EpaperKHI_21-01-03

Wednesday, 3 March, 2021 I 18 Rajab, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 244 I 12 Pages I Karachi Edition

New evideNce of ‘vote tradiNg’ emerges as lawmakers go for seNate polls today g

ali HaideR Gillani admits Role in vote tRadinG, saYs it is His RiGHt to luRe Pti lawmakeRs

ISLAMABAD Mian abrar

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video recording and whatsapp chat surfaced on tuesday in which it was shown offers were being made to the lawmakers of the ruling Pakistan tehreek-e-insaf (Pti) by Pakistan People's Party (PPP) lawmakers and by a middle-man of the Pakistan muslim league-nawaz (Pml-n) candidate for senate and former federal minister abbas khan afridi. in the video, the son of the former prime minister and Pakistan democratic movement (Pdm) candidate for senate election from the federal capital, Yousaf Raza Gillani, is allegedly involved in vote-trading. the video recording revealed that discussion of money that took place between ali Haider Gillani and the Pti lawmakers. in this regard, there seemed to be negotiations taking place wherein funds where promised for development

pakistaN

CONFIRMED CASES:

582,528

LAST UPDATED AT 7:33 AM ON MARCH 2, 2021

NEW CASES:

42

1,163

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

547,406 12,938 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

258,412

172,683

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

72,615

19,066

10,280/4,956

Govt to demand Yousaf Raza Gillani's disqualification fRom senate election

funds, with values ranging from Rs50 million to Rs200 million. to add more fuel to the fire, some whatsapp messages also emerged of a chat where the alleged middle-man of Pml-n candidate abbas afridi contacted abdus salam afridi, a khyber Pakhtunkhwa (kP) lawmaker of Pti for his vote. according to sources, the video features member of Punjab assembly ali Haider Gillani talking with another person who ensures him about his vote and says that they are in total four lawmakers who would surely vote for Yousaf Raza Gillani. the video allegedly shows ali Haider Gillani telling a lawmaker how to cast a vote or how to cast an invalid vote if pressurised for showing his ballot paper by the ruling party. However, the face of the lawmaker is not visible. it is worth mentioning here that in the senate elections, there were shocking revelations about buying members of the assembly, according to which in the 2018 senate elections, Pti members were called

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and bought with a pile of notes. according to the details, the government proposed to hold the senate elections in 2021 with the open ballot, which was opposed by the opposition. However, a video of 2018 also came out regarding how the market looks like in the senate elections. moreover, a video segment emerged in which sindh minister nasir shah has assured four lawmakers of getting paid "over and above" the agreed amount and also resolve all issues from the sindh government. the person who is finalising the deal also tells shah that all the four are ‘sold’ and shah also assures the lawmakers that all the tasks of his "brothers" were his own responsibility.

ALI HAIDER GILLANI ADMITS ROLE IN VOTE TRADING: ali Haider Gillani admitted his role in the vote-trading, saying he had sought support from the Pti lawmakers.

However, he said that he did not offer money against votes. “there is nothing wrong with that. i repeat, our members of the assembly are respectable. we are happy that imran khan has been sitting in the assembly for two or three days and meeting the members,” said the ali Haider Gillani. He said that the Pti members said that they want to vote for Yousuf Raza Gillani according to their call of conscience. “i only talked about what to do if a marked ballot is given to them by Pti. i said then waste the vote because it will not be a vote of conscience,” he added. addressing a press conference here, the son of the former premier said that he was talking to his friends in the video about the senate election.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

PTI infighting leads to ugly clash in Sindh Assembly ISLAMABAD staff report

the lawmakers from the ruling Pakistan tehreek-e-insaf (Pti) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) got into a clash after three Pti lawmakers karim Gabol, shehryar shar and aslam abro, who raised reservations over the distribution of senate tickets in sindh, entered the house. these three lawmakers in question had earlier announced that they would not vote for the Pti candidates in the senate elections as they were in disagreement with the tickets that had been awarded for the polls. the three were welcomed by members of the ruling PPP when they arrived at the assembly for tuesday’s session., resulting in chaos.

Gabol, in a video released a day earlier, had claimed that his party has given senate tickets to candidates in exchange for money, adding that the constitution of the country allows him to vote for any candidate. speaker agha siraj durrani left the assembly after asking the parliamentarians to go back to their seats repeatedly. He has taken notice and ordered an in-

China to send 500,000 coronavirus vaccine shots, says Qureshi ISLAMABAD staff report

foreign minister shah mehmood qureshi on tuesday announced that china would send 500,000 more doses of coronavirus vaccine for Pakistan’s frontline workers and senior citizens. talking to the media after the launch of the celebrations of the establishment of Pakistan-china diplomatic relations along with chinese state state councilor and foreign minister wang Yi, he said that china had already gifted 500,000 doses of vaccine sinopharm to the Pakistani nation for its frontline health workers.

Both the countries would tackle the coronavirus pandemic together, he added. qureshi said that ties between Pakistan and china had deepened further. the two countries would hold a series of events to celebrate the establishment of diplomatic relations, he added. at the event, a logo was also launched to mark the start of celebrations. thanking the chinese government and his counterpart, qureshi said that the two countries were determined to move forward together as their bilateral relations

quiry in the chaos.

Reports suggest that Gabol has been moved to a hotel on sharae faisal. He is expected to issue a video statement soon. it is pertinent to mention here that on monday, Pti karachi President khurram sher zaman had claimed that three of his party’s mPas had gone missing, while today those ‘missing’ members came to the sindh assembly and reportedly stated that they will vote according to their ‘conscience’. this is a likely reference to the fact that they will vote in favour of the opposition coalition, the Pakistan democratic movement (Pdm). opposition leader Haleem adil sheikh, while speaking to the media, accused that PPP leaders Burhan chandio and taimoor talpur of having abducted shehryar shar and aslam abro and having tried to kidnap karim Gabol. sheikh threatened to lodge fiR if the situation continues to remain violent. sheikh, when confronted with a video of Pti lawmakers manhandling their own party members, accused the journalists of “acting like PPP workers”.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

more inside

Senate polls: Ruling coalition comfortably placed to win numbers game STORY ON PAGE 03

Justice isa allowed to plead his case in sc were based on mutual trust. separately, the national command and operation centre (ncoc) on tuesday was told that the private sector pharmaceutical companies and healthcare facilities have applied with the drug Regulatory authority of Pakistan (dRaP) to import covid vaccine where the process was underway. meanwhile, Punjab Health minister dr Yasmin Rashid announced that after the vaccination of frontline health workers, the process of vaccinating the rest of the public against coronavirus will start soon. during a Punjab assembly session, the provincial minister said that 17 million coronavirus vac-

cines have been ordered after which the process of vaccinating the general public will begin.

Pml-n mPa samira komal got angry over the utilisation of funds and said that funds were being squandered by the Punjab health authorities.

Responding to komal’s allegations, Rashid said that the opposition has an old habit of “whining”. separately, the ncoc meeting, chaired by national coordinator lieutenant General Hamood uz zaman khan, took a detailed review of epidemic curve chart data and national vaccine strategy.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

STORY ON BACK PAGE

Pakistan playing role for regional peace, stability: COAS STORY ON PAGE 02

ecP to hold senate elections per past practice STORY ON BACK PAGE

02

Wednesday, 3 March, 2021

NEWS

Foreign diplomat detained after vehicular manslaughter NEws DEsk A foreign diplomat in Islamabad was detained by the police after he drove his car into a bike in Islamabad on Tuesday, it emerged. While the police have not confirmed which country the diplomat is from, nor whether he has been arrested or not, they have said that the 26-year-old biker, Muhammad Irfan, was killed during the accident. The accident took place within the limits of the Shalimar police station.

Indian flight makes emergency landing at Karachi airport after passenger dies kARACHI tLtp

An Indian commercial flight made an emergency landing at Karachi’s Jinnah Terminal International Airport on Tuesday after a passenger on the aircraft passed away. The aircraft, of India’s private airline IndiGo, was en route from Sharjah to Lucknow when a medical emergency was reported on board.

The captain of the plane, due to the passenger’s quickly deteriorating condition, contacted Karachi Air Traffic Control and sought permission to land in Karachi on humanitarian grounds. While the Pakistani air traffic control officials allowed the plane to make an emergency landing on humanitarian grounds, the passenger could not be saved and succumbed to his condition. After confirmation of the passenger’s death by doctors, the necessary procedural steps and documentation was carried out in Karachi, after which, the Indian plane took off again for Ahmedabad. The flight number 6E 1412 made the emergency landing at around 5:00am and took off at 8.36am to its destination after ensuring important measures. Last Monday, an air ambulance had made a technical landing at Islamabad International Airport after taking off from Kolkata to Azerbaijan. The air ambulance which took flight from Indian city Kolkata to its destination in Azerbaijan’s Baku made a technical landing at Islamabad airport.

Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian traffic after aerial dogfights in February this year ratcheted up tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals. It reopened its skies for all civilian traffic in July, ending months of restrictions affecting major international routes.

Court extends Asif’s detention for 10 days LAHORE Staff RepoRt

An accountability court in Lahore on Thursday extended the judicial remand (detention) of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif for 10 more days. In December, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested Asif from outside the Islamabad residence of another PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal on charges of being in possession of assets beyond his declared sources of income.

During the hearing on Tuesday, accountability judge Jawadul Hassan directed police to produce Asif again on March 12. So far, four witnesses have recorded their statements to NAB, the agency informed the court. According to a detailed charge sheet, NAB was carrying out investigations against Asif under Clause 4 of the NAB Ordinance, 1999 and Section 3 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010. “Before assuming the public office in 1991, the total worth of Khawaja Asif’s assets was Rs5.1 million which increased to Rs221m in 2018 after serving on different posts that do not match with his known sources of income,” said the statement. “Accused Khawaja Asif claimed to have received Rs130 million from a UAE firm M/s IMECO, but during the course of the investigation, he failed to present any solid evidence of receiving this amount as a salary,” it said. “This clearly shows that the accused tried to prove his income through fake sources.” Moreover, NAB alleged that Asif was also running a company, Tariq Mir and Company — registered in the name of his staffer — through his frontmen. It said that an amount of Rs400 million was deposited in the account of Tariq Mir and no sources of this huge amount were disclosed.

KARACHI

PAKIstAn PLAyIng roLe For regIonAL PeACe, stAbILIty: CoAs RAwALPINDI

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Staff RepoRt

HIEF of Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said that Pakistan is committed to peace and stability in the region and playing its part by solidifying border security and capacity enhancement of Frontier Corps (FC) and law enforcement agencies.

According to a press statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), during his visit to North and South Waziristan districts on Tuesday, he said, “We have to remain vigilant and steadfast to thwart hostile attempts to create chaos and reverse the gains of Operation Raddul-Fasaad.”

On the occasion, he was also briefed on progress of border management

regime, stabilization operations, socio economic development projects including opening of border terminals, said the ISPR. While interacting with officers and men, the COAS commended their commitment and professionalism. He also interacted with tribal elders at Mir Ali and appreciated them for their unflinching support and sacrifices in fight against terrorism.

New series of PML-N rallies to begin from March 3 NEws DEsk The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has announced its schedule of rallies to place prior to the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) long march on March 26.

According to the schedule, the protests will take place as follows: Mianwali on March 3 Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin, Attock and

DATES FOR LAHORE, FAISLABAD, KASUR, SHEIKHUPURA, JHELUM, LAYYAH AND RAJANPUR ARE YET TO BE FINALISED district Rawalpindi on March 5 Gujrat and Chakwal on March 6 Sialkot, Narowal and Lodhran on March 7

Lodhran on March 13 Sahiwal on March 10 Pakpattan on March 11

ECP decision on Senate elections consistent with Constitution: Marriyum IsLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) central spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb on Tuesday said that the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold the March 3 Senate polls “as per past practice” was in line with the Constitution.

The commission earlier today announced the election to the Upper House will be held “as provided in the Constitution and law”, a day after the Supreme Court (SC) directed it to hold the Senate elections through a secret vote.

Responding to the ECP’s statement, the PML-N leader said that the “fake leaders” should now start preparations to go back home.

Those involved in sugar, wheat, and electricity scandals should take some rest, she said.

The Supreme Court (SC), while announcing its verdict on a presidential reference seeking legal opinion on the holding of Senate election through a show of hands, had in 4-1 majority opinion ruled the elections will be held through a secret ballot.

In a late night statement, the ECP said it held a meeting on Monday under the chairmanship of Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja which “deliberated on the order/opinion of the Supreme Court passed

today [Monday] in presidential reference No. 1/2020 and decided to implement it in letter and spirit.”

The top court, in the eight-page verdict, had said: “It is the responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to ensure that the election is conducted honestly, justly, fairly, and in accordance with [the] law and that corrupt practices are guarded against.”

The commission — while observing it was already taking all possible steps to curtail corruption in the elections for the House — said that a detailed order from the court was still awaited.

Vehari on March 12 Attock and Khanewal on March 13 Dera Ghazi Khan on March 15 Multan on March 19 Okara, Attock, and Rahim Yar Khan on March 20 According to the party’s statement, protests are also to take place in Lahore, Faislabad, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Jhelum, Layyah and Rajanpur. However, dates for those have not been finalised yet.

LHC grants bail to youth in blasphemy case LAHORE MonitoRing RepoRt

Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday granted bail to a young man convicted in 2018 while still a teenager of insulting Islam by posting a picture of the religion’s holiest site on social media, a defence lawyer said. The court order came more than four years after Nabeel Masih was arrested. He was detained after a mob accused him of committing blasphemy by sharing a picture of Kaaba in Makkah on Facebook. He was 16 years old at the time. According to his lawyer, Naseeb Anjum, Masih was granted bail by the high court. It was unclear exactly when Masih would be freed. Blasphemy has been a contentious issue in Pakistan. Domestic and international human rights groups say blasphemy allegations have often been used to intimidate religious minorities and to settle personal scores. In 2018, Masih became the youngest blasphemy convict in Pakistan when the court sentenced him to 10 years in prison. Since then, the British Asian Christian Association has been supporting a legal battle for his release.

Anjum said he will try to quickly complete the paperwork to free Masih, now 20 years old. “I will continue this legal fight for his acquittal,” he added. Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry, a lawyer for the man who leveled the original accusation against Masih, confirmed that Masih was granted bail, but provided no further details. Juliet Chaudhry, a trustee of the British Asian Christian Association, said in a statement she was happy Masih would be freed but noted that he “has lost many of his most important years of development.”

Chaudhry said Masih should be compensated for his false conviction to help him restore his life and the organisation would pursue this for him. “We call on Christians everywhere to pray for him as we continue the battle,” she said. Former Punjab governor Salman Taseer was killed by his own guard in 2011 after he defended a Christian woman, Aasia Bibi, who was accused of blasphemy. She was acquitted after spending eight years on death row and left Pakistan for Canada to join her family after allegedly receiving threats.

Hearing in LNG case adjourned IsLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

An accountability court in Islamabad on Tuesday adjourned the hearing in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal case involving former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi due to lawyers’ strike.

During the proceedings, Abbasi and other suspects appeared before the court.

However, the hearing was adjourned due to a protest of lawyers’ bodies.

While speaking to journalists outside

the court premises, Abbasi regretted that no progress was made in the case in over two years.

In response to a question, Abbasi expressed hope that the opposition parties will achieve success in Wednesday’s Senate elections.

“MPs are aware they will not be elected on a PTI ticket. We are hoping for the victory of our [PDM] joint candidate Yousaf Raza Gillani [of PPP].”

Abbasi said that the parliament will decide on the issue of secret balloting in Senate polls after the issuance of the detailed verdict by the Supreme Court

(SC). He recounted that the top court, in the short verdict, has directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to ensure transparency in the Senate polls.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested Abbasi in July 2019, a year after it ordered an inquiry against him, deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif and others “for granting a 15-year contract of LNG terminal to a company of their liking in violation of rules and by misuse of their powers, which caused [the] national exchequer a loss of billions of rupees”.

As petroleum minister when Sharif was prime minister, Abbasi masterminded the government’s push to embrace LNG after PML-N swept to power in a 2013 election.

After NAB filed the reference, Abbasi said that he took full responsibility for work at the petroleum ministry as the deposed premier had “no direct responsibility for the workings of my ministry”.

“I welcome any inquiry by NAB or any other agency into the affairs of the ministry and I am available to cooperate with any such inquiry,” he had said.

Wednesday, 3 March, 2021

KARACHI

NEWS

03

SEnAtE POllS: Ruling COAlitiOn COmFORtAbly PlACEd tO win numbERS gAmE RIND SURRENDERS, WITHDRAWS SON'S NOMINATION ISLAMABAD

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Mian abRaR

LL preparations have been made as the National Assembly (NA) and four provincial assemblies are set to go for Senate elections. A day before the Senate elections, the ruling coalition looked comfortably placed to secure majority seats in the polls due today.

Prime Minister Imran Khan appears optimistic as things seemed to be under control after the premier met with the party’s lawmakers and hosted luncheon for members of the federal cabinet and coalition partners leaders.

The PM told his colleagues that the opposition parties were using “every tactic” to win the Senate elections, and therefore, he was in favour of open voting to ensure transparent elections.

“How do I deal with corrupt people? The judiciary also knows that votes are sold. I didn’t join hands with the opposition due to their corruption,” maintained the premier during the luncheon.

According to the sources, the lawmakers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) attended the luncheon. Senate candidates Hafeez Shaikh and Fauzia Arshad also attended the luncheon.

Speaking to the lawmakers, PM Imran said that if PTI wins Senate elections, they will have a stronger voice and better say in legislation.

The PTI members rejected Pakistan

People’s Party (PPP) senior leader and joint candidate for the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Yousaf Raza Gilani’s letter and wrote a reply, which was signed by all.

Addressing the attendees, PM Imran said that the government’s competition was against political thieves and victory will be of the ruling coalition. He was reportedly in a good mood during the luncheon.

He also met PTI members of the NA separately at the Parliament House. The meeting was also attended by Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Bazdar and Federal Minister for Finance Shaikh, the PTI candidate in the Senate elections from Islamabad.

According to sources, Prime Minister Imran said that the ruling party will win despite the corrupt practices of the opposition.

“Our members are being contacted and lured for votes but we are united. We will solve the problems raised by the people’s representatives. That is why for the first time more development projects are being given to the backward areas, because the priority of our government is the common man and the backward areas,” he said.

“We have been successful in every crisis.

The cause of the economic crisis is a debtridden country,” he added.

Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, while addressing a press conference, said that we have 181 marks so far and expressed hope that the total number will increase further, so both Shaikh and Fauzia win the election.

COALITION PARTNERS VOW TO VOTE FOR SHAIKH: All the coalition parties of the government have announced their support for Shaikh, including PML-Q,

MQM and GDA. “March 3 would be a historic day. PTI will get a majority in the senate. We want to end the use of money in elections. The members should represent their constituencies in a democratic way. We are all holding each other’s hand because our leadership is honest. The real problems are faced by the people that we will solve,” the Senate hopeful said.

Aminul Haq of MQM said that the PPP has tried to lure its members, but all the lawmakers and party workers are united as allies of the federal government.

GDA leader Fahima Mirza concurred that all the allied parties are united. The GDA is the coalition partner of the government, she added.

PML-Q leader Tariq Bashir Cheema asserted that victory will be for Shaikh.

According to the party’s position, the ruling party and its allies currently have 181

members while the opposition has 160 members. The NA consists of 342 members.

The PTI has 157 out of 341 members while MQM has seven members, PML-Q has five, BAP has five, GDA has three and Awami Muslim League (AML) and the JWP have one seat each.

The opposition has 160 members, including 83 from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), 55 from PPP parliamentarians, 15 from Muttahida Majlise-Amal, four from Balochistan National Party (BNP), one from ANP and two independents.

Per the numbers game, Shaikh has a 21vote lead over Gillani as the election is to be held by secret ballot, so it is being speculated that a surprise may be found in the Islamabad seat.

RIND SURRENDERS, WITHDRAWS SON’S NOMINATION: Estranged PTI Balochistan leader Sardar Khan Rind also

CPNE urges govt to consult stakeholders before formulating new press laws NewS DeSk

FO condemns Houthi missile attack on Saudi border region ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Pakistan on Tuesday condemned a Houthi missile attack on the Jazan region in southwestern Saudi Arabia which injured five people. “Pakistan strongly condemns the recent attacks [which] […] not only violate the territorial integrity of the Kingdom but also threaten the lives of innocent people,” the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement. “Pakistan calls for their immediate cessation, as it stands in solidarity with Saudi Arabia,” it added. The wounded included three Saudis and two Yemeni nationals, Col Mohammed bin Yahya Al-Ghamdi, spokesperson for the Directorate of Civil Defense in Jazan, said.

They suffered moderate injuries due to shrapnel and were transferred to a hospital to receive medical care, he added. “Two houses, a grocery store, three vehicles and several materials were damaged from the flying shrapnel.” The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the Houthis ousted the internationally recognised government from power in the capital, Sana’a. The movement, which controls northern Yemen, has recently stepped up crossborder attacks on Saudi Arabia.

The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) has once again urged the government to release the outstanding bills of newspapers and publications.

A meeting of the Punjab Committee of CPNE was held, with 92 Newspaper Editor-in-Chief Muhammad Haider Amin as chairman, at the Daily Times office on Tuesday. As many as 21 members of CPNE from Punjab were present on the occasion.

All the participants were unanimous in their demand that the government must ensure timely payment of the ads keeping in view the ongoing financial crisis of the media industry. “The government must be aware of its responsibilities and it should play its role during this hard time being faced by the media industry,” said the members of the committee. All editors were of the view that they will resist the dictatorial laws being imposed by the government with full force.

“We have bravely fought the dictatorships of Ayub Khan and Ziaul Haq and we will also fight this time for the sake of press freedom,” they said. There will be no compromise at all as far as the freedom of press is concerned, CPNE members added.

CPNE DEMANDS GOVT TO PLAY ITS ROLE IN RESOLVING FINANCIAL CRISIS OF MEDIA INDUSTRY The CPNE provincial committee also deliberated on the proposed ‘Punjab Press and Publication Bill, 2020’. The CPNE members were of the view that they will not accept any legislation on press laws that will be done without taking into confidence all the stakeholders. Moreover, the provincial committee also awarded the membership of Punjab CPNE to 21 new publications across the province. The meeting was attended by Express Group Editor Ayaz Khan, 92 News Group Editor Irshad Ahmad Arif, 92 Editor-in-Chief Muhammad Haider Amin, Daily Times Managing Director Kazim Khan, Pakistan Today Managing Editor Yousaf Nizami, Daily Ghareeb Editor Tanveer Shaukat, Jehan Pakistan Executive Editor Zia Tanoli, Sang-e-Meel Editor Multan Muhammad Arshad Roohani, Daily Saadat Group Editor Usman Ghani, and others.

SC orders CDA to demolish illegal lawyers’ chambers ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday rejected a petition of Islamabad Bar Council (ICB) and ordered the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to demolish illegal offices of lawyers constructed on a sports ground in Sector F-8 of the capital.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed upheld the verdict of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) which ordered the demolition of the chambers and vacation of the occupied ground.

On February 16, the IHC had ordered the CDA to demolish the chambers, observing that the lawyers and advocates who had allowed the building of the chambers “forcefully [took] the law in their hands.”

During the hearing on Tuesday, Justice Ahmed asked

the petitioner on what basis should the court stop the demolition. “Lawyers have no claim on the football ground,” he said and added: “Those who want to practice [the law] should have their offices built someplace else.”

The court also rejected the request for additional time until some alternative arrangements are made and directed the lawyers to vacate the state-owned land.

In 2013, the lawyers had planned to build their offices on the football ground and obtained a judicial order from a civil judge. However, after resistance by local traders, the CDA demolished some 30 under-construction chambers. But failed to retrieve almost half of the land occupied by lawyers.

Later in 2017, lawyers from the IBA resumed construction before being stopped. The following year, construction resumed once again but came to a halt following a suo motu notice taken by then-chief justice Saqib Nisar.

announced his withdrawal from the Senate elections.

During a press conference in Quetta in the presence of Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan and his father Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind, Sardar Khan Rind announced his withdrawal from the Senate elections.

“I realised that the opposition will be benefiting from my contesting the elections.

Hence, I decided to withdraw,” he added.

Balochistan CM Jam Kamal Khan termed the decision of Sardar Khan Rind as a major political step and said that his decision would further strengthen the coalition government in Balochistan.

He further said that Rind maintained the traditions of Balochistan today and the parties in the government would fully participate in today’s Senate elections.

Khan also said that our aim was not to take advantage of the opposition in the Senate elections.

Fawad surprised over ECP decision to ‘delay’ SC-suggested reforms ISLAMABAD: Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday expressed surprise after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced to delay electoral reforms aimed at ensuring transparency in the Senate elections until 2024. In a statement issued late Monday night, the election commission said that the Senate elections scheduled for March 3 will be conducted “as per past practice” as there is insufficient time to implement any of the suggestions provided by the Supreme Court (SC) in its ruling. In a Twitter post, the minister said that the commission has acknowledged the importance of the latest technology to prevent the practice of horse-trading in the Senate elections. But he was astonished the regulator had decided to delay these reforms until the next elections. The decision of the apex court gives a different opinion, but both the institutions are respectable to us, he said. Fawad said the opposition parties were spending their energies in the Senate elections […] which is already a lost cause for them. app

SC rejects objection to Abro’s candidature ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday binned a petition challenging the nomination of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Saifullah Abro for Senate. Last week, the Sindh High Court (SHC) allowed Abro to contest the March 3 elections, setting aside the decision of its election tribunal disqualifying the hopeful on the technocrat seat.

However, the ruling was challenged in the apex court on Monday. The petitioner maintained that Abro did not meet the criteria to contest the Senate election on a technocrat seat that required minimum 16 years of education and 20 years of experience. The apex court while upholding the decision of the high court directed the applicant to contact the relevant forum after the elections. The PTI has faced several challenges to its proposed candidates for the Senate elections. Last week, disgruntled PTI leaders from rural Sindh had approached Governor Imran Ismail, also a PTI stalwart, to express their reservations. In a letter, the PTI officials had said they were “extremely disappointed with the entire process” of the selection of candidates for the polls and demanded the party’s high command cancel the nomination of Abro and Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda and award tickets to “party loyalists”. Staff RepoRt

04

Wednesday, 3 March, 2021

KARACHI

NEWS

family welcomes two-headed baby in badin NEWS DESK A woman gave birth to a two-headed baby at a private hospital in Badin on Tuesday, according to a news website. According to the report, the doctors examined the mother and child and declared them healthy and out of danger. The family were brought to the Aisha Moosa Charitable Hospital, where an ultrasound report obtained after the woman's delivery indicated that the baby's brain was split and visible in both heads. The baby’s condition was reported as stable and the doctors said that the baby’s heads were separated after a surgical procedure, adding that further guidance would be provided to the child’s parents to help prevent severe complications in the future.

youth commits suicide after killing girl in karachi KARACHI INP

A youth committed suicide by shooting himself after killing a girl over unknown reasons in the metropolis on Tuesday. According to details, the incident took place at M. A. Jinnah Road, where the accused shot three bullets at a girl, leaving her critically injured, and committed suicide with the same weapon. The injured girl was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she could not survive during her treatment. The reasons behind the incident could not be ascertained.

PAkISTAn, CHInA CommenCe CelebrATIonS of 70-yeAr long dIPlomATIC TIeS FM QURESHI SAYS CPEC TO BECOME ‘HIGH-QUALITY DEMONSTRATION’PROJECT OF BRI ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR

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AKISTAN Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and China Foreign Minister Wang Yi formally commenced their celebrations of 70year long diplomatic ties on Tuesday. At a virtual ceremony held in Islamabad and Beijing simultaneously, Qureshi said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is set to become a ‘highquality demonstration’ project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

P&D approves Rs16.53bn funds for three urban development schemes LAHORE

Sindh information secretary assures maximum help to media persons

SHAHAB OMER

NEWS DESK Sindh Information Secretary Rafique Ahmed Buriro on Tuesday visited various sections of his department, including directorate of press information, admin and accounts, advertisement, press, films publication, legal, planning and development, social media, and section office. He was accompanied by Press Information Director Jahangir Khan Abro, Admin and Accounts Director Azeem Shah and Deputy Director Mohammad Yousuf Kaboro. The respective heads of the sections briefed the secretary about the overall working, achievements and development works. The secretary also met some media persons and discussed their problems in detail. He assured them that the information department would always extend maximum help for the solution of their professional problems.

He also awarded press accreditation cards for the year 2021 to some of the media persons. He was informed

by Abro that all the pending applications for press accreditation cards 2021 have been complied and cards are being distributed to the media persons.

The ceremony was attended by some high-ranking officials from both the countries.

Qureshi further said, “We pay tribute to the Chinese leadership, which has done an incredible job in changing the lives and destiny of its people. We believe that President Xi Jinping’s leadership, at a momentous history, has greatly helped Chinese nation to achieve its national aspirations. The successive generations of leaders and people of both the countries made invaluable contributions to strengthen the diplomatic ties.”

Wang Yi underlined that the Pakistan-China friend-

The Planning and Development (P&D) Board has approved funds of more than Rs16.53 billion for three development schemes in the urban development sector, Pakistan Today learnt on Tuesday.

According to details, the schemes were approved in the 25th meeting of the Punjab Development Working Party (PDWP) of current fiscal year 2020-21, presided over P&D Board Chairman Abdullah

Khan Sumbal.

P&D Secretary Imran Sikandar Baloch, board members, Senior Chief Coordination Javed Latif, Assistant Chief Coordination Shahid Idrees, provincial secretaries of the concerned departments, and some other senior officers attended the meeting.

The approved development schemes include the construction of an underpass near Ghulab Devi Hospital and additional lanes on the Lahore Bridge at the cost of Rs1,801.850 million, the construc-

tion of a flyover and some Improvement near Shahkam Chowk at the cost of Rs4,384.263 million, and Covid-19 Responsive and Other Natural Calamities Control Programme along with National Programme for Water Sanitation and Hygiene at the cost of Rs10,348.00 million.

Addressing the session, the P&D chairman said, “By taking urban development on priority list, we can create better livelihoods and improve social and economic inclusions.”

PAC chairman postpones meetings NEWS DESK The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has postponed its meetings, which were scheduled to be held on Wednesday (today) and Thursday. The decision to postpone the meetings was taken by the PAC chairman. The next dates of the meetings will be intimated in due course of time.

HYDERABAD: Labourers are busy in construction work of Pakka Fort under the supervision of Sindh Culture Department. PPI

ship has a time-honoured history and in the last seven decades, the two countries have stood together in good and difficult times, and built an exceptional friendship.

A logo was also launched at the ceremony, epitomising the historic nature of Pakistan-China ties.

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations, both the countries have planned a series of events, including people-to-people exchanges, to commemorate the historic milestone in a befitting manner.

To mark the historic occasion, both the ministers authored some articles, highlighting how the two countries have solidified and deepened their “All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership” over the last seven decades despite vicissitudes of times and changes in the international system.

PTI facing unrest in ranks over Senate tickets: Hamza LAHORE TLTP

Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stalwart Hamza Shehbaz has said that there is unrest in the government's ranks and that is why it had filed a reference in the Supreme Court (SC) for open balloting in the Senate elections.

Talking to media persons on Tuesday, the PML-N leader said that the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) has not awarded the tickets for the Senate elections in the right manner and that is why the PTI members in every province are raising concerns. He further said that the PMLN will be striving to gain as many seats in the Senate as possible. Regarding the state of the affairs in the country, he said the economy has collapsed, while people are finding it hard to make both ends meet, adding, "Everyone now knows about the flour and sugar scandals." He said that joblessness is high while inflation has become unbearable for the people. "Those who raise the slogan of accountability are the ones who have not been able to give an answer about the Bus rapid Transport (BRT) project," he maintained. On the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the PML-N leader noted that the masses are still unaware of the government's coronavirus vaccination policy. He added, "The people won't forgive us if we don't highlight the issues perturbing them. We are fighting the war of the rights of people from the platform of the PDM [Pakistan Democratic Movement]." He said, "The civilian institutions have collapsed and the military is forced to deal with situations like locust invasion". Earlier on Saturday last, Hamza was released from Kot Lakhpat Jail after the Lahore High Court (LHC) had granted him bail in the assets beyond means case three days ago. PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz along with a large number of party workers had reached the jail to welcome him after his release.

UN chief for valuing nature in economic policies, decisions UNITED NATIONS TLTP

Nations must start weighing up the cost of economic profit against damage to the environment, if they are to have a chance at a sustainable future, the UN Secretary General António Guterres said on Tuesday.

The UN chief highlighted that the global economy increased almost fivefold in the past fifty years, but that growth was at a massive cost to the environment.

“Nature’s resources still do not figure in countries’ calculations of wealth. The current system is weighted towards destruction, not preservation”, he said.

“The bottom line … is that we need to transform how we view and value nature.

We must reflect nature’s true value in all our policies, plans and economic systems”, Guterres urged, adding that by doing so,

investment can be directed into actions that protect and restore nature. “The rewards will be immense”, he said.

The call by the secretary general comes as countries convened at the UN Statistical Commission are set to deliberate a new statistical framework to measure economic prosperity and human well-being, which includes the contributions of nature.

The framework, called the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting– Ecosystem Accounting, goes beyond the commonly used statistic of gross domestic product (GDP), and ensures that natural capital, such as forests, oceans and other ecosystems, are factored in economic reporting, according to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). The system also helps better respond to environmental emergencies, such as climate change and

biodiversity loss, it added.

“We’ve treated nature as if it were free and as if it were limitless. So, we have been degrading nature and using it up without really being aware of what we were doing and how much we were losing in the process”, Elliott Harris, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development and UN Chief Economist, said.

The new framework, he said, “will allow us to see how our economic activities may affect our ecosystems, how the presence of nature affects us, and how our activities could be changed to achieve prosperity without damaging or destroying nature in the process”.

The DESA added the Statistical Commission is set to discuss the new statistical framework soon and will move to adopt it, provided there are no objections within a 72-hour period starting on March 5.

Wednesday, 3 March, 2021

KARACHI

TRade defiCiT widens To $17.3bn in eighT monThs ISLAMABAD

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TLTP

AKISTAN's trade deficit widened to $17.3 billion during the first eight months (July– February) of the current financial year (2020-21) mainly due to an increase in import bill, provisional data released by the Ministry of Commerce on Tuesday revealed.

Trade deficit was recorded at $15.87

billion during the same months of the last fiscal year.

According to the MoC data, the country’s import bill increased to $33.6 billion during the period under review as compared with $31.5 billion in the corresponding period of the last fiscal year, showing an increase of 6.6pc.

On the other hand, exports grew 4.2pc to $16.3 billion during July–February FY21 compared with $15.64 billion in

Punjab govt approves Rs16.53bn for three development schemes LAHORE SHAHAB OMER

The government has approved Rs16.53 billion for three development schemes in the urban development sector, Profit learnt on Tuesday. The said schemes were approved during the 25th meeting of the Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP), presided over by Planning and Development (P&D) Board Chairman Abdullah Khan Sumbal. The approved development schemes included the construction of an underpass to Gulab Devi Hospital and additional lanes on Lahore Bridge at the cost of Rs1,801.850 million; construction of a flyover at Shahkam Chowk at the cost of Rs4,384.263 million; and Covid-19 and other natural calamities control programme, including a project for Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) at a cost of Rs10,348.00 million.

8MFY20.

Adviser to Prime Minister of Pakistan for Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood attribited the widening of trade deficit to the import of raw material and intermediate goods, which increased by 7.8pc. The import of capital goods declined by 0.2pc, while that of consumer goods decreased by 7.3pc, he added.

“This shows that the Make-in-Pakistan Policy of MoC is delivering divi-

dends and industrial activity in the country is increasing. The import bill this year also increased because we had to import wheat and sugar to stabilize the market prices," he added.

In addition, cotton was imported to help the export-oriented industry so that the exports are not hampered.

During Jul-Feb 2021, the import of wheat amounted to $909 million, while that of sugar amounted to $126 million, and cotton $913 million.

FBR gives additional powers to IR's intelligence wing ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Tuesday gave additional powers to the Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation (I&I) Inland Revenue.

Documents available with this scribe revealed that the FBR has increased the functions, jurisdiction and powers of the DG Intelligence and Investigation-IR and its officers.

FUNCTIONS OF DG I&I-1R: The DG I&I-IR shall carry out intelligence activities on all tax-related issues, including under-reporting, tax evasion and revenue leakages as well as access to record and verification of business premises.

It will also collect information from any person, including taxpayer and third party-relating to financial transactions like investment and ex-

penses and details of persons who are involved in such activities.

Moreover, the directorate will process information and take necessary action on the basis of information provided by any other organization, agency or department under the relevant provisions of Income Tax Ordinance, 2001.

The directorate will also utilize the information obtained through the establishment of linkages by FBR with all major national, provincial other databases to collect relevant information.

In addition, it will identify cases of income tax evasion and carry out inquiry, investigation, whichever is deemed fit, to retrieve the loss of revenue, to identify, investigate and prosecute cases of tax evasion and/or offences punishable under the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, and the

rules made thereunder and to share and disseminate actionable information and corroborating evidence, where required, through written reports or information reports or otherwise to authorities or officers in the headquarters and field formations of the FBR for further proceedings.

It will not only process, investigate and prosecute complaints of tax evasion but also prosecute information shared by other agencies and carry out any other work or function that may be assigned to it by the FBR. JURISDICTION AND POWERS: The director general, directors, additional directors, deputy directors, assistant directors and other officers of DG I&I-IR shall have the powers of chief commissioner IR under the provisions of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001.

PTI infighting leads to ugly clash in Sindh Assembly cOntInuED fROM pAgE 01 The Karachi Union of Journalists later issued a statement condemning Sheikh’s remarks and warning of boycotting coverage of PTI lawmakers unless an unconditional apology was issued.

On the other hand, Abro and Shar were seen to have exited the assembly with the PPP lawmakers, and Abro reportedly stated that it was the PTI that had kidnapped Gabol.

Abro, while talking to media persons, said that they contested elections on their own and freedom of expression is everyone’s right. The lawmaker said that he is and will remain a member of PTI but will cast vote for Senate elections according to his conscience.

He further said that he repeatedly asked the provincial governor to do development work in Sindh but no federal minister ever visited rural areas of the province and they do not even know the names of their MPAs. He also claimed that the Sindh chapter of the party keeps Prime Minister Imran Khan in the dark.

PTI members have raised concerns over the way the party distributed the tickets, said PPP leader Nasir Hussain Shah after the incident. “PTI’s disgruntled members approached us and said that they won’t vote for their party,” he claimed.

“We don’t know if Gabol’s issue was planted or not,” he remarked. What happened in the assembly is condemnable and this should not have happened. “Gabol said that he wanted to go with his party members and no one stopped him,” Shah added. “We believe in democracy and no one is being pressured in anyone.” Three provincial assemblies and the National Assembly would elect 37 senators on Wednesday (March 3, 2021) as the Punjab Assembly has already elected 11 senators unopposed.

Twelve candidates each from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) while 11 from Sindh and two from federal capital would be elected senators.

Those elected unopposed in Punjab are Kamil Agha, Saifullah Nyazee, Afnanullah Khan, Aon Abbas, Ejaz Chaudhry, Sajid Mir and Irfanul Haq Siddiqui on general seats; Azam Tarar and Syed Ali Zafar on the technocrat seats and Zarqa Suharwardy and Saadia Abbasi on the women seats. In the federal capital, a one-to-one contest between Finance Minister Hafeez Sheikh and former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani would be held for a general seat while PTI’s Fauzia Arshad and PML-N’s Farzana Kausar would contest for a woman’s seat.

In Balochistan, 32 candidates would vie for 12 seats, including 16 for seven general seats and four for two technocrat seats. In KP, 11 candidates remained in the contest

for seven general seats, five candidates for two technocrats’ seats, five for the women’s seats and four for a non-Muslim seat. In Sindh, a total of 17 candidates remain in the contest – 10 for seven general seats, four for two technocrats seats and three for the two women’s seats.

A total of 37 senators — 12 each from KP and Balochistan, 11 from Sindh and two from Islamabad – will be elected on March 3. Two senators from Islamabad would be elected by the NA and the remaining to be elected by their respective assemblies.

Out of total membership of 104 in the upper house at present, three seats are lying vacant in Senate due to the death of PML-N Parliamentary leader Senator Mushahid Ullah Khan, the resignation of ANP Senator Sitara Ayaz and non-assumption of the office by Ishaq Dar after being elected as Senator.

Seven PPP senators completing their term in 2021 include Abdul Rehman Malik, Farooq Hamid Naek, Gianchand, Islamuddin Shaikh, Deputy Chairman Senate Saleem Mandviwalla, Sassui Palijo and Sherry Rehman.

Likewise, seven PTI senators would complete their term, including Brig (r) John Kenneth Williams, Liaqat Khan Tarakai, Mohsin Aziz, Nauman Wazir Khattak, Samina Saeed, Syed Shibli Faraz, and Zeeshan Khanzada would complete their term on March 11, 2021.

NEWS

China to send 500,000 coronavirus vaccine shots, says Qureshi cOntInuED fROM pAgE 01 The forum was briefed that private entities had applied for the authorisation to import Covid vaccine whereas the federal cabinet had also given its assent for the private sector to procure Covid vaccine and administer it at fixed prices. The forum was informed that over 181,000 front line healthcare workers have been vaccinated so far. However, average daily vaccination needs to be enhanced to achieve desired results of the national vaccination drive, it added. The forum was told that the provinces were improving their daily vaccinations with varying ratios which would help in meeting the set targets. The national tally on Tuesday of total active Covid-19 cases recorded 22,184 with 1,163 more people tested positive for the deadly virus and 1,035 people recovered from the disease during the last 24 hours. 42 coronavirus patients have died during the past 24 hours, wherein 41 of them were under treatment in hospital and one in their respective quarantines and homes on Monday, according to the latest update issued by the NCOC. Out of the total 42 deaths, 12 people had died under treatment on ventilators. During the last 24 hours, most of the deaths had occurred in Punjab followed

by KP. The maximum ventilators were occupied in four major areas including Multan 18 per cent, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) 30 per cent, Peshawar 20 per cent and Lahore 34 per cent. The maximum oxygen beds (alternate oxygen providing facility other than ventilator administered as per the medical requirement of the patient) was also occupied in Four major areas of Gujrat 94 per cent, Peshawar 38 per cent, Lahore 24 per cent and ICT 23 per cent.

Around 210 ventilators were occupied elsewhere in the country while no coronavirus patient was on a ventilator in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), GilgitBaltistan (GB) and Balochistan. Some 31,948 tests were conducted across the country on Monday, including 7,315 in Sindh, 13,616 in Punjab, 6,021 in KP, 3,836 in Islamabad, 369 in Balochistan, 315 in GB, and 476 in AJK. Around 547,406 people have recovered from the disease so far across Pakistan making it a significant count with over 90 per cent recovery ratio of the affected patients. Since the pandemic outbreak, a total of 582,528 cases were detected that also included the perished, recovered and under treatment Covid-19 patients so far, including AJK 10,280, Balochistan 19,066, GB 4,956, Islamabad 44,516, KP 72,615, Punjab 172,683 and Sindh 258,412. About 12,938 deaths were recorded in the country since the eruption of the contagion. Around 4,353 perished in Sindh among three of them died during past 24 hours. Two in the hospital and one out of the hospital. 5,391 in Punjab had died with 28 deaths in past 24 hours occurred in the hospital. 2,085 in KP where six of them died in hospital on Monday, 501 in Islamabad, 200 in Balochistan, 102 in GB and 306 in AJK among five of them succumbed to the deadly virus in hospital on Monday. A total of 9,022,124 coronavirus tests have been conducted so far, while 631 hospitals are equipped with coronavirus facilities. Some 1,973 Covid-19 patients were admitted to hospitals across the country.

New evidence of ‘vote trading’ emerges as lawmakers go for Senate polls today cOntInuED fROM pAgE 01 “I have been meeting a lot of people in connection with the election campaign. We have the right to seek votes. The way Imran Khan bought his own party votes is in front of the people and all the members of the Assembly are being given Rs50 crore funds each. The Election Commission should take notice of this. Doesn't it come in vote-buying and selling,” argued Ali Haider Gillani.

He said that some MNAs who belonged to the PTI called him and they met.

“If they call me again, I will go again.

Even after the press conference, I will go to ask for votes. We get votes of conscience. We have never bought or sold votes. We never took votes by threatening leaflets or lawsuits,” he maintained. Ali Haider Gillani said that the PTI members told him they do not want to vote for Hafeez Shaikh, who never allowed them even enter his office. He confirmed that he told them to waste their votes if they cannot vote for the former premier.

He stressed that the PPP is a democratic party and every lawmaker has a democratic

right to vote. “The government itself is bewildered and defeat is evident on their faces.

Insha'Allah, tomorrow's sun will rise with the victory of Yousaf Raza Gilani,” asserted Ali Haider Gillani.

THREE OUT OF FOUR PTI LAWMAKERS IN VIDEO IDENTIFIED: Minister for Planning Asad Umar said that three of the PTI lawmakers featured in the video who met Ali Haider Gillani have been identified while the last one would also be found out soon. “In the video, there are four PTI MNAs. Out of which three have been identified while information about the identity of the fourth is being ascertained,” he said.

“Action will be taken against the members who traded the Senate vote,” he added.

PTI CONTACTS ECP TO SUBMIT REFERENCE AGAINST GILLANI: Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry along with other party lawmakers arrived at the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) office to submit a reference against the candidature of Yousaf Raza Gillani due to the video scandal. However, no official of the ECP was available.

Later, speaking to the media, Fawad said that after the admission of Ali Haider Gillani, the former premier must be stopped from contesting the election.

EX-PM SAYS VIDEO BEING 'PRESENTED WRONGLY': Reacting to the leaked video, Yousaf Raza Gillani said that the video was being misrepresented in the media. Talking to the media along with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, he asked whom the government was afraid of, adding that the ruling party should control its members. The former premier said that it was their right to ask for votes, and he even wrote to the prime minister himself asking for his vote. "We want the parliament to be supreme. the prime minister did not even shake hands with anyone before but is holding meetings today," he added.

He further said that the after the opinion of the Supreme Court (SC) on Senate elections, the ministers have started giving their opinion. "We are against horse-trading but all elections are held by secret ballot, any changes in the procedure would require legislative amendments," he added.

cMYK

05

ECP VOWS ‘INVESTIGATION ON MERIT’, FORMS VIGILANCE COMMITTEE: ECP has taken notice of the video and promised to investigate the video on merit. ECP also established a telephone helpline and constituted a vigilance committee to stop electoral malpractices in the Senate elections to be held on Wednesday.

The vigilance committee members include officials of ECP, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).

The committee has been tasked to provide necessary information and records to the ECP, as well as present a report if an inquiry is required to be conducted. A telephone helpline was established where the citizens could register complaints at 0518848888. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja also made contact with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director-general (DG), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and NADRA chairpersons to seek recommenda-

tions for stopping the electoral malpractices in the upper house polls.

Moreover, a management system was also established to collect complaints by the election commission besides the establishment of a special monitoring cell which will be made functional for 24 hours for looking over the electoral process by the CEC. Earlier in the day, the ECP said that the Senate elections slated for March 3 will be held through secret ballot as per the ‘past practices’. An ECP meeting, with CEC Raja in the chair, deliberated the SC opinion and decided to implement it in letter and spirit, according to a statement. “The commission is taking all possible steps and measures to fulfil its constitutional duty to check that corrupt practices in the Senate Elections are guarded against,” the ECP said.

“The commission also decided that due to time constrain, the ensuing Senate Election scheduled for March 3, 2021 will be conducted as provided in the Constitution and Law as per past practice.” The ECP decision came a day after the apex court gave its opinion on the presidential reference, ruling that the elections for the upper house of parliament have to be conducted through secret ballot as required under the Constitution.

Wednesday, 3 March, 2021

06 COMMENT

Healing our divided America

A hung Senate And questions about ECP

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HE PTI is likely to emerge as the single largest party in the Senate. However lacking a majority, it would have to rely on allies and opposition parties for carrying out simple legislation.

With 11 Senators already elected unopposed from Punjab, polls for only 37 seats will be held today.

In a surprise move, the Punjab Assembly elected its share of 11 Senators unanimously. This allowed the PML(Q) to reenter the Senate after six years. The PML(n) got 5 Senators and may get an additional one from KP. How the agreement was brokered would remain a subject of conjecture in days to come. That this happened without the approval of party Vice President Maryam nawaz has led to conjectures about two opposing lines within the party.

The remaining three provincial assemblies are to elect Senate members today.

In Balochistan the JUI(F) rebuffed a move initiated by Senate Chairman Aslam Sanjrani to elect unopposed Senators as was done in Punjab. In KP PDM has allotted one ticket to each one of its four major components including the PPP, the PML(n), the JUI(F) and the AnP. In Sindh the PTI is split at the level of leadership as well as provincial legislators. On Tuesday three dissident PTI MPAs were thrashed by their own party colleagues inside the Sindh Assembly. The divisions in the PTI’s coalition have led the PPP to hope to win more than the six seats that are its due.

The most breathtaking contest will take place today between Finance Minister Hafeez Sheikh and former PM Yousuf Raza Gilani. Since the national Assembly is the electorate in the contest, Mr Gilani’s victory would be projected by the opposition as a verdict against the PTI government. Knowing that Dr Sheikh faces opposition from within the PTI for being an outsider, PM Imran Khan spent a whole day canvassing for his Finance Minister. If Mr Sheikh manages to win with a comfortable margin, the opposition might be forced to review the proposed no confidence motion in the national Assembly.

Questions were already being raised about the ECP’s slow proceedings on the foreign funding case against the PM and its inordinate delay in delivering the verdict on federal Water Resources Minister Faisal Vawda’s dual nationality case, thus facilitating his entry into Senate. That the Governors of Punjab and Sindh continued to canvass for party candidates despite a bar imposed by the ECP would add to these questions.

How democrats abandoned workers

Washington Watch Dr James J Zogby

I

n 1967, the Kerner Commission, created by President Lyndon Johnson to investigate the riots that had engulfed America’s cities, concluded that “Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white– separate and unequal.”

As this past year’s mass demonstrations against police violence and racial inequities, in addition to the mobilization of the Trump-led white grievance movement, made clear, we may be worse off today.

There are signs that the America polity has become like two warring tribes who speak different languages and see reality through different eyes. The question is, “How did we get to this point?”

I’ve written before about the blight of systemic racism and the damage it continues to inflict on Black lives in the USA. Less examined has been the other side of our nation’s divide. none of this can excuse the white nationalist, armed elements who led the violent insurrection, rather it is to understand the mass base of discontent from which they drew their support.

As I watched the emergence of Tea Party in 2009, the Trump rallies from 2015 on, and the insurrection at the Capitol Building in 2021, it was evident that many who participated were white working and middle-class Americans angry at being left behind and who felt betrayed and abandoned by government.

They had also come to believe that only Donald

Textile exports surge

Trump understood their grievances and was going to fight for them. It was true that Trump used racism and fear of immigrants as bait, but the message the resonated was his promise to bring jobs, and hope. How was it that this narcissistic, hedonistic, billionaire, reality-TV star appeared as their saviour?

There are two factors that I believe account for this: the decline in belief in the American dream and the loss of confidence in government institutions and leaders.

Back in 1995, I was at an afternoon coffee conversation with then President Bill Clinton. He had invited a small group to discuss problems facing the country. I used the opportunity to speak with him about what had happened in my hometown. My neighborhood had been made up of mostly immigrant families and their descendants, living in two-family homes. The men worked in unionized factory jobs.

Their one salary allowed them to provide for their children and their elderly parents. They were secure.

Then the mills closed and moved down south where labour was non-unionized and cheaper.

Thousands lost work. Many were forced to move.

Extended families were severed and even many nuclear families fractured under the pressure of unemployment. Within a few decades, my hometown lost nearly one-half of its population. neighborhoods fell into ruin and social problems grew.

I asked the president, who had just celebrated the implementation of nAFTA, which many labor leaders opposed because they feared it would result in greater job loss, what he would do about hometowns like mine? His response startled me. He said something like, “We’re never going back there again.

Those jobs are gone. That’s why we need to invest in retraining, portable health care, and opportunities for people to relocate to where there is work.”

While I was impressed with how immediately he responded, I was shocked at how flippant and unfeeling it was. He wasn’t speaking about my neighbours– what they had invested in their homes, the hopes they had for their children, and their dreams that had come to naught.

Much the same happened during the economic collapse of 2008-9. In just a few months, unemployment doubled, pensions lost 30-40 percent of their value, and one in five homeowners were in danger of losing their homes. The White House and Congress responded by bailing out the banks and Wall Street, but average Americans were left waiting for money to eventually trickle down to them. Some saw benefits, but not enough to restore the confidence of most

Americans that government cared about them. In just six months, polling showed a dramatic decline in belief in the American Dream.

In addition to this sense of economic dislocation and abandonment, there was a loss of confidence in government institutions. During the Bush Presidency, Americans came to feel that government couldn’t keep them safe (9/11), couldn’t be counted on to tell them the truth (the Iraq War), or even respond to national emergencies (the disastrous response to Hurricane Katrina).

And then there were the governance dysfunctions created by the growing polarization of our politics.

Democrats and Republicans each courted their supporters, and every issue came to seen through the lens of this hyper-partisan struggle. For the white working-class, Democrats came to be seen as caring more for “minorities” and women’s issues, leaving the field open for Republicans to prey on the feeling of abandonment of white voters. Despite the Republican agenda consistently favoring the wealthy (with lower taxes), corporations (with deregulation), and religious conservatives (with anti-abortion and anti-LGBT legislation), they nevertheless made significant inroads with working class voters.

Then came Donald Trump, who while never veering from this Republican agenda, cast himself as the champion of the white working class. Although everything about his history was antithetical to their needs, he spoke to their grievances. He promised that he would: bring back their jobs and defend them against the elites who had turned their backs on them.

He would make them great again.

Despite having done none of the above, once casting their lot with him, they feared admitting they were wrong. His enemies became theirs. Those who were “stealing this election” were stealing their chance to succeed. This was why 75 million voted for him. And this was why they were so intensely concerned with his loss.

Having witnessed the Republicans’ shameful behaviour in the wake of the insurrection, I have no hope they will change direction. Some leaders in that party are still blaming “leftists” for creating the violence. And one senator, who initially condemned Trump, made a pilgrimage to Florida and returned celebrating that “We are the party of the working class, the party of Trump” and cautioning that Republicans can’t win without him.

The writeris President of the Arab-American Institute

Is the trend maintainable?

P

Djà vu or a Kashmir solution?

AKISTAn is one of the few lucky countries, both regionally and internationally, that has somehow managed to fend off the worst effects of Covid-19.

This has enabled the government to keep the economy largely open. The country’s largest exporter, the textile industry, has greatly benefited from this as regional players, where the pandemic has done significantly more damage, were forced to remain closed for longer. Orders from importers started flowing as a result and most major textile companies are currently operating at 100 percent capacity, looking to expand and accommodate rising demand for their products. A 10.79 percent year-on-year increase in textile exports was recorded in January 2021 and some companies have pre-booked orders up to June this year.

With the vaccine rollout now in full swing, competing countries like Bangladesh and India have begun opening up their industries and will pretty soon be vying to win back their lost customers by exhausting all the competitive advantage at their disposal. A lower cost of production and a line of added-value finished textile goods allow competing textile exporters to offer much more attractive rates for a variety of better quality products. Cotton, a basic raw material that was once widely produced in the country, is in very short supply and is being imported as the agriculture sector no longer finds it an economically feasible crop.

Exporters are currently buying the commodity from the US, Brazil and Uzbekistan, which has added around $1.1 billion to the import bill. A positive diplomatic development of a meaningful ceasefire along the LoC with India last week has reportedly created the possibility of limited trade to resume with the country, most notably the import of cotton, which is expected to commence soon.

Exporters would have access to cheaper readily available cotton that would take less time to reach Pakistan, thereby cutting cost and lead times. Cheaper cotton alone however, is not enough to maintain the trend of rising exports. The export sector has to resolve systemic problems that are still prevalent to achieve meaningful sustainable growth, a preference to produce unsophisticated low value-added items being one of them. The government also has to play its due role in supporting the industry rather than simply announcing ‘export packages’ that aren’t implemented and followed through. Short of a strategy of investment by companies in more capacity to produce a wider array of textile products that is incentivized and facilitated by the state, consistent organic growth will remain hard to achieve.

An Indo-Pak LoC accord only relieves immediate pressure

amJeD JaaveD

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nDIA and Pakistan have both announced to “strictly observe” the truce along the Line of Control and all other sectors “in the interest of achieving mutually beneficial and sustainable peace along the borders”. Such an announcement could not have emerged without Indian prime minister narendra Modi’s imprimatur. A hunch is that the move is an upshot of a nudge from the US President. This impression is fortified by several events that are accentuated by India-Pakistan hostility(so-called surgical strikes, 5000 ceasefire violations, hype about 2008 Mumbai attack and the one at Pathankot airbase, and so on). From Pakistan’s angle, India believed in might is right. And while it was open to compromises with China, it displayed a fist to Pakistan.

In the past, peace at the LoC proved ephemeral as it was not backed up by sufficient follow-up. A dialogue is needed for the hour. It is a good omen that Pakistan is open to talks despite chagrin at abolition of the occupied state’s statehood.

A common misperception is that the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is more sacrosanct than the LoC. For instance, India’s prestigious Indian Express explained: ‘The LoC emerged from the 1948 ceasefire line negotiated by the Un after the Kashmir war. It was designated as the LoC in 1972, following the Simla Agreement. It is delineated on a map signed by Director General Military Operations of both armies and has the international sanctity of a legal agreement. The LAC, in contrast, is only a concept –it is not agreed upon by the two countries, neither delineated on a map nor demarcated on the ground’.

To understand Sino-Indian differences, one needs to peek into the Indian mind through books such as Shivshankar Menon’s Choices: Inside the Making of India’s Foreign Policy, Shyam Saran’s How India

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Sees the World, and A G noorani’s India-China Boundary Problem 1846-1947.

The afore-quoted newspaper poses the question: “What was India’s response to China’s designation of the LAC?” It then explains India rejected the concept of an LAC in both 1959 and 1962. Even during the War, nehru was unequivocal: “There is no sense or meaning in the Chinese offer to withdraw 20 kilometres from what they call ‘line of actual control…” In July 1954, nehru had issued a directive that “all our old maps dealing with this frontier should be carefully examined and, where necessary, withdrawn. new maps should be printed showing our northern and north Eastern frontier without any reference to any ‘line’. The new maps should also be sent to our embassies abroad and should be introduced to the public generally and be used in our schools, colleges, etc”. It is this map that was officially used that formed the basis of dealings with China, eventually leading to the 1962 War’ (Indian Express, 6 June 2020, Line of Actual Control: Where it is located and where India and China differ).

India considers the LAC to be 3,488 km long, while the Chinese consider it to be only around 2,000km.

The LAC was discussed during Chinese Prime Minister Li Peng’s 1991 visit to India, where Indian PM P. V. narasimha Rao and Premier Li reached an understanding to maintain peace and tranquility at the LAC. India formally accepted the concept of the LAC when Rao paid a return visit to Beijing in 1993.

The reference to the LAC was unqualified to make it clear that it was not referring to the LAC of 1959 or 1962 but to the LAC at the time when the agreement was signed.

India’s mindset on the LOC should change. The problem is nehru never cared a fig for the disputed state’s constituent assembly, Indian Parliament or the Un. This truth is interspersed in Avtar Singh Bhasin’s 10-volume documentary study (2012) of India-Pakistan Relations 1947-2007. It contains 3,649 official documents which gave new perspectives to nehru’s state of mind. In his 2018 book, India, Pakistan: Neighbours

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at Odds, Bhasin discusses nehru’s perfidy on Kashmir.

The tentative solutions include (a) status quo (division of Kashmir along the present Line of Control with or without some local adjustments to facilitate the local population, (b) complete or partial independence (creation of independent Muslim-majority tehsils of Rajauri, Poonch and Uri, with Hindu-majority areas merged in India), (c) a plebiscite to be held in five to 10 years after putting Kashmir under Un trusteeship (Trieste-like solution), (d) joint control, (e) an Indus-Basin-related solution, (f) an Andorra island (g) Aland island-like solution and (h) permutations and combinations of the aforementioned options.

Another option is for Pakistan and India to grant independence to disputed areas under their control and let Kashmir emerge as a neutral country. An independent Kashmir, as a neutral country, was the favourite choice of Sheikh Abdullah. From the early 1950s “Sheikh Abdullah supported ‘safeguarding of autonomy’ to the fullest possible extent” (Report of the State Autonomy Committee, Jammu,).

Abdullah irked nehru so much that he had to put him behind the bars. Bhabani Sen Gupta and Prem Shankar Jha assert that “if new Delhi sincerely wishes to break the deadlock in Kashmir, it has no other alternative except to accept and implement what is being termed as an ‘Autonomy Plus, Independence Minus’ formula, or to grant autonomy to the state to the point where it is indistinguishable from independence”. (Shri Prakash and Ghulam Mohammad Shah (ed.), Towards understanding the Kashmir crisis, p.226).

Sans sincerity and the will to implement, the only Kashmir solution is divine intervention or the unthinkable, nuclear Armageddon.

India’s mindset on the LOC should change. The problem is Nehru never cared a fig for the disputed state’s constituent assembly, Indian Parliament or the UN

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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The writer is a freelance journalist, has served in the Pakistan government for 39 years and holds degrees in economics, business administration, and law. He can be reached at amjedjaaved@gmail.com

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Wednesday, 3 March, 2021

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

Murad on the offensive

Establishing ascendancy in the skies Balakot was another chapter of success in the PAF story

malik muhammaD ashraf

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HE Pakistan Air Force celebrated Surprise Day on 27th February on the eve of the second anniversary of Operation Swift Retort, to acknowledge and pay tributes to the valiant Shaheens for their brave defence of the motherland with unruffled commitment while responding to violation of the Pakistan airspace on 27 February 2019. The operation represented a rapid response to the Indian Air Force strike at Balakot during which two Indian fighter jets, a MiG 21 and an Su-30 were shot down and an Indian pilot, Wg Cdr Abhinandan was captured by the Pakistan Army after he ejected and landed on the Pakistan side of the Line of Control. It was indeed a matching reply to the Indian aggression by the Pakistan Air Force as well as the expression of its steely resolve and capability to defend the motherland.

Though India has always maintained a hostile posture towards Pakistan, the level of animosity and hostility towards Pakistan has been taken to an unprecedentedly higher level since the advent of narendra Modi as Prime Minister of India. Inebriated by the supremacist RSS ideology of Hindutva he has persistently been trying to find excuses to punish Pakistan for the alleged support to freedom fighters in Indian-Occupied Kashmir and involvement in cross-border terrorism. His malice and hate about Pakistan can be judged from the fact that he stage-managed the Pulwama incident, killing his own soldiers to find an excuse to win elections and take punitive action against Pakistan.

The reported leak of a WhatsApp conversation between journalist Arnab Goswani— who is very close to Modi government— and the CEO of a rating agency wherein Goswani reveals that the Pulwama incident was enacted by the Modi government to appease his voters and use it as an excuse to take

action against Pakistan, was the ugliest manifestation of fascism. An Indian Professor, Ashok Swain, had already declared Pulwama a drama.

According to him, Modi did the same in Pulwama as he did in Gujarat in 2002 to garner votes.

However he had to eat dust when he attempted to punish Pakistan and ended up with a bloody nose of his own.

He lamented the setback to his plans after the incident in these words: “The events of last week, which saw skirmishes between the Indian and Pakistani air forces and an Indian pilot being captured and returned, would have turned out differently if India already had Rafale fighter jets in its arsenal. Today, the lack of Rafale is being felt. The country is saying in one voice that had we had the Rafale [fighter jets] now, what all could have happened? Putting self-interest and politics before Rafale has seriously hurt the nation.”

He has now acquired the Rafale planes and inducted them in the Indian Air Force. However if he tries to commit any indiscretion in future he will meet the same fate as on 27 February 2019.

Wars have been part of the history of mankind and in spite of their destructive nature they have been fought between nations without refrain and still continue to happen with all their diabolical repercussions, notwithstanding the efforts of the international community through the United nations to prevent them. They have been provoked and imposed on smaller and weaker nations by the bigger and stronger ones either to subjugate them or to establish their hegemony. There is a saying that weakness invites aggression and the best way to achieve peace is to prepare for war. This irrefutable reality provides the rationale and justification for nations to take care of their defence needs in consonance with the level of threat that they are faced with.

Pakistan unfortunately has faced a credible threat to its security from India ever since its inception. It has imposed four wars on Pakistan. It is said that the worth and character of a nation is tested during

Though India has always maintained a hostile posture towards Pakistan, the level of animosity and hostility towards Pakistan has been taken to an unprecedentedly higher level since the advent of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister of India.

times of adversity and war. Pakistan has not been found lacking in showing its resilience and unflinching resolve to defeat aggressive designs of the enemy whenever a war has been foisted on her.

The 1965 War between India and Pakistan was the one during which the armed forces of Pakistan and the nation proved their worth and character through their unprecedented unity and bravery to thwart the nefarious designs of the enemy and to prove to the aggressor as well as the world that it was not only the military might that played a decisive role in victory and defeat, but the small nations imbued with and fired by the will and determination to spare no effort and sacrifice in defending themselves could also turn the tables on the mightier foe.

The outcome of this military confrontation between the two arch enemies can best be judged by a report compiled by the Indian Defence Ministry in 1992 and revealed by The Times of India. The paper contended that the contemporary accounts, generated by a jingoistic press, saw the war as a spectacular victory on almost every front. But the truth— which cannot be hidden despite the best efforts of the official historians— is that the war was, in the words of one of India’s most distinguished commanders, Lt Gen (retd) Harbakhsh Singh, “a catalogue of lost victories” for India. Newsweek magazine, eulogizing the ability of Pakistan Armed forces to hold off the much larger Indian Army, said, “By just the end of the week, in fact, it was clear that the Pakistanis were more than holding their own”.

Holding back an enemy five times bigger than itself and giving a befittingly reply to the aggressor was an achievement of the highest order.

During that battle the contribution of our air force represents a golden chapter of our war history against India. Right from day one it established its ascendency in the skies and destroyed 110 Indian planes (35 of them in dog-fights) as against its own loss of 19 planes; a fact corroborated by the independent international sources. Downing of five Indian planes in a single dog-fight over Sargodha by M.M.Alam wrote a new history in the air warfare of the world.

Pakistan Air Force is one of the best guardians of the skies around the globe. The professional ingenuity of its pilots coupled with their unyielding commitment and spirit of sacrifice in the defence of the motherland makes them a unique fighting force in the world. India should think ten times before trying any other aggressive adventure against Pakistan.

Pakistan Air Force is one of the best guardians of the skies around the globe. The professional ingenuity of its pilots coupled with their unyielding commitment and spirit of sacrifice in the defence of the motherland makes them a unique fighting force in the world.

India should think ten times before trying any other aggressive adventure against Pakistan

Malik Muhammad Ashraf is an academic.

He can be contacted at: ashpak10@gmail.com.

FEDERAL Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed Sunday said the opposition was once again exposed by opposing open ballot for Senate elections and nominating Yusuf Raza Gilani as a joint candidate from on Islamabad seat. Addressing a press conference here at PID, he said the opposition opposed open ballot as it wanted continuation of corrupt system. He said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) believed in transparency in elections and hoped that his party would emerge victorious in upcoming Senate polls. He said PTI tabled constitutional amendment in the parliament to change the system of secret ballot by holding senate poll through open vote in order to end horse-trading, adding, the opposition did not cooperate for the purpose.

He said it had proved that the opposition was not serious in bringing transparency in electoral process. The minister said the people have rejected the negative politics of the opposition in Gilgit-Baltistan elections and by not participating in their public rallies held in different cities. The politics was business for the leadership of these parties, he said and added that they came into politics with the support of dictators.

He astonished that how the sons of PML-n supremo nawaz Sharif become billionaires in such an early age when they have no CnIC. He claimed that the opposition was trying to get nRO from the government, but Prime Minister Imran Khan would never give them any relief. He said the government had refused for giving nRO to opposition despite their blackmailing tactics during FATF related legislation. The opposition proposed various amendments in nAB laws to get relief during the discussion on FATF related legislation, the minister mentioned. The minister said the opposition’s narrative had been rejected across the country. He expressed the hope that the PTI would also form government in next general elections. He said that Maryam nawaz had asked MnAs and MPAs of her party for resignation from the assemblies but nobody tendered resignation on her directives. He said Hafeez Sheikh was a technocrat and expert in his field of economy. While Yusuf Raza Gilani was a corrupt person, Murad alleged. He also played a news report regarding Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s wife Emine Erdogan when she, during a visit to flood-hit Mehmoodkot, had donated a precious necklace for the rehabilitation of flood affected families. The Turkish lady had handed over the diamond necklace to former premier Gilani and his wife for flood relief in 2010 which they theft,” he said. He said that when Hollywood super star Angelina Jolie visited Pakistan to show solidarity with the victims of the earthquake and for fund raising.

She was invited to the Prime Minister House in Islamabad by Yusuf Raza Gillani, where his family was arrived on a special private jet from Multan and joined the Hollywood celebrity on a lavish dinner. Later, Jolie expressed her views lamenting the extravagance displayed by the incumbent Chief Executive of a poor country at a time when the country was facing a natural disaster.

Sohail ali Khan iSlamabad

Kashoggi’s murder JAMAL Kashoggi was a saudi Arabian author,columnist for the washingtan post who was assassinated at the saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 october 2018 by agents of the saudi government.He was murdered because he indited against saudi Arabia. According to a recent report of US said that saudi prince approved kashhoggi’s death. Journalist are protesting from all over the world for nagging justice from US president Joe Biden.US is going to impose sanctions,visa bans on saudi over kashoggi’s killing. Saudi Arabia relation come in to tense with US in Biden’s era.Would Biden give justice to kashoggi or stay silent like trump?

Erum aSadullah TurbaT

Opposition controversy FEDERAL Minister for Science and Technology, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Monday said that the opposition intentionally wanted to make Senate elections disputed. “The opposition knew they would not be able to win the Senate elections and consider horse trading as the only option to win”, he stated this while talking to media outside Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The minister was accompanied by Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill, Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood and Senior leader Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Babar Awan. Chaudhry Fawad said that the delegation from government side had expressed full confidence over the ECP as the final decision of the ECP to prevail. “We have expressed full confidence over ECP considering the fact that if the institutions will be strengthened, the country will become strong”, he stated. “Secrecy of ballot , as per SC decision, will be kept for the political parties but not for ECP which would empower ECP to conduct inquiry if there will be any allegation of horse trading raised by any member”, he said. However the final decision would be of ECP, the minister added. This was the principle on which Prime Minister, Imran Khan and our cabinet had filed reference before Supreme Court, he said. He emphasized that the Supreme Court’s decision should be implemented in letter and spirit. He said this was the principle for which Prime Minister Imran Khan had been struggling since the year 2013. “We have requested the ECP to implement the decision of Supreme Court which empowers the commission to ensure complete transparency in election and eliminate the chances of horse trading and corruption”, he said. Pakistan Muslim League-nawaz and Pakistan People’s Party had signed the Charter of Democracy in that regard in the year 2006 but PML-n stepped back before formally pursuing the law, he said. He said PML-n, PPP and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) did not have majority in the upper house and they could not win the elections. “This is the reason they are against every such effort that bring transparency in election.

Otherwise there would be no need of horse trading if they knew that they would get maximum votes in Senate election,” he said. “We have presented our stance in front of ECP with sufficient arguments”, he said.

Around 1,700 total ballot papers would be required to be printed for the elections for which we had the required technology, he added. ”If we can print a big number of currency notes in Pakistan on daily basis which is a highly secure tender why not 1,700 ballot papers,” he asked.

Sohail ali Khan iSlamabad

Wednesday, 3 March, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

Biden faces a BruTal choice on afghanisTan HE PROBABLY DOESN’T WANT TO PULL ALL THE TROOPS OUT. HE DEFINITELY DOESN’T WANT TO SEND MORE IN. THERE MAY NOT BE A THIRD CHOICE

slaTe

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FRED KAPLAN

ReSIDeNT Biden is facing a dilemma that he would rather not face. Sometime in the next few months, he will have to pour more troops into Afghanistan or pull out altogether. There is almost no other real option.

The United States currently has 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, the lowest number since the war began 20 years ago. An agreement that President Trump signed with the Taliban calls for all U.S. troops to leave the country by May 1. In turn, the Taliban pledged to dissociate themselves from terrorist groups such as al-Qaida and to refrain from attacking civilians. They have not complied with either condition.

So should Biden stay after May 1 or leave anyway? The issue goes beyond numbers. The president and his aides are conducting a policy review, and the review should ask a basic question: What do we want to accomplish in Afghanistan after all this time, and is that goal feasible? If not, should we cut our losses and go home?

Currently, U.S. troops are mainly involved in counterterrorism against alQaida and, to some degree, ISIS. In all of last year, just 10 Americans died in Afghanistan—only four of them while

fighting. But if U.S. troops are still in the country after May 1, the Taliban will force them into a fight—and, for that, the U.S. will need more than 2,500 troops. And if they come under attack from the Taliban, they couldn’t do much against al-Qaida either. Reinforcements would be necessary, and more Americans would die, or else the mission would be doomed.

Complicating matters further is that the U.S. is not the only country whose commitment is at stake. Other NATO countries have about 8,000 troops in Afghanistan.

They are unlikely to stick around if the Americans pull out. And if Biden does stay in, they’ll still want to know the plan.

In his long career, Biden has witnessed calamitous troop-withdrawals and fruitless escalations. he was a freshman senator during the haunting spectacle of U.S. helicopters abandoning the embassy in Saigon, leaving many loyal Vietnamese behind.

And he was vice president when Barack Obama, in his first year as president, decided to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, raising the total to almost 100,000, and to adopt a new strategy of counterinsurgency, a.k.a. “nation-building.”

Biden was the only official in the National Security Council to oppose that troopsurge, arguing instead to deploy a mere 10,000 extra troops and to use them strictly to fight al-Qaida terrorists and to train the Afghan army. he made the case that nationbuilding wouldn’t work, given the corruption of the Afghan government—and he was right. Obama reached the same conclusion after 18 months of giving it a try, withdrew most of the troops, and adopted Biden’s more limited goals. As he left office, Obama kept 8,000 troops in

Afghanistan—not so much to help reform the country as to use the country as a base for pressuring al-Qaida on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border.

Trump was inclined to pull all the troops out, but his advisers, especially Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and National Security Adviser h.R. McMaster, convinced him otherwise, selling him on a “new strategy” that would inspire “victory.”

Actually, it was just a slightly enhanced version of the old strategy, and it brought us no closer to defining “victory,” much less achieving it. So, after bringing on a more pliant set of advisers, Trump reverted to his original plan. he hired a skilled former ambassador and native Afghan, Zalmay Khalilzad, to head up peace talks with the Taliban (against the resistance of the Afghan government). They struck a deal.

May 1 was the pullout date for U.S. troops.

But, as noted earlier, the Taliban didn’t keep their side of the bargain, and now Biden is on the verge of not keeping our side of it either.

Biden’s middle-ground approach from a decade ago won’t work now if the Afghan government is tumbling and the Taliban are fighting U.S. forces. So, again, should Biden dip further in or get out? his prior positions, as senator and vice president, make him less than keen to do either.

There are some questions that no interagency group has ever seriously asked but that are worth asking now. First, does it matter if U.S. troops are in Afghanistan? The standard answer is that, if we leave, al-Qaida will come roaring back in and, once again, use it as a staging ground for attacking the United States, as they did on 9/11. But one thing we’ve learned from the various terror-

ist plots of the last decade is that, if bad guys want to plot attacks on America and its allies, they don’t need a training base in Afghanistan to do it.

Another answer—the one that Obama invoked to justify keeping 8,000 troops in the country—is that it’s worth having a military base in the area, if just to keep an eye on Pakistan, a turbulent country that has nuclear weapons, and to assure India, which has some presence in Afghanistan as a way of enveloping Pakistan, of our support. This is the most persuasive argument for staying in, even just a little bit, (the humanitarian argument for preventing the Taliban’s oppressive rule, especially against women, is another) and if it’s impossible to stay in a little bit, we might have to enlarge our presence a bit. A few years ago, there might have been a way to form an alliance with other powers with converging interests in the region—China, Russia, possibly Iran—but tensions with all three make this a fantasy now.

One other way out—the only way to avoid the otherwise inescapable dilemma— is to strike a deal with the Taliban and the Afghan government to extend the May 1 deadline and to keep talking. The Taliban might not agree to this; they think they’ve got us on the run, and, in a way, they do, so why give us a break? Khalilzad, who’s still the U.S. emissary, might have to come up with a clever solution to extend this impasse.

I don’t know what this would be; I hope he has some ideas. Biden may have no choice but to urge him on and give him enormous leeway, whatever he comes up with.

Is it kicking the can down the road, as the old saw has it? Yes, but that’s better than the alternatives.

Japan, the national security superpower IN THIS WORLD, INNOVATION AND CONNECTIVITY ARE CRITICAL. NATIONAL SECURITY MUST FOCUS ON THOSE TWO AREAS, ADDRESSING THEIR COMPLEXITIES AND NUANCES — AND JAPAN CAN LEAD IN BOTH AREAS Japan Times

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BRAD GLOSSERMAN

eeP breath. OK…As the author of “Peak Japan,” for me to give an optimistic take on this country’s future is both difficult and risks undermining my brand. Still, even I can see the opportunity that Japan has to become a national security superpower. It is a long shot, but it is very real, and politicians, the public and policymakers should give it genuine consideration.

This strategy rests on three pillars. The first is the internalization and implementation of a new approach to national security, one that better reflects 21st century geopolitical and geoeconomic realities, as well as Japan’s domestic political constraints. I have long argued that there is a new national security economy, one that is shaped by the great power competition that defines contemporary international relations. Today, countries compete across a variety of interrelated domains — economic, technological, military, cultural and ideological — of which the first two are the most consequential.

In this world, innovation and connectivity are critical.

National security must focus on those two areas, addressing their complexities and nuances — and Japan can lead in both areas. Japan is an innovative country, even if those efforts are sometimes misdirected. With the proper incentives and support, those energies can be targeted toward solving problems that matter not just to this country but to the wider world.

This expansive definition of national security fits well within Japanese thinking. Since 1980, Tokyo has been an advocate of comprehensive security and its postwar experience has given it both the mindset and the tools to make that concept a reality. Regional governments admire Japan’s development model and its ability to show leadership without relying on the military. In the 2021 ISeAS Yusof Ishak Institute’s “State of Southeast Asia” survey report, Japan is again the most trusted power in the region.

Japan should be leading diplomacy that spurs and protects connectivity — whether building infrastructure and smart cities or adopting trade and technology standards.

Japanese businesses (with government support) should be at the forefront of regional development efforts that put flesh on the bones of those designs. These are crucial components of regional leadership and vital contributions to regional peace, security and prosperity.

Japan showed its ability to shoulder these responsibilities when it revived the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement on Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) after the United States abandoned that project four years ago, when former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe championed the idea of Data Free Flow with Trust as an international standard for data protection and when it developed the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative with Australia and India. Those initiatives are emblematic of the work that is central to the new national security economy and of the role Tokyo can play in forging the multilateral coalitions that will be central to their success.

Second, this approach must be incorporated into the Japan-U.S. alliance and operationalized in its work and planning. While the alliance has addressed regional security concerns, its primary focus — understandably — has been the defense of Japan. Doing more beyond its shores has been difficult because of domestic sensitivities and a lack of capacity (often a product of those political constraints).

Re-conceptualizing national security allows Japan to overcome those inhibitions and do more for the region. Competition is intensifying as all governments face tightening resource constraints; efficiency is more important now than ever. In a multidimensional rivalry, allies should contribute where they can do their best and the most. For Japan, these are the economic, diplomatic and technological arenas.

Japan can make contributions to the military component, but they should be hybrid efforts that strengthen resilience, deterrence and defense. Power projection is not a priority. Tokyo and Washington should use the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI) and the Indo-PACOM combatant commander’s proposal to “Regain the Initiative” to guide Japan’s contributions. Both efforts set priorities to prepare the theater for conflict. Japan would be helping to build infrastructure throughout the region and put logistics in place so that U.S. forces, along with allies and partners, would be ready to fight when necessary. The capacity to fight and defend is the strongest deterrent.

This necessitates a new agreement on how to define Japan’s contributions to the alliance, one that should guide

future negotiations over host nation support. Fortunately, “support” is a fungible concept when roles, missions, and responsibilities are being allocated. Creative thinking — and accounting — is required.

The third pillar is a commitment to homeland defense as traditionally conceived. While this new national security strategy largely rejects the idea of and need for Japanese power projection capabilities, Japan must not rely on any other country, even the U.S., to assume a leading role in the defense of the homeland. No country will be taken seriously, nor will it ever be comfortable, in such a position.

This will necessitate more spending on defense. A former Japanese official has suggested that Tokyo commit to increasing its defense budget to 1.5% of GDP by 2050, an increase of about $880 million a year, a target that is both realistic and sustainable (politically and economically).

Of course, Japan can and should provide to the region some of the capabilities that it needs for homeland defense, such as maritime domain awareness or antisubmarine capabilities. And Tokyo must be ready to help in a regional crisis. But Tokyo should focus on the things it does best, and not use resources for distant military needs that can either be provided more efficiently by others or for which the marginal utility of those capabilities is low when compared to other contributions by Japan.

This future is improbable, but not unimaginable. It builds upon traditional elements of Japanese national security policy, and while adventurous, builds upon recent developments. These ideas are just an outline; much work must be done to provide details of each endeavor. This project can only succeed if done with the U.S. and under the alliance umbrella, even though multilateralism is an integral part of this strategy.

A new administration in the U.S. is an opportunity for the two governments to adjust their partnership to better reflect geopolitical and geoeconomic realities and the interests and priorities of the two administrations. exhale.

We now return you to the author’s usual dour outlook.

Brad Glosserman is deputy director of and visiting professor at the Center for Rule-Making Strategies at Tama University as well as senior advisor (nonresident) at Pacific Forum. He is the author of “Peak Japan: The End of Great Ambitions” (Georgetown University Press, 2019).

The central problem is the one that Vice President saw back in 2009—the Afghan government’s corruption. Top U.S. military officers saw that back then, too. In Senate hearings in September of that year, a few months before Obama decided to send more troops, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had an interesting exchange with Sen. Lindsey Graham. The Taliban were gaining ground, and Graham wanted to know why. The problem, Mullen said, “is clearly the lack of legitimacy of the [Afghan] government.”

Graham pushed the point. “We could send a million troops, and that wouldn’t restore legitimacy in the government?” he asked. Mullen replied, “That is correct.” A few minutes later, under questioning from Sen. Susan Collins, Mullen reemphasized the point. In order to defeat the Taliban, he said, the “Afghan government needs to have some legitimacy in the eyes of the people. The core issue is the corruption…

That threat is every bit as significant as the Taliban.”

Nonetheless, Mullen, Graham, Collins all urged Obama—and Obama decided—to send more troops. Mullen, Gen. David Petraeus, and other U.S. officers also said around this time that there was no way to win the war militarily; it would end only through a political settlement. And yet they all urged waiting until the U.S. and NATO won a few big battles, so we could go to the negotiating table with leverage—to get the best deal possible. But we never won a few big battles, and the Afghan government remained corrupt, without legitimacy.

And so, President Biden, who saw the situation most clearly in 2009 and endorsed a policy consistent with that vision, is probably stuck in the same dilemma as his predecessors—though my guess is, he won’t fall into the trap of escalation, he won’t send any more troops. he will just order his team to find the best way, or the least bad way, to muddle through.

Bringing Back nirav Modi Extradition order a win for India, but hurdles remain Tribune, india

T

he UK Westminster Court ruling that Nirav Modi be extradited to India in the $2-billion Punjab National Bank fraud case — that almost brought the bank down — and subsequent money-laundering as well as interference with witnesses and evidence-tampering is a shot in the arm for Indian law enforcement agencies that have been trying to catch him ever since the scam emerged in January 2018. The diamond tycoon is now a step closer to facing the stringent economic offences law of India. he was incarcerated in the UK in March 2019 and remains in jail since then with all seven of his bail pleas rejected over fears that he would abscond. The CBI and the eD need to be fully prepared to counter any further appeals by the fugitive against his deportation and not let him escape their net.

For, the billionaire, in all likelihood, will fight tooth and nail and move the higher court. he may even explore the option of seeking asylum.

Another high-profile fugitive, liquor baron Vijay Mallya, has managed to remain in the UK even nearly three years after the extradition order by a lower court and almost one year after the doors of the UK’s high court and supreme court closed on him when he lost appeals against the order.

During the bankruptcy proceedings last month, it was revealed that Mallya had applied to British home Secretary Priti Patel for ‘another route’ that could enable him to stay on in the UK. It is believed to be the asylum route. he is wanted for a Rs 9,000-crore fraud in borrowings from some Indian banks by his company Kingfisher Airlines, that has since become defunct.

The path to enforcing the rule of law is uphill as a system riddled by corruption, fraudster-official-politician nexus, shoddy investigation and lack of transparency impedes the process of justice delivery.

Unsurprisingly, India’s record in bringing back multi-crore scamsters who flee the country is rather poor. That of the 72 economic offenders who have taken refuge abroad, the government has managed to bring back just two in the past six years only emboldens the criminals.

Wednesday, 3 March, 2021

BUSINESS 09

KARACHI

DOmeStic cement DeSPAtcheS uP 6Pc in FebRuARy; exPORtS DROP 18Pc

MARkeT dAiLy

ISLAMABAD

Stocks bounce back to recover overnight losses KARACHI STAFF REPORT

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) was back on track on Tuesday, as bulls re-appeared to take control of the market after a day of consolidation.. Equity markets around the globe displayed a mixed performance, whereas crude oil prices slipped lower from the previous close; WTI crude price dropping 0.03pc to $60.62, while Brent crude price falling 0.22pc to $63.55 (as at 3:48pm PST). "The market bounced back today prior to the Senate elections, which are of great importance for the incumbent government.

Following the announcement of financial results by majority of companies, investors have now started booking profits on long held positions. However, prospects of release of funds on account of circular debt resolution prompted investors to take positions in energy chain (O&GMCs and power). Buying activity was also observed in banking, steel, refinery and textile sectors," a report issued by Arif Habib Ltd read. SUMMARY: The benchmark KSE-100 Index stayed in the green throughout the day, registering its intraday high at 46,077.92 after gaining 484.49 points. It settled higher by 370.84 points at 46,077.92. Among other indices, the KMI-30 Index accumulated 403.42 points to end at 76,406.01, while the KSE All Share Index gathered 265.24 points, closing at 31,534.49. The overall market volumes inched up from 368.33 million shares in the previous session to 398.50 million shares (+8pc). Average traded value also increased by 25pc, from $116.5 million to $145.5 million. TRG Pakistan Ltd (TRG +4.60pc), Azgard Nine Ltd (ANL +4.65pc) and Aisha Steel Mills Ltd (ASL +7.02pc) led the volume chart, exchanging 38.33 million, 31.31 million and 29.53 million shares, respectively. Sectors that painted the benchmark index green included banking (+119.21 points), technology & communication (+58.44 points) and oil & gas marketing (+55.34 points). Among the companies, TRG Pakistan Ltd (TRG +61.32 points), Pakistan State Oil Company Ltd (PSO +35.20 points) and Hub Power Company Ltd (HUBC +29.44 points) remained the top contributors. Adding 2.62pc to its cumulative market capitalization, oil & gas marketing sector ended as the top performer, with PSO (+3.30pc), SNGPL (+7.48pc) and SSGC (+5.85pc) posting significant gains. Meanwhile, Shell Pakistan Ltd (SHEL +0.31pc) announced its financial performance for FY20. The company's sales declined by 17.31pc YoY, which resulted in gross profit contracting by 50pc. SHEL's loss per share fell further from Rs13.88 in FY19 to Rs45.05 in FY20.

KPRA collection surges 261pc in two years PESHAWAR AZIZ BUNERI

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Finance Department has informed that it collected a revenue of Rs10.84 during FY20, showing an increase of 161 per cent as compared to Rs5.35bn collected in FY19. According to details, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority (KPRA) has so far collected Rs13.97bn in the current financial year (FY21), which is 29pc more than last year's collections. The authority has witnessed a staggering 261pc increase in revenue collection over the past two years. However, infrastructure development cess decreased in February 2021 owing to the closure of the Torkham border due to Covid19. In a Twitter post, KP Finance Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra said that KPRA has collected an average of Rs1.60bn every month from July to February. The information provided by the department shows that the current year's cess collection - as compared to the previous year increased by 83pc in July, 468pc in August, 1,049pc in September, 968pc in October, 914pc in November, 1,226pc in December and 1,03pc in January. Jhagra expressed optimism that KPRA will easily achieve this year's target of Rs20 billion if the revenue continues at this pace.

c

STAFF REPORT

EMENT sales continued to increase during February, although its exports couldn't rebound due to weakening competitiveness in the international market.

According to the data released by All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA), Pakistan's total cement despatches increased 1.98pc to 4.577 million tonnes in February 2021, as against 4.489 million tonnes in the same month of last year, Local cement despatches clocked in at 3.961 million tonnes in February 2021 compared to 3.735 million tonnes in February 2020, depicting a growth of

6.06pc. Exports, however, continued with the downtrend as seen during last the three months, dropping 18.24pc from 753,444 tonnes in February 2020 to 616,030 tonnes in February 2021.

During the month under review, the north-based factories despatched 3.28 million tonnes of cement locally, showing an increase of 3.32pc from 3.17 million tonnes in February 2020. On the other hand, the south based mills despatched 683,384 tonnes of cement for local consumption, which was 21.49pc higher than 562,501 tonnes despatched in February 2020.

Meanwhile, exports from northbased mills decreased by 7.71pc to 186,595 tonnes in February 2021 from 202,181 tonnes in February 2020, whereas exports from southern mills

decreased 22.10pc to 429,435 tonnes in February 2021 from 551,263 tonnes in February 2020.

Overall, total cement despatches (domestic and exports) during the first eight months (July-Feb) of the current fiscal year (FY21) were recorded at 37.95 million tonnes, which was 13.92pc more than 33.31 million tonnes cement despatched during the corresponding period of the last fiscal year.

Local despatches increased by 15.51pc during the period under review to 31.62 million tonnes from 27.37 million tonnes during same period of the last fiscal year. Similarly, exports increased from 5.94 million tonnes in 8MFY20 to 6.33 million tonnes in 8MFY21, depicting a growth of 6.62pc.

During the July-Feb FY21 period,

Late filers to be included in ATL after payment of surcharge: FBR

north-based mills despatched 26.82 million tonnes of cement for domestic consumption as against 23.26 million tonnes last year (+15.29pc YoY). Exports from north were recorded at 1.63 million tonnes, showing a decline of 9.83pc over 1.81 million tonnes in the same period of last fiscal year.

Likewise, south-based mills despatched 4.79 million tonnes in the domestic market during the first eight months of current fiscal year, which was 16.73pc higher than 4.11 million tonnes despatched during the corresponding period of the last fiscal year.

Exports from the south clocked in at 4.70 million tonnes, registering an increase of 13.82pc over exports of 4.13 million tonnes during the same period of last year.

Govt urged to launch Peshawar-Karachi cargo train service PESHAWAR APP

ISLAMABAD APP

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has said that it did not include around 509,000 filers in the Active Taxpayers’ List (ATL) as they could not file their tax returns within due date or the date extended by respective commissioners.

The board, however, clarified that such taxpayers could get themselves automatically included in the ATL if they pay the necessary ATL surcharge.

“The amount of ATL surcharge for companies is Rs20,000; Association of Persons Rs10,000; while ATL surcharge for individuals is Rs1,000,” a statement issued by FBR on Tuesday read. “The board has encouraged such taxpayers to pay respective amount of ATL surcharge and take benefits of ATL.” Similarly, those taxpayers who could not file their returns for tax year-2020 till now are also urged to avail benefit of ATL by filing their returns along with ATL surcharge, the statement read.

The board had already made public ATL for tax year-2020 on March 1st, 2021. The same is available on the official website of FBR. The number of income tax returns for tax year-2020 had reached 2.62 million on February 28, 2021, as compared to 2.43 million for tax year-2019 as on February 28, 2020.

“The amount of tax paid with returns for tax year at Rs49.6 billion is 60pc more than tax paid with returns for tax year-2019 up to 28th February, 2020,” the FBR stated.

Sale of petroleum products up 26pc in Feb KARACHI STAFF REPORT

The sales of petroleum products have increased by 26pc in February 2021 as compared with the same month of the last year owing to improved economic activities after reduction in coronavirus cases.

The sales of oil marketing companies (OMCs) were recorded at 1.4 million tonnes in February 2021 as compared with 1.11 million tonnes in the same month of the last year.

Analysts at Arif Habib Limited attributed the growth to resilience displayed by the economy and the ensuing demand for motor spirit. Further, the growth may also be attributed to better agricultural yields resulting in higher sales of high speed diesel (HSD).

The massive growth in two/three/four-wheeler

off-take and absence of CNG at fuel stations increasing the demand of motor spirit were also major reasons for sales of petroleum products. Analysts said that strict control on borders to control supply of illegal or dumped fuel from Iran also contributed to higher sales.

Overall, the sale of petroleum products increase 13pc to 12.67 million tonnes during the first eight months (July–February) of 2020/2021 as compared with 11.24 million tonnes during the same period of the last fiscal year.

Dissection of data revealed that major contribution to growth came from HSD and furnace oil as their off take jumped to 4.84 million tonnes and 2.09 million tonnes, up by 15pc and 36pc YoY against 4.21 million tonnes and 1.54 million tonnes in the same period of last year.

Frontier Customs Agents Association (FCAA) President and former Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) senior vice president Ziaul Haq Sarhadi has urged the government to launch Peshawar-Karachi export cargo train to facilitate exports from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, he said that the service of export cargo train from Peshawar Cantonment Dry Port had been closed for last 15 years, while local exporters were transporting their goods to Karachi via private trucks. He said the launch of cargo train service would enable local exporters to dispatch their goods from Aza Khel Dry Port, noting that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was rich in mineral resources, including gems, marble, furniture, handicrafts, carpets, honey etc. Similarly, he said that the largest cluster of the safety matches industries was also in KP. "But instead of transportation of these goods to sea port through export cargo train, they are being shifted to Karachi in private trucks". He said that lack of activities at KP dry ports had rendered nearly 300 customs clearing agents unemployed while revenue generated from these exports was going in the kitty of the Sindh government. Sarhadi urged KP Governor Shah Farman, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and Railways Minister Azam Khan Swati and other federal and provincial authorities to launch export cargo train service from Peshawar to facilitate the local exporters.

Govt to amend OGRA ordinance The government is likely to introduce amendments to the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) Ordinance 2002 for provinces to have representation in the regulatory body. According to a report by a local media outlet, the government, under the amendments, will appoint a vice chairman on rotation from amongst OGRA members of each province for a period of one year. At present, the authority has a chairman and three members – oil, gas and finance. In this regard, the Punjab government has opposed the extension in tenures of hired officials, adding that the chairman and provincial members shall have a non-extendable fixed term of four years. It may be mentioned that the KP government agreed with the proposed amendments on the condition that indigenous consumers are ring-fenced and the burden of imported gas (RLNG) consumers is not transferred to indigenous consumers. On the other hand, the government of Balochistan has also proposed a few amendments related to provincial entry points in the management structure of federal entities. NEWS DESK

Customs lauded for linking steel scrap value with London Metal Bulletin ISLAMABAD GHULAM ABBAS

Pakistan Association of Large Steel Producers has lauded the customs' decision to link the value of steel scrap with London Metal Bullet (LMB) in a bid to avoid confusion at the time of goods clearance at ports.

The Directorate General of Customs Valuation-Karachi had recently revised custom values on the import of iron and steel scrap.

The notification stated that the decision was

made to resolve the problems importers face at the clearance stage because "the international market fluctuated according to demand and supply and prices of scrap were also published in the LMB for Pakistani importers".

According to the notice, this will ensure transparency, fairness and uniformity in the assessment of goods value.

Welcoming the decision, the steel industry expressed optimism that more exportfriendly initiatives would be taken by the customs dept to facilitate manufacturers.

It may be noted that there are two systems to make valuations of imported goods under Section 25 of Custom Act. The first is ITP (Import Trade Price) in which a minimum price is fixed and goods are assessed on the basis of ITP or declared price in invoice/letter of credit, whichever is higher; while the second is LMB which means value of items as per the London Metal Bulletin at the date of LC opening or value declared in LC, whichever is higher.

This change shall make the valuation sys-

CMYK

tem market based and transparent, which will be good for both industry as well as the FBR. Earlier, it was brought to customs attention that the values fixed in the valuation ruling was causing problems for industry at the clearance stage because the international market varied with demand and supply factor. Moreover, it was also informed that prices of scrap are published in LMB for Pakistan imports and thus, to ensure transparency, fairness as well as uniformity in assessment, the value should be

linked with LMB prices and freight factor be added thereon.

The steel industry, however, made urged the DG Valuation to make one correction in its decision/ruling. "The previous price difference between re-rollable and re-meltable scrap was of $100 PMT but in the current ruling, the difference has been reduced to only $65 which is not justifiable for the local industry. The industry requests the customs dept to maintain of difference to the tune of $150 between the re-rollable and re-meltable scrap."

Wednesday, 3 March, 2021

10 FOREIGN NEWS

KARACHI

US iMpoSeS SaNCtioNS oN RUSSia oveR poiSoNiNg of NavalNy WASHINGTON

t

AGENCIES

HE United States on Tuesday announced sanctions on senior Russian government officials and Russian entities in response to what US officials said was Moscow’s attempt to kill opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a nerve agent.

The announcement, made by senior Biden administration officials, marked a sharp turn away from former President Donald Trump’s reluctance to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Navalny fell ill on a flight in Siberia in August and was airlifted to Germany, where doctors concluded he had been poisoned with a nerve agent. The Kremlin has denied any role in his illness and said it had seen no proof he was poisoned.

The officials said Navalny was targeted for his activism in trying to raise questions

Myanmar UN envoy formally stakes claim as legitimate representative NEW YORK AGENCIES

Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations in New York formally staked his claim as the country’s legitimate representative in letters - seen by Reuters on Tuesday - to the UN General Assembly president and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Myanmar state television announced on Saturday that Kyaw Moe Tun had been fired for betraying the country, a day after he urged countries to use “any means necessary” to reverse a February 1 coup that ousted the nation’s elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. “The perpetrators of the unlawful coup against the democratic government of Myanmar have no authority to countermand the legitimate authority of the president of my country,” Kyaw Moe Tun wrote on Monday to Blinken and VolkanBozkir, president of the 193-member UN General Assembly. “I wish therefore to confirm to you that I remain Myanmar’s permanent representative to the United Nations,” he said, adding that President Win Myint and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi appointed him last year and they remain lawfully elected to their roles. Reuters was unable to reach the military authorities for comment. The United Nations does not officially recognize the junta as Myanmar’s new government as it has received no official notification of any change in government or UN representation. “We have not received any communication concerning changes in the representation of Myanmar here at the UN in New York,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Monday. “And nor have our colleagues in protocol received any information from the Permanent Mission in Myanmar on any changes in the government.” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has pledged to mobilize global pressure “to make sure that this coup fails.” As the United States hosts United Nations headquarters in New York City, Kyaw Moe Tun also asked Blinken to “continue to support my work with the immunities customary to this role.”

China says door to Xinjiang 'always open', but UN rights boss should not prejudge GENEVA AGENCIES

China said on Tuesday that it was discussing a visit to its Xinjiang region by United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, but that she should not set out with the aim of condemning its policies. Bachelet said on Friday that reports about arbitrary detention, ill-treatment, sexual violence and forced labour in Xinjiang necessitated a thorough and independent assessment of the situation. “The door to Xinjiang is always open, and we welcome the High Commissioner to visit Xinjiang. Communication is kept up between the two sides, but the aim of the visit is to provide exchanges and cooperation rather than ... so-called investigation based on ‘guilty before proven’,” China’s delegate Jiang Duan told the UN Human Rights Council. China opposed the “politicisation” of human rights and interference in its internal affairs, he said, also rejecting concerns raised

by Australia, Sweden and the United States at the Geneva forum. “We also find it regrettable the High Commissioner made unsubstantiated accusations against China based on misinformation and political pressure,” said Jiang. People of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang and the Tibetan region enjoy wide-ranging freedoms, including religious and cultural harmony, he said. Bachelet said on Friday that she hoped to clinch agreement with Chinese officials about a visit.

about what they called Russian corruption.

“Russia’s attempt to kill Mr. Navalny follows an alarming pattern of chemical weapons use by Russia,” a senior Biden administration official told reporters on a call.

The officials said seven senior Russian government officials would face sanctions, such as asset freezes. In addition 14 entities associated with Russia’s biological and chemical agent production, including 13 commercial parties and a government research institute, were levied punitive measures.

The US moves were being taken in coordination with the European Union. The officials reiterated Biden’s call for Russia to release Navalny from prison.

Biden has taken a tougher approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin than Trump.

“The United States is neither seeking to reset our relations with Russia, nor are we seeking to escalate,” one official said.

“We believe that the United States and

our partners must be clear and impose costs when Russia’s behavior crosses boundaries that are respected by responsible nations, and we believe there should be guard rails on how these adversarial aspects of our relationship play out,” the official said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday before the US announcement that Moscow would respond in kind to any new US sanctions over Navalny, the Interfax news agency reported.

After his medical treatment in Germany, Navalny, 44, returned to Russia in January.

He was arrested and later sentenced to more than 2-1/2 years in jail for parole violations he said were trumped up.

Further sanctions are upcoming, as the United States assesses the Russian role in the massive SolarWinds cyber hack and allegations that Russia sought to interfere in the 2020 US election and offered bounties to Taliban fighters to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan, the officials said.

All abducted Nigerian schoolgirls freed by kidnappers NIGERIA AGENCIES

Gunmen have freed all 279 girls kidnapped from a boarding school in northwest Nigeria, the governor of Zamfara state said on Tuesday, as one of the victims told Reuters how their abductors had beaten her and her schoolmates with their weapons.

According to earlier reports, 317 girls from the Government Girls Science Secondary (GGSS) School in the town of Jangebe were abducted by an armed gang at around 1 a.m. on Friday.

Zamfara state spokesman Sulaiman Tanau Anka told Reuters that some of the missing girls had run into the bush at the time of the assault, and the number of those kidnapped was 279. All had now been freed, Zamfara Governor Bello Matawalle said.

Reuters journalists in Zamfara’s state capital, Gusau, saw dozens of girls in Muslim veils sitting in a hall in a state government building. A few parents arrived later, and one father wept with joy after seeing his daughter.

Most of the girls appeared to be unharmed, but at least a dozen were sent to the hospital for treatment. The girls were mostly barefoot, and several had injuries to their feet.

Farida Lawali, 15, told how she

and the other girls had been taken to a forest, with the kidnappers carrying those unable to walk.

“They carried the sick ones that cannot move. We were walking in the stones and thorns,” she said, sitting in the government house building, covered in a light blue veil.

“They started hitting us with guns so that we could move,” she added.

“While they were beating them with guns, some of them were crying and moving at the same time.”

News of the girls’ release brings “overwhelming joy”, President Muhammadu Buhari said. “I am pleased that their ordeal has come to a happy end without any incident.”

One father, whose seven daughters were among those kidnapped and freed, said the incident would not deter him from schooling his children.

“It’s a ploy to deny our girls ... from getting the Western education in which we are far behind,” Lawal Abdullahi told Reuters. “We should not succumb to blackmail. My advice to the government is that they should take immediate precautions to stop further abductions.”

On Monday, state officials said they were in talks with the kidnappers.

Schools have become targets for mass kidnappings for ransom in north-

ern Nigeria by armed criminal groups, in a trend started by the group Boko Haram, and later its offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province.

The government has repeatedly denied paying ransoms. But Buhari on Friday urged state governments “to review their policy of rewarding bandits with money and vehicles, warning that the policy might boomerang disastrously”.

The raid in Zamfara state was the

second such kidnapping in little over a week in the northwest, a region increasingly targeted by criminal gangs. On Saturday, gunmen released 27 teenage boys who were kidnapped from their school on Feb. 17 in the north-central state of Niger. In 2014, Boko Haram abducted more than 270 schoolgirls from the northeastern town of Chibok, in Nigeria’s most high-profile school kidnapping.

Around 100 of them remain missing.

COVAX vaccine programme to deliver 237 million doses to 142 nations by end-May GENEVA/LONDON AGENCIES

The COVAX vaccine-sharing programme said on Tuesday it will deliver 237 million doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 shot to 142 countries by the end of May as it steps up the global roll-out of its vaccine supplies.

The timeline for the delivery of doses, made by AstraZeneca and by India’s Serum Institute, will be split into separate two-month schedules, COVAX said in a statement, with the first in February-March and the second in April-May. “These timelines are dependent on a variety of factors including national regulatory requirements, availability of supply, and fulfilment of other criteria such as validated national deployment and vaccination plans,” the statement said.

COVAX is the World Health Or-

ganization-backed programme to provide vaccines for poor and middle-income countries. It began its roll-out last week with the first deliveries of shots to Ghana and Ivory Coast.

Hailing the campaign as an “unprecedented partnership”, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Angola, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria could also expect deliveries of COVAX-supplied vaccines within a day.

“This is an unprecedented partnership that will not only change the course of the pandemic but also change the way the world responds to future health emergencies,” Tedros told a joint media briefing with the UN Children’s Fund UNICEF, the GAVI vaccines alliance - which co-leads COVAX - and others.

Ghanaian President Nana AkufoAddo told the same briefing that his

West African country, which this week began its inoculation campaign with COVAX doses, aimed to vaccinate 20 million people by the end of 2021.

COVAX added in a statement that

as well as the first round of allocations of the AstraZeneca vaccine, some 1.2 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTechCovid shot were also anticipated for delivery in the first quarter of 2021.

Wednesday, 3 March, 2021

spORts 11

karachi

STirLing SHineS AS iSLAMABAD UniTeD DOwn QUeTTA gLADiATOrS

Two more foreign HBL PSL cricketers test positive for coronavirus KARACHI AGENCIES

Two more foreign cricketers and one staffer tested positive for the coronavirus in the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) on Tuesday. One unnamed player was from Islamabad United, while the other two’s names and teams were not identified by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Media and Communications Director Samiul Hasan. They brought to four the number of known infections in the league after Australian legspinner Fawad Ahmed had tested positive on Saturday. Hasan said that the league will continue with testing every three days. Spectators will also continue to be allowed. All the four people, who tested positive, are in 10-day isolation.

Qatar Open: Azarenka, Muguruza advance to round of 16, Brady knocked out DOHA AGENCIES

KARACHI

i

AGENCIES

SLAMABAD United won the toss, and, yes, Islamabad United won the game. While that continues to be the story of this year's HBL Pakistan Super League, reducing the contest to that dynamic would take away from a spellbinding performance from a side racked by off-field complications, with Covid-related absences meaning the two-time champions could field only two overseas players.

One of them, was Paul Stirling whose knock in the powerplay blew the Quetta Gladiators away before they had a chance to try and defend a below-par 156. Stir-

ling brought up his half-century in just tal hurdles are particularly heavy, but losing four wickets in the powerplay is unthe fifth over of the chase - off just 21 likely to put a side in a strong balls - with his side plundering position in any league.

76 off the powerplay. That ISLAMABAD Hasan Ali and Faheem left the chasing side with Ashraf both struck in less than a run-a-ball 4 FOR 157 UNITED the powerplay, before for the remainder of (STIRLING 56, NAZIR 34, returning at the death the innings, and destifle the scoring spite slowing down, MAHMOOD 2-29) BEAT QUETTA to and rip through the Shadab Khan's side GLADIATORS 156 FOR 7 lower order. got there with three The only resistovers to spare.

3-11, ASHRAF 54, (SARFARAZ ance came in the form The longer sides ALI 2-23) BY SIX WICKETS of Sarfaraz Ahmed batting first remain whose 41-ball 54 helped winless, the greater the ensure that the Gladiators psychological burden becould get to a total they would comes. For the Gladiators, have a flickering hope of defending. who have yet to win a toss, the men-

Two overs through the middle saw Ahmed at his best power-hitting ability for years. Against Khan, who looked especially dangerous as he flighted a ball that gripped on the surface, he would manipulate the field to pick up three boundaries that kept the scoreboard ticking, before taking Iftikhar Ahmed to the cleaners the following over. The allrounder was smashed for four successive sixes, all through the offside, with the United missing a trick and playing into Ahmed's strength: right-arm off spin.

When pace was introduced, the scoring dried up again, and the Gladiators ended up with a total that looked significantly below par.

Murray fights back from a set down to beat Haase in Rotterdam Open ROTTERDAM AGENCIES

Andy Murray fought back from a set down to defeat home hope Robin Haase and claim his first top-level win of the year at the ATP tournament in Rotterdam on Monday.

The former world No 1 suffered a first-round loss in his first ATP event of the season last week in Montpellier and was in danger of another early exit after dropping a one-sided opening set in the Netherlands.

But the three-time Grand Slam champion battled back to win 2-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 and book a last-16 meeting with either American qualifier Marcos Giron or Russian fourth seed Andrey Rublev.

“I didn’t feel the ball right,” said 2009 Rotterdam

Defending champion Federer withdraws from Miami Open: report TALLAHASSEE AGENCIES

Defending champion Roger Federer has withdrawn from this month’s Miami Open as he works his way back to full fitness following surgeries to repair his right knee, US media reported on Monday. The 39-year-old Swiss star, who has not played since losing in the semifinals of last year’s Australian Open, is due to make his return from a year-long layoff at the Qatar Open in Doha next week. However the Miami Herald cited Federer’s agent Tony Godsick as saying on Monday that the 20time Grand Slam singles champion had opted to skip the Miami tournament for scheduling reasons. The Herald said Federer could play in Dubai after Doha but would then take a training break. Federer’s withdrawal is a blow to organisers of the Miami tournament, who were forced to cancel last year’s event as Covid-19 chaos left sport in North America at a standstill. The pandemic has already impacted the 2021 calendar, delaying the Australian Open and forcing the Indian Wells tournament in California – the traditional lead-in to the Miami Open – out of its usual slot in March.

winner Murray, who last won an ATP match at the US Open last September.

“I kept fighting and this is really a mental victory.

My tennis definitely needs to improve. Fortunately I have a day off to recover from this tough match and prepare for the second round.”

Murray, who like Haase is playing on a wildcard, looked to be staring defeat in the face on several occasions.

The Briton, now ranked 123rd in the world after struggling with hip and groin injuries, saved two break points in the seventh game of the second set before racing through the tie-break to force a decider.

He trailed his fellow 33-year-old Haase 3-0 in the third set, but found form at just the right time to reel off

six successive games to clinch victory.

“It is a pity that I was not able to finish it in two sets,” said Haase, who has slipped to world No 193 after his own injury problems. Murray remains a player who is never beaten until the final point. I have respect for Andy, because I know how hard it is to come back from an injury.” Murray, who missed the Australian Open after testing positive for Covid-19, is playing only his second ATP Tour event since last October.

Japanese star Kei Nishikori secured his first win of 2021, seeing off seventh-seeded Canadian Felix AugerAliassime 7-6 (7/4), 6-1.

“It was a very tight game, he was serving great especially in the first set and he won a lot on first serve,” said Nishikori.

Victoria Azarenka and Svetlana Kuznetsova provided what was perhaps the best tennis on the opening day of the Qatar Open on Monday, with Azarenka prevailing 6-2 6-3. Despite conceding the first set, Russia’s Kuznetsova put up a spirited defence in the second leading to increasingly sprawling rallies with her well-matched Belarusian opponent. A number of knife-edge line calls added to the suspense as the two played into the evening, prolonged by Kuznetsova’s formidable depth and court coverage in the second set. Azarenka’s composure slipped in the seventh game of the second as she failed to capitalise on several break points, swearing loudly towards her coach.

“I definitely missed the last six years I wanted to come (to Doha),” said two-time Doha champion Azarenka. “We’ve been playing against each other for so long,” she said of her familiarity with Kuznetsova’s powerful style of play.Seventh seed and Australian Open finalist, America’s Jennifer Brady, succumbed 6-1 6-2 to Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit who has only progressed as far as the second round at the last two editions in Doha. Kontaveit kicked off the tournament by applying significant pressure on Brady in the opening exchanges, setting the stage for an upset under the cloudy Doha sky.

Brady, who had won nine of her last 11 matches prior to Doha, struggled to get into her stride with the Estonian dominating the opening set, repeatedly forcing Brady off balance.

‘VERY TOUGH MATCH’: “I watched Jennifer’s journey at the Australian Open... I was expecting a very difficult match and I’m very pleased to get to the second round,” said Kontaveit. Kontaveit was one of the players forced into two weeks of strict quarantine in Australia ahead of the Open at which she lost to Shelby Rogers in the third round. “It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t something we’d done before,” she said.

Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova tested her Spanish opponent, world No 15 Garbine Muguruza, but ultimately slipped to a 6-2 7-6 defeat. The Spaniard was a quarter-finalist in Qatar in 2020, losing to Ashleigh Barty who is absent from this year’s tournament, and once again advances to the second round. Her imposing 1.8 metre presence on the court helped her assert dominance over Kudermetova in the first set. She fended off several break points against her serve, helping to avoid her clash against the Russian going the distance like their last tussle in Dubai. Muguruza won a hard-fought tie-break for the second set despite initially falling behind, eliminating the need for a third – and a re-run of Dubai.

Premier League: Everton edge out Southampton to boost top-four bid LIVERPOOL AGENCIES

Everton boosted their bid to earn a top-four finish in the Premier League as Richarlison sealed a 1-0 win against struggling Southampton on Monday.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side won for the first time in six home league games thanks to Richarlison’s early goal.

Everton’s last success at Goodison Park had come against Arsenal just before Christmas, but ending a run of three consecutive home league defeats lifted them to within two points of fourth-placed West Ham.

The seventh-placed Toffees have a game in hand on West Ham, as well as Liverpool and Chelsea, who occupy the places directly above them.

Fresh from beating Liverpool 2-0 to secure their first victory over their Merseyside rivals at Anfield since 1999, Everton are firmly in contention to qualify for the Champions League via a top-four finish.

“It’s been a very good week.

I really appreciate the teamwork.

We were focused defensively and good combinations in front.

The performance was good and we deserved to win,” Ancelotti said.

“To fight for European places we need to improve the home run. This performance can help us. It will be a dream to be in the top four at the end of the season. We are quite close.”

After leading the top flight in November for the first time since 1988, Southampton have gone into a dramatic decline that leaves them just seven points above the relegation zone.

Southampton are without a win in their last nine league games, losing eight times since their last victory against Liverpool in December.

Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl said: “Thirty points are not

enough to stay in the league. We need points. In the final third there was a lack of punch. That makes it difficult to win.”

With Brazilian midfielder Allan making his first appearance since December after a hamstring injury, Everton were far more tenacious. Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster returned for just his second league appearance this season after Hasenhuttl dropped Alex McCarthy.

But Forster was soon picking the ball out of the net as Richarlison gave Everton the lead in the ninth minute. Jordan Pickford’s long kick was flicked on by Dominic Calvert-Lewin to

Gylfi Sigurdsson and Richarlison raced onto the midfielder’s deft pass, rounded Forster and slotted into the empty net.

It was Richarlison’s third goal in his last three games and his 11th of the season. Michael Keane thought he had doubled Everton’s advantage in the 25th minute, but the defender’s header was disallowed by VAR after Mason Holgate was caught offside as he provided the assist.

Keane was a constant threat in the air and the England centre-back headed just wide from Sigurdsson’s free-kick. Rising to meet James Ward-Prowse’s corner with a thumping header, Southampton’s Mohammed Salisu went close to equalising against the run of play.

That triggered a late spell of Southampton pressure and Moussa Djenepo fired just wide before Jannik Vestergaard’s close-range effort forced a superb save from Pickford.

Wednesday, 3 March, 2021

prayer timings

NEWS

FAJR SUNRISE

ZUHR

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

5:36

12:14

3:07

7:01

5:27

6:52

JUStiCe iSA Allowed to pleAd hiS CASe in SC ISLAMABAD

t

staff report

He Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday allowed Justice Qazi Faez Isa to argue his case regarding a review petition against the June 19 order in which the apex court quashed a presidential reference filed against him.

A 10-member larger bench headed by Justice Umar Ata has permitted the SC judge after receiving a written application by his counsel Muneer A Malik regarding his inability to argue the case due to health issues.

Justice Isa arguing his application for live coverage of his case proceedings asked the apex bench why the court is not using the technology if it is available.

“If we do it for you then we should do it for every-

one,” Justice Umar Ata Bandial told the SC judge. Justice Bandial also said that there are logistic and practical concerns about the live telecast of court proceedings. “It is a policy and an administrative matter rather than a judicial matter,” the apex judge added.

Justice Isa tried to establish how he was defamed by leaking selective information related to the presidential reference. “There is controlled media,” he said, adding that for the past two years, the government propaganda continued against him and his family members. He further maintained that he was here not for himself but also for the future of Pakistan. Justice Isa also highlighted how independent media men are facing harassment in the recent past.

However, Justice Bandial said that the court does not commit on issues that are not before it. “If anyone has grievances then he should approach the court which will

surely adjudicate,” Justice Bandial said.

Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik also told Justice Isa that he should not be emotional; otherwise, his attention may be diverted from his case.

The SC adjourned the proceedings until Wednesday where Justice Isa will continue his arguments. earlier on Monday, the top court judge, Justice Isa urged the apex court to decide his case early as one member of the bench, Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik, is retiring next month.

During the proceedings headed by Justice Bandial on Monday, Justice Isa informed the court that his counsel, Malik, could not appear as he was unwell. “This case is extremely important as it’s about the accountability of judges and transparency regarding judges’ conduct,” Justice Isa said, adding that the whole nation’s eyes are on this case. It’s not because people love him, he maintained.

ECP to hold Senate elections per past practice ISLAMABAD staff report

A day after the Supreme Court (SC) directed to hold the Senate elections through an open vote, the election Commission of Pakistan (eCP) on Tuesday said that the Wednesday polls will be held “as provided in the Constitution and law as per past practice”.

The top court, while announcing its verdict on a presidential reference seeking legal opinion on the holding of Senate election through a show of hands, had in 4-1 majority opinion ruled the elections will be held through a secret ballot.

In a late night statement, the eCP said that it held a meeting on Monday under the chairmanship of Chief election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja which “delib-

erated on the order/opinion of the Supreme Court passed today [Monday] in presidential reference No. 1/2020 and decided to implement it in letter and spirit”.

The apex court, in the eight-page verdict, had said: “It is the responsibility of the election Commission of Pakistan to ensure that the election is conducted honestly, justly, fairly, and in accordance with [the] law and that corrupt practices are guarded against.”

The commission — while observing it was already taking all possible steps to curtail corruption in the elections for the House — said that a detailed order from the court was still awaited.

The top court had also said that the commission could “use the latest technology to ensure the holding of transparent

elections” by exercising powers granted to it under Article 218.

In its response, the eCP meeting decided to constitute a three-member committee, comprising the special secretary, director general (IT), and joint provincial election commissioner from Punjab that would take input from different professionals and technical organisations on the use of technology in Senate elections.

The committee would then prepare recommendations based on the input within four weeks. It could also “take assistance from NADRA (National Database and Registration Authority), FIA (Federal Investigation Agency) and the Ministry of Information Technology […] for better recommendations”.

The decision had been taken due to

“time constraints,” the statement added.

However, the SC verdict had admitted that the secrecy of the ballot papers was “not final”, quoting a decision by the top court on the same in 1967 (Niaz Ahmed versus Azizuddin).

While the order cited Article 226 of the Constitution to support its argument, the judges had said that the parliament can decide if it feels the need to end the secrecy of the voting process.

Commenting on the verdict, Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Jawed Khan had said it was now up to the eCP to select what method to use in the March 3 elections to check corruption.

“The eCP is bound to investigate and trace the ballot to see whether any corrupt practice occurred,” he had said in a statement.

Sindh information minister rejects allegations of PTI KARACHI staff report

Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, while rejecting the allegations of kidnapping and sale of members purported by the ruling party, said that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) believes in democracy and everyone has the right to vote according to his conscience.

The minister said this while talking to media persons at the Sindh Assembly media corner on Tuesday. He said that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has given special directives that the electoral process should be accomplished in a democratic manner.

He stated that an unfortunate incident took place on the floor of Sindh Assembly today which should not have happened, referring to the battle which occurred between lawmakers of PPP and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

“PTI staged drama in Sindh Assembly […] Was it planted or any truth in it? PPP has nothing to do with it,”

the minister maintained.

Shah asked that if PPP had been involved in bullying and purchase of vote, then why would it have brought the PTI members into the house? “We could have got vote silently,” he said.

He added that MPA Karim Bakhsh Gabol had expressed his displeasure on party policies through a video statement yesterday. PTI’s Mohammad Aslam Abro and Shehryar Shar followed him and have also expressed reservations over their party’s nominations and attitudes in a video statement. He stressed that PTI’s own members were not happy over the nomination in Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and senior members of PTI have announced their intention of not voting for their candidates on media.

He added that today these three members came together in the same car. They could tell for themselves who threatened them, he said.

“MPA Karim Bakhsh Gabol was forcibly taken away

by PTI MPAs and PPP MPAs tried to stop them that but when Gabol Sahib told our MPAs that he wanted to go with them, our MPAs stayed away,” the minister explained.

Responding to a query on Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s (MQM-P) decision of supporting PTI, he accepted the decision of the party.

“We went to them in front of everyone under the political process. We made an offer to them which our democratic right. But they have decided to ally with the federal government after consultation with their coordination committee. We accept their decision.”

In response to another question, he said: “Prime Minister Imran Khan has decided to hold meetings with the MNAs for two days this week.” The minister asked why the premier had not done this earlier. Prime Minister Imran knows that his own people have serious objections on the Senate nominations, so he has started a series of meetings with assembly members, the information minister proclaimed.

CAA extends flight bans on UK, South Africa to limit spread of new Covid variants ISLAMABAD staff report

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) extended restrictions on travel from the United Kingdom, South Africa, and some other countries for 12 days to avoid the spread of new, more contagious coronavirus variants. In December, Pakistan joined a slew of countries that placed a temporary restriction on inbound travellers from the UK (direct or indirect) over fears of the infectious new coronavirus strain, heightening global panic and causing travel chaos. The new variant — which British scientists called “VUI – 202012/01” — renewed fears about the pandemic. The restriction applies to all persons who start their travel from the UK and are in or have been in the UK over the past 10 days.

However, transit passengers who do not leave the airside in the UK from destinations other than the UK are allowed entry into Pakistan. The measures were renewed in January after other countries also applied restrictions on travel from Britain and South Africa. Later on, the CAA also imposed similar restrictions on travel from Portugal, Netherlands, Tanzania, Botswana, Columbia, Comoros, Ghana, Ireland, Kenya, Zambia, Brazil, and Mozambique. These restrictions are to remain until March 14.

The latest development comes as Pakistan in the last 24 hours reported 1,163 new infections of the coronavirus after conducting 31,948 tests, receiving back a positivity ratio of 3.64 per cent.

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