EpaperKH_2020-05-18

CMYK

Monday, 18 May, 2020 I 24 Ramzan-ul-Mubarak, 1441 I Rs 15.00 I Vol X No 320 I 12 Pages I Karachi Edition

afghan President and rival announCe Power-sharing agreement g

ghani to reMain president, aBdullah to lead the country’s national reconciliation high council

KABUL agencieS

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Fghan president ashraf ghani and political rival abdullah abdullah have signed a power-sharing agreement two months after both declared themselves the winner of last september’s presidential election. ghani’s spokesman sediq sediqqi tweeted on sunday that a political deal between ghani and abdullah had been signed in which ghani would remain president of the war-torn nation. the deal calls for abdullah to lead the country’s national reconciliation high council and some members of abdullah’s team would be included in ghani’s cabinet. the council has been given the authority to handle and approve all affairs related to afghanistan’s peace process. omed Maisam, a spokesman for abdullah’s team, confirmed an agreement had been signed at the presidential

palace. “a technical team will work on the implementation of the agreement and details will be shared later,” he said.

TWO PRESIDENTS: afghanistan has been in political disarray since the country’s election commission in december announced ghani had won the september 28 election with more than 50 per cent of the vote. abdullah had received more than 39pc of the vote, according to the election commission, but he and the elections complaint commission charged widespread voting irregularities. ghani and abdullah both declared themselves president in parallel inauguration ceremonies in March. they have been locked in a power struggle since then and the discord prompted the trump administration to announce it would cut $1 billion in assistance to afghanistan if the two weren’t able to work out their differences. a peace agreement between the us and the taliban signed on February 29

Coronavirus in

Pakistan

Shahab Omer

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

SINDH:

PUNJAB:

11,341 16,377

896

14,584

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

6,061 112/527

2,692 947

STORY ON BACK PAGE

associations say they can’t operate at loss, urge govt to revise sops LAHORE

41,300

US welcomes deal, urges for political settlement to reduce violence

Modi’s rss-inspired doctrine on ioK very clear: pM g

iMran says india levelling False allegations against paKistan to set a pretext For a False Flag operation ISLAMABAD Staff repOrt

prime Minister imran Khan on sunday said indian prime Minister narendra Modi’s extremist doctrine inspired by rashtriya swayamsevak sangh (rss) was very clear on occupied Kashmir, where the people had been subjected to worst human rights violations and deprived of their right to self-determination as guaranteed by the united nations security council (unsc). in series of tweets, the prime minister mentioned the relentless oppressive and inhuman tactics, Modi’s government was pursuing in indian occupied Kashmir (ioK) through illegal annexation and brutal use of force.

“Modi’s rss-inspired doctrine on ioJK very clear: First, deprive Kashmiris of their right of self determination by illegal annexation of an occupied territory. second, treat them as less than human by a three-pronged approach: one, trying to crush them with brute force incl (including) using inhumane weapons like pellet guns against women & children; two, imposing

All transporter bodies except one oppose new SOPs g

CONFIRMED CASES:

calls for us and nato troops to leave afghanistan. it was seen at the time as afghanistan’s best chance at peace in decades of war. since then, the us has been trying to get the taliban and the afghan government to begin intra-afghan negotiations, but the political turmoil and personal acrimony between ghani and abdullah impeded talks. negotiations that were to take place in March never happened.

RISING POVERTY: despite 18 years and billions of dollars in international aid, afghanistan remains desperately poor. the poverty level soared from 35pc of the population in 2012 to more than 55pc last year. poverty in afghanistan is defined as a person who survive on $1 or less a day. successive afghan governments, including ghani’s, have been accused by international watchdogs of widespread corruption.

Meanwhile, Kabul and other cities are in lockdown to stem the spread of the coronavirus. afghanistan has performed only limited testing so far with about 22,000 tested. the country has more than 6,400 confirmed infections in a nation of 36.6 million. as more testing becomes available, the country’s confirmed infection numbers will likely rise sharply, according to public health officials. the death toll officially at 168 is likely much higher. the country’s health care system, devastated by four decades of war, is woefully unprepared for a major outbreak.

the punjab government’s decision to resume transport operations in the province has left the transporters bodies divided, with all pakistan transport owners Federation (aptoF) opposing the decision and the insaf transporters Federation agreeing to resume services from Monday. aptoF chairman haji akram Zaki said that the government should prepared sops in consultation with transporters and unless their concerns are addressed, they would not resume their services.

“We cannot operate at 90 per cent loss,” he said, adding that if there would a 50 per cent reduction in passengers, then full fare would be charged. he also demanded that the government should reduce toll tax and exempt them from token tax for one year while also considering reduction in upcoming token taxes.

Meanwhile, all pakistan public transport association also held a

press conference, wherein chairman asmat nizai said that it was impossible to implement the sops laid down by the government. “after a lockdown, we cannot agree to reduce 50 per cent passengers as directed by the government,” he said, adding that there was a difference between the sops they were informed about and the ones they were asked to implement. he said that transporters will not make their services operational from Monday and this situation would persist until new sops are made by the government. “We are ready to reduce the fares but the government should negotiate with us and formulate new sops,” he said, adding that it is not viable to run public transport with 50 per cent reduction in passengers and 20 per cent in fares. he also asked the government to provide relief to the sector. itF chairman Malik arshad announced that transport sector was closed for the last two months and announced that his organisation

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would comply with the punjab government orders. he said the itF members have agreed to reduce the fares, urging the government for relief on toll tax. another member of federation shakeel ashraf Butt said, “after midnight the buses will be on service for entire punjab. there should be no unnecessary challans on the route and the government should guard and protect the transporters.”

‘PUBLIC DISTRESSED’: on the other hand, the public was distressed over the transporters decision as many people were waiting for the resumption of services to travel to their hometowns for eid. “if public transport is not restored, how will be able to go to our homes for eid?” aftab Khan, a native of Mansehra who works in lahore, asked. “our mobility is already hampered and public transport is much-needed these days,” he added. Farrukh aman, a native of nowshera who also works in lahore, said that it was already difficult for him to move around for work due to the lockdown and unavailability of transport. “if the situation persists then how will i be able to go to my home?” he asked.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

an inhumane lockdown depriving Kashmiris of basic necessities from food to medicines; & three, by mass arrests of Kashmiris esp (especially) youth & isolating ioJK from the world by cutting off all communication links,” he said. the prime minister once again reminded the world community that india was trying to paint Kashmiris’ just struggle for self-determination as terrorism and by levelling false allegations against pakistan which could be used as pretext to launch false flag operation against pakistan to divert world’s attention from state sponsored terrorism in ioK being perpetrated by Modi’s government. “third, by trying to show Kashmiris’ right to struggle for self determination guaranteed in unsc resolutions as terrorism being abetted by pakistan – to create opp for a false flag operation against pak while detracting world attention away from indian state terrorism in ioJK,” he added. on May 6, pM imran had warned the world about india’s continuing efforts to find a pretext for a false flag operation against pakistan.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03 fiqah-e-hanfia

lahore sehr: 3:30 aM iftar: 6:55 PM

karachi sehr: 4:21 aM iftar: 7:11 PM

islaMabad sehr: 3:27 aM iftar: 7:04 PM fiqah-e-jafaria

lahore sehr: 3:20 aM iftar: 7:05 PM

karachi sehr: 4:11 aM iftar: 7:21 PM

islaMabad sehr: 3:17 aM iftar: 7:14 PM

more inside

Sindh has enough ventilators for current Covid-19 patients: NDMA STORY ON PAGE 02

Balochistan, Kp to reimpose lockdown if people continue to ignore sops STORY ON BACK PAGE

AJK suspends lockdown exemptions as cases surge STORY ON PAGE 02

02

Monday, 18 May, 2020

News

SIndh hAS enOugh ventIlAtOrS fOr current cOvId-19 PAtIentS: ndMA

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NewS DeSk

OLLOWING Sindh government’s claims that it was not provided any assistance by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the spokesperson the relief organisation said that the province has enough ventilators for its current number of coronavirus patients, a local news outlet reported on Sunday.

Sindh’s Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah’s had claimed that the NDMA did not set up any laboratory for coronavirus patients in the province or provided the provincial government with a single ventilator.

He had said that Sindh had 280 venti-

lators at present, while the provincial government had ordered 200 more on its own, half of which were to be delivered soon. He had urged the federal ministers to focus on serving people in distress instead of making ‘baseless allegations’ against the Sindh government.

Responding to the provincial minister’s criticism, the NDMA spokesperson said that while Sindh currently has enough ventilators for its current number of coronavirus patients, the relief organisaton had provided it with 20 additional by-pipe ventilators.

Providing a further breakdown, the spokesperson said that 130,163 face masks, 32,392 N95 face masks and 203,840 KN95 masks were sent to Sindh, adding that

AJK suspends lockdown exemptions as cases surge As coronavirus cases continue to increase on Sunday, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider suspended all lockdown exemptions granted earlier and said that the new policy would remain in effect for the next two weeks. According to a notification issued on Sunday, the AJK PM took the decision in the wake of an “escalating spread of coronavirus in the region and dangerous levels of increase in the number of patients”. According to the new policy which became effective immediately midnight, shops for basic necessities and medical stores were to remain open at preset times. The AJK premier also appealed to the people to cooperate, saying the directives were merely safety and precautionary measures taken to safeguard everyone from the pandemic. Transport was to remain suspended as well and no one should step out of their home unnecessarily, he added. “The current situation does not warrant that people go out for Eidul Fitr shopping. Celebrate Eid simply,” Haider stressed. News Desk

Over 43,900 stranded people repatriated via 177 flights: PIA KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) have repatriated 43,900 people thus far through 117 special flights, said the spokesperson of national flag carrier on Sunday. PIA brought back more than 11,000 stranded Pakistanis through 69 special flights between April 1 to May 12, while 32,600 passengers were repatriated through 108 outbound flights. In a statement, the spokesperson said that the nationals returned home through PIA special flights operated in Saudi Arabia, Canada, Turkey, Japan, Australia, United States, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom. The national flag carrier is still continuing special flight operations to bring back more Pakistanis trapped in foreign countries following the suspension of flight operations due to coronavirus pandemic. On Friday, Minister for Aviation Division Ghulam Sarwar Khan had informed the National Assembly (NA) that 7,000 stranded Pakistanis would be brought back home before Eidul Fitr from various parts of the world on special flights. Speaking on the floor of the House, he had said, “From May 14 to May 22, the government is bringing back about 7,000 stranded Pakistanis from across the world to enable them to celebrate Eid with their loved ones.” He had said that around 250 students from Wuhan and China would be repatriated through special flight on Monday.

He had further said that due to coronavirus pandemic, PIA was suffering a loss of Rs5 billion per month. INP

235,479 safety suits; 8,733 safety goggles; 242,792 gloves and 57,844 pairs of shoe covers, 94,201 surgical caps, 25,351 gowns and 9,448 face shields were also distributed.

The NDMA spokesperson further stated that Sindh was provided with four PCR machines and testing equipment, including 123,832 testing kits, 55,000 viral transport media (VTM) kits and 55,000 swab kits, and 50,768 manuals and 8,000 auto-extraction kits were also included in the equipment.

“The NDMA distributed two biosafety cabinets for storing the testing kits, 200 thermal guns, 30,000 biotech tubes, 9,000 biohazard bags, 1,020 body bags and 25,000 sanitiser bottles to Sindh. The fifth consignment of goods includes 2,822 N95 masks,

3,136 D95 ICU masks and 48,384 K95 masks for Sindh. In addition, 4,480 gowns, 4,256 surgical caps, 8,960 face shields, 16,890 pairs of gloves, 6,272 protective goggles and 6,275 bottles of sanitizers will also be distributed,” the spokesperson added.

The NDMA spokesperson also said that

Police arrest two suspects in N Waziristan honour killing case NewS DeSk North Waziristan Police have arrested two suspects involved in the murder of two young girls who were murdered in the name of ‘honour’ following their video on the internet.

They are said to have been shot dead by a family member earlier this week in a village on the border of the North and South Waziristan tribal districts. The killing occurred after a short mobile video of them with a young man surfaced on social media, police said.

According to the FIR of the incident filed at Razmak police station, the incident had taken place on May 14 around 2pm at Shaam Plain Garyom, a border village of North and South Waziristan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“A confirmed report was received that two girls aged 16 and 18 were killed in the name of honour by their paternal cousin, whose name and address is not known, in Shaam Plain Garyom,” the FIR had said.

It had added that the reason behind the killings was believed to be a video that showed a young man recording himself with three young girls in a secluded area outdoors.

According to a report, the suspects are related to the victims; one is the father of the first girl while the other is the brother of the second girl, he said, adding that the culprits have been shifted to Razmak police station.

“Initial investigations show that the suspects opened fire on the victims over the video scandal,” the official said.

Further investigations are under way,” it added. According to the official, both the suspects told police that the vic-

the relief organisation has around 500 ventilators in its warehouse which are a strategic reserve and will be handed over to provinces as per their needs. NDMA provides relief to all provinces, including to the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), the spokesperson added.

tims were killed and buried in their native village.

HRCP CONDEMNS MURDERS: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) strongly condemns the cold-blooded murder of two teenage girls in a Waziristan village—allegedly an ‘honour’ crime carried out by a family member after a mobile video of the victims surfaced on social media.

Despite the passage of the Criminal Law (Amendment) (Offences in the Name or Pretext of Honour) Act 2016, there is little evidence to suggest that the incidence and acceptance of ‘honour’ crimes has abated. Antiquated—and lethal—notions that ‘honour’ resides in women’s bodies and actions still prevail across Pakistan, and it will take far more than laws to effect a change when perpetrators of ‘honour’ crimes continue to act with impunity. The patriarchy that upholds casual sexism is the same patriarchy that is used to justify, endorse and perpetrate ‘honour’ killings. Neither is acceptable.

HRCP also notes with great concern that many people who have spoken up against the Waziristan murders on social media platforms have been threatened or ridiculed. The state must make it clear to all that it will not tolerate any support for this heinous practice.

The local administration must take all possible steps to ensure the security of the third girl and the man in the video, and to bring the perpetrator to justice. The state must also demonstrate its commitment to protecting human rights in the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas by taking concrete steps to ensure that human security is put before considerations of ‘national’ security.

NDMA sends anti-locusts medical items to provinces

ISLAMABAD TLTP

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has started dispatching medical items to provinces for killing locusts in

their respective areas.

According to the NDMA spokesman, 12 each spraying machines have been sent to Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan while six and eight sprayers have been provided to Khyber

Pakhtunkhwa and Department of Plants Protection (DPP) respectively.

He said the affected provinces have been provided 350,000 litres medicine for killing the locusts. He said Balochistan has been provided 106,200 litre, Sindh 124,000 litre, Punjab 79,800 litre and DPP was provided 40,000 litre medicine including 300,000 litre methylene, 96 percent ULV and 50,000-litre Limda two per cent.

It is worth mentioning here that farmers in Pakistan’s main food-producing pockets have been haunted by a plague of locust swarms which are sweeping green fields with their devastating instinct to eat heavily.

Locust swarms triggered panic among villagers in Punjab as their crop was fine one evening but a lot of leaves had been eaten up a day later. They fear that if the situation prevails it would finish all cash crops, animals’ fodders and

fruits like it did with wheat crop in Sindh.

The desert locust plague affected Pakistan’s southern Sindh province last year before moving to the rest parts of the country. The Ministry of National Food Security and Plant Protection and other departments all came up with a response to the fly attacks.

According to the food security ministry, the locusts have caused a loss of 15% to the winter-sown crops last year amounting to at least Rs100 billion, with fears that the damage would be huge if the next generation hatched.

The report added that the locust attacks could cause Rs817 billion loss to the country’s agriculture production in 2020.

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization estimates agricultural losses to Pakistan from locusts could be as high as $2.2 billion for winter crops alone.

Govt issues SOPs for passengers, cargo at border crossings points ISLAMABAD APP

The Ministry of National Health Services on Sunday issued standard operating procedure (SOPs) in border management measures for passengers and cargo at land crossings in wake of Covid-19 situation.

According to Ministry of National Health Services, these SOPs were issued for both the authorities and health officials in land border management measures to protect health and ensure the safe deliveries of critical goods and essential cargo services.

It said that for general preparations at land crossings and border check points, it was of utmost importance that necessary preparations were made at land crossing to effectively deal with the challenge of Covid-19.

As per SOPs, the government made it mandatory to ensure average number of travelers crossing the borders per day and demarcation of screening premises, temporary isolation areas, waiting areas and quarantine facilities for suspected or infected travelers.

It will also be obligatory of availability of necessary equipment such as thermal guns, thermal scanners, protective gear, etc. besides identification and employment of trained staff at health counters.

The SOPs ensured clear guidelines to the staff for their roles and responsibilities and establishing coordination with concerned agencies and departments, including the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), relevant provincial officials, DG health or district health officer, or availability of ambulances through relevant department.

The government through these SOPs directed to adopt general operating procedures immediately after crossing Zero Line while on arrival of travelers after crossing the border, proper queuing should be ensured by keeping them at least two meters apart from each other in view to maintain social distancing.

All travelers and staff should wear appropriate surgical or medical mask while hand sanitizers should to be placed at arrival points and travelers should be advised to rub and sanitise their hands.

The government has recommended that all passenger cabins including trucks, buses, vans and cars should be disinfected by any of the relevant chemicals at border crossings including use of compound quaternary ammonium salt, doublechain quaternary ammonium salt, hydrogen peroxide or chlorine-con-

taining disinfectant.

Under these SOPs, the government has asked to ensure provision of surgical or medical masks for travelers, handing over of health declaration forms and travel history forms to all the travelers by the health check post staff and ensuring that both forms are submitted to port health officials, health check post reception desk or health declaration counter.

Health counter should be served as a point of first contact for the travelers with their filled-in health declaration forms. The ministry said that filled health declaration forms should be collected at the counter and analysed as per the questions, helping segregation and preliminary decisions.

All the travelers will be screened with thermal guns and scanner by health staff and inquired about

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symptoms, if any. The results of screening should be evaluated by the health staff.

Travelers with fever should be marked on health declaration forms and report to this effect is made immediately to the in-charge of the health check post for action while

travelers with no fever should go through routine quarantine process.

The government has recommended that all travelers should be kept under quarantine for 14 days and at the termination of this period a COVID RT-PCR will be performed for clearance of traveler.

Monday, 18 May, 2020

PM tO decIde On reSuMPtIOn Of Pr OPerAtIOnS tOMOrrOw, SAyS MInISter ISLAMABAD

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sTAff RePORT

INISTER for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has said the final decision regarding resuming the operation of Pakistan Railways will be taken on Tuesday.

Addressing a news conference here on Sunday, Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said the decision will be taken after a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan.

“If we resume train operations after 15 days, people will climb aboard roofs of trains [for travel] and then the public will

taunt me that Sheikh Rasheed is responsible for spreading the virus,” the railways minister said. The minister added if permission to resume operations was not given, he would have to tell the railway authorities to refund Rs24 million to the people within 15 days.

“What is the issue with running just one train Jaffer Express in Balochistan,” he said, adding that train operations will resume only if Karachi’s tracks are opened. “Railways does not only belong to Punjab, but to the entire country. I appeal to the Prime Minister to resume train operations. We are going into a deficit because this is a means of transportation for the poor,” he said.

Modi’s rSS-inspired doctrine on IOK very clear: PM CoNtINueD froM pAge 01 In a tweet, the prime minister had rejected the baseless allegations by India of “infiltration” across the Line of Control (LoC), saying that it was a continuation of India’s dangerous agenda of a false flag operation targeting Pakistan. “I have been warning the world about India’s continuing efforts to find a pretext for a false flag operation targeting Pakistan,” he had stated. The PM had said that the indigenous Kashmiri resistance against Indian occupation was a direct consequence of India’s oppression and brutalisation against Kashmiris. “The fascist policies of the RSS-BJP combine are fraught with serious risks,” he had stressed. He had urged upon the international community to “must act before India’s reckless moves jeopardise peace and security in South Asia”. The prime minister’s statement came days after a flurry of allegations from Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Army Chief General MM Naravane claiming the presence of so-called “terrorist launch-pads” in Azad Kashmir and infiltration bids. In an interview with a local media outlet on May 4, General Narvane had claimed that Pakistan was still following its “myopic” and “limited” agenda of “pushing terrorists” into occupied Kashmir, saying that India would “respond appropriately with precision” unless the neighboring country “gives up its policy of state-sponsored terrorism”.

Rasheed added he was waiting for a decision by the Prime Minister. “I can take the decision to resume train operations myself; however, the Prime Minister has not given me permission to do this.”

He added that he could not work on the SOPs the day after tomorrow. “If you give me permission [to resume train operations] today or tomorrow, I can work on SOPs. After that, I cannot,” he noted.

The federal minister added if train operations do not resume in the next two days, railways authorities will have to apologise to the people. “We have to give pensions and salaries to people before Eid.”

Earlier, DS Lahore said they would resume train operations across the country as soon as the green signal is received. “Thirty trains from four provinces will become operational as soon as we have the go-ahead,” he said. “No passenger will be allowed to enter the station without taking any safety precautions. Passengers have been asked to make sure they are wearing face masks, gloves and have sanitizers.”

He said that social distancing guidelines will be strictly followed. “The railway staff has been issued directions to strictly follow SOPs. Vending owners have also been told to take strict care of keeping their stalls cleans.”

PPP demands withdrawal of illegal notification of 10th NFC NAFISA SHAH SAYS PM IMRAN’S ‘CONFUSED POLICIES’ LED TO OVER 850 DEATHS ACROSS COUNTRY ISLAMABAD sTAff RePORT

Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) Information Secretary Dr Nafisa Shah on Sunday rejected the 10th National Finance Commission (NFC) and asked for the “illegal” notification issued in this regard to be withdrawn.

The government recently notified the constitution of the 10th NFC as the five-year period of the previous NFC ended in April and the ones before that remained inconclusive for differences between the Centre and the provinces.

While the 8th and 9th NFC remained inconclusive, the revenue distribution mechanism set under the 7th NFC Award given by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in 2010 would be extended to the new NFC. Surprisingly, in the Terms of Reference (ToRs) of the new NFC,

there were additions of a few terms which were not part of the previous commissions. According to the new ToRs, the Centre would charge the provinces defence and disaster management as well.

Addressing a press conference at the Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) media office in Islamabad with other party leaders, she said that lawmakers came from great distances to attend the special session of the National Assembly (NA) on Covid-19 but the “irresponsible” prime minister was missing from the session.

She also said that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari attended the session but the treasury benches started mad-mouthing the party and Sindh government for taking appropriate measures in time.

She further said that so far over 850 Covid-19 deaths have been reported and the number of patients has reached 40,000 and “our hand-

some prime minister has lifted the lockdown”. She added said that it is ironic that the nation is fighting Covid-19 but the premier is watching 90 episodes of a drama.

The PPP leader said that this government has announced numerous financial amnesty schemes just to benefit its cronies.

Referring to PM Imran’s sister Aleema Khan, she said that the first beneficiary of the first amnesty scheme was “Aleema Baji”.

She rejected the 10th NFC and said that NFC is awarded through Article 161 and 162 of the Constitution.

The illegal notification of 10th NFC should be withdrawn, she demanded.

Palwasha Khan said that Murad Saeed is a jester who cracks jokes all the time. She said that the government is frightened of Covid-19 and is not combating it. She also said that if the government narrative is that we have to live with this virus then what is the purpose of this government. She added that instead of providing employment to the people, PM Imran has made 18 million people unemployed due to his failed economic policies.

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A day earlier, the railways minister had appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to allow the resumption of rail operations ahead of Eid, saying that delays may result in a worsening of the economic crisis.

If no decision is taken by the incumbent government in the coming week, the railways authorities will not be able to control the rush at train stations across the country ahead of Eid, he had warned.

Shibli rebuts rumours regarding governor's rule in provinces ISLAMABAD sTAff RePORT

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz Sunday rebutted the rumours circulating in social media regarding the governor’s rule in the provinces. The minister said this is propaganda of ‘antistate elements’. He said at a time when the government is making extensive and successful efforts to overcome corona and resolve other issues, some miscreants are trying to distract the government’s attention by circulating such rumours. He said that the government is opting selective lockdown policy to remove pressure from daily-wage workers and labour community, adding complete lockdown is not a feasible option for the poor segments of society. He said that the people are exhibiting non-cooperating behaviour during lockdown. The minister said that the government could go for strict measures to implement standard operating procedures (SOPs) for protecting the people from coronavirus pandemic. To a question about the accountability process, he said the PTI government came into power for carrying out accountability against corrupt elements to eliminate corruption from the society. Faraz made it clear that PTI government had zero tolerance on the corruption issue.

All transporter bodies except one oppose new SOPs CoNtINueD froM pAge 01

FAO seeks more resources for Pakistan, Iran's fight against locusts uNIteD NAtIoNS APP

After making significant gains in dealing with the upsurge of desert locusts in East Africa and Yemen, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) plans to launch a revised appeal for funding in the coming weeks to generate additional resources for Pakistan and Iran, which are also facing locust infestations.

An appeal from the Rome-based UN agency was launched in January which netted $130 million. It said that the funding had been largely concentrated on locust control activities, therefore, more support for livelihoods is needed.

“Governments have been working with the FAO to design, monitor and implement control operations,” it said, adding that the agency had also been providing pesticides, bio-pesticides, equipment, aircraft and training.

Given the favourable conditions for locust reproduction, the agency called for sustained efforts and more resources for Iran and Pakistan – which are facing locust attacks – and for scaling up efforts in the

Sahel region, which risked being affected.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic and other challenges, the FAO said, with its support an estimated 720,000 tonnes of cereal was saved from the swarms of migratory pests across 10 countries in East Africa and Yemen which was enough to feed 5 million people a year.

“However, more action is still needed to avert a food security crisis as the ongoing rainy season, which benefits farmers and pastoralists, also provides favourable conditions for locusts to breed,” agency chief Qu Dongyu stressed.

“Our gains have been significant; but the battle is long and is not yet over”, he said. “More people are at risk of losing their livelihoods and worsening food security in the coming months,” the FAO director general added.

FAO has released its first progress report on the locust control campaign which began in January and now covers 10 countries: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania and Yemen.

It was launched to protect crops and livelihoods from what are considered to

be the most destructive migratory pests in the world. A single desert locust swarm, which can contain up to 150 million insects per square kilometre, is capable of eating as much food in a day as 35,000 people.

Through the FAO’s support, more than 365,000 hectares have been controlled, and an additional 350,000 pastoral households have been spared from distress. While swathes of treated land are now relatively locust-free, the agency warned that a second wave of locusts will transition to the young adult phase in June, at a critical time when many farmers prepare to harvest their crops.

The FAO said the upsurge is “particularly alarming” in the broader context.

Forecasts made prior to the Covid-19 crisis indicate that more than 25 million people in the East Africa region will face acute food insecurity in the latter half of the year. An additional 17 million people in Yemen are already affected.

“We can and must protect vulnerable people from the impact of multiple crises: conflicts, climate extremes, desert locusts and Covid-19, which threaten to cause a further dramatic deterioration in their food security,” said Qu said.

“To do this, we need to intensify our efforts further and focus not just on controls but on supporting the livelihoods of farmers and pastoralists so they can get through this.”

He also urged the government to direct transporters to resume operations if that means accepting their demands to resolve the issue on an urgent basis.

PUNJAB GOVT DECIDES TO RESUME TRANSPORT SERVICES: Separately, the Punjab government decided to resume inter-city bus operations to cope with the transportation needs of the general public with strict adherence to the approved SOPs that include online ticketing, contact tracing and reduced transport fares to trickle down benefits of low fuel prices to passengers. The SOPs issued require maintaining social distance of three feet while boarding buses, disinfection of buses after completion of every trip, availability of hand sanitiser at terminals and within vehicles. Moreover, any person having fever or frequent coughing would not be allowed to board, whereas other passengers would be required to wear masks and gloves along with temperature checking.

Baggage has been restricted to the minimum and adjacent seat of elderly passengers (above 65 years) is to be kept vacant. Bus companies are required to manage crowds at terminals by deploying additional staff and marking positions, disinfection of waiting areas and allied facilities, frequent disinfection of terminals/addas and bays, and to ensure availability of soaps/sanitisers in public toilets.

Furthermore, the government has emphasised contact tracing and tracking of passengers using online ticketing technology. In case a passenger tests positive for coronavirus subsequent to travel, the government can now track passenger’s travel history and test all passengers that may have been at risk of transmission. Currently, online ticketing facilities for all major D-Class luxury buses are available through web and app-based platforms like Bookme.pk, Easypaisa, JazzCash, National Bank of Pakistan, HBL, Bank Alfalah and Daraz.

04 KARACHI

Monday, 18 May, 2020

WEATHER UPDATES MONDAY

370C

260C

TUESDAY

400C

270C

WEDNESDAY

400C

270C

PRayeR tImINgS FAJR SUNRISE

ZUHR

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

4:22

12:29

3:54

5:47

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CM rEPoSES ConfidEnCE in HEAlTHCArE AS CASES SoAr kARACHI

S

SINDH CONDUCTS OVER 5,000 TESTS, REPORTS 787 NEW CASES

Staff RePoRt

INDH Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah expressed his satisfaction over the province’s preparedness against the coronavirus pandemic, saying that the Sindh government had equipped the province’s hospitals and coronavirus centers with the best treatment facilities for patients.

In a statement issued from the CM House on Sunday, Shah said that there are 451 ventilators in Sindh government hospi-

tals, of them 109 have been reserved for coronavirus patients whereas 31 of these are occupied, showing a 16 per cent utilisation of the machines.

Giving the latest statistics of the pandemic in Sindh, he said that coronavirus had

Two alleged robbers killed in police operation KARACHI: Two men, suspected of being robbers, were killed during a police operation in North Karachi on Saturday night. One of their accomplices was injured and has been taken into custody by the police. "The suspects had robbed a man in the area and were fleeing," a police officer said. The man contacted the police who then followed the suspects. "They opened fire at us after which we shot at them too," the officer added. The injured suspect is being interrogated by the police. INP

claimed nine more lives in Sindh during the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 277 while 787 new cases emerged when 5,034 more tests were conducted.

“The new cases constitute 15.7 per cent of the tests. So far, the government has conducted 122,894 tests against which 16,377 patients were diagnosed which was 13.3 percent of the total tests,” he added.

Shah said that nine patients could not fight against the virus’ attack and passed away on Sunday, thus the coronavirus death toll had reached 277 which is 1.7 per cent of the total patients.

Karachi being punished in name of coronavirus, says PTI leader ADIL SAYS THERE'S NO LINK BETWEEN SURGE IN COVID-19 CASES AND RELIGIOUS GATHERINGS

Two women found dead in house News Desk Dead bodies of two women were found in a flat in Nazimabad on Sunday. Both the women had their throats slit. They were taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where the daughter, Nuzhat Ambreen, was declared dead, while the mother was said to be in critical condition.

According to Central Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Arif Aslam Rao, initial investigation suggests that Qamarul Nissa, 55, killed her daughter and then attempted suicide.

“The attacks were carried out with a sharp object,” said the SSP. It may be noted here that Ambreen’s second husband was also living with her and her mother. Police said that no one else was in the flat at the time and the incident was reported by Ambreen’s husband.

“The case is being investigated from all angles,” claimed the police. Earlier on May 3, the body of a woman was found in an underground water tank of a house in Gabol Goth, Gulistan-e-Johar.

He added that 114 patients were in critical condition, 31 of whom had been put on the ventilators. Similarly, at present, 11,891 patients were under treatment, of them 10,485 were at home isolation, 838 at Isolation Centers and 568 in different hospitals.

Shah said that 405 more patients recovered on Sunday, lifting the number of cured patients to 4,209 which constituted to 26 per cent of the total.

According to further details, out 787 patients in Sindh, 515 belonged to Karachi, of them 147 are from East, 121 are from South, 109 are from Central, 52 are from Malir, 44

kARACHI PPI

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice President (VP) and leader of parliamentary party in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh has said that the masses of Karachi are being punished so that the government of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan fails.

Addressing a press conference at the Insaf House on Sunday, flanked by Sumair Mir Sheikh, Ali Mirjat and other party leaders, Haleem said that the Sindh government did not allow people to pray in the holy month of

Ramzan and tightened lockdown for worship places to motivate citizens to go against PTI. Criticising Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah for running a daily bulletin for citizens, he said that that is all the Sindh CM does and added that the PM gave Rs44billion to the people for protection against coronavirus.

He alleged that Rs15,000 billion would be recovered from the Sindh chief minister’s ‘key’ and that he would step down as the provincial chief minister.

The PTI minister said that the masses of Sindh should curse the provincial government, which under a

conspiracy closed down mosques in the province. “As per the teachings of Quran, closing mosques is a cruelty and people who are closing mosques would be disgraced. Why can’t mosques be opened for the prayer goers under SOPs?” he asked.

“They did not even give permission to processions and when the processions were staged, they arrested people.

Prayers goers are suffering both in mosques and imambargahs,” he added.

Haleem opined that the pandemic was a global occurrence and its spread could not be blamed on religious groups gathering together to pray.

He also expressed his deep concern for the ban on public transport saying that extortion collection is on the rise to the ban. He said cars are allowed to run but public transport is banned and demanded to open public transport under SOPs. “How would workers go to their native towns to celebrate Eid?” he asked, adding that if the poor people cannot travel, there is no right of ministers and advisors to travel in luxury vehicles. “The current situation in Sindh is a result of a conspiracy hatched by Murad Ali Shah and company. They are creating sectarian disharmony to topple the current government,” he alleged.

The PTI minister expressed his fear of sectarian riots hitting Sindh if the current policies are continued.

Karachi transporters to resume operations today kARACHI INP

The Karachi transporters’ association on Sunday announced to operate their vehicles in the city from Monday.

Karachi Transport Alliance (KTA) president announced resuming inter-city bus service from May 18, saying that they held several meetings with Sindh Transport Minister Syed Awais Qadir Shah, but the provincial government didn’t fulfill

its promise of resuming public transport before Eid. “We stopped our operations at the request of the Sindh transport minister. Despite several assertions, the Sindh govt did not allow us to resume public transport be-

cause of which we are suffering huge losses,” the KTA president said.

On the other hand, Hyderabad transporters’ held a protest at Badin bus stand and chanted slogans against the Sindh govt for not allowing to resume inter-district bus service. The transporters’ said that they will resume public transport as many people wanted to return back to their families before Eid. They maintained that several provinces had allowed restoring public transport, but Sindh had not budged in favour of public transporters.

On Saturday, the Sindh transport minister had announced the resumption of public transport in the province before or after Eid without giving a specific date.

In a statement, the provincial transport minister had said that SOPs for public transport have been prepared and medical teams are being constituted for help as well. A four-point summary has been prepared and forwarded to the chief minister to provide relief to the transporters in Sindh in this regard, the statement said.

The summary recommends a 100 per cent withdrawal of fine slapped by the transport department on transporters in the province from February this year till June as well as a 50 per cent relief to transporters in excise duty.

It may be mentioned here that the Sindh government put a ban on all kind of public transport services in the third week of March before the lockdown was formally imposed on March 23.

Korangi and 42 are from the West.

Similarly, 31 new cases had been detected in Shikarpur, 25 in Larkana, 16 in Hyderabad, 14 in Ghotki, 13 in Kambar-Shahdadkot, six in Khairpur and three in Jamshoro.

Governor says he’s getting better KARACHI: Sindh Governor Imran Ismail while sharing his experiences during 17-days of isolation due to Covid-19 has said that corona is not a disease which essentially culminates in death. He said that the death ratio from coronavirus is very low and its patients could defeat it by adopting precautionary measures and SOPs in this regard. The governor said that natural herbs are helpful in curing the symptoms of coronavirus and he himself used Sana Maki (Senna leaves) and ginger water during quarantine which helped him getting better and added that there is no authentic medicine or vaccine available for this virus and you have to be in constant contact with your pulmonologist for ensuring required oxygen saturation levels. “Oxygen levels should not go below 92 as that could be fatal,” he said, adding that the same could be monitored at home with the help of an oxymetre. He also said that an isolation period provides you with an opportunity of selfassessment. “You can go through various decisions and do things which you were not able to before,” he said. PPI

CMCH chief refutes corruption allegations LARKANA: Larkana Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) Medical Superintendent (MS) Dr Ershad Hussain Kazmi on Sunday refuted the allegations leveled against him by the CMC Principal Professor Kheo Ram Dholia. According to the details, Dr Kazmi said that he received a complaint from a CMCH block's additional medical superintendent (AMS) that professors and consultants are neither taking rounds nor attending OPDs due to which poor patients are suffering during lockdown imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He said the same complaint was forwarded to the Larkana Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU) vice chancellor (VC) for necessary action but the complaint was instead reversed and made against me by Kheo ram Dholia. Dr Ershad has sent details to the provincial health secretary in this regard. PPI

PMA Sindh seeks risk allowance, PPE News Desk Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has threatened to launch protests over nonprovision of protection equipment and risk allowance to the medical staff. PMA Sindh general-secretary Dr Manzoor Ali criticised that the provincial government has deceived doctors by claiming to spend over Rs2.56 billion funds in the name of coronavirus pandemic. Dr Manzoor Ali demanded the Sindh government to immediately provide risk allowance to the medical staff. He threatened to launch protests if risk allowance was not given to the medical staff. He said that no arrangements were made in the governmentowned hospitals across Sindh. The PMA Sindh general-secretary added that doctors in the government hospitals were performing duties without having personal protection equipment (PPEs). He demanded authorities to provide PPEs to the doctors, paramedics and other medical staff members. Earlier in the day, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has demanded the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to investigate into Sindh Corona Fund and ration distribution made by the provincial government.

Monday, 18 May, 2020

Govt Issues GuIdelInes on fAce mAsKs’ usAGe ISLAMABAD APP

t

HE Ministry of National Health Services on Sunday issued national guidelines to the healthcare workers and general public for wearing a face masks during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to these guidelines, it is prudent, under the circumstances of the current pandemic, for the people to wear face masks with an intention to protect their fellow beings from respiratory droplets particularly when entering closed or congested areas and also to protect themselves. It said that a regular disposable face mask which is also called a surgical face mask or a medical face mask is considered as one of the personal protective equipment (PPE) of a healthcare worker and is also used in the healthcare settings to cover the face of a patient, from whom spread of a communicable infection is a possibility and many countries have adopted this as a national guideline.

It is pertinent to remember that use of

CITY NOTES

O

M A niAZi

NE of the most poignant moments in the coronavirus crisis came when Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry refused to attend the National Assembly (NA) session after two lawmakers tested positive for covid-19. The two lawmakers were both representing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and had achieved a height of personal commitment and sacrifice that had eluded even party Chairman Imran Khan. Fawad has become so cautious about the disease that he refuses to be in the same hall as them.

That seems like how his party chief behaved towards other parliamentary party leaders, when he addressed them on closed link, and then went out before they could speak. The coronavirus might not be catching electronically, but catch Imran taking risks. Or maybe he was not taking any risk of getting caught by the corruption bug.

I wonder if this social distancing might not lead to some form of the caste system making a comeback. It does seem that the old days of declaring certain people untouchable and whose touch is to followed by anti-infection measures is making a return. I can even understand some really hygienic people insisting that even infected peoples’ shadows are infectious.

Of course, that might mean that corrupt people are actually Dalits, and treating them as such is actually fairly and squarely within

ordinary face mask is not a substitute for adoption of social distancing and at no time distancing be abandoned wherever required in addition to regular hand washing with soap and water, it added.

The ministry recommended that in a healthcare setting, all the healthcare work-

ers should follow the guidelines for wearing PPE while patients should follow the advice of their doctors.

All covid-19 positive and suspected individuals have also been asked to wear disposable face-masks to ensure that others around them are protected from droplets

The new caste system

the ethos of both Narendra Modi’s India and the PTI. And here we have Fawad behaving towards fellow MNAs the way his leader behaves towards corrupt politicians.

But then, as a politician once told me, “We do not go into politics to get arrested.” This was when a lot of prominent people were getting it in the neck after martial law had been declared. One might add, ‘to the peril of one’s life.’ Politicians the world over do not get into it to risk their lives. No one wants to fall victim to a political assassination. Maybe you spend your entire political career knowing that you could get killed, as the late Benazir Bhutto did, but that is not why you get into electoral politics. Otherwise, you become a suicide bomber. Now that is deciding to

die for a cause. Misguided? probably? wrongheaded? certainly. But that is debatable. What is not is that you end your career scattered all over the place.

Some politicians may accept the risk of being killed. But none go into the profession with that in mind. Attending the NA is a great privilege. Fawad should know. Initially defeated in 1985 by a few votes, he won his election petition. He turned up to take oath, but his now unseated rival went around the lobbies persuading colleagues to stay away. Quorum was pointed out, and the House was adjourned. Ch Altaf’s rival got a stay, and Ch Altaf had to go way. It is another story that he won at last in 1990, that he was then appointed Punjab governor, an office in

NEWS generated by the positive person while breathing, talking, coughing or sneezing.

Similarly, the ministry also said that all individuals should wear a disposable face mask or any other available face mask including cloth mask on leaving their home with the intention of protecting others with whom thy may come in close contact and also for their own protection. Face-masks are mandatory to be worn by everyone in situations, including crowded public places, mosques, bazaars, shopping malls and public transport including road, rails and flights, it added. “Once the mask is worn, it is part of the face and it must not be touched with hands throughout its use.

If touched or handled after wearing, then hands must be washed with soap and water or sanitized with an alcohol-based hand rub according to the guidelines of hand hygiene,” the ministry stated.

As per guidelines the mask should be replaced with a new one when it gets soiled or becomes moist while the soiled disposable mask should be disposed of properly and the reusable one should be placed in a sealable polythene bag and placed in a dedicated pocket of the dress or in a dedicated pocket of a washable handbag.

“The pocket of the dress or the bag, in which a soiled mask was saved, should not be used or handled for any other purpose before washing. N95 mask is only needed in high risk healthcare facilities by the health workers and is beneficial only when worn with special precautions and appropriate procedures,” the guidelines stated. which he died. But Fawad seems to feel that he should not be made to sit in the same hall with coronavirus-positive people, no matter the social distancing.

Fawad must realise that social distancing is not all that counts. What matters is infected people leaving their germs on smooth services. Hmmm… That means desk thumping is risky, as is members crowding around a minister to get his signature on an application.

Crowding, it seems, is out. No more constituents treating Parliament Lodges as a sort of hostel. And in the wider world, no more violence during shopping. Here we had Fawad taking so many precautions in the NA, but in the markets, the reopening showed that people simply do not care.

Or maybe they feel that social distancing is only meant for the home. So long as one is buying, it is okay to push, shove, jostle, bite, gouge… And we would not talk about when schools are re-opened, and there are breaks, when the school grounds provide the best example in modern urban life of the struggle for existence, when Nature is ‘red in tooth and claw.’

Someone who gave up the struggle for existence was Athar Shah Khan, the creator of the beloved character ‘Jaidi’. Yet another comedian gone. With the departure of Baboo Bral, Mastana, Dildar Pervaiz Bhatti and Amanullah, the cupboard had grown bare. Now it is barer still. It is not quite empty, but I will not mention who is still there. With so little to laugh about, (and so many fewer men to provoke that laughter), there is no way I am going to tempt fate.

05

AJK president warns of Indian attack MIRPUR APP

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan said on Sunday that an Indian attack on Azad Kashmir cannot be ruled out in the light of the threatening claims made by India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ministers.

“We are prepared and the armed forces of Pakistan are prepared, the nation of Pakistan and people in Azad Kashmir are prepared to frustrate any evil designs of India,” he said.

In an interview with the Anadolu news agency of Turkey, the AJK president said side by side with the threats of the Indian rulers to attack the liberated territory, we see that 900,000 Indian troops are busy in massacring the Kashmiri youth in the held territory.

He said the occupation the army has stepped up violations of the ceasefire agreement on the Line of Control, and now a campaign based on false allegations has been launched to create an environment of war against Pakistan.

“There are some rumblings that India is planning something. It has been killing Kashmiris since January this year. But after COVID-19 it accelerated the pace of killings of young men. They have accelerated the ceasefire violations, and they have started crafting lies.” The AJK president rejected Indian allegations against Pakistan about the launching of any militant outfit to fight the Indian Army in occupied Kashmir,” he said and spurned the Indian allegations about sending 350 militants in addition to 250 those already present in occupied Kashmir.

President Khan said a few days ago the heads of the Indian Army and its intelligence agency met the Indian National Security Adviser to hatch a conspiracy against Pakistan.

Responding to a question, Khan described as the worst madness and ridiculous the Indian allegation that Pakistan is intruding Covid-19 patients into occupied Kashmir. “This insane Indian allegation is laughable.” The AJK president said the Indian rulers very stubbornly blame the Muslims for the spread of coronavirus in India, therefore, the people should stay away from them,” he pointed out, and added that the Indian rulers are habitual of telling lies to hoodwink the international community.

Turkish TV series Ertuğrul takes Pakistan by storm ISLAMABAD Agencies

The Turkish television series Dirilis (Resurrection) Ertugrul, based on the life and times of the 13th-century Muslim Oghuz Turk leader, Ertugrul, has taken Pakistan by storm.

According to the state-run Pakistan Television (PTV), 133.38 million people have so far watched the drama series from April 25- May 14. Also, its episodes are trending on YouTube in Pakistan every day.

In just 20 days, since the series with Urdu dubbing started riding on the airwaves, PTV’s YouTube channel has registered exponential rise its viewership with 2.1 million subscribers, shattering all previous records.

With growing popularity, these numbers are expected to climb up further in the coming days. The state-run TV, which started airing the show under an arrangement with Turkish Radio and Television (TRT), is making it accessible to a far greater audience and igniting public interest.

PTV launched the first episode on April 25, the first day of the holy month of Ramadan. The series was dubbed in the Urdu language at the instructions of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who had expressed interest in the series last year during his tour to Turkey.

“During the lockdown, I am watching the seasons regularly. The faithful and fearless figures of Ibn Arabi from Andalusia and

the Knight Claudius who later embraced Islam and became Umar are my favorites,” said Mohammad Ibrahim Qazi, grandson of the late Qazi Hussain Ahmad, the leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party.

Like many other countries, Pakistan had enforced a countrywide lockdown in March, to stem the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. The series come handy to keep people indoors.

Millions of Pakistanis jumped to social media and warmly welcomed Ertugrul. The viewers continuously comment and share scenes of the series on Twitter.

“First I heard from Prime Minister Khan suggesting people to watch the series. Then I decided to see the drama and since then I have not missed any of its episodes,” Shaista Khan, a school teacher from Dir, a district of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province told Anadolu Agency. She said the Ertugrul was perhaps the first series after a long time that can be watched with the whole family sitting together. It also imparts historical knowledge to kids, she said.

Often described as the Turkish Game of Thrones, the series depicts the 13th century Anatolia and tells the story before the establishment of the Ottoman Empire. It illustrates the struggle of Ertugrul Gazi, father of the empire’s first leader.

“I take it as a positive development for our cultural and literary enrichment. Today, when we say globalization in terms of people to peo-

ple contact Ertugrul, is one such move to bring people of Pakistan and Turkey much closer,” said Syed Fakhar Kakakhel, Islamabad based journalist who writes on art and culture. The series that has attracted millions of viewers in a short period, has also opened new avenues for the entertainment industry in the country.

“Pakistanis will have a change of heart after reconnecting with the glorious past in medieval age. There is a natural tendency to get away from Bollywood. Turkish multimedia industry is replacing the craze for Bollywood and is successfully carving a niche in

Pakistan,” said Qazi. He said the popularity of Turkish serials in Pakistan is an ideal case for both countries to join hands in the multimedia sector to combat rising instances of Islamophobia across the world.

“In our neighborhood in India, such historical movies have collected lots of revenue. Pakistan and Turkey can have a joint venture to produce contents based on history,” said Kakakhel Ertugrul series is based on glorious times of Muslims which is our shared culture. That is why it has attracted such a large viewer-

ship in Pakistan,” he added. Last month, before the PTV started broadcasting the historical series, Prime Minister Khan asked viewers to watch it as it showcases the values and history of Islamic culture.

“A third-rate culture was being promoted in Pakistan through Hollywood and Bollywood. I want our children and youth to learn the difference and to show that we also have our own culture,” he said, while referring to the Ertugrul series.

“We have a culture with romance and history as well, however, it is also filled with Islamic values. Sadly, the content from Bollywood is full of vulgarity, which was not the case three or four decades ago,” he added.

The series is particularly making waves among young Pakistanis.

“Thanks to PM @ImranKhanPTI for arranging this #ErtugrulUrduPTV #Ertugral gives a source of Motivation & Inspiration to learn & Implement the core Islamic values, it boosts the moral that we can overcome any challenges by our strong will, faith & with help of Allah,” wrote a Twitter user engineer Salman Ahmad Khan.

Last September, Turkey, Pakistan, and Malaysia had agreed to combat the rising global trend of Islamophobia, mainly in the West. They had decided to launch a television channel dedicated to confronting challenges posed by Islamophobia and to produce films on Muslim

Monday, 18 May, 2020

06 COMMENT

The wall has two sides

Here to stay

The government’s measures for the long haul are lacking

China raises…

T

HAT Prime Minister Imran Khan has told the nation that the coronavirus is here for the long haul is not so much a clarion call as an acknowledgement of the truth of the World Health Organization’s prediction. However, the response of his government to the inception of the pandemic does not give much room for hope. The government’s casual attitude towards both the lockdown and its unholy eagerness to lift it show that it may not only be unwilling to take the steps needed to enforce social distancing, but may be unable to do so. The biggest problem seen in the easing of the lockdown has been the absence of any observance of the prescribed SOPs. No one seems ready to implement them. Shopkeepers have eyes like hawks when it comes to extracting payments, but apparently are unable to stop customers jostling each other in the shop.

The readiness of the government for easing the lockdown was also not so much absent as totally unheard. It was almost as if the government disagreed with the norms for reopening, and discounted the experience of many countries which waited until the number of deaths had declined, and then followed up by massive testing, contact tracing and quarantine of those found infected; a process repeated endlessly. With 14,000 tests conducted in one day, and with a population of 200 million, it does not seem that the country has sufficient testing capacity. Its contact tracing ability remains an unknown quantity.

The endless cycle of testing, tracing and quarantine is not just important for the present pandemic, but is essential if the country is to adjust to a world in which the coronavirus is an endemic disease. However, the government must also realize that the trade-off is not between maintaining the lockdown and maintaining the economy, but between easing the lockdown and keeping people alive. The recommencement of commercial flights is as discouraging as the easing of the markets’ lockdown, with the promised SOPs blatantly ignored. The government seems committed to a strategy of leaving the people to themselves. Though explicitly denied, it seems to favour the strategy of developing herd immunity, which means that those who can catch the disease should, if they die as a result, too bad.

Humayun GauHar

I

am talking of the Great Wall of China, one of the wonders of the world. What happens on either side is not static. It keeps changing. Before the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus, the world order or the status quo was on the other side outside China and the USA was the undisputed hegemon or sole superpower. Now after the coronavirus, which first started on that side of the Wall, things are changing and rather more rapidly than one had imagined. Our job as no superpower, but as a minion of the USA, is still very difficult. We have to watch and wait and be patient to see what kind of new status quo emerges and what our place should be in it.

Patience is one of the most important Chinese virtues and they think and plan generations in advance, not expecting to see the end result for many years. Former Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai caught the essence of this thinking when asked what he thought of the French Revolution and replied, “It’s too early to tell.”

Do not for a second imagine that a hegemon will lose its primacy easily. The USA is very powerful financially and militarily and it has got global institutions

dancing to the tune of the dollar, which leads to the world dancing to the tune of the dollar. The dollar will not go down without kicking and screaming and its kicks can be very hard and screams very loud. But back to Pakistan. We have to be careful that whilst not upsetting the USA to the point where it retaliates against us, we should slowly and imperceptibly try and become a part of the new status quo, the new world order with “Chinese characteristics.” So caution and care should be the order of the day because we have to remember how much our external debt is and if they decide to squeeze our lemon so to speak, very little juice will come out and Pakistan will just become a squeezed lemon.

But we are also already very heavily beholden to China as well as heavily indebted to it. Don’t forget that while the USA and its agencies have given us a great deal of loans, China has only given us money for infrastructure. Now with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, what China is giving us is loans mostly from private Chinese banks, which will add to our debt stock. But now there could be a way around it with China now pushing the Yuan to the detriment of the US dollar. Lets’ see what happens.

As Zhou Enlai said, “It is too early to tell.”

A lady friend of mine wrote from France after reading my last article, that Pakistan has already sold its soul to China. She said, “While I agree that Pakistanis certainly have the knowhow and should have pride in ‘Made in Pakistan,’ the country sold its soul to China decades ago. China owns Pakistan– its ports, dams, roads etc. And China has flooded Pakistan with cheap merchandise… Pakistan is not the only victim here; many poorer countries have suffered the same fate and sacrificed their national dignity for ‘Made in China.’ Africa is another example they exploit, offer to build infrastructure etc and governments think so many foreigners will energize economies. But the Chinese soon bring in their families who open shops, undercut the local merchants by offering cheap ‘Made in China’ goods, destroying the national fabric of society. The well thought out plan to world domination.”

I wrote back that I didn’t totally disagree with her but I don’t totally agree either. The West seems to have a phobia about China’s advance and spread. We have had a large Chinese diaspora in Pakistan since 1949. Many were cobblers, dentists and restaurateurs and later a few beauty salons. “And shop owners…”

she replied. “And in Paris and NYC they own the manicure/pedicure trade.”

There is nothing alarming about this. It is natural to ply your trade. That doesn’t mean that these countries have sold their soul to China. It is just that we find it peculiar that there are so many Chinese shops and restaurants all over the place. We have been to many Western cities and found South Asian restaurants everywhere (and not very good ones, by the way.) London and America’s hospitals are very dependent on Pakistani and Indian doctors and Filipina nurses but they haven’t sold their soul to these countries.

My worry is that the new hegemon will eventually expect us to change our behaviour according to their way of doing things just as the British did. We have to prevent China from creating Pakistanis who are Chinese in every respect except for the colour of their skins.

In that, for example, the China-Pakistan trade corridor will play a very important role. In fact, it is this beltroad initiative of China’s that is going to be one of the pivots of the new world order and Chinese hegemony.

But it does not need to be a bad or harmful element of the new world order. If Pakistan’s goods and the goods of other countries can be exported east and west via Pakistan along the old Silk Road and thereafter even beyond, what could the problem possibly be? If Pakistanis switch to chicken corn soup instead of tea, we would actually save a lot of money because our chicken and corn are indigenous while our tea is imported. You see you have to think out of the box.

Coincidentally, as I had written last week, there has been a fillip to the ‘Made in Pakistan’ concept where Pakistan is one of five countries that has been asked to make a vaccine out of remdesivir. There is nothing innovative here because remdesivir has been around for a long time, but at least it has been recognised that Pakistani pharmaceutical companies have the ability and wherewithal to make an anti coronavirus vaccine by the millions. If nothing else, we could make more than enough money out of this which could defray our costs and losses fighting this virus. This is just a start and you don’t know where it will lead. The point is, always try and find the silver lining in the darkest of clouds.

Humayun Gauhar can be reached at: humayun.gauhar786@gmail.com

How will CovId-19 define our world?

Bail for a child pornographer

The world changes irrevocably

Appeal to be reheard

noor aftab

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T was perhaps fitting that a child pornographer’s bail was withheld on a technicality, after initially being granted by the Lahore High Court, and a rehearing ordered. However, after the bail was granted, it transpired that the order in the case had not been written, let alone signed, by the judge concerned, so the pornography convict was not released, and his case ordered reheard.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan himself is reported to have taken notice of the decision, which created a stir when it became public, and rightly so.

It should be noted that the appellant had been convicted by a Sargodha judicial magistrate, on the pointation of the Norwegian embassy, and was part of a ring which included a Swede, an Italian, an American and two Englishmen. This was the only conviction in this case, as well as in the Kasur child pornography case, which had uncovered the ugly reality that filthy pictures were being peddled from Pakistan. The Sargodha case had shown that child pornography was not something that was being peddled in an isolated location, but was associated with the whole country, not just one of its towns.

That the conviction took place under the Cybercrime Act shows that the investigating agency, in this case the Federal Investigation Agency, has been equipped with the right tools. The initial conviction shows that the judiciary can handle such cases. However, the granting of bail may indicate that the state of the higher judiciary still leaves it subject to the tendency to grant bail at the drop of a hat.

There is something of enthusiasm because of the international dimensions of the case. The objection to the bail must not be that it spoils the image of the country in the comity of nations. Rather, it should be that the children of the country deserve better from those who have been made responsible for their welfare. The convict has served the equivalent of five years, and will be released in a couple of years after his sentence is up. A register of such offenders is now essential to prevent a recurrence.

P

ANDEMICS among other calamities have re-shaped the core of faith, politics and economic structure of societies for millennia.

Fear grips nations across the world as the death toll rises on an exponential basis, and much of the global population remains under lockdown. Our generation may be more fortunate than its predecessors. Living in the digital age, many are in a better position to face these shutdowns given their heavy dependence on technology.

Few things can be said with certainty nowadays, but in spite of technology, we are not past such disasters. In a war-ridden world increasingly divided along ethnonationalist lines, no one anticipated such an outbreak.

Infectious diseases may prove to be as big or perhaps a greater risk for millions of lives rather than wars in the coming age. Ordinary capitalist logic dictates no one cares, the corporate sector only responds to market signals. Short-term profit goals often absolve actors of responsibility for long-term consequences. “The invisible hand” has abandoned its most loyal followers, highlighting a need to revisit the free market doctrine.

According to Bill Gates, endemics like Ebola should have served as early indications and pushed authorities to prepare. Institutions like WHO are struggling to maintain their credibility as the international body is equipped to monitor, not prepare for, these pandemics.

The pandemic is rewriting international relations, as countries turn their attention inward and struggle to save citizens and their economies.

Cooperation is a must to eliminate the virus. Accurate disclosure of information is absolutely crucial.

Such updates would ensure that countries restrict travelling accordingly and test incoming travellers from affected regions. Exchange of medical equipment, medication and trained personnel is also necessary. International and regional organizations like the UN and EU have to step up efforts.

Responses are determining many political fates.

Trump’s frustration regarding his suffering popularity is pretty obvious. For others, it proved a blessing. The relatively low number of positive cases in India is proving a boon for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose popularity suffered from the mass protests against the Citizenship Act. Will this pandemic accelerate the shift of global dominance from West to East? Some are saying China has already won. This isn’t so much a battle of democracy versus dictatorships, but efficient governance and the level of public trust in governments. The “West”

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as a brand has suffered a severe blow while East Asian usually disconnected from God, find solace in prayer.

The onset of Corona has accelerated the digital countries are serving as a model for the world.

Some of the biggest success stories came from revolution. The digital economy is thriving whereas China and South Korea. And this would due to sur- traditional businesses are suffering. Wherever possiveillance technology. Mobile applications were used ble, working from home may become a norm even to track citizens’ movement, and even their body convenient, like for working mothers.

Unfortunately, not many will escape the intemperatures.

Years ago, such technology may only have been evitable economic crunch. Millions worldwide may deemed suitable for tracing criminals. One of the be left unemployed. Not everyone can work from biggest future compromises is the right to privacy, a home, given poor Internet facilities and the lack of battle the common man was already losing. There is proper privacy at home. Distance learning can also no escaping the emergence of big governments never replace a college experience.

While countries are worried about delaying openworldwide even in liberal democracies.

Likes nations, individuals practicing social dis- ing economies to avoid the crippling after-effects, tancing are looking inwards for answers. While sci- some adjustments will have to be made to restart busientists all over the world strive to develop a viable nesses. Organizations are coming up with different solutions such as allotting days treatment, people are enfor specific employees to couraged to strengthen their come to work to comply with inner selves, boost their imsocial distancing norms. mune systems and maintain Countries that experienced good mental health.

Our future depends on the first wave are experiencWe may emerge soon, today’s decisions we make ing a second, are operating but how will we deal with on a circuit breaker model; other looming dangers that today. Should any country something the rest may have are emerging because of efto follow until a medical forts hitherto to destroy the choose nationalistic isolation breakthrough. planet? Humanity has atover internationalism?

How will human intertempted to tame and conaction change? What when quer Nature. With the Nationalism may sentence the lockdowns end? The effects of climate change pandemic has already now observable everywhere, Mankind to virtual extinction changed us. There may be a the credibility of humanity’s new normal. It may become invincibility has come under second nature to avoid serious question. shaking hands or hugging This virus serves as a quick reminder that nature can catch up easily. Mi- loved ones. Sanitation and hygiene standards will crobes can wreak unimaginable havoc. Other man- become stricter.

Online communication has already seen an unmade disasters are yet to unfold. Climate change is not just a threat anymore; it is a reality that cannot be precedented spike. Reconnecting with acquainignored. Self-serving profiteers in fossil fuel indus- tances and distant family members, who are tries and enabling political leadership need to be held experiencing the same dilemma as them, seems to provide comfort to many. accountable.

Gratitude towards other people is growing as new Going “back to normal” does not make sense because things were not normal as they were. The emer- heroes emerge in times of hardship. A common gency mode is difficult to maintain, as people are not enemy is forcing people across the world to unite and scared to see their loved ones suffer immediately be- look past their differences.

Our future depends on today’s decisions we make cause of climate change compared to the fear around the coronavirus. But there will be a lot of suffering today. Should any country choose nationalistic isolaunless preparations are made. Neo-liberal capitalist tion over internationalism? Nationalism may sentence Mankind to virtual extinction. dogma will fail to save us from impending disaster.

What the world needs right now is responsible We must reevaluate our relationship with nature.

If we do not change the way we behave with other liv- leadership that understands that a decision in one ing beings like animals, we will continue to face sim- place directly affects the other end of the globe. Humanity will do a great service to itself in developing a ilar crises.

Many have asserted that Religion, as we know it, symbiotic relationship with Nature in order to survive. is in grave danger as many places of worship have Noor Aftab is a freelance columnist been deserted. But at times like this that even those

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Monday, 18 May, 2020

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

How to solve the water crisis in our country?

ACUTE water shortage will befall Pakistan around 2025, according to the authorities. Steps need to be taken to prevent the said crisis down to road in Pakistan. Since Pakistan is an agricultural country, most of the water is used without any concern in agriculture sector by farmers. Dip technology_ used in Israel’s agricultural system to save water_ ought to be utilized by our farmers. Charges_ units like electricity, be charged for the use of water on automobiles by service vendors. Home use of water must be charged by authorities like electricity. Students from the very school level be made cognizant of the importance and shortage of water in Pakistan. Incumbent government must sleep on the building of new dams to store rainwater. Programmes and seminaries be conducted to make the masses aware of the seemingly evitable grave situation. The religious scholars be advised to educate people about the prudent use of water in daily life. And last but not least, the unchecked population be controlled.

MuHAMMAd WAqAS KHAN dera Ismail Khan

AIdS day

Honour or disgrace?

So long as they are outside a city, honour killings don’t get attention easily end a life in order to satisfy their polluted dering couples marrying of their own free choice. Which provision of the morality code is idea of honour.

Despite the enactment of laws and attempts violated when two individuals seek to lawfully to create awareness, we have failed to curb the enter into wedlock and live according to societal as well as Islamic stanmenace of honour dards? Neither our rekilling. Reportedly, two ligion nor our laws girls were killed in the prohibits marriage out name of honour in a of free will and yet, the border area of North Morality and our religion flag-bearers of honour Waziristan after a video teaches us to be kind to our think otherwise. of theirs went viral on These men are social media. Appardaughters, not murder them to afraid of facing the soently, the male family ciety pursuant to a stain members had been protect our self-created ideas on their honor and are pressured by the locals of honour. This isn’t honour willing to spill blood to kill the girls in order for such honour’s stake to restore their honour. but solely a barrel full of and, yet, continue to According to some usurp the inheritance local reports, the hondisgrace which these men rights of their women our of the family had Syed KaSwar Gardezi bring upon themselves the and have no fear in facremained intact after their Creator. What the video was leaked moment they strike. If we were ing a remarkably subjective however, some “honECADES of progress have brought ourable” members of approach towards to care more about facing the about tremendous changes in our so- society posted live being honourable. Hociety. The independence movement videos on social media nour killing does not Creator in the Hereafter as culminated in Partition and a new inciting the family to reflect even the slightopposed to facing members of est form of honour. In journey began thereafter. The journey kill the teenaged girls. to progress as a society. Marred by different it is the most disWhile social our locality would we actually fact, timelines and events, Pakistan has stumbled its media may be an emgraceful and cowardly way towards the feeble democracy that it is powering tool for the act that a man can ever understand the difference today, or at least claims to be. commit. Quite often, voiceless, our country, between honour and disgrace these men are not From the days when granting basic educa- as it does everything tion to women was looked down upon to the day else finds ways to use it around to fulfill their of electing the first Muslim female head of gov- negatively. parental duties in trainWithout ernment, Pakistan has somewhat improved as even a semblance of ing and ensuring the we would like to believe. Women have been grace, people continue to spread sensitive and upbringing of their daughters according to their granted a number of rights which were previ- sometimes controversial pictures/videos of standards of honour. However, when an undesirously unheard of. They have been allocated rep- women from their society without realizing the able event takes place, they are more than willresentation in the legislature, included in our repercussions of such acts. Had the video not ing to step in and end the lives of the very same civil service and accepted into various other pro- been widely circulated, those poor girls would daughters. It stems out of the inbreeded insecufessions. But if we were to pause for a moment still be alive. People would be against the idea rities not only in certain men, but in the society and reminisce, have these rights been granted to of social media restrictions but do such acts not at large. It is our duty as a nation to declare war the women as a whole or only in select urban mandate such restrictions? Can the people be al- against such insecurities and curb this menace. centres? A careful analysis would, unfortunately, lowed to spread hate, resulting in the merciless The mainstream media hasn’t even picked tilt towards the latter. killings of others, using up the fate of those two girls who faced the brunt While some women their right of free of barbarism at the hands of their own. As long enjoy positions of speech through social as it was away from the major cities, the media power in major cities of media? This isn’t the couldn’t care less, the people couldn’t be bothCountless voices have been Pakistan, the others refirst feather into the so- ered and the government couldn’t find the time siding in the rural and raised to highlight the menace cial media’s killing hat; to fit in the two ill-fated souls. It is not the barthe far flung areas cona couple of years ago barians behind honour killing itself but also we, of honour killing so much so tinue to be killed in the Qandeel Baloch met the people, who fail to raise a voice loud enough name of honour. the same fate owing to to make an impact. Condolences would pour in that special laws have also Countless voices her outspoken presence upon the death of a Bollywood celebrity and yet, have been raised to on social media, which nobody would even frown, let alone shed a tear, been enacted to cater to this highlight the menace of struck the conscience for the poor soul whose life has been cut short predicament. However, a honour killing so much of her brother who by the very hands she considered her own. so that special laws Morality and our religion teaches us to be killed her cowardlily, in cumulative assessment of its have also been enacted her sleep. The man did kind to our daughters, not murder them to proto cater to this predicanot even have the tect our self-created ideas of honour. This isn’t continued prevalence would ment. However, a cucourage to kill her honour but solely a barrel full of disgrace which mulative assessment of when she was awake these men bring upon themselves the moment perturb the moral conscience its continued prevaand yet, claimed to be a they strike. If we were to care more about facing of any honourable man lence would perturb the soldier of his family’s the Creator in the Hereafter as opposed to facing moral conscience of members of our locality would we actually unhonour. any honourable man.

In 2019 alone, derstand the difference between honour and disEvery passing day, Sindh witnessed 109 grace. women are subjected to inhumane treatment in cases of honour killing according to official pothe name of honour by those bound to them with lice reports. 109 lives cut short owing to the Syed Kaswar Gardezi is a lawyer and a blood. Merely upon suspicion of something senseless patriarchy prevalent in our country. columnist. He can be contacted at wrong according to their standards, a man can Another common trend in honour killing is mur- kaswargardezi@gmail.com

d

WORLD AIDS Vaccine Day is also known as HIV Vaccine Awareness Day (HVAD). It is an annual event observed on 18 May to spread awareness about the continued need for a vaccine to prevent HIV infection and AIDS. AIDS is Aquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome. This condition is acquired that is a person becomes infected with virus. In 1981, AIDS was first reported in the United States and since then becomes a world wide epidemic. We can say that AIDS is the most advanced stage of infection caused by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Both the names HIV and AIDS may confuse you as both the terms describe same disease. But it is not necessary that a person who is HIV positive should have AIDS. You can only get HIV by coming into direct contact with certain body fluids from a person with HIV who has a detectable viral load.

SyEd AMAN Karachi

Masks are necessary!

IN recent address by government officials from the health ministry. The government issued a notification which has made masks necessary for the people to wear when they go outside. This is a step that must have been imposed by the government in weeks back when Corona infected people were not that much as they are today. There must be high fine for those people who go outside without masks. They should be punished strictly because they’re not just risking their own lives but the lives of thousands of others. This step by the government should be appreciated.

RIMSHA BASHIR Islamabad

Transportation opened IN recent address by Prime minister Imran Khan he has ordered that transportation all around Pakistan must be opened because if the transportation is closed it will bring hardship and suffering to the poor and low class of our society. Without transportation services they cannot get to their jobs and without getting to their jobs they will not earn money to feed their families. Although the step is taken with good intention by the government but it will increase the risk of spreading of Corona virus in the country which is more dangerous then losing jobs. I hope the government comes up with a proper plan to counter this issue.

ASIM KHAN Islamabad

CovId-19 AMID government and opposition efforts to confront financial crisis as well as the vicious corona virus, the recent rains seem precursor to many dangers. Floods, loss to crops, and rise of diseases such as dengue and Cholera. To further add to our misery, there are predictions of locust attacks in South Asia. The concerned authorities in health, disaster management, and other administrative domains should take strong measures to protect people, property, and crops against the expected dangers. It is always better to plan ahead and be prepared than caught up unprepared in the middle of a disaster.

RAJA SHAFAAtuLLAH Islamabad

Fighting against Polio PAKISTAN is one of the three remaining countries in the world where polio is still categorized as an endemic viral infection . In fact Pakistan’s authorities have failed to eradicate polio virus , however last year , Pakistan saw a resurgence of polio cases .As of 17 May there have been 47 documented cases in Pakistan in 2020 . with Pakistan remains under a polio - linked travel restrictions imposed by the World Health Organization since 2014. In Pakistan , Afghanistan and every country with an active polio programme, the government took the lead . UNICEF role is to technically support for the vaccine preparation . UNICEF has been supporting governments to increase the number of fully immunized children, especially the most marginalized .

And still more , our main focus in the region is on ending the poliovirus transmission in Pakistan . Regardless , poliovirus is worsening the current health crisis as the government bus finding it very difficult to deal with a sudden spike in the number of cases . Coronavirus may live for periods ,on the other hand the children under five years are becoming infected by polio .

Although the children in South Asia are at greater risk since the number of children are dying before their fifth birthdays is going to increase for the first times in decades. The health services in most South Asian countries is already in doldrums abd may take a further hit due to the disruptions in medical supply chains and straining financal and human resources.

BARKAtuLLAH turbat

Monday, 18 May, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

Why the Modi governMent gets aWay With lies AS WITH PUTIN’S RUSSIA AND TRUMP’S AMERICA, INDIA FACES A ‘FIRE-HOSING OF FALSEHOOD’.

MERE FACT-CHECKING WON’T DEFEAT IT

Print

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sHIvAM vIJ

hE Narendra Modi government announces a grand stimulus ‘package’ that it claims is worth Rs 20 lakh crore or ‘10 per cent’ of India’s GDP. But barely a fraction of it is new money being pumped into the economy.

What is made to look like a stimulus is mostly a grand loan mela.

The Modi government is making hungry migrant labourers pay train fare. When this became a political hot potato, it said it was paying 85 per cent per cent of the fare and the state governments were paying the rest 15 per cent. Truth was that that 85 per cent was notional subsidy — in effect, the migrants were being charged the usual fare, and in some places, even more.

If no one else, at least the endless sea of migrant labourers would be able to see through the ‘85 per cent’ lie. It is curious that the Modi government openly lies — lies that are obvious and blatant. Just a few examples: Narendra Modi said on the top of his voice that there had been no talk of a National Register of Citizens (NRC) in his government, when in fact both the President of India and the home Minister had said it in Parliament.

Narendra Modi said the purpose of demonetisation was to destroy black money but when that didn’t work, his government kept changing goal-posts. Many lies to hide one truth: that demonetisation had failed.

Electoral bonds make political donations

opaque, but the Modi government says they bring transparency. The full list of the Modi government’s lies could fill a library.

DOUBLETHINK: The Modi government has made lying an art form. This non-stop obvious lying was described by George Orwell as doublethink: “Every message from the extremely repressive leadership reverses the truth. Officials repeat ‘war is peace’ and ‘freedom is slavery,’ for example. The Ministry of Truth spreads lies. The Ministry of Love tortures lovers.”

People are thus expected to believe as true what is clearly false, and also take at face value mutually contradictory statements. The Modi government talked about NRC, but it also did not talk about it. The Modi government is making migrants pay for train fares, but at the same time, it is not charging them. Doublethink also applies other Orwellian principles — Newspeak, Doublespeak, Thoughtcrime, etc.

But why do people accept it all so willingly? Why do the people who are lied to every day go and vote for the same BJP? There are many obvious answers to this question: weak opposition, mouthpiece media, social media manipulation, and Modi’s personality cult that makes his voters repose great faith in him.

But the lies are so obvious, you wonder why anyone would lie so obviously. Surely, when someone is caught lying they can’t be considered credible anymore?

What’s happening here is the plain assertion of power. Our politics has become a contest of who gets to lie and get away with it and who will have to go on a back-foot when their lies are caught.

When the Modi government lies so blatantly, it is basically saying: ‘Yes we will lie to make a mockery of your questions. Do what you can.’

FIRE-HOSING OF FALSEHOOD: In 2016, Christopher Paul and Miriam Matthews wrote a paper for RAND Corporation, an American think-tank, in which

they analysed propaganda techniques used by the Vladimir Putin government in Russia.

They called it the “Firehose of Falsehood”.

The Russian model is not to simply make you believe a lie — the lie is often so obviously a lie, you’d be a fool to believe it. The idea is to “entertain, confuse and overwhelm” the audience.

They identified four distinct features of the Putin propaganda model, all of which are true for the Modi propaganda machinery as well, as they are for Donald Trump’s.

1) high volume and multi-channel: The Modi propaganda machine will bombard people with a message through multiple channels. By “multiple” we really mean multiple — you will even see Twitter handles claiming to be Indian Muslims saying the same things as the far-Right hindutva handles. Of course, some of the Muslim handles are fake. But when you see everyone from Akshay Kumar to Tabassum Begum support an idea, you’re inclined to doubt yourself. If everyone from Rubika Liyaquat to your WhatsApp-fed uncle is saying the same thing, it must be right. If so many people are saying the Citizenship (Amendment) Act will grant citizenship and not take it away, they must be right.

2) Rapid, continuous and repetitive: The hashtags, memes and emotionally charged videos will be ready before any announcement is made. The moment the announcement is made, both social and mainstream media will start bombarding you with messages in support of it. The volume and speed of the propaganda will barely leave you with the mind space to judge for yourself.

While the government will be careful to avoid saying it is not charging migrants, its deniable propaganda proxies will go around suggesting exactly that until the voice of the doubters has been drowned out. (A liberal journalist I know actually thought the migrants were not having to pay train fares anymore.)

3) Lacks commitment to objective reality: In other words, fake news. We know

why fake news works: confirmation bias, information overload, emotional manipulation, the willingness to believe a message when it is shared by a trusted friend, and so on.

There’s no dearth of this in the Modi propaganda ecosystem. There are countless fake news factories like OpIndia and Postcard News. Moreover, the mainstream media itself has been co-opted to manufacture fake news at scale, as the absolutely fictional charges of JNU students wanting India to be split into pieces (“Tukde tukde gang”) shows.

PM Modi himself is happy to lie for political posturing: from attributing a fake quote to Omar Abdullah, to saying there are no detention centres in the country, to exaggerating all kinds of data.

4) Lacks commitment to consistency: This is the bit where the fake news and claims are exposed, and yet they don’t hurt the leader. One day the Modi government says demonetisation is for destroying black money and next day it says it was to push cashless transactions, and third day it says the idea was to widen the tax base.

Ordinarily, such contradictions should hurt the credibility of Modi and his government. But, coupled with the three points above, the RAND researchers suggest, “fire hosing” manages to sell the changed narrative as new information, a change of opinion, or just new, advanced or supplementary facts presented by different actors.

HOW TO FIGHT THE FIRE-HOSING OF FALSEHOOD: The RAND corporation researchers also suggest five ways for the United States to counter the Russian “firehosing of falsehood”. These are applicable to any actor who undertakes this propaganda model, including Modi and Trump.

1. First Information Report: Try to be the first in presenting information on a particular issue. In shaping public opinion, the first impression can be the last impression.

(With our lazy opposition, this ain’t happening, but the Congress party’s announcement of paying train fares for migrant labourers

How the debate on schools has been dangerously mishandled Editorial Observer

Decisions about how to mitigate and control this pandemic are some of the most thorny and complex that governments have ever had to make. Every day, choices must be made that trade off different risks and harms on the basis of highly uncertain evidence. Be sceptical of anyone who pretends these decisions are easy.

Perhaps none is more high-stakes than how to keep children as safe as possible from the effects of the pandemic. So it is unsurprising that the staged reopening of schools has become such a fraught debate. Parents are desperate to do best by their children; teachers want what’s best for pupils but are understandably frightened by the deaths of health and care workers; those who work in child protection are distressed about vulnerable children being at home for weeks with little contact with the outside world.

The epidemiological evidence base as it relates to children is uncertain. There is greater confidence that the direct health risks are much lower than for adults: very few children develop severe symptoms, and child deaths have been extremely rare.

The evidence on the likelihood of them acquiring Covid-19 is more mixed: some studies have found children as susceptible to it as adults; others, less so. The balance of studies so far seems to suggest that they are less likely to pass on the disease than adults, although there has been a contradictory study that suggests they are as infectious as adults.

If keeping schools closed were a harmfree proposition, it would be right to do so.

But a very low rate of school attendance – currently just 2.5% – has huge implications for child wellbeing, so the risks of cautiously and gradually increasing the number of pupils attending school have to be weighed against the harms of not doing so.

Those harms are substantial. Most urgently, children are being abused at home during the lockdown without the safety net of school, where teachers can raise concerns with social services. Imagine how hard it is for an adult to cope with or report abuse dur-

VULNERABLE CHILDREN FACE GROWING RISKS AT HOME WHILE POLITICIANS AND TEACHERS ARGUE OVER HOW TO GET THEM BACK INTO CLASSROOMS ing the lockdown, then how much more intolerable that situation is for a young child. The children’s commissioner for England estimates that there are 2.3 million children living in homes where there is domestic abuse, parental substance abuse or parental mental health issues. Only 14% of children officially classified as vulnerable are currently attending school, and far more are vulnerable but not officially registered as so.

School closure will also undoubtedly widen the educational attainment gap between children from low-income backgrounds and those from more affluent families. There are huge disparities in the quality of distance learning provided by schools, and children from disadvantaged backgrounds are much less likely to be living in environments conducive to home learning: access to basic technology, somewhere they can concentrate, and parental supervision. The longer a staged return to school is put off, the more this will blight some children’s employment and health outcomes for the rest of their lives.

It will not be completely “safe” to reopen schools until a vaccine is readily available, but that is likely at least a year away. We agree with the children’s commissioner that taking a holistic view of child welfare, balancing the available evidence about risks and harms, supports a staged reopening of schools to give as many children as possible some time at school before the summer holidays. That is contingent on mitigating risks to teachers and support staff, on infection rates continuing to decline, and on a robust system of testing and contact tracing to manage the risks of future outbreaks.

It is difficult to communicate the complexity and uncertainty of the evidence base while reassuring teachers and parents that, on balance, a staged return to school is best for children and can be done without exposing staff to unacceptable levels of risk. But the

government has mangled the way it has consulted on and communicated its policy. There have been significant delays in publication of the detailed guidance that sets out protective measures for teachers, such as a cap on class sizes. The government has been too opaque about the safeguards that must be in place in order for the staged return to begin by 1 June; not open enough about the evidence on which it is basing its decisions; and too reticent to consider the scope for regional variation depending on local infection rates.

There is too little support for schools: for example, there is an expectation that schools will safely provide school meals rather than the government organising packed lunches to alleviate that burden.

Ministers have as a result lost the confidence of teachers. It is understandable that teachers are anxious about the risks to their health; unions are completely justified in seeking assurances about the safety of their members. Yet the risks of working in a school, while not insignificant, are likely to be lower than in a hospital or a care home, and there are steps that can be taken to reduce them, such as keeping older and at-risk staff at home and staggering drop-offs and pick-ups. We urgently need government and the unions to collaborate on a safe plan for gradually increasing the number of children at school before the summer holidays.

The rate at which schools reopen should be driven by our best understanding of what’s good for children without putting school staff at unacceptable risk. Children deserve a calm consideration of the evidence and for their politicians and teachers to work together to find a solution in their best interests. Instead, the debate has deteriorated into adult politicking. Covid-19 has made the world a less safe place to grow up in. We owe it to our children to protect them from its ill effects as best we can.

was one example of creating the first impression of an issue.)

2. highlight the lying, not just the lies: The world needs fact-checkers, but they’re not going to be able to stop the fire-hosing of falsehood. That’s like taking paracetamol for Covid-19. You may need it for the fever, but it won’t kill the virus. What might treat the virus of fire-hosing, however, according to the RAND researchers, is to chip away at the credibility of the liar by simply pointing out that he’s a serial liar. M.K. Gandhi’s assertion of truth as the core of his politics, for example, served the purpose of painting the British colonial rule as being based on falsehoods.

3. Identify and attack the goal of the propaganda: Instead of simply fact-checking the propaganda, the political opponents need to understand the objective of the lies and attack those. So, if the objective of lying about migrants having to pay for train fares is to not let them travel for free, the opposition should spend great time and energy addressing migrant labourers about how the government is being insensitive to their plight. This will take a lot more work on the ground, and simply tweeting facts won’t be enough.

4. Compete: Across the world, firehosing of falsehood is becoming a powerful propaganda tool. Those who want to defeat such propaganda may have to do their own fire-hosing of falsehood. As the hindi saying goes, iron cuts iron.

When public opinion is being manipulated with fake news and lies, the opposition cannot win the game with mere fact-checking. It may have to do its own rapid and continuous misinformation with little regard for the truth. The RAND researchers suggest this is what the US should do against Russia.

5. Turn off the tap: Lastly, attack the opponent’s supply chain of lies. If opposition-ruled states are not cracking down on fake news and communal hate-mongers in their states, for example, they’re making a huge mistake.

The author is contributing editor to ThePrint.

Jordan King’s warning about annexation THESE PEOPLE ARE MISLEADING THE ISRAELI PUBLIC INTO BELIEVING THAT AMERICAN WILLINGNESS TO RECOGNISE ISRAELI SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE SETTLEMENTS IS A HISTORIC INSURANCE POLICY THAT ALLOWS ISRAEL TO MAKE A UNILATERAL GRAB, AT NO COST AND NO RISK Editorial HAAretz

Jordan’s King Abdullah II warned in an interview on Friday that if Israel moves ahead with its intention to annex parts of the West Bank, it would lead to a major clash with the kingdom and put the peace treaty itself at risk. This comes in the wake of the king’s comments back in November that ties between Israel and Jordan were at an “all-time low,” and his refusal to renew Israel’s lease of Jordanian enclaves at Tzofar in the Arava Valley and Naharayim in the northern Jordan Valley.

The king’s statements to the German daily Der Spiegel are an important reminder to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and to his coterie of supporters of annexation. These people are misleading the Israeli public into believing that American willingness to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the settlements is a historic insurance policy that allows Israel to make a unilateral grab, at no cost and no risk.

This is a dangerous state of being drunk with power. The European Union on Friday moved ahead on anti-annexation sanctions if Israel takes unilateral steps that go against international law.

In fact, Israel’s arrogance isn’t backed up even by the United States, which conveys conflicting messages. Only last week, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that annexation is “an Israeli decision.” This is vague wording

that can be interpreted as spurring Israel on to decide to move ahead with annexation, or as a hint intended to cool initial enthusiasm over it. In a briefing for Israeli journalists in the context of Abdullah’s remarks, the State Department spokeswoman said that the Trump administration wants to hold direct negotiations between Israel, the Palestinians and others in the region over the president’s peace plan and that discussion of annexation should be part of the negotiations.

This is exactly what happened after the presentation of President Donald Trump’s “deal of the century.”

Netanyahu was quick to boast about “sovereignty over every settlement on Sunday,” but then the United States said that annexation before the Israeli election would “endanger American recognition.”

Kahol Lavan leader Benny Gantz clearly stated during the election campaign that he opposes unilateral moves. While the coalition agreement he signed with Netanyahu allows the latter to move forward unilaterally on annexation as early as July, the agreement also contains a clause that requires Netanyahu to approve the Trump plan while seeking “to maintain regional stability, to maintain the peace accords.” Abdullah’s remarks show clearly that this is not the case.

Gantz will have to insist that annexation hurts peace with Jordan and to thwart this needless and dangerous initiative.

Monday, 18 May, 2020

BUSINESS 09

Govt to provide growers Rs37bn subsidy on fertilisers ISLAMABAD: The federal government would provide Rs37 billion subsidy on fertilisers to growers under its agriculture relief package to cope with the COVID-19 after-effects to maintain food safety and security in the country. The relief package aims to boost agriculture production, support farmers and enhance per acre farm income to alleviate poverty from the country. The subsidy would be provided for next Kharif season crop, which began from April this year and would last till October, said a senior official in the Ministry of National Food Security and Research. Talking to APP, he said a subsidy of Rs925 per bag to DAP and other phosphatic fertilisers and Rs243 per bag on urea and other nitrogen fertiliser had been worked out. He further informed that estimated urea off-take would be 3.04 million tonnes and DAP was estimated at 0.95 million tonnes for the Kharif season. The subsidy scheme, the official, said would be implemented by the provinces and the amount would be disbursed through scratch card scheme, already being implemented by Punjab. He further said the fertiliser share in cost of production for major crops was around 10 to 15 per cent, adding the provision of subsidy would reduce the cost of production for farmer and increase the affordability of farmer to adopt the recommended level of fertiliser nutrient use and best agricultural management practices.

It may be recalled here that the government has announced a fiscal package of over Rs1,200 billion in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Out of this package, an amount of Rs100 billion has been earmarked for relief to agriculture and small and medium enterprises. The Ministry of National Food Security and Research has prepared proposals for incentives to the farmers in various sub-sectors of agriculture to cope with the COVID-19 aftereffects. The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet had approved a multi-billion agriculture package to provide the farmers subsidy on fertilisers, reduction in bank mark-up on agriculture loans, subsidy on cotton seed and white fly pesticides and sales tax subsidy on locally manufactured tractors. APP

Emirates plans to cut about 30,000 jobs amid virus outbreak: Bloomberg News Emirates Group is planning to cut about 30,000 jobs to reduce costs amid the coronavirus outbreak, which will bring down its number of employees by about 30pc from more than 105,000 at the end of March, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday. The company is also considering speeding up the planned retirement of its A380 fleet, the report added, citing people familiar with the matter. An Emirates spokeswoman said that no public announcement has been made yet by the company regarding “redundancies at the airline”, but that the company is conducting a review of “costs and resourcing against business projections”. “Any such decision will be communicated in an appropriate fashion. Like any responsible business would do, our executive team has directed all departments to conduct a thorough review of costs and resourcing against business projections,” the spokeswoman said. Emirates, one of the world’s biggest long-haul airlines, said earlier this month that it will raise debt to help itself through the coronavirus pandemic, and may have to take tougher measures as it faces the most difficult months in its history. The state-owned airline, which suspended regular passenger flights in March due to the virus outbreak that has shattered global travel demand, had said that a recovery in travel was at least 18 months away. It reported a 21pc rise in profit for its financial year ending March 31, but said the pandemic had hit its fourth-quarter performance. It said it would tap banks to raise debt in its first quarter to lessen the impact of the virus on cash flows. AGENCIES

‘WhEAt shoRtAGE’: KP flouR mIllERs ANNouNCE ClosuRE fRom todAy PESHAWAR

t

AzIz BuNERI

HE Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter on Sunday announced to close all flour mills in the province indefinitely from Monday (tomorrow) in protest against lack of proper wheat supply to mills for the last several months.

The association said it had informed the KP government repeatedly about the looming flour crises, but authorities didn’t take the issue seriously and kept saying that enough grain is available in the province But now the supply to the KP mills has been reduced to just 3,000 tonnes, which isn’t enough to cater the province’s requirement of at least 12,000 tonnes every day, PFMA further says.

According to PFMA, the provincial government had earlier supplied 5,000 tonnes to mills, while 5,000 tonnes

wheat was provided by the Punjab government that was enough to fulfil the market demand. As Punjab has completely stopped the supply, the KP’s food department has too reduced the supply of grain to mills to just 3,000 tonnes.

PFMA KP Chairman Haji Iqbal

Khan told Pakistan Today that due to lack of interest of the provincial food department and the KP government to raise the issue with the federal and Punjab governments, people of the province are going to face another flour crisis, while the millers are already facing huge losses.

“KP is now facing 9,000 tonnes of wheat shortage daily,” he said, adding the province is dependent on Punjab for its wheat requirements as despite harvest season the province hasn’t enough wheat production to fulfil that demand.

Khan further said Punjab has imposed unconstitutional ban on supply of wheat to KP due to which supply of wheat to 180 flour mills in province has been cut off.

“It is the government's job to negotiate the issue with federal and Punjab governments, but due to the KP government's lack of seriousness, today flour mills across the province have to shut operation due to lack of wheat supply,” Khan deplored.

The association appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan and KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan to take up the matter with the Punjab government to immediately lift the ban on wheat supply to the province.

KP Food Minister Qalandar Lodhi and the Secretary Food weren’t available for comments.

Markets be allowed to open for seven days, traders ask govt LAHORE SHAHAB OMAR

The All Pakistan Anjuman-eTajran (APAT) on Sunday demanded the opening of markets seven days a week for full hours to avoid rush in the markets due to limited time.

APAT secretary general Naeem Mir, addressing a press conference at the Lahore Press Club, said due to limited time for opening of markets, a rush is being witnessed. If the pandemic spreads because of rush the government would be responsible for that, therefore all markets should be opened for 24/7, he said.

“The government should fight with the coronavirus and not with the traders and we traders)

would support the government."

Mir alleged that the threeday lockown is aimed at getting aid. "Who says the corona is asleep four days a week? We have been demanding since day first that all markets should be opened for 24 hours and seven days a week,” he added.

He sarcastically questioned which science could establish that the corona spreads after 5 pm and in three days a week. “With the opening of public transport there will be an increase in the rush in the larger cities. There is already a rush in the markets due to limited time."

The government, Mir said, triggered the lockdown for more than sixty days and the media also played its role in spreading

awareness regarding it, but now the government should seriously think why the pandemic could not be controlled?”

Naeem Mir along with other traders were of the view that the public did not find the government’s narrative regarding corona and got the public confused.

“Prime Minister Imran Khan is not only confused himself over corona, but he also got public too and that is why the people are negating the virus now while saying that there is no such corona,” Mir added.

“If the government does not open markets and extend the time the corona will surely spread rapidly. So the government should judge the situation and take decision accordingly," he suggested.

Covid-19: PIA suspends special quota for its employees LAHORE: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has suspended special discount quota for its employees due to shortage of seats in the planes due to implementation of SOPs to prevent the spread of COVID-19. According to a circular issued here on Sunday, the domestic and special international flights are being operated on the direction of the government under special SOPs. It has been cleared that honorary tickets for travel agents on good sale have also been suspended. The national flag career is bringing citizens back from other countries when flight operation of other airlines is suspended. APP

Govt to assist foreigners to enhance investment in SEZs: Qureshi LAHORE: Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mehmood Qureshi Sunday reaffirmed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s commitment to fully encourage foreign investment in Pakistan and provide all out assistance to investors especially those interested to pump money in the Special Economic Zones under CPEC. He expressed these views during a meeting with Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development and Management Company (FIEDMC) Chairman Mian Kashif Ashfaq who called on him.

The minister has said there are vast investment opportunities in Pakistan in the fields of energy, agriculture, health, education and construction for foreign investors.

Qureshi said the government is planning to envisage a comprehensive strategy in the wake of coron-

avirus pandemic especially in context of post corona era and would initiate economic diplomacy through activating all embassies to apprise foreign investors on lucrative business opportunities in Pakistan.

He said first phase of CPEC focused on infrastructure development and energy generation while in second phase industrial cooperation and socio economic development are our highest priorities.

The government has set up special economic zones and especially prioritised ones at the Allama Iqbal Industrial City under CPEC, the minister added.

He also appreciated Kashif Ashfaq for accelerating the pace of development on projects in the Allama Iqbal Industrial City and asked him to seek mutual cooperation from investors of the whole region, especially the landlocked Central Asian countries and

Afghanistan, to benefit from CPEC. “CPEC is a game-changer for the entire region and there is no restriction on any country, including the USA, to invest in the special economic zones, being established under CPEC,” added Qureshi.

FIEDMC Chairman Mian Kashif Ashfaq apprise the minister that this sole project would house as many as 400 industries besides giving employment to 2,500,00 people. He said approximately Rs450 billion worth foreign and local investments would be pumped into this project and development project is being carried out on fast track.

FIDEMC always provided state of the art facilities to its customers besides resolving their issues through one window operation on top priority basis, Ashfaq said. AGENCIES

Amazon hit from all sides as crisis highlights growing power As Amazon becomes an increasingly important lifeline in the pandemic crisis, it is being hit with a wave of criticism from activists, politicians and others who question the tech giant's growing influence.

Amazon has become the most scrutinized company during the health emergency.

It has boosted its global workforce to nearly one million and dealt with protests over warehouse safety and reported deaths of several employees.

But Amazon has also pledged to spend at least $4 billion in the current quarter -- its entire expected operating profit -- on coronavirus mitigation efforts, including relief contributions and funding research.

Amazon's AWS cloud computing unit, which powers big portions of the internet, is also a key element during the crisis with more people and companies working online.

Amazon's market value has hovered near

record levels around $1.2 trillion dollars as it reported rising revenues and lower profits in the past quarter.

"Its sheer size justifies the scrutiny," said Dania Rajendra of the activist group Athena, a coalition which is focused specifically on Amazon's corporate activity and treatment of workers.

Athena activists fret that Amazon, which also controls one of the major streaming television services, infiltrates so many aspects of people's lives.

Rankling many activists, the rise in Amazon's shares has boosted the wealth of founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos to over $140 billion even as the global economy has been battered by the virus outbreak.

Amazon has faced employee walkouts at several facilities over safety and hazard pay and has been accused of firing people for speaking out against the company.

"It's a minority going on strike but the sentiment represents thousand if not hundreds of thousands," said Steve Smith of the California Labor Federation.

While Amazon has boosted base pay to $15 an hour, above the minimum wage required, and added bonuses during the pandemic, activists say it's insufficient, especially in high-cost states like California.

"This company can afford to make these jobs middle class jobs, good jobs," Smith said.

- Tensions in Washington The tensions have spilled over into the US capital Washington and elsewhere. US lawmakers leading antitrust investigations asked Bezos to respond to reports that the company improperly used data from thirdparty sellers to launch its own products, which the company has denied.

New York state Attorney General Letitia James called Amazon "disgraceful" for firing

a warehouse employee who led a worker protest over safety. Amazon said the employee refused to quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19.

In a statement to AFP, Amazon defended its actions on workplace safety, social distancing and noted that it is implementing its own employee testing program.

The company also disputed claims it was stifling employee speech.

Spokeswoman Lisa Levandowski said the employees in question were dismissed "not for talking publicly about working conditions or safety, but rather, for repeatedly violating internal policies." Levandowski added that Amazon already provides what many unions have been seeking, including a high base wage, health benefits and career opportunities.

"She said the company seeks "a great employment experience" along with offering "a world-class customer experience (while)

respecting rights to choose a union."

- Alternatives? Analyst Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy said Amazon is getting heightened scrutiny because of its growing global influence and because of the wast wealth of Bezos.

Moorhead said Amazon also brought on some of its woes with its highly public search for a second headquarters which highlighted tax breaks for the tech giant.

But Moorhead said Amazon is "not profiting" from the coronavirus crisis, and should be credited for some 150 measures taken including the pooling of high-performance computing for researchers.

"If you think about the alternative of shutting down Amazon, so many people wouldn't get the supplies that they need.

You'd have a tremendous number of people unemployed," he said. AGENCIES

Monday, 18 May, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

Spraying DiSinfectantS can be 'harmfUL', SayS WhO NEW YORK

S

AGENCIES

PRAYING disinfectant on the streets, as practised in some countries, does not eliminate the new coronavirus and even poses a health risk, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Saturday.

In a document on cleaning and disinfecting surfaces as part of the response to the virus, the WHO says spraying can be ineffective.

“Spraying or fumigation of outdoor spaces, such as streets or marketplaces, is… not recommended to kill the COVID-19 virus or other pathogens because disinfectant is inactivated by dirt and debris,” explains the WHO.

“Even in the absence of organic matter, chemical spraying is unlikely to adequately cover all surfaces for the duration of the required contact time needed to inactivate pathogens.”

The WHO said that streets and pavements are not considered as “reservoirs of infection” of COVID-19, adding that spraying disinfectants, even outside, can be “dangerous for human health”.

The document also stresses that spraying individuals with disinfectants is “not recommended under any circumstances”.

“This could be physically and psychologically harmful and would not reduce an infected person’s ability to spread the virus through droplets or contact,” said the document.

Spraying chlorine or other toxic chem-

icals on people can cause eye and skin irritation, bronchospasm and gastrointestinal effects, it adds.

The organisation is also warning against the systematic spraying and fumigating of disinfectants on to surfaces in indoor spaces, citing a study that has shown it to be ineffective outside direct spraying areas.

“If disinfectants are to be applied, this should be done with a cloth or wipe that has been soaked in disinfectant,” it says.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, the cause of the pandemic that has killed more than 300,000 people worldwide since its appearance in late December in China, can attach itself to surfaces and objects.

However, no precise information is currently available for the period during which the viruses remain infectious on the

various surfaces.

Studies have shown that the virus can stay on several types of surfaces for several days. However, these maximum durations

Leaders 'aren't even pretending to be in charge': Obama

Move Rohingya to Bangladesh island to refugee camps: UN chief NEW YORK AGENCIES

US Democrats launch probe into ouster of State Dept watchdog WASHINGTON AGENCIES

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged President Trump to fire the official responsible for fighting waste and fraud in his department, a White House official said Saturday, a recommendation certain to come under scrutiny after congressional Democrats opened an investigation into what they said “may be an act of illegal retaliation.”

Mr Trump told Speaker Nancy Pelosi late Friday night that he was ousting Steve A. Linick, who led the office of the inspector general at the State Department and replacing him with an ambassador with close ties to Vice President Mike Pence, The New York Times reported.

Representative Eliot L. Engel, Democrat of New York and the chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, immediately called the decision to remove Mr Linick an “outrageous act” meant to protect Mr. Pompeo from accountability. By Saturday, Mr Engel and Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had opened an investigation into Mr Linick’s removal, citing a pattern of “politically motivated firing of inspectors general.” In letters to the White House, the State Department and Mr Linick, the two Democrats wrote that they believed Mr Linick had opened an investigation into wrongdoing by Mr. Pompeo and that Mr Pompeo had responded by recommending that Mr Linick be fired. The lawmakers did not provide any more details, but a Democratic aide said that Mr Linick had been looking into whether Mr Pompeo improperly used a political appointee at the State Department to perform personal tasks for him and his wife. A White House official, speaking on the condition on anonymity, confirmed on Saturday that Mr Pompeo had recommended Mr. Linick’s removal and said that Mr Trump had agreed. A spokeswoman for Mr Pompeo did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. “Such an action, transparently designed to protect Secretary Pompeo from personal accountability, would undermine the foundation of our democratic institutions and maybe an illegal act of retaliation,” the lawmakers wrote. Since starting his current job in April 2018, Mr Pompeo has come under growing public scrutiny for what critics say is his use of the State Department’s resources for personal endeavors. Mr Menendez has called for Mr Pompeo to explain how he can justify frequent trips to Kansas, his adopted home state, using State Department funds and aircraft. He has brought his wife, Susan Pompeo, on many trips abroad, telling others she is a “force multiplier” for him. And CNN reported last year that congressional officials were looking at the potential misuse of diplomatic security personnel for personal errands. That did not result in the opening of a formal inquiry. In their letters, Mr Engel and Mr Menendez requested that the administration turn over records and information related to the firing of Mr. Linick as well as “records of all I.G. investigations involving the Office of the Secretary that were open, pending, or incomplete at the time of Mr. Linick’s firing.” Senator Mitt Romney of Utah, one of the few congressional Republicans who have been publicly critical of the president, denounced Mr. Linick’s dismissal Saturday evening. “The firings of multiple Inspectors General is unprecedented; doing so without good cause chills the independence essential to their purpose,” Mr Romney said on Twitter. “It is a threat to accountable democracy and a fissure in the constitutional balance of power.”

Hundreds of Rohingya rescued by Bangladesh and sent to a flood-prone island after being stranded at sea for weeks should be moved to existing refugee camps, the UN secretary general said.

The appeal by Antonio Guterres to Bangladesh’s foreign minister in a letter obtained Sunday by AFP comes as concern grows over a coronavirus outbreak in the sprawling, crowded camps near the border with Myanmar.

The Rohingya were rescued in early May after floating adrift in the Bay of Bengal. Dhaka has said they were not sent on to the camps in the southeast as authorities were afraid they might have Covid-19.

Guterres said the 308 refugees on Bhashan Char island — a silty strip of land prone to violent and potentially deadly monsoon storms — should be moved to the camps after their time in quarantine is completed.

Dhaka has not said how long they will remain in isolation.

“While those rescued at sea may be quarantined for public health purposes, they must also be extended the protection they deserve as refugees,” Guterres said in the letter to Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen dated Friday.

“I trust that they too, will benefit from the humanitarian services of-

fered to the Rohingya in Bangladesh and that, at the end of their quarantine period […] they will be allowed to rejoin their families in Cox’s Bazar.”

Momen told AFP he had yet to receive the letter, but said those concerned about Bhashan Char — where facilities for 100,000 people were built last year — should host the Rohingya in their own countries.

“We don’t want any more Rohingya,” Momen told AFP. “We don’t have any other place to keep them. If they (other countries) don’t like Bhashan Char, let them take them back to their countries. (Or) else,

are only theoretical because they are recorded under laboratory conditions and should be “interpreted with caution” in the real-world environment.

let them return to Myanmar.”

He said more pressure should be put on Myanmar to repatriate the Rohingya to their home state of Rakhine.

The foreign minister previously said the refugees would “most likely” have to live in the shelters on Bhashan Char until they return to Rakhine.

Nearly one million Rohingya live in squalid camps in Cox’s Bazar.

Many fled Myanmar after a 2017 military crackdown.

Emergency teams are racing to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the camps after three Rohingya tested positive late last week.

CHICAGO: Former US President Barack Obama on Saturday criticized the response to the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging America, in what was widely regarded as a rare public rebuke of his successor Donald Trump. His remarks came as he spoke at two virtual commencements for high school and university students locked down instead of celebrating their graduations, a rite of passage every spring in the United States.

“More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing,” Obama told graduates from several dozen historically black colleges and universities at the first ceremony. “A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge,” he said as he discussed the implications of the pandemic during the online event, without naming any specific leaders. That celebration was followed by a second, star-studded prime-time ceremony for high school students in which Obama continued along the same lines, telling students to step up where leaders had failed. “If the world is going to get better, it’s going to be up to you,” he said. “Doing what feels good, what’s convenient, what’s easy –- that’s how little kids think. Unfortunately, a lot of so-called grown-ups, including some with fancy titles and important jobs, still think that way -– which is why things are so screwed up,” he continued. “I hope that instead, you decide to ground yourself in values that last, like honesty, hard work, responsibility, fairness, generosity, respect for others.” AGENCIES

Fourteen million Britons ready to get on their bikes LONDON AGENCIES

Britain could experience a transport revolution sparked by the coronavirus pandemic with up to 14 million people ready to swap cars for bikes, British Cycling believes. However, the opportunity could be lost if towns and cities fail to follow Department for Transport guidance to provide new emergency infrastructure such as pop-up cycle lanes.

Despite a loosening of the lockdown measures designed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, travelling on buses and trains is still discouraged because of social distancing concerns. The government has announced a 2 billion-pound ($2.42 billion) funding package for “active travel” such as cycling and walking, with 250 million available immediately for local authorities to make changes to their roads. Prime Minister Boris Johnson described it as an opportunity for a “golden age for cycling”.

British Cycling says it will work with the public and policymakers, and former Olympic champion Chris Boardman, a passionate advocate for safe cycling, is acting as Policy Adviser. Boardman, who is helping transform Manchester’s cycling infrastructure in his role as the city’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, will host a webinar with 12 city authorities.

“Our country is undoubtedly at a crossroads, and we now face a stark choice between the old routine of cars, congestion and pollution or a new future of healthy streets, happy people and cleaner air,” British Cycling chief Julie Harrington said.

“All of our research shows that people want to cycle more, and we now urge local authorities to seize the mo-

CMYK

ment and make the most of the support offered by Government.” British Cycling said it would use its network of 10,000 volunteers to assist those wanting to return to cycling — part of its #ChooseCycling campaign. “Enabling more people to choose cycling is vital if we want to ease pressure on public transport,” Harrington said.

A recent survey found that 28% of Britain’s adult population cycle less than once per month, but would like to do it more.

It also claims that increasing cycling to 25% of all journeys in the country by 2050 could provide over 42 bil-

lion pounds of economic benefit, while increasing cycling by 3km per day and walking by 1km amongst urban dwellers could save the NHS 17 billion pounds over the next 20 years. Boardman says Britain may never have a better chance to change the way it moves.

“Bike riding and walking have just proved how robust they are in any kind of crisis,” he told Reuters.

“With people being told not to use public transport, cities have cottoned on to the fact that if they don’t do something there will be massive implications.”

Monday, 18 May, 2020

Bayern aIM To shake off CoBWeBs WITh quIeT ConfIdenCe In BerLIn

B

BERLIN AGENCIES

AYERN Munich restart their charge for an eighth straight Bundesliga title at Union Berlin on Sunday amid doubts the Bavarian giants will be able to last the distance after a two-month hiatus.

Hansi Flick’s side hold a one-point lead at the top of the league heading into their trip to the German capital, which has been the scene of some impressive upsets thanks to promoted Union’s form at their Alten Foersterei stadium.

Union have twice shocked the league leaders this season, beating Borussia Dortmund 3-1 in August and turning out 2-0 victors over Borussia Moenchengladbach three months later. Now it’s Bayern’s turn.

Flick is unsure of his team’s ability to play out a full match of professional football after having only received the goahead to resume full team training last week. “We don’t know if the team can hold out over 90 minutes,” said Flick. “We have trained well and played three matches of 20 minutes each last Sunday.

“They were played at a very high intensity, but we don’t know clearly where we stand. “We have to just deal with the

situation.” The Bundesliga is the first major league in Europe to return to action since the coronavirus brought football to a halt two months ago and has only come back with a host of strict health regulations, chief among them empty stands in what are usually passion-filled stadiums.

That means Union won’t be able to count on their ferocious home support at their ground on the eastern outskirts of the German capital.

They will also be without their coach Urs Fischer after breaking the team quar-

antine following the death of his father-inlaw. “It’s not possible to surprise Bayern with the experience their players have,” said assistant coach Markus Hoffmann, who will take charge of Union for the Bayern match. “They’ve already experienced everything. “We have to concentrate on ourselves and try to implement what we can to influence the game in the best possible way.”

VERY, VERY STRANGE: Bayern’s lead was cut to a single point by Borussia Dortmund, who on Saturday showed no

ring rustiness in a 4-0 demolition of Ruhr rivals Schalke. Young gun Erling Braut Haaland was again the headline act, scoring the first Bundesliga goal after the restart and setting up Raphael Guerreiro for the first of his brace.

In one of a series of odd scenes that peppered the first day back, Dortmund’s players jogged over to applaud an empty ‘Sudtribune’, which would for a normal derby would be jammed with 25,000 delirous fans hailing a huge victory that keeps pressure on their title rivals.

“There was no noise. You shoot at the goal, make a top pass, score a goal, and nothing happens,” said Dortmund coach Lucien Favre. “That’s very, very strange.

We really missed our fans.”

As well as the echoing arenas, a host of other rules have been put in place to try to stop the spread of the virus, from frequent testing to masks for players on the subs bench and a week-long quarantine for teams ahead of the restart. However, advice to socially distance didn’t stop Hertha Berlin players from celebrating their goals in a 3-0 win at Hoffenheim by hugging each other. “The fact is that this is part of football,” said Hertha coach Bruno Labbadia. “We’ve been tested so many times that we can allow it.

SPORTS 11

La Liga clubs given permission to expand into group training BARCELONA AGENCIES

Supermarket or petrol station more dangerous than football, says Bruce LONDON AGENCIES

IPL 2020 could be staged if T20 World Cup is postponed: Mark Taylor MELBOURNE: Australia’s former cricketer Mark Taylor has said that the possible postponement of the T20 World Cup could make room for the money-spinning Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, Channel Nine Sports reported. Taylor reasoned that the logistical hurdles caused by the coronavirus pandemic could cause the ICC to call off the 15-team tournament. Therefore, this would grant the BCCI the desired window to host the lucrative T20 tournament as travel would be upon players rather than the boards. “I think that’s the most likely scenario (postponement of T20 World Cup) because 15 teams planning to come to Australia between October and November as national travel is going to extremely difficult in the world we are living in,” Taylor said. “14 days isolation before that makes it even harder. More than likely that event is not going ahead. So if the ICC decides to postpone the event that will open the door for the BCCI to have the IPL 2020 which actually puts the onus back on individuals then rather than nations.” AGENCIES

Newcastle manager Steve Bruce believes going to the supermarket or petrol station could pose a greater a risk of coronavirus than a return to football given the strict measures put in place to protect players.

However, Bruce warned his squad could “fall down like a pack of cards” with injuries if they are not given enough preparation time to get back up to speed before matches restart.

The UK government gave the go ahead for sport behind closed doors from June 1 this week.

Newcastle last played on March 7 and Bruce believes his players will not be fit to return until the end of June.

“You have to remember that they have had eight weeks off and that is probably the longest break some of these players have had in their careers,” he told the Sunday Telegraph.

“If we were doing pre-season, we would have six weeks and probably have six friendly games to get them ready for the first league match.

“We need enough preparation to get these players into shape or they are just going to fall down like a pack of cards.

“Most of the managers have the same concerns. We would need at least six weeks. I don’t see how we can play

games until the back end of June.”

Germany’s Bundesliga became the first of Europe’s top five leagues to return on Saturday with a series of measures including regular testing, disinfected balls and substitutes wearing masks to protect players.

Premier League clubs are hoping for a return to socially distanced training on Tuesday once a protocol of safety measures has been signed off at a meeting on Monday.

“Certainly, the measures being put in place, you’re probably more at risk going to the supermarket or putting petrol in your car,” added Bruce.

“We are in a fortunate position, we can get tested every three days.

“We will be tested on Sunday, every player and every member of staff. Once we get the results back, if everybody is OK, we are pencilled to start training again at 2pm on Tuesday afternoon.”

Newcastle left-back Danny Rose highlighted the concerns felt by many players this week by saying football should not even be considering a comeback until the numbers of deaths and infections in the UK have significantly fallen. The British government’s official tally of COVID-19 deaths, is 34,446 — the second-highest in the world.

Bruce, though, believes the majority of players are in favour of returning to finish the season.

La Liga have told clubs they will be able to increase training to involve groups of up to 10 players on Monday as teams take another step towards the planned resumption of the season next month. The Spanish government has announced protocol that will allow training sessions to be expanded by all clubs, even those belonging to areas that are further behind in the country’s de-escalation programme. It means teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Aletico Madrid will be able to train in groups of 10, a source at La Liga told AFP, despite both Madrid and Catalonia remaining in ‘phase 0’ as two of Spain’s worst-hit regions by coronavirus. Espanyol, Leganes, Getafe and Real Valladolid will also be given special permission to do training in larger groups. The move comes as a boost to La Liga’s hopes of restarting the season in the middle of June and following the lead of Germany’s Bundesliga, which staged games behind closed doors on Saturday. Teams in the top two divisions in Spain have already returned to their training grounds this month, with players working individually as part of La Liga’s staggered programme, which includes regular testing and strict medical protocol. La Liga president Javier Tebas has circled June 12 as the ideal date for matches to return but admitted the exact timing will depend on the health authorities in Spain and the trajectory of the virus. According to an official statement by the government on Saturday, professional sports clubs “may carry out complete training sessions” while “complying with the corresponding prevention and hygiene measures”. The statement puts the maximum number at 14 for group training but La Liga have informed clubs the limit will be 10 on Monday. La Liga first suspended fixtures on March 14 and Tebas has estimated that failing to complete the season would cost clubs around 1 billion euros.

Jordan memorabilia soars in value amid ‘Last Dance’ nostalgia LOS ANGELES AGENCIES

The immense global success of the documentary “The Last Dance” amid the coronavirus lockdown has boosted sales of collectibles related to NBA icon Michael Jordan, some of which are trading in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“Timing is everything,” says Jordan Geller, a collector who on Sunday will be richer by at least $240,000 thanks to the sale at Sotheby’s of a pair of Air Jordan 1 sneakers — the first model created especially by Nike for Michael Jordan, who made his NBA debut in 1984. The game-worn pair could set an auction record for sneakers set last year by Nike’s Moon Shoe, a pair of which sold for $437,500. The various Air Jordans have been popular with collectors for 30 years, along with jerseys and trading cards featuring Jor-

dan — who won six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls and is widely considered the greatest player in league history.

Many specialists consider Jordan a key figure in creating the market for collectible sneakers, with only non-sports personalities such as Kanye West or Travis Scott able to compete with him today. But ESPN’s 10-part documentary “The Last Dance” which weaves details of Jordan’s entire career through the narrative of the Bulls’ pursuit of a sixth NBA title, has ramped up interest in all things Jordan. “I think this is a gamechanger,” Chris Ivy, director of sports collectibles at Heritage Auctions, said of the documentary series that was carried globally

by Netflix. Ivy predicted the interest fueled by “The Last Dance” will continue.

ICONIC, MYTHICAL: On the StockX shoe resale platform, the Air Jordan 1 Chicago model now sells for up to $1,500,

compared to $900 in March.

The first episode of “The Last Dance” aired on April 19. “That could be largely attributable to the documentary because that’s a sneaker that’s been on the market for years,” says StockX economist Jesse Einhorn. Likewise, a 1986 Fleer collector’s card sold for $96,000 in early May at Heritage, an item that was worth $20,000 to $30,000 at the beginning of the year. “A lot of people who had a sports cards collections as a kid have been frantically going through their attics to find those boxes and those binders,” laughs Geoff Wilson, founder of the Sports Card Investor platform. “I haven’t seen anything like this, where it’s well past his career,” Ivy said, noting Jordan retired in 2003.

The excitement extends beyond Jordan himself. Sales of Bulls-branded items are up 400% in May compared to last year on the sports merchandise site Fanatics.

CMYK

“For a lot of people my age between 40 and 50 years old, Michael Jordan was the Babe Ruth of our generation,” Ivy said.

“People in that age range are starting to get in a point in their lives where they’re starting to collect again.” Even younger fans, weaned

on the exploits of the late Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, are feeling the allure of Jordan. “The majority of our customers are millennials and Gen Z, many of whom were not necessarily alive when Jordan played,” Einhorn said.

Monday, 18 May, 2020

NEWS Some 1.7m people recover from COVID-19 globally ANKARA Agencies

The global coronavirus recoveries surpassed the 1.7 million mark on Sunday, according to a running tally by the US-based Johns Hopkins University. The university’s data showed a total of 1,700,354 people won the battle against COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The number of cases crossed 4.65 million, while 312,119 deaths were recorded. The US has the highest number of recoveries with 268,376, followed by Germany with 152,600 and Spain with 146,446. But the US continues to be the worst-hit country, with the highest numbers of infections and deaths — over 1.46 million cases and over 88,754 fatalities.

The UK has the second-highest death toll with 34,546, and Russia is the second country recording the highest cases with 281,752. China, where the virus emerged in December, has registered a total of 84,047 cases with a death toll of 4,638. Overall, the virus has spread to 188 countries since it first emerged in China in December. Despite the rising number of cases, most who contract the virus suffer mild symptoms before making a recovery. Meanwhile, the number of people who have died in the United Kingdom after testing positive for COVID-19 rose by 170 to 34,636, business minister Alok Sharma said on Sunday, the lowest increase in the official death toll since March 24. The increase reported on Sunday was sharply down from the 468 rise in deaths reported 24 hours earlier and the lowest since Britain brought in a lockdown to curb the spread of the virus on March 23. However, at weekends the number of recorded deaths has been lower than the number reported during the week, and health officials in England also said its Covid Patient Notification System had not operated for a while on Saturday. “The consequences of this situation may, therefore, be reflected in the number of deaths reported today,” NHS England said. The rise in the number of deaths in Britain from the virus peaked at 1,172 on April 21 according to official data and has been falling steadily since then. Other government statistics which include deaths due to suspected cases indicate that Britain’s toll is over 40,000. Sharma said 243,303 people in Britain had so far tested positive for the virus, an increase of 3,142 since Saturday.

BAlOChISTAn, KP TO reImPOSe lOCKDOwn In CASe Of SOPS VIOlATIOn BALOCHISTAN SPOKESPERSON SAYS EASING OF LOCKDOWN DEPENDS ON PEOPLE’S WILLINGNESS TO FOLLOW THE SOPS QUETTA/PESHAWAR

T

stAff RePORt

HE Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan governments on Sunday warned that they will have to “convert smart lockdown into strict lockdown” if people continued to ignore the standard operating procedures (SOPs), chalked up to contain the Covid-19 infections.

Addressing the media in Quetta, Balochistan government’s spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani said that traders and people have until May 19th to ensure that they follow SOPs; otherwise, the government will tighten the lockdown. “Easing of the lockdown depends on the people’s level of responsibility.”

KP GOVT DIRECTS DISTRICT ADMINS TO TAKE STRICT IN CASE OF RULES VIOLATION

Shahwani added that so far 528 people had been stopped by police in Quetta for violating SOPs and 16 shops had been sealed. He expressed disappointment over residents’ failure to take precautionary measures, saying that if the public continued to violate standard operating procedures, the number of cases in the province will increase. “We are reminding traders of their responsibilities, we said wear masks, not helmets,” he said.

“I ask those who live in colder areas, during winters, in Quetta for example, they wear three mufflers, the most you get from cold is the flu.

We do so much to protect ourselves from the cold, why can’t we wear a small mask. This means we do not have a sense of responsibility,” he lamented.

India has always supported traitors in Afghanistan, Taliban leader says WASHINGTON: India should speak with the Taliban if it feels that it will help the peace process, Pakistan’s envoy to Washington said on Saturday, but a senior Taliban leader seems to have dismissed the idea, saying India has supported “traitors” in the past. In an interview with The Hindu, an Indian newspaper, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said it would be “appropriate” for an India-Taliban engagement. Responding to that statement, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Asad Khan told Reuters, “It is for India to respond to that suggestion.” Asked if he was open to an Indian dialogue with the Taliban, Khan said: “If India feels that their engagement is going to help the peace process, then we would defer to their judgment. But it’s not for us to sit in judgment on what they should do or they shouldn’t do.” Khan said that he would hopefully be speaking with Khalilzad soon and did not go by Indian media accounts, which he said in many cases are “fanciful” and give their own interpretations. Abbas Stanikzai, Taliban’s chief negotiator, on the other hand, in an interview the same day, reportedly criticised India’s role in Afghanistan and said New Delhi “had always supported traitors in [Afghanistan]”. Agencies

Meanwhile, KP CM’s adviser Ajmal Wazir said the government will have to increase in the restrictions in case of non-compliance with the SOPs. The adviser said all district administrations have been instructed to take strict action against those violating the SOPs. He said the provincial government is committed to protecting the lives of people from the pandemic.

Ajmal Wazir lauded the traders’ cooperation for implementation of the SOPs to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the province.

He said the government has allowed public transport to resume operations under the SOPs. The government will monitor their activities to ensure necessary precautions are taken, he maintained, adding that the restrictions might be eased if the SOPs were followed.

Chinese ambassador to Israel found dead in Tel Aviv home TEL AVIV Agencies

China’s Ambassador to Israel, Du Wei, has died in his apartment in a Tel Aviv suburb, Israeli police and media say. Mr Du, 57, was found dead in his bed and the cause of his death has not yet been reported. He was only appointed ambassador in February having previously served as China’s envoy to Ukraine. The ambassador was married and had a son but his family are not believed to have been in the country. He was living in the Tel Aviv suburb of Herzliya. An Israeli police spokesman told Reuters: “As part of the regular procedure, police units are at the scene.” Israel’s Channel 12, quoting unnamed medical sources, said initial indications were that Mr Du had died in his sleep of natural causes. In a message published on the embassy’s website just after his appointment as ambassador, Mr Du praised the relations between “the second-largest economy in the world and Israel the start-up nation”. On Friday, his embassy made a scathing attack on US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who had criticised China’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic on a visit to Israel.

Israel swears in unity govt, PM insists on West Bank annexation TEL AVIV Agencies

Israel’s parliament swore in a new unity government on Sunday led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former rival Benny Gantz, ending the longest political crisis in the nation’s history.

After more than 500 days without a stable government and three inconclusive elections, lawmakers in the 120-seat parliament approved a threeyear coalition, with 73 voting for and 46 against. One member was absent.

The new government was set to confront serious crises in its first weeks, including the economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus and a looming battle over Israel’s possible annexation of large parts of the occupied West Bank.

Addressing the parliament, or Knesset, before the vote, Netanyahu said his incoming government should apply Israeli sovereignty over Jewish West Bank settlements.

“It’s time to apply the Israeli law and write another glorious chapter in the history of Zionism,”

Netanyahu said.

Such a move is seen as likely to cause international uproar and inflame tensions in the West Bank, home to nearly three million Palestinians and some 400,000 Israelis living in settlements considered illegal under international law. Netanyahu told the chamber that annexation “won’t distance us from peace, it will bring us closer”.

The coalition government was agreed last month between veteran right-wing leader Netanyahu and the centrist Gantz, a former army chief.

Plans had been set for an inauguration last Thursday, but Netanyahu asked for three more days to decide on cabinet assignments among his Likud party loyalists.

WEST BANK ANNEXATIONS? Under the coalition deal, Netanyahu will serve as prime minister for the coming 18 months — a major victory for a leader due to stand trial in a week on corruption charges, which he denies.

Gantz will be alternate prime minister, a new position in Israeli governance, for the first half of the

deal. He and Netanyahu will swap roles on November 17, 2021.

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Israel on its new government, saying he hoped for a continued “policy of strengthening friendly ties and mutually beneficial cooperation” between the countries.

US top diplomat Mike Pompeo welcomed the swearing-in announcement in a tweet.

“We are extremely fortunate to have such strong and experienced partners in Jerusalem,” he said.

The Netanyahu-Gantz deal says the government can from July 1 initiate moves to implement US President Donald Trump’s controversial peace plan for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The plan, rejected by the Palestinians, gives the green light from Washington for Israel to annex Jewish settlements and other territory in the West Bank.

Some experts warn that Jordan may back away from its historic 1994 peace deal with Israel if the Jewish state tries to annex the strategically crucial Jordan Valley border region.

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot No 66-C, 1st Floor, 21st Commercial Street, Phase-II (Extension), DHA Karachi and printed at Ibn-e-Hassan Printing Press, Hockey Stadium, Karachi. Ph: 021-35381208-9. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk