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Saturday, 14 May, 2022 I 12 Shawwal, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 314 I 12 Pages I Karachi Edition

Talks wiTh PakisTan To begin on May 18: iMF

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Khurram husain

HE government of Pakistan will begin a crucial round of talks with the International Monetary Fund on May 18th. The talks will be held in Doha. In a statement released on Friday the IMF resident representative in Islamabad, Esther Ruiz, confirmed the talks to Profit.

“An International Monetary Fund team will start a staff mission on May 18 with the Pakistani authorities in Doha, Qatar” she said in a short note sent directly to Profit.

This is the first official confirmation

from the IMF on the resumption of the talks.

The talks are part of the ongoing 7th review of the Extended Fund Facility that Pakistan signed in July 2019 but that was suspended in March of 2020 when the Covid lockdowns began. Since then Pakistan has struggled to resume the program. In March 2021 targets for resumption of the program were finalized by then finance minister Hafeez Shaikh, only to be suspended shortly thereafter when Shaikh was summarily dismissed and replaced with Shaukat Tarin as the finance minister.

Tarin struggled with resuming the program until January 2021, when

the 6th review was finally completed and the staff report released the following month. But once again the program was sent into limbo when the Prime Minister announced caps on fuel and power prices.

The new government of Shehbaz Sharif said its top priority was seeking a resumption of the fund program in the face of dwindling reserves and mounting pressures on the exchange rate and the fiscal framework. In his maiden visit to Washington DC starting in April 22, current finance minister Miftah Ismael sought an enhancement of the facility with an additional $2 billion in disbursements and extension of the program will June 2023.

After those consultations, the fund acknowledged receipt of the request from the Pakistani side, but added that “prompt action is needed to reverse the unfunded subsidies which have slowed discussions for the 7th review.” Former finance minister Shaukat Tarin has claimed, via his personal twitter account, that those subsidies growing out of the price caps were “fully funded”.

The 7th review has remained in limbo ever since as the government deliberates on the implications and modalities of reversing the price caps. The action could see petrol and diesel prices spiralling beyond Rs200 per litre, arguably the largest price jump in a single go in at least a decade. Some reports in recent days suggested the fund is not ready to talk until the reversal of the price caps is undertaken first.

The government is expected to make a decision soon, following the return of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his cabinet from London where they had gone to “seek counsel” from Nawaz Sharif about how to handle the country’s delicate political and economic situation since they came into power more than a month ago.

Announce elections or sea of people will ‘sweep everyone away’, Imran warns govt islamabaD staff report

Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has warned the unity government to give him the date for fresh elections or “the ocean of people that is coming to Islamabad will wash away everything”.

“I am giving you warning if you don’t give us election date, the ocean of people coming to Islamabad will blow you away,” he said while addressing a massive public gathering in Mardan on Friday.

Calling former prime minister Nawaz Sharif the “biggest coward he has seen in his entire life”, Imran said that he cannot make decisions of the nation by sitting in London. “Only people of this country have that right… they will decide who will lead them,” he added.

The public gathering is part of protests announced by the former ruling party as it continues to up the ante against the coalition government. Imran Khan had said he will announce the date for his long march to Islamabad anytime after May 20.

Lashing out at JUI-F Amir Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Imran said that he has snatched the ministry which will fetch him the most money. “I am not calling Fazlur Rehman a maulana as I respect clerics a

Rehman Baba Express derails near Hyderabad

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more inside

Everyone knows ‘neutrals’ were not actually neutral during foreign conspiracy: Mazari

News Desk A train accident took place on Friday when a passenger train, Rehman Baba Express, derailed near Hyderabad on its way to Karachi from Peshawar.

All the bogies derailed along with the engine. However, no casualties were reported. Moreover, the cause of the accident couldn’t be ascertained till the filing of this report.

The authorities concerned immediately summoned rescue teams. Sources say around 10 bogies of Rehman Baba Express derailed on the down track.

Meanwhile, an Edhi rescue service spokesperson also confirmed reports of no casualties.

“No injured passengers have been brought to the nearest medical facility, Kotri taluka hospital,” a relevant Edhi centre in-charge said.

He said that enough ambulances and rescue workers have been sent to the site of an accident.

Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique kept getting updates of the situation after the train accident from Chairman Railways. He directed the Chairman Railways to inquire into the Hyderabad accident and submit a report within 24 hours.

In this regard, the Chairman Railways constituted a three-member

lot … I am only calling him diesel now,” he added.

Asking people to break the “shackles of fear” and join him in Islamabad, the former premier said that despite campaigns against him in the media, the Almighty gave him honour and proof of this are the people coming to this rally.

“These US slaves will never let this nation become a great nation.”

The PTI chief said he went to those who could’ve stopped the “conspiracy” from materialising but they did nothing. “I told them if this succeeds, economy will go into tailspin… I sent Shaukat to those who call themselves neutral but unfortunately they did not stop it.”

The former PM said that the rupee is now at almost Rs200 and the economic downfall can be witnessed by everyone.

He questioned why the media now is not going door-to-door and asking people about inflation “I know who is part of this conspiracy… . each face is saved in my memory. I want Chief Justice of Supreme Court to form a commission and ask them to find out about the traitors,” he added.

Imran Khan said that Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will go to the US only to beg in front of the Americans.

STORY ON PAGE 02

UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed dies STORY ON BACK PAGE

Timely completion of road projects to strengthen economy: ministers committee consisting of senior officers which will inquire into the matter

by Saturday evening and make recommendations.

On the orders of the Chief Exec-

utive Officer Pakistan Railways, the divisional officers rushed to the spot and ensured the presence of ambulance and volunteers, however no injuries were reported.

At present all the trains across Pakistan are departing on their scheduled times and the Chairman Railways is keeping the Federal Minister apprised of the situation.

STORY ON PAGE 03

Rupee hits all-time low against dollar

STORY ON BACK PAGE

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Saturday, 14 May, 2022 | KARACHI

NEWS

EvEryOnE knOws ‘nEutrAls’ wErE nOt ActuAlly nEutrAl durinG fOrEiGn cOnspirAcy: MAzAri

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TI leader and former human rights minister Shireen Mazari on Friday said that “now everyone knows the neutrals were not actually neutral,” and went on to question whether they were “part of the conspiracy to derail Pakistan on the economic and democratic front”. The word neutral is a reference to the military, which has consistently claimed it is neutral as the country goes through political upheaval since the filing of the noconfidence motion against former premier Imran Khan on March 8.

In a press conference in Islamabad today, Mazari minced no words in her criticism of America and “those who supported it” to allegedly topple the PTI government.

Her presser came after a tweet by former PM Imran Khan earlier in the day in which he claimed that he and former finance minister Shaukat Tarin had warned the “neutrals” that the “fragile economic recovery would go into a tailspin” if the conspiracy against the PTI government succeeded.

In her press talk, Mazari said the neutrality of “neutrals” was now largely being questioned.

“The group of thieves and crime minister who are now in power had an agenda to quash all cases against them. But what were the neutrals thinking when they allowed such a conspiracy to succeed?” she asked.

She said that a cypher was received on March 7 and the no-confidence motion was tabled a day after it. “Later, our allies approached the Sindh House and opposition leaders, while one minority dissident lawmaker was living in a rest house belonging to neutrals.” Mazari asked how one could stay neutral when the country was facing destruction. She said a glance at the bigger picture would reveal everything, asserting that the nation was now standing against the “regime change conspiracy”.

Warning “local abettors” of consequences, the former minister said Imran would announce a date for a march on Islamabad after May 20, and “when people take to the streets, then everyone will understand that this nation cannot be made a slave.” She also questioned whether “neutrals” wanted Pakistan to recognise Israel. “Do they want a foreign policy in which there is no freedom?”

The PTI leader also expressed surprise at the Supreme Court for “giving an exact date and time for the National Assembly to take up

the no-confidence motion” that ultimately saw Imran losing his office.

Earlier, she explained that the conspiracy had begun when then-prime minister Imran refused to give military bases to the US and during an interview he had said “absolutely not” to the question of providing bases. The premier’s comments had come after the US national security adviser in his briefing in June 2021 said they were having constructive dialogue with the Pakistani military regarding US bases, she said. However, Imran refused to provide bases with a categoric intent that Pakistan’s sovereignty should never be compromised, she added.

Shortly after it, according to Mazari, the US consul general in Lahore met Maryam and Shehbaz separately. “Subsequently, American diplomats held a lot of meetings.”

She then referred to the cypher sent by Pakistan’s envoy in the US, which she said stated: “If prime minister Imran Khan remains in power, he will be isolated from the US, Europe and we will take the issue head-on.

And, if the vote of no confidence succeeds, then everything will be forgiven.”

The former minister also hit out at Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah for “threatening” the PTI, saying everyone including the “neutrals”

had realised how big a mistake it was to pave the way for regime change under a “US conspiracy”. She said the economic problems faced by Pakistan were a result of “thieves” being imposed on the country.

She said the economy had suffered the most in the wake of the conspiracy. “The rupee is depreciating, prices of edibles are rising, our reserves are declining, fuel prices are also on the up, and IMF has made its conditions clear regarding price hike.”

Mazari said Imran’s visit to Russia was the final nail in the coffin [for the PTI government]. She said all stakeholders including the “establishment” had a consensus on Imran’s trip because his visit was aimed at securing deals for cheap oil and wheat. “Had those who facilitated the conspiracy thought about its economic repercussions?” she asked.

The former minister said there was no law and order after the new government took charge. “Maryam Nawaz who is convicted is given state-level security while the security given to former PM Imran has been withdrawn.” Terming the new government’s leaders “robbers”, Mazari said the government was attempting to get all cases against its leaders quashed. She also called out the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP),

saying several PTI lawmakers defected to other parties in clear violation of the Constitution but “the ECP is silent on it”.

She demanded the resignation of the chief election commissioner, calling him a “part of the PML-N”.

The PTI leader said the incumbent government was appointing a trade officer in the mission in New Delhi, despite knowing about the atrocities committed by India in occupied Kashmir.

She claimed enforced disappearances of Baloch students had increased after the PTI government was toppled, adding that no one from the ruling party met the affected families.

Mazari also hit out at the former law minister Farogh Naseem for allegedly blocking the passage of legislation on missing persons. Ever since his ouster through a noconfidence vote in the National Assembly, Imran has dismissed the Shehbaz government, terming it “imported” and has launched a campaign, claiming that his government was ousted by a “foreign conspiracy”.

To back his claim, Imran has continuously referred to a cable sent by Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US, Asad Majeed, which he said contains evidence of the conspiracy to topple his government.

Miftah says IMF agreement’s violation led to surge in dollar rate News Desk Finance Minister Miftah Ismail has held previous PTIled government responsible for the current economic crisis in the country, saying that former prime minister Imran Khan-led regime’s “flawed agreement” with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) led to a rise in inflation and depreciation of rupee against US dollar.

“If we get out of the clutches of the agreement Imran Khan inked with IMF, only then the rate of dollar will come down. Reviving the economy that Imran Khan left is not an easy task,” he said in a statement on Friday.

He added that the subsidy on petroleum products announced by the PTI government had put financial pressure on the economy.

Fuel subsidies were estimated at Rs120 billion this month, the minister said, adding that no government can bear the burden of such a large amount of subsidies. If the government does not have money and it still gives subsidy then it has to borrow more, he added.

Ombudsman convenes meeting to review performance of advisers, consultants LAHORE: Punjab Ombudsman retired Maj. Azam Suleman Khan has convened a series of meetings at his office to review the performance of regional advisors and consultants working in 36 districts of the province to mitigate public problems. A spokesman for the Office of the Ombudsman stated in a statement issued here on Friday that performance review meetings of advisors and consultants would be held on May 16, 19, 23 and 26 at the head office in Lahore under the chair of the Ombudsman Khan. He would review the status of resolution of public grievances and implementation of own-motion notices, the spokesman added. The advisors and consultants from Bahawalpur, Lodhran, Rajanpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Muzaffargarh, Layyah, Bahawalnagar, Pakpattan, Khanewal, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sahiwal and Okara would participate in the meeting to be held on May 16, added the spokesman. Staff RepoRt

Pressure on the rupee is mounting due to rising interest rates and Imran Khan-led government borrowed loans worth Rs20,000 billion which is largest ever amount in the country’s history, said Miftah.

Due to this debt, the PML-N-led government came under severe financial pressure and the foreign exchange reserves left by the previous government are only sufficient to pay for only few days of import bill, he added.

Miftah said PTI-led government violated the conditions of the IMF agreement which put the programme on hold.

“We have to renew the IMF agreement. Imran created problems in relations with all countries, including China and Saudi Arabia,” he added.

The Pakistani rupee continued its nosedive against the US dollar on Friday, for the fifth consecutive working day, as it declined by 0.64% (Rs1.23) to a new historical low, reaching Rs193 against the greenback in the interbank market.

The domestic currency had closed at Rs191.77 against the global currency a day earlier, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

The latest depreciation recorded was followed by the central bank’s report on Thursday that the country’s foreign exchange reserves had depleted to a 22-month low, at $10.3 billion.

The dwindling reserves have continued to weaken the country’s balance of payments, as a result, Pakistan’s ability to import and repay foreign debt has contracted during the past several months. The $10.3 billion reserve has reduced the country’s import cover to less than two-months as compared to the usual threemonth import cover.

Pakistan is scheduled to begin talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on May 18 in Doha, as the country’s options to avoid insolvency have been limited after it could not immediately receive any major financial support from its three friendly countries.

President approves reconstitution of CCI News Desk President Dr Arif Alvi on Friday approved the reconstitution of the Council of Common Interests (CCI), which will be headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

A statement issued by the President House today stated that Dr Alvi had reconstituted the council on the advice of the premier under Article 153 of the Constitution.

The law states that four chief ministers and an equal number of members from the federal government to be nominated by the prime minister from time to time will be members of the body.

Besides the prime minister as its chairman, other members of the council include chief ministers of four

provinces and three nominees of the federal government — Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Commerce Minister Naveed Qamar and Aviation and Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, the statement added.

According to the Constitution, the CCI is responsible for formulating and regulating policies in relation to matters included in the federal legislative list and exercising supervision and control over related institutions.

“The council shall be constituted within thirty days of the prime minister taking oath of the office,” it states, adding that the CCI should at least meet once in 90 days.

However, in case of an emergency, the PM can convene a meeting on urgent basis at n the request of the provinces. The decisions of the council are taken on the basis of majority.

At least 12 killed as passenger vans, dumper collide in Gujranwala News Desk At least 12 people, including a girl and six women, were killed and eight others were injured in a collision between two passenger vans and a dumper near Kot Ladha in Gujranwala on early Friday morning. According to rescue sources, the collision occurred as the driver of the dumper recklessly hit two wagons on his way back from Sargodha. The bodies and injured were shifted to different hospitals.

The dead include a four-month-old baby Harin, Munawar Bibi-Asma, Fauzia, Halima, Khaleda, Asiya, Elias, Gulzar, Aslam, Irfan and an unidentified person.

The nine people killed in the accident were residents of Rehmanpura Church.

According to the police, the case of Gujranwala traffic accident has been registered at Kot Ladha police station. On Sunday, over 16 people had died and 1,273 had been injured in 1124 Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) across Punjab.

Saturday, 14 May, 2022 | KARACHI

TIMely CoMPleTIon of Road PRojeCTs To sTRengTHen eConoMy: MInIsTeRs ISLAMABAD

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EDERAL Minister for Communications and Postal Services Asad Mahmood and Federal Minister for Water Resources Syed Khurshid Shah have said that timely completion of ongoing construction projects across the country, including Sindh, will not only strengthen the national economy but also promote trade, agriculture and tourism.

They expressed these views while talking to NHA officials on their arrival

at the National Highway Authority headquarters.

Chairman National Highway Authority Capt (retd) Muhammad Khurram Agha gave a detailed briefing to the federal ministers about the ongoing construction projects in the country and especially in Sindh province.

Taking a keen interest in the projects, Asad said that if the process of construction and development was continued at lightning speed, the completion of these projects would be expedited as per international standards.

He said that Prime Minister Muhammad

China ready to synergise Pak development strategy APP China stands ready to synergise the development strategy with Pakistan to support Islamabad’s efforts for upholding economic and financial stability, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Thursday. Spokesperson Zhao told during his regular briefing in Beijing that both the countries had agreed to carry forward traditional friendship and they would never allow any force to sabotage their strategic cooperative partnership. The spokesperson further said that the two sides hoped to pursue high quality development of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) while maintaining the smooth running and operation of existing important projects. “We will further deepen cooperation in industrial and other areas to boost the driving force for Pakistan’s economic development and its economic resilience,” the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said in response to a question. Referring to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s virtual meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday, he said that the two ministers agree to strengthening “our strategic cooperative partnerships and political cooperation”. “It is also the first official bilateral meeting after Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was sworn in,” he said. “Both agreed that China and Pakistan should carry forward our traditional friendship,” Zhao added. He told reporters that the two foreign ministers exchanged views on further strengthening the safeguarding of safety for Chinese citizens and institutions in Pakistan during their first meeting since the new government in Pakistan came into office. “The foreign minister of Pakistan has reiterated that the China-Pakistan friendship remained the cornerstone for Pakistan’s foreign policy and is also a strategic priority for Pakistan,” he said.

“Friendship towards China remained the shared consensus in Pakistan, transcending political differences.” Zhao Lijian remarked that China and Pakistan would deepen practical cooperation across the board. “China stands ready to synergise the development strategy with Pakistan to support Pakistan’s efforts in upholding economic and financial stability,” he added. State Councillor Wang Yi stressed that longstanding friendship between the two friendly countries would not be changed by individual incident and “with the concerted efforts of both sides, our partnership will continue to develop with our long-term friendship,” he said.

Shahbaz Sharif is striving to provide solid infrastructure for economic growth. In this regard, construction and expansion of motorways and national highways is of special importance, which will inevitably solve not only the basic problems of the people of the area but also raise their standard of living.

Asad Mahmood assured the Federal Minister Syed Khurshid Shah and the people of Sindh that the ongoing construction work would continue. The projects will be completed at lightning speed.

He urged the NHA officials that the spirit of honesty, integrity and

selflessness would lead the nations to rapid development. The construction of the Motorway (M-6) is one of the priorities of the National Highway Authority. This motorway will be completed on the basis of Public Private Partnership (PPP).

Documentation work has been done to start work on this 306 km long motorway soon. The length of the proposed Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway will be 306 km. 6 Attitudes 14 interchanges, Big bridge over Indus River, 6 flyovers, 10 service areas and 12 rest areas will be constructed on this motorway.

FIA appoints new prosecutor in case against Shehbaz, Hamza NEWS DESK A new prosecutor has been appointed by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in the money laundering case against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz, a news outlet reported on Friday.

According to the report, a notification issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice states: "Farooq Bajwa, is hereby appointed as special public prosecutor in the case [...] with immediate effect on the terms and conditions which will be settled separately by the FIA with the said advocate."

A special court in Lahore is set to indict the prime minister and his son in the Rs16 billion money laundering case on Saturday (today).

During the previous hearing, the court had instructed the premier and others to ensure their presence at the next hearing as no further adjournments would be made.

However, PM Shehbaz is currently in London to meet Nawaz Sharif as part of a PMLN delegation.

Bajwa's appointment comes a day after the FIA released a statement that rejected reports saying it had decided against prosecuting PM Shehbaz and CM Hamza.

According to a written application, dated April 11 and submitted in court, the FIA director general (DG), via the investigating officer, told Special Prosecutor Sikander Zulqarnain Saleem not to appear in court as the "accused in the case are going to be elected the prime minister of Pakistan and chief minister of Punjab".

"The concerned quarters are not interested to prosecute the accused persons," it stated, requesting that these instructions be made part of the case record.

In its rebuttal, the agency said the "case has not been withdrawn" and court proceedings were ongoing, with the next hearing on May 14. The watchdog warned it could take legal action against those involved in proliferating the news regarding the letter.

"On April 11, the prosecutor

of the case submitted his opinion-based application in the court regarding change of the prosecutor, wherein he was instructed not to appear on behalf of prosecution. He mentioned the investigation officer through the then DG FIA. He was allegedly asked for not appearing as a prosecutor. It was not a withdrawal application," the press release insisted. It added that Sanaullah Abbasi was the FIA DG at the time and the new prime minister had not yet taken the oath when the application was submitted in court.

"Tahir Rai was appointed as FIA DG on April 22. This matter pertains to the timing before his arrival in the FIA, the press release said.

The agency stated that the change of prosecutor was a "routine matter" and the same had been done several times in the same case by the previous government as well.

IPHRC condemns India’s 'wicked' delimitation exercise in IIOJK NEWS DESK The Independent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Friday “strongly condemned” the Indian government’s recent delimitation of electoral constituencies in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, terming it a violation of OIC and United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Last week, New Delhi issued a new list of redrawn political constituencies for India-occupied Kashmir, giving greater representation to the Muslimmajority region’s Hindu areas and paving the way for fresh elections.

In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government broke up the Indiaoccupied territory into two federal territories as part of a move to tighten its grip over the region. The occupied region originally comprised the mainly Muslim Kashmir Valley, the Hindudominated Jammu region, and the remote Buddhist enclave of Ladakh.

However, earlier this month, the Indian government said a delimitation commission had finalised 90 assembly constituencies for occupied Kashmir, excluding Ladakh, with 43 seats for Jammu and 47 for Kashmir. Earlier, Jammu had 37 seats and the Kashmir valley 46. The delimitation commission

claimed it had been difficult to accommodate competing claims from various sides, citing in a statement the region’s “peculiar geo-cultural landscape”.

In a statement issued today, the OIC’s human rights body termed India’s move a violation of international human rights and humanitarian laws.

“IPHRC accordingly supports the unanimous rejection of the Kashmiri political leadership of these illegal measures, which are continuum of the host of other ‘Hindutva’ inspired illegal steps taken by the Indian occupation regime in IOJK in the aftermath of the 5th August 2019,” it said.

The statement recalled that Kashmir’s political leadership had always rejected and boycotted electoral

politics in the occupied region and, subsequently, condemned India’s attempt to redraw electoral constituencies there.

OIC called the act “a nefarious attempt to alter the electoral demographics and dynamics in a manner that could influence sham electoral results to install puppet regimes of its choice”. “These wicked measures are aimed at converting the indigenous Muslim population into minority within their homeland and obstruct the exercise of their inalienable right to selfdetermination,” it said, adding that the measures were in violation of several human rights treaties of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibited any change in the demographics of

occupied areas.

It further called on the UN and international community to play their due role to pressurise India to abide by the relevant UNSC and OIC resolutions to refrain from any administrative and legislative actions, which tantamount to altering the geographic and demographic status of occupied Kashmir, restore all fundamental freedoms of Kashmiris and repeal all discriminatory laws and allow people of Kashmir to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination through a free and fair plebiscite, as provided in the relevant UN Security Council and OIC resolutions.

Previously, the Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) had said that it had handed over a demarche to the Indian Charge d’Affaires, conveying the Government of Pakistan’s categorical rejection of the report of the socalled ‘Delimitation Commission’, which was aimed at disenfranchising and disempowering the Muslim majority population of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

The FO had called on India to refrain from bringing about any illegal demographic changes in the occupied territory, stop forthwith its oppression in the IIOJK, and let the Kashmiri people determine their own future through a free and fair plebiscite under the UN auspices.

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IHC directs counsel to register Baloch students' grievances with MoHR NEWS DESK The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday directed petitioners’ counsel to register Baloch students’ complaints of harassment faced by them to the Ministry of Human Rights secretary, who will present it to the recently formed commission. The IHC had ealier ordered the formation of a commission to probe into the racial profiling, harassment and disappearance of Baloch students in the country. Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani was appointed as convener, while the body’s other members include former senator Afrasiab Khattak, PTI leader Asad Umar, former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani, Senator Kamran Murtaza, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, former Balochistan chief secretary Nasir Khosa, former Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Ali Ahmed Kurd, Pakistan Bar Council vice chairman, and the secretaries of the interior and human rights ministries. Earlier today, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard petitions against the harassment and disappearance of Baloch students of Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) and other educational institutions.

Former minister for human rights Dr Shireen Mazari’s daughter Iman Hazir Mazari represented the petitioners and stated that a student, Feroz Baloch, has been missing from a university in Rawalpindi since May 11. “We attempted to register an FIR [First Information Report] at Sadiqabad police station for six hours, but the police did not do so,” the lawyer stated. To this, the Deputy Attorney General (DAG) responded that a missing student from Islamabad’s National University of Modern Languages had returned. The high court directed Advocate Mazari to compose a complaint, on behalf of the Baloch students’ grievances, to the secretary of the Ministry of Human Rights – who would then present it before the commission. The IHC chief justice also ordered Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Ministry of Human Rights to submit a report by the next hearing of the case on June 10. The court further directed the interior minister to formulate a separate inquiry into the disappearance of Feroze Baloch and submit a report. “If the minister cannot satisfy the requirement then he must appear in person,” CJ Minallah added. The chief justice remarked that the formation of the commission had been notified. The DAG further informed the court that the purpose of the commission is to address the grievances of all stakeholders, “in many cases there are issues of jurisdiction but the commission can look into it,” he added. Subsequently, the court adjourned the hearing of the case till June 10. On March 7, the Chief Justice Athar Minallah stated that the court will not allow the voice of Baloch students to be silenced. These remarks were made during the hearing of a petition against the registration of a case against Baloch students who protested outside the National Press Club in Islamabad against enforced disappearances, triggering a criminal case to be registered against 200 Baloch students and Iman Mazari. While the case was withdrawn by the capital’s police, the IHC directed President Dr Arif Alvi to meet with the students stating, “it is the responsibility of the federal government, but the government does not meet them. This court expects the president of Pakistan to ensure the safety of children,” the IHC chief justice added. As a result, President Alvi directed the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the Vice-Chancellor of Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) Islamabad to take necessary measures to stop incidents of harassment and racial profiling of Baloch students on university campuses.

Saturday, 14 May, 2022 | KARACHI

04 NEWS

Weekly inflation rises 0.49pc ISLAMABAD

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he Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) based inflation increased by 0.49 percent for the week ended on May 12. According to the data released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday, inflation on a year-on-year basis increased to 15.85 percent.

The weekly inflation for the lowest income group (Q1) witnessed an increase of 0.94 percent, while it went up 13.93 percent on a year-on-year (YoY) basis for the same income group. For the other four income groups, the weekly inflation increased from 0.41 percent (Q5) to 1.12 percent (Q4), while it went up from 14.20 percent (Q2) to 16.94 percent (Q5) on a yearon-year (YoY) basis.

According to the PBS, the combined index was at 172.63 on May 12, 2022 as compared to 171.78 on May 5, 2022 while the index was recorded at 149.01 a year ago on May 13, 2021.

The SPI is computed on a weekly basis to assess the price movements of essential commodities at a shorter interval of time so as to review the price situation in the country. The SPI with base 201516=100 comprises 51 essential items and the prices are being collected from 50 markets in 17 cities of the country for all expenditure groups/quintiles and combined.

During the week under review, out of 51 items, prices of 28 (54.90 percent) items increased, prices of 06 (11.77 percent) items decreased, and prices of 17 (33.33 percent) items remained stable.

The SPI for the current week

Gold slips to rs112,800 per 10gm ISLAMABAD TLTP

recorded an increase in the prices of food items, including wheat flour (41.78%), chicken (12.13%), potatoes (7.04%), eggs (5.08%), pulse Masoor (4.79%), onions (4.74%), pulse gram (2.29%), pulse Mash (2.05%), mustard oil (1.97%), mutton (1.64%), and tea prepared (1.16%); and non-food items including cigarettes (2.62%) and match box (1.31%) with joint impact of (1.96%) into the overall SPI for com-

bined group of (0.49%).

On the other hand, a decrease was observed in the prices of tomatoes (12.01%), electricity for Q1 (10.66%), bananas (5.87%), firewood (0.43%), sugar (0.15%) and LPG (0.11%).

According to the PBS data, the yearon-year trend depicts an increase of 15.85%, including onions (160.81%), tomatoes (122.92%), LPG (97.34%), garlic (83.51%), cooking oil 5 litre (59.78%),

vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (59.46%), vegetable ghee 1 kg (58.43%), mustard oil (58.27%), pulse Masoor (52.01%), washing soap (39.79%), petrol (37.42%) and diesel (29.63%) On a year-on-year basis, major decrease was observed in the prices of chillies powdered (39.50%), pulse Moong (25.81%), potatoes (20.71%), electricity charges for Q1 (14.56%), bananas (14.24%) and sugar (11.80%).

Spot gold price remained on the downward slide due to a stronger US dollar and hit their lowest level in more than three months on Friday. As of 1245 hours GMT, gold in the international market was available at $1,812.40 per ounce, shedding $9.10 (-0.50 percent). Out of the $9.10 per ounce decrease, -$0.35 was due to strengthening of the US dollar and -$8.75 was due to predominant sellers, according to Kitco Gold Index. The price of 10 grams of 24-carat yellow metal in Pakistan, decreased to Rs112,800 after shedding Rs600. Gold price in the local market settled at Rs113,400 on Thursday last. A relatively lower decrease in the local gold prices was due to Pakistani rupee’s continuous depreciation against the US dollar during the day. Spot gold (XAU/USD) prices continue to trade with a negative bias on the final trading day of the week. At current levels in the upper $1810s per troy ounce, gold looks on course to post a weekly loss of around 3.5 percent, which would mark a fourth successive week in the red and gold’s worst weekly performance since June 2021. The main driver of gold weakness this week has been the strength of the US dollar, with the Dollar Index looking on course to close out the week close to multi-decade highs in the upper 104.00s. A stronger US dollar makes USD-denominated commodities like gold more expensive for international buyers. A relief rally in the global equity markets dented demand for traditional safe-haven assets, which was reinforced by a solid rebound in the US Treasury bond yields. Apart from the risk-on impulse, the prospects for a more aggressive policy tightening by the Federal Reserve held back traders from placing bullish bets around the non-yielding gold. This warrants some caution before confirming a nearterm bottom.

'Nuclear arsenals maintain credible deterrence in South Asia' KARACHI AnAdoLu Agency

The nuclear capabilities of India and Pakistan have maintained a “strategic and military” balance not only between the two South Asian neighbors but also with New Delhi’s eastern rival China, say defense and security experts.

On the eve of the 24th anniversary of the nuclear tests conducted by the archrivals in May 1998, experts from both countries reckon that the presence of nuclear warheads has reduced the chances of full-scale wars between nuclear rivals. But it has nevertheless raised fears about nuclear safety.

India conducted five nuclear tests from May 11-13,1998 in the Pokhran range of Rajasthan state, which borders Pakistan's southern Sindh province, triggering a new arms race in the already tense region.

Only two weeks later, Pakistan conducted six "successful" nuclear tests in the remote Chaghi district of southwestern Balochistan province on May 28, 1998.

“Pakistan’s nuclear capability has not only established strategic stability between New Delhi and Islamabad, but it also acts as a bulwark against the aggression,” said Maria Sultan, an Islamabad-based security expert who often writes about nuclear issues.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Sultan, who heads an Islamabad-based think tank, the South Asian Strategic Stability Institute, said that Pakistan’s nuclear ability has not only helped establish a deterrence between the two nuclear rivals but also helped mitigate the “threat of global war efforts from spreading in the region beyond the international parameters”.

Sameer Patil, a senior fellow at India’s Observer Research Foundation (ORF) think tank, said that “nuclear technology, particularly in the case of India, has been one of the under-appreciated reasons for maintaining the military balance in the region.”

Patil said that New Delhi’s nuclear capability has reduced the chances of a largescale war with neighboring China.

“India’s ability to readily perform under both peace and wartime conditions is the direct result of India's nuclear technology, which has evolved over the years to maintain a credible minimum deterrence in the region, comprising three nuclear powers -- China, India, and Pakistan,” he said.

Sharing a similar view, Soumya Awasthi, a New Delhi-based defense analyst, said “India’s nuclear capabilities along with the existing leadership have amplified the deterrence between India and China and India and

Pakistan.” "The cue can be taken from India's stance over the 2019 Pulwama attack (in Indian-administered Kashmir) and the (ongoing) standoff between India and China in Ladakh," she said.

Nuclear safety concerns: “Nuclear weapons are primarily weapons of non-use, and their use and strength lie if they can create a deterrence and able to stop the threat of large-scale war against a country,” said Sultan.

“There are no serious concerns about the safety of nuclear weapons. Both Pakistan and India have maintained required safety protocols in this regard,” he added.

Citing the “accidental” launch of an Indian cruise missile into Pakistani territory in March this year, which caused no casualties, Sultan nevertheless raised concerns about the safety of radioactive material, mainly at civilian nuclear facilities.

She called for the establishment of an independent regulatory authority by the two nuclear countries to ensure the “safety and security of the nuclear materials, processes and facilities.”

Commenting on some recent uranium theft incidents in India, she said that “unfortunately, the case of uranium theft in India is not small but indicates a larger problem of the safety and security mechanisms in place in India to secure its nuclear arsenal.”

Awasthi said India “responsibly” ac-

knowledged the accidental firing of the unarmed missile into Pakistan. “however, it does raise concern over the technical malfunction, but good sense prevailed, and any sort of escalation was avoided,” added Awasthi, who is a co-author of the upcoming book Biographic Tale of the Indian Nuclear Program.

Describing the accidental firing of the missile as a one-off incident, she said the government has ensured proper investigations into it.

Slim chances of nuclear war: experts from both sides see “very slim” chances of a nuclear war between the two neighbors, who have long been locked in a string of land and sea disputes, notably the lingering Kashmir issues.

Kashmir is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.

Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought four wars -- in 1948, 1965, 1971, and 1999. Three of them were over Kashmir.

“In my view, there exist very slim or minimal chances of (a) nuclear war between the two countries, “said Munawar hussain Panhwer, an assistant professor at Quaid I Azam University in Islamabad. enumerating the factors in favor of his argument, he cited no occurrence of a major war between the two adversaries since they

acquired the status of declared nuclear powers.

“It indicates that deterrence works between the two nations,” he maintained.

Since 1998, there were at least three occasions when the two nuclear-armed neighbors were on the brink of a full-fledged war -- the 1999 Kargil skirmish, the 2002 terrorist attack on India’s parliament, and the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Secondly, both sides also possess a second-strike capability that assures mutual destruction. “The stakes of the international community are high in the South Asian region. They in the past have managed crises between the two arch-rivals and would do the same in the future,” he further said.

Citing the economic hardships and grinding poverty the two neighbors have been grappling with, Panhwer added: “The lethality of the traditional weapons has become accurate, which makes the balance of terror more credible. So, both states would likely prefer a very limited war just like the Kargil crisis rather than a nuclear one.”

Supporting the argument, Patil said: “There is a slim chance of a nuclear war between India and Pakistan because both countries realize the destruction that would be caused by the nuclear exchange.”

“While Pakistan has engaged in nuclear saber-rattling on many occasions, it has been primarily for coercive purposes rather than

actual deployment of nuclear weapons,” he said.

Awasthi said: "Nuclear weapons are political weapons and not war-fighting weapons. They are merely used as a tool of deterrence."

India boasts the world's third-largest army after the US and China, with an active troop strength of over 1.3 million. Pakistan, meanwhile, stands eighth on the list with a 600,000-man army.

India has been the second-largest arms importer in the world over the past five years, with Pakistan ranking 11th, according to the Sweden-based Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Pakistan and India are among a few select countries with nuclear arsenals. India joined the nuclear club long before Pakistan, in 1974, prompting Islamabad to follow suit.

Pakistan silently developed its nuclear capability in the 1980s, when it was an ally of the US in the first Afghan war against the crumbling Soviet Union.

According to SIPRI, India currently possesses between 80 and 100 nuclear warheads, while Pakistan holds between 90 and 110.

Meanwhile, several international think tanks which blame China for assisting Pakistan's nuclear program believe the size of Islamabad's nuclear arsenal will cross the 200-mark within the next five years.

Saturday, 14 May, 2022 | kArAchI

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Announce elections or seA of people will ‘sweep everyone AwAy’, imrAn wArns govt coNtINuED froM pAgE 01

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Brent surpasses $109 mark as oil posts gains ISLAMABAD TLTP

Crude oil prices rose on Friday as supply concerns and geopolitical tension in Europe got the upper hand over the economic fears dogging financial markets as inflation soars.

As of 1230 hours GMT, Brent, the international benchmark for two-thirds of the world's oil, gained $2 (+1.86 percent) to reach 109.45 a barrel. The West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the main oil benchmark for North America, increased to $108.15 a barrel, up by $2.02 (+1.90 percent). Both benchmark contracts were, however, on track to post declines for the week, with Brent set to drop more than 3 percent and WTI more than 2 percent.

The price for Opec basket was recorded at $109.30 a barrel with an increase of 0.26 percent. The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of Saharan Blend, Girassol, Djeno, Zafiro, Rabi Light, Iran Heavy, Basra Light, Kuwait Export, Es Sider, Bonny Light, Arab Light, Murban and Merey.

Arab Light was available at $107.90 a barrel with an increase of 2.83 percent and the price of Russian Sokol jumped to $97.62 a barrel with a 2.88 percent gain.

The market is continuing to be pushed and pulled by the prospect of a European Union ban on Russian oil sapping supply and concerns about demand being dented by weaker global growth, inflation and China's Covid curbs.

An International Energy Agency report on Thursday highlighted the duelling factors in the market, saying rising oil production in the Middle East and the United States and a slowdown in demand growth are "expected to fend off an acute supply deficit amid a worsening Russian supply disruption". The agency said it saw output from Russia falling by nearly 3 million barrels per day (bpd) from July, or about three times more than is currently displaced, if sanctions for its war on Ukraine are expanded or if they deter further buying.

A pending European Union ban on oil from Russia, a key supplier of crude and fuels to the bloc, is anticipated to further tighten global supplies. The EU is still haggling over details of the Russian embargo, which needs unanimous support.

However, a vote has been delayed as Hungary opposes the ban because it would be too disruptive to its economy.

E will not be able to take any stand against them as they know where his money is… he will only beg for money but I know Americans the best… they will say there is no free lunch… they will put a price on it and what will be the price? It will be your freedom,” he added.

The PTI chief said that the US will ask Pakistan to give statements against Russia and in favour of Ukraine.

“They asked me but I said it is not our war. When slaves are in power, they will do whatever their masters say,” he added.

Imran Khan said that transparent elections cannot take place under the current chief election commissioner.

“The entire nation knows who the lotas

are but only the chief election commissioner cannot see them,” he added.

Talking about the achievements of the PTI government, he said that they managed to save people from both coronavirus and poverty. “Only 31,000 people died in Pakistan whereas five million died in India,” he maintained.

“When we assumed power, the country was on the verge of bankruptcy because of the loans taken by previous governments,” he said and added that his government raised 60% more tax collection and the country witnessed record exports during PTI’s tenure.

“When we were on the verge of takeoff, they conspired against our government because they don’t want Pakistan to become prosperous,” he added.

PTI had announced that it will launch protest against the alleged foreign conspiracy of regime change and

the ousting of former prime minister Imran Khan in a series of rallies throughout the country.

The party has so far managed to pull massive crowed in many cities throughout the country including Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar.Imran Khan was warmly greeted by a massive crowd at the Railway Station Ground located on Mardan-Nowshera road upon his arrival earlier.

According to media reports, an 80feet long and 30-feet wide stage was set for the central leadership of PTI. Strict security measures were also put in place for the rally.

The former prime minister on Sunday claimed that three million people — a figure almost double the population of the capital city itself — would overcome all barricades put up by the government and reach the federal capital on his call.

Addressing a public rally in Abbottabad, the PTI chairman told his supporters to wait for his call, which could come on any day after May 20.

He emphasised that his long march was aimed at “achieving real independence and democracy”.

“I firmly believe that no matter how many containers they will erect, more than 3 million people will reach Islamabad. The PTI supporters will reach Islamabad against the ‘imported government’,” the former prime minister said.

“This nation will never accept the robbers who came to power through an American conspiracy,” he said, adding that he could give the call for the march on any day after May 20. “Despite all barricades or hurdles, they [the government] will not be able to stop the people from coming to Islamabad.”

Multiple Pakistani passport holders get amnesty NEWS DESK The federal government approved the amnesty scheme for those Pakistani nationals, who held more than one Pakistani passport, keeping in view the common interest of local citizens and overseas Pakistanis, the Interior Ministry said on Friday.

According to the ministry spokesperson, the cabinet had approved the summary for the amnesty scheme in its last meeting on May 10. As per the government decision, the spokesperson said, the scheme would remain in effect till December 31, 2022.

Section 6 of the Passport Act 1974 says that holders of more than one passport can be sentenced to a maximum of 3 years. Under the amnesty scheme, the government had approved one-time waiver of the punishment, the ministry said. read More: HoldIng MultIple foreIgn passports banned: Earlier, from 2006 to 2016, the federal government had issued six amnesty schemes under which more than 12,000 Pakistani passports with more than one identity were cancelled. The ministry expects more than 38,000 passports would be cancelled under the current amnesty scheme.

Earlier on Friday, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb clarified in a statement that the federal cabinet in its last meeting on May 10 had decided against holding of multiple Pakistani passports and not the foreign passports.

She said that the news of repealing foreign pass-

ports was misreported, she added. “The cabinet decision will not be applicable to foreign citizenship

or foreign countries passports,” she said. “It is a crime to have two Pakistani passports.

Israeli police attack mourners carrying coffin of Al Jazeera journalist Israeli police officers charged at Palestinian mourners carrying the coffin of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on Friday, before thousands led her casket through Jerusalem's Old City in an outpouring of grief and anger over her killing.

Packed around Abu Akleh's coffin, dozens of Palestinians, some waving Palestinian flags and chanting “with our soul and blood we will redeem you Shireen,” began walking toward the gates of St. Joseph's Hospital. Israeli police officers, in an apparent bid to stop them proceeding by foot rather than taking the coffin by car, burst through the courtyard gates and charged at the crowd, some beating pallbearers with batons and kicking them.

At one point the group carrying her coffin backed against a wall and almost dropped the casket, recovering it just before one end hit the ground as stun grenades detonated.

The violent scenes, which lasted only minutes, added to Palestinian outrage over Abu Akleh's killing, which has threatened to fuel violence that has surged since March.

Abu Akleh, who had covered Palestinian affairs and the Middle East for more than two decades, was shot while reporting on an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday.

Palestinian authorities have described Abu Akleh's killing as an assassination by Israeli forces. Al Jazeera in its news reports has also said she was shot by Israeli forces.

Israel's government initially suggested Palestinian fire might have been to blame, but officials have also said they could not rule out it was Israeli gunfire that killed her.

Qatar and Al Jazeera condemned the Israeli police's conduct. Deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said the scenes

were “very shocking” and US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said she was “deeply distressed by the images”, while the EU said it was appalled.

A few minutes after police intervened, Abu Akleh's coffin was placed in a vehicle that headed towards the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Virgin in Jerusalem's Walled Old City, where the funeral ceremony proceeded peacefully.

Crowds of Palestinians lined the narrow alleyways of the Old City as the coffin was carried to the Mount Zion Cemetery nearby.

Her grave was covered in wreaths and the Palestinian flag draped over the grave cross as mourners surrounded it solemnly, paying tribute to Abu Akleh.

“We're here because we are screaming for justice. Justice for Shireen Abu Akleh and justice for Palestine,” said one mourner, who did not want to be identified by name.

InvestIgatIons and raIds The Israeli military said on Friday that its initial investigation “concluded that it is not possible to unequivocally determine the source of the gunfire which hit and killed Ms. Abu Akleh”.

She may have been killed by shots fired

by Palestinian militants shooting at Israeli military vehicles or been hit inadvertently by an Israeli soldier returning fire, it said.

Israeli forces on Friday resumed raids on the outskirts of Jenin, where Abu Akleh was killed, and the Palestinian Health Ministry said 13 Palestinians had been wounded.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group meanwhile claimed responsibility for the death of an Israeli police officer in an exchange of gunfire in Jenin.

A spokesman for Palestinian President

Mahmoud Abbas, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, said events in Jerusalem and Jenin could push the sides into serious escalation.

Abu Akleh's death has drawn widespread condemnation. Video footage from the moments after she was shot showed Abu Akleh,

cMYK

51, wearing a blue vest marked “Press”.

At least two of her colleagues who were with her said that they had come under Israeli sniper fire and that they were not close to militants.

Israel, which has voiced regret at Abu

Akleh's death has proposed a joint investigation with the Palestinians, asking them to provide the bullet for examination.

The Palestinians have rejected the Israeli request and have called for an international investigation. ReuTeRs

06-07 Comments - 14th May 2022_Layout 1 5/14/2022 12:05 AM Page 1

Saturday, 14 May, 2022

06 COMMENT

Deteriorating Pak-Afghan relations

A slow moving alliance Can it match the PTI’s speed?

t

HE PMl(n) leadership’s two-day moot ended in london without any press conference or a clue about the decisions taken. one can understand that allies need to be taken on board before the conclusions are made public. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif continued to stay in london on the third day also. the PMl(n)’s leisurely style is in contrast with how world leaders and corporate executives interact through video-link to save time and money.

Pakistan faces economic challenges that require urgent decisions. the State Bank’s foreign exchange reserves hit a 23-month low on thursday while the domestic currency ended at 191.77 to the dollar. Meanwhile no friendly country is willing to lend to Pakistan without a nod from the iMF. the iMF demands an end to the subsidy on petroleum products as well as on power.

Pakistan’s financial team is scheduled to meet the iMF on Wednesday for talks on the revival of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) the country is left with no option other than agreeing to the iMF’s demands. indecisiveness can take a heavy toll on the economic front. it was easier to bring down the Pti government than to replace it with a functional administration. Despite the support of a number of parties, the ruing alliance has just enough Mnas to run the assembly. the President acts as a Pti loyalist throwing a spanner in the works every now and then with an aim to to derail the PMl(n)-led government. this explains why there is still no governor in any province and no cabinet in Punjab. a perception is being created that stability requires fresh elections. For this there is a need to work out electoral reforms and include them in the election law at the earliest. there was a lot of noise in london about ‘purging the country’ of the Pti’s style of politics. it was maintained that no one would be allowed to spread chaos and anarchy in the country. However a decision about how to handle the Pti’s upcoming long march was left to the coalition cabinet. the PMl(n) has conducted necessary consultations. it needs to consult the allies at the earliest and speedily implement the agreements reached. the ruling alliance needs to display efficiency to be able to compete with the Pti.

Border fencing is causing problems

DR QaisaR RashiD

O

n 5 February 2022, from inside afghanistan, certain militants opened fire on Pakistani troops wh6 were on patrol along the Pak-afghan border in Kurram district. the attack took the lives of five soldiers. Similarly, on 14 april 2022, militants ambushed a military vehicle in Dattakel area and took the lives of seven soldiers of Pakistan. these were the second and third attacks respectively since the afghan taliban took control over Kabul on 15 august 2021. the tehreek-e taliban Pakistan (ttP) claimed responsibility for the attacks. immediately after its formation in 2007, the ttP made Kurram its known stranglehold. the former Kurram agency also remained notorious for sectarian (Sunni-Shia) conflicts. From 2008 to 2011, however, the Pakistan army launched a military operation in the agency and expelled the ttP activists, who sought refuge in the Paktia province of afghanistan. on 16 December 2014, the ttP retaliated by attacking the army Public School Peshawar. the agency remained identified for the presence of a section of the Haqqani network, afghanistan’s Paktia province remained known for being the stronghold of the afghan taliban, who launched their Summer offensive on 1 May 2021 to regain control over Kabul. the offensive coincided with the withdrawal of the US troops from afghanistan. the extraction that finished in august 2021 emboldened the afghan taliban immensely. the Haqqani network also derived strength from the triumph, and so was the case with the ttP. apparently, the afghan taliban and the ttP are two distinct groups with separate hierarchies, identities and goals. nevertheless, both share the same ideology: the implementation of the islamic Shariah whether in afghanistan or in Pakistan. Similarly, the

Bilawal’s US visit Need for a reset in Pakistan’s most important relationship

n

EW Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is being plunged in at the deep end, with his first solo trip abroad being to the USa, with which the relationship is touching a new nadir, especially after former PM iran Khan insists that his government was ousted because of a US-backed conspiracy, which it has denied on a number of occasions. He will depart for the USa to attend the World Food Security Conference on May 19, but more attention is likely to be paid to his expected sideline meeting with US Secretary of State anthony Blinken, whose invitation to the Summit broke the ice between the two countries. Secretary Blinken’s call to Mr Bhutto-Zardari to congratulate him on assuming office had initiated the USa’s latest attempt to engage with Pakistan. it does indicate that both the new government and the USa wish to turn a new leaf on the relationship. it is perhaps apposite that the first in-person contact at the ministerial level will come at a Food Security Summit of which the primary purpose is to examine the effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on global food security. apart from the important food security dimension, Pakistan’s problems with the USa stem from imran Khan’s perceived tilt towards Russia. the new government has not relented on this point, perhaps to deprive Mr Khan of ammunition for his claim that this was an ‘imported government.’ it would perhaps be too much to expect of the young Foreign Minister to rapidly solve all matters in just one meeting, but it would be helpful if he could convey to the USa that it was not to impose any measures which would lead to Pakistan’s economic collapse. one defaulter in the region is enough, and there does not seem any point in driving Pakistan to a point where Sri lanka is at the present. the USa must remember that the USa cannot afford to abandon Pakistan. Mr Bhutto-Zardari should not be expected to reverse matters in this meeting, which will probably be an occasion where the two counterparts size each other up, but it is to be hoped that he makes a good beginning in a task that needs much diplomacy and delicacy, as its urgency becomes overpowering.

Rubab ZahRa Malik

N

ational security is a big problem for any country. Every country wants to protect itself from others. to assure the5r defence, they get weapons, train soldiers, and make allies. Many countries have intelligence agencies to further ensure their defence. But who knew that having nuclear weapons would be required for survival as well. in the early 1990s, Ukraine had the third biggest arsenal of nuclear weapons after the collapse of the USSR, but in 1994, Ukraine was forced to give up its nuclear arsenal in an agreement called the treaty on the non- Proliferation of nuclear Weapons.

Ukraine was guaranteed that it would be protected so it handed over all its nuclear weapons to Russia in 1996 under the Budapest memorandum.

Russia had promised that it would not attack Ukraine if it gave up its nuclear weapons. the USa and the European Union also guaranteed Ukraine that in case anything went wrong, they would come for its defence. and today, none of them kept their promise.

Russia invaded Ukraine despite the agreement and other countries did nothing to defend Ukraine other than making official statements. So giving up nuclear weapons was a bad idea?

Before the advent of atomic weapons, it was all about resources. the more the money a country had, the more weapons and ammunition it had. Rich countries like the USa, UK, France, and the USSR were the most powerful in that regard because they had enormous budgets to buy these weapons. the rest of the world did not even bother to compete with these countries for power as they had no resources to outnumber the weapons and personnel these advanced countries had. in fact not only they had the most

Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami Umar Aziz

Joint Editor

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

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In Kabul, the Afghan Taliban might be pleased with Pakistan for its all-out support to get the Kabul government recognized and viable financially, but it is highly unlikely that the Kabul government remains shorn of the influence of the TTP and the dissident Haqqanis.

Pakistan faces the same choice over its nuclear weapons

Arif Nizami (Late)

M. A. Niazi

2022, but it is clear however that the Baloch separatists (together under the banner of the Balochistan liberation army) would seek the advantage of Pakistan’s engagement with the ttP and the dissident Haqqanis and vice versa. that is, while Pakistan’s government was busy in Balochistan to quell the rebel, security forces came under attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. this aspect may be adding more troubles to Pakistan’s security standing. the reason is that Pakistan has deployed its main chunk of army along its eastern border to defend against india. the emerging situation in the West calls for the relocation of the army to be deployed along the western border. the mere movement of the army is quite expensive, especially given the economic crisis Pakistan has been plodding through.

Hitherto, the afghan taliban have not jumped into the fray. Kabul yearns for refining ties with islamabad. Moreover, islamabad has been convincing the world to lift the ban on the Kabul regime, provide food and money to the afghans, and recognize the Kabul government quickly. the world is still reluctant to recognize the sway of the afghan taliban over Kabul. the world is in no mood to offer legitimacy to the afghan taliban, as they stop listening to the world once they achieve their target.

Regional powers such as Russia and China dare not offend the Western countries which want to keep their pressure on the afghan taliban to comply with the Doha agreement (the agreement for Bringing Peace to afghanistan) signed between the USa and the afghan taliban on 29 February 2020 in Qatar. though the agreement concluded the war, the afghan taliban did not start the promised intra-afghan dialogue. in Kabul, the afghan taliban might be pleased with Pakistan for its all-out support to get the Kabul government recognized and viable financially, but it is highly unlikely that the Kabul government remains shorn of the influence of the ttP and the dissident Haqqanis. there may be presently a state of silence: the afghan taliban might express their antagonism by not supporting Pakistan against the ttP, the dissident Haqqanis and the Baloch separatists. the leftover weapons and ammunition of the withdrawing foreign forces has been adding to the strength of anti-Pakistan militant groups.

The writer can qaisarrashid@yahoo.com

be

reached

at

Ukraine’s mistake was giving up its nuclear weapons

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Haqqanis are divided: some support the afghan taliban in consolidating their hold on Kabul and some support the ttP to dictate to Pakistan its terms. the challenge before Pakistan is where it should draw a line between the afghan taliban and the ttP, and between the pro-Pakistan Haqqani network and the antiPakistan Haqqani network.

Generally speaking, the factious state of the militants, who are overwhelmingly Pashtuns, is owing to Pakistan’s joining the War on terror in 2001. the war is over, the foreign forces have been withdrawn from afghanistan, but Pakistan has been left to deal with the fall out. one of the consequences for Pakistan has been earning the ire of both the ttP and the anti-Pakistan Haqqanis, who are antipathetic to fencing the Pakafghan border. in March 2017, Pakistan initiated the project of fencing off its 2,600 km long border (the Durand line) with afghanistan. the primary objective was to deter the toand-fro free movement of the ttP and the dissident Haqqanis to prevent any attack on civilians, akin to the one that took place in Peshawar in December 2014. the situation along the border remained under control till august 2021 but it spiraled out of control afterwards, thereby indicating that with the change of leadership in Kabul the change of strategy on the border is inevitable. Whereas Pakistan yearns to keep the Durand line fenced to offer a major stumbling block to the incursion of peace spoilers from across the western border, the ttP and the dissident Haqqanis are bent upon targeting the fence to flout Pakistan’s resolve. in a way, the fence has become Pakistan’s achilles’ heel, crystallizing Pakistan’s doggedness to stave off both the ttP and the dissident Haqqanis. the same point indicates that Pakistan would be challenged on this account time and again. in november 2021, the afghan taliban brokered a peace deal between the ttP and Pakistan. the deal, however, could not sustain for a month, as Pakistan’s government came under pressure from social activists, who lambasted the government for its acquiescence to the ttP. it is not sure if there is a direct relation between the ttP and the Baloch separatists who attacked the camps of the Frontier Constabulary in nushki and Panjgur (in South West of Balochistan) on 2 February

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weapons, but they also were the manufacturers of these weapons themselves. Weak countries could only buy these weapons for their defence from each other. till the 1940s, the USa enjoyed the status of being the most powerful country that no one can dare to mess with. But the White House’s striving for more power continued. 1n 1945, the USa conducted nuclear tests in the new Mexican desert and became the first nuclear power of the world. it was the most powerful weapon of the world, but somehow, other rivals of the USa were not aware of the potential damage that this technology could cause. in order to show the impact of nuclear weapons to the Soviet authorities, the USa dropped two bombs on Japan within the same year that caused massive destruction in Hiroshima and nagasaki, killing more than 200,000 people. the destruction was drastic and the USSR realized that this new technology can easily upset the balance regarding armaments management because no matter how many weapons a country had, it coud not beat a nuclear bomb. till today there is no technology that can save a country from a nuclear attack. thus the USSR in 1949, conducted nuclear tests and became the second nuclear power. in the 20th century, having nuclear weapons became a status symbol. Every advanced country had to get nuclear weapons in order to be considered powerful.

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in 1952, the UK became a nuclear power while France did in 1960. China was the 5th country to test a nuclear weapon in 1964 while india joined the club in 1974.

Since india was keeping a destructive technology, it was necessary for Pakistan to have nuclear weapons as well. Former Prime Minister Zulfiqar ali Bhutto opened the first nuclear plant near Karachi in his tenure, however, the first test was conducted in 1998 under the leadership of former Prime Minister nawaz Sharif despite severe pressure from the USa. of course Pakistan was urged to give up its nuclear defence programme and it was not the only country that faced this. Ukraine went through the same pressure.

However, Ukraine was too optimistic. it hoped it would never need nuclear weapons so it destroyed them but two decades later, it is regretting it. if Ukraine had taken a stand for its national security, Russia would not dare to invade it. a country might not need nuclear weapons to use, but it does need the nukes to make sure that other countries think twice before invading it.

Pakistan was under this pressure too but it did not give up. today Pakistan is a nuclear power. it might be having severe issues but we have a guarantee that we are safe. Despite having a chaotic economy and being in political crisis, no country will dare to mess with it due to its nuclear status. like Ukraine, it has a much larger, nucleararmed neighbour to its East.

Pakistan was under this pressure too but it did not give up. Today Pakistan is a nuclear power. It might be having severe issues but we have a guarantee that we are safe. Despite having a chaotic economy and being in political crisis, no country will dare to mess with it due to its nuclear status

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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The writer is a freelance columnist

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

06-07 Comments - 14th May 2022_Layout 1 5/14/2022 12:05 AM Page 2

Saturday, 14 May, 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

Open letter to Bilawal Bhutto

India’s role in rebuilding Afghanistan after Taliban India never really got along with the Taliban

DR RajkuMaR singh

F

RoM time immemorial till the present, india maintained a cordial relation and good understanding with afghanistan in the interest of the region as well as the country itself, except, when it was under the brutal rule of the taliban (1996-2001), and just after the end of their rule, resumed its diplomatic relation with Kabul and gave the country a significant amount of aid and assistance to rebuild the war-torn Kabul in a better way. in later years, india provided $650-750 million in humanitarian and economic aid, and became the largest regional provider of aid to afghanistan. indian help and support were aimed at rebuilding air links, power plants, investing in the health and education sectors and training afghan civil servants, diplomats and police as well as developing supply lines of electricity, oil and natural gas. \Further, as a part of humanitarian mission, new Delhi also established field clinics and children’s hospitals and in another programme provided mid-day meals to school students. in an important decision the Government of india provided in 2009 for 700 afghan students and afghan public servants to be granted access to government training institutions in india for courses ranging from a few days to six months.

Earlier, to strengthen afghanistan diplomatically, india proposed it in 2005 for membership of the South asian association for Regional Cooperation (SaaRC) and in 2007, two years later, Kabul was made a cmember of this new regional organization, made to enhance co-operation among South asian countries. in a very cordial and co-operative atmosphere, the President of afghan Hamid Karzai visited new Delhi in august 2008 and discussed issues of mutual interest, concerning the two countries. it was the time when afghanistan considered india as its “brother country” and Karzai described the relationship between the two as one which no enemy can hamper. in a major breakthrough the two countries signed three Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) for strengthening cooperation in the fields of rural development, education and stan-

dardization between the Bureau of indian Standards (BiS) and afghan Standardization authority, when in april 2006, Hamid Karzai, the president of afghanistan came to new Delhi. a further agreement was signed between 29 June1 July 2006 during the visit of afghan’s Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta, which provided $50 million to promote bilateral businesses between afghanistan and india. the same year, new Delhi raised its aid package to Kabul by $150 million to $750 million. Working on a major road project, the indian army’s Border Roads organisation constructed a significant road in 2009 in the remote afghan province oF nimroz, connecting Delaram to Zaranj. the said road made available a viable alternative route for the duty-free movement of goods through the Chabahar port in iran to afghanistan. it was also important from the strategic points of view as it would bypass Pakistan and help reduce afghan’s economic dependence on Pakistan. it is a 217-kilometre highway or Route 606 in southern afghanistan completed in august 2009. the road construction work in afghanistan has been a prominent component of india’s policy and in preceding eight years, beginning from 2001, with new Delhi’s aid over 700 kilometres of roads have been built, in addition to the hallmark project of indian aid effort costing $125 million which made possible the grand preparation of the afghan Parliament, completed around 201112. in this phase, afghanistan especially approached india in terms of persisting tension with Pakistan with whose support and help the existence of the taliban is not being undermined, but getting stronger day by day. on the other hand, it has also been a continued policy of india to have a close contact with countries of the region like afghanistan, Bhutan and iran to bolster its standing as a regional power and contain its both rivals, China and Pakistan, who are responsible for spreading and promoting terrorism and islamic militias in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of india.

Founded in 1994, the taliban are a Deobandi-Pashtun islamic fundamentalist, militant islamist, and Jihadist political movement in afghanistan wh6 after two years of struggle and taking advantage of the chaos, instability and worst law and order situation, assumed power in 1996 and formed the government, which lasted till December 2001. it was replaced by the forces of northern alliance under the leadership of the USa as a result of two months of intensive and

exhaustive war, beginning in September 2001. the war fully destroyed the taliban’s power in afghanistan and an interim government was formed under Hamid Karzai, considered as the puppet government of the USa. With this development taliban decided to launch and continue a proxy war/insurgency against the US-backed Karzai government as well as nato-led international Security assistance Force (iSaF) and most of its members left afghanistan to take shelter in Pakistan where they were free to organise themselves and continue terror activities. they formed a Council of leaders in the city of Quetta and soon gained strength there to establish an office in the year 2012. Gradually, taliban became very powerful and in May 2021 again launched a decisive military offensive as by capturing most areas of afghanistan including Kabul and second time formed government in august 2021. in th whole period india never liked and considered taliban a viable political force to talk with and always supported US-backed afghan government and helped a lot to make afghanistan a strong, democratic nation in the region.

Taliban’s aTTacks on indians: With the taliban becoming strong and powerful and number of its volunteers increased, it began attacking indian people and government buildings/other establishments, especially, since its sheltering in Pakistan and help of iSi, a continued tirade started against the pro-afghan elements in the country and india was one of them. in afghanistan, islamabad was active when pro-taliban forces were defeated in november 2001and there onwards, the iSi heavily became engaged in retreating the pro-taliban elements including the forces desirous to fight against anti-taliban and years after the defeat, taliban showed signs of its comeback and in May-Jitne, when it announced its readiness to launch guerilla war to expel the US forces from afghanistan. as a result, a parallel system backed by Pakistan and pro-taliban forces as forerunners emerged as a potent force in the country fighting against the strength of afghan government and US army living in afghanistan. in line, indian embassy was attacked in 2008 and 2009 by suicide car bomb and car bomb respectively, it however, had no effect on indian government as it continued to describe the organization as antipublic and anti-democratic.

As a result, a parallel system backed by Pakistan and proTaliban forces as forerunners emerged as a potent force in the country fighting against the strength of Afghan government and US army living in Afghanistan.

The writer is presently Professor and Head, Department of Political Science and Dean of Social Sciences at B.N. Mandal University, Madhepura (Bihar), India. His 19 books published in addition to 900 articles in national and international journals and daily newspapers from 25 foreign countries.

DEaR Mr Bilawal! i congratulate you with a very heavy heart on taking the oath as a federal minister and on becoming the youngest foreign minister of Pakistan, the honour which previously your grandfather had.

Your taking up a cabinet position in the cabinet of one of the Sharifs has been taken as a betrayal to the Bhutto family and PPP. i had been voting for PPP since the first general elections, always blindly never bothering to find out about who the PPP candidate in my constituency. alas, i had to see this day also that in the next general elections either i would not cast my vote or do it in favour of someone not from PPP, mainly because of you joining the cabinet of Sharifs who in the past had left no stone unturned to defame and disgrace Bhuttos, not even sparing the late mother of your grandfather ZaB. they are the ones who celebrated the judicial murder of the most charismatic leader of the world, your grandfather, they are the ones who initiated “operation Midnight Jackal” against your beloved mother to oust her from the PM house through a vote of nonconfidence, they are the ones who always conspired against the Bhuttos. Have you not heard their dirty tactics, have you forgotten the tears which rolled down through the beautiful and loving eyes of your shaheed mother when elder Sharif called her “Yellow Cab” on the floor of the house? Do you remember your mother was made Prime Minister of “islamabad only” through the political manoeuvrings of the Sharifs? She was labelled as a “security risk” , when the elder Sharif even refused to give due protocol to your mother as the PM of the country when he was the CM of Punjab.

Mr Bilawal, go and read once again the writings of your mother who must be turning in her grave restlessly upon seeing her loving son joining hands with the Sharifs who made the life of that great lady miserable, sorrowful and woeful. Sharifs are the ones who made your mother wait for hours and hours in front of prisons, along with you and your sister as toddlers, in the heat to meet your father incarnated over there on false charges. Have you forgotten how the tongue of your father was injured while under arrest? Fresh your memory of the Justice Qayum episode as to how your present boss was heard instructing him to award the maximum punishment to your mother. like the millions of Pakistanis who are diehard supporters of PPP, the jialas who are heartbroken on your taking up a cabinet position under a Sharif, who live by “Democracy is the best revenge”, in whose name are you taking revenge? Revenge of the tears of your mother, revenge of the blood falling through the head of your grandmother, revenge of the judicial murder of your grandfather? Revenge of lashes which the workers of PPP received?

AAMIR AQIL LAHORE

Energy crisis PaKiStan’S energy sector is hanging in balance due to inefficiencies, burgeoning circular debt, massive dependence on imported fossil fuels.

Pakistan has amalgamated different energy-related ministries and institutions under one ministry but is still unable to develop a comprehensive and integrated policy for ensuring national energy security which has caused an energy crisis in Pakistan. Pakistan lags behind in framing a well-defined national energy strategy which means that there is a deficiency of a proper mechanism for coordination among different entities which most of the time works in opposite direction. thus, the government has never been able to do more than pay lip service at the time of the energy crisis in Pakistan. the crisis in the energy sector is certainly and incontrovertibly, a direct threat to Pakistan’s fragile economy and energy security as well as it burdens the common consumers. the looming threats of a new energy crisis in Pakistan including climate change demands that energy must come from clean, safe, and environment-friendly sources. Pakistan’s energy sector largely comprises of independent power plants (iPPs). they have grave impacts on Pakistan’s debt-ridden economy. no doubt, economic security ensures national security for any country. Pakistan mainly relies on the power sector, its smooth flow maintains the economy, tragically Pakistan’s power sector is bankrupt due to gross mismanagement along with circular debt.

Failure to pay bill payments activates a chain of delayed payments for imported furnace, oil, natural oil, gas or other inputs to the thermal generation system.

Maintenance of the energy sector is directly linked with deep governance and management reforms to lessen inefficiencies and reduce the energy crisis in Pakistan. Pakistan is in dire need to follow its neighbouring countries’ modules for accelerated economic growth with minor cost of development. india and China both are leading asia in green energy. india has attained the 4th global position in wind power and 5th in solar installation capacity. Similarly, China’s RE has been estimated 40pc of the total installed capacity and about 20pc of total power generation.

Pakistan’s failure to adopt global trends is one of the major reasons for the energy crisis. For instance contrary, to india and China, Pakistan abandoned its earlier targets of 1,235MW of wind and 430MW of solar, as determined in the 2006 policy for the development of RE for power generation. the alternative and RE policy adopted by the former government in 2019 reset the target for energy from RE sources from 2030 to 30pc excluding hydropower. this target was further reduced to 12pc by the indicative Generation Capacity Expansion (iGCEP) plan approved in 2021. this has counter effects on solar and wind energy implementation. the energy crisis does not only trigger power shortages but also creates unrest among the masses. there is record inflation and high electricity prices have been observed in the county in recent years. Electricity and inflation are correlated, so, electricity shortage is an indication of economic instability which makes people uncertain about their future.

Counter effects of the energy crisis on agriculture and industrial sectors are huge challenges for Pakistan. numerous textile mills will be unable to continue to export operations if cheap and unhindered electricity supply does not available for them. Consequently, unemployment increased, in 2011-12 Pakistan faced a loss of Rs 210bn and $1bn of export earnings owing to uncontrolled load-shedding in the industrial sector.

Moreover, 400,000 workers were also deprived of their employment.

Hence, to mitigate the energy crisis in Pakistan, the cheapest options for energy production along with good governance and management are needed. Hydel power is one of the cheapest sources of electricity generation though, it is a time-taking project but has countless benefits for the debt-ridden economy of Pakistan. Pakistan should consider building small dams, adopting energy-efficient technology, inserting electricity saving devices, public awareness to switch off extra lights.

SYEDA HADIA BAKHTAWAR NANAKANA SAHIB

Saturday, 14 May, 2022

08 WORLD VIEW

Sending 60 billion dollarS to Ukraine makeS no SenSe INFLATION HIT A 40-YEAR HIGH. GASOLINE ALONE IS UP 48%, AND ENERGY PRICES ARE UP 32% OVER THE LAST YEAR. FOOD PRICES HAVE INCREASED BY NEARLY 9%. USED VEHICLE PRICES ARE UP 35% FOR THE YEAR, AND NEW VEHICLE PRICES HAVE INCREASED 12% OR MORE rcP

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Sen. RAnd PAul

eNaTOr rand Paul, in a Senate floor speech, explained why he is opposed to sending an additional $40 billion to Ukraine. Paul said this would bring the total to $60 billion of aid to Ukraine while the United States is dealing with crises of its own.

"Congress should evaluate the cost of continuing down this path," Paul said. "The biggest threat to the United States today is debt and inflation and the destruction of the dollar."

HIS ENTIRE SPEECH: My oath of office is to the U.S. constitution, not to any foreign nation and no matter how sympathetic the cause, my oath of office is to the national security of the United States of america.

We cannot save Ukraine by dooming the

U.S. economy. In March, inflation hit a 40year high. Gasoline alone is up 48%, and energy prices are up 32% over the last year.

Food prices have increased by nearly 9%.

Used vehicle prices are up 35% for the year, and new vehicle prices have increased 12% or more.

Yes, inflation doesn't just come out of nowhere. It comes from deficit spending.

The United States spent nearly $5 trillion on COvID-19 bailouts, leading to one of the highest and most sustained levels of inflation in U.S. history. americans are feeling the pain, and Congress seems intent only on adding to that pain by shoveling more money out the door as fast as they can.

This bill under consideration would spend $40 billion. This is the second spending bill for Ukraine in two months, and this bill is three times larger than the first. Our military aid to Ukraine is nothing new, though. Since 2014, the United States has

provided more than $6 billion in security assistance to Ukraine. In addition to the $14 billion Congress authorized just a month ago.

If this bill passes, the U.S. will have authorized roughly $60 billion in total spending for Ukraine. For those who say this is not enough, for those of new this chamber who say that our military spending is never enough, let's put $60 billion into perspective. according to elias Yousif, a security analyst at the Stimson Center, Kyiv would become the largest yearly recipient of U.S. military aid over the past two decades. except for the top five countries, $60 billion is more than any other country spends on their entire military expenditures.

If this gift to Ukraine passes, our total aid to Ukraine will almost equal the entire military budget of russia. and it is not as if we have that money lying around. We will have to borrow that money from China to

the billionaire raj?

Project Syndicate

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Amit tyAgi

everal reports in the last few months have sounded the alarm about growing income and wealth inequality in India. The statistics cited are not wrong, but they are incomplete. and they have produced sensational, but misleading, news stories.

For example, an article based on Oxfam’s recent “Inequality Kills” report notes: “India has the third-highest number of billionaires in the world.” The story points out that India has 142 billionaires but ignores that India has 1.4 billion people. Only one in ten million Indians is a billionaire, whereas such “billionaire density” is eight in russia, three in Brazil, more than four in China, and 22 in the United States. likewise, while “India has more billionaires than France, Sweden and Switzerland combined,” in terms of billionaire density, these three countries together have 18 times more billionaires than India.

It should come as no surprise that rich countries have more billionaires relative to their populations than poor countries do. For a more accurate comparison, consider billionaire density in middle-income countries. relative to the world’s top 20 middle-income economies, India ranks quite low. Countries like Brazil, Malaysia and Thailand have a far greater number of billionaires relative to their size.

Oxfam is not the only organisation to point out India’s wealth gap. In December, the World Inequality report 2022, the flagship publication of the World Inequality lab at the Paris School of economics, included India among the world’s most unequal countries. This research, coordinated by leading economists, fuelled sensational headlines, “Poor Country with affluent elite, India Is Going Nowhere”, or, even worse, “How Hindu Nationalism enables India’s Slide into Inequality”, that turned the topic into a domestic political issue. To be sure, both income and wealth inequality have increased in India in recent years. according to the World Inequality report, the richest 10 per cent of Indians account for 57.1 per cent of all income, compared to only 13.2 per cent for the poorest half. and wealth inequality is more pronounced. The poorest half of the Indian population possesses just 5.9 per cent of the country’s total wealth, whereas the richest 10 per cent controls 64.7 per cent.

But do these figures really support the claim that India is one of the world’s most unequal countries? although India’s poorest half holds a small percentage of the country’s total wealth, its members are still better off than their peers in most countries. Whereas India ranks 67th among the world’s 100 largest economies in

terms of income earned by the poorest 50 per cent, it ranks 17th in terms of the percentage of wealth held by the poorest half.

In any case, statistics that compare the top 10 per cent and bottom 50 per cent, while easy to comprehend, are not the only measures of inequality. Calculated from The World Inequality report data, India’s Gini coefficient, a widely used indicator that ranges from 0, indicating perfect equality, to 1, for perfect inequality, is 0.6 for income inequality and 0.7 for wealth inequality. Compared to the largest 100 economies of the world, India lies in the middle for wealth inequality and among the top 20 for income inequality.

On balance, India is no paragon of egalitarianism, but nor is it one of the world’s most unequal countries. a more fundamental question is whether India should continue to focus on economic growth to reduce poverty, even if it increases inequality. The answer, according to the Indian government’s 2020-21 economic survey is, unsurprisingly, an unqualified yes. The government is betting that a rising tide lifts all boats, and the facts seem to support this maxim.

In the decade from 2006 to 2016, the Indian economy averaged 7.6 per cent annual growth, one of the fastest ten-year expansions in the country’s history. Concurrent with that growth was an increase in inequality: The share of income going to the richest 10 per cent increased from 47.8 per cent to 57.1 per cent, while the share of the poorest half declined from 16.1 per cent to 13.1 per cent. But, over the same period, the number of people living in multidimensional poverty, a broad measure covering health, education and standard of living, decreased from 642 million to 370 million. although the COvID-19 pandemic reversed some of these gains, a recent working paper by the National Bureau of economic research shows that income inequality in India declined. richer Indians experienced a steeper drop in income than poorer ones, as their businesses were most affected by the economic downturn. and demand for the kind of servicesector jobs held by wealthier Indians fell sharply. The International Monetary Fund forecasts 24 per cent growth for the Indian economy in 2021-23, which one hopes will reduce both poverty and inequality.

The relationship between economic growth, poverty, and inequality is complex, and the forces that influence it in richer countries may not be at play in India. economic growth has lifted more than 250 million Indians out of poverty in a relatively short time. as a result, inequality has increased, but not to levels that should trigger alarm bells.

Amit Tyagi is chief risk officer of Zand.

send it to Ukraine.

The cost of this package which we are voting on today is more than the U.S. spent during the first year of the U.S. conflict in afghanistan. Congress authorized force and the president sent troops into the confident.

The same cannot be said of Ukraine.

This proposal towers over domestic priorities as well. The massive package of $60 billion to Ukraine dwarfs the $6 million spent on cancer research annually. $60 billion is more than the amount the government collects in gas taxes each year to build roads and bridges. The $60 billion to Ukraine could fund substantial portions or entire large cabinet departments. The $60 billion nearly equals the entire State Department budget.

The $60 billion exceeds the budget for the Department of Homeland Security and for the Department of energy. and Congress just wants to keep on spending and spending.

Our allies and partners have sent aid to

Ukraine. Some of them even broke longstanding traditions by sending military assistance. Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom and others are stepping up to defend Ukraine like never before. In other words, it's not all about us. It isn't that we always have to be the Uncle Sam, the policeman that saves the world, particularly when it is on borrowed money. Yet the United States accounted for nearly half of what's been spent so far.

With a $30 trillion debt, america can't afford to be the world's policeman. The U.S. is trying to recover from the $1.6 trillion we spent on wars in the Middle east, not to mention the $5 trillion borrowed for COvID. We should not forget that the Soviet Union collapsed in large part not because it was defeated militarily but because it ran out of money. In an attempt to save Ukraine, we will doom or will we doom the United States to such a future? In the past two years, the U.S. has borrowed more money than at any time in our history.

We are already experiencing the greatest rate of inflation in over four decades. The assault on monetary discipline is untenable and it can not go on forever. Unless we put an end to the fiscal insanity, a day of reckoning awaits us.

Congress should evaluate the cost of continuing down this path. The biggest threat to the United States today is debt and inflation and the destruction of the dollar.

We cannot save Ukraine by killing our economic strength. So I act to modify the bill to allow for a special inspector general. This would be the inspector general that's been overseeing the waste in afghanistan and has done a great job. So therefore I ask the Senator to modify his request so that the Senate proceeds to the immediate consideration of Calendar 368, H.r. 7691. Furthermore, that the Paul amendment is asked to be considered and agreed to, the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time, and the Senate vote on passage of the bill, as amended, with a 60-affirmative vote threshold for passage.

How bad could the economy get?

EVEN WITHOUT A HOUSE PRICE COLLAPSE OR A STERLING CRISIS, THE GOVERNMENT IS HEADING FOR A SUMMER OF POLITICAL DISCONTENT

indePendent

S

Vince cAble

Pare a thought for rishi Sunak. a few months ago, he was the country’s most popular politician. Now he is in strongly negative territory. In a few months’ time, he could be the most hated man in the country as economic hardship really bites.

But how bad could it get? I thought I was in danger of getting myself labelled a “doomster and gloomster” a month ago when I trailed the idea of double-digit inflation and recession later in the year or next year. Now, even the governor of the Bank of england is saying as much, as the Bank moves to higher interest rates. I suspect, however, that he may be erring on the side of optimism, for several reasons.

First, the war. Western policy is that every upward ratchet in russian aggression and cruelty must be matched by an escalation in western economic sanctions, which carries risk for us as well as for the Kremlin.

We haven’t yet got to the stage of concerted action against russian oil exports.

There is a “smart” way of doing it: a heavy tax on russian oil imports which is passed back to russia in lower export prices. But considerable skill will be needed to make that happen, and to ensure that western consumers don’t take a big hit. and, if we progress to a cessation of gas imports from russia, the impact on western economies – not just Germany – could be serious as prices of alternative supplies soar.

Second, the sharp fall in sterling in response to the governor’s forecast of

difficulties ahead may be a warning of exchange rate difficulties ahead. The dollar rate, at $1.23, is down from $1.42 a year ago and is heading back to the post-Brexit referendum low of $1.14. even allowing for a global move into the haven of the dollar, confidence in sterling is low and some traders think our currency could be headed towards dollar parity.

This could provoke a vicious circle, as a falling exchange rate feeds inflation which, in turn, squeezes living standards further, adds to recession risk and diminishes business confidence.

With a politically weak government haemorrhaging authority and the costs of Brexit affecting trade performance, it is difficult to see an upside. a downside risk is that the prime minister will try to shore up his authority by picking a fight with the eU over the Northern Ireland protocol, triggering retaliatory action from Brussels.

The public discussion of inflation centres on goods and services: the cost of living crisis. a potentially bigger shock could occur in inflated asset markets, especially housing. rapidly rising interest rates will be a painful surprise to house buyers who haven’t locked in the low interest rates of the past, and we shall soon see distress from overextended borrowers.

But the serious action could be in respect of house prices. average UK prices (admittedly a slippery concept) rose around 10 per cent in both 2021 and 2022, after a long period of housing inflation which has taken prices in relation to earnings to levels only matched twice in the last 175 years. The average is in the range 8.5 to 9, almost three times the level 25 years ago and way beyond the mortgage affordability of a household on average incomes: hence the collapse in home ownership among younger people. The problem is even worse in london.

House prices are, however, cyclical and have been driven up in the last decade, both by expansionary money policy enabling easy availability of bank loans and by the artificial stimulation of demand through Help to Buy. a hardening of monetary policy will lead

to a painful correction, and the question then is how much prices will fall and for how long.

Previous crashes involved a 15 per cent fall in 2008, a 20 per cent fall spread over the 1989-2003 period and falls in the mid-1970s and 1950s. The nightmare scenario for the government is that prices fall by enough to leave large numbers in negative equity, depressing confidence and demand, but not enough to restore affordability for families on average earnings trying to buy a home. The politics of burst housing market bubbles is awful, as John Major discovered. even without a house price collapse or a sterling crisis, the government is heading for a summer of political discontent. The lib Dems, who are on a roll after the local elections, could unseat Conservatives in seemingly safe West Country constituencies, when by-elections occur in Tiverton and Honiton, and in Somerton and Frome. labour should win back the red-wall seat of Wakefield.

Boris Johnson will be looking for a sacrificial lamb to offer. Who better than the hapless chancellor next door, whose national insurance increase has added to personal and business burdens at the worst possible time? It is, after all, also his refusal to restore the £20 uplift on universal credit, granted during the pandemic, which is the single biggest blockage to providing relief to those at the bottom of the income distribution, on benefits or low pay.

Sunak seems to be hoping that he can sit tight until autumn. But even friendly business groups like the Chambers of Commerce are calling for urgent action through an emergency budget. They can see that business confidence and the willingness to invest are draining away.

One possibility is that the hero of the pandemic may find himself shunted to a non-job while the prime minister finds another fall guy or fall gal (liz Truss?) to preside over prolonged economic pain.

That may be a kinder fate than staying put and becoming cordially hated.

Sir vince Cable is the former leader of the liberal Democrats and served as secretary of state for business, innovation and skills from 2010 to 2015.

Saturday, 14 May, 2022 | KARACHI

NEWS

09

LSMI OuTPuT reCOrdS 26.6PC grOwTh In MarCh KP govt allows depts to transfer funds to priority projects islamabad aziz Buneri

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has once again lifted ban on redistribution of funds due to slow spending, allowing the administrative departments to transfer funds to other projects with the department till May 30.

The planing and development (P&D) department officials said that the administrative departments could not effectively utilise their funds and most of the development projects suffer slow pace of work. The officials said that it has forced the government to withdraw restrictions on the transfer of funds within the Provincial Development Program, Integrated District Development Program and Accelerated Development Program till May 30.

A letter issued by P&D to administrative departments, Registrar Peshawar High Court and Senior Member Board of Revenue, stated that funds should not be transferred from projects going to be completed this year. Similarly, funds shouldn’t be transferred from high priority projects. It was advised to transfer funds to projects which could be completed in the current fiscal year According to the guidelines, the P&D permission for transfer of funds to each other in the Annual Development Program, Accelerated Development Program and Tribal Development Program projects is mandatory. The transfer of funds in the Integrated District Development Program and Accelerated Development Program will not be allowed to exceed the allocated funds.

TOMCL to supply meat to Jordan, Kuwait news desk The Organic Meat Company Limited (TOMCL) reported on Friday to be the first company in Pakistan that has been able to secure supply contracts of beef export to Jordan and Kuwait.

The value of “Fresh Chilled Bone-in Beef” contract to be supplied to Jordan is $1.6 million and the value of contract to supply “Commercially Branded Frozen Bone-in Beef” to Kuwait is $0.6 million. TOMCL is one of the largest halal meat processors and exporters in Pakistan. Only last year, the company’s sales accounted for 7 per cent of Pakistan’s meat exports. TOMCL is a halal meat processor and exporter, which was incorporated in 2010 and commenced operations in 2011. Initially, it only had two products, and a capacity of three tonnes per day for beef, and five tonnes per day for mutton.

Currently the company has a daily production and chilling capacity of 75 tonnes per day and can be termed as a success story.

TOMCL plans to become a major player in the halal meat industry it has the largest export market access from Pakistan, and frequently exports to markets like the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Malaysia and parts of Europe and Central Asia.

T

news desk

HE output of Large-Scale Manufacturing Industries (LSMI) grew by 26.6 percent on a year-on-year basis during March 2022, showing the highest increase since May 2021 on a year-on-year basis.

According to the data released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the LSMI growth witnessed an increase of 8.2 percent in April on a month-on-month basis against March 2022, whereas on average, the LSM grew by 7 percent on a year-on-year basis during the first three quarters (July-March) 2021-22 as compared to the same period of the previous fiscal year 2020-21. The LSMI Quantum Index Number (QIM) was recorded at 161.2 points during July-March 202122 against 150.7 points during JulyMarch 2020-21, according to latest PBS data.

The highest increase of 6 percent growth during July-March (2021-22) was witnessed in the indices monitored by the Ministry of Industries, followed by 0.9 percent increase in indices monitored by Provincial Board of Statistics (BOS) and 0.1 in the products monitored by the Oil Companies Advisory Committee (OCAC).

The major sectors that showed positive growth during July-March 202122 included textile (1.6 percent), food, beverages and tobacco (17.4 percent), coke and petroleum products (1.1 percent), pharmaceutical (4.6 percent), chemicals (7.1 percent), automobiles (26.8 percent), iron and steel products (21.5 percent), fertilizer (3.2 percent), paper and board (8.5 percent) and wood products 157.5 percent.

The commodities that witnessed negative growth included non-metallic mineral products (2.4 percent), electronics (8.4 percent), leather products (3.3 percent) engineering products (3.8 percent) and rubber products (20.6 percent).

The growth during the month of March 2022 was led by the furniture, food, and apparel sectors as they posted growth of 186.5 percent YoY, 85 percent YoY, and 78.6 percent on a year-on-year basis respectively, followed by other manufacturing (foot-

ball) (64.1 percent), wood products (32.6 percent), automobiles (26 percent), chemical products (17.1 percent), fertilizer (16.9 percent), pharmaceuticals (12.6 percent), paper & board (11.6 percent), iron & steel products (11.2 percent), petroleum products (8.1 percent), computer, electronics and optical products (6 percent), textile (5.1 percent), non-metallic mineral products (4.2 percent), and rubber products (0.2 percent).

While the industries that contracted during March 2022 on a yearon-year basis were beverages (-6pc), tobacco (-1.4pc), leather products (7.6pc), machinery and equipment (10.9pc), fabricated metal (-6.1pc), electrical equipment (-1.5pc), and other transport equipment (-11.7pc).

On a cumulative basis, during the first three quarters, out of 22 major industries, 17 posted positive growth while the rest of the 5 industries witnessed a decline.

Remittances rise 7.7pc to $26.1bn in 10 months With $3.1 billion inflows during April 2022, the overseas Pakistani workers’ remittances continued strong trend and crossed the $3 billion mark in a month for the first time ever.

In terms of growth, during April 2022, remittances increased by 11.2 percent on month-on-month basis and 11.9 percent on year-on-year basis.

Cumulatively, at $26.1 billion, remittances grew by 7.6 percent during 10 months of FY22 compared to the same period last year. According to data released by State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Friday, remittances’ inflows during April 2022 were mainly sourced from Saudi Arabia ($707 million), United Arab Emirates ($614 million), United Kingdom ($484 million) and the United States of America ($346 million).

During the corresponding month, the overseas Pakistanis living in Bahrain sent $51.5 million, from Kuwait $89 million, from Qatar $103.7 million whereas $114.6 million were dispatched from Oman.

Similarly the inflows from Germany, France, The Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Greece, Sweden, Denmark, and Ireland were recorded at $46.2 million, $41.5 million, $6.1, $46.2 million, $72.2 million, $33.5 million, $7.7 million, $7.2 million and $14.6 million respectively.

Likewise, from Malaysia, Belgium, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, and Japan, the workers dispatched $14.7 million, $22.9 million, $16 million, $4.1 million, $72.7 million, $81.1 million, and $7 million respectively. app

Bitcoin jumps to $30,573 islamabad TLTp

The cryptocurrency market bounced back on Friday after facing one of the worst bloodbaths a day earlier, with market capitalisation gaining 8.8 percent to reach $1.37 trillion.

As of 1200 hours GMT, the largest cryptocurrency Bitcoin’s (BTC) price surged 7.7 percent to $30,573. With this increase in price, the market capitalisation of the biggest crypto has reached $582 billion.

Bitcoin has shed 16.5 percent of its value over the last week.

Bitcoin hit a 16-month low of around $25,400 on Thursday. It remains a long way below week-ago levels of around $40,000 and, unless there is a rebound in weekend trade, is headed for a record seventh consecutive weekly loss.

Ether (ETH), the world’s secondlargest cryptocurrency by market capitalisation, gained 8 percent to reach $2,098.

With this increase in price, the market capitalisation of ETH has reached $253 billion. ETH has been 23.8 percent down in the past seven days. It was the first time on Thursday last that the token fell beneath the $2,000 mark since July 2021. Ether dropped to as low as $1,700 on Thursday.

Bitcoin and ether are about 60% below record peaks reached in November.

Binance Coin (BNB) price jumped 13.7 percent to $307.8. With this increase in price, the market capitalisation of BNB has reached $51.6 billion. BNB has shed 19 percent of its value during the last seven days.

Similarly, XRP price jumped 18.9 percent to reach $0.449. The market capitalisation of XRP stands at $21.7 billion with this increase. XRP has shed 25.1 percent of its value during the last seven days.

Similarly, Cardano (ADA) price jumped 25.1 percent to reach $0.577. Its market capitalisation has reached $19.5 billion with this increase. ADA has shed 27.1 percent of its

value in the past seven days.

Same was the case with Solana (SOL) whose price jumped 19.6 percent to $52.46.

With this massive increase in price, the market capitalisation of SOL has reached $17.5 billion. SOL has shed 38.2 percent during the last seven days.

Meanwhile, the International Organisation of Securities Commissions has hinted at the launch of a joint body next year, envisioning better coordination of rules governing cryptocurrencies. IOSCO is a Spain-based association of organisations that regulate the world’s securities and futures markets. Securities commissions and financial and future regulators from each country are members of IOSCO. IOSCO Chairperson Ashley Alder said on Thursday that IOSCO is now focused on three main areas, with cryptocurrencies being one of them.

Covid-19 and climate change are the other two areas closely monitored by the IOSCO, she added.

Saturday, 14 May, 2022 | KARACHI

10 FOREIGN NEWS

Sri Lanka oppoSition, proteSterS vow to continue anti-government campaign cOLOMBO

S

ReuteRs

RI Lanka’s main opposition party joined anti-government protesters on Friday in rejecting the appointment of a new prime minister, and insisted the president resign because of the country’s disastrous economic crisis.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed veteran opposition politician Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister late on Thursday, but the comments signalled it was not likely to resolve the political and economic disarray in the strategic Indian Ocean island nation.

A week of violent clashes between protesters and government supporters across the

country has left 9 people dead and over 300 injured.The president’s elder brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, quit as prime minister

on Monday as violence spiralled and is in hiding in a military base.

The rest of the cabinet had quit earlier.

“It is clear the (new) prime minister is remote controlled by the president,” said Eran Wickramaratne, a parliamentarian and senior member of the main opposition party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. “This country wants the Rajapaksas to go home. We are committed to that goal.”

Protesters who have camped out at a site near the prime minister’s office for over a month also rejected the appointment.

“We will stop this struggle when our people get justice,” said Chamalage Shivakumar, one of the hundreds of people at the “Gota Go Home” site, named for the president.

“Whoever they appoint as prime minis-

ter, we will not stop this struggle until people get relief.”

Wickremesinghe is the only lawmaker from his United National Party in the country’s parliament and will be reliant on rival political parties to form a coalition government. An alliance led by the Rajapaksas holds about 100 of parliament’s 225 seats, while the opposition has 58 seats. The rest are independent.

On Friday, Wickremesinghe met India’s high commissioner, or ambassador, to Sri Lanka, his first publicly known contact with a foreign government since his appointment.

“Discussed continued cooperation for economic recovery and stability in Sri Lanka through democratic processes,” the Indian High Commission in Colombo said in a tweet.

New Delhi is battling China for influence in strategically important Sri Lanka, which lies on key shipping lanes between Asia and Europe and is home to major infrastructure projects financed by both countries.

Protesters said the appointment of Wickremesinghe will do little to ease the anger against the president, who they say is ultimately responsible for the worst economic crisis to hit the nation since it became independent in 1948.

Buffeted hard by the pandemic, rising oil prices and populist tax cuts by the Rajapaksa brothers, Sri Lanka is critically low on foreign exchange, and rampant inflation and fuel shortages have brought thousands onto the street in a month of protests that had remained predominantly peaceful until this week.

Elon Musk says $44bn Twitter deal temporarily on hold Agencies Elon Musk on Friday put his $44-billion deal for Twitter Inc temporarily on hold, citing pending details in support of calculation that spam and fake accounts indeed represent less than 5 per cent of users.

“Twitter deal temporarily on hold pending details supporting calculation that spam/fake accounts do indeed represent less than five per cent of users,” Musk said in a tweet.

Shares of the social media company fell 17.7 per cent to $37.10 in premarket trading, their lowest level since Musk disclosed his stake in the company in early April and subsequently made a “best and final” offer to take it private for $54.20 per share.

The implied probability of the deal closing at the agreed price fell below 50 per cent for the first time on Tuesday, when Twitter shares dropped below $46.75.

Twitter had earlier this month estimated that false or spam accounts represented fewer than 5 per cent of its monetisable daily active users during the first quarter, when it recorded 229 million users who were served advertising.

“Twitter deal temporarily on hold pending details supporting calculation that spam/fake accounts do indeed represent less than 5 per cent of users,” Musk tweeted on Friday.

However, hours later, he said he was still committed to buying Twitter. “Still committed to acquisition,” wrote Musk, after his earlier message had seen the firm’s share value plunge.

Musk, the world’s richest man and a self-proclaimed free speech absolutist, had said that one of his priorities would be to remove “spam bots” from the platform.

Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Musk’s representatives or his company Tesla Inc were not immediately available for a comment.

erdogan says turkey not supportive of Finland, Sweden joining nato AnKARA ReuteRs

The social media company had said it faced several risks until the deal with Musk is closed, including whether advertisers would continue to spend on Twitter amid “potential uncertainty regarding future plans and strategy.”

Musk has been critical of Twitter’s moderation policy. He has said he wants Twitter’s algorithm to prioritise tweets to be public and was against too much power on the service to corporations that advertise.

Musk says he prefers ‘less divisive’ candidate than truMp in 2024: On Thursday, Musk made clear that even though he wants Twitter to lift its permanent ban on former US president Donald Trump, that doesn’t mean he supports Trump in a prospective 2024 presidential campaign.

Musk told a Financial Times conference on Tues-

day that Twitter’s decision to ban Trump was “morally bad”. He followed up on those remarks in a tweet on Thursday evening, stressing he does not back Trump as a presidential candidate.

“Even though I think a less divisive candidate would be better in 2024, I still think Trump should be restored to Twitter,” he said.

Trump has said he does not want to return to Twitter, but instead wants to build up his own Truth Social platform.

He was banned from Twitter permanently in January 2021 because of the “risk of further incitement of violence” following the storming of the US Capitol, the company said then. Trump is considering another run for the presidency in 2024 after losing his re-election bid in 2020.

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday it was not possible for NATO-member Turkey to support plans by Sweden and Finland to join the pact, saying the Nordic countries were “home to many terrorist organisations”.

Finland’s plan to apply for NATO membership, announced on Thursday, and the expectation that Sweden will follow, would bring about the expansion of the Western military alliance that Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed to prevent by launching the Ukraine invasion. “We are following the developments regarding Sweden and Finland, but we don’t hold positive views,” Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul, adding it was a mistake for NATO to accept Greece as a member in the past. Turkey has been officially supportive of enlargement since it joined NATO 70 years ago. Any decision on enlargement must be made by unanimous agreement of its members. “As Turkey, we don’t want to repeat similar mistakes. Furthermore, Scandinavian countries are guesthouses for terrorist organisations,” Erdogan said. “They are even members of the parliament in some countries. It is not possible for us to be in favour,” he added. Swedish Foreign Ministry could not immediately comment on Erdogan’s statement. NATO states that membership is open to any “European state in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area”.

Tensions high ahead of Al Jazeera journalist’s funeral in Jerusalem Agencies Israel bolstered security in Jerusalem ahead of the funeral on Friday of veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, two days after she was killed during an Israeli army raid.

Israel and the Palestinians have traded blame over the fatal shooting of the 51-year-old PalestinianAmerican during an Israeli raid in the Jenin refugee camp.

The body of Abu Akleh, a Palestinian Christian born in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, has been transferred to the holy city from the occupied West Bank.

Her coffin began its journey to the drumbeat of a marching band, as crowds chanted slogans demanding an end to Palestinian security cooperation with Israel.

Thousands of mourners are expected to attend the funeral at a church in Jerusalem’s Old City in the afternoon, an Israeli police spokeswoman told AFP. Roads would be closed along the route of the procession, the

spokeswoman said, with extra forces deployed to Jerusalem to “ensure the funeral takes place safely and without violence that could endanger participants or others”.

In a sign of Abu Akleh’s prominence, she was given what was described as a full state memorial on Thursday at Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’s compound in Ramallah.

Thousands lined the route as her coffin, draped in the Palestinian flag, was driven through the West Bank city, where a street is to be renamed in her honour.

Many held flowers, wreaths and pictures of the journalist, who has been widely hailed for her bravery and professionalism.

“Her voice entered every home, and her loss is a wound in our hearts,” said mourner Hadil Hamdan. ‘sister of all palestinians’: The United States, European Union and United Nations have backed calls for a full investigation into what Al Jazeera labelled

a deliberate killing “in cold blood”, but the Palestinian Authority (PA) has rejected holding a joint probe with Israel.

Immediately after the shooting, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had said it was “likely” Abu Akleh was killed by stray Palestinian gunfire.

But hours later, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz said it could have been “the Palestinians who shot her” or fire from “our side”.

While reporting in Jenin, Abu Akleh was wearing a bulletproof vest emblazoned with the word “Press”, as well as a helmet.

Grief over her killing spilled beyond Palestine, with protests erupting in Turkey, Sudan and elsewhere.

She “was the sister of all Palestinians,” her brother Antoun Abu Akleh told AFP. Israel has publicly called for a joint probe and stressed the need for Palestinian authorities to hand over the fatal bullet for forensic examination.

But Abbas said the proposal had

been rejected.

“This crime should not go unpunished,” he said during the Ramallah memorial, adding the Palestinian Authority held Israel “completely responsible” for her death.

West Bank violence: The European Union has urged an “independent” probe while the US demanded the killing be “transparently

investigated”, calls echoed by UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet.

PA official Hussein Al Sheikh, a close Abbas confidant, said the Palestinian “investigation would be completed independently”.

An initial autopsy and forensic examination were conducted in Nablus in the West Bank hours after her death.

Fresh violence erupted on Friday in the northern West Bank, with an Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp leaving one Palestinian wounded, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

In a separate incident near Ramallah, soldiers “identified a suspect throwing a block at an Israeli car and trying to open its doors near Beit El” settlement, the army said.

“The force called on him to stop and eventually opened fire at the suspect, who was wounded and taken to a hospital,” a statement from the army said, noting “a knife and bottle of acid were found on his person.”

Tensions had already risen with a wave of attacks that have killed at least 18 people in Israel since March 22, including an Arab-Israeli police officer and two Ukrainians.

A total of 31 Palestinians and three Israeli Arabs have died during the same period, according to an AFP tally, among them perpetrators of attacks and those killed by Israeli security forces in West Bank operations.

Saturday, 14 May, 2022 | KARACHI

SPORTS 11

SpurS cruSh ArSenAl to keep top-four bid Alive LOnDOn

M

AFP

IKeL Arteta launched a scathing attack on referee Paul Tierney after Tottenham beat 10-man Arsenal 3-0 on Thursday to keep alive their hopes of finishing in the Premier League’s top four.

Antonio Conte’s side would have been eliminated from the race to qualify for next season’s Champions League if they had lost to their bitter north London rivals.

But Harry Kane tormented Arsenal once again as the Tottenham striker opened the scoring with a controversial penalty.

Crucially, Arsenal’s Rob Holding was sent off for two bookings in seven minutes.

Kane netted again before the interval and Son Heung-min bagged Tottenham’s third goal in the second half.

Instead of sealing a return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2016-17 season, fourth-placed Arsenal now face a nerve-jangling conclusion to the topfour battle.

Arsenal still hold a slender advantage, but the end of their four-match winning run leaves them just one point ahead of fifthplaced Tottenham, with both sides having two games left.

Gunners boss Arteta was furious with both the penalty and red card, saying: “If I say what I think I’m suspended for six months. I don’t know how to lie so I prefer not to say what I think.

“I cannot give my opinion. I think you can read my body language very clearly. I’m

not unhappy with my players. I’m proud of my players.

“I want the referees to come in front of the camera and explain his decisions. It’s a shame because such a beautiful game was destroyed today.”

Conte said several weeks ago that it would be a “miracle” if Tottenham reached the Champions League given their lowly position when he replaced the sacked Nuno espirito Santo in November.

But their victory in arguably the biggest north London derby since Arsenal won the league at White Hart Lane in 2004 ensured that miracle could still come true.

Tottenham host struggling Burnley on Sunday then travel to relegated Norwich, while Arteta’s men visit Newcastle on Monday and entertain everton.

Having masterminded Tottenham’s largest league win over Arsenal since 1983, Conte called on his players to maintain the momentum against Burnley.

“We won an important derby and now we are close to them in the table. For sure, we need to recover very well because we will play on Sunday against a team that has beaten us,” he said.

“I was very clear with my players, to enjoy and celebrate in the right way but at the same time think about Sunday as otherwise this win will not be important.”

As well as the huge european stakes for both sides, Tottenham also felt lingering resentment about Arsenal’s successful appeal to have this fixture postponed in January due to Covid and injury problems.

The acrimony did not take long to boil

over in the deafening atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Amid the maelstrom, it was Tottenham who landed the first blow after 22 minutes.

Cedric Soares collided with Son as they contested Dejan Kulusevski’s cross in the six-yard box and the contact was enough to convince Tierney to award a penalty.

Arsenal surrounded Tierney to complain angrily, but Kane stepped up to send Aaron Ramsdale the wrong way with a nerveless

spot-kick. Arsenal were shell-shocked and the game shifted decisively in Tottenham’s favour in the 33rd minute. eric Dier’s long pass targeted Son and Holding crudely blocked his path with his shoulder, a needless offence that prompted Tierney to send off the defender for his second booking. Scenting blood, Tottenham doubled their lead four minutes after Holding’s premature exit.

Rodrigo Bentancur flicked on a corner

and Kane stooped to head home from virtually on the line as Conte celebrated with a jig of delight. Kane, the top scorer in north London derby history in all competitions, now has 13 goals in 17 meetings with Arsenal, who must rue the day they rejected him as a eight-year-old.

The night got even better for Conte in the 47th minute as Kane rolled Gabriel and the ball broke for Son to clip a deft finish into the corner.

‘It’s time to hang up my gloves’: Ex-world champion Amir Khan retires from boxing Agencies British boxer of Pakistan origin Amir Khan announced on Friday that he was retiring from boxing after a 17-year professional career.

The 35-year-old British fighter, who became a unified world champion at light-welterweight, hangs up his gloves with a record of 34 wins from his 40 fights.

The 2004 Olympic silver medallist won the first 18 contests of his pro career, becoming one of the finest British boxers of his era.

Khan’s career ended in defeat when he was stopped in the sixth round of his grudge match against long-time rival and compatriot Kell Brook in Manchester in February.

Brook announced his own retirement last week.

“It’s time to hang up my gloves. I feel blessed to have had such an amazing career that has spanned over 27 years,” Khan wrote on his Twitter account.

“I want to say a heartfelt thanks to the incredible teams I have worked with and to my family, friends and fans for the love and support they have shown me.”

Khan became world champion in 2009, defeating Ukraine’s Andriy Kotelnik in a WBA super-lightweight bout and saw off US opponent Zab Judah to add the IBF belt two years later.

A controversial points loss against American Lamont Peterson later in 2011 brought Khan’s reign to a frustrating end.

Khan, who also challenged for world titles at welterweight and middleweight, lost to Mexico’s Saul Alvarez in 2016 and was also stopped by American Terence Crawford in 2019.

Villa seal permanent deal for Barca’s Coutinho LOnDOn AFP

Aston Villa completed the permanent signing of Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho on Thursday in a deal the La Liga club said is worth 20 million euros (£17 million).

The Brazilian has impressed since arriving at Villa on loan in January after struggling to make an impact at Barcelona.

Barca confirmed the transfer includes a 50 percent sell-on clause if Coutinho leaves Villa.

The former Liverpool star, who has scored four times and contributed three assists for Villa, has agreed a contract that runs until 2026.

"This is a brilliant signing for Aston Villa," Villa boss Steven Gerrard told the club's website.

"Phil is a model professional and his impact on the group has been very clear since he joined in January.

"With the way he conducts himself on and off the pitch, he's also a valuable role model for our younger players who can only benefit from his experience.

"As we look to build towards next season, it is incredible to work at a club that executes its business so decisively and smoothly."

Coutinho joined Barcelona from Liverpool in 2018 in a deal worth £146 million.

But, although he was a member of two title-winning teams at Barca, he never recaptured his Liverpool form. Coutinho, who spent the 2019-20 season on loan at Bayern Munich, scored 26 goals in 106 appearances for Barca.

Coutinho has been capped 67 times by Brazil and was part of the side that won the 2019 Copa America.

pakistan squad for Wi odis to be announced on May 23 news Desk The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Friday it would announce the national one-day international (ODI) squad for the West Indies series — slated for June — on May 23. The discussions on finalising the squad are underway, but the final announcement will be made later this month followed by a training camp that will be set up from May 29 or June 1 in Rawalpindi, the PCB said in a statement by the cricket board. Later on, PCB said it would announce squads for the tour of the Netherlands and Sri Lanka on June 13. Pakistan will tour the Netherlands for three ODIs, whereas only two Tests are scheduled in Sri Lanka after the ODI leg of the tour was scrapped due to the schedule of the Lanka Premier League (LPL). The PCB also confirmed that Multan would be the backup option to host the COVID-19 protocolfree West Indies series as the board keeps an eye on the political situation in the twin cities — Rawalpindi and Islamabad. This month, Pakistan women vs Sri Lanka women — three ODIs and three T20Is series — will also take place without any COVID-19 SOPs.

fifA World cup trophy to arrive in pakistan on June 7 news Desk The trophy of FIFA World Cup 2022 will arrive in Pakistan on June 7, a news outlet reported on Friday. According to the report, the tour of the trophy was kicked off Thursday in Dubai, where Iker Casillas and Kaka put the trophy on display. “We are now in a position to confirm that the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca Cola is intending to visit Islamabad on June 7,” a FIFA spokesperson said. “The FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour

by Coca Cola will stop in 51 countries and territories, bringing Coca Cola and FIFA one step closer to the goal of visiting each of FIFA’s 211 member associations by 2030. "After UAe, the tour will make several debut stops across the Middle east, visiting Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait. For the first time ever, the tour will visit all 32 countries that qualified for the FIFA World Cup, inspiring fans across the world through exclusive consumer experiences," the spokesperson added.

Saturday, 14 May, 2022

PrAyer Timings

NEWS

Pakistan’s economic tailsPin a Result of consPiRacy against Pti govt: imRan

P

news desK

TI chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan on Friday claimed that he and former finance minister Shaukat Tarin had warned the “neutrals” that the “fragile economic recovery would go into a tailspin” if the conspiracy against the PTI government succeeded.

Taking to Twitter, Imran said: “Rupee at all time low Rs193/$ (from Rs178 on March 8); interest rates at 15 per cent highest since 1998, stock market down 3,000 points or 6.4pc; stock market lost Rs604 billion capitalisation; inflation 13.4pc highest since Jan 2020.”

He went on to say that the numbers reflected the “lowest-ever confidence in the imported government”.

“Market awaiting policy and action which imported government has failed to provide. Both myself and Shaukat Tarin had warned the ‘neu-

trals’ that if [the] conspiracy succeeded, our fragile economic recovery would go into a tailspin,” he said.

The word “neutral” entered the political discourse following DG ISPR Maj-Gen Babar Iftikhar’s briefing in March in which he categorically stated that the army had nothing to do with politics and called for avoiding unnecessary discussion and speculation about the army’s alleged involvement in political affairs.

Imran’s remarks come as the Pakistan Stock Exchange and the rupee have both come under pressure over the past few days as the new coalition government has failed to take decisive economic decisions.

Earlier today, the greenback climbed above Rs193 in the interbank market, reaching a new all-time high and breaking its previous day’s record of Rs192 mark. This was the fourth consecutive day the dollar rose to a record high against the rupee.

Analysts and experts have linked

the economic pressure to uncertainty over the continuation of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) loan programme coupled with a rising oil import bill and widening trade deficit.

According to experts, the most important factor behind the erosion of investor sentiment has been the failure of the new coalition government to come up with a credible plan to take politically tough decisions to fix the economy. For example, it remains undecided about the reversal of the fiscally unsustainable energy subsidies, which is the ‘prior action’ that IMF wants it to take before it agrees to restart funding.

In recent meetings with the new finance minister, the IMF has linked the continuation of its loan programme with the reversal of fuel subsidies, which were introduced by the previous government. However, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has now twice rejected the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority’s summaries to increase fuel prices.

The PTI had announced a fourmonth freeze (until June 30) on petrol and electricity prices on February 28 as part of a series of measures to bring relief to the public.

The PML-N coalition government had severely criticised Imran Khan’s government for “derailing” the IMF programme through fuel subsidies but despite being at the helm for over a month, it has not reversed the subsidies. Finance Minister Miftah Ismail has repeatedly said these subsidies are not feasible and are costing the government Rs120 billion a month.

Ismail stated petrol should have been priced at Rs245 per litre according to the agreement the former government did with the IMF. However, the PML-N led government was still selling it at Rs145 per litre and would try its best to maintain that price, he added — a sign that the new government is finding it difficult to take a decision that might be unpopular with its voters.

UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed dies United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has died, the Ministry of Presidential Affairs said on Friday. He was also ruler of Abu Dhabi emirate.

“The Ministry of Presidential Affairs mourns to the UAE people, Arab and Islamic nations and the world the death of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who passed away on Friday,” the ministry said in a statement on state media without giving further details.

Under the constitution, vice-president and premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, would act as president until the federal council which groups the rulers of the seven emirates meets within 30 days to elect a new president.

Khalifa, born in 1948, had rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2014 and his half-brother Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, known as MbZ, has been the de facto ruler of the US-allied UAE, an Opec oil producer.

“The UAE has lost its righteous son and leader of the ’empowerment phase’ and guardian of its blessed journey,” MbZ said on Twitter, praising Khalifa’s wisdom and generosity.

The UAE would observe a 40-day mourning period with flags flown at half-mast as of Friday and suspend work at all public and private sector entities for three days, the ministry said.

Condolences started pouring in from Arab leaders including Bahrain’s king, Egypt’s president and Iraq’s prime minister.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was deeply grieved to hear about Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed’s death.

The PM condemned the demise of Sheikh Khalifa by stating that “the Government and people of Pakistan join me in conveying our profound sympathies and condolences over the passing away of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates” He added that “the demise of Sheikh Khalifa is a tremendous loss.

The world has lost a statesman of high stature, the UAE a great visionary and wise leader, and Pakistan a true friend and trusted partner. A humanist, with distinguished and diverse public service, the late President was ever close to his people, deeply devoted to their well-being and prosperity. His vision

of reform, development and modernization led the UAE to its rightful place in the comity of nations. The monumental legacy of the late President will continue to inspire the generations of Emiratis.”

He further stated that “under the sagacious leadership of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa, the relationship between Pakistan and the UAE scaled new heights. The strategic guidance provided by him contributed immensely to the strengthening of our fraternal ties and deepening of bilateral cooperation across the whole spectrum. His invaluable contributions will never be forgotten by the government and the people of Pakistan” The PM concluded by stating that “in this moment of grief, our thoughts and prayers are with the Al-Nahyan

family. May Allah grant the bereaved members of his family and the brotherly people of the UAE, the strength and fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.

Ameen! We pray to the Almighty to shower eternal blessings on the departed soul and to always keep UAE and its people safe, secure and prosperous.”

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa too offered his condolences.

“Pak has lost a great friend. May Allah Almighty bless his soul & give strength to bereaved family 2 bear this irreparable loss,” the army chief said.

“Heartfelt and deepest condolences on the sad demise of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Royal family and the people of the UAE,” Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari tweeted.

Former prime minister Imran Khan said he was truly saddened to hear about the UAE president’s passing away.

He paid tribute to Khalifa, calling him a great friend of Pakistan and a visionary leader of his people.

Khalifa came to power in 2004 in the richest emirate Abu Dhabi and became the head of state. He is expected to be succeeded as ruler of Abu Dhabi

by Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed.

Abu Dhabi, which holds most of the Gulf state’s oil wealth, has held the presidency since the founding of the UAE federation by Khalifa’s father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan alNahyan, in 1971. Agencies

FAJR SUNRISE

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ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

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Rupee hits all-time low against dollar KARACHI TLTP

Maintaining its spree of setting new lows for the fourth straight day, Pakistani rupee suffered yet another massive hit on Friday when the dollar rose to all-time high in the interbank market at Rs193.

The rupee’s weakest closings prior to this were 191.77, 190.02 and 188.66 during the last three days. It closed at Rs193 on Friday, rising by a rupee from the previous day ’s close of Rs192. Within the open market, the rupee was traded at 194/195 per dollar against 193/194 a dollar a day earlier.

The rupee has shed Rs6.86 against the US dollar during the last six sessions. Overall, the rupee has depreciated by Rs35.04 against the US dollar during the ongoing fiscal year 2021-22 and Rs16.04 during the current year 2022.

The main reason behind this rapid depreciation of rupee is delay in finalisation of an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Pakistani authorities and the IMF team will resume discussions over policies for completing the seventh review next week. Traders and markets are looking at the IMF as progress with the Fund instils investor confidence in the economy, stabilises Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves, and unlocks funding from other international financial institutions.

The government’s indecisiveness over economic decisions is heavily weighing on the local currency.

This sharp depreciation is also attributed to the prevailing uncertainty on the economic and political fronts. Moreover, the higher import bill is also weighing on the local currency. A widening trade deficit has put pressure on the country ’s foreign exchange reserves as well, with the centralbank held level falling to below two months of import cover.

On the other hand, the total liquid foreign exchange reserves held by the country dropped to their lowest level since December 2019 at $16.4 billion in the week that ended May 6, from $16.5 billion a week earlier. The central bank’s reserves also decreased to a 23-month low to $10.308 billion, the SBP reported on Thursday last.

Taking to Twitter, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan highlighted that the rupee was at an all-time low of Rs193 [per dollar] (from Rs178 per dollar on March 8); interest rates at 15% highest since 1998; stock market down 3,000 points or 6.4%; stock market lost Rs604 billion capitalisation; inflation 13.4% — highest since January 2020. “Reflects lowest ever confidence in imported government,” he wrote.

“The market [is] awaiting policy [and] action, which [the] imported government has failed to provide.

Both myself [and] Shaukat Tareen had warned the “neutrals” that if conspiracy succeeded our fragile economic recovery would go into a tailspin. That is what has now happened,” he added.

Meanwhile, former information minister Fawad Chaudhry criticised the new government for ignoring the economic crisis. “While the so-called government leaders are sitting in London, the US dollar has surpassed 193 […] this drama should end and the government should announce elections,” he wrote.

Replying to his criticism, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the dollar touched an “all-time high of Rs193 because of Imran Khan”.

“Imran Khan signed the IMF agreement and the people of Pakistan [are] suffering due to high inflation,” she said, blaming Imran Khan for causing economic instability in the country.

Pakistan parched and pummelled by blistering heatwave The country was in the grip of a heatwave on Friday, with parts of the nation previously scalded by temperatures of nearly 50 degrees Celsius as officials warned of acute water shortages and a health threat.

Swathes of the country have been smothered by high temperatures since late April, in extreme weather the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has warned is consistent with climate change.

On Thursday, Jacobabad hit 49.5C (121 degrees Fahrenheit), the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said, with temperatures forecast to remain high until the end of the week.

“It’s like fire burning all around,” said labourer Shafi Mohammad, who is from a village on the outskirts of Jacobabad where residents struggle to find reliable access to drinking water.

Nationwide, the PMD alerted temperatures were between 6C and 9C above normal, with Islamabad — as well as provincial hubs Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar — recording temperatures around 40C on Friday.

“This year we have jumped from winter right into summer,” said PMD chief fore-

caster Zaheer Ahmad Babar.

Pakistan has endured heightened heat waves since 2015, he said, focused in upper Sindh province and southern Punjab province.

“The intensity is increasing, and the duration is increasing, and the frequency is increasing,” he told AFP. Jacobabad nurse Bashir Ahmed says that, for the past six years, heatstroke cases in the city have been diagnosed earlier in the year — starting in May, rather than June or July.

“This is just increasing,” he said.

Punjab irrigation spokesman Adnan Hassan said the Indus river — Pakistan’s key waterway — had shrunk by 65 per cent “due to a lack of rains and snow” this year.

Sheep have reportedly died from heatstroke and dehydration in the Cholistan Desert of Punjab — Pakistan’s most populous province, which also serves as the national breadbasket.

“There is a real danger of a shortfall in food and crop supply this year in the country should the water shortage persist,” Hassan said.

On Tuesday climate minister Sherry Rehman warned residents in the megacity of

Lahore “to take cover for the hottest hours of the day”.

The heatwave has also ravaged India, with temperatures in parts of Rajasthan hitting 48.1C on Thursday.

Pakistan — home to 220 million — says it is responsible for less than one per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. But it ranks as the nation eighth most affected by extreme weather events, according to a 2021 study by environmental group Germanwatch.

Extreme heat can also trigger cascading disasters that could pummel Pakistan’s generally impoverished population.

The mountainous portions of the country are home to more than 7,000 glaciers, a number larger than any region outside the poles.

Quickly melting glaciers can swell lakes, which then burst their banks and unleash torrents of ice, rock and water in events known as glacial lake outburst floods.

Last weekend a key highway bridge in the Gilgit-Baltistan region was swept away in flash flooding caused by glacier melting.

In April, officials warned there were 33 lakes in Pakistan in danger of unleashing similar dangerous deluges.

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