EpaperKHI_22-3-17

Thursday, 17 March, 2022 I 13 Shaʽban, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 258 I 12 Pages I Karachi Edition

OppOsitiOn busy in hOrse-trading with ‘bags full Of mOney’: pm Khan islamabad

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staff report

rime minister imran khan on wednesday jeered at the opposition parties over alleged use of money to buy loyalties of government lawmakers, saying the opposition leaders were sitting in islamabad’s Sindh House with “bags full of money” to do horse-trading.

Pm imran, while addressing a political gathering in Swat’s Saidu Sharif, claimed that the opposition was using money that belonged to the people of Sindh.

However, the premier appeared confident to defeat the no-confidence motion against him, saying he will take “three wickets in one ball”.

imran said the PPP, Jui-f, and Pml-n brought the no-confidence motion against him as they were afraid that they will end up in prison in corruption cases if the Pti stayed in power for longer. “i will hunt the three mice who are out to hunt me.”

Speaking about the upcoming Pti rally in islamabad, he urged the people to come to islamabad on march 27 –a day ahead of the no-confidence vote— to show that they stood with truth and against the “slaves of america”. during the rally, imran also praised the foreign office and his government for getting a resolution against islamophobia passed in the united nations.

He said the opposition never took up

the issue of islamophobia at the un or the oic because they had “no belief system”. they only worship money, imran added.

Speaking about his government, the Pm said he challenged everyone to compare the tenure of the opposition parties with the three-and-half years of his government. “we are doing better than them in every sector,” he said, citing “bumper crops”, “record textile exports” and “record tax collection”.

He went on to state that the government was able to provide relief to people on electricity and petroleum products due to an increase in taxation and further added that the government battled covid-19 effectively and its strategy was praised by the world.

12 Govt MPs in opposition's 'safe custody': Pervez Elahi

islamabad staff report

Pakistan muslim league-Quaid (Pml-Q) leader Pervez elahi on wednesday confirmed horsetrading by the opposition, saying that around 10-12 government lawmakers were in “safe custody” of the opposition. in a tv interview, the Pml-Q leader — whose party is a key ally of the Pti in the centre and Punjab — said: “the 10-12 government lawmakers also approached me, but now they were nowhere to be seen.” “we have tracked them down; they are in the opposition’s safe custody. the government is actually more concerned about them. the ones who they looked forward to [for support] have stated they are now neutral. no friendly country or institution will come near this matter,” he claimed. talking about Pml-n Presi-

dent Shahbaz Sharif, elahi said he had held a telephonic conversation with the leader of the opposition in the national assembly, however, no meeting has taken place between them as of yet. “imran khan is an honest man and our party will try working beside Pti and not separately,” adding that his party has not made any decision that could cause any harm to Pti. talking about the final decision over the no-confidence motion, Pervaiz said his party has stood by its “old decision”, but consultations for the new decision are taking place.

He also said that the opposition parties have “offered” him the post of the chief minister, while the prime minister hasn’t held any discussions regarding it. elahi also clarified that his party had neither left the government nor decided to support the no-trust move against Pm

imran khan despite hinting heavily just a day earlier that his party was much closer to the opposition alliance than the government. elahi had said that the government’s allies were “100 per cent” tilted towards the opposition and that the opposition had the support of “more than required” lawmakers to pass the no-confidence motion, warning that there are “plenty of surprises in store”.

He further claimed to have been offered Punjab’s chief ministership as well as electoral alliance — including seat-to-seat adjustment — by the opposition alliance, adding that the government had yet to make that offer. furthermore, the Pml-Q leader had made a scathing assessment of the government and Pm imran’s politics, saying that the premier never learned how to build relationships.

However, elahi struck a more conciliatory tone today as in a statement issued through his party he defined Pm imran as an “honest” person whose “intentions are good”. with regards to his own party, he said the Pml-Q still was a government “ally and an independent party”. “there are different opinions within a party but decisions are made through mutual consultation,” he added. the Pml-Q leader advised the government that holding consultation with its allies would work in the government’s favour.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Shehbaz floats idea of national govt sans PTI islamabad staff report

Pml-n President and opposition leader in the national assembly Shehbaz Sharif has floated the idea of forming a national government without Pti’s participation. during an interview with a private news channel, he said that “the national government — sans Pti — should be formed for the next five years”.

He said that it is his personal idea of forming such a government, adding that the new leadership that comes into power should work with all the dedication so as to set a benchmark. “and then we can see what happens,” he said. it is pertinent to mention that the national as-

sembly session for voting on the opposition’s noconfidence motion against Pm imran khan is just weeks away. the government is trying to woo its allies for supporting it during the voting while the opposition is also attempting to cajole the Pti allies and seeking to break the government alliance in the lower house. the opposition needs the backing of 172 mnas to pass the no-trust motion. the ruling coalition has 179 mnas in its favour, while the opposition has 162 mnas in the lower house of parliament. moreover, the government and the opposition are set to hold massive rallies in islamabad before the crucial na session. the government’s gathering is scheduled for march 27 while the opposition’s long march will take place after march 25.

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Premier looked confident in Swat rally, vowS to defeat notruSt motion

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Thursday, 17 March, 2022 | KARACHI

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PaKistaN sCRaPs all domEstiC CoRoNaviRus CuRbs LahOre

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HE government Wednesday announced the government would remove all remaining coronavirus restrictions in Pakistan, including mandatory self-isolation for people with the disease, as the nation “has come close to eliminating the health crisis”.

Earlier this month, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) lifted nearly all coronavirus-related restrictions, allowing schools, offices, restaurants, gyms, movie theatres, and wedding halls to reopen.

Addressing a press conference in Islam-

abad, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said the NCOC has decided to end the remaining restrictions.

However, the restrictions on the unvaccinated would remain, he added.

The development came as the nation confirmed 493 new Covid-19 cases over the last 24 hours, the NCOC data showed.

The NCOC, the department leading the nation’s campaign against the pandemic, said the number of confirmed cases has increased to 1.52 million while 1.47 million of them have recovered.

The daily Covid-19 death toll has witnessed a downward trend recently as four people succumbed to the virus on Tuesday,

Court defers acquittal of suspect in Nab case against dar ISLaMaBad inP

An accountability court in Islamabad Wednesday deferred yet again its decision on a petition seeking acquittal of a suspect in the wealth beyond means case filed against former finance minister Ishaq Dar by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). A NAB prosecutor, Afzal Qureshi, and lawyers for the accused had appeared before the court which deferred the same on account of the case being pending before the Islamabad High Court (IHC). It emerged accountability judge Muhammad Bashir will announce the verdict on March 30. The suspect had challenged their indictment under an amended NAB ordinance.

Karachi truck artist gives new flair to kicks

taking the total number of coronavirus deaths to 30,317, said the statistics.

The active cases have also dropped to 17,512 after 1,003 patients recovered on Tuesday. There are 567 patients in critical condition and they are being treated at intensive care units in hospitals across the country. Today, Umar observed there was a consistent decrease in cases while the number of critical infections was the lowest since October 2020.

In addition, 87 percent of the eligible population has received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine while 70 percent have been fully vaccinated. The minister cited the vaccination rates as the reason behind the re-

duced spread of the disease.

“We need a transition process towards a normal, ordinary life because it seems at the moment that the pandemic will continue and become a part of our lives.”

Meanwhile, Sindh remains the most-affected province of the country in terms of the caseload, with 572,555 infections, followed

by Punjab, which has reported 504,045 cases. Umar said the government will continue to monitor the disease prevalence on a daily basis.

He also congratulated the nation for the way it faced a “very big challenge” and implemented all instructions issued by the federal response body.

“The government could not do it alone which is why the NCOC was formed [and] all governments, in the Centre and provinces, implemented and consulted together. Pakistan Army had a very big role.

All the operational work of the NCOC was the responsibility of a special army contingent,” he said. He also highlighted the role of healthcare workers, especially female healthcare personnel.

In his remarks, Minister of State for National Health Services Dr Faisal Sultan urged the nation to get vaccinated and continue to observe precautionary measures such as wearing masks, especially at congested places, to avoid another wave of Covid-19.

Students from Pakistan, China celebrate joys of Spring ISLaMaBad XinhuA

At the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) in Islamabad, Syeda Rimsha Ali Shah and her friend Muhammad Irfan have been rehearsing a Chinese pop song to present it in front of Chinese and local audiences.

“Chinese is my major, but I found the song very difficult. The notes were hard to catch,” Shah said after her perform-

ance. The event, which was held here Monday, welcomed the spring season through performances of complex Chinese songs and classic dance by students from the university. Students from Pakistan also performed traditional tea ceremonies for Chinese guests.

For Khadija Hassan, studying Chinese is about learning Chinese culture, not just reading books to understand the language. She started learning about Chinese culture from videos, documentaries

and movies in her second semester.

She wore hanfu, the traditional dress of China’s Han ethnic group, to the event.

It took her a lot of time to find a suitable style of the unfamiliar garment, and a lot more time practising before she could carry it off.

Some of the audiences noticed similarities between Pakistani and Chinese cultures, including a fondness for tea, a love for vibrant coloured costumes, and welcoming the spring season with joy

and celebrations.

“Students take a lot of interest in every Chinese event at the auditorium.

The Chinese department is one of the healthiest in the university in terms of the number of students,” Syed Nadir Ali, director general of the school, told Xinhua.

Pakistan and China are close friends, said Ali, explaining that it was good for ordinary people to get a chance to know more about China through its cultural diversity.

Guantanamo 9/11 attacks defendants in plea negotiations: attorneys

KarachI

WaShINGTON

AFP

AFP

Haider Ali dabs a brush with an iridescent glob of paint and gets to work on a pair of sparkling white trainers — his latest canvas for a carnival of colour celebrating the culture of Pakistan. Pakistan’s lorries are renowned for “truck art”: candy-coloured murals depicting South Asian animals, celebrities and religious icons. The tradition transforms the highways and cities into kaleidoscopic processions.

And now Ali — a veteran truck artist — has transposed the painting onto sneakers. “A client came to me from the US asking me to paint shoes,” he explained. “I told him an exorbitant fee to discourage him but he agreed, so I decided to get on with it.”

He labours on each pair for up to four days, charging select clients $400 for a set featuring bespoke patterns and motifs. Since he started painting trainers in January, he has dispatched eight pairs — to places in Pakistan and abroad — with new orders arriving every four days after a surge of social media interest. “The ideas keep coming to me,” the 42-year-old mused. “It’s in human nature to decorate ourselves and the things around us.” Crosslegged in his Karachi rooftop studio, he flips a pair of high-top Nikes to reveal the image of a luminous pink hawk and a gazing yellow eye, framed by hypnotic bulbous fringes. Some say the practice of adorning trucks began in the 1940s when hauliers crafted vibrant logos communicating their brand identity to a largely illiterate public. Others claim the artistic one-upmanship began with bus drivers competing to lure passengers. Today, the trade is one of Pakistan’s most famous cultural exports, cutting against the country’s more austere reputation for social conservatism. Ali comes from a family of truck artists, who eked out a living at the roadside yards where drivers eagerly surrender slim pay packets to decorate their vehicles. Strolling through the Yusuf Goth truck yard, his tinted glasses and slight swagger lend him an air of celebrity. “I get in the zone when I feel a connection to the art,” he said. “If I pause, the ideas stop flowing.” He came to fame outside Pakistan when his work was exhibited at the US Smithsonian Museum in 2002, helping him hone a reputation as an international ambassador for truck art. He has applied his craft to a plane, a Volkswagen Beetle, and even a woman’s body at the Burning Man festival in the United States. Ali’s cottage industry offers numerous advantages. He is stowed away from the din of the roadside yards, and his fashion clients give him full creative freedom, unlike truck drivers who peer over his shoulder. But as with trucks, the decoration on shoes will not last forever. After three or four years, it will chafe, crack and fade — offering a fresh canvas for yet more artwork.

Five men charged in the September 11, 2001 attacks, including alleged “mastermind” Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, are in plea negotiations to resolve the longstanding capital case, defense attorneys confirmed Tuesday.

Lawyers for the five, each held for more than 15 years at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have entered into talks with prosecutors in the highsecurity military court “over proposed dispositions of the case,” said attorneys for one defendant, Ammar al Baluchi.

“I can confirm that plea negotiations are ongoing

and that the scheduled hearing this month was cancelled for that reason,” said one of those attorneys, Alka Pradhan. “Negotiated agreements represent one path to ending military commissions, stopping indefinite detention at Guantanamo Bay, and providing justice,” she said. The five have been embroiled in pretrial hearings for a decade, much of the jousting focused on whether they can be tried fairly after having undergone methodical torture at the hands of the CIA in the years after the 9/11 attacks.

After an 18 month delay because of the Covid-19 pandemic, late last year prosecutors said they hoped to open the formal trial this year.

But others in Guantanamo expressed doubts at that, and the move to discuss a plea deal could reflect

World Bank to spend $200mn on health, education in KP azIz BuNerI The World Bank has pledged to spend $200 million on health and education sectors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) The World Bank will spend $80 million on education and another $80 million will be spent on health. The minister of health said that this fund will further strengthen the ongoing “revolutionary” reforms in health and will also help in enhancing the health care commission capacity and improve the quality of health centers.

Under the public partnership, the private sector will be linked to the health department, and capacity building of the health foundation in terms of contract management is also part of the project. It is hoped that the project will improve the lives of 40 million people in KP. The health minister said that the pilot phase of the project would be implemented in Peshawar, Swabi, Haripur and Nowshera districts.

Under the project, Rs15 billion will be spent on improving the infrastructure of the health department.

It was informed that work has begun on re-modeling more than a thousand basic health centers and empowering medical officers in each district.

“They are completely independent in making

their own economic decisions. Capacity building and renovation of more than 250 health centers has been completed,” the minister said.

Provincial Education Minister Shahram Khan Tarakai said that health and education is the “top priority” of the provincial government and this project will bring “revolutionary” change in both the sectors.

Tarakai said that $115 million would be spent on education under this project and this program would be implemented in four districts of the province -Peshawar, Nowshera, Haripur and Swabi.

He said that under the program 1,400 classrooms would be constructed in schools of selected districts which would provide education to more 56,000 children. “While 200 primary schools will be upgraded to middle and 80 schools from middle to high schools under the program.” Moreover, the minister said, state-of-the-art 1,000 Early Childhood Education Rooms for young children will also be constructed.

Solar panels will be provided to 2,160 schools, 150 second shift schools and 327 Accelerated Learning Program Centers will also be established.

The Minister furthered that under this program 500 master trainers, 1,000 teachers of selected schools and 200 officers of Education Directorate Qualitative Wing would also be trained.

the lack of a clear horizon for starting and completing a formal trial. Last year, some followers of the case said that the defendants could conceivably agree to plead guilty if the death penalty was taken off the table and, after sentencing, they remain imprisoned in Guantanamo rather than be transferred to a “supermax” penitentiary inside the United States.

But families of the nearly 3,000 people who died on September 11 have strongly supported having the men executed, and the issue remains deeply emotional, as well as politically charged.

The five include Mohammed, who has admitted being deeply involved in planning and executing the plot; al-Baluchi, Walid bin Attash, Ramzi bin al-Shibh and Mustafa al-Hawsawi.

ECNEC approves KCR as modern urban railway Shahzad Paracha The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved Karachi Circular Railway as a modern urban railway under Public Private Partnership mode with a total cost of Rs201.5 billion. The meeting of ECNEC was held under the chair of Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin on Wednesday. The Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives submitted a summary on development, operation and maintenance of Karachi Circular Railway as a modern urban railway under Public Private Partnership mode with a total cost of Rs201.572 billion. The project envisages construction of a 43.225 km dual track urban mass transit system to be built in a period of 3 years. Karachi Circular Railways Management Company (KCRMC) will be responsible to keep an oversight related to the execution, operation and maintenance of the project. The ENEC approved the project after detailed discussion while a committee was also formed under the finance minister to review the transaction structure related to federal government VGF contribution. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives also submitted a summary regarding revised standardized pay packages for the staff directly recruited under development projects. The ECNEC after due deliberation approved to enhance the Project Pay Scale (PPS) at a rate of 75 per cent. The ECNEC after discussion approved a summary presented by the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives regarding appropriate allocation of total budget outlay in PSDP projects for running effective media campaigns to create awareness about federal government’s policies, projects and initiatives aimed at socio-economic development and welfare of the people.

Thursday, 17 March, 2022 | KARACHI

iioJK baR lauds imRaN KhaN foR lEadiNg stRugglE agaiNst islamoPhobia SrINaGar

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N Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Kashmir Bar Association General Secretary Advocate G.N. Shaheen has welcomed the UN resolution on observance of March 15 as International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

G.N. Shaheen in a statement issued in Srinagar said the United Nations General Assembly passed the Pakistan-

sponsored historic resolution backed by 57 Muslim countries against Islamophobia and denounced it with a resolve to observe 15th March as a day against Islamophobia.

He said that Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan led the struggle against Islamophobia successfully. G.N. Shaheen said that he was pleased to hear Imran Khan saying that “I am not anti-India but I am against the policies of Government of India.” He said that Imran Khan has emerged as a powerful Muslim voice

IHC annuls Islamabad LG Ordinance 2021 NeWS deSK The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday declared the Islamabad Local Government Ordinance 2021 as null and void, according to a news outlet.

IHC’s Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani ruled on petitions filed by former UC

chairman Sardar Mehtab, CDA trade union and CDA Officers Association against the Islamabad Local Government Ordinance 2021.

During the hearing, Barrister Omar Ijaz Gilani, Qazi Adil, Kashif Malik and other lawyers presented arguments on behalf of the petitioners

The public prosecutor also prayed that the parliamentary session was ended on November 19 whereas the ordinance was issued on November 23. The court declared the ordinance null and void and said that local body elections should be held under the Local Government Act 2015.

Last year, the ordinance was chal-

lenged in the high court through various petitions which raised questions about the future of elected representatives in the presence of the Local Government Act, limiting the role of the chairman by introducing a new local government system through an ordinance and in the absence of a formal law under it.

India’s excuse for missile fired into Pakistan is unacceptable: Dr Moeed Yusuf aPP Pakistan’s National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf believes India’s basic explanation of the invading supersonic missile’s crash into Pakistani territory on March 9 as an accident is “unacceptable in the absence of facts.”

In response to India’s remark on the matter, he stated that only a transparent joint investigation can clarify the numerous remaining concerns related to this alleged error.

He reminded India and the rest of the world that this was a highly advanced supersonic missile capable of killing Pakistanis and escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations.

India’s ongoing demonstration of a lack of proper safety and security protocols for its high-end weapons systems, according to the National Security Advisor, raises serious questions that India has yet to respond.

India’s callous and dismissive response to the situation, he argued, is even more concerning.

On March 11, India had said that it accidentally fired a missile into Pakistan because of a “technical malfunction” during routine maintenance.

“On 9 March 2022, in the course of a routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile,” the Indian government said in a statement.

“It is learnt that the missile landed in an area of Pakistan. While the incident is deeply regrettable, it is also a matter of relief that there has been no loss of life due to

stockbrokers ask govt for tax incentives on investment KarachI ShAhzAd PARAchA

Brokers look at digital screen during bearish trend at Karachi Stock Exchange. ONLINE PHOTO by Sabir Mazhar Pakistan Stockbrokers Association has asked the federal government for providing tax incentives on capital gain and investment in stock exchange. Federal Minister Shaukat Tarin held a meeting with a delegation of Pakistan stockbrokers association led by its vice chairman Zahid Latif Khan at the finance division. The delegation apprised the Finance Minister of certain issues and challenges impeding the growth of capital market in Pakistan and sought support of the government to resolve their issues. They requested for providing tax incentives on capital gain and investment in stock exchange. Tarin said that the government is encouraging investment and enlisting of entities in the stock exchange. He further assured the delegation his support to resolve their issues and for growth of the capital market in Pakistan.

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Nab rejects Pervaiz’s claim it received order to arrest moonis ISLaMaBad MonitoRing RePoRt

A day after Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervez Elahi claimed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) received orders to arrest his son in a wealth probe, the dirty money watchdog on Wednesday rejected the suggestion, asserting the chatter the “completely baseless”. In an interview with HUM News, Elahi claimed the government had launched NAB to manage its political opponents. “Arresting Moonis Elahi is out of the question,” the watchdog said in a statement. It also denied the reports regarding the probe or orders for arrest, saying there is no inquiry underway against the minister.

govt to bear Rs34.92 per litre on account of PdC ahMad ahMadaNI

the accident.” “The Government of India has taken a serious view and ordered a high-level Court of Enquiry,” the statement added.

The development comes a day after Director-General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar revealed that an Indian projectile had

entered the Pakistani airspace and fell near Mian Channu in Khanewal district, causing some damage to the surrounding areas. In response, the Foreign Office said Friday morning Pakistan strongly condemned the unprovoked violation of its airspace by a “super-sonic flying object” of Indian origin.

Tarin directs FBR to settle sales tax issues of pharmaceutical industry Shahzad Paracha Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin has directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman to take possible steps for the settlement of sales tax issues of the pharmaceutical industry.

The Finance minister on Tuesday held a meeting with a delegation of Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Association (PPMA) headed by its Chairman Qazi Manzoor at the finance division.

In the follow-up meeting, Chairman PPMA thanked the finance minister for addressing the problems being faced by the pharmaceutical manufacturers and further apprised the chair of the pending issues related to refund of sales tax on APIs. Tarin said that the government is fully committed to address the issues of the pharmaceutical industry and provide maximum support to them. He listened to their issues keenly and assured them to resolve their issues. The finance

minister further directed FBR to take possible steps for the settlement of the issues of the pharmaceutical industry related to sales tax on APIs in coordi-

nation with the representatives of the pharma industry.

Chairman FBR also briefed the meeting on the steps being taken by the FBR for the reso-

lution of the key issues being faced by the pharma industry and mechanism to settle the remaining issue related to refund of sales tax on APIs.

In a bid to provide relief to the masses by maintaining prices of petroleum products at the same level, the government will bear Price Differential Claim (PDC) of up to Rs34.92 per liter in the prices of products till March 31,2022. Petroleum Division’s Director General (DG) Imran Ahmed, in a letter dated March 15, 2022, requested Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) to calculate the amount of PDC accordingly for reimbursement to the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs)/refineries under the procedure approved by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet. According to the letter, the honorable Prime Minister has been pleased to approve maintaining the prices of petroleum products at the level of 1-15th March, 2022 and that the government will bear the PDC of Rs34.92 per litre on highspeed diesel (HSD) and Rs23.43 per litre on petrol till March 31, 2022. Similarly, the government will bear a PDC of Rs26.26 per liter on kerosene oil (SKO), and Rs29.26 per liter on light diesel oil till March 31, 2022. The procedure for payment of PDC to OMCs/refineries for November 1-4, 2021 and March 1 to June 30, 2022, the finance division will provide permission to open an assignment account to be operated by Pakistan State Oil (PSO) within three days after the approval of PDC payment mechanism by ECC while the division will also allocate and transfer budget in the assignment account as estimates provided by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority. The Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and refineries will submit claims of PDC fortnightly based on the procurement (import and local refineries) of the petroleum products category wise supported with relevant documents duly certified by the external auditor of the OMCs and refineries to OGRA. In addition, refineries and OMCs will subsequently share the sales tax documents with OGRA as soon as these are submitted to FBR for the purpose of audit. Likewise, OGRA will review the claims and forward to PSO and a copy to the finance and petroleum division within three days of receipt of claims. Moreover, PSO will transfer the amount from the assignment account to the designated commercial bank account of the respective OMCs and refineries and keep an auditable record within one day.

Furthermore, the finance division will advise Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) to conduct audit of the claims and disbursement at the end of scheme on the basis of the record submitted to OGRA including the sales tax documents within a week of the close of financial year, while any overpayment pointed will be recovered by OGRA.It is relevant to note that in a bid to absorb the burden of approximately Rs31.73billion worth PDC following the announcement of a relief package by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Thursday, 17 March, 2022 | KARACHI

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PUNjAb govt SPENt RS100bN oN SoUtH PUNjAb dEvEloPMENt LAHORE

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HE government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in Punjab Wednesday said it spent Rs100 billion in development funds in southern Punjab during the last eight months.

The Punjab government apprised Prime Minister Imran Khan in a report that funds worth Rs100 billion had been spent for the development of southern Punjab out of the total Rs170 billion released in eight months.

The report also apprised the prime

ECP stops PM Imran, K-P CM from attending Swat rally The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday stopped Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Minister KhyberPakhtunkhwa from attending a political rally in K-P’s Kurram district, where the premier was scheduled to make an address.

District Returning Officer Karam Khushalzada issued notices to PM Imran and Chief Minister Mahmood Khan through the principal.

The warning was issued by ECP’s district monitoring officer in view of the upcoming phase of local government (LG) elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to the revised code of conduct issued by the ECP for the conduct of the second phase of local government elections in Swat, all public office holders including the president and prime minister were banned from holding public meetings after the unveiling of the polls’ schedule.

In an earlier letter, the commission had informed the premier that he as well as other public officer-holders could not visit any area of any local council or announce any development scheme after the issuance of the election schedule.

It had warned PM Imran that legal proceedings under sections 233 and 234 of the Election Act 2017 could be initiated against him if he violated any provisions of the revised code.

The commission has issued a new code of conduct after consultation with all political parties. According to the new code, only members of parliament would be allowed to participate in the election campaign. However, public office-holders would not be permitted to participate in them.

Last week, the ECP sent a notice to PM Imran for participating in a rally in Lower Dir in connection with the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa local bodies elections. Staff RepoRt

minister of the current situation of the development projects launched for southern Punjab.

The report states that funds amounting to Rs189 billion were allocated for the people of southern Punjab for the current financial year.

“Contracts have been awarded for more than 1,200 projects in southern Punjab,” it said.

“Funds worth Rs70 billion were allocated for new projects in southern Punjab during the current financial year,” it added.

“56 per cent of funds have been utilised for newly launched projects in southern Punjab,” it stated.

Pakistan, OIC to prepare plan to combat Islamophobia: Akram UNITED NATIONS app

The unanimous adoption of Tuesday’s landmark resolution by the UN General Assembly proclaiming March 15 as International Day to Combat Islamophobia has set the stage for Pakistan to work, along with OIC partners and the world community, on developing joint strategies aimed at countering the threat posed by the abhorrent phenomenon, according to diplomatic sources.

The resolution comes at a time when Islamophobia is rampant, especially since the 9/11 attacks against the United States when certain countries began equating Islam with militancy, a trend that also witnessed a proliferation of hate speech against Muslims.

Its adoption by the 193-member body marked the culmination of years of efforts by a group of OIC countries — Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iran, Niger and Indonesia — that led to securing the agreement of the Western world in actively combating the growing Islamophobia.

“We are gratified by the active cooperation among Islamic countries which has made it possible to secure the world community’s recognition of the need to combat Islamophobia,” Ambassador Munir Akram, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, who introduced the resolution in the General Assembly, said in an interview with Associated Press of Pakistan.

The consensus resolution, he said, is “an important milestone in the dedicated endeavour launched

by Prime Minister Imran Khan to mobilize an international campaign to counter the endemic prejudice, discrimination, hate and violence against Islam and Muslims in various parts of the world.”

Indeed, Prime Minister Khan was the first to raise the issue of Islamophobia at the U.N. in his maiden 2019 address to the General Assembly and has repeatedly called for international attention and efforts to address it.

In this regard, according to the sources, Pakistan, in cooperation with the Islamic world and the international community, will take several actions to combat Islamophobia whose manifestations are hate speech, discrimination, and violence against Muslims.

It was pointed out that the 47th session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, held in Niamey, Niger, in November 2020, unanimously adopted a resolution initiated by Pakistan for the designation of March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

Following up, the first task was to convince the Islamic countries to move a resolution in the UN General Assembly as some of them were of the view that Western countries will not support it.

Having mobilised their support, the OIC group was formed and it began extensive consultations with the western countries on the text of the draft resolution for the UN General Assembly.

In the course of intensive consultations, most countries agreed with the text that was developed, including Russia and China, but India played a negative role in the process.

India’s role became evident as its Ambassador T. S. Tirumurti expressed concern in the General Assembly on Tuesday over phobia against one religion — Islam — being elevated to the level of an international day.

“It is important that the United Nations remains above such religious matters which may seek to divide us rather than bring us together on one platform of peace and harmony and treat the World as One Family,” he said. Ambassador Akram, the Pakistani envoy, countered that argument, saying “The objective of observing this Day is about uniting, not dividing.”

During the negotiation on the draft for the Assembly, the main objection was singling out Islamophobia as some Western countries argued that discrimination exists against all religions.

Pakistan and other members of the group countered their arguments by saying that precedents exist as the General Assembly had proclaimed International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which concerned only one religion, as also the International Day of Vesak relating to Buddhism. Those counties were also told that Islamophobia was a reality and the UN should recognize and agree to measures to fight this phenomenon.

India, according to the sources, insisted on inserting in the text a reference to ‘Hindu phobia’, but found no support during the negotiations.

In fact, India was the only country that threatened to call for a vote, but having been isolated, it was obliged to go along with the consensus adoption of the resolution.

UNHCR chief asks world not to forget Afghanistan during Ukraine crisis KABUL ReuteRS

The dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan should not be forgotten as the world’s attention is focused on the conflict in Ukraine, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Tuesday ahead of a key donor conference set to take place this month.

During a visit to the Afghan capital, UN high commissioner Filippo Grandi said that the war in Ukraine and the ensuing refugee crisis was “rightly” the focus of global attention, but added the international community could not afford to neglect Afghanistan.

The war-torn country’s economy collapsed last year and thousands fled after the US and other foreign forces withdrew and the Taliban took over the country.

“I thought it was important to pass the message that other situations, which also require political attention and resources should not be forgotten or neglected, especially Afghanistan,” Grandi said.

Afghanistan has around 3.4 million people displaced within the country, according to UN figures, and around 2.6 million refugees outside the country. Thousands were evacuated from the country in the wake of the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August.

For those left behind, the economic situation is dire with roughly 23 million people experiencing acute hunger and 95% of the population not eating enough food, according to the UN. Grandi said the Taliban needed to show its commitment to certain milestones including girls’ education that could lead to the international community moving towards formally recognising Afghan authorities.

Currently, the country’s banking sector is largely frozen due to U.S.-backed sanctions, while development aid that formed the backbone of government finances has been cut off.

Grandi said he discussed these topics with Taliban officials and raised the issue of “patchy” access around the country by female UN workers to work outside offices in the field.

Grandi said he was concerned that the initial enthusiasm from the international community at a previous donor conference in September could be waning.

The United Kingdom is hosting a virtual pledging summit for donors this month to help garner pledges for the $4.4 billion total the UN has asked for Afghanistan.

“I can feel already that it is getting a bit tired and unfortunately Ukraine is going to siphon off a lot of resources,” he said.

“We have to be careful, this country cannot afford a decrease in humanitarian assistance for the time being whilst everything else is being discussed — sanctions, frozen funds, development, capacity building — that will take time.”

OIC to focus on Islamophobia at upcoming meeting: diplomat ANKARRA anadolu agency

Pakistan will be hosting the 48th session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) on March 22-23 to further discuss topics on Islamophobia, Afghanistan, Kashmir and Palestine, according to Pakistan’s ambassador to Turkey.

Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi told Anadolu Agency in an interview that this year’s session also coincides with the Pakistan Day parade, where the OIC foreign ministers will be guests at the event as well.

“In 1940, the All-India Muslim League met in Lahore and decided that the Muslims of South Asia deserved and wanted an independent homeland of their own. Seven years later on Aug. 14, 1947, Pakistan came into being as a result of the resolutions adopted in 1940 on March 23,” Qazi said.

Regarding the meeting’s agenda, Qazi said it will encompass everything that is of interest to the Muslim world, with this year’s theme “Partnership for unity, justice

and development.”

“But specifically, Palestine will be discussed, Kashmir, and other important issues for our various member states. Islamophobia, the trend of hate speech against Muslims, negative stereotyping of Muslims, and the situation in Afghanistan and its humanitarian dimension will be discussed,” he said.

Qazi recalled the extraordinary session of the OIC held in Pakistan in December 2021, which exclusively focused on the situation in Afghanistan and helping its citizens with the economic and humanitarian challenges they were confronting.

“The situation in Afghanistan will be discussed. In fact, we will look at one of the conclusions of the December extraordinary session to establish a trust fund. We hope to be able to operationalize this trust fund at this coming meeting, so Afghanistan will be a very significant part of the extensive agenda of the meeting. Our main focus is to help our Afghan brothers and sisters overcome the humanitarian challenges,” he said.

“The event will highlight the unity of the Muslim ummah in the face of very serious

challenges facing the world. We will also be looking at a productive session. We expect to be adopting about 100 or so resolutions on various teams. It will be an important venue to give voice to the Muslim countries and their causes.”

OIC CrItICIsed fOr Its InabIlIty tO resOlve varIOus prOblems: “Imagine if the OIC was not speaking on the Palestinian and Kashmiri issues. One would see that the picture immediately changes. So sometimes unfortunately the OIC comes in for a bit of criticism on account of its perceived inability to solve various problems,” Qazi said.

He said the problems of the OIC were very serious and complicated and that the media does not reflect on the events in these regions.

“But most importantly, what the OIC does is to lend a voice to these issues and to keep them alive, to highlight them, to inform the world to look at these issues. So the OIC allows the individual voices of Muslim countries to be heard in the collective,” he said.

Qazi emphasized that the OIC in these issues comes up with solid resolutions but that

CMYK

there was a wider international community also that needs to take up its responsibility and speak up like the OIC on these issues.

“When this happens, these issues will come closer to a resolution,” he said.

Pakistan has previously hosted four sessions of the OIC Council of Foreign Minis-

ters. It is the second-largest intergovernmental organization in the world after the UN, with 57 Muslim member states spread across four continents.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi confirmed that the top diplomats of 46 Islamic countries will be attending the meeting.

Thursday, 17 March, 2022 | KArAchI

news corporate corner

ChInEsE dElEGatIon shows kEEn IntErEst In PIndI's MEGa ProjECts RaWaLpindi

a Japan Consul-General Isomura Toshikazu giving certificate of commendation to CEO AdPulse Khurram Jaffrani in Karachi. pr

staff report

delegation led by Chang Chun, CEO China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd (CSCEC) Wednesday called on Chair-

man Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) Tariq Mehmood Murtaza at the RDA office.

The delegation expressed interest to mull over and cooperate in mega projects of RDA like Ring Road Rawalpindi and Nullah Lai Expressway etc.

On the occasion, the Chairman

IHC expects PM will stop his aide Dr Attaur Rehman from interfering in HEC affairs neWS deSk

On the occasion of MoU signing between EcoStar and Discover Pakistan, the CEO of DWP group Rizwan Butt exchanges document with Discover Pakistan CEO Dr Qaisar Rafique. pr

shell Pakistan announces Financial results For 2021 The Board of Directors of Shell Pakistan Limited (SPL) announced financial results for the year ended December 31st, 2021. The company posted a profit after tax of PKR 4,466 million for 2021 compared to the loss of PKR 4,821 million in 2020.

2021 saw significant recovery with a profit after tax in comparison to a tough last year. The encouraging turnaround is driven by factors that include the government’s initiative to switch pricing formula to Platts indexes aligning with international pricing, improved business performance, sale of differentiated fuels and lubricants, and running safe and efficient fuel operations.

In addition, the rights issue was fully subscribed by shareholders at the beginning of the year that provided financial support to business plans. pr

PtCl Group concludes Month-long campaign on Gender Equality

The Islamabad High Court (IHC), in its detailed judgment regarding restoring Dr Tariq Banuri as chairman of Higher Education Commission (HEC), has expected that Prime Minister Imran Khan will restrain the chairman of PM’s Task Force on Science and Technology, Dr Attaur Rehman, from interfering in HEC’s affairs.

“We expect that the Controlling Authority i.e. the worthy prime minister will ensure that the HEC undertakes an independent, transparent and fair audit and evaluation of the institutes/centres wherein the chairman [of] PM’s Task Force has an interest and which have received substantial funding from the public exchequer,” IHC CJ Athar Minallah said in a 21-page verdict on Wednesday.

The high court said it was important for the premier to “demonstrably dispel any perception to the effect that the impugned notifications may have been issued to avoid implementation of the policy of the HEC to conduct a transparent and independent audit and evaluation”.

It said Dr Rehman’s role was “significant” in the process of the removal of Banuri – later reinstated – as the HEC chief. “It has become obvious from the record that he appears to have been affected by the policies of the HEC and the resistance is affirmed from the correspondence. The factor of conflict of interest should have been taken into consideration by the policy-making executive authorities.”

The court also said that the HEC had formulated a policy regarding audit and scrutiny relating to performance evaluation of those institutions

which had received public funds. “Among the institutions that had received major funding included those of which the Chairman PM’s Task Force (Dr Rehman) was a patron e.g. the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences.”

“The record placed before us shows that substantial funding from the exchequer, almost Rs40 billion, was received by the entities wherein the chairman [of] PM’s Task Force had an interest,” the IHC said, adding that it also appeared from the record that the latter and the defunct chairperson were at loggerheads over the stated policy.

It said Dr Rehman also resisted the performance evaluation and audit by the HEC. “The ‘Controlling Authority’ under the HEC Ordinance suggested that the institutions be exempted from scrutiny and evaluation audit.”

The IHC observed that Dr Rehman apparently instead of offering the institutions for an audit by the HEC attempted to defend and justify the performance of the institutions in which he had an interest through publishing articles in daily newspapers authored by him.

“The record manifests his pivotal role in the deliberations and proposals, which had ultimately led to the issuance of the impugned notifications and removal of the defunct chairperson. The question of conflict of interest, thus, is crucial for adjudication of the petition,” the IHC ruling added.

The court also maintained that the First Amendment Ordinance was promulgated and notified in the official gazette on March 26, 2021, and the impugned notification declaring that the defunct chairperson had ceased to hold office was issued the same day.

Diplomats, UNODC officials briefed on Women and Juvenile Facilitation Center Gujrat Norwegian Embassy officials and a delegation from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) visited Gujrat on Wednesday and visited the Women and Juvenile Facilitation Center, set up for the victims of sexual abuse, Crime Scene Unit and Model Police Station Civil Lines.

According to Details, Norwegian Embassy officials and a UNODC delegation paid a special visit to District Gujrat, during which they visited the Women and Juvenile Center set up for the protection of sexually abused women and children, Crime Scene Unit and Model Police Station Civil Lines.

The delegation was comprised of Ms Vigdis Heloversen, First Secretary, Head of Development Programs, Mr. Per Martin Bjartan, Nordic Police Liaison Officer, Mr. Baitullah Khan, Program

Manager Police and Mr. Saeed Hussain Shah, Program Coordinator.

Upon arrival in Gujrat, the delegation was received by District Police Officer, Umar Salamat.

The delegation was briefed by Incharge Women & Juvenile Center, Farzana Kausar about the working of the Women and Juvenile Center and the facilities provided to the affected women and children.

The delegation also visited the Crime Scene Unit located in Police Lines, where the Crime Scene Unit incharge Hasan Askari briefed the delegation about the role of Crime Scene Unit in the police investigation.

Later, the delegation also visited Model Police Station Civil Lines. The delegation was given a tour of different parts of the Special Initiative Model Police Station and was briefed about the facilities provided to the citizens at the Model Police Station.

Tree Plantation Drive Kicks off at AIOU pr

Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has launched a spring tree plantation drive. Vice Chancellor, AIOU, Prof. Dr. Zia UlQayyum, inaugurated the campaign by planting an apricot tree on university premises. Rector, Fast National University, Dr. Aftab Ahmad was the chief guest.

All deans, registrar, principal officers and faculty members also participated in this national cause.

VC, AIOU, Prof. Dr. Zia UlQayyum said that credit for pro-

12 Govt MPs in opposition's 'safe custody': Pervez Elahi continued fom page 01 He also said that his party had been highlighting public issues “from day one” and did not begin to identify these only in recent days.

It is pertinent to note that Elahi’s remarks of today and yesterday come as the government and opposition vie for the support of PTI’s allies on the no-trust move.

The PML-Q has assumed much more importance since the filing of the no-confidence motion as in order for the move to succeed, the opposition would require its votes in the NA, where the party has five seats.

Earlier this week, Elahi stated that his party had made its decision regarding the vote on the no-confidence resolution. But, he added, the party would announce the decision after a final round of consultations with other allies in the ruling coalition.

In a presser later on Wednesday, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry welcomed Elahi’s statement, saying he hoped the government’s allies would stick to their mandate.

Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, who also addressed the press conference, denied reports that anyone was “blackmailing the government”. “Our allies have stood with us but they also have their own identity and do their own politics.

You must have read Parvez Elahi’s statement today in which he has said what every Pakistani says — Imran Khan is an honest leader. They are saying they stand with the government.”

Infrastructure built under CPEC helps enhance regional connectivity: official iSLamaBad

guJRat

iSLamaBad

Economic Corridor (CPEC) and recently given significant relief to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

On the occasion, it was informed that concrete steps would be taken to provide modern construction facilities through public-private partnership.

The officials also agreed to work with mutual cooperation and consensus to implement the project.

Wang Weiwei, Manager of Marketing Department China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd and Brig (R) Nusratullah, former Member CDA, were also present on the occasion.

staff report

Jazan Dar

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) & Ufone celebrated International Women’s Day through a comprehensive month-long campaign to promote gender equality at workplace under the theme #BreakingTheBias. The campaign has been in line with the PTCL Group’s long-term commitment to women empowerment and participation across all fields. To reinforce the message, PTCL Group has been running digital campaign on social media platforms, where employees are seen making pledges to break the bias against women. pr

RDA said that the long-standing ties between the two countries are based on solid foundation and with the passage of time, this friendship will certainly strengthen as China had given relief assistance to Pakistan in different construction projects like New Airport Islamabad, China-Pakistan

05

viding a pleasant environment to the students, decorating the university with flowers and plants goes to the gardeners of AIOU. He added, planting a tree is a noble cause and everybody should plant a tree for a better and healthy future for our coming generation. He directed DG Regional Services to start a plantation drive on all regional campuses of AIOU. Rector Fast National University, Dr. Aftab Ahmed said that planting is a need of our country and Open University is playing a vital role make Pakistan green.

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The infrastructure built in Pakistan under the scheme of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) helped enhance regional connectivity, Khalid Mansoor, special assistant to Prime Minister on CPEC Affairs, said. CPEC is open to investors from all over the world and the CPEC infrastructure built in Pakistan improves the access to trade routes to the Middle East, Africa and Europe, Mansoor said while addressing the business community in Karachi.

Mansoor said the vision of CPEC is to accelerate the socio-economic development of Pakistan by bringing industrial, technological and agricultural progress through Chinese investment and transfer of technology. It would help Pakistan in import substitution, export orientation and creating employment opportunities, he added. Pakistan is looking to develop itself as a manufacturing hub through CPEC, which would not only alleviate “so much imports which the country is making for everything but will also make it an export country,” Mansoor said. He said that Pakistan’s focus is to replicate the Chinese model which enabled it to generate inclusive growth. “We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We have to learn from China,” he added.

06-07 Comments - 17th March 2022_Layout 1 3/16/2022 9:45 PM Page 1

Thursday, 17 March, 2022

06 COMMENT

Now or never for the current corrupt

Cancel planned gatherings outside Parliament Govt should take first step

The final showdown

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RiME MinisTER imran Khan made false promises to the allies to get their help to come to power. after waiting for well over three years for the fulfilment of the pledges, the allies are now holding daily meetings with the opposition. The PTi dissidents, led by erstwhile loyalists who believe they too have been betrayed by the leadership, are in open rebellion.The establishment which helped Mr Khan build a house of cards is no more willing to take responsibility for his reckless policies. as interior Minister sh Rashid ahmad has put it, the‘Umpire’ stands with no one but Pakistan.

Knowing that he has lost his majority in the national assembly, a fact noted by Punjab speaker Ch Pervez Elahi also, Mr Khan has decided to violate the rules of game. instead of defending himself in Parliament as required by the Constitution, he has taken the battle from Parliament to the streets. He is being egged on by some of his irresponsible ministers and advisers to follow the path which can create chaotic conditions in the country.

The only way out of the crisis is for Mr Khan to let the national assembly decide his fate without exerting any external pressure. as PML(Q) chief Ch shujaat Hussain put it, it is not the government’s job to hold public meetings and rallies. Bringing “one million people” outside Parliament House to threaten those proceeding to support the no confidence vote is a gross violation of the rules of game and an invitation to the opposition to make a counter move. There would be no need to grant special powers to Frontier Constabulary, Rangers and police to take over the security of islamabad from March 20 to april 2 once imran Khan announces the cancellation of the PTi’s moot followed by the PdM doing the same.

The interior Minister further said that those violating article 63a of the Constitution would be disqualified from voting on the no-trust motion. no voter can be stopped from voting, let alone disqualified, on the basis of his intention. The proper way is to let the voting take place without external pressures and pursue any case of defection according to the rules which require the speaker to send the member’s case to the ECP to decide his or her fate.

Dr FariD a Malik

T

HERE is a final showdown between the current corrupt and Prime Minister imran Khan. as predicted by the PM, the three heavyweights of corruption (shahbaz sharif, Zardari, Fazal) have teamed up. according to the President of the PML(n) “ it’s now or never “. Free and fair elections are being demanded ahead of schedule mainly because the noose is being tightened around their fatty necks. Both shahbaz and Zardari are close to conviction after deploying all their delaying tactics while Maulana Fazal is a sitting duck with his assets much beyond his means. He has refused to appear before naB (national accountability Bureau) to explain the source of his wealth. in the first free and fair elections of 1970 a massive fumigation of the corrupt took place in both wings of the country. Mujib’s awami League, Bhutto’s People’s Party, Qayyum Khan’s Muslim League, Wali Khan’s national awami Party, Maulana Mufti Mahmood’s Jamiat-e-Ulema islam were big winners while the losers were ayub Khan’s fake Muslim League and the Jamaat-e-islami, while Maulana Bhashani abstained. now after about half a century, the sharifs control this drama Muslim League, Zardari is leading the People’s Party and Fazal his father’s Jamiat, all loaded with ill-gotten unexplained wealth. if the motion of no-Confidence prevails the

Iranian nuclear deal Russian reservations should not hold it up

aMjeD jaaveD

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ndia’s home ministry ordered on March 2 the revival of a largely Hindu militia, village defence Committees (VdCs), rechristened as Village defence Groups (VdGs). The VdCs are a relic of the 1990s when “militancy” had ostensibly reached a pinnacle. The VdCs were initially a group of volunteers trained and armed by the indian army mostly with outdated weapons (.303s).

When protests mounted the government began to pay them Rs. 1500 a month. However, the VdCs claim that they have not been paid for the past four years.

The daily Excelsior of March 4 reported “the mode and the manner of paying monthly remuneration to the members on these VdCs was not only faulty but erratic, irregular and even on arbitrary basis. ‘it all resulted in and created space for gradual disbanding of dozens of VdCs and therefore, removal of hundreds of its volunteers in doda, Udhampur, Kathua, Rajouri etc but s members till nearly 28000 volunteers of these VdCs continued with the ‘mission’.”.

The government has decided that the VdG will now be regularly paid Rs. 4000-4,500 a month depending upon the “vulnerability” of the area they serve in. There were widespread complaints of nepotism in recruitment of volunteers as young as nineyears old. Viral videos showed that the recruited kids abandoned books to carry guns.

The Jammu division overall has a Hindu majority population of 66 percent, 30 percent are Muslim and most of the remainder are sikhs. The man in the street has the impression that the BJP wants to further tighten its reign of terror in the occupied Kashmir. The VdCs/VdGs enjoy police protection. as such, their atrocities remain unreported in the FiRs or media.

Though theVdCs were police protégés, even the police happened to be disgusted at their lawlessness.

Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami Umar Aziz

Joint Editor

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

Corruption followed by money laundering by the powerful has to be contained at all costs. It is time to focus on the people who have suffered at the hands of the imposed political players. Leadership calls for sacrifice, not exploitation of the masses as has been the case in the land of the pure. The nation’s flourish with purity of thought and action which tainted individuals are unable to deliver.

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

An new tool of oppression is introduced

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

M. A. Niazi

in Parliament about the deadly ‘corruption pandemic’ that threatens our financial future. in order to comply with the FaTF action plan an autonomous body has been proposed by experts to address financial crimes.

Focused organizations like naCTa (national Counter Terrorism authority), and CTd (Counter Terrorism department) have produced results. The scrouge of terrorism has been contained to a great extent. Terrorism is funded through black money mostly obtained through illegal means. now the republic has to deal with financial terrorism. The corrupt stand exposed, they have to be weeded out for normalcy to return. The PM is valiantly fighting to nab the corrupt.

Yes, another free and fair election is needed but not with the same tainted players in the political arena. after the failure of the notrust motion, a new dawn of relief will be in the making.

Corruption followed by money laundering by the powerful has to be contained at all costs. it is time to focus on the people who have suffered at the hands of the imposed political players.

Leadership calls for sacrifice, not exploitation of the masses as has been the case in the land of the pure. The nation’s flourish with purity of thought and action which tainted individuals are unable to deliver. Financial corruption has to be recognized as a pandemic and treated accordingly. indeed, it is now or never for the current corrupt for a fresh start for the islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Modi revives anti-Muslim militia in Kashmir

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HiLE Russia has engaged in a stand-off with the Usa over former’s invasion of Ukraine that should not stop the resumption invasion of Ukraine of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of action (JCPOa) between the P5 countries and iran, popularly known as the iranian nuclear deal. Basically, the deal was for the P5 countries, especially the santo remove sanctions from iran, while iran was supposed to stop is enrichment of uranium to weaponization levels. it was an illustration of the power of sanctions, for sanctions had apparently forced iran to accept the restrictions on what it still insists is a peaceful nuclear Programme.

That might be the reason why Russia has stipulated that sanctions imposed on it due to its invasion of Ukraine should not apply to activities with iran. it probably has in mind extensive oil and gas contracts with iranian companies. Those contracts have been held up because sanctions were re-imposed by the Usa after the Obama administration, which negotiated and signed the original deal, gave way to the Trump administration, which withdrew from the JCPOa in May 2018. The withdrawal had been made on the pressure from israel, which had a disproportionate influence in Washington during the Trump era, and because it was an achievement of President Obama, and thus irritated President Trump no end. With the election of Joe Biden, who had been Obama’s Vice-President and to that extent was invested in the JCPOa, the Usa started negotiations in Vienna, for re-entry into the JCPOa, along with the other P5 counties and the EU. The agreement could have come unstuck on Russia’s holding out, unless it was assured that it would not have its Ukrainian sanctions extended to this.

The oil price rise because of the Ukraine war is expected to come down with iran being allowed to sell its crude, something which it was not previously allowed to do. apart from benefiting from this fall in international oil prices, Pakistan has a particular interest in the lifting of sanctions, as it paves the way for the completion of the gas line supposed to go to india, which had been stalled because of the sanctions. While the Usa could have easily made Ukraine an excuse, by letting Russia come on board, it has benefited the world, but itself as well.

Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

‘Corruption Pandemic’ will get out of hand with dire consequences for the country.

There were no charges of financial corruption against Bhutto, Qayyum Khan, Wali Khan or Mufti Mahmood, but their heirs have sold their souls. The ‘Pandemic’ has already spread so deep that cure seems to be an impossible, uphill task. Political dynasties have emerged despite the evident loot and plunder of the last four decades. The influence of the unscrupulous runs deep within important state institutions. Corruption has become a way of life. Mafias are in control who resist all attempts at reforms. Money laundering is rampant Two banks have been fined for this menace (HBL $250 million, nBP $55 million). in the recent FaTF review, the government of the islamic Republic of Pakistan was asked to convict the individuals involved in this crime that is robbing the nation of its meagre resources.

Cases have been instituted against shahbaz and Zardari where several illegal financial transactions have been reported. Reliance has been on adjournments to cause delays. The entire judicial process has been seriously strained. Common Law has failed to combat white collar crime, and financial corruption continues unabated with very little conviction of the corrupt.

Unfortunately, in the land of the pure, financial crimes are not taken seriously. The judicial system is also not geared to handle such infringements. FaTF has also pointed out these serious weaknesses in our legal system to combat financial irregularities committed mostly by the powerful and the influential. While there is hue and cry about the spiralling prices there is very little debate

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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They charged the state-backed civil militia of gross human rights abuses, including rape and murder.

The prominent Kashmir-based regional parties criticized the move, saying it belies the claims that normalcy has returned to Jammu and Kashmir”. They alleged “extra-constitutional armed entities” will enable a “new regime of abuses” while widening the gulf between Hindus and Muslims. national Conference member of parliament and former J&K high court judge Hasnain Masoodi said, “The revival of the militia is an admission that things are not normal (in J&K) as they are being projected (by the BJP-led Union government)”. He added, “These actors are beyond the purview of law. By falling back on an extra constitutional body which is not in the legal framework, the government is conveying that the police and other security forces are not doing their job properly.”

Veteran Communist party leader M.Y. Tarigami said the announcement exposes the hollowness of the government’s claim about elections in the state now turned into a Union territory.

Trigami alleged,”‘These groups are involved in gross violations of human rights. Other than putting pressure on ordinary people, i don’t see any reason for reviving them.” The rumour afloat in the Valley is that the Modi government wants to impose a Hindu chief minister on the occupied state.

Former J&K chief minister and People’s democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti tweeted: “MHas move to form Village defence Committees

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

across J&K is another addition to a slew of decisions that contradict GOis much touted normalcy claims.

Clearly J&K is far from any semblance of normalcy. it will also create a wedge between communities.” in the past the VdCs used their arms to settle personal scores with the Muslim population of Jammu in the name of fighting militancy, resulting in gross human rights abuses. Their abuses have been documented by various rights advocacy groups, including the J&K Coalition of Civil society, a prominent srinagar-based advocacy group. according to official data, 221 criminal cases have been filed against VdG members in Jammu, including 23 cases of murder and seven cases of rape, 15 cases of rioting, three anti-drug cases and 169 other cases, out of which charges have been filed in 205 cases. in the past, on an average, volunteers in one village were given five (.303) rifles with 100 rounds each, through the district superintendents of Police. The volunteers and number of such weapons. The 2022 policy envisages equipping the VdGs with modern weapons. india has never disclosed the cumulative strength of its forces in the occupied Kashmir. Estimates vary from 600,000 to one million. What’s the need for the civil militia in such a heavily militarised occupied state?

In the past, on an average, volunteers in one village were given five (.303) rifles with 100 rounds each, through the District Superintendents of Police.

The volunteers and number of such weapons. The 2022 policy envisages equipping the VDGs with modern weapons. India has never disclosed the cumulative strength of its forces in the occupied Kashmir.

Estimates vary from 600,000 to one million.

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

06-07 Comments - 17th March 2022_Layout 1 3/16/2022 9:45 PM Page 2

Thursday, 17 March, 2022

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

Plain Mr Jinnah

Strained Myanmar-Bangladesh ties need to be smoothened But the Rohingya issue must solved first jubeDa ChowDhury

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anUaRY 13, 2022, marked the 50 years of bilateral ties between Myanmar and Bangladesh. Myanmar recognized Bangladesh as a sovereign state on 13 January 1972. But there weren’t any seminars, discussions, statements, reciprocation, felicitations between the two neighbors to mark the special day. There were many ups and downs between the two neighbors over 50 years. But Myanmar andBangladesh need to strengthen ties for ensuring the greater interest of the two regions such as south asia and southeast asia.

When Bangladesh celebrated its glorious journey of 50 years, many countries in the world felicitated Bangladesh. Even Pakistan PM imran Khan has felicitated Bangladesh on marking the 50 years of independence. But it’s a matter of sorrow that its neighbour, Myanmar didn’t congratulate Bangladesh. Even both countries’ respective embassies remained silent on the issue.

Why is this? Because the relations between Bangladesh and Myanmar are strained now. But this strained tie must be smoothed for ensuring greater regional interest.

However, the relationship between Myanmar and Bangladesh has never been smooth and has gone through frequent ups and downs over the last 50 years on a number of issues. despite having many possibilities, the two countries have not been able to build a real relationship with each other. The people from both sides are deprived of enjoying neighbourly advantages because of these stained relations. The improved ties between the two neighbours can ensure some common regional advantages. Geographically, Myanmar is located in the eastern part of Bangladesh with a 271 km border.

To its southeast, it is at least 150 km wide, due to its hilly terrain and dense forest cover. strategically, Myanmar enjoys a distinct position between the two asian giants, China and india. The same applies to Bangladesh. naturally, both Bangladesh and Myanmar enjoy important strategic positions in south asia and southeast asia. Basically, Myanmar and Bangladesh both can be used as a gateway between south asia and southeast asia.

Myanmar can use Bangladesh as a transportation route to reach the markets of Bhutan, nepal, north East india easily. Bangladesh and Myanmar share some regional common platforms such as the Bay of Bengal initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Co-operation (BiMsTEC), an organization made up of Bangladesh, Bhutan, india, Myanmar, nepal, sri Lanka, and Thailand which seeks strategic and economic development. if Bangladesh and Myanmar improve their relations with each other, their dependence on China and india could be reduced and they could increase trade with other countries in southeast asia and south asia.

Bangladesh can be used as an important hub to connect asEan and saaRC. Myanmar too, as an asEan member, can access the saaRC free-trade bloc through Bangladesh if MyanmarBangladesh ties can be improved. in the case of bilateral relations, there were

two issues that caused some annoyance between them. The first was the demarcation of the seaboundary between them. it is a matter of satisfaction that the matter was settled peacefully by the 1982 international Tribunal of the sea Convention in March 2012. as Myanmar and Bangladesh both share the Bay of Bengal area and have a 271 km long border, Myanmar and Bangladesh both can take part in tackling nontraditional security threats in the Bay of Bengal such as tackling piracy, illegal drug dealing, human trafficking, environmental degradation, countering terrorists in the region.

The second is the Rohingya refugee issue.

Between august and november 2017, it was reported that a military operation in Myanmar had forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to cross the border into neighbouring Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh government has faced the Rohingya crisis many times. in 1978, an anti-insurgency operation by the then military government of Myanmar in Rakhine state resulted in a massive brutal crackdown, with some 300,000 Rohingya crossing the border into Bangladesh.

Then again in 1991-1992, a second wave of more than 250,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh to escape the ongoing military repression. The two countries have resolved the issue peacefully through bilateral talks. But the current 2017 Rohingya crisis needs a fruitful sustainable solution between Myanmar and Bangladesh to bolster the ties. definitely, Bangladesh and Myanmar should find a durable Closer Bangladesh-Myanmar ties have great economic potential - but the Rohingya issue must be resolved. Enhanced bilateral ties between Bangladesh and Myanmar could contribute to the growth of trade and investment relations with asEan and BiMsTEC countries.

There are other routes to bilateral cooperation. Myanmar is rich in natural resources such as tin, zinc, copper, tungsten, coal, marble, limestone, natural gas, hydropower, and so on.

Myanmar could thus be a major source of energy for Bangladesh to ensure its energy security.

Myanmar is also a major supplier of natural wood to the world. While it has traditionally eyed foreign investment in the oil and gas sector, the country has recently shifted its focus to attracting production-based investment. The country is well ahead in power generation following a good investment in hydropower generation. The tourism industry is also a promising sector of the country.

Religious tourism can be a source of potential.

There are many Buddhists Biharis in Bangladesh. a number of important Buddhist archeological sites have already been uncovered in different parts of Bangladesh. Bangladesh is believed to be a rich repository of south asian Buddhist heritage. in order to draw the world’s attention to the rich Buddhist heritage in Bangladesh, the Government organized an international event in collaboration with the World Tourism Organization in October 2015.

There are a number of magnificent modernera Buddhist temples in Bangladesh. The Golden Temple at a hilltop in the Bandarban district is probably the most charming Buddhist temple in Bangladesh. Gigantic Buddha statues in dhaka, Chittagong, and other parts of Bangladesh are

special attractions for devotees and tourists.

There are also a number of Buddhist learning centres and pilgrimage spots in Bangladesh.

This area of archaeological sites refers to Paharpur in naogaon, Mahasthangarh in Bogra, Mainamati in Comilla, and Bikrampur in dhaka districts. Each of these sites has unique qualities as part of history. some archaeological sites are important for both Hindu and Buddhist investigation because religious sculptures of each can be found. Thus, Myanmar and Bangladesh can exchange religious tourism.

Through the import of gas and electricity, Bangladesh can obtain its future energy security.

The two countries can jointly explore oil and gas fields in the Bay of Bengal. Bangladesh can also contribute to the development of Myanmar’s infrastructure.

The proposed construction of the asian Highway, funded by the asian development Bank, can increase land connectivity between the two countries and increase trade in products such as fertilizers, plastics, cement, furniture, and others. Bangladesh is on the way to the completion of its railway projec, the dohazari-Cox’s Bazar railway line. This line can be extended to north East india, nepal, and Bhutan. if this line can be extended to China-south East asia via Bangladesh’s Ghundhum-Myanmar as part of the proposed Trans asian Railway network and asian Highway network, the whole region can definitely benefit. Myanmar should take such an initiative to join the Trans asian Railroad.

Myanmar, which at present does have sophisticated manufacturing, can import electronics and pharmaceutical products that are readily produced in Bangladesh and benefit from the technology transfer.

However, the two countries can also increase agricultural production through joint ventures. apart from adopting joint investment projects, Bangladesh can increase imports of various agricultural products including pulses, spices, fish, and rice. Enhanced bilateral ties between Bangladesh and Myanmar could contribute to the growth of trade and investment relations with asEan and BiMsTEC countries.

This will create an opening to solve the Rohingya problem and stop militant activities.

Basically, the Rakhine region of Myanmar can be used as a trade hub between Bangladesh and Myanmar. The agro-products in Rakhine need a viable market. Bangladesh can be a big market for the goods that are produced in Rakhine. On the other hand, Bangladesh has vast and tremendous experience in garments and agricultural production. Myanmar can exchange Bangladeshi expertise to benefit. Myanmar’s products (known as Burmese products, they are very popular in Bangladesh), Myanmar and Bangladesh can set up some border hats (border markets) between Bangladesh and Myanmar to boost up the trade. india and Bangladesh are benefitting from such kinds of border hats at the border. Thus, strengthening of people-to-people contact, and bolstering public diplomacy between the two sides can mend the strained ties between two neighbours.

The writer is a freelance columnist

THE book “Plain Mr Jinnah” is written by syed shamsul Hassan, who served as Office secretary of all india Muslim League delhi office and was a close confidant of Quaid-e-azam MaJ. it is based on personal papers and correspondence between him and other politicians between 1942 to 1946. On 7 august 1947, Quaid summoned shamsul Hassan (sH) to his residence at 10 aurangzeb Road delhi. MaJ felt that nehru and Mountbatten had betrayed their assurances to him that they will protect the Muslims from communal hatred of Hindu extremists. He handed him a bag containing personal documents, to keep in safe custody, not to be given to anybody. in October 1947, ssH (shamsul Hassan) went to meet the Quaid who was in Lahore. a visibly old MaJ instructed ssH that the contents of the documents should be kept secret for 20 years and revealed after that so that future generations should know the true facts of the political struggle for the creation of Pakistan. There is also an Urdu translation by Munir ahmed Munir titled “sirf Mister Jinnah”. it is an unfortunate bitter truth that this book is not available in the market, for reasons best known to those at the helm. Recent events in india should make it clear to everybody in Pakistan that Quaid had the vision to foresee, what many could not, such as the likes of azad, who opposed the creation of Pakistan. Even today there exists many, who despite MaJ’s vision that our future lies in a modern democratic welfare state for all citizens, consider themselves to be wiser, by stating that democracy is not suited to this country. Why should all citizens not be aware of true historical perspective, since it contradicts the distorted version that is being projected?

We are facing a perpetual crisis that threatens our economy and national security because of political instability and our failure to adopt Jinnah’s vision.

Pakistan was created by politicians of repute who realized the importance of awakening the Muslims of the subcontinent and it is they who were able to establish a sovereign independent state on 14th august under the dynamic leadership of MaJ. The foundations of aiML were laid on 30 december 1906 at dacca by nawab Waqarul-Mulk. a 57 member committee was announced to prepare a draft for the constitution, which achieved the task by mid-1907. This was unanimously approved on 29-30 at a meeting in Karachi presided by adamjee Pir Bhai, and a 71-member committee was announced. it was decided to form a 40-member central committee and provincial league committees. The first meeting was held at aligarh, presided by Mian shah din from Lahore on 18-19 March 1908 to establish the central office and other provincial offices. agha Khan was appointed President for 3 years with syed Hassan Bilgrami as Honorary secretary, Haji M Musa Khan as Joint secretary. it is the moral obligation of all citizens that MaJ’s vision is not hijacked by adventurers and opportunists.

MALIK TARIQ ALI LAHORE

Russia Standoff RUssia said on Thursday it was clear the United states was not willing to address its main security concerns in their standoff over Ukraine but kept the door open for further dialogue. The United states and naTO submitted a written response on Wednesday to demands Russia has made for a redrawing of post-Cold War security arrangements in Europe since it massed troops near Ukraine, prompting Western fears of an invasion. The Kremlin spokesman dmitry Peskov said Moscow needed time to review the response and would not rush to conclusions, but that U.s. and naTO statements describing Russia’s main demands as unacceptable did not leave much room for optimism.

The nuanced Kremlin reaction made it clear that Russia was not rejecting the U.s. and naTO responses out of hand or closing the door to diplomacy. The U.s. secretary of state for Political affairs Victoria nuland said the United states hoped Russia would study what Washington had offered and come back to the table. The Russian foreign ministry said the best way to reduce tensions was for naTO to withdraw forces from eastern Europe, but also sought to quash fears of an invasion. sovereign dollar bonds issued by Ukraine soared on Thursday, enjoying their best day in almost two years, while Russian debt also gained after the Kremlin’s response.

But, in a sign of lingering international concern, oil hit seven-year highs above $90 a barrel, then eased later. Russia is the world’s secondlargest oil producer and the crisis over Ukraine has fanned fears that energy supplies to Europe will be disrupted. a Ukrainian presidential adviser told that Kyiv wants to borrow some $5 billion from international organisations and in bilateral aid as borderline “hysteria” over the threat of a Russian attack was limiting its access to capital markets.

Russia’s security demands, presented in december, include an end to further naTO enlargement, barring Ukraine from ever joining and pulling back the alliance’s forces and weaponry from eastern European countries that joined after the Cold War. The U.s. and naTO responses were not made public, but both had already rejected those demands while expressing willingness to engage on issues such as arms control, confidence-building measures and limits on the size and scope of military exercises. China told the United states it wants all sides involved in Ukraine to remain calm.

Western countries have warned of economic sanctions on Russia if it invades Ukraine, building on measures imposed since 2014 when Moscow annexed Crimea and Russian-backed separatists began fighting the Kyiv government’s forces in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian, Russian, German and French diplomats discussed the conflict in eastern Ukraine in Paris on Wednesday and agreed more talks should be held in Berlin in two weeks.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister dmytro Kuleba said the agreement on more talks meant Russia was likely to remain on a diplomatic track for at least two weeks. Russian Foreign Minister sergei Lavrov said there was the hope of starting a serious dialogue with the United states, but only on secondary questions, not on fundamental ones. in comments published on his ministry’s website, he said President Vladimir Putin would decide Russia’s next move.

Putin, who has not spoken publicly on the crisis for weeks, has warned of an unspecified “military-technical response” Tass news agency quoted a senior Russian foreign ministry official, Vladimir Ermakov, as saying a nuclear missile crisis between Moscow and Washington was unavoidable without measures to ensure restraint and predictability. Biden has said he will not send U.s. or allied troops to fight Russia in Ukraine but naTO has said it is putting forces on standby and reinforcing eastern Europe with more ships and fighter jets.

OMAR SHAHKAR ISLAMABAD

08 WORLD VIEW 17th March 22_Layout 1 3/16/2022 9:57 PM Page 1

Thursday, 17 March, 2022

08 WORLD VIEW

HoW THe US CongreSS SHoULd reSpond To WHaT ZeLenSky aSkS for THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION AND ALL RESPONSIBLE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SHOULD TELL ZELENSKY HONESTLY THAT HE CANNOT EXPECT WASHINGTON TO GO TO WAR WITH RUSSIA

resPonsible statecraft ANATOL LIEVEN

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LL eyes are on Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zalensky as he is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress via video link at the U.S. Capitol.

It is expected that he will make a broad and strident call for more assistance in fending off further russian incursions in his country. among the requests, Zelensky is expected to repeat his call for naTo to impose a no-fly zone. This must be resisted. It would mean U.S. planes going into action against russia—in effect, standing in as the Ukrainian air force. They would be shot down by russian anti-aircraft missile batteries stationed on russian soil, which have the range to cover much of Ukraine.

Furthermore, if the U.S. responded by attacking those batteries, russia would most probably fire missiles

at american air bases in Poland and other naTo members. do we really want the two largest nuclear powers, with the ability to wipe out humanity, to start firing missiles at each other?

Zelensky’s demands to supply fighter jets should also be rejected. Given russian air superiority, they would be quickly shot down without doing much good.

The present Western supplies of shoulder-fired anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles are in fact exactly what the Ukrainian forces need for urban warfare, are doing great damage to the russian forces, and should be continued.

There is no need for escalation. as argued in two op-eds in the Washington Post, sooner or later this war will end in a compromise peace in which Moscow will have to give up its maximal aims but Ukraine will also have to make certain concessions.

Complete russian victory or complete russian defeat

India faces a severe water crisis & Modi govt can’t tackle it alone FROM THE MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI, UNION BUDGET TO JAL JEEVAN MISSION, THE MODI GOVT IS TRYING. BUT IT’S MISSING OUT ON THESE KEY SOLUTIONS Print PAUL ABRAHAM

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eonardo da Vinci once said, “Water is the driving force of all nature.” India has four per cent of the world’s water resources, but in 2011, it moved to be water-stressed. a 2019 nITI aayog report said that India is suffering from the worst water crisis in its history, and almost 600 million of its population is waterdeprived. The report goes on to add that 21 cities — including Bangalore, delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai — probably exhausted their groundwater resources in 2021. agriculture is the main consumer of water stock in India. In rural India, 80 to 90 per cent of drinking water needs are fulfilled by groundwater resources. What is worrisome is that groundwater levels in India declined by over 60 per cent between 2007 and 2017, and of the extracted water, almost 90 per cent is used in agriculture. In a 2014 report, the Bharatiya agro Industries Foundation estimated that 70 per cent of India’s farming is rain-fed. Yet, 65 per cent of its total rainfall ends up in the sea. Water pollution is another source of water stress, leading to collateral losses in healthcare. Cities are home to 36 per cent of India’s population but account for 70 per cent of water pollution, according to a report by the Central Pollution Control Board.

WATER IS RESOURCE, NOT COMMODITY: In India, water resources are treated as commons. It is not treated as an economic resource that has monetary value and a price to pay for its consumption. We also consume rapaciously in the false belief that rain will replenish our water stock. on a per capita basis, water availability has been declining — from 1,816 cubic meters in 2001 and 1,546 in 2011 to 1,367 cubic meters in 2021.

In India, water is a source of huge inequality. often, when a water source is impaired, the many people who had found employment through it get negatively impacted. employment in fishing, sand mining, water-carrying services gets impacted. The restoration of the water supply often leads to the privileged cornering access to it. Large queues at water tankers outside slums is a common visual in our cities. almost all our high-rise buildings supplement water by buying tankers.

India’s water problems are both huge and complex. By creating the Ministry of Jal Shakti in 2019, the narendra Modi government attempted to consolidate all departments and ministries that dealt with water issues to focus exclusively on addressing India’s water challenges. However, at the micro level, the multiplicity of the departments that govern water and allied issues is still a huge hurdle to a composite view and sustainable solutions. In the last two Union Budgets, the emphasis has clearly been on economic development that is inclusive and sustainable at the same time.

In the 2021-22 Budget, Finance Minister nirmala Sitharaman allocated rs 2,87,000 crore to the Ministry of Jal Shakti to launch the Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban) to ensure universal water supply to all 4,378 towns. The government is also committed to providing safe tap drinking water to every rural household by 2024. While it is a laudable target in itself, what needs to be addressed is the reversal of the shrinking stock of potable water to supply these homes.

The government cannot manage the water crisis alone; it will take the combined efforts of civil society, the private sector – including its foundations – and the public at large to meet the challenge.

SOME KEY CHANGES: It is important to reimagine the assessment protocol for water as a resource and bring it on par with all other economic resources. Management requires a measure to work with, and water also needs to be treated as a life-form resource rather than just a human-centric one. We need to re-structure the Centre-state and local bodies’ relationship with water as a subject and allow for single-window decision making.

We need to address the issues of budgetary support for the maintenance of infrastructure and supplementing and building up source stocks. Huge investments in water harvesting are needed to build and protect water availability and to harvest a reasonable part of the monsoon flows. We also need a massive restoration drive to clean up our existing water bodies, be it village tanks or baolis. equally important is a national literacy mission around water to create multilevel hydro-literacy in schools and civil society. The media has a strong role to play in reiterating the message. Corporates need to educate their staff to create an all-pervasive ISr (individual social responsibility) structure. It is important to recognise the changing patterns of water availability due to climate change, especially modelling future scenarios to study the impact of receding glaciers that will cause our rivers to dry up and altered rainfall patterns affecting cropping patterns and impacting food security.

It would be fruitful to relook at ancient farming practices that seemed more sustainable. Many of the northeastern states are using traditional ways of irrigating and recycling the run-off water to use in fields before it rejoins the river. In Tamil nadu, a centuries-old tradition called ‘eri’ is used in irrigating paddy fields from lake water.

Last, but not least, we have a huge philosophical debate to address. and that is around agriculture. Can we create community ownership constructs, and can all of rural India be asked to pay for water that values the precious resource adequately? Second, in a country that is sustaining its agriculture by rain-fed systems, is it really viable to practice multi-crop agriculture based on groundwater extraction?

Paul Abraham is president at The Hinduja Foundation.

are both equally unlikely. The Biden administration therefore needs to talk intensively with President Zelensky about the possible terms of such a peace agreement. as I have written before, U.S. and Western sanctions should be used to support the peace process and compel russia to end its aggression and reach an agreement, not to bring about regime change in russia. otherwise the war in Ukraine and the resulting global economic crisis will go on for many years, with terrible damage and unpredictable consequences.

The Biden administration and all responsible members of Congress should tell Zelensky honestly that he cannot expect Washington to go to war with russia.

There is a shameful history going back to Georgia in 2008 of americans making quasi-promises of military aid that they had no real intention of ever fulfilling, thereby encouraging countries to take disastrously un-

DON’T REPEAT THE SHAMEFUL HISTORY OF GEORGIA IN 2008, WHERE WASHINGTON MADE QUASI-PROMISES OF MILITARY AID IT HAD NO INTENTION OF FULFILLING compromising positions.

Anatol Lieven is a Professor at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Qatar, visiting professor in the War Studies Department of King’s College London, and a senior fellow of the New America Foundation in Washington DC. He is the author of Pakistan: A Hard Country.

Anatol spent the first part of his career as a journalist in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the former USSR.

Why Israel has dropped its ‘nuclear option’ in tackling Iran

national SHALOM LIPNER

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He deafening beat of war drums on the russia-Ukraine frontier has been drowning out the more hushed cadence of negotiations in Vienna, where final touches were put reportedly to a refurbished nuclear deal with Iran, latest russian impediments notwithstanding. Those talks, and the sustainability of any agreement reached, may depend on the next steps of two sovereign elephants not actually seated at the table: the US and Israel. (The americans are being represented by the europeans in Vienna, while Israel is not a party to the discussions.) Leadership changes in both countries may augur better prospects for a more effective posture vis-a-vis Iran – and for the future of USIsrael relations – than when the original JCPoa was signed seven years ago.

Israeli Prime Minister naftali Bennett is no less agitated by the parameters of the materialising bargain than was his predecessor, Benjamin netanyahu, with its 2015 version. on February 20, speaking in Jerusalem to the Conference of Presidents of Major american Jewish organisations, Mr Bennett confessed that Israel is “deeply troubled by what we see”, warning that “the emerging deal is likely to create a more violent and less stable Middle east”. He turned an incriminating spotlight on Iranian demands to shut down ongoing Iaea investigations of Iran’s nuclear programme and to remove its Islamic revolutionary Guard Corps from the list of foreign terrorist organisations. The tonality of Mr Bennett’s dialogue with the Biden administration, however, could not be more strikingly different from that of Mr netanyahu with then US president Barack obama.

Crashing willfully into america’s partisan debate, Mr netanyahu accepted an invitation from then House of representatives speaker John Boehner, a republican, to present Israel’s case before a Joint Session of Congress in March 2015; the White House apparently learned of this from the media. not only did Mr netanyahu’s address fail dismally in its mission to block the JCPoa, but it drove a deep and debilitating wedge between Israel and many of its democratic Party supporters, a number of whom literally boycotted his Capitol Hill appearance.

Justifications by a netanyahu aide that the speech was “one of the critical moments that most contributed” to the abraham accords process ring hollow. They belie the reality that Israel and a number of arab states had already found common cause in campaigning for a reluctant US administration to put pressure on Iran.

They also overlook the fact that it has been precisely Israel’s friendship – not sabre-rattling – with the US that, historically, has sent a stream of world leaders knocking on its door.

This time around, Mr Bennett is consciously avoiding any semblance of partisanship in his interactions with the US; he hosted multiple congressional delegations of democrats and republicans in Jerusalem last month. More specifically, he has firmly eschewed confrontation with US President Joe Biden, with whom he appears to have developed a warm and productive rapport. (Mr Biden, according to the readout of his February 6 call with Mr Bennett, “looks forward to” visiting Israel later this year.) Their national security advisers, who maintain regular contact, attest to full and continued transparency in their discussions, even when disagreements may persist. This dynamic stands in glaring contrast to Mr obama’s launch of an Iran backchannel – which Israel discovered independently – and parallel US accusations of information leaks emanating from Israel, which eroded trust between the erstwhile partners.

Mr Bennett’s current strategy reflects a sober assessment of Israel’s predicament and a deliberate decision to play – and he hopes, win – the long game, instead of spending his credibility and resources on efforts that are doomed to fail. His primary focus is the “day after”. This reorientation will leave both Israel and america better off.

Israel, a senior official of its government acknowledged last summer, has insufficient leverage to exert any significant influence over the contours of the tentative accord. Mr Biden has been clamouring for a return to the nuclear contract with Iran, and Israel – no matter how closely allied it remains with the US – was never about to foil his ambitions.

Plotting to defy his wishes would surely have put Mr Bennett back in the proverbial doghouse where Mr obama put Mr netanyahu during JCPoa 1.0. neither Israel nor its Prime Minister, whose political survival is at perpetual risk, can afford to go back down that road. recognising the limits of his power, Mr Bennett is thus charting a prudent course to avoid antagonising Mr Biden – provoking him is likely to inflict damage on Israel’s privileged standing in the oval office – and, thereby, preserve Israel’s ability to co-operate closely with the US moving forward. The last thing Mr Bennett will want is to plunge head-first into the kind of lonely vacuum that succeeded previous US president donald Trump’s 2018 withdrawal from the JCPoa without a

safety net, which Iran then exploited to further enrich uranium and move that much closer to a nuclear weapons capability.

The benefits of this approach for both Israel and the US are self-evident. Mr Bennett’s assertion that Israel, not being a party to the agreement, “is not bound by what will be written in [them]” has garnered a personal statement of Mr Biden’s “unwavering support for Israel’s security and freedom of action”. This provides Israel with a wider american berth than ever before to push back against the Iranian threat to its security, even after the Vienna consultations might conclude in a deal. It also speaks to the inherent willingness of the US to participate in these manoeuvres as they pertain to the active defence of Israel; Mr Biden’s success in marshalling nato muscle to oppose russia in Ukraine might even speak to greater willingness by europe to repel a belligerent Iran. These circumstances deliver a decisive advantage for the administration as well. Keeping Israel close in this way will reduce the potential of a formidable spoiler to go rogue and compromise US objectives in containing Iran. on the enforcement side, stronger coordination between the US and Israel is likely to wield a forbidding deterrent effect over Iran – faced suddenly with the capacity for a robust response to any new violations of its signed obligations – which will almost certainly encourage greater compliance from Tehran. It could also serve as a platform to address festering concerns that lie beyond the purview of the present negotiation, chiefly Iran’s involvement in global terrorism and its development of ballistic missiles. These products would constitute additional gains for both the US and Israel resulting from Mr Bennett’s conciliatory path. They do not amount to Israel’s “surrender”, a charge with which Mr netanyahu has assailed his successor.

Polling shows that a solid majority of Israelis view a nuclear-armed Iran as an existential danger to their country. That state of affairs makes it essential for Israel to remain tightly within america’s graces.

(It is no coincidence that Mr Bennett sought the blessing of the White House before embarking on his shuttle diplomacy to resolve the Ukraine crisis.)

Whether there is an eventual agreement to uphold or, no less worrisome, whether no understandings are achieved – owing to russia’s or any other party’s objections – and Iran maintains free reign to accelerate its nuclear programme, Israel will need to prepare meticulously for meeting the critical challenges that loom in the months and years ahead. It will be better positioned for this task with the US as a committed wingman.

Shalom Lipner is a non-resident senior fellow of the Middle East programme at the Atlantic Council. From 1990 to 2016, he served seven consecutive Israeli premiers at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem

Thursday, 17 March, 2022 | KARACHI

NEWS

corporate corner

PoLice WeLfare Package 2022 WiTh raiSe iN aLL caTegorieS aPProved LAHORE

Two days training workshop designed and delivered by Mr. Abdul Ahad Khan, Chief Training Officer, Research & Training Wing, Planning & Development Dept, Govt. of Sindh on 15th and 16th March 2022 and attended by officers of various GoS departments. pr

OICCI organizes ‘Pakistan Climate Conference 2022’ to support positive climate actions in Pakistan. The Pakistan Climate Conference was organized by OICCI and was hosted at the premises of Unilever Pakistan. It brought together experts and corporate leaders, both local and global, to initiate a dialogue on this important topic. pr

Carfirst and Habib Metropolitan Bank Ltd. join hands for fleet disposal solution bringing ease to vehicle buyback process.

CarFirst, Pakistan’s largest used car trading platform, signed an MOU with HABIBMETRO, at CarFirst’s regional office in Karachi to trade the fleet vehicles under HABIBMETRO’s ijarah financing option. Under this arrangement, CarFirst will be offering inspection and evaluation services of the fleet vehicles of HABIBMETRO Bank. pr

Power suspension schedules for today According to Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO)’s spokesman, System Maintenance/Development Work is in process. Therefore power supply of below mentioned feeders/areas will be temporary suspended as per given schedule: On 17th March, From 09:00 AM to 02:00 PM, Islamabad Feed Mill, Jhatta Hathial, Basali, Pind Jatla, Lab-1 & 2, Reliance Weaving Mill, Bhal, Jarar Camp, Jund Awan, Sarpak, Bhikeri, Treat, Arsalan Poultry Farm. SPD, Padial, Gagan, Chahan, Mahuta, Kohsar Valley, Burma, Dharek, Jhang, Kashif Gul, Mix Industrial, Model Town, Industrial, Purmiana, Rashid Minhas, Shahia, Sarka, Shadi Khan, Mansar, Amanpur, Raja Sultan, TB Hospital, Bagh Sardaran, Eidgah, Gulshanabad, Major Masood, BB Shaheed, Ratta, Mangtal, DM Textile, Industrial, Railway Colony, Gulzar Shaheed, Pepli, Blixar, Sawan Kachehri, Ghauri Dhamik, Sanghui, Nathwala , Safdar Shaheed, Chara, Tramri, Ghauri Garden, Sohdran Road, Khanna-II. Al-Noor Colony-II, Khanna East, Khanna Post, Azad Shaheed, New Waheedabad, Burma, Lohi Bhair, Coral, Industrial, Bank Road-II. Feeders, From 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. City, Tut Oil, Karpa Feeders, From 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., NCI, Toba, Lilla Town, Ahmedabad, Dheer Kot, Chaman Kot, Rangala, Dana Express, Dhala , Minhasa Sohawa, Nambal, Beirut, Ghaziabad, PAEC Feeders, From 09:00 AM to 04:00 PM, Sagarpur, Abdullahpur, CWO, Jalalpur Sharif, Gharibwal, Pindi Gheep, Nika Kalan, Lehtar, Bilwara, Krore, Kotli Satyan feeders and 132 KV Chakwal grid station and surroundings will remain off. IESCO management apologizes to its esteemed customers for the power outage.

If the work is completed ahead of time, the power supply can be restored even before the scheduled time. pr

addressing gender inequities in healthcare rethinking and redefining Women’s health KARACHI: Following the International Women’s Day theme Roche Pakistan via Dialogue on Diagnostics hosted a media talk on ‘Leading Women in Science, Breaking the Bias - together!’ to highlight the need of awareness and importance of women’s health in local hotel. Panelists to talk about public health, barriers to women's health and the role of female empowerment in this sector.

Highlighting the common misconception how women’s health is considered limited t gynae or breast cancer only, it is often ignored how women have higher morbidity rates & a diminished quality of life in later years.

Gender is an important determinant of health, particularly in low-and-middle income countries (LMICs) like Pakistan.

Across the world, women make up 70% of the healthcare workforce, yet are the most neglected when it comes to women’s health issues. Studies from multiple South Asian regions have reported women to have experienced greater barriers to healthcare compared to men, resulting in overall poorer health outcomes and higher mortality.

Putting this into context of human lives, women’s health is a whole lot more than reproductive wellness or gynecology. pr

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Shahab Omer

HE Punjab Police have approved the Welfare Package 2022 for the children’s education, and medical and other expenses of the employees.

A spokesperson for the Punjab police said on Wednesday that a committee, headed by Additional IG Welfare and Finance Muhammad Farooq Mazhar, amended the Welfare Rules of 2016 and prepared a comprehensive draft for increase in financial assistance to police personnel and their children’s education, medical, daughter’s dowry, sustenance allowance and other categories, which was approved by Inspector General of Police Punjab Rao Sardar Ali Khan, on the recommendations of the Provincial Welfare Board.

These amendments will be implemented from January 1, 2022, which will provide historic relief to police officers and employees. Regarding the amendments made in the Punjab Police Welfare Package 2022, the spokesperson said that in the new package, dowry funds, educational scholarships, medical financial aid and sustenance allowances have been increased for the officers and personnel.

He said that the dowry package for marriage of daughters of present service or retired employees of Grade 1 to 16 has been increased and the amount of dowry fund has been increased from 40,000 to 60,000. If an employee has 1 or 2 daughters, he will get funds at the rate of Rs. 80,000 per person, he added.

“The amount of dowry fund for 17 grade or above serving or retired employees/officers has been in-

creased from 50,000 to 70,000. If a person has 1 or 2 daughters, he will get funds at the rate of Rs. 100,000 per person. Similarly, for dowry of daughters of martyred or death during service has been increased from 60,000 to 70,000 per person whereas if one has 1 or 2 daughters, he will get funds at the rate of one lakh rupees per person,” he added.

Regarding the details of the increase in educational scholarships, he said that for the children of Grade 1 to 16 employees of Punjab Police, allowance of intermediate education has been increased from 9,000 per annum to 15,000 per annum. Likewise, Grade 17 or above grade officers will get 20,000 for intermediate education.

Similarly, the two-year graduation program for children of Grade 1 to 16 employees has been increased from 11,000 per annum for BA / B.Sc. to 20,000 per annum. The two-year graduation program for the children of officers 17 and above has been increased to 25,000 for BA / B.Sc. Moreover, allowance of MA, MSC, BSC (4) and MPhil has been increased from 15,000 to 40’000 whereas allowance for PhDs will be increased from Rs 15,000 per annum to Rs 1.5 lakh per annum and those pursuing PhD in Mathematics will get Rs 2.5 lakh per annum.

The fee will be paid upon taking education from government medical and engineering universities. In private universities, the category of universities for medical, engineering, IT and business has been opened. Now, according to the HEC rankings in respect of engineering, medical, IT & Business, children enrolled in the top five universities in Pakistan and Punjab will

be able to get tuition fees, registration, admission fees and 20,000 for books.

A reward of Rs. 1 lakh will be given to the children of police personnel / officers for memorizing the Holy Quran.

Rewards of Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 05 lakh will be given to police employees and officers for writing a book on some subject but the allocation of reward will be decided by a management committee. Universities will be provided financial assistance for obtaining degrees from religious universities which are approved by the HEC degree program as regular degrees. Entry test examinations such as GRE, TOEFL, GAT and other 9 categories, Test fees will be paid for obtaining more than 80% marks. Children of Police Employees / Officers who join Civil Service (CSS, PMS and Judiciary) and Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force) as Commissioned Officers, a reward of Rs. 1 lakh will be given in this regard.

Regarding the increase in medical financial aid, he said that the financial assistance for the treatment of heart diseases has been increased from 125,000 to 200,000. Officers and personnel will be given Rs 2 lakh for open heart surgery while Rs 100,000 will be given to wife and children. Rs 100,000 will be given to officers and personnel for stent delivery while wife and children will be given Rs 50,000.

Likewise, Aid has been increased from Rs. 225,000 to Rs. 500,000 for treatment of disease of cancer. Rs. 200,000 will be given to police personnel for treatment of cancerous tumors, whereas Rs. 100,000 will be given to wife and children. Rs. 500,000 will be given to police personnel for treatment of malignant cancer whereas their wife

and children will be given Rs. 250,000 for this purpose. Under category of medical aid, allowance for bone marrow transplant has been enhanced. Rs. 01 million will be given to the employees and Rs. 500,000 will be given to the wife and children. Whereas, for treatment of other diseases, aid for wife and children has been increased from 20,000 to 70,000.

In addition to it, aid under Guzara allowance has also been increased.

Now, The widows of officers of 20 and above grade will also be able to get Guzara allowance. Spokesperson Punjab Police told that, Guzara allowance for widows of officers of grade 20 and above have been increased to 32,000 whereas 3500 will be given per child. The Guzara allowance for widows of Grade 18 and 19 officers has been increased from Rs 20,000 to Rs 22,000 while the allowance per child has been increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500.

The Guzara allowance for families of Grade 16 and 17 officers has been increased from Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 while the allowance per child has been increased from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000.

The Guzara allowance for families of Grade 11 and 15 employees has been increased from Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 and per child allowance has been increased from 1200 to 1700. Guzara allowance for families of employees of grade 1 to 9 has been increased from 6000 to 8000 and allowance per child has been increased from 1000 to 1500.

Spokesperson Punjab Police said that the increase in the welfare package was made by the Punjab Police within its resources and its objective was to provide all possible relief to the Sipah.

Vice President ADB calls on Hammad Azhar

ISLAMABAD pr

Federal Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar held a meeting with Mr. Shixin Chen, Vice President (operations) for Asian Development Bank (ADB) at Ministry of Energy today. Both sides broadly discussed the ADB’s energy program in Pakistan, Government’s energy reforms.

Minister lauded ADB’s support in pursuing reforms agenda and various development projects for the country. He expressed satisfaction on the firm commitment of ADB as key partner in reforms agenda in priority sectors including energy.

Various projects in power sector are moving forward with good pace including the Advance Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system to be rolled out as a pilot

project in IESCO region, projects in NTDC and DISCOs. Minister stressed upon the need to expedite the Jamshoro project and special attention from ADB’s side. The pre- Feasibility study for the underground gas storages is also expected to be completed in a year. Ministry also shared its positive progress on circular debt management of power sector. The structural bench marks have been met and IMF has also shown satisfaction in this regard. Moreover, the circular debt management plan is being updated together with approval of Subsidy Reforms Phase- II . ADB will work on the feasibility of buying out imported coal energy plants on base load basis. The ADB’s Vice president expressed his desire to engage with the ministry for Climate Change Policy, to which Minister assured full support.

Engro Foundation becomes the Largest National Supporter of the Indus River Dolphin Lahore: WWF-Pakistan and Engro Foundation, the social investment arm of Engro Corporation, entered into a first-of-its-kind partnership for the conservation and management of the endangered Indus River dolphins.

The project will focus on the core habitat of the 500 km (approximate) Indus River stretch between Taunsa and Sukkur barrages. This stretch is a habitat of approximately 1,800 Indus River dolphins and overlaps with the Indus Flyway, which is a globally important route of migratory birds.

The area has immense ecological and cultural significance as the Guddu – Sukkur stretch is a protected area, Indus Dolphin Reserve, and was declared a Ramsar wetland under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and Key Biodiversity Area (KBA). Similarly, the Taunsa – Guddu River section is home to the second-largest Indus dolphin population of 660 individuals.

The selected project area supports 90 per cent

population of the Indus River dolphin, eight species of freshwater turtles, smooth-coated otters, hog deer and fishing cats. The project area and the adjoining wetlands support many endangered and threatened migratory birds as well. Considering that the Indus River dolphin is the top predator and keystone species of the river, saving and protecting it will support the conservation of the other important species including migratory birds and freshwater turtles. pr

NUST’s research showcase in Lahore receives overwhelming response from industry LAHORE pr

Research & Innovation Showcase of Excellence (RISE) – an event geared towards exhibiting marketready innovation, research capabilities and technologies of the National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), and forging deeper and meaningful industry partnerships – was held the other day at Lahore Garrison Golf and Country Club. Mian Muhammad Mansha, a renowned business magnate, graced the occasion as chief guest. Prominent amongst others present were Lt Gen (Retd) Javed Mahmood Bukhari, Rector NUST, and over 250 Clevel executives from Lahore, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Gujrat.

The assortment of high-impact projects showcased at the event catered to many diverse fields such as Health, Defence, AI, IT, Real Estate, Auto Tech and also NUST's entrepreneurial ventures emerging from its incubation spaces as well as the country’s first Science & Technology Park, the National Science & Technology Park based in NUST Islamabad campus.

Industry and corporate leaders appreciated NUST for organising the showcase in Lahore and acknowledged the quality of research on display. Addressing at the occasion, Mr Mansha commended the efforts of NUST towards developing close liaison with the industry and eventually paving the way for sustainable socioeconomic growth of the country. He stressed the need for taking such initiatives to bridge the gap between industry and academia, and in so doing, develop indigenous solutions to current and impending problems. Rector NUST expressed deep gratitude to all industry partners in supporting academia-based research and innovation, and outlined various avenues for collaboration with NUST.

Thursday, 17 March, 2022 | KARACHI

10 foRIgeN NewS

Russia says paRts of a ukRaine compRomise deal aRe close

R

Agencies

USSIA said on Wednesday that some parts of a possible peace deal with Ukraine were close to being agreed after Kyiv agreed to discuss neutrality, raising hopes of an end to the biggest war in Europe since World War Two. “Neutral status is now being seriously discussed along, of course, with security guarantees,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said told RBC news.

“Now this very thing is being discussed in negotiations — there are absolutely specific formulations which in my view are close to agreement,” Lavrov said.

He said that President Vladimir Putin had spoken about neutrality, along with security guarantees for Ukraine without Nato enlargement, as one possible variant in February. Lavrov cautioned that the negotiations were not easy but that there was “some hope of reaching a compromise”.

Ukraine has also made cautious positive statements on peace talks. It says it is willing to negotiate to end the war, but will not surrender or accept Russian ultimatums.

Lavrov said key issues included the security of people in eastern Ukraine, the demilitarisation of Ukraine and the rights of

Russian-speaking people in Ukraine.

Ukraine laUnches coUnteroffensives: Meanwhile, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter on Wednesday that the country’s armed forces are launching counteroffensives against Russian forces “in several operational areas”.

“This radically changes the parties’ dispositions,” he added, without giving details.

Reuters was unable immediately to verify his comments.

In an update on the war, the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces referred to the “high intensity of hostilities” but did not say where fighting was heaviest.

Ukrainian officials also made clear that the death toll was rising from the war that began when Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb 24. The emergency service in Ukraine’s eastern region of Kharkiv region said on Wednesday that at least 500 residents of the city of Kharkiv have been killed.

Prosecutor General said on Iryna Venediktova said on Facebook that 103 children have been killed so far in the war.

Russian forces have struck more than 400 educational establishments and 59 of them have been destroyed, she said.

The governor of the Chernihiv region in northern Ukraine said there was no electric-

ity in the region’s main city, Chernihiv, or in some other settlements in the area.

But Governor Viacheslav Chaus said Ukraine’s armed forces “are powerful and inflict powerful blows on the Russian enemy every hour”. In this satellite picture provided

by Planet Labs PBC, fire and smoke are seen at Kherson International Airport and Air Base in Kherson, Ukraine on Tuesday. — AP In this satellite picture provided by Planet Labs PBC, fire and smoke are seen at Kherson International Airport and Air Base in Kherson, Ukraine on Tuesday. — AP

20,000 escape MariUpol: Meanwhile, About 20,000 people have managed to escape the besieged port of Mariupol in private cars, the Ukrainian interior ministry said, but hundreds of thousands remain trapped by Russian shelling, many without heating, power or running water.

Russian forces have focused on Mariupol, constantly bombarding it for the past two weeks, as it is a key city on the Azov Sea coast which they must gain control of to push further west.

Ukrainian officials estimate that more

UNHCR chief asks world not to forget Afghanistan during Ukraine crisis KAbUL ReuteRs

The dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan should not be forgotten as the world’s attention is focused on the conflict in Ukraine, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Tuesday ahead of a key donor conference set to take place this month.

During a visit to the Afghan capital, UN high commissioner Filippo Grandi said that the war in Ukraine and the ensuing refugee crisis was “rightly” the focus of global attention, but added the international community could not afford to neglect Afghanistan.

The war-torn country’s economy col-

lapsed last year and thousands fled after the US and other foreign forces withdrew and the Taliban took over the country.

“I thought it was important to pass the message that other situations, which also require political attention and resources should not be forgotten or neglected, especially Afghanistan,” Grandi said.

Afghanistan has around 3.4 million people displaced within the country, according to UN figures, and around 2.6 million refugees outside the country. Thousands were evacuated from the country in the wake of the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August. For those left behind, the economic situation is dire with roughly 23 million people experiencing acute hunger and 95% of

the population not eating enough food, according to the UN. Grandi said the Taliban needed to show its commitment to certain milestones including girls’ education that could lead to the international community moving towards formally recognising Afghan authorities.

Currently, the country’s banking sector is largely frozen due to U.S.-backed sanctions, while development aid that formed the backbone of government finances has been cut off.

Grandi said he discussed these topics with Taliban officials and raised the issue of “patchy” access around the country by female UN workers to work outside offices in the field.

Grandi said he was concerned that the initial enthusiasm from the international community at a previous donor conference in September could be waning.

The United Kingdom is hosting a virtual pledging summit for donors this month to help garner pledges for the $4.4 billion total the UN has asked for Afghanistan.

“I can feel already that it is getting a bit tired and unfortunately Ukraine is going to siphon off a lot of resources,” he said.

“We have to be careful, this country cannot afford a decrease in humanitarian assistance for the time being whilst everything else is being discussed — sanctions, frozen funds, development, capacity building — that will take time.”

S. Korea: DPRK seems to have failed in unidentified projectile launch Agencies The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) seemed to have failed in its launch of an unidentified projectile, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on Wednesday.

The JCS said in a statement that the DPRK launched the projectile from the Sunan area in Pyongyang at about 9:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT), noting that it appeared to have failed soon after the liftoff.

It said the intelligence authorities of South Korea and the United States were conducting additional analysis.

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command called on the DPRK to refrain from further destabilizing acts as it said is consulting closely with South Korea, Japan and other regional allies and partners.

“While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel, territory, or that of our allies, we will continue to monitor the situation,” it said in a statement. “The U.S. commitment to the defense of the ROK and Japan, remains ironclad.”

Earlier, Japan’s NHK cited the Japanese Defense Ministry as reporting that the

DPRK appeared to have launched a ballistic missile on Wednesday morning.

The DPRK is yet to make comment on Wednesday’s launch.

Pyongyang conducted seven missile tests in January and twice launched components of what it said were a “reconnaissance satellite” on February 27 and March 5, both were fired from the Sunan area.

On Monday, U.S. and South Korean officials had warned that the DPRK has begun testing its largest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system and may soon conduct a full ICBM launch for the first time

since 2017.

Responding to the DPRK’s latest “launch,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said that all parties should avoid any actions that would “inflame the situation.”

China’s position on the relevant issues is consistent and clear, spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a regular press conference, calling for maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

China advocates that all parties should actively promote dialogue and talks, he added.

than 2,500 residents have been killed in the fighting and at least 200,000 are in urgent need of evacuation.

Moscow yet to capture Ukraine’s 10 big cities Moscow has not captured any of Ukraine’s 10 biggest cities following its invasion that began on Feb 24, the largest assault on a European state since 1945.

Russian forces are struggling to overcome the challenges posed by Ukraine’s terrain, according to Britain’s Ministry of Defence in an intelligence report.

Russian troops have remained largely tied to Ukraine’s road network and have demonstrated a reluctance to conduct offroad manoeuvres. The destruction of bridges by Ukrainian forces has also played a key role in stalling Russia’s advance, it said. And Russia’s continued failure to gain control of the air has drastically limited its options. People remove debris near a building damaged by shelling during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the separatistcontrolled town of Makeyevka (Makiivka) outside Donetsk, Ukraine on Tuesday. — Reuters People remove debris near a building damaged by shelling during UkraineRussia conflict in the separatist-controlled town of Makeyevka (Makiivka) outside Donetsk, Ukraine on Tuesday. — Reuters “The tactics of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have adeptly exploited Russia’s lack of manoeuvre, frustrating the Russian advance and inflicting heavy losses on the invading forces,” said the report.

Russia calls its actions a “special military operation” to demilitarise and “denazify” Ukraine. Ukraine and Western allies call this a baseless pretext for a war that has raised fears of wider conflict in Europe.

don’t wield stick of sanctions while seeking support in resolving ukraine: china Agencies Any attempts to distort China’s intentions and spread rumors to smear China are “irresponsible and immoral,” as they aim to provoke confrontation and take advantage of the Russia-Ukraine conflict for profit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a regular press briefing on Wednesday. On Monday, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed that the sanctions should not affect China when speaking to his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares. “China has the right to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” Wang added. At Wednesday’s presser, a journalist asked Zhao if Wang’s remarks serve as a warning to other countries that China should not be sanctioned.

Zhao responded that China’s position on sanctions has remained clear. Sanctions are not the way to solve problems, Zhao said, adding that China has urged all countries to work toward de-escalation through dialogue, consultation and negotiation to prevent further escalation. He continued that China opposes any form of illegal unilateral sanctions and urges relevant parties not to undermine its legitimate rights and interests. Zhao then criticized the disinformation disseminated by the U.S. regarding China’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and comments by White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who said China will face “significant consequences” if it helps Russia evade the sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its European partners. Such bullying and coercive remarks have exposed the U.S.’s Cold War mentality, zero-sum mindset and bloc confrontation mentality, Zhao said. Biological military activities in Ukraine are the common concern of the international community.

China vows to stabilize markets and economy MiAn AbrAr China will keep the markets stable with favorable policies, China’s Financial Stability and Development Committee said on Wednesday amid the recent market turmoil.

Policies that are favorable for the capital markets should be rolled out and unveiling of contractionary measures should be cautious, according to the meeting chaired by Vice Premier Liu He. All policies that have major impacts on the markets should go through coordination with financial management departments in advance in a bid to keep stable and consistent policy expectations.

The committee under the State Council also said that it will enhance coordination and communication, and even hold stakeholders accountable, according to the meeting release.

Chinese and U.S. regulators have maintained cooperation and made positive progress on Chinese companies listed in the U.S., according to the meeting release. They are working on specific cooperation plans and the Chinese government will continue to support local companies to list overseas, the meeting release said.

Regulators will stably process and complete the rectifications of major platforms as soon as possible to encourage the stable and healthy development of the platform economy with

standard, transparent and predictable policies.

Regulators in the Chinese mainland will strengthen cooperation with counterparts in Hong Kong for stabilizing Hong Kong’s financial markets, the meeting said.

As for the real estate business, the government will research and take forceful and effective measures to prevent and resolve risks in the sector, and also propose measures for development model transformation, according to the meeting release.

China will take measures to boost the economy in the first quarter and monetary policy should embark on initiatives to support the economy, the meeting said.

Thursday, 17 March, 2022 | KARACHI

AzAm And RizwAn foiL AuStRALiA AS SeCond teSt endS in A dRAw kARACHI AFP

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam smashed 196 and Mohammad Rizwan 104 not out to deny Australia victory Wednesday and force a dramatic draw in the second Test in Karachi.

The Pakistan pair put the home team well on course for a draw, but spinner Nathan Lyon turned the match on its head by dismissing Azam and Faheem Ashraf with successive deliveries.

Lyon came on to bowl the third of the 15 mandatory remaining overs of the match, and with his fourth delivery had Azam glove a catch to Marnus Labuschagne at forward short-leg.

Next ball Lyon had Ashraf caught at slip to raise hopes of an Australian win.

The late-hour drama also saw Usman Khawaja drop Rizwan on 91 off luckless spinner Mitchell Swepson with 18 balls left in the match.

The pugnacious Rizwan, in company of tailender Nauman Ali (nought), batted out 46 balls during their 29-run stand for the eighth wicket to keep the three-match series tied at 0-0.

The first Test also ended in a draw in Rawalpindi, while the third and final Test will start in Lahore from Monday.

Azam’s score become the best-ever

fourth innings by a captain, surpassing Mike Atherton’s 185 for England against South Africa in 1995.

His score is also the highest fourth-innings individual total by a Pakistani, erasing the 171 not out Younis Khan made against Sri Lanka in Pallekele in 2015.

The Pakistan skipper added an invaluable 228 runs for the third wicket with Abdullah Shafique (96) and another 115 for the fifth with Rizwan, keeping Australia’s spin-cum-pace attack at bay.

Rizwan hit 11 boundaries and a six.

With Pakistan falling 63 short of the

506-run target, the record for the highest chase in all Test cricket remains with the West Indies who scored 418 against Australia at Antigua in 2003.

Azam’s knock frustrated Australia and their skipper Pat Cummins who dismissed Shafique and Fawad Alam (nine) in the

Babar Azam broke trio of records during his marathon 196 against Australia News Desk Babar Azam’s incredibly patient and clutch knock in the fourth innings of the second Test was quite comfortably the highlight of the match.

With the game and the home team’s pride on the line, Babar came in to bat on Tuesday when the team was reeling at 21 for 2.

He formed an incredible 228-run partnership for the third wicket with Abdullah Shafique but did not flinch even when the young’un departed a few short of his century today.

The skipper had completed his 100 the previous day and was closing in on his first-ever double century when he fell prey to Nathan Lyon. In all, he scored 196 off 425 balls, hit 21 boundaries and a solitary six. His innings may have ended in a heartbreak but it took nothing away from

his performance.

It was a day to remember for Babar, who played his best and most memorable

Pak vs Aus: PCB may shift white-ball matches to Lahore News Desk Pakistan’s white-ball matches against Australia, scheduled to start from March 29, are likely to be moved to Lahore, if the situation stays volatile in the federal capital in the backdrop of mounting political tensions, a news outlet reported on Wednesday. According to the report, the changing political scenario and chance of a conflict-like situation in Islamabad has forced the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to prepare a contingency plan. However, a decision on this is still under consideration and the cricketing body is yet to cancel the hotel booking in Islamabad where both squads have to check-in on March 26. “All the four whiteball matches will be shifted to Gaddafi Stadium where teams are set to play the final Test of the series starting from March 21 in case the political situation in Islamabad stays the same till March 20,” the report quoted a PCB official as saying. The report further quoted the official as saying that the board has finalised a contingency plan which will be in operation from March 20.

“If there is a marked change in the volatile political situation in Islamabad, we would stay with our original schedule and that is to organise all white-ball matches, including three ODIs and one-off T20I, at the Pindi Stadium. Otherwise, these matches will be shifted to Lahore.”

knock in Pakistan colours — certainly in Tests and maybe even in all formats. Here is a full list of records he broke today:

Babar’s 196 is the highest score by a Pakistani batsman in the fourth innings of a Test match. Previously, Younis Khan held that record. He had scored a 107 against India in Kolkata in 2007. It means that Babar improved that record by an astonishing 89 runs.

Babar’s 196 is also the highest score by a captain of any nationality in the fourth innings of a Test match. Previously, the record was held by England’s Mike Atheron, who had scored an unbeaten 185 against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1995.

Babar Azam consumed 425 balls, which makes his knock the longest ever in the 4th innings by a Pakistani batter in Test cricket. The record was previously held by Shoaib Malik, who had consumed 369 balls in his knock of 148* against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2006.

Mahmood to debut as England, Windies reset for second Test LONDON AhmAd SAAd

West Indies and England square off in the second Test of a three-match series on Wednesday at Kensington Oval in Barbados, with expectations of a repeat of the batsman-friendly conditions which resulted in a drawn first Test in Antigua.

In stark contrast to the pitches for their previous series in the Caribbean in 2019 when the hosts’ fast bowlers dominated in Barbados and Antigua before Mark Wood led the charge for the tourists in claiming a consolation win in St Lucia, pacers look set for another tough workout over the next five days.

With Wood sidelined by an elbow injury suffered during his first-Test exertions and Ollie Robinson still not recovered fully from back spasms experienced in the warm-up match, Saqib Mahmood gets a Test debut for England at the venue where he took a hammering in the T20 international series played between the teams seven weeks earlier. That is the only change expected in a visiting side that sensed a chance of victory on the final afternoon of the first Test when the West Indies

stumbled to 67 for four facing an unlikely victory target of 286, before Nkrumah Bonner and former captain Jason Holder defied their opponents for three hours to ensure a stalemate.

“He’s very mature for a guy who hasn’t played a huge amount of international cricket,” England captain Joe Root said of Mahmood on Tuesday.

“He’s been very impressive. He’s got a slightly different trajectory and will give us a point of difference.”

Root also addressed the assertion by West Indies’ T20 specialist Carlos Brathwaite that the touring captain was disrespectful in choosing to call off the victory effort only in the final scheduled over when there were fewer balls available than wickets needed.

“I think it was slightly unfair to say that,” he contended. “I don’t think there was anything wrong with our approach at all. Given the opportunity to do it again we’d go about it the same way.”

Root pointed out that he had done the same thing against Australia at Lord’s in 2019 and also wanted spinner Jack Leach to pick up one or two more wickets.

West Indies are likely to replace middle-order batsman Shamarh Brooks with fellow Barbadian Kyle Mayers

CMYK

who offers the added dimension of occasional medium-pace to go with his hard-hitting left-handed batting.

Notwithstanding the pitch’s placid appearance, West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite is eagerly anticipating the contest, even if the home match feels like an away contest given the usual spectacle of English fans heavily outnumbering the local supporters at Kensington Oval. “It’s pretty normal against England, especially with the ‘Barmy Army’ in town,” Brathwaite acknowledged. “I don’t mind it because it creates a lot of energy. Beating England in that situation makes it even more satisfying.”

Despite early success in the Antigua Test and a 64-run first-innings lead, West Indies were unable to press home the advantage, so the captain is anticipating a greater effort from his bowlers.

“It’s about being a little more disciplined, especially in mid-innings and keeping it tight to get a few more wickets,” Brathwaite noted.

But he did not want to draw any comparisons with the 2019 seriesopener at the same venue when senior pacer Kemar Roach led the rout of England for 77 in the first innings on the way to a 381-run demolition of the visitors.

SPORTS 11

‘Best all-format batter in the world’: Babar Azam earn plaudits after match-saving 196 News Desk Babar Azam earning praises from local media personalities and cricket experts is a routine occurrence by now that happens pretty much every time he laces up. But his match-saving and record-breaking 196 against Australia in the final innings of the second Test in Karachi was so impressive that even foreign media figures — including those from the neighbouring India — couldn’t help but wax lyrical about him. Leading the praise was England great Michael Vaughan who said Babar is “without question the best all-round batter in the world right now” and “brilliant” across all formats. West Indies batting legend Sir Vivian Richards applauded both Babar and Mohammad Rizwan’s performance, calling them “exceptional talents”. He further said the world was “blessed to witness such players in the middle”. Cricketer-turnedcoach Ian Pont described Babar’s innings as “unbelievable”, saying it showed why the Pakistan captain was the best in the world at the moment. “Extraordinary effort by Babar Azam to save the Test for Pakistan. Changed the game by looking to score day four rather than letting Australia dictate,” tweeted Australian journalist Andrew Wu.

Barcelona agree sponsorship deal with Spotify MADRID AFP

Barcelona announced on Tuesday that Spotify will become their main sponsor from next season, with the club’s stadium to be rebranded as Spotify Camp Nou from July. Spotify will also appear on the front of the men’s and women’s team shirts for the next four seasons and on the club’s training shirts for the next three.

Barca have not confirmed how much the sponsorship deal is worth although reports have suggested the club could earn up to 300 million euros ($328.6 million) over the four years.

Spotify will replace Rakuten, the Japanese ecommerce company, as Barcelona’s main sponsor. The Rakuten deal started in 2017 before being renewed in 2020 until the end of this season. The club’s president Joan Laporta called the agreement with Spotify a “pioneering” partnership with a “world-renowned organisation”. “It is also a union with which we continue to take steps forward in this new era that we have started,” Laporta added.

Barcelona have been desperately seeking a new sponsorship deal to help ease the club’s crippling debts of more than a billion euros.

Laporta insisted in January that Barca are “back as big players” in the transfer market but moves for the likes of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund will depend on a huge improvement in their financial situation. When asked about Barca’s hopes of signing Haaland this summer, La Liga’s director general Javier Gomez said on Monday that Barcelona will have to “reduce costs or bring in more income, there’s no other way”. La Liga set Barcelona’s spending after the January transfer window at -144 million euros, down from 98 million euros last summer. The Spanish league said Barca’s losses were 242 million euros more than expected. “Barcelona’s losses are greater than their ability to bring in income. That’s why it is negative,” Gomez said. Barcelona’s player salaries accounted for 103 percent of all income at the start of the season and the club will have to shift more players in the summer, with Ousmane Dembele expected to leave on a free transfer when his contract expires in July.

Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho have all been moved on in the last two years while Sergio Aguero retired due to a heart condition. Gerard Pique agreed to reduce his salary to allow Barca to sign Memphis Depay and Eric Garcia last year. Yet Barcelona were allowed to make more signings in January as Ferran Torres arrived for 55 million euros from Manchester City and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came on a free transfer after having his contract cancelled at Arsenal. Adama Traore also joined on loan from Wolves while Dani Alves, who was out of contract, re-signed.

Barca have significantly improved since, with coach Xavi Hernandez overseeing something of a transformation in performances ahead of Sunday’s Clasico against Real Madrid. Barca are now third in La Liga and looking likely to qualify for next season’s Champions League, which is crucial to their financial recovery. Xavi took over in November with the team lying ninth.

Thursday, 17 March, 2022

prayer tiMings

NEWS

COAS Gen BAjWA, COmmAndeR nATIOnAl GUARd OF BAhRAIn dISCUSS BIlATeRAl COOpeRATIOn ISLAMABAD

G

staff report

ENERAL Shaikh Mohamed Bin Isa Bin Salman AI-Khalifa, Commander of the National Guard of the Kingdom of Bahrain called on General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) at GHQ, here on Wednesday.

During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional security situation and measures to further enhance professional cooperation between both the armies were discussed. COAS said that Pakistan values its strong diplomatic, economic and defence relations with Kingdom of Bahrain. Both reiterated the desire to further enhance bilateral

cooperation including efforts for peace and security in the region.

The visiting dignitary acknowledged professionalism of Pakistan Armed Forces and vowed to enhance cooperation in various fields. He also appreciated Pakistan’s role in Afghan situation and successful border management.

Meanwhile, Major General Bashir Salihi Magashi (R), Minister of Defence Nigeria called on General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) at GHQ. During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional security situation and bilateral cooperation were discussed. COAS said that Pakistan views Nigeria as a key country in African continent and we appreciate Nigeria’s role towards regional peace.

PDM, MQM-P hold consultations on no-trust motion Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman held consultations with MQM-P regarding the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad on Wednesday, according to a news outlet.

The meeting was attended by PDM Secretary General Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, JUI-F’s Abdul Ghafoor Haideri,

MQM’s Aminul Haque, Amir Khan, Khawaja Izharul Hassan, Javed Hanif, and Sadiq Iftikhar Sanjay Perwani.

During the meeting, the parties completed the initial consultation process regarding the no-confidence motion and discussed the political situation in the country.

MQM-P said it would support the opposition if “[its] certain demands are met”. The final consultations with MQM-P will be held soon at Fazl’s residence, where for-

mer president Asif Ali Zardari will also participate.

It is pertinent to mention that the National Assembly session for voting on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan is just weeks away.

The government is trying to woo its allies for supporting it during the voting while the opposition is also attempting to cajole the PTI allies and seeking to break the government alliance in the lower house. news Desk

ECP urged to take notice of PML-N’s admission of horse-trading ISLAMABAD staff report

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should issue a notice to PML-N MP Javed Latif for admitting horse-trading for the success of the notrust move. In a tweet, the minister shared a video of Latif admitting PML-N’s role in horse-trading for the success of the motion.

“Principally, the ECP should issue a show-cause notice to PML-N and seek clarification,” he said.

Chaudhry, however, observed the ECP is only after the ruling PTI and is unable to see the acts committed by the PML-N. The ECP has recently barred Prime Minister Imran Khan from attending the public meeting in Swat on March 16.

The warning was issued by ECP’s district monitoring officer in view of the upcoming phase of local government (LG) elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The commission stated in its order that the president, prime minister and others were disallowed to attend in the districts where elections are going to be held in accordance with the elections code of conduct.

According to the election code of conduct, announcements for any development scheme by the public office-bearers were banned after the unveiling of the polls’ schedule. The commission warned legal action against the premier after his participation in the Swat public meeting.

PTI refuses to give Punjab chief minister office to Pervaiz ISLAMABAD Monitoring report

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided against giving the office of Punjab chief minister to Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi — leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), a key but minority party in the ruling coalition — in return for his support to the prime minister during the no-trust vote.

Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak told Moonis Elahi, Pervaiz’s son and Minister for Water Resources, the party, with its 10 seats in the provincial legislature and 10 MPs, is free to join the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) if the latter is indeed offering it the same.

In an interview to HUM News on

Tuesday, Pervaiz, who is also the speaker of the Punjab Assembly, claimed he has already been offered the post as well as an electoral alliance, including seat-to-seat adjustment, by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) but the government has yet to make that offer to him.

With only 10 seats in the provincial assembly, the demand by the Chaundhrys of Gujrat was blackmailing, Khattak said.

The minister also said the comments

by Federal Minister for Housing and Works Tariq Bashir Cheema, also a PML-Q leader, were an insult to the PTI. “If it were someone other than Cheema, he would have resigned from the cabinet before making such remarks,” he said.

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‘We will lock them like pigeons in a cage’: Fawad blasts opposition Information and Broadcasting Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Wednesday said that ‘imminent failure’ of no-trust motion would prove to be a fatal blow for the opposition and would draw curtains on its leaders’ politics once and for all.

“We will lock them like pigeons are locked in a cage,” Fawad said while addressing a press conference here flanked by Planning Minister Asad Umar and other PTI leaders. He said that politics was not for the fainthearted, adding that the opposition parties have established a market of mules and donkeys in Sindh.

“Javed Latif (a leader of PML-N) himself had admitted that they (the opposition) were involved in horsetrading. We are ready for everything,” he added.

Criticising PDM head and JUI-F Amir Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Fawad dared the senior politician to organise even a single public gathering similar to those held by Prime Minister Imran Khan recently.

The information minister claimed that Imran Khan’s popularity during the past two weeks had increased.

“The people are standing with Imran Khan and even a survey has confirmed this,” he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Asad Umar said that PTI was going to organise a historic public rally on the call of PM Imran on March 27 in Islamabad.

He said that seven organisational committees have been formed with the directions to immediately begin a mass public mobilisation campaign in every nook and corner of Pakistan. Asad said that PTI’s provincial presidents have been directed to formulate committees at the districts level. He said that all party organisations have been instructed to start mass mobilisation to participate in the “mammoth public rally” to express solidarity with Imran Khan. Meanwhile, Energy Minister Hammad Azhar also fired a broadside on the opposition, lambasting its political leader over social media. “One day they (opposition) demand resignation [from PM Imran], and on the other they desire immediate elections. At times they emphasise on a no-confidence motion and at others, they dream a national government or NRO… the opposition is getting more panicked with each passing day,” he wrote on his official Twitter handle. staff report

‘Think twice before buying Russian oil’, US warns India The US on Wednesday urged India not to proceed with plans to purchase discounted Russian crude oil, saying doing so would be seen as an act of supporting Moscow’s “leadership” as its military offensive in Ukraine continues.

The remarks come after an official in New Delhi was quoted as saying his country would be “happy” to take the offer, RT reported.

When asked about reports that India was about to accept Moscow’s offer to buy cheaper crude, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said nations should be cognisant of their role in history when they deal with Russia following its attack on Ukraine.

Psaki, however, noted the apparent deal would not come in conflict with the economic penalties of the West.

“Our message to any country continues to be, obviously, abide by the sanctions,” she said, adding “I don’t think this would be violating [the sanctions].”

“But think about where you want to stand when the history books are written at this moment in time,” she added.

The press secretary further said, “And support for the Russian leadership is support for an invasion that obviously is having a devastating impact.”

Earlier, Russia urged India to deepen its investments in the sanction-hit country’s oil and gas sector, and is keen on expanding the sales networks of Russian companies in Asia’s third-largest economy.

Rasheed announces to facilitate opposition power show, provide security ISLAMABAD staff report

Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Wednesday said the government will “fully facilitate” the opposition parties, who have announced to hold power shows in Islamabad later this month, and provide them security during the same. Talking to the reporters in Islamabad, he, however, said the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance of the opposition won’t be allowed to take the law into their hands. It is our responsibility to protect the lives and properties of the people, he asserted. Ahmed said the popularity of the prime minister has increased manifold in recent weeks and will further increase in the days to come. He claimed the entire nation stands by Imran Khan. He announced special powers were being given to police, Rangers and Frontier Constabulary deployed in the capital from March 20 to April 2.

“Law enforcement agencies are fully ca-

pable to deal with any untoward situation.”

Around 1,000 personnel of FC and Rangers have been summoned for security purposes, the minister said, adding if needed, more troops would be deployed to ensure law and order.

He said the government would provide full security and protection to the two public meetings — of the government and the opposition — on March 25 and March 27. Ensuring protection to lives and properties of the people were the responsibility of the interior ministry, he added.

He said if the opposition wished to hold a rally on March 27, they should consult the Islamabad deputy commissioner for devising its modalities. The administration would provide safe passage to their rally, he added.

However, Ahmed reiterated no one would be allowed to take the law into their hands and violators would be dealt with iron hands.

The minister said Pakistan was facing international threats of terrorism, adding that

maintenance of peace and countering terrorism was not only the responsibility of the government but also of the opposition.

Regarding the no-confidence motion against the prime minister, he said there will be no assembly session on March 27 which falls on a Sunday. Foolproof security would be given to the participants of the session, he added.

He regretted that PDM president Fazl urRehman was dragging the nation towards anarchy. He cautioned the Maulana that PPP and PML-N will escape and you would be trapped.

Rehman was playing the role of Maula Jatt, he remarked.

He also warned the opposition of a “heavy price” if a civil war erupts in the country, saying “Imran Khan will be the ultimate beneficiary regardless of his win or defeat” in the no-confidence vote against him.

He said the prime minister would become stronger after the no-trust vote. As per his political acumen, Khan would emerge a winner, he said..

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