EpaperKHI_21-04-15

Thursday, 15 April, 2021 I 2 Ramzan-ul-Mubarak, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 287 I 12 Pages I Karachi Edition

Govt decides to outlaw tlP g

MAJOR ROADS, HIgHWAyS OPeNeD NATIONWIDe; SCOReS ARReSTeD

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

t

He government has decided to outlaw the hardline Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) under the Anti-terrorism Act (ATA), 1997, sources informed Pakistan Today on Wednesday.

Reportedly, Prime Minister Imran Khan has approved a summary on the matter, and it will be sent to the federal cabinet through a circular.. earlier, security forces swinging batons and firing teargas moved before dawn Wednesday to clear sit-ins by supporters and activists of TLP in Islamabad and elsewhere after at least five people died in clashes, officials said.

Demonstrators had blocked roads in several major cities late on Monday, including Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi to protest the arrest of Saad Hussain Rizvi, head of the hardline religious party.

On Tuesday, Rizvi was charged with instigating the murder of a police constable, who authorities say was kidnapped by protesters and later beaten to death.

Major roads across the country were blocked by the protesters on Monday and Tuesday, but by Tuesday evening police had been able to clear most of the crowds, except in Lahore.

Islamabad Police cleared the Faizabad Interchange that was blocked by protestors.

A heavy police contingent was also deployed in Bhara Kahu while all roads leading to the French embassy inside the Diplomatic enclave were blocked.

In Rawalpindi, Lahore, and elsewhere in Punjab, major roads and highways were cleared of protestors and opened for the public.

ISLAMABAD: In a new twist to the tale of the controversy involving the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), the banned terrorist outfit, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has extended its support to the TLP’s countrywide protests. In a letter, TTP spokesman Mohammad Khurasani has said that, for the past three days, the reports of protests, sit-ins and violence in several major cities of the country are being received. “These (protests) were mainly due to the government’s breach of promises made to the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan and arrest of its leader Maulana Saad Rizvi. Last year, the government reached an agreement with [TLP] Chief Maulana Saad Rizvi on a number of issues, including deporting the French ambassador and banning French products. However, the government has now withdrawn for its promise for infidel purposes,” says the text of the letter, written in Urdu. The TTP letter said that the TLP workers also faced the puppet police and other forces without caring for their lives and continued their resistance. “Several members of Tehreek-e-Labbaik and police were killed and injured in the clashes while dozens of workers were arrested by police. This should be extremely shameful for the so-called Islamic country and the government which calls for making Pakistan a State of Medina”. “We stand by those who sacrificed their lives for the honour of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) in this hour of grief, and pay tribute to their honour and remind the military forces of their worth. We reassure them that we will take account of every drop of bloodshed of these martyrs,” the letter added. “We want to remind them that these governments and military institutions have always been unreliable, unprofessional and lying. Therefore, they should not be trusted and rather (waging) armed struggle against them is the only solution,” the letter concluded. Mian abRaR

Pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

734,423

LAST UPDATED AT 8:49 AM ON APRIL 14, 2021

NEW CASES:

135

4,681

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

641,912 15,754 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

269,840

255,571

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

101,045 AJK/GB: 14,837/5,140

20,499 ISLAMABAD:

67,491

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

TTP puts its weight behind TLP, calls for joint struggle against govt

coronavirus in

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

In a statement, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar expressed satisfaction over the restoration of law and order in the province. “Most of the roads in the province have been reopened. The police, civil administration, and law enforcement agencies are performing their duties,” he said.

He stated that the government was pursuing a zero-tolerance policy against those violating the law. “We will not allow anyone to damage public or private property. Violence and rioting will not be tolerated,” he said, adding that strict action will be taken against those breaking the law and disturbing law and order.

A senior Lahore police official said that 100 workers and supporters of the TLP party had been arrested so far.

‘RIOTERS TO BE DEALT WITH IRON FIST’: Meanwhile, Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said that the government will deal with an iron fist with those who take the law into their own hands, Radio Pakistan reported.

Chairing a meeting in Islamabad to review the law and order situation, the minister directed security agencies to ensure the writ of the state at all costs.

fiqah-e-hanfia lahore sehr: 4:09 aM iftar: 6:32 PM

karachi sehr: 4:50 aM iftar: 6:55 PM

fiqah-e-jafaria lahore sehr: 3:59 aM iftar: 6:42 PM

islaMabad sehr: 3:59 aM iftar: 6:50 PM

karachi sehr: 4:40 aM iftar: 7:05 PM

Bajwa, Blinken discuss peace process as US readies to quit Afghanistan ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Hours after Chief of Army Staff (COAS) gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a telephonic conversation on Wednesday, the top Washington diplomat announced a coalition of NATO-led troops in Afghanistan will leave the country in coordination with a planned withdrawal by September 11.

Blinken’s announcement comes ahead of a formal announcement of the end of two decades of fighting.

Around 7,000 non-US forces from mainly NATO countries, but also from Australia, New Zealand, and georgia, outnumber the 2,500 US troops in Afghanistan but still rely on US air support, planning, and leadership for their training mission. In a statement, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, during

Shehbaz gets bail in wealth case

the phone talk, gen Bajwa and Blinken discussed the Pakistan-brokered Afghan peace process and bilateral cooperation in various fields. gen Bajwa said that Pakistan will always support an Afghan-led and Afghanowned peace process based on the mutual consensus of all stakeholders.

During the conversation, Blinken also acknowledged Pakistan’s continuous efforts for peace and stability in the region and pledged to further enhance bilateral relations, the statement added.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

NATO forces to leave together from Afghanistan by September 11 STORY ON PAGE 03

more inside

Housing sector’s promotion to strengthen national economy: PM

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday granted bail to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif in the assets beyond means and money laundering case.

He had moved the high court for post-arrest bail in the reference — filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) — in March, five months after he was sent to jail on judicial remand by a trial court.

The dirty money watchdog had arrested Shehbaz in September after the LHC denied him further relief of pre-arrest bail in the case.

On Tuesday, the bench, headed by Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, adjourned the hearing until today as a special prosecutor sought to start his arguments on behalf of the agency.

An LHC division bench headed by Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar heard the National Accountability Bureau (NAB)’s arguments on the bail application of the opposition leader.

On Tuesday, Shehbaz’s counsel Azam Nazir Tarar completed arguments for his bail, claiming that NAB has failed to come up with any evidence to establish the charges.

In his bail request, Shehbaz alleged the NAB proceedings against him had been prompted by mala fide intention, ulterior motive, and considerations extraneous to law.

He said that the registration of a series of cases in quick succession against him and his repeated arrests at the behest of the government had been a classic example of misuse of the process of NAB to muffle the voice of the opposition.

He also said that the bureau failed to collect any evidence of any corruption, kickbacks, misuse of any public office for personal gain by him

islaMabad sehr: 4:09 aM iftar: 6:40 PM

STORY ON PAGE 02

throughout his political career.

THE CASE: Sharif, along with his son Punjab Assembly opposition leader and PML-N Vice President Hamza Shehbaz, was indicted in November in the Rs7 billion reference involving charges of money laundering and assets beyond means.

The reference mainly accuses Shehbaz of being a beneficiary of the assets held in the name of his family members and frontmen, who had no sources to acquire such assets.

It says the family members and the frontmen of the family received fake foreign remittances of billions in their personal bank accounts. In addition to these remittances, the bureau says, billions of rupees were laundered by way of foreign pay orders, which were deposited in the personal bank accounts of Hamza and his brother Suleman Shahbaz.

The reference further says Shehbaz and his family failed to justify the sources of funds used for the acquisition of assets.

Pakistan, Uzbekistan agree to early finalisation of PTA, TTA STORY ON PAGE 02

Babar Azam's sensational 122, Mohammad Rizwan's 73* give Pakistan 2-1 lead STORY ON BACK PAGE

Justice Isa moves SC for early hearing of review plea

STORY ON PAGE 03

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Thursday, 15 April, 2021

KARACHI

NEWS

Housing sector’s promotion to strengtHen national economy: pm IMRAN LAYS FOUNDATION STONE FOR LOW-COST HOUSING PROJECT IN SARGODHA SARGODHA

p

APP

RIME Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said that the government’s special focus on housing and construction sector would strengthen the national economy, stabilise industrial growth and generate employment for youth.

Addressing at the foundation-laying ceremony of the affordable housing project under the Naya Pakistan Housing

Programme in Sargodha, the prime minister said that the promotion of housing sector would not only ensure economic activity, but would also help the common man realise his dream of owning a home.

Under the project, a total of 1,175 houses measuring three marlas each will be constructed at six places in the district.

The Punjab government will provide land and other facilities for the project. The construction work will be carried out by the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO). The

Bank of Punjab taking charge of the mortgage facility will enable deserving people to pay total price of the house in easy installments.

PM Imran said that for the first time in country’s history, a mortgage house finance was launched at such a big scale, but at lowest markup rate.

He added that the low-cost housing scheme would be expanded to all tehsils of the country by year’s end.

PM Imran regretted that delay in accommodation projects by previous

governments led to mushroom growth of slums which had no basic amenities of life.

He said that no one in the past demonstrated empathy for the poor and kept them living in harsh conditions without proper shelters.

The prime minister stressed the important role of banks in offering loans to public and mentioned that the clearance of foreclosure law of banks after a long resulted in the finalisation of the massive housing project.

He maintained that banks were not providing proper services to those aspiring loans and called upon the relevant authorities to give the staff proper training to improve public dealing.

Court extends PML-N leader’s bail period LAHORE

The prime minister lauded Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar for successfully overseeing across-the ministerial housing project. He appreciated that the Punjab government had taken lead in providing land for the project and expressed confidence that Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP) would also follow suit.

Buzdar said that the project would be expanded to 146 tehsils.

He said that the monthly installment had been set at Rs 10,000 to make the project affordable.

He added that Rs0.3 million subsidy by the government of Punjab would facilitate the people, adding that the Punjab cabinet had approved Rs3 billion for the purpose.

Earlier, the prime minister laid the foundation-stone of affordable houses and planted a sapling in line with the Clean and Green Project.

For the allotment of houses in Sargodha district, the Naya Pakistan Housing Authority will allot houses to the deserving people through ballot.

Around 33,528 applications have been received by the government.

imran greets sikhs on Baisakhi ISLAMABAD

INP

STAFF REPORT

A district and sessions court in Lahore on Wednesday extended interim bail of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Mian Javed Latif until April 27 in a case pertaining to allegedly maligning state institutions.

Additional District And Sessions Judge Wajid Minhas heard the case. At the outset of the hearing, Latif’s counsel presented a Covid-19 diagnosis report of his client, showing him infected with the disease.

“My client has tested positive Covid-19 and currently is in self-isolation,” he said.

The court while suspecting the report had been falsified ordered Latif to undergo another test and directed concerned authorities to verify the results before presenting it before the court.

Later, the court accepted the request of the PML-N leader seeking exemption from the hearing and extended his interim bail until April 27.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), Latif deliberately defamed the state institutions and uttering hate speeches.

The applicant, Jameel Saleem, had urged the authorities to take action against the MP under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016.

Pakistan, Uzbekistan agree to early finalisation of PTA, TTA ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Prime Minister Imran Khan has underlined the need for strengthening trade and economic cooperation between Pakistan and Uzbekistan.

The prime minister made these remarks during a virtual summit with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Wednesday.

The prime minister stressed for early finalisation of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and Transit Trade Agreement (TTA) between the two countries. He also underlined the importance of enhancing political and diplomatic linkages as well as security and defence cooperation between Pakistan and Uzbekistan.

He said that steps also need to be taken to deepen mutual collaboration in the fields of education, culture, and tourism. The prime minister highlighted Pakistan’s economic security paradigm and the shifting focus to geo-economics.

The level of progress on the Trans-Afghan Railway Line Project, agreed among Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan earlier this year, was

sHc seeks naB’s response in ppp leader’s petition challenging sentence reviewed during the summit. The project would be a first step in linking the Central Asian transport network with Pakistani seaports of Gwadar, Karachi and Qasim.

The prime minister also underscored the importance of rail, road and air connectivity and highlighted the enormous potential that exists in diverse fields to build an expanded mutually beneficial partnership. The prime minister stated that once completed, the initiative would transform the geo-economic dynamics of the entire regime.

IHC put govt, others on notice in challenge to Senate chairman polls ISLAMABAD INP

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday issued notices to the federal government, incumbent Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, the Senate secretariat and others over an intra-court appeal against the Senate chairman election.

Senator Yousaf Raza Gillani has filed an appeal in the high court against the decision of a single bench over the Senate chairman election.

“How will you avoid Article 69?” Justice Aamir Farooq questioned Gillani’s counsel, Farooq H Naek.

“I want to argue over Article 10 before Article 69,” Naek said. “The matter not related to the assembly’s proceedings but with the election of the chairman Senate”.

“We didn’t challenge the assembly’s proceedings but the election of the Senate chairman,” Naek further said. “A presiding officer could not vote in the

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday wished a “happy Baisakhi festival” to members of the Sikh community. “We have granted Sikh Diaspora & Indian Yatrees special permission to visit their holy Gurdwaras in Pak & attend the Baisakhi rituals,” the prime minister said in a tweet. “They will be facilitated with Langar, transport & accommodation under strict Covid protocols.” Baisakhi marks the onset of the harvesting season for the farmers in Punjab and is observed as a thanksgiving day. After the celebrations, the farmers start cutting the Rabi (winter) crop and hope for a better yield with each passing year. It also commemorates the day when the tenth Sikh guru, Gobind Singh, founded the ‘Khalsa Panth’, an army of warrior Sikhs, in 1699 to fight the Mughal Empire. The celebrations are planned to last from April 12 to April 22. Last week, Pakistan issued more than 1,100 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in annual Baisakhi celebrations, according to a statement from the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. “These visas have been issued as a ‘special gesture’ by the Government of Pakistan in view of the importance of Baisakhi for Punjabis and Sikhs marking the start of their new year,” the statement said. The high commission extended special felicitations to all those celebrating the occasion and wished visiting pilgrims a fulfilling pilgrimage. Under the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, a large number of pilgrims from India visit Pakistan to observe various religious festivals and occasions each year.

election but here he opted to vote,” Farooq Naek said.

“When rejection of seven votes questioned, the presiding officer said, take the matter to the court,” Gillani’s counsel said.

“I was the polling agent of Yousaf Raza Gillani in the Senate chairman election,” Naek told the bench.

The court adjourned further hearing of the case until April 27.

Gillani’s appeal pleads the court to declare the single bench’s decision as null and void.

The appeal also seeks the court to abrogate the presiding officer’s (PO) decision of rejecting seven votes polled in favour of the petitioner in the Senate chairman’s election.

A single bench of the high court had dismissed an early petition by former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani challenging the results of the Senate chairman election, mentioning that proceedings of the upper house of parliament were immune from the interference of the high court.

KARACHI INP

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday sought a reply from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a petition filed by former Fishermen Cooperative Society (FCS) chairman Nisar Morai challenging his sentence in a recruitment scam. In February, an accountability court had handed Morai a seven-year jail term in the reference. Morai’s lawyer in his arguments before the court said his client was arrested in April 2018. Terming the charge sheet as baseless, he demanded to set aside the NAB court’s verdict against Morai. The NAB’s lawyer opposing the acquittal stated that Morai abused his authority while being chairman of the FCS. The court after hearing the initial arguments from both sides sought a reply from the NAB in the case. In May 2018, the court indicted 16 accused persons for misusing their authority, embezzlement of funds, illegal appointments, and awarding fake contracts during 2014-15.

Fazl should play part to end rifts in pDm: mandviwalla ISLAMABAD INP

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and former Senate deputy chairman Saleem Mandviwalla on Wednesday said that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman should step forward to end rifts in opposition’s Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). Talking to reports in Islamabad, Mandviwalla observed that differences emerged in the opposition alliance after the issuance of show-cause notice to PPP and the Awami National Party (ANP) and stressed that no component party possessed the right to send a notice to other PDM members.

Thursday, 15 April, 2021

KARACHI

NEWS

03

PAkISTAn rEPorTS hIghEST CovId-19 dEAThS In A dAy SInCE JunE 24 ISLAMABAD

T

TLTP

HE coronavirus pandemic claimed 135 lives during the last 24 hours in the country, making it the highest single-day death toll reported by the country since June 24 last year.

Pakistan’s death toll from the virus on June 24 remained 148. The new deaths take the nationwide tally of coronavirus cases to 15,754, said the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Wednesday.

The daily data issued by the NCOC showed that Pakistan carried out 48,092

135 MORE DIE; 4,681 NEW CASES SURFACE Covid-19 tests, out of which 4,681 returned positive. The new cases takes the nationwide tally of coronavirus cases to 734,423. Out of the total, 641,912 coronavirus patients are those who have recovered from the virus.

Sindh currently leads the provinces and federating units in most cases with 269,840, Punjab is second with 255,571 cases, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has reported 101,045 cases, Islamabad 67,491 cases, Balochistan 20,499 cases, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) 14,837 cases and Gilgit-

Baltistan (GB) has reported 5,140 cases.

The current number active cases of the country stands at 76,757 and the positivity rate stood at 9.73 percent. The health facilities across the country conducted 48,092 coronavirus detection tests, taking the total number of Covid-19 tests to 10,878, 086 since the first case was reported.

Meanwhile, Punjab has reported 80 deaths and 2,775 new infections of Covid19 in the last 24 hours. According to Punjab’s Primary and Secondary Healthcare

Department, 80 more patients of the disease died of the coronavirus in the province in a day. The tally of total deaths by Covid-19 in the province has reached 7,141.

With addition of 2,775 new cases, the provincial tally of confirmed Covid-19 cases has surged to 255,571, health department spokesperson said.

Lahore reported 1,436 new cases of Covid-19 in a day, according to the health department.

In order to provide more facilities to the citizens willing to get vaccinated against coronavirus, the NCOC on Tuesday sought provinces’ input on the opening of Covid

Justice Isa moves SC for early hearing of review plea ISLAMABAD TLTP

A day after the Supreme Court (SC) rejected Justice Qazi Faez Isa’s application seeking permission for live streaming of the hearing of his review petition, the SC judge on Wednesday filed another application in the top court to have the hearing of his review petition, against SC’s June 19, 2020 verdict, fixed immediately.

The application was moved by the judge under order XXXIII Rule 6 of the Supreme Court Rules, 1980, for early hearing of the review petition as it was pending before the apex court. The hearing was fixed for April 13 but was adjourned with other similar review petitions, the application stated.

“That the matter in issue is of great public

TLP ban may result in disqualification of three Sindh Assembly members ISLAMABAD

importance on the facts and grounds contained in the review petition which may kindly be read as an integral part of this application which are not being reproduced for the sake of brevity, therefore requires an earlier adjudication of this matter by this Honourable Count,” the application read.

Justice Isa further maintained that one of the apex members of the special bench/full court hearing the review petition, Justice Manzoor Ahmed Malik, is due to retire on April 30. “For this reason as well it is a matter of great urgency that these petitions be fixed for hearing immediately,” Justice Isa stated in his application.

“That petitioner’s several legal and constitutional rights are involved. The petitioner seeks indulgence of this Hon’ble Court for the early fixation of the titled

Two policemen dead in road accident LAHORe inP

Review Petition in the interest of justice,” the application further read. “It is, therefore, most respectfully prayed that the titled Review Petition may kindly be fixed for hearing immediately,” Justice Isa said. Earlier on Tuesday, the apex court dismissed Justice Isa’s application seeking permission for live streaming of the hearing of his review petitions. A 10judge bench of the apex court headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial issued the short order, with six judges voting to dismiss the appeal.

On March 18, the apex court had reserved its ruling on the application seeking permission for live streaming of the hearing of review petitions in Justice Isa’s case against the SC’s short order of June 19, 2020, and the detailed judgement on the filing of presidential reference against him.

Sindh CM alludes to stricter restrictions if SOPs are not followed

MiAn AbrAr

The government’s decision to ban Tehreek-eLabbaik Pakistan (TLP) has put a sword of disqualification hanging over three members of the Sindh Assembly who have been elected on TLP tickets. The TLP has three members of Sindh Assembly, Mohamad Qasim, Mohammad Younus Soomro and Sarwat Fatima. In case, the federal government bans the TLP, the federal government has to file a reference in the Supreme Court (SC) to cancel the party registration of the TLP. In the light of the apex court orders, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) can de-register a political party. In this case, the members of the concerned Assembly of the TLP may be disqualified by the ECP. The federal government decided to ban the TLP under the Anti-Terrorism Act after three days of violent protests in different cities of the country and the deaths of law enforcement personnel in them. Under Section 11-B of the 1997 Act, a ban on any party or person means involvement in terrorist activities.

ECP dismisses PTI leader’s plea in foreign funding case NewS DeSk The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has dismissed petition of Akbar S Babar for providing relevant records of foreign funding case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), a local news outlet reported on Wednesday. The election commission announced its reserved verdict on Akbar S Babar’s plea in PTI foreign funding case. The ECP upheld the verdict of the scrutiny committee for not handing over records of foreign funding case to the petitioner. In its verdict, the commission issued directives to the scrutiny committee to complete its tasks by the end of May. Moreover, Babar has been allowed to visit the records twice in a week from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm in the presence of the ECP’s director-general (DG) law who will ensure the protection of the records.

NewS DeSk Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday intimated that the provincial government may be forced to introduce stricter restrictions if the standard operating procedures are not followed.

“If the situation gets critical, then the federation will be asked to impose more restrictions on public transport,” he said while addressing a press conference in the port city.

He added that he had earlier requested the Centre to impose a ban on inter-provincial public transportation to contain the virus.

He lamented the fact that the government was not able to vaccinate as many people as it should have by now. Moreover, he warned those that had been vaccinated to still follow the SOPs

to keep themselves safe.

As many as three more patients of coronavirus died overnight in Sindh, lifting the death toll to 4,533 and 470 new cases emerged when 9,923 tests were conducted.

This was stated by Sindh Chief Minister Murad in a statement issued earlier on Wednesday. He added that three more patients of Covid-19 lost their lives lifting the death toll to 4,533 that constituted a 1.7 per cent fatality rate.

Shah said that 9,923 samples were tested which detected 470 cases that constituted 4.7 per cent current detection rate. He added that so far 3,425,531 tests have been conducted against which 270,309 cases were diagnosed, of the 95.8 per cent or 258,999 patients have recovered, including 466 overnight.

The CM said that currently,

6,777 patients were under treatment, of the 6,428 were in home isolation, 12 at isolation centres and 337 at different hospitals. He added that the condition of 310 patients was stated to be critical, including 38 shifted to ventilators.

According to the statement, out of 470 new cases, 262 have been detected from Karachi in which East 124, South 62, Central 53, Korangi 10, West eight and Malir five.

While other district statistics are as follows, Hyderabad 73, Badin 16, Larkana 14, Sukkur 13, Matiari ten, Sujawal and Tando Muhammad Khan nine each, Shaheed Benazirabad, Jamshoro and Tando Allahyar eight each, Sanghar seven, Dadu six, Jacobabad, Khairpur, Mirpurkhas and Shikarpur five each, Ghotki three, Kashmore and Naushero Feroze one each.

Two policemen were killed and 28 others injured on Wednesday when a prisoner mobile turned turtle near Layyah. The vehicle was taking prisoners from Muzaffargarh to Layyah. While negotiating a sharp turn at Chowk Azam Bypass in Layyah, the driver lost control, turning the vehicle upside down. The injured, which included five policemen and 23 prisoners, were shifted to THQ Hospital Chowk Azam and District Headquarters Hospital. The condition of three injured policemen was reported to be serious who were later referred to Nishtar Hospital in Multan. The martyred policemen, Subhan and Qaisar, were belonged to Muzaffargarh.

The injured cops were identified as Muhammad Bilal, Muhammad Musa, Nadeem Nauman and Amanullah. Layyah DPO Nadeem Abbas and Muzaffargarh DPO Hassan Iqbal rushed to the accident site and supervised the relief operation.

PM ready to listen to pro-Tareen PTI lawmakers NewS DeSk Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said that he is ready to listen to the reservations of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf’s (PTI) like-minded group of 20 to 30 party MNAs and MPAs who have become active since investigations were opened against party leader Jahangir Tareen over the sugar crisis. The prime minister was responding to a question about the reservations expressed by this group. It is said that they had even reportedly requested a meeting with him. “I am ready to listen to everyone, but people should understand why all of this happened. The price of sugar increased by Rs26 in just over a year,” said Imran. “And as a result of this, around Rs120 billion to Rs130 billion have gone from the people’s pockets to the sugar mill owners. Obviously, it is the government’s job to safeguard the public interest.”

The prime minister said that the government ordered the FIA to conduct an inquiry which revealed how sugar mill owners have formed a cartel and manipulates prices. “They do not pay taxes, undeclared sugar, it is all in the FIA report.” “If anyone has any reservations, we can look into it. But it cannot be that we do not ensure the supremacy of law,” he said.

IHC to hear Nawaz’ plea against Avenfield, Azizia verdicts on April 28 ISLAMABAD APP

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) fixed April 28 to hear appeals of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Captain Safdar against accountability courts’ verdicts in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) references, on Wednesday.

A divisional bench of the IHC comprising Justice Umar Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani will hear the combined petitions in the case on the said date. According to the IHC registrar office, the petitions include those filed

against the verdict in the Avenfield Apartment and Al Azizia Steel Mills reference. The court will also hear NAB’s plea pertaining to Nawaz’s exoneration in the Flagship reference and fresh sentencing in the Al Azizia reference.

The IHC a day earlier had instructed its registrar office to fix appeals for hearing under Covid-19 policy in graft references pertaining Al-Azizia Steel Mills, Flagship Investment and the Avenfield property against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

A division bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhter Kiyani had disposed of the petition of

vaccination centres in two shifts.

Meanwhile, an official told a National Assembly panel that the National Institute of Health (NIH) is going to make Pakistan’s own single-dose coronavirus vaccine soon.

“We are going to make a single-dose vaccine for Covid-19,” NIH Executive Director Major General Aamer Ikram told the NA Standing Committee on National Health Services. “We conducted the clinical trial of Chinese Covid-19 vaccine CanSinoBio in Pakistan.” The tests that were first conducted on 300 subjects are now administered in more than 150,000 laboratories, he added.

NAB for the early hearing of the above appeals. At the outset of the hearing, the registrar office had produced its report to the bench regarding the policies for the fixation of cases in wake of the third wave of Covid-19.

The court had asked the NAB that if a representative of Nawaz Sharif was required to be appointed or not. The bench had remarked that all appeals would be heard together, adding that there were a total of six appeals that were pending before this court filed by NAB, Nawaz, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and Capt (r) Muhammad Safdar.

NAB had informed the court that

Special Prosecutor Jahanzeb Bharwana had been infected by Covid-19, while Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzafar Abbasi had also symptoms of the virus. Both could not appear before the court under their current circumstances.

The court had subsequently disposed of the NAB’s plea for early fixation of appeals and instructed the registrar office to fix the cases for hearing as per the policy.

It may be mentioned here that NAB had filed an appeal against the acquittal of Nawaz from the Flagship Investment reference and also pleaded to extend his imprisonment sentence in Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference. Nawaz had moved appeals against his imprisonment sentence in AlAzizia Steel Mills and Avenfield Property references while his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Capt (r) Safdar had challenged their imprisonment sentence only in Avenfield apartments case announced by the an accountability court in Islamabad.

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Thursday, 15 April, 2021

KARACHI

NEWS

Sindh CM wRiTeS LeTTeR To PM oveR ReSeRvATionS on CenSUS

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News Desk

InDH chief minister, in a letter to the prime minister, has expressed the province’s reservations over the population census figures. “Sindh have reservations over approval of the population census results in the Council of Common Interest (CCI),” Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah’s letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan read.

The chief minister demanded a new population census forthwith.

“Several millions of people in Sindh have not been counted in the population census,” held in year 2017. “Sindh’s population has been over 60 million,” the chief minister said.

“In census figures the average number of the members of a family in Sindh has been delineated five members,” the letter read.

The Sindh CM also referred survey reports of the UnICEF and other international institutions with regard to the population of the province.

Murad had submitted his reservations and evidence in written in the session of the CCI, ac-

cording to the letter.

The CCI on Monday approved the results of 2017 national population census with majority votes and decided to hold the new census by the end of 2021. The meeting of the CCI was held here presided over by Prime Minister Imran and was attended by the chief ministers of all the provinces.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad had voted against approval of the results of 2017 national population census, while the chief ministers of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan voted in favor of the approval.

Asad Umar reviews pace of Green Line BRT, KCR projects ws Desk Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Wednesday chaired a meeting on Karachi transport projects in Islamabad. As per details, the federal minister chaired a meeting on the Karachi Green Line BRT, Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) projects to review the pace of work. The meeting briefed the minister that the feasibility study of the KCR would be completed by the end of August 2021.

He directed the Ministry of Railways and PPP Authority to carry out a monthly progress review of the work assigned to the consultants to ensure that the tasks are completed on time. SIDCL management also briefed the meeting on the progress of the Green line BRT project. The minister stressed the need for abiding by the timelines agreed for the project. The meeting was attended by Secretary Railways Habibur Rehman Gilani, CEO PPP Authority, SIDCL, DG Planning Railways and senior officials.

LAHORE: Pakistan Army, Rangers, Police personnel and others offer funeral prayer of Constable Muhammad Imran who was martyred by violent Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) protesters. INP

Leaders point out ‘systematic rigging’ in PTI’s intra-party polls in Canada OPF CHIEF DEMANDS FRESH INTRA-PARTY ELECTIONS UNDER THIRD PARTY SURVEILLANCE IsLAMABAD Staff rePort

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders have pointed out “systematic rigging” in the intra-party elections recently held in the western Canadian province of Alberta.

The intra-party elections, held in Calgary, were supposed to be a contest among two groups – Team Insaaf, headed by Syed Seerat Abbas, and Team Pakistan, headed by Gul Rehman Khan. Both sides had over 1,200 votes – the biggest figure in any city or region in a foreign country.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Canadian branch of the ruling party transferred over 72,000.00 Canadian dollars to the party’s head office in Pakistan after the collection of 60 Canadian dollars from each of the 1,200 members, registered with the

party’s overseas branch. Despite the coronavirus pandemic and not so favourable financial position, the Canada-based party leadership collected and transferred a huge amount from Calgary just to support their party and Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision for a new Pakistan.

In return, Gul Rehman said that the community has to face a division after a rigging by the election committee which clearly favoured Seerat Abbas to win in the intra-party polls just to get upper executive seats at the national level.

FRESH ELECTIONS: Overseas Pakistani Forum (OPF) Canada Chairman Burhan Khan said that nations are not brought down by war or natural disasters, but they are brought down by dishonesty, manipulation, corruption and divisions. “We know road to power is full of pain,” he said, adding that those who

are power hungry do not care about anyone and anything as they just want to cling to power.

He said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. “We the overseas members ask our party’s higher command to investigate this matter immediately in order to avoid further division among the community and declare this election null and void,” he said and demanded fresh elections under a third-party surveillance.

“PTI is not among those parties which support corrupts and corrupt practices,” Burhan said, and asking party leaders to the centre to avoid interference. “We are all educated people and we know about the ‘centre of corruption’ in any party,” he said. Gul Rehman pointed out that the election commission turned their blind eye and deaf ears to party members.

He said that Team Pakistan candidates kept on sending email and phone calls to the election commission, but no action was taken and as of today PTI members have been given nothing but runaround. “Their (election panel) motto is ‘when money comes your way, you do not ask questions’ and offer no remedies to correct the wrong doing,” he added.

India involved in systematic economic strangulation of Kashmiris, says Afridi IsLAMABAD MIaN abrar

Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Chairman Shehryar Khan Afridi on Wednesday accused the Indian occupational regime of implementing a vicious plan of systematic economic strangulation of Kashmiris in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK).

Addressing the launching ceremony of a book titled ‘Kashmir: Demographic Shift, Historical Developments and Hindutva’ at Kashmir Council, Afridi said that the book reflected a fact that the academia

of Pakistan was alive to the developments taking place in and around the Kashmir region, and how the Hindutva rule was involved in the genocide of Kashmiris.

The book, authored by Dr Kashif Zaheer, Dr Rashid Aftab and others, covers the Indian war crimes being committed in IOK with a specific reference to demographic changes, historical developments taking place in Kashmir and the invasion of Kashmir by Hindutva rule.

Afridi said that after sidelining the Kashmiris and putting the political leadership of Kashmiris behind bars, the Hindutva regime was involved in systematic eco-

nomic strangulation of Kashmiris.

He added that India was committing genocide of Kashmiris and information terrorism, demographic terrorism and cultural terrorism were being employed as a major tool of genocide in IOK. He urged the youth to become ambassadors of Kashmiris and to use social media to show the world the atrocities being committed against the Kashmiris by the illegally occupying regime of India.

He maintained there is a need to project the fact that how half widows have been living and how pallet guns which are barred to be used against animals are being in-

Punjab police chief orders to verify academic credentials of entire dept LAHORe INP

Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Inam Ghani on Wednesday issued a notification directing for verifying the degrees of all the officers and servicemen of the force in line with the directives of the Supreme Court (SC). A report in this regard suggested that fake degree holders in the police force are in trouble after the circular issued from the office of Punjab IGP. According to court orders, the educational credentials of Punjab police officers and personnel will be verified to ensure transparency.

Reports further said Ghani has issued a letter in this regard. The Supreme Court had directed IGs of all four provinces to complete the task of degree verification and send a report by the end of April. The court ordered the verification of educational credentials in the unprecedented case where a policeman Aijaz Tareen served in the police department for 32 years through a fake appointment letter. He was inducted as assistant sub-inspector (ASI) and rose through the rank to serve as superintendent of police (SP) in Sindh.

dependently used against Kashmiris.

He said that the mysterious silence of the world is a big question mark for their humanity, adding the prosperous world should not compromise humanity for commercial and market interest.

Afridi said that India was misusing draconian and black laws of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and youth were being picked, jailed and killed without any trial. He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had proved his worth by effectively raising the Kashmir dispute at all the available international forums.

He maintained that the Hindutva regime was making all-out efforts to strip the Kashmiris of their identity and cultural heritage of Kashmir was being destroyed and a new and hybrid culture of Hinduism was being introduced in occupied Kashmir. He urged the writers, artists, vocalists, actors and bloggers to create content and other material to promote and project Kashmiri culture and identity.

Thursday, 15 April, 2021

KARACHI Bajwa, Blinken discuss peace process as US readies to quit Afghanistan

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PAkiSTAN PromoTiNg regioNAL LiNkAgeS To deAL wiTh eCoNomiC ChALLeNgeS: Fm ISLAMABAD

contInueD froM pAge 01

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sTaFF RePORT

Blinken, who according to a State Department statement is in Brussels to “reaffirm the US commitment to the Transatlantic alliance”, said in Belgian capital it was time for NATO allies to make good on its mantra that allies went into Afghanistan together and would leave together. “I am here to work closely with our allies, with the [NATO] secretarygeneral, on the principle that we have established from the start: In together, adapt together and out together,” he said in a televised statement at NATO Headquarters. “We will work very closely together in the months ahead on a safe, deliberate, and coordinated withdrawal of our forces from Afghanistan,” Blinken said, standing alongside NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. While NATO foreign and defence ministers were scheduled discuss their plans later on Wednesday via video conference, a senior NATO diplomat told Reuters that no ally was expected to oppose US President Joe Biden’s formal announcement for a complete US withdrawal of troops by September 11.

JAPAN PRAISES PAKISTAN’S ROLE FOR AFGHAN PEACE: Japanese Ambassador to Pakistan Kuninori Matsuda, in a meeting with COAS Bajwa at the General Headquarters (GHQ) on Wednesday, praised Pakistan’s role for peace and stability in the region, particularly Afghan peace process, and vowed to further enhance ties with Pakistan. Gen Bajwa said that Pakistan values its relations with Japan and acknowledges its efforts for regional stability. The army chief and the ambassador discussed the regional security situation and measures to enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields.

OREIGN Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday said that Pakistan is adhering to the policies of economic diplomacy and promoting regional linkages to deal with the challenges of economic implications.

Chairing a high-level meeting regarding coronavirus pandemic, economic diplomacy and regional security in Islamabad on Wednesday, he said, in this context, Pakistan has converted its geo-political priorities into geo-economic priorities.

He said that the coronavirus pandemic has adversely affected the world's strongest and most powerful economies.

The foreign minister said that the international community will have to play its due role to stop grim human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and establishing lasting peace in the region.

He said that Pakistan will continue its sincere efforts for regional peace and stability, including the Afghan

Fawad terms protesters who thrashed cops national criminals

He said that highways, Grand Trunk Road, and other roads have been cleared for traffic. He further observed that Liaquat Bagh, Tarnol, Bara Kahu, and Rawat have also been cleared for vehicular traffic.

Officials of Punjab Safe Cities Authority informed Rasheed that several places in Lahore are still closed due to the protests.

The minister also lauded Rangers for doing “an excellent job” in collaborating with the police and the administration in this regard.

Whilst addressing a news conference on Wednesday afternoon, Rasheed said that the Punjab government had recommended a ban on the organisation, for which a summary was being sent to the federal cabinet.

“They were more prepared than us but today we’ve decided that [a] ban on TLP [will be placed] and this file is going to the cabinet for the approval from today,” the minister added.

Rasheed said that the police officers taken hostage by the protesters have now been recovered.

“It was our effort till the last moment to convince them to agree on a resolution to be presented in the assembly, but all of our efforts were unsuccessful,” he said, adding that a major reason for their failure was that TLP activists “wanted to come to Faizabad Chowk and Islamabad at any cost”.

Rasheed elaborated that the federal government was still committed to present a bill regarding Namoos-e-

ISLAMABAD sTaFF RePORT

Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has said that unhindered traffic flow is continuing on all important highways across the country. In a tweet on Wednesday, Fawad issued a stern warning to protesters who beat up police officers. He said police and security institutions are the pride of the country, adding that throughout the world, those who wear the uniform are seen as symbols of the state's honour. "To uphold their respect and honour is the responsibility of each citizen," he said, adding that those who disrespected police officers and security officials are "national criminals" and will be treated as such. Protests by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) have caused problems for the masses in major cities across the country for the past two days and have claimed the lives of three people, including two policemen.

Bilawal lashes out at govt for inaction over TLP violence Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday lashed out at the government over its action as the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) activists staged violent protests across the country. In a statement, Bilawal "strongly condemned" the deadly violence seen in many parts of the country this week after Saad Hussain Rizvi was taken into custody. "Such kind of torture, abductions, occupation of state and private properties and attacks on police personnel by enraged mobs cannot be allowed," the PPP leader said, according to a series of tweets by his party. Demanding that action be taken against the people involved in the violence as per the law, Bilawal said the government could not be permitted to "avoid fulfilling its responsibility". neWs DesK

Three-year-old girl raped in Chiniot cHInIot TLTP

In another horrific incident, a three-year-old girl was hospitalised after allegedly being raped by a 16-yearold boy in Chiniot district on Wednesday. A teenager identified as Sabir has reportedly subjected a threeyear-old girl to rape in Chiniot district. The minor girl was admitted to hospital in critical condition.

The incident took place in a suburban area Jamal Jatti in the vicinity of Saddar police station.

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peace process.

Separately, while inaugurating Pakistan's presentation at the virtual Sustainable Development Goals Investment Fair 2021, organised by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs in New York, Qureshi said that Pakistan

offers pivotal geo-economic location, regional connectivity, a huge consumer market, and skilled youth to investors.

He underscored that economic diplomacy is now at the core of Pakistan's foreign policy with a shift in emphasis towards geo-economics.

In addition to highlighting the importance of the private sector for achieving SDGs, the foreign minister emphasised that Pakistan's continued impressive progress on the ease-of-doing business rankings is a reflection of the growing confidence of investors in the recent policies of the government.

The SDG Investment Fair is an annual platform with the goal of facilitating new partnership opportunities to generate regional and global investments in social impact projects of developing countries.

This year's edition has been organised in a virtual format on the sidelines of the Forum on Financing for Development that is being held under Pakistan's presidency of the UN Economic and Social Council.

In collaboration with the UN Development Programme, Pakistan presented a portfolio of investment-ready sustainable development projects at the Fair worth two billion dollars, primarily in the sectors of climate change, infrastructure, and information technology, to attract international private sector investments from around the globe.

Govt decides to outlaw TLP contInueD froM pAge 01

Risalat in the National Assembly (NA).

He added that the TLP needed to cease and desist.

The minister maintained that while the government wants a document that exalts the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) the TLP’s demands would portray Pakistan as an extremist state on the global forum.

The minister stressed that the TLP was being banned “not on the basis of the political situation but because of their character”.

FIVE DEAD: Two police officers and three other people have been killed in the violence which began Monday after police arrested Rizvi for threatening protests if the government did not expel France’s ambassador over blasphemous caricatures of Holy Prophet (PBUH).

According to police, Rizvi’s arrest was aimed at maintaining law and order. But Rizvi’s detention quickly sparked violent protests by his supporters. The protesters blocked highways and roads in several cities.

The deadly clashes come three days after Rizvi in a statement asked the government to “honour” what he said was a commitment it made in February.

He claimed the government promised his party to expel the French ambassador before April 20. However, the government has said it only committed to discussing the matter in Parliament.

Monday’s clashes initially erupted in Lahore. The protesters later clashed with police in Karachi and they continued rallying on the outskirts of Islamabad, which caused travelling issues for the residents.

The reaction from Rizvi’s supporters against his ar-

rest was so swift that police could not clear main highways and roads. Thousands of people were stranded in their vehicles.

Rizvi emerged as the leader of the party in November after the sudden death of his father, Khadim Hussain Rizvi. His supporters have previously held rallies to ask the government not to repeal the blasphemy laws.

Blasphemy is punishable with a mandatory death sentence.

The TLP wants the government to boycott French products and expel the French ambassador under an agreement signed by the government with Rizvi’s party in November.

TLP and other religious parties have denounced French President Emmanuel Macron since October last year, saying he tried to defend blasphemous caricatures of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) as freedom of expression.

Macron’s comments came after a young Muslim beheaded a French school teacher who had shown the blasphemous caricatures in class.

The images had been republished by the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo to mark the opening of the trial over the 2015 attack against the publication for the original blasphemous caricatures. That enraged many Muslims in Pakistan and across the world.

Charlie Hebdo has long tested the limits of what society will accept in the name of free speech. “We will never lie down. We will never give up,” its editor Riss Sourisseau wrote in explaining the decision to re-publish the cartoons last year.

ADB urged to ramp up efforts to mitigate Covid-19 impacts on SDGs ISLAMABAD TLTP

The Asian Development Bank (ADB), in partnership with other development organisations, must give high priority to efforts to assess and address the implications of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to the 2021 Annual Evaluation Review (AER) conducted

by ADB’s Independent Evaluation Department (IED).

The report says ADB must help countries address gaps in financing and data availability which have widened due to the pandemic. The AER provides an independent, high-level perspective on the performance and

results of ADB. The review covered the period 2018–2020 and focused on ADB’s institutional approach for supporting the achievement of the SDGs. Since the review period coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic, it also included an overview of ADB’s response to the crisis.

According to the report, ADB’s partnership and collaboration with United Nations agencies and other multilateral development banks has helped to promote knowledge and innovation for the achievement of SDG targets. However, developing Asia and the Pacific was already lagging in SDG financing and data availability on progress towards SDG achievement prior to the pandemic and the crisis is exacerbating these shortfalls.

“A much greater effort is needed to mobilise public and private financing for achieving the SDGs,” said IED Director General Marvin Taylor-Dormond. “ADB is well positioned to help countries rebuild their frameworks for SDG achievement, but these efforts, in addition to financial mobilization, will need to be accelerated to offset the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and help countries resume their long-term development goals.”

The evaluation notes that ADB’s approach and tools for monitoring SDG support have been adequately articulated and organised at the institutional level, but they now need to be better or more deeply reflected at country and project levels.

Asad Umar gets into Twitter feud with brother Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar on Wednesday joyfully announced the increase in car sales this year as compared to last year, yet his brother, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Muhammad Zubair, took issue with his statement.

“Car sales up 31% vs last year, in first 9 months of this fiscal year. Private sector credit off take up 34%. Jul to feb large scale manufacturing growth up 7.5%. Widespread growth visible while running a current account surplus,

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which unlike past makes growth sustainable,” he tweeted.

As the federal minister spoke of the various increases in an isolated manner, his brother was quick to point out the shortcomings of these figures. “This should all add up to a reasonable growth of around 4-5% but it’s going to be just 1.5% - one of the lowest in our history & lowest in the region. Simple economics hai. Inflation is up, unemployment up & so is poverty. Economy was growing at 5.8% in 2018 & look what mess now,” he tweeted. agencies

NAB rejects Sputnik price fixing allegations ISLAMABAD aPP

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has rejected Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Shami’s allegations that it may had been involved in fixing prices of Russian Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V, saying the bureau has nothing to do with the price fixation. A NAB spokesman said in a statement that Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Shami’s remarks that NAB has a role behind high vaccine prices is totally baseless, concocted and against the facts as NAB has nothing to do with the price fixation.

Blaming NAB is part of the ongoing misleading propaganda campaign against NAB, and ignorance of the facts by the analyst. This is also the part of an ongoing propaganda campaign against the subjudice cases of NAB being heard in different learned accountability courts without obtaining the official point of view of NAB. NAB has decided to send legal notice to Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Shami in accordance with the law for spreading baseless propaganda against NAB, tarnishing its image and distorting facts about subjudice references which are under adjudication in the learned Accountability Courts. It may be mentioned here that NAB always believes in performing its duties in accordance with the law.

Thursday, 15 April, 2021

06 COMMENT

Burden of the Umbrella

PTI’s call for cooperation Damage done in years cannot be undone in days

If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen

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ECLaRInG PdM as dead as a dodo, Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhary has called upon its three major components to abandon the fruitless pursuit of overthrowing the PTI government. He has invited them to hold talks with the government for reforms needed in the system, beginning with electoral reforms. as things stand, the PdM is still intact despite being riven by sharp differences. asking the PPP, the PML(n) and the JUI(F) to hold ‘separate talks’ with the government is likely to be interpreted as a crude attempt to create further differences among the opposition alliance. Mr Chaudhry has not put his best foot forward by making the suggestion. at some stage it is going to be inevitable for the opposition and the government to reach a comprehensive and broad- based consensus on electoral reforms to ensure that in future elections are not disputed, and both the winners and losers accept the result. Unless this is done the legitimacy of every party that comes to power after winning the elections would be questioned.

What stands in the way is the absence of an ambience that promotes fruitful debate both inside Parliament and in society at large. For more than two years and half, the PTI leadership has conducted a ruthless character assassination campaign of its political opponents. It has not spared even the independent media which has been accused of being on the payroll of the ‘corrupt’ opposition leaders. The poisonous propaganda has increased intolerance in society. The PM is free to take a U-turn and offer talks after consuming half of his tenure promoting hatred. Unless he gets off his high horse and makes amends, few would take the move seriously.

Sanity needs to be restored in the national assembly.

The Speaker has to be seen to be acting as an independent custodian of the House rather thanas a PTI activist. He has to conduct the debate strictly in line with the rules, regulation and traditions of the House. The PM should attend the national assembly sittings more frequently, exhibit tolerance and control his loose guns in the House.

This will require patience and take time. But it is needed to detoxify the House. Unless this is done there is little hope of any meaningful progress over the offer for joint efforts to improve the electoral system.

Dr FariD a Malik

A

n umbrella signifies protection, and those who cannot carry its burden should not be in the arena. Most insurance companies in the w\West use the insignia of an umbrella to drive home the protective capacity of their policy. Though it does not rain that much in Lahore, yet an umbrella is a part of the kit in my car.

Whenever we went to Murree for summer vacations, most people carried their umbrellas as rainy weather is always unpredictable there. Where rains are predictable, people do not leave home without it. In London it is part of the personal kit. on his recent visit to Pakistan (april 06, 2021) the Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov arrived at the Islamabad airport, and did not have to wait for the ‘Umbrella Bearer’ to escort him out of the aircraft. Pallbearers do carry the coffins for burial of the dead but the living seldom require this kind of support.

It is indeed interesting that in the First 100 days Plan of PTI it was clearly written that ministers will use locally assembled cars not exceeding 1300cc. To counter this austerity measure, one of the electables commented, “Then what is the point in becoming a minister?” This condition was overruled on the basis that for security purposes large SUVs are required which is totally based on falsehood. any car can be made bullet proof. In India they use their own ambassador car which is then fortifiedd for protection.

The government of Muhammad Khan Junejo rightly restricted staff cars to 1000cc. all larger automobiles were withdrawn and then auctioned. It has been recently reported that the Governor’s House in KP has ordered three BMW X5 armoured cars of 4395cc capacity each. Where is all this money coming from?

Abandoned again?

Is the goal just to get out?

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S President Joe Biden’s announcement that US and other naTo troops would withdraw from afghanistan by September 11 comes even though the talks between the afghan government and the Taliban have hit a deadlock. The announcement comes on the eve of the multipartite conference on afghanistan in ankara, and unless it creates some momentum in the intra-afghan talks, it is difficult to avoid a sense of seeing yet another abandonment of afghanistan by a superpower, as when the USSR withdrew in 1988 without making a political agreement. That would have prevented the subsequent fighting, and the stringing-up of najibullah, the President the USSR left behind, on a lamp-post.

Though President Biden feels that nothing will be achieved by keeping troops behind, it must be conceded that the afghan government has not shown symptoms of resilience. It does seem to be the robot-like sticking to the Trump administration’s agreement, which the USa feels has not been observed by the Taliban. The USa is not doing Pakistan any favours, and its withdrawal from Iraq led to an unstable polity. neighbouring Syria was partially swallowed up by ISIS also, and only fought off ISIS with Iranian help. Pakistan would not like to end up in Syria’s position.

The withdrawal does not bring the country nearer to peace, and it also means that the region is no nearer to the peaceful cooperation that can only happen if afghanistan finds peace. Whether or not President Biden could bring peace, it is now clear that he cannot. The regional stakeholders, who will also be present at the ankara conference, are probably the best hope for salvaging the situation. It is a pity that US action has made that salvaging necessary. It has merely provided the Taliban incentive not to reach an agreement, secure in the knowledge that the withdrawal is going to go ahead anyway. It thus now remains to the regional powers, at the ankara conference, to take measures that will lead to the settling of the country, which will require the intraafghan dialogue to succeed, lest it slip into intra-afghan conflict after the withdrawal of foreign forces.

What can be done for them Shaikh abDul raSheeD

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onday March 22 was another tragic day for the Rohingyas. The tragic occurrence that day was an immense fire that swept through the Balukhali refugee camp at Cox’s Bazar in southern Bangladesh. The worst blaze damaged thousands of shanties and killed many refugees. another huge inferno tore through the camp on January 14, demolishing around 550 shack shelters and forcing at least 3500 refugees, including children and women, to flee their huts. The most recent blaze is also the latest episode in the tragedies for the Rohingyas.

The Rohingya Muslims are indigenous to Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine, which they have been inhabiting for centuries. according to estimates, the total population of the community in Rakhine was 1.1 million in 2017. What havoc life has wrecked with the Rohingya is that they have yet not been acknowledged as one of its official ethnic groups by Myanmar. The people have never been given nationality by the country under its 1982 citizenship law. although under article 15 of the Universal declaration of Human rights everyone has the right to nationality, Myanmar, violating the article, has systematically rendered the Rohingyas a stateless people.

For the last five decades, the Rohingyas in Rakhine were dreadfully attacked in 1978, 1992, 2016 and lastly 2017. of the four onslaughts, the 2017 military crackdown on the minority group was the most atrocious and damaging. In just five days, about 700 buildings were set ablaze; at least 400 people were cruelly killed and hundreds of women and girls were mercilessly raped. We can say that, currently, the Rohingyas are the most persecuted people in the world.

The Cox’s Bazar refugee camp that hosts more than a million Rohingya refugees is said to be the largest camp in the world. of the overall refugees at the camp, around 750,000 of them had fled Myanmar to Bangladesh in the aftermath of the damaging assault of 2017. The world’s largest camp consists of shacks made from timber and other inflammable material. The refugees have been living painful and

Arif Nizami Editor Managing Editor

Joint Editor

Umar Aziz Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

Another People’s Movement is needed to get rid of these ‘Political Bounty’ hunters who are afraid of getting wet, yet cannot even carry their own umbrella. This ‘Palki Leadership’ cannot lead in the 21st century, we have to get rid of them

The writer is ex-Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation. He can be contacted at: fmaliks@hotmail.com.

Stateless people in trouble

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Yousaf Nizami Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

There is a colonial tradition of ‘mace bearers’ who lead the judges into court rooms. as a child growing up on the Mall close to the Lahore High Court, I was always amazed to see the judges wearing wigs and entering their courts behind ‘bearers’. after the promulgation of the 1973 Constitution, the wigs disappeared but I am not sure about the ‘bearers’. Bhutto moved out of the British Commonwealth and also banned the Freemasons Movement in the country, and their lodge was also taken over. Imran Khan had promised to shut down the Governor’s House which is down the road but it continues to survive. Recently the Governor was shown enjoying a boat ride in the lake with his friends.

There was a botched attempt to tear down the outer wall which was against the law of ‘Heritage Buildings’ but there is no restriction to move the office of the Governor from this 700 kanals of prime real estate. after over seven decades of independence, colonialism continues to dominate over the masses.

The Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the Sajjada nashin of Bahauddin Zikriya and Shah Rukn-ealam shrines located in Multan, waited for his Russian counterpart under an ‘Umbrella Bearer’ in royal style. While the visitor comfortably carried his own protection, the host sought external help. The photographs of the event were all over the place. If a Foreign Minister cannot protect himself from the rain what are his credentials? Is our Foreign office in safe hands?

While the Prime Minister travels on commercial flights, I have seen the Foreign Minister disembarking from the PaF plane occasionally used by the PM. Is the Foreign Minister entitled to the use of a private jet for his travel? Government officials posted to Islamabad usually maintain their residences in Lahore and frequently travel on the Motorway between the two cities. Regular weekend visits to Multan are not feasible by road, air travel is required for this purpose. a few months back I happened to be at the Chief Minister Secretariat on Club Road. There was great hustle and bustle there, and on inquiry I was told that a meeting of Commissioners and Secretaries had been called by the CM. In an ‘Effective Meetings’

course that I attended and then taught, it was emphasized that action Items with assigned responsibilities should be prepared and distributed for implementation otherwise it is an exercise in futility with blatant waste of resources. Looking at the performance of the bureaucracy in Punjab, I wonder what comes out of these expensive get-togethers. Work and service to the people is on no one’s agenda, and people in authority desire to be served with all kinds of bearers and butlers at state expense. at the battle of Panipat in 1526, Zaheer-ud-din Babar led from the front. against all odds, he commanded his troops in the battlefield and prevailed over Ibrahim Lodhi to seize control of delhi. He established the Mughal Empire in India. When their rule was in decline, his heirs would come to the battlefield on palkis (Canopy covered Elephants) with their jewels instead of weapons. The colonialists massacred them and took control of the Indian Subcontinent which then became the Jewel in the Crown of the British Empire.

Leadership calls for sacrifice, not personal comfort.

Leaders have to carry the load of heir nations. The masses have to feel protected not exposed under them. Unfortunately in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan the people have to carry the load of their leaders, and no one watches their interests.

While they get wet holding umbrellas for their ministers, their future, security and wellbeing is compromised.

Such a lopsided system is bound to perish. after his victory in the 1970 elections, Bhutto proudly announced that politics had been cleansed of the influence of Mirs and Pirs, but his claim was short lived. Zia, who toppled him, introduced the concept of ‘positive results’. The party-less elections of 1985 created a new class of political rogues called ‘Electables’ that emerged from this approach. The Mirs and the Pirs also joined them. another People’s Movement is needed to get rid of these ‘Political Bounty’ hunters who are afraid of getting wet, yet cannot even carry their own umbrella.

This ‘Palki Leadership’ cannot lead in the 21st century, we have to get rid of them.

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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grieved lives in the shack houses with no provision of even basic things like nutritious food, schooling, healthcare or sanitation. However, the 1954 and the 1961 Un Conventions on the Status of Stateless Persons and the Reduction of Statelessness emphatically direct member countries that the stateless people should be treated in the same way as citizens/nationals of any country. It concludes that the stateless are to be provided with all the basic rights to housing, justice, schooling and healthcare by a host country. according to estimates of the United nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UnHCR), there are around 79.5 million displaced people across the world and about 45.7 million of them are displaced within their own country. of the overall displaced people, more than two thirds of the total has come from Somalia, afghanistan, South Sudan, Syria and Myanmar. The main reasons for the displacement are conflicts and persecutions. There are at least 4.2 million stateless people who have not been given nationality and access to schooling, healthcare and employment. amongst these stateless people, more than 1 million are the Rohingyas.

The shocking fact is that currently the rights of refugees and displaced people are being threatened as the world is facing a global solidarity crisis. The international community, especially affluent nations, are unwilling to shoulder the responsibility for supporting and protecting refugees. Many European states are deporting people seeking asylum back to their country of origin to undergo oppression, rapes and violence.

It is developing countries who are acting fairly in accordance with their economic standings to resolve the problems of the displaced. They host around 85 per-

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

cent of the global refugees. amnesty International claims it has been making utmost efforts to convince the developed countries to agree to a global and fairer system for protecting refugees. at present, what the world urgently needs is to formulate a new global plan for original and unhypocritical cooperation and fair sharing of responsibilities. Increased global funding for the protection of refugees and provision of basic needs to them is urgently and severely required.

To this end, the developed nations have to make contributions on the fair share basis and have to resettle a huge number of refugees.

Since its foundation in 1984, the Islamic Relief, the world’s largest relief and development organization, in partnership with 16 organizations has been working in conflict-affected regions across the world to support refugees, displaced people and the nations that host them. This organization, in coordination with WHo, UnHCR, UnICEF and other international donor agencies, has to play the productive and humanitarian role for the Rohingya refugees. Until and unless the problem of their return to their native place is settled, they need permanent housing along with the provision of all basic needs.

What role Pakistan should play for the Rohingya refugees is to make political, social and economic efforts for the settlement of their plight and challenges they have been experiencing, and to raise a voice time and again for their rights on the platforms of the Un and the oIC and other powerful international organizations.

What role Pakistan should play for the Rohingya refugees is to make political, social and economic efforts for the settlement of their plight and challenges they have been experiencing, and to raise a voice time and again for their rights on the platforms of the UN and the OIC and other powerful international organizations

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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The writer is a freelance columnist

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Thursday, 15 April, 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

Mobs and traffic jams I tried to cross Bhatta Chowk today in an attempt to go to PIa Crew Medical Centre but could not. It was not that there was a huge mob, just s few Maulvis carrying sticks who parked a Van to stop the flow of traffic.

They were pelting stones. If the police had instructions the SHo with help of few policeman could have apprehended these hooligans but they preferred to just watch silently and let them have their way. If this was a protest by some opposition party, their workers would have been herded together and taken away in a police van. after all some one must have given instructions not to tackle them with force to quell this nuisance.

MubaShEr huSSain LahorE

Ramzan prices RISE in the prices of essentials is an annual ritual during the month of Ramazan. This year even before the start of the fasting month an identical trend of hike in prices of kitchen items, vegetables, meat and fruits is being witnessed. This is in spite of the government’s efforts to provide these necessary items to the common people at affordable prices. already prices of essentials and those of items whose consumption increases in this month are moving upwards Government requires to pay serious attention to this issue. iMtiaz JavEd awaran

Ignorance is Bliss But only for a time

ZaFar aZiZ ChauDhry

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T is said that knowledge is power, but it also implies that ignorance is bliss. It is a paradox that both maxims fit into the reality of life with equal force. The field of knowledge is as vast and expansive, as that of ignorance is deep and boundless. Knowledge and ignorance run side by side and make the fun of life a kaleidoscope through which all patterns and colours are formed for the delight of the historian. Lack of knowledge is a dangerous thing, but quite often it proves to be a blessing in disguise.

In the struggle of life, no one is absolutely certain of success. There are multiple factors to be taken into account before opening a new enterprise. a lot of calculations of one’s financial standing, the probable difficulties and obstacles which one may come across, and also the guidance of those already in that business have been considered necessary to succeed, and yet one’s business may fail due to unforeseen circumstances. Conversely it is also possible that you may not have done so much homework, but due to some favourable and unforeseen circumstances your venture becomes successful. Hence there are no fixed and intractable rules to make you successful. nature is always unpredictable. If there had been fixed rules for success, then everybody by following those rules would have succeeded and no party would have ever met with defeat. nature is always elusive and nobody has the perfect knowledge of how things work. How will one adjudge whether knowledge always leads to success, and in many cases, it has been observed that fear or ignorance of future complexities but with some favourable circumstances promises him success, which in his case proves bliss. This elusiveness and uncertainty in life is the real challenge which goads man to have a better knowledge of things rather than doing things in haste and ignoranc,e which will in the ultimate analysis lead him to failure and destruction.

Ignorance may be bliss for people temporarily, but not always. If a married couple leads a happy life, but the wife occasionally spends her time with her paramour, of which the husband has no knowledge, her life may be temporarily bliss for her, but as soon as the husband has the knowledge of her infidelity, her matrimonial life can become hell for her, and may wreck the lives of both. Thus true knowledge of life is always a strong instrument for true and longer-lasting happiness, unlike ignorance which may appear to be bliss for some time, but that road always leads to perdition. now in our own socio-political environ-

ment, Prime Minister Imran Khan is renowned all over the world as a highly educated man from oxford University, one of the finest sportsmen of his time, a philanthropist, an educationist, a social worker and a man of liberal-secular bent of mind who truly understands the spirit of modern time. yet to boost his image as a politician, he has the temerity to air his views which are directly opposed to his own bent of mind. In a BBC interview, he expressed his admiration for the tribal Jirga system, knowing fully well that he was advocating a system which is a remnant of the Stone age and is nowhere in vogue in the entire world. If he was disgruntled with our courts, he could think of bringing judicial reforms, rather than enforcing the jirga system in the length and breadth of Pakistan. again, when terrorism was being universally condemned, Imran Khan spoke of osama Bin Laden as a martyr, a crusader for freedom, when he was looked upon as the pioneer of terrorism worldwide. again, before the 2018 elections, to win the support of the masses, he pledged to create 10 million jobs if he came to power, for which he had done no homework. He announced this in complete ignorance of the true knowledge and statistics of Pakistan to please his voters. He enjoyed his bliss of ignorance for the time being, but failed to take even a single step even nearly 3 years into his tenure. after coming to power, he realized that necessary infrastructure was necessary to create so many jobs. This gave him the first shock of his life. He had pledged to eliminate corruption and a recent report of Transparency International indicated that corruption increased in the PTI’s tenure. In other equally important state matters he received his share of sufficient shock for his ignorance, which had resulted into enormous unemployment, poverty and sky-rocketing price-hike of articles of daily use making the lives of common man miserable. It was expected of him to know that one of the greatest problems of poor countries was their overpopulation, yet he affected his ignorance of this acute problem, got the bliss he deserved, and did not take a single step to control overpopulation. He chose to enjoy the bliss of his ignorance, by appearing before the edia every evening to make the people believe that all was well with the state of Pakistan. The time he spent on media should have been more profitably spent in his office reflecting on how to pull his ship out of the rough waters.

The famous 18th century English poet Thomas Gray in 1742 in a poem had for the first time written that “Ignorance is bliss” which became an idiom. He further wrote “Where ignorance is bliss / ‘tis folly to be wise.” Gray being a professor was not against knowledge, but he was imagining the time of his childhood when

Why study history? all children feel lighter and care-free and are not subject to the hardship of the life of adulthood.

This is the right moment when children can claim that ignorance is bliss.

The good luck of politicians of today is that they can get away with anything under the garb of ignorance; sometimes it is actual ignorance but more often it is feigned. In both cases, they enjoy it as bliss. But later when reality breaks upon them, then this bliss turns into hellfire, which brings them close to destruction and ignominy. The Indian Missionary Sadhguru when asked whether “ignorance is bliss”, he replied that if it had been so, “then why seek knowledge?” all previous politicians of Pakistan came to power on the Islamic card. Imran Khan came into power on the slogan of making a “naya Pakistan.” nobody has yet the inkling of his promised “naya Pakistan.” one of Imran Khan’s great dreams is “Tabdeeli” and to revive “Riyasat-e-Madina.” He firmly believes that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) established the first pluralist society and nation-state in history, governed in accordance with Islamic principles. Madina’s state preceded even the Magna Carta by several centuries, when the principles of justice and equality were not even known to Europe. It is also clear that the Founder of Pakistan in his speech of 11 august 1947 had declared that “ religion has nothing to do with the state of Pakistan which is everybody’s personal matter” I have nothing but to take pity on Imran Khan when he undertakes this gigantic task of reviving the “Riyasat-e-Madina” in this country where minorities are being marginalized, a horrific class of religious bigots are already holding the country ransom, and the entire state of Pakistan is being governed on non-Islamic principles. and finally, nothing applies the maxim, “Ignorance is bliss” more accurately than to our children who are taught the Holy Quran in madressas and mosques. The entire emphasis is laid on its recitation and none on its meaning with the result that even when they grow up, the students remain ignorant of the Quranic teachings.

Hence there is dire need to make the students learn the Quran with its meaning and its explication. Learning the meaning is far more difficult than its mere recitation, and thus ignorance of its meaning proves temporary bliss for the students, but it does not change their minds which remain fossilized. This is the primary cause for the decadence of Muslims in this age of knowledge which is the only source of power.

Hence there is dire need to make the students learn the Quran with its meaning and its explication. Learning the meaning is far more difficult than its mere recitation, and thus ignorance of its meaning proves temporary bliss for the students, but it does not change their minds which remain fossilized.

This is the primary cause for the decadence of Muslims in this age of knowledge which is the only source of power

The writer is a former member of the provincial civil service and can be contacted at zafar.aziz.ch@gmail.com.

WHaT is history ? History is the story of men and women on the face of the earth at a particular period of time who played their part to make up something like a story. Individuals may influence the course of history, but history as such is the sum total of all the actions put together culminating in some shape which the historians conveniently call the period. History may be looked at as the story of the growth of a people or peoples. History may again reflect the interaction of human emotions ending up in a certain form of society. History may indicate how societies were formed and how they grew.

If certain societies survive the onslaught of time while others disappear altogether, history helps understand the forces at work. In short we may not be far from right if we say that history traces the growth of human society.

Then why study history ? The above mentioned ideas of history have the answer to this question. There have been periods in history which shows the rise and fall of societies, where great men and women play their part. Each country boasts of a certain golden era when a great personality, a king or queen or an Emperor had so much power that he was the centre of the picture.

To know the picture is to know the person. Just to quote an example, take the period of Queen Elizabeth I in England. It was a period of expansion for England, it had its moments of glory, it saw the flourishing of art and so on.

To know the period, we learn all about the life of the actors on the stage.

Individuals may influence the course of history. The great religious founders like the Buddha, Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohamed had influenced the course of history. Quite recently we know how the writings of Rousseau and Voltaire and others influenced the course of the French Revolution that was to follow. In recent times we know how the works of Marx and Engels brought about almost universal revolution and the course of which has not stopped. To know the growth of a people we read history. This is best illustrated by studying the History of the USa. How a few religious people who ran away from their mother country to avoid prosecution went in waves to colonize and almost a powerful country was born. Here one is easily aware of the accidents of history . History of the Industrial Revolution and the consequent labor movements and many other things which have been the off-shoots of the Revolution are very interesting to know. To know the growth of societies, one must look into history. Thus a study of ancient societies throws light on how such societies were formed and grew. Some forces act as destructive ones, some forces act as incentives and some others go to consolidate the society. a classical example is Munroe which helped the uninhibited growth of USa for nearly a hundred years. History traces the growth of society.

M irfan hub

Mansehra zoo THE Government of KP wants to construct a new zoo at Mansehra. although all the experts have told them that the animals won’t survive the hot weather of Mansehra. But the Government wants to move the animals to Kalam each summer and than bring them down in winters. They want to take on this extra cost and burden because they want the local people to be educated in Wild life and Environment protection. although the Government’s intentions are great but their method is full of holes. I think the KP Government should consider setting up a Museum at Mansehra instead of a costly zoo. a Museum won’t have a high running cost and will attract more tourists as Museums are unique and there is already a zoo in Peshawar. Besides show casing the local art, culture and even Ghandar origins, a section in the Museum can showcase local animals and how to take care of the Environment. The Government can even ask famous Museums in other nations to donate or borrow their Museum displays that are not in use by them. These displays are very educational and most Museums store their old displays in their store or destroy them. They would happily donate them to make more space. yours Sincerely, Shahryar Khan baSEEr PEShawar

PDM is broken PPP was the right hand of PdM but PPP made it separated from PdM. PdM is a big party to loss the PIT in PdM there are many parties they all are together to broke the PIT but now is being broken itself. There are two parties anP and PPP left the PdM , it is broken due to a party that is PML n is going to meeting the anP and PPP were separated from PdM because there were meeting just PML n join it , they did not say anything to other parties such as anP and PPP. It is will be like wise leave it too than it will be broke completely. Therefore it should manage it before because it will not get government. rizwan ahMEd KEch

Thursday, 15 April, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

HisTory will casT a sHadow over Biden’s decision To wiTHdraw From aFgHanisTan NOW THAT HE HAS MADE HIS CHOICE, HE MUST PRAY THAT THE TROOPS HE IS BRINGING HOME WILL NEVER HAVE TO GO BACK

WaSHIngton poSt

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DaviD ignatiuS

FGHanIsTan nagged at Joe Biden 10 years ago. He thought the Pentagon was muscling a new president, Barack Obama, into adding more troops for an unwinnable war. He believed the United states’ interests in afghanistan should be focused on preventing another attack against the homeland.

This week, as president himself, Biden decisively reversed the choices made a decade ago and decided to withdraw all troops by sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the ghastly al-Qaeda attacks that skewed U.s. foreign policy for two decades. It’s a gutsy move because the

price of being wrong is enormous.

Military advisers, now as a decade ago, have been warning Biden of the dangers. Intelligence analysts predict that civil war may quickly erupt, and the Kabul government may collapse. They predict that al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups could reestablish havens within two years. They fear that Islamist militants around the world, who have been on the defensive since the defeat of the Islamic state, will be emboldened by what the Taliban will claim as a victory.

Many military leaders have been urging that Biden announce a conditions-based withdrawal. Biden, in the end, rejected that course, deciding that linking withdrawal to conditions on the ground, in the words of a senior administration official who briefed reporters today, “is a recipe for staying in afghanistan forever.”

Biden sometimes comes across as a genial gaffer, pliable in the way of a career politician. But Tuesday’s announcement shows that he is also a stubborn and resolute man. Friends say he was bruised by the afghanistan battles of a decade ago and took away some grudges. When convinced he’s right, he’s prepared to take big risks — as he has this week.

The military, for all its worries about withdrawal, has

hated the meat grinder of afghanistan. Most of today’s army and Marine commanders have fought there, and many of their sons and daughters have, too. They share Biden’s desire to get the hell out. But that’s checked by a feeling that the only thing that’s worse than remaining in what seems an unwinnable stalemate is pulling out troops — and then having to go back in.

That’s what happened in Iraq after the withdrawal of U.s. forces in 2011. They were back five years later, dealing with the slaughterhouse that was the Islamic state. and if Biden was right about afghanistan 10 years ago, he was dead wrong about getting out of Iraq, which he also strongly advocated.

That’s the awful danger of this decision. sometimes cutting the knot and removing U.s. troops opens the way for peace; more often, in recent years, it has been a prelude to greater bloodshed. The downside is easy to imagine: a spiral of violence in which provincial capitals fall, one by one, leading to a deadly battle for Kabul — a fight in which the people who believed most in the United states’ intervention will be at greatest risk, and pleading for help. closing our eyes and ears to that catastrophic situation — turning away from the desperate appeals, especially from the women of afghanistan, who

Colonial mindset is behind France’s latest attempt to ban the hijab

Independent

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Pragya agarwal

rance’s relationship with the veil has been fractious for a while now. The latest drive to ban the hijab for anyone under the age of 18 – part of the “separatism bill” – stems from a movement, growing in europe since 9/11, which targets women wearing headscarves and veils: the burqa and the niqab.

In February 2004, the national assembly (the lower house of the parliament in France) began debating a bill to ban religious symbols from schools, including Muslim headscarves, Jewish skullcaps and large christian crosses. Prior to this, in september 2003, many of Germany’s regions had already banned teachers from wearing headscarves.

In 2011, France became the first country to ban all women from wearing any sort of veil, or the niqab outside their homes in any public place. The niqab ban was the first in europe and it really questioned France’s attitude to the integration of Muslims in the country. The right-wing parties, including the republicans led by nicolas sarkozy and national rally led by Marine Le Pen, started a nationwide debate on the place of Muslims in France and hailed France’s “christian heritage”.

In 2014, this ban was upheld by the european courts, which stated that the goal of the ban was to preserve the ideas of national integrity. In 2016, several of the coastal municipal towns imposed the burkini ban for Muslim women.

It is important to understand that such policies are not a recent phenomenon. Discrimination against Muslims, especially women, has been steadily enforced in the name of law, order and national integrity for some time, and the most recent proposed ban is just another step to take away autonomy and agency from Muslim women.

Much of this is also rooted in the im-

perialistic legacy of France where, for part of the 20th century, it occupied many Muslim-majority lands in africa and the Middle east. During this period, there was also a drive to separate Islamic symbols and practices from the oppressed areas by banning the veil and arabic language from the public sphere. The colonial mindset has continued in France, and has been at the root of the blatant Islamophobia in the state.

On 30 March, the French senate voted for the “separatism bill”. The bill aims to impose republican principles, and aims to give the state the tools to fight Islamic radicalism. a large part of the bill is to fight against the inferiorisation of women, and to crack down on any practices that take away the dignity of women. President emmanuel Macron had previously voiced his belief that the hijab was not in accordance with French ideals.

The ban on the niqab and the hijab is being justified as a means to empower women. However, it is grounded in antiIslam rhetoric, which is deeply embedded in French society and governance. By assuming that all Muslim women in headscarves are being oppressed, a disregard and ignorance of Islamic religious principles and values is revealed. It is rooted in supremacy ideals where minority ethnic women are always oppressed and need to be saved.

The French government could be viewed as having a white saviour complex – it’s seen to be helping minority ethnic women, but in telling them how they should act and behave, it is serving its own interests and preserving “French ideals” rooted in a colonial mindset. Women cannot be empowered by taking away their autonomy, free will and right to choose.

The bill has not come into force yet because it is yet to be voted in by the national assembly. But if this bill is passed, the age of consent for sex will be lower than the age of consent for wearing the hijab. Women as young as 15 years old have sexual autonomy and agency in France, but they will not have the right to choose a symbol of their religious faith.

The bill stands against France’s national motto: “liberté, égalité, fraternité”.

It is not equal or equitable, because it targets only a certain community, one that is already marginalised and stigmatised. and we cannot assume that sexual liberation is the only way a woman can be free.

Women can only be truly liberated when they have the right to consent and choose for themselves in everything they do, and everything they wear without society (or the government) assigning rules on what is acceptable and what is not.

fear new oppression — will require cold hearts and strong stomachs.

Biden decided this week that afghanistan’s fate, in the end, will be determined by its people. Those who suspect that the country will quickly tumble back into the Middle ages and a primitive version of Islam are wrong, I suspect.

The years of war have modernized afghanistan. It’s now a richer, more urban country, connected by modern communications. People who gained their freedom in the two decades under a U.s. umbrella won’t give it up easily.

The real test of Biden’s policy is whether the core national interest he has embraced — of limiting U.s. involvement in afghanistan to preventing another 9/11type attack on the homeland — can be achieved without U.s. troops on the ground.

Officials have been arguing this question back and forth for weeks. can the cIa maintain a clandestine force in afghanistan that’s strong enough to operate against al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups? Will drones be effective, if they must now be based in the Persian Gulf, with long flight times to afghanistan and much shorter periods over potential target areas? We don’t know the answers. Biden is rolling the dice.

Presidents have a few moments in office where they must make gut decisions about the nation’s security. Because the future is unknowable, a commander in chief must trust his instincts. Fred charles Iklé titled a book about ending the quagmire of Vietnam, “every War Must end.” now that Biden has made his choice, he must pray that the troops he is bringing home will never have to go back.

The trillion-dollar inflation conundrum facing the world MODERATE INFLATION IS AN ECONOMIC GOOD. IT BRINGS FORWARD INVESTMENT AND CONSUMPTION AND STIMULATES GROWTH. EXCESSIVE INFLATION IS A THREAT TO GROWTH AND SOCIAL STABILITY Sydney MornIng Herald

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StePhen BartholomeuSz

He Us inflation numbers came in above the consensus forecasts on Tuesday but bond yields edged down and Wall street hit another record. The recovery from the depths of pandemic-driven recession is producing confusing outcomes.

The March Us cPI, at 2.6 per cent, was slightly above the 2.5 per cent anticipated and the highest since 2012. Between February and March the rate was up 0.6 per cent against expectations of 0.5 per cent and was again the biggest increase in nearly nine years. core inflation, with energy and food prices stripped out, was 1.6 per cent, also ahead of expectations. at face value, the confirmation that inflation seems to be accelerating should have shaken financial markets. Instead the s&P 500 and the technology stock-laden nasdaq both rose slightly to post records, although the more industrially-flavoured Dow Jones Index slipped marginally.

Bond yields edged down, although that might be attributable as much to the success of a closely-watched auction of $Us24 billion ($31.4 billion) of 30-year Treasury bonds as it was to the inflation data. a succession of Treasury bond and note auctions over the next few weeks will test bond investors’ convictions about the inflation outlook.

The problem with assigning too much significance to economic data at present is that a year ago the pandemic was crushing global economic activity.

In March, april and May last year the Us inflation rate, already modest, fell as the economy closed down. The rest of the developed world had a similar experience.

That means there are what economists would call “base effects,” a fancy way of saying that the starting points for comparisons have been distorted by the worst of the pandemic’s impacts this time last year. There are also some distortions being generated by either new or fading stimulus measures – in the Us the most recent $Us1.9 trillion of stimulus measures, including $Us1400 cash giveaways to households. as this year progresses, emergency aid provided to businesses and households will, as is the case here, be withdrawn. attempts to extrapolate the March data into a narrative of structurally increased inflation are, therefore, likely to be misleading until clearer air is reached in June and be-

yond.

The Us Federal reserve Board, its peers elsewhere and the “doves” in the bond market believe that, while inflation might spike over the next couple of months to something above 3 per cent, that will be a transitory phenomenon and the rate will decline as the base effects wash through. Indeed, monetary policies in the Us and australia are predicated on that scenario for inflation.

If they are materially wrong – if inflation were to continue to accelerate and was tracking closer to three per cent than two per cent at year-end – central banks would face a dilemma and probably meltdowns in markets whose valuations are supported primarily by the assumption that rates in the Us and other major economies will remain negligible for years. The margins between central bank success and failure are small.

Developed world economies and their central banks have experienced stubbornly sluggish inflation since the 2008 financial crisis. For most of that period the fear has been of disinflation and central banks have tried novel and highly-expansionary policies, unsuccessfully, to ignite a spark.

Moderate inflation is an economic good. It brings forward investment and consumption and stimulates growth. excessive inflation is a threat to growth and social stability. It is regressive; it undermines the value of savings and currencies; it increases the cost of living and, through increased wage and salary costs, undermines productivity and competitiveness. It also forces central banks to raise interest rates, which in the current debt-swollen environment, would cause significant financial harm to households, businesses and government finances.

What the Fed, and the reserve Bank, are striving for is just enough inflation – around two per cent on average. as the past dozen years have demonstrated, however, that’s easier said than achieved. The task in hand is made more complicated because of the difficulty in differentiating between the transitory and structural effects of the pandemic. supply chain disruptions, overlaid by unusual events like the recent blockage of the suez canal, or the storms in Texas that wiped out its power and disrupted fuel supplies, or the early dysfunction in vaccine roll-outs and the delay to a resumption of more normal global activity, could be either or both.

There is a shortage of containers, computer chips and other manufactured goods because of the effects of the pandemic on global

shipping and business planning, which has been disrupted by, initially, the depth of the dive in economic activity and, now, the rate at which economies have surged back. some of those impacts will wash away quite quickly but others, like the reshoring of supply chains to protect economies from another pandemic, or in response to the growing tensions between china and the Us and its allies, might be structural.

The weight of the dramatic increases in deficits and debt from the pandemic actions of central banks and governments and changes to workplaces and economies will influence economic outcomes for years, even decades, to come. In the circumstances, it isn’t hard to see why opinion on the outlook for inflation and the future of interest rates is divided quite distinctly between the doves, which include central banks, and the hawks, mainly bond investors and sharemarket pessimists. The actual outcome matters for economies, businesses and households and will be reflected, probably ahead of the actual data, in financial markets.

Market interest rates have, despite central bank interventions, been rising this year but remain at historically low levels and have continued to support the inflation of share prices even at historically-stretched valuations. should it appear that the rise in inflation from its pandemic lows isn’t a passing phenomenon but is becoming entrenched, bond yields will surge and markets will tank, potentially quite violently. The outlook for inflation is the most disruptive threat to financial markets since the financial crisis more than a decade ago.

For the moment the policymakers can take comfort from the opacity of the numbers and the aberrational reference points provided by the worst of the economic effects of the pandemic. They can attribute relatively high levels of inflation to stimulus that will fade; pent-up consumerism that will soon be sated and stimulus measures that will soon end. as vaccines roll out and economies find their “new normal,” however, the quality of the numbers will harden and the multi-trillion dollar questions about the sustainability of the massively stimulatory monetary and fiscal policy settings will loom ever-larger.

Stephen was most recently co-founder and associate editor of the Business Spectator website and an associate editor and senior columnist at The Australian.

Thursday, 15 April, 2021

BUSINESS 09

KARACHI corporate corner Meezan Bank provides one-stop automation to tufail Group for digital collections, payments

ECC AppRovES withdRAwAL oF CuStoMS dutY on Cotton YARn iMpoRt TSG APPROVED FOR FOUR MOTHER, CHILD HOSPITALS IN PUNJAB ISLAMABAD

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KARACHI: Meezan Bank has announced the provision of corporate and transaction banking services to Tufail Group– one of the largest manufacturers of industrial chemicals in Pakistan. As per the MoU signed between the two parties, Meezan Bank will, provide a core suite of payment and collection services to Tufail Group, through eBiz+, its state-of-the-art portal designed to automate complex payment workflows. The automated transaction banking system is based on a core suite of integrated solutions that go beyond the traditional transactional nature of payments to consolidate all aspects of a payment value-chain along with technical and operational support as well as privacy and security of data. PRESS RElEASE

SAARC traders urged to reduce 50pc profit during Ramzan ISLAMABAD: South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Chamber of Commerce and Industry Wednesday urged the traders of member countries to reduce 50 per cent profit to provide solace to the poor strata of the society during the Ramzan. Talking to a delegation of traders, SAARC chamber President, Iftikhar Ali Malik, said that Islam strictly prohibits profiteering and hoarding of daily use items not only in Ramzan but throughout the year. “Islam guarantees the blessing of Allah if traders charge reasonable profit on their products,” he added. He regretted that the majority of non-Muslim states across the world offer special discounts to Muslims during Ramzan whereas prices of daily use item swell manifold in Muslim countries even before the advent of Ramzan. Malik further urged philanthropists to provide free food and rations to the poor on the pattern of Sarwar Foundation headed by Perveen Sarwar, spouse of governor Punjab. He asked the federation of chambers and regional chambers of all Muslim countries of South Asia to take action against hoarders and profiteers with an iron hand. APP

LSM sector grows 7.45pc in 8MFY21 The large-scale manufacturing (LSM) sector has grown 7.45 per cent in the first eight-month (Jul-Feb) of current fiscal year 2021 amid third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Pakistan, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). Out of total 15 sectors in LSM, eight have posted growth. These include textile, automobiles, fertilisers, pharmaceuticals, food, beverages and tobacco, coke and petroleum products, chemicals and non-metallic mineral products. However, output of seven sub-sectors contracted, which were including iron and steel products, electronics, leather products, paper and board, engineering products, rubber products and wood products.

However, LSM grew by 4.85pc in February reflecting a slowdown in the industrial output. “The LSM Index output increased by 4.85pc for February 2021 compared to February 2020,” PBS reported. MONITORING REPORT

SHAHZAD PARACHA

HE Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of Cabinet on Wednesday approved the withdrawal of customs duty on import of cotton yarn. The meeting of ECC was held under the chair of Federal Minister for Finance, Revenue, Industries and Production, Muhammad Hammad Azhar.

The committee approved the withdrawal of customs duty to ensure smooth supply of cotton and cotton yarns to the value-added industry while bridging the gap between domestic production and overall demand for the inputs.

It is pertinent to note that ECC in last month also allowed importing cotton from Central Asian Republics (CARs) through Torkhum border.

Meanwhile, Power Division presented a summary regarding waiver of minimum 66 per cent Take-or-Pay commitment in Power Purchase Agreement (PPAs) and Gas Supply Agreements (GSA) of three RLNG based Public Sector Power Plants namely Quaid-eAzam Thermal Power Plant, Balloki Power Plant and Haveli Bahadur Shah Power Plant.

These amendments would envisage submission of a Monthly Production Plan (MPP) as binding on the power purchaser and the power seller wherein the power purchaser shall be entitled to submit demand requirement as needed, at least seventy five days be-

fore the start of each such month, which will be finalised by the system operator and operating committee under the PPA. The concept of a Monthly Delivery Plan (MDP) for deliveries of gas under the GSA, has been paired with the monthly schedule as provided under PPA. The MPP will come into effect from the year 2022.

After seeking input from relevant stakeholders, the Committee approved the summary and appreciated the concept of Monthly Production Plan (MPP) as a cost-effective solution, enabling the Power and Gas purchasers to make requisite purchases in line with actual requirements instead of following a fixed arrangement.

Power Division also presented another summary proposing an amendment to the Facilitation Agreement and Amendment to the GOP Guarantee Agreement with KAPCO. It included the proposal that the project may be withdrawn from the Privatization Commission and entrusted to Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB). After due deliberation, the Committee approved the summary, in principle, subject to formal vetting by the Law Division.

The ECC also approved a Technical Supplementary Grant (TSG) for Finance division amounting to Rs11.7 billion as the share of the federal government for the establishment of four mother and child hospitals in Punjab.

Car sales surge by over 31pc in 9MFY21 With the exception of a few heavy vehicles, the overall auto sector enjoyed robust growth in the nine months of the current fiscal year (9MFY21), with car sales going up 31.5 per cent.

According to data compiled by a local media report, sales of jeeps were up 157.6pc in 9MFY21, followed by light commercial vehicles/pickups which grew by 41.4pc, tractors 57.2pc and two/three-wheelers 22pc.

A total of 112,244 units of locallyassembled cars were sold during 9MFY21 versus 85,330 units in the same period last fiscal year. March 2021 also ended on a positive note with car sales soaring to 17,105 units from 13,570 units in February 2021. Sales in March 2020 were at 5,796 units owing to countrywide lockdown imposed in the third week which was extended to April 2020.

In farm machinery, Massey Ferguson and Fiat sold 25,927 and 10,999

tractors during 9MFY21 from 14,611 and 8,733 units in the same period in FY20.

In two-wheelers, United Auto Motorcycle and Road Prince bikes sales

reached to 286,899 and 111,570 in the last nine months of the current fiscal year from 242,387 and 91,595 units.

In three-wheelers, Qingqi, Sazgar, Road Prince and United sold 14,646,

11,790, 7,498 and 5,556 as compared to 10,577, 9,500, 7,837 and 4,751 units.

Overall truck sales stood lower at 2,700 units in 9MFY21 as against 2,723 units while total bus sales recorded at 514 units as compared to 532 units in 9MFY20.

According to channel checks, the OEMs have strong order backlogs at present, where we expect present volume growth to be sustained for the remainder of 2021. Assuming the PKR remains stable and global commodity prices moderate, it is believed that margins will improve further due to higher utilisation levels.

However, industry experts say that the emerging global semiconductor shortage may test the sector’s ability to push deliveries in the near term and, while the increase in competition from new entrants such as the Proton Saga and Hyundai Elantra, among others may keep a check on sales growth. MONITORING REPORT

Govt estimates 4.2pc GDP growth for FY22 ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) goverment has estimated 3 per cent GDP growth for the ongoing fiscal year (FY21) and 4.2pc GDP growth for the next fiscal year (FY22). For FY21, the government expects GDP growth rate at 2.9pc which is higher than the budgeted 2.1pc. The revised rate of inflation is at 8.7pc which significantly higher than the 6.5pc target. The government has also now revised budget deficit estimate for current fiscal year to 7.4pc of GDP against 7.1pc budget target while the debt-to-GDP ratio has been revised to 86.8pc instead of budget 87pc. According to sources, the government has planned to allocate Rs450 billion for subsidies in the next fiscal year budget including, circular debt and dues that are to be paid to IPPs. On the other hand, the IMF has projected Rs459 billion subsidies for the ongoing year and Rs530 billion for FY22. Sources added that the MoF also proposed an Rs6,000 billion Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) target which is a Rs1,272 billion more than the revised target of the current fiscal year. Non tax revenue is expected to touch Rs1,900 billion. MoF’s budget strategy paper also proposes Rs720 billion for Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for FY22. The IMF in its fifth review of Pakistan’ economy projected Rs503 billion federal PSDP for ongoing and Rs627 billion for next fiscal year. SHAHZAD PARACHA

Coinbase listing marks latest step in crypto’s march to the mainstream LONDON AGENCIES

Coinbase Global Inc, the biggest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange, will list on the Nasdaq on Wednesday, marking a milestone in the journey of virtual currencies from niche technology to mainstream asset.

The listing is by far the biggest yet of a cryptocurrency company, with the San Francisco-based firm saying last month that private market transactions had valued the company at around $68 billion this year, versus $5.8 billion in September.

It represents the latest breakthrough for acceptance of cryptocurrencies, an asset class that only a few years ago had been shunned by mainstream finance, according to interviews with investors, analysts and executives.

“The listing is significant in that it marks the growth of the industry and its acceptance into mainstream business,” said William Cong, an associate professor of finance at Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business.

Bitcoin, the biggest cryptocurrency, hit a record of over $63,000 on Tuesday. It has more than doubled this year as large investors, banks from Goldman Sachs to Morgan Stanley and household name companies such as Tesla Inc warm to the emerging asset.

Coinbase’s direct listing – which means it has not sold any shares ahead of its market debut – is likely to accelerate that process, those interviewed by Reuters said, by boosting awareness of digital assets among investors.

“This is a very positive thing for bitcoin in itself, as it proves the bridge that has been

built from an esoteric, left-of-field arena, full of cowboys, to mainstream finance,” said Charles Hayter of data firm CryptoCompare.

Still, some institutional investors voiced caution over long-term prospects for Coinbase and the crypto sector.

Swiss asset manager Unigestion said it was wary of the hype around cryptocurrencies, and as a result would not be buying Coinbase stock.

“We think there is a lot of frenzy and exuberance in everything that looks like crypto,” said Olivier Marciot, a portfolio manager at Unigestion, which oversees assets worth $22.6 billion.

“Hedge funds and retail will probably be the early birds in these new stocks – probably buying into them pretty heavily – which shouldn’t be a clear indication of how they will be in the longer term.”

CMYK

BEHOLDEN TO BITCOIN? Others experts said risks included Coinbase’s exposure to a highly volatile asset that is still subject to patchy regulation.

Founded in 2012, Coinbase boasts 56 million users globally and an estimated $223 billion assets on its platform, accounting for 11.3% crypto asset market share, according to regulatory filings.

The company’s most recent financial results underscore how revenues have surged in lock-step with the rally in bitcoin trading volumes and price.

In the first quarter of the year, as bitcoin more than doubled in price, Coinbase estimated revenue of over $1.8 billion and net income between $730 million to $800 million, versus revenue of $1.3 billion for the entire 2020.

“The correlation to bitcoin will be very

high after the stock stabilizes after listing,” said Larry Cermak, director of research at crypto website The Block.

“When price of bitcoin goes down, it’s inevitable that Coinbase’s revenue and inherently price of the stock will decline as well.”

Regulatory risks also loom, others said, as Coinbase increases the number of digital assets users can trade on its platform.

Coinbase last year suspended trading in major digital currency XRP after U.S. regulators charged associated blockchain firm Ripple with an $1.3 billion unregistered securities offering. Ripple has denied the charges.

“Given the expansion of assets covered

by Coinbase it’s almost inevitable that other listings will come into question,” said Colin Platt, chief operating officer of crypto platform Unifty.

Coinbase declined to comment.

Thursday, 15 April, 2021

10 FOREIGN NEWS

KARACHI

Russia, ukRaine hold militaRy dRills, nato cRiticises Russian tRoop build-up MOSCOW/BRUSSELS

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AGENCIES

USSIA and Ukraine held simultaneous military drills on Wednesday as NATO foreign and defence ministers began emergency discussions on a massing of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border.

Washington and NATO have been alarmed by the large build-up of Russian troops near Ukraine and in Crimea, the peninsula that Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and two U.S. warships are due to arrive in the Black Sea this week.

Russia -- which said the U.S. naval

move was an unfriendly provocation and warned Washington to stay far away from Crimea and its Black Sea coast -- says the build-up is a three-week snap military drill to test combat readiness in response to what it calls threatening behaviour from NATO. It has said the exercise is due to wrap up within two weeks.

Ahead of the arrival of the U.S. warships, the Russian navy on Wednesday began a drill in the Black Sea that rehearsed firing at surface and air targets. The drill came a day after NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Moscow to end its troop build-up.

In Ukraine, armed forces rehearsed re-

pelling a tank and infantry attack near the border of Russian-annexed Crimea while its defence minister, Andrii Taran, told European parliamentarians in Brussels that Russia was preparing to potentially store nuclear weapons in Crimea. Taran provided no evidence for his assertion but said Russia was massing 110,000 troops on Ukraine’s border in 56 battalion-sized tactical groups, citing Kyiv’s latest intelligence.

CLASHES IN EASTERN UKRAINE: Fighting has increased in recent weeks in eastern Ukraine, where government forces have battled Russian-backed separatists in a seven-year conflict that Kyiv says has killed 14,000 people.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who held talks in Brussels with Stoltenberg ahead of a video conference of all 30 NATO allies, said the alliance would “address Russia’s aggressive actions in and around Ukraine”, without elaborating.

Russia’s relations with the United States slumped to a new post-Cold War low last month after U.S. President Joe Biden said he thought Vladimir Putin was a “killer”.

In a phone call with Putin on Tuesday, Biden proposed holding a summit between the estranged leaders to tackle a raft of issues, including reducing tensions over Ukraine.

The Kremlin on Wednesday said it was

too early to talk about such a summit in tangible terms and that holding such a meeting was contingent on Washington’s future behaviour, in what looked like a thinly veiled reference to potential U.S. sanctions.

Russia has regularly accused NATO of destabilising Europe by bolstering its troops in the Baltic countries and Poland - all members of the Atlantic alliance - in the wake of Moscow’s annexation of Crimea.

NATO has denied a claim by Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu that the alliance was deploying 40,000 troops and 15,000 pieces of military equipment near Russia’s borders, mainly in the Black Sea and the Baltic regions.

As Biden's emissaries go to Taiwan, China terms exercises 'combat drills' BEIJING AGENCIES

China described its military exercises near Taiwan as “combat drills” on Wednesday, upping the ante as senior former US officials arrived in Taipei on a trip to signal President Joe Biden’s commitment to Taiwan and its democracy. Taiwan has complained over the proximity of repeated Chinese military activity, including fighter jets and bombers entering its air defence zone and a Chinese aircraft carrier exercising off the island, which is claimed by Beijing.

25 Chinese air force aircraft, including fighters and nuclear-capable bombers, entered Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Monday, the largest reported incursion by Taipei to date.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said Taiwan’s government and separatists were colluding with “external forces”.

“The People’s Liberation Army’s organising of actual combat exercises in the Taiwan Strait is a necessary action to address the current security situation in the Taiwan Strait and to safeguard national sovereignty,” spokesman Ma Xiaoguang said.

“It is a solemn response to external forces’ interference and provocations by Taiwan independence” forces, he added.

“The PLA’s military exercises and training operations are sending a signal that our determination to curb Taiwan independence and TaiwanUS collusion is not just talk.”

China has previously offered little public comment on its recent military movements near Taiwan. Its defence ministry referred to them only as “military activities” in late January.

The United States, which like most countries only officially recognises China’s government and not Taiwan’s, is however Taipei’s strongest international backer and has watched tensions mount with growing alarm.

Former US Senator Chris Dodd and former Deputy Secretaries of State Richard Armitage and James Steinberg arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday in an unmarked private jet, in what a White House official called a “personal signal” of the president’s commitment to Taiwan and its democracy.

They are due to meet Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday, in a trip that is further straining Sino-US relations.

Taiwan presidential office spokesman Xavier Chang said the trip “again shows the Taiwan-US relationship is rock solid, and is a full expression of cross-party support for Taiwan in the United States”.

Tsai has repeatedly said Taiwan is an independent country called the Republic of China, its formal name.

Ma, the Chinese spokesman, said the meeting of the US officials with Tsai “will only exacerbate the tense situation in the Taiwan Strait”, and that it didn’t matter whether this was being cast as an official or unofficial visit.

“We resolutely oppose the US exaggeration of the so-called ‘Chinese military threat’ argument, and resolutely oppose the US playing the ‘Taiwan card’ and continuing to send wrong signals to Taiwan independence forces,” he added.

“Taiwan independence is a dead end and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party are trying to ‘use arms to seek independence’”, Ma said.

“That is to drink poison in the hopes of slaking one’s thirst, and will only push Taiwan towards disaster.”

A man walks at the Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne, as it reopens its doors to socially distanced customers after a third lockdown imposed due to the ongoing coronav.

Wall Street rises as big banks kick off earnings season AGENCIES U.S. stock indexes rose on Wednesday after upbeat earnings reports from Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan boosted investor expectations of a strong rebound for corporate America amid swift Covid-19 vaccinations.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc rose 3.3% after it reported a massive jump in first-quarter profit, capitalizing on record levels of global dealmaking activity.

JPMorgan Chase & Co’s shares fell 1.1% even as the largest U.S. bank’s earnings jumped almost 400% in the first quarter, as it released more than $5 billion in reserves it had set aside to cover coronavirus-driven loan defaults.

“It certainly is a solid quarter (for banks) ... often the stocks run up into

news and then at least initial reaction is some profit taking and we were seeing that this morning in JPMorgan,” said Rick Meckler, partner at Cherry Lane Investments in New Vernon, New Jersey.

“I think investors who have invested in the banking sector will feel good about the results and which are likely keep them invested in the sector.”

Wells Fargo & Co reported firstquarter profit ahead of Wall Street estimates as the bank reduced its reserves by $1.6 billion and costs tied to its years-old sales practices scandal stabilized. Shares of the bank dipped 0.7%.

Seven out of the 11 main S&P 500 sectors were higher in early trading, with financials up 0.4%, while the S&P 500 banks index edged 0.3% lower. The

Biden police reform pledge faces limits of presidential power WASHINGTON AGENCIES

Nearly a year after President Joe Biden called for “real action” on police brutality as part of a pledge to fix U.S. racial inequality, he is coming up against the limits of presidential power.

The White House shelved a proposed police oversight commission this week to focus on a police reform bill that has narrow hopes in Congress. The move comes as anger grows over the killing of another Black man, Daunte Wright, who was stopped by police just miles from where George Floyd was killed last May. Though Democrats, Republicans, police unions and civil rights activists agree that U.S. policing must change, there still appears to be no immediate path to broad national reform, activists say.

“It kind of feels as if we’re stuck,” said

DeAnna Hoskins, a former Justice Department policy adviser and now president of JustLeadershipUSA, an advocacy group.

“The good intentions are there, but we also know good intentions pave the road to hell.”

The U.S. has a far higher rate of police killing of civilians than other wealthy countries, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. Black men are more than twice as likely to die in police custody than white men, a 2018 study here showed.

GEORGE FLOYD ACT: The Biden White House’s strategy is to put its weight behind a broad reform bill known as the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, while revamping the Justice Department, which holds the administration’s most tangible power over police departments.

However the bill, which passed the House of Representatives in March, is being fought by police unions and Republicans.

Both support some reforms, including re-

stricting police chokeholds and deploying body cameras, but oppose limiting “qualified immunity,” which shields officers accused of crimes from lawsuits. The Fraternal Order of Police labor group has discussed police reform with Biden administration officials, but has not indicated support for the bill, said spokeswoman Jessica Cahill. “We will reserve our comments for internal discussions with legislators,” while the bill is still being negotiated, she said. That may leave the issue short of the 60 Senate votes it would need to overcome a legislative filibuster and secure passage.

The police group, the nation’s largest with more than 355,000 members, endorsed former President Donald Trump over Biden in the 2020 campaign.

Civil rights activists, on the other hand, want the bill beefed up with restrictions on the transfer of military equipment to police departments. A bipartisan group of senators “are in close discussion and coordination

about what a path forward may look like,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday. “The president sees racial equity as a central focus of his presidency and his actions bear that out.”

PRESIDENTS AND POLICE OVERSIGHT: The White House has no direct oversight of 18,000 local police departments and similar agencies.

President Barack Obama, who Biden served under as vice president from 2009 to 2017, made halting progress on police reform. Without major legislation, the DOJ ramped up investigations and recommended reforms on local police departments found to systematically abuse civil rights. Trump’s administration shelved many of those efforts.

Biden officials are hoping to reinvigorate earlier efforts with his nominee to lead the DOJ civil rights division, Kristen Clarke, who previously called for defunding some

S&P 500 financials sector was one of the best performers in the first quarter, rising 15%, even as the Federal Reserve pledged to keep interest rates low in the near future.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell is expected to participate in a virtual Economic Club of Washington interview later in the day.

First-quarter earnings for S&P 500 companies are estimated to have risen 25% in the quarter, according to Refinitiv IBES data. That would be the biggest quarterly gain since 2018, when tax cuts under former President Donald Trump had powered profit growth.

Earnings at S&P 500 firms had dropped 12.8% in the first quarter of 2020 and 30.6% in the second, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

policing operations and funneling the money into other community needs.

Clarke is expected to face sharp questions from Republicans in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

“Kristen Clarke is opposed to defunding the police,” said DOJ spokeswoman Dena Iverson, adding that the nominee has worked closely with and earned the endorsement of major law enforcement groups.

Civil rights activists, meanwhile, are pushing for broader reforms. Both Wright and Floyd’s fatal encounters with police were for relatively minor infractions: an expired vehicle registration and a suspected counterfeit $20 bill. Low-level misdemeanor crimes, including marijuana use, should be treated more leniently to reduce the likelihood of deadly interactions with law enforcement, advocates say. Some are also pushing for DOJ subpoena power to investigate police departments. Both measures also require congressional action. Lauren-Brooke Eisen, director of the justice program at the Brennan Center, a legal advocacy group, says there is a growing number of people who believe police officers should not be called to respond to as many incidents as they do.

“As a country we should be focusing on ways to shrink law enforcement’s contact with our community,” she said.

Thursday, 15 April, 2021

KARACHI

ExhauSTEd REal won’T REST on lauRElS aT anfiEld, SayS ZidanE LIVERPOOL

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AGENCIES

EAL Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has said his side will not seek to just cling on to their 3-1 lead when they visit Liverpool in Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg despite recently admitting his players are exhausted.

Real head into the decider at Anfield following a run of six consecutive wins in all competitions and on a high after beating arch-rivals Barcelona 2-1 on Saturday to move one point behind La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid.

Yet they do so with a depleted and increasingly tired squad due to a punishing run of injuries at the decisive stage of the campaign, which prompted Zidane to say after the win over Barca that his team were “stretched to the limit”. But he insisted his players would not be looking to reserve any energy against Liverpool. “We’re not going to try and manage our effort levels, we’ve come here to win and that’s what we’ll try to do,” Zidane told a news conference.

“We’ve spoken about this with the team, we made a huge effort in the first leg and against Barcelona but we’re used to it.” Real travelled to Merseyside with a similar squad to the one that beat Juergen Klopp’s side last week in the Spanish capital, still missing defenders Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Dani Carvajal and record

signing Eden Hazard.

They will also be without Lucas Vazquez, who sustained a knee injury against Barcelona which has ended his season. The French coach did not give any clues as to whether right back Alvaro Odriozola would get a rare start in place of Vazquez or give any other hints about his

Pochettino praises PSG fighting spirit in triumph over confident Bayern PARIS: Bayern Munich felt the best team did not reach the Champions League semifinals on Tuesday after they went out on away goals but Paris St Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino reminded them that as well as a beautiful game football was a fight.

PSG had struggled in the quarter-final first leg in Munich but won 3-2 thanks to their ruthless efficiency in front of goal and Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich and Thomas Mueller were confident the German champions would go through at the Parc des Princes. The visitors won 1-0 despite suffering on the break throughout the match, with PSG’s Neymar hitting the woodwork twice, but it was not enough for them to progress. “Over both games I think we were the better team,” said Bayern coach Hansi Flick, who had to cope without injured striker Robert Lewandowski for both games.

“We’ve had some back luck, we were missing some players but we have to accept it.” Pochettino, who said he “missed this adrenaline when I was at home” after being sacked by Tottenham Hotspur in November 2019 despite taking them to the final, will not get carried away after PSG reached the semis for the second time in a row.

“Even if we knocked out Barcelona (in the last 16) and Bayern all the teams in the last four will have the same chances to win the title,” he said. Responding to Flick, he said the German players’ pre-game comments were fair. “It is normal that they were confident, they’re a team who have won everything and they thought they were the favourites,” said Pochettino. “Football is such a beautiful game but it’s also a game in which you never give up and you have to fight. But I understand why they said they were confident, it’s normal to play mind games.” AGENCIES

starting 11.

But he highlighted his side’s ability to overcome adversity, which has seen them recover from a poor start domestically and in Europe to emerge as serious contenders for the Liga title and a shot at adding to their record 13 European Cup triumphs.

“A lot of things have happened to us

this season, we are missing a lot of players right now and, while I’d love to have them all available, we’re going to make sure we put in our best performances with the players we have,” Zidane added.

“This team always comes together in the toughest of times, which shows the character we have.”

Southgate warns England stars to behave during Euros LONDON AGENCIES

Gareth Southgate has warned his England squad to behave during Euro 2020 after several of his players were involved in disciplinary issues this season.

England boss Southgate was frustrated to have to deal with the fall-out from Manchester United defender Harry Maguire’s arrest following a street scuffle while on holiday in Greece. Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden and Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood broke coronavirus protocols while on England duty in Iceland and were subsequently sent home. With the delayed Euro 2020 less than two months away, Southgate wants to be able to prepare for the matches without any off-field dramas.

“We’ve had issues in the autumn.

That’s always very difficult for coaches to deal with. It puts you in really difficult positions,” Southgate said on Tuesday. “I can only compare that with March where we came in with no dramas coming into the camp. It’s just a much better environment to prepare for football.

“We were only having to make football decisions, prepare the team, talk about football topics. “That’s something I talked to the players about after the autumn. In the autumn discipline off the pitch and on the pitch created really the biggest issues for us.”

A host of England players including Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker and James Maddison have also been in trouble for flouting Covid-19 regulations this term.

“One of the key areas was that we didn’t have availability of players at certain times for on and off the field misdemeanours,” added Southgate.

WITH THE EUROS LESS THAN TWO MONTHS AWAY, MANAGER WANTS TO PREPARE FOR THE MATCHES WITHOUT ANY OFF-FIELD DRAMAS

“Coming into the summer we’ve got to make sure we arrive into the camp giving ourselves the best chance to focus on football and that helps to create a calmer environment for everybody to go into the tournament.”

If Southgate can ensure a troublefree Euro 2020, he believes his 2018 World Cup semi-finalists have a shot at winning a major tournament for the first time since the 1966 World Cup. England will face Croatia, Scotland and the Czech Republic in Group D, with all those games played at Wembley Stadium. Hoping to ride on the wave of support from home fans who are beginning to enjoy life again after months of coronavirus lockdown,

Southgate said: “I feel as if over the last two or three years, the team has become relevant to people again, and people are excited about the players.

“One day I’ll be doing a job that nobody will be bothered about the outcome, and that will be a pretty dull existence, whereas here we’ve got the chance to make some history.

“We’ve never been to a European final with England... so our record compared to lots of nations we perceive ourselves to be bigger than is actually not good in this competition.

“So if people are excited, and have hope, that’s brilliant, and given what we’ve all been through, I don’t think we should be dampening that.”

SPORTS 11 Tuchel delighted with Chelsea’s fighting spirit SEVILLE: Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel acknowledged his side’s 1-0 defeat by Porto on Tuesday might not have been a spectacle for neutrals but he revelled in their willingness to scrap as they reached the Champions League semi-finals 2-1 on aggregate. Chelsea had the advantage from the first leg and spent most of the 90 minutes cancelling out the Portuguese, who finally managed to score two minutes into added time with a tremendous overhead kick from Mehdi Taremi. “We accepted what was needed was a tough, tough fight. Maybe on the television it was not so nice to watch but on the sidelines it was a very intense game, a very fast game,” Tuchel told BT Sport. “It was a pleasure to watch the fight and be on the sideline with them to see them through.” Porto had knocked out Juventus in the last 16 and held Manchester City to a 0-0 draw in the group stage and Tuchel was wary of letting Sergio Conceicao’s side play to their strengths. He also surprisingly described Taremi’s unstoppable overhead kick as fortuitous. “Part of the performance is to not let the other team perform and we did this today. Until the lucky shot in the last minute we did not concede any chances,” added Tuchel, who led Paris St-Germain to last year’s final. “We had to play defensively but also offensively. Normally Porto is a team who can make other teams underperform. It happened to Man City and Juventus. You have to accept that things will be hard. “We defended well and deserved a clean sheet. We had the better chances. We could not finish it off with a goal so we had to hang in there and the guys did that.” Porto midfielder Sergio Oliveira described his side’s exit from the competition as “frustrating and sad”, lamenting the fact they scored so late in the tie. “With the advantage of two goals, I think Chelsea came to manage us. They wanted to calm down the tempo and our intensity. If we were two goals ahead, I think we would have done the same,” he said. AGENCIES

Kolkata will learn from Mumbai heartbreak: Russell CHENNAI: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Andre Russell bemoaned the failure of their big-hitters to get the team across the line against Mumbai Indians (MI) but backed the two-time champions to bounce back in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Kolkata, chasing 153, were cruising at 84-1 in the 11th over but Eoin Morgan’s side then paid the price for overaggression and finished on 142-7 on Tuesday. England’s World Cupwinning captain Morgan, Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and Russell all failed to reach double figures, with Kolkata falling short of the 22 runs they needed from the last three overs with half the batting lineup intact. Franchise co-owner and Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan said on Twitter it had been a “disappointing performance” and apologised to the fans, and Russell said they had let themselves down. “Unfortunately, good finishers like myself and DK (Dinesh Karthik), we didn’t get bat to balls,” he told reporters after the loss. Russell managed nine runs before giving a return catch to Trent Boult, who bowled a tidy final over. “As a new batter, to come in and hit from ball one is very challenging,” Russell said. “The ball was a bit up and down, so it’s not the easiest pitch to hit on.” This was Kolkata’s 10th defeat against defending champions Mumbai in the last 11 completed matches between the teams.

“We definitely feel disappointed but at the end of the day it’s not the end of the road,” Russell said. “I’ve played hundreds of T20 games and I’ve seen games where teams cruising in the driver’s seat and then suddenly lose a few wickets, new batter coming in struggles to get away the ball and I think that’s what happened tonight. “We definitely have to learn from this.

We’ll look into make sure that who is in stays in.” AGENCIES

Man City’s Guardiola tells players to ignore the maths ahead of Dortmund test LONDON AGENCIES

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has urged his players to execute their plans on the pitch rather than worry about different scoreline permutations for their Champions League quarter-final second leg against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.

City will take a 2-1 lead to Dortmund, knowing the German side could seal

progress with a 1-0 win on Wednesday on the away goals rule. But Guardiola was relaxed about his team’s chances and expects both teams to score at the Signal Iduna Park.

“If you think of the consequences or goals you have to score or concede, you forget what you have to do,” he told a news conference on Tuesday. “It doesn’t matter what happens in the first leg, you have a chance in the second.

“It will be better they don’t score and we

win, but in the Champions League you always have a chance. We have weapons to score, they have weapons to score.

“Our idea is to go there do as best as possible and let them feel we are not going to defend what we got here. We want to impose our game to win the game.”

City are aiming to reach the final four of Europe’s elite club competition for the first time under Guardiola, having suffered elimination from the quarter-final stage in each of

CMYK

the past three seasons. But Guardiola brushed off questions about his trust in his players as the Premier League leaders remain on track to complete a quadruple in an intense final phase of the season. “After 27 victories in 29 games if I don’t trust the players we have a big problem,” he said. “I would be crazy.

“The players were sad when we didn’t get to the semi-finals (last season) but nobody will give it to us, we have to do it.

“We are already qualified for the Cham-

pions League, 11 years in a row, never happened before. That is fantastic. Now is the time for another step.” City will be without striker Sergio Aguero against Dortmund because of a muscular problem but defender Aymeric Laporte is available for the game.

Both players missed their 2-1 Premier League defeat by Leeds United last weekend.

“He (Aguero) has a little, not a big, issue muscular problem and he is not ready,” Guardiola said.

Thursday, 15 April, 2021

PrAyEr TImINGS

NEWS

FAJR SUNRISE

ZUHR

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

4:19

12:05

4:38

5:43

6:27

7:50

BABAr AzAm's seNsAtIONAl 122, mOhAmmAD rIzwAN's 73* gIVe PAKIstAN 2-1 leAD FOR SOUTH AFRICA, AIDEN MARKRAM AND JANNEMAN MALAN'S HALF-CENTURIES WENT IN VAIN

B

efore the game, rameez raja asked Pakistan captain Babar Azam why fakhar Zaman wasn't slated to open the batting for Pakistan. But in 18 record-breaking overs, Azam and Mohammad rizwan provided the perfect answer, pummelling South Africa into submission as they chased down 204 at a canter in winning the third T20I in Centurion by nine wickets.

Azam got to his first T20I hundred off just 49 balls, two days after he took 50 balls to score as many runs, smashing 15 boundaries and four sixes along the way. It was a shame he would be dismissed seven runs shy of the target, but by then, Azam had romped to 122 off just 59 deliveries in one of the all-time great T20 innings. rizwan, usually the aggressor among the pair, was the anchor by comparison, but by no means dawdled his way through, finishing with an unbeaten 47-ball 73.

Little South Africa did seemed to make a difference, though the hosts will feel they didn't nearly hit the bowling heights of their performance from the second T20I. They didn't find their lengths often enough, but in truth, even when they did, rizwan and Azam were masterful at manipulating the field and finding runs where they seemingly weren't to be had.

The pressure told, especially on Beuran Hendricks, who was carted around for 55 in his four overs. even Tabraiz Shamsi, South Africa's trump card in many ways, was oddly ineffectual, with Pakistan negotiating him adroitly without ever allowing him to stifle the scoring rate. Despite what had seemed a steep chase, when Pakistan finally did get there, it almost appeared as if South Africa were being put out of their misery.

It seemed ages ago, but the same destruction was playing out in the first in-

PAKISTAN 205 FOR 1 (AZAM 122, RIZWAN 73*) BEAT SOUTH AFRICA 203 FOR 5 (MARKRAM 63, MALAN 55, NAWAZ 2-38) BY NINE WICKETS

nings, though in reverse. on that occasion, it was the pair of Janneman Malan and Aiden Markram, with the latter's 31-ball 63 being his third successive T20I halfcentury. Markram bossed the show, with South Africa speeding along to 140 inside 13 overs. In a crucial passage of play, Pakistan began to reign them in during the final seven, a period during which the hosts managed just 63. It still meant they had inflicted upon Pakistan the first total in excess of 200 since 2013, but Azam and rizwan ensured it was extremely scant consolation.

AZAM'S MASTERCLASS: earlier in the day, Azam had officially supplanted Virat Kohli as the No. 1-ranked oDI batsman. Later on, he would celebrate that milestone by reminding everyone that he had his eyes on that prize in T20Is too.

To many, the simple fact that the Pakistan captain had insisted upon opening once more by pulling rank over the returning fakhar Zaman was an outrage in itself, and a throwback to a brand of T20 cricket Pakistan stubbornly continued to play with little success. That point was further em-

boldened by his struggles in the second T20I, perhaps his weakest T20 performance to date. He had managed just 50, taking as many balls to get there, and Pakistan registered 140 on a pitch every bit as good as today, before South Africa cruised to victory inside 14 overs.

But Azam was keen to show during a devastatingly effective hour of delightful T20 batting that it was only an exception.

He was scoring with the strike rate of a power-hitter while seemingly taking as few risks as a middle-order batsman on day one of a Test match - the best of two worlds which has always seemed impossible to merge. one could sense the critics' knives sharpening as Pakistan took just eight off the first two overs, but from the moment Azam carved George Linde for two boundaries in his third over, he found himself in a zone so intense that it was almost spooky. every ball found the middle of the bat, every tiny gap in the field was geometrically exploited and every roll of the wrists was executed to perfection.

South Africa were not so much blown away as surgically removed from a contest

they felt they were well on top in.

The half-century came in 27 balls, but Azam would barely notice. Sisanda Magala went for six, and Lizaad Williams and Hendricks for further more sixes, as Azam simply hurtled along, indifferent even to the asking rate. His only ceiling appeared to be the limitations he was setting himself, and for the most part of a beguiling hour, there were none. Had he not nicked off to the wicketkeeper with seven runs to get, he might almost have been sorry to see the target achieved, so easy did he find T20 batting.

In truth, most days won't be this easy.

But for a batsman who can hit those heights, it becomes easy to understand why he felt he needed to face as many deliveries as possible.

SEVEN CRUCIAL OVERS: There will be few games where bat dominates ball quite as comprehensively as this, but when sides find themselves in one of them, any passage of supremacy for the bowling side is likely to be magnified. And while Azam and rizwan seemed to have enough confidence to chase down just about anything, they were given a vital helping hand by the way Pakistan finished the South Africa innings with the ball.

Until the end of the 13th over, South Africa sat pretty at 140 for 1, well set for a total over 220. But Pakistan managed to do something South Africa were never able to achieve; they halted the hosts in their tracks with a couple of quick wickets.

Linde and Malan were removed within five balls of each other, and Heinrich Klaasen couldn't quite find the fluency of the previous two games. The South Africa innings would peter out somewhat, with only 63 scored in the last seven. That doesn't quite get noticed when the team total exceeds 200, but Azam and rizwan were astute enough to pick up on it and exploit it. AGENCIES

NATO forces to leave together from Afghanistan by September 11 A coalition of North Atlantic Treaty organisation (NATo)-led troops in Afghanistan will leave the country in coordination with a planned US withdrawal by September 11, Washington’s top diplomat said on Wednesday, ahead of a formal announcement of the end of two decades of fighting.

Around 7,000 non-US forces from mainly NATo countries, but also from Australia, New Zealand and Georgia, outnumber the 2,500 US troops in Afghanistan but still rely on US air support, planning and leadership for their training mission.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Brussels that it was time for NATo allies to make good on its mantra that allies went into Afghanistan together and would leave together.

“I am here to work closely with our allies,

with the (NATo) secretary-general, on the principle that we have established from the start: In together, adapt together and out together,” Blinken said in a televised statement at NATo headquarters.

“We will work very closely together in the months ahead on a safe, deliberate and coordinated withdrawal of our forces from Afghanistan,” Blinken said, standing alongside NATo Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, NATo foreign and defence ministers will discuss their plans later on Wednesday via video conference.

A senior NATo diplomat told reuters that no ally was expected to oppose US President Joe Biden’s formal announcement, expected later on Wednesday, for a complete US withdrawal of troops by Sept 11. AGENCIES

Babar Azam becomes No 1 ODI batsman, ends Virat Kohli's 41month reign BECOMES ONLY FOURTH PAKISTAN PLAYER TO ATTAIN TOP RANKING, AFTER ZAHEER ABBAS, JAVED MIANDAD AND MOHAMMAD YOUSUF Pakistan captain Babar Azam is now the No.1ranked oDI batsman, ending India captain Virat Kohli's long reign at the top of the charts.

Babar's match-winning 82-ball 94 in the third oDI against South Africa helped him gain 13 rating points to reach career-best 865 points.

Azam made a total of 228 runs in Pakistan's famous series win against South Africa, including a century in the first match in Centurion. That helped him move ahead of Kohli - who has been No. 1 since displacing AB de Villiers in october 2017 - by a point, but he dropped to 852 after his score of 31 in the second oDI and remained at No. 2 by the time of the last weekly rankings update. After his knock in the third oDI, he gained eight more than Kohli, to became just the fourth Pakistan batsman to attain the top ranking after Zaheer Abbas (1983-84), Javed Miandad (1988-89), and Mohammad Yousuf (2003).

"This is another milestone in my career, which will now require even more hard work and absolute consistency with the bat in order for me to hold on to the ranking for an extended period of time," Azam said. "I feel privileged and honoured to have joined the company of stalwarts like Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad and Mohammad Yousuf, who will always be the shining stars of Pakistan cricket. I have also previously topped the T20I rankings, but the ultimate ambition and goal is to lead the Test rankings, which are the real testament and reward to a batsman's calibre, reputation and skills." Pakistan opener fakhar Zaman also made a jump in the rankings, moving five positions up to achieve a career-best seventh position after his knocks of 193 and 101 in the second and third oDI respectively. Left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, who picked up six wickets in the three matches, rose four spots to a career-best 11th place. AGENCIES

'Pakistan, India held secret talks to break Kashmir impasse' NEW DELHI AGENCIES

Top intelligence officers from Pakistan and India held secret talks in Dubai in January in a new effort to calm military tension over the Kashmir dispute, people with close knowledge of the matter told reuters in New Delhi.

Ties between the nuclear-armed rivals have been on ice since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi withdrew the autonomous status of Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) in order to tighten his grip over the territory, provoking outrage in Pakistan and the downgrading of diplomatic ties and suspension of bilateral trade.

But the two governments have reopened a back channel of diplomacy aimed at a modest roadmap to normalising ties over the next several months, the people said.

Kashmir has long been a flashpoint between India and Pakistan, both of which claim all of the region but rule only in part. officials from research and Analysis Wing (rAW), the external spy agency, and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) travelled to

TWO GOVTS RE-OPENED A BACK CHANNEL OF DIPLOMACY AIMED AT A MODEST ROADMAP TO NORMALISING TIES, SAYS A REUTERS REPORT Dubai for a meeting facilitated by the United Arab emirates government, two people said.

The Indian foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Pakistan’s military, which controls the ISI, also did not respond.

But Ayesha Siddiqa, a top Pakistani defence analyst, said she that believed Indian and Pakistan intelligence officials had been meeting for several months in third countries.

“I think there have been meetings in Thailand, in Dubai, in London between the highest level people,” she said.

'IT IS FRAUGHT': Such meetings have taken place in the past too, especially during times of crises but never been publicly acknowledged.

“There is a lot that can still go wrong, it is fraught,” said one of the people in Delhi.

“That is why nobody is talking it up in public, we don’t even have a name for this, it’s not a peace process. You can call it a re-engagement,” one of them said.

Both countries have reasons to seek a rapprochement. India has been locked in a border stand-off with China since last year and does not want the military stretched on the Pakistan front.

China-ally Pakistan, mired in economic difficulties and on an IMf bailout programme, can ill-afford heightened tensions on the Kashmir border for a prolonged period, experts say. It also has to stabilise the Afghan border on its west as the United States withdraws.

“It’s better for India and Pakistan to talk than not talk, and even better that it should be done quietly than in a glare of publicity,” said Myra MacDonald, a former reuters

journalist who has just published a book on India, Pakistan and war on the frontiers of Kashmir. “...But I don’t see it going very far beyond a basic management of tensions, possibly to tide both countries over a difficult period - Pakistan needs to address the fallout of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, while India has to confront a far more volatile situation on its disputed frontier with China.”

DIALLING DOWN THE RHETORIC: following the January meeting, India and Pakistan announced they would stop cross-border shooting along the Line of Control (LoC) dividing Kashmir which has left dozens of civilians dead and many others maimed. That ceasefire is holding, military officials in both countries said.

Both sides have also signalled plans to hold elections on their sides of Kashmir this year as part of efforts to bring normalcy to a region riven by decades of bloodshed.

The two have also agreed to dial down their rhetoric, the people reuters spoke to said.

This would include Pakistan dropping its loud objections to Modi abrogating Kashmir’s autonomy in August 2019, while Delhi in turn would refrain from blaming Pakistan for all violence on its side of the Line of Control.

These details have not been previously reported. India has long blamed Pakistan for the freedom movement in IoK, an allegation denied by Pakistan.

“There is a recognition there will be attacks inside Kashmir, there has been discussions as to how to deal with it and not let this effort derailed by the next attack,” one of the people said.

There is as yet, however, no grand plan to resolve the 74-year-old Kashmir dispute. rather both sides are trying to reduce tensions to pave the way for a broad engagement, all the people reuters spoke to said.

“Pakistan is transiting from a geo-strategic domain to a geo-economic domain,” raoof Hasan, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan, told reuters.

“Peace, both within and around with its neighbours, is a key constituent to facilitate that.”

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