces. editorial: Taliban cannot expect to gain

international recognition without reaching out to their former rivals “nobody is going to harm you, nobody is going to knock on your doors,” he said. mujahid stressed that afghanistan would not allow itself to harbour anyone targeting other nations. That was a key demand in a deal the militants struck with the Trump administration in 2020 that led to the ultimate uS withdrawal under current President joe biden. he said private media could continue to be free and independent in afghanistan, adding the Taliban were committed to the media within its cultural framework. mujahid’s conciliatory tone contrasted sharply with comments by afghan First vice President amrullah Saleh, who declared himself the “legitimate caretaker president” and vowed that he would not bow to Kabul’s new rulers.

The Taliban news conference came as the united States and western allies evacuated diplomats and civilians a day after scenes of chaos at Kabul airport as afghans desperate

Coronavirus in

PakisTan

CONFIRMED CASES:

1,105,300

LAST UPDATED AT 11:06 AM ON AUGUST 17, 2021

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

95

3,221

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

993,304 24,573 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

413,379

373,718

KPK:

BALOCHISTAN:

153,134 AJK/GB: 29,593/9,442

31,632 ISLAMABAD:

94,402

to flee the Taliban thronged the terminal. as they rush to evacuate diplomats and civilians from afghanistan, foreign powers are assessing how to respond to the changed situation on the ground. nato Secretary general jens Stoltenberg said the Taliban should allow all those who wanted to leave the country to depart, adding that nato’s aim was to help build a viable state in afghanistan.

There has been widespread criticism of the uS withdrawal amid the chaotic scenes at Kabul airport. german President Frank-walter Steinmeier said “the images of despair at Kabul airport shame the political west.” under last year’s uS troop withdrawal pact, the Taliban agreed not to attack foreign forces as they leave. many afghans have expressed the fear that the Taliban will return the country the brutal rule they used when last in charge, and foreign officials have said they will wait to see if the insurgents make good on their promises. uS military flights evacuating diplomats and civilians from afghanistan restarted on Tuesday after the runway at Kabul airport was cleared of thousands desperate to flee. uS forces took charge of the airport — their only way to fly out of afghanistan — on Sunday, as the militants wound up a week of rapid advances by taking over Kabul without a fight, 20 years after they were ousted by a uS-led invasion. The AssociATed Press

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Pakistan seeks assurance Taliban won’t let territory be used against it STORY ON PAGE 03

PM expresses strong support, solidarity for fraternal people of Afghanistan islamabad sTAff rePorT

Prime minister imran Khan has expressed strong support and solidarity for the fraternal people of afghanistan, linked to the people of Pakistan through immutable bonds of faith, history, geography, culture and kinship. he was talking to the members of a delegation of political leaders from afghanistan, who called on him in islamabad on Tuesday.

The prime minister underlined that no other country is more desirous of peace and stability in afghanistan than Pakistan. he said that in the current situation, great responsibility rested on the afghan leaders to work constructively together to lead afghanistan on the path of sustainable peace, stability and development. The premier underscored the importance of all sides working to secure an inclusive political solution. reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to a peaceful and stable afghanistan, Pm imran assured of Pakistan’s steadfast support for efforts in this direction.

The delegation members thanked the prime minister for re-

PTI heavyweight wins Kashmir presidential vote islamabad sTAff rePorT

Sultan mahmood Chaudhry of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-insaf was elected president of azad Kashmir on Tuesday, securing 34 votes, the associated Press of Pakistan reported. his opponent, mian abdul waheed of the Pakistan Peoples Party — the opposition’s joint candidate for the office — managed only 16. Chaudhry will succeed Sardar masood Khan whose stipulated constitutional term will come to an end on august 24, radio Pakistan said. votes for the election were cast during a special session of the legislative assembly, which began after a delay of two hours, aPP reported.

Chaudhry was elected mla from la-3, mirpur-iii, securing his seventh victory in nine general elections since 1985. apart from these general elections, two by-elections were also held in the constituency and both were won by him. according to his profile, Chaudhry is an old hand. he has also served as prime minister of the region from 1996 to 2001 when he was associated with the PPP.

ceiving them and appreciated Pakistan’s support for the peace efforts. They emphasised the multi-ethnic nature of afghan society and the importance of an inclusive dispensation.

The afghan delegation also reiterated the desire to further strengthen the brotherly relationship between afghanistan and Pakistan.

Separately, Chief of army Staff general Qamar javed bajwa on Tuesday said that Pakistan desires broad-based relations with afghanistan and is willing to do everything possible to help afghanistan achieve an all-inclusive settlement which is vital for regional peace and prosperity. he was talking to an eightmember afghan delegation who called on him in rawalpindi.

Detailed discussion was held about current situation in afghanistan. The CoaS further reiterated that Pakistan stands with people of afghanistan. afghan delegation acknowledged and appreciated Pakistan army’s sacrifices, untiring efforts and contributions for peace, stability and socio-economic development of afghanistan.

The delegation also expressed their views regarding way-forward for afghanistan.

more inside

Schools in Sindh to reopen with 50pc attendance from Aug 23 STORY ON PAGE 02

he joined the PTi in 2015 when he was a PPP member of the house. The PTi has formed a government in the mountainous region following a clear lead in the elections. according to official results, it clinched 26 general seats of the 53-member house. Three more PTi candidates were elected unopposed the following day against five seats reserved for women.

Days later, it secured another three reserved seats, raising its strength to 32 in the house.

PARLIAMENTARY GOVERNANCE: Following the division of the region between Pakistan and india in 1947, azad Kashmir was governed under the presidential form of government. in

1975, then-prime minister Zulfikar ali bhutto introduced the parliamentary system of governance for the region.

This first government headed by bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party was dismissed in 1977 due to the imposition of martial law by then-army chief gen Ziaul haq. There were no elections until 1985. The muslim-majority region is held by Pakistan and india in parts and claimed both in full. a small sliver of land is also held by China.

Since india revoked autonomy and annexed the part that it is holding into two centrally administered territories on august 5, 2019, elections in azad Kashmir have attained considerable significance.

Pakistan will decide about Taliban govt’s recognition after consulting int’l powers: Fawad STORY ON PAGE 03

Evacuation flights resume at Kabul airport as Biden defends US withdrawal STORY ON BACK PAGE

india, Pakistan to meet in group 2 opener at T20 world Cup STORY ON BACK PAGE

02

Wednesday, 18 August, 2021

ISLAMABAD

NEWS

RAnjit Singh’S StAtue vAndAliSed At lAhORe FORt LAHORE

A

Shahab omeR

MAN vandalised the statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, placed at Lahore Fort outside the haveli of Rani Jinda, on Tuesday. It was learnt that the person who damaged the statue was Mohammad Rizwan, son of Mohammad Ashraf and resident of Khotiyala Sheikhan, Mandi Bahauddin.

Rizwan entered the fort at around 8:30 in the morning and damaged the statue.

The official on duty explained that Rizwan climbed the six feet fence around the

statue. The guards on duty immediately rushed to Rizwan and pushed him out of the fence. However, in the meantime, he had broken the body of the statue, which was resting on a horse.

The official informed that the statue was installed in front of the haveli of Rani Jinda (the wife of Ranjit Singh) in 2019 and since then three attempts have been made to damage the statue.

The statue was installed to mark the 180th death anniversary of Ranjit Singh.

“These are religious fanatic people, who come with a particular mindset to the fort for damaging the statue. They do not understand

SC annuls reinstatement of 9,000 sacked employees ISLAMABAD tLtp

While declaring the Sacked Employees (reinstatement) Act 2010 unconstitutional on Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled that no illegal benefit could be granted under cover of legislation. The court declaration will have an impact on the jobs of 9,000 employees of various federal ministries and allied departments who were inducted during the late Benazir Bhutto regime in 1995-96 and then were sacked during the Nawaz Sharif era. Thousands of them would have to pay back the financial benefits which they received against the period they were sacked. The Pakistan Peoples Party inducted thousands of employees in 25 federal ministries and allied departments in 1995-96. The issue started in 1997 when the PML-N government terminated all government appointments made by PPP in 1995 and 1996, calling them ‘political’ ones. These employees approached the court for their reinstatement and took their case to the Supreme Court level, but failed to convince the judges of their case. The situation stayed this way until a decade later when in 2010 the ruling PPP government introduced the Sacked Employees (reinstatement) Act 2010 (SEA) and managed to get it passed from both the National Assembly and Senate by the end of 2010. Induction of such employees had adversely impacted promotions of employees of Intelligence Bureau, National Highway Authority, M/s Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd, Overseas Pakistani Foundation, State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan, Civil Aviation Authority, WAPDA, Trading Corporation of Pakistan. Consequently, employees of these departments were engaged in litigation to seek remedy against violation of their rights from the day the PPP inducted such 9000 employees on political basis. The Supreme Court had reserved a verdict in the matter 20 months ago.

Announcing its 42-page verdict in the matter on Tuesday, a three-member bench of Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed and Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan disposed of a number of pleas. Justice Mushir Alam, who retired on Tuesday, authored the verdict saying, “ The only cavil to such a proposition is if a vested right was created, however, that can only be generated through a valid enactment.

Furthermore, neither are the benefits accrued under the Act of 2010 neither a past and closed transaction as the rights created were through a non est legislation from its inception”. Declaring the Act unconstitutional the judge said, “Therefore, given the nature of the Act of 2010, and its blatant unconstitutional mechanism, a vested right could not have been created, let alone the vested right be protected under the doctrine of a past and closed transaction”.

Court orders release of co-accused in couple harassment case ISLAMABAD Inp

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday ordered the release of co-accused Umar Bilal Marwat in a couple’s harassment case in Islamabad’s E-11/2 area.

Announcing the verdict reserved in the case on August 12, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri of the IHC accepted the post-arrest bail application submitted by Marwat, and also directed him to submit two surety bonds of Rs1 million each. Seven persons, including Usman Mirza, chief accused in the harassment case, are currently locked up at Adiala Jail. Judicial Magistrate Waqar Gondal had ordered the police to submit challan by September 10. On July 7, 2021, police had arrested a man named Usman Mirza for torturing a couple along with other goons at an apartment located in the precincts of Golra police station in Islamabad. According to the First Investigation Report (FIR), police had watched a video of a boy and a girl being tortured by some people on social media. In the video, it could be seen that five to six men were holding them captive at gunpoint. The accused were seen threatening the girl after stripping her naked. And they kept beating up the couple throughout.

the fact that Ranjit Singh had been ruling this area for many decades and was known as a hero,” the official said.

“The statue was donated to the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) by Bobby Singh, an influential Sikh of Canada, and was constructed by the Faqir Khana Museum Lahore.”

Lahore Fort Incharge Faiza Shah informed that the body of the statue was immediately sent to a workshop for repairing and the area, where the statue was placed, has been cordoned off.

“We immediately called the police, who arrested the culprit. An FIR has been lodged

against him. Rizwan is now in the custody of police,” she said.

Meanwhile, Punjab Minister for Human Rights and Interfaith Harmony Ejaz Aslam visited the site at Lahore fort and said that it was not a fault of the WCLA because the man had gone to the fort with a particular mindset to damage the statue.

On the other hand, the CCPO Lahore Ghulam Mahmood Dogar said that the accused, who damaged the statue with a hammer, has been arrested and strict legal action will be taken against him.

WCLA spokesperson Tania Qureshi informed that the statue would soon be

repaired and installed with more security and protection. “Lahore Fort is a place where there is reflection of all religions and we respect all. We will not let any such thing happen at the fort that hurts the religious sentiments of the minorities or the public.

The people visiting the fort should get to know the history as well so that they understand the importance of the places and placement of statues.” she said.

WCLA Director Conservation and Planning Najam Us Saqib expressed his distress over the situation and said, “It is an awful act by the accused. We will very soon repair the statue and place it again.”

Schools in Sindh to reopen with 50pc attendance from Aug 23 NEWS DESK Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah on Tuesday said that the schools in the province would be reopened with 50 percent attendance from August 23.

The decision was taken during a meeting of the Sindh education department’s steering committee, which was held in Karachi under the chairmanship of Syed Sardar Ali Shah.

Parliamentary Secretary on Health Qasim Soomro and the representatives of unions of parents and schools attended the meeting.

The education minister said that the schools would be reopened with strict adherence to Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs), reiterating that the parents would have to submit vaccination certificates to the respective schools.

“Sudden [and] random PCR

(polymerase chain reaction) tests will be conducted as well,” he added.

The meeting of the steering committee was convened to take a final decision on whether the schools in the province should be reopened from August 23 or not.

The officials of the health department briefed the meeting about the Covid-19 situation in the province and also suggested that schools should be reopened with 50 percent attendance.

PM Imran urges British counterpart to remove Pakistan from Red List NEWS DESK Prime Minister Imran Khan received a telephone call from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday, wherein he highlighted the extensive measures taken by Pakistan to contain the Covid-19, noted that the relevant data had been shared with the UK side, and called for removal of Pakistan from the Red List.

During the conversation the two prime ministers exchanged views on the latest situation in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Imran underscored the paramount importance of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan for Pakistan. He also stressed that ensuring safety, security and respect for rights of all Afghans was critically important.

He also underscored the importance of an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani prime minister highlighted the positive role of Pakistan in facilitating evacuation of diplomatic personnel and staff of international organizations and

others from Afghanistan.

The two prime ministers agreed to remain in contact with respect to the evolving situation in Afghanistan.

Separately, Prime Minister Imran received a telephone call from his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen.

The two leaders exchanged views on the evolving situation in Afghanistan.

PM Imran shared Pakistan’s perspective, emphasising the importance of ensuring safety and security as well as protection of rights of all Afghans. He also underscored the importance of working out an inclusive political settlement.

The Pakistani prime minister highlighted Islamabad’s facilitating role in the evacuation of diplomatic personnel and staff of international organizations and others from Afghanistan, as requested.

The prime minister of Denmark thanked the Pakistani prime minister for Pakistan’s support and assistance in their evacuation endeavours.

ECP satisfied over electronic voting regime: Faraz ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz Tuesday said the Election Commission of Pakistan has expressed its satisfaction over an Electronic Voting Machine developed for a trail by his department.

“The ECP has expressed its satisfaction over the apparatus during the meeting and gave some valuable suggestions regarding the role of the presiding officer”, Faraz said, while talking to media outside the commission. The minister said that ECP authorities asked 75 questions about the machine all of which were responded to their satisfaction.

“The consensus has been developed on the use of technology in the election”, he added.

“Since it has been decided that Election 2023 will be conducted through the use of EVM, we have to decide such strategies and timelines now so that all the process including a tender for the EVMs may be initiated after the satisfaction of all the stakeholders”, he said.

The minister pointed out that it was discussed in the meeting that if some voter or presiding officer try to cast

vote on EVM repeatedly then there will be a need of incorporating a strong voter identification system in the machine. Faraz said although we were fulfilling all the requirements of the ECP regarding the manufacturing of EVM but we have already done preparations to incorporate a voter identification system in the machine.

“If ECP will ask us to incorporate voter identification system in the EVM the ministry can do it within a week”, the minister said. He stated we were trying that the election process should involve more technology and reduced human interference. To a question, he said the government has planned to educate the people through different ways about the utility of technology in the elections.

“Use of EVM in the election is meant to address all the issues which affect the credibility of the results and make the election controversial”. The minister said that all the stakeholders including parliament, opposition parties, ECP and masses were being taken onboard on the use of EVM in the elections.

To another question, the minister stated that the EVM can be tested at any local government election before the general election.

SC directs LHC to decide sugar price matter in 15 days ISLAMABAD Inp

The Supreme Court on Tuesday sent a case pertaining to fixing the price of sugar back to the Lahore High Court to decide it within 15 days.

An apex court bench, headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial, also granted conditional permission to the producers to sell the commodity at the ex-mill rate fixed by the government.

The central government had filed an appeal in the top court last week against the high court’s verdict of August

3 regarding sugar price.

The court also ordered that the sugar mills should voluntarily deposit the difference between the amount fixed by the government and the ex-mill rate of the commodity in the high court until settlement of the issue.

Earlier, an additional attorney general informed the court the government has fixed the ex-mill rate of sugar at Rs84 a kilogram, while the ex-mill price is Rs97.

“Sugar mills depositing surety bonds is not sufficient,” the court said. The court also directed the concerned cane commissioner to compile the record of sugar stock and sale.

The participants suggested that educational institutions with 100 percent vaccination should be allowed to reopen.

The Sindh government had closed schools across the province on July 24 due to the rising number of Covid-19 cases although it had said that exams would take place according to schedule.

Last week, the education minister had said schools would remain closed till August 19.

Over 3,200 cases, 95 deaths from Covid-19 ISLAMABAD Staff CoRReSpondent

Pakistan recorded 3,221 new Covid-19 cases over the last 24 hours, the National Command and Operation Center said on Tuesday. The country reported a Covid-19 positivity rate of 6.69 percent on Monday. The NCOC, a department leading campaign against the pandemic, said that the number of overall confirmed cases has risen to 1,105,300. Over the last 24 hours, 4,291 patients have recovered from Covid-19, bringing the total number of recoveries to 993,304, said the NCOC. Another 95 people lost their lives due to coronavirus over the last 24 hours, taking the overall death toll to 24,573, the NCOC said, adding that 4,896 are in critical condition. Sindh is the worst-affected province by the pandemic with 413,379 infections, followed by Punjab which has reported 373,718 cases. The country has administered 43,463,404 doses of vaccines and has fully vaccinated 12,361,408 people as of Monday night, said the NCOC.

Malala stresses urgent action on Afghanistan NEWS DESK Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai said she was deeply concerned about the situation in Afghanistan, particularly the safety of women and girls, and called on Monday for world leaders to take urgent action. Malala said US President Joe Biden “has a lot to do” and must “take a bold step” to protect the Afghan people, adding she had been trying to reach out to several global leaders. “This is actually an urgent humanitarian crisis right now that we need to provide our help and support,” Malala told BBC’s Newsnight. Malala , 23, survived being shot in the head by Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan militants in 2012, after she was targeted for her campaign against its efforts to deny women education. She had become known as an 11-year-old, writing a blog under a pen name for the BBC about living under the rule of the militants. “I am deeply concerned about the situation in Afghanistan right now, especially about the safety of women and girls there,” Malala told Newsnight. “I had the opportunity to talk to a few activists in Afghanistan, including women’s rights activists, and they are sharing their concern that they are not sure what their life is going to be like.” Malala said she had sent a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan asking him to admit Afghan refugees and ensure that all refugee children “have access to education, have access to safety and protection, that their futures are not lost”. A day earlier, Malala and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry had spoken on the phone during which the minister said Pakistan would continue supporting endeavours for women’s education in Afghanistan.

Wednesday, 18 August, 2021

ISLAMABAD

NEWS

03

Pakistan seeks assurance taliban won’t let territory be used against it IsLAMABAD

a

StAFF RepoRt

S the Taliban capped a sweeping military campaign marking their return to the throne after two decades of the war on terror, Islamabad sought assurance from the insurgent group that it won’t allow anyone to use Afghanistan’s soil against Pakistan.

Pakistan has long been a victim of terrorism, including foreign-sponsored attacks, perpetrated by militant groups based in, and often supported by, Afghanistan.

According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, Pakistan experienced 319 terrorismrelated incidents and 169 associated deaths of civilians in 2020.

In an interview with TRT World, President Dr Arif Alvi said Islamabad would seek a similar assurance from the Taliban, as it gave to China and the United States, that the soil of Afghanistan won’t be used against Pakistan.

“We would like an assurance […] the ones which were given to China and the United States, that the Afghan territory will never be used against any other country,” the president told host Ayse Suberker.

Alvi was responding to Suberker as she questioned if Pakistan was concerned about resurfacing of militant groups in the neighbouring country after the return of the Taliban. At this, the president observed the group gave assurances to China and the US and said he expected the same for Pakistan.

“On the same principle, I am hopeful that a similar attitude will be there with Pakistan as far as Afghanistan’s new government [is concerned] whatever form it takes,” he said.

He said the international laws mentioned in the charter of the United Nations also supported such conduct. Alvi said to curb the inflow of militants, Pakistan had fenced its border with Afghanistan. To a question if Pakistan would recognise the Taliban as the legitimate representative of the people, he said: “Whatever decision the government makes, will happen with the consultation of a number of [international] countries.”

“First, we have to evaluate the situation as it emerges.” When asked if Pakistan found the Taliban “trustworthy”, Alvi said: “Whoever is in [power in] Afghanistan, we will trust them as our neighbour to ensure peace.” He termed the American withdrawal from Afghanistan “hasty” but observed Pakistan tried to persuade Washington that a

political dialogue, and not war, was a more viable solution.

He regretted that be it the American war in Vietnam or the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the world quickly forgot the lessons learnt.

The president pointed out that blaming Pakistan for the situation in Afghanistan had become a trend and stressed the swift change in Afghanistan had shown the world that it was far beyond for the [neighbouring] countries [of Afghanistan] to play any role in stopping the lightening Taliban advances.

“With the US presence of 20 years in Afghanistan, almost two trillion dollars spending and investing hundreds of billions for the development, I think the blame game and finding a scapegoat is easy,” he said.

On Pakistan’s role in bringing stability to the war-torn country, President Alvi said Pakistan looked forward to the resumption of peace in Afghanistan and was ready to play a role in its reconstruction.

He said during the decades-long conflict in Afghanistan, Pakistan was the “biggest loser” after Kabul in terms of suffering the consequences.

“With the return of peace in Afghanistan, Pakistan will be the ‘biggest winner’,” he

PAKISTAN AND TURKEY HAVE GREAT POTENTIAL FOR COOPERATION, SAYS PRESIDENT ISTANBUL: With close cultural and historical ties, Pakistan and Turkey have great potential for cooperation in a host of areas, according to President Arif Alvi. Alvi was in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul as the first corvette ship built in Turkey for Pakistan Navy, PNS Babur, was launched in a ceremony on Sunday. Anadolu Agency spoke to the head of state on various issues including bilateral relations, the situation in Afghanistan (before the dramatic fall of the capital Kabul on Sunday), and ties with India, among others. ANADOLU AGENCY: Pakistan and Turkey enjoy close cultural, historical, and military relations. What are new ideas and ways on the table to expand them and deepen economic and strategic ties between the two countries?

ALVI: I think the opportunity is great. I think the world is changing very fast, there are new polarizations and the changes are tremendous. Therefore, Pakistan and Turkey have great potential in a number of areas. The international community has been a community where rather than principles that should have mattered, there are vested interests — e.g. Kashmir, Cyprus, Nagorno-Karabakh — for quite some time.

So in such a situation, there always is an opportunity for emerging economies like Turkey and Pakistan to look for a path where morality is much more important than vested interests. AnAdolu Agency

said, expressing optimism that things would settle down quite fast.

He mentioned that Pakistan was hosting four million Afghan refugees and stressed such a gesture must be considered as a matter of goodwill by Kabul.

President Alvi said Pakistan was in touch with China, Russia, Turkey and the US to pursue the agenda of development of the region. However, he stressed that India was playing the role of a spoiler and urged it to not use any other territory against Pakistan.

us, Pakistan top diplomats discuss afghanistan situation MoNItorINg report

Police fire tear gas to break uP MuharraM Procession in indian occuPied kashMir Ap Police in Indian occupied Kashmir (IOK) fired tear gas and warning shots on Tuesday to disperse members of the Shia Muslims community who attempted to participate in processions marking the month of Muharram. Dozens of people were detained. Hundreds of Muslims chanting religious and pro-freedom slogans took to the streets in the main city of Srinagar despite security restrictions banning the traditional procession. Government forces used batons to beat journalists covering the procession, according to a local reporter.

Authorities erected steel barricades and barbed wire to block the crowds. “We respect the religious sentiments and practices of all, but at the same time, it is also our joint responsibility to defeat the ill designs of vested interests who try to disturb the peaceful atmosphere,” Inspector General of Polce Vijay Kumar said on Twitter. Muharram is among the most sacred months for Shia Muslims across the world and includes large processions in which people recite elegies to mourn the martyrdom of Holy Prophet's (Peace Be Upon Him) grandson Imam Hussain (AS). The mourning reaches its peak on Ashura, the 10th day of the month in the Islamic lunar calendar, when he, along with his companions, was martyred by the army of Yazid ibn Muawiyah in Karbala. Tuesday’s procession marked the eighth day on the calendar. The traditional religious procession turned violent last year as Indian forces fired shotgun pellets to disperse crowds, injuring dozens. Some main Muharram processions have been banned in Indian occupied Kashmir since 1989 when the locals demanded the region’s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan.

LAHORE: Mourners take out the annual procession of 8th of Muharram in Old Anarkali. ZuBAIR MeHFooZ

Pakistan will decide about Taliban govt’s recognition after consulting int’l powers: Fawad News Desk Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Tuesday said that Pakistan would take decision about recognising the Taliban government in Afghanistan after consultations with regional and international powers, especially China, Turkey and the United States of America.

While briefing media about decisions taken in the cabinet meeting, the minister lauded the peaceful change in Afghanistan and said that Pakistan would not take any unilateral decision about recognising the Taliban government, adding that Islamabad is in close contact with the global powers in this regard.

Pakistan hopes that the Taliban would not allow the use of their land against Pakistan and any other country, he said, adding that Islamabad remained committed to an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan as the way forward. He said Pakistan believes that the Taliban would adhere to respecting and protecting human rights in Afghanistan.

Regarding the manner of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, he said, “We are pleased and satisfied that

the change [of power] in Afghanistan neither caused any bloodshed nor triggered a war, which is satisfactory.”

The minister said that Pakistan had earlier asked former Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani to establish a broad-based government by including other stakeholders in his government.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had also urged the former Afghan government to establish an inclusive government in Afghanistan, he added.

Meanwhile, according to Dawn, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari during a press conference said that Pakistan requires clarity on “political thought and policy” in the wake of the developing situation in Afghanistan. Talking about the recognition of any government in Afghanistan, Bilawal said that it is too soon for such a decision as the situation has not fully matured. “No one should be rushing to take any such actions at the moment,” he said.

The PPP leader also criticised the prime minister and said, “When your prime minister stands on the floor of the National Assembly and is ready to call terrorists ‘martyrs’ then it is very sad [and] not something to celebrate.”

Reforms needed to improve civil service, say experts News Desk The Executive Development Institute (EDI) of the National School of Public Policy on Tuesday organised a first-ever webinar on civil service reforms.

Around 300 participants attended the webinar titled: “Existing gaps in the civil service structure: remedies proposed in the recent civil service reforms”.

Introducing the subject, EDI Dean Ahmad Nazir Warraich set the frame of reference for the topic of discussion. He also mentioned some recent reforms

made by the government like promotion policy and rules, efficiency and discipline rules, rotation policy etc.

He stressed upon the need to create a balance between improvement in service structure and improvement in service delivery. Speakers included Advisor to the Prime Minister for Institutional Reforms & Austerity Dr Ishrat Hussain and FCU Centre for Public Policy & Governance Director Prof Dr Saeed Shafqat.

A vibrant and open questions and answers session was conducted. The participants urged the civil servants to update their skills according to changing times. The

panelists were of the view that reforming the entire value chain of the civil service from induction and recruitment to training, performance evaluation, career progression, compensation, benefits and retirement is the solution of civil service woes.

NSPP Rector Dr Ijaz Munir emphasised the need for civil service reforms, adding that the civil servants should improve themselves at the same time. He assured his support and intent to conduct a training with an aim to improve the service. The webinar was concluded with the vote of thanks.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi by phone on the rapidly changing situation in Afghanistan, which is gripped by uncertainty and fear since the Taliban takeover. Reiterating Pakistan’s stance for an inclusive political settlement, Qureshi said Islamabad will remain “closely” engaged with the US and other international partners in promoting efforts in support of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, a statement by Foreign Ministry said late Monday. He also apprised Blinken of Pakistan’s efforts to facilitate the evacuation of personnel and staff of diplomatic missions, international organisations, media, and others. The Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday and took control of Afghanistan. The Afghan government has collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani fled abroad as foreign troops withdrew. Islamabad is said to have influence over the Taliban, and thus has an important role in the Afghan peace process. In December 2018, Pakistan arranged rare direct talks between the US and the Taliban, which led to the Doha peace deal in February 2020, and subsequently, the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghan soil.

Wednesday, 18 August, 2021

04 NEWS

ISLAMABAD

PSX GAInS 345 PoInTS An AfGhAn unceRTAInTy SeTTleS DoWn KARACHI TLTP

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) snapped the three-day losing streak in another low-volume session on Tuesday, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index gaining 345.66 points (+0.74 percent) to close at 47,258.45 points.

The market opened on a positive note and remained positive throughout the session. The KSE-100 Index moved in a range of 361.8 points, showing an intraday high of 47,274.5 points and an intraday low of 46,912.7 points (last day closing level).

Among other indices, the KSE All Share Index gained 182.8 points (+0.57 percent) to close at 32,235.13 points, while All Share Islamic Index gained 134.89 points (+0.59 percent) to close at 23,082.09 points.

A total of 367 companies traded

shares in the stock exchange, out of them shares of 253 closed up, shares of 95 closed down while shares of 19 companies remained unchanged. Of the 92 traded companies in the KSE-100 Index, 71 closed up, 18 closed down, while three remained unchanged.

The overall market volumes decreased by 5.74 million to 246.07 million shares. Total volume traded for the KSE100 Index was 81.90 million shares. The number of total trades decreased by 10,717 to 92,549; however, the value traded increased by Rs1.33 billion to Rs11.48 billion. Likewise, the market capitalisation increased by Rs48.45 billion.

Among scrips, TPLP realised total volumes of 30.98 million shares, followed by GGL (16.97 million) and TRG (14.07 million). Stocks that contributed significantly to the volumes include TPLP, GGL, TRG, WTL and TELE, which formed 36 percent

of total volumes.

In terms of rupee, Colgate Palmolive witnessed a maximum increase of Rs69.99 per share, closing at Rs2769.99.

Allawasaya Textiles was runner up, share prices of which increased by Rs31.79, closing at Rs455.71. Wyeth Pak Ltd recorded a maximum decrease of Rs139.96 per share, closing at Rs1726.23 followed by Ismail Industries, the prices of which declined by Rs31.27 per share, closing at Rs392.03.

The sectors propping up the index were power generation & distribution with 96 points, cement with 36 points, oil & gas marketing companies with 32 points, commercial banks with 32 points and technology & communication with 23 points. The most points added to the index were by HUBC which contributed 81 points followed by PSO with 23 points, MCB with 16 points, KAPCO with 15 points and TRG with 13 points.

Sector wise, the index was let down by glass & ceramics with 2 points, paper & board with 2 points, real estate investment trust with 1 points and leasing companies with one point. The most points taken off the index were by BAHL which stripped the index of 6 points followed by KTML with 6 points, FCEPL with 4 points, PKGS with 3 points and HBL with 3 points.

According to market experts, the bourse went up on Tuesday as geopolitical uncertainty surrounding the Afghan situation settled down. Markets calmed after the Taliban spokesperson announced a general amnesty for government officials and assured uninterrupted evacuation of affectees, they said.

Investors also cherished the extension of subsidised power and gas tariffs to the export sector for another year, a closing note by Aba Ali Habib Securities said.

Eight sectors witness double-digit growth in June: PBS NEWS DESK Eight sectors of large scale manufacturing (LSM) recorded a double-digit growth, ranging from 10 percent to 89 percent, during the month of June 2021 on a year-on-year (YoY) basis.

According to the data released by Pakistan Bureau of Statics (PBS), the sectors including automobile, petroleum, iron, mineral, chemicals, textile, pharmaceutical and fertilizer recorded a surge of 89 percent, 39 percent, 33 percent, 33 percent, 24 percent, 12 percent, 11 percent, and 10 percent, respectively, during June 2021 as compared to June 2020.

Overall during the fiscal year 2020-21, automobile, mineral, chemicals, petroleum, iron, pharma, textile and food sectors were the major sectors with increased output levels of 51 percent, 27 percent, 19 percent, 18 percent, 16 percent, 15 percent,12 percent, and 11 percent, respectively, as compared to the fiscal year 2019-2020

LSMI levels. Overall in the month of June 2021, LSMI increased by 4 percent on a month-on-month basis and 18 percent on a year-on-year basis. Cumulatively, during the fiscal year 2020-21, most of the major categories of LSM witnessed strong growth mainly attributable to low base effect and high growth fiscal incentives given to the manufacturing sector.

The textile sector which has the most weight in the index contributed significantly during FY21 largely on the back of robust international demand complemented with favourable government policies to boost exports.

Automobile production witnessed the highest growth of 51 percent YoY in FY 21 compared to the negative growth of 44.6 percent YoY in FY 20, mainly due to increased production of jeeps & cars, trucks, tractors, and LCVs amid favourable macroeconomic indicators and low-interest-rate environment which amplified auto financing during FY21.

The improvement in fertilizer production during the

period under review was accredited to an increase in urea production courtesy commencement of LNG plants operations. Meanwhile, the sectors which witnessed deterioration during the year were the ones with significantly lower weight in the LSM index, such as wood, leather, engineering, and rubber products with a decline in output of 39 percent, 26 percent,15.4 percent, and 15 percent, respectively, on a year-on-year basis.

Earlier, Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment, Abdul Razak Dawood announced on Monday that the large-scale manufacturing (LSM) sector has grown at a 16 years high level of 14.85 percent in the fiscal year 2021.

In a tweet, Razak Dawood said: “I am glad to share that the LSM sector grew at a 16 years high level of 14.85% in FY 21. The de-industrialization that was taking place in Pakistan has now been reversed and this has been made possible by the government's pro-industry policies.”

Dollar slips to Rs164.08 as rupee recovers 11 paisas NEWS DESK Pakistan rupee recovered 11 paisa (+0.07 percent) against the US dollar in the interbank on Tuesday. According to the State Bank of Pakistan, the US dollar opened at Rs164.19 and closed at Rs164.08.

This is the lowest level of Pakistani rupee against the US dollar since October 05, 2020. Within the open market, the rupee was traded

at Rs164.20/164.80 per dollar.

Overall, Pakistani rupee shed Rs0.08 against the US dollar during the last two days, while depreciation during the fiscal year 2021-22 has been Rs6.72.

The local unit has shed Rs3.89 against the US dollar in the current year 2021. According to currency dealers, the market witnessed supply of the dollar during the day that helped the rupee recover.

Tarin hails Samsung’s plans to start phone assembly in Pakistan ISLAMABAD TLTP

Expressing the desire of increasing exports to Korea, Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin has welcomed plans by Samsung to start cell phone assembly in Pakistan and promised full facilitation in this regard.

The finance minister expressed these views during a meeting with Ambassador of the Republic of Korea Suh Sang-Pyo, who paid a courtesy call on him on Tuesday.

Both sides exchanged views on economic potential and stressed the need to further promote mutual trade and investment linkages.

While extending a warm welcome to the ambassador, the finance minister stated that Pakistan enjoys friendly relations with Korea and is looking forward to further strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.

The finance minister thanked Korea

for the 3-year framework arrangement under which $500 million are being provided for projects in IT, education and health.

The finance minister briefed the Korean ambassador about the recent economic developments and initiatives. He said that the current government aims at achieving all-inclusive and sustainable economic growth with a key focus on “bottom-up” approach.

The government has chalked out short, medium and long term plans to spur growth in key priority areas, he added.

The finance minister said the government is coming up with a comprehensive policy for expansion of the auto industry in Pakistan by increasing the production of cars, motorcycles, and tractors, etc. The government is determined to encourage and incentivise foreign investors who are keen to undertake investment ventures in respective fields, he said.

Afghan currency declines for fourth day KABUL TLTP

Afghanistan’s national currency, the Afghani, continued to plummet on Tuesday as Taliban fighters took control over the capital city of Kabul and the head of the country’s central bank, Ajmal Ahmady, fled the country. According to messages left by the governor in a Twitter thread, the central bank was told there would be no more dollar supplies, which cut the regulator’s ability to bolster national currency, spreading more panic across the country. The Afghani dropped 1.7 percent on Tuesday to 83.5013 against the US dollar, marking the fourth day of decline. “Currency spiked from a stable 81 to almost 100 then back to 86. I held meetings on Saturday to reassure banks and money exchangers to calm them down,” Ahmady wrote. The political turmoil that swept Afghanistan over the weekend has spread to markets in neighbouring Pakistan, where sovereign dollar bonds due in 2031 fell 1.8 cents on Monday, demonstrating the largest drop since pricing in March. Meanwhile, Pakistani dollar bonds reportedly suffered the biggest losses in Asia on Monday. The securities grew by 0.2 cents on the dollar on Tuesday to 100.5 cents. Taliban forces entered Kabul on August 15 days after US President Joe Biden announced that all American forces would leave the country by September 11, the 20th anniversary of a series of terrorist attacks against the US.

Gold jumps to Rs94,700 per 10gm NEWS DESK Gold prices gained traction for the fifth successive session on Tuesday and gained around 0.25 percent.

At 1205 hours GMT, gold in the international market was available at $1,792.10 per ounce after gaining $4.20 as compared to its closing value on Monday last. Meanwhile, the price of 10 grams of yellow metal in Pakistan increased to Rs94,700 after gaining Rs900. The closing prices of the yellow metal in the country remained Rs93,800 on Monday last. According to experts, gold prolonged its recent strong rebound from the $1,687 area, or the lowest level since March touched earlier this month and gained traction for the fifth successive session on Tuesday. The momentum pushed the gold price to one-and-half-week tops, with bulls now eyeing a move towards reclaiming the $1,800 mark. They said that disappointing Chinese macro data released on Monday fuelled worries that the fast-spreading delta variant of the coronavirus could derail the global economic recovery.

Apart from this, political tensions in Afghanistan weighed on investors' sentiment and acted as a tailwind for traditional safe-haven assets, including gold, they added. The flight to safety, along with diminishing odds that the Fed will begin tapering its assets purchases continued exerting pressure on the US Treasury bond yields. This was seen as another factor that benefited the non-yielding gold and contributed to the ongoing positive move.

After Brent & WTI, Russian Sokol drops below $70 mark NEWS DESK Global crude prices edged lower on Tuesday, declining for a fourth consecutive day, as fresh Covid-19 outbreaks in different countries diminish prospects for global demand. At 1145 hours GMT, Brent, the international benchmark for two-thirds of the world's oil, shed $0.38 (-0.55 percent) to reach $69.13 a barrel.

Similarly, the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) reached $66.78, down by $0.51 (-0.76 percent). The price for Opec Basket was recorded at $70.90 a barrel with 0.59 percent decrease, Arab Light was available at $70.67 a barrel with 0.18 percent decrease, while the price of Russian Sokol slipped to $69.61 after shedding 1.10 percent.

Wednesday, 18 August, 2021

ISLAMABAD

PakIStan, korea to further Promote trade, InveStmentS iSLAmABAd

f

APP

EDERAL Minister for Finance and Revenue, Shaukat Tarin, here on Tuesday said that Pakistan was looking forward to further strengthen bilateral relations with Korea and promote trade and investment linkages between the two countries.

During a meeting with Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, Suh SangPyo, who paid a courtesy call on him, Tarin thanked Korea for the three-year framework arrangement under which $500 million are being provided for

projects in IT, education and health.

Both sides exchanged views on economic potential and stressed the need to further promote mutual trade and investment linkages, according to press statement issued by the Finance Ministry.

The finance minister expressed the desire of increasing exports to Korea and briefed the Korean ambassador about the recent economic developments and initiatives.

"The government aims at achieving an all-inclusive and sustainable economic growth with key focus on a bottom-up approach," he said, adding that the government had chalked out short, medium and long term plans to spur

growth in key priority areas.

Furthermore, he said, the government was coming up with a comprehensive policy for expansion of auto industry in Pakistan by increasing the production of cars, motorcycles, tractors etc.

He said, the government was determined to encourage and incentivise foreign investors who were keen to undertake investment ventures in respective fields.

The government also stands committed to revive the business and industry that has been hit hard due to coronavirus pandemic.

Tarin said the ultimate focus was employment generation, efficient resource

mobilisation and industrial growth.

Moreover, he welcomed plans by Samsung to start cell phone assembly in Pakistan and promised full facilitation in this regard.

On the occasion, the Korean ambassador thanked the finance minister for his time and underscored the importance of people-to-people contact between the two countries.

He also highlighted potential for furthering cooperation in hydropower generation and stated that Korean companies are satisfied with the business environment in the country.

Shaukat Tarin affirmed full support and cooperation on the occasion.

‘Everyone is forgiven’: Taliban say they don’t want internal, external enemies continuEd fRom PAgE 01

SCCI to set up investment facilitation centre to promote ebusinesses PESHAWAR APP

The Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) will soon establish an investment facilitation centre in joint collaboration of relevant government departments at the chamber in a bid to promot e-commerce and ease of doing business (EoDB), which could help resolve traders community issues under one roof. Calling the food deficiency and adulteration in eatable items major issues, SCCI chief Sherbaz Bilour urged the government to take pragmatic steps to resolve them amicably. The chamber president expressed grave concern over issuance of tax-notices, imposition of heavy, and illegitimate crackdowns of factories, markets, shops and harassment of traders and staff, and asked the provincial government to take action to stop the practice immediately. He sought a special fiscal relief package for small traders affected by a number of lockdowns imposed as a step to control spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The SCCI chief also demanded the establishment of a special information technology zone in Peshawar and stressed the need of promoting public private partnership (PPP) to remove hurdles in the way of trade and businesses. He suggested the launch of special skill training programmes on modern lines for young entrepreneurs.

Speaking on the occasion, KP Minister Atif Khan assured that the government would take up SCCI’s demand with the provincial chief minister regarding the provision of a special fiscal relief package for Covid-19 hit traders.

The minister emphasised that the promotion of e-commerce is the need of the hour.

The number of civilians had thinned out, a Western security official at the airport told Reuters. On Monday, US troops had fired warning shots to disperse crowds and people clung to a US military transport plane as it taxied for take-off.

At least 12 military flights had taken off, a diplomat at the airport said. Planes were due to arrive from countries including Australia and Poland to pick up their nationals and Afghan colleagues.

President Biden said he had to decide between asking US forces to fight endlessly or follow through on the withdrawal agreement negotiated by his predecessor.

“I stand squarely behind my decision,” Biden said. “After 20 years I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces.”

Facing criticism from even his own diplomats, he blamed the Taliban’s takeover on Afghan political leaders who fled and its army’s unwillingness to fight.

TALIBAN URGE WOMEN TO JOIN GOVERNMENT: The Taliban have declared an “amnesty” across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government duty on Tuesday, trying to calm nerves across a tense capital city that only the day before saw chaos at its airport as people tried to flee their rule.

The comments by Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban’s cultural commission, represent the first comments on governance from a federal level across the country after their blitz across the country.

While there were no major reports of abuses or fighting in Kabul, many residents have stayed home and remain fearful after the insurgents’ takeover saw prisons emptied and armories looted. Older genera-

tions remember their ultraconservative Islamic views, which included stonings, amputations and public executions during their rule before the U.S-led invasion that followed the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.

“The Islamic Emirate doesn’t want women to be victims” Samangani said, using the militants’ term for Afghanistan. “They should be in government structure according to Shariah law.”

He added: “The structure of government is not fully clear, but based on experience, there should be a fully Islamic leadership and all sides should join.”

Samangani remained vague on other details, however, implying people already knew the rules of Islamic law the Taliban expected them to follow. “Our people are Muslims and we are not here to force them to Islam,” he said.

Meanwhile Tuesday, Stefano Pontecorvo, NATO’s senior civilian representative to Afghanistan, posted video online showing the runway empty with American troops on the tarmac. What appeared to be a military cargo plane could be seen in the distance from

behind a chain-link fence in the footage.

The runway “is open,” he wrote on Twitter. “I see airplanes landing and taking off.”

Overnight, flight-tracking data showed a U.S. Marine Corps KC130J Hercules plane at the airport and later taking off for Qatar, home to Al-Udeid Air Base and the U.S. military Central Command’s forward headquarters.

The German Foreign Ministry meanwhile said a first German military transport plane has landed in Kabul, but it could only take seven people on board before it had to depart again.

“Because of the chaotic conditions at the airport and regular exchanges of fire at the access point last night, it was not possible for further German citizens and other people who need to be evacuated to come to the airport without protection from the German army,” the ministry said.

Sweden’ s Foreign Minister Ann Linde wrote on Twitter on Tuesday that the staff from the Swedish Embassy in Kabul had returned to Sweden.

NEWS

05

Punjab hed, BISP sign mou for facilitating education of marginalized segments The Higher Education Department Punjab has signed a memorandum of understanding with BISP to jointly implement a Co-Responsibility Cash Transfer (CCT) Programme for the promotion of Intermediate level education of boys and girls of BISP beneficiaries in the Province. On behalf of HED Punjab, the MoU was signed

by Muhammad Naeem Ghaus, Special Secretary and BISP was represented by Naveed Akbar, Director General (CCT).

The ceremony was witnessed by Raja Yassir Humayun Sarfraz, Provincial Minister for Higher Education in Punjab.

The programme shall facilitate the deserving male and female students of Punjab without any discrimination. This is one of the key moves of human development investment for of the youth of the province, it shall bring vulnerable and marginalized segments under the educational cover at public sector colleges across Punjab, Naeem Ghaus expressed.

Under the MoU, HED Punjab shall provide supply-side data for capacity analysis to facilitate the beneficiaries in selection of the colleges for enrolment in the higher secondary CCT Programme. It shall also provide inputs for the preparation of key documents by BISP including but not limited to Operations Manual, MIS Design / Model Implementation Plan, etc. Department shall facilitate admission of children of eligible families in Public Sector Colleges while ensuring provision of access to colleges and college registers for collection of attendance data on quarterly basis. HED shall also facilitate college teachers and concerned staff from department to participate in capacity building events and other related initiatives for successful implementation of the CCT Programme across Punjab. NEWS DESK

tesla expands legal, external relations workforce in China BEIJING: Tesla Inc is hiring managers for legal and external relations teams in China, according to a job post on the its Wechat account, as the electric-car maker faces public scrutiny in the country over safety and customer service complaints. US-based Tesla, which is making electric Model 3 sedans and Model Y sport-utility vehicles in Shanghai, is hiring external relation managers in several Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. The job advertisement did go into details of external relation positions, but separate posts showed the managers will handle government relations as well.

Reuters reported in May, citing people familiar with the matter, that Tesla was boosting its engagement with mainland regulators and beefing up its government relations team. The company is hiring lawyers specialised in construction, anti-monopoly and data privacy protection areas, while also looking for public relations managers. In April, Tesla was targeted by state media and regulators after a customer, angry over the handling of her complaint about malfunctioning brakes, climbed on top of a Tesla car in protest at the Shanghai auto show. Videos of the incident went viral. Last month, the automaker sold 32,968 China-made vehicles in July, including 24,347 for export, industry data showed. AGENCIES

Pakistan exports first mango consignment to russia ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Customs has processed the first fresh mango, white Chaunsa, consignment for export to Moscow under the TIR convention. According to a press statement issued by FBR, the exporter of the said consignment is Ishfaq & Co, Okara, Sahiwal. This was one of the first endeavors to introduce Pakistani fresh fruits and indigenous goods to Russia which will help Pakistani traders to capture markets not only in Russia but also in Europe by land route.

The consignment has left Pakistan from the Taftan border and is destined for Moscow via Tehran-Astara-Astrakhan route.

The road distance from Taftan to Moscow via Astara is 4600 km and it will be covered in about seven days. The TIR transportation will also open this route for kinnow exports as it will take about 10 days to reach Moscow through the same route as sea voyage on Karachi-Saint Petersburg route takes about 35 days and the shortened distance will increase exports to the Russian Federation and EU. APP

Oil prices pare earlier gains amid worries over Covid case spike toKYo AGENCIES

Oil prices were mixed on Tuesday, paring earlier gains, as expectations that major producers will not boost supply any time soon were offset by worries over slowing global fuel demand amid a spike in the Delta variant of coronavirus infections.

Brent crude was down 2 cents at $69.49 a barrel as of 0410 GMT, after rising as high as $69.77 earlier in the session.

US West Intermediate crude (WTI) edged 2 cents higher to $67.31 a barrel, after reaching $67.66 earlier.

Brent oil may fall to $69.07 per barrel Brent slid 1.5% on Monday while WTI fell 1.7%.

The prices recovered from the previous day’s losses in early Asia trade after four sources told Reuters that OPEC+ – the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, including Russia – believes oil markets do not need more crude than they plan to release in the coming months, despite US pressure to add supplies to check an oil price rise.

Last week, US President Joe Biden’s administration urged the producer group to boost oil output to tackle rising gasoline

prices that they see as a threat to the global economic recovery. But the market ran out of steam mid-session amid concerns over the resurgence in the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The overall market sentiment is weak,” said Tetsu Emori, CEO of Emori Fund Management Inc. “High fuel demand season in northern hemisphere summer is almost ending, while the spreading pandemic is delaying a recovery in global fuel demand,” Emori said, predicting a continued bearish tone in the markets going forward.

Worries over weaker demand in China, the world’s biggest oil importer, grew on

cmYK

Monday after the nation’s daily crude processing last month fell to the lowest since May 2020 as independent plants slashed production amid a tighter quotas, high inventories and weakening profits.

China’s factory output and retail sales growth also slowed sharply and missed expectations in July, as new COVID-19 outbreaks and floods disrupted business operations, adding to signs the economic recovery is losing momentum.

Hedge funds sold petroleum last week for the sixth time in eight weeks as resurgent coronavirus infections in China, Europe and North America dampened hopes

of a rapid resumption in long-distance passenger aviation.

Still, the market shrugged off rising output in US shale oil, Toshitaka Tazawa, an analyst at Fujitomi Securities Co Ltd said.

US shale oil output is expected to rise to 8.1 million barrels per day (bpd) in September, the highest since May 2020, according to the Energy Information Administration’s monthly drilling productivity report on Monday.

“WTI has a support at around $65 and investors tend to look for bargains whenever the benchmark gets closer to the level as we have seen on Monday and last week,” Tazawa said.

Wednesday, 18 August, 2021

06 COMMENT

The Lebanon I love is dying

Afghanistan under Taliban Not Mullah Omar’s rule again

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HE departure of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has led the Pakistan administration to heave a sigh of relief because Ghani and his closest aides let the Afghan NDS cooperate with India’s RAW in organizing terrorist activities inside Pakistan. How the Taliban deal with the terrorist groups that launch attacks on Pakistan’s citizens and security personnel remains to be seen.

There is a worrisome move from certain circles to prettify the Taliban. Their peaceful entry into Kabul has reminded a well-known Mufti of Fath-e-Makkah.

Nothing, he says, not even powerful countries with stateof-the-art weapons can stand against the power of Iman if people are willing to offer sacrifices. He calls upon Muslims, particularly Pakistanis, to learn from the Taliban. Religious parties losing hope to come to power through elections are getting vicarious pleasure from the Taliban’s victory. The Jamaat Islami chief believes that If the Taliban managed to form an ideal Islamic government in Kabul, they would set an example for others to follow.

Bloggers looking for followers in the extremist fringe have over the last several weeks been spinning tales about the Taliban doing a great service to Pakistan. They are hailing the Taliban’s entry into Kabul as a historic victory of Islam against a superpower.

There is a danger that the outpouring of euphoria for the Taliban might lead some to forget the dystopian nightmare that the people of Afghanistan, particularly women and dissidents, went through during the Taliban’s first rule. The people of Pakistan too had to suffer due to sectarian terrorists who indulged in indiscriminate killings while Mullah Omar refused to hand over their leaders to Pakistan. During the last many years terrorist outfits like Al-Qaeda, the Tehrik Taliban Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and the Islamic State have launched deadly and indiscriminate attacks in Pakistan from Afghan safe havens where the Taliban have a presence.

Tehrik Taliban Pakistan sent terrorists to the Peshawar Army Public School in 2014, killing more than 132 children. The explosion that last month killed nine Chinese workers and four others in Dasu was also the handiwork of these elements.

To be acceptable to the world the Taliban have to set up an inclusive government, allow girls to study and women to work, improve their human rights record and ensure that they neither harbour terrorists nor try to export their system to other countries.

Washington Watch

A

century ago, Gibran Khalil Gibran wrote a love poem to Lebanon, “You have your Lebanon, I have my Lebanon.” He spoke of his affection for the people, their poetry, art, music, and love of life; their generous and welcoming spirit; their gifts to the world— especially their gifted people; and the sheer beauty of the country from its snow-capped mountains to its pristine seascapes. Gibran contrasted this with the country’s petty bickering politicians who lead because of an accident of birth. That poem has stayed with me since I first read it.

Fifty years ago, my wife, our toddler son, and I went to Lebanon for my first visit to the country of my father’s birth. I found the country just as his stories had described. Beirut was a vibrant, splendid metropol, the mountains were stunning, and the people were as hospitable as I had been told they would be.

We had an apartment near the American University of Beirut— a few blocks off Hamra Street. It was an exciting adventure to awaken each morning and just walk the city streets, see the shops open, listen to the chatter and noise of city life, and feel the remarkable energy of the place.

We were able to spend time with my family in their little village safely tucked amidst towering mountains. While in Lebanon we also had the opportunity to meet with Lebanese from all walks of life, visit with Bedouin in their campsite and spend lengthy periods in Palestinian refugee camps— where I was engaged in research for my doctoral dissertation.

Even after we returned to the USA, I could feel the pulse of Lebanon beating in my heart and see its

The extremists among us What ‘soft image’ of Pakistan?

shaZia anWer Cheema

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HE Fall of Kabul is a reality giving several lessons to the learned, and thousands of articles and numerous books would be soon written for finding the causes of this. Whatever the reasons, this is the defeat of an engineered installed rule.

Military men look at this event as engaging in a war without a clear strategy and goals as mentioned by former ISI Chief Lt Gen Asad Durrani who believes the USA entered Afghanistan as an angry and wounded elephant and “shifting goalposts” not only bogged down the USA, rather all western countries.

Former diplomats with whom I talked believe that once the USA entered Afghanistan, it decided to stay at any cost because the time provided it an opportunity to stay in an important region from where the USA could have an eye on everybody— Iran, China, Pakistan, and the Central Asian countries.

Former Ambassador and retired General Khalid Jafri believes the USA lost the war the day they entered into war in Afghanistan because this was a war looking for strategic objectives after entering into the war.

Military men like former Ambassador Maj Gen Zahid Mubashar believe that the USA spent billions of dollars on the Afghan National Army (ANA), but this army collapsed like a house of cards because an army cannot be created in a period of five or ten years, and the USA never learned this from history.

Ambassador (retd) Hassan Javed, who is the writer of several international books on foreign affairs

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami M. A. Niazi

Umar Aziz

Joint Editor

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

Lebanon,” a project to bring to the USA for medical treatment children who had been wounded in the civil war or from Israel’s massive destruction of Beirut and southern Lebanon. In 1983, we hosted a heroic doctor, Amal Shamaa, to speak about medical needs and help us raise funds for the project. After appearing in a few cities and listening to the questions and comments of the young Lebanese Americans she met, she said to me, “Yours is the last generation that will know Lebanon as a whole country. Future generations will not be able to speak about the north, south, east, and west — because they won’t know it. Hold on to this vision of the country that was.”

Lebanon got a second lease on life with the Taif Accords that ended the civil war in 1990. And under the leadership of the visionary Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, Beirut was rebuilt, block by block. It once again became, in his words, “the beating heart that brought life back to the country.”

But Lebanon remained deeply divided with sectarian elites draining the country and foreign powers — especially, Syria, Israel, and Iran — competing for advantage or occupying it through surrogates.

Hariri and many of his cabinet and supporters were assassinated in 2005, and since then the country has been in a tailspin, deteriorating to the point where it is today.

I have often thought of Amal’s words as I watch Lebanon unraveling before our eyes. And I recall Gibran’s love poem to Lebanon as I see horrors that even he could not have imagined: widespread poverty; corrupt, feudal, sectarian elites dancing on the grave of the country in a vain effort to sustain their privileged roles; and an armed militia functioning as a state within a state — willing to use force to maintain its position.

In the future, I want to write about the political situation in Lebanon. For now, I just want to remember what there is to love about the Lebanon that was (and I hope will be again) and damn those who are hell-bent on burying it.

In the future, I want to write about the political situation in Lebanon. For now, I just want to remember what there is to love about the Lebanon that was (and I hope will be again) and damn those who are hell-bent on burying it.

The writer is President of the Arab American Institute

The fall of Kabul: How was the war lost?

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INCE its unveiling in June of 2019, the statue of Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh situated at Lahore Fort, has been vandalized for a third time on Monday. The perpetrator, a TLP worker, was able to topple off the statue from its horse and break its arm, before being restrained by bystanders and eventually arrested. One motivation to target this particular installation is the fact that Ranjit Singh was a secular leader, having many Muslims as ministers in his team, with even his arsenal looked after by a Muslim. He was also an educator, taking over Punjab after centuries of Mughal rule. He did not abolish or disrupt the popular madrassa format of education, rather grew it, setting up new ones himself and giving generous donations for the same purpose. In a larger context however, it is perhaps the fact that he was a non-Muslim who has been paid a tribute by a Muslim state that irks these vandals so much that they commit such crimes, driven by hate extremist thinking.

Some introspection is also warranted on part of the state and powers that be who have not only created elements such as the TLP, but allowed their numbers and power to grow over the years. The Faizabad sit-in judgment by the Supreme Court spells out very clearly how that violent siege began and continued for ten days with support, both financial and otherwise, from various power centres of the country. Because the group was not dealt with an iron hand back then, it felt empowered to challenge the writ of the state on multiple occasions later, which it did successfully by closing down cities and resorting to violence in the streets, to the extent that the last time round, multiple Punjab Police officials were taken hostage.

Any and all efforts to project that precious ‘soft image’ of Pakistan, that is such a priority for Prime Minister Imran Khan, are nullified by a single act of hatred. Until the state steps in and starts addressing the deeper malaise in society that has been allowed to fester for far too long, religious extremism will continue to flourish unabated.

Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Dr James J Zogby

sights in my mind’s eye. It wasn’t hard to have fallen in love with the place and its people.

And yet, my wife and I often recalled an unsettling undercurrent we had experienced in our conversations with those whom we met. We had become concerned listening to the subtle ways some Christians had spoken dismissively about Muslims, or Muslims about Christians, or the distrust or resentment some Lebanese and Palestinians exhibited toward one another. It reminded us of simmering racial tensions in the USA. And when I heard Lebanese from one village disparage their fellow Lebanese from a neighboring village, I thought of the legendary Hatfield-McCoy feud that defined conflict in the US mountain country.

I wrote a paper a few years later in which I tried to unravel what had been bothering me. Lebanon was a country that was modern on the surface, but its forward path was hamstrung by a political system that fueled traditional feuds born of sectarian, tribal, and regional divisions. And so I wasn’t surprised when Lebanon erupted in civil war a few years later and these tensions exploded into full view— with devastating results for the people and the country.

I went back to Lebanon a few times during its long war with itself. Each time, as the plane crossed the Mediterranean and approached Beirut, my heart would skip a beat. I saw the glorious city of white, with its orange-tiled roofs, against the blue sea, with snow-capped mountains as a backdrop. And I would think, “It’s alright,” only to have this notion shattered once on the ground.

What couldn’t be seen from the air, became all too clear traveling through the city: bullet-hole pock-marked buildings, armed men (and boys) everywhere, and checkpoints separating all parts of the city. Once glorious and prosperous Hamra had lost its lustre. Its walls were papered with pictures of dead young men and bearded, dour-faced religious leaders. The eastern side of the city fared somewhat better but was choking under the weight of congestion. Here too, signs of war were ever-present. Up in the mountains, village life continued.

It was like a refuge from the conflict raging below.

In the mid-1980s, I helped found “Save

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and public diplomacy and is a leading expert on China issues, is of the view that history is taking a turn once again. Such events happen once in a century. He says the British-Afghan War of 1919, was a signal of the decline of the British Empire. Similarly, the collapse of the USSR came in 1991 after its defeat in Afghanistan. American historian Francis Fujiyama thought that history ended in 2000 AD with victory to the so-called Western values of Democracy, Capitalism, etc. Actually, history is ending now with the collapse of the Post-Second World War Order drawn by the Western powers.

These events are likely to have regional and global ramifications, as has been the case throughout history. ‘Old narratives are neither likely to help nor stop the rot or sinking of Western societies,’ believes Ambassador Hassan. Historians may write Fall of Kabul as the greatest defeat of the US allied forces and would write a new order of the world.

A long list of reasons for the Fall of Kabul would soon emerge but an immediate reaction to how the war was lost in Afghanistan is as follows: The US war in Afghanistan lacked strategic clarity with no clear mission, in fact, as ‘The Afghanistan Papers’ showed, the war was based on ‘misleading/deceiving public opinion.

The USA from the very first day became a victim of slow and fast thinking, metaphorically they put the risk analysis on the backburner and started deciding in a hurry to gain more. Apparently like gambling, for if chance would have favoured them, they could have achieved what they expected, but as the very name gambling represents, without putting your decisions under the scrutiny of probability, the likelihood of the odds against the desired outcome tends to be higher instead of being in favour. The decision-making having a high ratio of probabilities with a higher likelihood toward odds must not be taken by depending on mere chances. Chances of odds in favour or against have no logical framework, for they are based on predictions derived from previous experiences. And the nominal data is in percentage, which is based on speculation, on other hand, and probable factors can be much more conclusive in risk analysis.

The probability of winning the Afghan War was based on chances, built on predictions of odds that may be in favour at the exact time and space. The war itself was a misperceived factor and clearly relying on uninformed variables. The proper noun for the supreme vector was chosen as “War against Terror” in 2001.”

The USA took chances in Afghanistan to defeat

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the former USSR and went for taking the chance of creating Mujahedeen in early 1980, and that chance was based on the “probability” of harming the USSR. Leaving Afghanistan and Pakistan to face the results of civil war after the withdrawal of the former USSR was also taking another chance to let Afghans and Pakistanis clean the garbage of war.

Indirectly supporting the advent of the Taliban was taken as a chance for the cleansing of Mujahedeen but here the “game of chance” went out of control when according to the USA, its soil was attacked by the Taliban on 9 September 2001. Operation Enduring Freedom was launched as another probability for cleansing the Taliban and reverting the concept of Jihad that was promoted to defeat the former USSR. The expected outcome of launching Operation Enduring Freedom was saving humanity, protecting women’s rights, cleansing Al-Qaeda, and so on and so forth. The core objective of destroying Al-Qaeda was achieved by December 2001 as said by former President Bush. However, the USA started talking about “nation-building”, and the Bonn Summit provided a corrupt warlord system that had previously been rejected by the people of Afghanistan and gave a passage to the Taliban to root out the Rabbani government.

A so-called “Big tent strategy” was evolved by involving warlords capable enough to disrupt the statebuilding process, in a state-building process. The Bonn Agreement sought to establish a new constitution. According to data available with several Think Tanks, the Bonn Agreement model for the reconstruction of Afghanistan was based on a “maximalist model”.

The Maximalist model offers roles for community and society as direct stakeholders and was used in post-conflict reconstruction in the Balkans, subSaharan Africa, and East Timor during the 1990s conflicts. One can understand that the Bonn process forgot the sensitivities of Afghan culture, history, and norms and borrowed a model that had nothing to do even with the sensitivities of the region. Questionable elections produced only two Afghan presidents during 19 years (December 2001 to August 2021). The US quest for nation-building continued till US Chinook transferred its staff to Kabul Airport. What new chance will the USA not take?

The writer did her MA in Cognitive Semiotics from Aarhus University Denmark and is currently registered as a Ph.D. Scholar of Semiotics and Philosophy of Communication at Charles University Prague. She can be reached at her: Twitter @ShaziaAnwerCh Email: shaziaanwer@yahoo.com

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Wednesday, 18 August, 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

Women’s rights

Making Pakistan Green The dangers of climate change can no longer be avoided

malik muhammaD ashraf

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limate change triggered by the increased emissions of green-house gases is undoubtedly the biggest challenge facing humanity in the 21st century. Admittedly the failure of the international community to check the continued rise in temperature caused by the emission of green-house gases, can lead to catastrophic consequences. Therefore, as repeatedly reiterated by the UN Secretary General, it is absolutely essential to make peace with nature, meaning thereby that there is no escape from keeping the rising temperatures below 1.5° C as emphasized by the scientists and environmental experts. A report released by the UN on August 8, called ‘Code Red for Humanity’ says that the earth was getting so hot that temperatures in about a decade would probably blow past a level of warming that the world leaders have sought to prevent.

The Climate change phenomenon has already started having a devastating impact globally and Pakistan is among the top 10 countries which have been bearing the brunt of this climatic onslaught during the last twenty years. While the world is still indecisive— and some countries including the major polluters are even showing reluctance to cut down on the greenhouse emissions, preferring industrial growth over this— the developing countries, including Pakistan, perforce have to devise their own strategies to minimize the impact of the climate change till such time as a collective will and commitment of the global community crystallizes into concrete actions to deal with the challenge.

Pakistan, under the stewardship of Prime Minister Imran Khan, has given top priority to putting in place steps and measures that can be helpful in lessening the debilitating impact of climate change. The central theme of the effort is to make Pakistan clean and green. It has launched a number of initiatives including the landmark 10-billion Tree Tsunami which has won international acclaim, including from the World Economic Forum.

Pakistan can also rightly boast about a myriad of other initiatives including green economic stimulus, ecosystem protection, wildlife management, the protected areas initiative and the

Pakistan Clean Air Programme. Prime Minister Imran Khan has also inaugurated the world’s biggest Miyawaki urban forest near Lahore on 9 August as part of monsoon drive under the 10billion Tree Tsunami Project. All the foregoing steps in the words of the Prime Minister are driven solely by his commitment to future generations of a clean and green Pakistan to mitigate the impact of climate change.

It is pertinent to note that besides the measures mentioned above, Pakistan has also launched the initiative to produce 60 percent of all energy in the country through renewable resources by the year 2030. It has already scrapped two coal power projects which were supposed to generate 2600 MW of electricity and replaced them with hydropower units.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has been a vociferous advocate of collective action by the world community on climate change. In recognition of his discourses at the Convention of Biodiversity and in the UN General Assembly, and the naturebased solutions devised by his government, UNEP approached Pakistan for hosting the UN Environment Day 2021. Prime Minister Imran khan addressing the moot apprised the world community regarding future plans of this government to deal with climate change, including Recharge Pakistan, designed to divert flood water to wetland to recharge the water table and mangroves forestation which absorb carbon besides green-house gases. Explaining the threat faced by Pakistan due to climate change, he also urged the need for the world to pay attention to reducing carbon emissions which cause glacier melting posing threats to countries like Pakistan and Central Asia where rivers were fed by glaciers. He also called on the world community to assist the poor countries including Pakistan which were bearing the brunt of this phenomenon.

Pakistan also co-chaired the multibilliondollar Green Climate Fund, established to support climate actions in developing countries, last year. Pakistan as Vice President of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has also been playing a proactive role in shaping the global discourse on fighting global warming.

Perhaps a cursory glance at efforts at the international level to deal with the climate chal-

lenge would be quite relevant here. The first ever international Agreement on restricting emissions of greenhouse gases, known as the Kyoto Protocol, was adopted on 11 December 1997. The Protocol operationalized the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change by committing industrialized countries and economies in transition to limit and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with agreed individual targets. Those targets were stipulated to be met in two phases. But regrettably the required cooperation from the participating countries did not come forth. New Zealand, and Russia did participate in Kyoto’s first-round but did not take on new targets in the second commitment period. Canada withdrew from the Protocol in 2012 and the USA did not ratify it at all.

The second international agreement, known as the Paris Agreement, was signed on 12 December 2015 during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) 21st Conference of the Parties. The Paris Agreement marked a historic turning point for global climate action, as the world leaders were able to evolve a consensus on its framework and goals. But regrettably President Donald Trump pulled out of the Agreement like he did in case of other international commitments by the USA. However it is satisfying to note that President Joe Biden has announced rejoining the Paris Agreement.

Not only that, in view of the urgency involved, he also convened a Leaders Summit on Climate on 22-23 April, attended by 41 countries including Pakistan. The Summit underscored the urgency and the economic benefits of stronger climate action. Its deliberations are considered to be a key milestone on the road to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) this November in Glasgow.

In view of the foregoing, Pakistan can rightly take pride in the fact that it has not only set the ball rolling in the right direction in regards to saving the country from the vagaries of climate change, but has also made a sterling contribution to this global cause. The initiatives taken by Pakistan are surely worth emulating by the world community, particularly the developing countries.

In view of the foregoing, Pakistan can rightly take pride in the fact that it has not only set the ball rolling in the right direction in regards to saving the country from the vagaries of climate change, but has also made a sterling contribution to this global cause.

The initiatives taken by Pakistan are surely worth emulating by the world community, particularly the developing countries

Malik Muhammad Ashraf is an academic.

He can be contacted at: ashpak10@gmail.com.

DUE to misinformation, misguidance and laziness of Pakistan Governments own Women Ministry, the youth of Pakistan are being incorrectly trained in Women Rights issues. Since anemia is the leading cause of women and new babies death in Pakistan, it would have made sense for Aurat March to demand free iron supplements for women, but instead they demanded freedom of wearing Western clothes.

In reality the Islamic System already provides the rights, respect and status to women, which is evident in our society by how mother’s, sisters, daughters, teachers and women are treated with respect in Pakistan. But this information is being overshadowed by highlighting specific cases in the media and ignoring the real data.

For example, Pakistan is bashed in the International media for 4200 women rapes per year and is even placed at the bottom of some fake Global Woman Index Ranking. But if we look at the actual data than UK with a much lower population than Pakistan has reported more than 85,000 women rapes per year. Which means UK is 21 times more dangerous for women than Pakistan. It is the reality of Life that evil is found everywhere and cannot be eradicated completely. The Islamic way of Pakistani life has defined rules for women, so to help them avoid these evils. But these women empowerment organizations are enforcing a Western culture without informing the people how badly women are treated in the Western countries.

Islam defines the most important role on this World as that of the Mother, which is a woman. Women are given instant access to Heaven just for becoming a good mother. But the Women empowerment organizations are advocating women to work on jobs. Without highlighting the problem faced by mother’s who are working, the crimes against women at work or even the fact that countries like UK had to force their women to start working men jobs during World War One, when the UK lost many men and their factories did not have any workers.

Therefore I request the Government of Pakistan to get their own Women Ministry to start positively countering this propaganda of western women empowerment with real data. While also highlighting the importance of Pakistan social culture and Islamic culture for women. The people of Pakistan and the people of the World should understand the benefits for women in Islam. And Pakistan should not be bashed by other nations on Women Right issues. Instead they should ask for our advice. Similarly the youth of Pakistan should be proud of our achievements in maintaining a good social and family lifestyle compared to Western cultures.

Shahryar Khan BaSEEr P Engr PEShawar

Misunderstanding Islam NOT a single religion on the planet supports brutality, bad form and contempt against the presence of various cultures and human advancement. Thus, Islam is one of the quick scattering religion which consistently confers the lessons of affection and harmony. Islam is the main religion that elevates the norm of humankind and guarantees correspondence. Sadly, the current world delineates the helpless picture of Islam. From pre 9/11 to post 9/11 Islam has been accused for obliteration and springing up dread mentality on the planet. Be that as it may, the truth of the matter is that fear based oppression knows no religion. As of late, Islam announced outrageous religion for stopping the development of Hindu sanctuary in Islamabad. Pakistan was made as Islamic state and it is impermissible in Islamic state to fabricate a sanctuary by the costs of Muslims. Now from over the world, Turkey president, Tayyab Erdogon is being censured for remodeling Hagia Sophia as a mosque inside his domain. Islam isn’t as inflexible as world consider. Spreading love, guaranteeing harmony and controling prejudice are the welcoming standards of Islam. haya FaTIMa KaraChI

Corona tests for teachers PUNJAB School Education Minister Dr. Muraad in his latest press Conference which was held at QAED said , “ it is mandatory for all School teachers to conduct Corona test before joining the schools which will reopen on 15th September.”

Minister must be acknowledged that Govt. School teachers are the most vulnerable community of civil servants. Their salaries are very low.

They cannot afford huge fee of Corona test. Govt has already denied to increase salaries of its employees in budget 2020-2021 and has been deducting conveyance Allowance from teachers salaries since march 2020.

The entire teacher community is worried on latest announcement of Minister. Did all others Govt. employees joine their respective offices after conducting Corona test? If it is necessary to curb the spread of this deadly virus then Govt should pay the fee of this test or sanction “ corona test fee allowance “ in upcoming pay so the teachers can conduct their tests before joining the school again. Minister should review his decision.

MahTaB alI Khan Bahawalnagar

Keeping informed NEWSPAPER which was firstly introduced in 16 century,in China,has become a supreme part in every individual’s life in the present age.

However, it is not wrong to say that newspaper is a store house of knowledge. It provides current newses related the country and the world.

Further, it gives information about the governmental programs and it’s works for the country. Newspaper reading informs one about the latest science discoveries and technological changes about many industries.

Besides, now-a-days there are some pages in newspapers which are particularly printed for students. It not only acquaints them with all important happenings , but also supplies various knowledge about different subjects. newspapers have removed the global distance between the countries. In fact, one part of the world has been linked up with another through newspapers. In the modern world newspapers are the part of civilization and a product to facilitate human beings. So,we must accept the habit of reading newspaper regularly.

Farahnaz Farooq ahMEd TurBaT

Wednesday, 18 August, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

WAs this the end of the AmericAn erA? new Yorker

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Robin WRight

IStoRy will surely note this absurdly ill-timed tweet. on Monday, August 9th, the u.S. Embassy in Kabul posed a question to its four hundred thousand followers: “this #PeaceMonday, we want to hear from you. What do you wish to tell the negotiating parties in Doha about your hopes for a political settlement? #PeaceForAfghanistan.” the message reflected the delusion of American policy. With the taliban sweeping across the country, storming one provincial capital after another, the prospect that diplomacy would work a year after u.S.-backed talks in Qatar began—and quickly stalled—was illusory. By thursday, the Afghan government controlled only three major cities. President Joe Biden, the leader of the world’s most powerful nation, announced that he was dispatching three thousand u.S. troops to Afghanistan to pull hundreds of its diplomats and staff out of that Embassy. And, by Sunday, it was all over—before dusk. President Ashraf ghani fled the country, his government collapsed, and the u.S.-trained Afghan security forces simply melted away as the taliban moved into the capital. American diplomats—having evacuated the fortress-like u.S. Embassy—were forced to shelter in place at the airport as they waited to be evacuated.

America’s two-decade-long misadventure in Afghanistan has ended. For Americans, Afghanistan looks a little, maybe a lot, like a trillion-dollar throwaway. Meanwhile, Afghans are left in free fall.

It’s not just an epic defeat for the united States. the fall of Kabul may serve as a bookend for the era of u.S. global power. In the nineteen-forties, the united States launched the great Rescue to help liberate Western Europe from the powerful Nazi war machine. It then used its vast land, sea, and air power to defeat the formidable Japanese empire in East Asia. Eighty years later, the u.S. is engaged in what historians may someday call a great Retreat from a ragtag militia that has no air power or significant armor and artillery, in one of the poorest countries in the world.

It’s now part of an unnerving American pattern, dating back to the nineteen-seventies. on Sunday, social-media posts of side-byside photos evoked painful memories. one captured a desperate crowd climbing up a ladder to the rooftop of a building near the u.S. Embassy in Saigon to get on one of the last helicopters out in 1975, during the Ford Administration. the other showed a Chinook helicopter hovering over the u.S. Embassy in Kabul on Sunday. “this is manifestly not Saigon,” the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, tried to argue on Sunday, on ABC’s “this Week.” It didn’t wash. And there are other episodes. In 1984, the Reagan Administration withdrew the u.S. Marine peace-

IT’S A DISHONOURABLE END THAT WEAKENS US STANDING IN THE WORLD, PERHAPS IRREVOCABLY

keepers from Beirut after a suicide bomber from a nascent cell of what became hezbollah killed more than two hundred and forty military personnel—the largest loss for the Marines in a single incident since the Second World War. In 2011, the united States pulled out of Iraq, opening the way for the emergence of Isis. the repeated miscalculations challenge basic Washington policy-making as well as u.S. military strategy and intelligence capabilities. Why wasn’t this looming calamity—or any of the earlier ones—anticipated? or the exits better planned? or the country not left in the hands of a former enemy? It is a dishonourable end.

Whatever the historic truth decades from now, the u.S. will be widely perceived by the world today as having lost what george W. Bush dubbed the “war on terror”—despite having mobilized nato for its first deployment outside Europe or North America, a hundred and thirty-six countries to provide various types of military assistance, and twenty-three countries to host u.S. forces deployed in offensive operations. America’s vast tools and tactics proved ill-equipped to counter the will and endurance of the taliban and their Pakistani backers. In the long term, its missiles and warplanes were unable to vanquish a movement of sixty thousand core fighters in a country about as big as texas. there are many repercussions that will endure long after the u.S. withdrawal. First, jihadism has won a key battle against democracy. the West believed that its armor and steel, backed by a generous infusion of aid, could defeat a hard-line ideology with a strong local following. the taliban are likely, once again, to install Sharia as law of

the land. Afghanistan will again, almost certainly, become a haven for like-minded militants, be they members of Al Qaeda or others in search of a haven or a sponsor. It’s a gloomy prospect as Americans prepare to mark the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks next month. Since 2001, Al Qaeda, Isis, and other jihadi extremists have seeded franchises on all six inhabited continents. last month, the united States sanctioned an Isis branch as far afield as Mozambique, the former Portuguese colony in southern Africa where almost sixty per cent of the population is Christian.

Second, both Afghanistan and Iraq have proved that the united States can neither build nations nor create armies out of scratch, especially in countries that have a limited middle class and low education rates, over a decade or two. It takes generations. Not enough people have the knowledge or experience to navigate whole new ways of life, whatever they want in principle. Ethnic and sectarian divisions thwart attempts to overhaul political, social, and economic life all at the same time. the united States spent eighty-three billion dollars training and arming an Afghan force of some three hundred thousand— more than four times the size of the taliban’s militia. “this army and this police force have been very, very effective in combat against the insurgents every single day,” Mark Milley told reporters back in 2013. he is now the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. yet, by March, when I was last in Kabul, the taliban controlled half of the country. Between May and mid-August, it took the other half—most just dur-

ing the past week. last month, Biden said that he trusted “the capacity of the Afghan military, who is better trained, better equipped and more competent in terms of conducting war.” In the end, the taliban basically walked into Kabul—and the Presidential palace—on Sunday. third, America’s standing abroad is profoundly weakened, symbolized by the u.S. Embassy’s lowering the Stars and Stripes for the final time on Sunday. Smoke was seen rising from the grounds of the Embassy— which cost almost eight hundred million dollars to expand just five years ago—as matériel was burned in the rush to exit. Washington will have a hard time mobilizing its allies to act in concert again—whether for the kind of broad and unified alliance, one of the largest in world history, that formed in Afghanistan after 9/11, or for the type of meagre cobbled-together “coalition of the willing” for the war in Iraq. the united States is still the dominant power in the West, but largely by default. there aren’t many other powers or leaders offering alternatives.

It’s hard to see how the united States salvages its reputation or position anytime soon.

America’s great Retreat is at least as humiliating as the Soviet union’s withdrawal in 1989, an event that contributed to the end of its empire and Communist rule. the united States was in Afghanistan twice as long and spent far more. the Soviet union is estimated to have spent about fifty billion dollars during the first seven of its ten years occupying the mountainous country. yes, the united States fostered the birth of a rich civil society, the education of girls, and an independent media. It facilitated democratic elec-

tions more than once and witnessed the transfer of power. thirty-seven per cent of Afghan girls are now able to read, according to human Rights Watch. the tolo channel hosted eighteen seasons of “Afghan Star,” a singing competition much like “American Idol.” Zahra Elham, a twentysomething member of Afghanistan’s hazara minority, became the first woman to win, in 2019. But untold numbers of the Afghans encouraged by the united States are desperately searching for ways out of the country as the taliban move in. Women have pulled out their blue burqas again. And the enduring imagery of the Americans flying out on their helicopters will be no different than Soviet troops marching across the Friendship Bridge from Afghanistan to the then Soviet union on February 15, 1989. Both of the big powers withdrew as losers, with their tails between their legs, leaving behind chaos.

For the united States, the costs do not end with its withdrawal from either Afghanistan or Iraq. It could cost another two trillion dollars just to pay for the health care and disability of veterans from those wars. And those costs may not peak until 2048. America’s longest war will be a lot longer than anyone anticipated two decades ago—or even as it ends. In all, forty-seven thousand civilians have died, according to Brown university’s Costs of War Project.

More than twenty-four hundred were u.S. military personnel, and almost four thousand were u.S. contractors.

I first went to Afghanistan in 1999, during the original taliban rule. I drove through the breathtaking Khyber Pass from Pakistan, past the fortified estates of the drug lords along the border, on the rutted, axle-destroying roads to Kabul. the images of the taliban’s repressive rule—little kids working on the streets of Afghan towns to support widowed mothers not allowed in public, checkpoints festooned with confiscated audio and video tapes—are indelible. I went back with Secretary of State Colin Powell on his first trip after the fall of the taliban. there was hope then of something different, even as the prospect of it often seemed elusive, and the idea sullied by the country’s corrupt new rulers. I’ve been back several times since, including in March with general Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie, Jr., the head of Central Command, who is now overseeing the final u.S. military operations. on Sunday, as America erased its presence in Afghanistan in a race to get out, I wondered: Was it all for naught? What other consequences will America face from its failed campaign in Afghanistan decades from now? We barely know the answers.

Robin Wright, a contributing writer and columnist, has written for The New Yorker since 1988.

Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, the Islamic State: western intervention is a catalogue of failure THIS WEEK’S VICTORY BY THE TALIBAN IN AFGHANISTAN NOW STANDS AS AN INSPIRATION TO MILITANTS AROUND THE WORLD

Guardian

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Paul RogeRs

lthough the anti-war mood deepened in the uK in 2002, as President george W Bush moved to terminate the regime in Iraq, there had already been some unease the previous october, before the Afghan war started. one policy paper, which I coauthored, even argued against it, pointing to an inevitable escalation and the risk of neverending war. But for the most part the defence establishment offered support.

In the event, the taliban fell in a matter of weeks and Bush could announce, in his 2002 state of the union address, an expanded war against an “axis of evil”, with Iraq first in the sights. Even by mid-2002 the uS, uK and others had moved on from Afghanistan, leaving a dangerous security vacuum, which

was filled by a returning taliban, across many rural districts, ultimately setting in motion the events that culminated in the past few days. the entire war is now seen as a terrible failure but its real significance is that it was just the first of four failed wars. the second was the eight-year Iraq war, from 2003 to 2011, which ended with obama withdrawing uS forces. the consequences were dire, with 288,000 deaths, most of them civilians, hundreds of thousands injured, and millions displaced.

Also in 2011 was a third failed war, the Franco-British operation to aid the overthrow of Muammar gaddafi in libya. this six-month air assault was backed by the uS and Italy and ended with gaddafi’s lynching. the expectation had been a quick transition to a pro-western oil-rich state, which would also be a ready market for western armaments companies. Instead, there has been a decade of instability and deep insecurity, with libya turning into a conduit for arms through to the multiple jihadist groups across the Sahel.

Even as that was taking shape, Isis was developing in Iraq and Syria, which led on to the fourth failed war: the 2014-18 air assault on Isis led by the uS, with the uK, France and other Nato partners all too ready

participants.

Isis had arisen out of the supposed ashes of al-Qaida in Iraq after the uS withdrawal in 2011 and spread with remarkable speed to form a “caliphate” of six million people across Syria and Iraq, and even seemed ready to threaten Baghdad. the western response, with some regional support, was a classic example of the new trend towards remote warfare. “Boots on the ground” had clearly failed in Iraq and Afghanistan so war was now fought with strike aircraft, standoff weapons, armed drones, selective use of special forces and, in the case of Isis, heavy reliance on the Kurds and Iranian-backed Iraqi militias.

By the end of 2018, all the Isis caliphate territories had been cleared and this war at least seemed to have been a success. But that now looks hollow, with conflict and instability right across the Sahel and beyond, from Mauritania, through Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Chad and on to Somalia, Mozambique and the DRC. there are Isis/alQaida offshoots in libya, Egypt, Indonesia, thailand and the Philippines, as many as 10,000 paramilitaries remain in Iraq and Syria; both Isis and al-Qaida have ongoing links in Afghanistan. last year the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies esti-

mated that there were about 230,000 Islamist paramilitaries in nearly 70 countries, a fourfold increase on 2001. Whatever happens in Afghanistan, the very creation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will be a huge boost to a worldwide movement.

It is by no means certain that the developing taliban regime in Afghanistan will allow transnational Islamist movements to thrive and plan attacks overseas. that may have been the situation in 1998-2001, but the taliban then had been fighting a costly civil war against the Northern Alliance warlords, was dependent on outside help from the likes of Bin laden and al-Qaida, and was more prepared to allow them to “go foreign” in return.

It is possible that a more politically sophisticated taliban could emerge from its victory, eschewing that opportunity. It may, as well, have in mind its potential international legitimacy. three weeks ago China played host to a senior taliban delegation for several days of high-level talks, with each side having much to gain.

For the taliban, the opening up of the border with China at the end of the Wakhan Corridor and Chinese money being ploughed into development would be highly desirable, as would tacit political recognition by China.

In turn, China would be able to tap into

Afghanistan’s vast mineral resources, would gain new trade routes and would demand that the taliban restrain the uyghur paramilitaries currently in their ranks. the Isis/al-Qaida ideology represents a tiny fraction of the opinion of Muslims across the world, but its survival and probable growth will readily be seen as a threat by the western military-industrial complex, with military operations the primary response. this is already being seen with uS, French and British operations across the Sahel that make use of armed drones and special forces at the forefront of operations.

Whatever the long-term impact, two things can be said for certain about the taliban success. one is that human rights will be set back grievously in Afghanistan. the other is that across the Middle East and much of Africa and Asia, wherever there is anger and resentment with the uS, the uK and other western elites, this week’s victory – capping two decades of failed interventions – will be seen by militants as a marker and sometimes an inspiration for a different future.

Paul Rogers is emeritus professor of peace studies at Bradford University, and the author of Losing Control: Global Security in the Twenty-first Century.

Wednesday, 18 August, 2021

BUSINESS 09

ISLAMABAD corporate corner NSCW revived under new chairwoman after two years

TaLIbaN TakES ovEr borDEr CroSSINGS WITh PakISTaN, aLLoWS CarGo TruCkS To CroSS ISLAMABAD

iSlamabad: The NCSW held its 69th Board Meeting on August 12 in Islamabad under its newly appointed chairperson, Nilofar Bakhtiar. This was the first board meeting of the 7th commission of NCSW. The agenda of the meeting focused on developing strategic vision of the commission including thematic areas; priority areas, briefing by the members of the commission on their respective provinces to have detailed discussion and indepth analysis of the prevailing situation of women. The meeting also focused on the reconstitution of the commission committees such as the executive committee, law and research committee, as per mandate of this commission under the NCSW Act, 2012. All members showed satisfaction with the commission vision and mission to work with full zeal and zest to promote objectives of the commission. Press release

Easypaisa reaffirms commitment to cashless Pakistan on Independence Day

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aPP

S the Taliban blitzkrieg towards Kabul headed towards its conclusion, the border crossings of Afghanistan with neighbouring countries also fell into their control, and local commanders took over the administrative affairs with the Taliban now managing all border affairs.

The change of hands at the borders came as reports of Ashraf Ghani fleeing via a chartered flight came from Kabul. High Council Head for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah in a video on his Facebook page made the announcement. An Interior Ministry official said that Ghani had left for Tajikistan.

On Sunday, Pakistan, which had replaced paramilitary forces along the border with regular army troops immediately closed the Torkham border after Taliban officials took over the control of the largest crossing with Pakistan after the fall of Jalalabad.

The Nangarhar governor handed over control to the Taliban on the assurance that no government property would be damaged.

Videos on Twitter showed armed Taliban arriving

BEIJING

PTCL Groups celebrates 75th Independence Day with national zeal, fervor

in 4×4 pickups with white 'Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan' flags on the Afghan side. The tricolour flags replaced the IEA flag.

Torkham is the largest crossing with Afghanistan, after Chamman, which witnesses heavy cargo traffic and people. However the takeover, keeping in view thousands of stranded people and cargo trucks on either side of the border, the authorities negotiated a mutually agreed opening schedule according to which trucks laden with fruits and vegetables were allowed to cross.

According to Sumaira Khan, a Pakistani journalist who witnessed the reopening of Torkham, the situation on ground seemed calm.

Meanwhile, traders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) said that after the Taliban took control of

Chinese ports choke over China’s ‘zero tolerance’ Covid-19 policy aGeNCIes

Karachi: Easypaisa celebrated Independence Day by reaffirming its commitment towards the growth and prosperity of the nation by driving financial inclusion. A flag hoisting ceremony was held at the organization’s office in Islamabad with colleagues joining in from across the country. At the event, Pakistan’s flag was raised by Telenor Microfinance Bank /Easypaisa CEO Mudassar Aqil in presence of the bank’s leadership team. Press release

TRADERS FORESEE HUGE LOSSES DUE TO AFGHAN CURRENCY DEVALUATION, LOOTING RISKS ON OTHER SIDE

Several Chinese ports are facing congestions as vessels due to call at Ningbo get diverted and cargo processing slows partly due to stricter disinfection measures called for by China’s “zero-tolerance” coronavirus policy.

On Tuesday, more than 50 container vessels were queuing at Ningbo port, China’s second largest marine centre, Refinitiv data showed, up from 28 on Aug. 10 when a COVID-19 case was reported at one of its terminals.

China’s economy is losing momentum as a result of new coronavirus restrictions and the global supply chains face further strains with the curbs adding to queues at major Chinese transportation hubs, already stretched by a resurgence of consumer spending, shortage of container ships and logjams at ports.

China’s Ministry of Transportation has ordered all ports to have special teams to deal with foreign vessels and required their crews to have health certificates or negative tests before allowing them to load and discharge cargos.

Ports also have their own rules, with

some applying additional precautions to vessels that stopped at ports in high-risk regions, such as India, Laos or Russia, in the past 21 days.

“China’s zero tolerance policy is good for the pandemic but bad for the supply chain,” said Dawn Tiura, chief executive officer of Sourcing Industry Group, a U.S.-based association for the sourcing and procurement industry. “This timing is very tough considering the uptick in back-to-school and return-to-work shopping in addition to the upcoming holiday shopping season.”

Ningbo Zhoushan Port Co said in a statement late on Monday its handling volume has resumed to about 90% of its average daily level in July, following efforts to mitigate the impact of the shutdown of a terminal, which accounts for about 20% of Ningbo’s container handling capacity, after a COVID-19 case was detected there last week.

Vessels scheduled to call at the terminal are being re-routed to the nearby ports. Shanghai port witnessed 34 vessels waiting at anchorage, compared to 27 on Aug. 10, while the number of vessels waiting at Xiamen port -700 km south of Ningbo – rose to 18 on Tuesday from four early last week.

Friesland Campina Engro Pakistan Ltd. inaugurates helpline for dairy farmers

iSlamabad: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) and Ufone celebrated the 75th Independence Day of Pakistan across the country with national zeal and fervor. To mark the day in a memorable way, the group organised a week-long employee engagement program, featuring fun-filled activities for staff and their families under Covid-19 SOPs at its HQ, along with regional offices across Pakistan.

PTCL and Ufone Group Chief Human Resource (HR) Officer, Syed Mazhar Hussain, along with senior executives of the group attended the graceful ceremony at PTCL headquarters in Islamabad. The group CHRO hoisted the national flag and joined the cake cutting ceremony to mark the event at PTCL HQ. Furthermore, the grand colorful illumination, done at both PTCL and Ufone Headquarter buildings caught special attention of the public in the Federal Capital.

PTCL also launched a TVC with tagline ‘Pooray Pakistan Ko Joray Sirf Aik Connection – PTCL’ that pays tribute to the inspiring people, pristine culture and majestic landscapes of Pakistan, and passion for independence that unites the nation. Press release

Karachi /Sahiwal: FrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan Limited (FCEPL) recently inaugurated a helpline for farmers at its Sahiwal plant, to facilitate dairy farmers and provide them with a touch point for answering queries pertaining to dairy related matters. The Farmer Helpline (03041111804) developed in this regard will be operational from Monday to Friday, from noon till 2 p.m. It will be managed by dairy experts available to guide existing and potential dairy farmers in pursuit of business excellence. While inaugurating the helpline, the Chief Guest, Ali Bahadur Qazi - Commissioner Sahiwal Division said, “Pakistan is the fourth largest milk producer in the world. There is an utmost need for an ever-increasing number of dairy farmers to be educated in terms following the industry’s SOPs and being able to maximum yield so that the dairy sector’s contribution to the economy is enhanced. As a result of this, we will eventually be able to export our dairy produce and bolster the national exchequer. FrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan Ltd.’s state-of-the-art plants have not just been able to cater to the consumers, but the company’s value system focuses on nurturing its relationship with farmers as well which has been extended in the form of this helpline. We are certain that more farmers will be inducted in a formal dairy net across the country which will have a significant impact on the economy at large.” “This helpline has been established considering the need of our dairy farmers. It is now operational on a national level with experts well-versed in local languages other than Urdu, to guide them,” said Sohail Sarwar – Head of Agri Business.

The company brings 150 years of world class dairy knowledge that its dedicated team of professionals is facilitating the dairy farmers with, especially those who are unable to commute and don’t have access to the right expertise and training; the ‘Farmer Helpline’ has thus been launched keeping these factors in mind. Press release

Afghanistan, exporters on both sides of the Durand Line are facing a loss of billions of rupees.

Sarhad Chambar of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) former senior vice president, Shahid Hussain, said that Pakistan-Afghan trade is already on its lowest level and now trading goods are lying in warehouses due to the dubious situation.

He added that there is fear of uncertainty as exporters cannot to take risks of looting as there is no rule of law on the other side at present. “Until the new Cabinet of the Taliban or the interim government arrives, businessmen will never take the risk of sinking their capital,” Hussain said.

It is pertinent to mention here that rates of Afghani currency has also fallen to a record low level. Money exchanger shops in Peshawar's Chowk Yadgar and Quetta's Kandahari Bazaar have stopped buying and selling of the Afghan currency. Money exchangers say that a week ago, the Afghan currency maintained its position but during the last one week, the currency has fallen by 25 per cent due to which no one is ready to purchase it.

Since the buying and selling of Afghan currency has stopped, it is also causing huge losses to the traders.

Additional reporting by AZIZ BUNERI

Sunridge Taqatwar Pakistan - a promise to eradicate malnutrition in Pakistan

Karachi: Unity Foods is proud to initiate one of Pakistan’s biggest campaigns to fight malnutrition. Pakistan has over 1.5 crore malnourished children - one of the highest numbers in the world. Malnourishment leads to stunting, wasting and undernourishment in children under the age of 5. Children who suffer from malnourishment don’t get the chance to develop to their full physical and mental potential. This Independence Day, Sunridge Foods took the brave step to fight malnutrition in Pakistan.

Sunridge Foods produces fortified whole wheat products that are packed with iron, zinc, vitamin b12 and folic acid.

These nutrients help improve blood circulation, strengthen the immune system, make bones stronger and give you strength. The products are manufactured at their PESA Mill with zero human contact, making the products safe, hygienic and consistent in quality. Sunridge Foods has pledged to donate the same fortified atta to malnourished children so they too can lead a healthy life and achieve all their dreams. Sunridge will donate 1kg fortified atta per post to feed malnourished children. Press release

Indus Motor initiates drive to collect strewn flags postindependence day celebrations

Karachi: Following August 14 celebrations, Indus Motor Company (IMC) with its team of volunteers, organised an activity to collect national flags littered around Karachi under the slogan “Respect Our Nation’s Pride” The Independence Day is celebrated with a lot of energy and enthusiasm across the country; however, flags which earlier were fluttering high above ground, are eventually found either hanging torn or strewn at ground level and carelessly trampled under-foot, an insult to our national pride. To mitigate the desecration, a team of IMC employees under the company’s Employee Volunteering Programme, set out on the morning of August 15, to gather strewn flags and buntings around the city, travelling along pre-determined routes. This is the fourth running year that Indus Motor has been carrying out this activity. Mindful of the company’s safety first policy, the team engaged in the activity strictly following safety protocols against protection of the on-going Covid-19 pandemic. Press release

Wednesday, 18 August, 2021

10 FOREIGN NEWS

ISLAMABAD

Heavy rains lasH Haiti quake survivors, Hitting relief efforts LES CAYES

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REUTERS

he search for survivors of a weekend earthquake that killed more than 1,400 people on haiti resumed on Tuesday after an overnight storm battered thousands left homeless with heavy rain before the weather front moved on.

The quake brought down tens of thousands of buildings in the poorest country in the Americas, which is still recovering from a temblor 11 years ago that killed over 200,000 people, and flooding caused by the storm has complicated rescue efforts.

By Tuesday morning, only a light rain was falling over Les Cayes, the southern coastal city that bore the brunt of the 7.2 magnitude quake after Tropical Storm Grace had dumped torrential rains and caused flooding in at least one region.

At a tent city in Les Cayes containing many children and babies, over a hundred people scrambled to repair makeshift coverings made of wooden poles and tarps that were destroyed by Grace overnight. Some took cover under plastic sheets.

Mathieu Jameson, deputy head

of the committee formed by the tent city residents, said hundreds of people there were in urgent need of food shelter and medical care.

"We don't have a doctor. We don't have food. every morning more people are arriving. We have no bathroom, no place to sleep. We need food, we need more umbrellas," said Jameson, adding the tent city was still waiting for government aid. haiti's latest natural disaster comes just over a month after haiti was plunged into political turmoil by the assassination of President JovenelMoise on July 7.

Several major hospitals were severely damaged, hampering humanitarian efforts, as were the focal points of many shattered communities, such as churches and schools. haitian authorities said on Monday that 1,419 deaths had been confirmed, with some 6,900 people injured.

As hopes began to dim of finding significant numbers of survivors among the wreckage, the storm impeded rescuers in the seaside city of Les Cayes, about 150 km (90 miles) west of the capital Port-au-Prince, which bore the brunt of the quake.

By early morning, Grace, which had been forecast to dump up to 15

inches (38 cm) of rain on parts of the country, had moved past haiti and was advancing on the coast of Jamaica, according to the US National hurricane Centre.

Rescue workers were digging alongside residents through the rubble on Monday evening in a bid to reach bodies, though few voiced hope of finding anyone alive. A smell of dust and decomposing bodies permeated the air.

"We came from all over to help: from the north, from Port-au Prince, from everywhere," said Maria Fleurant, a firefighter from northern haiti. emergency workers pulled a blood-stained pillow from the rubble, followed by the corpse of a three-year-old boy who appeared to have died in his sleep during the earthquake.

Shortly after, as the rain intensified, the workers left.

RISING TOLL: With about 37,312 houses destroyed by the quake, according to haitian authorities, and many of those still unexcavated, the death toll is expected to rise.

Vital Jaenkendy, who watched as a bulldozer shifted rubble from his collapsed apartment building, said eight residents had died and four were missing.

China holds assault drills near Taiwan after 'provocations'

Jaenkendy and others have been sleeping under a tarpaulin on a dirt road nearby, and were hunkering down for the rains.

"When the storm comes, we'll take shelter in car ports of the houses nearby, just until it passes, and then we'll return to our place in the road," he said.

Doctors battled in makeshift tents outside hospitals to save the

lives of hundreds of injured, including young children and the elderly.

Prime Minister Ariel henry, who was sworn in less then a month ago after Moise's assassination, vowed to disburse humanitarian aid better than in the wake of the 2010 quake.

Though billions of dollars in aid money poured into haiti after that quake and hurricane Matthew in 2016, many haitians say they

Taliban's Afghanistan takeover presents fresh challenge for social media companies REUTERS

BEIJING REUTERS

China carried out assault drills near Taiwan on Tuesday, with warships and fighter jets exercising off the southwest and southeast of the island in what the country's armed forces said was a response to "external interference" and "provocations".

Taiwan, which Beijing claims as Chinese territory, has complained of repeated People's Liberation Army (PLA) drills in its vicinity in the past two years or so, part of a pressure campaign to force the island to accept China's sovereignty.

In a brief statement, the PLA's eastern Theatre Command said warships, anti-submarine aircraft and fighter jets had been dispatched close to Taiwan to carry out "joint fire assault and other drills using actual troops".

It did not give details.

A senior official familiar with Taiwan's security planning told Reuters that China's air force had carried out a "capturing air supremacy" drill, using their advanced J16 fighters.

"In addition to seeking air supremacy over Taiwan, they have also been conducting frequent electronic reconnaissance and electronic interference operations," the person said.

Taiwan believes China is trying to gather electronic signals from US and Japanese aircraft so that they can "paralyse reinforcing aircraft including F-35s in a war", the source said, referring to the US-operated stealth fighter.

Taiwan's Defence Ministry said 11 Chinese aircraft entered its air defence zone, including two nuclear-capable h-6K bombers and six J-16 fighters, and that it had scrambled jets to warn China's planes away.

While the Chinese statement gave no exact location

for the drills, Taiwan's Defence Ministry said the aircraft flew in an area between mainland Taiwan and the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands at the top part of the South China Sea. Some of the aircraft also briefly entered the strategic Bashi Channel off southern Taiwan that leads to the Pacific, according to a map provided by the ministry.

"The nation's military has a full grasp and has made a full assessment of the situation in the Taiwan Strait region, as well as related developments at sea and in the air, and is prepared for various responses," it added.

The PLA statement noted that recently, the United States and Taiwan have "repeatedly colluded in provocation and sent serious wrong signals, severely infringing upon China's sovereignty, and severely undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait".

"This exercise is a necessary action based on the current security situation across the Taiwan Strait and the need to safeguard national sovereignty. It is a solemn response to external interference and provocations by Taiwan independence forces."

It was not immediately clear what set off the flurry of Chinese military activity, though earlier this month, the United States approved a new arms sale package to Taiwan, an artillery system valued at up to $750 million.

China believes Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen is a separatist bent on a formal declaration of independence, a red line for Beijing. Tsai said Taiwan is already an independent country called the Republic of China, its formal name.

Washington has expressed its concern about China's pattern of intimidation in the region, including towards Taiwan, reiterating that US commitment to Taiwan is "rock solid".

China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.

saw scant benefits from the uncoordinated efforts: government bodies remained weak, amid persistent shortages of food and basic goods.

"The earthquake is a great misfortune that happens to us in the middle of the hurricane season," henry told reporters, adding that the government would not repeat "the same things" done in 2010.

The Taliban's rapid takeover of Afghanistan poses a new challenge for big US tech companies on handling content created by a group considered to be terrorists by some world governments.

Social media giant Facebook confirmed on Monday that it designates the Taliban a terrorist group and bans it and content supporting it from its platforms.

But Taliban members have reportedly continued to use Facebook's end-to-end encrypted messaging service WhatsApp to communicate directly with Afghanis despite the company prohibiting it under rules against dangerous organisations.

A Facebook Inc spokesperson said the company was closely monitoring the situation in the country and that WhatsApp would take action on any accounts found to be linked with sanctioned organizations in Afghanistan, which could include account removal.

On Twitter Inc, Taliban spokesmen with hundreds of thousands of followers have tweeted updates during the country's takeover.

Asked about the Taliban's use of the platform, the company pointed to its policies against violent organizations and hateful conduct but did not answer Reuters’ questions about how it makes its classifications. Twitter's rules say it does not allow groups who promote terrorism or violence against civilians.

The Taliban's return has raised fears it will crack down on freedom of speech and human rights, especially women's rights, and that the country could become a haven once again for global terrorism.

Taliban officials have issued statements saying they want peaceful international relations and have promised to protect Afghans.

Major social media firms this year made highprofile decisions on handling sitting world leaders and groups in power.

These include controversial blocks of former US President Donald Trump for inciting violence around the January 6 Capitol riot and bans on Myanmar's military amid a coup in the country.

Facebook, which was long criticized for failing to combat hate speech in Myanmar, said the coup escalated risks of offline harm and its history of human rights violations contributed to the ban on the ruling military or Tatmadaw.

The companies, which have come under fire from global lawmakers and regulators for their outsized political and economic influence, often depend on state designations or official international recognitions to determine who is allowed on their sites.

These also help determine who might be verified, allowed official state accounts or may receive

special treatment for rule-breaking speech due to newsworthiness or public interest loopholes. however, the differences among the tech companies' stances suggest the approach is not uniform.

Alphabet Inc's YouTube, asked whether it has a ban or restrictions on the Taliban, declined to comment but said the video-sharing service relies on governments to define "Foreign Terrorist Organizations" (FTO) to guide the site's enforcement of its rules against violent criminal groups.

YouTube pointed to the US State Department's list of FTO's of which the Taliban is not a member.

The US instead classifies the Taliban as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist," which freezes the US assets of those blacklisted and bars Americans from working with them.

Complicating matters further, though most countries show little sign they will recognize the group diplomatically, the Taliban's position on the world stage may yet shift as they cement control.

"The Taliban is somewhat an accepted player at an international relations level," said Mohammed Sinan Siyech, a researcher on security in South Asia and doctoral candidate at the University of edinburgh, pointing to talks China and the United States have held with the group.

"If that recognition comes in, then for a company like Twitter or Facebook to make a subjective decision that this group is bad and we will not host them poses complications."

Wednesday, 18 August, 2021

SPORTS 11

ISLAMABAD

ICC announCes sChedule of T20 World Cup 2021 DUBAI

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APP

HE International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday announced the schedule of the Men's T20 World Cup 2021. The marquee tournament will get underway in UAE and Oman from October 17, with the final to be played in Dubai on November 14.

Oman will take on Papua New Guinea in the opening match of the event at the Oman Cricket Academy Ground on October 17 while the Super 12 stage will commence with a fixture between Australia and South Africa at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

The complete schedule announced by the ICC confirmed that the highly anticipated match between former champions India and Pakistan will take place on October 24 at the Dubai International Stadium while Ashes rivals England and Australia will play at the same venue six days later.

West Indies, the only side to win the tournament twice, will also feature on the opening day of the Super 12s as they will kick off their defence of the title in Dubai against England.

Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Ireland, Namibia, Netherlands Oman, PNG and Scotland will feature in Round 1 of the 16team tournament.

The top two teams from each group of Round 1 will make it to the Super 12s.

Abu Dhabi will be the venue of the first semi-final on November 10 while the other semi-final (November 11) and the final (November 14) will be played in Dubai. All day matches are scheduled for 14h00 local time and the day-night matches are slated for 18h00 local time.

West Indies captain Kieron Pollard said, “We are excited to begin defence of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title later this year. T20 cricket is dynamic and the international scene is highly competitive with players constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation and we are expecting a spec-

tacular event in the United Arab Emirates and Oman.”

“We have a particularly interesting Super 12 group, which sees us come up against Australia, England and South Africa. We can’t wait to get started! West Indian cricketers have always played an exciting brand of cricket and I am sure our fans in the Caribbean and all over the world are highly anticipating seeing us in action.”

Pakistan captain Babar Azam said, “The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 schedule announcement brings us one step forward in our preparations for this muchawaited global tournament. We will utilise the build-up period by playing in home series against New Zealand and England and will not only aim to fine-tune our final outlook but also win as many matches as possible so that we can carry that winning form and momentum to the

United Arab Emirates.”

“For Pakistan, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 is like a home event as the UAE has been our venue for more than a decade. We have not only nurtured our talent and developed our side in the UAE but have also beaten the top sides in these conditions to peak to number-one in the ICC T20I Team Rankings. All the players are excited, motivated and enthusiastic and view this tournament as an opportunity to showcase our prowess and re-establish our superiority in the shortest format of the game in conditions that suit us best.”

“From a personal point of view, this will be my first ICC major event as Pakistan captain. I tasted success in 2017 and suffered disappointment in 2019 when we missed out on a semi-final spot by a fraction of a point despite beating both the finalists in league matches. I remain focused

in inspiring my side with my performances so that we can become the first Pakistan side to win an ICC major event in Asia,” he further said.

England captain Eoin Morgan said, “The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is going to be brilliant. The standard of T20 cricket around the world is improving exponentially and every nation has a chance of becoming world champions. It should be one of the closest and most competitive world tournaments to date and we can’t wait to get started.”

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, “After so much disruption to world sport due to the pandemic it feels like there’s a lot of excitement about this T20 World Cup. It’s always a highly competitive event with every team possessing match-winners who can turn games quickly. I think we’ve got a pretty well-balanced side with a good mix of

exciting new talent and some experience.”

ROUND 1: 17 Oct: Oman v Papua New Guinea (Muscat); Bangladesh v Scotland (Muscat) 18 Oct: Ireland v Netherlands (Abu Dhabi); Sri Lanka v Namibia (Abu Dhabi) 19 Oct: Scotland v PNG (Muscat); Oman v Bangladesh (Muscat) 20 Oct: Namibia v Netherlands (Abu Dhabi); Sri Lanka v Ireland (Abu Dhabi) 21 Oct: Bangladesh v Papua New Guinea (Muscat); Oman v Scotland (Muscat) 22 Oct: Namibia v Ireland (Sharjah); Sri Lanka v Netherlands (Sharjah) SUPER 12S: 23 Oct: Australia v South Africa (Abu Dhabi); England v West Indies (Dubai) 24 Oct: A1 v B2 (Sharjah); India v Pakistan (Dubai) 25 Oct: Afghanistan v B1 (Sharjah) 26 Oct: South Africa v West Indies (Dubai); Pakistan v New Zealand (Sharjah) 27 Oct: England v B2 (Abu Dhabi); B1 v A2 (Abu Dhabi) 28 Oct: Australia v A1 (Dubai) 29 Oct: West Indies v B2 (Sharjah); Pakistan v Afghanistan (Dubai) 30 Oct: South Africa v A1 (Sharjah); Australia v England (Dubai) 31 Oct: Afghanistan v A2 (Abu Dhabi); India v New Zealand (Dubai) 1 Nov: England v A1 (Sharjah) 2 Nov: South Africa v B2 (Abu Dhabi); Pakistan v A2 (Abu Dhabi) 3 Nov: New Zealand v B1 (Dubai); India v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) 4 Nov: Australia v B2 (Dubai); West Indies v A1 (Abu Dhabi) 5 Nov: New Zealand v A2 (Sharjah); India v B1 (Dubai) 6 Nov: Australia v West Indies (Abu Dhabi); England v South Africa (Sharjah) 7 Nov: New Zealand v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi): Pakistan v B1 (Sharjah) 8 Nov: India v A2 (Dubai) KNOCK-OUT STAGE: 10 Nov: Semi-final 1 (A1 v B2) (Abu Dhabi) 11 Nov: Semi-final 2 (B1 v A2) (Dubai) 14 Nov: Final (Dubai)

Chelsea’s Lukaku more Murray beats Gasquet in straight sets at Cincinnati Masters, Sinner and Fognini advance ‘complete’ after Inter spell LONDON

CINCINNATI AFP

Andy Murray returned to the ATP Tour on Monday after last competing at Wimbledon, reaching the second round of the Cincinnati Masters with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

The three-time Grand Slam champion, who owns two titles here and played the 2016 final, has been struggling over the summer with a groin strain.

Murray, with 15 aces among his 38 winners, was pleased with his effort.

“I thought I did well. I moved pretty well for my first singles match in a while on hard courts,” he said. “(I was) certainly, a little bit more confident in my movement than when I played him a couple of years ago (2019).

“He uses all the angles on the court really well and makes you move a lot. I served well (and) got a lot of free points on my serve.

“I thought I was taking control of the rallies when I had the opportunities so it was a good match.” Wild card Murray and Gasquet, a longtime rival whose 53rd ranking meant he had to qualify, first played 15 years ago.

The Scot, who reached the Wimbledon third round, leads their series 9-4. They last met in 2019 here.

Murray hammered 14 aces and broke three times in the win lasting just under two hours. After three games which lasted for a total of 20 minutes to start, Murray grabbed a 5-3 lead, which he lost a game later before rebreaking to win the first set 6-4.

Gasquet was broken in the final game of the match after saving a match point before Murray prevailed.

Also, birthday boy Jannik Sinner turned 20 on a rain-interrupted day and celebrated with a win.

The young gun was joined in the second round after a delayed start by 34-year-old Italian compatriot Fabio Fognini.

Sinner erased memories of a disheartening first-round loss a week ago in Toronto when he went down in his opening match to Australian qualifier James Duckworth.

The youngster, ranked 15th, came good in Cincinnati as he defeated Argentine Federico Delbonis 6-2, 7-5.

Fognini joined the party with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 win over NikolozBasilashvili of Georgia in a first-time meeting.

“I gave myself the best present possible,” Sinner said. “I played and won a match on my birthday at a big tournament.” Sinner later posted pictures on social media of himself and his team enjoying a celebratory pizza.

Argentine Diego Schwartzman turned 29 on the day, defeating British number one Dan Evans 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 after more than two hours.

The South American welcomed the return of full crowds at the event, saying they give him optimism amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Right now I’m happy. In the US where the tournaments are almost 100 per cent people and 100 per cent normal.”

South African Lloyd Harris earned a place in the second round against Tokyo Olympic

gold medallist Alexander Zverev as he beat Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3, 6-4 with the help of 11 aces.

Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime overcame his first-round loss a week ago at home to beat MartonFucsovics 7-6 (7/0), 6-3 in a match interrupted by the rain which plagued play all day.

Dominik Koepfer won an all-German first-rounder with his defeat of Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6 (7/2), 5-7, 6-3.

In the women’s draw at the joint event, Roland Garros finalist BarboraKrejcikova made a singles debut at the midwest venue as she defeated Russian Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 62. Czech 12th seed Petra Kvitova, a two-time semi-finalist, beat 2019 champion Madison Keys 7-5, 6-4,avenging a defeat by the American in January, 2020, in Brisbane.

Spain’s Paula Badosa saved five match points in two and three-quarter hours to get past Petra Martic 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (11/9) and next takes on third seed and Montreal semifinalist ArynaSabalenka. Swiss JilTeichmann stopped Romania’s SoranaCirstea with the loss of just two games.

AFP

Chelsea's RomeluLukaku said on Monday believes he is now a "complete" striker as the club's record signing settles back into life at Stamford Bridge.

Lukakurejoined Chelsea in a £98 million ($135 million) move from Inter Milan last week.

The 28-year-old was unavailable for Chelsea's 3-0 win against Crystal Palace in their Premier League opener on Saturday.

But Lukaku could make his debut in Sunday's trip to Arsenal and the Belgium forward plans to show how much he has developed since the last time he played for the Blues.

Almost 10 years after arriving in west London as an unknown teenager, Lukaku returns as one of the world's top strikers.

"I just feel more complete; I've tried to master all the facets that a striker needs and I just want to keep improving on the small details all the time and keep improving on my strengths as well," Lukaku told Chelsea's website.

"I just want to try to help the team win and be available for the manager as well as for my team-mates.

"I want to make sure that they feel comfortable and they can lean on me in whatever situation we're in.

"The two years in Italy helped me master all the facets of the game for a striker and now I'm ready."

Lukaku fired 27 goals and laid on 11 assists last term as Inter stormed to the Serie A title.

He also boasts vast Premier League experience after stints with West Brom, Everton and Manchester United.

Chelsea struggled for goals at times last season, but Lukaku is confident he

can fill any role required by boss Thomas Tuchel.

"The conversation was really clear from him, that he wants me to be a presence and a leader in the team," Lukaku said.

"If he wants me to be a focal point or if he wants me to attack the spaces in behind, I can do it.

"It's not like I'm a new player coming in and not quite knowing what to expect. I know the league, I've scored a fair amount of goals here but the past is the past and now we have to look forward.

"I'm a new version of that player from before. I've evolved and the team that I'm joining is a very strong team so now we just have to prove it on the pitch by challenging for the Premier League."

Lukaku also revealed he continues to lean on former Chelsea and Ivory Coast star Didier Drogba for advice.

"Our relationship means the world to me. It's not like we talk once a month, I talk to the guy every few days!"

Lukaku said.

"We have a group chat so we're constantly communicating and I've been on the phone with him a bit more in the past two weeks. "I had a lot of questions to ask and he still knows a lot of people here so he really prepared me well with the last details."

Wednesday, 18 August, 2021

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PAkIsTAn dePlores UnsC denIAl To Address CrUCIAl AfGhAnIsTAn meeTInG NEW YORK

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SLAMABAD denounced India after it, as president of the United Nations Security Council, again blocked Pakistan from participating in a crucial meeting on Afghanistan. Pakistan’s ambassador to the UN, Munir Akram, said Islamabad has a vital stake in the peace and stability of its war-torn neighbour where the Taliban have now taken control of the capital.

“It is most regrettable that Pakistan’s request to participate in the Security Council meeting was once again blocked by the Indian Presidency,” Akram told reporters after the conclusion of the council meeting, while also questioning the move to give the floor to a representative of Ashraf Ghani, former Afghanistan president who fled the country after the Taliban captured Kabul.

The Council, he said, has been denied an “important perspective and vital input that could be helpful in restoring peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region”, noting that Pakistan was also blocked from participating in the Council meeting on Afghanistan on August 6 as well.

“India’s partisan and obstructionist actions a manifestation of its hatred for Pakistan and its pique that its plan to continue the conflict in Afghanistan and thus continue to sponsor terrorism against Pakistan from Afghanistan’s territory is likely to be neutralised once peace is restored throughout Afghanistan.”

Pakistan was not surprised by India’s hostile attitude, he said.

“This confirms Pakistan’s long-held contention that India does not deserve to be a member of the Security Council, much less to aspire for a peaceful relationship of this body whose resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir it has defied and violated for decades and where its 900,000 occupation Army is committing massacre and human rights violations with impunity.”

In blocking Pakistan and other neighbours of Afghanistan from addressing the body, Ambassador

India evacuates 170 people from Afghanistan including ambassador

Akram said, there was “considerable pathos” as well as in the move to invite the representative of Ghani.

“Ambassador (Ghulam) Isaczai is an esteemed colleague; but the person who appointed him here recently, has fled Afghanistan to the calls of betrayal by some of his ministers and army chief,” the Pakistani envoy said.

“It is unclear, therefore, on whose behalf Ambassador Isaczai was speaking today,” he said, adding: “The assertions he advanced reflected the talking points of the ancient regime or his own personal views. They are not representative of the evolved realities in Afghanistan.”

If invited to speak, he said, Pakistan would have told the Security Council of its continuing its efforts to ensure a peaceful settlement and formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan.

Pointing out that a delegation of important Afghan leaders has met in Islamabad with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and other Pakistani officials, Ambassador Akram said: “They have agreed to engage with the Taliban to evolve an inclusive Afghan government. “We will work with them and the Taliban representatives to advance this objective — which is an important question for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan.”

Pakistan, he said, would have also informed the Council of the efforts Islamabad was making to facilitate the safe evacuation of diplomats, representatives of international organizations and others from Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s foreign secretary had briefed the diplomatic corps in Islamabad today that the Pakistan Embassy in Kabul will continue to facilitate visas for diplomats and international personnel, he added.

Wherever needed, arrangements will be made for issuing visas on arrival and a Facilitation Centre has been set up to ensure the expeditious processing of visas to ensure smooth and timely evacuation from Kabul, Akram recalled.

He told reporters that Pakistan had facilitated the evacuation of the Danish Embassy personnel, including its 421 Afghan employees.

Akram said Pakistan has called on the stakehold-

ers, including the Taliban, to ensure the preservation of law and order in Kabul and elsewhere.

“Our immediate priority should be aimed at maintenance of law and order; ensuring the safety and security of all Afghan civilians, especially women and children,” he said, stressing that fundamental human rights must be upheld, especially the right to education for all civilian property and infrastructure must be protected.

“There must be complete respect for human rights and international humanitarian law. We support the statement of the UN secretary general in this regard.

“The safety and security of the diplomatic community and premises, as well as United Nations personnel, humanitarian workers, and other international staff is paramount,” the envoy added.

Pakistan also called for urgently addressing the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, he said, should make an evaluation of the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people, and urged the UN chief to report as soon as possible on the humanitarian needs in Afghanistan.

“We call on all Afghan parties to ensure unhindered access to humanitarian aid across Afghanistan as well as to ensure the safety and security of the UN personnel and humanitarian workers.”

Apart from these immediate actions, Ambassador Akram said the international community should look ahead to other steps designed to promote durable peace and stability in Afghanistan.

“The infrastructure destroyed in this long conflict needs to be reconstructed; including the transport infrastructure which can enable Afghanistan to serve as a hub for regional trade and commerce,” he said.

“The international community also needs to engage with the new authorities in Afghanistan to eliminate the threat posed by the terrorist organizations which have used Afghanistan’s territory with the sponsorship of the intelligence agencies of certain countries, for attacks and sabotage against Afghanistan’s neighbours,” Ambassador Akram said.

“Pakistan will work actively to realize this vital objective.”

Evacuation flights resume at Kabul airport as Biden defends US withdrawal

KABUL: An Indian airforce plane evacuated over 170 people from Kabul on Tuesday, including India’s ambassador to Afghanistan, a government official said, as diplomats and civilians scrambled to get out of the country after the Taliban seized the capital. The flight landed in the western Indian city of Jamnagar for refuelling on the way to Delhi, Jamnagar collector Sourabh Pardhi told Reuters. Speaking to reporters, Ambassador Rudrendra Tandon said that nearly 200 personnel of the Indian mission in Afghanistan had been evacuated within three days, alongside Indian civilians working in the country. “You cannot imagine how great it is to be back home,” Tandon said. “We are back home safely, securely, without any accidents or harm to any of our people.” Tandon described the situation in Afghanistan as “fluid”, adding that a small number of Indian nationals remained in the country who authorities were attempting to bring back. Thousands of people desperate to flee Afghanistan thronged Kabul’s airport on Monday, after the Taliban fighters streamed into the capital unopposed, prompting the United States to pause evacuations. India, which has invested millions of dollars in development projects across Afghanistan, once operated four consulates in the country, besides the embassy in Kabul. The last operating consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif was shut down a week ago, days before Taliban insurgents took control of the northern city, where the Afghan army quickly surrendered.

KABUL ReuteRs

Military flights evacuating diplomats and civilians from Afghanistan restarted early on Tuesday after the runway at Kabul airport was cleared of thousands of people desperate to flee after the Taliban seized the capital.

The number of civilians at the airport had thinned out, a Western security official at the facility told Reuters, a day after chaotic scenes in which US police fired gunshots to disperse crowds and people clung to a US military transport plane as it taxied for take-off.

“Many people who were here yesterday have gone home,” the official said. Reuters witnesses, however, could still hear occasional shots coming from the direction of the airport, while streets elsewhere in Kabul appeared calm.

US forces took charge of the airport, the only remaining exit point from Afghanistan as the Taliban held control of all ground routes following their dramatic advances across the country during the past week, which climaxed on Sunday when the insurgents streamed triumphantly into Kabul, capturing the capital without a fight.

Flights were suspended flights for much of Monday, when at least five people were reportedly killed, although it was unclear whether they had been shot or crushed in a stampede. A US official told Reuters two gunmen who had appeared to have fired into the crowd were killed by US troops.

Against the scenes of panic and confusion in Kabul, US President Joe Biden defended his country’s decision to withdraw US forces after 20 years of

war – the nation’s longest – that he described as costing more than $1 trillion.

But the video on Monday of hundreds of desperate Afghans trying to clamber onto a US military plane as it was about to take-off could haunt the United States, just as a photograph in 1975 of people scrambling to get on a helicopter on the roof of the US embassy in Saigon became emblematic of the humiliating withdrawal from Vietnam.

The speed at which Afghan cities fell, in days rather than the months predicted by US intelligence, and fear of a Taliban crackdown on freedom of speech and human rights, especially women’s rights, have sparked criticism.

Biden insisted he had to decide between asking US forces to fight endlessly in what he called Afghanistan’s civil war or follow through on an agreement to depart negotiated by Republican former President Donald Trump.

“I stand squarely behind my decision,” Biden said. “After 20 years I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces.

That’s why we’re still there.”

Facing a barrage of criticism, from even his own diplomats, he blamed the Taliban’s takeover on Afghan political leaders who fled the country and the Afghan army’s unwillingness to fight.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the hasty pullout of US troops had a “serious negative impact,” China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported, adding that Wang pledged to work with Washington to promote stability.

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more than 40,000 war-wounded treated in Afghanistan since June: red Cross More than 40,000 people wounded during fighting in Afghanistan have been treated since June at health facilities supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), including 7,600 so far this month, the aid agency said on Tuesday. During the first 10 days of August, ICRC treated 4,042 wounded, meaning that more than 3,500 were treated in the past week alone as the Taliban captured large swathes of territory including the capital, Kabul, which fell to the insurgents without a fight. ICRC director-general Robert Mardini voiced relief that “devastating urban warfare” was avoided in Kabul when the Taliban fighters advanced into the city. “Our medical teams and physical rehabilitation centres expect to receive patients for months and years to come as they recover from wounds from explosive devices that litter the country, many of them newly laid in recent weeks,” he said in a statement. “It is heartbreaking to see our wards filled with children and young men and women who have lost limbs,” he added.

The ICRC, which has worked in Afghanistan since 1987, deploys some 1,800 national and international staff, including surgical teams, spokesman Florian Seriex said.

‘CIVILIAN CASUALTIES AT RECORD LEVEL’: On July 26, the United Nations had said in a statement that nearly 2,400 Afghan civilians were killed or injured in May and June as fighting between Taliban insurgents and Afghan security forces escalated, the highest number for those two months since records started in 2009. The UN’s Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) had said in a report it had documented 5,183 civilian casualties between January and June, of which 1,659 were deaths.

The number was up 47 per cent from the same period last year. The figures underscored the dire situation for Afghan civilians as intense fighting picked up in May and June after US President Joe Biden announced American troops would withdraw by September, bringing an end to 20 years of foreign military presence in the country.

India, Pakistan to meet in Group 2 opener at T20 World Cup DUBAI the AssociAted PRess

India will play Pakistan in the opening Group 2 match at the International Cricket Council’s T20 World Cup in October, a day after Australia takes on South Africa and the West Indies meet England in the first games of the Super 12 stage. The ICC on Tuesday released the full draw for both stages of the October 17-November 14 tournament which is being played in the United Arab Emirates and Oman after being shifted from India because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bangladesh and 2014 T20 World Cup champion Sri Lanka are among eight teams involved in the first stage, which will feature double-headers on six days at venues in Muscat, Oman, and Abu Dhabi and Sharjah in the UAE. The four leading teams in the first stage will advance to the Super 12 round, joining tournament host India and seven other automatic qualifiers. The Super 12 round will run from October 23 to November 8 and the top two teams in each group will advance to the semifinals to be played at Abu Dhabi on November 10 and at Dubai on November 11. Dubai will host the final on November 14. The defending champion West Indies are in Group 1 along with Australia, 2010 champion England and South Africa. India and Pakistan are joined

by New Zealand and Afghanistan in Group 2. West Indies T20 captain Kieron Pollard said his team was excited to begin the defense of the title after a year-long delay in the tournament. “We can’t wait to get started,” he said.

“West Indian cricketers have always played an exciting brand of cricket and I am sure our fans in the Caribbean and all over the world are highly anticipating seeing us in action.” Virat Kohli’s India squad will have a packed schedule leading into the tournament. India’s test squad is playing a series in England now and most players will return for the second half of the Indian Premier League, which is set to resume in the UAE next month after being suspended in May as coronavirus cases surged in India.

Fears abroad for fate of Hazara minority as Taliban take control SYDNEY ReuteRs

From his home in Sydney, Abdul Alizada is watching events unfold in Afghanistan, fearful for his many relatives still living there.

He has extra cause to be afraid. Alizada’s family belong to the Hazara, an ethnic minority who have for decades been targeted by militants, including the Taliban and Islamic State, for their ethnicity and religious beliefs.

Most of the Hazara are Shia Muslims, whom Sunni hardliners like the Taliban abhor, and the community has faced persecution and violence for decades, including

recent attacks on a maternity hospital and a girls’ school.

Alizada says the Hazara have been abandoned by the coalition forces as the Taliban have swept to power, and that his family in Afghanistan is terrified.

“There is no sleep in Kabul at all,” he told Reuters.

“They are scared … that every minute that ‘the Taliban could come to our home and ask for me’, or for the other members of the family or ask them for money or weapon.”

The Taliban’s rapid conquest of Afghanistan followed U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw American forces after 20 years of war that he said cost

more than $1 trillion.

The speed at which cities fell to the Taliban took the international community by surprise and the United States is being widely accused of mismanaging the withdrawal. read more The Taliban have been putting on a moderate face, vowing no retribution against opponents, respect for the rights of women, minorities and foreigners, and calling for people to go about their business. But many Afghans are sceptical and fear round-ups of old enemies and activists.

“As soon as they hear the word, Taliban, that they’re coming to Kabul, it was a complete shock for everyone,” Alizada said.

“Everybody was trying to find a place and they couldn’t hide in their own home and they couldn’t find any place to hide.”

Sitting on the patio of his home in Sydney, Alizada calls a relative in Afghanistan, who tells him the Taliban are entering people’s homes and seizing money, vehicles and weapons.

“They already start searching homes in Bamiyan, in Mazar-i-Sharif and in some part of Kabul,” the relative said, as relayed

by Alizada.

“If people got new cars, they get their cars. If they got any motorcycles, something like that, they take it. Also, they are asking if somebody got any weapon or something.

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

If they don’t have, they ask for money.”

Alizada is a Hazara community leader who came to Australia in 1999 seeking asylum. He became an Australian citizen in 2001 and now owns his own construction company.

Many Afghans fear the Taliban will return to past harsh practices. During their 1996-2001 rule, women could not work and punishments such as stoning, whipping and hanging were common.

“They are looking for people who were working in the last government, and also the active people who are politically or socially active, they are looking for them,” said the relative.