Tuesday, 7 December, 2021 I 2 Jamadi-al-Awwal, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 159 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Govt to implement comprehensive strateGy to curb mob violence PDM to hold ‘anti-inflation’ march in Capital on March 23rd g
ISLAMABAD
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he federal government has decided to implement a comprehensive strategy to curb violence in wake of the mob lynching of a sri lankan national in sialkot. the decision to implement the strategy came during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister imran Khan here, where the overall security situation in the country came under review, a statement from the PM’s office said. the sri lankan, Diyawadanage Don nandasri Priyantha, was working
at a factory in sialkot where hundreds of people, including workers from the factory, had tortured him to death last week and later burnt his body over blasphemy allegations. information Minister fawad chaudhry, interior Minister sheikh rasheed ahmed, chief of army staff general Qamar Jawed Bajwa, national security advisor Dr Moeed yousaf, chief Minister Punjab sardar usman Buzdar, senior military and civil officers attended the meeting. “the meeting expressed serious concern over the cruel act of killing of sri lankan national Mr Priyantha Diyawadanage in sialkot and expressed the resolve to bring the perpe-
coronavirus in
pakistan
CONFIRMED CASES:
1,287,161
LAST UPDATED AT 9:37 AM ON DECEMBER 6, 2021
DAY'S DEATH TOLL:
NEW CASES:
10
336
RECOVERED:
DEATHS:
1,246,464 28,777 SINDH:
PUNJAB:
476,830
443,519
KPK:
BALOCHISTAN:
180,383
33,507
AJK/GB:
ISLAMABAD:
34,579/10,413
107,930
trators to justice,” the statement said. the participants of the meeting were of the view that individuals and mobs cannot be allowed to take the law into their hands and such incidents cannot be tolerated, the statement said. “therefore, a comprehensive strategy shall be implemented to curb such incidents and strict punishments to all the perpetrators shall be ensured,” the statement said. the participants praised the bravery and courage of Malik adnan who endangered his own life to save Diyawadanage and conveyed deepest condolences to the family of the deceased.
Ministers troll PDM for scheDuling Protest on national Day
Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana fazlur rehman announced on Monday that opposition would hold an “anti-inflation march” in islamabad on Pakistan Day, March 23, 2022 to stage protest against price hike. rehman stated that the ruling Pti was brought into power as a result of rigging in the 2018 general elections, because of which it was facing failure on several fronts. he further said that PDM meetings will be held at a provincial level to prepare a strategy for the march. giving a breakdown, the PDM president said that he will chair a meeting in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while PMl-n supremo nawaz sharif, Pashtunkhwa Milli awami Party (PkMaP) chairman Mehmood Khan achakzai and Jamiat ulema-i-Pakistan’s (JuP) awais noorani will chair separate ones in Punjab, Balochistan and sindh, respectively. he added that the march will be a “huge demonstration” and the “whole nation will participate”. “People will come to islamabad from all corners of the country to participate in a demonstration against inflation, unemployment and poverty.” rehman went on to state that a date for the seminar would be finalised after
MoF urges Cabinet to approve withdrawal, curtailing of tax exemptions ISLAMABAD shahzad Paracha
the Ministry of finance (Mof) has proposed the federal cabinet to approve the withdrawal and curtailment of tax exemptions given to the pharmaceutical and other sectors. sources said that the ministry in this regard will present the finance supplementary Bill, 2021, in the federal cabinet meeting scheduled to be held on tuesday. as per details, the federal Board of revenue (fBr) has proposed curtailing and withdrawing billions of rupee worth exemptions under the fifth, six, eight, and ninth schedules; however, sales tax exemptions would continue on food, education, health. tax exemptions given to diplomats would also continue. the fBr has proposed to streamline the zero-rating regime and withdraw sales tax on certain entries under the fifth schedule, and curtail exemptions under the sixth schedule including those given to the pharmaceutical sector, stressing that such exemptions
consultations with lawyers, civil society, business and other communities so that all kinds of people could be taken into confidence over the alliance’s policies. he further added that a seminar would also be held for which he would meet with the lawyers’ community as well as the representatives of the supreme court Bar association and the Pakistan Bar council. the PDM chief said that a meeting of the alliance’s steering committee had been called for tomorrow at 2pm to devise a strategy for the decisions that had been taken. “all the participants of the meeting also condemned the incident in sialkot,” he said, referring to last week’s brutal lynching of a sri lankan national. “no citizen has the right to take the law into their own hands,” he said, adding that such incidents should be stopped. rehman added that the issue of submitting resignations from parliament was also discussed during the meeting, adding that there was consensus on the topic. “[But] we will decide when and where to use this” news desk
CONTINUED ON PAGE 05
more inside
Sialkot lynching: Govt shares salient features of new security policy STORY ON BACK PAGE
asif Zardari takes a jibe at nawaz sharif, again STORY ON BACK PAGE
should be restricted to import and local supply of essential commodities only. similarly, it has also been proposed to streamline the reduced rates of sales tax under the eighth schedule on certain items in order to achieve equity in the tax system. likewise, sales tax on import of high-end mobile phones in cBu condition under the ninth schedule has also been proposed to be rationalised in addition to to rationalising the scope of tier-1 retailers. further, a few notifications is-
sued from time to time prescribing reduced rates in respect of some services were not consolidated under the islamabad capital territory (tax on services) ordinance, 2001, but is being done now. sources said that the government has also proposed that the cabinet should approve the disclosure of information in respect of high-level public officials in line with the requirements of development partners, rule of law and integrity.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 05
Verdict reserved on petition to put former top GB judge’s name on ECL STORY ON PAGE 02
rupee shows slight recovery on the back of $3bn saudi fund STORY ON PAGE 03
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Tuesday, 7 December, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
NEWS
VerdICt reserVed on PetItIon to Put former toP GB judGe’s nAme on eCL ISLAMABAD
IFC, Engro Corp to reduce plastic waste and minimise climate impacts for mega petrochemical project ISLAMABAD PR
To step up the fight against climate change in Pakistan, IFC is partnering with Engro Corporation to help reduce plastic waste, promote recycling, and boost the company’s energy efficiency. The project is part of IFC’s Pakistan Resource Efficiency Program, which aims to improve efficiency, cost-competitiveness, reliability, and productivity in the manufacturing sector, particularly in energy-intensive industries. IFC’s climate advisory project will help Engro Corporation assess the opportunities for moving toward a circular plastics economy as it develops a $1.8 billion petrochemical project to produce polypropylene. The circular system would see polypropylene products collected and reused or recycled and converted into viable products. IFC’s team will also assist Engro Corporation in driving sustainability by reducing its carbon and water footprints and adapting to climaterelated risks through targeted interventions. Pakistan is the second-largest domestic market for plastics in South Asia after India, and among the top 10 countries most impacted by climate change. The country produces about 30 million tons of solid waste annually, of which 9 percent is plastic waste through the is a major carrier of plastic waste into oceans. Ghias Khan, President and CEO of Engro Corporation, said: “We are actively partnering with global leaders such as IFC for a circular plastics economy, resource efficiency and carbon footprint reduction, to build a more sustainable future for our coming generations.”
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HE Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday reserved its verdict on a petition seeking to place the name of former Gilgit Baltistan chief judge retired Justice Rana Muhammad Shamim on the Exit Control List (ECL). Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard the petition filed by one Advocate Rai Nawaz Kharal. He reserved the verdict on the maintainability of the petition after hearing arguments from the petitioner. The counsel submitted the ex-judge served as an office-bearer of the PMLN’s Sindh chapter. The previous PML-N government appointed Shamim as the
chief judge of Gilgit-Baltistan, he claimed. He apprehended that Shamim might flee abroad, pleading his name be put on the no-fly list. The petitioner filed a separate application seeking to become a party to the contempt of court proceedings against the former GB judge and others. It is pertinent to mention here the IHC initiated the contempt of court proceedings against Shamim after he alleged in a notarised affidavit that former chief justice Saqib Nisar had directed a high court judge to not release deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz on bail before the 2018 general elections.
Omicron variant prompts government to extend travel ban to 9 more countries ISLAMABAD StAFF RePoRt
Pakistan on Monday placed travel ban on nine more countries, adding them to a list of Category C countries in order to try to contain the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the new entrants to the Category C list include Croatia, Hungary, Netherlands, Ukraine, Ireland, Slovenia, Vietnam, Poland and Zimbabwe. While South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia and Hong Kong were already placed in the list. The Omicron variant has been detected in several more countries, prompting nervous governments to impose tough travel restrictions to try to keep it at bay while scientists race to establish how dangerous it might be. Just last week, Hong Kong widened its ban on nonresidents entering the city to include visitors who have been to Australia, Canada, Israel or six European countries in the past 21 days. While Japan, which although has not yet detected any Omicron infections, said it was reimposing border controls. According to an NCOC update, the health and testing protocols for inbound travel from Category C nations include a complete ban on inbound travel from
Category C countries. It said “essential” travel from these countries would require an exemption certificate from a dedicated exemption committee with health protocols in place. The protocols would entail one to be fully vaccinated, with all passengers, six-year and above, to have a negative PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test report — maximum 48 hours prior to departure. In addition, passengers who have the required exemption would undergo a rapid antigen test (RAT) on arrival and only negative RAT passengers would be allowed to proceed. For countries in Category B — Germany, Trinidad and Tobago, Azerbaijan, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Russia, the USA, the UK, Thailand, France, Austria, Afghanistan and Turkey — all inbound passengers are required to be fully vaccinated. Furthermore, passengers from these nations are also required to have a negative PCR test (maximum 48 hours old). The NCOC said health authorities will also conduct random RAT testing of passengers coming from Category B countries. “RAT negative cases will be allowed to proceed. RAT positive cases will be quarantined for 10 days,” the body said. “RT-PCR test of all RAT positive quarantined passengers will be undertaken on the eight day of quarantine. In case of a negative result, pax will be
allowed to proceed home. However, in case of a positive result, the passenger will either undergo additional quarantine period or will be shifted to hospital as per the advice of health authorities.” For countries in Category A, all visitors should be fully vaccinated with the same PCR requirements as their counterparts in the B and C categories. The forum also approved a number of guidelines to “facilitate the return” of Pakistanis stranded abroad. According to the statement, all Pakistanis can travel from category C countries till December 15. However, the health protocols will be applicable to them. Pakistanis who were unable to get themselves vaccinated abroad because of certain conditions, including expired visa or illegal immigration, pending court cases, medical conditions, pregnancy or partial vaccination from Pakistan, have been exempted from the requirement to be fully vaccinated, provided they provide proof to airline and immigration authorities prior to boarding, the government body said. Pakistan on Monday reported 336 new infections of Covid-19 after conducting 42,944 tests, receiving back a positivity ratio of 0.78 percent. With the emergence of latest cases, confirmed infections reached 1,287,161 against 1,246,464 recoveries and 28,777 deaths, leaving 11,920 active cases behind.
Governments help arms firms avoid Covid-19 slump: report STOCKHOLM AFP
The world’s biggest weapons manufacturers largely avoided the economic downturn caused by Covid-19 and recorded a growth in profits last year for the sixth year in a row, according to a report published on Monday. Governments around the world have continued to buy arms during the pandemic and some also passed measures to help their big weapons firms, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Overall, the 100 top weapons firms saw their profits rise by 1.3 percent on 2019 to a record $531 billion, despite the global economy contracting by more than three percent. “Military manufacturers were largely shielded by sustained government demand for military goods and services,” said SIPRI researcher Alexandra Marksteiner in the institute’s annual assessment of arms companies. “In much of the world, military spending grew and some governments even accelerated payments to the arms industry in order to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 crisis.” The top five arms firms were all from the United States, Lockheed-Martin — which counts F-35 fighter jets and various types of missiles among its bestsellers — consolidating its first place with sales of $58.2 billion. Britain’s BAE Systems, in the sixth position, was the highest-placed European firm, just ahead of three Chinese groups. Rise of China: “The rise of China as a major arms producer has been driven by its aim to become more self-reliant in weapons production and by the implementation of ambitious modernisation programmes,” the report said. While China’s arms sales have expanded, they still lag US and British firms, accounting for a total of 13 percent of the top 100 arms sales in 2020. Sales by the five Chinese firms in the top 100 totalled an estimated $66.8 billion in 2020, up 1.5
percent on the previous year. “In recent years, Chinese arms companies have benefited from the country’s military modernisation programmes and focus on military-civil fusion,” SIPRI senior researcher Nan Tian said. “They have become some of the most advanced military technology producers in the world.” Of the top-producing countries, only France and Russia saw their firms’ sales decline last year. The institute said the firms had benefited from the broad injection of cash into economies, as well as specific measures designed to help arms companies such as accelerated payments or order schedules. And as military contracts usually span several years, firms were able to make gains before the health crisis took hold. “However, despite these and other factors, global arms production was not fully immune to the impact of the pandemic,” the report said, pointing to France’s Thales which blamed a 5.8 percent fall in arms sales on lockdown disruptions. The report highlighted that the rate of increase in profits had slowed substantially between 2019 and 2020, and noted that measures taken to halt the spread of the virus had disrupted supply chains in the weapons industry just as they had across the wider economy.
‘Irregularities’ in hiring: IHC seeks record of recruitments in APP ISLAMABAD INP
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Monday issued notices to Information Secretary Shahera Shahid and Associated Press of Pakistan Managing Director Mobashir Hasan in a case pertaining to purported irregularities in recent recruitments in the state-run news agency. IHC Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani while issuing notices sought on January 10 the record of recruitments in the agency. Husnain Haider Thaheem told the court APP failed to recruit his client despite the fact that he fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Justice Kayani said an illegal piece of work will always be illegal no matter what caution was taken in the process. Thaheem informed the court that candidates finalised for the positions did not even possess the required qualification and prior experience as mentioned in the advertisement. “Incompetent people were recruited in the agency.” He also requested the court to issue orders to APP to present the written test (screening test) results and video recording of the interviews. IHC issued notices and sought the material on January 10.
Tuesday, 7 December, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
RUPee ShowS SLiGht ReCoveRy oN the BaCK of $3BN SaUdi fUNd
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NEWS DESK
Alibaba overhauls e-commerce businesses, names new CFO Alibaba said it will reorganise its international and domestic e-commerce businesses and replace its CFO – changes that come as the tech giant grapples with an onslaught of competition and a slowing economy. It will form two new units – international digital commerce and China digital commerce which it said
was part of efforts to become more agile and accelerate growth. The international digital commerce unit will include AliExpress which sells to retail buyers particularly in Europe and South America, its Southeast Asian e-commerce business Lazada and Alibaba.com which is more focused on selling to overseas business customers. It will be headed by Jiang Fan, who had been in
SNGPL suspends gas supply to CNG stations in Punjab, KP ISLAMABAD AhmAd AhmAdAni
Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) on Monday cut off gas supply to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) for an indefinite period. Reacting to the development, The All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) rejected the decision and termed the decision as ‘illegal’. In this regard, APCNGA senior leader Ghiyas Paracha said that the decision to disconnect CNG stations in KP is contempt of court as the Peshawar High Court (PHC) has issued a stay order in this regard, adding that the utility company’s decision has been taken on a 17-year-old load management policy devised in 2005, which does not have any legal standing now. In a statement issued on Monday, Paracha said that the ineffective policy was introduced in 2005 for two years and taking decisions on the basis of this policy is illegal while the Cabinet has been misguided in this regard. “Suspending gas supply to CNG stations will increase oil import bill by billions and intensify the problem of air pollution and smog”, he warned. Paracha also said that CNG stations in Punjab are using RLNG therefore these filling stations do not fall in the ambit of any such policy. He said that if locally produced natural gas is scarce then load management should target consumers of national gas and not the sectors using imported gas, paying the highest taxes and highest prices as well. He said that the CNG sector is not allowed to import gas for their own consumption while the government is not ready to give it local gas either, putting its survival at stake. He also said that the CNG industry of the country was once among the leading industries as other countries used to seek help from Pakistan to introduce the same in their economies but now it is at the brink of extinction due to a host of reasons including some elements that are bent upon destroying it. He demanded that those who are damaging this sector should be held accountable and strict action should be taken against them as the livelihood of millions of people is tied to this sector. A senior official of SNGPL on condition anonymity told Profit that gas supply to the CNG stations will be restored as the supply situation improves.
Bitcoin below US$50,000 after weekend’s battering Agencies
The rupee had closed at an all-time low of Rs176.77 against the dollar in the interbank market on Friday. On Saturday, the central bank received $3 billion from Saudi Arabia under a support package signed between Pakistan and the kingdom. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Shaukat Tarin confirmed the kingdom has deposited the loan amount with the country’s central bank. “Good news, $3 billion Saudi deposit received by SBP,” he tweeted, thanking Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and the kingdom for the “kind gesture”. The rupee has maintained the downtrend for the past six months. It has lost 15.89pc or Rs24.21 to date, compared to the 22-month high of Rs152.27 recorded on May 14. Cumulatively, the rupee has depreciated by 12.02pc or Rs18.94 since the start of the current fiscal year on July 1, 2021, data released by the central bank revealed.
BEIJING
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HE Pakistani rupee recovered nearly 30 paisas on Monday as Pakistan received the much-awaited $3 billion funds from Saudi Arabia. With an increase of 0.16 per cent, the local unit closed at Rs176.48 against the US dollar, according to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
Agencies
NEWS
charge of its main Chinese retail marketplaces, and the change is seen in line with Alibaba’s aim to make ‘globalisation’ a key focus area in addition to cloud computing and domestic consumer spending. Globalisation “helps Alibaba to get new traffic volume externally (and) seek new growth potential while China has been increasing supervision,” said Hong Kong-based Guotai Junan analyst Danny Law. The China digital commerce unit will include Alibaba’s two main marketplaces, Tmall for established brands and Taobao which welcomes all kinds of merchants. It will be led by Trudy Dai, who has previously overseen a number of Alibaba platforms. The new structure for domestic e-commerce puts Dai in charge of all China retail marketplaces, including Taocaicai – its community e-commerce service, Taobao Deals as well as Lingshoutong, a retail management platform for mom and pop stores, said 86research.com analyst Xiaoyan Wang. “This could possibly unlock more synergies via cross-selling and integration of supply chain,” she said. Alibaba also announced that deputy chief financial officer Toby Xu will succeed Maggie Wu as CFO from April, describing his appointment as part of the company’s leadership succession plan. Xu joined Alibaba from PWC three years ago. The e-commerce giant’s Hong Kong-listed shares slid 6% in early morning trade, tracking Friday declines made in the United States.
OGRA reserves decision on gas price hike for SSGCL consumers ISLAMABAD stAff RepoRt
The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) on Monday reserved its decision on a gas price hike for the gas consumers of Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL). According to OGRA spokesman Imran Ghaznavi, OGRA has reserved its decision on SSGCL’s plea regarding a price hike by Rs58.42/MMBTU gas price hike, which shall be passed in due course of time. He said that OGRA held a public hearing under the chairmanship of Masroor Khan and two members to review the gas utility’s Estimated Revenue Requirement (ERR) for FY22, providing ample opportunity to all the stakeholders and reserved their decision which shall be passed in due course of time. The authority said that SSGCL projected a shortfall in revenue requirement of Rs18, 399 million for FY22 and sought an increase in its average prescribed price by Rs58.42 per MMBTU effective July 1 and the
petitioner has also estimated Re-gasified Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) cost of services at Rs30.48 per MMBTU. The authority admitted the petition and issued notices on November 23 to all stakeholders and held a public hearing at Karachi on December 6 to hear and provide an opportunity to all consumers and stakeholders to participate and provide their input on the petition. Earlier, OGRA on December 1 had conducted a public hearing in Lahore to consider Rs269 per unit increase in the prescribed price of SNGPL for FY22. SNGPL requested a review of the estimated revenue requirement of the public gas utility for 2021-22 and called for increasing the prescribed gas price by Rs269 per MMBTU, adding that if the shortfall of prior years was included, the requirement would increase to Rs907 per unit. Reportedly, SNGPL Managing Director Ali Hamdani while speaking during the course of the hearing requested the authority to consider the petition positively and allow a just and equitable revenue requirement, especially in areas where investment had already been made.
Bitcoin hovered around US$49,000 on Monday, down 1.5per cent on the day, as traders nursed losses after a brutal weekend in which the price of the world’s largest digital asset at one point lost over one fifth of its value. The rout sent bitcoin’s price and the amount invested in bitcoin futures back to where they were in early October, before the massive price surge that sent the token to its all time high of US$69,000 on November 10. “Our expectation is the rest of Q4 will be a hard month; we aren’t seeing the strength in bitcoin that we generally see after one of these crushing days, leverage markets have been completely reset, and open interest within leverage markets has completely reset,” said Matt Dibb, chief operating officer of Stackfunds. Crypto data platform Coinglass showed open interest – the total number of futures contracts held by market participants at the end of the trading day – across all exchanges was last at US$16.5 billion compared with US$23.5 billion on Thursday, and as much as US$27 billion on Nov 10. Traders said the weekend fall was connected with the broad move away from riskier assets in traditional markets over worries about the omicron variant of the new coronavirus, combined with lower trading liquidity. As prices fell further, investors who had bought bitcoin on margin saw exchanges close their positions, causing a cascade of selling. A range of retail-focused exchanges closed more than US$2 billion of long bitcoin positions on Saturday, according to Coinglass. Some exchanges allow traders to place bets 20 times or more the size of their investment, meaning a small move in the wrong direction can cause exchanges to liquidate clients’ positions when their initial investment is gone. Bitcoin rival ether, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency, which underpins the ethereum network, was also hit on Saturday, but less hard. It last traded at US$4,112, versus its Nov. 10 high of US$4,868, but it has climbed steadily on its larger rival. One ether last bought 0.086 bitcoin, its highest since May 2018.
Tuesday, 7 December, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
04 NEWS
PTI delegATIoN vISITS SRI lANkAN HIgH CommISSIoN, exPReSSeS CoNdoleNCe Court defers indictment of former prime minister in NAB case IsLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
An accountability court here on Monday deferred until January 5 the indictment of former prime minister Shaukat Aziz in a case pertaining to the making of an illegal appointment. The indictment was deferred as a co-suspect filed an acquittal request in the case after the promulgation of the National Accountability (Third Amendment) Ordinance 2021. The dirty money watchdog in July 2018 filed a reference against Aziz, former federal minister for water and power Liaquat Jatoi and other suspects for illegally appointing Basharat Hassan Bashir as a consultant for the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) in MP-II scale in violation of rules, which caused losses up to Rs21 million. Bashir was appointed on January 1, 2006, absent competition. After the expiry of his consultancy contract in May 2008, he continued to hold the office for five years without any extension, notification or regular appointment, and enjoyed the salary and all perks and privileges in connivance with the management of the body. According to NAB, the process of complaint verification, inquiry and investigation was completed against the former prime minister after he was found guilty. Today, the defense in his arguments said the acquittal request is currently under trial in the Islamabad High Court (IHC). “The NAB has sought time in the IHC […] and the court will take up the case on January 17,” he added. He pleaded with the accountability court to defer the indictment until the judgment of the high court. However, the court turned down the request and deferred the indictment until January 5.
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DELEGATION of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Central Executive Committee (CEC) led and coordinated by General (retd) Naeem Khalid Lodhi visited the Sri Lankan High Commission on Monday, to convey their condolences and express solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka over the tragic Sialkot incident. The delegation on behalf of the people of Pakistan and the PTI leadership conveyed their heartfelt grief over the tragic incident. They conveyed condolences to the Sri Lankan High Commissioner Vice Admiral Mohan Wijewickrama, the victim’s family and the people of Sri Lanka. The delegation strongly condemned
the brutal incident that occurred on the soil of Pakistan, and assured of their full support. They said that the elements responsible for the Sialkot incident would be taken to task and no leniency would be shown in this regard, as every Pakistani shared the pain of the aggrieved family. The delegation members said, “We are speechless and shocked over the violence by the vigilantes, who will be punished. This is not the mind set of Pakistani people, rather a few miscreants carried this nerveless crime.” The Sri Lankan high commissioner said it was shocking to see the brutal attack on Priyantha Diyawadana by the extremist mob. “However, we are happy that the government of Pakistan and Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken stringent ac-
tion against the culprits involved in the incident,” the ambassador said. He said that already a number of culprits have been rounded up and were behind bars. Ambassador Wijewickrama said 99 per cent of Pakistanis have expressed their condolences and sympathies with the Sri Lankan victim’s family. “This incident will not affect bilateral ties between the two friendly countries,” he said, adding that the relationship between the two countries dates back to the independence of Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The high commissioner said that, “We are very confident that this particular incident will be handled by the government and justice will be provided to the victim’s family and children.” He thanked the delegation for expressing condolence with the people of
Sri Lanka and the victim’s family. The PTI delegation comprised Shahid Yusuf, Sulaiman Malik, Shunila Ruth, Lieutenant General (retd) Naeem Lodhi, Musadaq Ghuman, Raja Mansoor Khan, Brig Samson Simon Sharaf, Arshad Dad (head of delegation), Colonel (retd) Amanullah, Nilofar Bakhtyar and Dr Talat Anwar. The tragic incident happened on Friday when some factory workers attacked the Sri Lankan manager and killed him. The prime minister took serious note of the tragedy and directed to not spare even a single person responsible for the horrific attack. The police have since arrested over 130 people and identified the main perpetrators, who will be tried under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Putin and Modi discuss trade, humanitarian situation in Afghanistan New DeLHI agencieS
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi on Monday, with trade and the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan both on the agenda. Afghanistan’s takeover by the Taliban earlier this year has led to a humanitarian crisis in the country, which New Delhi and Moscow have both previously said risks destabilising the region. “The fight against terrorism is also a fight against drug trafficking and organised crime,” Putin said in introductory remarks broadcast by Indian media. “In that regard, we are concerned about developments of the situation in Afghanistan.” The visit by Putin and several top Russian officials comes amid increasingly strained relations between Russia
Helicopter crash in Siachen leaves two soldiers martyred: ISPR IsLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
and the United States, also a key Indian ally. Earlier on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said a deal to supply India with S-400 air defence missile systems was being implemented despite what he said were US
efforts to undermine the accord. India and Russia are expected to cement several trade and defence pacts at the summit. “The relation between India and Russia is truly a unique and reliable model,” Modi said.
12 under-trial prisoners escape from Lahore court News Desk As many as 12 prisoners escaped from the premises of district courts in Lahore’s Model Town on Monday. As per details, prisoners were brought to the courts for hearing from Kot Lakhpat and Camp jails. They were kept in the court lock-up by the police till the hearing of their case. According to a report, Lahore SSP (Operations) Mustansar Feroze told media that the suspects were being kept in the court lock-up when a fight started between two groups. “When the police officers brought
the prisoners out of the [lock-up] to control the situation, they became unruly and also clashed with policemen, threw stones at them and attacked them with chairs, tables and other objects,” Feroze was quoted as saying in the report. He said two out of the 12 prisoners have been arrested, while a search operation is underway to nab the others. He added that an inquiry is also being carried out so that disciplinary action could be taken against the police officials who might have shown “negligence”. In a separate incident of the same nature reported in 2017, the under-trial
prisoners, Shaikh Muhammad Mumtaz alias Firoon and Muhammad Ahmed Khan alias Muna had escaped from the judicial complex of Central Prison Karachi. Startling revelations about the incident had indicated that the prisoners had escaped by breaking prison grill and changed their appearance in the judge’s bathroom. However, the jail staff had come to know about their escape later when they were supposed to be presented before the court inside the jail. The duo was arrested by the CTD in 2013 for their involvement in dozens of targeted killings.
A Pakistan Army helicopter crashed on Monday in bad weather in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, leaving the two pilots on board martyred, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. The two pilots were identified as Maj Irfan Bercha and Maj Raja Zeeshan Jahanzeb. A statement from the agency said the helicopter went down on the Siachen glacier, one of the world’s longest mountain glaciers, located in the Karakoram Range, and often referred to as the “highest battleground on earth” because of the wars that Pakistan and India have fought over the Himalayan region of Kashmir. Siachen is known for tragedies, a desolate place where more troops have died from avalanches or bitter cold than in combat. Rescue helicopters and troops have been dispatched to Siachen, the statement said. No further details on the crash were immediately available. Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid Khan in a statement expressed grief over the incident and extended his condolences to the families of the martyred pilots. Later, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) VicePresident Maryam Nawaz also expressed sorrow over the incident in a tweet. Since gaining independence from Britain in 1947, Pakistan and India have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir.
SC expresses annoyance at Siddiqui, adjourns hearing till Tuesday News Desk The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday expressed annoyance at former Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui for his outburst in response to the apex court’s questioning, according to Dawn. The former judge was removed on the recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) for “displaying a conduct unbecoming of a judge” after he delivered a controversial speech at the District Bar Association, Rawalpindi, on July 21, 2018. He had accused some officers of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of interfering in the judiciary’s affairs and levelled allegations against the judici-
ary for undermining democratic norms in the country. On Monday, a five-member larger bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial, heard his appeal and asked the former judge why he had not issued a contempt of court notice in the matter. “Are these facts recognised by you that the general met you? If he had approached you, then why didn’t you issue a contempt of court notice to him?” Justice Sardar Tariq Masood asked the former judge. Justice Masood asked Hamid Khan, the counsel for Siddiqui, why his client did not even inform the chief justice. To this, Hamid said his client had sent a letter to the then chief justice, arguing that the apex court should have is-
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sued a contempt notice in the case. “The general met you on June 28, 2018, and you wrote a letter to the chief justice on July 31, 2018. Why did you wait a whole month?” Justice Masood inquired. In response to the question, which Justice Masood had directed at Siddiqui’s counsel, the former judge himself turned up at the rostrum to respond to the bench. “You should look at the situation at that time. The heads of institutions were after me,” he said. “What might have happened in case I had issued a contempt notice?” the ex-judge questioned rhetorically. “The head of the institution (Supreme Court) at that time, Saqib Nisar, was also after me,” he told the bench, adding “If you want to hang me
after this, then do so,” he said. In response to his statement, Justice Bandial expressed annoyance at Hamid Khan, the petitioner’s counsel, for “deliberately keeping mum” as his client spoke. “The way your client is exploding is totally uncalled for”. The counsel sought pardon from the judge, saying “emotions often overpower us”. Justice Bandial said emotions have no value [in the court], adding “we did not like the stance of your client and you kept allowing him to ridicule the court”. He asked Siddiqui’s counsel to tell his client to avoid talking when the lawyer is present. Later, the court adjourned the hearing till Tuesday.
Tuesday, 7 December, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
NEWS
PakiStan MarkS 29tH anniverSary oF BaBri MoSque DeSeCration By BJP extreMiStS
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HE Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement citing the demolition of historic Babri Masjid as a “stark reminder of the hysteria and hatred exhibited in India against Muslims and their heritage with state complicity” on the 29th anniversary of the demolition by the BJPRSS combine. “The heart-wrenching scenes of the razing of the Babri Mosque are still fresh not only in the minds of Muslims across the globe but also in the collective conscience of the international community”, the press release stated. The Foreign Office (FO) stated that “the cruelty and frenzy with which the centuries-old Mosque in Ayodhya was desecrated and demolished undermines the tenets of international norms and constitutes a grave violation of religious rights of the minorities”. The FO added that the Indian Supreme Court’s judgement of November 2019 and the subsequent acquittal of the accused, mainly BJP leaders who had presided over the demolition in public glare, has been deemed ‘shameless’ and ‘defective’, a testimony to “India’s fast
PDM to hold ‘antiinflation’ march in Capital on March 23rd continued from page 01 When asked about the duration of the protest, the Maulana replied: “You heard about March 23 right now. Wait and see what happens next.” While responding to a question over the date of the march, Rehman said that the PDM was also a “part of the nation”. “It is a national level issue […] no one owns the country, the state owns the country.” It is pertinent to note that in their last meeting which was held on November 23, the Maulana was so furious with the PML-N leadership that at one stage, he reportedly even offered to quit the opposition alliance’s presidentship. However, at that time, Nawaz persuaded the JUI-F chief not to do so and sought time till Dec 6 for in-house consultations. It is to note that the PDM had failed to come up with a plan to launch its anti-government protest campaign, with the PDM chief declaring that they would meet on Dec 6 and devise “a final policy” and “announce very important decisions”. Ministers troll PDM for scheDuling Protest on national Day: Soon after PDM’s announcement, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry predicted that the alliance’s head Maulana Fazlur Rehman had changed the date of long march many times in the past and the decision may again be changed. Responding to Fazl’s media talk, the minister in a video message said the JUI-F chief only wanted to remain relevant and therefore, he was making such moves. “Have some courage Maulana Sahib and look around you… there is no one [to support you],” he added. Fawad said that March 23 was a significant day for all Pakistanis and the message from the political leadership on such a day should be of uniting the nation instead of dividing it. “You are here and we are also here and March 23 is not far away… we will see what happens,” he added. Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed criticized PDM’s decision to call a march on Pakistan Day an “extremely irresponsible and immoral” move. “Pakistan’s armed forces stage a national parade on March 23 which is attended by citizens, ambassadors and various delegates,” he said. He said that announcing a march at such a time is not a sign of goodwill towards the country. He also advised the PDM to move the demonstration to April. The minister said that Islamabad is on high alert for the parade, adding that some roads are closed two or three days in advance in order to prepare.
MoF urges Cabinet to approve withdrawal, curtailing of tax exemptions continued from page 01 They said that FBR has initiated far-reaching structural and administrative reforms during the tenure of the present government to achieve economic and financial stability through inclusive reforms and sustainable economic growth. “FBR is committed to achieving tax reforms with the assistance of development partners with the ultimate objective to be able to generate sufficient revenue for the state,” they added. It is pertinent to note that the government, after the approval of the Cabinet, will present the bill in parliament for approval in the coming days.
descent into majoritarianism and Hindutva extremism”. The ministry strongly condemned the violation of religious places and “senseless” attacks against minorities in India which have seemingly become the norm. Such “religious zealotry” has become empowered by legal precedents such as; “Anti-Muslim pogroms in Gujarat in 2002 and in Delhi in February 2020, the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) aimed at disenfranchising Muslims”, the statement read. The FO further stated that the “appointment of former Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who led the bench writing the flawed verdict”, as nominated Parliamentarian “within four months of his retirement, clearly indicated that the process was influenced by the ruling BJP-RSS dispensation for the advancement of its Hindutva agenda”. “The harrowing impunity with which minorities especially Muslims are being persecuted, demonized and marginalized in India is deplorable including violence against Muslims on the false pretexts of cow vigilantism, so-called ‘Love-Jihad’, the recent brutal eviction
of Muslims in Assam, the vandalization of mosques and Muslim properties in Tripura, the continued disruption of Friday prayers in Gurgaon are vivid pointers to growing religious intolerance and fanaticism in India,” the FO added. The ministry reiterated that “meaningful steps must be taken to ensure safety, security and religious freedom for all minorities especially Muslims in India”. Furthermore, it stated that “India’s attention is invited to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) numerous resolutions, condemning the despicable act of demolishing the historic mosque, and OIC’s 47th Session of Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) calling on the Indian government to implement its commitment to reconstruct the Babri mosque on its original site and to punish those responsible for its demolition”. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also called upon the “government of India to take immediate steps to halt the illegal construction of a temple at the place of Babri Masjid, reconstruct the Babri Masjid at its original site and ensure the safety and protection of mosques and Islamic holy sites in India”. News Desk
Gwadar protest enters day 22 Protesters in Gwadar enters 22nd day on Monday despite Balochistan government sharing a list detailing progress made on their demands. The protestors include women and children and they have been mainly demanding an end to “trawler mafia”, access to clean drinking water among other things. The protestors, which also include Ormara and Pasni residents, have blocked the Makran Coastal Highway passing through Gwadar. Local Jamaat-i-Islami leader Maulana Hidayatur Rehman, who is leading the the Gwadar Ko Huqooq Do Tehreek (Give Rights to Gwadar Movement) stated that
the protest would continue until the acceptance of two major demands which include action against “trawler mafia” and resolution of issues on Iran border, along with other 19 demands. In this regard, Balochistan’s director general of public relations released a list that showed progress made so far on the protestor’s demands. Below is the list elaborating the demands of the protestors, and the progress made by the government so far: end to illegal trawlers: Office of director general of Fisheries moved to Gwadar and patrolling increased to check on illegal trawlers elimination of unnecessary checkposts on major
Sindh: Opposition rejects talks offer till withdrawal of controversial LG bill 2021 KaracHi staff report
Opposition parties in Sindh Assembly while declining negotiations on Sindh Local Government (LG) Amendment Bill 2021 on Monday said that consultation regarding LG system was only possible if Sindh Government withdrew the authoritarian amendments. “Sindh Local Government Act 2013 and recent amendments are unconstitutional and in violation of law of land and human rights and all the opposition parties will stage protest against it across the province,” said leader of the opposition in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh while addressing a joint press conference along with parliamentary leaders of Mutahida Qoumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) here at Sindh Assembly Building. Haleem Adil said that all the opposition parties considered Sindh government’s informal offer for talks meaningless as the opposition should have been consulted before introducing the bill in the Assembly. All opposition parties have consulted on the amendment bill and agreed that the black law had deprived local governments of the already limited powers, he stated. Sheikh said that they have conveyed their concerns to Governor Sindh Imran Ismail in this regard and have informed him that the bill was passed in an illegal, unconstitutional and non-parliamentary manner. PPP knew that it cannot win the next elections by vote that is why they wanted to win through notes, he added. “We also did not accept the Local Government Act 2013 which deprived LG bodies of Sindh especially Karachi of their powers”, he said, adding that now the PPP had introduced more amendments which were contravention of articles 7, 8, 32 and 140-A. Haleem said that the amendments enabled anyone to become mayor and chairman even if he was unable to win from his union council while the bill also lacks tenure of elected members and chairmen or mayor as well as arrangement for interim period. Furthermore, the secretary local government might delegate or deprive LG bodies from any of their power including
levy a tax, he added. Referring to provincial LG minister Nasir Shah’s offer, Sheikh said that it was an informal telephonic contact and if Sindh government was serious, the leader of the house should have contacted in a formal way. PTI and MQM-P had already submitted separate LG bills in assembly but those were not presented on the floor of the house, he said, adding that those bills could be considered as input of the respective parties. Recalling the issue of Police reforms in Sindh, Haleem said that PPP had been pursuing their own interests under the guise of negotiations. “PTI rejects ‘Zardarana’ system and will resort to province wide protest. We will stage sit in outside Chief Minister House if required,” he maintained. Muhammad Hussain of MQM-P, speaking at the occasion, said that all the political parties of Sindh in or outside of parliament had serious concerns over LG amendment bill and they were protesting against the LG bill as all the stakeholders – even superior courts – believed that people of province could not be provided with relief without delegation of administrative, financial and political rights to local government institutions. “MQM-P rejects law aimed at corruption and usurpation of peoples’ rights and it would protest against anti-democracy laws,” he vowed. GDA’s Husnain Mirza observed that bill was approved in haste while bulldozing assembly rules and GDA rejected the illegal and unconstitutional bill. He stressed on positive revision of laws and rules governing local governance in the province and suggested that a select committee having representation of all parliamentary parties should be constituted to discuss and finalize a unanimous draft bill. He said that although 13 amendments had been introduced in SLGA 2013 to date but it had completely failed and people of the province were suffering miseries. Bilal Abdul Gaffar pointed out that there was no citation of Article 140-A of constitution in the SLGA 2013 nor it provides for devolution of power. PPP wanted to make local government subordinate to provincial government so that their powers and authorities could be withdrawn just by a notification.
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SL High Commissioner assures Sialkot lynching will not impact relations between the two countries Sri Lankan High Commissioner Mohan Vijay Vikrama has assured that the Sialkot incident will not impact the relations between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. “Pakistan and Sri Lanka are friends and will remain friends. I assure you that this incident will not affect our relations,” said the Sri Lankan high commissioner. Sri Lanka’s high commissioner while addressing a presser on Monday lauded the Pakistani government’s support and thanked the Pakistani people for their sympathies and condolences, stating that the incident was tragic. “I am sure that the government of Pakistan will take steps to ensure that the family of Priyanta Deyawanda Kumar gets justice. This aais a murder. The Sri Lankan government is sure that it [the incident] has nothing to do with Pakistan and Sri Lanka. We have seen that Pakistan has taken immediate action, ” he added. “We don’t need to claim we’re friends; Pakistan and Sri Lanka have social, defence, and commerce ties, and this incident will not impact the existing relationship,” he said. While appreciating the steps taken by the government of Pakistan, Vikrama said that a large number of people have been arrested since Friday, when the incident took place in Sialkot. News Desk
roads: All unnecessary checkposts removed closure of wine shops in gwadar All wine shops closed on government instructions elimination of interference in cross-border trade with iran: End to all kinds of interference and establishment of trade markets at border freedom for fishermen to go to sea: Elimination of special token system to go to sea. Fishermen are now allowed to go without any permission establishment of a university in gwadar: Appointment of a vice chancellor for Gwadar University, classes to start soon
Tuesday, 7 December, 2021
06 COMMENT
Campaign against Iqbal
NA-133 polls PML-N wins, PTI is out, PPP makes six-fold gain in votes
Tracing the roots of the relentless propaganda
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hE Pti cut a sorry figure when the nomination papers of its candidate Jamshed iqbal cheema and his covering candidate were found to be invalid. the party was thus out of the ring before the start of the fight. this has raised questions. Was it a drama staged by Pti to wriggle out of an election the party knew it was bound to lose anyway? in case the Pti was serious about fighting the election, how come Mr cheema, who is also special assistant to the prime minister, turned out to be ignorant about how to fill the nomination papers? in a country where a political activist nominated for nA membership can’t correctly fill in his nomination papers, how come common people are expected to cast votes on EVMs that they have never seen before? the PPP has gained most from the elections. Despite a low voter turnout, PPP candidate Aslam gill bagged 32,313 votes compared to a meagre over 5,000 in 2018. this has naturally raised the morale of the PPP leaders and workers. Former President Zardari has observed that the PPP is reborn in Punjab while an elated Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has claimed that the coming era belongs to PPP. there is a need to avoid over optimism as sensible generlisations cannot be made on the basis of the results of elections in a single constituency. Various factors are responsible for the rise in PPP votes. the PPP leadership could afford to heavily invest material and human resources in a single constituency. in a straight fight between the PML-n and PPP, some of the voters from the anti-PML-n parties like the Pti, tahirulQadri’s PAt, and tLP are also likely to have voted for the PPP. this may not happen in general elections. PML-n candidate Shaista Pervez Malik has been elected MnA. the party has won the seat for the fourth time in succession. this appears to be a big achievement. there is however a need on the part of the PML-n to realise the implications of a colossal come down in its votes. compared to 2018 election when PML-n received about 90,000 votes this time it got only over 46,000 i.e. about 43,000 votes less than in 2018. is the party losing its voters?
hasaN aFtaB saEEd
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LLAMA iqbal is celebrated by many Pakistanis as the politician who first articulated the idea of Pakistan in all its concreteness. Others regard him as the philosopher-poet who devoted a lifetime to the task of rousing the subcontinent Muslims from their blissful slumber by making them conscious of their own identity. At the same time, there is no dearth of those who do not hold iqbal in particularly high esteem. they have a great deal to say about why they are not impressed with iqbal. Let us consider some of these groups and the objections they voice against iqbal. traditional mullahs were the first to take it upon themselves to denigrate iqbal. Before iqbal, they had had similar issues with Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. their gripe was not regarding any specific issue on which they could not see eye to eye with Khan. (god knows there are many beliefs held by Khan which no sensible man could agree with, but that was not the point.) their issue was with the general lack of reverence which Khan had for clerics. their problem with iqbal was the same. hence the many fatwas declaring him outside the fold of islam, not from some obscure mullah but from the likes of the khateeb of Lahore’s famous Wazir Khan Mosque. this bad blood continued till the very last days of iqbal’s life when he had a very public and acrimonious debate with Maulana hussain Ahmed Madani on ‘What makes nations: religions or countries?’ Madani commanded deep reverence among his followers, who never forgave iqbal for his insolence. thereafter, no story was too outlandish if it helped them ‘get even’ with iqbal. the stories of iqbal having a weakness for alcohol and his having killed a prostitute were born in this context. then there were the Sufis of his time. iqbal was
Sensitive honorary installations Not worth the trouble if they can’t be protected
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rEcting statues as homages to the founding fathers of any country is an important responsibility of the state but it should be treated as a privilege that is earned. theft of the monocle glasses from a statue of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah situated in Vehari yesterday is just another example of how unsafe and unprotected these monuments really are. Back in September, a much more shocking and unfortunate incident that took place in gwadar, where Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s statue, situated on Marine Drive was blown away, either by an explosive device planted under it and detonated remotely or by a grenade hurled at it. the incidentwas another perfect example of why such installations should not be built until and unless their protection and preservation can be confidently ensured at all costs. that the location where the attack took place was considered a safe zone, in the vicinity of the residence of the general Officer commanding (gOc) and the office of the Deputy inspector general, clearly indicates that there was insufficient security in the area. the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), an anti-Pakistan terrorist outfit, that usually does not go for inanimate objects, rather live targets, claimed responsibility for that attack, making it an act that is symbolic in nature, motivated by an innate hate for Pakistan and the foundation it was built upon. A statue of an individual with the title of ‘Father of the nation’, is not simply some stone and metal thrown together and sculpted to look like him, it is in fact a symbol and reminder of the man’s struggle and sacrifice to carve out an independent democratic nation for his people.it is not as if these installments of admiration are in high demand by the public either; the state is erecting them at its own discretion. it would perhaps therefore be best that the government desist from engaging in such unnecessary and presumably costly activities that end up doing more harm than good.
Precarious condition of the economy Natasha shahid
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t'S a vicious cycle for the Pakistani masses: the government, wanting to ease the financial burden on the public, seeks a loan from the global lender, the international Monetary Fund. in order to release the loan, the iMF asks the Pakistani government to increase the cost of electricity and to impose further taxes. the government increases the all-roundtariffs – thereby increasing the financial burden on the masses – so that it could ease the financial burden on the masses. Catch-22. "Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. if he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to." the story of PM imran Khan's life, ladies and gentlemen. it's almost as if Joseph heller had Khan, together withall of his dilemmas, in mind when he wrote this. to give the man due credit, though, he has repeatedly attempted – in vain – to force the iMF to tone down its demands and allow him to give his countrymen a breather. in 2020, for instance, the country’s Prime Minister stood up to the international lender against its demand to increase electricity tariff and the cost of petroleum, which would have further burdened the masses who were already crippled under rising inflation experienced by the country primarily due to the iMF’s demands. As a result, the iMF pulled the plug on a tranche which was due to be released to the struggling South Asian country, in partial fulfillment of the Extended Fund Facility
Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor
Yousaf Nizami M. A. Niazi
Umar Aziz
Joint Editor
Joint Editor
Executive Editor
Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965
Decades have passed since Iqbal’s death, and many generations have come and gone since. But the propaganda started by one or the other of these groups continues getting recycled. Therefore, there is plenty of ‘material’ available for anybody who wants to score a cheap point or two. But the legacy of the great man lives on regardless.
The author is a connoisseur of music, literature, and food (but not drinks). He can be reached at www.facebook.com/hasanaftabsaeed
The troubles of Orr
Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami
Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad
not averse to Sufism per se – among others he had great regard for nizamuddin Auliya, Ahmad Sirhindi and Ali hajveri – but he was against the brand of Sufism that encouraged inactivity and defeatism. his blunt critique of hafez Shirazi – who enjoyed a widespread loyal following – alienated many Sufis, who were in turn not favourable in their opinions of iqbal, who they accused of being rather full of himself. the fact that iqbal once had a good opinion of Mirza ghulam Ahmad before denouncing him later is used by both sides against him. One party never forgave him for distancing himself from Ahmad, the other party for not doing it earlier. After the publication of some of his works one communist newspaper, in its missionary zeal, declared iqbal a communist. not one to take such an accusation lying down, iqbal sent a letter to the daily Zamindar’s editor in which he declared that being a Muslim he could not possibly subscribe to the theories of communism. this did not win him many friends among the communists, who responded by joining others in peddling propaganda against him. Like some of the mullahs before them, their accusation of choice was that iqbal was a British agent who, on the behest of his masters, was hell bent on dividing india into many parts. As if all this was not enough, Javed iqbal writes in his biography of the great man that one source of propaganda against iqbal was the man himself. Possessing an irrepressible sense of humour and horrified of ascribing to himself even an iota of piety, he was wont to respond to simple questions in a way that opened many doors of speculation. People who knew him well understood this. But the same cannot be said of those who are accustomed to taking things more literally. For example, during a party at Mian Shah Din’s home where there was provision of liquor for British guests, Din told iqbal in a lighter vein that for iqbal there was separate arrangement elsewhere. to
which iqbal retorted that he had learned two things from Din: drinking secretly and never giving alms to anybody. now, anybody who knows anything about iqbal knows that he was a teetotaler who not only raised funds for many causes but donated large sums of his own money as well, but there were those who used such incidents as the basis of their critique of iqbal. Probably the most repeated objection against iqbal is that he was not averse to some ‘undesirable’ forms of art. that iqbal had a tremendous sense of music and rhythm is evident from his poetry. Furthermore, he had an intimate knowledge of raags. he liked listening to qawwalis and his own poetry sung. And he was not averse to an occasional visit to the notorious first floor singing ladies. though today’s puritans are often found raising their eyebrows at this, it was a norm for the times. the music played there was rooted in culture and the verses sung often consisted of Persian classics – a far cry from the crudity portrayed in Bollywood or what goes on in similar places these days. in his sixty years, iqbal managed to offend almost every group one could think of. he continues to upset those who came much later: today’s liberals, for example. Much of iqbal’s metaphor comes from his conception of islam. Being allergic to religious symbols and imagery of any kind, the liberals are naturally not enamoured with him. Decades have passed since iqbal’s death, and many generations have come and gone since. But the propaganda started by one or the other of these groups continues getting recycled. therefore, there is plenty of ‘material’ available for anybody who wants to score a cheap point or two. But the legacy of the great man lives on regardless.
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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9
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(EFF), forcing Khan’s government to restart negotiations and resume operations in accordance with the iMF’s perpetual demands of “do more”. Since the EFF’s renewal is subject to continual approval from the iMF, the nightmare of negotiations is repeated at frequent intervals, with the most recent round of talks contributing to the sixth review – already – of the deal, which is set to expire next year. Lasting nearly a month and a half, from early October to mid-november, the discussions resulted in the government’s acceptance of most of the iMF’s terms, including a remarkable rise in petroleum prices. “the government has agreed with the iMF to jack up petroleum levy by rs4 per litre every month to increase it up to rs30 per litre for collection of revised amounts of rs356 billion against initial collection estimates of rs610 billion during the current fiscal year 2021-22. the government also agreed with the iMF for passing gSt supplementary bill for abolishing tax exemptions of rs350 billion,” the Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance and revenue, Shaukat
Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545
tarin,statedfollowing the finalizations of the agreement. however, it has recently been revealedthat the government does not plan to increase taxes in its upcoming mini-budget, which is to be presented in the national Assembly in accordance with the iMF’s demands. So, would imran Khan be able to bail the Pakistani masses out while continuing to keep the iMF satisfied? And – more importantly – for how long would he be able to do it? Unfortunately for Khan and his government, it looks more or less like a case of the dog chasing his tail, currently. rising inflation coupled with shutter-downs, protests, and strikes – such as, most recently, by the All Pakistan Petrol Pump Dealers Association, which resulted in an increase in their profit margin – is tightening the financial screw on both Khan’s government and the masses. With the economy proving to be Khan’s biggest challenge – which is saying a lot, considering he also faced the dharnabrigade and covid19 – it remains to be seen for how long he would be able to balance out the iMF’s increasing demands and the public’s increasing suffering.
Unfortunately for Khan and his government, it looks more or less like a case of the dog chasing his tail, currently. Rising inflation coupled with shutter-downs, protests, and strikes – such as, most recently, by the All Pakistan Petrol Pump Dealers Association, which resulted in an increase in their profit margin – is tightening the financial screw on both Khan’s government and the masses.
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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk
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The writer is freelance columnist
Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk
Tuesday, 7 December, 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
Theileriosis in goats
An open letter to President Erdogan Righting the wrong
dR aloN BEN mEiR
dear President erdogan,
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SEnD this open letter to you because it pains me to see a country like turkey, which could have reached the pinnacle of power and influence, envied by her adversaries and revered by her friends, has fallen into disgrace, thanks to your corrupt and misguided leadership. i admired you when you first rose to power, for the vision and the statesmanship you displayed. Within a few years, you had almost transformed the country as you introduced economic, social, judicial, and political reforms, all unprecedented in turkey’s history. you became the beloved leader to your countrymen, lifted many of the poor from their misery, gave hope to the young, safety to the elderly, and self-esteem to the working class. Academia and higher learning flourished, businesses prospered, public institutions grew and progressed, and human rights were protected. Political divisiveness gave way to unity of purpose, minorities felt safe and secure, and turkey’s prospect of becoming a true democracy was all but assured. Zero problem with neighbors was no longer a mere slogan. your Western alliances were strengthened, trade with countries near and far exponentially expanded, and good relations with East and West became the success story of your foreign policy. the EU opened the door for turkey ever wider, and the prospect of integration was no longer a dream but a goal within reach. turkey’s friendship with the United States was greatly solidified, and its membership in the north Atlantic treaty Organization made Ankara vital for the security of Europe. As a bridge between East and West, turkey’s location and geostrategic importance became ever more treasured, and under your incisive leadership, turkey emerged as a rising star respected by the community of nations. But then what happened? your hidden desire to acquire absolute power has finally come to light. you sought the presidency but with expanded powers, paving the way for a dictatorship to which the parliament under the control of the AKP has foolishly acquiesced, without grasping the far-reaching implications of their misguided action. granting you unlimited power has changed
the trajectory of turkey – not to greatness but to ever-growing depravity and decline. Blinded by the powers you have usurped, you decided that the time has come to execute your wicked agenda, making a U turn to the utter dismay of your people. Many scholars and pundits have been speculating about your unfathomable change of direction. But there are two overarching explanations—your lust for ever more raw power and your islamic zealotry that you are bent on promulgating and using as a tool in pursuit of your menacing plans. you believe that only one-man rule, provided it is you, can restore the dubious glory of the Ottoman era. you raised the banner of islam as the guiding rod, only to subjugate your people to your false piety. you have sacrificed the best of what turkey has to offer on the altar of your perverse ego. ruthlessness, brutality, cruelty, retribution, and arbitrary use of terrorism laws became your weapons of choice, wielding them with a vengeance against your perceived enemies with no mercy, no compassion, and no remorse, but with joy and pride. you needed to concoct a cause to justify your rampage against every individual and institution that you deemed to stand in your way. the 2016 failed coup you contrived was heaven sent by your own account. you needed a scapegoat, and Fetullahgülen was there to incur your wrath. you accuse him of being behind the botched coup, though you never produced any evidence to support your dishonest claim. Look what you have done to your people: investigated countless law-abiding citizens, and incarcerated tens of thousands of innocent people and tortured them to force out confessions for crimes they never committed. you jailed women with their children, subjecting them to desolation and excruciating pain. you regularly assaulted your Kurdish minority, arrested their notables and intellectuals for alleged link to the PKK, and civil and political rights, once secure, have now become fair play. you shut down the free press and imprisoned scores of journalists. you institutionalized discrimination against christians and other “undesirable” religions. you hunted down every suspected follower of the gülen movement in and outside the country, violated every code of human rights, and robbed your countrymen of their dignity. you are choking them; they cannot breathe, they live in fear and uncertainty, and nothing but a bleak future awaits them. you have shattered what’s left of turkey’s democracy, and now you stand accused of crimes against humanity. the education and healthcare systems are crumbling. the country’s economy is in tatters: the turkish lira is at an all-time low, inflation stands at 20 percent, and unemployment has reached 15 percent. All the
while, you invested billions of dollars in foreign adventures providing a mixture of economic aid and military assistance to expand your ill-fated influence, building mosques and sending imams to preach your gospel and advance your twisted islamic agenda. you do not hide your bold neo-Ottoman foreign policy, trying to project your power from the Persian gulf to north Africa and the red Sea, from the Balkans to the caucasus and central Asia, regions that were once dominated by the Ottomans. you betrayed your European allies, cozying up to and purchasing an air defense system from the West’s foremost adversary—russia—thus compromising nAtO’s intelligence-sharing and technology of which paradoxically, turkey is a member. you do not respect international law, and blatantly ignore Un resolutions. you are determined to emerge as the leader of the Sunni Muslim world, all while alienating one country after another. instead of “zero problem with neighbors,” you ended up having problems with every neighbor. As you eye 2023, the hundredth anniversary of the turkish republic, waiting breathlessly to preside over the celebration, perhaps you should look back and ponder. Where does turkey stand today, and what will her fortunes be come tomorrow? you are leading a country whose star is fading, with a despairing and despondent populace. A country in retreat, with no prospect of recovering as long as you are at the helm of power. you have shattered your people’s dreams, robbed them of their freedom, denied them their day in court, degraded their way of life, and rendered the young hopeless and the old despairing, leaving them with little prospect to grow and prosper while stamping on their pride. your dream of surpassing the legacy of turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, is just another one of your illusions. By your blind ambition and disastrous domestic and foreign policy, you have squandered a historic opportunity to make turkey a respected and influential power. Sadly Mr. Erdogan, when you leave the political scene, it will be with a public mixture of contempt and relief, not with the reverence that was bestowed on Atatürk for a century. i do wish, Mr. Erdogan, that you wake up to the harsh reality and choose to redeem yourself, by making another U-turn for your country’s sake and reversing your disastrous domestic and foreign misdeeds. But then again, at this point, that too may well be an illusion.
You are leading a country whose star is fading, with a despairing and despondent populace. A country in retreat, with no prospect of recovering as long as you are at the helm of power.
Dr Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Centre for Global Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies. alon@alonben-meir.com
thErE are 25 goat breeds in Pakistan. Beetal, Kamori, nachi, Dera Din Panah, Angora and teddy are the most prevalent domestic breeds and there are two wild breeds such as ibex and Markhor. goats are prone to parasitism which results in the form of reduced reproduction, more susceptibility to secondary infections and increased mortality. the hemiparasites including babesia, theileria, trypanosoma and anaplasma etc. cause high morbidity and mortality due to increased prevalence. theileriosis is a significant tick-borne, blood protozoan disease of small ruminants. the only two etiological agents of theileriosis in goats are theileria ovis and theileria lestoquardi in Pakistan. the clinical signs that are observed in goats suffering from theileriosis are increased body temperature, swollen lymph nodes, pale mucous membrane, anorexia, loss of weight, constipation and diarrhoea etc. When a tick bites an animal, sporozoites invade the host body, it is transformed into schizonts in lymphocytes. the infected lymphocytes are transformed into lymphoblasts which continue to proliferate synchronously along with the schizonts. Eventually the infected daughter lymphoblasts are spread throughout the lymphatic system and continue to proliferate. the haematological analysis also showed a significant rise in leukocyte count in infected goats which may be due to the proliferation of lymphoblsts as a defensive response to invading parasites. in the later stages of theileriosis, the schizonts transformed to merozoites are released by the lymphoblasts and they invade erythrocytes. At this stage, they are called piroplasms. At this stage, there is excessive destruction of red blood cells that leads to anaemia. Blood and urine samples were obtained from 20 theileria positive and 20 normal goats from different farms of Lahore. the infected goats showed clinical signs associated with theileriosis. haematology, serum biochemistry and urinalysis by dipstick method were performed to observe the alterations in renal function and urine characteristics and results were compared with the reference values for goats. On performing cBc, serum biochemistry and urinalysis by dipstick method, we observed significant deviations from the reference values. A significant increase in total Leukocyte count was seen while there was a significant decline in total Erythrocyte count, hb level and Packed cell Volume was observed when cBc was performed. When renal function tests i.e. creatinine and Blood Urea nitrogen were performed, a significant rise in their values was observed. Urinalysis by dipstick method also showed some deviations from the reference values. Sadaf Gul, dr. Qamar-un-niSa lahore
Adulterated pesticides ADULtErAtiOn is in vogue in our country. it is thought to be an easy method of earning money in spite of the fact that it is a high degree of crime. Severe punishments are executed for this throughout the world. Pakistan Penal code also defines severe punishments in this regard but there are very few chances of executing and punishing the criminals over this crime. there are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, these laws are weak and it is very difficult to convict a person in court. Secondly, relevant law enforcement authorities do not have the will and efforts to control this evil. And finally, there are many loopholes in the system which are used by criminals to save themselves. Pesticides are mostly imported into the country. these are in big containers and are commercially re-packed in the country. During this process, these are adulterated with sub-standard materials to increase their volume which ultimately deteriorates the quality. these pesticides are highly needed for crop protection against pests and crop diseases which ultimately increases the yield and profit of the farmer. A few crops are highly dependent on pesticides like cotton which require many sprays. if poor quality or adulterated pesticides are provided to the farmers, they lose a major part of their yield. these adulterated pesticides are a major issue in the cotton belt of Punjab and Sind. Unfortunately, relevant authorities have badly failed to control this problem. the result is obvious. cotton cultivation has greatly decreased. A few years ago, Pakistan was the exporter of raw cotton but last year, we produced cotton which was less than 20 % of our requirement. the failure of the government to control pesticide adulteration led us to the destruction of our cotton crop. the result is the loss of a lot of foreign exchange which is used to import the raw cotton in order to run the textile industry. the price of imported raw cotton is higher than local which ultimately increases the prices of finished textile products. these relatively costly products are unable to compete in the global textile market. So, we can infer from all this discussion that weakness on the part of our government has caused a heavy loss to the country. TariQ mahmood Khan faiSalabad
Carbon literacy EVEry single country in South Asia is at high risk from climate change and Pakistan is the 8th most vulnerable. the country is confronted with severe droughts, flash floods, hot weathers, mass migration and above all, huge economic losses. According to a report released by the Ministry of climate change, the country has lost 80 billion dollars from 1996 to 2016 due to the adverse impacts of climate change. the figures and details of the report indicate the growing threat that climate change has become for the people of Pakistan. to combat its horrendous impacts, there is a need to educate people about the situation that they are collectively facing. in this regard, carbon literacy can help ensure active participation of key stakeholders. We must educate the most vulnerable communities about the horrific impacts of climate change and train them to carry out small-scale measures that can help reduce carbon emissions. Only then can they play an active role in mitigating the effects of global warming and climate change. Such trainings have already been developed by the nottingham Business School in collaboration with the Un PrME champions and the international student organisation Oikos international. this carbon Literacy training programme aims to encourage and equip participants with the information and skills needed to alleviate high impact changes. these programs will not only help motivate people to fight the impacts of climate change but it will also help them mould their lifestyle accordingly. it is something that the government ought to look into. AhmAd Ali lAhore
Tuesday, 7 December, 2021
08 WORLD VIEW
The secTarian resurgence in The posT-american middle easT ALL AGAINST ALL DESPITE ALL OF IRAN’S RECENT VICTORIES, THE SECTARIAN CONFLICTS THAT ARE RACKING THE MIDDLE EAST ARE FAR FROM OVER WITHOUT A NEW SECURITY ARRANGEMENT, CHAOS AND CONFLICT WILL BE THE ORDER OF THE DAY IN THE REGION Foreign AFFAirs
T
Vali Nasr
he Biden administration’s mantra for the Middle east is simple: “end the ‘forever wars.’” The White house is preoccupied with managing the challenge posed by China and aims to disentangle the United States from the Middle east’s seemingly endless and unwinnable conflicts. But the United States’ disengagement threatens to leave a political vacuum that will be filled by sectarian rivalries, paving the way for a more violent and unstable region. The struggle for geopolitical primacy between Iran’s Shiite theocracy and the countries led by Sunni Arabs and, more recently, Sunni Turkey is stoking conflict across the region—eroding social compacts, worsening state dysfunction, and catalyzing extremist movements. Both sides have weaponized religious identity for their own purposes, using it to rally partisans and bolster their influence across the region. As a result, the broader Middle east remains a tinderbox. Although Iran retains the upper hand, challenges to its position are building across the region. Sunnis have tired of virulent extremism, but the anger that fueled the rise of the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) remains undiminished; new insurgencies in the broken parts of the region will undoubtedly harness that rage once more. Sunnis in Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria are increasingly chafing at moves by Tehran and its allies to tighten their hold on power. And terrorism has emerged in Afghanistan again, as the country slides into chaos in the wake of the Taliban’s victory. Without any political process to defuse these tensions, they are bound to erupt in new waves of tumult and bloodshed. Israel’s intervention in these sectarian conflicts on the side of the Sunni powers has only added fuel to the fire. Because of Israel’s involvement, regional stability is even more subject to the fate of Iran’s nuclear program. Washington and Jerusalem are already discussing a “Plan B” for if a diplomatic settlement remains beyond reach. This path would place Iran and the United States on a collision course—as well as exacerbate sectarian tensions, deepen societal divisions, and trigger new conflicts from the Levant to Afghanistan. Washington’s desire to do less in the Middle east comes at a time when China and Russia are leaning into the region, a hardline government in Iran is digging in its heels, and the Sunni Arab states are less confident than ever about U.S. security guarantees. Unless the United States paves the way for a more stable regional order—beginning by striking a deal over Iran’s nuclear program—it may find itself dragged back into the Middle east’s many conflicts despite its best efforts to walk away. WeAPONIZING ISLAM The origins of the rivalry between the Shiites and the Sunnis go back to the very beginnings of Islam, and over the centuries, the two sects have evolved distinct interpretations of Islamic law and religious practice. The strife between the two groups today, however, is rooted not in theology but in a struggle for power. Shiism and Sunnism are prominent identity markers that shape political allegiances in divided societies. The intensity of sectarian fighting has ebbed and flowed over the past two decades, but sectarianism’s salience to the region’s politics has not waned—nor has the struggle between Iran and its Sunni-led rivals, which both feeds on and fuels this schism. These two forces are different sides of the same coin. It was the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq that
allowed Iran to dramatically expand its influence in the Arab world. ever since the United States brought down the authoritarian regime that guaranteed Sunni-minority rule in Baghdad, Tehran has expertly played on sectarian loyalties to empower a network of armed proxies that now stretches from Lebanon and Syria to Iraq and Yemen, forming what Jordan’s King Abdullah once called a “Shiite crescent.” In doing so, Iran has empowered Shiites at the expense of Sunnis across the region and enhanced its own influence over that of rivals such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab emirates (UAe). The Arab world’s push for democracy and good government, the so-called Arab Spring, led autocrats, threatened by the prospect of change, to further weaponize sectarianism. Syrian President Bashar alAssad stoked fear of Sunnis to scare the Syrian Alawite community, to which he belongs and which traces its roots to Shiism, into unflinching support for his regime. In Bahrain and Yemen, rulers justified violent crackdowns by accusing Shiite protesters of being Iranian proxies. Iran and its Arab rivals reinforced this dynamic by arraying themselves behind their respective Shiite and Sunni clients, seeing their coreligionists as tools to protect their regional influence. Iran’s regional footprint has expanded in tandem with its nuclear program. Although the United States effectively checked Iran’s nuclear ambitions in 2015 through an internationally brokered deal, containing its regional ambitions has proved elusive. Washington’s insistence that regional matters not be included in the nuclear talks incensed its Arab allies, which were then on the losing end of sectarian proxy wars in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. U.S. President Barack Obama reinforced their fears about Washington’s commitment to assist them in these struggles when he counseled that the Iranians and the Saudis needed “to find an effective way to share the neighborhood.” The Sunni Arab states saw the nuclear accord as the bookend to the Obama administration’s earlier refusal to topple the Assad regime. In Arab leaders’ eyes, these two decisions tipped the regional balance of power decidedly in Tehran’s favor: the failure to topple Assad empowered Tehran’s Shiite allies in other countries, and the nuclear deal failed to restrain Iran’s regional meddling. To the Arab leaders, it seemed as if the United States was blessing Iranian hegemony in the Middle east. U.S. President Donald Trump was sympathetic to that view. he withdrew from the nuclear accord in 2018 and said a new deal would have to address Iran’s regional role. The Trump administration succeeded in battering Iran’s economy, increasing social misery and political discontent. But its attempt to force a broader Iranian retreat from the Arab world failed utterly. On the contrary, Iran responded by escalating regional tensions: it attacked tankers in the Persian Gulf, targeted oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, and launched an audacious missile strike on Iraqi air bases that housed U.S. troops, bringing Iran and the United States closer to war than ever before. Iran emerged from the Trump years more aggressive and lethal. Since the United States left the nuclear deal, Iran has increased its stockpile of enriched uranium, expanded its nuclear infrastructure, and gained critical nuclear know-how. It is now perilously close to possessing enough fissile material for a nuclear bomb. It was the decision to scrap the nuclear deal, not the decision to sign it in the first place, that has made Iran a larger force in the region. Tehran’s nuclear and regional ambitions have advanced hand in hand: a credible nuclear program provides an umbrella that
protects its proxies across the region, which in turn boost Iran’s influence further. Iran’s hard-liners also consolidated their power during the Trump years. They saw their worldview vindicated by the “maximum pressure” campaign: to them, it constituted proof that the United States was pursuing regime change in Tehran and would not relent until the Islamic Republic collapsed. This rendered engagement with Washington futile and meant that Iran could secure its interests only through confrontation with the United States and its allies. Iran thus emerged from the Trump era determined to continue with its nuclear program and strengthen its position in the region. The imperative of maintaining Iran’s influence in the Arab world is now embedded in the strategic calculus of the country’s deep state, and the militias that Tehran has built for that task are facts on the ground across the region. But despite all of Iran’s recent victories, the sectarian conflicts that are racking the Middle east are far from over. PRIMeD TO eXPLODe Iran is hardly the only party behind the rise of sectarian conflict across the Middle east. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAe have all supported Sunni factions in the Arab world. Turkey and wealthy Sunni businessmen in the Persian Gulf have funded some of the more extreme Sunni factions that sought to topple Assad—including ISIS. That group’s virulent anti-Shiism and its promise to resurrect the Islamic caliphate, which served as the seat of Sunni power in earlier eras, appealed to disenfranchised Sunnis in the expanse that stretches from Damascus to Baghdad. In the end, ISIS was undone by an alliance of convenience formed by Russia, the United States, and Iran, the last of which fought ISIS alongside its local Shiite allies in Iraq and Syria. But although Tehran has so far been able to come out on top in the regional struggle for influence, it may find itself under increasing pressure in the years ahead. The Sunni Persian Gulf monarchies, along with Israel and Turkey, all have a stake in the outcome of the sectarian conflicts racking the Arab world. With the United States signaling that it will not try to dislodge Iran from the various places where it has entrenched itself, regional actors are preparing to take up the gauntlet. In Syria, the Assad regime is attempting to consolidate its authority, but the country remains a sectarian powder keg. The fate of Syria is tied to that of Iraq. The central Iraqi government’s victory against Sunni jihadis served only to underscore its dependence on military support from Iran and the United States and also came at the cost of bolstering the influence of the country’s Shiite militias. The Iraqis have managed to temper sectarian conflict for now, but its embers are glowing bright just below the surface. Recent national elections also highlighted the tenuousness of the political status quo. The growing tumult in Lebanon also portends instability, but not a lessening of Iranian influence. The country’s dominant political actor is hezbollah, which has built up its military capacity over the years with generous Iranian backing. The Lebanese Shiite paramilitary group has performed well in wars against Israel, and its vast arsenal of missiles remains a menacing deterrent to Israeli military action against Iran. hezbollah has also successfully deployed its fighters on behalf of Iranian allies across the Arab world, notably in Iraq and Syria, becoming even more indispensable to Tehran. But hezbollah is also a political force in Lebanon, complicit in the economic crisis that has corroded the country’s state and society. The country’s Christian and Sunni communities have long decried hezbollah’s
pro-Iran loyalties and insistence on functioning as a state within a state. Growing numbers of Lebanese now blame the group for undermining the official investigation into the devastating blast at the Beirut port in August 2020, which destroyed large parts of the city. hezbollah will not relinquish power without a fight; its hold on the Shiite community remains strong, and Iran is committed to supporting the organization. In Yemen, a civil war has become a proxy war. On one side is the central government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia. On the other are houthi tribespeople, who hail from the country’s north, which is dominated by members of the Zaidi Shiite sect, and who enjoy support from Iran. The war took on an overtly sectarian cast in 2015, when a coalition of states led by Saudi Arabia and the UAe intervened to prevent a houthi victory and the establishment of an Iranian beachhead on the Arabian Peninsula. Their campaign has devastated Yemen—but it has not vanquished the houthis, whose reliance on Iran has only grown during the fighting. When the war ends, the houthis will hold sway over significant parts of Yemen and will have a large say in its politics. As the Sunni Arab states look to even the playing field, they are increasingly warming to a powerful ally in the struggle against Iran: Israel, which has placed itself squarely in the middle of the burgeoning regional tussle by launching air raids against Iranian bases in Iraq and Syria and carrying out assassinations, cyberattacks, and industrial sabotage to slow the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. Tehran has thus far limited its responses against Israel to cyberattacks and attacks on its ships in the Persian Gulf, but the situation could quickly escalate—not necessarily into direct war between Iran and Israel but perhaps to clashes between both side’s tacit partners in Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria and to Iranian attacks against Israel’s new allies in the Persian Gulf. The SUNNI BACKLASh In the midst of all of this, the Sunni Arab states are in search of new strategies to protect their interests. They have thus far relied on the United States to contain the expansion of Iran’s regional influence, an expansion Washington itself set in motion when it invaded Iraq. But the U.S. departure from Afghanistan, talk of a reduced U.S. military presence in Iraq, and the Biden administration’s desire to end the “forever wars” have compelled Saudi Arabia and the UAe to start talking to Iran in the hopes of reducing tensions and buying time to build their own regional capabilities. These talks have come after years of proxy wars across the region, Saudi and UAe support for the American strangulation of Iran’s economy, and Iranian attacks within Saudi and UAe territory. They therefore represent an important effort to reduce tensions. Saudi Arabia wants Iran to lean on the houthis to end the war in Yemen and to bring an end to drone attacks on its territory. Iran, in turn, wants full normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia. A breakthrough is not close at hand, largely because the talks are happening in the shadow of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States. The two sides continue to meet, however, and have identified potential first steps in a rapprochement, such as the opening of consulates to facilitate religious tourism. The Biden administration has supported the dialogue, but Washington cannot push Riyadh to reach a deal with Tehran if it cannot do so itself. The Sunni Arab states are also seeking strategic depth by mending fences with Turkey, which under President Recep Tayyip erdogan considers itself to be a regional power and a defender of Sunni prerogatives. erdogan’s Turkey sees itself as the heir to the
Ottoman empire, which until 1924 was the seat of the Islamic caliphate, the symbolic heart of Sunni power. It also maintains close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, the Arab world’s most important Islamist force. During the Arab Spring, Turkey fashioned itself as the model for the Arab world, supporting popular demands for democracy and the Muslim Brotherhood’s ambitions for power. Later on, it also took Qatar’s side when its Persian Gulf neighbors imposed a blockade on it. These policies angered the Persian Gulf monarchies, which perceived Turkey as a rival for leadership of the Sunni world. This internecine bickering even at times overshadowed the sectarian rivalry with Iran; in fact, Ankara’s relationship with Tehran has generally been warmer than its ties with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. Turkey’s competition with its Sunni rivals has brought it into every arena in which sectarianism is at play, as erdogan’s government has staked its claim to influence in Iraq, Lebanon, and, most recently, Afghanistan. Turkey has been a bulwark against Iran’s influence. Turkey has used its military muscle in Iraq and Syria effectively: although it cannot match Iran’s proxy power, its military, economic, and diplomatic capabilities have ensured that it maintains an influential role in the Middle east. The Sunni Arab states, by comparison, have failed to check Iranian power in any meaningful way. Their investment in the Syrian opposition came to naught, and Saudi Arabia abandoned Lebanon, failed to gain a foothold in Iraq, and has stumbled in the war in Yemen. The Sunni Arab states, however, continue to exercise influence in Washington, and they are bolstering that strategic depth with intelligence and military cooperation with Israel. But on the ground, they can only hope to slow Iran’s progress, not reverse it. LeAVING ON GOOD TeRMS The United States cannot mitigate all the dangers looming in the Middle east. But it should avoid making things worse. A smaller American role in the region may be inevitable, but the way in which Washington pulls up its stakes will matter. To many in the Middle east, American withdrawal is a shorthand for Washington abandoning the region, where it has previously defended against threats from the Soviet Union, Iran, Iraq, and, most recently, ISIS. even if the United States continues to maintain a large military presence in the region, its commitment to using military force is increasingly open to question. That strategic confusion is an opening for Iran and its proxies. It will also invite new entrants into the fray, such as Russia and Turkey. There is no ready substitute for the United States’ containment strategy, which for over four decades has served as the region’s de facto security architecture. A nuclear deal with Iran remains the most important deterrent to greater regional instability. There are understandable reasons why the Biden administration may be hesitant about returning to the 2015 nuclear deal. Some of the accord’s restrictions on Iran are set to expire before the end of President Joe Biden’s first term, and the lifting of sanctions that is required as part of the deal would invite a maelstrom of bipartisan criticism. For these reasons, the administration says it wants a “longer and stronger” deal. Iran, however, is interested only in a restoration of the 2015 deal—but this time with American guarantees that the next administration will not upend the deal again. A deadlock—or, worse, the collapse of talks—would put Iran and the United States on a dangerous path to confrontation that would inevitably embroil the Arab world and inflame sectarianism. The Biden administration has encouraged regional actors to talk to one another. But these dialogues will not be sustained if the effort to restore the nuclear deal falters. The first victim will be stability in Iraq and Lebanon, which requires consensus among Shiite and Sunni stakeholders. For the Biden administration to extricate the United States from the Middle east, it needs to establish a modicum of regional stability—and that effort must begin with returning Iran and the United States to mutual compliance with the 2015 deal. VALI NASR is Majid Khadduri Professor of Middle East Studies and International Affairs at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.
Tuesday, 7 December, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
NEWS
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09
WATER mAnAGEmEnT, COnSERvATiOn CRiTiCAL TO AvERT LOOminG CRiSiS: ALvi ISLAMABAD
Federal Minister Maritime Affairs Syed Ali Haider Zaidi met His Excellency Secretary General IMO Mr Kitack Lim at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council, London. PR
OGRA holds Public Hearing at PC Karachi ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) on Monday held public hearing on Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) petition for review of its Estimated Revenue Requirement for F.Y. 2021-22. The SSGCL has projected a shortfall in revenue requirement of Rs.18,399 million for FY 2021-22 and sought increase in its average prescribed price by 58.42 per MMBTU effective July 01, 2021 and the petitioner has also estimated RLNG cost of services at Rs.30.48 per MMBTU. The authority admitted the petition and issued notices on November 23, 2021 to all stakeholders and held public hearing at Karachi on 6th December, 2021 to hear and provide an opportunity to all consumers/general public and stakeholders to participate and provide their input/comment on the petition. OGRA under section 8(2) of the OGRA Ordinance, 2002 read with Rule 4(3) of Natural Tariff Rules, 2002 held the public hearing under the Chairmanship of Mr. Masroor Khan and two members [Member(Gas) and Member(Oil)] by providing ample opportunity to all the stakeholders and reserved their decision which shall be passed in due course of time. PR
Afghan Higher Education delegation visits HEC
Eight-member Afghan delegation from Higher Education Ministry of Afghanistan, headed by Alhaj Molvi Abdul Baqi Haqqani, acting minister of Higher Education alongwith Dr. Lotfullah Khairkhaw, deputy minister of Academic Affairs, Dr. Osama Azizi Chancellor of Kabul University today visited Higher Education Commission Pakistan. The executive director HEC Shaista Sohail welcomed the delegation and briefed them key initiatives and different programs of HEC. The delegation also visited NAVTTC where the chairman Syed Javed Hassan received them and gave the delegation detailed briefing about initiatives of the Commission. The delegation also visited National curriculum council Pakistan where they were given briefing on Single National Curriculum and it's objectives. Later, the delegation met Director General of Religious Education Maj General Qamar and Dr Ijaz Akram Chairman National Rehmatul lil Alameen Authority and they were briefed about the objectives of these institutions. PR
PAS elects its new Executive Council and Office Bearers
KARACHI: Pakistan Advertisers Society (PAS) held its 24th Annual General Body Meeting on Friday, 3rd of December in Karachi. The AGM was attended by all the major advertisers of Pakistan. The Executive Director of PAS, Mr. Qamar Abbas, presented key initiatives of 2021 along with some of the important industry issues. The agenda for 2022 was also proposed to the members. This was followed by a presentation on the Effie Awards Pakistan by Afsheen Rizavi, project head and General Manager, PAS. The AGM also marked the end of two-year tenure of the current Council and the Office Bearers. The elections for the new council were also part of the proceedings. The newly elected Council comprises of 14 members. Dr. Zeelaf Munir, CEO and Managing Director of English Biscuit Manufacturers was elected as the Chairperson of the Society. She is the first woman to hold this position. PR
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RESIDENT Arif Alvi on Monday said Pakistan’s increasing vulnerability to climate change required urgent action on the management of water resources and for an improved system of water conservation at national and local levels. Addressing at the international conference in connection with Pakistan Water Week, the president said it was the responsibility of both the government and citizens to save water through resilient and sustainable solutions. The conference titled “Needs for sustainable water management in a climate crisis for the Indus Basin” was organised by the Ministry of Science and Technology in collaboration with the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and CGIAR’s Water, Land and Ecosystems Programme. The event brought together academics, government officials, and policy experts to discuss the serious threat of water scarcity in Pakistan by 2035 and to lay emphasis on the linkage between water and food security. President Alvi said climate change was the key factor affecting the reliability of water resources across the globe and raising concerns about the future of water availability in countries including Pakistan. He stressed simultaneous steps to address the issue of water management, such as the policy on water-pricing to inculcate a responsible approach among the masses to save valuable commodity. He emphasized the practices to reduce water consumption including drip irrigation instead of flood farming, water recycling, and reallocating water for more valuable uses. Alvi said for ages, water had been the lifeline of ancient civilizations, may it Mehrgarh, Harappa or Mohenjo-daro, presently in Pakistan that became extinct after the river changed its course. Similarly, he said, today’s Indus Water Basin and the country’s large aquifer needed attention for the for-
mation of a regulatory framework for groundwater use. He said the melting of glaciers due to global warming could lead to incidences of severe droughts and extensive floods in Pakistan. He said some areas of Pakistan particularly Balochistan had already started facing increased water scarcity with a critical need for climate adaptation in the water sector. Alvi said the government had made solid progress in achieving key principles defined under the National Water Policy and called for an integrated approach among provinces for its complete implementation. The president extended utmost support of his office to the policies aimed at ensuring improved water governance and sustainable groundwater management. Federal Minister for Science and Technology Senator Shibli Faraz said water conservation and management was an issue of major concern for the government in view of the depletion of groundwater resources. He said managing the vast resources of Himalayan glaciers and the country’s fourth-largest aquifer was a big challenge to restore the ecosystem
Emirates airline offers lucrative packages for Pakistani travelers ISLAMABAD news desk
Emirates announced on Monday special fares for Pakistani travllers to multiple destinations in Europe and the US. Passengers from Pakistan can plan their winter holidays in advance to save big on their air fares by booking early with Emirates, the company said. This is a suitable time for people who are traveling for leisure and to meet friends and family after a long wait to book their tickets on special fares. With Emirates’ generous booking policies, customers have the option to extend ticket validity for up to 24 months, enjoying greater flexibility and confidence when planning travel during unprecedented times. The special fares will be available for bookings made from 06 December 2021 to 19 December 2021, valid for travel between 09 December 2021 and 31 March 2022. Passengers transiting in
Dubai from Pakistan must present a negative COVID 19 PCR test certificate for a test taken no more than 72 hours before departure. The promotion is valid on Economy, Business as well as the First Class. Emirates currently flies to/from 5 cities in Pakistan on over 64 weekly flights, and continues to make adjustments as demand for travel increases. Emirates returned to its pre-pandemic capacity in Pakistan this month and is gearing up for a speedy recovery in the market. The airline continues to expand its network safely and in line with global demand for travel, it has resumed passenger services to over 157 destinations via its hub Dubai, recovering close to 90% of its pre-pandemic network. Emirates also announced a whooping increase of 86% in its revenue compared to the last year, showing signs of quick return of passenger demand. The promotional return
fares to New York start from USD 1005 in Economy Class USD 2851 in Business Class. Featured destinations and starting fares include: Destination Economy Class Fares from (USD 491) Business Class Fares from (USD 1647); Manchester 624 2025; Istanbul 491 1647; London (LHR) 625 1998; New York 1005 2851; Frankfurt 666 2024; and Paris 646 2,013. Recently, Emirates Skywards, the award-winning loyalty programme of Emirates and flydubai, announced a special “Mile-A-Minute” offer in which members can register to earn up to 5,000 Miles during a stopover or holiday stay in Dubai. With this offer, passengers can earn a mile for every minute they spend in Dubai between October 2021 and March 2022. The offer is applicable on all Emirates flight tickets purchased between 1 August 2021 and 31 March 2022. To register for this offer, please visit this link.
Wildlife team cradles green turtle babies from beach to sea KARACHI ReuteRs
A female turtle lumbers across the beach in Karachi late at night, looking for a place to lay her eggs. Waiting for her, staff from Sindh Wildlife watch quietly as the green turtle buries a hundred or more eggs in the sand before heading back out into the Arabian Sea. Because of COVID-19 and movement restrictions, beaches around the world have been more sparsely inhabited by humans since last year.
Sea turtles have taken the opportunity to return to their birthplaces in large numbers, reclaiming the now less-polluted, serene beaches to lay their eggs during the main SeptemberNovember breeding season. Green turtles seen on Karachi beaches jumped to 15,000 last year from 8,000-8,500 in 2019, Sindh Wildlife says. Lockdowns ended by the start of this year’s season, but conservation experts still expect a large number of endangered animals to visit. Among the largest sea turtles and the only herbivores, adult green turtles can weigh more than 90 kg (200 pounds).
for the benefit of people. To improve water governance, he said, data sharing was important and mentioned that PCRWR and Capital Development Authority had signed a Memorandum of Understanding on artificial groundwater recharge, making Islamabad the first with such arrangement. Simi Kamal, a member IWMI board of governors, said IWMI was providing assistance to the government of Pakistan through data analytics for making choices about agricultural water management, developing water solutions and policy development. IWMI Director General Mark Smith said Pakistan was facing critical water challenges and expressed confidence that the event would catalyze dialogue on the urgency for water security in view of the diminishing water resources. He suggested effective and coherent water governance from federal to community levels, guidance from data and digital information and experimenting with diversity in water systems through naturebased solutions.
PTCL & Ufone collaborate with Huawei on learning, development initiatives
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) and Ufone have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Huawei Technologies Pakistan, for providing strategic learning & development initiatives for its employees. Syed Mazhar Hussain, Group Chief Human Resource Officer, PTCL & Ufone, and Ahmed Bilal Masud, Deputy CEO, Huawei Technologies Pakistan, signed the MoU during a ceremony held in Islamabad. The ceremony was also attended by Hatem Bamatraf, President and GCEO, PTCL & Ufone, and Mark Meng, CEO, Huawei Technologies Pakistan, along with senior management from both organizations. The MoU aims to facilitate effective learning and development for Ufone and PTCL employees that will enable their fast-paced professional growth and development. It also reinforces the partnership between PTCL Group and Huawei to help them pursue mutual organizational growth and success. Speaking on the occasion, Hatem Bamatraf, President and GCEO, PTCL & Ufone, said, “PTCL and Ufone are always committed to embracing innovative and emerging technologies and programs. Our strategic collaboration with Huawei is yet another step for professional growth and development of our people. I am confident that the initiative will enable our employees to bring greater innovation, efficiency and productivity to the organization. Employee development is a core strategic priority for PTCL Group as we consider our employees our greatest asset and will continue to invest in their development in the future. On the occasion, Mark Meng, CEO, Huawei Technologies Pakistan, said, “We are proud to partner with PTCL & Ufone for this strategic and digital learning and development journey of its employees. We believe that such initiatives that create hi- tech learning opportunities will surely bring positive contribution and effectiveness to the way people work and interact with each other and with customers. As part of its mission, Huawei is aiming to contribute to the digital empowerment by building a fully connected and intelligent world.” PTCL Group is fully committed to the vision of a Digital Pakistan and endeavors to nurture and strengthen the learning and development skills of its workforce. PR
Tuesday, 7 December, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
10 FOREIGN NEWS
SOuth AfrICA urgES VACCInES ‘wIthOut DElAy’ AS CASES SurgE JOHAnnesBuRg\
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Agencies
OUTH African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday urged citizens to get vaccinated as the country battles an unprecedented surge in cases driven by the new Omicron variant. The number of daily infections rose five-fold in the space of a week, from 2,828 on November 26 to 16,055 last Friday. About a quarter of tests for coronavirus have been positive, compared to just around two percent of those tested a fortnight ago. “We are experiencing a rate of infections that we have not seen since the pandemic started,” Ramaphosa warned in his weekly newsletter. Omicron, detected by South African scientists 10 days ago, “appears to be
dominating new infections”, he said. “I call on all South Africans to go out and get vaccinated without delay,” he said. Ramaphosa, whose country is the worst-hit in Africa for Covid, last week hinted at making coronavirus vaccines mandatory. Despite the rise in infections, fatalities remain relatively low. Just one coronavirus-related death was recorded on Sunday, when 11,125 new infections were diagnosed. Scientists are keeping a close eye on the new variant to see whether it may be more contagious or virulent, or can sidestep existing vaccines. So far 14.8 million people have been fully vaccinated in South Africa, or around a quarter of the country’s population. The rate of vaccination is higher among adults. Children aged from 12 years are eli-
gible for vaccines in South Africa. With adequate supplies of the Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer shots, the government had initially wanted to vaccinate around 70 percent of the population by year’s end, has moved that target to March 2022. Seeking to overcome vaccine hesitancy, the authorities at the weekend opened up pop-up sites offering jabs at shopping malls, bus stations, airports, churches and recreation centres. Private businesses are also helping push the vaccinations numbers up. Africa’s largest telecoms firm MTN said Monday that it will be “implementing a mandatory vaccination policy for staff” starting next month. “We have a responsibility to ensure that our workplaces are guided by the highest standards of health and safety,” MTN president Ralph Mupita said in the statement.
Hundreds attend mass funeral service for 15 civilians mistakenly killed by Indian security forces ReuteRs
CPC leadership holds meeting on 2022 economic work, anti-corruption, Party discipline inspection Agencies The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held a meeting on Monday to analyze and study the economic work of 2022, arrange work concerning Party conduct and fighting corruption, and review regulations concerning the CPC’s discipline inspection. The meeting, chaired by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, emphasized that next year’s economic work must maintain stability on top of seeking progress. Economic work of 2022: Macroeconomic policies must be stable and effective, and China will continue to implement a proactive fiscal policy and a prudent monetary policy, the meeting said. A prudent monetary policy must be flexible and appropriate in keeping liquidity reasonable and sufficient, the meeting said. China will implement the strategy in spurring the vitality for development, such as expanding domestic demand, promote the continuous recovery of consumption and actively expand effective investment, the meeting added. Anti-corruption: Commending the work of Party disciplinary organs and supervisory commissions at both central and local levels, the meeting said they have been working arduously to promote political inspections, improve Party conduct, build a clean government and combat corruption. They have also deepened the reform of the Party and state supervision systems, and advanced the system under which officials “don’t dare to, are unable to and have no desire to commit acts of corruption,” providing a strong guarantee for the 14th Five-Year Plan to make a good start, according to the meeting. A previous meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee presided over by Xi had heard the 2021 work report of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the National Supervisory Commission and a report on the preparations for the 19th CCDI’s sixth plenary session, scheduled for January 18-20, 2022. The meeting also stressed the need to promote discipline inspection and supervision work to better serve the general situation of the work of the Party and the country, clearly define the boundary of power, and strengthen supervision and prevent corruption with a rule-of-law thinking and approach. On December 2, the CPC Central Committee held a symposium with non-Party members to solicit their comments and suggestions on economic work.
India held funeral rites on Monday for 15 civilians mistakenly killed by its security forces in the northeastern state of Nagaland, amid intense security and sporadic internet outages aimed at damping fresh unrest in the remote region. Security and government officials have said 14 members of the region’s predominant Konyak tribe and one security trooper were killed on Saturday after the forces in the border state mistook a group of labourers for militants and opened fire. Another of the tribe was killed during protests on Sunday over the military action, which has prompted the govern-
ment to launch an inquiry, while police and officials ramped up patrols ahead of the last rites. Hundreds of mourners laid wreaths on the coffins of the dead, lined up on a public playground, as the state’s chief minister, Neiphiu Rio, led a mass funeral service in the district of Mon, the site of the incident. “The killing of innocent civilians is terrorism, we are Indians, not terrorists,” read a placard nearby. Indian Home Minister Amit Shah is set to make a statement in parliament on Monday about security in the state, where hundreds of security officials with automatic weapons continue to patrol the restive Mon district. The Indian Army has expressed “deep regret” over the intelligence lapse
but state residents have demanded a shutdown of its operations, with camps being moved out of civilian areas. Police registered a complaint against a paramilitary unit over the incident, saying there had been no police guide nor a request for one from security forces. “Hence it is obvious that the intention of security forces is to murder and injure civilians,” they said in the complaint, reviewed by Reuters. Feelings over the incident are rising in Nagaland, where people have frequently accused security forces of wrongly targeting innocent locals in counterinsurgency operations against rebel groups under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
“Freedom of speech” in name only Agencies In the US, the media is juxtaposed with the executive, the legislative and the judiciary as the “fourth branch of government” and journalists are considered “uncrowned kings”. Though US media organizations claim to be independent from politics and serve freedom and truth, they are actually serving financial interests and party politics. A few media conglomerates maintain control of the US news media and have morphed into a political force with outsize influence. Under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the federal government is required to relax regulation over the ownership of media outlets. This has led to an unprecedented wave of mergers and a crippling erosion of the diversity and independence of the US media. The drastic reduction in the number of media outlets has enabled a few companies to expand into monopolies. In the US, a few media conglomerates are now in control of over 90% of media outlets, netting them an annual profit even higher than the gross domestic product (GDP) of some developing countries. These media behemoths, while eager to make more business footprints, have extended their reach into American politics, attempting to sway political processes through lobbying, public relations campaign or political donations. The US media monopolies have become “invisible killers” of civil and political rights. Robert McChesney, a leading US scholar in the studies of political economy of communications and professor at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, notes in his book Rich Media, Poor Democracy that media companies, profit-driven by nature, confine people to the world of entertainment programs, depriving their access to diversified information, distracting their interest in public affairs, diminishing their ability to distinguish between right and wrong, and muting their voice in the decisionmaking of social policies. In an American society dominated by media narratives, traditional notions of civic and political involvement have shriveled. Depoliticization has turned democracy into a political game without citizens. A report in Miami’s New Herald argues that as the media is controlled by the elite and conglomerates, people are not able to distinguish between facts
and political propaganda. The US media is no longer a “gatekeeper” of democracy. The political wrangling between the Left and Right in the US media has further entrenched the estrangement and division between the two parties and between the elite and the mass public. It has aggravated political polarization in the US, pushing the political Left further left and the Right further right. And it has fueled the spread of extremist ideologies and populism in the US. According to a study by Sejong Institute, a think tank in the Republic of Korea, over 80% of conservative voters in the US see news reports by mainstream media outlets, such as New York Times, as false information and have a biased trust in media. Voters believe in only a few media outlets and would ignore communications at the national level. Levelheaded discussions and consensus-building have been replaced by megaphone politics and negative partisan strife. The Digital News Report 2021 issued by the University of Oxford and Reuters Institute indicates that among 92,000 online news consumers surveyed in 46 markets, those in the US have the lowest level of trust in news, a mere 29%. In the information age when traditional media is on the decline, social media has become a new favorite for the general public. Yet, like traditional media, social media is also under the control of big capital and interest groups. To increase their website traffic, social media sites use algorithms to create “information cocoons”, leaving extreme content unchecked and uncontrolled. This drives users toward self-reinforcing their existing views, exacerbates identity politics, and further divides public opinion. In October 2021, former Facebook employee Frances Haugen leaked tens of thousands of pages of explosive internal documents of Facebook. She disclosed to Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) that Facebook would not hesitate to sacrifice public interests to keep users on its platform and make profits. Facebook has become a main platform for social extremists and is fraught with hate speech, disinformation and misinformation. Action is only taken on 3-5% of hate and about 0.6% of violence and incitement on the platform. Author is a Chinese scholar on International Affairs
Besides sweeping powers of search and arrest, the law, enforced in parts of four of the seven northeastern states, allows Indian forces to open fire to maintain public order in areas designated as “disturbed areas”. Nagaland is covered by the law as India says rebel groups operate from thick jungles of an unfenced region that also spans the neighbouring states of Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, which border Myanmar. However, the state’s chief minister called the law draconian, and urged its removal. “Today the whole world is criticising AFSPA and now the Nagaland government wants AFSPA to be withdrawn,” Neiphiu Rio added.
Expert suggests next pandemic could be more lethal than COVID Agencies Future pandemics could be even more lethal than COVID-19 so the lessons learned from the outbreak must not be squandered and the world should ensure it is prepared for the next viral onslaught, one of the creators of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine said. The novel coronavirus has killed 5.26 million people across the world, according to Johns Hopkins University, wiped out trillions of dollars in economic output and turned life upside down for billions of people. “The truth is, the next one could be worse. It could be more contagious, or more lethal, or both,” Sarah Gilbert said in the Richard Dimbleby Lecture, the BBC reported. “This will not be the last time a virus threatens our lives and our livelihoods.” Gilbert, a professor of vaccinology at the University of Oxford, said the world should make sure it is better prepared for the next virus. “The advances we have made, and the knowledge we have gained, must not be lost,” she said. Efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic have been uneven and fragmented, marked by limited access to vaccines in low-income countries while the “healthy and wealthy” in rich countries get boosters, health experts say. A panel of health experts set up by the World Health Organisation to review the handling of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has called for permanent funding and for greater ability to investigate pandemics through a new treaty. read more One proposal was for new financing of at least $10 billion a year for pandemic preparedness. The COVID-19 outbreak was first detected in China in late 2019. Vaccines were developed against the virus in record time. Gilbert said the Omicron variant’s spike protein contained mutations known to increase the transmissibility of the virus. “There are additional changes that may mean antibodies induced by the vaccines, or by infection with other variants, may be less effective at preventing infection with Omicron,” Gilbert said. “Until we know more, we should be cautious, and take steps to slow down the spread of this new variant.”
Tuesday, 7 December, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
SPORTS 11
ChriS Gayle, DaviD Miller aMOnG 443 fOreiGn CriCketerS COnfirMeD fOr PSl 7 Draft KARAcHI
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News Desk
T least 443 foreign cricketers have registered for the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), ahead of the scheduled players’ draft of the league. The seventh edition of the PSL will start on January 27, with 34 matches scheduled to be played in Karachi and Lahore. The players’ draft for the league will be held in Lahore on December 12. Sources privy to the matter confirmed to Geo News that at least 443 players have registered for the players’ draft. Cricketers Chris Gayle, David Miller,
Imran Tahir, Jason Roy, Rashid Khan, Liam Livingstone, Rilee Rossouw, Thisara Perera, Tymal Mills, Colin Munro, Colin Ingram, David Willey, Marchant De Lange, Tabraiz Shamsi, Isuru Udana, James Vince, and Sandeep Lamichhane are slated for platinum categories. Among the platinum category players, some are partially available. Shamsi is available for a limited window from January 27 to February 5. Gayle is available till February 13 from the start, while Roy will be available from February 1 and Rashid Khan and Tymal Mills from January 28. Players in the Diamond category include Alex Hales, Ben Cutting, Dan Lawrence, David Weise, James Faulkner, Lewis Gregory, Ben Dunk, Bhumika Ra-
japaksa, Dane Villas, Dushmantha Chameera, Fabian Allen, Harry Brook, Joe Clarke, Hazratullah Zazai, Kusal Mendis, Lendl Simmons, Luke Write, Mitchell McCleanaghan, Phil Salt, Odean Smith, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Saqib Mehmood, Samit Patel, Hamid Hassan, Johnson Charles, Mehmoodullah, Najibullah Zadran, Qais Ahmed, Naveenul Haq, and Sherfane Rutherford. The players’ list has representation from all top cricketing nations other than India. Players from associate and not-so-regular cricketing nations like France, Italy, Iran, Equatorial Guinea, Maldives, and Malaysia are also included in the long list of players available for PSL 7.
Rain washes out third day of play in Bangladesh-Pakistan Test DHAKA The AssociATeD Press
The third day of the second and final cricket Test between Bangladesh and Pakistan was called off Monday due to persistent rain without a ball being bowled. The announcement came about 90 minutes after the scheduled lunch break as there was no sign of an end to the rain that was caused by Cyclone Jawad. Rain has fallen heavily on each day of the match so far. The third session of the first day was lost to rain and bad light and only 6.2 of 98 overs were possible
on day two. With more rain or thundershowers being predicted in many parts of Bangladesh in the next 24 hours, a draw looks like the only possible result. Pakistan, which opted to bat first, reached 188-2 in 63.2 overs with captain Babar Azam batting on 71 and Azhar Ali on 52. Taij ul-Islam picked up both wickets to fall. Pakistan won the first Test by eight wickets and leads the twomatch series 1-0. Earlier, the visitors swept the three-match T20 International series.
India thrash top-ranked New Zealand to clinch Test series MUMBAI AFP
India hammered New Zealand by 372 runs to win the second Test on Monday, after the Black Caps’ Mumbai-born spinner Ajaz Patel took the plaudits with 10 wickets in the first innings. Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed a match tally of eight wickets as the hosts clinched the two-match series 1-0. Top-ranked New Zealand, who started day four on 140-5 in their chase of an improbable 540, were all out for 167 before lunch in Mumbai. Ajaz, a left-arm spinner whose name went up on the Wankhede honours board on Saturday after his perfect 10, stood out with match figures of 14-225 — the best ever by a bowler against India. But New Zealand, who hung on for a draw in the opening match, were undone by their batting. They collapsed to 62 all out in their first innings and were never in the chase against India’s spin force. Ashwin, who struck three times in the final session on day three, sent back overnight batsman Henry Nicholls
stumped for 44 as the final wicket to record his 300th scalp on home soil. Jayant Yadav bowled Rachin Ravindra for 18, then struck twice in one over and returned career-best figures of 4-49. Daryl Mitchell, who top-scored with
60, was the only bit of resistance for the tourists during his fourth-wicket stand of 73 with Nicholls on Sunday. Indian opener Mayank Agarwal made 150 in India’s first-innings total of 325 and then top-scored with 62, with the
hosts declaring at 276-7 on day three. ElitE company: Ajaz remained the lone performer for world number oneranked New Zealand, the World Test champions after beating India in the title clash in June. His 14 wickets against India surpassed England fast bowler Ian Botham’s 13-106 in Mumbai in 1980. Ajaz’s 10-119 in the first innings brought him into an elite company alongside two other bowlers including England’s Jim Laker (1956 v Australia) and India’s Anil Kumble (v Pakistan in 1999). But his effort was part of a losing fight. He nevertheless had a memorable homecoming including taking the big wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara and home skipper Virat Kohli — who returned to the team after he stepped down as national Twenty20 captain and had a short break — for ducks. The 33-year-old Ajaz, who moved to Auckland from Mumbai with his parents in 1996, has claimed 43 wickets for New Zealand in 11 matches since making his debut in 2018.
China threatens countermeasures if US boycotts Beijing Olympics AgENcIES US politicians should stop calling for a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics to avoid hurting bilateral ties and China will take “countermeasures” if necessary, China’s foreign ministry said on Monday. The Biden administration is expected to announce this week that US government officials will not attend the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, a source familiar with the situation said, confirming reports by CNN and NBC. Those calling for a boycott are “grandstanding” and should stop “so as not to affect the dialogue and cooperation between China and the United States in important areas,” said Zhao Lijian, China’s foreign ministry spokesman. “If the US insists in wilfully clinging to its course, China will take resolute countermeasures,” he said at a news conference. US President Joe Biden said last month that he was considering such a diplomatic boycott to protest China’s human rights record, including what Washington says is genocide against minority Muslims. The administration has been under pressure from activists and members of Congress to skip the games. Four sources with knowledge of the administration’s thinking previously told Reuters that there was a growing consensus within the White House to keep US officials away from the Beijing Olympics. The US boycott would not prevent its athletes from competing in the games, the source said. The State Department did not respond to questions about the report late Sunday.
Arch-rivals poised for Ashes battle after troubled build-up BRISBANE AFP
After a build-up overshadowed by controversies and Covid, Australia and England’s hotly-anticipated five-Test Ashes showdown gets under way Wednesday in Brisbane with Joe Root’s men confident of defying recent history to cause an upset. Few series between the old rivals have witnessed such troubled preparations, with the tour threatened early on over Australia’s tough Covid-19 quarantine rules. With that hurdle cleared, the hosts were rocked by a text-message scandal that led to the downfall of skipper Tim Paine, while English cricket has been engulfed in claims
of institutional racism. Throw in torrential rain that severely derailed both teams’ warm-up games, and it has been memorable for all the wrong reasons before a ball is even bowled. The poor weather could yet cause more problems. Showers are forecast for the opening Test at Brisbane’s Gabba, where the deck looks set to favour the seamers given the recent deluges. England haven’t won a Test at the ground since 1986 and have only come out on top there four times — twice in the 1930s, once against the Kerry Packer-weakened 1978-79 Australians and 35 years ago during Ian Botham’s heyday. But they do have hope after India pulled off an upset three-wicket win at the Gabba
in January, snapping Australia’s undefeated red-ball streak in the Queensland capital that stretched back to 1988. And despite England losing nine of their last 10 Tests in Australia, veteran fast bowler Jimmy Anderson says his team have a real chance. “We believe we have got a group of players who can win,” said the 39-year-old, England’s leading wicket-taker when they won the Ashes in Australia the last time, back in 2010-11. England have since been on the end of two series whitewashes in Australia. “I’m not just saying that,” added Anderson of his side’s chances. Quite often you do say that because you have to be positive, but we do genuinely believe we can win out
here.” Former England captain Alastair Cook stressed the importance of not losing in Brisbane. “You don’t have to win in Brisbane, but you must not lose and if you have your foot on Australia’s throat, then it pays to keep it there before the role of aggressor and victim can be reversed,” he said in a column for The Times. ‘Fragile’ England Nevertheless, Australia are strong favourites to retain the urn, despite the disruption of losing Paine a fortnight ago. In his place, Pat Cummins will captain his first Test, supported by deputy Steve Smith. Alex Carey makes his Test debut after taking the gloves from Paine as wicketkeeper. Both teams will lean heavily on age-
ing warriors. Warhorse Stuart Broad again leads the England line with Anderson in the absence of Jofra Archer, supported by Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood. England are massively boosted by the return of all-rounder Ben Stokes after a finger injury and mental health break. Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting said Stokes could be pivotal. “Their batting looks fragile,” he said. “But with Stokes being in their side now, it’s a completely different-looking team.” Australia go into the series once more relying heavily on the batting prowess of Smith and David Warner, along with the bowling firepower of Josh Hazlewood, Cummins and spinner Nathan Lyon.
Tuesday, 7 December, 2021
Prayer timings
NEWS
SiAlkot lyNchiNg: govt ShAReS SAlieNt FeAtuReS oF New SecuRity policy ISLAMABAD
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staff corresPondent
EDERAL government on Monday shared with the parliamentarians the salient features of the draft national security policy prepared by the national security division to help enforce a new national security strategy. The move came on heels of the brutal lynching of Sri Lankan factory manager Diyawadanage Don Nandasri Priyantha by a mob in Sialkot over allegations of blasphemy. The opposition parties had decided to boycott the upcoming in-camera briefing of the national security committee, citing
the government’s “dictatorial” behaviour as the reason for the boycott. The incident shocked the common public as well as influential. Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Arif Alvi, as well as the military’s top leadership, responded to the lynching and promised to bring all those involved to the book. According to sources, National Security Adviser (NSA) Dr Moeed Yusuf briefed the participants of Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) about the draft of the new national security policy prepared by the national security division. The NSA said that the strategy includes economic and food security, for-
eign policy, rise in population, terrorism, state’s policies on Kashmir and Afghan issues have been defined in the draft. In wake of the Silakot incident, it has been decided to review the mechanisms adopted in implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) to ensure enforcement of writ of the state. The NSA also gave an overview of the government’s plan of action to enforce the writ of the government and to nip the extremist elements through a coordinated support from all segments of the society along with the state institutions. Later, while speaking to journalists, Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said that the government would
have to analyse why the NAP had not been implemented in letter and spirit. Mazari said that Islam is a religion of peace and patience, adding that the lynching of the Sri Lankan manager in Sialkot was a “day of shame for the entire nation.” The minister went on to say that time has come for the state to take action against such unacceptable incidents. Responding to a question related to Defence Minister Pervez Khattak’s statement about the incident, Mazari said that Khattak has issued a clarification about his statement. She urged the Opposition to distance itself from the statement issued by the JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman relating to the Sialkot tragedy.
China welcomes latest decree on protection of women rights in Afghanistan BEIJING aPP
Asif Zardari takes a jibe at Nawaz Sharif, again Former president Asif Ali Zardari said Monday took a jibe at PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, saying that a person who is not ready to breathe his last in Pakistan does not have a stake in the country. Speaking at a ceremony in honour of party workers’ at Bilawal House, Lahore, the former president said, “We belong to this land and we will die here.” Blaming PPP’s own shortcomings for its defeat in Punjab elections, Asif Zardari said the party lost Lahore’s NA-133 constituency to PML-N due to low turnout of voters. “If the turnout had been higher in Sunday’s by-election, PPP would have had 50,000 votes,” he added. “The world wants to break Pakistan,” Zardari said, assuring the workers that PPP will fight against everybody for the sake of the country. The PPP leader claimed that “there is no place in Pakistan where you will not find a Bhuttoist or a PPP supporter.” Shedding light on the “sacrifices” he has made, Zardari recalled that was imprisoned during the most difficult times of PPP. “We want to make Pakistan a successful country for generations to come,” he said, adding that The former president said that he still has strategies in his mind that can still make the country successful. PPP President Asif Ali Zardari congratulated workers over the party’s “splendid results”. “The efforts put in by Peoples Party Central Punjab’s leadership, its team, and workers have borne fruit,” the PPP quoted Zardari as saying. Zardari had congratulated PPP Central Punjab President Raja Pervez Ashraf. “The Lahore by-poll has proved to be a turning point for Peoples Party,” Zardari had said. The PPP president had said that the party has been “born again” in Lahore which will prove to be the impetus needed to bring change in Punjab. news desk
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian Monday hoped that the latest decree on the protection of basic human rights and rights of women and children issued by Afghanistan supreme leader would be implemented. “As a friendly neighbor of Afghanistan, China hopes that the relevant laws and regulations will be implemented, including the protection of basic human rights including the rights of women and children,” he said during his regular briefing held here. “This is in the interests of the Afghan people and also the common expectation of the international community,” he added. Zhao Lijian said the Chinese side had noticed that the leaders of the Afghan interim government issued the latest decree on the protection of women’s rights and interests
in marriage and family, stating that women were noble and free individuals and could not be used as trading objects. Women’s consent must be obtained for marriage and no one should deprive them of the legal rights. It would encourage the cultivation of people’s awareness of women’s rights, and encourage writers and social activists to publish articles that were beneficial to women’s rights, he added. The spokesperson remarked that this was a practical measure taken by the Afghan Taliban to protect the rights and interests of women, and worthy of welcome and encouragement. It may be mentioned here that Supreme Leader of the Taliban, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, on Friday issued a decree regarding the rights of women in Afghanistan. The decree comprised of six elements, which was released by the spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate, Zabiullah Mujahid, stipulated that the relevant institutions must take steps in its implementation.
PM inaugurates Kamyab Jawan Sports Drive Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the Kamyab Jawan Sports Drive at Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad on Monday. He, while highlighting the importance of sports for a healthy life and giving the youth a mental strength to fight the challenges in life, expressed his government’s resolve to spread a network of sports grounds across the country. “When you learn to compete in ground, you also learn to win and also learn to face defeat…When there comes a difficult time in the life of a person, he or she faces that challenge with courage,” he said during the inauguration ceremony of the drive. The drive is part of new four projects worth Rs4 billion initiated by the present government in coordination with Kamayab Jawan Programme and the Higher Education Commission to keep the country’s youth engaged in sports and extracurricular activities. The prime minister said that since the country’s 70 percent of population is under the age of 30 years, the present government has
so far developed 300 and 260 sports grounds in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, respectively. He said that as New Zealand, a country of just 5 million population, has more sports grounds than Pakistan – a country of 220 million people, the present government is striving to develop sports grounds in every village, town, tehsil and district across the country. The prime minister said as a new
sports policy has also been announced, the government is taking all measures to strengthen the sports bodies and organisations and eliminate mafias from sports. Besides the promotion of sports activities, Imran Khan said that the government is also focusing on education and has disbursed Rs47 billion in scholarships to 6.3 million youth, the highest number of scholarships in country’s history. news desk
FAJR SUNRISE
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Finance committee directs FBR to revoke recent property valuations ISLAMABAD shahzad Paracha
The Senate Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue has directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to revoke the recently issued SRO with regard to the revised valuation of immovable properties. The meeting of the standing committee was held under the Chairmanship of Senator Talha Mehmood at Parliament House here on Monday. Committee member Senator Kamil Ali Agha expressed his reservations regarding the mechanism adopted by FBR in determining the values of properties. He asserted that the tax department has increased the value of properties from 100 to 700 per cent without any logical justification and rationale. Anomalies exist not only at the federal capital but district level as well as FBR has not consulted with the real stakeholders,” he added. Chairman FBR said that the department has adopted the same mechanism for revaluation of immovable properties as practised in the past; however, he said that the department does not have sufficient resources for a comprehensive on-ground assessment of properties. The representatives of the real estate sector informed the committee that FBR has increased the value of properties without any due deliberation in Islamabad, Lahore and other cities of Punjab. The rates of properties have increased in Islamabad from Rs5 million to Rs40 million. The rate of plot in DHA phase-1 has been increased to Rs90 million from Rs25 million. ABAD former chairman Arif Jeewa said that there is a need to review the valuation of properties in Surjani Town Karachi. “He said that FBR did a consultation in determining the properties value of Karachi but did not consult relevant stakeholders in Punjab and Islamabad. Chairman FBR said that no valuation table existed five to six years ago and that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had given FBR the mandate to determine properties rates. He said that many people had whitened their black money worth Rs350 billion within a year and a half under an amnesty scheme. He also revealed that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is constantly monitoring these issues and now the time has changed as the department cannot just make a 15 per cent increase in the rate of properties. “However, I will make consult the finance advisor so that a solution can be worked out,” he added. Senator Sherry Rehman said that it seemed like that the state and the government are going bankrupt which is why the government is taking such steps. However, the FBR head answered that the new values had been determined in good intention and it is possible that the price may be higher or lower somewhere but the tax department is ready to revaluate of immovable properties. The chairman committee said that FBR should provide ample time for the industry to comply and adjust their businesses for all future regulations, besides taking all the relevant stakeholders on board. He also directed the FBR to revoke the recent SRO issued in this regard and urged FBR officials to determine the value of immovable properties in consultation with relevant stakeholders in the next fifteen days. It is pertinent to mention here that a few days ago, the FBR claimed that to fix fair market value of immovable properties, it had revised upward the values of residential and commercial immovable properties located in 40 major cities across the country from December 1, 2021. It may also be mentioned here that although the Senate committee can give recommendations to the FBR, as it usually does, the government is not obliged to follow its directions or recommendations.
Pakistani diplomats receive mortal remains of deceased Sri Lankan COLOMBO staff rePort
The mortal remains of Diyawadanage Don Priyantha Kumara, the Sri Lankan manager of a local factory in Sialkot, arrived here at the Bandaranaike International Airport. Pakistan’s Acting High Commissioner Mr Tanvir Ahmed Bhatti, Press Secretary Kalsoom Qaisar and others received the casket and conveyed the sympathies of the people & government of Pakistan to the relatives of the deceased present at the airport.. Representatives from all walks of life visited the Pakistan High Commission including members of the Sri Lankan Parliament, Coordinators for the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka for all religions including Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism & Islam.
All of them expressed their satisfaction over the quick action of the Pakistan Government in apprehension of the perpetrators of the Sialkot tragedy. They also appreciated the fact that the Prime Minister Mr. Imran Khan has personally headed the whole situation and taken personal interest in bringing the culprits to justice. They shared the feelings of sorrow and grief for the family of the victims and thanked the Acting High Commissioner Mr Tanvir Ahmad for prompt response to all contacting the Pakistan High Commission for information or recording their sentiments. Earlier, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Imran Khan said that the perpetrators have no mercy from God and they will not be given any pardon by the law as well. Every Pakistani equally shares the grief of
heirs of deceased. Every aspect of this tragic and reprehensible incident, that happened in Sialkot, is being investigated and a high-level inquiry is being conducted on the special instructions of Prime Minister Imran Khan. The main culprits and the abettors have already been arrested. This abominable incident has brought shame on the whole country. Therefore, the murderers will not be spared. The main objective of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s initiatives like establishment of Rehmatul-lil-aalemeen Authority is to spread the true spirit of Islam and its teachings in the society so that such anti-Islamic incidents could be avoided in future. Kumara’s body was brought to Allama Iqbal International Airport in an ambulance where Punjab Minister for Minority Affairs Ejaz Alam Augustine received it and dis-
patched it through a Sri Lankan Airlines flight with state honours. Officials present on the occasion included Adviser to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony Tahir Ashrafi, Honorary Consul General of Sri Lanka Yasin Joya and representatives of the Punjab Home Department and Sri Lanka High Commission. Lankan High Commission has also sought an investigation report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) concerning the incident. Speaking to reporters at the airport, Ashrafi said the whole nation would have to unite to eradicate the menace of extremism the way it had eliminated terrorism from the country. “Today is a day of grief but we promise that the killers of Priyantha Kumara will be brought to justice,” he said.
Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 051-2204545. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk
Meanwhile, a makeshift memorial was erected outside the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce to honour the slain man. Umair Amin, a member of the body, said: “Sri Lanka is our friend and we share its pain in this sad incident.” A candlelight vigil was also conducted near the unit where Kumara worked. SEVEN MORE ARRESTED: Meanwhile, the Punjab police arrested seven more of the prime suspects, taking the tally to 131. The police said of the total arrested, 26 played a “central role” in the grisly murder of Kumara. Over the weekend, the police have arrested dozens on charges of inciting and forming the mob. It arrested seven more Monday, an update shared on the Twitter account of Punjab police said.