Wednesday, 4 August, 2021 I 24 Zil-Hajj, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 35 I 12 Pages I Karachi Edition
Mansoor appointed as sapM on CpeC affairs as Bajwa resigns
ISLAMABAD
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Mian abrar
rime minister imran Khan on Tuesday accepted the resignation of China-Pakistan economic Corridor Authority Chairman Lt General (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa and appointed Khalid mansoor as his Special Assistant on CPeC Affairs to replace the outgoing chief. Khalid mansoor has served as the chief executive officer of HUBCO and engro. He has been tasked to complete the second phase of CPeC that contains 27 projects. mansoor brings with him over four decades of experience working with multiple organizations in energy, petrochemicals, and fertilizer industries. He is expected to lead the second phase of CPeC which will focus on industrial cooperation. mansoor has extensive experience of working with Chinese companies and has a deep understanding of joint ventures, project develop-
ment and execution with Chinese partners. mansoor is a well-known business leader and has served as President of Overseas Chamber of Commerce of industry. He has also worked closely with international financial institutions, like the World Bank, iFC, miGA, OPiC, ADB, DeG, OFiD as well as Chinese financial institutions such as China Development Bank, China exim Bank, iCBC, Sinosure, etc. Asim Bajwa took to social media blogging site, Twitter, to announce his resignation. “i bow my head before Allah Almighty for giving me an opportunity to raise & steer the important institution of CPeC Authority as one window for all CPeC projects, charting the future direction. Wouldn’t have been possible without full confidence& support of the Pm & his Govt,” tweeted Gen Bajwa. in a subsequent tweet, Bajwa said that the course is set for future progression of CPeC, this journey will go on. “my best wishes to Kahlid
mansoor sb, who is fully equipped to take it forward. CPeC is life line for Pakistan, it will transform us into a progressive and fully developed country inshaAllah,” he added. meanwhile, the Prime minister’s Office issued a notification for appointment of Khalid mansoor as Special Assistant to the Prime minister on CPeC Affairs. Planning minister Asad Umar also posted tweets to the effect of the new development. Federal Planning minister Asad Umar paid tribute to Bajwa for his services “in moving CPeC forward and playing a vital role in broadening of the CPeC scope with a transition to [the] second phase of CPeC”. “i want to thank @AsimSBajwa for his services in moving CPeC forward and playing a vital role in broadening of the CPeC scope with a transition to second phase of CPeC. His dedication and commitment was a source of great strength and support,” said Asad Umar.
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Wednesday, 4 August, 2021
KARACHI
NEWS
TArgeT of one miLLion vACCinATionS in A dAy AChieved: ASAd ISLAMABAD
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sTAff RePoRT
CCELERATING the pace of vaccinations, Pakistan hit a target on Tuesday to vaccinate one million people a day against Covid19, making strides in the inoculation campaign just weeks away from a deadline for workers in public-facing roles to obtain vaccination certificates. The government announced last week that from the end of this month that workers in schools, shopping malls and hospitality businesses, and the transport and air travel industries would be barred from entering public offices unless they had a certificate. “Happy to report that the target we had set for 1 million vaccinations in a day was crossed,” Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, also the minister in-charge for Covid-19 operations, said in a tweet. The development follows a significant decrease in the number of fresh infections as the country logged 3,582 coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours compared to 4,858 cases on Monday, and 5,026 on Sunday, according to the Health Ministry data. With the new infections, the overall case count reached over 1 million with 944,375
recoveries. Pakistan has seen soaring coronavirus infections, fuelled by the highly transmissible Delta variant, putting its poor health infrastructure under extreme pressure. Officials say more than 70 percent of new
CAA issues revised quarantine policy for int’l travellers NewS DeSk The Civil Aviation Authority on Tuesday issued its revised standard operating procedures for international travellers coming into Pakistan “in view of the recent surge in Covid-19 cases across the globe” to restrict the spread of the disease after the rising number of cases in fourth wave. In a letter sent to all airline operators, the CAA said the new requirements will go into effect from August 9. According to the new SOPs, all inbound passengers aged six years or above will be required to possess a valid negative PCR test result conducted within 72 hours prior to commencement of travel to Pakistan. Moreover, all passengers aged six and above will undergo Rapid Antigen Testing upon arrival in Pakistan. Positive-testing passengers between the ages of six and 12 years will be home quarantined under the supervision of the concerned civil administration. Positive-testing passengers above 12 years of age will be quarantined at a designated facility as per procedure already in vogue. Earlier today, as many as 110 passengers were offloaded from their scheduled flights to Karachi and Lahore at Islamabad International airport by the Civil Aviation Authority for not having their proof of vaccination amid the rise of Covid-19 cases. With people still reluctant from getting themselves vaccinated against the global pandemic on the rise in its fourth Covid wave, the government has begun implementing its SOPs one of which is to restrict traveling via flights without Covid vaccination certificates. The Islamabad airport manager Adnan Khan said that the passengers were dislodged over failing to present proof of Covid-19 vaccination. He said that CAA task force is active at the airport and no one will be allowed to fly across the country without the vaccination certificate. Previously, the National Command and Operation Centre had granted permission to the country’s CAA to increase the number of international flight operations up to 50 per cent due to a significant drop in daily cases of Covid-19 in the world in the month of July.
28 prisoners released by Saudi Arabia reach Lahore LAHORe iNP
28 more prisoners released by Saudi Arabia reached Lahore on Tuesday morning, authorities said. They boarded a Pakistan International Airlines flight from Riyadh, marking the series of prisoner release bids by the Kingdom. The immigrants have been brought back at the government’s expense. Seven of them belong to the district Mohmand of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Others belong to Lower Dir, Sialkot, and Swat. Just in July, 65 prisoners were released and landed in Islamabad.28 prisoners released by Saudi Arabia reach Lahore.
cases are Delta variant infections. The death toll climbed to 23,529 with another 67 fatalities due to the virus in the past 24 hours. Out of a population of 220 million, more than 31 million have received one vaccine
shot, but only 6.7 million have been fully vaccinated, according to the National Command and Operations Centre. After a sluggish start to the inoculation campaign, the new requirement for certificates of vaccination has led to a rush of people seeking shots, with queues stretching over a kilometre outside some vaccination centres, notably in Karachi. The Sindh government has put extra pressure on people to get vaccinated, warning that it would withhold the salaries of government servants and block people’s cell phone SIM cards unless they had the required certificates. Around 23 percent of people being tested for COVID-19 in Karachi during recent days were found to have the virus, while nationwide the positive test rate stood just over 7 percent, according to the NCOC. Meanwhile, the government has relaxed the requirement of holding a national identity card for vaccination, allowing people to get their jabs by showing any valid ID. 50PC OF ISLAMABAD’S ELIGIBLE POPULATION VACCINATED: In a related development, Umar said Islamabad had become the first city in Pakistan with a population of over one million whose 50 percent eligible population had received at least one coronavirus vaccine shot.
“Islamabad has become the first city in Pak[istan] with a population of 1 million or more to get 50 percent of its eligible population vaccinated with at least one dose,” he said in a tweet. “Peshawar and Rawalpindi 35 percent; Faisalabad 28 percent; Lahore, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Sargodha 27 percent; Karachi 26 percent and Hyderabad 25 percent.” On Monday, the minister had announced new coronavirus restrictions, including that indoor dining at restaurants would be banned and markets would be closed two days a week. “We have to protect the health of the people as well as their jobs,” he said, announcing that market hours would be reduced from 10:00 pm to 8:00 pm and shops would remain closed two days a week. “It has been decided to close indoor dining, the takeaway facility will be available 24 hours a day,” Umar said, adding offices and public transportation would function at 50 percent capacity. TWO MILLION DOSES ARRIVE FROM CHINA: Yet another consignment of two million jabs of an undisclosed coronavirus vaccine reached Islamabad from Beijing. A special flight of the Pakistan International Airlines PK-6853 arrived at 12:15 pm carrying the stock.
Cabinet approved distribution of Rs315bn loans under KJP: Fawad ISLAMABAD TLTP
The federal cabinet has accorded approval to distribution of Rs315 billion loans among youth under the Kamyab Jawan Programme (KJP) during the current fiscal year 2021-22. This was announced by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry while addressing media persons about decisions taken in the federal cabinet meeting held with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair on Tuesday. The minister said about four million youth will benefit from the initiative to establish their own businesses that would resultantly strengthen the country’s economy. He said that young journalists will also be included in this programme. The information minister said the federal cabinet also gave approval to fix cotton support price at Rs5,000 per 40 kilograms. Fawad said the meeting was informed that vaccination rate in Karachi and Hyderabad is very low as compared to other cities of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said the slow pace of vaccination drives in Sindh is creating problems for others. He urged the Sindh government to improve its governance instead of doing politics over the critical pandemic issue. He
said the meeting was also informed that 23 Pakistani prisoners in Saudi Arabia have returned home. He said this became possible as a result of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s special efforts for providing maximum relief and facilities to Pakistanis living abroad. He said in this regard, Prime Minister Imran Khan has issued clear instructions that the performance of our Foreign Office staff will be linked to the satisfaction of Pakistanis living abroad. The minister said the chairman Capital Development Authority informed the cabinet about the actions against the encroachments in Sectors E-8 and E-9 of Islamabad. In this regard, the prime minister directed to take every possible step for restoration of green areas in Islamabad. The cabinet was also briefed on the current economic indicators. It was told that despite the corona pandemic, the country’s economy is moving in the right direction and the industrial sector is booming due to effective government policies. The minister said the inflation rate reduced to 7.4 percent while large-scale manufacturing increased by 14.6 percent. He said that Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar briefed the cabinet about the current energy situation in the country. It was informed that load shedding during the months of June and July this year increased due to high demand and bad distribution system as previous
Pakistan, South Korea to jointly develop technologies to boost agricultural production: minister ISLAMABAD Akif RAshid
Minister for National Food Security & Research Syed Fakhar Imam Tuesday said that Pakistan and South Korea would jointly develop locally customized technologies to help boost agricultural production. He made these remarks while addressing the participants of a symposium held under the aegis of the Embassy of Republic of Korea as chief guest. The attendees included SAPM on Food Security Jamshed Iqbal Cheema, Administrator Rural Development
Administration Hur Taewoong, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea Suh Sangpyo and Director Korea Program on International Agriculture Pakistan Centre Dr Cho Gyoungrae. “KOPIA Pakistan Centre and the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) will jointly develop locally customized technologies and serve as a hub for sharing agricultural technologies and knowledge between the two countries. Our collaboration will contribute to increasing farmers income and developing Pakistan’s agricultural industry,” said the minister.
governments did not focus on this sector. Speaking about PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif’s recent interview, the federal minister said the leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly’s suggestion to bury the hatchet and move forward was a welcoming statement. “The government is ready to hold talks with the Opposition in the Parliament, but not with its leadership which is outside the Parliament,” Fawad said. However, he ruled out Shahbaz’s meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the near future. The information minister said the federal government was not interested in speaking to unelected party leaders, including PML-N vice-president Maryam Nawaz, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. “Maryam, Nawaz, Fazl, and others do not want the system to move forward,” he said, adding party leaders who are “fugitives” and reside outside the country had no right to lead their parties in Pakistan. On the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections, he said the polls were held under the region’s prime minister’s supervision, adding that PML-N suffered a humiliating defeat and later claimed the elections were rigged. “How will democracy move forward when the losing party claims of rigging,” he said, reiterating that the government and Opposition need to be on the same page on several important matters. Fakhar apprised the delegation about the livestock sector in Pakistan and the need for development of value-added animal products. He expressed hope for further enhancing the volume and quality of trade-able agricultural products between the two countries and assured full support for further cooperation by the Government of Pakistan. Both delegations agreed to expand the cooperation in the field of machinery and vegetable seed production. Korean Ambassador Suh Sangpyo said that he expected that Pakistan’s agriculture will go beyond domestic food self-sufficiency and contribute to the global food problem. Hur Taewoong, Administrator Rural Development Administration (RDA) said that technological advancement is closely linked to a country’s economic development. He said RDA is willing to share Korea’s best practices with Pakistan.
Navy rescues 15 crew members from sinking cargo boat NewS DeSk Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Maritime Security Agency in a joint operation rescued 15 crew members from a sinking cargo ship off the coast of Karachi coast, Gulf News reported. The joint rescue operation was carried out at 180 nautical miles south of Karachi in the exclusive economic zone of the sea, Pakistan Navy said. Emergency response teams scrambled to protect the lives of the crew of the cargo ship after the navy was
alerted that the merchant vessel Suvari H was stranded due to strong winds and tide with 18 crew members on board. Pakistan Navy aircraft on air surveillance was directed to the sinking site and one PMSA aircraft and one ship were also immediately dispatched for assistance. “Pakistan Navy in coordination with PMSA immediately tasked ships and aircraft to provide assistance to the stranded ship and save precious lives,” the official statement said. Initially, eight crew members and later five more
seafarers were rescued with the help of life rafts. At least 15 crew members had been rescued, while the search and rescue operation continues to locate three missing members, the statement said. All crew members belonged to Syria. The vessel, sailing under a Togo flag, was en route from Kandla, India, to Bosaso, Somalia. On July 29, Pakistan Navy and other maritime organisations successfully defueled the cargo ship MV Heng Tong 77 stranded at Karachi beach after losing its anchors in rough weather on July 21.
Wednesday, 4 August, 2021
KARACHI
NEWS
Court direCts AkbAr to AppeAr in person to pArdon ChohAn
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NEWS DESK
HE courts has directed Adviser to the Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar to appear in person to pardon Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf Member of Provincial Assembly Nazir Chohan, who on Tuesday apologized for sharing a post on social media questioning the faith of the SAPM. The court, while hearing a bail plea of Chohan in the case, issued notice to Akbar and the Federal Investigation Agency for a hearing scheduled August 4. In a written statement, Nazir Chohan stated that he seeks acceptance of his apology from Shahzad Akbar for mistake of alleging his faith. “He is Sunni Muslim and believer of Finality of Last Prophet (PBUH). I also issued statement to this context and showed remorse over my statement and conduct,” he added. “I will not give any statement to hurt feelings and reputation of Shahzad Akbar in future,” Nazir Chohan added.
Responding to Nazir Chohan’s apology, Shahzad Akbar issued an affidavit, stating, the accused has admitted his mistake, sought pardon and showed remorse over his false allegations from the complainant
for which the complainant had forgiven him in light of Islamic injunctions of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) and for sake of Almighty Allah. The complainant has no objection for concession of post arrest of accused, the affidavit further read. Chohan, who is the an outspoken MPA and member of disgruntled Jahangir Tareen group, had previously levelled allegations about Akbar’s faith in a TV talk show on May 19 and demanded that the latter should resign from the office of adviser to the prime minister on accountability and interior. The next day, Akbar submitted an application with the Racecourse police station in Lahore and got an FIR registered when he came to Lahore on May 29. Chohan was arrested on July 27 on Akbar’s complaint — registered in May — under sections 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 189 (threat of injury to public servant), 298 (making statements with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings) and 153 (provoking to cause riot) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Covid-19: 3,582 new cases, 67 deaths reported in a day ISLAMABAD STaff RePoRT
Pakistan on Monday confirmed 3,582 new Covid-19 cases and announced to impose new restrictions to counter the virus spread, the National Command and Operation Center said on Tuesday. The NCOC, the department leading the campaign against the pandemic, said that the number of overall confirmed cases had risen to 1,043,277, including 944,375 recoveries. The number of active cases has risen to 75,373 who are under treatment across the country, including 3,398 critical patients. According to the NCOC, the pandemic killed 67 people on Monday, increasing the overall death toll to 23,529. Sindh is the most affected province of the country with 387,261 infections followed by Punjab which has reported 358,387 cases. On Monday, Prime Minister Imran Khan held a high-level meeting and decided to impose restrictions in selected cities to counter the rising number of cases, including early market closure, banning of indoor dining at restaurants, 50 percent presence at workplaces and in public transportation.
Afghan team probing abduction of envoy’s daughter calls on islamabad iGp ISLAMABAD INP
A security team from Afghanistan on Tuesday called on the Islamabad police chief Qazi Jamilur Rehman at the Foreign Office in connection with the probe into the purported abduction of Kabul’s envoy’s daughter. Silsila Alikhil, 26, was going home in a rented vehicle in Islamabad when she was briefly kidnapped by unidentified assailants who released her hours later with injuries and rope marks, Afghanistan’s foreign ministry claimed last month. Investigators, however, found gaps in the account, saying Alikhil had visited several places in twin cities and footage of her visits had been retrieved and was being looked into. On the occasion, Rehman briefed the visiting delegation headed by Security and Border Affairs Director General Hassan Faizi about the investigation report. Sources privy to the development said two officials from the National Directorate of Security, Afghanistan premier spy agency, were among the members of the delegation. The team will hold a meeting with the investigation team of the Islamabad Police on Wednesday (tomorrow), sources added. Earlier, speaking to the media on Monday, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said Pakistan had completed the investigation into the incident. He said Islamabad will also update the visiting team. “If the Afghan team wants, it can also hold meetings with the taxi drivers in which the ambassador’s daughter had travelled,” he said.
Man jailed for selling Covid vaccines to private customers KARACHI TLTP
Balochistan provides best access to Central Asian states: Alvi QUETTA TLTP
President Dr Arif Alvi has said that Balochistan provides best access to Central Asian states for enhancing trade and economic relations with these countries. Talking to the parliamentarians at the Governor House on Tuesday, the president said that regional connectivity would result in economic activity and ensure win-win situation for all the regional countries. He said that Gwadar has a great significance in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. He said that in the near future Gwadar would become an important trade hub by connecting Balochistan with Central Asia and result in economic development of the region. The president emphasised the need to focus on equipping the youth of the country with modern skills in view of the CPEC. He said, “There are ample opportunities for development of agriculture, fisheries and livestock sectors in Balochistan and we have to take steps in the right direction and ensure prudent use of available
resources.” The president stressed utilisation of resources for the benefit of people, which he said, would also improve their living standards. The meeting, attended by Balochistan Governor Syed Zahoor Ahmed Agha and Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan, focused on the overall security situation, ongoing development projects, border trade and establishment of border markets, land digitalisation management and the new labour laws in the province. Other areas, particularly promotion of tourism in the province and the economic and political situation
also came under discussion. Earlier in the day, addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Green Tractor Scheme at Noori Naseer Khan Culture Complex, President Alvi has said that modernisation of agriculture and livestock sectors is inevitable for the progress and prosperity of the country. He said that the scheme will benefit the farmers of the province. The president said the present government has put the country and provinces on the path of swift progress. He said that the present government believes in policy making with the consultation of all stakeholders. He said that the present government is taking concrete steps for eradication of corruption from the country. Under the Green Tractors Scheme, 1,000 tractors will be provided to the farmers of Balochistan at subsidised rates. Earlier, the president arrived in Quetta for a twoday trip to the provincial capital. The president is accompanied by the first lady. Upon his arrival, the president was received by Balochistan Governor Zahoor Agha and Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan. Provincial ministers and other senior officials were also present on the occasion.
A magisterial court of Karachi Tuesday sent an accused to jail on judicial remand who was involved in illicit activity of selling coronavirus vaccines to private customers at their homes. Karachi Police produced another accused before a court of Judicial Magistrate South on Tuesday. After hearing the matter, the court sent the accused to jail on judicial remand. Two coaccused, deputy superintendent vaccination Tahira Banu and storekeeper vaccination centre Waqas, have got interim bails in the case for Rs30,000 surety bond each. Police said that three accused persons have already been arrested in the case. South district Police had earlier arrested two accused involved in illegal Covid-19 vaccination. The director of a health services providing firm and an employee were arrested in a sting operation by the Preedy Police, an official said. “The accused have confessed that they used to visit homes and administer Pfizer and other coronavirus vaccines to people for cash,” according to police. “We were charging 15,000 rupees for per dose of Pfizer vaccine,” the accused told police. The accused were providing per dose of Sinopharm vaccine for 7,660 rupees and Cansino for Rs4,500, police said. “We have administered vaccines to more than 60 persons till now,” they confessed. “Four government officials have also been involved with us,” they said. “The police are searching for the accused providing stolen vaccine doses to arrested men,” officials said. An investigation has been launched after filing the case, according to police. Amid surge in delta variants of coronavirus cases, the government is striving hard to ensure vaccine procurement and vaccination of the maximum population of the country.
Claim of Kashmir being India’s internal matter incorrect: KAC chief NEW YORK aPP
Council chief and noted pro-freedom leader Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai deplored as “factually and legally wrong” a statement by New Delhi’s Ambassador in UN T. S. Tirumurti claiming Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India and issues concerning the region were internal matters of his country.
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Tirumurti made that claim in response to questions at a press conference he addressed at UN Headquarters in New York in his capacity as president of the UN Security Council for the month of August. Under all international agreements, accepted by both India and Pakistan, negotiated by the United Nations and endorsed by the Security Council, Fai said Kashmir, as a disputed territory, did not belong to any country and as such,
Tirumurti’s claim of “internal matters” did not hold ground. In this regard, Fai reminded Tirumurti of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ statement of August 8, 2019, that said: “The position of the United Nations on this region (Kashmir) is governed by the Charter of the United Nations and applicable Security Council resolutions.” Guterres also called for the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite to
settle the dispute as envisaged in Security Council resolutions. Fai said it was not the inherent difficulties of a solution, but the lack of the political will of the world powers to resolve the issue that had caused the prolonged deadlock over the dispute. “The deadlock has meant indescribable agony for the people of Kashmir and incalculable loss for both India and Pakistan,” he said, adding a solution must be found as soon as possible.
Wednesday, 4 August, 2021
04 NEWS
KARACHI
Punjab govt imPoses lockdown in four cities LAHORE
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HE Punjab government imposed a three-weeklong targeted lockdown in four major cities — Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad — after daily cases of the Delta variant of the coronavirus continued upward trend across the country. The lockdown came into effect Tuesday and will remain in effect until August 31. In the last 24 hours, the National Command and Operation Centre reported 3,582 new infections of the deadly disease after conducting 49,798 tests, receiving back a positivity ratio of 7.2 percent. As per the Punjab government’s notification, businesses will operate up till 8:00 pm but
will observe close days on weekends — closed days. Certain businesses have been exempted which include: Pharmacies and medical stores, medical facilities and vaccination centres, petrol pumps. tandoors, bakeries, grocery stores, dairy shops, vegetable and fruit shops, chicken and meat shops, food (takeaway) and utility services, auto workshops, oil depots and mandis including grain, fruit, cattle and vegetable ones. The government has also suspended indoor dining, however, outdoor dining has been allowed till 10:00 pm. The provincial government has permitted eateries to offer the takeaway service 24 hours a day. It however clarified that industrial and agricultural activities and establishments will remain exempt from the lockdown.
Ancient university in Kashmir mountains MUZAFFARABAD AnAdolu Agency
Nestled in the breathtaking mountains 221 kilometres (137 miles) away from Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, lies one of the world’s ancient learning centres — Sharda Peeth. Precariously uneven and hard to climb, the stone slabs stairs lead to a vast courtyard on the edges of the majestic Narda mountain, which once hosted a university and a rich library, like Taxila near Islamabad and Nalanda in India’s northeastern state of Bihar. In the middle of the courtyard stone’s throw away from Line of Control, the world’s most dangerous and militarised border stands a roofless structure, nearly ruined now due to ravages of time. The stony structure used to be the house of worship, revered by Buddhists, Jains, and Hindus. British surveyor Charles Ellison Bated who authored A Gazetteer of Kashmir in 1873 has described that this house of worship was already in ruins when he visited the region in the 19th century.
Historians say that nearly 50,000 pilgrims used to visit the site, on the left bank of roaring Neelam River until the 11th century. The revered Madhumati River, also known as Sharda or Khutchal River, runs on the southern side of the temple. In ancient times, pilgrims used to bathe in the “sacred” water of the Madhumati River before entering the temple. According to Rukhsana Khan, the head of the Fine and Arts Department of Azad Jammu and Kashmir University Muzaffarabad, the site was fundamentally revered by the Buddhists as it was their place of learning before it was converted into a Hindu temple. The 13th and 14th century Muslim Kings of Kashmir would also visit and show respect for the site, she added. LUKEWARM RESTORATION: Khawaja Abdul Ghani, a local historian, and author said the house of worship had seen some restoration work in the 19th century during the reign of Hindu Dogra rulers of undivided Jammu and Kashmir. He said that floods had washed away southern walls of the stony
structure a century ago and since then was never repaired. “In a lukewarm attempt, a mud fence was built on the wall site during the Dogra era but it collapsed soon,” he said. A unit of the Pakistan Army, stationed nearby takes care of the site, which according to Ghani, has helped to preserve the remnants of this architectural treasure from destruction. The main structure is approached by a staircase about 9 feet wide, of steep stone steps, some 63 in number, having on either side a massive railing, which is also falling to ruins. Some historians believe that scholars from far-off places used to visit the place between the 6th and 12th centuries to gain knowledge. According to historical records in the 4th century, Hsuan Tsang, the Chinese pilgrim-traveller, visited the place and found that it was a flourishing centre of education. It is believed that this famed university was visited by Hindu seer Adi Sankaracharya who had undertaken the journey to debate with Buddhists to revive Hinduism in the
eighth century. While entering into the stony enclosure, which is said to be a temple set up by Shankaracharya, Ghani took off his shoes. A small-sized room, without a roof, is now left of the sanctum sanctorum. UNIVERSITY FOR SPECIAL SCHOLARS: Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Ghani said the site was fundamentally a house of worship revered by the followers of three religions. He has authored the book Sharda Evolution of History in the Urdu language. But he contests that the site was a full-fledged university. “It had never been a university or learning place for the common people. Only selected students from the then elite would come here to learn about philosophy, science, and religion,” he said. Excavators have found precious and sophisticated jewelry, tools, and artefacts representing the prehistoric era and the bronze age during the salvage excavation near the main structure. According to Khan, who established Sharda Centre Of Learning Archaeology Cultural Heritage at the
University of Azad Jammu Kashmir, in 2013, researchers also collected a variety of cultural material, which helped develop the chronology of Kashmir through archaeological findings. It is believed that the stone slabs used in the construction of the temple had been brought from Narda peak, a contention which Khan said might be true. “The carved stone slabs used in the construction of the temple are not found in and around Sharda. These kinds of stones are found near Saraswati Lake,” she added. VIEW MESMERISES: Whatever the history, driving on a battered road, just before entering Sharda, travellers get mesmerized by the panoramic snow-capped Narda peak. At the first sight, it appears like a woman laying down on the mountain’s summit with her hair untied in long strands. Ghani said this woman in Hindu mythology is called Saraswati — the goddess of knowledge. He said the mountain hosts three high-altitude lakes whose water is considered holy by Hindus. One of them is Saraswati Lake. Others are Narda Lake — also
known after Lakshmi the goddess of wealth and fortune — and Nareel Lake. “Our region is believed to have been named after that sleeping woman or the lake,” Ghani said. Khan, however, said that Sharda itself was like Indus River Valley Civilization and other such civilisations across the world. “It (Sharda) is named after the Sharda script of Kashmiri language used by the inhabitants of that era,” she maintained. Also, she said it was not sure that three lakes exist on the Narda peak. “I have visited Saraswati lake. It’s huge, but not at all beautiful. It’s as huge as you require a motorbike or car to circumambulate the lake,” she said. Ghani said the Sharda has been a cluster of civilisations, which has hosted Hun and Aryan civilizations. But he hastened to add that more research is required to historically endorse this theory. “If this site (Sharda temple) is restored and conserved, it will attract thousands of Hindus and Buddhists from occupied Kashmir and the rest of the world,” he said.
In Peshawar, green scheme for polluting bus owners inches along PESHAWAR ReuteRS
When Mukhtiar Ahmed heard that a new public transport system with air-conditioned buses was coming to Peshawar, he worried his customers would desert the beat-up people carrier he drove for a living. “I was fearful that my old Ford wagon plying the same route would no longer be attractive to passengers,” Ahmed, 42, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. He estimated that the new Bus Rapid Transit system, announced four years ago, would take away about 40 percent of the business independent bus owners like him relied on. His concern disappeared, he said, when TransPeshawar, the government-owned company that operates the BRT, launched an initiative in 2019 to buy up decades-old, emissions-spewing buses to cut traffic congestion and carbon emissions. Ahmed sold his bus for double its market value and bought a new low-emission people carrier to ferry passengers between Peshawar and Rawalpindi, 180 kilometres (112 miles) away. He has since made enough money to pay off all his debts. “For the first time in my life, I have some savings for hard times,” said Ahmed. In its latest bid to tackle Peshawar’s toxic smog problem, the provincial government has devoted Rs670 million (about $4.1 million) to taking old buses off the road and encouraging citizens to switch to the BRT system. Authorities say the new diesel-electric hybrid buses produce half the climate-heating carbon emissions of conventional buses.
But many bus owners who signed up for the project say the government is taking too long to give them their money, while local climate experts say the scheme will have little impact on carbon emissions unless it expands to include other vehicles. A survey conducted before the start of the programme calculated there were 618 old buses, mini-buses and people carriers being driven in Peshawar, said TransPeshawar spokesman Umair Khan. Owners were given 75 days to register before the window closed in June 2019, by which point nearly 420 had signed up to sell their vehicles for scrapping, Khan said.
So far, the government has bought vehicles from 146 of them, paying between Rs1.07 million and Rs1.4 million for each, and is working to acquire the rest, he added. “It is a win-win situation for the government and the bus owners,” he said. HAZARDOUS AIR: Peshawar has a population of about 2 million, according to the latest census, many of whom travel around the city using informal public transport. Those vehicles, mainly pickup trucks and large- and medium-sized buses from the 1980s and 1990s, account for more than 40 percent of the city’s traffic, according to the Asian Development Bank, which is funding the new BRT system.
CMYK
Up to 70 percent of Peshawar’s air pollution comes from cars and other vehicles, with the daily air quality index from a monitoring station at the US consulate consistently showing pollution levels as “hazardous”, said Hizbullah Khan, professor of environmental sciences at the University of Peshawar. The BRT, which became operational last August, aims to bring down those pollution levels by dedicating more than 27 km of road to a fleet of low-emission buses. The system can carry an average of 184,000 people per day when there are no pandemic-related travel restrictions, according to TransPeshawar. Tickets for the BRT are cheaper than for informal buses, and spokesman Khan said customers like that the new buses are comfortable, fast and have separate spaces for women, who commonly face harassment while using public transportation. When bus owners sell to TransPeshawar, the route permits linked to their old vehicles are confiscated, ensuring they cannot simply buy another cheap, old bus to get back on the road, he explained. The programme helps sellers find new jobs by including in the price paid for each bus Rs360,000 of compensation for a year of lost business revenue. “They get much more money than the original price of their vehicles and can easily switch to other businesses,” Khan said, adding drivers and conductors also have the chance to train to get new jobs in the BRT. WAITING FOR PAYMENT: The bus buy-back programme is so popular that Noor Mohammad Khan Mohmand, president of the Muttahida Transport Workers
Federation in Peshawar, is urging the government to reopen it. Mohmand said he knows of at least 120 bus owners who want to sell their vehicles through the scheme. “As many bus owners are not literate enough, they found out about the programme after the registration was closed and are now waiting anxiously to (see) if the government extends it,” he said. And many who have already registered to face long waits for the government to buy their vehicles, Mohmand continued. Khan, the TransPeshawar spokesman, said the process has been slow because each old bus first has to go through checks by the authorities and an ad placed in local newspapers to confirm nobody else claims its ownership. The government aims to finish the first round of purchases by the end of this year and will then decide whether to extend the programme, he added. Environmental academic Khan agreed the project needs to roll out on a much bigger scale and include other types of vehicles if it has any hope of lowering pollution levels. “I don’t see that this project […] will significantly help in reducing emissions in the city where a huge number of three-wheeler smoke–emitting rickshaws also ply on roads,” he said. For his part, Mukhtiar Ahmed would like to see the project continue so that more bus owners like him can reap the benefits. “Many of my colleagues have switched to other businesses like poultry farming and establishing grocery stores,” he said. “They are earning more than they used to get from old buses.”
Wednesday, 4 August, 2021
KARACHI mansoor appointed as sapm on CpeC affairs as Bajwa resigns coNtiNuED from pagE 01 He also welcomed Khalid Mansoor, saying that Mansoor’s “vast corporate experience, with extensive work with Chinese companies and his direct involvement in leading some of the biggest CPeC projects makes him an ideal person to lead the next phase of CPeC”. It is pertinent to mention that asim Bajwa had suffered badly after being featured in a controversy related to his family businesses abroad. after the scandal came to the fore, Bajwa resigned as Special assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting last year in October.
pta asks Cmos to meet service quality standards iSLamaBaD TLTp
Pakistan telecommunication authority (Pta) has directed the cellular mobile operators (CMOs) to take corrective measures for improving the service quality up to the licensed standards. the Pta said on tuesday that it carried out an independent quality of service (QoS) survey in 12 cities and 12 motorways/highways/inter-city roads of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan with an aim to measure the performance and service quality of CMOs. the survey activity is part of the plan for QoS Surveys 2021 and is a continuous exercise in-line with the vision of the prime minister to provide quality services to public/subscribers. During the survey, the licensed key performance indicators (KPIs) - a set of quantifiable measurements used to gauge a company's overall long-term performance - of voice, network coverage, SMS and mobile broadband/data were checked by using automated QoS monitoring & benchmarking tool "SmartBenchmarker”. the drive test teams selected survey routes in such a manner to cover main roads, service roads and majority of sectors/colonies in surveyed areas, said the statement. Based upon the compliance level of each KPI as compared to the threshold defined in their respective licences and QoS regulations, CMOs have been ranked between 1st to 4th position in each category i.e. mobile network coverage, voice service and SMS service in surveyed cities and motorways/highways. Similarly, in the mobile broadband speed segment, the ranking is with respect to the highest data download speed. as per the survey results, compliance level in broadband services is better while some issues have been observed in SMS and voice KPIs. the Pta said that by making this survey public, it is spurring competition among the operators to improve their existing infrastructure with an ultimate aim to increase the overall country-wide mobile service quality.
NEWS
05
Govt takinG initiatives to promote women entrepreneurs: Gul
s
NEWS DESK
tate Minister for Climate Change Zartaj Gul has said that the government is taking many initiatives to bring more women into the mainstream as promoting women entrepreneurs is its key priority to reduce poverty and improve economic growth. Gul said this while inaugurating an exhibition of women handicraft products organised by the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) on tuesday. the minister said that the government has formed a policy to provide interest free loans to women and women would also be supported through Kamyab Jawan and ehsaas Programmes so that they could play a more effective role in the economic development of the country and uplift the living standard of their families. She said that women are producing quality handicraft products that should be displayed at tourist spots to promote their business. She advised the women entrepreneurs to focus on innovation and skills development to achieve better growth of their businesses. She assured that she would play a role in the government for promoting the cause of women entrepreneurs to create more opportunities for their growth and progress. She took a round of the exhibition and appreciated the good quality of handmade products of women entrepreneurs put on display. Speaking at the occasion, Mian akram Farid, Chairman Founder Group said that the handicraft sector is the most neglected sector in Pakistan and stressed that the government should make conducive policies to harness the real potential of this sector for promoting trade and exports.
He said that better focus on the handicraft sector would also help realise the PM’s vision of tourism promotion. He appreciated the government’s policy of interest free loans for women; however, said that the banks are not fully cooperating in providing interest free loans to women and emphasised that the government should address this issue. ICCI Senior Vice President Fatma azim said that the purpose of organising this exhibition in collaboration
with partners is to promote the handicraft products of women. She said that this expo has provided women a good platform to show the potential of their products and improve their business prospects. She said that the government should cooperate in providing international exposure to the handicraft products of women that would improve exports and assured that the ICCI would continue to take more initiatives for creating new opportunities for women entrepreneurs.
Justice isa on way to defeat Covid-19 iSLamaBaD TLTp
Days after he was admitted to Quaid-e-azam Hospital Rawalpindi after his health deteriorated, the Supreme Court judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa’s health condition has returned to normal. Justice Isa and his wife, Sarina Isa, tested positive for coronavirus on July 24, according to a statement from the court's deputy registrar. a private television reported that according to hospital sources, the oxygen saturation level of Justice Qazi Faez Isa has improved and reached normal level. “You can return home from hospital,” the doctors said in their health advice to Justice Faez Isa. “However, Justice Isa insisted on staying admitted in hospital for some time,” hospital sources said. Justice Qazi Faez Isa, along with his wife Sarina Isa, was suffering from Covid-19 and was admitted to a hospital on Saturday, a week after being diagnosed with Covid-19. Sources told that he was hospitalised due to complications from the coronavirus on the advice of doctors. Justice Isa was declared positive for the deadly virus last week and has been being treated at his home since. a panel of doctors examined him and advised that he be shifted to a hospital for further treatment. His medical reports, including computerised tomography (Ct) scan, were found unsatisfactory, the sources said.
ISLAMABAD: Arab Parliament President Adel Bin Abdul Rahman calls on Prime Minister Imran Khan. i np
UK opens Chevening scholarships the applications for the Chevening scholarship to study in the UK opened on tuesday and the applicants can apply until November 2, 2021. Head of Communication and Public Diplomacy at the British High Commission, Fouzia Younis, said: “‘If you want to inspire others, learn new ideas and help shape the future then the Chevening Scheme is for you, ” according to a statement issued by the UK High Commission. She said that Chevening provides opportunities for all. “For the last two years, we have smashed our 50% target on gender with talented Pakistani women forming nearly 60% of our intakes; and I encourage even more applications from across Pakistan and minority groups. there are no limits on ambition,” she further said. applications should be submitted via www.chevening.org/apply, according to the statement. Chevening scholarships are awarded to individuals from all backgrounds who can demonstrate
that they have the commitment and skills required to create positive change, and can show how a UK master’s degree will help them do that. the scholarship offers full financial support for scholars to study for any eligible master’s degree at any UK university whilst also gaining access to a wide range of exclusive academic, professional, and cultural experiences, the statement said. Since the programme was cre-
cmYK
ated in 1983, over 2,000 professionals from Pakistan have had the opportunity to develop in the UK through Chevening. the call for new applicants follows the selection of 37 scholars from Pakistan, who won an award to study at a UK university this year. Successful applicants have been sharing their stories through the #ChosenForChevening hashtag on twitter and Instagram. nEWS DESK
kp prohibits domestic employment of children under 14 the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly has banned forced labour and domestic work of children below 14 years of age. the KP assembly approved the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Home Based Workers (Welfare and Protection) Bill, 2021 to address the rights, duties and problems of domestic workers. KP Labour Minister Shaukat Yousafzai introduced the Home Based Workers Welfare and Protection Bill 2021 for approval. Under the law, children under the age of 14 are prohibited from engaging in domestic and forced labour. the law will allow for a regular appointment letter to be issued for recruitment, which should clearly state someone's salary, method of payment and nature of work. after implementation of this law, every employer will be required to give an appointment letter to their domestic workers. according to the conditions in the bill, individuals can only work for eight hours. However, if an employee wants to do extra work of their own free will, they can and will be paid overtime. However, even in this case, the weekly working period should not exceed 60 hours. the law requires the employer to notify the employee in writing in advance of one month's dismissal or resignation, and a full month's salary will be paid. nEWS DESK
Wednesday, 4 August, 2021
06 COMMENT
Pakistan may face water scarcity by 2040
Payment of damages to Broadsheet Serious flaws in the working of NAB
The country is already water stressed
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AB and Pakistan government were once again required to make payments to Broadsheet llC, this time amounting to $1.2 million within a precisely defined time frame failing which the United National Bank (UBl-UK) would be compelled to transfer the secured sum to Broadsheet’s lawyers’ account. Broadsheet reportedly took recourse to litigation when the government delayed implementation of the agreement. In January the PTI government agreed to pay $28.7 million in damages to the US firm after Arbitrator Sir Anthony evan’s decision to attach the accounts of the Pakistan high Commission in london. Both the incidents brought bad name to the country that could have been avoided by an out-of-court settlement. The judgement by Arbitrator Sir Anthony evan had revealed major follies committed by NAB and its lawyers since 2000, like signing a clause with Broadsheet that allowed the latter to claim a 20 percent commission on all NAB recoveries outside Pakistan and also domestically, including cases that Broadsheet may not have been involved in. Pakistan agreed to settle with Broadsheet but ended up giving $1.5 million to the wrong person. The judgement held NAB and its lawyers responsible as they should have known that the person they were making the payment to was not the legal recipient of the money. The judgment did not suit the government which had already started accusing the PPP and PMlN for the scandal. The government appointed former Supreme Court judge Azmat Saeed Sheikh as head of the inquiry committee to probe the issue expecting that that the enquiry would bring to light evidence regarding the corruption of its political opponents. The inquiry committee could not find any evidence against politicians who obviously played no role in the misdoings. With so many sacred cows involved in the scandal, it was difficult to assign responsibilities. Pakistan had to pay about $30 million straightaway to Broadsheet. how much foreign exchange was allocated to pursue the case in two courts and on the visits of government officials to the UK has not been revealed. have the NAB and Assets Recovery Unit retrieved more looted wealth from abroad than the foreign exchange expended on the activity? There is a need for a cost benefit analysis, all the more so when the country faces a severe foreign exchange crunch.
ZOHA AZIZ
“There’s plenty of water in the universe without life, but nowhere is there life without water.” — Sylvia A. Earle, marine biologist
T
he quotation very beautifully defines the importance of water. As we all know, Pakistan is an agricultural country and approximately 95% of its water is used for agriculture purposes and 80 percent of our exports are based on the agriculture sector. This means that our economy is also dependent on the agriculture sector. It provides about 24 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and not only it accounts for half of the employed labour force but also is the leading source of foreign exchange earnings. The issue which not only Pakistan. but in upcoming years the whole world, will face, is the water scarcity issue. This issue will hit harder in Pakistan as being an underdeveloped nation it has a lower capacity to store water. It has been predicted that by 2040, Pakistan may face absolute water scarcity. The IMF has ranked the position of countries facing intense water scarcity and unfortunately Pakistan is in the third position. The experts also fear that the per capita availability of fresh water in Pakistan will further decline to 860 cubic meters by 2025. The availability of fresh water is another worrisome situation faced by Pakistan. Almost 30 million Pakistanis have no access to clean water. In spite of having the world’s largest glaciers, still Pakistan is among the world’s 36 most water-stressed nations. The reasons for the water crisis in Pakistan are the increase in population, our outdated and poorly maintained agriculture techniques which used to waste large quantities of water, mismanagement of the water system and to some extent climate change. The natural resources from which our country can acquire water are rainfall, wells, karez, streams, ponds, lakes, rivers, and glaciers. The artificial resource is the surface water from the rainfall and rivers. In spite of being blessed with resources both natural and artificial, we were unable to make enough reservoirs and dams to store this water. even if it rains in excess, we cannot save that water and it results in floods which destroy the crops and cause lots of destruction, just because of not having a proper storage system of water. Fresh water is
Rising prices No relief for the common man in sight
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lThOUGh the data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) shows that inflation eased to 8.4 percent in the month of July as compared to 9.7 percent in June, this is unlikely to form into a trend in the coming months owing to the depreciation of the rupee in the last few weeks and hike in energy prices. While a drop in prices of agriculture products contributed to better inflation figures in July of this year, which is also a marked improvement over last year’s figure of 10.47 percent in the same month, it is unlikely to remain on a downward trajectory as prices of imported goods and input costs that are positively correlated with changes in prices of petrol and energy continue to increase. last month, the government removed subsidies provided to utility stores, which is how it intervenes in the setting of prices for the ordinary man, even for the many who do not shop at utility stores. The effects of that IMFdriven decision will become visible in next month’s inflation figure. As demand for dollars continues to rise strongly due to importers’ pressure, the oil prices surge and a current account deficit that has replaced a 11-month-long surplus persists, the rupee will remain under pressure for the foreseeable future. One advantage that the country perhaps did not have last year are sizeable foreign exchange reserves amounting to $25 billion currently, but it remains to be seen whether or not the SBP will be willing to use these funds to intervene in the interbank and open exchange rate markets to ease off the pressure on the rupee. Consecutive petrol price hikes do not bode well for the common man either. For businesses, it becomes an additional cost that they pass on to consumers, which will have an adverse effect on already squeezed and reduced household budgets. The PTI government is apparently capable of achieving small short-term economic victories yet it is unable to provide the long-term economic relief that was promised to the masses in the 2018 general elections. None of the intermittent improvements in macroeconomic indicators that are celebrated by this government are enough to bring about actual tangible improvement in the financial health of the general public that continues to suffer under the burden of rising prices, lowered incomes and joblessness.
Washington Watch
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Yousaf Nizami Umar Aziz
Joint Editor
Executive Editor
Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965
Dr JAmes J ZOgby
hIle there are differences, to be sure, between anti-Semitism and anti-Arab bigotry, the animus that has driven the hostility directed against both Arabs and Jews springs from the same source. It is a largely Western phenomenon directed against two Semitic peoples– one which the West historically found living within its midst and which it saw as an internal threat; the other which it confronted as an external challenge, but which it similarly defined as a threat to its survival. In some ways, these anti-Semitisms are no different than other racial or tribal conflicts– but are more extensive and persistent in their violence and intensity. Both Jews and Arabs are demonized– their organizations, their wealth, and even their corporate identities have been seen as damaging to the West. And the results have been devastating to both peoples. Both groups have suffered a history of vilification and both have endured campaigns of systematic violence: Jews as victims of pogroms and the holocaust; Arabs, first as victims of
Founding Editor
Joint Editor
We all need to help our government in battling with this water scarcity issue. It is the duty of every individual to save water whenever it is possible so that we can take our country out from this crisis situation early before it is too late
Both Jews and Arabs have overcome the same stereotypes
Arif Nizami (Late)
M. A. Niazi
scarcity issue. The government needs to reframe the need for water as the basic right of the citizens. We need to make our people aware through both normal and social media and for that we need to have more water experts on the talk shows who can make people aware and give them guidance on how every individual can save water. Public awareness campaigns regarding water scarcity must be conducted and in our school and university curriculums, water conservation activities should be added. For the reliance onexternal water sources, we need to make more investment in clean water projects. To ensure the overwhelming crisis that occurred during most recent floods should not be repeated again, the solid waste management should be improved, and urban planning should be done properly by the provincial governments. Our policies and legislation should focus on the efforts of low-cost solutions first, then on big projects like dams. Also, greater efforts are required to control and ultimately regulate socalled “water tanker mafias”. The government needs to improve the sewage system, and should make better water distribution infrastructure, while we need to improve our way of farming and use less chemicals for crops, and we need to bring advanced technology for the water conservation projects The government needs to make such mechanisms so that we can recycle water as much as we can. A water education programme should be broadcast daily on TV. We all need to help our government in battling with this water scarcity issue. It is the duty of every individual to save water whenever it is possible so that we can take our country out from this crisis situation early before it is too late. The government’s job is to take action and do proper implementation on this very serious issue in a timely manner. Not only proper action and implementation but a proper check and balance is also required. The writer is a freelance columnist
A deeper look at anti-Semitism and anti-Arab bigotry
Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami
Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad
a very vital factor for not only our national economic security but also it contributes to the country’s food security. Pakistan earns its revenues by exporting its major crops. Another attention seeking issue is that three-quarters of Pakistan is receiving less than 250 millimetres of rain per year and the result is that droughts are very common in many places. The problem of saving fresh water can be resolved by the “Drip and Sprinkler technique” which was tested by Punjab Agriculture Department in Rawalpindi. This technique will not only reduce country’s worsening freshwater scarcity issue in the agriculture sector but also will strengthen the Pakistan’s food security and economic problems. Due to runoff from the chemical fertilisers and pesticides, the agriculture sector is also held responsible for much of the contamination of nation’s water resources. The stats shows that 56 percent of people have gained access to clean drinking water, but 30 percent of diseases and 40 percent of the deaths are linked to unclean water, which is the reason for a major health hazard. Pakistan also faces the unequal distribution of water. The government needs to revive the National Water Policy 2018 (NWP), which equally and equitably distribute the water resources among the provinces. By this policy everyone from richer to poorer can have access to fresh drinking water. Those women and girls who have the task to fetch water are mostly impacted by lack of household available water as they have to face numerous issues while fetching water, such as kidnapping, or being assaulted or even killed. The proper actions needed to be taken to make a secure environment for them. The heart-breaking thing is that no major Pakistani political party has been able to tackle these challenges in holistic manner. “When the well is dry, we know the worth of water.”–Benjamin Franklin From the above quotation we need to learn that before it gets too late and our wells start to go dry, we need to take proper actions to deal with the water
I
Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9
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racist imperial conquest and later, as millions of Arabs immigrated to europe, as victims of prejudice. A decade ago I did a study of political cartoons and other forms of popular culture– comparing the depiction of Jews in Tsarist Russia and pre-Nazi Germany with those of the Arabs in the USA in the 1970s and 1980s. In both content and form the treatments given to each were identical. The two most prevalent German and Russian depiction of Jews parallelled the two most common images of the Arabs projected in U.S. cartoons. The fat grotesque Jewish banker or merchant found its counterpart in the obese oil sheikh, and the images of the Arab and Jewish terrorists differed only in their attire. Both groups were uniformly treated as alien and hostile. Both were accused of not sharing Western values and were viewed as prone to conspiracy. They were both seen as usurpers and controllers of Western wealth, using it to undermine the West. And both were portrayed as lusting after Western women. The bottom line: Arabs and Jews were defined as threats to Western civilization. Despite the contradiction, Jews were portrayed as associated both with capitalist greed and with anarchist violence, socialism, and communism. Arab avarice was held responsible for runaway inflation in the West, and Arabs were seen as the main agents responsible for international terrorism— and this was true long before 9/11 and before the bigoted backlash against Arab immigrants in europe. As we know from history, the systematic dehumanization of both peoples ultimately led to terrible violence. In the past few centuries alone, millions of Jews lived in fear of the oppression and exclusion of being “other” that they endured in most Western countries. All too often this led to outbreaks of violence directed against them as the “outsiders” who were routinely scapegoated for a host of problems— leading to the barbaric Nazi effort to completely exterminate them as a people. Arabs, whose lands the West coveted, first for religious reasons and later for their economic and political strategic importance, were likewise victims during the past few centuries. Arab lands were con-
Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545
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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk
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quered and colonized. Western powers divided up the region, holding in contempt the rights of those whom they would dispossess. Millions of Arabs died from war, squashed rebellions, and enforced famines. Given this shared history, it is ironic, if not profoundly tragic, that both groups, as they became locked in a struggle over Palestine, would fall prey to utilizing and even propagating some of these same forms of negative stereotyping against one another. In this context, it has long been disturbing to me to hear some Arabs using anti-Semitic tropes to describe Jewish control of media or government or banks. Similarly, it is deeply unsettling to hear some Jews speaking or writing about backwardness, violence, or irrational behavior as if these were inherent Arab traits, or to hear major Jewish groups dismiss the Arab American community as a “petro-dollar created fiction” that only exists to attack Israel. Or for some groups to engage in “witch hunts” to expose Arab donors, when clearly doing the same to Jewish donors is, and ought to be, off limits. More troubling was the systematic Israeli propaganda campaign to dehumanize Palestnians and justify the systematic violence against them and their dispossession. For decades Palestinians were not seen as equal human beings. They were pawns on a board to be moved about to make way for Israel to live in freedom and security. Palestinians were expelled from their homes. Their villages were erased, and their rights ignored. At the root of all of this is racism— a belief that Palestinians are less human, more violent, and less deserving of rights. The response to this must never be to repay this bigotry in kind. Arabs, and in this case, Palestinians, in particular, must never be demonized, stripped of their humanity, or collectively held responsible for actions of some Arab governments or groups. Similarly, Jews should never be demonized or collectively held responsible for the actions of Israel or even of some Jewish organizations. The bottom line is to recognize that both of our communities face challenges that we can best meet by first understanding each other’s vulnerability and pain, and committing to never using learned or weaponized bigotry against each other. The writer is President of the Arab American Institute
Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk
Wednesday, 4 August, 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
Threat of climate change
India and CPEC Instead of joining, it is sabotaging it
mAlIk muHAmmAD AsHrAf
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ONCePTUAlly speaking, characterization of the CPeC as a game changer, an epoch making step towards eternal strategic partnership between China and Pakistan, and a harbinger of regional connectivity and shared economic prosperity, is beyond reproach. But unfortunately this envisaged economic bonanza is an eyesore for some countries. India particularly is making strenuous efforts to sabotage the implementation of CPeC. The terrorist attack on a bus on July 14 which killed nine Chinese engineers, three Pakistanis and 28 others working on the hydropower project at Dasu D,am, repeated attacks on security forces in Balochistan, and the attack on the Karachi Stock exchange all had the Indian imprint. According to media reports, a special desk has been created in RAW to undermine and thwart the implementation of the CPeC about which intelligence agencies of Pakistan have gathered authentic information. The RAW Chief reports directly to the Indian Prime Minister who is personally supervising the venture. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to China, reportedly expressed concern over Chinese investment in Pakistan under CPeC in his meeting with Chinese President. The Indian position is that the Corridor would be passing through a disputed territory (GilgitBaltistan). India, it may be pointed out, had also raised the same argument with Asian Development Bank which was one of the financiers of the Bhasha-Diamer Dam, and it consequently had shown some reluctance in fulfilling its commitments after the Indian objections. RAW has also been backing and sponsoring the insurgency in Balochistan and cross-border terrorism using Afghan territory. The nexus between RAW, the Tehrik Taliban Pakistan, and Afghan intelligence agency DNS is a wellknown fact. RAW has established sanctuaries and training camps for terrorists on Afghan soil. Pakistan has persistently raised this issue with the Afghan government, to dismantle these camps which are being used by RAW to destabilize Balochistan and undermine CPeC.
The arrest of Kalbhushan Jhadav in Balochistan and his confessions left no doubt about Indian support to insurgency in Balochistan and sponsoring of acts of terrorism within Pakistan. The renewed spate of acts of terrorism in Balochistan and KPK also testify to Indian involvement. The modus operandi of RAW for sabotaging CPeC seems to exacerbate the security situation in Pakistan through acts of terrorism, and consequently cause the creation of an ambience of despondency among the masses, as well as creating an ambience of mistrust between China and Pakistan, but there its efforts have hit a wall. Undermining CPeC is also a part of the US-India nexus designed to contain China. A sustained campaign has been unleashed to create doubts about CPeC and the likely benefits to accrue to Pakistan. The biggest argument being advanced by the USA is that the Chinese loans would exponentially add to the debt burden of the country and Pakistan, like Sri lanka, would be caught in the Chinese debt trap. The contention in this propaganda is contrary to the ground realities. The major portion of the CPeC projects are direct Chinese investment in Pakistan. The Chinese loans only constitute six percent of the total debt burden of Pakistan. The reality is that these loans have been advanced on the rates lower than given by the international lending agencies. The role of a spoiler of the peace process in Afghanistan by India is also a part of the strategy to sabotage CPeC and harm Pakistan’s strategic interests. India has also unleashed a sustained campaign to malign Pakistan as revealed by eU disinfo lab recently. It has not only failed to respond to positive overtures by Pakistan for beginning a new chapter of amity between the two countries and peaceful resolution of the disputes between them but It also continues on the path
of confrontation wedded to undermining interests of Pakistan by all means. It is pertinent to point out that both Pakistan and China have repeatedly asked India to join CPeC and play its role in the shared economic prosperity of the region, as envisaged in the objectives of the BRI initiative of the Chinese President XI Jinping. The concept of ‘One Belt One Road’ envisions partnership with the countries along the route to develop infrastructure which is absolutely essential for sustainable development of any country. China has also established the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) which is a major step towards providing required finances to the partner countries for development of necessary infrastructure in their lands to be able to contribute to the shared economic prosperity and making the project a success as envisaged. It is estimated that the annual trade volume between China and ‘Belt and Road’ countries will surpass $2.5 trillion in a decade or so, changing the political and economic landscape of the world. It is indeed a pity that the Indian leadership has failed to comprehend the benefits of CPeC to the region including India, and is pursuing a policy to undermine it at the behest of her strategic partners who are hellbent on stopping China from emerging as the major economic and military power of the world, which in any case is bound to fail. China is now unstoppable. India’s own economic development and prosperity are inextricably linked to peace and security in the South Asian region. It is therefore in India’s own long term interest to abandon its hostile posture towards Pakistan as well as the attempts to sabotage CPeC. Indian leaders need to understand that Indian security and economic progress is inextricably linked to South Asia and any attempts to destabilize the region will also undermine her strategic interest.
It is indeed a pity that the Indian leadership has failed to comprehend the benefits of CPEC to the region including India, and is pursuing a policy to undermine it at the behest of her strategic partners who are hellbent on stopping China from emerging as the major economic and military power of the world, which in any case is bound to fail. China is now unstoppable. India’s own economic development and prosperity are inextricably linked to peace and security in the South Asian region. It is therefore in India’s own long term interest to abandon its hostile posture towards Pakistan as well as the attempts to sabotage CPEC.
Malik Muhammad Ashraf is an academic. He can be contacted at: ashpak10@gmail.com.
ChANGe in climate is a threat not only on an individual level but it affects the upcoming generations along with that it affects all regions around the world. The ever-worsening climatic conditions are a topic of concern all over the world. Worldwide climatic change tells a sad tale of human actions and interventions with nature exploiting the resources. This perilously climatic conditions not only disturbed weather cycles in different parts of world, polar ice shields are melting and the sea level is rising but it initiate unexpected natural calamities like Tsunami, earthquake, melting glaciers, dust storms, indicates that nature can take no more human disturbance and rejects all disturbance hence, as a result has started revolting throwing her anger back at the humankind. Official reports from Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) determine significant changes in the sea surface levels, which will expand the frequency of tropical cyclones in Arabian sea ten times more. This condition represents the severity with which Pakistan might experience the effects of climate change. Rapid urbanisation and expansion reduced our national green cover for which the government embarked on projects like the ten billion tree tsunami, clean and green Pakistan along with the protected areas intimate and ecosystem restoration fund. All these factors are focused on recovering from the losses incurred overtime. Pakistan has a clear climatic impact due to the situation of increasing population, increase in temperature and heat waves has a negative impact on the economy by affecting food production and energy sustainability. This is initially due to ongoing practices and customs of irresponsible waste disposal, depletion of forest cover, unsustainable use of water,extensive use of motor vehicles, industrial air pollution and crop residue burning, each of which contributes to worsening smog, an ever growing carbon footprints, floods, lethal heat waves and now an increased threat of destructive tropical cyclones. Climate change in Pakistan concerns increased variability of monsoons. Greenhouse effect is considered as the main driver of climate change. The global climate risk index 2020 ranked Pakistan as 5th most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. It is expected that Climatic change could wipe up to 18% of GDP of the world wide economy by 2050 if global temperatures rise by 3.2 •c. The Government must realize that an all-inclusive environmental policy is preventative for the safety of the country rather than just reactionary. Government should take measures to protect the ecosystem by replacing plastic bags with paper bags, by improving solid waste management, by preventing excessive smoke from vehicles and educating people about the hazardous impact of climatic conditions. ASIFA ABDUL RASOOL KHOWAJA LAHORE
New restrictions AS per the announcement of National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), new restrictions are announced for high risked cities of country where the positivity ratio for coronavirus is high. The cities include Rawalpindi, lahore, Faisalabad and Multan in Punjab; Peshawar and Abbottabad in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Karachi and hyderabad in Sindh; Islamabad; Muzaffarabad and Mirpur in Azad Kashmir; and Gilgit and Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan. According to NCOC the new restrictions, which will last from August 3 to Aug 31 in above mentioned cities in order to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. The news further added that markets will be operating from 10am to 8pm, only outdoor dining is allowed till 10pm, while takeaway and delivery will continue, resumption of 50 per cent work-from-home policy will be practiced, and public transport to operate with 50pc occupancy in these cities. here I want to draw the attention of NCOC’s officials that in Balochistan the virus had spread rapidly in the past week, with cases, positivity ratio and hospitalisations all witnessing a spike. These are not my words about the situation rather the authorities concerned are spreading these words. I am a resident of district Kech, and we are under a strict lockdown since July 24 due to alarming situation of Covid-19 pandemic. The local administration of district Kech is on its keen to feel the public the situation of Covid-19 is the worst than the other cities of the country and high level platform like NCOC never feel to discuss the situation of Balochistan and its high risked cities. Our eyes are on our provincial government and it representers to take initiative in order to save the public from virus and alarming issues like hungriness. Moreover, it is the responsibility of those official persons who are representing the province Balochistan in such high level platform. We need the answers of some questions from our provincial government; is it the real situation of the province and its cities that is being presented and highlighted by provincial governments and other local administrations? Why the situation of high risked cities like Turbat, Gwadar, Panjgor and Quetta is not discussed in the meeting of NCOC that was conducted on Monday (August 02)? I request the concerned authorities of Balochistan and its districts to take serious measures to control the spread of virus along with beneficial initiatives that should not be threat for living in the province. I request the DC of district Kech please review the decision of a strict lockdown and go for the smart lockdown as the high risked cities of country are under smart lockdown with strict SOPs. MUHAMMAD BAKHTIyAR KEcH TURBAT
Lockdown and inflation FOR controlling the extending pandemic lock down has been imposed in different cities and people are forced to stay at their homes. Therefore the doors of earning have been closed for citizens and they find little to survive, on the other hand the rising rate of product is touching the sky. In addition, Most of the students have been giving rents for houses in different arias for studying. Including that, they also did part time jobs but now they are deprived from this. They are facing both inflation and lack of jobs which compels them to leave their study. In these difficult days it has become a challenge for students and jobless people to live in a comfortable way. In short, it is requested to government to do something against rising inflation and provide jobs to student so they would easily continue their study. ASIF KHAn KARAcHI
Wednesday, 4 August, 2021
08 WORLD VIEW
How waTer Has become a flasHpoinT in THe middle easT
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AL-moniTor
HE disruption of water supply has long been a potential catalyst for conflict or instability in the arid Middle East. But it’s never been as prominent a risk as it is now. Ethiopia announced July 19 that it had completed this year's filling of the grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (gERD), which it is building on the Blue nile, the main tributary of the nile River, which provides Egypt with over 90% of its water needs. Egypt is weighing its next diplomatic steps, as Baher al-kady reports. On July 8, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told the Un Security Council that the gERD presents an "existential threat" and that the effect of the potential disruption of water flow to Egypt would be like a "malignant plague." Tunisia has drafted a resolution to back Egypt’s bid for the council to formally weigh in on behalf of an internationally mediated agreement for the management of the nile water flows. That resolution is, forgive the metaphor, dead in the water. "although the council has acknowledged the severity of the issue with a second meeting in two years on the dispute," we wrote here, "a resolution is still a tough sell. Council members remain uneasy about the precedent of a resolution on 'water issues.'" Egyptian President abdel Fattah al-Sisi, speaking July 15, said any reduction of Egypt’s water supply is a red line that “cannot be crossed,” adding, “Before anything happens to Egypt, the army and i would have
THERE ARE INCREASED RISKS AND RELEVANCE OF WATER SECURITY FOR EGYPT, SUDAN AND ETHIOPIA; IRAN AND IRAQ; AND ISRAEL AND JORDAN to be gone.” Disappointed by Moscow’s neutral stance at the Security Council, Cairo is reaching out to China to help break the deadlock, as amr Eman reports. While Beijing has never been a major diplomatic force in the region, it does have close ties with addis ababa. China also is heavily invested in Egypt as part of its Belt and Road initiative, "as a gateway for Chinese goods into markets on the african continent," Eman writes. "China is … one of Egypt's largest trading partners, with huge investments in Egypt," Eman continues. "it plans to establish an industrial zone in the Suez Canal region. Chinese companies are also participating in the construction of the new administrative Capital, a megacity being built on the outskirts of Cairo." Egypt also is getting a boost from Saudi arabia, which enjoys good ties with Ethiopia. The kingdom’s tilt toward Egypt in the gERD dispute can be explained by a more assertive posture in the arab league, which is 100% behind Egypt, and in Red Sea security, as Samuel Ramani explains. another interesting angle on the dispute revolves around a potential mediation role for israel, as Mohamed Saied reports, which also enjoys strong ties with Ethiopia, in addition to its relationship with Egypt. israel is back as an "observer" to the african Union (aU), as Rina Bassist reports, and eager to
press ahead with more normalization agreements on the continent. The Biden administration, after hearing out Egypt at the Security Council, is throwing its weight behind aU mediation, which for the past year has languished. US Secretary of State antony Blinken spoke July 20 with Democratic Republic of the Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, who is current chair of the aU, and stressed the importance of mediation on the gERD. Meanwhile, Egypt is engaged in its own "power" diplomacy with Djibouti, Tanzania and Burundi to counter Ethiopia's plans to use the gERD to create and export hydropower to african countries, as george Mikhail reports, and looks to build its own civilian nuclear power capacity, as Hagar Hosny writes. IRANIAN WATER, POWER CRISIS SPILLS OVER INTO IRAQ Water is creating tensions elsewhere, too. iran apparently shut down the internet in restive khuzestan province, where protests have been occurring over the lack of clean drinking water. Experts say the main cause of the water problems in the southwestern province is unusually low water levels due to drought. Mismanagement of water resources may have also played a role. activists said security forces killed three protesters. iran’s water crisis is not limited to
khuzestan province, but that is where it is more acutely felt, and it is exacerbated by iran’s energy crisis. Worn down by sanctions, disrepair and mismanagement, the energy and water sectors have been operating erratically, leading to additional protests in iran. The fallout is regional. iraq relies on iran for a large share of its electricity and power needs. and in iraq, too, water supplies are at risk. The iraqi kurdistan Regional government has called for citizens to ration water due to the decline in groundwater levels because of lack of rain and this year’s drought. iraq’s Minister of Water Resources Mahdi Rashid al-Hamdani blames other countries, too. He said shortages result from iran’s diversion of water from the karun River to the gulf rather than the Shatt alarab, and Turkey’s failure to comply with its water agreements. iraq’s primary sources of water, the Tigris and Euphrates, originate in Turkey. WATER KEY TO ISRAEL-JORDAN RESET The new israeli government of Prime Minister naftali Bennett and alternate prime minister and Foreign Minister Yair lapid has given priority to a reset in ties with Jordan. and at the top of the reset agenda was water. Former israeli Prime Minister Benjamin netanyahu let languish the 2015 the RedDead agreement signed with Jordan under
the auspices of the World Bank and with bigtime support from the United States and international organizations. The project called for a "giant water pipeline between the Red Sea and the far lower Dead Sea, along which water desalination facilities would be built to benefit both sides of the arid, empty arava Desert they share, with the remaining water and brine to flow down and replenish the shrinking Dead Sea," writes Ben Caspit. "in return for Jordanian cooperation on this project, israel committed to supply Jordan with an additional 50 million cubic meters of water produced at an additional desalination plant to the north from which water would flow to the Sea of galilee and from there to Jordan." The breakdown in negotiations on the pipeline is blamed, in part, for exacerbating Jordan’s water crisis, writes Osama al Sharif. The first item of business for Bennett, on his "secret" mission to amman earlier this month, was to close the deal. "according to diplomatic sources," Caspit continues, "israel is planning a long list of agreements with the kingdom to rehabilitate the relationship and restore several aspects of cooperation, including additional goodwill gestures. israel is willing to further upgrade the water supply that is crucial for the monarchy’s stability on the condition that Jordan lets israeli farmers cultivate the border lands that israel handed back to Jordan in 2019." after meeting with king abdullah ii on July 20, US President Joe Biden expressed US support for improved Jordan-israel ties and cited the agreement to provide fresh water to Jordan as an example.
A new age of anger awaits India and Brazil
Accepting unconditional defeat in Afghanistan is a choice — and a bad one
EVIDENCE THAT POST-PANDEMIC INEQUALITY WILL BE LETHAL TO SOCIAL ORDER IS MOUNTING. INEQUALITY HAS GROWN CONCENTRATED IN INDIA, HOME TO AMBANI & ADANI, WHILE BRAZIL'S RICH GOT RICHER BY 2.7%
BECAUSE THE WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN HAS BIPARTISAN SUPPORT, AND BECAUSE THE MILITARY NEVER LIKES TO ADMIT A LOSS, FEW PEOPLE ARE USING THE WORD “DEFEAT”
BLoomBerg
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PANkAJ MisHRA
WO decades ago, a goldman Sachs executive coined the label BRiCs to describe four big emerging nations: Brazil, Russia, india and China. Rapid growth and expansion of the ranks of the wealthy in these countries vindicated the faith of investors. Their leaders started to hold annual summit meetings and even established their own development bank. They invited South africa to become a member in 2011, conveniently completing the catchy acronym. But conceits devised by Western boosters of globalization had become obsolete well before the pandemic dramatically altered global realities this past year. China, for instance, long ago graduated from “emerging” status. With its hydrocarbon-dependent and isolationist economy, Russia never belonged in the group. Today, the heedless celebration of fast growth and wealth creation seems to belong to a naive and unreflective age. Meanwhile, evidence that postpandemic inequality will be lethal to everyday social order, let alone democracy, in emerging economies is mounting. This became blindingly clear last month as South africa, by some measures the most unequal country in the world, descended into its worst violence since the end of apartheid. looters, vandals and arsonists rampaged across the country, destroying shopping malls and industrial warehouses, and burning lorries. Hundreds of people died. Property and business losses amount to hundreds of millions of dollars, and recovery will take years. The immediate provocation for the rioting was the sentencing of former president Jacob Zuma to 15 months in prison for refusing to cooperate with an inquiry into corruption during his nine years in of-
fice. The pandemic that has killed more than 70,000 South africans and plunged many more into destitution played its part. But rage had long been building up in the country, where unemployment stands at record levels (33%), and where many people lack food, power and running water as well as jobs. Those same factors will play a central role when — and there is no “if” here — similarly extensive breakdowns occur in india and Brazil. The necessary ingredients — extreme social divisions of race, religion, class and caste; widening gaps between city and country; and a baleful, incompetent, if not corrupt, ruling class — have been present for many years in both countries. They’ve only become more toxic in recent months. inequality has grown more concentrated in india, home to two out of the three richest tycoons in asia — Mukesh ambani (whose wealth is now estimated at $78 billion) and gautam adani ($53 billion). Meanwhile, in probably the largest-ever implosion of the middle class, the heart of any modern consumer economy, more than 200 million indians have gone back to earning less than $5 a day. india already accounted for nearly a third of the world’s malnourished people. aiding the wealthy with tax cuts for corporations, india’s Hindu nationalist government presently presides over an increase in hunger, even in urban areas, and among middle-class indians. in Brazil, where half a million people have lost their lives to the pandemic, the rich increased their share of national wealth by 2.7% last year; they now possess almost half of it. at the same time, the poorest 40% of Brazilians lost a fifth of their income, while average income per capita fell to its lowest level in a decade. as in india, widespread immiseration has been accompanied by an assault on democratic institutions. Deepening his country’s Covid nightmare with his virus-denial and vaccine-baiting, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has undermined governance with a series of arbitrary decrees. in March, he fired his defense minister, evidently for resisting the president’s efforts to get the military to back him politically. Much attention since Brexit and Donald Trump’s election in 2016 has been focused on the ruinous political consequences of unchecked inequality in the world’s most advanced economies: permanent and rancorous polarization, a collapse of trust in democratic institutions, the rise of conspiracy theories and entrenchment of demagoguery. This process of social and political disintegration was always far advanced, though little noticed, in emerging economies. Moreover, it seems to have no corrective. The pandemic has now accelerated it. South africa provides a glimpse of what might lie ahead for the onetime stars of globalization.
Los AngeLes Times
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JONAH GOLDBERG
alking to reporters on July 2, President Biden was pressed about the sudden, and embarrassing, evacuation of our air base in afghanistan and widespread predictions the afghan government would fall quickly to the Taliban. The president testily replied: “i want to talk about happy things, man.” His retort seems to have had the desired effect. last week, at a Cnn town hall, the president wasn’t asked about afghanistan at all. The only mention came in a discussion about immigration. after explaining that migrants at the southern border seeking entry in the United States will be turned away, he added: “The one place you may have heard that i’m talking about more immigrants coming in are those folks from afghanistan who helped the american soldiers, who will be — they and their family will be — victimized very badly as a consequence of what happens if they’re left behind.” This was not the first concession to the reality of what we’re doing by withdrawing from afghanistan. From the outset, the administration has admitted, mostly euphemistically, that an ugly civil war is almost assured and the toppling of the kabul government is likely. The reason we are permitting these afghan immigrants to come to america is that
everyone knows they’d be slaughtered if left behind because they helped americans. Because the withdrawal from afghanistan has bipartisan support, and because the military never likes to admit a loss, few people are using the word “defeat” — and most of the critics who do hint at using the word lack credibility since they didn’t oppose Donald Trump’s desire to bug out even earlier. Of course, there are people who will be all too happy to use the “D” word — the Taliban and the terror groups it remains affiliated with. and, just as Osama bin laden used the defeat of the Soviets to rally the faithful, it seems foolish to think a new generation of Bin laden successors won’t do likewise. in 2009, my friend Charles krauthammer, who passed away three years ago, delivered an important speech at the Manhattan institute. i’d say it was an influential speech but, alas, it wasn’t. in his lecture titled “Decline is a choice,” krauthammer said: “The question of whether america is in decline cannot be answered yes or no. There is no yes or no. Both answers are wrong, because the assumption that somehow there exists some predetermined inevitable trajectory, the result of uncontrollable external forces, is wrong. nothing is inevitable. nothing is written. For america today, decline is not a condition. Decline is a choice. Two decades into the unipolar world that came about with the fall of the Soviet Union, america is in the position of deciding whether to abdicate or retain its dominance. Decline — or continued ascendancy — is in our hands.” To the extent he was right — and i think he was — our abandonment of afghanistan was indeed our choice. in the five years prior to Biden’s announcement, casualties in “america’s longest war” had been reduced to a relative handful, and combat deaths had ceased by the time Biden made his announcement. We simply lost the will to stick it out.
and for understandable reasons. We’ve been there a long time. The afghan government is woefully corrupt. The threat from islamist terrorism seems like it’s in remission — though how much of this is attributable to our efforts there and elsewhere around the world is difficult to gauge. The U.S. conducted counterterrorism operations in 85 countries from 2018 to 2020, though americans served in combat in “only” eight. in that context, what we’ve been doing the last couple of years in afghanistan hasn’t been a war, but a counterterrorism operation. The “longest war” narrative, unfortunately, was more powerful than the reality. That’s part of what vexes me about our unconditional capitulation. i have profound moral disagreements with those who shrug at the potential humanitarian toll likely to result from our departure: the women and girls exiled from schools, the theocratic tyranny, the executions. But what rankles intellectually is the claim that this is serious, hard-headed realpolitik. The Biden administration says it wants to pivot to “strategic competition” with rival powers such as China and Russia and recalibrate our relations with the Middle East. “Wars” — or even just counterterrorism operations such as the one we were conducting in afghanistan — must therefore be in our “national interest.” Well, giving up an air base, multiple listening posts and an allied government at the cross section of Central asia and the Middle East while simultaneously handing our enemies a great political victory in exchange for a domestic political talking point doesn’t strike me as all that strategic. it strikes me as a choice — and a bad one. Jonah goldberg is editor in chief of the Dispatch and has been a los angeles Times Opinion columnist since 2005. He holds the asness Chair in applied liberty at the american Enterprise institute. He was previously senior editor at national Review.
Wednesday, 4 August, 2021
BUSINESS 09
KARACHI Heavy rains, Eidul Azha hit cement demand in July ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
The cement sector posted a negative growth of 19.41 per cent in July 2021 as the total cement despatches in the summer month were 3.899 million tons against 4.838 million tons during the same month last year. The fall in demand could be attributed to monsoon rains during the month and stoppage of construction activities due to Eidul Azha. According to details, domestic despatches dropped from 3.953 million tons in July 2020 to 3.446 million tons in July 2021, a reduction of 12.8 per cent. Exports also showed a substantial reduction of 49 per cent as the country exported only 452,776 tons during July 2021 compared to 885,255 tons during July 2020. Analysis of zone wise demand reveals that a major decline in domestic cement consumption was in the Northern regions of the country where only 2.892 million tons of cement was consumed in July 2021 compared to 3.435 million tons in July 2020, showing a decrease of 15.81 per cent. However, the exports from Northern regions increased by 10.42 per cent to 135,618 tons in July 2021 from 122,823 tons in July 2020. Furthermore, cement factories based in the South despatched 554,442 tons of cement for domestic markets during July 2021 which was 7.07 per cent higher than the despatches of 517,850 tons in the corresponding month of last fiscal year. The cement exports from the South experienced serious dip of a whopping 58.40 per cent as the quantities dropped to 317,159 tons this year from 762,432 tons in July 2020. A spokesman from All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) expressed concerns about the slide in demand, however, he was quite hopeful that the industry will regain its growth momentum in the coming months due to pro-government policies related to the construction sector. “The government’s sponsored Public Sector Development Programmes (PSDP) projects are in full swing under which development funds are released upfront,” he added.
KP amends development projects as USAID warns to withdraw funds PROVINCIAL AUTHORITIES DECIDE TO UTILISE FUNDS IN PROCUREMENT OF VEHICLES FOR OFFICERS, INSTEAD OF RETURNING UNUTILISED FUNDS TO INTERNATION DEVELOPMENT AGENCY PESHAWAR AZIZ BUNERI
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has proposed to amend the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded projects in the province after the agency set September 30 as the deadline to utilise the funds, failing which it will withdraw a $5 million aid it granted to the province for these projects. According to sources, USAID had committed funds for eight projects under the municipal services programme. According to sources, most of the project directors have assured the provincial government that they will fully utilise the $18.8 million originally granted, however the USAID has warned that it will withdraw a $5 million fund if it were not utilised on the proposed projects by September 30. According to sources, in this regard, the government has proposed to amend the project implementation programme and to include the purchase of more items in the project, including vehicles and GIS system. According to sources, in a meeting chaired by KP additional chief secretary that instead of returning the funds, it will be spent on the procurement of new items including new vehicles for officers. Sources said that the procurement process will be completed within two months and a delegation of the provincial government will meet USAID to discuss the amended aspects of the project.
SAPM TABISH GAUHAR PRoPoSES To convERT IMPoRTED coAl-BASED IPPS To locAl ISLAMABAD
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AHMAD AHMADANI
PECIAL Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Power and Petroleum, Tabish Gauhar has proposed to convert the commissioned and under-construction 5,500 MW imported coal-based Independent Power Plants (IPPs) including Jamshoro-I to local coal from the existing Thar Blocks 1 and 2. The SAPM made this proposal in a letter titled “Beyond the firefightingproposed strategic work streams in the energy sector” which he sent to PM Imran Khan, Secretary to PM Azam Khan, Energy Minister Hammad Azhar, Finance Minister Shaukat Tareen, Cabinet Committee on Energy Chairman Asad Umar, Power Division Secretary Ali Raza Bhutta, and to Petroleum Secretary Dr Arshad Mahmood. “With imported coal prices hitting $146 per ton (an increase of 80 per cent this year), it's even more important for us to convert all of our already commissioned and under-construction 5,500 MW imported coal-based IPPs (and Jamshoro-I) to local coal from the existing Thar Blocks 1 and 2,” said the SAPM. Gauhar, in his letter, also proposed to renegotiate the existing Thar coal pricing formula with Government of Sindh, for instance, removing dollar indexation on the Return on Equity (ROE), and supply via railway lines (part of Pakistan Railways business re-
PM’S SPECIAL ASSISTANT ON PETROLEUM FAVOURS RENEGOTIATING EXISTING THAR COAL PRICING FORMULA WITH SINDH GOVERNMENT vival plan). “Potential consumer tariff savings through ‘economies of scale’ target $30 per ton delivered local coal price visà-vis $50-60 per ton now,” he said. Sharing his opinion for bringing improvements in the power sector, Gauhar asked the Privatisation Commission and Power Division to complete the process of DISCOs privatisation and transmission and distribution infrastructure upgrade by June–December 2022, and a more equitable financial and risk sharing arrangement with the provinces, particularly Government of Sindh and Government of Khyber Pakhtukhwa (KP) for SEPCO/HESCO, and PESCO respectively, in accordance with the spirit of 18th Amendment and the upcoming NFC Award. He said that concurrently, “we need centralised monthly monitoring of various NTDC and DISCOS’ capex projects to remove the transmission and distribution ‘bottlenecks’ in the system under Rs118b PSDP+ funds allocated in FY21-22.” SAPM Gauhar further proposed that the need is to fast track privatisation of public-sector power plants, and/or introducing a similar mindset to others like Guddu and Nandipur proj-
ects. He also opined to set up a centralised power-cum-petroleum ‘planning cell’ for more accurate demand-supply forecasts based on a data-driven/econometric modelling exercise, and commissioning an independent audit of those thermal IPPs that were not available when they were needed them the most, but charge takeor-pay capacity payments throughout the year. About K-Electric, the SAPM said that it was an intractable problem crying for a sustainable solution for too long and need was to sign a commercial-based Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and facilitating handover of management control of to another private operator with the capacity to fund its growth needs. “As a prior action, NEPRA must also unbundle KE into separate generation, transmission, and distribution businesses to avoid a single point of management failure (or success) going forward,” said the SAPM. Regarding Petroleum Division’s governance structure, Gauhar said there was a serious human resource and governance issue in the division that may not be apparent but was having a direct adverse impact on its policy making and oversight functions
FBR makes brand registration mandatory for selling products in market ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA
The federal government has made licensing of brand names mandatory for selling unregistered products in the market. In this regard, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Tuesday issued a procedure for issuance of brand registration certificate for tobacco, sugar, fertilizer, cement and beverages vide STGO 7/2021. “In exercise of the powers conferred under section 40E of the Sales Tax Act, 1990, the board is pleased to notify the procedure for licensing of brand name for specified sector mentioned in rule 150ZF of sales tax rules 2006,” said the FBR in a notification. According to the notification, all existing and new manufacturers of afore-mentioned specified sectors are required to register their brand for each product with FBR before selling the same in the market.
All existing and new manufacturers are required to submit an application to the project director (TTS) for issuance of brand registration certificate for all of their products. For this purpose, each manufacturer shall provide the requisite information such as manufacturer’s name, trade name, STRN, NTN, date and place of incorporation, name of directors, precise business location of manufacturing unit and details of product. The office of the project director shall scrutinise all the applica-
tions and initiate the process of registration of the products as per the notified procedure. The project shall also collect the registration fee besides taking appropriate measures to detect and investigate any irregular and fraudulent practice in the operation of the brand registration. The project office shall also update the registration status of brand name to the member operation on a fortnightly basis. It has been further notified by the FBR that if any of the manufacturers fail to obtain the brand registration certificate from FBR, it shall not be allowed to sell their un-registered products in the market. It is pertinent to note that the Federal government inserted section 40E in the Sales Tax Act, 1990 vide Finance Act, 2021, which empowers FBR to issue brand licensing certificate to the manufacturers of specified sectors such as tobacco, sugar, fertilizer, cement and beverages.
across the upstream, midstream and downstream segments, aside from some key structural changes that were also urgently required (for example, transferring various regulatory functions from the Petroleum Division to OGRA and upcoming E&P Regulatory Authority. While talking about the circular debt of the energy sector, SAPM said that there were some specific propositions to create financial headroom on the balance sheet of various energy companies, such as clearing SNGPL and SSGC's over Rs500 billion outstanding aggregate liabilities towards Oil and Gas Regulatory Corporation Limited (OGDCL) and Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), through the issuance of public debt and ploughing back most of it to government of Pakistan (GoP) via dividends, swapping Pakistan State Oil’s (PSO) over Rs100 billion receivables from Guddu and Nandipur power plants with majority equity, etc. The SAPM further said that there was a need to expedite Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) and cabinet approval of the new refining policy for local refineries to upgrade and modernise their product slate to produce more Euro V-compliant petrol and diesel for import substitution. Furthermore, critical that the White Oil Pipeline Project (WOPP) ‘dualisation’ project (diesel and petrol flow through the existing white oil pipeline) commences by September 2021 to reduce the retail price of petrol.
FBR directs tier-1 retailers to integrate system till August 15 ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has advised Tier-1 Retailers to integrate their systems with the revenue authority, failing which they would be denied credit for input tax equal to 60 per cent, claimed in the sales tax return for the month of July 2021. As per details, the FBR, in its drive to integrate Tier-1 Retailers across the country, has issued Sales Tax General Order No 1 of 2022 by which a system-based approach is being adopted to integrate non-integrated Tier-1 retailers with effect from August 1, 2021. A list of identified Tier-1 non-integrated retailers has been placed at FBR's web portal, and if these retailers fail to integrate by August 15, 2021, they would be denied credit for input tax. If, however, a Tier-1 Retailer feels that it is not a Tier-1 Retailer in terms of Section 2(43A) of Sales Tax Act, 1990, it may get itself excluded from the list by applying to the commissioner by August 10, 2021. The list shall be updated every month and taxpayers who remain in the list shall be considered as non-Integrated Tier-1 Retailers and their input tax to the extent of 60 per cent shall be disallowed as per the provisions of subsection (9A) of Section 3 of the Sales Tax Act, 1990. STAFF REPORT
AGP forwards names for new auditor general ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA
As the incumbent Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) is set to retire, different names have emerged for the position of the new, one of the most prestigious positions in the federal government. According to sources, the AGP office has reportedly forwarded the names of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) Member Finance Ajmal Gondal, National Food Security and Research Secretary Ghufan Memon, Controller General Accounts Farrukh Ahmad Hamidi and Additional Auditor General-1 Ghulam Muhammad Memon. Besides these names, the AGP office has also reportedly forwarded the name of former Economic Affairs Division (EAD) Secretary Syed Ghazanfar Abbas Jilani for the AGP slot. Sources said that all the proposed officers belong to grade 22 of Pakistan Audit and Account Service (PAAS), however, the AGP office has selected a retired officer de-
spite the fact that a number of retired officials of BS-22 are still under the age of 65. It is pertinent to note that former EAD secretary Jilani, who is also a cousin of a former prime minister, by accepting his promotion as BS-22 officer in Secretariat Service, was no longer in the PAAS. The incumbent AGP Javed Jahangir will complete his tenure on August 16. Jahangir was appointed by former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in the last days of the PML-N government. As per rules, the government can appoint any officer as AGP, serving or retired, who is less than 65 years of age for a maximum tenure of four years, whichever is earlier. According to sources, the constitutional position demands that the officer in this position, whether in service or retired, should not have any political affiliations. Sadly, however, each time this slot is to be filled, political clout dominates and professional career officers are ignored such as during PML-N appointing Javed Jahangir. Tencent tumbles after China denounces
online gaming Shares of Tencent Holdings Ltd. TCEHY -7.73% and rivals fell Tuesday after a state-owned Chinese newspaper criticized online gaming as “opium for the mind,” fueling investor concerns that the companies’ popular games could be swept up into a broader regulatory crackdown, reported Wall Street Journal. Within hours the article was no longer accessible on the paper’s website, before later reappearing with some of its harsher language removed. Meanwhile, Tencent said it would introduce stricter curbs on younger users. Tencent’s shares, which had dropped more than 10% earlier in the session, pared some losses after the article disappeared to close 6.1% lower in Hong Kong at 446 Hong Kong dollars a share, matching the more than one-year low it hit last week. Peers NetEase Inc. and Bilibili Inc. closed 7.8% and 3.4% lower, and American depositary receipts in both companies fell more than 9%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng
Tech Index retreated 1.5% The state-owned Economic Information Daily published a feature on Tuesday, saying excessive gaming could have ill effects on children and highlighting experts’ calls for tighter regulation. “Society has come to recognize the harm caused by online gaming and it is often referred to as ‘opium for the mind’ or ‘electronic drugs,’” the original article said. This line didn’t appear in the updated version. In both versions of the article, the newspaper said gaming addiction was on the rise, affecting children’s studies and causing alienation. The article cited interviewees as saying gaming platforms should be more socially responsible, rather than purely chasing profits. Regulatory penalties should be heavier, and companies should protect children by improving anti-addiction safeguards and content-review systems, experts cited by the paper suggested. Tencent said Tuesday it would introduce new rules, starting with its flagship “Honor of
Kings” game, that will enforce tougher limits on playing time than required by the authorities. Young gamers will be limited to playing for an hour on weekdays and two hours on weekends and holidays, and children under 12 can’t make in-game purchases, it said. In recent months, China has intensified scrutiny of big technology companies over issues such as data security, monopolistic behavior and financial stability, sparking a steep selloff in the shares of companies like Tencent and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Drastic steps to curtail the after-school tutoring sector have also unnerved investors. One motivation for Beijing is to address social concerns, such as relieving the extreme pressures placed on children by the country’s highly competitive education system. Chinese authorities have previously raised concerns about the gaming habits of young people. In 2018, China stopped issuing videogame licenses for a period, costing Tencent more than $1 billion in lost sales and leading to a prolonged slump in its share price.
Wednesday, 4 August, 2021
10 FOREIGN NEWS
KARACHI
Sixteen More killed, dozenS reScued in india'S MonSoon deluGe KOLKATA
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AFP
T least 16 people have been killed and a quarter of a million people displaced from their homes after heavy monsoon rains lashed eastern India, officials said Tuesday, as the air force joined rescue efforts. The latest deaths in West Bengal came a few days after 11 people were also killed in the state as the torrent of water swept away homes and triggered landslides. Flooding and landslides are common during India's treacherous monsoon season from June to September and causes widespread devastation. The annual downpours have been worsened by climate change, experts say. Two river banks were breached and flooding affected at least half a million people in six districts in West Bengal over the past two days, the state's disaster management minister Javed Ahmed Khan told AFP. Five of the 16 people killed were swept away in the flood and the rest died when their mud houses collapsed, officials said.
Dozens of people were plucked from the rooftop of a submerged building with military helicopters, including a 100-year-old woman and a nine-month-old baby, Khan added. Panicked residents had to flee for higher ground after water from a nearby dam was released, causing sudden flooding. "We fear scores of people are still marooned. Indian Air Force helicopters and disaster management personnel are struggling to rescue them," he added. Villager Samir Nandi, 65, said he had "never witnessed such a flood". "Many people in (my) village took refuge on the roof of the buildings and they are waiting to be rescued." Authorities have set up more than 40 relief centres for the displaced in the flood-affected districts, senior state official HarekrishnaDribedi, said. This year's monsoon, which had earlier inundated the western coast, has claimed the lives of at least 250 people so far. Last month, at least 200 people died in the western state of Maharashtra after landslides sent torrents of mud onto villages. The northern Himalayan states, including Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, have also reported several death.
Iran's Raisi inaugurated as president TEHRAN AFP
Japan government starts to ‘name and shame’ quarantine rule-breakers TOKYO ReuteRs
Japan has carried out a threat to publicly shame people not complying with coronavirus border control measures, releasing the names of three people who broke quarantine rules after returning from overseas. The health ministry said late on Monday the three Japanese nationals named had clearly acted to avoid contact with authorities after recently returning from abroad. The announcement, the first of its kind, sparked a flurry of speculation among Twitter users about the details of those identified, such as their jobs and locations. Japan is asking all travellers from overseas, including its own citizens, to self-quarantine for two weeks, during which they are asked to use a location-tracking smartphone app and report on their health condition.
Bill Gates, Melinda French officially divorced SEATTLE ReuteRs
The divorce between Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, cofounders of one of the world’s largest private charitable foundations, was finalised on Monday, a court document showed. The couple filed for divorce on May 3 after 27 years of marriage, but pledged to continue their philanthropic work together. The Gateses said at the time that they had reached agreement on how to divide their marital assets. No details of that agreement were disclosed in the final divorce order filed on Monday in King County Superior Court in Seattle. The court did not issue money, property or spousal support judgments in the divorce. It said the couple must comply with the terms of the separation contract that was not filed in King County Superior Court. The Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has become one of the most powerful and influential forces in global public health, spending more than $50 billion over the past two decades to bring a business approach to combating poverty and disease. The Gateses have backed widely praised programmes in malaria and polio eradication, child nutrition and vaccines. The foundation last year committed some $1.75 billion to Covid-19 relief.
Conservative EbrahimRaisi was Tuesday inaugurated as president of Iran, a country whose hopes of shaking off a dire economic crisis hinges on reviving a nuclear deal with world powers. "Following the people's choice, I task the wise, indefatigable, experienced and popular HojatoleslamEbrahimRaisi as president of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wrote in a decree read out by his chief of staff. Raisi replaces moderate president Hassan Rouhani, whose landmark achievement was the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and six major powers. From the outset, Raisi will have to tackle negotiations aimed at reviving the nuclear deal from which the US unilaterally withdrew imposing sweeping sanctions. The 60-year-old also faces the United States, Britain and Israel's warnings to Iran over a deadly tanker attack last week for which Tehran denies responsibility. Raisi, in his inauguration speech, said the new government would seek to lift "oppressive" US sanctions, but would "not tie the nation's standard of living to the will of foreigners". We believe the people's economic position is unfavourable both because of the hostility of our enemies and because of the shortcomings and problems inside the country," he said. In his response, Khamenei acknowledged Iran suffered from "many shortcomings and problems," but quickly added: "The country's capabilities are
even more numerous. "Fixing economic problems takes time and cannot be done overnight," he said. Raisi won a presidential election in June in which more than half the electorate stayed away after many heavyweights were barred from standing. A former judiciary chief, he has been criticised by the West for his human rights record. Tuesday's ceremony marked Raisi's formal accession to office. He will next be sworn in before parliament on Thursday when he is to submit his proposed government line-up. Raisi's presidency will consolidate power in the hands of conservatives following their 2020 parliamentary election victory, marked by the disqualification of thousands of reformist or moderate candidates. Iran's economic woes, exacerbated by US sanctions, will be the new president's top challenge, said Clement Therme, a researcher at the European University Institute in Italy. "His main objective will be to improve the economic situation by reinforcing the Islamic republic's economic relations with neighbouring countries" and others such as Russia and China, Therme said. The 2015 deal saw Iran accept curbs on its nuclear capabilities in return for an easing of sanctions. But then US president Donald Trump withdrew from the accord three years later and ramped up sanctions again, prompting Tehran to pull back from most of its nuclear commitments. Trump's successor Joe Biden has signalled his readiness to return to the deal and engaged in indirect negotiations with Iran alongside formal talks with the accord's remaining parties -- Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.
The US sanctions have choked Iran and its vital oil exports, and the economy contracted by more than six percent in both 2018 and 2019. In the winter of 2017-2018, and again in 2019, street protests sparked by the economic crisis rocked the country. And last month, demonstrators in oil-rich Khuzestan province, which has been hit by drought, took to the streets to vent their anger. On the foreign front, tensions have escalated after the United States and Britain joined Israel in blaming Tehran for a tanker attack off Oman last Thursday that killed a British security guard and a Romanian crew member. The United States vowed an "appropriate response", while Iran warned Monday that it will respond to any "adventurism". The economic malaise has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, which has officially cost more than 90,000 lives and also hit many Iranians in the pocket. In his final cabinet meeting on Sunday, Rouhani defended his track record but apologised over the "hardships" Iranians have had to endure. After his election, Raisi made clear that his key foreign policy would be to improve ties with regional countries. In mid-July, Rouhani said he hoped his successor can clinch a deal to lift US sanctions and conclude nuclear talks. But Khamenei, whose word is final in policy matters, has warned against trusting the West. Raisi has already said he will not hold talks simply for the sake of negotiations. His government will only support talks that "guarantee national interests", the incoming president said.
N Korea wants sanctions eased to restart talks with US: S Korea MPs SEOUL ReuteRs
North Korea wants international sanctions banning its metal exports and imports of refined fuel and other necessities lifted in order to restart denuclearisation talks with the United States, South Korean lawmakers said on Tuesday. The North has also demanded the easing of sanctions on its imports of luxury goods to be able to bring in fine liquors and suits, the lawmakers said after being briefed by South Korea’s main intelligence agency. The briefing came a week after the two Koreas restored hotlines that North Korea suspended a year ago. North Korea’s state-run media made no mention on Tuesday of any new request for the lifting sanctions to restart talks. The South Korean legislators said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in had both expressed a willingness to rebuild trust and improve ties since April, and Kim had asked to reconnect the hotlines. They also said North Korea was in need of some 1 million tons of rice, as its economy was battered by the coronavirus pandemic and bad weather last year. South Korea’s central bank said last week North
Korea’s economy suffered its biggest contraction in 23 years in 2020 as it was battered by UN sanctions, COVID-19 lockdown measures and the weather. Moon has made improving diplomatic and economic relations with North Korea a top priority, while the United States has long insisted relations with North Korea can not improve until it gives up its nuclear and missile programmes. North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests since 2006 and test-fired missiles capable of hitting the United States. The UN Security Council has issued a wide range of sanctions against North Korea, including entities
and individuals in the reclusive country, for pursuing its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes in defiance of UN resolutions. The United States, Japan and South Korea have also issued sanctions on North Korea but they are not binding on other countries. A senior official in President Joe Biden’s administration told Reuters in March that North Korea had not responded to behind-the-scenes diplomatic outreach since mid-February. The Biden administration has been cautious in publicly describing its approach to North Korea, saying it was carrying out a comprehensive policy review following former President Donald Trump’s unprecedented engagement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. North Korea has not tested a nuclear weapon or its longest-range intercontinental ballistic missiles since 2017, ahead of an historic meeting in Singapore between leader Kim Jong Un and Trump in 2018. That meeting and two subsequent ones failed to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons or its missile programme. Independent UN sanctions monitors found that North Korea maintained and developed its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes throughout 2020 in violation of sanctions, helping fund them with some $300 million stolen through cyber hacks.
Wednesday, 4 August, 2021
SPORTS 11
KARACHI
Biles Back with Brave Bronze as records fall, ioc proBes Belarus TOKYO
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IMONE Biles retook the gymnastics stage on Tuesday after a week’s absence, electrifying the Tokyo Olympics on a day that saw world records smashed and organisers investigate Belarus’s treatment of an athlete now in diplomatic protection. The return of the American, considered by many the greatest gymnast ever, ensured a blockbuster finale for the sport at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre as Biles took the bronze. She had abruptly dropped out of the team event seven days ago, citing mental health issues and increasing global awareness of the pressures elite athletes face. “I was proud of myself just to go out there after what I’ve been through,” said Biles, who won four golds and a bronze in Rio five years ago. “I’ll treasure this one a lot more after everything I have been through.” On the track, Norway’s Karsten Warholm shattered his own world record in the men’s 400 metres hurdles by almost a second with a blistering 45.94-second run, besting American Rai Benjamin, who also beat last month’s record. “Man, it’s so crazy. It’s by far the biggest moment of my life,” Warholm said after carving his name among the greats of athletics history and crouching in apparent disbelief on the track. “You know the cliche that it hasn’t sunk in yet? I don’t think it has, but I feel ecstatic.” In women’s cycling, Germany beat Britain for the gold in team pursuit in a thrilling final after each team traded world records in the heats. Away from the competition, the International Olympic Committee said it expected a report later in the day from the Belarusian
team on the case of sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who sought refuge in the Polish embassy in Tokyo on Monday after refusing her team’s orders to fly home. She was expected to fly on Wednesday to Poland, which has offered her a humanitarian visa. The IOC spoke twice on Monday to Tsimanouskaya, who was in a safe and secure place, said spokesman Mark Adams. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
pff partners with Gsv to launch pakistan football league NEWS DESK The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has partnered with Global Soccer Ventures (GSV) to launch the Pakistan Football League (PFL) and promote the sport in the country. According to the PFF, the collaboration is not only for the league but it will also focus on developing a state-of-the-art stadium in Karachi. The inter-city franchise league will also collaborate with top football clubs in Europe. The federation said that the collaboration will ensure utilisation of funds only for the right reasons and Pakistani football players. It further said: “PFF has placed players at the heart of everything. PFL will help rebuild football in Pakistan by developing a new generation of players. It is designed to create a new football ecosystem to place Pakistan’s players in top priority.” PFF President Ashfaq Shah said: “It is about time we take control to secure the future of Pakistan’s players. I am proud to partner with GSV, who has created a revolutionary vision for Pakistan. It is my mission to make football recognised in Pakistan as a professional sport and give it the professional impetus to cultivate our national talent and help them compete at international level on our own soil.” GSV CEO Zabe Khan said: “In Pakistan, football has been a neglected sport for several decades. There is nothing preventing football’s revival in Pakistan. The country needs to rise and play. My strategy offers a solution for the revival through a blend of infrastructure, international collaboration and a sensational league.” GSV Chief Operating Officer Mike Farnan said: “Pakistan is a sleeping giant with huge potential for football. At Manchester United International, the globalisation strategy was to focus on emerging markets. I have decided to adopt the same approach for Pakistan by creating a new football landscape. It is a big challenge in a big nation and for that I am willing to give Pakistan’s football a legitimate opportunity”. GSV will make a ground-breaking announcement in the coming weeks to reveal the full details of the plans.
accused Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime of intolerable “transnational repression” in the matter. Tsimanouskaya told the German newspaper Bild that her rupture with the team had not initially been about politics. “I could never have imagined that would turn into such a big political scandal.” MAKING HISTORY: Outdoor athletes were once again battling the Tokyo summer weather as well as their competitors,
with highs around 33 degrees Celsius (91 Fahrenheit) and rain-forest humidity, while missing fans, banned from almost all events due to Covid-19. The lack of spectators, however, is not depressing viewership figures, the IOC said, as debut events such as surfing and skateboarding attract a global buzz. Host city Tokyo is enduring its fourth coronavirus state of emergency with infections spiking to record highs and hospitals
under increasing strain. Although Covid-19 has been contained in the Olympic “bubble” through strict testing and monitoring, positive tests forced Greece to pull out of artistic swimming. Biles, her hopes of winning six gold medals in Tokyo shattered, has been battling the “twisties” – where gymnasts become disoriented during their gravity-defying sequences – which forced her to pull out of events. The winner of 32 Olympic and world championship medals said she must “process this Olympics” before considering Paris 2024. “Right now I’m going to focus on myself a little bit more often rather than push stuff under the rug.” Japan’s Naomi Osaka, who had cited depression in taking a break from tennis in recent months, lost to the world No. 42 in the third round last week, one of many surprising results in this year’s Games. Also making history, the first openly transgender Olympian, New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, said she does not consider herself a trailblazer and just wanted to be seen as any other athlete on sport’s biggest stage. Hubbard made an unexpectedly early exit on Monday, eliminated 10 minutes into her +87 kg contest, ending an appearance that provoked controversy. Transgender rights advocates applauded her being allowed to compete, while some former athletes and activists believe her background gives her an unfair physiological advantage and undermines efforts for women’s equality in sport. Meanwhile, some Australian athletes damaged their rooms in the athletes’ village before departing while the team’s mascots went missing. The emu and kangaroo later returned, said team chief Ian Chesterman.
Pakistan win t20 series against west indies NEWS DESK Rain allowed only three overs to be bowled in the fourth - and final T20I - in Guyana, which meant Pakistan, courtesy of their win in the second game, won the four-match rain-marred series 1-0. After winning the toss on Tuesday, Babar Azam put West Indies in on a damp pitch on an overcast morning. With both sides unchanged from the last washout,
Andre Fletcher and Chris Gayle once again opened the innings. Fletcher kicked off the innings by hitting two sixes off Mohammad Hafeez in the opening over and Gayle followed it up with two fours off Mohammad Wasim Jr in the next. West Indies were 30 for no loss after three overs when rain halted play. That was around 11.15am local time. When the rain eventually relented, the umpires had an inspection at 1.25pm and decided to re-
sume at 2.00pm. The match was reduced to nine overs per side but just when play was about to restart, the rain returned to have the final say. At the toss, West Indies captain Kieron Pollard had said that this would be the last international game for Dwayne Bravo in the Caribbean and that his side wanted to give him a win. The weather though had other plans. TEAMS:
Bangladesh down australia in first t20i NEWS DESK
ball go between his legs and hit the stumps. At 11 for 3, Matthew Wade and Marsh tried to bring Australia back with patient play against the spinners, who were bowling with a lot of control and confidence. Wade explored the square region on both sides to keep the runs ticking, while Marsh preferred the straight region. But a lapse from Wade came soon after as, chasing a wide ball that pitched outside leg and turned away further, he attempted a pull but ended up hitting straight to short fine-leg, undoing all the effort of the previous 22 balls. However, the two Ashtons - Agar and Turner - were
Needing only 132 to win, the first of five T20Is, Australia had the upper hand at the halfway mark. But the dismissal of Alex Carey first ball, followed by two more batters by the third over, meant that they had their backs to the wall early on. After that, though Mitchell Marsh did try to keep Australia in the contest with a patient run-a-ball 45 from No 3, wickets at regular intervals left them 23 short in the end, giving Bangladesh their first T20I victory against Australia in five attempts. It was spin that hurt Australia the most, a ploy used by Bangladesh right from the first ball. Left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed shared the new ball with Mahedi Hasan and finished with 4 for 19, his best in T20s. Mahedi and Shakib Al Hasan picked up early wickets too, and kept things tight all through. Shakib also made a crucial contribution in the first half after Australia won the toss and opted to bowl, scoring 36 in 33 balls, on a surface that was never easy to bat on. In fact, Bangladesh's batters struggled with timing too, as the Australia bowlers varied their pace. And it took a late cameo from Afif Hossain - 23 in 17 - to take them to 131. In hindsight, it was a fair score on that Bangladesh deck, as the second innings proved. Inside the first 2.1 overs, Australia had 131 for 7 (shakiB 36, lost three wickets - both openers and No. naim 30, hazlewood 3-24, 4 Moises Henriques - to the Bangladesh spinners. Mahedi took the new ball, and starc 2-33) Beat australia got one to slide in from around the 108 (marsh 45, nasum 4-19, stumps. Carey, attempting the cut expectmustafizur 2-16, ing the ball to turn away, lost his tumps. Next over, Josh Philippe was stumped shoriful 2-19) By trying to drive Nasum through the covers. 23 runs Then, Henriques' sweep off Shakib had the
West Indies: Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Dwayne Bravo, Haydn Walsh, Akeal Hosein. Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan, Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Sohaib Maqsood, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim, Usman Qadir, Haris Rauf. Originally published on ESPNcricinfo
still around for Marsh to bat with, which meant that wickets were still the only way for Bangladesh to ensure they stayed ahead. They got their way, though. Agar was out hit-wicket trying to flick Nasum, and Turner sliced a catch to extra cover. With Marsh running out of partners, he looked to change gears, and although a few boundaries did come, he perished looking to slog sweep. Despite not getting the team across the line, Marsh's 45 was a big positive on a difficult surface for Australia. When he was dismissed, Australia were 84 for 6, and it looked like they might struggle to reach three digits. They got there, just about, courtesy Mitchell Starc's 14, before being shot out last ball. Originally published on ESPNcricinfo
Wednesday, 4 August, 2021
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PTI wINS SPEAkEr, dEPUTy SPEAkEr PoSTS IN AJk LEGISLATIvE ASSEmbLy
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AKISTAN Tehreek-e-Insaf’s nominees Choudhary Anwar-ul-Haq was elected as Speaker while Riaz Ahmed elected as Deputy Speaker of the AJK Assembly at the session of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly which met in the state metropolis on Tuesday.
Choudhary Anwar-ul-Haq secured 32 votes while his opponent Faisal Mumtaz Rathore the joint candidate of Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim LeagueN got 15 vote. A total of 49 newly elected members have cast their vote in 53 seat Azad Jammu Kashmir Legislative Assembly. Four members were not present in the assembly session while two vote were rejected.
Later, the newly elected Speaker Choudhary Anwarul-Haq took the oath of office. The outgoing Speaker of the Assembly Shah Ghulam Qadir administered the oath .Riaz Ahmed of Tehreek-e-Insaf was elected the Deputy Speaker of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir legislative Assembly he received 32 votes while Nisara Abbasi joint candidate of Peoples Party and Muslim League-Nawaz got 15 votes. Addressing the house, the newly elected Speaker of Azad Jammu and Kashmir legislative Assembly Choudhary Anwar-ul-Haq thanked the leadership of his Party particularly The Chairman of Tehreek–e-Insaf Imran Khan, peoples and the members of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir legislative Assembly for reposing confidence on him and assured that he will continue to promote the sublime traditions of the this house. He urged the members of the Assembly to demonstrate tolerance and pay respect to each other to continue highly respected traditions of this house. He said it will be my endeavor not to suppress the voice of the opposition and also pay respect to the opinion of the treasury benches. He thanked the Chairman of Tehreek-e–Insaf Imran Khan for nominating him for Speaker ship of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir legislative Assembly. The newly elected Deputy Speaker also thanked the members of the house and Chairman Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan for nominating him for Deputy Speaker of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir legislative Assembly. Earlier the newly elected members of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir legislative Assembly took the oath of office. Outgoing Speaker of Azad Jammu and Kashmir legislative Assembly Shah Ghulam Qadir administered the oath.
Kabul hit by powerful explosion, at least three dead A powerful blast followed by sporadic gunfire hit Afghanistan’s capital Kabul on Tuesday near the city’s heavily fortified “Green Zone”, an area home to government buildings and foreign embassies, police officials said. A senior security official said the blast appeared to have been caused by a car bomb and the apparent target was the residence of a member of parliament. Two gunmen were still in the area and clashing with Afghan security forces, the official said. The city’s Emergency Hospital said in a tweet it had so far received six people wounded in the attack. No militant group immediately claimed responsibility. Minutes after the blast hundreds of civilians in Kabul came out onto the streets and chanted Allahu Akbar (God is
Great) to express their support for Afghan government forces and opposition to the Taliban. Last week residents in western Herat braved the streets despite nearby fighting to protest against the Taliban. Other cities quickly organised to join the chant from their homes in the evenings, as a message of support for embattled security forces. Clashes between Afghan forces and the Taliban have intensified across the country with the insurgent group gaining control over checkpoints, trading posts and infrastructure projects. The Taliban said their fighters in Kabul killed a district governor of central Maidan Wardak province on Tuesday, the latest in a series of killings by the insurgent group aimed at eliminating senior government officials and social activists. ReuTeRs
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UAE eases flight restrictions for Pakistan, other countries The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will ease travel restrictions for six countries on its flight ban list to allow some UAE residents, who are stranded abroad, to fly back to the Emirates. The government said all vaccinated individuals, as well as unvaccinated people in certain job categories, can seek permission to return from Thursday. The decision includes people who are in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Nigeria and Uganda, state news agency WAM reported. Travellers must have a valid UAE residency and have to submit proof of having received both doses of the coronavirus vaccine in the UAE. Unvaccinated people in certain categories can also return There are further exemptions that cover people who are not vaccinated. They include medical workers, teachers at schools and universities in the Emirates, students, residents with extenuating circumstances, patients undergoing medical treatment in the UAE, and employees who work for federal or local government agencies. These people must apply for permission to return on the website of the federation immigration department, the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship. They must also obtain a negative PCR test result received within 48 hours from their date of travel. A rapid test will be conducted before boarding the flight and travellers will undergo precautionary measures, including further PCR testing and quarantine, on arrival to the UAE. Delegates and businessmen, as well as golden visa residents, were previously allowed to return to the UAE from any of the banned travel lists, as long as they had obtained prior approval. news desk
CNG prices in Punjab, Sindh go up ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has jacked up prices of compressed natural gas (CNG) in Punjab and Sindh. The prices have increased as the rupee has depreciated against the US dollar. After the recent hike, the rate of CNG in Sindh has been fixed at Rs150 per kilogramme, while the price in Punjab will be Rs112. Meanwhile, Chairman All Pakistan CNG Association Ghiyas Paracha has rejected the recent hike in the CNG prices. Recently, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) hiked the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) up to Rs9.58 per kilogramme. According to a notification, the price of an 11.8-kg LPG cylinder for domestic consumers has been jacked up to Rs113 to Rs2002. The new prices were enforced from August 1. The All Pakistan CNG Association said last month that imposition of new and additional taxes on the liquefied natural gas (LNG) would increase the price of CNG significantly. The move will result in the closure of hundreds of CNG stations, leaving hundreds of thousands of employees jobless, added APCNGA. The government had increased sales tax on the imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) from 5 percent to 17 percent, it said, adding that the CNG stations in Sindh and Punjab are all using the imported gas. TLTP
US lauds Pakistan for advancing peace talks in Afghanistan WASHINGTON sTaff RePoRT
The United States appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to facilitate the transition in war-battered Afghanistan and ensuring stability in the South Asian region by encouraging the Taliban to engage in peace talks. “Pakistan has much to gain [from peace in Afghanistan] and will continue to have a critical role, will be well-positioned to have a role in supporting the outcome that not only the United States seeks, but that many of our International partners, many of the countries in the region also seek,” Department of State spokesperson Ned Price told a press briefing on Monday. The statement came hours after Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani blamed the speedy withdrawal of US-led troops for the worsening violence in his country, as government forces battled to prevent provincial cities from falling to the Taliban in a major escalation in fighting. He told parliament that “an imported, hasty” peace process “not only failed to bring peace but created doubt and ambiguity” among Afghans.
Prince said Washington will “continue to work and to communicate closely with” Islamabad on the Afghanistan question. As the foreign troops withdraw from Afghanistan in a move that represents an end to the post-9/11 era and represents a renewed focus on combatting so-called threats from China, the Ghani regime in Kabul faces an existential threat coming from the insurgent group. Fighting has intensified since early May, with the insurgents capitalising on the final stages of the withdrawal of foreign forces after almost 20 years. Only last week, Taliban fighters assaulted at least three provincial capitals overnight — Lashkar Gah, Kandahar and Herat — after a weekend of heavy fighting that resulted in thousands of civilians fleeing the advancing militants. Last week, National Security Advisor Dr Moeed Yusuf called on his American counterpart, Jake Sullivan, and, during crucial talks, both sides agreed to “sustain the momentum in Pak-US cooperation”. It was their second meeting, followed by one in Geneva in May, during which Afghanistan and other regional issues were
discussed. It was part of the high-level bilateral engagements between the two states. But during his visit, Yusuf “did not meet” with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Price said, explaining “we were travelling all last week”. In response to a question, Price said China’s possible involvement in Afghanistan could be “a positive thing”. Last week, Beijing said it saw the Taliban playing an important role in the peace process and rebuilding of Afghanistan. It further said the peace dialogue needed to be “Afghanistan-led and Afghanistan-owned”. “So, there is an alignment of interests [between the US and China], at least in some areas, when it comes to what we seek in Afghanistan, what the PRC [People’s Republic of China] seeks in Afghanistan, and what the broader international community seeks in Afghanistan, Price said. “We will continue to explore how we might be able to coordinate and work together towards that shared goal,” he added. Nine Taliban representatives had last Wednesday travelled to Tianjin for the talks. In a tweet, the Taliban spokesperson said China had “reiterated its commitment
of continuation of their assistance with Afghans and said they will not interfere in Afghanistan’s issues but will help to solve the problems and restoration of peace in the country.” In a statement, China’s foreign ministry said it would pursue a policy of “non-inter-
ference” in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. “The hasty withdrawal of the United States and NATO troops from Afghanistan actually marked the failure of the U.S. policy towards Afghanistan, and the Afghan people have an important opportunity to stabilize and develop their own country,” it added.
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