EpaperLHR_20-10-17 by Pakistan Today

Saturday, 17 October, 2020 I 28 Safar, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 108 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition

PDM flexes its Muscles, kicks off antigovernMent MoveMent froM gujranwala g

nawaz quesTIons governmenT’s douBle sTandards vIa vIrTual address

maryam urges PeoPle To sTand By oPPosITIon To ousT IncumBenT governmenT

BIlawal slams governmenT over record InFlaTIon, ‘onesIded accounTaBIlITy’

LAHORE/GUJRANWALA sHaHaB oMer

nder the banner of newlyformed Pakistan democratic movement (Pdm), the joint opposition kicked off its anti-government campaign from a public rally in gujranwala, where scores of people were in attendance. after hours-long journey, opposition leaders reached gujranwala late at night. Pakistan muslim league-nawaz (Pml-n) vice President maryam nawaz was the first to reach the venue along with party workers and supporters and welcomed Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-zardari, who reached with his convoy after her. Jamiat ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JuI-F) chief maulana Fazlur rehman’s caravan was the last to enter gujranwala, who came to the city with a large number of party workers. Pml-n’s shahid Khaqan abbasi, Khawaja asif, Javed Hashmi, marriyum aurangzeb, ahsan Iqbal, Khurram dastgir, national Party’s (nP) abdul malik Baloch, awami national Party’s (anP) mian Iftikhar Hussain and PPP’s latif Khosa were also in attendance. Pml-n supreme leader nawaz sharif, while addressing the participants through video-link, lambasted the government for “failing to do its job” and said that people were for paying for its “incompetence”. “Today the stoves of people’s houses in Pakistan have gone out, people have become unemployed. Paying gas and electricity bill is no longer affordable, and even medicines are out of public’s reach. The incumbent government has killed the people. I do not know how

shamelessly these people go to the media and tell stories here and there,” he said. “whose fault is it? Imran Khan niazi’s or those who brought him into power? who is the real culprit? who stole the people’s vote? who rigged the election? How did the vote you cast get into someone else’s box? who closed the rTs [results Transmission system] in the dark of the night? why were the results withheld? who made the losing PTI [Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf] win? who betrayed the trust of the people’s vote? who reheated the horse-trading market to form a ‘selected government?” he asked. “we will no longer be afraid to expose the real culprits. we are not cows and buffaloes, we are people of conscience and we will never sell our conscience. The people must stand as a against the oppressors,” he continued.

coronavirus in

Pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

321,877

LAST UPDATED AT 7:43 AM ON OCTOBER 16, 2020

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

RECOVERED:

NEW CASES:

659

DEATHS:

305,835 6,621 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

141,249

101,367

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

38,521

15,621

3,322/4,016 17,781

The former prime minister went on to question how a dictator managed to leave the country while being convicted by a court and other political leaders, including him, are tortured. “why are elected prime ministers not allowed to complete their five-year term?” he asked. regarding the accusation of treason against himself, he said that this is not the first time that dictators have accused public leaders because they speak of the constitution and law. “Then who are the patriots? Those who destroyed the constitution or those who divided the country into two pieces?” he asked. nawaz went on to accuse the incumbent government of being the most corrupt one he had seen in his 35year career. “The method of the present government is to lie so much that it seems to be true and under this guise

the government has heated up the market of corruption,” he added. He said that Prime minister Imran Khan was involved in corruption as well. “niazi will have to give receipts to the ownership of Bani gala and zaman Park assets,” he said, adding that Imran had not been cleared simply by receiving former chief justice saqib nasir’s nro. “aleema Khan will also have to give an account. Billions of fundraising cases will also be investigated. niazi will not get any nro on foreign funding case,” he added. The Pml-n supremo insisted that “these people have looted billions of rupees from the people.” He further commented on the achievements of his own era, wherein the electricity prices were lower and unemployment was down. “we worked hard and showed our strength to the world. we brought the country out of darkness by producing cheap electricity and brought peace to the country. we ended terrorism, started businesses, and ended poverty and unemployment in our time. In our time, it was expected that Pakistan would soon be one of the largest economies and the world Bank and ImF [International monetary Fund] were also acknowledging Pakistan’s progress. at that time, not only was our government doing this alone, but Pdm leaders were also involved. Pakistan is a peace-loving country and we also want peace but with self-determination, equality and self-respect. we want to live with self-respect even within the country. we have angered a country like saudi arabia, which is one of our closest friends, and the situation at the moment is that saudi arabia is so angry with us that it is not even

Opp responsible for country’s sorry state, says Faraz ISLAMABAD staff report

rounding on the opposition parties for lambasting the government for rising inflation, minister for Information shibli Faraz on Friday held the opposition responsible for the sorry state of the country. The speech comes two days after the all Pakistan clerks associations (aPca) staged a sit-in in front of the Parliament House, Islamabad, to protest against price hike and what they called anti-employees policies of the government. The protesters, who were endorsed by a number of unions, associations and organisations of government employees, urged the government to increase their salaries and allowances proportionate to inflation in addition to accepting their other demands. speaking on the floor of the senate, Faraz said, “[The opposition] says that inflation is rising [but] you are its root cause. It is because of your policies and the collapse of government institutions over the last 40 to 50 years [yet] you expect us to fix this in two years. “we will fix it and will enable

Fazl accuses PTI governmenT oF servIng InTeresTs oF ForeIgn Players willing to talk to us,” he said. In contrast, he spoke on how Imran’s government had not taken steps to reduce the price of sugar, and how the drug prices have “skyrocketed”. maryam, while addressing the crowed, stated that the people themselves are calling for Imran's removal. she added that she was not trying to bolster any politician, but merely to carry out the will of the people. "I have brought the case of the people before the people. no one has the right to remove a public representative. only the people should have the power to form and overthrow the government,” she added. she also urged the people to support the opposition in ousting the incumbent government. Bilawal, during his address, said that Pakistan's economy is witnessing the worst period in its history, adding that “people even do not have bread for two times.” He further remarked that the situation had not been this bad even after the global financial crisis in 2009. “The change is that today there is historical inflation and unemployment in Pakistan,” he said. “The poor are living in poverty while the youth are moving around with degrees but are not finding employment.” He talked about the increase in prices for groceries, and compared it to the increase in wages seen when the PPP was in power “This is a change of Imran Khan and his selectors. Today, every sector in Pakistan is in crisis,” Bilawal said.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

more inside

Imran terms establishment of stents manufacturing facility a major progress STORY ON PAGE 02

the country and government institutions to stand on their own two feet.” admitting to a rise in inflation, the minister added that it was a “temporary thing” and would be resolved within the next few weeks. The government on wednesday admitted the rising prices of wheat and sugar have added to the miseries of common people, saying it has started taking effective and practical measures, which will bring stability to prices of the commodities within days. The minister further said: “[… ] If [the opposition] thinks that they can put us under pressure, like they did when it came to the Financial action Task Force (FaTF) and national accounta-

bility Bureau (naB) proposals, that will not happen.” President dr arif alvi had summoned regular sessions of both houses of parliament Friday — the same day the opposition-led Pakistan democratic movement (Pdm) prepares for its first rally in gujranwala. The opposition has claimed that the rally will lay the foundation for the ouster of Imran Khan’s government. during the senate session, the minister said that the opposition was staging the gujranwala rally not in favour of “the likes of saad rafique” but to protect the “two royal families” who considered it their right to come into power.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Protests held against maulana adil’s murder in Karachi STORY ON PAGE 03

Indian govt dismisses SAPM’s ‘fictitious’ bilateral talks claim

STORY ON PAGE 02

Pakistan and afghanistan handled covid better than India, says rahul gandhi STORY ON PAGE 03

Saturday, 17 October, 2020

NEWS

ImRan teRms establIshment of stents manufactuRIng facIlIty a majoR pRogRess ISLAMABAD

FAwAd sAys PAkistAN’s Progress is liNked with scieNce ANd techNology

TLTP

RIME Minister Imran Khan, while appreciating the initiative of manufacturing cardiac stents in Pakistan, said that the step will significantly reduce expenditures on treatment of heart diseases, besides saving foreign exchange. The premier was addressing a ceremony after inaugurating N-Ovative Health Technology Facility at NUST on Friday. This is the first facility in Pakistan to produce cardiac stents and will make Pakistan the 18th country in the world to do so and the second Muslim country in the world and South Asia after Turkey and India, respectively, to produce stents. He said that the mortality rate of cardiac diseases is very high in Pakistan and it is a praiseworthy decision to locally manufacture stents. The establishment of a facility for stents’ manufacturing is major progress, said Imran. He highlighted that there was also a lack of coordination among institutions as compared to the 60’s era when the country was moving ahead in a good direction and its exports were gradually increasing. It is important to set the direction and mindset of the country, he urged. “We have to make a pleasant environment for overseas Pakistanis here in the country as they are our precious asset. Our major issue is about being unaware of our capabilities and a vision is needed to explore the potentialities. Being just an Asian Tiger is not a vision, we can be anything as the human capabilities are unlimited,” he said. The premier said that the government is focused on promoting local manufacturing and industrialisation to enhance the country’s exports. He said that real development of the country is not possible without enhancing exports, and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has set the direction right to focus on exports instead of imports. PM Imran said that all the government departments have been directed to facilitate and create an enabling environment for investment. He said that overseas Pakistanis, who are the biggest asset of the country, are being

Indian govt dismisses sapm's 'fictitious' bilateral talks claim NEWS DESK Days after Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on National Security Moeed Yusuf talked about India’s desire to hold dialogue, the Indian government on Friday declared the message as complete fabrication. Two days ago, Yusuf had given an interview with Karan Thapar of The Wire, where he revealed India had desired to reopen dialogue with Pakistan. During the interview, Yusuf had outlined some conditions that would need to be met for the conversation to take place, including resolving the Kashmir issue. However, New Delhi has now called the feelers for bilateral talks as fictitious. “The statements made by him are contrary to facts on the ground, misleading and fictitious. As regards the purported message that was referred to, let me make it clear that no such message was sent from our side,” said Indian foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava. He added that is was part of “Pakistan’s efforts to divert attention from [the] domestic failures of the present government and mislead its domestic constituents by pulling India into headlines on a daily basis”. He also advised Pakistan to stay out of India’s domestic policies. During the aforementioned interview, Yusuf had claimed that Pakistan had proof of India aiding and abetting terrorist groups. To this, Srivastava replied, “The Pakistani leadership continues to indulge in an inappropriate, provocative and hate speech against India. Such support to terrorism against India and use of derogatory abusive language are not conducive to normal neighbourly relations”. SAPM Yusuf has not yet offered a comment on Srivastava’s words.

Rashid Rabbani died of coronavirus re-infection: report

encouraged and facilitated to invest in the country. He also said that when PTI came to power, the country was facing a $40 billion trade gap. He added that the current account deficit ultimately leads to high inflation mainly due to rupee depreciation. Giving assurance of full support to higher education, the premier said that the government will promote a knowledge economy. He urged the youth to have their visions and work hard to realise their potential. Earlier addressing the ceremony, Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhary said that Pak-

istan is heading from import-based economy to manufacturing-based economy under the dynamic leadership of the PM Imran. He said that Pakistan is advancing towards self-reliance under the visionary leadership the incumbent premier. He added that the future of Pakistan is attached with education and technology. The minister said that linkage among defence, academia and industry is of vital importance to achieve the goal of the country’s development. He said N-Ovative Health Technology facility is an important milestone in the field of health.

NA session turns into shouting match on PM’s arrival NEWS DESK As Prime Minister Imran Khan walked into the National Assembly (NA) on Friday, the session devolved into chanting and shouting from the opposition, who were yelling out antigovernment slogans. The session had begun sombrely, with prayers being offered for the security personnel and security guards who had recently lost their lives to terrorist attacks. However, upon the arrival of the PM, the session became chaotic. The NA meeting coincided with the first Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) rally being held in Gujranwala, wherein the leaders of the opposition parties are holding a public rally against the government. This session had to be adjourned for 20 minutes so people could calm down.

After the session resumed, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan put forward a bill to introduce an amendment in the Election Act, 2017. The Election Amendment Bill, 2020, was referred to the relevant committee and the session was adjourned until October 19. It is possible that the reason for the chants was due to PM Imran’s comments. Earlier on Friday, while saying that he had no problem with the opposition holding rallies, the premier remarked, “Opposition is unemployed, there is no need to give them any importance”. PM Imran further said that he wanted the “opposition to hold public gatherings every day” and added: “The opposition is being exposed before the public every day.” The above was said at a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) meeting and confirmed by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Rashid Rabbani is the first person in Pakistan to die from the coronavirus after having already recovered from it once, according to a local news outlet. According to a friend and fellow PPP leader, Waqar Mehdi, Rabbani had first contracted the disease in May, but had not shown any symptoms and had recovered within a week. “Last week Rashid got sick again and when his condition deteriorated and he started gasping, he was taken to the Ziauddin Hospital in North Nazimabad, where he was tested Covid-19 positive again. This time his lungs were badly damaged due to re-infection and after remaining at least six days on ventilator, he passed away today,” the news outlet quoted Mehdi as saying. While many cases of re-infection have emerged around the country, as reported by the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) and Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), no hospital has reported any deaths save for Rabbani’s. “Rashid Rabbani, 68, had been brought to the Ziauddin Hospital with Covid-19 re-infection last week and his condition was very serious. He had to be shifted to the ventilator but unfortunately, his condition continued to deteriorate and he passed away today evening,” Dr Ziauddin Hospital Chairman Dr Asim Hussain told a local news outlet on Thursday. He added that the cases were rising throughout the country and that most people required ventilator support. NEWS DESK

20 more covid-19 cases emerge in Kp schools; punjab’s active cases surge ISLAMABAD: Schools in Khyber Pakhunkhwa (KP) reported 20 more coronavirus cases on Friday, taking the overall number to 418, while Punjab also reported surging cases of the highlycontagious disease. As many as 41,886 tests were conducted in the provincial educational institutions to detect the deadly virus, out of which 34,738 remained negative. KP reported as many as 57 new Covid-19 cases in past 24 hours. According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Covid-19 claimed seven more lives in the country over the previous 24 hours, pushing the death toll from the deadly disease to 6,621. As many as 659 new coronavirus cases emerged after 33,901 samples were tested during this period, said the NCOC. The total number of infections reported so far in the country has soared to 321,877. A total of 440 patients recovered from the disease during the past 24 hours, lifting the tally of recoveries to 305,835. There are 9,421 active cases in the country. So far, Sindh has reported 141,249 cases, Punjab 101,367, KP 38,521, Balochistan 15,621, Islamabad 17,781, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) 3,322, and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) has reported 4,016 cases. TLTP

SBP governor launches ‘digitisation of FX regulatory approvals’ KARACHI STAFF REPORT

State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Dr Reza Baqir on Friday launched the SBP FX Regulatory Approval System (RAS) for end-to-end digitalization of submission processes in foreign exchange-related cases. Both the SBP governor and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms and Austerity Dr Ishrat Husain gave speeches during the launch event. According to a statement issued by SBP, “The initiative will feature a fully digitalized platform to the business community and individuals in approaching banks for their foreign exchange related requests. It will transform FX operations by replacing the paper-based requests with electronic submissions, which is not only efficient but also cost effective. This development is also congruent with the government’s vision of Digital Pakistan.” SBP Deputy Governor Jameel Ahmad on the occasion gave a brief overview of SBP’s Knowledge Management Programme to digitalize the decision-making

processes at the central bank. He said that all FX related transactions create cross border monetary and reputational exposures for both the businesses and country and need to be well managed to avoid any unwarranted risks. He said that in order to address this issue, remove inherent problems related to paper-based processes and to ensure timely delivery of services to the stakeholders, SBP has developed this online platform under the umbrella of its ‘Knowledge Management System’. SBP Governor Reza Baqir said that the bank has worked with various public and private sector entities to provide alternate delivery channels for payments. He also mentioned that work of micropayment gateway is at an advanced stage, which would revolutionize the payment spectrum in the country. He listed several recent SBP steps, including expanding the delegation of FX related requests to bank; providing ease in payments for acquisition of services from abroad by onetime registration of contract with SBP and remittance of all subsequent payments by the banks; payments directly through the banks for acquisition of services from digital

service providers up to $200,000 per year without any approval from SBP; and facilitating exporters by allowing them to make shipments on ‘Open Account Basis’ with direct dispatch of documents to the importer. He said that endto-end digitalization of process through the commercial banks’ portals will enable customers to lodge their FX related requests from the location of their convenience thereby sparing their valuable time previously spent in navigating the paper-based processes. Chief Guest Dr Ishrat Husain, in his address, explained the government’s vision on digital Pakistan, highlighting strengthening connectivity, improving digital infrastructure, increasing investment in digital skills, and promoting innovation and tech entrepreneurship. Dr Husain was particularly dismayed about the absence of venture capital funds in Pakistan. He said that in the last decade, there has been a proliferation of centers of entrepreneurship, accelerators and incubators for training and promoting startups, but there hasn’t been a consequential increase in the number of venture capital funds, angel funds and other modes of risksharing financing.

Saturday, 17 October, 2020

NEWS

pRotests held agaInst maulana adIl's muRdeR In KaRachI KARACHI

STAFF REPORT

HE Karachi Ulema Committee (KLC) held protests in several areas of Karachi on Friday to protest the murder of prominent cleric and Jamia Farooqia head Maulana Dr Mohammed Adil Khan. Maulana Adil, the son of late prominent scholar Maulana Saleemullah Khan,

who founded the Jamia Farooqia, was shot dead along with his driver in a suspected targeted attack in the city last week. Prime Minister Imran Khan, while terming the incident “condemnable”, had said for the last three months, his government had been aware of “India’s attempts to target kill [scholars] from Sunni and Shia sects to create sectarian conflict across the country”. Several shops in different areas remained

lhc disposes of plea against pml-n workers’ arrest on govt’s assurance LAHoRE TLTP

The Lahore High Court (LHC) was informed on Friday that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supporters have not been detained ahead of the joint opposition’s first public gathering in Gujranwala. Justice Masood Abid Naqvi was hearing a petition against alleged arrests of PML-N supporters and roadblocks erected by the Punjab government to create hurdles for the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) Gujranwala rally. The Punjab government submitted a written reply in the court, stating that the local administration has already given permission to the opposition to hold a public meeting. Neither any supporter of the PML-N has been arrested, nor is anyone being barred from participating in the public gathering, it added. The government warned that action would be taken in case anybody takes the law into hands. After the government’s assurance, the LHC disposed of the constitutional petition. The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of major opposition parties held its first public gathering in Gujranwala on Friday. Leaders of all major opposition parties, including PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and PDM President and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman addressed the participants of the meeting.

closed since in the morning and public transport was scarce, as KUC had urged traders and transporters to close their businesses. A heavy contingent of police and Rangers officials was deployed in different areas of the city. Leader of the banned Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, Maulana Aurangzeb Farooqi, while speaking at a press conference on Thursday, said that a peaceful protest was KUC’s right. He

warned that if the killers were not arrested, they would be compelled to exercise other options. Flanked by other KUC members, including Qari Allah Dad, Maulana Hamad Madani, Maulana Taj Hanafi, and Maulana Rab Nawaz Hanafi, he said that the murder of Maulana Adil and the authorities’ inability to arrest his killers had put a question mark over the performance of the government.

Pakistan and Afghanistan handled Covid better than India, says Rahul Gandhi AgENCIES Rahul Gandhi, a leader of India’s Congress Party, on Friday yet again criticised the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) response to the coronavirus pandemic, saying “even Pakistan and Afghanistan handled Covid better than India”. He made these remarks in a tweet, accompanied by a graph of International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) gross domestic product (GDP) projections for several countries and a wry comment: “Another solid achievement by the BJP government.” According to the graph, Indian economy is expected to contract by 10.3 per cent this year, the highest contraction among the other countries — China, Bhutan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Afghanistan. According to Hindustan Times, this would be the biggest slump of any major emerging nation and the worst since Independence. The IMF, in its World Economic Outlook (WEO) 2020 shared on Tuesday, cut its forecast for India’s GDP growth, which fell at its steepest pace of 23.9pc in the June quarter. It now expects Asia’s third-largest economy to contract 10.3pc for the fiscal year compared with its June prediction of a 4.5pc drop. Gandhi, following the IMF report, had tweeted: “Solid achievement of six years of BJP’s hate-filled cultural nationalism: Bangladesh set to overtake India.” IMF said forecasts for the global economy are “somewhat less dire” as rich nations and China have rebounded quicker than expected from coronavirus lockdowns, but the outlook for many emerging markets has worsened.

The IMF said the virus was continuing to spread in large countries, including India and Indonesia, and those economies were far more dependent on hard-hit sectors including tourism and commodities as well as on remittances and other sources of external finance. INDIA’S FIGHT AGAINST CORONAVIRUS: India’s tally of coronavirus infections stood at 7.37 million on Friday, having risen by 63,371 in the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed. Deaths from Covid-19 infections rose by 895 to 112,161, the ministry said. India crossed the 7 million mark on Sunday, adding a million cases in just 13 days. It has the world’s secondhighest tally after the United States, where the figure is nearing 8 million. But some experts say that India’s tally may not be reliable because of poor reporting and inadequate health infrastructure. India is also relying heavily on antigen tests, which are faster but less accurate than traditional RT-PCR tests. Health officials have also warned about the potential for the virus to spread during the religious festival season beginning later this month. With the economy leaving millions jobless, the Indian government is continuing to relax lockdown restrictions that were imposed in late March. The government in May announced a $266 billion stimulus package, but consumer demand and manufacturing are yet to recover. A large number of offices, shops, businesses, liquor stores, bars and restaurants have reopened. Restricted domestic and international evacuation flights are being operated along with train services.

PdM flexes its muscles, kicks oﬀ anti-government movement from gujranwala CoNtINuED fRoM pAgE 01 The PPP chief also lambasted the government for “onesided accountability”. Being the last to address the crowd, Fazl questioned PTI government’s loyalty towards the country, accusing it of serving the agenda of foreign players. Earlier, former prime minister and PML-N leader Abbasi, while addressing the participants of the rally, said that the crowd inside the stadium was signaling towards the victory of democracy in Pakistan. Lashing out at the PTI government, he said, “They have no answer as to how inflation has taken place in the country.” “Today, those who brought Imran Khan also remember Nawaz Sharif. Today, everyone remembers Nawaz Sharif. This government has failed because its foundation was hollow. People give trust in the form of vote, there should be no betrayal,” he said, adding that he only wanted to urge respect for the vote because “only a free election can save the country”. Former foreign minister Khawaja Asif, in his address, said, “We are embarking on a national duty today.” “Today, all the opposition parties of the country have come together on one platform and will remove the government with the people’s power. Pakistan can no longer afford Imran Khan’s government. No one in the country is happy with the current government. The days of the government are numbered and the government will go in days, not months,” he said. ANP’s Iftikhar, while addressing the crowd, said that the government has bankrupted the country while inflation has skyrocketed, and the whole nation has turned against the government. “PTI was given way and today our way blocked but neither container nor police nor coercion can stop us,” he said. Former premier and PPP leader Raja Pervez Ashraf told the crowd that a person who lies cannot be a leader. “Inflation has broken our backs, and unemployment has left us nowhere but they blame everything on previous governments. What have you [PTI] done in two years? This government has tortured the people of Pakistan for two-and-a-half years. I want to tell them to do as much oppression

as they themselves can bear. Very soon the new sun will rise. If Pakistan is to be saved, then this government has to be removed,” he said. Reportedly, it took the PML-N VP six hours to exit Lahore due to blockades. “There is an ocean of people front, back, right & left. This is unprecedented,” she wrote on Twitter. “Took us 6 hours precisely to get out of Lahore,” she said in a tweet at 8 PM on Friday. Sources in PML-N said that Gujranwala police and district administration had blocked the roads leading to Jinnah Stadium, where the PDM rally took place, by placing containers at 32 places. Furthermore, Ring Road from Ada Plot to Sialkot Motorway was kept completely closed from 12 noon to 4 pm. Reportedly, Ring Road was closed on the recommendation of the Lahore’s traffic police chief. Similarly, the administration also sealed the secretariat of PML-N located in Model Town Lahore and placed containers on all sides while the citizens also faced difficulties due to the containers. “I have dedicated myself to your struggle, your mission for Pakistan and its people. May Allah be with us and may we return triumphant and victorious. Pakistan Zindabad,” Maryam said earlier today in a tweet, addressed to the PML-N supremo who is also expected to address the rally. Before leaving from Raiwind, Maryam, along with others, offered Fateha on the graves of her mother, Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, her grandfather Mian Muhammad Sharif and Uncle Abbas Sharif. As she was getting in her car, she thanked the workers of PML-N. “I salute your spirit. We are out for the rights of 220 million people. I hope the people of Gujranwala will come out today.” Furthermore, she asked the police to not interfere in the journey. “The police and the bureaucracy also face difficulties. This is not only a war for the rights of the people but also for you. Today’s rally is the beginning of the end of the government. The ‘selected’ government will be sent home, she said. In addition, PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif and Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Hamza Shahbaz also sent their security guards and vehicles for Maryam’s protection. To this, Maryam commented on how the leaders, who are in jail currently, were concerned for safety. Bilawal started his side of the rally in Lala Musa,

accompanied by Qamar Zaman Qaira, Ashraf, Faisal Saleem Kundi, Chaudhry Manzoor and Hassan Murtaza, where he addressed a press conference as well. Meanwhile, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the opposition alliance was committed to restoring the sanctity of the vote. While talking to media persons outside Jamia Ashrafia, he said, “The common man in Pakistan is suffering due to fake governance and government incompetence.” “The opposition […] is committed and there should be no impression that any of the parties are waiting for an agreement. All [parties] are committed and are united in restoring [the sanctity] of the people’s vote,” he said. “We do not have personal enmity with anyone. But it should be specified that Pakistan belongs to Pakistanis. It does not belong to Western entities.” “We have come together to remove the illegitimate parliament. This movement will be a milestone in sinking the ship of the rulers,” he remarked, adding that “the issue has now gone beyond in-house change”. The JUI-F chief felt general elections were the only way to remove corruption from the country. It is pertinent to mention here that in-fighting has begun between the members of the 11-party antigovernment alliance. Pakistan Today learnt that JUIF workers had attacked PML-N workers after both parties exchanged bitter words while sitting near stage. It is worth mentioning that there were reports of violation of coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOP) in both the Gujranwala rally and the rally held my Maryam in Lahore, where many people were seen without face masks. A day earlier, the incumbent government had previously stated that the PDM must follow the guidelines if it wishes to hold rallies. Provincial Law Minister Raja Basharat, while addressing a press conference on Friday, said that legal action would be taken if the sit-in of PDM was not implemented as per the agreement. “Opposition should not endanger the lives of the people as the Corona Act could have banned the rally, but the opposition must also realize its national responsibilities. The number of Covid-19 cases is increasing in the country. We have been told in writing that [the opposition] will provide masks and sanitizers to the participants. Arrests are being propagated by written agreement.”

Imran reiterates support for armed forces after terrorist attack NEWS DESK Prime Minister Imran offered his condolences and prayers for the security personnel and army men who had lost their lives in recent terrorist attacks in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). An attack on the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) convoy on the Makran Highway had resulted in the deaths of seven security personnel and seven army men. Separately, an explosion from an improvised explosive device (IED) had killed six army personnel in North Waziristan. “My deepest condolences & prayers for the 20 security personnel, including 6 army men, martyred in 2 cowardly acts of terrorism yesterday. The entire nation stands behind all our security forces as they continue to lay down their lives for the safety & security of Pakistan,” PM Imran said in a tweet on Friday. The security personnel martyred in the Ormara attack were identified as Subedar Abid Hussain, resident of Layyah; Naik Muhammad Anwar, resident of Sibi; Lance Naik Iftikhar Ahmed, resident of Dera Ghazi Khan; Sepoy Muhammad Naveed, resident of Chakwal; Lance Naik Abdul Latif, resident of Pishin; Sepoy Muhammad Waris, resident of Mianwali; Sepoy Imran Khan, resident of Lakki Marwat; Havaldar (retd) Samandar Khan, resident of Lakki Marwat; Muhammad Fawadullah, resident of Lakki Marwat; Attaullah, resident of Dera Ismail Khan; Waris Khan, resident of Tank; Abdul Nafay, resident of Kohat; Shakirullah, resident of Kohat; and Abid Hussain, resident of Bannu. Earlier, the prime minister had condemned the attack on the OGDCL convoy and sought a report of the incident.

fire breaks out in factory in Karachi KARACHI APP

A fire broke out at a factory in Karachi’s Landhi Town early Friday morning. According to reports, the factory is located in Landhi’s Export Processing Zone in Sherpao Colony. The building of the first factory collapsed. Firefighters said that the fire was increasing steadily and had spread to a nearby factory as well. According to rescue workers, no one was injured in the fire. There were six fire brigade vehicles at the scene and the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board imposed an emergency at the water hydrant in Sherpao Colony.

lahore ccpo transfers cIa sp after argument NEWS DESK Following an argument with Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Umar Sheikh, Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Superintendent of Police (SP) Asim Iftikhar is being transferred to the traffic department. According to a notification issued by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Iman Ghani on Friday, Iftikhar will be moved to the post of Punjab Traffic Headquarters SP. Furthermore, he will be replaced by the current Traffic SP Tariq Aziz. This post change is immediate, but no reason was given. According to sources, a meeting at the Safe City Authority headquarters between CCPO Sheikh and the CIA SP had turned into a heated argument, and the CCPO had issued arrest warrants for the latter afterwards. However, Sheikh’s seniors intervened and the warrant was later withdrawn. It is pertinent to mention that CCPO Sheikh had told Iftikhar that his services were no longer needed. Reportedly, the CCPO’s brazen approach has alarmed the other SPs. Reportedly, the main concern of the officers was that Sheikh had started treating senior police officers like his junior subordinates, against whom he had been taking “unwarranted” punitive steps, getting as many as 10 of them booked or arrested, since he assumed Lahore CCPO’s charge.

Saturday, 17 October, 2020

04 NEWS PAKiStAn urgeS worLD to StoP humAn rightS AbuSeS in occuPieD KAShmir ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

AKISTAN has urged the international community to demand India to halt its egregious violations of human rights in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). This was stated by Deputy Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations Aamir Khan while taking part in dialogue with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet at the

3rd Committee of the UN General Assembly in New York, said a press release received on Friday. The Pakistani deputy permanent representative also called upon India to implement the recommendations of the two reports of the UN Human Rights Commissioner. He said that Pakistan strongly supports the establishment of a commission of inquiry and Fact-Finding Missions for territories under foreign occupation to investigate and preserve evidence for en-

suring accountability of the perpetrators of gross human right violations. “The extremist ideology pervasive in India today, along with its offensive doctrines and hegemonic pretensions; its quest for conventional and strategic military dominance; a history of aggression against its neighbours; and the refusal to engage in a dialogue or mediation on dispute resolution, confidence building or risk reduction, present a clear and ominous danger. Not just to Pakistan, but to regional and international peace and se-

curity,” he said. India’s illegal actions in occupied Kashmir, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, coupled with its belligerent rhetoric, have compounded the regional security situation. Contrary to the assertion made, these issues are completely relevant to this Committee’s work, as they carry grave implications for regional and international peace and security. The spurious claim that India’s security compulsions are not confined to any geographical region is belied by the fact that over 70 per cent of its offensive capabilities are deployed against Pakistan. Moreover, India’s senior political and military leadership has openly resorted to irresponsible rhetoric against Pakistan, which reflects a dangerous hegemonic mindset, he further said.

Funeral prayers of 14 martyred security personnel offered in Lasbela LASBELA TLTP

The funeral prayer of 14 security personnel, who were martyred at Coastal Highway Ormara on Thursday, was offered at Awaran Malashia in Lasbela on Friday. According to details, security personnel of Balochistan Frontier Corps (FC) and other officials attended the funeral prayers. After the funeral prayers, the dead bodies were dispatched to their ancestral towns with full honor. At least 14 security officials, including seven FC personnel were martyred in a terrorist attack in Balochistan’s Gwadar district on Thursday. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the security personnel were escorting a convoy of Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) from Gwadar to Karachi when a large number of terrorists ambushed the convoy near Ormara on Coastal Highway. The security personnel responded effectively and ensured the security of the OGDCL persons and managed their safe exit from the area. During the encounter, seven FC personnel and seven security guards embraced martyrdom, the ISPR had said, adding that substantial losses were also incurred to the terrorists.

5.6-magnitude quake jolts KP PESHAWAR TLTP

PESHAWAR: A test of Peshawar Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) being conducted to review the technical performance of the buses. PPI

Masood stresses need for talks between AJK, GB leadership RAWALAKOT STAFF REPORT

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan has said that Pakistan would never take any decision which is detrimental to the United Nations (UN) resolutions on Kashmir or weakens the stand of the people of the state. "We want accession of the whole of Kashmir to Pakistan and this will be decided by the people of Jammu and Kashmir collectively," he stressed. Addressing a public gathering at Berri village on Friday, he said that the people of the liberated territory, including Berri, had shed their blood for freedom and to become part of Pakistan, but their mission is still unaccomplished. He said, “We must understand that Kashmir was being disintegrated not by

AJK PRESIDENT SAYS PAKISTAN WON’T TAKE DECISION DETRIMENTAL TO UN RESOLUTIONS ON KASHMIR Pakistan but by India which on 31 October 2019, first bifurcated Kashmir into Ladakh and Jammu-Kashmir declaring them part of the Indian Union, and the very next day, it released fake maps showing Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan as parts of India.” The AJK president said that Pakistan was the only country which courageously and firmly stood with the Kashmiri people, and we need to further strengthen our bonds with the state of Pakistan. He maintained that despite being divided in various political parties and having political differences, it is a matter of great pride for us that political leadership of the liberated ter-

ritory is unanimous on the Kashmir issue, freedom from India, and the right of selfdetermination of the Kashmiri people. Khan said, “We feel the agonies and the pain of our brothers and sisters in occupied Kashmir, and it is our national and religious obligation to help them to get rid of these miseries.” About Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), he said that all political parties of AJK, All Parties Hurriyat Conference as well as Jamaat Islami Gilgit and Jamiyat Ulemae Islam have the same stand but other parties of GB have a different stand on this issue, therefore, it is necessary that all the stakeholders

Process for purchasing BRT buses complete, says Sindh governor KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Sindh Governor Imran Ismail said on Friday that the federal government has completed the tender process for the purchase of buses for Karachi’s Green Line BRT. The Sindh governor, while chairing a high-level meeting regarding the ongoing development projects in the port

city, said that the government has completed the tender process and will issue in the next two months. The Sindh governor announced that buses for Karachi’s Green Line BRT would reach Karachi in the next 7-8 months. “The federal government will award tender for Green Line buses in next two months,” he said and added that 50 fire tenders would be handed over to

Karachi Metropolitan Cooperation (KMC) in March 2020. He told the meeting that the federal government is constructing 42 RO plants in the Tharparkar district. It may be noted that Karachi’s Green Line BRT project with intersections is 24 km long which includes 12.7 km elevated, 10.9 km at grade, and 422 meters underground and has 25 stations. The state-of-art underground bus

sit together to make any decision about the future of this region. Referring to the demands of the people of the area, Khan said that Rawalakot, Beirri, Pachiyot and all adjoining areas are beautiful gifts of nature which we should cherish and develop these areas to turn them into tourism hubs so that the economic conditions of the people can be improved and new employment opportunity in the areas could be created. He said that the development of the basic infrastructure of the area was a priority of the government to make these areas attractive for both domestic and international tourists. He added that in a democratic society the people do not need to pursue the rulers and their elected representatives for resolution of their problems but it is the duty of the elected representatives to go to the people and find out their problems and solve them instantly.

terminal with parking facility and the commercial mezzanine floor was also being constructed at Numaish. The construction work on Phase-I was started in 2016. Last week, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah presided over the second Provincial Coordination and Implementation Committee (PCIC) meeting in Karachi to discuss ongoing development projects in the metropolis. The meeting discussed purchasing buses for Green Line for which it was proposed to procure electric buses. The buses will be operated by a private company. The meeting set a timeline for different tasks for completion of the projects, including the repair of 106 existing roads by the KMC.

Earthquake tremors were felt in different cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), including Sibi, Swat, Lower Dir, Shangla and its suburban parts, on Friday. According to the Met department, the intensity of tremors recorded 5.6magnitude at Richter Scale. However, no casualty or damage was reported. Seismological reports stated that the depth of the quake was 242-kilometre with epicentre in Hindukush Mountain range in Afghanistan. Earlier on October 8, a moderate intensity earthquake jolted Mingora in Swat and adjoining areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The intensity of tremors recorded 4.7 magnitude at Richter scale, according to a report. The earthquake tremors were felt across Mingora town and adjoining areas. The depth of the quake was 100 kilometres with epicentre in Hindukush Mountain range, according to seismological reports.

Asad seeks upgradation of Punjab’s hospitals under PSDP ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has directed the Punjab administration to upgrade tehsil and district headquarters hospitals under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) and to prepare PC-1 in this regard. Chairing a highlevel meeting on the status of development programmes and funds related to health sector in Punjab through video-link on Friday, he assured the assistance of the federal government in this regard. On the occasion, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid apprised the minister of the plan to set up an integrated Communicable Disease Centre on the pattern of National Institute of Health (NIH). She said that at the time of coronavirus pandemic, such a centre is a matter of urgency. Asad was also apprised of the constructions of Mother and Child Care Hospitals and other ongoing Health projects in Punjab. It was informed that Punjab government is fully prepared to construct six mother and child care hospitals in the province.

Saturday, 17 October, 2020

BRITISh execuTIve MATThew wIlSheR cOnFIRMeD AS PTcl ceO LAHORE

WILSHER HEADED ETISALAT NIGERIA AS CEO DURING A DEBACLE THAT LED TO ETISALAT GROUP’S DEPARTURE FROM AFRICAN COUNTRY

TAIMOOR HASSAN

HE governing board of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has approved the nomination of Matthew Wilsher as the new chief executive officer (CEO) of the national telecom operator [PTCL]. Wilsher is going to succeed Rashid Naseer Khan, who was appointed as the CEO of PTCL on February 12, 2019. Though official confirmation of Wilsher’s appointment by the management of the company is yet to be issued, a notification issued to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) by the board states that the newly approved executive is going to assume office in Pakistan in December 2020. As per the rules of appointment, Emirates Telecoms Group Company (Etisalat Group), which is a 26pc shareholder in PTCL and has the prerogative to appoint CEO of choice, nominated Wilsher to succeed Rashid. The governing board of the company subsequently approved the nomination in a recent meeting. Wilsher, a British national, is currently serving as the CEO of Etisalat Afghanistan, a post he joined following

his resignation as the chief executive officer of Etisalat Nigeria in 2017. Wilsher was heading Etisalat Nigeria when the company failed to repay loans amounting to $1.2 billion to 13 Nigerian banks, leading to an unceremonious departure of Etisalat Group from Nigeria. Apart from the CEO, Etisalat Nigeria chief financial officer (CFO) Wole Obasunloye also resigned, besides resignations of the Emirati non-executive directors, representing the interests of Mubadala Development Company and Etisalat Group, both shareholders in Etisalat Nigeria. The Nigerian media reported that the directors had resigned in an attempt to absolve themselves of criminal and civil liability for the non-payment of a $1.2 billion loan taken from the 13 Nigerian banks. The trouble had reportedly started when Etisalat Group disclosed on the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange that it had pulled out of Etisalat Nigeria and was transferring 45 per cent of its stake and

25 per cent of its preference shares in its Nigerian subsidiary to United Capital Trustees Limited, the legal representative of the lending banks. Aside Etisalat Group, other shareholders of Etisalat Nigeria included Mubadala Development Company with a 40 per cent stake and Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services (EMTS), representing the Nigerian shareholders, with 15 per cent. Etisalat had in 2013 approached a consortium of 13 local banks for a loan of $1.2 billion for network upgrade and expansion. The money was sourced in dollar and naira denominations. However, citing the economic downturn of 2015-2016 and naira devaluation, which negatively impacted on the dollardenominated component of the loan, Etisalat wrote its creditors informing them of its intention to halt the repayment of the loan in instalments, until such a time that it was able to raise more money. The banks involved in the loan deal

were Zenith Bank, GTBank, FirstBank, UBA, Fidelity Bank, Access Bank, Ecobank, FCMB, Stanbic IBTC Bank and Union Bank. Zenith Bank had the highest exposure to Etisalat amounting to $262 million and 80 billion naira, GTBank had the second-highest exposure of $138 million and 42 billion naira, Access Bank followed with $131 million and 40 billion naira, besides millions of dollars and billions of Nigerian naira owed to other banks. But Etisalat had countered this information, stating that it had paid $500 million up till February 2017. It said the outstanding loan to the lenders stood at $227 million and 113 billion naira, a total of about $574 million if the naira portion was converted to US dollars. Nigerian media had reported that the consortium of banks had threatened to take over the operations of the telecommunication company unless it repaid the loan in full. The situation forced Etisalat to enter into negotiations with the banks, seeking unreasonable write-offs, which the banks have so far rejected. The impasse eventually led to Etisalat Group’s withdrawal from its Nigerian operations last week, leaving behind Mubadala and EMTS.

Big industry expands 3.6pc YoY in July-Aug FY21 ISLAMABAD GHULAM ABBAS

Rupee gains Rs1.35 against dollar this week KARACHI: Pakistani Rupee continued gaining strength against the US dollar in the interbank and gained another 37 paisas on Friday. According to a tweet of the State Bank of Pakistan, the US dollar opened at Rs162.86 and closed at Rs162.49. PKR has gained Rs1.35 against the US dollar during this week. Meanwhile, the liquid foreign exchange reserves of the country stood at $19.015 billion by week ended on October 9, 2020, the SBP stated. The official reserves of SBP fell by $357 million to $11.798 billion, as against $7.196 billion a week ago. TLTP

Punjab govt to share estamp, land ownership data with FBR ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Board of Revenue-Punjab under which the latter will share data regarding e-stamp and land ownership. “In line with the vision of the prime minister to improve transparency in the tax collection system, the FBR has achieved another milestone by signing an MoU with the Board of Revenue-Punjab, the FBR said in a statement issued on Friday. “The FBR has been making consistent efforts to acquire third party data by linking its IT systems with such parties to broaden tax base and to improve the transparency in the collection system.” TLTP

Pakistan's large-scale manufacturing (LSM) production grew 3.66pc year-on-year in the first two months (Jul-Aug) of the current fiscal year (FY21), as compared to the corresponding period of last year, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Friday. As per the PBS data, the LSM output posted a growth of 1.19pc in August. This rebound came months of damage inflicted by Covid-19. Before coronavirus, it was only in the month of November 2019 when LSM last posted a growth. The growth in big industry's output in July and August reflected a revival in economic activities in the country. In FY20, the LSM output had fallen 10.17pc on a yearly basis. Sector-wise, production of 11 items under the Oil Companies Advisory Committee dipped 5.36pc YoY in August; 36 items under the Ministry of Industries and Produc-

tion went up 2.33pc; while 65 reported by the provincial bureaus of statistics rose 0.15pc. The LSM constitutes 80pc of the country’s total manufacturing and accounts for nearly 10.7pc of the national output. In comparison, the small-scale industry makes up for just 1.8pc of GDP and 13.7pc of the secondary sector. As per the PBS data, the auto sector, except tractors, trucks and motorcycles, was the major laggard with massive declines in sales in August on account of multiple upward price revisions due to currency depreciation. The sector saw production of tractors rising by 21.47pc, trucks 19.83pc and motorcycles 8.88pc during the month under review. On the other hand, output of buses fell 52.46pc, jeeps & cars 29.45, and light commercial vehicles 44.68pc. The data for August showed that the output of petroleum products dropped 5.36pc. The output of two major oil products, petrol and high-speed

diesel, mostly used in the transport sector and agriculture, was up 8.56pc and 5.91pc, respectively. LPG output increased 8.84pc, while the production of jute batching oil surged 118.46pc. On the flip side, the production of furnace oil dipped by 10.42pc, kerosene oil 3.45pc, jet (airline) fuel 52.61pc, lubricating oil 38.55pc and solvent naphtha 55.05pc. Meanwhile, cigarette production soared 21.79pc YoY in August, while that of cement went by 16.84pc. In pharmaceuticals, output of syrups rose by 1.79pc, injections 24.25pc and capsules 8.65pc. The output of tablets declined 8.83pc. The production of tea and vegetable ghee dipped 7.73pc and 1.67pc, respectively, whereas that of cooking oil increased by 5.46pc. At the same time, production of electronic goods contracted in August due to demand slowdown of items. These included refrigerators, deep freezers, air-conditioners, electric bulbs, tubes, fans, motors, meters, switch gears, TV sets etc.

Punjab sets sugarcane price at Rs200 per 40kg LAHORE: The Punjab government has fixed the minimum price for 40kg sugarcane at Rs200 as the cane crushing season is about to begin in the province. Chaired a meeting on Friday, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar stressed that the rights of cane farmers will be protected at all costs, adding that their exploitation will not be tolerated. He noted that the government is keen on protecting farmers’ rights before and it will continue to protect them in the future as well. The crushing season will formally begin across the districts of South Punjab by November 10 of the current year. Earlier this month the government of Punjab mandated the sugar millers to carry out their transactions to sugarcane growers via banks in order to avoid complications that may lead to exploitation of the farmers. Apparently, in its bid to control the sugar crisis and exploitation of sugarcane farmers, the provincial government has amended the Sugar Factories Control Act 1950 to necessitate the recorded transactions. TLTP

NEWS

Opp responsible for country’s sorry state, says Faraz continued on page 01 “they say the elections were rigged […] gather the data and see how many election petitions you filed and how many pti filed.” What double standards are these, he questioned, adding that the opposition was only happy when things proceeded according to their wishes. He said that the opposition had “exposed themselves” and would not be coming back into power. “their [days in] politics are up.” HOUSE OFFERS PRAYERS FOR VICTIMS OF TERROR ATTACKS: during the session, the Senate passed two resolutions expressing grief and sorrow over the deaths of former senators Syed Qurban ali Shah and Hazrat Hameeduddin Sialvi, Radio pakistan reported. the House also offered prayers for the security personnel and private guards martyred in two separate terrorist attacks on thursday. during the question hour session, Minister for industries and production Hammad azhar said that the country’s economic indicators were positive with foreign remittances witnessing a 20 per cent increase as compared to previous years. “despite resistance from some quarters, the government has strengthened money laundering laws,” he said, adding that it has now been declared a cognizable offense. He stated that pakistan’s progress in this regard will be noted by the FatF at the next meeting.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia agree to enhance IT cooperation ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in the field of information technology (IT) and to continue close collaboration on all matters of mutual interest. This came to light during a video call between Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng Abdullah Amer Al-Swaha on Friday. Qureshi underlined the historic and deep-rooted fraternal ties, which form the basis of enhanced cooperation in all fields between the two countries. He said that the two countries share the focus on development of information technology, which is the need of the modern digital age. The foreign minister highlighted the fact that both Pakistan and the Kingdom have a significant youth bulge in their demography. He said the two countries have a wideranging scope of expanding ties and enhancing collaboration in this field, which could be mutually beneficial. The Saudi minister reciprocated the warm feelings and echoed the sentiments of the foreign minister, terming Pakistan as a close brotherly country. STAFF REPORT

FDI plunges 51pc YoY in Sept KARACHI: Foreign direct investment (FDI) was recorded at $189 million in September 2020, compared to $384 million in September 2019, showing a decrease of 51pc year-on-year. During the first quarter of fiscal year 2021, FDI declined by 24pc year-on-year to $416 million, compared to $546 million in the same period of last year. September’s FDI of $189 million is the highest recorded monthly FDI since March 2020, when FDI was recorded at $279 million. However, this is the first month FDI has recorded a yearly decline since May 2020. China remained the largest investor, with a net FDI of $104 million during the first quarter of FY21, compared with the $55 million during the same period last year. Malta was the second largest investor with net FDI of $56 million, which was the same amount of FDI ($56 million) in the same period last year. Most investment in the first quarter of FY21 happened in the power sector of $113.3 million, followed by $102.5 million in the financial business sector, and $67.2 million in oil and gas exploration. STAFF REPORT

FrieslandCampina Engro posts Rs321m profit for third quarter KARACHI STAFF REPORT

FrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan Limited (FCEPL) on Friday announced its financial results to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). According to the results, FCEPL registered a profit after tax of Rs321 million in the nine months ending September 30, versus a loss of Rs809 million during the same period last year. The company’s net sales

stood at Rs32.4 billion in the nine month period, compared to Rs28.5 billion in the same period of 2019. The company’s earnings per share stood at Rs0.42, compared to a loss of Rs1.05. In a press release, FrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan said that the company had recorded the eighth consecutive quarter of robust topline growth and registered a 12pc growth versus last year. The company, formerly known as Engro Foods, said that this year, the overall cost en-

vironment remained challenging, with record inflationary levels leading to a high increase in commodity costs over the last 12 months and sharp devaluation of the rupee. “However, the company achieved a 220 bps improvement in gross margins versus the same period last year through multiple initiatives including cost optimization and mix management. The improvement in margins has been diluted somewhat by the higher borrowing costs on account of high interest rates in the first

CMYK

quarter.” the company said. FCEPL’s dairy and beverages section registered a 16pc growth versus the same period last year, with the segment reporting a revenue of Rs28.9 billion. The company added to its portfolio by launching Olper’s Flavored Milk and Tarang Tea Whitening Powder in the first half of the year. “Other recent launches like Olper’s full cream milk powder (FCMP), Olper’s Creams, Olper’s Pro-Cal and Tarang Elaichi have gained a healthy market share in a short

span of time despite strong competition from established players,” the company claimed. FCEPL said that the ice cream segment was impacted by the closure of retail and leisure spots due to Covid-19, which coincided with the ice cream summer season. Consequently, the ice cream and frozen dessert segment reported a revenue of Rs3.4 billion, versus a revenue of Rs3.6 billion in the same period last year. However, the segment recorded better volumes during Eid.

Saturday, 17 October, 2020

06 COMMENT

The clock is ticking on Pakistan’s tech industry after the TikTok ban

Is pace of CPEC 2.0 slowing down? No decision on ML-1 financing

HERE is a perception that the progress of the CPEC has slowed down during the present government. Recently an important meeting was delayed, a vital project announced with fanfare seems to be in doldrums and provincial level preparations are neglected with the result that some of the cherished projects are held up. the slowdown can partly be attributed to the pandemic which has affected the economies of both China and Pakistan. CPEC-related activities, however, appeared tepid even during the year and half of the Pti government before the advent of covid-19. the 10th review meeting of CPEC’s Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) was earlier scheduled for October. Reportedly some of the joint working groups (JWGs), which are bilateral forums that refine proposed projects for the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) could not meet on schedule, leading to delay in the JCC’s meeting, which will now be held in the third week of november. interestingly, the rehabilitation and upgrading of the karachi-lahore Peshawar (Ml-1) Railway track may not be finalised at the review meeting despite Railways Minister sh Rashid having already congratulated the government and himself several times while telling the nation that the Ml-1 would soon provide 150,000 jobs. the strategic Ml-1 project is worth $6.8 billion. Pakistan had reportedly shared a tentative financing term sheet for the project with China early this year and requested the loan at the lowest rate of 1%. Chinese authorities have however avowedly shown reluctance to provide the loan at this rate. the Pti government wants to take up the issue at the highest political level in China hoping that an agreement would be reached. the feasibility study of the Greater Peshawar Mass transit Project has not yet been completed by the kP government. new projects would be considered in the next JCC meeting after approval of PC-is, including the swat Express Way Phase-ii and Peshawar-Di khan Motorway. as the understanding reached in the ninth JCC meeting, some of these projects had to be ready for framework agreement this year, but the government of khyber-Pakhtunkhwa could not complete preparatory work, according to officials. all this helps create the perception that things are not moving as efficiently as these did under the previous government.

RaZa u. Shah

ECEntlY the internet went wild over a video clip posted by tiktok user “doggface208” of himself as he skateboards to the tune of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac, while sipping from a bottle of cranberry juice. touted as a much-needed reminder of how to live in the moment in a year fraught with worries, the viral sensation spread like wildfire, catapulting the 1970s Fleetwood Mac classic to the top 40 in lists of music streaming apps, and reaching its logical conclusion when the band’s drummer, Mick Fleetwood himself, paid homage to the video. this ability to capture the world’s attention through videos that that are no longer than a minute is par for the course for the app that has itself been the focus of attention in the tech world. it boosted the song from last year, Old town Road by lil nas X, to numerOne on the Billboard Hot 100 and its short, entertaining videos have become a regular feature on the phone screens of teenagers and adults all over the world. the extent and progress of tiktok’s universal appeal in the developing world is perhaps unprecedented and Pakistan is no stranger to it. Yet days after Pakistan’s most popular tiktok star, Jannat Mirza, hit 10 million followers on tiktok, Pakistan’s monolithic telecommunication authority, Pta, banned the app for “immoral content”– damaging a rare opportunity for Pakistan’s incipient technology sector. tiktok, which was launched by Chinese tech giant, ByteDance, in 2017 and has since gone on to reach more than 1 billion downloads, has lately had its fair share of controversy and bans. Despite sharing similarities with other apps featuring short videos such as the now-extinct Vine and musical.ly (which it acquired in 2018), the artificial intelligence-based engine that powers tiktok sets it apart from everything that came before it. the ai algorithm that carefully tracks your usage of the app to provide you with

Security personnel martyred

Fabric of society is eroding

Resetting of priorities needed

HURsDaY was one of the worst days in the War on terror, not merely for the armed forces, but for the country as a whole, with 13 security personnel losing their lives in two different incidents. the incidents reflected two aspects of the dangers facing our security forces, with seven Frontier Corps personnel being cut down by gunfire on the Makran Coastal Highway while escorting an OGDC team going from Gwadar to karachi, along with six security guards, who were all retired servicemen, and whose deaths will cause pain in their old units. seven soldiers were also killed near Razmak, north Waziristan, by an iED. the military has blamed indian intelligence for the attacks. that does not show much effort being put in to solve the problem. While it is true that Baloch separatist movements have carried out attacks in the past such as the one on the Makran Coastal Highway, no one has claimed responsibility for either attack. india’s RaW has been heavily involved in instigating such attacks, when armed forces personnel are dying in such numbers; RaW is too facile an explanation to be acceptable. the Razmak attack is particularly worrisome because it occurs in an area where the army claimed it had crushed the islamic militancy that had taken over the area. the subsequent integration of the tribal areas into Pakistan does not seem to have worked, because thursday’s attack was not an aberration, but marked a resurgence in attacks. Particularly worrisome is that neither attack represents random terror, but is targeting the armed forces. the dispassionate observer may see an indian hand in this targeting, but it also means that somebody is sleeping on the job. the suspicion naturally arises that not enough tabs are being kept on indian machinations, and too much attention and resources are being devoted to less pressing matters. the focus must be on the prevention of such attacks, not vague ascriptions of blame after the event. any person or body that might cause a diversion of effort, and a loss of focus, by demands for information about domestic bodies, is part of the problem, not of the solution.

TikTok ban makes sense MuhaMMad Zahid Rifat

akistan telecommunication authority (Pta) works within a given framework and performs its assigned tasks. One of its task is “to investigate and adjudicate on complaints and other claims made against licensees arising out of alleged contraventions of its act”. acting on this task, the Pta has just recently imposed a ban on a thepopular video-sharing app tiktok after receiving a number of complaints from different segments of the society. the Pta had earlier given a final notice to tiktok and given it considerable time to respond and comply with instructions for development of an effective mechanism for proactive moderation of unlawful online content. this step was taken quite rightly after tiktok management failed to implement the directions to check and curb unlawful and immoral contents and save millions of the youngsters from its evil and unhealthy impact. such a positive and preventive step in fact should have been taken much earlier. as the innovative technology is moving fast, every now and then new applications based on comedy and entertainment are being launched. some of these mobiles are such which like others are destroying precious time, wealth and morals of the youth. tiktok tops such a list. it is a matter of record that no less a person than Prime Minister imran khan is very much concerned and worried about fast spreading nudity and vulgarity, and he has directed all concerned authorities for checking and curbing such unhealthy trends lest social and religious values and traditions of Pakistani society go astray, and he has also issued directions for evolving a comprehensive strategy for curbing vulgarity spreading through social media and its applications. a Chinese company had launched tiktok app in september 2016. after just over a year, in november 2017, tiktok bought app musically. Within no time, this app became famous around the world. in 2018, in Usa alone, 80 million consumers had downloaded it. in the same year, it was downloaded by 800 million consumers in the rest of the world as it was then available in 150 countries in 75 languages. in tiktok a video is made in just about hardly 15

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tok has few friends, Pakistan could have capitalized on a rare opportunity. Having cultivated a following that transcended political and socioeconomic barriers an endless, precisely-tailored stream of the content that have often seemed insurmountable in the country– that you enjoy, has been critical to tiktok’s success, tiktok found its 12th largest market in Pakistan. if but has also been the soaurce of its many troubles in tiktok had been courted to widen its footprint in Pakrecent years. istan and increase its investment in the country’s techEven as tiktok has spread over the world, its nology sector as another step in Pakistan-China core technology is believed to have never left the Chi- cooperation, it may well have gone on to become a nese mainland. With ByteDance being at the forefront crown jewel in the Pti government’s “Digital Pakof China’s push into ai in the private sector and tik- istan”. Yet by banning the app on what seems to be littok’s obscure algorithm being the object of the tech tle more than a misguided impulse, the authorities have world’s fascination– and envy– this has raised no undermined confidence in Pakistan’s nascent tech insmall measure of cybersedustry. While tiktok has curity concerns. in the berecently made an effort to ginning of the year, the address cybersecurity conUs military blocked accerns, resolving issues recess to tiktok for its lated to vaguely-defined Until the country’s tendency to service members and last “immorality” is a much month, the trump adprospect. inflict bans on apps with little to tougher ministration declared its it has been said that inintention to completely vesting in tiktok right now no explanation or prelude is ban the app in the Usa would be like investing in corrected, it will never inspire unless it sold its Us operFacebook in 2010– getting ations to a Us company – in on the ground floor of confidence in the global tech a prospect that drew this opportunity has been many interested bidders the desire of many a tech industry, which it desperately and gave the app an exinvestor salivating over the needs in order to realize its pected valuation of $60 prospect of a future initial billion. Public by potential to become a tech leader ByteDance.Offering in april of last year, Pakistan may india– which was tikyet be able to salvage its in the developing world tok’s largest market– budding relationship with banned the app citing the cultural and technologconcerns over risqué conical phenomenon, and pertent. ByteDance claimed haps even use this as an this cost the app $500,000 a day, and only after a opportunity to aggressively negotiate with ByteDance, widespread social media campaign and commitments similar to what india did last year. Yet until the counto better moderation and greater investment in india, try’s tendency to inflict bans on apps with little to no was the ban lifted. However, more recently, after bor- explanation or prelude is corrected, it will never inder clashes at the line of actual Control between spire confidence in the global tech industry, which it india and China, cybersecurity concerns caused the desperately needs in order to realize its potential to india government to ban the app once again, along become a tech leader in the developing world. with other Chinese apps such as WeChat. it is not difficult to see how ,in a world where tikRaza U. Shah is a freelance columnist

Pakistan may have thrown away an opportunity

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with a strange sort of danger because when a person want to use his mobile positively, he suddenly receives a vulgar video from nowhere and his attention to 20 seconds, and the consumer is only required to is diverted. Even if you try to use your mobile posimove his or her lips, and video is recorded and shared tively, it would be buried under millions of immoral on the social media. in this very short duration video videos. as many as 90 percent of tiktok followers and words with double meanings are spoken, strange and odd movements and actions are done and in order to consumers are under 30. When he realizes that he has draw the attention of the viewers, all limits are lost precious time and health in such unessential and avoidable apps it is rather late. in Pakistan, over 60 crossed in such a short time. Youth just lose their senses and act like mad peo- percent people are under 30. Making money by becoming a star on tiktok is ple so that they win more likes and followers among the viewers with the sole objective of making money. not something big. Real work worth appreciation is there are many girls and boys in Pakistan who have to make apps which benefit humanity at large and so followers in millions. Youngsters make them their the country earns precious foreign exchange. What the Pta has done, was in fact for the parideals and started following and acting like them, putents to do. But the parents these days, by and large, ting their studies and jobs feel helpless before their aside. this application has children. the children canits own ideals and heroes. not be forced to do anyEven a number of girls thing the parents want but and boys can form a group still efforts should be conto make their videos. The ban on TikTok by the tinued to keep telling the Misuse of modern children what is good or federal government must be knowledge and education, bad for them. such as science and techmaintained, and no external or Electronic media and nology innovations and print media have during advancements, is destroyinternal pressure should be last few months have been ing our society and danreporting cases in which entertained, and the only gers are much greater than enthusiastic youth fall in one can imagine. consideration should be to river, ditch or well while One can only be trying to make a tiktok grateful to Pta for imposour strengthen and protect video. Youth have also ing a ban on tok tok and thus trying to save society social values and traditions and committed suicide when stopped from indulging in from moral destruction save the precious wealth of the such immoral activities. though in a somewhat deYouth thus going astray are layed manner. youth going astray by using not only great loss for their People do immoral, parents but also for the vulgar and double meanmobile applications negatively country which is deprived ing actions without applyof their talent, energies and ing their minds as to what thinking. they are doing. the ban on tiktok by People want all this the federal government for laughter and spending must be maintained, and some leisure moments. But it is not proper and sensible that to laugh and cry, no external or internal pressure should be entertained, and the only consideration should be to protect and one just views a tiktok. not only in Pakistan but also all over the world strengthen our social values and traditions and save the precious wealth of the youth going astray by using tiktok is being used and abused negatively . a report recently published said that incidents of mobile applications negatively. sexual harassment and rape occur in the Usa because The writer and can be reached at of such mobile apps and vulgar scenes. such things have confronted the mobile users zahidriffat@gmail.com

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Saturday, 17 October, 2020

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

Balochistan needs attention it seems intensively substandard to mention that Balochistan, which is full of treasures, has been waiting for getting the fundamental rights and facilities. But yet is deprived of the basic facilities. lack of hospitals is the main problem faced by the subjects of Balochistan as they get no treatment in the serious situation. Recently, in Buleda four death were caused in the time of delivery owing to having no doctors in the region. they suffered till death. Many women die in the time of pregnancy and they get no treatment. therefore, it is requested to the government to solve the issue and should resolve these massive problems as they are include in the category of our fundamental rights. We hope for a positive response. MARyAM BAqi TURBAT

Overpopulation tHERE are multiple issues that our planet is facing today like, pollution, climate change and water shortage but overpopulation is creating harm for the environment. Overpopulation increases due to birth rate or decreased death rate. Human overpopulation is among the biggest issues in the environment. it gives effects while it increases the demand for resources such as fresh water, food or much thing that people need for living. a great scientist suggests that humans impact on the environment also as the result of overpopulation. it is creating several problems with land management, natural resources and water. in 2010 singapore was one of the world overpopulation state which is being followed by israel and kuwait. Overpopulation had a number of effects. so, for saving the environment, the Government should control overpopulation. FoziA RAShiD TURDAT

The tale of muslim university aligarh Today is the Centenary of the founding of Aligarh PROf. dR. MuhaMMad afZaaL

iR syed ahmed khan thought the condition of indians could be improved only when they got a modern education. For this purpose, he established a Persian school in. Muradabad in 1859, when there was no school previously there. Mr strachy, the collector founded a Government school to which students of the Persian school were also admitted at the same time. sir syed delivered his views on the importance of modern education. He said, through a small pamphlet published in Urdu and English: 'the purpose of education has always been to enable a man to develop his intellectual power to the full, so that he may grace any situation that arises, that he may know the difference between right and wrong and gain the ability to comtemplate the divine mysteries of nature. Education should strengthen his character, help him to look after himself and concentrate on the life to come." Moreover, the following lines from altaf! Hussain Hali's Hayat-i-Javed may be of interest, in connection with the spirit of sir syed ahmad khan being under influence of English and the English people, culture, politics and so on: "in those days sir syed considered English a more effective means of instruction then any indian language. this opinion was expressed some thirty years ago, in the course of time, however. sir syed must have realized by experience that a worth less education can be important as much in English as in any other language," sir syed found the panacea of the Muslims in westernization. so he merged all his efforts, attempted to bring social, political, moral, cultural and religious westernization through Westernization education. in a speech he said: "the only thing which good raises the Muslim's to the high pinnacle of progress is high education and until and unless we produced men with high education, we would continue to be down-trodden and would never reach the honourable position which we like to reach." in Ghazipur,he achieved his goal, and established a society with highly educated persons both Muslim and Hindus, in January 1863, the scientific society. the duke of argyle was elected its patron and sir syed was given the office of honorary secretary. its main object was to translate scientific and classical works of English and Urdu, and persuade Muslims to study English. in 1864, sir syed established a school at Ghazipur. Muslims were against the idea of

English being taught and there was nothing encouraging about their donations. sir syed had collected about Rs 17000 Rupees and started construction, though he knew Rs 18000 were required. the school was built entirely from public contribution. Raja Hari Dev singh was appointed patron and a committee was made to run the school. Urdu, English, Persian, arabic, and sanskrit were taught. sir syed hoped that this school should grow as an institution. But he was transferred from Ghazipur to aligarh the same year, and ultimately his dream of the Ghazipur school remained unfulfilled_ if he would have stayed for a few more years in Ghazipur, the school would have been given the status of college, later on, it became the Victoria High school Ghazipur. in 1864, after his transfer, the scientific society could not work in his absence, so all things belonging to it, including its staff, were moved aligarh with him. then the Judge of aligarh, William Bremly, was elected president of the society. now, the society had been housed permanently in aligarh, in a fine building with a garden, bought for Rs. 30,000, and the foundation stone was laid by the lieutenant Governor of the north West Provinces. On 14 February 1866, the building was opened for the society by Mr William, the Commissioner Meerut. For the society, sir syed started a journal in 1866, which later developed into the aligarh Gazette. it was weekly and then biweekly. He always managed to contribute, on Western education. it was the main object of the journal how to understanding between the British and the indians, especially the indian Muslims. it is also remarkable that often one column was written in Urdu and the other in English. thus it was profitable for both the English and indians. the gazette always remained a valuable source to increase the educational and social status of indians, especially the Muslims, to put them through westernization and the main reason was that sir syed himself was editor and chief writer of the gazette. after returning from Britain to india, sir syed started another journal, tehzib-ul-akhlaq to create greater awakening among Muslims for westernization. as soon as his first issue came out, it was widely criticized. But he faced it all, and continued on his path. in this journal he had expressed his desire to have a Muslim college. in Benares, a suggestion was made. that a school be founded under the patronage of the proposed Madarasatul Ulum. On 31 august 1873, the same suggestion was put to the subcommittee in aligarh, by its secretary, Maulavi samiullah khan. On 21 December 1873, he pointed out the way to remove oppo-

sition from the rnadrassa was to found an attached school. His proposal was accepted by all. the central committee at Benares requested its secretary to proceed. On May 24.1875, the queen's birthday, the school was opened, while sir syed duly arrived at aligarh from Benares. Maulvi Muhammad khan, the deputy collector of aligarh, presided over the function. Classes started in June. the Viceroy, lord lytton, and lady lytton, arrived in aligarh on 8 January 1877 to lay he foundation stone of the Mahomedan anglo-Oriental College. thus, the aligarh school had become a college. in this college, only two departments were started, the English department, in at normal university courses were taught, and the Oriental department, in it the courses prescribed by the committee were taught. But later on it was decided that all modern subjects should be taught in Urdu, including arabic, Persian, science and literature, and English should be taught as a foreign language, for one hour only. Classes were started on 1st January 1878. the college was affiliated to Calcutta University, for its first arts examination, and this affiliation was extended in 1881 to Ba and Ma, and in 1883 for law. the college was also affiliated to allahabad University, in arts, law and science, for higher degrees. the College building project was a problem. this was not only due to lack of money but also because Muslims thought it would be sinful to give donations. in 1873, Maulavi imdadul ali, the Deputy Collector of kanpur, opposed the cause. He declared that those who wanted the 'Madrasatul Uloom' set up, were not really Muslims. later, many magazines and newspapers were opposed. Many ulema ordered the community not to donate, while fatwas were issued accusing sir syed of heresy. On the other hand his cause was supported by the Punjab akhbar, the Patiala akhbar, the avadh akhbar and the Urdu Guide, Before retirement (one year after the college’s foundation), sir syed had collected money from such cities as aligarh, Patiala, lahore, Patna and Mirpur. in a 20 years, his great efforts provided a secure income for this institution’s annual expenditure of further Rs 80,000. We can see the great surprise at this in an iranian visitor’s own words: “it is a miracle. How could one man manage to complete that which could not even be accomplished by his Government." and the MaO College turned into "aligarh Muslim University" in 1920. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Afzaal is a freelance columnist

Drug addiction it is a fact that drug addiction is one of the most horrifying evils in the world. it hampers the development of a country as well as the world. it destroys the contact with other people and family members or friends. there are some of the top countries that make drug like Germany, United states of america, Belgium, France, switzerland and ireland. the disease model of addiction describes an addiction as a disease with biological, neurological, genetic, and environmental sources of origin. there are many impacts of drug addiction like they loose their physical and mental balance. Moreover they also cannot work in the same place regularly. Parents are the responsible for it, if the parents do not let their children to sit with the bad habitic people then absolutely today they could not be in this position. lastly, it is a humble request to the governments to stop drug first of all you have to arrest the drug simuglers. BALAch DAAD TURBAT

Cheaper smartphones mean greater economic opportunities

WitH people losing livelihoods during the pandemic days, internet connectivity has become increasingly crucial in facilitating access to opportunities for the marginalized segment of society. amid lockdown, Zehra, the woman i’d employed as a nanny for my younger kids requested me to loan her money to buy a smartphone so she could start a business of selling homemade snacks. Her husband lost his job during the pandemic and the family income dropped significantly, making it difficult for them to make ends meet. However, with the assistance of smartphone technology and newly-acquired internet access, social media apps became key enablers of her business as she advertised her homemade items through an instagram profile and a Facebook page that my daughter helped her create. For Zehra, her new phone also provided a much-deserved break from her stressful life. With the help of my daughter, she downloads and listens to music on her handset, whenever she can. the smartphone not only benefits her work, but also enriches her personal life. this is a testament to why the digital divide needs to be bridged in Pakistan. Connecting the unconnected can open up new possibilities of income for the financially-disadvantaged groups and for that to happen, smartphones need to become a lot more affordable than they are. the government should take steps to make an average handset, costing between Rs. 10,000-Rs. 15,000, more affordable for the masses. Following the example of other countries, pre-paid installment plans for handsets offered by telecom operators would also help towards that end. Ultimately, cheaper smartphones would result in greater economic growth. GULShAn nAz KARAchi

Covid-19 positivity rate in Pakistan tHE country's virus positivity ratio has gone above 2 percent for the first time in sex weeks according to the recent speech of Minister for Planning, ( asad Umar). and some days earlier national Command and Operation Centre( nCOC) warned about increasing risks of COViD-19. Recently a senior leader of People's Party died due to complications of coronavirus infections at the Ziauddin hospital on thursday. He had to be shifted to the ventilator, but unfortunately his condition continued to deteriorate and passed away. Even maintaining large gatherings, not taking distancing measures, considering masks not useful , these can once again can bring the second wave of coronavirus. now already winter emerged, suffering from flue and cough threats are common which may further be the symptoms of COViD-19 . Understand this truth very well that Pakistan has not defeated virus completely rather because of successful lockdown which brought good consequences. and virus is impossible to be finished until public cooperate with it in following sOPs. i urges public of Pakistan to be going through virus effective measures until we gain a vaccine to control it . BARKATULLAh TURBAT

Saturday, 17 October, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

China is now the world's largest eConomy CHINA HAS NOW DISPLACED THE US TO BECOME THE LARGEST ECONOMY IN THE WORLD. MEASURED BY THE MORE REFINED YARDSTICK THAT BOTH THE IMF AND CIA NOW JUDGE TO BE THE SINGLE BEST METRIC FOR COMPARING NATIONAL ECONOMIES, THE IMF REPORT SHOWS THAT CHINA’S ECONOMY IS ONE-SIXTH LARGER THAN AMERICA’S ($24.2 TRILLION VERSUS THE US’S $20.8 TRILLION). WHY CAN'T WE ADMIT REALITY? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

NatioNal iNterest

Graham allison

HIS week, the IMF presented its 2020 World Economic Outlook providing an overview of the global economy and the challenges ahead. The most inconvenient fact in the Report is one Americans don’t want to hear—and even when they read it, refuse to accept: China has now displaced the U.S. to become the largest economy in the world. Measured by the more refined yardstick that both the IMF and CIA now judge to be the single best metric for comparing national economies, the IMF Report shows that China’s economy is one-sixth larger than America’s ($24.2 trillion versus the U.S.’s $20.8 trillion). Despite this unambiguous statement from the two most authoritative sources, most of the mainstream press—with the exception of The Economist—continue report-

ing that the U.S. economy is No. 1. So, what’s going on? Obviously, measuring the size of a nation’s economy is more complicated than it might appear. In addition to collecting data, it requires selecting a proper yardstick. Traditionally, economists have used a metric called MER (market exchange rates) to calculate GDP. The U.S. economy is taken as the baseline—reflecting the fact that when this method was developed in the years after World War II, the U.S. accounted for almost half of global GDP. For other nations’ economies, this method adds up all goods and services produced by their economy in their own currency and then converts that total into U.S. dollars at the current “market exchange rate.” For 2020, the value of all goods and services produced in China is projected to be 102 trillion yuan. Converted to U.S. dollars at a market rate of 7 yuan to 1 dollar, China will have an MER GDP of $14.6 trillion versus the U.S. GDP of $20.8 trillion. But this comparison assumes that 7 yuan buy the same amount of goods in China as $1 does in the U.S. And obviously, that’s not the case. To make this point easier to understand, The Economist Magazine created the

“Big Mac Index”. This index shows, for 21 yuan, a Chinese consumer can buy an entire Big Mac in Beijing. If he converted those yuan at the current exchange rate, he would have $3, which will only buy half a Big Mac in the U.S. In other words, when buying most products from burgers and smartphones, to missiles and naval bases, the Chinese get almost twice as much bang for each buck. Recognizing this reality, over the past decade, the CIA and the IMF have developed a more appropriate yardstick for comparing national economies, which is called PPP (purchasing power parity). As the IMF Report explains, PPP “eliminates differences in price levels between economies” and thus compares national economies in terms of how much each nation can buy with its own currency at the prices items sell for there. While MER answers how much Chinese would get at American prices, PPP answers how much Chinese do get at Chinese prices. If the Chinese converted their yuan to dollars, bought Big Macs in the U.S., and took them home on the plane to China to consume them, comparing the Chinese and U.S. economies using the MER yardstick

would be appropriate. But instead, they buy them at one of the 3300 McDonald’s locations in their home country where they cost half what Americans pay. Explaining its decision to switch from MER to PPP in its annual assessment of national economies—which is available online in the CIA Factbook—the CIA noted that “GDP at the official exchange rate [MER GDP] substantially understates the actual level of China's output vis-a-vis the rest of the world.” Thus, in its view, PPP “provides the best available starting point for comparisons of economic strength and wellbeing between economies.” The IMF adds further that “market rates are more volatile and using them can produce quite large swings in aggregate measures of growth even when growth rates in individual countries are stable.” In sum, while the yardstick most Americans are accustomed to still shows that the Chinese economy is one-third smaller than the U.S., when one recognizes the fact that $1 buys nearly twice as much in China than in the U.S., the Chinese economy today is one-sixth larger than the U.S. economy.

TRP scam: What’s the case against Republic TV and why does India Today find a mention? NewslauNdry Prateek Goyal

Never before have TV news channels united as they did last week when the Mumbai police claimed to have busted a “TRP scam” in the city. TRPs are measured through “barometers” installed in select houses; the police said that some channels paid money to homeowners in whose houses barometers were installed, in order to “manipulate” the ratings. The police named Republic TV as one of the biggest names involved. An industry often divided now came together to condemn Republic, expressing shock and anger over the scam. Ratings matter because that’s how advertisers decide which channel they’ll spend on. But the ratings game in India has always been mired in controversy. In the backlash that followed the Mumbai police’s announcement, the Broadcast Audience Research Council has suspended its weekly TV ratings for three months. But in this case, all might not be what it seems. Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh held a press conference about the scam on October 8. He said the owners of two Marathi entertainment channels, Fakt Marathi and Box Cinema, had been arrested, and that Republic would be questioned. The channel petitioned the Supreme Court seeking a CBI probe, but the apex court directed it to approach the high court. What Singh did not mention during his press conference was the name of another channel that figures in the FIR filed by the Mumbai police. The channel’s name also appears the police complaint by Hansa Research Group Pvt Ltd, a research group contracted by the BARC which had alerted the police to the scam. This channel is India Today, though the Mumbai police said that its connection to the case was “not substantiated by any of the accused or the witnesses”. Newslaundry decided to look at the police complaint in the case. THE COMPLAINT MENTIONING INDIA TODAY: On October 6, an FIR was filed in the Kandivali police station based on a complaint by Nitin Deokar. Deokar, 55, is the deputy general manager of the Hansa Research Group Pvt Ltd. Hansa maintains 30,000 barometers for the BARC across the country. Two thousand of these barometers are in Mumbai. Deokar’s complaint was filed against Vishal Bhandari, 21, a relationship manager at Hansa. Bhandari had been arrested on October 6, and the police quoted him as saying that he would “offer money” to households to increase the TRPs of “India Today and other channels”.

HERE'S WHAT THE POLICE COMPLAINT SAYS Deokar’s complaint said that Hansa’s relationship managers are tasked with installing and maintaining barometers, and “creating awareness” about their use with homeowners. On June 11, Deokar alleged, he uncovered the “manipulations by Bhandari” during a routine audit visit to the latter’s house in Malad. The audit team found a spare barometer in Bhandari’s house, and discovered that Bhandari’s parents were one of those whose homes had a barometer installed. On June 17, Bhandari was called into the BARC office in Parel for questioning by Hansa’s operation manager and BARC’s vigilance team, Deokar said. At the time, Bhandari

Bhandari in Malad (West), and Adarsh Shukla in Borivali (West). After Bhandari was questioned, the complaint said, the audit team visited Solanki’s house. Solanki told the team that Bhandari gave her money to watch India Today every day for two hours. “The accused person and his accomplices have been distributing money to some of the panel homes in lieu of watching certain channels,” the complaint said. “They have been visiting households and trying to influence them...They also showed the panel homes to a third party which is a clear branch of the non-disclosure agreement that they signed with the company.”

claimed he had been telephoned by a Vinay Tripathi last November. This Tripathi purportedly told him to approach five homeowners in Mumbai and ask them to watch India Today for two hours every day. Tripathi also met with Bhandari at the Malad railway station, the complaint stated, and gave him Rs 5,000 as commission and Rs 1,000 to pay the homeowners Rs 200 each. Bhandari’s “malpractices” took place from November 2019 to May 2020, Deokar alleged. He would “meet different people” at the Malad railway station to receive money in return. The complaint identified the five homeowners who had been approached as Tejal Solanki, Neeta Sangoi and Sagar Kanabar in Kandivali (West), Bhandari’s father Ved

‘I WAS PAID TO WATCH BOX CINEMA’: Newslaundry went to meet the five homeowners but were not permitted to do so by police personnel posted outside their respective houses. Solanki and Kanabar live in the same building in Kandivali (West). Sandeep Patil, a policeman stationed outside, told this reporter: “We have orders from above that the press is not allowed to meet the members. We have to follow the orders of our seniors.” However, Adarsh Shukla, 17, agreed to meet Newslaundry in a slum in Borivali’s Dashrath Nagar. His father Sanjay, who lives with Adarsh, was at the meeting too. Sanjay, who works as a driver, said: “In November 2019, a person by the name of Vishal Bhandari

So what? If this were simply a contest for bragging rights, picking a measuring rod that allows Americans to feel better about ourselves has a certain logic. But in the real world, a nation’s GDP is the substructure of its global power. Over the past generation, as China has created the largest economy in the world, it has displaced the U.S. as the largest trading partner of nearly every major nation (just last year adding Germany to that list). It has become the manufacturing workshop of the world, including for face masks and other protective equipment as we are now seeing in the coronavirus crisis. Thanks to double-digit growth in its defense budget, its military forces have steadily shifted the seesaw of power in potential regional conflicts, in particular over Taiwan. And this year, China will surpass the U.S. in R&D spending, leading the U.S. to a “tipping point in R&D” and future competitiveness. For the U.S. to meet the China challenge, Americans must wake up to the ugly fact: China has already passed us in the race to be the No. 1 economy in the world. Moreover, in 2020, China will be the only major economy that records positive growth: the only economy that will be bigger at the end of the year than it was when the year began. The consequences for American security are not difficult to predict. Diverging economic growth will embolden an ever more assertive geopolitical player on the world stage. Graham T. Allison is the Douglas Dillon Professor of Government at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is the former director of Harvard’s Belfer Center and the author of Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?

came to our house to install a barometer. I was not home at the time so he met my son, Adarsh. He told him he’ll give Rs 400 to install the barometer at our house and pay Rs 200 extra for watching Box Cinema channel for two hours daily. He said he would transfer the amount into my son’s bank account.” He continued: “We didn’t know this would turn into such a mess. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have let that barometer be installed in my house. For the last three or four months also our TV has not been working. This thing has become unnecessary tension for us.” Adarsh corroborated what his father said; that Vishal Bhandari told him to watch Box Cinema for two hours a day. “He transferred money into my account till April. But for the last three or four months, he has not been in contact with me.” The Mumbai police has also arrested the following people in this TRP scam case: Bhandari, Bompelli Rao Mistri, 44, Shirish Pattanshetty, 44, and Narayan Sharma, 47. Some of the accused are “absconding”, the police said, including Rocky and Dinesh Vishwakarma. Vinay Tripathi is the man who purportedly telephoned Bhandari in November and asked him to find at least five homes to watch India Today — and Bhandari allegedly complied. Tripathi was arrested by the Mumbai police on October 12 in Uttar Pradesh's Mirzapur. Similarly, according to a remand report, Bompelli Rao Mistri gave Bhandari Rs 20,000 per month to get eight to 10 houses to watch Box Cinema and Fakt Marathi daily. Each home was to be paid Rs 400-500 from the Rs 20,000 and Bhandari could keep the rest. Rocky allegedly asked Bhandari to distribute money to houses to watch Republic, the report said. Shirish Pattanshetty and Narayan Sharma allegedly paid Mistri who, in turn, paid Bhandari and others to increase the viewership of Republic, Fakt Marathi and Box Cinema for two hours a day each. On October 16, three witnesses deposed before a magistrate, saying that Republic "made payments to them", the Times of India reports, which a fourth witness gave a similar statement about Box Cinema. So, why wasn’t India Today pulled up by the police as well? Milind Bharambe, the joint commissioner of the crime branch, which is investigating the case, told Newslaundry: “India Today’s name appeared in Hansa’s audit report and that’s why it appeared in the FIR. But later, panel home members denied it. One of them (Tejal Solanki) even appeared on television. As of now, India Today’s name has not surfaced in our investigation. Only the names of Republic, Box Cinema and Fakt Marathi have appeared.” Of the five homeowners mentioned in the complaint, did any of them mention Republic's name? "They denied the names of both Republic and India Today," said Bharambe. "They also said they have not taken any money to put the channel on their television sets." We reached out to India Today and Republic TV for their comments. The story will be updated as and when they respond.

Hate for love times of iNdia Assam government’s move to crack down on “marriages by deception” heralds the resurfacing of the love jihad bogey, after a long gap. Leading jewellery brand Tanishq was forced to pull an ad depicting an interfaith baby shower, after a virulent social media hate campaign in recent days took offence at its message of communal harmony and syncretism. Police have failed to arrest those who viciously trolled and threatened Tanishq staff in multiple cities. Without support from authorities, it may be unfair to criticise Tanishq for buckling down. The essential failure is of the law and order machinery. But what are things coming to, if a feel-good ad promoting communal harmony, essential for national integration and hence welcome, brings out the shock troops of hatred and fear, even as the law and order machinery stands by and confers impunity on the lawbreakers? Policing and justice delivery failures give oxygen to societal divisions just as they do to crimes against women. Neither social harmony nor development is facilitated by such a communally polarised atmosphere, as businesses will be scared to invest when law and order frequently breaks down and hatemongers rule. The Assam crusade appears to be spearheaded by senior minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who joined BJP in 2015 after a long stint in Congress. Sarma claimed an “emerging trend” of Hindu girls being “deceived” by Muslim boys. Such political machinations with societal sanction do end up intruding into marriage between consenting partners, as happens regularly with eloping adults who are forcibly separated by families and vigilante groups. Adulthood implies reaching the age for taking full responsibility of life choices. With elections nearing, Assam government could have focussed on women’s safety, where interventions will uplift all women, instead of political dog whistles. NCRB data indicates Assam has the highest crime rate against women and a persistent human trafficking problem.

Saturday, 17 October, 2020

BUSINESS 09 corporate corner

FOOD MINIstER says 'laCk OF ExPERtIsE' REsUltINg IN lOwER CROP yIElD ISLAMABAD

KARACHI: Striving to enable and empower its colleagues, JS Bank has launched Digital HR Partner, powered by DECIBEL, a full-service Human Resource Management System (HRMS) that gives associates and managers full control of their HR information online and on mobile, anytime anywhere. PRESS RELEASE

GHULAM ABBAS

IvING a justification for the declining yield of major crops, particularly wheat and cotton, National Food Security and Research Minister Syed Fakhr Imam has said the country "lacks the required expertise" to develop the agriculture sector. Speaking at the commemoration of World Food Day on Friday, Fakhr Imam emphasized, "We have to focus on our capabilities and realize our responsibilities as we have been unable to provide the nutrition to our people that we should have." He noted that the agriculture sector remained totally neglected for the past 25 years, and that no measures were taken for the betterment of the people.

Fakhr Imam said that the present government was chalking out policies for the development of the agriculture sector, as it fully realized the importance of this sector in ensuring food security. He said the government was focusing on sustained supply of key inputs like fertilizers, seed and pesticides at rational prices in order to create an environment where farmers get a fair return of their produce. Speaking on the occasion, Pakistan Agricultural Research Centre (PARC) Chairman Dr Muhammad Azeem Khan said, "We have compromised agriculture sector's performance due to vagaries of climate change, of which food insecurity is one of the worst effects." He said that PARC has been successfully carrying out researches and was now promoting foods that have high value of quality protein and rich source of min-

MARKET DAILY

Late buying helps index close in green KARACHI: Beaconhouse Group Executive Director Nassir Kasuri and Teach For Pakistan CEO Khadija Shahper Bakhtia sign a memorandum of understanding. Other members of the Teach For Pakistan Board of Directors, including Osman Saifullah Khan and Tajamal Shah were also present. PRESS RELEASE

Descon’s manpower services dept continues to deliver despite prevailing challenges KARACHI: Descon continues its Manpower Services despite the prevailing challenges caused by Covid-19. The company believes that now more than ever it's important to shape and tailor its services according to the needs of the customers to provide strategic solutions to their changing needs. Descon’s team stood strong in these challenging circumstances while the manpower requirement for Qatar Gas turnaround was honoured. Descon takes great pride in providing services despite difficult work conditions. Keeping its employees and customers’ safety in view, the company adopted strict Covid19 SOPs. In-person reporting to the Descon headquarters was discouraged, the documentation/screening of candidates was done using contemporary techniques and for the first time, all the candidates were exclusively recruited from Pakistan, on the client’s request, to fulfil the manpower requirement. PRESS RELEASE

UPaisa reduces charges for mobile wallet to CNIC transactions LAHORE: To make access to financial services easier and ensure convenience of customers, UPaisa reduced its charges for Mobile Wallet to CNIC transactions. Customers can now send in money anywhere across Pakistan at minimal rates without the need to step out of their homes. UPaisa is the only company to offer such low rates on transactions above Rs2,500. The revision in prices is applicable from October 1, 2020, and will be available for all UPaisa wallet customers. The minimum transaction charge is Rs100 whereas the maximum rate is Rs300. The whole process of transferring the money is fairly simple for customers to understand and follow. PRESS RELEASE

OPPO F17 Pro available in Pakistan from today ISLAMABAD: OPPO Pakistan’s latest edition to its F series, F17 Pro, will be available in the market from 17th October 2020 and can easily be booked online on OPPO’s official website. The OPPO F17 Pro with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage is available for Rs51,999. OPPO F17 Pro introduces fashionable technology with its 6 AI cameras, 30W VOOC Flash Charge 4.0, and a sleek design with 7.48mm ultrathin and 164g ultra-lightweight body allowing the young generation to have an ultimate smartphone experience. To ensure that users are fully immersed in their content, F17 Pro’s 6.43’’ dual punch-hole display comes with a brilliant FHD+ Super AMOLED Display with a large 90.7pc screento-body ratio. OPPO is giving away amazing gift boxes to the first buyers. PRESS RELEASE

Users can now pay vehicle token tax through Easypaisa app LAHORE: Easypaisa users can now conveniently pay their vehicle token tax through the Easypaisa app for vehicles registered with Punjab, Islamabad or Sindh excise departments. The Easypaisa app is the leading digital payments app in the country making vehicle tax payments easy and hassle-free. Customers can now avoid travelling outside of their homes and waiting in long queues especially during these challenging times and make the necessary payments from their fingertips in a matter of minutes. In order to make vehicle token tax payment, a customer first has to generate their Payment Slip ID (PSID) from the relevant excise portal/mobile app, and then this PSID can be paid through the Easypaisa app without any extra charges. PRESS RELEASE

KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) closed a rangebound session on Friday with decent gains, as the indices swayed in both directions until finally settling in the green. Global equity markets mostly witnessed an upward trend, whereas crude oil prices dipped lower from the previous close; WTI crude price declining 0.81pc to $40.62 while Brent crude price decreasing 0.90pc to $42.77. "The market bore the pressure of political uncertainty on Friday, as the investors were found having apprehensions over opposition parties' protests and sit-ins," said report issued by AHL Ltd. "The midday announcement of HBL's fi-

nancial results somewhat turned the tide and helped the stock trade near recent high levels. Brisk buying was also observed in the cement sector in the last half hour, which helped the index close positive." The benchmark KSE-100 Index started the day on a negative note, shedding 326.25 points to touch its intraday low at 39,742.25 before the midday break. However, the index managed to recover all loses in the afternoon session to mark its intraday high at 40,220.73 (+152.23 points). It finally settled higher by 95.52 points at 40,164.02. Among other indices, the KMI30 Index dropped 4.57 points to close at 63,763.29, whereas the

KSE All Share Index gathered 14.54 points, settling at 28,471.79. The overall market volumes declined from 324.75 million shares in the previous session to 254.12 million shares (-22pc). Average traded value also declined by 30pc, from $67.8 million to $47.6 million. Unity Foods Ltd (UNITY +6.22pc), Kohinoor Spinning Mills Ltd (KOSM +35.42pc) and Hascol Petroleum Ltd (HASCOL -0.64pc) topped the volume chart, exchanging 45.06 million, 20.74 million and 15.27 million shares, respectively. Sectors that benchmark index afloat included banking (+128.93 points), textile composite (+12.04 points) and vanaspati & allied industries (+11.29 points). STAFF REPORT

IT ministry, Microsoft discuss digital initiatives, avenues for collaboration ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Information Technology & Telecommunication and Microsoft, the world's leading software company, have discussed possible investment avenues to establish support centres, cloud infrastructure and training programmes. Microsoft Country Director for Pakistan Shahzad Khan called on IT Secretary Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui on Friday. The secretary acknowledged the support extended by Microsoft during Covid-19. He said that collaboration between MoITT and Microsoft will help Pakistan in employment generation. The Microsoft country director appreciated the initiatives taken by the IT ministry to enhance digital outreach in Pakistan according to the vision of Digital Pakistan. He also expressed his willingness to collaborate with the Pakistan government on different technological initiatives. The meeting concluded with a note that further engagements with Microsoft will be made to explore opportunities for mutual collaboration. STAFF REPORT

erals and vitamins like tilapia fish, soybean and its products, and food legumes dairy products. Country Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of United Nations Mina Dowlatchahi highlighted the importance of reliable data and information to support targeted policies and collective action by government, civil society and private sector to address food insecurity and malnutrition in Pakistan, at a challenging time amidst Covid-19 pandemic impacts and natural hazards shocks and trans-boundary pests. “Smallholders and off-farm agriculture workers, women and men, need to be able to access financial resources, knowledge, technology and innovation to produce and move ; farm to fork’ more, safer, and diversified food to improve livelihoods and diets of the people of Pakistan.”

FBR unearths tax evasion cases in Multan, Hyderabad ISLAMABAD APP

The Federal board of Revenue’s (FBR) directorates of intelligence & investigation in Hyderabad and Multan have unearthed three tax evasion cases wherein business entities were involved in either hiding their actual income or were not registered. According to an FBR press statement issued on Friday, the Hyderabad Directorate of Intelligence & Investigation (Inland Revenue) received credible information that a business entity manufacturing pulp, paper and paperboard had consumed electricity worth Rs74, 961,695 during the tax year 2019. However, it had declared the total sales for the said tax year at Rs176,944,121 only, which does not commensurate with the claim of consumption of electricity during the said year. Consequently, a team of the directorate, duly authorized, visited the premises of concerned business in SITE, Kotri, and examined the available data and records. From initial scrutiny of the records, it transpired that the taxpayer had suppressed sales of finished goods of approximately Rs500 million. Inquiry has been initiated after taking possession of necessary records, the statement read. Similarly, the Multan Directorate of Intelligence & Investigation raided a manufacturing unit, M/S Naqshband Foods, which was not registered with sales tax. After scrutiny of the record, tax evasion of Rs30 million was revealed.

HBL 9M2020 profit surges to Rs25.3bn, a threefold increase over same period year ago HBL declared a consolidated profit after tax of Rs25.3 billion for the first nine months of 2020, an almost threefold growth over the same period last year. Profit before tax for the first nine months of 2020 more than doubled, to Rs42.9 billion. The bank’s earnings per share increased to Rs17.17 compared to Rs5.89 in 9M’19. Aided by the strong earnings stream, the bank’s CAR rose by 125 bps in the third quarter, to 17.8pc. HBL added more than Rs300 billion in domestic deposits during the first nine months of 2020, increasing total domestic deposits to Rs2.5 trillion and boosting its market share to 14.4pc; HBL’s total deposits reached Rs2.7 trillion. The bank continues to maintain strong current account and CASA ratios of 34.6pc and 81.7pc, respectively. HBL has continued to support customers through these difficult times, and fully leveraged the various schemes that the SBP has launched to support the economy and businesses. HBL supported its retail customers’ financing needs through these difficult times, in the process showing growth of 16pc in just one quarter, driven by personal and auto loans HBL recorded net interest income of nearly Rs100 billion driven by a strong 14pc growth in its average domestic deposits. Lower footfall and restricted business volumes during the first half of the year due to lockdowns and the economic downturn has resulted in fee income being lower than last year. However, total non-fund income increased by more than 50pc to Rs24.1 billion helped by realization of capital gains from the proactive build-up of the

treasury portfolio over the last year. Administrative expenses were well controlled and grew by a mere 2pc over 9M’19, while the bank continued to invest in its digital initiatives and strengthen compliance and controls. During 9M’20, the Bank spent over Rs500 million in protective measures for staff and customers across the network and in direct contributions to protect the vulnerable in these very difficult times. Consequently, the cost/income ratio reduced from 76.8pc in 9M’19 to 57.2pc in 9M’20. Domestic provisions have remained well contained and are nearly 50pc lower than for 9M’19. However, HBL has prudently taken a general provision of Rs6.0 billion as a buffer against potential provisions arising from the impact of the pandemic, thus increasing its coverage to 100pc of non-performing loans. Q3 2020 continued with a strong business momentum, backed by HBL’s transformative digitization efforts. The quarter saw gains through partnerships with multiple business stakeholders on affordable housing, ground breaking interventions through development finance initiatives and financial inclusion. HBL has cemented its position as the leading digital bank in Pakistan; its digital payment solutions enable HBL customers the ability to enjoy a cashless, convenient lifestyle. The bank’s customer base has risen to 27 million customers, driven primarily by an increase in its digital platforms usage. There has been a 93pc increase in HBL Mobile and Internet Banking transactions volume YoY. Konnect by HBL has also seen a 157pc increase in its

CMYK

throughput YoY. The bank maintains a leadership position in HBL Pay, its cash management proposition. HBL Pay attained175pc growth in volume. Transaction & Employee Banking also showed double-digit growth in digital receivable management, payments, and salary processing through its digital channels. HBL retained its #1 position in Consumer Finance. The bank ranks #1 in Credit Cards, Debit Cards, Merchant Acquiring, Personal Loans and #2 in Auto Loans. The bank has the largest credit card portfolio in the country (Rs11 billion) with 50,000 cards issued YTD, the highest in the industry. The bank occupies pole position in the industry with its portfolio of 5.9 million debit cards in use. POS acquiring maintains its market leader position with the highest number of POS terminals at 28,500. Rural banking continues to lead the market with a 30pc share. The auto loans business financed an impressive number of 4,550 vehicles. HBL leads in the corporate & investment banking sphere. The bank continues to work on energy, infrastructure and power projects. China remains an important country for the bank and HBL is the largest executor of CPEC related financing in Pakistan. To underscore the bank’s prowess in this important sector, HBL won the Asiamoney New Silk Road Finance Awards for Best Local Bank in the Region for BRI (South Asia), Best Bank for BRIrelated financing in the Region (South Asia), and Best Bank for Infrastructure/Project Finance in the Region

(South Asia). HBL is the predominant market maker in treasury products. The bank’s fixed income has the largest market share and has transacted a large volume of Rs6.5 trillion. HBL Infinity, Pakistan’s first online trading platform, has also seen a sharp increase in its number of users who processed transactions worth $1.7 billion. While offering a wide range of Islamic banking services, HBL Islamic Banking is forging ahead by providing affordable housing to all. In a first for Pakistan, and on the heels of the historic NAPHDA agreement, HBL Islamic Banking is providing Shariah compliant fixed home finance rentals. Flexible payment tenures are making home ownership a foreseeable reality, whilst expanding the market. HBL’s innovative Development Finance Group (DFG) is implementing disruptive interventions targeting Pakistan’s agriculture and SME sectors, while serving the underserved farmers of the country. To improve the selling capacity of the financed farmers, HBL has partnered with multiple business partners in various capacities. During Q3 2020, HBL was recognized for its superior brand, products and services, and ability to execute landmark deals. HBL won the International Banker Award for Best Commercial Bank (Pakistan). HBL also won the Global Islamic Finance Award (GIFA) for Best Islamic Bank for Trade Finance. Furthermore, HBL won Best Banking Tech of the Year and Best Digital Campaign for Konnect by HBL awarded by Pakistan Digital Awards 2020. PRESS RELEASE

Saturday, 17 October, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS kyrgyzstan ends state of emergency as pM consolidates power BISHKEK: Kyrgyzstan’s parliament voted on Friday to end a state of emergency in capital Bishkek as Prime Minister Sadyr Japarov consolidated his power by formally assuming the interim presidency in the country closely allied with Russia. Ex-president Sooronbai Jeenbekov, who resigned a day earlier, imposed the state of emergency and ordered troops to be deployed in Bishkek last week amid unrest triggered by Oct 4 parliamentary elections. Japarov, released from prison by his supporters and quickly elected prime minister by parliament, took over the presidency after parliament’s speaker, Kanatbek Isayev, who is first in line under the constitution, declined to do so at the Friday session. Japarov told the session he would address the nation of 6.5 million within hours. AGENCIES

Uk, Qatar sign pact to boost defence ties LONDON: UK and Qatar have signed a statement of intent to boost defence ties between the two countries. It was signed by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Qatar Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah during a visit to RAF Coningsby. The air force base is home to UK-Qatari joint Typhoon squadron and the agreement outlined how the UK will provide a base for the recently acquired nine Hawk aircraft of Qatari Emiri Air Force (QEAF). The acquisition of the aircraft will pave way for a possible UK-Qatari Hawk squadron, which is expected to increase the two countries’ defence relationship and help in the security and stability of the region. Qatar and the UK have been working to safeguard the stability of the Middle East. Recently, the RAF Reaper unmanned aircraft launched a strike against Daesh. The attack was carried out in co-operation with RAF’s No.83 Expeditionary Air Group in Al Udeid in Qatar. Wallace said: “Today we mark the start of an exciting new chapter in the longstanding defence relationship between the UK and Qatar, reinforcing and strengthening the bonds our armed forces already share. “Building upon the success of our joint Typhoon squadron, this new era of collaboration will deliver prosperity and security benefits for both our nations.” The event also marked the opening of the new joint Typhoon squadron (12 Squadron) headquarters. The 12 Squadron is said to be the first joint squadron of the UK since the Second World War. It is expected to enable both the air forces to train together. Last week, the UK and Ukraine signed an MoI to develop the capabilities of the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. AGENCIES

twitter probes massive outage as users in Us, europe report problems LONDON: Netizens have experienced issues mostly in the eastern and western parts of the United States, including New York and Los Angeles, with outages also being reported in the United Kingdom and Japan, according to the outage map. Twitter said it is investigating the irregularity with the platform's APIs. Later on Thursday, it provided an update that the company had an issue with its internal systems but did not find evidence of a security breach. The company is continuing to work to get the platform working for all users still affected by the outage, the statement said. AGENCIES

Brexit BrinkManship: Johnson says prepare for no-deal, cancels trade talks LONDON

a change in approach. [L8N2H747X] “The trade talks are over: the EU have effectively ended them by saying that they do not want to change their negotiating position,” Johnson’s spokesman said. The pound oscillated to Brexit news, dropping a cent against the U.S. dollar on Johnson’s remarks but then rising before falling again on his spokesman’s comments. DRAMA OR NO DEAL? After demanding that London make further concessions for a deal, EU diplomats and officials cast Johnson’s move as little more than rhetoric, portraying it as a frantic bid to secure concessions before a last-minute deal was done. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he thought Johnson had signalled that London was ready to compromise. While U.S. investment banks agree that a deal is the most likely ultimate outcome, the consensus was wrong on the 2016 Brexit referendum: when Britons voted by 52-48% to leave, markets tumbled and European leaders were shocked. Asked if he was walking away from talks, Johnson said: “If there’s a fundamental change of approach, of course we are always willing to listen, but it didn’t seem particularly encouraging from the summit in Brussels. “Unless there is a fundamental change of approach, we’re going to go for the Australia solution. And we should do it with great confidence,” he said. A so-called “Australia deal” means that the United Kingdom would trade on World Trade Organization terms: as a country without an EU trade agreement, like Australia, tariffs would be imposed under WTO rules, likely causing significant price rises. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was keen for a deal, though Macron was more downbeat. “The state of our talks is not that we are stumbling over the issue of fishing, which is the British’s

tactical argument, but we’re stumbling over everything. Everything,” Macron said. “The remaining 27 leaders of the EU, who chose to remain in the EU, are not there simply to make the British prime minister happy,” he added. Merkel called for Britain to compromise. “This of course means that we, too, will need to make compromises,” she said. WTO TERMS: Britain formally left the EU on Jan. 31, but the two sides have been haggling over a deal that would govern trade in everything from car parts to medicines when informal membership known as the transition period ends Dec. 31. Johnson had repeatedly asserted that his preference is for a deal but that Britain could make a success of a no-deal scenario, which would throw $900 billion in annual bilateral trade into uncertainty and could snarl the border, turning the southeastern county of Kent into a vast truck park. The EU’s 27 members, whose combined $18.4 trillion economy dwarfs the United Kingdom’s $3 trillion economy, says progress had been made over recent months though compromise is needed. The main sticking points remain fishing and the so-called level playing field – rules aimed at stopping a country gaining a competitive advantage over a trade partner. “They want the continued ability to control our legislative freedom, our fisheries, in a way that is obviously unacceptable to an independent country,” Johnson said. Johnson said discussions showed the EU would not give Britain a comprehensive trade deal such as the one the bloc has with Canada. “It does seem curious that after 45 years of our membership they can offer Canada terms they won’t offer us.” “We are heading into very dangerous territory,” said Ian Wright, the chief executive of Britain’s Food and Drink Federation. “In the event of a no-deal Brexit, shoppers will – literally – pay a heavy price.”

US coronavirus cases surpass eight million as infections spike nationwide

Malaysia’s king urges politicians to end uncertainty amid power struggle

AGENCIES

RIME Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday it was now time to prepare for a notrade deal Brexit unless the European Union fundamentally changed course, bluntly telling Brussels that there was no point in talking any more. A tumultuous “no deal” finale to the United Kingdom’s five-year Brexit crisis would sow chaos through the delicate supply chains that stretch across Britain, the EU and beyond – just as the economic hit from the coronavirus pandemic worsens. At what was supposed to be the “Brexit summit” on Thursday, the EU delivered an ultimatum: it said it was concerned by a lack of progress and called on London to yield on key sticking points or see a rupture of ties with the bloc from Jan. 1. “I have concluded that we should get ready for January 1 with arrangements that are more like Australia’s based on simple principles of global free trade,” Johnson said. “With high hearts and with complete confidence, we will prepare to embrace the alternative and we will prosper mightily as an independent free trading nation, controlling and setting our own laws,” he added. The EU’s most powerful leaders, concluding a summit in Brussels on Friday, rushed to say that they wanted a trade deal and that talks would continue, though not at any price. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Europe’s most powerful leader, said it would be best to get a deal and that compromises on both sides would be needed. French President Emmanuel Macron said Britain needed a Brexit deal more than the 27-nation EU. Johnson’s spokesman said talks were now over and there was no point in the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier coming to London next week barring

U.S. cases of the novel coronavirus crossed 8 million on Thursday, rising by 1 million in less than a month, as another surge in cases hits the nation at the onset of cooler weather. Since the pandemic started, over 217,000 people have died in the United States. The United States reported 60,000 new infections on Wednesday, the highest since Aug. 14, with rising cases in every region, especially the Midwest. Health experts have long warned that colder temperatures driving people inside could promote the spread of the virus. They have not pinpointed the reason for the rise but point to fatigue with Covid-19 precautions and students returning to schools and colleges. According to a Reuters analysis, 25 states have so far set records for increases in new cases in October. All Midwest and Northeast states have reported more cases in the past four weeks than in the prior four weeks, with the number of new cases doubling in states like Wisconsin, South Dakota and New Hampshire. In the Midwest, daily new cases hit a record on Wednesday with over 22,000 new infec-

tions. The positive test rate tops 30% in South Dakota and 20% in Idaho and Wisconsin. Ten states on Thursday reported record increases in new cases, including Wisconsin with 4,000 new cases. “Our numbers are high and they’re growing rapidly,” state Health Secretary-designate Andrea Palm told a news conference. “We have now surpassed 1,000 Covid-19 patients who are in the hospital. In some regions of our state, our ICU beds are 90% or more full. Over the course of the past six weeks, our average daily deaths have more than tripled,” Palm added. California remains the state with the most total cases followed by Texas, Florida, New York and Georgia. Those five states account for over 40% of all reported Covid-19 cases in the nation. With both cases and positive test rates rising in recent weeks, New York City has closed businesses and schools in neighbourhood hot spots despite protests from a small contingent of Orthodox Jews. In addition to rising cases, hospitals in several states are straining to handle an influx of patients.

Russian firm gets $118m boost for electric van manufacturer MOSCOW: There will be two million commercial vans in the UK by 2025 and a company owned by a Russian entrepreneur is planning to seize a chunk of the market. Arrival’s electric vehicles will have zero emissions and should prove popular among delivery firms keen to appeal to green customers. One of the world’s biggest asset management funds, BlackRock, has agreed to invest US$118m (£91m) in Arrival, a British start-up which is aiming to carve out a slice of the lucrative commercial van market. Arrival - which was set up in 2015 by Denis Sverdlov, a Russian entrepreneur - has already produced a prototype electric van which is being trialled by UPS, DHL and the Royal Mail.Earlier this year two South Korean motor companies, Hyundai and Kia, invested $116 million (£90 million) to buy a three percent share in Arrival, valuing the firm at $3.5 billion (£2.7 billion). Now New York-based BlackRock has come on board and will help fund the creation of a factory in South Carolina. Arrival has another factory in Bicester, Oxfordshire and research sites in nearby Banbury and Reading. The Bicester factory can produce 10,000 vehicles a year, which is a fraction of the output of a traditional factory, hence why it is being described as a microfactory. But Arrival has big ambitions. On its website it says: "These microfactories, combined with proprietary in-house developed components, materials and software, enable the production of best in class vehicles that are competitively priced to fossil fuel variants." AG E NC I E S

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s King AlSultan Abdullah on Friday called on politicians not to drag the country through more political uncertainty and urged them to resolve issues through negotiations and the constitutional process. The king’s comments come amid a power struggle over the premiership between Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, just seven months after another wrangle led to Muhyiddin forming the government. Anwar met the king this week to prove he has a majority to form a government with the help of defectors from the current administration. But further meetings at the palace were cancelled due to movement restrictions to control the spread of the novel coronavirus. The latest political struggles come as Malaysia grapples with an economy battered by the coronavirus and a new surge in infections. In a statement, the palace advised lawmakers to display maturity in politics and to understand the concerns of the public. “Regarding the latest developments in the country’s political situation, His Majesty advised the people, especially politicians, to come together to ensure that the country is never again dragged into political uncertainty while we are all still faced with various problems and a difficult future due to the threat of the Covid19 epidemic,” the palace said. AGENCIES

saturday, 17 october, 2020

Pakistan inVite englanD foR thRee-Match t20 seRies in JanUaRy 2021 LAHORE

AGENCIES

HE Pakistan Cricket Board has invited England for a three-match T20 International series in January next year, CEO Wasim Khan has revealed. England have not played in Pakistan since the 2005-06 season when the team toured for a Test and one-day series. “Yes, we have now sent an official invitation to the ECB inviting them to send their team and have also created a window between 13 and 20 January to play the three T20 series,” Khan told a channel. Khan made it clear that the short tour was not related to Pakistan touring England this summer for a Test series despite the Covid-19 threat. “When we took the decision of sending the team to England, we were worried because of the Covid-19 and bio-security bubble situations and some people also voiced their concerns that might be putting

our players into a health risk,” Khan conceded. “It wasn’t easy for us when some 10 players tested positive prior to leaving for the tour,” he recalled. “But we sent the team because we felt that it was imperative to resume cricket activities and the resumption of world cricket depended on

Djokovic plans to finish season as world number one

how well the bio-secure bubble worked in the series.” Khan said it is up to the England Cricket Board to assess the situation and take a call on the invitation. “We never discussed a return tour at that time but now we have invited the ECB to send their team

PCB launches probe after player reports corrupt approach in National T20 Cup

PARIS AGENCIES

AGENCIES

World number one Novak Djokovic said Thursday he planned to play two more tournaments until the end of the season -- in Vienna and London -- and keep his top ATP ranking. "I'm going to play the Vienna tournament that wasn't originally on my schedule," Djokovic told AFP. He was speaking on the sidelines of a visit to a wellness park in Bosnia where he came to recuperate after losing Sunday's French Open final to Rafael Nadal. "I haven't played in Vienna for 15 years so I'm happy about that," Djokovic added. The 33-year-old Serb said that the London Masters, starting on November 15, is the second and final tournament that he still intended to play for the remainder of the season. "This season, which was very intermittent, different and weird, at the same time brought me a lot of success and I'm very satisfied with my game, points, ranking," Djokovic said. "I hope that, after the month and a half that's left in this season, I will finish it as world number one. That's my professional goal and I'm going to work on it. It's mostly up to me," he added. Topping the world's rankings since February 3, Djokovic is 1,890 points ahead of Nadal on the ATP list. After the straight sets defeat in Paris, the Serb went with his wife to the park in Bosnia to recuperate.

A player taking part in Pakistan’s National T20 Cup has reported an approach from a suspected bookmaker during the tournament in Rawalpindi, the Pakistan Cricket Board said. The PCB said its Anti-Corruption Unit carried out investigations before escalating the matter to the Federal Investigating Agency (FIA) for enquiries. “I have spoken with the player to compliment and thank him for following the PCB Anti-Corruption Code and reporting the approach to the anti-corruption officer,” PCB Director of Anti-

MANCHESTER AGENCIES

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Harry Maguire will "bounce back" after his torrid start to the season but could miss Saturday's Premier League trip to Newcastle through injury. The 27-yearold -- the world's most expensive defender -has struggled for Manchester United since his well-documented Greek court case in August. On Wednesday he was sent off in the first half of England's 1-0 loss to Denmark in the Nations League -- just days after helping Gareth Southgate's team to victory against Belgium. "When Harry is part of the England team that beats number-one ranked Belgium, that's just a normal day and then you get the headlines when you get the sending-off," said Solskjaer. "That's just football for you. There's so many ups and downs that we have got to deal with it, individually and as a group. "Harry's got great resilience. I know he'll bounce back. I'll know that he wants to play, he wants to just work his way out of the last couple of games that he's been criticised (for)."

Valentino Rossi tests positive for coronavirus

ITALIAN RIDER SAYS HE WILL MISS ARAGON GRAND PRIX IN SPAIN AGENCIES Italian rider Valentino Rossi confirmed Thursday he has tested positive for COVID19. “Unfortunately, this morning I woke up and I was not feeling good. My bones were score and I had a slight fever, so I immediately called the doctor who tested me twice. The ‘quick PCR test’ result was negative, just like the test I underwent on Tuesday," Rossi tweeted. "But the second one, of which the result was sent to me at 16:00 this afternoon, was unfortunately positive." As a result, the Monster Energy Yamaha team's rider said he would miss this weekend’s Aragon Grand Prix in Spain. “I am so disappointed that I will have to miss the race at Aragon. I’d like to be optimistic and confident, but I expect the second round in Aragon to be a ‘no go’ for me as well… I am sad and angry because I did my best to respect the protocol and although the test I had on Tuesday was negative, I self-isolated since my arrival from le Mans," he added. The nine-time world champion ranks 13th in MotoGP with 58 points.

Wimbledon set to return even without fans LONDON

LAHORE

Maguire will bounce back after setbacks, says Manchester United boss

and now it is up to them to assess the security, Covid-19 situations before reaching a decision,” he said. “We are very confident they will come and if that happens it will be great for Pakistan cricket as it will open the doors for other top teams like Australia and New Zealand to also come to Pakistan.” Pakistan have already invited South Africa in January-February next year to play two Tests and a three-T20 series. Pakistan will be hosting Zimbabwe for a white-ball series in Rawalpindi and Lahore in November and Khan said it was high time that top teams started touring the country. Test teams have avoided playing in Pakistan since 2009 when militants attacked the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore. But in the last two years, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have played Test matches and white-ball cricket in the country. The Pakistan Super League’s entire fifth edition was also held here early this year for the first time since its launch in 2016.

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Corruption and Security Asif Mahmood said in a statement. “This is a testament of our regular anti-corruption education sessions as well as the player’s clear understanding of the Code and his obligations under such a situation.” The PCB did not identify the player or give any more details of the approach. “PCB as a responsible member of the International Cricket Council will continue to keep the game’s administrative body abreast of the progress in investigations as part of our information-sharing approach,” Mahmood said.

Batsman Umar Akmal was banned in April for failing to report approaches to engage in corrupt practices before this year’s Pakistan Super League competition. His three-year ban was halved by an independent adjudicator in July. In February, former batsman Nasir Jamshed was jailed for his role in a fixing scandal. He was banned for 10 years by an anti-corruption tribunal in 2018 for his part in a spot-fixing scandal that engulfed the Pakistan Super League in 2017. Three players – Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir – were jailed for their part in a spot-fixing scandal against England in 2010.

AFC Champions League final to be played on Dec 19 in Doha DOHA AGENCIES

Qatar will host the Asian Champions League final in December, officials said Friday, after the Gulf state successfully staged the restart of the tournament following a months-long coronavirus hiatus. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said the final will take place on December 19 in Doha, where a bio-secure "bubble" has been set up to protect players and staff from infection.

AFC general secretary Windsor John said choosing a venue for the final of Asia's top club tournament had been "complex", particularly as this year's showdown will be a single leg. Usually it consists of two legs, which are played in the countries of the finalists. After being suspended in March, the tournament resumed last month in Qatar, which is also the host of the next World Cup in 2022. West Zone sides played their remaining matches, which wrapped up

earlier this month with Persepolis beating Al Nassr to reach the finals. East Zone teams, which come from countries including Japan, China and Australia, are also due to play their remaining matches in Qatar from November 18 to December 13. There were some problems during the restart, however. Title-holders Al Hilal were kicked out of the tournament for failing to field enough players after dozens of footballers and staff tested positive for the virus.

AGENCIES

Wimbledon is set to go ahead next year even if the Grand Slam tournament has to be staged behind closed doors, organisers announced on Friday. The grass-court championships were cancelled this year for the first time since World War II because of the coronavirus pandemic. The tennis season has been badly disrupted by Covid-19 but the US Open went ahead behind closed doors and the French Open took place in front of only 1,000 fans a day after its starting date was moved from May to late September. The All England Club is planning for several scenarios in 2021 -- a fullcapacity Wimbledon, reduced numbers of fans or holding the tournament with no spectators present. "Staging the championships in 2021 is our number-one priority and we are actively engaged in scenarioplanning in order to deliver on that priority," said chief executive Sally Bolton. Wimbledon's statement read: "Our overriding priority will continue to be the health and safety of all of our stakeholders, in particular our guests, our staff, and our competitors. "We are working closely with the relevant government and public health authorities, alongside the rest of the sports industry, to understand the varying challenges and opportunities presented by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic." The 134th championships will be staged from June 28 to July 11, 2021. Wimbledon has been working closely with local communities during the pandemic and will continue to provide 200 hot meals a day to people in need until Christmas.

Barcelona ponder Messi rest as Real Madrid continue to wait on Hazard MADRID AGENCIES

Barcelona must weigh up the decision whether to rest Lionel Messi for Saturday's trip to Getafe ahead of a congested run of fixtures, while Real Madrid are still waiting on the return of Eden Hazard from injury. Messi played the full 90 minutes in Argentina's World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Bolivia during the international break, the second of which was played at altitude in La Paz. The Barca captain has not missed a single minute for his club since football resumed in June following the coronavirus shutdown.

However, with seven games in the space of 21 days awaiting Barca, coach Ronald Koeman could elect to give Messi a breather before the start of the team's Champions League campaign. Barca host Hungarian side Ferencvaros on Tuesday and then face sworn enemies Real Madrid four days later behind closed doors at the Camp Nou. The Catalan club head to Italy for a Champions League clash with Juventus on October 28 before games against Alaves and Real Betis either side of the visit of Dynamo Kiev. Leaders Madrid are unbeaten in La Liga since March, winning 13 of their past 15 games, and welcome Cadiz to the cap-

CMYK

ital this weekend. Zinedine Zidane could also opt to rotate some players but Thibaut Courtois, Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior are in line to play after resting while others were away on international duty. Courtois left the Belgium squad with a back injury and while he is fit to return, compatriot Hazard is not yet ready for action. The 29-year-old has yet to feature this season having picked up a muscle injury as he worked his way back from an ankle problem. He is also expected to miss next weekend's Clasico, but Courtois believes Hazard will come good after scoring just once in an injury-plagued first season in Spain.

"I have no doubt we are going to see the best of Hazard," Courtois told Cadena Ser radio. "He is more desperate than anyone to show it. He's coming along well and hopefully soon he can prove it. He added: "I am sure that in no time he will explode and will give many joys to the team." Atletico Madrid visit Celta Vigo in their first game since the sale of Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey to Arsenal on transfer deadline day. Partey made 188 appearances for the Atletico and was part of the sides that reached the 2016 Champions League final and beat Arsenal on the way to winning the Europa League in 2018. The Dutch-born Morocco international could make his Sevilla debut at Granada after joining the club on a five-year deal from AZ Alkmaar. Idrissi, 24, scored 13 goals in 25 games in the Eredivisie last season before it was declared over in March due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Saturday, 17 October, 2020

PrAyEr TImINGS

NEWS

KarabaKh reSiDenTS face lUrKing ThreaT of UnexploDeD clUSTer bombS AZERBAIJAN

Arakelyan, a member of the Halo Trust demining group, tells AFP as he shoos chickens away from the unexploded weapon sticking out of the ground. As an employee of the international NGO working to clear landmines and other explosives that endanger civilians in conflict zones, the 43-year-old promised to come over and inspect the object. It is just one of a slew of dangerous items that has spurred the organisation working in Karabakh to spread awareness over war debris. Greg Polson, an explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) expert with HALO Trust, says the weapon is a 9N235 submunition, one of the 72 bomblets dispersed by a Soviet-made Smerch rocket. The group is worried about the threat the lurking munitions pose to Stepanakert residents still in the city, after many fled or took shelter in underground cellars. Since fighting broke out late last month, nearly 700 people have been killed including dozens of civilians. But the full death toll is believed be much higher because Azerbaijan has not revealed details of its military fatalities.

AGENCIES

DOZEN clucking chickens dart around a small cylindrical object embedded deep in the dirt of their hillside coop, with the telltale fins of a cluster bomb emerging from the earth. Throughout Stepanakert, the capital of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan, residents and activists are worried about the residual threat of unexploded cluster munitions near homes and along streets. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan have accused the other of using the banned weapons in fierce clashes that erupted more than two weeks ago over the disputed province and persist despite a ceasefire agreed in Moscow last week. The owner of the chickens discovered the small, 20 centimetre (8 inches) long munition in his backyard following a bout of Azerbaijani shelling that hit Stepanakert last week and called Arayik Arakelyan. “They said: ‘in my garden there is something… I don’t know what is it’,”

‘A REAL RISK’: Karabakh officials claim their regional capital has been repeatedly hit by the Soviet-designed Smerch rockets in the clashes, while Azerbaijan has denied using the weapons. The territory’s rights ombudsman Artak Beglaryan in a report Wednesday denounced Azerbaijan’s use of rockets armed with cluster munitions near civilian areas, particularly Stepanakert and the towns of Shusha and Hadrut. Beglaryan wrote that Karabkh’s emergency services had “found over 180 cluster munitions only in Stepanakert between September 27 and October 10”. Amnesty International last week said it corroborated the use of cluster bombs based on footage from Armenian sources. Experts “were able to trace the location of the footage to residential areas of Stepanakert and identified Israeli-made M095 DPICM cluster munitions that appear to have been fired by Azerbaijani forces,” Amnesty said in a statement. Israel is a major arms supplier to Azerbaijan. Amnesty said that “between 5 and 20

per cent of cluster bombs do not explode,” posing a latent threat to civilians. Polson says that “many look very attractive to children” and some weapons with pink strings attached in particular can be mistaken for toys. “When they find it, they pull it, they swing it around and throw it away. That’s a real risk,” he adds. So far 123 countries have joined an international convention adopted in Dublin in 2008 that bans the use of cluster weapons. But Armenia and Azerbaijan are not among its signatories. Cluster weapons’ “use to attack civilian areas is particularly dangerous and will only lead to further deaths and injuries,” says Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty’s deputy director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. HALO Trust’s Koen Van Der West warns the danger will remain even after the bombings have stopped. “The main risk is going to be when people return to their houses, go to their gardens or to their balconies and then find these types of items,” he says.

Sales of first big Covid-19 drug, remdesivir, may disappoint AGENCIES

use in May, said the WHO findings are “inconsistent with more robust evidence.” The company struggled to meet early demand and gave away around 250,000 courses earlier in the pandemic, when remdesivir was the only treatment proven to shorten hospital stays for severely ill patients. Since then, low-cost steroids have demonstrated an ability to cut death risk in severely ill COVID-19 patients, and doctors question the medical value of using remdesivir for moderately-ill patients. Wall Street forecast $2.5 billion in worldwide sales of remdesivir this year, according to Refinitiv. However, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversaw the drug’s second-quarter distribution, said hospitals only bought 32% of 500,000 available courses – worth about $500 million at $3,120 per course. The European Union in July purchased 30,000 courses worth another $74 million. The EU recently contracted for 500,000 remdesivir courses over the next six months, but the deal does not require purchases. Gilead sells and licenses remdesivir to most of the world but is expected to get the vast majority of revenue from the United States and Europe. Johanna Mercier, Gilead’s chief commercial officer, acknowledged that “hospitalization rates were much lower than

Investors betting on big profits from Covid-19 treatments may get an unwelcome surprise when Gilead Sciences Inc GILD.O reports quarterly results this month. Its remdesivir, the first important coronavirus treatment, has not been used as much as first expected and faces complex insurance reimbursement issues. Its best hope may be that the United States and other Northern Hemisphere governments concerned about a winter spike in cases are beginning to stockpile the antiviral drug, which is also being tested in combination with experimental Covid-19 antibody therapies. Remdesivir has become the standard of care for patients hospitalized with severe Covid-19. But many doctors remain wary of using it more widely, raising questions about lofty analyst sales forecasts for a drug that could eventually be eclipsed by newer treatments. The World Health Organization on Thursday said its international trial of Covid-19 therapies found that remdesivir did not have a substantial effect on patients’ length of hospital stay or chances of survival. The study has not been reviewed by outside experts. Gilead, whose shares have fallen 22% since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized remdesivir for emergency

originally predicted.” “A lot of people were worried about the supply and wanted to keep remdesivir for their worst-case patients,” she said. She declined in an interview to discuss Gilead’s sales expectations, but said some of the excess U.S. supply was soaked up by HHS for stockpiling, and some was diverted to Europe. The drug accounts for a fraction of Gilead’s product sales, which totaled $21.7 billion in 2019. But the company in July raised its 2020 outlook, implying remdesivir sales of up to $3 billion, according to analysts. REIMBURSEMENT POLICY: Public health authorities have said that Covid-19 patients are not being denied drugs because of cost, but U.S. hospital incentives are complex. Most commercial insurers as well as Medicare, the federal health plan for seniors, pay hospitals a flat per-patient rate for care, based on diagnosis. That creates an incentive to “avoid keeping people in the hospital,” and makes a drug that shortens stays cost effective, said Richard Trembowicz, healthcare reimbursement specialist at ECG Management Consultants. Medicare in March approved a 20% increase in its payment for hospital stays related to Covid-19 but does not reimburse directly for remdesivir, which costs $3,120

for a five-day course, or $2,340 for government purchasers. U.S. hospitals say the cost is not influencing clinical decisions. “The price is not outrageous enough,” said Katherine Perez, infectious disease pharmacist at Houston Methodist Hospital. “We are hoping it is getting patients out of the hospital sooner.” But, she added, “I don’t think the data supports using it in more mild infections.” Still, the FDA in August expanded its remdesivir authorization to include patients with less-severe illness. “I would use it in an elderly person or someone on a drug that suppresses the immune system,” said Dr. Rajesh Gandhi, an infectious disease physician at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. “For a 30-year-old doing well it would be less likely.” Gilead’s Mercier said reserving remdesivir for patients who need oxygen “is not necessarily the best use” of the drug, since antivirals may work best early in an infection, before a virus has reproduced enough to cause damage. The drug, which failed as a treatment for Ebola, is designed to prevent viruses from replicating and overwhelming their host’s immune system. Meanwhile, Gilead is moving ahead with remdesivir development, including testing an inhaled formulation to see if it could help non-hospitalized patients.

FAJR SUNRISE

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US, Taliban agree to ‘reset’ peace pact to save lives: Zalmay Khalilzad WASHINTON AGENCIES

The US special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said that Washington and the Afghan militants have decided to breathe new life into the crumbling peace deal and promised to “reduce” military operations on the ground. Khalilzad wrote on Twitter that, following a meeting with the Taliban, “we agreed to reset actions by strictly adhering to implementation of all elements of the US-Taliban Agreement and all commitments made.” This means reduced numbers of operations. At present, too many Afghans are dying. With the re-set, we expect that number to drop significantly,” he said, adding that, “all parties must deliver on their responsibilities.” The US has been holding talks with the Taliban, hoping to end the gridlock in the war-torn country. The long-awaited peace deal signed in February paved a way for political settlement, the withdrawal of American troops, and a prisoner swap between the militants and the US-backed Afghan government. Despite early optimism, further talks stalled, leading to a new round of violence as the Taliban and the government forces resumed offensives against each other. A US-led coalition invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to fight the Taliban and Al-Qaeda following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. TLTP

Smog returns to Delhi as farmers burn stubble NEW DELHI AGENCIES

The Indian capital’s air quality levels have plunged to “very poor” and a smoggy haze has settled over the city, days after the state government initiated stricter measures to fight air pollution. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in New Delhi rose past 270 on Friday, according to SAFAR, India’s main environment monitoring agency, after agricultural fires in neighbouring states sent smoke billowing across the city. On Thursday, the AQI level had crossed 300, indicating “very poor” conditions that pose a risk of respiratory problems. The World Health Organization deems anything above 25 as unsafe. Since October 1, New Delhi’s average AQI was more than 36 percent higher than the figures for the same period a year ago. The Indian capital, one of the world’s most polluted cities, enjoyed a respite from air pollution up until September in part due to to a coronavirus lockdown. But with industrial activities resuming and cars back on the roads – along with the onset of cooler weather and less wind – air quality in the city has once again fallen to unhealthy levels. October is also the time of year when farmers in neighbouring regions, including the states of Haryana and Punjab, set fire to their fields after having harvested them to clear them, despite there being a ban on it. That smoke travels to New Delhi, leading to a surge in pollution levels in the city of more than 20 million people and exacerbating what is already a public health crisis. Health experts say high air pollution levels over a prolonged period have compromised the disease resistance of people living in New Delhi, making them more susceptible to the coronavirus.

Biden, Trump return to campaign trail after dueling town halls WILMINGTON AGENCIES

President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden will return to the campaign trail on Friday with visits to three battleground states, a day after the two contenders clashed from afar during dueling televised town halls. The split-screen events, which replaced a presidential debate that was canceled in the wake of Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis, also highlighted the sharp contrast between the two candidates’ approach to the campaign less than three weeks before the Nov 3 election. A combative Trump, sparring with moderator Samantha Guthrie on NBC, refused to condemn the bizarre conspiracy theory QAnon, claimed the 2020 election is rife with fraud and questioned whether masks can help combat the spread of COVID-19.

Biden delivered policy-heavy answers and focused his attacks on Trump’s handling of the pandemic, which has killed 216,000 Americans and hammered the economy. Biden has led the contest for months, according to polls, and it was not clear whether Trump’s aggressive posture would succeed in altering what has been a stable race despite a whirlwind of news. More than 18 million Americans have already cast ballots, far more than at a similar juncture in 2016, according to a tracker at the US Elections Project at the University of Florida. Louisiana will begin early voting on Friday, following record turnout in competitive states Georgia, Texas and North Carolina this week. Trump will travel to Florida and Georgia, two states that are seen as crucial to his chances of victory, while Biden will visit two cities in Michigan,

another battleground state. The second presidential debate had been scheduled for Thursday, but Trump pulled out of the event after organizers said it would be virtual to lessen the risk of infection. Trump, who received treatment for several days at a military hospital after he contracted the virus two weeks ago, has since returned to headlining massive campaign rallies. During his town hall on NBC in front of voters in Miami, Trump declined to say when he last tested negative for the virus before announcing his diagnosis, a question that White House physicians have also refused to answer. While he denounced white supremacists two weeks after failing to do so forcefully at the first presidential debate, he would not do the same about QAnon, a fringe movement whose adherents believe Democrats are part of a global pedophilia ring.

“I do know they are against pedophilia, they fight it very hard,” Trump said, before claiming he knew nothing about the conspiracy theory when pressed by Guthrie. He also questioned whether masks are effective at stopping the spread of the coronavirus, contradicting the consensus among public health experts, including those in his own administration. In Philadelphia, Biden outlined to voters his plans to combat the pandemic and revive the economy by prioritizing testing, funding local and state governments and hiking taxes dramatically on corporations and the wealthy. He again deferred when asked whether he supports adding justices to the Supreme Court, an idea known as “court-packing” that some Democrats favor as a response to Republicans’ hardball tactics. “It depends on how this turns out,” he said of the ongoing confirmation hear-

ings for Trump’s latest nominee, Amy Coney Barrett. But the coronavirus dominated the proceedings, just as it has loomed over the last seven months of the campaign. Trump, who has downplayed the crisis, again said on Thursday that the country has “rounded the corner,” despite surges in cases in many states. He also defended his own personal approach to the virus, including hosting a Rose Garden event last month after which multiple attendees, including himself, tested positive. Biden’s campaign said on Thursday that three people who recently traveled with him or his running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, had tested positive. Neither candidate had close contact with the infected individuals, the campaign said, but Harris canceled her in-person events through Sunday as a precaution. The third presidential debate is scheduled for Oct 22.

Published by Arif Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk