EpaperKH_2020-05-23

CMYK

Saturday, 23 May, 2020 I 29 Ramzan-ul-Mubarak, 1441 I Rs 15.00 I Vol X No 325 I 12 Pages I Karachi Edition

KARACHI

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staff report

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane, with at least 99 people on board, crashed near Karachi’s Model Colony in airport area on Friday, minutes before landing, killing over 80 people and destroying at least 15 houses. two people, including bank of Punjab President (boP) Zafar Masud, survived the crash.

PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez said that the A320 Airbus was carr ying 91 passengers and 8 crew members from lahore to Karachi on PK 8303.

“He [pilot] was told from the final approach that both the runways were ready where he can land, but the pilot decided that he wanted to do (a) goround … It is a very tragic incident,” he added.

Eyewitnesses said the Airbus A320 appeared to attempt to land two or three times before crashing in a residential area near the airport. “the aeroplane first hit a mobile tower and crashed over houses,” witness shakeel Ahmed said near the site, just a few kilometres short of the airport, according to reuters.

After the crash, footage showed plumes of smoke rising from the site of the crash within the congested residential area.

Ambulances and rescue officials arrived at the scene to help residents. videos from the crash site showed bodies buried underneath rubble and residents gathering in streets littered with debris while rangers and sindh police carried out rescue operations. talking to a foreign media outlet, one senior civil aviation official said it appeared the plane was unable to open its wheels due to a technical fault prior to landing, but it was too early to determine the cause.

A transmission of the pilot’s final exchange with air traffic control, posted on the website liveAtC.net, indicated he had failed to land and was circling around to make another attempt, reported AP. “We are proceeding direct, sir — we have lost engine,” a pilot can be heard saying. “Confirm your attempt on belly,” the air traffic controller said, offering a runway. “sir – mayday, mayday, mayday, mayday Pakistan 8303,” the pilot said before the transmission ended. sarfraz Ahmed — a firefighter at the crash site — told AFP the nose of the Airbus A320 and the fuselage had been heavily damaged by the impact, adding that rescuers had pulled four bodies from the wrecked aircraft, including some who were still wearing seat belts.

For his part, Pakistan Airlines Pilots’ Association spokesperson tariq yahya, while speaking on geo news, said that the plane seemed to be gliding at the end. “Communications show that the plane did not have power at the end and was gliding and couldn’t make it to the runway,” said yahya, adding that it didn’t have power when it was asked to climb to 3,000 feet.

He added, however, that these were “only assumptions and we will not know the exact cause until we find the blackbox.”

It was also learned that there has been no permanent director general for the Civil Aviation Authority for the last two years.

RESCUE SERVICES: Pakistan’s armed forces also put out a statement saying that their teams were on the spot. “Army Quick reaction Force & Pakistan rangers sindh troops reached the incident site for relief and rescue efforts alongside civil administration,” Inter-services Public relations (IsPr) Director general Major general babar Iftikhar tweeted.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 02

Editorial: Karachi air tragedy

PIA to conduct transparent inquiry into plane crash incident: CEO g

FEDErAl gOvErnMEnt FOrMs InvEstIgAtIOn tEAM, sEEKs rEPOrt As EArly As POssIblE KARACHI staff report

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Air Marshal Arshad Malik on Friday vowed that a transport inquiry would be conducted and the affected families would be given accurate information regarding the incident.

While addressing a press conference in Karachi, the PIA CEO expressed deep sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the plane crash incident.

He said that the airline has lost its frontline warriors and the cabin crew sacrificed their lives.

He added that all persons deceased in the plane accidents were ‘martyrs’. the CEO said that all certification of the crashed plane was complete. the plane, PK8303, was fully prepared to take flight on technical grounds.

He said that a thorough investigation is the only way to ascertain the facts behind the plane crash.

STORY ON PAGE 06

CMYK

CONTINUED ON PAGE 02

fiqah-e-hanfia lahore sehr: 3:27 aM iftar: 6:57 PM

karachi sehr: 4:18 aM iftar: 7:13 PM

islaMabad sehr: 3:24 aM iftar: 7:07 PM fiqah-e-jafaria

lahore sehr: 3:17 aM iftar: 7:07 PM

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

karachi sehr: 4:08 aM iftar: 7:23 PM

more inside

Politicians, military leaders grieved over plane crash STORY ON PAGE 03

Dr Mirza warns Covid-19 situation can further worsen STORY ON PAGE 02

Saudi journalist Khashoggi’s sons say they ‘forgive’ father’s killers STORY ON BACK PAGE

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Saturday, 23 May, 2020

NEWS

Dr Mirza warnS CoviD-19 SitUation Can FUrther worSen IsLAMABAD

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PAKISTAN RECORDS HIGHEST SURGE IN NEW CORONAVIRUS CASES, DEATHS

Staff RepoRt

PECIAL Assistant to Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza on Friday warned that the Covid19 situation could further worsen if the people did not practice the precautionary measures.

Briefing the media, he said that the country recorded 2,603 new coronavirus cases with 50 deaths during the last 24 hours which are the highest in a single day.

He said that the country also conducted the highest number of coronavirus tests during the last twenty-four hours. He recalled that the lockdown was eased in view of the difficulties of the poor people and the daily wagers.

Dr Mirza appealed the people to fol-

low the standard operating procedures (SOPs) agreed for the holy month of Ramzan in Eid prayers. He said that the government had made it mandatory for the people to wear masks in any gathering or while using the public transport.

He added that this would help the people to keep themselves and others safe from the contagion.

The emergence of 2,603 new cases across the country takes the nationwide tally to almost 50,700 cases.

More than 1,000 people have died from the virus so far.

As for patients under treatment from Covid-19, there are about 11,561 patients in hospitals across the country out

Police register case against 'colonel ki biwi' MANseHRA

Protection of vulnerable segments govt’s top priority: Faraz IsLAMABAD ppI

Information Minister Shibli Faraz on Friday said that despite limited resources, it is priority of the government to protect the vulnerable segments of the society during these testing times. He was addressing a ceremony in connection with distribution of ration packages amongst newspaper hawkers on Friday. He said that under the Ehsaas Programme, cash assistance is being provided to the deserving families in the most efficient and transparent manner. Faraz said the services of newspaper hawkers will also be acknowledged and a cash assistance program will soon be launched for them. He said that given the services rendered by newspaper hawkers, he has a special respect for this segment of the society. He also asked the people to continue to follow the precautionary measures. “We will have to not only fight the coronavirus but also move forward,” he added.

News Desk

China donates 8,000 food packages for distribution among Afghan refugees IsLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

On the complaint of Assistant Sub Inspector Aurangzeb, City Police Station Manshera lodged a proper First Investigation Report (FIR) against a lady who threatened, misbehaved and interfered with the lawful duty of police officials on Express Way. This was revealed in the press statement of the Hazara division police. The statement clarified that these police officials were employed on a contract for China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) security and doing their duty. “They showed extreme restraint composure and calm despite being insulted.” It said that no police official was suspended, nor was any case registered against them. It was further explained that no one is above the law and in this case, too, the law will take its due course.

Covid-19: US thanks Pakistan for donating protective gear

of which 372 are said to be in a critical condition. The number of coronavirus patients in Sindh have increased from 18,455, to 19,924. An estimated 18,455 cases have been reported from Punjab, 7,155 cases from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and 3,074 cases have emerged in Balochistan till date. Moreover, the number of coronavirus patients in Islamabad have increased to 1,326, 602 in GilgitBaltistan (GB) and 158 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

The country has been easing its lockdown in order to ward off an economic crisis from stagnating growth and the adverse effects of coronavirus on the financial structure of the country.

ppI

The Embassy of China in Islamabad has donated 8000 food packages for distribution among most vulnerable segment amongst the Afghan refugees, especially those who have been adversely affected due to current COVID-19 pandemic.

In this regard, a ceremony was held in Embassy of China on May 20, 2020, which was participated by Minister for SAFRON Sahibzada Muhammad Mehboob Sultan, Director General (Afghanistan) Foreign Office, Ambassador of China in Pakistan Mr. Yao Jing, Ambassador of Afghanistan Mr. Shakrullah Atif Mashal and other dignitaries, says an official statement issued here on Friday.

The assistance has been made under China-PakistanAfghanistan Trilateral Cooperation. Earlier, the China Ambassador also donated 1500 food packages which were distributed among Afghan Refugees in the start of Holy month of Ramadan. The food assistance has been donated on the request of Minister for SAFRON Sahibzada Muhammad Mehboob Sultan that shows a gesture of brotherhood and solidarity with Afghan brothers in this difficult time. The food packages will be distributed among deserving Afghan Refugees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Punjab.

The Minister for SAFRON appreciated the efforts and as-

sistance of the Chinese Ambassador for Afghan Refugees with a note that cooperation and assistance towards the Afghan Refugees would continue in future as well and generous and selfless service in this regard with this Ministry and the Afghan refugees would always be remembered.

Afghan Ambassador also thanked the Chinese counterpart for extending generosity towards Afghan Refugees that will help them to cope with daily life in the lock down situation.

PIA to conduct transparent inquiry into plane crash incident: CEO CONTINUTED FROM PAGE 01 “We have cleared the airport hotels to allow the affected families to stay over there as the rescue operation would need two to three more days to be completed. We have offered affected families to stay in the airport hotels. I am appealing the citizens to not pay attention to the rumours,” he said.

“The dead bodies of 19 martyrs were present in Jinnah Hospital and 22 in other hospitals,” he added.

Air Marshal Malik said that the pilot had attempted to land at the airport but landing gear was not opening. “The plane was crashed when the pilot made another attempt to land the aircraft. I am unaware of details about the survivors excluding Zafar Masood,” he said.

He announced that the incident would be investigated by the internationally certified experts in Pakistan in order to get accurate details.

“The pilot had informed ATC that he was prepared to land

but something went wrong during the second attempt. The manufacturers of Boeing and Airbus aircraft monitor the activities of the planes. The manufacturer would also raise alert if safety is being compromised,” he said.

Meanwhile, the federal government formed an investigation team to probe the tragedy. Aircraft Accident and Investigation Board (AAIB) President Air Cdre Muhammad Usman Ghani would head the team while AAIB Additional Director Technical Investigation Wing Commander Malik Muhammad Imran, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Safety Board, Kamra, Ops Investigator Group Captain Tauqeer and AAIB ATC Ops Joint Director Nasir Majeed would be its members.

According to a notification issued in this regard, the investigation team shall exercise powers conferred by Section 3 & 4, Rules 272 to 275 of Civil Aviation Rules, 1994, and furnish its report to the Aviation Division in the shortest time possible. However, a preliminary statement should be issued within one month of the date of the notification, it added.

Timeline of plane crashes News Desk A PIA commercial airliner A-320 flying from Lahore to Karachi crashed in a residential area near the Karachi airport on Friday. The fate of all 91 passengers and eight crew members on flight PK-8303 is not known as of now, while rescue operations are underway.

Following is a chronology of major air crashes in Pakistan or involving Pakistani planes: May 20, 1965: A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Boeing 707 crashes on its inaugural flight while attempting to land at Cairo airport, killing 124 people.

August 6, 1970: A PIA Fokker F27 turboprop aircraft crashes while attempting to take off from Islamabad in a thunderstorm, killing all 30 people on board.

December 8, 1972:A PIA Fokker F27 crashes in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. All 26 people on board are killed.

November 26, 1979: A PIA Boeing 707 bringing home

Pakistani Hajj pilgrims from Saudi Arabia crashes shortly after take-off from Jeddah airport, killing 156 people.

October 23, 1986: A PIA Fokker F27 crashes while coming in to land in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing 13 of the 54 people on board.

August 17, 1988: A US-made Hercules C-130 military aircraft crashes near Pakistan's eastern city of Bahawalpur, killing military ruler General Mohammad Zia ul Haq and 30 others including Pakistani generals and the US ambassador.

August 25, 1989: A PIA Fokker carrying 54 people disappears after leaving Gilgit in northern Pakistan. The wreckage is never found.

September 28, 1992: A PIA Airbus A300 crashes into a cloud-covered hillside on approach to the Nepalese capital Kathmandu after the plane descended too early, killing 167 people.

February 19, 2003: An air force Fokker F27 crashes in

fog-shrouded mountains near the northwestern city of Kohat, killing air force chief Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali, his wife and 15 others.

February 24, 2003: A chartered Cessna 402-B carrying Afghan Mines and Industries Minister Juma Mohammad Mohammadi, four Afghan officials, a Chinese mining executive and two Pakistani crew crashes into the Arabian Sea near the southern city of Karachi.

July 10, 2006: A PIA Fokker F27 bound for Lahore crashes into a field and bursts into flames shortly after takeoff from the central city of Multan, killing 41 passengers and four crew.

July 28, 2010: An Airblue Airbus 321 operated by the private airline Airblue flying from Karachi crashes into hills outside Islamabad while preparing to land, killing all 152 people on board.

November 5, 2010: A twin-engine plane operated by Pakistani charter JS Air carrying staff from an Italian oil

CMYK

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday thanked Pakistan for donating personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Taking to Twitter, the US official appreciated Pakistan’s donation of surgical masks and protective suits, terming it as a symbol of US Pakistan solidarity in the fight against coronavirus. Earlier this month, Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA) Chief Coordinator Ijaz A Khokhar said that the garment industry is receiving international inquires about the production of masks and PPEs. A day earlier, he had said that it is high time to switch Pakistan’s production to PPE to capture the demanding market share. He had suggested that the government should adopt an aggressive approach and open export of PPE in both non-woven and woven fabric and in different colours mainly white, light blue and light green. “There was a huge demand for coveralls, gowns for doctors, patients, nurses, cleaning staff uniforms as well as other disposable wearables. We need to take daring steps at this juncture to capture the market share,” he had added. He was of the view that if the government allowed the export of these products, “we can fetch more than $1 billion easily”.

'Shocking, tragic' day CONTINUTED FROM PAGE 01 Sindh information minister Nasir Hussain Shah said that rescue efforts were still under way. He added that the administration had provided generators to help officials continue rescue efforts at night. Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was “shocked and saddened by the PIA crash”. “Am in touch with PIA CEO Arshad Malik, who has left for Karachi, and with the rescue and relief teams on ground as this is the priority right now. Immediate inquiry will be instituted. Prayers and condolences go to families of the deceased,” he said. In Pakistan’s most recent deadly crash, 47 people died when a PIA jet smashed into a mountainside in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province in 2016. The country’s worst plane disaster came in 2010 when an AirBlue flight crashed killing 152 people near Islamabad. “Shocked & saddened by the PIA crash. Am in touch with PIA CEO Arshad Malik, who has left for Karachi & with the rescue & relief teams on ground as this is the priority right now,” tweeted Prime Minister Imran Khan. “Immediate inquiry will be instituted. Prayers & condolences go to families of the deceased.”

company crashes shortly after take-off in Karachi, killing all 21 people on board.

November 28, 2010: At least 12 people are killed when a Russian-made Ilyushin IL-76 cargo plane operated by Georgian airline Sunway crashes in a fireball seconds after taking off from Karachi.

April 20, 2012: A Bhoja Air Airbus 737 from Karachi comes down in bad weather near Islamabad, killing 121 passengers and 6 crew members.

May 8, 2015: A Pakistani military helicopter crashes, killing eight people including the Norwegian, Philippine and Indonesian envoys and the wives of Malaysian and Indonesian envoys, and setting a school building ablaze in a remote northern valley of near Gilgit.

December 7, 2016: A PIA ATR-42 aircraft crashes enroute from Chitral to Islamabad. The crash claims lives of all 48 passengers and crew, including singer-cumevangelist Junaid Jamshed.

May 22, 2020/ A PIA A-320 commercial airliner crashes near the Karachi Airport while completing a journey from Lahore. A total of 91 passengers, besides 8 crew members, were on board the aircraft. So far, there have been no reports of deaths.

Saturday, 23 May, 2020

NEWS

PolitiCianS, Military leaDerS grieveD over Plane CraSh PM IMRAN, COAS BAJWA EXPRESS SADNESS OVER LOSS OF PRECIOUS LIVES IsLAMABAD/kARACHI/LAHORe

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agencIeS

ROMINENT political and military leaders on Friday expressed deep grief over the devastating crash of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane carrying 107 passengers in Karachi’s residential area.

Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa expressed sadness over loss of precious lives in the plane crash.

The prime minister took to the social networking website twitter and expressed shock and saddened over the plane crash.

He said that he was in touch with PIA CEO Arshad Malik, who had left for Karachi and was with the rescue and relief teams on ground, adding that this was the priority.

The prime minister further said that immediate inquiry will be instituted. He also conveyed prayers and condolences to the

families of the deceased.

The army chief directed provision of full assistance to civil administration in rescue and relief efforts.

Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan expressed grief over the tragic air crash of PIA Airbus 320. He further said that Pakistan Air Force (PAF) stands by PIA at this difficult time and extends all out support in Rescue Operation.

“Our heart goes out to all families of onboard passengers of the ill-fated PIA plane that just crashed close to Karachi Airport. On PM’s directions, all emergency services and resources mobilised, evacuation in progress,” Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Lieutenant General Asim Saleem Bajwa said.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) President and Opposition Leader in National Assembly (NA) Shehbaz Sharif also extended sympathies to the bereaved fami-

lies and pledged to stand by their sides.

PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal also took to Twitter and said, “Extremely sad to hear news of PIA A320 plane crash in Karachi.”

He further prayed for the passengers and staff on board.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood

Qureshi said that he was deeply grieved over the devastating plane crash. We are in midst of grave challenges as a nation and in these times of trial we must show resolve and unity, he urged.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said, “My prayers and sympathies are with

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the families of the passengers onboard. May Allah give them strength to cope with this loss.”

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also expressed shock and deep grief over the plane crash near Quaid-e-Azam International Airport in Karachi. He expressed sympathy with those whose loved ones were onboard and prayed for them. He said that the tragic incident had grieved the entire nation.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Syed Shibli Faraz said the government was fully focusing on relief and rescue operations in PIA aircraft crash incident.

He said that it was a tragic and sad incident before Eid and all prayers of PM Imran and his government were with the passengers, crew members, and their families.

The minister said that injured were being shifted to hospitals and details of passengers and the plane were being collected, which would be shared, after compilation, with the media.

Faraz appealed the general public to refrain from visiting the crash site as it would create hurdles in the way of rescue operation. The information minister said that federal government was in contact with the Sindh government and both were making all-out efforts in rescue operation.

“PM Imran is also in contact with the Sindh government and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and giving necessary directions in this regard,” he said. “An information desk is too being established to have a contact with families of the passengers on board the plane,” he added.

World leaders, missions saddened BoI recommends additional over causalities in PIA plane crash incentives for SEZ developers IsLAMABAD

PM IMRAN, COAS BAJWA EXPRESS SADNESS OVER LOSS OF PRECIOUS LIVES CANADIAN, INDIAN, AFGHAN AND NEPALESE LEADERS EXPRESS SOLIDARITY WITH PAKISTAN

FOREIGN MISSIONS, MINISTERS AND AMBASSADORS CONDOLE OVER LOSS OF PRECIOUS LIVES

IsLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

World leaders and foreign missions of various countries in Pakistan expressed sadness over causalities in Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) plane crash in Karachi.

A Lahore-Karachi bound PIA flight PK8303, which was carrying 99 passengers and eight crew members, crashed in a densely-populated area near Karachi’s airport, killing many and injuring several others.

In their separate messages, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian politician Rahul Gandhi, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and embassies of the United States, China, France, Netherlands and European Union expressed condolences over deaths and wished early recovery of those injured.

Foreign Ministers of Canada, Switzerland, Netherlands and Sri Lanka also phoned up their Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi separately to condole over the tragic incident.

Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau expressed condolences to the families of victims in the Pakistan International Airlines flight PK 8303 plane crash in Karachi.

He said, “This morning, we awoke to terrible news coming out of Pakistan. A Pakistan international Airlines plane carrying over 100 passengers crashed in a residential neighbourhood in Karachi. My heart goes out to all the victims and their families. Our thoughts are with Pakistan today.”

“Deeply saddened by the loss of life due to a plane crash in Pakistan. Our condolences to the families of the deceased, and wishing speedy recovery to those injured,” Indian Prime Minister Modi said on his Twitter handle.

Congress leader Gandhi too condoled the loss of lives in the crash and said he is pray-

ing for “miraculous stories of survival’.

“I’m sorry to hear about the air crash in Pakistan in which many lives have been lost.

News of survivors is a ray of hope & I pray that there are many miraculous stories of survival tonight. My deepest condolences to the families of those who have perished,” he tweeted.

“My heart goes out to the families of victims who lost their lives… I offer my sincere commiserations to the people and the government of Pakistan. Afghans stand with you in this moment of grief,” Afghan President Ghani tweeted.

The Nepalese prime minister also took to Twitter and expressed his “heartfelt condolences to the government of Pakistan and the bereaved family members who lost their loved ones” and wished early recovery to the injured.

The Chinese embassy in Pakistan while sympathizing with the victim families, said, “We stand with Pakistan in the time of sadness.”

“On behalf of the US Mission to Pakistan, I offer my deepest condolences to the people of Pakistan and the families of those

who lost their lives today in the plane crash near Karachi,” US Chargé d’Affaires a i Ambassador Jones said.

In his message, Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu condoled over the life loss in the plane crash and prayed for mercy on those who lost their lives. “Condolences to our Pakistani brothers & sisters. Friendly & brotherly Pakistan’s pain is our pain,” the Turkish foreign minister said on Twitter.

In their separate messages, Ambassador of the European Union Kaminara, Netherlands’ Ambassador to Pakistan Plomp and French embassy in Pakistan also expressed their grief and sympathised with the bereaved families.

The Foreign Ministers of Canada, Switzerland, Netherlands and Sri Lanka conveyed sadness at the tragic occurrence and expressed solidarity with government and people of Pakistan at the loss of precious lives.

Qureshi individually thanked all four foreign ministers for expressing solidarity in this moment of grief.

SHaHZaD paRacHa

The Board of Investment (BoI) has devised a plan to give incentives to the developers and enterprises of the special economic zones (SEZ), recommending the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) to do the needful in this regard.

The BoI has also requested to initiate the process of framing the One Window Act to provide a one-stop-shop facility to the investors (SEZs developers & enterprises).

According to sources, the board sent a summary to the ECC with regard to the revised incentives package under the Special Economic Zones Act 2012.

They said the BoI has mentioned in the summary that the SEZs Act was promulgated in 2012 for the creation, development and efficient operation of SEZs to encourage domestic and international investors. The Act was amended in 2016 to further facilitate the investors and the process of establishing SEZs. Since the promulgation of the Act, seven SEZs were notified by June 2019, and since August 2019, nine new SEZs have been notified.

Sources revealed the SEZs Act could not effectively contribute towards the industrialisation of Pakistan in its true spirit due to some inherent shortcomings in the law such as slow pace of development and lack of utilities in the SEZs, complicated approval process, cumbersome procedures for availing fiscal incentive, absence of one window operation, misaligned fiscal incentives, weak regulatory and enforcement mechanism and lack of clear policy objectives.

Therefore, despite lapse of considerable time, the colonisation of the earlier notified seven SEZs has remained dismal as only 56 units have so far gone in production (2.40pc of total plots) and another 114 units are under construction (4.89pc of total plots), together accounting for occu-

pancy of a mere 7.3pc of total plots as opposed to 57.6pc of total plots already sold.

Keeping in view the shortcomings of the existing law, Bol has revisited the SEZs Act 2012 and identified the provisions requiring amendment to remove the shortcomings and to make it more business friendly.

However, to give an effect to the said amendments, a comprehensive review of the said act and relevant rules are being undertaken considering global best practices and stakeholders consultations, which are expected to be completed by the end June 2020, sources added.

In the meanwhile, an incentives package to attract meaningful export led, import substituting and labour intensive industrialisation through local and foreign investors including the expected Chinese relocation of industries in the SEZs has been prepared by the BOl for the ECC’s approval under Section 34(4) of SEZs Act, 2012 which is to be urgently incorporated in the SEZs Act. The Ministry of Industries & Production, the Ministry of Commerce, the State Bank of Pakistan, and the Federal Board of Revenue have also endorsed the incentives in principle to extend to developers and zone enterprises in the SEZs. Sources said the BoI has stated in the summary that the amendments identified and incentives proposed are expected to attract more investment- both foreign and local, accelerate the industrialisation process, create more job opportunities and reduce the current account deficit in line with the manifesto of the present government.

04 KARACHI

Saturday, 23 May, 2020

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EmErgEncy dElcarEd in hospitals aftEr planE crash: Sindh Minister for Health Dr Azra Pechuho has said that an emergency has been declared in all the hospitals after the plane crash in the metropolis.

Speaking to the media persons after the plane crash here on Friday, she said that according to the available details total 107 passengers were on board and unfortunately the plane crashed before reaching the airport while coming to Karachi.

Dr Azra Pechuho said that the total number of causalities could be known until the rescue and evacuation operation was completed. She said that 11 dead bodies and 6 injured had been reported so far. She further said that out of 6 injured persons the health of four injured was stable and 2 were of burns cases. DNA samples of the dead bodies were being collect and the bodies would be handed over to their bereaved families after the DNA verification, she said while replying to a question. Replying to another question, she said that because of the Covid-19 the Sindh health department was in a position of emergency. She said that surgical units had also been put on alert after the crash. APP

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MEdICAl EMERgEnCy dEClAREd At CM’s oRdERs KARACHI

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STAFF REPORT

INDH Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah visited Zafar Mahmood, the miraculous survivor of PK-302 Airbus plane which crashed at Model Colony, at Darul Sehat hospital and inquired about his health.

The chief minister when visited him he was being checked up by the doctors. “Hey Zafar! Murad is here,” the chief minister invited the attention of Zafar who was lying on the stretcher. Zafar opened his eye and replied, “Thank you Mr Murad, I am ok – thank you so much for your visit. “Zafar blinked his eye just to gesture of goodwill to the chief minister. The chief minister told Zafar, “I am happy to see you stable and you will recover soon,” he said and added: “Let the doctors do their procedures complete and I’ll visit you again. ”Then they both, the CM and

Zafar Mahmood, exchanged smiles of understanding and satisfaction and then the CM left the ward of he hospital CM visits spot: The chief minister just after the plane was crashed talked to Additional IG Karachi Ghulam Nabi Memon and Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shahalwani and directed them to rush to the spot and expedite rescue operation. “I want you to make all out efforts to save lives,” this is important.

Meanwhile, he directed health department to declare emergency in the hospitals and arrange blood and other required medicines apart from ensuring presence of senior doctors on the duty. The chief minister along with his advisor Murtaza Wahab personally visited the spot, Kazimabad, subdivision Model Colony, District Korangi where the plane crashed.

Deputy Commissioner Korangi Shaharyar Memon briefing the chief minister said that the plane crash had damaged 12 to 15 houses in the area. The broken parts of the

plane broke the windows and doors of the houses and broke out fire in some of the houses.

The CM was told that the fire had been extinguished and cooling procedure had been started.

To a question, the chief minister was told that two passengers, including President Bank of Punjab have been rescued from the plane, otherwise, there seemed to be complete loss of life.

To another question, the chief minister was told that four houses had completely damaged and three women were rescued from there.

It was also disclosed that some of the bodied had also been recovered from the damaged houses. The chief minister appreciated launching of rescue operation on the spot in time. He appreciated the administration, police, Rangers, revenue officials and ambulance staff for their rescue work.

“I know you are fasting but even then your spirit is high in the rescue operation,” he said.

Sindh reports 959 COVID-19 infections in 24 hours, says CM KARACHI APP

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that 959 new cases of coronavirus have been detected by conducting 6023 tests which constituted 16 percent result in positive.

He added that so far 149,566 tests have been conducted which produced 20,883 cases, said a statement issued from the CM's House on Friday.

Syed Murad Ali Shah said that four patients lost their lives and the death toll has reached to 340 or 1.6 percent of the total patients. He added that 170 patients were in critical condition, of them 41 were on ventilators.

Giving details of the 13,528 patients, Syed Murad Ali Shah said that 11895 were in home isolation, 797

at Isolation centers and 836 were under treatment in different hospitals. He said that 690 patients have been cured and discharged to their respective homes. The number of the patients who have recovered so far has reached to 7015- means the recovery ration has been recorded at 34 percent.

Sharing district-wise details of the new cases, the CM Sindh said that out of 959 cases 668 belonged to Karachi. They include 253 to East, 114 South, 103 Korangi, 103 Central, 70 West and 25 Malir, he added.

He added that 25 new cases have been detected in Ghotki, 14 Sukkur, 13 Thatta, 10 Shikarpur, nine Larkana, seven Hyderabad, six Jamshoro, five Kamabar-Shahdadkot, Khairpur and Shaheed Benazirabad have three cases each, Sanghar two and Sujawal, Umerkot, Matiari, Dadu and Badin have one case each.

Customs authorities seize huge quantity of smuggled goods Karachi: The Pakistan Customs authorities recovered huge quantity of smuggled goods in separate actions, informed the spokesman to Customs on Friday. The AntiSmuggling Organization/ Model Customs Collectorate (Preventive) Karachi on a tip off raided a godown in SITE area and recovered smuggled curtain cloth of worth Rs23.982 million. In another action, the ASO/MCC Preventive Karachi acting on credible information raided a godown at City Railway Station and seized smuggled items transported from Lahore to Karachi through cargo train the other day. The items were marked "Made in India" and "Via Karachi in transit to Afghanistan". The Customs authorities recovered hair oil Hair oil (Vatika, Parachute, Himalaya, Dabur Amla, Emami) made in India, total weight 3762 worth Rs. 3,912,480/-, 36 cartons of Salaboon Hair Spray weighing 558kg of total value Rs. 446,400/-, 4 cartons of Massager (thrive) of total value Rs.493,440/-, 10 cartons Smart collection (body spray) 480 pieces worth Rs.422,400/-, 71 cartons of Dabur Red Toothpaste (India) worth Rs. 339,690/-, 27 cartons of toothbrush foreign origin of total value Rs.607308/-, 14 cartons of Nutella G750 168 pieces of worth Rs. 156,800/- and 180 tyres assorted brands n sizes worth Rs. 11,26400/- and 411 wall clocks of worth Rs. 205,500/- (Made in China). APP

Enforced disappearances: Relatives of missing people demand justice larKana: The relatives and heirs of missing persons of Larkana and Dokri held a joint protest demonstration at Jinnah Bagh Friday. They were holding portraits of their missing loved ones and placards in their hands. They include men, women and children. Abdul Latif, Kamil Zadi, father and mother of missing Ghulam Murtaza Solangi, told newsmen that his son was an employee of State Life Insurance and was whisked away on 22nd November 2017. He said they were residents of Wada Phull village. Aqsa Batool, Afsana and Nusrat Dayo, sisters of missing tailor master Insaf Dayo said their brother was taken away on 29th May 2017 from Nazar Muhalla. Primary Teacher Kashif Tagar, was whisked away from Ayoob Colony on 3rd August 2018. His father Abdul Karim Tagar, brother Akash and two little daughters Javeria and Kashaf took part in the protest. Shahid Junejo is missing since 5th August 2017 from Dokri. APP

‘PIA’s plane crash damages 12 to 15 houses’ KARACHI APP

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah was told on Friday that the Pakistan International Airlines – PIA’s plane crash has damaged 12 to 15 houses in the area when the broken parts of the plane damaged the windows and doors of the houses as well as broke out fire in some of the houses. Deputy Commissioner Korangi Shaharyar Memon briefed this to the CM Sindh at the site of the incident, said a spokesperson to the CM Sindh on Friday. The chief minister along with his advisor Murtaza Wahab personally visited the spot, Kazimabad, subdivision Model Colony, District Korangi where the plane crashed. Shaharyar Memon told the CM Sindh that the fire has been extinguished and cooling procedure has been started. To a question, the chief minister was told that two passengers, including President Bank of Punjab have been rescued from the plane, otherwise there seemed to be complete loss of life. To another question, the chief minister was told that four houses have completely damaged and three women were rescued from there. It was also disclosed that some of the bodied have also been recovered from the damaged houses. The chief minister appreciated launching of rescue operation on the spot in time. Earlier, the CM Sindh just after the plane crash talked to Additional IG Karachi Ghulam Nabi Memon and Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shahalwani and directed them to rush to the spot and expedite rescue operation. The chief minister directed them “I want you to make all out efforts to save lives,” this is important, said a spokesperson to the CM Sindh on Friday. Meanwhile, he directed health department to declare emergency in the hospitals and arrange blood and other required medicines apart from ensuring presence of senior doctors on the duty.

Saturday, 23 May, 2020

NEWS

05

IndIA mAy rEsOrT TO 'FAlsE FlAg' OPErATIOn, QurEshI TElls un ChIEF ISLAMABAD

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stAff RePoRt

AKISTAN on Friday contacted United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on the deplorable situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir and informed that India may resort to a “false flag operation” to divert the world’s attention from its rights violations in Kashmir.

In a telephonic conversation, Foreign

Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi updated the UN chief on the deteriorating situation in Kashmir. At the outset, the secretary general expressed deep condolences on the plane crash in Pakistan that claimed over 57 lives.

With regard to the situation in IOJ&K, Qureshi conveyed Pakistan’s deep concerns over the grave violations of human rights and intensified military crack-down and moves to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory.

In this regard, the FM alluded to the re-

cent domicile law, which was in violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions and international law, including the 4th Geneva Convention.

The FM said that in the garb of Covid19 crisis, India was imposing even more stringent lockdown in the occupied territory and further brutalizing the Kashmiri population through fake “encounters” and cordonand-search operations, extrajudicial killings, and other repressive measures.

Qureshi reiterated that Pakistan remained ready to allow UNMOGIP to authenticate the claim regarding the so-called “launch pads,” if India were to provide any specific information. The Indian allegations

Shah sees ill-intent behind sugar inquiry report KARACHI PPI

Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah on Friday said that the name of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had been included in the investigation report of sugar scam on the basis of hostility.

He said that the period in which the inquiry into the sugar scam was ordered was related to Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, adding that, the report did not say much about the Punjab CM. Shah said that the investigation into the sugar scam related to the tenure of Sindh CM Murad had already been carried out.

The minister said that the emission of Punjab CM’s name exposed the real objectives of the report. He said that many people sitting in the federal cabinet had been clearly

Pakistan all set to counter impending locust invasion: FAO official UNITED NATIONS APP

Pakistan is well-prepared to combat an impending attack of crop-eating locust from breeding grounds in southern Iran, even as the South Asian country grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, a senior official of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), a United Nations (UN) agency, said on Wednesday. Speaking to UN correspondents in New York via video-link from Rome, Keith Cressman, FAO’s senior locust forecasting officer, called the current desert locust outbreak as the worst in decades for countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Iran, Pakistan and India, saying the agency was doing all it can to help these countries control this menace that threatens their food security.

Responding to a question from APP specifically about the operations in Pakistan, Cressman noted that Prime Minister Imran Khan had already declared a national emergency to meet the challenge. Since then, he said, Pakistan has been very actively working to get ready for action.

In this regard, he said, the government has been training all their personnel, recruiting additional hands, procuring stocks of pesticides, vehicles and aircraft. Also, Pakistanis are ready, if need be, to quickly upscale their operations. He said that unlike Kenya, Pakistan also has some experience of dealing with locust swarms in the past and they have systems in place.

Cressman expressed satisfaction over the response to FAO’s international appeal for funds that has already brought in $158 million. In addition, he said, the World Bank (WB) has made a generous contribution that would help boost the agency’s efforts to help the affected countries.

SINDH INFORMATION MINISTER SAYS CM MURAD’S NAME HAD BEEN ‘DELIBERATELY ADDED’TO THE REPORT saved in this investigation report.

Shah said that he had no sympathy with Jahangir Tareen nor did he belong to his party, but it seemed that there were differences in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Tareen had been made the victim of it.

Shah further said that Omni Group was a very old business entity, and had been engaged in business activities for a long time, adding that, it was inappropriate to associate it with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

He further said that the PPP was a political party and it was inappropriate to associate it with any business entity.

He said that the attempt to involve the Sindh CM in the investigation into the sugar scam, and the attempt to save Punjab CM showed that all these reports and investigations were based on malice.

Shah expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives as a result of the crash of a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane in Karachi.

He said he was deeply saddened by the tragic incident and offered condolences to the families of the victims on behalf of the Sindh government. He prayed to God to grant all the deceased a place in His mercy.

Pakistan, China promoting peace and development in region: FO ISLAMABAD APP

Pakistan on Friday said it was engaged with China for promoting peace, development and stability in the region, and believed that regional economic connectivity would provide a critical stimulus for creating broad-based growth.

The Foreign Office (FO), in a statement mentioning Pakistan and China as ‘all-weather strategic co-operative partners’, said that the two countries were engaged in prompting peace, development and stability in the region based on the principles of mutual respect, mutual benefit, win-win cooperation and shared development. “Our ties are based on deep mutual trust and understanding,” it stressed, adding that economic development and long-term prosperity of the people was the government’s top priority.

The FO described China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as a “transformational project con-

tributing positively and transparently to Pakistan’s national development”. “Pakistan believes that regional economic connectivity will provide a critical stimulus for creating broad-based growth across the region,” it said. It emphasised that Pakistan had reiterated many times that its total public debt relating to CPEC projects was less than even 10 per cent of the total debt.

Moreover, the public debt obtained from China had a maturity period of 20 years and the interest was 2.34 per cent. If grants were included, the interest value slides down to about 2 per cent, it added.

The FO said that the claims made by some of the commentators and public officials on Pakistan’s debt obligations relating to CPEC were contrary to facts. It stressed that CPEC, a long-term project, had helped address development gaps in energy, infrastructure, industrialisation, and job creation. “Pakistan and China have several mechanisms to discuss matters of mutual interest. Both countries are regularly in touch to address those issues bilaterally,” the FO concluded.

ECP to hear plea for Faryal Talpur’s disqualification on June 4 The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will conduct hearing on a petition filed for the disqualification of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and member of Sindh Assembly Faryal Talpur on June 4. The petition was filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Arsalan Taj and Rabia Azfar, who submitted that she should be disqualified for allegedly concealing assets under Article 62 of the Constitution. They stated that the because she failed to declare the details of her assets before the ECP, it means that she is no longer ‘righteous and trustworthy’. Last year in December, the commission adjourned the hearing of the petition after the petitioners’ counsel sought time to file a response. The petitioners stated that Talpur owned properties in Larkana and Shahdadkot. They added that Talpur had been nominated in a case pertaining to corruption of billions of rupees through fake bank accounts and pleaded that she should be disqualified as a member of the Sindh Assembly. News Desk

were primarily meant to defame the indigenous Kashmir resistance, which was a direct consequence of India’s oppression.

The belligerent statements of the Indian political and military establishment posed threats to peace and security in the region, the FM added.

Apprising the UN chief of intensification of ceasefire violations by India along the Line of Control (LoC), the FM stressed the important role of UNMOGIP in fully reporting all ceasefire violations.

Guterres thanked the FM for this timely update and comprehensive briefing regarding the situation in Kashmir. He underlined that he was closely monitoring the situation

and would play his part in taking up these matters. Referring to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s “Global Initiative on Debt Relief,” for developing countries, Foreign Minister Qureshi underscored that debt relief was essentially a tool to help revive the global economy.

The Secretary General informed the Foreign Minister that, together with Canada and Jamaica, his office was organizing a highlevel virtual event focused on FfD (Financing for Development) next week. He expressed the hope that Pakistan could participate at the level of the Prime Minister in the event. The Foreign Minister thanked for the invitation.

Saturday, 23 May, 2020

06 COMMENT

Corona reset, It is back to the basics

Karachi air tragedy A lot of question need to be answered

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HERE were a number of notes struck by the Karachi air tragedy, all of them discordant and painful. The 99 passengers and eight crew members on board included a high proportion of those joining families in Karachi from Lahore for Eidul Fitr, which is just days away. There are bound to be questions. The first would obviously be asked of PIA, especially after the pilot had claimed, during his landing approach, to have been suffering technical problems. That needs to be explored, because the airplane involved was not all that old.

However, PIA has got a number of maintenance issues, which include cannibalization of parts, and a can-do attitude which is often reckless about safety. That will have to be examined in detail, to see if it played any role in the whole affair. The fact that aircrafts have remained grounded for a considerable period of time during the recently lifted lockdown also raises questions about their condition.

Then there is the question of how it was possible to build a residential colony so near to the airport. Closeness to the airport may be desirable in a location, but there is such a thing as being too close, and not because planes crash into houses routinely. It is not as if the housing colony where the plane crashed was an existing development; it has been developed after the airport had been sited there, which meant that it had been given planning permission even though it was too close to the airport. Apart from crashes, an ancillary reason for avoiding residential areas near airports is that they generate refuse, which in turn attracts scavenging birds, which then end up as bird hits. Even if a crash is averted, if the bird is sucked into an engine intake, the repairs are both costly and time-consuming.

It was perhaps an unfortunate coincidence that this tragedy took place so soon after the re-opening of domestic flights which had been shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic. There is a sad irony in the debate on the re-opening of flights being about whether lives would be risked, while there was no imagining the way in which so many precious lives would actually be lost. While PIA must review its safety practices, the various tiers of Karachi’s administration must review how a housing colony got built so close to the airport, and what to do about other residential areas clustered around the airport.

That is an exercise other cities must carry out quickly, before there is another tragedy.

The lessons of the pandemic must not be lost

Dr FariD a Malik

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n the 20th century the following sentence was widely used by most open-minded progressive writers, “Hunger and famine outside will not allow feasting inside”. In order to reach an equitable balance there were three major revolutions ( Bolshevik, Chinese, Iranian ) and two world wars (WW I, WW II). The human toll was very heavy, it was a century of bloodshed and conflict.

Unfortunately the world started moving in a different direction before the advent of the 21st century.

Concepts of free market, deregulation, globalization and privatization started to emerge. Uncontrolled capitalism started to dominate, and even elected governments failed to work for the common good which has now become uncommon. It was both the best and the worst of times. Those with capital could multiply it with ease but those without it were left behind to decay. Even the basics of life, like decent employment, education, health and food, slipped away from a vast majority of the world population.

Progressive thinkers were hoping for the bubble of this evil status-quo to burst. Finally before the start of the Twenties of the 21st century, the so called information age, the ‘coronavirus pandemic’ engulfed the world like wildfire. The entire world came to a grinding halt. The struggle for the basic needs of life became important. Health and food became the top priority for survival. Instead of missiles and armaments for survival and safety, soap became important.

Globalized nations were the hardest hit due to the influx of people, the bounties of deregulation could not save lives. António Vieira Monteiro, the President of

To help PTI’s spin masters Sugar Enquiry Commission’s scope expanded

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HE retail price of sugar in the market from December 2018 to February 2020 had increased by Rs 24 per kilogram. The sugar mills owners pocketed more than Rs 76 billion due to this unchecked price hike. This huge amount was in addition to Rs 3 billion subsidy by the Punjab government.

This led the opposition to demand an enquiry. In February the PM was forced to appoint a high-powered committee led by DG FIA tasked to investigate into the recent upsurge in prices of sugar. The report submitted in April left the government red faced as it exposed two main groups led by personalities closely associated with the ruling party who had obtained maximum benefit from the sugar crisis. The next day PM Imran Khan sent the report back to DG FIA avowedly for a detailed forensic probe.

What appears now is that the real aim was to extend the focus of the probe to drag in those associated with the opposition also to perform a balancing act.

Way back in December 2018, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet presided over by Federal Minister Asad Umar had allowed sugar millers to export 1.1 million tons of sugar by waiving conditions that a cabinet body had imposed just two prior.

Appearing before the Sugar Enquiry Commission, Mr. Umar defended the decision on flimsy grounds that even failed to impress the Commission. These included, the country being in dire need of foreign exchange and sufficient stocks of sugar being available in the country. He also defended the subsidy given by the Punjab government to sugar exporters. SAPM on Commerce Razzak Dawood too strongly defended the decision to export. The Punjab CM falsely claimed that the subsidy was granted by the Federal Cabinet despite the minutes of the Punjab cabinet meeting showing otherwise. Minister for Economic Affairs Khusro Bakhtiyar whose family owns one of the sugar mills mentioned in the report has not even received a slap on the wrist. If anybody is to be held responsible for exporting sugar and providing subsidies, it is the PTI’s own leaders and officials rather than those who benefitted from their decisions.

The expansion of the focus helped PTI’s propaganda team to create confusion by blaming Sindh CM who last time gave subsidy in 2018 and was not even remotely responsible for the sugar crisis 2019-20. Similarly the AlArabia Sugar mill owned by the Sharifs did not reportedly export sugar in 2019-20.

Governments and the older generation must be careful Dr rajkuMar Singh

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ITH the global humanitarian system already on its knees due to unprecedented demand, an injection of resources will be urgently needed.

Development organizations and institutions should already be retooling for a future where fewer developing countries will be able to thrive from export-driven economic growth.

As a measure of working together, governments can institute measures where shareholders and creditors take most of the pain, while public funds are used to keep people solvent and to get them back to work as soon as it is safe. The world’s international development actors must also move onto a crisis footing. Poorer countries are younger demographically, so they may not see death rates comparable to those of China and Europe. But their populations are sicker, their health systems weak and their economies vulnerable. Even some— and perhaps many— rich countries are in the early stages of a humanitarian crisis. Above all, this is the time to move beyond mere rhetoric about building more equal societies. Historically, war has often led to sharp reductions in inequality, as the wealthy pay a higher share of taxes and governments intervene in ways that cut the slice of the cake taken by investors. Initially, these measures can be paid for through public borrowing, but eventually the rich will have to foot much of the bill, with more of the burden of taxation shifting from labor to wealth.

Otherwise, we believe it is inevitable that capitalism itself will increasingly be called into question. We must not repeat the mistakes of 2008 and allow popular anger to fester. neither can democracies afford to let a sentiment take hold that authoritarian governments were better at responding to this challenge.

But democratic governments must build models that are true to their own values, fighting the pandemic not just with the consent of their citizens, but through the active participation of all parts of society.

That means bringing leaders from civil society, faith groups, youth organizations and businesses into the heart of the emergency response from the beginning, with key individuals given the security clearance needed for them to contribute to strategic planning.

Arif Nizami Editor Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

Dr Farid A Malik is Ex-Chairman Pakistan Science foundation. He can be reached at fmaliks@hotmail.com

Dimensions of global change and CovID-19

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Santander Bank in Portugal, died of coronavirus, leaving behind all his wealth to his heirs. First it was Italy with over 32,000 deaths by Friday afternoon, now it is the USA with over 93,000 fatalities by the same time that leads the pack. China with its centralized controlled planning was able to contain the Coronavirus with around 4600 deaths.

Instead of wealth, the priority has to shift to humanity. Focus has to be on food for the many rather than feasting for the few as has been the case in the last few decades. Dr Iqbal talked about the day of judgement ( Roz-e-Mukafat ), he lived through the Russian Revolution, predicted the Chinese movement and influenced the Iranian uprising through scholars like Dr Ali Shariati. Pakistan was also his dream. The the land of the pure is also in a reset mode for the first time since July 1977 when democracy was disgraced by introduction of thugs into the political arena.

Hopefully the party of the unscrupulous is finally coming to an end. The Prime Minister wants to reach out to the deprived and suffering segments of the society. In the 1960s Bhutto based his politics on Food, Clothing and Shelter (Roti, Kapra, Makan). After the passage of over half a century, the issues remain the same. ‘Coronavirus’ has brought the focus back where it belongs. It seems a breakthrough for change has happened, but at a heavy human toll.

British PM Boris Johnson, the third most powerful leader of the world after the Presidents of the USA and China, had a close brush with death. After being diagnosed with coronavirus he first went into selfquarantine, but as his condition did not improve he was hospitalized and remained in the ICU where oxygen was pumped into his lungs for days. The doctors were not sure if he would make it, and necessary arrangements were made in case of his death. Short of the ventilator he came around. now he is back in the saddle, full of praise for the national Health Service ( nHS ) which his Conservative Party does not support. Some lessons have been learnt. Healthcare has to be taken seriously at the national level. The job cannot be entrusted to the profit-driven private enterprises, and the same holds true for education. Recently a Karachi-based doctor lost his life as he could not reach a ventilator in time. He was in self-isolation but when he faced difficulty in breathing he called for an ambulance to be hospitalized. He was refused admission in several hospitals and eventually lost his life moving around in search of a ventilator.

The blind glitter of money has taken away the love for humanity. The skewed distribution of wealth has also become a pandemic. It has turned into an incurable

disease to build financial empires hoping to dominate the world. Religious scholars believe that nature has struck back by sending a clear message that the status quo cannot continue. Chairman Mao said, “Revolution comes from the barrel of a gun” but this time it seems it has come by way of the virus. The Chinese miracle was achieved with a rag tag, ill-equipped ‘ People’s Liberation Army ‘. Fearing change the empires decided on massive build-up of armaments to ward off reprisals from the oppressed masses. Fighting the status quo and the state apparatus is no longer a workable option. The pandemic to a great extent has neutralized the advantage of brute force, giving equitable peace a chance.

During my student days in US there was a popular joke making rounds. It was termed ‘Jewish Dilemma’ the answer was ‘HAM On SALE. The Jews like the Muslims are only allowed to eat Kosher or Halal meat. However only in extreme life threatening situations the Muslims can eat nonKosher stuff. After the revolution, China has now emerged as the second largest economy of the world with surpluses running into trillions of dollars, I am sure they can now survive without the wet markets.

Beef, chicken, mutton and ducks are now affordable.

In discussion with my Chinese friends they still believe that with their size of population, they cannot be selective in their choice of meat. The current outbreak of coronavirus calls for a re-evaluation of this approach of eating everything that moves.

In Pakistan a reset has taken place. The poor segments of society are now being given relief both in cash and kind. The health sector has been revamped to deal with a possible overload of victims. The national Disaster Management Authority (nDMA ) has played an effective role in organizing this massive effort. But it must not end here, and the focus on common good should continue. Roti, Kapra, Makan cannot be overlooked. The country faces a massive burden of external debt ( $100 Billion ) which it cannot pay back as most of it has been misspent. Instead of temporary relief, the efforts should be for a total write-off. Once the mess of borrowed money is cleansed, the nation must make a firm pledge never to borrow again as it was managed till October 1958. This fast-track development on borrowed resources has not worked. The term Human Race covers people from all walks of life, let us rise together. Fidel Castro was once asked, “Has Socialism failed?” He replied, “Where has Capitalism succeeded?” The future course for the welfare of mankind is between the two extremes, perhaps a Welfare State where every citizen counts.

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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Global business can help by creating new standards for productive virtual working; ramping up production of life-saving products, as a group of CEOs convened by the World Economic Forum is already trying to do; and proposing plans for protecting jobs in industries at risk of being destroyed by the pandemic.

Grassroots organizations are mobilizing in impressive numbers and must be funded so they can be most effective in protecting the vulnerable, providing virtual services, offering psychosocial support in tackling loneliness and starting on the hard work of rebuilding community-level resilience. Those who, having been infected, have developed immunity will become a precious resource, as soon as a serological test can be used to detect antibodies. Democratic governments should invite them to join a global network of volunteers— call it the COVID-Positive Corps—exempting them from social distancing and freeing them to help vulnerable people and communities survive.

Governments must also scale up their communication expertise. Many are doing a horrible job of explaining to their citizens what they are doing and why.

Very few, if any, have thought about the need to listen to people and communities during the crisis. Social media companies and news organizations will have an especially important role in framing how we think about the outbreak, particularly when it comes to countering the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories on their platforms. They will help determine whether people move into “fight-or-flight” mode, favoring the individual over the collective, or instead “tend-and-befriend,” in a way that promotes empathy and insulates us from extremist views.

We must also start mitigating the intergenerational impacts of the pandemic and renewing the social covenant between old and young. The world has shut down to protect its older people. If we were all under the age of 65, the most effective strategy might be to allow the virus to spread, while trying to protect those with preexisting conditions. As it is, the young are being asked to sacrifice and step up for the old.

The vast majority accept that their parents and grandparents are rightly our immediate priority, but solidarity between the generations must work both ways.

The redistribution of wealth from older people with assets to younger people with little to their name is part of the answer. As young people are asked to sacrifice their education, it is essential that school and university budgets are protected and not diverted to

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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pay for urgent health needs.

This is also the time for older generations to support the decisive action on climate change and on more sustainable, equitable and resilient patterns of development that many younger voters desperately want. Space must be kept open for these priorities in a critical year for the Paris Agreement on climate change and for the United nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which offer the closest thing we have to a global blueprint for future resilience.

As industry and travel grind to a halt, leaders around the world should declare 2019 the year of peak emissions and launch a Green new Deal that turns this downward trend into accelerating progress toward decarbonization. This is the time to make tough decisions— for example, to prevent short-haul air travel from ever returning to pre-pandemic levels— while also creating jobs at the scale needed to build zero-carbon economies.

Without a doubt, powerful vested interests will lobby for their own bailouts, while arguing that proclimate measures are too expensive and should be delayed once again. By cooperating across borders, progressive governments, global civil society and green businesses can face these interests down and give us all much-needed hope in a better future. We also expect that new treatments will become available— perhaps more quickly than expected— and hope a vaccine will be available and widely deployed within 18 months. Mass testing may also allow a shift from a blanket lockdown to more targeted restrictions.

Decision-makers must create space to plan for the medium- and longer-term challenges identified and to start immediately developing options for a world after the pandemic has been brought under control.

As yet, it is too early to say what form this innovation should take, but it is time to begin addressing this question. The COVID-19 pandemic is a new kind of crisis, one that involves the behaviors and beliefs of billions of people and that has public health, economic, political, social, psychological and cultural dimensions. In a networked world, new forms of cooperation will be needed that thoroughly blur the line between state and non-state actors. We must all decide whether to see ourselves as separate islands or as part of “a Larger Us” that understands, and acts on, our irreversible interdependence.

Dr Rajkumar Singh is head of the political science department, B.N. Mandal Unversity, Madhepura, Bihar, India. He can be reached at: rajkumarsinghpg@gmail.com

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Saturday, 23 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

CovID-19 and human psychye AS the brain is the headquarter of each human, and individuals join each other to be a team and deal with every discipline of the world. These actions are decided by the brain so the brain is the global headquarter. We need to take care of its health.

As we are facing this crucial time of the pandemic, in which everyone is afraid of others. Instead of teamwork, we prefer to go individually.

Hug, handshake and some other gestures are for greeting, but now we stay at distance just for the sake of each other health, but it seems that human is afraid of human.

We not only have to survive but also strive in this world. This behavior well has grave effects on our mental health and psychology, especially in children and teenage generations, which are the future of the globe.

It is a time to play a role, WHO as collectively, and the governments individually, as the pandemic seems about to downfall, make ready the psychologist and psychiatrist to cover this aspect of the pandemic.

Responsibility is also upon the infotainment, entertainment industries, writers, media, prominent speakers, teachers, and social dignitaries to play a role to improve the mental health of society.

By using all these tools, we have to combat the psychological effects to make ready the next generation to meet the upcoming global challenge.

FARI AHMED Havelian

Judicial notice of CovID-19 How far should the judiciary go?

SaaD aMir

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global pandemic is the quintessence of a health emergency. Governments around the world are tackling the fallout of covid-19 through a range of bold and novel interventions. Given the unprecedented nature of the threat and the need for urgent action, some of these interventions have impinged upon fundamental rights, including the rights of movement, association, and even the basic right to earn a livelihood. The leeway governments are afforded in such times to make informed decisions on-the-fly must reflect the gravity of the situation faced. It is in this context that an appropriate judicial response to the fallout of this pandemic ought to be fashioned.

The recently concluded Supreme Court proceedings in Criminal Petition 299 of 2020, an appeal challenging the Islamabad High Court order granting bail to a category of under-trial prisoners, offers a glimpse into the Supreme Court’s understanding of its role in these times; one which may be in need of review and course correction. The observations made are based on a single but significant intervention sought to be made by the Supreme Court, relating to the closure of Out-Patient Department (OPD) wards in hospitals across the country in April.

A brief segue into constitutional theory may help contextualize the observations which follow. Democratic constitutions, including ours, envisage a distribution of power and division of labour amongst the several branches of government (the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary), with checks and balances shielding each branch from the invasive tendencies of the others. Such checks have historically afforded a purely deliberative institution, such as the judiciary, room to breathe and carve out an institutional space for itself: a case in point being the hard-won and harder-kept independence of the judicial branch in our own country.

This division and distribution of powers can and ought to be read on a broader plane though: to be in service of the joint enterprise of government. In other words, the mutual relations of the several branches of government are meant to integrate these branches into a workable government. In some contexts, this will play out in a supervisory manner where the aim is to check and hold the other to account. At other times, the branches will engage cooperatively to support each other’s role in the joint endeavour. For such collective action to work there must exist reciprocal respect between the great organs of the State. In practice, this would include respect for each other’s jurisdiction and an understanding of where and when the other institutions are better placed to make a decision or carry out a task.

That brings us to the proceedings in the under-trial prisoners appeal. On 6 April, the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), as part of a fivemember Bench hearing the appeal, expressed dissatisfaction at the decision taken to close OPD wards across the country for people suffering from ailments other than COVID-191.

On 8 April, a meeting was also chaired by the CJP in which Federal government officials, including the Advisors to the Prime Minister on Health and on the Ehsas Programme and the Chairman nDMA, briefed the Supreme Court justices regarding the response of the Centre and

the Provinces to the pandemic. The issue of OPD the COVID-19 pandemic, attest to the ingenuity of health professionals faced with novel chalclosures was again raised at this meeting.

On 9 April, OPD wards at several Sindh hos- lenges which they are neither trained nor proppitals were made operational, as were OPDs at erly equipped to tackle. Difficult, ethically government-run hospitals in Punjab and the ICT, challenging and at times counterintuitive deciand at Medical Teaching Institutions (MTIs) and sions are having to be made on a routine basis. district-level health facilities in KPK2. These de- These decisions, whether being made by health cisions were either stated to have been taken in professionals or more generally by those devisorder to comply with directions of the Supreme ing and implementing public health policies, Court, or perhaps were precipitated by sentiments ought not be made while wondering whether expressed by the Bench whilst hearing the appeal. they will pass the test of judicial approval.

A separate but related concern has to do with Any such deference would be understandable given that executive authorities throughout Pak- the effect of bold judicial interventions (historiistan are obligated by Article 190 of the Consti- cally through the exercise of suo motu powers) on public perceptions of tution to act in aid of the the judicial branch, and Supreme Court. its sources of legitiThe Pakistan Instimacy. The increasing tute of Medical Scifrequency of these inences (PIMS), however, The seeking out of and overterventions has had imdecided against reexposure to the fickle world of plications for an opening its OPDs, in institution which despite of orders from the public opinion has the potential rives its legitimacy ICT administration, citfrom its perceived dising concerns that that of chipping away at the interestedness in the OPD operations could traditional roots of judicial dispensation of justice. risk an outbreak of the the virus, and observing legitimacy, and undermining the veryToactelaborate, of choosing that the emergency dewhat to take suo motu partment at PIMS hosenterprise of democratic notice of can be viewed pital was playing an government which our as an expression of ineffective role in treating The Supreme patients. Subsequently, constitution enjoins the organs terest.

Court’s past forays into on 13 April, the 12a form of inquisitorial member Corona Exof the state to collectively justice have by and perts Advisory Group large met with popular (CEAG) in Punjab, undertake. In these times of approval. Though the which includes leading profound introspection and predilections of indihealth experts, also vidual Chief Justices strongly recommended uncertainty, the superior may shape the manner the closure of OPDs in and frequency of the government hospitals judiciary might do well to also use of suo motu powacross the province and direct its probing gaze inward ers, it would appear opposed the decision to that the public gaze and reopen the OPDs. The and consider structuring its a recent history of exgroup cited findings of a global scientific study more discretionary powers, and pectation have helped cast the superior judiciwhich said that 40 peracting with greater ary in a new irresistible cent virus transmission mould: the judge as was reported from transparency, restraint and saviour and protector health professionals to of the masses from the the general population, circumspection in their exercise “mess and menace of on account of the forpolitics”. But the seekmer being frontline acing out of and over-extors in the fight against posure to the fickle the pandemic. It stated that the assembly of hundreds of sick people world of public opinion has the potential of under one roof in enclosed premises would in- chipping away at the traditional roots of judicial crease the probability of transmission of the virus. legitimacy, and undermining the enterprise of This opening up of OPDs in the second democratic government which our constitution week of April after several weeks of closure fol- enjoins the organs of the state to collectively unlowed immediately by reclosures is a cause for dertake. In these times of profound introspecconcern. Intuitive but non-technical commentary tion and uncertainty, the superior judiciary on matters of public health coming from the might do well to also direct its probing gaze inhighest court in the land, whilst well-meaning, ward and consider structuring its more discreis not conducive to formulating a suitable and tionary powers, and acting with greater coherent response to the ongoing crisis. Execu- transparency, restraint and circumspection in tive authorities have over the years acclimatized their exercise. to an environment in which unsystematic de‘CJP bemoans closure of OPDs for non-corona mands are placed on them by judicial overreach.

They may thus second-guess their best judgment patients’ (https://www.dawn.com/news/1547074) ‘Sindh hospitals begin opening OPDs days in deference to the opinion of the Supreme Supreme Court’s criticism’ Court. In a worst-case scenario, such deference after may put the lives of health professionals and the (https://www.dawn.com/news/1547840/sindhgeneral public at risk. Accounts pouring in from hospitals-begin-opening-opds-days-after-supre hospitals around the world, at the frontlines of me-courts-criticism)

Socially distant Eid EID-UL-FITR, also known Eid of Sweets is going to be observed on May 25 and it is a gift for those Muslims, who keep fast, give charity to destitute, have sympathy for mankinds, spread the message of love and peace, don’t bother any creature neither physically nor mentally during Ramadan, from Allah the Almighty. On this day, Muslims eat sweets, apologize to another, meet their relatives and friends. Regretfully, this Eid is going to be boring for every individual due to ongoing issue Coronavirus. Social distance is one of the key points to stop the spread of it and it only prevent if we keep distance with our beloved ones.

I humbly request People please follow the instructions and in Eid have distance from your loved ones to stop the spread of Coronavirus.

MEER KHAN Karachi

PIA crash tragedy PIA plane flying from Lahore has crashed into model colony near Jinnah International Airport Karachi. The PIA spokesperson confirmed there was 107 passengers including staff on board the flight from Lahore.

The airline said the pilot had reported technical issues and witnesses said the aircraft attempted to land two or three times before hitting a mobile tower and crashing into houses in the Model Colony area, a few kilometres away from the airport.

Smoke billowed from the scene where caved-in roofs could be seen as debris lay scattered in the streets while ambulances hurried through chaotic crowds, with fears residents are injured or dead.

IBAAD HASSAN Karachi

Pakistan’s water crisis nOW a days, Pakistan is facing a lot of social and economic issues. With these kind of issues there is another alarming threat that is becoming mature day by day, the water crisis .It was under consideration about a year ago but after some timely pathetic campaigns and so called political benefits, it is again going vague and ignored by community.

According to a recent report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Pakistan ranks third in the world among countries facing acute water shortage. Reports by the United nations Development Program (UnDP) and the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) also inform the authorities that the South Asian country will reach absolute water shortage by 2025.

The area where I live is also facing noticeable reduction in water supply .Tanker mafia is exclusively taking advantage of this as it directly benefits them. They are literally selling water on doubled prices. no one is taking any notice or measure to cope with this situation. As for now everyone is ignoring this issue but in coming two or three years people will regret this, if this continues like it is.

People must pay attention to this problem because it is not the first time that development and research organizations have alerted Pakistani authorities about future crisis, which some analysts say poses a bigger threat to the country than terrorism.

I hope that people of Pakistan including so called officials will seriously address this issue and will take eye opening measures because it is time to save water and to save Pakistan from running dry and lifeless MUJAHID QAyyUM Islamabad

Solitary time SOMETIMES, it’s first-rate to take the street alone, and walk it alone.

Sometimes you may need to cry it a bit, scream, or hit something, and simply release all the unspoken words that have become your emotions, your biggest pain. But once you let it out of you, stroll with confidence, and hold that road. You would possibly stumble upon people, experience curious approximately them, sense intrigued, and talk to them. You might walk past someone else’s beyond, question it, or suppose you understand it, and continue to stroll past them, with their past. You could also make the decision to stay, and speak to these people, on this lonely road. You would possibly grow close to them, feel like they make your lifestyles complete, entrust them, deliver in and permit them to open up you, your heart, your mind and beyond, like a twisted book. But then you definitely realize, why try ain on to something which only hurts you, and pricks you like thorns, on a pretty rose. Take yourself to many doors, and open them yourself. Allow yourself to nourish, without anyone interrupting its herbal journey.

AHMAD NADEEM Islamabad

Saturday, 23 May, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

Will hot Weather kill the coronavirus?

ALL THE EVIDENCE AVAILABLE SUGGESTS WEATHER PLAYS A ROLE WITH CORONAVIRUS TRANSMISSION, BUT ONLY A SMALL ONE

new York times

F

NAthANiEl lAsh AND stuARt A thOmpsON

OR many people living with the crushing consequences of Covid-19, the summer offers a tantalizing possibility: If the coronavirus behaves like the seasonal flu, warm weather could substantially weaken the virus and allow normal life to resume. President Trump predicted exactly this outcome in February, claiming the virus would “miraculously” go away by April as temperatures rose.

A new working paper tries to put that speculation to rest by tracking how weather and other environmental conditions, such as pollution, affect the virus’s spread around the world.

The forecast from researchers is grim: Warm weather alone will not control the virus in America or abroad.

The results for the United States, showing weather on its own cannot meaningfully reduce infections to the rate of 1 new case per every infected person, the point by which

the number of infections falls continuously.

Without social distancing and other interventions, summer will offer only a modest respite in some places, meaning stay-at-home orders and other government interventions will most likely need to continue throughout the summer.

“At the end of the day, this whole effect from weather and pollution is still pretty minor,” said Mohammad Jalali, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and one of the study’s authors. “No government should rely on the effect of the weather.”

The study, conducted by researchers at six academic institutions, found that warm weather could play a small role in slowing the virus in at least a few places and for a few months. In some of the hottest cities in the United States, like Phoenix, high temperatures could drive down the rate of infections by over 40 percent. In parts of India and Pakistan, conditions during the hotter months could make the virus less than half as likely to infect new hosts.

For regions facing cold, bitter winters, weather has the opposite effect, increasing the rate of infections and making it even harder to control the virus. Like all weather forecasts, there is significant uncertainty about the results. Researchers will continue to debate the measurements and methodology; others may come up with alternative projections. But all the evidence available suggests weather plays a role with coronavirus transmission, but only a small one.

How Facebook and YouTube are trying to control information about COVID

In New York City, weather could reduce the rate of infections by a quarter during the hottest months. But by winter, those benefits likewise fade, when cold weather could boost transmissions slightly.

Headed into summer, governors have already signaled their eagerness to give up social distancing and reopen their economies before passing the White House’s own guidelines for testing and new infections. The warm weather effects could help justify those decisions in the short term, as governors point to falling infections as a sign that the virus is defeated.

“Basing policy decisions on the assumption of seasonality is dangerous,” said Anice Lowen, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Emory University, which was not affiliated with this study. “Possibly we’ll see slower spread in the summer, but even that summer spread could seed the virus in a quiet way, and then come winter it would be a bigger problem than it would have been.”

There are some silver linings, however. Rather than relying on weather alone to slow the spread, it’s possible that warm temperatures will work alongside other interventions to adequately slow the virus.

It’s not fully understood how warm weather controls the spread of the virus. Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University who wasn’t affiliated with this study, said that people are more susceptible to infections in other respiratory viruses when the air they breathe is cold or particularly dry.

Fox news AlEx BERENsON

As coronavirus lockdowns enter their third month, social media giants are tightening censorship against people who protest lockdowns and raise evidence the virus may be less risky than initially thought.

YouTube has pulled videos from scientists and physicians, even those with top-tier credentials.

Meanwhile, Facebook has blocked efforts to organize protests against lockdowns.

Facebook’s stance is particularly problematic because as the largest social media network, it may gain from lockdowns, which force friends or community groups to rely on virtual gatherings instead of real-life meetings.

Investors certainly seem to believe the lockdowns have not hurt Facebook. Its stock rose 5 percent to an all-time high on Wednesday. Shares in Google’s parent company, which also owns YouTube, also are near an all-time high.

Twitter, the third major social media company, is taking a more open and pro-free speech stance.

Twitter allows debate about whether the societal risks of lockdowns might be worse than the dangers of coronavirus. (My own Twitter following @alexberenson has grown 15-fold since March, and Twitter does not appear to be censoring me.)

As private corporations, social media outlets are not bound by the First Amendment and can remove speech that violates their guidelines. However, given their reach and the growing political battle over lockdowns amid questions about their efficacy, their censorship actions leave them at risk of backlash.

Further, combined with the conventional media’s reluctance to question lockdowns and the failure of predictive models from public health experts, social media censorship may actually backfire, leading many people to believe they cannot trust the media at all and encouraging them to consider outright conspiracy theories.

Coronavirus censorship first became an issue when Susan Wojcicki, the chief executive of YouTube, told CNN on April 19 that YouTube would ban videos contradicting World Health Organization guidelines about coronavirus. Instead, YouTube had “focused on the stay at home messages” and would be “raising authoritative information,” Wojcicki said.

Of course, the WHO has repeatedly changed its

Alex Berenson is a former New York Times reporter and the author of “Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence.”

Nathaniel Lash is a graphics reporter. Stuart A. Thompson is a writer and the graphics director for Opinion.

Modi govt has failed India in its hour of need AS INDIA GOES FOR A FREE FALL DUE TO COVID AND LOCKDOWN, INSENSITIVE WOULD BE TOO MILD A WORD TO CHARACTERISE MODI GOVERNMENT’S SHAMEFUL HANDLING OF THE CRISIS

FACEBOOK, WHICH MORE THAN HALF OF ALL AMERICANS USE, HAS REPEATEDLY CENSORED GROUPS TRYING TO ORGANISE ANTI-LOCKDOWN PROTESTS. ‘EVENTS THAT DEFY GOVERNMENTS’ GUIDANCE ON SOCIAL DISTANCING AREN’T ALLOWED ON FACEBOOK,’ A FACEBOOK SPOKESMAN SAID own statements on coronavirus – for example, tweeting that antibodies to coronavirus do not confer immunity to the virus, then hours later deleting that message and reporting antibodies likely “provide some level of protection.” Wojcicki didn’t mention how YouTube might treat changes in WHO messaging.

On April 27, YouTube followed through on Wojcicki’s threats, removing video of a press conference from two California physicians. The physicians argued COVID fatality rates were lower than commonly reported and that forcing people to stay inside for prolonged periods of time might actually damage their immune systems. At the time YouTube removed it, the press conference had been viewed more than 5 million times.

In a statement, YouTube said it censored “content that explicitly disputes the efficacy of local health authority recommended guidance on social distancing” – a stance that if repeated on other issues could lead YouTube to block content that disputes any government statement.

Since then, YouTube’s censorship has continued.

Less than a week ago, the site removed a video from Knut Wittkowski, the former head of epidemiology at Rockefeller University’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science, criticizing lockdowns.

Meanwhile, Facebook, which more than half of all Americans use, has repeatedly censored groups trying to organize anti-lockdown protests. “Events that defy governments’ guidance on social distancing aren’t allowed on Facebook,” a Facebook spokesman said on April 20.

On May 13, Facebook took its most aggressive action yet, removing the 380,000-member group “Michiganders Against Excessive Quarantine,” one of the original anti-lockdown groups. It then quickly removed a replacement group called “Stand Up Michigan.”

Ironically, the censorship efforts may be backfiring, by leading people to conclude that they cannot trust media outlets to give them honest information about the coronavirus and driving them to conspiracy theorists such as Judy Mikovits – whose short film “Plandemic” contains several bizarre theories, including that a flu vaccine may be responsible for the high death toll in Italy. Though YouTube and Facebook have removed Plandemic repeatedly, it has been viewed millions of times.

In contrast, Twitter is avoiding outright bans on content. “We are trying to nuanced approach to this that recognizes there is a huge amount of emotion and vitriol and all sides of the issue,” a Twitter executive wrote me last week. “We’re trying to make sure that factual debate finds a way through.”

Twitter prefers to label posts that it views as potentially problematic rather than remove them, he wrote. “We think it (labeling) will allow the conversation to continue.” Unfortunately, YouTube and Facebook seem to prefer to stop the conversation.

Research has also shown that the hotter it is, the faster some viruses will break down outside of a human host. Scientists have found evidence that this coronavirus dies in warmer weather as well. And dry air helps respiratory viruses in droplets expelled from a person’s nose or mouth stay in the air longer, making them more likely to infect someone else.

Some differences may be driven by how people react to the weather. Regions with more ultraviolet light, like Colombia and Ecuador, were associated with higher transmission rates in the study, even though it’s believed that ultraviolet light can destroy the virus.

Hazhir Rahmandad, a co-author of the study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, suggested a high UV index could drive people indoors, where it’s easier to spread the virus. “It’s a combination of host susceptibility and viral stability,” Dr. Iwasaki said. “In dry and colder conditions the virus survives better, combined with the fact that host resistance in those conditions is impaired.”

As it becomes harder for the virus to find new people to infect, it’s likely that Covid-19 will ebb and flow with the seasons, according to Dr. Lowen, the Emory microbiology professor. But for now, too many are susceptible to the virus for the weather to influence when and where infections will rise and fall.

What has undoubtedly influenced the virus’s spread, however, is the human factor: decisions made by governments and individuals alike. While the weather effects are slight, some countries have successfully controlled the virus. The weather can’t be controlled. But our actions can.

Print YOGENDRA YADAV

It’s time for plain speak. Another day of yet another peak of Covid-positive cases, another spate of reports about the plight of migrant workers on the roads and inside trucks, another day in office for imperious Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman bulldozing her way through hard questions about the economy that can no longer be set aside.

Two months into this unprecedented health and economic crisis, it is time to assess the Narendra Modi government’s response to this disaster.

Let us not be unfair to the government. I have supported Prime Minister Modi when he first announced the lockdown, while noting that its preparation, timing and communication left much to be desired. The PM was decisive when a hard call had to be taken. Indecision or further delay could have landed us in a worse state than we are. In retrospect, we now know that our response was already delayed, but it would be unfair to indict the government on that basis. Global knowledge and awareness at that time did not warrant such a response. On balance, we reacted faster than most other countries.

It would also be unfair to blame the Modi government for all the mess that we face today. A largely unanticipated pandemic is bound to create havoc, even in the best of places. It is bound to be worse in a country like India, given the weak public health fundamentals and fragile response systems. An indictment of the Modi government must be careful about limiting itself to what could have been anticipated, what could have been achieved in our conditions.

And it must leave room for genuine mistakes. Faced with a crisis of this kind, the best of leaders with the purest intentions will make erroneous calls. They must be criticised, but not indicted for bona fide errors of judgement.

Sadly, even after making all these allowances, it is hard to escape the conclusion that Narendra Modi government has failed India in its hour of need. The government has been clueless about controlling the health crisis, incompetent in handling its economic consequence and insensitive in dealing with the humanitarian crisis.

A FAILING HEALTH MODEL: Let us begin with the health crisis. We must not blame PM Modi for his early decisions in pandemic management. We cannot indict him for erring on the side of caution because he heard (as all global leaders did) conflicting forecasts about the progress of the pandemic. But we must ask some questions nevertheless: why did the government not listen to alternative voices about more testing at an early stage? Why did the PM not try to learn from and replicate the Kerala model? Did he allow political envy to trump national interest? Why did he not come down heavily against his supporters trying to communalise the pandemic? Once it became clear that the lockdown was not ‘breaking the chain’ or flattening the curve, why did he persist with the lockdown as the sole remedy?

Did he allow his ego and self-image to trump rational course correction? And finally, why is no senior functionary (not

even a minister, let alone the head of the government, as is the norm in many countries) responding to the media’s questions on the pandemic? What is the future strategy? Is there something that the government wishes to hide?

All these questions do not admit of easy answers and leave the country with the impression of a government that is lost but does not know how to admit it or ask for help.

MISPLACED ECONOMIC PRIORITIES: On the economic front, let us allow for the fiscal constraints that the government faces at this moment, even though it is largely responsible for this situation due to untimely waiver to corporates and inflation of revenue projections. Still, we must ask why has the Modi government not done anything to stimulate demand (despite pleas from every economist who matters)? Why the continuous pumping of liquidity despite the fact that banks have failed to use the extra liquidity made available in March? Why has the government not addressed what the industrialists, businessmen, farmers and labourers were actually asking for? Why has the government made no attempt to raise additional revenue (despite many sensible suggestions) to meet this crisis? Why use this crisis to push through a number of policy changes on labour law, agriculture, environment and investment that have nothing to do with the cause or solution to the current crisis? And, why not share the real economic situation with the country? Why dress up the “packages”, that too in such amateurish ways, so as to somehow match the magical 20-lakh crore figure?

These questions lead us to a sad answer: the economic response of the fifth-largest economy facing its worst recession and joblessness is being shaped by a bunch of tooclever-by-half economists and packaged by an ignorant and arrogant political leadership. More than saving the economy, the leaders are focused on saving themselves and their wealthy friends.

HUMANITARIAN CRISIS: Finally, let’s turn to the Modi government’s handling of the humanitarian crisis made visible by the migrant workers who have taken to the streets. Again, let us grant that given our size and deep inequalities, some degree of distress was inevitable. But we must ask: Did the government even try to anticipate this distress and plan to alleviate it when announcing the lockdown? Why was the government surprised by the scale of the problem of the migrants (eight crore, as Sitharaman admitted in her press conference)?

Why were there no special arrangements for food and income of the stranded workers for the first 50 days of the lockdown? What else did the government expect jobless, food-less and hopeless workers to do, except walk back?

Why do we not get a report of this kind from any other country in the world, even African countries much poorer than us? And once the government discovered, within the first week of the lockdown, the plight of the migrant workers, what did it do to address the crisis, except law and order advisories? Why was the decision to start Shramik trains delayed so much and taken when it was actually riskier? Why the insistence on the fares for distress evacuation? Why did it take the Ministry of Home Affairs six weeks to issue a simple advisory about humanitarian support to the migrants on the road?

Insensitive would be too mild a word to characterise this shameful handling of the worst national-level humanitarian crisis. To call the Modi government heartless displays credulity. As India goes for a free fall, the top political functionaries are focused on political intrigue, blame-game and public relations. India’s worst health, economic and humanitarian crisis is being handled by undoubtedly the most callous and perhaps the most incompetent government.

The author is the national president of Swaraj India.

Saturday, 23 May, 2020

BUSINESS 09

PSMA rejeCtS SUgAr inqUiry rePOrt, dOUBtS COMMiSSiOn’S intent KARACHI

Oil drops 5pc on China-US tensions, demand doubts LONDON AGENCIES

Oil fell 5pc on Friday to around $34 a barrel as tensions rose between the United States and China, and doubts grew about the pace of demand recovery from the coronavirus crisis. China is set to impose new national security legislation on Hong Kong, prompting a warning from US President Donald Trump. Beijing also failed to set an economic growth target as the pandemic hammers the word’s second-largest economy. Brent crude dropped $1.72, or 4.8pc, to $34.34 a barrel at 1150 GMT, after falling as low as $33.54. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude declined by $1.94, or 5.7pc, to $31.98.

“Investors are once again having to contend with an intensifying war of words between the US and China,” said Stephen Brennock of broker PVM. “The coronavirus has nullified a decade of global oil demand growth and the recovery will be slow.” Oil has slumped in 2020, with Brent hitting a 21-year low below $16 in April and US crude falling below zero. With fuel use rising and supply cuts starting, Brent has since more than doubled and was on track for a fourth weekly gain. “The oil market is not out of the woods yet,” said Eugen Weinberg of Commerzbank. “We regard the latest price rally on the oil market to be excessive.” The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, known as OPEC+, are reducing supply by a record 9.7 million barrels per day from May 1 to support the market. Export figures suggest OPEC+ made a strong start. In a sign of the glut easing, US crude inventories fell last week.

Gasoline demand is rising and some airlines are planning for a return of European travel. Traders will be keeping an eye on US demand for the Memorial Day weekend, a time when fuel use usually rises.

Business community irked over six-day closure of banks ISLAMABAD APP

At a time when the lockdown had eased after two months and business activities had picked up sharply with the advent of Eid, the six-day closure of banks was causing serious problems for the business community in terms of cash maintenance. In a statement issued on Friday, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Muhammad Ahmed Waheed urged the State Bank of Pakistan governor as well as the adviser of PM on finance to order for an inquiry as to why the banks were asked to remain closed for six consecutive days in the country.

Waheed informed that the trend of shopping in the markets was picking ahead of Eid, as billions of rupees were being spent on a daily basis in the markets. "Under these circumstances, where will the business community keep the cash received from sales?" he asked. "If they keep cash with themselves, there is always a danger of theft and robbery." He said keeping the banks closed for six consecutive days in a country already struggling for survival amid Covid-19 was not a wise decision by the government, adding that SBP would be held responsible if any untoward incident happens with traders.

P

STAFF REPORT

AKISTAn Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) has rejected the findings, conclusions and recommendations of the report issued by the Sugar Inquiry Commission, terming it "a premeditated exercise to malign a lawful and taxpaying industry that has an enormous social and economic foothold in Pakistan".

In a statement issued on Friday, PSMA also strongly objected the unnecessary publicity being given to the report for extraneous and dubious reasons and ensuing media trial of the entire sugar industry.

PSMA blamed the commission for repeating the mistakes of the earlier committee by targeting the entire industry with generalized and unsubstantiated aspersions and allegations.

"The report is farcical and deliberately twisting the facts to suit the preconceived conclusions of the commission. All written submissions of the PSMA remained completely ignored," the association maintained.

Pointing out some "glaring, elementary and conceptual errors", PSMA said the commission had incorrectly alleged, without any proof or evidence, that difference between sugarcane produced and sugarcane crushed is due to "off-the-books" purchase. In fact, as also acknowledged by the commission, a significant portion of the difference is due to the production of "gurr", which is not documented/verifiable.

Furthermore, at least 10pc of sugarcane production is retained as seed, fodder and for other miscellaneous purposes (never sold to mills).

"Astonishingly, the commission claimed that 'variation in ex-mill prices over the course of the year

CHAIRMAN SAYS REPORT ONLY SHOWS ‘TECHNICAL AND ACCOUNTING INCOMPETENCE’ OF COMMISSION MEMBERS are completely unfounded'. As per the commission’s erroneous understanding, the ex-mill price of sugar should stay constant throughout the year. The commission refuses to acknowledge the role of 'market forces of supply and demand' on grounds that help meet the total demand in the country. The complete lack of economic, commercial and financial understanding of the commission is shocking," the PSMA statement read.

It continued, "Contrary to all relevant accounting practices and norms, nine different categories of genuine costs have been completely excluded by the commission while determining the cost of sugar sold, and hypothetical/unearned income on account of byproducts has been included."

The commission has no understanding of ground realities of sugar sector, including cane procurement and crushing. Since they admittedly started their exercise near the end of the crushing season and did not witness crushing activities first-hand, they remain unaware of the actual complexities involved, including huge volume of daily transactions.

Sucrose content of cane will vary even from field to field and stalk to stalk. Furthermore, numerous other factors in addition to sucrose content of cane will affect actual sucrose recovery ratio of a sugar

Pakistan rejects China debt trap theories FOREIGN OFFICE SAYS PUBLIC DEBT IN CPEC PROJECTS MERE 10PC OF TOTAL OUTLAY ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Pakistan on Friday debunked the claims being projected about the so-called 'heavy debt' related to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), with the Foreign Office once again clarifying that total public debt involved with CPEC outlay was mere 10pc of the country's overall debt.

"We have reiterated many times that our total public debt relating to CPEC projects is less than even 10pc of the total debt.

Moreover, the public debt obtained from China has a maturity period of 20 years and the interest is 2.34pc. If grants are included, the interest value slides down to about two per cent," said the Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui, rejecting western propaganda over CPEC. "The claims made by some of the commentators and public officials on Pakistan’s debt obli-

gations relating to CPEC are contrary to facts," she said, adding that CPEC, a long-term project, has helped address development gaps in energy, infrastructure, industrialization, and job creation.

"Pakistan and China are 'allweather strategic cooperative partners'. We are engaged in prompting peace, development and stability in the region based on the principles of mutual respect, mutual benefit, win-win cooperation and shared development. Our ties are based on deep mutual trust and understanding."

Farooqui said that economic

development and long-term prosperity of the people is our government’s top priority.

"CPEC, a flagship project of BRI, is a transformational project contributing positively and transparently to Pakistan’s national development. Pakistan believes that regional economic connectivity will provide a critical stimulus for creating broadbased growth across the region."

The spokesperson said that Pakistan and China have several mechanisms to discuss matters of mutual interest. Both countries are regularly in touch to address those issues bilaterally.

mill. It is an entirely unrealistic, impractical and naïve expectation that sucrose recovery ratio of any mill can accurately be determined by sample testing in labs of cane being crushed by the mills.

Expounding further on one of the biggest fallacies in the report, PSMA called the costing exercise carried out by the commission as completely "nonsensical" and "fictitious". Even finance costs which constitute almost one-third of the cost of the sugar industry after sugar cane payments have been excluded by the commission with no plausible reason or justification.

It questioned as to how can an industry that has to pay for raw material in three months and sell its end product over twelve months works without finance costs?

"The primary intent behind the commission's approach seems to be to calculate an artificial low cost of production, only to be used as a basis to substantiate and reiterate the incorrect allegations earlier raised against the sugar mills in the committee report of March 24, 2020," said PSMA Chairman Aslam Faruque said. "no business can survive on the production cost model like the commission suggests, and even that was calculated entirely wrong. The technical and accounting incompetence of this exercise is mind-boggling."

PSMA challenged the commission to justify/prove its treatment of by-products and exclusion of genuine costs in the costing model before any competent accounting forum.

It also strongly criticized the attempts of the commission to cast suspicion on declared and genuine sales and advances from buyers and reclassify them as “benami” and “satta” transactions without any proof or evidence.

Weekly inflation up 0.66pc ISLAMABAD APP

The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI)-based weekly inflation for the week ended on May 21 witnessed an increase of 0.66 per cent, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Friday. The SPI for the week under review for the combined consumption group was recorded at 128.15 points, as against 127.31 points registered in the previous week. The weekly SPI with base year 2015-16=100 covers 17 urban centers and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups. The SPI for the lowest consumption group, up to Rs17,732, also witnessed 0.57pc increase, from 133.30 points last week to 134.06 points during the week under review. Weekly inflation for consumption groups from Rs17,733-Rs22,888; Rs22,889-Rs29,517; Rs29,518-Rs44,175 and above Rs44,175 per month increased by 0.65pc, 0.65pc, 0.69pc and 0.65pc, respectively. During the week, prices of five items decreased, 17 items increased while that of 29 items remained unchanged. The items that recorded a decrease in their average prices included onions, LPG cylinder, pulse (gram, masoor) and gur. The commodities which recorded increase in their average prices included chicken, tomatoes, wheat, bananas, garlic, potatoes, moong pulse, mustard oil, curd, cigarettes, pulse (mash), mutton, eggs, cooking oil, sugar, milk, rice (basmati). Similarly, the prices of the commodities that observed no change in their price during the week under review included rice (Irri-6/9), bread, beef, milk (powdered), vegetable ghee, vegetable ghee, salt, chilies, tea (packet), cooked beef, tea (prepared), long cloth, shirting, lawn, georgette, gents sandal, gents sponge chappal, ladies sandal, electricity charges, firewoodk, energy saver, washing soap, matchbox, petrol, diesel, telephone call, and toiled soap. According to the PBS analysis, the increase in inflation was mainly due to a rise in prices of food items i.e. chicken (10.47pc), tomatoes (9.60pc), wheat flour (2.35pc), bananas (2.34pc), garlic (1.69pc) and potatoes (1.21pc).

IMF says committed to supporting Pakistan amid corona crisis WASHINGTON PPI

The International Monitory Fund (IMF) stated on Friday the extended fund facility, which was signed with Pakistan before the coronavirus crisis, remains in effect.

"Discussions were currently paused due to the pandemic outbreak, and [instead] there was a focus on the rapid financing instrument to help Pakistan combat Covid-19. And in this regard, our Executive Board [last month] approved $1.4 billion for Pakistan," said Gerry Rice of the IMF's Communication Department in a press briefing.

Rice said technical discussions are in process with the Pakistani authorities on the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), which is another instrument through which the Fund is supporting Pakistan. "This will be the second review. We hope to bring it to a positive conclusion as soon as possible."

Rice stated, "What else can I say on the G20 initiative and developing countries, including Pakistan? Again, you know, going back to what I said earlier, on this Debt Relief Initiative, it’s important to recognize that developing countries include some very poor and indebted nations, but they also include many countries that have been developing successfully.

It’s a broad spectrum, and I know many of you know that, but it’s im-

portant to keep that in mind. So, for many of these countries, you know,

that have been developing successfully, for many of them, attaining creditworthiness, the ability and the willingness to repay their debts, constitutes a hard-fought success."

The IMF official continued, "So, that’s why I said earlier that a few developing countries have said, publicly, that they’re not inclined to take up the G20 Debt Suspension Initiative, you know, partly, because of that reason. What they want is a level playing field, in the form of stable access to finance on affordable terms, and, so, for this reason, the Fund’s priority is to ensure that these countries continue to have that access to appropriate external financ-

ing, as they go forward, and we try to contribute to that through our own lending and through initiatives, such as the G20 Debt Service Suspension, but let me be clear. As I said earlier, we also support all developing countries whose debts are unsustainable."

Rice said the Fund would support its member countries, even whose debts are unsustainable, and, again, whilst a few countries had indicated that they would not be participating in the initiative, the vast majority have either expressed a formal request to participate, or expressed interest, and IMF expects many more official requests in the coming days.

Saturday, 23 May, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

More young PeoPle dyIng of coronavIrus In BrazIl Than oTher counTrIes

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RAZIL has risen to the third most affected country in the world from the novel coronavirus, as it reported more than 20,000 deaths on Friday. However, more young people are dying here than in any other country in the world.

The South American giant of 210 million people is the latest flashpoint in the coronavirus pandemic, rapidly rising to third this week on the list of countries with the most infections.

With more than 310,000 cases, it lags behind only the United States and Russia.

A closer look at the data raises questions about the widely held idea that COVID-19 is mainly dangerous for the elderly.

Of Brazil´s victims, 69% were aged 60 or older, compared with 95% in Spain and Italy, according to official statistics.

The disparity is partly driven by the age of the overall populace: Just 13.6% of Brazil´s population is 60 or older, compared to 25% in Spain and 28% in Italy.

But demographics do not tell the whole story. "Since Brazil has a younger population, it´s normal for the number of cases to be higher among under-60s. But it´s also because young adults are observing stayat-home measures less," said Mauro Sanchez, an epidemiologist at the University of Brasilia.

"Young (Brazilians) aren´t responding to the virus differently. It´s because they´re

more exposed," he told AFP. "What´s perverse is that a lot of the people who are exposing themselves to the virus are doing it because they don´t have a choice."

- ´Worrying statistics´ The phenomenon has become more pronounced as the pandemic progresses here. In early April, 19% of COVID-19 deaths in Brazil were among under-60s.

This week, that figure rose to 31%.

Studies based on cell phone location data indicate Brazilians are observing stayat-home measures less and less.

Some experts pin the blame for that on

Trump says he finally wore a mask -- but not for public viewing YpSILanTI Agencies

President Donald Trump said Thursday he'd finally overcome his aversion to wearing masks against the coronavirus -- yet he didn't want be photographed. Touring a Ford auto factory in Ypsilanti, Michigan, where workers have converted to building respirators and other medical equipment for fighting COVID19, Trump held up a mask and declared he'd covered his face earlier. "I had one on before. I wore one in this back area but I didn't want to give the press the pleasure of seeing it," he told reporters and photographers covering his visit. Nearly everyone at the Ford factory was wearing a face covering, in line with company policy and government recommendations on curtailing the highly contagious virus. In a statement from the auto giant, it said that company chairman Bill Ford "encouraged President Trump to wear a mask when he arrived. He wore a mask during a private viewing of three Ford GTs from over the years. The President later removed the mask for the remainder of the visit." Trump, pushing to get Americans to put the pandemic behind them and reopen the faltering economy, has never worn a mask in public. He previously has said that he doesn't consider the look fitting his perception of himself as a world leader. On Thursday, he said the mask "was very nice, it looked very nice." Skepticism about the need for masks is rife among rightwing Americans who support Trump. In more extreme circles, demands by local government or private businesses for the public to wear masks has been interpreted as a conspiracy against constitutional freedoms.

disjointed government policies: Stay-athome measures are decided at the state and local level, but at the federal level, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro regularly rails against them.

Bolsonaro, who has famously compared the coronavirus to a "little flu," says business closures are needlessly hurting the economy, which is facing a deep recession this year.

He has urged Brazilians to get back to work.

But the working-age population is vulnerable to the disease, too.

Brazil´s official statistics do not break

down coronavirus infections by age, and experts say under-testing means the real number of cases is probably far higher than the health ministry´s figures.

A group of researchers called COVID19 Brasil estimates the country has more than 3.6 million infected people -- more than 10 times higher than the official figure. It estimates the age groups with the most infections are 20 to 29 and 30 to 39 years old, with more than 580,000 infections each -- twice as many as those aged 60 to 69.

"The statistics are worrying, because we can see that lately young people are not taking the necessary precautions," said Patricia Canto, a pulmonologist at the National School of Public Health.

In a country where 20% of the population lives on less than $5.50 a day, many Brazilians are forced to choose between staying home and putting food on the table.

The poorest tend to work in the informal sector -- things like cleaning, cooking, childcare and other jobs that can only be done by leaving the house.

The government has allocated emergency payments of 600 reals (about $110) a month to help such workers get by.

But many have had trouble registering.

In a case of social distancing policy gone awry, crowds have thronged branches of state bank Caixa as people wait hours to sign up for the benefit. Agencies

Venezuela sends US Congress letter on alleged invasion CaraCaS Agencies

Venezuela has sent a letter to the US Congress outlying its case against the US and Colombian governments regarding a recent failed seaborne invasion, the attorney general said on Thursday.

Two former US special forces soldiers who now face terrorism charges were among the 91 people Venezuela says it captured in thwarting a botched armed incursion from the sea.

Caracas has accused US President Donald Trump of being directly responsible for the raid, in which eight attackers were allegedly killed.

Attorney General Tarek William

Saab said the letter has been received by Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US House of Representatives. He said the letter provided "information to the American Congress about the facts of the so-called Operation Gideon."

The May 3 raid saw armed men land in Macuto, less than an hour from Caracas. Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro claimed it was a plot to assassinate him.

A US House of Representatives committee has launched an investigation and sought information from Venezuela about the alleged invasion.

Venezuela has charged the former US soldiers -- Luke Denman, 34, and Airan Berry, 41 -- with "terrorism, conspiracy, illicit trafficking of weapons of war and

(criminal) association." They could face between 25 to 30 years in prison.

Saab said the letter contains information on the "presumed participation" of the Trump administration and the government of Colombian President Ivan Duque.

Both are close allies of Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido, who in January 2019 declared himself acting president in a direct challenge to Maduro's authority, for which he received the backing of more than 50 countries.

Maduro has also accused Guaido of planning the invasion, a charge the opposition leader denies. However, two Guaido advisors resigned last week after being linked to the invasion.

Myanmar editor jailed for 2 years over coronavirus error Yangon Agencies

A Myanmar news editor has been jailed for two years after his agency reported a coronavirus death that turned out to be false, his lawyer said Friday.

The country has only 199 confirmed cases of coronavirus and seen six deaths, although the low numbers tested mean experts fear the true figures are far higher.

Chief editor Zaw Ye Htet was arrested May 13, the same day his online

news agency Dae Pyaw published an erroneous article alleging there had been a death due to the COVID-19 in eastern Karen state.

On May 20, just one week later, he faced trial, an unusually swift process in a country where suspects often languish for months behind bars before being convicted.

"He was sentenced under section 505(b) to two years in jail," by the court in Karen state, his lawyer Myint Thuzar Maw said Friday.

The notorious Section 505(b) is a vaguely-worded law, often thrown at journalists and activists for making any statement that cause fear or alarm.

"We'll appeal this unfair decision," Zaw Ye Htet's wife Phyu Phyu Win told AFP by phone. It is not clear why the trial took place so quickly.

Karen state borders Thailand and saw more than 16,000 returning Myanmar migrant workers early April after the pandemic caused huge job losses in Thailand and borders started to close.

facebook, amazon chiefs see wealth balloon amid pandemic: report WaShIngTon Agencies

The fortunes of US billionaires rose 15 percent in the two months since the coronavirus pandemic hit, a study found, with Amazon boss Jeff Bezos and Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg seeing massive gains.

The more than 600 billionaires in the United States became even richer as tech stocks rose during virus lockdowns, an analysis of data by two think-tanks published Thursday said.

Between March 18 and May 19, their total net worth increased by $434 billion while the coronavirus pandemic caused job losses and economic agony for tens of millions of Americans. Bezos' wealth grew over 30 percent to $147.6 billion, while Zuckerberg's fortune leapt by more than 45 percent to $80 billion, according to the research by Americans for Tax Fairness and the Institute for Policy Studies' Program for Inequality.

The analysis was based on data from Forbes billionaires list. Microsoft's Bill Gates and Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffett saw comparatively paltry gains of 8.2 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively, according to the report. Amazon and Facebook stocks have surged following new program announcements that pushed their businesses ahead at a time when many consumers are stuck at home. Job losses in the US have passed 36.8 million since business shutdowns began in mid-March to stop the spread of the deadly new disease. Other data have shown a collapse in housing sales and a decline in manufacturing, as officials debate what additional steps will be needed to rescue the beleaguered economy. COVID-19 has killed at least 94,700 people in the US where more than 1.5 million infections have been confirmed, according to an AFP tally .

Iran's Khamenei: fight to 'liberate Palestine' is 'Islamic duty' Tehran Agencies

Iran's supreme leader said it was an "Islamic duty" to fight for the "liberation of Palestine" in a landmark speech Friday amid rising tensions with regional arch-enemy Israel.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lashed out at Western nations and their Arab "puppets" for supporting the Jewish state, in his first ever speech marking Quds (Jerusalem) Day. The 80-year-old leader also appeared to confirm for the first time that Iran has helped to provide Palestinians with arms. "The aim of this struggle is the liberation of the entire Palestinian land" and "the return of all Palestinians to their country," Khamenei said in an address broadcast live on state television.

"The policy of normalising the presence of the Zionist regime in the region is one of the major policies of the United States of America," he said. "Some Arab governments in the region, which play the role of US puppets, have provided the necessary preconditions for this, such as economic ties and the like; these efforts are completely fruitless and sterile. "Everyone must fill the hand of the Palestinian fighter and strengthen his back.

'Speedy burial': Coronavirus pandemic disrupts funeral ceremonies in Turkey ISTanBUL Agencies

In normal times, almost 200 people would have attended the funeral for Ahmet Ucukcu´s 95-year-old father at an Istanbul cemetery.

The coronavirus which took his life has changed all that.

"Many of my relatives wouldn´t come except for close family members and his sons who were authorised to attend only," Ucukcu told AFP. "We are just six or seven people."

The scaled-down ceremony took place at a cemetery in the city´s Beykoz district on the Asian side, which was built in March when Turkey confirmed its first virus case.

It already houses the remains of over 700 people who died of contagious diseases in-

cluding COVID-19.

Ucukcu lost his father Ali to the virus after the old man was treated for 10 days. He also suffered from chronic illnesses.

Gathered around the grave, Ucukcu and his close family -- all wearing protective masks and standing a few paces from each other -- say prayers after the coffin is buried.

Before the pandemic a shroud would suffice. Only an hour earlier, the group were at a nearby morgue where the body was washed by personnel in hazmat suits before being wrapped in cloth and placed in a coffin.

A small collective prayer was then held outside the morgue with those attending respecting social distancing rules.

The imam -- also in a hazmat suit -- led the funeral prayers for the deceased before the coffin was taken by hearse to the Beykoz cemetery.

´Speedy burial´ Ayhan Koc, head of Istanbul´s cemeteries department, said a fast burial without traditional Islamic rituals was an efficient and correct method given the current situation.

He said in the past there would have been a funeral prayer after the midday and afternoon prayers but now the aim was to ensure a speedy burial, without even taking the body to the mosque.

The government shut down mosques in March for mass prayers as part of efforts to stop the spread of the virus.

And rituals are no longer allowed where people visit the family of the deceased to offer their condolences and where verses from the Koran are recited.

"A virus which could only be seen through a microscope has changed the world order, everything; customs, traditions and fu-

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neral ceremonies. It has changed even death," said Koc. Turkey has recorded more than 4,200 coronavirus deaths and 153,000 confirmed cases but the daily death tolls have recently fallen below 100. ´Damn disease´ At the Beykoz cemetery, three women - a mother and her two daughters -- wearing headscarves were sitting on the ground next to a headstone, reading the Koran, with tears in their eyes.

"Mosques are closed because of the pandemic. We cannot bury our deceased in the way we wanted," said Filiz, who lost her 76year-old father last week.

He died from an infectious disease but was buried at Beykoz because he received treatment at a pandemic hospital although he tested negative for COVID-19.

"Only six people could join the funeral prayer: his grandchildren, daughters and son-in-laws. We buried my dad altogether," she said, adding the ceremony was at least "conducted in a proper fashion".

Relatives of the diseased respect the new rules "with no objections", said Koc. Ahmet welcomed the new restrictive measures to protect people´s health.

"If there was a crowd, it would be more dangerous," he said. Cengiz Aktas was the only one to join the funeral prayer for his grandmother Faize Kilic, who died from coronavirus at the age of 85.

"I have nobody who could join the rites here but me. My mother aged over 65 is not allowed to go out," he said.

"This is such a damn disease that you cannot have a proper funeral prayer at a mosque," he lamented.

Saturday, 23 May, 2020

Bruised, Not Broke: PakistaN liNe uP PlaNs to shore uP fiNaNces laHore

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Agencies

HE Pakistan Cricket Board is hoping for the best and preparing for the worst as it seeks to mitigate financial setbacks stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, its chief executive, Wasim Khan, has told Reuters.

On the face of it, the disruption caused by the novel coronavirus outbreak could not have come at a worse time, striking in mid-March when the Pakistan Super League (PSL), worth about $300 million to the governing body, was about to enter the knockout stage. Bangladesh were also moved to postpone the final leg of their Pakistan tour, which included the second and final test and a one-off ODI — still rare fixtures in a country which has hosted almost no international cricket for a decade.

Khan, though, thinks the damage could have been a lot worse. “It was a small setback, not a huge one,” the 49-year-old said in a telephone interview.

“I say that because we have successfully brought test cricket back in Pakistan … we had the MCC tour, and obviously the PSL itself was a resounding success.

“We are fortunate in many ways, that we don’t have a home series now until November.” The board has already identified

new windows in November-December for the remaining PSL matches, Khan said, and still hoped to complete the Bangladesh fixtures in 2021. These are not the only potential losses for the board, however, with the fate of the Asia Cup, which Pakistan was to host in September, in limbo and uncertainty still hanging over this year’s Twenty20 World Cup in Australia.

“We have been working out contingency plans, so that we can understand what the landscape may look like for us in 12 months time,” he said.

“The scenario planning is based on no

Asia Cup happening in September, no World Cup happening in October.

“We’re trying to understand what the full impact of that is, and we’ll know that in the next couple of weeks.”

NEW BROADCAST DEAL: The PCB is also in the process of selling its broadcast rights for the 2020-23 period.

The absence of a bilateral series against India, thanks to the soured relations between the neighbours, is certain to undermine its value though.

But Khan said home fixtures against South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and

England over the next couple of years would offer “decent value” to broadcasters. He conceded the key would be to get England and Australia to tour Pakistan itself, rather than continue to force their “home” matches be played in the United Arab Emirates for security reasons.

Pakistan’s two-match series against Sri Lanka in December was the first test action in the country since the deadly 2009 attack on a bus carrying the Sri Lankan touring party. “The progress that we’ve made, there is absolutely no reason why they shouldn’t be touring in 2022,” he added.

“We’ll continue to work with those cricket boards, as we will be with New Zealand and South Africa, to ensure we provide the security provision that they expect.” Khan felt the 40-odd international cricketers who played in the PSL could help convince teams to tour Pakistan.

“We want these players to go back and tell their countrymen this is now what is it like in Pakistan,” he said. “It’s as safe as anywhere in the world.” With the same conviction, the PCB has ambitions to host ICC events in the 2023-31 cycle. “By 2023, we’ll be further down the line and mature further in how we run large-scale events,” Khan said. “We will be doing everything we possibly can with a strong case for to host those events from 2023.”

Pakistan chief optimistic about England tour london Agencies

26 all out: the nightmare that still haunts New Zealand cricket Wellington Agencies

It has been described as New Zealand cricket's darkest day, the 1955 Test against England when the Black Caps were skittled for just 26, a record low that still stands today. Even 65 years later, the embarrassing score still rankles with New Zealand fans, who are always on alert during a major Test collapse and death-ride the batting team hoping the record falls. "Frankly, as a New Zealand fan we'd be grateful for anyone to take this record away from us," Paul Ford, co-founder of Kiwi cricket supporters' group The Beige Brigade, told AFP. "It's ignominious, it's shameful. It would be great if someone came along and scored 25 or fewer."

The Test cricket landscape in 1955 was vastly different to today. India had recorded their first Test victory only three years before, Pakistan debuted in the five-day game barely two years previously and Sri Lanka were still 27 years away from gaining Test status. Australia and England were the undisputed heavyweights of the era with South Africa, the West Indies and New Zealand, who had not yet won a Test, in supporting roles. England arrived in New Zealand for two Tests full of confidence after their first Ashes series win in Australia for 22 years. The New Zealand Test team had been out of action for more than a year and had been unsettled by inconsistent selection. Even so, they made England toil for an eight-wicket victory in the opening Test in Dunedin and were reasonably placed midway through the second match in Auckland, having conceded a firstinnings deficit of 46 runs. But the gulf in class proved telling on a deteriorating pitch in the second innings when only one batsman, Bert Sutcliffe, reached double figures. Five players ended the session with ducks and Sutcliffe lamented: "It seemed hardly fair that we should have been so humiliated after putting up so stout-hearted a performance for two-and-a-half days." Reaction in New Zealand was ferocious, although captain Geoff Rabone continued to defend his side. "It was many things, that batting display, but it was never disgraceful," he later wrote. "Everyone gave their all and we were outgunned on the day. Everyone tried as hard as they could -- how could that be seen as disgraceful?" The setback was only temporary.

The Black Caps recorded their maiden win, in their 45th Test, a year later against the West Indies. Since 1955, New Zealand's unwanted record has almost fallen on several occasions.

Pakistan are “probably a week away” from getting a training squad together for their tour of England, the country’s top cricket administrator said Thursday.

The coronavirus has delayed the start of the English season until at least July, but the England and Wales Cricket Board is hoping to stage a full international campaign to avoid a possible loss of £380 million ($465 million).

West Indies are due to arrive for a three-Test tour in July, originally planned for June.

Pakistan are also scheduled to play three Tests behind closed doors, with Australia and Ireland due to visit for limited-overs internationals.

Pakistan Cricket Board chief executive Wasim Khan stressed nothing would be done that put his players’ health at risk, but said preparations were being put in place for the tour.

“The players trust that we are going to do what is right by them,” Khan told Sky Sports. “We are not going to jeopardise their health. We all want cricket to be played but not at all costs.

“We will have an extended squad.

We are looking at bringing about 25 players. We are planning to get them to-

gether to train for the tour. We’re probably about a week away from that.”

The UK government’s current guidance means any arrivals from overseas must remain in quarantine for 14 days.

But that could also double as a training period if Pakistan can be based at a cricket ground. “The ECB have said they are going to come back to us on that once they have gained clarity on what we can do during that time,” Khan explained.

“We are trying to get to England early July so that we can get the quar-

antine done. If we can practice during that time then great, if not then it gives us just under three weeks to practice.”

The Rose Bowl in Southampton and Old Trafford in Manchester have been touted as possible ‘bio-secure’ grounds due to having on-site hotels.

Khan added: “We are told there are going to be two venues. We have not been told which the two venues are. We are also told there is going to be a third venue, which is going to be our base while we are in England.”

SPORTS 11

Wada study: no meaningful link between tues, olympic medals Montreal Agencies

There's no meaningful link between an athlete having a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) and winning an Olympic medal, a study unveiled Thursday by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) found. US tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams and reigning Olympic and world all-around gymnastics champion Simone Biles are among athletes who have used TUEs, special permission to take otherwise banned substances for medical needs. Their WADA medical data, including use of TUEs, was revealed publicly by a hacker in 2016. The WADA study examined athletes with TUEs at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Summer Olympics and the 2010 Vancouver, 2014 Sochi and 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics to see if athletes with TUEs won more medals than those without. "The number of athletes competing with valid TUEs (in individual competition) at the selected Games was less than 1%," said WADA medical director Dr. Alan Vernec said. "The analysis suggests there's no meaningful association between competing with a TUE and the likelihood of winning a medal.

"The results of this study provide objective data to dispel some of the misunderstandings and misgivings surrounding TUEs." Biles said in 2016 that she had been taking medicine since childhood for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Serena Williams defended her use of TUEs in 2018, saying she regularly used them but "I am never, ever going to take an advantage over someone else. That is not who I am."

Athletes are given TUEs only after a review process and evaluation by a physicians panel on the medical relevance of the request. WADA and other anti-doping organizations then conduct further evaluation. "The TUE Program is a necessary part of sport, allowing athletes with legitimate medical conditions to compete on a level playing field," Vernec said. "It has overwhelming acceptance from athletes, physicians and anti-doping stakeholders and there is a stringent process in place to avoid abuse of the system." Researchers calculated risk ratios for the probability of winning a medal with and without TUEs and adjusted for the fact athletes from nations with greater resources might produce better performances due to other factors. There were 181 TUE users among 20,139 athletes who won 21 of 2,062 medals awarded, 0.9% in all. The ratio for winning a medal with a TUE was 1.13 compared to a 1.07 adjusted risk ratio.

Drive to succeed: the endless golf dominance of South Korea's women Seoul Agencies

When South Korea's domestic women's golf tour held its premier event last week -- without spectators because of the coronavirus pandemic -- no fewer than three of the world's top 10 players took part.

The country of 52 million people has a disproportionate share of the women's world golf rankings, providing eight of the current top 20. In a demonstration of their prominence, Korean women have won at least one major every season since 2010, with coronavirus cancellations perhaps the biggest threat to their run this year.

The phenomenon, players and commentators say, is the result of several factors: driven parents, intense training, a highly competitive society, sponsorship money, and the shining example of 25-time LPGA winner Pak Se-ri.

Of those, one element is critical -- the unstinting support and relentless encouragement of parents, who wait for hours while children practise, shuttle them between venues and spend significant sums on coaching.

"All-out parental support" is vital for success, world number six Kim Sei-young, who has 10 LPGA wins and took part in the KLPGA Championship, told AFP. It parallels the time, resources and pressure many South Korean parents pour into their children's academic

development in the attempt to secure a sought-after place at one of the country's top universities.

South Korea ranks eighth globally for number of courses, according to the Royal and Ancient's 2019 Golf in the World report, with 798 spread across 440 facilities.

But while driving ranges and screen golf are cheap and popular, green fees often cost hundreds of dollars and clubs are seen as elitist and expensive. "In the US, golf is a popular sport and people can access courses easily but here accessing one is laden with difficulty," said Kim. The potential returns on a golfing investment are huge: Kim has won a total of $8.8 million in prize money in the five years since her debut on the US-based LPGA Tour, where she holds the 72-hole scoring record at 31 under.

And even lower down the ladder, there are rewards on offer. Unusually, the South Korean women's tour is a bigger spectator sport in the country than the men's equivalent, reflecting their contrasting fortunes.

South Korea has produced a handful of world-class men -- including Y.E. Yang, Asia's only men's major-winner after he held off Tiger Woods at the 2009 PGA Championship -- but nothing like the production line of top women. Theories for the contrast include that the average physical differences between Asians and Westerners are smaller among women than men, and that male South Korean players' development is interrupted by compulsory

CMYK

national service.

Last year's KLPGA tour offered nearly 30 billion won ($24 million) in prize money across 30 tournaments, more than twice the 14.6 billion available on the 17-event men's tour. And several South Korean firms, often in the finance or construction sectors, sponsor golfers on the domestic tour, with the company logos appearing next to each player's name on KLPGA scorecards.

The funding means that players can concentrate on training, said Chosun Ilbo golf journalist Min Hak-soo, while "sponsors invest hoping that their players will raise national pride just like Pak".

Saturday, 23 May, 2020

NEWS

SoUth ASiA CyCloNe deAth toll pASSeS 100 KoLKAtA

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Agencies

T least 106 people died in the fiercest cyclone to hit Bangladesh and eastern India since 1999, officials said Friday as aerial footage revealed immense flooding in coastal areas. Amphan, only the second "super cyclone" ever recorded over the Bay of Bengal, bulldozed houses, tore off roofs, uprooted trees and left millions without power when it hit late on Wednesday.

Mamata Banerjee, premier of West Bengal said Friday that 80 people died in the Indian state, while Bangladesh's toll rose to 26, health department spokesperson Ayesha Akhter said.

The total was much lower than the many thousands of fatalities recorded in previous cyclones, thanks to better forecasting and the timely evacuation of over three million people.

However, huge damage was done in coastal areas as vast volumes of seawater rushed inland, inundating villages and shrimp farms that are vital to the Bangladeshi economy.

The United Nations in Geneva said Friday that the saltwater is expected to have "a severe impact on livelihoods for the next 2-3 years".

West Bengal's capital Kolkata was also badly hit, with 19 dead, parts of the old city flooded and hangar roofs at the airport caved in on top of aircraft.

The bodies of 11 people who were electrocuted were recovered from the flooded streets.

The storm also blew off the black weathercock on top of a 205-year-old church in Kolkata city centre that has survived countless cyclones before.

"It was as old as the church," Father Swarup Bar told AFP. "We have only been able to trace small pieces of one of the wings of the cock so far."

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday morning flew over the affected areas by helicopter and announced $132 million in government aid. "The whole country is now with West Bengal at this critical time and we will jointly rebuild the areas ruined by the cyclone," Modi said.

The European Union also announced initial funding of 500,000 euros ($545,000) for India and 1.1 million

euros for Bangladesh.

- Habitats damaged The damage did not appear to be as bad as feared in the Sunderbans, the vast mangrove forest area home to Royal Bengal tigers, Ganges dolphins and other endangered species straddling India and Bangladesh.

"Some Keora trees in the forest have been uprooted and some branches were broken. But overall the damage was not big," said Amir Hossain Chowdhury, Bangladesh's chief forester.

He said that 65 of the forest's 81 freshwater ponds that are vital for local fauna would now be pumped to remove seawater brought in by a smaller-than-predicted storm surge. "This is a temporary setback for the forest's wildlife including the Bengal Tigers, monkeys, spotted deer and others," Chowdhury told AFP. Four teams would also scour the dense 140,000hectare forest to inspect the damage to wildlife, but so far no dead bodies had been found, he added.

Like in previous cyclones, the vast Sunderbans area, a UNESCO world heritage site dubbed the "lungs of Bangladesh", acted as a brake on the weather system.

Mango exports likely to drop 40pc amid climate change, coronavirus LOW PRODUCTION OWING TO CLIMATIC CHANGE AND IMPOSITION OF GLOBAL LOCKDOWNS DUE TO COVID-19 HAS LED TO A SHARP DECLINE IN THE DEMAND OF PAKISTANI MANGOES ISLAMABAD gHULAM ABBAs

Mango exporters of the country fear 40 per cent drop in the overall export volume this year, as they are faced with multiple challenges due to coronavirus outbreak across the world coupled with the negative impact of climatic change.

Low production of mangoes owing to climatic change and imposition of global lockdowns due to Covid-19 have led to a sharp decline in the demand of Pakistani mangoes; flight operations have been reduced while freight charges have been increased exorbitantly.

Keeping the situation in view, the horticulture exporters have limited the export target of mango to 80,000 metric tonnes this year, which is 50,000 tonnes less when compared to the last year export target of 130,000 tonnes.

With marked reduction in the export target, the revenue generation of valuable foreign exchange would be seriously impacted. Last year, with the mango export of 130,000 tonnes, the country earned valuable foreign exchange amounting to $90 million while the same is feared to be limited to $50 million this year.

According to Waheed Ahmed, head of the All Pakistan Fruit & Vegetable Exporters, Importers & Merchants Associa-

tion (PFVA), mango exporters are faced with uncertainty due to the global coronavirus pandemic, and that the mango exports are expected to reduce by 40pc in comparison to the last year. The pandemic has led to shut down of international importing markets of Pakistani mangoes including Europe and USA, he added.

Exporters said the airlines, due to curtailment of their operations, have enhanced the freight charges three times as cargo carriers are currently charging Rs550 per kilo instead of Rs175 per kilo last year for Europe, while the freight charges of Rs80 per kilo to the Gulf countries have been enhanced to Rs240 per kilo this year, which has multiplied the cost of mango export consignment exorbitantly.

Of the total export volume of mango, 55pc is exported by sea, 20pc by air and 25pc by land routes but due to an exorbitant increase in freight charges by the airlines the air export is feared to be reduced by 70pc this year. On other hand, the mango export to Iran and Afghanistan via land routes is likely to encounter difficulties either due to global lockdown or closure of the borders.

The flight operations to several importing countries of Pakistani mangoes have not yet been resumed and similarly the flights that are operating with “changed schedule” are also posing a se-

Saudi journalist Khashoggi’s sons say they ‘forgive’ father’s killers RIYADH Agencies

The sons of murdered Saudi journalist and critic Jamal Khashoggi said on Friday they “forgive” the killers of their father — a move that can potentially grant leniency to five convicted people facing death penalty. Khashoggi — a royal family insider turned critic — was killed and dismembered at the kingdom´s consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, in a case that tarnished the reputation of de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. His family´s pardon could spare the lives of five unnamed people sentenced to death over the murder in a December court ruling that exonerated two top aides to the crown prince. “On this holy night of this blessed month (of Ramadan)… we the sons of martyr Jamal Khashoggi announce we forgive and pardon those who killed our father,” the Washington Post columnist´s son Salah Khashoggi said on Twitter.

Saudi authorities did not immediately comment on the legal ramifications of the announcement from Salah, who resides in the kingdom and has denied reports of a financial settlement with the government. “What this essentially means is that the killers will avoid capital punishment since that is a right the family (under sharia law) has to forgive,” Ali Shihabi, a Saudi author and analyst close to the government said on Twitter. “Other legal procedures by the state continue.” Analyst Nabeel Nowairah also said the family´s declaration effectively means the “murderers will not be executed”.

UN launches global initiative to combat Covid-19 misinformation ISLAMABAD Agencies

rious threat to the export of mangoes.

Even if Pakistani mango exporters export mangoes to Europe by absorbing higher freight charges, there is no guarantee that these shipments would be cleared in time and reach the consumers, exporters fear.

Not only export of fresh Mango but the value-added mango products like mango pulp exports have also started experiencing declining and domestic consumption also declined significantly and this ill effects are anticipated to become pronounced during the current mango season.

Due to closure of hotels, academic institutions, tourism and shopping malls, the demand of juices has dropped remarkably, which is adversely affecting export of mango pulp as well as drastic reduction in demand locally.

The countries importing Pakistani mango pulp have already curtailed their orders due to significant drop in consumption of juices locally, its feared that the revenue generation from export of mango pulp as well local sale is antici-

pated to be dropped by 35 percent.

According to the horticulture exporters, the coronavirus pandemic has only surfaced this year while negative impact of the climatic changes is being felt for the last five years leading to low production. The mango crop is now taking additional two weeks to get matured and hence the harvesting period now increased, they add.

Simultaneously with this serious challenge, the mango engulfed with several diseases finds it difficult to cope up with the diseases due to reduction in its natural capacity to defend against such diseases.

Punjab that has a share of 70pc in total production of mango in the country now faces reduction of 35pc in its production, while Sindh faces reduction of 15pc from it’s usual share of 29pc during the current season.

The exporters have now changed their trade strategy for exporting mango by air due to abnormal increase in freight charges and are now switching to sea transportation.

The United Nations has launched an initiative called "Verified" to counter Covid-19 misinformation by increasing the volume and reach of trusted and accurate information. "We cannot cede our virtual spaces to those who traffic in lies, fear and hate," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who announced the initiative. "Misinformation spreads online, in messaging apps and person to person. Its creators use savvy production and distribution methods. To counter it, scientists and institutions like the United Nations need to reach people with accurate information they can trust." Verified, led by the UN Department for Global Communications (DGC), will provide information around three themes: science, solidarity and solutions. It will also promote recovery packages that tackle the climate crisis and address the root causes of poverty, inequality and hunger, said the United Nations in a press release. The initiative is calling on people around the world to sign up to become "information volunteers" to share trusted content to keep their families and communities safe and connected. The volunteers will receive a daily feed of verified content optimized for social sharing with simple, compelling messaging that either directly counters misinformation or fills an information void. The DGC will partner with UN agencies and UN country teams, influencers, civil society, business and media organizations to distribute trusted, accurate content and work with social media platforms to root out hate and harmful assertions about COVID-19. "In many countries, the misinformation surging across digital channels is impeding the public health response and stirring unrest.

Hydroxychloroquine shows no coronavirus benefit, raises death risk: study PARIS Agencies

A study of nearly 100,000 coronavirus patients has shown no benefit in treating them with anti-viral drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine and even increased the likelihood of them dying in hospital.

Hydroxychloroquine is normally used to treat arthritis but pronouncement from public figures including US President Donald Trump -- who announced this week he is taking the drug -- has prompted governments to bulk buy the medicine.

Chloroquine is an anti-malarial. Both drugs can produce potentially serious side effects, particularly heart arrhythmia.

Authors of a study published Friday in The Lancet said they found that the two medicines had no effect on the outcome of patients hospitalised with COVID-19.

Looking at the records of 96,000 patients across hundreds of hospitals, they found that administering the drugs actually increased the risk of dying.

They compared outcomes from four

groups: those treated with hydroxychloroquine alone, with chloroquine alone, and then two groups given the respective drugs in combination with antibiotics.

There was also a control group of patients not given these treatments.

At the end of the study period around nine percent of those in the control group had died.

Of those treated with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine alone, 18 percent and 16.4 percent respectively had died.

And those given each drug in combination with antibiotics were even more likely to die: 22.8 percent with chloroquine and 23.8 percent with hydroxychloroquine.

The authors estimated that the drugs put patients at up to 45 percent higher risk of dying from COVID-19 compared with underlying health issues.

"Treatment with chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine does not benefit patients with COVID-19," said Mandeep Mehra, lead author of the study and executive director of the Brigham and Women's Hospital Center for Advanced Heart Disease in Boston.

"Instead, our findings suggest it may be associated with an increased risk of serious heart problems and increased risk of death."

Despite Trump's enthusiasm for using hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 treatment, his own government's Food and Drug Administration warns against it.

Brazil's health minister on Wednesday recommended using chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine to treat even mild COVID-19 cases. Britain has ordered £35 million ($42 million, 40 million euros) worth of hydroxychloroquine, despite numerous studies showing it is ineffective in treating COVID-19 and may even be more dangerous than doing nothing.

"Several countries have advocated use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, either alone or in combination, as potential treatments for COVID-19," said Frank Ruschitzka, director of the Heart Center at University Hospital Zurich and co-author of the study.

"We now know from our study that the chance that these medications improve outcomes in COVID-19 is quite low."

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