EpaperISB_21-11-10

Wednesday, 10 November, 2021 I 4 Rabi-us-Sani, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 132 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition

Fawad goes too Far in justiFying peace talks with ttp g

STATE OF PAKISTAN CANNOT FIGhT AN ‘INDEFINITE’ WAR WITh TTP: SAyS FAWAD

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WE WANT TO GIvE ChANCE TO ThOSE WhO EXPRESS ThEIR AllEGIANCE TO ThE COUNTRy’S CONSTITUTION, SAyS INFO MINISTER ISLAMABAD

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Agencies

NFORMATION and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday went too far in justifying the government’s dialogue with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), saying that the state of Pakistan cannot fight an ‘indefinite’ war with the banned outfit.

“The government wanted to give “its citizens a chance if they respect Constitution of Pakistan and its legal framework. Ultimately, the wars are fought in order to bring back peace. you have to conclude wars. So our point of view is that Pakistan must talk from the position of strength and we believe that after this change in Afghanistan [we are in position of strength] and even the authorities in Afghanistan want us to negotiate and make a deal with TTP,” Fawad said while

addressing a press conference following a federal cabinet meeting here.

“States do not fight a perpetual war.

We want to give chance to those who express their allegiance to the Constitution of Pakistan and respect Pakistan’s legal framework.”

Information Minister said that the government of Pakistan believed that the authorities in Afghanistan wanted peace in Pakistan. he said that the ongoing talks with the TTP would be under the purview of the Constitution of Pakistan, adding that all the groups that the government was engaged with would have to respect the Constitution.

“We believe that there are certain groups [in TTP]. There are ideologues, there are people who have legitimate grievances. There are people who took this course on compulsion but all of them are Pakistanis so the state of Pakistan wants to give its citizens a chance.

If all of them, some of them or part of them want to come back, then they have to express their allegiance to the Constitution of Pakistan. They undertake to respect the law of Pakistan then obviously we will give them a chance.”

Fawad said locals and those who were affected by the insurgency in the affected areas will be made part of the negotiation process. “20 years have passed [since the start of war]… an entirely new generation has formed and they are not responsible for the actions of their fathers, grandfathers or big brothers,” he added. he said that even the TTP issued a proclamation in which they announced a ceasefire yesterday.

‘PAKISTAN TO REcOGNISE AFGhAN GOVT AFTER REGIONAl cOuNTRIES’: Answering a question, the minister said that Pakistan wanted an inclusive government in Afghanistan.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

NEPRA notifies Rs2.52 per unit hike in power tariff ISLAMABAD AhmAd AhmAdAni

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Tuesday notified a Rs2.52 per unit hike in the price of power on account of fuel charges adjustment for September 2021.

According to a notification issued on Tuesday in this regard, the Central Power Purchasing Agency-Guarantee (CPPA-G) had requested a positive FCA of Rs2.65 per unit.

The FCA for September 2021 will be charged with the bill of November 2021, which will be paid by all consumer categories of distribution companies, except for the lifeline consumers of all XWDISCOs except K-Electric whereas the increase will be charged from consumers in billing month of November.

According to sources, the most recent price hike will put a burden of Rs40 billion on consumers.

It may be mentioned here that actual

fuel charge for September was Rs7.5502/kWh while corresponding reference fuel charges were fixed at Rs5.0229/kWh and fuel price variation was Rs2.5272/kWh. The notification also said that the said adjustment shall be shown separately in the consumers’ bills on the basis of units billed in the month of September by DISCOs. In another development, the Power Division on Tuesday issued an official notification of the winter package for making electricity cheaper under a special package for the ongoing winter, starting from November 1 to February 28, 2022.

“The federal government is pleased to notify the Winter Incentive Package for the period of November 1, 2021, to February 28, 2022, in pursuance to NEPRA’s order dated November 3, 2021,” a notification in this regard said.

“The rate of Rs12.96/kWh shall be charged to domestic consumers (NonToU) on the incremental consumption, above monthly 300 units or above the

coronavirus in

pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

1,277,560

LAST UPDATED AT 9:44 AM ON NOVEMBER 9, 2021

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

11

400

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

1,226,157 28,558 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

472,213

441,257

KPK:

BALOCHISTAN:

178,687 AJK/GB:

33,345 ISLAMABAD:

34,495/10,394

107,169

reference consumption in the corresponding months of the reference period, whichever is greater,” it read.

According to NEPRA notification, the authority has no objection in approving the instant proposal regarding winter incentive package for residential, commercial and general services consumers of XWDlSCOs as proposed by the Ministry of Energy.

As per details, Rs12.96/kWh shall be charged from domestic consumers (ToU) and commercial consumers (ToU) on the respective peak and off-peak incremental consumption, above monthly 300 units or above the reference consumption in the corresponding months of reference period, whichever is greater.

“New and existing consumers having no reference consumption available in the period of November 2020 to February 2021 shall be offered the same package at the concessionary rate of Rs12.96/kWh through benchmark consumption methodology,” the notification read.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Govt suffers rare defeat as Opposition stands united in NA ISLAMABAD stAff report

The government were dealt a significant defeat on Tuesday during a session of the National Assembly when voting took place on a bill proposing that election candidates be prohibited from changing their symbols for a period of seven years.

The motion of the bill was presented by PMl-N’s Syed Javed hasnain.

Maleeka Bokhari of the Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI) argued that the Constitution guarantees every individual the right to be part of any party.

With the government opposing a constitutional amendment to bring about the new rule, which makes it incumbent upon a candidate to contest elections with the same symbol for seven years, the matter went to a vote.

The results of an initial voice vote, which Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri announced as going against the bill, were challenged by the Opposition after which voting took place again. The subsequent count revealed 117 in favour of the bill and 104 in opposition to it.

The bill was then sent by Suri to the relevant committee.

The Opposition was swift to

more inside

Pakistan to host interim Afghan FM along with the extended troika STORY ON BACK PAGE

China delivers largest, most advanced warship to Pakistan celebrate victory with both PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and PMl-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb issuing statements. “I congratulate the joint opposition for yet another defeat dealt to the government in the National Assembly,” he wrote on Twitter.

Aurangzeb, while speaking to the media in the parliament, said that the government was dealt a defeat in the National Assembly despite its preparation for today’s session.

“The prime minister called a session and even then he got 104 votes, whereas the Opposition secured 117,” she said.

The PMl-N spokesperson said that the Opposition stands ready for the joint parliament session, scheduled for November 10.

She said the Opposition would do its best to “stop” bills pertaining to the NAB ordinance and electoral reforms from passing. She said the NAB ordinance has been brought about “to give a [concession under] the NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance) to the flour and sugar thieves”.

“The voting machine is a black law,” she added, referring to electronic voting machines that the government seeks to have ready for use in the next elections. Aurangzeb said that the PTI is “well aware it will not even find people to issue tickets to for the next elections”.

“Whether the prime minister convenes a session, or screams or cries, his time is up now,” she concluded.

STORY ON PAGE 03

Shaukat Tarin says reports regarding PM Imran Khan planning to call IMF chief are ‘baseless’ STORY ON BACK PAGE

Tarin urges PSMA to start sugarcane production to help mitigate sugar shortage STORY ON PAGE 02

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Wednesday, 10 November, 2021 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

TARIn uRGeS PSMA To START SuGARCAne PRoduCTIon To HelP MITIGATe SuGAR SHoRTAGe ISLAMABAD

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Staff rePort

DVISER to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin has urged Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) to start the sugarcane production at the earliest to keep the demand and supply in balance.

He stated this while meeting with a delegation of Pakistan Sugar Mills Association headed by Chairman Chaudhry Zaka Ashraf at the Finance Division.

During the meeting, the PSMA delegation apprised that the sugar industry is facing many challenges and sought help from the government to address these issues.

The PSMA delegation further requested the government’s intervention for providing

relief and creating a friendly environment for the sugar industry.

Tarin highlighted that the government is mindful of challenges faced by the sugar industry and will fulfil its due role in this regard.

The advisor further assured the delegation that all their legitimate issues will be addressed by regular coordination and mutual cooperation between both the sides. He,

however, emphasized that providing essential items to the common man at a reasonable price is the focus of the present government and all out efforts are being made in this regard.

PSMA members expressed their full confidence in the leadership of Shaukat Tarin and assured their full support to ensure availability of sugar at affordable price to the common man.

Fiscal deficit narrows to 0.8pc of GDP in Q1FY22 ISLAMABAD

Similarly, the total expenditures in Q1FY22 were recorded Rs2.24 trillion with current expenditures at Rs1.96 trillion and development expenditure as well as net lending totaling Rs264.6 billion.

The markup payments were recorded Rs622 billion which include Rs571 billion domestic, Rs51 billion foreign, Rs261.6 billion defence affairs and services, Rs110.7 billion pension, Rs89 billion civil government expenses, Rs74 billion subsidies, and Rs169 billion grants. The report states that a statistical discrepancy of Rs14 billion was also observed in the period under review. Overall, the budget deficit was recorded Rs436 billion whereas the primary balance was Rs184 billion in surplus. Documents state that the total federal share in tax revenue was Rs1.397 trillion which included Rs481 billion direct taxes, Rs221 billion taxes on international trade, Rs624 billion sales tax, and Rs70

Shahzad Paracha

Ambassador of Federal Republic of Somalia calls on Air Chief ISLAMABAD Pr

Ambassador of Federal Republic of Somalia H.E. Mrs Khadija Mohamed Al Makhzoumi called on Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force in his office today. During the meeting, both the dignitaries discussed matters of professional and mutual interest. H.E. Mrs Khadija Mohamed Al Makhzoumi commended the professionalism of PAF and acknowledged its rising indigenous capacity in aviation industry. The Air Chief said that Pakistan and Somalia share common religious values and cultural bonds. The Air Chief highlighted that both the countries enjoy cordial relations and reiterated his resolve to further enhance the existing bilateral cooperation between the two air forces and brotherly countries.

Marriott Hotels Islamabad welcomes new General Manager

The budget deficit for the first quarter (July-September) of the current fiscal year (Q1FY22) narrowed to 0.8 per cent of the GDP, compared with the deficit of 1.1pc in the same quarter of the last fiscal year.

As per details, the finance division on Tuesday released the fiscal operation report of the first quarter which indicated that total revenue clocked in at Rs1.8 trillion with Rs1.5 trillion tax revenue and Rs275 billion non-tax revenue. In tax revenue, federal government collection was Rs1.39 trillion whereas provincial collection stood at Rs134.7 billion.

On the other hand, the federal government has collected Rs241.5 billion and provincial governments Rs34 billion in non-tax revenue.

billion FED. Meanwhile, the total provincial share in tax revenue was Rs134.7 billion which included sales tax on services Rs66 billion, excise duty Rs2 billion, stamp duty Rs14 billion, motor vehicle duty Rs9 billion whereas others taxes were Rs42 billion.

On the other hand, the federal share was Rs241.5 billion out of the total non-tax revenue of Rs275 billion.

The federal share includes markup on PESs Rs19.4 billion, dividend Rs1.9 billion, SBP profit Rs109 billion, PTA surplus Rs30 billion, royalties on gas Rs21.7 billion, defence receipts Rs2.8 billion, Passport fee Rs6.1 billion, discount retained on crude oil Rs3.5 billion, windfall levy against crude oil Rs2.2 billion, gas infrastructure development (GID) cess Rs6.5 billion, natural gas surcharges Rs4.7 billion, Petroleum levy Rs13.3 billion and others taxes were Rs18.9 billion.

PM directs STZA chairman to roll out tech zones in all major cities across country ISLAMABAD Staff rePort

Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed Special Technology Zones Authority (STZA) Chairman Amer Ahmed Hashmi to roll out special technology zones in all major cities across Pakistan.

As per the details, Hashmi had called on the prime minister on Monday. In a meeting, he briefed the premier on the progress of STZA vis-à-vis Islamabad Technopolis, the interest of national and international companies in investing in Pakistan, and the signing of MOUs in Expo 2020 Dubai. The prime minister was briefed on the investment pipeline developed through Expo 2020 Dubai and the Pakistan Tech Summit in Istanbul.

“As a result of STZA’s efforts, several anchor tenants, SMEs, startups, as well as universities and venture capital fund managers have planned to enter the tech zones in Pakistan,” Hashmi said.

The PM expressed satisfaction with the progress of the STZAand expressed his desire for the roll out of tech-

nology zones in all provinces of the country. It is pertinent to note that the Parliament has passed the act of STZA whereas the capital development authority (CDA) has also allocated land for establishing the first-ever special technology zone in the federal capaital.

Earlier in the day, PM Imran gave directive to the concerned authorities to bring the entire sugar stock for sale in the market, while adding that strict actions against hoarders. The PM was presiding over a meeting regarding price control in Islamabad, wherein it was decided that sugarcane crushing, in accordance with strict enforcement of crushing laws, would commence from November 15 across the country. The forum discussed that sugar prices were increased due to the closure of mills in Sindh although an adequate quantity of the commodity was available in the market.

“Commodity prices are rising in the international market,” the PM said while addressing the meeting. “As Pakistan is dependent on imported goods, it is having an impact on the local market. However, the government is taking all possible steps to reduce the burden on the poor.”

Air chief pays tribute to dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal on his 144th birth anniversary

PR ISLAMABAD Pr

Marriott Hotel welcomes new General Manager and Executive Chef Islamabad Marriott Hotel has appointed Mr. David Richard O’Hanlon as its new General Manager. The official introduction for the new General Manager was made by Mr. Haseeb Gardezi – Chief Operating Officer, Hospitality and Education Division, Hashoo Group, during the dinner reception held at Islamabad Marriott Hotel on 8th November 2021.

Mr. David has worked in the hospitality industry for more than 25 years in South Asia, SE Asia, Middle East, Eastern and Western Europe. Prior to joining Islamabad Marriott Hotel, he was the General manager at BWH Hotel Group, Thailand. Adding to this, Islamabad Marriott Hotel welcomes Mr. MetinIsci, from Turkey, as the new Executive Chef, who has over a 20year experience of working in five-star hotels, including Istanbul Marriott Hotel.

FBR announces incentive scheme for timely tax probes ISLAMABAD Shahzad Paracha

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has announced an incentive scheme for its officials in completion and timely submission of inquiry reports.

Documents seen by Profit state that the tax department has issued a letter to all officers of the Income Tax department and Pakistan Customs with regard to the incentives and punitive regimes for inquiry officers.

Under the incentive scheme, up to two basic salaries have been announced for the authorised officer for submitting inquiry report up to 60 days from receipt of letter nominating inquiry officer.

The FBR has decided the incentive while observing that most inquiry and authorized officers were delaying the finalisation of inquiries which lead to delay in conclu-

CDWP clears five projects worth Rs140bn ISLAMABAD Staff rePort

The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Monday cleared a total of five projects, including a major infrastructure initiative worth Rs130 billion, for development of a series of roads overwhelmingly in south Punjab.

The meeting presided over by Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan formally approved three development projects with a cumulative cost of Rs9.168bn and recommended two projects worth Rs130bn to the Executive Committee of the National

Economic Council (ECNEC) for approval.

A project namely Strengthening the Existing Capacity of National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad worth Rs450 million was approved for effective response against Covid-19 pandemic. The revised project presented by the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) is to be financed through the support of Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Group funds through National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF) under Grant Implementation Agreement.

The CDWP took up four projects related to transport and communications and approved two of them and re-

sion of disciplinary proceedings against officials of FBR. “This not only reflects poorly on the part of inquiry officer, authorized officer, authorised concerned but also puts the career of the accused officers in the state of limbo for longer periods,” the FBR said. Therefore, with a view to encourage expeditious finalisation of inquiries and with a view to prevent delays in finalization of inquiries, the FBR chairman approved the incentive and punitive regime.

There would be two basic salaries as incentives if the inquiry officer will submit quality reports to the satisfaction of the authorized officer up to 60 days from receipt of the letter. Similarly, there would be one and another 50 per cent basic salary on submitting reports up to 75 and 90 days, respectively whereas one basic salary has been announced if the inquiry report will be disposed of and passed an order from the date of receipt of reply within 30 days.

ferred another to Ecnec for approval and sent back yet another for improvement.

The meeting referred Punjab Arterial Roads Improvement Programme (PARIP) worth Rs129.944bn to Ecnec for approval. The project is to be spread over Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Layyah, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Vehari, Okara, Pakpattan and Sahiwal in Punjab.

The executing agency of the project is Planning and Development Board, Punjab.

About Rs14.164bn funding would be arranged by the Punjab government. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) would provide Rs64.972bn while Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) would finance the remaining part of Rs50.808bn. The project involves construction of 535 km section of a dual carriageway highway between various cities in Punjab.

On 144th birth anniversary of Pakistan's National Poet Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force pays tribute to the visionary philosopher who during unpretentious point in the lives of Muslims of the subcontinent, instilled hope and credo of “Khudi” and inspired them to struggle for freedom and creation of independent homeland.

Iqbal's prudence helped him not only to dream of Pakistan, but also foresee the challenges it would have to face after its creation. Iqbal’s philosophy of “Shaheen” has been emulated and made the corner stone of all aspirations related to the aerial defenders of the homeland.

By following Iqbal's ideology, we can mould ourselves into resillient, creative and morally sound nation that isn’t at odds with the modern world yet also within the ambit of Islamic philosophy, the Air Chief said.

The CDWP approved Construction of Road between Sibi-Talli (20-km) and Kohlu-Rakhni (80-km) worth Rs6.067bn. It observed that the original project was approved during last fiscal year at an estimated cost of Rs4bn. However, the scope of the project had been raised and approved at 50:50 cost-sharing between the federal and the provincial governments. The additional chief secretary development of Balochistan was directed to facilitate the department of C&W in the capacity building. Another project Revised PC-1 for Rehabilitation of Karachi Port Trust (KPT) and Rail Connectivity Project (phase-1) worth Rs2.652bn was also approved. It envisaged rehabilitation of existing track of critical section of Pakistan Railway from KPT to Karachi Cantt and provision of new track for connectivity with Mainline (ML-1).

Wednesday, 10 November, 2021 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

03

CHINa delIverS largeSt, moSt advaNCed warSHIP to PaKIStaN MONItORINg RepORt

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HINA on Monday delivered to Pakistan the largest and most advanced warship it has ever exported, in a move that highlights the friendship between the two countries and will contribute to the two countries’ all-weather strategic cooperative partnership.

Designed and built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC), the frigate was delivered to the Pakistan Navy in a commissioning ceremony in Shanghai, the company announced in a statement.

The Type 054A/P frigate was named the PNS Tughril, according to a statement of the Pakistan Navy.

The PNS Tughril is the first hull of four Type 054 frigates being constructed for the Pakistan Navy,

the navy said, noting the ship is a technologically advanced and highly capable platform with enormous surface-to-surface, surface-to-air and underwater firepower, besides extensive surveillance potentials.

Being equipped with state-of-

Iqbal remembered on 144th birth anniversary IsLAMABAD

the-art combat management and an electronic warfare system along with modern self-defence capabilities, the Type 054A/P frigate can simultaneously execute a number of naval warfare missions in a highly intense multi-threat environment,

LAHORe Staff RepoRt

The 144th birth anniversary of philosopher-poet Muhammad Iqbal was observed on Tuesday to pay homage to his services for the Muslims of the subcontinent. A great visionary poet, Iqbal conceived the idea of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent, which was ultimately materialised in the shape of Pakistan. Various functions were arranged to pay tributes to the great philosopher, who played a pivotal role through his thoughts and poetry in motivating and mobilising Muslims of the subcontinent for the creation of a separate homeland. Born in Sialkot in British India on November 9, 1877, Iqbal studied in England and Germany, establishing a law practice. However, he concentrated primarily on writing scholarly works on politics, economics, history, philosophy, and religion.

Among the works of Iqbal, he is best known for his poetic and philosophical works. His collections of poetry include Zarb-i-Kalim, Bang-i-Dara and Bal-iJibril. Iqbal was a strong proponent of the political and spiritual revival of the Islamic civilisation across the world, but specifically in South Asia. He is also considered one of the most important figures in literature with literary works in both Urdu and Persian languages. Being a member of the All India Muslim League, Iqbal strongly supported founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah and had great faith in his leadership. Iqbal was quoted in a book by Sayyid Nazir Niazi as saying: “Muslim League can succeed only on account of Jinnah. Now, none but Jinnah is capable of leading the Muslims.” During his last days, Iqbal suffered from a throat disease and passed away in Lahore on April 21, 1938.

The office of the Punjab ombudsman has solved a 25year old unresolved dispute of a resident of Nankana Sahib district by including 38 acres of agricultural land into the canal command area of the irrigation department. Moreover, the irrigation department has also started disciplinary action against those responsible for the inordinate delay and show cause notices have been issued to them.

Muhammad Wajih ud-Din of Chak No. 36 RB Sangla Hill tehsil complained to the office of retired Maj Azam Suleman Khan that divisional canal officer, Hafizabad division, Faisalabad approved the inclusion of the land into CCA upon an application submitted by his late father and forwarded the case to superintending engineer (west circle) who asked the divisional canal officer to inspect the site to process the case.

However, the matter was delayed.

LAHORe Staff RepoRt

A surge of fans pushing toward the stage while rap star Travis Scott performed at a music festival in Houston city of Texas state named last week left eight people dead and hundreds injured. The dead also include Pakistan-origin Danish Baig, a 27-yearold man who was a baby when he moved with his family from Karachi to Texas, who died trying to save his fiance, Olivia Swingle, from being crushed.

Baig was buried in Colleyville city of the state on Sunday after a funeral. Although the cause of death remains under investigation, his family said Baig died after being trampled. Baig’s heroic final actions were remembered on Facebook by his brother, who said the man died trying to save his fiance from being crushed. “My brother Danish Baig [was] a beautiful soul whose smile would light up the room and put everyone before himself. Last night he showed his courageous act to save my sister in law/his fiancé from those horrendous things that were being done. I am lost of words and in true trauma from this event. I was there and I wasn’t able to save my brother,” Basil Mirza Baig wrote on Facebook. Baig and his fiance, Swingle, 25, both worked at AT&T telecommunications company, his family told People magazine. Baig worked as a company district manager and travelled to the concert from Dallas. Baig’s brother told reporters that singer Travis Scott, organiser Live Nation Entertainment. and “anybody who was affiliated with the Astroworld festival, they should be held liable and accountable for everything. They have blood on their hands.”

ensure seaward defence, maintain peace, stability and balance of power in the Indian Ocean region, the ambassador said, who also praised the concerted efforts made by China for the landmark achievement by the timely delivery of the well-equipped and potent frigate despite the pandemic. The Vice Party Secretary and Director of the Board at CSSC Du Gang also applauded the timely construction of PNS Tughril while emphasizing that the commissioning of the ship is a major milestone and a testimony of the China-Pakistan longlived friendship, as both countries are bound by the affinity of trust, compassion and commonality.

The head of the Pakistan Navy Mission overseeing construction of the 054A/P frigate, Commodore Rashid Mehmood Sheikh, said that the PNS Tughril, being a multi-mission capable frigate, will form the mainstay of the

naval fleet while bolstering the Pakistan Navy’s maritime defense capabilities, according to the statement.

The delivery of the frigate also serves as a milestone in expanding the influence of Chinese vessels as products and boosting their competitiveness in the international market, CSSC said.

Zhang Junshe, a senior research fellow at the PLA Naval Research Academy, told the Global Times in a previous interview that the Type 054A, on which the Type 054A/P is based, is China’s most advanced frigate. Compared to previous Chinese frigates, the new ship has better air defense capability, as it is equipped with an improved radar system and a larger amount of missiles with a longer range, Zhang said, noting that the Type 054A frigate also has world-class stealth capability.

Punjab ombudsman intervenes to resolve quarter-century old land dispute

Staff RepoRt

Pakistan-origin man among eight dead in Houston concert crush

the statement said.

The frigate is the largest and most advanced warship China has ever exported, CSSC said.

The completion and the delivery of the vessel is another major achievement of the China-Pakistan friendship, and will further enhance the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, the Chinese shipbuilding company said in the statement.

Pakistan Ambassador to China Moin ul-Haque said that the commissioning of the PNS Tughril ushers in a new chapter in PakistanChina friendship that has matured through the test of time and remained steadfast in all domains.

In the context of the overall security paradigm of the region, Tughril-class frigates will strengthen Pakistan Navy’s capabilities to respond to maritime challenges to

Meanwhile, the water rate was regularly paid and co-sharers of the outlet had no objection to their warabandi. Hence, the inclusion of said land into the CCA be confirmed, he demanded.

The applicant further stated that during the course of proceedings, the departmental appeal against the initial order of the office of ombudsman before the governor was rejected in 2014 but no headway was made by the irrigation department to redress the complaint. Taking cognisance of the situation, the ombudsman’s office issued the final direction to the secretary of the irrigation department to redress the complainant, the identity of officials responsible for delay and initiation of departmental action against them. In compliance with the directions, the irrigation department has included the land of the applicant into the canal command area of the irrigation department.

It has also issued show-cause notices to the officials responsible for inordinate delay. The applicant has thanked Khan for amicably resolving his issue.

Influence of Rumi on poetry of Iqbal kARACHI anadolu agency

For national poet Muhammad Iqbal’s 145th birth anniversary on Tuesday, observers are highlighting the influence of Maulana Rumi, a 13th-century Sufi mystic, poet and Islamic scholar.

Born November 9, 1877, in Sialkot, Iqbal is called “Mufakkir-e-Pakistan,” or the “inceptor of Pakistan” for conceiving a separate homeland for Muslims of then-United India.

Also known as Iqbal Lahori outside Pakistan, he is seen as an extension of Rumi’s philosophy by literary critics. His Persian poetry, in particular, is heavily influenced by Rumi.

In Iqbal’s famous book, Javid Nama, the famous poet advises his son, Javed, if he fails to find a wise friend in his life, then associate with Rumi’s ideology because he knows the difference between reality and the mere appearance of things.

Iqbal proudly described himself as a student of Rumi. “Iqbal’s love with Rumi began during a period from 1889 and 1900. A thorough study of Iqbal’s poetry and philosophy suggests that after the Holy Quran and hadith — sayings and (practices) of Prophet Mohammad — Rumi was his inspiration,” observed Samina Bhatti, associate professor of Urdu language at Islamia College for Women, Lahore.

Bhatti, who widely studied the comparison between the two men, told Anadolu Agency that most of Iqbal’s ideas are an extension of Rumi’s poetry and philosophy.

“Iqbal’s poetry – both Persian and Urdu — is filled with praise and love for Rumi,” she said, adding that the baseline of the two great poets was the “human being.” Although, Iqbal as a poet and philosopher, had followed a number of poets and philosophers around the world, nonetheless, Rumi remained his ultimate love and inspiration.

She said Iqbal narrates his feelings in this way:” The great sage Rumi’s company revealed this secret to me that a myriad of wise men can do such miracles as a single entity like the Moses with his head on his hand.” At another place, in the context of British cultural influence on Muslims during the colonial era in India, he said, “Your wisdom is overpowered by the magic of Westerners. The only remedy for this enchantment/spell lies in the fire of Rumi (philosophy) that can cause this enchantment to wear off.”

Sharing a similar view, Shahnawaz Farooqui, a Karachi-based poet and writer, said for Iqbal, Rumi was an “ocean of mysteries.”

“According to Iqbal, he embodies a literal knowledge of the world and events, whereas Rumi is an ocean of real knowledge and mysteries,” Farooqui told Anadolu Agency.

Navjot Sidhu to offer prayer after India refused to reopen Kartarpur corridor LAHORe Staff RepoRt

Former cricketer and Indian National Congress lawmaker from the northern state of Punjab Navjot Singh Sidhu will today visit the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district to offer prayers for the reopening of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor. The pilgrimage to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur was suspended in March last following the Covid-19 outbreak. November 9 marks the second anniversary of the opening of the corridor, which connects the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan to India. “Going to Dera Baba Nanak for ardas for Kartarpur Corridor reopening […] Dhan Dhan Baba Nanak,” Sidhu tweeted. The corridor was inaugurated in November 2019 to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. Pakistan lifted travel restrictions from 11 countries, including India, in August but put New Delhi under Category C between May 22 and August 12 due to the spread of the Delta variant in that nation, which meant that the movement of pilgrims from India was subjected to special permissions. In March last, both India and Pakistan had temporarily suspended the day-long pilgrimage in wake of Covid-19 and also suspended the registration for it. However, later in October, Islamabad announced to open the pilgrimage but India refused to reciprocate the gesture.

ECP to take action against officers involved in Daska by-election fiasco News Desk The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday discussed reports of two inquiry committees, which were earlier formed to probe the Daska by-election.

The meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja was attended by ECP members Nisar Ahmed Durrani and Shah Mahmood Jatoi, ECP secretary, and other senior officials.

According to the press release issued

by the ECP, the commission had formed two inquiry committees to probe the byelection.

According to details, the first committee, comprising Joint Provincial Election Commissioner Saeed Gull, Regional Election Commissioner Gujranwala Majid Sharif Dogar and Special Secretary Finance Mujahid Sherdil, was formed to probe against the administrative officers. The mandate of this committee was to determine the negligence in duty on the day of polling due to which law and order was violated.

The second committee, comprising Joint Provincial Election Commissioner Saeed Gull, was set up to ascertain the role of the presiding officers and security personnel on duty, who had gone missing on the election night and later come to the office of the returning officer on the morning of February 20.

The mandate of the inquiry officer was to seek the assistance of an expert body and make it possible to obtain forensics in order to find out where the presiding officers had stayed.

Both inquiry reports are available on

the ECP’s website. According to a news outlet, an inquiry report revealed that former special assistant to Punjab CM Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan had chaired meetings in the Daska assistant commissioner’s office, where “illegal” activities were planned for the by-election.

The report further said that the AC’s office was the centre for Awan’s plenary sessions. The ECP would initiate departmental or criminal proceedings or both in the light of the inquiry reports.

The next formal meeting of the commission would be held within a week.

Wednesday, 10 November, 2021 | ISLAMABAD

04 NEWS

ShehRyaR afRiDi uRGeS OiC tO COnSiDeR eCOnOMiC SanCtiOnS aGainSt inDia fOR hR viOlatiOnS in iiOJK Modi regime may jeopardise peace in South Asia region.

He said that the role of the OIC is critical in saving the future of billions of people.

OIC Special Envoy for Kashmir Yousuf Al Dubai said that Pakistan is playing a key role in the OIC. He said that the OIC is concerned over the demographic change being engineered in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

He regretted that the international community didn’t fulfil its commitments made on the Kashmir issue.

He said that the OIC contact group also raised the issue of Kashmir at the recently held session of United Nations General Assembly in New York.

He said that the OIC contact group has been taking concrete steps to help resolve the Kashmir dispute.

“If we have a clear mandate, OIC can raise a proposal at the United Nations for putting economic sanctions and embargoes on India but it needs a huge diplomatic effort,” he said.

He said that the OIC had raised the issue of Rohingya and Sri Lankan Muslims and had helped resolve their miseries. He said that the OIC group would do everything possible to help resolve Kashmir dispute.

Prime Minister AJK Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi and Chief Minister Gilgit Baltistan also addressed and urged the OIC to play its due role in taking punitive actions against occupational regime of India in Jammu and Kashmir.

Members of the Parliamentary Committee also spoke their hearts out and said that the OIC needs to show its will and move ahead from lip service on Kashmir dispute and take practical steps to help the suffering humanity in Jammu and Kashmir.

ISLAMABAD StAff RePoRt

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HAIRMAN of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Shehryar Khan Afridi Tuesday urged the OIC special representative for Jammu and Kashmir to consider economic sanctions and embargoes against India for human rights violations committed against the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

He expressed these views while chairing a special meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir attended by the visiting delegation led by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) special representative for Jammu and Kashmir Yousuf Al Dubai.

Chief Minister Gilgit Baltistan (GB) Khalid Khurshid Khan and Prime Minister Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi specially attended the meeting. A delegation from All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and Advisory boards of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir also attended the meeting.

Chairman Kashmir Committee welcomed the OIC special envoy for Kashmir and said the parliamentary committee has representation from both Houses of Parliament and has members from all political parties.

Chairman Kashmir Committee Shehryar Khan Afridi said that the OIC is key stakeholder of Muslim Ummah and the OIC contact group must play its due role to help resolve the Kashmir dispute.

Chairman Kashmir Committee Shehryar Khan Afridi raised a proposal for a visit of the committee to the OIC Secretariat along with the APHC delegation to help sensitize the OIC on the

human rights violations in IIOJK. He said the Secretary General of the OIC has been playing a pivotal role in raising the humanitarian aspect of the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.

He said that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is a test case for the global stakeholders of the global community.

He said that the United Nations must learn from the failure of the League of Nations. He said that the world thought the United Nations would provide solutions to the humanitarian issues faced by the people.

He said that the rape is being used as a tool to suppress Kashmiris resistance.

Govt taking all steps to meet wheat target this year, says Punjab Minister LAHORE APP

Punjab Agriculture Minister Syed Hussain Jahania Gardezi Tuesday said that target for wheat cultivation in Punjab province has been set at 16.7 million acres this year and the government is taking all necessary steps to achieve this target. The Minister expressed these views while addressing a seminar organized for awareness of wheat farmers in Sheikhupura district. “Government is taking steps to ensure food security at the national level. He said that the farmers are being instructed to act on the recommendations of the Department of Agriculture, use of nutritious fertilizers and certified seeds to maximize the yield of wheat,” he added. He said the increase in wheat production is the need of the hour which can be increased through hard work, attention and modern production technology. “Wheat crop was cultivated on 513,000 acres in Sheikhupura which yielded 681,000 metric tons during last year. I hope that this year more area will be brought under wheat cultivation in Sheikhupura district,” he adde. Gardezi said that this year, one million bags of approved varieties of wheat are being provided at a subsidy of Rs. 1200 per bag and a total of 10 million acres of approved varieties of wheat are being sown. he said a Farmers’ Day is also being organized. He further said that the National Program for Increasing Wheat Production per Acre with a significant amount of Rs. 12.59 is being implemented and under this program, more than Rs. one billion in modern agricultural machinery and other agricultural inputs are being provided on subsidy. “All the subsidies are being transferred directly to the farmers ‘accounts in the form of cash transfers. Provincial agriculture minister appealed to the farmers to complete the registration of farmers’ cards as soon as possible so they could get the subsidy,” he added. Director General Agriculture (Extension) Dr. Muhammad Anjum Ali, Director Agriculture (Extension) Lahore Division Sher Muhammad Sharawat, Representatives of Private Fertilizer Company and a large number of local agriculture department officials, farmers and media representatives attended.

He said that the world has banned pallet guns use even against animals but the Indian forces are using pallets against Kashmiri Muslims.

He said that India was implementing its vicious plan of converting all religious minorities into Hindus by force yo convert India into a Hindu Rashtra.

He said that the Indian regime is implementing demographic change to alter Muslim majority state of Jammu and Kashmir into a Hindu majority state.

Shehryar Khan Afridi said Indian regime was also implementing a vicious plan to kill all top Kashmiri leaders in jails in the garb

of COVID-19 pandemic. He said two top Kashmiri leaders i.e. Syed Ali Geelani Shaheed and Ashraf Khan Sehrai Shaheed.

He warned that the lives of Asiya Andrabi, Dr Qasim Faktu, Yasin Malik and other senior Kashmiri leaders are at stake and they may be killed anytime while in jail.

He said that evidence of mass rapes and mass graves in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir unfortunately have failed to shake the conscience of the world community.

He said that Pakistan has been warning the world that Kashmir dispute is a nuclear flashpoint and the expansionist agenda of

PDM, PPP enter into fresh verbal clash as Kaira, Hamdullah exchange barbs ISLAMABAD StAff RePoRt

The Jamiat Ulema e Islam – Fazal (JUIF) Senator, Hafiz Hamdullah said Tuesday of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is just as alive without the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) as it was with it, after the controversy entailing PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira’s statement.

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is functional with or without PPP, Senator Hamdullah said in a press conference Tuesday and noted that it was the PPP that stabbed the alliance in the back. Hamdullah said the PPP leadership is trying to play on both sides of the fence. They are trying to get two rides in a single ticket. PPP is opposing the opposition, he said.

It was the PPP that prevailed its Senate candidate at the expense of JUIF’s candidate and still they manage to be critical of the opposition.

However, he said PPP must reach out to the PDM leadership and mend

Sarobi Dam cost increased by Rs184 million PESHAWAR StAff RePoRt

the fences should it want back in the opposition alliance.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan Peoples’ Party Punjab senior leader Qamar Zaman Kaira had said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) must end backdoor contacts with the establishment if it wants rule of constitution.

Talking to media in Lahore on Tuesday, he said that the PML-N

supremo Nawaz Sharif should bring his party back on his ideology.

The PPP leader said that PDM was practically no more claiming that the PPP was in the PDM. “As long as we were in PDM, there was life in it,” he said. “We want new election laws to be made by consensus,” he said. Kaira went on to say that the government itself is acknowledging its failures.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has approved to increase financial allocation of Rs184 million for the Sarobi Dam in South Waziristan due to increase in the dams estimate cost. The provincial government had earlier approved Rs270.7 million for the construction for the construction of Sarobi Dam. The after the revision of the estimated cost, it was informed that more funds would be required to complete the project. It was estimated the project would be required Rs454 million. With the completion of Sarobi Dam, 650 acres of land will be irrigated and 4,200 citizens will have access to safe drinking water. According to the department, the project will provide clean drinking water to 4,200 people and will irrigate 650 acres of land. According to sources, the Planning and development department has approved the revised cost and directed to complete the dam by June 2022.

After Pakistan, China opts out of India-hosted dialogue on Afghanistan ISLAMABAD APP

Days after Pakistan declined to attend a regional security dialogue on Afghanistan hosted by India, China on Tuesday also backed out of the moot.

Citing “scheduling reasons”, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin said it was “inconvenient” for China to attend the meeting.

“We have already given our reply to the Indian side,” he said during his regular

press briefing.

New Delhi will host the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan on Wednesday (tomorrow) which will be chaired by Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.

According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the “high-level dialogue will review and deliberate upon measures to address relevant security challenges and support the people of Afghanistan in promoting peace, security and stability”.

An India Today report said seven

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countries — Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — had confirmed that they would participate in the meeting. arlier this month, Pakistan had declined to attend the event hosted by India.

Speaking at a news conference, NSA Moeed Yusuf, when asked, said: “[…] I am not going. A spoiler cannot be a peacemaker.”

Yusuf regretted the global community’s silence over human rights viola-

tions and state-sponsored terrorism in India-occupied Kashmir, and New Delhi’s expansionist vision that is leading the region nowhere.

Asked what hurdles Pakistan was facing in the region to achieve peace and progress, Yusuf said: “I think the region’s obstacles are in front of you, there is no need for debate on this.”

He said as long as India’s behaviour and radical ideology remain unchanged, the peace process in the region could not move forward. “The world has unfortunately kept its eyes closed and isn’t talking to India as it should,” he lamented.

He observed that peace and stability in Afghanistan were vital for Pakistan, making it clear that disengagement with Afghanistan was not an option for Pakistan.

Wednesday, 10 November, 2021 | ISLAMABAD

CABINEt APPRovES 5-yEAR tRAdE PolICy ISLAMABAD

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Ghulam abbas

FTER a long period of remaining in papers for reviews and consultations, the federal cabinet on Tuesday has finally approved the country’s five year trade policy framework.

Officials who spoke with Pakistan Today said that the Strategic Trade Policy Framework (STPF) 2020-25 aims to enhance the ability and capacity of Pakistani enterprises to produce, distribute and sell products and services as or more efficiently than their competitors.

Under the policy, prepared after studying international demand trends and the capacity and capabilities of different export sectors of the country, various sectors including the traditional sectors like textile and apparel, leather, surgical instruments, sports goods, carpets, rice, cutlery and developmental sectors including engineering goods such as auto parts, pharmaceuticals, marble and min-

erals, processed food and beverages, footwear, gems and jewelry, chemicals, meat and poultry, fruits and vegetables, sea food and services sector would be focused on for the enhancement of exports.

As per officials of the Ministry of Commerce, the main focus of the new trade policy will be on geographical and product diversification, manufacturing cost reduction through tariff rationalisation, pursuit of regional connectivity especially the Look Africa Policy, enhancement of market access through FTA/PTA, and facilitation of logistics and tracking under the TIR as well as enhancement of regional connectivity for access to Central Asian Republics (CARS), Turkey and Iran to Europe and Russia.

The STPF is dynamic in nature and it will be subject to course correction based on constant monitoring and evaluation.

Furthermore, there shall be an institutionalised mechanism for robust monitoring and implementation of the policy in order to minimise policy implementation gaps, which have traditionally re-

mained a weak link due to multi-organisational roles in the export ecosystem.

In order to oversee the implementation of STPF 2020-25, a cross functional National Export Development Board (NEDB) has already been constituted under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, composed of senior public sector officials of relevant organizations and private sector representatives. Regular meetings of the NEDB are being held in order to ensure the implementation of various policy measures.

According to sources, the Ministry of Commerce foresees $ 40.27 billion exports by 2025 under the five year trade policy. Exports projections are based on a sound econometric partial equilibrium model. The explanatory variables used in the model include world GDP, Pakistan’s GDP and real effective exchange rate i.e. nominal exchange rate, domestic prices, Pakistan’s export prices and competitor’s exports prices.

Moreover, three scenarios have been constructed to project future exports. The

differences between the three scenarios were domestic prices which reflect the competitiveness and cost of doing business in the country.

It is assumed that effective government interventions in terms of STPF, national tariff policy, trade facilitation, energy reforms, technology upgradation, easy financing and other on-going Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) initiatives will have an impact on competitiveness and thereby enhance exports.

Earlier in March, when the trade policy was tabled at ECC of the Cabinet, it had deferred the consideration of the summary and directed the MoC to hold further consultations with relevant stakeholders.

In the last decade, the Commerce Division had notified three STPFs: in 200912, 2012-15, and 2015-18; however, none of these were successfully implemented to achieve the desired objectives due to various reasons.

These policies also failed to alter the export paradigm over the period.

Fawad goes too far in justifying peace talks with TTP contInueD froM pAge 01 “We will recognise the Taliban-led government after it is recognised by the regional countries.”

Humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan: Fawad urged the global community, especially Muslim Ummah, to rally support for averting the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

He said that a formal approval to set up a special fund for the support of Afghan people in turbulent times was also given in today’s cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

He said that the initiative would definitely enable the people of Pakistan to extend direct help to their Afghan brethren as the government wanted uninterrupted humanitarian efforts for the war-ravaged country.

The minister said that Pakistan was planning to host a conference of foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) next month to discuss ways and means for extending maximum support to Afghanistan at this critical juncture.

“We believe what is going on in Afghanistan is catastrophic; we have been trying our best, and did our best to convey our concerns to the world and we are willing to take all actions whatever we can to help people of Afghanistan,” he remarked.

Pakistan was working closely with the interim government in Afghanistan, he said, adding that a visit of the interim Afghan foreign minister to Islamabad was due tomorrow during which efforts for humanitarian assistance would be discussed at length to avert any catastrophic situation in Afghanistan. He said that Pakistan had already warned that the situation in Afghanistan was becoming more grave by every day and added that Afghans would be the ultimate sufferers.

Citing a recent report in The Economist, he said: “Afghanistan was on the brink of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, and the UN said on October 25 that it would even exceed the misery in Syria and Yemen.”

The international journal also quoted a new report

from the UN agencies in its story estimating that some 23 million, out of the country’s 38 million people, would not have enough food to get through the winter unless aid was rapidly scaled up.

Fawad said that before fall of Kabul in August, per capita daily income was $1.9 which according to UN estimates would be halved by June next year.

‘AfghAns cAnnot be left At mercy of circumstAnces’: He said that gravity of the situation could be judged by the fact that eight children had died due to starvation amid troubling reports that people were forced to sell their minor children for getting wheat and rice. “The Afghan people could not be left at the mercy of the circumstances,” he added.

He said that the cabinet had decided that the country would dispatch a sufficient amount of wheat and rice to Afghanistan to save its people from starvation in winter.

“Measures are being taken so that exports from Afghanistan can be eased out. We have slashed all taxes on exports from Afghanistan,” he added.

The information minister said that the reason behind the situation was that foreign assets of Afghanistan’s government had been frozen, while the entire aid was suspended and the whole economy of the neighbouring country had been squeezed.

About the other decisions of the federal cabinet, the minister said that the prime minister had directed the members to ensure presence in the joint session of the Parliament as legislation of electoral reforms and other issues were on the cards.

Keeping in view the spike in oil and gas prices at international market and illegal use of the gas in some sectors, he said the federal cabinet had increased gas prices for captive power plants to $9 per MBTU (Million British Thermal Unit) from $6.5 per MBTU. Likewise, the RLNG rate for different units of the exports sector units will remain unchanged ($6.5 per MBTU).

The prices would come into effect on November 15, 2021, and would remain intact till March 31, 2022, he added.

‘cheApest gAs in the world’: He said some sectors were misusing the subsidy on gas to produce electricity which was already excessive in the country. The initiative was taken to remove that specific anomaly.

There has been a worldwide crisis of gas, he said while citing examples of the United Kingdom where the commodity prices had witnessed a marked increase.

To avoid misuse of the scheme, the government had decided to take the subsidy back from the industrial sector till March 31, 2022, as the gas crisis was likely to ease after March.

He clarified that this had nothing to do with domestic consumers. Only 27 per cent domestic consumers used local gas while 77 per cent of them relied on Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). Those 27 per cent were getting a major subsidy at the expense of the 77 per cent.

“The 77 per cent of the population were paying for the gas which was being used in the cities at the cheapest rate in the world,” he added.

“Whenever we talk about the 77 per cent population, the media starts creating hype over increase in the gas prices. The oil and gas [prices] are connected with the international market and the country will not uplift if we continue to give subsidies on different commodities to a certain portion of the population”, he added.

He said sensational reporting had somewhat become a norm which eventually hurt the market sentiment.

“This issue does not damage us but also the country… we will resolve this soon.”

Fawad said that it has been decided that Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Shaukat Tarin would head the committee on wheat and sugar exports.

The cabinet, he said, had given the approval to export wheat to Afghanistan under the World Food Programme, keeping in view the emergency situation in the country.

The information minister said that the cabinet has given a six-month extension to Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement 2010.

The new Director General of Pakistan Maritime Security Agency has also been appointed, he added.

Horticulture exporters for reduction in export value of onion ISLAMABAD Ghulam abbas

Despite a bumper crop of onion this year, the export target is not being met due to barriers including high export value of $400 per metric tonne (MT) and exorbitantly high freight charges by shipping companies. All Pakistan Fruit & Vegetable Exporters, Importers & Merchants Association (PFVA) has sent a letter to

the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) and Ministry of National Food Security & Research (MNFS&R) in this regard.

As per the letter, following bumper crop, the price of onion has been slashed to Rs20 per Kg in the local market; however, despite surplus production, export of the vegetable remains low.

The association has urged the government to reduce the export value to $300 per MT in accordance with ground realities.

On the other hand, the letter states that an acute shortage of reefer containers and exorbitant high freight charges by shipping companies is most likely to jeopardise PFVA’s efforts to enhance the export of onion by taking advantage of the current bumper crop.

“If the country experiences shortage of onion leading to an increase in price in the local market, the PFVA would play its role effectively suspending exports to

stabilise local prices, as it has done in the past,” the letter assures.

According to the association, currently, 150- 175 trucks of onions are arriving in the local fruits and vegetable market of Karachi wherein one truck carries 12 tonnes of onion per day. “This amount is going to further multiply in days to follow thus exceeding much beyond the local demand and hence the current price is likely to drop significantly.

NEWS

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NEPRA notifies Rs2.52 per unit hike in power tariff contInueD froM pAge 01 Similarly, rate of Rs.12.96/kWh shall be charged from commercial consumers (non-ToU) and general services consumers on the incremental consumption above the reference consumption in the corresponding months of the reference period. The Power Division also mentioned that no quarterly adjustments would be applicable on incremental consumption. Moreover, on incremental consumption, only positive fuel price adjustments shall be passed on to the consumers availing incremental consumption package.

SBP refutes reports of currency notes’ new designs The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday refuted reports making rounds on social media that currency notes were being redesigned. The SBP stated that no such proposal was under consideration. SBP while sharing a picture of the designs that were doing the rounds with the word “fake” written in bold over them, stated that “Some fake news regarding new designs of currency notes is circulating on social media. SBP categorically denies the news and clarifies that no such proposal is under consideration at the moment,” the central bank declared in a tweet.

It is pertinent to note that the State Bank had last redesigned a currency note more than a decade ago.

The new Rs500 bill, which was smaller in size was introduced on January 25, 2010. Earlier, the new Rs1,000 note was introduced in February 2007, the new Rs5,000 note in May 2006 and the new Rs100 note in November of the same year. The new Rs50 note was introduced in July 2008, Rs20 in March 2008, and Rs10 in May 2006. news desk

PM Imran says Indian govt’s mindset is greatest hurdle in maintaining peace in region Prime Minister Imran Khan commemorated the second anniversary of the Kartarpur Corridor on Tuesday, while stating that the “mindset of the Indian government is the greatest hurdle towards peace in our region today” The premier while taking to his Twitter account stated “Today is the second anniversary of the Kartarpur Corridor — a corridor of interfaith harmony that allows India’s Sikh community special access to one of their holiest sites.” While speaking about the atrocities committed by the Indian government against the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir and Muslims in India, the prime minister said: “Our commitment comes at a time when we are witnessing a descent into systematic persecution of Kashmiris, Indian Muslims and other minorities by the ideological Hindutva BJP govt of India.” He further said that the Narendra Modi-led Indian government’s mindset is “the greatest hurdle towards peace in our region today.” The PM went on to add that the Kartarpur Corridor reflects his government’s commitment to minority rights and interfaith harmony. It is pertinent to note that the Kartarpur Corridor was inaugurated on November 9, 2019, in a grand ceremony attended by Sikh leaders from both sides of the border along with prominent personalities such as former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh, former Indian Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, and cricketer-turnedpolitician Navjot Singh Sindhu. Located in Punjab’s Narowal district, Darbar Sahib Kartarpur is the last resting place of Baba Guru Nanak Sahib. news desk

Pakistani, Indian students to creating a joint calendar for peace LAHore news desk

At a time when India-Pakistan relations at state to state level cannot be said to be very good, it seems that people to people relations would still continue. Recently, Aaghaz-eDosti, which is an Indo-Pak Friendship Initiative and mostly works with school students on both sides, announced to invite peace paintings from school students of India and Pakistan for its 10th Indo-Pak Peace Calendar. This is a unique concept of calendar wherein twelve best paintings (six from India and Pakistan each) get a chance to be featured in the form of calendar months.

Convener of Aaghaz-e-Dosti Devika

Mittal says about the importance of this calendar that “The calendar with the paintings of an innocent and apolitical mind will remind us that mindsets have been constructed. Together with the beautiful dreams of the young and innocent, the Calendar also has messages from people who have been actively working to nurture these dreams. This calendar is a collection of shared dreams of peace and friendship. It serves as a hope shared by people who are just like us, in habit and struggle. With the turn of the pages to start a new month, the hope shall be renewed.”

She said that the Calendar launch is followed by a discussion or “Sharing of Hopes for a Peaceful and Friendly Co-existence”

every year.

“Working since 2011, Aaghaz-e-Dosti has already released nine such calendars.

Our aim is to work with school students because they are going to be responsible citizens of the future and their future should be hatred free- violence free and war free.

When students create an art, it brings their emotions, their thoughts and their dreams.

When we see these arts in the calendar, we see that we probably need to learn a lot from these students.” Said Ravi Nitesh, founder of Aaghaz-e-Dosti.

Umair Ahmed, a member of Aaghaz-eDosti from Toba Tek Singh Pakistan believes that by creating such calendar, students from both side actually exercising their right to

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peace. He said that in all these seven decades, we created many barriers in movement and communication but still we all dream for a day when people from both sides can meet easily but for that we need to work more on creating a culture of peace through education.

Aaghaz-e-Dosti coordinator Nitin Mittoo from Punjab informed that any school student from sixth standard to twelfth standard studying in India or Pakistan or any Indian/Pakistani students in other countries can take part just by sending their scanned paintings to Aaghaz-e-Dosti at email id indopakpeacecalendar2022@gmail.com.

“Being a voluntary initiative, Aaghaz-eDosti has a network of youths from India and

Pakistan who help in running the programs.

During all these years, Aaghaz-e-Dosti have received recognitions and awards at various levels and many eminent persons and stalwarts of peace like Dr Asma Jahangir, Kuldeep Nayar, Kamla Bhasin, Dr S N Subbarao, Swami Agnivesh, Dr I A Rehman, Ela Gandhi, Dr Shashi Tharoor, Mubashir Hasan, Dr Salima Hashmi and many others have supported the initiative through their messages and participation. Aaghaz-e-Dosti is planning to release the tenth peace calendar in January 2022. During these years, many schools took part in this initiative from almost all regions of India and Pakistan” informed Pragya Narang, a member of Aaghaz-e-Dosti in its coordination team.

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Wednesday, 10 November, 2021

06 COMMENT

Structural Pandemonium –an outcome of TLP’s protest

Rupee volatility No end in sight

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FTER reaching a historic low of 175.27 against the dollar on October 26, the rupee bounced back after Saudi Arabia provided a $4.2 bn lifeline comprising of $1.2 billion as oil on deferred payments and the remainder as cash to support foreign exchange reserves. While a recovery of more than Rs 5 against the greenback in a matter of days to settle at 170.00 was impressive, it was always going to be short term. For the past two days, owing to uncertainty over the IMF resuming the stalled $6bn Extended Fund Facility (EFF), the rupee has yet again started to slide, losing Rs1.39 against the dollar yesterday to reach 172.00 after closing at 170.70 on Monday. On the IMF front, the review is now in the hands of their Strategy, Policy and Review Department and Legal Department whose stamped clearance is necessary before the case is forwarded to the Fund’s Executive Board, which means any breakthrough, whether or not there is to be one or not, will be delayed.

At the same time, the import bill continues to rise, as the government continues to purchase commodities such as wheat and sugar from the international market as an acute shortage persists domestically, owing to mismanagement of stock and an incapacity on part of the federal government to crack down on hoarders, or the mafias it promised would be pursued and brought to book relentlessly. Meanwhile, exports have not increased at a pace sufficient to help reduce trade imbalance.

With the share of exports in GDP dropping from 16 percent in 1999 to 10 percent in 2020, any improvement in this number is unlikely, and frankly impossible unless systemic issues within the industry are addressed, an effort that will take years.

According to a World Bank report, the SBP has already pumped around $1.2 billion into the interbank currency market to stop the rupee from spiraling out of control, which is a departure from its stated policy of maintaining a ‘free float’ or a ‘managed float’ exchange rate, both of which do not involve throwing dollars into the market. Apart from its impact on inflation, that is already at a record high, currency volatility hurts businesses as well, as it cannot be factored in accurately in their budgets, forcing them to pass on the extra cost to consumers. It is necessary now that the central bank provide clarity over how it plans to manage the rupee-dollar parity going forward in order to calm the market down.

The TLP protests exposed the organs of the state AnsA Mubeen

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HE current structural pandemonium in Pakistan, undoubtedly, is a result of the protest by a well –known movement, the Tehreek Labaik Pakistan which aims to establish Islamic Sharia laws in the state, and does not tolerate a single word against the dignity of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). So much so, talking about the structural pandemonium, it is somehow difficult to decide the right and wrong between the TLP and the government.

If someone sees the government and establishment’s view regarding this fanatic movement he at once thinks that the government or the head of the state is on the right track in not considering the voice of this group, as it is busy with other serious issues of state. But the issue is as grave as anything can take the state towards anarchy and chaos. It is the need of the hour to listen to the demands of another new extremist group. The head of government and the establishment have to make a perfect platform to handle such conundrums. However the discussion has been seen at various levels on this issue, and the international media gave multiple dimensions regarding the spread of extremism in Pakistan, and condemning the extremis group, they criticized the government’s policies too.

The negotiations between the TLP and the PM were being held after dealing with huge disorder and confusion which was not acknowledged by the world’s analysts. Therefore, both the TLP and the government’s officials are accountable for this turmoil and lawlessness as one cannot denounce only

Taliban FM visit

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EU political system facing threats from Political Cyber Gaming for Perception Building

CTInG Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is expected to reach Pakistan today on his maiden visit following after accepting an invitation extend by his Pakistani counterpart during the latter’s visit to Kabul last month. While Pakistan has not formally recognized the Taliban government, there is a palpable eagerness to do so shown by Prime Minister Imran Khan and his government, restrained only through international pressure. Mr Muttaqi’svisit is therefore very meaningful and important as regularizing such bilateral interactions is another small step towards recognition of the new Afghan political setup as legitimate. That the Afghan Taliban have successfully brokered negotiations between Pakistan and the Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to reach a ceasefire agreement displays that both countries are not only actively involved in dialogue but are willing to help each other on security related matters as well. Pakistan has seen a significant uptick in terrorism after the USA’s abrupt and ill-planned exit from Afghanistan allowed the Taliban to advance towards Kabul and take control. This has carried with it a spillover effect into regional countries and Pakistan has so far been the worst affected due to its geography as evidenced by the significant uptick in terrorist activity against security forces in north and South Waziristan and Balochistan.

While Pakistan has the resources and relative economic stability to fight back against such violence, Afghanistan does not, and is also struggling to cope with rising food insecurity and a streak of terror attacks, mostly attributable to Islamic State Khorasan Province (IS-K), that has targeted members of the new Taliban government, Shia Muslims and Sikhs and schools. The group’s contention is that the Taliban ‘abandoned Jihad’ making the ‘apostles’, making it lawful to kill then under their extreme and jaundiced interpretation of Islam. Apart from the security challenges, more than half of Afghanistan will be faced with a crisis level of food insecurity during the coming winters. Pakistan and Afghanistan face a variety of difficult and dangerous problems and it therefore only makes sense that they develop and maintain a mutually beneficial relationship that is based on trust. Pakistan must however make sure that it is also on the right side of history during this major regional transition, and asks the Taliban to make good on their promises of inclusiveness and progressive governing, before overcommitting unconditional help. It would not be in the country’s best economic and diplomatic interests to do so.

shAziA Anwer CheeMA

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n november 8, the European Parliament Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection conducted a Public Hearing where the whistleblower Frances Haugen was invited t6 give testimony on the negative impact of social media products on users.

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) asked her several questions about harmful technical practices of social media platforms and she briefed them on how social media platforms gather private data, use it for commercial purposes, and how Facebook keeps engaging people on the platform, and why. She also talked about the adverse impact of social media platforms on youth and how one can save youth from adverse impacts. The adverse impact of Instagram was the major issue for members of the European Parliament, therefore they raised several questions about Instagram-related suicides among youth and vulnerable people.

After her briefing, there was a question and answer session. I attended both the sessions online to understand the subject of online safety and its priority for the European population, the rapidly changing online world, and how to ensure a better and safer digital environment for internet users.

MEP Christel Schaldemose (SD, Denmark) who leads MEPs for the Digital Services Act (DSA) was of the view that all users of Facebook should know and understand to the greatest extent the business model and the choices behind the operation of the platform while Andreas Schwab (EPP, Germany) indicated that Facebook plays (played) a large role in modern society and it shows users political advertisements and political content based on our personal data, and this practice can create “echo chambers”.

European politicians strongly believe that there is a dire need to regulate online political content and the social media platform (Facebook) should use data of users with the informed consent of the users, and

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EU Parliament and Social Media Platforms

A mutually beneficial relationship should be maintained

Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

one side of the two. The reason is that this fundamental group may prove a potential threat to the security of the state; hence, to meet all these challenges, the government and establishment must eliminate their mutual distances and take such issues ven-handedly– similarly giving respect to all these fundamentalists in the state so as to create a peaceful atmosphere which will be favourable to determine the internal variances and the strategic relations with other regional and international countries.

Discussing the TLP’s protest, everyone has discussed the government’s attitude too. A state like Pakistan is undoubtedly a developing state which needs a conducive environment to flourish the economy. It is a fact in international relations that when a country faces domestic anarchy and riots, rival states take maximum advantage of this situation. India, the first neighboring state, adds fuel to the fire on the erupting-situation by invoking the hidden intelligences.

Therefore, to handle these challenges a peaceful environment is a prerequisite which may strengthen the foreign policy of the state.

Foreign policy is the main component to run the state on a systematic ground. A strategic decision has been made, to build relations with other countries, reduces the trade deficit and augments the Foreign Direct Investment opportunities within the state. nevertheless, this is all only possible if a state is passing through favourable circumstances, as internal security challenges generally create hurdles in the progress and prosperity of the state. Moreover, it is the best way to raise democracy in the country –because democracy includes the respect and dignity of the human rights voices and demands. Saad Rizvi’s bail has been a controversial issue recently.

Denouncing the one side is not an intellectual way of defense; the TLP’s primary demand remained the bail of their leader Saad Rizvi which was neglected by the government officials and establishment. Later on, they required a peaceful settlement through dialogues or negotiations but it was also delayed by the head of the state; however, the protest was stopped by putting large containers in their way which further caused the killing of many policemen, barrier to run the transport, digging roads etc. A natural phenomenon is that everyone becomes violent when his voice is not considered whenever he puts foward his demands for rights.

In a democratic state, human rights activism is seen as the hallmark of a country’s welfare and opulence. People require their accomplished needs at their home but when they are not listened to even on the roads, they definitely will create lawlessness and disorder: thus in this case of the TLP the element of negligence by the government is seen to some extent.

It is known that they were pledging just for the negotiations with the government to put the main issues; and the major issue was the bail of their leader Saad Rizvi. Before the issue of Saad Rizvi’s bail, initially, they were demanding to cut diplomatic relations with France.

As for the recent social, political impasse which generated confusion between the government and the TLP about deciding to negotiate earlier, it has led the state towards pandemonium in its structure. The confusion about deciding in time is often what leads the states to the pandemonium where driving forces are usually observed bemused. The suggestion is obvious: to save the country from these affairs that the decision makers, civil and military bureaucracy, all the establishment, should handle such issues initially, not allow these groups to erupt to a large extent.

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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the mechanism behind the algorithm should be shared with users so they can know the risk that any algorithm or change of algorithm poses to the users and make the platforms accountable for the adverse impact of the recommended systems and algorithms.

It is pertinent to mention that the European Parliament is working to make the “Digital Markets Act” (DMA) for ensuring the privacy of users so that personal data can only be used for political advertising if users give their renewed consent.

According to the office of the European Parliament Committee, “digital transformation is one of the EU’s priorities and the Parliament is helping to shape the policies that will strengthen Europe’s capacities in new digital technologies, open new opportunities for businesses and consumers and that is the reason that EU Parliament in May 2021 adopted a report on shaping the digital future of Europe. EU is investing €7.6 billion in five areas: supercomputing (€2.2 billion), artificial intelligence (€2.1 billion), cybersecurity (€1.6 billion), advanced digital skills (€0.6 billion), and ensuring a wide use of digital technologies across the economy and society (€1.1 billion). Therefore, online safety, the transparency of algorithms, and risk mitigation are important issues for Europe.

Important points Haugen shared with members of EU Parliament during her testimony include: n n

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One out of three social media users is under 18 years of age.

The users of Instagram feel fear —— I cannot stop myself —I will be cut off from my family and friends if I will stop using it.

We really need a system instead of blaming parents.

Parents want to keep their kids busy sometimes and ask them to use social media.

Facebook discourages research on the impact of social media on kids and for developing meaningful social interaction.

Data gathered by Facebook should continuously be shared with the public and data monitoring is needed Hate speeches are also considered as social media interaction Producing more content is the game of Facebook and this is done through creating contradictions and encouraging contradictions including hate speech negative comments are encouraged and radicalization is also considered “debate” We do not know what actually is going to happen with the data we share with social media platforms?

It is the responsibility of social media platforms to tell people about the impact of social media but the assessment process has been stopped inside Facebook operations.

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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Data streaming should be released on a monthly basis. n There should be a centralized authority in Europe to keep an eye on Fake news and Misinformation. n US and EU approaches are different on privacy and morality while a majority of social media platforms are registered in the USA and follow US rules and ethics. n Facebook hides the data of impact on people because Facebook knows if data is shared with users they would avoid coming on it (Facebook). n People Tracking is a forced option without their awareness. n Creating “Hate and Division” among social groups is the lethal game of social media platforms. n Whistleblowers are important and they have protection under US rules. n Shadow profiles are on social media to engage people. n Instagram and Facebook are providing misinformation and the most vulnerable are those who are already in a lonely phase like divorced people, living single etc n You are invited into groups —- but leaving a group does not mean that your data has not been shared and gathered by a new group you join even for one minute. n The Facebook algorithm is tricky and the EU has a big role to discuss these issues because it is a real democracy. n Social Media Platforms must tell what backend system they have for security and data collection. n End to end encryption ——Facebook does not share what kind of encryption it has. People would be shocked one day when Facebook would disclose it.

This Public Hearing indicates that the European politicians and political parties feel threatened with a new kind of “Perception Building” against political systems and democracies. I believe the most vulnerable are democracies in the developing world where they already face pressures from establishments and powerful corporate giants, and one can understand establishments and corporate giants can use social media platforms for “regime change” without coming at the front.

We understand a “deceit game with deceptive tools” is being played against many countries, against several political parties, and against a number of individuals through Social Media Campaigning in South Asia. n

The writer Shazia Anwer Cheema is a Praguebased foreign affairs expert who writes for national and international media. She is a doctoral student.

Researcher in semiotics and philosophy of communication at Charles University in Prague. She heads the DND Think Tank. She can be reached at her: Twitter @ShaziaAnwerCh Email: shaziaanwer@yahoo.com

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

06-07 Comments - 10th November 2021_Layout 1 11/9/2021 10:38 PM Page 2

Wednesday, 10 November, 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

Preservation of heritage in Pakistan

China’s foreign policy towards Pakistan and India China treads warily, because of the USA’s rivalry with it

Dr MuhAMMAD AkrAM zAheer

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InCE the late 20th century, China has shifted her policy from isolation and separation from the international community and now is on the way to becoming the major economic power of the world. The Chinese leadership has formulated more attractive, pragmatic and flexible policies for global affairs and issues. With economic growth, China is widening and deepening its quest for energy resources and expanding its investment, market and political influence. It is also projecting her soft power vigorously and peacefully by promoting culture, sports, education, tourism and other exchanges. The Chinese believe in the emergence of a peaceful great power as once. Professor of international relations Yan Xuetong said, China is the second most powerful state in the world.

A rapid change in the domestic situations of countries and in the international system has been followed by the change of their, perceptions, priorities, foreign policies and interests. That’s why the modern dynamics of foreign policies are extending their activities into many spheres of the international system to increase influence. The quest for the achievement of national interests allows countries to continue work effectively on their potential, inherent to make useful policy.

In the past, Chinese diplomacy was often employed to pursue goals of unbalanced interests. now the world has dramatically changed since after the Cold war and China is in the position to play a constructive role in the international system. China was allied to the USSR and viewed the USA as its principal enemy during the 1950s.

On the other hand, Washington sought an anticommunist alliance with Pakistan as well as close relations with India. After the 1965 Indo-Pak war, US and Indian relations became weaker due to Washington’s limited sale of weapons to India.

In1970s. India moved closer to the USSR while China grew closer to Islamabad because India’s of complicated strategic position. Then China inclined towards the USA in quest of its export market and as a counterbalance to the USSR. After the USSR’s collapse, a peaceful environment favuoed China and a shift came in her policy towards south Asia. now, Beijing was seeking political and economic bilateral ties with the regional countries, particularly positive developments in the process of Sino-India rapprochement. This shift did not favour Pakistan and posed

negative consequences on the traditional PakChina relationship. The impact of the foreign policy shift gave this impression during the Pak-India crisis over Kashmir in 1989-90 when Beijing did not support a resolution on Kashmir in the United nations. It remained neutral and calm, emphasizing on both parties to solve the issue by dialogue.

Contrarily, the Cold-war Chinese policy towards Pakistan was supportive against India.

During the 1990s, China has been advising both Pakistan and India to solve their problems through dialogue. In 1996, President Jiang Zemin visited Pakistan and in his speech to the Senate, he urged Pakistan to develop cooperative relations with India and put thorny issues aside.

Pakistan should make trade and economic relations to lessen the hostility. During the Kargil crisis China-India rapprochement had entered the mature phase. This time again, China adopted a neutral policy and emphasized hodling talks and solving the issue through negotiations.

Pakistan was seeking active support on the issues of Kashmir and Kargil, but the Chinese position was unchanged. During the visit of the Pakistani Foreign Minister to China in1999, Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan said the international community has great concerns about the South Asian situation and Pakistan should remain cool and exercise self-control. It was a warning to Pakistan that China would not support it militarily, and Pakistan should get out from Kargil and settle the crisis by dialogue.

After the cold war, India abandoned the Soviet model and looked for economic reforms.

Therefore, India remained no longer allied so closely to Moscow and became less of a danger to China. now the need of Islamabad for Beijing was narrowed to counterbalance Delhi and Moscow, but was concerned at the Delhi-Washington closeness. China wants to prevent India joining the USA to counter her and the USA looks to India to counterbalance China. This situation is very difficult for China to sustain and maintain the balance and demonstrate her ability in the region of nuclear powers.

The incident of 9/11 brought regional and international developments and new adjustments in foreign policy for China. This led to a diplomatic standoff between Pakistan and India. Almost for a year, the military forces of both sides stood eyeball to eyeball. The terrorist attack on Indian Parliament and the Srinagar incident inflamed insecurity and instability in the region.

Beijing has concerns about Pak-India tension and it played a proactive role at the diplomatic level to diffuse tension. China also activated SCO and other forums to dissipate tension between Islamabad and new Delhi.

Soon after 9/11, the USA declared a global war against terrorism and China was discomforted and had many internal and external concerns. It warned the USA that counter-terrorism should not be used to practise hegemony. Although the war was against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, China also managed the worsened situation of her troubled province of Xinjiang, and was unsettled by the presence of US forces near her border. China believed that Washington would create instability in the region and might have new political designs. The region, particularly Central Asia, was more attractive to China due to its energy resources and

Washington’s political and military involvement in the region worried China.

Washington was increasing pressure on Islamabad to get Pakistani support for the war on terror in Afghanistan after 9/11. On the other hand, China had concerns of the expanding Delhi-Washington strategic cooperation.

India and the USA were considering China as a common rival of both and were thinking to limit the rise of China. Washington made efforts to diffuse the crisis between Pakistan and India by a balancing posture during this period. China also maintained a balanced position towards Pakistan and India post 9/11. Another worry for China was the Indian move towards Japan and Vietnam, with whom Chinese relations remained tense.

The past cooperation in political, economics, security and diplomatic issues and bilateral ties produced Chinese $62 billion investment in Pakistan through CPEC. China has provided support to Pakistan in the UnSC regularly. China has assisted Pakistan to improve security and defence capability by the joint venture of the JF-17 Thunder in 2003. The deteriorating relationship of Islamabad and Washington provide China motivation and impetus to improve relations.

On the other hand, China and India are two natural strategic rivals with large populations in the region. A sense of competition between the two is very high. China has engaged nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Maldives, which was considered in the area of Indian influence. China tried to build a road in Bhutan in the Doklam area, which is a source of tension for India. It seemed that China was occupying the strategic territory, which was very necessary for Indian security. In addition, India thinks that Pakistan is serving Chinese interests by forcing her to fight wars, reducing the Indian ability to counter the Chinese rise.

However, the leadership of both China and India has recognized the need of peace and cooperation to ease the tension. They met in the Wuhan summit in April 2018 and agreed to expand economic relations. China seems a major beneficiary of China-India economic relations.

The importance of this partnership may not be worsening China-Pakistan relations. The example of the China and Pakistan cooperation is seen when Beijing put its weight behind Islamabad and forced a discussion in the UnSC on India’s latest reconfiguration of Kashmir.

As its economic power grows, China has its own paradigm of development and new ways of interaction with regional and global powers on a win-win basis. Being the neighbour of China, Pakistan has the privilege to achieve investment and trade. The frequent exchange visits by the leadership of both have reinforced mutual trust and cooperation. On the other hand, China and India have agreed to expand their cooperation on multiple levels to ensure peace on their borders.

However, India and Pakistan are challenging each other on the issue of Kashmir and both the countries had fought four wars in the past. On the issue of Kashmir, Chinese policy will have significant implications for the China-India-Pakistan relationship and will test China’s foreign policy towards Pakistan and India.

The writer has a doctorate in political science and can be reached at akramzaheer86@yahoo.com

GILGIT-BALTISTAn has a unique literary and cultural heritage with almost seventeen different languages being spoken in the region. However, the culture and languages of the region are now being threatened by the spread of English and the homogenisation of cultures through the internet.

The creation of community libraries in different parts of the region has promoted reading and education. Due to this Gilgit-Baltistan has fared much better in literacy rates compared to other parts of Pakistan. However, the youth remain unaware of the literary history and prominent personalities of the region.

One way to remember and preserve the history, cultural diversity, and heritage of the region is through the public or community libraries. The Municipal Library of Gilgit also known as Biddulph House Library has an exceptional collection of books as well as other historical documents and manuscripts from the pre-partition era. Unfortunately, now the library is in a poor state and requires funding for maintenance and preservation of the books.

The refurbishment of the library will attract both foreign and local tourists because of its exemplary collection of books and encourage people to read. Also, libraries can be utilised as community centres to initiate other cultural activities and gatherings. Literary festivals at the library can help revive a culture of reading and promote awareness of heritage and culture. I want to urge the Chief Minister of G-B to take concrete steps to preserve the library and protect the heritage of the region.

The previous governments had little to no preference to preserve/protect cultural heritage. However, the government in power today has taken steps to encourage and increase the number of tourists coming to Pakistan and also aims to improve its economy through tourism. It is crucial for all the concerned departments (Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of national Heritage and the Provincial departments) to come up with futuristic policies that aim towards the preservation of heritage, whether natural or cultural, and to use it to promote tourism.

Additionally, the concept of sustainable tourism needs to be incorporated within these polices and existing legal framework.

In order to comply with Sustainable Development Goals 2030, as laid down by the United nations, the concept of sustainable tourism has become vital for the protection and the management of the cultural and natural world heritage sites and their UOV. Sustainable tourism will allow Pakistani communities to thrive and will have an increased sense of responsibility towards the conservation of World Heritage Sites.

There have been a few notable projects undertaken to preserve Pakistani tangible and intangible cultural heritage. These projects range from the establishment of the national History Museum, heritage walks in the old city of different cities, the restoration of the Shahi Hamam in Lahore to the events to restore cultural life in the walled city of Lahore by the Walled City Authority. There still remains a lot which is needed to be done in order to push the boundaries and prevent the cultural life and heritage from diminishing. Additionally, Pakistan’s legislative regime on the preservation of cultural heritage and prohibition of illegal trafficking of antiquities lags behind and still a lot needs to be done in order to bridge the gap between the law and the issue of illegal trafficking of artefacts. Federal and Provincial governments should amend laws and introduce penalties proportional to the offense. The government should also make serious efforts towards formulating inventories and ensuring better security checks on borders and ports to curtail this lucrative black market of illegally trafficked art pieces.

Shakir Shamim Skardu

Brutal killing machines PAKISTAn, being a nuclear state is expected to have writ of law and the constitution enforced across the length and breadth of the country, whose citizens have a right to exercise dissent, and protest in a civilized manner prescribed by law. The right to protest is guaranteed by the constitution, but not the right by mobs to kill and destroy state and private property. nowhere in the world is this allowed or tolerated.

Pakistan is a Muslim majority state, which was created through a political and constitutional struggle led by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He elaborated that Pakistan would be a modern democratic welfare state with a constitution as the supreme law. The Quaid made it clear that all citizens were equal before the law and would enjoy fundamental rights, irrespective of their differences. The state is not responsible for determining any citizen’s piousness or belief in Islam, nor who is Sadiq and Ameen because that is the sole jurisdiction of Almighty.

Unfortunately, after Quaid’s death, democracy was derailed, the constituent assembly was dismissed, and Jinnah’s modern democratic welfare state was replaced by a security state. The British Raj policy of divide and rule was adopted by dictators to prevent any united struggle to restore Jinnah’s vision. Religion was exploited and politicians of integrity banned under EBDO were replaced by opportunists and religio-political parties promoting sectarian divide. Extremism and political intolerance were patronised, and state sovereignty was compromised to fight proxy wars. Seminaries that were once devoted to religious studies became the tools to brainwash young males to fight proxy wars.

What this country has witnessed recently is a ferocious blood bath perpetrated by brainwashed zealots unleashed on the streets and roads, blocking the main GT road for almost two weeks by few within this country, devoid of any political vision, who since its creation are bent upon derailing and demolishing the vision of Father of nation Quaid-e-Azam MAJ. The Writ of State was allowed to be humbled by few thousands, few of them armed with Kalashnikovs, accompanied by mobile cranes capable of demolishing concrete structures. All this unfortunately in the name of a religion that forbids resort to violence.Instead of some remorse, an arrogant Mufti is empowered to belittle and abuse federal ministers and all citizens who believe in Jinnah’s vision of a modern democratic welfare state, whose citizens enjoy equal rights, and the writ of law to prevail over the whims of few. Those who dare to stand up and protest or demand that Jinnah’s Pakistan be restored are branded as “Liberals”, a term normally having a positive meaning, but reduced to almost the status of an abuse.

Our enemies don’t need to spend billions to inflict harm and project this country as a state under siege by militants and extremists. What if they exploit religion, brainwash few and adopt tools so often resorted to by those involved in political engineering maneuvers? malik Tariq lahorE

Wednesday, 10 November, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

BriTain owes an apology To my faTher and millions of oTher indonesians THE DAUGHTER OF THE INDONESIAN PRESIDENT RESPONDS ABOUT THE PROPAGANDA WAR WAGED AGAINST HIM

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KarTiKa SuKarno

Y father, Sukarno, the first elected president of Indonesia, was put under house arrest in March 1967 a few days after I was born. he was 67. In the months before, there had been a bloodbath in the country in which he lost many trusted friends and allies. The year before, he had

sent my mother, who was pregnant with me, to Japan, her homeland, advising her to return to Indonesia when the situation improved.

It never did. Three years later, in 1970, I saw my father for the first time, on his deathbed. My mother and I had not been allowed to return to the country and we had been living in France. My father died a few hours after our plane from Paris landed.

Thanks to the despotic rule of the second president – General Suharto – I was not able to see my father alive, although my mother had tried repeatedly to enter Indonesia.

I am now 54 and still suffering deep pain at the thought of my father’s lonely years under house arrest, being denied medical care and family visits because Suharto did not want to take any chances by giving him the opportunity to speak out. Suharto had seized control of the mass media and my father, whose voice was once regularly heard over the radio, was silenced. his voice was so muted that he could no longer communicate with the members of his own family.

After the Second World War, we can argue that colonialism in Indonesia was replaced with US and British imperialism.

They saw the non-aligned movement, of which my father was a founder, as a threat to their empire-building and business interests. The US government refused to see the difference between nationalism and communism. The British government wanted the removal of my father due to its business interests, as did the Americans and their allies in the region, which is rich in natural resources. (West Papua has the biggest gold mine in the world.)

My father had also angered the British by launching “konfrontasi”, a limited military border campaign to show Indonesia’s opposition to the newly formed Malaysia, which he saw as a colonial creation and threat. The American strategy in toppling my father was so successful that the US government later replicated it in Chile under the codename “Operation Jakarta”.

The tragic fate of my father was shared by millions of Indonesians whose lives were

Why oil politics will remain as important as ever AS RENEWABLE ENERGY BECOMES A GREATER PART OF THE MIX, ENERGY SECURITY WILL BECOME MORE, NOT LESS, COMPLEX

naTional

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MuSTaFa alraWi

he global push for net-zero climate emissions may end up amplifying oil politics, not removing it completely. The current juxtaposition of high energy prices and the ramping up of investment for and commitments to more sustainable sources of power is a handy illustration of what the future might look like, as the world presses forward to deliver on the goals of the Paris climate agreement. Natural gas prices, which are linked to crude, have nearly doubled this year, as several parts of the world, particularly europe, experience shortages. This, in turn, is a spur to inflation and a risk to the economic recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Oil politics was on display on the eve of the Cop26 summit in Glasgow, when US President Joe Biden said his applying pressure on producers to increase the supply of oil and gas while simultaneously urging an acceleration of the energy transition was not “inconsistent”.

Mr Biden is undoubtedly attempting to balance shortterm needs with long-term necessities. he has already made clear his desire for the Opec+ group, which includes Saudi Arabia and Russia, to loosen the taps to relieve consumers paying more at the pumps. "It’s not at all inconsistent in that no one has anticipated that this year we would be in a position, or even next year, that we’re not going to use any more oil or gas," Mr Biden said.

As he delivered his remarks on energy transition, the US president sought to emphasise on the word "transition".

“The idea we’re going to be able to move to renewable energy overnight and ... from this moment on not use oil or not use gas or not use hydrogen, it’s just not rational," Mr Biden said. But as the week progressed, he began to put the responsibility for high energy prices squarely on Opec’s shoulders. Now, while Mr Biden is right to say that his overall position does not contradict with the broader climate goals, his confrontational approach will not aid the very momentum the world is trying to build to tackle such

an urgent challenge as global warming, the solutions to which can only be harnessed together. especially as more than 50 nations including the UAe, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, have crossed the Rubicon on climate change and the idea of net-zero carbon emissions in the next 30-40 years looks achievable.

As Mr Biden concedes, that does not mean that oil will disappear. In fact, as renewable energy becomes a greater part of the mix and producing oil and gas becomes less lucrative, there will be the counterintuitive scenario that energy security will become more, not less, complex. This is an important consideration for governments and those they serve, according to the International energy Agency.

In the IeA's scenario for net-zero by 2050, Opec becomes more important, accounting for more than half of the world’s oil supply, up from more than one third today.

Overall, net-zero creates “new potential vulnerabilities associated with the need to maintain reliable, flexible and secure electricity systems, and with the increase in demand for raw minerals for clean energy technologies”, the IeA said this week. The debate is now centred on the pace of investment in clean energy, which everyone agrees must pick up, while ensuring the amount spent on oil and gas is at such a level as to prevent the kind of volatility we have seen this year becoming a fixture. “An effective and orderly transition will be critical – not only to reach international climate targets but also to prevent serious supply disruptions and destabilising price volatility along the way,” Keisuke Sadamori, director of the office for energy markets and security at the IeA, said last month.

This comes back to how important what the current crop of leading oil and gas producers do is. Striking a balance between today and tomorrow seems easier said than done, as political pressures and fiscal realities create dayto-day noise. Yet, the critical role played by countries such as the UAe in managing a balanced energy transition also requires that their vision for the road to net-zero be given equal weight as compared to developed nations.

In a similar vein, India, one of the largest energy consumers, is firmly following its own timetable to net-zero – in 2070, according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. he also made clear that developed countries should play their part in helping India to achieve these goals. Indeed, co-operation is key. Whether through investment or technology, countries will need to help one another in their efforts to meet climate targets.

If short-term worries such as high oil prices dominate the agenda, then the atmosphere of collaboration created by gatherings such as the one in Glasgow will quickly evaporate. In truth, as we progress towards net-zero and the energy mix evolves, the rhetoric is likely to become more barbed and less conciliatory. Change, after all, is never easy.

Mustafa is an assistant editor in chief at The National, and an accomplished journalist and broadcaster, with over 18-years' experience working in the UK, the UAE and the wider Middle East.

destroyed by the 1965 bloody military coup, which I believe was backed by the American, British and Australian governments.

From the documents recently declassified, we found out that, starting in the 1950s, the CIA had kept Sukarno under surveillance. In 1965, the United Kingdom incited the mass killings under the pretext that the communist people were responsible for the murder of six leading Indonesian generals. Today, there is still debate about who was behind these murders. My father knew the communists did not kill his six generals; he also knew the intent of the British and American governments to see him toppled. he had been very outspoken with his rather aggressive motto, “Amerika kita setrika, Inggris kita linggis” (Let’s iron out America and bash the english). however, he was somehow powerless when facing his own countrymen. Thus, when an unknown military general, Suharto, took over and ordered the killings of all communists and Sukarno’s followers, many civilians who did not even know the meaning of the communist ideology were also arrested, tortured, murdered.

For generations, the victims’ family members were also persecuted. They were marked out with a symbol on their ID cards that prevented them from finding employment. They could not attend public schools and it was difficult for their children to at-

tend private schools except for several Catholic ones. even my own sister, Megawati Sukarno Putri, was not able to finish her university studies.

When talking about Suharto, we would whisper, out of fear that the walls could listen, such was the reach of his surveillance state. The press was heavily censored, with redacted passages covering the “negative” press about his dictatorship. We had to ask for special permission to pray at our father’s grave. Our names were called one by one by the military officers guarding the fences of his grave as we approached to pay our respects.

Some cynical western views may look down on newly independent countries because they did not know what to do with their freedom. however, they seem not to be aware that several western governments have played a major role in destroying millions of lives under a fake communist propaganda threat. Communism was allowed in european countries, but in so-called third world countries civilians related to communism or suspected of being communist were killed. As the Observer story showed, the British were complicit in the mass murders and enabling the 32-year reign of the despotic Suharto. It is time that the British government apologised to the Indonesian people for the enormous harm it did.

COP26 & Hindu belief system PITY OUR SCHOLARS AND RELIGIOUS LEADERS HAVEN’T INTERVENED IN THE GLOBAL DISCOURSE Tribune, india

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Sudheendra KulKarni

he ongoing UN COP26 summit in Glasgow will end on November 12. All world leaders, in their speeches, highlighted the gravity of the climate crisis but failed to reach a consensus on a time-bound action plan. The capitalist economic machine views nature as an entity that exists only to be exploited for man’s use. even though the crisis affects every human being, the conference has not created much excitement among the common people. Does it mean they are indifferent to environmental issues? No. The message of COP26 does not energise them because it is not conveyed in a language that moves their hearts and minds. That language has to be rooted in people’s religious beliefs. Religion, after all, exerts the strongest influence on their lives. Common people, irrespective of their caste or creed, have a highly reverential attitude towards nature, believing that God nurtures life through the bounties of nature. Indeed, this attitude, and the attendant environmentfriendly customs and practices, are more alive among ordinary Indians — farmers, village artisans, cowherds, shepherds, fisherfolk, and so on — than among the westernised elite. I learnt it through a personal experience. My daughter was born nearly three decades ago at Sangli in Maharashtra, on the banks of the Krishna. On my morning walks to the riverfront, my mind would be filled with the joy of welcoming a new life and with the mystery about the cycle of birth and death, and the purpose of existence in this infinite universe. I was convinced that there is a higher power, which we call God, governing the affairs of man, nature and the cosmos. hinduism sees God everywhere, and in everything — in inanimate as much as in animate beings, in immanent forms as well as in transcendent realities. I had a startling realisation of this when I saw a group of women stone-cutters engaged in road repair work. Before breaking the first stone of the day, they would worship it with a small ceremony — wash it with water, smear it with haldi and kumkum (yellow and red turmeric powder), light an incense stick and do a reverential namaskar, which, etymologically, means: ‘That which is divine in me bows to that which is divine in you.’

My conversation with these poor, and mostly unschooled women, belonging to the Waddar caste enlightened me about hindu environmentalism.

They said, ‘These are not mere stones. There is God in them. Our life and livelihood are a gift from this God. These stones make the road, which benefits all. hence, God protects and takes care of all.’ These wise words shed light on the looming climate crisis the world is debating today. This crisis is on account of two serious follies. The first folly is that the concept of God is missing in the gigantic and insensitive capitalist machine the modern world has created.

This economic machine views nature — forests, rivers, oceans, animals, etc, each of which is regarded as sacred in hinduism — as an entity that ex-

ists only to be exploited for man’s use. The exploitation of nature is not for the benefit of all human beings. Rather, it is for the comfort, profit and greed of the national and global elite, which forms a small part of 7.8 billion people living on this planet.

The second folly — because capitalism has disowned God, it sees no obligation to take care of the needs of all human beings. Its motto is not ‘Sarvajan hitaya, sarvajan sukhaya’, which is a lofty egalitarian principle rooted in hinduism, but ‘Alpajan hitaya, alpajan sukhaya’ (for the benefit and happiness of the privileged minority). This machine has destroyed traditional community and family relations, has atomised society and cultivated the virus of individualism. Promotion of materialism, consumerism and self-centredness — and making human beings forget the higher purpose of their existence — are the in-built requirements of capitalism, because that is the only way it can maximise private profit at the cost of public good. Which is why, it will continue to ignore Mahatma Gandhi’s warning — ‘Mother earth has enough to satisfy everyone’s need, but not everyone’s greed.’ Which is why, it will reject the wisdom of Isha Upanishad, which teaches us to take only that limited portion from the gifts of God that we need, and to renounce the rest for the use of others.

It is a pity that hindu scholars and religious leaders have not effectively intervened in the global discourse on climate change so far. In contrast, the Catholic Church, especially under the leadership of Pope Francis, has emerged as an influential voice. In June 2015, before the historic Paris agreement on climate action, the Pope issued a major document called Laudato si’ (Latin, meaning ‘on care for our common home’). This is what he said: ‘A true ecological approach must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.’ he also affirmed: ‘Not only has God given the earth to man, who must use it with respect for the original good purpose for which it was given, but, man too is God’s gift to man. he must therefore respect the natural and moral structure with which he has been endowed.’

Last month, I participated in a global inter-religious conference for world peace in Rome, which was addressed by Pope Francis. In my speech I said, ‘The climate crisis cannot be overcome only with new technologies and investments in green development. These are necessary. But far more necessary is a completely new paradigm on harmonising ecology and economy for a new direction to human evolution based on justice and equality. hence, there should be an “All-Religion Document on Climate Change” on the lines of Laudato si’. We all should strive to make the religious and spiritual perspective on man-nature-God relationship the guiding perspective of climate action globally.’ For a part of this understanding, I remain grateful to the stone-cutter women at Sangli.

The author is a former close aide to ex-PM Vajpayee and founder, Forum for a New South Asia.

Wednesday, 10 November, 2021 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS corporate corner Daraz puts innovation and user experience at centre of this year’s 11.11 Karachi: a a The world’s largest shopping day, 11.11, has almost arrived, and this year, South Asia’s leading ecommerce marketplace, Daraz, is looking to give shoppers their greatest experience yet. Daraz’s CEO and Founder, Bjarke Mikkelsen, says 11.11 is set to be different than previous years. “This year, we want to make sure the campaign is not only about great deals but provides a fantastic and innovative user experience. We have been working hard to improve and simplify the overall shopping experience, so products are easy to find and the entire process – from browsing to purchase to delivery - is seamless and straightforward. Daraz has integrated a range of new technologies into its marketplace to create a more personalised, immersive, and simplified shopping experience of its 50 million products. One of the latest features is the introduction of shoppable livestreaming.

This technology allows shoppers to directly engage with sellers through live video, giving them the opportunity to discover new products, learn different ways to use a product, and engage in an interactive review of the product with the seller. This innovative shopping experience bridges the gap between online and offline, enabling shoppers to make more informed purchasing decisions. In addition, each shopping section has been integrated and personalized. Pr

Bank islami and Elahi group file compromise agreement in court Karachi: a a Bank Islami Pakistan Limited (BIPL) and Elahi Group of Companies (EGC) / Zafar Agencies (ZA) have filed a compromise agreement in the Honourable Sindh High Court through which all liabilities will be settled and full closure and withdrawal of all pending complaints and litigation has been agreed on a no-fault basis between the parties; accordingly, the matter stands fully resolved. Both parties express their disappointment that a commercial dispute got dragged in with the law enforcement agencies; and both parties shall make concerted efforts to facilitate each other and further strengthen their relations”. Pr

Mindshare wins media mandate for Airlift

BLAck MArkETing By inDUSTriALiSTS rAiSon D’ETrE oF SUgAr criSiS: MiniSTEr ISLAMABAD

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aPP

InISTER for national Food Security Syed Fakhar Imam Tuesday said the sugar crisis escalated due to black marketing by producers that impacted not only the supply line but also the economic growth.

Since the inception of Pakistan, the industrial sector was being ill-regulated due to monopolists that always regard their personal interests over general welfare, he said while speaking to Radio Pakistan.

However, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government under Prime Minister Imran Khan has ordered the authorities to ensure the sugar

mills were operating in accordance with the rules adding that the ones breaching the law would be punished.

Moreover, for the short term mitigation of the sugar crisis, the government is importing 0.15 million tons of the commodity to meet the demand in the market, he added.

He said the additional steps will be required to further control the price mechanism.

Gold shines again as per tola price increases by Rs1,900 LOCAL DEMANDS FALTERING WITH INCREASE IN PRICES ISLAMABAD news desk

Gold prices continued their upward trend as the per tola rate of the precious metal on Tuesday witnessed an increase of Rs1900 to Rs124,750 in the domestic market.

Sharing the price of the precious metal, All Pakistan Jewelers Manufacturers Association Chairman Muhammad Arshad said that the rate of 10 grams of gold increased by Rs1629 to Rs106,953.

A day earlier, the precious commodity closed at Rs123,300 per tola and Rs105,710 per 10 grams.

Local media reports state that the the fresh

increase comes on the back of concerns regarding uncertain economic conditions which have sparked a flight from risky commodities towards safer ones.

Meanwhile, silver prices in the domestic market remained unchanged at Rs1,440 per tola and Rs1,234.56 per 10 grams.

In international market, gold rose to a twomonth high on Monday, bolstered by a retreat in the dollar and persistent inflation concerns after key central banks indicated interest rates would remain low in the near term.

Spot gold was up for the third straight session, rising 0.5 per cent to $1,825.64 per ounce, the highest since September 7. US gold futures settled 0.6pc higher at $1,828.

Govt fast tracking work on WB funded projects: Asad Umar PLANNING MINISTER STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF ASSISTANCE FOR EXPANSION, MODERNISATION OF ELECTRICITY TRANSMISSION SYSTEM

Karachi: a a Following an intense pitch process that commenced in August 2021, Mindshare Pakistan has been entrusted as the lead Media Buying agency for Airlift Technologies. As part of this significant win for Mindshare, the agency will be planning and buying media for Airlift across multiple markets. Mindshare Pakistan - part of GroupM, which is the largest media buying house in Pakistan – has been on a winning streak for quite some time now and is thriving on data, digital and technology along with its conventional portfolio of business. Pr

Dawlance officially becomes diamond sponsor for Daraz’s mega sale 11.11 and 12.12

Karachi: a a Dawlance has become the Diamond Sponsor of 11.11 and 12.12 Mega-Sale campaign of Daraz to offer fabulous discounts on its innovative range of products.

Dawlance and Daraz consumers can now avail and enjoy amazing discounts worth in crores on DarazMall during 11.11 and 12.12 discount festival along with valuable vouchers, gifts and much more. This collaborative initiative reflects the customer-centric approach and progressive vision of both these resourceful organizations, where the highest priority is given to the consumer’s satisfaction around purchasing quality and reliable Dawlance appliances. Pr

ISLAMABAD aPP

Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, while appreciating the contribution of the World Bank (WB) in the socio-economic development of Pakistan, has said that the incumbent government was committed to fast-tracking various projects being funded by the Bank.

As per details, a World Bank delegation led by South Asia Regional Director for Infrastructure Guangzhe Chen had called Asad Umar here on Tuesday. Secretary Planning Hamed Yaqoob Sheikh and senior officials attended the meeting.

During the meeting, various infrastructure, energy, clean drinking water, drainage, education, health-related projects being funded by the Bank came under discussion.

Asad Umar reiterated that the government was fully committed to implementing structural reforms, protecting social spending, and boosting social safety nets in order to protect the vulnerable segments of society.

Referring to the K-4 project, the minister said that the provision of clean drinking water and upgrading the drainage system of Karachi were among the top priorities on which work is being done.

He informed the delegation that due to ef-

fective measures taken by the government, the growth in circular debt was being curtailed by a considerable amount.

He assured that the government was keen to reform the power sector in the country with a special focus on reducing circular debt.

The minister also informed the delegation that the government was working to revamp the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) with the aim of modernisation of statistical system and to enable it for high-frequency data generation.

“The PBS would also be conducting its first digital census, 2023,” he said, adding that the government would welcome World Bank’s technical assistance in these areas.

He further underscored the importance of World Bank assistance for the expansion and modernisation of Pakistan’s electricity transmission system.

Speaking on the occasion, Guangzhe Chen commended Pakistan’s efforts and supported the energy reform agenda of the present government, including circular debt management and Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion (IGCE) plan.

Stressing the importance of road connectivity for rural development, the Planning minister emphasised that effective road networks promote access to social services such as health facilities and education.

09

UBL partners with Euronet Pakistan to launch first Fintech Accelerator Programme in Pakistan

Karachi: a a UBL and Euronet Pakistan have partnered for a unique Fintech Accelerator Program to facilitate the onboarding and go-to-market for Fintechs desirous of entering the payments landscape. Seen in the picture are Sharjeel Shahid, Group Executive Digital Banking UBL and Kashif Gaya, CEO, Euronet Pakistan along with their respective teams at the signing ceremony. UBL and Euronet Pakistan have launched a first of its kind Fintech Accelerator Program to facilitate the onboarding and go-to-market for Fintechs desirous of entering the payments landscape. With a view to foster innovation and growth in the local payment’s ecosystem, the program aims to facilitate local Fintechs in early-stage challenges such as onboarding, selection of the right payment processing tech-stack and in defining an optimal quick market roll-out strategy. Pr

School of Tomorrow conference: ‘Towards Happier Futures’ successfully concludes islamabad: a a a Beaconhouse, the country’s largest network of private educational institutions, has successfully concluded the 14th edition of its flagship ‘School of Tomorrow’ (SOT) conferences, themed ‘Towards Happier Futures’. The two-day virtual conference brimmed with multiple insightful discussions with over 50 global and local thought leaders in education, healthcare, athletics, and social and environmental development. Focused on current and future educational standards, the opening session of the SOT conference featured a live discussion on the Single National Curriculum (SNC) and its progress, with the presence of Dr Mariam Chughtai, Project Director at the National Curriculum Council and prominent leaders from private schools and publishers in Pakistan. Eleven panel discussions were held, along with two workshops over two days. These talks revolved around creating a better future for the generations to come, with improved educational structures, ways to battle the impact Covid-19 has had on education, a focus on safer climate, the role parenting styles, media, and education play in developing a future, revival of sports post-pandemic, and child labour.

The 14th SOT conference included prominent leaders including Drew Perkins, Director, Professional Development at TeachThought; senior journalist James Dorsey; popular sports anchor Zainab Abbas, Edward Davis, Head of Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund; Mehnaz Rehman, Director Aurat Foundation; Bronwyn Jacobs, Educationist and Media Journalist from China, and others. The SOT was initiated by Beaconhouse as a series of events to support the institution’s quest to redefine education in Pakistan.

The Beaconhouse Group holds a legacy of 45 years of educational expertise and currently has over 315,000 students enrolled full-time across more than 190 private school branches in eight countries. This year’s conference was sponsored by United Bank Ltd. (UBL). Pr

United Bank works with VMware to Build more secure ‘Anywhere Workforce’ for new digital banking era Karachi: a a Karachi–VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) has announced that United Bank Limited (UBL), one of the largest private banks in Pakistan, has tapped its solutions to bolster the Bank’s work-from-home strategy for its critical global workforce, during the peak of the pandemic.

The solution, which was initially designed to plug the gaps in the organization’s business continuity plans during a lockdown, has demonstrated its resilience in a postpandemic operating environment as it continues to empower its ‘Anywhere Workforce’ with better experiences and broader, more effective security. The pandemic has changed the way we live, work and interact with each other. When the Pakistani Government first announced the lockdown of major provinces to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus in March 2020, many organizations in Pakistan had to suddenly pivot and adapt to a remote environment. UBL was faced with the dilemma of shutting down its physical presence – over 1,300branches across Pakistan– and losing out on connecting with not only consumers, but also employees physically. With Pakistan’s internet user base increasing 21% to 11 million between 2020 and 2021 , it was clear that forward-looking organizations such as UBL will need to strengthen their digital infrastructure to enable collaborations between employees and to continue delivering customer-led innovations and experiences that are seamless, personalized and more secure. Pr

Wednesday, 10 November, 2021 | ISLAMABAD

10 FOREIGN NEWS

US SUpreme CoUrT To deCIde on govT SeCreTS CASe InvolvIng FBI’S SUrveIllAnCe oF mUSlImS cALIfORNIA

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AFP

HE US Supreme Court heard arguments on Monday in a case involving national security and the claims of three Muslim men in California who say they were illegally surveilled at their mosque by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The three men — Yassir Fazaga, imam of the Orange County Islamic Foundation, Ali Uddin Malik and Yasser Abdelrahim — filed a lawsuit arguing that the surveillance conducted after the September 11, 2001 attacks was based solely on their religion.

The Justice Department maintains it carried out the surveillance programme for objective reasons — not because those being watched were Muslims.

But it has invoked state secrets privilege in refusing to say what the alleged reasons were and urged the courts to reject the case.

A district court in California dismissed

the plaintiffs’ claim, accepting the FBI argument that state secrets risked being revealed.

But the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed, saying the lower court should have held closed-door hearings to evaluate any secret evidence.

The FBI appealed that decision, and the US high court agreed to hear the case.

It will decide whether a district court can consider classified evidence in determining whether secret government surveillance is lawful.

According to the plaintiffs, the FBI sent a confidential informant with a prior criminal history to several mosques in Orange County in 2006 and 2007, ordering the man to pose as a convert and gather information.

The ACLU, the civil rights group representing the plaintiffs, said the informant secretly recorded prayer groups and made videos in mosques, homes and businesses.

ACLU lawyer Ahilan Arulanantham said the informant “started, again at his FBI handlers’ behalf, to try to incite violence, but he

IS violence dents Taliban claims of safer Afghanistan IsLAMABAD

scared a bunch of people, when he was talking about things like bombing, jihad and the war in Iraq and Afghanistan (and) they reported him to the FBI”.

The imam and his two congregants filed a complaint against the FBI for spying on them in violation of federal law and their constitutional rights.

Several of the Supreme Court justices appeared to be sympathetic to the government’s case on Monday.

“Dealing with some super secret information in district court and district courthouses around the country would create an incredible security problem,” said Justice Samuel Alito, a conservative.

“Most district courts don’t have the facilities to deal with information of that sensitivity.”

“It’s not the kind of information you want floating around, even in the White House,” said Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Others appeared wary of giving carte blanche to the government.

“I must say, on the face of the complaint, that the plaintiffs might be able to prove without your information that […] they’ve been unlawfully surveilled,” said Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a liberal.

German coronavirus infection rate hits highest since pandemic began

reuTers

AGeNcIes

Last month, the family of Mawlavi Ezzatullah, a member of Afghanistan’s Hizb-e Islami party, received a WhatsApp message from his phone: “We have slaughtered your Mawlavi Ezzat, come and collect his body.” Ezzatullah’s killing, in the eastern province of Nangarhar, was one of a steady stream of assassinations and bombings that have undermined Taliban claims that they have brought greater security to Afghanistan after 40 years of war. Victims have ranged from former security officials from the ousted government to journalists, civil society activists, mullahs, Taliban fighters and apparently random targets like Ezzat, whose family said he had no enemies they knew of. The Taliban have said their victory has brought stability to Afghanistan, where thousands of people were killed in fighting between the group and Western-backed forces between 2001 and 2021 before the hardline emerged victorious. But on just one day last week, pictures from Jalalabad — the provincial capital of Nangarhar — appeared online showing two bodies swinging from a rope. Residents also reported a mullah’s murder and video footage was circulated of a group of gunmen firing into a car, apparently killing its occupants, one of whom was identified by local journalists as a Taliban official. Reuters was unable to verify the images and footage independently. On Sunday, according to locals, three bodies were brought into a hospital in Jalalabad after a roadside bomb explosion that apparently targeted Taliban fighters in a pickup truck.

Germany’s coronavirus infection rate has risen to its highest level since the start of the pandemic, public health figures showed on Monday, and doctors warned they will need to postpone scheduled operations in coming weeks to cope.

The seven-day incidence rate – the number of people per 100,000 to be infected over the last week – rose to 201.1, higher than a previous record of 197.6 in December last year, the figures from the Robert Koch Institute showed on Monday.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 4,782,546 from 4,767,033 a day earlier. The number of deaths increased by 33 to a total of 96,558.

Christian Karagiannidis, scientific di-

rector at the DIVI association for intensive and emergency medicine, said an expected rise in coronavirus cases in coming weeks meant some scheduled operations would

have to be postponed.

“We will only be able to cope with the burden of all emergencies if savings are made somewhere else, though defi-

reuTers

New Zealand beefed up security measures at its parliament on Tuesday as thousands of people gathered to protest against Covid-19 vaccine mandates and government lockdowns aimed at controlling the pandemic.

All but two entrances to the parliament building, known as the Beehive, were closed off in unprecedented security measures, as mostly unmasked protesters marched through central Wellington and congregated outside parliament.

While the demonstration was peaceful, many people were seen holding signs and placards with messages like “Freedom” and “Kiwis are not lab rats” and shouting slogans as they demanded the government roll back compulsory vaccination and lift restrictions.

nitely not with surgical cancer treatments,” he told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper. Germany has already had to relocate some patients from regions with overburdened hospitals.

The three German parties in talks to form a coalition government by early December have agreed not to extend a nationwide state of emergency.

Instead, they presented a draft law late on Monday that would amend existing legislation to allow for measures such as compulsory face masks and social distancing in public spaces to continue to be enforced until March next year.

The draft law is due to be presented to the Bundestag lower house of parliament on Thursday and voted on in a special session a week later.

US reopens to international travel, allows happy reunions sAN DIeGO The AssociATed Press

Parents held children born while they were stuck abroad. Long-separated couples kissed, and grandparents embraced grandchildren who had doubled in age.

The US fully reopened to many vaccinated international travellers Monday, allowing families and friends to reunite for the first time since the coronavirus emerged and offering a boost to the travel industry decimated by the pandemic. The

restrictions closed the US to millions of people for 20 months.

Octavio Alvarez and his 14-year-old daughter zipped through a pedestrian crossing in San Diego in less than 15 minutes on their way to visit his mother-in-law in California.

“It’s a big feeling,” said Alvarez, 43, who lives in Ensenada, Mexico, a two-hour drive from San Diego. Prior to the pandemic, his family would visit California twice a month. The emotional cost of the border restrictions were “very high,” he

added. American citizens and permanent residents were always allowed to enter the US, but the travel bans grounded tourists, thwarted business travellers and often keep families far apart. Travellers must have proof of vaccination and a negative Covid-19 test.

“I think a lot of people have been waiting for this day,” said Eileen Bigelow, area port director for Vermont for Customs and Border Protection. “They look at it as a light at the end of the tunnel for some return of normalcy.”

There were lots of prolonged hugs at

Placards showing support to former U.S. President Donald Trump and slamming the media as “fake” and lying were also displayed.

“I will not be coerced and I will not be forced into taking something I don’t want in my body,” a protester said outside parliament.

“I’m asking (the government) to give us back 2018. Simple as that. I want my freedoms back.”

New Zealand has struggled to fight off a highly infectious outbreak of the Delta variant this year, forcing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to move from its strategy of elimination through lockdowns to living with the virus with higher vaccinations.

Ardern last month said the country would require teachers and workers in the health and disability sectors to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, inviting criticism from people calling for more freedoms and for ending

airports from coast to coast. At Newark International Airport in New Jersey, Nirmit Shelat repeatedly embraced his girlfriend, Jolly Dave, after she arrived from India, ending their nine-month separation. She was on the first flight out of the country to the United States.

“I can’t even explain in my words how happy I am,” Dave said. Gaye Camara, who lives in France, last saw her husband in New York in January 2020, not knowing it would be 21 months before they could hold each other again.

Iran wants US assurances it will never abandon nuclear deal in case of revival

Thousands protest in New Zealand against Covid-19 rules WeLLINGtON

Justice Stephen Breyer, a liberal, said there “should be a way to look at the information for the court and decide what to do”.

The court is expected to announce its decision by June 2022.

ReuteRs

mandatory vaccine requirements. “Treat us like people!” another protester exclaimed when asked about the government’s stance on mandating the vaccine.

“I’m here for freedom. The government, what they’re doing, is antifreedom.” Speaking to reporters inside parliament, Ardern said: “What we saw today was not representative of the vast bulk of New Zealanders.”

But the prime minister has been facing growing political pressure and public protests to ease pandemic measures ahead of the Christmas holidays. She plans to travel to Auckland on Wednesday when the lockdown measures enforced on the city nearly three months ago eases.

She is expected to face more protests during her visit.

Iran said on Monday that the United States should provide guarantees that it will not abandon Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers again if talks to revive the agreement succeed. Indirect talks between Iran and the United States, which stalled in June after the election of hardline Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, are set to resume on November 29 in Vienna to find ways to reinstate the 2015 accord. It has eroded since 2018 when thenUS president Donald Trump withdrew from it and reimposed sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to breach mandated limits on uranium enrichment the following year. “The US should show that it has the capability and will to provide guarantees that it will not abandon the deal again if the talks to revive the deal succeed,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told a virtual news conference. Echoing Iran’s official stance, Khatibzadeh said Washington must lift all sanctions imposed on Tehran in a verifiable process and “recognise its fault in ditching the pact”. That ongoing stance is likely to cause concern in the US and with its European allies — France, Britain and Germany — who deem it unrealistic and want to resume June’s talks where they left off without new demands. One Western diplomat said if Tehran was genuinely continuing to demand a guarantee and full lifting of sanctions then it meant Iran was not serious about talks.

Wednesday, 10 November, 2021 | IsLAMABAD

sPorts 11

‘EmporEr’ BABAr rEADy To ConquEr WorlD DUBAI

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AFP

E was the fresh-faced 15-year-old who stared down Shoaib Akhtar in the nets, became the highestranked T20 batsman in the world before being elevated to national hero after masterminding the Pakistan victory over India.

In the breathless aftermath of that 10wicket win over their fiercest rivals at the World Cup, the national cricket captain was even likened by one commentator to Emporer Zahir ud-Din Babar who conquered India in the 16th century and founded the Mughal Dynasty. Fortunately for Pakistan, the unassuming 27-year-old Babar Azam has his feet firmly on the ground.

He has guided his team to five wins in five games at the T20 showpiece and a semifinal clash against Australia in Dubai on Thursday.

Along the way, he has piled up a tournament-leading 264 runs. On Sunday, against

Scotland, he hit his fourth half-century of the competition.

It all started with a brilliant unbeaten 68 against India. That innings, in tandem with fellow opener Mohammad Rizwan’s 79 not out, gave Pakistan their first win over their arch-rivals in 13 World Cup matches.

He then scored 51 against Afghanistan and 70 against Namibia — innings that helped him regain the number one spot in the international T20 rankings.

“Obviously it’s a proud moment,” said Azam. “The focus on the goal and hard work are behind this and I want to improve day by day.” In April this year, Azam also ended Indian maestro Virat Kohli’s threeyear tenure as number one ODI batsman with scores of 103, 32 and 94 in a threematch series in South Africa which Pakistan won 2-1. ‘offended’ Shoaib: Azam has risen from modest beginnings but was a YouTube hit at 13.

Acting as a ballboy at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium in October 2007, he con-

fidently pouched a six from South Africa’s JP Duminy which had been launched over

long on.

The slow-motion replays and praise from the TV commentators who hailed his nonchalance gave Azam surprise airtime.

His talents were obvious but his father Azam Siddique was determined that the teenage Azam didn’t get too far ahead of himself. “It’s a blessing for me that my father supported me so much,” he said. “To be honest, he still scolds me if I don’t play well or get out by playing a rash shot.”

From the under-15 to under-19 levels, his strokeplay caught the eye.

Former opener Mudassar Nazar was particularly impressed when he was head of the national cricket academy in 1999.

“I was in the Under-15 camp and one day they (the national team) invited us for practice and Mudassar was very kind to select me to face Shoaib’s bowling,” recalled Azam.

Shoaib Akhtar, the erstwhile ‘Rawalpindi Express’, famously bowled the fastest recorded delivery — 161.3 km/h — at the 2003 World Cup.

“Shoaib looked surprised but still encouraged me,” said Azam. “He told me ‘kid you have to defend the ball. I will bowl it up,’. After two or three deliveries, I drove him. “He got slightly offended and asked for a new ball and bowled a bouncer.

I ducked and watching from the side, Mudassar called me back (from out of the nets).”

Last year, the now-retired Shoaib remembered the encounter. “He was talented then, he is talented now, faced me quite bravely in the nets,” he said.

Former Australian all-rounder Tom Moody, who has coached in the Pakistan Super League, believes Azam will become a bigger star than even India skipper Virat Kohli.

“You think Kohli is good, watch Babar Azam bat,” remarked Moody last year. “I put Babar almost in the same category as Kohli. We talk about how Kohli is so easy on the eye as a batsman. “But if you think Kohli is good to watch, have a look at Babar Azam. He is something special.”

Pakistan team will perform well in Australia semi-final: Babar News Desk

ICC confirms match officials for T20 WC semi-finals News Desk The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday confirmed the appointments of match officials for the semi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup 2021. On-field umpires Marais Erasmus and Kumar Dharmasena, with Nitin Menon serving as third umpire, Paul Reiffel as fourth, and David Boon as match referee, will oversee the first semi-final between England and New Zealand while the second semi-final between Pakistan and Australia will be officiated by on-field umpires Richard Kettleborough and Chris Gaffaney, third umpire Joel Wilson, fourth umpire Richard Illingworth and match referee Jeff Crowe. The first semi-final of the T20 World Cup will be played at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

Scrum-half Aaron Smith on All Blacks injury cover dash to Dublin

weLLINGTON AFP

All Blacks scrum-half Aaron Smith launched a late dash to Dublin Tuesday after being called up as injury cover for upcoming Tests against Ireland and France. Smith, widely regarded as New Zealand’s first-choice number nine, intended to sit out the All Blacks’ European tour on paternity leave but an injury to Brad Weber changed those plans. The 101-Test veteran said he jumped at the chance to make the trip after consulting his wife. “It was a short conversation, she was like ‘go, it’s a great opportunity for you’,” Smith said in a video released on All Black social media channels. The All Blacks play Ireland in Dublin on Saturday then France in Paris a week later.

“I’m very excited to come back and join the boys, they’re two very big games for the lads, which it’s very exciting to be a part of,” he said.

“I’m going in with no expectations of playing or anything but I’ll be doing my best to impact where I can.” Weber left the field after a head knock in New Zealand’s 47-9 over Italy in Rome on the weekend.

Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam has said that his side will maintain the winning momentum and perform well against Australia in the semi-final of the Twenty20 World Cup 2021, scheduled to be held on Thursday.

During a virtual press conference, the skipper said that minor mistakes, which were made in the previous matches of the tournament, have been noted and his team members are trying hard not to repeat those mistakes in the upcoming matches. “It is good that we are trying to fix these issues,” he maintained.

“Sometimes the environment builds pressure on the players and in such circumstances, management and play-

ers support each other to ease pressure,” he said, adding that group activities are organised and if any player is seen pressurised, then everybody supports him.

“Some of the players in the squad were also a part of the Pakistani team for the Champions Trophy. This combination of players is good as these players have been constantly playing and they understand each other very well,” he said, adding that “I am glad that in all the matches, a new player was awarded the man of the match trophy”.

Earlier, during a media talk following the emphatic victory in the last pool match against Scotland, Babar said that the support of players to each other has brought out the best in all departments of the game.

He termed “unity” the biggest asset of his team. “We

show support for each other every time we go out on the field. Such a spirited display has lifted our morale and helped each player contribute to the cause. Whether it is bowling, batting, or fielding, Pakistan cricketers have shown tremendous support for each other.”

He said that Pakistan are carrying all the highs into the semi-finals. “We are the only unbeaten team in the competition so far. The team have played some fabulous cricket and looked formidable in all departments of the game. We will carry that momentum going into the semi-finals. No matter against whom we are playing, our efforts would be to take the same vein and continue to give our best in all departments. So what we want is to play the best brand of cricket as we have shown in all the five matches so far.”

Shastri hails India as one of cricket’s ‘greatest teams’ DUBAI AFP

Outgoing India head coach Ravi Shastri said split captaincy will work for a side he called “one of the greatest” teams in cricket history.

Already-eliminated India thrashed Namibia in their final T20 World Cup match in Dubai in Virat Kohli’s last game as captain in the shortest format.

The game also ended Shastri’s five-year tenure as coach of the national side who reached great heights under his guidance but failed to win a world crown.

But Shastri believes a World Cup title is not far from the team that will have a new T20 captain and Rahul Dravid as their coach.

“I’m not saying a great cricket team India, I’m saying one of the great cricket teams in the history of the game,” Shastri told reporters.

“You’ve got to have a bunch of players who are fit, hungry, fearless, have the quality, have the belief, and then to stay fit so you can play those five years together and go across the globe and perform everywhere.”

India came into the tournament as favourites but lost their opening two matches by big margins to slip out of the semi-final race and New Zealand’s win over Afghanistan on Sunday finally knocked out Kohli’s team.

“We lacked the daring in the second game against New Zealand. But still, it’s something for the boys to learn. They’ll get an opportunity again next year,” Shastri said of next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia.

“It’s not often you have World Cups in 12 months.

So hopefully, they’ll go and kick some butt there.”

Rohit, ‘capable guy’: Senior batsman Rohit Sharma is primed to succeed Kohli, who will remain captain in Test and ODIs, as T20 captain and Shastri said the move is the way forward in the bubble life during the coronavirus pandemic.

“I think it’s not such a bad thing because of the bubble and because of the amount of cricket being played,” said Shastri.

“The players need to be rotated around and given the space they need to spend some time with their families, see their parents.”

He added, “I think in Rohit you’ve got a very capable guy. He’s won so many IPLs. He’s the vice-captain of this side. He’s waiting in the wings to take that job.

“We might not have won this World Cup, but I think

going forward we’ll continue to have a strong team because the IPL throws a lot of young players into the mix.

Rahul (Dravid) will have his own ideas on how to take this team forward.”

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been blamed for players’ fatigue as the tournament, played in the United Arab Emirates, ended two days ahead of the T20 World Cup. The 59-year-old Shastri said he offers no excuse.

“When you’re six months in a bubble, this team, there are a lot of players on this team who play all three formats of the game. In the last 24 months, they’ve been home for 25 days,” said Shastri on the relentless cricket calendar. “I don’t care who you are, if your name is Bradman, if you’re in a bubble as well, your average will come down because you’re human.

“The cricket itinerary is so packed that you can only do one thing at a time. At least they played some T20 cricket in the IPL. I just wish the gap was a little more.”

Cafes, shopping malls to hold live screening events for pak-Australia semi-final News Desk The second semi-final of the Twenty20 World Cup 2021 between Pakistan and Australia will be played on Thursday. As watching a match with other cricket lovers makes it even more exciting, many cafes, shopping malls and parks in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad will be holding live screening events for the Pakistan semi-final. In Islamabad, live screening events will be held in National Press Club, F9 park, Centaurus Shopping Mall and Safa Gold Mall while in Karachi, Fibbi Cafe (all highway, Johar, DHA and Maskan branches) , District 19, Big Tree House, Bella Vita (Boat Basin branch), Pit Stop, Chotu Chaiwala (Bukhari Commercial branch), Port Grand and Lucky One Mall will hold the live screening events. For fans in Lahore, the live screening events will be held in Gloria Jeans (Askari 11), Karak Khel Cafe (near Sui Gas Society), Universal Cinemas, Emporium Mall (with the cast of upcoming movie Khel Khel Mein that stars actors Sajal Aly and Bilal Abbas) and Howdy Restaurant (Model Town and MM Alam Road branches), besides a live telecast of the match on a giant screen at the National Hockey Stadium.

Wednesday, 10 November, 2021

prayer tiMiNgs

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PAkiStAN tO hOSt iNterim AfghAN fm AlONg with the exteNDeD trOikA

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AKISTAN will be hosting the interim Afghan foreign minister Muttaqi, as well as special envoys from the United States, Russia and China as part of diplomatic efforts aimed at preparing the ground for the international community’s recognition of the Taliban government.

A spokesperson for the Afghan foreign minister confirmed on Twitter that a senior delegation led by Muttaqi would be travelling to Islamabad on November 10.

“Delegation will discuss enhancing ties, economy, transit, refugees and expanding facilities for the movement of people and will include ministers and working groups from finance and trade ministers,” Abdul Qahar Balkhi said.

As per the details, interim Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi,

leading a high-powered delegation, will arrive in Islamabad on Wednesday on his official first visit since the Taliban returned to power after the chaotic exit of US-led foreign forces from Afghanistan in August.

Earlier in October, FM Shah Mahmood Qureshi visited Kabul and announced a raft of measures to help Afghanistan’s faltering economy as well as extending humanitarian assistance.

It is to note that as the interim Afghan foreign minister is set to arrive in Islamabad, Pakistan is also hosting a meeting of the extended Troika, comprising Pakistan, the US, China and Russia on Thursday.

The extended troika, one Pakistani official said, is the most important and potent grouping of the key Afghan stakeholders. Even before the Taliban took control of Kabul, the four coun-

ADB to provide Pakistan $10bn in next five years

tries have been collectively urging the Taliban to meet the international community’s commitment on the formation of an inclusive government, protection of human and women rights and not allowing the Afghan soil to be used again by terrorists.

It is expected that the interim Afghan foreign minister would join the special envoys from Pakistan, Russia, China and the US to discuss the way forward.

The meeting of the extended Troika comes at a time when India is separately hosting a meeting of national security advisers of regional countries. But Pakistan and China, both key players, skipped the New Delhi meeting.

The timing of the extended Troika meeting in Islamabad underlines that despite India’s efforts to become relevant to the Afghan situation Pakistan remains the key player.

Officials said that Pakistan would go along with the international community on the issue of formal recognition.

Pakistan feels that while the interim Taliban government has made all the right calls, it also needs to take steps to satisfy the international community.

While recognition is one of the subjects to be discussed during the interim foreign minister’s visit as well as the meeting of the extended Troika, the immediate worry is the humanitarian crises unfolding in the neighboring country.

Pakistan, Russia and China have shared a similar view that the US must unfreeze the Afghan central bank’s $9.5 billion assets. The US, however, is reluctant to do that as it is using it as leverage to persuade the Taliban to accept some of the demands made by the international community. News Desk

Malala Yousafzai gets married, terms it ‘precious day’

ISLAMABAD staff report

Asian Development Bank (ADB) plans to provide Pakistan with about $10 billion in fresh assistance for sectors including urban services, disaster risk reduction and policy-based programmes in the next five years. This was been disclosed by ADB Central & West Asia Department Director General (DG) Eugenue Zukhov in a meeting with Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Omar Ayub Khan here on Tuesday. The minister for Economic Affairs appreciated ADB for continued technical and financial support to the government of Pakistan and also acknowledged the regional development bank for providing $500 million for the procurement of Covid vaccines, adding that the government is committed to providing maximum vaccination coverage to the eligible population. The minister highlighted that given rapid urbanisation and population growth, the urban services sector was a high priority. “The government is committed to improving urban infrastructure and services including water and sanitation services, public transport, urban flooding, disaster management, and health facilities,” he added. At present, ADB is financing 32 development projects amounting to $6.4 billion in energy, road and transport, agriculture and irrigation, urban services, education, health and social protection. Omar highlighted that through the National Coordination Committee (NCC) on foreign funded projects, EAD had not only significantly improved performance of ongoing projects by removing major bottlenecks including delays in land acquisition and hiring project staff, but had also undertaken an internal exercise to weed out non-performing projects to redirect resources towards the sustainable ones. He informed Zhukov that further efforts are being made within the ministry to improve project management and oversight by creating a dedicated monitoring cell. While assuring that the government is committed to completing structural reforms in multiple areas of the economy including energy, capital markets, trade competitiveness, domestic resource mobilisation and governance, the minister suggested new areas for ADB’s assistance including support for the provision of basic amenities i.e. energy, roads and urban services etc.

UNITED KINGDOM MoNitoriNg report

Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has tied the nuptial knot during a small ceremony in Birmingham, the education activist revealed on Twitter Tuesday.

Taking to the microblogging website, the education activist wrote: “Today marks a precious day in my life. Asser and I tied the knot to be partners for life. We celebrated a small nikkah ceremony at home in Birmingham with our families. Please send us your prayers. We are excited to walk together for the journey ahead.”

Malala also posted four photos from the nikkah ceremony in which she could be seen posing alongside

her newlywed husband, Asser, as well as her parents, Ziauddin Yousafzai and Toor Pekai Yousafzai.

For her big day, Malala wore a melon-pink outfit adorned with gold embroidery. Her nikkah pictures were captured by her friend, Malin Fezehai, who is a photographer and visual journalist.

CongratulationS pour in: PPP leader Aseefa Bhutto Zardari felicitated Malala and hoped that the newly-wedded couple find every joy together.

“May your journey be blessed at every turn. Sending you love & duas,” she said.

Filmmaker Jemima Goldsmith congratulated the couple.

Analyst Shama Junejo congratulated the noble laureate and said: “What a beautiful news.”

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Opposition to move SC if key bills ‘bulldozed’ through NA ISLAMABAD MiaN abrar

The steering committee of the Opposition has decided to move the Supreme Court in case the government gets the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinance and electoral reforms bill bulldozed through the lower house.

The decision was made during the steering committee meeting of the Opposition held on Tuesday. The meeting also decided the strategy for the next joint session of the Parliament scheduled for Thursday at 11pm and formed two subordinate committees to evolve joint strategy.

Sources privy to the matter said that the Opposition has formed a steering committee, comprising leaders from PML-N, PPP, JUI, ANP, BNP, and the National Party, to hinder the government from taking certain measures.

Shahbaz Sharif hoStS oppoSition leaderS’ dinner: Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif invited the leaders of the opposition parties to a dinner.

PPP Chairman Bilawal-Bhutto Zardari, JUI-F’s Moulana Asad, ANP’s Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, and others attended the dinner. Shahbaz, while speaking to the media on the occasion, said that the government encountered “one of the worst defeats” in the National Assembly as he referred to the voting on a bill proposing that election candidates be prohibited from changing their symbols for a period of seven years. “The government would have never been as embarrassed as it was today,” said Shahbaz.

He said that the Opposition will play a more active and decisive role in the coming days because “the rulers have deprived the people of their right to live.” He said that the government wants to “steal the votes in the next elections by introducing “controversial amendments” therefore the Opposition has decided to unite against it. “All of us will fight against the government on every forum and reach out to the courts to stop the NAB ordinance from implementation under any circumstances,” said Shahbaz. ‘entire oppoSition united under Shahbaz’: While speaking to the media after dinner, Bilawal said that the entire Opposition is united under the leadership of Shahbaz in the Parliament. He said that the Opposition defeated the government in the NA. “Only the alliance of the Opposition can defeat the government,” Bilawal said, adding that all opposition parties will achieve more success under this alliance. Talking about the Opposition’s strategy for the joint assembly session, Bilawal said that the PPP will play an active role on the Opposition’s side in the session. He said that his party will stand wherever there is resistance against the government. Responding to a question of whether the prime minister of Pakistan is getting replaced, Bilawal said that they are trying to do so. Meanwhile, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the government has faced defeat on another private member’s bill. “This is the proof that Prime Minister Imran Khan should tender two resignations instead of one,” said Aurangzeb. “Only then people crushed by inflation can get some relief.”

Cabinet finaliSeS affairS for na joint SeSSion: Earlier, a meeting of the federal Cabinet, chaired by PM Imran Khan, finalised the affairs regarding the next joint session of the Parliament and called the session on Thursday at 11pm. During the meeting, the PM’s Adviser on Parliamentarian Affairs Babar Awan briefed the cabinet members on the expected legislation to be tabled in the joint assembly session. He said that legislation will be drafted on the electoral, legal, and other institutional reforms, including the case of Indian spy Kalbhushan Sindh Yadav, in the joint session.

Noor Mukadam case: CCTV footage transcript submitted to court The prosecution in the Noor Mukadam murder case on Tuesday submitted the transcript of the CCTV footage to a session court, according to a news outlet. 27-year-old Noor Mukadam, daughter of a former Pakistani diplomat, was found beheaded in a posh neighbourhood of Islamabad on July 20. Police had charged Zahir Zakir Jaffer, a US national and scion of one of Pakistan’s wealthiest families, with murder. According to the report, the description of the footage said that on July 18 at 10:18pm, Noor could be seen entering Zahir’s home while attending to a phone call. At 2:39am on July 19, the two could be seen coming out of the house with bags which they placed in a taxi and then went back inside. A couple of minutes later, at 2:41am, Noor comes running barefooted towards the gate in fear and panic upon which Iftikhar (watchman) could be seen closing the gate to prevent her from leaving. The transcript added that Zahir came out of the house and grabbed Noor, proceeding to forcibly drag her back inside despite her pleading with her hands joined together. Sometime later at 2:46am, according to the transcript, the pair could once again be seen exiting the house and approaching the gate. This time, they sit in the taxi across the street with their baggage and depart in the car. They return just minutes later at 2:52am and go back inside the house with their bags while Iftikhar and a black dog could also be seen in the yard. On July 20 at 7:12pm, Noor could be seen jumping from the first floor of the house, a cell phone in her hand — onto the grill beside the ground floor gallery. She then staggered towards the main gate and wanted to go out but Iftikhar and the gardener could be seen closing the door to stop her. Zahir jumped from the first floor as well, ran towards Noor and then trapped her in a cabin beside the gate.

He snatched Noor’s mobile phone from her and dragged her back inside the house. At 8:06pm, Therapyworks’ employees could be seen entering through the main gate and trying to enter the house at 8:42pm. Later at 8:55pm, the employees could be seen bringing out an injured person and taking them towards the gate. News Desk

Shaukat Tarin says reports regarding PM Imran Khan planning to call IMF chief are ‘baseless’ Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin on Tuesday refuted reports clamining that Prime Minister Imran Khan was planning to seek the International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief’s help to resume a $6 billion loan programme.

On November 11, a local news publication had reported that Prime Minister Imran Khan has “dropped” a plan to make a telephone call to the managing director of the IMF, which the government had purportedly made last week to seek the official’s intervention to remove barriers to the revival of the deal.

Tarin stated that “The media reporters in

the ‘Kamyab Jawan’ asked about PM’s call to [the] IMF chief. My reply was that negotiations are in the advance stage and no need for [a] call.” The PM’s aide taking to Twitter today rejected the news, terming it as “flawed and baseless”.

“Such [a] proposal was never under consideration,” he added.

Sources reveal that the IMF’s Executive Board will approve getting clearance of the staff-level agreement and these two important departments.

The revival of the stalled $6 billion IMF programme for Pakistan hinges upon stamped clearance of the IMF’s two depart-

ments known as Strategy, Policy and Review Department (SPRD) and Legal Department.

The IMF’s SPRD is known for its role as a policeman within the Fund’s staff. State Bank of Pakistan Governor Dr Reza Baqir had also served in this department during his career working in the IMF. As per the report, Baqir knew how the SPRD and Legal Department deal with cases before sending them to the IMF’s Executive Board.

“There is no need for a telephone call to the IMF’s managing director,” Adviser to PM on Finance Shaukat Tarin had said in a brief chat on Monday when asked whether

there was a need for PM Imran Khan to call the IMF’s managing director.

“Now the ball is in the court of the IMF and the two departments are currently scrutinising the details before granting stamped approval, after which the staff-level agreement will be made public and placed before the IMF’s Executive Board for approving the sixth review under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF),” top official sources stated.

Now, the outstanding issue is beyond the jurisdiction of the IMF staff and the mission chief working in Pakistan on behalf of the IMF. As per the report, all issues by the two have been reported and everyone is just wait-

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

ing for the Executive Board’s approval. If these two departments did not clear the loan, the approval of the sixth review may take a longer period to reach a settlement.

It is relevant to mention here that Tarin had publicly stated last week that the IMF’s agreement was expected in one or two days but the last week passed without achieving any success.

Now both the IMF and the Ministry of Finance are preferring to remain silent, knowing that both sides have done their share of work with the IMF staff reporting back all the details and now just waiting for these two departments to issue the clearance. News Desk