EpaperKHI_21-05-12

Wednesday, 12 May, 2021 I 29 Ramzan-ul-Mubarak, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 313 I 12 Pages I Karachi Edition

PM IMran vows to hold corruPt PolItIcal MafIa accountable

ISLAMABAD staff report

P

rIMe Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said bringing corrupt and powerful mafia accountable before the law was his prime goal to make Pakistan a great nation.

“To bring powerful accountable before law is a jihad. We will make corrupt political leaders and mafias surrender before rule of law,” the prime minister said in a live telephonic call session with the general public.

This was the third such interactive session titled ‘Aap ka Wazir-e-Azam, Aap ke Sath’, where the prime minister took live phone calls and responded to the questions of calls.

The prime minister, vowing to uphold the supremacy of law and justice to make Pakistan great, said that a nation could not become a strong nation unless it empowered its weaker sections, adding that this was the reason he had joined politics and named his political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf after justice.

He said that the government was firm to ensure socio-economic justice in the country and mentioned that “we are nearing our destination and I will fight these mafias and win”.

FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPT ELITE: PM Imran said that a nation could not prosper whose leaders and prime ministers stole money as it resulted

in the weakening of the country’s economy.

He mentioned that the FACTI panel of the United Nations that $1,000 billion was annually transmitted from poor to rich countries illegally.

The prime minister asked the public to report cases of illegal land grabbing directly to him and mentioned that the government had cleared 21,000 acres of land worth rs 27 billion from such mafia.

He recalled that Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz sided with a land grabber when the government cleared the land from illegal occupation after proper tallying with proper land records.

He said that the land laws were reformed in Islamabad and Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP) to settle the litigation on land disputes within one year and assured to implement the same in Punjab as well.

The prime minister said that his government did not interfere with the working of the judiciary and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as it wanted the rule of law in its true spirit.

On accountability of his party leader Jehangir Tareen, he dismissed the impression that any injustice or victimization was made.

He pledged that those who were involved in the price hike of sugar would be punished.

He mentioned that an increase in one rupee price by the sugar mafia extorted rs5 billion from the pockets of the masses.

coronavIrus In

PakIstan

CONFIRMED CASES:

864,557

LAST UPDATED AT 8:57 AM ON MAY 11, 2021

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

113

3,084

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

766,492 19,106 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

293,426

320,851

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

124,979 AJK/GB: 17,984/5,401

23,534 ISLAMABAD:

78,382

“The sugar industrialists paid rs22 billion as tax in five years but got rs29 billion rupees in levy of subsidy. There will be no concession with any mafia,” he added.

“I am answerable before Almighty Allah.

How can I put the poor in jails and set the powerful free?” he said.

CONTROLLING INFLATION: PM Imran said that cartels and monopoly-like witnessed in the case of sugar mills resulted in inflation. The appointment of Shaukat Tareen as finance minister is in view of controlling inflation and increase the growth rate, he added.

On petroleum prices, he said the government had kept the price of commodity lowest compared with India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, China, US Turkey, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Bhutan to cheapest oil, so as to avoid burden on consumers.

He mentioned that worldwide, the prices of commodities went up during pandemic including gas by 60 per cent, food 29 per cent, metal 41 per cent, crude oil 84 per cent, cotton 44 per cent, palm oil 54.8 per cent, soya bean oil 36.6 per cent and sugar 14.5 per cent. However, he said, according to a Bloomberg report on food inflation and agricultural sub-index, Pakistan still kept the prices low.

GAINING ECONOMIC STABILITY: Prime Minister Imran said that with solid steps, the government had achieved remarkable economic growth in diverse sectors.

He said that the government through reforms reduced economic losses of public corporations from rs286 billion to rs143 billion, whereas the current account deficit remained in surplus for the last 10 months besides an increase in foreign exchange reserves touching $15.6 billion. He also acknowledged the financial assistance by Saudi Arabia and China in gaining economic stability in Pakistan.

“During the pandemic situation when the whole world is facing financial crunch, our government have saved the economy,” he said.

PM Imran said that now, the rupee had strengthened against the dollar at rs 152, exports increased by 13.5 per cent, the euro bond helped gain $2.5 billion and revenue of the Federal Board of revenue (FBr) was increased by 11 per cent.

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fiqah-e-hanfia lahore sehr: 3:35 aM iftar: 6:51 PM

karachi sehr: 4:24 aM iftar: 7:08 PM

fiqah-e-jafaria lahore sehr: 3:25 aM iftar: 7:01 PM

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karachi sehr: 4:14 aM iftar: 7:18 PM

Nine children among 26 killed in Israel airstrikes in Gaza

GAZA CITY agencies

Israel unleashed new airstrikes on Gaza early Tuesday, hitting a pair of high-rise buildings believed to be housing fighters, as Hamas and other armed groups bombarded southern Israel with hundreds of rockets.

The escalation was sparked by weeks of tensions in contested Jerusalem.

Since sundown Monday, 26 Palestinians, including nine children and a woman, were killed in Gaza, most by airstrikes, Gaza health officials said. The Israeli military claimed at least 16 of the dead were fighters.

During the same period, Gaza fighters fired hundreds of rockets toward Israel, killing at least two Israelis and wounding 10 others.

In a further sign of rising tensions, Israel signaled it is widening its military cam-

Pakistan will welcome third-party mediation on India talks: Qureshi ISLAMABAD staff report

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Tuesday said Pakistan would welcome the third-party facilitation by Saudi Arabia or any other country for resumption of dialogue with India.

“Pakistan is ready for thirdparty facilitation. It is India that has always shied away from it,” he said in a press conference held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Qureshi observed riyadh was a friend but also had business ties with New Delhi, a big importer of Saudi crude oil.

“If Saudi Arabia wants to play a role [in facilitating talks], we would welcome,” he said.

He recalled that the ceasefire agreement between Pakistan and India was welcomed by the world, including Saudi Arabia.

The foreign minister confirmed that there were “no formal talks” at the moment with India, however, said if India wanted it to resume it, it “must take the first step forward”.

“If India wants a meaningful dialogue with Pakistan, it has to review its policy on Kashmir and undo the revocation of their

islaMabad sehr: 3:33 aM iftar: 7:00 PM

paign. The military said it is sending troop reinforcements to the Gaza border and the defense minister ordered the mobilization of 5,000 reserve soldiers.

But, in a positive sign, officials said that egypt was working on brokering a cease-fire.

The overnight rockets and airstrikes were preceded by hours of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, including dramatic confrontations at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a sacred site to both Jews and Muslims.

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OIC condemns Israeli attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque STORY ON PAGE 05

more inside

Walk-in vaccinations rolled out to over-40s STORY ON PAGE 02

special status,” he said.

Qureshi called upon India to give relief to the people of Kashmir, who were suffering from a prolonged military siege and the so-called search and cordon operations, and thus “pave way for a conducive environment for talks”.

To a question regarding his recent statement on Article-370 of the Indian constitution, he said Pakistan was firm on its stance that “Kashmir is not an internal matter of India”.

“Pakistan has not taken any U-turn and will never do so. The dispute, which is at the agenda of United Nations Security Council with several resolutions on it, cannot be an internal matter of India,” he said.

“There is no ambiguity and Pakistan will continue highlight-

ing the plight of Kashmiris at all international fora,” he added.

By revoking Article 35-A, he said, India was attempting to distort the demography of the region and denying the Kashmiris their identity.

On Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia, he said it led to the development of a “positive understanding” at both sides.

He said besides agreement on investments, bilateral trade, and creation of job opportunities, the significant development was putting in place for the first time an institutionalised mechanism with three pillars — security, economic and cultural, and soft image, and chalking out who would be leading the respective areas.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

No handshaking or hugs: NCOC issues guidelines for eid prayers STORY ON PAGE 03

CAA directs airlines to ensure accuracy of PCR tests STORY ON PAGE 02

NAB to challenge Shehbaz’s bail in SC STORY ON PAGE 02

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Wednesday, 12 May, 2021

karachi

neWs

Walk-in vaccinations rollEd out to ovEr-40s ISLAMABAD

a

STaff RePoRT

S the coronavirus death toll hit 19,000 on Tuesday, the government opened a walk-in coronavirus disease vaccination scheme for people aged 40 to 49, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar announced.

“Starting tomorrow the 12th of May all 40 plus who have registered will be able to walk into any vaccination center of their choice and get vaccinated,” he tweeted.

The minister also clarified that vaccination centres will close only for two days on Eidul Fitr and open gates on the third.

In the last 24 hours, the coronavirus portal registered 3,084 new infections of Covid-19 after conducting 38,883 tests, receiving back a scaled-down transmission rate of 7.93 per cent. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 113 to 19,106.

The National Command and Operation Centre

(NCOC) had opened registration of around 12 million people in the said age group late on April 27. The same day, it also okayed walk-in vaccination facility for people over 50.

On Monday, the NCOC barred people under 40 years of age and those with a history of severe allergic reaction to any component of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from taking the jab.

Pakistan received its first shipment of 1.2 million AstraZeneca doses through the Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access (Covax) facility on Saturday.

According to the interim guidelines issued by the Health Ministry about administering those jabs, people who developed blood clotting issues after receiving the first dose of the vaccine should not take the second dose.

Those with active gastrointestinal bleeding or seizure, or a history of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and thrombosis are also stopped from opting to get the AstraZeneca vaccine administered, the guidelines added.

Today, in a series of tweets, Asad also announced the country’s coronavirus drive was designed to ensure the maximum number of the most vulnerable groups were given priority for the inoculations.

“Reason, why we are opening vaccination based on age in descending order, is due to finite availability of vaccines globally, as well as vaccination capacity in the country,” he explained.

“Both supply of vaccines and vaccination capacity are continuously increasing with concerted efforts,” he said but added that until capacity and supply were on track to cater to the entire population, the campaign must focus on society’s most vulnerable age groups.

“It is vital that vaccination is concentrated on the most vulnerable segments of [the] population. The risk of mortality due to COVID rises sharply with age,” the minister warned.

The studies reveal that age is by far the strongest predictor of an infected person’s risk of dying — a metric known as the infection fatality ratio (IFR), which is the

caa directs airlines to ensure accuracy of Pcr tests KARACHI STaff RePoRT

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) expressed “grave concern” that travellers entering the country have tested positive for the coronavirus on arrival despite negative reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests. Effective until July 5, the inbound international passengers are required to complete a mandatory negative RT PCR test which has to be taken within 72 hours of the travel date. Last week, the

aviation regulator also announced to conduct Rapid Antigen Testing of all passengers.

“Upon conducting an investigation into the issue, it has been found that passengers travelled to Pakistan using fake PCR negative test results and endangered not only passengers travelling with them, but also undermined the intense efforts being made at the national level to curb the spread of Covid-19,” it said in a notification issued late on Monday.

PCR tests, which are processed in

a laboratory, use a molecular technique and can detect even trace amounts of virus. Faster and cheaper antigen tests, including most rapid home tests, detect proteins on the virus’s surface. They are most accurate when a lot of virus is present in the body — in other words, when the person is most contagious.

“The onus of contributing towards this national cause does not fall on the authority alone but is a responsibility that has to be shared by all concerned stakeholders including airline operators,”

the CAA said.

The regulator also directed all airlines operating to and from Pakistan to ensure that all passengers travelling to the country possess test results from government-approved labs and that no test results be accepted without a valid QR code.

“Only original reports are accepted prior to checking in passengers for flights and no copies are accepted. Passengers not registered through the Pass Track App are not accepted for travel to Pakistan,” the CAA directed airlines.

PM asks lawmakers to refrain from political activities on Eid

Murad makes insensitive comment about oppressed Palestinians

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has asked all the assembly members to refrain from political activities on the occasion of Eidul Fitr to prevent spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said this in a tweet on Tuesday. He said that the lawmakers should cancel Eid events and meetings with the people of their constituencies and prefer to stay at home in the best interest of people's lives and health. TLTP

As Palestinians and Israelis continued to clash in Jerusalem and Gaza, Punjab Education Minister Murad Raas made an insensitive comment about oppressed Palestinians who are being attacked by Israeli forces.

In a tweet, the provincial minister said that it was “shocking” to see the Palestinians were

NEWS DESK

still using stones while Israel was “armed to the teeth”. He questioned where all the support money for the Palestinians goes and “why can’t they purchase a single gun to defend themselves”.

He topped it up with an insensitive remark about the Palestinians’ plight, asking why they were still using stones in 2021 despite being bombed and shot.

NAB to challenge Shehbaz’s bail in SC LAHORE STaff RePoRT

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has decided to challenge in the Supreme Court the bail granted to National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif on the Exit Control List (ECL) in connection with the wealth and money laundering cases against him.

In April, the Lahore High Court (LHC) granted post-arrest bail to Shehbaz in a money laundering reference filed against him by the dirty money watchdog.

“The decision to challenge the LHC ruling is in line with the Constitution and taken without any pressure,” reports citing NAB sources said.

In a related development, the Lahore chapter of the

agency has written a letter to its Headquarters in Islamabad, requesting to place Shehbaz on the ECL in connection with the wealth and money laundering cases against him, it emerged earlier in the day.

Dated April 28, the letter was written to NAB Director General (Operations) Husnain Ahmad. It also requested the higher-ups to challenge the LHC decision to grant one-time permission to Shehbaz to travel abroad. The high court announced its order was announced after Shehbaz petitioned it, saying he is a cancer survivor who now needs treatment abroad. The court ruled that he may travel to London between May 8 and July 3. The verdict drew criticism from the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, which said it will explore legal options to stop Shehbaz from leaving. Angered, Minister for Information and

Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry described the ruling as a “joke” that he said could help the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president “escape the law as his brother did” in 2019.

Subsequently, over the weekend, the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) “placed” Shehbaz on “another list”, keeping him from leaving the country.

Shehbaz was scheduled to leave for Doha on a Qatar Airways flight from the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore in the wee hours of Saturday. After spending ten days in mandatory isolation in the Qatar capital, he had planned to jet off to London.

However, when he arrived at the airport to board the flight, FIA officials present there told him he could not catch the flight because his name was placed on a “blacklist”.

With cleavers and blowtorches, barber offers hair-raising cuts LAHORE agencieS

Hoping to prove a cut above the competition, barber Ali Abbas relies on an unusual array of tools to practice his craft — including blowtorches, meat cleavers, and even broken glass. Abbas’s fringe style is proving a hit in the nation, with customers flocking to his shop in Lahore.

During a typical trim, Abbas will take a bit off the top with a blowtorch.

He adds some layers with the help of a cleaver and

butcher’s block, while occasionally thinning out a thicker mane with a bit of broken glass.

“I thought I should do something different to attract more clients,” Abbas told AFP. “In the beginning, I tried it on artificial hair, and then — after practising it for some time — I used it on a client, and he liked it a lot.”

Since first unveiling his style in 2016 and after brushing away customer fears, he says the unconventional approach has become a hit.

His popularity has only grown since, resulting in television appearances and fashion shoots.

“There has been a very good response from my clients, who were quite scared in the beginning,” said Abbas, whose eccentric manner and own unkempt, frizzy locks gives him the look of a mad scientist. Abbas charges Rs2,000 rupees for the unorthodox treatment — or Rs1,000 for a traditional trim with scissors.

“I am feeling quite relaxed and comfortable,” said Ali Saqlain, as the barber took a blowtorch to his head.

Abbas says he also enjoys a large number of women customers, who he charges an additional Rs500 for extra styling.

proportion of people infected with the virus, including those who didn’t get tested or show symptoms, who will die as a result.

Umar also noted the same pattern had been witnessed in Pakistan, where “the case fatality rate based on cumulative data” has shown strong linkages between age and deaths caused by the disease.

“Mortality percentage, which has been less than 1 per cent for people under 40, rises to 1.8 per cent for [people aged] 41-50; 3.8 per cent for 51-60; 7.2 per cent for 61-70; 11.1 per cent for 71-80; and over 15 per cent for those above 80,” he said.

Despite only 7 percent of the population being over 60, around 53 per cent of all coronavirusrelated deaths in the country have been in this age bracket, he said.

“Conversely 77 percent of Pakistan’s population is below the age of 40 and only 9 percent of total COVID deaths in Pakistan have been in this age bracket,” he added. Pakistan is currently facing a third peak of the pandemic, and to bring the situation under control, the government is taking stringent measures including locking down almost the whole country during the ongoing Eidul Fitr holidays and accelerating the vaccination process.

In a related development, health authorities in Thailand said Monday they have confirmed the country’s first cases of the Indian variant of the coronavirus, in a Thai woman and her 4-year-old son who have been in state quarantine since arriving from Pakistan.

However, Asad was quick to refute the claim. It was impossible that the Thai travellers contracted the Indian variant of the coronavirus from Pakistan, he said, insisting the mutant was not found in the country.

Bishop calls for restraint as Palestine violence spirals LAHORE STaff RePoRT

A senior church leader has urged Israeli and Palestinian authorities to hold direct talks for de-escalating tensions in the restive region and reaching a peaceful settlement to the decadesold conflict. “The church supports the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. Both sides have the right to exist and to live in peace and security within their internationally recognized borders,” said Bishop Dr Azad Marshall, president of the National Council of Churches in Pakistan (NCCP). Bishop Marshall is also the former Anglican bishop of Iran and the Middle East and served in the region for over 12 years.

In a press statement, Dr Marshall said that he was deeply concerned over the violence that sparked after days of unrest over the threatened evictions of Palestinians from their East Jerusalem homes. “Israel should respect international law and the right of peaceful worship,” he said with regard to the Israeli action outside the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem that left more than 300 Palestinians wounded.

“The situation with regard to evictions of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem is a matter of serious concern. Such actions are illegal under international humanitarian law and only serve to fuel tensions on the ground,” he said, condemning the Israeli aggression during the holy month of Ramadan. Bishop Marshall said that Jerusalem must be a place for peace, justice, and reconciliation. “Jerusalem is dear to us as Christians because it is the city of crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. For the Muslims, it is the city with their third most significant mosque on the Haram al-Sharif, and for the Jews, it is important because of the temples,” he added. “The church has always advocated for social cohesion and peaceful coexistence in the region and will continue to play its part in fostering peace and brotherhood. It is in this spirit that we urge Israeli and Palestinian authorities to exercise restraint and work for an amicable solution to the problem,” he concluded.

In January 2020, then-US president Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed a two-state peace plan for Israel and Palestine, which included an independent Palestinian state with a capital in East Jerusalem. Trump insisted that Jerusalem would also remain “Israel’s undivided— very important— undivided capital.” The United States moved its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem in 2017. Under the plan, none of Jerusalem’s Old City or territory within the current security wall would be ceded to the Palestinian state. The agreement also preserves the status quo policy regarding control of various religious sites, including the site of the Temple Mount and Al Aqsa Mosque, and, under the proposal, Muslims would still have access to the site. Trump’s proposal for peace called for the creation of a Palestinian state but gave Israel sovereignty over 30 per cent of the West Bank. The Palestinians rejected this. Palestinian leaders, the United Nations, and European and Arab countries oppose unilateral action from Israel and consider Israeli settlements on land captured in 1967 to be illegal.

Wednesday, 12 May, 2021

KARACHI

NEWS

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With rEOpENiNg hudaibia CasE, pML-N rEstarts EffOrts tO LauNCh aNti-gOvErNMENt CaMpaigN SHEHBAZ PHONES NAWAZ, FAZL TO MULL LONG MARCH AFTER EID EFFORTS ON TO REUNIFY PDM, PPP DROPS HINT OF REJOINING PDM ISLAMABAD

W

MIAN AbrAr

ITH the federal government’s decision to conduct a fresh probe into the Hudaibiya Papers Mill case against the Sharif family, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has started efforts to launch an anti-government campaign soon after Eidul Fitr.

Sources in the PML-N told Pakistan Today that Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif has made telephonic contacts with PML-N fugitive leader Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and said that his party was ready for the anti-government campaign.

According to sources, the three leaders consulted on key points and agreed on the need to send Prime Minister Imran Khan

government packing. The trio also decided to accelerate the political campaign after Eid. A source said that Shehbaz, who was reluctant to launch a campaign against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, now is ready to play a central role in the antigovernment movement.

“It has been decided that PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman will hold meetings with the leaders of all the parties in the opposition alliance after Eid and efforts would be launched to add as many opposition parties as possible to ensure a national campaign against the government,” the source said.

The source also said that the trio also decided to make a last-ditch effort to take along the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and a meeting of the steering committee of the PDM would soon be held to discuss inviting Awami National Party (ANP) and the PPP. “In case of settlement of issues, PPP and

FRESH PROBE INTO HUDAIBIA CASE PROVES ALL CASES AGAINST SHEHBAZ ARE FALSE, SAYS PML-N ANP will be invited to the PDM leadership level meeting,” the sources added.

Meanwhile, PPP senior leader Senator Yousaf Raza Gillani has also hinted at the unity of the PDM. Speaking to the media, Gilani has said that things could improve if Maulana Fazlur Rehman took all opposition along. He said that Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will visit Punjab after Eid. “PDM decisions should be made in consultation with all opposition parties. The opposition has been successful in all the recent by-elections. As an opposition party, our performance has been very good. PDM can still be united, however, things could get better if Maulana Fazlur Rehman took everyone along because Maulana Fazlur Rehman is the head of PDM,” he said.

Gillani said that the PPP has always respected the courts and one should not criticise the court decisions.

“We should not talk about the deal after

the court decision,” he added.

Asked to comment on the government’s decision to put Shehbaz on the blacklist, Gillani said that it seemed he himself may be on the blacklist.

“I do not know that I may also be either on the blacklist or the ECL [Exit Control List]. I was stopped at the airport last year the same way and the airport authorities said your name is on the ECL,” he asserted.

FRESH PROBE PROVES ALL CASES AGAINST SHEHBAZ ARE FALSE, SAYS PML-N: PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb has also condemned the government’s decision to conduct a fresh investigation into the Hudaibia case.

“By ordering a new investigation into Hudaibia case, Imran Khan has admitted that all the NAB cases against Shahbaz Sharif were fake including Saaf Paani, Multan and Lahore Metro Bus cases, and the assets beyond known means of income – all cases

Hudaibia Paper Mills case bigger than Panama scandal: Fawad ISLAMABAD APP

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday said that the Hudaibia Paper Mills case was a story of fraud of about Rs1,242 million, which in financial terms has a greater fiscal impact than the Panama Papers case.

In a tweet, he said that the case started in the year 2000 when National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed the reference.

Fawad said that Nawaz Sharif’s two sons, Hassan and Hussain Nawaz, Shehbaz Sharif and his political heir, Hamza Shehbaz, were its main characters.

The minister revealed that Ishaq Dar opened fake Benami foreign currency accounts to support the Sharif family in this fraud. When he was caught, Dar became an approver and also recorded his detailed statement to the authorities concerned, he said.

He said that later Dar deviated from his statement by saying that the statement was taken under coercion.

Sharing details, Fawad said that an examination of the records of Hudaibia Paper Mills revealed to the investigators of NAB Islamabad that during the period

1996 to 1997 and 1997 to 1998, Rs30.499 million and Rs612.273 million were shown as share deposit in the company documents.

The investigation teams were surprised that a company, which had a pre-investment volume of just Rs95.7 million and a gross loss of Rs809.834 million, received such huge sums of money, he said.

The NAB, therefore, issued orders to investigate the matter under the NAB Ordinance 1999, he said adding investigations had revealed that the mill’s management, which comprised Mian Muhammad Sharif, Shamim Akhtar, Nawaz, Shehbaz, Abbas Sharif, Maryam Safdar, Sabiha Abbas, Hussain and Hamza, had a huge amount of illicit capital and were unable to disclose sources of wealth.

He said that they fraudulently opened various fake foreign currency accounts using various provisions of the Protection of Economic Reforms Act of 1992 for money laundering and deposited a lot of money in those accounts. He said that when the scandal of fake accounts broke out, they decided to put the money directly into the accounts of Hudaibia Paper Mills.

To this end, they arranged telegraphic transfers in dollars equal to the value of the foreign currency for the

APP

Prime Minister Imran Khan has stressed the active participation of the private sector in the country’s development process, saying that the government is fully committed to providing a conducive environment to it.

“Keeping in view public requirements, the private sector’s participation is the

need of the hour,” Premier Imran said while chairing a meeting on the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) projects.

According to a statement issued by the PM Office Media Wing on Monday, PM Imran was given a briefing over ongoing, completed and nearing completed different publicprivate partnership projects carried under the PSDP. “The

Board of Investment is being fully activated to provide facilities to the foreign and local investors,” Imran said. The prime minister was apprised that work on about 50 different public-private partnership model development projects worth Rs2,000 billion under the PSDP was underway in different phases.

“A total of 35 others were in the process of approval,” the

INP

accounts of the mill, just like the money of Shehbaz and Maryam was sent out of Pakistan recently.

He said that suddenly Rs1,242.732 million were added into the assets of the Sharif family and this amount was even bigger than the Panama scandal.

The NAB, he said, also pointed out that through these actions, the Sharif family had not only committed crimes such as money laundering and concealment of assets, but they also committed the crime of throwing dust in the eyes of many state and government institutions. He said that during the Musharraf era when the matter came before the accountability court, the Sharif family made a deal with the Musharraf government and went to Saudi Arabia.

statement added. The meeting was attended by Minister for Planning Asad Umar, Minister for Finance Shaukat Tarin, relevant secretaries and senior officials. Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, provincial minister Hashim Jawan Bakht and other provincial officers attended the meeting via video link. The meeting was informed that 14 other projects worth Rs978 billion would get

approval in the next three months whereas 18 projects costing Rs1,016 billion would be awarded in the fiscal year 2021-22.

It was further apprised that two important projects including Sialkot-Kharian Motorway and SukkurHyderabad Motorway with a cost of Rs233 billion had been approved by the Public-Private Partnership Authority.

Punjab to vaccinate journalists against coronavirus LAHORE INP

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Tuesday directed the authorities to make arrangements to inoculate journalists against coronavirus on a priority basis.

The directive was given on a suggestion of the Cabinet Committee on Coronavirus Control which the chief minister accepted.

Buzdar, in a statement, said that after the Eidul Fitr holidays, journalists would be vaccinated on a priority basis. In this regard, he directed the authorities to look into the establishment of special centres at the press clubs across the province.

He has also directed the health department to take steps under a comprehensive strategy.

Covid-19 death toll hits 19,000, positivity rate reduces to 7.93pc ISLAMABAD

PM seeks private sector’s role in uplift projects ISLAMABAD

were just political revenge against Sharif family,” she said.

Criticising the live phone calls of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Marriyum challenged the premier to take her live call on TV channels. She said that a live call show is nothing more than “a government drama” and 15 people in the Prime Minister’s House were seated in a van to stage the drama.

Criticising the prime minister’s visit to Saudi Arabia, the PML-N spokesperson said that the visit was a failure and the PM could only bring back sacks of rice from Saudi Arabia. “Did Imran Khan go to Saudi Arabia to buy rice? Thousands of new loans were taken but not a single development project initiated. People are asking how inflation has gone up to 17 per cent, sugar and wheat flour were first exported then imported back. People are asking for economic growth. How did the rate go down to negative,” she argued.

Another 113 people lost their lives to coronavirus whereas 3,084 fresh cases were detected during the last 24 hours, showed the statistics released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Tuesday. After the addition of 113 new deaths, the toll climbed up to 19,106 while the number of confirmed cases stood at 864,557 after adding 3,084 new ones. During the past 24 hours, 4,387 patients have recovered from the virus while the total recoveries stood at 766,492.

As of Tuesday, the total count of active cases was recorded at 78,959, while the positivity rate was dropped to 7.93 percent. As many as 293,426 coronavirus cases have so far been confirmed in Sindh, 320,851 in Punjab, 124,979 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 78,382 in Islamabad, 23,534 in Balochistan, 17,984 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and 5,401 in Gilgit-Baltistan. Moreover, 9,125 individuals have so far lost their lives to the pandemic in Punjab, 4,753 in Sindh, 3,644 in KP, 716 in Islamabad, 508 in AJK, 253 in Balochistan and 107 in GB. The health authorities conducted 38,883 coronavirus detection tests, taking the total number of Covid-19 tests to 12,267,31 since the first case was reported.

No handshaking or hugs: NCOC issues guidelines for Eid prayers ISLAMABAD INP

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) issued on Tuesday health guidelines for Eidul Fitr prayers to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. According to the NCOC, Eid prayers should be offered in open places under Covid-19 protocols. In case prayers are offered indoors, windows and doors of mosques be kept open for adequate ventilation. “In the wake of ongoing restrictions imposed till May 16, 2021, [the] forum urged for greater national resolve by adhering to SOPs to reduce the spread of the pandemic,” the statement from the NCOC said. In order to avoid crowding, more congregations should be held at the same time. The NCOC said that Eid sermon should be brief and comprehensive with minors under 15 years of age, elderly citizens and those suffering from some illness be stopped from attending congregational prayers. It has made maskwearing mandatory for every worshiper who have been advised to bring their own prayer mats. The NCOC said that the places where Eid prayers will be offered should have multiple entries and exit points with effective thermal scanners. Six-foot distance between rows of worshipers be ensured and they should avoid handshaking or hugs after Eid prayers.

Wednesday, 12 May, 2021

04 NEWS

KARACHI

Punjab govt SuSPendS dCS, aCS oveR negligenCe in RaWalPindi Ring Road PRojeCt RAWALPINDI ShahZaD PaRaCha

On the recommendation of the inquiry committee probing the Rawalpindi Ring Road project, the Punjab government has removed two deputy commissioners (DCs) and two assistant commissioners (ACs) from their positions over illegal alignment with the proposed 65-kilometre project, Pakistan Today learnt on Tuesday.

Sources said that DC Attock Ali Anan Qamar, DC Rawalpindi Captain (R) Mohammad Anwar-ul-Haq, Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue (ADCR) Rawalpindi Captain (R) Shoaib Ali, AC Saddar Rawalpindi Ghulam Abbas, AC Fateh Jung Mohammad Azeem Shaukat Awan and the chief officer of tehsil office were being transferred over their unethical silence towards the shenanigans of the rent-seeking syndicate.

The government has already suspended Commissioner Rawalpindi Captain (R) Mohammad Mahmood and Land Acquisition Collector (LAC) Rawalpindi Wasim Tabish.

Sources said that Mahmood and his accomplice with the unlawful help of a consultant illegally crafted the 65-km alignment advertised for bidding.

Similarly, Mahmood, Tabish and former

PMU Deputy Director Abdullah misused public funds to benefit the rent-seeking syndicate, including themselves.

The inquiry committee has recommended to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to probe Rs2.3 billion spent unlawfully by the former commissioner on illegal land acquisition for building R3-centric hype to boost sales of connected real estate.

The former commissioner, in sheer violation of laws and rules, created rent-seeking benefit for himself as well as for the Capital Smart City, New Airport City, Al-Asif Housing, Top City, SAS Developers, Blue World and Islamabad Capital Housing Society.

As per the report of Arazi Record Centre Fateh Jang, It also emerged that several developers and housing societies, including Highland City Private Limited, Islamabad Cooperative Housing Society, State life Insurance Corporation, Al-Noor International Developers, Arman City SMS Private Limited, Motorway City Private Limited, Zarkon International Private Limited, Airlines Associate & Developers, Etihad City Private Limited, Capital Park City Private Limited, Life Residentia SMS Private Limited, New Airport City Private Limited, Al-Asif Developers Private Limited, Greenfield Developers Private Limited, Civilian Employers Housing

Society, Fatima Town, Mumtaz City, lqra Mustafa, and Platinum Associates & Developers, having support of some politicians, had purchased lands in the surrounding areas of the proposed site of the project. Sources said that the Attock

DC’s role was dubious as he gave NOC to the project of Life Residencia in the area of Fateh Jang despite the fact that the society was not approved.

They added that the inquiry team has also recommended to FIA to conduct

forensic audit of the societies, besides investigations by concerned departments, including NAB and FBR, and disciplinary action against Punjab Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Member Dr Farrukh Naveed by the government.

Hamza says brother Salman handled finances of Ramzan Sugar Mills LAHORE INP

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shehbaz has reportedly blamed his brother Salman Shehbaz for the suspicious transactions carried out by the Ramzan Sugar Mills. A private TV channel obtained a copy of the reply, which Hamza had submitted to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in the Rs25 billion money laundering case. The reply was submitted when the PML-N MPA was in jail. In reply to the FIA’s question about the suspicious transactions received by the employees of the mill, Hamza had said that he may have been the company’s CEO but his younger brother Salman Shehbaz, who is absconding in the case, used to handle the finances and other administrative matters. He was then questioned about a man identified as Rizwan Qureshi, who had been accused of transferring huge amounts of money to the accounts of employees. To this, Hamza had replied that he know Qureshi but he never authorised him to carry out such transactions. He had added that the investigating agency will not find an ounce of corruption against him.

LAHORE: Police arrest vendors violating coronavirus-related guidelines in the provincial capital. ZubaIR MehfooZ

Mitchell’s Fruit Farms, SKMCH collaborate to create bone cancer awareness LAHORE PR

Addressing concerns regarding awareness of bone cancer in Pakistan, Mitchell’s Fruit Farm and Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital (SKMCH) have collaborated to support patients currently under treatment of bone cancer While believing in nurturing and nourishing a brighter future, Mitchell’s Fruit Farms has supported the cause through it’s bottled sauces, which have been modified with yellow caps (representing global yellow ribbon) with the hope to support the SKMCH services such as pathology, radiology, nuclear medicine, therapeutic services, hospitalization, internal medicine, medical oncology/paediatric oncology, radiation oncology, surgical and theatre services, and pharmacy for the treatment of bone cancer. Mitchell’s has made its way into the hearts of people by becoming a loving member of every household of Pakistan and it has always strived to give back to the community through its many CSV projects. For each bottle sold, Mitchell’s Fruit Farms will donate to SKMT thus building upon its relentless efforts that have afforded it a place as one of the market leaders nationally, and gained it a respectable name in the market abroad.

PM achieved nothing but rice bags from Saudi Arabia visit: Bilawal KARACHI INP

Declaring Prime Minister Imran Khan an enemy of the people, Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday questioned that what the premier achieved during his visit to Saudi Arabia apart from receiving 19,000 bags of rice in terms of Zakat.

According to a statement issued from the Bilawal House, the PPP chairman said that the expenses of the prime minister’s Saudi Arabia visit should be compared with the price of rice bags received in the form of Zakat.

“If Imran Khan’s 22-year struggle was to make a nuclear power worthy of the Saudi king’s charity, then I pray that Allah Almighty may not help anyone in such a struggle,” Bilawal said.

The PPP chairman said that people must hold Imran Khan accountable, who went to Saudi Arabia for Umrah after raising chicken price to more than Rs400 per kg.

“Mr prime minister, your claims of controlling inflation by taking notices and falsifying inquiry reports have been exposed,” Bilawal added.

Sindh cabinet approves Senior Citizens Welfare Rules 2021 KARACHI INP

A meeting of the Sindh cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, on Tuesday approved the Senior Citizens Welfare Rules 2021. The Sindh government will issue ‘Senior Citizen Azadi Card’ to the province’s elderly citizens, the provincial cabinet session was briefed. In a briefing, the cabinet meeting was informed that the welfare cards will be issued to the senior citizens for three years’ period. “The citizens having 60 or above age will be entitled for issuance of the welfare card. Under the rules, ‘senior citizens welfare committees’ will be constituted on district level,” the cabinet was informed. The Sindh chief secretary, during a hearing in the Sindh High Court, had said that the draft rules prepared pursuant to Section 19 of the Senior Citizens Welfare Act will be placed before the next cabinet meeting for approval and thereafter the rules will also be notified for the information of the general public.The chief secretary had also assured the high court that the social welfare department will execute a memorandum of understanding for the registration and processing of the cards with the National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) after the approval of the Senior Citizens Council within a month. Hearing a petition seeking the enforcement of a law under which the elderly citizens are entitled to 25 per cent concession in medical treatment at private hospitals, a SHC bench, headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar, had asked the chief secretary about compliance with the court’s directives with regard to the issuance of health cards.

Wednesday, 12 May, 2021

KARACHI

OIC COndeMns IsRAelI ATTACK On Al-AQsA MOsQue iSLamaBad

T

TLTP

He Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned escalating Israeli aggression and attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque. Worshippers gathered to pray on the holy night of Laylat-ul-Qadr were attacked in the compound of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli forces on Friday night. Since then, the violence has escalated, involving rockets and airstrikes, leading to at least 26 Palestinians being killed, including nine children, and hundreds injured.

The OIC moot on Tuesday discussed the ongoing attacks against Islamic and Christian holy sites, particularly the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. The meeting of the OIC Permanent Representatives was convened upon the request of the State of Palestine.

The meeting fully endorsed the Palestine cause and urged the international community to take steps to save Palestinians from Israeli aggression.

During the meeting, Pakistan’s permanent representative at the UN also strongly condemned the Israeli aggression.

Meanwhile, Turkey and Saudi Arabia moved the recommendation to summon

the session of UN General Assembly (UNGA), which was passed by the forum.

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday strongly condemned the attack of Israeli forces during the holy month of Ramadan on Palestinians in Al-Aqsa Mosque. The prime minister, who is currently on a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia, took to Twitter to condemn the Israeli attack on Palestinians.

Prime Minister Imran’s Special Representative for Interfaith Harmony Maulana Tahir Ashrafi also said that Pakistan would observe Palestine Day on May 14 — on which either the first or second day of eid will fall.

During a press conference, Ashrafi, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council, said that the prime minister has tasked Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi to liaison with other countries regarding the situation in Jerusalem.

He questioned the world’s silence on the matter, adding that during PM Imran’s visit to Saudi Arabia, the situation in Palestine came under discussion, besides the issue of Kashmir.

Pakistan has strongly condemned the violence against Palestinians that unfolded

over the past weekend and continues.

Separately, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and senior UN officials expressed their deep concern over confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in east Jerusalem, particularly those which began on Friday evening, and continued into Sunday night.

The official spokesperson for Guterres, Stephane Dujarric said in a statement that Israeli authorities must exercise maximum restraint and respect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly.

“All leaders have a responsibility to act against extremists and to speak out against all acts of violence and incitement”, the statement continued. “The secretary general reiterates his commitment, including through the Middle east Quartet, to supporting Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the conflict on the basis of relevant United Nations resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements”.

The envoys of the Middle east Quartet (from the european Union, Russia, the United States, and the United Nations), released a press statement, in which they expressed their alarm at “the provocative statements made by some political groups, as well as the launching of rockets and the

resumption of incendiary balloons from Gaza towards Israel, and attacks on Palestinian farmland in the West Bank”.

The envoys called on the Israeli authorities to exercise restraint and to avoid measures that would further escalate the situation during this period of Muslim Holy Days. “We call on all sides to uphold and respect the status quo at the holy sites”, the statement continues. “All leaders have a responsibility to act against extremists and to speak out against all acts of violence and incitement”.

Meanwhile, the UN rights office, OHCHR, appealed on Tuesday for “a redoubling of efforts to restore calm” in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, after airstrikes and days of clashes between protesters and Israeli police.

The ongoing violence marks a dramatic escalation of tensions linked to the potential eviction of Palestinian families from east Jerusalem by Israeli settlers and access to one of the most sacred sites in the city, which is a key hub for Islam, Judaism and Christianity. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed his deep concern at the situation in a statement at the weekend, while the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on the issue on Monday.

Nine children among 26 killed in Israel airstrikes in Gaza continued from page 01 The current violence, like previous rounds, including the last intifada, or uprising, has been fueled by conflicting claims over Jerusalem, which is at the emotional core of the sides’ long conflict.

In a sign of widening unrest, hundreds of residents of Arab communities across Israel staged overnight demonstrations — denouncing the recent actions of Israeli security forces against Palestinians. It was one of the largest protests by Palestinian citizens in Israel in recent years.

Israel and Hamas, a fighter group, have fought three wars and numerous skirmishes since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007. Recent rounds of fighting have usually ended after a few days, often helped by behindthe-scenes mediation by Qatar, egypt, and others.

An egyptian official confirmed that the country was trying to broker a truce. But the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was discussing sensitive diplomacy, said Israeli actions in Jerusalem had complicated those efforts. A Palestinian security official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the cease-fire efforts.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that fighting could “continue for some time.” Lt Col Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman, told reporters Tuesday that the military was in “the early stages” of strikes against Gaza targets that it had planned well in advance. Israel carried out dozens of airstrikes, including two that targeted high-rise buildings where fighters were believed to be hiding.

At midday, an airstrike hit an apartment building in central Gaza City. Local media said an unknown number of fighters had been killed. But the force of the blast sent terrified residents, including women and children who were barefoot, running into the streets.

An earlier airstrike struck a high-rise elsewhere in Gaza City as people were conducting dawn prayers, residents said. Health officials said two men and a woman were killed. The woman’s 19-year-old disabled son was

among the dead, residents said.

Ashraf al-Kidra, a spokesman for the Gaza Health Ministry, said a total of 26 people, including nine children and the woman, were killed and 122 people were wounded. He said Israel’s “relentless assault” was overwhelming the health care system, which has been struggling with a Covid-19 outbreak. The escalation comes at a time of political limbo in Israel.

Netanyahu has been acting as a caretaker prime minister since an inconclusive parliamentary election in March. He tried and failed to form a coalition government with his hard-line and ultra-Orthodox allies, and the task was handed to his political rivals last week.

One of those rivals is Israel’s defense minister, who is overseeing the Gaza campaign. It was not clear whether the toxic political atmosphere is spilling over into military decision-making, though the rival camps have unanimously expressed support for striking Hamas hard.

The support of an Arab-backed party with Islamist roots is key for the anti-Netanyahu bloc’s efforts. But the current tensions might deter the party’s leader, Mansour Abbas, from joining a coalition for now. The sides have three more weeks to reach a deal. The current round of violence in Jerusalem coincided with the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in mid-April.

Critics say heavy-handed police measures helped stoke nightly unrest, including a decision to temporarily seal off a popular gathering spot where Palestinian residents would meet after evening prayers. Another flashpoint was the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, where dozens of Palestinians are under threat of eviction

by Jewish settlers.

Over the weekend, confrontations erupted at the AlAqsa Mosque compound, which is the third holiest site of Islam and the holiest site in Judaism.

Over several days, Israel police fired tear gas, stun grenades, and rubber bullets at Palestinians in the compound who hurled stones and chairs. Hundreds of Palestinians were hurt. Two dozen officers were also injured. At times, police fired stun grenades into the carpeted mosque.

On Monday evening, Hamas began firing rockets from Gaza, setting off air raid sirens as far as Jerusalem.

From there on, the escalation was rapid.

Conricus, the army spokesman, said Gaza fighters fired more than 250 rockets at Israel, with about onethird falling short and landing in Gaza.

The army said that a rocket landed a direct hit on a seven-story apartment block in the coastal Israeli city of Ashkelon. Israeli paramedic service Magen David Adom said it treated six people injured in the rocket strike. Two were hospitalized in moderate condition.

Later, a second building in the city of Ashdod was hit, lightly wounding four people, Israeli police said.

Conricus said the military hit 130 targets in Gaza, including two tunnels fighters were digging under the border with Israel. He said Israel’s new system of concrete barriers and electronic sensors, intended to thwart tunnel digging, has proven effective. He did not address Gaza Health Ministry reports about the dead children.

In Gaza, most of the deaths were attributed to airstrikes. However, seven of the deaths were members of a single-family, including three children, who died in an explosion in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun.

It was not clear if the blast was caused by an Israeli airstrike or errant rocket. Dozens of mourners took part in the funeral of Hussein Hamad, an 11-year-old boy who was among the dead. More than 100 Gazans were wounded in the airstrikes, the Health Ministry said.

Israel struck scores of Gaza homes in its 2014 war with Hamas, arguing it was aiming at fighters, but also killing many civilians. The practice drew broad international condemnation at the time.

Israel’s tactics in Jerusalem have drawn angry reactions from the Muslim world.

Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia on Monday condemned in the strongest terms what it said were attacks

by Israeli forces against the sanctity of Al-Aqsa and the safety of its worshippers. The Saudi Foreign Ministry called Tuesday on the international community to hold Israeli forces responsible for any escalation.

neWs

05

Pakistan will welcome third-party mediation on India talks: Qureshi continued from page 01 “This Saudi visit was different in the sense that it defeated the designs of the elements that were trying to create a wedge between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Now, it is win-win cooperation,” he said.

Qureshi said under the Vision 2030 of the crown prince, around 10 million workforce was required in the next few years and Riyadh wanted to allocate a big chuck for Pakistan nationals. “In addition to blue-collar jobs, we have to prepare our workforce for the white-collar jobs through their capacitybuilding at professional sides,” he said. He said the $500 million of Saudi money would help Pakistan meet its energy needs through the development of hydropower projects. Qureshi said Saudi Arabia had a special place in the Muslim community which looked towards it for a leadership role, saying that Pakistan welcomed the initiation of talks between Riyadh and Tehran to ease tension. Asked if the Saudi assistance to Pakistan would lead to favors in return, he said: “Pakistan is not paying a price. It prioritises its own interests.” “Diplomacy is not an instant job, but one has to chip and work on the matters through persistent efforts. Pakistan will protect its interests in any case,” he added. Qureshi said Pakistan stands with Afghanistan in its efforts for peace, prosperity, reconciliation and categorically stated that it did not side with any particular stakeholder. “We will remain partners in peace with Afghanistan and will continue to play our role as a facilitator,” he said, a political solution through negotiations was in the interest of Afghanistan. He welcomed the recent ceasefire between the Taliban and the Afghan government, saying that the positive development would enable a conducive environment for negotiations. Qureshi dismissed that Pakistan would allow any military bases on its soil in the wake of the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. “We will not allow [American] boots on the ground or allow military bases,” he said. He assured the Afghan government and people that Pakistan wanted a strong and stable Afghanistan and “will not interfere in their internal matters”. On the situation in Palestine, the foreign minister strongly condemned the Israeli attacks on worshippers at AlAqsa Mosque and called upon the international community to mobilise efforts to diffuse the conflict.

Regarding the prime minister’s recent criticism on Pakistan missions abroad, he said the purpose was to bring improvement and avoid negligence aimed at facilitating the overseas Pakistanis. However, he pointed that it was unnecessary to make public an inhouse meeting as several officials working at the embassies were reporting to their respective ministries and not the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The foreign minister also vowed to “never let down the morale of diplomats”, adding that a task force headed by Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood has been established and input has been sought from the foreign missions.

KP govt transfers another installment of Rs1bn to TMAs PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Finance Department has released another installment of Rs1 billion to Tehsil Municipal Administrations (TMAs) as immovable property tax exemption given by the government due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The KP provincial cabinet had waived the 2 per cent property tax on immovable property for one year and approved the transfer of the same amount to the 84 TMAs from the provincial exchequer. Therefore, the TMAs are being given another installment of Rs1 billion out of the total Rs4 billion to be released during the current financial year. AZIZ BUNERI

PM Imran vows to hold corrupt political mafia accountable continued from page 01 He that said the textile and cement industries witnessed a boom, while local car manufacturing was recorded at 18 per cent. The Karachi Stock exchange showed a bullish trend by 66 per cent increase as per Bloomberg and the information technology exports increased by 44 per cent.

INCENTIVES FOR FARMERS: Premier Imran said that Pakistan had immense potential in the agriculture sector and the government would announce reforms every two weeks aimed at introducing advanced growing modes and by directly facilitating the farmers.

He mentioned that 65 per cent of farmers in the country owned land of fewer than five acres and the government aimed at benefitting them through incentives such as Kisan card and subsidy.

He said that the private sector would be involved in the technique learning of farmers

and seed development.

In view of the increase in population, he said, the government has started thinking of a long-term food security plan and increase production of wheat and milk.

PM Imran said that an additional Rs 1,100 billion were given to farmers in lieu of direct subsidy on seeds and fertilizers which resulted in high production of sugarcane and corn by 22 and 27 per cent, respectively.

HOUSING SECTOR & CITY MASTER PLANS: The prime minister said that incentives in housing sectors had encouraged economic activity and the banks were offering loans for the construction of houses. He acknowledged the role of courts in the passage of foreclosure law of banks which he said greatly helped in the materialization of the low-cost housing project.

Responding to a caller who complained about a delay in a housing project for government employees in Bhara Kahu, he advised his

staff to note the matter for further pursuance.

PM Imran said that lack of planning and civic infrastructure had led to the improper expansion of metropolitans. He said that barrages were being to overcome water scarcity, adding that for Islamabad, a special arrangement of water supply was in progress.

KASHMIR: On the issue of Kashmir, the prime minister categorically stated that Pakistan would not resume talks with India till its restores the special status of the Occupied Valley.

“Unless India reverts to its August 5 action, Pakistan will not hold talks,” he said.

PM Imran said that the Hindu supremacist ideology of the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) in India was being condemned at the international level. He lauded the role of Pakistan’s Foreign Office in leading a full campaign to highlight the Kashmir issue.

COVID-19: The prime minister appealed to the nation to follow precautions to contain

cmYK

the spread of the third wave of coronavirus, particularly during the eid holidays.

“I request you to follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) and particularly use face masks. Take care of your elderly so as to avoid lockdown,” he said.

To a question on reduction of timings in bazaars that led to more crowd, he said the schedule could be reviewed in consultation with National Command and Control Centre (NCOC). He said that Pakistan was working on producing its own Covid-19 vaccine and said “good news was in this regard was in the offing”.

PORTAL FOR OVERSEAS PAKISTANIS: PM Imran announced the establishment of a dedicated portal for overseas Pakistanis to be headed by the foreign minister, where complaints could directly be made if an embassy or foreign mission did not respond.

He said that the portal would be advertised soon where a special officer would be

working under the foreign minister as a focal person to deal with the complaints.

He mentioned that the Foreign Office (FO) was working well in the area of diplomacy, adding the focus of the government was two areas including consular services and attracting foreign investment. He, however, admitted that his recent interaction with the diplomats at missions abroad, where he had pointed out the shortcomings, should not have gone on air for public consumption.

BORDER MARKETS WITH IRAN & AFGHANISTAN: The premier said that smuggling was a big problem at the borders with Iran and Afghanistan and mentioned that the smuggling of Iranian petrol, which was causing huge financial loss, was completely stopped at the border.

He said that the establishment of markets at both borders would encourage the traders to involve in economic activity and refrain from smuggling.

Wednesday, 12 May, 2021

06 COMMENT

The big question posed by HRW’s report

Biden’s Afghan policy Challenge and reward for Pakistan

C

OAS Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, accompanied by the DG iSi, met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Afghan National Reconciliation Council Chairman Abdullah Abdullah. The two Pakistani officials reiterated that Pakistan would always support an ‘Afghanled, Afghan-owned’ peace process based on mutual consensus. The stand implied that Pakistan would continue to help the Afghan government and the Taliban to hammer out an inclusive power-sharing agreement acceptable to Afghan stakeholders.

Pakistan is already trying to bring the Taliban back to negotiations with the Afghan government. it also wants the two sides to create conditions conducive for talks. The declaration by the Taliban of a three day ceasefire during the eid is a welcome development The visit came only days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent a bleak message to various stakeholders in Afghan peace, including Pakistan. Mr Blinken maintained that the plan to withdraw all foreign troops by September 11 should be an eye-opener for all “free riders” in the neighbourhood. “They now have to decide, including Pakistan, where their interests lie, and, if they have influence, how to use it.” The Secretary argued that it was not in the interest of Pakistan to see Afghanistan winding up in a civil war, because that would produce a massive refugee flow with all its horrible consequences coming in its wake. Other countries too should be concerned about the export of extremism, drugs, and so on, he said. in other words it is in the interest of Pakistan to do whatever it takes to bring the two combatants, that is, the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban, onboard. As far as the USA is concerned, its engagement will be limited to supporting Afghanistan economically , through development assistance, humanitarian aid and support for its security forces.

This gives Pakistan an opportunity to win over the hearts and minds of the Afghan people by playing the role of the harbinger of peace in the war-ravaged country.

Once an inclusive administration is in place and the civil war ends through Pakistan’s diplomacy, it would be possible to increase connectivity in the region through CPeC. This would bring prosperity to the region besides enhancing Pakistan’s prestige. All depends on the negotiating skills of those conducting talks with the Afghan government and Taliban.

The report lays bare the apartheid of Israel towards Palestinians

Washington Watch Dr James J Zogby

W

hile reading human Rights Watch’s (hRW) monumental report “A Threshold Crossed” i felt a range of emotions. it also left me with one big question. i was deeply impressed by the report’s rigorous scholarship. At the same time, it brought to the surface feelings of anger and profound sadness. it’s an extraordinarily complete study detailing not only the many ways israel has violated a broad range of Palestinian human rights, but the ideology of racial superiority and entitlement that israel has used to justify its repression.

Defending Palestinian human rights has long been my passion– and my vocation. i founded the Palestine human Rights Campaign (PhRC) almost one-half century ago. in the 1970s, we issued our own reports on some of the very same policies covered in the hRW study. i, therefore, felt some degree of validation reading its presentation of israel’s: systematic effort to cleanse the Galilee and the Negev of Arabs; refusal to allow Palestinian refugees and those internally displaced access to their homes and properties; crippling stranglehold on Gaza and impact on the lives of that region’s civilian population; efforts to ensure Jewish demographic dominance in what they call “Greater Jerusalem”; and deliberate policies designed to corral Palestinians in the West Bank into Bantustans, replicating the way they dealt with their Palestinian citizens in the Galilee. i also felt enraged because these inhumane policies, though known (and reported on) for decades, have been ignored by policymakers.

Foreign minister’s faux pas Can he be reprimanded?

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OReiGN Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has retracted a statement he made during an interview where he unexpectedly said that the revocation of Article 370 of the indian Constitution, a change that stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status, was ‘india’s internal matter and it meant nothing for Pakistan.

This was a surprising and frankly shocking departure from the PTi government’s narrative on the matter; rather it is the indian line. As expected, Mr Qureshi’s words drew considerable condemnation and criticism from opposition parties who are naturally linking this supposed ‘softening in tone’ to reported backchannel talks taking place between Pakistan and india, brokered by the UAe. To simply accept that Mr Qureshi had yet another foot-inmouth moment that he is trying to correct would be a bit naïve given how indo-Pak tensions have significantly eased over the past two months, proving that mediated talks between the two not only took place but are most likely ongoing.

This is not the first time the Foreign Minister has had to eat his words. last, ironically enough, he censured Saudi Arabia for dragging its feet on escalating the Kashmir issue at the OiC (Organisation of islamic Cooperation), threatening to go ahead without it if t did not support Pakistan. Saudi backlash came in the form of a $1 billion soft loan being recalled, given in good faith as support to Pakistan’s external account. The money would eventually have to be borrowed from China and paid back to Saudi Arabia. Relations have remained fraught since then and it was only this past week that COAS Gen Qanar Javed Bajwa and Prime Minister imran Khan visited the Kingdom and things were smoothed over. it does not bode well for Pakistan’s diplomatic standing and credibility across the world if the Foreign Minister continues to make off-the-cuff remarks on sensitive matters that form the country’s foreign policy, presumably without giving much thought to what he is saying and who he is saying it to. This is exactly the sort of lacklustre performance for which a federal minister, the Foreign Minister no less, must be reprimanded. however, with the sort of numbers he is dealing with in Parliament and the political atmosphere around him, the Prime Minister has to be very careful not to offend the more ambitious ones in his Cabinet.

When weapons become computers ali saJiD lashari

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CADS of wars have been waged throughout human history with distinct ways and weapons. Different kinds of military tools and techniques were used to sabotage adverse forces. They include manpower, firepower, tanks, machine guns, artillery of various kinds, synchronized air, sea, and ground operations, and much, much more. But, as the world has developed the developing global scenario is witnessing a drastic change with regard to weapons of fighting war. New weaponries of mass destruction are being invented to undo rival states. in this process, cyber warfare and its tools are the latest version. it is worth keeping in mind that the use of digital attacks like computer viruses and hacking, is called cyberwarfare. in this war, countries use technology to disrupt the vital computer systems of opponent states with the purpose of creating physical damage. Apart from thi , they employ offensive manoeuvres targeting computer information systems, infrastructure, computer networks or personal computer devices by various means of malicious acts which usually originate from an anonymous source.

Software, virus and intrusion devices that can disrupt the infrastructures of other countries whether in the military defense system, communications, electric power smart grids, financial systems, or air traffic control are dubbed cyber-weapons by expert scholars. They are also put in practice for devastation, theft, stealing, alteration and espionage by hackers by hacking into susceptible systems.

The USA, Russia, the UK, China and israel are at the top of the list of those countries which have proven their mettle in this field (cyberwarfare) and they, globally, are considered cyber warfare superpowers. Two other players who have compelled the world to entitle them cyber war powers are iran and North Korea.

Arif Nizami Editor Managing Editor

Joint Editor

Umar Aziz Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

If you remain silent, continue to find ways to absolve Israel’s behaviour, or refuse to consider measures to end these abuses, then you are, in fact, answering “No, Palestinians are not full human beings whose lives are as valuable as those of any other people” — and you, in effect, become complicit in these continuing crimes against humanity

The writer is President, Arab American Institute.

Conquering without fighting in the field

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Yousaf Nizami Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

i also felt a deep hurt as i recalled the many Palestinian victims of israeli abuse whom i’ve known over the years – those who: were tortured; had their homes demolished or lands confiscated; were illegally kidnapped and expelled; detained for years without trial; or were refugees, forced to flee and longing to return to their homes.

And i grieved for those human rights champions i knew who had devoted their lives to the cause of justice and helped guide my early work: the human rights attorney, Felicia langer; the President and Vice-President of the israeli league for human and Civil Rights, israel Shahak and Uri Davis; the poet, Mayor of Nazereth and Knesset Member Tawfiq Zayyad; and the courageous West Bank mayors Abdul Jawad Saleh, Fahd Kawasmeh, and Mohamed Milham – who were taken by occupation authorities in the dark of night and expelled from their homes and country. At one point, while reading the report, i wept at the thought that none of these heroes had lived to see the day when the racist system against which they worked so hard was finally being called out by the name it deserved— Apartheid.

What’s new, of course, in this hRW report, aren’t the details of the charge sheet. it’s that hRW has removed the argument that liberals in the USA have used to absolve themselves from criticizing israel.

When confronted with past reports on israeli abuses, their two most common responses have taken two forms of nervous dismissal: either— “if we focus on these matters, it will make the israelis less willing to negotiate a two-state solution with the Palestinians;” or “if the israelis continue on this path, a two-state solution will be impossible and israel will become an apartheid state.”

As the title of the report makes clear, that threshold has been crossed. By calculated israeli design, the two-state solution is no longer possible; apartheid and persecution define the reality that exists in the entire area under israeli control.

Relying on the accepted definitions of these

crimes in international law, “A Threshold Crossed” methodically lays out the case that israel is guilty of: Apartheid— that is, “inhumane acts committed in the context of systematic oppression by one racial group over another, with the intent to dominate the marginalized group; and Persecution, that is, “severe abuses of fundamental rights committed with discriminatory intent.”

To date, the responses of israel and its supporters in the USA to the hRW report have been predictable. They worked themselves into a frenzied rage throwing every imaginable insult they could at hRW and the report’s leadership— “fabricated,” “a pack of lies,” “anti-Semitic.” The reactions of liberals have been more interesting, since they have long held that hRW reports on other countries are the “gold standard.” They have, therefore, twisted themselves in knots trying to maintain their concern with israeli practices while still falling back on the two-state mantra. in both instances, it was clear that the report hadn’t been read, and in all likelihood, wouldn’t be read because of the discomfort it will cause. And this too is infuriating.

My advice to both israel’s defenders and weakkneed liberals is, “Read the damn report.” And as you read it, ask yourselves just one question: “Are Palestinians full human beings whose lives are as valuable as those of any other people?” if you decide the answer is “Yes,” then i ask, how can you be silent and acquiesce in the face of the horrific systematic abuse to which Palestinians have been forced to endure? And how can you continue to tolerate the denial of Palestinian rights to the sanctity of their homes and properties and their fundamental rights to life and liberty? if you remain silent, continue to find ways to absolve israel’s behaviour, or refuse to consider measures to end these abuses, then you are, in fact, answering “No, Palestinians are not full human beings whose lives are as valuable as those of any other people” — and you, in effect, become complicit in these continuing crimes against humanity.

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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here are some precedents pertaining to cyber war weapons used by governments to sabotage their rivals.

Chronologically, in 2006, the Russian mafia group Russian Business Network (RBN) started using malware for identity theft. By 2007, this group monopolized online theft completely. Till September of this very same year, their storm worm was estimated to be running on roughly one million computers, sending millions of infected emails each day.

Another incident took place on 27 August 2008, when Russian hackers attacked the international Space Station which NASA confirmed too. Three months later Pentagon computers were hacked. The Cyber Snake programme, in 2014, that attacked the Ukraine, is also believed to be Russian designed.

Stuxnet, a cyberweapon, was deployed by the USA and israel jointly towards iran to disrupt its nuclear programme. This was the first ever cyberwar arm used by a government in 2009. in the aftermath of this, iranian valves and centrifuges turned off, equipment was damaged and its uranium enrichment program effectively slowed down. Flame, another powerful malware, was used (by the USA) to monitor iranian networks and collect critical information.

Another major incident occurred when, in 2012, iranian hackers attacked the national oil company of Saudi Arabia, named Saudi Aramco.

Resultantly, this malicious move obliterated its corporate iT infrastructure and brought the com-

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

pany very close to collapse.

Japan-south Korea cyberwarfare: in 2010, there was a cyberattack during the Paris G20 summit, targeting G20-related documents, including financial information. A six-month-long cyberattack on the German Parliament was carried out by Sofacy group in 2014. Assistance was given to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign by Russiansponsored cyber-espionage groups Cozy Bear and Fancy Bear with the aim of harming hillary Clinton’s campaign and boosting Trump’s candidacy, These are just a few examples that may be mentioned.

As a matter of fact, these cyberwarfare champs are not only engaged in attacks abroad but are also striving to further improve their cyberwar capability. The Pentagon has given Cyber Command equal status to nine other combat Commands which include Central Command and Special Operations Command.

China, too, had announced that it was unifying its capabilities to better develop its cyberwarfare might. Moreover, Russia, the UK, israel, iran, North Korea and many others are investing a great deal of wealth to increase their cyberwarfare muscle.

To encapsulate, from aforementioned antecedents, it is clear that now, we are going to cope in years to come with the fullfledged cyberwarfare which will be fought from miles away sitting in closed rooms, and not with manpower and muscular strongmen fighting in the field face to face, with no fear of retaliation.

Cyberwarfare champs are not only engaged in attacks abroad but are also striving to further improve their cyberwar capability. The Pentagon has given Cyber Command equal status to nine other combat Commands which include Central Command and Special Operations Command.

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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The writer is a freelance columnist

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Wednesday, 12 May, 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

Corona and the heart

Why the USA failed in Afghanistan There are faults on both sides

malik muhammaD ashraf

W

hile the intra-Afghan dialogue still seems a non-starter in terms of any substantive progress on the political future of the country and the modalities of power sharing, the US and NATO troops have already started pulling out of Afghanistan, and the process, according to US President Joe Biden, would be completed by 11 September. The message is come what may, the USA is abandoning the ‘forever war’, not bothered about what would happen after it leaves Afghanistan without any agreement between the Taliban and the Afghan government. it is indeed very worrying for the regional stakeholders who rightly have been advocating and supporting a settlement between the Taliban and the Afghan government before the US forces pulled out, more so Pakistan which has been playing a pivotal role in facilitating a peace deal between the USA and the Taliban, and the commencement of intra-Afghan dialogue. it is rightly feared that Afghanistan might relapse into factional fighting with frightening consequences for Afghanistan itself, as well the countries in geographical proximity with it.

The situation represents a US failure to achieve its objectives in Afghanistan, and as usual pulling out of a war started by it without achieving its goals and leaving the country to suffer the consequences. The USA did it after the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan and they are pulling out again leaving the country in a lurch.

After the 9/11 attacks although there were many avenues available to seek revenge from the perpetrators of the mayhem and striking a deal with the Taliban government in this regard, but the USA, inebriated by its military power and its streak of revenge, never bothered to explore those possibilities. Being unmindful of the historic realities it opted for employing its military might to seek revenge. The USA and its NATO allies succeeded in dismantling the Al-Qaeda network in Afghanistan and even dislodged the Taliban government. Their objective to seek revenge and assuage their ego had been achieved.

But it then made the mistake of democratizing the tribal society which for centuries had resisted any change and to transform its culture, which have proved to be the cause of its failure in Afghanistan. Now after spending trillions of dollars and loss of thousands of the lives of its allies and Afghans it has finally accepted its defeat and realized that it could not continue the

forever war.

Unfortunately the deal between Taliban and the USA was thwarted by the Afghan government which was kept out of the dialogue and some of provisions of the deal still remain to be implemented. The intra-Afghan dialogue in Doha has failed to move ahead except for agreement on the modalities for dialogue. There is an ambience of mistrust between the stakeholders.

Taliban prisoners have not been released as per the agreement and the names of their leaders have not been removed from the terrorist list.

The Biden Administration came up with a four-point plan which also failed to make any headway. Russia organized a dialogue between the parties recently without any positive results.

Realistically speaking, both the Afghan government and the Taliban are responsible for the stalemate. The Taliban probably are more rigid in their approach. They even have refused to participate in the USbacked istanbul Conference which was to be hosted by Turkey, Qatar and the UN, and designed to fast-track the peace process. They rejected the new date given by the Biden Administration for withdrawal of troops, saying it was a violation of the peace agreement signed with the Trump Administration. however the efforts to convince the Taliban for resumption of the intra-Afghan dialogue and thus facilitating it have not been abandoned as yet. Pakistan, which reportedly is not happy with the Taliban stance and their inflexible attitude, is trying to exert pressure on them, even warning them of the consequences of non-agreement on the future of Afghanistan before a complete US and NATO withdrawal.

Pakistan is the biggest stakeholder in peace in Afghanistan and would be the last country to want its efforts go down the drain. At the same time it continues to make efforts at multilateral forums to facilitate peace in Afghanistan.

On April 30, representatives of the extended ‘troika’— comprising the USA, Russia, China and Pakistan— met in Doha, to discuss ways to support intra-Afghan negotiations and help the parties reach a negotiated settlement and a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire. The extended ‘troika’ also met representatives of Afghanistan’s negotiating team, of the Taliban and host Qatar. The Aghan government and the high Council for National Reconciliation were asked to engage openly with their Taliban counterparts regarding a negotiated settlement. The ‘troika’ unequivocally emphasized that it did not support the establishment in Afghanistan of any government imposed by force.

The joint statement issued by the troika condemned in the strongest terms any attacks deliberately targeting civilians in Afghanistan and called on all parties to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law in all circumstances, including those related to protection of civilians. it pointed out that that there was no military solution in Afghanistan and a negotiated political settlement through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process was the only way forward for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan. The statement said “We expect the Taliban to fulfill its counterterrorism commitments, including preventing terrorist groups and individuals from using Afghan soil to threaten the security of any other country; not hosting these groups and preventing them from recruiting, training, and fundraising. We expect the Afghan government to continue counterterrorism cooperation with the international community,” Addressing the Taliban, the statement reiterated its call on all parties to the conflict in Afghanistan to reduce the level of violence in the country and on the Taliban not to pursue a spring offensive. The statement emphasized that any peace agreement that is agreed upon must include protections for the rights of all Afghans, including women, men, children, victims of war, and minorities, and should respond to the strong desire of all Afghans for economic, social and political development including the rule of law. A call was made for a durable and just political resolution that will result in the formation of an independent, sovereign, unified, peaceful, democratic, neutral and self-sufficient Afghanistan. The statement also supported a review of the status of designations of Taliban individuals and entities on the UN 1988 sanctions, as stated in the UNSC resolution 2513 (2020) noting that practical measures to reduce violence and sustained efforts to advance intra-Afghan negotiations by the Taliban will positively affect this review process.

The USA and the regional countries have also made commitments to help Afghanistan in the process of reconstruction and development in the post withdrawal era provided the parties reach an agreement on the future of Afghanistan.

Therefore, the Taliban and Afghan government must revisit their positions for their own sake and in the interest of the regional peace. They may not get a better opportunity than this to establish peace in Afghanistan.

The USA and the regional countries have also made commitments to help Afghanistan in the process of reconstruction and development in the post withdrawal era provided the parties reach an agreement on the future of Afghanistan. Therefore, the Taliban and Afghan government must revisit their positions for their own sake and in the interest of the regional peace. They may not get a better opportunity than this to establish peace in Afghanistan.

Malik Muhammad Ashraf is an academic.

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

DeSPiTe the fact that COViD-19 is considered an illness of the lungs, many patients who contract the new coronavirus experience cardiac issues.

Up to 1 in 5 patients with COViD-19 have signs of heart injury, regardless of whether or not they had respiratory symptoms.

Though a good portion of these patients already had underlying health issues involving the heart, like heart disease or high blood pressure, many otherwise healthy patients have also developed heart problems, including blood vessel injuries, blood clots, arrhythmia, strokes, and heart attacks.

The high incidence of cardiac problems in patients who contract the coronavirus has had physicians stumped: how could a respiratory infection inflict so much damage on the heart. it boils down to a few factors. The widespread inflammation the infection causes, the possibility that the virus directly infects and injures the cardiovascular system, and the overall stress the infection puts on pre existing heart conditions. 45 recent reports pertaining to COViD-19 and cardiovascular complications and found that the coronavirus can cause lasting heart impairments. in addition, the experimental drugs used to treat COViD19 — like hydroxychloroquine and remdesivir — may cause heart damage in some patients and worsen pre existing heart issues in others. Researchers hope the new findings will inform how emergency physicians screen and treat patients diagnosed with COViD-19. Still, more research is needed to confirm exactly how the coronavirus affects heart function, and which patients with COViD-19 are most at risk for running into heart troubles.

ASfAndyAr KhAn ISlAmAbAd

Child marriages ChilD marriages have been one of the serious issues, especially in developing countries. Pakistan also facing this problem, children under eighteen are forcefully contract into marriage by their family elders in rural areas. specially girls are going through this issue. The girls of the extremely poverty-ridden families in the slums of the towns and cities of villages are found to be married before 15. According to research every year at least 12 million girls marry before the age of 18. it's due to poverty and illiteracy. The parents of their families can't afford to send their girls to high schools and can't provide them with job.

This later causes different types of health issues such as obstetric fistula, cervical cancer and many other sexually transmitted infectious diseases like hiV. There is a high chance of death during childbirth. human Rights and many other organizations are working against child marriages by doing awareness programs, sessions etc, But still there are no such fruitful results. Child marriage is still in practice and situation is becoming worst day by day. Government should make strong law against child marriages, and also develop educational institutes in backward areas because illiteracy and poverty is the main reason of child marriage.

JAvErIyA KhAn KArAchI

Surprisingly similar SCieNCe and religion are similar in some areas and different in other areas. Science can be measured. Religion, not so much. Religion is closer to philosophy and the ethical part of subject. Science is closer to discrete and quantitatively aspects. They both perform different function you don’t use science to answer ethical question and you don’t use religion to measure the universe. Science say that the big bang was the beginning of the universe. Religion says we were created in the likeness of god. Both science and religion have fair points to consider. Science like the universe but doesn’t like the personal God mythology stuff. Religion focuses more on the personal God aspect and less on the overall big picture of energy. Both organization love authority, Although religion probably like it a tad more. Science still praises the large scientific institution’s and school however.

TAhIr AyAz ISlAmAbAd

Lock down or lockup QUARANTiNe, lock down, and physical distancing are the one of useful ways to minimize the spreading of coronavirus disease among communities, and if these steps were taken effectively we would have a better position , after first lock down of 15 days we had a clear picture of effected people and the healthy community, 2nd step should be the treatment of infected and isolation of others, 3rd step should be disinfection of markets and public places, and 4th step would be lifting of lock down toward normal life with extra care followed by strict SOPs. Unfortunately this was not effectively happened in Pakistan because of several multidimensional reasons including failure of proper coordination between federal and provincial government, non-serious attitude of general public toward pandemic, lack of trust on government, disobeying of lock down policies, economic crisis and failure of government to address the problem of daily income wagers. One of the main reason of failure is improper implementation of lock down. Markets were opened, hardly 10% public use face masks, sanitizers and maintained social distances during grocery and in small markets, even shopkeepers are failed to follow SOP’s resulted in increased in local transmission of cases more than 28000 and death of 600 plus people and this figure may not be accurate because we do not have enough testing kits for everyone, as day passes, the graph is increasing.

Now government is going to lift up lock down without achieving sustainable decline in new cases and this will lead to grow number of cases and death exponentially because we don’t have proper framework with explicit rationale ground for determine how, where and when the relaxation should be given. The first and foremost objective should be to save the life of masses, by averting the health care system collapse, to prevent the enormous economic damage and with least compromising on people emotional well and good well-being. There is emergency need of proper policy making, implementation and precisely adjustment of intervention where necessary with the passage of time to keep the number at acceptable level throughout the country. if timely Nobel decisions would not be taken, than there would be unmitigated humanitarian catastrophe waiting for us. fAyyAz SAlIh huSSAIn KArAchI

Wednesday, 12 May, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

‘US will noT abandon afghaniSTan’

Spiegel susanne KoelBl

DER SPIEGEL: Ambassador Khalilzad, what peace process exactly are we talking about? In Kabul and throughout Afghanistan, preparations for war are already underway.

Khalilzad: Actually, the Afghan people are longing for peace. And there has to be peace. There is no better alternative. The alternative is an endless war. That’s not what the Afghan people want. That’s not what the United States wants. That’s not what the region needs or wants. And that’s not what our allies and partners in europe and NATO want.

DER SPIEGEL: Just last night, there were 142 attacks by the Taliban in the provinces of Baghlan, Uruzgan, Helmand and Kandahar. What makes you think that the Taliban are seeking a peaceful agreement?

Khalilzad: Yes, the level of violence is too high and there has been ongoing fighting. That is why the peace talks need to commence as soon as possible and as earnestly as possible. The Taliban spoke to the U.S. and the european group in Berlin this week by video.

They said they don’t see a military solution and say that the only option is a political one. Both sides have to be realistic about finding common ground. If there is no peace agreement, the alternative is not a Taliban victory. It is a long war.

DER SPIEGEL: Taliban field commanders are keen to make military gains every single day. The negotiation team in Doha – with whom you and your Western allies are talking to – appear to be more diplomatic. Who is calling the shots inside the Taliban?

Khalilzad: I believe that the leadership is in control, but we will see. But there is also another important factor. If groups inside the Afghan Republic start to divide and each go their separate ways – which is a possibility, and a dangerous one – that would encourage the Taliban, perhaps the hardliners, to seek a military solution.

DER SPIEGEL: What would a “military solution” mean for the future of Afghanistan?

Khalilzad: It would mean a repeat of the tragic

period of the 1990s, when Afghanistan became the scene of a proxy war following the Soviet departure.

Many of the leaders of the Taliban and the other Afghan groups remember that period. They remember that terrible mistakes were made: They didn’t come together, instead they each sought an advantage for themselves and that led to a war that destroyed Afghanistan. Our expectation is that the parties won’t repeat that mistake again.

DER SPIEGEL: Are the Taliban just buying themselves time by pretending to negotiate?

Khalilzad: The proposed conference in Turkey is one test to see whether the Taliban want to end the conflict through negotiations. The Afghan government is willing to discuss another prisoner release, but they are concerned about the high levels of violence. The Turks have agreed, together with Qatar and the United Nations, to convene a meeting of the Afghan Republic and the Taliban to accelerate political negotiations. The Taliban so far have not agreed to the dates that were proposed.

They said they haven’t yet received authorization from their leaders. But they do want prisoners released and they do want to be taken off the blacklist.

DER SPIEGEL: It looks like the Taliban are just waiting until the very last American soldier leaves Afghan soil. After all, talk is cheap.

Khalilzad: OK. But war is expensive. War is expensive for Afghans. War is expensive for the Afghan security forces we continue to support – even as we speak – and who we will continue to support.

War is expensive for the Taliban as well. Significant numbers are dying on all sides.

DER SPIEGEL: What leverage does the U.S. and their allies still have?

Khalilzad: The Taliban face alternative futures.

One future is international legitimacy, assistance, getting off the sanctions’ blacklist, and prisoners released. But that means negotiations and agreeing to a realistic political settlement. The alternative is war. even if they make continued gains, they’re not looking at an easy victory. And ongoing aggression on their part will mean continued isolation, not being accepted as a legitimate partner, not getting off the blacklist, no prisoners released, and the continued opposition from the international community working to prevent a military takeover. So this is a time for the Taliban to decide which path they want to take. And we are preparing ourselves, with our friends and allies, for both options. That’s the message that we have delivered to the Taliban.

DER SPIEGEL: What was their response?

Khalilzad: They say they are working on their plan for a political settlement. Kabul started with 30 plans which they have now reduced to two. The negotiations – including the meeting in Turkey with facilitators – can be used to see how these plans might fit together for the future of Afghanistan. We strongly hope the UN, Turkey and Qatar can help through active facilitation.

DER SPIEGEL: Currently there is fighting in 28 of the 34 provinces of the country. What scenario should Afghans – and their allies – be preparing for?

Khalilzad: If the Taliban do not pursue a political settlement, but instead pursue a military option, despite

what they say to us and to the world – that they don’t think there is a military solution – then I believe that the Afghan forces will resist and we will support them.

But in fact, Afghanistan’s recent history shows that any effort of a group to impose its will on others by force leads to a long war.

DER SPIEGEL: What legacy will the U.S. leave behind in Afghanistan?

Khalilzad: The economy of Afghanistan, the infrastructure, construction, and Afghanistan’s relations with the world have all improved. Afghans have a longer life span today than 20 years ago, and more Afghans are getting educated than they ever did before.

Institutions that did not exist before now exist, including the institution of the security forces. And civil society has been very active. Afghanistan has changed. And I tell the Taliban leaders with whom I speak that they need to get to know this new Afghanistan. We will not abandon Afghanistan. We will have – when the withdrawal is completed – a new chapter in our partnership. Afghanistan is going to be at the very top of the recipients of U.S. assistance, foreign assistance which includes supporting the Afghan security forces, development assistance and humanitarian assistance. And our allies say the same.

DER SPIEGEL: What will happen to the many Afghans who stood loyal with the Americans and their allies and are now afraid of being killed as socalled collaborators?

Khalilzad: The violence is bad, and our goal is to help end it through a peace agreement. In a best-case scenario, there will be national reconciliation and everyone’s energies will focus on rebuilding lives and obtaining the peace dividend. But yes, things could get worse if there is no realistic agreement and the war continues – or, God forbid, that it escalates, and past mistakes are repeated. We, for our part, will do all that we can, short of getting involved again in a war, to prevent things from devolving. All Afghans have been affected by this war. Afghans living in Taliban areas have not been spared. They have been deprived of a lot.

They deserve a better chance, as well as those who have benefited from the gains of the last 20 years. We’re preparing for all potential alternatives and we are very much committed to humanitarian support as well.

DER SPIEGEL: When the Soviet Union left Afghanistan in 1989, the Afghan government only collapsed after Moscow cut its financial support and supplies. Will Western countries remain the economic life-line for the country?

Khalilzad: The Afghan security forces are a national institution worthy of support and we will keep supporting them, and providing the financial assistance that they will need. We will maintain a robust embassy.

We will monitor the situation closely. We will remain a good friend of Afghanistan and continue to support it, and be ready for alternative futures.

DER SPIEGEL: You personally have been involved in this mission from very early on. What went wrong?

Khalilzad: The Republic has delivered on many fronts. There have also been challenges. Obviously, corruption has been big and unfortunately, the electoral process has been problematic at times in Afghanistan.

Interview with US Special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad.

Over the long history of this war, there have also been mistakes made in executing the military strategy. The issue of sanctuaries for the opposition was not dealt with in a timely fashion.

DER SPIEGEL: Pakistan has strong interests in Afghanistan and has frequently been accused of providing a safe haven to the Taliban. Is the U.S. alliance with Pakistan more important to Washington than the U.S. commitment to the Afghan people?

Khalilzad: We believe that Pakistan has a legitimate interest in Afghanistan and the Afghans should respect those legitimate interests. The legitimate interest is that Afghanistan’s soil should not be used by those hostile to Pakistan against Pakistan. Similarly, Afghanistan has an interest in Pakistan, and Pakistani soil should not be used by forces hostile to Afghanistan, against Afghanistan. And we have been working hard, along with the United Kingdom, for the two countries to work on improving security cooperation and perhaps to reach a security agreement with each other. That’s an important part of our peace efforts.

DER SPIEGEL: Considering that the U.S. has already announced its withdrawal and the Taliban are expected to return imminently, why should Islamabad still want to make peace with the current Afghan Republic?

Khalilzad: If this peace effort doesn’t succeed, and if there is no agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Pakistan will suffer. Pakistan will be blamed because so much of the Taliban’s leadership lives in Pakistan. A failed peace also means missed opportunities for both countries. Leaders in Pakistan and Afghanistan have a common interest in economic connectivity and trade and development. And we are working hard with both, and with Central Asia, for these things. We believe peace in Afghanistan empowers that and makes that possible.

Would escalation with Hamas benefit Netanyahu?

ESCALATION WITH HAMAS ARRIVES EXACTLY AT THE MOMENT WHEN THE ANTI-NETANYAHU BLOC IS TRYING TO COBBLE UP A “GOVERNMENT FOR CHANGE”

Al-Monitor

T

Ben Caspit

he current round of violence that erupted May 10 between Israel and hamas has two unusual aspects.

The first is unprecedented. For the first time ever, a relatively minor organization such as hamas presented a major military power such as Israel with an ultimatum, demanding the withdrawal of all its security forces from two Jerusalem flashpoints — Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. hamas even set a specific time — 6 p.m.

Israel obviously ignored the threat and went ahead with the annual Jerusalem Day celebrations. But at exactly 6 p.m., hamas fired six rockets toward Jerusalem. One landed on the city’s outskirts, causing damage but no casualties. however, the sirens warning of the incoming rockets disrupted the annual Jewish flag parade through east Jerusalem, sending participants fleeing for shelter, while lawmakers were evacuated from the Knesset plenary where a special annual session was underway marking the Al-

lied victory over the Nazis. The scenes, aired live, provided hamas with dramatic victory photos, caught Israel unprepared and made a mockery of the boastful statements by senior Israeli figures in recent weeks.

The second unique aspect of this round of violence between Israel and the Gaza Strip is perhaps even more fascinating: At his toughest moments, as he battles for his political survival and personal freedom, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is getting some unexpected help from his veteran ally, the hamas movement.

The rocket attack erupted on the day that Knesset members Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, heads of the Yamina and Yesh Atid parties, were preparing to tell President Reuven Rivlin that they had managed to form a new government. The six parties of the so-called bloc for change had been conducting intense negotiations in recent days, finalizing most of their coalition agreements.

Only a few final gaps remained to be bridged before the bloc could achieve the almost impossible feat of replacing Netanyahu. Then, all hell broke loose, with rockets flying, Israeli planes striking Gaza targets and clashes erupting between Israeli Police and Arab citizens, mostly in mixed Jewish-Arab towns.

The developments forced Knesset member Mansour Abbas, head of the Islamist Ra’am party, to ask for timeout from the coalition negotiations he had been conducting in a bid to become the first Arab political party with a foothold in an Israeli government. Ra’am is affiliated ideologically with

hamas, and Abbas could not afford to sign coalition deals with Israel while government forces were clashing with his brothers in Gaza. Ultimately, hamas might have offered Netanyahu his final lifeline, rewarding him for his political and security stances over the past decade. From hamas’ point of view, Netanyahu’s positions had actually benefitted the group.

Conspiracy theories are rife. Some argue that Netanyahu deliberately engineered the escalation of tensions in Jerusalem, using his close aide and henchman, Public Security Minister Amir Ohana, who, in turn, activated his newly appointed Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai.

But how did events unfold? Tensions began last month in the predominantly Palestinian Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, sparked by a prolonged legal dispute between Jews seeking to evict Palestinians from their homes, a move backed by a court ruling. The tension spread from there to the most volatile flashpoint on the face of the earth — Al-Aqsa Mosque. The bizarre police decision last month to place metal barriers near the Damascus Gate to the Old City in order to disrupt the traditional Ramadan month evening gatherings at the site, generated nightly clashes, at first in the gate area and subsequently at Al-Aqsa compound.

Then came the hamas ultimatum. each year on May 10, on Jerusalem Day, Israeli Jews celebrate the unification of the city after taking over its eastern part in the 1967 Six-Day War, 54 years ago. For the first time ever, an external force — hamas —

managed to disrupt the celebrations, including the flag parade that many Muslims view as an annual provocation, dominating the regional agenda and pushing the Palestinian Authority (PA) to the farthest sidelines.

Setting aside the political implications of this outbreak, Netanyahu is now reaping what he sowed since he returned to power in 2009 on a pledge to destroy hamas. In the ensuing years, the way analysts see it, he had in practice forged an alliance with the group.

By avoiding an all-out clash with the organization, he had been defending it. he had also assisted in raising money to fund it, by means of enabling foreign assistance. All this became abundantly clear in the 2014 war with Gaza, codenamed Operation Protective edge. Netanyahu was simply not interested in bringing down hamas, on the contrary: he wanted a strong hamas and a weak, stuttering PA. The result is a strong, self-confident group that is now getting in his face — but may also be doing him a great service.

For all his belligerent rhetoric, Netanyahu’s record reflects caution, pragmatism and intense dislike of military adventures. In the coming days we will find out whether his desperate political and legal straits have an impact on these core traits.

Paradoxically, continued clashes with hamas undermine the prospects of a new government to replace Netanyahu. The law gives Lapid just over three weeks to form a new government, prompting speculation that the military clash with hamas could last that long. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were

ordered to respond harshly to the hamas rockets on Jerusalem and the air force bombed multiple targets in the night hours between May 10 and May 11. Will Netanyahu go all the way this time, or will he revert to his usual pattern of striving for a speedy end to the fighting?

Yet another troubling aspect relates to the element of surprise. Military intelligence assessments in recent weeks argued that hamas was not seeking an extended clash with Israel. This analysis was based largely on the character and moves of Yahya Sinwar, the hamas “strongman” in Gaza, who has been focused on alleviating the humanitarian crisis in the enclave and shoring up his rule.

Apparently, Israeli intelligence did not identify the import of the surprising threat a few days ago by Mohammed Deif, leader of the hamas military wing who had been lying low for years.

Deif was the one who set off the threat saga against Israel last week, and his sudden appearance (in voice only) appears to have shifted the balance of power in the Gaza Strip almost overnight. Israel believes Sinwar had little choice but to go along with the military wing. hamas is also experiencing a power struggle between its leadership outside Gaza (Khaled Meshaal and Salah alArouri), and in Gaza (Ismail haniyeh and Sinwar), with the external group pushing for confrontation with Israel and displaying militancy, while Sinwar prefers calm that would allow him to improve the conditions under which the enclave’s residents live.

In 2014, on the eve of Operation Protective edge, Military Intelligence assessed that hamas was not seeking confrontation. Then, the fighting lasted 51 days. This time, everyone — possibly with the exception of Netanyahu — is hoping it will be shorter.

Wednesday, 12 May, 2021

BUSINESS 09

KARACHI

RS50bn ShanduR-GilGiT Road inCluded in Gb develoPMenT PaCkaGe ISLAMABAD

F

Cotton import bill climbs up to 46pc in 9MFY21 Pakistan spent $1.838 billion on cotton imports during nine months of the current fiscal year (9MFY21) — up 46 per cent — from $1.258bn in the same period a year ago. The 9MFY21 lint imports surpassed the FY20 total cotton import bill of $1.704bn. Cotton import bill in FY19 was $1.65bn. Meanwhile, sharp decline in cotton production — from over 14 million bales in 2012 to 5.6m bales this year — has shattered the hopes of the textile industry which was seeking to improve its performance. Total exports during 9MFY21 increased by just $212m to $10.411bn compared to $10.269bn in the same period of FY20. According to a local media report, data collected from private sector importers is estimated at around 7m bales. In the absence of local cotton stock, the total import by the end of the current fiscal may be around $2.5bn to $3bn. It may be recalled that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority Chairman Asim Bajwa had recently said that Pakistan is making efforts to produce cotton in Balochistan with the help of China as the Chinese are interested in producing cotton in unused lands. MONITORING REPORT

Cryptos slip despite Musk’s hint at Tesla accepting dogecoin for payments ISLAMABAD TLTP

The prices of major cryptocurrencies went down on Tuesday, despite Elon Musk hinted at accepting another crypto, dogecoin, as payment for Tesla cars. As of 1355 hours GMT, bitcoin, the world's biggest cryptocurrency, shed 3.97 percent to reach $55,435. With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of the BTC has reached $1.03 trillion. Likewise, ethereum (ETH) shed 4.50 percent to reach $3,947. With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of ETH reached $455 billion. The world’s second-biggest digital asset, ethereum, reached a new all-time high after crossing a psychologically significant threshold of $4,000 per coin for the first time ever on Monday last. On the other hand, Binance Coin (BNB) shed 0.89 percent to reach $657. The market capitalisation of BNB stands at $100.6 billion after this decrease. Likewise, dogecoin (Doge) shed 1.4 percent to reach $0.49. With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of Doge reached $63.4 billion. Similarly, Tether (USDT) reached $1 with a 0.01 percent decrease in its price. Its market capitalisation has reached $56.5 billion with this decrease. Meanwhile, Elon Musk, also referred to in social media as the ‘Dogefather,’ due to his affiliation with the dogecoin currency, has hinted Tesla could start accepting the currency as a payment for its cars. The company, which is now accepting bitcoin as payment for its cars and holds it as part of its reserves, could also include dogecoin as part of its accepted cryptocurrency roster. Elon Musk, CEO of Spacex and Tesla, hinted Tuesday at the possibility of the electric car company accepting dogecoin (DOGE), the now-famous meme coin as payment for its cars. Musk asked in a poll on Twitter to his fans if they would like this to happen.

Unsurprisingly, he got a mostly positive answer, with more than 70 percent of the polled answering they would like it at the time of writing.

CDWP, ECNEC LIKELY TO APPROVE PC-1 OF 216 KM ROAD PROJECT SOON

GHULAM ABBAS

OLLOWING Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s announcement of a historic development package for Gilgit Baltistan (GB), the federal government has also included a 216-kilometre Shandur-Gilgit road into the Rs370 billion package.

According to an official at the Planning Development and Special Initiatives Department, the Rs50 billion road which is also being considered as an alternative route to China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), would be completed under the umbrella of the Integrated GB Development Plan 2021-26.

As per officials, the cost of the road was earlier estimated to be Rs45 billion.

The project PC-1 has been submitted to the Planning Commission for subsequent approval from Central Development Working Party (CDWP) and Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC).

According to documents available with this scribe, the Ministry of Communication on April 22, submitted the PC-1 of the project to the Ministry of Planning Development and Special Initiatives for consideration in the upcoming Central Development Working Party (CDWP) and Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting.

The new road would be an allweather road, providing an alternative route to CPEC during the winter when

the Silk Route is closed due to snowfall.

After Lowari Tunnel, the project will be another top notch and time saving route for travelling to the region.

The total length of the road is 363km, of which 216 km are in GB’s territory.

The KP government had approved handing over these projects to the federal government in March 2019.

According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Communication, the federal cabinet on May 6 approved the federalisation of Chitral to Mastuj, Shandur and Gilgit road and Chitral to

Garam Chashma, Dorah Pass road.

After federalisation, the road from Chitral to Gilgit will be called N-140.

On completion, the road also has the potential of serving as an alternate of the Karakoram Highway for trade and traffic.

Apart from the Shandur route, the government is going to consider another major route connecting China under CPEC. This route would be around 350km shorter than the existing route via Khunjerab pass.

In this regard, Gilgit Baltistan’s

Exports to Afghanistan show 15pc growth in 10MFY21: Razak

Pakistan’s exports to Afghanistan during July-April 2021 have grown by 15 per cent to $869 million from $754 million a year ago, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce, Textile, Industry and Production Abdul Razak Dawood said on Monday.

“MOC [Ministry of Commerce] is glad to share that Pakistan’s exports to Afghanistan during Jul-Apr 2021 have

grown by 15% to USD 869 million as compared to USD 754 million during Jul-Apr 2020.

The exports of Fruits, Vegetables, Meat, Dairy products, Chemicals, Electrical equipment, Machinery, Paper & Paperboard have contributed to this increase,” Dawood wrote on Twitter.

“We continue to encourage legal, secure, transparent, consistent & reliable trade with

Afghanistan. Exporters are urged to aggressively market their exports to Afghanistan. We also commend the efforts of MOC’s Trade & Investment Counsellor & urge him to provide even greater facilitation to our exporters,” he went on to add.

Earlier in an interview to Bloomberg, Dawood said the country was seeking more trade with Afghanistan and Central Asia countries including Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

As the country aims to expands its trade footprint — from less than a billion dollars in the last ten years to some $1.5bn a year, a new trade pact with Kabul is expected in June.

According to a report by Dawn, which quoted the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) president, boost in trade will depend on peace in the area, clearance of land routes and hassle-free movement of trading goods after withdrawal of US troops. NEWS DESK

Works Department, through a letter on January 8, was asked to prepare a concept clearance proposal for the new route which would pass through Shigar, Skardu and Astor districts and connect to Muzaffarabad district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

Moreover, the concerned departments in these districts have also been asked to submit the concept clearance proposals for the construction of a 33 feet wide truck friendly road from Yarkand at China border to Gorikot in Astor via Shagarthang.

PSX gearing up to launch new trading platform The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) will reparing to operationalise a newly acquired trading platform by mid June this year. As per local media reports, the new trading system, bought from Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) for $2.85 million, has a built-in surveillance system, which means it is capable of preventing and detecting data leakages and theft attempts. Besides strengthening security features to safeguard investors’ data, integration of the national bourse with three Chinese international stock markets including the SZSE, Shanghai and Hong Kong exchanges will allow cross-listing of companies and help attract foreign investment at PSX. The system will also save time by concluding a trading session in less than a minute as compared to 30 minutes that the current and outdated Karachi Automated Trading System (KATS) requires.

This would in turn increase trading hours which would lead to an increase in trade volumes in daily sessions. It is pertinent to mention here that many stockbrokers have raised allegations of that officials copy and sell data on a daily basis to other stockbrokers and investors. To address these issues, the new trading system carries a built-in surveillance system that will free the stock market of having to carry out manually surveillance through acquiring data from KATS. The new system would automatically address complaints about investors’ data leakages and theft as to which investors bought which shares at what prices.

Furthermore, local media reports claim that PSX was mulling over introducing new products to increase trade activities at the local bourse. SZSE is the third largest stock market in the world in terms of trading value. The new trading system will bring the PSX on a par with international stock exchanges. MONITORING REPORT

Taiwan pledges to boost European semiconductor supply COPENHAGEN AGENCIES

Taiwan’s president offered on Monday to work with the European Union to boost its supply of semiconductors in the face of a global shortage of chips, of which the island is a major producer.

“Taiwan will continue to engage with the EU and other democratic partners to establish a more resilient supply of critical goods such as semiconductors and medical supplies,” President Tsai Ing-wen said in a video message broadcast at a democracy conference in Copenhagen.

The Taiwanese president also renewed her call to negotiate a bilateral investment

agreement between the European Union and Taiwan. Taiwan’s high-tech chip manufacturing plants are among the largest and most advanced in the world, with the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) leading the market. Last week, Washington announced that it was putting pressure on manufacturers to allocate part of their supply to American car manufacturers, in the face of a shortage which has affected multiple sectors and which industry sources expect to last for several more months.

Tsai spoke at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, organised by the Alliance of Democracies, an organisation which was targeted by Beijing sanctions in March and was founded by former Nato boss Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

Taiwan, which has a population of 23 million, is seen by China as a rebel province that will one day be returned to its fold, by force if necessary.

“Our government is fully aware of the threats to regional security, and is actively enhancing our national defense capabilities to protect our democracy,” the president said on Monday.

Taiwan “is working with its global partners to ensure security and stability in the region,” she added. US President Joe Biden is due to announce his strategy towards China in the near future and there are growing calls for him to make a clear public commitment to defend Taiwan militarily in the event of Chinese aggression.

CMYK

Wednesday, 12 May, 2021

10 FOREIGN NEWS NEW DELHI

I

AGENCIES

NDIA’S coronavirus crisis showed scant sign of easing on Tuesday, with a seven-day average of new cases at a record high and international health authorities warning the country’s variant of the virus poses a global concern. India’s daily coronavirus cases rose by 329,942, while deaths from the disease rose by 3,876, according to the health ministry.

India’s total coronavirus infections are now at 22.99 million, while total fatalities rose to 249,992.

India leads the world in the daily average number of new deaths reported, accounting for one in every three deaths reported worldwide each day, according to a Reuters tally.

The seven-day average of new cases is at a record high of 390,995.

The World Health Organization said the coronavirus variant first identified in the country last year was being classified as a variant of global concern, with some preliminary studies showing that it spreads more easily.

“We are classifying this as a variant of concern at a global level,” Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical lead on Covid-19, told a briefing in Geneva on Monday.

“There is some available information to suggest increased transmissibility.”

Nations around the globe have sent oxygen cylinders and other medical gear to support India’s crisis, but many hospitals around the nation are struggling with a shortage of life-saving equipment.

11 people died late on Monday in a government hospital in Tirupati, a city in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, due to a delay in the arrival of a tanker carrying oxygen, a government official said.

“There were issues with oxygen pressure due to low availability. It all happened within a span of five minutes,” said M Harinarayan, the district’s top bureaucrat said late on Monday, adding the SVR Ruia hospital now had sufficient oxygen.

KARACHI

IndIa’s seven-day CovId average at new hIgh, who Issues warnIng on straIn Sixteen faculty members and a number of retired teachers and employees who had been living on the campus of Aligarh Muslim University, one of India’s most prestigious, had died of coronavirus, the university said.

Adding to the strain on medical facilities, the Indian government has told doctors to look out for signs of mucormycosis or “black fungus” in Covid-19 patients as hospitals report a rise in cases of the rare but potentially fatal infection.

The disease, which can lead to blackening or discolouration over the nose, blurred or double vision, chest pain, breathing difficulties and coughing blood, is strongly linked to diabetes. And diabetes can in turn be exacerbated by steroids such as dexamethasone, used to treat severe Covid-19.

Doctors in the country had to warn against the practice of using cow dung in the belief it will ward off Covid-19, saying there is no scientific evidence for its effectiveness and that it risks spreading other diseases.

In the state of Gujarat in western India, some believers have been going to cow shelters once a week to cover their bodies in cow dung and urine in the hope it will boost their immunity against, or help them recover from, the coronavirus.

“There is no concrete scientific evidence that cow dung or urine work to boost immunity against Covid-19, it is based entirely on belief,” said Dr J.A. Jayalal, national president at the Indian Medical Association.

India’s second wave has increased calls for a nation-

wide lockdown and prompted a growing number of states to impose tougher restrictions, impacting businesses and the wider economy.

Production of the Apple iPhone 12 at a Foxconn

At least eight killed in Russian school shooting: local authorities

British soldiers shot dead innocent N. Irish people in 1971 incident: inquiry

MOSCOW AGENCIES

At least seven school children and one teacher were killed on Tuesday and many more wounded after a lone teenage gunman opened fire in a school in the Russian city of Kazan, the mayor’s office said, prompting a Kremlin call for tighter gun controls.

Two children could be seen leaping from the third floor of the four-storey School Number 175 to escape as gunshots rang out, in a video filmed by an onlooker that was circulated by Russia’s RIA news agency.

Calling the attack a big tragedy for the whole country, Rustam Minnikhanov, the head of the wider Tatarstan region, said there was no evidence that anyone else had been involved.

“We have lost seven children...four boys and three girls. And 16 people, 12 children and four adults, are in hospital,” Minnikhanov told state TV. “The terrorist has been arrested. He’s a 19-year-old who was officially registered as a gun owner.”

Footage posted on social media showed a young man being pinned to the ground outside the school building by a police officer. An unconfirmed social media account belonging to the alleged shooter, which was later blocked, contained posts in which he described himself as a bloodthirsty deity

factory in the southern state of Tamil Nadu has slumped by more than 50 per cent because workers infected with Covid-19 have had to leave their posts, two sources told Reuters.

LONDON AGENCIES

and said he planned to kill a “huge number” of people before shooting himself.

It was possible the toll would still rise.

Six children were in grave condition in hospital, RIA said. Earlier, Russian news agencies, citing a health ministry source, said 11 people had died.

“We heard the sounds of explosions at the beginning of the second lesson. All the teachers locked the children in the classrooms. The shooting was on the third floor,” said one teacher, quoted by Tatar Inform, a local media outlet. A corridor inside the school was shown strewn with debris, including smashed glass and broken doors, in an unconfirmed video circulated by the

Baza media outlet. Another still image showed a body on the floor of a bloodstained classroom. Other footage showed emergency service vehicles parked outside the school, with people running towards the building.

President Vladimir Putin ordered the head of the national guard to draw up tighter gun regulations, the Kremlin said.

The alleged gunman was issued a permit for a Hatsan Escort PS shotgun on April 28, Alexander Khinshtein, a lawmaker in the lower house of parliament, wrote on social media. Kazan is the capital of Tatarstan and located around 450 miles (725 km) east of Moscow.

British soldiers unjustifiably shot or used disproportionate force in the deaths of nine of the 10 innocent people killed in an 1971 incident in Belfast that sparked an upsurge of violence during Northern Ireland's 'Troubles', a judge-led inquiry found.

A Catholic priest and a mother of eight who served soldiers tea during the 'Troubles' were among the victims in an event Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney described on Tuesday as "one of the most tragic days" of Northern Ireland's three decades of bloodshed.

Judge Siobhan Keegan delivered her findings to applause from families of the victims shortly after the British government announced it would introduce legislation to give greater protection to former soldiers who served in Northern Ireland, plans Dublin and many in Belfast fiercely oppose.

"All of the deceased were entirely innocent of any wrongdoing on the day in question," Keegan, the coroner for the case, concluded.

The deaths over a three-day period of disorder in the Ballymurphy area of Belfast

- a sprawling housing estate of Catholics who opposed British rule - occurred in the days after the introduction of internment without trial for suspected militants triggered disorder on the streets.

Father Hugh Mullan, the 38-year-old priest who died, was helping an injured man and waving a white object before he was shot twice in the back, the inquiry found.

There was not enough evidence to say whether the army were responsible for the death of one the victims, John James McKerr, who was indiscriminately shot going to and from work. However Judge Keegan said it was "shocking" that the state did not carry out a proper investigation into the killing.

Questions also remain unanswered about the identity of the soldiers who shot many of the victims, the judge added. No one has been charged or convicted in connection with any of the killings. The inquest was a fact-finding exercise and not a criminal trial.

Some 3,600 people were killed in the sectarian confrontation between Irish nationalist militants, pro-British "loyalist" paramilitaries and British military that largely came to an end after a 1998 peace agreement.

China 2020 census shows population growth slipped to lowest ever BEIJING AGENCIES

China’s population growth in the decade to 2020 slumped to the least in official records dating back to the 1950s, fuelling pressure on Beijing to ramp up incentives to couples to have more children and avert an irreversible decline.

With growth having slowed ever since a one-child policy was introduced in the late 1970s, the 2020 results of the country’s once-a-decade census, published on Tuesday, showed the population of mainland China increased 5.38 per cent to 1.41 billion.

That compared with an increase of 5.84 per cent to 1.34 billion in the 2010 census, and the double-digit percentage rises in all of China’s previous six official population surveys dating back to 1953.

The number meant China narrowly missed a target it set in 2016 to boost its population to about 1.42 billion by 2020. In 2016, China replaced its one-child policy — initially imposed to halt a population explosion at the time — with a two-child limit.

In recent months, China’s state media has been increasingly bleak on the outlook, saying the population may start to shrink in the next few years. The United Nations predicts the number of people living in mainland China will peak in 2030 before declining.

But in late April, the Financial Times newspaper said the population actually fell in 2020 from a year earlier, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter.

The 2020 number was actually slightly higher than the 1.4005 billion in 2019 estimated in a smaller official survey released in February last year.

China has long worried about its population growth

as it seeks to bolster its economic rise and boost prosperity. One bright spot in the census data was an unexpected increase in the proportion of young people — 17.95 per cent of the population was 14 or younger in 2020, compared with 16.6 per cent in 2010.

FALLING BIRTH RATE: From 2016 to 2019, the annual birth rate mostly declined with the exception of 2016. China has yet to disclose the birth rate for 2020.

“A sharp decline in the number of births is a sure thing, and all kinds of evidence support this claim,” said Huang Wenzheng, a demography expert at the Centre for China and Globalization, a Beijing-based think-tank.

“It doesn’t take published census data to determine that China is facing a massive drop in births,” Huang said. Even if China’s population didn’t decline in 2020, the expert said, “it will in 2021 or 2022, or very soon.”

Urban couples, particularly those born after 1990,

value their independence and careers more than raising a family despite parental pressure to have children.

Surging living costs in China’s big cities, a huge source of babies due to their large populations, have also deterred couples from having children.

According to a 2005 report by a state think-tank, it cost 490,000 yuan ($74,838) for an ordinary family in China to raise a kid. By 2020, local media reported that the cost had risen to as high as 1.99 million yuan — four times the 2005 number. “Having a kid is a devastating blow to career development for women at my age,” said Annie Zhang, a 26-year-old insurance professional in Shanghai who got married in April last year.

“Secondly, the cost of raising a kid is outrageous (in Shanghai),” she said, in comments made before the 2020 census was published. “You bid goodbye to freedom immediately after giving birth.”

Wednesday, 12 May, 2021

KARACHI

ShEhrozE KaShIf bEComES younGESt PaKIStanI to SCaLE EvErESt ISLAMABAD

a

StAff REpoRt

teenager has become the youngest Pakistani to climb Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain. Shehroze Kashif, 19, reached the summit of Mount Everest — 8,848.86 metres (29,031.69 feet) — on Tuesday morning, Nepalese mountaineer Chhang Dawa Sherpa announced on his Facebook page.

“ALHAMDULILLAH ALHAMDULILLAH. Received the text confirmation from Shehroze Kashif. History has been made !!!!!!!!! Ma Sha Allah Shehroze has summited Everest,” the update of Kashif’s page announced.

Hailing from Lahore, Kashif is also the youngest Pakistani to have climbed Broad Peak (8,047m) at the age of 17. He used supplemental oxygen on his climbs to Broad Peak and Everest.

His expedition to Broad Peak earned him the title “The Broad Boy”.

Earlier, Samina Baig, the first Pakistani woman on Everest, was also the youngest Pakistani, at the age of 23, to reach the summit of the tallest 8,000er in the world.

Nepal closed the mountain in March last year due to Covid-19, but reopened for this year’s climbing season starting in April, issuing a record of 408 permits granting access to the peak.

Foreigners climbed Mount Everest for the first time on Tuesday since Kathmandu reopened the mountain after it was shut last year due to the pandemic, despite recent coronavirus cases at its base camp.

38 climbers — including 10 Bahraini and two British mountaineers — climbed the world’s highest mountain on Tuesday, according to hiking companies.

It comes as a few climbers were evacuated from the Everest base camp in April after they fell sick with Covid-19 symptoms as Nepal battles a devastating second wave of coronavirus infections.

“12 foreign climbers scaled Sagarmatha today,” Tourism Department official Mira Acharya told Reuters from the base camp, referring to the Nepali name of the peak.

China will set up “a line of separation” at the summit of Mount Everest to prevent the mingling of climbers from Covid-hit Nepal and those ascending from the Tibetan side as a precautionary measure, Chinese state media reported on Sunday.

PremIer League

Fulham suffer relegation after home defeat to Burnley

SPORTS 11 England players likely to skip rescheduled IPL for Pakistan tour: Giles LONDON: England’s centrally contracted players are likely to miss the remainder of the Covid-19-hit Indian Premier League (IPL) season if the T20 tournament clashes with the international schedule, managing director Ashley Giles said. The IPL was suspended indefinitely last week after several personnel tested positive for Covid-19. India reported 329,942 new Covid-19 infections on Monday, taking the caseload to 23 million. A potential window to complete the IPL is before the T20 World Cup in October when England are scheduled to tour Bangladesh and Pakistan. “If those tours go ahead I’d expect them (players) to be there,” Giles told British media. “We’re planning on [the] involvement of England players in England matches.” Giles had previously agreed that England players who were involved in the latter stages of the IPL could miss the two-Test series against top-ranked New Zealand starting June 2.

“The New Zealand scenario was very different,” Giles said. “Those matches were formalised at the end of January, by which time contracts were signed for players to have full involvement in the IPL.” Following the postponement of the IPL, England internationals Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Jonny Bairstow, and Moeen Ali — all currently serving their 10-day isolation period in government-approved hotels — could now be available for selection. But Giles said those in quarantine will not be rushed back into the team and England are likely to consider a bigger pool of players this summer.

“We need to look after them, with the amount of cricket they’ve got coming up, we’re not going to rush or force them back into cricket,” Giles said. “(Head coach) Chris Silverwood will work with each and every one of them, as will our medical teams, on what’s best for their progress.” AGENCIES

Indian cricketers get Covid-19 vaccines before England tour

LONDON AGENCIES

Fulham were relegated from the Premier League with a 20 loss at home to Burnley on Monday that assured the Clarets of their top-flight status.

London club Fulham will now join already-demoted West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield United in the second-tier Championship next season.

Fulham had to avoid defeat at Craven Cottage on Monday to maintain their slim hopes of beating the drop.

But first-half goals from Burnley’s Ashley Westwood and Chris Wood put paid to their chances of staying up.

Fulham’s defeat also meant all three relegation places were decided with at least three games to go, ensuring there would be no last-day drama in the battle to beat the drop.

“It has been looming but it doesn’t hide the disappointment, hurt and sadness I feel tonight,” Fulham manager Scott Parker told the BBC.

“It’s inevitable now. I am gutted.

“Tonight is how the season has gone at times. Between the two boxes we did very well. The difference was defensively the two goals we conceded were poor and in the final moment when you need to score and make good decisions we did not have that.”

‘ROLLERCOASTER’: Monday’s reverse meant Fulham went straight back down after a season in the top flight, with Parker adding: “The club needs to make big decisions. “We’ve had a relegation, a promotion and a relegation. The rollercoaster of that and the highs and lows is not something you want.”

Burnley were sold in February to a US-based consortium and Clarets manager Sean Dyche was proud of the way the Clarets had coped on and off the field during some uncertain times for the northwest side. “It is important for the club, it is important for the town,” he said. “It’s been a real challenging season with the sale of the club.

“There was not a lot of investment from the outgoing

owners and we’ve had a lot of injury problems,” he added.

Burnley were twice denied early by Fulham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, before they went ahead in the 35th minute when Westwood, found at the back post by Matej Vydra, slotted the ball into the net. The visitors then doubled their lead a minute before the break when Wood let fly with a shot into the top corner. Areola appeared fortunate to stay on the field in the 67th minute when, after he had raced out his area, the ball appeared to come off the keeper’s arm as Vydra tried to go around him.

But there was no VAR intervention, with officials deciding Areola had escaped a red card because the presence of a covering defender meant there had not been a denial of a goalscoring opportunity. VAR is not empowered to recommend a booking, hence the lack of even a yellow card. But Fulham’s luck ran out at the other end of the pitch in the 70th minute when Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa’s shot beat Burnley keeper Nick Pope only to bounce clear off the underside of the bar.

Italian Open: Sinner sets up second-round clash against Nadal ROME AGENCIES

Jannik Sinner booked a second-round showdown with nine-time champion Rafael Nadal at the Italian Open after a 6-2, 6-4 win over Frenchman Ugo Humbert on Monday.

The Italian teenager will face the 20time Grand Slam winner for the second time, having impressed against Nadal in last year’s French Open quarter-finals despite losing in straight sets. Nadal has a 9-2 record on clay this season but was beaten in the last eight at both previous Masters events, in Monte Carlo and Madrid.

Aslan Karatsev matched Sinner with his 20th win of the season. The Russian beat Miomir Kecmanovic 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 in the opening round. Only Stefanos Tsitsipas and

Andrey Rublev have won more ATP matches this year (27).

Australian Open semi-finalist Karatsev will play compatriot and Melbourne runnerup Daniil Medvedev for a place in the last 16. Medvedev, who had a first-round bye, is chasing a first win in Rome in his third appearance at the tournament.

Taylor Fritz awaits defending champion Novak Djokovic in round two after the American brushed aside Dan Evans 6-3, 62. Djokovic and Nadal have accounted for 14 of the past 16 titles at the Foro Italico.

Lorenzo Musetti, who shocked Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori last year as a qualifier in Rome, advanced when Miami Open winner Hubert Hurkacz retired due to injury while trailing 6-4, 2-0.

Nishikori overcame Fabio Fognini 6-3,

6-4 in a meeting of former top-10 players, with Marin Cilic seeing off Alexander Bublik in three sets.

Reigning French Open women’s champion Iga Swiatek progressed when Alison Riske retired with a foot problem in the first set, while Coco Gauff outlasted Yulia Putintseva 7-5, 4-6, 6-4. Petra Kvitova recovered from a dreadful start to overhaul Magda Linette of Poland 1-6, 6-0, 6-2.

Serena Williams, a four-time Rome champion, will face surprise French Open semi-finalist Nadia Podoroska or Laura Siegemund later this week in her first match since February. The 39-year-old, still ranked eighth in the world, has been absent from the courts since her semi-final defeat by eventual champion Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open.

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NEW DELHI: India captain Virat Kohli and several of his team mates have received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccines before they leave for a tour of England next month. India face New Zealand in the final of the inaugural World Test Championship at Southampton in June before playing a five-Test series against England from August 4. India’s novel coronavirus cases rose by 329,942 on Tuesday, while deaths from the disease rose by 3,876. The country leads the world in the daily average number of new deaths reported, accounting for one in every three deaths reported worldwide each day, according to a Reuters tally. “Vaccinate yourself as soon as you can please. Stay Safe,” Kohli said an Instagram message after posting a photo of him being vaccinated on Monday. Kohli’s test team mates Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav have also posted messages on social media saying they have received the first jab. Most of the players had been playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which was suspended indefinitely last week because of the pandemic. The IPL had said it had "unanimously decided" to postpone the season after an emergency meeting. "The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) does not want to compromise on the safety of the players, support staff and the other participants involved in organising the IPL," it had said.

"This decision was taken keeping the safety, health and wellbeing of all the stakeholders in mind. These are difficult times, especially in India and while we have tried to bring in some positivity and cheer, however, it is imperative that the tournament is now suspended and everyone goes back to their families and loved ones in these trying times. AGENCIES

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Kuwait has suspended flights, and barred entry to travellers, from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka until further notice, Kuwait Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA) said, to try to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The decision by the Gulf state’s cabinet did not include cargo flights. To enter Kuwait from the four countries, people must have been in another country for at least two weeks beforehand, the statement said.

The decision has come in line with instructions by the Kuwaiti health authorities, considering the contagion status in such high-hazard countries, state news agency KUNA said. Last month, the DGCA suspended all direct commercial flights coming from India until further notice. All passengers arriving from India either directly or via another country were banned from entering unless they have spent at least 14 days out of India, a statement issued at the time said.

However, Kuwait nationals, their first degree relatives and their domestic workers are allowed to enter. Cargo remains unaffected. Last week, Kuwait said it would ban citizens who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 from travelling abroad from May 22.

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He US State Department has issued a statement encouraging the Afghan government and Taliban to focus on the current peace process so they may jointly prevent the machinations of the so-called Islamic State of Iran and Syria (ISIS) from succeeding.

“We are still looking into what or who is responsible, but I would note that ISIS has been responsible for similar attacks on Shia communities in Kabul in the past,” State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told media persons in Washington on Monday, referring to the attack on a girl’s school in the war-torn country.

The United States welcomed the Taliban’s announcement of a three-day ceasefire over this week’s eid holiday and urged it to extend the ceasefire as US troops withdraw from Afghanistan, State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

The United States firmly condemned an attack on a girls school in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Saturday, but was still looking into who was responsible for an attack, Price said, adding that IS had been responsible for similar attacks.

The attack has raised fears of a deteriorating security situation ahead of President Joe Biden’s September 11 deadline for a drawdown of US forces.

The Taliban has denied involvement in Saturday’s attack.

“We call on the Taliban and Afghan leaders to engage seriously in the ongoing peace process to ensure the Afghan people enjoy a future free of terrorism and of senseless violence,” Price said.

Moreover, the US, along with this formal condemnation, showed interest in the Taliban’s denial of involvement and by urging them to work with the Afghan government to bring peace to a country that has been involved in one war after another for almost half a century.

“We note the Taliban has denied involvement in the attack, and we welcome

their announcement of a three-day ceasefire over the upcoming eid holiday,” Price said.

“We call on the Taliban and Afghan leaders to engage seriously in the ongoing peace process to ensure the Afghan people enjoy a future free of terrorism and of senseless violence.”

But Michael Kugelman, a Washington-based US scholar of South Asian affairs, said in a tweet that the eid truce was welcome news, but this happened previously too and was never extended.

“There’s little reason to believe this year will be different. They offer muchneeded brief respites, but sadly little more than that,” he said.

At Monday’s news briefing, some journalists also questioned the Biden administration’s trust in the Taliban, and warned that after the US withdrawal, such attacks might increase.

Some even suggested that future attacks, if intense, could force the US military to return to Afghanistan. However, the US State Department spokesperson rejected the possibility, saying the US

was not abandoning Afghanistan.

“We are withdrawing our troops. We are not disengaging from Afghanistan.

And we will continue to use our diplomatic, economic, and humanitarian toolset to ensure that the gains of the past 20 years, particularly those made by women, girls, and minorities, are preserved,” he said. explaining why he was welcoming the Taliban announcement and urging them to extend the ceasefire, he said: “We all know that a return to violence would be senseless as well as tragic. We remind the Taliban that engaging in violence will not afford it legitimacy or durability.”

The US, he said, has always urged all Afghan factions to engage in serious negotiations to determine a political roadmap for their country’s future that leads to a just and durable settlement.

“A just and durable settlement has been at the centre of our efforts. It’s in no one’s interest — we know this — for Afghanistan to devolve into civil war once again. It’s not in the Taliban’s interests, it’s not in the government of

Afghanistan’s interests, it’s not in the interests of Afghanistan’s neighbours, and it’s certainly not in the interests of the people of Afghanistan,” he added.

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad went a step ahead and said in a tweet that the US also wanted the Taliban to agree to a permanent ceasefire and political settlement to end the violence, “Afghans deserve much more: a political settlement and a permanent ceasefire,” he wrote while commenting on the Taliban offer. “We therefore urge accelerated negotiations among Afghans on a political settlement and an end to this senseless war.”

Kugelman also emphasised the need for a permanent ceasefire, but he disagreed with the suggestion that aggravated violence in Afghanistan could bring the US military back.

“The threat emanating from Afghanistan is not sufficiently strong to warrant US forces staying. As horrific as this attack was, this is not the type of thing that would cause the US to change course because these are attacks that target Afghans,” he said.

Pakistan Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa also visited Kabul on Monday and in a meeting with President Ghani, offered Pakistan’s support for political negotiations with the Taliban.

“We will always support an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process based on mutual consensus of all stakeholders,” a Pakistani military statement said.

Gen Bajwa was accompanied in the meeting by British Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter. The United Kingdom has about 750 troops among the Nato contingent of 7,000 in Afghanistan.

Recent reports in the Pakistani media suggest that Islamabad has intensified its efforts to convince the Taliban to commit to a ceasefire.

PM warns India against becoming a pawn in western world’s China containment policy ISLAMABAD Mian abRaR

Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday warned India against becoming a pawn in China containment efforts being made by the western world, saying that if India stood against China, it would destroy itself.

Responding to a question during a live television show from common Pakistanis, PM Imran said that the western world was afraid of China’s rapid rise and hence the western countries have decided to make India a strong power in the Asian region to help contain China.

“There are fears in the western world that China will overtake them. Hence, the western countries have decided to make India a strong power in the Asian region to help contain China. If India stood against China, it would be foolish

because it would destroy itself,” said the prime minister.

He further said that efforts have been made to create awareness across the world regarding the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) dispute.

“Unfortunately, Western countries do not stand with Kashmiris as much as oppression is taking place there. Until the situation returns to post-August 5 situation, there will be no talks with India,” Imran said.

Referring to the recent Israeli barbarism against Palestinians, the PM said that Israel had persecuted the Palestinians on the 27th night and firmly condemned the act.

“We will raise our voice against aggression. I have tasked Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to speak to our allies including foreign ministers of Saudi

Arabia and Turkey. I have myself raised the issue of Islamophobia during my meeting with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman,” he said.

PM Imran said that Pakistan was trying to raise a unified voice of the Muslim Ummah against Israeli atrocities and other issues.

Pakistan urges unSC-peace body collaboration to help conflict-hit countries NEW YORK app

Pakistan has called for greater collaboration between United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and UN Peacebuilding Commission for promoting internal and cross-border reconciliation between the parties to the conflict to build peace and stability.

Participating in an ambassadoriallevel Interactive Dialogue between the Peacebuilding Commission and the UNSC, Pakistan ambassador at the UN Munir Akram said the Security Council could take greater advantage of the 31-member Peacebuilding Commission unique capabilities, derived from

its diverse membership comprising, troop-contributing countries and financial contributors to help people affected by conflict.

Addressing the root causes of conflict while promoting post-pandemic recovery in Africa, Akram said addressing root causes of Africa’s multiple challenges — poverty, political fragility, terrorist attacks, illegal trade of high-value natural resources, climate change and a debt crisis, as well as containing the coronavirus pandemic — should be at the core of peace-building and recovery efforts in the continent.

While authorising a peacekeeping mission to a hotspot around the world, he said the Security Council could consider

allocating a certain percentage of resources, from the budget or from voluntary contributions, for community support projects, as winning hearts and minds of local populations has a vital role in the success of any peace-building effort.

He also proposed allocation of more financial resources toward disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration processes and towards creating an environment in which peace processes and sustainable development and financial support could take root. “economic development should be leveraged to incentivize the warring parties to strive for peace,” he said.

Akram underscored the “crucial” need for the creation of dynamic chan-

nels of communication with the African Union (AU), as many internal conflicts in Africa are influenced by regional dynamics and may have cross-border implications and spillovers.

“Therefore, it was absolutely essential that regional actors were involved in the design and implementation of peacebuilding initiatives to spur a unified response at the national, regional, and international levels,” he said.

He also urged the UNSC and the Peacebuilding Commission to cooperate in enlarging the Secretary General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) to support development programmes that can build and sustain peace in the concerned African countries.

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