EpaperKHI_22-5-21

Saturday, 21 May, 2022 I 19 Shawwal, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I vol XII No 321 I 12 Pages I Karachi Edition

Ban on luxury goods import to save $4B, says shehBaz g

ProPoses CPeC to be a trilateral arrangement between China, Pakistan and turkey

kaRaCHi/islamabad

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Staff RepoRteRS

rime minister shehbaz sharif on Friday depended his governmet decsion to ban import of luxury and non-essential items, cliaming that the ban will not only help save $4 billion but also support the local industry. “one thing is very much clear that objective behind the ban on import of luxury item – for a specific time – is to save foreign exchange and bring stability," the prime minister went on to say and added that this strict step will held save the country $4 billion, which is like earning $4 billion.”

Prime minister shehbaz sharif was addressing business community members and representatives during his visit to karachi. shehbaz said the import ban would support the local industry, underining the need for capping prices of those items under a certain formula. the prime minister sought business community suggestions to tackle the prevailing economic situation. drawing a comparison, Pm shehbaz infromed that in 2018, the dollar rate stood at rs 115, which jumped to rs 189 during three and a half years of the previous government. “when i assumed office of the

prime minister, dollar was at rs 189 and this rs60-65 rise is not our fault,” he remarked. he claimed that having perceived no-confidence motion success, the previous Pti government reduced the Pol prices although the country was faced with huge debt burden. "the ousted government neither provided relief to the common man in sugar, flour or edible oil, nor executed any agriculture or public welfare project with serious intention."

Pm shehbaz said despite unprecedented support from a national institution, the previous government could not perform, and recalled the mega projects executed during the Pml-n government, including CPeC, end to load-shedding, and installation of wind, solar, and lng power plants. he said the nation wanted to know as to where the huge loans were spent and whether the excessive load-shedding was due to political chaos or corruption. the prime minister said tht though, being a nuclear power, Pakistan was capable to foil any ill-intention against it, the country lagged behind india in the field of information technology which rose to a $200 billion export market contrary to $1.5 billion of Pakistan. however, he said he had asked the ministries concerned to take the it exports to $15 billion by empowering

youth.

Coming to the issues faced by the karachi city, the prime minister said an investment of $1 billion by saudi arabia was ready, which could be used to address the problem of water supply by installing a desalination plant. meanwhile Prime minister shehbaz sharif on Friday directed the authorities concerned to benefit from turkish expertise and experience in all possible avenues. the prime minister, in delegation level talks with turkish minister of national defence hulusi akar, extended his heart-felt gratitude to the government and the people of turkey for their strong commitment in helping Pakistan develop robust institutions like karachi shipyard, which has been transformed into a profit-earning organization over the years due to the turkish support. "trade activates have the potential to increase manifold with the development of financial and industrial activities. the ongoing CPeC project is set to translate our desire to enhance regional connectivity and maximise trade [...] with gwadar at its focal point. "i would like to avail this opportunity to propose that let this — CPeC — be a trilateral arrangement between China, Pakistan and turkey and let us benefit from its wonderful potential to benefit our nations," he said, assuring the participants that the government was committed to developing maritime infrastructure. at the outset, Pm shehbaz began by lauding the launch of the warship built with the cooperation and collaboration of a turkish company. he also appreciated the efforts of naval chief admiral muhammad amjad khan niazi and turkish defence minister hulusi akar. "this is yet another great example of cooperation between Pakistan and turkey under [the] very able and dynamic leadership of President recep tayyip erdogan, who is not only a great brother and friend but also a great supporter of Pakistan's cause, and under his leadership our mutual fraternal relations have transformed into much higher heights than before."

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Bilawal invites US Congress members to Pakistan g

Fm to visit China today islamabad inp

Foreign minister bilawal bhutto Zardari has met us Congresswoman sheila Jackson lee in new york and thanked her for her keen interest in strengthening Pakistan-us ties, besides inviting her and the us Congressional Caucus to Pakistan. bilawal had arrived in the us on tuesday to attend the two-day ministerial conference on the threat to global food security on the invitation of us secretary of state antony blinken. during the meeting, bilawal and the us Congresswoman discussed cooperation in climate change, humanitarian assistance to afghanistan, and ease of travel between Pakistan and the us. the foreign minister lauded sheila Jackson for her outstanding leadership while the us Congresswoman appreciated the vision of bilawal for advancing Pakistan-us relations. the foreign minister said that sheila Jackson is the greatest advocate of Pakistan-us relations, adding that he would pursue engagement with the us and soon visit washington to unlock the true potential of the bilateral ties. he noted that ties between Pakistan and the us have cemented through enhanced interaction and exchanges between the leadership, parliamentarians, students and people-to-people contacts. the foreign minister said that Pakistan is committed to promoting entre-

ECP’s decision will have no effect on Punjab govt: Marriyum news desk Following the election Commission of Pakistan (eCP)’s decision to deseat 25 dissident Pti mPas, information minister marriyum aurangzeb on Friday said that the ruling will have no effect on the Punjab government. addressing a press conference, the minister criticised the Pti and said that the party Chairman imran khan was earlier hurling abuses at the eCP and asking his followers to attack its offices, but now, after receiving a decision in his party’s favour, he is praising the commission. she emphasised that the decision is “only for the 25 dissident Pti members”, adding that the de-seating of the members will have no effect on the election of Chief minister Punjab hamza shahbaz as the allied parties already have the support of 177 members. berating the former Pti-led gov-

ernment, the Pml-n leader said that “these are the people who want to cling on to power no matter how much they hurt the country’s situation”. she further said that the dissident members are those who showed a lack of confidence in their party’s decision and decided to vote for someone else, adding that the Pti’s defecting parliamentarians voted against khan publicly. the information minister went on to say that these members are eligible to cast their votes for the noconfidence motion. “they knew about the consequences and voted against their party and in favour of the nation,” she said. “the dissident members have the right to challenge the eCP’s decision,” said the information minister. the Pml-n leader further maintained that the Pti government “looted the nation for four years and

preneurship and protecting women rights and democracy.

Congresswoman Jackson said that she would fully support the foreign minister’s endeavours and continue to highlight Pakistan’s efforts for women empowerment, fostering democracy and stability.

BILawaL To vISIT ChINa: on the special invitation of China Foreign minister wang yi, bilawal will visit China on may 21-22. the minister of state for foreign affairs and senior officials will be part of the foreign minister’s delegation. during the visit, the foreign minister will hold extensive consultations with wang yi. the two leaders will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations, with a particular focus on stronger trade and economic cooperation between Pakistan and China, besides discussing progress on the China-Pakistan economic Corridor (CPeC). the two sides will also have wideranging exchange of views on major regional and international issues. bilawal’s visit will also coincide with the 71st anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China. earlier, wang yi had written a letter to bilawal, congratulating him on his assumption of the office of foreign minister. Previously, the two foreign ministers had held a virtual meeting on may 11.

more inside

ECP de-seats 25 PTI Punjab defectors STORY ON PAGE 02

CPPa seeks rs 4.5/unit hike in electricity price STORY ON PAGE 03 benefitted the cartels and mafias”. she said that khan should be held accountable in the foreignfunding case and he should also clarify the position of his wife’s friend, Farah gogi, who has been accused of corruption. she added that the decision regarding the foreign-funding case should be announced within a day just, after which, a ban should be imposed on the Pti. the information minister added that the people of Pakistan have rejected the Pti. govt reviving naCta, reviewing naP:

in her speech at the national assembly, the information minister said that the government has decided to “revive” the national Counter terrorism authority (naCta) and is reviewing the national action Plan to counter terrorism in the country. she noted that terrorism is once again on the rise in the country. “but we need to note some things here. in the last four years, not a single meeting of naCta, which is chaired by the prime minister, was held. in 2014, nawaz sharif had prepared Pakistan’s first national security policy,” she recalled.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

PTI cannot snatch Punjab from PML-N: Maryam STORY ON BACK PAGE

long march towards islamabad to begin between may 25 to 29: imran STORY ON BACK PAGE

02

Saturday, 21 May, 2022 | KARACHI

NEWS

ECP dE-sEaTs 25 PTI dEfECTors In Punjab ISLAMABAD

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stAff RePoRteR

HE Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday de-seated 25 dissident Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) MPAs who voted for PML-N's Hamza Shehbaz Sharif in Punjab chief minister election.

The election body had reserved its verdict on Tuesday on the disqualification reference of 25 dissident PTI MPAs of the Punjab Assembly.

Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi had sent disqualification references against the deviant members.

The dissident lawmakers are Abdul Aleem Khan, Raja Sagheer Ahmed, Malik Ghulam Rasool Sangha, Saeed Akbar Khan, Mohammad Ajmal, Abdul Aleem Khan, Nazir Ahmed Chohan, Mohammad Amin Zulqernain, Malik Nauman Langrial, Mohammad Salman, Zawar Hussain

Warraich, Nazir Ahmed Khan, Fida Hussain, Zahra Batool, Mohammad Tahir, Aisha Nawaz, Sajida Yousaf, Haroon Imran Gill, Uzma Kardar, Malik Asad Ali, Ijaz

Court summons lawyers in IHC building attack case

Masih, Mohammad Sabtain Raza, Mohsin Atta Khan Khosa, Mian Khalid Mehmood, Mehar Mohammad Aslam and Faisal Hayat.

SC verDICt: The ECP decision comes

Sherry raises alarms at ravaging fire in Sherani District

ISLAMABAD News Desk

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Friday summoned all lawyers named in case pertaining to attack on district court and Islamabad High Court (IHC)’s building in a protest against demolishing of illegal chambers. The court also ordered to provide the copies of challan to the accused. ATC Judge Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan heard the case regarding the above matter. Around 30 lawyers named in the case appeared before the court during the hearing. They prayed the court to grant copies of challan before their indictment in the case. The judge accepted the request and then summoned them all on next hearing for indictment. The court asked the accused to ensure their attendances on next hearing May 30. It may be mentioned here that a mob of violent lawyers had attacked the building of IHC on February 8, 2021. The police had registered case against them under Anti Terrorism Act clauses.

Ghazi Gandkar hills fire destroys miles long forests HARIPUR News Desk

The jungle fire in two days destroyed miles-long forests and killed rare species of animals and birds in the hilly areas of Gandkar Tehsil Ghazi. According to the details, the fire erupted in the forest due to unknown reasons, around several miles of forests on the hills of Gandkar along with the rare type of birds and animals have been burnt alive in the North of Haripur still waiting for KPK government to extinguish the fire. Locals told to media that besides the precious forests the fire also burnt the rare species of wildlife and their eggs including Grey Goral, Black Partridge, Grey Partridge, Chakur Partridge, See-see Partridge etc, in the breeding season. Despite the efforts of locals to extinguish the fire, they failed and incredibly no provincial department have taken any step to cope with the catastrophe. The locals disclosed that the fired erupted two days ago around the hills of Gandkar spreading miles long areas which also increased the temperature and endangered the rare species of wildlife, as people of the area were frightened of the degree and amount of the ablaze.

days after SC's decision on the interpretation of Article 63 (A), announcing that defective votes will not be counted.

The decision was made with a majority of 3-2, Justice Jamal Mandokhel and Justice Nazeer Alam dissented from the decision.

The hearing of the case commenced on March 21 under a two-member bench, which was later increased to a larger bench

by CJP Bandial. Article 63(A) cannot be interpreted alone, other articles also need to be kept in context, said the Cheif Justice in the verdict.

HAMZA LOSt MAJOrItY: Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz Sharif received a total of 197 votes while 186 votes are required for a simple majority.

As these 25 lawmakers are no longer members of the House, Hamza has lost his majority in the House.

SCHeDULe FOr ISLAMABAD LG POLLS: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday issued the schedule to hold local government election in Islamabad,

ISLAMABAD News Desk

Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman on Friday expressed her grave concerns over ravaging forest fire getting out of hands and urged the provincial government to take cognizance of its repercussions.

The Climate Change Minister chaired the second meeting of the PM's Task Force on Global Warming and Heat Wave held here at the Ministry of Climate Change. Federal Minister for National Food Security Tariq Bashir Cheema, along with secretary information, Chairman NDMA and provincial secretaries attended the meeting. The meeting was convened to apprise the minister on the functioning of the Task Force till now, said a news release.

The Climate Change Minister said, "The pine nut

trees are burning and three deaths have already been reported. NDMA has provided a helicopter for the mission, now the provincial governments need to apprise the Federal government on what is being done there." During the meeting, the Federal Minister was apprised about the establishment of the central coordination unit. This unit will ensure interprovincial coordination and will allow Federal government to stay updated on the current climate change situation throughout the country.

Another task achieved by the MoCC since the first meeting is the setting up of IT portal which will be completed by 31st May. The ministry had also received information on actionable decisions from the provinces. The meeting further included updates on the ongoing information sharing and vigilance on heatwave. Further, livestock departments were advised to adopt a proactive approach in providing the needed information on Heatwave and water scarcity affecting the livestock. Ministry of Water Resources was directed to provide information on the current water situation in the country so that informed decisions can be taken on the matter.

Provincial Chief secretaries provided information on the water situation of their regions. Chief Secretary Sindh reported high water stress still faced by the region. The issue of shutting down tubewells to preserve ground water was also discussed during the meeting. Lining of canals and other water bodies was stressed and information on the water availability in each province was requested of the provincial chief secretaries.

PM takes notice of Sanobar trees' fire in Balochistan ISLAMABAD News Desk

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Friday took notice of the eruption of fire in Sanobar trees in Baluchistan’s Sherani District, and expressed his grief and shock over the death of three persons.

He directed the federal disaster management departments to take action on immediate basis. The prime minister further directed to take immediate measures, in cooperation with the provincial government, to put out the fire erupted in the radius of seven kilometers. He also ordered to investigate the incident and fix the responsibility.

The prime minister directed to ensure the provision of best medical facilities to the injured and

shift them to the burn centers. He also prayed for early recovery of those injured in the fire incident

according to which, polling will take place on July 17, 2022.

As per the schedule, the aspirant candidates may submit their nomination papers with the Returning Officers (ROs) from May 30 to June 3 while the names of the nominated candidates will be published on June 4.

The ROs will conduct the scrutiny of the nomination papers from June 6 to 8 whereas from June 9 to 11, appeals will be filed against the decision of the Returning Officers.

Three days from June 13 to 15 have been set for the Appellate Tribunal to decide the appeals followed by the publication of the revised list of the candidates on June 17.

Likewise, June 18 has been fixed as the last date for the withdrawal of candidates and the publication of the revised list of candidates.

The contesting candidates will be allotted election symbols on June 20 while the election will be held on July 17.

PTI chief misusing KP govt resources: Kundi Spokesman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Faisal Karim Kundi said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan was misusing the resources especially, helicopter of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to attend the public gathering across the country. Addressing a press conference along with Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, he said that the next general elections would be held in consensus with coalition partners and not on the ambition of Imran Khan as he had already become a past. The spokesman said that Imran Khan during his tenure, not protected Pakistani prisoner Dr Aafia Siddique and now become the counsel of Farah Gogi which was disgusting. He said that dissident Members of Provincial Assembly, Punjab had voted to Hamza Shahbaz Sharif in the day light against the policies of the PTI leadership. Pakistan is going to improve relation with United States of America (USA), European Union and all the countries for which Minister for Foreign Affairs, Bilawal Bhutto was on foreign official tour, he said. Foreign Minister Bilawal in his foreign tour defended Imran Khan’s tour to Russia as country’s interest must be kept supreme. He said Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan should highlight the performance of his nearly four years rule to the masses in public gatherings by avoiding criticizing the national institutions. Faisal Kundi questioned Imran Khan whether he would talk against the apex court and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) after the decision of ECP de seating 25 members of Punjab Assembly! He said all the PTI MNAs including former Speaker National Assembly are still availing perks and privileges including salaries, allowances, car facility and accommodation in Parliament Lodges. APP

PTI tightens chairman's security amid life threats ISLAMABAD: High profile security officials have issued a threat alert to PTI leadership about a possible attack on Chairman Imran Khan. According to media reports, high profile security officials have informed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader and Imran Khan’s Chief of Staff Shehbaz Gill about a possible attack on former Prime Minister Imran Khan. PTI officials have tightened Chairman Imran Khan’s security amid the threat alert, sources say. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan had said in a public gathering in Sialkot on May 14, that a conspiracy is being hatched to kill him and that he has recorded a video statement which will be released if he is murdered so that the nation knows the conspirators. News Desk

PA speaker moves LHC against Hamza's appointment as CM LAHORE stAff RePoRteR

Speaker Punjab Assembly Pervaiz Elahi on Friday challenged Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shahbaz's appointment as the Punjab Chief Minister in Lahore High Court (LHC).

LHC has directed Hamza Shahbaz and other parties to submit their reply in the court.

In the remarks, the Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti directed to inform the court about the implementation of the Supreme Court’s decision regarding the dissident Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members.

Later, the court adjourned the hearing till May 25.

Earlier on Thursday, a petition had been filed in LHC to remove Hamza Shehbaz as CM Punjab. The petition states that Supreme Court of Pakistan has

announced its verdict on dissident members votes and now Hamza Shehbaz has lost majority in Punjab Assembly.

The plea further states that Hamza has no legal and constitutional right to stay CM Punjab and all his action in the capacity are illegal and unconstitutional.

The plaintiff prayed the court to nullify notification of Hamza s appointment as CM and bar him from performing duties.

AWAIS ALLOWeD tO CONtINUe WOrK AS AGP: Meanwhile, the LHC chief justice on Friday allowed Ahmad Awais to continue his work as Punjab Advocate General and directed the provincial authorities not to stop him from doing his job.

LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti was hearing a petition filed by Mr Awais challenging the notification of the Punjab government which stopped him from doing his job.

The chief justice sought a written reply from all the concerned parties including Punjab chief secretary to ensure that no facility would be taken back from Advocate General Ahmad Awais.

Additional advocate general Ch Jawad Yaqoob appeared before the court on behalf of the Punjab government. Shafqat Mehmood Chohan advocate and other lawyers appeared in the court to represent the advocate general.

Then the CJ asked the additional advocate general whom he was representing? AAG Yaqoob said that he was representing the Punjab government. Chief Justice Bhatti asked him under which law he was appointed to the office of advocate general.

On this, Mr Yaqoob said that it was an internal mechanism through which he was given the responsibilities. The CJ wondered how on earth the law secretary could assign him this charge.

Saturday, 21 May, 2022 | KARACHI

CPPa sEEKs rs 4.5/unIT HIKE In ElECTrICITY PrICE ISLAMABAD

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AHMAD AHMADANI

OWER tariff is likely to go up as Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) has sought Rs 4.5 per unit hike and National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) is scheduled to hear the matter on 31st May, 2022.

As per details, inflation-hit masses are likely to bear a jolt in the form of hike in electricity price as CPPA has submitted an application and asked to jack up the power tariff by Rs 4.0554 per

kilowatt hour (kWh) on account of fuel charges adjustment (FCA) for the month of April for Ex-WAPDA Distribution Companies. And, NEPRA’s hearing on the application of the CPPA is scheduled to be held on May 31.

According to sources in power sector, if NEPRA approves Rs 4.5/unit hike in the power tariff then power consumers of DISCOs will bear additional burden of approximately Rs 59 billion and 45 crore. However, NEPRA will take final decision after hearing the matter and scrutiny of data submitted by CPPA.

The CPPA, on behalf of power distribution companies (DISCOs), has informed the NEPRA that total 13 billion and 55 crore unit of electricity was produced with different fuels at production cost of Rs 10.66/kWh while the reference cost for April 2022 was set at Rs 6.60/unit.

According to the CPPA, electricity generated with hydel source was 18.55 percent, coal 16.74pc, furnace oil 12.07%, gas 9.85%, Re-gasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) 19.42%, nuclear 17.37%, wind 3.59%, baggasse 0.82% and solar 0.67% in the

said month of April 2022.

It is relevant to note that cost of electricity with furnace oil in the month of April 2022 was Rs 28.19/unit, HSD Rs 27.73/unit, coal Rs 14.33/unit, gas Rs 8.38/unit, RLNG Rs 16.43/unit, nuclear Rs 1.01/unit, and baggasse Rs 5.92/unit.

It is pertinent to mention that this requested hike in power tariff will not be applicable on K-Electric consumers and lifeline consumers of DISCOs if NEPRA approves the power tariff increase under the head FCA of April 2022.

President upholds 'removal from service' of NAB officer

ISLAMABAD News Desk

President Dr Arif Alvi on Friday upheld the punishment of 'Removal from Service' of a former Assistant Director of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Sukkur, Faheemullah, over the

leaking of classified information that led to the escape of an accused person from arrest.

The President rejected the appeal of Faheemullah against the major penalty of 'Removal from Service' imposed by the NAB and stated that for corrupt individuals, such penalty of did not do

justice. He directed NAB to prosecute the corrupt official and others identified in the inquiry in a Court of Law to punish them for the wrong done to the country and for doing corruption within the very institution that was responsible for controlling corruption.

According to details, Faheemullah (the appellant) was accused of unauthorizedly leaking out the Warrant of Arrest (WoA) of an accused, Rafiq Ahmed Rajpar, Ex-Deputy Director Food Department, Larkana, who was wanted in a Food case by the NAB, Sukkur.

Faheemullah shared the classified information with his friend, Yaqoob Rajpar (Ex-Deputy Assistant Director NAB, who is currently serving as the Assistant Commissioner, Federal Board of Revenue, Shikarpur).

Yaqoob passed on the information about WoA to Rafiq Ahmed Rajpar, who managed to flee and avoided the execution of the Warrant of Arrest.

After inquiry and adhering to all legal formalities, the charges of illegal sharing of WoA were proven against Faheemullah and a major penalty of 'Removal from Service' was imposed upon the appellant.

Faheemullah, then, submitted an appeal addressed to the President of Pakistan, the Appellate Authority under NAB Employees Terms and Conditions of Services (TCS) Rules 2002. After granting the NAB official the opportunity of being heard and examining the details of the case, President Dr Arif Alvi rejected his appeal on the grounds that he had not provided any cogent reason to recall the earlier decision of 'Removal from Service'.

He noted that WoA and other documents regarding the case, which originated from Faheemullah, reached Rafiq Rajpar, who on the basis of information was getting bails and avoiding arrest in a Food case.

He also pointed out that the existence of links between Faheemullah, Yaqoob Rajpar and Rafiq Rajpar was established, and the forensic analysis of telephones owned by the appellant and Yaqoob Rajpar also showed that gross corruption was taking place in NAB under them. The President directed that investigation and tracking should be done in all other details about this naked corruption within NAB, Sukkur, and rejected the appeal of Faheemullah.

Overall punctuality of trains improved by 90 percent last month ISLAMABAD APP

The overall punctuality ratio of Pakistan Railways trains improved by 90 percent in last month due to untiring efforts of the management to improve facilities on tracks.

“Pakistan Railways has observed 77 percent punctuality of mail and express, 100 percent in intercity and over 90 percent punctuality in the month of April,” an official in the Ministry of Railways told APP. He said that with the punctuality of trains and concrete measures taken by the government, over 20 million passengers have been added in the system, which is an ample proof of department's achievement.

"The quality of food served in the passenger trains

had been improved considerably as it had been officially supervised by the authorities that passengers should get pure and quality food on the trains," he added. To a question, he said in pursuance to the policy of the Federal Government, Pakistan Railways had outsourced some of its trains under Public Private Policy (PPP).

According to policy decision given by Railways Board, Ministry of Railways, the bids more than the Railways earning would be accepted, he added.

He said it was quite evident that the decision had been made to minimize the losses of Pakistan Railways by bridging the gap between earning and expenditure.

Hence under this policy, Pakistan Railways had introduced outsourcing of commercial management of passenger and freight trains, luggage/brake vans,

dinning cars etc. He said Pakistan Railways was getting fixed amount per annum from these activities through private sector without any complicity.

The official said a number of steps had been initiated by the coalition government to rationalize and improve the affairs of Pakistan Railways including the hiring of a new Chief Finance Officer (CFO) from private sector to ensure strict financial discipline in Pakistan Railways.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pakistan Railways Freight Transportation Company (PRFTC) had also been hired from private sector to improve and enhance the freight earning of the department, he added. He said e-ticketing was being modernized by introducing the Rail Automated Booking and Travel Assistance (RABTA) system.

Armed Forces showered with praise at MUST seminar MIRPUR (AJK) News Desk

A grand seminar on 'Unprecedented role of Pakistan Army for National Security and Solidarity' was held at Mirpur University of Science & Technology (MUST) here on Friday.

The grand seminar on 'Unprecedented role of Pakistan Army for National Security and Solidarity' at MUST Varsity reiterated full solidarity with valiant Armed Forces of Pakistan as the largely attended congregation banged with the zindabad slogans for Pakistan and Pakistan Armed forces.

The seminar, chaired by Engr. Prof. Hassan Mustafa Jaffery, Dean Faculty of Engineering and Technology MUST, was addressed among others by the chair Dr. Jaffery, Deputy Commissioner Ch. Amjad Iqbal, SSP Kamran Ali, Senior Kashmiri journalist Altaf Hamid Rao, Station Director Azad Kashmir Radio Mirpur Muhammad Shakeel, ex Chairman AJK

Supreme Court Bar Association Raja Fiyaaz Nawabi and ex Judge Supreme Court of AJK Masood A. Sheikh and President Mirpur Bar Association Faisal Manzoor and others.

The speakers said that the armed of Pakistan were the great honor and respect of Pakistan in view of the reality that the armed forces of the country always performed their constitutional role in both war and peace time as and when needed including in the war against terrorism, any aggression from across the boundaries including the LoC, assisting affectees during the natural catastrophe of floods or earthquakes.

They said that as such the grand sacrifices and services of the brave armed forces of Pakistan could never ever be set aside.

In AJK, the solidarity day special programs were followed by public rallies, seminars and symposiums in all small and major towns across the Azad territory including the state’s metropolis – Muzaffarabad as well as the divisional and district headquarters of Mirpur,

Kotli, Bhimbher, Bagh, Rawalakot, Palandri, Haveili, Hattiyan, Bagh and Neelam Valley besides the tehsil headquarters to repose full confidence and trust in the armed forces of Pakistan besides to reiterate their deeprooted determination to fight shoulder-to-shoulder the valiant forces of Pakistan against the enemy in case of any challenge to the frontiers of Pakistan or AJK. Later the participants including the varsity students staged a rally in the varsity campus holding national flags of Pakistan and AJK besides raising 'zinda bad' slogans for Pakistan.

The varsity students and others while speaking on this occasion reiterated their determination that the people of Azad Jammu & Kashmir were fully prepared to make the defense of inch after inch of the country shoulder to shoulder the valiant armed forces of Pakistan in case of any aggression from across the frontiers and the LoC. “The people of AJK will not hesitate to give any sacrifice for the defense of Pakistan and AJK”, the declared.

NEWS

03

World’s inaction over Yasin unfair trail deplorable: Mushaal ISLAMABAD News Desk

The senior hurriyat leader Mushaal Hussein Mullick termed the conviction of her husband and Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Yasin Malik by an Indian court in fictitious and fabricated cases as shameful and vowed that Kashmiris would not rest till reverse the verdict and ensure his release from Indian unlawful detention.

Speaking at a protest demonstration against the unfair trial of Yasin Malik and other Kashmiri detainees here outside Faisal Mosque on Friday, she urged the Indian authorities to revisit the shameful decision and order his graceful release. She said that Yasin has been the face of freedom struggle of Kashmir and his resilience and courage has given Kashmiris new hope that is the reason the Indian occupation forces are now planning to take his life. Mushaal, who is also Chairperson of the Peace and Culture Organization, warned that if the fascist Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi repeated the same old mistake of silencing the freedom fighters through tortured to death and judicial murders, as it would be tantamount to put the India into an unending war whose flames would reduce India into ashes. She said that fascist Modi led government turned the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) into a tortured cell and world largest prison and silencing the top hurriyat leaders one after another but unfortunately the international community observed a deafening silence over the unabated heinous war crimes being committed

by Indian authorities, which is deplorable. Mushaal urged Indian authorities to stop the victimization of the true representatives of the Kashmiri people and let them decide their fate because all brutal and inhuman acts failed to server their purpose to defuse the freedom struggle. The hurriyat leader said that Yasin is symbol of peaceful resistance movement to break the shackles of Indian slavery and he could not be deterred by implicating him in false and fabricated cases. She reminded the world powers, UN bodies and human right organisations of their due responsibility to raise voice against this world worst criminal act of convicting Yasin and force Indian authorities to release him from jail.

Saturday, 21 May, 2022 | KARACHI

04 NEWS

PRL inks $1.2B contRact to doUBLe its oiL Refining caPacity ISLAMABAD

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AHMAD AHMADANi

AKISTAN Refinery Limited (PRL) in a bid to double its refining capacity has inked an agreement worth $ 1.2 billion with Wood Group UK Limited (Wood) as Front End Engineering Design (FEED) contractor for Refinery Expansion and Upgrade Project (REUP).

As per details, PRL, without any government support or incentive and in the absence of a new refinery policy, has signed the agreement with the Wood Group UK Limited (Wood) in Dubai. Through the contract, the PRL appointed the Wood as the Front End Engineering Design (FEED) Contractor

for the Refinery Expansion and Upgrade Project (REUP).

This much-needed contract was signed

by Zahid Mir, Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director of PRL and Daniel Jennings, Head of Commercial, UK Projects of Wood.

The signing ceremony was attended by Syed M. Taha, MD & CEO of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and a member of PRL Board of Directors while certain other board members and the leadership team of PRL, and senior representatives of Wood were in attendance.

This project (REUP) entails upgrading the existing refinery from hydro skimming to deep conversion which will significantly reduce production of High Sulphur Furnace Oil (HSFO) and will maximize production of environment friendly EURO V standard

kP envisages Rs170bn development program for next year PESHAWAR Aziz BuNeri

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has proposed increase in the volume of development program for the settled districts for the next financial year to Rs170 billion. The planning and development Department said that the development program of most of the administrative departments has been finalised. According to P&D sources, the volume of development program for settled district for thecurrent financial year was Rs165 billion but for the upcoming financial year, an increase of Rs5 billion has been proposed. The same development program also includes the funds of the local governments. Sources said that for the next financial year, there will be more focus on the ongoing development projects as dministrative departments have been tasked to complete their projects. According to sources, the Chief Minister will be briefed by each department on its development program, after which the next year's program will be finalised.

Pak army guarantee to Pakistan’s defense: senator QUETTA News Desk

Senator SaminaMumtazZehri said that Pakistan's defense is in safe hands due to the sacrifices rendered by valiant armed forces. Pakistan Army has always demonstrated professional and technical capabilities and thwarted the nefarious designs of the enemies, she said in a statement issued here Friday. SaminaZehri said that Pakistan's geographical location and strong army was the only guarantee to security and survival of Pakistan. She said that due to its geographical location, Pakistan had always been important in every era and its geographical position cannot be taken advantage of without a strong and powerful army. Over the past two decades, Pakistan has made every effort to bring peace to the world and has made tremendous sacrifices for the establishment of peace. If we look at the spirit of those who have sacrificed for the defense of the country, we should be proud of their brave forces that the numerical superiority of the enemy has no place in the eyes of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the security of the country and the nation, she noted. She said that the manner in which the Pakistani forces are facing internal and external enemies and the way in which they are constantly fighting on different fronts as well as protecting the country's borders and internal and external conspiracies is a very difficult one.

premium products such as High-Speed Diesel (HSD) and Motor Spirit (MS/Petrol) while this project will also double the crude processing capacity from 50,000 barrels per day to 100,000 barrels per day. The upgraded complex will also produce propylene which is a valuable feed stock for petrochemicals.

Project cost, currently estimated at approximate USD 1,200 million, will be finalised at the completion of FEED followed by award of Engineering Procurement & Construction (EPC) contract.

It is relevant to note that none of the country’s refineries has so far initiated such a wonderful up-gradation project as all are waiting for incentives to be announced through the much-awaited new refinery policy.

According to sources in the oil refining

sector, total duration of REUP is five years with FEED with feed period of 18 months.

They said that PRL must be appreciated for taking initiative proactively without waiting for government support or incentives. They said PRL by initiating the REUP will be able to reduce import bill and it is estimated that around 500 million dollars will be saved if count the current prices of crude, HSD and petrol in the international oil market. But, it can be reduced if the prices of HSD and petrol decrease in the global oil market, said sources.

In a letter dated May 20, 2022 to the General Manager, Pakistan Stock Exchange Limited, the PRL has informed about the signing of agreement with Wood Group UK Limited appointing them as the Front End Engineering Design (FEED) contractor for

the Refinery Expansion and Upgrade Project (REUP). The PRL further told that this project will increase the crude processing capacity from 50,000 barrels per day to 100,000 barrels per day, significantly reduce High Sulphur Furnace Oil HSFO) to less than five percent and maximise premium products such as High Speed Diesel (HSD) and Motor Spirit (MS/Petrol) meeting the EURO V specification.

Imran to be PM again after three months: Mahmood SWAT syeD sHAHABuDDiN

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mahmood Khan has claimed that Imran Khan will be the Prime Minister again after three months after sending the “imported government” packing.

The KP chief minister expressed the views while addressing a public rally at Barikot Ground during his visit to Swat on Friday.

On the occasion, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan laid the foundation stone of Swat Motorway Phase II and Engineering University Campus Kandak.The Chief Minister also inaugurated the upgradation of Civil Hospital Barikot, Playground Shamozai and Babe- Udhyana at Lindakay area.

Addressing the gathering, Mahmood Khan said that with the completion of mega projects worth billions of rupees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including Swat District, the province has entered a new era of development.

He said that 2.5 million tourists visited Malakand and Hazara divisions last year, which has generated more than Rs60 billion revenue.

He said that Swat Motorway phaseII would play a significant role in the development and tourism of Swat.

Mahmood Khan said that construction of Swat Motorway would be completed in any case and reservations of land owners in this regard would be removed soon. He said that Amir Muqam has come down on enmity with Swat as “we had given billions of rupees to PESCO and SNGPL to provide relief to the people of Swat and other areas. But Amir Muqam is obstructing both departments on the basis of prejudice.”

“We will take our right from the federation at every cost,” he declared.

The Chief Minister said that in the past his government had announced the health card and made this dream come a reality. He also fulfilled his promise to provide Rs10,000 per month to the prayers leaders in mosques.

Now the food card has been issued and it will bring relief to the poor and also Education card will also be launched soon,this will open new avenues of edu-

KPRA's drive ends with over 200K new registrations PESHAWAR Aziz BuNeri

The Registration Drive of KPRA, launched for taxpayers’ facilitation and tax acceleration in North Region, concluded in Naran on Friday. Over two hundred service providers in Haripur, Mansehra, Balakot, Naran, Kaghan, Batakundi and Jalkhand were brought into the taxnet and over 200 were identified who will be brought under the tax net.

The teams of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority (KPRA) provided instant registration facility to unregistered business owners associated with services sector in Haripur, Mansehra, Balakot, Naran, Kaghan, Batakundi and Jalkhand in the 10 days long drive conducted on the special directive of Director General KPRA Fayyaz Ali Shah.

The USAID-KPRM provided assistance to KPRA to successfully conduct the drive in which Inspectors, Monitoring Officers and Facilitation officers of KPRA visited the business premises of potential taxpayers for awareness and providing instant registration facility at their doorsteps.

On Friday, the KPRA registration team setup their mobile registration camp in Naran for the facilitation of the taxpayers, and the field teams visited the business premises of unregistered service providers and

provided them registration on the spot along with providing information regarding the collection and administration of sales tax on services. The team held meetings with the association of tent service providers in Mansehra and with Naran-Kaghan Hotel and Restaurants Association who assured the team their support and cooperation.

KPRA Additional Collector North Umer Arshad Khan thanked USAID-KPRM for assisting KPRA in successfully conducting the drive. He also appreciated the business community of North Region for cooperating with the teams of KPRA. "Our team is ready to provide every support to the taxpayers in matters relating to the collection of sales tax and monthly returns filing," he said adding that the contribution of business community of North Region in KPRA's annual revenue collection is encouraging and he hoped that the hospitality sector of the region will perform better than the last year. The Additional Collector North appreciated the efforts of KPRA registration team.

USAID-KPRM Activity Communication lead Naveed Yousafzai said in his statement that they have been providing assistance and support to KPRA in capacity building of its staff, and awareness, facilitation and education of the taxpayers and it will continue its support for broadening of tax base and increasing revenue of KPRA.

cation he added.

He said that sitting with Shehbaz Sharif as the Chief Minister would not be acceptable under any circumstances.

BZU clerk, student arrested for harassing students MULTAN News Desk

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Multan Friday arrested a clerk and a student of BahauddinZakariya University (BZU) on charges of harassing and blackmailing female students of the university. According to the FIA sources, FIA Cyber Crime Wing had registered the case no. 94/22 against the two outlaws upon receiving different complaints regarding blackmailing and harassment of female students of BZU. The team of Cyber Crime Wing led by Assistant Sub-Inspector Zeeshan Khan arrested clerk of Psychology department Munawar Veins, and student of Biology department Abu Bakar. The team also recovered objectionable videos from the mobile phones of both arrested outlaws.

According to the FIA, the outlaws were involved in harassing female students and blackmailing them by recording their videos after offering them discount in fee and good grades in examination. Incharge Cyber Crime Wing Shoiab Haroon said that further investigations were underway against the culprits, during which the FIA learnt about the involvement of a gang which would be busted soon.

Riaz Hussain Peerzada meets UNHCR Country Representative ISLAMABAD News Desk

Federal Minister for Human Rights Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzadaheld a meeting with Ms. Noriko Yoshida, Country Representative of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Pakistan here on Friday.

Secretary Human Rights and other senior officers were also present in the meeting.

On the occasion, UNHCR Representative discussed in detail the issues of 1.8 Million Afghan refugees in Pakistan. She commended the generous efforts of a developing country like Pakistan that has been hosting such a huge number of refugees for

CMYK

last four decades.

She acclaimed that Pakistan has allowed every facility to Afghan refugees particularly of health and education just parallel to its own citizens.

She admitted that even vaccination facility during Covid-19 pandemic was extended to the refugees that was praised all over the world.

She said that policies have been shifted drastically in the new set-up in Afghanistan after Taliban’s take over in 2021. Due to this, an alarming surge has been observed in the issue of statelessness. She asked for maximum support and attention from the minister on these issues.

In his response, the Minister for

Human Rights said that Afghans enjoy maximum freedom in Pakistan especially they are free to move throughout the country without any restrictions. He said that people of Pakistan and Afghanistan have very strong cultural affinity.

Pakistan is like a second home for majority of Afghans and we have been hosting them for forty years despite our limited resources. He stated that thousands of people are crossing boarders daily for trade and livelihood and Pakistan has never imposed ban on their movement.

He further assured that the Ministry of Human Rights would coordinate soon with other two major stakeholders i.e., Ministry of SAFRON and interior in these issues.

Saturday, 21 May, 2022 | KARACHI

NEWS

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CM PunjaB rEMovES ChaIrMan, ControLLEr BISE ovEr ExaMInatIon PaPEr LEaK

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App

UNJAB Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz has removed Chairman Board of Intermediate & Secondary Education Rawalpindi Dr Khalid Mahmood and Controller Shahenshah Babar Khan from their posts over examination paper leak issue and a notification has also been issued by the Education department.

Shahenshah Babur Khan has been suspended under the PEEDA Act for being negligent while Nasir Mehmood Awan of Government Gordon College Rawalpindi has been given additional charge of the post of the controller (exam), said a handout issued here.

Kaira enquires after health of PML-Q chief ISLAMABAD News Desk

Adviser to Prime Minister on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Qamar Zaman Kaira called on PML-Q Chief Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain. Qamar Zaman Kaira inquired about the health of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, said a press release. Moreover, the press release also stated that both leaders discussed the current political situation of the country. Meanwhile, PML-Q Chief congratulated Qamar Zaman Kaira on taking over the portfolio of Adviser to PM on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan. Federal Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain was also present in the meeting.

ECP’s decision will have no effect on Punjab govt: Marriyum cOntInuED fROM pAgE 01 After the Army Public School (APS) Peshawar attack, she continued, the government had prepared the National Action Plan to counter terrorism which was unanimously passed by Parliament. According to that plan, for the first time, all the provinces, law enforcement agencies, the people of Pakistan and federal units had decided to come together and fight terrorism, the minister stated. “But for four years, the plan was completely ignored because of the ego of one person (Imran Khan),” she claimed. “Whether it was water, polio or terrorism, that man wasn’t ready to talk to anyone. He never found it necessary.” Moving on, the minister stated that the first meeting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired after assuming power was on terrorism. “We are now, once again, reviewing the National Action Plan. Meanwhile, the interior ministry has completed the infrastructure of NACTA and a meeting will be called next week,” she added.

Ban on luxury goods import to save $4b: Shehbaz cOntInuED fROM pAgE 01 The premier went on to say that the people were witnessing the cooperation between the two countries in all fields, reiterating that relations could be further strengthened to benefit Pakistan and Turkey. He highly appreciated the deep-rooted strategic cooperation between the two brotherly countries in all fields, including shipbuilding, engineering, solid waste management and transport. The prime minister also thanked the government and the people of Turkey for their unwavering support to Pakistan's stance on the Kashmir issue at all international fora. Minister for Defence Production Israr Tarin, Minister for Water Resources Syed Khursheed Shah, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi, Special Assistant to the PM on Strategic and Political Communication Syed Fahad Hussain and other senior officers concerned also attended the meeting.

BUDGET 2022-23 TO BE PRESENTED ON JUNE 10: Prime Minister Shehbaz Shareef has announced to present the budget for the fiscal year 2022-23 in the National Assembly on June 10. The Prime Minister’s office has issued a notification announcing that the budget for the fiscal year 2022-23 will be presented on June 10. The budget, after passing from the NA, will be forwarded to the senate. The cabinet session to approve budget suggestions will also be held on June 10, 2022. Earlier, rumours about the federal government planning to delay the National Assembly budget session as talks with International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the 7th Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program are underway were circulating.

Commissioner Rawalpindi Noorul Amin Mengal has been given additional charge for the post of chairman BISE Rawalpindi. A committee has been formed to inquire into the issue with UET’s Director of External Linkages Dr Muhammad Shafiq as its convener.

DPI Colleges’ Director (Admin) Sahibzada Faisal Khurshid and FIA’s cyber crime expert will be the members of this committee. The committee would submit a report to the CM in seven days.

Moreover, the CM also chaired a meeting to review supply of flour at subsidised rates. The meeting was held at his office about flour supply in the province and directed that supply of subsidised flour be ensured across Punjab.

MPAs Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, Ch Muham-

mad Iqbal, Bilal Yasin, PMLN leader Atta Tarar, secretary and director food and others attended the meeting.

The CM pointed out that a Rs160 decrease had been made in the price of 10-kg flour bag and supply of government wheat to flour mills had been started.

A foolproof mechanism had been devised for supply of subsidised flour to market, he said and termed it an effort to lessen the difficulties of the masses. The government would also decrease prices of sugar and ghee and recommendations should be submitted without delay, he added. Furthermore, the CM also chaired a meeting at his office in which steps being taken for the prevention and treatment of dengue as well as cholera came under review.

USAID reaffirms resolve to strengthen Pak-US agri-research, development ties ISLAMABAD News Desk

Mission Director USAID Julie Koenen on Friday said that bilateral relations between Pakistan and United States are immensely deep and wide, which would further strengthen with every passing day in different fields including agriculture research and development. She expressed these views during her visit along with a delegation to National Agriculture Research Center, on the occasion of 75 years relations in the field of agriculture development and research, said a press release issued here.

The delegation was comprising on Director USAID Economic Growth and Agriculture Office Ira Frydman, US Embassy Information Officer Heather Eaton, Agricultural Expert Nazim Ali and Development Outreach and Communications Lead Shehla Rizwan.

The partnership between Pakistan and United States has boosted the strength and prosperity of the Pakistani people in various fields including agricultural sector,” she said, adding that since 1950s, the United States has worked closely with Pakistan to improve economy and feed growing population by procuring state of the art equipment,

improving agribusiness management practices, increasing the amount of irrigated land and assisting to establish major agricultural research fields.

She mentioned that USAID is delighted to continue to play a role in supporting the agricultural sector for inclusive economic growth. “Together, we will continue to strengthen communities and build a more prosperous and resilient Pakistan," she added.

Speaking on the occasion, Chairman Pakistan Agricultural Research Council Dr Ghulam Muhammad Ali expressed the high gratitude for the delegation and venerated the result-oriented and strong

High court judges discuss civil, economic rights at IUB conference BAHAwALpuR News Desk

A conference on Civil and Economic Rights in Pakistan was held at the Islamia University of Bahawalpur.

The book "Corporate Governance and Institutional Investment" by senior jurist Dr. Malik Muhammad Hafeez was also unveiled on the occasion. Honorable Judges of Lahore High Court Bahawalpur Bench Mr. Justice Jawad Hassan, Mr. Justice Anwar ul Haq Pannu, Mr. Justice Waheed Khan, Mr. Justice Anwar Hussain, Mr. Justice Sultan Tanveer Ahmed, Engr. Prof. Dr. Athar Mahboob, ViceChancellor the Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Mr. Muhammad Ameer Khan District and Sessions Judge Bahawalpur, Mr. Suleman Baig District and Sessions Judge Bahawalnagar, Muhammad Ashiq Khan District and Sessions Judge Rahim Yar Khan, President High Court Bahawalpur Bench, Dr. Mohammad Mumtaz Civil Judge High Court Research Officer, Hasnain Ahmad Anwar Research Officer, Shahid Hussain Senior Additional Registrar High Court, Mr. Irfan Ali Kathia Deputy Commissioner Bahawalpur, Prof. Dr. Aftab Hussain Gillani, Dean Faculty of Law, Prof. Dr. Rubina Bhatti, Dean Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof. Dr. Abou Bakar Treasurer, Mr. Rizwan Majeed Director Students Affairs and IT, Prof. Dr. Asif Naveed Ranjha, Director Advanced Studies and Research Board, Muhammad Ahmed Jabbar, Vice President Bahawalpur Chamber of Commerce, Rao Mohammad Imran, Chairman Law Department, Civil Judges Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Lawyer of Bahawalnagar, High Court Bar and District Bar Associations, Representative of Bahawalpur Chamber of Commerce and Industries, dignitaries of the city, teachers and students participated. Senior Justice Lahore High Court Bahawalpur Bench Mr. Justice Jawad Hassan dur-

ing his address said the concept of basic human rights was first introduced on earth in the sermon of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH). He first made the Charter of Medina with eight tribes. He said that the laws of the United Nations were derived from Islamic law which was revealed to us 1400 years ago. The Supreme Court always took care of civil rights and gave rights to the people. The Supreme Court held a regular two-day conference on the water issue and people from all walks of life spoke about the water situation. We are the guardians of the rights of this country and nation. Dr. Malik Muhammad Hafeez deserves congratulations on the publication of this book and this book is useful for both the business community and the students. The purpose of attending this seminar is to tell the students what steps the judiciary is taking to give people access to justice.

Bahawalpur High Court will be 275 years old next year and Islamia University Bahawalpur will also complete its 100 years in 2025. These two institutions are of utmost importance. Topics in corporate governance and institutional investment are important to both the business community and business students. Businesses should be made easier for people. He said that courts in Pakistan are independent and continue to operate even in the difficult circumstances of Corona. He said that the law of Pakistan is the guarantor of the rights of the people. He said that there are many business opportunities in Pakistan and Bahawalpur is also very important in terms of business. He said that the rating of the Islamia University of Bahawalpur has improved a lot and the credit for this goes to Prof. Dr. Athar Mahboob, Vice-Chancellor, the Islamia University of Bahawalpur. It was a pleasure to come to the university and meet the students. Justice Anwar-ulHaq Pannun said that the purpose of this conference was to share our experiences with the students.

Pak-US relations.

“Pakistan and US have been working together not only at blissful but hard times as well; and I hope both the countries will enjoy this relation in future, which would strengthen the Pak-US partnership bond, ” he added.

Dr Ali, while highlighting US assistance and cooperation with Pakistan said that from 1974 to 1985, US spent $27.8 million for strengthening of agricultural research in Pakistan. The main project elements comprised technical assistance, training, commodities, national coordinated research programs for major agricultural commodities and disciplines.

Foolproof security of sensitive installations, foreigners top priority: IGP LAHORE News Desk

Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Rao Sardar Ali Khan has said that foolproof security for all sensitive installations and foreign nationals, especially Chinese residents, experts and investors, consulate offices and staff, is top priority of the Punjab Police. He issued instructions to the officers while presiding over a meeting of the Special Protection Unit regarding security arrangements for foreign nationals at the Central Police Office, here on Friday. The IGP said in the meeting that teams of Special Protection Unit should perform their duties of security of foreign nationals and sensitive places, the government offices with utmost diligence, commitment and high alert. He said that implementation of the standard operating procedures (SOPs), issued by the Home Department regarding security of foreign nationals, should be ensured in all cases. He said the process of gathering data of foreign nationals at the SPU desks at airports should be regularly reviewed.

The process of registration of foreign nationals working in the private sector, especially Chinese, should be ensured, the IGP said and stressed taking every possible steps for the security purpose. He said that all regional police officers (RPOs) and district police officers (DPOs) including Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Lahore should further improve security arrangements for the foreign nationals under personal supervision, and there should be no reduction in provision of resources and facilities required for discharge of duties to the SPU personnel

GB govt to introduce teachers award nEwS DESk The Government of Gilgit-Baltistan has decided to introduce “Gilgit-Baltistan Teachers Award” so that teachers are encouraged to play their respective roles.

For that matter, teachers will be assessed on the basis of steps taken by them to increase student’s enrollment, Education of Women and Girls, disabled children and in introducing technical and vocational skills amongst students, a

press release on Friday said.

The innovations will further include need-based and student-specific curriculum covering essentials like out-of-box methods for promotion of education and critical thinking, employment of technology, promotion of local/endangered languages and highlighting of challenges faced by society.

Government of Gilgit-Baltistan will honour three such teachers who have demonstrated outstanding and unwaver-

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ing resolve and commitment to their profession. The selection will be monitored

by Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners in the respective divisions and districts. A committee consisting of representation from the Government, Education Sector and civil society will then scrutinize the nominations and finalize the subject award.

The GB government seeks to radically alter the paradigm of education.

This involves redefining curriculum,

promoting regional and International languages and inculcating critical/logical thinking skills as well as fostering culture of employees’ welfare and social security.

The planned reforms also seek to develop all-rounded individuals with this newly designed curriculum emphasizing on social skill, logic enhancing endeavors such as Chess and job oriented skills such as learning and developing CVs/Resumes.

06-07 Comments - 21st May 2022_Layout 1 5/21/2022 12:28 AM Page 1

Saturday, 21 May, 2022

06 COMMENT

In the thick of economic crisis

The ruling alliance holds The PM in no mood to resign

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The PDM took on the economic mess because it could leave the PTI in power

EsPitE advice from PML(n) Vice President Maryam nawaz to say goodbye to the government rather than bury the public under more inflation, Prime Minister shehbaz sharif expressed determination to take difficult decisions. addressing a press conference on thursday Power Minister khurram Dastgir supported taking tough decisions on energy and fuel prices now instead of facing tougher choices six months later. Earlier Finance Minister Miftah ismail had said government was not increasing petrol prices “for now”, but these could be “adjusted anytime in the future” keeping in view international prices. the government’s economic team is already holding talks with the iMF in Qatar. Meanwhile the PML(n)- led alliance has taken the first step to cut down the exorbitant import bill by slapping a ban on the import of nearly 800 items in 33 categories, including food products. the removal of subsidies is being delayed as a bargaining chip to seek the extension of the government’s tenure for 15 months avowedly to implement pro-people policies to offset the brutal impact of the withdrawal of oil subsidies. But this is causing a big loss to the economy.

Fuel subsidies will cost the government Rs 75 billion over a fortnight from May14-May 27.

What one sees happening is a battle of nerves. Pti chief imran khan is in haste because he is not sure if he would be able to maintain the momentum created by his rallies for long. He wants the government to leave immediately and elections be held in the next three months. the ECP has made it known that the constitutional and legal requirements that need to be fulfilled do not allow snap elections as desired by imran khan. PM shehbaz sharif’s interaction with the karachi business community on Friday indicates he is determined to turn round the economy instead of resigning. He was optimistic that his plans would bring the economy back on track. He expressed the hope that the country will flourish once people unite. addressing the business community he expressed the resolve to move forward with everyone by his side.

Dr QAisAr rAshiD

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HE day of 10 april 2022 would remain a watershed in Pakistan’s history. On this fateful day, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), which was a coalition of opposition parties, founded in september 2020 and led

by Maulana Fazl-ur Rahman of the Jamiat Ulema-e islam, ousted the government of the Pakistan tehreke insaf (Pti) through a democratic method of launching a no-confidence motion. the PDM had begun its efforts more than one year and a half before Pakistan could reach april 2022 and before any foreign conspiracy could be hatched to overthrow the Pti’s government. the main factor that brought the coalition parties on the platform of the PDM was the malfunctioning of the Results transmission system (Rts) of the Election Commission of Pakistan while conducting the general elections on 25 July 2018. the Rts played a role in delaying the announcement of results and manipulating the electoral result. another factor was the alleged role of the then Major General Faiz Hameed, as the Director General of Counter terrorism Wing of the isi (from January 2017 to april 2019), in swaying the elections in favour of the Pti and against the rest of the political parties. the Pakistan Muslim League of nawaz sharif (PML-n) was the worst sufferer which saw the “agriculture Department” in south Punjab thrashing its party’s ticket holders and forcing them to quit the party.

Economic mismanagement engulfed the Pti’s government, which could not perform any of the feats that it had touted it would during the election campaign. this was the failure of the hybrid experiment: the front would be civil and the back would be the military supported by the judiciary. Powers of the national accountability Bureau were misused to chastise

Resistance to Taliban coalesces Pakistan needs its Foreign Office to handle the fluid Afghan situation

t

HE taliban probably never had a honeymoon period, but if they did, it is now definitely over. this was symbolized by the formation of a High Council of national Resistance in ankara, in a meeting of 40 leading figures of afghanistan, at the invitation of veteran leader abdur Rashid Dostum. Prominent among the signatories are ahmad Wali Massoud, whose national Resistance Front is already fighting against the taliban, and abdur Rab o Rassoul sayyaf, who had been one of the Mujahideen leaders against the soviet invasion of the 1980s. the taliban government, instead of working to fulfil its pledges to the international community, seems to be bent on reverting to the past. One of the most egregious recent measures was the imposition of a ban on women uncovering their faces in public, which included a ban on women tV presenters appearing without covering their faces. there was also their abolition of the afghan independent Human Rights Commission, which was their best vehicle for proving to the res of the world that they were carrying out their commitments to the world community. apparently, the taliban do not realize that there is no body which can confirm their measure on meeting human rights criteria, leaving detractors to claim violations without fear of credible rebuttal.

Pakistan has an interest in afghanistan, and cannot ignore developments there. However, its afghan policy is treated as a military issue, not a diplomatic one, to the extent that the new DG isi is here, without any input from the Foreign Office. it is almost as if this vital aspect of foreign policy, during the Zia and Musharraf decades, was taken over as a defence problem rather than a diplomatic one. it is not as if there is parliamentary oversight, which might make it irrelevant whether a general or a soldier did the implementing. there is no one suggesting that the DG isi should report to a parliamentary committee, which is unfortunate. Unless that happens, how will anyone know whether afghan policy is consistent with national objectives?

How to move the country forward

AttiyA MunAwer

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akistan’s political and governmental situation is extremely tense and complex and is moving from distrust to intolerance. after leaving the government, imran khan has been playing his innings with great fervour. Mian nawaz sharif also launched a similar campaign after ousting the government, but it soon died. However, imran khan is still not only maintaining his tempo, but also increasing its intensity day by day, and he is gaining popularity because the ruling coalition has no future strategy and no action is being shown. the government has not been able to provide any relief to the people as soon as it arrives and the economic situation has not been brought under control. in this situation, imran khan’s conspiratorial statement is very popular among the people and no one has any nostrum about this statement. there is no doubt that the PML(n) soon realized that the hasty decision was wrong, although the PML(n) is a party that has been in the forefront in overthrowing the Pti government but now Vice President Maryam nawaz is asking in jalsas that why should the PML(n) government carry the burden of

Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami M. A. Niazi

Umar Aziz

Joint Editor

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

countries had been over-squeezed, leaving little leeway behind. Hence, the major deterrence was two-pronged: first, the country could not be run economically; and second, the iMF could not be mollified. any party, be it the PDM or the military, would have to take unpopular decisions to run the country. the military sidestepped whereas the PDM volunteered doing so. the PDM decided to be a willing horse to enter the corridors of power which would permit it to secure the transparency of the next general elections during which General Hameed would not be the COas. to elaborate, it is now known that, with the PDM at the helm of affairs, someone other than General Hameed would be permitted to become the COas. this is essentially a struggle between civil and military to hog more space.

Presently, the military is caught in the crossfire. On the one hand, it had annoyed the political parties which constitute the PDM, whereas on the other hand, it could not come up to the expectations of the Pti which wanted it to sabotage the no-confidence move of the PDM. From a different perspective, the PDM is lucky in the sense that the region is not hit by any war which could make the military an unavoidable partner of an invading foreign army. the foreign forces have vacated afghanistan. if this were not the case, the no-confidence motion would not have been successful. it is not the willful, flaunted, generous neutrality of the military to stay away from the political course; instead, it is the peaceful surrounding that diminishes the necessity of the military’s might to settle the national affairs. that is, the serene neighbourhood renders the military irrelevant and ensures the continuation of the democratic system and respect for the Constitution.

Hopefully, the PDM ensures that its affairs stand clear of the charges of corruption. instead of meeting the objectives of the business tycoons and mafias that joined its ranks, the PDM would warrant transparency in running the government’s affairs. Failing on this account would open the door for the dissociation of the masses, whether the military steps in or not.

Hopefully, the PDM ensures that its affairs stand clear of the charges of corruption. Instead of meeting the objectives of the business tycoons and mafias that joined its ranks, the PDM would warrant transparency in running the government’s affairs.

The writer can qaisarrashid@yahoo.com

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Antidote for conspiracy narrative

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

politicians of the opposition. the hybrid experiment foundered on the touchstone of reality: the government cannot be run by mere sloganeering and speeches. the Pti failed to deliver anything substantial on the ground.

Post-april 2022 began the test of the PDM on how to manage the economy. the PDM could have avoided opting to become a willing coalition to run the country. the fear of being robbed again by any intrigue in the next general elections, however, forced the PDM to settle on holding the reins of power. the dread was that if the Pti’s government persisted, the next Chief of army staff (COas) would be of its choice, not acceptable to the PDM. to elaborate, the fear of General Hameed becoming the COas near the end of this year was the main reason prompting the PDM to supplant the Pti’s government. it was expected that, as the COas, General Hameed would again favour the Pti to win the next general elections. the PDM wanted to conclude the hybrid experiment. in so doing, the PDM also risked its own reputation by gearing up for rising to the challenge of managing the economy which had been in the doldrums. the Pti could not reduce the import bill to lessen trade deficit just because this step could disgruntle its voters belonging overwhelmingly to the upper and upper middle classes inclined to use luxurious imported items. this is one of the examples of the way the Pti remained unsuccessful in managing the economy. the occasion of 10 april 2022 was also a seminal moment because the military avoided stepping in to correct the trajectory. Contrary to the past practices when the military kept looking for a chance to create disrepute for the sitting government and impose martial law, the military decided this time to stay neutral and within the constitutional limits. in so doing, the military might be favouring the Constitution, but the reality was deeper than that. to scale the walls of the Pakistan television and announce to have taken over the country might not be an arduous task to undertake by uniformed dissenters; however, the real challenge would emerge afterwards in the form of how to manage the economy, which had gone dependent on foreign loans sought from the international Monetary Fund (iMF). the military knew that the option of seeking bilateral aid from friendly

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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imran khan’s failure on its shoulders? if matters have reached this stage in just a few days, then the nation should also be told why the Pti government was ousted despite the incomplete homework. the PML(n) leadership has been discriminated against in the past over the removal of the Pti government and is still discriminated against in terms of holding immediate elections. the PML(n) leadership has not been able to decide whether to go to the polls or remain in the government while facing political and economic crises. the government is stuck in a whirlpool with no way out. at the moment, the government has no other option than to hold elections, but the ruling coalition knows full well that if they go to the polls, imran khan will be victorious. that is why everyone is running in the world of despair. someone in this race should have asked it why they had taken such a step when they could not manage it. it does not have the answer to this question nor is it giving any option to the actors sitting behind, as they are also being warned periodically. in fact, the political leadership and the people are not taking any notice of such things. the political and economic situation of the country is deteriorating day by day, while the government and the authorities seem to be failing in timely decision making.

Even in this chaotic situation, it is gratifying that our situation has not yet become like that of sri Lanka. the whole world has seen the tragedy that was broadcast there from the Prime Minister to the members of Parliament. it is fortunate our situation has not reached this stage but if we glance at the movements of the political leadership, it seems that every effort is being made to create a situation here similar to sri Lanka’s, while the authorities are silent spectators. the attempts to spread chaos in sialkot once

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

failed, but next time it may not be thwarted. the sentiments of the people are furious over the conspiratorial rhetoric. One wrong decision of the government can serve as a fuel for a blazing fire. Once the fire ignites, it will not be possible to put out this fire. there is no denying the fact that it is too late, but it is not too late to get out of the situation of silent spectators and the situation cannot be handled. People have been stating for decades that this political game can be very cumbersome, so it should be stopped. if someone has made a mistake, he should not hesitate to correct it. Elections should be announced immediately and the words of the tested people should not be heard. if we keep on listening to the same phrases again then the nation will go towards further destruction, but who will think so and where will we get the courage from? Conspiracies have been going on in this country before and are happening again this time. Everyone knows this, but no one will open their mouths, because while opening their mouths, everyone gets furious. this is not the time for rhetoric, this is the time to get the country out of the crisis it is facing. the authorities should bring all the stakeholders together and these people should not be allowed to disband until they reach a consensus, even if it takes a few weeks. if the politicians do not come together then the state should use its full writ. if we have to impose curfew in Pakistan like sri Lanka tomorrow, then why don’t we use the power of the state today? the tide is flowing over the bank. the need of the hour is to open the eyes and get out of the rhetoric of interfering in politics, break the conspiracy rhetoric, declare elections and move the country from political stability to economic stability. this is supposed to be good for the country and the nation.

If we have to impose curfew in Pakistan like Sri Lanka tomorrow, then why don’t we use the power of the state today? The tide is flowing over the bank.

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Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

06-07 Comments - 21st May 2022_Layout 1 5/21/2022 12:28 AM Page 2

Saturday, 21 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

Youth and flawed source of information tHE young population in Pakistan is always dreamed of as a boon to the nation, but this dream has turned into a hopeless desire. Unfortunately, a large portion of youth are directly involved in the war on social media; posting, sharing, and liking unauthentic news. the trend to harm and spoil the privacy of opponents and targeted persons are becoming a more common practice among youth. according to Pew Research Centre, people who used social media as a source of information are less informed about social affairs and more likely to believe in fabricated news, hence harming the correct narratives. Before the asset of the nation turns into a disguise due to misinformation, the young population need to be properly made aware of the 5th generation warfare.

HABIBA ZAKIR MARDAN

Slaves of Mobile Phones

Emergence of Modern China-Afghan relations The USSR once dominated the relationship

Dr rAjkuMAr singh

A

FtER World War two phase, China and afghanistan inherited a tense relation from the time when the Qing dynasty was ruling China (before1911) and following its policy of expansion, particularly in Muslim countries which afghanistan disliked thoroughly. it was the time when the Chinese dynasty not only aspired but also sent an army to the kazakh sultanate and it produced fear in other rulers of the region. in this situation, irdana khan, the khan of khokand, and kyrgyz requested the amir of afghanistan to protect the area from Chinese expansion. the amir of afghanistan also sent a letter to the Chinese authorities and asked them to leave the Muslim territories and meanwhile had sent troops to khok1and and tashkent, keeping in view the possible attacks from China. as a result of this the relation between them in the early years of 20th century continued to remain vague, it however, did not stop the business related to horses and opium around the border.

For the first time in world history the nations of the world divided largely in 1939 when world war began between two most powerful nations of the globe having contradictory ideology (capitalism and communism) and it led a sharp division among countries of the time in for or against and to utmost surprise, during the period Chinese Muslims and others or the region including afghanistan fought against Japan in order to get support for China: several leaders of the time toured Muslim countries such as, Egypt, syria, and turkey in 1939 and met the issues of war were discussed by indian leaders: Rabindranath tagore, Mahatma Gandhi as well as Muhammad ali Jinnah. the news of Muslims co-operation with China were widely publicized in the newspapers of syria, afghanistan, iran, iraq and Lebanon. in 1939, all Muslim countries including india welcomed Chinese delegations and discussed with them problems related to the eruption of world war. the People’s Republic of China (PRC), established its communist rule after a long struggle on 1 October 1949 and afghanistan happened to

be the first country to recognise it in January 1950, three months later, although, diplomatic relations between the two only began in January 1955 when abdul samad was posted in China as afghan ambassador. soon thereafter, close understanding between the two grew rapidly and in January 1957 Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai and Vice Premier He Long visited afghanistan, the first ever visit undertaken by the high-level Chinese leaders. in course of the visit, both leaders met with king Mohammad Zahir shah and held fruitful talks with Prime Minister Mohammad Daud khan, Vice Prime Minister ali Mohammad and Foreign Minister Mohammad naim. the wideranging discussions and growth of mutual understanding between the two helped consolidate their relationship and laid a strong foundation of relations between the two countries.in response to the visit of Chinese leaders, Prime Minister Mohammad Daud of afghanistan visited China and during the meetings held discussions with Chairman Mao Zedong, ViceChairman Zhu De and Chairman Liu shaog of the standing Committee of the national People’s Congress of China. By the time the sino-soviet boundary rift emerged and afghanistan appeared leaning towards the soviet Union, and this is why, China refused to support afghanistan’s claims in Pakistan’s Pashtunistan, it however, did not stop them signing trade pacts and a treaty of friendship and non-aggression in 1960, which paved the way for signing another treaty on boundary question, settling the issues of decades. it settled the 96- kilometre long territorial dispute around the afghan border. since the CPC’s establishment of the government in 1949 and the earlier British withdrawal from the indian subcontinent, and the vanishing of Great Game between Russia and the British, China began taking an extended interests in the affairs of Central asia, particularly, in afghanistan, but in later years Chinese interest in afghan affairs declined due to changes in circumstances as well as kabul’s increasing inclinations towards the UssR. in the context it is also to add that the PRC has hardly played a significant role in the case of afghanistan, and Beijing has used kabul in its relations with great powers as well as for domestic reasons. it established relations with afghanistan in the 1950s at the time when afghanistan forged a relationship with the UssR, but in 1980s China acted with the Usa against theUssR and help them create

a Muslim militia, Mujahideen. thus, despite ups and downs in the relationship Beijing never overlooked its security and economic interests that only afghanistan can serve. Diplomatically speaking. China became convinced in a bloody revolution on 27 april 1978 which ended the government of President Mohammed Daoud khan who took power five years before by overthrowing his cousin, king Zahir shah. this abrupt change of afghanistan is also called saur Revolution in which the state was taken over by insurgent troops commanded and controlled by the People’s Democratic Party, a political wing having close contacts with communists of the country.

China viewed this development as a soviet advance as well as a threat to its friendly relations with Pakistan and iran. it reacted sharply and day after the soviet invasion, in an announcement condemned soviet military invasion, and refused to recognise the soviet-backed kamal government. in addition, the PRC, in protest, stopped official relations with afghanistan and degraded the status of the Chinese embassy to a representative office which dealt only with consular and visa issues. although initially both countries started their relationship as neutral countries, later on it began guiding from outside forces and considerations and for long it depended on nature and content of sino-Russian politico-strategic relations. From the saur Revolution when a Russia-backed government took over, Beijing due to its rivalry with the UssR and other competitions, put its relations in cold storage and normally sided with the Usa to oust the UssR from afghanistan. During the soviet war in afghanistan, China fought against the UssR and supported afghan Mujahideen who were struggling to oust the kremlin from afghan soil. after the withdrawal of the UssR, China-Russia relations also improved to a large extent as Beijing viewed the kremlin presence as a serious threat for itself in the whole event, the role of islamabad cannot be undermined who worked as a viable link among them, resulting first in the ousting of the UssR, followed by recently in august 2021 in Us withdrawal from afghanistan and second term installation of taliban government in kabul.

In the whole event, the role of Islamabad cannot be undermined who worked as a viable link among them, resulting first in the ousting of the USSR, followed by recently in August 2021 in US withdrawal from Afghanistan and second term installation of Taliban government in Kabul

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 20 books published in addition to 900 articles in national and international journals and daily newspapers from 25 foreign countries.

tHE post-industrial industry era is bombarded with smartphones which are affecting the health of youth, both physically and psychologically. Children with ages ranging from 6-10 years old have always got their hands on their phones which can develop into an addiction as they grow older. it’s strenuous to live without a smartphone in the 21st century where everything is automated. the dependency of people on their smartphones has reached a level so high it’s daunting. Possible results of an addict losing their phone can be anxiety, depression, mismanagement in life and lack of discipline. People have become deprived of their consciousness and concentration due to their smartphones. nowadays, lots of people can be found on different social media apps. People have become de-attached from their families and have stopped devoting their time to their hobbies. the younger generation is not interested in old-school games anymore, exercise and games like hide and seek have lost their value completely. if parents do not allow them to have access to their phones, they might turn out rebellious and become miserable, because that’s all they have known, all they have known is a smartphone and social media and suddenly changing that can result in them becoming suicidal. smartphones have been proven to increase cybercrime rates, with many students or children committing suicide over online bullying. three girls have been reported to run away in the last couple of days due to contact with people through their smartphones. the use of smartphones must be limited and children under the age of 18 should be restricted from certain sites and social media apps. Parents should keep a check on their children and encourage them to go outside and play, and help them engage in activities that require stamina and make them more active. Dependency on smartphones for news must be discouraged for it spreads misinformation.

HABIBA ZAKIR MARDAN

Societal biases i remember discussing with my grandmother in my childhood the role of girls in our society. she would always end up saying how difficult it is for girls to live in this society. i would always disagree with her in this regard by telling her that in no way are girls inferior to boys. i used to tell her that girls can equally compete with boys in almost all spheres no matter, whether it is school, college, university, sports and so forth. i frequently argued with her concerning the role of women in our society. However, with each passing day, i have been realizing what she was saying was right.

With each passing day, i have been observing how it is arduous for women to live in this patriarchal society where they have to pay a heavy cost to live their own life. Women are bound to follow up on so-called rules of society where their own security has been always at stake. they have to be subject to the ordeal of harassment at workplaces, schools, colleges and universities. sadly, they have been seen as culprits if any dreadful incident pertaining to their dignity happens. More desperately, they could not even take their own life decisions and if there emerges any independent woman asking for her rights, then people start badmouthing her. Even though, the bitter reality is that most people do not see women as human. Women have to endure all the calamities themselves. We have been living in the 21st century and shamefully, our women are not getting their fundamental rights. they still have not been treated equally and subject to gender biases and barely fulfil their very own dreams. Yet the good news is that there is always room for improvement.

NEHA ALI DHAREJO SINDH

Welfare projects iRREsPECtiVE of which political party is at the helm of affairs, development and public welfare projects launched with tax payer’s money must continue even after a change in government. Unfortunately, in Pakistan, such projects have fallen prey to political biases and are discontinued by most governments, when they take over and billions of rupees of state funds are wasted, to the sole disadvantage of the citizens of Pakistan. such immoral and unethical acts have become a norm in this country. it is time that the people of Pakistan must stand up and demand that such malpractices must stop. it is unfortunate that every government, including the Pti is guilty of such malpractices. this cycle seems to have infected almost every regime, elected or dictatorial, that has ruled Pakistan.

One such project was PkLi in Lahore which was built by PML-n, to cater for kidney and liver infections that have made life miserable for many in this country. Liver infections in Pakistan have been on the rise and so are kidney related infections. Prominent Pakistani-origin doctors, surgeons and technicians working abroad had been motivated to volunteer their services for PkLi, and return back and help millions of poor, suffering from kidney and liver-related diseases. these doctors returned back often getting less than one third the salaries they were getting abroad. Philanthropists donated crores to procure the latest state of art medical equipment which were installed at PkLi, or were in the process of being shipped. it is not just PkLi, but the same was the fate of the Benazir income support Program. the Pti has also launched the Health-Card scheme which must be retained, with certain modifications making it accessible only to the most deprived sections of society as is the practice adopted by social security systems in the developed world.

MALIK TARIQ ALI LAHORE

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08 WORLD VIEW

Will money laundering continue to haunt us?

Daily star, BanglaDesh

P

golam mortoza

K Halder, the former Md of a bank and a notorious embezzler, siphoned off and laundered about tk 10,000-11,000 crore out of Bangladesh. that's equivalent to the combined yearly budget of 51 public universities of the country, which is tk 10,515.71 crore. take a moment to grasp the enormity of this reality. One man embezzled such a huge amount of money and laundered it out of Bangladesh to india, Canada and other countries. He didn't do it overnight. there was no way for him to use the banking channel. How did he manage this extraordinary feat, then? the money was siphoned off to a place where no one asks about your source of wealth. dubai is such a place where illegally transferred money can be kept in banks, legally. Many Bangladeshi businessmen and politicians have bought houses and set up businesses there. some of them are now permanent residents. they can move in and out of dubai to any destination as they wish. i met a couple of such people in Bangkok about three years ago. they told me they could not return to Bangladesh due to political reasons, and were running their own business in dubai. One of them regularly visited thailand for medical treatment. the other said that although he was settled in

THE MONEY WAS SIPHONED OFF TO A PLACE WHERE NO ONE ASKS ABOUT YOUR SOURCE OF WEALTH dubai now, he spent most of his time in London. He, too, was in Bangkok for treatment. it's not that these two particular individuals were loan defaulters or embezzlers. But they did illegally launder money from Bangladesh. As far as i know, they also bought houses in Canada and London. However, they transferred the money from dubai through legal channels. it is quite easy to transfer money from dubai to other countries. this process is popular among Bangladeshis who engage in loan-defaulting or embezzlement. the same can be said for india, too. However, if the amount is too big, it's impossible to keep it in an indian bank. PK Halder managed to smuggle a large part of his illegally amassed wealth to india. did he take the money directly to india, or did he channel it through a third country's banking system? these questions must be looked into urgently. if the government is sincere about this issue, PK Halder can be easily brought back to Bangladesh from india, where he was arrested a few days ago. it's not difficult to find out how he embezzled and laundered the money. But the question is: Will the govern-

ment walk that path? Are there any roadblocks ahead?

Generally speaking, the government should not have any problem with moving ahead with the investigation. But if one looks closely, there may be one major roadblock.

PK Halder embezzled and laundered money over a long period of time, from several banks and financial institutions. it was Bangladesh Bank's responsibility to detect what he was doing, and to prevent this from happening. it is speculated that the high-ups in the Bangladesh Bank knew about it, but did nothing to stop PK Halder. they allegedly even helped him. two such individuals are former deputy Governor sK sur and former executive director shah Alam. Allegedly, they aided many other embezzlers along with PK Halder in exchange for a share of the bounty. they were ousted from their positions and questioned by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), but it is still unclear as to how the government plans to deal with them.

Questioning the government's position regarding embezzlers and launderers is nothing new. However, in 2020, a message from the foreign minister gave us hope for a

Biden seeks a new opening in a rattled asia

Washington Post

P

DaviD ignatius

resident Biden is traveling this week to Asia to project U.s. diplomatic and economic power in a region that has been rattled by the blunders of America’s two most powerful rivals, russia and China. Outrage about russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine is a global phenomenon, Biden administration officials believe. the unprovoked attack

by President Vladimir Putin rocked europe, but it also sent shock waves through Asian countries such as south Korea and Japan, which have rushed to aid Kyiv. China, deeply embarrassed by russia’s assault, has seen its influence diminish in europe and Asia.

China is having its own internal troubles at the same moment that its chief ally is caught in a war of attrition in Ukraine. President Xi Jinping’s campaign to create “common prosperity” has backfired, administration officials believe. Chinese growth is slowing, capital is fleeing the country and internal dissent is increasing — even as a new wave of the pandemic has shanghai and other major cities in lockdown. “this is an opportunity for the United states to get off the back foot,” says stephen Hadley, who served as national security adviser for President George W. Bush. “Putin has delivered a strategic blow to russia by his failed effort to absorb Ukraine, and Xi by his policies has derailed the Chinese juggernaut.”

Biden’s trip to Asia will offer a powerful tableau of the United states’ greatest global strength, which is its network of partnerships with strong democracies. Biden is scheduled to visit with south Korea’s new president and then with the leaders of india, Japan and Australia, who are America’s partners in the socalled Quad.

Because Ukraine will be on everyone’s mind, the usual gaps between transatlantic and Asia-Pacific policies might be dissolved by common opposition to aggression. “these may be two theaters, but there’s one operating system strategically,” argues Kurt Campbell, who coordinates Asia policy for the national security Council.

Biden’s Asia trip will launch a two-month

roadshow of diplomacy in which Biden will take his case for global partnerships to leaders from Asia, Latin America, europe and the Middle east.

Because it’s a moment when both Beijing and Moscow are suffering from severe, self-inflicted problems, administration officials feel that they have the wind at their backs for a change.

China’s recent economic difficulties form an unexpected backdrop for the trip. reversals in the property, technology and financial sectors, plus new covid-19 lockdowns, led international Monetary Fund economists to lower their growth forecast for China this year to 4.4 percent. some analysts think growth will actually be much slower, and that at current rates, the Chinese economy might not surpass that of the United states by the end of this decade, as many had expected — or perhaps not ever.

Kevin rudd, a China scholar and former Australian prime minister, summarized Beijing’s difficulties in a speech this month to the Asia society, which he heads. Xi tried to dictate “common prosperity,” by cracking down on highflying tycoons. the resulting economic turmoil was so great that in recent months, the economic buzzword for newly centrist Chinese officials has become “stability,” rudd wrote in his prepared remarks. investors were already fleeing Chinese stocks and bonds when the pandemic struck again this year, shattering Xi’s zero-covid policy. For a country that touts the managerial competence of its authoritarian system, it’s not a pretty picture. ` Biden plans to announce a new indo-Pacific economic Framework, which will seek to establish common digital standards, supply-chain cooperation and other shared norms. it’s not a “trade agreement” like the trans-Pacific Partnership that democrats abandoned in 2016, ceding the field to China, which quickly created its own multilateral group. But the iPeF, as the administration has dubbed it, provides what one official calls “an affirmative, positive economic vision for the most strategically consequential region of the world.”

Administration officials expect that at least 10 Asian countries will agree to join the iPeF negotiations. that will include india, a regional powerhouse, as well as other major Asian economies. the iPeF isn’t as broad as the tPP was, but one former trade official notes that it’s “a mechanism for getting the U.s. back to the table, to engage, to show leadership on issues that matter.” that’s a step forward from the trade phobia that has rattled the administration.

A shadow over the Asia trip will be north Korea. U.s. officials fear that President Kim Jong Un might be planning a missile launch, or even a nuclear test, during Biden’s visit to the region. A nuclear test would provoke a full-blown crisis with Pyongyang, even as Kim struggles to contain a covid outbreak that one official said is “tearing through the country.”

A sign of Beijing’s disorientation in this moment of upheaval: When the White House warned Beijing this week about the possible north Korean test and proposed a common effort to help deal with the covid outbreak there, sources say the Chinese didn’t respond. they were, so to speak, on the back foot.

change. "You, the media men, often write about Begum Para in Canada… that many Bangladeshis have purchased luxurious houses there. Unofficially, we have collected information. this is not verified. An expatriate has given us some information about this issue. We were shocked. We thought that it might be politicians who purchased these houses. But we have information that most of these houses have been purchased by government officials," the foreign minister told the daily star in november 2020. no information about any ongoing investigation in this regard has been revealed since then. A few days after the foreign minister's comment, the finance minister said during a parliamentary session, "i don't know who launders money." He also asked the opposition to provide a list of money launderers. there is clearly a disconnect between these vital ministries and between what we think should happen and the reality. ruling party lawmaker from natore shafiqul islam shimul bought a house in scarborough, Canada under his wife sultana Jannati's name, spending 1.46 million Canadian dollars. A report revealed this specific

piece of information, yet no relevant government bodies ran any investigation. two brothers from Faridpur, both Awami League leaders, were arrested for laundering at least tk 2,000 crore.

Another Bangladeshi lawmaker from Lakshmipur, Mohammad shahid islam alias Papul, is already serving in a jail in Kuwait for human trafficking and money laundering.

A Bangladeshi businessman procured a number of five-star hotels in singapore, which the country's media reported. the illfamed sikder group bought properties in thailand and a few other countries and ran business as well. these are just a few examples of the vast amount of money that is laundered out of Bangladesh every year.

Apart from this, traders launder at least tk 70,000 crore every year through import-export price manipulation. the Washingtonbased think tank Global Financial integrity (GFi) has reported on this phenomenon several times. the government is yet to take their findings under consideration.

PK Halder's arrest in india has brought the issue of money laundering to the fore once again. Another new topic may emerge in a few days, burying this issue again. does that mean our fate is sealed, and our money will continue to be embezzled and laundered?

(The article was translated from Bangla

by Mohammed Ishtiaque Khan.)

sedition not the only law that should go. there are many more…

ONCE IT DAWNS ON THE JUDICIARY THAT SOME LAWS ARE OUT OF PLACE IN A 21ST CENTURY DEMOCRACY, THEN PROBLEMATIC LAWS WILL FALL Deccan chronicle

t

aakar Patel

He supreme Court has put a stay on the sedition law, and the Union government has also said that Prime Minister narendra Modi wants the colonialera legislation to be phased out. this is a good moment. the law says, “Whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the Government established by law in india, shall be punished with imprisonment for life”. the website Article-14.com has done great work in compiling the misuse of this law by the government and is responsible to a large extent for the issue being in the public domain. experts have cautioned that first, sedition cases can still be filed by the government, and second, that there are many other laws that are problematic and can be misused.

Both of these are true. However, we must rejoice and take heart in the general direction. Once it dawns on the judiciary that some laws are out of place in a 21st century democracy, then problematic laws will fall. nations reform themselves internally when they realise such truths. india has many laws that need to be examined in light of individual liberties guaranteed to us in the Constitution. sedition is not the only type of colonial law that we face. the rowlatt Act, that Gandhi opposed and which led to the massacre at Jallianwala Bagh, did away with the fundamental principles of the rule of law. it could detain people without charge or trial and it did away with jury trials, in favour of in-camera trials by judges. this is called administrative detention, meaning the jailing of someone without a crime having been committed, merely on the suspicion that they will commit a crime in future.

But we have several such laws in india today. in 2015, over 3,200 people were held in “administrative detention” in india. Gujarat has the Prevention of Anti-social Activities Act 1984. it allows for detention without charge or trial for a year.

Uttar Pradesh has the national security Act allowing detention without charge or trial for a year to “prevent a person from acting in any manner prejudicial to the defence of india, the relations of india with foreign powers, or the security of india”, or “from acting in any manner prejudicial to the security of the state, or from acting in any manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order, or from acting in any manner prejudicial to the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the community”. this law has been used to jail Muslims accused of cattle smuggling and slaughter in Mad-

hya Pradesh. tamil nadu has the Prevention of dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, drug-offenders, Forest-offenders, Goondas, immoral traffic Offenders, sand-offenders, sexual Offenders, slum-grabbers and Video Pirates Act 1982. it allows the state to jail without trial or charge “any bootlegger or drug offender or forest offender or goonda or immoral traffic offender or sand offender or slum-grabber or video pirate… to prevent him from acting in any manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order”.

Karnataka has the Prevention of dangerous Activities of Acid Attackers, Bootleggers, depredator of environment, digital Offenders, drug Offenders, Gamblers, Goondas, immoral traffic Offenders, Land Grabbers, Money Launderers, sexual Predators and Video or Audio pirates Act 1985. it allows for detention without charge or trial of up to 12 months of “any acid attacker or bootlegger or depredator of environment or digital offender or drug offender or gambler or goonda or immoral traffic offender or land-grabber or money launderer or sexual predator or video or audio pirate… to prevent him from acting in any manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order”.

Assam has the Preventive detention Act 1980. it can jail individual for two years, without charge or trial.

Bihar has the Conservation of Foreign exchange and Prevention of smuggling Act 1984. it allows for “detention without charge or trial for up to two years to prevent a person from i) smuggling goods, or (ii) abetting the smuggling of goods, or (iii) engaging in transporting or concealing or keeping smuggled goods, or (iv) dealing in, smuggled goods otherwise than by engaging in transporting or concealing or keeping smuggled goods, or (v) harbouring persons engaged in smuggling goods or in abetting the smuggling of goods.” indian Occupied Kashmir has three laws, one allowing detention without charge or trial for six months, another for a year and third for two years. West Bengal has the Prevention of Violent Activities Act 1970. Journalists in Chhattisgarh are regularly jailed under the nsA and kept in prison for a year for their reporting.

As we can see from the dates, none of these are socalled colonial laws. these are laws we have gifted ourselves. every state uses them liberally and there is no resistance from the judiciary. these days we have classified sections of the indian people as the enemy through the use of the phrase “anti-national”.

We do not have Jallianwala Bagh-type gatherings today and if we did, against such laws, we would be called anti-national. But that does not change the fact that these laws are as out of time and place today as the rowlatt Act was a century ago. Once that realisation dawns on us as a nation, and especially in the higher judiciary, we can expect that there will be reform of the sort that we have just seen with sedition.

And that is something to be hopeful about for our future.

Saturday, 21 May, 2022 | KARACHI

NEWS

PSX gaInS 117 PoIntS aMID govt-IMF talKS

corporate corner aPnS, voP join hands for young media graduates welfare

Lahore: The All-Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) and Voice of Punjab (VoP) signed a memorandum for a strategic partnership till March 2023 to benefit different regional areas of Punjab.

Mumtaz A. Tahir, Chairman Regional Press Committee, APNS and Enem Ali Abbas, Project Director, Voice of Punjab signed the agreement. It was mutually agreed that APNS (Regional Press Committee) & VOP (Voice of Punjab) will be the strategic partners till March 2023 to benefit different regional areas of Punjab.

Speaking at the occasion, Mumtaz A. Tahir said, “Both organizations shall arrange seminars, workshops and events on media and related topics to initiate a fruitful dialogue for an implementable media expansion model.

Regional Press and Voice of Punjab shall work together to promote peace, culture, tourism and patriotism in their respective areas.

Enem Ali Abbas, Project Director VOP said, “VOP shall offer assistance to the regional press in establishing the digital frontline to meet the latest media standards and trends. VOP shall offer strategic assistance in expanding reach and scope of regional press in the country, particularly Punjab.

As per the MoU, both the organizations shall work in unison to promote art and crafts, food, music, performing arts and related segments in the targeted regions. Both organizations shall work together to promote print journalism and polish/groom young journalists while inculcating journalistic ethics and values. pr

Cultural Diversity Key to Development: Ibrahim Hasan Murad

Lahore: University of Management and Technology President Ibrahim Hasan Murad Friday termed cultural diversity key to development in a society.

In a message on World Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development being observed on Saturday (May 21), Murad said the values of the Day should not only be celebrated, but the promotion of human rights and freedom should remain a continuous endeavour.

The UMT president said that according to the United Nations, creative and cultural industries contributed 3% of the GDP to the global economy and accounted for 29.5 million jobs worldwide. He said bringing cultures closer to each other is essential for freedom, stability and growth.

“Intercultural dialogues and discussions are the best tools for conflict resolution and the promotion of cultural diversity,” he added.

Mr. Murad added that Pakistan has many diverse cultures our youth needed to preserve and appreciate these cultures in order to keep the traditions from becoming obsolete. He said valuing and promoting cultural diversity was an asset to generating sustainability since cultural diversity made the world more beautiful.

“We must respect people and groups of all races, cultures, nationalities, gender, faiths and socioeconomic status,” he concluded. pr

KARACHI

P

Staff reporter

AKISTAN Stock Exchange (PSX) remained positive on Friday amid the government’s talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for loan revival programme, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index gaining 117.25 points (+0.27 percent) to close at 43,100.70 points.

The market opened on a positive note and remained positive during the first half of the session.

During the second half, the market took a dip soon after the news came that the ruling party faced a major blow in Punjab after the Election Commission of Pakistan de-seated 25 dissident lawmakers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf who were supporting the provincial government.

However, the indices switched back to the green territory within 20 minutes and closed the session on a positive note. A slowness in rupee’s depreciation, that has been going on for a month, also provided support to the market. Moreover, the upcoming meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the State Bank, scheduled for Monday, also did not impact the market negatively, as is usually seen a day

before such meetings.

The KSE-100 Index moved in a range of 247.2 points, showing an intraday high of 43,185.80 and a low of 42,938.60 points. Among other indices, the KSE All Share Index gained 97.54 points (+0.33 percent) to close at 29,347.4 points, while KMI All Share Islamic Index gained 70.31 points (+0.33 percent) to close at 21,072.34 points.

A total of 342 companies traded shares in the stock exchange compared to 352 a session earlier. Out of traded companies, shares of 193 closed up, shares of 113 closed down while shares of 36 companies remained unchanged. A total of 90 companies traded shares in the KSE-100 Index, out of which 58 closed up, 26 closed down and six remained unchanged.

The overall market volumes increased by 2.83 million to 189.93 million shares. Total volumes traded for the KSE-100 Index increased by 2.51 million to 84.69 million shares. The number of total trades decreased by 12,598 to 70,694, while the value traded decreased by Rs1.26 billion to Rs3.82 billion. Overall market capitalisation increased by Rs23.53 billion.

Among scrips, KEL topped the volumes with 19.22 million shares, followed by SILK (17.01 million) and PAEL (16.46 million). Stocks that contributed significantly to the volumes included KEL,

NEPRA imposes Rs65m fine on IESCO for ‘negligence’ ISLAMABAD: aHMaD aHMaDaNI

National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has imposed a fine of Rs 65 million on Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) for the charges of negligence resulting in fatal incidents during the period from July 2019 to June 2021.

As per details, NEPRA upon receipt of reports of 39 death deaths in different electrocution incidents during the period from July 2019 to June 2021, constituted a two member Investigation Committee under Section 27A of NEPRA Act 1997 to visit the respective areas, conduct investigation, ascertain and determine the facts and possible violations of NEPRA laws, rules and regulations. And, the Investigation Committee’s report revealed that 25 out of the total 39 fatalities occurred due to IESCO’s negligence. These fatalities included 10 IESCO’s employees and 15 persons from the general public.

Earlier, the Authority (NEPRA) issued a show cause notice to IESCO on 16-11-2021 under 27B of the NEPRA Act, 1997 and later provided an opportunity of hearing to IESCO on 03-02-2022.

Based on the evidence available on record, submissions of IESCO and relevant provisions of the laws, rules and regulations, the Authority observed that IESCO has failed to discharge its statutory obligations to main-

tain safety standards as laid down in the relevant laws, code and manual.

According to NEPRA, the Authority has therefore imposed a fine of 65 million on IESCO. The Authority has also observed that IESCO has awarded compensation to the tune of Rs 3.5 million to the families of its employees who lost their lives in these electrocution accidents, however, compensation of Rs 750,000 has been awarded to some of the families of deceased persons from the general public but not all (15 victims). The Authority has therefore directed IESCO to compensate all the families of the deceased employees (Rs 3.5 million each) and documentary evidence in this behalf shall be shared with the Authority. Similarly, the Authority has also instructed IESCO to ensure jobs to the dependents of each of the deceased families.

Federal Minister for Housing and Works Maulana Abdul Wasey chairs the board meeting of PHA. pr

Rupee slips to 200.14 against greenback KARACHI Staff reporter

The Pakistani rupee continued its losing spree and reached its all-time low of 200.14 against the US dollar on Friday, though depreciation during the day remained the lowest during the last two weeks.

The local currency has been setting alltime new lows for the last nine sessions. The State Bank of Pakistan said in a statement that the dollar opened at Rs200 in the interbank market and closed at Rs200.14 after gaining 14 paisas (-0.07 percent). Within the open market, the rupee was traded at 202.5/203.5 per dollar against 202/203 a dollar earlier.

The local unit has shed Rs7.61 during the

09

last five days against the US dollar after losing Rs5.90 during the last week. Overall, the rupee has depreciated by Rs42.65 against the US dollar during the ongoing fiscal year 2021-22 and Rs23.83 during the current year 2022.

Although the rupee continued to slide, yet talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for loan revival programme slowed its depreciation despite the fact that the ruling party faced a major blow in Punjab after the Election Commission of Pakistan de-seated 25 dissident lawmakers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf who were supporting the provincial government.

The currency experts said that until the government secures funding from friendly countries and the International Monetary

Fund (IMF) resumes its programme, the economic situation will not improve. They said that importers have been engaged in panic buying as they are uncertain about whether the government will be able to secure funding from foreign institutions, while exporters have held their earnings outside the country amid a consistent fall in the rupee's value.

The government began talks with the IMF on Wednesday last over the release of crucial funds. Pakistan has repeatedly sought international support for its economy, which has been hit by crippling national debt, galloping inflation and a plummeting rupee.

The talks are being held in the Qatari capital Doha, the Ministry of Finance said, and are expected to continue into next week.

SILK, PAEL, PRL and WTL, which formed over 41 percent of total volumes.

In terms of rupee, SFL remained the top gainer for the second straight day and witnessed an increase of Rs69.79 (+6.82 percent) per share, closing at Rs1,092.79. The runner-up remained COLG, the share price of which climbed up by Rs41.48 (+1.97 percent) to Rs2,152. NESTLE remained the top loser in terms of rupee and witnessed a decrease of Rs19.99 (-0.34 percent) per share, closing at Rs5,780, followed by RMPL, the share price of which fell by Rs10 (-0.1 percent) to close at Rs9,990 per share.

The sectors taking the index towards north were commercial banks (39 points), investment banks/ investment companies/ securities companies (16 points), oil & gas exploration companies (14 points), and cement and oil & gas marketing companies (10 points each). The most points added to the index were

by DAWH (16 points), SYS (15 points), and FFC, HBL and BAHL (12 points each).

The sectors taking the index towards south were chemical (10 points), power generation & distribution (8 points) and engineering (one point). The most points taken off the index were by TRG (14 points), EPCL (12 points), ENGRO (10 points), HUBC (8 points) and LOTCHEM (6 points).

SngPl denies any connection with SnoCHS election LAHORE: The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has categorically denied any connection with the society elections of Sui Northern Officers Cooperative Housing Society (SNOCHS).

In a statement issued by SNGPL, it was stated that the Company Management has received information that some individuals or groups are reported to be using SNGPL’s name/logo/monogram in the forthcoming elections of Sui Northern Officers Cooperative Housing Society. The Company Management has denied any interest in or connection with the said elections or any contesting individuals or groups. The Management has further apprised society members/public at large to remain cautious of any such elements who are using SNGPL’s name/logo/monogram for political or other gains. Sui Northern Gas PipeLines Limited reserves right to take legal course of action against all such people. pr

U Bank vows to bringing youth into mainstream

IsLAmAbAd: U Bank with its dedication towards youth inclusion and participation in uplift of the country organized a Polo Cup held at the Islamabad Club Polo Ground.

U Microfinance Bank President & CEO Kabeer Naqvi, formally opened the final match by pitching the ball onto the field.

Later, the U Microfinance Bank President & CEO presented awards to the winners and runners up. During the ceremony, Mr. Naqvi shared his thoughts and said, “our ambition is to be involved in activities and events that bring youth in to mainstream and help them capitalize and harness their zeal and strength. Positive and inclusive youth is critical in the nation building” U Bank’s customers and industry colleague attended the event. Team BN (Babar Naseem) and Asean played the final match. Team BN won the match by 7 – 5 and received the trophy from Mr. Kabeer Naqvi. pr

Saturday, 21 May, 2022 | KARACHI

10 FOREIGN NEWS

BIden BegInS ASIA tRIp In S. KOReA, UndeR nORth nUcLeAR ShAdOw PyeonGtAek, soutH koReA

U

AFP/APP

S President Joe Biden arrived in South Korea Friday, his first Asia trip as US leader, aiming to cement ties with regional security allies despite growing fears of a North Korean nuclear test.

Biden wants the trip to boost a yearslong US pivot to Asia, where rising Chinese commercial and military power is undercutting Washington's dominance.

He received a warm welcome from South Korea's new President Yoon Sukyeol, but there is growing concern that North Korea's unpredictable leadership could conduct a nuclear test while he is in the region.

There is a "real risk of some kind of provocation", US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said, as South Korean intelligence warned this week that Pyongyang had completed preparations for a nuclear test.

Biden, in his first remarks since arriving in South Korea at the start of a trip meant to demonstrate US resolve to lead in Asia, said the two countries' alliance was "a lynchpin of peace, stability and prosperity" in the world.

Speaking at a huge Samsung semicon-

ductor factory in Pyeongtaek, alongside Yoon, Biden described the advanced chips manufactured there as "a wonder of innovation" and crucial to the world's economy.

The tiny, smart wafers "enable our modern lives" and are "the key to propelling us into the next era of humanity's technological development", he added.

- 'Don't forget to vote' Semiconductors -- the microchips essential to most modern devices from phones to cars and high-tech weapons -are at the heart of a global supply chain

Russia to cut gas to Finland Saturday: Finnish company

slowdown that threatens to disrupt the world's post-Covid economic recovery.

South Korea and the United States need to work to "keep our supply chains resilient, reliable and secure", Biden said.

For the US leader, whose Democratic Party faces a severe pounding in midterm elections this year, the issue is also an acute domestic political challenge, with Americans increasingly frustrated over rising prices and stuttering economic reopening.

Ahead of the speech, Biden toured the huge Samsung plant, taking in lengthy

presentations from staff clad in hazmat suits on the equipment used to produce semiconductors. After a briefing from a US representative from a California company working with Samsung, Biden quipped: "Don't forget to vote Peter."

Samsung employs about 20,000 people within the United States and work is underway to build a new semiconductor plant in Texas, opening in 2024.

South Korea is a semiconductor powerhouse, supplying about 70 percent of chips globally, Yoon said in his speech. nORTH KOReA nUKeS: Security issues were not top of the agenda Friday, but the fact that Biden is visiting Seoul first on his Asia tour indicates that Washington is looking to re-focus on the Korean Peninsula, Soo Kim, a former CIA analyst, told AFP. Both Seoul and Washington may be looking to "bridge the policy gap" and plan how the security allies could better coordinate to address challenges in the region and beyond, Kim, now with the RAND Corporation, said.

Biden heads to Japan from South Korea on Sunday. He will hold talks with the leaders of both countries, as well as joining a regional summit of the Quad -a grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the United States -- while in Tokyo.

Germany rejects pooling EU debt to rebuild Ukraine

Helsinki

köniGswinteR, GeRMAny

AFP/APP

AFP/APP

Russian supply of natural gas to Finland will be cut on Saturday morning, Finnish state-owned energy company Gasum said Friday, after the Nordic country refused to pay supplier Gazprom in rubles.

"It is highly regrettable that natural gas supplies under our supply contract will now be halted," Gasum CEO Mika Wiljanen said in a statement.

However, we have been carefully preparing for this situation" and "there will be no disruptions in the gas transmission network," Wiljanen said.

The supply contract will end on Saturday at 7:00 am (0400 GMT), Gasum said.

In April, Gazprom Export demanded that future payments in the supply contract be made in rubles instead of euros, but Gasum rejected the demand and announced on Tuesday it was taking the issue to arbitration. Queried about the matter, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Friday referred reporters to Gazprom for "details" but said that "it is obvious that nobody is going to deliver anything for free."

Natural gas accounts for about eight percent of Finland's energy consumption, most of which comes from Russia.

In efforts to mitigate the risks of relying on Russian energy exports, the Finnish government earlier on Friday announced that the country had signed a 10-year lease agreement for an LNG (liquefied natural gas) terminal ship with US-based Excelerate Energy. "The LNG terminal will make it possible for us to break free from Russian gas," Finance Minister Annika Saarikko told reporters.

On Sunday, Russia suspended electricity supplies to Finland overnight after its energy firm RAO Nordic claimed payment arrears, although the shortfall was quickly replaced.

Germany's finance minister on Friday ruled out any joint EU borrowing to help cover the massive cost of rebuilding war-scarred Ukraine, after the idea was floated by top European officials.

After chairing G7 talks in Germany that saw countries pledge nearly $20 billion (19 billion euros) in aid to Ukraine, Christian Lindner said there would be no repeat of the EU's landmark post-pandemic recovery fund, known as "Next Generation", that is being financed by common debt.

"If there is any consideration of doing something like 'Next Generation EU' again, then the answer would have to be no. This was a one-off opportunity," Lindner told reporters in

Koenigswinter.

Top European Union officials earlier this week urged member states to be ambitious in helping Ukraine rebuild after the war, possibly using the pandemic fund as a model.

With the war still raging, the extent of Ukraine's reconstruction needs is not known, but the European Commission believes the damage already done is already in the hundreds of billions of euros.

"There is a time, sooner or later, when we will have to look at funding on a European scale as we did for Covid," Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said in Brussels on Wednesday.

In a document reviewing ways the EU could help Ukraine, the Commission said the rescue of Ukraine could be paid through added contributions

to existing EU programmes and boosting the EU budget.

But, it said, "given the scale of the loans that are likely to be needed, raising funds on behalf of the EU or with national guarantees from member states is among the options being considered."

The 800-billion-euro Next Generation EU fund had to overcome deep reticence by so-called "frugal" member states such as the Netherlands and Denmark to come into being.

Aware of the headwinds the suggestion of new common debt might face, an EU official said the commission's proposals remained intentionally vague.

"We are inviting member states to play with ideas and see whether there is a willingness to go along and take this further," the official said.

Beijing, Huawei condemn Canada 5G ban as 'groundless' and 'political' Beijing: Beijing hit out Friday at Canada for banning two Chinese telecoms giants from Canadian 5G networks, calling Ottawa's security concerns "groundless", while Huawei said barring its services was a "political decision".

Canada's long-awaited measure on Thursday follows the United States and other key allies, and comes on the heels of a diplomatic row between Ottawa and Beijing over the detention of a senior Huawei executive on a US warrant, which has now been resolved.

The United States has warned of the security implications of giving Chinese tech companies access to telecommunications infrastructure that could be used for state espionage.

Along with Huawei, Chinese telecoms firm ZTE was also banned.

Both Huawei and Beijing have rejected the US security allegations.

"China is firmly opposed to this and will conduct a comprehensive and serious assessment," foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters in response to the 5G block. AFP/APP

IIOJK marks Mirwaiz, Lone’s martyrdom anniversaries today islAMABAD News Desk

In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), a complete shutdown will be observed on Saturday (today) to commemorate the martyrdom anniversaries of prominent liberation leaders - Mirwaiz Molvi Mohammad Farooq and Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone and martyrs of Hawal, Srinagar.

According to Kashmri Media Service, the call for the shutdown has been given by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, which is also aimed at protesting against the illegal detention of Hurriyat leaders and activists lodged in different jails of IIOJK and India and to pay tribute to their dedication and commitment to the ongoing freedom movement.

Protest rallies would be organised on that day against the genocide of the Kashmiris by the Indian forces in the territory. People would visit the Martyrs’ Graveyard at Eidgah in Srinagar to offer fateha for all the Kashmiri martyrs.

The APHC leadership asked the imams and khateebs to remember the martyrs in their fivetime daily prayers in mosques.

Unidentified gunmen had shot dead Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq at his residence in Srinagar on 21st May in 1990. On the same day, seventy mourners were killed when Indian troops opened indiscriminate fire on his funeral procession in Hawal area of Srinagar. Twelve years later on May 21 in 2002, unknown attackers had assassinated Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone when he was returning after addressing a gathering at the Martyrs’ Graveyard in Srinagar.

URF terms Yasin Malik’s conviction worst case of political vendetta sRinAGAR News Desk

In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the Chairman of United Resistance Forum (URF) Bilal Ahmed Siddiqui termed the so-called trial and subsequent conviction of Jammu Kashmir Libration Front Chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik as the worst case of political vendetta.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Bilal Ahmed Siddiqui in a statement in Srinagar said New Delhi in its hegemonic behaviour has left behind all the past measures of suppression to curb the just and legitimate struggle of people of Kashmir. India in its frustration fabricated profreedom leadership on flimsy grounds and by setting up kangaroo courts to implement its illegal and nefarious designs in Kashmir, he added.

He said the trial of Muhammad Yasin Malik and his conviction on fabricated charges speak volumes about the sheer frustration of New Delhi at the hands of Pro-freedom leadership and masses.

He said this is a well-thought-out conspiracy to get the leadership killed and kept in jails for a long time. He deplored that leaders like Syed Ali Gilani and Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai were killed in custody and scores of other leaders and activists have been languishing in jails.

Bilal Ahmed Sidiqui strongly condemned the stubbornness and highhandedness of New Delhi and appealed to the international community and human rights organisations to take note of the genocide of Kashmiri leadership.

Monkeypox: A rare disease with low fatality rates PARis AFP/APP

Several cases of monkeypox have been detected in North America and Europe since early May, sparking concern that the disease, endemic in parts of Africa, is spreading.

Most people recover within several weeks and monkeypox has only been fatal in rare cases. There have been thousands of human infections in parts of Central and Western Africa in recent years but it is rare in Europe and North America.

France declared its first case on Friday.

WHAT iS mOnKeypOx? Monkeypox is a virus transmitted to humans from animals, with symptoms very similar to smallpox but less severe clinically.

In Africa, monkeypox has been found in many animals including rope squirrels, tree

squirrels, Gambian poached rats, dormice as well as different species of monkeys and others.

The World Health Organization however says human-to-human transmission is limited. Symptoms in humans of monkeypox include lesions, eruptions on the face, palms or soles, scabs, fever, muscle ache and chills.

Human monkeypox was first identified in 1970 in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo, in a nine-year-old boy in a region where smallpox had been eliminated two years earlier.

Since 1970, human cases of monkeypox have been reported in 11 African countries Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and South Sudan, according to WHO. In the spring of 2003, cases were also

confirmed in the United States -- the first time the disease surfaced outside Africa.

- HOW iS iT TRAnSmiTTed? - Animal-to-human transmission can happen as a result of direct contact with the blood, bodily fluids, or cutaneous or mucosal lesions of infected animals.

Secondary or human-to-human transmission can happen through close contact with respiratory secretions, skin lesions of an infected person or recently contaminated objects.

Transmission via droplet respiratory particles usually requires prolonged face-to-face contact, putting health workers, family members and other close contacts of infected people at greater risk.

On Monday, the WHO signalled that some of the cases confirmed recently in Britain surfaced among gay men. But experts have warned it was too premature to es-

tablish a link.

"Although the current cluster of cases is in men who have sex with men, it is probably too early to make conclusions about the mode of transmission or assume that sexual activity was necessary for transmission, unless we have clear epidemiological data and analysis," Michael Skinner, a virology specialist from London's Imperial College, told Science Media centre(SMC) website.

HOW SeRiOUS iS iT? It is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting from two to four weeks. Severe cases occur more commonly among children and are related to the extent of virus exposure, patient health status and nature of complications.

The case-fatality ratio has varied but has remained between 0 and 10 percent in all registered infections. "It's been estimated

that the West Africa strain, which the UK cases have, has a mortality rate of about one percent. There is also a strain found in the Congo region which can be fatal in as many as 10 percent of cases, but the UK cases do not have this strain," Simon Clarke, associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, told SMC. iS THeRe A TReATmenT? There is no specific treatment but vaccination against smallpox has been found to be about 85 percent effective in preventing monkeypox.

However access to smallpox vaccines is now limited as the disease has been eradicated globally.

"The good news is the smallpox vaccine works well against monkeypox. The bad news is mostly people under age 45 don't have the smallpox vaccine," said epidemiologist and health economist Eric Feigl-Ding.

Saturday, 21 May, 2022 | KARACHI

Pakistan’s silver, bronze medalists’ team members of South Asian TT squad warmly received Ummam Khawaja, Shah Khan, Haseeb Khawaja and Abbas Khan, the four members’ part of the Pakistan National Table Tennis Team along with their coach Amna Khan, also hailing from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, were warmly received here at Peshawar Sports Complex soon after arriving here from Maldives.

Director General Sports Khalid Khan was there receiving the team members who participated in the recently held South Asian Table Tennis Championship at Male, Maldives.

The team gave a stunning performance in the South Asian Table Tennis Championship, winning one silver and bronze medals in both Individual and Team events. Director Development Saleem Raza, Deputy Director Finance Tariq Khan, Administrative Officer Jaffer Shah, Senior Vice President of Table Tennis Association Kafayat Ullah Orakzai, President KP Sports Writers Association Asim Shiraz, Secretary Shahid Afridi, former President Ijaz Ahmed Khan and other personalities were present at the Sports Complex.

Director General Sports KP Khalid Khan appreciated the players and said he feels proud that four members hailing from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with coach were part of the winning team. He hoped that they would continue to work hard and achieve more for the country and the nation. He said that KP Sports Directorate was providing facilities to all the best players and would also provide good facilities to them. app

Hamburg close in on Bundesliga return

SPORTS 11

PCB unveIlS 93 SquAdS for CCA u19 TournAmenT LAHORE

T

All six CriCket AssoCiAtions to hold mAtChes from todAy

staFF report

HE Pakistan Cricket Board on Friday announced Balochistan, Central Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Northern, Sindh and Southern Punjab squads for City Cricket Association U19 Tournament, which is scheduled to commence from Saturday (today. The 93 squads have been announced for the 50-over tournament of U19 Tournament.

The sides have been selected through robust and merit-based open trials where the PCB has spent around Rs 10 million to ensure transparency in age-group cricket. The players born on or after 1 September 2003 and before 1 September 2007 were made eligible for selection in the tournament. The players who performed well in the last CCA U19 tournament and fall into age bracket for this year's edition have

also been named in the side.

The 50-over tournament has been designed to provide teenage cricketers with an opportunity to impress selectors ahead

of the divisional tournament and PCB U19 three-day and one-day tournaments.

The performers will also get a chance to get selected in the inaugural edition of

Pakistan Junior League, the player draft for the league is expected to take place in August. The tournament is scheduled to take place in Lahore from 1 to 15 October.

Keeping the health and welfare of the players of the top most priority, certain precautionary measures have been adopted to keep players fit during the tournament. The PCB will encourage players to wear floppy hats during the match and wet towels will also be available to the players.

Moreover, the match timings are also designed in a way to keep players fresh in the heat. The match will start at 830 and will go on till 1300. There will be a three hours break from 1300 to 1600 in the peak hours of heat. The match will resume again at 1600 and will conclude at 1830. There will also be a provision for additional drinks break in each innings.

The tournament will be covered digitally and with the live scores available on CricHQ.

female referees to officiate matches during Qatar football World Cup

BERLIN aFp

Hamburg have one foot back in the Bundesliga after earning a 1-0 win at Hertha Berlin in Thursday's relegation/promotion play-off, first leg thanks to a speculative strike by midfielder Ludovit Reis.

Reis' winner at Berlin's Olympic Stadium gives Hamburg, who were relegated from the top flight in 2018, the edge ahead of Monday's home second leg.

"It doesn't matter who scores or how the ball goes in," Reis told Sky. "The main thing is we have to stay positive and keep the focus for Monday."

In front of a sell-out crowd of 76,000, Hertha looked to have taken the lead when Algeria striker Ishak Belfodil headed into the bottom corner, but Maximilian Mittelstaedt was offside when he put in the cross.

Reis, a Netherlands Under-21 midfielder who also qualifies for Slovakia, broke the deadlock with a speculative cross-cum-shot to the far post which looped over Hertha goalkeeper Oliver Christensen on 57 minutes.

"I saw where the goalkeeper was standing, but my intention was just to get the ball to the far post for someone else," Reis admitted.

The visitors had another clear chance when Reis forced Christensen into a save from 20 metres out with four minutes left.

Hamburg qualified for the play-off by finishing third in Germany's second tier after winning all of their last five matches.

Hertha ended up third from bottom of the Bundesliga after losing both of their last two matches against Mainz and Dortmund.

Coached by former Hamburg legend Felix Magath, Hertha face the prospect of being relegated after nine consecutive years in Germany's top flight.

"It's only 1-0, everything is still possible," said Hertha midfielder Niklas Stark.

Pakistani players grab two silver medals in Junior Int’l Squash Championship

ZURICH For the first time in football game history, the FIFA has announced that women referees will officiate matches during men’s World Cup scheduled to be held in Qatar this year.

According to the sport governing body FIFA, three women referees and three women assistant referees will be taking part in the global tournament to be held from Nov 21 to Dec 18.

Referees Stephanie Frappart from France, Salima Mukansanga from Rwanda and Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita, as well as assistant referees Neuza Back from Brazil, Karen Diaz Medina from Mexico and American Kathryn Nesbitt have all

been called up.

A total of 36 referees, 69 assistant referees and 24 video match officials have been chosen by FIFA for the tournament.

“We are very happy that ... we have been able to call up female match officials for the first time in the history of a FIFA World Cup,” said FIFA Referees Committee chairman Pierluigi Collina.

“This concludes a long process that began several years ago with the deployment of female referees at FIFA men’s junior and senior tournaments.

“In this way, we clearly emphasise that it is quality that counts for us and not gender. I would hope that in the future, the selection of elite women’s match officials for impor-

tant men’s competitions will be perceived as something normal and no longer as sensational.

“They deserve to be at the FIFA World Cup because they constantly perform at a really high level, and that’s the important factor for us.

“As always, the criteria we have used is ‘quality first’ and the selected match officials represent the highest level of refereeing worldwide.”

Frappart became the first female official to be involved in European Championship matches after UEFA included her in the list of referees for the tournament last year.

All match officials for the finals will participate in early summer in seminars in Asuncion, Madrid and Doha.

Two players of Director General of Sports Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Squash Academy Muhammad Umair Arif and Huraira Khan grabbed silver medals in the recently concluded Qatar International Junior Squash Championship-2022 in Doha, Qatar.

Director General Sports Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khalid Khan greeted the players for winning two silver medals in the Qatar Junior International Squash Championship.

He (DG Sports) said that the Directorate General of Sports, KP and The Bank of Khyber were also proud of both Muhammad Umair, the grand grandson of Hashim Khan and Huraira Khan.

“The players were selected for further training in June, 2021 in collaboration with ‘The Bank of Khyber’ and now they are proudly raising the name of not only Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but also of the Country by performing at international level,” said the DG. Mohammad Umair and Huraira Khan said that they were very grateful to the Directorate General of Sports for trusting on them and their coaches Muhammad Waseem, Alam Zeb Khan, Niamat Ullah Khan and Munawar Zaman. app

OCS to stream TWG 2022 at Olympics.com ISLAMABAD News Desk

The International World Games Association (IWGA) and the Birmingham Organizing Committee team up with the Olympic Channel Services (OCS), to stream The World Games 2022 (TWG) at Olympics.com in the United States from July 7 to 17. According to a press release issued by the organisers, the agreement with Olympic Channel Services (OCS) will see a comprehensive digital offering to stream the live action from The World Games 2022 (TWG) in Birmingham, Alabama on Olympics.com, the sports content hub of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The OCS will provide a 24/7 feed as well as individual feeds of the multi-sports event, the second time it will be streamed on

the platform following its success in 2017.

Nick Sellers, Chief Executive Officer of the Birmingham Organizing Committee, said, "We are excited for the partnership between the IWGA and Olympic Channel Services, ensuring digital coverage of The World Games 2022 for people in the US." IWGA President José Perurena added, "This new agreement marks another important step forward, meaning more visibility for the outstanding athletes and sporting competition at TWG 2022."

Mark Parkman, General Manager of the Olympic Channel Services, said, "A goal of the Olympics.com platform is to provide more opportunities for people to have access to sports. Our coverage of the World Games 2017 was one of our most successful live events to date. We are convinced that the agreement for the upcoming edition, where

even more live action will be available to view, will once again excite and engage fans in the host nation. " This digital streaming agreement is in addition to CBS Sports’ wide-ranging coverage in the US. CBS Sports Network will televise one-hour highlight shows after each day of the competition and the CBS Television Network will broadcast two, one-hour specials, with broadcast coverage also streaming live on Paramount+.

Fans in the US will now be able to watch nearly all of the 223 medal decisions over 34 live events.

The World Games, Birmingham, US is an international sports event held every four years, in the year following the Summer Olympic Games. Staged over 11 days starting July 7, 3,600 of the world’s best athletes will compete in 34 multi-discipline sports.

Saturday, 21 May, 2022

prayer tImINgs

NEWS

PTI CANNoT sNATCh PuNjAb FRoM PML-N: MARyAM LAHORE

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AKISTAN Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Friday said that Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf (PTI) cannot snatch Punjab from her party.

Taking to Twitter, Maryam wrote that “no matter what PTI does, the dream of snatching Punjab from the PML-N will be shattered.”

While lashing out at PTI Chairman Imran Khan, Maryam wrote that “Imran Khan, who was abusing the Election Commission of Pakistan day and night, may have felt a little embarrassment today.”

She added that “Punjabis are angry over handing over of their province to Farah Gogi [by the PTI] for looting and destruction, and they will ask PTI [about it] in the elections.

Earlier in the day, the ECP de-seated 25 deviant MPAs of PTI. Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja announced the reserved decision. He wrote in the verdict that the decision regarding deviant members of Punjab Assembly has been taken by consensus.

The 25 PTI MPAs against whom disqualification reference was filed include Saeed Akbar, Malik Ghulam Rasool, Mohammad Salman, Malik Noman

Langarial, Mohammad Amin Zulqarnain, Nazir Ahmad Chauhan, Abdul Aleem Khan, Mohammad Ajmal and others.

IHC forms larger bench in plea against removal of Punjab governor ISLAMABAD staff report

Raja Riaz appointed opposition leader in National Assembly ISLAMABAD INp

Dissident Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) MNA Raja Riaz has been elected as the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly with the support of 16 lawmakers.

Riaz joined the race for the opposition leader’s slot along with GDA MNA Ghous Bakhsh Mahar. He submitted an application, signed by 17 lawmakers, in the National Assembly secretariat, nominating him as the opposition leader.

After reviewing the competing applications, NA Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf announced the results and declared Riaz as successful.

Earlier, PML-Q’s Moonis Elahi had withdrawn his candidature as the opposition leader, paving way for a one-on-one contest between Mahar and Riaz.

The opposition leader’s seat had fallen vacant after Shehbaz Sharif was elected as the prime minister following the ouster of Imran Khan through a vote of no-confidence in the NA.

Chief Justice Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Athar Minallah on Friday constituted a larger bench to hear the petition of former Punjab governor Umar Sarfraz Cheema, challenging his removal from the post. The chief justice remarked that the bindings and powers of President of Pakistan had already been prescribed in the constitution. There was a parliamentary government system instead of presidential in the country, he added.

Justice Athar Minallah heard the case and removed objections raised by the IHC’s registrar office on it. Counsel for the petitioner Dr Baber Awan contended that the registrar office had raised two objections against the petition. The office objected over at-

taching a photocopy of the notification regarding removal of the Punjab governor and stated that the matter did not fall into the jurisdiction of this court. The chief justice instructed the lawyer to turn on next hearing after reading out judgments of Supreme Court.

The court also asked Baber Awan that powers regarding the appointment of a governor had been clarified when he was a law minister to which the lawyer answered that it was a different subject.

The chief justice formed a larger bench to hear the case and adjourned it till upcoming Tuesday.

HALEEM ADIL SHEIKH GRANTED BAIL: Meanwhile, the IHC on Friday granted a protective bail to Leader of the Opposition in Sindh Assembly and PTI leader Haleem Adil Sheikh, and barred the police from arresting him.

The PTI leader, in his petition, had said that the coalition government had started targeting his party ever-since it took office.

He stated that he had learnt from credible sources that the government had plans to teach him and other PTI leaders a lesson.

“Although I am not nominated in the Masjide Nabawi case, still I am afraid that I might be arrested in some other case,” read the petition. “I request the court to the IHC to accept my plea for protective bail,” the PTI leader stated in his petition.

COMMENTS SOUGHT FROM FIA OFFICIALS: The IHC on Friday sought written replies from officials of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in a matter regarding action on the complaint of PTI’s former MNA Kanwal Shauzab.

Army officers, soldiers honored with awards RAWALPINDI: A corps investiture ceremony of Rawalpindi Corps was held at Chaklala Garrison, said a statement issued by the ISPR on Friday.

Commander Rawalpindi Corps Lt-Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza conferred 89 Tamgha-i-Imtiaz (Military), 36 Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Military) and 19 Tamgha-i-Basalat on Army officers and soldiers for their meritorious services to the nation.

Next of kin of martyrs (Shuhada) received their awards posthumously. A large number of senior Army officers and families of awardees attended the ceremony. staff report

FAJR SUNRISE

ZUHR

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

4:27

12:29

3:55

5:50

7:07

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Talk success with IMF to result in quick economic turnaround: Miftah ISLAMABAD News Desk

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Miftah Ismail has said the much-anticipated talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are going forward in a "positive" manner, hoping that the economic situation in the country will improve soon.

Taking to his Twitter handle on Friday, the finance minister wrote: “With positive IMF talks underway, we expect a turnaround in the economic situation very soon.”

Miftah also shared the current account data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) last night, terming the decline a “good sign for external stability”. “The current account deficit for April came in at $623 million, less than half the average for the first [nine] months of the fiscal year. This is a very good sign for external stability,” he wrote. A Pakistani delegation is holding talks with the Fund in Qatar, seeking the revival of the stalled $6 billion loan programme. Miftah will also travel to Doha on May 24 to participate in the final round of negotiations.

The government is expected to withdraw energy subsidies and roll back unfunded subsidies to the oil and power sector.

According to reports, Pakistani authorities would make every effort to urge the IMF's review mission that it should lower the cost of the inflation burden that will impact the population, and may ask for a phased-in approach to subsidy reversal, particularly on petroleum goods.

SUBSIDIES MAY BE WITHDRAWN: In a major development on the third day of negotiations between Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the federal government has decided to withdraw subsidies on petroleum products and electricity before Monday.

According to media reports, during the ongoing technical talks with the Fund mission in Doha, the Pakistani delegation also discussed the programme to privatise power plants. The schedule for privatisation of state-owned enterprises has also been shown to the IMF. While Pakistan’s leadership has agreed to most of the conditions of the international lending body, sources, however, revealed that they have sought concession on a hike in the policy rate, citing its negative impact on business activities as a major reason. The central bank is scheduled to announce the monetary policy for the next month on May 23 (Monday).

Pakistan’s delegation — under the leadership of Finance Secretary Hamed Yaqoob Shaikh — told the IMF mission that a hike in policy rate would dent business activities which would impact the economy of Pakistan.

Pervaiz Elahi lauds ECP decision to de-seat dissident PTI MPAs LAHORE INp

Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi on Friday said that Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s decision regarding the deviant Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Members of Punjab Assembly (MPAs) has saved democracy in the country.

Pervaiz said that the ECP’s decision is a lesson for people who change loyalties. “First of all, I would like to thank Allah Almighty.

Thanks to our team of lawyers and Chief Election Commissioner, who played key role to save the democracy,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the ECP de-seated 25 PTI MPAs for voting against their own party during the recent election of Punjab chief minister. The dissident lawmakers are Raja Sagheer Ahmed, Malik Ghulam Rasool Sangha, Saeed Akbar Khan, Mohammad Ajmal, Abdul Aleem Khan, Nazir Ahmed Chohan, Mohammad Amin Zulqernain, Malik Nauman Langrial, Mohammad Salman, Zawar Hussain Warraich, Nazir Ahmed Khan, Fida Hussain, Zahra Batool, Mohammad Tahir, Aisha Nawaz, Sajida Yousaf, Haroon Imran Gill, Uzma Kardar, Malik Asad Ali, Ijaz Masih, Mohammad Sabtain Raza, Mohsin Atta Khan Khosa, Mian Khalid Mehmood, Mehar Mohammad Aslam and Faisal Hayat.

Long march towards Islamabad to begin between May 25 to 29: Imran nEwS DESk Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that his party’s planned long march towards Islamabad would begin on any day between May 25 and 29.

Addressing a public gathering in Multan on Friday, Imran said that he has summoned a session of PTI’s core committee in Peshawar on Sunday, where a final decision on the date for his long march to Islamabad will be decided.

He reiterated his demand from the present government to immediately dissolve the assemblies and announce the date of fresh elections.

He said that his party wants elections’ date and dissolution of assemblies at the earliest.

He thanked the people of Multan for warmly welcoming him. He said that a revolution cannot be successful without the participation of youth and women, adding that a revolution is coming in the country.

The corrupt and coward rulers have

spread fear among the nationals and bowed their heads before the United States, he said.

He slammed the political rivals and said that they tried their best to get NRO from the PTI government through long march, blackmailing, personal attacks and abusive remarks. Khan said that his political rivals just wanted to see their corruption cases pardoned.

The former prime minister said that he would not be running a political campaign against them now if he had agreed to give NRO to the corrupt politicians.

He said that Shehbaz Sharif should be penalised for giving a false guarantee regarding Nawaz Sharif’s return to Pakistan. They hatched a conspiracy against the PTI government with others, including Asif Ali Zardari and Fazlur Rehman, he slammed.

He criticised that an under-secretary of the US had threatened the Pakistani envoy to remove Imran Khan if Pakistan wants to be pardoned. “Pakistan does not need a pardon from anyone as it is an independent nation.”

He said that the nation has foiled the ‘conspiracy’ and the time has arrived to end

the politics of the ruling families.

“These worshippers of money will never go against the US but Pakistanis will never accept the rule of the United States and its slaves here.”

He said he could not understand the reason behind Sharif family’s rage against him.

“All the corruption cases, except the one by FIA, against Shehbaz Sharif were filed in their own reigns,” he added.

The PTI chief called upon people to focus on two main demands when they reach Islamabad. “First is the dissolution of assemblies, and the second is the immediate announcement of elections.”

Berating PM Shehbaz, Khan said that the coalition government is so weak that it is calling for a meeting of the National Security Committee to determine the prices of petroleum products. “[They are doing this] so the blame for rising prices falls on the army,” said the PTI chairman.

In another remark targeting Maryam Nawaz, Imran said someone sent him a clip from Maryam’s public meeting from a day

ago wherein she took his name many times.

“I want to tell you that your husband may get upset because of the way you are taking my name,” the ex-PM said.

Reacting strongly to this comment, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said women from the entire country should protest against

the use of such “regrettable” language.

“Using such shallow tactics, you will not be able to hide your crimes against the country. One can’t expect those who disrespected Masjid-i-Nabvi (PBUH) to respect mothers, sisters and daughters,” Shehbaz wrote on Twitter.

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