EpaperKH_2020-06-18

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Thursday, 18 June, 2020 I 26 Shawwal-ul-Mubarak, 1441 I Rs 15.00 I Vol X No 349 I 12 Pages I Karachi Edition

Centre only wants to remove anomalies from 18th amendment, Pm says g

IMRAN SAYS SMART lOCkDOWN STRATEGY NOT ONlY SlOWED DOWN COvID-19 TRANSMISSION, BuT AlSO SAvED ECONOMY FROM MAJOR CRISIS

karachi StAff RepoRt

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RIME Minister Imran khan on Wednesday said that the federal government did not have any disagreement with provinces, but rather it wanted to remove “anomalies” from the 18th Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan.

Speaking to senior journalists, the prime minister said that some federal subjects were wrongly devolved to the provinces under the constitutional amendment, which should be returned back to the Centre and for this purpose, all provinces would be consulted.

Speaking about the coronavirus outbreak in the country, he said that the National Coordination Committee (NCC) meets regularly to take decisions on measures for containing the virus in consensus with the provinces and autonomous areas. he said that he was against the imposition of a strict lockdown since day one as he was worried about the labourers

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ExPRESSES DISAPPOINTMENT AT POlITICISING OF vIRAl OuTBREAk, SAYS CENTRE DOESN’T DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN PROvINCES

and daily wagers. “The government has two simultaneous responsibilities,” he said.

“It has to contain the spread of the virus and protect the poor segments of the society from financial challenges.”

The premier said that the federal government opted for smart lockdowns and eased restrictions for many sectors of the national economy. he added that the decision proved to be fruitful as the smart lockdown strategy helped slow down the virus transmission and also saved the economy from a major crisis. he also said that the government has now decided to strictly enforce the implementation of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) while smart lockdowns would be imposed in virus hotspots across the country.

The prime minister said that he was disappointed at the way some elements were politicising the coronavirus outbreak. he added that the federal government did not discriminate between provinces.

Talking about the local government system, he said that the Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI) was the only political party that believed in the devolution of powers to

the local level and it had practically executed the plan in khyber Pakhtunkhwa (kP) back in 2013. he also said that the local government system was important for resolving the problems of the public. “under the new system, the mayors of the cities would be directly elected by the citizens and this would help address the issues of the people of karachi,” he said.

Responding to a question about the locust attack, PM Imran said that the federal government had declared an emergency back in January 31 to deal with the issue and was making all-out efforts to eliminate swarms of locusts. he said that the federal government was constantly in contact with neighbouring countries, including Iran and India, and it had also taken the provinces on board to devise a joint strategy for dealing with this issue.

Speaking on the occasion, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar said that a major chunk of the Rs60 billion earmarked for Sindh under the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme had been distributed among the needy families. Some five million deserving families of Sindh would benefit from the cash assistance programme, she added.

She said that the prime minister had issued special instructions to ensure indiscriminate distribution of cash. “We had decided to distribute cash on the basis of 2013 census data, according to which, Sindh’s share was 22 per cent, but we raised it to 31 per cent on the instructions of the prime minister and the extra amount would be borrowed from PM’s Corona Relief Fund,” she added.

Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, Opposition leader in Sindh Assembly Firdous Shamim Naqvi and PTI MPA haleem Adil Sheikh were also present during the meeting.

BNP-M quits coalition over non-implementation of accord g

MENGAl PRESENTS lIST IN NA CONTAINING NAMES OF NEARlY 500 PEOPlE WhO hAvE AllEGEDlY GONE MISSING AFTER SIGNING AGREEMENTS WITh PTI iSLaMaBaD StAff RepoRt

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was caught off-guard on Wednesday after the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), one of the eight political parties who either support the federal government or are part of the coalition, announced to end its alliance with the ruling party.

Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly during the budget session, BNP-M President Sardar Akhtar Mengal said: “I am officially announcing that our party is separating itself from the government.

We will stay in parliament and will keep talking about issues.”

The two parties had signed a sixpoint memorandum of understanding in August 2018, for an alliance at the Centre. The six points included recovery of allegedly missing persons, implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP), implementation of six per cent quota for Balochistan in the federal govern-

Pakistan

CM Murad unveils Sindh budget with an outlay of Rs1.24tr

CONFIRMED CASES:

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Coronavirus in

157,738

RS23BN EARMARkED FOR EDuCATION, RS28BN FOR hEAlTh AND RS5BN FOR COvID-19 PREvENTION karachi ARIBA SHAHID

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

136

5,839

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

58,437 3,033 SINDH:

59,983

PUNJAB:

58,239

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

19,613 703/1,164

8,794

9,242

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday presented a Rs1.24 trillion provincial budget for the year 2020-2021, with a deficit of Rs18.38 billion.

The non-development expenditure was estimated at Rs968.99 billion, development expenditure at Rs232.94 billion and capital expenditure at Rs39.19 billion.

Total revenue for the year has been budgeted at Rs1.08 trillion, to be raised through federal transfers of Rs774.715 billion and provincial revenue of Rs313.391 billion.

On a whole, the Sindh government has allocated Rs23 billion for education, Rs28 billion for health, Rs10 billion for agriculture, and Rs5 billion for the prevention of Covid-19 in FY21.

Education accounts for 25.2pc of the budget.

A significant share of the provincial receipts is to be raised in the form of indirect taxes, budgeted at Rs169.073 billion,

ment, immediate repatriation of Afghan refugees and the construction of dams in the province to resolve the acute water crisis. however, recalling that the PTI had signed two agreements with the party, first at the time of government formation after the 2018 elections and second during the presidential elections the same year, Mengal said that “not a single point of the accord was implemented”.

“If our demands were illegal and unconstitutional then we are ready to face even death. But then all those who have put their signatures on these accords should also face the same,” he said.

Mengal presented two separate lists of allegedly missing persons before the house. According to him, one of the lists contained the names of 18 people who have been recovered so far while the other contained the names of nearly 500 people who had allegedly gone missing after signing the agreements with the PTI.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

more inside

Will continue to thwart India’s designs in Kashmir, Pakistan Army vows STORY ON BACK PAGE

Wife willing to testify before court, Justice Isa tells SC STORY ON PAGE 03

which include sales tax, provincial excise duty, stamp duty, motor vehicle taxes etc.

Interestingly, the government has planned to generate Rs49.871 billion through income from property and enterprise, receipts from civil administration, and miscellaneous receipts.

The chief minister stated that there has been no further introduction of the tax in the budget, whereas the increase in non-development expenditure has been restricted to 7pc.

“Due to poor receipts, we

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had to cut down our development expenditure, which now stands at Rs172.941 billion for the current financial year,” CM Murad stated. “Many development schemes that could have been completed had been delayed due to the non-availability of funds.”

The CM noted that the austerity measures shown with regard to the non-development budget had given the government an opportunity to spend more on development in this budget.

CONTINUED ON BACK PAGE

1,546 smart lockdowns imposed across Pakistan, NCOC told STORY ON PAGE 03

Neelam Ghar host Tariq Aziz passes away STORY ON PAGE 02

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Thursday, 18 June, 2020

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PTI SIndh lawmakerS urge Pm Imran To ImProve TIeS wITh PPP govT KARACHI

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STAFF REPORT

AWMAKERS of the Sindh Assembly belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Imran Khan to strengthen relations between the Centre and the provincial government led by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) so that they are able to resolve public issues in their respective constituencies more efficiently.

The prime minister met with the MPAs at the Governor House during his two-day visit here.

The delegation praised the premier’s suggestions in the new finance bill and decisions that were taken by the government to curb the spread of coronavirus.

They also commended the PM on reaching out to the poor segment of the society through the Ehsaas Programme.

“Public service is the first mission of

the PTI government,” PM Imran said, urging the PTI lawmakers to be more proactive in resolving public issues.

Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, Minister for Maritime Affairs Syed Ali Zaidi and Special Assistant Dr Sania Nishtar were also present in the meeting.

Among the MPAs were Omar Amari, Dr Syed Imran Ali Shah, Arsalan Taj Hussain, Bilal Ahmed, Syed Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Haleem Adil Sheikh, Jamaluddin Siddiqui and others. The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) delegation was also present during the meeting.

According to reports, the delegation demanded Sindh’s share in the NFC award and discussed the privatisation of steel mills and eradication of locusts from agricultural fields in the province.

The GDA delegation included Sardar Abdul Hakim, Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Arif Mustafa Khan Jatoi and Irfanullah Marwat.

ISLAMABAD

REPATRIATION FLIGHTS THROUGH ALL CARRIERS WILL START OPERATING AT 25 PER CENT CAPACITY FROM JUNE 20

STAFF REPORT

neelam ghar host Tariq aziz passes away LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Veteran actor and television host Tariq Aziz passed away in Lahore on Wednesday. He was 84 years old and was admitted to a private hospital last night after he fell critically ill. However, the cause of his death is not yet disclosed. Born in 1936 in British India, Aziz received his early education in Jalandhar (now in India) before starting his career at Radio Pakistan in Lahore.

When the state-owned Pakistan Television (PTV) started its broadcast in 1964 from Lahore, he became the first male news announcer of the country. In 1974, Aziz started the first-of-its-type game show, Neelam Ghar, from PTV. The show went on to register unprecedented heights. It was later rebranded as Tariq Aziz Show in 1996 before finally renamed Bazm-e-Tariq Aziz in 2006. Aziz also tried his luck in movies. He starred in Insaniyat (1967) alongside Waheed Murad and Zeba, following which he played a leading role in Haar Gaya Insaan. He received the Pride of Performance award in 1992 for his services. Expressing his condolences in a tweet, Prime Minister Imran Khan said: “Saddened to learn of the passing of Tariq Aziz, an icon in his time and a pioneer of our TV game shows.” “My condolences and prayers go to his family,” he added. Later in the day, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa also expressed grief on the demise of the legendary broadcaster and outstanding artist. Aziz’s “services for Pakistan will always be remembered”, Gen Bajwa said, according to Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar. “May Allah bless the departed soul in eternal peace and give strength to the bereaved family, Aameen,” the Army chief added.

PSdP 2020-21: Senate body protests non-inclusion of recommended projects ISLAMABAD GHULAM ABBAS

The Senate's Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Special Initiatives has expressed serious concerns over the non-inclusion of projects recommended by its members for the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2020-21. The committee meeting, chaired by Senator Agha Shahzaib Khan Durrani, also decided to boycott the meeting, besides giving no recommendation to the National Assembly on PSDP. Committee chairman Agha Shahzaib Durrani observed, "Parliamentarians are public representatives and they strive hard to ensure the welfare of the people and development of the country. But despite trying their best to include welfare projects in the PSDP, it is disappointing that our recommendations are never made part of the final budget." Senator Usman Kakar observed that every constituency and district of Balochistan needed development work, "but it's a pity that our recommendations are not implemented". He said if the government cannot give assurances in this regard, there is no use of presenting further recommendations.

ISLAMABAD INP

Govt announces resumption of int'l flight operations from June 20 While announcing the resumption of all flight operations from June 20, the government on Wednesday said that international passengers seeking to board inbound flights can now purchase tickets directly from the airline instead of booking a flight through the embassy.

Pakistan had suspended international flight operations on March 22 to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the country. As the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) started operating repatriation flights, non-resident nationals who were looking to return home were directed to book a seat through the embassy or its consulates.

Addressing a press conference on the protocol for those arriving in Pakistan, Adviser to Prime Minister on National Security Dr Moeed Yusuf and Minister of State for Overseas Pakistanis Zulfiqar Bukhari announced that repatriation flights through all carriers will start operating at 25 per cent capacity from June 20.

However, he said that if a passenger does not feel the need to immediately return, should refrain from doing so and instead let someone with high priority board the flight.

The advisers also announced that everybody arriving in Pakistan has to quarantine.

“Thermal scanning will be done at airports and questions will be asked by healthcare experts,” Yusuf said, adding that if they suspect them to

PPP demands constitution of JIT against Pm and his advisers Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, the spokesperson of Pakistan People’s Party Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari demanded the constitution of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) on the document presented to the 10-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC) by Justice Qazi Faez Isa. Addressing a press conference at the PPP’s media office in Islamabad with Nazir Dhoki, Senator Khokhar said that a similar kind of JIT was formed in the cases of Nawaz Sharif, former president Zardari and Bilawal. He said that PPP would also approach the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in this regard despite the fact that ECP has not yet decided foreign funding case against Prime Minister Imran Khan. Senator Khokhar said that attack on Justice Isa is an attack on the entire Pakistani nation. He also condemned the way the apex court was treated. “Justice Qazi Faez Isa, while presenting the document said, that this document was acquired from the same source from which detail of his properties were acquired. This document shows the number of properties owned by the prime minister and his advisers in Britain, he said. He said that this is an important piece of information and the PPP asks for the same treatment as was given in the cases of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and PPP leaders' cases. The law should be applied equally. This document is presented in the SC by no other than a judge of the superior court. He asked that why and how a judge of the apex court was spied on.

Shehbaz Sharif’s bail extended till June 29 in corruption case LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has extended the bail of Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif’s bail in a money laundering case till June 29. It has also stopped NAB from arresting Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Barjees Tahir. A two-member bench, headed by Justice Aalia Neelum, heard the case. Shehbaz’s lawyer told the court that the PML-N president couldn’t appear because he has been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. “He has been instructed to stay in isolation till June 25,” the lawyer said. On the bail petition of Tahir, NAB said that no arrest warrant has been issued for him after which the court approved Tahir’s petition for pre-arrest bail. STAFF REPORT

have coronavirus, they will be taken to hotels and kept there until results are received.

“Those who test negative will go home but quarantine for 14 days.

Those who test positive will be kept by the government at quarantine centres. But those testing negative too will have to follow through with quarantine; the Tracking, Testing and Quarantine (TTQ) team will check up on them.

Addressing the forum, Bukhari said: “If you don’t observe the 14-day

self-quarantine and we have to close our airspace, you will create difficulty for those working abroad.”

He also urged people to follow through with the quarantine period and stay home. “Only come out if you have symptoms and need to go to the hospital,” he said.

Bukhari also thanked “those people abroad who helped fellow countrymen, especially those who distributed tickets and those organisations of our overseas diaspora who helped other Pakistanis”.

CPeC pace increased, scope enhanced, says gen (r) Bajwa NEWS DESK: China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority Chairman Lt General (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa on Wednesday said the pace of work on the project has recently picked up and the scope of the project has enhanced. The chairman took to microblogging website Twitter and said a great deal of groundwork has been done to launch phase two of the project.

Senate committee raises questions on proposed Gwadar duty exemptions lasting 40 years ISLAMABAD GHULAM ABBAS

While rejecting and expressing disappointment on some proposals made in the Finance Bill 2020, the Senate Standing Committee on Finance on Wednesday, asked the maritime affairs secretary to disclose names of contractors and subcontractors working at Gwadar, who are being considered for duty exemptions for a period of 40 years.

The senate committee further asked top officials of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs to identify real beneficiaries of the proposed amendments.

Additionally, amendments related to the authorised economic operator programme and concessions on raw material for operating companies in Gwadar was also rejected. The committee has decided

investigate the matter further since original documents stated a 20-year period for exemptions while the time span was changed to 40 years in the Finance Bill 2020.

The committee further pointed out that amendments relevant to tax exemptions for Gwadar port are in violation of the law and directed the maritime affairs secretary to present details of agreements with contractors and subcontractors on Thursday.

The secretary was also asked to present before the committee a copy of the agreement between the Pakistani government and a Singaporean company, signed in 2007, related to the handling of the Gwadar port. The agreement was later sold to a Chinese company in 2013.

While the secretary maritime affairs assured that he will try his best to present the needed documents, committee mem-

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bers insisted that it will be binding on him to disclose everything to the legislators in order to get the amendments approved.

Senator Dr Musadik Malik, on the other hand, said that the government should ensure transparency and that it should not further amend agreements to give benefits to certain people. Senator Ayesha Raza also seconded Musadik Malik’s concerns and said that the committee was misguided on the issue of duty exemptions for Gwadar port.

Earlier the committee on Wednesday took up the Finance Bill 2020, containing the annual budget statement presented in the parliament June 12, 2020. Amendments made to the Customs Act, 1969, and the Sales Tax Provisions of Finance Bill, 2020, were reviewed.

During the meeting the FBR team also failed to convince the committee

over the two major reforms related to Pakistan Customs in the budget for crossborder movement of goods under the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).

One of the amendment relates to the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme. The AEO programme aims to facilitate secure trade supply chains through simplified procedures.

The committee also unanimously rejected FBR’s amendment stating that the burden of proof lies with the accused.

The amendments that were approved related to extending the scope of smuggling, introducing higher penalties, repayment of regulatory duty to exporters, the inclusion of under-invoicing in the ambit of fiscal fraud and adjudication of cases within 30 days.

Additionally all amendments to the sales tax pertaining to the documentation of the economy were approved.

Thursday, 18 June, 2020

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wIfe wIllIng To TeSTIfy Before CourT, JuSTICe ISa TellS SC SLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

The Supreme Court (SC) resumed hearing the government’s arguments in the presidential reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa on Wednesday, when the senior judge appeared in person with a message from his wife to the court.

During the hearing, Justice Isa sought permission to speak as Barrister Farogh Naseem presented his arguments. Justice Umar Ata Bandial, the presiding judge, asked him to wait and allowed him to speak after the government’s counsel completed his arguments.

He told the court that his wife wants to reveal the details of her London properties via video-link to the bench, “I request the court to please allow her to do so,” he said.

Justice Bandial said that it would be better if the judge’s wife submits her written reply first, to which Justice Isa said that she is not in a position to submit a written response. “She does not even want a lawyer to represent her and is willing to answer all the court’s questions herself,” he said, adding that she does not want to record her statement with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) because of the way its officials had

treated her. “My wife had to face a lot because of this reference,” he further said.

The senior judge told the court that she had told him that if he she reveals her account details then it is possible that the government could transfer money into it and file new references against her.

“If the court thinks that I am incompetent to be a judge then it should give its verdict today,” he added. Justice Bandial said

that the court needs time to consider her request. “If she records her statement then it would make the entire process easier,” he said, adding that the bench would issue an appropriate order on it.

Justice Isa said that he did not want to go into what happened to him and his family, but it was alleged that the fellow judges wanted to save him.

He said that according to the former attorney general, other judges helped him in preparing the petition. He pleaded the court to start contempt of court proceedings against the former attorney general.

He complained that news started circulating in media against him even before the reference. He was not even given a copy of the reference, he added.

The court took a short break to consider the petition of Justice Isa. After the break, Justice Bandial said that the statement of the judge’s wife would be very important but the bench would ask her to file a reply in writing.

After receiving her reply, the case would be fixed for hearing, he said assuring that justice would be done.

Addressing Justice Isa, he said that the bench would consider his wife’s request to

present her verbal statement.

Earlier, the government’s counsel resumed his arguments and informed the court about the government’s position regarding sending the case of Justice Isa’s wife to the FBR. He said that his client had no objection over referring the matter to the FBR, which should decide the case in two months.

The government’s counsel said that Justice Isa had alleged that Prime Minister Imran Khan owned properties in London.

The prime minister had stated that he would resign if it was proved that any of those properties were owned by him, and that

STAFF REPORT

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Wednesday observed that 1,546 smart lockdowns have been enforced across Pakistan as coronavirus cases across the country surged past 150,000.

According to the data released by the government, there are 58,239 cases in Punjab, 57.868 in Sindh, 19,107 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 8,437 in Balochistan, 9,2412 in Islamabad, 1,164 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and 703 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). 2,297 people have died of the disease while 58,437 people have recovered from it.

The meeting, chaired by the Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initia-

tives Asad Umar, discussed the arrangements regarding coronavirus across the country.

According to a province-wise breakdown, there are 904 areas under lockdown in Punjab with a population of over 900,000, 26 areas in Sindh with a population of 50,513, 572 areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with a population of 67,000, 29 areas in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) with a population of 670,000, 10 areas in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) with a population of 60,000 and five areas in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) with a population of 15,000 people.

The meeting was informed that “trace, test and quarantine (TTQ)” strategy is implemented to highlight high risk areas reporting large numbers of coronavirus cases. The committee also reviewed a plan to ramp up testing capacity, the media’s communication strategy and the epidemic curve

NEWS DESK: Justice Qazi Faez Isa, who is facing a presidential reference for failing to declare his family’s assets abroad, on Tuesday dropped a bombshell as he claimed to have “discovered through search” multiple properties in the United Kingdom linked with or possessed by top political leaders including Prime Minister Imran Khan and his close aides. Justice Isa, in an application submitted to the Supreme Court, told the bench that he took a cue from the Asset Recovery Unit (ARU) chief Shahzad Akbar’s claim that properties in Britain could be searched by anyone by using the search engine 192.com. The application said the search engine was used to find out the properties of a few known public figures. The search result suggested that Akbar owned five properties in Britain, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Firdous Ashiq Awan owned one, State Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Zulfi Bukhari seven, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Usman Dar three, Prime Minister Imran six, Jahangir Khan Tareen one and former president Pervez Musharraf owned two properties. However, an investigation by Pakistan Today found that most of the aforementioned properties were possessed not by the accused but by their namesakes. For example, six assets attributed to the prime minister were in fact in possession of one Imran Ali Khan Niazi who, according to the shown record, is in the 35-39 age group while the premier is 67 years old.

chart with projections for the next six weeks.

In accordance with the prime minister’s instructions for compliance with health guidelines, particularly at work places, industrial sector, transport, markets and shops, NCOC mapped out strategies to ensure the implementation of the protocols as per the directives issued by World Health Organisation (WHO).

The forum was told that during the last 24 hours, more than 9,827 violations of health guidelines were observed across the country, whereas more than 963 markets and shops, 18 industries and 1,186 transport vehicles were cautioned, fined, sensitised and sealed.

Presenting an area-wise breakdown, the forum was apprised that in AJK, 804 violations were reported, around 93 shops and markets were sealed and about 333 transport vehicles were fined.

Ministry to evaluate Dexamethasone for treating critically ill Covid-19 patients ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Adviser to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza on Wednesday said that a team of experts from the Ministry of National Health Services will evaluate the use of Dexamethasone, a drug shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients of Covid-19, as a treatment to reduce the mortality rate.

In an unexpected sign of hope amid the surging Covid-19 toll, researchers at the University of Oxford said the drug has the potential to be the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients. A report by the researchers estimates that “had doctors been using the drug to treat the sickest Covid19 patients in Britain from the beginning of the pandemic, up to 5,000 deaths could have been prevented”.

With some 2,975 reported deaths, Pakistan’s fatality rate currently stands at 1.8 per cent, lowest in the region. Neighbouring India has registered a 2.8 per cent mortality

rate with health experts fearing that it may further uptick. However, with the new drug, the two governments hope to arrest the rising death ratio.

In a series of tweets, Mirza noticed that the World Health Organisation (WHO) welcomed the initial clinical trial results which show the drug reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.

“It is an old and cheap anti-inflammatory medicine and we have multiple producers in Pakistan,” Mirza said.

However, he warned that dexamethasone is only to be used on patients who are either on oxygen or ventilators. “The medicine must not be used by mild to moderate patients and self-medication is strictly prohibited and can be dangerous as the medicine has many sideeffects,” Mirza said.

The minister echoed WHO Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan who had said that taking the drug, which is a corticosteroid, inappropriately could worsen the sit-

uation in a coronavirus infection. She added that it was important that the drug was prescribed by a doctor only for patients who fulfill specific criteria.

There is no vaccine against the coronavirus, and the only treatment known to be effective, an antiviral drug called remdesivir, only shortens the time to recovery.

Until now, hospitals worldwide have had nothing to offer these desperate, dying patients, and the prospect of a lifesaving treatment close at hand — in almost every pharmacy — was met with something like elation by doctors.

“Assuming that when it goes through peer review it stands — and these are well-established researchers — it’s a huge breakthrough, a major breakthrough,” Dr. Sam Parnia, a pulmonologist and associate professor of medicine at the Grossman School of Medicine at New York University, told the New York Times.

“I cannot emphasise how important this could be,” he added.

property should be confiscated and its sale proceeds should be deposited in the national treasury, he added. Shahzad Akbar and Firdous Ashiq Awan also have no property abroad, he further. Justice Maqbool Baqar said that the judge did not say that the properties belonged to the prime minister as he had mentioned a website in his reply.

“We have not received any petition yesterday. It is unfortunate that both the parties are giving priority to the media over the court. We have not reviewed this reply,” Justice Bandial said. Later the case was adjourned till Thursday.

Pm Imran does not own assets in uk as Justice Isa claims

1,546 smart lockdowns imposed across Pakistan, NCOC told ISLAMABAD

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Govt opposes its own bill extending free air travel to families of parliamentarians ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Wednesday opposed the Members of Parliament (Salaries and Allowances) (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in the Senate which aims to extend the facility of 25 air tickets provided to the parliamentarians to their family members. The said bill was moved in the National Assembly (NA) by the government on March 9, 2020 by the minister of state for parliamentary affairs and later transferred to senate as Money Bill. In Senate, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan laid a copy of the Money Bill on June 5, 2020 and referred to Standing Committee on Finance for consideration.Despite being a bill moved by the government, the Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar opposed it and said that the provision of 25 business class air tickets is a privilege of the parliament members facilitating them to travel in connection with proceedings of the parliament. He said that the same cannot be extended to their families. However, the report of the Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs mentioned that there was no further burden on the national exchequer since the facility is being availed by the parliamentarians already, which can be now availed by their spouses and children up to 18 years of age. APP

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Thursday, 18 June, 2020

WEATHER UPDATES THURSDAY

370C

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FRIDAY

360C

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SATURDAY

360C

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Prayer TImINgs FAJR SUNRISE

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ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

4:13

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SiNdh to Seal Covid-19 hotSPotS aS CaSeS Surge KARACHI

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COrES of hotspots of Covid-19 will be sealed in Karachi and other parts of Sindh amid raging pandemic in the country on Wednesday.

According to reports, government authorities considering to impose restriction on movement in three districts of Karachi.

The authorities have planned to impose restrictions in two union councils of Metroville and Saeedabad in Karachi West district, according to reports. The government also likely to impose restrictions on movement in city districts of Korangi and Karachi East as well, according to sources.

The health authorities have also recommended sealing Covid-19 hotspots in Gulshan-e Maymaar and Khuda Ki Basti Phase-II, sources further said.

Moreover, the provincial authorities have also decided to seal 12 localities in

Larkana.

Punjab government on Tuesday issued details of restriction on movement to be imposed in virus hotspot areas in eight cities of the province that would undergo smart lockdown amid rising Covid-19 cases.

According to a notification, restaurants, shopping malls, public and private transport will remain shut in the virus hotspot areas.

Only those exempted from the lockdown restrictions will be allowed to go out from the area while pillion riding will also be banned in the hotspots. Any sort of religious, political and social gatherings will be barred during the smart lockdown period.

It is pertinent to mention here that Punjab government on Tuesday decided to put more Covid-19 hotspots in six cities of the province under lockdown.

The decision was made in a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Punjab Jawad rafique Malik. It was decided that other than Lahore, virus hotspots in six more Punjab cities will be sealed-off.

The cities included Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Gujrat, Multan and rawalpindi. The sources said that lockdown will be imposed in these cities from 12:00 midnight on Wednesday.

They further said that the provincial authorities had already decided to impose lockdown in virus hotspots identified in Lahore and the decision will come into force from Tuesday midnight.

Four more sectors of Islamabad will be sealed over the directives of the local administration, amid rising cases of coronavirus in the capital city.

A notification has been released regarding the complete lockdown of four more sectors of the federal capital Islamabad will be imposed from Thursday. The areas include Sector I-8/3, I-8/4, I-10/2 and I-10 centre.

The local administration asked the residents to save essential commodities for daily usage during the next 48 hours as nobody will be allowed to leave the areas during the lockdown period.

PM should have met CM Murad during his visit, says Nasir Shah KARACHI INP

Sindh Information Minister Nasir Shah said that Prime Minister Imran Khan should have met Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah during his two-day visit to the province.

The information minister was speaking on a television show on Wednesday morning. He was asked why the premier was not scheduled to meet any Sindh government official during his visit. Shah said they welcome the prime minister but his programme did not include any meetings with provincial government officials. “Obviously, if there is no plan then what can we say?” he asked “We were hopeful of a meeting with the chief minister.” The minister said the premier could have met Sindh officials since it was his first visit to the province after the outbreak of the coronavirus. Shah said this sort of attitude towards Sindh was not appropriate.

PM Imran reached Karachi on Tuesday night for a twoday visit. When asked about the exclusion of Sindh government officials from PM Imran’s schedule, PTI leader Haleem Adil Sheikh said the prime minister and Sindh CM regularly hold video conferences once or twice a week. He said PM Imran arrived in the province for the inauguration of the Ehsaas Programme in Larkana. “There is no communication gap,” the PTI leader insisted on the show. “The prime minister and the chief minister are on the same page.”

HYDERABAD: Fishermen at work on the bank of River Indus. PPI

WWF calls for urgent global action to address key drivers causing zoonotic diseases outbreak NEWS DESK While the world continues to grapple with the devastating consequences of COVID-19, WWF is calling for urgent global action to address the key drivers it has identified, which will cause future zoonotic disease outbreaks.

In a recently launched report titled as ‘COVID-19: urgent call to protect people and nature’, WWF says that environmental factors driving the emergence of zoonotic diseases are the trade and consumption of high-risk wildlife, land-use change leading to deforestation and conversion, expansion of agriculture and unsustainable intensification and animal production.

Numerous warnings from scientists and thought leaders, such as the World Economic Forum (WEF), have been made about the risk of a global pandemic. The WEF ranked pandemics and infectious diseases as one of the top global risks over a decade ago, posing ‘an acute threat to human life’.

Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General of WWF-Pakistan said that the COVID-19 pandemic is causing huge loss of life and increasing untold suffering of families due the global economic shock that is destroying jobs and livelihoods.

The longer the crisis continues, the greater the threat will be to global peace, security and stability. The COVID-19 health crisis reconfirms how people and nature are interlinked and how our negative impact on the natural world increases the risk of future pandemics.

He was of the view that we must urgently recognize the links between the destruction of nature and human health, or we will soon see the next pandemic.

We must curb the high-risk trade and consumption of wildlife, halt deforestation and land conversion as well as manage food production sustainably.

All these actions will help prevent the spill over of pathogens to humans, and also address other global risks to our society like biodiversity loss and climate change.

Questions remain unanswered about the exact origins of COVID-19, but all available evidence suggests that it is a zoonotic disease, meaning it jumped from wildlife to humans.

The government of China announced a comprehensive ban on the consumption of wild animals on 24 February, which WWF supports and now, the National People’s Congress (NPC) is supporting the revision of the existing law on the protection of wildlife, which, if implemented in full, could position China’s Wildlife Protection Law as one of the world's most robust and stringent.

Other governments must also follow suit and close their high-risk wildlife mar-

kets and end this trade once and for all.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Babar Khan, Director Wildlife, WWF-Pakistan said that the risk of a new zoonotic disease emerging in the future is higher than ever, with the potential to wreak havoc on health, economies and global security.

He was of the view that the COVID19 crisis demonstrates that systemic changes must be made to address the environmental drivers of pandemics.

‘Now is the time for transformative action to protect natural ecosystems in order to reduce the risk of future pandemics and build towards nature positive, carbon neutral, sustainable and just societies,’ he added.

However, addressing high-risk wildlife trade and consumption in isolation will not be enough to prevent the next pandemic – the unsustainable global food system is driving large-scale conversion of natural spaces for agriculture, fragmenting natural ecosystems and increasing interactions between wildlife, livestock and humans.

Since 1990, 178 million hectares of forest have been cleared, which is equivalent to the size of Libya, the 18th largest country in the world, and around 10 million hectares of forest are still being lost each year through conversion to agriculture and other land uses. The COVID-19 crisis demonstrates that systemic changes must be made to address the environmental drivers of pandemics.

WWF is advocating a ‘One Health’ approach linking the health of people, animals and our shared environment and wants this to be included in decision making on wildlife and land use change.

This should also be incorporated within all business and financing decisions, particularly related to global health.

‘In the midst of this tragedy there is an opportunity to heal our relationship with nature and mitigate risks of future pandemics but a better future starts with the decisions governments, companies and people around the world take today’, said Marco Lambertini, Director General, WWF International. ‘World leaders must take urgent action to transform our relationship with the natural world.

We need a New Deal for Nature and People that sets nature on the path to recovery by 2030 and safeguards human health and livelihoods in the long-term.’

WWF highlights the upcoming UN Biodiversity Summit, scheduled to take place in September 2020, as a key moment for world leaders to accelerate action on nature ahead of critical decisions on the environment, climate and development, now due to be taken in 2021.

Together, these decisions represent an unmissable opportunity to transform our relationship with nature and secure a sustainable future for people and the planet.

Thursday, 18 June, 2020

SBP CAllS For SUStAinABlE, mArkEt-lEd FinAnCing oF hoUSing ProjECtS KARAcHI

t

MEIRYUM ALI

HE State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Dr Reza Baqir called a meeting of major banks on Wednesday to discuss sustainable market-led financing of housing projects and mortgages and other measures proposed by the Naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority (NAPHDA), according to a statement issued on Wednesday.

It was decided that banks, NAPHDA, and SBP would work together to prepare

an overall roadmap and execution plans with support from the relevant sub-committees of Pakistan Banks Association.

The meeting was attended by the NAPHDA Chairman Lieutenant General Anwar Ali Haider, and banks’ respective presidents. Members of a government think tank were also present, including former finance minister Shaukat Tareen, and businessmen Arif Habib and Aqeel Karim Dhedhi.

Baqir said that housing finance has not only remained under-developed in Pakistan as compared with other emerging economies, but had seen little

Fearing food emergency, govt imposes Essential Service Act on utility stores ISLAMABAD

progress over time.

He dubbed the initiative as being of great national interest. He emphasised that the construction and housing sectors have strong linkages with the rest of the economic sectors and offer a commercially viable and long term business proposition for banks. He also stressed that supporting economic activity in these sectors would support economic growth and employment in current times of economic stress.

He encouraged banks to view housing and construction finance as an opportunity to broaden their balance sheet and cater to the huge financing needs of the

sector. Baqir reiterated the central bank’s commitment to play a facilitative and supportive role while also supporting a healthy credit culture in the country.

The NAPHDA chairman made a presentation to the banks on key features of the Naya Pakistan Housing Programme, and shared details of the underlying development model.

Shaukat Tareen presented a financial model, elaborated the incentives offered by the government, and emphasized that these will make the financing of developers and mortgages commercially attractive for banks.

BNP-M quits coalition over non-implementation of accord

GHULAM ABBAS

cONTINUED FROM PAgE 01

As the government fears a food emergency in the coming months, it has imposed the Essential Services Act, 1952, on Utility Stores Corporation (USC) to ensure uninterrupted supply of food items to people.

According to sources, the government fears that expected protests and strikes by USC unions may hamper the activities of the stores. "To avoid a crisis situation and to ensure unions' activities remain subdued and there is no strike call or lockdown, the government has notified the Essential Service Act for a period of six months (effective from June 11)," an insider informed. "This act is applicable to every federal organization whose job is to provide essential services to the people in case of natural disasters and emergencies." USC is the only entity under the Ministry of Industries where the Essential Services Act has been declared. On June 2, the federal cabinet had approved the Ministry of Industries’ request for the imposition of the said act, stating that the act could be extended further if needed. "The importance of USC has increased manifold amid Covid-19, as the corporation has to maintain an adequate supply of essential commodities in the country. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also listed the provision of food and other essential goods in its guideline to meet demand under emergency situations," the summary forwarded by the Ministry of Industries and Production had stated. Meanwhile, USC Union Chairman Syed Arif Hussain Shah has expressed concerns over the government's move, terming it "tantamount to encroachment on the employees’ rights". He alleged that USC management is misleading the government to cover up its corruption.

"Instead of implementing this act in the USC, a committee headed by the NAB chairman should be set up to expose the corruption of the USC management."

On the other hand, a government official clarified that union activities are not being banned in the USC, however, the employees cannot observe strikes, lockdowns or any such activity that could hamper the sale and supply of goods from the USC outlets. Apart from the USC, the other main service sector or production units under the industries ministry include Pakistan Steel Mills, Pakistan Machine Tool Factory, ENAR Petrotech Services, Heavy Electrical Complex and Pakistan Engineering Company (PECO).

He said the decision to come out of the ruling coalition was made after many meetings of the party’s central executive committee. “The law and order situation is worsening in Balochistan, death squads have been reactivated,” he claimed.

He added that the people of the province “were not slaves” and questioned why a Balochistan peace conference could not be convened similar to the conference held for the Afghanistan peace process. “[The government] is worried about Kashmir more than Balochistan. [The government] is constituting committees on Kashmir which is not with it, but is not worried about losing what it already has. This House can discuss issues of wheat, sugar and tomatoes, but not the blood of the Baloch people.

“The allocations which have been made in the budget for projects in Balochistan shows [the government’s] seriousness. The prime minister has no time to visit the camps of missing persons. He has no time to meet the fishermen facing problems,” he thundered.

“We have simply demanded that the missing persons be recovered and the National Action Plan against terrorism be implemented in letter and spirit. Through the other agreement, we have demanded projects for Balochistan and Gwadar.”

Mengal said that agreements made with the people of the province were “openly violated in the past too”.

He also criticised the government for cutting shares of the provinces in the National Finance Commission (NFC). He added that the government, despite “repeated warnings” did not take steps to stop locust attacks. “[The gov-

ernment] has aircraft for the chief minister and it can buy F-16s, but there is no aircraft for aerial spray.”

He held the federal and Balochistan governments responsible for the spread of Covid-19 in the country by allowing pilgrims from Iran to enter Taftan without making any arrangements. “A first information report (FIR) should be registered against whoever is responsible for the deaths in the country due to coronavirus,” he said. “The Parliament has been turned into a Hyde Park corner where the members are free to vent their frustration through speeches but no one is there to listen to them seriously,” he alleged.

Pointing towards the empty treasury benches, he said that no one was there to take notes. “These benches were full on the budget presentation day and they will again be full when it will be voted upon.”

In January this year, BNP-M leaders including MP Khalid Magsi, Ahsan Ullah Reki, Israr Tareen, Senator Manzoor Kakar, Naseeb Ullah Badini, Rubina Irfan and Sana Jamali participated in talks with the government as it started efforts to appease its “annoyed” allies. However, the BNP-M president did not participate in the talks.

The government side had assured the party leaders that it would address all grievances of the party and would include them in “development-oriented” decision making.

ZARDARI DISCUSSES POLITICAL SITUATION WITH MENGAL: Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) President Asif Ali Zardari telephoned the BNP-M chief of discussed the political situation with him.

Mengal also inquired about the health of the former president and

prayed for his early recovery and said the country needed Zardari’s political sagacity, said a press release issued by the party secretariat.

“PPP always strives to strengthen the country, democracy and the poor, and will continue to play its leading role in saving the country and its people,” Zardari said.

NUMBERS GAME: After BNPM’s withdrawal from the coalition government, parliamentary numbers once again came into focus.

To form the government, a party needs at least 172 seats. Even after losing Mengal’s support, the PTI and coalition parties have 180 seats in the National Assembly (NA). PM Imran’s PTI has 156 seats in the assembly, while it has the support of seven members of Karachi-based Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).

The PTI’s coalition partners Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) have five seats each in the lower house, while Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) has three seats in the assembly. Sheikh Rashid, an MNA of his Awami Muslim League (AML) party and two other independent MNAs are also supporting PM Imran’s government.

Mengal has left the PTI coalition but he has not joined the opposition’s alliance, which has 157 members in the assembly.

The PML-N has 84 MNAs, the PPP has 55 MNAs, the MMA has 15 MNAs and the ANP has one MNA in the lower house of the parliament.

Two independent MNAs are also sitting on the opposition benches. The opposition parties will have 161 seats in the assembly if Mengal decides to join them but it would not be enough to topple PM Imran’s government.

NEWS

05

Court summons police in defamation case against US blogger ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

A local court summoned on Wednesday the station house officer (SHO) of Bani Gala in a case regarding the defamation of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto by US blogger Cynthia Richie.

Islamabad Additional District and Sessions Judge Abdul Ghafoor Kakar ordered the SHO to appear before the court and explain why he had not submitted a reply earlier. The court expressed its annoyance over the non-submission of a detailed reply by the police. The petitioner’s lawyer, Chaudhry Zahid Asif, argued that the, “Police is deliberately not submitting a detailed reply.” He said the police is cooking up excuses to delay registering a case against Cynthia Rithchie. The hearing was adjourned till June 20. On June 15, the Islamabad additional district and sessions judge directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to conduct an inquiry against Cynthia for allegedly defaming former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on social media and if found guilty, register an FIR [First Information Report] against her. Judge Muhammad Jehangir Awan announced the two-page reserved verdict on PPP Islamabad President Shakeel Abbasi’s petition, seeking registration of a criminal case against Cynthia for passing “extremely derogatory and slanderous remarks about Benazir Bhutto”. The judge wrote in the verdict that Benazir “died in the year 2007 and there is a lapse of more than 12 years in between this intervening period but the accused never agitated this fact before any forum or Competent Authority and even not disclosed on any media. So, at this stage after a lapse of 12 years her disclosure to malign the character of the deceased leader is apparently based upon mala-fide”.

Senators demand raise in salaries, pensions ISLAMABAD APP

Lawmakers on Wednesday called for giving more relief to the masses by providing increased salaries and pensions to government employees in the federal budget. Initiated the debate on the federal budget, Pakistani Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Javed Abbasi criticised the budget and said no relief had been given to the masses in it. He said it was the first time that no increase in salaries and pensions was given to the employees and pensioners. He said tall claims were made by the PTI leadership before coming into power and it always criticised the past rulers for taking loans. Javed Abbasi claimed that record loans were obtained during the last two years. JI Senator Mushtaq Ahmed said, ‘Charter of Democracy’ was the only solution for economic stability in the country. He said the continuity in economic policies should be ensured and all stakeholders should sit together for `Charter of Democracy’. He said less budget was allocated for the health sector despite the ongoing phase of Covid-19 and demanded more allocation for it. Regarding tax collection, Javed Abbasi said the PPP doubled the tax collection revenue during its five years term while PML-N achieved revenue target of Rs 3,942 billion till 2018. “However, the PTI government failed to achieve its revenue target set during the ongoing fiscal year,” he added. Similarly, he called for allocating more funds to Balochistan in order to bring it par with other developed areas.

Insecurities during global pandemic USAMA PERVEZ While the world is reeling from the mounting dismalness and mortality from the Covid-19 pandemic, the Assembled Countries has anticipated that it additionally faces a few starvations of “scriptural extents”; very quickly. The World Food Program has cautioned that the coronavirus pandemic will tighten up the quantity of individuals confronting intense food uncertainty in 2020 to 265 million from 130 million individuals in 2019.

Pakistan is among the 55 countries projected to face acute food insecurity as a result of the global pandemic. These countries are vulnerable to food insecurity because they have little or no capacity to absorb the economic aspects of the health crisis. Consequently, they have to make painful trade-offs between Covid-19related deaths and unemployment. In extreme cases, the trade-off would be between deaths from Covid-19 and deaths from hunger-related conditions. Food alone is a serious problem among many countries but in Pakistan where we have to deal with adulteration mafia it is too much to handle for the food authorities as per recently many adulterated beverages, spices, milk

have been fined and sealed in Punjab only

by Punjab Food Authority, with DG Irfan Nawaz Memon taking strict iron fists decision to stop the adulteration mafia and following all the SOP’s in this crucial time as well we can see PFA and DG Irfan Nawaz Memon working dawn to dusk with its operations team raiding and sealing adulterated food/beverages but we still are at high risk of food discards and wastage. In a very recent event it was seen that now we have inspection of adulterated milk on wheels, mobile milk testing labs and bikes squad came on board with us and assured people through Chief Minister Punja Mr. Usman Buzdar that no milk will enter any place without being tested.

Covid-19 can adversely affect food security through a wide range of mechanisms.

On the demand side, the rising unemployment and underemployment will reduce the purchasing power of the people. The workers, especially the daily wage earners in the informal economy, are at risk of losing their jobs because of social distancing and other government restrictions. Similarly, households that rely on remittances will also lose their source of income. As the purchasing power of the households is reduced, there will be a decline in consumer demand.

Restrictions on the movement of agricultural workers may also limit their availability and may increase food prices. The countries which rely on imported food will also experience rising food prices because of the depreciation in their local currencies against the US dollar. If there is panic buying by the developed world, the globally traded food items will become even more expensive, at least in the short run.

The fear in the global markets could also result in a decline in international financing and portfolio outflows from food-insecure countries. Manufacturing sectors, such as textiles, have already seen substantial cancellations of orders, putting millions of jobs at risk across South and South-East Asia.

On the supply side, an assortment of factors seems to drive food insecurity in the vulnerable developing nations. Although the harvests in 2020 have been quite promising, restriction on the movement of the people to contain the spread of coronavirus have disrupted the transport systems. The increased delivery time has reduced the availability of even the most essential items.

Many households in developing countries depend on food production and livestock rearing. If the supply chain of agricultural inputs is disrupted, farmers may

find it challenging to access livestock markets, which will result in a decline in the crop and livestock production and sales.

The locust outbreak may also have dramatic consequences for food production.

The other supply-side factors could be related to illness-related labour shortages, transport interruptions, quarantine measures limiting access to markets. Supply chain disruptions resulting in food loss and waste could affect supply.

Restrictions on the movement, soaring unemployment, and limited access to food may generate discontent, violence and conflict. Violence and exploitation, especially sexual exploitation and abuse, as well as domestic violence, will increase because of prolonged confinement and exposure to perpetrators, increased stress caused by reduced income and reduced access to basic needs.

It might be insightful to see the vulnerabilities of Pakistan vis-à-vis food insecurity.

Even without the impact of coronavirus, the outlook for Pakistan was already dire. Pakistan’s report card on food security makes for ominous reading.

Locust outbreak in Pakistan in recent years is also expected to compound the issues of food insecurity. Initially, parts of Sindh and Balochistan came under a locust

attack, but over time, the locust has penetrated deep into Punjab planes. According to the Agriculture Department, some areas of Rojhan tehsil in Rajanpur district have become the hub of locust.

There are particular concerns for people working in the informal economy, and the world’s 79 million refugees and displaced people. The refugee problem is acute in Pakistan. With the US breaking out of WHO at a time when its support was most needed for the global body, the capability of a coordinated global strategy to contain the virus is severely dented. Still, a consensus seems to be emerging that putting in place real-time food security monitoring systems is an important strategy against the Covid-19 pandemic. Getting real-time information about market and supply chains is also crucial to avert a humanitarian catastrophe.

Basic helpful needs, job, and area help for the defenseless gatherings is another essential. Situating food to fortify and scale up social insurance frameworks around the globe is likewise significant. Significantly, the most helpless nations and populaces ought to be bolstered in giving clinical consideration, yet in addition help through security nets that have the adaptability to react to stuns.

Thursday, 18 June, 2020

06 COMMENT

Tribute to a technologist

Mr Khan’s primary role during the pandemic

Engr Masood Hasan always pushed for scientific research to develop indigenous technologies

As the country’s PM or PTI’s chief?

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RIMe Minister Imran Khan visited Karachi for the first time after the outbreak of the coronavirus and returned two days later to Islamabad without having a word with the Sindh Chief Minister.

Sindh has all along been on the forefront of the fight against the coronavirus. The Sindh CM was the first to raise his voice against the quarantine lapses at Taftan and had ensured that all those reaching Sindh from there were duly isolated. he had also pressed for proper checking of those arriving by air in the country. The Sindh government proposed a strict lockdown for the country while Mr Khan opposed it. Despite these differences, the Sindh government supported a uniform policy for the entire country and vowed to implement it even if it had reservations about it.

The coronavirus is the biggest issue the country faces today. What is more, it is bound to remain at the top of the government’s agenda during the current year and possibly beyond it. The war against the pandemic can only be won through national consensus and joint struggle by all the provinces led by the federal government. In democracies, differences between political parties are a normal matter.

During national emergencies, they are required to put their differences aside and join hands to deal with the grave issues facing the country. For this the PM has to play the leading role.

Many had expected the PM to hold talks with CM Murad Ali Shah during his two days in Sindh. One can understand that the PTI and the PPP have had differences all along. however while pursuing the national agenda, political leaders are expected to put personal likes and dislikes aside.

Sidelining the provincial government, the PM met the members of the PTI’s provincial core committee on Monday to discuss party matters. The next day he talked to the PTI’s MPAs, directing them to play a proactive role in resolving public issues in their respective constituencies. This could create the perception that it was not a visit by the PM to coordinate and strengthen the fight against coronavirus, but a visit by the PTI chief to meet his party’s provincial leaders.

Dr FariD a malik

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N June 11, engr Masood hasan, a leading technologist of the country and the father of chemical engineering (Chem-1) of Pakistan, passed away after a glorious innings spread over 95 years. After completing his masters in Industrial Chemistry from the Punjab University, he went on to study Chemical engineering at the Case Western Reserve University USA from where he received an MS Degree in 1948. he was hired by Unilever and attended their executive management programme in UK. There was no looking back; the ‘Technologist’ had been launched. he started local manufacturing of several Unilever products that included Dalda Banaspati as well. From there he moved to Wazir Ali Industries for the launch of Tullo Banaspati and Treet Soap. he then moved back to Lahore in the 196s where he launched a consulting firm by the name of eWP Consultants which played a key role in bringing the first-generation computer to Pakistan. Later he founded United Consultants before being appointed Federal Secretary Defence Production by the Bhutto regime. he was not alone; with him, several technocrats were inducted through lateral entry into senior administrative positions.

The Defence Production sector was developed under his vision and leadership during the decade of the 197s. Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra, heavy Industries Taxila, expansion of Pakistan Ordinance Factories, reorganization of SUPARCO and several other smaller projects were started during that period. his maternal uncle hamid Ghani, who was Chief engineer in Pakistan Railways at the time of Partition, was appointed Project Manager to build POF Wah in 1953.

After completing the ordnance factory, he was sent to build the Karachi Shipyard. Between the two, half of Pakistan’s basic industrialization took place. They remain unsung heroes of the country as they neither sought publicity nor self-projection. While Ghani Sahib is buried in Karachi, hasan Sahib chose Lahore. he served briefly with the Zia regime and returned to his home town to launch another consulting firm by the name of eMMAY Associates where he worked till his retirement about ten years ago. During this period the Doon School Boys got together to build Chand Bagh School on the MuridkeSheikhupura link road on the pattern of their founding institution. It is a not-for-profit residential school where students are taught social responsibilities to keep their campus and surrounding localities clean.

It is the Doon School version of Pakistan. Lt. Gen (R) Ghulam Jillani Khan and hasan Sahib, both Doon School alumni, led this project from the front with a vision to develop university-level education at the same location. With a campus spread over 190 acres it will perhaps one day emerge as an education City.

Running into trouble India may well have bitten off more than it can chew

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he deaths of 20 Indian soldiers who had tried to stop Chinese troops from building a check-post should show its policymakers that there are limits to its policy of throwing its weight around. It is one thing for it to try and bully much smaller neighbours like Nepal or Bhutan, or even those which it is only several times larger, like Pakistan or Bangladesh, but it might now find that it cannot impose its will on China, its only neighbour which is of comparable size, and which has a similar population. This bristly posture has now clearly reached the limits of usefulness, and India will now have to do what it has been refusing to do until now: talk.

This clash should not be seen in isolation, because it shows not just India, but the whole world, that the country’s attempts to impose its wishes on the Kashmir issue does not just cause it to have a dispute with Pakistan, but also with China. The inclusion of the Ladakh region in the princely state carved out for the Dogras by the British and the Sikhs in the course of the collapse of the Sikh kingdom after Maharaja Ranjit Singh, caused it to have its northern border to march with what was then the Chinese empire. While Pakistan has demarcated its border with China as far as it could, the Pak-China agreement leaves room for India to accede, something it has not done for six decades.

India has thought that its readiness of recent years to be the US cat’s-paw in the region allows it to throw its weight around as the regional hegemon. however, now it has been let in for a rude awakening. This is an ideal opportunity for it to realize that it must sort out its issues with all neighbours, and this can only be done by talks, without any assumption that the Indian maximalist position is to be forced down the throat of the other side by force. The dialogue must be result-oriented, no matter how contentious the issue.

Sino-India standoff: A big embarrassment India has badly miscalculated by changing Jammu and Kashmir’s status Ehtisham amEr

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he Chinese board game Xiangqi is not only a game but a part of the larger Chinese culture. It was considered an essential part of the training of men who aspire to rise to commanding heights in various walks of life. Kings, generals, men of letters, and high priests were expected to be well versed in this game. Xiangqi was considered to cultivate virtues like patience, forethought, resolve, and long-term planning. To a bystander, the game may lack action and thrill but to the players and to an ordinary Chinese, this is the way of life in China. every action must be thought through in every possible detail, though trivial, to avoid changing minds midway or face some embarrassment as a result. This habit of overthinking is visible in the actions of individuals and state functionaries in every day Chinese working.

Cultural habits influence our actions. The Chinese thus, as a matter of habit and compulsion, take a long time to react, but do so in such well thought-out manner that it is hard to find deficiencies in their conduct of statecraft. Take the example of the Indian unilateral and illegal action of 5 August. India repealed Article 370 of its Constitution and divided the Jammu and Kashmir state into the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. It was hailed as a monumental step by the Indian right-wing and extremist parties of various hues. Moderate Indians were shocked and expressed their outrage in various ways.

BJP stalwarts made provocative statements of intent to take back Pakistan administered Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan by force, if necessary. Similar claims were made about the Chinese administered Aksai Chin.

There is always a difference between addressing domestic audiences and handling a tricky trilateral issue of sovereignty over a piece of land. Amit Shah, the Indian firebrand and home Minister, made an incorrect assessment of the situation which was to cause India the embarrassment of the century less than a year later.

China was put on the defensive for the first time when India compared the occupation of Aksai Chin

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

In 2017 he was invited to speak at the annual Dr Khalifa Abdul hakim Lecture Series where he delivered a very powerful speech on ‘Technology and Development’. he strongly advocated the need of developing and applying appropriate technologies leading to socio-economic development. his definition of technology was simple,” A tool to solve problems all sorts”. According to him there was a time when people approached philosophers for answers, now technology has taken over that role, for which qualified technologists are needed. Scientific research world over has resulted in technological advancement through a well-developed framework and linkage between academia and industry. This approach has not been adopted by the Islamic Ummah. Organizations like COMSTeCh (Commission for Science and Technology for OIC) remains ineffective due to inappropriate leadership, vision and guidance. In the decade of the 1970s, the National Commission for Science and Technology, which reported directly to the Prime Minister, was established to foster technological growth but it remains dormant due to bureaucratic control.

Technical ministries like Science and Technology should be led by technocrats rather than bureaucrats.

Unfortunately, in the land of the pure the importance of technology is grossly misunderstood and overlooked. Technology is the application of science to produce products and facilitate human effort. Technology takes over where science reaches its limit.

What works in the laboratory under controlled conditions has to be mass produced by understanding and application of technology. While science consumes, technology produces. I had the opportunity of working on his team for over a decade before taking on the Chairmanship of the Pakistan Science Foundation. his parting words were, “One can achieve a lot if one does not seek credit or personal benefits”. That was the generation that laid the foundations of the new land.

Together we worked on projects of national importance. In the the 1990s the Saindak Copper and Gold project had started. Due to lack of large-scale commercial mining experience in the country, the venture was in trouble from day one. It was my first opening in the land of the pure. While we did our best to ensure complete transfer of technology together with building a trained work force, no one within the organization or the federal ministry was interested. It seemed everyone had their own agenda to seek personal benefits. Despite warnings the entire project was handed over to the Chinese contractor, who have been mining there for the last about 20 years and now seek extension to dig out the remaining copper, gold and silver. had the transfer of technology taken place at that time we would have been in a position to develop the Reko Diq project ourselves instead of the big mess that we face today. he insisted on Administrative Accountability instead of judicial that we have today. he propagated the development of Stan-

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with that of Azad Kashmir. This roused China’s fears of India falling too heavily in the US, thus rival, camp.

It is no coincidence that in the immediate aftermath of the August 5 action, India signed bilateral agreements with all three member states of the quadrilateral dialogue, adding a military angle to the quad agreement.

India’s political leadership is badly drenched in its self-claimed economic miracle and has started to punch far above its strategic weight. India has always had the advantage of projecting its soft power through its cinema industry and yoga and herbal medicines.

The world’s fondness for Indian Ayurvedic medicines and yoga has been misinterpreted by the Indian strategic thinkers as a substitute for hard power. To give a further boost to self-intoxicating “victories over Kashmir” of the Indian political leadership, the Chinese recorded their routine diplomatic displeasure over the unilateral changing of status. That gave a fillip to the Indian leaders that they had humbled the Chinese dragon and were a force to reckon with internationally.

17 June 2020 was the date of election of new non-permanent members to the UN Security Council.

India contested for the Asia-Pacific slot unopposed. election to this body adds to the prestige of any country. For India, nothing could have been more heavensent than to sit on this apex world body and resist any meaningful discussion on Kashmir for the next two years. But destiny has its ways to humble humans’ grandstanding exercises.

India has fared poorly in managing the coronavirus. hordes of migrant workers, walking, and dying in road and train accidents, have brought India into the negative focus of world media. The year 2020 began with the anti-CAA protests across India, including Delhi, that too during the visit of Donald Trump. A US president’s visit attracts international media on a large scale and India found itself criticized for abysmal treatment of its minorities.

India had perhaps not considered the Chinese cultural factors while wargaming the consequences of changing the status of Kashmir unilaterally. It’s here that the game of Xiangqi becomes relevant. India was about to learn this through the hard way that patience and selfcontrol is a virtue, not a weakness. No Chinese response from August to April made the Indian leadership com-

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dard Operating Procedures (SOPs) as a first step towards accountability. he always quoted Article 212 of the constitution of 1972 that called for the establishment of Administrative Courts for this purpose. In the 1973 version the idea was dropped and it is time to revisit this approach as there is dichotomy between the NAB laws and the Common Law that our courts follow. As hasan Sahib was a close friend of Ikramullah Niazi, a fellow engineer and father of Imran Khan, he has been briefed about this approach of effective accountability.

In the year 2002, together we prepared the first Shadow Budget of the country from the platform of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). We proposed massive increases in the areas of education and health while balancing the budget.

The criticism of the current budget (2020-2021) continues while no one has done any homework to present alternative figures of proposed expenditures. Political parties in the country no longer work for common good of the citizens, instead they have become anchors of status quo. Corona has reset the world economic order; the aftershocks of the pandemic have to be catered for. A lot of planning is required both by the government and the opposition. Small but mandatory items like face masks are out of reach of the daily wage earners. A holistic plan is needed to meet the challenges which is missing on both ends.

In March this year we bid farewell to Dr Mubashir hasan another comrade and outstanding engineer. he died at the age of 98 years. One by one the era of selfless contributors towards common good is coming to an end. A new generation is taking over where self-projection has become the norm. On insistence of the family hasan Sahib started his biography which is now being reviewed for publication with the proposed title of: ‘ Journey of a Technologist ‘. The purpose is to record his achievements as a guideline for the coming generations of engineers and technologists who will lead the nation in the challenging times that lie ahead. Pakistan needs indigenously developed technologies for its socio-economic growth and development which science alone cannot deliver. Product focused research with appropriate business plans is the way forward.

Technologists of the calibre of engr. Masood hasan Manto are rare, much like his uncle Saadat hasan Manto who is revered for his contribution to literature, he will be long revered for his contribution in the development of technology in his native land which he served with his utmost devotion, dedication, honesty and integrity. May his soul rest in peace and his innings for the technological advancement of the motherland guide us in our future endeavours.

Pakistan needs Technology to move forward and become an Asian Tiger like China, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea our derailment has to come to an end. placent and they thought they had consigned Kashmir to the dustbin of history. Then came May 2020.

The world woke up to the news of Sino-India border skirmishes in the Ladakh region. Similar skirmishes occurred in 2017 in the Doklam area of the Sino-India border but were settled amicably. The Indian leadership was, however, quick to “claim victory” over China. The Chinese did not contest the Indian claims and went about business as usual. May 2020, therefore, was full of surprises for India. This time the Chinese came with larger numbers, better prepared and had dug in with heavy weapons in support.

While the Ladakh conflict has displayed an utter nonprofessional approach of the Indian military at the strategic and operational levels, and their failure in guarding their borders, it has also revealed the total bankruptcy of any possible solutions available to India. The Indian Prime Minister has not spoken a word in public about Ladakh in the last six weeks. Its media has received gag orders from the government to avoid coverage of the issue due to its sensitivity.

No central leader of the ruling party has spoken of Ladakh and its possible solution. There is a deafening silence in media, government, and intelligentsia forums. The Indian military veterans have warned that there is no possible military solution to this crisis.

While the Indian diplomats were busy garnering support for their bid to the UN Security Council seat, destiny was laughing at their impending ignominy.

Seat in the Security Council, where the fate of international disputes is decided, is not meant for a country unable to fend off aggression. If you cannot manage your border disputes, how can you be trusted to resolve global issues?

The Chinese have moved and occupied areas which are up to China Claim Line, and not the Indian territory. This area is disputed and both sides lay claim to it. The Chinese have advanced in four different areas spread from Ladakh in the west to far eastern border regions. Sources privy to Sino-India talks of 6 June have disclosed rival demands. India demands the status quo ante of April 2020; China demands the status quo before 5 August 2019.

While the Indians are quick to chest-thumping after small and insignificant gains, the Chinese have displayed their cultural strength in handling intricate and demanding issues. No wonder the Xiangqi game has so aptly been internalized by the Chinese leaders for centuries.

Ehtisham Amer is security analyst based in Islamabad

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Thursday, 18 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

Dogs can’t speak human, but can humans speak dog?

Six years since launch of Zarb-e-Azb A critical appraisal

sultan m hali

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RMeD Forces successfully launched operation Zarb-e-Azb six years earlier to protect ideological and territorial boundaries of Pakistan. Success of this operation guaranteed peace and national integration. Operation Zarb-e-Azb was a joint military offensive conducted by the Pakistan Armed Forces against various militant groups, including the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the east Turkestan Islamic Movement, Lashkar-eJhangvi, al-Qaeda, Jundullah and the haqqani network. The operation was launched on 15 June 2014 in North Waziristan along the PakistanAfghan border as a renewed effort against militancy in the wake of the 8 June attack on Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, for which the TTP and the IMU claimed responsibility.

For the first time, the Pakistani military implemented a military strategy called “Seek, Destroy, Clear, hold.” The Pakistani military endeavored to seek the target. Once found, it was to be destroyed. When destroyed, the infrastructure, bodies and weapons were cleared and the area was held both during this time and after its completion to ensure post-operation security and infrastructure rebuilding and/or area rehabilitation. The Seek and Destroy component is from the Vietnam War whereas the Clear and hold component is from the Iraq War. The Pakistani military combined the two doctrines as a single doctrine for the operation to be successful and it worked well to its advantage.

The operation has received widespread support from the Pakistani political, defence and civilian sectors. As a consequence, the overall security situation improved and terrorist attacks in Pakistan dropped to a six-year low since 2008. Zarb-e-Azb was followed by Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad which began in February 2017, following a resurgence in terrorist incidents.

This was the first time that Pakistan Air Force employed its indigenously developed aerial reconnaissance platform to identify the threat and direct the aerial precision guided munitions to the enemy stronghold and enable ground forces to annihilate them. hit hard by the combined assault tactics, the militants struck back by a dastardly attack on the Army Public School (APS) at Peshawar on 16

December 2014. The heinous attack took a toll prime minister [to not seek external assistance], of 142 precious lives including 132 children. Pakistan has neither made nor intends to make a The APS attack became a rallying point for the request for international assistance. It has been Pakistani nation. earlier, the government of made very clear that all expenditure related to Mian Nawaz Sharif was keen on resolving the temporarily displaced Pakistanis will be met issue of terror attacks with the perpetrators of from our own resources”, Pakistani Foreign Ofterrorism and extremism through negotiations. fice spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said. however, it was reported that the United The duality of the miscreants was exposed when during the peace talks, a massive terror attack at States allocated $31 million for IDPs and an additional $9.3 million for health, hygiene, water Karachi airport took a heavy toll.

In the wake of the attack on APS, the nation and sanitation for IDPs and livestock. It was also evolved a National Action Plan (NAP) to tackle reported that the United Arab emirates governthe scourge of terrorism. The plan enabled the na- ment allocated $20.5 ₨40 billion (US$280 miltion to take the bull of terrorism by its horns and lion) and could go as high as ₨130 billion target the root causes of terrorism, including terror (US$920 million).

On 8 December 2014, the military approved financing, hate speech and social deprivation.

One and a half years after the start of Zarb-e- the phased repatriation of the IDPs. The PakAzb, phenomenal successes were achieved, with istani army chief said the early return of the the last pockets close to the Pakistan-Afghan bor- IDPs was his top priority. According to senior der being cleared. Terrorist’s backbone broken military officials, civilian authorities were directed to plan the reand structure disturn of the IDPs to mantled. Nexus with their homes in areas sleeper cells largely which have been disrupted. Intelligence based OperaOne and a half years after the start cleared of terrorists.

On 31 March 2015, tions (IBOs) busted of Zarb-e-Azb, phenomenal the repatriation remaining sleeper started. On the first cells. 3,400 terrorists successes were achieved, with the day, 219 IDPs bewere killed, with 837 hideouts from where last pockets close to the Pakistan- longing to 62 families left Bannu for they were carrying Afghan border being cleared.

Spinwam and Shahout terrorist activimeri in North ties destroyed. DurTerrorist’s backbone broken and Waziristan. In the ing the last 18 first phase till 24 months over 13,200 structure dismantled.

Nexus with April, about 1,200 Intelligence Based families were to reOperations (IBO) sleeper cells largely disrupted. turn to their homes carried out across the Intelligence based Operations in Sinwam, Shamiri, country in which Mirali and Bubali 183 terrorists were (IBOs) busted remaining sleeper areas of NWA. killed, 2,193 areach family rested. IBOs concells. 3,400 terrorists were killed, was given ₨ tinue. 488 officers with 837 hideouts from where they 25,000 (US$180) as and men of Pakistan cash assistance and Army, Frontier were carrying out terrorist ₨ 10,000 (US$71) Corps KPK, as transportation exBaluchistan, activities destroyed. penses at Mirzail.

Rangers Sindh were Food ration for six killed and 1,914 inmonths and nonjured in Operation food items would Zarb-e-Azb. A total of 11 military courts were set up. 142 also be given to each household. For effective cases referred to military courts. 55 cases decided, disease control, children under five years of age 87 cases in process. 31 terrorists convicted. In July, were administered anti-polio vaccines and chilthe Pakistan Army Chief, General Raheel Sharif dren under 10 years of age were administered visited the military’s forward-most positions near anti-measles vaccines. As of 4 May 2015, only the Afghan border in North Waziristan. he was 230 displaced families had returned since the briefed about the progress and future plans for Op- launch of the repatriation programme. “The civil eration Zarb-e-Azb. Sharif also visited South administration can send entire displaced popuWaziristan and Wana agencies. It was reported that lation back to their homes within a month if the the Pakistani military had just completed the pre- area is de-notified as conflict zone,” said an ofliminary preparations for final phase. In the area ficial dealing with IDPs repatriation. According to the official sources, the cut-off date for the rearound Shawal, peaks were cleared.

In the aftermath of the operation, as of 14 turn of IDPs was December 2016.

The military operation Zarb-e-Azb was late July 2014, the operation internally displaced about 929,859 people belonging to 80,302 fam- in coming but when it was launched, the miscreilies from North Waziristan. Financial support, ants met the full fury of the state backed by the relief goods and food packages were being dis- Armed Forces of Pakistan and achieved the detributed and 59 donation points were established sired results although after a great sacrifice of precious lives. across Pakistan by the army.

On 10 July, the Foreign Office of Pakistan Sultan M Hali is a retired Group Captain said that the rehabilitation of internally displaced persons was an internal matter and reiterated that and author of the book Defence & Diplomacy.

Pakistan had not requested international assis- Currently he is a columnist, analyst and TV talk tance. “We have very clear instructions from the show host.

DR Doolittle’s song “If we could talk to the animals, learn their languages; maybe take an animal degree. I’d study elephant and eagle, buffalo and beagle, Alligator, guinea pig, and flea,” voices a wish; a wish many of us hold dear in our hearts. Research shows that the possibility of a pet decoder or as Sara Butler of the Guardian says pet ‘translator’ will be on sale soon. Is it really possible?

“Innovative products that succeed are based around a genuine and major consumer need. The amount of money now spent on pets – they are becoming fur babies to so many people – means there is huge consumer demand for this. Somebody is going to put this together,” he said.

There is constant research and work going into understanding pet needs. The Animal behavior expert and author of Chasing Doctor Dolittle: Learning the Language of Animals Con Slobodchikoff, from Northern Arizona University, has studied the behaviors of dogs engaged in growling, barking and howling and used artificial intelligence to understand how these animals communicate with “a sophisticated communication system that has all the aspects of language”. Slobodchikoff also said: “So many people would dearly love to talk to their dog or cat or at least find out what they are trying to communicate. A lot of people talk to their dogs and share their innermost secrets. With cats I’m not sure what they’d have to say. A lot of times it might just be “you idiot, just feed me and leave me alone”.

The idea of developing a pet translator or decoder is receiving a lot of attention from both animal and technology lovers. Aside from helping pet owners to understand their animal friends better, this technology also brings hope that we can reduce the suffering of animals. This dream of every animal lover is very close to coming true, within the next 10 years.

Although this might seem like a long time, it is worth waiting for as it will benefit generations of pets and their owners.

AyESHA AMAn Lahore

The passing of a giant We All Grew up Watching him on our TV Screens, he was blessed with an exceptional voice which earned him an everlasting fame and esteem across the country and around the world.

The First Male Announcer and Anchor of Pakistan Television Tariq Aziz was born in Jalhander a Town of United India in 1936 from where he migrated to Pakistan after Partition and settled in Sahiwal. he started his career from Radio Pakistan from where he elevated himself to Television industry and became the first man to be seen on Pakistan Television PTV. Before Achieving all this he had to undergo hard times as he spent nights laying under the open Sky in Lahore. Tariq Aziz also showed his Skills in the field of Acting by appearing in number of movies including Insaniyat, Har Gaya Insan, Kubra Ahiq, Sajan Mera Rang Rangeela and Many More as he received nigar Award for his Remarkable performance in Movie Salgirah.

But a television Quiz Show Neelam Ghar which was later on named after his Name “Bazm-e-Tariq Aziz became his claim to fame. he was the pioneer of Quiz shows and Game Shows in the subcontinent. In an interview he said that; he had launched this show to assist needy and talented people of this Country. Tariq Aziz,s Unique voice, Flawless Urdu and nimbleness earned his show an unparalleled recognition and Success across the county. he took an active part in politics as well and was elected member of National assembly from Lahore in 1997.

During his brief political life he had to face many trials and tribulations due to his firebrand and clear-cut personality. On the Floor of Assembly he used to raise the voice for subjugated and misery-ridden people of this Country. Beside being a TV celebrity and politician he was also a poet, ideologist and philanthropist who was always optimistic for the bright future of this country. Once he desired to donate all his worth for the progress and development of this country. In Recognition to his innumerable services he was bestowed the President’s Pride of Performance award in 1992. Tariq Aziz was an iconic figure of this county; he introduced new trends and achieved countless milestones for Pakistan.

KAMRAn KHAMISo KHowAJA & SHAHzIAb KHAMISo KHowAJA Sujawal

Online Classes dilemma We have recently started taking online classes through zoom .There are various issues to be tackled for successful online classes. Although zoom meetings allow sessions of forty minutes for free but classes duration in most Universities is more than forty minutes. Teachers should upgrade their accounts to stop interruption. Our class duration is one and half hour during this time many student’s internet connection causes them to get disconnected and upon reconnection host permission is must.So many students face this trouble of waiting to rejoin multiple times during class. every University or institute should have their own online learning program or system to tackle the situation. Some students of remote areas are actually without internet facilities. Some of them want to take classes and some students are even moving to cities to avail the offer of online classes.The voice of online meeting or class become distorted because of low speed of the internet and overloading of zoom.

SAQIb ISHAQ Azad Kashmir

Suicide prevention ACCORDING to WhO, close to 800 000 people die due to suicide every year, which is one person every 40 seconds. The reason, one commits suicide is the pain behind smiles, the suffering behind jokes, the meaning behind words, the need of attention behind anger and ego, the state of being financially or emotionally impotent. The need of a listening ear and the sense of understanding. But in the era of lost humanity, we are deaf when someone is screaming for help and wide awake to judge. Our attitudes cost someone’s life. We can stop them to die only if we are out there for someone. You don’t need to be a doctor to save lives. Be a listening ear, be a friend, be a confidant, be understanding, be the human with humanity.

AFRoz MJ Turbat

Thursday, 18 June, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

Worst clash iN decades oN disputed iNdia-chiNa border kills 20 iNdiaN troops UNDER NATIONALIST LEADERS, THE NUCLEAR-ARMED RIVALS HAVE BEEN INCREASINGLY ASSERTIVE TOWARD NEIGHBOURS, RISKING OPEN CONFLICT. THEY HAVE CONTESTED THEIR HIMALAYAN BORDER FOR GENERATIONS

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Jeffrey Gettleman, Hari Kumar and Sameer yaSir

he worst border clash between india and china in more than 40 years left 20 indian soldiers dead and dozens believed captured, indian officials said on tuesday, raising tensions between nuclear-armed rivals who have increasingly been flexing their diplomatic and military muscle.

For the past several weeks, after a series of brawls along their disputed border, china and india have been building up their forces in the remote Galwan Valley, high up in the himalayas.

As they dug into opposing positions, adding tinder to a long-smoldering conflict, china took an especially muscular posture, sending in artillery, armored personnel carriers, dump trucks and excavators. On Monday night, a huge fight broke out between chinese and indian troops in roughly the same barren area where these two nations, the world’s most populous, had fought a war in 1962.

Military and political analysts say the two countries do not want a further escalation — particularly india, where military forces are nowhere near as powerful as china’s — but they may struggle to find a way out of the conflict that does not hint at backing down.

Both countries and their nationalist leaders, President Xi Jinping of china and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of india, have taken increasingly assertive postures that pose real risks of the conflict spinning out of control.

“Neither PM Modi or President Xi want a

war, but neither can relinquish their territorial claims either,” said Ashley J. tellis, a senior fellow at the carnegie endowment for international Peace in Washington.

What’s happening along the himalayan border is an unusual kind of warfare. As in the brawls last month, chinese and indian soldiers fought fiercely without firing a shot — at least that’s what officials on both sides contend. they say the soldiers followed their de facto border code not to use firearms and went at each other with fists, rocks and wooden clubs, some possibly studded with nails or wrapped in barbed wire.

At first, india’s military said only three indian troops had been killed in the clash, where the Ladakh region of india abuts Aksai chin, an area controlled by china but claimed by both countries. But late tuesday night, a military spokesman said that 17 other indian soldiers had succumbed to injuries sustained in the clash, bringing the total dead to 20.

An indian commander said dozens of soldiers were missing, apparently captured by the chinese. indian television channels reported that several chinese soldiers had been killed, as well, citing high-level indian government sources. chinese officials did not comment on that. it’s not clear what india can do now. Mr. Modi and his hindu nationalist party have pursued a forceful foreign policy that emphasizes india’s growing role in the world and last year, after a devastating suicide attack that

india blamed on a Pakistani terror group, Mr. Modi ordered airstrikes on Pakistan, bringing the two countries to the brink of war.

But india is in no shape to risk a war against china — especially now, as it slips deeper into the economic and health crisis caused by the coronavirus, which has cost the country more than 100 million jobs.

“Whatever india might want to do it’s not in a position to do,” said Bharat Karnad, a professor of security studies at the center for Policy Research at New Delhi. “the Modi government is in a difficult position,” he said. “this is bound to escalate.” And, he added, “we are not prepared for this kind of escalation.”

Mr. Xi has been doubling down on china’s territorial claims across Asia, backing up arguments with the threat of force or sometimes even the use of force. in recent weeks, the chinese have tightened their grip on the semiautonomous region of hong Kong; menaced taiwan; and sunk a Vietnamese fishing boat in the south china sea. the upshot, scholars say, is a dangerous break from the past. china and india, with their growing ambitions and growing militaries are increasingly bumping up against each other along their 2,100-mile border.

“Over the past several decades there’s been incessant confrontation between china and india, but proudly there have been no shots fired or deaths,” said Long Xingchun, a professor at china West Normal University in southwest china who studies relations with india. But now, he added, neither side is as willing to compromise, raising the risks of more fighting, even if the countries don’t actually want to go to war. “there was no reason for this to happen,” he said. “Unless it was a military standoff that got out of control.” the state Department in Washington said the United states was “closely monitoring” the dispute. “Both india and china have expressed a desire to de-escalate, and we support a peaceful resolution of the current situation,” the department said in a statement. it’s difficult to know the exact trigger or severity of the fighting. the Galwan Valley is a rocky, icy, inhospitable slice of the himalayas, off-limits to all but a few lonely

herdsmen and indian and chinese troops. each side was quick to blame the other for violence along the Line of Actual control, the boundary that emerged from the 1962 war. “the indian military broke their promises and once again crossed the Line of Actual control to engage in illegal activities,” col. Zhang shuili, a chinese military spokesman, said in a statement. “they deliberately launched a provocative assault, leading to an intense physical clash that caused death and injury.”

An indian military official said the clash started during a meeting attended by hundreds of soldiers on both sides who had come together along the border to discuss efforts to de-escalate tensions. For the past week, indian military officials had been reassuring the indian public that the border was calming down and that they were having productive talks with the chinese, through diplomatic and military channels.

But, according to the indians, chinese officers insulted them at the meeting on Monday night, which triggered a fight between soldiers that quickly spiraled into a major melee.

“A violent face-off happened as a result of an attempt by the chinese side to unilaterally change the status quo,” said a statement from Anurag srivastava, an indian government spokesman. “Both sides suffered casualties that could have been avoided had the agreement at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the chinese side.” china and india said tuesday they were committed to resolving their differences through dialogue, but again, it wasn’t clear if the military commanders along the border were standing down or gearing up.

Also, if brawls in May were any indication, the casualties from Monday may end up higher than reported. the clashes in May, which erupted at several border points, were first reported as minor. Only weeks later was it revealed that chinese and indian soldiers had been briefly captured and some beaten so badly they required airlifting to hospitals hundreds of miles away.

Both countries run patrols along the disputed border and the soldiers are under strict

orders not to shoot but that doesn’t stop them from throwing rocks. Or fighting with crude weapons. “this was an incident waiting to happen,” said h.s. Panag, a retired indian general, of the latest fighting. the surge in violence is a product of the protracted dispute between india and china over the precise location of their jagged himalayan border, which cuts through a desolate landscape home to few people or resources that would be easy to extract. Both sides maintain highelevation military installations facing each other, and armed skirmishes continued through the late 1960s and mid-70s. the spark for the recent tensions seemed to have been a road to a remote air force base that the indian Army is building through the Galwan Valley. Military analysts say that the road is fully within indian territory but that the chinese are determined to frustrate india’s efforts to upgrade its military positions. And the wider backdrop is that india and china have been competing for influence on many fronts across south Asia. several countries, such as Nepal and sri Lanka, that were once reliable indian allies have recently tilted toward china, wooed by chinese investment. And Pakistan, india’s archenemy, is now fully aligned with china, working hand in hand with the chinese military.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the china-india relationship will worsen. Mr. Modi and Mr. Xi have held several friendly summit meetings.

And last year china helped Mr. Modi during his re-election campaign by agreeing to a United Nations resolution that designated Masood Azhar, a Pakistani militant, as a global terrorist. china had refused to do this for a long time but after determined lobbying by india and others, china relented, handing Mr. Modi a diplomatic victory at a crucial time. But then india did something that aggravated china. A few months after Mr. Modi won a landslide election, his home minister, Amit shah, vowed to take back Aksai chin. During a speech in Parliament about the disputed region of Kashmir, Mr. shah said that Aksai chin and all of Kashmir belonged to india and india would “sacrifice life for this.” Analysts say the Aksai chin issue, along with india’s warming relations with the United states, have become irritants to china, which may now be using its military to harass india as payback.

Amber Wang contributed research from Beijing. Jeffrey Gettleman is the south Asia bureau chief, based in New Delhi. he was the winner of a Pulitzer Prize in 2012 for international reporting. hari Kumar is a reporter in the New Delhi bureau. he joined the times in 1997. sameer yasir is a reporter for the New york times, covering the intersection of identity politics, conflicts and society. he joined the times in 2020 and is based in New Delhi.

People are using illegal drugs to help them cope Pornography and parenting with the mental distress of lockdown in the time of coronavirus WITH NHS MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN RETREAT, THE OUTLOOK IS BLEAK FOR ANYONE WHO DEVELOPS A DEPENDENCY DURING THESE UNCERTAIN TIMES iNdepeNdeNT

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ian Hamilton

ecessity, rather than choice, has prompted some into “do it yourself” healthcare during the covid-19 crisis. thankfully dentists are opening again, so people don’t have to pick up a set of pliers to relieve toothache. But we’re beginning to get some insights into how people in lockdown are dealing with other aspects of our wellbeing – mental health in particular. these insights have been provided not by mental health services, who have recorded a downturn in referrals since the outbreak of coronavirus, but from a recent survey of illegal drug use. Although there have been a few surveys of drug use by various organisations, this survey not only asks which drugs people are using but crucially why they are taking them. the majority of respondents (71 per cent) report using drugs for fun or as a way of relaxing – an important reminder that most people still use drugs for pleasure, a factor often overlooked as media reporting of drugs is usually related to overdose, or some other adverse aspect of drug use. that

is also reflected in academic research, where investigations are skewed towards better understanding problem drug use. if you have no experience of drugs, you’d be forgiven for assuming that it’s an activity that’s very high risk, creating all manner of personal problems for the individual using them. But that’s not the case for most people who take drugs.

What seems to have changed for drug users in recent months is a significant rise in those reporting using drugs to help cope with mental health problems – up from approximately one in five prior before the coronavirus outbreak to one in two during the pandemic. the type of mental health problems identified by respondents are anxiety, escaping reality, stress or loneliness. Understandably, given the uncertainty of what lies ahead, and some will also be struggling with money, relationships, self confidence and mood. these are the problems that mental health services are meant to treat. But rather than reaching out to those in need, they have been in retreat during covid-19, prioritising only the most acutely ill and leaving everyone else to fend for themselves. Without any idea of when, or if, they will ever get help with the mental health problems they are experiencing, some of these people inevitably turn to drugs. this isn’t as reckless or foolhardy as it may initially seem. some drugs do alleviate many of the symptoms that people struggle with. the problem is there is no guarantee that they will offer relief for everyone, and it can be difficult to judge the correct dose of a drug that doesn’t then risk some other adverse problem such as respiratory failure. equally,

it doesn’t take long to develop a physical and psychological dependence on many drugs, compounding to the mental health problems these people are trying to treat. even if they recognise and admit having developed a dependence on a drug due to a mental health problem, their motivation and psychological ability to tackle dependence may well be compromised. Withdrawal can then include anxiety, sleep disruption, low mood and agitation – the very same symptoms they turned to drugs to seek relief from. the outlook for those small number of users who have developed a dependency in lockdown is, i’m afraid, bleak. Any hope that professional support will emerge as restrictions are lifted is a fantasy. the UK’s burgeoning debt will see services continue to prioritise only those who are in acute mental health crisis as the public purse is tightened and budgets cut. Of those, it will be the people deemed to pose a risk to the wider community who will receive a timely intervention, despite the greatest risk of mental illness always being self-harm or suicide, rather than harm to others.

Far from being exceptional, the way mental health services have been provided during covid-19 will become the new normal. We are witnessing the contraction of state services for all but the most acutely ill. in this new world, self-medicating with illegal drugs may be the only option many will have. After all, drugs are easy to access and offer instant relief – the polar opposite of what is provided by state run mental health services.

Ian Hamilton is a lecturer in mental health at the University of York.

AMID SOCIAL DISTANCING GLOBALLY, PORN SITES HAVE REPORTED A SHARP INCREASE IN TRAFFIC sYdNeY morNiNg Herald

Y

maree Crabbe

OU may have seen the hilarious ad out of New Zealand. A bath-robed mum opens her front door to find a couple of naked porn performers. sue and Derek announce they've dropped by because her son, Matt, has just been watching them online, and they're concerned he's "just a kid" who "might not know how relationships actually work". When performing, they explain, they never discuss consent. "And i'd never act like that in real life," says Derek. their concerns are well founded, and not so hilarious. For many young people, porn has become a default sex educator, shaping their understanding, expectations and experiences of sex. And thanks to cOViD-related restrictions, people of all ages have been spending far more time online. streaming is in. Big time.

Amid social distancing globally, porn sites have reported a sharp increase in traffic.

Visitor numbers boomed when some sites announced that they would temporarily make their paid content free. three sites are now among the top 10 most visited websites in the world – ahead of Amazon, Netflix and eBay. you won't find any underage statistics in reports put together by porn sites, but it would be naive to think the new viewers are all adults. studies, pre-cOViD, showed that one in four young people had seen porn by the age of 12, and more than half have seen it by 14. the New Zealand ad urges parents to talk to their children about porn. As Derek sug-

gested, some of the most important elements of sex and sexuality – such as consent, mutuality, and sexual safety – are almost routinely absent or misrepresented in pornography.

Most concerning among porn's impacts is its association with violence against women. it regularly depicts sexualised aggression towards women, but it can be difficult to recognise when female performers are required to behave as though they love it. there is growing concern that porn is normalising sexual coercion and aggression – among young people and adults. A recent study of popular porn found that 35 per cent of scenes included some form of non-consensual behaviour. it often depicted an initially reluctant character becoming enthusiastic about the act they were pressured to engage in. in a British study, 38 per cent of women under 40 reported unwanted choking, slapping, spitting or gagging during consensual sex. Another study found a normalisation of coercive, painful sex among 14 to 17-yearolds, who reported this was because boys wanted to mimic what they'd seen in porn.

Australia needs its own advertising campaign to confront pornography, and to help young people to apply critical thinking to what they see. you might want to watch the ad with your child, have a laugh, and then ask what they think. Do they think kids their age understand that porn isn't realistic? What do they think is important in a relationship, and in sex?

Porn is not new, but it's never been so accessible. As we emerge from the intensity of lockdown, it is a good time to open up the conversations we need to have with our kids. if that feels difficult, consider the mum's advice to herself in the Kiwi ad: "Ok sandra, stay calm. you know what to do here."

Maree crabbe is the director of it's time We talked, an Australian violence-prevention initiative that seeks to address pornography's impacts on young people.

Thursday, 18 June, 2020

BUSINESS 09

CORPORATE CORNER Easypaisa celebrates Int’l Day of Family Remittances KARACHI: Easypaisa has marked the International Day of Family Remittances by celebrating with customers who use the service to send and receive remittance payments around the world. Easypaisa along-with its network of partners spread across the world is enabling people to send and receive remittances in a digitally secure and convenient manner. Sharing his thoughts on the occasion, Telenor Microfinance Bank / Easypaisa President and CEO M Mudassar Aqil said, “The International Day of Family Remittances is a yearly reminder to recognize one of the most vital elements in the financial value chain, i.e. the people receiving and sending money from overseas to Pakistan. It has been our privilege to serve one of the largest customer base in the country and it gives us great honour to witness the trust that is placed with us every day. On this day, we renew our commitment to remain focused to providing our customers with most innovative yet user-friendly and secure payment services in the market.” press release

Dawood Foundation, British Asian Trust join hands to promote mental health amid Covid-19 KARACHI: As part of the Rs1 billion Hussain Dawood Pledge, Dawood Foundation - the charitable arm of the Dawood Hercules Group - has entered into a strategic partnership with the British Asian Trust to promote mental health support among frontline workers and the general population directly affected by COVID-19 pandemic. Under the program, outreach services will be developed to provide mental health support and referral for frontline workers, patients screened and tested for COVID-19 through the Indus Health Network and other partner hospitals, and the public in general as well.

According to Dawood Hercules Corporation Vice Chairman Shahzada Dawood, “While the effects of COVID-19 on our physical health have come increasingly under focus, the issue of mental health and psychological distress cannot be ignored in terms of the overall health and wellbeing. By leveraging the expertise and experience of British Asian Trust, we aim to create a meaningful impact by improving accessibility of mental health services and changing community attitudes towards this important topic.” press release

KP govT ExPECTED To PRESEnT A BuDgET DEFICIT oF RS60Bn PESHAWAR aGeNCIes

T

HE Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government is likely to present a budget deficit of Rs60 billion due to non-payment of its dues amounting to billions of rupees by the federal government.

According to reports, due to the economic downturn, the federal government is unable to pay the province its full share of the Net Hydel Profit (NHP), due to which the KP government is expected to present a deficit in its budget for the fiscal year 2020-21.

As per the budget for fiscal year 2019-20, an estimate of Rs55 billion had been made for NHP to be paid to KP by the federal government. However, as of now, the federal government has paid only Rs15 billion to KP. According to sources in the Finance Department, the KP government will now have to present

a budget deficit of more than Rs60 billion for fiscal year 2020-21.

Earlier, KP has already taken a cut of Rs154 billion in the National Financial Commission (NFC) due to which the province is facing severe financial difficulties.

According to sources, the KP government intends to increase the budgets for health, education and public sector departments, while development budgets of other departments are likely to be reduced in the budget to be presented on Friday.

Due to the financial crunch, the KP government is looking to cut the annual development program of various departments, which will result in the termination of a number of important projects.

KP Finance Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra told the media that not only Pakistan's budget but also the entire world's budget has been affected due to Covid-19. He promised to present a better budget in the next year.

The KP finance minister informed that due to

marKet daily

Stocks lose 170 points on political uncertainty KSE-100 TOOK A U-TURN AFTER BNP MENGAL'S DECISION TO QUIT PTI ALLIANCE

KARACHI: Recipient of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, Orientm McCann Chief Executive Syed Masood Hashmi has been elected unopposed as President of Pakistan Marketing Association. press release

oil falls on fears of more Covid-19 cases LONDON aGeNCIes

Oil prices fell on Wednesday on fears about fresh outbreaks of Covid-19 but prices drew some support from stimulus measures and positive tests of a drug that could save some critically ill patients. Brent crude was down 38 cents, or 0.9pc, at $40.58 a barrel at 1335 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell 56 cents, or 1.5pc, to $37.82 a barrel. The World Health Organization said it was moving to update its guidelines after results showed the corticosteroid medication dexamethasone cut death rates by about a third among the most severely ill Covid-19 patients. Yet concerns persisted about the spread of the virus in some regions and the risk of second waves in places where the spread had started to slow.

KARACHI sTaFF repOrT

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) failed to sustain gains accumulated in early trade on Wednesday, as political uncertainty amid corona crisis and border skirmishes between China and India cumulatively dented the investor sentiment.

Foreign investors remained net sellers in the last session (Tuesday), registering a net outflow of $1.57 million.

"The benchmark KSE-100 Index opened the session on a positive note, recording its intraday high at 34,396.38 after gaining 377 points, but BNP Mengal's decision to leave the PTI coalition government caused jitters in the market," said a report issued by

Arif Habib Ltd. "As a result, the index lost all gains made during the session and closed lower by 170 points at 33,848.68."

Meanwhile, among other indices, the KMI-30 Index dropped 215.82 points to end at 53,882.23, while the KSE All Share Index lost 34.35 points, closing at 24,339.00.

Of the total traded shares, 130 advanced and 191 declined.

The overall volumes surged from 217.92 million shares in the previous session to 340.65 million shares. Average traded value also increased by 55pc, from $39.4 million to $61 million. Unity Foods Limited (UNITY -7.30pc), Jahanghir Siddiqui & Company Limited (JSCL -1.05pc) and Pakistan Refinery Limited Right Shares (PRLR1 -7.94pc) led the volume chart, exchanging 43.91

million, 28.95 million and 13.80 million shares, respectively.

Sectors that drove the KSE100 Index south included banking (-76.01 points), cement (-50 points) and fertilizer (-41.71 points). Among the companies, MCB Bank Limited (MCB 42.20 points), Engro Corporation Limited (ENGRO -26.03 points) and United Bank Limited (UBL -24.64 points) dented the index the most.

Shedding 1.52pc from its cumulative market capitalization, the cement sector turned out to be the biggest loser of the day, with DG Khan Cement Company Limited (DGKC -2.85pc), Maple Leaf Cement Factory Limited (MLCF -2.96pc) and Lucky Cement Limited (LUCK -1.09pc) closing in the red.

Covid-19 the KP government had incurred a loss of Rs160 billion during the last three months, prompting the KP government to resort to borrowing to minimize its budget deficit.

“The net profit of electricity has not been paid by the federal government which has created a difficult situation for the KP government,” said Jhagra.

Sources in the Finance Department allege that the KP provincial ministers have formed various wings in different departments and have made recruitments in those wings against merit while giving the new recruits hefty salaries. On the other hand, despite such expenditures made by the ministers the uplift fund for the province has been slashed.

Additionally, sources claimed that compared to its current share, KP’s share in NFC and NHP was higher when Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) were in power, despite the provincial government belonging to rival parties during their tenure.

SBP raises Rs186.8bn from T-bill, PIB auctions KARACHI MeIrYUM alI

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has reported that the government raised a collective amount of Rs186.8 billion from the auction of Pakistan Market Treasury Bills (T-bills), and Pakistan Investment Bonds (PIBs), with both auctions held on Wednesday. Specifically, the government raised Rs62.5 billion through T-bills, against the auction target of Rs150 billion, and Rs124.3 billion through the sale of floating-rate PIBs. The SBP conducted the auction for the sale of 3month, 6-month and 12-month T-bills and received bids amounting to over Rs562.3 billion.

Bids worth Rs158.9 billion were received for 3month T-bills, Rs202.2 billion for 6-month T-bills, while 12-month government papers fetched bids amounting to Rs201 billion. Of the received bids, the federal government raised Rs2.4 billion for 3-months, Rs12.2 billion for 6months and Rs47.8 billion for 12-months. The total acceptance in the auction, including noncompetitive bids, was Rs78.8 billion. The cut-off yields were all lower than the yields recorded in the previous auction on June 4. The cut-off yield for 3-month bids was at 7.9pc, down from 8.12pc.

The yield for 6-month bids was at 7.4pc, down from 7.9pc, while the yield for 12-month bids stood at 7.36pc, down from 7.71pc. Like the previous auction, the bidding was concentrated in the long term 12-month papers. This is opposed to the trend that defined most of last year and the beginning of this year, of investing in short term 3-month T-bills. Meanwhile, in PIBs, out of the Rs84.1 billion for the 3-year PIB, SBP accepted Rs60.3 billion. For 5-year PIB, the central bank accepted Rs34.5 billion out of Rs48.5 billion, whereas it accepted Rs29.5 billion for 10-year PIB, out of Rs31.5 billion. The yields on 3-year bonds had a cut-off margin of 45 basis points over/under the benchmark; the cut-off margin for 5-year bonds was 49 basis points; while the cutoff margin for 10-year bonds was 70 basis points.

The lower yields are a reflection of the central bank aggressively cut interest rates in the last three months, slashing the policy rate from 13.25pc to 12.5pc on March 17, from 12.5pc to 11pc on March 24, from 11pc to 9pc on April 16, and finally from 9pc to 8pc on May 15. The next auction date for both T-bills and PIBs-floating rate is set for June 30.

How Sehat Kahani is fighting Covid-19 through telemedicine in Pakistan

BY YUSRA AFZAL The Covid-19 pandemic took the world by surprise. It not only made a gigantic dent within the healthcare facilities globally, but also caused great destruction to the economic stability of major countries that were on the way to make slow but steady progress.

As the countries struggled to contain the virus by imposing partial and complete lockdowns, while juggling with facilities to quarantine the suspected patients and treat the infected ones, they also faced a critical challenge of making necessities of life available to the civilians.

Pakistan hasn’t been an exception to this chaos and its already struggling healthcare system is closer to a breakdown more than its has ever been. As the number of reported

cases reach close to 155,000 on June 17, 2020, the country is witnessing sheer pain and fright among its citizens.

While the demand for quality healthcare system is only bound to rise, the current medical facilities have run out of both physical and human resources to cater to the medical needs of both Covid-19 infected patients and other patients suffering from various critical conditions.

Lockdown, closure of Out Patient Departments (OPD) in hospitals, risk of infection in hospitals, re-direction of health care staff towards emergency and isolation wards have only precipitated this issue.

The lack of access to healthcare facilities in close vicinities and a travel ban has only resulted in compromised primary healthcare throughout most of the country.

In these times of trepidation and uncer-

tainty, Sehat Kahani is offering an alternative to not only reduce the doubled burden of patients on the healthcare system of Pakistan during this pandemic, but also introducing a safe platform for quality consultation to people of all ages and socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds through its mobile application.

As of 2019, 43 per cent of Pakistan's population had access to a smartphone and in turn an internet connection, the two requirements needed for Sehat Kahani to provide high quality healthcare facilities throughout the country. The platform provides healthcare facilities to all patients irrespective of their socio-economic background and has made consultations free of cost since the last two months.

Through its extensive outreach and service delivery infrastructure, Sehat Kahani is

ensuring that patients have access to highly certified female medical professionals and specialists. Stringent verification and evaluation mechanism through PMDC ensure that all their doctors have their PMDC information and qualifications visible on the application for each patient.

The key feature of the Sehat Kahani application is the facility of least or no mobility at all. This is the most integral element of healthcare support during a pandemic. The availability of a health specialist 24/7 for an immediate consultation or by appointment provides ease of access without putting patients’ and their family’s lives at risk of exposure to the virus by visiting a consultancy clinic or hospital.

It also completely cuts off the transportation costs (given that the patient does not own a vehicle) and reduces financial stress

in these times of severe economic strains.

Where the lay-offs of employees and payment cuts have put medical coverage of the bread-earners and their families at alarming risk, free consultation for Covid-19 through Sehat Kahani application ensures that no citizen of Pakistan is denied quality healthcare during these testing times.

Sehat Kahani has also stepped into an arrangement with Lady Health Worker programme starting from Punjab, where 100 lady health workers from far-flung areas are connecting women and children of these otherwise compromised areas to qualified doctors through the Sehat Kahani application, free of cost.

It is safe to say that with organisations taking their social responsibility with the zeal displayed by Sehat Kahani, Pakistan will come out of this pandemic healthier and stronger.

Thursday, 18 June, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

22pC of world popUlatioN at riSk of Severe Covid-19 ANKARA

Beijing cancels flights, shuts schools over new virus outbreak BEIJING AGENCIES

Beijing’s airports cancelled more than 1,200 flights and schools in the Chinese capital were closed again on Wednesday as authorities rushed to contain a new coronavirus outbreak linked to a wholesale food market. The city reported 31 new cases on Wednesday while officials urged residents not to leave Beijing, with fears growing about a second wave of infections in China, which had largely brought its outbreak under control. Tens of thousands of people linked to the new Beijing virus cluster — believed to have started in the sprawling Xinfadi wholesale food market — are being tested, with almost 30 residential compounds in the city now under lockdown. At least 1,255 scheduled flights were cancelled Wednesday morning, staterun People’s Daily reported, nearly 70 per cent of all trips to and from Beijing’s main airports. The outbreak had already forced authorities to announce a travel ban for residents of “medium- or high-risk” areas of the city, while requiring other residents to take nucleic acid tests in order to leave Beijing.

Meanwhile, several provinces were quarantining travellers from Beijing, where all schools — which had mostly reopened — have been ordered to close again and return to online classes. “The epidemic situation in the capital is extremely severe,” Beijing city spokesman Xu Hejian warned Tuesday.

Officials have closed 11 markets and disinfected thousands of food and beverage businesses in Beijing after the outbreak was detected. The city has now reported 137 infections over the last six days, with six new asymptomatic cases and three suspected cases on Wednesday, according to the municipal health commission. An additional two domestic cases, one in neighbouring Hebei province and another in Zhejiang, were reported by national authorities on Wednesday, while there were 11 imported cases. Authorities have so far banned group sports, ordered people to wear masks in crowded enclosed spaces and suspended interprovincial group tours in response to the outbreak.

Officials said that since May 30, more than 200,000 people had visited the Xinfadi market, which supplies more than 70 per cent of Beijing’s fruit and vegetables. More than 8,000 workers there were tested and quarantined. Until the new outbreak, most of China’s recent cases were nationals returning from abroad as Covid-19 spread globally, and the government had all but declared victory against the disease. China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that the virus type found in the Beijing outbreak was a “major epidemic strain” in Europe.

M

AGENCIES

ORE than 20 per cent of the world population have underlying health conditions and may experience severe Covid-19 symptoms if they contract the novel coronavirus, a recent study showed.

According to the study published

by The Lancet medical journal, an estimate of 1.7 billion people or 22pc of the global population “have at least one underlying condition that puts them at increased risk of severe Covid-19 if infected”.

“Estimates of the number of individuals at increased risk were most sensitive to the prevalence of chronic kidney disease, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic respiratory disease,” it added.

NEW YORK CITY AGENCIES

The researchers said the study focused on underlying health conditions for considering the number of individuals that might need to be shielded or vaccinated as the global pandemic unfolds.

After emerging last December in

the Chinese city of Wuhan, the virus has spread to at least 188 countries and regions. There are more than 8.05 million confirmed infections globally and an excess of 437,200 deaths, with over 3.88 million recoveries.

Vowing new Syria campaign, US sanctions dozens including Assad wife DAMASCUS AGENCIES

The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s wife and dozens of others as it vowed a vast pressure campaign under a new law that has already rattled the war-torn nation’s economy.

“We anticipate many more sanctions and we will not stop until Assad and his regime stop their needless, brutal war against the Syrian people,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.

He called the sanctions “the beginning of what will be a sustained campaign of economic and political pressure to deny the Assad regime revenue and support it uses to wage war and commit mass atrocities against the Syrian people.”

Pompeo was announcing the coming into force of the Caesar Act, which punishes any companies that work with Assad and has already led the Syrian currency to plummet in value.

The first batch of designations target 39 people or entities, including Assad personally as well as his wife Asma — the first time she has been targeted by US sanctions.

Under the law, any assets in the United States will be frozen. President Assad has been under US sanctions since

Seven nations vying for five UN Security Council seats

he began to crush an uprising in 2011.

Born in Britain to a cardiologist father and diplomat mother, Asma alAssad is a former investment banker who had styled herself as a progressive reformer and modern face of the Assads.

But Pompeo in his statement charged that Asma al-Assad, with the support of her husband and her own Akhras family, “has become one of Syria’s most notorious war profiteers.”

EFFECTS FELT IN SYRIA: Others designated under the Caesar Act include Mohammed Hamsho, one of Syria’s most prominent businesspeople, and the Fatemiyoun, an Iranian-led division of Afghan Shiite Muslims that has been deployed to prop up Assad.

Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, has succeeded in winning back virtually all of Syria except the Idlib area

after a war that has killed more than 380,000 people.

The Caesar Act, passed by the US Congress last year with bipartisan support, seeks to prevent Assad’s normalization without accountability for human rights abuses.

It penalizes in the United States any company that deals with Assad and blocks reconstruction assistance from Washington.

Syria’s central bank on Wednesday devalued the pound after the currency depreciated for weeks on the black market in anticipation of the law.

Pompeo said the goal was to force Assad into accepting Security Council Resolution 2254 of 2015 — which called for a ceasefire, elections and political transition in Syria.

A UN-driven process has made no headway, with Assad last year launching a major offensive backed by Russian airpower to retake Idlib.

Pompeo said the United States was undertaking the pressure campaign “in full cooperation with other like-minded countries.”

The European Union has imposed its own sanctions over Syria and a French court separately on Wednesday convicted an uncle of Bashar al-Assad over money-laundering and misappropriation of government funds.

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday will elect five new members of the Security Council for 2021 and 2022, with battles underway for the Western and African seats.

Kenya and Djibouti are facing off for one seat, while in the Western bloc, three nations — Canada, Ireland and Norway — are vying for two seats among them. In the AsiaPacific, India — which has been trying unsuccessfully to win a permanent seat in an expanded Security Council — is assured of a seat as it is running unopposed, as is Mexico in the Latin America and Caribbean region.

But Africa failed to continue its tradition of deciding candidates among themselves, setting the stage for a showdown on Wednesday. Kenya boasts of enjoying the support of the African Union, but Djibouti says it should have the seat due to Nairobi’s past participation on the Security Council and the principle of rotation. Frenchspeaking Djibouti and English-speaking Kenya are both highlighting their roles in seeking peace on the Horn of Africa, as well as their contributions to UN peacekeeping options. Kenya has pointed to its welcome to refugees from Somalia and South Sudan, as well as to its support to the two countries’ fragile governments. Djibouti, in turn, notes its strategic location and unusual role as a defense base for diverse countries — France, the United States, China and Japan — as well as its contributions in Somalia. For Europe, the competition is more customary. Canada is still stung by a defeat in 2010 during its last bid for the Security Council, when the General Assembly chose Portugal instead.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has invested heavily in the latest Security Council effort, with a defeat potentially causing him political embarrassment at home.

Situationer: Aftermath of India-China deadly border clashes uncertain NEW DELHI AGENCIES

As some commentators clamored for revenge, India’s government was silent Wednesday on the fallout from clashes with China’s army in a disputed border area in the high Himalayas that the Indian army said claimed at least 20 soldiers’ lives with some four missing.

Indian security forces said neither side fired any shots in the clash in the Ladakh region late Monday. China accused Indian forces of carrying out “provocative attacks” on its troops and did not disclose if any of its soldiers died.

It was the first deadly confrontation on the disputed border between India and China since 1975, and while experts said they were unlikely to head into a war, easing tensions quickly would be difficult.

Indian Defense Ministry spokesman Col Aman Anand did not respond immediately to queries on the situation Wednesday or whether talks were planned to defuse the tensions.

“This will likely be a watershed moment in India-China relations and the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific,” said Abraham Denmark, Asia program director at The Wilson Center.

“We’ve already seen the deadliest clash on the China-India border in over 50 years, both countries are led by men who have embraced nationalism, and both countries are facing tremendous domestic and international upheaval as a result of COVID-19 and

other long-standing problems.”

The main questions now are if either side can find a path to de-escalation and whether India’s allies such as the United States will help. “It is a highly volatile and dangerous situation between two nationalistic, nuclear powers at a time when American influence has badly diminished,” Denmark said.

China claims about 90,000 square kilometers (35,000 square miles) of territory in India’s northeast, while India says China occupies 38,000 square kilometers (15,000 square miles) of its territory in the Aksai Chin Plateau in the Himalayas, a contiguous part of the Ladakh region.

India unilaterally declared Ladakh a federal territory while separating it from disputed Kashmir in August 2019. China was among the handful of countries to strongly condemn the move, raising it at international forums including the UN Security Council.

Thousands of soldiers on both sides have faced off over a month along a remote stretch of the 3,380-kilometer (2,100-mile) Line of Actual Control (LAC), the border established following a war between India and China in 1962 that resulted in an uneasy truce.

The Indian Army said 20 of its soldiers died and 17 “were critically injured in the line of duty at the standoff location and exposed to sub-zero temperatures in the high altitude terrain.” The statement did not disclose the nature of the soldiers’ injuries.

The troops fought each other with fists and rocks, Indian security officials said on

condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the information.

Some media reports offered chilling details such as “some of them [soldiers] being pushed over cliffs and soldiers’ bodies being recovered from the Galwan River”.

After the clash, the two sides “disengaged” from the area where the fighting happened, the Indian Army statement said.

The United Nations urged both sides “to exercise maximum restraint.”

“We are concerned about reports of violence and deaths at the Line of Actual Control between India and China,” UN associate spokesperson Eri Kaneko said. “We take positive note of reports that the two countries

CMYK

have engaged to de-escalate the situation.”

Michael Kugelman, a South Asia specialist at the Wilson Center, said that the two countries were unlikely to go to war because they cannot “afford a conflict.”

“But let’s be clear: It beggars belief to think that they can magically deescalate after a deadly exchange with such a higher number of fatalities,” he said. “This crisis isn’t ending anytime soon.”

To be sure, neither China nor India can afford a conflict. And one will presumably be avoided. But let’s be clear: It beggars belief to think that they can magically deescalate after a deadly exchange with such a high number of fatalities. This crisis isn’t ending

anytime soon. — Michael Kugelman (@MichaelKugelman) June 16, 2020 Vivek Katju, a retired Indian diplomat, said the deadly violence represented a dramatic departure from the four-decades-old status quo of troops from the two countries staring each other down without any fatalities.

“The political class and the security class as a whole will have to do very serious thinking about the road ahead,” he said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian gave no details of any casualties on the Chinese side but said that China had strongly protested the incident and remained committed to maintaining “peace and tranquility” along the disputed border.

“But what is shocking is that on June 15, the Indian troops seriously violated the consensus of the two sides, crossed the border illegally twice and carried out provocative attacks on Chinese personnel, resulting in serious physical conflicts between the two border forces,” Zhao said.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement that the incident happened “as a result of an attempt by the Chinese side to unilaterally change the status quo” in the Galwan Valley.

Thousands of soldiers from the two countries, backed by armored trucks and artillery, have been stationed just a few hundred meters [yards] apart for more than a month in the Ladakh region that lies near Tibet. Military and diplomatic meetings have yielded no breakthrough.

Thursday, 18 June, 2020

SPORTS 11

BAyERn MUnich: A tALE oF GERMAn FootBALL doMinAncE MUNICH

B

AGENCIES

AyERN Munich have won the Bundesliga for the eighth consecutive year and are German champions for the 30th time in the club’s proud history.

They have secured the German title 15 times since 2000 and, if they beat Leverkusen in the German Cup final on July 4, will have won the domestic double 12 times since the turn of the century. AFP Sport looks at what makes the Bavarian giants so successful: THE ULI HOENESS BUSINESS MODEL: Through a clear ethos and transfer policy of cherry-picking Germany’s best players alongside some foreign imports, Bayern have largely dominated the Bundesliga since the 1970s.

They last failed to win the league in 2012, when Jurgen Klopp led Dortmund to the second of back-to-back titles.

Bayern’s revenue of 660 million euros ($741 million) placed them fourth in the latest Deloitte Football Money League, only

behind Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United. Their financial might is the result of former president Uli Hoeness, who was at the helm for 40 years before stepping down in November.

Hoeness, who ran a successful sausagemaking business, insisted on growth being financed solely by the club’s revenues and no debt, and he was determined not to let majority investors take control. “We have no patrons, only partners,” Hoeness proudly proclaimed with Audi, Adidas and Allianz each holding an 8.33 percent share — the remaining 75 percent is held by club supporters.

EMBLEMATIC PLAYERS: Bayern recruit top names, but it is then down to the players to find their place in the club’s “family” ethos. Thomas Mueller, top-scorer Robert Lewandowski, on a career-best 31 league goals, Jerome Boateng and Manuel Neuer are pillars of the current team, just as Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery were before them. younger squad members like Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich and Kingsley Coman are rapidly becoming future club stalwarts.

Barca cruise past Leganes to turn up heat on Real Madrid MADRID: Lionel Messi was rugby tackled and then scored a penalty as Barcelona put the pressure back on Real Madrid by easing to a 20 victory over Leganes at an empty Camp Nou on Tuesday. Messi was hauled to the ground in the first half by a diving Unai Bustinza wrapping two arms around his waist and he was knocked over again in the second, this time earning a penalty, which he converted.

After 33 appearances, Messi now has 26 goals this season. In his last eight games, he has seven goals and eight assists. The 17-year-old Ansu Fati had earlier given Barcelona the lead, continuing his breakthrough season with a fifth goal in eight league starts. Leganes could have made the reigning champions feel uncomfortable if Miguel-Angel Guerrero had taken either of two golden early opportunities but the first was cleared off the line and the second denied by the post. “We had a bit of luck at the beginning,” admitted Barca coach Quique Setien. But his team’s reward for a rather underwhelming performance is a fivepoint advantage over Madrid, who can reduce that back to two by winning at home to Valencia on Thursday. Valencia will be a more thorough examination of Madrid’s sharpness after the three-month break and Barca can expect tougher tests to come than Leganes too, starting with a trip to third-placed Sevilla on Friday. Setien will hope Gerard Pique recovers from a nasty challenge that means he will need stitches in his shin. AGENCIES

Bayern usually sign players in their youthful prime, but the club’s history is littered with hugely-talented names, such as 2014 World Cup winners Lukas Podolski and Mario Goetze, who failed to hold down a first-team place.

Bayern have already been warned off Manchester City winger Leroy Sane, whom the club has reportedly agreed terms with.

“In terms of character, he doesn’t suit Bayern,” former centre-back Willy Sagnol told French radio station RMC, warning that Sane is someone he feels is “very inconsistent and very withdrawn”.

MIA SAN MIA: The club’s motto, translated from Bavarian, means “We are who we are” — and unapologetically so.

It sums up the incredible self-confidence their supporters love and rival fans loathe.

“This club is special,” says coach Hansi Flick, “and ‘Mia san mia’ is an asset when we’re negotiating with players who are tempted to go elsewhere.” Few other clubs in the world have the same ruthless passion to win. Just like at Real Madrid, winning is the only acceptable result at Bayern. Tension

quickly rises at their Saebener Strasse training ground after a rare heavy defeat.

Flick’s predecessor Niko Kovac was fired after last November’s 5-1 drubbing at Eintracht Frankfurt, while Carlo Ancelotti was sacked in 2017 after a similarly humbling 3-0 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain.

The unwritten rules is, you can lose occasionally, but never by a heavy margin.

Moreover, Bayern are now expected to win with style. “When I was a player at Bayern,” said Flick, who made around 100 appearances as a midfielder in the 1980s, “only winning mattered, even if it was 1-0. Today, victory alone is no longer enough.”

GENERATION TO GENERATION: As

England name eight uncapped players in training group for West Indies Tests

LONDON AGENCIES

England included eight uncapped players in a 30-man training group announced Wednesday ahead of next month’s Test series against the West Indies.

The England and Wales Cricket Board last month named a 55-strong training group. But the selectors have now whittled the number down to those

who are more likely to be in contention for the Test side as opposed to the oneday team. The new group will meet at the Ageas Bowl on June 23 and remain at Hampshire’s headquarters as they prepare for an intra-squad match on July 13. That will give players a chance to press their case for inclusion in the Test squad.

The three-match series against the West Indies, behind closed doors, starts in Southampton on July 8, with the sec-

ond and third Tests taking place at Old Trafford. Among the uncapped players in the 30-man squad are Essex batsman Dan Lawrence, Gloucestershire wicketkeeper-batsman James Bracey and Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson.

Saqib Mahmood, Lewis Gregory and Matt Parkinson have also yet to appear in Tests but have represented England in limited-overs cricket. But there were no major surprises in the squad, which includes Test skipper Joe Root.

Rory Burns, Jofra Archer, James Anderson and Mark Wood were all selected even though they have been making their way back from injury.

England assistant coach Paul Collingwood will take charge of the one-day team in the hope that a threematch series against Ireland can go ahead later in the season.

England national selector Ed Smith said: “Everyone involved with England is delighted that cricket is returning soon, and that the players are reporting for group training in preparation for the Test series against the West Indies.

“We’d also like to thank all the county coaches who have supported these players over the past few weeks.

“A squad for the first Test will be announced in due course.”

Champions League to be completed with ‘final eight’ in Lisbon in August

NYON AGENCIES

The 2019-2020 Champions League, suspended since March because of the coronavirus pandemic, will be completed in a ‘final eight’ format in Lisbon in August, UEFA said on Wednesday.

with most clubs, head coaches do not tend to last long. Flick is the eighth in the last decade, but there is far more stability at the top.

When injury ended his playing career prematurely, Hoeness, a three-time European Cup winner and 1974 World Cup champion with West Germany, became team manager and eventually spent 40 years in charge.

Alongside him, former Bayern striker and club idol Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who twice played in World Cup finals with West Germany, has been chairman since 2002.

Rummenigge’s designated successor is legendary goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, while sports director Hasan Salihamidzic is another former club stalwart.

Europe’s top club competition will be decided by a series of one-off matches beginning in the Portuguese capital on August 12, with the final on August 23, European football’s governing body confirmed following a meeting of its executive committee.

Similarly, the Europa League will be

completed with a ‘final eight’ across four German cities, with the final in Cologne on August 21. The closing stages of the women’s Champions League will also go ahead in an eight-team straight knock-out tournament in Bilbao and San Sebastian, in Spain, from August 21 to 30.

“Football is leading the return to a more normal life here in Europe,” said UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, but in all cases it remains to be seen if any supporters will be allowed to attend matches.

Almost all games around Europe are currently being played behind closed doors amid strict health guidelines, and Ceferin said no decision would be made on whether to let spectators in “until mid-July”.

“If I would answer today then we don’t think we could have spectators at the Europa League and Champions League quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals but things are changing rapidly,” he said.

“A month ago I couldn’t even answer if we could play the competition. Now we will play it, hopefully.”

With the European death toll from the coronavirus easing and numerous EU countries this week opening their borders again to visitors, there is some hope that matches can be played before crowds. Ceferin added: “We don’t know if (it would be) only the local fans, if no fans, or even if fans from different clubs could travel.”

NO PLAN B: There are still restrictions in place in wider Portuguese society, as the

CMYK

country eases its lockdown, but UEFA is confident there will be no need for another change of plan between now and August.

“For now things look well, and we hope everything will be fine until we organise the final eight. There is no reason to have a Plan B but we are assessing the situation, not week by week but day by day, and we will adapt when the time comes, if necessary,” said Ceferin.

There are still four Champions League last 16, second legs to be completed, and it is possible those games could also be moved to Portugal.

Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, RB Leipzig and Atalanta all qualified for the quarter-finals before the competition was suspended.

The remaining last 16, second legs are: Juventus v Lyon; Manchester City v Real Madrid; Bayern Munich v Chelsea and Barcelona v Napoli. If needed, the games will be played in the Portuguese cities of Porto and Guimaraes. As well as Cologne, the nearby German cities of Duisburg, Duesseldorf and Gelsenkirchen will be used for the Europa League final eight, starting on August 10.

Before that there are a host of last-16 ties to complete. Only six of the first legs have been played, and none of the second legs. The Europa League final was supposed to be played in the Polish city of Gdansk, which will now host next year’s final instead.

UEFA opts to keep 12-city format for delayed Euro 2020 NYON: UEFA announced on Wednesday that it was planning to keep the same pancontinental format for the postponed Euro 2020 after president Aleksander Ceferin recently hinted that the number of host cities could be reduced. “The 12 original host cities have been confirmed as venues for the final tournament in the summer of 2021,” UEFA said in a statement. Euro 2020, as it is still called even though it will be played in 2021, was meant to be in full swing by now, but postponing the tournament by 12 months was one of the first big decisions UEFA took as the coronavirus crisis intensified. “UEFA took a bold decision when it decided to postpone Euro 2020,” UEFA said. “But in doing so, we created the space which has allowed domestic club competitions across the continent to resume, where possible, and play to a conclusion.” UEFA had broken with the tradition of naming one, or two countries, as tournament hosts for this edition, instead selecting 12 cities, from as far apart as Baku and Dublin. The unwieldy format allowed the governing body of European football to spread the prestige of hosting matches across the continent. In an interview with beIN Sports, Ceferin recently admitted to having “some issues” with three unnamed cities. “In principle, we will do it in 12 cities. But if not, we are ready to do it in 10, nine or eight,” he said. That would have left some hosts less than happy, making the meeting that decided on whether to trim the format a potentially delicate diplomatic operation for UEFA. Instead, at a teleconference held at the time that Finland were originally scheduled to play in Saint Petersburg in a Group B game, UEFA announced the format would stay the same.

“The UEFA Executive Committee also expressed its appreciation to the host associations, host cities and their authorities for their continuous support and commitment,” said the statement. “All existing tickets remain valid for the tournament in 2021,” UEFA said, adding that fans could exchange them if they could no longer go. AGENCIES

Thursday, 18 June, 2020

NEWS

Will ContinuE to thWaRt india’s dEsiGns in KashmiR, PaKistan aRmy voWs raWaLpindi

P

STAFF REPORT

AKISTANI military’s top command on Wednesday resolved to “continue thwarting Indian designs, expose Indian targeting of innocent civilians in Kashmir and [their] open support to terrorist outfits”. The resolve was expressed during a Corps Commanders Conference held at the Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters.

In a statement, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar said that the forum was briefed on the national and regional security situation.

“It expressed satisfaction on continued reduction in incidents of violence across the country, gradual positive effects of [the] ongoing Afghan peace process along the western border and resolved to keep supporting the normalisation process through national institutions.”

The meeting also discussed the Pakistan Army’s ongoing support to the government in the fight against Covid19, locusts and polio as well as “ways to improve the same within available resources”.

Govt set to take action against hike in wheat, flour prices ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Tuesday resolved to take all possible measures to control the prices of wheat and flour and overcome shortage of both products. The decision was taken in a high-level meeting held at the Finance Division on Tuesday with the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh in the chair to review the wheat and flour situation in the country and the causes for recent increase in wheat and flour prices, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. During the meeting which was convened on the direction of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, various issues with regard to increase in the prices of wheat and flour were highlighted and it was resolved that the government would take all possible measures to control the price of wheat and flour and overcome shortages. The government has also directed the Ministry of National Food Security and Research to prepare and present a summary on the matter to the ECC so that action can be taken at the cabinet-level. Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, Adviser to Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms and Austerity Dr Ishrat Hussain, Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood, Punjab Senior Food Minister Abdul Aleem Khan, secretary finance, secretary national food security and research, secretary industries and production and chief secretary Punjab attended the meeting in person while the chief secretaries of Sindh, KP and Balochistan attended the meeting on via online video conferencing. STAFF REPORT

“It was underlined that Covid-19 can only be fought as a ‘whole of nation approach’ wherein every individual will have to play a role to ensure success through observation of basic procedures and discipline,” the statement read.

CM Murad unveils Sindh budget with an outlay of Rs1.24tr Continued from page 01 “During the financial year 2018-19, we had to cut on the operating expenses. The Repair & Maintenance budget of the departments had been substantially reduced from Rs30.8 billion to Rs26.8 billion,” he informed.

“I must reiterate that we were able to control the deficit only because of budgetary cuts as we timely adopted austerity measures. I am thankful to all the departments and offices that continued to serve the people despite financial difficulties.”

The CM explained that the increase in non-development expenditure can be attributed to Covid19 and the subsequent Social Protection and Economic Sustainability Package of Rs34.2 billion. He added that this would inject Rs19 billion in the health sector and Rs22.9 billion in the education sector.

He said a 10pc rise in government employee salaries of grades 1 to 16 has been approved by the cabinet, whereas a 5pc increase has been approved for officers of grade 17 and above.

COVID-19 PREVENTION: While speaking about the health crisis at hand, CM Murad announced that the estimate for expenditure on health risk allowance has been set at Rs1 billion, adding that there were 81 quarantine centres in the province with a testing capacity of 11,450 tests per day.

The long-standing and pending completion of Karachi’s NIPA Chowrangi infectious disease hospital will soon be completed after a Rs2 billion grant. This would be Pakistan’s first infectious disease hospital. The CM said that 101 additional ventilators have been bought and Rs5 billion have been allocated with regard to measures needed for the pandemic.

India capable of giving befitting reply if provoked, says Modi after China kills 20 neW deLHi AGENCIES

In his first remarks on the death of at least 20 soldiers in a violent border clash with Chinese troops on Tuesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the “sacrifices of our soldiers would not go in vain” as he asserted that his country was capable of “giving a befitting reply when instigated”.

Stressing that India would not compromise with its integrity and sovereignty, Prime Minister Modi said: “Nobody should have any doubts or myth at all that India wants peace but it is capable to give a befitting reply when instigated.” “The nation must be proud of its warriors who laid down their lives while killing enemies,” said Modi before a virtual meeting with the chief ministers of 15 states on the Covid-19 situation,” Indian Express quoted the premier as saying.

India had impatiently awaited its prime minister’s response on the unprecedented event as the country’s media vented its fury and political rivals goaded Modi over his silence.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lijian Zhao said his country does not want to see any more clashes on the border with India following Monday’s violence. Foreign min-

istry spokesman Zhao Lijian reiterated that China was not to be blamed for the clash and said the overall situation at the border was stable and controllable.

According to Indian officials, no shots were fired, but soldiers were hit with clubs and stones during a brawl that erupted between the two sides in the remote Galwan Valley, high in the mountains where India’s Ladakh region borders China’s Aksai Chin to the east.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said there had been casualties on both sides, but China has not disclosed any casualties so far.

Modi, who rode to power on a nationalist platform, met his defence and foreign ministers and the military chiefs late on Tuesday, but he had yet to speak publicly on the worst clash between the two countries since 1967, five years after China had humiliated India in a war. Modi was elected to a second fiveyear term in May 2019 following a campaign focused on national security after spiralling tensions with old enemy Pakistan, on India’s western border.

“Gloves are off, with the Galwan valley clash, China pushed too hard,” the Times of India wrote in an editorial.

“India must push back.”

“Beijing can’t kill our soldiers at the border and expect to benefit from our huge market,” it continued, advocating

sanctions against Chinese imports. Facing what could his greatest foreign policy challenge since coming to power in 2014, Modi refrained from commenting publicly on the incident as a clamour for action rose over the past day.

“Why is the PM silent, why is he hiding?” Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition Congress party, tweeted.

“Enough is enough; we need to know what happened. How dare China kill our soldiers, how dare they take our land.” Hundreds of Indian and Chinese troops have been facing each other since early May at three or four locations in the uninhabited high-altitude deserts of Ladakh.

India says Chinese troops have intruded into its side of the Line of Actual Control or the de facto border.

China rejects the allegation and has asked India not to build roads in the area, claiming it to be its territory.

COLONEL AMONG 20 KILLED: According to the Indian government sources, the fighting on Monday night broke out during a meeting to discuss ways to de-escalate tensions, and the colonel commanding the Indian side was one of the first to be struck and killed. Many of the other Indian soldiers who died had succumbed to their wounds, having been unable to survive the night in freezing temperatures.

Locusts may damage up to 75pc major crops in one year GOVT IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON A PROGRAMME THAT WILL INCENTIVISE CITIZENS TO CATCH LOCUSTS THROUGH NETS IN LIEU OF CASH PAYMENTS iSLamaBad AHMAD AHMADANI

While the total value of Pakistan’s major crops of Rabi and Kharif season stands at Rs3,268.7 billion, locust infestation can cause an economic loss of up to Rs2,451 billion or 75 per cent of major crops in a single year.

According to sources, locust can cause a loss ranging anywhere from Rs490 billion to Rs2,451 billion. As per reports,the federal government has tasked the National Food Security and Research Division to prepare a workable plan on incentivising the public to participate in fighting and disposing off the locusts.

Similarly, the government has also directed National Food Security and Regu-

lation Division to work out the details of funds required for the controlling locust and present the working before the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the federal cabinet for approval.

Additionally, special assistant to the prime minister on poverty alleviation and social protection has also been directed to work out the modalities for the Ehsass Cash-for-Work programme, which will incentivise citizens to catch locusts through nets in lieu of cash payments. The special assistant has been asked to present the findings in the next meeting of the cabinet.

Furthermore, according to sources, the government has also directed the National Food Security and Research Division to devise a robust communication strategy in consultation with the Information and

Broadcasting Division aimed at projecting efforts being made by the government to effectively deal with the locust situation in the country.

Earlier on June 2, Pakistan Army engineer-in-chief, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) chairman and National Food Security and Research Division secretary had given a presentation to the cabinet regarding the locust situation in the country. The federal cabinet was informed that the last serious desert locust invasion in the eastern region happened around 30 years ago.

In 2018, a major upsurge of desert locust began to develop in the Arabian Peninsula as a result of two cyclones that brought heavy rains to the region along the borders of Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen.

In January 2019, new waves of swarms formed in the region and migrated into the interior areas of Saudi Arabia and Iran and then southwards to Yemen.

Breeding and a further increase occurred during the spring season in both areas, causing new swarms to migrate to the Indo-Pakistan border and to the Horn

of Africa, respectively, at the beginning of last summer.

It is pertinent to mention here that a national emergency was invoked on January 31, 2020 and a National Action Plan-1 was launched in February 2020.

Currently, over 52 districts in the country have been affected by locust. The government has formed 1,113 teams that are currently working on survey and control operations. These teams have completed a survey of over 238,399 square kilometres and carried out control operations on over 4,967 square kilometres.

The government had earlier declared a national emergency on locust in response to desert locust appearing in cultivated areas in the four provinces of the country.

Likewise, a robust coordination mechanism was put in place in shape of a National Locust Control Center (NLCC) bringing together the National Food Security and Research Division, Department of Plant Protection, NDMA, Provincial Agricultural Departments and the armed forces to coordinate and support large scale locust control operations in the country.

EDUCATION BUDGET: The budget of education departments has been increased by 10.2pc to Rs243.14 billion to ensure quality education and to address post-epidemic education challenges. “We have developed the Sindh Education Sector Plan & Roadmap (2019-23) through a consultative process. The civil society, intelligentsia and academia were taken on board, as we consider them equal stakeholders in the development of the society.” The school education portfolio has been allocated Rs15.15 billion for 279 schemes (188 ongoing and 91 new schemes).

For universities and boards; the government has earmarked Rs3.0 billion, through which various initiatives relating to higher education will be financed. These include the establishment of Center of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain – at Sukkur IBA University, establishment of Thar Institute of Technology ay NED Campus of Tharparkar, and the establishment of Sindh University Campus at Badin and Mirpurkhas.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS: Moreover, the government has earmarked Rs17 billion for the irrigation department, whereas Rs10 billion have been allocated for agriculture. Considering the locust situation, Rs440 million has been budgeted for locust control, besides Rs1 billion “Subsidy for Pesticides” to small farmers. In addition, the government has reserved Rs3 billion under the poverty alleviation programme for small businesses in the urban areas and Rs2 billion for the same in rural areas; Rs3 billion for transport and mass transit; Rs16 billion for works and services; Rs700 million for IT technology intervention and innovation solutions, and Rs500 million for technology-based startups.

ECC approves Rs100m grant for locust control in Punjab iSLamaBad SHAHZAD PARACHA

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Wednesday approved a Rs100 million grant for locust control in Punjab.

According to details, the ECC meeting, which was held with Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh in the chair, approved the above on a request made by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) regarding Rs100 million technical supplementary grant (TSG) to procure equipment for locust control in Punjab.

Meanwhile, the ECC also approved Rs3.2 billion TSG for Pakistan International Airline Corporation Limited (PIACL) to discharge the obligations on account of markup against the Government of Pakistan's guaranteed loans.

In addition, the committee approved Rs25.2 million for Pakistan Academy for Rural Development (PARD) in Peshawar (FY20), Rs1.3 billion for Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission to manage its various liabilities, Rs235 million for Deputy Commissioner Islamabad to pay internal security duty allowance to troops of Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) deployed in Islamabad, Rs500 million for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to meet the expenditure of media campaign on Covid-19, Rs7.947 billion to NDMA on account of procurement of emergency equipment through Pakistan Foreign Mission in China (Ex-post facto approval on account of Pakistan National Emergency Preparedness and Response for Covid-19, procurement of equipment and transfer of funds), and Rs4.5 billion for the capacity building of civil armed forces as requested by the Ministry of Interior. Likewise, Rs80 million were approved for the Competition Commission of Pakistan to meet its expenses, Rs100 million for the purchase of kerosene oil

by Frontier Corps KP (North) to be used in different locations/posts (8,000 feet and above), Rs8.093 million for the Privatization Division to manage employee-related expenditure, and two TSGs amounting to Rs1.19 billion and Rs358.506 million for the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training to award scholarships to Afghan students. Moreover, the ECC also granted approval to book value adjustment of the overdue amount of loans amounting to Rs30.807 billion to Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) over and above its allocated development and non-development budget. It also allowed, on the recommendation of the committee earlier constituted by ECC, to convert two relent Chinese loans into government loans keeping in view the subsuming of ERRA into NDMA and ERRA being non-profit/non-revenue generating entity.

The handing over of the Pakistan Machine Tool Factory to the Strategic Planning Division was also given a go-ahead in the meeting. In order to operationalize PMTF, Rs500 million shall be provided to SPD as a loan.

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