EpaperISB_22-3-19

Saturday, 19 March, 2022 I 15 Shaʽban, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 260 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition

PTI workers sTage ProTesT, barge InTo sIndh house In Islamabad

islamabad staff report

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TI workers resorted to violence and barged into the Sindh House after protesting outside for hours against disgruntled party lawmakers, who are staying in the building, in Islamabad on Friday.

Hordes of the party workers — including MNA Ataullah Niazi — participated in the demonstration and chanted slogans against the disgruntled PTI lawmakers and in PM Imran Khan’s support.

Meanwhile, the PTI and Insaf Student Federation (ISF) workers in Faisalabad also protested against MNA Raja Riaz at the Zila Council Chowk and demanded the lawmaker’s resignation from the party. As a result, a heavy contingent of police was deployed outside the MNA’s house for his security.

The demonstrators held placards and posters depicting the faces of the MNAs covered in black ink. A huge crowd blocked the road and chanted slogans against the MNAs. A similar protest also took place in Peshawar against MNA Noor Alam Khan.

Following the incident, two PTI MNAs — Attaullah Niazi and Faheem Khan — and 12 PTI members were arrested by the Islamabad police for partaking in the protest.

Addressing the violence outside the Sindh House, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed had issued orders to arrest the PTI supporters, who were involved in the “unfortunate incident.”

Condemning the turn of events, he said that the situation is now “under control” and added that the inspector general of police Islamabad has been instructed to arrest all people involved in the violent protest.

He further said that security has been tightened around the lodges and police have been instructed to take strict actions against protesters.

PPP leader Sharjeel Memon termed the storming a “failure” of Islamabad police and the interior ministry, saying “we consider the attack on Sindh House an attack on the Sindh province.”

The way PTI federal ministers had been questioning why policemen from Sindh were deployed at the building had received their answer now, he said. He claimed that two PTI MNAs — Faheem Khan and Ataullah — were also part of the group that stormed the Sindh House.

“When they were taking such actions, Islamabad police were silent. If Sindh police were not there today, PPP MNAs who were staying inside with their families would be in danger. Imran Khan has been defeated. Now he wants a clash.”

Memon appealed to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and the Supreme Court

CoronavIrus In

PakIsTan

CONFIRMED CASES:

1,520,817

LAST UPDATED AT 7:11 AM ON MARCH 18, 2022

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

7

183

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

1,473,616 30,326 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

572,868

504,219

KPK:

BALOCHISTAN:

218,503

35,454

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

43,206/11,657

134,910

to “immediately” take notice of this “terrorist attack” inside the Red Zone and for a case to be registered against “federal ministers and MNAs who were involved”.

“We are peaceful now. We should not be forced to start such incidents as well which we are not in the mood for right now because we have been [restrained] by our leadership. Do not test our patience.”

He said all political matters should be taken to the parliament, warning that if such attacks happened again then “your houses will not remain safe either”.

“We have also seen Bani Gala and the Prime Minister House. Then we will see who saves you.”

Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani reacted in a similar manner to the incident, saying: “If PTI thugs don’t return, then we also know the way to the [Sindh] Governor House.”

He said in a statement that PPP workers would surround the Governor House in Sindh if PTI workers would not leave the Sindh House in Islamabad.

Ghani added that Prime Minister Imran Khan and Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid would be responsible in case of any harm to a lawmaker.

Following PTI members’ protest against Noor Alam Khan, he took to Twitter and claimed that he and his sons are receiving threats.

“Receiving threats telling me what we did with Benazir Bhutto shaheed and Bashir Bilour shaheed [, we] will do [it] with you and your three sons. I [have] saved other numbers who have given threats [… .] present leadership will be responsible.”

Following the incident, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz took to Twitter and wrote that the government should “go home” if it has any sense of shame left.

“God willing, you will not be able to save the government, but if you have any sense of shame left in you, then go home,” she wrote.

Maryam further wrote that since the government has not been “elected,” it has no reason to show resistance. “The only option left for you is to resort to thuggery, but that will also backfire.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

No room for minus Imran in PTI: FM Qureshi islamabad staff report

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while referring to Prime Minister Imran Khan, said on Friday that there was “no room” for minus one in the PTI. Qureshi, while addressing a presser alongside Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar in Islamabad, he said there was a rumour going on that “everything is okay but Imran Khan. Everything can be saved if we go towards minus one.”

The minister declared emphatically that there is “no room for minus one” in the PTI, adding that if anyone had any misunderstanding, they should remove it.

Qureshi advised dissident MNAs, including those staying at Sindh House in Islamabad, to rethink their decision. Calling them “sensible” people, Qureshi said the MNAs were aware of the law and the Constitution, as well as, the PTI’s mandate.

“If they were elected on the bat (PTI’s election symbol) there were hopes attached to them. There are disagreements in every party but these are resolved. You cannot sit in the lap of opponents.”

When it was his turn to speak, Chaudhry claimed the PTI MNAs were being “held captive” at the Sindh House.

Govt to file reference in SC for interpretation of Article 63 (A): Fawad Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said on Friday that the government would file a reference in the Supreme Court, asking it to interpret Article 63 (A) of the Constitution, which is related to disqualification of parliamentarians on grounds of defection.

In a series of tweets, Chaudhry said the government would also request the top court to conduct daily hearings on the reference that would be filed under Article 186 of the Constitution, which is related to the advisory jurisdiction of the SC. “The Supreme Court will be asked about the legal status of the vote of party members when they are clearly involved in horse-trading and change their loyalties in exchange for money,” the minister said.

The development comes a day after several PTI lawmakers, who had been ‘in hiding’ at the Sindh House in Islamabad, revealed themselves — proving that the opposition’s claims of having “won over” members of the ruling coalition were indeed true. Prime Minister Imran Khan and some cabinet ministers had earlier accused the opposition of indulging in horse-trading ahead of the crucial vote

“They should have the freedom to make their own decisions and be released,” he said.

A day earlier, several MNAs from the ruling PTI, who had been ‘in hiding’ at the Sindh House, revealed themselves — proving that opposition claims of having won over members of the ruling coalition were indeed true.

The revelation came a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan and some cabinet ministers accused the opposition of indulging in horse-trading ahead of the crucial vote on the noconfidence resolution, disclosing that Sindh House in Islamabad had become a centre for buying and purchasing members.

Raja Riaz, who belongs to the Jahangir Tareen group, reportedly claimed that there were 24 PTI members staying at Sindh House, while Noor Alam Khan put the number of dissidents over 24.

Most of these individuals, who joined the PTI before the 2018 elections, claimed that they were staying at the facility of their own will and they decided to shift here after observing some suspicious activities and receiving threats while lodging at Parliament Lodges.

All of them refuted allegations that they had been offered money to make the opposition’s no-trust move a success.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

more inside

No decision yet on governor rule in Sindh, clarifies Rasheed STORY ON PAGE 02

Maryam Nawaz to lead PML-N caravan towards Islamabad on the np-confidence resolution, disclosing that the capital’s Sindh House had become a centre for buying and purchasing members.

But while government members continued to claim that these dissidents had “sold their souls for money”, a number of TV channels that sent their teams into Sindh House to verify the claims were faced with nearly a dozen PTI members, who claimed that they had developed differences with the Imran Khan-led government and were going to vote in “accordance with their conscience”.

Television footage showed PTI MNAs, including some women lawmakers, lounging

around the spacious Sindh House, which is located right opposite the official residence of the chief justice of Pakistan.

In his tweet today, Chaudhry said the Supreme Court would also be asked for advice on whether those who change their party loyalties for financial reasons would be disqualified for life or allowed to contest elections again.

Earlier this week, Adviser to Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Dr Babar Awan had said that the intent of Article 63 (A) of the Constitution was to not allow anyone to cross the floor who got the vote in the name of party leadership. app

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

STORY ON PAGE 03

President Alvi launches Asaan Karobar Programme STORY ON BACK PAGE

Pakistan rejects India's objection to inviting Kashmiri leaders to OIC meeting STORY ON BACK PAGE

02

Saturday, 19 March, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

No decisioN yet oN GoveRNoR Rule iN siNdh, claRiFies Rasheed

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News Desk

nTERIOR Minister Sheikh Rashid said on Friday that he had presented a summary to Prime Minister Imran Khan on imposing governor rule in Sindh earlier in the day but added that during a PTI parliamentary committee meeting no decision had been made on the suggestion so far.

The interior minister, while talking to reporters in Islamabad, asked the dissident PTI lawmakers staying in the capital’s Sindh House to consult with their constituencies and their voters on what they thought about their decision.

“I appeal to them to return [to PTI],” he said. “All those who have been sold should return to the party,” he added, assuring them that “no one will say anything to you”.

If they did not return to the PTI, the MnAs would regret their decision, Rashid

said, commenting that whoever had shared the videos of the lawmakers was “foolish” because they favoured the prime minister.

The interior minister said the government had received information about the presence of only about five to six lawmakers at Sindh House but the videos had shown between nine and 12.

“Come back so we can repaint you,” he told the MnAs. He accused the opposition of turning Sindh House into a stock exchange but said the government would not conduct a raid on the building.

“Why would we take action regarding Sindh House when we [already] have all the information?” he asked. The minister, however, questioned the need for deploying a large number of policemen at the Sindh House, saying posting a large number of police officials could cause “problems”.

At the start of his presser, Rashid spoke about the security situation in view of the

ruling PTI and the opposition’s rallies in the capital later this month. “We want to mutually decide these matters including the routes for rallies. There is no room for conflict in democracy.”

However, the opposition should not remain under any misconception as to what would happen if the situation worsened, he warned.

Bringing a no-confidence motion against the premier was the opposition’s right and nobody would face security issues while voting on it, the interior minister assured.

On a question of when voting on the resolution was expected, Rashid said it was not clear how many days the process would take. “Only the [national Assembly] speaker can answer that [but] Imran Khan will hammer the final nail in the coffins of money launderers,” he added.

A day earlier, several lawmakers from the ruling PTI, who had been ‘in hiding’ at

the Sindh House, revealed themselves — proving that opposition claims of having won over members of the ruling coalition were indeed true.

But while government members continued to claim that these dissidents had ‘sold their souls for money’, a number of TV channels that sent their teams into Sindh House to verify the claims were faced with nearly a dozen PTI members, who poured

their hearts out and laid bare all their gripes with the ruling party.

Television footage showed PTI MnAs, including some women lawmakers, lounging around the spacious Sindh House, which is located right opposite the official residence of the chief justice of Pakistan.

The building is now under the protection of Special Security Unit (SSU) personnel of the Sindh police.

PPP, PML-N warn govt against crackdown at Sindh House News Desk

PM cannot impose emergency, governor rule after ‘losing majority’: Fazl News Desk Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Friday said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has no authority to impose an emergency or governor’s rule after losing the support of majority.

Referring to senior appointments and transfers by the incumbent government, Fazl said that after the opposition’s no-trust motion, any transfer or appointment by the premier or the government would be unconstitutional. He further said that any kind of posting, appointment or withdrawal by the premier would be considered wrong and would also be resisted.

Fazl’s remarks came after PM Imran assigned his principal secretary Azam Khan as the executive director of World Bank. PM Imran appointed Azam as the executive director of the World Bank for a term of four years by short-circuiting a process that requires interviews and tests of candidates.

Gold slips to Rs112,200 per 10gm

A trio of key PPP, PML-n leaders warned the PTI government on Friday that Prime Minister Imran Khan and Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed will be responsible for the consequences if police operation is conducted at Sindh House tonight.

In a joint statement, PPP’s Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani and Raja Pervez Ashraf and PML-n Shahid Khaqan Abbasi urged the administration of Islamabad to remain alert and avoid being a part of the political activities.

The Sindh House is in the headlines since PTI leadership accused the Opposition of using the building as their centre for “horsetrading” and has hinted multiple times of action to stop this “unethical and illegal” activity.

Taking cognisance of the matter after federal ministers’ diatribe, the Opposition leaders asked the city administration to remain neutral in this issue.

“If police and administration become parties in the constitutional process of the no-confidence motion, it will be unconstitutional,” they said, warning that those who violate the constitution and those who help them should “be ready for the punishment.”

The trio was of the view that any sort of attack on the members of the national Assembly will be considered as an attack on the Parliament.

Recalling the crackdown at

Parliament Lodges on March 10, the PPP and PML-n leaders asserted that the government will have to face severe repercussions in case any police operation is conducted in Sindh House.

The three senior leaders maintained that the silence of the Speaker of the national Assembly Asad Qaiser is proof that he is favouring a party leader rather

than practising the principles of the constitution.

Taking a jibe at PM Imran Khan, the political leaders said that the premier would not be able to bring 172 members to the national Assembly on the day of voting on the no-confidence motion.

They were of the view that the government is preparing to abduct

members with the help of police and administration.

“The use of cheap tactics by the PTI-government is a proof that Imran Khan has lost the confidence of the majority,” they said, adding that those who attacked the Constitution, democracy and the Parliament will be held accountable.

News Desk Gold price snapped a two-day winning streak on Friday as a strengthening US dollar did not allow the yellow metal to gain traction. As of 1315 hours GMT, gold in the international market was available at $1,931.30 per ounce, shedding $11.10. Out of a $11.10 per ounce decrease, -$11.85 was due to the dollar’s strength and +$0.75 was due to predominant buyers, according to Kitco Gold Index. The price of 10 grams of 24-carat yellow metal in Pakistan, meanwhile, decreased to Rs112,200 after shedding Rs200. Gold in the local market was available at Rs112,400 on Thursday last.

The Pakistani rupee depreciated 0.28 percent against the US dollar during the day, which trimmed the overall decrease in the local gold prices. According to experts, the gold price is much more dependent on the developments surrounding the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Peace talks between both sides are reportedly showing little progress, and the situation is re-igniting riskaversion. The US dollar is once again seeing fresh safe haven demand, which is exerting downward pressure on gold price. Moreover, recent increases in the benchmark 10-year US Treasury bond yield is also benefiting the dollar at gold’s expense. From a technical perspective, the gold price has a strong support at $1,929, which seems to protect the immediate downside. The next support levels for gold bears are seen at $1,926 and $1,923, the latter is the previous day’s low. A sustained drop below the latter will fuel a sharp sell-off towards $1,912. On the flip side, if bulls regain control then the immediate resistance lies at $1,937. The next significant resistance is seen at $1,940, above which the $1,945 level will be tested. If the bulls come over this resistance, they will then face resistance at $1,950, which is the previous day’s high.

IHC rejects Imran, Asad’s pleas to suspend ECP's notices News Desk The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Friday rejected Prime Minister Imran Khan and Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar’s plea to suspend the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) notice against them today from partaking in a rally related to the local body polls in KP. The ECP had on March 11 issued a notice to the prime minister and several other PTI leaders for attending a public gathering in Lower Dir, with the notice being challenged in the IHC on Thursday.

Representing the prime and federal minister in today’s hearing, Barrister Ali Zafar told Justice Amir Farooq — who heard the case — that on February 19, Elections (Amendment) Ordinance 2022 had been promulgated that allowed public officeholders to partake in election campaigns.

However, he said the ECP had, on March 10, called a meeting and passed an order that barred the public officeholders from taking part in election rallies and campaigns.

At this, Justice Farooq remarked

that the government was “bypassing the Parliament and taking support of ordinances to get things done.”

“With due respect, you (government) have established an ordinance factory; the work of the Parliament is being done through ordinances,” the judge said.

The IHC judge said the

Constitution’s Article 218 has authorised the ECP to conduct free and fair elections. “And the election commission has given its reference [in their order].”

The judge wondered whether constitutional rights could be revoked by introducing various laws. “The Constitution has given a mandate

which cannot be overruled through an act of the Parliament.”

Justice Farooq told the judge that his clients should have appeared before the commission on March 14 as it had summoned them for the violation of election rules — and also warned them of action.

Responding to the judge, barrister Zafar said the election commission did not have the authority to issue a notice to his clients and requested the IHC to suspend the ECP’s notice and stop it from taking further action.

At this, the judge asked whether the barrister was eligible to decide what was right and wrong. “You should have appeared before the commission. Your conduct was fallacious.”

The judge said that if his clients cannot appear before the commission, he, as their lawyer, should appear before the electoral body.

Adjourning the hearing till March 28, the judge said the court was not suspending the ECP’s notice to PM Imran Khan and Umar. The IHC issued a notice to the ECP and said it wanted to hear the electoral body’s argument as well.

Saturday, 19 March, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

MaRyaM NaWaz to lead PMl-N caRavaN toWaRds islaMabad

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News Desk

AKISTAn Muslim Leaguenawaz (PML-n) Vice President Maryam nawaz has decided to resume her political activities.

She would resume her political activities from Swat as she would visit the area to address a public gathering on March 22. “The PML-n public gathering will determine a new political way ahead in the province,” PML-n MPA Ikhtiar Wali said.

Moreover, the party announced that Maryam alongside Hamza Shehbaz would lead a PML-n procession from Lahore on March 24 to reach Islamabad

by March 27 for the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) rally.

The decision from Maryam to resume her political activities came in the backdrop of a directive from the

PML-n leadership, asking the party workers to start preparations for the long march towards Islamabad.

The decision regarding preparations

for the long march was taken in a meeting chaired by PML-n President Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad. The meeting was virtually attended by the

senior party leaders.

Through the directive, the provincial, divisional and district officebearers of the party were issued guidelines to ensure participation of the workers.

Earlier, PDM head Maulana Fazlur Rehman had asked the convoys of the opposition’s long march to enter Islamabad on March 25 due to the upcoming session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers from March 22 to 23.

Fazl, while addressing a press conference after a meeting of the opposition leaders, had said that the convoys will depart for Islamabad on March 23.

“The marchers will enter Islamabad on March 25. The participants of the OIC CFMs are our respectable guests, hence, no difficulty should be created for them. The workers should avoid entering Islamabad on March 23.”

No-trust motion: Shujaat says ‘no one is buying or selling votes’ News Desk With the government alleging that the Opposition is involved in horse-trading ahead of the no-confidence motion, the ruling party ally — PML-Q leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain — has said that this is the “first” no-trust move in which “no one is buying or selling votes”, adding that such reports were nothing short of a “propaganda.”

In an official statement, the PML-Q leader said that he had been observing it in newspapers and on TV that “bundles of notes” are being distributed ahead of the no-confidence motion. He added that even Prime Minister Imran Khan had mentioned that “bundles of notes” were being distributed in Sindh House.

“This is the first no-confidence motion in which no one is buying or selling votes, this is just propaganda,” said Shujaat.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry had claimed a day earlier that the Sindh House in Islamabad, “is currently the centre of horse-trading,” while accusing the Opposition of buying the votes of MnAs. He had alleged that there were “reports of huge sums of money being shifted to the Sindh House,” adding that the PPP has deputed police outside it to accommodate people there.

Weekly inflation falls 1.37pc after four weeks IsLAMABAD TLTP

The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) based weekly inflation dropped by 1.37 percent after surging for four straight weeks. According to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday, on a year-on-year basis, inflation decreased to 15.12 percent from 16.49 percent recorded a week earlier. The weekly inflation for the lowest income group (Q1) witnessed a decrease of 0.99 percent, while it went 12.41 percent up on a yearon-year (YoY) basis for the same group. Overall for the other four income groups, the weekly inflation decreased from 1.12 percent (Q3) to 1.61 percent (Q4), while it went up from 13.51 percent (Q2) to 16.18 percent (Q5) on a year-onyear (YoY) basis. According to the PBS, the combined index was at 169.06 on March 17, 2022 as compared to 171.41 on March 10, 2022 while the index was recorded at 146.86 a year ago on March 18, 2021. The SPI is computed on a weekly basis to assess the price movements of essential commodities at a shorter interval of time so as to review the price situation in the country.

The SPI with base 2015-16=100 comprises 51 essential items and the prices are being collected from 50 markets in 17 cities of the country for all expenditure groups/quintiles and combined.

During the week under review, out of 51 items, prices of 29 (56.86%) items increased, prices of 09 (17.65%) items decreased, and prices of 13 (25.49%) items remained stable. The SPI for the current week recorded a decrease in the prices of food items including tomatoes (12.04%), chicken (8.39%), garlic (2.04%), sugar (0.49%), potatoes (0.41%), pulse gram (0.31%).

Following the claims, the Sindh House had become the centre of attention, with PTI MnA Raja Riaz, who is residing therein, claiming that 24 lawmakers were staying at the lodge.

The claims made by the minister and Riaz had also pushed PTI workers in Islamabad to stage a sit-in outside the Sindh House.

While the protest started off peacefully at the beginning, it soon took a violent turn as demonstrators broke the gate open and stormed inside the Sindh House. The incident happened despite the presence of a heavy contingent of police outside the lodge.

The PML-Q leader said that the government

always tries to stop public gatherings and it was the “first time” that the Opposition and the government were holding rallies on the same issue. The Opposition is insisting on holding public gatherings due to the government’s announcement. “[I am] appealing once again that the Opposition and the government delay their public gatherings,” said the PML-Q leader. “If someone dies or gets killed, then everyone will regret it,” he added.

“Federal ministers say [an MnA] will have to bypass one million people if they wish to cast a vote against Imran Khan. When a voter decides to cast his vote, then a crowd of 1 million or 100 million will not be able to stop him,” said the PML-Q leader.

The Opposition parties moved a no-confidence motion seeking the ouster of PM Imran Khan on March 8, accusing him of “mismanaging the economy and poor governance.” After submitting the noconfidence motion in the nA Secretariat, the Opposition is trying to woo the PTI allies in supporting its no-trust move, while the government has ramped up the efforts of retaining its allies. Amid all this, the PTI has called for a public gathering on March 27 — a day before the no-confidence motion.

Soon after the announcement, the Opposition also announced that it would lead a long march to Islamabad ahead of the no-confidence motion.

Opposition requests NA speaker to distribute no-confidence notice

News Desk The opposition on Friday sent a letter to the Speaker of the national Assembly and to the national Assembly secretary urging them to immediately distribute the notice of no-confidence motion among the house members.

“A no-confidence motion was submitted to the prime minister on

March 8,” the letter said. “The rules require the secretary to distribute notices of no-confidence motion among the members of the national Assembly.”

The letter added that the nA secretary had not yet distributed the no-confidence motion whereas the said motion should be on the agenda of the meeting one day after the distribution of the said notice.

“In order to fulfil rule 37 (of the house), the notice should be distributed immediately and entered in the order of the first working day of the session,” the letter concluded.

On March 8, the joint opposition submitted a noconfidence motion against the chief executive of the country – Prime Minister Imran Khan – while pinning its hopes for the success of the motion on the estranged members of the ruling party and its allies.

The submission of the motion was followed by a press conference by the top leadership of the opposition parties, including PMLn President Shehbaz Sharif, JUI-F and PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and PPP leader Asif Zardari, who said that the days of the prime minister were numbered and that no rhetoric could save him anymore.

At the presser, the top guns of the opposition parties appeared confident that they would succeed in passing the no-trust motion against the premier, saying the opposition would surely bring the members and make sure that it had more than 172 members’ support.

NEWS

03

Footwear exports rise 18pc to over $103m in 8 months IsLAMABAD TLTP

The footwear exports surged around 18 percent to $103.63 million during the first eight months (JulyFebruary) of the current financial year 2021-22 on a year-on-year (YoY) basis. According to the data released

by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the country exported footwear worth $103.633 million during 8MFY22 against the exports of $88.050 million during the same period of FY21, showing a growth of 17.70 percent. In terms of quantity, the exports of footwear also increased by 9.08 percent by going up from 11,092,000 pairs to 12,099,000 pairs, according to the data. Among the footwear products, the exports of leather footwear rose by 12.76 percent as it surged from $73.720 million last year to $83.129 million during the current year.

The canvas footwear exports of the country stood at $0.716 million during the current year against $0.254 million during last year, showing an increase of 181.895 percent. Following suit, the exports of all other footwear goods increased by 40.58 percent during the period under review as these went up from $14.076 million last year to $19.788 million during the current fiscal year. Meanwhile, on a year-on-year basis, the footwear export increased by 42.75 percent during the month of February 2022 as compared to the same month of last year. The footwear exports during February 2022 were recorded at $18.224 million against the export of $12.766 million in February 2021.

During the period under review, the leather and canvas footwear export also rose by 35.79 and 672.73 percent respectively. In addition, the exports of all other footwear commodities increased by 64.50 percent. On a month-on-month basis, the exports of footwear increased by 44.06 percent during February 2022 as compared to the exports of $12.650 million in January 2022, the PBS data revealed. On a month-on-month basis, the exports of leather and canvas footwear increased by 52.26 and 125.17 percent respectively whereas the export of other footwear increased by 14.674 percent. Pakistan Footwear Manufacturers Association (PFMA) Chairman Zahid Hussain has said that Pakistan’s footwear industry is in a position to increase its exports to $1 billion by 2027. He underlined that the industry is probably the only sector which has reduced its import share drastically in the past three years. Hussain highlighted that the sector’s domestic production has increased by 50% in the past three years mainly owing to import substitution. He pointed out that footwear imports had gone down to just 1.6 million pairs from 26 million pairs four years ago. “The target of exports worth $1 billion is not something out of the hand and is very much doable, keeping in view the growth of the footwear sector in recent years,” he maintained. “We are hopeful that we will achieve this target by 2027, by adding more export markets like China,” he emphasised. “The ‘Make-inPakistan’ policy has started giving results,” he stressed.

Giving an example, Hussain said that the smartphone and footwear sectors had reduced their imports due to domestic manufacturing. “Their exports have also started increasing,” he underlined.

Saturday, 19 March, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

04 NEWS

Bilawal challenges PM iMran to iMPose governor rule in sindh

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News Desk

PP Chairman Bilawal BhuttoZardari Friday warned the federal government he would respond if it imposes the governor’s rule in Sindh — where the PPP is in power. “If you have the guts, then impose governor’s rule, Imran Khan! Don’t delay it, impose it today,” Bilawal dared the PM as the political tensions rise in the country with the vote on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan. “InshAllah, all of us will come to Islamabad and respond,” the PPP chairman said.

However, PM Imran Khan ruled out im-

posing the governor’s rule in Sindh, sources told Geo News Friday but decided to move the Supreme Court against the disgruntled members of the ruling PTI. Chairing the PTI’s political committee today, the prime minister vowed to battle the Opposition and was confident of the failure of the no-confidence motion against him. Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed had a day earlier proposed the premier take steps in order to stop the “horse-trading” from taking place at the Sindh House.

During the meeting, the majority of the participants opposed the move after the interior minister presented a summary in this regard.

British envoy visits MG Motor's assembly plant in Lahore lahoRe PR

The British High commissioner to Pakistan, Dr. Christian Turner visited the MG JW Automobile Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd facility in Lahore. The visit was a festive and exciting event where the High Commissioner interacted with the company’s leadership, visited the state-of-the-art MG assembly plant, and got to test drive the all-electric Marvel R and HS PHEV. Speaking at the event, Dr. Turner said “It is a wonderful showcase of the British Automotive Brand in Pakistan. Bohat Mubarak! The future is electric and MG will be cutting down carbon emissions with electric vehicles for cleaner and greener Pakistan.”

In March 2021, the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Mr. Nong Rong had also visited the setup and had similar sentiments after his visit. MG Motor Pakistan has delivered more than 10,000 vehicles, launched 7 state of the art dealerships with MG Care Centers and introduced world class latest models in Pakistan, setting the tone for the whole industry. MG vehicles are one of the most advanced, equipped and safe vehicles on Pakistani roads and are considered a standard in their respective categories.

MG with its British legacy has always

been a brand of ingenuity and innovation.

The brand entered the Pakistani market under the flag of SAIC Motor International, primarily launching in the luxury category. The first HS CKD variant lineoff was held on 28th May, 2021 and after successful testing and trials, is ready to launch locally assembled, world class vehicles in the country.

MG envisions a cleaner and technologically advanced future for Pakistan.

The dream is to make Pakistan a part of the global supply chain and soon be able to export Pakistan made MG vehicles across the globe. As the company is ready to start local production and very soon, vehicles “Made in Pakistan”, will be dominating the roads worldwide.

“Only two federal ministers backed the idea,” sources said. The PM, however, issued directives to deliberate further on the issue, saying the situation will deteriorate further by imposing the governor’s rule.

The Sindh House grabbed the spotlight after it was revealed on Thursday that around 24 PTI MNAs had been staying at the Sindh House in Islamabad — and some of them had publicly announced to go against the party. In a press conference after the meeting, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed said all the disgruntled PTI MPs who have sought refuge in Sindh House ahead of the no-confidence motion to return, assuring them that no action will be taken against them.

Gepco announces new criteria for appointment of CEO PRess Release Gepco Board of Directors Introduces a Unique Formula For Gepco CEO Recruitment. A plan has been hatched to technically dismiss all experienced engineers of the power sector.

According to the details, an advertisement for the post of CEO Gepco was published by DG HR & Admin in various newspapers some couple of weeks ago, in which for the first time the required academic qualification, for the post of head of an electricity distribution company, is MBA and Affiliation with a professional body of Accountants as well as

Electrical Engineering. The candidates having such irrelevant (Non Engineering) degrees were also declared eligible for such a technical top slot post. The age limit for this post is fixed at 60 years whereas a total of 20 years alongwih 10 years experience in private or public Power sector is required.

However, a significant doubt has been added in terms of experience, under which any candidate must have at least 5 years of working experience in a senior management position in any private or public sector organisation. It is pertinent to mention here that at present

BankIslami becomes sponsor of MAP Convention 2022 PR

viduals who have significantly influenced their respective domains. Syed Amir Ali, President and CEO of BankIslami, made a special address during the convention titled "Change Management - Thriving in Changing Times." The 22nd MAP Convention was a professionally designed conference program that assisted Pakistani organization management in planning for the future.

BankIslami, Pakistan’s leading Islamic financial institution, added another honor to its portfolio by becoming a proud Silver Sponsor of the Management Association of Pakistan (MAP) Convention 2022 held at Marriott Hotel, Karachi. Featuring some of the most notable business leaders from diverse industries across the country, the event brought together visionary indi-

Metier Group organises seminar PR A seminar was organized by Metier Group at a private university in Islamabad on Monday, March 14th, where Dr. Majida Zafar gave a lecture on Hygiene Issues for Women. In the briefing session, she discussed personal hygiene and said that women who use soap for personal hygiene should avoid using it as it can be harmful to their health. Instead, use eight to ten drops of Pyodine Solution mixed with water. In addition, Dr. Majida Zafar said that our younger generation should take special care of their diet and personal health and hygiene.

CMYK

there is hardly an officer in Gepco or other public sector distribution companies who has been working in a senior management position (grade 20 or above) for 5 years. As almost all the engineers in this sector at present earned this position at the age of 56 to 58 years. So even at the age of 60 years, it is logically impossible for any officer to have the required experience of 5 years in regular grade 20.

Like wise in Other distribution companies ie FESCO and Mepco, they have required 03 years experience in grade 20 in their recruitment ads for same position.

Digitz brings Digitas to Pakistan PR Digitz, Pakistan‘s leading digital agency, is proud to announce its partnership with connected marketing agency Digitas, part of publicisgroupe. the new entity shall be called: digitzdigitas. Digitz ranks top amongst Pakistan’s cutting-edge agencies, having grown exponentially. over the last 10 years to become a full-service digital solutions company. Digitz currently services local and global giants including: the coca cola company, l’oréal Pakistan, gsk consumer healthcare, tetra pak, nestle corporate, colgate-palmolive, ismail industries, national foods and tapal.

Saturday, 19 March, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

No room for minus Imran in PTI: FM Qureshi continued from page 01 The members, however, remained diplomatic when asked if they had decided to vote in support of the opposition’s no-trust resolution against the prime minister, stating that they would vote according to their “conscience”.

During his presser today, the foreign minister told the lawmakers that the PTI was ready to listen to their “valid concerns”, saying they would make a big political mistake if they went against party decisions.

He appealed to them to reconsider their decision and to weigh their choices with a “cool mind” and make a decision that was not against their party.

Qureshi added that the PTI’s political committee had decided in accordance with the law, Constitution and ethics that if the MNAs — despite the appeal — chose to become dissidents, they would be issued show-cause notices and a presidential reference would be moved against them.

The minister’s comments come hours after Chaudhry stated the government would file a reference in the Supreme Court, asking it to interpret Article 63 (A) of the Constitution, which is related to disqualification of parliamentarians on grounds of defection.

“The Supreme Court will be asked about the legal status of the vote of party members when they are clearly involved in horse-trading and change their loyalties in exchange for money,” he said.

Chaudhry said the Supreme Court would also be asked for advice on whether those who change their party loyalties for financial reasons would be disqualified for life or allowed to contest elections again.

According to Article 63 (A) of the Constitution, a parliamentarian can be disqualified on grounds of defection if he “votes or abstains from voting in the House contrary to any direction issued by the parliamentary party to which he belongs, in relation to election of the prime minister or chief minister; or a vote of confidence or a vote of no-confidence; or a money bill or a Constitution (amendment) bill”.

The article says that the party head has to declare in writing that the MNA concerned has defected but before making the declaration, the party head will “provide such member with an opportunity to show cause as to why such declaration may not be made against him”. During the press conference today, Chaudhry said the SC had been approached to clarify “whether Constitution allows horse-trading”.

“We have also asked the Supreme Court that lawmakers who will be disqualified in this case, whether they will be allowed to contest elections again or will they be disqualified for life,” he added. He said the reference for this purpose would be filed on Monday. Earlier in the press conference, Qureshi asserted that the PTI’s allies would not part ways with the ruling party and make “political decisions”.

The foreign minister said the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, a key ally of the PTI in the centre and Punjab, “is a political family that makes political decisions, not emotional decisions”. “It there is a need to make them understand where they stand for the PML-N,” he added, recalling that it was, in fact, the “PML-N that had laid thorns in their path during the 2018 general elections”. The PTI, on the other hand, had been supporting them, Qureshi said. So, he said, “in my political opinion, they will never trust the PML-N”. In this connection, he also spoke about speculations that the PML-Q had been offered the position of Punjab chief minister.

“But for how long with the chief minister be able to continue working and working effectively if there will be a majority of PML-N lawmakers in the National Assembly and PML-N ministers in the federal cabinet?” he questioned. The minister said he did not expect the PML-Q to make “non-political” decisions. He further said that there was speculation about the MQM-P parting ways with the government. “But this will be illogical if the MQM part ways relying on the PPP,” he added.

“This will not be a political decision and I don’t believe that the MQM will make this decision.” On Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid’s proposal to impose a governor’s rule in Sindh, Chaudhry said the government “will not use this option for now”. “But we will see if the situation remains the same in the future,” he added. FM Qureshi further told media persons that the matter was discussed in the political committee meeting today and all the participants agreed that it was not needed.

05

PTI workers sTage ProTesT, barge INTo sINdh house IN IslaMabad continued from page 01

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EDERAL Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry, while reacting to the development, tweeted that the Sindh House is situated in a “sensitive area” in the proximity of the Chief Justice House, ministers’ colony, and the residences of other important personalities.

“PPP and PML-N turncoats should shift from [the Sindh House to some other place] otherwise, this show will continue throughout the month,” he said. “How many people will [the government] stop?”

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Political Communications

Dr. Shahbaz Gill on Friday said Prime Minister Imran Khan was standing firm on his principles and for the selfdetermination of the country.

Shedding light on the ongoing circumstances in the country between the government and opposition, he in his tweet said, “Whatever is happening today had to happen. I knew this three years ago that these thieves (opposition) can’t see the Captain (Khan) in power.

He said some were giving excuses of unfaithfulness while some of betraying. “But the real thing is that Khan will stand firm on his principles and for Pakistan’s self-determination,” he said.

While talking about Sindh House

Govt to file reference in SC for interpretation of Article 63 (A): Fawad continued from page 01 “We will crush the no-confidence motion through the Constitution and the law,” he had claimed.

The MNAs who directly or indirectly criticised the government’s policies on Thursday included Raja Riaz and Nawab Sher Waseer from Faisalabad, Noor Alam Khan from Peshawar, minority representative Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, Nuzhat Pathan and parliamentary secretary for education Wajiha Qamar.

Raja Riaz, who belongs to the Jahangir Tareen group, reportedly claimed that there were 24 PTI members staying at Sindh House, while Noor Alam Khan put the number of dissidents over 24.

Most of these individuals, who joined the PTI before the 2018 elections, claimed that they were staying at the facility of their own will and they decided to shift here after observing some suspicious activities and receiving threats while lodging at Parliament Lodges.

All of them refuted allegations that they had been offered money to make the opposition’s no trust move a success. The members, however, remained diplomatic when asked if they had decided to vote in support of the opposition’s no-trust resolution against the prime minister,

stating that they would vote according to their “conscience”.

According to Article 63 (A) of the Constitution, a parliamentarian can be disqualified on grounds of defection if he “votes or abstains from voting in the House contrary to any direction issued by the parliamentary party to which he belongs, in relation to election of the prime minister or chief minister; or a vote of confidence or a vote of no-confidence; or a money bill or a Constitution (amendment) bill”.

The article says that the party head has to declare in writing that the MNA concerned has defected but before making the declaration, the party head will “provide such member with an opportunity to show cause as to why such declaration may not be made against him”.

After giving the member a chance to explain their reasons, the party head will forward the declaration to the speaker, who will forward it to the chief election commissioner (CEC). The CEC will then have 30 days to confirm the declaration. If confirmed by the CEC, the member “shall cease to be a member of the House and his seat shall become vacant”.

The government has already indicated that it will use Article 63 (A) to “crush” the no-confidence motion against PM Imran.

PSEB appoints AKD Securities as financial adviser As per the mandate given by the Ministry of Information Technology, Pakistan Software Export Board (“PSEB”) launched its initiative to provide easy access to capital markets for small and medium IT based enterprises via Initial Offering on Growth Enterprise Market Board (“GEM”) of Pakistan Stock Exchange (“PSX”).

GEM Board is a listing platform aimed at facilitating growthoriented businesses where small, medium, or green-field businesses raise capital to fund their growth and expansion plans. PR

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incident, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) Shahbaz Gill has said that the workers should not have broken the gate of Sindh House.

Shahbaz Gill took the two arrested workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) out of the police station and mentioned it before the media that Raja Riaz got the millions of votes because of Imran Khan. He told the workers to protest within the ambit of law. We will not let the demand go, this time the people will not remain neutral, do not take the law into their hands, there will be peaceful protest.

He further said that the whole nation stands with Imran Khan, we will not allow buying and selling, our army is the crown of our head, PTI will not

speak ill of any institution like PML-N, we are Muslims. Not inferior like PMLN, the army and the government are on the same page for the defense of Pakistan, the army should not be dragged into every issue, we are in the government at the moment and we have to follow the law in every situation.

Shahbaz Gill said that it is a bad thing to sue the workers of any party for terrorism. If a worker breaks a flowerpot then there is no terrorism.

“We will convene a meeting of the National Assembly very soon. We can spend more money than them. These people are using the resources of Sindh government. We will not do any illegal, non-parliamentary work. We are like them,” he said.

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Saturday, 19 March, 2022

06 COMMENT

The national government

PTI Government’s shrinking manoeuvering space Only two options left

Is a national government the solution to the crisis

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hILe opposition legislators are impatiently waiting for the day they intend to vote for the motion of no-confidence, the PTI government is left with few options. It wanted the Speaker to disqualify any PTI lawmaker who turned up to vote despite being debarred by the PM. This is no more possible after clarification by the election Commission of Pakistan that the authority to disqualify any legislator on the charge of defection rests only with the eCP after a procedure that can take several days after the voting.

Instead of issuing political statements calling upon the eCP to stop the alleged horse trading in Sindh house, the PM needs to initiate the procedure by declaring in writing which lawmakers have defected, which he hasn’t done yet.

With two huge and motivated pro-PTI and proOpposition crowds expected to gather outside Parliament on the voting day, use of force by the PTI to stop legislators from entering Parliament house could lead to large scale rioting. After the IhC judgment the onus would be on Interior Minister Sh Rashid Ahmed and the administration if things go bad on the no-confidence day, so the government will have to ensure that all voters get a safe passage. The best way is for both the PTI and the opposition to cancel the gatherings. The government which was the first to issue the call to its workers must be the first to announce its cancellation.

The government cannot dissolve the National Assembly after the presentation of the vote of no-confidence. Any attempt to enforce a state of emergency is likely to be struck down by the Supreme Court as there are no compelling circumstances to justify it. The government hopes to restart talks with its rebellious allies who technically speaking are still a part of the government. It has however announced that it would not provide them any ministries The move would be too late and there is little possibility of the government yielding to the allies’ demands that it has consistently rejected as preposterous while making fun of their political standing.

The government is left with only two honourable options now. Get the bit between the teeth and face the no-confidence move, or resign to allow the holding of fresh elections.

Dr Qaisar rashiD

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political crisis is brewing. Woes are about to befall the state. Whereas there are efforts underway to dislodge the incumbent government, there are efforts to avoid taking the responsibility for running the next government. On 16 March, opposition leader in the National Assembly and President of Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) Shahbaz Sharif demanded that, excluding the ruling party Pakistan Tehrek-e Insaf (PTI), a national government for the next five years be formed to work with dedication for Pakistan’s betterment and welfare. While being interviewed by a local television network, Sharif aired the demand as his personal idea, and not a policy statement of the PML(N).

Sharif has been trying to say that the challenges to run the country by putting it back on the track of normalcy are numerous. It would be infeasible for any one political party to get encumbered with trials, as the running of the state’s affairs might adversely affect the party’s popularity. Instead, it would be feasible to join hands with others instead of letting them sit on the opposition benches and launch withering attacks. Moreover, in the presence of the scathing media, the next government would not have smooth sailing. Sharif aired the idea of the formation of the national government as the coalition government espousing the win-win formula for political survival.

The idea of forming a national government has emerged not from an abyss but from ground realities such as the state of economy, politics and foreign relations. No political party is ready to de-popularize itself.

On the domestic front, the eight months of Asad Umar as the Finance Minister were devastating for the economy. Pakistan is still struggling to come out of the harm inflicted by those months. COAS Gen

Imposing governor rule A classic case of over-reaction

UN: A failure?

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VeN if one were to concede all of Interior Minister Sh Rashid Ahmed’s arguments, it is still not possible to see how he arrived at the conclusion he has reached, of imposing governor rule in Sindh. It is another matter that his arguments are hardly convincing. One of his main contentions is that the presence of PTI MNAs in Sindh house, who intend to vote in the no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister, is proof that loyalties were being bought. how he made that particular deduction is known only to himself, and presumably his boss, Prime Minister Imran Khan.

More likely, it seems, he (and his boss) have been greatly irked by the role Sindh house appears to be playing in providing the PPP (which is in power in Sindh) a place in Islamabad which allows it to keep PTI MNAs who have decided to go against Mr Khan. Using Article 234 of the Constitution to dismiss a provincial government solely to gain control of its rest-house in Islamabad seems a little extreme, and amounts to taking a sledgehammer while attempting to kill a fly. In the midst of all that is happening, does the government wish to merely add to its troubles by imposing President’s rule in Sindh?

The proclamation has to be validated by a joint sitting resolution in two months. The government barely enjoyed a joint-sitting majority, which it may well have lost now.

Does it really want to open that particular can of worms?

The imposition of Governor’s Rule would probably not be a legal challenge, for it would appear not as a governance issue, but as a political one, and governor rule in a province can only be proclaimed if it appears that there is breakdown to the constitutional machinery. None of the symptoms are visible in the province, and events in Islamabad may not allow the province of Sindh to be taken over in such a cavalier fashion. If this is an example of how the PM has been served by his ministers and confidants, it might show why he is in the crisis he now faces, and which, by the way, will not be solved by imposing Governor’s rule on Sindh. After all, it makes the wild assumption that the PPP has nowhere else to keep any PTI defectors it wants to keep secure.

Does the world body have a future?

Dr shoaib baloch

T

he purpose is not to write the death certificate of the UN but to attempt to delineate the failures of the world’s largest multilateral organization. The catastrophic global wars of the 20th century w took a great toll of lives with profound social, economic and political implications. To prevent the future generation from the ‘scourge of war’, the gang of five midwived the birth of the UN, but congenital anomalies have atrophied all its organs. Thus, it has failed to grow and function properly.

The structural defects of the UN have provided room to big powers to advance their interest at the expense of the organization’s primary objective. It has failed to prevent conflicts; peace and security have become a far cry. The flames of conflict have never extinguished while only the means and patterns of war have been changed.

Given that the UN has made the lawless jungle a sort of zoo to cage the big beasts and neutralize their aggressive behaviour in an anarchic international system, this objective has remained a pipedream. however, during the creation of the UN, the five permanent members of the Security Council were victorious powers with convergent interests, creating an institutional world order aimed at protecting their future interests and preventing war.

When the interests of veto powers started to diverge over the future course of world economic and

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Qamar Javed Bajwa tried to rescue Umar by scraping up finances as loans from Pakistan’s friendly countries, but the overture backfired, catapulting Pakistan into further financial trouble. The unnecessary delay in contacting the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to get a bailout package harmed Pakistan cripplingly.

Devaluation did the rest of the invidious job. The flight of capital had already started in 2016 to countries in South Asia (such as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) and South east Asia (such as Indonesia and Malaysia) for establishing industries to run exportoriented businesses. The incumbent government acted against its own chances of success by overplaying the accountability card especially through the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

NAB might have recovered millions of rupees through its efforts, but it has lost credibility as a neutral dispassionate player especially in the past three years. Further, NAB has proved it consisted of prosecutors not trained for contesting cases in the courts.

The induction method of using 100 marks, mostly an objective-type paper to employ a 17 grade officer, could not hire brilliant brains. The loads of files reduced its efficiency further.

NAB has earned more political notoriety for being biased and incompetent than it could earn social acceptance and political relevance. even the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) kept working on a MacGuffin, using flimsy excuses for an action. The resultant deficit sapped not only the confidence of investors but also the motivation of the bureaucracy, which kept its performance cautious to evade internment and the resultant social ignominy.

Religious factors, if not parties, have got emboldened under one slogan or the other. They have learnt the art of swelling streets with protestors. Staging sitins, choking roads and resorting to hooliganism have become a norm, offering the hooligans a new weapon to get their demands met. Resultantly, the country stands shy of moonshot projects and is chary of buying empty promises. In fact, the country has been experiencing political involution.

On the international front, Pakistan has got itself isolated by announcing its own terms of engagement.

After 2018, Pakistan tried to construct its foreign policy on entirely new lines. The foreign policy cannot be started de novo overlooking the past history of as-

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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political structure, the UN landed in troubled waters.

Great powers have never compromised their interests— while breaching flagrantly the UN’s principles to preserve their strategic interests. The permanent members of the UNSC always tend to use their veto power to curb any resolution which may undermine their interests or that of their allies. In this way, power politics continues to strangulate the UN. Of all optimisms, the UN is always admired as having prevented World War III. It may be true to admit that the UN has contributed in several peacekeeping missions and has also extended help in conflict resolution, but it must not be given the credit for preventing World War III. It has been the nuclear deterrence which has repelled big powers from direct collision thus far. Nuclear weapons have created the fear of mutual destruction; therefore, nuclear countries rationally avoid war. In other words, the concept of mutually assured destruction (MAD) has discouraged them from engaging in war, for it will bring about complete annihilation with no victorious power. But the major global powers have remained in entanglement through proxy warfare in other countries. however, on the pretext of humanitarian intervention or self-defence in the face of a perceived threat, great powers are often inclined to military intervention in other countries with the view to ‘preventing’ or ‘pre-empting’ the imminent threat to their national security. Pre-emptive self-defence has resulted in the violation of sovereignty and human rights abuse. The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 is a textbook example of sovereignty violation. Similarly, the ongoing Russia’s military invasion in Ukraine signifies the tragedy of great power politics. evidently, the UN is impotent, for it has failed to prevent great power aggression. Any resolution

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sociations and arrangements. The burden of history is enormous, as Pakistan trudged through different phases of regional crises and international dilemmas.

Pakistan remained allied to western english-speaking, democracy-oriented and capitalist-driven countries. The bent of society, especially the upper and middle class, remained accordingly.

Now, an effort is being made to turn away from the conventional trajectory in the name of nationalism. Pakistan has started choosing between China and the USA. After 2018 Pakistan challenged and ridiculed the USA unnecessarily. The acrimony could have been avoided diplomatically.

In hindsight, Naseem Zahra could have been a better choice for the post of the national security advisor than the imported Moeed Yusuf. It is a tragedy that governments discard known local talent and hire consultants on the basis of their hyperbolic curriculum vitae. Pakistan’s not condemning the aggression of a revanchist Russia against Ukraine is a blunder, and a display of Pakistan’s compromise on its hyped foreign policy principles.

After 2018 Pakistan also carries the burden of its unpleasant past. The DAWN leaks (October 2016), which revealed a lingering disagreement between the then ruling PML(N) leadership and the military on the future of Islamic militant groups, saw Pakistan in June 2018 falling into the trap of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the grey list of which has been dictating Pakistan its terms.

Working alone, no political party finds perhaps the necessary will and know-how to reverse the tide of economic downturn, political instability, and social unrest.

Blinkers need to be removed. Damage has been done.

No need to author a quiet tragedy that could haunt the future. By demanding a conjoined effort in the form of a national government, Sharif must be trying to save the PML(N) from the future hardships confronted in electoral politics. his statement specifies risk calculations that he has done preserve the party’s vote bank.

The point is simple: the experiment of making an artificial construct to run the country away from its natural evolved course has foundered on ground realities.

The writer can qaisarrashid@yahoo.com

be

reached

at

against their actions will be vetoed without any impediment. hence, the UN serves no purpose during great power conflict, and the vulnerable countries are subjugated without any substantial help or collective security.

Today, the world is in disarray. Virulent nationalism, retreat of globalism, great power tension, unilateralism in action, little respect for global norms, global security landscape, and the twilight of American exceptionalism are some aspects of the world in transition. The UN is unable to stem the rising tides of these evolving dynamics of the world. even though the UN has cheated death despite global crises in the past, changing priorities and interests of permanent members of the UNSC will lead to its painful death. These permanent members— particularly China, Russia and the USA— are on a collision course, having divergent interests over a myriad of global issues. Drifting great power interests would be a death agony for the UN. Although the USA has been a ruthless master, its rise as global hegemonic power has provided the UN a lease of life. The USA has covered the world with the blanket of its security to work as global policeman; its economic supremacy has allowed it to influence world economy and attract alliances; its technological superiority has added another dimension to its power; and, its ideological principles— multilateralism, the neoliberal economic system, and democratic political norms— have provided it with the paraphernalia to craft the rules of the game.

Briefly, the UN has been under the protection of a hegemonic power; its principles have been upheld by the virtue of the US exceptionalism.

An evolving multipolar world order will be a litmus test for the UN. Multiple major powers in the international system will increase unilateralism, so multilateralism will be at stake. Nevertheless, war, climate change and pandemics are the major global problems for the UN. But great power relations will decide the future of the UN.

An evolving multipolar world order will be a litmus test for the UN. Multiple major powers in the international system will increase unilateralism, so multilateralism will be at stake. Nevertheless, war, climate change and pandemics are the major global problems for the UN. But great power relations will decide the future of the UN

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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The writer is a strategic affairs and foreign policy analyst. He tweets at @drsho_aib and can also be reached at dr.baloch@yahoo.com

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

06-07 Comments - 19th March 2022_Layout 1 3/18/2022 11:19 PM Page 2

Saturday, 19 March, 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

Menace of Unemployment ONe of the long-faced and serious issues of Pakistan is unemployment.

Unemployment constantly increases in our country. From 2017 to 2020, this problem arises from 3.94% to 4.65%. All those youngsters who owned the responsibility of all the members of their family even when they are highly qualified and competent when face unemployment prefer to suicide and adopted crime. hence, many more issues arise from unemployment.

This particular controversy is due to a lack of opportunities for employment because our government imports things mostly and does not produce industries. In our country, people find shortcuts and work on the recommendations of rich people. In our educational system, there are no guides to career planning. So, the students choose specific careers like doctor, engineer, pilot, teaching e.t.c. and don’t pay heed to other professions.

I want that the government must produce more and more industries and other opportunities for jobs. Our educational system needs to modify and update so that through the proper guideline of career planning we can overcome unemployment. The concerned authorities should end up getting the jobs on recommendations and make a merit formula.

MAZIA MUJEEB CHAKWAL

Abusive relationship: A touching story of a victim Alarming and one of the grave societal concerns

Dr saira asaD

A

healthy relationship leads to a healthy family bond, and when the relationship gets sour and affected and manipulated by others it can lead to an unhealthy relationship. Regarding domestic violence on a woman, where she has been trapped in a manipulative plot by her in-laws. it is heartbreaking and one’s heart cries at the injustice of the treatment that has been received throughout her married life of nearly 20 years. The eye-opening story of a victim, a woman from Rawalpindi, Ms Kazmi, who has been interviewed to make aware and raise the alarm towards one of the societal concerns regarding brutal domestic violence.

The victim, a highly educated woman, was married to an educated person by the mutual decision of both families considering it a good match. But, her in-laws never left any point of degrading her in front of their friends and neighbours as they had no relation with their whole family, even with their brothers and sisters. Soon after the marriage, she said that a strange family bonding was noticed, where brothers and sisters were seen not visiting each other or sitting together and she always heard her in-laws making negative remarks about each of them.

She said that “All the time, my in-laws were seen fighting from one side with me and the mission was only to degrade me at every step and they tried to show their superiority, and the atmosphere and attitude towards me was toxic and insulting. I was told to stop my parents from visiting there. I was not allowed to give birth to kids.

“Once, I heard my in-laws saying among themselves to frame me and keep insulting me by forcing me to leave their house as to why I was not bringing my property, and why I should live in their house as it belongs to them. every day, I was being trapped. They initiated their plans by calling their daughter and her husband from Lahore to drag me out by manipulating the relationship between husband and wife.

“They used to fight at once without any reason. All the time, they were seen fighting. As soon as their daughter saw me, she shouted and said, this house is hers, who are you to live here and asked me to immediately leave the house.

My mother-in-law and father-in-law were fully supporting her. My husband recognized at that time that all were fighting with me one-sided and took the decision to live in a separate rented house. Whenever my husband would visit his parents’ house, he became infuriated and used to

quarrel with me on his return”.

The touching story of an innocent victim made my heart cry. She was blamed throughout her married life for living under her husband’s roof and on his food. She should bring her things to live upon otherwise she will be divorced. That was the thing which made her terrified about marriage, she has two children, a boy of 17 and a girl of eight.

She was bearing all for her kids to survive and give them a better life. With time, she had a chance of doing her doctorate at her parents’ expense as her husband also went abroad for his PhD. All expenses of the victim were borne by her parents related to study and traveling. She was tortured, strangulated, and abused verbally, physically, and mentally to live under her husband’s roof and food. Such greed has never been seen, even a highly educated person’s mind cannot be changed by counseling. The husband in closed-door used to make plans on the telephone with her in-laws, and they were heard telling him to treat his wife so that she will be characterized and will be kept on two divorces, and her kids would be manipulated against her.

While giving the details of her husband’s brutal behaviour, she stated that “I was never given help by any helping hand at home throughout my married life of nearly 20 years.

On my return to Pakistan, my husband made me live again for a few months at my in-laws’ house to resettle. I heard the family’s manipulative behaviour against me and provoking my husband to give her two divorces to get her property from her parents in his name. Without any reason, he used to run towards me many times a day, pull my hair, drag me on the floor from one room to another by hurling abuses and asking for a jeep and four-kanal house at the capital city immediately from my parents.

“My telephone, laptop, the landline was kept away, and my passport, ID card, and all academic documents were taken away. I was physically beaten if I tried to communicate with anyone. I was not allowed to talk to my kids and use any facility in the house. I was dragged by the hair to the servant quarter many times to live there.

“Throughout, I was listening to abuses against my whole family and even my distant relatives. his mother used to laugh and always provoked my husband to treat the wife like this as one gets the property on one’s name ion one’s life in this way. his mother, daughter, and brother-in-law were heard and seen communicating with each other for many hours in a day as they all used to talk on speakerphones.

“I was bleeding from inside with severe bruises that were mentioned in the medical report. I was harassed with uploading my fake photographs to defame me; I was threatened to death on pistol point; I was forced to be abused through my son by narrating fake stories; mother-in-law was seen doing very suspicious

acts many times in her closed room with the help of lemon, green chili, and salt”.

On 13 June, the incident turned horrific. She said “I was kept on a three-day probation, and if the property would not be transferred, I will get the divorce. After three consecutive months of severe physical, mental, and verbal abuse with all bruises, the property was not transferred by my father on this brutal attitude of in-laws towards me. I was shivering when I heard my in-laws’ video and audio calls with their daughter and her husband where they were screaming that I should be dragged out of the house to get the property, by keeping my kids back, they were insisting on pronouncing two divorces, taking away the jewelry from the locker, my ID card, and passport by not allowing anything to be taken away. They were shouting to destroy my academic record and laptop.

“By getting all under their control, they will be able to get the property in their name. The same plan was implemented and they captured all my belongings. One day, I got hold of a landline that was kept hidden from me, and I got a chance to inform my parents to save me as so far I was pronounced twice divorces and all plan were applied to me. In no time, I was rescued under police custody and taken away by my senior relatives who were witnesses of brutal and abnormal behaviour The Supreme Court heard the case and felt sorry for such a brutal attitude of my husband that was proved after twice reinvestigation. he was pronounced by the honorable judges as a weak man, who was fighting with an innocent woman, who was working side by side along with him. he was announced a man who was running away from his responsibilities by forcing his wife brutally to bring property in his name”.

In a nutshell, by considering this event, it was already planned plotting that was heard and seen by the victim and her family. She has lost her kids, academic documents, her already laid out house, jewelry, and even her everyday belongings of .

She came out of the house after two divorces in three clothes. She has no house, nothing left at her hand for survival except her brain and knowledge through which she has earned her doctorate from abroad. Such a brutal attitude towards a woman is sick and considered a criminal act.

A brave voice by a victim against domestic violence deserves to be heard and treated with justice. All prayers for her stance that is the voice for all those women, who are facing injustice and unjust divorce by an insecure, greedy and jealous-natured-man. These people are those black spots in our culture who are ruining the lives of innocent women.

A brave voice by a victim against domestic violence deserves to be heard and treated with justice. All prayers for her stance that is the voice for all those women, who are facing injustice and unjust divorce by an insecure, greedy and jealous-natured-man.

The writer is an Adjunct Assistant Professot at Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan. She can be reached at saira.asad2011@gmail.com.

Lesson planning The Canadian anthology, given by my mentor Sir Asadullah Mangi, was the most valuable masterpiece of an article. It suggested many aspects of overall planning and unit courses. I will discuss one of them. “Be destination-driven” It’s a way of suggesting where a hiker is heading to. It means to be the driver of the destination that leads towards a planned achievement. This aspect has three domains: ultimate destination, intermediate destination, immediate destination.

The destination is rather rational and optional. It is final that requires the targeted tasks. hikers like to finalise the concept in a go. Secondly, the intermediate destination stands on many tasks which are to be achieved. It can be broader and it asks to distribute concepts into many domains to make the idea more understandable. Thirdly, the immediate destination is not final, nor distributed into tasks, but it is done at once. however, it can overcome the questions at the heat of the movement and it can hit the nail on the spot to finalise the concept. Nevertheless, it is not rather time taking than others.

The article also suggested that planning can never be 100% successful, but it emphasises having a sweeping mood at any time for the time being. As it has its own moods, but not according to the planned methodology. This concept is also directly proportional to the volunteerism that is found to be suggested for planners. Volunteerism is said to work for others without any charges that can go within the strategies of lesson planning. It promotes altruism. Lower order learning, a part of Bloom’s taxonomy theory, is not too complex to fit into learning objectives. It cannot always be appropriate and set for all learning objectives possibly. Additionally, it is quite beneficial to achieve learning objectives because hikers preplan them according to blooms.

Therefore, it is mandatory to be apposite for all strategies.

SIKANDAR ABBASI SUKKUR

Many different uses AFTeR man reached the moon, it is clear that nothing is impossible in the world and man can use his energy to inhabit this world if he wants to, and if he wants he can give a new shape to the world by using his power and energy as well as he can also destroy this world by misusing his power, so there is no denial about the fact that the uses of things matter.

No matter how many inventions have been made in the world to date, all of them have been done by scientists for the betterment of human beings and this world, even if they are just reforms and ammunitions. But alas! People misuse these things and instead of taking advantage of them by using them properly, they are harming not only themselves but also the world by misusing them.

Unfortunately, the misuse of things is getting stronger day by day and it is with great regret that instead of reaping the benefits and using them properly, people are misusing things like mobile phones, power, ammunition, social media which could be the best way to connect to all over the world but instead it has become a source to disclose to the nearest and humblest people. It is human nature to be attracted to the wrong things rapidly, and the human mind is easily drawn to bad and dirty things. But if they want and wish, they can avoid the wrong things because every human being can have control over himself and he is the one who is going to run himself. But unfortunately, people are addicted to the wrong things and they do not want to avoid it. To make the long story short, if you use things in a good way, you will have great and positive impacts. On the other hand, If you use things unsatisfactorily, you will get unsatisfactory results.

PERVEZ MULABAKHSH KARACH

Developing Balochistan ReCeNT terrorist attacks in Balochistan have once again thrown light on this troubled part of Pakistan. Balochistan consists of 42 percent area of Pakistan with only 10 million residents. The terrain is inhospitable posing serious challenges to security personnel. The province has always been a test for the establishment to balance and govern.

In the wake of recent inkling to move Pakistan from geo-politics to geo-economics, it has become ever more vital for the country to stabilise this vast province, rich in minerals and has tremendous potential for tourism. Since 1951 the province has been supplying natural gas to the rest of the country, it has the hottest and the coldest regions with sandy beaches, sparkling warm waters of the Arabian sea. CPeC which is deemed a game-changer by many relies heavily on Balochistan for its success. Deposits of precious minerals like gold, copper and many others are found in abundance in this gigantic federating unit. Balochistan has an amazing profile yet is far behind in terms of progress and prosperity from the rest of Pakistan. economic imbalances sometimes provide breeding grounds for malcontents. The social makeup of Balochistan may also be one of the factors since the society is still tribal and loyalty to the tribal heads is paramount. Some stereotypes certainly need to be smashed.

MALIK ATIF MAHMOOD MAJOKA, AUSTRALIA

08 WORLD VIEW 19th March 22_Layout 1 3/18/2022 10:11 PM Page 1

Saturday, 19 March, 2022

08 WORLD VIEW

SociAl mEdiA giAntS Allow hAtE SpEEch AgAinSt RuSSiA but SilEncE iSRAEl’S cRiticS

Middle east eye jonAtHAn Cook

S

ILICOn Valley has rammed through a series of changes over the past few days at dizzying speed, making explicit what should already have been obvious: Social media firms have rapidly become little more than propaganda arms of the United States and its allies.

That role has been increasingly difficult to conceal as western politicians and traditional media outlets have whipped up anti-russia hysteria over the past three weeks, following russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The most blatant change was a sharp about-turn by Facebook in its policy on hate speech and incitement.

Leaked emails to content moderators seen last week by reuters indicated that Meta, the rebranded company behind Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, would allow threats of violence against russians and death threats directed at russian President Vladimir Putin on its platforms.

Such threats were, according to the guidance, permitted among users in much of eastern europe and russia. But whatever the official position, Meta’s new policy is likely to have a wider impact, given how widespread anti-russia sentiment has become in the West.

In what was presented as a “clarification” this week, Meta’s president of global affairs, nick Clegg, a former UK party leader, said calls to assassinate Putin or “violence against russians in general” would not be condoned.

He appeared to narrow calls for violence more specifically to the russian state and its conscript soldiers in Ukraine.

For years, social media firms have highlighted the importance of cracking down on hate speech and incitement.

It was the justification for an unprecedented decision by tech giants to ban Donald Trump from their platforms in early 2021, even though he was a sitting US president. now the policy against hate speech and incitement is being watered down for one group only. An exemption for calls for violence towards russians is likely to further fuel an already tangible russophobic atmosphere, where even renowned, long-dead cultural icons such as Tchaikovsky and Dostoyevsky are being shunned.

In a related, equally stark policy change, Meta announced it would overturn an existing ban on praise for the Azov Battalion, the most prominent of several Ukrainian neo-nazi paramilitary groups absorbed into the Ukrainian national guard. Ultra-nationalists, the Azov fighters have been accused of directing violence at Ukraine’s ethnic russian community.

DOUBLE STANDARDS: Silicon Valley’s rank hypocrisy in allowing hate speech against russia and russians is particularly evident when compared with the

special protections put in place by tech firms to block criticism of Israel and Israelis.

If Meta’s new policy for Ukraine were to be applied impartially, would Palestinians then be allowed to promote violence against Israel and against Israeli soldiers that have been occupying and besieging them for decades?

Unlike russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is three weeks old, Israel has been violently occupying and besieging Palestinians in gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem for more than half a century. Israel has also been committing war crimes by transferring hundreds of thousands of its Jewish citizens into territory belonging to Palestinians, in an effort to colonise their land and ethnically cleanse them.

Israel’s blockade of gaza for the past 15 years has entailed putting its two million inhabitants on a “starvation diet” and repeatedly bombing the tiny enclave “back to the Stone Age”, including attacks on schools and hospitals.

Palestinians and their supporters have every reason to condemn Israel and its leaders as passionately and vehemently as Ukrainians and their supporters are denouncing Putin and russia for the current invasion. So why does one group have the right to incite violence and hatred, while the other doesn’t?

In practice, Israel has long been shielded by an array of restrictions for social media users. Posts risk being deleted if they fall foul of rules against fake news, disinformation, offensive content, bullying, support for terrorism, hate speech and incitement. But supposed violations often appear unrelated to matters of truth or falsehood, or right or wrong - and instead accord with Israel’s status as a valued client state of the US. HATE SPEECH RULES: The only meaningful difference between the two cases - aside from the fact that one set of abuses has been going on far longer - is that Israel’s crimes are largely supported by the western political and media establishments.

Calling for violence against Putin and russians aids western foreign policy, which has been goading Moscow by expanding nato to russia’s doorstep for more than two decades. By contrast, calls for violence in the context of Israel risk highlighting the West’s long-running complicity in Israel’s crimes.

But the tech giants’ hypocrisy is even more glaring.

It is not just that threats against Israelis or Israeli leaders - unlike those against russians - incur an instant ban from any platform on which they are posted. The truth is that, in the case of Israel and Palestine, simple criticism of Israel - or even pride in being a Palestinian - can lead to a suspension or deletion. Take the decision in 2020 by Instagram to remove a post by model Bella Hadid. All she had done was show a photo of her father’s US passport listing his birthplace as Palestine. Her comment stated: “I am proud to be Palestinian.”

Instagram, however, claimed the post violated “community guidelines on harassment or bullying” and regulations on “hate speech”. After Hadid kicked up a storm, Instagram backed down. But aside from famous models, the very people who have helped spur Meta’s profits, ordinary users are likely to find a far less sympathetic ear.

Silicon Valley’s hostility towards expressions of support for Palestinians was particularly stark last May, when Israel bombed gaza for 11 days.

Hundreds of Palestinians were de-platformed by Facebook, Instagram and Twitter when they criticised the bombardment or the ongoing evictions of Palestinian families from their homes in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, a flashpoint for Palestinian protests.

Among those suspended by Instagram was Mona al-

Kurd, a prominent Palestinian activist who has campaigned against the evictions. Facebook also took down a post by a Palestinian American, Alia Taqieddin, advertising a solidarity march for Palestine in Seattle.

Meanwhile, Instagram removed posts about al-Aqsa Mosque, a sacred site in Jerusalem for Palestinians and Muslims, which Israel has been encircling with Jewish settlers for decades. After the mosque became a centre for protests in May, the tech company mistakenly flagged it as a terrorist organisation.

CLIMATE OF CENSORSHIP: More than 30 human rights groups protested the wave of suspensions last May, describing them as an intensification of an existing climate of censorship faced by Palestinians.

That view was echoed by the new york-based Human rights Watch (HrW) last October: “Facebook has suppressed content posted by Palestinians and their supporters speaking out about human rights issues in Israel and Palestine,” it observed.

HrW cited an example of Instagram removing as “hate speech” a photograph of a building captioned simply: “This is a photo of my family’s building before it was struck by Israeli missiles on Saturday May 15, 2021.

We have three apartments in this building.” The accounts of Palestinian news agencies and journalists have also been repeatedly shut down. none of this is surprising. Silicon Valley firms, including Meta, have been openly forging ties to Israel for many years. Meta’s oversight board includes emi Palmor, who helped to establish a cyber unit in Israel’s justice ministry that has been accused by human rights groups of muzzling online dissent by Palestinians.

Silicon Valley firms appear to have accepted Israeli claims that denunciations of Israel’s crimes against Palestinians amount to hate speech or incitement. Back in 2016, Israel’s justice ministry reported that Facebook and google were “complying with up to 95 percent of Israeli requests to delete content” - almost all of it Palestinian.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, surveys suggest that most Palestinians are fearful of expressing their political views on social media. By contrast, according to 7amleh, a Palestinian social media monitoring site, Israeli Jews are responsible for posting racist or inciting material roughly every minute, but action is rarely taken against them.

VILIFIED AS ANTISEMITES: The seeming premise for this exaggerated sensitivity by social media firms towards criticism of Israel has been the fear that, because Israel claims to represent all Jews in the world, expressions of hatred towards it might feed antisemitism. Western political and media establishments have been complicit in reinforcing this wrongheaded assumption.

They have been only too willing to echo Israeli officials in conflating Israel - a highly militarised, occupying state - with the Jewish people. Paradoxically, anti-racists trying to clarify the distinction between Israel and Jews, such as former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, have been falsely vilified as antisemites.

But if there is a genuine fear that indulging anti-Israel sentiment will lead to a wider hatred towards Jews, why is there not a similar fear that stoking anti-russia sentiment will lead to hatred and violence towards russians?

If Israel’s conscript soldiers are not a suitable target of calls for violence for being in the occupied territories, why should russian conscript soldiers not also be protected from hate speech?

The russophobia being indulged by Meta simply reinforces these double standards in public discourse. If it is wrong to urge a boycott of Israel for its crimes, why is it suddenly acceptable to call for something far worse –

collective punishment – for russians, as US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken did this month in demanding the russian people “suffer the consequences of their leaders’ choices”.

Over the past eight years, many thousands of ethnic russians have died in what amounts to a civil war in Ukraine’s Donbas region - one of the triggers, if Putin is to be believed, for russia’s invasion. now Meta appears to be encouraging more of the very russophobia that feeds the current confrontation.

There are also substantial and visible russian expat communities in western countries, including the US and UK. That has been underscored by the sudden surge in antipathy towards - and sanctions on - russian oligarchs, such as roman Abramovich, the high-profile owner of Chelsea Football Club.

Meta was approached for a comment, but it had not responded to these criticisms by the time of publication.

TOOLS OF POWER: The tech giants are not simply following commercial imperatives. They are making deeply ideological decisions that dependably accord with western state interests. They are communication monopolies that enjoy this status precisely because they are in bed with western governments.

The connection was impossible to miss when the european Union decided to ban two russian broadcasters, rT and Sputnik, this month. Facebook, Twitter, youTube and TikTok immediately de-platformed the russian stations.

When Putin has suppressed criticism of his policies in russia, he has rightly been accused of authoritarianism. But western publics have been largely blind to Silicon Valley’s own authoritarianism on behalf of the US and its allies.

The reality is that the silencing of dissent and the amplification of hatred have been contracted out to social media firms. That provides western states with an alibi when they crush - at arm’s length - some kinds of political speech and promote other kinds. google announced, for example, that in response to the invasion of Ukraine, it would change its algorithms to ensure sites critical of western actions would be hard to find on searches.

But the truth is that google long ago manipulated its algorithms to favour what it terms “authoritative” sources, meaning traditional media of the kind that rarely hosts reporting or commentary that strays from the most superficial criticism of western foreign policy. More critical sources are usually hidden so far down google rankings that only the most dedicated researchers are likely to find them.

The skewed algorithms have protected western allies from proper scrutiny, whether it be Israel oppressing Palestinians, or Saudi Arabia bombing yemen. Those same algorithms are now doing the dirty work of stoking anti-russia sentiment. google had not responded to these criticisms by the time of publication.

As a consequence, western publics have been plunged into the fog of war, denied access to russian voices and exposed chiefly to the most sympathetic accounts of Ukraine’s actions. Critics of western policy now face an array of restrictions on talking about the biggest events shaping our lives.

In the coming weeks and months, western governments will make life-and-death decisions - ones that could yet lead to nuclear confrontation. But their publics will have little idea where events are heading, or why.

Jonathan Cook is the author of three books on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and a winner of the Martha Gellhorn Special Prize for Journalism.

A global food crisis is probably coming THE POPULATIONS THAT WILL SUFFER THE MOST ARE THOSE IN POORER COUNTRIES SUCH AS PAKISTAN, BANGLADESH, EGYPT, LEBANON, AND MOROCCO, WHICH GET OVER 40 PERCENT OF THEIR CORN AND WHEAT FROM THE BLACK SEA REGION Responsible statecRaft Amir HAndjAni

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nergy prices are soaring to levels not seen in a decade. Media attention has rightly focused on the price that consumers are paying at the gas pump, but there has been less of a spotlight on the price of “soft” commodities such as wheat, corn, and sunflower oil, all of which hit record highs since the russian invasion of Ukraine These commodities are essential to human consumption from everything to bread that we eat and the food that animals such as cows, chickens, and pigs consume, and are sources of protein for many in the world.

Already reeling from a supply chain that has been wrecked by the COVID-19 pandemic and runaway inflation, consumers are about to face a commodities super cycle that will see the price of essential “kitchen table” items — like a box of cereal or a loaf of bread — soar.

Here is why: russia and Ukraine are so called “bread-

basket” countries. russia is the top exporter of wheat worldwide; it accounts for 20 percent of global supply.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is the sixth top exporter of wheat and produces about 8 percent of global supply.

Ukraine is blessed with black soil known as “chernozem” and is the world’s leader in sunflower oil and a top 10 exporter of corn, rapeseed, and barley. europe, the Middle east, and China are leading destinations for russia and Ukraine agri-commodities.

The commodities markets are pricing in this conflict and the signs point to prices we have never seen for food that is necessary for global consumption. The benchmark Un food price index has hit a record high, rising by 40 percent since the pandemic began. Meanwhile, wheat prices closed at record highs on the Chicago Board of Trade last week. Corn, Soybean, and Sunflower oil are not too far behind.

The populations that will suffer the most are those in poorer countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, egypt, Lebanon, and Morocco, which get over 40 percent of their corn and wheat from the Black Sea region. As the Un report states, “These countries are already grappling with hunger issues and where further food shortages and price increases could stoke social unrest.” As for the con-

sequences of this situation, one only needs to look at the role the rise in food prices from 2007-2010 played in stoking the Arab Uprising.

As russia’s war machine continues to press its campaign in Ukraine, and the United States and europe continue to pile on sanctions, it is very likely that the Kremlin will weaponize the food chain to pressure its adversaries and remind them of the sway Moscow holds over the commodities market. even though there are no eU or U.S. sanctions on russian commodities exports, the West has shut down russia’s access to banking and technology. Therefore, the Kremlin will become more protectionist and make it difficult for the private sector to export goods like wheat, corn, and fertilizer (of which russia is a top 5 producer). Already Moscow has announced an embargo on wheat to its poor neighbors in the eurasian economic Union and put an export ban on potash and phosphates-essential ingredients in fertilizer to the outside world.

While the United States and its allies can take comfort in “un-plugging” russia from the global economy for its aggression in Ukraine, the risks of pulling the world into a global recession, a food crisis, and social unrest are rising. Sanctions of this scale have been used on

countries such as Iran, Venezuela, and north Korea in the past, but they are small players in the global economy.

The world can adjust quickly to life without Iranian and Venezuelan oil, but an economy of the size and scale of russia which produces many of the commodities that we use and consume in everyday life is unprecedented.

We are truly in uncharted waters and seemingly unprepared for the consequences.

Because europe lacks alternative energy sources, Western sanctions have so far left the lifeblood of the russian economy mostly untouched — its ability to export oil and gas to europe and for russian banks that process those payments. But it doesn’t appear that similar consideration has been given to the consequences of russia no longer being part of the global food supply chain.

Americans and europeans aren’t accustomed to the after effects of sanctions against rogue states because they are in distant lands and have no direct impact on their everyday lives. Iran and north Korea’s ability to rattle the global economy is a nuisance. russia can and has clapped back, and soon families in the United States and europe will be having discussions about the high prices of corn flakes, bread, and meat. For many of us, it will be a crash course on the impact of sanctions.

Saturday, 19 March, 2022 | iSLaMaBad

newS

09

CPEC to EnhAnCE rEGionAl ConnECtivity, trAdE: dAWood

KP govt fails to complete municipal services programme Aziz Buneri The Municipal services program in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) could not be completed during the current financial year due non-allocation of funds. It is now expected the project would be completed during next financial year.

According to sources in the Planning and Development (P&D) department, the project was to be completed in the current financial year at the cost of Rs2.27 billion.

However, the provincial government allocated Rs1.475 billion for the project which slowed down the work.

The local government department had requested for renewal of funds estimated for the project which has been approved. The project will now be included in the development program for the next financial year to spend an additional Rs20 million and will be completed next year.

Under the Municipal services program, rehabilitation projects of water and sanitation services have been started in Peshawar, Malakand and DI Khan divisions.

Govt names Azam Khan as WB executive director

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DvISER to the PM on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood announced in a tweet on Thursday, saying, “I am positive that CPEC will enhance regional connectivity and trade.”

More than 400 Chinese and Pakistani firms attended the Sindh chapter of CPEC Industrial Cooperation B2B Investment Conference organised by the Board of Investment (BoI) in Karachi.

The advisor said that reforms and policies adopted by the incumbent government are beginning to show substantial results and enabling Pakistan to transition from being a trading economy to a manufacturing economy.

He said that to explore sectoral opportunities under the umbrella of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Sindh, the BoI has organised the “CPEC B2B Industrial Cooperation Investment Conference” in Karachi, which focuses on information technology, Special Economic Zones (SEZs), pharmaceuticals, textiles, urban development, and automobiles.

Earlier, the Federal Board of Investment, in collaboration with the government of Sindh and Pakistan China Business and Investment Forum organised the “CPEC Industrial Cooperation B2B Investment Conference” on Tuesday last.

Board of Investment Chairman Muhammad Azfar Ahsan welcomed the investors and informed that through B2B initiatives under CPEC, Pakistan and China will foster the investment under the second phase of CPEC. The B2B Investment Conference

also received the participation of the private sector and academia.

Following the first session, special B2B meetings were arranged in the sectors of information technology, agriculture, transport and urban development under public-private partnership, automobiles, pharmaceuticals and special economic zones.

The government of Sindh and BoI presented the investment opportunities in these sectors which were followed by presentations from major Chinese and Pakistani companies. The Pakistani and Chinese companies had fruitful communication with each other, as well as with the Sindh and federal government. TLTP

FBR removes seven officials for poor performance

ShAhzAd PArAchA The federal government has given the approval to post secretary to Prime Minister Azam Khan as Executive Director World bank (WB).

Sources said that the government has given the approval to post incumbent secretary to PM Azam Khan as executive director WB. Presently, Naveed Kamran Baloch is representing Pakistan in the World Bank and his two-year postings would end in December this year.

Sources said that Azam khan will assume the lucrative slot of WB in December this year.

It is pertinent to note that Azam Khan has been working as secretary to the Prime Minister since October 2018.

Earlier, Azam Khan’s name in 2019 was also proposed along with Naveed Kamran Baloch and Ijaz Munir for this slot but Prime Minister Imran Khan approved the summary of former finance secretary Naveed Kamran Baloch for two years.

The scribe approached Azam Khan for his comments on this matter but no reply was received till filing of story.

ShAhzAd PArAchA The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has removed seven officials from their positions for poor and substandard performance.

FBR Chief collector customs has removed Superintendent Jameel

Akhtar Raja and Inspectors Bashir Ahmed, Azhar Hussain, Ali Raza, Muhammad Arshad, Muhammad Ahsan and Asif Mahmood from their positions for reasons of continuous poor and sub-standard performance.

The relieved officials are directed to immediately report to Chief

(HRM-C) FBR for further necessary action.

The office has also asked FBR to stop the grant of IJP allowance to the aforementioned officials besides considering the recovery of any IJP allowance already paid to them during the period of their latest posting in

Large-scale manufacturing grows 7.6pc in 7 months GhulAm ABBAS Pakistan Bureau of Statistics reported that Large Scale Manufacturing Industries (LSMI) production grew by 7.6 per cent during the first seven months of the current fiscal year as compared to the corresponding period of last year.

The growth of LSM in January 2022 recorded 8.2 per cent over the corresponding month of the last year and 4.2 per cent over the previous month, showing a healthy performance in almost all categories.

The calculation of data during July-January 2021-22, was made while taking the financial year 2015/16 as the base year.

During July-January 2021-22, production of products that increased include food, tobacco, textile, wearing apparel, chemicals, iron and steel products, automobiles and furniture while production of fertilizer, pharmaceuticals, rubber products, and electrical

equipment decreased over the same period of last year.

Provincial bureau of statistics, counting production of 65 products, recorded 9.7 per cent growth in July-Jan 2021-22 over the corresponding period of FY21. In January 2022, its output increased 9.3 per cent over the corresponding month, while its production reduced by 1.7 per cent over the previous month.

The Ministry of Industries, which included at least 36 items for measuring the growth, recorded a 6.9 per cent growth in production during these seven months of FY22. In January 2022, it grew by 8.5 per cent over the corresponding month and 7.8 per cent over December 2021.

Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC), logging outputs of 11 oil and petroleum products, measured growth of 0.5 per cent year-over-year in outputs in July-Jan FY22. In January 2022, it, however, declined

by 1 per cent over the same month of last year and 10.7 per cent positive growth over the previous month.

During July-Jan FY22, the food sector grew 3.4 per cent, beverages 2.5 per cent, tobacco 21.9 per cent, textiles 2.9 per cent, wearing apparels 18.3 per cent, leather products 4.5 per cent, wood products 172.2 per cent, paper and board 8.2 per cent, coke and petroleum products 0.5 per cent, chemical products 15.5 per cent, iron & steel products 17.5 per cent, machinery & equipment 20.6 per cent, automobiles 63.5 per cent, furniture 553 per cent and other manufacturing (football) 22.2 per cent over the same period of last year.

However, fertilizer production declined 0.5 per cent, fabricated metal minus 5.5 per cent, and computer, electronics, and Optical products reduced by 1.1 per cent. Besides, pharmaceuticals output also decreased by 3.5 per cent, rubber products 25.5 per cent, and electronics production down by 1.2 per cent.

the preventive division.

The officials shall continue to draw pay from the collectorate of Customs but otherwise their service is placed at the disposal of the board for further posting instructions as deemed appropriate in light of this order.

Saturday, 19 March, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

10 FOREIGN NEWS

Russia stRikes neaR Lviv aiRpoRt as bombaRdment expands acRoss ukRaine

R

AFP

ussian missiles struck near Lviv’s airport in the far west of ukraine early Friday, as Moscow expanded a countrywide aerial bombardment campaign that has intensified allegations of war crimes and deliberate targeting of civilians.

Lviv Mayor andriy sadovyi said Russian forces had destroyed an aircraft repair plant — which sits near the Polish border. ambulance and police vehicles raced to the scene, while motorists were turned away at checkpoints. an aFP reporter saw a thick pall of smoke billowing over the airport. “several missiles hit an aircraft repair plant,” the mayor said on the messaging app Telegram, adding that the plant had been destroyed.

Located 70 kilometres (45 miles) from the border, Lviv had until now largely escaped military strikes from Russian forces.

But as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s three-week-old ground offensive has stalled under fierce ukrainian resistance, Moscow has increasingly turned to air and long-range strikes to gain the upper hand. according to Pentagon estimates, Russia has now fired over 1,000 missiles at ukrainian targets since the war began.

Before dawn broke on Friday, air raid alarms had rung in cities across the country. ukraine’s government listed a kindergarten and market in the eastern city of Kharkiv among the latest targets. several cities from sumy in the north to Mariupol in the south are virtually under siege — cut off from supplies and facing near-constant attack. in his latest night-time video message, ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted the situation in several ukrainian

cities was “difficult.” But, he said, “we will not leave you behind and we will not forgive them. You will be free.”

Rescue effoRt: in the besieged southern city of Mariupol, rescue workers were still searching desperately for any survivors buried beneath the rubble of a bombed-out theatre, amid fears that hundreds may be trapped.

Twenty-four hours after the once-gleaming whitewashed theatre was hollowed out by a Russian strike, the number of dead, injured or trapped is still unclear. ukraine’s ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova said a bomb shelter in the building had survived the impact, and some “adults and children” had emerged alive.

“Work is under way to unlock the basement,” she said.

The attack on a civilian building marked with the words “DETi”, or “children” in Russian, has sparked a wave of international revulsion and heaped pressure on Russia’s few remaining allies — most notably China — to condemn Moscow’s apparent deliberate targeting of civilians.

‘It Is hell’: Russia has routinely denied such allegations and the ministry of defence has claimed it did not strike any ground targets in Mariupol on the afternoon the theatre was hit. it instead suggested ukraine’s hardline nationalist azov battalion, a frequent target of Russian propaganda, mined the theatre and held civilian hostages there in “a new bloody provocation”.

Russia’s siege of the city — cutting power, as well as many communications links and food supplies — has closed access and made independent verification all but impossible. Local officials say more than 2,000 people have died so far in indiscriminate shelling, and 80 percent of its housing has been destroyed. “in the streets, there are

india defends purchases of Russian oil NEW DELHI AFP

indian government officials on Friday defended the continued buying of Russian oil, saying European countries were still purchasing hydrocarbons from Moscow and that high crude prices left new Delhi with little choice. indian oil refiners have in recent days reportedly purchased several million barrels of discounted Russian oil even as the West seeks to isolate Moscow economically over its invasion of ukraine. But an indian government official said on Friday that the world’s third-biggest consumer of crude relied on imports for almost 85% of its needs, with Russia supplying a “marginal” less than 1% of this. “Geopolitical developments have posed significant challenges to our energy security. For obvious reasons, we have had to stop sourcing from iran and Venezuela. alternative sources have often come at a higher cost,” the official said on condition of anonymity. “The jump in oil prices after the ukraine conflict has now added to our challenges… india has to keep focusing on competitive energy sources,” they said. “Countries with oil self-sufficiency or those importing themselves from Russia cannot credibly advocate restrictive trading,” the official added, referring to the united states and European nations respectively. new Delhi, which historically has had close ties with Moscow, has called for an end to the violence in ukraine but has stopped short of condemning Russia’s invasion, abstaining in three votes at the united nations. The White House said this week that it did not appear any indian oil purchase would violate us sanctions.

But press secretary Jen Psaki urged foreign nations to “think about where you want to stand when history books are written” on the conflict. new Delhi has been working on a rupee-rouble trade mechanism to facilitate trade with Russia, bypassing the need to denominate trade in us dollars, according to local media reports. in addition to oil, india also imports large volumes of Russian arms — Moscow is its largest supplier — as well as fertilisers and rough diamonds to be cut and polished and then exported elsewhere. indian exports to Russia include pharmaceuticals, tea and coffee. Oil prices had already risen sharply before the ukraine conflict, squeezing consumers in india where the average daily wage among rural workers was just 175 rupees ($2.30) in 2018, according to un figures. “We are a relatively poor country and these oil prices matter a lot: electorally, politically, socially and otherwise,” Lydia Powell of the new Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation told aFP.

the bodies of many dead civilians,” Tamara Kavunenko, 58, told aFP after fleeing the city. “it’s not Mariupol anymore,” she said. “it is hell.” ukrainian MP sergiy Taruta said that Russian forces’ blockade of the city, killing of medics and destroying emergency equipment was stymying rescue efforts.

He claimed some people had emerged from the wreckage, but warned: “all those who survived the bombing will either die under the rubble of the theatre or have already died.” italy’s Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini said his country was ready to rebuild the theatre “as soon as possible”.

Battle foR the capItal: Outgunned and outnumbered, Zelensky has beseeched allies to provide more military assistance — even as an arsenal of anti-tank

and anti-aircraft missiles flood into the country. slovakia confirmed it is willing to provide powerful Russian-made s-300 anti-aircraft missile system to ukraine, but only on the condition that it receive a substitute from nato allies.

On Wednesday, Zelensky told German lawmakers that Russia was throwing up another “Berlin Wall”, a dividing line between “freedom and bondage” in Europe. “and this wall is growing bigger with every bomb,” he added.

That dividing line is currently drawn around 15 kilometres from Kyiv, where Russian troops are still trying to surround the capital in a slow-moving offensive.

What remains of the city’s 3.5 million population has been bracing for a full-on Russian assault for weeks and is now living

with the terror of daily artillery attacks. iryna Voinovska, 55, recently awoke at five in the morning to a whistle and the sound of her husband’s screams.

Debris from a downed missile had blown a huge chunk out of the top of her apartment block. “The main thing is that we are alive … unfortunately, one woman died on the 16th floor, she was crushed by a concrete slab,” she told aFP. in Odessa, on the Black sea, civilians were bracing for attack, with tanks deployed at intersections and monuments covered in sandbags. “Our beautiful Odessa,” said Lyudmila, an elegant elderly woman wearing bright lipstick, as she looked apologetically at her city’s empty, barricaded streets.

“But thank God we are holding on!

Everyone is holding on! “

Biden and China’s Xi hold two-hour call amid tension over Ukraine war WASHINGTON ReuteRs

us President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke on a video call on Friday about Russia’s invasion of ukraine and Chinese media said Xi underlined that such conflicts are in noone’s interests.

Biden was expected to tell the Chinese leader that Beijing would pay a steep price if it supports the invasion, a warning that comes at a time of deepening acrimony between the two nations.

The call lasted just under two hours, the White House said. Earlier, us Deputy secretary of state Wendy sherman told MsnBC that Xi should tell Russian President Vladimir Putin “to end this war of choice, this war of carnage” in ukraine.

“China needs to stand on the right side of history. it needs to ensure that it does not backfill, financially or in any other way, sanctions that have been imposed on Russia,” she told Cnn. Xi told Biden that conflicts and confrontations such as the events in ukraine are in the interests of no one, according to Chinese state media. state-to-state relations cannot advance to the stage of confrontation, and conflicts and confrontations are not in the interests of anyone, Xi said.

“The ukraine crisis is something that we don’t want to see,” Xi was quoted as saying. Chinese state media said the call had been requested by the us side.

Before the call, a Chinese aircraft carrier sailed through the sensitive Taiwan strait on Friday. The uss Ralph Johnson, an arleigh Burke guided missile destroyer, shadowed the carrier at least partly on its route.

China claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own, and has over the past two years stepped up its military activity near the island to assert its sovereignty claims, alarming Taipei and Washington. us secretary of state antony Blinken said Biden would make clear to Xi that China will bear responsibility if it supported Russia’s “aggression” and

that Washington “will not hesitate to impose costs.” Russia says it is carrying out a special military operation in ukraine. speaking on Thursday, Blinken said the Biden administration was concerned China was considering directly assisting Russia with military equipment for use in ukraine, something Beijing has denied.

Washington is also concerned that China could help Russia circumvent Western economic sanctions.

Russia’s invasion of ukraine, now in its fourth week, has killed hundreds of civilians, reduced city areas to rubble and sparked a humanitarian crisis as millions flee the country.

Russia fired missiles at an airport near Lviv on Friday, a city where hundreds of thousands had sought refuge far from ukraine’s battlefields, as Moscow tries to regain the initiative in its stalled campaign against ukraine. ukraine has added a new front in a us-Chinese relationship already at its worst level in decades, further deflating Biden’s initial hopes of easing a wide range of disputes by using a personal connection with Xi that predates his term in office.

The united states and China are the

world’s two largest economies and Washington has been anxious to avoid a new “Cold War” between them, seeking instead to define the relationship as one of competitive coexistence.

However, China’s “no-limits” strategic partnership with Russia announced last month and its stance on ukraine has called that into question.

China has refused to condemn Russia’s action in ukraine or call it an invasion, and it has censored online content in China that is pro-West or unfavorable to Russia.

Beijing, while saying it recognizes ukraine’s sovereignty, has also said Russia has legitimate security concerns that should be addressed. it has urged a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

While Biden’s administration has threatened counter-measures if China helps Russia’s ukraine effort, it and its allies have not yet decided precisely what steps they might take, according to a person involved in the conversations.

Targeting Beijing with the sort of extensive economic sanctions imposed on Russia would have potentially dire consequences for the united states and the world, given that China is the world’s second-largest economy and the largest

exporter. analysts say China is unlikely to turn its back on Russia over the conflict in ukraine, but its diplomatic efforts to appear even-handed are becoming harder to maintain and closeness with Moscow could cost Beijing goodwill in many world capitals.

However, Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, scorned the idea of Beijing being discomfited and instead lashed out against Western counties, accusing them of stoking fears in countries like Russia.

“Those who really feel uncomfortable are those countries that think they can lord it over the world after winning the Cold War, those that keep driving naTO’s eastward expansion five times in disregard of other countries’ security concerns, those that wage wars across the globe while accusing other countries of being belligerent,” Zhao said on Thursday.

China’s ambassador to the united states, Qin Gang, has said China would have worked to prevent the war if it had known about the “imminent crisis.”

However, according to a new York Times report in February, Washington shared intelligence with senior Chinese officials on Russia’s troop build up in an effort to convince Beijing to intervene with Putin, but were rebuffed. a seven-hour meeting in Rome on Monday between u.s. national security adviser Jake sullivan and China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi was described as “tough” and “intense” by us officials.

Biden’s administration has not offered evidence of its claim that China has signaled a willingness to help Russia.

Moscow has denied asking China for military assistance, and China’s foreign ministry called the idea “disinformation.”

However, Russian Finance Minister anton siluanov said this week the country was counting on China to help it withstand the blow to its economy from punishing Western sanctions aimed at isolating Russia’s economy from the rest of the world.

saturday, 19 March, 2022 | IsLAMABAD

sports 11

STOkeS STRIkeS buT bRAThwAITe ReSISTS fOR weST InDIeS BRIDgETOwN

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AFP

EN Stokes was again in the thick of the action as England plucked out two more West Indies wickets and could have had a third with the home side reaching lunch at 114 for three in their first innings on the third day of the second Test at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Friday.

After the talismanic all-rounder's entertaining 120 helped lift the tourists to a first innings total of 507 for nine declared on day two, Stokes claimed the important

wicket of Nkrumah Bonner in the morning session and would have also accounted for Jermaine Blackwood had England opted for a review of a not out umpire's verdict to an lbw appeal.

Struggling to cope with the late inswing of England's seamers, Blackwood survived to the interval on seven while at the other end, West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite looked far more composed at 44 not out.

Brathwaite had started the day in partnership with Shamarh Brooks with the home side at 71 for one.

However he lost his fellow Barbadian

after half-hour's play when Brooks, on 39, attempted a cut at off spinner Jack Leach and Chris Woakes held the catch at backward-point.

Bonner, "Man of the Match" in the first Test when his patient first innings hundred and defiant second innings contribution ensured a draw in Antigua, fell to Stokes for just nine, adjudged leg-before.

Blackwood would have also been an lbw victim to Stokes before he had scored when trapped on the back foot by a fulllength delivery.

While the decision by the umpire on the field was not out, and even the bowler's

reaction suggested that he believed the ball would have missed the stumps, television replays showed the ball hitting leg-stump.

Nadal beats Kyrgios in thriller at Indian Wells, electric Alcaraz ousts Norrie INDIAN wELLs REUTERS

Rafa Nadal dug deep to beat mercurial wildcard Nick Kyrgios 7-6(0) 5-7 6-4 in a blockbuster quarter-final match that lived up to the hype at Indian Wells on Thursday and set up a clash with teenage compatriot Carlos Alcaraz for a spot in the final.

Despite not playing his best, the Nadal managed to deliver in the match’s biggest moments and maintain his composure as his opponent threw his racket and jawed with the chair umpire, fans and himself.

The Spaniard saved break points early in the third set and hung on to see off the big-serving Australian and extend his unbeaten record this year to 19 matches.

“I think I played a good third set,” Nadal said in an on-court interview.

“I was returning better, I was solid with my serve.

Nick is one of these players that you’re going to have problems with when he’s motivated, so I’m happy for the victory.”

Kyrgios came out hot, breaking Nadal for an early 2-1 advantage in the first and pumping his fist after firing a blistering forehand winner down the line for a 53 lead.

But Nadal struck back, handing Kyrgios his first break of serve of the tournament to level at 5-5, and

Kyrgios threw his racket when Nadal’s winner clipped the tape to begin the next game.

Unforced errors put Kyrgios in a hole in the first set tie-breaker and Nadal won it after his fiery opponent was given a point penalty for “audible obscenity” after he swore at an unruly fan.

Kyrgios regained his composure in the second, hitting a slicing 45 mile per hour underhand ace for a 4-3 lead, breaking Nadal in the final game with a spectacular leaping backhand volley winner that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Nadal, who committed seven double faults and won just 29 percent of his second serves, saved break points early in the third set and broke Kyrgios for a second

time to take a 4-3 lead. He sealed the win with an emphatic overhead smash on match point.

After shaking hands at the net, Kyrgios threw his racket again onto the court and this time it nearly bounced into the stands.

If Nadal can win his fourth title in the California desert, the 21-time Grand Slam champion will move into a tie with Novak Djokovic for the most Masters 1000 titles with 37.

Nadal, 35, will face teenage sensation Alcaraz in a generational battle on Saturday after the 18-yearold knocked out British defending champion Cameron Norrie 6-4 6-3 with a convincing and electrifying performance.

“It’s tough to play Rafa, but I will enjoy the day, enjoy the match. It’s not every day you play your idol,” Alcaraz said after reaching his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final.

He also became the youngest Indian Wells semi-finalist since American Andre Agassi in 1988.

“I think he’s unstoppable in terms of his career,” Nadal said of Alcaraz. “He has all the ingredients, the passion. He’s humble enough to work hard.”

“He’s going to be a great rival for now and for the next couple of months, without a doubt. Being selfish, it’s great to have such a star from my country ... I wish him all the very best.”

Honda’s Marquez suffers nasty fall JAkARTA AFP

Six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez suffered a high-speed crash in second practice for the Indonesian Grand Prix on Friday as title-holder Fabio Quartararo roared back to go quickest.

World-class motorcycling is back in Indonesia for the first time in 25 years and there was drama in the second practice session on a sweltering afternoon on the

new Mandalika circuit on the tropical island of Lombok.

Spain's Marquez had already suffered a couple of hair-raising wobbles on his Honda and went flying off at speed at Turn 11 before tumbling painfully through the gravel.

The 29-year-old got up after a short time and should be fine for qualifying on Saturday and race day on Sunday when rain and thunderstorms are forecast.

The nasty fall left Marquez down in 22nd on the timesheets, which were topped by France's Quartararo.

As overcast morning conditions gave way to afternoon sun, the 22-year-old suffered problems with his Yamaha early in the second session, grinding to a halt on the track. But he was soon back in action and belatedly found pace to finish the day quickest with a time of 1 min 31.608sec, with Italy's Franco Morbidelli 0.030secs off the pace in second, also on a Yamaha.

Third was France's Johann Zarco, at 0.285 off the lead, on his Ducati.

Italy's Enea Bastianini, who won the season-opening

Had England captain Joe Root opted to review the decision, it would have been overturned in favour of the visitors.

Pakistan-Australia T20I, ODI matches shifted from Rawalpindi to Lahore NEws DEsk Pakistan’s white-ball home series against Australia, slated to start March 29, has been shifted to Lahore, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad announced Friday, as the situation remains volatile in Islamabad.

Rasheed said that all the T20I and ODI matches scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi under ongoing Pakistan vs Australia series will now be hosted at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. The decision has been taken keeping in view the mounting political tensions in Islamabad as the session for the vote of the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan draws near. It was reported earlier that the changing political scenario and chance of a conflict-like situation in Islamabad has forced the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to prepare a contingency plan. A bulk of the Australian white-ball team members are set to arrive in Lahore on March 24.

Pakistan have played two Tests against the touring team so far in the historic home series. The first Test was played in Rawalpindi and the second in Karachi, which both concluded in draws.

Qatar GP earlier this month, was fifth-fastest for Gresini Racing but also later crashed.

Motorbike-mad Indonesia hosted the motorcycle grand prix in 1996 and 1997 near the capital Jakarta, but its ambitions of becoming a mainstay of the sport were torpedoed by the Asian financial crisis.

There were teething problems for Indonesia's return to top-class motorcycling, with the Mandalika track requiring substantial resurfacing for this week's action.

During testing in February, MotoGP riders complained that the circuit was dirty and breaking up in places.

The new MotoGP campaign boasts a record 21 races this season, ending on November 6 in Valencia.

Ten-man Everton snatch vital 99th-minute win over Newcastle LIVERPOOL AFP

Alex Iwobi's 99th-minute winner hauled Everton three points clear of the Premier League relegation zone after a dramatic 1-0 victory over Newcastle on Thursday.

A second-half interruption caused by a protestor tying himself to a goal post and a VAR review which led to Allan seeing red meant there were 14 minutes of added time at Goodison Park.

And it was the 10 men who took advantage as Dominic Calvert-Lewin teed up Iwobi to score the biggest goal of his muchmaligned Everton career since a £40 million move from Arsenal three years ago.

Just a second win in 12 league games was met with jubilant celebrations at fulltime with the financial implications of relegation dire for Everton.

When this fixture was postponed in late December due to an outbreak of coronavirus cases, it was Newcastle who were rooted in the bottom three.

However, the Magpies' defeat at Chelsea on Sunday was their first in 10 games as the

investment of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund has made an instant impact in their first transfer window.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, a boyhood Everton fan, described this game as the biggest for the Toffees in 20 years given the consequences of going down.

The club are in the process of building a £500 million new stadium, due to open in 2024, and have already lost the sponsorship of Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov after he was hit by sanctions from the UK government.

Usmanov's long-term business partner and Everton owner Farhad Moshiri has pumped in over £500 million in signings since taking charge in 2016.

The Blues have precious little to show for that investment as a succession of managers have struggled to match Moshiri's expectations.

This was just Frank Lampard's ninth game in charge but the next 11 could make or break his managerial career.

An intense start from the hosts quickly fizzled out as Newcastle had the better of the first half without creating many good

chances.

Chris Wood headed straight at Asmir Begovic, while Fabian Schar nearly caught out the Bosnian with a free-kick from inside his own half.

The flow of a scrappy game was further interrupted by it taking seven minutes to free the protestor against fossil fuels from the post. Once the action got back underway the introduction of England international Calvert-Lewin off the bench made a massive difference to the home side.

Anthony Gordon forced Martin Dubravka into a stunning save with a fierce strike from outside the box before CalvertLewin just failed to connect with Richarlison's dangerous low cross.

However, their momentum was cut short when Allan dived in on Allan Saint-Maximin to break up a counter-attack and was shown a straight red card after the intervention of VAR. Calvert-Lewin has missed almost all of the season due to a variety of injuries and keeping him fit for the run-in is likely to play a huge part in Everton's bid for survival.

Iwobi has been a symbol of the waste

of the Moshiri era, but he produced a calm finish into the bottom corner from

Calvert-Lewin's cute pass to seal a massive three points.

Saturday, 19 March, 2022

Prayer Timings

NEWS

PreSIdenT AlvI lAunCheS ASAAn KArobAr ProGrAmme P newS DeSk

RESIDENT Dr Arif Alvi on Friday launched Asaan Karobar Programme, which aims at improving Pakistan’s business environment particularly for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Addressing the launching ceremony of the programme in Islamabad, he said that the government has taken numerous steps for ease of doing business to promote investment in the country.

The president urged the Board of Investment (BoI) to make Asaan Karobar Programme interactive to receive complaints from the business community.

He said that red-tapism, a specific mindset, incompetence and corruption are some of the main causes which hinder ease of doing business and as a result cost of doing business increases.

Dr Alvi called for improving efficiency and utilisation of ombudsman for early resolution of problems. He said that ease of doing business and the use of innovative strategies by incorporating digital technology are essential to ensuring sustainable business activities in the country.

He emphasised a regulatory yet conducive environment that facilitates the businessmen to easily launch and operate their activities.

He said a country’s prime interest is to promote business activities and stressed the importance of taking on board the stakeholders for a successful policy formulation. He mentioned that the government’s effective strategy of holding consultations with the relevant traders and businessmen helped revive the textile industry.

He lauded the online portal launched by the Ministry of Commerce aimed at identifying regulatory obstacles and problems through active involvement of private sector and business associations.

He congratulated the State Bank of Pakistan, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and Federal Board of Revenue for their coordinated efforts in ensuring a business-friendly environment in the country.

President Alvi also urged offering women in the country the opportunities of ease of business through digital setups, adding that an across the board inclusion of population can lead to a vibrant and emergent middle-class.

Earlier speaking on the occasion, Adviser to the PM on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood said that ease of doing business and reducing cost of business are the keys to industrialisation and economic

uplift of the country.

He said that due to prudent policies of the government, Pakistan’s ranking in the ease of doing business stands improved. Dawood highlighted the reforms that have been implemented by the Board of Investment (BOI) to reduce compliance burden on businesses and to promote ease of doing business specifically in small and medium enterprises.

He said the government has taken effective steps to facilitate the businessmen and traders that helped ensure economic growth in the country.

In his remarks, Country Director World Bank Najy Benhassine lauded

Pakistan’s efforts for introducing reforms to promote business in the country.

Terming Pakistan’s achievements remarkable, he said Asaan Karobar Programme will help to simplify regulations.

He assured that the World Bank will continue to support Pakistan to implement reforms initiatives.

Minister of State Muhammad Azfar Ahsan termed the Asaan Karobar Programme as a historic and nationwide reform drive to improve ease of doing business in Pakistan. He added that it is a harmonised system of regulations aimed at achieving a conducive business environment that is recognised and acknowledged globally.

PM for deepening trade, defence ties with Nigeria ISLAMABAD TLTP

Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for further deepening of bilateral trade and business relations with Nigeria.

The prime minister said this while having a meeting with Nigerian Defence Minister Major General (retired) Bashir Salihi Magashi, who called on him on Friday.

Talking to him, the prime minister appreciated the growing bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the field of defence, security and counter-terrorism.

He also highlighted his vision of ‘Engage Africa’ policy which aims to expand diplomatic footprint and advance trade and investment partnerships with the Continent.

The prime minister lauded the unanimous adoption of a landmark resolution by the UN General Assembly on declar-

ing 15th March as the ‘International Day to Combat Islamophobia.’

He said this recognition by the General Assembly will help combating the contemporary challenges of racism, discrimination and violence against Muslims and promoting interfaith harmony.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Khan greeted the nation and the Muslim Ummah on the occasion of Shab-eBarat. In a tweet, the prime minister prayed to Allah Almighty “to have mercy on us and bring us peace and prosperity.”

Separately, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Kurram was postponed due to inclement weather.

In an audio message to the people of the area, the prime minister urged them to fully participate in the local government elections there. He, however, said that he will visit the area as soon as possible once the weather conditions get normal.

FAJR SUNRISE

ZUHR

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

5:01

12:18

3:41

6:23

In a statement on Thursday, the Foreign Office said Pakistan strongly rejected the statement by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson objecting to the invitation, adding that India has “no locus standi” to claim that occupied Kashmir is its “internal matter”.

Pakistan has rejected India’s “baseless” objection to inviting Kashmiri leaders to participate in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit being held next week in Islamabad.

The meeting of OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers is being held on March 22-23 in Islamabad. Foreign ministers of 48 countries have confirmed their participation in the event.

A day earlier, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi, said he had seen reports in the local media that the OIC secretary general had in-

vited All Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq to the meeting.

The Indian government takes a “very serious view of such actions which are aimed directly at subverting India’s unity and violating our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Bagchi stated.

“We have repeatedly called upon the OIC to refrain from allowing vested interests to exploit its platform for comments on India’s internal affairs,” he added.

Responding to the Indian MEA spokesperson’s statement, the Foreign Office noted that several United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions stated that the final decision of the Kashmir dispute would be made in accordance with the wishes of the people of the territory through a plebiscite.

“India’s repeated assertions to the contrary cannot obfuscate the reality of its illegal occupation and repression in [occupied Kashmir],” the FO added.

7:36

Govt announces fourday holiday in ICT newS DeSk The government on Friday announced local holidays for four days – March 21 to 24 – within the revenue limits of Islamabad Capital Territory on account of the 48th Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), according to a news outlet.

“All federal ministries/divisions along with their attached departments and other organisations/offices including banks, schools and private offices located in ICT shall also remain closed,” a notification issued by the Office of the District Magistrate ICT read, The announcement comes days after the antigovernment alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman postponed the opposition parties’ power show to March 25, which was earlier scheduled for March 23 on account of Pakistan Day. The opposition parties have filed a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan in the National Assembly. Speaker Asad Qaiser has not yet announced the date for voting on the no-trust motion.

However, PM Imran on Thursday directed the speaker to summon the NA session on March 21 during a meeting held in Islamabad. On March 8, the opposition had submitted a no-confidence motion against Premier Imran in the National Assembly Secretariat.

A total of 86 lawmakers from the opposition parties had signed the no-confidence motion, seeking the removal of PM Imran. On the same day, the opposition had also submitted a request for requisition of an NA session under Article 54 (3) of the Constitution. Under the Constitution, the speaker had to summon a session within 14 days of the requisition.

If the speaker allows the motion to be tabled on March 21, then the debate needs to take place after three days and before seven days. This would mean that the debate will have to take place by March 25. After three days of debate, the MPs would be allowed to vote on the motion which would mean the voting would take place on March 28.

PSX nosedives 777 points kARACHI TLTP

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) nosedived on Friday amid political uncertainty in the country, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index shedding 777.26 points (-1.77 percent) to close at 43,029.97 points.

The PSX opened on a negative note and dropped over 500 points at the opening; however, the index recovered some losses during the first half of the session. The second half brought more destruction for the index and it continued its downward slide and fell just below the 43,000 points level before finally closing a little above the psychological level.

The political instability in the country dented the investors’ confidence, as the parliament is moving closer to a vote of no-confidence move against Prime Minister Imran Khan and the number game seems unfavourable for the premier to secure his slot. On the other hand, the Pakistani rupee plunged to all-time lowest level of 180.57 against the US dollar during the day - setting fifth low in last five days - smashing the investors’ confidence further. The rupee has set seven all-time record lows against the American currency during the last two weeks.

The KSE-100 Index moved in a range of 816.68 points, showing an intraday low of 42,990.55 points and a high of 43,807.23, which was the previous day’s closing point.

Among other indices, the KSE All Share Index shed 451.85 points (-1.51 percent) to close at 29,478.4 points, while KMI All Share Islamic Index shed 407.45 points (1.88 percent) to close at 21,253.63 points. A total of 341 companies traded shares in the stock exchange, out of them shares of 66 closed up, shares of 259 closed down while shares of 16 companies remained unchanged. Out of 95 traded companies in the KSE-100 Index, 17 closed up and 76 closed down and two remained unchanged.

Pakistan rejects India's objection to inviting Kashmiri leaders to OIC meeting newS DeSk

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It further said that both the UNSC as well as the OIC recognised Kashmiris’ right to selfdetermination. “Accordingly, OIC has consistently supported the just struggle of the Kashmiri people for their right to self-determination and has traditionally invited the Kashmiri leadership to attend the OIC meetings.”

In its statement, the FO also called on India to “not create hurdles in the participation of true representatives of the Kashmiri people” in the OIC summit.

“Instead of questioning OIC’s principled stance for the dignity and liberty of the oppressed Kashmiri people, India should reflect inwards and end its repression and widespread violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and let the Kashmiri people exercise their right to self-determination in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council,” the FO said.

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 051-2204545. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk