Monday, 21 March, 2022 I 17 Shaʽban, 1443 I Rs 40.00 I Vol XII No 262 I 52 Pages I Islamabad Edition
No TrusT VoTe: speaker coNVeNes crucial NaTioNal assembly sessioN oN 25Th ISLAMABAD
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staff report
crucial session of the National Assembly to deliberate on the no-trust motion moved against the prime minister by the multiparty Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance of opposition groups will be held on March 25. National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser summoned the session, 41st meeting of the current legislative assembly, at 11:00 am, a notification issued from the House secretariat on Sunday. The motion seeking the ouster of Imran Khan was submitted to the office of the speaker on March 8. It accused him of mismanaging the economy and poor
governance in the toughest challenge he has faced since taking power in 2018. According to Article 54 of the Constitution, once a session of the National Assembly has been requisitioned with signatures of at least 25 percent of the MPs on it, the speaker has a maximum of two weeks to do the same. Therefore, Qaiser had to call the House in session by March 22. Last week, the opposition parties termed the conduct of Qaiser “partisan” and demanded that he should not preside over the session on the fateful day of voting. The reaction from the opposition came in response to a speech by the speaker in Swabi in which he defended Khan, declared that members of the rul-
ing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party would fight the opposition’s move — that he said would fail — with full force. With the help of several smaller parties, PTI holds a narrow majority in the National Assembly. It has 179 seats in the 342-member House, only seven more than required for a simple majority. If none of the MPs from the ranks of the prime minister’s allies or the PTI vote against him, he will likely succeed. However, the PTI is currently facing a split because of an internal revolt by some members. The opposition, on the other hand, has 162 members and needs a simple majority of 172 to topple the government. Should Khan fail to win approval, the parliament will have to choose a new prime minister.
Khan has vowed to fight any move to unseat him. “Whatever they do, I’m
ready for that,” he told a gathering in Islamabad last week.
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Monday, 21 March, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
NEWS
ImRaN uRges jOINt IslamIC effORt tO eNgage wIth ‘New RealItIes’ ISLAMABAD
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Staff RepoRt
RIME Minister Imran Khan underlined that Islamic nations must carefully navigate the “new realities” and actively shape the emerging world order to realise their individual and collective interests. “Toward that objective, they must first promote and preserve their own sovereignty and territorial integrity by upholding principles, avoiding involvement in great power rivalries, resolving inter-Islamic disputes, and preventing foreign interference and intervention,” the prime minister said in an opinion for the Arab News. The prime minister further said that as a force for peace with justice, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) must continue to support the just causes of Palestine and Kashmir for self-determination and liberation from foreign occupation. “Although these goals are daunting, I am convinced that the arc of history bends toward justice,” the prime minister shared his thoughts as Pakistan is set to host the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, an OIC body, on March 22-23 in Islamabad. He observed that the convening of the conference on the 75th anniversary of
Pakistan’s independence is an extraordinary display of Muslim solidarity with Pakistan. The prime minister said the meeting was taking place at a critical moment in world history. “Structures of the global security and economic order established in 1945 have been eroded by the repeated unilateral use of force, a new ‘cold war’ and growing inequalities among and within nations, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, the impact of climate change and the technology revolution,” he observed. The prime minister said the OIC is the world’s second-largest intergovernmental organisation and represents the collective voice of the Islamic world. While reiterating that Pakistan would always remain a fortress of Islam and a defender of the rights and interests of Muslims around the world, said that over the years, the organisation had proactively advanced the shared interests and objectives of the Islamic world. “It has sought to promote international peace and security, understanding and dialogue among civilisations, cultures and religions, and to foster the noble Islamic values of peace, justice and mutual respect,” he said. He said that India’s attempt to impose a Final Solution on occupied Kashmir, by robbing it of its identity, changing its demography and brutally
repressing its people, would fail. “Durable peace and stability in South Asia is contingent on pacific settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the wishes of the Kashmiri people,” he stressed. The prime minister said Pakistan sought friendly relations with all neighbours, including India, adding New Delhi should create the conditions conducive for a sincere and result-oriented dialogue with Pakistan and the people of Kashmir, by reversing its unilateral measures in occupied Kashmir, including demographic changes, and halting its gross and widespread violations of human rights. After 40 years, he said there was a real opportunity to restore peace and security in Afghanistan and the region. “We must act collectively to avert a humanitarian crisis and economic collapse in Afghanistan, and engage actively with the Afghan authorities to promote human rights, especially women’s rights, encourage greater inclusivity, and develop effective strategies to eliminate the terrorist threat from the country,” the prime minister added. He said it was vital to resolve the conflicts in Syria, Libya and Yemen through accommodation and cooperation between the concerned Islamic countries, and exclude
non-Muslim interference in these conflicts. The OIC should seriously consider establishing its own peace and security architecture to promote conflict resolution through dialogue and negotiations whenever disputes arose among Muslim countries or between them and non-Muslim countries or entities, he added. “The Muslim world as a whole is well endowed in terms of human and natural resources. We need to better coordinate with a view to exploiting complementarities and building capacities,” he said, adding the joint Islamic action in the economic and commercial spheres would constitute an important step toward greater political convergence and solidarity. The prime minister further said Islamic countries must join other developing countries to mobilise adequate resources for recovery from the pandemic and realisation of the sustainable development goals. “This should include debt relief and restructuring, fulfilment of the 0.7 percent official development assistance target, redistribution of the unutilised $400 billion in new special drawing rights, larger lending by the multilateral development banks, massive public and private sector investment in sustainable infrastructure, and mobilisation of the promised $100 billionplus annually in climate finance,” he added.
The prime minister emphasised that they must also demand fair and equal treatment in the international finance, trade and taxation architecture. “We must boldly arrest and reverse the outflow of billions of dollars each year from our countries to “safe havens” through corruption, fraud, tax evasion and tax avoidance,” he added. The OIC countries, the prime minister said, needed to prepare themselves for a knowledge-driven, integrated and digital global economy of the future and suggested setting up an OIC “Commission for the Future” to study the trends in science and technology, trade and finance and recommend a clear long-term strategy. Khan said that they should promote economic cooperation with all countries and groups, with both the West and the East. “At the same time, we should exploit the economic complementarities among the Islamic countries, utilising the Islamic Development Bank and other OIC institutions. A special expert task force could develop a plan for economic, financial, trade and technology cooperation among OIC member states,” he added. To another objective, the prime minister said that they must promote global respect for our faith, Islam, and offer protection to every Muslim everywhere. “We must object vigorously to the defamation or denigration of Islam, our Holy Book or our Holy Prophet, peace be upon him,” he reiterated. The prime minister sad the worst manifestation of Islamophobia was the officially sanctioned campaign to transform India into an exclusively Hindu state. There was a danger of genocide against Muslims in India.
No one will be allowed to disrupt OIC summit: Rasheed ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
NCOC daily update: 375 new cases, one death from Covid-19 ISLAMABAD
A day after the opposition threatened to hamper the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit on March 22-23 if the no-confidence motion against the prime minister was not presented in the House on Monday, Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said no one will be allowed to disrupt the historic conference. “If anyone has the courage to do so, I dare them to hamper the [OIC] conference,” the minister warned while addressing a press conference in Islamabad. He recalled the National Assembly adopted a resolution on January 21 to hand over the procession of the building housing the Parliament to the Foreign Office for the holding of the conference. He said only “agents of imperialist powers” could think to sabotage the
conference. He said the security of Parliament, Parliament Lodges and MP hostels has been handed over to the Rangers and Frontier Constabulary (FC) until April 2. Regarding the convening of the National Assembly session for the noconfidence motion, the minister said the speaker enjoyed the authority to
postpone the session keeping in view the hostile political situation. However, he said he did not know when the speaker would summon the session. He expressed the hope the allies would support Prime Minister Imran Khan after their consultation. The minister condemned the storming of Sindh House and said the cases have been registered against the suspects who were involved in the incident. The attorney general will file a reference in Supreme Court on Monday, he added. He said PTI will hold a historic jalsa at D-Chowk on March 27 and Khan will address it, adding the opposition was also holding a power show in Islamabad. Ahmed said the Interior Ministry would provide complete security and protection to both rallies. He said he has directed the Islamabad commissioner and deputy commission to take on board both the
parties and select separate venues for their rallies. The imperialist forces were against the independent foreign policy given by Khan and pursued by Pakistan, and therefore hatching conspiracies, against the government he added. However, he warned if any untoward incident happened at the rally, cases would be registered against the leadership of the party, he added. To a question, Ahmed said no hurdle will be created for the participants of the opposition’s rally. To another question, he expressed the hope the dissident PTI MPs and allies will support Khan during the noconfidence vote. When asked about the death of a lady constable in Islamabad, the minister said as per the postmortem report, she was given poison and a First Information Report (FIR) had been registered under section 302.
Staff RepoRt
Pakistan confirmed 375 new Covid-19 cases over the last 24 hours, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said on Sunday. The NCOC, a department leading the campaign against the pandemic, said the total number of confirmed cases has increased to 1,521,888, including 1,475,759 recoveries in the Asian country. Over the last 24 hours, one person succumbed to the disease, taking the total number of coronavirus deaths to 30,329, showed the NCOC data. Sindh remains Pakistan’s most-affected province in terms of the number of cases, with 573,579 infections in total, followed by province, which has reported 504,393 cases so far.
317 Ramadan bazaars to be set up across Punjab LAHORE Staff RepoRt
Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Sunday announced an Rs8 billion package to provide relief to the public during the holy month of Ramadan. In a statement, the chief minister said the funds have been earmarked for the package under which essential food items will be available at subsidised rates. He said a 10 kilogramme flour bag will be sold for Rs375, and 13 food items, including tomatoes, onions and potatoes will also be available at subsidised rates. Buzdar said as many as 317 bazaars will be established across the province. The markets will remain open from 9:00 am until later in the evening. He said the package is aimed to provide relief to the weak segments of society, vowing he would himself monitor the implementation of the package. The chief minister said a subsidy of Rs1.250 billion will be provided on fruits, vegetables and pulses.
Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan after success of no-trust motion: Zubair KARACHI Staff RepoRt
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader and former Sindh governor, Muhammad Zubair has said that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan after the success of the noconfidence motion against Prime Minister Imran
Khan. In his statement, Muhammad Zubair said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan after the passage of a no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan and will face the Pakistani courts. He also claimed that the PML-N president and Opposition Leader in NA, Shehabz Sharif is going to be the next prime minister of Pakistan. The PML-N
stalwart advised PM Imran Khan to set down as he has lost the majority. On the other hand, the National Assembly session had been convened on March 25 by Speaker of the Lower House of the Parliament Asad Qaiser at the requisition submitted by the joint opposition for tabling no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Qureshi, Egypt counterpart discuss ties, global issues ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Egypt counterpart Sameh Shoukry on Sunday discussed bilateral ties, cooperation in diverse fields and important regional and global matters. During a meeting, Qureshi said Egypt is an important country of the Middle East region and was achieving political stability and strength under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. Qureshi said both the nations were linked on basis of faith and cultural affinities, and expressed satisfaction at the shared views with regard to various regional and international issues, a press release said. Shoukry had arrived to attend the 48th session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers. Qureshi observed that bilateral ties between the two countries had been strengthened during the last few years due to increased interaction at the highest level. He noted that bilateral trade between the two countries surged to $423 million during the 2020-21 fiscal year. The two sides also agreed to cement the bilateral trade.
Participation in the joint air defence exercises in Egypt was also a manifestation of the strong defence ties between the brotherly countries, Qureshi added. Qureshi said the cultural relationship could also serve as a platform to bring the people of the two countries closer, adding Islamabad would welcome
proposals from Cairo to strengthen the ties. He said the meeting of the OIC foreign ministers was being held in Islamabad when Pakistan would be celebrating the 75th anniversary of its independence. Shoukry thanked the foreign minister for the warm welcome accorded to him.
Monday, 21 March, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
‘lOyal’ PtI mP amONg shOw-Cause NOtICe ReCeIveRs LAHORE
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Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MP Sunday decried the show-cause notice served on him by the party on the accusation of defecting to the opposition, saying he did not visit the Sindh House in Islamabad and was still a member of the ruling party. Some 13 lawmakers from PTI who joined forces with the opposition withdrawing support for the prime minister ahead of the no-confidence vote received a showcase notice from the party on Saturday, directing them to respond to the notice until March 26.
In a video statement, Abdul Ghaffar Wattoo, who won the 2018 general election from NA-166 (Bahawalnagar-I) as an independent candidate before joining the PTI, claimed the Punjab government had not carried out any development work in his constituency since coming to power in August that year. “When we show resentment over the government’s indifference, we are blamed [for switching loyalties],” he lamented. He said he joined the PTI because of its motto of “eliminat[ion of] corruption” from Pakistan. “I never once went to the Sindh House, yet I am accused of being there,” he added.
Poverty, social injustice drive unhappiness in Pakistan KARACHI anadolu agency
Grinding poverty, a lack of security, socioeconomic injustice, and increasing political polarisation are the driving forces behind rising unhappiness in South Asian countries, including Pakistan, say experts. Rana Saba, a Karachi-based sociology professor, told Anadolu Agency on the eve of the International Day of Happiness observed on Saturday, the long-time “mediocre” economic policies of almost all regional countries, including Pakistan, have resulted in widespread poverty, unemployment, and social injustice, apart from a nearly insurmountable gap between the rich and the poor. According to the UN World Happiness Index 2020, Pakistan is the happiest country in South Asia and 66th in the world. Whereas India, Asia’s third-largest economy, was ranked 144th, after slipping from 140th in 2019. The Maldives is placed 87th, Nepal is 92nd, and Bangladesh is listed 107th. Pakistan plunged to 105th out of 149 countries in the ninth World Happiness Report 2021, whereas India made its way back up to 139th. “If you randomly ask people strolling in the streets, especially in big cities, 80 out of 100 will choose to migrate to Europe or the US if they find an opportunity,” argues Saba, who heads the Sociology Department of the University of Karachi. Nonetheless, she went on to explain, a certain number of people, albeit a limited percentage, have
improved their living standards in some way during the last few decades. “In urban areas, literacy, especially higher education, and an inclination towards civil services have played a role in uplifting a segment of society … lower and middle class … over the past two decades,” she explained. In rural regions, though, living standards have improved mostly as a result of overseas Pakistanis, said Saba. Around 9 million Pakistanis living across the globe, particularly in the wealthy Gulf states, Europe, and the US, remitted nearly $30 billion last year, propping up the country’s depleting foreign reserves. cOvid-19 adds tO unhappiness: Adarsh Kohli, a leading psychiatrist from Chandigarh, the joint capital of the northern Indian states of Punjab and Haryana, observed that the coronavirus pandemic has added to the unhappiness already present in South Asian societies, particularly India, amid the economic meltdown and health-related suffering. “During Covid-19, many developments took place. There was an economic downturn, people suffered, died, and a lot of them are still struggling to make ends meet,” Kohli observed, speaking to Anadolu Agency. The economy, she said, is an important parameter to gauge happiness in a country. “When you don’t have income, don’t have food, how can one be happy?” she questioned. Apart from economic woes, she contended, social isolation and a ban on meetings and gatherings due to the pandemic also added to the already dwindling contentment.
“Although there was a similar phenomenon in other neighbouring countries, the difference in India is that the poor have a greater dependence on and expectation from their government. This is probably the reason their happiness was affected more than in other countries,” said Jaswinder Pal Singh, an author in the western Indian state of Gujarat who also runs a nonprofit organisation called the Institute of Happiness. ‘happiness is perceived incOrrectly’: Singh believes happiness is often perceived “incorrectly” in today’s societies. “Each segment of society is unhappy today because, in general, people perceive happiness incorrectly. It’s important to shift our perspective from living an outside-in life to living an inside-out existence,” he posits. “Society is nothing but a set of individuals, and if each individual in the society makes this important shift in perception, they will be happier, and hence, society will be happier.” Citing “increasing desires” as another factor contributing to the growing unhappiness, Singh said that when material options in a growing economy multiply, “people start having bigger desires and so get into the vicious cycle of more-better-best.” “In their continuous strive for more, they miss enjoying them now as there’s always something to finish before they have the time to be happy,” he explained, adding that “this leads to a drop in their happiness index as goals are in the future and happiness is in the now.”
Lifetime disqualification for defecting PTI MPs: Fawad ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said on Sunday the PTI MPs who defected to the opposition have one-week time to explain their position to the ruling party. In a post on Twitter, the minister recalled a show-cause notice has been issued to the MPs to “explain their position within seven days”. “The process to declare their [National Assembly]
seats vacant will begin after a week and all the MNAs will be disqualified for a lifetime,” he said, adding the process of nominating new members on the reserved seats has begun. On Saturday, the party served showcause notices to its 13 MPs for purportedly crossing the floor to support the no-trust move against Prime Minister Imran Khan. The notice issued by PTI Secretary General Asad Umar said the MPs have violated the party’s discipline. The notice said that as per Article 63 (1)(A), the lawmakers are bound to implement the party policy.
OIC FMs to discuss Palestine, Kashmir issues: Qureshi ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi Sunday said the Council of Foreign Ministers of Organization of Islamic Cooperation in its meeting would discuss the challenges being face by the Muslim Ummah including the issues of Palestine and Kashmir. He was speaking during a visit to Parliament House here to see the arrangements for the meeting of Council of Foreign Ministers of Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Tuesday. Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood, Special Foreign Secretary Raza Bashir Tarar, Spokesman of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Asim Iftikhar and senior officers of the ministry were present on the occasion. The officials gave a detailed briefing to the minister about the arrangements for the conference. The minister visited the central conference hall, counters for the delegations, medical center, media center and different meeting rooms. Speaking on the occasion, the minister said it was a great honour for Pakistan to host the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers conference after holding the extraordinary session of the OIC ministers last time. He said he met with the visiting Egyptian foreign minister and exchanged views on matters of mutual interest. As a founding member of OIC, Pakistan wanted a strengthened platform of OIC, he remarked. He said under the leadership of Prime Minister
Imran Khan, Pakistan effectively raised the issue of Islamophobia and a resolution was adopted in the United Nations and from now onwards March 15 will be observed as an international day against Islamophobia. He said on the special instructions of Prime Minister Imran Khan all arrangements had been made to host the OIC delegates led by foreign ministers. Official anthem Of 48th Oic-cfm launched: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi launched the official anthem of the 48th Session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Council of Foreign Ministers (OIC-CFM), which would be held in the federal capital on Tuesday and Wednesday. The authorities had made special arrangements at the airport in Islamabad for the foreign delegates coming to attend the OIC-CFM. The airport had been decorated with the flags of the OIC member countries, while special counters for the immigration of visiting delegations were being set up. ‘Hum Mustafavi Hain’ would be the official anthem of the 48th OIC-CFM,” Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qreshi said, launching the anthem. It was the anthem of the third OIC summit meeting held in Lahore in the mid-70s, written by Jamiluddin Aali. Qureshi thanked the Information Ministry for refreshing the old memories. “It is a matter of great honour for Pakistan that in a matter of few months, it is hosting the OIC meeting
NEWS
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Opposition to resort to ‘Plan-B’ if no-confidence motion fails NEwS DESK The opposition is planning to resort to test its ‘Plan-B’ in case its ‘Plan-A’ – the ouster of the prime minister through no-confidence motion – falls short of achieving the target, sources said on Saturday. As per the planned strategy to make its no-trust move a success, the opposition will also devise a ‘Plan-C’ to keep the momentum going if the intended results are not attained timely. The development comes as the opposition leaders warned that it would hamper the upcoming Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit by staging a sit-in in the lower house if the resolution calling for a noconfidence vote was not presented in the NA on Monday — which is the deadline for tabling the resolution. “We want Monday’s session to start with noconfidence motion but if it is not summoned by Monday then we will stage a sit-in the house… we will then see how you will be able to organise the OIC conference,” Bilawal said at a joint press conference, held following a meeting of the opposition leaders at Shehbaz’s residence in Islamabad. The opposition had filed the notrust motion against the premier with the NA Secretariat on March 8. According to Article 54, a session of the National Assembly can be requisitioned if at least 25 per cent of the members sign it, following which the speaker has a maximum of 14 days to summon a session. Sources revealed that the Plan-A involves removing the prime minister with the no-trust move under which contacts were developed with the government’s allies and its estranged members. However, if the no-confidence move fails, the opposition will immediately move to Plan-B and will “exert pressure over the prime minister to seek the vote of confidence”. “The vote of confidence will be demanded from the prime minister as per the legal and constitutional procedure. The option of resignations from the estranged treasury members is the part of the Plan-B.” The president and the NA speaker will be informed in writing about the matter. It is pertinent to mention here that a total of 172 members’ support will be required to the opposition for the success of the no-trust move. The prime minister would also require the backing of 172 legislators to win the vote of confidence. It is to be mentioned here that a consultative session of the opposition leaders has been summoned at the residence of Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif for consultation over the political situation and the no-trust move. The meeting will also discuss the PTI workers’ attack at Sindh House yesterday and the matters related to the PDM long march. The Sindh House came into focus this week, especially after Premier Imran and some of his ministers accused the opposition of indulging in horse-trading ahead of the crucial vote on the noconfidence motion. They said that the Sindh House had become a centre for buying lawmakers. The top leadership of PPP termed the attack “an act of terrorism”, with its chief Bilawal saying: “A well-planned attack on Sindh House is tantamount to an attack on Sindh.”
PtI mNa claims PPP offered Rs160m to back no-trust motion ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
for the second time this year,” Qureshi said, referring to a special session of the OIC-CFM to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. He said several foreign ministers from the OIC countries would attend the meeting next week. “This session is also special because it is coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the creation of Pakistan. The OIC foreign ministers will also attend Pakistan Day parade on March 23.”
In a new twist to the claims of alleged buying of votes by the opposition parties, PTI MNA Nusrat Wahid on Sunday claimed the PPP offered her a Rs160 million bribe to support the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan. In a video statement, the lawmaker said, “the PPP Punjab and Sindh chapters offered money.” She added the opposition party also promised that she will be allotted a reserved seat of the National Assembly after the next general elections. Ms Wahid said she does not want to take a bribe, which, according to her, destroys not only the person who is receiving it but the entire posterity.
Monday, 21 March, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
04 NEWS
PAkISTAN, TCC ReACH SeTTleMeNT oN Reko DIq To lIbeRATe PAkISTAN FRoM ‘CRIPPlINg DebT’: PM
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N out-of-court settlement of the Reko Diq project in the Chagai district of Balochistan has been finalised and an official announcement in this regard will likely be made in the evening, sources familiar with the development said on Sunday. Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday said that $10 billion is being invested in Balochistan for the Reko Diq project, which will create 8,000 jobs. The premier took to his official Twitter handle to congratulate the nation and the people of Balochistan on a “successful agreement” with Barrick Gold – a mining company – for the development of the Reko Diq mine. According to PM Imran, the agreement came after 10 years of legal battles and negotiations. “[A] penalty of $11 billion is offset”, he said.
Two PTI MNAs named in FIR of attack on Sindh House ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
The names of two Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNAs have been added in the FIR of attack on Sindh House in Islamabad. Two PTI MNAs from Karachi, Fahim Khan and Attaullah Niazi, have been named in the FIR of PTI workers storming on Sindh House in federal capital on Friday. Both MNAs have been included in the investigation of the incident. Both members of the National Assembly, being clearly seen in all footage of the attack on Sindh House. Most of the party workers involved in the attack had arrived in the cars of these two MNAs. The police have added names of these two PTI legislators in supplementary FIRs of the incident. Pakistan People’s Party approached a local court of Islamabad for registration of FIR against the attack on Sindh House. PPP MNA Qadir Mandokhel filed a plea in the district and sessions court of Islamabad for registration of FIR against PTI workers for attacking Sindh House.
Pakistan condemns Houthi attack on Saudi energy facilities ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Pakistan on Sunday strongly condemned a missile and drone attack at Saudi energy and water desalination facilities by the Houthi group, the Foreign Office said. Drone strikes hit a petroleum products distribution terminal in the southern Jizan region, a natural gas plant and the Yasref refinery in the Red Sea port of Yanbu, the Ministry of Energy of Saudi Arabia said in a statement. “The assault on Yasref facilities has led to a temporary reduction in the refinery’s production, which will be compensated for from the inventory,” it said, referring to Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refining Company, a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec). Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the group fired ballistic and winged missiles as well as drones at Aramco facilities in the capital Riyadh, Yanbu and “other areas,” followed by attacks on “vital targets” in other Saudi regions. “Pakistan reaffirms its full support and solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against any threats to its security and territorial integrity,” a Foreign Office spokesperson said in a press statement. The statement said such attacks not only violated international laws but also threatened the peace and security of the oil-rich kingdom and the region. Pakistan also called for an immediate cessation of these attacks. “The successful interception of the ballistic missile by the Royal Saudi Air Defense Force prevented loss of innocent lives and is commendable.” Saudi Arabia has struggled to extricate itself from the seven-year conflict which has killed tens of thousands and left millions of Yemenis facing starvation. Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have also endangered the kingdom’s airports, oil facilities and caused some civilian deaths. United Nations special envoy Hans Grundberg is discussing a possible truce during the holy month of Ramadan which starts in April, his office said on Sunday. It was unclear if both sides had agreed on the UN plans.
Imran said Reko Diq will be the largest gold and copper mine in the world, adding that it would liberate us from ‘crippling debt’. Pakistan’s government has actively engaged with Australia’s Tethyan Copper Company (TCC) to reach a settlement as the country was threatened with facing a penalty of $6 billion due to its decision to deny a mining lease to TCC. The Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) office, especially International Disputes Unit Head Additional Attorney-General (AAG) Ahmed Irfan Aslam, mainly negotiated the Reko Diq deal. AAG Ahmed Irfan had earlier successfully negotiated the deal in the Karkey case, in which Pakistan faced a billion-dollar fine. According to sources, a new agreement was signed by representatives of the federal government and Balochistan with a delegation of Barrick Gold led by Chief Executive Dr Mark Bristow. As per the terms of the new agreement, the Reko Diq project shall be revived
and developed by Barrick Gold in partnership with Pakistani entities. 50 per cent of the new project’s shares will be owned by Barrick Gold, while the remaining shares shall be owned by Pakistan, divided equally between the federal government and the provincial government of Balochistan. The federal government’s shares of 25% shall be divided equally amongst three state-owned entities (SOE), namely Oil & Gas Development Corporation Limited (OGDCL), Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), and Government Holdings Pakistan Limited (GHPL). Balochistan’s shares shall be held by a company wholly-owned and controlled by the Government of Balochistan. Earlier, the lawmakers of Balochistan expressed their satisfaction with the terms of the proposed deal after senior federal government officials addressed concerns on the out-of-court settlement for the Reko Diq project.
A senior official in the AGP’s office, along with additional secretaries of petroleum and finance, provided an eight-hour briefing to the members of the Balochistan Assembly in December 2021. Balochistan’s lawmakers were informed that the most daunting challenge was to clear the liability of the $6 billion fine awarded by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Dispute (ICSID) on account of scrapping the lease mining agreement with TCC. In order to clear the liability, a deal was negotiated wherein there was an opportunity that TCC’s shareholding company, Barrick Gold, might resume the project under different terms. Likewise, Balochistan’s profit share would be 25%, which was equal to the share owned by the federal government. Balochistan’s lawmakers were further informed that the federal government would bear the burden of the province’s share of the cost of the project.
Improved economy: ‘Pakistan jumps 7 points at world happiness index’ ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin on Sunday said that Pakistan has jumped up seven points at world happiness index that shows improved economic conditions of the country. Addressing a press briefing in Islamabad, he said factors counted in the world happiness index shows Pakistan has performed better in GDP, life expectancy level, generosity, social protection programs and perception of corruption.
“Due to several economic measures of PTI government, our current account deficit has reduced to just 545 million dollars that was more than 20 billion dollars before we came into power,” he was quoted as saying by Radio Pakistan. He shared that the country’s imports are decreasing while exports including services exports have increased manifold besides large scale manufacturing also witnessing 8.2 percent growth. He expressed hope that the overall growth rate of the country will be above five at the end of current fiscal
year. Previously, Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin shared a cost of living index highlighting how Pakistan is least costly among 139 countries globally. Taking to Twitter, Shaukat Tarin shared the cost of living index graph showing Pakistan as the least costly country, ranking last out of 139 countries being assessed for their living expenses. He shared that a four-member family would need Rs171,783 for their living expense-minus rent- in Pakistan, a 71.52 percent lower expense than a family would require in the United States.
Reko Diq: Is the endgame near? ASAD ULLAh kAMrAN If this agreement is able to withstand due legal process, including approvals from the Cabinet and the Supreme Court, it would be Pakistan’s single biggest foreign investment historically. Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted that the project is expected to create “8000 new jobs”, and “will liberate us from crippling debt and usher in a new era of development and prosperity.”. According to the Prime Minister “nearly USD 10 billion shall be invested in Balochistan, including USD 1 billion that shall be invested in social uplift projects such as roads, schools, hospitals and creation of technical training institutes for mining”. “Barrick Gold Corporation and the governments of Pakistan and Balochistan have reached agreement on a framework that provides for the reconstitution of the Reko Diq project in the country’s Balochistan province” says a statement released by the company on Sunday. “The project, which was suspended in 2011 due to a dispute over the legality of its licensing process, hosts one of the world’s largest undeveloped open pit copper-gold porphyry deposits”. The project has been held up for over a decade in litigation in international arbitration councils since the Supreme Court struck down the original agreement between both parties in 2011. “The reconstituted project will be held 50% by Barrick and 50% by Pakistan stakeholders, comprising a 10% free-carried, non-contributing share held by the government of Balochistan, an additional 15% held by a special purpose company owned by the government of Balochistan and 25% owned by other federal state-owned enterprises” the company said in its statement. “A separate agreement provides for Barrick’s
partner Antofagasta PLC to be replaced in the project by the Pakistani parties.” In the original agreement the equity sharing between TCC and the government was to be 75% and 25% respectively, although that agreement was never reached because the Supreme Court struck down the grant of a mining lease. “Barrick will be the operator of the project which will be granted a mining lease, exploration licence, surface rights and a mineral agreement stabilising the fiscal regime applicable to the project for a specified period” the company said. In the initial agreement between TCC and the government the company Barrick Gold had chosen to form a joint venture with the foreign company Antofagasta. “The process to finalise and approve definitive agreements, including the stabilisation of the fiscal regime pursuant to the mineral agreement, will be fully transparent and involve the federal and provincial governments, as well as the Supreme Court of Pakistan” further added the company statement. The company also stated that “if the definitive agreements are executed and the conditions to closing are satisfied, the project will be reconstituted including the resolution of the damages originally awarded by the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes and disputed in the International Chamber of Commerce”. Mark Bristow, Barrick’s president and chief executive officer, lauded the deal as a significant step forward in the construction and management of Reko Diq, and a credit to all parties’ determination to work together to achieve a mutually advantageous solution in a collaborative spirit. “Barrick has successfully partnered
with host countries worldwide and our philosophy of sharing the economic benefits our mines generate equitably with core stakeholders is also evident in the ownership structure of the new Reko Diq. This is a unique opportunity for substantial foreign investment in the Balochistan province and will bring enormous direct and indirect benefits not only to this region but also to Pakistan for decades to come. In addition to local employment and skills development, local procurement, infrastructure upgrades and improved medical and education systems, Reko Diq could also be the springboard for further exploration and other mineral discoveries along the highly prospective Tethyan Metallogenic Belt,” he said. The government has also intimated that a smelter might be established in order to maximise the value of the output. As per Prime Minister Imran Khan “ to ensure optimal utilisation of the nation’s mineral wealth the government is also considering setting up a smelter”.
PM wants ‘all records of public attendance to be broken’ at D-Chowk rally NewS DeSk Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday announced that he wanted “all records of public attendance to be broken” during his Islamabad rally at D-Chowk on March 27 in an effort to ‘fight for the soul of Pakistan’ The PM took to his official Twitter handle, a week before the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf’s rally at D-Chowk,
and stated that he stood with what was right and condemned the “shameless buying of politicians’ souls by political mafias to protect their looted wealth”. Earlier this week, the PTI had announced that it would hold a “massive power show” at Islamabad’s D-Chowk on March 27 and take out one million people to the streets to “express confidence in their leader [PM Imran]”. The ruling party is expected to give
CMYK
a plan of action on the opposition’s noconfidence motion, which it believes would fail. “As I have invited people in Islamabad on March 27 [for a rally], the nation should come out to tell that they stand with the truth and not with thieves, dacoits, hypocrites and the slaves of America,” the premier had said. On Saturday, the PTI had issued show-cause notices to dissident lawmak-
A smelter utilises heating and melting to extract the metal from its ore. The refined product would naturally have a higher value in the global markets. However a smelter involves steep capital investments in the range of a billion dollars, not to mention it would also take another 2-5 years to build and is a very water intensive process. Reko Diq is located in a very arid part of the country. Although a smelter in essence would optimise the value of the mineral resources, analysts are however sceptical of the government’s capacity to carry out such projects, while keeping the project economically feasible. Logistics and transportation of the ore from the remote Chagai district to the international markets will also be challenging. Ideally extensive railway networks are the best options to maximise gains from economies of scale, however as it stands an extensive fleet of trucks would be doing that job. More project details are expected to be released in the days to come.
ers for joining the opposition parties, who brought no-confidence motion, as Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed the hope the estranged lawmakers would soon return to the party-fold. In the notices, the ruling party reminded the dissidents that they were bound to follow the directions issued by the PTI as its member. It asked the lawmakers to explain within seven days about giving the impression that they were about to leave the party. PM Imran had stated “bags of notes” were being used from Sindh House in Islamabad for horse-trading and “buying conscience” of the members of parliament like “Nawaz Sharif did in Changa Manga in the past”.
Monday, 21 March, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
05 FIA InTervenes AFTer CommerCIAL bAnks reFuse To exTend CredIT LImITs To omCs, reFInerIes NEWS
ISLAMABAD
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‘Confetti’: Pakistani, Chinese kids celebrate advent of spring ISLAMABAD staff report
Pakistani and Chinese kids celebrated the advent of spring season in a unique style as they kept on dancing to the tune of music and demonstrated their talent in different ways. In the Preparatory School Islamabad (PSI) annual spring festival, little kids as well as students of higher classes presented tableau, stage dramas, and recited poems. There was also a display of physical powers during the celebrations. Away from the high drama of no-confidence motion and power politics, the children were seen busy celebrating the spring festivals and teaching the lesson of tolerance and acceptability of each other to elders. During the course of the events, students recited Hamd and Naat apart from singing national songs like “Dil Dil Pakistan” and many more. The students also attracted applause from the audience by reciting the poem “Lassi Aur Chai” by famous humorist poet, Professor Anwar Masood. Children were turned into flowers, butterflies, honeybees, and other characters, wearing colorful costumes. They sang the songs of friendship with the moral lesson that we should spread friendship and love instead of hatred and animosity. Students presented skits on the theme of the creation of Pakistan. Ms. Hadia Ashraf and Anjum Ejaz represented the Principle Mrs. Ashraf in the event and they praised the performance of the students.
istan relating to the review of banking operations with Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) said that that FIA Sindh Zone I is conducting a criminal investigation against officers of the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) who are government servants/ Bankers involved in facilitating M/S Hascol Petroleum Limited with malafide intention resulting in loss of billions of rupees to the bank through malpractices. According to a letter of the Director, FIA, the investigation conducted so far reveals criminal negligence on the part of the bank to follow prudent banking practices. Basic purpose of the investigation is to fix responsibility and ensure conviction of those involved in criminal acts. Further, to obviate the risk of avoidable loss to the public exchequer in future, and at the same time, to raise the bar of due diligence and regulatory scrutiny/oversight at the appropriate fora. Recently, this agency is informed that banks are showing hesitation in doing business with OMCs, apparently due to the above referred investigation
ahmaD ahmaDani
FTER commercial banks show reluctance to extend credit to oil marketing companies (OMCs) and refineries, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has intervened and assured support to the commercial banks in doing the banking operations with OMCs. Following the initiation of an investigation by the FIA against the officers of the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) allegedly involved in facilitating M/S Hascol Petroleum Limited with malafide intention, the banks had refused to extend credit limits to OMCs, refineries of the country. However, now the FIA has stepped in and assured the commercial banks that the agency’s investigation should not be a concern to those not guilty of misconduct/breach of trust. Amir Farooqi, Director, FIA, in a letter dated March 18, 2022 to the Presidents of all commercial banks of Pak-
undergoing in this agency. In this connection, it is to reassure that this agency fully supports any and all efforts of the banking industry to enter into any restructuring of its exposure to HPL as it deem fit as per law ,” said the FIA letter.. “This agency also unequivocally assures all concerned that this investigation has been and shall continue to be conducted with the highest professional standards and should not be a source of concern to those not guilty of misconduct/breach of trust,” reads FIA letter. According to sources, the current total working capital facilities available with Parco is Rs 144,550 million, NRL Rs 105,850 million, PRL Rs 51550 million, CPL (Cnergyico Pk Limited) Rs 46550 million, and ARL Rs 3000 million. It is relevant to note that Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC) had earlier written a letter to the Governor of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and sought intervention after banks refusal to extend the credit limits to OMCs/refineries. OCAC also warned the Gov-
Kashmir Files film Indian conspiracy against Kashmiri prisoners: Ghazali
Passenger plane narrowly escapes crash landing at Lahore airport
Two children among five killed in bikes collision GUJRAT By Jazyan Dar
Five persons, including two children, died and four others were injured in a head-on collision between two motorbikes near Dittewal village on Gujrat-Dinga road on Saturday. As per police and Rescue 1122 officials, two motorcyclists, travelling with their families, collided head-on on Dinga Road, resulting in death of five persons on the spot. Those who died included Husnain Ali (28) and Ilyas (48) of Jalalpur Jattan, Usman Ali (32), his son Rafay Ali (5) and Rajab Ali (7) of Wazirabad. The injured include two six-month-old children Rohan Kashif and Musa Usman of Jalalpur Jattan, Rahila Imran of Wazirabad and Shaista, wife of deceased Usman. The injured were shifted to the Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital where they were said to be stable. As per the data available with Gujrat Rescue 1122, around 100 traffic accidents are reported daily in the district, mostly involving motorbikes. An official said the trend of riding motorcycles on highways had increased in the last few years, which should be discouraged to avoid such accidents.
ernor SBP that hesitation of banks to extend financing facilities to OMCs, refineries may lead to an oil crisis in the country. It is pertinent to mention that President Arif Alvi has so far granted sanction for placement of Rs20 billion in the assignment account for reimbursement of Price Differential Claims (PDC) of Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and refineries. In a letter dated March 18, 2022 to the Accountant General of Pakistan, Petroleum division conveyed the sanction of the President to the placement of Rs20 billion in the assignment account titled Reimbursement of Price Differential Claims (PDC) of Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and refineries “It is requested that the Manager National Bank of Pakistan, Main Branch, Karachi may be advised to arrange payment against the ceiling of Rs2 billion on the receipt of cheques and prescribed schedule of payment duly signed by the authorized signatories of the account,” said a letter of the petroleum division.
LAHORE staff report
MUZAFFARABAD staff report
The Chairman of Pasban-e-Hurriyat, Uzair Ahmad Ghazali has said that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been spreading hatred, prejudice and lies under the guise of “Kashmir Files Film” based on lies. In a statement issued here on Sunday, he said that Indian government tried to target the Kashmiri Liberation Front leadership imprisoned in jails under the guise of baseless propaganda of Kashmir Files film. He termed the indictment of Kashmiri prisoners illegally in Indian jails by the special court of NIA as
fake and fabricated cases and a deliberate conspiracy against them. He said that Muhammad Yaseen Malik, Musarrat Alam Bhatt, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Naeem Ahmed Khan, Altaf Ahmed Khan, Farooq Ahmed Dar, Raja Mairajud Din Kalwal, Shahid ul Islam Advocate, Peer Saifullah and other leaders have been indicted under planned conspiracies of Indian government. Ghazali stated that the oppressive and ruthless government of India had sentenced to death Mohammad Afzal Guru and Mohammad Maqbool Butt during their imprisonment. “Moreover, two dozen Kashmiri Liberation Front leaders were life sentenced”, he maintained.
Hooligans attack female assistant commissioner in Mansehra MANSEHRA staff report
Three hooligans attacked Assistant Commissioner Marvi Malik Sher near Ghazi Kot, Mansehra last week, it emerged on Sunday. Marvi Malik is one of the five sisters who have set a record of clearing CSS examination and join bureaucracy. The three accused were arrested on March 18 when they tried to overtake the assistant commissioner’s car several times. They also kept taking her pictures and videos and then stopped their vehicle in front of her car in Ghazi Kot. The accused expressed their dismay at
CMYK
having a “Woman as an assistant commissioner in their area”. The hooligans also tried to hit the assistant commissioner by trying to pull her out of the vehicle, injuring her and the guard. Some people present at the site rescued them and handed the three men to the police. A case under various sections including those pertaining to harassment was registered on the complaint of Marvi Malik. Marvi Malik Sher is among those five sisters who had set a unique record to clear CSS examination and join bureaucracy. The success story of these five Sher sisters in CSS examinations embodies exemplary instances of women empowerment.
A passenger plane of a private airline narrowly escaped a crash landing at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore following intervention from traffic control officials. According to details, a private airline’s passenger plane attempted to land at the under constructed runway at the Lahore airport. The air traffic controller while taking in view the approach of the plane understood that it was going to land at the under-construction runway and stopped it from landing. The pilot was forced to change the trajectory of the plane to ensure a safe landing at the other runway of the airport. In late January this year, it was reported that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the up-gradation of Lahore’s Allama Iqbal airport main runway has entered the final phase. The up-gradation of the runway to cost Rs6,450 million, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said and added that the latest equipment will be fixed on the main runway for the guidance of the pilots landing planes at the airport. The latest system will help pilots in landing during inclement weather conditions. The runway is closed for the flight operations in phase two repair work until April 2, according to the CAA. Currently, the secondary runway is being used for flight operations and the main runway is being used for taxi-in and taxiout. The main runway of the Allama Iqbal International airport, Lahore, was closed on November 14, 2020, for a year on account of repair works, but the upgradation has been delayed.
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Monday, 21 March, 2022
06 COMMENT
Civilized Nations And Bigoted People
No-confidence vote Need to prevent disorder from growing
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he government appears intent on sticking to its timeline, and the opposition’s vote of no-confidence looks set to come up for voting on March 28. The session has been a little late in being summoned, because the requirement was of 14 days after the requisition was filed, which was March 8. As the house will meet on March 21, that means 13 days will have passed. Then if the motion is moved at once, the Constitution provides between three and seven days before it must be voted on. The outer limit takes Parliament to March 28, which is one day after the ruling party intends to hold a public meeting at D-Chowk to dissuade MNAs from voting. There may have been some delay in summoning the session, and the three-to-seven day limit on the motion itself has definitely been missed, as the motion was filed on March 8, and thus voting would fall due by March 15, however, any talk of taking the matter to court should go no further. Apart from the fact that the vote is taking place, there is also Article 254 of the Constitution which condones any delay in any act required by the Constitution. Be that as it may, the delay has been very expensive. Whatever the government might say, the economy was not doing particularly well, but ever since the no-trust motion was moved, the markets have been in turmoil, and the rupee has hit new lows. This is not so much because speculators have entered the market, but because brokers have turned speculators. Because of this, an early vote would have been helpful. The excuse given, that the National Assembly hall would host the OIC Foreign Ministers’ conference and the Senate hall was under repair, ignores the constitutional provision which leaves the Speaker to select a place for the session, and in no way specifies Parliament Building, or even Islamabad. There seems no reason why the Punjab Assembly building in Lahore, for example, could not have been used. PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s threat to hinder the conference, hastily withdrawn presumably when the implications sank in, must be seen in that context. Leave alone hat such threats come more readily to the PTI, which still intends to have a human gauntlet for the PTI dissident MNAs to run, if they try to go to Parliament to vote on the no-confidence motion. All sides must try to eschew any unconstitutional behaviour, and should avoid turning Parliament into a battlefield, as it has been too often before, leaving a constitutional process to unfold as envisaged by the Constitution and the rules of the house.
There is racism in Western condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Abid HussAin RAtHeR
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here is a major difference between a human being and being humane. A life full of luxuries, affluence of enormous resources, an impressive socio-economic profile,a magnetizing attire, high educational degrees and many other similar attributes are not altogether sufficient and mandatory for being a good and righteous human being rather a person should be good at heart and he should feel the pain of others to be a good human being with humane character. If a person doesn't feel the pain of other people or silently watches the oppression of the oppressor without reacting to it in one way or another in spite of enjoying the above mentioned attributes, he is not worth being called a good and righteous creature of Almighty God who has been entitled as Ashraful Makhlooqaat rather he is suffering from mental bankruptcy. history is witness to the fact that economic wealth and cultural enlightenment has never remained confined to a particular region of the world but they have been revolving from one part of the globe to another with the passage of time due to numberless factors. The Western world, particularly europe,which is currently enjoying the state of being a civilized and economically developed nation, has gone through the Dark Ages spanning almost 900 years between the 5th and 14th centuries when the Church was the only authority to decide the fate of the wealth and honour of the common masses. The Western world is currently progressing by leaps and bounds in the field of science and technology but it doesn't give it any authority in any way to interfere in the socio-economic and political affairs of the other parts of the world nor does it make the white race superior to the people of other parts of the
Covid relaxation But life will return only to new normal
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The only loser will be the people
AttiyA MunAweR
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he Prime Minister and his associates have been outraged since the no-confidence motion was filed by the opposition. The tongues of government ministers are blazing, the names of rivals are being tarnished, allegations of buying and selling are being made and the opposition is being threatened. Moreover, the shelling by the opposition is increasing, women are being dragged beyond the boun ds of decency in politics, the country’s economy is under pressure and uncertainty and unrest are increasing. There is a storm of inflation that is raging, the law and order situation is deteriorating but instead of resolving public issues, the political leaderships is at odds with each other as if they are not citizens of one country, but armies of enemy countries facing each other and no one is ready to listen to the adherence to the code of conduct in politics, the constitutional and moral boundaries are being crossed to take precedence over each other. The people will have to bear
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developed nation, where people of their own race are killed and their property is being demolished. resultantly the USA, along with europe, have become supporters and defenders of Ukraine. Today russia's atrocity is visible to the whole Western media but the same Western media was silent when russia indiscriminately bombarded Syria and nobody listened to the cries of Syrian people. Neither any country in the world banned russia nor was it declared a terrorist state. But when the brown-haired people are being killed, russia is pressurized to stop the war and european countries are helping Ukraine by trying to send their arms and ammunition to Ukraine to fight against russia. eastern nations are threatened not to cooperate with russia. But a question arises here that when the unjustified aggression of the USA and its allies destroyed Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and other countries and killed thousands upon thousands of people there,were their lives not precious ? The world remained silent and nobody mourned their deaths, nor was the USA pressurized to stop its aggression as they were not people from their own races. These bigoted people of modern civilized nations mourn the death of only those people who have brown hair and blue eyes as these are their parameters for being a human being. But such people should always remember that atrocity, barbarism, inhumanity and brutality in any form and anywhere should always be condemned,controlled and denounced. Killing a single innocent human soul irrespective of caste, colour and creed is like killing whole humanity as every human soul has the right to live peacefully. War has never been a solution to any problem, rather it creates more problems and gives rise to more political conflicts.War ultimately ends but the coming generations have to bear its ill effects for many centuries. So every nation should try to avoid war and stop its unjustified aggression on other countries to make the world a peaceful place to live in. The United Nations should play its pivotal role in solving the world political conflicts peacefully arising in different parts of the world rather than being a mere spectator and puppet of few nuclear powers of the world. The writer can rather1294@gmail.com
The people will lose in mistrust
he National Command and Control Operations Center (NCOC) has announced the lifting of all remaining covid-19 pandemic restrictions, which means that even self-isolation for the infected is no longer required. The NCOC has already lifted most curbs, which had allowed cinemas, gyms, theatres and marriage halls to reopen. restrictions on the unvaccinated will remain, which makes sense, because this lifting of restrictions has only been possible because of a successful vaccination campaign, with 87 percent of the eligible population having received at least one dose, and 70 percent being fully vaccinated. This would mean that herd immunity may well have been achieved. As is the case with the rest of the world, Pakistan has probably emerged from the worst of the pandemic. however, no one should imagine that the world, or the country, or an individual, can simply take up from where he left off three years ago. The world is reopening, but to a new normal, not to the past. The world has experienced economic disruption aplenty; with worldwide inflation compounded by supply-chain crises. It is still a tentative world, even a scared one. Annual vaccine boosters must be added and social distancing must be maintained. The country must still be watchful for new strains of the virus, and the possible need for fresh vaccines. Another danger which must be tackled by the developed countries rather than the developing is that of a recurrence. The unhealthy practices which led to the transfer of the virus from animals to humans must be ended. Climate change, and the increased extinction of species, leading their viruses and microbes to seek new hosts, must also be tackled. The world had to pay a heavy toll in lives and disruption. It must not be allowed to happen again. The world was caught by surprise last time; never again.
Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad
world. The russia- Ukraine war has unfolded the hidden policy and ideology of the Western world and its thinkers. Though everyone is well aware about their deceptive and jesuitical policies, their recent statements regarding the russia-Ukraine war has clearly depicted that they presume themselves superior and more respectable to the rest of the world. War has never been good and beneficial to human beings. It brings nothing but distress, devastation,loss of wealth,property and human lives.Brides become widows and children are turned orphan.Friends become foes. Majestic cities and beautiful castles are razed to dust and ruins. Since the dawn of the 21st century, human beings have witnessed many disastrous wars due to geopolitical conflicts between different nations which have caused a great horror to humanity and destroyed many beautiful countries. Firstly the USAand its allies targeted Afghanistan and the beautiful mountainous country was razed, and plunged into ruins. During the US-Afghanistan war, almost the entire world supported the USA's false propaganda and resultantly Afghanistan was declared a terrorist state. After a few years, it was Saddam's Iraq which was demolished and devastated by the USA on account of some allegations which were never proved. Due to war, Iraq, which was once a rich and developing country, was turned into a poor and economically dependent country. Then Libya and other countries were added to the list and the common thing among all these wars was that these wars were due to unjustified aggression of the USA and its supporters. So the western media portrayed the rulers of these nations as cruel and tyrant oppressors and depicted them as a threat to humanity. Their property was burned to ashes and their wives were widowed and children orphaned. The Israeli– Palestinian conflict has become one of the world's most enduring conflicts where thousands of Palestinians are killed every year. The UN has become a mere spectator over this issue and the world media is silently watching the bloodshed of the poor Palestinian people. No country in the Western world has banned Israel nor declared it a terrorist country, due to their political and economic interests. The russia - Ukraine war has landed the Western world into dystopia.They are shocked to see a developed nation being attacked and destroyed by another
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The Prime Minister may hunt anything from tigers to rats, but he should also try to cure the people who are suffering from the growing crisis. The Prime Minister should not say that he is not aware of the risthe brunt of the growing turmoil in politics along with ing prices of potatoes and tomatoes during his tenure. democracy. If the Prime Minister does not know the prices of There is no doubt that democracy and the people daily commodities of the people, then how can he will suffer the most from the advancing confrontation save the public from inflation? in politics. even before this, in the political confrontaIf the people are happy tion, democracy was rethen the government will be placed by dictatorship and strong, otherwise the oppothe people endured the dictasition will continue to prestorial system for a long time. ent no-confidence motions If conscience is being bought, While the political leaderin the name of the ship has been enjoying then who is being bought? people.Similarly, if the nopower under the umbrella of motion is sucThese are the same people who confidence dictatorship, the political cessful, then the Prime leadership used slogans of came to the PTI to sell their Minister will know the facdemocracy to fool the people tual prices of every comconscience but they were as much as it wanted, but it modity in the real sense. For has been responsible for declared champions of the people, the levy of weakening democracy itself. goods changes day by day, democracy. Those who Political leaders shout but the mysteries of politics slogans of democracy and patronize the filthy system in are such that they change go under the umbrella of moment. politics should be stopped now. everyThere dictatorship for their own is no denying that interests. All confrontation How long will those who have the winds are also changing in politics is not for with the flow of domestic defeated the people and kept democracy and the people, politics. This can be gauged it is for gaining power their heads tied with success from the change in the nests while the fate of the people of seasonal birds. The Prime continue to play this game? In is written to be humiliated Minister is right in saying and disgraced. this no-confidence motion, the that morality is being It is a fact that the peobought with stolen money. defeat of the government and ple have tried to change earlier, a plane full of sold their lives by rejecting and the opposition is of no consciences was also put at handing over power to a feet, but this time a camimportance. The real defeat will his new leadership but what paign of confidence is being this new leadership has be for the people. run on someone else with done in the last three and a someone else’s money. half years and what it is If conscience is being saying now is not going to bought, then who is being benefit the people. Yet the bought? These are the same Prime Minister is adamant that as much progress people who came to the PTI to sell their conscience has been made in the country, so much progress will but they were declared champions of democracy. be made in the last year of the government. The Those who patronize the filthy system in politics Prime Minister does not know what kind of devel- should be stopped now. how long will those who opment he is talking about. Only inflation, unem- have defeated the people and kept their heads tied ployment and unrest have developed in the country. with success continue to play this game? In this noWill such development continue for another year? confidence motion, the defeat of the government and This is not a joke, on the one hand the people of the the opposition is of no importance. The real defeat country are worried and the Prime Minister is will be for the people. claiming he is hunting rats instead of alleviating the worries of the people. The writer tweets @AttiyaMunawer
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Monday, 21 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
Disaster Management Lapses The Federal Government provided funds in 2007 for establishing NDMA to provide relief and rescue to citizens of this country who are victims of natural or man-made disasters. Unfortunately, this top-heavy organization, along with thousands of other state employees both civil and uniformed, posted there, failed in the most recent such disasters that occurred in Murree where 23 citizens, died stranded on a snow-covered road in a habited area. All state-funded organisations at hill stations are equipped with tools and paraphernalia required to tackle snowfall, rains, landslides and tree uprooting etc. that occur every year. Instead of elevating the administrative setup of Murree, other than escalating administrative expenditure, it will serve no other purpose. What is needed is to recruit personnel qualified and trained in search and rescue operations associated with the local Fire Brigade and other such departments. The report fails to identify whether the 2 km road adjacent to Kuldina, was under the administrative jurisdiction of civil administration or cantonment executive board. It was an avoidable tragedy if all organisations had coordinated. The snow removing equipment existed but was either unserviceable or did not have fuel and drivers required to operate them. The NDMA was established to formulate policies for crisis management. rescue and relief Operations are specialized skills. An audit must be carried out. Unless those responsible for criminal negligence are given exemplary punishments, dismissed from service, followed by imprisonment after a judicial process, such disasters will continue to occur. ALI MALIK TARIQ, LAhoRE.
Record Foreign Loan
A Pakistani Creative Director Shaping the Future of NFTs
sAlMAn sAbiR According to Insider, “The market for non-fungible tokens surged to $41 billion in 2021, according to the newest metric”. This reflects the huge potential within the NFT space globally. While the industry is thriving all over the world, Pakistan is making some rapid progress, unlike others and behind that are the country’s talented digital artists like Shaikh Danial. Danial is an award-winning Creative Director who has more than a decade of experience. he has contributed his unmatched capabilities to 21st Century Fox, Universal Pictures, Disney, Pixar, World Bank Group, United Nations, Google, and many other industry giants. he is also the founder of the world's First CSr (Corporate Social responsibility) Media house & Agency, Social Junction Pvt. Ltd. Shaikh Danial is a passionate and futuristic creative director who has made some remarkable achievements on an international level. he is well known for his fascinating capabilities in his chosen field. he has gained global attention in the NFT space with his recent contribution to ‘BAPeS’ which is one of the biggest NFT projects of all time. his contributions to this world-famous NFT project are quite remarkable. he is the Creative Director of this unique project which has already taken the global NFT industry by storm. he is known for adding real value to The BAPeS Genesis collection which includes 10,000 lowpoly erC-721 non-fungible tokens, deployed on the ethereum blockchain. By working on this project, Danial now stands among a few of those people who will soon revolutionize and transform the existing NFT industry. Not to mention that this project is led by several leaders, sports stars, celebrities, and legends from diverse industries like media, entertainment, gaming, esports, beauty, fashion, automotive, real estate, banking, finance, biotechnology, hospitality and more. Danial’s outstanding work with BAPeS is a testament to the hidden talent and capabilities that Pakistani creative artists possess. That being said, it looks like digital artists from Pakistan
will take the country’s name to the edge of the industry soon. he has now become a global inspiration for many of those who have just stepped into the unique world of NFTs and the Metaverse. BAPeS is the world’s first metavestor club dedicated to empowering crypto native companies that are in the metaverse space. It was founded by billionaire businessmen and hollywood’s top celebrities are its ambassadors. The project is based on highly diverse backgrounds and deep roots in the world of the Metaverse. Under this project, every member is considered a metavestor partner who get seamless metawards from BAPeS Clan’s range of metaprojects. The core idea behind BAPeS is to introduce a unique kind of utility in the NFT industry. It is something that’s never been seen before. Many believe that BAPeS is a groundbreaking project that has a huge potential to even revolutionize the industry and set new trends for the world. Fundamentally, every BAPeS member is provided with an opportunity to become a metavestor by making metavestments made through the metafund which is governed by all the BAPeS members. So, this thing is going to become a decentralized entity to create value that’s far more than what traditional financial institutions create. The BAPeSCLAN is the world’s first-ever DAO that has combined the universe and the metaverse uniquely. The team’s core objective is to drive real business value on blockchain technology by integrating realworld businesses and their real-time success in life. It provides people with the opportunity to invest real money in the metaverse and get rewar,ded equally for everyone’s effort in the form of metavestments. everyone at BAPeS has got decades of experience and accomplishments in their respective fields and they are committed to making their vision a great reality. The project is currently aimed at buying the NFT Worlds map which would allow the creators to build the BAPeS World. The project has also partnered
with the industry’s most renowned stakeholders to make it happen soon. According to the officials, The BAPeSCLAN considers the NFT Worlds as their preferred metaverse for this project due to its high-end technical capabilities. Followed by the launch of BAPeS World, the team is aimed at continuous evolution and will take interest in conquering other metaverses. According to them, the next target would be to acquire Somnium Space with an ambition to build “Planet of the BAPeS”. Conclusively, it can be said that BAPeS is all about creating the "digital twins" of the real world and the metaverse. This makes it an ocean of business opportunities that no one has witnessed ever. Along with Shaikh Danial, several other NFT artists have also made unimaginable marks in the global NFT space. recently, a Pakistani NFT project “The Merge” has just generated $91.8 million on the Nifty Gateway which is the world’s top NFT marketplace. The project is owned by an anonymous Pakistani NFT artist named “’Pak” whose work has also been praised by elon Musk on Twitter. Next to this, recently a new trend has been observed in the Pakistani NFT industry which is about launching futuristic fashion brands inspired by digital artistry. Among those, Oshii Brownie which was founded by Ayesha Mubarik Ali is on top of the list. She is a renowned creative artist from Pakistan who has earned considerable fame within the digital arts and NFT space of the country. She has worked with some of the most distinguished global digital artists. Along with Shaikh Danial and Ayesha M. Ali, a British Pakistani boy sold his NFT collection for a staggering £290,000. his work was highly appreciated by the global NFT community and has resulted in gaining a huge amount of fame for the country. To conclude, it is evident that Pakistanis have got an amazing potential in the NFT industry and the government of Pakistan should think seriously about developing and providing adequate resources to such people who can make miracles.
His contributions to this world-famous NFT project are quite remarkable. He is the Creative Director of this unique project which has already taken the global NFT industry by storm. He is known for adding real value to The BAPES Genesis collection which includes 10,000 lowpoly ERC-721 nonfungible tokens, deployed on the Ethereum blockchain.
The writer is freelance columnist
The loan trap of Pakistan increased manifold touched to 21000 billion rupees. In the 8 years, Pervez Musharaf took loans in the billions and in the PPP regime, the government exceeded that record by taking a foreign loan more than that but PTI has crossed the record of previous all governments and took a foreign loan of hundreds of billions rupees. In three years PTI failed to establish a good governed system and prices of fuel also raised to a record level. Inflation and price hike unemployment and bad governance is also added fuel to fire. The recent defeat in cantonment and local government is an eye-opener. The PTI miserably failed to deliver. ShAKIR h ShAMIM, ISLAMAbAd.
Safety Of Journalists No one denies the most significant role of journalists who devote their lives to collecting information and spending time in thinking to bring peace to their country. It is a bitter truth that the journalists, who I call the superheroes, are losing their precious lives. According to the research conducted by International Press Institute (IPI) in 2021, 45% of journalists across the globe lost their lives while working. To add more to this piece of writing, 28 percent were under high pressure and were targeted. The research simply shows and clarifies that the lives of the brave countrymen, journalists, are not safe anywhere. The government should understand the importance of journalists and it should ensure the security of journalists in order to develop because those are the journalists who actually bring out and highlight the pros and cons. AdIL WAhId, KARAchI.
RUDA plans to preserve Ravi’s water IN Pakistan, the ravi river has degraded significantly. The communities of the ravi Basin have a different vision for the future of the river. Much progress may be accomplished through water treatment and river restoration, but people and organizations must do their share to protect the ravi. The river ravi eco-revitalization Master Plan is a detailed road map for realizing the collective’s vision. The ravi river is one of five tributaries of the Indus river that give Punjab its name (also known as the Land of the Five rivers). Tens of millions of Punjab inhabitants rely on it for survival. It’s basin has a population of 52 MILLION PeOPLe. ravi and its network of nullahs are the lifeline that connects and serves homes and businesses dispersed across Pakistan’s most populated province. The local word for natural streams and drainage systems that have been turned into open sewers over time is nullah. Lahore, where the population has increased by 60% in the previous ten years, is home to 10% of Punjabis who rely on the river ravi. A handful of other large cities make up the urban balance. The ecosystem of ravi has been strained beyond its limits as a result of rapid population increase and powerful economic development, threatening the livelihoods of millions of Punjabis and eliminating essential ecological services that might support the economy. The river is confronted with a complicated set of difficulties that endangers its population and their livelihoods, including: Diversion of headwaters Unjust agricultural and industrial practices. A critical mismatch exists between the basin’s rivers and its population. Changes in groundwater levels and contamination. Inadequate wastewater treatment, as well as poor environmental management. Due to the sheer population explosion, high industrialization, rapid urbanization, lack of wastewater treatment, and little regulation of water use, large amounts of residential, industrial, and agricultural wastewater, as well as toxic effluents, are discharged directly into nearby nullahs from almost every region of the basin. human-made and natural nullahs, seen as drains by locals, transport industrial wastes and sewage from big metropolitan centers such as Lahore, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, and Sahiwal, as well as smaller towns and villages, into the river ravi. Smaller nullahs are also polluted as a result of unauthorized “multi-purposing.” The state of the river ravi and its nullahs poses a major danger to the health of those who live in the basin. Because of widespread pollution, water-borne and water-washed (skin) illnesses affect people of all ages. Also, this untreated waste water is used by the farmers for irrigation purposes situated near or next to river. Thus this produce harvested through this polluted water goes into our food chain which Lahore eat on everyday basis. MUhAMMAd JAZIL LAhoRE
08 WORLD VIEW 21 March 22_Layout 1 3/21/2022 12:25 AM Page 1
Monday, 21 March, 2022
08 WORLD VIEW
Washington's deadly legacy in iraq wang Jin
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S. launched a war against iraq and overthrew the Saddam Hussein regime with the excuse that it was eliminating weapons of mass destruction and terrorism. The U.S. invasion not only led to a large number of civilian deaths but also destroyed the political foundation and obliterated the power balance inside iraq. The U.S. invasion against iraq came after the 9/11 attacks and Washington's "War on Terror." The most widely accepted story remains that the U.S. invasion against iraq was motivated by the belief that Saddam Hussein had secret weapons of mass destruction program and had ties with terrorism networks. U.S. politician Condoleezza Rice's made remarks such as, "We don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud," and the U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell presented a tiny vial of white powder to the Un Security Council as the evidence of iraq weapons of mass destruction. although Powell's speech did not lead to the Un's approval of the U.S. invasion of iraq, and neither Powell nor Rice made the final decision of military action against Saddam Hussein, the U.S. war on iraq marked an important turning point for both the U.S. and iraq. The war in iraq marked a decisive moment in undermining the U.S.' international credibility. Unlike the war against iraq in 1991, the U.S. invasion of iraq in 2003 started without the support of the Un Security Council, even without the support from its regional allies, such as Turkey and Saudi arabia. in 1991, with the support of a coalition of several countries, the U.S. launched the war against iraq, and Washington's military victory was turned into political credit in the international arena. However, in 2003, although Washington's war against iraq successfully overthrew the Saddam Hussein regime with a quick victory, the war started without Un authorization and suggested the decline of U.S. international credit. For the iraqi people, the U.S. war in 2003 started waves of turbulence that remain today. The U.S. went to iraq with the ambition of not only overthrowing Saddam Hussein's regime and the Ba'ath party network in iraq but also constructing a "democratic" system and turning
U.S. ARMY ENGINEERS ON THE IRAQ-KUWAIT BORDER LISTEN TO FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH'S RADIO ADDRESS TO THE NATION
iraq into a political example in the Middle East. nearly two decades later, the U.S. has withdrawn its military presence in iraq and left a deadly legacy for the iraqi people. The U.S. invasion destroyed the political foundation and left endless turmoil and unrest in the state. it also destroyed the political balance in iraq. as a state with competing for religious sects between islamic Sunni and Shia, and ethnic divisions between arab and Kurdish, iraq now needs to find a way to bridge the gap between different religions and ethnic groups. Saddam Hussein's regime utilized Ba'athism and the slogan of pan-arabism to unite iraq. The U.S. war in 2003 expelled Ba'athism without constructing a new political
structure. The division between Sunni and Shia became so rife that the extremist group, iSiS, was able to rise up from the Sunni-dominated western iraq in 2014. Explosions and iraqi anti-aircraft fire light the sky during the third night of the U.S. shelling of Baghdad in March 2003. /CFP The ethnic ties between the arab and Kurdish people have also worsened. The Kurdish Democratic Party from Kurdish autonomous Region in iraq called for national independence in 2017. Sectarian and ethnic politics dominate iraq, while the nation's unity becomes weaker and bleaker. The U.S. war also turned iraq into a secondary state
Why india Must avoid hitching itself to Us Military’s Plans for china and the indo-Pacific DURING HIS VISIT TO DELHI, US DEFENCE SECRETARY LLOYD AUSTIN IS EXPECTED TO DISCUSS THE PENTAGON’S MULTI-DOMAIN OPERATIONS CONCEPT. BUT THERE ARE SERIOUS PITFALLS TO INDIA AGREEING TO ANY COOPERATION IN COMBAT
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aving signed the four basic US military foundational agreements necessary for interoperability the last of those in October 2020 the narendra Modi government will now be taking india’s military relationship with the United States several notches higher. if things move at the government’s pace, india will soon be a de facto US ally without any clarity on how this will enhance the country’s defence against the combined China-Pakistan threat. Or how it would help establish geopolitical equilibrium with China. When US secretary of defence Lloyd J. austin iii comes to india (March 19-21) after his visits to Japan and South Korea – both formal US allies in asia – on the table for discussion will be the Pentagon’s multi domain operations (MDO) warfighting concept. That this is in the offing was indicated by the army chief, general M.M. naravane during his February 24 address at a webinar organised by the vivekanand international Foundation (viF). according to gen. naravane, multi domain operations are the future of war for which the indian army is preparing. While the army chief’s sudden switch to MDO from network-centric operations (nCO) may have come as a surprise to many, the national security advisor, and by extension the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), had been working the ropes to get under the broader and more definitive US security umbrella. i believe that the nSa’s office was acquainted with the idea of MDO during the Ladakh crisis, when in desperation the government was looking at all options to counter China. These included seeking non-traditional (by indian thinking) means as well. a few start-ups, familiar with some of the technologies involved, have been working with the nSa’s office on developing an indian version of MDO. This was the reason the Modi government rushed to sign Basic Exchange and Cooperation agreement (BECa) last year even when it was unclear if Trump administra-
tion would return to power. The Biden administration is determined to do more than incorporate allies and partners (like india) into its MDO warfighting concept. Even before the US indo-Pacific commander (inDOPaCOM), admiral Philip Davidson recently told the Senate armed Services Committee that Chinese military aggression towards Taiwan and india could manifest ‘in fact in the next six years’, the White House had asked the Pentagon to conduct a task force review on how to meet the Peoples Liberation army (PLa) challenge in asia. Senior US officials, including the joint chiefs chairman, general Mark Milley, have gone public in suggesting what steps needed to be taken to stem the US military downslide. The steps suggested by US military officers are meant to address two major issues: How to meet the PLa’s anti access and area denial (a2aD) challenge, and how to strengthen US military’s conventional deterrence by MDO. a2aD is the US military term for what the PLa calls its counter-intervention strategy comprising its long and medium range ballistic missiles, hypersonic and supersonic cruise missiles, early warning and long-range radars, integrated air and missile defence system, long range reconnaissance satellites and aircraft, cyber, electronic, and counter space capabilities. The counter-invention strategy or a2aD weapons are meant to disallow US military access to its bases, and to deny force operational freedom of action once there. at the heart of this strategy is China’s systems destruction warfare exemplified by its awesome projective-centric (missiles) warfare and ability to destroy US networks which connect its kill chain. The latter also called the Observe, Orient, Decide, and act (OODa) loop is a three-part process consisting of understanding the situation, deciding on the course of action at the command-and-control operating centres, and ordering the appropriate shooter (missiles, guns, laser guided bombs, laser weapons, cyber weapons, jamming, counter space weapons) to destroy the targets. US military officers say that the a2aD challenge is huge and requires three actions to meet it. First, the US should increase its missiles production rapidly. The Trump administration had withdrawn from
the intermediate nuclear Forces (inF) treaty in 2019 since it prevented the US from building conventional land-based missiles over 500km range. Since China was not part of this treaty, it could unabashedly test and operationalise ballistic missiles in large numbers unmatched by any nation. The second action relates to the challenge of PLa’s long ranges and accurate missiles, especially when they would soon be enabled by artificial intelligence (ai) imbedded in them. These ‘intelligent’ missiles, called lethal autonomous weapons (LaWs) would be able to operate independently. able to accomplish given tasks by themselves, LaWs would not require software networking communication with the human controller. incidentally, this network which connects the missile to the control station is its most vulnerable part. it can be destroyed by the adversary – in China’s case, by the US – thereby blinding the missile. The answer to this problem, the US military says, is to abandon its limited and permanent asian bases with a high density of troops in places like Japan, South Korea, and guam. Established after the Second World War, these would be easy targets for PLa missiles. instead, the US should seek diffused bases, at many places, where troops could be placed on a rotational basis. it is argued that dispersed and expeditionary US troops across the inDOPaCOM would be a less vulnerable target and provide better conventional deterrence. Looking for such bases amongst partners in the region would be a high priority for US defence secretary austin when he meets india’s nSa. Would the Modi government, which has gone out of its way to seek US security, refuse an american request for rotational troops on indian soil? The third action the US military intends to take is to permanently position the US army-led multi domain task force (MDTF) closer to the Chinese a2aD firewall to potentially penetrate it before a major attack is mounted by the US forces arriving from rotational bases. The MDTF would comprise longrange US missiles and cyber capabilities (under the US army cyber command) meant to destroy PLa missiles. Pravin Sawhney is editor, FORCE news magazine. He is writing a book on artificial intelligence enabled future warfare
in the Middle East. although severely weakened by the U.S.-led international forces attack in 1991, iraq was still one of the most powerful states in the Middle East before 2003, especially in the arab world. in the Saddam Hussein era, iraq played an important role in the israel-Palestine peace process and influenced the arab world with Ba'athism. after 2003, iraq's strength became weaker in the Middle East. national elections became an opportunity for external powers to influence iraq's internal affairs, and major iraqi political groups sought support from the U.S., iran, Saudi arabia and other external powers to compete for political power. The weak central government cannot meet the demands of its people, and social movements and protests further shake iraq's national unity and capability. The U.S. invasion and occupation also led to the death and suffering of many iraqis. Compared to the 4,500 american deaths in iraq after 2003, iraqi people have suffered much more. Thousands of iraqi civilians have been killed every year since 2003. Some iraqi people died because of U.S. military strikes against civilian targets in various military missions. Others died in the unrest and turmoil that resulted from the U.S. war in 2003. Mass protests have been ongoing in iraq since autumn 2019. The iraqi people are frustrated with the lack of electricity and clean water, poor infrastructure, high unemployment rate, political weakness and corruption and widespread poverty. The dismal prospects of iraq's young people are also of great concern. The U.S. war on iraq in 2003, led by george W. Bush, drained both the U.S. and iraq's national resources. The U.S. withdrawal from iraq should not mean the end of the U.S.' responsibility in iraq. Washington should do more to atone for the wrongs it committed since 2003.
it is hardly surprising WASHINGTON’S DECISION TO GIVE AFGHAN FUNDS TO 9/11 VICTIMS IS A CONTINUATION OF ITS COLONIAL VENTURE IN AFGHANISTAN
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HE move sent shockwaves far beyond afghanistan as the country was thrown into yet another phase of the american war: the intentional starvation of the afghan people. The range of sentiments expressed by media commentators and afghan and non-afghan “experts” alike vacillated between anger and shock, horror and surprise. These reactions seemed to reflect a remarkable insistence, a refusal, to see the US for what it is – a brutal empire through and through. When an empire shows you what it is, believe it. To be surprised at Biden’s decision to steal afghan money is to have been invested in the image america has sold to the world: that it is a force for humanitarian good, despite the decades of destruction, the reign of terror it operated with impunity, the torture, renditions, raids, drones, extrajudicial assassinations, and now the mass starvation of an entire nation. To be surprised means to believe the great liberal fantasy that america’s revenge war in afghanistan was “the good war”. To be surprised means to exonerate Empire for its brutal and extended violence in afghanistan and accept that it is simply a series of blunders, miscalculations, unintentional incidents from which there are “lessons learned”. The ritual of surprise here is symptomatic of a delusional attachment to the idea of humanitarianism itself. Faced with the nakedness of imperial theft, commentators fumbled to explain the callousness before them. One argument maintained that afghans were also victims of 9/11. While acknowledging afghan suffering, the argument centred american injury, locating afghan victimhood only in relation to it. it also ignored the fact that afghans were victimised well before 2001, when their country became a battleground for the Cold War between america and the USSR. The second argument emphasised that no afghan was involved in the 9/11 attacks. While true, it suggests that if an afghan national had been involved, the invasion and subsequent 20-year brutal occupation of the entire country would have been justified. instead of pleading afghan innocence, we need to see this act of imperial robbery within the context of the US colonial venture in afghanistan. To speak of american power is not simply to document its cruelty abroad, but to understand how its innocence works to return us to its original wounds, its victim status. it is to remind us of what and whose injuries ultimately matter. This is also currently made clear by the Western world’s military, political and economic support for Ukraine – a white European nation – against Russia’s ruthless invasion; it highlights the racial economy of grievability. in 2001, US Empire launched Operation Enduring Freedom, which was supposed to not only exact revenge against the Taliban but also bring “enduring freedom” to the subjugated natives. Within a few years, success was claimed: democracy was established through elections, millions of girls and women were being educated, public health was making significant advances and nation-building was progressing. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
Monday, 21 March, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
NEWS
corporate corner nusT, hBl jointly hold spring plantation
PITB TraIns 31,503 youTh for onlIne freelancIng LAhORE
Islamabad: In line with its efforts to preserve and improve green environment, National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST) and Habib Bank Ltd jointly organised tree plantation drive at the university’s main campus. Lt Gen (Retd) Javed Mahmood Bukhari, Rector NUST, and Mr Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO HBL, inaugurated the environment-friendly campaign by planting Pine trees. They were flanked by an overwhelming number of faculty and students from NUST, and a team of employees from HBL, who also planted tree saplings of Pine, Pear, Orange and Amaltas. A total of 500 trees were planted during the drive, which was sponsored by HBL. NUST regularly conducts on-campus plantation drives, wherein over 100,000 trees have been planted till date at the earmarked places in the Islamabad campus alone. Rector NUST thanked HBL for sponsoring tree plantation at the university. President & CEO HBL eulogised NUST both for its on- and off-campus contributions towards reinstating and enhancing greenery across Islamabad and other parts of Pakistan. pr
One of the largest telecom operators in Pakistan, PTCL Group is committed to further the country’s pledge in reducing carbon footprint by promoting environmental protection and sustainability. In an effort to play its role in increasing fores: cover and decrease pollution in the country, PTCL Razakaar (Employee Volunteer Force) ran tree plantation drive across Pakistan with a slogan, “We plants so the world can grow.” The photo shows volunteers from PTCL & Ufone during a Tree Plantation Drive in collaboration with the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in Islamabad. pr
United Bank Limited (UBL) and Safepay have entered into an agreement for the provision of digital acceptance solutions for retail businesses and SMEs, a relatively underserved segment in terms of ecommerce enablement. With this partnership, Safepay and UBL will be working towards the common agenda of ‘cash to cashless’ for businesses in Pakistan. Safepay with its payment gateway platform and merchant-focused features will enable retail businesses to go beyond cash acceptance and connect with their domestic and international customers through multiple online payment options. pr
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HE Punjab Information and Technology Board (PITB) has trained a total of 31,503 youths for online freelancing under Chief Minister E-Rozgar Program. A PITB official informed Profit that the CM-E-Rozgar Program was launched by the previous government and was aimed at providing training and career opportunities, necessary resources to earn respectable employment to young professionals. The official further informed that the program was aimed at providing training opportunities to the youth for self-employment using internet-based
freelancing. The program also aimed to teach young people the key soft skills and train them on career development and sustainable income, as well as empower them to bring in foreign exchange and bring freelancing up to international standards. He added that to achieve all these objectives the PC-I of the said program was initially approved at a cost of RS 547.47 million with the gestation period from Feb 2017-18 and then was revised with a cost RS 870 million with a gestation period Jan 2019 to June 2020. However, the program also got a one year time extension till June 2021 without any change in scope. According to the documents available with Profit, the expenditures incurred against the approved cost were
RS 769.7 million that counts for 85 percent of the project approved cost. However, later a sub agency of the planning and development department also assessed the said program and an electronic survey (using Google Form) with proportionate sampling was used to gather information from the training participants. The findings of the beneficiary survey depicted that the training of ERozgar was well received by the trained youth but the overall results demonstrated that the program was successful in establishment of 41 training centers and trained 31,503 youth against the target of 25,000 youth. According to the survey the training was likely to have a positive influence on the trained youth as the
International Conference on ‘Emerging challenges for organizations in developing economies (ECODE-iii)’ ISLAMABAD: Bahria Business School Islamabad organized 3rd International Conference on Emerging Challenges for Organizations in Developing Economies (ECODE-III) at its E 8 Campus Islamabad. H.E. Mr. Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul, Turkish Ambassador at Islamabad was the Chief Guest at the Opening Ceremony while Mr. Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, CEO Centaurus, graced the Closing Ceremony as Chief Guest. Rector Bahria University, Vice Admiral (R) Kaleem Shaukat HI(M) applauded Bahria Business School Islamabad for laying the foundation of a global platform for intellectual discourse on a subject of relevance for all Developing Economies, especially during current pandemic. Director General Islamabad Campus, Rear Admiral (R) Naveed Ahmed Rizvi HI (M), extended special thanks and words of acknowledgment to the distinguished participants. The conference was attended by several international speakers including Dr. Sander Schroevers (Netherlands), Dr. Nadine Waehning (UK), Dr Barbara Stepien (Poland), Ms Joanne Powell (Ireland) and Dr. Mauro Arturo (Poland). The Turkish
Ambassador at the opening ceremony highly acknowledged the research efforts of Bahria University and emphasized the need of cooperation between Pakistani and International universities on knowledge exchange, research initiatives and institutional development. CEO Centaurus, during his address at the closing ceremony encouraged the students to look at challenges in Pakistan as untapped opportunities for future progression. He highlighted the importance of education for the youth and creating an entrepreneurial mindset to change the landscape of the country. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Naveed, Dean/Principal Bahria Business School, stressed upon the importance of readiness, paradigm shift, strong quality measures, modification in curriculum, new assessment
frameworks, pedagogies, and industrial alignment of programs to improve the quality of education in order to foster soft skill-set and acquisition of working knowledge aligned with needs of corporate and development sectors. The conference invited insight from business researchers and academic experts on eight thematic areas including Digital Innovation and Sustainable Entrepreneurship, Transformation and Survival of Businesses Post-pandemic, Digital Infrastructure and Global Business, Crisis Leadership and Organizational Resilience, Innovative Learning for Student Success, Emerging Technologies and Education for Blended Learning, Beyond CSR: Integrated Stakeholder Engagement and CPEC: A Perspective of Regional Connectivity. pr
majority of them perceived short-term, medium term and long term outcomes of the training and were satisfied with the quality, overall environment, amenities and staff cooperation during the training. Similarly, the actual monthly income of an average trained youth was approx. RS 23,000 as concluded from survey and majority of the participants i.e., 43 percent planned it as part time and 35 percent planned this career as full time. The survey report further stated that 94 percent participants rated the training to be highly relevant to their work and it was pertinent to mention that the age group between 24 to 29 developed 47 percent of the profiles after participating in the E-Rozgar training.
ITP issues Traffic diversion plan for oIc conference in Islamabad ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Traffic Police issues Traffic diversion plan for OIC Council of Foreign Ministers meeting to be held in Islamabad from March 21 to March 24. In a Press release ITP Spokesperson said during the OIC conference the red zone will be completely closed for normal traffic, including Serena Chowk, State Bank Chowk, Express Chowk, Ayub Chowk, and only Margalla Road will be used for entry and exit of the red zone as an alternative route for public transport and vehicle with special permit will be allowed to enter red zone. pr
Jinnah Inter-school Declamation competition 2022 held at Quaid-eazam house Museum KARACHI: The Board of Management (BoM), Quaid-e-Azam House Museum – Institute of Nation Building-constituted as a public / private venture and given legal cover by Sindh Government's notification, in accordance with Sindh High Court's Order dated 6th April 2021, organised the “Jinnah Inter-School Declamation Competition 2022” today, at Quaid-e-Azam House Museum (Flagstaff House), Karachi. It should be noted that after over a decade, the annual popular event for students of Karachi schools was resumed by the Board of Management, Quaid-e-Azam House Museum Institute of Nation Building. pr
KFUEIT – An institution in the making Asim KhAn news desk
Rahim Yar Khan (RYK), is a historic city, situated extreme south of Southern Punjab, on the bank of River Indus, was built in 1751 A.D. during the Sumra Supremacy in Sindh. RYK is a vibrant and progressive city with richness of saraiki- cholistani culture, melodious music and timeless wisdom of Sufism lighted by Khawaja Ghulam Fareed a sufi saint from Kot Mithan in Rahim Yar Khan. Rahim Yar Khan is strategically located in an area, which is the converging point of three provinces (Punjab, Sindh and Baluchistan) of Pakistan. This geographical location makes this city the center of not only the health & education but for business, trade and agriculture of Southern Punjab, Northern Sindh and Eastern Baluchistan as well. The thirst for knowledge is always present among locals and the latest addition is KFUEIT to cater the needs of higher education. Rahim Yar Khan is strategically located in an area, which is converging point of three provinces (Punjab, Sindh and Baluchistan) of Pakistan. This geographical location makes this city the centre of not only the health & education but for business, trade and agriculture of Southern Punjab, Northern Sindh and Eastern Baluchistan as well. RYK Known as one of the largest producers of cotton and sugarcane, RYK has an Agri-based economy
of 65% population. This part of the province has always been struggling for development and opportunities for higher studies. The parents were forced to look for bigger cities up north or extreme south of country in order to explore higher education options for their children. The closest locations on both sides of this city having a dedicated university, Bahawalpur and Sukkur, are at a distance of around 200 km each. In this scenario, students were bound to opt for incremental expenditures in bigger cities besides academic expenses while getting exposed to severe competition against limited seats in many institutions. Under these circumstances, the presence of very first Engineering & Information Technology University in Rahim Yar Khan is surely nothing lesser than a blessing for Southern Punjab, Northern Sindh and North Eastern Baluchistan. Established in 2014 under Punjab Assembly Act, the Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering & Information Technology (KFUEIT) Rahim Yar Khan, started its journey with merely 4 rooms, 5 faculty members and admission intake in 4 degree programs. KFUEIT embarked upon a tremendous growth track and started elevating the ladder every year. The vibrant leadership of the Vice Chancellor along with his very young and energetic team left no stone unturned in achieving targets of decades in just few months not only in terms of physical infra-
structure but in academic excellence as well. Despite lots of stumbling blocks and bottlenecks, this roller coaster journey of exponential growth did not slow down owing to untiring commitment and dedication of the Vice Chancellor and his young team. Situated on Abu Dhabi Road Rahim Yar Khan, a beautiful and state of the art campus of KFUEIT is spread over 275 acres and is equipped with all modern facilities where more than 600 employees including 200 teaching faculty members are performing their duties in making this university a premium institution of the country in days to come. The fast-paced growth and such an increase in number of students is evident of the fact that this University is effectively serving to the needs to of the region and contributing towards the development of local economy. Vision, Mission and Core Values of KFUEIT: To become a world-class university that contributes significantly to the development of regional economy and uplift of local community by becoming a power house of intellectual and human capital generation. To offer an educational experience wherein: The curriculum and its delivery conform to international standards The students are provided an environment for wholesome development of their personality and creative potential The graduates produced are most sought after by prospective employers To conduct research to solve local and
national problems requiring knowledge based solutions. Establish 30 undergraduate degree programs in six domains of Sciences & Mathematics, Engineering, Information & Communication Technology, Life Sciences & Healthcare, Management, Social & Legal Sciences, Humanities & Arts. Conduct research in inter-disciplinary areas of local and national need to produce intellectual capital (knowledge, solutions, Intellectual Property (IP)) and human capital (PhDs): Applied & Open Source Information Technology (Education, Health and Agriculture) Embedded Systems (Next Generation Smartphones, Tablets, Security Cameras, Home Automation Systems, Building Controls Systems, Factory & Production Line Automation for Agri-based Industries, Electric Vehicles Control Systems) Biotechnology (better crops and fruit varieties) Food Science & Technology Water Resource Engineering / Management Environmental Science / Engineering Renewable Energy (Biomass, Solar PV, Wind and others) Information Security (Information Assurance, Cyber Warfare, Digital Forensics) Materials Engineering (Solid Electrolytes, Organic Photovoltaics, Nanomaterials) Power Storage, Conversion & Management Heritage Studies Engineering Management, Healthcare Management and Supply Chain management. These core values permeate all our activities and form a benchmark to judge our efforts against. These core values are the
qualities that we want to maximize in our students, faculty and staff. The varsity welcomes Vice Chancellor, Prof. Muhammad Suleman Tahir who unveils his vision of registering KFUEIT among the top ranking universities of Pakistan and Asia in near future. International conferences, seminars, global linkages and talks of international speakers on advanced research will be hallmark of this vision. He is confident that very soon this University will emerge among the top ranks in National and Asian landscape. It will have its unique recognition of a student-centric university with best opportunities of quality education and research, state of the art infrastructure and laboratories, enhanced focus on sports and other extracurricular activities and strong bondage with local industry. Another remarkable initiative is scholarship for all transgenders and the female students of engineering departments. The VC aims to accomplish his vision by creating a pleasant and meritorious culture, where moral, professional and ethical grooming of students and employees will be done as per international requirements. Students of this area will have KFUEIT as their first preference for higher education instead of UET Lahore or other top-notch institutions of Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi. The University has recently held the first convocation with commitment and vision to make the University a success for Pakistan.
Monday, 21 March, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
10 FOREIGN NEWS
AT leAST 847 civiliAnS killed in UkRAine, ThoUSAndS depoRTed Since conflicT begAn
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HE U.N. human rights office (OHCHR) said on Saturday that at least 847 civilians had been killed and 1,399 wounded in Ukraine as of March 18. Most of the casualties were from explosive weapons such as shelling from heavy artillery and multiplelaunch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes, OHCHR said. The real toll is thought to be considerably higher since OHCHR, which has a large monitoring team in the country, has not yet been able
to verify casualty reports from several badly hit cities, it said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia’s siege of the port city of Mariupol was “a terror that will be remembered for centuries to come”, while local authorities said thousands of residents there had been taken by force across the border. “Over the past week, several thousand Mariupol residents were deported onto the Russian territory,” the city council said in a statement on its Telegram channel late on Saturday. The council also said Russian forces bombed a Mariupol art school on Saturday in which 400 residents
Russia to work on solo Mars mission after europe freezes joint project AGeNcIeS Russia will start work on its own Mars mission given that the European Space Agency (ESA) has suspended a joint project in the wake of the Ukraine invasion, Interfax news agency quoted a top official as saying on Friday. The ESA announced on Thursday that it would be impossible to continue cooperating with Russia on the ExoMars mission. A Russian rocket had been due to transport a European-made rover to Mars later this year. “In the very near future we will start working on the implementation of a mission to Mars,” said Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roskosmos, Russia’s space agency. Interfax quoted him as saying he did not think a rover would necessarily be needed since Russia’s existing landing module, which is designed to transport the rover, would be able to carry out the required scientific work. Rogozin said there were “big doubts” about what the ESA could do without Russia, which already had a rocket, a launch site and the landing module. The ESA would need at least six years to develop its own module, he said. In response to sanctions Roskosmos has already suspended cooperation with Europe on space launches and announced it would stop supplying rocket engines to the United States.
Transgender outcasts turn artists in india
had taken shelter, but the number of casualties was not yet known. Reuters could not independently verify the claims. Russian news agencies have said buses have carried several hundred people Moscow calls refugees from the strategic port on the Sea of Azov to Russia in recent days. Air raid sirens sounded across major Ukrainian cities early on Sunday but there were no immediate reports of fresh attacks. Some 400,000 people have been trapped in Mariupol for more than two weeks, sheltering from heavy bombardment that has severed cen-
tral supplies of electricity, heating and water, according to local authorities. Rescue workers were still searching for survivors in a Mariupol theatre that local authorities say was flattened by Russian air strikes on Wednesday. Russia denies hitting the theatre or targeting civilians. On Friday, Russia’s defence ministry said its forces were “tightening the noose” around Mariupol and that fighting had reached the city centre. In a late night broadcast, Zelenskiy said the siege of Mariupol would “go down in history of responsibility for war crimes”.
calls a “special operation” aimed at demilitarizing Ukraine and purging it of what he sees as dangerous nationalists. Ukraine and the West say Putin launched an aggressive war of choice. Long columns of troops that bore down on the capital Kyiv have been halted in the suburbs. Ukraine’s military said Russian forces did not conduct offensive operations on Saturday, focusing instead on replenishing supplies and repairing equipment. It also said Ukrainian air defences shot down three Russian combat helicopters.
Ukraine’s Zelensky to address Israel lawmakers JerUSALeM AFP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has emphasised his Judaism in seeking to rally Jewish and Israeli support for his country during the Russian invasion, was due to address Israel’s parliament on Sunday. In an international tour via videoconference, Zelensky has spoken to several foreign legislatures since the invasion launched on February 24, including the United States Congress, Britain’s House of Commons and Germany’s Bundestag. A spokesman for the Knesset, Israel’s legislature, told AFP that Zelensky’s speech was scheduled for 6:00 pm (1600 GMT), as the humanitarian situation deteriorates in besieged Ukrainian cities under relentless Russian bombardment. Zelensky will address lawmakers in a country where more than one million of its 9.4 million residents have roots in the former Soviet Union. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s government has tried to maintain neutrality on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, citing Israel’s warm ties with both countries and
the need to preserve security coordination with Russian troops operating in Syria. But several demonstrations have been held in Israel to condemn the invasion, and Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai announced the municipality will screen Zelensky’s speech live in the heart of the city. While walking a cautious diplomatic line, Bennett has sought to mediate between Russia and Ukraine, holding regular phone calls with Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, including a three-hour meeting with Putin at the Kremlin on March 5.
China’s stance on Ukraine is on the right side of history: Wang Yi
Some Ukrainian officials have voiced criticism over Israel’s efforts at neutrality, while thanking Bennett for his mediation efforts. Israel has provided humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, but so far ruled out sending military hardware to the embattled country. The Jewish state has also not joined Western sanctions against Russia. Roman Abramovich, a prominent oligarch allegedly close to Putin who owns Chelsea Football Club and has been hit by sanctions, holds Israeli citizenship and reportedly visited the country last week. Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, who unlike Bennett has explicitly condemned the invasion, pledged that Israel “will not be a route to bypass sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other Western countries”. Nearly 14,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Israel since the war began. Authorities have previously estimated that 100,000 people from both Ukraine and Russia with Jewish lineage who are entitled to Israeli citizenship under the so-called “law of return” may seek to resettle in Israel as a result of the conflict.
US suggested Turkey transfer Russian-made missile system to Ukraine WASHINGTON
MUMbAI
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On a giant flyover in the sprawling Indian metropolis of Mumbai, a transgender art collective is trying to change attitudes as radically as it transforms the concrete pillars into brightly coloured murals. Known as “hijras”, individuals identified as male at birth but who are now part of India’s “third gender”, have an ambivalent position on the edges of Indian society, respected and feared in turn as some Hindus believe that they hold the power to bless or curse. Denied jobs at most workplaces, many are forced to beg at traffic intersections, where they are a common sight in major cities, or on trains. Some turn up at family events such as weddings or birth celebrations, or at new houses, to offer blessings in return for money, sometimes threatening to issue curses if denied. Others turn to prostitution, increasing their risk of facing violence. The Aravani Art Project hopes to challenge the stigma and marginalisation faced by transgender people by showing them as artists in the same public spaces where they beg or experience abuse. At the latest mural site – one of Mumbai’s busiest junctions – the team painted portraits of local residents, among them two cleaners, a vegetable seller and a policeman. “It’s an opportunity for us to show what talent we have,” said transgender woman artist Deepa Kachare. “We have to beg from people by going to marriage functions, babies’ births, shops, trains, and some of us are sex workers to make money as well,” she said. “We go everywhere to beg, but we love to work hard and earn money.” The organisation – whose projects are commissioned by governments, businesses and non-governmental organisations – has brought together dozens of mostly transgender women for street art projects in multiple Indian cities. “People are very happy to see us working as artists,” said Kachare, 26. “Now they think positively when they see us.” ‘WE ARE ARTISTS’: The art collective takes its name from Lord Aravan, a Hindu deity who is “wedded” to hundreds of transgender people every year in a southern Indian festival. Hinduism has many references to “third genders”, such as Shikhandi, a character in the epic Mahabharata, and hijras have assumed different roles in society over the centuries, among them royal servants and harem guardians, according to historians. But gay sex was criminalised in India during the British colonial period and only legalised by the Supreme Court in 2018.
“To do this to a peaceful city… is a terror that will be remembered for centuries to come.” Still, he said, peace talks with Russia were needed although they were “not easy and pleasant”. The U.N. human rights office said at least 847 civilians had been killed and 1,399 wounded in Ukraine as of Friday. The Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office said that 112 children have been killed. Russian forces have taken heavy losses since Feb. 24, when President Vladimir Putin launched what he
MIAN AbrAr China’s stance on the Ukraine issue is on the right side of history, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi told media. Wang made the remarks during a media interview a day after Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged views with U.S. President Joe Biden on bilateral ties, the situation in Ukraine and other issues of common concern during a nearly two-hour video call. President Xi has “clearly and comprehensively” clarified China’s position on the Ukraine issue, Wang told CGTN on the sidelines of scheduled separate meetings with the foreign ministers of Zambia, Algeria and Tanzania in east China’s Anhui Province. Wang said that the most important message the Chinese president has sent is that China has always been a force for maintaining world peace. “We have always stood for maintaining peace and opposing war. This is not only embedded in China’s history and culture, but also the foreign policy China has always committed to,” Wang said. China will continue to make an independent assessment based on the merits of each
matter and in an objective and impartial manner, he added. “We will never accept any external coercion or pressure, and we will also oppose any groundless accusations or suspicions targeted against China,” the official continued. During the talks, President Xi also proposed a two-pronged Chinese solution to the Ukraine crisis, said the Chinese foreign minister. The pressing priority is for all parties to work together to promote dialogue and negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, cease hostilities as soon as possible, and avoid civilian casualties, in particular, preventing a worsening humanitarian crisis, Wang explained. An enduring solution, he continued, would be to reject the Cold War mentality, refrain from bloc confrontation and build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture for the region to realize the lasting peace and security on the European continent. China’s position is objective and fair and the same as the aspirations of most countries, Wang said. “Time will tell that the Chinese stance is on the right side of history.”
The United States has informally raised with Turkey the unlikely possibility of sending its Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems to Ukraine to help it fight Russian forces, according to three sources familiar with the matter. US officials have floated the suggestion over the past month with their Turkish counterparts but no specific or formal request was made, the sources told Reuters. They said it also came up briefly during Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman’s visit to Turkey earlier this month. The Biden administration has been asking allies who have been using Russian made equipment and systems including S-300s and S-400s to consider transferring them to Ukraine as it tries to fend off a Russian invasion that began on February 24. The idea, which analysts said was sure to be shot down by Turkey, was part of a wider discussion between Sherman and Turkish officials about how the United States and its allies can do more to support Ukraine and on how to improve bilateral ties. The Turkish authorities have not commented on any US suggestion or proposal relating to the transfer to Ukraine of Ankara’s S-400 systems, which have been a point of long-standing contention between the two NATO allies. Turkish foreign ministry officials were not immediately available for comment. Turkish sources and analysts said any such suggestion would be a nonstarter for Turkey, citing issues ranging from technical hurdles related to installing and operating the S-400s in Ukraine, to political concerns such as the blowback Ankara would likely face from Moscow. Washington has repeatedly asked Ankara to get rid of the Russian-built surface-to-air missile batteries since the first delivery arrived in July 2019. The United States has imposed sanctions on a Turkey’s defence industry and removed NATO member Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet programme as a result. Ankara has said it was forced to opt for the S-400s because allies did not provide weapons on satisfactory terms. US officials are keen to seize this moment to draw Turkey back into Washington’s orbit. Efforts to find “creative” ways to improve the strained relationship have accelerated in recent weeks, even though no specific proposal has so far gained traction, US and Turkish sources have said. “I think everyone knows the S-400 has been a long-standing issue and perhaps this is a moment when we can figure out a new way to solve this problem,” Sherman told Turkish broadcaster Haberturk in an interview on March 5. It was not clear what exactly she meant and the State Department has not answered questions about her comments. The White House did not respond to a request for comment about the suggestion made during her visit to Turkey. The effort is also part of a wider bid by the Biden administration to respond to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s plea to help protect Ukraine’s skies.
Monday, 21 March, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
SPORTS 11
STeVe SmiTh DeClAreS BABAr AzAm one oF The FiVe BeST BATSmen in The WorlD
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HOWERING praise on Pakistani skipper Babar Azam, Australia’s former captain Steve Smith, who is part of the Test team, declared him to be one of the five best batsmen in the world.
Talking to journalists in a virtual press conference in Lahore, Smith said that Babar established multiple records during his innings. “Babar played very well against our spinners while Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafiq played exceptionally well in the fourth innings. Babar is an extraordinary
player and played remarkably well against our bowlers particularly our spinners,” he said. He added that in Karachi Test Pakistan played 172 overs in the fourth innings and batted brilliantly. “In Karachi Test we came very close to victory but we missed many chances. But we would try to win the series by winning the last Test match in Lahore.” Talking about his batting, Smith said, “I tried to play long innings on these pitches but I was able to score around 70. I was definitely disap-
pointed when I was out after a lot of hard work. Hopefully, in Lahore will be able to play long innings.” The Australian batsman said that so far the series is going very well and both the teams are showing great spirit. He said that he has not seen Lahore pitch yet but is not expecting a bounce on it. “I think Lahore’s wicket will be similar to the first two Test matches,” he believed. In response to a question, the Australian batsman said: “We like to play Test matches in challenging
conditions. We like to come to Pakistan and play on different pitches.” AFP adds: Australia’s Steve Smith said on Saturday that close catching is a “real challenge” on low-bounce pitches after he spilled a crucial catch in the second Test drawn with Pakistan in Karachi. The 32-year-old is considered one of the safest pair of hands in the game with 137 catches in 84 Tests, and his drop off Abdullah Shafique’s bat on the fourth day of the Test became a major talking point.
Saeed Ajmal says ‘quit playing cricket if spinners can’t bowl on flat pitches’ NEwS DESk Pakistan’s legendary spinner Saeed Ajmal has strongly opposed the mindset that the ‘flat pitches’ excuse is enough for bowlers to ultimately not pick up wickets, especially spinners. In an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan, Ajmal said that stepping into the ground after declaring it a ‘flat pitch’ is already a loss and that spinners should be able to provide breakthroughs in every condition. “If the spinner is going to look at the pitch and then bowl, what is the point of being a spinner then? Spinners need to learn to perform in all conditions. These were flat pitches and honestly, many decks in Test cricket are like this,” he
said. “The notion that Pakistan always had spin wickets was never the case. Even when we were playing in the UAE, we had to spin the ball and it did not just magically happen.” “There are two things; one is where you spin yourself and the other where spin happens for you. These are two fundamentally different things. The one who spins himself can take wickets in any condition. Our problem is that we don’t utilise the pace variations enough,” Ajmal added. “Nauman Ali bowled relatively well and the wicket of Cameron Green is a perfect example; the ball pitched on the leg side and spun to clip the middle and off-stump. Although there weren’t many deliveries like that but that is an example
France captain Dupont eager to enjoy Grand Slam as World Cup looms PARIS
of how bowlers creating opportunities when the track is not supporting you,” he explained. Ajmal slammed the players that they should quit cricket if they are that bothered when it comes to bowling on flatter pitches. “To take wickets, you need temperament. You need to bowl a good 8-10 overs to play mind games with the batsmen and then you will be able to execute your plan. If you want to complain about ‘flat pitches’ then you should quit cricket,” Saeed further added. In response to the question regarding the pitch quality in the Pakistan-Australia Test series thus far, Ajmal said: “When you go abroad, you prepare for bouncy pitches. In order to perform in
India, you need to be good at playing spinners. For Pakistan, the only requirement is that the batsmen just know how to bat.” “Our strength can also be spin tracks and Australia don’t necessarily play spin well. Nauman Ali picked up six wickets on a flat pitch, imagine how our bowlers will perform if the pitch conditions are a bit more suited to our spinners,” said Ajmal. The former off-spinner further added that Pakistan does not have variety at this moment as both our spinners can be termed as orthodox off-spinners. “The only way we win is by creating spin pitches and I 100 percent agree that Lahore Test match pitch should be prepared as such,” admitted Ajmal.
Legendary Javed Miandad inducted into PCB Hall of Fame
AFP
LAHORE
France captain Antoine Dupont insisted he wanted to “make the most” of a long-awaited Grand Slam success and not worry about the World Cup after a 25-13 win at home to England saw Les Bleus to a first Six Nations title in 12 years. Victory strengthened France’s status as favourites to win next year’s World Cup on home soil, with scrum-half Dupont rounding off an impressive all-round display by running in the last of his side’s three tries just after the hour mark at a raucous Stade de France on Saturday. It was a triumph too for coach Fabien Galthie, who has revamped France since taking over following their disappointing quarter-final exit at the 2019 World Cup in Japan. France were runners-up in 2020 and again in 2021 but this year they deservedly went one better and did so with the tenth Grand Slam in their history. “This is our third Six Nations together — the first two we failed but not by much,” scrum-half Dupont told reporters. “You can use all the superlatives you want, but we just want to savour this together.” When it was put to Dupont he was now in a line of French Grand Slam captains that includes Christian Carrere (1968) and Jean-Pierre Rives (1981), he replied with a smile: “You’ve forgotten Fabien Galthie (2002)! “Today (Saturday), we’ve created memories — first we want to win for ourselves, for the staff and for our fans. We wanted to write our own history.” As for the World Cup — a trophy France have yet to win despite appearing in three finals — Dupont said: “Of course, this is in our mind… It’s impossible to avoid. “But right now we are going to make the most of this victory, this Grand Slam. “We’ll think about the future later.” ‘Crazy’: For Melvyn Jaminet, who kicked 10 points against England, France’s clean sweep completed a fairytale few months. “I don’t think it has sunk in yet,” he said. “The Grand Slam is not something you get every year. “For me to win the Six Nations the first time I played in it is just crazy, it’s unbelievable,” the Perpignan back added. “I know where I’ve come from, it has all been crazy fast — six months ago, I was playing in the second division and now I’m a Grand Slam winner.” Defeat meant England had lost three games in a Six Nations campaign for the third time in five years — a poor return for one of the best-resourced teams in world rugby. But England coach Eddie Jones said questions about his future, 18 months out from the World Cup, were best dealt with by his employers at the Rugby Football Union.
StAFF RePoRt
Former Pakistan cricketer and batting legend Javed Miandad was formally inducted into the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Hall of Fame, PCB said Saturday. Miandad was presented with a commemorative cap and plaque by PCB Chief Executive Faisal Hasnain. “I feel humbled and honoured to have been inducted into the PCB Hall of Fame,” PCB quoted the former cricketer as saying upon receiving the honour. He termed the induction into the PCB Hall of Fame “appropriate” at a time when an international cricketer is at the helm of Pakistan’s cricket affairs, as he referred to PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja. “He [Ramiz] understands better than anyone else the hard work and sacrifices a cricketer makes to reach to the top pedestal,” Miandad said. He went on to say that every time he stepped into the field to play, he wanted to serve his team and the country through his performance, and for this he developed his “own training and preparation plans” using innovative methods by visualising the opponents and conditions he would face. “I am delighted my efforts produced good results and I was able to serve
my team and country with performances that made us a proud cricketing nation,” Miandad said. “One thing I did with great success throughout my career was to quickly forget my previous performance and switch focus towards the next challenge. Of course, I took learning from the previous game into the next match and tried to improve, but I didn’t dwell on what I had achieved in the past matches,” he concluded. The last Pakistani cricketer inducted into the PCB Hall of Fame was Wasim Akram, who was presented with a commemorative cap and plaque by Sir Vivian Richards, one of the all-time greats and an ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
Pakistani opener Shafique went on to score 96 to supplement skipper Babar Azam in a stand of 228 for the third wicket. Azam racked up a match-saving 196 while Mohammad Rizwan hit 104 not out as Pakistan batted all but 26 minutes on the last two days to score 443-7 in 171.4 overs to ensure a draw. That left the three-match series tied at 0-0 with the third and final Test starting in Lahore on Monday. The first Test in Rawalpindi also ended in a draw.
Vettori named Australia’s spin consultant for white-ball leg of Pakistan tour NEwS DESk Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori will be part of Australia’s coaching set-up for the white-ball leg of Pakistan, Cricket Australia confirmed today. The 43year-old will join the Aussies as a spin-bowling consultant for three ODIs and a T20I in Lahore from March 29 to April 5. He will start working with the Australian white-ball squad in Melbourne this week before they depart for Pakistan. Vettori’s last international assignment was with the Bangladesh team as their spin bowling coach between 2019 and 2021. He was also a member of Australia’s set-up for a short time before their 2017 tour of India. Remember, Aussies had named Pakistan-born Australian cricketer Fawad Ahmed as the consultant for the three-match Test series. Pakistan and Australia will play the third and final Test of the three-match series from tomorrow at Gaddafi Stadium. The white-ball leg will also be hosted by Lahore
Tait wants to keep intensity high in Pakistan fast bowlers LAHORE the ASSociAted PReSS
Former Australia international fast bowler Shaun Tait wants to keep the intensity and aggression high in the Pakistan camp during his one-year stint as bowling coach. “Their intensity and their aggression are going to be a big part of fast bowling, it has to be,” Tait said during a videoconference. Tait quit international cricket in 2016 when he played his last T20 for Australia. He had a short stint with the Afghanistan team as bowling coach during the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last year before leaving last December. “I’ve just slowly been progressing in the coaching world,” said Tait, who also played four Test matches and 35 ODIs for Australia. “I thought I had some more to give to players, so I thought going down the coaching path was going to be something I could do and be okay at. “It’s just been a progression through some ranks and what not the usual sort of story, but I’ve just been thoroughly enjoying it […] to be involved with the Pakistan team is fantastic.” Pakistan has a busy calendar as it hosts England and New Zealand as well as touring Sri Lanka, playing in the Asia Cup and in the T20 World Cup in Australia. Tait believes it’s the right time to work with the likes of fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali and Faheem Ashraf. “With all three formats being played quite heavily over the next 12 months, it’s a great time to come in,” Tait said. “There are pressures that come with playing international cricket and if I can help take the pressure off the fast bowlers by being there for them and helping them through the next 12 months, that’s probably a big part of my job.”
3rd Chief Of The Air Staff International Open Sailing Championship – 2022 Concludes At PAF Yacht Club Karachi PR Pakistani sailors dominated the medal table as curtains were drawn on the 3rd Chief of the Air Staff International Open Sailing Championship-2022 being held at PAF Yacht Club, Karachi. The championship was played from 17-20 March, 2022 in which 97 sailors and officials from 11 countries participated. PAF Yacht Club is a pioneer institution in the country to promote this exhilarating sport and regularly organizes national and international events in collaboration with Pakistan Sailing Federation. Air Vice Marshal Shams-Ul-Haq, Advisor Engineering to Chief of Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force was the Chief Guest at the closing ceremony. Speaking at the occasion, Air Vice Marshal Zubair Hassan Khan, Chairman PAF Yacht Club, said that flawless conduct of this competition is the manifestation of PAF's commitment in promoting healthy activities, not only at national level but also at international level. Addressing the participants the Chief Guest said, "it indeed is a matter of great honor for me to attend the
closing ceremony of 3rd CAS Open Sailing Championship 2022. I am pleased to see the immaculate arrangements made by PAF Yacht Club to host this magnanimous event. It has been possible through the sheer diligence, earnest teamwork & unremitting efforts that teams from 10 foreign countries participated in this championship. I formally congratulate all the participants, team & jury members for holding such a successful event. We also look forward to enhanced interaction of our foreign guests in order to bridge the geographical and cultural gaps. I hope that you have enjoyed the diverse culture, rich heritage and hospitality of Pakistan." Later on, the Chief Guest gave away medals to the position holders. In Laser standard category, all medals were clinched by Pakistani sailors, namely MuzammilHussain, Najeeb-Ullah and Allah Ditta. In RSX category gold, silver and bronze medals were grabbed by Pakistan's Qasim Abbas, Sajjad Muhammad, and Mohammad Irfan. In Laser 4.7 category gold medal was won by KanKaeachuen of Thailand, while silver and bronze medals were clinchec by Zain Binyamin of Pakistan and
DhanikaSaakya of Sri Lanka respectively. In Optimist category, gold and silver medals were won by PatcharaphanOngkoloy and PitipoomJaroenpon of Thailand, while Bronze medal was won byMaryam SajjadAbbasi of Pakistan. For the 1st time national jet ski championship was also played in 2 categories (below 1200cc and above 1200cc). Wasif Ali won the title in below 1200cc category while Syed Abdul Karim secured 1st position in above 1200cc category.
Monday, 21 March, 2022
prayer timings
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PM Khan warnS diSSident MPS of dire conSequenceS if they ‘Sold their conScience’ malaKaNd
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staff report
RIME Minister Imran Khan Sunday warned the estranged lawmakers of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) of dire consequences if they ‘sold their conscience’ and cast vote against the party line in National Assembly in no-trust motion. “Return to the party’s fold … I am ready to forgive you like a ‘compassionate father’,” said Imran Khan while addressing a public gathering in Dargai – a small town in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Malaknad district. Khan said if the dissident MPs did not return to the party, they should be ready to face social boycott. “People will not trust you… youth are aware of whatever happening in the country. This is the age of social media where it is difficult to hide anything,” he said. “People will forever dub you as people who sold their conscience … Your offspring would be unable to find spouses and they would be ridiculed at school,” he remarked. “You are destroying the future of your children by accepting this money,” he said, adding that the “Changa Manga” politics was not possible today.
PM Imran said that the people knew the faces of the “three stooges” from the opposition – Asif Ali Zardari, Shehbaz Sharif and Maulana Fazlur Rehman – who had been “stealing” for years and facing corruption cases. The premier maintained that he was asked by the party members to bring back the dissenting lawmakers by “buying them off” using government’s resources. “If the government was to be saved by plundering nation’s wealth or by compromising on conscience than I curse such government,” the premier said. “The veil has been lifted from the eyes of the nation,” PM Imran said, adding that opposition leaders would “badly lose this match” against him. The prime minister said that a “decisive moment” has arrived in the country’s history, asking the people to choose between “dacoits of Pakistan” or those striving to end the menace of corruption in the country. Referring to opposition parties, the prime minister claimed that they had been offering bribes to the lawmakers to switch loyalty and party affiliations with their ill-gotten wealth. He said those legislators who had been elected to safeguard public interests had “sold out” their conscience for wealth. “They not only sold out their country and nation but also their faith.”
The prime minister said the judiciary, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), and the nation, especially the youth were observing the situation. “It is being called a democracy,” the prime minister sarcastically alluded to the statements of the opposition parties. The prime minister while sharing his experience of life in the United Kingdom said that he had never heard of the members of parliament selling their loyalties as they had strong democratic values and political insight. They never thought of such tactics. In Sindh House, bags of money were distributed among the members of the parliament, he claimed, likening it to a “funeral of democracy”. The prime minister said it was an obligation for the nation to stand up and raise its voice against such tactics. PM Imran, in today’s speech, also lauded India for having an “independent foreign policy” that was favourable to its own people. He maintained that like India – which imported oil from Russia despite American sanctions and despite being an ally of the US – his foreign policy would also favour the interest of people of Pakistan. “I haven’t bowed before anyone and will not let my nation bow either,” Imran said. The premier maintained that he said
“absolutely not” to the European Union envoy who sought Pakistan’s support against Russia in the Russia-Ukraine conflict because “they broke protocol by making the request”. He added that Pakistan would have gained nothing by complying with the EU’s request. “We became part of America’s war against terror in Afghanistan and lost 80,000 people and $100 billion,” he said, asking Shehbaz Sharif what did Pakistan gained from the war on terror. The prime minister emphasised that he was not like Shehbaz who “polished boots when he saw a white man in a suit”. “I was a free man when I read the kalma, I took an oath that I will not bow before anyone but God,” PM Imran reiterated, claiming that his foreign policy would favour his people. He maintained that the “hypocrites” – referring to the opposition – would never stand for their nation because they “worship money”. According to the premier, the nation would never progress if it remained a “slave” to the world’s superpowers, and would only prosper when it stood on its own feet. “For these 3.5 years (of the PTI government) we have only tried to help Pakistan prosper,” PM Imran said, adding that no government had done what the PTI government had.
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Bilawal brands PM Khan as ‘foreignsponsored agent’ islamabad staff report
Tarin acknowledges IMF asked Pakistan to show how it would fund $1.5bn subsidy package
Short-circuiting causes accidental fire near Sialkot Garrison laHORE staff report
A short-circuiting had caused an accidental fire at an army munition shed near Sialkot Garrison, the InterServices Public Relations (ISPR) said. “Due to effective and timely response, the damages were immediately contained and fire has been extinguished due to effective and timely response,” said the ISPR. There was no damage to the property or loss of life.
Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin acknowledged on Sunday that the International Money Fund (IMF) had asked the government to explain how it would fund a $1.5 billion subsidy package announced by Prime Minister Imran Khan, adding that the Fund was subsequently provided the details. Embattled PM Imran, facing a no-confidence move to oust him from office by opposition parties, had last month announced a cut in petrol and electricity prices despite a steep rise in the global oil market. The move had raised eyebrows, with experts questioning how it would be justified to the IMF. “There are no issues. We have given them details as to where the funds would come from,” Tarin said in a press conference in Islamabad today, adding the IMF wanted details of the resources to fund the subsidy in fuel and electricity, which Pakistan has frozen for the next four months until the new budget.
The IMF has begun the seventh review of the $6 billion rescue package agreed with Pakistan in 2019, and Tarin said he will have a final meeting with the lender on Tuesday. The IMF asked it will need to see the agreements of the dividends of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) as well as details of the spare funds the central government will get from provinces. “We have done our homework,” Tarin said. Some of the subsidy money would also come from the above-target revenues Pakistan was getting this fiscal year, he had said previously. Earlier this month, Tarin said revenue would hit Rs6.1 trillion ($34.2 billion), compared to a target of Rs5.8tr. Pakistan had to undertake fiscal tightening measures to pass its last IMF review, which was delayed by months as the government struggled to complete prior action required by the lender to release $1 billion in February. agencies
While adopting a harsh stance against the premier, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Sunday labelled Imran Khan as a ‘foreign-sponsored agent’ installed into power by foreign elements to sabotage the CPEC, country’s relations with European countries and economy. “You were planted by foreign elements to compromise on Kashmir issue… today there is no difference between Pakistan’s and India’s policies,” claimed Bilawal while addressing a press conference here. Bilawal said that Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government was trying to ‘provoke’ state institutions in a bid to drag them into political affairs and added that the National Assembly speaker has violated the Constitution by not convening assembly session within the stipulated time. “They [PTI government] are trying to provoke institutions of the country… their social media teams are running campaigns as they don’t want institutions to remain neutral,” said Bilawal. Bilawal said PTI-led government was trying to create a Constitutional crisis in the country while demanding the premier to explain his statement wherein PM Imran had said that “only animals remain neutral”. OIC moot ‘not summoned in Pakistan’s interest’ While welcoming the upcoming OIC meeting in Islamabad, Bilawal said though they welcome the foreign dignitaries arriving in the country to attend the moot but asserted “this huddle is not summoned in country’s interest”. “Imran summoned this meeting as a foreign minister of Taliban to discuss the issues of Afghanistan and not Kashmir and other matters of national interest,” he added. Speaking about the no-trust move, the PPP leader said from the day one, “coward Imran” was scared of opposition’s bid to de-seat him through no-confidence motion. “Who is running away now… winning captain never runs away… Constitution of Pakistan requires speaker to summon [NA] session within 14 days,” said Bilawal, adding that NA Speaker Asad Qaiser has violated the Constitution of the country by delaying the session. “His narrative is based on fiction… everyone knows who attacked the parliament house… we will not allow this man to play with the fate of people,” he added. Bilawal said PM Imran will be held accountable for corruption and “flawed” economic policies which he said made the lives of masses miserable. “Despite being in the government, PTI lost various byelections because people hate his economic policies.”
Govt to file reference for Article 63(A) interpretation in SC today islamabad staff report
Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives Asad Umar announced on Sunday the reference for the interpretation of Article 63(A) is “ready” and will be presented before the Supreme Court today (March 21). Taking to Twitter, the minister said: “Hopefully, with this case, the selling of consciousness by becoming turncoats will end once and for all.”
Umar also hoped that the case will lead to a reduction in buying of votes via illegitimate means. Earlier, the government had decided to approach the SC for interpretation of Article 63(A) as several PTI lawmakers announced to vote on the no-trust motion, in a violation of the party policy. The decision was taken during a consultative meeting of the PTI’s political committee held with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair on Friday. The meeting discussed the legal options available to act against the disgruntled law-
makers and counter the Opposition’s move to dislodge the government of Imran Khan. A couple of days ago, 24 PTI MNAs had moved to the Sindh House out of fear that the government will take action against them similar to the March 10 raid by the police on the Parliament Lodges. MNA Raja Riaz, who is a member of the Jahangir Tareen group, had told journalist Hamid Mir that the disgruntled members would vote for the no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan in “accordance with their conscience.”
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