Thursday, 17 February, 2022 I 15 Rajab, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 230 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Tarin hinTs aT fresh Talks wiTh iMf regarding personal incoMe Tax g
SayS relief package for Salaried callS on the cardS
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inance Minister Shaukat tarin has hinted at holding fresh negotiations with the iMf on personal income tax (pit). he was answering the queries with regard to the iMf conditions especially to implement draft pit legislation by the end-february 2022. the minister said that it is not true that the government agrees with all the demands of the iMf. “the government will not withdraw all things under the pit without further negotiations with the iMf”, he added. Shaukat tarin also said our team will inform the iMf that the revenues are increasing and the overall revenue position is stronger.
earlier, the finance minister while addressing the audience on the occasion of the second computerized poS prize said that the government would have to substantially raise the tax to gdp ratio up to 20 per cent in order to achieve over 6 per cent growth. pakistan cannot achieve long-term growth with an existing low level of tax to gdp ratio of 10 per cent. pakistan has failed to achieve long term sustained growth due to three major reasons including low savings rate, gap between exports and imports and low agriculture productivity, he said. in addition the government would take action against those retailers who deducted general Sales tax (gSt) from customers but not deposit the deducted
amount into the national kitty. the finance minister also said that only 2 million out of 220 million population are taxpayers. he said that there should be only two major taxes including income tax and gSt. there is no short cut and there is a need to abolish other taxes like withholding tax and full and final taxes. RElIEF PackagE FOR mIddlE, salaRIEd class ON caRds: TaRIN: Minister for finance and revenue Shaukat tarin has said that the government will announce a relief package for the middle, lower-middle and salaried class within 15 days to help them cope with skyrocketing inflation. while addressing the launching ceremony of ‘raast digital payment System,’ on tuesday, the finance minister said that the government is fully aware of the problems being faced by the middle, lower-middle and salaried class due to inflation and wants to ease them. talking about digitisation, the federal minister said that the government with public-private coordination is ready to introduce digitalisation of transactions to pace up the e-commerce drive in the country. “i consulted with all stakeholders including the relevant players of the e-commerce industry and also got feedback from freelancers to resolve the issues faced by the e-commerce sector including the money channel and provide them with a banking channel to ease their e-trading,” the minister said.” he said that after the implementation of digitisation through ‘raast digital payment System’ the country’s exports in information technology and e-commerce would increase. in addition the raast system would improve overall efficiency that would reduce cash circulation and resultantly improve deposits held by the banks and ultimately would lead to increase saving rates from current 15 per cent to 28-30 per cent. Moreover, he said that commonly the cash settlements were being made through cheques, which is time-taking, but with the help of raast digital payment system, the transfers can be made within seconds now.
Opposition rejects petrol prices hike, calls it a ‘robbery’ g
Shehbaz Sharif, bilawal urge people to teach pM khan a leSSon in next electionS islamabad staff report
the leaders of opposition parties on wednesday rejected the recent hike in the prices of petroleum products and urged people at large to teach a lesson to prime Minister imran khan in next polls. on tuesday, the government had notified an unprecedented increase in the prices of all petroleum products by up to rs10 to rs12 per litre for the next fortnight ending on february 28 “to pass on the impact of higher international oil prices” and application of additional petroleum levy, as committed to the international Monetary fund (iMf). pakistan people’s party (ppp) chairman bilawal bhutto zardari, while rejecting the increase in prices of petroleum products, said that after inflation, unemployment, poverty, increase in dollar and corruption, prime Minister imran khan has reached record levels in increasing oil prices.
in a statement, the ppp chairman said that the increase in prices of petroleum products is a robbery on the pockets of the people and pakistan will not accept it. he further said that imran khan has intensified the bombardment of inflation on the people. bilawal said that cng stations have already been closed for three months, and now an increase in oil prices will further raise inflation and food prices. he said that the increase in oil prices by the selected government is as big as a mountain, but there is never even a slight decrease in the prices. he said when the prices in the world market go up, the price of oil in pakistan goes up, but when the prices go down in the world, they remain the same in pakistan. Separately, bilawal also demanded the restoration of student unions across the country after Sindh passed a bill to restore the bodies.
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SoCIAl MEDIA MISUSE AMonG MAIn DRIvERS oF RElIGIoUS IntolERAnCE: FM
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oREIgN Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday said that securitisation of state policies, deployment of incendiary rhetoric by public office holders, and misuse of social media platforms were among the main drivers of growing incidents of religious intolerance, discrimination and violence worldwide. He noted that while people of every faith had been victims of these scourges, Muslims and Islam had borne their main brunt. The foreign minister expressed these views while inaugurating the 8th meeting of the Istanbul Process, themed “10th anniversary of UN Human Rights Council resolution 16/18: Looking Back and Moving Forward.”
PIA to launch direct flights to Australia: spokesperson KARACHI MonitoRing RepoRt
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has decided to offer two weekly direct flights to Australia, cutting travel time between the two countries by around one-third, a spokesperson for the agency said. Abdullah Hafeez Niazi said the national flag carrier intends to operate the flights initially from Karachi and Lahore to the port city of Sydney but may later expand the coverage to Islamabad as well. Direct flights would shorten the travel duration to 12:30-13 hours. Since there are no direct flights operating between Pakistan and Australia at the moment, the journey takes 34 to 35 hours, excluding stopovers. PIA has conducted a feasibility study that concluded the routes would be beneficial to the airline. A 2019 report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed the Pakistani population residing in Australia stood at 91,000, up from 84,000 in the previous year. A breakdown of the data showed a majority of that population lived in the state of New South Wales — of which Sydney is the capital — followed by Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Northern Territory, and Australian Capital Territory which houses the capital of Canberra. If the operations between the two nations begin, it would happen for the first time, Niazi said. The proposed operations may commence in late March or early April “if all goes well”, a report in The News quoted him as saying. The airline is yet to receive authorisation from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of that nation. The airline has worked out its strategy and completed its homework, Niazi said.
The meeting was being hosted on a virtual platform by Pakistan from geneva, a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. FM Qureshi presented a threepronged preventive and action-oriented strategy as a way forward to prevent and counter these contemporary menaces: (a) reviewing discriminatory state laws, policies and practices; (b) promoting inter-faith harmony, tolerance and peaceful co-existence, while building legal deterrence against hate speech; and (c) concluding an international instrument that prohibits the dissemination of ideas and expressions which incite acts of religious intolerance and hatred leading to violence. The Foreign Minister of Turkey, the oIC Secretary general, UK Minister of State for the UN, US Under-Secretary
for Democracy and Human Rights, EU Special Representative for Human Rights, President of the UN Human Rights Council, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, High Representative for UN Alliance of Civilisations and former oIC Secretary general Prof Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu also delivered remarks during the opening segment. Nearly 200 participants from states, inter-governmental organisations, civil society, faith community, mainstream and social media were attending the virtual moot. Throughout the day, panel discussions will take stock of the progress made in the last ten years, analyse contemporary concerns, and explore ways to counter these challenges. The hosting of this 8th Istanbul Process meeting signifies Pakistan’s re-
solve to foster dialogue, and encourage the adoption of affirmative and regulatory measures as a bulwark against rising incidents of incitement to violence against people of faith, in line with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision. As the oIC Coordinator on Human Rights Affairs in geneva, Pakistan played a lead role in crafting political consensus on HRC resolution 16/18 in 2011, which outlines an 8-point action plan to counter discrimination and violence against individuals and communities due to their religion or belief. Pakistan was also a key stakeholder in launching the Istanbul Process in July 2011, which is the implementation platform for resolution 16/18. Pakistan is part of the Quartet countries, along with Turkey, UK and US, which steer this process.
IHC dismisses Faisal Vawda’s plea challenging lifelong disqualification ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Thursday dismissed former federal minister Faisal Vawda’s plea seeking the revocation of his lifetime disqualification. An Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) bench on February 9 had announced the verdict in the PTI leader’s dual nationality case, disqualifying him as a lawmaker. “…the Court has not been able to persuade itself that the impugned order, dated 09-02-2022, suffers from any legal infirmity requiring interference. The petition is, therefore, accordingly dismissed,” IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah — who heard the case — said in the judgement. Justice Minallah said the date for being qualified to be a member of the Parliament was the date when the nomination papers were filed. “…the process of relinquishment of the foreign nationality should have been completed and concluded before submission of the nomination papers,” the judge noted. The IHC noted that it is, indeed, a settled law that when a citizen of Pakistan has acquired the citizenship of a foreign state, the latter shall not be qualified to be elected or chosen or being a member of the Parliament until and unless such legal status — being a citizen of a foreign state — was obliterated or extinguished. The judge said the petitioner had contested from NA 249, Karachi, in the general elections held in 2018. His notification as a member of the National Assembly was challenged before various forums, including the IHC. In the petitions against Vawda, it was alleged that he had filed a false affidavit to get elected as an MNA. However, “for reasons best known to him”, the former federal minister’s conduct before the IHC remained “evasive” and he kept delaying the proceedings on one pretext or the other. After delaying the proceedings for more than one year, he informed the court that he had resigned as a member of the National Assembly — leading to the dismissal of the petition against him. Soon after his resignation, Vawda was elected as a member of the Senate of Pakistan. “It appears from the record that instead of establishing his bonafides by producing a certificate of renunciation of citizenship, proceedings were delayed by the petitioner before the Commission,” the IHC said. Justice Minallah noted it was not “pleasant” for the court to disqualify an elected member of the Parliament. “…the courts claim no supremacy over organs that represent the people of Pakistan. “The petitioner’s conduct has led to disqualification of an elected representative and, regrettably, he alone is responsible for the consequences,” it added.
Earlier in the day, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) reserved its verdict on the maintainability of a petition of former Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) senator Faisal Vawda challenging his lifetime disqualification from parliament for concealing his American nationality at the time of contesting for a National Assembly seat in the 2018 general elections. Last week, the commission after disqualifying Vawda also directed him to return the pay and perks he received first as an MP and later as a senator within two months. He subsequently filed an appeal with the court on Tuesday, arguing the commission lacked jurisdiction to invoke Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution — which pertains to the qualification of members of Parliament — and to disqualify him for life since it was not a court of law. While referring to the IHC order on his previous petition against the ECP proceedings, his appeal said the commission was directed by the court to “probe the issue of falsity or otherwise of the affidavit expeditiously as per a judgement of the Supreme Court”. Vawda’s counsel Wasim Sajjad appeared before the bench headed by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah. Sajjad argued the election commission was not competent authority to take the decision on disqualification, adding the decision was not lawful. He requested the court to declare the decision of the ECP as void. “When exactly did Faisal Vawda relinquish his dual nationality and what was the date of the general election,” Justice Minallah asked. “Who is authorised to inquire into the matter?” he asked. “The election commission has the authority to inquire,” Sajjad replied. “What if the matter would have been sent to the Supreme Court after inquiry,” the justice further asked. Justice Minallah referring to the verdict of the bench asked: “This court could not go beyond the mandate of the Supreme Court’s judgment”. “The five-member bench of the SC had given its verdict over a false affidavit,” the bench remarked. “You should read the court’s judgment,” Justice Minallah said. “our question is can the ECP disqualify a person for a lifetime,” the counsel said. The news of his dual nationality emerged in January 2020 when, citing documents, a report published in The News claimed Vawda was a dual national at the time of filing his nomination papers to the commission to contest the NA-249 (Karachi West-II) seat. The report said he submitted his papers on June 11, 2018, which were approved a week later on June 18. But he applied for the renunciation of his nationality with the US consulate at Karachi four days later on June 22.
Network of 910-km roads completed in KP’s merged districts: advisor PESHAWAR Staff RepoRt
A network of roads measuring 910-km has been completed in merged districts under the Accelerated Implementation Programme (AIP) and annual development projects, and construction of 10 bridges has also been completed. Advisor to CM on Communication and Works (C&W) Riaz khan said this on Wednesday while addressing a joint press conference with Special Assistant to Chief Minister (SACM) for Information and Public Relations Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif on the development works undertaken by C&W department in merged districts. Riaz explained that the estimated cost of all projects in merged districts was Rs80 billion of which Rs31 billion have been spent so far. He said that this year, C&W allocated a huge fund of Rs8
billion out of which 80% fund had been utilized while the remaining 20% fund would be utilized in the coming quarter. The adviser said that services of NESPAK had also been hired to ensure quality standards development work. Besides this, the adviser said that e-bidding and other online systems have been introduced in tribal districts as well as already in practice in rest of districts of the province. After the merger, he said C&W department faced many challenges as the basic infrastructure in said districts was in shambles. Addressing the press conference, Barrister Saif said that Prime Minister Imran Khan is paying special attention to the development of merged districts, and added that the role of C&W Department is very important in this regard as without development of infrastructure it is impossible to achieve economic prosperity and development in these districts.
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RUDA invites employers to register for its industrial zone LAHORE Shahab oMeR
The Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) has invited employers to register their factories/industries for the RUDA industrial zone. RUDA’s chief executive officer Imran Amin said that Ravi Industrial Zone would be given world class infrastructure to the industries. During a visit to the industrial area of RUDA at the invitation of Ravi Industrial Estate Association here on Wednesday, the CEo informed the media that he is satisfied as the factory owners were getting their registration done in the industrial area of RUDA. “So far more than 100 factories have been registered in our industrial area and their number will reach 500 in the next few days. We are opening a joint office with the association in the area where the issues of employees and the employer will be considered. RUDA is developing a better system for roads, sewerage, water supply, electronics and gas in industrial zone,” he said.
SECP refrained from adverse action against sugar mill KARACHI Staff RepoRt
The Sindh High Court has refrained the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) from taking any adverse action against Mirpurkhas Sugar Mills Limited. In a notification issued to Pakistan Stock Exchange on Wednesday, the sugar mill said that the SHC passed an order suspending the operation of the show cause notice pertaining to the sale of property and also restrained the SECP from taking any adverse action. To recall, the company has sold out a residential property situated at Mirpurkhas in April 2021 and based on the opinion sought from a reputable law firm before execution of the transaction, it was concluded that no approval from the shareholders was required to sell this property as the said property did not meet the test of “Sizable Part” as provided under s. 183(3) of the Companies Act, 2017. The company had already informed the PSX as well as SECP about the said transaction. The same was submitted before the SECP, but the SECP has a difference of opinion on the said matter. In order to fully consider the matter, the SECP issued the company a show-cause notice as to why inspectors may not be appointed to investigate the affairs of the company concerning the alleged observations, the notification said.
More looted public money will be unearthed in near future: Gill LAHORE: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz gill on Wednesday said the opposition is set to face more challenges as more looted public money is being unearthed by the government institutions in near future. Talking to the media during Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Lahore, he said Rs550 billion have already been recovered, adding that the recovered money would be utilised to provide more facilities to the masses. app
Thursday, 17 February, 2022 | IsLAMABAD
PM SEEkS MAxIMISE FACIlItAtIon FoR MASSES In PUnjAb LAHORE
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RIME Minister Imran Khan has directed Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar to take effective measures to provide maximum relief to the people of the province and ensure quality services to them. The premier’s directives came during a day-long visit to Lahore on Wednesday where he was also briefed about development projects being carried out across
the province. The prime minister also asked the chief minister to ensure the protection of rights, lives and property of the people and to take stern action against encroachers, hoarders and miscreants. During the meeting, the issues related to civil administration and law and order of Punjab province were discussed, besides a detailed briefing on the progress of development projects. Chief Secretary Punjab Kamran Ali Afzal and Inspector general Punjab Rao Sardar Ali Khan were present during the
meeting. Since last week, political parties have beefed up activities in the provincial capital ahead of the local government elections in Punjab. The PTI-led provincial government has reportedly initiated several development projects in almost all parts of the metropolis and major cities as part of its electioneering strategy. on the other hand, the senior leadership of the Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is working in close coordination to jointly counter the ruling PTI in the upcoming local government elec-
tions. A week before that, Buzdar chaired a consultative meeting with respect to the local government elections in Punjab. The meeting was also attended by several federal ministers. It reviewed proposals related to the upcoming local body polls and party affairs. The officials agreed to nominate strong candidates in consultation with the party and underscored that real leadership could emerge at the grassroots with party-based elections, and that direct elections would bring about a real change in the local bodies’ politics.
Islamabad seeks investment from Riyadh, Doha ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Pakistan has discussed with Saudi Arabia and Qatar the potential for increased collaboration and investment in the various sectors. Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin held virtual meetings with Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih and Qatari Minister for Energy Saad Sherida al-Kaabi separately on Wednesday.
In the virtual meeting with Saudi Investment Minister Engr Khalid Al-Falih, both sides highlighted deep-rooted bilateral ties and cordial relationship between the two countries. The two sides discussed the potential for increased collaboration and investment in the various sectors including agriculture, food security, information technology, infrastructure development, and refinery. Both sides vowed to extend business and economic ties.
Pakistan’s CovID19 positivity rate under 5% for first time in a month ISLAMABAD Staff CoRReSpondent
Pakistan’s CoVID-19 positivity ratio dropped below 5% after over a month as only 2,465 new infections surfaced in the last 24 hours, National Command and operation Centre (NCoC) data showed Wednesday morning. According to NCoC, 2,465 people were found infected with coronavirus after 49,553 diagnostic tests were conducted countrywide. The decline in fresh cases pushed the country’s coronavirus positivity rate down to 4.97%. However, a rise in Pakistan’s daily CoVID-19 death count was reported as 49 more patients succumbed to the virus overnight, placing the total number of deaths at 29,877. Meanwhile, country’s active case count stands at 73,029 and the overall case count at 1,491,423. CoVID-19 restrictions extended in six cities till Feb 21 After witnessing a drop in the positivity ratio of CoVID-19 in the country, the NCoC on Tuesday decided to extend the already enforced coronavirus curbs only in the cities with CoVID-19 positivity rate higher than 10% till February 21. The forum reviewed the overall coronavirus situation in the country and cities with high disease prevalence in detail and announced to keep the coronavirusrelated restrictions in place in the cities and districts where the CoVID-19 positivity rate is higher than 10% for at least three days. The cities/districts where the restrictions will remain imposed include gilgit, Muzaffarabad, Mardan, Karachi, Hyderabad and Peshawar. The NCoC said that the restrictions will be reviewed again on February 21 and directed all the concerned authorities to notify about the extension of restrictions at priority.
The Saudi minister was also apprised that the present government is providing incentives to attract and facilitate foreign investors. The Saudi minister expressed the need for greater mutual investments in different fields. Board of Investment Chairman Muhammad Azfar Ahsan and other senior officers also participated in the meeting. Tarin also held a virtual meeting with Minister for Energy and Chief
Executive of Qatar Energy Saad Sherida al-Kaabi. Both sides discussed ways and means on promoting bilateral and economic ties between two countries. The issues for setting up of the LNg terminal in Pakistan came under discussion in the meeting. The finance minister assured the Qatar energy minister of all possible support to resolve the issues for facilitating the State of Qatar’s investment in Pakistan.
All prime suspects in murder of blasphemy accused arrested: police LAHORE Staff RepoRt
The police on Wednesday announced the arrest of all principal suspects in the killing of a middle-aged man for allegedly desecrating the Quran inside a mosque in Khanewal. A spokesperson of the police said the department has arrested 33 prime suspects nominated in the incident. “Five more suspects — who were identified through the footage — have been arrested,” he said. With the latest arrests, “the number of the accused has reached 38.” “The police have so far rounded up 119 suspects and is conducting a probe into their role in the incident,” police said. An enraged mob stoned to death Mushtaq Ahmed, 41, in a remote village of Khanewal
district. Three police officers also were injured, and more than 80 men have been detained. The mosque’s custodian said he saw the man burning the holy book and told others before informing the police, according to police spokesman Chaudhry Imran. The violence took place Saturday evening. Imran said police rushed to the mosque and found the man surrounded by an angry crowd. Sub-Inspector Mohammad Iqbal and two subordinates tried to take custody of the man but the group began throwing stones at them, seriously injuring Iqbal and slightly injuring the other two officers. Munawar gujjar, chief of Tulamba police station, said he rushed reinforcements to the mosque but they did not arrive before the mob had stoned to death the man and hung his body from a tree.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi takes a jibe at Moonis, says he has to ‘please his boss” NEWS DESK The PML-N leader said that PML-Q’s policy was dictated by its alignment with the ‘state’ – a tacit reference to “establishment” – and expressed confidence that the opposition can pull off the no-confidence motion without PML-Q provided that the ‘state’ remained neutral. A day after PML-Q gave a thumbs down to the opposition’s endeavour to gain its cooperation against the government, former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday accused Moonis Elahi of “pleasing” Prime Minister Imran Khan with his assurance that PTI had nothing to panic about. “Moonis Elahi is a federal minister and has to please his boss,” the PML-N stalwart stated while adding that, “PMLQ’s stated policy is that they are
with the state”. He said that PML-Q – PTI’s only ally in the Centre and Punjab – needed the opposition for its political survival. “The opposition can easily do the no-confidence without the PMLQ if the ‘state’ is neutral.” His comments have come a day after water minister, who is also the son of Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi, delivered a potentially fatal blow to the opposition hopes of ousting the prime minister through a no-trust motion when he assured PM Imran that his party made the connection with PTI to make it last. Moonis while addressing a ceremony in the presence of PM Imran on Monday dismissed the opposition’s efforts to muster support from the government’s coalition partners as a mere “circus” and clarified that, “we [PML-Q] are political people. It is our job to meet people.”
Imran can’t save himself with state’s power: Maryam NEWS DESK Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) Vice President Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Imran Khan would not be able to “save himself” despite using state’s power. “The tide has turned… Mr Imran Khan! No matter how much state’s power you use, you cannot save yourself,” she wrote on her official Twitter handle. “Your list of crimes not only includes taking revenge from opponents but also using state institutions like FIA to settle your personal score. You will
be held accountable,” Maryam said. Maryam’s remarks came hours after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested former senator and analyst Mohsin Baig after he reportedly resisted arrest and fired shots at the FIA team which had arrived at his residence in the federal capital to take him into custody. The FIA cybercrime wing had registered a case against Baig at the request of Communications Minister Murad Saeed. Referring to the premier, Maryam said that he is not some creature who descended from the skies on Earth that houses of people will be raided if someone criticises him.
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Govt taking all measures to boost It sector, says tarin SHAHzAD PARACHA Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin has said the government is fully supporting as well as undertaking all mandatory measures for boosting the IT sector. He said that in a meeting on Digital Policy and E-commerce at the Finance Division. Senator Aon Abbass updated the meeting about the issues being faced in the IT sector especially related to freelance workers and IT related remittance. The Senator said that this sector has huge potential but few matters need to be resolved for bringing in greater efficiency and getting maximum benefit from this sector. Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin ensured that the government is fully supporting as well as undertaking all mandatory measures for boosting the IT sector in the country and providing incentives to boost IT sector exports.
Federal govt seeks details of next years foreign loans from kP AzIz BuNERI The Economic Affairs Division has asked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government for details of the expected foreign loans for the next financial year. The division has asked for details of all the projects in KP for which it is taking loans from foreign financial institutions. The division has also asked the details of loans expected to be received for the project in the next financial year and how much funds the government would be able to utilize during the financial year.
PtI officials paid huge amount for toshakhana gifts in 2018-19: report News Desk: officials and public office holders of the ruling government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) paid a huge amount for gifts in terms of subsidised value from the Toshakhana in the fiscal year 2018-2019, geo News reported on Wednesday. The government officials deposited over 34 million rupees in the government treasury to maintain gifts in the years 2018 to 2019, the largest retention in the entire period.
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PPP, PML-N get together for ProtectINg Loot, PLuNder: fArrukh hAbIb ISLAMABAD
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INISTEr of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib on Wednesday said the two arch rivals, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N), came close to each other for protecting their loot and plunder. “All personal differences are kept aside when you are common in thefts,” he said while reminding PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari of the cases framed against his father Asif Ali Zardari and late mother Benazir Bhutto by the PML-N leaders while being in the government. reacting to Bilawal address to a public meeting, he asked the PPP chairman to be mindful of those who were behind toppling of the Benazir-led governments in the past. “Those were Nawaz and Shehbaz who had framed the cases against Benazir and Zardari, not Imran Khan.”
He said it was rhetoric of Shehbaz Sharif that he would drag Asif Zardari
Islamabad police launch WhatsApp service ISLAMABAD
and coterie in streets and recover the looted amount after tearing their bellies.
The minister said the peoples party was known for selling jobs even to those who fulfilled criteria and merit. It was the PPP which introduced the culture of rowdyism and killings in student unions. The slogan of bred, cloth and shelter had become a joke as the PPP’s governments never implemented those initiatives, he said, adding Bilawal today told a lie while standing among the Sindh youth about provision of free treatment to the provincial dwellers. He explained that if there was any free treatment being provided in Tharparkar, it had been made possible through the Sehat Insaf card. Farrukh asked Bilawal to explain as to how many schools, colleges and universities were opened in Sindh by the PPP government during the last thirteen years of its rule. He said the fact was that the feudal like Bilawal did not give attention to provide basic facilities such as health and education to the people as they themselves went abroad for the purpose.
Punjab schools resume academic activities with 100pc attendance LAHORE
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In a move to embrace technology to combat crimes, police on Wednesday launched its services through WhatsApp for the residents of Islamabad. The service enables Islamabad residents to lodge complaints through WhatsApp on 0334-287-428-7 (033-ICTP-ICTP) and the police will provide services in compliance with their complaints. Islamabad police chief Ahsan Younas in a video message said the force has presented services to citizens via WhatsApp and they are just one click away from the residents. The WhatsApp service will offer manuals when a citizen approaches this number where they will choose their relevant option to proceed further. Younas urged citizens to follow the procedure in the registration of their services. He clarified the WhatsApp service will not answer any individually sent video, the message of audio and only via the given procedure. The citizens can avail of option four to lodge online registration of their cases and to report a crime.
Schools in Punjab on Wednesday resumed their academic activities with 100 percent attendance after a decline in Covid-19 cases. A restriction of 50 percent attendance for lower classes in the schools in Punjab was imposed by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on January 17 due to the spread of coronavirus at an alarming rate. The ban remained enforced for 27 days. The Punjab School Education Department had suggested resumption of all classes in the schools with full attendance from Wednesday. The students and employees are required to adhere to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) to keep the viral disease at bay. Earlier on January 27, the NCOC had decided to extend curbs on schools in cities with over 10 per cent positivity rate of Covid-19 cases till mid-February. The nerve centre for Covid-19 response had decided that schools in cities
having an infection rate of over 10pc will allow classes for students aged below 12 years with 50 per cent attendance (staggered days). However, classes for students (fully vaccinated) over the age of 12 years would continue with full attendance. It said vaccination of students above 12 years would be compulsory from Feb 1.
Govt approves shifting of PSQCA head office to Islamabad The Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology on Wednesday passed a bill regarding transfer of head office of Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) to Islamabad from Karachi. During the meeting of the committee, which was chaired by Senator Muhammad Shafiq Tareen, the bill was approved with majority vote while senators from Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan (JUI-P) objected the bill saying that it was unnecessary. The voting on the bill was conducted in the meeting after objection from two members of the committee. During the meeting Federal Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz
while briefing the committee said that the government wants to bring improvements in the authority’s working which requires moving its head office to Islamabad from Karachi. The Ministry of Science and Technology has decided to restructure PSQCA while shifting the head office as there are many complaints and issues related to corruption, irregularities and poor performance in the authority. Shibli Faraz, while talking to Profit, had claimed that PSQCA was one of the most important organizations under his ministry. Unfortunately it has many issues to address. “This is why we are going to transform the whole organization,” he said. Ghulam abbas
four doctors, staff suspended over fake covid vaccine entry under Nawaz name LAHORE staff RepoRt
Four employees of the provincial health department, including two doctors, were suspended in Narowal on Wednesday on charges of creating fake coronavirus vaccine and test certificates in the name of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had ordered an investigation into the scam. reports of Sharif receiving doses of the vaccine first made headlines in September, raising questions over the authenticity of the inoculation drive and prompting the authorities to order an inquiry.
Sc turns down petition against Ihc sealing of Monal
ISLAMABAD inp
The Supreme Court (SC) Wednesday rejected a petition against the sealing of Monal restaurant on the orders of the Islamabad High Court (IHC). Last month, the Islamabad administration sealed the restaurant, asserting it was built on land reserved for Margalla Hills National Park. At the out of the hearing, Makhdoom Ali Khan, the counsel for the restaurant, said the IHC ordered to seal the restaurant without recording the evidence. The Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Monal administration are engaged in a legal fight in the civil court and the authority sealed the premises without the issuance of the written order from the IHC, the lawyer added. Khan pleaded with the court to nullify the orders of the IHC. Justice Ijaz ul-Ahsan said his court cannot overturn the verdict of the high court at present and served the notice to the federal government and respondents in the court and adjourned the hearing until next week.
Political solutions must follow UN peacekeeping in conflict zones: Akram UNITED NATIONS staff RepoRt
Underlining UN’s peacekeeping’s key role in promoting peace and security in the hotspots, Pakistan called for advancing political solutions to long-running conflicts and disputes, including occupied Jammu and Kashmir. “Member states, particularly the UN Security Council, can support political solutions through sustained attention, especially in the case of conflicts and disputes that have persisted for a long time,” Ambassador Munir Akram said in his remarks to the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations at its meeting. “The Jammu and Kashmir dispute is one such example, where the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan
CMYK
(UNMOGIP) has been defined for a just and lasting solution,” the envoy told the committee, which was established by the UN General Assembly in 1965 to review of all issues relating to peacekeeping. Such a solution, he said, would lead to durable peace in the region and beyond. Peacekeeping is most effective when it is backed by a well-defined political strategy, the envoy added. Ambassador Akram welcomed the focus of A4P Plus (Action for Peacekeeping) on the primacy of politics, noting that threats to international security have political causes and ultimately political solutions He said that as a long-serving troop-contributing country, it has an interest in the continued success of peacekeeping operations. Pakistani peacekeepers have protected
civilians and guarded United Nations equipment in the face of high-risk situations with limited resources in the drawdown and closure of peacekeeping missions. Underscoring that training for peacekeepers has become vital due to the increase in high-risk deployments, Ambassador Akram went on to note that there should be an equitable distribution of women in peacekeeping, including at senior positions, both in the field and at the secretariat. In recent years, Pakistan has made a concerted effort to achieve 50 percent female representation across its community engagement platoons, he said. “We reiterate our call for equitable geographical representation of women, including at senior level positions, in the field and the UN Secretariat.”
Thursday, 17 February, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
NEWS
Council Approves Special Policy for Admission on Vacant Seats for the Session 2021-2022 ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) through its Medical and Dental Undergraduate Education (Admission, Curriculum, and Conduct) Regulations 2021 had last year informed the public and private medical and dental colleges regarding the admission process, timelines and procedures for the conduct of admissions for the session 2021-2022. As per the regulations, both private and public sector colleges had to strictly follow the statutory timelines for admissions and upload the list of admitted students on the PMC portal, as per the published and announced schedule. The colleges were repeatedly informed, reminded and updated regarding the approaching timelines which were directly notified and publicly announced to ensure that compliance could be ensured by the closure of the admission process. Despite PMC’s numerous efforts to warrant that colleges follow the prescribed timelines to ensure students are properly facilitated; a total of 5,873 (28.31%) seats both from public and private medical and dental colleges remained vacant by the end of the admission process for the session 20212022. Out of the total 3,682 seats available in private and public dental colleges, 1,936 (52.6%) seats remained vacant till the announced admission deadline. On the other hand, out of the 17,065 seats in public and private medical colleges 3,937 (23.07%) seats remained vacant. Tellingly 78% (3,078) of the vacant seats in medical colleges are from Public Medical colleges and 47% (917) seats in Public Dental colleges remained vacant due to noncompliance by the public universities of the admission deadlines. The Authority held a meeting with medical and dental colleges on 14th February 2022 to discuss the issue of vacant seats. The Medical and Dental Council during its meeting held on 15th February 2022 discussed and reviewed the status of vacant seats after the closure of admissions and considered the views of the colleges, as received. The Council unanimously approved that subsequent to the assessment of admitted student lists uploaded by each private and public medical and dental college and reconciling any complaints by students, admissions on Vacant Seats shall be carried out by the Authority under the Vacant Seat Policy approved and issued by the Council. Under the Policy, those colleges, which are mostly public universities, who have failed to upload their admitted lists have been given time till 18th February to upload their lists subject to students already admitted in any other college as per uploaded lists shall not be shifted and imposition of fine on these colleges and universities for failing to abide by the deadlines. After 18th February any vacant seats shall be offered by the Authority to eligible students who have not already been admitted and placements will be offered one time strictly on merit to ensure all admissions are complete by 28th February 2022. The abovementioned measures have been taken by PMC to ensure that students get their right to admission despite the negligence of the colleges in following the timelines that had been repeatedly notified. PMC has been working proactively to ensure that colleges comply with the regulations and timelines and being the statutory regulator PMC remains objective towards safeguarding a transparent and merit-based system for admissions. pR
Opposition rejects petrol prices hike, calls it a ‘robbery’ cOntinuEd fROm pAgE 01 “A new leadership will emerge through this nursery […] as student unions played an integral part in ending the dictatorship. The role of students in the struggle against (dictator) Zia-ul-Haq was historic,” he said while addressing an event in the provincial capital. He said hatred and extremism are on the rise in society and this is due to the absence of students unions — which were banned during former dictator Gen Zia’s tenure, almost four decades back. PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif hit out at the PTI-led government, saying “it is snatching people’s right to live”. He urged the masses to “teach Prime Minister Imran Khan a befitting lesson in the next general elections”. Sirajul Haq, the Jamaat-i-Islami head, said his party “will not remain silent on this brutality”, adding that the hike is another example of the government’s “brutality” as he threatened a protest march towards Islamabad. PML-N’s Ishaq Dar noted the rate hike is unaffordable for the public, saying it is the result of a “dictated devaluation in Pakistani rupee”. PPP’s Nafisa Shah questioned how people would make their ends meet after the steep hike. Another PPP leader Naz Baloch, formerly a PTI member, said the price surge would directly result in a new high in inflation.
LHC tO tAkE ACtiOn OVEr ExPirEd StEntS
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HE Lahore High Court on Tuesday ordered the concerned authorities to initiate action against those allegedly involved in the expired cardiac stent scandal at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC). Justice Shahid Waheed directed the FIA and CCPO Lahore to submit a compliance report of this order by March 21 elaborating what action has been taken against the responsible. As proceedings commenced Jus-
tice Waheed asked the healthcare commission’s representative about what measures had been taken against those involved in this scandal. At which he replied that an inquiry was being conducted against relevant doctors and staff members. He further added that the charge will be framed within two or three days of the inquiry. The healthcare commission’s counsel argued that the court had barred their proceedings against the doctors owing to the pending matter before the LHC. newS deSk
Ground breaking of USEFP headquarters performed
iSLAmABAd President Dr Arif Alvi Wednesday said the true implementation of laws on women property rights across the country was inevitable for their empowerment, by doing away with the cultural traditions contradicting the Islamic injunctions. The president, addressing the launching ceremony of Awareness Campaign on Enforcement of Women Property Rights Legislation in Pakistan, said the financial inclusion of women was also equally essential for their empowerment and self-dependence. Emphasizing the encouragement of women to go into business, he said in today’s era of modern technology, the women could
Elevated expressway project accorded formal approval LAHORE Staff RepoRt
On the direction of Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, the elevated expressway project has been accorded formal approval as the cabinet standing committee for finance and development has sanctioned Rs 60 billion along with the inclusion of the project in the annual development programme. In this regard, the chief minister said that Prime Minister Imran Khan would soon lay the foundation stone of this project to be constructed from the main boulevard Gulberg to motorway M2 to ensure easy access to the motorway. This modern road facility would reduce the traffic congestion on canal and Multan roads, he added. In view of the growing population of Lahore, such public-friendly projects were imperative to accommodate the rising number of road users, he maintained.
iSLAmABAd Staff RepoRt
The United States and Pakistan on Wednesday held the ground breaking for the U.S. Education Foundation of Pakistan (USEFP) Headquarters here in order to provide scholarships to Pakistani scholars in best universities of USA. This groundbreaking of the first permanent headquarters for the USEFP marks a new milestone in the 75 years of the U.S.-Pakistani relationship. Addressing the ceremony, the Chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad Mrs Angela P. Aggeler said we are all connected through the experiences we share, the challenges we face and the opportunities we have. “The work of USEFP has brought and will continue to bring American and Pakistani people even closer together – now and for decades to come,” she added. In 1950, the United States and Pakistan officially formed a bilat-
eral commission – now known as USEFP – to exchange Masters’ and PhD students. Today, USEFP manages a wide range of educational and professional exchange programs, including the largest Fulbright Program in the world, between Pakistan and the United States, and many thousands of alumni of those programs are leaders throughout the country. Rita Akhtar, Executive Director of the USEFP, said that the Capital Development Authority’s land donation to this project and the participation of iconic architect Nayyar Ali Dada were further indications of how favorably Pakistan views the opportunities afforded by U.S. higher education. The new headquarters will serve as a state-of-the-art facility for managing U.S. government-funded exchange programs, such as the Fulbright program, and for the Islamabad advising center of EducationUSA, the official U.S. government resource for all students interested.
True implementation of property rights laws inevitable for women empowerment: President Staff CoRReSpondent
05
also establish their businesses while being at home. He repeatedly emphasized the role of media and Ulema to help change the society’s attitude towards the provision of women property rights, which had been guaranteed under Islam as well the Constitution of Pakistan. The president said by incorporating awareness messages in their dramas and other programmes, the media could contribute to aware the women about their rights and the tools available for their protection. Similarly, the Ulema could also utilize their pulpit to convey the message effectively and rectify the cultural traditions depriving the women of their rights, he added. Referring to the lynching incidents in Sialkot and Mian Channu, the president said the perpetrators of such incidents were in fact
naive to the teachings of Islam, which never allowed the mobs to hold courts on the roads and kill even a mentally deranged person on charges of blasphemy. President Alvi said though Islam had guaranteed the women property rights 1400 years ago but it could not be materialized in the society for being influenced by the cultural traditions. The president spoke high of the Balochistan High Court’s verdict of not allowing the transfer of a woman’s inherited property to anyone prior to her ownership. He also committed to taking up the matter with the Balochistan chief minister to adopt the women’s property laws being implemented in Islamabad, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
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Thursday, 17 February, 2022
06 COMMENT
Energy insecurity
Towards more financial inclusion RAAST is a good step in the right direction
LNG a short-term quick fix at best
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RIMe Minister Imran Khan and the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) ambitious plan to introduce more financial inclusion in the country through the use of technology is gaining momentum with the phase two launch of the central bank’s flagship free instant payment system ‘Raast’, which now allows person-to-person (p2p) transfers. While online payment methods such as interbank fund transfers (IBFT) that use individual or business bank accounts or applications that act as a wallet connected to one’s mobile phone number already exist, both methods have certain limitations. Apart from a large section of the population skeptical about opening bank accounts, the process itself requires a certain amount of paperwork and verification and a limited network of branches, especially in the more remote areas, makes the use of IBFT as a means to send and receive money not very scalable. Online wallets might have more users but with low limits on the amount of how much money users with no biometric verification can move between them coupled with a cumbersome process to enhance those limits, that too to a maximum that is much lower than that of banks, this isn’t an ideal online payment portal either. In terms of subscribers, there are around 190 million mobile phone users in the country while only 80 million people have bank accounts, which means that there is a huge gap that must be filled first in order to make progress. By merging both these forms of online payment together, in that mobile phone numbers are attached to bank accounts, Raast aims to eliminate many of those shortcomings. With free transfers and a formidable backend security infrastructure that already exists with banks, this integration addresses cost and security concerns as well. Digitisation has led to commendable growth in the past financial year with the volume and value of online transactions increasing by 30.6% and 31.1% respectively on a year-on-year basis. It is up to both the central bank and relevant ministries and functionaries of the government to ensure that this new initiative is run as efficiently as possible to ensure that maximum benefit is derived from it.
Dr FariD a Malik
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eSPITe having one of the largest coal deposits of the world, Pakistan faces serious energy crisis. As a country we are out of fuel, this shortcoming should be taken seriously. On January 14, 2022, my friend Dr Moeed Yousaf announced the National Security Policy (NSP) which covers the following areas: National Cohesion, Securing economic Future, Defence Territorial Integrity, Internal Security, Revamping Foreign Policy, human Security. The document after approval of the cabinet was presented to the National Security Committee (NSC) which approved it. Dr Yousaf the National Security Adviser (NSA) rightfully pointed out the importance of implementation. Somehow ‘energy Security ‘was not included as a separate head. In the year 1952, huge gas reserves (12 TCF) were discovered in the Dera Bugti area of Balochistan. After this massive discovery, Pakistan remained an energy surplus nation till about the year 2002 when the resource was depleted. After its discovery in the decade of the nineties, the coal reserves at Thar despite its enormity (175 Billion Tons) remained untouched. In the year 2004, the Planning Commission formed an ‘energy Foresight Committee ‘under the chairmanship of engr. Munawar Basir Ahmad (Late) the then Managing Director of Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC). As Chairman Pakistan Science
Locked and loaded in a game of chicken Govt and opposition putting system at risk
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OR over three years the PTI government has advised the nation not to feel uneasy while promising good times ahead. Taking attention away from the overall picture of the economy, it pledged improvement in people’s living conditions on the basis of single economic indicators like rise in large scale manufacturing, improvement in exports, increase in foreign remittances and better crops. As prices continued to rise it was said that Pakistan still fared better than other countries in managing the price hike. Now that the situation is becoming precarious and the opposition is trying to bring a no-confidence move the government maintains that with petroleum prices rising internationally, it cannot resolve inflation and prices are bound to increase. There is no more talk of good times ahead. Surging inflation and tumbling currency belie promises to end instability. Meanwhile the government is adamant not to have talks with “corrupt” opposition leaders to reduce the intensity of an ongoing political confrontation. There are instead threats. Speaking after the cabinet meeting Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry threatened to put the opposition leaders behind bars before the no-trust move. Punjab CM Buzdar challenged the opposition to do whatever it liked as the government was in any case going to complete its tenure. After a round of talks with the government allies, the opposition alliance is trying to woo the dissidents in the ruling party to support its no confidence move. The rise in govt-opposition confrontations would add to the political uncertainty engulfing the country. The opposition is confident of enlisting the support of the required number of legislators to get no-confidence motion passed. Side by side the no-confidence move, the opposition is preparing to launch countrywide marches to put pressure on government’s allies and dissidents to support the it The PPP has already announced a ten-day long march from Karachi to Islamabad passing through 26 cities of Sindh and Punjab. This would force the opposition alliance to match and even improve upon the PPP’s performance. The heightened confrontation would have repercussions for the system. This should make the government and the opposition have second thoughts, reduce the confrontation and hold talks for a way out.
YahYa FariD khwaja
T
he recent copyright infringement claim of a singer/songwriter namely Nirmala Maghani against a corporate brand famous for the music show, “Coke Studio” has again brought to light an undervalued sphere of intellectual property; music copyright law. Globally, music copyrights has attained importance equivalent to that of property rights; it is sold and licensed as a business commodity. Bruce Springsteen, an iconic American rock singer’s catalogue was recently purchased by Sony Music for a whopping five hundred million dollars. Beatles member Sir Paul McCartney’s feud with Michael Jackson began with Jackson buying the entire Beatles catalogue. Pakistan is yet to develop a regime whereby expressions of ideas gain as much significance. Despite having legislations and institutions for protection and regulation of copyrights, our musicians and producers have been vulnerable to infringements resulting in a lack of economic activity within the music industry. Copyright in Musical Work (music, sound, song) is regulated by Copyrights Ordinance, 1962 and Copyright Rules, 1967. Government of Pakistan has setup Intellectual Property Organization (IPO) headquartered in Islamabad with regional offices in Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar for registration of copyrights, trademarks and patents. Government of Pakistan has also established Intellectual Property Tribunals in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi for adjudicating disputes. IP tribunals are efficient in providing remedies which includes injunctions, declarations, damages, accounts and fines. however, damages are rarely granted by the court in the case of copyright violation. Pakistan is also signatory to the Berne Convention under which foreign copyrights have to be given equal protection as to that of local copyrights. A certificate of copyright issued by IPO is a prime facie evidence of ownership of the copyright. A copyright certificate holder is deemed to be the lawful owner for all intents and purposes and no forum without formal adjudication can take an adverse action against the copyright holder. The average processing time for grant of copyright certificate is one year with fee per song as low as three thousand rupees. Letter of acknowledgement is granted to the filer within two
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The ‘Energy Foresight ‘prepared in the year 2004 can be a good starting point. MOE has to be in the driver’s seat to ensure the much-needed security in this vital area.
Unprotected IP rights pushing musicians out of industry
Arif Nizami (Late)
M. A. Niazi
tea. As Chairman PSF, I focussed on all three of them. At Thar the focus was on mining. After several detours finally, I was able to touch the Black Gold in 2018 in the first Open Pit Coal Mine in block No. 2. Recently the Chinese have developed mine in block No. 1 as well. Several recommendations came out of the ‘Oil Seeds Group while Tea Plantation was started in Kashmir. Now that mining activities have been extended at Thar mainly for power generation, other uses of this important resource should also be explored. At the recently held International Pittsburgh Coal Conference (IPCC 2021), I presented a paper titled; “ An Integrated energy System for Thar Coal in Pakistan “. It covers all areas from mine development to down stream applications. A few years back I visited the Dakota Gasification Company located at Beulah North Dakota where in addition to producing pipeline quality gas form coal (Synthetic Natural Gas) several other products are also being produced that include Urea, Naptha, Diesel, Tar Oil etc. Due to the availability of low-cost Shale Gas in USA, the use of SNG has not been pursued. Imported LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) is an expensive short-term fix for Pakistan. Above ground Coal Gasification is an established process which can cater for the gas needs of the country together with Urea production. Currently a pilot level plant is being considered to produce about 100 MMCFD of SNG from Thar Coal. Once operational, additional batteries of gasifiers can be installed to produce larger quantities of gas. energy Security should be a part and parcel of our National Security otherwise the wheels of the nation can come to a grinding halt, lets ensure their movement through a well thought out ‘energy Policy ‘prepared by experts in the field. The ‘energy Foresight ‘prepared in the year 2004 can be a good starting point. MOe has to be in the driver’s seat to ensure the much-needed security in this vital area. The writer is ex-Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation. He can be contacted at: fmaliks@hotmail.com.
Music copyrights in Pakistan
Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami
Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad
Foundation (PSF), I was tasked to focus on the development of coal as an energy resource. It started a long, ardeous journey of development that has continued till to date. It was on the recommendation of this group that a seperate Ministry of energy (MOe) was created to ensure security in this vital need of the nation that keeps the wheels turning. In the decade of the seventies it was Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (ZAB) who came up with the idea of using the ‘Oil Weapon’ against the developed ‘First World’. In those days ZAB emerged as the undisputed leader of the suffering ‘Third World ‘. After the roaring success of the Islamic Summit in Lahore in the year 1974, he announced an international conference of the the ‘Third World Countries ‘which was checkmated by the Western Powers. he then convinced Shah Faisal the ruler of Saudi Arabia for an ‘Oil embargo ‘. There were four players in the formulation of this strategy (ZAB, Shah Faisal, Ahmed Sakkaf the Foreign Minister and Mian Anwar Ali economic Adviser to the Shah). United Sates of America (USA) which was dependent on the Saudi Oil was hit hard by this move. Life came to a grinding halt. President Jimmy Carter, promised the nation that it would never happen again. he created a separate Ministry of energy and started research to develop alternate resources to ensure ‘energy Security ‘of the country. Several options were considered (Shale Gas, Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Coal, Nuclear etc). Since then USA has achieved complete ‘energy Auturky’in this vital area. Currently Shale Gas is being used which costs around $ 3 per MMBTU compared to $ 11 to 15 per MMBTU for imported LNG in Pakistan. Some lessons should have been learnt from this tussle between the net energy exporters and importers. To protect their long term ‘energy Interests ‘, all four men who were behind this ‘Oil embargo ‘were targeted and eliminated. Since then the oil continues to flow Westward, leaving the ‘Third World’behind to bear the brunt of increased fuel prices. Fuel constitutes to be the largest item of our imports (Petroleum, Gas) followed by edible oil and
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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9
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weeks by IPO which can be used in a court of law as a piece of evidence proving bonafide of ownership. Copyright registration is not compulsory in Pakistan which implies even without a certificate, the content creator can raise a claim before the Intellectual Property Tribunal on infringement. A certificate also does not disentitle another party from disputing the copyright certificate. Nonetheless, copyright certificate remains the best legal basis upon which any licensing or assignment of the music can be done. The copyrights of a musical work belong to the composer of the song. Yet, where in a case the work entails work-for-hire regime or under a contract of employment, the employer is the holder of the copyright holder. The superior courts have interpreted it in a strict sense by only allowing employer to hold the copyright if there was an agreement to that effect. hence, just a contract or a working relationship does not operate as a de-facto assignment of copyright to the employer. The life of copyright in Pakistan is life of the author and 50 years after his death. Upon the death of the artist, the copyrights just on the pattern of other property rights dwell upon the legal heirs. First owner of copyright is the composer of the song/musical work. Yet, singer, writer or producer though not involved in the creative person can also hold copyright after taking No Objection Certificate from other contributors. Government sanctioned musical content has a copyright of fifty years after which it dwells upon the public. There are two ways of giving another party the right to use music. The first way is assignment of copyright which in strict sense means selling the song. A copyright holder can assign partially or wholly to an individual or a company all the rights through a written deed of assignment submitted to the IPO along with the application. Future assignments can be done but are only effective once the future work is completed. On assignment, the assignee is deemed to be the owner of the copyright. In a case of assignment, the original author still retains some specific rights over the music and can file a claim in a case where
Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545
the original work is being exploited morally. Assignment in Pakistan can only be done for a maximum period of 10 years after which the copyright automatically reverts to the original owner. This is the biggest hurdle for investors, businesses and enterprises who wish to deal in buying and selling of music catalogue. Just across the border in India, there is no such timeline for assignment of copyright. In America, the assignment is valid for roughly sixty years after which the author can reclaim their ownership rights in any work. The law related to assignment in Pakistan needs to be reviewed to allow international investors, labels and distribution companies to show interest in Pakistan’s music industry. Another way of transferring rights in music is through licensing. A license does not imply change of ownership but only gives partial or full “usage” rights to a third party. There is no time-limit for duration of license but the same can be revoked or terminated by the copyright holder. Licensing can be exclusive or non-exclusive. exclusive license implies that even the original copyright holder is barred as to the rights licensed. Non-exclusive license would allow the transferee to use the music without affecting the rights of any other party which also has been granted a non-exclusive license. The case of Nirmala is an eye opener for a number of important reasons. The expanding digital and IT sphere for distribution of music makes musicians vulnerable to infringement. Secondly the big corporations’ investment into music in the last decade has made music in Pakistan a “industrial commodity” which can easily be exploited for commercial reasons. Corporate hunger for profit has no limits and musicians neither stand a chance to legally defend or legally protect themselves from infringements. Yet, most importantly, the movers of this industry would always remain the musicians themselves. An unprotected and vulnerable environment would only result in musicians opting out of the industry. hence, it is all imperative that musicians understand their rights and that the copyright regime is strengthened through participation of all stakeholders for the growth of the industry.
Assignment in Pakistan can only be done for a maximum period of 10 years after which the copyright automatically reverts to the original owner.
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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk
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Writer is a partner of Farid & Farid Law Firm
Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk
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Thursday, 17 February, 2022
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
Significance of leadership TheRe is no denying the fact that Pakistan is facing a host of challenges that continue to impede national progress and prosperity. The path towards progress and sustainability has unfortunately been mired in confrontational politics and petty political blame games. There remains little to no realisation of the gravity of the situation amongst the political leadership of the country. having a robust leadership is one of the key factors that can help steer the nation out of crisis. Indeed, history is replete with glaring examples of visionary leaders who helped their nations become powerful and selfresilient. For instance, leaders such as Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping in China shaped the entire destiny of the nation through their progressive policies. Their unflinching resolve transformed China into one of the most powerful economic forces in the world. Similarly, the miracle of Bangladesh and its economic transformation must be enough to stir the conscience of our leaders who know nothing else but to enrich themselves while battling their political opponents. The current political landscape of Pakistan is deplorable and a cause for concern. We must introspect on why Pakistan continues to suffer despite being rich in natural resources. It is time that the incumbent leadership came out of propagating its lofty ideals and focused on delivering the promises they so eagerly made to the public. The people of Pakistan deserve no less. AmmAr ASlAm muhAmmAdi Sukkur
Increased screen time
To invade or not to invade, that is the question! Russia-Ukraine feud is not a binary problem SYeD SariM FatMi
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hOUGh Shakespeare undoubtedly is amongst the best playwrights and poets (who generally see the unseen within the seen), yet he too was at instances caught up in what the author of an enlightening book “Black Swam: The Impact of Highly Improbable” terms as “tunneling”. how? I’ll convey it quickly before several english literature enthusiasts locate me. “To be or not to be that is the question” is the most famed phrase of his, which given the context of Prince hamlet is indeed impactful but limited in its approach. Why are there solely two alternates? The human proximity to simplify life leads him to ignore other possibilities that may be and are expressed by Rumi when he aims to be at a place “between right and wrong!” This unconventional place is what bests miss out on too. Rumi’s idea was indeed spiritual but a similar approach of finding grounds midst binaries and simplifications of one way, or the other is required in academic and social disciplines too. In the aforementioned book the Wharton graduate himself, Nassim Taleb, who played around with probabilities for a living, highlights this by noting how professionals miss out on the “silence evidence” under the noise of the louder ones (which are usually inconsequential compared to the silent). The rationale behind such ignorance is usually the attachment of ideas/methods to their identities by these know-it-all professionals who take pride in their fancy pattern-based graphs and statistics that have failed to predict even the most significant events of recent history i.e. 9/11, COVID19, Trump’s Victory, 2008 Financial Crisis amongst others. Such IVY leaguers with branded suits do not according to Taleb comprehend that the future is not derived from past patterns; when was the last 9/11 or COVID19? Thus, one needs to be on the lookout for the unknowns! Ironically while scrolling through Nassim’s thought provoker, I was following the Russia-Ukraine developments and I was amazed at how most journalists, analysts, and politicians were again falling for their simplified biases. There are simply two or three fixed narratives built on the issue, outside of which no one seems to
be comfortable walking in pursuit of preserving their intellectual repute to secure more screentime. Will Putin would invade Kyiv or some portions of Ukraine? Is he just putting pressure on the US and europe to place Russia as a player in the european security dynamic to regain Russia’s lost glory? These are the nailed queries around which most debate is conducted each day on countless forums, and consequently, the solutions to them range from backing NATO’s missions in europe to relying more on diplomatic means to hand few security guarantees to Russia on common grounds i.e. non-placement of missiles around its borders to avert an invasion. The dilemma here is that these static debates are guided usually by certain beliefs about Russia being the longterm enemy (for those who side by the US and NATO) that makes such believers assertive to the country; while others who profess for diplomatic space consider otherwise and both restrict our sights. Worse, both these schools are guided by history. Those skeptical of Russia see a revisionist Russia that invaded Ukraine in 2014, or Georgia in 2008, while the other sees how europeans threatened Russian security post-1991 with the breakdown of the Warsaw Pact and gradual enhancement of NATO. It is possible both these schools might not get the future right since none predicted 2014’s Russian invasion (else europe would not have been off guarded), they tend to usually satisfy their appetite for explanations over abstractness which Nassim sees as general human nature. even when the world was not able to predict COVID-19, how rapidly it came up with stories as if it did is an exemplification of the concept. Thus, turning back to Ukraine, there is a need to break such boxes to foresee the unknown unknowns here
Ironically while scrolling through Nassim’s thought provoker, I was following the Russia-Ukraine developments and I was amazed at how most journalists, analysts, and politicians were again falling for their simplified biases.
which the well-suited analysts with mini British libraries behind them in video links dismiss as their mini British library’s knowledge is their impediment that falsely makes them believe that they know when actually they do not. If we walk out of the confirmation biases or the narratives flowing around the impasse, we can open ourselves to different possibilities. What if the whole episode was orchestrated by China and not Putin alone; China has been off the US’s radar for months now and doing freely what it plans to. Or it was actually not Putin’s but his military’s idea to showcase its might for Central Asian states since causing inconvenience to Ukraine was possible through other hybrid means (the ex KGG’s officer; Putin’s specialty) within the already influenced Donbas region? Or what if there is an accidental fire midst this standoff from either side and not one initiated officially by the states US? Or what if Putin’s aim is to secure european markets for its gas exports by cutting the US’s influence out of europe this way? Germany and France are already flouting the US and holding one-to-one talks with the Russians and as I am writing this, I am hearing that after Scholz’s meeting with Putin, some Russian troops are withdrawing. I do not certainly second the scenarios I have presented, but these are merely some hypotheses that are unseen within the discourses around this conflict, further limiting our predictabilities of what’s next. Thus, to invade or not to invade (as the popular media is portraying currently) is not the question! Inculcating these two, there could be many other questions that if missed would make us proximate to another black swan event we shall then explain retrospectively. Faiz interestingly walked Nassim’s path prior to him, and the following words of his do cap the essence of what Nassim Talib in his book and I in this space aim to instill.
Those skeptical of Russia see a revisionist Russia that invaded Ukraine in 2014, or Georgia in 2008, while the other sees how Europeans threatened Russian security post-1991 with the breakdown of the Warsaw Pact and gradual enhancement of NATO.
Aab apna ikhteyar hai chahey jahan chalein Rehbar say apne raah judaa kar chuke hain hum. (Now it is our authority, we can move wherever For we have changed our path our guides). The writer can be reached at sarimfatmi1@gmail.com
PAReNTS had long been concerned about their children spending more and more time on phones and laptops, which reached an all-time high during the pandemic because of virtual teaching. Parents are rightfully concerned about the increased screen time because it has several longlasting harmful effects. Increased screen time has a direct impact on children’s vision and raises the risk of vision impairment. Children were already spending approximately 7 to 8 hours every day in front of a screen, which has further increased now. Their vision is likely to be obstructed and cause eyestrain. Their physical and mental health are both negatively affected. headaches, neck pain and weariness amongst children have become commonplace. Several mental health professionals have suggested that excessive use of electronic devices has raised anxiety, depression and hypertension amongst teenagers and young adults. Also, now that children are spending more time online, physical activity has declined. This has resulted in obesity and high blood pressure at younger ages. Children have formed an unhealthy addiction to their devices because of which they often neglect their studies as well. Given their young age, children often overshare on social media, which results in cyberbullying and trolling. This again negatively impacts their overall well-being. Also, children are often exposed to harmful content at a young due to the absence of controls on social media websites. This can be distressing for them. The Organisation for economic Cooperation and Development claims that computers distract children and make them lazy thinkers. They avoid working out solutions and instead look for readymade answers to questions. Although technology has become an integral part of the educational process, parents and teachers must find a balance between traditional learning and screen-based learning to reduce children’s screen times. ZEEShAn Ali kArAchi
Cousin marriages IN Pakistan, cousin marriages are extremely commonplace because of which there is also an increased number of genetic diseases in the country. According to an estimate, the number of patients with genetic diseases in the country range between 14 and 16 million. Research has suggested that genetic risks to children’s health are higher amongst children of parents that are closely related. Although cousin marriages take place in both urban and rural areas, they are significantly higher amongst the rural population due to poverty and low literacy rates. Parents find it easier to marry off children with cousins instead of searching for spouses elsewhere because of monetary reasons or traditions. What many do not realise are the health and disease risks associated with generational cousin marriages. Many doctors believe that asthma, autism, deafness, down’s syndrome, thalassemia, etc are a consequence of interbreeding between close relatives. To counter the impact of genetic diseases and health risks, people must be informed and educated of the health risks that come with cousin marriages through a large-scale campaign. They must be encouraged to learn of the potential genetic problems and seek medical counselling before starting a family. Additionally, the government should work with the healthcare department to install an appropriate genetic testing infrastructure in Pakistan. There are approximately 55,000 active cases of genetic diseases that could have been avoided with an early diagnosis and treatment. These measures will also lift pressure from the already poor healthcare system of the country. mAryAm nAdEEm lAhorE
Humanity is a lost treasure The present condition of humanity in our country has been exposed when the doctors at Memon hospital, Sachal Goth, Karachi refused to treat a girl without advance payment of RS 500,000 who had gotten injured in an accident. Due to which the girl died. The humans have become so much greedy for money that they let others die even if they have the opportunity to save them. Due to the lack of humanity, now money has more worth than someone’s life. how can a country run when it lacks the most precious treasure humanity? FArAhnAZ TurbAT
08 WORLD VIEW 17th February 22_Layout 1 2/16/2022 10:20 PM Page 1
Thursday, 17 February, 2022
08 WORLD VIEW
Media ignores Biden stealing Billions froM the afghan people
FaIrness and accuracy In reportIng (FaIr) JuLie HOLLaR
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Wo months ago, I noted the striking contrast between vocal media outrage—ostensibly grounded in concern for Afghan people—over President Joe Biden’s withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, and the relative silence over the growing humanitarian crisis in that country, which threatens millions with life-threatening levels of famine. While influenced by drought and Taliban policies, the current crisis is primarily driven by the US decisions to freeze the assets of the country’s central bank and maintain economic sanctions, which have destabilized the banking system and sent the economy into a tailspin. Note that the $7 billion—most of which originated as international aid, and representing the vast majority of the central bank’s assets—belongs to the Afghan people, not to Biden. Last Friday, Biden announced his intention to take the $7 billion in frozen funds currently held in US banks and use them as he sees fit, giving half to a humanitarian aid trust fund for Afghans and half to families of 9/11 victims.
Lest anyone imagine this to be generous in any way, note that the $7 billion—most of which originated as international aid, and representing the vast majority of the central bank’s assets—belongs to the Afghan people, not to Biden. And the Afghan people bear zero responsibility for the 9/11 attacks. on the contrary, they are also its victims, because of the subsequent US decision to invade and occupy their country. Beyond that, giving them back half of the money that is rightfully theirs in the form of “aid”—instead of returning it to the banking system—is not only a band-aid that doesn’t solve the country’s liquidity problem, it’s nearly impossible to do anyway, given the sanctions still in place (Relief Web, 2/12/21). Biden’s announcement offered a perfect hook for reporting on the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, and anyone who truly cares about the Afghan people and their rights should be tearing their hair out and screaming at the top of their lungs about this audacious injustice that will surely result in more deaths and hardship. But despite their wailing about the Taliban’s impact on Afghan women’s futures, few in US TV news seem concerned about those same women facing starvation as a result of US policy. Since Biden’s announcement on February 11, there have been a total of 10 mentions on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox and MSNBC: six the day of the announcement, four the next day, and none by the third day. The
broadcast network news shows, which have more viewers than cable news, aired exactly zero reports on the issue. CNN made eight mentions, MSNBC two and Fox one. Six of the ten were brief mentions that noted no criticism of the move. only two shows deemed the story big enough to bring on a guest to discuss it: Jake Tapper’s CNN show (2/11/22) and Chris hayes’ MSNBC show (2/11/22). hayes devoted the last several minutes of his show to an interview with guest Masuda Sultan of the group Unfreeze Afghanistan. hayes noted that the US “could help [the Afghan] people by simply doing one thing, unfreezing of the billions of dollars of Afghan government assets that are sitting in New York banks,” and Sultan argued that Biden’s move would simply create “a bigger and bigger humanitarian disaster, by not allowing banking to function and not allowing the economy to be back on its feet”: What Afghans need more than anything, is food, indeed, they need aid, but they also need jobs, they need an economy, they need to be able to import food, they need to be able to pay their teachers, pay their healthcare workers. You know, all of these sort of normal functions that you expect to happen in a country are now crippled. Tapper, in contrast, invited a family member of a 9/11 victim for her perspective on the decision. (Tapper did ask his guest to respond to “the people who say this is just penalizing this move today, the Afghan people who are suffering greatly, and they shouldn’t be hurt be-
facebook has become a hellscape – and there’s no way out
cause of what happened on 9/11.”) CNN’s Newsroom (2/11/22) and New Day Saturday (2/12/22) were the only other two shows to even briefly mention any criticisms or questions about the legitimacy or efficacy of the decision. on Newsroom, reporter Jeremy Diamond noted that “there are questions, though, about whether taking these funds away from the central bank could make it more difficult for Afghanistan to stabilize its currency.” A serious report would have explained that these aren’t merely questions, they’re certainties, and Biden knows it. As a senior Democratic foreign policy aide told the Intercept’s Austin Ahlman (2/11/22), Biden, has had warnings from the UN secretary general, the International Rescue Committee and the Red Cross, with a unanimous consensus that the liquidity of the central bank is of paramount importance, and no amount of aid can compensate for the destruction of Afghanistan’s financial system and the whole macro economy. on CNN, Diamond’s colleague Jim Sciutto concluded: “Trying to strike some sort of middle line here between not helping the Taliban, but somehow getting help urgently to the Afghan people.” It’s the best possible framing a murderous multi-billion-dollar theft could get. Julie Hollar is FAIR’s senior analyst and managing editor. Julie has a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.
BJp faces spirited challenge in Uttar pradesh
IN ITS DESIRE TO CONTROL THE ENTIRETY OF INFORMATION FLOW ON THE INTERNET, FACEBOOK HAS INSTEAD CREATED AN ALTERNATIVE WORLD: ONE THAT BEARS LITTLE RESEMBLANCE TO REALITY
Independent Hussein Kesvani
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few days ago, I had to log into Facebook in order to wish a relative a happy birthday. Like most millennials, I rarely use the platform other than to keep in touch with some family and friends, or look for second-hand furniture in the local marketplace. My account hadn’t been used for close to a year. Logging in required me to change my password, verify my identity through a defunct email address, and agree to three different sets of terms and conditions. Sending a birthday message should have been simple. After all, part of Facebook’s appeal when I first signed up for an account in 2008 was its cleanness, its uniformity, its ease of communication – a far stretch from the clutter of Myspace and Bebo. Yet, for close to half an hour, I scoured a friend’s Facebook page – which was covered in articles from fake news websites, gambling ads and scores from Facebook games he’d been playing – to look for a place to send a public message. I also wasn’t sure if he was still using his Facebook account, as neither the posts or pictures on his Facebook wall were listed chronologically; while some of the posts, shared from other accounts and groups, seemed uncharacteristic of him, implying that his account may have been hacked. This weird arrangement of posts, videos, shares and likes weren’t just limited to his account either – it had happened to my dormant account too. Browsing through my profile, I found that my Facebook feed had been filled with updates from Facebook groups I had no memory of joining: some of which had changed from meme pages and local community groups to pages advertising Cryptocurrency scams, pyramid schemes aimed at stay-at-home mothers, Deepfake Gifs of celebrities and strange viral videos (including a video of a woman making cocktails in a toilet bowl) that had received tens of thousands of views. The Facebook I had joined in my late teens, documented my early twenties in – the one that was instrumental to forging my friendships and relationships – was long gone. Instead, I’d found myself in a weird digital dystopia: one that contained fragments of my past, but was enmeshed in an amalgamation of strange and bizarre content that bore no resemblance to my current life at all. It turns out that this problem is extremely common for Facebook users. News headlines often focus on Facebook’s political effects – from misinformation and promoting extremism, to its scant regard for the protection of user data. But, on a superficial level, Facebook as a platform… sucks. As a recent
Forbes article, in which the writer Paul Tassi struggles to figure out why he’s seeing and reading content that he was neither tagged in nor subscribed to, puts it: “It’s just a very, very exhausting and irritating platform to consume and utilise… it’s increasingly useless for what it was originally intended to be”. Facebook’s mess is partly the result of its dependence on automation, and having a penchant for changing and altering its content recommendation algorithms. In 2015, Mark Zuckerberg announced the platform would be concentrating its resources in video-based content, leading to news websites restructuring, laying off thousands of people to make way for a video revolution that never happened. A few years later, realising that the strategy to become a news publisher was doomed to fail, the Platform attempted and failed to launch a cryptocurrency, before trying to once again restructure its news feed, focussing on “groups” and “social connectivity” rather than news and entertainment. Its restructure meant that an automated algorithm would recommend content it believed a user’s close friends were engaging with – perhaps a good idea in theory, but one that failed in practice, as the platform’s content creators realised they could easily manipulate views and shares by posting videos across an unlimited number of pages of their own. It might be easy to dismiss Facebook – assume that, like Myspace, Bebo and Friendster before it, the platform will die a quiet death as we move onto different ones, or even get off social media entirely. But, while Facebook’s user experience might be disorientating, it still remains the biggest social media platform in the world, with close to 3 billion daily active users, most of whom use it as their primary means of social communication. That also means a large number of those users – hundreds of millions – will be instantly exposed to content that is specifically designed to trump Facebook’s recommendation algorithm, and have often been promoted to the top of the feed through artificially inflated social media metrics. Sometimes, this content might be weird, but overall it is made up of harmless viral videos and images. Yet, as digital culture journalist Ryan Broderick has pointed out, it’s just as likely that these users will be exposed to swathes of misinformation, conspiracy theories, clickbait designed to evoke outrage – even all-out hate speech that is difficult for Facebook to take down, not least because its own infrastructure incentivises it to be shared across dozens of other groups and pages simultaneously. To put it simply: Facebook’s relentless pursuit of scale, to enshrine itself the world’s largest social media platform, with the biggest number of users, has resulted in it creating a hellscape to which it now depends on to survive. No matter how many rebrands, tweaks or virtual reality overhauls Facebook tries, it is unlikely to ever regain its reputation of being a progressive, forward-thinking social media network. In its desire to control the entirety of information flow on the internet, Facebook has instead created an alternative world: one that bears little resemblance to reality, and that can easily be gamed by deploying bots and outsourcing to click farms or by scammers and users who know how to manipulate its algorithms to get views and shares. While it may survive for longer than its predecessors, Facebook is incapable of being the digital representation of one’s social life, as it once presented itself to be over a decade ago.
trIbune, IndIa saba naqvi
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he crucial Uttar Pradesh elections are not going according to plan for the ruling BJP. In a state with changing demographics, this battle has variations as the state votes in seven phases. But in the first phase of polling on February 10, the Jat voter, alienated from the BJP after the farm protests, created a momentum that has kickstarted the opposition’s game. In districts such as Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Baghpat, Meerut and parts of Mathura, this assertive peasant caste came out in large numbers and almost surrounded polling centres, exhorting people to vote for the SP-RLD alliance. Worryingly for the BJP, the second-phase seats have voted in districts with the largest Muslim population in the state. The figure goes up to 50 to 60 per cent on some seats in Moradabad, Rampur and Amroha, besides substantial numbers in other districts. Although multiple Muslim candidates contest on each seat, most minority voters have coalesced around the SP that is seen as a winning front. Besides, this is also the area where in the face of the BJP wave of 2017, the SP had held on to some seats. The third phase of voting on February 20 stretches across swathes of west UP to the central parts of the state. This phase also covers etah, etawah and Mainpuri districts with a large Yadav presence. Like the Jats, the Yadavs are very enthusiastic about voting out the BJP. Akhilesh Yadav, the former CM and SP chief, also stands from the seat of Karhal in Mainpuri district and his presence can be a force multiplier in the third phase. In the complex socio-political realities of Uttar Pradesh, there are communities that can be seen as ground influencers and Jats and Yadavs fall into that category. historically, both caste groups have played a role in bringing about social and political change and transforming the power dynamic. This means that it’s not the number of their own votes alone that counts, but their capacity to change the atmospherics and chemistry. In the last elections, many Yadavs too had supported the BJP but they are now returning to the SP and whipping up a tailwind. The fight therefore is intense for every seat. The ground machinery of the BJP is superior. They have mapped each constituency and cadres are making an outreach in a systematic way, door to door and through social media. There is a scientific system they are following, that includes lists of their own supporters and an attempt to chip off individuals and/or enhance divisions in the opposition vote. They are operating with a
better skill set and statistically, the BJP is formidable in the state, winning 40 per cent of the vote in the last assembly poll and nearly 50 per cent in the 2019 election. In the last seven years, with the PM shifting his seat to Varanasi and with Yogi Adityanath chosen to be the chief minister, Uttar Pradesh has also been seen to be the new hindutva laboratory after Gujarat. But in this election, the communal chatter on the ground has not reached the threshold necessary to create a so-called hindu mobilisation that historically helps the BJP. Yet the national party’s core voter stands with them as does a section of the workers who have lived off free rations in the months of the pandemic. What is different is that the BJP is not really being heard as many of the issues they are raising are not finding a resonance with people. This means that even voters who like the CM and PM have no great recall right now about what their agenda really is. The PM’s recent rallies, such as the one in Saharanpur, drew poor crowds and a party that usually excels in creating a narrative is having to respond to the agenda set by the opposition. Yet, some of the weaker sections of society, that have been the beneficiaries of welfare schemes, are being mobilised quietly to vote for the ruling party. The SP-led opposition conversely finds method in a sort of chaotic madness that can be seen in a campaign that varies from seat to seat. These parties have given tickets to those seen to be the strongest candidates and then left it to the nominees to subsequently organise the campaign. But the SP is also a rooted party in the state and its way of marking a presence has been to distribute thousands of red caps. Across the state, one now sees red caps bobbing up and down. It is a psychologically strong way to mark its presence. So, while the BJP cadre is moving with spreadsheets and a plan, the SP worker is there with a cap and lots of josh (passion). Crucially, the party believes it has offset the BJP’s advantage of being in power by the promise to revive the old-age pension scheme for all retired government servants and teachers; the state machinery will not therefore be hostile, the SP hopes. The SP seems to have understood the skill of narrative creation. So much so that after the first phase of voting, Akhilesh Yadav decided to withdraw spokespersons from television debates for the time being. The thinking is that the election speaks for itself when all the alliance leaders are giving regular interviews and being covered on the campaign trails. The SP does not want to be side-tracked by debates created by a section of the broadcast media that is seen to be working to help the BJP. By the time the fourth phase kicks in and proceeds till the seventh and last phase on March 7, the election will move to regions where the number of forward castes, such as Thakurs and Brahmins increases. Both social groups generate momentum and influence others to vote. It is in these parts, extending from central to east UP, that the SP-led alliance hopes to pitch the election as backward versus forward, and play on the original Mandal formula. So far, the alliance has the momentum and the BJP the machinery. Whether the BJP loses a hundred seats or the entire state, it is facing a very spirited challenge that’s actually grown from a severe economic downturn.
Thursday, 17 February, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
NEWS
corporate corner pta conducts Qos survey in punjab, sindh, Kp & balochistan ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has carried out an independent Quality of Service (QoS) Survey in 18 Cities and 9 motorways/highways/intercity Roads of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan in order to measure the performance and quality of Cellular Mobile Operators’ (CMOs) services being provided to their customers. During the survey, the licensed KPIs of voice, network coverage, SMS and mobile broadband/data were checked using state of the art automated QoS Monitoring & Benchmarking Tool. The Drive test teams selected survey routes in such a manner to cover main roads, service roads and majority of sectors/colonies in surveyed areas. Based upon the compliance level of each KPI against threshold defined in the respective licenses and QoS Regulations, CMOs have been ranked between 1st to 4th position in Mobile Network Coverage and Voice Services as per compliance level in surveyed cities and motorways/highways. Similarly, in mobile broadband speed segment, the ranking is determined with respect to the highest data download speed. The survey results revealed that CMOs are compliant with respect to broadband services to a great extent while SMS and voice KPIs have been found below the licensed threshold in some areas. Eventually, necessary instructions have been issued to the operators for taking corrective measures so as to ensure improvement in the service quality according to the licensed standards. The complete survey results have been placed at PTA’s website (https://pta.gov.pk/en/consumer-support/qos-survey/qossurvey) for information of the subscribers. The service quality monitoring activity is being carried out by PTA field teams with the ultimate aim to pursue the operators for provision of better mobile services and to promote a healthy competition among the operators . pr
09
California establishes sisterstate relationship with punjab FLORIDA/LAHORE
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staff report
HE senate of California passed a resolution to establish a sister-state relationship between the American state and Punjab. The resolution, ACR 105, was first introduced by Assemblymember Chris Holden and was passed by the House
on February 15. According to a press statement, the sister-state relationship will “promote mutual trade and commerce and increase the potential for educational, environmental, and cultural relations”, leading to a positive impact on both states. “Punjab’s capital, Lahore, is a cultural, historical, economic, and cosmopolitan centre of Pakistan where the country’s cinema industry and much of
its fashion industry are based,” it added. The resolution was read out by Senator Sydney Kamlager and was passed by a majority of 36 votes with four members absent from the session. Pakistan’s Consul General in Los Angeles, Abdul Jabbar Memon, said the resolution will open a “new era of cooperation between the two states in multiple domains of mutual interest”. The Senate also established a sis-
ter-state relationship with the Province of Syunik. “Today, we are grateful to Assemblymember Chris Holden for spearheading the effort in the State Assembly and to Senator Anthony Portantino for seeing it through in the State Senate by establishing a Sister State relationship,” remarked Nora Hovsepian, Chair of the Armenian National Committee of America.
Important Achievements in the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority projects in Islamabad and Gulzar Hijri Karachi
international Conference on "us-pakistan relations: the way forward" held at Qau ISLAMABAD: The Area Studies Centre for Africa, North and South America at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) and Dawood Law Associates co-hosted a one-day international conference on “Pakistan-US Ties: The Way Forward.” Conference participants discussed ways to further improve the bilateral ties between the US and Pakistan especially in the light of Pakistan’s paradigm shift in foreign policy towards “geo-economics”. The Conference was attended by scholars from both e US and Pakistan to discuss the dynamic of bilateral ties between the two countries. The Vice Chancellor of Quaid-i-Azam University, Professor Dr Muhammad Ali, in his Welcome speech lauded the role of QAU in promotion of rich dialogue culture through such initiatives and providing a negotiation platform to the national and international academia on issues of mutual importance. Emphasizing upon the huge geo-economic potential of Pakistan , he further said, “I would like to emphasise upon showcasing the strength of Pakistan’s immense potential as a huge market comprising of more than 212 million people among which 60 percent comprises of youth and its equal potential as a connecting point for South, Central and West Asia, which makes it a hub of geo-economic interactions to promote peace and prosperity in this highly connected and globalised world.” Conference Co-host, Attorney Dawood Ghaznavi further appreciated the role of Area Study Centre QAU in promotion of bilateral ties between Pakistan and the US through educational exchanges and people-to-people contacts. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and Congressman Al Green admired the role of Pakistani diaspora in promotion of bilateral ties between the two countries. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee highly appreciated the efforts of incumbent government in Pakistan to address the challenges of climate change. While sharing her personal experiences of the visit to Pakistan identified several areas of mutual cooperation such as education, e-commerce, medicine and lauded Pakistani people as “great humanitarians”. While focusing on joint vision of the US and Pakistan on “Geo-Economics” , the US Embassy Chargé d’affairs Angela Aggler emphasized upon strengthening economic ties between the two countries. She added, The United States is by far Pakistan’s largest export market, but there is still room for growth. pr
Mr. Usman Dar (SAPM) Special Adviser to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs visits Millat Tractors Limited factory. pr
Askari Bank partners with Hysab Kytab to integrate PFM solution with Askari Digital Banking
Askari Bank, one of the leading banks in Pakistan, has signed an agreement with Hysab Kytab. This collaboration will empower Askari Bank’s Internet and Mobile banking users to take greater control of their financial wellbeing. With PFM, users can effortlessly record and track expenses, create budgets in various categories, plan and track saving goals, view all accounts in one place and much more.
Commenting on the partnership Mr. Khurshid Zafar, Chief Operating Officer, Askari Bank said, “Askari Bank has always strived to provide state of the art digital solutions to its customers. Our partnership with Hysab Kytab is yet another step forward in this endeavor. We are equipping our customers with a digital tool that will enable them to track their spending patterns in the most effective way possible. I strongly believe this
partnership will help us achieve our goal towards digitization.”Speaking about the partnership Mr. Yasir Ilyas, Head of Hysab Kytab said, “This partnership is a major milestone. Hysab Kytab is a PFM born in Pakistan and I thank Askari Bank for trusting and selecting it for their digital platform. This is the kind of support that our local banks can offer to help Pakistan’s FinTech industry to grow and provide solutions for the local requirements.”
Seven Mobile Food Trucks of ‘Ehsaas koi Bhooka Na Soey’ inaugurated Governor Sindh, Imran Ismail along with Opposition Leader Sindh Assembly, Haleem Adil Sheikh and Managing Director Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM), Malik Zaheer Abbas Khokhar inaugurated Seven Mobile Food Trucks of ‘Ehsaas koi Bhooka Na Soey’ for the Sindh Province. In a ceremony held in the Governor House, Chairman Alamgir Welfare Trust, Ch. Nisar Ahmed, Chairman Saylani Welfare Trust Moulana Bashir Farooqui and other prominent socio-political figures of the province were also present. Addressing the ceremony, Governor Sindh appreciated the partnership of Saylani Welfare Trust and Alamgir Welfare Trust with PBM to mitigate the sufferings of poor populace of the country. He said present Government feels the
troubles of common persons and also determined to take every possible step to resolve them. Opposition Leader, Sindh Assembly, Haleem Adil Sheikh, in his address vowed to take more initiatives for the welfare of deprived community of the Province. On the occasion, Managing Director PBM, Malik Zaheer Abbas highlighted the significance of the project to accommodate daily wagers, labourers, passengers and other needy persons in the Province. He told these mobile food trucks will be operational in Karachi, Haidarabad, Larkana, Sukkar, Jacobabad and Shikarpur to provide the food boxes at different locations. Malik Zaheer Abbas further informed ‘Model Panahagahs’ are also going to be established, following the directions of the Prime Minister. pr
Important achievements have been made by the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority in its projects of Sectors B-24 and 33-Gulzar Hijri Karach as well as those of Islamabad. Taking into consideration the Prime Minister of Pakistan’s vision, the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority has decided to provide maximum residential facilities to the employees of federal government so that their dream of their own house could be made true. Besides, the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority also wants to ensure that the employees should get benefits of the modern residential facilities of future. In this context, Federal Government Employees Housing Authority Karachi officer, a subsidiary of Ministry of Housing and Works, Government of Pakistan, has handed over possession of flats to the federal government employees in Sector B-24 Scheme 33, Gulzar Hijri. Under the leadership of Project Director Karachi, Assistant Director Maintenance and Assistant Director Civil handed over the papers, while the Deputy Assistant Director handed over the possession of flats to the residents. Other officers of the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority were also present on this occasion of handing over of papers and possession of flats to the residents. Besides, the Project Director Karachi has inaugurated the Spring Tree Planting Campaign by planting a tree in the KDA, Federal Government Employees Housing Authority Apartment Project under the Clean and Green Campaign. In addition to these, alternate residential facilities are being provided in G-15/3 to the residents of buildup area of G-14 and more plots would also being created in this endeavor. In this regard, development works are going on at an accelerated pace. All the civic facilities such as gas and electricity are also being provided in this sector. In the Green Enclave, where development works are also going on at a rapid pace, the letters will be issues next month. pr
At the culmination of its eighth cohort, the National Incubation Center Lahore (NICL) at LUMS held its flagship Investor Summit, bringing together seasoned investors, inspiring entrepreneurs and corporate innovators. pr
Thursday, 17 February, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
10 FORIGEN NEWS
IndIan tax authorItIes search premIses of chIna’s huaweI
I
AGENCIES
NDIA’S income tax authorities have conducted searches at multiple premises of Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei Technologies (HWT.UL) as part of a tax investigation, a government source told Reuters, confirming local media reports. The searches were conducted at Huawei’s office premises in New Delhi, neighbouring Gurugram and tech hub Bengaluru on Tuesday, the source said on condition
of anonymity, in line with government policy. The development comes a day after government sources told Reuters that India had blocked access to 54 mobile apps, mainly Chinese, over security concerns. Officials from the income tax department looked at Huawei’s financial documents, account books and company records, Indian businesses and overseas transactions, NDTV reported, citing news agency PTI. Some records were also seized, the report added. “We have been informed of the visit of (the) income tax team to our office and also of their meeting with
some personnel,” Huawei said in a statement. “Huawei is confident our operations in India are firmly compliant with all laws and regulations. We will approach related government departments for more information and fully cooperate as per the rules and regulations.” The income tax department declined to comment. Last year India overlooked Huawei when it named foreign network equipment suppliers allowed to carry out 5G trials in what is one of the world’s biggest markets by number of mobile phone users.
Senior schools reopen in India’s Karnataka amid hijab row AGENCIES Senior schools reopened in the Indian state of Karnataka on Wednesday a week after authorities closed them in the face of protests against a ban on female students wearing the hijab. A court is deliberating the recent ban on schoolgirls wearing the hijab imposed by Karnataka authorities, the latest issue of contention involving India’s Muslim minority, who make up about 13 per cent of the Hindu-majority country’s 1.3 billion people. Students wearing olive-green uni-
forms, some in the hijab, walked hand-inhand on Wednesday into the Government Girls Senior School P. U. in Udupi district, where the protests started this month. Male and female police stood guard. All of the students were allowed, including the girls in hijabs, despite a ruling from the state’s High Court last week that schools should bar any religious clothing in classrooms until further instructions. The court will hear further arguments on Wednesday. A hijab-wearing schoolgirl holds hands of her classmates as she arrives to
attend the classes at a government girls school after the recent hijab ban, in Udupi town in the southern state of Karnataka, India, on Wednesday. — Reuters A hijab-wearing schoolgirl holds hands of her classmates as she arrives to attend the classes at a government girls school after the recent hijab ban, in Udupi town in the southern state of Karnataka, India, on Wednesday. — Reuters Senior district official Kurma Rao M said talks were underway in the community on the court ruling. “We have held a meeting with all religious leaders, various stakeholders on
the implementation of the court’s interim order,” he was quoted as saying by ANI. The southern state of Karnataka is governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and the uproar comes as it campaigns for several important state assembly elections this year. Karnataka’s state election will be held next year while India is due to hold its next general election by May 2024. Muslim families in Karnataka say the ban on the hijab marginalises them and led to some schools refusing entry to girls and women wearing it.
Russia says video shows tanks, military equipment leaving Crimea MOSCOW ReuteRs
Russia’s defence ministry published video on Wednesday that it said showed a column of tanks and military vehicles leaving annexed Crimea across a railway bridge after drills, adding that some troops would also return to their permanent bases. Moscow announced a partial pullback of forces from near Ukraine on Tuesday. The move was met with scepticism, however, and U.S. President Joe Biden said that more than 150,000 Russian troops were still amassed near Ukraine’s borders. World powers are engaged in one of the deepest crises in East-West relations for decades, jostling over post-Cold War influence and energy supplies as Moscow wants to stop the former Soviet
neighbour ever joining the NATO military alliance. On Wednesday morning, video footage showed what the defence ministry said were tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and self-propelled artillery units leaving the Crimean peninsula that Moscow seized from Kyiv in 2014. “Combat equipment and military personnel will be delivered by military trains to the units’ permanent deployment points,” the defence ministry said. “Upon arrival, the equipment will be serviced and prepared for carrying out the next phase of combat training.” The video, published by the RIA news agency, showed dozens of military vehicles crossing the bridge at night. A separate convoy of service vehicles drove across a different bridge, the TASS news agency cited the military as saying.
france to return 15 artworks stolen from Jews during wwII PARIS AhmAd sAAd
The French senate approved the return of 15 artworks looted from Jews during World War II, as part of efforts by the government to accelerate restitutions. The vote authorises public museums holding the works, including the world-famous Musée d’Orsay in Paris, to hand over the property to the heirs of the original owners. French Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot welcomed the “historic” move. It was the first time in 70 years that the French government had made serious steps to return artworks “that were acquired in troubling circumstances during the occupation because of anti-Semitic persecution”, she said. She called the legislation a “first stage” in returning objects “still being conserved in public collections — objects that ought not, and should never have been there”. The Senate approved the bill, after it cleared the lower house of parliament in late January. Now, all it requires is the signature of President Emmanuel Macron to enter into force. Thousands of paintings by some of the world’s most famous artists were looted or forcibly acquired during the Nazi occupation of France. Since the end of the conflict, they have been kept in custody by public museums such as the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay in Paris. In 2018, the government set up a special unit to try to track down the heirs of the owners, rather than waiting for them to come forward, in what was a bid to speed up the process. One of the paintings set to be returned is titled “Rose bushes under trees” by Gustav Klimt. Currently held by the Musée d’Orsay, it is the only painting by the Austrian master owned by the French state. It was acquired in 1980, but subsequent research has shown it was forcibly sold by Austrian collector Eleonore Stiasny in Vienna in 1938 before she was deported and killed. In December, another four works of looted art were returned to their Jewish owner’s legal heirs. The watercolours and drawings by French 19th-century artists were seized in 1940 from businessman Moïse Levi de Benzion. Until these four works were returned, only 169 artworks had been restored to their owners since 1951 out of an estimated 2,200 held by the French state. The French culture ministry estimates that a total of 100,000 artworks were seized in France during the war, when the country was administered by the Nazis and an antiSemitic French collaborationist regime.
China says US is exaggerating Russian threat to Ukraine BEIJING ReuteRs
China accused the United States of “playing up the threat of warfare and creating tension”, as US President Joe Biden warned that more than 150,000 Russian troops were still massed near Ukraine’s borders following Moscow’s announcement of a partial pullback. Western nations have suggested arms control and confidencebuilding steps to defuse the stand-off, which has prompted them to urge their citizens to leave Ukraine because an attack could come at any time. Russia denies it has any plans to invade. “Such persistent hyping up and disinformation by some Western countries will create turbulence and uncertainty to the world full of challenges, and intensify distress and division,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters at a regular briefing in Beijing on Wednesday. “We hope relevant parties will stop such disinformation campaigns and do more to benefit peace, mutual trust and cooperation.” China has been criticised for its stance on Ukraine by some Western leaders, including Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. “The leadership of the two heads of state, China and Russia, always work to develop long term good neighbourliness and mutually beneficial cooperative relationship on the basis of non-alliance, non-confrontation and non-targeting of third countries,” spokesperson Wang added.
Thursday, 17 February, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
China’s Qi GuanGpu wins lonG-awaited olympiC Gold in men’s aerials
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HINA’S Qi Guangpu won gold in the men’s freestyle skiing aerials competition at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in Zhangjiakou on Wednesday and finally got his long-awaited individual Olympic medal after winning silver with the mixed team last week. Qi put on a commanding performance in the final, delivering a solid back double full-full-double full to win 129 points, quashing the competition. Ukraine’s Oleksandr Abramenko, the Olympic champion from 2018, could only manage 116.50 points with the same jump to bag silver, while Ilia Burov of the Russian Olympic Committee took his second bronze after Pyeongchang with a back fullfull-double full and 114.93 points. China’s other top favorite Jia Zongyang failed to qualify for the final round after only placing 7th after the first. Qi went into Wednesday’s competition havng already finished first in qualifications on Tuesday. After two good but not excellent jumps on the night, he found himself in fourth place. But this was enough to qualify for the final round. And wearing a gold helmet that seemed to presage how the evening would end, Qi brought home China’s third medal and second gold in three aerials competitions at the Beijing 2022 Olympics, proving to any doubters the country’s absolute
dominance in the sport. Qi Guangpu of China competes in the men’s freestyle skiing aerials event at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou, China, February 16, 2022. /CFP Last week, it was Qi, Jia and Xu Mengtao who won silver in the Olympics’ inaugural mixed team aerials event. Then on Monday night, Xu took home the firstever Olympic gold medal in women’s aerials for China. The 31-year-old Qi already had two gold and two silver medals at world championships, on top of two World Cup crystal
globes. But an individual Olympic medal was still missing from his trophy cabinet. The closest he had come prior to Wednesday was a fourth place in Sochi in 2014. “This is my fourth Olympics. I have learned a lot. This is the time for me to win the gold medal in China, my home country,” he said after the competition. “I am very happy my people are here with me. I can feel they are very happy and excited,” he added of the crowd’s reception, which erupted after he nailed his last jump. “Every trick in this competition is very important and very impressive. I did my
best. During the competition, almost every competitor did their best, so every trick was very wonderful.” Before Qi, China had only won Olympic gold in men’s aerials one other time, with Han Xiaopeng in 2006 in Torino. But it has medalled at every Winter Games since. From left: Silver medalist Oleksandr Abramenko of Ukraine, gold medalist Qi Guangpu of China and Ilia Burov of the Russian Olympic Committee stand on the podium after the men’s freestyle skiing aerials event at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou, China, February 16, 2022. /CFP Abramenko, the oldest competitor in Wednesday’s competition at age 33, rejoiced: “It was an amazing competition today. I’m so happy for this silver and really proud of myself that I’ve won the first medal for Ukraine at these Games.” “The qualifications were hard for me last night, but I went for it and got through to today’s finals. The weather was the same as yesterday, very cold, -20 degrees, but it was OK.” “I’m really happy that I made my five twists, although the landing was not really good, but enough for second place.” Burov was equally happy to be on the third step of the podium again after Pyeongchang. “I’m so happy that I could win a medal again, another bronze after four years… It feels so good,” he said.
Cutting, Tanvir fined for obscene gestures during HBL PSL fixture
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ronaldo breaks goal drought as united defeat Brighton News Desk Cristiano Ronaldo broke his goal drought to score Manchester United’s opener in a 2-0 defeat of Brighton & Hove Albion that lifted them into the Premier League’s top four on Tuesday. Ronaldo, without a goal since December and dropped to the bench by interim manager Ralf Rangnick in some recent matches, struck five minutes after halftime with a superb finish after being played in by Scott McTominay. Brighton had been the better side before halftime with United again looking disjointed and lacking spark. But their hopes of responding after falling behind were damaged when Lewis Dunk was sent off after a foul on Anthony Elanga, an initial yellow card being upgraded to red. Even then United were unconvincing and Brighton’s Jakub Moder curled an effort against the crossbar before former United striker Danny Welbeck headed over a late chance. Bruno Fernandes gave the scoreline a flattering look with a well-taken solo goal in stoppage time as United moved above West Ham United into fourth spot with 43 points from 25 games.
LAHORe staff RepoRt
Ben Cutting of Peshawar Zalmi and Sohail Tanvir of Quetta Gladiators were fined 15 percent of their match fees for making obscene gestures and breaching the code of conduct of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) in separate incidents during the fixture between their respective sides on Tuesday. According to a statement, the players were found to have violated Article 2.6 of the Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “using a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting during a PSL Match”. The incident involving Cutting happened in the penultimate over of Zalmi’s innings when the batter, after hitting the bowler for a third consecutive six, flashed the middle finger. Sohail made similar gestures after catching Cutting off Naseem Shah on the first ball of the final over. “Such type of inappropriate gestures have no space in this great sport. The players need to always understand and remember their on and off the field responsibilities as they are role models and behaviour like this sends out a wrong message to the younger generation of cricketers,” match referee Ali Naqvi said in a statement. “The HBL PSL 2022 is being played in good, positive spirits and I would like to see the players continue to fight hard inside the field of play but at the same time to remain within the parameters of the spirit of the game,” he added. Both Cutting and Sohail pleaded guilty to the of-
injured neser likely to miss australia’s tour of pakistan sYDNeY ReuteRs
fences and accepted the sanctions proposed to be imposed by Ali Naqvi and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing.
The charges were levelled by on-field umpires Michael Gough and Rashid Riaz, third umpire Asif Yaqoob and fourth umpire Waleed Yaqoob.
England must stop players from playing in IPL to improve Test side, says Arthur LONDON ReuteRs
England must stop their players from participating in the T20 Indian Premier League (IPL) to improve their Test side, former South Africa coach Mickey Arthur said on Wednesday. England’s Test squad came under criticism after they lost the five-Test Ashes series 4-0 against Australia, a result which led to the departure of head coach Chris Silverwood, batting coach Graham Thorpe and managing director Ashley Giles. Arthur, who joined English
county Derbyshire as head of cricket after stepping down as Sri Lanka coach late last year, said county cricket is not to be blamed for England’s poor performance in Tests in recent years. “England haven’t scored enough runs. It’s as simple as that,” Arthur told The Times. “If you want to lay the blame, you can lay it right there. County cricket isn’t to blame. “For so long county cricket has been a really good producer of international players. I don’t think there’s a problem with the system […] If you want the strength early season, unfortunately, you are going to have to stop the players
going to the IPL. “They are playing there in the early part of the season just before the first Tests. You need your best players playing county cricket preparing for that.” England have reinvented themselves as a One-Day cricket powerhouse since their early exit from the 2015 World Cup, winning the next edition of the format’s biggest title on home soil. But their record in the longest format of the game has been less impressive in recent years, with the final Ashes Test loss marking their 15th consecutive Test in Australia without a win.
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Australia fast bowler Michael Neser has been ruled out of next month’s Test tour of Pakistan due to a side strain and will be replaced with uncapped Mark Steketee, the country’s cricket board said on Wednesday. Cricket Australia said Neser, who earned his first Test cap during the Ashes, picked up the injury during Queensland’s Marsh One-Day Cup loss to New South Wales on Monday. Australia are due to play three Tests against Pakistan, with the first Test scheduled to begin on March 4 in Rawalpindi. “Neser injured himself while warming up to bowl during the innings break of Queensland’s match against NSW,” Cricket Australia said in a statement. “He attempted to push on but was able to bowl just two deliveries, the second of which was a wide, before leaving the field.” Fellow quick and Queensland team mate Steketee, who has taken 29 wickets at an average of 16.31 so far this Marsh Sheffield Shield season, has been called up while Brendan Doggett has been named on standby for the series. Australia and Pakistan are also scheduled to play three One-Day Internationals and one T20 match. Australia’s squad for those encounters will be announced separately. The Australians will be playing in Pakistan for the first time in almost 25 years and the series will be the Test side’s first overseas tour since facing England in the 2019 Ashes.
Thursday, 17 February, 2022
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KP LoCAL Govt PoLLS SPotLiGhtED bALLot rEjECtioNS iSSUE: iMrAN ISLAMABAD
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RIME Minister Imran Khan said the recently concluded first phase of local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa again brought to light the issue of a high number of ballot rejections due to double stamping. In a tweet, Khan said the same problem was highlighted in the judicial commission report on the 2013 general elections. He said the ability to manipulate elections through getting the opponent party’s
Pakistan-origin entrepreneur lands spot at US State Dept despite resistance WASHINGTON staff report
The US State Department said it has appointed Pakistan-born American businessman Dilawar Syed to oversee international commercial and business affairs. Republican senators had stalled his nomination for deputy small business administrator for nearly a year. The State Department said Syed would “draw on his experience working at the federal and state levels to advance commercial and economic policies that benefit American workers and businesses”. Syed immigrated to the United States as a college student to attend the College of Wooster in Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in economics and computer science from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania He has been an entrepreneur for 20 years: he has built and run companies in the fields of software, consumer, and now health care and artificial intelligence. Syed was the president of Freshworks, where he helped scale the software company’s products to thousands of small and medium businesses. In the Obama administration, Syed played an active role in promoting the State Department’s Global Entrepreneurship Programme and connecting Silicon Valley innovators with emerging entrepreneurial ecosystems. As the founding Chair of the California Entrepreneurship Task Force, Special Representative Syed drove inclusive entrepreneurship that bridged coastal regions with the state’s rural heartland and helped small businesses struggling with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Serving in the State Department’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, the Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs advances trade, commercial, and economic policies for America’s workers and the middle-class to help create well-paying jobs and strengthen our communities,” the announcement said. “Special Representative Syed will lead efforts to support the export activities of US companies through approved commercial advocacy and to create and advance a level playing field for US workers and companies overseas.”
votes rejected is one of the reasons the status quo is opposing the proposed Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) candidate Umar Amin Gandapur grabbed the Dera Ismail Khan mayor seat by defeating Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) candidate Muhammad Kafeel Nizami by over 20,000 votes. According to unofficial results of all 296 polling stations, Gandapur secured 63,753 votes while the JUI’s Kafeel Nizami bagged only 38,891 votes. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Faisal Karim Kundi remained third with 32,788 votes.
Pakistani scientist makes two world records in solar cell technology Yasir Siddique – a PhD scholar at the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) and the University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon, South Korea – has designed and fabricated solution-processed Copper Indium Sulphu Selenide (CISSe) solar cells. A team led by Siddique has developed a promising solar cell technology that sets two new world records of efficiency in the lab. The approach could help foster clean energy initiatives to combat the global warming issue. The stable solution-processed, low bandgap CISSe device perfectly works as a single cell, but could also be sandwiched with other thin-film solar cell materials having suitable bandgap as top cell-like recently emerging solar cell technology of Perovskite in tandem solar cell con-
figuration. The bandgap is the amount of energy needed to free the electron from any semiconductor; the lower the bandgap the more it produces electricity. A close view of the solution based CISSe developed by Yasir Siddique. Our sun is an average 150 million kilometres away but a primary source of light and heat for our planet. Theoretically, the sun throws 1,360 watts per square metre of mixed energy on a surface directly facing it. However, the sunlight on any solar cell largely reflected or passed through the structure and a few per cent of energy converts directly from sunlight into electricity. So, the power conversion rate, roughly called the efficiency is the degree to which a solar cell converts energy from sunrays. There are many types of solar cells with varied efficiencies. The
first, second and third generation of solar cells is another way to describe them. Different types of solar cell have different efficiencies for instance traditional silicon cell has efficiency from 15 to 20 per cent while concentrated solar cells could be 41 per cent efficient but need focused beams at one place. However, Siddique’s cell falls in the emerging trend of Tandem solar technology and is now most efficient in its category. Siddique’s recent innovation took three years to develop and finally the CISSe only cell allows the efficiency of 14.4 per cent when it is blended with perovskite (perovskite/CISSe) cell touched the efficiency of 23.03 per cent. This is the highest efficiency as compared to all solution-processed (perovskite/CISSe) solar cell category. News Desk
Transporters, chambers reject hike in oil prices Transporters have threatened to increase fares and stage a countrywide strike after the federal government jacked up prices of the petroleum products following an increase in crude oil prices in the global market. The transporters rejected the increase in oil prices, terming it unbearable. They said that they will hold a press conference to announce their strategy. Meanwhile, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) has slammed the government’s decision to make yet another hike in the prices of petroleum products taking them to almost highest level in the history of the country that would entail harmful consequences for business activities and unleash a new wave of record inflation for the common man. ICCI President Muhammad Shakeel Munir urged the government to withdraw this unwise decision immediately to save the businesses and the people from dire consequences. He said this while addressing an emergent meeting of the business community that was called to discuss this burning issue. Shakeel said that the petrol price has been hiked by about Rs12, high speed diesel and kerosene oil by around Rs10 and LDO by over Rs9 per litre taking these prices to the record high level in the country’s history. He said that the government has also increased petroleum levy by Rs4 per litre in these tough times and all these hikes were being
made to appease the IMF, which has raised many questions on our sovereignty. He said that hike in petrol and diesel prices would make a manifold increase in the energy and transport costs due to which the cost of doing business would multiply. He questioned who would do business and invest in Pakistan at a time when the government was making frequent hikes in utility tariffs and POL products. He stressed that the government should make drastic cuts in all non-development expenditures and provide some relief to inflation-stricken people. He urged that in these difficult times, the government should avoid taking such harsh decisions and focus on promoting ease of doing business to steer the economy out of current challenges. Meanwhile, the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) has expressed deep concern over the rise in prices of petroleum products and demanded the government to immediately review the prices. In a statement, RCCI President Nadeem Rauf said that the business community is deeply concerned over the sharp rise in prices, adding that inflation is already in double digits and rising prices would lead to a storm of inflation. Petrol and diesel prices have a direct impact on transportation costs. The construction sector will be affected. Rising diesel prices will increase the cost of construction materials, he added. tLtp
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AGP wants to meet Nawaz’s physician to examine medical record ISLAMABAD: The Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) on Wednesday wrote a letter to Dr David Lawrence, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s personal physician in London, seeking examination of his current medical record, according to ARY News. The AGP wrote the letter to Nawaz’s personal physician through the Pakistan High Commission in London. In the letter, the AGP said that the doctors nominated by the government intend to meet him to confirm the PML-N supremo’s health condition. The letter further stated that the meeting with Pakistani doctors should be scheduled between February 22 and March 13. The letter also asked Dr Lawrence to confirm to the AGP office or the Pakistan High Commission in London about his response to the letter. The development comes days after a special medical board of the Punjab government dismissed Nawaz Sharif’s fresh medical report as “incomplete”. The nine-member board formed by the provincial government to examine the PML-N supremo’s medical record termed the medical report that has lately been submitted in the Lahore High Court (LHC) incomplete. The report is based on the doctor’s observation and contains no record of Sharif’s health condition, the sources quoted the board as saying. No report of any credible lab or health facility is available on record to substantiate what Dr Fayaz Shawl stated about the former premier’s health. Sharif’s fresh report was submitted to the Lahore High Court (LHC) on January 28. According to the report, the PML-N supremo was advised against travelling back to the country. INp
Security forces gun down six terrorists involved in Kech attack At least six wanted militants were killed by security forces in a heavy exchange of fire during an intelligencebased operation (IBO) on a terrorist hideout in Buleda, Balochistan on Wednesday, the military said. “These terrorists were involved in recent terrorist activities in Kech,” military’s media wing, the ISPR, said in a statement. Cache of arms and ammunition was also recovered from the terrorist hideout, it added. Last month, 10 soldiers embraced martyrdom after terrorists attacked a security forces’ check post in Balochistan’s Kech district, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations. The media wing of the military had said that intense exchange of fire occurred in the “fire raid” by terrorists on the check post. It added that the forces repulsed the attack, killing one terrorist, injuring several others and apprehending three. “Terrorists fire raid on Security Forces Check post in Kech, Balochistan on night 25/26 Jan[uary]. During intense exchange of fire, 1 terrorist was killed and several injured,” the ISPR said in the statement. “While repulsing terrorists fire raid, 10 soldiers embraced shahadat,” it added. According to the ISPR, a follow-up clearance operation was launched to apprehend the culprits. The media wing of the military further said that the forces had arrested three terrorists in the ensuing clearance operation. staff report
ECP reschedules Punjab LG elections to May 29 ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday rescheduled the local government elections in Punjab with the first phase of the polls now set to take place on May 29. The provincial government had earlier announced holding the first phase of the local bodies elections on May 15. The announcement was made following a meeting of the election body, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja. Detailing the new schedule further, the ECP spokesperson in a statement said the elections will be held in Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh, Layyah, Khanewal, Vehari, Bahawalpur, Pakpattan, Toba Tek Singh, Sahiwal, Khushab, Sialkot, Gujarat, Hafiz Abad, Mandi Bahauddin, Jhelum, and Attock areas in the first phase. staff report
Court declares FIA raid at Mohsin Baig's house ‘illegal’ FIA TEAM FIRED UPON, TAKEN HOSTAGE BY THE ANALYST A court in Islamabad Wednesday declared Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) raid at journalist Mohsin Baig’s residence illegal, hours after he had been arrested. “…illegal raid was conducted at the house of [Baig] by irrelevant persons who were not authorised to do so,” Additional Sessions Judge Islamabad West Zafar Iqbal said in the judgement of a petition filed against the journalist’s arrest. In the five-page judgement, the additional sessions judge noted that the first information report (FIR) against Baig was lodged at an FIA cybercrime reporting centre of the agency in Lahore on behalf of federal
minister Murad Saeed. Earlier in the day, Islamabad police arrested a former senator and analyst from outside his residence hours after he along with his son attacked and held an unarmed raiding Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) team at gunpoint, the agency said. In a press statement, the agency said personnel from its cybercrime wing raided the house of Mohsin Baig after securing a search and seizure warrant from the relevant court. But as soon as the team reached his residence, Baig, his son and staff opened fire at the team and made two officials hostage. The agency said Baig was arrested after he ran out of bullets and was taken to Margalla police station where legal proceedings against him were underway. Baig’s family told reporters that police and officials from the agency raided his
house in the morning and took him away “without giving any reason” for the arrest. But the footage making rounds on social media show the suspects, all armed to the teeth, taking the team hostage and firing multiple rounds in the air. It also shows Baig hitting one of the officials in the head with his handgun. The official was shifted to a nearby for treatment. The FIA conducted the raid on the complaint of Minister for Communications Murad Saeed, who registered a first information report (FIR) against Baig at a cybercrime reporting centre of the agency in Lahore, accusing the former senator of “character assassination” by using “immoral and abusive language”. Baig had just days earlier suggested on a chat show that Prime Minister Imran Khan had “shown favouritism” by granting an
award to a minister. Khan had ranked Saeed as the top performer among his Cabinet. Baig, when asked by the anchor to comment on the move, responded he didn’t know but the reason was “written in [Khan’s former spouse] Reham Khan’s book”. The complaint was registered under Sections 20 (offences against the dignity of a natural person), 21-D (offences against modesty of a natural person and minor) and 24 (cyberstalking) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016 read with Sections 500 (defaming army officers) and 555 (statement conducing to public mischief) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The programme had attracted a flurry of criticism from the government and NewsOne, the channel that aired the show, was temporarily taken off air by cable networks.
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The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) also issued a showcause notice to the channel for airing “unethical” comments about a minister. ‘ASSAULT ON THE STATE’: During a press talk later in the day, Shahbaz Gill, sssistant to the prime minister on political communication, said Baig resorted to [violence] and fired at police and other law enforcers”. “He pointed a gun at the state and the state will now respond to him,” Gill said. He also questioned the credentials of Baig as a journalist. “Just tell me which newspaper or a TV channel he works for?” he asked reporters. He observed that Baig ran an advertising agency and later established a dummy online news agency. “I must clarify that he is not a journalist.” staff report