EpaperKHI_2020-09-14

Monday, 14 September, 2020 I 25 Muharram, 1442 I Rs 25.00 I Vol XI No 75 I 56 Pages I Karachi Edition

Pakistan warns against sPoilers as afghan rivals begin talks for ‘lasting PeaCe’

DOHA AGENCIES

P

AKISTAN on Saturday warned the international community against the role of spoilers as Afghan rivals begin peace talks in Qatar for a ‘lasting peace’ in the wartorn country. A slick opening ceremony in the Qatari capital Doha on Saturday saw the Afghan government, and allies including the US, call for a ceasefire.

But the Taliban, who have fought a guerrilla campaign against both since they were forced from power in 2001, did not mention a truce as they came to the negotiating table.

Addressing the opening session through video link, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi termed the commencement of peace talks a global recognition of Pakistan’s stance of a nomilitary solution to Afghan dispute rather a political solution being only a way forward.

The foreign minister said that the forthcoming negotiations were for the Afghans to decide about their future.

“The Afghans alone must be the masters of their destiny without outside influence or interference.

The spoilers from within and from without will pose formidable challenges. Constant vigilance will be required to guard against their machinations,” Qureshi said.

In an interview with AFP, the head of the peace process for the Afghan govern-

ment suggested that the Taliban could offer a truce in exchange for the release of more of their jailed fighters.

“This could be one of their ideas or one of their demands,” said Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation.

Negotiations will be arduous and messy, delegates warned during the opening ceremony, and are starting even as deadly violence continues to grip Afghanistan.

“We will undoubtedly encounter many challenges in the talks over the coming days, weeks and months,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said as he called for the warring sides to “seize this opportunity” to secure peace.

Nearly two decades since the US-led invasion that toppled the Taliban, the war still kills dozens of people daily and the country’s economy has been shattered, pushing millions into poverty.

The Taliban have long worried that reducing violence could lessen their leverage.

During a speech at the opening event, Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar repeated the movement’s message that Afghanistan should be run according to Islamic law, highlighting a likely sticking point.

A comprehensive peace deal could take years and will depend on the willingness of both sides to tailor their competing visions for Afghanistan and the extent to which they can agree to share power.

President Ashraf Ghani’s government wants to maintain the Western-backed status quo of a constitutional republic that has enshrined many rights, including greater freedoms for women.

Four of the 21 people on the Kabul negotiating team are women.

The Taliban, who stripped women of all basic freedoms while in power from 19962001, had no female negotiators.

In a statement, Ghani called for “a lasting and dignified peace” that preserved “the achievements of the past 19 years”.

Kabul negotiator Habiba Sarabi told AFP the start of talks had been “very positive”.

The US-backed negotiations come six months later than planned owing to disagreements over a controversial prisoner swap agreed in February.

QATAR RULER MEETS AFGHAN, TALIBAN DELEGATIONS DURING PEACE TALKS IN DOHA DUBAI: Qatar’s ruler Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani met representatives of both the Afghan government and the Taliban to wish them success during peace talks taking place in the Gulf state, Qatar state media reported on Sunday. Talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban began in the Qatari capital Doha on Saturday, aimed at ending 19 years of war in Afghanistan. Sheikh Tamim met with the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation Chairman Abdullah Abdullah and the accompanying delegation, QNA said on Twitter. Sheikh Tamim told Abdullah he wished the negotiations success and to achieve the Afghan people’s aspirations for national unity, progress and prosperity, Qatar News Agency said. He expressed the same remarks in a meeting with Taliban political office head Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, which was also attended by a delegation, QNA said in a separate tweet. AGENCIES

Coronavirus in

Pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

Suspect in motorway gangrape incident surrenders, denies involvement LAHORE STAFF REPORT

One of the suspects in the motorway gang-rape incident surrendered to Lahore police on Sunday, claiming that he was not involved in the incident which outraged the entire country, Model Town Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Hasnain Haider confirmed.

Waqarul Hassan, one of the two suspects accused of raping a woman travelling with her children on Lahore-Sialkot motorway, surrendered after DSP Haider conducted a raid in Sheikhupura to arrest him. While the police team was unable to arrest him, Hassan’s friend assured them that he would surrender soon.

Later in the day, Hassan, 37, and his friend approached the police and surrendered, while denying involvement in the crime.

He told the police that he has a spare parts workshop and he was in Lahore on the day of the incident to purchase spare parts.

According to officials, Hassan had been released in one of two robbery cases only 14 days ago.

The development comes a day after Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar held a press confer-

Terrorist commander Ihsan Sanray, three others killed in 'breakthrough' operation: ISPR

301,481

6

RECOVERED:

NEW CASES:

893

131,880

97,679

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

36,942

13,483

2,400/3,196 15,901

Yet another building collapse kills two, injures several in Karachi

STORY ON PAGE 02

FO summons Indian diplomat after cross-border fire kills minor girl

DEATHS:

PUNJAB:

more inside

Hamza tests positive for coronavirus: Shehbaz

289,429 6,379 SINDH:

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

STORY ON PAGE 03

LAST UPDATED AT 8:44 AM ON SEPTEMBER 13, 2020

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

ence to announced the government had been able to trace the “real culprits” in the case.

“I want to inform you all, [we] have been able to identify the real culprits in this tragic incident in less than 72 hours,” Buzdar told the news conference.

Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Inam Ghani, also present on the occasion, said it was confirmed through scientific evidence that the primary suspect in the case was Abid Ali, a resident of Fort Abbas in Bahawalnagar district.

He also said police were “9596 per cent” sure of the identity of Ali’s accomplice, Hassan, whose presence at the crime scene was shown by telephone data. The police were also able to obtain his address and CNIC number.

The IGP said that police were ready to conduct raids at their houses and arrest them but “unfortunately the information had gone into the public domain” and the suspects had fled.

CRIME SPARKS OUTRAGE: Protests were held in several cities for a second day on Saturday over the incident, as police said they were launching a manhunt for the suspects.

RAWALPINDI STAFF REPORT

Four terrorists, including militant commander Ihsanullah alias Ihsan Sanray, were killed in an intelligence-based operation (IBO), the army's media wing said on Sunday.

The operation was carried out in Ghariom, Shaktu, near the inter-district boundary of North and South Waziristan, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General Maj Gen

Babar Iftikhar said in a tweet.

The slain terrorist commander Ihsanullah was the mastermind behind several terrorist activities, the ISPR said. Recently, he had planned terrorist attacks in Shaktu which led to the martyrdom of several soldiers as well as officers, including Lt Nasir and Capt Sabih.

Last week, the armed forces had killed terrorist mastermind Waseem Zakeria and four of his accomplices in an IBO in North Waziristan.

The forces had also arrested 10 militants during the operation near Mirali. According to an ISPR statement, Zakeria was the mastermind of 30 attacks, including the targeted killings of government officials and security forces personnel.

Zakeria was also believed to be involved in the assassination of Zubaidullah Khan, a CSP officer of the Federal Information Group, posted as director of the Pakistan Housing Authority in Islamabad.

STORY ON PAGE 03 in today’s issue

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Monday, 14 September, 2020

NEWS

active coviD-19 cases fall to 5,673 as 96Pc Patients recover ISLAMABAD

o

STAFF REPORT

VER 96 per cent patients of coronavirus have recovered from the infection so far in Pakistan showing a steady progress towards the elimination of the pandemic in the country.

According to the latest statistics issued by National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), 289,429 patients, out of 301,481 cases reported so far, have recovered from coronavirus in Pakistan and the country has only 5,673 active cases at present.

A total of 31,411 coronavirus tests

were carried out over the last 24 hours and 526 people tested positive. Six people died of the virus during the last 24 hours. The statistics provided by NCOC stated that 6,379 patients died of coronavirus.

A total of 1,000 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised and 96 of them are on ventilators across the country. There are a total of 735 hospitals for Covid-19 patients across the country.

It is pertinent to mention here that the global tally of coronavirus cases stands at 28,982,632, while 20,853,487 patients have recovered and 925,263 have died so far. The US, the worst-hit country, has 6,678,149 cases. It is followed by India, which has 4,764,784 cases, Brazil has

British airline issues flight schedule for Pakistan ISLAMABAD: Virgin Atlantic, a Crawley-based British airline, has announced that it will launch flights to Pakistan from December 10 in a bid to facilitate the Pakistani diaspora in the UK. The airline has announced three routes to Pakistan from the UK i.e. London-Lahore, London-Islamabad and Manchester-Islamabad.

According to a schedule, the UK airline will operate three flights from December 10 to December 13. The Crawley based British airline will operate the first flight on December 10 from Manchester to Islamabad. The airline will operate a second flight from London to Islamabad on December 12. The third flight will operate between London and Lahore on December 13. According to the spokesperson, the new services will boast Virgin Atlantic’s upper class, premium and economy light, classic and delight during the non-stop flights to and from the UK. TLTP

rruD, Bundle island projects to attract foreign investment: president KARACHI: President Dr Arif Alvi has said that Ravi Riverfront Urban Development (RRUD) and Bundle Island projects are very much attractive for foreign investment and various job opportunities will be produced by these projects. President Alvi said this while chairing a high-level meeting here at the Governor's House on Sunday. The president said that the government is determined to resolve the business community's issues on a priority basis. The federal government will continue its cooperation and collaboration for the betterment of Karachi and for promoting businesses, he said. The meeting was briefed about the projects of Ravi City and Bundle Island. During the meeting, the investors expressed their full satisfaction on the steps taken for the construction sectors by Prime Minister Imran Khan. Sindh Governor Imran Ismail was also present on the occasion along with Malik Riaz Hussain, Aqil Karim Dedhi, Arif Habib and Mahmood Moulvi.

Fawad Mukhtar of Fatima Group, Gauhar Ejaz of Lake City Holdings, Shahid Abdullah of Sapphire Company and Mian Mohammad Hasan of U.S Group besides Tariq Rafi, Ahmad Tabba and Nadeem Feroz also attended the meeting. STAFF RPEORT

Govt to take on mafias one by one: hammad LAHORE: Federal Minister for Industries and Production Muhammad Hammad Azhar has said that the government will take on all the mafias in the country one by one. Talking to the media on Sunday, the minister for industries and production said that the government is making concerted efforts to bring reforms in the state institutions. He said that all are equal before the law and the Coivd-19 patients at Kot Lakhpat Jail Lahore should be provided equal access to the treatment facilities. Hammad said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was given one-time permission to travel abroad only for his medical treatment. STAFF RPEORT

4,315,858 and Russia has 1,062,811 confirmed cases.

India's Covid-19 tally of cases sprinted past 4.7 million with 94,372 new infections being reported in a day, while 37,02,595 people have recuperated taking the national recovery rate to 77.88 per cent on Sunday, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

The total coronavirus cases mounted to 47,54,356, while the death toll climbed to 78,586 with 1,114 people succumbing to the infection in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8:00am showed.

The Covid-19 case fatality rate due to the coronavirus infection has further dropped to 1.65 per cent. There are

973,175 active cases of Covid-19 in the country which comprises 20.47 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

SURGE WITNESSED IN BALOCHISTAN: The Balochistan government’s spokesman Liaquat Shahwani has said that a surge has been witnessed in novel coronavirus cases in the province.

Talking to media persons on Sunday, the government spokesperson said that preparations have been finalised for opening the schools on September 15 in Balochistan.

Shahwani said that a committee has been formed to monitor enforcement of standard operating procedures (SOPs).

He appealed to the people to follow the SOPs strictly to avoid infection. He said that regular tests will be conducted after the opening of the academic institutions.

The prime minister, in his recent visit of Quetta, lauded the performance of the chief minister of Balochistan, he said. “We are determined for development of the province despite limited resources,” Shahwani said.

Hamza tests positive for coronavirus: Shehbaz LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president and Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Hamza Shahbaz has contracted Covid-19 in the prison, his father National Assembly Opposition Leader Shahbaz Sharif said on Sunday.

Hamza has been in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) since June last year. The agency is investigating two different cases against him regarding money laundering and holding assets beyond means.

Shehbaz, through a tweet, said that his son, after facing cases during the Pervez Musharraf’s tenure, was now “bravely fighting political victimisation by the NAB-Niazi nexus”. He asked people to pray for his son’s recovery.

Reacting to his tweet, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Shahzad Akbar reminded Shahbaz that his son was “not in jail because of a

political crime but for laundering billions”.

“Hamza’s appeal has been rejected by the high court.

Do you [Shehbaz] want that he be sent to London like your brother?” asked Akbar, referring to PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.

Meanwhile, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb demanded that Hamza be immediately shifted from Kot Lakhpat jail to a hospital. According to her, Hamza has had a high fever for the last three days and his condition could worsen.

PUNJAB GOVT REJECTS PLEA TO SHIFT TO HOSPITAL: The Punjab government on Sunday rejected Hamza’s plea to shift him to Ittefaq Hospital, Lahore.

Reportedly, the provincial home department rejected the plea of the PML-N leader which he conveyed to the department along with a copy of his Covid-19 test results.

Reportedly he was currently being provided all the needed medical facilities within the prison and would be shifted to the hospital if required.

PIA operations to UK, Europe to restore soon, hopes Zakaria ISLAMABAD TLTP

Commending the role of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and its entire team in the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis in the United Kingdom, Pakistani High Commissioner Nafees Zakaria has said that the national flag carrier showed exemplary performance amid Covid-19 pandemic. The Pakistani high commissioner to the UK said this during a meeting with PIA’s sales incharge Muhammad Feroz Ahmed in London, said a press statement issued on Sunday.

Zakaria said that they will remove the concerns of the European Union soon, hoping that PIA flight operation to

the UK and Europe will be restored.

He said, “I wish to place on record my profound appreciation for Muhammad Feroz Ahmed, PIA London’s sales incharge, for his selfless performance in the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis in the UK due to Covid-19 during March to June 2020.”

He maintained that they received very sincere and warm cooperation from Feroz, a team member under the country manager, Taimur. Feroz remained available during odd hours, which greatly helped in maximum facilitation to the stranded Pakistanis, he added.

The high commissioner said, “I am sure PIA must be taking pride in such officials as Feroz. I want to thank Feroz and wish him success in his professional life.”

3 more cases of sexual assault on minors in 24 hours FAISLABAD: In the last 24 hours, three more cases of rape invovling children have been filed in the past 24 hours in different police stations in Faislabad. According to City Tandianwala police station’s first information report (FIR), a fouryear-old had gone out to buy candy from a nearby shop when a man assaulted her. The victim’s parents and some other residents had started looking for her when she did not return home. The parents heard their daughter screaming and discovered a man trying to assault her in a baithak, the FIR states. Furthermore, two unknown men came and threatened the parents against reporting the incident when they tried to rescue her. The victim’s mother was also abused and beaten in this incident. A resident had gotten up for prayers in the morning when he heard his daughter screaming, and saw a man trying to rape his 15-year-old daughter in the fields. She had gone into the fields to relieve herself when a man tried to rape her and escaped when her father came. Another incident took place on August 31 in New Civil Lines, where a shopkeeper was trying to rape a nineyear-old boy and was found by two residents who heard the victim screaming. The child had gone to the shop to buy biscuits, the FIR stated.

The victim’s father had submitted a complaint on the day of the incident, but the police lodged the FIR today. The country has been shocked after the motorway incident in which a woman was gang-raped on the motorway while travelling with her children. STAFF REPORT

naB recovers rs363bn in two years: Javed iqbal ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal on Sunday said that bringing cases of white-collar crimes and mega corruption cases to a conclusion is among top priorities. He said that the accountability watchdog received 53,643 complaints during the year 2019 and successfully resolved 42,760 of them. “In 2018, we received 48,591 complaints and addressed all of them,” the NAB chairman said, adding that the rise in complaints depicts confidence of the masses on the accountability watchdog. He said that 1,308 complaints, 1,686 inquiries, and 609 investigations were resolved during the past year.

“We have recovered Rs363 billion during the last two years and submitted them to the national exchequer,” Iqbal said. The NAB chairman further said that the conviction rate in NAB cases currently stood at 68.8 percent and since its formation, the accountability watchdog has recovered the looted amount of Rs 466.069 billion. He said that they had devised a system of a joint investigation team besides also setting up a forensic science lab in Rawalpindi to expedite the into the cases. The lab has the facility of digital forensics, assessment of the authenticity of documents, and fingerprints verification process, he said. He further said that an MoU was also signed with China from the perspective of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project aimed at learning from the expertise of both sides in dealing with corrupt practices. TLTP

Fazl, Shujaat discuss political situation ISLAMABAD TLTP

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday called on Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain. When asked regarding his visit, Fazl said that he had come to inquire after the health of the PML-Q leader.

The JUI-F chief refused to respond to a query regarding the chances of success for the opposition-led All Parties Conference (APC) on September 20. “I am here to inquire after the health of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain,” he said.

It emerged that the two leaders discussed matters pertaining to the overall political situation and other issues of mutual interest during the meeting.

It is pertinent to mention here that opposition parties have decided to summon a meeting of the much-awaited

All Parties Conference on September 20 a day after Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif met Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari during his visit to Karachi.

However, Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhry on the other side criticised Fazl, saying he is pursuing his own dreams while PML-N is making some other plans.

PML-N will definitely pay the price if Nawaz Sharif rejects to return to the country, he said adding that the party is incapable of playing a major role as the opposition party Fawad said that nobody knew clearly who is running the political affairs of PML-N. The political party would regain its reputation after finalising its actual leadership, whereas, it could also take a firm stand on decisions, he added.

Monday, 14 September, 2020

NEWS

yet anotheR building collapse kills two, injuRes seveRal in kaRachi KARACHI

a

STAFF REPORT

T least two people died and several others injured when a multi-storey residential building in Karachi’s Lyari neighbourhood collapsed early Sunday morning, rescue officials said.

According to police, several residents are trapped under the debris and rescue operation is ongoing.

The injured residents as well as the deceased were taken to the Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi.

Speaking on the collapse of the building, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail called for fixing responsibility for the ca-

pakistan committed to afghan peace: khattak NOWSHERA: Defence Minister Pervez Khattak has said that Pakistan is committed to bringing peace in Afghanistan. Addressing a public gathering here on Sunday, the defence minister termed resumption of intra-Afghan dialogue a good sign for the region. He said that peace in Afghanistan is vital for the prosperity of Pakistan. He said that intra-Afghan dialogue is a victory of Prime Minister Imran Khan's stance who had said that a political settlement is the only solution to the long-standing Afghan issue and there is no military solution to the Afghan conflict. Speaking about the national issues, Khattak said that the corrupt and the looters of national wealth will be held accountable. He said that the prime minister will neither compromise on the matter of accountability nor give NRO to the opposition. He said that the country has come out of the financial crisis and now the government has focused provision of relief to the people.

Khattak said that the government under the leadership of PM Imran will honour all pledges made with the people. STAFF REPORT

sualties and damages.

President of PTI Karachi chapter and member Sindh Assembly Khurram Sher Zaman termed the incident “saddening” and called for speeding up of the rescue operation. Officers of the SBCA who have shown carelessness should be arrested, he said, adding that the authority had become an ATM for the Sindh government.

“The Sindh government should be ashamed of the frequent incidents resulting in the loss of lives,” he said.

Zaman also directed volunteers of the Tiger Force to help with rescue work.

In a similar incident two days ago, a multi-storey residential building had collapsed in the Korangi area, killing two people while injuring eight.

FO summons Indian diplomat after cross-border fire kills minor girl RAWALPINDI STAFF REPORT

The Foreign Office (FO) on Sunday summoned India’s Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia after a minor girl was killed and four people were injured in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) in the unprovoked firing of Indian troops who targetted civilian-populated neighbourhoods along the Line of Control (LoC).

According to an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement, the violation of the ceasefire agreement occurred in the Hotspring and Rakhchikri sectors where the Indian troops opened heavy fire and shelled mortars at forward areas along the de facto border.

During the fire, the 11-year-old girl from village Dera Sahib Zadian lost her life, the statement said, adding that the injured included a 75-year-old woman.

According to an FO press release, the Indian forces have been “targeting civilian populated areas with

artillery fire, heavy-calibre mortars and automatic weapons” along the LoC and the Working Boundary.

This year, the Indian side has committed 2,225 ceasefire violations, in which 18 people have died and at least 176 civilians have been injured, FO said.

The FO emphasised that such “senseless acts” were a violation of the 2003 ceasefire understanding as well as “humanitarian norms and professional military conduct”.

“These egregious violations of international law reflect consistent Indian attempts to escalate the situation along the LoC and are a threat to regional peace and security,” the press release read. It further stated that the violations “cannot divert attention from the grave human situation” in Indian occupied Kashmir.

The FO called upon the Indian side to investigate the recent, as well as previous, incidents of ceasefire violations. It also stressed that the Indian forces must maintain peace along the LoC and Working Boundary.

Govt, Opp trade barbs over Kashmir policy

ecosoc assures pacific island states of help to respond economic challenges

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Ambassador Munir Akram, in his capacity as the president of United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), has told envoys from the Pacific Small Island Developing States that he will use the 54-member body to help small Island nations respond to the double blows of the coronavirus pandemic and climate change. In a virtual meeting, the ambassadors of Pacific Small Island Developing States briefed him about the region's serious economic problems that have also impacted the key tourism sector of the scenic islands, said a press statement.

Fiji's UN Ambassador Satyendra Prasad, led the group of 14 countries to the meeting. In this regard, Ambassador Akram cited Prime Minister Imran Khan's debt relief initiative which is currently under intensive discussion at international level. TLTP

Heated words were exchanged between the government and the opposition on Sunday over the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) handling of the current Kashmir policy, with the opposition questioning whether the government had “struck a deal” over the disputed territory.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal, criticised the incumbent government and said that there have been “weak and strong” governments, but never before has India attempted to change the status of Kashmir.

“Why did this happen in Imran Niazi’s [tenure]? Does the ‘new Pakistan’ seem weak to India or has the leadership struck a deal over Kashmir?” Iqbal asked.

Iqbal lambasted the PTI earlier during a press conference for its governance and added that the opposition would introduce a plan on September 20 to remove the government. In regards to the recent motorway incident, the PML-N leader added that the government was “raising its finger” at the people and not the culprits.

“The government allowed the suspects to flee after leaking their identities,” Iqbal said, adding that the primary suspect was at large as a result of their incompetence.

He said that the government only conducts meetings to exact revenge, adding that the people were denouncing the Lahore capital city police officer’s (CCPO) statement, but PM Imran had yet to even tweeted about it.

Iqbal also spoke about the high turnover rate in government posi-

tions under the PTI government.

“Even a school teacher is not changed in the frequency or manner that [the Punjab government] has transferred inspector generals,” he said.

“Officers holding important administrative positions are being transferred like Naib Qasids,” Iqbal added, remarking that Buzdar was as inadequate as Imran.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill responded to aforesaid statements on Kashmir, arguing that the PML-N had always had “dealings with India at the expense of Kashmir”.

“Why would India need to work up a nerve to respond to those who did not even appoint a foreign minister to counter India’s lobbying?” he asked.

03

Renowned scholaR allama dR ZameeR akhtaR naqvi passes away KARACHI: Renowned religious scholar Allama Dr Syed Zameer Akhtar Naqvi passed away at the age of 76 on Sunday. He was shifted to a private hospital in Karachi after suffering from a heart attack late on Saturday. His funeral prayer was offered at Ancholi Imambargah after the Maghrib prayers. Allama Dr Syed Zameer Akhtar Naqvi was born in the Indian city of Lucknow on March 24, 1944. He had a PhD from the University of Karachi. A khatib and poet, he wrote dozens of books, including on poetry and elegy, as well as a two-volume biography on Hazrat Qasim ibn Hassan (AS). His book, Meraj Khattabat, consists of five volumes. He also wrote and spoke extensively about the events of Karbala. The religious scholar was also known across Pakistan and the world for lectures on science, history, and philosophy. Sindh Governor Imran Ismail expressed sadness over the popular scholar’s demise, his spokesperson said, adding that he prayed for Allama Dr Syed Zameer Akhtar Naqvi’s forgiveness and elevation of ranks. “May God grant patience to his bereaved family,” Ismail said. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, expressing profound grief over the sudden demise of the prominent scholar, said that he worked for sectarian harmony. He always talked about humanity and their rights, he added. The chief minister prayed for the departed soul that may Allah rest him in eternal peace and grant courage to the aggrieved family to bear this irreparable loss. NEWS DESK

dialogue a new dawn for war-torn afghan people: Faraz ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Senator Shibli Faraz has said that the commencement of the intra-Afghan dialogue is a historical milestone and a new dawn for the war-torn Afghan people. In a tweet on Sunday, the information minister said that this initiative is a victory of Prime Minister Imran Khan's stance that a political settlement is the only solution to the long-standing Afghan issue. 20 years ago, PM Imran said that there is no military solution to the Afghan conflict, he stated and prayed for the prosperity and development of the people of Afghanistan.

Historic peace talks opened between the Taliban and the Afghan government on Saturday, with the warring parties meeting face to face in Qatar even as violence continued on the ground in Afghanistan. Abdullah Abdullah, the former chief executive for Afghanistan who is heading the peace process for Kabul, had called for an immediate ceasefire and highlighted the ongoing toll of the war, saying 12,000 civilians have been killed and another 15,000 wounded since the US and the Taliban signed a deal in February. “We have to use this exceptional opportunity for peace,” Abdullah had said at the talks’ opening ceremony in Doha. “We have to stop violence and agree on a ceasefire as soon as possible. We want a humanitarian ceasefire.” Abdullah was joined at the opening ceremony by Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Kashmir is a tinderbox ready to go off, say speakers ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The future of Kashmir cannot be determined

by India unilaterally, stated international lawmakers from EU and UK, and affirmed the right of the Kashmiri people as principal stakeholders of the conflict.

The United Nations General Assembly’s (UNGA) 75th session scheduled to take place in days; and lawmakers, thought leaders, diplomats and journalists from the EU, UK, India, Pakistan, and India Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) agreed that the international community must know how Kashmir has become extremely restive since August 5 last year.

This was stated at Jinnah Institute’s webinar titled ‘The Future of Kashmir: A Test for Global Multilateralism and Regional Peace’ on September 12, 2020. The session was chaired by Senator Sherry Rehman, the President of Jinnah Institute, and the participants included UK Member of Parliament (MP) Andrew Gwynne, a senior journalist from IOK, Iftikhar Gilani, Member of European Parliament (MEP) Michael Gahler, former Pakistan ambassador to the US and EU Tariq Fatemi, Indian columnist and former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician Sudheendra Kulkarni, former MEP Julie Ward

and IOK-based professor Dr Siddiq Wahid.

Senator Sherry Rehman said that Kashmir is the oldest issue on the agenda of the UN, and must not be forgotten, or treated as an inconvenient regional issue that can be airbrushed away by the international community. Both as a strategic issue, and an international dispute that lies at the faultline between two nuclear countries that have gone to war over Kashmir, the matter cannot be pushed aside or treated as an internal issue of India, especially after the brutal unilateralism that New Delhi has shown.

The fact that India refuses to talk about it with Pakistan, and would allow the Kashmiri people to decide their future is in itself a grave repudiation of fundamental rights and puts at risk not just the Kashmiri people who have been subject to a cascade of draconian laws in IOK that strip them of any justice or rights but also puts the future of South Asia in jeopardy, he said.

AJK President Sardar Masood Khan observed that the future of Kashmiri people was bleak if the international community does not intervene, urging the UK and EU parliaments to focus on the IOK situation before it was too late. President Khan stated that the situation on the ground is nothing better than a foreign occupation whose driving force is a fascist Hindutva agenda. The

BJP is steering demographic change in a bid to manipulate voter turnout in its favour, and any claims about Pakistan supporting the current freedom are categorically false; they are attempts to obfuscate the indigenous nature of the uprising, he added.

He proposed a move to resolve the Kashmir issue by starting an international rights movement that reached out to Indian civil society, politicians and international partners.

British MP Andrew Gwynne from the Labour Party agreed that the Kashmir needed an international focus and identified the need to re-educate UK citizens on the issue. He saw that Britain was responsible for how it left Kashmir unresolved at the time of partition and added that his country had a positive role to play as a member of the UN Security Council (UNSC). “The world cannot afford two nuclear states to enter into a conflict,” MP Gwynne stated during the webinar.

MP James Daly from the Conservative Party highlighted the significance of recognising oppressed Kashmiris’ inalienable right of self-determination. He recounted his visit to AJK in February 2020 along with other lawmakers, where his delegation was given free access to interact with citizens at all levels, to ascertain the situation on the

ground. “We were treated with complete openness…unfortunately, our group was not let into India, and we were not able to speak with the Indian government in a free and open manner,” he stated.

Veteran Kashmiri journalist Iftikhar Gilani saw that Kashmiri history, culture and language is being erased by the BJP’s Hindutva onslaught against the Muslim majority state. He stated that the economy and local industry has suffered immensely because of the prolonged lockdown and connectivity breakdowns, leading to socio-economic hardship on top of grave human rights violations.

Indian attempts to paint the indigenous freedom movement with the broad brush of militancy and terming it foreign-funded was a clear deflection of rights violations, he emphasized, adding that Kashmir was a tinderbox that could “go off at any time”.

Ambassador Tariq Fatemi highlighted that India had reneged on UNSC resolutions and bilateral commitments with Pakistan in abrogating Article 370. The political and military leaders across Pakistan had offered to resolve the Kashmir challenge, but India had “unleashed terror and genocide” in the restive region. The former special assistant to prime minister on Foreign Affairs saw clear advantages in dialogue and economic interdependence, but this understanding had been

missing on the Indian side, he explained, and resolving issues like Kashmir was difficult without a commonality of interests.

Former BJP politician Sudheendra Kulkarni believed that the bitter relationship between Pakistan and India was a remnant of the partition and its aftermath. The abrogation of Article 370 was unconstitutional and unjust and had transformed the Kashmir issue to one now involving three states; Pakistan, China and India.

“The abrogation is a wrong, and one that has to be rectified. Interdependence in the region would help find a solution,” he stated.

German MP Michael Gahler stated that India and Pakistan’s acrimonious past cannot be changed, but to proceed ahead and formulate ways of resolving the challenge, there is need for neutral observers to collect information and report to the international community. Unfortunately, UN agencies have limited access on the Indian side, but it is also unproductive that Indian and Pakistan regurgitate age-old postures “via loudspeaker” at each other. Transparency should be built into the process to enable a degree of confidence among neutral observers. Also, a people-centric approach should be adopted so the affectees of conflict can become the primary beneficiaries of international support.

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Monday, 14 September, 2020

NEWS

PunjAB STudEnTS, TEAchErS nOT rEquIrEd TO BrIng cOvId-19 TEST rEPOrTS LAHORE

T

STAFF REPORT

HE healthcare department of Punjab said on Sunday that there is no requirement for students or teachers to bring reports of their Covid19 test.

In a clarification letter to the relevant institutions, Primary & Secondary Health Care Department (P&SHD) Secretary Captain (r) Muhammad Usman Younis said the government of Punjab did not lay down any prerequisite for teachers or students to bring their coronavirus test reports.

The tests would, however, be carried out by the provincial government itself once the education institutes reopened, Younis added, noting that a comprehensive strategy has already been developed for testing in schools, colleges, and universities.

Moreover, a random sampling would

be done once in a fortnight from every educational institute located in districts marked as high risk for the deadly coronavirus, he noted.

The secretary further underlined that there was no requirement for any tests, except random sampling, at the official level.

No educational institute has the authority to request coronavirus test reports from teachers or students, he said, adding that it is only for the government to do so.

School, colleges and universities are reopening from Tuesday. The schools were closed in March last to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The government had decided to resume educational activities from September 15 after virus cases recorded a steady decline in the country during the past few weeks. The health authorities have issued safety measures for the management of educational institutions and students to be followed during classes.

Kabul, Tokyo appreciate Islamabad's role in Afghan peace process ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

APP

Afghan Acting Foreign Minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar has appreciated Pakistan’s support for lasting peace in Afghanistan. In a tweet on Sunday, Mohammed Haneef Atmar fully shared the view of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and the Foreign Office of Pakistan that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan will bring new opportunities for progress and prosperity of not only Afghanistan but also the region. Meanwhile, Japan’s Ambassador to Pakistan Matsuda Kuninori has commended Pakistan’s contributions to the Afghan peace process, including facilitating the US-Taliban Agreement. In a statement, the Japanese ambassador expressed the hope that the negotiations would make steady and constructive progress in order to realise an Afghan-led durable and comprehensive peace in the region.

Family accuses police of ‘extra-judicial murder’ of youth

ISLAMABAD: The Motorway Police arrested five people on Sunday for harassing a female rider on the Murree Expressway. Motorway Police said that a woman lodged a complaint against a group of young men that was harassing her by chasing her vehicle. The police responding to the complaint immediately and arrested the group near Zafar More on Murree Expressway. The detained youth were being investigated and will be dealt with accordingly, Motorway Police said. INP

Inter-provincial car lifter gang busted, six cars recovered

Govt to ensure minimum wage in any circumstances: Shaukat PESHAWAR Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Minister for Labour and Culture, Shaukat Ali Yousafzai has said that minimum monthly wage of Rs17,500 as fixed by the government for labourers would be ensured in any circumstances.

He expressed these views while addressing the oath taking ceremony of Insaf Welfare Organisation in Haripur, said a news release issued on Sunday.

The minister also ruled out any compromise on the standard of education in Focus Grammar Schools established for imparting quality education to the children of labourers.

He termed workers as a big asset of the country and expressed the resolve of the government to take steps for bringing improvement in the working conditions of labourers.

He said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, the provincial government was making all-out efforts to provide better and conducive environment to labourers. Shaukat Ali Yousafzai said that millions of rupees were being spent on the schools established for imparting quality education to the children of labourers and hinted at the introduction of the policy of punishment and reward in that schools. He said that an independent and impartial monitoring unit would also be estab-

TLTP

SOPs issued as wedding halls, marquees gear up to reopen after six months PESHAWAR APP

While the marriage halls and marquees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) gear up to resume holding of functions from Sept 15, the provincial government on Sunday issued standard operating procedures (SOPs), making it mandatory for couples to wear face masks during the function. According to the instructions outline for the business, the guests will not be allowed to enter the premises without wearing masks, a step taken to control the potential spread of the coronavirus. In addition, the employees of such businesses have also been directed to wear masks during work hours. The government has also directed the wedding halls owners to reduce the seating capacity to half. A hall with 200 seats is asked to only allow seating for 100 people. According to the instructions, sanitation is made mandatory in the restrooms.

lished for their supervision.

The minister said the registration of labourers with Employees Social Security Institute (ESSI) and Employees Old-Age Benefit Institute (EOBI) were big challenges but, the implementation would also be ensured in any circumstances.

He said that KP was naturally providing better environment for investment and it would be the largest beneficiary of peace in Afghanistan.

He said that the recent developments speak that Afghan issue was moving towards resolution.

The minister said that Pakistan was highly hopeful regarding restoration of peace in Afghanistan and fully supporting the peace process.

Sindh LG polls to be held after delimitation: Murad

KARACHI Family of a young man, Faisal Abro, on Sunday accused police of ‘extra-judicial murder’ of the Karachi youth over suspicion of running a drug cartel. The family claimed Faisal’s innocence, saying the police officials mistook him for a suspected drug dealer Sartaj alias Taju. They termed the police action as ‘extrajudicial murder’. According to details, a police team took the young man into custody from a local mosque in Sohrab Goth area of the port city during Friday prayers. Faisal kept telling police officials that he was not Sartaj alias Taju when taken into custody; however, the raiding team shot bullets in his head, claimed the family, adding that the deceased had got married just a couple of months ago. Karachi police, on the other hand, informed the media that Faisal and Sartaj were the same person wanted in 12 criminal cases.

His brothers including Amir and Abdul Ghaffar were also drug dealers, they maintained. However, the family has denied the charges, saying that none of Faisal's brothers is named Amir.

Five held for harassing car rider woman on Murree Expressway

NEWS DESK Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that local government (LG) elections would be held after delimitation in the province. Talking to media persons on Sunday, the chief minister said that delimitation will be

held after census results are approved. He further said that local government elections will be held within 120 days after the delimitation as per rules. The process of delimitation under the law, could be initiated after approval of the census results by the Council of Common Interest (CCI), Shah said, adding that the local councils elections could not be held under the population census of 1998.

The chief minister condemned the Lahore motorway incident. He also visited the grave of his father Syed Abdullah Shah and offered Fateha. It is pertinent to mention here that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had recently said that local government elections in Sindh could not take place until a final notification of the population census carried out in 2017 is issued. PPP Sindh President Nisar Khuhro talking to the media after attending a meeting of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on local government elections had said the commission was informed that even carrying out delimitation of constituencies before publication of the final report of the census was unlawful.

ISLAMABAD: Anti-Car Lifting Cell (ACLC) of Islamabad Police has busted an inter-provincial car lifters gang and recovered six stolen cars worth more than Rs10 million from it. Following the directives of IGP Islamabad Muhammad Aamir Zulfiqar to curb car theft incidents, DIG (Operations) Waqar Uddin Syed constituted special teams under supervision of SP (Investigation) Malik Naeem Iqbal. A team headed by DSP CIA Hakim Khan including In-Charge ACLC Sub-Inspector Liaqat Ali, Sub-Inspector Sarfraz Ahmed, ASIs Muhammad Sharif, Muhammad Ashraf, Head Constable Shahzad, Constable Qamer Sajjad and others succeeded to bust a notorious gang of car lifters. The police team nabbed three gangsters identified as Zahid Shah alias Zahdoo s/o Abdul Slam resident of District Mardan, Ibrhaim Shah s/o Saleem Shah resident of Badaber District Peshawar and Tariq s/o Baksh resident of Charsadda Road District Peshawar. They confessed during preliminary investigation to lift cars from twin cities of Islamabad ad Rawalpindi as well as other districts of Punjab and later selling them in various areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. DIG (Operations) Waqar Uddin Syed has appreciated his overall performance of ACLC police team and announced cash prize and commendation certificates for the team members. He has further directed to continue crackdown against car lifter as car theft rate has declined in Capital due to hard work of Islamabad police. INP

Low level flood recorded at Kotri Barrage HYDERABAD: A low-level flood has been recorded at the Kotri Barrage, which is the last engineering structure on the Indus river before the sea. According to the Sindh Irrigation Department, 254,227 cusecs flow was recorded upstream of the barrage on Sunday. Similarly, 244,447 cusecs of water was released in the downstream of the barrage towards the sea.

The irrigation authorities released 4,100 cusecs in KB Feeder Canal, 2,350 cusecs in Pinyari canal, 2,230 cusecs in Akram canal and 1,400 cusecs in Phuleli canal. The irrigation officials said the low-level flood posed no threat to the river embankments protecting Hyderabad and Jamshoro districts. In 2010, more than 1.1 million cusecs of super flood passed through the barrage. APP

Rooting out corruption vital to strengthen country economically: Punjab governor LAHORE INP

Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar has said that the opposition may fulfill their desire of holding protests but it will be of no use except wastage of time. He said that rooting out corruption is necessary to strengthen the country economically and there shall be no compromise on accountability without discrimination.

Talking to the media in a ceremony held in Gaddafi Stadium Lahore with members of the business community including Syed Azmat Ali Shah and Malik Amjad on Sunday, he said that the victim of Motorway incident is the daughter of the nation and Punjab government will utilise all resources to deliver justice to the victim. He said that exemplary punishment will be given to the culprits in-

volved in this crime.

Responding to a question, the governor said that ever since the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government assumed power, the opposition is saying

that we will not complete our term but the opposition will only have to face disappointment as we have public support with us. He said that the opposition parties cannot influence the process of transpar-

ent accountability with threats of protests and sit-ins. Our government fully supports accountability and there shall be no compromise on this at any cost, he noted.

Sarwar said that the opposition may protest if they want to but Prime Minister Imran Khan will complete five-year mandate given by the public.

General elections will take place on time and our government will continue to move forward with successful economic policies which are being validated by the international organisations, he added.

Earlier, addressing the ceremony, the governor said that under the leadership of PM Imran, the government has saved Pakistan from economic bankruptcy.

Pakistan’s economy suffered due to coronavirus but our government supported millions of distressed families through Ehsaas Programme, he added.

He said that the world is praising the smart lockdown policy of PM Imran and the countries of the world are replicating our policy to control the spread of coronavirus. Pakistan’s global image is improving and we are making progress on every front, he added.

Monday, 14 September, 2020

NEWS

05

Kaghan DeveloPment authorIty banS trout FIShIng at tourISt DeStInatIonS For two yearS ISLaMaBad

a

Aziz BUNeRi

FTER the ban in tourist visit destinations across the country was lifted and tourists flocked to various tourist spots in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the sale and purchase of trout fish in cold areas has also increased.

But now Kaghan Development Authority has banned the sale and purchase trout for two years which has put the hotel and the restaurants owners to face millions of loss. The owners said that they have invested billions of rupees but now they are unable earn from their investment.

The owners said that hotel and tourism industry has faced huge loss due to the coronavirus pandemic and

have already suffered a loss of crores of rupees at the tourist destinations. Now that the government has announced to open the tourist destinations, and the industries were in the way to recover the loss, the businessmen complained that the management started creating more problems instead of giving relief to the industry.

Hotel owners added that the provincial government should immediately reverse the decision of the Kaghan Development Authority as the industry has recently started revival after month of coronavirus lockdown.

The hotel owners said people here have invested billions in hotel industry, fish industry and related sectors. “If the government cannot provide relief to business people in tourist destinations, then at least avoid adding to the difficulties for them,” the owners said.

Dr. Aimal Zaman, Chairman, Kaghan Development

Authority, told the media that the local trout are becoming extinct due to relentless hunting, so we want to make it safe and introduce it as a ‘sports trophy fishing.’ “As the number of trout increases, we’ll be able to host trophy fishing at the tourist destination,” Zaman said. He said there are people in Canada and Scotland who pay a lot of money for trophy hunting, who would be attracted to the area by offering good facilities.

Hotel owners complained that due to the ban, trout fish is not available and now they can't provide desi trout to the customers, so they’re giving farm trout. However, there is high demand of tourists for desi trout, which the local administration has banned. The ban on trout fish has affected the business of hotels and restaurants, selling fresh trout from the lakes and the river Kunhar in Besar and Naran.

Govt barred from collecting GIDC from two firms MONITORING REPORT The Sindh High Court (SHC) has barred the government from collecting billions of rupees in Gas Infrastructure Development Cess’s (GIDC) dues from fertiliser manufacturing units set up on guaranteed gas supply at a fixed price for two decades.

In its stay order dated September 10, the court stated, “Till the next date of hearing, defendants are restrained to take any coercive action against the plaintiff on collecting GIDC on feed stock gas (raw material for fertiliser making) supply to the plaintiff under the Gas Sale Purchase Agreement dated April 11, 2007.”

The next hearing is schedule on September 29.

In this regard, a leading analyst ex-

plained that two fertiliser making units including Engro Enven and Fatima Fertiliser were set up on guaranteed supply of feed stock gas at a fixed price of $0.7 per mmbtu while other fertiliser manufacturers, among which Engro’s old manufacturing unit was also listed, are subject to pay GIDC dues.

Owing to this, they are holding talks with the government to push for an extended time period of 10 years instead of the current time frame of two years.

The government has estimated to recover Rs180.3 billion from fertiliser manufacturers on account of GIDC, which they had collected from farmers through sales of fertilisers in the past but did not pay to the government.

“Since the defendants have given a

sovereign guarantee that they would not impose any fee on the fixed price of $0.77 per mmbtu for feed stock gas supplied under the Fertiliser Policy 2001 and Gas Sale Purchase Agreement dated April 11, 2007, GIDC cannot be imposed on or collected from the plaintiff on the supply of this gas, which is inclusive of all duties, taxes and fees they cannot be asked to pay anything over and above this amount and any claim exceeding this amount is illegal and unlawful,” fertiliser manufacturers’ counsel submitted before SHC. The fertiliser manufacturer’s counsel has challenged the imposition of GIDC on the gas supplied to it by the government under the fixed price gas sale and purchase agreement. He contended that the government in order to encourage in-

vestment in new fertiliser plants announced the Fertiliser Policy 2001 in which it guaranteed that feed stock gas (which is a raw material) to new plants would be provided at a fixed price of $1.70 per mmbtu, inclusive of all taxes, fees, etc.

He further contended that on the basis of the 2001 policy, the federal government floated an international tender in 2006 to allocate 100mmcfd of gas for a period of 20 years at a fixed price specified in the Policy 2001 for establishing a new fertiliser plant.

“Plaintiff won the tender and entered into a GSPA…and has invested over $1.1 billion (by Engro Enven) to establish a state-of-the-art fertiliser plant,” counsel contended before the court.

Always Ready, Always Alert adNaN NaqvI As a kid I remember September being a month where most of the students head back to school after a long summer break. Being used to all the fun and the relaxed schedule, everyone finds it very tough and depressing to get into the school routine. There is dullness and lack of excitement all around. But then comes 6th of September which we as a Pakistani nation celebrate as the Defence and Martyrs’ day commemorating the sacrifices and the awesome display of valour of the Pakistan armed forces. This day primarily focuses on the War of 1965, where an offence from the Indian army much larger in size and capability was spectacularly humbled by our men in uniform. It is a proud moment in our history which is relived each year in the media through intriguing documentaries and heart touching biopics of the greatest martyrs of our armed forces. And then there is this exclusive list of patriotic songs that are played all day, instilling more love and pride for our brave men in our hearts. This sense of pride goes a long way in lifting our spirits, the excitement comes back and heading back to school does not feel like an ordeal anymore.

One such song that always used to resonate in my mind was this song of the late 1970s called “Har Ghari Tayar” sung by Khalid Waleed. The lyrics by Zafar Ullah Poshni encompasses the role of the Pakistan armed forces in its entirety. The basic theme of the song is that our armed forces are always up on their toes. Regardless of any situation, they are up for the challenge without any hassle. The video was pretty well made for its time and follows the lyrics well, showing the different training routines of the men in uniform. The armour, the weapons and the missiles shows the preparedness of our armed forces for any anticipated incursions. In the final part of the song one of the most critical peacetime roles of the army is mentioned, being always

called up to help the local authorities to handle the fall out of any natural calamity or disaster. They excel in helping their own people at the time when the people need it the most. It is one of the main reasons why a vast majority of the Pakistani people genuinely love and respect this great institution.

Fast forward to the year 2020. Now I am no longer a student, but my kids are. With the never-ending pandemic saga, it is definitely an year which has drastically drained us emotionally. September is here and we are more stressed than ever with the kids going back to school in a world full of unknowns. And then comes the 6th of September with a bang. A song with the title, “Har Ghari Tayyar Kamran”, a remake of one of my favorite patriotic songs, is released. A song full of passion, energy and patriotism. Just the perfect antidote to all the gloom that has surrounded us for the past so many months. The renowned music maestro, Ali Hamza (Noori) has put his heart and soul into this song, giving a contemporary spin to its composition. The energy infused by the vocals from the top melody voices; Ali Hamza, Ali Azmat, Asim Azhar and Ali Noor just gives you one goosebump after the other. Ali Hamza, with his unique creativity, has composed a first of its kind blend of modern techno music and the military instruments of the Army School of Music that just pumps up your adrenaline to its highest level. The video begins with the shot of the passing out parade that is the first and foremost milestone in the career of an army officer.

The singers then appear showing all their energy and the passion they have put into this song.

The next part of the video emphasizes the fact that as time has progressed, the dynamics of our region have evolved, the role of our armed forces has evolved as well.

The conventional forms of confrontation have given way to more complex covert tactics where the enemy is not obvious yet is still quite capable of inflicting a lot of dam-

How to improve law and order City Notes M A NiAzi Was the Punjab IGP changed to ensure obedience, or to improve the law-and-order situation? If the latter, it was not particularly effective, for there was the gang-rape on the motorway, which the federal Motorway Police declared was out of their jurisdiction. While Prime Minister Imran Khan was thus absolved of all responsibility, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar was not, because it seems that that part of the motorway had not been handed to the Motorway Police. The Punjab Highway Police has started patrolling the area.

So the incident falls in the jurisdiction of the Gujjarpura police station, which has duly

registerted the case. One prong of the investigation is modern: samples have been sent to the Punjab Forensic Labs for testing.

Meanwhile, the police is applying more traditional methods, but which have stood the test of time. They have arrested everyone in sight, and are probably beating them all to within an inch of their life until one confesses. Not all are guilty. The rest will be duly released, but only after their relatives have paid a fee for the copper’s kharcha paani (expenses for water).

Some susects have been identified, by matching DNA, and possessing stolen ATM cards, but nothing beats a confessional statement made before a magistrate under Section 144, freely given and without duress, where the prisoner says whatever he has been told to. What is needed is an IGP of the old school,

age. In the last two decades our country has beared the brunt of the global war on terrorism. It has left deep scars on our society. This is well depicted in the fresh lyrics of the song and the perfectly shot visuals. It pays a tribute to all the military and civil personnel that we lost in the fight against terrorism and delivers a strong message that all these sacrifices have not gone in vain and we are emerging out of these dark clouds much stronger and resilient. The expression of the Pakistani Ranger depicts this resilience in the most emphatic way.

The highlight of the video is when they show lady cadets training on the Burma bridge the same way they showed the army men in the old video. It goes to show the transition that our armed forces have gone through over the years where the role of females has extended from just being part of the medical core, to being part of frontline army ranks, ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts.

Overall, the video highlights the vigilance of and contentment within all ranks of Pakistan Armed Forces, its contributions in various nation building tasks including disaster management missions. The exclusive shots of the LYAD missile in operation, convey a subtle but strong message of caution to the other side.

In conclusion, all I would like to say is that this video and its exquisite composition does an excellent job in countering the various elements in the society and the media casting shadows of doubts in our people’s minds relating to the state’s policies and institutions. At this crucial juncture, the critical role played by our armed forces both on ground and through the media has helped us come out of this dark era and we are all set to take on all the modern challenges out there. This is most definitely a very special composition, which helps us look forward to a much brighter and much more secure future and can rightly be called, "A Melody of Pride".

hard of hand and vast of paunch. Whatever the merits of the new man, and I am sure they are many, he does not inspire fear.

And it has not helped that the Lahore CCPO has tried to deflect blame onto the victim. Just a while ago, he must have been on top of the world, for he was valued enough for the Punjab IGP to be sacked because he hadn’t been consulted over his posting. But now, he objective, realistic, frank assessment of the situation was being criticised. Even though what he said is merely police wisdom: it’s always the victim’s fault.

The CCPO would rightfully reject all those allegations that he has been posted to make sure that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) wins the coming local body polls. If he had not been neutral and unbiased, he would have immediately declared Nawaz Sharif responsible. After all, if he had not built the motorway, the incident wouldn’t have happened. And would it have been difficult for the police to produce three or more witnesses

CMYK

Suspect in motorway gang-rape incident surrenders, denies involvement cONTINuEd ON PaGE 01 The protesters are not satisfied with the investigations, called for the sacking of Lahore police chief, Umar Sheikh, who pointed out what he felt were mistakes made by the victim, such she should have taken a different, busier, highway, not travelled at night and made sure her vehicle had enough fuel. Sheikh also said the woman appeared to be under the impression Pakistan was “as safe for women as France”, her country of residence. In Islamabad, several hundred protesters gathered, some waved French flags, and others held signs saying “hang the rapists.” Hundreds, mostly women, also gathered in Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar. “Shatter the silence, stop the violence,” read one placard in Peshawar.

Policy of continued hike in power tariff hurting businesses: FPCCI ISLaMaBad tLtP

The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on Sunday said that affordable and continued supply of electricity has become a dream for masses and the business community. Costly electricity is not only hurting the masses but is also adding to the cost of doing business as well as cost of production and exports, said FPCCI Vice President Qaisar Khan Daudzai in a statement on Sunday. He said that coronavirus and recent rains have played havoc with the economy and masses; therefore, the policy of continued hike in power tariff should be abandoned to provide some relief to masses. Talking to a group of businessmen, he said that costly electricity is not only keeping the country underdeveloped but also stoking poverty. In Pakistan, the vulnerability is significantly acute before the current crisis which has now made life further difficult for the people which must be noticed, he demanded. Commenting on the power subsidy, Daudzai said that different governments had provided subsidies, worth billions of rupees, but it could not provide relief due to errors in the subsidy regime. He said that the government should divert focus on making electricity from imported fuel and start generating renewable energy to keep the environment clean and save a substantial amount of foreign exchange. Cheap electricity production will reduce poverty and help Pakistan compete with rival nations in the international market, said Dawoodzai. He noted that despite tall claims and a lot of effort, the bleeding state-run companies could not be made profitable and the country spent trillions to keep them alive artificially, therefore, all such units should be sold without delay.

who had seen Nawaz scurrying away from the scene, a guilty look on his face, at the time of the incident? Of course, Nawaz being in England was something that his lawyer could raise at the time of the trial.

Nawaz is not accused in this case, which musty make PTI supporters wonder if the Lahore CCPO will deliver positive results, as he is expected to in the coming local body polls. Look, Nawaz has already been declared a proclaimed offender in other cases, so would it make much difference if he was declared one in this?

It seems Nawaz is being accused, in the Toshakhana reference, of getting for himself, a car which was gifted to him on a visit abroad.

Is it a coincidence that the Lahore High Court ordered the police to desist from thew practice of using vehicles which are caseproperty. Some years ago, some such vehicles were plied for hire as intercity taxis, with you-know-who quietly pocketing the profits. One can imagine the wailing and

gnashing of teeth in NAB headquarters among investigators disappointed after having their hopes raised by NAB applying for the vehicles in the Toshakhana reference.

However, both the PTI and NAB should be ready for the schoolchildren of Punjab giving a massive outpouring of support for Nawaz. Schools are reopening tomorrow, and you can expect the young kids to imitate Nawaz. All of them will be saying that they are too sick to go to school. And if anyone challenges them, they will all cough in unison. Of course, they won’t claim to have a low platelet count, but an upset stomach. Or a sore throat.

But Imran Khan is not paying attention.

He is watching the situation in Belarus carefully, where the protests againdt President Alexander Lukashenka are proceeding apace. He has just seen the fall of the Lebanese PM, merely because of the fertilizer blast. Both have allegations of corruption against them. Imran wants to know why no one asked his permission first.

Monday, 14 September, 2020

06 COMMENT

“A little knowledge…”

Outburst in Karachi

Unchecked sectarianism will only result in chaos

The CCPO Lahore does not let us sleep safe

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hOUGh no active political party took part in the rally in Karachi directed against the shia community, the political ramifications of such a gathering cannot escape anyone, particularly in the wake of the fact that an anti-shia movement there had once led to the killing of a large number of shias, including professionals and other prominent persons, with a backlash of assassinations of sunnis, mostly ulema. The rally, which was set off by allegations of shia scholars having denigrated Companions of the holy Prophet (PBUh), showed that sectarian feeling is alive in the city, and the authorities’ attempts to suppress it, have not succeeded. it is perhaps only a matter of time before sectarian feeling once again erupts. it was not really a sign of condemnation that the political parties which have used the sectarian card in the past were not represented, but simply that they had not had time to jump on the bandwagon. The JUi(F) has consistently supported such sectarian forces, with the banned sipah-i-sahaba contesting elections under its banner. The PPP may stand against sectarianism, but it has been part of the same coalition as the JUi(F) in Punjab. The PML(N) does not incline towards sectarianism, but a section of the party, particularly the religiously inclined, does. sectarianism does not have a theological basis, though it seems deeply ingrained. Another unfortunate aspect, particularly for Pakistan, is that the sectarian divide also corresponds to that between the Gulf states and iran.

That has meant that both sides in Pakistan have taken help from foreign sponsors, including monetary assistance. That has meant that proxy wars are fought on Pakistani soil with the help of Pakistani political forces. it is worrisome that such a large gathering was organized on the issue. When the JUi(F) marched on islamabad, certain forces were supposed to be behind it. is it to be assumed that those forces are on board with this demonstration? sectarianism is a dangerous political tool, even worse than religiosity. The JUi(F) is trying to form a broad-based opposition alliance, but that should not tempt it into dabbling in waters that contain the potential to tear the country apart. At the same time, the predictions of the worst enemies of Muslims at the time of Partition, that the homeland of the Muslims would dissolve in sectarian conflict, would be proved true. Those elements are nowadays ruling india, and our political forces must not help them.

Humayun GauHar “A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again.”

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his verse is attributed to the great novelist, Alexander Pope, though in other places, the word is “knowledge” and not “learning.” A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Either way, you should get what he is driving at.

We see this in everyday life with increasing frequency, with politicians, pretend sages, pseudo-intellectuals, pretend television anchors and pretend TV analysts, weaving entire theories based on some drawing room or chai khana gossip. That ‘little knowledge’ or ‘learning,’ is then transferred to the viewer and becomes very dangerous because the viewer tends to take the tyranny of the spoken and written word as the gospel truth. As it spreads through society, it takes the form of tradition and ritual.

Only a few days ago, we had a Pakistani-French lady brutally raped by two men on the side of the motorway in front of her little children. Mercifully her life was spared but money and jewellery was stolen from her. By the time the police arrived it was too late. But what was uttered by the head of the Lahore Police, the CCPO as he’s called, was utterly disgraceful and is a prime example of people with ‘little knowledge’ and small minds. he tried to shift the blame onto the raped woman asking why was she travelling on a motorway so late at night without enough petrol in the car and why did she do so without a male escort and more such nonsense…This crap

is going to influence the minds of many. it probably comes from the sermons of the semi-literate mullah who infest our mosques. it is high time that this man was thrown out on his ear and out of service and made to publically apologize. This is a typical ploy of the police to shift the blame onto the victim.

Women in the country erupted in protest and rightly so! This CCPO who is a senior police officer is a victim of ‘a little knowledge.’ Why should all men not be under a curfew after dark so they cannot rape?

Then on the political front you get nonsensical statements from most of our politicians. Just consider what Asad Umar, our brilliant minister for something or the other said– that the erring CCPO’s remarks do not constitute criminal conduct. At the very least, they constitute an utter lack of balance and good sense.

Consider other political remarks of politicians and myriad mullahs. These are incredibly insensitive people who should be sent to finishing school in switzerland. The law in Pakistan is that a hapless, helpless woman is fair game and if she is raped too bad– she was asking for it. All that remains is for Prime Minister imran Khan to give a special award to Mr Asad Umar and the highest civilian award to the CCPO. i doubt if the CCPO imbibed deep from the waters of the Pierian spring, but from something else. Until this CCPO is made history, people in Punjab will not sleep safe, after all it was this very CCPO over whom the argument with the previous inspector General Police, Punjab took place and he was summarily removed. i would say that the previous iG Police stands vindicated. The minds of these people have gone on a long vacation and it’s about time they returned to the place where good sense prevails. it is not only the sindh government’s incompetence that is at issue these days, it is also the Punjab government’s incompetence. it would be easy to say that Governor’s Rule should be imposed in these provinces… but with these governors? i have been writing for some time that our constitution and our system need to be changed. i start from the constitutional provision that Pakistan is an islamic Republic. Therefore it is the duty of an islamic state first and foremost to create an islamic Welfare state and therefore to look after the human condition and implement the rights of God’s creations, of which mankind is the most important. They

have to start with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness but there are many more. Like, for example, the right to not be defamed and the duty of the state to protect its citizens from libel and defamation. The sanctity of the home and the family; the right of every citizen to develop their minds to their full potential and the duty of the state to provide the wherewithal to achieve that. When you talk of the right to life, it implies the right to adequate food and nutrition and again the duty of the state to ensure that. What say you when the most important staple, which is flour, is beyond the reach of the common man? And so on and so forth. The full list of haqooq-ul-ibad deserves a separate article one day. islam enjoins us to ‘choose from amongst ourselves and choose from the best.’ The word ‘choose’ implies a method of making a choice which in this day and age are elections, and it is the duty of the state to not only ensure free and fair elections but to help us choose from amongst the best. This last can only be done if each potential candidate is first, repeat first, made to clear the qualification and disqualification articles and prove himself as far as possible to be ‘Sadiq’ and ‘Ameen,’ which mean truthful and trustworthy. how many of our parliamentarians are truthful and trustworthy? Only then can it be ensured as far as possible that we get to choose from amongst the best and not from any group of donkeys who make it into our legislatures, our governments and many other vital jobs. The calls for a presidential system, which means one person elected directly by the people on the basis of one person one vote is made the Chief Executive of the government, who should be free to choose his team from amongst the best, provided every member of the team also goes through ratification. There are many other things to be included in these changes but suffice it to just mention these because if there are more, it will take time to digest. As an islamic state, the rulers and the people must consider every step before they take it as to whether it is right or wrong, good or evil and this has to do with methodology of selection. i think this much so far should suffice before we move on.

Humayun Gauhar is a veteran columnist in Pakistan and editor of Blue Chip magazine.

Transforming Karachi

More NAB incompetence

break the shackle of Neoliberalism and assume its role in the driving seat for reforms. This would require active and deep regulation as well for the organizations and markets to work with minimum transaction cost, information asymmetries, and a competitive environment for the economic agents.

Moreover, any sustainable plan for Karachi transformation that Karachi needs to be on a sustain- would have to include a significant component to deal able path of progress, which is both inclusive in terms with the issue of climate change, which according to of economic decisions, appropriately devolved in many could be the reason behind the recent heavy terms of exercise of power and resources, and one downpour; as among other reasons, its mangrove that strengthens the level of democracy. population was reduced over time. Karachi needs a Transforming Karachi would require– like any ‘green’ transformational plan. other city of the country– dismantling ‘elite capture’, One important aspect while making any broadwhich means doing away with the politico-economic based, sustainable reform plan, would be to approach collusion that has perpetuated extractive institutional the city from the lens of modern urban economics and design– designing economic institutions in a way to policy. here, Karachi like any other modern metrounjustifiably transfer/extract resources from the many politan should be envisioned as more than an ‘adminto a small group of elites. That would require of a re- istrative city’, and rather as a ‘functional urban form plan to purge this exregion’ (FUR), or a functractive institutional design, tional city. and put in its place an incluin this regard, Paul C. sive one, which means in adCheshire, among others, in dition putting in place an the (2014) book Urban One important aspect while effective local governance Economics and Urban making any broad-based, system, appropriately fiPlanning: Challenging nanced through a meaningConventional Policy Wissustainable reform plan, would ful provincial finance award dom explain the importance that allow transfer of reof approaching cities as be to approach the city from sources of the divisible pool FUR, since ‘... [a] it is the the lens of modern urban to reach the lower echelons closest concept to the city of government. that forms the basis of most economics and policy. Here, Calling a transformation urban economics, in that it plan and focusing on cerKarachi like any other modern captures both an urban core tain– though very imporand its self-contained ecotant– essential natured metropolitan should be nomic hinterland, ...[b] alissues of basic service delivlows more straightforward envisioned as more than an ery are only scratching the comparisons across areas scratching the tip of the on measures of economic ‘administrative city’, and rather problem, and that too in an and social performance, and ad-hoc way. sustainable reavoids arbitrary differences as a ‘functional urban region’ forms require deeper and generated by administrative (FUR), or a functional city broader transformational boundaries, ... [and c] as focus, short of which such self-contained units, the efissues that are being dealt fects of both local economic now may most likely surface shocks and policy intervenagain, because they are the manifestation of the tions are largely contained within FUR boundaries.’ deeper neoliberal-backed extractive institutional dein addition, the same book highlights the imporsign of the politico-economic elites. There could be tance of local governments– and which is important no meaningful plan that does not dismantle this de- to understand for a sustainably prosperous future of sign, which will provide any sustainable transforma- Karachi– as ‘...first, cities and their hinterlands are tional solutions. engines of economic growth, and devolution will deThat would require appropriately detailed legis- liver an economic dividend; second, devolution allation for improving the capacity of economic insti- lows policy innovation and can internalise spillovers, tutions– federal ministries in case of the improving policy outcomes; third, introducing non-devolved subjects under the 18th Amendment, stronger elected local leaders will have a revitalising and provincial departments otherwise– so that such effect on local democracy.’ incentive and governance structures are provided for economic organizations– including state-owned enDr Omer Javed holds PhD in Economics degree terprises– in both the public and private sectors, and from the University of Barcelona, and previously markets, so that they function at an optimal level. worked at International Monetary Fund. He tweets But before all of this, the government will have to @omerjaved

To solve its problems, the neoliberal approach must be abandoned

How is Ahad Cheema to be compensated for 2 lost years?

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hE National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has finally concluded that its enquiry into Ahad Cheema, the former Director General of the Lahore Development Authority, was not going to lead to a conviction, and told the Accountability Court that it would not oppose his being granted bail. Mr Cheema remains in jail in the Ashiana housing scheme case, where his bail is before the supreme Court. The supreme Court has passed strictures upon NAB in a previous decision, and it seems that Mr Cheema is not guilty of any wrongdoing, but was being penalized for having been close to PML(N) chief shehbaz sharif when he was Punjab Chief Minister. This seems to be another example of NAB’s willingness to be used as a tool in the PTi’s accountability drive. NAB fails to produce results because it opens enquiries based on the PTi’s desire to hound political opponents, with the result that Mr Cheema obtained typical: a long stretch (in his case almost two years) behind bars and deprived of his freedom, separated from friends and family, and now no compensation beyond being allowed to get on with his life.

NAB must get rid of the impression that it is being used as a tool of persecution. NAB has an important role in the fight against corruption. it can leave to the PTi the political struggle to make corruption unacceptable. it must be seen as remaining above the fray, and should not let the government party’s flavour-of-the-month wild suspicions determine its choice of enquiry.

NAB itself should question the rules which allow it to be misused. These give it powers of arrest and detention not available to the police or any other agency. That makes NAB itself highly vulnerable to misuse, because political masters trying to bypass due process find it useful. The PTi government has played its role, for it has called all opposition attempts to rationalize the NAB law blackmailing, and an attempt to seek an NRO. in this atmosphere, it is up to NAB to be reasonable. The government must also realize that efforts to end corruption must be above partisan politics to succeed, and if they are to be more than an election slogan.

Dr Omer JaveD

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hE recently launched plan for Karachi, which focuses on restoring essential services to the city, after a heavy downpour left the city quite dysfunctional in many of its parts, contains both finances and governance apparatus.

The ‘Karachi Transformation Plan’, with goals spread over short-, medium-, and long-term, would be financed collectively through federal and provincial resources to the tune of Rs. 1.1 trillion to target longstanding issues of the nature of most important needs of any city, let alone a big metropolis like Karachi.

Areas covered here would include, among others, clean drinking water, solid waste management, cleaning drains, and disposing/treating sewage. To oversee coordination and implementation concerns, it has been proposed to set up a ‘Provincial Coordination and implementation Committee’ (PCiC), which would include all the relevant stakeholders. Around the same time of the announcement of this plan by the government, the country director of the World Bank reportedly highlighted that Karachi needed a financing of Us$9 billion-10 billion over a period of ten years, to meet its most essential requirements with regard to infrastructure and service delivery.

While the PCiC, with the best of its intentions, may be able to push the city out of its current misery by delivering on these chronic issues of the metropolis, yet sustainable uplift of the city would require putting in place efficient economic institutions, which in turn provide the right kind of incentive and governance structures for organizations and markets, that make up the urban economics of Karachi. This is the

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Monday, 14 September, 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

Islamophobia in India iT is blinking to the fact that islamophobia has been rising since few years in Western world and india is the most dominant country apart from Western world where anti-muslimism is being practiced. Doubtlessly, the leading government of Mhodi has left no stone to show hostility and prejudice towards muslim communities. in Uther Pardish, a fifteen years old muslim boy was burnt with sand oil since he refused to say the selg words of hindues. similarly, the anti-muslim extremists groups create numerous violences against muslims which not only influences the muslims physically but also psychologically. The continuous efforts of these groups to trouble muslims is causing barriers for the muslim communities to perform their religious activities and follow religious norms. According to a report at least 36 muslims were killed between may 2015 to December 2018 because of beef consumption. Additionally, in every eid-ul-Ahaza muslims of india are forbidden to sacrifice cows. On the other hand, the religious places of muslims are being targeted as well as they are being burnt alive without any crime. Moreover, muslims are also being discriminated in educational and health sectors and work places.

Farahnaz Farooq ahmEd TurbaT

Inner beauty

Painful realities the rotten core of our society. it would be bene- cases where children from good backgrounds ficial to educate the younger generations so that with the right amount of education have been the such incidents may be minimized in the future. perpetrators of horrific crimes. Therefore, while however, education doesn’t work on some peo- education will bring about a lasting change, it is ple. in our society, even highly educated people a long drawn battle for which we have to prepare view women as inferior. They usurp the rights of before actually fighting. in the short term, a deterrence is imperative their own sisters. They curtail the involvement of women in some areas of life. They disallow their in order to instill fear into the hearts of the genwomen from participating in and undertaking eral populace. Not the fear of travelling alone at night as has duly certain professions been instilled by the freely. Of course while CCPO Lahore, but the some people do this in fear of repercussions in order to protect them case they wish to unfrom the downtrodden In the meantime, we, the dertake adventurism society yet, some simcitizens, need to play our involving someone’s ply are led by their mother or sister. The misogynistic tendencies respective roles in helping individual who has alwhich have not been downplayed by educathe upcoming generations to ready outgrown the age where education tion, how so strong it be better than us. For those would have had an immay be. pact can only be driven in such circumfor whom it’s possible, let’s away from a crime by stances, difficult decisions have to be made. teach our children to respect the presence of an effective deterrent.

While public hangings the opposite gender and that Widespread reform is are deplored by human SyeD KaSwar GarDezi required for the final rights activists, in the can only be done if they see relief but certain incases of convicts terim measures also against whom the guilt us acting upon it need to be put in place.

RAGiC events perturb the moral con- has been established Not all policies work science of most. All of a sudden cries beyond shadow of on everyone. Even are made out to punish perpetrators of doubt, it can have the public hangings might horrific crimes. severe punishments are desired effect. hearing demanded, a few protests are lodged about a convict being hanged and seeing him not work for all but will certainly do for most. and life goes on. it isn’t the first time Pakistan hanged yourself are poles apart. human nature Public punishment stems out from divine guidhas encountered a number of bone chilling allows us to realize the significance of things ance given to us in the shape of islam; there crimes which have touched our souls. We have when tragedy hits closer to home. Even in the must be a reason it wasn’t banned during the had our fair share of rapes, murders, kidnappings current case, the outcry is more severe because holy Prophet (s.A.W.W)’s time.

As regards to the comments of the CCPO, and child abuses and of course our very own ho- the incident happened closer to one of the most nour killing. Each time various slogans have important cities of Pakistan. had it been a back- it is sufficient for us to comprehend the capaward rural area, mere bilities of the incumbent government. Only been raised and yet the statuses on social media after continuous cries for his removal was a crimes reoccur. would have trended for show cause notice issued to him. The police ofin order to avoid some time before being ficer responsible for providing safety to the insuch incidents in the fuovercome by some habitants of the capital city was successful in ture, two different sugThe Motorway gang-rape gripping news concern- terrorizing them further. With his senseless regestions have always incident identifies the rotten marks, he has effectively darkened the hopes ing celebrities. been put forward. The While the argument of women rooting for a safer environment. in first being a harsher core of our society. It would be for a better upbringing what was supposed to be a clarification, the ofform of punishment and has force, it needs to be ficer goes to take cover behind our societal dethe second, educating beneficial to educate the understood that not all fects. Guess what, officer? it is your job and and eradicating these younger generations so that parents have the re- duty for which you get paid to eradicate these vices through better upsources to invest in the societal defects which you were so rightly bringing. While most such incidents may be better upbringing of pointing out. Yes, women do not leave their people lean on one end their children. Mostly homes at night in our society. But it’s not beof the spectrum, i tend minimized in the future. the perpetrators of such cause they shouldn’t but rather because of the to prefer a mixture of horrific crimes are those incompetently led leadership present in the both. Yes, educating our However, education doesn’t individuals who have form of the CCPO. A society where the careyounger generations to work on some people. In our been neglected in their takers have given up by stating there was no respect women will childhood. Their par- need to go that way at that time of the night help but in some cases, society, even highly educated ents could not even af- cannot have a brighter future unless such the education is worthless. some people need people view women as inferior. ford a day’s meal which mindsets are done away with. in the meantime, we, the citizens, need to led to these individuals to be sanctioned. Their taking on the world play our respective roles in helping the upcomsickening mentalities since a very tender age. ing generations to be better than us. For those do not have the intellecThey do not have the for whom it’s possible, let’s teach our children tual capacity to respect other women. The inbreeded misogyny cannot be comfort and sanctity of cozy bedrooms like most to respect the opposite gender and that can only curtailed without stricter punishments. The mes- analysts do. A parent who cannot even feed his be done if they see us acting upon it. sage has to be unequivocally clear. such is the child cannot be expected to sit and educate his Syed Kaswar Gardezi is a lawyer and a mandate of our manmade law as well as the di- or her child regarding the moralities of life. They simply do not have enough exposure to under- columnist. He can be contacted at vine commands issued in this regard.

The Motorway gang-rape incident identifies take such training. And there have even been kaswargardezi@gmail.com

Where is deterrence?

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ChARACTER glorifies man in the world. People appear to be running after money in their lives despite building their character. Man with beautiful character is remembered in good thoughts even after his death. Man can not erect his character by cramming some books and being fluent speaker but when he acquires education in its true means. The craze of luxurious livelihood has ruined the character of man. he can exceed to any limit to satisfy his greed. he only wants to acquire wealth by hook or crook. he neglects his professional and personal mannerism. Mostly, the life of people in the third world countries depends upon a luxurious abode and vehicle and handsome paid job with all luxuries of life. since, these resources are not available to everyone so the people under destitution tend to invlove in nefarious activities and taint their identities in the society. Character is an asset of man. he must prioritize it to everything. According to a hadith “There is nothing that weighs more heavily than good character.” People in our society try to beautify their outer looks however, neglecting their character. inner beauty is greater than outer beauty. Beyond any shadow of doubt, education is the most important element in building the character of nation. Education imparts noble virtues to man. so as a piece of advice, man must run after cementing his character rather filling his pockets with hush money. One must protect his character under all shades. awaiS GopanG Sukkur

Crimes abound i agree with the world’s natural calamity that happens for goodness. But it made me imagined fully was the idea of ruin and misfortune.

Approximately, the suffering humanity is, however, human suffering is both in ways universal and inescapable. When joy happens, so in some routes you wait for pain. This is only life’s sign or the accurate causes .

Can you judge this is not injustice at all, since life only rules according to its own instructions and lastly affect on human life . Guys, according to the Bible, God will bring an end to the suffering of every human on the planet and Bible promises that God will wipe out every year from their eyes and death will be no more. Likely, in terms of this regard if the humanity we want for , rather for the sake of avoiding bad activities, so that we shall eliminate them that would not accept us as wrong consideration of human .

Very recently a woman news in Gujra Pura made me upset and a long thinking time . This was the victim of blaming gang rape case . As an innocent mother was raped and looted in front of her two children. The women was actually travelling when her car stopped with no fuel. This is even a challenge for Lahore Police abd Punjab Minister law as they don’t keep ability to take the investigation further with no further evidence which was a blind accident..have you ever thought how to prevent these hard accidents? if Pakistan’s economy is fall and went to a devastating change of low income , Prime Minister become the first to think about this . Additionally, is the humanity did an unfair misdeed that should not be forgiven at all? This is not the real status of life . As we are Muslims. islam says , it is based on laws of justice, but what is justice named in Pakistan?

Pakistan a country of islamic Republic of Pakistan has lost its religion and choosed an another route . The islam concept is made a child’s play when necessary being constantly used and when unused being wasted. Can you say exceptionally we are the followers of islam and prophet (PBUh) . if we see the biography of Muhammad ( sAW) we don’t see anything changed aimlessly. But what Pakistan’s community character is based on ). barkaTullah TurbaT

Adult conversations WhY is there still shame in discussing adult topics like rape ? Why don’t we discuss them openly?

Maybe because men are majority and everytime the culprit is a man/men.men love men.being an elevated man doesn’t define to favor same gender. if you have the courage to judge, judge it justicly instead of blaming the innocents. Rather save the humanity or the post. it’s useless being jurisdiction when you cant help the victims. i really don’t need to recall all the cases that have been opened on social media but closed at the same time. Tragedies can’t be forgotten easily. Men uncontrolled lust is preceding disheartening news consecutively. Being home in a closed room feels unsafe.where do we go ? We aren’t safe anywhere.Gross is everywhere it can be a mall, a road, a park and ultimately who’s blamed a woman. Women dressing in an old excuse. A mother traveling is a sin or else she will be targeted on a cold road in front of her kids?

The higher authority yet government should must take action towrads this. i’m sure there’s something called karma. All of us have a family with different genders. These beast can target anyone of any age A 2 year old girl, a boy, transgender not only humans but also a kitten. Why is there such frustration who’s responsible? lack of education. mahnoor kamal rawalpindi

Monday, 14 September, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

The nighTmare of growing up as a muslim american afTer 9/11 IndePendent

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ANisA NOOR

He first time I visited Pakistan I was eight. We never went prior to that because it was impossible to afford tickets for the whole family.

I now wonder what it must have been like for my parents to migrate to America, a place where everything was completely foreign to their way of life, and not to be able to connect to their loved ones except by “snail mail”, which would often take 30 or 40 days to arrive if it didn’t get lost. I remember my parents eagerly awaiting letters from their families and reading them with tears in their eyes. In the 1960s and 70s, phone service was rare, expensive, and shoddy at best.

It took eight years for my parents to save up enough money for that Pakistan trip. My brother and I had to skip school for a couple of months because my parents wanted to make sure we got our money’s worth out of the expense. For me, the experience was a culture shock. The people in the villages where we my family lived shopped in open markets every day because they didn’t have refrigerators. Homes were shoddy and crowded, and every room served multiple purposes. My parents gifted my grandparents a VCR “from Amrika”, which they covered for safekeeping. Their home became the hub where neighbors gathered to watch movies. It was a treat that symbolized upward mobility.

The “better life” my parents aspired to was indeed better than the two rooms shared among 10 siblings and a set of parents, living in slums with open sewers and no electricity, but it was no walk in the park. The first wave of Pakistani immigrants to Chicago lived like

WITH EACH HEARING AS I SAT IN THE COURTROOM WHERE OUR FATES WERE BEING DETERMINED, I STARTED FEELING LESS AND LESS AMERICAN AND MORE AND MORE AN OUTSIDER sardines with roommates, often slept on cold apartment floors, and worked several labor jobs at a time. They lived their lives humbly and gratefully, and they formed communities.

At one point, my father rented out a gymnasium on weekends as a side-hustle, allowing friends to gather together and watch old Indian and Pakistani movies, where they would reminisce about the lives they left back at home. Despite the hardships, America gave them a glimmer of hope to have a better life than the one they left behind.

It took years of working laborious jobs for my father to finally open his small currency exchange in the US. He acquired one customer at a time, often after long days of cab driving, until he had the Chicago market share. It was all of this hard work, and my mother’s support of every aspect of our lives, that put food on the table and allowed me to pursue my education.After I received my BS in chemical engineering, I worked as a consultant for a top firm in Chicago. One day I received a call from my brother, who had already quit his job (also a consultant for a top accounting firm) to help my father’s business. He said that our assets had been frozen and that the government was filing a lawsuit because they were investigating one or more of my father’s customers, and since the customer’s money was being passed through our business, we were tied to the investigation. He told me that in order to complete the enormous amounts of paperwork required by the government to prove that there was no wrongdoing on our part, he

would need more staff and that we couldn’t afford it, so he could use my help.

It was at first supposed to be a short sabbatical from work, but more lawsuits came.

We hired expensive lawyers, and I was neckdeep in paperwork, visits to court and meetings with attorneys. Our bank accounts were drained. To prove our innocence took time and money – lots of it — and we were running dry. It wasn’t long after 9/11, and it seemed we were being scapegoated to prove that someone was doing their job, “cracking down on the war on terror”, while the real terrorists ran amuck.

We were an easy target – we had all the elements that would satisfy a terrorist witch hunt – brown people, Pakistanis, Muslims – check, check, check. During the several years that followed, although we were eventually proven innocent of any wrongdoing, the family business was drained of all resources and forced to close down. The trauma associated with those years of fighting the government merely to prove our innocence remains with us to this day.

My career and dreams were thrown off track. Instead of socializing, traveling, or dating, I spent several years of my life battling court cases and providing supporting documents. With each hearing as I sat in the courtroom where our fates were being determined, I started feeling less and less American and more and more an outsider. My circles now consisted primarily of Muslims, because those were the only people who understood.

In an effort to understand more about my

Ayad Akhtar's symphony about America essential reading this election year usa todaY ELiOt scHREfER

Librarians are going to have a hard job deciding where to shelve Ayad Akhtar’s bracing and revealing new book."Homeland elegies" (Little, Brown, 343 pp., ★★★½ out of four) follows the story of a Pulitzer-prize-winning American playwright named Ayad Akhtar who was born to Pakistani immigrant parents. These are facts from the author’s own life, but those who choose to call this book a memoir are on their own. If avoiding categorizations is what allowed Akhtar to pull off this masterful combination of essay and diary, I’m glad he did. "Homeland elegies" is a symphony about America. It is also very personal.

As he writes about important episodes in “his” life, Akhtar explores the bind American writers of Middle eastern descent have been in since 9/11: that they must present themselves as unabashedly patriotic or risk being seen as enemies. As he relates his encounters with anti-Muslim prejudice, from a harassing cop to a fetishizing lover, Akhtar conveys the anger he feels to be “persistently humiliated and under attack in the only country I’d ever known, a place that the more I understood, the less I felt I belonged.”

His intellectual explorations of identity and self-presentation are coupled with deep emotional urgency. Akhtar’s Pakistani parents are divided in their loyalty to their new country — his father is a fervent Trump supporter, his mother “loved Pakistan, or at least was bound to it in a way that reached as deeply into her as anything could.”

As their tortured son navigates his rising literary fame, he becomes fatigued by the labor of fighting others’ assumptions.

“Constantly defining yourself in opposition to what others say

own culture and religion, I applied to pursue my Master’s in Middle east Studies.

Prior to 9/11, I had experienced many forms of racism in America, but this was the first time I was looked at as a real enemy.

After 9/11, Muslims were targeted and surveilled by the government, while our neighbors side-eyed us. Slowly, and little by little in the years that followed, many of our liberties were stripped in full view of the American public. Where we traveled, with whom we kept company, to which organizations we donated money, and the mosques where we prayed were all monitored in the name of keeping Americans safe. Never mind that we, too, were Americans. It all seemed hauntingly reminiscent of the Japanese American experience during the Second World War. “It’s just a cycle, this too shall pass,” some said. But it has been almost 20 years now and we are still on the outskirts of American life, many of us still pledging allegiance to this country, still trying our best to demonstrate our loyalty in the hopes that beyond the color of our skin and the God which we worship, we too can someday assimilate and no longer be viewed as an enemy within.

I learned a lot about American foreign policy and how it affected the Muslim world during my Master’s degree – how America pillaged, plundered, occupied and colonized the Muslim world to gain access to resources.

My studies filled a gaping hole in my previously revisionist understanding of American history, and it was not a pretty picture. My

‘Crime Minister’ Netanyahu IT IS EASIER TO HOLD A NATIONALIST POSITION ABOUT A CONFLICT IN THE HOME COUNTRY WHEN ONE’S CIVIL RIGHTS ARE PROTECTED AS CITIZEN/RESIDENT OF A HOSTING COUNTRY

HIS INTELLECTUAL EXPLORATIONS OF IDENTITY AND SELF-PRESENTATION ARE COUPLED WITH DEEP EMOTIONAL URGENCY Jerusalem Post ELDAD BEN AHARON

about you is not self-knowledge.

It’s confusion.” He wonders why he can’t embody the same muddy contradictions and complexities that are reflexively permitted to white writers.

In "Homeland elegies," he’s done just that. The author’s solution to fighting limited representations of Muslim Americans is a “warts and all” approach, unflinchingly examining his toxic relationships with women and his easy seduction by fame and prestige.

Some readers may be put off by his occasional long paragraphs recounting all the famous people he’s met, or the repeated mentions of his Pulitzer, as if it’s new infor-

mation each time. The book’s register can be uneven, too, its natural rhythms jolted by bursts of obscure vocabulary. For the book’s narrator, though, all this posturing might just be another means to stake his claim to a readership that resists him.With its insight and honesty, "Homeland elegies" deserves to be read widely during this polarizing election year, when the once porous boundaries between friend and foe are deepening into trenches. Akhtar has asked us to view his protagonist as someone above and beyond such categories.I don’t care whether you like me, Akhtar seems to say, as long as you see me.

desire to learn more led me to understand more about American hegemony and its victims, but only after I had become one myself.Fast forward to the present day. I have my own family now and I am still afraid of what the future will look like for my daughter. As people of color, the fantasy we once had of attaining the American dream, if ever that was real, has been forever shattered. We enrolled her in an Islamic school – something I never thought I would do – not because we are particularly religious but because we felt that she needed to have a solid understanding of the part of her identity that will be used against her as she navigates her own life. In spite of having been born and bred in the US, she will never really be fully American like her white counterparts.

I do not shelter my daughter from the injustices we hear, read about, or see in the world today. We cannot afford that luxury. Instead I talk to her about the ways things should be – that policies and laws should be based on human rights first and foremost. even at a tender age, she knows that all humans are equal regardless of skin color, religious or personal affiliation and we teach her to stand up to injustice wherever it may be, so that regardless of our experiences today, we can hope for a better tomorrow. Without justice and equality for all, there can never be peace.

[September 11] marks the 19th anniversary of a day that changed so many of us, so profoundly. I often wonder what the trajectory of my life would have been had the events of that day not happened, or even if the perpetrators hadn’t been Muslim. But it did happen. This single, spectacular event radicalized our entire nation, it changed forever the way that Americans saw Muslims — and it changed the way Muslim Americans saw themselves.

The right to demonstrate and to be politically active is not a privilege that is kept only to Israelis living in Israel’s geographic boundaries. In fact, it is a privilege for all Israelis worldwide regardless of their location. In essence, there are two groups of Israeli Diaspora that exercise that right and have more than one thing in common: They both feel themselves as part of Israel, and hence they have the right to express their opinion, to influence processes. Thus, they feel emotionally and not only intellectually concerned about the future of Israel.

However, the Israeli groups who support Netanyahu and object to the “Crime Minister” campaign can be defined as “long-distance nationalists.” This term was coined in 1992 by Benedict Anderson who explored the origins of nationalism and had argued that exile groups can have nationalist positions regarding conflicts in the home country even if they live abroad.

In that sense, the long-distance Israeli nationalists not only contest the right to demonstrate abroad. In fact, this group is also accusing the demonstrators who support the campaign against Netanyahu, asserting that it is better not to “wash your dirty laundry” in public.

Those accusations are pointless for three main reasons. First, this so-called dirty washing discourse is typical for people who have abusing partners in marriages (or in any abusive relationship) and feel anxious and ashamed about revealing their “secret” in public. Yet, the fact is that Netanyahu’s three pending indictments are not a secret to the world media that needs to be concealed. In the era of social media and endless news outlets, those local non-Israelis, who wish to know what the political stagnation is in Israel, do not need to bother getting themselves to Times Square in NYC, Dam Square in Amsterdam, or the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. They can just follow Netanyahu’s account on Twitter and Facebook and read the online newspapers of The Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, or Haaretz.

Second, many of the long-distance nationalists use a classic relativist argument asserting that Israel is not like China, North Korea, Turkey, and Russia. While

this is mostly true, I argue that Israel, unfortunately, is definitely on the nefarious track to become authoritarian. Recent examples that illustrate my claim include the arrest of protesters for no reason, invitations for police investigation of those who Tweeted against the first lady and police violence directly aimed at those who are protesting against Netanyahu. Those indicators clearly emphasize that Israel is on its path of becoming an authoritarian state.

Third, when a diaspora group of a dictatorial state demonstrates abroad against the homeland dictator, they are not perceived as protesting against their state, but only against the dictator.

Demonstrations mostly receive public support in their host country. This principle should be applied to any support from the Israeli Diaspora to the Crime Minister campaign as Netanyahu and Israel are not one entity. So demonstrating against him is definitely not a criticism against the state of Israel.

On the contrary, it illustrates a great concern to the country’s future.

These set of assertions by the long-distance Israeli nationalists sound just like any other political activities of diasporic groups of other nationalities.

Not surprisingly, therefore, the number of protesters in support of Netanyahu is significantly larger overseas than in Israel.

The answer to this conundrum stems from the fact that it is easier to hold a nationalist position about a conflict in the home country when one’s civil rights are protected as citizen/resident of a hosting country, which in many cases, is a liberal democracy.

Moreover, the rivalry in the Israeli Diaspora concerning the protests abroad can be also examined as part of the global struggle between two worldviews, which crosses political boundaries – between those who support liberal-democracy and those who adopt authoritarian populist positions.

In conclusion, supporting the Crime Minister campaign is not a “shaming” act against the State of Israel in a foreign land or a campaign against world Jewry. Israelis should perceive themselves as belonging to a number of civic and political communities – both in Israel and in the country in which they live – because active citizenship is of general benefit to all.

The writer specializes in the diplomatic history of the Middle East during the Cold War and his research focuses on Israel’s foreign policy from 1948 to the present.

Monday, 14 September, 2020

BUSINESS 09

Goods to be virtually accessed to check duty, tax evasion MONITORING REPORT In a major development, the Pakistan Customs is all set to place a virtual assessment of goods to duty and taxes, a move that aims to minimise corruption by limiting physical interaction between tax officials and traders.

The system, expected to eliminate duty and tax evasion during clearance at the import stage, will be developed in the light of international best practices and will be put in practice by March 31, 2021. According to a local media outlet, that virtual assessment is one of the major reforms initiatives to facilitate domestic trade, minimise chances of duty evasion and accelerated transit trade.

The deadline for implementation of the faceless assessment and 28 other major reforms initiatives are June 30, 2021. “We have already set timeline for the implementation of each reforms,” the official said.

According to the reform documents, the virtual assessment will be carried out in three phases. The proposed system will ensure the identity of importer/Customs agent is not visible to the assessing officer and vice versa. Under the system, it will also be ensured that minimum documents are called for assessment by the relevant officers. In this regard, the platform will provide MIS reports to the supervisory officers for monitoring. To further facilitate traders for virtual assessment, a provision will be created in the system for online review hearing before the Assistant Collector (Group) instead of existing physical hearing proceedings. As part of the second major initiative, Pakistan will introduce online duty calculator system by September 30 to facilitate traders and general public/overseas Pakistanis. The system is being developed to comply with the obligation of WTO’S Trade Facilitation Agreement. It will enable any person to calculate the leviable Customs duty and other taxes on import of any specific goods into Pakistan on the basis of description or HS code through the Federal Board of Revenue’s website/WeBOC page without the requirement of user ID. As per details, the platform will provide for duty/taxes calculation on ad valorem basis as well as specific duty/taxes if chargeable on any item such as mobile phones, edible oil etc. The system will enable expatriate Pakistanis to calculate duty/taxes on vehicles under gift/transfer of residence schemes.

Moreover, the system will provide for auto currency conversion as per the applicable rate of exchange, and will seek necessary input from the user regarding the unit of measurement for accurate calculation of duty/taxes. It will also take into account applicable exemptions of duty/taxes for the computation of duty.

The Customs department is also working on putting in place a risk management system (RMS), advance processing of goods declaration filed at the Air Freight Unit latest by December 31 to expedite the clearance of air cargo. As part of the reforms, the facility for filing of pre-arrival manifest for air cargo will be developed in WeBOC, according to the guidelines of International Air Transport Association. The advance manifest will contain separate reports for the goods in international transit, goods for home consumption and domestic transshipment. The flight manifest and Master Air Waybill will be filed by the airline or its authorised agent. House Air Waybill will be filed by the freight forwarder or authorised ground handler. Moreover, the manifest will be filed in the system before the landing of the aircraft (after wheels-up). And necessary penalty prescribed under the rules will be levied in the system for non-filing of advance air cargo manifest.

Pak-China to siGn develoPment aGreement of first CPeC seZ ISLAMABAD

P

STAFF REPORT

AKISTAN and China on Monday will sign the Development Agreement for the first China Pakistan Economic Corridor’s (CPEC) Rashakai Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Monday at the Prime Minister (OPM) House.

The event will be attended by federal ministers, officials from line ministries, the KP government and other stakeholders.

In a statement, State Minister and Board of Investment (BOI) Chairman Atif R. Bokhari said that the agreement would realise the vision of SEZs’ development, ultimately leading to a prosperous and industrial Pakistan.

He highlighted the progress on SEZs under CPEC, saying that sufficient headway has been made on this

front and the zones are now gearing up for business. “Pakistan’s proximity with China will allow these SEZs to foster economic interdependence for mutual economic advantage,” he added.

The SEZ Act 2012, under Section13, binds together the Federation (BOI), the province and SEZ developer through an agreement for the successful establishment and development of an SEZ, aptly termed ‘Development Agreement’.

This agreement provides the road map for the establishment of an SEZ while holding the federal and provincial governments as well as the developer jointly responsible for the development and successful operations of an SEZ. The Rashakai SEZ is to be developed under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Economic Zone Development and Management Company (KPEZDMC) in collaboration with China Road & Bridge Corporation, a

Turkmenistan to facilitate Pakistani businessmen in organising exhibitions ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA

Turkmenistan Ambassador to Pakistan Movlamov Atajan Nurlyevich has said that his country would facilitate Pakistani businessmen in organising exhibitions He stated this during a meeting with a delegation of the Handicrafts Association of Pakistan headed by HAP Chairman Fahad Barlas, former HAP chairman Khurshid Barlas, Senior Members Amin-ur-Rehman and Malik Mohsin Khalid also present on the occasion.

Nurlyevich welcomed the delegation members and expressing his sentiments said that Turkmenistan and Pakistan has long lasting brotherly relation. He appreciated the contributions of Handicrafts Association of Pakistan for organising different activities for promotion of handicrafts and said bilateral trade and business relations among two countries should be further promoted with the exchange of trade delegations and organizing exhibitions.

He assured all possible assistance on this behalf and said that businessmen

would be facilitated.

Fahad Barlas said that diplomats had actively participated in HAP activities and mutual cooperation would be further strengthened with the passage of time. He said Pakistani handicrafts had great potential for export and depicts the traditional and cultural heritage of Pakistan. He also apprised the Turkmenistan ambassador about the current and future endeavors of HAP. Khurshid Barlas said that after Covid-19, there are equal opportunities for all countries to promote trade and business relations, and Pakistan would love to enhance the quantum of bilateral trade with a brother country.

state-owned Chinese enterprise.

An SPV company of these two firms named Rashakai Special Economic Zone Development and Operations Company (RSEZDOC) has been created for the implementation of this agreement, which is a first of its kind with our Chinese counterpart being one of the parties.

On August 6, 2019, a project of $128 Million, spanning over 1,000 acres of land was awarded SEZ status while its Concession Agreement was signed in April 2019.

The BOI promoted the establishment of this SEZ with the goals of capitalising on investment inflow under CPEC, inclusive economic development of KP Province, creation of job opportunities, industrial development, and export generation in Pakistan.

Rashakai SEZ holds a unique competitive advantage due to its proximity to the first juncture of the CPEC route,

and significant resource and manufacturing base in the region. Due to such factors, it has the potential to become one of the primary investment destinations for foreign investors – particularly Chinese investors who are looking to find new and cheaper markets to relocate their industrial base.

Bokhari said that the BOI has successfully expedited the process of provision of promised utilities besides facilitating the allocation of fiscal incentives and concession to the SEZ’s co-developer.

“To enable successful operations of this SEZ, the federal government has committed Rs1.8 bn for provision of 210 MWs of electricity, and Rs1.2 bn for the provision of 30 million cubic feet per day (MMcfd) gas from the Federal PSDP. Provision of required utilities at the SEZ’s doorstep as per the required timelines will allow on-time construction and development,” he concluded.

Tobacco exports increase by 137pc LAHORE HASSAN NAQVI

National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser’s efforts for tobacco growers over the last two years have yielded results with an increase in export of over 137 percent of the produce in the first month of the ongoing financial year after withdrawal of advance tax on the tobacco leaf.

The withdrawal of the advance tax on tobacco has helped the country increase exports of the crop by 137.53 per cent during the first month of ongoing financial year 2020-21 as compared to the exports of corresponding period of last year.

Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser has taken up the issue of the advance tax with the Federal Board of Revenue [FBR] on demand of the tobacco growers before the budget. The Speaker helped the farmers get the advance tax of Rs500 per kilogram on the crop abolished to help the farmers.

Pakistan Tobacco Growers Association has assured the Speaker that withdrawal of the advance tax would help the country create more jobs in the industry and increase exports of the produce.

The farmers said that they have fulfilled their promise by helping the country increase the tobacco exports while thanking the Speaker Asad Qaiser for timely intervention to get the advance tax withdrawn.

They said that Pakistan was producing quality tobacco crop and there was a huge potential for its exports, hoping that the country could earn a sizeable foreign exchange through it.

The Speaker is also heading a National Assembly Special Committee on Agricultural Products to formulate viable policies to boost the agriculture sector and boost income of the growers.

Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data shows that tobacco exports from the country were recorded at US $2.171 million during July 2020 against the exports of $0.914 million during July 2019, showing growth of 137.53 percent. In terms of quantity, the exports of tobacco also increased by 151.87 percent by going up from 268 metric tons to 675 metric tons, according to the data.

Meanwhile, on month-on-month basis, the exports of tobacco witnessed decrease of 32.14 percent during July 2020 when compared to the exports of US $3.199 million in June 2020, the data revealed.

Once an American foe, now a friend: OPEC turns 60 LONDON AGENCIES

In 1973, Arab members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries brought the US economy to its knees. Now, the cartel created 60 years ago is more likely to do Washington’s bidding.

Since Saudi Arabia and other Arab OPEC members imposed their famous oil embargo as retribution for US support for Israel during the Yom Kippur War, shifts in global politics and a surge in America’s oil production have tamed the group.

OPEC’s most hawkish members, Iran and Venezuela, have been sidelined by US sanctions while its kingpin, Saudi Arabia, has shown it would rather appease Washington than risk losing US support, current and former OPEC officials say.

While OPEC as a bloc resisted US pressure to lower oil prices for decades, notably in 2011 during the uprising against Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, its record over the past three years has largely been one of capitulation, these officials say.

Founded in Baghdad on Sept. 14, 1960, to counter the power of seven U.S. and British oil companies, OPEC has repeatedly yielded to pressure from Washington to pump more oil since US President Donald Trump took office at the start of 2017.

Trump has regularly called for lower gasoline prices to help US consumers.

And when prices got too low for US

drilling companies to make money this year, OPEC hashed out a deal to bring them back up slightly, in an agreement spurred on by Washington’s threat to reduce its military backing for Riyadh, sources have told Reuters.

“Trump orders from Saudi Arabia what he needs for the oil price – and he is served,” Chakib Khelil, who was Algeria’s oil minister for a decade and OPEC’s president in 2001 and 2008, told Reuters. “So indeed OPEC has changed.”

The Saudi Energy Ministry declined to comment.

The White House declined to comment.

Reuters spoke to eight current and former OPEC officials, representing over a third of the group’s output, as well as analysts, traders and investors to ask how US sanctions on Iran and Venezuela had affected Saudi Arabia’s influence within OPEC, and whether that had changed the dynamic with Washington.

An OPEC official at the group’s Vienna headquarters declined to comment, saying Reuters should ask member states. Oil and other government officials in Iran and Venezuela did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

US OUTPUT SOARS: Saudi Arabia has been the leading OPEC producer for decades, giving it the biggest sway over policy, but the sidelining of Iran and Venezuela has only increased its influence.

Iran’s share of OPEC output has nearly halved to 7.5pc since 2010 while Venezuela’s

has collapsed to 2.3pc from almost 10pc, according to Reuters calculations based on OPEC data. Saudi Arabia’s share, meanwhile, has risen 7 percentage points to 35pc.

Iran and Venezuela, which founded OPEC along with Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, had routinely opposed any moves to bring oil prices down in the face of US pressure.

The increased dominance of Saudi Arabia within OPEC has also come at a time of higher US oil and gas production, which has turned the United States into the world’s biggest petroleum producer and slashed its dependence on foreign fuel.

US production more than doubled in a decade to reach over 12 million barrels a day in 2019, according to the Energy Information Administration, as improved drilling technology made previously untapped basins accessible.

OPEC figures show the US share of the global oil market has doubled since 2010, while OPEC’s has fallen.

OPEC teamed up with Russia and nine other oil producers in 2016 to form a group known as OPEC+ to boost their collective leverage but a senior Trump administration official said even the new group’s influence had waned as US output soared.

OPEC IS AT IT AGAIN Trump has engaged more actively with OPEC than his predecessors, often taking to Twitter to comment on production decisions and oil price moves.

Trump has also developed a close rela-

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tionship with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, or “MbS”, who relies on the United States for weapons and protection against regional rivals such as Iran.

“There has never been a U.S. administration more involved in international oil policy and OPEC than the Trump presidency,” said Gary Ross, founder of Black Gold Investors and an OPEC expert.

In 2018, as oil prices spiked over $70 a barrel, a level Washington viewed as too high for U.S. consumers, Trump fired a barrage of tweets at the cartel.

“Oil prices are too high, OPEC is at it again. Not good!” he tweeted on June 13, 2018, nine days ahead of an OPEC meeting.

As OPEC gathered in Austria on June 22, Trump wrote: “Hope OPEC will increase output substantially. Need to keep prices down!”

Later that day, OPEC agreed to raise its output by a million barrels a day.

Two OPEC officials, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue, said a Trump intervention on oil prices effectively nudges the organisation to discuss, or even adjust, its production policy.

And Trump’s Twitter feed has become a source of anxiety.

“I hope no tweet will follow,” one top OPEC official told Reuters on April 9, 2019, after oil prices hit $71 a barrel, a five-month high at the time.

Oil market watchers including OPEC officials say the irony is that the price rises in

2018 and 2019 were both due mainly to Washington’s sanctions on Iran and Venezuela – policies that slashed some 3 million barrels off daily oil production.

GREAT FOR THE INDUSTRY! Earlier this year, Trump wanted something new from OPEC: a production cut, to help U.S. oil companies make money.

Oil prices had tanked because of a supply glut caused by a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia at the same time as a collapse in demand due to worldwide coronavirus lockdowns.

“Just spoke to my friend MBS (Crown Prince) of Saudi Arabia, who spoke with President Putin of Russia, & I expect & hope that they will be cutting back approximately 10 Million Barrels, and maybe substantially more which, if it happens, will be GREAT for the oil & gas industry!” Trump tweeted on April 2.

On April 12, OPEC+ agreed to a record cut in production equivalent to a 10th of global output.

Reuters reported on April 30 that Trump had presented bin Salman with an ultimatum: cut production or risk a withdrawal of U.S. troops from the kingdom.

Asked about the ultimatum at the time, Trump said: “I didn’t have to tell him.” He said he had spoken to MbS by phone and they were able to reach a deal on production cuts.

Saudi Arabia’s government media office did not respond to a request for comment on the April report.

Monday, 14 September, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS Un steps up steps against covid-19 at syrian refugee camps AMMAN AGENCIES

The UN refugee agency is stepping up efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19 among tens of thousands of Syrians in camps in Jordan after the first cases were confirmed last week, the head of the agency in the country said. The UNHCR confirmed three cases in the country's largest camp for Syrian refugees, Zaatari, near the border with Syria, and two cases in a smaller camp, Azraq. The infections in the two camps that house a total of around 120,000 refugees were the first confirmed cases since the pandemic was first reported in the kingdom last March. "The developments this week have obviously been a worrying situation for all, but especially for refugees living in the camps.

Crowded spaces and cramped living conditions make social distancing difficult," said Dominik Bartsch, the UNHCR representative in Jordan. The refugees who tested positive for Covid-19 have been sent to an isolation area set up by the Jordanian government near the Dead Sea while families of those in contact with them have been quarantined inside the camp, the UN agency added. Jordan's health ministry is, meanwhile, conducting thousands of tests, restricting movement in and out of the camps and training medical staff, Bartsch said. The infections in the camps come at a time when Covid-19 cases have been rising sharply in the country as a whole, since the start of the month.

Jordan is a major host country for Syrian refugees who have fled an almost decade-long civil war in their homeland. There are about 655,000 UN-registered Syrian refugees in the kingdom.

australian minister warns foreign journalists amid china spat SYDNEY AGENCIES

A senior Australian government minister on Sunday warned foreign journalists working in the country they might come under the scrutiny of federal agencies if they provide a “slanted view” of Australian affairs.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton made the comments during a television interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corp., referring to journalists reporting to “a particular community.” While he didn’t mention China, Dutton’s comments come after the evacuation from China last week of Australian journalists Bill Birtles and Mike Smith, who sheltered in Australian diplomatic compounds after being questioned by police. Australian Cheng Lei, who works as a business anchor for CGTN, China’s Englishlanguage state broadcaster, earlier was taken into custody. “If people are here as journalists and they’re reporting fairly on the news, then that’s fine,” Dutton told ABC TV’s Insiders program. He said reporters shouldn’t provide “a slanted view to a particular community.” Dutton wouldn’t confirm reports four Chinese journalists were questioned by Australia’s national security agency ASIO in June, but said there had been “ASIO activity.” “Where ASIO has sufficient grounds for the execution of a search warrant or for activities otherwise, then they’ll undertake that activity,” he said. “If people are masquerading as journalists or business leaders or whoever they might be and there’s evidence that they are acting in a contrary nature to Australian law, then ASIO and the Australian Federal Police and other agencies will act.” He said there is no evidence that action by Australian agencies had put Australian journalists in China at risk. Asked about Cheng Lei, he said “we want to work very closely with the Chinese in relation to that matter and we’ll continue to do that.” Beijing accused Australia of an interference in China’s internal affairs and judicial sovereignty for providing diplomatic protection to Birtles, who reports for the ABC, and Smith, who works for the Australian Financial Review.

Weather aids fight against Us Wildfires; death toll cliMbs SANS FRANCISCO AGENCIES

i

MPROVED weather conditions on Saturday offered some hope to weary firefighters battling massive wildfires on the United States' West Coast, authorities said, but the death toll linked to the fires has been steadily rising and tens of thousands of people are displaced.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown said that more than 40,000 people had been evacuated from their homes since the fires began, while nearly 500,000 residents were under three different evacuation alert levels.

The state advised some residents to pack and be vigilant, some to be ready to flee at a moment's notice, and others to leave their homes immediately.

Evacuees have sought refuge in "shopping mall parking lots, fraternal lodges and at the Oregon Conven-

tion Center" in the heart of Portland, the state's largest city, local news outlet The Oregonian reported, while some families are camping out in RVs. Danielle Oliver, 40, of Happy Valley, southeast of Portland, said she and her family agreed to evacuate.

She told a foreign news agency that they were waiting at an American Red Cross shelter, hoping that their house would survive. "I’m tired. I’m tired of starting all over. Getting everything, working for everything, then losing everything," Oliver said. Oregon's top emergency official had warned that authorities are preparing for a "mass fatality event", as dozens of people have been reported missing since the blazes broke out.

The total death toll in California, Oregon and Washington states stood at 27 by Saturday evening, but officials said they expected the number to rise. Most of the deaths were in California and Oregon.

Authorities said calmer winds blowing in from the

ocean - bringing in cooler, moister conditions - have helped emergency crews respond to the wildfires.

On Saturday morning, the US fire service for Mt Hood National Forest, about 32km (20 miles) east of Portland, Oregon, said "a persistent smoke layer" would limit the weather effects on fires in the area.

The local weather service said people should remain vigilant through a dense fog or dense smoke advisory is in place and is making visibility difficult.

The wildfires on the US West Coast over the past weeks have destroyed thousands of homes, sent massive plumes of smoke into the air, covered the landscape with ash and blanketed the sky in parts of California in an ominous, orange hue.

The fires are some of the largest in California and Oregon history, and experts say increasingly dry conditions linked to climate change have contributed to the intensity and spread of the blazes.

Russians vote in regional polls overshadowed by Navalny poisoning MOSCOW AGENCIES

Russians are voting in regional elections overshadowed by the poisoning of main opposition figure Alexey Navalny, an economic crisis exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic and mass protests in some parts of the country.

The elections are being held in Russia's 41 regions where people are casting their ballots for regional governors and assemblies, as well as in four by-elections for national MPs. Polls are viewed as a "major test" for the ruling United Russia party and President Vladimir Putin, who have both seen their ratings drop a year before parliamentary polls.

United Russia, which currently dominates the federal parliament

and many regional administrations, is the party most closely associated with Putin. The long time president, however, is not a current member of any political party and is thus able to distance himself from unpopular measures initiated by subordinate senior officials.

Last month, a nationwide survey

by Russia's biggest independent pollster, Levada Centre, showed that 29 percent of Russians would participate in anti-government protests if held in their area.

Tatyana Stanovaya, head of the R Politik analysis firm, said the results of the polls will help the Kremlin determine whether United Russia needs to be reformed and if parliamentary elections should be pushed forward.

Navalny's poisoning could also influence voters and bring about "con-

tradictory effects", Stanovaya said.

The 44-year-old, an anti-corruption crusader who is one of Putin's fiercest critics, fell ill on a flight back to Moscow from Siberia on August 20 and was taken to a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk after the plane made an emergency landing. After he was evacuated to Berlin, German doctors said Navalny had been poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent.

His associates believe the use of the banned chemical weapon shows only the Russian state could be responsible. The Kremlin has rejected any suggestion that Russia was to blame.

Led by Navalny, the opposition hopes to challenge Kremlin domination over Russia's political life by promoting tactical voting, urging Russians to back the strongest candidate on the ballot to defeat the ruling party.

Navalny's illness energises push to challenge Kremlin at vote in Siberian town TOMSK AGENCIES

When Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny collapsed on a flight from the Siberian city of Tomsk last month, his allies, who had seen him healthy and full of energy just hours before, found it hard to get back to campaigning for this Sunday’s local election. But they rapidly found themselves receiving unexpected support in the vibrant student city of half a million from passersby asking after the outspoken opposition politician who Germany says was poisoned with a rare nerve agent.

Two young activists who run Navalny’s local office were back on the streets the next day trying to convince residents to support them at the election for the local city council that is controlled by the pro-Kremlin ruling United Russia party. “It saved us because people were approach-

ing us, voicing their support and asking about Alexei’s health,” said Andrei Fateev, 32, one of two Navalny allies running in the election.

Navalny also has dozens of allies running for the city council in Siberia’s Novosibirsk, hoping to tap into frustrations with the ruling party after years of falling wages and a coronavirus lockdown that hit businesses.

The votes are among an array of local elections being held across Russia’s regions on Sunday.

It is rare for Navalny’s allies to be allowed to compete in elections and the 44-year-old was himself barred from taking part in Russia’s last presidential election in 2018.

The anti-corruption campaigner, who is now being treated in a hospital in Berlin, carved out a following on YouTube publishing videos alleging high-level graft among President Vladimir Putin’s allies and targeting the United Russia party.

Mali’s military backs 18-month transition govt BAMAKO AGENCIES

Mali's military government has pushed through a political charter to establish an 18month transition government that could lead to the appointment of a soldier as interim president, despite objections from the coalition that led anti-government protests before last month's coup.

Approval for the road map, meant to chart the country's course after the August 18 coup that toppled embattled President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, came on Saturday after three days of negotiations between the military government, political leaders and civil society groups.

Regional and international powers, fearful that political instability will undermine a yearslong fight against armed groups across West Africa's Sahel region, have pushed for a swift transition back to civilian rule.

The charter says the interim president can be a civilian or a soldier and will preside over a transitional period of 18 months before elections are held, said Moussa Camara, the spokesman for the talks.

The interim president will be selected by electors chosen by the military government, Camara said.

A previous draft of the charter had said the transition would last two years and the interim president would be directly chosen by the military rulers, the so-called National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP).

"We make a commitment before you to spare no effort in the implementation of all these resolutions in the exclusive interest of the Malian people," CNSP president Colonel Assimi Goita said on Saturday.

"What awaits us now is the hard work, the implementation of these resolutions."

Even as some participants touted the consensual nature of the talks, the M5-RFP coalition that spearheaded months of protests demanding Keita's departure before the coup criticised the charter's failure to ensure civilian rule of the transition.

"It's the people who overthrew IBK. It's up to them to choose the new president," said Youssouf Maiga, an M5-RFP supporter,

Former UK leaders unite to slam Boris Johnson on Brexit plan LONDON AGENCIES

Two former British prime ministers who played crucial roles in bringing peace to Northern Ireland joined forces Sunday to urge lawmakers to reject government plans to override the Brexit deal with the European Union, arguing that it imperils that peace and damages the U.K.’s reputation.

In an article in The Sunday Times, John Major and Tony Blair slammed the current British government for “shaming” the country with legislation that, in places, goes against the very deal it signed to allow for the U.K.’s smooth departure from the EU earlier this year.

Major, a Conservative prime minister from 1990 to 1997, and Blair, his Labour successor for a decade, said Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Internal Market Bill “ques-

tions the very integrity” of the U.K. “This government’s action is shaming itself and embarrassing our nation,” they said.

The planned legislation, which will be debated by British lawmakers this week, has led to a furious outcry within the EU as it would diminish the bloc’s previously agreed oversight of trade between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland if a U.K.-EU trade agreement isn’t secured.

The British government has admitted that the legislation would break international law, but argues that it’s an insurance policy for that potential ‘no-deal’ scenario. Johnson has said the legislation is needed to end EU threats to impose a “blockade” in the Irish Sea that the prime minister asserted could “carve up our country.”

Britain’s Justice Secretary Robert Buckland told the BBC on Sunday that the legislation was a “break the glass in emergency

provision,” if needed, and that he would resign if he believed the rule of law was broken in an “unacceptable” way. “I don’t believe we’re going to get to that stage,” he said.

EU leaders have furiously rejected Johnson’s charge that the bloc is planning a major disruption to normal trade between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland.

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney told the BBC that the “kind of inflammatory language” coming from the British government was “spin and not the truth.”

Still, with the British government showing no sign of changing course, there are real concerns that the talks on a future trade deal between the U.K. and the EU could collapse within weeks. If that happens, tariffs and other impediments to trade will be imposed by both sides at the start of 2021.

The U.K. left the EU on Jan. 31, but it is in a transition period that effectively sees it

benefit from the bloc’s tariff-free trade until the end of the year while a future relationship is negotiated. Even before the latest standoff, discussions between the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, and his U.K. counterpart, David Frost, had made very little progress. One major element of the Brexit withdrawal agreement is the section related to ensuring an open border on the island of Ireland to protect the peace process in Northern Ireland.

The issue proved thorny during the more than two years of discussions it took to get a Brexit deal done, as the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland is the only land link between the U.K. and the EU. The EU wanted assurances the border would not be used as a back route for unlicensed goods arriving in Ireland from the rest of the U.K. — England, Scotland and Wales.

As a result, the two sides agreed there would

be some kind of regulatory border between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland.

Major and Blair, who both vociferously opposed Brexit, said the planned legislation puts the 1998 Good Friday agreement that ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland at risk.

Th pair said the bill “negates the predictability, political stability and legal clarity that are integral to the delicate balance between the north and south of Ireland that is at the core of the peace process.”

It’s unclear whether the planned legislation will get through the British Parliament, with a number of Johnson’s fellow Conservatives uneasy at the prospect of the government breaching international law.

Tobias Ellwood is one lawmaker who has said he could not accept the legislation, arguing that the bill diminishes “our role-model status as defender of global standards.”

Monday, 14 September, 2020

Osaka beats azarenka tO win Us Open 2020 wOmen's singles title

J

AGENCIES

APAN'S Naomi Osaka came from a set down to beat Victoria Azarenka of Belarus to win the US Open on Saturday and clinch her third Grand Slam title.

Osaka, the fourth seed, overcame her unseeded opponent 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 in 1hr 53min inside a near-empty Arthur Ashe Stadium at Flushing Meadows. It brought 22-year-old Osaka's haul of tennis major trophies to three after her victories at the 2018 US Open and 2019 Australian Open.

Azarenka, 31, sprinted to the first set in just 26 minutes, dominating Osaka with an 88 percent success rate on her first serve. The Japanese was uncharacteristically sloppy, hitting a whopping 13 unforced errors.

Azarenka then went 2-0 ahead in the second set before Osaka fought back to break her opponent's serve twice and take a 4-3 lead. The momentum had quickly swung in Osaka's favor and she broke a third time to take the match to a deciding set.

Osaka enjoyed the first breakthrough of set three in game four when she broke Azarenka's serve to take a 3-1 lead.

Azarenka then blew a golden opportunity to get back into the match, wasting three break points as Osaka recovered from 0-40 to hold for a 4-1 lead.

Azarenka then saved four break points to make it 4-2 as she battled to keep the contest alive. When she broke Osaka in game seven, the set was back on serve. But Osaka immediately broke back after Azarenka pushed a forehand wide to leave herself the opportu-

nity of serving for the match.

On Osaka's second championship point, Azarenka found the net. After touching racquets with her opponent, Osaka lay down in the middle of the court and looked up at the sky in celebration. Osaka had walked onto the court wearing a mask bearing the name of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old African-American boy who was shot dead by a white police officer in Cleveland, Ohio in 2014.

Osaka, of Japanese and Haitian heritage, wore different masks honoring victims of racial injustice and police brutality in each round of the tournament.

The 2019 Australian Open champion also donned face coverings bearing the names of Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, George Floyd and Philando Castile.

IPL can provide challenging practice to Indian, Australian players ahead of December duel: Ian AGENCIES Former captain Ian Chappell believes playing cricket in Covid-19 era is a lot different from anything experienced in the past, but said the upcoming IPL can provide some “challenging” practice to Indian and Australian players ahead of their much-anticipated duel later this year.

Indian players will fly directly to Australia after the IPL concludes on November 10 for the high-profile tour which is likely to begin with a T20 series followed by four Tests and ODIs. The IPL begins in Abu Dhabi on September 19.

Ian feels the high-profile T20 event might just be a blessing in disguise for the Indians and the Australians, with just a few series possible since mid-March because of the pandemic. “One thing is certain: where there’s a will, there’s a way, and the better players are dedicated to finding a solution,” Ian wrote in a column for ESPNcricinfo.com..

“In case of Indian players, and some of the Australians, they will at least have some challenging IPL cricket in the lead-up to the December series.” Ian admitted the IPL “may not seem like ideal preparation for a tough Test series in Australia” but he recalled the thoughts of former England batsman Ravi Bopara in 2009.

“After a stint in the IPL, Bopara was asked on return to England if this was appropriate preparation for a Test match. He responded by saying that ‘looking to score at every opportunity gets your feet moving positively’. He proved his point emphatically by scoring back-to-back centuries against West Indies.”

The 76-year-old legend said with a host of health and safety protocols in place, it is difficult for visiting teams to prevail over home sides in the Covid-19 era.” With venue bubbles, isolation rules, social distancing, and a number of changes to playing conditions, adapting to international competition has been testing for players. It’s made life difficult and different even in a team environment but imagine the individual’s dilemma in enforced isolation with a tour looming,” he said.

“The physical preparation is not so difficult, especially for self-starters, but how do you stay in cricket shape?”

But the former captain said the Indians very well understand the stakes associated with the tour of Australia and will leave no stone unturned in their preparations for the series. “The Indian players could well adopt this attitude for a series in Australia that will impact the Border-Gavaskar trophy, the World Test Championship, and their personal pride.”

“It’s unlikely India will have the luxury of lead-up matches against tough opposition.

More likely it will be intra-squad games, which can be helpful if selection is judicious and pits good bowlers against equally talented batsmen. The downside is the fast bowlers are often wary of injuring their own players,” he said.

‘Watch him, see how he plays, observe his technique’: Abbas asks players to learn from Sharma Legendary batsman Zaheer Abbas named an Indian batsman he “really likes”. Abbas heaped praise on India’s limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma and termed him a “classical player”.

“Rohit Sharma is a classical player. I re-

ally like him. He creates strokes, plays on the merit of the ball,” said Abbas in a YouTube show called Caught Behind.

Abbas who is widely renowned as the ‘Asian Bradman’ for scoring 108 first-class centuries, said he always keeps an eye on how Rohit hits the boundaries.

“My eyes look at how he creates strokes, how he hits his sixes and boundaries. The players who have such a wide range of strokes can play in all formats, he rarely fails,” said Abbas.

The former Pakistan captain also highlighted Rohit’s evolution as an all-format batsman and said he can be successful in Test cricket if he makes the mental adjustments.

“If you mentally prepare for Tests, then you play accordingly, same is with ODIs and T20Is, it’s all about tuning your mind and Rohit has all the shots, so he doesn’t have to worry about that,” he added.

Abbas, who scored 5062 runs in 78 Tests at an average of 44.79, cited the example of India limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma and said if Pakistan batsmen feel he is good then they should follow him.

“If you say that Rohit Sharma is good.

Then you should learn from him. Watch him, see how he plays, observe his technique. I used to watch and learn from Hanif Mohammad, Rohan Kanhai. I didn’t go and train with them, I just learned after observing their batting,” he said.

Rohit, who was awarded the highest award for sportspersons in India the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, will lead Mumbai India in IPL 2020. The defending champions will play the tournament opener on September 19 against last year’s runner-up Chennai Super Kings in Abu Dhabi.

SPORTS 11

Two UAE players charged under ICC anti-corruption code AGENCIES United Arab Emirates (UAE) players Amir Hayat and Ashfaq Ahmed have been charged with five counts of breaching cricket’s anti-corruption rules and provisionally suspended with immediate effect.

The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) had suspended Ashfaq during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in October last year but no formal charges had been laid so far. Both Amir and Ashfaq have been charged with the following breaches of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code: Article 2.1.3: Seeking, accepting, offering or agreeing to accept any bribe or other Reward to: (a) fix or to contrive in any way or otherwise to influence improperly the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of any International Match; or (b) ensure for Betting or other corrupt purposes the occurrence of a particular incident in an International Match.

Article 2.4.2: failing to disclose to the ACU (without unnecessary delay) the receipt of any gift, payment, hospitality or other benefit, (a) that the Participant knew or should have known was given to him/her to procure (directly or indirectly) any breach of the Anti-Corruption Code, or (b) that was made or given in circumstances that could bring the Participant or the sport of cricket into disrepute.

Article 2.4.3: failing to disclose to the ACU (without unnecessary delay) all gifts (whether monetary or otherwise), hospitality and/or other non-contractual bene-

fits offered to a Participant that have a value of US$750 or more, whether or not the circumstances set out in Article 2.4.2 are present, save that there shall be no obligation to disclose any (i) personal gifts, hospitality and/or other non-contractual benefits offered by or on behalf of any close friend or relative of the Participant, (ii) any food or beverage gifts or (iii) cricket hospitality gifts in connection with Matches the Participant is participating in.

Article 2.4.4: failing to disclose to the ACU (without unnecessary delay) full details of any approaches or invitations received by the Participant to engage in Corrupt Conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code. Article 2.4.5: failing to disclose to the ACU full details of any facts or matters that came to his attention that may evidence Corrupt Conduct under the Code by another Participant.

The players have 14 days from 13 September to respond to the charges. The ICC will not make any further comment in respect of these charges at this stage.

Akmal says ‘even greater tragedy’ to see Azam being criticised for slow strike-rate AGENCIES Babar Azam is one of the best batsmen in the world right now along with Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson.

He has been incredibly consistent in the past few years, often fighting a lone battle in the Pakistan middle order.

The 25-year-old was in good form in the recently concluded England tour where Pakistan lost the Test series 0-1 and tied the T20 series 1-1.

Even though he has been consistently accumulating runs, Babar has been criticised for his slow strike-rate. Babar was recently the number one T20 batsmen in the world (before being displaced by Dawid Malan). But criticism has been levelled on him for not scoring runs quickly.

Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal defended Babar, saying that people should spend their energy motivating him rather than looking down on a

player like him. “An even greater tragedy is that people have started to criticize our number one batsman, Babar Azam, saying that he isn’t scoring runs at a fast-enough rate or isn’t winning enough games. What is becoming of us? If we wish to improve things then instead of looking down on a player like Babar, we should spend our energy motivating him,” Kamran said in an interaction with PakPassion.net, “I feel that the team management needs to make sure that all players in the squad are looked after and given confidence instead of preferring to concentrate and spend energies on a select few who are their favourites,” added the 38-yearold, who remains out of contention despite being among runs in the domestic circuit.

Babar hit 195 runs in the three-match Test series for Pakistan while hitting 77 runs in the T20s. A lot was expected out of Babar but he wasn’t at his absolute best at the tour.

Billings feels he won’t cement number five spot despite 118-run innings against Australia AGENCIES Sam Billings played an incredible innings for England in the first ODI at Old Trafford against Australia. He walked on the field when England were struggling at 57-4 and had to chase a target of 295 runs.

Jonny Bairstow was struggling at the other end and it looked like things would become really difficult. But Billings and Bairstow stuck around to get through that phase and eventually made England believe that they could win. Billings stayed till the end to score 118 runs and took the match to the last over. They eventually lost by 19 runs but Billings made a case for a permanent spot in the England middle-order.

Despite his century against England, Billings admits that he still would not be able to cement his place as number five batsman.

And it is due to the presence of Ben Stokes.

His remark comes ahead of the second ODI against Australia. In the first match, the right-handed batsman Billings was able to play a knock of 118 runs, but England fell short by 19 runs in the first match.

CMYK

England is without the services of Ben Stokes for the ongoing ODI series against Australia as the all-rounder is in New Zealand with his family.

“Ben Stokes isn’t here and I don’t think, however many runs I get, that I’ll keep that spot. All I can do is stake a claim. Especially building towards the T20 stuff. There is a slot in that late-to-middle order. Hopefully, this will keep pushing my case in that format. Loss of form and injury - as I found out the hard way - can happen. As long as you are putting yourself in the right position to be the next cab off the rank, you never know when these opportunities will arise,” ESPNCricinfo quoted Billings as saying.

England was chasing 295 in the first ODI against Australia and the hosts were in a spot of bother at 57/4 when Billings and Jonny Bairstow got together at the crease.

The duo formed a partnership of 113 runs, and Billings got going tough during the course as he was slow to get off the blocks.

“Australia reminded me I was 11 of 32 pretty consistently. At that point in time, we had zero chance. I felt terrible as well. I was-

n’t fluent at all. But then you look at the other end and Jonny is struggling as well and he’s one of the most fluent openers in world cricket. No one really got going,” Billings said. “But you could see Australia’s mindset definitely change when we started to get that partnership going. The energy all of a sudden went from very positive to just slightly more intensity and thinking that we are getting ourselves back into the game. Who knows, if Jonny and I had batted for another five overs; if Moeen Ali and I could have got a bit of a partnership together... Yes, it was a huge ask. But in that situation it’s a matter of trying to take the game deep and give us some sort of chance,” he added.

Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Adam Zampa, and Josh Hazlewood came up with standout performances to hand visitors a win in the first ODI. Marsh and Maxwell had played knocks of 73 and 77 while Hazlewood returned with figures of 3-26 from his ten overs. Zampa had claimed four wickets as well. Australia and England will lock horns in the second ODI of the three-match series on Sunday at Manchester.

Monday, 14 September, 2020

PrAyEr TImINGS

NEWS

PaleSTinianS rally againST Bahrain-iSrael TieS nOrMaliSaTiOn GAZA

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AGENCIES

ALESTINIANS in Gaza burned pictures of Israeli, American, Bahraini, and United Arab Emirates leaders in protest against the two Gulf countries' moves to normalise ties with Israel.

Bahrain on Friday joined the UAE in agreeing to normalise relations with Israel, a move forged partly through shared fears of Iran but one that could leave the Palestinians further isolated.

The Gaza protest, attended by a few dozen people, was organised by the ruling group Hamas.

"We have to fight the virus of normalisation and block all its paths before it succeeds to prevent it from spreading," said Hamas official Maher al-Holy.

Demonstrators set fire to images of US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the

OMan welcOMeS Bahrain-iSrael nOrMaliSaTiOn deciSiOn Oman welcomes Bahrain’s decision to normalise relations with Israel and hopes it will contribute to Israeli-Palestinian peace, Oman state media said on Sunday. Bahrain on Friday became the second Gulf country to normalise ties with Israel after the United Arab Emirates said they would do so a month ago, moves forged partly through shared fears of Iran. “[Oman] hopes this new strategic path taken by some Arab countries will contribute to bringing about a peace based on an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and on establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as capital,” the government statement said. Israel’s intelligence minister said a few days after the UAE-Israel accord was announced on Aug 13 that Oman could also formalise ties with the country. Oman has welcomed the UAE and Bahraini decisions, but has not commented on its own prospects for normalised relations. In 2018 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Oman and discussed peace initiatives in the Middle East with then-Omani leader Sultan Qaboos. In a turbulent region, Oman has maintained its neutrality. It has kept friendly relations with a range of regional actors, including arch-foes the United States and Iran. AGENCIES

UAE's Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

While the United States, Israel, the

aPg to review Pakistan’s performance on action plan tomorrow ISLAMABAD: A crucial two-day meeting of the Asia-Pacific Group (APG) of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is scheduled for September 15 and 16 to review Pakistan’s measures against money laundering. The AsiaPacific Joint Group will hold a virtual meeting in which Pakistan’s 27-point action plan will be reviewed. However, some important bills regarding the anti-money laundering - vital for Pakistan’s removal from the FATF grey list are facing blockage in parliament due to the opposition, which is demanding to take them into confidence before their passage. Pakistan, America, Britain, France, Germany, China, India, New Zealand and Australia will attend the meeting. The recommendations will be put before the FATF on October 16. TLTP

Saudi banks face squeeze on profitability DUBAI: The profitability outlook for Saudi banks remains subdued, as a result of the twin effects of low oil prices and Covid-19 lockdowns which might impact credit demand and asset quality according to Alvarez & Marsal (A&M). An analysis of financial results of top 10 Saudi banks in the second quarter by A&M showed profitability of Saudi banks for the first half of 2020 impacted substantially by Covid-19. “Despite the challenging stance on profitability, we believe Saudi banks are still intent on paying dividends for 2020 which could bind their pace of growth. The banks' top-line growth is also challenged by the compression of their net interest margins, limiting income growth,” said Asad Ahmed, A&M Managing Director and Head of Middle East Financial Services. Saudi Arabia’s top ten banks reported a marginal increase in deposits compared to the preceding quarter, which improved the banks’ funding position. In Q2, the loan to deposit ratio (LDR) increased slightly to 86.1 per cent. Operating income declined by 3.8 per cent quarter on quarter (QoQ) as the sluggish economic environment impacted all income streams. Net interest income dropped 2.2 per cent QoQ, as reduced interest rates more than offset a marginal increase in loans and advances. Net fee income fell 18 per cent, as lockdowns impacted fee income generated from new business volumes and cards. The kingdom’s banks continued to improve their efficiency, as cost to income (C/I) ratio declined for the second consecutive quarter; a result of a regimented approach to cost optimisation and lower operational expenses during lockdown. Despite incessant decline, the C/I ratio still remains slightly above the average achieved in 2019 (34.6 per cent). Total operating expenses dropped 4.5 per cent QoQ, on the back of lower administrative and travel expenses incurred by the banks during the lockdown. Eight out of 10 banks reported a decline in their C/I ratio. “We envisage that the top banks will maintain similar risk appetites but believe the pressures on their profitability and capitalisation will persist for the coming quarters, and only cost optimisation measures can support the banks’ viability,” said Ahmad. AGENCIES

UAE, and Bahrain hail the diplomatic moves as a significant step towards peace and stability in the Middle East, the Pales-

tinians see it as a betrayal.

They fear a weakening of a longstanding pan-Arab position that calls for Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory and acceptance of Palestinian statehood in return for normal relations with Arab countries. Despite a deep political rift going back to 2007, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose Palestinian Authority (PA) has a limited rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and his Hamas rivals have been united against the Gulf states' move.

In the West Bank, Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Saeb Erekat said the diplomatic push will not achieve peace if the decadeslong Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not resolved first.

"The Bahraini, Israeli, American agreement to normalise relations is now part of a bigger package in the region. It isn't about peace, it is not about relations between countries. We are witnessing an alliance, a military alliance being created in the region," Erekat said.

Afghan forces, Taliban continue to clash even as peace talks start DOHA AGENCIES

Taliban and Afghan government forces clashed across Afghanistan hours after the start of long-awaited peace talks in Doha on Saturday, officials said, underscoring the uphill challenge of settling a 19-year insurgency.

Talks between the two sides were to begin shortly after a United StatesTaliban agreement in February but began only over the weekend after months of delays, caused in part by continuing Taliban offensives in the war-torn country. “With the start of intra-Afghan talks we were expecting the Taliban to reduce the number of their attacks, but unfortunately their attacks are still going in high numbers,” Fawad Aman, a spokesman for the Afghan defence ministry, said.

Representatives from a number of countries who spoke at the inauguration of the peace talks called on the Taliban to announce an immediate ceasefire before negotiators sat down to find a way to end decades of war in Afghanistan. The Taliban did not say anything about a possible ceasefire at the ceremony.

Achieving a significant reduction in violence and how to get to a permanent ceasefire would be among the first issues the sides would discuss when they meet on Sunday, the head of Afghanistan's peace council, Abdullah Abdullah, told Reuters on Saturday.

No meeting between the two has been reported by either side in Doha on Sunday, but Qatar's state news agency reported teams led by Taliban's political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Abdullah had met the Qatari Emir.

Aman said that, on Friday, the eve of the inauguration of the talks, the Taliban had carried out 18 attacks against government forces and installations across the country, inflicting heavy casualties. “We don't have exact information about Taliban attacks on Saturday, but I can say the number of attacks has increased instead of decreased”.

Taliban attacks on Saturday night were confirmed by officials in the provinces of Kapsia and Kunduz.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that the insurgent group attacked a convoy of Afghan forces that had arrived to launch an operation along a key highway in Kunduz.

He added that security forces carried out air and artillery strikes on Saturday night in the provinces of Baghlan and Jowzjan.

LHASA: A view of glacier in Baxoi County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. AGENCIES

FAJR SUNRISE

ZUHR

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

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176M MOre cOUld fall inTO POverTy afTer PandeMic, warnS Un NEW YORK: The economic downturn resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic is unprecedented in peacetime since the Great Depression of the 1930s, UN poverty expert Olivier De Schutter has said. According to a UN statement released the other, De Schutter said the measures taken by governments to protect people so far have been insufficient.

He has called on world leaders to take more decisive steps to eradicate poverty and reduce inequalities. “The social safety nets put into place are full of holes,” said De Schutter, a Belgian legal scholar appointed by the UN Human Rights Council as special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. “These current measures are generally short-term, the funding is insufficient, and many people will inevitably fall between the cracks,” he added.

De Schutter warned that 176 million additional people worldwide could fall into poverty, with $3.20 per day being used as the poverty baseline. Even though governments have pledged social schemes to help, the world's poorest people are often excluded because they don't have the digital literacy or internet access, he said. In some cases, government programs are now running out, the expert added. “Families in poverty have by now used up whatever reserves they had and sold their assets. The worst impacts of the crisis on poverty are still to come.” AGENCIES

Pompeo says US 'deeply concerned' over Turkey actions in east Mediterranean NICOSIA: The United States remains “deeply concerned” about Turkey’s actions in the eastern Mediterranean, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Saturday, urging a diplomatic end to a simmering crisis over offshore natural resources. Tensions in the eastern Mediterranean have risen over claims and counterclaims, pitting Turkey against Greece and Cyprus to maritime areas thought to be rich in natural gas. “Countries in the region need to resolve disagreements including on security and energy resource and maritime issues diplomatically and peacefully,” Pompeo said in a fleeting trip to Cyprus on Saturday night, where he met with President Nicos Anastasiades. “Increased military tensions help no one but adversaries who would like to see division in transatlantic unity,” he said. Turkey has sent two survey vessels to separate areas in the region, drawing strong protests from both Cyprus and Greece, which say Ankara is operating on their respective continental shelves. Turkey says it has a legitimate claim over the area. There is no agreement between Greece and Turkey delimiting their continental shelves, while Turkey disputes any claims by Cyprus, with which it has no diplomatic relations. “We remain deeply concerned by Turkey’s ongoing operations […] the Republic of Cyprus has the right to exploit its natural resources including the right to hydrocarbons found […] in its exclusive economic zone,” Pompeo said. The east Mediterranean island was split in a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup. Its internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government represents the whole island in the European Union, though its authority is effectively contained to the southern part. AGENCIES

India faces tough choices in trying to reopen economy amid pandemic NEW DELHI AGENCIES

Authorities in India are walking a tightrope as they grapple with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic alongside the need to conserve limited government finances, with Covid-19 infections continuing to surge at an alarming pace, analysts say.

India's economy has been battered by the pandemic and a strict nationwide lockdown that was enforced in March in reaction to the virus. This saw many businesses virtually stop operations and millions were left without work during what was one of the strictest lockdowns in the world.

The latest official data revealed that this resulted in India suffering its worst quarterly contraction on record in April to

June, plunging 23.9 per cent compared to the same quarter a year earlier. That prompted Moody's Investors Service in June to downgrade India to 'Baa3' – one notch above 'junk status – from 'Baa2' for the first time in 22 years, while keeping its outlook on the country negative.

“With uncertainty around Covid-19 and while the demand recovery and economy pickup is gradual, the government and the central bank have no option but to wait and see how the situation pans out before making any further announcements as they’re left with limited resources,” says Gurpreet Sidana, the chief operating officer at Religare Broking, based in New Delhi.

There have been calls for more measures to be taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, including further

fiscal stimulus, to boost the economy. But this is not something that can be easily executed, as India exceeded its fiscal deficit target for the year in the four months to July, with a shortfall of more than $111 billion.

“Given the restricted fiscal space with the central and state governments, it is difficult to see how it can be done without running up a higher deficit – which can pressure India’s external ratings,” says VP Nandakumar, the chief executive of Manappuram Finance, a non-banking financial company based in Kerala. “That is a tightrope for the government to walk.”

On Friday, Moody's revised India's GDP forecast for the current financial year, which runs until the end of March 2021. The agency now projects Asia's third-largest economy to shrink 11.5 per cent, compared

to an earlier 4 per cent forecast. The ratings agency said the country's “credit profile is increasingly constrained by low growth, a high debt burden, and a weak financial system” ... [and that] policymaking institutions have struggled to mitigate and contain these risks, which have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic”.

Several other institutions, including Fitch Ratings, slashed their GDP growth forecasts for the year, following the recent quarterly data release. "GDP should rebound strongly in [the October to December quarter] amid a re-opening of the economy, but there are signs that the recovery has been sluggish and uneven,” Fitch Ratings said. The pick-up is being facilitated by a reopening of the economy following the lockdown.

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