EpaperKH_2020-07-26

CMYK

26 July, 2020 I 4 Dhu-Hijjah, 1441 I Rs 25.00 I Vol XI No 28 I 44 Pages I Karachi Edition

Govt seeks to extend naB Chief’s tenure in ProPosed amendments to law g

AmeNdmeNTs Also seeK exTeNsioN iN TeNures oF NAB dePuTy chAirmAN, ProsecuTor GeNerAl

ISLAMABAD staff report

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he government’s proposed amendments to the National Accountability ordinance (NAo) contain clauses which seek to remove the “non-extendability” of the appointment of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman, deputy chairman and the prosecutor general, it has been learnt.

According to a document of the proposed amendments, “in clause (i) of subsection (b) of section 6, the word non-extendable shall be omitted”. This section pertains to the appointment of the NAB chairman. similarly, the removal of the word “nonextendable” has also been proposed in sections 7 and 8, which pertain to the appointments of the NAB deputy chairman and the prosecutor general of accountability, respectively.

The newly drafted law would be tabled before the 24-member parliamentary committee on monday where all parliamentary parties would discuss the amendments.

The amendments are to be called the

Pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

272,807

NEW CASES:

24

1,487

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

236,596 5,818 SINDH:

117,598

PUNJAB:

91,691

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

33,220

drAFT lAw will Be TABled BeFore 24-memBer PArliAmeNTAry commiTTee oN moNdAy For discussioN

National Accountability (second Amendment) Act, 2020, and propose changes which extend “to the whole of Pakistan and shall apply to all persons, including those persons who are or have been in the service of Pakistan, except in respect of persons and transactions specified in sub-section (2)”.

The proposed amendments state that the provisions shall not apply to “matters pertaining to Federal or Provincial taxation, levies or imposts”. when the proposed law comes into effect, all inquiries and investigations on taxation, levies and imposts shall fall within the purview of the relevant institutions which administer the laws pertaining to the same.

Trials will also be transferred from accountability courts to criminal courts which deal with such offences.

The newly proposed law further states that the ordinance shall not apply to any person who is not directly or indirectly connected with a public office holder – except offences under clauses (ix), (x) and (xi) of sub-section (a) of section 9. moreover, with regard to procedural lapses in any government project or

Coronavirus in

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

g

11,523

2,012/1,942 14,821

scheme, no person will be subjected to any action under the new ordinance “unless it is shown that the holder of public office, his dependents or benamidars have benefitted by gaining any material benefit, and there is evidence to corroborate the acquiring of such benefit”. similarly, in matters pertaining to the rendition of any advice, opinion or report, no action under the ordinance will be taken against a public officeholder unless it can be demonstrated that they he, his dependents or benamidars have directly benefited and proof of the same is provided. in cases pertaining to assets of a public officeholder beyond known sources of income, the valuation of immovable properties shall be done under the rate prescribed by the district collector or the Federal Board of revenue (FBr), whichever is higher. “No evidence contrary to the latter shall be admissible,” read the draft amendment.

The proposed amendments also seek to expand the definition of what constitutes “misuse of public authority” in section 9, clause (vi) to include the explanation that nothing shall be construed as misuse of authority unless there is “corroborative evidence of any material benefit drawn” by the public officeholder, his dependents or benamidars relating to the transaction.

Furthermore, in section 9, a new clause (xiii) shall be inserted which reads: “an act done in good faith and in discharge of duties and performance of official functions shall not, unless there is corroborative evidence of accumulation of any material benefit from that act, constitute an offence under this clause”.

Additionally, in section 16, which pertains to the trials held under the ordinance and the disposal of cases under thirty days, a new sub-section (e) will be added, namely:

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Govt has prepared 8 bills to move Pakistan into FATF ‘white list’, says Qureshi MULTAN app

Foreign minister shah mahmood Qureshi on saturday said that the government has prepared eight bills for legislation on money laundering and terror financing to bring Pakistan into the Financial Action Task Force’s “white list” again. “india has been attempting to have Pakistan pushed into the black list. if this were to occur, you know better than i, the effects it will have on the economy.

“The government has taken timely administrative and legislative steps to step out of the grey list and once again have Pakistan placed on the white list,” Qureshi said in a press briefing held at circuit house. he said that there are eight laws for which consultation talks were held with the law ministry, Finance ministry, Financial monitoring unit (Fmu) and experts dealing with money laundering and counter-terrorism issues. on the prime minister’s directives, the opposition has been taken into confidence, he said. A joint committee of 24 people has been formed which includes various factions of the opposition as well as representatives of the government. it

NAB chief blames lack of courts for delay in decision on cases g

JusTice (r) iQBAl sAys iT’s ‘imPossiBle For 25 courTs To AdJudicATe ANd FiNAlise 1,226 cAses wiThiN 30 dAys’ ISLAMABAD staff report

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman Justice (r) Javed iqbal on saturday blamed the shortage of accountability courts for the delay in deciding corruption cases – a couple of days after the apex court held the anti-graft body responsible for the problem. in a report submitted to the supreme court in pursuance of its order on July 8 on reasons behind the delay in trials, the NAB chief pointed out that with the present strength of accountability courts and the workload of cases pending adjudication — each of them currently handling 50 references on an average — it was practically “impossible to adjudicate and finalise matters within 30 days”. under section 16(a) of the National Accountability ordinance, 1999 a timeframe of 30 days is set for the conclusion of trial by a court and it is required to conduct proceedings on day-to-day basis.

The top court has already or-

dered the law secretary to seek the government’s instructions for setting up at least 120 accountability courts to deal with a huge backlog of cases.

The NAB chairman informed that court that there were 25 accountability courts presently dealing with 1,226 references. he pointed out 260 cases were pending adjudication in five accountability courts in the Karachi/hyderabad region, 303 in five courts in lahore, 190 in seven courts in the rawalpindi/islamabad/Gilgit-

Baltistan region, 43 in four courts in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 218 in two courts in Balochistan and 94 in 43 in one court each in multan and sukkur respectively.

“The only way out of this faux pas is to increase the strength of the accountability courts,” he added. citing other reasons for the delay, the NAB chairman stated in the report that the defence filed miscellaneous applications in which interlocutory orders were passed by accountability courts.

“This results in stalling and delay in the main proceedings.

To curb this tendency, timelines be set to decide such applications and frivolous applications be dismissed with costs,” he recommended.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Five superior bars demand NAB chief’s resignation STORY ON PAGE 03

contains both members of the National Assembly and the senate. The committee will review the legislation.

“The prime minister wishes that the opposition be taken into confidence on this matter of national importance […] time is of the essence here. we must act timely so that the Asia Pacific Group (APG), of which Pakistan is a member, can place the government’s practical steps before the [FATF] plenary which will then decide whether the obligations Pakistan was subjected to were fulfilled or not,” said the foreign minister.

Qureshi said one law pertaining to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has also been drafted.

“The opposition has expressed its reservations about the NAB law,” said Qureshi. “we are prepared to make changes in the NAB law,” he said, adding that the PPP and Pml-N both had an opportunity but each failed to amend the NAB laws.

“All the bills have been sent to the opposition (parties), including the one on NAB law,” he said. “we do not have the intention to use (the law) for witch-hunting,” he said in an apparent reference to opposition’s reservations regarding the accountability watchdog’s methods.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

more inside

‘Selection’ in 2018 polls caused great damage to Pakistan, Bilawal says STORY ON PAGE 03

Thousands of textbooks could be banned in Punjab, says official STORY ON PAGE 03

Part 3 of Khursheed Kasuri’s interview on Kashmir’s future STORY ON PAGE 08 in today’s issue

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Sunday, 26 July, 2020

NEWS

Ehsaas Program: a hEro amidst thE PandEmic ISLAMABAD

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APP

HE internationally acknowledged smart lockdown policy adopted in a developing country like Pakistan has served substantially to reduce Covid-19 cases and prevent the country’s economy from turmoil. Additionally, it also helped with protecting a large proportion of the population that is living below poverty, such as daily wagers and piece-rate workers and their families, from the drastic consequences of unemployment.

Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in the country, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s stance of not imposing a complete lockdown, transcending all the criticism, paved the way for the country’s largest-ever social protection initiative, Ehsaas. This initiative successfully addressed the financial needs of the vulnerable segments of society.

One of the biggest challenges that the country had to face, owing to the extraordinary circumstances caused by Covid-19, was to implement prevention measures by limiting social interactions while making sure the daily wagers and laborers were compensated for their loss of livelihood

due to these preventive measures.

To provide relief to the daily wagers and piece-rate workers, Ehsaas Emergency Cash Program was launched at the start of April to provide cash assistance of Rs 12,000 to those rendered jobless amidst the lockdown.

Till July 23, an amount of Rs 158.933 billion has been successfully disbursed among 13,137,230 lockdown affected persons through Ehsaas payment centers spread across the country.

According to the province wise distribution update, around Rs 71.219 billion has been disbursed among 5,885,826 deserving families in Punjab, Rs 48.202 billion among 3,997,997 in Sindh, Rs. 27.016 billion among 2,225,741 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Rs 7.910 billion among 651,227 in Balochistan, Rs 2.614 billion among 214,097 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Rs 1.160 billion among 94,996 in Gilgit-Baltistan, and Rs 0.813 billion among 67,346 beneficiaries in Islamabad.

According to the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Sania Nishtar, the scope of the emergency cash program, after its unprecedented success, has been expanded to reach out to around 16.9 mil-

lion deserving families, an increase from 12 million, owing to the increased budget of up to Rs 203 billion, compared to the previous Rs 144 billion.

Ehsaas Ration Portal was another initiative launched on April 21st. This attempted to save the poorer segments of the society from starvation by bridging the gaps between charitable organizations, philanthropists, and deserving people.

The primary role of the Ehsaas Ration Portal was to provide data of eligible people to the donors through registration at www.rashan.pass.gov.pk, after providing their required information.

The information provided by the deserving persons is scrutinized using Ehsaas data analytics to determine their eligibility, while the donor organizations are evaluated according to specific acceptability criteria to become partners in the program.

As many as 738,869 people have registered themselves for ration assistance through the Ehsaas Ration Portal so far. The distribution of ration among the needy has been started. The other ongoing programs under Ehsaas include Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship, Ehsaas Panagah (Shelter) and Langar Scheme, Ehsaas Kafalat, Ehsaas Interest-Free Loans, and Ehsaas

Amdan and Assets Transfer Program.

The present government has so far utilized a total of Rs 254.95 billion on social protection and poverty alleviation programs under Ehsaas.

The Ehsaas Amdan Program, launched on February 21, 2020, has so far distributed assets worth Rs 1.5 billion among 25,054 families. The Ehsaas Saylani Langar initiative that was launched on October 7th, 2019, has opened six “langar” points through public-private partnership in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad. The Ehsaas Kafalat program, launched on January 31, 2020, has so far benefited 4,576,463 women.

The Ehsaas Interest-free loan scheme, launched on July 5, 2019, has provided interest-free loans worth Rs. 24.082 billion among 712,852 persons.

The country’s biggest Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship program, launched on November 4, 2019, has provided Rs. 148.94 billion to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to extend scholarship opportunities to the 50,500 outstanding and deserving students. The preparation to launch the first of its kind, the Ehsaas Nasho-Numa program, is also in full swing; aiming to prevent stunting in children through the provision of specialized nutritious food to pregnant and lactating mothers and their children under the age of 24 months.

The program, to be launched during the current month, aims to educate mothers through awareness-raising sessions and informational videos, focussing on health and hygiene. The mothers will also be awarded cash stipends after attending these sessions.

India turning IOK into military establishment: AJK president ISLAMABAD TLTP

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan has said that after the revocation of Articles 35-A and 370 on August 5, 2019, any semblance of autonomy enjoyed by the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) has been done away with.

Furthermore, he said that Indian government’s proposed amendment to the Jammu and Kashmir Development Act will give the occupation forces full authority to declare any part of IOK as a “strategic area”, allowing them to “legitimise” land grab within the disputed territory.

The president made these comments while addressing a seminar on Kashmir organised by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting here on Saturday.

The AJK president said that almost a year has elapsed since the occupational lockdown has been imposed in IOJK and during this period the India government has taken illicit steps towards bifurcating the territory, placing it under Union control and ultimately introducing the New Domicile Rules. Proposed amendments in Jammu and Kashmir Development Act will turn the entire region into a military establishment, he said. Masood Khan said that privileged special status and exclusive rights to

permanent residence, acquisition of property, education and livelihood of Kashmiris have been revoked making way for non-Kashmiris to come and settle in the State which eventually would change Kashmir’s Muslim majority demography into a minority. After the introduction of the New Domicile Rules, Kashmiris have been displaced, dispossessed and disenfranchised within their own homeland, he said while adding that 32,000 non-state Indians have been given domiciles.

Under the garb of the cordon and search operation, hundreds of Kashmiris have been martyred since the lockdown has been imposed in IOJK, maintained the President.

govt to review decision to reopen schools, says shafqat ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood has said that the federal government will review its decision to reopen schools in the first week of September. Talking to a private news channel, the minister said private educational institutions could only call their teachers and administration staff on duty before September 15 but the government schools would be never allowed to call their students before a final decision, as there could be no compromise on the health of students. “Schools and colleges across the country will reopen only after the coronavirus pandemic is over,” he added. He said strict SOPs, including spaced-out seating arrangements, division of classes into further sections and change in timings could be some of the measures that schools will have to adopt whenever they were reopened. “We are considering every possible option. We will try to adjust things like whether to hold the annual exams this year, or defer tests to next year”, he said. “The final decision would be taken by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), which monitors and acts upon the developments to stem the spread of coronavirus in the country,” he mentioned. He further said specific tasks would be created for teachers in schools and responsibilities for ensuring health and hygiene would be defined before schools reopen. “We want to end the uncertainty as soon as possible with the consultation of all stakeholders on the basic important issue like education,” he said. APP

UAE to give preference to Pakistanis for jobs, says Bukhari ISLAMABAD APP

PM’s Special Assistant for Overseas Pakistanis Zulfikar Bukhari said on Saturday that once the coronavirus pandemic subsides, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will give preference to Pakistanis in terms of employment opportunities. The Ministry for Overseas Pakistanis in a statement said that the UAE officials have given

Bukhari a reassurance in this regard.

Quoting Bukhari, the statement said the Pakistan government and UAE officials will ensure the rights of Pakistanis working in the Gulf country.

Bukhari also held a meeting with the Pakistani business community in Dubai. He lauded the diaspora for providing aid for the repatriation of stranded nationals since the beginning of the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.

At the occasion, the SAPM also distributed certificates among the notable members present at the event.

The SAPM also lauded Pakistani diplomats for assisting workers during the pandemic.

Sunday, 26 July, 2020

NEWS

‘sElEction’ in 2018 Polls causEd grEat damagE to Pakistan, Bilawal says ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

AKISTAN People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Saturday said that the “rigged” general elections of 2018 have damaged Pakistan more than any other event in its history that saw Prime Minister Imran Khan coming into power two years ago.

“On this day, a selection was held which has caused a great damage to the country and undermined its democratic system,” Bilawal said while addressing a press conference here. Earlier in the day, Minister for Information Shibli Faraz said July 25, 2018, was a historic day in the country’s democratic history “as on that day the people of Pakistan, including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers joined hands to lay the foundation of a new thought process”.

PPP chIef sAys PM IMrAn hAs destrOyed cOuntry’s deMOcrAcy And ecOnOMy “An outdated, privileged and corrupt system based on nepotism and favouritism was defeated in the general election on that day,” he added.

Bilawal, while pointing out irregularities during the 2018 polls, said, “I wonder why security personnel were deployed inside the polling stations”.

“Never in the history was such a step taken… not even during the general elections 2008 when terrorism was at its peak in the country,” he added.

The PPP chairman said Imran Khan has failed to fulfill his promises of making Pakistan a corruption-free country, providing five million low cost houses and millions of jobs to the masses.

asad urges people to avoid gatherings on Eidul azha

“Today, the entire nation is on one page that ‘selected’ Imran Khan has to go… he has destroyed the country’s democracy and economy.”

Commenting on the newly-introduced ordinance related to the incarcerated Indian spy, Bilawal said: “You [PM Imran Khan] were supposed to become an ambassador of Kashmir but you have become an advocate of Kulbhushan Jadhav”. Federal Law and Justice Minister Farogh Naseem on Friday had urged the opposition parties in the National Assembly not to create hurdles in the passing of an ordinance meant to allow Jadhav to file a review appeal against his conviction.

He clarified that the ordinance was in

Paragon housing verdict: Five superior bars demand NAB chief’s resignation ISLAMABAD

ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

TLTP

Representatives of the five superior bars of the country on Saturday demanded National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal to resign following the Supreme Court’s judgement in Khawaja Saad Rafique’s bail plea in the Paragon housing reference.

“It is the historic judgement authored by Honourable Justice Maqbool Baqar, whereunder, not only the discriminatory actions on part of NAB but the entire func-

Chairman National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) and Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has urged masses to avoid public gatherings on Eidul Azha. The minister was chairing a meeting of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) here on Saturday to review the situation of the country in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The forum was briefed on the implementation and violations of preventive measures in cattle markets.

Asad Umar said, “As per the directive of Prime Minister Imran Khan, we should celebrate this Eidul Azha with simplicity.” He urged the general public to avoid going to the entertainment places and gatherings on Eid. He said the pandemic can be controlled by observing social distancing in prayers and following the given instructions. On Friday, the NCOC decided to launch a crackdown against illegal cattle markets across the country, as serious violations of the SOPs are being reported in the cattle markets across the country. Similarly, illegal cattle markets have been established in various parts of the country ahead of Eidul Azha. The markets could become hotspots of Covid-19 due to a lack of precautionary measures taken against the virus. Separately, Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar Saturday said that two years ago, Pakistani nation entered Imran Khan’s 22-year-long struggle for the betterment of Pakistan, into a new phase. In a tweet on the occasion of completion of two years of July 2018 general elections, Asad Umar said the journey of Naya (new) Pakistan will not only continue but will also be intensified. He said, “We have to work with the same determination to speed up the struggle.”

Balochistan minister booked for social media activist’s murder QUETTA STAFF REPORT

Levies in Barkhan have registered a case against Balochistan Minister for Food and Welfare Abdul Rehman Khetran and his two guards for the murder of social media activist Anwar Jan Khetran. Anwar was gunned down by unidentified men in Barkhan on July 23 in Naharkot, according to the Levies. According to the FIR, his brother Ghulam Sarwar told the levies that Anwar was killed because he wrote about the corruption of Abdul Rehman on social media. The minister’s two gunmen Nadir Khan and Adam Khan are also nominated in the FIR. Sarwar told the law enforcers that the minister’s men had threatened his brother over the telephone for writing against the provincial minister on social media. Abdul Rehman has, however, denied his involvement in the murder and said the two other people who were nominated in the FIR were not his gunmen.

line with the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) judgment last year in Jadhav’s case and not to facilitate the Indian spy.

BILAWAL MEETS MENGAL: Separately, Bilawal met Balochistan National Party (BNP) supremo Akhtar Mengal, who had last month parted ways with the PTI government, dealing a mighty blow to the ruling coalition.

The PPP spokesperson, in a statement, said that the PPP chairman discussed the current political situation with the BNP chief in the meeting.

The PPP chairman was accompanied by senior leaders Nayyar Bukhari, Mustafa Nawaz Khokar, and Farhatullah Babar. Meanwhile from the BNP, Agha Hasan and Mir Hamal Kalmati were also present during the meeting held at the Zardari House in Islamabad. The meeting has assumed significance in the wake of planned an opposition APC to be held after Eidul Azha. In June, BNP’s Mengal had announced to quit the coalition, saying that several issues of the province had remained unresolved including that of the missing persons. Mengal had clarified that his party would continue to be part of the National Assembly and would keep talking about Balochistan’s issues.

tioning of decadent and the corrupt state institutions are exposed, the bench has also settled down the principles for grant of bail in such matters,” a resolution passed by a committee of five superior bars representatives— members of Judicial Commission of Pakistan—stated. The resolution says that the Supreme Court has rightly held that until a culture of transparency, liberty, civility and democratic values is created, our desire for peace and good order shall continue to elude us.

“The committee expects that on reading the judgment, the chair-

man, NAB, would voluntarily tender his resignation,” the resolution added. Earlier, the SC held NAB responsible for delay in deciding corruption cases, observing that its investigation officers did not have the qualifications and capabilities.

A three-judge bench, headed

by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, heard the case regarding misappropriation in the construction of Lakhra Power Plant.

During the proceedings, the chief justice reviewed the performance of the anti-graft watchdog and asked its chairman to change the investigation team.

thousands of textbooks could be banned in Punjab, says official LAHORE INP

The Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board on Saturday banned a hundred school books in a single day for containing content deemed “anti-national” and “blasphemous”.

“We are currently examining over 10,000 books being taught in private schools so the banned textbooks could be in thousands once we are done,” Rai Manzoor Hussain Nasir, the managing director of the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board told a private TV channel.

Nasir says he is acting under the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board Act, 2015, passed during the tenure of the previous provincial government.

Section 10 of the Act requires an author to seek approval from the Board prior to publishing his/her book. It further gives the Board power to ban a publication which contains “anything repugnant to the injunctions of Islam, or contrary to the integrity, defence or security of Pakistan or any part of Pakistan, public order or morality.”

While content related to Islam in an Islamiyat, History, Pakistan

Studies, Urdu or Literature book will need a go-ahead from the religious Muttahida Ulema Board, as well as the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board before it can be included in a private school’s curriculum. The managing director has set up 30 committees to pour over 10,000 textbooks of private schools. He says each committee is headed by an “expert” of the subject, whose books are being reviewed.

Of the books banned till now, one mathematical textbook had an image of a pig another printed an incorrect map of Pakistan.

103-year-old Pakistani man becomes one of the oldest in world to survive Covid-19 ISLAMABAD AGENCIES

A 103-year-old man has recovered from Covid-19 in Pakistan to become one of the oldest survivors of the disease in the world, beating the odds in a country with a weak healthcare system, his relatives and doctors said. Aziz Abdul Alim, a resident of a village in the mountainous northern district of Chitral, was released last week from an emergency response centre after testing positive in early July.

“We were worried for him given his age, but he wasn’t worried at all,” Alim’s son Sohail Ahmed told Reuters on the phone from his village, close to the border with China and Afghanistan.

Ahmed quoted his father as saying that he had been through a lot in life and the coronavirus did not scare him. He did however, not like being in isolation.

A carpenter until his 70s, Alim has outlived three wives and nine sons and daughters, said Ahmed, who is himself in his 50s, adding that his father had separated from his fourth wife and is currently married to his fifth. Alim also had to be provided with moral and psychological support during his isolation and treatment, Dr Sardar Nawaz, a senior medical officer at the Aga Khan Health Service emergency centre told Reuters on Friday.

The makeshift centre was set up in a girls’ hostel just weeks before Alim was brought in and is the only one equipped to deal with Covid-19 patients for miles. Pakistan has registered more than 270,000 cases of the disease and 5,778 deaths.

While the number of people testing positive has dropped over the last month, government officials fear there could be another rise during the Eidul Azha holidays and Muharram.

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Covid-19 active cases drop one-third to 29,504 in 24 hours ISLAMABAD: The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Saturday said that the number of active Covid-19 cases saw a decrease from 44,854 to 29,504, which amounts to a reduction by one-third during the last 24 hours. In a statement, the NCOC said that 24 deaths occurred due to the virus in the last 24 hours, increasing the tally of nationwide fatalities to 5,787. Pakistan has conducted 23,630 Covid-19 tests in the last 24 hours, contributing to a total of 1,844,986 tests conducted so far. As a result, the country reported an increase of 1,487 registered cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, contributing to a total of 271,877 cases. Among these cases, 236,596 patients have recovered, and 1,316 patients are in critical condition.

The total reported cases in the country include 116,800 in Sindh, 91,691 in Punjab, 33,071 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 11,550 in Balochistan, 2,012 in Azad Kashmir, and 1,942 in Gilgit-Baltistan. Sindh remains the worst-hit province by the pandemic in terms of cases followed by Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad. By far, 15,535,790 Covid-19 cases have registered in 196 countries/territories. It has led to a minimum of 633,711 deaths across the globe, and at least 8,718,700 patients have recovered. TLTP

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Sunday, 26 July, 2020

NEWS

PTI asks PuNjab MPa uzMa kardar To resIgN ISLAMABAD

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TLTP

HE Standing Committee on Accountability and Discipline of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday rejected the appeal of MPA Uzma Kardar and ordered her to resign from her Punjab Assembly seat.

The committee stated in its decision

that Uzma Kardar had delivered controversial statements against senior party leaders in her telephonic conversation with a journalist and the action was taken in accordance with clause 3 of the party’s constitution. The politician dented the reputation of the ruling political party, said the committee.

On July 11, Uzma Kardar had submitted her reply to a committee formed by the party to probe allegations against her. Ac-

Husband, wife killed in name of honour in Karachi KARACHI: A man and his wife were murdered at their residence in the name of 'honour' here in Nazimabad area of Karachi on Saturday. According to police, 50-year-old victim Saleem and his wife Hina were killed by two assailants, identified as brothers of the deceased woman. The couple had married of their own will some time ago. SSP Central Aslam Rao said that police have arrested two suspects involved in the murder of the husband and wife. He said that both criminals identified as Asif and Ashraf were the brothers of the deceased woman and they killed her as she had married a man of her choice against the consent of her family. The police have shifted the bodies of the victims to the hospital for autopsy and initiated investigation. Earlier on July 21, a woman was allegedly killed by her father and brother in the name of ‘honour’ in Sheikhupura. According to police, the woman had married a man of her choice against the consent of her parents a few months back whereas her brother-in-law had tied asked her hand in marriage for his nephew. On Tuesday night, her father and brother reached in Sheikhupura from Faisalabad and killed the woman after barging in her house. "The duo managed to escape from the scene after the murder," the police added. The newly married woman was rushed to the hospital where doctors pronounced her dead on arrival. The police have registered a case and launched investigations into the murder. INP

31 bonded laborers freed from private jails UMERKOT: On the order of a local court, 31 bonded labourers, including women and children, were freed from two private jails of landlords Ayub Kalro and Ismael Halepoto here on Saturday. An application was filed in the court a few days back complaining that 25 bonded labourers had been kept in the private jail of Aub Kalro and six others in the private jail of Ismael Helepoto near Umerkot. The court ordered the police to raid the private jails and recover all the bonded labourers. The Bodar Farm police carried out the raids on the jails and freed the labourers. They were presented before the court said that they had the right to live as free citizens and not slaves and ordered police to take action if anyone harasses them again. PPI

cording to details, Kardar had sought permission of the party to file a case against people involved in recording and leaking her phone calls which became the reason for her removal from the PTI. The PTI’s committee on order and accountability had terminated Kardar’s party membership earlier on July 5 and had given her seven days to prove herself innocent.

Kardar claimed that the audio leak

being used against her was morphed and she was being targeted by conspirators.

She said that the conversation was of a personal nature and the person on the other line was muted in the leak.

She argued that a personal conversation she had with a confidant can’t be used against her on the national scale, she said that everyone knew that she had been a strong advocate for PTI in the past 8 years and has never spoken ill of the party in any capacity.

She further stated in her rebuttal to the allegation against her that her rights as a citizen had been usurped by means of leaking a personal call. “I would like permission from the party to approach the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to probe the matter further,” said Kardar.

Sanjrani, Buzdar and Jam Kamal discuss ways to enhance Punjab-Balochistan ties ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar and Balochistan Chief Minister (CM) Jam Kamal Khan called on Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani here on Saturday and discussed issues of mutual interest.

During the meeting, they discussed the prevailing political situation and ways to enhance ties between the provinces. They also agreed to continue contacts for promotion of inter-provincial harmony and national unity.

Sadiq Sanjrani congratulated Buzdar on his successful Balochistan visit and thanked him for extending full cooperation for the development of Balochistan province. He stated that Usman Buzdar has linked both the provinces in the chain of love and steps taken by him to solve the problems of Balochistan are praiseworthy in every respect.

Speaking on this occasion, Buzdar said that relations between people and governments of Punjab and Balochistan have become stronger than ever. He said the opposition is trying to stop the journey to serve the

masses by creating chaos, but their ill-intentions will not succeed at all.

Buzdar said that he will never forget the love extended during the Balochistan visit and added that he had fruitful discussions there. The people of Punjab and Balochistan provinces are intertwined in the immortal bonds of love and the development of Balochistan is also the progress of the country, he added.

Buzdar assured that every sort of cooperation will be continued for the prosperity of Balochistan. The Punjab government has provided Rs1 billion for setting up a hospital in Turbat and community centre in Taftan.

“Our joys and sorrows are common,” he said. He further said that the problem faced by the people of Balochistan are Punjab’s troubles.

In his remarks, Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan said that the Punjab government has won their hearts by extending cooperation for the establishment of a hospital in Turbat and a community centre in Taftan. He said this step will prove to be a milestone in the promotion of inter-provincial harmony among provinces.

KP allocates Rs207bn for promotion of education PESHAWAR TLTP

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has allocated Rs207 billion for promotion of education in the province. According to the details, the amount will be spent on improvement of infrastructure of 26,000 schools across the province.

Similarly, 300 new schools will be established, besides uplifting more than 1,200 schools and upgrading of 534 schools. Twenty- one thousand teachers will also be recruited to overcome the shortage of teaching staff in the schools.

The allocated development funds include the provision of missing and basic facilities, stipend, voucher and scholarships for students, upgrading of middle to

high and high to higher secondary schools, upgrading school’s boundary walls, furniture, toilets, drinking water and classrooms, recruitment of teachers at primary, middle, secondary and high secondary schools, the establishment of IT labs.

Earlier, KP Finance Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra during the post-budget briefing to media persons in June had said that a significant amount of Rs207 billion has been allocated in the budget for education, which is about a quarter of the total budget of the province.

The Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have hailed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for enough budgetary allocation for education development. The CSOs members said the allocation showed the increased commitment and political will towards primary and secondary education.

FBISE Islamabad revises results policy for candidates who failed in 40pc subjects The Federal Board of Intermediate & Secondary Education Islamabad (FBISE) has once again amended its policy on the matric/intermediate examination results to benefit those candidates who had failed in 40 per cent subjects. “The students appearing in SSC/HSSC examinations as Ex/Private Compartment cases who have failed up to 40% of the SSC/HSSC subjects will be awarded passing marks on the analogy of category 4 (S. No. iv of para 1),” read the FBISE notification issued on Friday.

The notification stated that the results of such candidates will soon be announced. Earlier, the board had not declared them as successful. NEWS DESK

TikTok craze takes another life BAHAWALPUR: In yet another incident, a boy in Bahawalpur lost his life while making a video for the highly popular video-sharing social networking platform TikTok on Saturday. According to the details, a youth drowned in Sadiqa Canal while filming a video for TikTok in Mandi Sadiq Ganj in Minchinabad, Bahawalpur. The deceased, identified as Muhammad Sufiyan, went to the canal along with his friends to record video. He fell into the canal as his foot slipped while recording a video.

The local police have launched an investigation into the matter and decided to interrogate the friends of the deceased.

Earlier on June 26, a youth in Karachi lost his life while making a video for the highly popular video-sharing social networking platform.

No coronavirus patient in 7 hospitals of Lahore as new cases decline LAHORE INP

Lahore is witnessing a gradual decline in coronavirus cases as only 153 patients are under treatment in private and government hospitals of the provincial capital at present. According to the details, seven hospitals of the city have no coronavirus patient while only 113 people are admitted in five government hospitals and 40 are receiving treatment in 19 private hospitals. The number of serious patients has also declined in the city as only 23 patients are on ventilators while 44 others are in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). On the other hand, the situation of coronavirus pandemic is also improving in the country as Pakistan on Saturday reported the lowest daily deaths in two months. According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) 1,487 persons have been tested positive for Covid-19 in 24 hours. Till now 116,800 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 91,691 in Punjab, 33,071 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 14,821 in Islamabad, 11,550 in Balochistan, 2,012 in Azad Kashmir and 1,942 in Gilgit Baltistan (GB). Furthermore, 2,113 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab, 2,110 in Sindh, 1,170 in KP, 136 in Balochistan, 162 in Islamabad, 47 in GB and 49 in Azad Kashmir.

Pakistan has so far conducted 1,844,926 coronavirus tests and 23,630 in last 24 hours. 236,596 coronavirus patients have recovered in the country whereas 1,294 patients are in critical condition.

Sunday, 26 July, 2020

NEWS

Modi reGiMe hAs crossed All liMits iN trAMpliNG huMAN diGNity iN ioJK: shiBli iSLaMaBad

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INISTER for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz Friday said the nation, under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, had dedicated all efforts and energies to project the Kashmir issue at international fora. `”We shall continue to do so and we shall continue to extend our moral and ethical support to the Kashmiri brethren in their just struggle for the right to selfdetermination,” the minister said while addressing a seminar on “Kashmir under Siege” organized here by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Shibli Faraz said the subjugation of Kashmiri Muslims had been going on for the last seven decades through military means, but the present Indian government had crossed all limits to trample human dignity on August 5, 2019, by unlawfully legitimizing its blatant acts of aggression in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK).

The Modi government, he said, had surpassed all the previous regimes by ab-

rogating articles 370 and 35 A of the Indian Constitution that conferred the special status on Occupied Kashmir, besides pledging not to change its demographic status.

He said the two articles, which were incorporated in the Indian Constitution soon after the partition of the Sub-continent, did create an impression in the world capitals that India was not trampling the solemn pledges made by its first Premier Jawaharlal Nehru made at international forums on Kashmir.

“The soldiers can enter, rather break into, any house without a search warrant and take away any person on the pretext of ‘suspicious conduct’,” he maintained.

A large number of Kashmiris picked up by the Indian troops and agencies, he added, never returned to their homes, leaving thousands of widows or half widows and orphans behind.

The discovery of mass graves in the Kashmir Valley, he said, spoke volumes of such atrocities, which were being camouflaged under the constitution with unjust and unjustified amendments made in it in sheer disregard for the universal principles of natural justice.

Minister for National Food Security

Syed Fakhar Imam, in his speech, said Prime Minister Imran Khan in his speech at the United Nations last year while challenging the Indian narrative had effectively advocated the cause of Kashmir.

He said the time had changed now and “we should not expect from the United States to play any big role in the settlement of Kashmir dispute.” Pakistan remained an ally of the US from 1960 to 2001 in the Afghan war, but Washington had never tried seriously to resolve the longstanding issue of Kashmir.

Fakhar Imam said today the Kashmir dispute could lead to a war between two nuclear states. In the recent stand-off with China, India had been exposed that it was a bully. He said without Kashmir, Pakistan was not complete as a sovereign nation. Like Kashmir, the Muslim majority areas of Hyderabad and Junagarh were also militarily occupied by India. It had also subjugated Goa. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security Dr Moeed Yousuf said the Indian narrative on Kashmir had been rejected by the civilized world after unilateral annexation of the disputed state by the Modi government. He said that since August 5 last year there was not a

single newspaper or news channel in the democratic world which had not called India a fascist power that had unleashed a reign of terror in the occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

He said in the past, many prominent United States, United Kingdom and EU lawmakers used to follow the Indian narrative on the Kashmir issue. But after its annexation of held Kashmir last August, many world parliaments had passed resolutions condemning the human rights violations in the IOJK, which was a defeat of the Indian narrative.

Dr Moeed said Pakistan would continue its moral, diplomatic and political support to the Kashmiris’ just cause.

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan paid solemn tribute to the 10 million strong Kashmiri diaspora across the world for passionately highlighting the cause of Kashmiris. He warned of sinister designs of Indian leadership on Kashmir.

India, he said, was conspiring to disintegrate Pakistan under its strategy of ‘Akhand Bharat’. “This is what Mohan Bhagwat says, this is what Narendra Modi says and this is what Rajnath Singh says,” he added.

05

Govt seeks to extend NAB chief’s tenure in proposed amendments to law continued on page 01 “The Court shall provide to the accused copies of the Reference along with all the documents attached to the Reference. The accused shall within fourteen days of the receipt of the documents identify to the Court the documents which the accused admits, which shall not require any proof.” BACKGROUND: The National Accountability (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2019, promulgated in end-December 2019 having the usual 120-day constitutional life, had expired in April 2020.

Consequently, the much-appreciated changes made to the NAB law by the PTI government to protect the public officeholders, particularly the civil bureaucracy and businessmen from NAB’s harassment, elapsed. The National Accountability (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2019, was primarily meant to infuse confidence in bureaucrats and encourage them to take decisions and avoid sitting on the files, affecting the government business. The legal cover was provided to the actions of civil servants and public officeholders (politicians) done in good faith and in discharge of duties and performance of official functions if their decisions did not bring to them any monetary gain, and swelling their assets disproportionate to their known sources of income. Those amendments were introduced through a presidential ordinance after the government realised that neither the businesses would work here nor the bureaucracy will serve unless the abuse of power by the NAB was checked by clipping its powers.

NAB chief blames lack of courts for delay in decision on cases continued on page 01 He added that to further complicate matters, these orders were assailed with appellate forums wherein at times stay orders were granted and proceedings were suspended.

“Therefore timelines be also set to finalise these matters within the stipulated time.”

Highlighting another drawback, the NAB chief noted accountability courts were empowered under Section 179(c) of the NAO, 1999 to apply the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure to ensure expeditious disposal but the procedure was “hardly adopted or followed”.

The head of the anti-graft body mentioned the long list of witnesses because of the present legal requirements as the “biggest hurdle in smooth proceedings” and “causing massive delays” in trial.

“To offset this malady,” he added, “the procedure and mechanism as contained in the Financial Institutions (Recovery of Finance) Ordinance which has been enacted for a similar purpose can be resorted to.”

He further recommended that the court should frame charges immediately after examining the material provided to it as the spirit of the Section 18(g) of the NAO, 1999 postulated that the after the appraisal of evidence, the opinion of the NAB chairman was enough to justify the filing of a reference.

“NAB, on its part, undertakes that henceforth no adjournment shall be taken any prosecutor for any reason whatsoever,” he added.

The NAB chairman also proposed setting guidelines for the law ministry to finalise the name of an accountability court judge within 10 days. He also suggested increasing the tenure of an accountability court judge from three years to five years.

It was also recommended that a timeline be set for mutual legal assistance pertaining to foreign jurisdiction as the expression “politically exposed persons” was misconstrued by courts and NAB was required to await the receipt of information.

The NAB chairman also noted that “proceedings against abscondence as envisaged in NAO, 1999” were not invoked and the other option was to obtain custody of an accused was through the process of extradition seeking help from the Interpol that required an extradition treaty. He added that he had taken up the matter with the president to devise a mechanism to address it.

The anti-graft body chief also sought fixing of a date to decide the matter of voluntary returns.

It was also pointed out that Sections 87 and 88 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to declare an accused a proclaimed offender was a lengthy process.

The NAB chairman contended that the basic requirements and parameters for the grant of bail set by the Supreme Court in the cases the Talat Ishaque, Asfandyar Wali and Nawaz Sharif cases were not given effect to.

In conclusion, the NAB chief suggested acquiring the services of retired judges for the proposed 120 accountability courts in case there were not enough district and sessions judges to fill the slots.

BACKGROUND: A three-member bench of the apex court comprising Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel and Justice Yahya Afridi, had asked the authorities to form 120 courts during the hearing of a case regarding the delay in the trial of cases by the accountability courts in the light of Section 16 of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 requiring a decision of

NAB cases within 30 days.

The court in its order said five accountability courts were vacant in Pakistan, whereas 1,226 cases were pending. The bench said no reason had been given as to why the vacant posts had not been filled up till now.

“We are unable to understand the rationale or logic behind the courts [remaining] vacant for long periods by the relevant authorities.

More so when we see that the cases before the accountability court are to be decided in terms of law within 30 days.

“The courts keep lying vacant for even years and cases of that court remain pending,” the court order stated. The bench said the whole purpose of making of accountability law apparently seemed to be rendered futile if the courts were allowed to remain vacant.

The bench noted that the number of pendency of cases in the accountability court demands more than a hundred number of judges/courts for dealing with and deciding these cases, as these references were being filed regularly and their numbers were also increasing while the numbers of courts were totally stagnant.

On Monday, the apex court had criticised NAB for its “lack of professionalism, expertise, and sincerity of cause” which it said was the reason behind “the conviction rate in NAB cases is abysmally low.”

In its 87-page written verdict

by Justice Maqbool Baqir in the Paragon housing reference, the apex court said that it was an unfortunate fact that the people of Pakistan were not getting their constitutional rights despite the formation of the country since 72 years and its constitution since 47 years.

“The law mandates investigations to be concluded expeditiously and trials to be concluded within 30 days,” reads the verdict.

Govt has prepared 8 bills to move Pakistan into FATF‘white list’, says Qureshi continued on page 01 The foreign minister said that in a session with all the stakeholders on Monday, the legislative process will be discussed.

Earlier, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Finance Dr Hafeez Shaikh said that Pakistan is working to ensure full compliance with the FATF Action Plan at the earliest by increasing the effectiveness of its AntiMoney Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regime.

“Out of 27 FATF Action Plan items, Pakistan had already addressed 14, while substantial progress has been made in addressing the remaining 13 Action Plan items,” Shaikh said while delivering a keynote statement to the High-Level Panel on International Financial Accountability, Transparency and Integrity (FACTI).

CMYK

The FATF has urged Pakistan to pass amendments into Anti Money Laundering (AML) and Foreign Exchange Regulation laws within the next three months to meet requirements of its Action Plan.

The financial watchdog has extended the deadline for Pakistan till the next plenary meeting expected to be held in October 2020.

The FATF had placed Pakistan on the grey list in June 2018 and placed 27 conditions for review for complying in one year, till September 2019. Pakistan was so far given three extensions of three months each, every time to comply with the 27-point action plan.

The FATF had so far declared Pakistan fully compliant on 14 points and now there is a deadline of September/October 2020 for complying on the remaining 13 points in a bid to ensure exit from the grey list of the watchdog.

Sunday, 26 July, 2020

06 COMMENT

The superior courts and freedom

From George W. Bush to Donald Trump With us or against us?

A welcome respite

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AKISTAN has to learn from China how it has succeeded in overcoming poverty despite its large population. China is also a time-tested and allweather friend of Pakistan. The CPEC has helped Pakistan overcome power needs, though power shutdowns continue on account of the PTI government’s negligence.

Pakistan hopes to set up economic zones in the second phase of the CPEC to boost industrial production and export it to destinations in Central Asia and beyond through highways and roads that have already been built with Chinese assistance.

Pakistan also needs to have good relations with the USA. People in Pakistan not only yearn for Western democracy but have defied military rulers and civilian autocrats who tried to suppress independent media, deprived the people of their rights and denied provincial autonomy, subjugating federal units to a strong center. Pakistan also needs US help in approaching international financial institutions. The people of Pakistan however resent the US diktat and attempts to bully nations.

It is in Pakistan’s best interest to treat China as a brotherly country and the USA as a friendly power. What stands in the way are the jingoistic policies of President Donald Trump. The geopolitical changes brought about

by China's rise have led the Trump Administration to bolster India to balance China in the region and set up Quad for preparing Japan, Australia and India to encircle China under US leadership.

The USA took the initiative by closing the Chinese consulate in Houston which led to a tit-for-tat retaliation.

In a display of gunboat diplomacy, the USA sent warships to the South China Sea which conducted fire drills. This led the Chinese air force to warn the US Navy through similar drills. Initiating a new cold war does not suit the world which is simultaneously undergoing economic recession and facing the coronavirus challenge. Hopefully President Trump will be discouraged from pushing events to the brink of active conflict.

Keeping in view Pakistan’s desire to have good relations with both the rivals, the USA must not force Islamabad to make a “with us or against us” sort of choice. If driven into a situation of the sort against its wishes, Pakistan will have no option other than going all out with the neighbouring China.

aRif Nizami

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S efforts to stifle whatever little is left of independent voices in the country continue unabated, it is the superior judiciary that has emerged as a strong advocate of protecting inalienable rights of the citizenry to human dignity and freedom. The Supreme Court’s two-member bench’s landmark detailed judgement in the Paragon City case is a strong denunciation of NAB's (National Accountability Bureau) shenanigans.

Without mincing any words, the author of the 87page judgement justice Maqbool Baqar enumerates in no uncertain terms the third-degree methods that are adopted by the anti-graft body. Whatever that has been stated by the apex court are well known ground realities especially for those who have been at the wrong end of the stick of the accountability watchdog.

There is hardly any top politician of the opposition that has not been or still is under NAB’s radar.

Contrarily there is hardly any member of the ruling PTI coalition that has been meted out the same treatment by the self-styled paragons of accountability.

The Court convincingly observes that the NAB ordinance is a simple tool for political engineering. obviously, it is not coincidental that politicians of all hues and colour who joined the presumptive winner in the 2018 general elections are considered to be squeaky clean.

Understandably, the opposition in unison has demanded scrapping the so-called accountability law to be replaced by a consensual law for transparent and across the board accountability. But instead of paying heed to the voices of sanity in the country demanding an end to this long night of the long knives the gov-

Exports picking up But systemic deficiencies still remain

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HAT one of Pakistan’s largest and most prominent textile companies is operating at full capacity in its hosiery division and half capacity at its denim manufacturing unit, is welcome news and hopefully an indication of better export numbers in the coming months. With the global pandemic still raging on in the USA, the European market has started to open up where the coronavirus has died down after wreaking significant havoc. This has translated into orders coming in to Pakistani textile exporters that had either had to shut down their activities due to the initial countrywide lockdown, the lack of international orders or both. A 6 percent contraction was witnessed in the sector due to Covid-19 that reversed in June when almost half a dozen textile segments showed some recovery. The textile sector is after all the biggest export earner for Pakistan with a share of around 60 ercent, contributing $12.53 billion to total exports of $21.39 billion in the last fiscal year. South Asian countries are currently at an advantage given how the US-China spat and the resulting drop in trade between the countries has forced US importers to turn towards countries like Vietnam, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. In fact, Vietnam, for the first time in history, became the top apparel supplier to the US in March 2020, overtaking China.

Had Pakistan successfully addressed some of the systemic issues that the textile industry has faced for decades, perhaps it would have been better positioned to take full advantage of Western importers’ tilt towards the region. Pakistan’s textile industry is predominantly focused on the production of fabric, that is, spinning, weaving and processing of cotton and other synthetic fibres. There has hardly been any investment in infrastructure by the sector to diversify units into value added products such as ready-made garments (RMG). This is exactly why Bangladesh, a country that was severely handicapped when it came to competing with regional players once it separated from Pakistan, now is the second largest exporter of RMG in the world, after China. With government handouts abounding for the textile exporters of the country and powerful lobbies able to secure the sort of relief and concessions from the government that other industries can only dream of, it is no wonder why no need has been felt by this crucial sector to attempt to compete with neighbouring countries. Business as usual is evidently good business for the textile exporters of Pakistan.

So, what about the Jawab-e-Shikwa?

The new Punjab bill will not enhance anything

Rabia ahmed

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o, the Jawab-e-Shikwa, the great poem by Allama Iqbal, poet, philosopher, theorist, and barrister, calledthe national poet of Pakistan and its "Spiritual Father " for his contributions to the nation, the man whose poetry fired the imagination of the people of this region for more than a hundred years - is it now to read like this?

Ki Muhammad - salAllahu Alaihi wassalum, khatme nabiyeen – say wafa tu nay to hum taray hain Yeh jahan cheez hai kia, lau o qalam teray hain Breaks the rhythm somewhat, don’t you think?

And yet what is one to do? If you read the whole thing, extra words and all, you sound like Bilawal Bhutto Zardari plowing through a speech in Urdu. If you omit the extra words you stand a chance of being punished, which– if failing to add those words in front of the Prophet’s name is judged to be desecration– means up to five years in jail and up to Rs. 500,000 fine. Thus says the new Punjab Tahaffuz Bunyad-e-Islam (Protecting The Foundation of Islam) Bill of 2020 which has just made it through the Punjab Assembly. Its Speaker, Ch Pervaiz Elahi

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

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Executive Editor

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Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

ordinance despite PPP’s blandishments. Little did ernment insists on mocking the opposition.

In response to the PPP (Pakistan People’s Party) Sharif realise that he could be hoisted by his own chairperson Bilawal Bhutto and PML-N (Pakistan petard. Reportedly a much chastened PML-N is willMuslim League-Nawaz) president Shahbaz Sharif ing to go along with the rest of the opposition to scrap hailing the apex court’s judgment, the information this vestige of a dictator.

Interestingly Shahzad Akbar has been promoted minister Shibli Faraz has summarily rejected the opposition’s take on the matter. He has stated that Bi- as advisor on interior perhaps to lead the accountalawal’s demands are condemnable as the opposition bility putsch in the parliament. The position of advisor has been swapped with Malik Amin Aslam, the simply wants a free hand to loot the people.

After all, the Supreme Court, the highest court in advisor on climate change. He has been relegated to the country is not exactly the opposition. Perhaps the SAPM (special assistant to the prime minister) on clilegal eagles of the government must have briefed the mate change. Symbolically speaking, this clearly prime minister that the court’s observations are not spells out the priorities of the government.

Legal circles including PBC (Pakistan Bar counbinding on the government.

That may be so. But the judgement has inex- cil) and SCBA (Supreme court bar association) have orably damaged whatever was left of the govern- hailed the apex court judgement, asserting that over the years NAB has become a tool for political victimment’s so-called accountability drive.

To keep on brazenly parroting that NAB is an in- ization and for arm twisting political opponents of the dependent body is a white lie. It is a mockery of jus- government.

Khan should come off his high horse, shed his tice and fair play.

Instead, Khan should redouble efforts to change shining armour and engage the opposition on acthe NAB Law in consultation with the opposition. countability and other national issues which urgently The NAB ordinance promulgated in 1999 is the rem- need consensual decision making.

Another matter directly related to freedom of nant of the dictator Pervez Musharraf. But even the speech and democratic former strongman could not norms is the manner in which have anticipated while enactjournalist Matiullah Jan was ing it, that his so-called demabducted by a posse of uniocratic successors will use it formed and plain-clothes so audaciously and with such goons in broad day light from abandon.

Khan should come off his busy thoroughfare in IslamA parliamentary commithigh horse, shed his shining aabad.

Thankfully after a lot tee comprising of Federal law of hue and cry from the jourminister Farogh Naseem, armour and engage the nalist’s fraternity, civil sociAsad Umar, Babar Awan, opposition on accountability ety and human rights Pervez Khattak and Shahzad activists, Jan was released in Akbar was formed by the and other national issues the middle of nowhere late in prime minister to draft a new the night.

NAB ordinance in consultawhich urgently need apex court and Islamtion with the opposition back consensual decision making abadThehigh court have taken in April. But the committee notice of this outrage. The has failed to come up with an IHC declared that the alleged agreed draft simply owing to abduction of Jan was meant to the ruling party’s lack of in‘scare others’. Journalists as terest in the matter. well as the free media in any After several meetings there is a modicum of consensus amongst the op- case have a lot to be scared of in the present milieu.

The publisher of Jang/ Geo group Mir Shakeel ur position parties on a new across the board and transparent accountability law. But as it is obvious, Rehman is in the slammer primarily as punishment neither the PTI government nor its backers have for the media group’s policies. In this sense the media any intention of doing away with an effective tool persons are facing a double whammy: the possibility of being picked up by NAB or the ‘hidden hand’. to victimize the opposition.

The PML-N, facing the wrong end of the stick, Choose your poison.

Nonetheless in the present milieu the superior juhad taken a unique position about the NAB ordinance. It felt that its leadership is being made to suffer diciary, despite its own contradictions, is a blessing full throttle by the anti-graft body. Hence if the NAB in disguise. remains as it is, in the future it will be possible to pay Arif Nizami is Editor, Pakistan Today. He can be the presumptive PTI opposition in the same coin.

It is owing to this mindset that Nawaz Sharif as contacted at arifn51@hotmail.com http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk prime minister was reluctant to tinker with the NAB

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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recommends a similar Bill be adopted by all the Assemblies across the country.

It makes you wonder what the reaction would be if Muslims in India were required to say, ‘oh Supreme Being’ every time they spoke of Rama a major Hindu diety. or to cross themselves every time they spoke of Jesus in a Christian country, or to refer to God only as Yahweh in a Jewish society. Unfortunately, empathy, the ability to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes is not taught in our society today.

There is also the fact that as per this Bill, the DGPR (the Directorate General Public Relations) has been entrusted with the task of checking out printing presses, publishing houses and book stores and confiscating, at any stage, books that infringe the above law. It may also check the records of these places, including their accounts.

The DGPR Punjab is currently under the supervision of Mr Usman Buzdar, the Chief Minister, and Mr Fayyazul Hassan Chauhan, the Punjab Minister for Information and Culture, neither of whose qualifications or talents enable them to judge the contents of a book about religion. What is more the Minister of Information has twice been accused of making unpleasant remarks against religious and other minorities, which itself promotes sectarianism; and of expressing an admiration for the German once Fuhrer. It is doubtful therefore if the victims of this Bill will have a fair hearing until this too, like all other government promulgations, falls by the wayside.

The Prophet of Islam – its best to avoid saying his name in case one runs over the word limit – does not require legislation from the Punjab or any Assembly to bear out his character, his worth or his immense achievements. We do not need to speak a string of words after his name to stress the same. Neither are the foundations of Islam so shaky as to require such support. Those who believe in Islam will value its Prophet, and respect every single thing about him.

Those who do not will ridicule this latest attempt to enshrine him in words that make it hard for people to speak about him instead of the other way around.

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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There are many issues waiting to be addressed in this country: there is a dire need to control the further growth of an already unwieldy population, we need to make education– a good education– available to this massive population, and to feed it.

There has been an unchecked increase in prices, including for example a more than 60 percent increase in the price of wheat in the Punjab within these last two months alone. We need to drastically improve healthcare including aspects relating to the current Covid crisis we find ourselves in along with the rest of the world, and preparations for any other such crises in the future. We need to somehow rebuild the country after the economic disaster it is facing during this crisis, to protect rights of the citizens of this county and in particular its women and children who face untold abuse every day. We also need to control the various institutions that seem to consider it their job to mind everybody else’s business. This is what the government needs to act upon, leaving God to look after what he has promised to take care of Himself. Asserting the finality of His prophet in such a crude way does not help to unify the people, or to feed them.

The fact that the Prophet is the last one has been said as often as required. Will the Provincial Assemblies of Pakistan and the Chaudhry baradaran saying so too make it any more valid? By allowing people to believe as they will proves the strength of one’s own belief, it does not weaken it. Why must we feel so threatened?

When in one’s childhood we chanted ‘jal tu jala tu ai bala ko taal tu,’ during a blackout, and the power came on in a while, it did not do so because of the chant, but because some transformer somewhere had been fixed and made to work. Unfortunately the people of the country believe it was the chant, and it is in the interests of our leaders not to fix the grid but to feed this belief. It makes life easier. For them, the leaders. They have power generators.

Yeh jahan cheez hai kiya, lau o qalam unkay hain.

For a while.

Rabia Ahmed is a freelance columnist. Read more by her at http://rabia-ahmed.blogspot.com

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Sunday, 26 July, 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

Reopening schools SINCE government's announcement of schools and colleges reopening from 15th September there have been a lot of questions raised. After this, All Pakistan Private Schools' Association defied government orders and said that they will be opening schools from 15th August. As per their viewpoint, schools and colleges have been closed for 6 months now which is a major affect on students education. They claim that "they would open the schools as per standard operating procedures (SoPs)". Around 80% to 90% schools are rented, according to association, now it is the situation that they are not able to pay rents and utility bills. Parents are not able to pay their dues as well. Hence, most of them laid off their staff too. The Chairperson added "Corona virus is on a decline in the country and its finally time that schools are reopened". They have been demanding for Corona virus relief measures for their payments and staff salaries. And government should pay school fees for those parents who are unable to pay.

However, from parents perspective, there is no way that schools can control or follow SoPs. Schools need to take precautionary measures. Students for primary levels will not be able to adopt social distance and wear a mask for straight 6 to 8 hours. Children are vulnerable to this virus. While schools for grade 9 onwards should be considered to be opened as they are bit sensible to understand the situation. This age level students are taking online classes for granted too. Hence, at this stage, the decision can be too early, as the after affects are still left which can be seen after Eid-ul-Adha.

YuSra FatEh KARAcHI

A nation’s rendezvous with shame The dead not allowed to rest in peace and the living not permitted to breathe

Candid Corner Raoof hasaN “It is forbidden to kill. Therefore, all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers, and to the sound of trumpets.”

–Voltaire

I

T is very strange. The more one thinks about it, the more one realises that there is this deep penchant which the nation has developed for crime and its multifaceted attenuations. Under ordinary circumstances, this would be spurned like a scourge.

But no, it is displayed as honour medallions without a shred of shame.

There are countless manifestations of this vile syndrome with each more gruesome than the others, but there is no one to even take a note. This indulgence does not plague individuals alone. The institutions equally suffer its effects. It appears that the society is gradually slumping into believing that committing a crime is actually no crime, but a means to be recognised as an individual of relevance. We actually celebrate it with victory signs.

What could be said of national leaders caught siphoning off billions from the state exchequer not only refusing to accept the truth, but blaming individuals and institutions alike for indulging in victimisation? or of leaders who have been nabbed operating dozens of fake accounts for purposes of laundering unbelievable sums of money, but denying the reality with unabashed and haughty refusals? or of Zardaris and associates who were in power for full five years, by virtue of an alleged fake will, but did absolutely nothing to catch the killers of Benazir, now blaming every other person and institution for not doing so? or of Sharifs and their cronies who, after innumerable years in the citadels of power, and having recruited people for every echelon within the state institutions solely on the basis of personal loyalty, now blaming them for political victimisation? or of the institutions, having become accustomed to swearing allegiance to their corrupt political masters, rubbishing the very concept of serving the state with honesty and dedication?

What could be said of a place where religious fanaticism and extreme intolerance are preferred items on the menu? Where bigotry, brutality, dishonesty and treachery are favourite pastimes? Where exploitation of the marginalised communities, their torture, rape and plunder are everyday norms? Where economic

captivity is forced upon a vast majority of people trajectory. But it proved to be short-lived euphoto keep them hostage of the uncharitable whims ria which was soon overwhelmed by hordes of of a few? Where a bunch of bigots refuses to bigots ruling the streets, spreading their dogma make use of scientific facility for sighting the and nihilism. That is when religion no longer remoon? Where police stations and courts are sold mained an act of faith. It became a merchandise and justice compromised? Where teenage girls to be traded for gains of the worldly kind, be are forcibly converted for being married to age- those of financial nature or political. Everything laden hunchbacks? Where the dividing line has is used as alibi for stockpiling illicit gains. Those completely disappeared that separated right from who were socially boycotted not very long ago wrong, virtuous from villainous and humility among their own communities returned with from arrogance? Where grace has lost its rele- their bags full, buying the whole lot into abject surrender. That was the unmaking of the organvance and conceit and hubris rules the roost?

What could be said of a profession where the ised society as it existed which was regulated by spoken and the written words are often sold for creating a clear distinction between what would a price? Where conjecture is perceived as estab- be permissible and what would not be. The tides lished reality and truth is spurned as conspiracy? were reversed with the wrong becoming right Where criminals roam the streets and the decent and vast hordes of merchants, dealing in a variones are forever begging for a safe corner? ety of crooked tricks, taking control to barter the state for their personal Where those found acquisitions. guilty occupy evening This happened bespace on television cause justice disapscreens sermonising on peared from this land. honesty and truthfulWith the institution ness? Where humanity taken over by Malik bleeds and the butchers It is incumbent upon every Qayyums and Arshad celebrate by waving Maliks of the profestheir weapons in public well-meaning citizen to step sion, it was reduced to a with reckless abandon?

What could be said forth to defend the state and mere weakling to be by the likes of a place where the transform it into an equitable manipulated of Malik Riaz who graves are worshipped claimed putting ‘wheels for seeking relief and and compassionate entity to the files’. Thus, inlogic and rationale rededicated to the welfare of stead of serving the jected as vile instrucause of justice, the inments of kufr? Where its people.

There is no stitution became a tool the coronavirus is perin the hands of the rich ceived as a hoax and comfort, no solace in the advantaged to SoPs made a mockery continued silence as, in that and be used for creating of? Where the Western world is dubbed disdaincase, the expected outcome their private fiefdoms.

This started a process of ful, yet there are long would only facilitate a cartelisation of the state queues in front of every among vested interests embassy or high comnation’s rendezvous with which, with the passage mission for seeking of time and the weakenvisas, harbouring latent shame ing of the institutions, desires never to return? became ever more reWhere bounties may be sourceful, ever more overflowing, yet the powerful and ever more greed is insatiable? arrogant in their abhorWhere hypocrisy and rent undertakings. callousness combine as This is where we stand today. If the state is a vital weapon to subdue others?

And what could be said of a place where the to be saved, this all-encompassing criminal endead are not allowed to rest in peace, and the liv- terprise cannot be allowed to continue any further. The corrective process should begin with ing not permitted to breathe?

It may look like a long list, but, in reality, it all powerful constituents taking a pause to introis endless. one can go on narrating the nauseat- spect where the collective dysfunction of indiing features that pockmark this land and its in- viduals and institutions is leading the state to, habitants. one may run out of paper and ink, but and what will be its consequences? Will the state there will still be some which are left out. There be able to sustain it?

If the answer is in the negative, as it should is no pride in it. It is all so humiliating, yet so true. It is as if we are perpetually placed at the be, then it is incumbent upon every well-meaning crossroads, trying to make out which way to go, citizen to step forth to defend the state and transalways ending up sinking deeper into the pit of form it into an equitable and compassionate endegeneration. There is virtually nothing left of tity dedicated to the welfare of its people. There our sensitivities to make out good from bad, or is no comfort, no solace in continued silence as, our ability to sift right from wrong. It is like all in that case, the expected outcome would only virtues are amalgamated into one monstrous facilitate a nation’s rendezvous with shame. commodity which is deemed purchasable as The writer is a political and security strateeveryone engages in a mad rush to complete the gist, and heads the Regional Peace Institute – transaction to lay a claim of ownership.

Pakistan was not always like this. There an Islamabad-based think tank. Email: Twitter: were better days laden with hope and promise raoofhasan@hotmail.com. and a dominant feeling that it was on an upward @RaoofHasan

Tomato industry ToMAToES are a major crop for KP and Baluchistan provinces. Tomatoes is also heavily imported by Russia, China, Middle East and other Developed nations. Tomatoes are processed and converted into paste, puree or sauce. They can also be processed as chopped tomatoes or peeled tomatoes.Tomatoes are packed in Tin cans or food grade plastics for long term storage and export.

To help provide maximum benefits to Tomatoes farmers and to reduce imports and increase exports, the Government of KP and Baluchistan should help the private sector setup tomatoes processing units.

Since long term cold storage for tomatoes and other crops is one of the main requirement for food industry, therefore the Government should create cold storages closer to new power plants.

The Government should also provide land, utility connections, export finance and running finances through single window facility to investors willing to setup Tomatoes processing and exporting plant in KP. Inshallah with such measures Pakistan tomatoes will become a major export crop of Pakistan.

ShahrYar Khan BaSEEr PESHAwAR,

The youtube ban THE Supreme Court hinted at banning YouTube in Pakistan on Wednesday 22nd July. Justice Amin and Justice Mushir was on the bench. Justin Amin added that the salaries they’re taking is from the tax of people of the country, He don’t have any issue regarding the freedom of speech of the people but he further added alot of people is sharing negative comments and posting videos regarding judiciary, army and intelligence.

They further asked the official of PTA to delete such content from social media, on contrary the official said that they can’t delete any thing from social media they just report it.

We’re living in 21st century, The era of technology and digital media.

Everything is getting digital and our neighbour countries progressing alot when it comes to technology. We’re behind them in technology, YouTube is a source of income for many social activists. They raised their voice on social media and make videos regarding the current issue, So they become voice of the victim. Social Media is now the voice of the person who’s unable to reach to officials as they don’t have any Personal Resources to reach them. Every person has it’s own personal opinion, By suppressing their voice isn’t a better solution, They’ll definitely find another resource or another platform where they can share their views. If YouTube will get banned in Pakistan, This will impact alot of people. The country which needs more advancement in every aspect, Needs to update more themselves in technology. our honourable Supreme Court should support public and try to make our country more stable and more strong by their respectable decisions.

SYEdda Fatima rizwan, KARAcHI.

Democracy for who? oUR ruling elite be it from a political party or those who do not need votes to come to power, pretend that they love democracy. However, since the creation of Pakistan, these farcical words have been repeated as a mantra by politicians and even dictators with real democracy nowhere in sight. Whosoever gets power, by whatever means, becomes the champion of democracy while doing whatever they wish with no regard to the will of people. In fact, common people have been the most ignored party in the various forms of Real Democracy that have been experimented in our country. only people seem to be benefiting for the fruits of these repeated dramas seem to be rich and powerful.

They have amassed wealth beyond imagination while common citizens have become poorer by the day. on the one hand, there are no hospitals to diagnose and treat people suffering from complicated diseases and no decent educational facilities exist either. on the other hand, the ruling elite, and their aides, using their ill-gotten money can afford world-class facilities of health and education within the country or abroad. In short, the government for the people has never benefitted the people in our country. We need a system overhaul that allows people who understand the norms of democracy, are not in politics to make money and do not think of power as heredity right. only then will we have people who are answerable to people and care about them. otherwise, I am afraid we will keep going in circles and relying on generations of the same bunch of corrupt people who do not care about anyone but themselves. raja ShaFaatullah ISLAmAbAd

Sunday, 26 July, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

‘IndIa has lost the hearts and mInds of the people of KashmIr’ FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER OF PAKISTAN, MR KHURSHID MAHMUD KASURI’S INTERVIEW FOR THE SPECIAL ISSUE OF THE OUTLOOK MAGAZINE ON ‘ONE YEAR OF THE SCRAPPING OF ARTICLE 370 AND HOW IT HAS CHANGED JAMMU AND KASHMIR’

Q: It is also being argued that the India-China conflict was a fall out of China’s interest in protecting the China– Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Do you foresee a situation where India will have to fight on two fronts?

A: It is no secret that One Belt One Road (OBOR) also known as The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is one of the important initiatives of Chinese government to increase development and connectivity, not only just

are expected to be multiple. Its elaborate infrastructure would be highly beneficial for Pakistan and it would open up new avenues for trade and commerce. Development of the Gwadar port would link it to the Xinjiang province and give a major boost to the economy of Western China. The stakes for both China and Pakistan are thus very high in CPEC and they cannot afford to ignore any threat to CEPC. Naturally China will be very upset if it felt any threat to CEPEC projects

“I do not know if it is possible for PM Modi to retrace the steps that he has taken. He may not find it politically possible to do so. Be that as it may, as a student of history I know that nobody can fight ground realities. What are the ground realities? The ground reality is that India has lost the hearts and minds of the people of Kashmir, that neither Pakistan nor India can expect to gain an inch in a future war and that China has been brought in as a third party to the J&K dispute. I hope that there will be rethinking in New Delhi either by the current government or its successor.”

in its neighborhood but also right up to Europe. China has never made it a secret that it regards CPEC as its flagship project in the BRI, because it provides easy access to China to reach the Gulf, the Middle East and Africa. The benefits of CPEC for Pakistan

or to Chinese citizens working on those projects. Currently, their number runs into tens of thousands. The number is so big that the Pakistan Army has provided a Special Security Division (SSD) numbering 15 to 20 thousand soldiers to provide security to Chi-

nese workers working on different projects in Pakistan. Under this situation, how can you expect China and Pakistan to ignore threats by top Indian leadership?

You have asked me whether India will have to fight on two fronts. I hope this never happens. Although, some irresponsible people in India have said that India is prepared for a ‘two-and-a-half front war’ (against Pakistan, China and people of Kashmir). Fighting ‘two-and-a-half front’ is of course impractical, but self-delusion could lead to huge blunders. It is not just India that will have to pay for such blunders but it is abundantly clear that Pakistan has to do everything to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity and would thus take all the necessary steps. How can these people speak sanguinely about a war between Pakistan, India and China? This will be extremely dangerous not just for the region but for our entire planet. I sincerely hope this does not happen.

It will turn away our focus from socio-economic development of the region, as well as our attempts to fight poverty.

Q: What is going to be the geostrategic implications of the recent developments on an already tenuous regional security environment?

A: Many Western analysts, including some in India regard the developments in the South China Sea, Hong Kong and Taiwan, as an indication of the contours of an emerging Cold War between the United States and China. Some analysts in India regard the recent clash in Ladakh as a part of the same pattern. I do not, however, feel that it is in China’s interest to have India as its enemy.

It would rather have normal and business like relations with India even if there are continuing disagreements over the LAC. Some of these Indian analysts are also linking the situation in Chabahar in which Iran has distanced itself from India and is getting closer to China. From Pakistani perspective, Iran had reached its own conclusion that India was more interested in driving a wedge between Iran and Pakistan than in developing Chabahar per se. Furthermore, Iran had few options in view of the squeeze resulting from the US sanctions. If the reports of a possible long-term strategic cooperation where China will invest $400 billion in Iran are correct, it well may be due to the fact that both countries are facing immense US pressure. It is, however, too early to say anything definitely regarding this development.

Some analysts in India are suggesting that India should throw its lot entirely with the US and in the process should even dump

Russia in view of the assumed Cold War between the United States and China and of India’s interest lying, in their view, with the US. If a Cold War between these two countries who have been Pakistan’s friends and allies for a long time, does really emerge, it will, of course, pose challenges to Pakistani diplomacy. We have, however, thus far managed to have good relations with both China

“It is no secret that One Belt One Road (OBOR) is one of the most important initiatives of Chinese government to increase development and connectivity, not only just in its neighborhood but also right up to Europe. China has never made it a secret that it regards CPEC as its flagship project in the BRI… Naturally China will be very upset if it felt any threat to CEPEC projects or to Chinese citizens working on those projects.” and the United States at the same time and I hope we shall be able to do so in the future also. Pakistan and the US have close convergence in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.

There is a realization in the US that Pakistan plays a key role in this. Surely, the US would not like all its sacrifices, including thousands of allied forces dead and wounded and trillions of dollars go down the tube. Pakistan Army which used to come in for criticism by some circles in the west is now praised for its positive role over a sustained period in encouraging and ultimately succeeding in bringing the Taliban to the table for a dialogue with the US. On the basis of my own experience, I can say that one needs to have a good deal of optimism if one is dealing with PakistanIndia relations. Luckily, I am by nature an optimist. This helped me with continuing the peace process despite many ups and downs.

Am I still optimistic? Currently, there is a very little ground for optimism, but, I do remember PM Modi visiting Lahore which caused consternation in both Pakistan and India. The visit failed because mistakes were committed by both sides; that is, however, not the subject today. I do not know if it is possible for PM Modi to retrace the steps that he has taken. He may not find it politically possible to do so. Be that as it may, as

Sarah Gilbert, the researcher leading the race to a Covid-19 vaccine

Financial Times Clive Cookson

When Sarah Gilbert heard about a mysterious new respiratory infection spreading in China in early January, she immediately wondered whether this was the longdreaded Disease X — a previously unknown pathogen that would cause a catastrophic pandemic.

The vaccinology professor at Oxford university’s Jenner Institute had been preparing for just such a momentous event.

Her lab had developed technology to create vaccines against virulent viruses. As soon as Chinese scientists published genetic details of the new coronavirus — providing a target for vaccine development — she moved ahead at full speed.

This week, Oxford published encouraging results from the first phase of testing of its ChAdOx1 vaccine, showing it generated antibodies and immune cells to recognise and kill the Sars-Cov-2 virus

responsible for Covid-19.

“It is truly astonishing that, within 100 days of learning the genetic sequence of the virus, Sarah and her team were able to begin a clinical trial of the vaccine,” says John Bell, Oxford’s senior medical professor.

“She is a terrific scientist. She knew exactly what was needed and was absolutely effective at getting it done.”

With 22 other potential vaccines also in clinical trials and more than 100 at earlier stages of research, the 300-strong Oxford team has competition. “The Oxford vaccine is the leader but that doesn’t mean it will win in the end,” admits Sir John, adding that the world will need several Covid-19 vaccines.

So far, in terms of demand, Oxford is well ahead. Since the university made pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca its commercial and manufacturing partner, the vaccine has won advance orders for more than 2bn doses from around the world — subject to safety and efficacy tests with tens of thousands of participants in coming months.

Prof Gilbert, 58, has become the public face of the project — although, like many scientists, she is a reluctant celebrity. She speaks confidently about the project at occasional press teleconferences but interviews are rationed and largely avoid personal matters. “My family want to keep their private lives to themselves,” she says firmly.

She is, however, willing to disclose a bit about herself. “I was born in Kettering [Northamptonshire] and grew up there, only

leaving for university,” she says. “My mother was a primary school teacher and my father was office manager for Loake Bros shoes.”

After a biology degree at the University of East Anglia, she completed a PhD in biochemistry at Hull university, followed by jobs in the biotech industry at the Brewing Industry Research Foundation, Leicester Biocentre and Delta Biotechnology. In 1994, Prof Gilbert joined Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Medicine where she has worked ever since.

She gave birth prematurely to triplets in 1998. In an article for the university about work-life balance she wrote: “Nursery fees would have cost more than my entire income as a postdoctoral scientist, so my partner has had to sacrifice his own career in order to look after our children.”

a student of history I know that nobody can fight ground realities. What are the ground realities? The ground reality is that India has lost the hearts and minds of the people of Kashmir that neither Pakistan nor India can expect to gain an inch in a future war and that China has been brought in as a third party to the J&K dispute. I hope that there will be rethinking in New Delhi either by the current government or its successor.

The only way out for both countries is to get out of a zero sum game approach and start a dialogue with a positive state of mind.

I know how far we can go if the leadership of the two countries makes efforts with a positive frame of mind. Even public opinion can be changed as we managed to do during our tenure by encouraging people-to-people contact and through a positive narrative regarding the progress that we were making.

We could see the change in public attitude in cricket matches between Pakistan and India and reaction of the crowds towards the visiting teams. In the past,

The triplets are now following in their mother’s footsteps, with all three studying biochemistry at university. They were also early volunteers for the clinical trial of Oxford’s Covid-19 vaccine.

When Prof Gilbert began her Oxford career, she focused on malaria, before moving on to flu vaccines. After becoming professor of vaccinology in 2010, she started work on the approach that led to ChAdOx1. This uses a genetically engineered chimpanzee adenovirus — which causes mild cold-like symptoms in apes but does not normally infect people — to carry elements of a harmful virus into human cells, where they stimulate the recipient’s immune system.

At the time that Covid-19 appeared, Prof Gilbert was applying the technology to some of the nastiest viruses known to medicine,

cricket matches were a substitute for a battlefield. We had an opportunity to witness the last one-day match of the India-Pakistan cricket series in Delhi in 2015 where Pakistan won both the match and the series.

When we arrived at the Ferozeshah Kotla Ground, Mrs Sonia Gandhi and Foreign Minister Natwar Singh were already present. I discovered no tension or hostility in the atmosphere which one normally expects in a Pakistan-India cricket match. Instead, a carnival atmosphere prevailed in the stadium, with a fair Pakistani presence loudly cheering Shahid Afridi in full swing. I had the odd feeling that his shots were aimed in our direction. Foreign Minister Singh light-heartedly commented, ‘Aap Afridi ko bhee apnay sath hee lai jaen’ (Take Afridi back home with you).

And I also remember the cricket match in Lahore where Pakistan lost. Imagine a cricket match being played in Lahore, heart of the Punjab, and, Pakistan losing the match to India. Instead of showing hostility towards the visiting team, young men and women of Lahore applauded the winning team and ran across the stadium carrying flags of Pakistan and India...Given the right political direction, sky is the limit!

Concluded including Nipah, Lassa and Rift Valley fever.

But, significantly, her lab had already produced a vaccine against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome — a lethal disease caused by another coronavirus. This provided a model for the Covid-19 vaccine.

Prof Gilbert is reluctant to predict whether and when ChAdOx1 will move beyond clinical trials to vaccinate large numbers against Covid-19. There are three elements of uncertainty, she says.

First, it is not clear how long the trials will take to produce results. It will depend on how much virus is circulating in the places where the testing is taking place, which include Brazil, South Africa and the US. Then, AstraZeneca and its manufacturing partners must organise production on a huge scale. Finally, the regulators must decide whether the vaccine works well enough to be approved: the US Food and Drug Administration has set a 50 per cent efficacy threshold for Covid-19 vaccines.

If all goes well, the Oxford team says ChAdOx1 might be available by the end of the year to vaccinate the highest priority recipients, with supplies expanding rapidly during 2021.

As others take charge of the manufacturing and regulation, Prof Gilbert continues to lead the research in Oxford, making sure the trials run smoothly and the team’s work is communicated promptly in scientific papers.

At the same time, she is thinking of how to make vaccine research more efficient than was possible in January. “We are still thinking about Disease X,” Prof Gilbert says. “If we’d had everything in place this time, we could have been at least a month faster, which would have made a big difference.”

Sunday, 26 July, 2020

BUSINESS 09

TRAdeRS deMANd wiThdRAwAL oF SoPS AT ToRkhAM BoRdeR PESHAWAR

SNGPL clarifies qualified report by auditor BUSINESS DESK The Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) has clarified a news titled “SNGPL at odds with auditors again”, saying that the news did not adequately explain reasons for qualification for the year ended June 30, 2018.

“It is informed that during FY18, certain ‘Take or Pay Revenues’ were recognized and substantially realized were contested by the concerned consumers. Due to litigation surrounding the matter, auditors issued a qualified opinion.

“Subsequently, the auditors of the company M/s EY Ford Rhodes accepted the company’s stance and did not issue a qualified opinion on half-yearly accounts for December 31, 2018. Later, expert determination announced by a Justice (r) of the Supreme Court of Pakistan confirmed the view taken by the company and announced a favorable decision.

“The qualification for the year ended June 30, 2019 is based on the interpretation of IFRS 15 new accounting pronouncement applicable in Pakistan since July 1, 2018. It is reiterated that the company has duly recognized the impact of IFRS 15 from July 1, 2018 strictly in accordance with the opinion/interpretation of the Accounting Standard Board (ASB) of ICAP.”

Govt approves Rs1.5bn sales tax subsidy on locally manufactured tractors ISLAMABAD APP

The government, under its 'agricultural fiscal package', has approved Rs1.5 billion sales tax subsidy on locally manufactured tractors in order to promote mechanisation in the agriculture sector and to enhance per-acre crop output in the country. "The government had announced a fiscal package of over Rs1,200 billion in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic, of which an amount of Rs50 billion has been earmarked for relief to the agriculture sector," said a statement issued by the Ministry of National Food Security & Research on Saturday. The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), in its meeting held on May 13, had approved the food ministry proposals, which were subsequently ratified by the cabinet. Under the package, a one-year sales tax subsidy to locally manufactured tractors would be ensured. At present, 5pc sales tax is applied on the sale of each tractor. It may be noted that there are two main manufacturing units currently operating in Pakistan, namely Massey Ferguson and Al-Ghazi, having a market share of 60pc and 40pc, respectively. The annual sale of both units was 41,000 units in 2019, while the average sales tax is around Rs60,000 per tractor. Under the subsidy implementation mechanism, the Federal Board of Revenue will notify the GST subsidy (set aside 5pc GST on locally manufactured tractors for one year) while local tractor manufacturers will report to FBR and the ministry on the 5th day of every month. The food ministry may ensure through the forensic audit on a quarterly basis to confirm proper utilisation of the subsidy.

T

AZIZ BUNERI

HE Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry has demanded the government to withdraw standard operating procedures at the Torkham border, besides removing hurdles in the way of Pak-Afghan mutual and transit trade.

The demands were made by SCCI Senior Vice President Shahid Hussain during a meeting with Transit Trade (Karachi) Director-General Raza Ahmad Khan at the Model Customs House, Peshawar.

Transit Trade (Peshawar) Director Amjadul Rehman, additional directors Jan Bahadur and Muhammad Tayyab, Deputy Director Inamullah Wazir, Frontier Customs Agents Association

(FCAA) president, former SCCI SVP and FCCA senior vice president were also present on the occasion.

Highlighting the issues faced by customs' clearing agents and business community, Ziaul Haq Sarhadi apprised the meeting that nearly 7,000 transit trade containers/trucks were stuck due to slow clearing process at Karachi port, thus impacting Pak-Afghan bilateral and transit trade.

He maintained that heavy charges are being collected from traders and exporters on the head of demurrage and detention at the Karachi port which has further pushed the lockdown-hit business community towards economic depression. He called for the immediate withdrawal of demurrage and detention charges to ease the financial woes of the traders' community.

Sarhadi said that following the directives of Federal Board of Revenue, a 100pc examination of transit trade containers is being carried out at Karachi port, while additional checking of goods trucks also conducted at Torkham border, which, he attributed, as the main reason behind the slowdown of the mutual and transit trade with Afghanistan.

The FCCA president urged the authorities concerned to conduct only 5 per cent examination of containers at Karachi port to accelerate the bilateral and transit trade between the two neighbouring countries. He also stressed the need for installation of more scanning machines at the Karachi port and signing agreement with multiple companies for the tracker system.

He stressed that the clearing and

NTDC installs 600MVA transformer at Yousafwala grid station BUSINESS DESK The National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) has successfully commissioned a 600MVA transformer at 500kV Yousafwala Grid Station, Sahiwal. The transformer on Saturday was energized on full load.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony, NTDC Managing Director Engr Dr Khawaja Riffat Hassan said that the installation work on the 600MVA autotransformer at 500kV Yousafwala grid station has enhanced the capacity of the station to 1,800MVA at 500kV level.

"This will improve power supply to MEPCO areas of Sahiwal, Chichawatni, Pakpattan, Arifwala, Kassowal, Vehari, Chishtian; LESCO areas of Okara, Sarfaraz Nagar, Lahore as well as some areas of FESCO. Resultantly, overloading of the system, as well as forced load shedding, will be reduced."

The managing director further said that in order to enhance the power system transmission capacity under its constraints management strategy, the NTDC is vigorously pursuing the completion of installation work of autotransformers at 220kV Ghakhar grid station and 500kV Rawat grid station.

"The NTDC will soon in-

stall a 160MVA transformer at 220kV Ghakhar grid station (Gujranwala)," he added.

The 220kV Gakkhar Grid Station is located near the industrial hub of Gujranwala and adjoining districts. Due to the ever-rising industrial and commercial activities in the region, the increasing demand for power is causing overloading of currently operational autotransformers.

Moreover, the MD said, a 160MVA autotransformer is also being installed at 500kV Rawat Grid Station, Rawalpindi. "After completion of installation work, the total capacity of the said grid station would be increased to 910MVA. The transformer will not only share the load of other transformers of the same grid station but the areas of IESCO and Rawalpindi District, Islamabad Capital territory, whereas Jhelum and Chakwal District will also have improved voltage profile

and will minimize forced load shedding. The transformer is likely to be energized during the ongoing summers."

The NTDC MD assured that the installation work of transformers would be completed on a fast track basis so that uninterrupted power supply is provided for the comfort of consumers of respective distribution companies of GEPCO and IESCO. Dilating upon the installation works, the MD said that the company has completed the installation work of the transformer at Yousafwala Grid Station on war footings ahead of its deadline despite the problems being faced due to the prevailing Covid-19 situation.

He said that Energy Minister Omar Ayub Khan, Special Adviser to Prime Minister Shahzad Qasim and Power Secretary Omer Rasul have also appreciated the NTDC management for early energization of the project.

checking process of transit trade containers/trucks should be expedited at Karachi port and Torkham border. He demanded to dismantle the illegal terminal at Matani near Bara, which should be run through customs authorities.

Furthermore, he asked to allow empty trucks and containers stuck on the Afghanistan side to move to the Torkham border to their final destination Karachi in order to overcome the trackers' shortages issue at the port.

Sarhadi urged the federal government to withdraw SRO 121 and besides container cargo, the transportation of loose-cargo to Afghanistan would also be allowed, which can remove the monopoly of bonded carriers. He suggested the holding meeting of Pak-Afghan Joint Liaison Committee after two months.

Banks not ready to share client data with FBR: report BUSINESS DESK Commercial banks are not willing to share details of their account holders with the Federal Board of Revenue, a private media outlet reported on Saturday. According to an FBR document, the board's anti-benami zones had filed 51 references worth Rs22.8 billion in the last 12 months. These include valuables, commercial assets, luxury vehicles, 60,000-kanal anonymous property and shares worth millions of rupees. Cases against Omni Group, PML-N leader Chaudhry Tanveer and Techno Engineering were also included in the references.

However, a total of 16 writ petitions have been filed against FBR anti-benami zones in Sindh, Lahore and Islamabad high courts.

The FBR [benami] zones are currently investigating 146 unnamed assets worth Rs31.2 billion. An estimated Rs100 billion anonymous transactions were uncovered based on the sugar inquiry report, while anonymous assets worth over Rs72 billion were also revealed in 13 districts of Punjab. However, the document read, these FBR zones lack proper staff, building, logistics. Adjudicating authorities were formed but appellate tribunals are yet to be established. FBR has proposed to establish four new zones in Hyderabad, Multan, Faisalabad and Peshawar, it added.

Mansehra-Thakot Motorway to open for traffic soon, says Asim Bajwa BUSINESS DESK Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information & Broadcasting and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority Chairman Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa said on Saturday that the construction work on Mansehra-Thakot Motorway has been completed. The SAPM, in a tweet, said the motorway would be opened for traffic very soon. Sharing a scenic picture of the motorway, SAPM Bajwa said the motorway will be the “most amazing drive”. The Mansehra-Thakot section is part of the Hazara Motorway, which is a 180-kilometre controlledaccess motorway linking the Burhan Interchange near Hasan Abdal with Haripur, Havelian, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Shinkiari, Battagram, and Thakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Burhan-Mansehra section was already open for traffic.

Kantar research agency wants Pakistan's advertisers to invest in influencers, omnichannel SINGAPORE BABAR KHAN JAVED

By 2020, advertisers in Pakistan are expected to create products and services that keep up with expectations around the speed of service, agnostic availability, and avenues to build brand trust that integrates seamlessly within online content. The findings are part of the Pakistan Trend Report 2020 from Kantar, a data insights and consultancy company under Bain Capital, which said that up and coming generation has become finetuned to using apps and services held by companies that are agile and leaders in customer experience, that the patience for local companies that fall flat is wearing thin.

“Consumers want everything faster, which results in a rise of instant gratification,” the report says. “Brands can gauge this by giving consumers results faster, through compelling ideas, which in turn have meaningfully differentiated communications to build on trust and affinity.”

The report also shared that the omnichannel approach will be the way forward for consumer goods businesses, as Google

LATEST TRENDS REPORT FROM KANTAR FOUND THAT ADVERTISERS IN PAKISTAN ARE INCREASINGLY BANKING ON AUDIENCES’ TRUST CREATED BY INFLUENCERS FOR THEIR CAMPAIGN MESSAGES search data coupled with the latest COVID19 Community Mobility Report from Google, shows that shoppers are searching online and buying offline, instilling the need for order management systems that sync digital product displays with physical warehouses. This is a challenge faced by Daraz ad nauseum, with technology companies such as SAP and Brandverse offering solutions against them.

“Leaving a buyer unhappy does not mean the loss of one customer,” wrote Munir Rahool in a detailed report on barriers to eCommerce trust. “It means that one buyer can stop hundreds of potential buyers, and a happy buyer can multiply the business just as much. To have happy buyers, companies under the spotlight need to

act like true leaders and take responsibility to reduce damaging elements to the online shopping experience.”

Citing the report by Rahool, Kantar said that if brand marketers in Pakistan want to convert buyers online - whether it be on their owned stores or with an online marketplace - they need accurate product listings, sufficient product information to make a decision, list the number of units available of each product, doing away with lengthy return policies for defective items and replicas, and introduce delightful after-sales service.

“Given the above online bottlenecks, it’s little wonder that Pakistani consumers rely heavily on online searches yet complete the purchase in-store,” the Kantar report says.

“This lack of trust in the sellers proves the

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importance of improving consumers’ online experiences. Businesses need to establish their credibility and consumer trust to accelerate online sales and reduce in-market barriers. Best your brand works on improving the online customer experience, so your customers are delighted, wherever they choose to complete their purchase.”

The report from Kantar also notes that the rise of influencer marketing is tied to the trust deficit among brands in the eyes of a savvy new generation, capable of cutting through the noise and able to clearly see a commercial angle. Campaign resonance studies show that Generation Z has developed a mental filter to forget content that is sales-first and instead retaining content that is meant to entertain or educate.

On that note, the report from Kantar suggests that influencer marketing spending will grow in Pakistan as brands look for organic-looking integration within content that has viewers hooked. At Effie Pakistan 2020 this week, the use of influencers won gold for McDonald’s and silver for Jazz, for using Ali Gul Pir and Eva Zu Beck respectively, with the former being covert

while the latter was overt.

“All considered, it’s clear that to succeed in the post-coronavirus future, businesses need to ensure that their brand, influencer, message, and target audience are all operating on the same wavelength,” the Kantar report says. “When done right, influencers create community-driven buzz and make the brand more relatable to the target audience.

Having the right influencer onboard changes customer perceptions, which can pave the way for higher returns on investment. This, coupled with increased engagement with the brand’s social media presence, can have a very positive impact on the company’s bottom line.”

Researchers from Kantar added that there is an opportunity for influencer marketing to become an important way to engage audiences that are flocking to digital platforms amid the outbreak, adding that since social media celebrities will never stop pleasing audiences - even without branded deals - it is wise for advertisers to collaborate on genuine brand messaging that connects with a captive audience, perhaps creating long-term engagement.

Sunday, 26 July, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

Thousands of sTranded filiPinos Crammed inTo BaseBall sTadium amid Coronavirus risks MANILA

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AGENCIES

HOUSANDS of Filipinos were crammed into a baseball stadium in Manila on Saturday, breaking social distancing rules despite coronavirus risks, after people wanting to return to their home provinces flooded a government transportation program.

Officials had reserved the stadium as a place to test people before transporting them back to their home provinces under a program to help people who had lost their jobs in the capital return to their families elsewhere.

Officials had planned for 7,500 people to arrive at the stadium from Friday, but were caught out when another 2,000 people who were not yet scheduled to travel headed there anyway.

“Because of the overflowing number of people, we can no longer control (the situation) and the relevance of social distancing had been diminished,” Assistant Secretary Joseph Encabo, who is oversee-

ing the government’s transportation assistance program, told Reuters by phone.

Police were deployed to urge social distancing, but people, including the elderly, children and pregnant women, were

seen in close contact with each other. Some were not wearing masks.

Many of those at the stadium had got stuck in the capital when it imposed one of the strictest and longest lockdowns in

mid-March in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

That was eased at the start of June, allowing businesses to reopen in a limited capacity, but schools remain shut and mass gatherings are banned. People must wear masks in public and observe one-metre social distancing, while children and the elderly are urged to stay at home.

Coronavirus cases have more than quadrupled since restrictions were eased to 78,412, with more than half of those in the capital and surrounding areas.

Among those at the stadium was Fred Marick Ukol, 40, who became stuck in Manila after his flight to Australia, where he had found work as a welder, was cancelled.

“We don’t have work and now all of our savings have dried up because of the lockdown,” Ukol said, referring to himself and fellow overseas Filipino workers.

Encabo said everybody at the stadium would undergo rapid testing for COVID19 and must be cleared before being allowed to board the buses, sea vessels, and trains the government has prepared.

Poland to quit treaty on violence against women, minister says WARSAW AGENCIES

Brazil's Bolsonaro says new Covid-19 test came back negative

Turkey and Greece exchange harsh words over Hagia Sophia prayers

SAO PAULO AGENCIES

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Saturday that he has tested negative for the novel coronavirus after weeks quarantined in his residence due to an infection. In a photo posted to social media, Bolsonaro appeared with a box of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug he credited for his recovery despite a lack of scientific evidence about its effectiveness. In an accompanying text, he said his RT-PCR test for Sars-Cov 2 was negative. He did not say when he took the test nor did he provide any further details.

Bolsonaro reported testing positive three times this month, including an initial diagnosis on July 7 for Covid-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. Since then he has been in partial isolation at the presidential residence, filling his official agenda with videoconferences. He was spotted outdoors occasionally, including at a rally where he greeted supporters, removing his mask occasionally when at a distance of a few meters.

Bolsonaro’s coronavírus infection was one of more than 2.3 million cases in Brazil, second only to the United States. The pandemic has killed more than 85,000 people in Brazil. Bolsonaro has played down the risks of the virus he called “a little flu” and defied public health experts and fought against governors and mayors imposing lockdowns to fight the pandemic. The right-wing populist has warned such policies are worse than the virus itself and urged businesses to reopen quickly. Bolsonaro has said he would start traveling around the country after recovering from his illness.

ISTANBUL AGENCIES

Turkey and Greece exchanged harsh words on Saturday over the conversion of Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque, a day after Islamic prayers were held at the ancient site for the first time in nine decades.

President Tayyip Erdogan, who attended Friday’s ceremony that sealed his ambition to restore Muslim worship at Hagia Sophia, did not name Greece but said critics of the move were simply against Muslims and Turkey.

Greek criticism of the move has been especially scathing, underlining tense ties between Greece and Turkey.

Hagia Sophia was previously a mu-

seum and most Greeks view it as central to their Orthodox Christian religion: church bells tolled in mourning across Greece on Friday.

“We see that the targets of those countries who have made so much noise in recent days are not Hagia Sophia or the eastern Mediterranean,” Erdogan said in a televised speech. “(Their targets) are the presence itself of the Turkish nation and Muslims in this region,” he said.

In a statement earlier on Saturday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman said: “Greece showed once again its enmity towards Islam and Turkey with the excuse of reacting to Hagia Sophia Mosque being opened to prayers”.

He strongly condemned hostile

statements by the Greek government and parliament members and Turkish flag-burning in the Greek city of Thessaloniki.

The Greek Foreign Ministry responded with its own statement, saying “the international community of the 21st century is stunned to observe the religious and nationalist fanatic ramblings of today’s Turkey.”

On Friday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called Turkey a “troublemaker”, and the conversion of the site an “affront to civilisation of the 21st century”.

Greece and Turkey disagree on a range of issues from airspace to maritime zones in the eastern Mediterranean and ethnically split Cyprus.

Poland will take steps next week to withdraw from a European treaty on violence against women, which the rightwing cabinet says violates parents’ rights by requiring schools to teach children about gender, the justice minister said on Saturday.

Zbigniew Ziobro told a news conference his ministry would submit a request to the labour and families ministry on Monday to begin the process of withdrawing from the treaty, known as the Istanbul Convention.

“It contains elements of an ideological nature, which we consider harmful,” Ziobro said. Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party and its coalition partners closely align themselves with the Catholic Church and promote a conservative social agenda.

Hostility to gay rights was one of the main issues promoted by President Andrej Duda during a successful re-election campaign this month. On Friday, thousands of people, mostly women, protested in Warsaw and other cities against proposals to reject the treaty. “The aim is to legalise domestic violence,” Magdalena Lempart, one of the protest organisers said on Friday at a march in Warsaw. Some protesters carried banners saying “PiS is the women’s hell”. PiS has long complained about the Istanbul Convention, which Poland ratified under a previous centrist government in 2015. The government says the treaty is disrespectful towards religion and requires teaching liberal social policies in schools, although in the past it has stopped short of a decision to quit. Ziobro, the justice minister, represents a smaller right-wing party within the ruling coalition. A government spokesman was not available on Saturday for comment on whether Ziobro’s announcement of plans to quit the treaty represented a collective cabinet decision. The World Health Organization says domestic violence has surged this year in Europe during months of lockdown aimed at fighting the coronavirus.

French cinemas look to stay afloat amid Covid-19 drought of Hollywood blockbusters PARIS AGENCIES

French cinemas reopened on June 22 with a certain pomp after a three-month coronavirus hiatus. At least one Paris movie house, Les 5 Caumartin, had eager moviegoers lined up for that much-anticipated reawakening with a screening a minute after midnight. But a month later, cinemas in the birthplace of the medium are feeling the effects as a global industry remains in slumber.

The French box office saw more than a million people head to the cinema last week, for the first time since theatres reopened their doors. But the 1,169 million spectators, according to figures tabulated by CBO Boxoffice, still represent a 78 percent drop compared to the same period last year.

“During a so-called normal month of July, weekly attendance would be at two, three, even four million and here, right now, it’s a struggle to surpass the symbolic million,”

FRANCE 24’s French-language movie critic Thomas Baurez explained. “It’s the American ‘locomotives’ that are missing and so, of course, the fate of world cinema, of the whole industry, is linked to the fate of the United States, a country severely affected by coronavirus. You could say that this Americano-dependence is pretty worrisome and shows an international industry short on oxygen.”

For cinema operators, it’s a whole new world and a way of doing business rife with uncertainty. “I don’t look at the numbers anymore [but] it mustn’t last too long,” Aurélie Delage, who runs the Cinémascop Mégarama in Garat, a city of 2,000 in southwestern France, told AFP. Last summer, families flocked to see “The Lion King”. But those figures look like a distant dream in the summer of 2020. “People were inside during the lockdown. They want to be out in the fresh air, at a bar or a restaurant, especially as long as the weather is nice,” said Delage. With attendance low, she

thought about shutting down again but won’t do it. “It would be catastrophic. Audiences need a frame of reference,” she said.

With 90 per cent of cinemas open in France despite the low receipts, the head of the National Federation of French Cinema (FNCF) suggested the cinema operators staying open were doing so as a public service. “Right now, they are losing an enormous amount of money,” FNCF chief Richard Patry told France Info. Theatres have new French films to show, but no American movies, which generally represent 70 per cent of the French summer box office, Patry said. “We are very, very pessimistic. Even a little depressed,” he conceded. “Nevertheless, we must look on the bright side now and again to try to reassure ourselves. Fourand-a-half million spectators have come during the first month after reopening.”

To a point, the slump was foreseeable.

The big-budget summer blockbusters that French movie theatres count on to thrive

through the sunny months are the same one’s cinemas across the world depend on in the global marketplace. “Donald Trump is ruining the summer for French cinemas”, Slate France headlined just a week after French cinemas reopened, blaming crisis management overseas for the missing movies on French marquees. Polls during the lockdown showed that French moviegoers were eager to return to the so-called salles obscurs, the darkened halls of cinema and their plush red velvet seats. “But there is a slight discrepancy between fancying going to the cinema and wanting to see a film,” writer JeanMichel Frodon explained back then.

European theatre operators have called on US studios to forgo the usual practice of simultaneous US and worldwide releases.

Cinemas on the continent, they note, are open for business after all and hungry for films.

But their appeal has gone unheard so far. For those pining for a US blockbuster at long last, it has been a bleak week. Christopher Nolan’s

hotly anticipated “Tenet”, previously postponed twice from July to August 12, was delayed indefinitely. Late on Thursday, Disney announced a flurry of delays. Initially slated for March and already postponed twice, the studio’s much-awaited “Mulan” was also delayed indefinitely. “It’s become clear that nothing can be set in stone when it comes to how we release films during this global health crisis,” a Disney representative explained upon announcing the new delay.

After all, cinemas have yet to reopen in New York despite the state’s progress in handling the pandemic and they remain closed in California, which this week became the state with the highest coronavirus case tally, recording 415,000 since the crisis began.

China, the world’s second largest movie market, only began re-opening cinemas this week, with restrictions, after six-month nationwide closures. All of which means studios are loath to part with a $200-million blockbuster like “Tenet”.

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Sunday, 26 July, 2020

Only the host can unmute you sir, nervous IT guy tells frustrated Imran Khan during high-level security Zoom meeting

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THE DEPENDENT

lthough the Covid-19 pandemic has apparently started to reverse its upwards trajectory in Pakistan, standard operating procedures (SOPs) remain in place to maintain social distancing. As a result, even Federal cabinet meetings continue to be held over the highly popular video conferencing application Zoom.

Things however turned slightly awkward at one such Zoom video conference yesterday, when Prime Minister Imran Khan

was informed by the PM house’s IT guy, who was called in at least five times during a high-level security meeting, that only the host of the meeting could unmute him and there was nothing he could do.

The PM’s frustration was compounded by the fact that he thought he was the host. The meeting was also attended by the top military brass of the country and the Federal Defence Minister Pervez Khattak. At one point – the dependent has learned on good authority – the PM called Mr. Khattak on his cell-

phone, asking to be immediately unmuted, to which Khattak replied, “Khan sb I am also not the host. I think you should just wait for your turn to speak. At least you will get to speak at some point, hopefully”. By this time, reportedly, a sweaty and nervous IT guy had set up a parallel Zoom meeting on another laptop, with the PM as host and invited SAPM on accountability Shehzad Akbar, Advisor to PM Shehbaz Gill and a few members of the Tiger Force, to discuss progress on accountability and corruption.

SaTIre

“TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!”

Cabinet members have to let go of Pakistani nationality if they want to retain portfolios, says Imran THE DEPENDENT

Journalist abductions should take place at night, not broad daylight, say nation’s shocked centrists

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THE DEPENDENT

oming down strongly against the brazen abduction in broad daylight of Matiullah Jan, the nation’s shocked centrists said that such activities should be moderated and take place at night.

“This is absolutely unacceptable,” said Islamabadbased commentator Mosharraf Zaidi. “Sorry, that is a strong word that I have used there, let me tone it down. It is somewhat unacceptable that those who are doing this are doing this now rather than later, in the wee hours of the morning.”

Karachi-based anchor Zarar Khuhro agreed. “I agree,” he said, showing discomfort specifying anything about what he was agreeing with.

T

he piece below is a work of fiction. Learn to take a joke; you’ll live longer.

Gag idea by Zeeshan Bhutta Shah Prime Minister Imran Khan has given an ultimatum to the cabinet members who have dual nationalities.

“It is totally unacceptable for cabinet members to have divided loyalties,” said the Prime Minister, addressing a press conference. “They should immediately renounce their Pakistani nationalities if they want their portfolios back.”

“Yes, there is no other way

about it, take a pick,” he continued.

“You have to choose to be a better choice for Pakistan.”

“Yes, I know, it will be a tough call for some of them.

It’s a real Zulfi’s Choice that they have on their hands,” he said. “Sorry, Sophie’s Choice.”

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“Sorry Jani, I call it like it is and am scared of no one,” he said after being asked repeatedly what he was talking about.

“Leave me alone.”

ARY anchor Kashif Abbasi also chimed in agreement.

“If these things have to be done, then do them,” he said. “But do it decently. And do make sure that there are no cameras around, so those who spread propaganda about these things taking place, could be countered more effectively.”

STOP PRESS: Shortly before the filing of this press report, Mosharraf Zaidi called The Dependent’s correspondent again.

“Sorry, could we change that again? Say I said that it is reasonably within the realm of reason to find it unacceptable. No, no. It is arguably within the realm of reason to find it unacceptable.”

SaTIre

Case registered against Matiullah Jan for abducting 12 armed personnel, 3 Vigos and 2 Corollas

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THE DEPENDENT

case has been registered against journalist Matiullah Jan for abducting 12 armed personnel and commandeering their respective vehicles. “A case has been registered against journalist Matiullah Jan after today’s incident in front of a college in G-6/2,” said Senior Superintendent Fazl-i-Hameed of the Counter Terrorism Department. “We even have video footage from multiple camera angles recording his brazen crime.”

“Our hearts go out to the brave men who were picked up by Jan and we wish they are safe and sound,” he said. “I assure their families that we are on the case and will recover them as soon as possible.”

“The life of a man in civvies is even worse than a man in uniform,” read defence minister Pervez Khattak, in another press conference. “I would like to take this opportunity to ask Matiullah Jan to turn himself in, wherever he is and the government will show him as much leniency as the law allows.”

SaTIre

E D I TO R ’S N OT E The Dependent is a completely satirical publication. The articles within are not true and meant to be taken in good humour.

The Dependent is an “equal opportunity offender” and we would urge all concerned to humour our attempts at humour.

The Dependent is a completely satirical publication. The articles within are not true and are meant to be taken in good humour.

Sunday, 26 July, 2020

PRAyER TImINGS

NEWS

SoldIer Martyred, three otherS Injured In BalochIStan aMBuSh TerrOriSTS Opened fire On SeCuriTy fOrCeS during rOuTine pATrOlling neAr pidArAk in keCh diSTriCT RAWALPINDI

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STAFF REPORT

Pakistan Army soldier embraced martyrdom while three others sustained injuries in an ambush on their convoy near Turbat in Balochistan, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Saturday.

The terrorists opened fire on security forces during routine patrolling near Pidarak in Kech district, approximately 35 kilometres southeast of Turbat, said the statement.

“During the exchange of fire, Lance Naik Javed Karim embraced shahadat (martyrdom) while three other soldiers got injured,” the military’s media wing said. Later, security forces cordoned off the area for search of the terrorists.

Separately, the Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan, in an intelligence-based operation, averted a “major terrorist activity” in the province.

“FC Balochistan conducted an IBO on a suspected terrorist hideout in Buleda, Turbat, Balochistan,” the ISPR said.

PM Imran says govt won’t ban social media Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said the government will not impose a ban on any social media application.“But at the same time, we also can’t let anyone insult or spread false information about government organisations or the people working for them,” the premier pointed out in a statement. PM Imran also took notice of the delay in the preparation of social media regulations by the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority and Ministry of Information Technology. He instructed the departments to present a report regarding it within this week. The PTI government has been criticised for its decisions regarding monitoring and regulating content on social media. This came after the government placed a temporary ban on online game PUBG and issued a warning to Tiktok.

The Indian affiliate of the militant Islamic State group, Wilayat Hind, has a significant presence in the Indian states of Kerala and Karnataka, said a report by the United Nations (UN).

According to the report, the militant group has around 180-200 members in the two Indian states.

The UN 26th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning ISIS, al Qaeda and associated individuals and entities, states that al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) operates under the Taliban umbrella from Afghanistam’s Nimruz, Helmand and Kandahar provinces.

It further stated that the leader of AQIS Osama Mahmood, who succeeded the late Asim Umar, is reportedly planning retaliation operations in the region to avenge the death of its former leader. The group reportedly has between 150 and 200 members from Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Pakistan.

In May last year, the Islamic State (also known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) terror group claimed to have established a new “province” in India, the first of its kind

ASr MAghriB iShA 5:19

ment. Last month, two soldiers embraced martyrdom when their patrolling vehicle was targeted through an improvised explosive device (IED) in North Waziristan bordering Afghanistan.

Subedar Aziz and Lance Naik Mushtaq were martyred while two other soldiers sustained injuries during the attack in South East of Miranshah. In May, seven paramilitary troops were martyred in two separate terrorist attacks in Balochistan. In April, security forces killed two terrorists during an exchange of fire in North Waziristan.

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SC orders federal, provincial govts to fill all vacant posts for disabled persons INP

ISIS has strong presence in India’s Kerala, Karnataka states: UN report NEWS DESK

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ISLAMABAD

The security forces killed “a key terrorist of the proscribed Organisation (BLA)”.

“A cache of arms and ammunition, grenades, communication equipment, and IED material was recovered from the hideout,” the ISPR added.

Terrorists have intensified their activities against the security forces lately particularly in Balochistan and North Waziristan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. In a similar attack on July 14, three soldiers embraced martyrdom and eight others, including an officer, were injured in an ambush on their convoy near Gichak valley in province’s Panjgur district.

“Five injured are critical,” said the ISPR, adding that the injured have been evacuated to Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Quetta.

Two days earlier to this attack on July 12, four soldiers of Pakistan Army embraced martyrdom when terrorists opened fire during an intelligencebased operation (IBO) in K-P’s North Waziristan tribal district.

“As soon as the troops cordoned off the area, terrorists opened fire. All dug out terrorists were shot down by security forces,” read an ISPR state-

NEWS DESK

fAjr SunriSe 4:32

The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the federal and provincial governments to fill all vacant posts as per the employment quota reserved for people with disabilities.

“It must be ensured that disabled persons from the same area/region are accommodated/appointed against regional quotas,” says the 11-page written order.

Justice Ijazul Ahsan authored the order while hearing a constitutional petition filed by members of the disability movement in Pakistan through their counsel Barrister Raheel Kamran Sheikh seven years ago.

The three-judge bench headed

by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed also directed that provisions of laws relating to rehabilitation and employment of disabled persons be followed and implemented in letter and spirit.

“The federal and provincial governments are directed to ensure establishment of grievance redressal mechanisms to redress grievances of disabled persons and awareness campaigns regarding availability of these grievance redressal mechanisms be run.”

The court also ordered that the federal government, provincial governments, PEMRA, PTV, PBA and PBS will raise awareness through public service broadcasts of programmes or messages.

“The federal and provincial

governments, as well as development authorities, shall ensure enforcement of the Accessibility Code, 2006.”

Likewise, road transport authorities are directed to ensure making public transport accessible for persons with disabilities. “Pakistan Railways shall progressively build proper ramps at train stations.”

The transport and development authorities will ensure availability of accessible toilets at train stations, local bus stands, service areas of bus stations, motorways and highways, says the order.

The court further directed that the transport and development authorities shall arrange for the construction of ramps and arrange safe and reliable facilities for the boarding of buses and trains by disabled persons.

“The authorities and agencies concerned at the federal as well as provincial level shall make appropriate arrangements for the availability of accessible parking and ramps at public parks and provisions of accessible washroom and ramps in malls, parks, public places.” “All development authorities will ensure enforcement of quota in allotment of residential plots and houses as provided in the relevant laws, rules and regulations.”

The order further says that directions are also issued to all concerned to implement the court October 11, 2018 order in letter and spirit.

COAS phones MBS to ask about Saudi king’s health

announcement that came after clashes between militants and security forces in Kashmir.

A similar report last month also noted that an Indian national, the leader of al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, was killed by international forces last year in Afghanistan. Earlier reports of MT also highlighted the growing strength of ISIL in India and its role in Easter Sunday attack in 2019.

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Saturday telephoned Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to inquire about King Salman’s health.

According to Saudi state-run news agency SPA, the army chief wished speedy recovery of the Saudi king and conveyed his special message to the crown prince during the phone conversation. For his part, the crown prince thanked Gen Bajwa for his concern.

Both leaders also discussed issues of common interest and the latest developments at both the regional and international levels.

On July 23, Saudi Arabia’s 84-year-old ruler King Salman bin Abdulaziz underwent a successful operation to remove his gallbladder.

The king, who has ruled the world’s largest oil exporter and is a close US ally since 2015, will remain admitted to the hospital for some time to receive treatment, SPA reported. STAFF REPORT

WHO reports record single-day increase in global coronavirus cases PARIS AGENCIES

Almost 40 countries have reported record single-day increases in coronavirus infections over the past week, around double the number that did so the previous week, according to a Reuters tally showing a pick-up in the pandemic in every region of the world.

The rate of cases has been increasing not only in countries like the United States, Brazil and India, which have dominated global headlines with large outbreaks, but in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Bolivia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Bulgaria, Belgium, Uzbekistan and Israel, among others.

Many countries, especially those where officials eased earlier social distancing lockdowns, are experiencing a second peak more than a month after recording their first.

“We will not be going back to the ‘old normal’. The pandemic has already changed the way we live our lives,” World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this week. “We’re asking everyone to treat the decisions about where

they go, what they do and who they meet with as life-and-death decisions – because they are.”

The Reuters data, compiled from official reports, shows a steady rise in the number of countries reporting record daily increases in the virus that causes COVID-19 over the past month. At least seven countries recorded such increases three weeks ago, rising to at least 13 countries two weeks ago to at least 20 countries last week and to 37 countries this week.

The true numbers of both cases and deaths are almost certainly underreported, particularly in countries with poorer health care systems, health experts and officials say. For this report, the Reuters data was restricted to countries that provide regular daily numbers.

A surge in cases usually precedes a rise in deaths by a couple of weeks.

The United States remains at the top of the case list, this week passing more than 4 million cases and recording more than 1,000 deaths for four consecutive days.

Brazil and India – which epidemiologists say is still likely months from hitting its peak – have also exceeded 1 million cases.

SECOND WAVE: The data reveals a growing number of resurgent cases in countries across all regions.

In Australia, officials enforced a six-week partial lockdown and made face masks mandatory for residents in the country’s secondlargest city, Melbourne, after a fresh outbreak.

Australia and Japan, which also posted a daily case record this week, both warned of a rise in infections among young people, many of whom celebrated the end of social restrictions at bars and parties.

In Mexico, which also posted a daily record this week and has the fourth-highest death toll of any country, officials warned that a downward trend in case numbers that began in mid-June – about the time the city began relaxing social distancing measures – could reverse. Based on the rate of hospital admissions over the past week, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said, hospitalisation levels by October could exceed those registered in June, the height of the pandemic.

“It is important to recognise that if we do not change the trend, there could be exponential growth,” she said.

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