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Thursday, 11 June, 2020 I 19 Shawwal-ul-Mubarak, 1441 I Rs 15.00 I Vol X No 342 I 12 Pages I Karachi Edition
Pakistan gets relief after susPension of debt service Payments g
PARIS ClUB AGREES TO SUSPEND PAYMENTS FROM PAKISTAN, ETHIOPIA, CONGO AS PART OF G-20 DEBT RElIEF DEAl
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ExPERT SAYS RElIEF TOO SMAll UNlESS ‘CHINA AND MUlTIlATERAl AND PRIvATE CREDITORS’ STEP UP EFFORTS
ISLAMABAD aGeNCIes
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HE Paris Club of creditor nations have agreed to suspend debt service payments from Chad, Ethiopia, Pakistan, and Republic of Congo as part of a G20 debt relief deal, the group said. The Group of 20 leading economies and the Paris Club, an informal group of state creditors coordinated by the French finance ministry, agreed in April to freeze debt payments of the 77 poorest countries this year to free up cash to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The latest agreements bring to 12 the number of countries to receive debt relief under the deal with a total of $1.1 billion in debt deferred as a result, the Paris Club said, adding 30 countries had requested to benefit. Earlier in April, the Paris Club had agreed to freeze the debt payments of the 77 poorest countries in 2020 to free up cash for them to fight the coronavirus pandemic. “Debtor countries saw that others were using it, so that reduced the fear and stigma,” Chairwoman Odile RenaudBasso told reporters in a telephone briefing on Wednesday. “We see today an acceleration in the number of demands.” The club has held talks with ratings companies to avoid any action against countries participating in the initiative, Renaud-Basso said. China is implementing waivers individually with each country, but questions remain on which obligations can be delayed, she was quoted by Bloomberg as saying. “Paris Club been quickest and set a good example to other creditors. But speed due to it being only a small creditor,” Gregory Smith, a strategist with london-based M&G Investments, said on Twitter. “Unless China steps up, plus in some cases multilateral and private creditors, relief is too small.”
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ISLAMABAD Pakistan in May had formally requested members of G-20 nations for debt relief with a commitment of “not contracting new nonconcessional loans, except those allowed under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank guidelines”. The formal requests were sent to individual countries under the G-20 Covid-19 Debt Service Suspension Initiative. Pakistan owes $20.7 billion to 11 members of the Group of 20 rich nations. Out of this sum, an amount of $1.8 billion would mature by December 2020, including the interest payments, according to the economic affairs ministry. In May, Prime Minister Imran Khan had urged the global community to provide debt relief to the developing world, especially the sub-continent, saying several countries in the developing world do not possess the fiscal space to divert resources to the healthcare sector amid a deadly pandemic. Addressing a session of the World Economic Forum (WEF) via video link, the prime minister had said he talked to several leaders of the developing world who were facing the same problem as Pakistan or any other developing country. “The G20 has come up with a debt relief plan but it needs more details and work. let me just put it this way: many of the de-
Pakistan
CONFIRMED CASES:
117,172
DAY'S DEATH TOLL:
101
RECOVERED:
DEATHS:
SINDH:
PUNJAB:
36,308 2,317 43,460
KP:
BALOCHISTAN:
AJK/GB:
ISLAMABAD:
15,206 444/974
MIRzA SAYS UN BODY vIEWS SITUATION THROUGH HEAlTH lENS, WHIlE PTI GOvT IS FOllOWING ‘HOlISTIC’ STRATEGY staff report
coronavirus in
43,790
Govt plays down WHO warning as Pakistan reports 6,000 new infections
7,335
5,963
veloping countries face this situation where, because of their debt-servicing, their fiscal space has contracted and they are unable to cope with this challenge of health facilities. “The reason why there should be a debt relief and the G20 is looking into it is because we need to divert those resources to health and also to environment and, unfortunately, that space is not there,” he added. On April 15, the G-20 nations had announced a freeze on debt repayments from 76 countries, including Pakistan, during May to December 2020 period, subject to the condition that each country would make a formal request. On April 16, an IMF report had estimated Pakistan’s post-Covid-19 external financing requirements at $25.8 billion with a financing gap of $2 billion. For the next fiscal year, the IMF projected Pakistan’s gross financing requirements at $29.3 billion and a financing gap of $1.5 billion.
ADB approves $500m loan to Pakistan to aid Covid-19 response STORY ON PAGE 09
Even though Pakistan reported over 6,000 Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, Prime Minister’s Health Adviser Dr zafar Mirza played down the recommendations by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for being just ‘health-focused’. In the wake of the rise in the infection across the country, the WHO had suggested that the Punjab government may impose a strict, intermittent two-week quarantine to stem the spread of the pandemic. In a letter to Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid, WHO Country Head for Pakistan Dr Palitha Mahipala had stated that the country does not meet any of the organisation’s six technical criteria for easing a lockdown as was done on May 1 and then on May 22. However, the warning fell on deaf ears. Mirza responded to the report, saying that the UN body was viewing the situation through a “health lens” whereas the government was following a “holistic” strategy to deal with the threat. “The government’s choice of policies has been guided by the
Covid-19 dashed hopes of economic recovery: govt ISLAMABAD staff report
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said the government was focussed on uplifting the health and agriculture sectors in the wake of coronavirus and locust plague in the country. Chairing a meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) ahead of the budget, the PM said the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) will also prioritise the sectors that would generate jobs for the youths. Speaking about the state of the economy, Imran said that the ruling party took effective measures to revive the economy; however, with the emergence of Covid-19, the economy has once again come under increasing strain. According to a press release by the Prime Minister’s Office, the meeting approved the gross domestic product (GDP) growth target for FY 2020-2021, along with sectoral growth projections for agriculture, industry and services. The NEC also reviewed the Public Sector Development Programme (PDSP) for the current fiscal year and the proposed development outlay for FY 2020-2021.
best evidence available about the disease spread and our best assessment of the fast deteriorating socioeconomic conditions in the country,” said Mirza. He recalled that a ministeriallevel meeting took place at the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) every day in which the government with the help of experts “reviewed the disease data and trends very minutely and took a holistic view of the situation along with the provinces and developed recommendations”. The adviser further recalled that Pakistan was a low middle-income country where two-thirds of the population was dependent on day-today earnings. “[The government] has made best sovereign decisions in the best interest of our people,” he said. He added, however, that the government has to make “tough policy choices” to maintain the balance between lives and livelihoods. He said that although the lockdown had been eased, there was an increased focus on enforcing the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the government to prevent the spread of the virus.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 02
more inside
PHC grills NAB for its 'selective' brand of accountability STORY ON PAGE 03
ECP gives Bilawal clean chit in assets case STORY ON PAGE 02 The PM also emphasised the need for ensuring close and seamless coordination between the federal and provincial governments during the finalisation and implementation of the development projects. He underscored the need for employing technology to monitor the progress of the ongoing projects. He was there was a need for ensuring public participation in the development process through the provision of realtime information and getting their feedback on the implementation status of the projects. He also directed that the NEC meet biannually to review the progress of PDSP projects. According to the statement,
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the meeting was informed that this is the first time that PDSP only includes those projects that have already been approved by the relevant forums. “This will ensure fast implementation of the projects and optimum utilisation will be carried out, leading to economic growth,” it said.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 03
ECC approves Rs480m risk allowance for healthcare workers STORY ON PAGE 02
5 Kashmiri youth martyred in Shopian STORY ON BACK PAGE
Sugar mill association files petitionagainst inquiry commission STORY ON PAGE 09
Thursday, 11 June, 2020
02 NEWS
3-hour sEssion with minimal attEndanCE: oPP PrEParEs na soPs ahEad of BudGEt sEssion NO ONE WILL BE ALLOWED TO ENTER PARLIAMENT HOUSE WITHOUT PRIOR TESTING iSLamaBad
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staff RePoRt
HE opposition has come up with a list of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for members of the National Assembly to follow in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The guidelines were presented on Wednesday by PPP MNA Naveed Qamar. He said members who have not tested for the coronavirus will not be allowed to enter the house. Employees who have not tested or have tested positive will not be allowed to enter the house either. Other than on demand and grant voting days, only 86 members will be allowed to be in the lower house at one time. There are a total of 342 members of the assem-
bly. Only members who have their names registered will be allowed to come and debate on the budget. The budget itself will be approved by no later than June 30. Members will mark their attendance at Gate#1 but they don’t need to enter the hall. No guests will be allowed at Parliament Lodges or inside Parliament and members’ staff can only enter if they have passes. The quorum will be kept complete during the finance bill approval but is not
ECP lets Bilawal off the hook in assets discrepancy case ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday disposed of the case regarding discrepancies in financial assets of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. A four-member bench of the ECP presided over by its Punjab member, Altaf Ibrahim Qureshi, heard the case where counsel Farooq Naek appeared to submit a reply on the PPP leader’s behalf. Talking to media following the hearing, counsel Naek said that the ECP had raised objections regarding Bilawal’s assets which had now been put to rest. “We submitted all the relevant documents to the ECP, and they accepted them,” he said. Last year, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had summoned Bilawal to quiz him about the dubious transfer of a hefty amount of money from an account of a company he held shares in. It may be mentioned here that NAB is also investigating the transfer of Rs1.22 billion to JV Opal from an account of Zardari Group of Companies. Bilawal owns 25 per cent shares in Zardari Group while his father and PPP co-chairman, Asif Ali Zardari, and aunt, Faryal Talpur, also have shares in the business enterprise. However, the PPP chairman refused to appear before NAB, describing the anti-graft body as a product of a black law which acts as a tool in the PTI government’s hands for political victimisation. Both Zardari and Talpur are among the key accused in a multi-billion rupees money laundering scandal that surfaced last year and is facing multiple corruption references at accountability courts. INP
necessary during regular days. The SOPs also mention that no food will be served in the lobbies and sessions will only last for three hours. Parliamentary Minister Babar Awan said that the government is thankful for the opposition’s SOPs and guidelines. Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz said the National Assembly had already been in session since Monday with all the standard operating procedures
(SOPs) in place. Likewise, the budget session would be held on Friday to be participated by around 86 members, he said while talking to a private news channel. The minister said the petroleum supply would likely to be restored fully on Thursday. Stern action would be taken against those found responsible for creating artificial shortage of petrol after an inquiry, he added. To a question, he said Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif could not become a role model for anyone. Replying to another question, he said Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had supported all the decisions taken by the National Coordination Committee regarding the coronavirus. He said the country could not afford lockdown for a long time because it was not economically strong. Even the rich and financially strong countries were also easing lockdown in order to turn the wheels of their economies, he added. He urged the people to fully follow the SOPs issued by the government to stem the spread of coronavirus.
ECC approves Rs480 million risk allowance for healthcare workers iSLamaBad staff RePoRt
The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Wednesday approved Rs480.556 million to pay risk allowance to all healthcare workers performing duties related to Covid-19. “The amount shall be provided out of Rs50 billion of the Prime Minister’s fiscal stimulus package through technical supplementary grant. It will be paid to 3,432 employees of 10 health institutions of the federal government. The situation will be reviewed after 4 months for the continuity of the allowance,” said a statement issued by the finance ministry. The ECC meeting, chaired by Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, also approved a number of technical supplementary grants, worth Rs22 billion, for different ministries and institutions. These included Rs3.48 billion for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to meet the running costs of the foreign missions; Rs5.47 billion for the Ministry of Law & Justice to pay the annual membership fee of different organizations; Rs250 million for National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to meet its liabilities towards the Punjab government;
Rs168.15 million to the Ministry of Interior for the smooth functioning of peacekeeping missions; Rs18.33 million for the Privatization Commission to meet its expenditure under various heads and Rs7.24 billion for the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination for expanded programme on immunization. Similarly, a supplementary grant of Rs79 million was approved for Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) to meet its various expenditures; Rs5 billion for the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund; Rs8.4 billion to BISP ( the amount was transferred by Punjab government for onward transfer to BISP beneficiaries in Punjab through Ehsaas programme); Rs500 million for completion of two ICT projects; Rs450 million for Sustainable Development Goals Achievement Programme under ICT Administration and Rs3.36 billion for Establishment Division to pay arrears of group insurance of non-gazetted employees. Meanwhile, the ECC, after reviewing the situation of Urea availability in the country and to make the commodity available for the upcoming sowing season, formed a committee under the chairmanship of the industries minister to review and recommend the appropriate ‘Variable Contribution Margin’.
In order to provide relief to small and medium enterprises during the ongoing pandemic situation, the committee approved the change in key terms of the Kamyab Jawan Programme. Now, instead of two tiers (100,000-0.5 million and 0.5 million-5 million), there will be three tiers of the loans; Rs100,000 to Rs1 million, Rs1 million to Rs10 million, Rs10 million to Rs25 million. TierI loans shall be on the personal guarantee of the borrower whereas T2 and T3 loans shall be as per bank’s own credit policy. The government shall bear credit losses for the principal portion only on the disbursed portfolios of the banks for T1 up to 50pc, T2 up to20pc, T3 up to 10pc and the executing agencies shall be all commercial banks. Loan pricing was also changed for all three tiers (3pc, 4pc, 5pc respectively, bank pricing shall be KIBOR+400 BPS for all three tiers). Moreover, the ECC approved $10.9 million for capital increase in the National Bank of Pakistan’s Bangladesh operations, to meet the minimum capital requirements prescribed by the Central Bank of Bangladesh for the year 2019 and to create some cushion in equity for 2020. The proposal was submitted by the Finance Division.
Govt plays down Continued from page 01 He noted that wearing masks in public had been made compulsory and the government had developed a “robust” mechanism for dealing with the spread of Covid-19 which includes tracing, testing and quarantine to identify and seal off hotspots. He added that another strategy included shoring up the health system to cope with the influx of patients. Mirza said the government “appreciated” the WHO’s recommendations but it had to look at a “holistic picture and make decisions on relative risk assessment basis”. “This has been the case in Pakistan all along,” he added. MURAD BLASTS GOVT OVER POOR HANDLING OF COVID-19: Asked at a press conference to comment on the coronavirus situation, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said he didn’t need to say anything on the issue because the latest numbers of virus cases are “self-explanatory”. “Today we had the most cases and most deaths. Yesterday, we had 105 national deaths,” he noted. “Now if they don’t care or don’t realise [the situation], what can we do?” he added, in an apparent reference to the federal government. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah says his government was helpless in imposing restrictions to control the spread of Covid-19 after orders were issued by the Supreme Court to reopen businesses and the federal downplayed the threat. “We appeared in SC and told them that we don’t want to reopen [the economy]. Then we were told to follow the federal government’s lead on opening. After a strict order like that, what could we have done?” Shah said while answering a reporter’s question. He said following the SC order and after the “mindset” of the federal government became clear, “people stopped caring about corona and said stuff like ‘this corona is nothing'”. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah says he had proposed on March 13 that the country’s borders should be closed to control the spread of the coronavirus, “but no one listened to us”. “And on March 17, the nation was told that ‘corona is just a flu. You will recover after a bout of flu and cough’,” he said at a press conference, referring to the federal government. “Due to mixed messaging, can you even blame the common man for not taking this virus seriously?” he asked.
Cynthia served Rs100m notice Former prime minister and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday sent a legal notice to Islamabadbased US blogger Cynthia Ritchie, asking for an apology and withdrawal of the “false” and “frivolous” claims that he “physically manhandled” her. “My father Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani through his lawyer has sent a legal notice of defamation to Cynthia D. Ritchie which she will soon receive. The libel will cost her Rs100 million if she fails to prove otherwise,” his son tweeted. The legal notice, a copy of which was shared by Kasim on his Twitter account, accuses Ritchie of levelling a “false, frivolous, baseless and vexatious” allegation against the former prime minister. The notice says that Gilani is “considered a role model and followed by a great number of persons around the world”, adding that he has great respect for women and has “always spoke[n] for their rights”. “The wording used by you (Ritchie) clearly falls within the ambit and purview of libel,” it says, adding that due to her allegation, “the honesty, righteousness, culpability and credibility” of Gilani was “questioned”. Gilani, through the notice, has demanded from Ritchie Rs100m in damages, along with an apology and court and attorney’s fees. News Desk
There's nothing wrong with Covid-19 mobile app, govt responds to critic EXPERT SAYS THE VULNERABILITIES IDENTIFIED BY FRENCH ANALYST DO NOT REFLECT SECURE CODING PRACTICES LaHore MohaMMaD faRooq
The federal government on Wednesday said that there was no rhyme or reason for citizens to believe reports of security flaws and bugs in its Covid-19 Gov PK application aimed at providing easy access to information on ventilator availability in hospitals across the country. According to a press release by the National Information Technology Board (NITB) in this regard, the issues put forward by a French researcher were “incorrect”. “The purpose of the app is to stop the epidemic’s spread. A very limited personal information of the user is collected. The app does not show the exact coordinates of the
infected people, instead, it shows the radius parameter that is fixed by default at 10 meters for self-declared patients and 300 meters at a quarantine location. Hence, self-declared patients have given their consent to reveal their coordinates for the safety of other citizens. Moreover, they have accepted our app privacy policy/terms and conditions,” it said. “No user login mechanism is present in the app. Therefore, the use of login and passwords are not part of the app’s workflow. The screenshot mentioning the hardcoded password is the defined keyword to give more security to an auto-token endpoint, so that endpoint can only be used from mobile apps,” it stated, adding, “All our API’s communicate using HTTPS. Hence, security and protection of data of users as per international standards
is of prime importance and implemented at the core”. Speaking to Pakistan Today, renowned cybersecurity expert Rafay Baloch said, “The first issue pertaining to radius alert whereby the application populates locations of self-declared patients on a map is by design and is not valid security finding, as information is populated based upon user consent and as per the clarification given by NITB, the app does not display exact coordinates.” He explained, “Other findings are valid from a security standpoint, the clarifications refer to international security standards being followed; however, the vulnerabilities identified do not reflect secure coding practices”. “OWASP Mobile Top 10 risks are the best known and most widely adopted international standard for secure coding and the vulnerabilities identified to be a clear violation of the aforementioned standards,” he added. When asked how lack of data protection and privacy legislations impact end users, Baloch said, “In absence of legislation such as Data Protection Law, there is no liability
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or obligation upon companies and institutions processing personal data. There is no breach disclosure policy under which companies are mandated to publicly acknowledge and disclose details pertaining to breach of personal data”. “All applications storing and processing citizen’s personal data should go under an independent security scrutiny before they are made public,” he concluded. On Tuesday, it had emerged that the country’s “COVID-19 Gov PK” app developed for easy access to information on ventilator availability came with a plethora of serious privacy and security flaws. French security researcher identified as Elliot Alderson via Twitter said he “analysed” the app and pointed out the flaws in a series of found tweets. According to Alderson, the app released on March 27 on the Google Play Store, is not a contact tracing app and lets a user view dashboards for each province and state. “Yesterday night, I analysed ‘Covid-19 Gov PK’ the official #Covid19 mobile app
made by the Pakistani government. Hardcoded passwords, insecure connections, privacy issues, … nothing is ok with this app,” he wrote. The app is “made by the Ministry of IT and Telecom with National Information Technology Board, is available on the PlayStore and has been downloaded more than 500,000 times. You can do a self-assessment, get radius alert, get a popup notification reminding the user of their personal hygiene,” he wrote of his user experience. Hardcoded credentials, which essentially means a password embedded into the code for easy access by the developer, are a major security risk as they are favoured by hackers who target them for access to the app itself, or worse, the device. They are usually left in at the developing stage but should ideally be removed before the app’s release. The researcher said that when the app “requests the position of infected people on the map”, more hardcoded credentials were found. He went on to say that the first request made by the app is “unsecure”.
Thursday, 11 June, 2020
PhC Grills naB for its ‘sElECtivE’ Brand of aCCountaBility peSHawar
a
azIz BUNeRI
Peshawar High Court (PHC) bench on Wednesday grilled the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for "being selective in its approach to the elimination of corruption", as it took up a case pertaining to flour and fuel shortage. “NAB chairman takes notices of various issues but is silent on the recent flour and petrol crisis. NAB takes interest in cases, which suit it. It has never taken notice of corruption in public interest,” noted a PHC division bench comprising Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Ahmed Ali.
The bench had taken up a number of plea pertaining to the prevalent flour and petrol crisis in the province. The two-judge bench summoned NAB director general for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), tomorrow in order to inform the court why no action has been taken so far against the elements causing the current petrol shortage in the country. The PHC has also summoned the federal minister for petroleum, federal secretary petroleum and the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) chairman to explain their position and steps taken so far to resolve the petrol crisis. “People are not getting petrol and flour but nobody cares. It is a pity that ministers
Covid-19 dashed hopes of economic recovery: govt Continued from page 01 Reviewing the progress of PDSP 2019-2020, the NEC noted that several initiatives taken by the federal government have contributed towards expediting the development process by implementing critical schemes in a timely manner. “These include enhancing the sanctioning powers of the Departmental Development Working Party (DDWP) from Rs60 million to Rs2 billion, the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) from Rs3 billion to Rs10 billion and the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) above Rs10 billion.” In addition, quarterly authorisation without originating demand, real time information on expenditures and the establishment of public-private partnership authorities are also among the schemes introduced by the government. According to the press release, 149 projects worth Rs827 billion will be complete or are expected to be completed by June 30. Further, PDSP projects for FY 2020-2021 were focused on uplifting underdeveloped areas, including Balochistan, merged areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The NEC approved the National Development Outlay 2020-21 and the federal PSDP. It also approved the constitution of a sub-committee to provide strategic guidance, maintain oversight and ensure interprovincial coordination on sustainable development goals.
only attend meetings and do not do anything practical to provide relief to the public,” justice Qaisar remarked. “The government only forms such committees when it wants to suppress and issue,” the judge further remarked, responding to the response of the OGRA representative that the government had already established a committee to investigate the petrol shortage. “Something should also be done in the interest of the people, but the NAB is silent on these issues,” he said. The provincial secretary food for KPK representing the government's position on flour shortage explained to the court that flour is available in the provincial markets,
CCP finds companies supplying 'substandard hardware material' to DISCOs iSLamaBad ahMaD ahMaDaNI
The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP)'s inquiry committee has unearthed "embezzlement of billions of rupees" in the supply of line hardware material to power distribution companies (DISCOs), recommending necessary proceedings against contractors and manufacturers. Acting upon the directions of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the CCP has unearthed a scandal of power distributing companies (DISCOs) and issued show-cause notices to 46 companies in this regard after obtaining documentary evidence of cartelisation. The inquiry committee alleged that the said 46 companies were found supplying poor quality/substandard hardware material to all governmentowned DISCOs. Owing to the poor line material, power sector losses increased manifold, causing billions of rupees worth annual losses to the national exchequer," it added. According to the CCP, "After finding documentary evidence regarding
the issued tenders of Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO), Multan Electric Supply Company (MEPCO) and Tribal Area Electric Supply Company (TESCO), the CCP had initiated an inquiry under Section 37(2) of the Competition Act, 2010, and also under 58 regulation of CCP regulations, against the alleged collusive bidding by the suppliers of electric transmission line hardware." Subsequently, an inquiry committee was constituted by CCP to probe the matter and three high officials were assigned the task of conducting the inquiry. The inquiry committee on January 24, 2018, wrote letters to Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO), Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO), Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO), Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO), MEPCO, Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO), and Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO), seeking details of biddings conducted during last three years. After receiving the bidding documents from DISCOs, the inquiry com-
however, at a higher rate. The secretary further assured the court that the price of flour will come down to its normal level in a few weeks. The KP advocate general also informed the bench that flour prices in the province would stabilise by June 15 as the Punjab government has recently lifted the ban on inter-provincial transportation of wheat and flour. The advocate general further said that the KPK Chief Minister Mahmood Khan had taken up the issue with Prime Minister Imran Khan. However, the bench was not satisfied with the response and sought a detailed report on the flour crisis from the secretary food at the next hearing of the case. mittee noted discrepancies in the bidding process, with favours being given to particular companies. Furthermore, it was unearthed that suppliers had established a cartel, pointing out the formulation of strict SOPs by the suppliers of line hardware material to divide the quantity of tenders. The inquiry report, submitted recently to the CCP, also highlighted several other measures that hindered market competition. "In view thereof, the inquiry committee recommends that the CCP consider initiating proceedings under Section 30 of the Act against the contractors and manufacturers who were involved in this coordinated embezzlement," the inquiry report stated.
Auto manufacturers express reservations over import of used cars iSLamaBad GhULaM aBBas
While importers of used cars in the country are reportedly lobbying for relaxation in import policy, local vehicle manufacturers and assemblers have expressed serious concerns regarding the proposed relaxation. In a letter sent to Minister of Industries and Production Hammad Azhar, Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA) has expressed concerns regarding news that the government is considering relaxing import policy for used cars arguing that the move will damage confidence of new investors and harm the existing auto industry. PAMA which represents all major OEMs had also earlier written a similar letter to the Prime Minister Imran Khan on June 3. According to PAMA, with more capacity
being added with the entrance of Kia, Hyundai and Datsun the supply from the local auto industry will soon overtake the local demand, rendering all imports unwanted, costly and contrary to the interests of the country. The letter sent to the Ministry of Industries alleged that used car dealers were abusing the policy meant for overseas Pakistanis and illegally importing used cars and vehicles causing massive flight of foreign exchange through illegal channels of hundi and hawala. According to reports, imported used cars have a substantial 30% share of the market. As a result, the chapter five of the Automotive Development Policy (2016-2021) was devoted to regulate the import of used vehicles in the country. It was in response to this policy that many new entrants responded positively and made huge investments in the country's automotive sector.
Referring to the decision of the government to discourage the import of used cars made in January 2019, the association claimed that it was the right policy step as it stopped pilferage of foreign exchange while providing relief to the industry and further confidence to the new investors. Earlier, the government through the Ministry of Commerce had directed all the importers to show remittance proof through a bank encashment certificate. According to PAMA the misuse of the policy related to import of used vehicles loss of foreign exchange of almost $2 billion every year, evasion of General Sales Tax (GST) and Value Added Tax (VAT) by importers, loss of technology transfer to the country. In comparison, local manufacturing of cars leads to the development of the local industry that in turn creates jobs for the local population.
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NEWS 03 indictment of Zardari, talpur in Park lane reference deferred ISLAMABAD: An accountability court in Islamabad on Wednesday deferred the indictment of former president and cochairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari in the Park Lane reference till June 26. As the hearing of the case resumed, the defense submitted exemption pleas on behalf of the former president and his sister, Faryal Talpur, from appearance due to the coronavirus situation in the country. To which, Judge Azam Khan remarked that social distancing will be maintained in the courtroom. However, the defense said that due to the presence of a large number of lawyers in the courtroom, social distancing will be difficult to ensure. “Coronavirus has spread in the country and older people are likely to be more infected with the virus,” the defense told the court, recalling: “Both Zardari and his sister are over 60 years of age.” Responding to the excuse, the court said that if the accused could not appear, they can record their video statement. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor informed the court that arrangements have been made for the video statement of Omni Group chairman Anwar Majeed. To which, Majeed’s counsel Latif Khosa maintained that despite the recording of the statement, Majeed could not be charged until he personally appears before the court. However, the NAB prosecutor said that Majeed could be marked present if a judicial representative was present with him. The NAB prosecutor further said that all the requirements have been met in the aforementioned case and that the date of the indictment should be fixed soon so that the trial can proceed. Subsequently, the court granted Zardari and Talpur exemption from appearing before the court and fixed June 26 for indictment and adjourned the hearing till July 7. staff RePoRt
Thursday, 11 June, 2020
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sindH covid-19 deatHs toucH 738 as 42 more die in single day MURAD SAYS 2,487 NEW CASES EMERGE IN PROVINCE AFTER 9,100 TESTS kArAchI
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PPI
INDH Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that 2,487 new cases of coronavirus emerged when 9100 samples were tested which constituted 27.3 percent result, the highest ever and 42 more patients died, lifting the death toll to 738 across the Sindh province. “This is the highest rate of new cases, and
the situation has become alarming and worrying,” he said in a statement issued from the CM House. The chief minister said that again, the provincial government had enhanced its testing capacity and 9,100 samples were tested which produced 2,487 cases. “This comes to 27.3 percent that is the highest detection ratio which needs to be controlled with the support of our people,” he said. He added that 255,617 tests were conducted against which 43,790 cases were detected. Shah said that 42 more patients lost their lives and the death toll stemming from COVID-19 had reached 738 which constituted 1.7 percent death rate. “Death of 42 patients overnight is the highest so far and it has grieved me very much,” he said. He said at present 22045 patients were under treatment, of them 20471 in different hospitals, 48 at Isolation centers and 1526 at
Forum asks govt to Follow wHo advice on covid-19
different hospitals. “I am sorry to say that 493 patients were in critical condition, including 77 patients have been shifted on ventilators. Mr Shah said that 1,111 patients recovered overnight lifting the number of recovered patients to 21,007 which constituted 48.3 percent recovery rate. Murad Ali Shah said that after 15 days of Eidul Fitr, cases and deaths were increasing exponentially and on Wednesday we had 42 deaths, the highest so far. He added that hospitalization numbers have increased four times than 15 days before. “Number of critical patients has also grown 10 times during the last 15 days,” he said. He also disclosed that 34 deaths of healthcare staff had been reported all over Pakistan, of them, 12 belonged to Sindh. Giving district-wise break-up of the cases, the chief minister said that out of
2487, Karachi had 1,755 new cases. He added that East had 498 cases, South 443, Central 409, Malir 173, West 117 and Korangi 115. He said that Hyderabad had 80 new cases, Ghotki 69, Sukkur 43, Larkana 40, Sanghar 37, Khairpur 29, Dadu 25, Jamshoro 25, Sujawal 23, Kashmore 22, Shikarpur 17, Mirpurkhas 13, Shaheed Benazirabad 13, Thatta 12, Kambar 11, Tando Mohammad Khan 11,Umerkot nine, Jacobabad eight, Badin four and Tando Allahyar one. The chief minister said that testing capacity of different labs had been enhanced by 110 times from 80 to 9,000. “We have 21
Secretary says shops, markets will be sealed over SOPs violation
KARACHI: Sindh Social Scientists Forum (SSSF), a social think-tank, on Wednesday asked the federal and provincial governments to implement all recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) to mitigate the risk of the health system. It said in a statement that the WHO had sent a letter to Punjab and Sindh governments in which it had shown serious concern about the increase in coronavirus cases. According to the WHO, the governments have not forcibly implemented lockdown policies and eased it very quickly. The governments have also miserably failed to respond to six points of WHO. The forum informed that last day, WHO sent a letter to health authorities of most populous provinces - Punjab and Sindh. It stressed the need to mitigate the risk of the health system, which is almost collapsing. SSSF showed serious concern about the surge in cases and now one in five people have tested positive for COVID-19 over the last two weeks, compared with one in 10 before the lockdown was lifted, government statistics showed. SSSF stressed the need of implementation of WHO’s recommended six conditions for lifting restrictions, including the disease transmission being “under control”, being able to detect, test, isolate and treat every case and trace every contact, essential places having established preventive measures, and communities being educated, engaged and empowered to “live under a new normal”. Sindh Social Scientists Forum strongly recommended to the government to implement WHO’s recommendations about the adoption of the two weeks off and two weeks on strategy, which clearly shows sign of seriousness. In light of the above facts and figures, SSSF strongly asked the Sindh government to implement all recommendations of WHO. it said: "People of the province are first and foremost responsibility of the government of Sindh. People’s lives are most important than business activities." PPI
kArAchI PPI
Sindh Chief Secretary Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah said that all shops and markets violating SOPs would be sealed This he said while presiding an importing meeting regarding implementation of Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) here at Sindh Secretariat on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by the IGP Sindh Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar, Additional Chief Secretary Home Muhammad Usman Chachar, Additional IG Karachi Ghulam Nabi Memon, Secretary Labour Department Abdul Raheed Solangi, Secretary Transport, Additional Commissioner Karachi and all DIGs, Deputy Commissioners and SSPs of Karachi division. Speaking during the meeting the Chief Secretary said that violations of
SOPs will not be tolerated and all shops and markets violating SOPs issued by the government should be sealed, adding that the lockdown had prevented the spread of the disease. Now that everything is open, the disease can be prevented from spreading further by following the SOPs. The Chief Secretary further stated that all traders and trade associations have assured implementation of SOPs and have also submitted undertakings. “It is their duty to strictly implement SOPs,” he added. Mumtaz Ali Shah further stated that there was an Epidemic Diseases Act and an Ordinance in the province for violating SOPs under which a fine of up to Rs 1 million could be imposed on the spot. CS further said that police and all field officers should also protect themselves and their subordinates from the coronavirus. “We've all worked in
emergencies, but it's a different kind of emergency,” he said. Shah said that the Sindh government has issued separate SOPs for each sector, he also directed the Secretary Information Department to publish all SOPs in English, Urdu and Sindhi newspapers for public awareness. During the meeting a grievance committee headed by the Divisional Commissioner was set up to resolve the grievances of the traders. In the meeting, IG Sindh Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar said that while imposing fines or sealing the shops and markets the officers concerned should record the proceedings from their mobiles which would further ensure transparency of the proceedings. The Additional Commissioner Karachi informed the meeting that since 5th June 170 shops, markets, bachat bazaars, parlors have been sealed in Karachi division, and total 687 violations have been recorded on which 6 FIRs have also been registered. The Chief Secretary Sindh directed him to submit the report of action on violation of SOPs on daily basis. Secretary transport informed that So far, 87 passenger buses have been seized for violations of government orders. He informed the meeting that passenger vehicles from different districts and other provinces were coming to Karachi and Hyderabad during night against which action should be taken. The CS directed all deputy commissioners and SSPs to take action against passenger buses in their relevant districts as there is currently a ban on public transport from one district to another. The Secretary Labour also informed the meeting that 87 complaints of layoffs were received and all complaints had been resolved by contacting the senior management of the relevant factories.
Educationists term Covid-19 an opportunity to strengthen e-learning ISLAMABAD PPI
Covid19 has posed serious challenges for education and health sectors across the world. However, the pandemic has only accelerated the process of e-learning which has already been inevitable. Pakistan, like other countries of the world has to embrace the much needed change. The educationists and research analysts said this during the online dialogue ‘COVID 19 Pandemic and Health and Education Challenges to Public and Private Education System’, organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), here on Tuesday.
Dr Ayesha Babar Kavish, Head of MPH, Pakistan Institute of Ophthalmology, Al-Shifa Hospital, Rawalpindi, said that education, health and economy are interconnected and the pandemic has it all of these areas adversely. She said that it’s high time to create balance between the education and health and therefore, moving towards e-learning is the area to be focused upon at the moment. Qaiser A. Raja, CEO, Skills Enhancement Academy (SEA), UK, the crisis resulted by Covid19 has provided us an opportunity to update the curriculum and remove whatever that has become obsolete before putting it online. Ayesha Aslam, HOD Junior Section at National Level, Pak-Turk School Sys-
tems, was of view that the pandemic has pushed back our development goals including in education sector in an unprecedented manner. The challenge for the teachers and the students is now to be quickly adaptive to e-learning to overcome this learning-crisis. Saima Subtain, School Education System Analyst and Director SEA- Pakistan Office, while highlighting various possible coping mechanisms, said that launching educational channel has been a timely initiative by the government as an effort to respond to challenge. She said that various institutions from public as well as from the private sector are busy in building their capacity to strengthen e-learning which is an
encouraging sign. Dr Sajid Amin, Policy Research Analysts at SDPI, said that every change initially seems disruptive to existing opportunities but eventually it leads to opening up of the new opportunities. He said that the crisis resulted by the pandemic has to be over after a few months but adapting new technology would have positive result on our education system.He said that online learning would also expected to reduce the numbers of drop out children as well as the gender gap and the girl students may get benefitted from the e-learning that were finding traditional education inaccessible for various reasons.
labs in nine different districts. He said that 203-designated hospitals with 8,000 bed facilities had been arranged for the coronavirus patients all over Sindh. “We have established 670 HDU beds and 334 ICU beds with ventilators and these facilities are being expanded,” he said. Concluding his statement, the chief minister said that his government had set up helplines: 1021, 1025, 9123, 021-99204452 and 021-99206565 for tests and guidelines for COVID-19 treatment. He urged the people of the province to understand the severity of the situation and avoid unnecessary outings and follow SOPs in letter and spirit.
governor hands over PPes to cHk KARACHI: Governor Sindh Imran Ismail here Wednesday handed over 1500 Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), 2000 face masks and hand sanitizers to the administration of Civil Hospital Karachi. Medical Superintendent Dr. Khadim Qureshi, AMS Dr. Imsail Memon and AMS Dr. Rubina Bashir were present on the occasion. Governor said that doctors, paramedics and janitorial staff are the front line soldiers in our fight against Covid-19. Their invaluable and untiring efforts have been commendable and the whole nation salutes them for their unprecedented sacrifices, he added. He said that PPEs were the basic requirement of health professionals and the government would ensure that the same are provided to them when and where needed. With the availability of PPEs the health professional could discharge their duties with utmost peace of mind, and remain infection-free while dealing with Covid-19 patients. Governor Sindh said that we have to learn to live with Covid-19 as there were no signs of it diminishing in near future. PPI
lyari building collapse: death toll reaches 22 NewS DeSk The death toll climbed to 22 after another dead body was recovered from the debris of the building collapsed in Karachi’s Lyari. The rescue activities are still underway at the site. The body was pulled out in late Wednesday night, said the rescue sources. The five-storey building collapsed in Kalri area of Lyari on Sunday night leaving its residents stuck under the debris. The site of the incident has seen rescue and relief efforts pick up pace as the morning sun rose, many residents are still under the rubble and fears of the numbers of those dead and injured in the incident still loom large. Pakistan Rangers – Sindh and local police are using heavy machinery to lift up heavy concrete slabs to recover the people buried under the building’s remains. DG Rangers Sindh also visited the collapsed building site and reviewed the rescue and relief activities.
stray dogs bite 10 people in larkana NewS DeSk Stray dogs on Wednesday bitten 10 more people in Larkana, taking the overall toll to 210 in last 21 days in the district, a local media outlet reported. As per details, three children, a woman were among 10 people who fall prey to stray dogs in Larkana. They were moved to emergency ward of Chandka Hospital. ARV centre in-charge said, the affected people were given vaccine and their condition is said to be out of danger. Earlier, on Jan 30, a female news anchor was injured after being bitten by a dog in Karachi’s defence area. An alarming rise of dog-bite incidents being reported across the country with a common complaint about scarcity of the anti-rabies vaccine. The doctors advise inoculation of anti-rabies vaccine shortly after the dog bite.
Thursday, 11 June, 2020
PIA PLAne CrASh InquIry rePort to be PreSented In nA on June 22: SArwAr ISLAMABAD
M
stAff RePoRt
INISTER for Civil Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan on Wednesday said that an initial report of inquiry held into the recent Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crash would be laid before the National Assembly (NA) on June 22. Speaking in the National Assembly, he said the nation wanted to know the result of the investigation of the plane crash, which was being conducted by a team, comprising three senior officers of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and one from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The minister said in order to make the inquiry process further transparent and to address the concerns of pilots and heirs of victims, he had ordered that the International Association of Pilots (IAP) be asked to send a pilot and a technician for participating in the inquiry as well. “The pilot would be a senior from Turkish airlines,” he said, adding that the inquiry would be made credible by including details of voice and data recorders which were decoded and received by the PIA. Sarwar recalled that in the recent past, exact reports of inquiries conducted into the six airplane crashes, including that of Bhoja Airlines in Islamabad, Air Blue in Islamabad, PIA ATR in Havelian as well as a crash landing in Gilgit were not made public. “However, now the inquiry reports of all these crashes would be put before the house,” he said, adding that it was high time that someone was held responsible
for the frequent PIA plane crashes, an airline that had a fleet of 31 aircraft covering 56 destinations. He recalled that 97 persons, including two members of the cockpit and six of cabin crew, died in the PIA aircraft crash on May 22, while two passengers luckily survived and were recovering fast. Sarwar said that bodies of 95 crash victims were identified, despatched and buried after DNA testing and claimed that relatives were called and were given boarding and lodging facilities on government expense during the testing process. He said although financial compensation was not a substitute for the loss of loved ones suffered by the families, the government compensated 82 victim families by giving each of them Rs1 million while 16 families either disputed the compensation or refused to take it as was done by the family of senior bureaucrat Khalid
Suspected murderer of Canadian reporter killed in encounter BANNU
ISLAMABAD
Police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) announced late Tuesday night the killing of a suspected Taliban leader who was allegedly involved in the kidnapping and murder of a Canadian journalist, Khadija Abdul Qahaar, in 2008 in Afghanistan. Ameen Shah, the alleged mastermind of the kidnapping and murder of Qahaar, 55, who was known as Beverly Giesbrecht before she converted to Islam, was killed in a clash with police Bannu district. KP Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sanaullah Abbasi said in a statement that Shah was killed in an exchange of fire after he refused to surrender in Bannu district, which borders the North Waziristan district. The slain militant, he said, had kidnapped “the converted Muslim journalist [Qahaar] in 2008, and later killed her in 2010.” Giesbrecht, the owner and publisher of a Canadianbased jihadunspun.com, was abducted along with her translator, and driver, in November 2008, when she was attempting to enter then restive North Waziristan tribal region, from Afghanistan. Her translator and driver were released after eight months but her abductors demanded $2 million for Giesbrecht’s release. Salman Khan, her translator, told local media after his release that Giesbrecht was suffering from hepatitis and was mentally prepared for death. Conflicting reports about Giesbrecht fate has since surfaced, with one claiming she died of prolonged illness, presumably hepatitis, while another asserting she was killed by her captors.
stAff RePoRt
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Ijaz Shah called on Prime Minister Imran Khan here on Wednesday and presented him the performance report of his ministry and relevant departments based on steps taken during August 2018 to this April. The Prime Minister was apprised that National Action Plan was revived during this period by National Internal Security, besides setting up of 14 high-level committees of experts to submit proposals on different issues within a month. It was informed that in line with the Prime Minister's vision of investment and tourism, the facility of e-visa was introduced for 175 countries to ease the process. The Prime Minister was updated that a high-level steering committee was set up to counter smuggling and its negative effects on economy. Also, a comprehensive policy was formulated to check the financial support of terrorists for complete eradication of militancy from the country. APP
05
Sherry questions plane crash probe ISLAMABAD INP
PPP Parliamentary Leader in the Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman, said, right after the crash, PIA CEO made a speech and blamed the pilot. Addressing a call attention notice in the Senate on Wednesday, she said, the CEO should not have laid blame or found pilot error before an investigation. How did the CEO announce pilot error even before any investigation had begun? It is clear that the aircraft company, CAA and PIA all want to blame the pilot who is not even here to defend himself. “There are serious reservations about the committee constituted by the federal government to investigate the PK 8303 plane crash incident. How can the Committee be under CAA’s authority as CAA is under investigation itself? This is a total conflict of interest and the Committee and the inquiry seem suspicious now.” she added. Talking about the plight of pilots and staff, she said, “Pilots are being made to fly without adequate safety protocols and mandatory rest. When they protest they are given a show cause notice. They are working in these extreme conditions to help us and yet no SOPs are being followed. Basic rights of PIA employees have been suspended by enforcing the Essential Services Act under the guise of the pandemic. The pilots and crew members are risking their lives to operate during the Covid-19 pandemic and are at the risk of getting infected due to the negligence of PIA and CAA”. Senator Sherry Rehman said, “Tough questions must be answered now. How many flights was the pilot of the ill-fated crash made to fly? How many hours of rest was he given? There needs to be an impartial and independent inquiry which satisfies everyone”.
Lawmakers demand end to locust plague
Digitisation of foreign service work need of the hour, Qureshi says
stAff RePoRt
PM gets performance report of Interior Ministry
Sher Dil. He said the airplane crashed over civilian population and destroyed 16 houses as well as many vehicles but thankfully most people remained safe except three girls who were not so lucky. “Later, one of the girls died and her family was also compensated. The two injured girls were given complete medical assistance by the government and the PIA,” he said as he lauded locals in the area for bravely rescuing the injured from the fire, bringing them to hospitals and taking out dead bodies. “Five families, which became homeless due to damage to their homes, have been lodged in the PIA’s hotel,” he added. He assured the NA that the PIA, CAA and provincial government were conducting a survey to assess the damage to houses and vehicles to compensate the affectees. The minister said the Turkish Airlines
had a fleet of 300 aeroplanes and it covered 280 destinations and Emirates with a fleet of 280 planes covered 256 destinations but they were not prone to air crashes. So it was a matter of concern the way “our aeroplanes had crashed one after the other”, he added. He welcomed the opposition’s move to seek details about checking of aeroplanes and screening of pilots. He said in the past the PIA was politicised, and 846 pilots and technical staff of the airline got jobs on fake degrees and licences as was revealed after the checking ordered by the Supreme Court on a suo moto notice. Sarwar said when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government came, the PIA was in a shambles and its deficit had risen to Rs 482 billion. The government reduced the losses of PIA from Rs 4 billion per month to Rs 1 billion but due to difficult conditions after the coronavirus, the monthly loss again went up to Rs 6 billion. “Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the airline industry in the world suffered the loss of $ 350 billion,” Sarwar said, adding the PIA also suffered losses but it did not lay off a single employee whereas the British Airways and other airlines laid off thousands of their workers. The minister said that more than 90,000 Pakistanis, including 54,500 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and 30,500 in Saudi Arabia, were stranded abroad whereas the government brought back 56,800 Pakistanis through 285 flights. Sarwar said the government was planning to start international flights from June 15 to bring back Pakistanis stuck abroad.
NEWS
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday underlined the need to devise a fresh strategy in view of the current situation to better achieve foreign policy goals. Addressing officers of the Foreign Service at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad, the minister said that the coronavirus has changed the world and the Foreign Office will have to prepare itself to respond to the rapidly
changing environment. Even as important meetings and conferences are being held through video link globally, we need to shift towards digitization to effectively present our point of view, he said. Qureshi stressed the need for joint efforts to further enhance the performance of the country’s envoys, who, he noticed, were recognised globally for their diplomatic skills. The foreign minister added that ambassadors were facilitating the Pakistani community across the globe as the world responds to the
pandemic. According to him, their efforts have been lauded on social media and that appreciation has boosted the morale of his office. Since the pandemic hit, Pakistan’s missions have been active in facilitating the needs of overseas nationals. “The pandemic has added another layer of activity to what the embassy normally does, since a number of Pakistanis in Turkey required help and guidance, particularly with regard to repatriation to Pakistan,” Ambassador Syrus Sajjad Qazi – Pakistan envoy to Turkey – had said in a recent interview.
Court initiates process to declare accused absconder in LNG case ISLAMABAD: An Accountability Court (AC) Wednesday ordered to issue a proclamation to declare former managing director Pakistan State Oil (PSO) Shahid Islam as absconder in LNG case. The copy of the proclamation document had been pasted outside the court room in compliance of the orders of AC-II Judge Azam Khan. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB)'s investigation officer Malik Zubair had informed the court during last hearing that accused Shahid Islam was deliberately hiding somewhere in abroad to avoid his arrest in corruption case. The NAB, he said, was not aware about his address and prayed the court to initiate a process to declare him as absconder on his continuous absence from the trial. After this, the court had ordered to initiate a process to declare accuse as proclaimed offender. Following the court orders, a proclamation document had been pasted outside courtroom in first phase of the process. It may be mentioned here that former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former finance minister Miftah Ismail and other co-accused were also nominated in the same case by the NAB. APP
The National Assembly (NA) on Wednesday resumed talks over the ongoing locust issue which has already seen the destruction of vast areas of farmland in the country as lawmakers pressed for sufficient resources to be allocated to address this insect’s attack. According to the details, a number of lawmakers are of the opinion that the pests would contribute largely to the challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic as they were devouring crops and threatening food security. They called for aerial sprays in the affected districts. The MNAs who have addressed the house on this issue thus far include Khawja Sheraz Mehmood of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Sabir Hussain Kaimkhani of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQMP). State-owned enterprises, including the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) and Pakistan Post, the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crash in Karachi, the coronavirus pandemic, and stranded overseas Pakistanis, also came under discussion as the session convened. Meanwhile, Adviser to Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan also presented four bills before the house as well as the Tax Laws (Amendment) Ordinance 2020 before the lower house. News Desk
PPP wants Qaiser to issue production order for Khurhseed Shah ISLAMABAD APP
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MNA Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah on Wednesday asked the National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser to issue the production order for PPP leader Syed Khursheed Shah for him to enable him to attend the budget sessions. Shah, former opposition leader in the Lower House, was arrested last year by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a case regarding his alleged assets beyond means. Multiple corruption cases against Shah are under investigation with the
anti-graft agency. In 2012, an accountability court had directed the bureau to file a reference against him on a complaint pertaining to the alleged accumulation of illegitimate assets. The following year, the agency had reopened two corruption cases against Shah under the directives of the Lahore High Court (LHC). According to APP, Musfata said: “I request the speaker of the House to issue the production orders for Syed Khursheed Shah so that he can attend the sessions.” The MP also asked the government to take steps to deal with the locust swarms which have affected seasonal crops in Sindh.
Thursday, 11 June, 2020
06 COMMENT
Leaping to the fourth industrial revolution
A potent combination that ensures failure Incompetence and obstinacy
t
En days back Prime Minister imran khan prided himself on making petrol cheaper in Pakistan compared to the rest of south asia, claiming that the measure would also bring down inflation. Both claims are belied by the situation on the ground. Petrol disappeared from the market soon after Mr khan’s announcement while the prices of commodities of everyday use remained as high as before. sugar prices, for instance, failed to come down despite a widely publicized enquiry leading to the circulation of a 263-`page report. this has created a perception that the purpose behind the formation of the sugar Commission was not to bring down the sugar price, but to punish political opponents. Meanwhile, the price of flour all over Punjab has increased by Rs 50 per bag. it appears that the man in the street will continue to suffer on account of the Pti government’s incompetence. Political rivalry with PPP’s sindh administration led the Prime Minister to oppose a lockdown to control the spread of covid-19. Despite examples of countries like China, south korea and new Zealand which made a successful use of lockdowns to control the pandemic, Mr khan continued his cynical denial of the available evidence. Over the last few days he has made claims like “the entire world understands now that lockdowns are not a solution” and that the world has discovered that the only solution is imposing a smart lockdown that allows economic activity to continue while implementing the recommended sOPs. He has also patted himself on the back for being the pioneer of the smart lockdown approach. On tuesday the government policy resulted in over 5,000 new covid-19 cases and 105 deaths for the first time in the country. the WHO has attributed the dramatic rise in positive cases to the government’s decision to relax the restrictions without any of the prescribed six conditions having been fulfilled. the Un body attributes the spurt in the spread of the virus to every nook and corner of Pakistan to the premature lifting of the lockdown. the WHO has recommended a “two weeks off and two weeks on” lockdown strategy besides raising the country’s testing capacity beyond 50,000 tests per day. Will a willful PM heed the writing on the wall?
The time has come HAfsA mustAnsAr
T
HE famous words of sidney Pressey about improving the scope of education sector are worth considering now, amidst the covid-19 pandemic: “there must be an industrial revolution in education in which education science and the ingenuity of educational technology combines to modernize the grossly inefficient and clumsy procedures of conventional education.” He describes through his statement, which he made in 1924, that it is high time to revolutionize the old clumsy conventional education system by transforming the whole paradigm of the educational sector with the help of creative educational technology. the Fourth industrial Revolution is a unity of physical, digital and biological spheres. the epoch of the Fourth industrial Revolution improves the living standard at exponential rate. the world’s great powers that are already taken a boost from this revolution are becoming more advanced day by day. it has created great influence even in the economic sector of the First World’s countries. With the help of technologies in the age of the Fourth industrial Revolution, people are not afraid even about the hazards posed by natural calamities. From online flight booking to online food orders, folks are dependent on the fastpaced technologies, that are swiftly demanding the easy replacement of the human workforce, and these are deeply embedded in the people lives nowadays. to hitch up the Fourth industrial Revolution in Pakistan, we may encourage the use of fast-paced technologies in every aspect of life, especially in the field of education. the field of education must include and absorb the Fourth industrial Revolution as an addition in their educational spectrum on an urgent basis to make the difference. this revolution is a unique opportunity for the education sector to rethink about the communicative, collaborative skills-based education at least at the tertiary level. the education system in Pakistani society is already debilitated and in the dire situation. taking the great leap with the help of technological harnessing in the field of education in the future is indispensable.
Agreement with IMF Can targets be met?
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Where there is a will there is a way
Hat Pakistan has persuaded the iMF not to freeze salaries and pensions seems positive, though the accompanying condition that this will not be allowed to increase the deficit, makes it all the more difficult. this was agreed at a review meeting in Washington, which had been made necessary by the failure of Pakistan to meet the revenue targets which had been set earlier, even though they had been revised downwards. it had been decided that, rather than cancelling the Extended Financing Facility (EFF), there would be clubbing of the review with the next. this review, coming as it did before the Budget, to be presented on Friday, was all the more crucial. However, at the time it was decided to club the reviews, the world had not been engulfed by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the ensuing global depression. that has made nonsense of the previous agreements with the iMF based on a reality that no longer exists. this may be why the iMF has agreed to an increase in salaries. However, the revenue target of Rs 4.95 trillion might be somewhat problematic, no matter how much hole-plugging is done in the Budget, because there appears to be a broad consensus among economists that Pakistan’s is one of the economies that has not just shrunk, but will not be recovering in the next fiscal year. However, it seems that there has been more than an element of give-and-take in the negotiations. While the Pakistani side has got the iMF to agree to let it raise salaries and pensions, it has in exchange agreed to a revenue target that might balance the books. However, there are two big question marks about the revenue target. First, its viability depends on what award is made by the national Finance Commission. though an award will not cover this Budget, it does cover the remainder of the duration of the EFF. second, the progress of the postpandemic depression may make it impossible to meet the target, even by the most draconian measures. the true measure of the Budget, and of the EFF, will be the welfare of the masses, and though only the next year will tell, the initial signs are not very promising.
AmAr HAmeed
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akistan steel Mills shut down commercial operations in 2015. its 9350 employees are being paid Rs 350 million per month in salaries since then. Finally, almost two years after coming into power, the present government has decided to put an end to this financial drain by announcing a golden handshake of Rs 20 Billion. so far this step has been approved by the ECC, as well as the full Cabinet. it remains to be seen if the government’s will is strong enough to see this through. the next step should be to make another attempt at privatising the steel mills. the book value of the Pakistan steel Mills is around $480 million. Regardless of the current market value of its land, it is unlikely that a mill that has been shut for five years can fetch that price. Even if it can be privatised for half this amount, it will be worth it. not only will the annual drain of Rs 25 Billion cease, the government will be better off by Rs 37 Billion. if the steel mills can be privatised, why not Pia? Our national carrier has around 14,800 employees which are 10,000 too many. these employees cost the government Rs 30 Billion every year, while the airline loses over Rs 50 Billion per annum. if a golden handshake of Rs 30 Billion can be negotiated with the em-
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cannot be fixed. if the government has the will, it would find a way. Recently the sugar investigation report was pubployees, it would pave the way for the privatisation of lished with a lot of fanfare. attention was drawn to this loss-making enterprise. With net assets of around the billions of rupees in subsidy given to wealthy Rs 50 Billion the cost of the golden handshake could sugar barons. By focusing on subsidies, a much bigger be financed by the sale of the airline. it is said that the question was brushed under the carpet. Why do we Pia employee unions are very strong. Does our pres- grow sugarcane and why do we produce sugar? the ent government have the will to take them on? the people of our country are being made to pay over Rs previous government tried to privatise Pia and the 70 per kg for sugar when sugar could easily be imunions went on strike. at ported for Rs 45 per kg. that time our noble prime the argument that we are minister put politics short of foreign exchange above country and sided and imports have to be The land that is being used to grow paid for in foreign curwith the striking unions. there are many stateis baseless. the sugarcane could easily be used to rency owned enterprises which land that is being used to are costing the taxpayers grow sugarcane could grow cotton and wheat, both of billions every year. the easily be used to grow which could be exported (without Utility stores Corporacotton and wheat, both of tion is another example. which could be exported having to give subsidies). In our With over 6000 outlets it (without having to give is by far the largest supercountry 2.4 million acres of land is subsidies). in our country market chain in the coun2.4 million acres of land try. although the UsC under sugar cultivation. Over 5.5 is under sugar cultivation. has only 15,000 employOver 5.5 million tons of million tons of wheat could be ees, because of mismanwheat could be grown on agement it lost Rs 5 same acreage, which grown on the same acreage, which atthe the Billion last year. current internathe biggest drain on at the current international price of tional price of $200 per the poor taxpayers of our ton, could fetch us over $200 per ton, could fetch us over $1 $1 billion a year. as a country is Wapda and its distribution companies. matter of fact, cotton billion a year. As a matter of fact, Our line losses of 30 percould be used to increase cent cost the exchequer our value-added textile cotton could be used to increase Rs 215 Billion every products which could inour value-added textile products year. Line losses in most crease our exports signifdeveloped countries are icantly above $1 billion a which could increase our exports around 5 percent. in our year. south asia region sri if the government significantly above $1 billion a year Lanka is the lowest with has the will, it can find a 10 percent and Pakistan way to tackle the above is the highest. if the disissues for the benefit of tribution companies 200 million Pakistanis. could be privatised these losses could be brought down to 15 percent, saving the country Rs 100 Billion Amar Hameed is a graduate in Monetary per annum. However, electricity is too big a subject Economics from LSE who has worked for over 12 to be analysed in this short article. suffice it to say it years in the UK as a banker and has also served in is probably the biggest financial disaster in the history various senior corporate positions in UAE and of our country. there is no reason why this problem Pakistan.
The Steel Mills should be only the beginning
Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami
Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad
lead due to the right use of the Fourth industrial Revolution, it should be utilized in other industries too. in Pakistan universities have been established that have wholly structured their teaching system on virtual online classes even be3fore the current pandemic, the Virtual University and the allama iqbal Open University. as no one exactly knows when this state of siege will be over, to continue the education system there is a dire need to start virtual online classes, online exams taking, and checking facilities. When every field is working up to the the question arises how we can rightly use this mark because of technological use in certain fields, revolution in our educational system. the society of robotics science is paving the way folr robots to take Pakistan, that lacks basic education with essential the place of humans. skills, still is not up to the required global standard. For the attainment of the Fourth industrial Revas the lockdown is being observed throughout the olution in the educational sector, we should thus proworld, students are revide the students the stricted to their homes necessary support for the due to the fear of covidapproach of technical 19 spreading. their basic skills, creativity and critnecessity (to get educaical thinking, and emWith the help of government and tion) is being neglected power them to find collaboration of the World Economic solutions based on their due to the absence of any long-term policy regardassumptions and analyForum, we can get online trainings ing the smooth running sis. through this apof education system in proach they become and equip ourselves with the soft unprecedented times. self-sufficient and it will national education poliskills as well as technical skills develop a sense of conficies relevant to the dence in them. the needed. It is rightly said by experts, World Fourth industrial RevoEconomic Forum lution must be fabricated that coined this term, the researchers and analysts the Fourth Fourth industrial to leap into the future. Revothe boost or boom of lution, provides suffiIndustrial Revolution requires the technology here and now cient support to the curriculum to teach the kids be demands a technologipassionate people that cally oriented career. are ready to leap and changed. If as a developing country want Globally, students are to make their mark paying heed to pursue in the world. With the we are not able to change our their future in science help of government and education system swiftly we should collaboration of the and technology, and mathematical subjects, Economic Forum, consider this at least at the tertiary World to keep themselves relewe can get online trainvant to the growing ings and equip ourselves level of education, where students trends of the world. with the soft skills as in the time of rat supposed to get education in order well as technical skills race, technical as well as needed. it is rightly said to prepare themselves for the soft skills are highly reby experts, researchers quired to raise the soft and analysts the Fourth professional fields image of the country. For industrial Revolution rethe attainment of this asquires the curriculum to piration, concerned institeach the kids be tutes need the help of the changed. if as a developgovernment. it must try to impart training and tech- ing country we are not able to change our education nological skills by opening centres or institutes in system swiftly we should consider this at least at the every district. the curricula must be revised so that tertiary level of education, where students supposed they contain an element of critical thinking, prob- to get education in order to prepare themselves for lem-solving, and talent-driven skills for the growth the professional fields. of students. this should be started from the very basic level of education. Hafsa Mustansar can be reached at as the pharmaceutical industries have taken Mustansar.hafsa95@gmail.com
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Thursday, 11 June, 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
Power sector woes
India is rueful at likely peace in Afghanistan Underlying considerations Amjed jAAved
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HE Usa knows without Pakistan’s whole-hearted assistance, there is no end to its afghan imbroglio. india tried to fish in afghan hot waters, offering to mediate with the taliban. But, the Usa rejected indian overtures. india’s involvement could have worsened the fighting instead of dousing it. Undeterred by the Usa’s cold shoulder, india is still trying to carve out a niche in afghan solution. afghanistan is called the graveyard of empires. several rulers tried to overpower it, but in vain. Genghis khan lost a son during the siege of Bamian. alexander had to beat a hasty retreat. in the 19th century `Great’ Britain, at the acme of imperial power, invaded afghanistan. it was humbled. it never again attacked, applying its strategy of `masterly inactivity’. the UssR rushed its troops in aid of the tottering afghan government. in retaliation, the Usa and its allies cobbled up an afghan resistance, the mujahideen, to fight the soviet forces. the UssR had its nose bloodied. it retreated. the sole superpower, the Usa, attacked afghanistan to oust the taliban. the Us wanted india to send more troops to prevent a taliban takeover or a civil war. But, india was nonchalant. a bitter lesson of the war is that it is the Usa, not the taliban who are weary of the unending fighting. a taliban commander quipped, `you have the watches, and we have the time’. american mothers are no longer fond of contributing bodybags to a pointless war. a confidential trove of government documents obtained by The Washington Post (9 December 2019) reveals that senior Us officials failed to tell the truth about the afghan war. they kept making rosy pronouncements they knew to be false and concealed unmistakable evidence the war had become unwinnable. since 2001, an estimated 157,000 people were killed in the war in afghanistan. Douglas Lute, a three-star army general who served as the White House’s afghan war czar during the Bush and Obama administrations, told interviewers in 2015: “What are we trying to do here? We didn’t have the foggiest notion of what we were undertaking. ”if the american people knew the magnitude of this dysfunction. 2, 400 lives lost,” Lute added, blaming the deaths of Us military personnel on bureaucratic breakdowns among Congress, the Pentagon and the state Department. “Who will say this was in vain?” since 2001, over 775,000 U.s. troops have deployed to afghanistan. Of those, 2,300 died there and 20,589 were wounded in action. since 2001, the Defense Department, state Department and the Us agency for international Development spent between $934 billion and $978 billion, according to an inflation-adjusted
estimate calculated by neta Crawford, a political science professor and co-director of the Costs of War Project at Brown University. these figures do not include money spent by other agencies such as the Cia and the Department of Veterans affairs, which is responsible for medical care for wounded veterans. the documents also contradicted public statements from Us presidents, military commanders and diplomats who assured americans year after year that they were making progress in afghanistan and the war was worthwhile. india has no border with afghanistan. Yet it created its own brand of mujahideen belonging to the northern alliance. india not only provided multi-faceted aid to the alliance but even trained its fighters. indian ambassador Bharath Raj Muthu kumar, with the consent of then foreign minister Jaswant singh, secretly coordinated military and medical assistance to the alliance. the support involved helicopters, ordnance, mortars, small armaments, refurbished kalashnikovs seized in kashmir, combat and winter clothes, packaged food, medicines, and funds. these supplies were delivered circuitously with the help of other countries (aeini and Farkhor air bases in tajikistan) or through Massoud’s brother in London, Wali Massoud. india opened four consulates at kandahar, Jalalabad, Herat and Mazar-e-sharif, besides its embassy at kabul. india pampered ahmad shah Massoud as its protégé for use on the afghan chessboard as and when circumstances so allowed. india is still using these consulates to stoke secessionist movements in Balochistan and the volatile tribal belt. india established a Free Balochistan office in new Delhi under naila Baloch. the inauguration was attended by many indian government and intelligence officers. Russia and iran are supporting the taliban with a view to counteracting the common enemy, the islamic state, which is allegedly seeking a foothold in afghanistan. india is pressing iran to agitate question of safety of Hazara shia in a future taliban government. american soldiers willy-nilly perform duties. Yet they need international support to avoid a collapse. Post-exit situation is complex. there are many points to ponder: (a) taliban’s foreign guests include isis-Daesh and al-Qaeda warriors from the Middle East and Central asia. isn’t it against Pakhtunwali tradition to stab protected `guests’ in the back? Where shall they go? Will the Usa revamp its Mid-East policy to deal with them? (b) Besides Usa, Pakistan and the taliban, india (Chahbahar Port), iran, China and turkey (turkmen-turkic community) have stakes in afghanistan. (c) the afghan economy is in shambles. Could the Usa spend the $43 billion it would save annually from the exit on afghanistan development? Could China, india, iran and turkey together (besides the Usa) start a nouveau Marshall Plan in war-ravaged afghanistan to avoid a clash of interest? (d) What about the post-exit 250,000-strong afghan army and the taliban? (e) no spill-over effect of
taliban-enforced shari’a on modernist Pakistan? (e) Could india stop isolating Pakistan in saaRC? (f) How would rebellious Pakistani taliban and recalcitrant elements in Balochistan react to the Us exit? (f) Will the ashraf Ghani government and other puppets reconcile, at heart, to the Us exit? indian media without corroborative evidence has published a `blueprint’ of future activities of inter-services intelligence of Pakistan. Hindustan Times on on June 4 reported `a counter-terror official in Delhi said isi officials have created the financial and logistic support network to facilitate their operations. as per the `blueprint’, ` Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence, or ISI, is infiltrating the Lashkar and Jaish terrorists into the Islamic State-Khorasan Province that has been in tatters after the arrest of its chief Abdulah Orakzai aka Aslam Faroooqui and his top commanders by Afghan security forces…..The relocated Lashkar groups have organised attacks in Afghan cities and ambushed border security posts of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces in coordination with the Taliban, its sword arm the Haqqani Network and Al Qaeda….In the last week of May, a source told Hindustan Times, a group of 30 Lashkar cadres had moved into Dangam district of Kunar province.They were led by Bilal alias Zarqawi, an ex-ISI officer who had been in charge of a major terror training centre in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as well as for the Jalalabad operations’. india is distorting Pakistan’s prime minister’s informal speech before the Us institute of Peace in Washington last July to tarnish Pakistan’s image. He had said, ` Pakistan still has “about 30,000 to 40,000 armed people who have been trained and fought in some part of afghanistan or kashmir’ (Hindustan Times, June 5). the indian media linked the PM’s statement to a Un report. the Report stated `there are some 6,500 Pakistani nationals among foreign terrorists operating in afghanistan, and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-taiba (Let)’/ Pakistan’s Foreign Office contended that india’s `external affairs ministry was using the Un report to “slander Pakistan”. india is rueful at being excluded from afghan peace process many times including the recent meeting (6+2+1 grouping). it wants to use afghan government as a stooge to become a stakeholder. to achieve its objective, it is striving hard to bridge the Ghani-abdullah divide, and bring together other major leaders who forged relations for decades. india’s frantic efforts to secretly abet violence in afghanistan may backfire. But, india is cock-sure that the world would continue to believe its anti-Pakistan tiradeaa. Amjed Jaaved is a freelance journalist, has served in the Pakistan government for 39 years and holds degrees in economics, business administration, and law. He can be reached at amjedjaaved@gmail.com.
Pakistan is the best place to learn “ how not to improve a power system”. For the last three decades , the power sector has nose dived crippled with turbulations starting from load shedding , mismanagement , incompetance , bad governance , lack of good coordination and corruption , to quote a few of the negatives present in the most important sector of the government i.e. the power sector which has been entrusted with synchronized development of country’s generation , transmission and distribution of power with reliability , security and affordability while maitaining quality of service to the tax payers consumers . the latest reports indicate that the national power system is in shambles . Overpayments have been reportedly made to the tunes of billions of Rupees and Dollors to iPPs . the government blames the iPPs to get overpayments fraudulently . the question arises who verified their claims or bills and who authorised the wrong payments . Were people responsible were sent home or shown the door ? the malpractices have been.happening for the last three decades and went unchecked according to some contents of unpublished government report on iPPs. then there are problems of high t & D losses , huge receivables and recoveries , ever increasing circular debt, power thefts , corruption , mismanagement and incompetance , lack of coordination in the power ministry organisations with ineffective unified central control among the various generation , transmission and distribution companies and poor planning and absence of a clear , correct and transparent road map for the present and the future to get rid of the bog we are in. Load shedding was overcome through iPPs , however , although their overall utility is being questioned. it must be understood that load shedding causes greater harm to the national economy. at the moment , there is a surplus power , but load shedding continues in some areas lasting upto 12 hours a day ! there are no chances of electricity becoming cheaper and affordable as a result of multitude and unresolved perpetual problems in the power sector. Under the present state of affairs , it will be foolish to expect improvement in the power sector. We need to set our basics right . We should forget about re-writing or modifying the old iPPs sovereign international contracts . We are bound to operate under their terms and clauses . any legal or arbitration attempt to get favours will fail . Over the time , we have messed up the problems so much , that these are ount of control of our present masters and we need to find an out of box solution. instead of continuous dismal performance of the power sector , it is advisable to hand over its control to the Japanese or Chinese governments to put it on the right path. any further experimentation or piecemeal solutions will further aggravate the power sector technically and financially . if unchecked , pakistam’s economy will evaporate . ENgr rIAZ BHUTTA Lahore
Locust attack LOCUsts, which move in swarms of up to 50 million, have led to the worst plague in Pakistan in recent history, with damages costing billions of dollars and causing fears of long-term food shortages. this year’s locust infestation is a continuation of 2019’s outbreak in africa, the arabian Peninsula and south asia, which is said to be the worst in decades. as farmers described an unprecedented presence of the insatiable pests, the Food and agriculture Organisation (FaO) warned of a serious infestation that can lead to a major threat to food security. the FaO estimates losses as high as $2.2 billion to agriculture from locust this year to winter crop and nearly $ 2.89 billion for summer crop. HArUM SHUJA Karachi
Dual justice it’s not the first time in Pakistan that powerful people escape in their cases from courts very easily. Few days ago national accountability Bureau teams raided the residence of shahbaz sharif in Lahore but could not find him nor arrested him. it’s a revealed truth to every Pakistani that he is not merely accused of a few thousands or lacs of corruption. He remained involved in mega corruption and money laundering cases of million dollars. Just imagine if any poor person or a person from a weak background commits any crime like stealing , is it possible for him to get bail from court so easily? absolutely the answer is no.then why these people having corruption history of many years are getting bail before arrest ? it’s a very important time for accountability departments and the government to arrest such corrupt people and punish them strictly so that it becomes example for defaulters in the coming era. Only through taking such kind of necessary steps Pakistani nation can trust on accountability departments that here is a practical implementation of Equal Justice for all. MUHAMMAD IKHLAS KHAN rawalpindi
Useless temptation in today’s modern world all of us have an approach to online shopping sites. But not everyone feels inclined towards online shopping because of different reasons. i always receive reminders and messages from different brands and companies that encourage me to visit their sites to avail of seasonal sales and discounts. instead of developing my interest these untimely and unnecessary messages are becoming a headache for me. Whenever my notification tone rings, i check it up because i don’t want to miss an important message from my fellow students or teachers: as online classes are being conducted by universities. But when i find out such lame message related web shopping, it disappoints me. not everyone has time and necessity to read and follow such message. i accept that most people find these messages useful for them because they differ in their interests but not all of us are the same. interested people can visit the websites of these brands on their own because most of them are from elite class and they know how to explore their point of interest. But let’s not forget, that still there are people who use mobile phones just as a tool of communication especially the old people who contact their children through mobile phones. One cannot Denny that these messages are troublesome fro such people. Brands and companies should think over this and plan their strategy accordingly. ArSLAN KHAN rawalpindi
Thursday, 11 June, 2020
08 WORLD VIEW
A crAsh in the dollAr is coming THE WORLD IS HAVING SERIOUS DOUBTS ABOUT THE ONCE WIDELY ACCEPTED PRESUMPTION OF AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM
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Stephen Roach
he era of the U.S. dollar’s “exorbitant privilege” as the world’s primary reserve currency is coming to an end. Then French Finance Minister Valery Giscard d’estaing coined that phrase in the 1960s largely out of frustration, bemoaning a U.S. that drew freely on the rest of the world to support its over-extended standard of living. For almost 60 years, the world complained but did nothing about it. Those days are over. Already stressed by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, U.S. living standards are about to be squeezed as never before. At the same time, the world is having serious doubts about the once widely accepted presumption of American exceptionalism. Currencies set the equilibrium between these
two forces — domestic economic fundamentals and foreign perceptions of a nation’s strength or weakness. The balance is shifting, and a crash in the dollar could well be in the offing. The seeds of this problem were sown by a profound shortfall in domestic U.S. savings that was glaringly apparent before the pandemic. In the first quarter of 2020, net national saving, which includes depreciation-adjusted saving of households, businesses and the government sector, fell to 1.4% of national income. This was the lowest reading since late 2011 and one-fifth the average of 7% from 1960 to 2005. Lacking in domestic saving, and wanting to invest and grow, the U.S. has taken great advantage of the dollar’s role as the world’s primary reserve currency and drawn heavily on surplus savings from abroad to square the circle. But not without a price. In order to attract foreign capital, the U.S. has run a deficit in its current account — which is the broadest measure of trade because it includes investment — every year since 1982. Covid-19, and the economic crisis it has triggered, is stretching this tension between saving and the current-account to the breaking point. The culprit: exploding government
budget deficits. According to the bi-partisan Congressional Budget Office, the federal budget deficit is likely to soar to a peacetime record of 17.9% of gross domestic product in 2020 before hopefully receding to 9.8% in 2021. A significant portion of the fiscal support has initially been saved by fear-driven, unemployed U.S. workers. That tends to ameliorate some of the immediate pressures on overall national saving. however, monthly Treasury Department data show that the crisis-related expansion of the federal deficit has far outstripped the fear-driven surge in personal saving, with the April deficit 5.7 times the shortfall in the first quarter, or fully 50% larger than the April increment of personal saving. In other words, intense downward pressure is now building on already sharply depressed domestic saving. Compared with the situation during the global financial crisis, when domestic saving was a net negative for the first time on record, averaging -1.8% of national income from the third quarter of 2008 to the second quarter of 2010, a much sharper drop into negative territory is now likely, possibly plunging into the unheard of -5% to -10% zone.
Israeli plans to annex the West Bank
Centre for gloBal PoliCy GeoffRey aRonSon
The path to Israel’s annexation of a significant portion of the West Bank – the latest chapter in the century-long Zionist effort to build Jewish sovereignty in Palestine – is now open. More than at any time since Israel gained control over the West Bank and Gaza in June 1967, the environment – domestically, regionally, and internationally – offers Israel an unprecedented opportunity to take this step. Sometime after July 1, Israel can be expected to extend Israeli law and jurisdiction to close to 30 percent of the West Bank, which risks upending the uneasy calm that has existed in the Palestinian territory for almost a decade and a half. In contrast to all its predecessors, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has been active in fostering elements in Israel who have long sought this objective. The administration has contributed to the destruction of an international consensus supporting both Israeli security and Palestinian sovereignty west of the Jordan River, a winwin outcome best suited to protect essential Israeli and Palestinian national interests. The three Israeli elections in the past 18 months have been absolutely conclusive in regard to the central issue at the heart of the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Arabs: The new Israeli government reflects, for the first time in Israel’s history, the consolidation of a national coalition in favor of annexing significant parts of the West Bank. According to government guidelines, from July 1, 2020, the Knesset is expected to vote on annexing parts of the West Bank based on the Trump administration’s support for the annexation plans. Such a vote is to be held “as quickly as possible.” “It’s time to apply the Israeli law and write another glorious chapter in the history of Zionism,” declared Netanyahu at the Knesset inauguration on May 17. ANNEXATION AND THE INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT: The Trump administration has been forthright in acknowledging that U.S. policy must reflect the settlement “facts on the ground” established by Israel over the last half-century. Indeed, at its heart, the Trump “Deal of the Century” vindicates the long-practiced Israeli view that the Palestinians and their international allies would be compelled to recognize the settlement as ground realities
– including upwards of 700,000 settlers – established by Israel in the occupied territories. Annexation is not an entirely new feature of Israeli occupation. Within days of Israel’s victory in the 1967 war, the Knesset voted overwhelmingly to authorize the government to extend Israeli jurisdiction and public administration over the Palestinian territories it seized during the Six-Day conflict. Israel immediately applied its self-delegated authority over east Jerusalem, sparking international opposition. Similar international opposition was mustered when Israel unilaterally extended its jurisdiction over the occupied Syrian Golan heights in 1981. As Israel considers its annexation options, the international environment has never appeared more accommodating. Five decades of international diplomacy has failed to establish an agreed mechanism for Israel’s retreat to the “secure and recognized borders” agreed upon by the U.N. Security Council in Resolutions 242 and 338. This framework has now been turned on its head: The central feature of the diplomatic scene today is not how much Israel will surrender to an ersatz Palestinian state but how much of the West Bank it will unilaterally take for itself. In contrast to past administrations, Washington appears eager to encourage and recognize an Israeli annexation decision. Its ambassador in Jerusalem, David Friedman, has been a consistent and forceful advocate of policies aimed at repudiating principles at the heart of longstanding U.S. policy on Jerusalem, the Golan heights and, most recently, on the West Bank. he notes that the prospects for Palestinian sovereignty will only be contemplated when the Palestinians become “Canadians” (Ambassador Friedman’s analogy is a creative way of saying that the Palestinians must accept Israel’s domination of the area as a pre-condition for statehood). Former Vice-President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic Party presidential candidate, has noted that he will not reverse Trump’s decision to locate the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. If Biden is not prepared to contest Israel’s policy of imposing a fait accompli in league with the Trump administration, Netanyahu can only be encouraged to take advantage of this unique opportunity for Israel – and Netanyahu himself – to make history before U.S. elections in November. Indeed, the unprecedented U.S. support for annexation all but forces Israel to act. Should Netanyahu decide to forgo Washington’s invitation, questions – and hopes – among many would necessarily be raised about Israel’s staying power in the West Bank. For Israel, this would be an untenable consequence of Trump’s offer. Virtually every other actor on the regional and international stage rejects the prospect of annexation, but they have never been less capable of compelling Israel (or Washington) to accommodate their views. egypt and Jordan each have longstanding peace agreements with Israel that were facilitated by the hope of an eventual Israeli retreat on the West Bank. Both have registered
opposition to annexation, and Jordan’s King Abdullah has warned of a “massive conflict” if Israel proceeds but is not in any position to exert pressure. elements from within Israel’s security establishment have voiced concerns that existing relations with its treaty partners egypt, Jordan, and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) will be compromised by an Israeli decision to annex. But these views show no sign of being decisive factors when placed in the balance against the opportunity to formally declare Jewish sovereignty in Israel’s biblical heartland. Jordan and egypt are indeed impediments to an Israeli decision to annex, but Israel has never let their concerns dictate its actions – on Jerusalem, for example, or on the Gaza Strip, where Israel’s actions over the past two decades have been strongly opposed by egypt. The same holds true for the red flags raised by international organizations and the broader global community. Israel has been taking decisions opposed by the PLO and Palestinians for a century. This decision will be no different: There is no sign that Israel will shape its policies to accommodate Palestinian demands. Indeed, the entire thrust of Israeli policy over these many decades has been to ensure Israel limits Palestinian sovereignty west of the Jordan River. POTENTIAL CONSTRAINTS ON ANNEXATION: U.S. support for annexation of almost one-third of the West Bank is indeed an historic opportunity, but the policy environment in Washington under the Trump administration is anything but consistent. The Netanyahu government must be wary of becoming intoxicated by the current views in Washington. Annexation might well undermine the process of incremental or “creeping” annexation that defines Israel’s occupation policies and plunge the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel into a far-ranging international and security crisis. Additionally, a decision to annex may be tempered by considerations of the probable negative effects of such a move on relations with Jordan and egypt (even though neither Amman nor Cairo are in a position to force Israel to reconsider). The considerable progress attained on developing security and trade relations in the Gulf is also a potentially limiting factor. The international community, including important trading partners in europe and elsewhere, might rouse itself to sanction Israel on the Crimea model. Any decision on annexation must also consider the possibility that the Palestinian National Authority and its security arms will not survive such a decision. Indeed, three decades after the Oslo process commenced, annexation is a signal that Israel is prepared for a new post-Oslo model of Palestinian governance in the West Bank. ANNEXATION OPTIONS: Areas A and B comprise 41 percent of the West Bank. Netanyahu has no intention to modify their current status – nominally ruled by the Palestinian National Authority on civil and criminal matters and subject to Israeli security controls.
And that is where the dollar will come into play. For the moment, the greenback is strong, benefiting from typical safe-haven demand long evident during periods of crisis. Against a broad cross-section of U.S. trading partners, the dollar was up almost 7% over the January to April period in inflation-adjusted, trade-weighted terms to a level that stands fully 33% above its July 2011 low, Bank for International Settlements data show. (Preliminary data hint at a fractional slippage in early June.) But the coming collapse in saving points to a sharp widening of the current-account deficit, likely taking it well beyond the prior record of -6.3% of GDP that it reached in late 2005. Reserve currency or not, the dollar will not be spared under these circumstances. The key question is what will spark the decline? Look no further than the Trump administration. Protectionist trade policies, withdrawal from the architectural pillars of globalization such as the Paris Agreement on Climate, Trans-Pacific Partnership, World health Organization and traditional Atlantic alliances, gross mismanagement of Covid19 response, together with wrenching social turmoil not seen since the late 1960s, are all painfully visible manifestations of America’s sharply diminished global leadership. As the economic crisis starts to stabilize, hopefully later this year or in early 2021, that realization should hit home just as domestic saving plunges. The dollar could easily test
its July 2011 lows, weakening by as much as 35% in broad trade-weighted, inflation-adjusted terms. The coming collapse in the dollar will have three key implications: It will be inflationary — a welcome short-term buffer against deflation but, in conjunction with what is likely to be a weak post-Covid economic recovery, yet another reason to worry about an onset of stagflation — the tough combination of weak economic growth and rising inflation that wreaks havoc on financial markets. Moreover, to the extent a weaker dollar is symptomatic of an exploding current-account deficit, look for a sharp widening of America’s trade deficit. Protectionist pressures on the largest piece of the country’s multilateral shortfall with 102 nations – namely the Chinese bilateral imbalance — will backfire and divert trade to other, higher-cost, producers, effectively taxing beleaguered U.S. consumers. Finally, in the face of Washington’s poorly timed wish for financial decoupling from China, who will fund the saving deficit of a nation that has finally lost its exorbitant privilege? And what terms — namely interest rates — will that funding now require? Like Covid-19 and racial turmoil, the fall of the almighty dollar will cast global economic leadership of a saving-short U.S. economy in a very harsh light. exorbitant privilege needs to be earned, not taken for granted. Stephen Roach, a faculty member at Yale University and former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, is the author of "Unbalanced: The Codependency of America and China."
Area C – under direct Israeli security and civil control – comprises 59 percent of the West Bank. As Israel contemplates a decision on annexation, a menu of options is on offer – ranging from the territorial status quo to the annexation of parts of Area C as proposed by the United States. Those who argue that as a consequence of annexation and the collapse of the option for Palestinian sovereignty, Israel will condemn itself to extending the franchise to West Bank Palestinians in a “one-state solution” have not learned the lesson of half a century of occupation, an era marked by a dynamic succession of Israeli innovations that successfully segregated and marginalized Palestinians even as settlements and settlers flourished. Annexation does not necessarily preclude the option of an eventual negotiated Israeli withdrawal. The extension of Israeli law and jurisdiction to Jerusalem and Golan did not prevent Israel from engaging in negotiations with the PLO and Syria respectively on Israeli withdrawal. During negotiations on the Golan in the 1990s, for example, Israel’s negotiator denied that Israeli moves constituted annexation at all. Indeed, Israel has never formally claimed sovereignty over the Golan heights to this day. As Netanyahu contemplates his move on annexation, the internal constraints on a policy of annexation – those centered around the concerns of Israel’s security establishment on the ramifications of annexation on the secu-
rity partnership with the PLO in the West Bank and hamas in Gaza – are the most significant. The views of other actors – principally egypt and Jordan – are less decisive. An effective commitment of the international community to an Israeli retreat to secure and recognized boundaries and the concurrent establishment of a truly sovereign Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza with east Jerusalem as its capital would no doubt preclude Israel’s unilateral annexation. But diplomacy based on such parameters has been absent since 2014, and in any case, international support for such a policy has never been more than aspirational. In the current circumstances, when the momentum of diplomacy has shifted so clearly away from this objective, it is all but impossible to contemplate the effective pursuit of such a policy. Nevertheless, this formula remains the critical foundation for stabilizing the conflict between Israel and the Arabs and the one best suited to advance Israeli and Palestinian national aspirations alike. Geoffrey Aronson has been writing about Israel-Palestinian affairs since 1976. he is the author of “Creating Facts: Israel, Palestinians and the Intifada” and the former editor of the Report on Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories. he has worked with the eU, World Bank and numerous european governments on issues related to Israeli and Palestinian security and hosted a historic Track Two engagement between Israel and Syria in 2005.
Thursday, 11 June, 2020
BUSINESS 09
CORPORATE CORNER PTC uses Nokia software products to enhance customer experience IslAmAbAd: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has deployed Nokia automation, analytics and machine learning software to enhance the customer experience and improve customer service accuracy and efficiency. Among the products rolled out are Nokia Service Management Platform (SMP), which automates and simplifies the entire customer care process, and significantly reduces the time to resolve customer issues while improving accuracy. Nokia SMP was deployed across all PTCL Contact Centers in Pakistan. With this, customer service representatives are more efficient with all relevant information including guided resolution steps – now available on a single pane of glass. PTCL customers can now enjoy a better overall experience as Nokia SMP constantly improves trouble prediction and resolution capability, while reducing customer service costs. The software is based on Nokia Bell Labs machine learning algorithms. Moreover, PTCL customers can now have an improved quality of experience across internet connectivity, IPTV and communications services by using Nokia’s software solution. PTCL and Nokia’s collaboration includes the already deployed Nokia Network Analyzer – Copper, as well as Nokia Network Analyzer – Fiber, to gather insights that provide remote diagnosis and troubleshooting of last mile issues, further enhancing service quality and reducing customer service time and operational expense. PRESS RELEASE
Two Pakistani teams join Shell's Eco-marathon awards KARACHI: Two teams from Pakistan were amongst the 50 participating teams from 16 different countries in the first virtual Shell Eco-marathon Asia Off-Track Awards. The winners were announced in a virtual ceremony live on Shell Eco-marathon’s Instagram and Twitter on June 3, 2020, led by Shell Eco-marathon Global General Manager Norman Koch. Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 Driver Charles Leclerc joined the ceremony as a special guest. Students submitted their entries with video content to show their work in action. A virtual jury selected the winners for the six award categories: Vehicle Design (Prototype and Urban Concept), Technical Innovation, Communications, Safety and Circular Economy. PRESS RELEASE
ADB APProvES $500m loAN To PAKiSTAN To AiD CoviD-19 rESPoNSE
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BUSINESS DESK
HE Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $500 million loan to help the Pakistan Government deliver social protection programs to the poor and vulnerable, expand health sector capabilities, and deliver a pro-poor fiscal stimulus to boost growth and create jobs as the country fights the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. COVID-19 is expected to lead to a sharp decline in growth, revenue collection, and significant job losses in Pakistan. The country’s health response is hampered by a low number of health workers relative to the population and inadequate availability of hospital beds. ADB’s COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support (CARES) Programme will support various government initiatives, including cash assistance payments to 3 million daily wage workers, of whom approximately 23 percent are women, and cash grants to 7.5 million families under the Kifalat social protection programme. The programme will also help fund the acquisition of additional ventilators and COVID-19 protec-
The bank’s CaRes pRogRamme inCludes Cash assisTanCe paymenTs To 3 million daily wage woRkeRs and Cash gRanTs To 7.5 million families in pakisTan tive kits for medical staff, including appropriately sized personal protective equipment for women. To prevent job losses, the loan will support young entrepreneurs, including at least 25% women, through the government’s youth entrepreneur scheme, Kamyab Jawan. “The COVID-19 pandemic hit Pakistan at a critical point in its ongoing economic recovery programme,” said ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa. “We are fully committed to supporting Pakistan through this difficult period. This loan will help plug selected funding gaps as the government implements its countercyclical development plan, including strengthening the country’s social safety net and
budget fy21: businessmen seek relief measures to keep industry afloat LAHORE HASSAN NAQVI
riods after maturity of relevant loans. Likewise, Nazir said that mark-up on financing (own source by banks), including Islamic financing (Modaraba, Sukuk, TFC etc.), should be reduced up to the bank's financing cost for at least two years while principal amounts due in the next two years should be deferred to periods after maturity of relevant loans. Moreover, the country's dairy sector bigwigs have demanded the government to reinstate the zero-rating regime as well as soft loans to strengthen the sector. Talking to this scribe, dairy expert Saud Pasha said that the zero-rating regime must be restored for the dairy sector, as its withdrawal in 2016 had an adverse impact on the livestock and dairy sector. Pasha recalled that during a recent meeting with the Farmer Association of Pakistan (FAP), Adviser to PM on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh had announced a Rs50 billion agriculture relief package. "However, despite contributing 58pc to the national GDP (out of total agriculture contribution to GDP), the important livestock sector was left completely ignored in the package," he lamented. On Tuesday, tobacco farmers and industrial workers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had protested against the proposal of imposing an advance tax of Rs500 on tobacco leaf, asking Prime Minister Imran Khan to immediately take notice of the issue as it would entail dangerous consequences for the local tobacco industry. They had demanded the government to tax cigarette packs instead.
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Economic Zones Development and Management Company (KPEZDMC) has approved four locations for economic zones in the province. The selected locations include Ghazi Economic Zone (89.9 acres), Chitral Economic Zone (40 acres), Jalozai Economic Zone (257.5 acres) and Nowshera Economic Zone Extension (76.25 acres). The approval was made in a meeting of the KPEZDMC Board of Directors (BoD) held in Peshawar, on Wednesday. “The zones will have a well-developed infrastructure in order to facilitate investors and will generate billions of rupees of investments and provide job opportunities to over 25,000 people,” says KPEZDMC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Javed Khattak. The provincial economic zone development company currently has possession of the strategically located lands and is expected to soon commence formalities to initiate work on the economic zones. AZIZ BUNERI
As the PM's finance adviser has indicated presenting a "tough budget" for the next fiscal year (FY21) amid coronavirus outbreak, the country's leading industrialists have suggested some possible measures that could be taken to avert the industry's imminent financial issues. Talking to Profit, cement manufacturer Tariq Sayeed Saigol said, "Although the government has hinted at reducing excise duty on cement, which will be a good decision if implemented, the overall taxation policy for the sector must be in line with the government's aspirations for construction activity in the country." He said all efforts would go in vain if heavy taxes on cement raw material are not reduced. "It is imperative for the government to remove excise duty on cement in order to drive demand. This [cement] is not a luxury item and heavy taxation is a disincentive to consumption," Saigol remarked. Meanwhile, Shahid Nazir, a textile exporter, demanded the government to defer the payments of utility bills for the next six months (starting from March 2020) in the wake of Covid-19, adding that the bills should be allowed to be paid in three-year instalments on a quarterly basis. He suggested that the State Bank's markup on financing should be frozen for at least two years while principal amounts that are due in the next two years should be deferred to pe-
Sugar mill association files petition against inquiry commission
PakiStan PoSt'S revenue SurgeS by 110Pc
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) on Wednesday filed a petition to Islamabad High Court (IHC) challenging the establishment of a sugar inquiry commission aimed at fixing the responsibility of the current sugar crisis in the country. The petition was moved by PSMA through its counsel Suleman Akram Raja in which Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability Mirza Shahzad Akber, the Interior Ministry, director general Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Punjab director general anti corruption and others were named as respondents. APP
ISLAMABAD: Revenues for the state-owned Pakistan Post have gone by 110pc during the last year, the Minister for Communications Murad Saeed informed while speaking to the National Assembly on Wednesday. “During the first year of the PTI government Pakistan Post’s revenue saw a 70pc increase and during the second year revenues have grown almost 110pc,” he said. The minister regretted that the previous governments turned all the stateowned enterprises (SOEs) including Pakistan Steel Mills, Pakistan International Airline and Pakistan Railways into loss-making enterprises. During the session of the national assembly, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs, Dr Babar Awan also laid down the Tax Laws (Amendment) Ordinance 2020. Four other bills were also laid before the house by the adviser on parliamentary affairs. TLTP
Four economic zones approved for KP
health sector capacity.” ADB’s CARES Programme will facilitate parallel financing of $500 million from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and another $500 million from the World Bank’s Securing Human Investments to Foster Transformation (SHIFT) development policy credit programme. The CARES Programme is part of ADB’s integrated package of support to help the Pakistan Government’s immediate efforts to mitigate the significant negative health, social, and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 19, ADB approved a $300 million emergency assistance loan to strengthen Pakistan’s public health response to the pandemic and help meet the basic needs of vulnerable and poor segments of society. On April 9, ADB reallocated $30 million from the National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF) Project and the NDRMF Board of Directors allocated an additional $20 million to procure medical equipment to strengthen hospitals and other medical facilities in Pakistan. In March, ADB approved $2.5 million in grants to help Pakistan purchase PPE and other medical supplies.
market daily Stocks stage 261-point rally; index crosses 35,000 mark KARACHI ARIBA SHAHID
After yesterday's lacklustre performance, indices of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) staged a rally on Wednesday, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index crossing 35,000 mark intraday. Global equities, on the other hand, remained in the negative zone, with crude oil prices falling from the previous close; WTI Crude oil dropped 2.82pc to $37.84 while Brent Crude oil fell 2.23pc to $40.26. "Today's rally was led by the banking sector, as all scripts contributed positively to the index (BAFL hitting upper circuit)," said a report issued by Arif Habib Ltd. "Although crude oil prices remained under pressure, renewed interest in the E&P sector from investors in general and foreigners in particular helped these stocks maintain a plateau." Buying interest was also observed in the chemical stocks. As per Arif Habib Ltd, these stocks may be in the limelight either "due to Covid-19 or anticipated tax relief in the upcoming budget". The KSE-100 Index remained in the green zone throughout the session, registering its intraday high at 35,111.54 after gaining 307.94 points. It settled higher by 261.48 points at 35,065.08. Among other indices, the KSE All Share Index added 145.34 points to end at 24,977.64, whereas the KMI-30 Index lost 76.44 points to close at 55,714.70. The advancers to decliners ratio stood at 184 to 134. The overall volumes declined from 238.21 million shares in the previous session to 218.37 million shares (-9pc). The average traded value also declined by 13pc, from $55.6 million to $48.4 million. Pakistan Refinery Limited Right Shares (PRLR1 +0.79pc), TRG Pakistan Limited (TRG +1.17pc) and The Bank of Punjab (BOP +3.06pc) led the volume chart, exchanging 11.68 million, 10.90 million and 8.99 million shares, respectively. Sectors that painted the index green included banking (+275.56 points), pharmaceutical (+23.70 points), and the textile composite (+16.99 points). Among the companies, banking players Habib Bank Limited (HBL +67.59 points), United Bank Limited (UBL +59.80 points) and Bank AlFalah Limited (BAFL +37.21 points) remained the top contributors. With the addition of 3.37pc in its cumulative market capitalization, the banking sector emerged as the session's top performer; MCB (+1.66pc), Habib Bank Limited (HBL 4.08pc) and Bank AlFalah Limited (BAFL +7.29pc) accumulated decent gains. Meanwhile, in a notification to the exchange, Sazgar Engineering Works Limited (SAZEW +4.87pc) announced its production and sales figures for the month of May 2020. A total of 519 units were produced during the month, while 525 units were sold.
CPEC to lift Pakistan's GDP by 6.43pc in ten years: World Bank ISLAMABAD INP
Mega projects like China's Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will prove to be growth-pullers during the upcoming coronaled global recession, said Gwadar Pro, quoting the recently published reports and research studies of the World Bank (WB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF). Although at present, this appears to be a remote possibility to some economists worried about the negative growth post-corona, a WB's April 2020 report forecasts good days ahead for Pakistan whose "GDP is likely to increase by 6.43pc till 2030, courtesy the steady pace of CPEC".
"Despite a slowdown in global economic activity, CPEC is entering its second phase that will focus, among others, on more areas of cooperation like tourism, food security, science and technology and agriculture with an enhanced partnership between China's and Pakistan's private sectors," a Gwadar Pro report stated. It noted that the WB and IMF reports also belie misdirected propaganda and baseless rumours that continue surfacing, periodically, at the behest of "anti-CPEC elements whose jealousy and callousness about ever-growing Pak-China economic cooperation stands fully exposed". "The main factor underlying this increased cooperation, despite the corona-related crisis, is the iron resolve of both China and Pakistan to remain steadfast on the path
of shared prosperity," the report stated. According to Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing, "Completion of phase-1 of CPEC has laid a strong foundation for the 2nd phase which will focus on the development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and strengthening of the trade and cultural ties through joint ventures and exchanges of delegations." While reminding that China has granted duty-free access to Pakistan for export of 313 goods under the 2nd phase of China-Pak Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the envoy opined that Pakistan could act as "a bridge between the East and the West". Many economists agree that this FTA will help increase Pakistan's exports by optimally utilizing its potential in agriculture, textiles, food, minerals, engineering and other sectors.
"The formal ground-breaking of another landmark project under the umbrella of PakChina economic cooperation, the Rashakai Special Economic Zone (Rashakai SEZ), is likely to be held within the next few weeks in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa," Gwadar Pro stated. According to KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, this project will create thousands of employment opportunities for the people. In this regard, the CM also directed the authorities to expedite work on the construction of approach roads to the SEZ. "Rashakai SEZ project is a flagship project of CPEC and the present government considers it as a big source of development, prosperity and economic growth for the country. This is, for sure, the sole objective of CPEC and BRI which aim at intercontinental linkages and
prosperity for all," Chief Minister Khan said. The fast-track development work on CPEC projects in this province is not only confined to Rashakai SEZ. Other zones and projects are also being taken up on top a priority basis. In this regard, the provincial government has ordered the authorities concerned to ensure the completion of all the processes on the establishment of Hattar, Buner, D I Khan and other proposed economic zones as per the given timelines. Since Rashakai ground-breaking is about to be held, the revised development agreement of Rashakai SEZ has been submitted to Pakistan’s Federal Board of Investment for giving it a final shape before the signing of the agreement that is expected to take place in and around the mid of June 2020.
Thursday, 11 June, 2020
10 Foreign news
US and RUSSia to RESUME nUclEaR talkS, bUt china caStS cloUd MOSCOW
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AGENCIES
USSIA called Tuesday on the United States to make a “positive” proposal as the powers open talks on a major disarmament treaty, warning that US insistence on including China could scuttle efforts. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov will meet in Vienna on June 22 with US envoy Marshall Billingslea to start negotiations on New START, a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and Russia, which expires in February. President Donald Trump has walked out on a number of international agreements but voiced a general interest in preserving New START, which obliged the United States and Russia to halve their inventories of strategic nuclear missile launchers. But the Trump administration says that a successor to New START, a Cold War legacy negotiated under Barack Obama, should bring in China — whose nuclear arsenal is growing but remains significantly smaller than those of Russia and the United States. Addressing the Council on Foreign Relations by videoconference, Ryabkov described the US willingness to start negotiations as “good news” but said: “The ball is on the American part of the court.” “We need to hear loudly and clearly what this administration wants, how it be-
lieves it would be possible to do something positive and not just to dismantle one arms control treaty or arrangement after another.” In Beijing, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China had “no intention of participating” in the talks and accused the United States of trying to “deflect responsibilities to others.” Billingslea, writing on Twitter, urged China to reconsider. “Achieving Great Power status requires behaving with Great Power responsibility. No more Great Wall of Secrecy on its nuclear build-up. Seat waiting for China in Vienna.”
Ryabkov indicated that Russia did not oppose the US invitation to China — an international ally of Moscow despite a complicated historical relationship — but doubted Beijing would agree. “My answer to a direct question on whether or not we think it would be possible to bring China to the table would be a flat and straightforward no,” Ryabkov said. “Now it depends on the US — if the US believes it’s worth continuing this dialogue with Russia or, for the US point of view, the Chinese participation is an absolute imperative that precludes (the) US
from continuing a meaningful and forward-looking dialogue with Russia on arms control,” he said. RUSSIA SEEKS TO BRING IN FRANCE, BRITAIN: In turn, Ryabkov said that US allies Britain and France, also nuclear powers with much smaller arsenals, should join the talks. “The logic is a very simple one — the more we come down in numbers, the higher is the price for every single warhead payload and we cannot simply ignore capabilities of some others.” Billingslea, in a speech last month at the Hudson Institute, said Trump was “not interested in agreements simply for agreements’ sake.” He accused China of flaunting its growing nuclear arsenal “to intimidate the United States and our friends and allies,” calling it “irresponsible, dangerous behavior.” US intelligence has forecast that China is in the midst of doubling the size of its nuclear arsenal, troubling the Trump administration, which considers Beijing a global rival and resents the constraints of New START. The United States and Russia each had more than 6,000 nuclear warheads in 2019, while China had 290, according to the Washington-based Arms Control Association. France had 300 and Britain possessed 200, with India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea maintaining smaller arsenals, according to the research group.
Japan MPs pass record coronavirus budget TOKYO AGENCIES
US dictionary Merriam-Webster to change its definition of racism NEW YORK AGENCIES
The American reference dictionary MerriamWebster will change its definition of the word racism at the suggestion of a young black woman, who wanted it to better reflect the oppression of people of color. Kennedy Mitchum, a recent graduate of Drake University in Iowa, contacted MerriamWebster, which has published its dictionaries since 1847, to propose updating the term. “I basically told them that they need to include that there’s a systematic oppression upon a group of people,” she told the local CBS affiliate KMOV. “It’s not just, ‘Oh, I don’t like someone.'” Merriam-Webster’s editorial manager Peter Sokolowski confirmed to AFP that the definition would be modified after Mitchum’s request. The dictionary currently offers three definitions of racism, and Sokolowski said that the second definition touches on Mitchum’s point — but that “we will make that even more clear in our next release”. In the current version of the second definition, racism is “a doctrine or political program based on the assumption of racism and designed to execute its principles,” and “a political or social system founded on racism.” “This is the kind of continuous revision that is part of the work of keeping the dictionary up to date, based on rigorous criteria and research we employ in order to describe the language as it is actually used,” Sokolowski said. One of the dictionary’s editors told Mitchum that the definitions of other words “related to racism or have racial connotations” would also be updated, without specifying which ones. “We apologize for the harm and offense we have caused in failing to address this issue sooner,” the editor wrote, according to a message published by Drake University and retweeted by Mitchum. The Merriam-Webster site, where the definitions are available for free, had nearly 50 million unique visitors in May, according to the SimilarWeb site. MerriamWebster’s Twitter account has also become a viral hit in recent years, with Buzzfeed calling it “the sassiest dictionary on Twitter”.
Japan’s powerful lower house of parliament approved an emergency budget worth nearly $300 billion Wednesday, doubling the scale of measures to pep up the world’s third-biggest economy after the coronavirus tipped it into recession. Consumer spending has slowed to a crawl despite Japan’s relatively low infection numbers and death toll from the pandemic, prompting the first economic downturn since 2015. In response, lawmakers approved a second exceptional budget of 31.91 trillion yen ($297 billion), including subsidies for smaller businesses and cash handouts for medical workers. The budget bill will be sent to the upper house and is widely expected to be enacted as early as Friday. The cash — to be raised by issuing bonds — will also be used to help finance rescue programmes and loans for struggling businesses. The government said the size of the package, including loans and investments in addition to actual fiscal spending, is worth about 117 trillion yen, nearly the same size as the first extra budget enacted on April 30. Combined with that initial stimulus package, Japan’s total measures amount to 230 trillion yen when loan schemes
are taken into account. That is a whopping 40 percent of GDP — trumpeted by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as the world’s biggest virus programme — and pushes Japan’s debtto-GDP ratio up to 257 percent, noted Naoya Oshikubo, senior economist at SuMi TRUST. “It will be worth it to drive the recovery,” said Oshikubo. Rescue measures include subsidies to help small companies pay rent, subsidies for companies paying leave allowances to their employees, grants to medical workers and grants to help drug
and vaccine development. Japan had recorded 17,251 coronavirus infections and 919 deaths as of Tuesday — a fraction of the toll seen in global hotspots. But a spike in infections prompted Abe to declare a nationwide state of emergency, handing regional governors the power to ask people to stay indoors and call for businesses to close. He lifted the emergency declaration last month but said it would take “quite a long time” for the country to fully return to normal.
Europe demands better pandemic plan, as Moscow exits lockdown MOSCOW AGENCIES
Europe’s most powerful countries urged the European Union to better prepare for the next pandemic after chaotic responses to the coronavirus, as Moscow emerged from lockdown despite Russia still being in the grip of a surging epidemic. There should be a “common European approach” to challenges like Covid-19 in future, leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel wrote in a letter and policy paper to the European Union’s top official. Europe has been the hardest-hit continent with nearly 185,000 people killed, and the leaders said a lack of coordination had left nations short of crucial medical equipment when the coronavirus arrived. Worldwide, Covid-19 deaths have passed 407,000, with more than seven million infections. The United States recorded 819 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing its own grisly toll to more than 111,000 out of 1.9 million cases — leaving it the country hardest hit by the pandemic in terms of both the number of fatalities and the number of cases. And the crisis continued to escalate in Latin America, which by late Tuesday had almost 1.4 million cases and nearly 70,000 deaths. Brazil’s health ministry cited figures late Tuesday indicating the death toll had risen by 1,272 to over 38,400 killed by the virus — the third highest toll in the world after the US and Britain. Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro’s government had stopped publishing the total number of virus deaths on Friday, saying it was adopting new methodology. However, the government was forced into a U-turn by a Supreme Court ruling on Monday that it must return to the old format, which government critics said is more transparent. On Tuesday Peru, second only to Brazil as the region’s worst-hit country, announced it had passed 200,000 cases of the virus, adding more than 4,000 cases in a single day. In Nicaragua, at least eight public health doctors were sacked for criticizing the lack of a serious response to the crisis from the government of President Daniel Ortega, an independent medical body said. Nicaragua has been criticized for an almost complete absence of measures to contain the virus.
Face masks, health checks and long check-ins: the future of flying SINGAPORE AGENCIES
Cabin crew in protective suits, health certifications for passengers, mandatory face masks, and longer check-in times. This is the new reality of mass air travel. As people dream of taking to the skies once more, they face the prospect that changes to curb the spread of coronavirus will be even more challenging than those brought in after the 2001 terror attacks in the United States. In addition to the strict security measures commonplace around the world since then, passengers will now encounter a barrage of checks for COVID-19. “Before the pandemic, we were told to arrive two hours before the flight. This time we had to be at the airport at least four hours before flying,” said Indonesian Suyanto after taking a domestic route in late May. There were multiple queues and screenings before he could even check-in at the airport, he added. Passengers in the country must declare
a reason for flying, provide documentation proving they are virus-free, undergo multiple screenings, and offer details of their movements on arrival. “It was more tiring and expensive. With these kinds of strict rules, I think people will think twice before travelling,” said the 40-year-old, who had to pay double the usual fare for his short flight as some seats were left empty for social distancing. As the aviation industry attempts to find a way forward, experts warn the impact of the pandemic will be far-reaching. “9/11 created a new environment for the entire travel industry in terms of security,” explained Shukor Yusof from Malaysia-based Endau Analytics. While the fallout from the 2001 attacks could be used as an “indicator” of what to expect, the COVID-19 challenge was a “far more serious […] global event”, he said. DEFIANT PASSENGERS: The United Nations’ civil aviation agency has drawn up a set of guidelines for safe flying in the wake of the pandemic, from the mandatory
CMYK
wearing of masks to the disinfection of areas people come in contact with. In addition, industry body the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has suggested governments collect passenger data — including health information — ahead of travel, and that access to airports be restricted to staff and same-day travellers. Other measures outlined in their guidelines include the redesign of gate areas to reduce congestion, faster and smoother boarding and baggage collection procedures, and even “prohibiting queues for the washrooms” to limit passenger interaction. “The COVID-19 crisis is the biggest disruption in the history of the aviation industry. The recovery is going to be long and slow,” Albert Tjoeng, regional spokesman for IATA, told AFP. Implementing new regulations is already proving challenging — and chaotic. While some US airlines require masks be worn in-flight, it has proven difficult to enforce this rule if passengers are defiant. In India, which resumed domestic
flights last week, some cabin crew wore protective suits with masks, plastic visors and blue rubber gloves, but, according to media reports, had no idea if they were supposed to quarantine post-flight. Mumbai airport put in place social distancing rules but these quickly fell apart when angry travellers harangued staff after flights were cancelled last-minute. The most hotly debated measure in the industry has been whether to leave middle seats empty. Japan Airlines and Delta are among carriers doing so but Michael O’Leary, the boss of Irish low-cost airline Ryanair, has said the idea is “idiotic” and would stop his firm making money. There are some signs of recovery as major economies ease lockdowns — with IATA pointing to a growth in flight numbers from April to May — but flying looks set to struggle to return to pre-virus levels. A confusing patchwork of rules imposed by countries at different stages in tackling their outbreaks makes it tricky for consumers to plan holidays or visit family abroad.
Thursday, 11 June, 2020
SPORTS 11
TesT TeAms cAN suBsTiTuTe PlAyers wiTh virus symPToms, icc ANNouNces Dubai
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Agencies
HE International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday announced that Test teams will be allowed to field substitutes for players displaying coronavirus symptoms. The new regulation is one of several interim changes designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 when cricket resumes, including a ban on saliva being used to shine the ball. As happens with concussion substitutes, any replacement would be able to play a full part in the match but it would be down to the match referee to approve the nearest like-for-like switch. Previously, substitutes were restricted to fielding. The regulation for COVID-19 replacements would not be applicable in limited-overs internationals. Other changes ratified by the ICC’s chief executives committee include a ban on applying saliva to the ball, a method
employed by fast bowlers on one side of the ball to make it swing. A team can be issued with up to two warnings per innings but repeated use of saliva on the ball would result in a five-run penalty to the batting side. But the ICC explained in a statement
that “the umpires will manage the situation with some leniency during an initial period of adjustment for the players”. International travel restrictions have seen the ICC relax its rule mandating that neutral umpires stand in Tests. The ICC said given there may be “less
experienced” officials on duty it would increase the number of unsuccessful appeals per innings for each team to three for Tests and two for white-ball formats. Concerns had been expressed that the pandemic might lead to Chris Broad — the only English official on the elite panel of referees — adjudicating on incidents involving an England team featuring his son, Stuart Broad. With commercial income set to take a hit, given that cricket will resume without fans at the grounds, the ICC has relaxed rules on apparel logos for the next 12 months. Sponsors’ logos will now be permitted in the prime position of the chest of a Test match shirt or sweater in addition to the three others presently allowed under ICC regulations. Currently, logos on chests are only allowed in one-day matches and Twenty20 internationals. The new regulations are set to apply for the first time when England face the West Indies in the opening match of a three-Test series at the bio-secure venue of Southampton, starting on July 8.
Federer out of tennis until 2021 after knee surgery Geneva Agencies
Beyond bizarre: Thomas has ‘different feel’ as PGA Tour returns Houston: Justin Thomas says getting back into the swing of things on the PGA Tour after a three-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic has a different feel to it. It means daily temperature checks, filling out health questionnaires, knowing where the handsanitizing stations are and social distancing on the tee boxes. The Charles Schwab Challenge will be full of firsts as the PGA Tour’s restart begins Thursday in Texas with the 148-field teeing off at the Colonial Country Club. “I would say 2020 is beyond a bizarre year so far, and especially in the world of sports it’s just going to be different,” said the former world number one Thomas. “If we all want to get back and play the game that we love we’re just going to have to get over the fact that it’s going to be different and be a little weird.” World number one Rory McIlroy and second-ranked Jon Rahm of Spain lead a strong field that includes 15 of the world’s top 20 players. World number three Brooks Koepka, defending champion Kevin Na, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson are also teeing up at the course in Fort Worth, Texas. Some of the sport’s top players from outside of North America decided to skip the event because travelling to the US would mean a twoweek quarantine, including 10th-ranked Englishman Tommy Fleetwood. Agencies
Neymar faces criminal complaint for homophobia sao Paulo: A Brazilian gay rights activist has filed a criminal complaint against Neymar for homophobia, after the football superstar called his mother’s boyfriend an anti-gay slur in comments leaked to the media. The Sao Paulo prosecutor’s office confirmed to AFP it had received the complaint, which it must now examine to decide whether to open a case against the Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil star. Neymar’s communications team declined to comment on the complaint. The case was brought by activist Agripino Magalhaes, who said on Instagram he planned to press charges against Neymar and his friends for “criminal homophobia, hate speech and death threats” over comments made in a private conversation on a gaming site. In the audio recording, Neymar, 28, can be heard using slurs against his mother’s new boyfriend, Tiago Ramos, as he and his friends discuss a supposed fight between the couple. Ramos, 22, and Neymar’s mother, Nadine Goncalves, 52, announced in April they were dating. Brazil’s tabloid press was soon running lurid stories about Ramos, a model who is openly bisexual. Agencies
Twenty-time Grand Slam singles champion Roger Federer said Wednesday he will be sidelined until 2021 after undergoing his second knee operation in a matter of months. The 38-year-old Swiss said he underwent follow-up arthroscopic surgery “a few weeks ago” after undergoing a similar keyhole procedure in February. Federer, whose last Grand Slam win was the 2018 Australian Open, said he “experienced a setback during (his) initial rehabilitation”. “I plan to take the necessary time to be 100 percent ready to play at my highest level,” he said in a statement on Twitter. “I will be missing my fans and the tour dearly but I will look forward to seeing everyone back on tour at the start of the 2021 season.” The announcement is likely to renew speculation about retirement for Federer, who holds the record for men’s Grand Slam singles titles and last month topped Forbes’ list of the world’s highest earning athletes. Federer, who won his first major trophy in 2003, lies just ahead of his longtime rivals Rafael Nadal (19) and Novak Djokovic (17) on the all-time list. The biggest title he has yet to win is an Olympic singles gold medal. The Tokyo Games — seen as Federer’s final opportunity to complete a career “golden” Grand Slam — have been postponed until next year because of the pandemic, and Federer will turn
everton to host liverpool in potential title decider at Goodison london: Liverpool’s clash with Everton on June 21 will be played at Goodison Park after Liverpool City Council gave the goahead for both sides to complete their remaining Premier League fixtures at home. Victory at the home of their Merseyside rivals would see Liverpool clinch a first league title in 30 years if Manchester City lose at home to Arsenal on June 17. That had led to concerns that fans could congregate around both clubs’ grounds in the city in breach of coronavirus restrictions. Goodison is less than a mile from Liverpool’s Anfield stadium. However, a meeting between the council, police, clubs and fans’ groups on Wednesday agreed to allow the match to proceed in Liverpool rather than at a neutral venue. “We are satisfied that the considerable evidence and guidance provided by the government, Everton and Liverpool football clubs, public health colleagues and Merseyside Police will ensure that the outstanding fixtures for the 2019/20 Premier League season can be safely and securely played at both Goodison Park and Anfield,” said Wendy Simon, deputy mayor of Liverpool, who chairs the Ground Safety Advisory Group. Liverpool said further discussions this week will “provide clear and regular updates for supporters throughout this process”. Should City not drop points against Arsenal or Burnley in their first two games back, Liverpool could win the title on home soil at Anfield against Crystal Palace on June 24. Agencies
lifelines for hazard and suarez as la liga title race looks to forgotten stars 40 on the day of the closing ceremony. After the initial operation, Federer had originally planned to return for the now cancelled grass-court season this month. His last tournament match was on January 30 in the Australian Open semi-finals, where he lost to eventual champion Djokovic. His last appearance on court was in front of 51,954 fans — touted by organisers as a world record for tennis - at a charity match against Nadal in Cape Town in early February. Tennis ground to a halt in March because of the coronavirus, and the globetrotting sport faces an uncertain route to recovery given crippling travel restrictions. In April, Federer said he was “devastated” when Wimbledon, where he has won a record eight titles, was cancelled for the first time since World War II. Federer, known for his elegant style of play, has got off lightly with
injuries during a career in which he has won 103 singles titles, including all four majors. He had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee — the first operation of his career — in early 2016 after suffering a freak injury while running a bath for his daughters. But after failing to win a title that year Federer returned strongly in 2017, winning seven tournaments including the Australian Open and Wimbledon — his most prolific season in a decade. He is still six ATP titles short of Jimmy Connors’ all-time record of 109. Tour-level tennis has been suspended until the end of July at the earliest, with the US Open scheduled to start on August 24 and the rescheduled French Open on September 20. Federer has not won the title at either Flushing Meadows or Roland Garros since his only French Open triumph in 2009.
Madrid: When La Liga stopped they were not expected to play any part in the rest of the title race but when the season resumes on Thursday, Eden Hazard and Luis Suarez could be set to decide it. Hazard was looking beyond Real Madrid to the Euros after undergoing surgery on his right foot in March while some felt Suarez had played his last game for Barcelona after having a knee operation in January. Instead, both have been thrown a lifeline, Suarez to preserve his career at Barca and Hazard to kickstart his with Madrid. After Real Madrid paid 100 million euros ($108.4 million) to sign him from Chelsea last year, fans sprinted outside the Santiago Bernabeu to beat the queues for Hazard’s unveiling, and around 50,000 made it inside. However, questions were soon being asked about his weight in pre-season, and he has struggled with injury all season. Every time he has come back, Hazard has needed time to find form, initially lacking that burst of speed and change of direction that at his best, can leave a defender for dead. Agencies
Akram warns saliva ban will make bowlers ‘robots’ Lahore Agencies
Legendary Pakistan paceman Wasim Akram warned Wednesday that bowlers would become “robots” after cricket officials temporarily banned shining the ball with saliva as a coronavirus precaution. Bowlers traditionally get the ball to move or swing in the air by applying shine to one side using sweat or saliva. The International Cricket Council, however, has temporarily banned the practise over virus transmission fears as teams prepare to return to the pitch in the coming weeks. Players can still apply sweat to the ball. “It will make bowlers robots, coming and bowling without swing,” Akram told AFP, saying they would have to be patient and wait for the ball to age naturally. “It’s a quizzical situation for me as I
grew up using saliva to shine the ball and to swing it,” he added. “I am all for precautions in these tough times, so bowlers have to wait for the ball to get old and rough for them to get swing. Sweat alone was unlikely to generate swing as in some countries it was too cold, said Akram. “Sweat is just something of an add-on, a top-up. Too much use of sweat will leave the cricket ball too wet,” he said. Akram, who took 414 Test and 502 one-day international wickets in a storied career, believes artificial substance could potentially help as he encouraged officials to keep searching for alternatives. “I believe that they will need to find a reasonable solution. Artificial substances like vaseline could be used to swing the ball but how much of it? “Let’s see, we have this England versus the West Indies series to judge how it goes, because I have never experienced
CMYK
this thing.” International cricket resumes with England hosting the West Indies in a Test series later this month . Akram said suggestions that limited ball-tampering be allowed should also be considered by officials.
“When can you tamper the ball? Right from the first over or after 20-25 overs? They will need to sit down and do brainstorming,” he added. “The game is already tilted more in favour of the batsmen.”
Thursday, 11 June, 2020
news
ECC APProVEs EV PolICy for moTorCyClEs, rICKshAws, hEAVy CommErCIAl VEhIClEs ISLAMABAD
T
gHULAM ABBAs
HE Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Wednesday approved Electric Vehicle (EV) policy for 2-3 wheelers and heavy commercial vehicles. According to sources, the policy was proposed by the Ministry of Industries & Production after consultation with various stakeholders from the Engineering Development Board (EDB), Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Climate Change and others. Although the EV Policy 2019, pre-
sented by the MoCC, was earlier approved by the cabinet, the policy could not be implemented due to objections raised by the MoIP, EDB and other stakeholders. After a series of meetings among concerned ministries, it was decided that the EV policy would be revised. However, during a meeting in April, it was decided that in the first phase, the EV policy would be framed only for two-wheelers (motorcycles) and three-wheelers (rickshaws), as this would satisfy the concerns of both the MoCC and the MoIP. "Shifting to e-motorcycles is easier as can be witnessed in middle-class markets like China," said an official of the climate
PTA asks corporations to register VPNs or have their IPs blacklisted ISLAMABAD
change ministry. "Besides, Pakistan has a very large number of motorcycles, motorcycle rickshaws and auto rickshaws that emit a significant amount of smoke." The EV electric four-wheelers (cars) would be taken at a later stage, he maintained. The MoCC, which is unhappy over the rollback of its EV policy, had stressed a total of one per cent duty on imports of e-motorcycles and e-rickshaws’ assembling parts. The ministry was of the view that low duties would encourage the influx of e-bikes in the market. But the MoIP had countered the suggestion that it would discourage local production of parts.
Currently, the import duty on twowheelers and three-wheelers’ parts was 46pc for those manufactured in the country and 15pc on imported parts. According to MoIP officials, Pakistan has a strong production base as almost all 2 and 3 wheelers’ parts are manufactured locally. The EV policy should encourage the existing makers to shift from oil to battery-based vehicles, they added. Earlier, the tussle between the Industries and Production Division and the MoCC had landed the EV policy in the cabinet, which handed over the role of formulating the national EV policy through consensus.
Covid-19's second wave in the offing
sYedA MAsOOMA
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has started the registration of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), warning that IP addresses with unregistered VPNs would be blacklisted. In its statement to Profit, PTA maintained, "The exercise is being undertaken to promote legal ICT services/businesses in Pakistan and to ensure the safety of telecom users." There have been media reports that several corporate connections are already being terminated as part of PTA's VPN policy. The rationale given by the authority on the matter is that "this is done to block grey traffic and illegal Voice over IP (VoIP) companies working as call centres and other data entry operations". "A number of companies in Pakistan are running call centres through VPNs, thus pretending to be working in the US or other countries. It all falls under the grey traffic category, however, the IP addresses are currently being blocked for corporate clients of different Internet Service Providers (ISPs)," PTA said. The ISPs have been notified of the development, with the PTA directing them to convey the message to all corporate clients using unregistered VPNs. The deadline for the registration is 30th June 2020 and those failing to comply with the directives will have to face legal action if they are using VPNs for any illegal activities. As per the PTA, use of any mode of communication such as VPN by means of which communication becomes hidden or encrypted is a violation of the authority's regulations. When questioned on the digital rights angle and the practicality of this system to detect and block unregistered IP addresses, PTA spokesman Khurran Mehran said, "The process for VPN registration is not new and has been in vogue since 2010. Authorized users can register their VPNs with PTA through a smart and swift process initiated through their service provider." The authority also made an official statement through its Twitter page saying, "Action will be taken only against unauthorized VPNs for terminating illegal traffic which causes loss to the national exchequer. PTA remains committed to serving as per its vision in ensuring that high quality ICT services are available to telecom users in Pakistan." PTA did not give any response to the question regarding whether this policy will be extended for individual smartphone users as well or not. Currently, individual users may use VPNs legally but only as long as they are registered. However, registering a VPN with the government poses a legitimate threat of leaking your browsing activity to the government. Sources familiar with the VPN technicalities told Profit that to ensure data protection, a VPN requires high-end security features (such as 256-bit encryption), a strict no-logs policy, and an automatic kill switch. A quality VPN ensures anonymous online activity, an IP masking prevents authorities from finding a user’s location, while encryption adds a further layer of security by making it impossible for the government to see browsing activity and personal information of the internet user. The debate on the moralistic and freedom of privacy around internet usage in Pakistan is a tricky one. At the moment, on a state level, we do not have a comprehensive set of rules and regulations governing the right to privacy vs. government’s right to ensure security and preventing grey traffic. The Digital Rights Bill that was drafted in 2018 and then amended in 2020 is still up for public debate and is yet to be formalized into law. Strictly speaking on VPNs, however, even though the Pakistani government has a history of briefly but repeatedly blocking users from accessing a number of popular sites, including YouTube and Quora, and it also heavily filters content which restricts the usage as well, in matters of public usage VPNs are still legal in Pakistan.
REPORT SAYS CHINA AT RISK OF CORONAVIRUS AGAIN, URGES IT TO CONTINUE STRONG MEASURES TO CURB IMPORTED CASES
five Kashmiri youth martyred in shopian SRINAGAR Agencies
In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred five more Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Sugoo Hendhama area of the district. The operation was going on till the last reports came in. Indian police and troops have sealed all entry and exit points of the area. The occupation authorities have suspended internet service in the district. This is the third violent operation in Shopian since Sunday. During these operations, the troops have martyred fourteen youth and injured dozens of others besides destroying several houses. On Monday, Pakistan condemned the killing of nine Kashmiri fighters by Indian forces in occupied Kashmir, terming them an act of “state terrorism”. The Foreign Office statement came as four Kashmiris were killed by government forces in occupied Kashmir’s southern Shopian area on Monday, just hours after five fighters died in a firefight in the same area. “Pakistan strongly condemns the unabated extrajudicial killings of Kashmiri youth in acts of state terrorism perpetrated by Indian occupation forces in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” FO Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said in a statement.
Khairpur professor detained over alleged blasphemy
BEIJING Agencies
China may face the risk of a Covid-19 epidemic for a second time as most people are still generally susceptible to the novel coronavirus and the pandemic is still severe globally, said a report led by Gao Fu, the director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. China’s strategy of preventing the virus from spreading has been successful. The number of Covid-19 patients in the country would have been 67 times larger if no antiepidemic measures had been adopted, such as quarantining suspected cases, tracking close contacts, or restricting the movement of people in certain areas, Global Times reported on Wednesday while quoting the paper published in The Lancet. But it also warned of a second wave of Covid-19 in China, urging the country to continue its strong repression strategy of preventing imported cases from causing local transmissions. Wang Chen, a renowned respiratory specialist, also said at a seminar yesterday that the
virus will not disappear, noting that the epidemic situation is relatively good in summer, but it is necessary to have a sense of caution in winter and autumn. The virus seems to spread easily around January in Guangzhou and around March in Beijing, Wang said. If the Covid-19 pandemic situation continues to deteriorate and its scale comes close to that of the 1918 H1N1 influenza pandemic, a 2 per cent fatality rate would result in the deaths of about 50 million to 100 million people worldwide, the paper said. The paper revealed that China’s goal in combating COVID-19 is to maintain no local transmission or keep the transmission at a low level until a safe and effective vaccine is developed and widely distributed to form a population immune barrier. So far, four inactivated vaccines and one adenovirus vaccine have been approved for clinical trials in China, said a white paper titled “Fighting COVID-19: China in Action.” China is currently developing COVID19 vaccines in five categories – inactivated vaccines, recombinant protein vaccines, live attenuated influenza vaccines, adenovirus vaccines and nucleic acid-based vaccines.
A professor of Khairpur’s Shah Abdul Latif University was arrested over alleged blasphemy charges by local police here on Wednesday. According to local media reports, Professor Sajid Soomro, who is also known for authoring books on Sindhi-Mohajir unity, was arrested from his house in Ali Murad Mohalla by policemen who arrived by the dozen in at least four police vans. Eyewitnesses said that Soomro had locked himself inside his house and made calls to friends and relatives, informing them of the situation, while police cordoned off the area. “Dozens of police officials were present to arrest him. We were shocked to see the police rush to arrest a university professor in this manner,” Soomro’s friend and Khairpur Bar Association Joint Secretary Advocate Fayaz Khamisani told a local news outlet. “The allegations are very serious,” stated Khamisani, explaining that Section 295-A of the Pakistan Penal Code, mentioned in the FIR against Soomro, was nonbailable. “We have to check if the police sought permission from the home department before registering this FIR.” Activist and lawyer Sattar Zangejo, another friend of Soomro’s, said that such allegations would make matters difficult for many activists seeking to highlight issues in society. Interestingly, Zangejo mentioned that Soomro, a few months ago, had gotten into a tussle with Ahmed Solangi, another member of literary organisation Sindhi Adabi Sangat. Condemning Soomro’s arrest and the charges against him, activists, writers and members of civil society demanded that the Sindh government initiate an inquiry into the registration of such a case against a university teacher. news desk
‘84% Indian households suffered a decrease in monthly income since lockdown’ NEwS DESK The economic distress in India caused by lockdown imposed to stem the spread of coronavirus is dire. Nearly 84% of Indian households is seeing decreases in income since the lockdown began. Nearly a third of all households will not be able to survive beyond a week without additional assistance. This was stated in a study , titled “How Are Indian Households Coping Under the Covid-19 Lockdown? 8 Key Findings”, carried out by experts at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Chicago and the Mumbai-based Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy (CMIE). “Direct and immediate transfers of food and cash are very high priority,” said Heather Schofield, assistant professor of medical ethics and health policy at the Perelman
School of Medicine and a Wharton professor of business economics and public policy. When a nationwide lockdown began in late March, India’s Ministry of Labour and Employment asked private and public organisations not to terminate jobs on the pretext of prevailing conditions. But these pleas hardly made any difference and large-scale retrenchments have taken place as businesses have been hit hard due to the ongoing crisis. However, the study found a “sharp and broad negative impact on household income” as the pandemic diminished their staying capacity, adding that the unemployment rate in the country had crossed 27% in early May, up nearly four-fold from levels in January-February. Lower, middle segment most severely affected The fall in incomes affected people in
the lower and middle segments of the income distribution most severely, the study found. “Households in the lowest of the five income groups had average monthly percapital earnings of less than Rs3,800 (about $50), while those at the high end made between Rs. 12,374 and upwards of Rs1 lakh ($167 to $1,370 and more).” Households in the middle-income groups are hurt disproportionately more perhaps because they are most likely to be dependent on sources of income that are hit due to the lockdown, the study’s authors stated. “The households in the highest quintile are more likely to have stable salaried jobs, with the ability to work from home and continue to earn a living,” they added. “Households in the lowest quintile may be more heavily concentrated in occupations that have continued despite the lockdown
(e.g., agriculture, food vendors) or have benefited from targetted transfer programmes.” Precarious economic situation The economic situation is precarious. “Given the low baseline wealth of many households, a very large share of Indian households state that they will be unable to continue — even over relatively short periods — without additional assistance,” according to the paper. Across India, 34% of households will not be able to survive for more than one week without additional assistance, the survey found. Only 30% of households are able to survive one month or more without additional assistance. “Crucially, 14% of the sample is already out of funds and risks immediate and severe deprivation if they are unable to borrow or receive additional benefits,” the report warned. “Rapid distribution of in-kind or cash
transfers is needed to prevent a sharp increase in malnutrition and severe deprivation. Such transfers will also likely promote a more robust recovery as the country is able to reopen.” The need for additional resources is also affected by where the household is located. “The urban poor have the least time before their resources are depleted,” the study said. Nearly two-thirds of urban households that earn less than median income households will run out of resources in two weeks. Rural households in similar income groups have relatively more resilience, the study found, as 54% of them have sufficient resources for the same period of time. The five states with households in most urgent need for funds — based upon twoweek survival — are Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
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